#and then i looked into how cellphones and wifi works

[serasfanfiction]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

CW: For Valentino being Valentino. He doesn't do anything, but he does say some things.

oOo

The closer they came to V Tower, the more loud everything became.

Paper posters gave way to bulletin boards. Every street was lit with flashing signs and arrows, pointing the way to different businesses down the main strip. Advertisements were nearly plastered on every single available surface, competing with each other in a cacophony of bright colors and promises to make all of one's troubles go away, if only one bought the product.

Sinners wandered the streets, some glued to their phones as they typed out a text message, watched a video, or shouted at someone on the other end of a phone call. Some sinners loitered around various shops selling televisions, each screen showing an advertisement for the latest gadget VoxTek was selling.

The Vees made it ridiculously easy to learn their faces, as none of the trio were shy about plastering their likeness all over their wares. Vox was clearly unafraid to throw his reputation behind anything he supported, one advertisement proclaiming, "I'd buy it." Valentino left nothing to the imagination - figurative or literally - on what he was selling, with various larger than life posters that featured the moth scantily clad and in suggestive poses. Velvette was significantly more reserved, in comparison, with only a billboard advertising her perfume, named, Love Potion.

Quite frankly speaking, it was all a bit overstimulating.

Walking nonchalantly at his side, Alastor barely gave any of bombastic sights around him a second glance. He had made little commentary since they had set out from the hotel earlier in the day, falling silent as they had entered the Vees territory. Where all of this technology was practically invented yesterday, as far as Lucifer was concerned, Alastor had lived on Earth when most of the technology around them was still in its infancy stages. Advertising, likewise, was hardly new. Humans had been shouting at each other to buy this or to buy that since they'd first come up with the idea of selling a product. They may not have had flashing lights in the 1920s or 30s, but there had been posters, billboards, and radio ads.

Modern technology just made everything more... flashy.

Lucifer watched a group of sinners standing before an electronic shop, TVs stacked up in the window. Each TV was showing the same thing: an advertisement for the latest cell phone. He was a little surprised he still cared enough to be sickened as Vox straight up hypnotized the viewers into buying the phone. He shook his head in disgust a they passed group turned mob making a mad dash into the store. "Quite the salesman, Vox is," Lucifer commented, not trying to hide his judgmental tone.

Alastor snorted. He glanced at the group scampering out with their new cell phones as he drawled, "Vox has always had a... persuasive sales pitch."

It was Lucifer's turn to snort as they passed another poster of Vox, this time just the overlord and his VoxTech logo. His ever present slogan, Trust Us, curved around the logo. "You mean he hypnotizes people into doing what he wants." It was good to know in advance. No one had ever tried to hypnotize the Devil himself before and he wasn't keen to find out if it was possible.

"Hm," Alastor hummed in agreement. "Just so."

V Tower was easy to spot, even with all the noise going on in the background. The number of surveillance cameras also began to increase the closer they got to the trio's headquarters. Lucifer eyed one as it followed their trek down the street. "So much for keeping our arrival a surprise."

The redhead smirked, obviously pleased about something. Sing song, he assured, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The blonde sighed. He was walking right into it, he knew he was. He was going to do it anyway, because damn his curiosity. "Oh?"

Alastor twirled his staff around his fingers like a baton. "All the cameras we've passed so far have been laughably easy to take out." With a practiced hand, he caught the staff, it's tip pointing at the offending camera. As they passed it, the little button on the side of it blinked from green to red. "Vox isn't paying attention to his little toys. Dear me, he must be away from his surveillance room."

Lucifer squinted at the camera dubiously. "You can tell we're not being watched, by, what? The camera not coming back on?"

Alastor laughed, short and cutting. "Oh, it's more than lack of interaction." He leaned in close, as if he were parting with a juicy secret. "I can tell when Vox is watching." His smile was sharp and cruel and said everything about how pathetic he found the overlord in question. "His attention has a certain... desperation to it."

Lucifer wasn't certain which part of all of that to focus on first: the fact that apparently Vox had flat out stalked Alastor to the point Alastor knew when he was being watched or the fact that Alastor clearly found the whole thing hilarious.

Father, these sinner could be fucked up sometimes.

Lucifer grinned, unable to pass up the opportunity he'd just been handed to needle the deer demon. "Didn't do much about the camera that recorded the fight."

Alastor's expression soured around the edges. His ears flattened as he resumed his previous position, snide as he pointed out, "Yes, well, I was a bit distracted by doing all the work. You should try joining in next time."

Alastor hadn't let him get involved in any of the attacks, insistent that he had everything covered, and they both knew it. Lucifer had let him because he always half hoped someone would kill the asshole.

Lucifer let the conversation drop with little more than a roll of his eyes, his mind drifting as he processed this new information. If Alastor could indeed tell when Vox was watching (which, creepy) and had been surprised by one of the attacks being filmed, one could infer that Vox was keeping the hotel under a certain level of constant surveillance.

After returning from their day out, he had hauled himself up in his room as he scoured the news for mention of any attacks. Had tracked down the news reports Rosie had mentioned. There had only been a number written reports and many more reposted written reports, with a single video dedicated to the subject. The video itself contained footage from the first attack, despite the news articles having all been posted fairly recently. Judging from the general comments under the articles and the video, few people were interested in the hotel itself beyond wanting to know if it still stood or not.

They had been lucky the fight had forced the drone to retreat or risk being destroyed. Distance had rendered the video quality poor enough his bleeding hand wasn't visible for all of Hell to see. Everyone already knew angels could be harmed, killed even. It wouldn't do for anyone to get it into their pretty little heads that angel weapons might work on him or Charlie, however.

(Lucifer tried not to think about the main image he had seen, again and again, in those news articles. Tried not to think about how reverent Alastor had looked like as he reached his hand out to the Devil, as if he were the only God the sinner would ever be able to touch. The framing of the image had made it appear like it was something so different than it had really been.)

Light pressure on his shoulder drew him out of his thoughts. Out of the corner of his view, he caught Alastor withdrawing the hand he'd used to get his attention. It was a good thing he had, as it took a second for the sensor above the door to register their presence and trigger the door to open. He could only imagine what the media would have thought if a camera had caught Lucifer running right into the front doors of V Tower while lost in thought.

They stepped through the doors into a lobby themed in oranges and reds with purple accents. Hearts were definitely a motif, accenting arches and their support columns. Purple lanterns dotted every other column, more decoration than function. Lucifer took in the additional advertisements, some on the walls, some on a-frames. A large, flat screen tv displayed the VoxTek logo, but there was nothing currently playing on it.

There were a number of employees dotted around the lobby. A sheep sinner carrying a precarious stack of tablets raced off in one direction, while a horned rabbit sinner ran in another direction with an armful of clothing. A trio of sinners loitered off to the side, whispering back in forth in a frantic, hushed argument about what sounded like bottom lines and stocks. Near the back of the lobby, a blue and yellow sinner shouted about "messy actors" and "shitty wardrobes" as he frantically slammed his finger into the up button of the elevator.

At the center of the lobby, themed similar to the surrounding columns, was a welcome desk, currently being run by a white haired, fuchsia skinned sinner. Her tiny bat wings fluttered and drooped as she fielded calls. Distracted as she was, she failed to notice anyone had entered the lobby until Alastor and Lucifer had already reached the desk.

"One moment, please," she said to them, showing that she had at least noticed they were there. "Now where did Velvette say she wanted her calls sent to today...?" She bit her lip, finger hovering over one of a quite frankly insane number of optional extensions. Her eyes darted back and forth between two of them, before she shrugged and for all intents and purposes flat out guessed which one to send the line to. "Thank you for waiting," she said in a practiced, albeit polite monotone. "How may I... help..." She trailed off as she finally laid eyes on who had walked into the lobby, eyes going wide. She gaped as she recognized Lucifer but went completely blank as she took in Alastor's presence. The blonde was fairly certain that if he could read minds there wouldn't have been a single thought going through her head at that moment.

Lucifer fixed an equally practiced polite smile on his face. "Excuse me, miss," he began, only to pause when she failed to regain her senses, apparently still too flabbergasted by his companion. Brow twitching, he rapped his knuckles sharply upon the marble surface of the desk.

The noise seemed to do the trick, the sinner snapping out of her trance to jerk her head around. "Yes! Um." She swallowed, casting one last nervous glance at the Radio Demon. Between looking at Alastor and looking back at Lucifer, he could see her clawing her professional mask back on with the kind of experience that came from needing to remain calm when one's life was on the line. "How may I help you, sirs?" Her voice didn't even shake a little.

Noting the reaction and shelving the topic for later, Lucifer said, "Please let Vox know we are here to speak with him."

The sinner blinked, disbelief clear as day on her face despite her best efforts not to show it. "You..." Lucifer had the distinct impression the 'you' here was Alastor, even if she wasn't looking directly at him. "Wish to speak with... Vox?" Her tone suggested that had she not been speaking with Lucifer Morningstar, the literal king of Hell, she might have asked him if he was smoking something.

The noise, or lack there of, reached his ears. The general hustle and bustle of when they had entered had completely died down to be replaced by whispers and murmurs. Even without turning, he could feel all eyes on them. Lucifer glanced at Alastor, whose Cheshire Cat grin suggested he was internally laughing at all the fuss his being here was causing. His ears flicked to and fro as he followed different conversations.

Smile fixed in place, he affirmed, "Yup!" He waggled his fingers in the direction of her phone. "Now, please."

The receptionist stared off into the middle distance, the same blank look in her eyes he'd seen on soldier's who'd died at war. In the fatalistic tone of someone who didn't expect to have a job (or possibly be alive) in the morning, she said, "Whelp, this job sucked anyway."

Someone, a little too loudly, stage whispered, "Oh, I would not want to be in her shoes, right now."

Without turning, the receptionist flipped the person off with one hand while picking up the phone with the other. She pressed a seemingly random button as she put the receiver to her ear, a down right manic smile crossed her face.

Lucifer (and likely everyone in the lobby, as well) could tell the instant the phone was answered on the other end. A voice that matched the one's he'd heard in the advertisements bellowed, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT INTERUPTING MY MEETINGS?"

Taking advantage of the fact that it sounded like Vox was a sinner who needed to breathe on occasion, the woman said, voice picture perfect cheerful, "The King of Hell and the Radio Demon are here to see you, sir."

A very long, audible pause, both on the phone and from the lobby around them. Then, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ALASTOR'S HERE??"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at the redhead, incredulous. Seriously? What kind of history did these two have that Alastor showing up at V Tower was causing this kind of fuss? It was almost enough to make him forget he had been totally overlooked in that last statement.

Around them, every camera in the lobby suddenly came to life, zeroing in on them. Lucifer could tell by their synchronous motion, someone was likely watching them. Alastor's whole posture changed as he turned on one of the cameras, head tilted just so and smile lazy as he waved at it.

As one, those very same cameras began to sizzle and pop as they were all taken out.

Lucifer noted the redhead looked far too pleased with himself for that to have been anything other than deliberate. He knew Alastor hated being recorded, but that was just petty. Turning his attention to the receptionist, it was only because of his heightened sense of hearing that he was able to hear Vox, voice considerably more in control and at a much more reasonable volume, telling her to send them down.

"At once, sir." She set the phone down at leisure, as if she hadn't just had her eardrums tested by her boss shouting in them. Still looking at something only she could see, she said, "Vox will see you now." She pointed behind her to a set of elevators. "Please use the elevator on the right, as this is the only elevator with access to Vox's personal office." Placing her hands on the desk in a deceptively casual way, she finished, "Please have a hellish rest of your day."

"You, too," Lucifer said on reflex. He watched her as they made their way around the desk, throwing glances over his shoulder after they'd passed it. Under his breath, he asked of Alastor, "Think the hotel needs a receptionist?"

They had a front desk, didn't they? And a land line? Maybe? There was no mail service in Hell and Alastor had to get communications somehow, seeing as he refused to touch anything more modern than a radio. He'd check on it when he got back.

"Ha!" Alastor side eyed him. "Come now, your Majesty, you don't want poor Husker to be out of a job, do you?"

Lucifer belatedly remembered that apparently Husk doubled as not just their bartender, but also as their receptionist. He guffawed. One the one hand, Husk was indeed an great bartender, even willing to be a patient ear for one's troubles, if he tolerated them. He was certainly an exceptional judge of someone's character. On the other, was he a good receptionist? No offense meant to the avian feline in question, but, not in the slightest.

Lucifer added the mental note to check in on the receptionist later to his growing list of things to do.

The elevator opened without them pressing any buttons, suggesting that Vox, the creep, had other ways of keeping tabs on them. Lucifer and Alastor stepped in, the former not thrilled with how tiny the elevator was. There was just enough room for the both of them to stand side by side with little to spare. Insult to injury, the most obnoxious elevator music he had ever had the displeasure to have inflicted on him played over head. There were no buttons to chose from, but there seemed to be none needed as the elevator began its decent on it's own.

Lucifer reiterated: what a creep.

More to fill the silence and distract himself from the growing need to destroy the speaker putting out that horrible noise, he asked, "You ever been here before?"

In the same way most people would say, 'I'd rather die, thanks,' Alastor scoffed. "Absolutely not! I'd never inflict such poor company on myself willingly." Still, it wasn't hard to notice the little ways Alastor was on high alert, very much aware of the fact that he had walked willingly into enemy territory. His ego didn't allow him to worry, but it still paid to be alert to potential surprises.

Thankfully, the elevator didn't take long before reaching its destination. This new room was vast, with a color scheme nothing like the lobby's. Where the lobby was warm shades of orange, red and purple, this room was all cool shades of blue, red, white. The room was dark, only illuminates by dozens upon dozens of screens, most glowing with white light, a handful with red light. Red light filtered up from what appeared to be a deep pit surrounding a bridge-like walkway. Attached at the end was a round platform and attached to the platform was a seat surrounded by even more monitors.

This wasn't an office. This was a surveillance room.

Walking down the walkway was none other than the founder of VoxTek, Vox himself, striding along with all the confidence of someone who was at the top of their industry and knew it. His smile was wide and Lucifer immediately pegged it as the fake kind he usually saw on car salesmen. "Your Highness! Welcome!" Vox greeted. When he was close enough, he offered his hand out for a handshake.

Lucifer eyed it, just long enough to make it look like he wasn't going to take it. He didn't expect anyone to actually bow to him in greeting, but something about this guy left him half tempted to push for it now. Taking the hand, he allowed Vox to shake it to be polite.

When it came time to greet Alastor, the TV demon merely gritted his teeth and said, voice dripping with venom, "Alastor."

Alastor didn't appear bothered in the least by the rude greeting. Matching vitriol with amusement, he merely said, "Vox."

Lucifer looked from Vox, to Alastor, and then back to Vox. Man, he was so sorry he hadn't asked for more details on these two before they'd gotten here. Predicting this could go on a while if they were left to their own devises, Lucifer pointedly cleared his throat.

Vox's smile smoothed out, salesman mask back on place. "Yes, of course. Now, your highness," the sinner held out his hand towards the bridge, indicating he'd like them to come into his "office" proper. Lucifer didn't fail to notice there was only one seat down that way and it was meant for Vox. "May I call you Lucifer? Lucifer--"

Oh, absolutely not. They were going to have to nip that in the bud. Even Alastor, who had somehow become his rival for his place in his daughter's life and literally lived down the hall from him, was smart enough not to call him by name.

"The word you're looking for is 'Majesty'."

Vox paused, body tensing. The fallen angel got the impression he wasn't used to being interrupted. "Excuse me?"

Lucifer effected a bored stance, one hand settled on his cane as he explained, deliberately just this side of hostile, "Your Highness is how you would address my daughter." He looked Vox dead in the eye, making it pointedly clear he was deadly serious and there was going to be none of this BS about who was calling the shots. "Your Majesty is how you address your king."

Vox interestingly grew more calm in the face of his king's ire. "Of course, your Majesty," he said, immediately correcting course. He offered they move the conversation to the platform again. This time, Lucifer nodded. He followed as Vox lead the way, noting how the TV demon never quite turned his back on them, seemingly uneasy having Alastor at his back, even this deep into what was his own territory.

Lucifer took the time spent crossing the bridge to exam the pit around them. While the red light obscured the bottom itself, he was able to make out what appeared to be a very large tank behind equally large glass walls. Swimming around without a care in the world were what appeared to be several glowing sharks. He followed one as it made its way from one side of the pit to the other, able to sense there was nothing natural in their design. These creatures may have appeared to be alive, but they were all circuits and wires, through and through.

When they reached the platform, Vox showed sense by not going for his chair. He did stop in the center of the circle, a subtle attempt to regain some control of the situation. "Now, your Majesty," he began, just sincere enough it was impossible to tell if it was fake or not. "Please, tell me how I and VoxTek can be of assistance today."

Lucifer watched him. Watched the way his face was turned to Lucifer, but his eyes kept ticking to Alastor. Noted the way his body was tilted ever so slightly in the redhead's direction, as if drawn by a magnet he couldn't resist. Vox may have been putting on a show of talking to Lucifer, but he very much only had eyes for Alastor.

Someone was obsessed.

Someone was obsessed really badly.

Something that felt suspiciously like possessiveness reared its head deep within his chest. Lucifer had no more of a claim on Alastor than Vox did, but Alastor had chosen to live under his roof and was his daughter's hotelier. Finicky to the last, with all the loyalty of a feral, stray cat, Alastor was theirs.

Smile all teeth, eyes gold on red, Lucifer raised his free hand until they were right under where Vox's nose would be if he had one. He snapped his fingers, once, twice, sharply.

Vox nearly went cross-eyed, as he zeroed in on the offending digits, leaning slightly back.

"I know Alastor is very eye catching," Lucifer drawled, voice deepening as he let his displeasure seep in. "But you are talking to me. Do you understand?"

The TV demon had the grace to raise his hands, not necessarily in surrender, but certainly in a pacifying manner. It was easy to see him cycling through possible responses, as he fished for the one that would deescalate the situation the fastest. "I apologize, you Majesty, for any offense," he settled on, tone so polite it reeked of falseness.

Lucifer let him have it because it seemed Vox was finally cottoning on to the fact that there was a larger predator in the room then either of the two sinners. The reluctant king withdrew a step, pleased when Vox's eyes followed him, with not a single glance at Alastor. Now that he had the CEO's full attention, he decided it was time to get this show on the road. "I have a message for everyone in the Pride Ring. I've noticed how many people have a TV or a cellphone. I've also noticed VoxTek's reach." Lucifer said this last part only because it was true. However they had managed it, VoxTek has even managed to make it's way into the other rings.

For the first time since they'd arrived, Vox's smile actually appeared real. It put into stark light how fake the one he had been wearing up until this moment had been. "We would be thrilled to feature you on one of our television shows, your Majesty." He was smart enough not to look at Alastor, although it was obvious the next part was directed towards him. "Our viewership ratings have been going through the roof over the last few years. Statistics show that almost every household in the Pentagram City has a TV these days."

It was a good sales pitch. It might even have been true. The hotel had even had a TV, although Lucifer had explicitly forbidden anyone from bringing one into the palace, the exception being the live-in servants' personal quarters. Regardless, Vox hadn't said that to try and sale anyone on anything, he'd said it to rub it in Alastor's face that Lucifer had chosen to pass his message along over Vox's medium, instead of Alastor's.

Although they hadn't discussed it ahead of time, Lucifer found himself saying, in all the casualness of it having been a given, "If Alastor wishes to broadcast the message simultaneously over radio for our viewers who prefer the medium, he's more than welcome to do so, but we're not here to discuss that." He was fairly certain, even without turning around, that Alastor hadn't given it away that this was news to him.

The idea was reinforced by the way that Vox's eye twitched before he could regain control over it. "Yes, of course we want it to reach all of the intended audiences." Hands coming to rest at the small of his back, the TV demon attempted to steer them back on course. "Now, about the content of the message."

Lucifer tilted his head to the side. "Does it matter what the content is? Unless you prefer I go somewhere else to do this." Something that was also true. Mammon may lack any talent of his own, but he knew a cash grab when he saw one. He jumped onto the bandwagon that was television sets, TV shows, and moving advertisements as soon as the technology had hit Hell. The only reason none of his products where seen in the Pride Ring was because Lucifer limited his exposure to sinners were ever he could. If he gave him the green light, Mammon would topple VoxTek within a matter of months, if not less.

Vox paused, sensing he was in troubled waters, but not quite sure from which direction. "No, no. We here at VoxTek simply prefer to make sure that all the content we put out is content we stand by--"

Lucifer leaned in. If his tail were out, it would have been thrashing. "Are you saying your king could say anything VoxTek wouldn't support?"

Vox's screen left eye widened ever so slightly, the sclera going from a solid red, to more hypnotic red and black. It was there and gone in the blink of his eyes. His voice sounded glitchy as he gritted out a, "No."

"May I suggest something, your Majesty?"

Lucifer broke off what was quickly becoming a staring match with Vox to turn his attention to Alastor. The redheaded sinner had been standing behind him, seemingly content to watch the drama unfold from the side as Lucifer took the lead. Considering their rivalry, Lucifer was a little hesitant to allow Alastor to enter the fray, lest he potentially make things worse. However, he did appreciate the fact that these two knew each other better than he knew either of them.

Giving away the floor, at least for now, Lucifer gave a single short nod, for him to proceed.

Alastor stepped up until they were side by side.

Unable to resist now that the redhead had center stage, Vox immediately shifted to face him, Lucifer all but forgotten. He frowned, almost all pretenses of being a businessman all but thrown out the window. "What are you doing here, Alastor?" He snipped at the redhead. "I know you'll take any opportunity to move up in Hell, but I didn't take you as a kiss ass."

Alastor smiled at him, as if he were a short sighted child. "We hadn't gotten to that part, have we?" He gave his staff a little spin, noting the way Vox's eyes narrowed as he took in it's repaired state. "His Majesty asked me to stand with him as he gave his address."

Vox snorted, doubtful. "You'd never agree to appearing on screen." He actually started to laugh at the idea, until he realized Alastor was completely serious. "Wait, you said yes?" Gaping, he turned on Lucifer, seeming in his shock to forget who he was talking to. "What the hell did you do to get him to agree to show up on TV?" He glared back and forth between then, baring his teeth as he asked, "What, are you two fucking or something?"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, lip curling back. In one fell swoop, Vox had just reduced himself to less than scum on the bottom of his boots. The only reason they were continuing this conversation was because he didn't feel like dragging Valentino down to the Greed Ring. "Maybe you just don't know how to speak his language," he snipped back, mouth moving before he could think about what he was saying or how much it gave away.

Before Vox could think too deeply on it, the redhead cleared his throat. For all that he preferred to be an unseen voice on the radio, Alastor did how to play his audience in person. "Let me sweeten the deal," he said, his hand running down the pole of his staff, eyeing the TV demon as he did so. "If you agree to broadcast our King's message, I'll do that one little thing you wanted me to do when you asked me to join you." He pointed the microphone end at Vox, the tip perilously close to his screen. "From when you agree to the end of the broadcast."

Vox stared at the microphone. Slowly, he raised his eyes until he met Alastor's. Something that looked suspiciously like sadness peaked through his anger, although Lucifer was certain they weren't supposed to see it. "You'd really do that. For him?"

Alastor withdrew his staff, tucking it under his arm. With his free hand, he reached out until a single claw rested under Lucifer's chin. Encouraging him to look up at him, Lucifer let Alastor tilt his head up and around to meet that fond expression on the redhead's face. "As his Majesty said, he knows how to speak my language."

Vox's eyes widened, a dawning expression coming over him. Real horror followed shortly behind it. "Holy shit," he whispered, staggering back. Lucifer tore his gaze away from Alastor's just in time to see him drop into his chair as if his strings had been cut. Dragging a hand down his face, Vox said with absolute certainty, "You actually made a Faustian Bargain."

He said it like this was his worst nightmare came to life.

Beside him, Alastor practically radiated smug triumph. It was all the affirmation he needed to give.

All of the fight hadn't been been cut from Vox just yet. Unhappy as he was with this set back, Vox was already trying to figure out how spin this in his favor. An elbow resting on each arm of his chair, the knuckles of his joined hands pressed to his lips, he countered, "Alright, Alastor does his thing and I'll broadcast whatever you want." His grin took up most of his screen, all pretenses of friendliness dropped. "Give me an hour to prepare the studio for you."

Before Vox could run off, Lucifer placed one last little condition on him. "Vox. Make sure the other Vees are in attendance." At the TV demon's questioning tilt of his head, the blonde merely said, "I wouldn't want anyone to miss my message."

Whatever Vox thought of this was hidden behind his joined hands. Instead of bothering with any of the usual ways out of the room, Vox transformed into a bolt of electricity, disappearing into one of the monitors.

Silence descended over the room. Then, "You two have history."

Alastor snorted. "You know how to use your eyes, your Majesty. I'm impressed."

Lucifer ignored the sarcasm and the insult in favor of observing his companion. The redhead's brows were furrowed with concentration, eyes closed and the very air around him warped to a noticeable degree. To Lucifer, a creature who had existed before physical matter, picking up on the way Alastor was enhancing certain electromagnetic waves around him was child's play. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone - learning more about their shared history while figuring out what the sinner was doing - the little king gave into his curiosity and asked, "What did Vox want you to do?"

Alastor didn't answer for a moment, whatever he was doing taking quite a bit of his concentration. Lucifer patiently waited him out. Several minutes ticked by with nothing by the hum of the monitors and the swimming of the sharks to keep him occupied. Cracking open a single eye a slit, Alastor reached a point in whatever he was doing where he could split his attention. Lucifer noted the pupil of the visible eye was a dial.

"Do you know how the technology in that silly little device in your pocket works?" Alastor asked by way of response.

The only things Lucifer tended to carry on his person were his cane, which was in his hand, and his cellphone, in case Charlie tried to call him (rare that it was). His cellphone, which was indeed in his pocket. Fishing it out, he eyed it. He knew it worked. He knew how to work it. Did he really need to know more? Besides, it wasn't one of VoxTek's cellphones, which made him less wary of it. Confused as to where this was going, he said, "It works, isn't that all that matters?"

"Such a pedestrian response." Alastor hummed, his microphone coming over to point at the little device. "You device works because it's able to transmit data via radio waves." He used his staff to gesture to the room around them, his eye falling shut now that he no longer needed to see to engage in the conversation. "Vox's specialty is electricity. He can interact with anything that uses it."

Lucifer remembered the way the TV demon had disappeared into his monitor, a chill running down his spine as he imagined what all else he could likely interact with.

"Radio waves, on the other hand, are my specialty," Alastor continued. This fit with what Lucifer had observed both in the current moment and back at the radio tower. "Usually I simply use them to connect myself to any radio in Pentagram City, but I can also enhance them." His edges of his smile tightened. There was no strain in his posture, but Lucifer was suspicious they might see hints of it if this carried on too long. "When Vox wanted to introduce wireless technology to Hell, he suggested that we team up. He would create the technology and the demand, and I would enhance his reach." His expression sharpened into a sneer. "I had no interest in being a mere tool in elevating him to the top."

Judging from the short interaction he'd observed, Lucifer was suspicious Vox had wanted much more than just to use Alastor as a tool. Vox had done little to hide the depth of his anger and hatred, and no one reached that level of emotion without having swung in the opposite direction first. Lucifer wondered if Alastor had really turned Vox down because of his own lust for power or if Alastor had seen the way Vox had looked at him and hadn't been interested.

Since that question was more likely to shut down the conversation then receive an answer, resigned himself to never knowing. Either way, he supposed he should be happy that Alastor had turned Vox down. Lucifer didn't want to think about what they could have accomplished if they had somehow found a way to work together.

Instead, he went with, "So, you can interact with anything that receives radio waves, then. Not just radios?"

In response, his cell phone dinged. The screen lit up to the lock screen, showing he had a new text message. Though it should be improbable, there was nothing in the place of a sender's name. Lucifer silently frowned at it, suspicious of who was the sender, but unwilling to open anything he didn't know who it came from.

As if sensing his distrust, Alastor crooned, "Go on. I promise it's not spam."

Lucifer was still wary, but he unlocked his phone. If this was malicious ware, Alastor was getting him a new phone.

The text message was indeed not spam. When he opened it up, there were simply two words:

You suck!

Lucifer glared at the message. "So, what? How would this help Vox?"

Alastor wagged a finger at him. "I'm currently high jacking every TV and cellphone with it's WIFI turned on. 666 News has never been more popular than it is right now." He paused, as if searching for something. "I excluded most of the phones in the hotel, but I do have Angel's."

Lucifer whistled, giving credit where it was due. That was honestly incredible. Terrifying in it's reach, holy shit, but incredible. A thought crossed his mind, an unholy grin slowly spreading across his face as he wondered, "Wait, if I reply to this, will the message go straight to you?"

"Ha!" Alastor shook his head, using his microphone to bop the top of Lucifer's hat. An impressive feat, considering his eyes were still closed. "Sorry, but I'm merely a transmitter and an amplifier. My abilities don't work that way."

Lucifer straightened his hat, half tempted to try anyway, just to see if it were true. Perhaps he would another time.

He was interrupted from any further questions by one of the monitors coming to life over Vox's chair. A moment later, the sinner himself reentered the same way he had left. Vox settled back in his chair, legs crossed and significantly more calm than when he left. "The studio will be ready for you in half an hour." He glanced once at Alastor, who had opened his eyes upon the TV demon's return, before returning back to Lucifer. "Let's relocate there now, shall we?"

Lucifer nodded. Instead of leading them towards the elevator they'd come down in, Vox merely joined them in the center of the platform. It became apparent why when the very middle suddenly began to rise, revealing there was yet more ways in and out of the surveillance room. Once they were back in the lobby, he led them over to elevator on the left, only sticking with them long enough to press the button of the floor with the studio, before pulling back out of it. "I'll meet you up there."

The door closed, once again leaving just the two of them and that horrible elevator music.

Lucifer glanced at Alastor. He still looked fine, but he was definitely putting out a lot of power. Feeling concerned (Alastor had agreed to do this for him) and wary of insulting him, he asked, checking in, "You doing okay, still?"

Alastor's ear twitched, the widening of smile showing he wasn't insulted, but rather amused. "Oh, don't worry your little head, I'll be just fine, your Majesty." Eyes aglow with more than just the power it took to carry out his promise, he added, "But I expect a reward when we return to the Hotel."

Lucifer felt a jolt run up his spine. The chain around his neck didn't manifest, but he could feel it tightening ever so. Alastor was invoking their deal, officially giving him his 12 hour notice. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, as Alastor had yet to actually invoke the deal since making it with him. Tilting his head so his hat hid his expression from both Alastor and the camera's gaze, Lucifer grumbled, "Should have known you'd do nothing for free."

The doors to the elevator opened, illuminating the redhead's sinister grin. A few sinners had paused to catch a glimpse of them as the doors opened, only to pale at the expression on Alastor's face. They quickly scurried off to carry out their tasks. Lucifer stepped through the doors, taking in the chaos in front of him. Numerous demons were running around, similar to the frantic energy he'd seen in the lobby, everyone getting the studio ready. A stack of papers and angry shouting from a blonde woman in a red dress (what was her name? It started with a K) suggested that something else had been planned for this hour, but had been cancelled due to Lucifer's abrupt interruption.

Lucifer might have felt bad, if it weren't for the fact that he knew without a shadow of a doubt this particular reporter was likely going to find some way to verbally eviscerate him later. He may not have remembered her name, but he did remember her particular brand of cutthroat journalism and the outright nasty things she had said about his daughter in the past. And her casual abuse of her co-reporter.

As if sensing she was being watched, the reporter turned her head a full 180 degrees, her smile down right unhinged and full of promises.

Not for the first time since landing in Hell, Lucifer almost wished he was still capable of creating Holy Water. There were some situations one just needed a spray bottle full of the hard core stuff for.

"Your Majesty," Vox pipped up, appearing from seemingly nowhere. The only reason Lucifer didn't jump was because he was still caught in a glaring match with a literal reporter from Hell. "This way, please."

Lucifer carried on glaring at her, right up until he physically couldn't. "I don't care who you've got sitting with me, I don't want her anywhere near me."

Vox followed his gaze, snorting when he saw who he'd been making a stink eye at. "Oh, no worries." He turned his own glare on Alastor. "I'll be copiloting right along with you."

Lucifer took in the two chairs. If he was sitting in one and Vox in the other, Alastor was going to be left standing. Judging from the gleam in the TV demon's eye, this was on purpose. Vox pulled out the seat on the right, the malicious reporter's coworker's usual seat, a smile so fake one would have to be blind to think it sincere spread across his screen. "Just a few more finishing touches, and then we'll be ready to begin." He turned on his heel and disappeared back into the bowels of the studio.

Lucifer blinked down at the seat. He could already feel the sheer number of eyes from the people in the studio, watching and waiting to see what he was going to do next. This was the first time almost every single one of them had ever seen him in person. He already hated everything about this. It was more than enough to make him want to retreat back to his room at the hotel and not come out for the rest of the month.

A gentle brush, an almost tickle, against the back of his neck, the feeling almost shockingly intimate, startled him. He inhaled sharply, not having noticed that he had stopped breathing. Instinctively, he turned his back on the growing crowd, his hand coming up to half way, before he aborted the motion. Turning to face him, Lucifer noted that Alastor appeared to have not done anything, standing in that default pose he favored. The only reason Lucifer could tell it had been him that touched him was from the way the redhead was watching him.

"Smile, your Majesty," Alastor murmured, voice pitched low and soothing. "The hardest part is almost over. I'll be with you the whole time."

How out of sorts had he been that even the Radio Demon was taking pity on him? That the reassurance was a comfort?

Lucifer breathed in slowly through his nose, breathing out even slower through his mouth. His racing heart began to calm, as he reminded himself that he had taken on far more terrifying beings than a room full of nosey sinners. This was all for Charlie and the safety of her dream, and for that, he could handle anything.

He dropped into the offered chair, the anticipation of a battle falling over his shoulders like a weathered cape.

A door opened off to the side, one that he hadn't seen anyone coming and going through. Stepping through were none other than Valentino and Velvette themselves. Velvette was typing away on her phone, muttering about an interruption to her photo shoot.

Valentino paused as he caught sight of Lucifer and Alastor. "Oh! If it isn't papito, himself!" The grin spreading across his face and choice of wording caused the blonde's skin to crawl. Sauntering over, Valentino nearly draped himself over desk, bringing his and Lucifer's faces far too close together. "You wouldn't want to hang around after this little show for some one on one time, now would you, mi pequeño rey?"

Lucifer had barely managed to do more than lean back in his chair, trying to escape the heavy stench of smoke and hard drugs that hung around the Overlord like a second skin, when a weigh settled heavily on his shoulder. He glanced up, finding that Alastor had stepped up beside him, hand placed in such a way that it wrapped possessively around shoulder and was beginning to snake around the back of his neck.

"Valentino." Alastor's filter was grating, a warning despite his pleasant smile.

Valentino lazily blew out a thin pink, heart shaped mouth of smoke. It hit Alastor in the face. His smile was filthy as he gave the deer demon a once over. "Don't be jealous, venado, my offer is still open to you, too."

The static glitch of a record screeching. It wasn't hard to pick out Alastor's distaste with everything from the offer to the Overlord himself. "Pass," he quipped back, shotting down the offer with extreme prejudice.

The pimp shrugged, viewing it as his loss. He turned his attention back to his original target. "What do you say, papito? We could--."

"Val." Vox's voice was barely recognizable through whatever filter he was using, the noise causing Lucifer to flinch as it grated at his ears.

Valentino pouted, somehow making it look aggressive. "Vox, querido, what have I said about using that tone with me?" He twisted around in a way that accented his figure. "Don't be upset because the Radio Demon's already turned you down."

"The show is about to start, Val," Vox pointed out evenly and sternly, despite the dig. Lucifer was beginning to pick up that when it was anyone other than Alastor, the TV demon might actually be able to keep a cool head. "How do you think it will look if we don't start on time?"

Valentino's pout to edge in the direction of a normal pout. "Spoil sport." He leaned back until he was facing Lucifer. He reached out, running a single finger along the underside of the blonde's chin. "Call me if you change your mind." Offer made, he thankfully, finally got off the desk and made his way back over to Velvette.

Lucifer was going to take a long, hot shower when he got back to the hotel. With acid. Regrow some nice, new skin that Valentino had never touched.

Alastor pulled him from his thoughts, giving the back of his neck a squeeze. Lucifer was almost sad for the loss of contact when he pulled his hand away so he could resume his prior position.

From where he stood, Vox watched the two of them, his expression unreadable. Several minutely later, the blue and black themed sinner dropped into his own seat, calling out to the cameraman as he did so. "How's the camera holding up?"

The cameraman peaked at Alastor, indicating this question was because of the redhead's tendency to take out anything with a camera around him. The sinner studied his monitor and then gave a thumbs up.

Vox clicked his tongue. "So," he gripped, irritation heavy in his voice. "You can be recorded without destroying my electronics."

Lucifer couldn't see Alastor from where he was standing almost directly behind him, could only hear the tapping on his fingers on his microphone. His taunt was malicious as he came back with, "We both know I can be photographed ...when I want to be."

The TV demon grimaced, the hit landing where it obviously hurt. He had little time to recover, as the cameraman began his countdown. As he hit zero, Vox's smile was back in place, just a lot less real.

"Top of the hour, folks!" Vox's voice was loud and boisterous, the rhythm and pace almost break neck. "Breaking news: in a rare interview, we're joined by none other than the King of Hell and the Devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar!" Vox leaned over, holding a hand out to indicate the fallen angel sitting beside him. "Please, give your people a little wave, your Majesty."

Lucifer resisted the urge to flip him off. Gave the camera a little wave with little enthusiasm.

Vox carried on, unphased, "Equally rare and unlikely to never happen again, fellow sinners, we also have radio talk show host, the Radio Demon himself, Alastor!"

Alastor didn't wave. He grinned straight into the camera, as if staring into the very souls of the views, eyes and teeth alight as reality itself threatened to warp around him.

The camera gave an alarming whine. The cameraman gave an alarmed cry as it threatened to give out.

Point made, Alastor seemed to remember he was supposed to be behaving. The camera stopped whining as reality returned to normal.

Vox's eye twitched. Smile strained along with his chipper tone, he said, "Your Majesty, I assume your being here is because of the attacks on the hotel your daughter is running?"

Lucifer gave him his own chipper smile. "You mean the attacks you only know about because of your voyeuristic habits?"

Vox laughed, a touch nervously. "You've clearly never dealt with the paparazzi, sire. One has to cross a few boundaries if they want to get the exclusive first."

Was that what he was going with?

Either blind to it or ignoring it, Vox glossed over Lucifer's offense, moving on to, "Please, tell us, do you have any idea who's behind the attacks? We're dying to know."

Lucifer highly doubted that. Or at least, doubted Vox cared. It was more likely he wanted the hotel to fail or get taken out, judging from his poorly concealed eagerness. He leaned his elbow onto the table, chin resting on his palm. "I'm not here to waste my time nor the listeners' with an interview." He took delight in watching Vox falter for the first time since the interrogation began. Over his shoulder, he called sweetly, "Alastor?"

Alastor's voice was just sweet and still more bloodthirsty. "Yes, sire?"

It was a show of how in tune Vox was with Alastor's moods that the TV demon was already beginning to sweat. He was doing a good job of hiding it, Lucifer would give him that. It was a pity he was sitting beside someone who could see right through him, when he chose to make the effort. Lucifer rose from his chair, the blue and black sinner nearly taking a screen full of wings as they manifested. "Be a doll and make certain Vox doesn't get any ideas. Like interfering."

"With pleasure." Alastor's words were nearly lost to his filter. The air around them crackled, the shadows in the corners of the room growing unnaturally dark. Vox dropped all pretenses of pretending he wasn't unnerved, leaning back as much to avoid the wings as to distance himself from the redheaded sinner.

Red and white wings fluttered, giving Lucifer the lift to make stepping up onto the desk look effortless. Papers flew everywhere and a few people made startled noises as they were hit with a few errant pages. His wings fanned out, allowing him to gracefully fall into a seated potion on the other side of the desk. He leaned to the side, placing his weight on the hand braced on the desk, head rolling until he was facing the other two Vees. "Velvette, if you value your life just sit there and look pretty for a bit."

Velvette narrowed her eyes to slits at him. "What the hell?"

Valentino waited to see what advice he had for him. When he received none, the pimp blew out a lung full of pink smoke. His expression turned sultry. "Nothing for me, pequeño rey?"

Lucifer didn't respond, not wanting to give the game away too soon. Relaxing his control over his form, he allowed the full extent of his corrupted, angelic form to appear on full display for all of the viewers to see. Far too many eyes focused in on not just the camera, but the cameraman and the sinners directly around him. Each of them instinctively shied away, hindbrains warning them they were out in the open and too exposed. Vox attempted to push his chair back, the area around the desk suddenly a little too hot, only to be stopped by the end of Alastor's strategically placed staff locking the chair in place.

Lucifer rolled his head back around, until he could easily stare into the camera. "Now, to clear up a few things: I could care less about sinner politics." He grinned in that way he knew looked off, even for a creature of Hell, leaning into the fact that he wasn't human and had never been human. "How you decide to throw away the one good thing you stupid, stupid little humans have going for you is up to you." His pupils were lost in a red glow as his temper spiked, the flame of hellfire blazing between his horns. " What I do take issue with is someone sending hitman to threaten my daughter over something as silly as potential lost contracts."

He slid off the desk, the sinners in front of him all collectively taking a step back. Only the cameraman stayed in place, too frozen to move. "Perhaps it's my fault, I've been away a while." He held out a hand, fingers searching until he found the particular contract he was looking for. "Perhaps it's yours for never reading the fine print." His hand closed around his desired target, a chain made of pink, translucent smoke, deceptively fragile, coming into being. One end led out the doors. The other end led off to the side, leading over to a certain Overlord.

Valentino's and Angel's contract.

The pimp held up his wrist, confusion evident on his face. "The fuck?"

Lucifer's grin was all teeth. He wrapped his hand around and around the chain until he had a nice, solid grip on it. Without warning, he viciously yanked on the chain.

Valentino was pulled so hard, his shoulder nearly popped out of its socket. The pimp yowled like a cat dropped into pool as he was sent crashing to the floor. Lucifer didn't give him the chance to recover, reeling him in like a particularly resistant fish, the Overlord shouting and cursing as he was dragged across the floor. The Devil gave no quarter, even when he had him where he wanted him, pressing his heel into Valentino's back and twisting moth's arm until it was just short breaking.

"You see," Lucifer carried on, tone bored and voice raised over the slew of insults being thrown his way, "There's this little clause in your contracts that say I have the final say in every single one of them."

"You little shit!" Valentino hissed, twisting in a way that should be impossible for someone who purportedly had a spine. "We had nothing to do with the attacks on that shithole your hija is running."

Lucifer pulled on the chain until he could hear the shoulder pop. The sinner's claws dug into the ground beneath him, glare baleful. "Maybe," Lucifer said, almost nonchalant. "But you're the lowest kind of sinner: the kind that profits on selling human flesh and locks people into contracts so they can never escape."

The moth demon snarled, composure gone. "Every one of those whores came to me willingly. I made them stars. They would be nothing without me."

The Devil peered down at him, unmerciful. All of Valentino's sins where on display for him to see and judge and he found him wanting. "Nothing gives you the right to abuse another human being."

Lucifer returned his attention to the camera. He wrapped his free hand around another section of the chain, pulling the links tight between his two fists. "Let everyone remember that your little deals mean nothing if I say so."

Without further ado, he pulled almost effortlessly on the chain, Valentino's strength that of a kittens next to his. A link, just off center, gave, pulling apart until it shattered. Each one of the links similarly followed suit, falling from his hand like crystalline shards. They vanished like the smoke they had originally appeared as before they could hit the ground.

Valentino's arm, free of the chain, fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

Lucifer stepped off his back, releasing him. Stepping around the desk this time, he held his hand out to Alastor. The Radio Demon blinked back at him, something delighted behind his gaze.

It looked a little like victory.

He took Lucifer's hand.

"The Hazbin Hotel and every one of its residents are under my protection," Lucifer declared into the stunned silence, voice projected loud and unearthly, raising the hair on ever sinner's head, save the one in front of him. He looked upon each of the sinners in the room, gaze coming to rest on the camera lens. "I will not have mercy upon anyone looking to cause my daughter anymore trouble."

To his right, a portal appeared. Without another word, he stepped through it, pulling Alastor along with him.

As everyone continued to stare, the portal vanished and they were gone.

tbc

Translations:

-Papito: Little daddy

-Mi pequeño rey: My little king

-Venado: Deer or venison. I chose this word as a way for Valentino to make a dig at the fact that Alastor's demon form is a type of food source.

-Querido: Darling, used if you love or like someone. Chosen as a shoutout to the affair they're clearly having.

[look-at-the-soul]

The one

Modern Tommy Shelby x reader

A/N congratulations @toms-cherry-trees on 1.5K followers! 👏🏻✨🎉🥳🙌🏻 you deserve that and many many more!! So I wrote this little piece for you, I hope you enjoy it, the idea came to my mind as the perfect match for your autumn theme when I saw this moodboard @acewritesfics created (I know you did it for Cillian + cottage Ace, but since I have that idea very similar in my The Photoshoot series, I took it as inspiration for a modern Tommy ☺️)

Patting around the bed to find the solid body she loved the most, but all Y/N could find was emptiness.

She couldn’t love this place more, the birds were chirping outside, the fresh air was too good to be true, no cellphone signal… if only she could find Tommy.

“Good morning beautiful.” He praised from the bedroom door, stepping in with a tray full of coffee, fruit and toast.

“I woke up and you weren’t here.” She pouted covering her upper body with the sheets.

“But I am now.” He replied placing the tray over her legs, taking one long look at her disheveled hair, tangled from all the times he ran his fingers through it the previous night. Her naked form covered only by the ivory sheets.

This was the closest to a vacation she could afford right now, not because money was a problem, but because Tommy had been extremely busy with his business and she knew asking for a five day or a week holiday would drive him mad, so a weekend at a small cottage was a luxury she couldn’t miss.

Everything had been perfect since they arrived; the lovely weather, the scent of nature, the calmness vs the caos in the city. She loved specially the dead leaves crunching beneath her feet as they took a long walk the previous day.

“It was a good idea to bring that small coffee machine.” Tommy chuckled realizing how little things they had there, no tv, no wifi, there was a small old fashioned fireplace that luckily still worked and he lit it as it started to get chilly last night.

“Told you it was a good investment.”

“I thought we’d have one… guess I was wrong.”

“Yeah same reason why you brought your iPad too.”

Tommy stole a strawberry from the bowl. “Uhu, I really can’t believe there’s no access to technology around.”

“Don’t complain, we’ve hot water and power light.”

Tommy’s eyes sparkled suddenly. “And the best part is… I‘ve you all to myself.”

Y/N’s body tingled just by his voice and the way he was looking at her.

Closing her legs instinctively, she observed her boyfriend place the tray on the dresser.

“You think that’s going to stop me?” He arched an eyebrow cockily at the same time he took one of her legs to drop a kiss on her ankle, starting a trail of feather-like kisses all over her skin, making Y/N discover the soft spot behind her knee that she didn’t know it existed and how much it was turning her on.

She sighed content letting Tommy throw the covers aside.

****

It was a lovely Autumn day, her favorite season, the colors, the trees losing their leaves, the smell, she could swear the atmosphere was different.

Perhaps what really made a difference was watching Tommy so calm with a high energy and an endless smile on his face. Turning around, she found the last rays of sunshine kissing his skin, every freckle and the reflection in the lake in front of them making his blue eyes sparkle even more.

He wasn’t wearing his signature immaculate three piece suit, but a white t-shirt covered by a denim jacket and black jeans, he looked like a totally different person, looking at him made her heart skip a beat, just like the first time.

“Whot?” He frowned.

“You look different.” Y/N pointed out. “Happier.”

“Well I’ve everything I want right now, that surely is a motive.” Tommy admitted kissing her hair.

His surprise grew even more when he saw Y/N pulling out a blanket from the basket she demanded to bring to their stroll.

“Don’t stand there watching, help me!” She shot him a look, placing her side on the grass.

“So bossy.” Tommy chuckled, relaxing his body finally over the blanket, pulling her towards him moments later.

He tried to suppress a chuckle when he saw her placing a bottle of wine and two glasses between them, she was always extra when packing.

“Oh, do I hear someone complaining?” She laughed.

In silence, his mind wandered to think how grateful he really was for Ada insisting over and over for him to try out one of those ridiculous dating apps, after being extremely picky about the prospects showing up in his cellphone, he stopped when he found Y/N’s profile.

Matching her right away, the conversation was flowing naturally, they simply clicked and agreed to meet the following week.

She wasn’t just eye catching physically, her interests caught his attention, she was a lawyer and worked at her own firm, had a good taste in music and books, she loved to fight for human rights. And when they first met in person, he knew she wasn’t just good looking, she had a brain, an interesting conversation and she could keep up with his wicked sense of humor surprisingly well. He was surprised how the conversation never seemed to die with Y/N.

The romance took off immediately, date after date, they discovered new things about the other one, Tommy particularly loved the moment she arrived at her apartment, kicking her high heels while he poured some wine as she stretched her legs on the couch. By now he had lost count of how many skirts and dresses she owned, but he knew she wore a different outfit to every trial.

Now they were both wearing casual outfits, comfortable shoes and she added a light scarf around her neck, both completely out of their elements.

Tommy leaned on his back enjoying not having everyone bothering every three minutes, the silence, peace, not feeling anxious about his next meeting or the papers piling up to sign on his desk, the atmosphere calm, he even took several minutes admiring the sighting… not every day he got to have all of that.

“Did you fall asleep?” Y/N whispered nudging her nose against his cheek.

“No, I’m just relaxing as you said I should.” He confessed opening one eye to look at her.

The autumn breeze made a chill run up and down her back, instinctively Tommy’s hand started caressing over the jumper as if he had been able to feel it. He was lying down on his back. This was the prettiest sunset she had ever seen, the lake catching the reflection of the sky, copying the oranges tones, as well as the incredible trees before her eyes, it looked like it was taken out of professional photograph.

Closing the novel she had been reading, Y/N turned around and rested an arm and head on his torso, adapting to the calm rhythm of his breathing. Taking in the scar on his chin, she wondered how he got it.

“I can feel you staring.” He stated with his eyes closed, hidden under his Ray Bans.

“Just admiring the view,” she admitted, “and the calmness.”

A smile started forming on his lips, but he didn’t move from his position, loving the way her body felt against his.

“I can’t remember the last time I took a day off.”

Y/N chuckled switching her position to lay down next to him. “That’s exactly why I suggested it. You needed to relax.”

“I was relaxed.” He defended quickly.

“Ugh you can be so stubborn sometimes, you were under so much stress, it wasn’t fun to be around.”

In mere seconds, Tommy pinned Y/N under his body.

She squealed and tried to kick her legs while he was holding his weight on his arms to not crush her down.

“Oh let me show ya how much fun I can be.” He adviced with a smirk, grinding against her sweet body, changing completely the atmosphere.

“This is dangerous… and wild.”

Apart from the cottage and the very few villages at the other side of the lake, they were practically on their own.

“No one is around.” He answered playfully looking from left to right, attacking Y/N’s neck afterwards.

A wave of electricity ran through every nerve in her body. Deep down she knew this was a side of him that not all the people got to see, and it wasn’t really so frequent.

“But… you’ll have to be on top darling, I’m not getting any younger.” Tommy joked resuming his previous position.

“I don’t ever want to go back to the city.” Y/N murmured as they snuggled, loving their surroundings close to the cottage. “Look at you. Who would’ve thought you would end up enjoying this?”

“I’m a man full of surprises, love.”

His hand sneaked around her waist, bringing her body above his.

Y/N giggled, but let him pull her closer, Tommy loved that look on her as the sun about to go down shone through her.

“Oh Mr. Surprises I think we should rent this Airbnb more often.” She absolutely fell in love with the cottage and everything around it. It was small, cozy and had everything they needed.

Tommy cleared his throat. “Speaking of Airbnb…” he took in her beauty for an instant, “when we go back to the city, I’m planing to make an offer for the place.”

Y/N looked at him with shock written all over her face.

“What? Why?”

“Because I love how happy you look.”

Her smile grew and the space in her face wasn’t enough to hold it. “Tommy!”

He felt her smile against his lips as they kissed, but soon she moved away from his body to wrap a cardigan around her shoulders.

“And I also think it’s time you meet my son, Charlie… and the rest of my family.”

Before Y/N could answer something, Tommy continued. “I know we said we’d take it slow, but we’ve been dating for a while and you already know I’m deadly serious about this, why waste time?” He shuddered. “My sister specially has been very adamant to meet you.”

“Woah, you really want to make this official?”

Tommy nodded.

“I couldn’t feel more sure about us, since the moment I saw you walking into the restaurant that first time I thought shit, this is it, this is the one for me.”

“I’m so glad you sent that first message, I had decided earlier I’d give up looking and close the app.” Y/N ran her hands up and down his chest.

His knuckles caressing her cheek.

“Tell me about Charlie.” She asked. Eyelids half closed from his delicate touch.

And now it was his turn to smile because he absolutely knew she was the one.

***

A/N one of my friends just met her bf through a dating app and I’ve never seen her happier, so I got the inspiration from there! Kat I hope you never see this 😂🤣

Master list

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[nationalcleographic]

hihi i have more questions if u would like to answer!!! im so fascinated by this story hehe i want to know moreee. how big is sugar grove? what are some of the locals like? and how important is the telescope to the town—like, is it a major employer for the citizens?

of course!!!! im so glad you are enjoying the world of radio silence YAY YIPPPEEEE!!! sooo much info under the cut :-)

sugar grove is inspired by two real world towns in west virginia: green bank and the titular sugar grove (initially i wanted to name it after green bank, but apparently some famous dnd podcast guys beat me to the chase which is unfortunate. there are only so many locations within the united states radio quiet zone. sigh...) as such, the fictional town is the same size as its real world counterpart! i couldnt find exact numbers for irl sugar grove but green bank is about 8.48 km^2, so i'd reckon about the same. the important part is that it is quite small and surrounded by wilderness on all sides.

the locals are all very strange and for the most part lovable! think twin peaks honestly. all of them have something deeply unusual about them, with the tendency leaning towards paranoid personalities of the conspiracy theorist variety. most people who live in sugar grove moved there because of the restrictions on radio transmission meaning that they live without wifi, cellphones, microwaves, or any other modern tech. this is because some locals believe they have electromagnetic hypersensitivity which causes anything from headaches to itchy skin when interacting with technology (this is largely considered to be pseudoscientific diagnosis). a few people live there for the career opportunities with the telescope. also common are luddite artists looking for inspiration or "academics" (read: conspiracy theorists) working on papers and exposés about aliens, cryptids, atomic threats, and other unbelievable things. i'd tell you about the most recently developed npc, willow stein, but ive been babbling for too long i fear. but the townsfolk are really the heart of the story !!

for quite some time, sugar grove's main industry was actually military! it was initially developed as a secret CIA base during the cold war (about 1949) for ... well, vague and secret nuclear purposes. because the area was already a designated no radio zone, it was chosen as the location for the new largest telescope in 1961. after the cold war, the military uses ceased, though much of the old infastructure still exists. some rumours say they are still in use today, just more undercover than before... that being said, in modern day the telescope is still one of the primary employers! its recruitment and operations have been significantly dying off in recent years, but like any government instituion in a small town, it still has a sizable population employed there. every resident in town has at least one relative who works there, though this is an aging population. very niche reference here, but if you are familiar with the towns of deep river or hamilton in ontario canada, its pretty similar to that--literally everyone in deep river (super tiny town) works at the nuclear research facility and in hamilton (much bigger city) everyone worked at the steel factories about 20 years ago, but now thats shifted to stories of people's uncles or grandfathers and such. that reference is only for the ontario girls i guess LOL.

hope this answered your questions well! i love this freaky town that exists in my mind and i loveeee being inspired by irl conspiracy theories and weird towns. thank you for reading this far and as always if you have radio silence questions send me an ask please!!! (you will make my day)!!!! 📡

[rjalker]

look at this bat. I thought it was a chicken nugget someone threw on the ground at first. this concrete is just cursed for wildlife. I saw this while carrying (on a leaf) a still-alive millipede to the grass so it wouldn't get baked.

the bat was still alive, I could see it breathing and it twitched when I tossed a magnolia leaf near it for scale.

I was planning to call animal control so they could move it somewhere else or at least make sure it's okay so it'll fly away on its own, but uhhhhhh yeah I still don't have cellphone service and for some reason I was thinking I'd be able to call with wifi but no, that's not how phones work...

This thing is tiny. Like, two inches long maybe. Of course this is the one time I didn't bring my ruler...not that I'd want to get the ruler that close.

[ID: A zoomed in photograph of a small, orange-colored bat crouching on black pavement. Its fur is mostly orange-ish tan, with some sparser, thin white hairs like an overcoat, and what looks like stronger white fur where its wings are folded beneath it. There is a small dark strip partly down its back, and its fur is more orange near its face. Its ears are small. End Id.]

edit: looks like it's probably an eastern red bat, Lasiurus borealis

[claimbo]

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[famousblazewerewolf]

What NOT to Do in the Travel SIM for USA Industry

There are various means to buy a USA SIM Card of an eSIM for USA, which is the latest technology innovation in travel SIM industry. Before we get into the means of buying a USA SIM Card or a USA eSIM, let us look at how much beneficial can it be in saving you money on your international roaming bill in USA

The alternative to buying a USA SIM or eSIM is to take an International Roaming Plan for USA from your telecom service provider. If you are a postpaid customer, you can avail of this facility. Depending on the terms of International roaming, your telecom service provider may ask you for a deposit or may activate international roaming without the need to pay any deposit. They may, however, put an upper limit on usage or spend, depending on your creditworthiness with your telecom company and their own policies related to International roaming plans.

While this is a great option in terms of convenience, as you do not need to go through the hassle of buying a separate American SIM Card or an eSIM for USA, and also you get to retain your mobile number throughout the journey, it can be an expensive affair. If you company is taking care of your mobile bills on your business trip to USA, this is a great option to go for as you are not paying the roaming bill in USA out of your pocket and hence the savings are not going into your pocket either.

However, if your company is not covering your International roaming bill in USA or you are traveling to USA for leisure or personal reasons and have to take care of your mobile bill yourself, it makes perfect sense to buy a USA SIM Card or a USA eSIM. If your cellphone is eSIM compatible (most Apple, Samsung & Google phones are), USA eSIM will be a better option for you. It is easier to buy, install and use and extremely cost effective in terms of data charges. Top eSIM companies such Rocket offer incredible options for USA eSIMs via their website and Mobile APPs.

Simply visit their website or download their APP and make the purchase with just a few clicks. The USA eSIM will be sent to you via e-mail in a matter of minutes as a QR Code with easy instructions to install it on your cellphone, tablet or laptop. The installation process should be done under wifi connectivity and generally takes less than 5 minutes. Once installed, you are good to go. Open ‘settings’ on your phone and set your eSIM for data usage once you land in USA and you’ll be connected to the local telecom operator for all your data needs.

However, if your cellphone is not eSIM compatible, you may choose to buy a regular plastic SIM Card for USA which needs to be configured manually into your phone and will provide you with cost effective data roaming plan and a local mobile number in USA. In terms of pricing, they Global eSIM for USA are slightly more expensive than an eSIM for the same destination, with an added advantage of a local mobile number with free incoming calls and in some cases, few minutes of outgoing calls too.

Installing a physical SIM can be slightly cumbersome though. However, they work with all kinds of cellphones, unlike eSIMs, which work with select 200 plus models only. A list of eSIM compatible phones is available here

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If your phone is eSIM compatible, pick up an eSIM for USA online from here. This is by far the Data roaming in USA easiest and fastest way to get yourself Internet connectivity in USA at an incredible price.

If your phone is not eSIM compatible and you must Mobile plans for USA go for a physical SIM card for US, you can either buy it online – provided your location is serviced by the seller for delivery. If you are unable to find an online seller who delivers to your location, then another option for you is to buy a SIM Card for USA at the airport.

I have always bought my travel eSIM for USA online from Rocket, a highly trusted brand in the field of International Roaming solutions. Visit their website here OR download their APP from here. They service every country you can think of and are highly responsive if you face any issues or need help during or post your purchase. They have a smart chatbot on their platform which takes care of most of your queries. If you do need to interact with a human agent, that option is available in all languages.

Their prices are competitive and the https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=USA eSIMs platform is extremely easy to use. All it takes is a few minutes and a few clicks, and you’ll have your eSIM for USA installed on your mobile, tablet or laptop – so as to provide you with uninterrupted high quality internet connectivity in USA at a fraction of the cost of a large telecom company’s data roaming plans.

[timesofspanishsworld]

Obtaining Mobile Technology -- Tips for Buying a Capsule Computer

Technology is a nice thing and it is awesome how much technology has got changed peoples existence. But it can be a twice edged sword by using so many new know-how and, more importantly, countless manufacturer's providing different choices and different prices it could be tough to decide. On this page we'll cover among the best features that are available along with whether or not they are befitting you. https://www.turkeynewstoday.com/

When it comes to getting a tablet, most people for example the mobility that they supply. Being a flat record that is lightweight together with able to be presented in one hand, you can actually carry it around on hand from room to be able to room and it's effortless pack up and proceed. But not all medications have the ability to connect to line from the road. Almost any tablet has built inside WiFi (I simply cannot think of one that doesn't) but not all have the capacity to connect to the internet when using the 3G service (the technology that cell phones use). Another thing being aware of is the fact that if you'd like the 3G portability you will have to subscribe by having a cellphone carrier and additionally these plans value anywhere from $40-65+ per month.

Another big factor that differentiates product computers is the precessing technology. Being used to get things like surfing the on-line world, connecting with pals on social media internet sites (such as Zynga and Twitter), in addition to play games, it isn't really necessary to include the same computing strength as a laptop and desktop computer. And simply because some tablets constrain the size of their pick, you won't always be in a position to do certain issues such as multi-task (run multiple program from once) or steady flow video from the internet. According to how you want to benefit from your tablet this might or may not be an issue and you can pretty much ensure it will be a factor to the price. In general, in case you are looking for top of the line results or just want the opportunity to watch movies and also TV shows direct via internet (via Netflix or even Amazon Prime), please pick up a islate that has a dual-core design.

Finally, there is the bottom use of the gadget: are you looking to use this for business, very own entertainment, a fun play or to replace a classic PC? Because the price of this technology can be coming down and more citizens are using tablets designed for more things, one can find different apps along with accessories that let you adapt a capsule for a customized work with. For instance, many drugs are integrating entire size external computer keyboard that plug-in or simply use bluetooth. Or simply, if you can't find a app that will help you function your business, you can have 1 custom programmed.

[justleaders]

Free fake sms sender website

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OpenTestingOnline allows you to send SMS or MMS to any number.

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The app is supported by online ads that some people will find to be intrusive.īest for sending SMS and MMS for free to recipients worldwide. But users are limited to sending 15 messages in a day. You can also make free WiFi calls without the need for a carrier plan. Verdict: Textfree by pinger is the best free online texting app.

Unlimited to individual or group texts.

With this app, you can also make WiFi calls for free. The app allows you to select a custom phone number for sending messages. You can send pictures, videos, and emojis from your desktop or mobile device. Textfree by pinger is a great app for sending unlimited text messages. Sending free text messages to individual recipients.īest for sending SMS and MMS for free to any number in the US. Sending marketing messages to groups worldwide. Sending text messages for free to any recipient in North America. Sending SMS and MMS for free to recipients worldwide Sending SMS and MMS for free to any number in the US. You can also send a free text message from your Gmail to a cell phone. Q #4) Can I send a text message from my computer to a cell phone?Īnswer: You can send a text message from your computer to a cellphone using a free online texting website.

#Free fake sms sender website code

You cannot use the code when using text websites free services to send a text. But this service works only for phone calls. Next, type the text you want to send and click on Send.Īnswer: You can type *67 in North America to hide your identity. You should enter the number of the person you want to send a text message to online. Q #2) How can I send and receive free text messages online?Īnswer: Open an app that allows you to send text free from your computer. If you don’t have an internet connection, some sites also allow you to send a text message for free from your computer using a Wi-Fi connection. Q #1) Can I text someone from my computer for free?Īnswer: Free SMS online websites allow you to send text messages online for free. Some of the features you should consider include anonymous sending, Wi-Fi texting, countries supported, and message length. Expert Advice: Look at the features to know if the free text message online service is right for you.

[likeahorribledream]

ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴛʀᴀɢᴇᴅʏ

Summary: You move to Knockemstiff after the mayor hired you to be Lee's deputy. Everyone warns you to stay away from him, but for some reason you just can't. He'll be the one that'll put you back together before breaking you again.

Pairing: Modern!Lee Bodecker x Reader

Word Count: 9.9k

Warnings: I'm not going to put all the warnings, because it would spoil the story. This is a police themed story which includes police themed warnings. It's basically angst, on top of angst, on top of angst. There's fluff. Swearing. Sexism (It's modern day Knockemstiff but it's a small town with close minded people). If you think you might be triggered, please do not read this story. You are responsible of your own media consumption. This isn't proofread. There is no non-con/dub-con trope, no smut. It's not a dark fic, it's just very angsty.

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡⁱˢᵗ

You recently moved to Knockemstiff from another small county. You have been hired by the mayor himself to be Deputy Chief and work under the famous Sheriff Lee Bodecker. His bad temper and short fuse were what made him famous amongst the counties surrounding Knockemstiff. Everyone has heard of him at some point or another, and it was rarely about something good. You hesitated before saying yes for multiple reasons; it meant you had to move, you’d have to work for Lee and you knew the only reason the mayor wanted to hire you in the first place was because you were a woman and he needed to show how ‘’progressive’’ he was. Like having women being men’s equals was progressive instead of just being you know, way overdue. What made you decide to take it was the promotion it’d give you and the big pay bump. You felt like in your own county you had peaked, but now you had a chance to further your career and that’s really what convinced you to say yes.

You went in with an open mind. You pretended not to know about Lee’s reputation and just started from scratch.

Knockemstiff was the kind of town that hadn’t joined the 21st century quite yet. They had technology like cellphones, computers, internet and even the wifi but the way people thought and the way the town looked was definitely stuck in the 50s.

You were only half surprised when you met Lee for the first time and he looked just THRILLED to be working with a woman that isn’t his secretary.

He was always short with you and used a lot more sarcasm that was necessary.

You had been there for two weeks now, and you still weren’t allowed to be on your own. You had to ride along with Lee every shift and his jolly attitude didn’t help calm your frustration and one night you just snapped.

You were sitting in his cruiser, listening to the scanner and every time there was a call coming in Lee explained to you what was said like you hadn’t ever heard police calls. Worst even, he explained it to you like you were the biggest moron he had ever met.

He was in the middle of explaining something when you cut him off mid-sentence.

‘’Sheriff! Enough!’’ You said loud enough to make him shut up.

He looked at you with wide eyes. He opened his mouth, but you cut him off again.

‘’Look. I know you’re not thrilled to be working with a woman, but I’m here and I don’t plan on going anywhere. It’s not like I just came out of the academy, I’ve been doing this for years. I love my job and I’m damn good at it and if you stopped treating me and talking to me like I’m the biggest idiot you’ve ever come across, you would know that. So, quit being disrespectful and teach me things I don’t know for a change.’’

You had looked him in the eyes the whole time and your voice hadn’t wavered a single time because of your anger. You didn’t show him any sign of weakness.

‘’Damn, sweetheart-’’

You glared at him.

‘’Deputy.’’ He corrected himself. ‘’How long have you been holding all of this in?’’ He chuckled.

‘’I’ve been here two weeks so… Two weeks.’’

He shaked his head. ‘’You’re a deputy now. You gotta speak up. You don’t take shit from anyone, including me. If you want people to respect you, you can’t let them walk all over you.’’

You nodded, agreeing. ‘’That why you’re such an asshole?’’

He laughed. ‘’I think it’s mostly pure talent but yes, a part of it is because I need people to respect me.’’

The rest of your shift went by a lot smoother than all the other shifts you’ve had so far, combined. Oddly enough, Lee and you even became great friends. He took you under his wing, in more ways than one.

It was Friday night and you were getting ready to leave the station. You went to change into your normal clothes and went back to your desk to make sure you hadn’t forgotten anything.

‘’Your shift over?’’ Lee asked from behind you.

‘’Yes, sir.’’ You turned and smiled at him, making him smile back.

He looked at your ‘’civvies’’ clothes. ‘’Goin’ on a date?’’

You looked down at yourself and laughed. ‘’No.’’

‘’Then why are you wearing a dress?’’ His brows furrowed, confused.

‘’Because it’s hot outside and I like wearing them.’’ You shrugged.

‘’No plans then?’’

You shook your head.

‘’Let me take you to dinner then, I can show you around town.’’ He grabbed his leather jacket from the hook next to his office’s door.

‘’That’s very kind of you, Sheriff. But you don’t have to, I’m sure you have much better things to do than spending time with your deputy on a Friday night.’’

He quirked a brow. ‘’Sweetheart, you’ve been here a month. When’s the last time you saw me do somethin’ I didn’t wanna do?’’

He was not wrong. ‘’Point taken.’’

‘’Unless you don’t wanna go?’’

‘’No, no.’’ You said quickly. ‘’I’d love to.’’ You smiled.

‘’Let’s go then.’’

He took you to the diner you kept hearing about but hadn’t come around to trying.

‘’Sheriff.’’ The waitress greeted him with a polite nod. ‘’Deputy.’’ She smiled at you. ‘’Usual spot?’’ She asked Lee.

‘’Yes.’’

You followed them to a booth, a little more secluded than the rest. It allowed Lee to eat in peace. He sat with his back to the other customers while you sat opposite him.

‘’You come here often?’’

‘’Whenever I’m too lazy to cook.’’ He took the menu in front of him.

‘’Which is…?’’ You took yours and began looking at all the choices.

‘’All the time.’’ He smirked.

You laughed and it made him smile.

‘’So, what do I need to avoid?’’ You looked over your menu, to Lee.

‘’Anythin’ with chicken.’’

You nodded.

The waitress from earlier came back, notepad and pencil in hand.

‘’Ready to order?’’

Lee looked at you and you nodded.

‘’I’ll take the soup and grilled cheese sandwich, with a pepsi.’’ He said to the waitress, handing her his menu.

She took it and wrote everything down, then turned to you.

‘’What about you sweetheart?’’

‘’Bacon cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milkshake, please.’’ She smiled at you and nodded, taking your menu and walked away to the kitchen.

Lee stared at you.

‘’What?’’ You frowned.

‘’Where the hell are you goin’ to put all of that?’’

You shrugged, laughing.

You talked about work as you waited for your plates, once you got them you kept talking in-between a few bites. You never had trouble finding topics of discussion with Lee.

He was telling you a story about something that had happened a few weeks before you got there, and as he spoke he stole a fry from your plate.

‘’Excuse me.’’ You pointed at the fry he was chewing on. ‘’Aren’t you the Sheriff of this town? You should know that stealing is bad.’’

He finished chewing on his fry and smiled, amused. ‘’Who’s goin’ to arrest me?’’

He then took another, a big grin on his face.

You rolled your eyes, trying to hold back the smile that was quickly forming on your lips.

Lee took a few more, chuckling.

‘’Lee!’’ You tried scowling him but failed miserably as you were laughing.

‘’Just want to make sure they’re not poisoned or somethin’.’’

‘’Oh, I’m sure you’re eating my fries as a selfless act to save my life.’’ You took a sip of your milkshake.

‘’Exactly.’’ He winked at you, making you shake your head as you pretended to be annoyed.

The customers in the diner were speechless at the sounds they heard. None of them could remember when it was the last time they had seen or heard Lee Bodecker laugh, genuinely laugh. They heard you laugh all the time, you were the absolute opposite of the Sheriff. You always smiled and laughed with people, they shouldn’t have been surprised to see you break his tough exterior. If anyone could have done it, it could only have been you.

Lee had so much fun that night. His belly and cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, and he loved the ache that came from it. It reminded him of why he had laughed so hard and it always brings a smile to his face whenever he thinks about it.

Soon after, he found himself seeking you out. Whenever he was free, he would ask you if you could eat lunch together and at least once a week you would go to dinner together. It didn’t take long for the town to gossip about the Sheriff and the Deputy, rumors floating around that you were both dating and honestly you couldn’t blame them because that’s what it felt like every time you went out with him; like you were going on a date.

You probably should have been more put off about dating Lee, your BOSS but the idea never bothered you in the slightest.

You know that your outings weren’t dates, but if he ever wanted to make dates you wouldn’t say no.

Lee had grown very fond of you over the weeks he spent with you. You were a ray of sunshine in his life and he loved to have you around, he loved how he was and acted when he was with you. That’s why whenever he heard people gossiping about you and him dating, he never corrected anyone. There were worse things to gossip about, especially about him, than being your date.

On a Thursday night after work, Lee finally decided to ask you out. For real.

You were gathering your things at your desk, ready to leave. You wished everyone a good night and walked outside, looking for your keys in your bag while you moved towards your car in the parking lot. As you finally found them, you looked up and saw Lee leaning back against your door. You smiled.

‘’You’re not giving me a parking ticket, I hope.’’ You joked, making him laugh.

‘’I had never thought of it before, but thanks for the idea.’’

‘’Damn it.’’ You laughed together again. ‘’What are you doing here? I thought your shift ended hours ago. Did I forget to do something?’’

He grabbed your shoulders. ‘’You need to stop worrying like this all the time.’’

You shrugged. ‘’If I could stop, I would have a long time ago.’’

He rolled his eyes and pushed himself off your car. ‘’I had something to ask you, actually.’’

‘’Oh, sure. I’m listening.’’ You smiled.

‘’I wanted to know if you’d like to go out to dinner with me, tomorrow night?’’

You chuckled. ‘’Lee, we always go out to dinner on Friday nights. You don’t have to ask me, I’ll be there like every week.’’

He smiled and shook his head, biting his lower lip before speaking again. ‘’No, that’s not what I meant. I mean go on a date with me. Somewhere nicer than the diner.’’

‘’Oh!’’ Your eyes widened with surprise.

As he saw your reaction, Lee started panicking and thinking he had misread everything.

‘’I’d love to.’’ You finally answered, after the initial shock passed.

You never thought in a million year that Lee Bodecker would want to date you, but you sure were glad to be wrong.

‘’You can say no, if you don’t want to. You don’t have to, y’know.’’ He quickly gave you an out, seeing your reaction at his question.

‘’When’s the last time you saw me do somethin’ I didn’t wanna do?’’ You mimicked his southern accent as you repeated the same answer he had given you the first time he took you to the diner.

‘’Smartass.’’ He laughed softly.

‘’One of my many, many qualities. Thank you for noticing.’’ You sassed him, unlocking your door.

‘’Still wanna go on that date with me?’’ You chuckled and turned around to look at him.

‘’You know what? I just remembered I took an extra shift tomorrow night…’’

You squinted, not sure if he was being serious or not. Damn him and his excellent poker face.

‘’I honestly can’t tell whether you’re joking or not.’’

‘’I’m kiddin’ sweetheart.’’ He smiled reassuringly. ‘’I’ll pick you up after work, is 7 good for you?’’

You sighed, relieved. ‘’7 is great.’’

He grinned and took a few steps towards you to kiss your cheek, stepping back right after.

‘’I’ll see you tomorrow.’’ He opened your door for you.

‘’Good night Sheriff.’’ You told him after sitting in the driver’s seat.

‘’Good night Deputy.’’ Lee closed your door after he made sure that all your limbs were inside the car.

He watched you pull out of the parking lot with a big smile on his lips. Smile that he’ll be keeping until the next morning. He couldn’t come into work smiling, he had worked too hard on putting the fear of God in all of his officers. They couldn’t see him being soft.

He walked by your desk and noticed that your things were all there, except for you.

‘’Where’s my Deputy?’’ He asked, to no one in particular.

‘’A call came in like an hour ago, some drunks idiots who didn’t want to leave the bar.’’ One of his officers answered.

‘’Why the hell is she the one goin’ on a bar call? That’s what the newbies are for.’’

‘’Technically… She was the newbie.’’

Lee took off his hat and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘’Please don’t tell me you sent her on that call because she’s the last one to be hired.’’

No one said anything.

‘’Are you kiddin’ me?! She’s the fuckin’ Deputy. She has more hours on the jobs than any of you all idiots.’’ Lee’s face was turning red with anger.

‘’I want two officers relieving her and sending her back.’’ No one moved or volunteered. ‘’NOW!!’’ He yelled.

Suddenly everyone wanted to get out and leave but they didn’t have time to make it through the door because you were already back.

The officer that came with you walked in first. He had a busted lip, nose and eyebrow, the front of his shirt was covered with his own blood. Poor guy discovered how badly a nose can bleed.

Lee’s anger only grew as he saw the state of the officer.

You walked in a few seconds later with a busted lip and swollen cheekbone that was already turning a dark shade of purple.

‘’What the hell happened?’’ He asked, a little more loud and harsh than he intended as he saw you flinch at the sound of his voice and you stopped walking towards him.

‘’Some friends of theirs joined in between the call and us getting there. We were slightly outnumbered.’’ You answered, codly. Not only did you feel humiliated by the fact that drunks got the upperhand against you, but now your boss was yelling at you in front of everybody and across the whole damn station. ‘’We called for backup but they didn’t get there fast enough. Officers are bringing them in for processing.’’

Lee felt his stomach drop at your tone. He panicked when he saw you were hurt and being in full Sheriff mode, he didn’t think about the fact that he had yelled at you in front of everybody.

Not a sound could be heard in the entire station, almost as if everyone had stopped breathing.

He opened his mouth, feeling the strong urge to apologize but you cut him off before he could make a sound.

‘’Will that be all, Sheriff?’’

He usually liked when you used his title, but this time it sent shivers down his spine.

Lee simply nodded and you walked to the front desk to grab the first aid kit and disappeared in the break room to take care of the other injured officer.

‘’Go back to work.’’ Lee hissed.

The station came back to life and people were running around, trying to make themselves as small as they could.

Lee walked back to his office and slammed the door shut.

You sat in the break room with Patterson, the injured officer, and you cleaned his wounds. You tilted his chin to take a good look at his nose.

‘’It doesn’t look broken. It just needs to be set back. Want me to do it?’’ You offered and he nodded.

You stood up and gently placed your fingers on either side of his nose. ‘’I’m not gonna lie, this is gonna hurt like a bitch.’’

‘’Great.’’ He whispered through gritted teeth as he braced himself.

‘’Want me to count or…’’

‘’Just d- FUCK!!’’

You did it while he was distracted and went to the freezer to grab some ice, you walked back to him and gave him the little ice pouch you made.

‘’There, put that on your nose. It’ll help with the swelling. You should go home.’’ You told him as you cleaned up the table. ‘’Want me to call someone to come pick you up?’’

‘’No it’s ok. I called my wife before you came in. She should be here any minute.’’

You nodded and turned to look at him. ‘’I’m really sorry you got hurt. This wasn’t supposed to be a hard call, otherwise I wouldn’t have made us go just the two of us.’’

You felt beyond guilty.

‘’It’s ok, Deputy. You couldn’t have known that there was going to be more of them. It’s part of the job.’’

‘’I know, but still.’’ You shrugged. ‘’I’m really sorry.’’

‘’Don’t apologize, thanks to you I now have a three-day weekend with my wife.’’

You laughed and winced, feeling your lip splitting again.

‘’Want me to help you?’’ He pointed to your own injuries.

‘’No, it’s fine. Don’t make your wife wait, I’ll be ok.’’

He stood up, holding the ice, and walked to the door.

‘’Have a great weekend, Patterson.’’

‘’You too, Deputy.’’ He called over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

You took the kit and went to the bathroom. You put it down on the counter and climbed on it to get as close as possible to the mirror on the wall. You moved your face around, assessing your injuries. You sighed and grabbed whatever you needed from the bag.

‘’Worse than a fucking rookie.’’ You mumbled to yourself.

Your lip wasn’t that bad, it stung but it barely opened but your cheek was bad. You couldn’t even touch it without wincing, no matter how light the touch. You got down from the counter and gathered everything to put it back neatly in the bag. You walked out and to your office, grabbing your bag and coat. You looked towards Lee’s office and saw that both the door and the blinds were shut; which meant no one was to disturb him under any circumstances unless it’s literally a life and death situation. You sighed and went to the front of the station, giving the bag back to the girl working the front desk.

‘’When Sheriff Bodecker comes out, if he asks, could you tell him I left for the day?’’

‘’Of course. Are you alright, Deputy?’’ She asked, clearly worried about you.

You nodded. ‘’I’m fine. I just need to get my cheek looked at by a doctor. If there’s anything, you can call my cell.’’

‘’Keep us updated!’’ She called out as she watched you leave.

It took two hours, but Lee finally came out of his office. Just in time for lunch, his special time with you. He looked at your desk and noticed you still weren’t there, but this time your things were gone too.

He walked quickly to the front desk. ‘’Where is she?’’

The girl looked up from what she was writing. ‘’She left for the day.’’

‘’What do you mean she left for the day?’’

‘’That’s what she said. Her cheek looked real bad and she went to the hospital.’’

‘’Why the hell did no one tell me?’’

‘’Well, your door and blinds were shut… You said never to bother you unless it’s life and death.’’ She answered.

‘’How long ago was that?’’

The girl looked down at her computer to see what time it was and back up to the Sheriff. ‘’A little over two hours ago.’’

Lee slammed his fist on the counter, making everyone jump. His jaw clenched and he breathed loudly from his nose, clearly upset.

‘’I’m going out to lunch.’’ He said, barely unclenching his jaw. ‘’Call me if you need me.’’

The girl nodded and watched him almost run out the door.

He tried calling you multiple times. Over and over again as he drove to the hospital but you never picked up.

His heart was racing in his chest. He hadn’t even taken you on a date yet and he had already fucked everything up.

You had to leave all of your things in the small room they gave you, even made you change your clothes. You needed to get x-rays so you couldn’t bring anything with you. You were glad this hospital had opted for pyjama like clothes instead of the stupid hospital gowns that made you feel even more vulnerable than you already were.

They took x-rays from many different angles and brought you back to your room.

‘’You can lay down if you want.’’ The nurse told you. ‘’It’s going to be a little while before we have the results.’’

‘’Thank you.’’

She closed the door behind her as she left. You were cold and you decided to do as the nurse said. You lifted up the sheets and moved under them, covering yourself once you were comfortable.

It didn’t take long before you fell asleep.

Lee was rushing to the hospital, all the way inside to the front desk.

‘’What room is the Deputy in?’’

‘’What’s the name of the patient?’’ She asked, typing on her computer.

‘’Are you kiddin’ me right now? How many deputies are there in this town??

She glared at him and he gave her your name, not wanting to waste time fighting with her.

‘’Room 203. Take the elevator to the second floor and turn right, third door.’’

‘’Thanks.’’

No matter how many times he pushed the damn button, the elevator wasn’t coming any faster. There were only two damn floors in this hospital, why was it taking so long?

2 minutes later and he was standing in front of your door. He knocked softly.

You opened your eyes at the sound, thinking it was the doctor.

‘’Come in.’’ You said, sitting up.

The door opened and the last person you thought would visit you entered.

‘’Hey, sweetheart.’’ He said hesitantly. ‘’I tried to call, but I kept getting your voicemail.’’

‘’Oh.’’ You looked down to your bag. ‘’They took me for x-rays and I had to leave it here. I forgot to check it when I was done.’’ You looked back to him as you spoke. ‘’Do you need me to come back to work? Of course, you do. You’re two people short on a Friday. I shouldn’t have left, I’m sorry.’’

You got out of bed and gathered your uniform and your boots. ‘’I just need to change.’’

Lee hated himself for yelling at you in the way he did, even more now because you thought the only reason he would be here was to drag you back to work.

‘’No, no.’’ He stopped you, putting his hands on yours. ‘’That’s not why I’m here. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I came as soon as I heard you left.’’ He took the clothes from your hands and put them back on the chair where they were a few seconds ago.

He walked over to the bed and lifted the sheets up. ‘’C’mon.’’ He pointed to the bed. ‘’Back to bed.’’

You hesitated.

He held out his free hand to you and waited. You took it without thinking about it and let him lead you back under the covers. He loosely tucked you in and gently grabbed your chin, turning your head to the opposite so that he could take a good look at your cheek.

‘’How bad is it?’’ He asked as you felt his thumb hovering just below the swelling.

‘’I don’t know yet. I’m waiting on the results but the nurse said it could take a while.’’

He let go of your face and took your hand in his. ‘’I’m sorry I yelled at you.’’

He kept his eyes down, looking only at your hand as his thumb rubbed the back of it. ‘’I was already pissed off when you walked in, and I panicked when I saw that you were hurt. I didn’t mean to yell.’’ He sighed. ‘’I was mad that you got hurt on a call you shouldn’t even have been on in the first place.’’

‘’Lee. It’s part of the job, those things happen. I got off easy compared to Patterson. Today wasn’t the first time I got hurt and I’m gonna get hurt again. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else from the station.’’

‘’I would have preferred any one of those assholes getting their ass kicked instead of you.’’ He mumbled.

You chuckled. ‘’I’m fine Lee, I promise. I’ll just need to find a dress that matches my bruise for tonight.’’

His eyes snapped up, looking directly at you this time.

‘’You still wanna go out with me?’’

‘’I’m not going to be mad at you for being scared and reacting the way you did. You apologized, you seem sincere and that’s more than enough for me.’’ You shrugged. ‘’Though I understand if you want to wait a week or two.’’ You moved your hand around over your injured cheek.

‘’No way. We’re going. Gotta show off how badass my Deputy is.’’

‘’You do know I got my ass kicked, right?’’ You laughed softly, trying not to move your face too much.

‘’They don’t know that.’’

Your conversation got cut short as the nurse knocked on the door.

‘’Come in.’’

She opened the door and walked in, stopping when she saw Lee.

‘’Sheriff.’’ She greeted him. ‘’I’m sorry Deputy, I didn’t know you had a visitor. I can come back later.’’

You shook your head. ‘’No, it’s ok.’’

She walked closer to your bed. ‘’The doctor got pulled away, but he gave me the results of your x-rays and I thought you’d like to have them sooner rather than later.’’

‘’You’d be right.’’ You gave her a small smile.

She looked at Lee, then you. Silently asking if she could continue.

‘’It’s ok. He can stay, I don’t mind.’’

She nodded and took out the x-rays. She held them up to the light and pointed out something to you. ‘’Good news is that nothing is broken.’’

‘’And bad news?’’ You looked at the image, then the nurse.

‘’Though it’s not broken, it is cracked. It’ll heal on its own, but it might be painful for a few weeks. The doctor wrote you a prescription for some painkillers and sadly, he won’t clear you for duty and you’ll have to either stay home or work from your desk.’’

You groaned and let your head fall back, looking at the ceiling. ‘’You gotta be kidding me.’’ You sighed and looked back up. ‘’It’s just a cheek, it’s not like I need it for work.’’

She nodded. ‘’I know it’s frustrating, but if someone hit you hard enough to crack your cheekbone it means you’ve got a major blow to the head.’’

She gave you the prescription and held out the paperwork that said you couldn’t work for a couple of weeks.

‘’I’m not sure who I should give this to.’’

She looked between you and Lee. You pointed to the trash next to the door.

‘’I won’t tell if you won’t.’’

Lee took the papers from her. ‘’I got it. Thanks.’’

‘’You’re free to go. Take care of yourself, Deputy.’’ She smiled once last time and walked out.

You crossed your arms over your chest, annoyed. ‘’I can’t believe this.’’

‘’It’s not that bad.’’ Lee tried reassuring you.

‘’How the hell are officers going to respect me if I get punched once and I’m out for two weeks?’’ You shook your head. ‘’As if this couldn’t get more embarrassing.’’

You threw the covers at the end of the bed and got up. You walked over to the chair and grabbed your clothes.

‘’There’s nothin’ embarrassin’ about gettin’ hurt on the job.’’ Lee watched you move around the room.

‘’Yeah, right.’’ You stepped into the small bathroom connected to your room and held the door with one hand. ‘’Easy to say when you’re not the only woman with a badge. Y’all already think I’m weak just for being a girl, this sure as hell ain’t gonna help.’’

You closed the door and locked it so that you could change back into your uniform.

Lee shook his head and sighed. He picked up your boots from the ground and waited for you to come out.

When you did, he held them out for you and you took them, sitting down on the chair to put them on.

‘’Look sweetheart, maybe at first we weren’t thrilled about havin’ a girl on the team but now everybody loves you and respects you. It ain’t gonna change because you got hurt. Those idiots will probably consider you even more part of the team because of it. I promise to give you so much damn paperwork to do, you won’t even see the next two weeks go by.’’ He chuckled.

You sighed, knowing he was probably right but you were still frustrated. ‘’I’m sorry, I’m just in a shitty mood.’’ You stood back up. ‘’I’ll just go home and I’ll see you later, ok?’’

He nodded and held you back before you could leave. ‘’This probably ain’t gonna help but, until you get cleared for duty I’m gonna need your gun and badge. I’m sorry.’’

‘’This day just keeps getting better and better.’’ You mumbled under your breath.

You took off your badge and gun holster, then gave them both to Lee.

‘’I know sweetheart, I’m sorry.’’ He felt bad for doing this, but he had no choice.

‘’It’s ok. It’s not your fault. I’m sorry for being an asshole today.’’

‘’Just today?’’

You were about to snap at him, but then you saw his smile and the playful glimmer in his eyes and you knew he was just messing with you.

‘’You’re the worst.’’ You bit down on your lip, trying to hide your smile.

‘’As an officer of the law, you shouldn’t be lyin’.’’

He followed you out of the room and to the elevator.

‘’Says the man who keeps stealing my damn fries.’’ You pushed the down button.

‘’I’m the Sheriff, I do whatever I want.’’ He shrugged, a smug smile on his face.

You rode down the elevator together and both walked to the parking lot.

‘’Are you sure you still want to go out tonight?’’ He asked you before you could reach your car.

‘’Yes, I’m sure.’’

‘’Promised?’’

‘’Promised.’’

He grinned. ‘’I’ll see you later then.’’

‘’Yes. Don’t be late, Sheriff.’’ You smiled and sat in your car, more than happy to finally go home.

That was the first day of dating Lee. Thankfully, it hadn’t been the only incident so far. After 2 weeks you were allowed to get back to work and you felt like yourself again with your gun and badge.

It didn’t take long before the word got around that you and Lee were now officially dating, but neither of you cared. You had learned early on to tune out any and all gossip, you weren’t bothered by it.

You made sure to keep it professional at work. You ate lunch together like you always did and sometimes Lee would kiss your cheek after he looked around to make sure no one was watching.

You’d been dating for a little over 3 months when he had to campaign to be reelected to be Sheriff. A very stressful time for him, but you stuck with him every step of the way.

After work one night, you went home to change and then left to go to Lee’s house. You knocked on the door and walked in, as he had told you to do over and over again.

‘’Lee?’’ You called out. No answer.

You took off your shoes and checked the living room, the kitchen, his bedroom and finally found him in his small office. You knocked softly on the opened door. He had his back to you and you could tell that he was in a very bad mood just by how tense he looked.

‘’Lee?’’ You said softly.

‘’What?!’’ He snapped at you. Something he did when he was very stressed out.

You tried not to take it personal, but it still made you feel like shit every time.

You sighed. ‘’Nothing. I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.’’

You turned around and walked down the stairs.

Lee felt like an asshole every time he snapped at you. He honestly doesn’t know why you’re still with him with the way he treats you. He had expected you to leave him weeks ago, and yet you still came home to him every night.

He’d take the time to calm down, then he’d join you downstairs once he’s sure he won’t snap at you some more. He expected you to go watch TV in the living room, like you always did when he was in a shitty mood but he heard the front door open and close.

You were leaving. Actually leaving.

His heart dropped in his chest. It felt like someone had just dropped an entire bucket of ice cold water on him, suddenly his bad mood was gone and fear took its place.

He rapidly stood up and ran down the stairs, not even bothering to put his shoes on before running outside.

‘’Wait!’’

You had almost reached your car when you heard him. You turned around and sighed. ‘’Wait for what? You need to scream at me some more?’’

He shook his head and finally stopped running once he was standing in front of you. ‘’I’m sorry baby. I keep lettin’ out my anger on you, and you don’t deserve it.’’

He cupped your cheeks in his hands and leaned down to press his forehead to yours. ‘’I understand if you still want to leave, but I just didn’t want you to think you did somethin’ wrong. It’s all me. I’m bein’ an asshole because I’m stressed out. It’s no excuse, but the election’s almost over. Just hold on a little longer, please?’’

‘’I swear to God, Lee Bodecker, next time you snap at me I’m leaving for good.’’

‘’There won’t be a next time, I promise.’’ He kissed the tip of your nose and took a few steps back. He let go of your face and held out one of his hands. ‘’Wanna have dinner with me?’’

‘’Depends on what you’re making.’’

‘’Your favorite.’’

‘’You got yourself a deal, Sheriff.’’ You took his hand and let him pull you to his side, putting his arm around your shoulders.

He walked you back inside and brought you to the kitchen once you had taken off your shoes. He pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and turned it so you’d be facing him as he cooked.

‘’Sit that cute lil’ ass of yours here and tell me about your day.’’

You chuckled and sat down. He stood in front of you and gently tilted your head back, leaning down to be at your level.

‘’Can I get a kiss?’’

‘’Mh. I don’t know. Can you?’’

He brushed his lips against yours and smiled. He pressed his lips to yours and was relieved when he felt you were kissing him back. He loved how soft your lips were, he could spend hours kissing you and never get tired of it. Sometimes that’s exactly what he did. He always thought that when you were an adult, making out was a thing of the past and that it was for teenagers. As it turns out, it’s his favorite thing to do. He slowly pulled away, even though he didn’t want to.

‘’Hi, baby.’’ He whispered with a smile.

‘’Hi, bub.’’ You whispered back with the same smile he had.

He pressed a few more quick kisses to your lips and stood back up.

‘’You’re an angel, you know that?’’

‘’I have to be, for putting up with your grumpy ass.’’ You smirked.

‘’You sure know how to make a man swoon. With that kinda talk, who could resist?’’ He teased, stroking your jaw with his thumb as he kept your head tilted back.

‘’Got ya, didn’t I?’’ You poked his belly playfully.

He laughed and nodded. ‘’That you did, baby. That you did.’’

Lee stole a quick kiss from you and let go so he could start making dinner.

As he mostly worked from home nowadays because of the elections, you’d come home every night and tell him all about your day. What happened, who was there, who called in sick and the stupid excuses they used, what kind of shit they pulled on the rookies and everything else that you could think of.

That was your nightly routine. He’d cook and laugh at what you said and you’d talk for as long as he needed you to, to help him relax.

He kept the promise he made you that night, and he never snapped at you again. Sometimes he’d text you in the afternoon to tell you he was in a very bad mood and it’d be best if you didn’t come over. You always texted back saying you understood and you were there if you needed him. Most times he would end up calling you and you’d speak on the phone until one of you fell asleep.

It was all worth it though, because 5 months later the elections were over and Lee was reelected.

You were beyond happy for him, but you were also happy to be getting your Lee back.

It had been a week since it ended, and Lee was still as happy now as he was the day the results were announced.

He had slept at your house the night before, you were working the same shifts and decided to go together.

Your alarm clock woke you up, bringing you out of a very deep sleep. You turned it off and sat up, rubbing your eyes; a small attempt at waking yourself up more quickly. You sat at the edge of the mattress on your side of the bed with your feet on the floor. You stretched your arms above your head and let out a satisfying groan.

You felt the mattress dipped behind you and two hands appeared in front of you. They laid flat on your stomach, above the tank top you wore to bed and you let your arms fall back on each side of your body.

‘’Good morning, baby.’’ Lee said with his deep voice he had right after he woke up.

He lowered his head to your neck and peppered your skin with soft kisses. He had gotten very affectionate over the last week. You didn’t know if it’s because he was making up for lost time or just because he was very happy but either way you weren’t complaining.

‘’Good morning.’’ You smiled and instantly tilted your head to the side to give him more space.

‘’How much time do we have before we have to leave?’’ He asked between two kisses.

You looked at your phone. ‘’A little more than an hour.’’

‘’We have plenty of time, then.’’

‘’Time for what?’’

He moved so quickly that you barely had time to realize what he was doing before you were laying on your back, Lee hovering over you. He placed himself between your legs and smirked while he looked down at you.

‘’Lee, come on.’’ You laughed. ‘’We don’t have time for that.’’

His lips found your neck again, but this time on the other side. ‘’I’ll be quick, baby.’’

‘’Lee.’’ You groaned, trying to get from under him.

‘’That’s the spirit.’’ He said when you groaned his name.

He smiled against the skin of your throat. You rolled your eyes and laughed. You didn’t resist him for very long.

Needless to say, the both of you were very late that morning and everyone could tell exactly why as they watched you smile at each other, the sweet little touches you exchanged when you thought no one was watching but mostly just from the way you looked at each other. You were both madly in love and there was no denying it.

Though neither of you ever said the words out loud, it was clear for the both of you that you were in love with each other. You didn’t say it, but you showed it every day.

The few months that followed the end of the elections were the best months of your life, hands down.

You had an amazing job, you now had plenty of friends and you had Lee.

You always find it funny when you think back to when people were telling you to stay away from him because he was a bad man, he was mean and had a bad temper. They were right about the temper, you’d give them that but they were definitely wrong about the rest and you could see that Lee was working really hard on his patience. God knows some of the officers at the station liked to test it and him. Here you are almost a year later and the man they had told you to avoid like the plague was now the man you were going to love for the rest of your life. You were absolutely certain that Lee was it for you.

Lee had a day off and you had the morning off because of an appointment. You were taking the night shift so you’d work the entire afternoon until late at night so you decided to stop by Lee’s on the way to the station otherwise you wouldn’t see him at all that day.

You knocked on the door and walked in. ‘’Lee?’’ You closed the door behind you.

Lee came to greet you at the door, a big smile on his face. ‘’Hey baby. How’s the cheek?’’

‘’100% healed. Finally!’’

He grabbed you by the waist and pulled you to him. He kissed you so delicately and so lovingly that your knees almost buckled. When he pulled away, you couldn’t help but grin.

‘’What was that for?’’ You chuckled.

‘’Just ‘cause.’’ He smiled. ‘’I missed my girl, that’s all.’’

You hadn’t slept at his house the night before, you didn’t want to wake him up early on his day off because you had to go to the doctor to get your cheek looked at, one final time.

‘’Let’s go sit in the kitchen, I got something to tell you.’’

He looked down at you and chuckled. ‘’Why would I want to go sit in the kitchen when I can stay right here with you?’’

‘’Come on.’’ You took his hand in yours. ‘’Let’s go sit down.’’

He frowned and took a few steps back, letting go of your waist and your hand at the same time.

‘’What’s wrong?’’

You sighed. ‘’Nothing’s wrong. I just want to go sit.’’

He shook his head and crossed his arms. ‘’I’m not sitting down. You can tell me right here.’’

‘’Lee-’’

He glared at you, a sign that he wasn’t going to change his mind.

‘’I’m pregnant.’’

Lee stared at you, no emotions on his face or in his eyes.

‘’What do you mean you’re pregnant?’’

‘’It means I’m going to have your baby.’’

His jaw clenched, unamused by your sass.

‘’How is that possible? We haven’t even been together for more than a year.’’

‘’That’s not how it works, Lee. Biology doesn’t really care about our relationship’s timeline.’’

You were so sure he was going to be happy, but now you felt like you had just burst your happy, loving bubble you’ve been living in for the past few months.

Lee’s mind was racing. A baby? His baby? He was going to be a dad. Him. Lee Bodecker. A dad. He isn’t good enough to be a dad. Hell, he’s barely good enough to be a boyfriend but now a dad? He was going to fucked that kid’s life up, like his old man did with him. Bodecker men weren’t good fathers, it was a known fact.

His mind hadn’t completely caught up with his mouth and what came out next wasn’t what he really wanted to say.

‘’Get out.’’ He said coldly.

‘’Wh- What?’’

‘’Get. Out.’’ He repeated. ‘’Keep it or get rid of it, I don’t care. Just leave.’’

Your vision blurred with tears and you’re sure you could hear the sound of your heart shattering.

‘’I know this is big, but we love each other. I know we do. It’s scary but we can do it.’’

You shook his head and scoffed. ‘’I don’t love you. I was just using you to get people to vote for me.’’

‘’That’s not true! Why are you saying all of this?’’ Tears were falling down your cheeks.

You were utterly broken.

‘’It is true. Everyone liked you and I knew I couldn’t win without you. If people saw you with me, then they’d think I’m a good guy and they’d vote for me. Which, they did.’’

Lee wanted to stop talking. He needed to stop talking, but it’s like he had lost complete control over his own body. In a way, he knew that’s what he needed to do. You deserved so much better than him, you and your baby. He had to push you away because you wouldn’t have left on your own. Every tear that rolled down your cheeks broke his heart, but he couldn’t let it show. Not until you were gone.

You looked at him, looked at his eyes and there was absolutely nothing. No regret, no guilt, nothing that could convince you that he was lying.

It’s like something flipped inside of you and suddenly you felt very calm. You wiped your cheeks with the sleeves of your uniform.

‘’People warned me about you, you know? When I first got here. They told me to stay away from you because you were a bad man and I chose not to believe them. Whatever it is you’re doing right now whether you’re lying or telling the truth, you broke me. I’m going to leave now. I have to go to work. Consider this my two week’s notice. I’d much rather be an officer with a shitty pay than stay in this town. Whatever it is you wanted to achieve here, you succeeded. I hope you’re happy.’’

You took off the key to his house from your keychain and threw it at his feet.

‘’We could have been happy together.’’ You walked to the front door and opened it. ‘’Take care of yourself, Lee.’’ You walked out and closed his door once last time. You sat in your cruiser and drove away.

You felt numb. Completely numb. You weren’t in the best state of mind to go to work, but you had people counting on you back at the station.

On your way there, you heard the dispatcher’s voice coming through.

‘’Any available units downtown?’’

You answered. ‘’I’m downtown. Where d’you need me?’’

The dispatcher gave you an address, officers asked for back up. You speed up and get there in a few minutes.

‘’Dispatcher, mark me as on scene.’’

‘’You got it, Deputy.’’

You slowly got out of your car and walked over to the officers already there.

‘’What’s going on?’’ You asked them.

‘’We’re not sure, yet. We just had a bad feeling about this.’’

You nodded and looked around.

‘’Who called this in?’’

‘’We don’t know either. Someone just requested the police here but there’s nothing.’’

You kept looking around, then something shiny caught your attention.

‘’Gun!’’ You yelled, pulling out your own from your holster.

Before you knew it, you had two guys shooting at you. You all ran to take cover behind the cars while trying to take them down.

‘’Dispatcher this is Deputy. Requesting all available units downtown. We have a shooting in progress. There seems to be only two shooters but we are pinned down.’’

‘’All available units downtown. I repeat all available units down. Armed suspects, extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution.’’

You looked around, trying to find a way out of this mess. None of you were wearing bulletproof vests, Knockemstiff is a small town with a few drunks but no one ever opened fire in the middle of the day, or at any other time.

‘’We need to move away from here. They know where we are and they can move in on us any time. We’re going to move over there.’’ You pointed to the building right around the corner a few feet away. ‘’We’re going to circle back around and get them from behind. Make sure your guns are loaded. None of us have vests, we need to be extremely careful. You stay low at all times and I will cover you, ok? Just be ready to shoot if I tell you to.’’

‘’You don’t have to do this.’’ One of the officers said.

‘’I’m the Deputy. It’s my responsibility to make sure you get home safe and sound.’’

You looked over the car you were hiding behind. ‘’They’re reloading. Now’s the time. Just make a run for it, stay low and everything is going to be ok!’’

You looked at them. ‘’Now. Go.’’

They all started running towards the building and you quickly stood up. You opened fire as soon as you had them in your sight. You were able to take one down rapidly, but the other one used the distraction to start shooting again.

You heard a body drop behind you and your heart stopped. You couldn’t turn around to look, you needed to keep shooting.

‘’We got an officer down. We need a medic NOW!’’ You heard one of the officers yell to the dispatcher.

‘’What’s going on?’’ You asked.

‘’One of us got hit, it’s pretty bad.’’

‘’Can you move him?’’

‘’No.’’

‘’Ok. I need two of you to stay behind and the rest get the hell out of here.’’ You moved slowly backwards and took a final shot, taking the other man down.

You looked back at the men behind you and you fought back tears. There was no way he was going to make it.

Suddenly you heard a gun firing, then another and the sound of a body dropping. You had been so distracted by the injured man that you missed the third shooter. Thankfully, your officers came back and one of them shot him.

You felt your knees buckle under your weight, someone caught you before you hit the ground. It wasn’t even 1pm and you were already emotionally and physically exhausted. Your body just couldn’t keep up.

‘’Careful, Deputy.’’ The officer who caught you said as he sat down on the ground with you.

‘’I’m sorry.’’ You looked at the injured officer, feeling completely powerless. Nothing you could do or say could bring him back. ‘’I’m so sorry.’’ You started crying.

‘’It’s ok. It’s all gonna be ok.’’ The man behind you squeezed your shoulder as a reassuring gesture.

Half a dozen police cars were making their way towards you, unfortunately too late for one of you. The officers ran out of their cars and canvassed the entire area, making sure there weren’t any more shooters.

‘’I think the adrenaline is starting to wear off. I’m freezing.’’ You shivered.

‘’That’s the shock.’’

‘’You’re probably right.’’ You laughed softly, your laugh turning into a cough.

You brought your hand up to cover your mouth and put it back down once you were done.

‘’Sorry.’’ You said.

You felt something wet inside your hand and lifted it back up to look at it. It was covered in blood.

‘’Whose blood is this?’’ You looked around. ‘’Is someone else hurt?’’

No one said anything.

‘’Deputy. You’re in shock and that’s probably why you can’t feel it, but you’ve been shot.’’ The officer behind you said, calmly trying not to make you panic.

‘’What?’’ Your heart was racing.

You then realized that there was blood on your shirt. When you thought the officer was squeezing your shoulder to comfort you, he was actually putting pressure on the gunshot wound. You had been shot a little below the collarbone and above your lung. Probably why you were still breathing.

‘’Medics are on the way, Deputy. You just gotta hang on.’’

‘’Someone needs to call the Sheriff. NOW.’’ He mouthed to the others.

He didn’t want to scare you, but you were losing a lot of blood and no matter how much pressure he was putting on the wound, it didn’t seem to stop the bleeding.

‘’Deputy, I’m gonna lay you down, ok?’’

You nodded and let him put you on your back. He kneeled next to you and put both hands on the wound, pushing what looked like a shirt on it to try and stop the bleeding. He was putting most of his weight on you, hoping it’d be enough.

Dispatchers were the one who finally managed to reach Lee. He kept sending calls to voicemail, hoping that maybe you’d call so he could take it all back. He had decided that he would go wait for you at the station at the end of your shift and ask you for another chance.

When he saw the number from the dispatch center, he knew he couldn’t avoid the outside world anymore.

‘’Sheriff, there was a shooting downtown. We need you on the scene ASAP.’’

Everyone agreed that it was best not to tell Lee that you had gotten shot until he arrived.

‘’Where’s Lee?’’ You asked, looking up at the man who’s been working hard to keep you alive.

‘’He’s on his way. Just hang on, ok?’’ He smiled.

‘’M’kay.’’ Your eyelids were suddenly very heavy and you had trouble keeping your eyes open.

At that moment, everyone knew that no matter how fast Lee drove he would be too late.

The medics got there before him, they rushed to you and took over. They checked your vitals.

‘’No pulse, starting CPR.’’ One of them said.

The other one stopped him and shook his head. ‘’She lost too much blood. There’s nothing we can do.’’

They called time of death a couple minutes before Lee arrived.

He rushed out of his car. He couldn’t believe the sight in front of him. There were 3 dead bodies on the lawn. He was relieved to see that none of them were his. Then, he turned around.

‘’Shit.’’ He said as his eyes fell on the officer that had been shot.

He walked towards the body, but the medics caught his attention from the corner of his eyes and he stopped breathing.

‘’No, no, no, no.’’ He ran to you and dropped to his knees, not caring about getting blood on him. ‘’Is she ok? Is she gonna be ok?’’ He looked at the medics. ‘’Why aren’t you doing anything?’’

‘’I’m sorry, Sheriff. She passed away 5 minutes ago. There was nothing we could have done. She lost too much blood.’’

‘’No.’’ He shook his head and put his hands on each side of your face. ‘’Baby, you gotta wake up. C’mon.’’

He shook you a little. ‘’Wake up, baby. Please.’’ His voice broke.

One of the medics wanted to stop him, tell him that it was too late but one of the officers shook his head no. No matter what they would say, he wouldn’t hear them.

‘’Please.’’ He begged again, but deep down he knew you were really gone.

He could barely see you, he was crying so much that his vision was completely blurred. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours.

‘’I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you died thinking I didn’t love you.’’ He closed his eyes. ‘’I love you. I will always love you.’’

His body shook with each sob that left his throat. Everyone tried not to stare, but the scene in front of them was so heartbreaking they couldn’t pull their eyes away. Some people walked away, crying.

‘’You would have made the best mama.’’ He smiled through the tears, as if you could see him and he didn’t want you to see him sad.

He kissed your lips, then your forehead. ‘’I love you baby. Both of my babies.’’

More people walked away at his words. Almost everybody was crying by now.

He stayed with you until the coroner arrived. He held your hand in one of his and stroked your hair with the other one.

He only let go of your hand when they needed to close the body bag, and he watched as they took you away.

Lee completely broke that day. His entire world came crashing down around him and the one person he needed to get him through with, was gone.

In a little over a year, you had flipped his world upside down. Never would he have thought that the new Deputy that had been forced on him would turn out to be the love of his life. He was never the same after you were gone. He was filled with regret and guilt, on top of the pain and the constant ache from missing you so much. He still went to work every day and he made his officers wear bulletproof vests at all times. He had units whose sole purpose was to patrol and keep an eye on the town.

One morning a call came to the station, neighbours had seen the little Russell boy hiding in the forest with a gun. Ever since the shootout, people were a lot more nervous around guns.

He ordered for everyone to stay put and stand down. He was going to be the one to handle it.

They all saw him leave without wearing his own vest, but they knew it was pointless to call him out.

Lee had been putting a lot of effort and energy into protecting his staff while also not caring for a second about his own safety.

People around town said that your death made him fearless, but they were wrong. He had fears, well he had one fear.

He was terrified at the thought of having to spend the remaining 40-50 years of his life without you.

He felt at peace as he chased Arvin through the woods. He wasn’t scared anymore, he wasn’t sure why.

Then, he found himself lying on the ground, facing the sky with a gunshot wound in the middle of his chest.

As his vision slowly faded to black, he smiled knowing he was seconds away from seeing you again.

ALTERNATE ENDING

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 33

Sorry this got delayed for longer than expected. I had a lot of things hit me like a truck (and distractions). Hopefully you all enjoy this. Please comment your thoughts on the chapter. And if you really liked it, Reblog it. Thats the best way to get others to see it.

(Master Post)

_______________________________________________________________________

Nathalie cautiously walked into the school, careful to not stand out. She needed to be quick and quiet, she didn’t know how many akuma were lurking in the building. Hawkmoth has akumatized a good chunk of the student body at this school, so expecting at least a dozen within such a short time frame wouldn’t be out of the question. She was relieved that the akuma alert hasn't gone off, which means no one has caught on yet.

The assistant moved down the hall, stopping once she noticed two akuma heading down the hall. One she recognized as the akuma dark owl, and the other as Lady wifi. Both akuma wearing masks that covered their faces. It was clearly the handiwork of Masquerade. She quickly moved into the nearest room to hide.

“That was close.” Nathalie whispered.

“What was?” a voice from behind her called out. Causing the on edge assistant to jump.

She looked to see it was not an akuma, but an adult with a perplexed expression.

“Nothing, what room is this?”

“This is the nurse’s office, I’m Nurse Angela. How can I help you?”

Nathalie took a sigh of relief. Seems that the nurse hasn’t noticed the akumatized individuals in the hall. Which means that no one has figured out there are akuma active.

“I am fine, I simply stepped into the wrong room.” Nathalie eased herself. “Could you tell me which way Ms. Bustier’s classroom is?”

“Oh its down the hall, make a left and it’s the last classroom on the...”

“Nurse! My ice pack melted!”

The nurse took a calming sigh.

“One moment ma’am. I have a student in here.”

Angela quickly moved to fetch more ice for her patient to help her out.

“Chloé?” Nathalie spoke aloud, recognizing the voice.

Nathalie moved into the room and took notice of the mayor’s daughter watch the nurse impatiently as she waited for a fresh icepack.

“Wait, your Gabriel Agreste’s assistant. Natasha.”

“Nathalie.” The assistant corrected, clearly annoyed.

“Why are you here? Does Adrien have some photoshoot or something?”

“Or something.  Now why are you in here?”

The question struck a nerve with the blonde, causing her annoyance to turn into anger.

“Better question, how could you allow Adrien to date that loser!?”

Nathalie blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“She is going to bring down the Gabriel brand. That nobody has no right to be dating Adrien. Does his father know about this?”

Nathalie felt a twinge of annoyance. But kept it in. She remembered the akuma that were out in the hallway. She would hate to have them run in here just from the commotion.

“I think you should keep it down. This is not an issue that concerns you.”

“Doesn’t concern me?! I am Adrien’s childhood friend. You bet your poor dye job it concerns me!”

“I must insist you be quiet.” Nathalie repeats. “This is not the time or the place for such meaningless complaints.”

“Like I am going to listen to Gabriel Agreste’s rebound chick.”

That caused Nathalie to snap.

“Listen here you spoiled brat! There are akuma running the halls and I am trying to find Adrien to get him out of here before things get worse. If you don’t shut your mouth in the next two seconds. I will throw you out there and let them tear you apart!”

Chloé felt her eyes go wide at the out of nowhere outburst. It took her a second to process what just happened. Did she really get told off by this nobody?

“You can’t just…”

Nathalie suddenly fell to the floor. She barely used her hands to catch herself.

“S***, not now.” She mumbled over gasping breathes. Her body was failing on her again. She did not need this of all times. She felt her consciousness fade.

The nurse turned around once she heard the sudden thud.

“Oh dear.”

She rushed to the collapsed woman’s side and helped her up.

“Chloé. Help me get her onto the bed.”

“You want me to…”

“This is not the time for questions! Help me get her on the bed now!” Angela commanded.

Chloé’s protests were snuffed out by the nurse and she moved to help get the woman on the bed.

The nurse quickly checked her for a pulse. Thankfully she had one.

“Okay, she has a pulse. She is breathing, but her body just collapsed. A fainting spell?”

Angela started checking the assistant to make sure there was nothing else wrong.

Chloé watched as the nurse examined Nathalie. Her previous anger fading as she sees the woman that just snapped at her just drop.

“Okay… seems that it is over exhaustion. It’s not uncommon in people who work long hours with demanding jobs. But I have never seen a case like this. I can’t put my finger on it, but there might be another medical issue involved in this. When she wakes up, she should get checked into a hospital for a deeper dive into whatever she has.” Angela explained.

“So… she will be alright?”

“Well she is exhausted. She will need to rest for a bit.”

“Well at least she didn’t die. I can still be mad at her for yelling at me because there is an akuma and junk here.”

“Well you shouldn’t hold a… did you just say there is an akuma?”

“That’s what she was yelling at me about before. Weren’t you listening?”

Angela felt herself go pale.

“Oh that is not good at all. We need to alert the authorities.”

Chloé picked up her phone and started texting.

“Don’t you think you should use that to call the cops.”

“Im texting my dad. He will have the cops here faster.”

Angela remembered that the annoying spoiled blonde in front of her was the mayor’s daughter and for the first time, was happy that the girl was here.

_______________________________________________________________________

For what is a teen, but a pile of hormones and insecurities.

Masquerade delighted as she watched her classmates stare at her. They all were trying so hard to be strong, but she could feel their emotions, they were afraid. She knew that taking the most emotionally secure one in the group would rattle them..

She noticed the teens rushing to their pockets to get their phones.

Masquerade touched the cellphone charm on her bracelet and all of the phones started showing they had no signal.

“Nice try, but no calling for help.” Masquerade commented.

Even the chill Nino couldn’t maintain a steady calm in front of her with that little display. She now removed any chance of calling for help or setting off that akuma alert system. Did she have access to other powers? What kind of monster did Hawkmoth turn her into?

“I’ll save you for last Nino. I want you to watch closely.” She flipped her hair, taunting the cap wearing teen.

The masked theme akuma smiled as she moved her hand, as if deciding on who would turn next.

“Now we know who will be last, but who will be next?” Masquerade asked, watching as her bracelet was glowing. The class was a gold mine of akumas. It was not a matter of how, it was a matter of which one.

“You don’t have to do this Lila.” A soft higher pitched voice pleaded.

The class turned their attention the short haired blond with a fondness for pink.

“Rose…” Juleka spoke up in worry.

Masquerade focused her attention on Rose.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“We know you are hurting. We know that you lied to us and did some nasty things… but that doesn’t have to define you!”

Masquerade found herself a bit surprised at the statement.

“If you are willing to stop all of this, we can help you. We can work through all of the things you’ve done. If we can throw a party for Chloé, we can certainly give you another chance.”

Rose stuck out her hand, a soft smile on her face.

Masquerade took a moment to process before speaking.

“Wow… I had no idea you felt this way.”

Rose walked forward.

“See Lila, we can all get along if…”

“You’re so incredibly depressing.”

Rose stopped.

Masquerade’s mouth contorted to a twisted glee. Her charm bracelet glowing brightly as she held her hand up to Rose.

“You always force a smile even when things are downright miserable. You’re terrified of being sad, so you paint this image of a fantasy land filled with stuffed animals and storybook characters. You realize all of the awful things around you yet you simply push it back, push it away as if it can’t harm you if you don’t acknowledge it. You can’t even acknowledge the emotional problems and insecurities of the people you care about because you know you can’t help them even if you did address them, so you give them some encouraging saccharine speech about pushing through, because that’s all you can really do. I have never seen anyone so deep in denial. One day you will wake up and realize that all of that delusional thinking will have pushed everyone away from you as you sit in plushy made prison of your own design.”

Rose felt her lip quiver.

“N-No. That isn’t true. I can …” Rose stumbled over her words.

But before she could say anymore, a mask flung onto her face and Rose shifted into Princess Fragrance, the green skinned perfume super villainess.

“Rose! No!” Juleka cried out.

Masquerade grinned as a perfume bottle charm now adorned her bracelet.

Juleka tried to get the mask off of Rose, but the newly made akuma pushed her aside and jumped to her master’s side.

“Oh, poor Juleka. Don’t worry. I’ll have you join her.”

Masquerade pointed her hand at Juleka.

“Oh wow, social anxiety and a fear of being forgotten. How original. Is that why you dye your hair purple and wear those gaudy clothes? You want to stand out so that you don’t get dismissed like the wallflower you are? Your bad luck with photos really puts a damper on your dreams of modeling. But that’s probably for the best, considering you are constantly overwhelmed. You don’t have the guts to do anything you want, so you just do your best to keep quiet and pray people will still notice and care about you.”

Juleka felt her anger shift to sorrow as she tried to speak up, but sure enough. Masquerade sends another mask out and it makes contact with Juleka.

The purple haired teen shifts into the image replicating akuma, Reflekta. Who after changing moved next to Princess Fragrance. A compact mirror charm appears on Masquerade’s bracelet.

The class couldn’t help but feel the despair in the room. The large drummer tried to keep his small girlfriend behind him as a means to protect her, but unfortunately, Masquerade noticed.

“Oh Ivan, sweet misunderstood Ivan.” Masquerade taunted. “You really think I don’t see what you are trying to do.”

Ivan kept his eyes focused.

“You aren’t turning me into one of your monsters. You already turned my bandmates into them, you aren’t turning me!”

The akuma laughed.

“Monster? I don’t need to turn you into an akuma to do that. The rest of the world already sees you as one.”

Ivan felt a pang in his heart.

“No… no they don’t.”

“Even your own girlfriend is scared of you. You’re a big brute that is loud and bumbling. Ever since your growth spurt, you could see everyone look at you differently, like you were some kind of large freak. But what’s worse is that you’re afraid that everyone else is right. That you a large rage filled monster, undeserving of love.”

“Don’t listen to her. She is lying to you.” Myléne pleaded as she tried to pull her boyfriend out of the quicksand trap of emotion that the akuma was setting up.

“I am not a monster.” Ivan spoke, more to himself than to masquerade.

The akuma capitalized on that moment of weakness and a mask made its way to Ivan, transforming him into his stone giant akuma form, Stoneheart.

Myléne looked in horror of her akumatized boyfriend and took a few steps back. Her fear of remembering this form taking hold.

“Oh, that works too.”

Masquerade flings a mask at Myléne, transforming her into her more monstrous akuma form, Horrificator.

“I was planning on playing on her fears about how she is afraid to face the real world and her insecurities about losing Ivan, but that worked better.”

The two new akuma mindlessly made their way to Masquerade’s side. A piece of paper and a button charm appeared on Masquerade’s bracelet.

The joy the akuma attained from watching her classmates squirm was unnerving. And it was only going to continue.

_______________________________________________________________________

“So, you are certain you left it there Kagami?” a woman with a cane asked sternly.

“Yes mother, I remember I left my text book in the locker room during fencing practice. I was studying between breaks.” Kagami answered. She felt a bit ashamed she had misplaced her book. But was relieved her mother was fine with giving her a ride there to get it. Even if it meant she was late to her lessons.

“This is not an excuse to see anyone, is it?” Her mother questioned.

“No mother, I will be in and out quickly.”

“Very well. I need to make a quick stop at the bank. So be sure to be outside waiting when I come back.”

“Yes mother.”

Kagami got out of the car and the car drove off.

“Well, I could stop by to say hello to my friends if I am quick with getting my book.” Kagami smiled a bit as she was about to make her way into Collège Françoise Dupont.

But before she did, she heard the sound of a bike approaching, she turned to see the cyclist stop short of her.

“Made it.” He said with relief as he took off his helmet to reveal familiar blue dyed hair.

“Luka?”

The cyclist looked and noticed his new fencer friend.

“Kagami? What brings you here? I thought you didn’t go to this school.”

“I don’t, I come here for fencing practice, I left a textbook here and was planning on retrieving it. You don’t go to this school either. So what brings you here?”

“My little sis grabbed the wrong lunch bag, then texted something about an akuma being in the school. I wasn't able to reach her after that. I plan on getting her out and letting the heroes handle the akuma.”

Kagami blinked.

“There is an akuma?”

“Apparently.”

The fencer smiled.

“Alright, let’s get in and try to evacuate everyone. Then I can grab my book.”

Luka looked at the determined girl and smiled. He didn’t even say he would help her. But he knew he would.

“So, what’s the plan?”

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Adrien stared down the Volpina duplicate. He was not going to let it pass him and get to Marinette. He realizes that if he had been the one to run off, he would have been able to transform quick. If this didn’t work out, Ladybug might have to take on Lila solo, and that was something he was worried about. If Ladybug is on her own and she gets overwhelmed, who would be able to protect Paris? He needed to figure a way to give this Faux Fox the slip and fast.

“It would have been better if I snagged both of you, but master will be more than happy with your capture.” The sentimonster smiled as it moved to grab him.

The blond jumped back, but the difference in speed was far too great for him to overcome. And he was quickly pinned against a wall. The sentimonster shifted forms, looking similar to the owl akuma that Adrien was familiar with.

“What the…”

“I am not bound to one form. I can shift my form and access to any akuma’s power set that my master has under her control.”

Adrien realized he was far outmatched. If it came to it, he would need to transform. He wished there was some way out of this mess.

But as if the heavens above heard him, a yo-yo wrapped around the waist of the buff owl.

“What the ...”

The sudden pull from the yo-yo made the sentimonster lose it’s grip on Adrien and get flung to the other wall, dazing it.

“Looks like I made it just in time.” A spotted heroine stated with confidence.

“Ladybug!” Adrien called out in relief.

Ladybug rushed to his side.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m a lot better now.”

Ladybug helped the teen up from the ground.

“Lets’ get you somewhere safe first, handsome boy.”

The blond felt his cheeks turn red at the comment.

The sentimonster managed to get back up, it shifted forms, to a smaller form. One that made ladybug experience a chill go down her spine as she saw the roller blades and familiar helmet.

“Timebreaker… We need to hurry!”

Ladybug started rushing with the teen. With the speed of the akuma, she knew Adrien wouldn’t be fast enough to avoid it on his own. So, she quickly picked him up in her arms as they fled.

“Timebreaker? But isn’t that what Alix turned into when she was akumatized.” Adrien inquired as Ladybug ran down the hallway.

“It means that things are getting a lot more dangerous.” Ladybug answered.  She knew that timebreaker appearing could only mean that Lila has made her way to the classroom, and this was going to be one of the toughest akuma battles yet. She needed to get Adrien to safety and then make her way to the classroom, hopefully save her classmates before they were all turned into her masked servants.

She made a quick movement into the bathroom. Standing at the door, prepared to fight the akuma if it noticed their quick duck into the washroom.

Ladybug listened closely as she heard the sound of skates roll up to the door. Her eyes went wide as she realized the it figured it out.

“You really think you can hide from me!”

The Timebreaker imposter kicked in the door ready to attack, only to see no one was in the room.

“Like I said….”

“You!” Kicked the first stall door open.

“CANT!” The second stall was kicked open.

“HIDE!”  The last one was open, and all of them were empty.

The sentimonster growled in frustration.

“Seems I was mistaken.” The sentimonster grumbles, skating off to find the two.

As the door closes, Ladybug and Adrien sigh in relief. They had taken to hiding over the small statured sentimonster’s line of sight. Ladybug;s yo-yo making for a secure web to hold them up.

Ladybug undid the secure snare and lowered them both to the floor.

“Thanks for the save Ladybug.” The blond smiled. His face a bit red being so close to Ladybug.

‘Easy there Adrien! Remember who you are dating now!’ He mentally told himself.

“N-no problem.” Ladybug smiled sweetly. “Now, you stay hidden and I will take care of this crazy shapeshifter.

“Wait Ladybug!”

Ladybug paused.

“Yes? Is there something…”

“My girlfriend is out there. Well I mean… dating since we didn’t officially say girlfriend and… Look She is out there and that akuma thing is also after her.”

Ladybug’s eyes went wide at that statement.

He called me his girlfriend! Inner marinette screamed. Inside her head, but Ladybug kept her face from showing it. Though a small smile was growing despite herself.

“So the akuma is targeting someone else? Why wasn’t she with you?”

“She went to get help, I was trying to hold off the akuma so she could escape. The akuma was more focused on me thankfully, and you showed up just in time.”

“Oh? And who is the Lucky girl?” Ladybug questioned, a bit bubbly but doing her best to hide it.

“Her name is Marinette, she is around your height and she has these cute …”

“No need for more description, I know her. Well, she is a cute one. Aren’t you lucky?” Ladybug teased a bit.

“I really am.” He smiled sweetly. He remembers that Ladybug did pick Marinette to be a temporary hero, so she should know who she is. Though he isn’t supposed to know that.

Ladybug put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your ‘girlfriend’ is safe. I’ll also be sure to tell her you were worried as well. She will be happy to hear that.”

Adrien felt himself in a bit of a bizarre situation, was ladybug helping him by being a wingwoman for him? He couldn’t help but find it a mix of ironic and funny.

Ladybug rushed out of the bathroom, realizing that chat noir was rubbing off on her a bit, teasing Adrien like that.

“He called me his girlfriend.” She smiled as she thought this to herself. Though she knew the task at hand was important and would dwell on this happiness much later.

Adrien watched as she ran off, feeling a bit flustered.

“Really needed to let her know you were off the market now.” A voice from his pocket teased.

“I panicked.” Adrien felt his face flush.

“Seemed Ladybug was happy for you. That’s good.” The cat kwami popped out of his pocket. Hiding the fact, he knew a lot more than he let on.

“We do have more important things to worry about. We have an akuma and sentimonster to stop. “

Adrien punched his fist out.

“Plagg. Claws out!”

_____________________________________________________________________________

Masquerade laughed, loving how she was turning everything back on her classmates.

When something smacked into her head.

“Ugh!” She grunted as she grabbed the metal object that flung into her.

“What the hell?!” Masquerade’s eyes focused to see it was Max’s ai companion, Markov that head-butted her.

“Your actions have far exceeded what is acceptable.” The robot responded.

“Markov get away from her. She will akumatize you!” Max called out in worry.

“Akumatize the toaster? How could I akumatize…” Masquerade muttered until she noticed her bracelet glowing.

“Oh, you have got to be f***ing kidding me. You akumatized a sentient rice cooker but not Marinette?! The f*** hawkmoth!?”

“I will have you know that I am an advanced artificial intelligence.”

“And you despise that.” Masquerade points out.

“Quite the contrary, I find my intellect exhilarating.”

“But you already calculated it, the two logical conclusions. That you will either become obsolete and be tossed out for a newer model, or you will advance and grow until you outlive Max.”

Markov paused. He could not come up with a response. The robot felt stumped byt the statement.

“Too easy.”

“Markov!’ Max cried out as a mask landed over his visual face plate. Shifting him into his angry red coated akuma form, Robostus.

Max moved to get to his robot. But Kim held him back.

“It’s too late man.”

Max growled at the akuma.

“Damn it Lila, why are you doing this? You must know that Ladybug and Chat noir will arrive ready to stop you. The chances of you beating them are 0%.”

Masquerade lifted her hand as her bracelet began glowing again.

“Oh. smarty pants Max, the one with all the formulas and the data. You have to be the smartest one in the room or else you have nothing.”

“I know what you are trying to do. It won’t work.”

“Out of everyone here, you have the biggest inferiority complex. Your need to be the best at what your ‘good’ at. Robotics, video games, data analysis, and of course, calculations. You need to show to everyone how smart and skilled you are, because the moment you don’t, they realize there is no personality underneath.”

Max tried to focus on not letting the words get to him, but Masquerade knew exactly what to say to cut him down.

“Go on Max, tell them how to ‘Beat’ my power. Or do you not know?”

Max felt his lip quiver, he couldn’t stay strong. He didn’t know how to beat it. He could feel the horror of not knowing slip into his mind. She had nailed his insecurities like an expert marksman.

“I thought so.”

A mask flew and smacked onto Max’s face. He dropped to the floor only to get up in a black and green spandex suit, His akumatized form, The Gamer.

A game controller charm appeared on her bracelet.

A sudden squeak caught her attention.

Masquerade turned her head to see an orange haired girl trying to sneak away.

“Sabrina, I had forgotten you were here. Just like everyone else usually does.”

Masquerade was about to really lay into her, but a book out of nowhere smacked her in the face.

It was the athletic dare maker himself, Kim.

“I am done sitting around and letting you turn everyone into masked zombies.” Kim exclaimed.

Nino felt himself zone back in as Kim called it out. Now was not the time to lose his head. He needed to focus. Masquerade didn’t mention Adrien, so maybe his best bro was still out there. Maybe they can get to the heroes and have them fix this. But first, he needed to escape.

“Kim’s right. We won’t let you turn anyone else anymore. Sabrina get help!” Nino exclaimed.

“Like she is going to… HEY!”

A waste basket covered the villainess as she stumbled back, with the basket stuck to her head. While she had been too busy gloating, she had failed to notice the tomato haired artist sneak behind her and the mindless akuma line up. He had slammed it on as hard as he could to ensure it was difficult to remove.

“Let’s Go!” Nino announced as the rest of the class rushed to the door. Time breaker being the only one actively ordered prepared to stop them.

“Don’t let her touch you.” Sabrina spoke as they tried to figure.

Kim grabbed a chair and used it like a make shift battering ram in order to keep Timebreaker at a distance, but the akuma reacted quickly by pulling the chair away and kicking the teen in the gut with her roller blade. Sending him flying back into the other teens.

“Ugh! That really was gross!” Masquerade retched as she pulled the waste bucket off her head.

“Well, I hope you enjoyed your little escape attempt. Because you won’t get another chance.”

Masquerade pointed at Kim.

“Since you started this little thing. I will change you next.”

Kim looked at the Akuma with a smile.

“Good luck with that. You don’t have anything that could make me feel gloomy.”

Masquerade’s bracelet started glowing again. She was clearly ready to speak, but stopped herself.

“… Wait.. THAT’s your biggest insecurity?”

“I don’t have an insecurity.”

“You are afraid everyone will realize you’re not smart.”

“What? No, I am not. I am plenty smart. I watch the Alternate Truth all the time.”

“Everyone already knows you’re an idiot.”

Kim looked at the akuma with shock.

“That’s not true! People do think I’m smart. Chloé has called me ‘Genius’ multiple times.”

Masquerade didn’t know how to respond to this.

“I… do you not know what sarcasm is?”

“Of course, I do.” Kim lied.

“Just … just wear the mask you moron.”

Masquerade sends a mask to attach to Kim.

The swimmer did his best to resist but felt himself succumb to the mask and become the dark winged akuma, Dark Cupid. He joined the rest of the akuma in the lineup, and a bow and arrow charm appeared on Masquerade’s charm bracelet.

“I actually feel dumber because of those last few minutes. Okay next one.”

Masquerade points at the Artist.

“Let’s bring the mood back with you Nathaniel, what is your biggest insecurity?”

“Listen Lila, there is still a chance to stop what you’re doing.”

“You’re afraid of opening yourself up to others. That’s the reason you didn’t want to join Soulmate searcher despite Marc’s insistence. You were afraid of putting out all that information on yourself and seeing that you and Marc aren’t meant for each other. You can only express yourself with art. And you know that it’s only a matter of time before he realizes your issues and leaves.”

Nathaniel wanted to dispute the statement, but felt his words die in his mouth.

“Such a pity Nathaniel, I’ll make sure to go after him once we are done here.”

“No! Don’t you…”

Nathaniel tried to say more, but a mask latching onto his face interrupted him.

The artist transformed into his heroic yet villainess akuma form, Evillustrator. Just like the others, the recent akuma joined the line.

A tablet pen charm appeared on Masquerade’s bracelet.

“And next up is Sabrina. I was interrupted earlier. But don’t worry. I have everything I need to get you.”

Sabrina tried to put on a brave face and covering her ears.

“Oh, you think It won’t work if you cant hear me.”

Masquerade’s bracelet glows.

“You don’t get it Sabrina, I am not just saying mean words, I am reading your greatest insecurities. And I am projecting them out.”

Sabrina could hear Masquerade’s words, as if they were in her mind. She couldn’t escape them. Her hands dropped.

“Very good. You learned how futile it is. It’s rare that you have someone’s attention like this. You always never stood out much, but you never minded that, your biggest insecurity is that no one will want to spend time with you. That’s why even with Chloé being mean and nasty, you like the fact that someone is willing to talk to you. You would accept humiliation and embarrassment over being alone. It’s truly pathetic.”

Sabrina felt tear stream down her face.

“Sabrina don’t let her get to you…”

“Im sorry. I don’t want to be alone.”

The mask flew onto Sabrina’s face. But something happened. She wasn’t changing right away.

“What’s this?” Masquerade commented.

“It seems you have more than one akumatizable form? Alya had something similar, but I was ‘missing something’ to access the other one so I didn’t bother with that. But this is different.”

Masquerade felt a malicious glee take hold.

“Why not give you both.”

Nino watched as the masked Sabrina shifted into a costume that looked familiar to him. The power stealing Miracular.

But suddenly, she vanished from his sight. Only to then appear with the other akuma.

“Invisibility and power stealing. Sabrina you maybe my favorite servant yet.” Masquerade exclaimed. Two charms appeared on Masquerade’s bracelet, vanishing cream and a tonfa.

Nino took a look at the line up of akuma.

“Dude… this is so not cool.”

Masquerade started to walk towards the DJ with a confident stride, stopping short, looking down at him. An aura of malice emanating from her presence.

“Don’t worry Nino. You’ll be joining them.”

_______________________________________________________________________

(End of Chapter)

So all the pieces are coming together. Will Nathalie be okay in a school filled with akuma? Will Ladybug and Chat noir be able to fight the army of akumatized classmates that Masquerade has been building? Will Kagami be able to get her text book. Will Kim learn that everyone loves him because he is a himbo? Find out by staying tuned. 

Thanks for reading and be sure to comment if you want to see the next part. I am an author and live off validation.

[garciaasfluffypen]

how to keep one emily prentiss happy, a journal entry by y/n

wc: 1.2k pairing: emily x gn!reader warnings:

gif credit: google

dear diary,

today, emily was an absolute bitch. i mean, i get it, her knee was absolutely bothering her today, but she really didn’t have to take it out on the team, did she?

let's start from the beginning.

--

ten days ago....

“we have a case.” hotch stared at the group of agents in front of him, face stoic and unreadable. “round table room in five.”

y/n locked eyes with emily, who they knew was having a hard time. she had only been back for a few months, and they could tell something was bothering emily. but what exactly that thing was, was beyond them. either way, emily had an attitude and it was starting to get annoying. not as annoying as derek’s flirtatious comments, but still annoying nonetheless. the group made their way into the round table room, each taking their own seats. y/n happened to catch emily grimace slightly as she sat down, but didn’t say anything about it. they did work out pretty hard yesterday, so it was probably from that.

“cierra stipends, 23, was reported missing from her family’s vacation house at lake nepessing, michigan approximately one day ago. this morning, elba pd found her body. they’re calling us in to investigate due to the nature of how the body was found.”

y/n looked at the pictures, having to hold back some tears.

“what we know so far, is that she was there for about five days before she went missing. there are plenty of locals who are there, so it would be great to get their input on how she was acting throughout those days. canvas the local bar, talk to the locals, get any information you can.”

“the cellphone service is spotty,” garcia piped up. “but she was found on the rich side of the lake where the wifi is better, so you should be good on that side.”

moments later the team dispersed, going their separate ways to go get their bags. emily was the last to get up, clearly taking her time to make sure she got out of her chair as carefully as possible. y/n lingered a moment, debating asking her about it, but decided against it knowing that if emily didn’t want to talk about something… she wouldn’t talk about it.

a few hours later they found themselves in elba michigan, dropping their stuff off in the conference room before they split their ways, everyone going to do what they needed to do. y/n was tasked with creating the evidence board, and starting to piece together everything they had already along with emily, who was going through files on the locals and trying to figure out her trail. the two of them were working in silence, occasional grunts of discomfort coming from emily’s side of the room. about two hours into their piecing together, y/n finally turned to emily, a look on their face.

“what’s wrong?”

“what?”

“you’re in pain, obviously, you keep making grunts of discomfort. and i don’t think i’ve ever seen you sit in a chair like that-”

“i’m fine, y/n.”

“em-”

“drop it.”

emily went back to her files, leaving y/n standing there and staring at her. she was right in thinking that emily didn’t want to talk about it. maybe hotch would know about it.

~

the case was finally over, and the team was making their way back to dc. hotch had told y/n that emily dealt with pain and discomfort from her little squabble with ian doyle, leaving her on desk duty for the next week or so until she got cleared by her doctor. which was probably how she found herself stretched out on the long seat of the plane, her head in y/n’s lap as she finally fell asleep for the first time in three days.

y/n ran their fingers through emily’s hair, their own head leaning up against the wall as they thought of the ways they could make this better for her.

then it hit them.

by the time they all got home, emily was ready to pass out. she was grabbing all of her stuff after doing the closing paperwork and was about to leave when y/n stopped her in her tracks, rambling on about how they were going to have a sleepover that night. if she were being honest, emily did not want to have any sort of sleepover tonight, but y/n had that excited glint in their eyes that they got whenever they get excited, and emily couldn’t turn that down.

which was how she found herself parked in front of y/n’s apartment complex, a bottle of their favorite sangria in her hand. did she want to go in? yes and no. yes, because she wanted to see y/n, but no because she had to climb the stairs. unless there was an elevator she didn’t know about-

her phone buzzed with a text, y/n’s name lighting up the screen.

[ y/n y/l/n : 10:45pm ] elevator is back by the laundry room, enter the main doors and take a right. it’s at the end of the hallway.

a small smile found its way to emily’s face, and stayed there until she got to y/n’s apartment, flopping herself down on the couch.

“a nice warm bath is running for you em, and there’s some epsom salt in there too. take as long as you need.”

soon as emily got to the bathroom, she was met with a nice dimly lit setting, candles lit on the bathroom counter and a cup of wine already sitting there for her. a sigh of relief fell from emily’s lips as she realized how humid the room was, knowing that somehow, some way y/n found out exactly what she needed to feel better.

meanwhile, y/n was standing over the pot, stirring the pasta they had decided to make for themselves, since the team was given tomorrow off and they desperately needed food. they were glad that emily had been in the tub for a long time, considering that all emily had been doing the past few days was taking some extra strength aleve every eight hours. it was about two hours later when emily came out of the bathroom, wrapped in one of the extra fuzzy robes that y/n had picked up just for her.

“thank you, y/n.”

“it’s nothing. i know you needed it.”

“how’d you know?” emily’s eyebrow raised.

“hotch.”

“that little-”

“em, i wanted to do this for you, i know you’re in pain. you can’t just go through ignoring the pain, because it’ll only get worse. i went through the exact same thing, and the only way to fix it is to take care of yourself. and if you won’t do it, i’m gonna make you do it.”

“you’re too nice.”

“i care about my best friend’s well being.” y/n smiled. “anyway, i got some pasta just off the stove, you hungry?”

“you read my mind.”

---

so yeah. emily just needs to take care of herself.

i wish i had known about it earlier so i could have helped her before it got bad. but according to hotch, since i’ve started making her take care of herself her field test came back better, so there’s a chance she’ll be back in the field soon.

maybe it is a good thing that i’m falling for my best friend. she actually listens to me.

anyway, good night, journal. see you soon.

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

It’s Just a Movie: Part 3 (Poly!Lost Boys x Fem!Reader)

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

Warnings: cursing

Word count: 2034

Now, while you were technically in a life or death situation with four vampires, you couldn't lie to yourself and say that you hadn't wanted to explore Santa Carla at least once in your life. Not Santa Cruz. Santa Carla. Time had changed the boardwalk, the styles, the people. But, now, you were right in it. The actual 1980's Santa Carla. You climbed off of Dwayne's bike, and you couldn't hide your awe as you looked down the length of the coast.

The boardwalk was littered with teenagers with wild hair, piercings, and people of all sorts. There were games, rides, and bonfires already lighting up the beach. And not a cellphone in sight. It was weird, and suddenly the piece of technology felt heavy in your pocket. You had almost forgotten that you had it, and your hand went to smooth over the rectangle in your back pocket. Suddenly, all didn't seem lost. Though, you quickly reminded yourself that this was the eighties. No wifi. No data. Hell, you'd be lucky if you still had battery. The only thing you'd have access to were the pictures and downloads you had saved on your phone. Then, it hit you. Your contact list. While you couldn't call them through your smart phone, you assumed, maybe you could call your friends if you managed to find a phone-booth or something...Or, god, a landline. Even if it was only a semblance of a plan, it felt better than nothing. Now, you just had to figure out a way to ditch the four of them so you could get your hands on a phone and avoid becoming their next meal. 

"I'm guessing you haven't lived here long." David said, and you nearly jumped out of your skin. You looked over, and watched as he walked past you. The other three followed, with Marko grabbing one of your hands and pulling you to follow them. You supposed you hadn't been keeping your amazement subtle, and you already knew that he, and perhaps Marko, were the most observant of the four boys. Your voice was small as you supplied a simple,

"Yeah, just got here." You made a mental edit of your plan. You had to find a phone and ditch them before they found out you weren't exactly from here in more ways than one. You had a feeling that lying to him would be futile, and it was technically true. You really had just got there. He hummed, and then looked back at you. It was apparently Markos turn to pull you close, though the boy was closer to your height and chose to wrap an arm around your waist instead. He sent you a friendly smile, and you repeatedly reminded yourself over and over again that these four were not to be trusted. Horror movie. Killers. David sent you a smile, and, while it was as charming as his voice, it did nothing to calm your nerves.

"Explains your friends. Not everyone in Santa Carla is as nice as we are." David said, and you nearly wanted to laugh. Yeah, you were sure they were the nicest gang of killer vampires in the whole town. Maybe even the whole state. Instead, you hummed and said,

"Yeah, thanks for the ride. You guys...well, I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't met you." Now, that was the truth. You weren't just being sentimental with that statement. If you had been stuck here with not a familiar face in sight, in a strange town, and no way to call your friends? Well, you'd bet that you'd currently be having a panic attack in front of the movie theater. Not that you weren't just a few wrong moves away from having one right now. Paul practically jumped right next to you, squishing himself into your side and chirping a quick,

"You're welcome," before he added, "Y'know, your friends are kinda lame. Why don't you just hang out with us tonight?" He offered. Really, you swore that if you didn't know that these boys were vampires that you'd think they really might be some of the nicer people in Santa Carla. It wasn't like they knew you. But here they were, giving you rides, taking you to meet your friends, offering to hang out with you- Crap. You did a mental head shake. You had always made fun of Michael for falling so easily under their spell but here you were. You knew that they could be dangerous and, still, you were starting to think that you could trust them. You looked around for a moment, seeing four expectant set of eyes on you. Marko even tried to win you over by saying,

"C'mon, we're loads more fun." And, David, the charming bastard he was, gave you the most expectant look of all. 

"Yeah, c'mon, y/n." The way he said your name, it reminded you of exactly the way he'd said Michael's. You could practically guess what was going to come out of his mouth next. "How far are you willing to go?" It didn't seem nearly as menacing as it had when he'd said it to Michael, but it effected you all the same. He'd used a similar tone. Gauging. Taunting. Like he was playing a game of chicken and seeing if he could egg you on. You instinctively looked away from his face, and to the most neutral of the four vampires. But the look Dwayne was giving you didn't help, and you watched as he looked over your face. Just his stare could make you on edge. You said the best excuse you could think of, but even it sounded terrible to your own ears.

"I really shouldn't...they're expecting me." You said, and you internally cringed. It was a lie, and, like you expected, you watched as David seemed to be able to immediately tell. Or perhaps he was frowning from your refusal. Apparently, you weren't willing to go very far. You couldn't really tell, but the blondes besides you seemed hardly convinced. Though, you couldn't get the way David frowned out of your mind. Sure, Michael had been stupid to follow the boys and let himself get egged on, but he had lived. They had kept him around. That was what lead you to adding, "But- but, maybe... we could check out some stuff on the way?"

You hadn't known what to expect, but bouncing from store to store definitely wasn't it. They took you to a music store, which was filled to the brim with old, technically new, cassettes and vinyl. You managed to surprise them a little bit with your taste in music, as the twenty-first century had made it far too easy to listen to stuff from decades before. You were even tempted to buy some stuff, as you were sure you wouldn't find them for nearly as cheap back home. But, you had to be careful not to slip up when they asked you about your favorite bands. You still didn't technically know what year it was, so you stuck to bands from the seventies just to be safe. Paul ended up showing you a few records, and you tried not to blush as he dragged you into one of the listening booths. He popped a couple of records on, before putting the headphones snuggly over your ears. You tried not to be embarrassed by the close proximity, and were grateful when Marko called that they were leaving. Even if it cut into the conversation you and Paul were having about the record. Afterwards, you stopped at a little booth selling various jackets, trinkets, jewelry, and even a few patches. You looked through them with Marko, taking the time to really get a close look at his jacket. He noticed you staring, and propped his elbows up on the clear counter. He sent you a grin, and you were flustered and looking away before he could even tease you. You saw that the other three seemed to be more interested in the bracelets, and that's when you noticed the ones decorating Dwayne's wrists. You had missed it in all your previous viewings, but you weren't surprised that you had. The costume designers had done so many little details for their wardrobe, and Dwayne noticed you looking. But, instead of teasing you, he passed you a similar looking bracelet as the five of you walked down the boardwalk. You gave him a confused look, and his lips quirked up just the slightest bit.

"Doesn't fit my wrist." He explained nonchalantly, and you watched as he strode closer to the platinum blonde leading the pack. You smiled to yourself, and tried your best to tie it onto your wrist yourself. Paul ended up helping you, his nimble fingers working quickly. He didn't ask where you got the bracelet, and instead dragged you towards the arcade David had been leading you to.  

You didn't realize it until you asked one of them what time it was, making sure not to reach for your phone in your back pocket no matter how much of a habit it was, but it seemed that the boys also had a plan. You had relaxed, no matter how much you had tried not to, after spending what you realized was hours with them. It was getting late, and, when you finally made it to the carousel, none of them seem surprised when you said you didn't see your friends. Not that they'd actually be there waiting for you. But, still, the realization that they'd been stalling, making sure you would end up with no one else to hang out with that night, made you remember. Horror movie. Killers. You bet that any second David would be suggesting to take you to-

"You know where Hudson's Bluff is? Overlooking the point?" And you looked over at him. This was it. Your panic suddenly spiked at the idea of going back to the cave with them. No matter how cool it would be. No matter how much you wanted to see it for yourself. This was where everything went to shit. If you went back to the cave with them, there'd be no crowd to prevent you from getting murdered. You'd be alone. With them. Before any of them could jibe you into coming with, you quickly said,

"I should call them- my friends. Y'know, to- to make sure they're not worried about me. I don't want them telling my parents I got kidnapped or something." You quickly suggested, and the boys swayed for a moment. The three others looked between you and David, and you knew that they were waiting for his word. After a moment, he gave you a nod. You supposed that calling off any potential alarms would be something he'd be all for. And, hopefully, you could actually reach your friends.

"There's a phone booth at the end of the boardwalk. You can call your parents too. Tell them not to wait up." He said with a small grin, and it surprised you. If you didn't know any better, you'd almost think David was flirting with you. The walk back to the bikes, and to the phone booth, was surreal. David had pulled you closer to the front, but he wasn't nearly as affectionate as the others. Still, just standing next to him made you feel like you were doing more than you should.

You had meant to ditch them, but, now, they were only a few feet away. Sitting on their bikes. You felt stupid for having missed it when you first arrived, but the place had been swarmed with people. And the phonebooth seemed to purposely be stuck in a small, dark corner. You gulped as you closed the glass door behind you, and you rustled around in your pockets for loose change. The only thing you had was a nickel and a couple of pennies, and you cursed yourself for not keeping more change in your purse. Not that you knew how much it would cost anyways. You looked back out at where the boys were waiting on their bikes, having noticed that the crowds had thinned out considerably compared to when you first arrived. You gulped and cracked open the door.

[maybedefinitely404]

Day 16: Prinxiety

@tsshipmonth2020

Heeey, look at that, I’m behind! Day 16: When your soulmate listens to music, you hear it in your own head as well. 

Content warnings: assumed death of a soulmate (he’s not dead), depression, general sad vibes.

Word count: 2.6k

Note: the songs referenced in this fic are IDK You Yet by Alexander 23 and Love is Gone by SLANDER. Both of these songs make me cry and were the inspiration for this.

It was at midnight on December 19th when Roman’s soulmark first appeared. He didn’t realize this until 1am.

Granted, he didn’t know it was his soulmark for the first hour.

At first, the almost imperceptible steady beat in his head just seemed like a song that had gotten stuck in there. He didn’t remember ever hearing the song, but it wasn’t unlikely that he’d heard the tune at the store or on the radio and it unconsciously ingrained itself into his memory. He was working on an assignment that was due in the morning, a script analysis for one of his Theatre courses, and had begun to bop his head along to the music when his roommate walked in, eyes bleary and arms laden with books.

“Why aren’t you in bed?” He asked through a yawn, dropping the books on his desk and flopping into the bottom bunk. 

“I could ask you the same question, Pat,” Roman hummed, completing his conclusion paragraph with a dramatic flair of his hands. “Just finished my paper. Going now.”

“Lost track of time at the library,” Patton murmured in response, draping his arms over his eyes. 

Closing his computer, Roman popped his back and climbed up the small ladder into the top bunk, using his cellphone as a flashlight. He assumed Patton was already fast asleep (the man could fall asleep at the drop of a hat) and tried to follow suit, only to sit up in annoyance after several minutes.

Whatever song was stuck in his head was keeping him up. 

He remembered a tip he’d seen on the internet once, that said if you sing the last part of the song, it’s easier to get out of your head. Something about ‘your brain needing to complete it to be satisfied’ or whatever. As hard as he focused, though, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what song it was, much less the ending. 

The more he concentrated on it, the louder it seemed to get, until it was no longer a hum of bass in the back of his skull, and he could make out the lyrics, the guitar solos, everything. He definitely hadn’t heard this song before. It wasn’t the kind you’d hear playing in public; it was loud, swears thrown in every chorus, just generally the kind of thing you’d hear in a Hot Topic but nowhere else. 

And then it stopped.

For a split second he was pleased, thanking his brain for finally shutting off, and conceded to lie back down. He might be able to get six hours of sleep at this rate. Pretty good, for a college student. 

Except as soon as he closed his eyes, another song started. It was another one he didn’t know, one he would have no way of knowing each word to. The realization hit him hard and his eyes shot open, nearly falling off the ladder in his haste to climb down.

“Roman? Everything okay?” Patton drawled, clearly having been woken up by Roman’s enthusiasm. 

“My soulbond!”

“What?!” That got his attention and he jerked up, narrowly missing whacking his head on the top bunk.

“The music in my head all night, it’s my soulmate! It must be his birthday!”

He was pulling up music on his laptop before he’d even processed it, hands freezing over the keyboard as his brain grasped for something to play. What could he play that would properly introduce himself to his soulmate? A show tune? Something from the 80s? But his mind had gone completely blank, and he couldn’t think of a single one.

“What do I play, Pat?” He gasped, tapping the mousepad in time with the upbeat tempo in his head. 

Patton was suddenly leaning over his shoulder, clacking a name into the search bar before pressing enter. Roman narrowed his eyes 

“Why that one?”

Patton shrugged, “It’s kind of cheesy romantic, like you. And the first line is fitting.”

“A valid point,” Roman announced, closing his eyes to listen for a pause as the music switched. The second the song ended, he slammed the space bar, begging it to play before the next one started. 

How can you miss someone you’ve never met?

Because I need you now but I don’t know you yet,

But can you find me soon, because I’m in my head,

Yeah, I need you now but I don't know you yet.

A little more depressing than he initially would have chosen, but he could see Patton’s point. The music on the other end had been paused and he smiled in accomplishment, knowing that he must have heard. He let the song play to the end of the first chorus before pausing it, waiting with his roommate with baited breath.

The silence was almost unbearably long, Patton watching him intently for some kind of indication that the music was back.

Hello,

It’s me.

Adele’s soothing melody filled his mind and he absolutely wheezed with laughter. Patton grinned and let him explain through gasps for air, and he let out a giggle in response.

“Okay,” Roman snorted, “What next?”

Patton passed out probably an hour later after helping Roman pick out songs that would adequately encompass him as a person, but the theatre student didn’t sleep last night. Eventually him and his soulmate found a nice rhythm, each playing a song in turn. It didn’t take long for him to assume that his soulmate was emo (a fact that had him blushing furiously), simply due to the overwhelming amount of My Chemical Romance and Green Day played in his head, and he figured it was probably pretty obvious that he was a theatre kid. The second song he played was from Heathers, afterall. 

When his eyes finally started drooping too much to ignore, he knew he had to end this soon. The soulmate’s song ended and he quickly pulled up the first thing he’d thought of, a children’s lullaby, trying to indicate that he had to sleep.

There was quiet on the other end when the song ended, before the beginning trills of Baby Shark started playing and he groaned, quickly muffling the sound with his hand so as to not wake his roommate. He didn’t let it play past one verse, thank Olympus, and then his mind was quiet for the first time in many hours. It seemed like a mutual agreement that ‘now is sleep time’, and Roman went to sleep with a smile on his face.

Their new norm was quickly established in the following weeks. It became obvious almost right away that playing their music at the same time was cacophonous and only caused headaches, so they eventually settled on switching days. Every second morning, Roman would wake up to his alarm and quickly start his morning playlist, a set of rousing, uplifting, exciting songs to get his blood flowing for the day. It was his day to choose the music, so he’d set his walking playlist for class and his study one for the evenings, sometimes playing an adventure podcast or something to spice things up. The other days, he’d be woken by the soft notes of melancholy tunes, starting the day slowly. As the morning progressed, usually by the time he was eating breakfast, the tone would change to something a little more fast paced, as if his soulmate needed to warm up before getting to the main act. As much as the music wasn’t his style, he found himself keeping pace to the beat with his steps, bopping his head along to the melody, humming a harmony to the more commonly played ones. Just knowing that this was his soulmate made it better. 

And then, one day… the music stopped. 

He’d woken up around noon, not a big deal since he didn’t have classes until after lunch anyways, but he knew for a fact that his soulmate was always up by 10, latest. Whether the other had classes or a job that kept his schedule, he didn’t know. It was an oddity for sure that there was no alarm. 

He put it off to the other probably having a sick day, or a free schedule, and he was sleeping in for once. The worry only started creeping in near the evening, when usually at this time, the music would start slowing down again as the sun set. There hadn’t been a peep all day, which was very unlike either of them. Even though the silence bothered him, he wouldn’t dare intrude on the other’s day, so he studied and ate dinner in silence, tapping his pencil against the table. Of course, he put it off to a one day fluke. 

Except, two days after, when it should have been his soulmate’s turn again, there was no music. And the time after that. And the one after that. It was almost two weeks of radio silence on the other end before he called Patton through broken sobs, pleading for him to stop studying and come back to the dorm. Obviously, he made the ten minute walk in five. 

And then Roman admitted the way his anxieties had been spiralling.

“What if- What if our soulbond broke? Did the universe realize we were a mistake? Or… or what if he died?! What if he’s hurt or dying or alone and I’m just-”

Patton shushed him gently, rubbing his back as Roman hiccuped into his shoulder. “When did this start?”

“Two- two weeks ago.”

“Then isn’t it possible that he just isn’t listening to music for a little while? Maybe he’s… somewhere without wifi. Or his phone broke.”

Even though he very much didn’t believe a word Patton was saying, he nodded along messily, clutching Patton’s shirt tighter. He eventually agreed to give him more time, hold on just a little longer, before completely giving up.

It took about a month before he did, and it didn’t get better from there. 

Their consistency had been their norm for almost nine months, over summer break and now into the new school year, and now it was torn away without warning. Roman refused to listen to music on days that weren’t his, even though Patton tried to tell him it was okay, but he wouldn’t. It didn’t feel right. He mourned his soulmate the same way he would mourn a close friend’s death, for he truly believed he was gone for good. The person he’d barely gotten to understand, much less meet, and he was just… gone. He was going to live the rest of his life without a soulmate.

Most nights he just did the bare basics of the homework he had to do, without any of the old flair he’d put into all his work, and curled onto his bed to watch a show or, on his days, listen to music. His old playlists had shifted to the bottom of his rotation, now only bringing sadder memories that Patton had insisted he not indulge in at this point, so it was usually just automated lists he found. Nothing was special about them anymore. 

Today was his day, an uneventful Saturday where the most exciting occurrence was Patton convincing him to come to the cafeteria and eat with other people. It had been tiring and only made him feel more alone, so his daily scheduled moping times had come up a little earlier. Patton had given him a hug and a gentle kiss on the head, telling him he had to go meet some people for a group project, and to call if he needed anything, before grabbing his bag and leaving. Roman didn’t miss the sad look tossed his way before the door shut.

Despite Patton’s advice, he was feeling particularly shitty today, and his fingers, seemingly with a mind of their own, pulled up one of his older playlists. One of the ones that was reminiscent of days when he actually had a soulmate. He clicked shuffle and tossed the phone onto the pillow next to his head, curling that much deeper into his blankets, as if he could somehow refill the void that had been cut out of him. 

How can you miss someone you’ve never met?

Because I need you now but I don’t know you yet,

But can you find me soon, because I’m in my head,

Yeah, I need you now but I don't know you yet.

The first song he’d ever played had become a sort of inside joke between them. Despite the song’s sad melody and somber lyrics, it was a reminder of the first time they’d interacted; an awkward, laughter filled night. At least, it had been on Roman’s night, and he could only hope it had been the same on the other end. 

He didn’t even realize he was crying until the pillow beneath him was tear stained and gross to lay on. Why had the universe chosen him as the target for its cruel irony? Not that he wished this on anyone else… but why couldn’t soulmates be foolproof? Why was there that margin for error, the always-there possibility that everything you’ve ever dreamed of will be ripped out of your hands just as soon as you think you have it? So close, but so far. At least before they’d connected, he’d lived in blissful hope and ignorance. 

The song ended and he pressed pause lethargically, not able to find the emotional strength to listen to more. Maybe Patton had been right. A glance out the window showed that it was well past nightfall, the full moon gleaming into his window, and he decided to just sleep the emptiness away. It hadn’t worked so far, but maybe tonight was the night. He turned off his phone screen and plugged it in to charge, rolling away to face the wall, and waited for the soothing peace of sleep to take over him.

At first, he thought it was just a hallucination, wishful thinking. More than once in the three months since his soulmate disappeared, he’d thought he’d heard music, only for the feeling to disappear as soon as he focused on it. A soulbond only became louder when concentrated on, so he eventually realized he was doing it to himself subconsciously, his mind struggling to fill the emptiness that had once been filled by the other’s music. 

When it disappeared, he figured it was music from someone else’s dorm filtering through the thin walls. But no, this was too clear, too distinct, too ingrained, to be coming from an external source.

He calmed his racing heart before he could jump to conclusions. This music isn’t like what his used to be. It must be your brain, because he’s gone. He’s GONE, Roman.

Much as he tried to push it down, he couldn’t. It was becoming evident that no, something was happening, and it had to do with his soulmate. As he had done for the time he’d known (could it be considered ‘knowing’) the other, he concentrated on the lyrics, because those were the only feeble ways they’d interacted in those times. 

I’m sorry,

Don’t leave me,

I want you here with me, 

I know that your love is gone.

I can’t breathe,

I’m so weak, 

I know this isn’t easy,

Don’t tell me that your love is gone,

That your love is gone.

Patton walked in after his group meeting to see Roman sobbing in his bed and, immediately assuming the worst, he jumped onto the bed and pulled him into his arms. Through gasps for breath, Roman was able to choke out that, “He’s back. He’s playing music. He’s back. He’s back.”

Part 2 HERE

[calmingthoughtsinyourhead]

Listen. Listen. They should have been best friends. Do you hear me?

So Tony gives Bucky an introduction to 21st century technology.

Do yall remember Bucky geeking out at that science fair in the 20s? He would have LOVED listening to everything Tony has to tell him (tony: “and this is how a cellphone works. *bucky practically vibrating: great, great. So what about flying cars?”)

Tony fixes up Bucky’s arm and helps make it feel more like him.

(Because he knows what it’s like to have a love-hate relationship with a prostetic)

(that was forced onto you by a terrorist organization)

(That annoyingly enough also saved your life)

Bucky learns to see the arm as not just a weapon, but as a part of himself.

The arm now has a built-in snack cabinet, phone, swiss army knife, AI assistant and free wifi. (It also says “property of Bucky Barnes” at the bottom)

(Of course it’s not as good as the one from Wakanda. After Endgame, Bucky starts using the vibranium arm for battles. But the one Tony made him isn’t supposed to be better. Because that one is not a weapon. That’s a prosthetic.)

(Tony also paints the avengers logo over the old red star)

Sometimes bucky just hang out in the lab, looking at whatever Tony and Peter are inventing now.

(It calms him down, especially after a nightmare. They pull a lot of all-nighters since Tony and Peter are both insomniacs with their own traumatic back stories. So they never mention it when he swings by in the middle of the night, sitting himself down without a word and letting the tension slowly leave his body as he watches them work)

They also hangs out in the lab at least once a month for a (slumberparty) routine check up

(Sometimes, when he looks stressed, Bucky just messes up the arm on purpose to give Tony something to focus on fixing instead)

Once they are done fighting over Steve (and learn to share), they would have a BLAST bullying him together

Tony shows Bucky how to track Steve’s phone (he is doing the same thing with Peter)

They help each other come to terms with the guilt of their past (they both have a history of killing innocent people because their weapons were used without their consent)

They check up on each other and immediately know when one of them is going through a bad ptsd episode (tony already programmed the arm to check up on Bucky’s vitals and to let him know when he’s having a panic attack. Peter’s suit does the same thing.)

They start a “Howard Stark did his best but he was also kind of a dick” club (steve is an honorary member)

[buddiewho]

Bear with me because I have done some thinking again, this time about how choppy Athena’s story with Hudson and Harry being kidnapped felt. This will be long a post. Okay, so I know we all wanted some cutesy, weird, whimsical shit to go down during the blackout, right? My brain keeps thinking something like a couple kissing in an elevator or something and they get stuck...

I mean fine, animals escaping from the zoo. Cool cool. I was wanting something whimsical, you know? And the biggest act of kindness we got was from May’s 911 calls, especially the whole stringing lights together for the boy’s respirator. Anyway, what I think they were getting at, is this whole darkness/light thing. Everything with Harry, and Athena was a dark time. A dark, nasty ass person/character was taking advantage of this Ransomware attack and eventual blackout. My thing is, there was no way they could make contact? If cellphones were still operating, that is if you could keep them charged, laptops even..there could’ve been email freaking contact between the police station and the prison? A system that works on cellular data, if power conks out the wifi/connected internet? Maybe that thing doesn’t exist yet so, even if cellular data is working, the police don't have any functions, but citizens do because of their own cell phone plans etc hence how we got a posted video of Harry? It’s just, there was no way to check-in? Things are haywire for sure, and let’s eliminate the lawyer attacking Ransone...to then think about how he should've had the time to call the prison somehow via cell phone (which was still working??) Did the LAPD have generators working like the emergency call center (and do prisons have backups if the power goes out, they should right)? If so how the fuck didn’t they have a chance to somehow get information out about this man’s FACE?

Now, bringing back the fact that Ransone was attacked… he went MIA for the whole four days of the blackout because Athena and all of LAPD assumed Ransone got the job done and Hudson was back at Men’s Prison...which they did eventually call? It’s just the minute Hudson fled, the first priority should’ve been somehow reporting his FACE to everyone (and yes it became more difficult when the power got conked out)...but honestly, I’m so surprised they didn’t show May and Harry what this man looked like. He assaulted and nearly beat to death their mother- if it were me, I’d be like, who did what? Show me this person. This could’ve been avoided if Harry knew what the man looked like and if Michael and David, especially Michael knew what the man looked like. Besides, Harry should’ve been screaming and running down the hallway, “Dad! There’s a nasty man sniffing my mom’s underwear.” Are you telling me, he didn’t see that? I see what they’re trying to play. A mind game on Athena, because apparently, her first priority wasn’t making sure that her family knew this man or what he looked like and it’s what Hudson took advantage of, but the kicker would’ve been if that plan didn’t work. Haha jokes on you Hudson, because Daddy Grant plus his brain surgeon boyfriend gonna 'fuck your shit up' until Athena and party (as in Ransone could be healthy and helping) could come to arrest him, again.

Basically, they went for a literal dark theme for the blackout episodes. Dark contrasted to light. Maddie has been in the dark and every scene she’s been in has kind of clouded her. Eddie’s in the dark because of the panic attacks and I think what I’m going to dub ‘the salad scene’ shows Eddie in the dark, but also in the light via Buck and Christopher (whose hug was framed totally IN THE LITTLE LIGHT around the fire station). It’s just every time I think of that scene, I think of the chorus from One Direction’s Home:

I was stumbling

Looking in the dark (oh), with an empty heart

But you say, you feel the same

Could we ever be enough? (Oh)

Baby, we could be enough

And it's alright

Calling out for somebody to hold tonight

When you're lost, I'll find a way, and I'll be your light

You will never feel like you're alone

I'll make this feel like home

And as someone said they should just use this song for when Buddie is canon. It’s the perfect song! Yeah, so they went for dark vs light, very subtle like I think with a brief gloss over by way of Taylor’s breaking news title story: “Let there be Light…” (and I did not catch the rest). This is how I make sense of it all, ignoring a lot of other police crap that went down, and honestly, it feels like it is not what they were going for, but I’m going to say it is because it fits? The whole light vs dark concept. Or being in the dark, light is shed on something (ie the talk Buck and Eddie have that led to the break-up decision)...Maddie actually having the realization that what’s best is for her to separate from Jee, it’s what keeps her daughter safe, but Chim doesn’t want Maddie to be alone in this, he wants to help with her recovery.

A few characters had realizations in the dark, but now that the power (light) is back, how can they deal with that? Can they see better or is there still more work to be done no matter how much light is shed on something?