#but the twins fall in love with puppy chewie

[tennessoui]

I know you just posted a chapter of lslm (which I adored 🥺🥺🥺) but can we talk about how you mentioned/remembered they have a dog in kuwsk only for the dog to be nowhere to be seen in that chapter? Where was the dog, kit? Where was the dog!!!

the line is "i got a dog for you" not "i kept the dog for you"

bestie do you remember how late in that chapter the dog was mentioned........you know i forgot until i thought of a poignant dramatic line i could use the dog for......

in my mind the dog smelled drama going down in the kitchen and was like actually i am going to stay right here in the living room instead of investigating. too old for that shit

[sunaswife]

Summary: It’s been five years since you’ve seen your ex, Rin. He’s still not over you and you’re not over him. When he finds out you have children he thought he didn’t have a chance. Then he finds out they’re his? All of a sudden you’re teaching Suna how to be a single dad.

🔪: wow it’s been awhile how is everyone?! I apologize for being a shitty writer but sometimes you just don’t have motivation

Warnings: Fluff, angst I guess, drama, and cuteness twin overload

Previously Up Next Masterlist

Chapter 11

“You’re up early.” You heard and you looked up from your laptop. “I could say the same for you. You always needed your beauty rest.” You joked and Rin laughed. “You do know work can wait. You shouldn’t overwork yourself.” Rin pointed out. “I know, this isn’t really work. I was so distracted yesterday with our talk that I didn’t get a lesson plan ready for the kids so I have to rush and do it right now because I have the kids on a schedule and—“

“Relax.” You felt his rough hands on your shoulders. You completely froze, your heart started racing. “Like I said you overwork yourself. When I finish packing up all my crap you can teach me and we can do it together, okay?” Rin leaned forward to see your face. “Um..yeah sure.” You gulped and looked back at the screen. “Oi, your face is red. You have a fever or something?” Rin asked and tried touching your forehead but you smacked his hand away. “No I’m fine. No fever.” You assured and took a sip of your tea. “Oh so you’re falling for me is that it? Did I make you blush?” He teased and you elbowed his stomach. He winced and hunched forward. “Go pack or stay with Osamu.” You muttered and began to furiously type on your laptop.

“Alright Alright geez. Don’t miss me too much.” He said sarcastically and you rolled your eyes. “Wait before I go.” He said and you looked up with raised brows. “You’re allowed to have pets here right?” He said. “Yeah why?” You asked. “I have my dog...remember..?” He bit his lip. “Oh geez.” You groaned and rubbed your temples. “Don’t worry, he has his shots and everything. He’s trained too. Like he plays dead and stuff.” He said. “Plays dead? A more convincing argument would be like sitting or opening the fridge and getting a can of beer.” “He’s a dog not a servant.” He argued, “How big is your dog?” You asked. “Mmm medium sized, smaller than a German Shepard but bigger than a Jack Russel Terrier.” He said and you raised another brow.

“You act like I know dog breeds. Hell I didn’t even know you knew dog breeds.” You said. “I got chewy’s mom after the whole incident and she really distracted me when I had episodes, she had pups and died since she was sick so I kept one of her pups. I kind of became obsessed with dogs I guess you could say.” He replied. “Fine, is he an inside or outside dog?” You asked, “Both but he sleeps inside.” Rin said. “Okay, I’ll get the back ready for him so he can get cozy and mark his territory or whatever dogs do.” You said. “He’s actually at my parents house, Osamu’s apartment doesn’t have a backyard for pets of his size.” He said.

“Well then that means we take a car instead of a train to Hyogo, right?” You asked and he nodded. “Okay cool. Now hurry and you’ll make it back in time for lunch or snack time.” You waved him off. He chuckled and gave a mock salute and he was gone. You took a deep breath and leaned back in the dining chair.

“What have I done?” You asked yourself. You avoided Rin’s emotional confession yesterday, but now you can’t stop thinking and getting confused with your own emotions. You chugged down your tea and finished making the lesson plan for today. Today is focusing on math and science. Tomorrow is language arts and history.

You got this.

You’re an independent woman.

Relax

“Damn you, Rintaro.” You huffed.

“Remember-“ you started off pointing a finger at Rin. “Do not give in to their puppy faces when they want candy, we already have some at home. We don’t need more.” You started and he nodded. “I’ll remember to get your almond milk, you still drink it right?” You asked and he nodded. “Why doesn’t daddy drink regular milk?” Rini asked, “He’s lactose intolerant.” You replied, “What’s lack toes interant..?” Akira asked, “My body can’t handle the sugar that’s in milk.” He said as you you began looking through the grocery list while he pushed the cart.

“What happens if you drink milk?” Rini asked, “His stomach will hurt and he’ll make the bathroom all smelly.” You teased and the kids said a synchronized ewww, Suna suddenly flicked your forehead and you lightly smacked his hand away. “Stop embarrassing me in front of my kids.” He huffed. “Stop embarrassing me in front of my kids.” You mocked under your breath and the kids giggled.

“Alright fruit. What kinds of fruit do you want this week?” You asked, “Strawberries!” Rini said, “watermelon.” Akira chimed in. “Rin?” You asked, “O-oh I can pick?” He asked completely confused, “Obviously, you live with us now. It’s your house too.” Akira said in a duh tone.

For a second it felt like time stopped when he saw you laughing with the kids, you all live together now. Like a family...an odd family but a family nonetheless. He’s already told you that he still loves you, and he respects your decision whether you don’t want him back or you need time. But at least you’re in his life and that’s all he wanted—no, all he needed.

“Green grapes..?” He asked, “Hey I was thinking grapes too!” You chuckled and the kids saw how their two parents divided and concurred the produce section, throwing in fruits and veggies into the cart.

“Y/N..” Rin called and you turned to see him and the kids making puppy dog eyes. He was holding a packet of chuupets, the ones where you freeze them and you can break them in half to share. You already had a half pack at home, “Seriously? I thought I had two kids not three.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “But chuupet is life.” Rin replied

“Chuupet is life.” You kids nodded, “You guys don’t even finish the ones we have at home.” You told your kids, “Because they have sugar and you won’t let us eat a whole bunch.” Akira defended, she was right. “Fine, one packet. We’ll buy one packet every two weeks.” You said and Suna fist bumped the kids and tossed the chuupets in the cart.

These past two weeks with Rin and the kids have been eventful. Rin has begun helping you with lesson plans, he likes the idea of homeschool because you both have hectic schedules and you’d rather watch the kids then hire a babysitter or nanny. The awkwardness between you both has died down and you’re comfortable in this new environment. You and Rin made a contract to split everything 50/50 and hung it on the wall of your living room as a joke.

Life was very much easier with Rin around and you began teaching him how to use a planner, he wasn’t keen on taking one with him everywhere but he found an app that works just as good. Everything was new to him as well, it was a bit hard to keep up and even though he doesn’t really like change he was comfortable as well. He just needs to stop staring too much when you’re cooking or helping the kids with school work. But it’s so hard for him to look away, you’re just so beautiful.

In his memo app he even has a list of Rini’s allergies and phone numbers for the kids doctor, dentist, and school. He was grateful you didn’t just toss all of this responsibility, when you called the doctor to schedule a six month check up, he was listening intently and took mental notes on what to ask.

He was also glad he got to know a little bit more about you as well, he didn’t know you had cooking karaoke time for the kids. The kids would sit on the counter laughing at your performance of ‘Let It Go’.

Also your favorite flower changed it’s no longer daises, you also can’t stand the taste of pickles anymore because when you were pregnant you craved them and now the smell makes you wanna vomit.

There was so many new things to discover in your little family and he was grateful that you allowed someone like him to waltz right in as if he didn’t break your heart. You were too kind for your own good.

He felt more confident now as he drove to his parents house with your head against the window, asleep. He looked at the rear view mirror and saw the kids sleeping as well with their mouths open and their snores filled the car. He smiled softly and looked back at the road, he passed the arcade he used to take you, as well as the old drive thru movie theater, and the road that led up to the hills where he took you on your guy’s first date. Before he knew it he saw his childhood home and he carefully parked the car to not startle the kids.

“Y/N..wake up.” He shook your shoulder lightly, your eyes slowly widened and you turned to him with tired eyes. “We’re here. I’ll help you take down the kids and you can go inside, I’ll have my dad help me bring in our bags.” He said softly. “Okay..thanks Rin.” You yawned and opened the door to go get the kids.

“Wake up princess.” You said as you unbuckled Akira’s car seat. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, she opened her arms for you to carry her and you rolled your eyes playfully. You held her in your arms and she wrapped her arms around your neck and rested her head on your shoulder. You grabbed her fox plush with your free hand and closed the car door. Rini was already running around and stretching with Rin.

“Akira you don’t wanna stretch?” You asked and she shook her head. “Are you really that tired..? You teased and she nodded. Rin grabbed some bags with Rini helping as well, he could only carry a backpack that barley had anything inside. You followed Rin up the familiar steps and he rang the door bell.

Soon enough the door opened and it was Rin’s dad, “Oh it’s been so long.” He sighed as he held his son in his arms. “It has.” Rin replied and slowly pulled away. He put the bag down to carry Rini and brought him eye level with his dad. “This is my son, Rini.” He spoke up and his dad gasps.

“He looks just like you.” He said and Rin nodded. “Yeah I get that a lot.” He chuckled. “Hi Rini, I’m grandpa but you can call me pops or gramps.” He said and Rini’s eyes widened. “Grandpa?” He asked and he nodded. “I always wanted a grandpa!” He yelled and tackled him in a hug. Rin’s dad took a few steps back with Rini in his arms and he chuckled. You gave a soft smile. “This is also my daughter Akira, they’re twins.” Rin spoke up and his dad look as you turned to show him your sleeping daughter.

“There’s two?!” He asked. You gave a small nod, “You must be Y/N, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He said. “It’s nice to meet you too Mr. Suna.” You said. “No need for that just call me Kauru.” He smiled softly and you nodded. “Alright, Kauru. Thank you for allowing us into your home.” You said and he waved off. “Your mom should be here in a few she just went to buy some groceries.” He told Rin and he nodded.

You were shown to Rin’s old room which is where the kids will be sleeping, you and Rin will be sleeping on futons in the living room. Akira had finally woken up and her and Rini were outside playing with Rin’s dog. A car horn honked outside and Rin and Kauru went outside to help with the groceries. You followed them as well to help and that’s when you finally met Rin’s mother.

She gave a small glare and scoffed, she walked past you, purposely bumping her shoulder with yours. She clearly stated you weren’t welcomed and you had no idea of the shit storm coming your way.

🏷: @therealwalmartjesus @differentballooncollection @aaesuki @atsunflower @dope-squish @prettysetterboiss @june-phantom @tomo-uwu @austriasmariazelle @xrnia @katsulia @aprettyfruit @shut-your-eyes-kiss-me-goodbye @tvbiio @sun-daddy-yoriichi @kamenoyaki @ppangiiroo @loeyprivvv @kmskj92 @lovinnoya @sarahvvictoria @tris-does-stuff @mokkeguts @sunaluvr6969@bara-rose-would @sempiternal-amour @volleybloop @leykyuu @bokutoichigo @stfucanunot @iloveanime691 @atsumusdomain @ohrintarou @shoutosimp @rintasuna @bokutosdivineass @anngelllla @toworuu @hidden-otaku-stuff @seijohiselite @caxsthetic @aquariarose @hhwanggu @bakuhoetoedoroki @yoozuku @osamus-onigiri @akaashi-todorki i @donica95 @kakaokenma @airheadpillar

Thank you for being patient and understanding!

More tags in comments!

[badass-women-league]

TIVALI

17- From Paris to D.C

It was their last night in Paris. Tomorrow they will close the door of their Parisian apartment for the last time.

The apartment was almost empty. Tali and Adam's bedrooms furniture were gone to D.C. Tony and Ziva had to share their bed with the kids for over a week, much to the joy of Tali and Adam. Adam was long gone asleep on his mother's chest. Tony grumbled:

-"Tali, your feet are very cold"

Tali moved her feet away from her father's legs, then she smiled mischievously and touched Tony's legs again.

-"Tali ! Stop !"

Tali giggled.

-"you know what's gonna happen if you don't stop ? The king of tickle is gonna have to crack down on you"

Ziva raised an eyebrow, she was hoping that Tali would fall asleep soon but now that Tony had provoked her, there was no way this would happen and on top of that they will probably wake up Adam during the fight.

Tali giggled again and touched her father's leg with her feet again.

Ziva warned as she saw Tony moving on the bed::

-"Tony don't"

-"It's too late Ziva, She's gonna have to face her fate"

Tony jumped and grabbed the little girl. Tali started to giggle and struggle. Ziva smiled and nonchalantly said:

-"you are going to hurt yourself..."

After long minutes of a tickle fight on the bed, Tony and Tali fell from the bed and collapsed on the floor. They both said:

-"ouch!"

The next thing they heard was Ziva saying:

-"why do I always have to be right"

And Adam started to whine.

Tali and Tony still on the floor looked at each other with a guilty smile.

An hour later, Tali was still not sleeping. Ziva knew that she was obviously anxious about leaving Paris for a new life. Tony was asleep with Adam next to him. Ziva turned to face Tali and whispered: ⠀

-"do you want to talk about it ?" ⠀

The little girl shook her head and Ziva cursed herself in her mind for giving that aspect of her personality to her daughter. Ziva smiled and gave a boop on Tali's nose. It was always making her smile and this time was no different. Ziva started: ⠀

-"I know how hard this is for you Tali. It's going to be a different world and you'll probably feel lost at first. But one of David's biggest strengths is our faculty to adapt to a new situation. And you are a David as much as you are a DiNozzo. I've been through this. I was living my life in Israel, with my work, my friends, my habits and then I had to move to the U.S. I've met new people which were very, VERY different from the people I used to know, and they became my family. Changing is difficult but you should remember one thing: home isn't a place, it's the people you are with. If I never moved to D.C I would not have met Aba, I would not have had my baby girl (she booped her nose again) and I would not be as happy as I am now. You're gonna be fine" ⠀

Tali smiled and asked: ⠀

-"you promise ?"⠀

Ziva raised her pinky finger and said: ⠀

-"I promise" ⠀

Tali locked her pinky finger to her mother's and smiled. She cuddled up to her mother's side and closed her eyes. Her mother had made a promise to her and she was always keeping her promises. She knew she would be fine.

They were finally home. Their new home for their new life. The first night had been pretty rough, especially for the kids. It was a beautiful morning. Tony was moving some boxes around the house under Ziva's instructions. Adam was wrapped in a baby sling on his mother's chest and Tali was helping her father. Ziva asked them to move Tali's stuff to her bedroom and Ziva went to the garage to see what they should deal with next. After quite some time Ziva came back from the garage. She was surprised that neither Tali nor Tony were back already. She heard a sound coming from upstairs, a melody. She rolled her eyes and smiled. She climbed the stairs and opened the door of Tali's new bedroom. Tony was playing guitar while Tali was listening, dancing and clapping around him. She loved it when her father was playing some music for her and he loved to see his little girl dancing. Tony noticed Ziva:

-"Sweet Cheeks, thank you for joining us"

-"what happened to 'moving boxes' ?"

Tony, still playing his song, answered:

-"I wanted to check if my guitar was still tuned. Spoiler alert, it was not, and Tali asked me to play a song for her. I could not resist her David pleading eyes"

Ziva squint her eyes. She was leaning on the door with her arms crossed around her chest. It did not stop Tony from continuing his song, on the contrary he walked to Ziva and used all his charming skills to get a smile from her. It worked. How could she be upset at him for being so charming. Once he had reached Ziva. he placed a kiss on Adam's head, still playing his song and waited for Ziva to give him a kiss. She hesitated and finally granted him with the reward he was waiting for. The day went on until the house was finally starting to look like a functional house and not a cardboard boxes warehouse.

During the evening, someone knocked on their door. Tony opened the door. A man and a woman were standing on his doorstep with a young girl, probably around the age of Tali. They introduced themselves as Tony and Ziva's neighbors. Tony invited them inside and apologized for the mess. Ziva soon joined them with Adam and Tali in the backyard. Tony introduced them:

-"This is my wife, Ziva and this is Tali and Adam. Ziva this is Jerry, his wife Sharon and their daughter Emily"

Ziva greeted them and Tali asked if she could show her bedroom to Emily. After spending the entire afternoon together, the neighbor left. Tony was clearing the backyard dining table, Ziva was looking at him with a smirk. She said:

-"they are nice"

-"yes, Jerry looks like a fun guy. And he loves movies"

-"she's sexy.."

-"what ?"

-"Sharon.. she's a pretty beautiful woman"

-"really ? I haven't noticed"

Ziva threw the wet sponge to his face and did not miss her target:

-"Liar. The old DiNozzo would have drooled over her perfect body"

Tony walked to Ziva and grabbed her waist:

-"oh so this is it.. you are jealous"

-"I am not .."

Tony cut her off:

-".. you are jealous that I might find another woman more attractive than you. You are right, the old DiNozzo would have 'drooled over' her perfect body BUT today's 'very handsome and funny' DiNozzo is married to a very sexy woman and he does not care about any other women because these women cannot compete with the sexiness of my middle-east beauty"

He kissed her with passion to prove his point. The kiss was lasting for long minutes and was becoming more arousing every minute until they heard Tali yielling:

-"IMA ! I think Adam just pooped in his diaper"

Tony and Ziva sighed. The kiss was suddenly less sexy. Tony said:

-"YOU REALLY HAVE TO WORK ON YOUR TIMING TALI"

And Ziva walked inside to take care of Adam.

A few weeks later. The family was now living their life in a beautiful house. They were trying to accommodate to their new life as a family of four living in D.C. The first weeks had been pretty challenging for Tali but Tony and Ziva were doing their best to make things smoother. McGee and Gibbs have helped a lot to get the house ready. Tony was in the living room playing with Adam when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw "Elf lord" on it. He answered his phone by saying:

-"how's my favorite Elf Lord doing ?"

-"Hey Tony, you remember when you offered a trumpet and a drum to morgan and john so they could make a lot of noise and drive us crazy ?"

-"yeah ! That was a good one admit it! Your twins are really gifted you should be proud"

McGee felt the irony in Tony's voice. He smiled and said:

-"remember I told you I would get my revenge? That day is today"

-"you think you're going to scare me McHarmless ?"

-"come out and see for yourself"

McGee hung up the phone and Tony looked through the window. McGee was holding a puppy in his arms. Tony's eyes widened. He could not believe it. He rushed out from the house. He still had time to stop this as long as Tali was not aware of it:

-"what is this ?"

McGee smiled:

-"this is your dog"

-"no it's not ! Take it back to where ever you found it"

Tony peaked over his shoulder to be sure that Tali was not around.

-"won't happen"

-"you are taking this to the next level McGee ! You have no idea what's coming for you next if you do that. You can still back out"

-"UNCLE TIMMY !!"

Too late. Tony closed his eyes in despair. McGee walked past Tony and knelt in front of Tali:

-"look what uncle Timmy brought you"

Tali was already in love with the puppy. She petted the puppy's head and turned to her father:

-"oh he is so cute, look Aba"

Tony tried his best to smile:

-"yeah sweetheart, I can see. We really need to find a way to thank uncle Tim in a proper way"

Tali took the dog to show it to her mom and shouted:

-"come on aba ! Ima has to see it"

Before following his daughter Tony looked at McGee and said:

-"you brought this on yourself McDoomed ! We are at war !"

Ziva was sitting on the floor next to the couch in the living room and she was holding Adam in front of her to help him stand on his feet. Adam was focused on the little puppy that was chewing on the coffee table leg far away from him. Tony and Tali walked in, they were apparently trying to fix a disagreement:

-"no Tali, Mister Chewie is a dog and dogs do not sleep in children's beds."

-"please Aba, he is so little"

-"I said no Tali. We bought a very beautiful, comfortable and very expensive dog bed for Chewie so he's gonna use it, like every other dog before him"

Tali turned to her mom and complained in Hebrew. Tony continued:

-"hebrew isn't gonna save you. Ima agrees with me."

He turned to Ziva, so did Tali. Ziva saw her daughter's pleading face and her husband face asking for backup. Tali's face was breaking her heart but she knew that Tony was right. She had to support him on this:

-"aba is right Tali. Chewie has to learn to sleep in his own bed"

As the conversation went on, Adam let go of Ziva's hand and walked to the puppy all by himself. Ziva could not believe it. Her baby was taking his first step. She stopped the argument between Tali and Tony and said:

-"Tony look !"

He could not believe it either. His son was walking and he had no idea that this meant that from now on,  a brand new world of mischief was opened to Adam. Tony knelt a few feet away from Adam and called him:

-"come on buddy, come see Aba"

Adam looked at his father and turned his attention back on the puppy. He walked to the dog and collapsed right before him. Tony looked at the dog with threatening eyes:

-"you !"

The next morning when Tony walked to Tali's room to wake her up he was not even surprised to find Chewie sleeping in Tali's arms on her bed. His first thought was that this child was as stubborn as her mother and it actually made him smile.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. The DiNozzos were still asleep. Only the sound of birds could be heard. Tony woke up 30 minutes later. He was thirsty. He looked at Ziva next to him. She was still deeply asleep. He had a furious desire to wake her up with kisses on her neck to enjoy this sunday morning before the kids wake up. But he is still thirsty. He will try that option once he had quenched his thirst. He walked downstairs, quietly enough not to wake up the kids, which would have been very unfortunate for his sexy awakening plan. While getting downstairs he could hear the sound of someone cutting wood with a saw. He thought 'what kind of psychopath cuts woods at 8am on a Sunday'. He grabbed a glass, filled it with water and walk to the window. He almost spit his sip out when he saw that the psychopath cutting woods was actually Gibbs. He cursed in his mind as he saw his bedroom plans going away. He walked out of the house. Gibbs raised his head to Tony and said:

-"nice outfit DiNozzo"

Tony looked at his pajama and said:

-"yes this is what normal people are wearing at this time of the day. Please tell me you are not building a boat on my driveway"

Gibbs smirked. Tony continued:

-"what is all of this ?"

Gibbs pointed at the tree in front of the house and said:

-"my grand daughter asked me to build her a treehouse, I am building a treehouse.."

Tony wanted to argue about the fact that it was very early for such a task but Gibbs cut him off by handing him a saw. Tony got the message. He sighed and grabbed some wooden planks.

When Ziva woke up she was surprised not to find her husband next to her. He was usually the last one to wake up and sometimes she had to threaten him to sprinkle him with a glass of water to get him out of bed. She heard a hammer blow followed by a curse coming from a familiar voice. She got out of bed and looked through the window. Tony was sitting on a branch of their front yard tree, a hammer in one hand and his thumb in his mouth. No doubt that he missed his target a few seconds earlier. She heard babbling coming from the bedroom next door. She walked inside Adam bedroom and found him standing on his crib, with the help of the wooden fence. He smiled as he saw his mother:

-"daddy woke you up with his loud voice ? you want to go see him ?"

Adam babbled again.

-"let's go make some coffee for him"

She walked downstairs and was welcomed by Chewie who was running around the house. She walked past Chewie's bed and saw one of Tony's most expensive pair of shoes in it. She looked at Chewie and said:

-"you are going to be in big trouble for chewing his favorite shoes"

Chewie was looking at her, with his tongue hanging out and his wagging tail. She poured two mugs with hot coffee and walked out of the house holding Adam by the hand to help him walk. As he saw them Tony said:

-"hey look who's there ! My little walking monster"

Gibbs welcomed her with a kiss on her forehead, Tony jumped from the branch:

-"coffee ?" She asked.

Tony answered positively as he took a mug from her hand and kissed her right after. She smiled back at him and sweped some sawdust away from his hair.

Tony took Adam in his arms and said:

-"wanna help aba build a treehouse for your big sister ? She's gonna love it"

They returned to their work after the coffee break. A few moments later and after a few more smashed fingers, Tali walked out of the house still in her pajamas. As she saw the tree house she screamed and rushed to Gibbs. She hugged him and thanked him. Tony jumped again from his branch and said:

-"what about me ? Can I have a hug ? I helped him building it ! And I've almost lost all my fingers because of it"

Tali laughed at the funny and childish behavior of her father and gave him a hug too.

It was around noon. The tree house was almost finished. Tali was playing with Chewie around the front yard. Ziva walked out from the house and said:

-"Time for our brave sunday workers to take a lunch break. Go wash your hands, lunch is ready"

Tony and Gibbs looked at each other with an amused smile.

-"yes Ma'am" answered Gibbs.

10 minutes later Tony walked out from the bathroom and found Ziva and Tali standing and smiling in the living room in front of Chewie's bed. They were looking pretty weird. He asked:

-"what's wrong ?"

Ziva faked to be surprised:

-"what do you mean 'what's wrong' nothing's wrong ? Why do you want something to be wrong ?"

Gibbs joined them. He looked behind Ziva's back and saw the shoes still in Chewie's bed. He smiled. Tony continued:

-"you look weird! What is it ?"

He knew Ziva and Tali were trying to hide something from him. He gently pushed them away and saw the crime scene.

-"no ! Nononononon ! Not my favorite shoes!"

-"these are just shoes Tony ! And if you had not left them lying around he would never have found them"

-"I'm gonna kill McGee !"

They left Tony mourning his shoes and everyone then gathered around lunch in the backyard. It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday. A perfect day to share family time.

During the evening, Gibbs and Tony finished the tree house and Tali hosted the big opening ceremony, with the ribbon, the scissors and the solemn speech. She was such a clown sometimes. She was such a DiNozzo.

[welcometophu]

Revelations 8

Twinned Book 1: Commit to the Kick

Revelations 8

[ Previous | First | Next ]

Alaric stares down at his phone as his late Calculus recitation ends. His stomach is already growling, but he stays in his seat while everyone else quickly leaves, and types out a response to Corbin. No game this weekend. Why?

Someone I know is going to a party at PHU, and I thought maybe I’d come over, Corbin responds.

Alaric tries to imagine Corbin actually in the house with the rest of his OPT brothers. It’s easy to think of Corbin at a party; he takes to social events easily. But in terms of assimilating with Alaric’s fraternity, it was traumatic enough just having him visit for the day.

Still.

We’re having a Halloween party at OPT on Saturday. I can see if Rory would mind if you crash in our room. I think SigPsiE is having a party too. Alaric hesitates, then smiles slightly as he adds, OPT is costumes required.

It’s not entirely the truth; costumes are optional but heavily recommended. Corbin, on the other hand, will love the idea that he has to dress up.

Let me know about Rory. Remember the part where we don’t seem to like each other much.

Alaric pinches the bridge of his nose, finishes packing his bag before he’s ready to respond to that. One: you said you’d puppy pile if you have to in order to get to know my friends. This is a chance. And two: you two are stuck with each other. Deal with it.

He shoves his phone in his pocket, ignores when it chimes with a response. He grabs his bag, throws it over his shoulder, and turns toward the door. “Oh.” He stops, spotting Chris standing in the doorway. “Hey.”

Chris spreads his hands. “No crutches. No more brace. Range of movement is in acceptable parameters, and the kneecap is tracking fine, so I’m not at any elevated risk for it dislocating. Well, any more than anyone else getting tackled on a regular basis is. I’m done with PT, and while they think I should keep it light in the next game, the fact that it’s more than a week away means I get to play.”

“’S’good.” Alaric grins, pulls Chris into a one-armed hug, slapping his back. “There’re only two games left, but you get to play against VIT. You shouldn’t miss that one.”

“Neither should you. We’ll both get time on the field,” Chris says. He lets Alaric leave the classroom first, following close behind and nudging him with his shoulder. “I want to celebrate.”

“Teas Please?” It’s become the default place to go whenever they’re out.

Chris shakes his head. “Minnisale’s? Or maybe Doherty’s, if you’re more interested in pub food?”

“Never made it to Minnisale’s last week with Mac, so let’s do that.” Alaric’s in the mood for pasta. Lots of pasta, and Minnisale’s is the best Italian near campus. It’s dirt cheap and large portions, made for the college budget.

Alaric’s nostrils flare as they walk; there’s still a hint of pain in Chris’s scent, but he seems at ease. Happy, a little excited. Despite the lingering pain, and a slight limp, he’s in a good mood.

Alaric can’t help but slow when they get near the alley where he and Mac were attacked. He glances up at the streetlight; it’s on now, shining brightly, along with one a block behind them, and a block ahead. “Feel like everything should’ve changed, and nothing did,” he mutters, squaring his shoulders as they walk by.

“Are you angry that I knew and didn’t tell you?”

Alaric’s brows furrow. “Wasn’t yours to tell, so no. She shouldn’t have to deal with all the shit that comes with what happened. Wrong place, wrong time, and everyone gave her shit for it. I’m fine with her being quiet about it. And you keeping her secret.”

Chris snorts softly. “Most people would be mad.”

“Most people don’t get the idea why secrets are necessary,” Alaric grumbles. “I get it. And fuck, now that I know, I can think of a dozen times she did it and I just didn’t see.”

Chris knocks into his arm, bumping him gently. “She does that. Sometimes just to see if she gets a reaction. And no one ever notices.” He pulls the door open for Minissale’s, motions for Alaric to head inside first.

The hostess grabs two menus, shows them to a small table off to one side. It’s a little dark, but it’s better than one of the tiny booths where their legs would be knocking under the table. She brings water and silverware once they’re settled, then leaves them with the menus.

After the chaos that strikes every time they go into Teas Please, particularly with Nate waiting on them, it’s strangely quiet. Alaric picks up the menu, glances at the specials on the front, then sets it down with a small smile as he pushes it aside.

“Figured it out that fast?” Chris asks, the menu open in front of him.

“Meant to get pasta, but the special is braised lamb shank. Can’t resist,” Alaric admits. “Too used to lamb only being a spring food.” He makes a face at the table. “Not going to tell Rory, though. He might be horrified.”

“Vegetarians tend to like lamb or veal even less than everything else,” Chris agrees. He closes his own menu, sets it on top of Alaric’s. “Lasagna. It was between that and the hand-stuffed shells. They have ones that have spinach and mushrooms that are fantastic.”

Alaric makes a mental note, because that sounds good. As soon as they’ve got their order in, the menus are whisked away and a basket of fresh bread is dropped on the table. It’s hot, with a chewy crust, and even though it’s not fresh butter, it’s good.

“So, you’ve been working with Dawson.” Chris gestures with the piece of bread in his hand. “Do we bench him until we need him? Do we keep him in the rotation? What strengths and weaknesses are you seeing?”

“His passing game’s not as bad as Dax says.” Alaric’s been paying close attention. “Dawson can’t pass to Dax. Can’t say why, and that doesn’t help since he’s our best receiver. But if we put him out there with Jameson? Ball falls right in his hands.”

“Jameson’s second string; they’re not going to be in the game together often,” Chris points out.

“Exactly. Not unless you pitch it to Coach.” Alaric moves the bread basket to the side, grabs the little ceramic container of sugar packets. He has them all lined up neatly, moving them one by one as he and Chris go over plays and ideas, when the waitress stops by their table. She has a tray held high, and both eyes are wide as she looks at the table.

“Moved on to dessert?” she asks, and Chris laughs.

“Football,” Alaric says, a flush staining his cheeks. He gathers the sugar packets together again, shoves them back into the container to make space. “Sorry.”

“Not a problem, boys.” She sets a bowl in front of him with a huge shank of lamb settled atop a fragrant layer of greens and polenta. Alaric leans in, inhales. Every herb smells fresh, and it makes him think of home.

The waitress puts Chris’s lasagna in front of him, and Alaric swears it’s a quarter pan on one plate. The waitress grins at them both, winks. “I’ll leave you two alone now. My name’s Jenny if you need anything, so just give a yell, otherwise I won’t be back until either these plates are clean or you’re looking for boxes.”

“I bet I’m the only one who needs a box.”

“I’m not that hungry. Haven’t been working out, haven’t shifted.” Alaric digs in by slicing off a thick hunk of meat, dredging it through the greens and polenta. It’s a big bite, but flavors explode across his tongue and it’s worth it. He makes a small, pleased sound. “Fuck, almost like home.”

“Your parents aren’t Italian,” Chris says, his attention entirely on trying to slice off one side of his lasagna.

“No, we probably did things differently, but this is all fresh.” Alaric gestures at the plate. “’S’all ingredients we use. Lamb in the spring, and greens are the first things that grow for vegetables. We dry corn from the fall and grind it, and the roughest milled corn makes porridge. Great for a hot meal in the morning with syrup, but also good with herbs and garlic like this. Or cheese and eggs.”

“It’s strange to think your family’s so self-sufficient.” Chris leans his free elbow on the table, leaves his fork on the plate as he leans forward. “You’re your own world.”

“Exactly. Rory’s family’s like that, up in Burlington. Sheep for wool. Hemp, too. I’ve never spun with hemp, but I’d like to try it sometime,” Alaric admits. “David said they were thinking of trying bamboo, but it’s a long process to work with it, even though it grows fast. No livestock for food, but they’ve got cows for milk, and goats as well. All kinds of cheese. Good food.”

“Is that what you’ll do eventually?” Chris picks up his fork, stabs a bite of lasagna. “Go home and herd sheep?”

Alaric grumbles, halfway to a growl. There’s a hint of smoke from his nose, and he puts his fork down, breathes slowly in and out. “Was that supposed to be derogatory?”

“No.” Chris sets his own fork down again. He leans back, crosses his arms. “I know you have different ideas, but I know they want you to go home. And you hate engineering, but you’ll have to do something if you go back there. Honestly, out of everything you showed me there, the things you seemed to like best were flying and weaving.”

He has a point. And Alaric felt at home with Rory’s relatives when he was talking about dying, and discussing technique. He grunts. “You’re right. I like working with it. But it’s not something that’s going to lead the Clan, or change our world. It’ll be a hobby for me. I’ll need to do something more.” His appetite is waning. “If I go back.”

Chris’s head tilts. “If?”

Alaric shrugs one shoulder. “What if pro teams are taking Talented players by the time I graduate? Before Orson died, I thought that if that happened, I could try for it. Play football. Do something I love for as long as I could. That’s probably four years now. Five if I switch majors to something that keeps me here longer.”

“Things could change,” Chris says quietly.

“They could. My father could start a war.” Alaric picks up his fork again. The polenta and greens are still good, and his stomach rumbles as soon as he takes a bit. He might not feel like eating, but his body has other plans. He digs in, lets the silence stretch while he eats.

“Think that beer you bottled is ready to taste?” Chris asks as he winds down finally, pushing half of his lasagna to the side and taking another hunk of bread. “We could try it tonight.”

Alaric makes a face. “The coffee beer isn’t ready yet; it hasn’t even been in the bottles a week. Drea’s lager is probably fine, if you want to crack a bottle.”

“You have to be there for the first bottle,” Chris points out. “No one’s touching that beer without you there.”

They’ve already brewed three batches. The coffee beer took two weeks in a secondary, so it’s just barely been in bottles. The lager was a quick kit that Drea picked out. And there’s cider fermenting now, ready to go into a keg when it’s done, probably sometime after the party on Saturday.

In a way, cracking open a bottle will be a good memorial.

“Sure. Yeah. We’ll do that,” Alaric agrees. He’s made headway, finally, on his dinner, and there’s plenty left to eat another time.

Chris waves for the waitress, and when she comes over he hands her a card. When Alaric gets his wallet out, Chris shakes his head. “You can get it the next time. It’s a pain to split the bill; if it’s just us, this is simpler.”

Alaric can’t argue, and he figures he’ll get the chance to pay him back soon enough. The waitress brings over boxes, and they pack up the leftovers and put them in one bag for the hike back on campus to OPT.

The walk back is quiet, the fall air crisp and cold. Weather report says there’s a storm coming in the morning, and Alaric can taste it on the air. It’s not the same as summer, when the storms taste like ozone and electricity, or the wet scent of mud. This is cold and harsh, crisp and clear, like ice hangs waiting nearby to turn into the first snowfall of the coming winter. Chris hunches his shoulders slightly against the cold, and Alaric drifts closer, bumping into him as if he can share his body heat.

As soon as they reach OPT, Chris ducks inside, taking the bag and shoving the leftovers into the fridge. They end up in their usual spots on the couch in the living room, one bottle of beer sitting on the coffee table, waiting to be opened, next to a red cup. Lewis spots them in the kitchen and follows them to sit in the chair opposite, leaning forward slightly. “Go on,” Lewis says. “Open it.”

“You don’t even like beer,” Chris points out, and Lewis shrugs.

“Doesn’t stop me from appreciating a concoction someone else will like. Besides, how am I going to know how to mix with it if I don’t try it?” Lewis says.

Alaric can’t stop the expression of horror from welling up. “This isn’t some fucking light beer, Lewis. It’s homebrew. It’s good. You won’t be mixing anything with it.” He grabs the bottle opener and carefully pops the top, giving it a moment to make sure he hasn’t over carbonated it and that it won’t foam up. When he’s sure it’s safe, the takes the top off and grabs the cup.

“Why not go straight from the bottle?”

Alaric gives Lewis a look. “Sediment,” he tells him. “Homebrew has sediment at the bottom, can’t help it, so you always pour it into a glass and leave the dregs in the bottle. Need to rinse ‘em out soon, before it sets into something we can’t clean.”

“Noted.” Chris nudges him with his knee. “Go on, pour already.”

It foams up as Alaric pours, but it’s not too bad. He thinks he got close, especially for a first try Of course, this one’s a kit, so it’s easy. Dump everything in, cook it together, ferment and bottle. He notes the color—a little reddish, darker than a typical mass-produced beer—then lifts it to inhale the scent of hops. He takes a sip at first, then nods approvingly and takes a long swallow.

“Not bad,” he says, handing the cup to Chris.

Chris inhales as well, raises an eyebrow, and starts with a long gulp. “I could definitely drink this,” he says. “Is it any stronger than what we buy?”

“Same alcohol content, just better taste,” Alaric says. “We don’t brew to get drunk. We brew because we don’t get drunk easily and we want it to taste good.” He takes the cup when Chris passes it back, holds it out to Lewis.

Lewis raises a hand, shakes his head. “I can smell the beer-flavored beer from here, so no thanks, I’ll stick to my fruity concoctions. And I won’t touch your homebrew for anything mixed, promise.”

“If I do the fall spice one you can drop a fireball shot in it,” Alaric decides. “They’d go well. Might work with the cider, too.”

“That’s one I’m looking forward to.” Lewis pushes himself to standing. “I’m heading up. I’ve still got a solid few hours of Orgo work to do before lab tomorrow. Glad the beer worked, Alaric.”

“Movie?” Chris has the remote in his hand, gets the TV going and starts flipping through a list of really bad movies to stream. Alaric takes another drink from the cup, reaches out to to stop Chris from changing movies and hits play, then hands him the cup.

It’s quiet and easy, a decent way to spend the night.

The movie’s half done when the front door slams open, and Dax comes in, dropping onto the other hand of the sofa and pushing Chris closer to Alaric. The beer’s gone, and they’ve shared a second one as well, the cup sitting empty on the table. Alaric feels warm in a pleasant way, loose and easy.

“Movie Friday night?” Dax asks. “Showing after taekwondo, of course.”

Chris glances over at Alaric, who shrugs in response. He has no idea what’s showing on campus, but fine, he’s happy to go. “Sure, why not?” Alaric decides.

“I’ll bring takeout to the movie for you,” Chris offers. “You’re always hungry after your class. Chinese or Indian?”

“Chinese.” Alaric twists slightly to make room when Chris leans into him. It’s easier to slip his arm behind Chris’s shoulders and give him space, and it slots them neatly enough that Alaric can offer his body heat to Chris. There’s a low sound; Dax nods.

“Settled then. See you there.” Dax gets up, stops after two steps and turns back, spreading his hands. “No Cass tonight, Chris. So no need to sleep on the couch.”

“I’ll be up when the movie’s done, probably.” Chris presses play and the stream restarts.

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