#car charging station nearby

[mobecinnovation]

Introducing Mobec: A Game-Changer in the EV Charging Market

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, the demand for EV charging stations has increased. However, finding a charging station can be inconvenient, especially on a long road trip. This is where Mobec comes in – a portable EV charging solution that could revolutionize the EV charging market.

What is Mobec?

Mobec is a Noida-based, one-of-a-kind Portable EV charging solution start-up. Mobec, in its name itself, refers to Mobile Electric Charger. Its main aim is a hassle-free transition towards green and sustainable energy solutions.

Mobec provides a portable EV charging solution to charge your electric vehicle anywhere. It is a game-changer in the EV charging market, eliminating the need for fixed (static) charging stations. With Mobec, you can charge your EV at home, at work, or even on the go.

How does Mobec work?

Mobec consists of a portable battery pack and a charging cable, which is a power-dispensing EV Charging gun that uses the onboard battery bank to charge multiple EVs as per their demand. The battery pack can be charged using a standard wall outlet or a solar panel. Once the battery pack is fully charged, it can charge an electric vehicle.

What are the benefits of Mobec?

Mobec offers several benefits over traditional fixed charging stations:

Charging Infra benefits:

Mobec is cost-effective. Fixed charging stations require significant infrastructure and maintenance costs. Mobec eliminates these costs as it does not require any infrastructure.

Due to on-demand charging, users do not have to rely on the availability of nearby EV Chargers.

Reduces installation time.

Eliminates massive idle/downtime

Charging Service benefits:

On-demand Portable Rescue Charging M-CAAS (Mobile-Charging as a Service)

Charge anytime and anywhere

Daily charging

Schedule your everyday portable charger in advance or call it on demand (Mobec instant Solution)

Highway RSA (Roadside Assistance)

Highway assistance will have EV users plan interstate or intercity travel in their EV, which was not possible previously. Users can plan their long trip (intercity or interstate) route with Mobec so they would not have to worry about charging infra.

Societies, office spaces, fleet operators, auto manufacturers, car rentals, etc., can directly have Mobec on-demand charging services to solve their EV charging needs.

Who can use Mobec?

Mobec is suitable for anyone who owns an electric vehicle. It is handy for those who travel frequently or live in areas with limited charging infrastructure. Mobec is also helpful for businesses that want to offer EV charging services to their customers but want to avoid investing in fixed charging stations.

Conclusion

Mobec is a game-changer in the EV charging market. It offers a portable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly solution to serve the increasing demand for EV charging. With Mobec, EV range anxiety is a thing of the past; you no longer have to worry about finding a charging station – you can charge your EV anytime and anywhere.

[charge-zone]

https://chargezone.com/charger-locator.html

India’s Fastest Growing EV Charging Network CHARGE ZONE is a tech-driven EV Charging infrastructure company specializing in B2B and B2C charging services on both dedicated and opportunity based charging using smart-grid network.

[uhohnotthisagain]

I Will Always Save You

Summary: You get caught by a demon. Its up to Dean, Sam and Castiel to find you before its too late.

Pairing: Dean x reader

Characters: Dean Winchester x reader, Sam Winchester, Castiel.

Warnings: My first fic ever (pls be kind), angst???, kidnapping, blood, torture, swearing, anxious dean.

Word count: 0.8k

My masterlist

--- You feel your lungs burn as you try to take in breaths of air. Your eyes are wide as you stare into the demon’s black ones in front of you, hand wrapped tightly around your neck. Your legs are dangling freely as he has you pinned against the wall. 

He grins as you grip his wrist, trying to free yourself. “This is simple, Y/N. I just need answers and then you’re free to go.” 

“Fuck. You.” You spat back at him. 

His hand tightens around your throat. “Wrong answer.”

Your body is flung across the room, slamming into a cement wall before falling down. You gasp for air as he charges towards you. You’re on your hands and knees, trying to stand up without visibly wincing in pain. Just as you get to your feet, a punch lands right at your temple, knocking you out instantly. 

–

“Where is she? She was supposed to be back an hour ago.” Dean paced across the motel room. 

“I don’t know, Dean. I’m trying to ping her cell for her location but it’s taking a minute to load.” Sam is sat at the small table, rubbing his hands over his face, brows furrowed as he stares at the screen in front of him. 

“Got it, it says she’s near a gas station.” Dean’s out the door before Sam finishes his sentence, quickly following after him. 

–

“Fuck!”

Your car is found, parked at the gas station, door open and phone found on smashed on the ground. 

They had been searching the area for a while when Cas showed up to help them look for you. It had been at least 8 hours since you had left so who knows where you could be. 

“Guys! I found something.” Sam called out from around the back of the building. The necklace that Dean had given you was lying there, having been ripped from your neck. The gas station was located at the edge of a forest, meaning they would have to trek through miles of trees and bushes with no other evidence of where you could be. 

“The gas station guy says the cameras are there just to scare off crooks, they don’t work.” Cas sighs. “And he said he didn’t see anything happen.” 

Dean is wandering off, seeing if you had left any other clues nearby when he spots scratch marks in the trees. “Found something else, we need to go this way.” He yells, spotting more scratch marks on more trees, praying that these led to you. 

—

“You’re just making this more difficult for yourself.” 

You spat blood back at him that had been pooling in your mouth. You were currently tied up, hands bound together hanging from the ceiling. You were exhausted from the constant beatings and torture. You no longer had energy to fight back, instead just hanging in silence, the only sound coming from you was the grunts and moans in pain. 

You had been praying to Cas to come and find you, and praying that Dean and Sam were coming as well. But slowly you were losing hope.  

“Alright, if this doesn’t make you talk, I’m ending you. The Winchesters can’t save you if you’re dead.” The demon lifts a metal poker and holds it over the firepit that was the only source of light in the room. You had been moved into a different room, this one had no windows or any other escape apart from the one door. He lifts it to sear it into the skin of your chest. 

Suddenly, there were crashes heard from outside the room you were kept in. The demon whipped his head around towards the door. He drops the poker and walks towards the door but before he could open in, Dean had crashed through it, knocking the demon out of the way in the process. With the demon blade in hand, he stabbed the demon in the chest, the body falling to the ground immediately. 

With a sigh of relief from the both of you, Dean rushes to help you down. “She’s in here! I’ve got her!” He calls out. 

“Is she okay?” Sam rushes in to help, Cas following closely behind. “I think so, just really beat up.” 

Cas reaches foward as you are held in Deans arms, to exhausted and in pain to hold yourself up. He gently places two fingers on your forehead as a calm warmth comes over you, healing you. 

“That should heal all her injuries but evidently not her exhaustion. Lets get her back to the motel room so she can rest up and eat something.”

Dean picks you up bridal style to carry you to the car, tossing Sam the keys for him to drive so Dean could make sure you were alright. 

–

“Thank you for saving me.” You whispered later that night, in bed with Dean. You were laying with your head on his chest, looking up at him with a small smile. He looks down at you, whispering back, “I can’t live without you, of course I will always come and save you.” Even though that wasn’t a promise that was easy to keep, you knew Dean did everything he could to keep you safe, and you do the same in return. And that was all that mattered. 

[hikarry]

Aziraphale and Crowley plan a vacation free of miracles, just for the heck of it. Just to do it the way humans do. Maybe it's fun! Maybe they will have a grand old time! Who knows?

It all starts with packing.

Aziraphale is the very first to regret this idea as soon as he opens his bag on top of the bed, ready to pack. They can only take so many bags because they are going on the Bentley, and no miracles means no calling books through space with a single snap of his fingers. So...one bag is not enough, surely.

"Oh, but it is, angel. Max one bag for clothes and one bag for books, nothing more."

"But Crowley, that's absurd! We'll be in Scotland for 2 weeks! Am I supposed to take, what? 5 books? And how am I supposed to choose?"

"This 'no miracles' trip was your idea. Now deal with it."

Aziraphale deals with it, but not without a lot of complaining and making a list of pros and cons of taking every single one of his favorite books. He ends up with a bag full of them and a couple more in the clothes bag.

This is to say that Crowley doesn't have an easier time. No miracles means no miracling his own clothes, so he's got to actually pack something. And he likes most of his clothes. And you never know what type of events will be around. A restaurant? A play? He needs outfits. Good outfits. And a toothbrush. And shampoo and conditioner, cause he refuses to use the ones from the hotel. And hair gel! Cause no miracles also means no miracling his hair into being in shape...doing his hair every morning will be an absolute pain in the arse, but he can endure it. Yet, when he goes to close his bag...it's too full. Taking two bags of clothes would be ridiculous, so he lays his hand on the bag and pushes down, trying to run the zipper. Nothing happens. He sighs and sits on the bag, pulling the zipper once again, and it runs for a couple of millimeters.

"Angel, give me a hand, will you?"

"With what, dear?"

"I'll sit on the bag and also push it down with my hands and you will try to close the zipper." He opens his legs so Aziraphale can access the bag's zipper and he jumps once on his bag, pushing down with his hands.

Aziraphale almost breaks the bloody zipper, but it does indeed close.

With the bags in the Bentley and both seated on their usual positions, Crowley lays his hands on the steering wheel, but doesnt start the car just yet, instead looking ahead.

"Everything alright?"

"...does 'no miracles' mean I can't keep the tank of the Bentley full?"

"I suppose."

"Aziraphale, I haven't gone to a gas station since I got the bloody James Bond stickers!"

"And when was that?"

"Many, many decades ago."

"Oh well, I'm sure getting fuel in a car isn't that difficult. It mustn't have changed since back then."

"Are you sure we can't make an exception?"

"Quite."

"...is this because of the books?"

"Mmh."

Crowley groans and goes to start the car, but he stops short of the ignition.

"Are you...keeping the Bentley whole with miracles? Is that the new problem, my dear?"

"No." He looks up at the angel. "I have to buy a phone charger."

"Whatever for?"

"Because I keep my phone charged with miracles, angel! And I have absolutely zero idea where the original charger is! I never used it! With a bit of luck its still somewhere in Mayfair."

"Oh well, we will stop at a phone shop then. Easy fix."

The demon takes a deep breath, and off they go, on their road trip to Scotland at very not legal speeds - not for lack of complaining on the angel's side, mind you.

When they get to Edinburgh, they quickly find their hotel and go up to their room. Both take showers and, hell, it's still mid afternoon, so they go for a stroll around.

At about dinner time, Crowley quickly googles restaurants nearby and finds one named "Angels with Bagpipes". As soon as he sees it, he stops scrolling. It's somewhat modern and certainly different from the Ritz, but, Satan, look at that name! They just couldn't not go.

"You're joking, certainly." Aziraphale looks over his shoulder. "Look at that other one! Rhubarb. It looks so much more-"

"Posh?"

The angel eyes him side ways.

"I was going to say classy. Romantic."

Crowley snorts.

"Oh this is a romantic vacation, is it?"

"No!" He slaps his arm. "I mean-! Yes! Just-" He runs a hand down his face while Crowley keeps laughing. "Oh, hush. I'm just saying that one looks way more up our alley. That one is too modern."

"I'm down with modern. Big fan of modern, me."

"Oh, believe me, my dear, I'm extremely aware, but-"

"And! For a restaurant as posh as that I bet we need reservations. And you know what we don't have?" Crowley wiggles his fingers. "Reservations. Or miracles to get said reservations."

Aziraphale rolls his eyes, trying to suppress an exasperated sigh. Crowley was ridiculous. How in all the heavens did he put up with him through all these years will forever be a mystery.

"Alright. Let's go to the other one."

Crowley smiles, victorious, and offers him his arm, which Aziraphale promptly takes.

"An angel and a demon walk into a restaurant named 'Angels with Bagpipes'-"

"Crowley!"

And off they go, down the streets of Edinburgh. They have dinner and Aziraphale only complains until the food is served. Afterwards he appears quite content to stuff his face with appetizers and whatnot all while under the watchful eye of Crowley that keeps sipping his wine silently, one elbow on the table, while under said table his leg pushes against Aziraphale's.

"Do behave yourself, will you?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, angel." He uses his foot to slightly slide up Aziraphale's leg.

"We are in public."

"Your point?"

Aziraphale closes his legs, trapping Crowley's foot in between them.

"That's my point."

Crowley pouts, pulling his leg away.

"Boring, you are."

The meal proceeds with little to no incidents. Just the usual: Aziraphale utterly enjoying his food and Crowley watching him as he is enraptured by the flavors and its, honest to Satan, impossible to look away. Not to mention the satisfied wiggles. And the moans. It can pass 6000 more years, but Crowley will never ever get used to those.

"Angel."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Do you have money?" Aziraphale suddenly drops his fork and looks up at Crowley, mouth hanging open. "Thought so."

"Heavens, what are we going to do? We can surely miracle it, right? This is an emergency."

"Nop. You didn't let me miracle the fuel so no miracling the money either."

"You paid for the fuel."

"My last pounds, yes."

The angel's eyes widen quite comically.

"You must be joking."

"No. No joke. Last bills in my wallet." He sloshes the wine inside his glass, leaning closer towards Aziraphale. "And I bet this is all quite the price too. What do we do, Aziraphale? Leave by the back like criminals?"

"There's no back and we are not criminals! We need to miracle the money!"

"That's against the rules." He points at the angel, raising an eyebrow over his sunglasses. "Your rules, might I add."

"No-! Crowley!" He also leans closer to the demon and whispers. "We need to do it. We are not criminals."

"I'm a demon. I guess I can be considered a criminal at some extent."

"You're being ridiculous."

"I'm playing by the rules."

"You're insufferable."

"And yet you still love me."

Aziraphale sighs and closes his eyes, trying to think about a solution, when he hears footsteps approaching.

"Have you finished your dessert, sirs?" The waiter asks, stopping right in front of the table.

"We have." Crowley is quick to answer, and Aziraphale kicks him under the table. He was not done yet, and he needed more time to think about a solution!

"Are you ready to pay?"

Crowley looks at Aziraphale, very serious, and Aziraphale can feel the sweat accumulating on his hands. Oh lord, they had no money. And they just ate a 3 course meal. I mean, Aziraphale ate. Crowley mostly dabbled on the soup and spent the rest of the meal drinking. Drinking quite old and expensive red wine, at that.

Aziraphale looks at Crowley, then at the waiter - who is smiling very politely at them - and then back at the demon. Crowley raises his eyebrow again while Aziraphale starts to shake. He was about to pop when Crowley snorts and reaches for his wallet, pulling a black card and handing it to the waiter, who accepts it and walks away. Aziraphale gasps.

"You had money!"

"Technically no. I had a card."

"A card with money!"

"I never said I didn't have a card. I said I didn't have bills. Physical money. I did use my last bills at the station."

Aziraphale kicks him under the table again, and Crowley can't hold it anymore and starts laughing as controlled as he can.

"Oh, I hate you, you fiend!"

"You've been telling yourself that for 6000 years and you're yet to believe it." The waiter returns with the card and leaves just as fast. "Shall we go back?"

"Yes. But I won't forgive you for this."

"Ah, yes. You. The one that throws 'I forgive yous' through the wind."

"Crowley!"

"Joking. I'm joking." He gets up and Aziraphale follows him. When they get through the door, Crowley offers him his arm once again and leans in closer. A whisper just Aziraphale could hear. "I have my methods to make you forgive me. Just let us get to the hotel, angel."

Alas, the day was not ready to give them a break. On their way to the hotel, it suddenly started raining heavily, soaking both of them to the bone.

"I don't believe this!"

"A little miracle would come in handy right about now, eh?" Aziraphale sighs and snaps his fingers, summoning a tartan umbrella to his hand, which he promptly opens, covering both of them. "Angel!"

"Hush. We can start over tomorrow. Now, let's go." He grabs Crowley by the arm and starts pulling him.

"What's the rush? It's not like we can get sick."

"Someone promised me something when we got to our hotel room." The angel looks over his shoulder to the demon for a second, still walking up the street.

Crowley smiles.

"And you just have to run to find out whatever it is."

"Color me curious."

They did get to the hotel quite fast, and the first thing they did was peel away from their drenched clothes and jump in the shower. Whatever happened in there is between the angel, the demon, and the white tiles on the wall.

[embracing-the-ineffable]

The Ineffable Detective Agency presents more Ineffable Discontinuity and Suspicious Moments: Hawaiian Shirt / Pub Table Guy

Introducing... the extra/background character who makes Aziraphale do THIS, and then immediately has his table at the pub miracled away:

Jon Dan Duncan's imdb profile doesn't list Good Omens, not even as "uncredited" - which seems strange, because his profile does include the above photo of him. Since the actor isn't credited in GO, we don't have a character name or know anything more than what we can see onscreen. So, what DO we see?

First of all, when Aziraphale sees this person, he definitely has A Reaction. We were probably all too distracted by Azi stroking the thin dark duke to notice (as an aside, IS Crowley a Duke? Of what? Hell? Something else??), but after the 90th rewatch, it gets a bit easier to focus on these background details that are probably critically important to the story in ways we just don't understand yet. Look at this:

Did he mouth "stop" when he's supposed to be saying "sherry"? Maybe. These LOOKS, though:

We all know that Michael Sheen's expressions, no matter how tiny or fleeting, are very intentional. Who IS this mystery person??! Immediately after taking his table:

After whoever-he-is loses his pub table, he lingers nearby, and there's an interesting "ineffable discontinuity" - what he's holding in his right hand abruptly changes twice between camera cuts (sound on, if you want context for this small zoomed-in part of the screen, and try watching from your browser if the Tumblr app is cutting off the right edge of the image):

So far, our best explanation for the "ineffable discontinuities" - things that inexplicably and improbably change, like which hand is holding his drink or (coming up next) when he's behind Gabriel and then suddenly in front of him - is that we're seeing multiple timelines that are being knitted together in production to make them look seamless - but who knows? We'd love to hear your ideas! (Also, see the appearing Honolulu Roast sign in the coffeeshop, or Crowley's tattoo and sideburns, or the fandom's newest discovery (from @kimberleyjean and @bbbitchvibbbez) about Gabriel visiting his statue with "both" s1 and s2 Beelzebubs, plus the way the statue's cross is sometimes missing - just to name a few!)

Was the point in this scene with Hawaiian shirt/pub guy's right hand to draw our attention to this page of his newspaper?

"Unearthed mysteries of sealed library basement" - when Crowley told Shax that Aziraphale was "stock taking in the basement", was it true that there IS a basement in the bookshop? Basements apparently aren't that common in most of the UK, but London is famous for having "iceberg" buildings (where the basements are actually bigger than what's above-ground).

"Government approves funding for citywide charging stations" - We don't know, but it makes us think of all the electric cars used in s2 (it was an indoor set) and of Crowley throwing lightning in the street.

And the smaller headline on the right ... Hmmm. Can you read it? 😅 Maybe "Neighbor says New ------ park gate is ' too --- ' "

And it's not just the pub during episode 2! This mystery character is everywhere!

E1: He somehow starts out behind Gabriel, and then ends up in front of Gabriel with another extra on his arm:

E2: In addition to his appearance in the pub, he's also watching when Saraqael, Uriel, and Michael arrive:

E3: Our mystery character is there again when Crowley makes it rain, wearing his e1 shirt:

E4: We didn't spot him in this episode, but there are only a few minutes of present-day SoHo. Did anyone else see him?

E5: He has a doppelganger in a different Hawaiian print shirt! (Notice the different facial hair, among other things.)

Later in e5 he does actually make an appearance in the bookshop window for a quarter of a second (!!), wearing his e2 pub outfit, and maybe it's his presence that elicits this similar-to-the-pub reaction from Aziraphale?

E6: And back again to his black e1 and e3 shirt with the red flowers, while in line behind The Metatron, and then sitting at a table on the sidewalk, where he remains with the person in the turban who was in line behind him (and who also shows up quite a lot during s2) right up until Crowley drives away:

So, why have him wear such a noticable black shirt with red flowers on what are supposed to be three different days? Is he connected, with his Hawaiian print shirt, to the appearing Honolulu Roast sign? Why does he get a doppelganger in e5 - to distract us from his presence outside the bookshop before the ball? Why does Aziraphale react like this - TWICE - upon seeing this person?? (Much to Crowley's great confusion!)

And why does it seem that Aziraphale is keeping this person's presence/ identity/ importance a secret from Crowley?

As always, we'd love to hear your ideas!

Also, here's an earlier post from @theastrophysicistnextdoor about him, with gratitude for the inspiration to write all this up.

With appreciation for contributions from @noneorother, @thebluestgreen, and @embracing-the-ineffable at the @ineffable-detective-agency

Want to see more interesting posts, plus Good Omens clues and metas from all over the fandom? There's a huge collection here!

[paper-mario-wiki]

Do you do farm stuff Scout? Or would you like to? Like owning chickens or tending an outdoor garden, that sort of thing?

From ages 7 to 19 I lived on farms, and was made to be an active participant in maintenance and usages of the facilities I don't know why the fuck I'm typing it like this, but I grew up on a farm. I was kinda in charge of everything, but slacked a lot and my brother had to cover for me. That said, I still spent a LOT of time doing chores.

At one point or another I've been responsible for most every farm chore you can really think of. All the basics like raking leaves, milking goats, collecting eggs, feeding chickens- but also the big stuff like moving tons of hay, herding flocks, caring for large animals such as llamas, alpacas, horses, and cows, as well as delivering babies, gutting and plucking fowl (only chickens and turkeys, though I've also cared for ducks and geese), dehoring, hoof cleaning, corpse transportation, crop maintenance, winter ice removal by breaking up frozen water troughs in 10 below weather (thought this was usually circumvented by anticipating the cold and setting up water heaters beforehand), constructing enclosures, slaughtering pigs, and etc etc etc etc etc all that shit. Bunnies snakes mini horses donkeys. All that shit. Farm stuff. Ya know.

Moved away when I went to college and immediately plunged into a mixed-zoning district in the Fushimi district in Kyoto. This was a really good transition from rural living to city living, because mixed zoning districts have blocks dedicated to apartment complexes and family homes right next to blocks of rice fields and ponds, which was behind the 7-Eleven I bought most of my food from.

Now I live in a SHITTY mixed zoning area in SHITTY America where we never stop hearing cars because there's a massive parking lot nearby and constant police sirens, not because the area is particularly dangerous, but because there's like 2 police stations nearby.

My ideal housing goal, which also happens to be my current goal in life, is to reach a slightly more rural version of the Kyoto living situation. The goals are very distinct:

0. I'm editing this one in after the fact to note that while I've used Kyoto as an example a few times in this post, I'm just looking for an area that feels right and would happily live in any prefecture that fits my needs.

I want to not be tied directly to a visa which would draw me away from doing whatever work I really want to do, like my student visa did later on when school started getting worse as professors were struggling to learn digital classroom mechanics. The visa I'm shooting for is dependent on a few ideas I have for businesses, but that's still kind of a long shot.

I want to be in a position of relative financial freedom so that I can spend enough time genuinely living there instead of just being tied to a computer all day, limiting me to the world I already know. This one's the big one, so I'm still workin on that. That said, recently I've been taking some pretty massive steps towards making this a more tangible circumstance. Fingers crossed.

I want to have a home that I own instead of renting, and I'd like to work with a Japanese architect to actually construct it. Again, these are big big plans, but I think a life goal is a thing worth thinking big about. And it's not like I'm trying to build a mansion, or even a family-sized house, I think I'd be content with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and common room. Of course, in keeping with the "dream big" spirit, in a world where I've got enough money to have a nicer, slightly bigger home, I can imagine as many as 5 bedrooms. It's nice to imagine in this "perfect" outcome that I've got a reason to have enough space for guests to sleep over. A local community, or an otherwise tangible, real-world web of relationships would be nice. Like, Real Adult Socializing Shit.

I want to have a significant emphasis on self-reliance on this home. As far solarpunk as I can reasonably go, without biting off more than I can chew as someone who's kinda limp-wristed. In a gay way and a feeble way. I figure this will come down to solar panels, water filtration, a well, and a garden (or at least the space to have gardening stuff like pots and soil). Some chickens would be nice too, but I don't know that I'd ever take on livestock proper.

I want to be properly submerged in trees without being more than a 5 minute bike ride from a train station. Somwhere like Yase-Hieizanguchi Station in north Kyoto is a good example of station that's on the edge of a metropolitan area and the forest. There was an apartment there I almost got, but backed out when covid hit cuz I decided moving across town would be a whack decision.

This is a BONUS goal, but I think it'd also be nice to not compromise on a single location, and instead have a home out in the inaka, while also having a small apartment rented in the city I can go between whenever I need to. In a world where I can afford a plot of land out in the country, but would still need to travel into town for business, that would be nice. Though in that scenario I'd likely need to also take on the arduous task of getting a Japanese drivers license. If I know far enough in advance that I want to take this specific route then I could bypass that last one by getting an international license before moving to Japan, but after moving to Japan you're barred from getting an international license.

I couldn't tell you in honesty that I'm a Salt of the Earth, Red Blooded American Farmer in my heart, and in fact I could not WAIT to move away from the farm. I hated that I didn't have a say in living on a farm, and was made to take care of animals. But what I DID enjoy about that life was the stillness. The opportunities of perfect silence. The stars unobstructed by light pollution. The ability to explore. Those things I was incredibly grateful for. And as such, in my perfect world, I would like to live on something like a farm again one day, just on my own terms.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Last night they were acting Moliere in Fourteenth Street; Dickens was being played through the auspices of Nigel Playfair. Further uptown, George M. Cohan was unveiling the latest George M. Cohan musical comedy. But Broadway, being eternally curious, turned out in greatest numbers at the Biltmore Theater in Forty-Seventh Street, where the result of Mae West's latest encounter with the drama was being performed. This was the exhibit—play is not precisely the word—with a vaudeville background, whose preliminary trip through the Bronx and Queens had been followed by rumors that here was something that might arouse the police to action.

So began the review by an unnamed theater critic for the Times on October 2, 1928. It appeared, not in the arts section, but following a front-page story about the police ... taking action.

The play was Pleasure Man, a reworking by Mae West of her earlier play The Drag. It dealt not with vaudeville, as the critic said, but burlesque, and finished with a lavish drag ball.

Cops were stationed at all theater exits and just as the play was ending, reserves surrounded the front. When the cast tried to leave, they were arrested—56 in all, including West, who also acted in the show.

Of course this attracted audience members (some in evening dress, the Times noted) from other theaters nearby. The presence of cabs and other cars waiting to pick up theater-goers and actors added to the chaos.

Flashlights exploded as news photographers tried to capture the actors being led into paddy wagons. The police had to make five trips to get everyone to the station house on 47th St., where they were charged with indecency.

By 2:30 in the morning, Actors Equity posted bail. West's was $500, which may have been more than the others because she was doubly guilty, having written the play as well as acted in it. The producer, director, and theater staff were not arrested.

For some reason, the cops let the next day's matinee start, but raided it halfway through and arrested everyone once more. They had their own theatrical flair.

The trial wasn't held until April of 1930, and resulted in a hung jury. By that time West was a star, having triumphed in another play of her own called Diamond Lil. The next year she went to Hollywood.

Top photo: J.D. Doyle via Digital Transgender Archive Second photo: NY Daily News

[hiskillingjar]

Heeey if ur down maybe

Strade x reader...but it's like a hitch hiker situation it's like 3 am and he picks them up off the side of the road yadda yadda their phone is dead maybe some awkward small talk (I can imagine th asking if he wants to play I spy or something)

Anyway I'm getting off track we all know hitch hiking is dangerous we've all heard horror stories of girls hitch hiking and then she's found in a ditch chopped into a billion pieces we all know this so does reader...so they keep asking if he's gonna kill them every five minutes...they're weirdly into it too

Sorry it's so long and just rambling I got off track I just really love strade

haughhhh this prompt haunted me and i just had to fill it. not totally what you asked for but. like. same vibe ya know?

3200+ words, cw for like. the lead up to actual noncon, i love strade most when he's evil and sexy and condescending sorryyyyyy. also crossposted on ao3 because i like having my longer fics there

"Hey, buddy, climb in!"

When the large, black SUV slid to a stop beside the road’s dirt path, you could have cheered. 

You had been walking for what felt like hours after getting off the bus at its last stop, your thumb raised high beside you in hopes of someone pitying you and stopping to pick you up. Had this stranger not stopped, you might have considered calling it quits and sitting in the cold to wait it out until morning rather than exhausting yourself with the walk.

Thank god you didn’t have to worry about that.

"Hey! Thanks for pulling over!" You beamed brightly and politely, as you climbed into the front of the stranger's truck, running a hand through your messy hair and dusting your boots off before you got comfortable in the expensive-looking car. "I really appreciate it, man, I've been standing there for, like, an hour now."

His own smile widened, dimpling handsome smile lines and crinkling his golden eyes. You had no idea what a guy like this was doing travelling on the highway at three in the morning, but you were sure that he would say the same about you, so didn’t think much about your wondering.

"Oh no, that sucks.” He said with a sympathetic click of his tongue. “Here, let me help you with that, you must be exhausted after such a tough night."

The friendly attitude remained as he reached out for your backpack, showing off muscular (albeit slightly scarred) arms and tan skin. You smiled appreciatively, all the same, as he took your backpack and tossed it into the back seat of the truck, before starting the engine back up with a twist of the keys in the ignition.

"Yeah, uh, I accidentally rode the bus to the end of the line and...yeah, the last stop was a little over two miles away?" You said, buckling your seatbelt as he pulled off the dirt path and continued down the road. "It's a total ghost town there, and I have no charge on my phone either. I really thought I'd be walking all night."

His smile shifted into a more sympathetic expression before it went to the road ahead of him.

"Ah, I feel you on the phone thing, it really sucks when your battery decides to die on you when you need it most.” He replied, both hands on the wheel, as he let the speed of the truck climb back up to the naturally higher speed of a highway drive. “No charge, huh? What a shame."

You nodded, unsure of what else to say.

"So, what's in the backpack?” He asked after barely a beat, and you got a sense that he wasn’t one to stay in silence for long. You didn’t mind the opportunity for small talk though, not really, even if it was late at night and…you mostly just wanted to get some rest. “You a tourist, or..."

"Yeah, kind of a tourist." You nodded with a little smile. "Um, I'm trying to get to Toronto, actually. I know that's pretty far, so no pressure to get me there,” You chuckled awkwardly. “But I think there's a bus station nearby, a few towns over? I was just gonna stay there tonight and get another ticket in the morning."

He nodded along as you spoke, an attentive audience member, like he was listening to you in place of late-night talk radio or music.

"Oh, so you've got quite the journey ahead, huh?" He peered towards you out of the corner of his eye when you nodded in response to his question. 

"Mmhmm, it’s still another day or so of travel,” You said with a shrug and a little nod. “So, um, I didn't get your name?"

"Ah, right, yeah, I forgot to tell you."

He took his eyes off the road for a moment to smile at you.

"Name's Strade,” No last name. Makes sense, you probably wouldn’t have told him your last name, either. “And you are...?"

You smiled back and told him your name.

"And, um,” You tittered a little coyly. “You know, I’m just trying to make small talk here, but I'm noticing a bit of an accent there...not Canadian, huh?"

He laughed, a friendly and warm chuckle that put you at ease, despite your less-than-ideal situation.

"Haha, you're good.” He said, sounding genuinely impressed. “Yeah, not Canadian. German, actually. I’ve been living here for, ah…” He sucked a hiss in through his teeth and tilted his head in thought. “A while. Just never managed to shake the accent, I guess."

"No, that's super cool. I’ve always thought Germany was an interesting place" You nodded with a bit more of a smile. "I've never been there, or anywhere in Europe or anything, but I've always wanted to."

"Oh yeah?” He hummed thoughtfully, still smiling. “You should definitely visit, it's great...I mean, yeah..." He peered out his window as he turned onto a new road, though you hadn’t seen where the illuminated sign was leading him. "The people...the cities...you know…” He continued, his words trailing off and his tone sounding distracted as he drove. “Germany's great...beautiful country...definitely worth the visit."

"Mm," You nodded. "Sounds nice."

After another long moment of silence (with you staring out the window, not seeing much other than fields and woods, and him focusing on driving and looking more and more put off by the quiet), he cleared his throat and reached up with one hand to rub his stubbly (and scarred) chin. 

"Listen…not to be intrusive or anything, I'm just trying to make some small talk,” He placed his hand back on the wheel, though he was still smiling. “But what's a pretty girl like you doing all by themselves, anyway? What, not got a boyfriend to travel with you?"

You let out an uncomfortable laugh, a slight flush coming to your cheeks as you tried to think of an appropriate (and smart) response. 

You knew you should have been...put off, to say the least, by a stranger asking why you were alone in the middle of the night, but...well, he had picked you up in the middle of nowhere, and you kind of owed him for that. Maybe he was just a curious guy.

And…he was pretty hot. Maybe he was just asking so he could make a pass at you.

"Hah, nope, all on my lonesome. But, um," You bit your lip, considering your next words very carefully. If you said something about…meeting people, perhaps, maybe it would have been enough to scare off any darker intentions he might have had with you. "I have friends in the city that I'll be staying with who know I’m coming. So, just need to get there, ya know."

He nodded again, smiling as casually as he had been.

"I see.” He said simply. “So, you must be pretty brave then, huh? Not many girls your age would feel safe travelling and staying in a bus station all alone without any protection, especially not these days."

An idle smirk crossed his lips as he kept his eyes forward, tapping the steering wheel with the pale palms of his hands.

"Lots of weirdos on these roads late at night, ya know?” His golden eyes went to yours then, and you could see they had narrowed just a touch, his eyebrows quirking with a silent challenge, or...threat. “Good thing I found you first, hm?"

"Mmhmm..." You nodded politely, letting out another uncomfortable chuckle. 

"Mhm…” He mimicked. “But, maybe we should change topics, ja? Let's talk about something...a bit more interesting~"

"Interesting?" You looked up at him with a curious blink, watching as he turned the truck again and started down a darker road, surrounded by woods. You still didn’t have a reason to be concerned though…at least, that’s what you were telling yourself. "How do you mean?"

"Oh, you know...a little more personal." He suggested with a shrug of his shoulders, like he was trying to appear more casual. "How old are you?"

"Oh, I'm twenty," You replied, raising a brow. "Yeah, second year of college, actually. I'm on spring break."

"Really?" He said, raising his own brows with pseudo-surprise. "Wow, I'm almost double that....way to make me feel like a creepy old man picking up a vulnerable girl on the side of the road, hah."

"Hah," You chuckled awkwardly, a slight flush coming to your face as you chewed the inside of your cheek. You’d read countless horror stories about this situation, and yet, when you were sitting in it, you still couldn’t help but be a little charmed by him and his self-deprecation. "Y-Yeah, sorry...um, I don't think you're creepy, though. I actually really appreciate it. I would have been stuck there all night, if you hadn't picked me up." You smiled. “Thank you.”

"Aw, how sweet," He crooned, taking one hand from the steering wheel and placing it on your bare thigh, making your breath hitch tightly. Denim shorts had been a fine choice when you dressed that morning, but a far stupider one at three in the morning, it seemed. "You really are very gracious, aren't you?"

"Mm..." You dug your teeth into your bottom lip as his hand roamed further up your thigh, calloused skin against smooth, goose-pimpled flesh.

"But, ah, graciousness can only get you so far in this world, right?" He said after a beat of silence, his voice taking on a lower tone as he looked towards you, pulling the truck to the side of the road and…slowing it to a stop.

"Huh?"

You didn't expect (though maybe you should have, considering all the hints he had been dropping) for him to stop the car, and you suddenly felt a lot more scared to be in a strange truck, in a strange country, with a strange man.

"If you're too grateful,” He murmurs, taking the keys out of the ignition. “Some people can take advantage. And why wouldn't they."

Your polite (albeit tight) smile dropped and you swallowed tightly, as you saw him pocket his keys and turn to you, those golden eyes that had once been so inviting narrowed and sinister, as the hand on your thigh crawled further and further up.

"It's late at night, we're all alone, you’re in some…stranger’s truck,” He cut himself off with a chuckle and a shake of his head, like he was chiding you. “And who knows what someone could do to you."

Now that the car was stopped, he was able to lean in a little closer to you, the hand on your thigh ascending to your hip.

“Helpless, right?”

"Ah..." 

You let out a little whimper, swallowing tightly as he pressed himself even closer towards you, sliding a knee under himself so he could push himself forward, over the wide console of the truck. 

You were so stupid. 

Your pocket knife, your only means of protection while you were on the road, was in your backpack, of all places, which was in his back seat…where he had thrown it. Somehow, though, you had a sense that even if you did have a weapon of some kind, some sort of defence against him, it probably wouldn't have done anything to stop him, anyway. 

The predatory glint that had always been in his eyes, looking back on the encounter retroactively, became a whole lot less concealed, as he reached up and idly pushed a thick chunk of your hair behind your ear, almost like he was admiring you innocently. His mouth tilted into a mocking smile and his tone became lower and even more lecherous.

"Twenty,” He said, like he was reminiscing. “Just twenty years old and doing this all by yourself. So young...and so pretty too.” He leaned a little closer, so close you could smell the thick scent of motor oil and sweat lingering on him. “It would be a shame if something happened to a girl like you..."

He let out a small chuckle, keeping his gaze locked on yours as his hand shifted from your hip and down to his side.

Your eyes followed it almost instantly. You didn't know what he was doing, but you knew that it couldn’t be good.

Strade noticed your gaze too, raising his brows and giving you a smile that he had practised so many times before, one that was supposed to settle a nervous spirit, a fretting hostage. He shifted his hand to the side, making it seem as if he was just casually adjusting himself, when, in fact, he was hiding something else, something much darker and more sinister altogether.

"Were you not scared...of a stranger like me, picking you up in the middle of the night?" He tilted his head, considering you closely like you were a new specimen for examination.

“Strade,” You mumbled softly, your eyes flitting to the side to try and spot your backpack. “Come on…let’s not do this.”

"Now, now...don't be so frightened.” He said, with almost the start of a hurt pout to his lips. Why was that enough to make you feel bad? “I don't mean you any harm at all, but you still haven't answered my question..."

He pressed even closer, his fingers suddenly trailing down your neck as his stubbly cheek grazed yours.

“Were you not scared?”

"I...didn't think I needed to be scared," You mumbled quietly, taking in a slow breath and feeling like your skin was prickling with nerves each time he pressed close to you.

"Why's that, hmm...don't you think it's dangerous to be alone at night?"

His staring eyes met yours, spanning up and down your face, like he was trying to take in every detail of you, each freckle, wrinkle and pore, before…

"Don't you think it's dangerous...to be alone...with...me..."

"NGH!" 

You let out a shrill grunt as he quickly pressed his body entirely against yours, climbing over the console of the truck and pinning you down to the seat. You attempted to quickly unbuckle your seatbelt and reach for the car door on the passenger side, gripping fingers scrambling for the handle as you heaved with his added weight on top of you.

"Oh no no no…” He chided lightly, sitting back as he straddled your hips and reached down in his jacket pocket. "Don't think you're getting away from me now, fraulein, not when I’ve just gotten you where I want you."

Your eyes widened when you saw him pull out a long bowie knife, hidden in plain sight, all this time. It wasn't even in a sheath to protect it.

"Please," You pleaded quietly, as he slid the knife up your front and severed the seat belt like hot metal through butter. "Please, Strade, please, let me go. I-I have friends, I'm going somewhere, you know that, they'll know I'm gone, they’ll know." You babbled erratically, every part of you trembling.

Strade just laughed, using the cut seatbelt as a makeshift rope to tie your trembling wrists to the car seat headrest above you (you had sunk down enough in the seat to get away from him that it was high up now).

You didn’t even try to fight him off that hard.

"Aww...you're still so hopeful, aren't you?"

His grin broadened, laced with malice as he watched the terror build in your eyes indulgently, like your fear was enough to sustain him.

"Do you actually think someone's going to come and save you...little college girl on her spring break, hm?” He asked, shaking his head further with a condescending little chuckle, before leaning in, his breathing heavy and ragged and excited. “No, I don’t think I’m going to let you go, fraulein…not when I have you right where I want you.”

"Please," You whimpered, your lip trembling as the first sting of tears began to bead in your eyes. "Don't kill me, please..."

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. Don't worry."

You took in a shaky gasp as he raised the knife to your throat, immediately stilling when you felt the sharp edge of polished metal dig into your skin.

"I'm just going to have a bit of fun with you, that's all. That’s why you let me pick you up, isn’t it?" He pressed the knife down a little harder against your throat, leaning in even closer, thee bridge of his nose nestling against your jaw as you felt the sting of the blade. "You wanted someone to have fun with you, just like this..."

"Please don't hurt me...I-I'll do whatever you want," You murmured, tears spilling down your cheeks, trying not to move or struggle or shake too much and…encourage the knife to slip. “Please, please, please…”

"Aw, are you begging?" Strade’s grin widened even more, as he laughed at you, cruelly, meanly. “You really just get cuter and cuter the more you speak. I almost can’t stand it.”

You whimpered again as he raised his head to look at you, his face close enough to yours that he could have kissed you (if he wanted to), his tongue slipping out and licking his lips, and his breath heavy on your neck as his laugh trailed off into a low chuckle.

"Maybe I want to keep pretty things like you around...take my time with you, perhaps?” He mused softly, dragging the knife to a point and pressing it to the bottom of your chin. “Or maybe…I just want to do something with that pretty mouth of yours, hm?"

You gulped and squeezed your eyes shut, revolted by what you were about to say.

"Yes," You whispered, trembling a little more and pulling at the seatbelt that was binding you. "Do…a-anything you want to me. Just...please, please don't hurt me..."

He pulled back from you for a moment, raising his dark brows in a questioning look…like he was wondering if you were being truthful with him.

"Hmph. I know your type, you know. You'd say anything right now."

His expression shifted to one of mocking disappointment as he sighed, the knife moving slightly downwards and pressing into the hollow of your bobbing throat, as he studied your face.

"Do you really mean that? Or are you just trying to survive, eh?"

"I-I mean it," You stammered, pulling at the seatbelt again and swallowing hard, trying to sit up straight. "Anything. I'll...I'll even like it, too. I won't fight or scream or..." You sniffled, trying to shed the last of your tears. "Or cry."

"Really?” He gave you a doubtful smirk as he slid the knife downwards, easily cutting through the buttoned collar of your shirt. “You don't even know me, and you'd let me do whatever I want? With that pretty…” He enunciated each word by cutting away the buttons of your shirt, exposing more of your chest, your sternum, and your stomach. “Little,” Another button gone. “Mouth." Another.

“Yes. Anything.”

Once your shirt was completely open (showing your ratty sports bra), he lightly pressed the point of the knife against your breast, like it was about to be punctured. 

"And you'll like it?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Yes," You sniffled again. "Just...don't hurt me."

"You promise~?” 

He lilted airily in your ear as the knife trailed over to the band between your bra cups, severing it without a modicum of effort and revealing even more of your chest as he peeled away each flap of fabric with the point of his knife.

You bit your lip when he let out an appreciative whistle at the sight of your bare chest, the buds of your nipples erect and perky in the cool air of the night, the silver piercings glinting in the dark.

"Nice tits," He commented with a snicker. "I'm surprised someone else didn't pick you up first with a rack like that." His lecherous dirty talk was enough to make you blush and look away. "Maybe you should have been a little more...open with them, hm?" "Strade-"

“Mm, no apprehension, please.” He chided, poking one of the piercings with the point of the knife and bringing his face close to yours. “We’re going to have fun, and you’re going to smile and say ‘thank you’ the entire time...no looking away or playing shy, now.” He pressed the point of the knife to the bud of your nipple then, his golden eyes locked on yours as it dug deeper and deeper. “Understood?”

You took in an unsteady gasp as a delicate bead of blood spilled down your breast, and looked up at him quickly.

He wasn't fucking around with you.

“U-Understand!" You said quickly, a rictus grin of pleasure coming to your face, the air cool on your tear-streaked face. Thank you~”

“Good girl ♡”

[amomentsescape]

A Kind Face

Norman Bates x Reader

Summary: After finding themselves in the middle of nowhere, Reader thinks it's a blessing to stumble upon a motel. And it only helps that behind the counter is a cute, selfless man.

Warnings: A couple of bad words

Word Count: 922

A/N: Do people still read/write for this man? I feel like I haven't seen many fics with him lately. Also I know that the GIF is from Bates Motel, but this could definitely be read with either character of Norman in mind (Psycho or Bates Motel).

It was too late for this.

Driving alone with a low tank of gas in the middle of the night wasn't exactly your smartest idea, and you certainly weren't about to see this through.

You desperately needed to find a place to stop, but it seemed like human life ceased to exist wherever you were currently.

So when you finally spotted a motel sign, you didn't even hesitate to pull over.

It appeared to be pretty empty however, and there was a moment where you worried that this place was desolate.

But it was worth a try.

And even if this area was abandoned, at least you had a little bit of shelter to figure out your next course of action.

You grabbed some of your things and stepped into the lobby, only to see that the lights were on. However, you didn't notice anyone up at the front desk.

You walked around a bit, surveying the area.

It was honestly well kept. Things were tidy, the floor and chairs were free of dust, and the air smelled a bit like fresh flowers.

"There could be worse places..." you murmured.

"I do my best."

You about jumped out of your skin.

You spun back around to the counter to see a man standing behind it, a friendly smile gracing his features.

"S-sorry!" you spat out. "The place is really nice. I just didn't see anyone outside and..."

He let out a soft laugh at this. "We don't get many customers here."

You nodded. "I mean, there isn't much out there. I haven't seen another car in miles."

You met his gaze and felt your face grow warm. The man before you had very gentle features, and something about his gaze made your chest flutter. He was cute.

"Um, is there a gas station nearby?" you asked.

His smile fell a bit. "Uh, no. Unfortunately the nearest one is a good eight miles or so from here."

You frowned. There was no way your car was going to make that journey. You had been riding with the gauge pointed at "E" for at least 10 minutes.

"And even then," he continued, "no gas station around here would be open this late."

Of course.

You decided to weigh your options. Continue driving on an empty tank until your car inevitably breaks down in the middle of nowhere or get a room in this motel run by a cute man? Easy choice.

"How much is it for one night?" you questioned.

He smiled again. "Free of charge for you."

Your eyes widened. "Oh no, I wouldn't feel right staying here without paying."

"No, please. I insist. I can take you to the gas station in the morning as well, since I'm assuming your car is low?"

You nodded. "If you insist, then sure. And thank you."

You both shared a smile at this, his face starting to grow a pink hue. He quickly broke his gaze and looked down.

"Oh, here."

Norman turned around and grabbed a key from the wall. You noticed that all of the keys were still hung up.

He handed it to you and you thanked him, seeing that the key had the big number 2 on its tag.

"Is there someone in room 1?" you asked.

His eyes glanced over to the key dangling on its hook behind him before turning back to meet your eyes.

"Uh, no. It's just... there's a leak unfortunately."

You nodded at him. "Well, I really appreciate this..."

"Norman," he answered.

"Thank you, Norman. I'm (Y/N)."

"(Y/N)," he repeated back, his smile widening.

---

You honestly slept quite well that night. You were surprised to find the room perfectly clean when you went in, and seeing the sight of the large bed made you plop into it immediately. You went to sleep that night with Norman's sweet smile on your mind.

In the morning, you greeted the man at the counter, handing him the room key back.

"Thank you again," you spoke.

"No worries."

You grinned. "I'm just gonna go check on my car really quick."

He nodded in understanding as you exited the lobby, hoping that maybe your gas gauge was just a bit off last night.

But when you tried to start your car, the engine wouldn't even turn over. It was like the battery was completely dead.

"The hell?" you whispered to yourself.

"Is everything alright?"

You jumped a bit at the sound of Norman's voice, letting out a breath.

"M-my car, it won't start. I think there's something wrong with the battery?" your voice was laced with concern.

He sighed. "It's Saturday morning, so you won't be able to get a hold of a mechanic until Monday."

You groaned. You didn't know anything about cars and by the looks of it, Norman didn't either.

"You can stay here until then, if you want," he suggested. "It would be free of charge, of course."

You looked at him as you tried to make a decision. It was only a couple of days, and Norman seemed like a nice guy. It wasn't like you had much else of an option anyways.

"Sure, if that's okay with you."

"Of course!"

His voice was so pleasant.

There was no way you would have even suspected him of messing with your car in the middle of the night. Why would he? It wasn't like he was already enamored with you and desired to have you stay with him just a couple days longer.

Or more.

[thebisexualdogdad]

Hmm, hi, I would like to make a request and what if the black cat/Felicia Hardy had a boyfriend who was like, El Diablo from Suicide Squad. (Of course, if you want)

Felicia Hardy x Male!reader

*Tati Gabrielle used as fancast*

● you met Felicia when you attempted to steal her Lamborghini

● “nice try handsome but no one steals my ride” she says strutting up to you in her black cat suit after robbing a jewelry store nearby

● “you're the black cat��� you say instantly recognizing her

● “and judging by your tattoos you're the one they call El Diablo and I could actually use your help on a job”

● that job included stealing a dozen imported cars from their shipping containers at the port which you then set on fire with your powers and she promised you a third of what she would be paid from her buyer

● and even better than the money you ended up hooking up after a successful heist

● a couple days later she gets a call from you

● “can't get enough of me huh?”

● “I know you stole my watch Felicia”

● “Guess you'll just have to come get it back from me hot stuff, that is if you can catch me”

● “if you wanted to see me again all you had to do was ask”

● “What would be the fun in that?”

● Felicia's nickname for you is lover boy

● she will tease you by calling you that in front of your crew who have become very accustomed to her being around

● they make fun of you for being so whipped for her

● “you don't even know what that woman can do with a whip, they may call me the devil in the streets but Felicia Hardy is a devil in the sheets”

● she loves tracing your tattoos with her fingers while you lay in bed together

● and telling each other stories of the best crimes you've committed

● you work a lot of jobs together

● and Felicia enjoys making you watch her get hit on by guys at bars you're about to rob blind

● and sometimes the plan includes you making a scene and trying to fight the guy “hitting on your girl” while Felicia gets whatever it is you guys were there for

● she finds it so hot knowing the jealousy is low key real and results in you fooling around in an alley behind the bar/club/wherever the heist is taking place

● there was one incident where a guy got way too handsy with her and you actually beat the shit out of him and set his car on fire

● another time spiderman was able to actually have you arrested

● but Felicia sauntered into the police station with a bag full of money for your bail

● “Y/N such a bad boy you know I'm the only one allowed to put you in handcuffs”

● you smirk at the cops on your way out knowing the charges they have on you won't stick “better luck next time boys and give spiderman my regards”

● you know about Felicia and Spidermans dating history

● you still can't believe she dated a superhero

● sometimes you set fires around the city just to put him to work

● “Felicia can you please tell your pyromaniac boyfriend to stop setting fires for no reason?”

● “sorry spidey but no can do, you're lucky I talked him down from setting you on fire”

● you and Felicia go on plenty of lavish vacations

● and of course committing crimes while abroad

● in your apartment you guys proudly display some of your favorite scores including a priceless painting you stole while in France

● for a little change of pace Felicia was somehow able to convince you to go on a snowy weekend getaway in the mountains

● you're not a fan of the cold

● but you were definitely able to keep each other warm that weekend

[somedaylazysomeday]

Matter of Perspective - Part Four

Carrillo doesn't let your late night at the office interrupt your dinner plans.

Horacio Carrillo x fem!reader

Rating: Explicit. Minors, do not interact.

Word Count: 3,800

Warnings: Mentions of danger, minor awkwardness, oral sex (fem receiving), reader is a NERD, and sexual content.

Previous | Masterlist

---

It was nearly nine when you finished with the open files on your desk. 

Okay, ‘finished’ was a bit optimistic. You had managed to tame the pile down to something that was possible to achieve during the following work day. It was a start, and you felt much more relaxed as you shut off the small desk lamp, gathered your belongings, and started toward the door. 

The bus system in Bogotá wasn’t bad, all things considered. It was even fairly safe. Ironically, Pablo Escobar himself was part of the reason. He had made some changes to the system as part of his effort to win over the working class, and it had worked. Buses ran regularly, charged a standard minimum fare, and were well-lit with a policy of no harassment. 

Of course, coming from the DEA and going to DEA housing wasn’t safe since there was a bounty on every DEA agent’s head, but if you walked a few blocks from headquarters and then a few more to your apartment, it was manageable. 

Normally, you caught a ride with some coworkers who lived in a nearby neighborhood, but they had left on time and you had waved off their offers to come back later for you. You could always call a cab… though honestly, that would probably be more expensive and just as dangerous. 

Your brain itched as you stepped into the lobby of the building, and you were already turning when the figure to your left spoke. “Finally finished?” 

The shriek you let out echoed in the lobby, prolonging your embarrassment as you stared at Carrillo’s chest. He was chuckling, you could hear it, but you still wished you could melt into the floor. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked, trying (and failing) to act like you hadn’t just been scared out of your wits. 

“I wanted to make sure you left the building before midnight,” Carrillo told you, still smirking. “And to see if I could take you home.” 

“You didn’t have to do that,” you told him, though you couldn’t help but be happy about the chance to spend more time together. 

“How else would you get home?” he asked, and there was a note in his tone that reminded you why Carrillo had been brought back to Colombia when things were at their bleakest. Your attention snapped to his face and found him giving you a stern look. “If I find out you’ve been riding the bus, cariña…”

“I haven’t,” you assured him, feeling defensive when he cast you a doubtful look. “I haven’t! I mean, I was going to, but I didn’t.” 

“Is that supposed to be better?” Carrillo asked. 

“I was going to be careful.” 

“We both know that you're not the one I was worried about.” He sighed, motioning you to the door. “Let’s get you home.” 

Being in Carrillo’s car was an utterly new experience. It wasn’t anything special, but it was in good shape and ruthlessly clean. He had graciously not pointed out that you knew which was his without being told - how could you help that you had been in the parking lot when he drove in to work one day? - and you hadn’t mentioned it, either. 

The radio was turned to a local station, playing quietly in the background. It was almost drowned out entirely by the rush of air whipping past the open windows, and occasional street lights tossed rectangles of buttery light over the interior of the car. You did your best not to stare at Carrillo, but the way that light illuminated the strength of his jaw and the curve of his neck? It was nothing short of hypnotic. 

It was a quiet evening, weather mild. The streets looked almost peaceful as they eased past you in the night. It was difficult to believe the bloodshed and violence they had seen. Perhaps it was good that the short drive took place with silence between you and Carrillo. You needed the chance to decompress and he didn’t seem bothered by the lack of conversation. 

You used all of your willpower to hold back a smart comment when you noted that Carrillo hadn’t needed directions from you to arrive at your apartment building. 

“Thank you for driving me. I really appreciate it.” You were out of the car before you had managed to gather enough courage to ask, “Do you want to come inside?” 

The confused look he gave you made your skin crawl with dismay… until he turned off the car and got out. “I thought that was the plan? For us to have dinner together?”

“Oh, I- yeah…” You shifted uncomfortably. “I really don’t keep much around the apartment. Unless you want a sandwich? Or maybe a granola bar or some ice cream? Or I have these chips that taste like-”

As you had been rambling through the contents of your pantry, Carrillo had gone to his trunk and retrieved a large bag. “I would not ask you to cook for me. I offered, remember?”

“But… I had to work late…” It seemed like an incredibly weak excuse, even more so since Carrillo was standing in front of you with a bag that smelled like it held something delicious. 

“And now you are done,” he said, nodding toward your front door. “If you don’t mind?” 

You scrambled to open the door, holding it so Carrillo could step through before you closed it and turned on a light. Then you mildly panicked because your apartment was messier than you liked and the man you had just decided to have a relationship with was seeing it. 

“Sorry, sorry,” you apologized, hurrying into your small kitchen. “Let me just move some of this stuff out of the way…” 

“I’ll do it,” he offered. “Then I’ll heat this up. You go change… unless you are already comfortable?”

You smiled despite yourself at the discomfort in Carrillo’s expression as he rethought what he had just said. He couldn’t cast too many aspersions on your clothes - he wasn’t in uniform, but a white tee shirt and dark green cargo pants hardly seemed like lounge wear. 

“I’ll be right back,” you told him eventually, enjoying your taste of revenge after he had startled you so badly earlier. 

Carrillo nodded and offered you a small smile. He had already found a deep cooking pot and was emptying one of the containers into it. The sheer domesticity of it made your chest tight as you ducked into your bedroom. 

Normally, you liked to shower after a day at the office - especially a long day - but you were willing to put aside your routine in favor of spending more time with Carrillo. 

Instead, you changed into a pair of soft shorts and a tee shirt, washed your face, and brushed your teeth. You gave yourself a skeptical look in the mirror as you spat out a mouthful of toothpaste. It made no sense to brush your teeth before you ate a meal, but it made you feel less self-conscious, so you considered it worthwhile. 

By the time you came back out of your room, you felt far more human than you had after such a long day. Your timing seemed perfect, too: Carrillo was just setting two bowls on your tiny kitchen table. 

“It smells wonderful,” you told him. “Thank you for this.” 

The coronel was about to grab a plate of rounded pastries when you reached to give him a kiss on the cheek. Before you could pull away, he had lifted his hand, locking you in place with nothing more than a brush of fingertips over the softness of your jaw. The kiss he returned was decidedly not on your cheek, but you didn’t mind in the slightest. 

Instead, you eased into Carrillo’s embrace, winding your arms around him until he had to make a clear effort to extricate himself. “You taste minty.” 

You smiled. “Thanks. I hope that won’t interfere with what we’re eating. I’m starving!” 

“We’re having ajiaco,” Carrillo told you, pulling you to the table and holding your chair steady as you sat. “It’s popular around here.”

The name was familiar - you had seen it on a few menus at local restaurants you had visited. That was the extent of your knowledge, but it looked fairly simple when you swiped your spoon through it. Chicken broth, potato, shredded chicken, and some herbs, along with half of an ear of corn. 

You subtly watched Carrillo, copying him as he added capers and what looked like heavy cream to his bowl. Garlic danced across your tongue when you took your first bite, followed with something that tasted almost like oregano. The capers were an interesting touch, and the cream brought out the potatoes’ subtle flavor. 

“You made this?” you asked. 

Carrillo smiled, and you were glad he wasn’t offended by the surprise in your tone. “Sí. My mother taught me. She would be glad to know her lessons were worth it.”

“Incredibly,” you agreed, taking another bite. “What’s on that plate?” 

He pulled it between your bowls, putting it in easy reach for both of you. “Normally, ajiaco is served with rice, but I didn’t know how long you would be in the office. There is a special place in hell for those who serve mushy rice.” 

Carrillo looked so serious as he delivered that wisdom that you couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I got some arepas instead,” he finished. “These are arepas de queso.”

You eagerly took one when he pushed the plate toward you. Even after so much time spent in Colombia, you had never met an arepa you didn’t like. These were no exception, deep-fried and filled with a mild but flavorful cheese. 

“You’re spoiling me, Horacio,” you told him, struggling not to speak with food in your mouth. 

“Consider it one of the many ways I will make up for treating you so badly before.” 

You set down your spoon, letting it clatter against the side of the bowl to draw his attention. “I already told you that you have nothing to apologize for, nothing to make up for. You’ve been put in a position where you need to be defensive and suspicious of people to survive. So, please, don’t feel like you owe me anything.” 

“Perhaps it is a convenient excuse to show that I care,” he suggested, capturing your hand so he could press a kiss against the back of your knuckles. 

“That’s entirely justified, then.” Your sense of satisfaction only increased as you fished the corncob out of your soup and took a deliciously messy bite. 

Companionable silence reigned as you both ate. When you eventually leaned back with a satisfied sigh, you asked, “What do you think the odds are that Peña will be able to keep his mouth shut about us?” 

“Reasonably good, I would guess,” Carrillo replied with a shrug. 

“Really?” you asked, brows furrowing at him. “You must have a higher opinion of his abilities than I do.”

“When it is a matter of safety or security, Peña is a very serious man.” 

The idea of it made you sober, losing some of the quiet joy brought on by spending time with Carrillo. The food sat more heavily in your stomach. Pablo Escobar not only knew who Horacio Carrillo was, but feared him. And what Escobar feared, he did his best to kill.

“I don’t like the idea of Escobar hunting you,” you told Carrillo honestly. 

It wasn’t a particularly profound statement, but Carrillo nodded gravely. “I understand, cariña. I feel the same way when I think of you.” 

“He doesn’t know who I am,” you argued. “That’s hardly the same thing.” 

“Escobar may not know who you are now,” Carrillo countered, voice gentle. “But if he finds out that I care for you, you will be in just as much danger as me. Maybe more.” 

“I knew that was a risk when I came to Colombia.” You smiled at him, covering his hand with your own. “But let’s just agree to keep things quiet between us. Then we’ll never have to worry about it.” 

That wasn’t realistic, not remotely feasible, but Carrillo just returned your smile. Sometimes, a platitude and an unrealistic estimation of danger was what you needed to continue living your life. Besides, if you had to choose between the two, you would still want to be with Carrillo. You were in danger either way, and he made you happy. 

You caught a sudden glimpse of the future, your mind kicking out a theory of the way things would work out: these issues weren’t going away, and you wouldn’t be able to pretend for long that they weren’t important. Eventually, you would need to face them head-on and figure out a way to deal with the risks, or you would part ways. 

But neither of those needed to happen today. 

Pushing away your own tendency to fixate on what could go wrong, you leaned toward Carrillo, hoping he would mirror you. He did, and the resulting kiss was everything you wanted: warmth, tenderness, and an edge of heat that took your breath away. 

“Did you know,” you murmured between brushes of your lips against his, “that I have a bedroom?” 

“A bedroom?” Carrillo asked, eyes giving a playful sparkle. “I had no idea. I may not believe you. I think you’ll need to show me.” 

“I can do that,” you agreed, giving a final, savoring kiss before you stood. Carrillo’s fingers laced through yours as you pulled him eagerly toward your bedroom. 

You didn’t bother with the lights, but you couldn’t prevent yourself from stealing another kiss… And pulling off his shirt since you were already stopped. While you were at it, you remembered something you hadn’t gotten to do last time, so you gave Carrillo’s ass a healthy squeeze. He startled a bit at the contact, but deepened the kiss with a helpless groan. 

His revenge came swift and silent as one large hand rose to cup your breast, thumb stroking over the exact place where your nipple was tightening for him. Your back arched automatically, pushing further into his touch. 

Carrillo urged your arms upward and took your tee shirt off with a smooth motion. Since you hadn’t bothered with a bra, you were exposed from the waist up. His hands seemed to be everywhere, matched by his mouth as he took advantage of the skin he had bared. You staggered back a step at a time, Carrillo shadowing your every move until you realized he was herding you toward the bed. 

Somewhere along the way, you lost the rest of your clothes and he lost his. He was just as beautiful as you remembered - tan skin dusted with dark hair and marked with occasional scars. Muscles shifted under his skin as he moved, but nothing showy or intimidating. Carrillo was muscular as a side effect of being a healthy and active person, not because he spent precious hours in the gym. He was already hard, glistening at the tip and bobbing slightly with every step.

When you finally collapsed onto the soft surface, Carrillo didn’t follow you. Instead, he stood at the edge of the bed, looming over you. You leaned up, resting back on your elbows as you tilted your head at him. “Horacio? What are- Ah!”

In a single, smooth motion, the coronel had lowered himself to his knees and pulled you to the edge of the bed. Your legs had parted automatically around him and you found him watching you over the peaks and valleys of your body. His eyes were dark and hungry, his face hovering only inches above where you throbbed for him.

“Do you want this, querida?” Carrillo asked. His voice was as anticipatory as his expression, but he didn’t move. “Is this something you object to?”

You had already started frantically nodding in answer to his first question by the time the second made it through the fog of arousal clouding your mind. Carrillo drew his hands away and sat back, pausing only when you made a dismayed sound. “Horacio, please. Yes, I want this. No, I don’t object to it. And I think I’m going to explode if you don’t touch me soon.”

The slow, self-satisfied curl of his lips made you fill with warmth in several places, but most notably inside your ribcage and in your core. And the fact that the smirk stayed even as he parted your thighs and pressed himself slowly between them?

Delicious. 

That was the only word in your mind as Carrillo started lowering his head to you, then even that disappeared in the blast of sensation. His tongue trailed upward, exploring you from the bottom of your slit to the top of it, dipping shallowly into your core as if he was hinting at things to come. 

“Fuck, cariña,” he growled. He hadn’t pulled very far away from you, and the rumbled of his voice buzzed pleasantly through you. “Keep making those noises for me.” 

Ridiculously, it was only then that you realized the pleasure was pushing a variety of noises from your lips. Since he clearly wasn’t bothered by them, you let them pour from you. His lips made you moan, his tongue made you plead, and the feeling of his stubble against your most sensitive places made you writhe. And when he applied gentle suction against your clit, your mouth fell open in a silent gasp that strained the hinges of your jaw. 

You sat up with a groan that sounded alarmingly close to a whine, pushing him away. 

“What is wrong?” he asked, gaze searching your face for clues in the shadowed twilight of the room. 

“I’m gonna come if you keep doing that,” you told him. The bluntness of it made you feel like you should be embarrassed, but who had the time? You were sitting in front of him, folds swollen and shining with a combination of your wetness and his. 

Carrillo lifted his face further, and your core clenched when you saw that the shine across his lips trailed down to his chin. “I am willing to risk it.”

“No,” you refused, and he instantly stilled. “I want you inside of me. Please… I want you so badly…”

He didn’t move, not until you leaned back and spread your thighs a little further apart. Whether it was your request or the sight of what he had done to you, Carrillo seemed spurred into action. He had wiped his mouth and crawled onto the mattress before you could properly recognize that he was moving, but you eagerly kissed him the moment he was in range. The taste of you was strong in his mouth, but it was only another part of kissing him. 

Carrillo held himself on his hands above you, eyes roaming hungrily over your body. Yours were doing the same thing to him, so it was thrilling to know that he was just as entranced by you as you were by him. 

“Hey,” you said, using your best sultry bedroom voice. “Wanna see a magic trick?” 

He gave you an inscrutable look for longer than was really comfortable, but eventually said, “Have I forgotten to speak English? Or did you just offer to show me a magic trick while we’re in your bed together?”

“Tah dah,” you finished weakly, holding up the condom.

“I just watched you pull that out from under your pillow,” Carrillo told you, though you could see how hard he was fighting a smile. 

“Why would I keep condoms under my pillow?” you countered. “That doesn’t make sense.” 

Wisely, Carrillo didn’t respond to that except by taking the condom in exchange for another kiss. In moments, his practiced motions had concluded and he was braced over you again. The tip of him was lined up with your entrance and you were nearly trembling with anticipation as he pressed slowly into you. 

He couldn’t have had much more than his head inside of you when he lowered himself carefully, capturing your lips as you moaned your frustration. That moan turned abruptly into a shout as he speared into you, and Carrillo swallowed the sound directly from your mouth. 

When he pulled back, he looked almost as dazed as you felt. “You’re so perfect for me, querida. So tight for me, and sweeter than anything.” 

Without the incentive of his lips against yours, your head tipped back against the sheets. “Horacio, I- need you to move. You feel so good… Need more. I-”

Carrillo took your request to heart, picking up a pounding rhythm that had you bouncing with the force of his thrusts. The thickness of him inside of you was both a shock and a joy to your nerves. You felt like he was splitting you open, but in a way that made your lungs burn and your toes curl. 

Your hands clutched at his back, massaging the bunched muscles of his shoulders as he held himself steady over you. Then your touch drifted downward, appreciating the way those muscles shifted and moved more rapidly as you got closer to his hips. With that pace, you were surprised he wasn’t exhausted already. 

Granted, all of those thoughts and sensations seemed distant, hidden behind the surge of sensation that exploded through you every time he plunged into your body once more. Your breathing was stuttering, your fingers spasming against the taut skin of Carrillo’s back. 

“Are you close?” he asked. The fact that his hoarse voice in your ear was nearly enough to push you over the edge made you nod, the motion frantic. “Touch yourself for me, cariña. Need to feel you around me.”

“Horacio,” you stammered, half protesting even as your fingers snaked between his body and yours. The very millisecond your fingertips pressed against your clit, you were gone. Your muscles contracted, clenching around Carrillo’s length inside of you, your fingers pressing ever harder as your brain hijacked your autonomy to chase deeper pleasure than you thought you could stand. 

Unsurprisingly, your orgasm pushed Carrillo over the edge. His hips snapped against yours, hard enough that it would have been painful if it weren’t for the endorphins currently flooding your system. You could feel him spasming inside of you as he spilled into the condom and your hips tilted automatically, pulling a helpless sound of pleasure from him.

You would never tell him so, but you were pretty sure that sound extended your orgasm a little longer than it would have lasted otherwise. 

When both of you were finally slack in the aftermath of your pleasure, Carrillo withdrew himself from you and collapsed nearby. You couldn’t help but remember the way he had sought out contact after your last time together, and you searched along the sheets until you found his hand. His fingers intertwined eagerly with yours. 

Carrillo held your hand until he decided to wriggle his way closer, stopping only when you could curl around each other without any space between you.

---

Author's Note - Yet another fic I may continue someday. If I do, you'll find a link at the top of this post. Or, if you prefer AO3, you can find me there under username InkSplots.

Thanks for reading!

[dailyreverie]

Please may I have gas station with Santiago from your prompts? Seems.like the kinda place he'd frequent 🤣

Thank youuu x

Thank you so much for requesting 🥰 I hope you like it!

Night drive

Gas Station September prompt list

Pairing: Santiago Garcia x fem. reader

Word count: 1.2k

Santiago knew the little gas station store by heart, but that didn’t stop him from walking through every aisle, filling one hand with snacks while the other held a couple of beer cans, preparing himself for a night of watching the highlights of that afternoon’s game. A regular Sunday night for Santiago, at his usual spot after his drive, except this time, since the usually chatty clerk was too distracted by whatever was going on outside.

“What’s going on out there?” His groceries landed on the counter as he reached for the wallet in his back pocket. “Hey, Luis,” Santi snapped to get the man’s attention, who turned to look at him with a laugh.

“That poor girl outside,” His thick Spanish accent finally greeted him. “She’s been there for ages trying to turn back on her car.” Santi was the one who got distracted now, his neck almost snapping when he took a double look, realizing who that girl was. “Pretty sure she’s about to have a panic attack.”

“Ah, shit!” Santiago threw his card onto the counter and rushed out with his packed groceries in hand, not before shouting one last thing. “Charge whatever she owes, too.”

Santi had met you a day after you moved into the neighborhood when you showed up at his door, asking him if he happened to have a screwdriver since yours was lost with the move. He found the courage to ask for your number when you went to give it back that same afternoon, but he was never brave enough to use it, only developing a maddening crush on his cute neighbor for weeks on end.

Now there you were, on the verge of breaking down the same way your car did, leaning against the open hood trying to figure out what to do. Your sundress was the only reminder that summer was still somewhere around, hidden behind the moon and the fresh night breeze that made your skirt dance. Santi approached you carefully, not wanting to startle you - in a gas station at an ungodly hour, of all places. He hoped his heavy footsteps were enough, but he couldn’t tell, your shivering shoulders were all he could see.

“Hey!” He called, immediately regretting it when he saw you tensing, but then you turned around, cautiously, clearly not knowing what to expect. “It’s- it’s me.” Santi confirmed when he saw the tension leave your body, showing his hands in surrender, his voice wavering around the words.

“Hey, hi,” you stuttered, 

“Santiago-”

“I know, yeah, Santiago-”

“Your neighbor.” You both rambled, your voices interloping each other until you reached a moment of silence, only being joined by the nearby cicadas. “Are you alright?” The sigh you let out was enough of an answer for him.

“No. Not really. I was at a friend’s house, y’know, enjoying the sun, which is why I’m wearing a dress I’m not insane.” He grinned a little at your ramblings, at the justification of your current outfit. He couldn’t help himself, he was no better than a teenager with a crush. “Everything was fine, the car was fine, and all of a sudden it just-” Santiago had begun approaching you as you started recounting your night, dangling his purchase from one hand to another to take his jacket off and hand it to you. That simple action interrupted your story, making you look from his hands to his face; he insisted, shaking it slightly towards you again. You whispered a quick thanks as you reached for it, your eyes taking a quick look at his making him smile to himself.

“All of a sudden it shut down?” He resumed the story where you left off.

“In the middle of the night, right next to a murderous gas station.” You joked, making Santi let out a laugh from his nostrils. You had already slipped your hands into the sleeves of his jacket when he looked from the car to you again, the sight enough to make his heart thump loudly against his chest.

“Do you want me to… uhm… check?” He signaled to the general area of your car. His hands were shaking, and he wasn’t sure if it was the chill night or the nerves to be talking to you again.

“Be my guest.” You stepped aside, giving up on the broken machine. 

“It’s not murderous. The gas station, I mean.” He answered your previous concern. “Luis at the store is alright, and there’s a few drivers who come by every night, they look sketchy but they’re good.” Santi shot you a smile, easing you before taking your spot overlooking the hood of your card. He really wished he knew more about cars than his basic, army-standard Jeep mechanics knowledge. Your little hatchback had him in the blank, checking the oil and antifreeze knowing damn well that could not be the problem.

“Do you come here every night?” You stood next to him, watching his every move. Your question didn’t come without a judging little laugh.

“I drive at night. Keeps me busy.” He turned some knobs letting out the smoke, absentmindedly answering you.

“That explains why I always hear you coming home so late.” From the corner of his eye he saw you shivering, your legs moving back and forth to keep you warm, all while he was making himself look like he knew what he was doing just to impress you.

“Are you spying on me?” Santi laughed.

“Your engine is loud as hell.” You joined his laugh, the sound of it making his heart race a little. “I thought you kept having dates every night.”

“If you want to call Luis a date…” You chuckle made him smile too. Maybe he couldn’t fix your car, but at least he was able to turn your night around. “Well, I have good news and bad news.” Santi dusted off his hands, meeting you eye to eye. “The bad news is you need a mechanic, I know a guy but he probably won’t answer on a Sunday night.”

“Great,” You shivered, the frustration oozing from your words. “What’s the good news?”

“The good news is that I have a perfectly functioning car just filled with gas, and I happen to live right next to you.”

“Thank you, Santiago.” Your frown turned to relief.

“Santi,” He corrected, sharing a quick smile with you, and began to guide you to his car.

“Well, Santi, at least let me pay for your beers. I already took half an hour of your night.”

Santi could say yes, accept your thanks, and be even with you, but as he closed your door and walked over to the driver’s side, he had a better idea: “We could do that, or I could finally use that number you gave me and take you out for dinner.”

“Did you break my car on purpose?” 

“Maybe I did.” Santi laughed. How much he loved doing that when it was thanks to you. “Does that change your answer?”

You shook your head, laughing too, the headlights of the passing cars mixing with the heat on your cheeks. “Thursday night. But I might forget, you might need to call to remind me.” He smiled at your teasing, quickly turning to look at you only to find you already looking at him.

“Trust me, I’ll call.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Thanks for reading! Please reblog and comment if you enjoyed this story.

[cathode-raygirl]

Salvation for a Broken Bot Chapter 2: Reconstruction

4MB-3R wakes up to find a pretty girl repairing it, but that’s not the only surprise in store for it

You don’t technically need to have read chapter 1 but there’s a link to it here

This chapter is also sfw, I was expecting to get to the nsfw parts but I ended up focusing on exploring gender and characterisation instead. Next time >:3 (Even though its sfw, 18+ only because i WILL take this in an nsfw route)

If you have any questions or feedback feel free to comment or send me an ask!

4MB-3R-0069196 awoke suddenly with no sense of sight, hearing, or even control of its limbs. Completely alone with its thoughts, desperately wondering what was going on and how it got like this.

It began by running a simple diagnostics check, discovering to its horror that almost all of its major components had either failed, or were seemingly no longer connected. Perhaps there had been some kind of accident. A car crash? But then it wouldn’t be awake right now. Not only that, it seemed like it was currently running on a different power supply unit to normal. 

4MB-3R checked its recent logs and memories. Nothing of note there. Seems like it had been called to a meeting with Miss Clayton (An honour!!!!!) and…. Whatever had happened to it then had disabled its ability to save memories to disk.

After a few minutes of contemplation, it felt a strange sensation. It almost felt like… Something touching its face? But according to the diagnostics checks it no longer *had* a face. Then suddenly it felt something connecting to it and… Vision!

4MB-3R scanned its surroundings. It appeared to be inside a workshop. Or rather… A living room that had been converted into a workshop. Several large shelves full of various parts lined the walls of this peculiar room, while tools and cables lay strewn across the carpeted floor. Directly in front of 4MB-3R’s field of vision, a large mirror was propped up against the wall. Looking through it, the android could see what it assumed was its body. 

The delicate silicon panels had been removed from its frame, exposing the bare metal chassis underneath. Instead of being connected to an official Ashdown charging station, a long, thick cable connected 4MB-3R to a standard wall socket. Strangest of all, its head seemed to have been replaced by a television, which was currently displaying several question marks against a black background. A webcam was mounted on top of the television, which 4MB-3R assumed was what was providing it with its new sense of vision.

A human approached 4MB-3R, carrying a small metal cube. She looked like she was in her mid twenties, and had a pretty, freckled face, with pink hair, which was currently tied up into a bun. She was wearing a long, black shirt with a drawing of a cat on it, and seemingly nothing else. 

She’s beautiful, 4MB-3R thought to itself, staring at her intently through the webcam. To its horror, it noticed that the television attached to its body now displayed those words. Could it be… displaying its thoughts? 

The girl moved the webcam onto the table, making sure to angle it so that 4MB-3R could see what she was doing, and carefully tipped the television onto its side. Reaching into the innards of the device, she began rummaging around until she found a long, red cable. She blew on the connector, which caused 4MB-3R to feel a tingling sensation, and plugged it into the box she had carried into the room. After a second, 4MB-3R could suddenly hear again!

The whirring of fans, the sounds of the girl screwing the speaker into the tv, the woman’s gentle breathing, the sound of traffic in the distance, the rain outside against the glass of a nearby window, it all came rushing into her sensors at once, almost overwhelming her but not quite.

The girl seemed to notice this, and stroked the screen tenderly. 

“Don’t worry, you’re doing so well for me! I know this must be super scary for you” said the girl in a tender voice while stroking the screen, clearly noticing 4MB-3R’s anxiety. Her touch felt good, yet despite this the android wondered how it could possibly feel someone’s touch through a sheet of solid glass. Was it due to the static electricity? 

The girl set the television back on the correct side. “You must have a lot of questions right now! I know I would. I’m going to try and find a vocal synthesiser for you, but in the meantime I can read what’s on your screen. What’s your name? Mine is Rose”

That’s such a pretty name, 4MB-3R thought, before realising its every thought was being broadcasted for Rose to see. 

“Oh thank you!!!” Rose said, beaming “I chose it myself”

What is my name, 4MB-3R wondered. It had always been referred to as its serial number, 4MB-3R-0069196, or simply as “the bot”. Did it even want a name? 4MB-3R is fine, it thought at last, underlining the name several times on the screen.

“How is that pronounced?” 

It’d probably be easier to tell you once you find a vocal synthesiser, 4MB-3R thought, before suddenly freaking out over how impatient that sounded.

“Don’t worry about that! I can’t imagine how weird it probably feels for you right now” 

Rose stood up and began inspecting a nearby shelf. “I’m sure there’s one here somewhere… Although it.. You might not like it. It’s quite extreme.” 

4MB-3R wondered to itself how a voice could possibly sound extreme, as Rose fished the box from a bucket on one of the lower shelves. It was the size of her thumb, and was made of a frosted, pink plastic. 

Rose tilted the television on its side again, and began poking around. This time she had forgotten to move the webcam aside in her excitement, so 4MB-3R had no idea what she was doing in there.

“This might feel a bit weird at first” she said at last, and plugged the box into the bot’s motherboard. “Try and focus on saying something simple. Like your name”

“H-heLLO. M-my name is 4MB-3R” it stuttered out. The voice was…. Definitely extreme. It was high pitched, robotic, and the speakers in the television had definitely seen better days. But most importantly of all, it had a strong feminine feeling to it.

“Sorry about that. I salvaged it from a kids toy, I know it’s not great. I can try and buy a new one tomorrow!” 

“No it’s… I like it! It has personality to it. My old voice just felt dull and boring. This feels right to me.” 4MB-3R replied, as its screen became covered in pink hearts again.

“Well as long as you’re okay with it, that’s fine by me,” Rose replied, sifting through a box of tools and retrieving a screwdriver, “I just kindof assumed you’d hate it since you look like you’re one of the androgynous models”

“Well I…” 4MB-3R stopped talking almost as soon as it started, struggling to put its thoughts into words. As delivery drivers, the 4MB units had been designed to look as androgynous and unremarkable as possible. 4MB-3R had often found itself envying the slender, feminine frames of the 4NN units that were responsible for interacting with the mostly male customer base. Was it just jealous of the attention they got or… was there something else to it? 

“I think I prefer feminine”, 4MB-3R said at last

“Well… I need to replace the plating on your chassis anyway so… What if I made you look more feminine, too?”

The fans within 4MB-3R’s head began whirring with excitement. At Ashdown, any modification was banned, even something as simple as putting sitckers on your panels. The thought of being able to do body modification, something that 4MB-3R wouldn’t consider even in its wildest dreams, filled it with an indescribably joy.

“I’d love that more than anything in the world”, 4MB-3R said at last, her screen filling with pink hearts once again.

[graciedragonet23]

Hola Hola todos!! Gracie here again! In a random burst of motivation, I thought what would Lightning McQueen look like if he was in FNAF and boom this was created! I based Lightning's designs on the IRL Lightning McQueen animatronic from Disney world in Hollywood Studios and the withered animatronics from FNAF 2 and Security Breach Ruin.

I made two designs for Lightning, the first one being if he was in proper working condition and the second being if he was left to rot and withered for many years. You guys could let me know which one is your favorite!

Little lore about FNAF universe Lightning:

* Lightning McQueen is an animatronic race car who loves children.

* He is located in Disneyland California Adventure in Cars Land along with his best friend Tow Mater and his protege Cruz Ramirez.

* He is known to do meet-and-greets in front of his girlfriend's office at the Cozy Cone Motel.

* He tends to take children on little joyrides around a small race track where other children and guests can race him in their own go-karts. Of course, he doesn't go to his full max speed for safety regulations, but he still loves the thrill and the screams of joy of his guests.

* Lightning is equipped with a real V8 hybrid engine and has the ability to drive around on his own. And he can talk with a voice box built inside. He also has a jaw and teeth to properly speak. Lightning instead of needing to drink gas like in his movies, he instead is electric. He has an electric station for him to be charged at night when the park closes. He regularly gets maintenance checkups and paint job touches. Around holidays or special occasions, Disney's cast members give him and Mater new paint jobs. His eyes is a computer windshield with cameras that give Lightning the ability to see like in the films.

Lore about Withered Lightning:

* After many years without incidents, Lightning slowly becomes unnaturally aggressive and easily angry with guests. To the point, where cast members have to constantly supervise him, in case he becomes aggressive and has to be contained.

* Unfortunately, there have been incidents where Lightning has stepped on a father's feet intentionally after the father disregarded him and disrespected his son. The cast members have become concerned that Lightning might react worse and intentionally try to run someone over. They knew that it was unnatural for Lightning, since Lightning was programmed to be cool and relaxed.

* Several technicians had to come and check on Lightning, in hopes of finding out what was causing Lightning's radical behavior. But unfortunately, they couldn't find an answer or reason.

* After much debate, the Disney higher-ups decided to take Lightning away from the public eye and to be replaced by a remote controlled drive-around life-sized robot version of Lightning. When Lightning found out, he was furious. He nearly attacked a nearby cast member before he was shut down. Lightning was unfortunately scraped and taken apart for parts to be put on a newer animatronic version of Lightning.

* Lightning was locked away in a Disney parts warehouse far away from the parks where other animatronics don't work anymore. He hasn't been turned on, since...until now...

And that is it so far, I haven't really come up with Lightning's full fnaf lore, because I don't want to imagine him attacking and unliving security guards... I will leave it up to the audience to see what could be the reason why Lightning became aggressive in the first place! But that is all for now and I'll see y'all later! Adios!

[snaillamp]

Clash of the Bison Men

“Shit!” Roman hissed, watching the car disappear into the mist. “FUCK!” He yelled, slamming the wheel of the car, panting angrily as he drove back to town. With his spare hand, he grabbed the two-way, pressing the button in hard and his fingernail cut the silicone. “This is Rankin, I lost the car… Returning to the station.” Shae turned to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault Ro… He headed into Buffalo Head, you weren’t going to catch him once hit the forest…” Roman inhaled angrily, “But I had to catch them, Shae! I had to… Dammit!” He punched the wheel, the horn sounding loudly in the forest.

The two cops trudged back into the office. “Hmm.” Miranda greeted them. “Good try Roman. Better luck next time.” All three cops looked grim. They had been trying to find those traffickers for months, and finally had a lead… and Roman had lost them. “You two, first thing tomorrow, go to the Buffalo Head office, talk to Tom and see if he has any motion camera traps. If we can’t tail them, we’re gonna need Tom’s help finding them. He knows that park like the back of his hand.” Miranda looked serious. “We will get these guys. Now go home, get some sleep, y’all look like shit.”

Roman exhaled, walking out the door and slamming it shut. He was pissed. He wanted to get these guys. He had to!

~~

“Ready big guy?” Shae asked, patting Roman’s shoulder. “Phew, you stink, man. You go to the gym or something?” Roman nodded, his hair messy as he ran a hand over it. It was shaved to the skin on both sides, the top longer. Usually, it was neat, slicked back, Miranda was hard on them to look good, to reflect the professionalism she expected. But today, the strands of hair were dangling down, hair in his eyes as he swooped it to the side. He looked liked he hadn’t slept all night.

He looked dead.

He grunted in reply, shoving the car into gear and driving off into town. Buffalo Head was a small town in northern Montana that Shae had moved to after her fiancé had got a job in the mine nearby. It was a sleepy, quaint town, surrounded by mountains and forests, along with the great Buffalo Head National Park. It was a famously beautiful park full of lots of hiking trails and rock climbing activities, and apparently also human traffickers…

Pulling up, the two officers trudged into the office, walking up a ridiculous amount of stairs to get the the reception. “Jesus…” Shae panted. The young officer was new to town, had only been around a few months, she had yet to experience the grand staircase of the old town hall turned Buffalo Head National Park Headquarters.

A young girl looked up from her desk, greeting the two officers. “Roman.” She smiled, standing up. “What can do you two for?” Roman sighed, rubbing his face. “Hey, Case… Tom ‘round?”

The young girl, Casey shook her head. “Long service leave. Cam’s in charge, I’ll get him!” She smiled cheerfully, whirling around to go get ‘Cam’.

Shae waited in interest as she watched Roman shuffle awkwardly, sniffing his boot on the ground. He all of a sudden looked a little timid, as he cleared his throat nervously.

Casey returned with a guy, tall, Asian and honestly, kinda cute, at least to Shae. He had cute curtain bangs, like a K-pop idol she liked. He was smiling brightly until he locked eyes with Roman. The smile disappeared in seconds, replaced with a dark scowl.

“What do you want?” He spat, walking up to Roman, his chest puffed up. The ranger was at least a head taller than Shae’s partner, who was decently tall, at least by her short standards, but this guy must be what… 6’2, maybe even ‘3? Roman met Cam’s eyes and puffed up his own chest.

“Cameron.”

“Roman.” The tension in the air was tense as the two men stared each other down, only for Roman to break first. Cameron leaned back, crossing his arms, seemingly satisfied with his win. “Can we go to your office? This is official business, on behalf of Sheriff Weston.” Roman spoke quickly, clenching his jaw as Cameron inhaled, making his already big chest bigger. “Fine.” He indicated with his head, letting the two deputies follow him.

The tall man walked into an office, sitting behind a large, honestly quite grand oak desk, folding his hands over themselves and tilting his head, waiting expectantly. “Uh…” Shae began, not knowing how to navigate the tension in the room. She had seen Roman angry before, he was always angry, but it was only now he seemed to have met his match. “So…. I’m Deputy Shae Mackroe, and I take it you know my partner Deputy Rankin…” She trailed off awkwardly as both men shot her a glance.

“Um. So! We are doing an investigation, on umm… some suspects… who we tracked into Buffalo Head last night. Ummm….” She sighed, the staring from both guys was starting to really get to her. Steeling herself, she swallowed, putting her face into serious cop mode and stepping toward the desk. “We need to know two things, m’kay? One, where is the best place to hide in that park, and second, do you happen to have any motion camera traps that we can check, see if we can track them?” She smiled politely at the ranger, who leaned back in his chair, thinking. “What road?”

“Uhhhh…” Shae looked to Roman. “The dirt one?” Cameron made a strange face, like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “They’re all dirt roads…” He pointed out, looking to Roman. “The one heading toward Glacier Pass.” The second cop added, as Cameron nodded, logging into his computer.

“Redfeather road…. Let me see what I can find…” He mumbled, logging into his computer. Despite the tension with Roman, he seemed to be cooperating quite well. “Yeah, there’s like two… I’ll check ‘em for you, email the results over.” Shae excitedly pulled out her card, handing it to the ranger and thanking him, Roman mumbling a thank you as well and earning a cold glare from Cameron.

As they left the building, Shae looked up at Roman, who seemed to be in even worse of a mood. “What was that about?” She asked, curiosity dripping in her voice as they slid back into the car. “Nothing.” Roman answered quickly, turning on the car and revving the engine loudly as Shae opened her mouth to ask another question. She got the message, smirking to herself all the way back to the station.

~~

Cameron stalked back to his office, sighing as he went through the mountains of pictures. The cameras were triggered when anything moved in front of it, and the last few days had been pretty windy, so there was plenty of random grass pictures, and one of a lynx, which was good. Eventually, he copied the images all into an email, trying to send them to Deputy Mackroe, only for a message to pop up.

This file is too large. Please select a smaller size.

Cameron groaned, his head slowly sinking to the desk. He head butted it gently, moaning in annoyance, before finding a spare USB stick and copying all the files onto it. As he walked into the office, Casey looked up, curious. “Hey Cam! So I was wondering what that was about. You and that cop were toe to toe, it looked like you were going to rip his head off!” She giggled a little. Inhaling deeply, Cameron rolled his eyes.

“He’s just a cop, and like every other cop, he’s got a massive ego and superiority complex, and I… don't like cops.” He finished, as he walked from the office, beginning the slog down the stairs to his car. He was gonna go to Rose’s bakery first, get a pastry and iced coffee, then deliver the USB. It could wait, his gaffing cravings couldn’t.

~~

Roman was pacing the office, waiting for the email to arrive anxiously. “Has he sent it yet?” He asked again. Shae sat back in her chair, exasperated. “Roman, I woulda’ told you if it came. The answer is the same as when you asked 2 minutes ago.” Roman huffed again, this time leaning against the wall of the office, puffing up his chest and crossing his arms. Shae rolled her eyes, a classic Roman Rankin ‘tantrum’. She hadn't been working with him long, but was becoming well acquainted with them.

Instead of throwing a fit, the deputy would get all huffy and grouchy- well grouchier than normal and usually end up shadow boxing or doing pushups. Shae supposed that was a better way to get energy out than punching a hole in the wall, pushing over a filing cabinet, or something, but behind those big, brown eyes was a very cranky boy.

“Has it-” Roman began, as Cameron walked into the station. “What are you doing here?” Roman snapped immediately. Cameron raised his eyebrows slowly, raising his hand, USB in full view, as he slowly began turning around. “Well I was gonna give you this USB, but if you don’t want it…”

He began walking through the door, only for Roman to shout, “Wait!” and grab his wrist. Both men looked down at the connection, confused. They stood frozen for a second, glancing up and making brief eye contact with each other, before quickly breaking it again, awkwardly jumping apart. “Uh, I mean, umm… I do want the files.” Roman stammered, Cameron raising an eyebrow with a smirk. “You do want the files, hmm?” Roman nodded, holding his hand out for them. “Yes.”

Cameron’s smirk only grew, “You want the files… What?” Roman frowned, “Umm, now.” He insisted, hand still waiting for the USB. Cameron made an expectant face, waiting for him to clue in, but Roman just lunged for the USB instead. However, the taller man raised his arm, holding it just out of Roman’s reach. “What do you saaaay?” Cameron teased meanly.

Roman scowled, looking down and mumbling a plea. “Please can the USB…” Cameron cupped his ear, leaning toward Roman. “What?” Roman went red. “Please, give me the USB Cameron…” He asked, Cameron finally relenting and giving him the USB. “Hope it helps your investigation, Cowboy.” Roman’s jaw tightened at the demeaning nickname, his cheeks going a slight shade of pink. He looked at the USB in his hand as Shae began to chuckle. “What?” Roman grunted, pushing past Shae and going to the laptop.

“That was cute.” She teased, ruffling Roman’s hair, much to his chagrin. “Shae…” He whined, annoyed. “I like him.” She continued, “He’s funny.” Roman blushed again, thinking about how he’d grabbed Cameron’s wrist… he had felt something… strange shift in him. It was nothing. Just… stress.

“Awww, you’re bluuuuuushing!” Shae teased. Roman ignored her, plugging in the USB and opening it, only to yell, slamming the desk. “SON OF A BITCH!”

Shae stopped her teasing and grimaced slightly. Cam had given them every single picture of the last week, thousands of photos, mostly that of waving grass. “Roman!” Miranda snapped at him from her office, pointing at the chair. “What the hell are you doing?! Grow up and do your job!” Roman deflated, looking at the ground, cheeks burning as he muttered, “Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.”

The rest of the day, they trawled through photo after photo until Shae jumped up, squealing. “What…” Roman mumbled, rubbing his dry eyes. “LOOK!” Shae ripped Roman from his seat before he could react. He yelped, tumbling to the ground, before grabbing Shae’s desk and pulling himself up with a grunt. “What?” He sighed, watching as Shae pointed at a blurry grey image. A large blade of grass had set the camera off, but in the the corner of the picture, there was a car. The car.

“Holy fuckin’ shit…” Roman breathed. “Where is that camera, it doesn’t look like it’s that close to the road?” Shae shrugged, “We’ll have to ask Cam,” she sighed as she glanced at her watch. “Uhhh, tomorrow… He’d be asleep. It’s 11:30 pm, Ro.”Roman sighed, yawning and nodding. “Yeah… See ya tomorrow.” The two officers left the office, but Roman was anxious. He looked out into the night as he drove home, careful for deer and maybe even someone jumping out into the road, looking for help… or for trouble.

Stumbling into his small, shitty apartment, he staggered around in the dark, not bothering with the light switch. He got read for bed, brushing his teeth and showering, but as he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, he thought about the poor people that were being trafficked. He was making progress finding them, but it wasn’t fast enough… He wasn’t good enough… Grabbing his phone, he looked at it, groaning in annoyance.

3:15 am

He just couldn’t sleep.

Instead, he decided to occupy his mind, thinking about Cam and how to get back at him tomorrow, when they both went in to ask him where the trap was. He could saunter in, tough and macho… No… That wouldn’t work.

Maybe he could comment on the ranger’s appearance. How fluffy his hair looked, or how goofy his big smile was.

How it lit up his face, a sunshine smile…

And how warm and soft his skin was and his wrist fitted in Roman’s hand weirdly well…

Groaning at how dumb and stupid and annoying Cameron was, Roman shook his head, clearing his strange, sleep deprived thoughts and rolled onto his front, smooshing his face into the pillow. Eventually he fell asleep, his mind vaguely dreaming about tracking human traffickers and hiking through the forest… Cam wasn’t even there. Why would he be? Roman couldn’t stand him. ‘Wait, am I thinking while I dream?’

A loud blaring, grating beep went off, waking Roman who moaned pathetically. He didn't want to get out of bed, he was tired ad it was so warm and soft and comfy… Peeling open his eyes, he sighed… Time for fucking work…

~~

Cameron yawned as his alarm went off, easing out of bed and going to the kitchen. Cady was there, making him breakfast already. She had decided to move in after the storm, helping the ranger while he recovered from his leg injury and got the house fixed. She had basically adopted him after that, doting on him like a mother would, and it made Cameron happy.

The older woman placed a massive plate of cheesy, scrambled eggs in front of the young man, who beamed and began to dig in hungrily. After breakfast, he rushed around the house, getting ready. “Cady? Have you seen a uniform shirt?” He yelled from his bedroom. The ranger had torn apart his cupboard looking for it, and was now running around like a shirtless chicken with its’ head cut off trying to find it. Cady yelled from the bathroom, “Lounge room Cam! I ironed them all yesterday, they were all crinkled!”

Smirking, Cameron walked to the lounge room, finding a pile of neatly folded clothes, and his uniform. “Thanks Cady!” He yelled back, shrugging it on and buttoning it quickly.

Soon he was driving down the long, scenic road, admiring the trees and the way the sunlight danced through them… The morning was perfect. He smiled happily as he pulled into a spot next to Rose’s cafe, walking in and seeing a slightly dishevelled looking Deputy Roman Rankin. He was hunched over the counter, waiting for his coffee, looking honestly… terrible.

Cameron’s smile faltered a bit. Sure, he wasn’t a fan of the guy, but… seeing him like this made Cameron concerned. Roman had always looked after his appearance, the fact this case was getting to him so hard was making Cameron uncomfortable, he didn’t want the guy getting hurt, especially if he started running around his national park looking for mysterious cars.

Nodding politely, Cameron brushed past Roman, who had just been handed his coffee. He thanked the woman behind the counter, Rose, and stalked out. “What’s his problem?” Rose muttered, equally concerned. Cameron shrugged, as he held out his reusable travel mug. “Honestly, even if I did care, I’d have no idea.” He sighed, “One medium iced latte, Miss Rose, and the usual.” Rose nodded, making the drink, rattling off the local gossip to Cameron, who laughed, accepting the cup back and paying.

“I assume I’m keeping the change?” She asked, as Cameron nodded, smiling brightly again. “Have a beautiful day, my lovely!” The woman replied, waving as Cameron left the store.

By the time he got to the office, Roman and his partner, Shae were already there, waiting in his office. Roman looked slightly more awake, and seemingly slicked his hair back, his shirt now a bit more neatly tucked in and 5 o’clock shadow shaved away. He must have been roused on by his boss, who was famous around town for keeping her officers looking spick and span.

“Morn’ officer! Roman.” Cameron greeted Shae cheerfully, before flatly acknowledging the other officer’s existence. He finished his coffee, waving them into his office and sitting down. “So, what can I do ya for?” Roman placed a printed picture on his desk. “We need to know where this camera is.”

Cameron squinted, picking it up and looking. “Uhhhh, hang on do you have the file name? I can’t tell and the printing blew it up and stuff, it's all grainy.” Shae nodded, pulling out her note pad, before muttering, “See, I told you.” through gritted teeth. Roman however, had his eyes fixed of Cameron, or rather the buttons on his shirt. He smirked, snorting slightly.

“What?” Cameron asked, his face looking annoyed at the officer’s rudeness. “Your buttons aren’t done right.” Roman pointed out coldly. Looking down, Cameron nodded. “Huh, you’re right.” Cameron cackled inwardly as he leaned back in his chair and he pulled his shirt out from his belt, unbuttoning the buttons until his hands were half way up his torso. He reached the misplaced button, fixing it and re-doing them all again, slowly. Cameron glanced up at Roman, who looked away, slightly embarrassed. ‘Has all that rock climbing has finally paid off? Do I finally have a better six-pack than Roman fucking Rankin?’ Cameron gloated in his mind.

When they had been in high school together, Roman had been adored by all the girls. He had started working out regularly from about the age of 15, rapidly gaining muscle and bragging to his friends about how good his six-pack, muscle mass and BMI was.

Of course, it was all just teenage vanity, now the cop seemed to use his bulk as an intimidation tactic, more so than in high school, and because he was a cop, that was never a good sign. ‘Cops and power go together like water and oil…’ Cameron mused, as he continued his train of thought.

Cameron had been a little string bean in high school, but after he joined the Parks Service, he had quickly gained muscle hiking and started rock climbing on weekends with friends. He even occasionally saw Roman at the gym, even though they deliberately avoided each other where they could.

Cameron did have to admit, Roman had put in a lot of effort into his physique and it looked… good. The fact that he seemed, maybe not emasculated, but at least intimidated by Cameron’s own muscle building attempt made him feel veeeeery good about himself. It was amazing how much vanity was a fantastic work out motivator.

“Uhh, Camera A7-AH-TR.” Shae piped up, breaking Cameron’s thoughts. Nodding, Cameron sighed. “Yeah, okay… Hey, look, that’s off the road a little, pretty much bush land, there’s nothing out there, except an ancient, disused fire trail.” The two officers glanced at each other as Roman nodded. “Well,” Shae began, pointing at the image. “We caught our little suspects going off-roading then.” Cameron looked at the image closer, noticing the blurry car in the picture. It was an old, boxy, white car, like something from the 80’s or something…

“Well, you’re in luck.” Cameron piped up.

“I was going to go up there today, check on the cameras anyway, wanna hitch a ride?” He looked and spoke only to Shae, ignoring Roman’s presence in the room entirely. “You can come in my car. It’ll be a bit less… obvious. And no offence… but you’d drive through that delicate ecosystem… like a cop.” Cameron smiled politely.

“Yeah sounds great!” Shae piped up, looking excited. “Cool, I’ll see you in an hour. And uhh… bring guns and bear spray. There’s Grizzlies ‘round right now, and they’re hungry.”

~~

“Why did you say yes to him?!” Roman snapped at Shae as they got into their car and drove back to the police station. Shae huffed, pulling over. “Okay.” She turned to the deputy.

“What the hell happened between you two? You looked like you both wanted to feed each other to the damn bears!” Roman scowled, folding his arms over his stomach and slouching.

“We went to high school together. Didn’t get along.” Shae raised her eye brows, scoffing. “Oh come on, Roman! You’re lying to a fucking cop, I can sniff out bullshit a mile away! What happened?!” She pleaded.

She was annoyed by the attitude the two men were giving each other, but more of her was just greedily fishing for gossip. “It’s nothing important.” Roman grunted. “Keep driving.”

Shae rolled her eyes, ‘Men.’ she thought. “Hey, maybe you should ask him what he’s mad about, hmm? Fix the relationship?” Roman scoffed. “Shae, there was never a relationship to fix. Besides, what’s done is done and can’t be undone. I don’t even care about it!” Shae shook her head. ‘Yeah, you do, dumbass…’

Shae parked in front of the police station, turning excitedly to Roman, who was gazing out the window. “Right, time to suit up, pardner!” She finger gunned at her colleague, with a bad Southern accent. “Oh shut up.” Roman smirked, shoving her gently to get out of the car.

As he left he thought about Cameron again. That son of a bitch had some how managed to worm his way out of Roman’s honestly pathetic bullying attempt, and he’d gotten ripped... But what freaked Roman out more was the slight tingle in his stomach that he’d felt when he glimpsed Cameron’s naked torso… It was nothing. Just, jealousy because now that fucking skinny dude was on par with him. HIM! Roman FUCKING Rankin! The high school Quarterback. The state champ for athletics. The LAW ENFORCER!

Groaning in annoyance at how Cameron had some how invaded his mind again, Roman went inside, ignoring the slight, ever so tiny tingle of a faint blush dancing over his cheeks…

~~

“Ready Cowboy?” Cameron asked, glancing over at Roman, who had taken the passenger seat beside him. “Don't call me that.” He replied, unimpressed.

Shae looked ecstatic as they set off, looking out the window in awe. “Wow… This is so different to Chicago…” She breathed, looking at the wide open plains and tall mountains in the distance. “Yeah… It’s amazing, huh?” Cameron replied. Roman ignored them, staring out the window instead.

“So why is it called Buffalo Head National Park?” Shae inquired a while later, looking between the seats at Cameron, who’s eyes lit up. “Ahhh, you see….” He began mysteriously.

“It looks like a buffalo head.” Roman muttered flatly, interrupting Cameron.

“Well, that, my friend, is the common misconception.” Roman shot a glare at Cameron, who smiled back, eyes now more… venomous looking. “It’s actually called that because the Blackfoot used to harvest the bison around here. They’d take the heads up there for special ceremonies. Not that they really do that anymore.”

He glanced at Roman, who continued to glare out the window. “Wild bison are hard to find unless you track the herds. At least in Buffalo Head they have a safe place to live normal lives.” Cameron finished, pulling off the main road onto a dirt road. They had been driving though the public part of Buffalo Head for a while, so turning off onto the dirt road was a good sign.

After driving for a while longer, Cameron pulled off onto some grass. He turned to Shae, ignoring Roman and announcing happily, “We’re here! Feel free to trudge around in the grass. Just be careful, we’ve found some bear traps out here recently. I think we’ve got them all, but just be cautious.”

The two cops nodded, as Cameron disappeared off into the grass, doing whatever he was going to do. Roman and Shae began looking for clues, examining tire tracks and rocks, before wandering off down the road to find more clues.

Meanwhile, Cameron was happily wandering through the trees, listening to the birds and examining camera traps. He also checked on the Bald Eagle nest. They had been building it for a few weeks and he was excited to see how many eggs they were going to hatch. Suddenly a stick snapped behind him.

Cameron’s hand instinctively went to the gun on his belt, but when he turned around, all he saw was Roman and Shae, picking their way through the grass. “Hey, so do you know where anyone out here would be able to… say… hide?” Shae chirped, as Cameron frowned. ‘Now what makes you want to know that…?’ His mind flickered as he thought. “Uhhh, there’s some old caves around these parts, why?” The cops looked at each other and then nodded.

“Just wondering.” Roman mumbled.

“Could you show us?” Shae asked again, smiling sweetly. “Sure. I’m just about done here. We’ll have to drive up to Arrowhead trail and then hike though. Shouldn’t take more than… 30 minutes.” Everyone nodded, piling back into the car. “Thanks for showing us all this stuff Cam, you’ve been so helpful.” Shae said as she slid in behind the ranger.

Roman rolled his eyes, of course she was buttering him up. “No problem.” Cameron replied, though he seemed to be a bit short with her now too. He knew they were hiding something. He was glancing over at Roman, who had gone back to grouching out the window.

“I’d rather I drive out here, the roads are narrow and wildlife is everywhere… And no offence, but I don't want you hitting any Black-footed Ferrets or Porcupines. We’ve been working hard to keep them uhh… 3D…” Cameron laughed at his terrible joke.

He wasn’t trying to break the noticeable tension, but he was definitely using humour to cope with his situation. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere with Roman Rankin was bad enough, but now it seemed like they weren’t gonna leave, and the last thing he wanted was them to find evidence that would lead to cops trampling over his brand new pine saplings.

Pulling off onto Arrowhead Trail, they made their way down the steep and rocky terrain, Cameron navigating expertly behind the wheel before he pulled off again. “Welp, this is as far as the car can go, we’re gonna have to do the rest on foot.” He smirked, he was pleased that the cops were going to have to navigate Arrowhead Trail, the trail notorious for it’s steep, rocky terrain.

Looking around while he waited for the deputies to get out of the car, he noticed some squashed grass by the side of the road. “Huh… That’s weird…” He mumbled under his breath. “What’s weird.” Roman asked, shutting the car door quietly. Cameron pointed at the grass, clearly from a car.

“That’s not supposed to be there. Someone is driving off the track. Not only are they damaging the land, this area is dangerous, they shouldn’t be driving off the trails like that. They could go over a cliff edge.”

Roman and Shae looked at each other, sharing a knowing glance. “Let’s check it out.” Roman began, starting to stride into the grass.

“Woooooaaah, hold your horses, Cowboy.” Cameron grabbed Roman’s shoulder. The grip was strong and… kind of nice? Roman shook his head, turning to face the ranger. “What?” He asked, annoyed at the name calling.

Cameron sighed. ‘Typical cop.’ He thought as he grabbed a bag from the back of the car. “First aid kit, flares, map, compass.” He shrugged the pack on. It was an over the shoulder bag, there was probably only a few bandages, a couple of flares, a cheap compass and tiny map inside, but hey, Cam was confident he knew where he was going.

“Well, lead the way, Cowboy.” Roman grimaced at the nickname again.

~~

They hiked through the brush, down into a valley, following the tracks for a while, until they came to a large huckleberry bush. The large SUV had been driven into it, masking it from sight, with large branches, shrubs and leaves stacked against it to hide it more. But it wasn’t any old vehicle… It was the car… The one they had been chasing.

“Motherfuckers…” Cameron sighed in annoyance, as he stepped towards the car. “Wait.” Roman stopped him. “That’s what we’ve been looking for. Don’t contaminate the scene.” Cameron scowled. “Oh, so now you’re concerned about collecting evidence.” He scoffed and walked over to a large rock, examining it, before looking up into the ridges around them.

He couldn’t see much, but he took a deep breath as the two officers carefully picked their way around the car, taking photos and picking up evidence in little bags. It was all packed away very quickly, before Cameron could see.

He was growing more and more worried about what they were looking for… Were criminals living in the park? Were they hiding something? Money? Drugs? Something even worse? “So what is it you guys are even looking for anyway?” Cameron asked before he could stop himself. Shae looked to Roman, who glanced up from his phone, reciting a robotic answer. “It’s a classified case. I can't disclose any information.”

Cameron shrugged. He expected that. “Okay, well let me know when you wanna head back… I’ll just sit here… staring at the ground.” Cameron mumbled. He didn’t end up staring at the ground, that was interesting sure, all the different minerals in the soil and plant species growing at his feet, but he wanted something more… interesting. He watched Roman work, really taking a good look at him for the first time.

He was good looking, hair slicked back and face clean shaven, sharp jawline… the face he made when he was concentrating was kind of cute, his eyebrows would move closer together slightly, and he pouted his bottom lip just a tiny bit. He must have been working out more, because his arms and legs were definitely bigger than a couple years ago. A lot of the guys out here did sport on their days off, gym work outs and rock climbing, though Cameron hadn’t ever seen Roman at the rock climbs he did.

Cameron smirked as he glanced at the officer’s butt. It was... nice. ‘Eww, you think Roman Rankin has a nice ass… Get a grip Cam.’ He scolded himself half-heartedly. It was kinda funny to check out people he didn’t like. People he didn’t like could still be… sorta nice to take in…

Cameron liked people watching on a good day, it was interesting and you could learn a lot about a person by how they looked, and Roman clearly cared about his appearance, both his aesthetic appearance and physique. Glancing over at Shae, Cameron looked at her too. She was quite pretty, short, mousey brown hair tied back in a little stub of a pony tail. She had a cute little freckle or mole or something under her left eye, and under her sleeve, a tattoo. Cameron couldn’t tell what it was, but it looked like come kind of word.

The other thing about her that was obvious, was that she obviously liked jewellery. She had lots of holes in her ears for earrings she obviously couldn’t wear at work, and a few ring tans. She even had a little engagement ring on. ‘Aww, that’s cute.’ Cameron smiled, going back to Roman.

A tiny strand of hair had unstuck itself from the copious amount of hair gel holding his black hair back. It curled a little, the end brushing his right eyebrow, which had a little slit that Roman had defintely shaved himself. His fingers absentmindedly tucked it away, and a slight tingle went down Cameron’s spine. The way his fingers had been so gentle, tucking away the hair… It was hard to believe that that hard, brash, loud, obnoxious, angry, impatient prick could be so soft and…

“Hey, we’re pretty much done here.” Roman sighed, standing up. Cameron blinked, coming back to reality. “Okay, cool… Uhhh, wanna go check out the caves?” Roman and Shae both thought it over, before Roman nodded.

“Sure. Plenty of daylight left in the day, right?” Cameron nodded, beckoning them back up the hills and to the car, before leading them off into the trees on a tiny, barely visible trail.

~~

After walking in the heat of the day for an hour, Roman and Shae both stopped, panting. Cameron was a little sweaty, but he was fine otherwise. “Aww, come on guys, nearly there.” He teased, Roman shooting him a glare. “Aww, brighten up Cowboy.” Cameron teased again, as Roman bristled. “Tell you what, there’s a stream down the ways, you can both go get a drink and-”

Shots rang out, bullets whizzing by Cameron’s head by less than a millimetre. Instinctively, Roman launched himself at the ranger, tackling him to the ground with a grunt, Shae diving out of the way into a bush as the bangs echoed around them.

After they stopped, everyone lay still and quiet for a moment, paralysed with fear. Cameron could feel Roman’s pounding heart in his chest, and he was sure the cop could feel his too. After a second, the deputy shifted, pushing off Cameron a little, their noses almost touching.

“You okay?” He asked, swallowing as he panted. His voice was low and growling, making Cameron’s breath catch in his throat slightly. They stared into each other’s eyes, Cameron marvelling at how shiny and black they were. “Yeah… Thanks…” He breathed, releasing he was panting too.

For a second longer, they two men looked at each other, before Roman blushed a little and pushed up, off Cameron. He brushed himself off awkwardly, Cameron doing the same, as they both ignored each other. Cameron felt his cheeks and ears burning red as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder ad rubbed the back of his head gingerly. Roman’s crash tackle hadn’t left him without a little bump on his head.

Shae crawled out of the bush, pulling a stick from her hair. “You two alright?” She asked, as the two men nodded. They were all still a little in shock. “Okay.” Cameron began firmly. “I don't give a fuck if it’s classified information, what the hell is going soon?” Roman glanced at Shae, who nodded. “Okay… We’ll tell you, but only if we get moving. Know a place with good cover?” Cameron nodded. “Yeah, follow me.” He walked off the path, picking his way through the bushes.

The two deputies prayed he knew what he was doing.

“So. Spill.” Cameron spat, Roman sighing heavily and beginning his story. “We… We’re hunting human traffickers. They’ve kidnapped women, girls, boys… anyone, and ship off somewhere… Canada maybe? We aren’t sure. But one the girls escaped, the girl who said she was a hiker who’d gotten lost a few months ago and turned up in town? She told us the real story. She was afraid if we started hunting them down her family and the others she’d left behind would be hurt. She was from fucking Florida.”

Cameron nodded in surprise. He’d heard vaguely about the so called missing hiker turn up at the local tavern battered and bruised, but hadn’t questioned her story. He had no reason too. He went looking for missing people all the time, people got lost so much in Buffalo Head, but they were usually found in a few hours, if they didn’t flag down a vehicle themself when they stumbled upon a road.

“So what, these traffickers are hiding up in the caves with their victims?” Cameron asked. Roman nodded. “Looks that way. And they don’t seem happy we got close. Shit they’re probably gonna bolt now…” Cameron hummed. “Ya know, if you walk about 5 ish hours that way,” He pointed in a random direction.

“Canadian border. If they’ll go anywhere it’s there.”

Shae hummed in agreement and Roman nodded. It was a logical conclusion. “We need to get back to the car, get to town and alert everyone. The Border Force, Mounties… FBI…” Cameron nodded pressing on, until they heard shouts behind them. The people who had shot at them sounded like they were tracking them. Cameron indicated with his head to follow him off into the trees, and the two cops followed, hoping they would reach the car soon.

~~

The three people stumbled through the bushes, Cameron randomly taking a random turn and going in another direction, before continuing and doing it again. They must have walked for an hour before the ranger finally stopped, panting as he turned around. He fumbled for the compass in his bag, pulling it out and orientating it while Roman and Shae caught their breath.

“This way…” Cameron breathed as he walked off into the trees again. The landscape had become steep and rocky, and soon, they all collapsed under a tree to rest. Roman slid down the large tree trunk, his hand brushing against something soft. Looking down, he watched Cameron’s fingers brush his for a second, before he also looked down and they both quickly pulled away from each other, like it had burned them.

Shae noticed, and slightly shoved Roman over, so that his shoulders were forced to touch Cam’s. He glared at her, but she pouted. “What? I need shade too Rankin.” Cameron scoffed, smirking at the cop, leaning against him slightly to annoy him more. Roman’s heart skipped a beat slightly. He brushed it off.

‘Just adrenaline…’

But their rest was brief, their fear of being followed weighing on their minds, so they carried on. “We will have to climb that ridge, but we will be back at the car soon.” Cameron grunted as he climbed a large rock, reaching down to help Roman up. Roman grabbed it, surprised at the ranger’s strength as he helped haul the guy up the smooth surface, then he helped Shae.

“How did you… climb that thing…? It’s like… smooth as fuck…” She asked, causing Cameron to smirk. “I’ve been a rock climber and boulder since I was a kid. After I finished college I really got into it…” He looked kind of sad for a second, then turned to the ridge, looking at his compass and adjusting it. “You learn to climb flat cliff faces after a while, the grip strength and techniques come through.”

They continued up the ridge, cautious of how visible they were, until they crested it. They were all tired, and it was growing later, the afternoon well and truly set in. Roman glanced at his watch, 2:45 pm. “Hey man, lets pick this up, it’ll be dark in a couple hours.” He said to Cameron, scowling. “Look, man,” Cameron replied. “I am trying my best to get us out of here, but it’s gonna take as long as it takes.” Roman groaned, huffing. “I know, but you need to pick it up, they could all be gone by now.”

Cameron scowled now, turning around. “An’ that’s my fault, huh?”

Roman made a face of disbelief, nodding. “YES! You’re the one who lead us on this round about way to the car-” Cameron fired back instantly. “In case you forgot we were being fucking shot at! I did what I could and I said I’d get you back, I have no control over how long that will take!” The deputy shook his head.

“No, you do! You could’ve lead us straight back to the car instead of a hike through the fucking forest!” Cameron scoffed, “And you think I haven’t been trying my damndest to get you out? I’m just taking you on a little tour? We are being HUNTED Roman!”

Roman was fuming. “Why didn’t you lead us back to it straight away? We could have a thousand officers looking for them right now!”

Cameron sighed, exasperated. “What do you want Roman? We’re only as fast as our slowest person and that is currently you! Quit whining, shut up and walk, we will be there soon!”

“Not soon enough!”

“For God’s sake!” Cameron roared. “If you’re such an expert on the area, you lead us back the quicker way!”

Roman glared at the ranger.

“Thought so.” Cameron spat, turning and leading them over the ridge. “This is just like last time.” He mumbled under his breath, loud enough for both deputies to hear.

“What the fuck did you say?” Roman bristled.

“You know what I said.” Cameron fired back.

“Listen, what happened was a mistake-” Roman started, but Cameron’s eyes flashed.

“YOUR MISTAKE! YOU BLAMED ME WITH NO EVIDENCE! WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT?! AND YOU KNOW WHAT HURT THE MOST? YOU NEVER APOLOGISED FOR FUCKING UP MY LIFE AND MY CAREER! MY OWN FATHER REFUSED TO SPEAK TO ME FOR MONTHS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT I WAS A CRIMINAL! AND YOU JUST WENT ABOUT, LIVING YOUR LIFE LIKE YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG!”

Roman went red, puffing out his chest and squaring up to Cameron. “YOU DON’T THINK I DIDN’T TRY? YOU NEVER CAME TO ME TO LET ME TRY!”

Cameron glared at him. “IT WASN’T MY JOB TO COME TO YOU, GROVELLING FOR AN APOLOGY FOR FUCKING UP MY LIFE! THAT WAS ON YOU TO D-”

“Will both of you shut the fuck up!” Shae yelled, stepping between the two men and pushing them apart. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but there are more important things to worry about right now than your pissing match, grow up for God’s sake! Both of you, your big boy pants on and get drop it!”

Both men went silent as they stared at each other, before following her silently, Cameron leading them onto the final ridge. “I see the car.” Cameron spoke flatly, still seething from the fight. Roman scoffed, “Finally.”

The next thing Roman knew, Cameron yelled and shoved him roughly. Roman staggered, hitting the ground hard and grunting, about to yell at Cameron, only to gasp as he heard a strained cry of pain.

Cameron had his shaking hand pressed over his mouth hard, preventing him from giving away their location. He was as white as a sheet, tears in his eyes as he stood frozen in place, quivering like a leaf, sweat collecting on his skin as he tried to calmly breathe.

~~ Cameron rolled his eyes, turning around to fire back some snarky comment at the cop, only for his eyes to grow wide. Without thinking, he yelled, “Watch out!” and shoved Roman away from the lump of leaves and sticks. He heard the click, feeling the plate go down. His stomach sank as at first nothing happened, then a ripple of horrendous pain shot through his whole body.

He pressed his hand to his mouth quickly, trying to stop himself from crying out and throwing up as he let out a muffled cry, throwing his head back. Roman’s eyes were wide as he looked at Cameron’s leg. The ranger couldn’t bring himself to look yet, if he looked, it would be real… But he had to...

He glanced down at the bear trap clamped around his leg, rusted, sharp teeth sunk thoroughly into the flesh of his right calf. He was numb with pain, his mind empty as he didn’t know what to do. He knew the first aid for this but he couldn’t pull it out of his head… The next moment, something big and warm was beside him. He leaned into it, closing his eyes, only to be shaken awake again.

“Cam. Stay awake.” The deep voice murmured as he slumped against the warm, soft thing… He liked the voice, it vibrated against him in a pleasant way, calming him…

“No, stay awake.” Roman’s voice was clearer now as Cameron felt the ground beneath him. He was gasping for breath as he stared at the blood leaking out of his wounds. He was trying not to hyperventilate, somewhat successfully.

“Get the trap off…” Cameron’s voice shook as he pointed at it. “How?” Shae asked, Roman pushing in to see. “There’s… levers… Push ‘em d-down…” Roman followed the ranger’s instructions, releasing the trap, hearing Cameron gasp in relief.

“Hey, what do we do?” Roman asked, his voice shaking in panic. Cameron blew out a strong breath and fumbled with shaking, tingling fingers at the zip for his bag. Shae tore it from around him and opened it, looking at the contents.

Cameron reached for it, pulling out a small bandage and began to wrap his wound. He wrapped it tighter and tighter, until it seemed to be secure. “Band… Bandage is… is good ’n tight…”

“Can you walk?” Shae asked. Cameron tried to get to his feet, but couldn’t, his injured leg dropping out from under him. Roman swooped in at the last moment, picking Cameron up and carrying him bridal style.

“Heh… I guess… now we’re even…” Cameron mumbled, slightly delirious with pain. “You saved me from being’ shot… ’n I saved your sorry ass… from a bear tr…” Roman jostled him to keep him awake. “Heh… Yeah I guess we are. Listen, man, where do we go?” Cameron pointed up at the ridge, “Up the hill… Should be dow….. the trailll….”

Cameron’s vision was blurring as his memory flashed back to the tree branch impaling him earlier in the year. How much it had hurt… How he’d had to have 3 surgeries to get it fixed…Now he had lost all that progress…

~~

With a moan, Cameron went limp in Roman’s arms. Roman looked down at his pale face, now dangling over Roman’s arm, chin pointed at the sky. His mind went blank as he sprinted up the hill, the heavy, unconscious man suddenly light in his arms as they reached the top. Shae was red and panting as they made it back to the car, Roman diving into the back with Cameron, his hand’s immediately searching the ranger’s pockets for his keys.

Finding them, he threw them at Shae, who caught them, jamming them into the ignition, and throwing the car into reverse. She floored it down the road as Roman held Cameron tight, hoping that they could get out in time, only for the car to jolt suddenly. “Uh, Ro…” Shae whimpered as she stared out the windshield. Roman glanced up and saw a three men in the middle of the road, large rifles pointed at them. They looked at each other, as the men fired into the cabin…

Shae screamed, curling up as Roman hunched over Cameron protectively, as the doors were ripped open and both cops torn out.

“GET ON YOUR KNEES PIGS!” A man screamed, forcing the cops to their knees. “HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!” Roman nodded at Shae, and they obliged. Two of the men rushed forward, taking both of the deputies sidearms and aiming them at their heads. “What about him?” The leader growled.

Roman looked up at them, eyes desperate. “He got hurt in a bear trap, badly. He’s passed out. He won’t be any trouble.” The three men nodded as they forced both cops onto their stomachs and began to tie their arms behind them.

Roman gulped, this was it. They were going to murder them, and probably Cameron, in cold blood. They were going to die like animals.

They were dragged off into the woods by the men, one of them grabbing Cam and throwing him over his shoulder. ‘No…’ Roman thought. “He needs a hospital…’~~

The two cops were dragged up into the rocky caves. The half hour trip felt like an eternity as they followed their captors, being roughly man handled over rocks and into a hole in a cliff. Roman felt sick as Cameron was dropped on the ground, looking pale and not moving. He seemed to be breathing, Roman could only hope that the tourniquet was working.

Shae and Roman Bothe looked up as a rifle was pointed at their heads, before they were forced to their stomachs again. The cave floor was damp, and smelled like wet mud. It was slightly pleasant, all things considered, nice and cool after a couple hours of intense hiking in the afternoon heat.

The two other men began to hogtie them, preventing them from running… or helping Cam. The men hadn’t even bothered tying him up, he looked inches from death anyway. Roman wanted to be near him, make sure he was warm and breathing… this cool floor wouldn’t be doing the ranger any good.

His mind drifted, the teeth hadn’t gone all the way, the rust had stopped it from doing that, but they’d gone in deep enough to make him bleed bad… Willing him to make it through, Roman stared at the man beside him, a few feet away… so close and yet so far…

“We’ll be back, then you and I will have some fun.” One of the men drawled, looking at Shae. Roman growled. “Don’t touch her!” The man cackled. “Ahhh, I know plenty of people who’d like to fuck a pig… But we’ve all gotta test the product ourselves first, gotta know what I’m selling.” He grinned wickedly, walking out of the cave with his two friends. Roman looked at Shae, who looked terrified. “Hey… Look at me. I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?” Shae looked at him and nodded, even though she knew it was a lie. Roman was stuck, he couldn’t do anything to stop the men from touching either of them…

They lay in silence for a while, watching the sun begin to sink lower in the sky. “He okay?” Shae asked, looking at Cameron, who was still lying motionless on the ground. “No…” Roman replied, his voice catching.

“God I’m such an idiot. I should’ve listened to him… They knew we were close to the car, they must have… Shit…” Roman bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry. Shae sighed, wiggling to be closer to Roman, at least a couple of inches closer. She didn’t know what to say.

“What happened between you two?” She asked quietly, hoping it wouldn’t make Roman worse. Roman gazed out at the late afternoon, remembering something with a sigh.

“We were collaborating with the national park for an investigation into a guy growing weed out in Buffalo Head. Cameron found the grove and reported it. Anyway, the guy seemed to realise the jig was up and burned it all, starting a forest fire. I accused Cameron of actually being in on the whole thing, reporting his buddy so he could have the whole crop to himself and setting the fire to burn the evidence when he realised I was onto him.” Shae glanced over at Roman, before going back to the road. “And… did he?” Roman sighed.

“That’s the thing. I accused him on a hunch, and had no evidence to back it up… And he was innocent the whole time. It uhh, nearly ruined his career, and to add insult to injury, he nearly got killed fighting the fire… Which also destroyed a sacred place for the Blackfoot…

He blamed me for it. The site being destroyed also damaged the Blackfoot relationship with the Buffalo Head Rangers too, or at least I heard it did. They were mad that not many resources were put towards saving their… I don’t even know what it was, but that the park office up there had been saved. I don't know about any more of that, but Cameron took it hard.

He’d been instrumental in building that trust and, to him, I destroyed it. He’s hated me ever since, and I just… I never really knew how to apologise. I know I should, but… how do you do that? It’s been 4 years, I left it too long and… I don’t know anymore.”

Shae was silent for a moment, thinking. “I don’t think he wants an apology.”

Roman looked up, confused. “What?” His parter looked at him, smiling softly. “God you’re an idiot… I think he wants you to admit you were wrong. Take accountability for the role you played in the whole thing and give him the closure he needs. That's all he wants, is closure.” Roman sighed, nodding. “I never thought about it like that. “Yeah, cause you don’t think.” Shae laughed. She was nervous, but Roman was impressed how well she was keeping it together.

Minutes later the heard the grunting men return. One was a very thin, sunburnt man with a bad moustache, one a bulkier, more muscular guy with a big red beard and a red baseball cap and the final a slightly fat guy who was balding.

All three seemed to be in a bad mood.

“We need to decide now!” Fat guy said. “I’m not killing a fucking cop!” Sunburn said. “Well I am!” Beard dude said, readying Roman’s side arm. Fat guy shrugged, getting Shae’s sidearm out of his pocket. “Let’s just get it over with. We have to move.” The three men closed in on Roman and Shae, who both gulped.

Roman shuddered, sighing a scared breath as something cold touched the back of his skull. A tear fell from his eye as he tried not to cry, body quivering as a shot rang out. Then another, and another. The sound of three bodies falling filled Roman’s head as he opened one eye.

The three men were lying on the ground, one bullet wound in each of their backs. Craning his head around, he saw Cameron slumped against the wall of the cave, his own side arm drooping in his hand. He pushed up and limped forward, pain screaming through his leg as he opened his pocket knife from his belt, cutting the ties and collapsing to the ground.

“How-” Roman stammered as Cameron grinned. “Adrenaline is one hell of a drug.” He rasped, “Guess we’re double even now… Radio in my car… call for help…”

Shae slung one arm under the ranger, Roman taking the other and helping Cameron limp down the cliffs to the car. They all groaned when they saw the deflated wheels.

~~

Roman sat beside Cameron as Shae used the radio, glancing over to him. It was an agonising hour long wait for for anyone to come and get them from town and Cam was still in a lot of pain. Roman put an arm around him, pulling him close. Cam hissed in pain, but leaned into it. “Okay, I have to know…” He asked. “How long where you unconscious?” Cameron shrugged. “No idea, last thing I remember was the bear trap, then you carrying me… Then I woke up face down in mud. You and Shae were talking about something, I didn’t catch what… I realised they didn’t take my gun and when they were distracted with you I took my shot.”

Roman smiled. “I’m glad you did…” He looked into Cameron’s eyes. They were so dark and… glittery… They were beautiful… He was beautiful…

Their faces drew together slowly, and the next thing either of them knew, their lips touched. It was like an electric shock went through them as they kissed again, harder this time.

Pulling back, they both glanced away, redder than either of them thought they could go, until they heard Shae laugh, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

“I saw that.” She smirked, going back to the radio. Roman went redder still, looking at Cameron for help. Cameron shrugged, leaning against Roman more and sighing. Roman didn’t even notice he had reached out for Cameron’s hand until the ranger took it. Both men blushed as they gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, before Roman awkwardly cleared his throat and glanced away.

They were saved by the ambulance wailing up the road, followed by a long line of police cars, lights and sirens flashing as Shae got out of the car. “I’ll give you two some time to… talk…” She winked mischievously as Roman grimaced. Cameron looked up at him with a tired, pained smile. “I’m gonna need help getting in that ambulance.” He mumbled.

~ 3 months later

“So… I’m sorry, for everything.” Roman looked into his noodles, ashamed. Cameron looked up from his own, nodding. “Thank you, Roman. Really I appreciate that.” He smiled, breaking the seriousness of the topic a little.

He had taken Cameron out to the local Mongolian restaurant, something he’d been planning while Cameron was recovering from his surgery on his leg. Then he’d procrastinated about it for two months until Shae had to basically ask Cameron for him. He had finally apologised for his fuck up four years ago and… a little bit of him was just happy to be with Cameron again.

Since the whole chasing human traffickers through the forest thing, and the kiss...Roman and Cameron had both been thinking about the other more and more… Both knew it was a kinda, sorta, teensy weensy, itty, bitty, slightly a date.

“Your dad’s cooking is really good.” Roman mumbled, stuffing his face with noodles. “Yeah, good choice, taking me out to dinner at my parent’s restaurant, Rankin.” Cameron teased, serving himself more flat bread. “Well it was the only restaurant in town to choose, unless you wanted to drive 2 hours to go to McDonalds.” Roman shot back playfully.

“I’ll get my dad to make you proper Mongolian some time. You’d loooove honinii tolgoi.” Roman looked up, smiling playfully. “Yeah, what is it?” Cameron smirked, “You’ll find out… It involves… mutton.” Roman perked up. “Mutton is good.” Cameron laughed, imagining Roman being confronted with an entire sheep’s head on his plate, skull, eyes and all, and watching him have to eat it.

“Well, let me know when he’s cooking up a storm, proper Mongol food.” Cameron smiled, nodding as they finished and paid for their meals. They walked down the dark street together, their knuckles brushing against each others as they walked, completely by ‘accident’.

“You know I’m starting to think this wasn’t just an apology dinner…” Cameron smirked, as he limped along beside Roman, sliding his hand into the deputy’s own. Roman was glad it was dark, because he he knew his cheeks were burning red. He stopped, his breath catching, Cameron stopping, turning to face him.

“Oh, so it was a date. Smooth.” He teased. Roman looked at his feet, embarrassed. “I did wonder why you wore that cologne.” Cameron stepped closer, so they were inches from each other. His finger brushed Roman’s arm as they slowly inched closer. “I like it… You should wear it more often…” Cameron murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he cocked his head.

Roman leaned forward, kissing him softly, tentatively… nervously, only for Cameron’s arm to wrap around his waist and pull him closer. Cameron’s lips pushed harder against Roman’s own, the policeman gasping a little as the ranger’s tongue slid between his lips. He melted into the kiss as the two men held each other close, the world disappearing around them as they kissed.

Pulling back, Cameron was blushing hard, Roman equally red. “Uhh…” He started, looking at the ranger. “Wow…” Cameron breathed. “Let’s do that again.” He smiled, leaning in and kissing Roman again…

“By the way…” Cameron breathed in Roman’s ear, “I accept your apology… This one is way better than the one at dinner…” Roman smiled as Cameron kissed his neck, then pulled away. “My place or yours?” Roman frowned, confused, still dazed from the sudden make out session.

“Huh?” He gasped. “Well I assume you wanna keep hanging out, so… My place or yours?” Cameron asked, voice low and eyes full of… full of love. “Either works for me…” Roman whispered, breathless as he gazed back at Cameron with the same love in his own eyes. “Your’s it is…” Cameron smiled. “Besides.” He slid his hand back into Roman’s and began walking. “I’ve always wondered where you lived.” Roman shoved him gently. “Creep.”

~~

Roman snorted as he awoke, feeling a heavy weight pinning him down. He realised he was passed out on his sofa, Cameron sleeping soundly on his chest, the movie they had been watching long passed being finished. The deputy smiled. Cameron was so cute when he was asleep…

Running his hand over the man’s hair, he kissed his forehead, Cameron stirring and opening his eyes.

“Hmmm… Morning…” He mumbled, his arms wrapping around Roman’s torso as he snuggled against his chest.

“Morning.” Roman mumbled back. He could’ve stayed like that all day… His heart swelled with a joy he hadn’t ever felt before, and he smiled as he knew Cameron’s was doing the same.

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