#chris motionless

[metal-stills]

Motionless In White - Thoughts & Prayers

Roadrunner Records

2021

Directed by Ricky Olson Director of Photography: Tone Mauro

Official Video

[fanficshiddles]

The Redbridge Hunts, Chapter 51

‘I did it because having you alive and hating me, is better than not having you alive at all.’

Claire’s heart broke at hearing Chris’ words. Judging by the look on Loki’s face, she had a feeling that his heart did too…

Loki said nothing at first, his mouth was open in shock at Chris’ admission.

‘You… you knew I didn’t want to be turned.’ Loki said gruffly.

‘You were dying in my arms, Loki. I loved you, so much. More than anyone else. When I first held you as a baby, I knew I’d do anything for my little brother. I was not about to just let you die.’ Chris yelled at Loki and turned away, his back to them.

Loki looked down, Claire saw the pained expression on his face.

‘If you just stopped killing innocent people, like dad did. You terrified me that day.’ Loki said quietly.

Chris turned around. ‘It’s not that easy. I’m addicted to the feeling I get when my victims are scared, the rush of power and the taste of their blood, it’s fresher and rich, I can’t help it. You’ve never been able to accept it, but I don’t care.’ Chris growled low.

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. ‘I get it, Claire’s blood is the most delicious thing in the world, but I can control myself. I can stop without killing her. You could too, you don’t need to kill them after!’

‘I don’t care about them. Their lives are just fleeting in comparison to us, it will happen sooner or later. Whether I’m here or not. Vampires will overtake.’

‘Would you say that if your soulmate turns out to be human?’ Claire asked.

Chris glared at her. ‘I don’t have a soulmate.’

‘You do, somewhere.’ Loki said. 'Every vampire has a soulmate.'

‘I’ve been to every single town and city in the world, spent weeks at each place, searched in clubs, bars, restaurants, everywhere. A soulmate for me doesn’t exist.’ Chris snarled, though his voice broke a little near the end.

‘Tell Loki what you told me about your job.’ Claire said softly.

Chris clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at Claire, then he looked at Loki with a sigh. He put his hands on his hips.

‘Fine. You want the truth? Look, I’m sorry for kidnapping Claire. For trying to hurt you. I was jealous when Claire first came along, that your soulmate literally just walked right into your life when I’ve spent centuries searching for mine. Then when dad told us about the school board wanting you to have my job, I snapped. I love that job, I love my students, vampires and humans. Seeing them thrive and grow, getting excited for being accepted into Universities or Colleges that they applied for, getting jobs that they’ve dreamed of. Helping the young vampires work their way through their first few years where their instincts are at their strongest. The thought of it all being taken away… especially by you, just made me see red. You’ve got everything I want, but you wouldn’t have if I didn’t turn you. Being a vampire isn’t so bad, is it? Better than being dead, surely? Yet you’ve never forgiven me for making that decision, to save my little brother in the only way possible.’

It was then Loki’s turn to get emotional. Claire saw the realisation wash over Loki’s face, his eyes began to water as he stepped backwards until he was leant against the table for support.

‘I… I didn’t realise you’d been searching for your soulmate. I also didn’t realise how much it affected you when I was hit by the car… I’ve been a fool… You’re not wrong, being a vampire is better than death. I just… I just didn’t see it at the time and was so angry and scared at the same time, it clouded my judgement. I’m… sorry, for not being thankful that you saved me. For not ever listening or giving you a chance.

I looked up to you so much, Chris. As my big brother. You were always there for me, looking out for me. When I was told about you and dad being vampires, I was crushed. Though I did come round to the idea, when dad explained about the blood bank… but then I learned that you didn’t agree with it. I was scared of you, the way you just drank from humans and killed them without care. That was a side to you I had never seen, didn’t want to see. I didn’t want to become like that, so when you turned me, I was terrified about doing the same. I've got your blood literally running through my veins, not just as brothers.'

Chris eyes widened a little at Loki’s words, his stance softened and he wasn’t quite as guarded anymore. ‘Scaring you was the last thing I wanted to do, I never wanted you to see me like that… I didn’t even want to tell you about us being vampires but dad was insistent about telling you the truth. That’s why my relationship with him dwindled even more, he just went ahead and told you anyway. I was scared of it causing a rift between us, and rightfully so. That’s exactly what happened.’

‘I would have found out sooner or later. I was beginning to wonder why you and dad never aged.’ Loki sighed and paused for a second. ‘I don’t want to take your job. You didn’t listen to me when dad told us. You are good at it, I know that. I was all for telling the board I didn’t want it and that you should remain the head teacher, until you went nuts and tried to kill me. That’s the first time I’ve genuinely thought you were actually attempting to murder me.’

Chris looked down. ‘I know. I’m ashamed to admit that I think I was, I just saw blind rage. I can’t excuse it.’ He shrugged and looked back up at Loki. ‘I can’t change who or what I am. But part of who I am, still cares and loves his little brother. Always has done. Always will. Even it that means being hated, at least you’re alive.’

Loki and Chris stared at one another for what felt like the longest time. Then, eventually, Loki stood up straight and walked towards him, Chris wasn’t sure what he was about to do at first. Though Loki opened his arms and hugged him tightly. Chris was frozen on the spot for a minute, his brain took some time to process what was going on.

Though the moment Chris put his arms around Loki in return, both of them instantly felt a relief of sorts, the love and bond they once had when Loki was younger came flooding back. All the good times and memories.

When they let go from the longest hug, they both had watery eyes. Though as they both took a step backwards, Claire was sat on the chair at the side, in floods of tears at the scene. They both turned their heads to look at her and chuckled.

‘You guys… That was… so beautiful.’ She sobbed and pulled her cloak round to wipe her eyes.

Chris rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ‘Well… I’m away to go back to the hunt before it’s all over. I’m sorry, Claire. For kidnapping you and scaring you.’

Claire stood and walked over to Loki, still wiping her eyes. ‘I… I understand why you did. Though not to say it wasn’t scary at the start, but I’m glad that something good has come out of it in the end.’

Loki nodded in agreement, he put his arm around Claire tightly and kissed the top of her head.

‘Though if you ever hurt or kidnap her again, brother or not, I’ll beat the shit out of you.’ Loki growled at Chris.

Chris smirked and as he walked by, he patted Loki on the shoulder. ‘Sure you will, lil bro.’

Loki felt a strange sensation in his heart. It had been a long time since Chris called him that, he used to always use that nickname for him. It made him smile a little as Chris headed out the door and took off.

Claire wrapped her arms around Loki’s waist and hugged him tightly. Loki pressed his face into her hair and he breathed in deeply.

‘Let’s get you home.’ He hummed and squeezed her tightly.

[yournecessaryevil]

💀 Callsign: Motionless 💀

🖤COD! CHRIS CERULLI X READER ONESHOT🖤

You were the new recruit they brought on to assist TF141, and your first week with everyone was supposed to be a guaranteed breeze. There's just one problem: you and the Lieutenant they assigned to train you don't exactly get along...

• fluff; language; slight angst

You hated him.

You'd only been with your task force for the short span of one week, and already, you despised him, with every fibre of your being.

Sure, you were the newest recruit, which meant you still had a lot to learn, but if you were being perfectly honest, Lieutenant Cerulli's teaching methods were a bit... harsh? Grating, unorthodox, even?

"Again."

Ugh, speak of the devil, and he shall appear, right?

Cerulli's voice snapped you out of your thoughts, his tone firm and demanding.

You gritted your teeth, sneaking a sideways glare at him out of the corner of your eye. You hated the way he stood there watching you, brown eyes narrowed, him and his perfect tactical vest with the stupid little patch that had his callsign embroidered on it in fancy white letters, 'MOTIONLESS'.

Fuck him and his perfect stupid eyebrows and piercings and ink, and his perfect voice that could simultaneously melt your insides as well as cut you down to the bone.

Your hands curled into fists as you stood up, digging the toe of one of your boots into the protective mat on the floor. The two of you had been at it for hours now it seemed, the private training gym the only witness to the grueling torture Lieutenant Cerulli had been putting you through.

"I don't see why we have to keep doing this, it's-" you began to protest.

"-an important fucking life skill you need to learn. Now quit whining and go," Cerulli cut in sharply. You huffed in irritation, shooting a glare in his direction before charging towards him, your leg up and ready to drop kick him-

And just like the previous twelve times you'd tried, you were down on the mat in an instant, your wrists pinned beneath his, one of his legs keeping both of yours pinned to the mat.

Letting out a frustrated growl, you went to tug your wrists free from his grip, making an attempt to shove him away from you, but Cerulli wouldn't budge.

"No. You're gonna sit here and tell me what went wrong this time," he said with a shake of his head, before helping you sit up.

You avoided his gaze, instead keeping your eyes fixed on the dark blue mat beneath you. "Too slow," you muttered. "No," came Cerulli's instant reply.

Gritting your teeth, you finally let your eyes meet his, both of you staring at each other through narrowed eyes.

"I don't fucking know-"

"Your form is fucking pathetic, you're distributing your weight in all the wrong places, and your attitude fucking stinks," Cerulli snapped.

That was it, you were done.

Pulling yourself into a standing position, you glared down at him. "I'm done," you spat.

His jaw clenching, Cerulli stood up as well, the height difference between the two of you just a little bit intimidating.

"You're done when I say you're done!" he hissed. Your hands curled into fists at your sides again, but you stood your ground, staring him down, refusing to be the first to break eye contact.

You were starting to see why everyone had a rather unpopular opinion about Lieutenant Cerulli. The man was impossible to work with, his teaching methods harsh, his demeanor cold and unforgiving.

On impulse, you blurted out the first thing that came to mind, the two words easily slipping off the tip of your tongue.

"Fuck. You."

A muscle in Cerulli's jaw twitched, his eyes narrowing, the irises seeming to darken.

For the briefest of seconds, you wondered if perhaps you'd gone just a bit too far, until he slowly ran one inked hand through his dyed purple hair, his gaze growing cold.

"Get out. We're fucking done. As of tomorrow, you're no longer my problem," he hissed, pointing towards the doors to the gym.

Good fucking riddance, right?

With an irritated glance in his direction, you abruptly turned on your heel, not bothering to look back as you stormed out of the gym, letting the doors slam shut behind you.

Well.

Today's practice could have gone a lot better. No, fuck that, today's practice should have gone a lot better.

After you had left in a huff, Chris had stayed behind, wanting to give himself some time to calm down.

It wasn't that he was mad at you, persay.

It was more so the fact that you had given up so fucking easily, hadn't even tried to give it your all.

Not even a day after you had been introduced to the team, it had been determined that he himself, the one they called 'Motionless', would be in charge of overseeing your training, tasked with the job of shaping you into something more than just a rookie, something better, a valuable asset to their task force.

And it had gone well for the first couple of days. Or at least, he thought it had.

Up until today, that is.

The two of you had been here in the private training gym since 10am, working on turning you from the shiny new recruit into a powerhouse of a cadet. The only problem? You were stubborn as hell, insistent on doing things your way, even though time and effort had shown your methods to be flawed.

He was only trying to do his fucking job, after all. The same job he'd done countless times before, with nearly every new recruit that came into their squad bay.

So why did this particular job affect him this badly?

Why did you affect him this badly...?

It wasn't like he was asking you to move mountains for him, no. He simply wanted someone he could be proud of, someone who could easily defend themselves if their team was down for the count, someone who he wouldn't have to hear had died in action, or been taken hostage, or god knows what.

The mere thought had Chris grimacing in distaste as he sighed, heading for the gym doors. He only wanted you to be able to defend yourself, that was all. The world could be an unkind place sometimes...

"He's arrogant, and cold, and a complete dick."

One corner of your mouth tugged itself up in a brief snarl as you sat there at the table in the mess hall, conversing with some of your fellow team members.

The smallest one, the one you've heard people call Vinny, spoke up, shifting slightly in his seat across from you. "He's not that bad, you just gotta figure him out. Pretty easy to get along with after that," he shrugged.

Easy for him to say, he and the three other people sitting here already had it in good with Lieutenant Cerulli. Upon you pointing this out, Vinny shrugged again, an unbothered look on his face.

"That's because we've been here longer. Give it some time," his teammate cut in, blue eyes finding yours with a wink. You sighed, your gaze dropping from his to settle on the little patch fixed to his tactical vest, the word 'HORROR' embroidered in a neat white font.

That's the other thing that bothered you about Cerulli's teaching methods. Everyone else had a callsign they went by, except for the new recruits who came in. Everybody here at the table had one, 'HORROR', 'SACHETTI', 'SKIEZ', even one with the more normal callsign of simply 'JUSTIN'.

Everybody had a designated name, a sign of place here, a sign that they were acknowledged, respected, valid. But you'd come to discover that here, as a part of this team and this base, titles didn't come easily. You had to fucking earn them.

Every new recruit before you had earned theirs, they had fought and trained to claw their way into the system, they had fucking earned their place here. Cerulli had told you so, himself.

But you?

You were still the fresh, shiny new rookie who everyone assumed knew nothing because you were young, you were small, you had only been here a week...

You'd be lying to yourself if you said it didn't sting a little, the way everyone seemed to view you here. Sure, the teammates sitting here at the table had treated you fairly enough, but everyone else? If you weren't bearing a callsign and a knowledge of how to defend yourself, you weren't worth their time...

"Hey."

Horror's voice cut into your thoughts, making your gaze snap up to meet his.

"I know it might seem like he's riding you a little too hard right now, but... I promise, his heart's in the right place. Give him a chance, out of everyone here, he's your best shot when it comes to training. You didn't hear this from me and if you ever repeat it, I'll kick your ass, rookie... but I would trust Cerulli with my life, more than I'd trust myself."

"We all would," Vinny cut in, both of his teammates beside him nodding in agreement.

"Give him some time. He might seem like a dick, but his methods work," Justin agreed, offering you a light half-smile.

You stared down at the tabletop for a second, not really seeing it as you contemplated what they told you, turning it over in your mind.

You knew what you should do. It wasn't what you wanted to do, by any means. But if what they told you was true, then... maybe it needed to be done.

Maybe you should gather up what was left of your dignity and go crawling back to Cerulli to apologize. Or, at the very least, to see if he'd give you a second chance at training.

You could be the bigger person here, right? Take all of his teachings with a grain of salt, so to speak?

Ugh...

With a groan, you shoved your plate of food away from you, resting your head facedown atop your crossed arms.

"I know, I know. But I'm telling you... if you give him a chance and show him that you actually have a desire to learn? It'll be the best decision you've ever made, rookie," Horror said, his tone laced with amusement.

Would it though?

With another quiet grumble, you slowly lifted your head, exchanging a glance with Vinny, who grinned. "Want me to let him know you're heading down there?"

You immediately shook your head at him, a grimace marring your features. "No, please don't. It's embarrassing enough that I have to go back and apologize to him..."

"Then do us a favor and kick his ass, I guess? It'd be kind of satisfying to know Chris had his ass handed to him by our newest recruit," Horror grinned.

Hmm... that was a rather tempting thought... to take everything Cerulli taught you and really give it back to him...

"Alright, fine. Deal," you agreed, getting up from the table. "Oh and... thanks, Horror. I kind of needed that, I guess," you added softly.

Shrugging, he gave you a light mock-salute in response.

"Sure. And, from now on... no Horror. Only Ricky."

Nodding, you bade your teammates farewell before slinking out of the mess hall, determined to find Cerulli and make good on your promise.

You only hoped he'd actually give you a second chance and not let it go to his head...

"Have Jensen work with you more on it tomorrow, your aim's a little off. Go get some rest."

Chris watched one of the recruits he'd been training retreat into the distance, the smell of smoke and polishing oil still heavy in the air on the rifle range.

And then something caught his eye.

Or rather, someone.

Your figure gradually became more detailed as you approached, and Chris internally groaned.

If you were here to give him more shit and another lovely 'Fuck you', he wasn't having it...

But the look on your face told a different story. Your brows were drawn together in worry, any traces of your usual anger and frustration gone, a look of nervousness in place.

He waited until you were about four feet away from him before he spoke up, his voice cold.

"If you're here to train, go ask someone else."

But your response surprised him a little, catching him off guard.

"I actually came to apologize..."

You... come again??

"What-" he began, but you cut him off with a shake of your head.

"No, let me finish. I, um... I talked to Horror, er, I mean Ricky. I talked to Ricky and the others, and... and they told me to come back here and give you another chance. I... I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry."

Huh. Leave it to Rick to sort things out behind the scenes, ever the peacemaker as always....

Silence settled between the two of you for a moment, before Chris spoke up.

"Why?"

That one word lingered there in the air, and your brows furrowed in confusion. "Why, what? Why... am I sorry, or...?" you asked, trailing off.

"No. Why did you give up on me? Why the fuck'd you decide you were done?"

"I..." your voice faltered for a moment, your gaze dropping to stare down at the grassy field, and Chris watched as you frowned, digging the toe of your boot into the grass.

Fourteen.

Fourteen times.

It was a habit he'd noticed you had, whenever you were uncertain or anxious. Not every recruit had little tics or habits they'd pick up, but the few that did? Chris noticed.

He always noticed, especially more so when it came to you.

Fourteen times this past week that you'd been here, fourteen times he'd seen you dig the toe of your boot into whatever surface you were standing on, your hands and fingers fidgeting either in front of you or at your sides.

Fourteen times he'd stopped to watch you, his attention utterly fucking captivated by you.

Slowly, he took one step towards you, followed by another, and still another, until he was a mere foot away from you.

"Is it because you don't think you're good enough? You don't think you have what it takes, or what?" he asked softly, trying to keep his tone gentle.

The way you avoided his gaze immediately after he asked the question told him everything he needed to know.

"Do you really think you're not worthy of a place here? Is that it?" he continued, the mounting tension in the air becoming more palpable.

Almost an entire minute or two went by without you answering him, and he started to repeat the question until you finally did answer him, your voice surprisingly strained and sounding on the verge of breaking.

"No."

You didn't have to specify for him to know what that single word meant.

He could feel it, could see the way you thought of yourself as you stood here in front of him.

And for some reason, he didn't like it.

He hated it.

He hated the newfound knowledge of how you saw yourself, how it seemed everyone else had been seeing you, since the day you'd arrived.

You really didn't think you were worthy of a place here, did you? The thought that he himself might have been a contributing factor in that made him feel sick.

Fuck... if he'd stopped for just a second to try and see things your way, see how it felt to be an outsider-

But he did know how it felt.

Memories of his first week as a frightened, inexperienced new recruit flashed through his mind, images of a young, dark-haired boy who had no clue what the fuck he was doing...

Chris swallowed hard, his gaze locked on you as he spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You... deserve to be here. You know that, don't you?"

"Do I?"

Your immediate response, the way you mumbled the question without even bothering to look at him, it made his insides feel sick.

And he'd been hard on you today...

Granted, he was hard on everyone who fell under his guidance, but... you were different.

More fragile and feeling and human than the others, you had caught his attention almost right away.

And when they'd insisted he be the one to train you-

Holy fuck.

He'd figured it out.

The sudden realization had him internally reeling, absolutely losing it.

He'd been harder on you than the others because... he cared more.

He cared almost too much, surely more than what was appropriate, right?

Fuck...

Swallowing hard, he reached out towards you for a second, his hand lingering there in the space between you, before he let it fall back to his side.

Steeling himself to avoid the tears he could feel burning at the edge of his vision, he gritted his teeth, before gesturing to his left, the movement finally capturing your attention.

"Headphones. Weapon. Now."

Your eyes widened for a moment, your voice faltering as you spoke.

"What are you-"

He cut you off midsentence, his tone hardening, though his gaze remained soft as he stared down at you.

"I'm training you."

"I'm training you."

The words hit you like a punch to the gut, catching you off guard and making your breath hitch in your throat.

You'd come out here to apologize, expecting him to turn you away with a refusal of said apology, and instead... he was giving you a second chance?

Swallowing hard, you slowly turned and grabbed a set of the soundproof headphones out of the box nearby, plugging one end of the attached cord into the wireless comm pack, the other end connecting to the headphones themselves, before tucking the comm pack into the front pocket of your tactical vest.

You watched as Lieutenant Cerulli did the same, reaching up with one inked hand to turn on the comm link and adjust the mic, and after doing the same, you could hear his voice come through the speakers.

"Weapon, now."

Without a word, you followed his order, grabbing one of the rifles propped up nearby, the weight of the weapon seeming almost too heavy and unfamiliar in your hands.

You weren't scheduled for rifle range practice until at least a week or two from now, surely he had to have known that...?

Upon telling him so, Cerulli shrugged, casting you a sideways glance before gesturing towards the targets out in the distance.

"Doesn't matter. I'm teaching you now. And I expect you to be willing to learn. I also expect you to hit at least one of those."

You followed his gaze, staring out at the targets sitting on the grassy field. From here, they looked to be at least a mile or more away, surely too far to even graze with a bullet, right?

No, no... you were determined to get this.

This morning's practice may have gone terribly, but that didn't mean this one would.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, you moved to stand where he wanted you, lifting the weapon in your hands.

And almost immediately, Cerulli's voice came through the speakers.

"No. Your stance is off. Here, look."

You felt one of his legs nudge yours apart, correcting your stance, before an inked hand came into view, reaching forward to adjust the position of the rifle in your hands.

"Look through the little lens, until you have the center of the target in your crosshairs. And when you pull that trigger, keep as tight a grip as you can, because there's gonna be some kickback from the rifle. It'll knock you on your fucking ass if you're not paying attention."

You nodded, taking another deep breath before doing as he said, looking through the lens. From here, that target looked so fucking tiny, nearly impossible to hit.

"I can't do this-" you started.

"Yes, you can. You can and you will."

Cerulli's voice was quiet in your ears, his tone gentle, and you could feel the close proximity of him behind you as he reached forward to make a slight adjustment to the rifle again, his fingers brushing briefly across yours before he let go.

"I want you to focus, and really try for me. You can do this, I know you can. Stop second guessing yourself, Y/N..."

His touch, combined with the use of your actual name, instead of his usual 'rookie' pet name for you, sent electric tingles down your spine, your heart stumbling over itself within the confines of your ribcage.

Your throat suddenly felt tight, your mind racing as you tried desperately to remember what he'd told you, how to correctly aim and fire.

Swallowing nervously, you looked through the lens again, taking a deep breath and curling your finger around the trigger. A mere second passed before you brought that finger down a little tighter, squeezing the trigger.

Even with the protective headphones, you could still hear the bullet as it left the chamber, could smell the scent of gunsmoke and oil as it left its home. And Cerulli had been right, there was indeed some kickback from the rifle.

But you dug the heels of your boots into the ground, trying to stay firmly in place. Still, you stumbled backwards a little, your back meeting Cerulli's chest, his hands instantly coming up to your shoulders to steady you.

"Good, but your aim was a little off, I want you to try again."

His tone was far less harsh than it had been this morning, his whole demeanor vastly different.

A part of you wanted to look back, to see if the heat you felt gathering in your cheeks would be reflected in those brown eyes of his.

But the bigger part of you insisted on staying focused, on seeing your training through.

Steeling yourself, you cast a brief glance out towards the target in the distance. He was right, your aim was more than a little off.

You could see from here the impact left by the bullet, the mark nowhere close to the center.

Looking through the lens to correct your aim, you took a deep steadying breath before pulling and releasing the trigger again, preparing yourself for the anticipated kickback.

It came a little easier this time, your weight being distributed a bit more evenly in order to keep your feet firmly on the ground.

And when you glanced out at the target, you found yourself a little too satisfied that the mark had hit a bit closer to home this time.

"Again," came Cerulli's velvet voice in your ears, his presence behind you more noticeable as he took one half-step closer to you.

Trying your hardest to ignore the sudden distraction, you nodded, taking aim before firing again, the crack of the bullet loud in the late afternoon air. You watched the target, taking note of how much closer the bullet had hit.

"Slight improvement, Y/N. Again, one more time."

You shifted your weight a little, taking aim one last time, making sure the target was dead center in the crosshairs before you pulled the trigger, the bullet leaving its mark just a touch away from the center of the target, this time.

You dared to glance over your shoulder for a brief moment, and when your eyes met his, your breath trembled as it left your slightly parted lips. The look in his eyes, on his face, it was the only time you'd ever seen him look even remotely... proud...

The longer you kept your eyes locked on his, the more you noticed the way his irises seemed to darken, one corner of his mouth twitching into what looked like a smirk before it was gone.

"So...?" you asked, your voice coming out in a breathless whisper. You nervously cleared your throat before continuing. "How'd I do...?"

Cerulli's response came in an instant, his voice low and hoarse as he kept his eyes fixed on you.

"Good- good fucking job, Y/N..."

You barely had time to crack the tiniest of smiles before Cerulli was holding up a finger towards you, reaching with his other hand to unholster the handgun he kept at his side at all times.

With a slight tremble, he reached out with one inked hand to pass the sleek black weapon to you, waiting for you to take it.

"I want to try something new with you..."

"I want to try something new with you..."

The words left his mouth before even he knew what was happening, what he was doing.

But to his surprise, you wordlessly set aside the rifle, taking the smaller weapon from his hand and immediately settling back into your previous stance, your feet firmly planted on the ground, though your gaze never left his for a second.

"Like this?"

Your voice reached his ears through the speakers, your tone soft and tentative, a vast change from the fiery attitude you'd displayed for him this morning.

He nodded, swallowing hard past the new, unfamiliar emotions building up within himself.

His throat suddenly felt dry, his palms unusually slick with sweat, and why the fuck was his heart stuttering every so often instead of beating like it was supposed to-

Oh.

Oh.

Well, fuck.

His eyes widened momentarily before he fought to quickly regain his composure, moving to stand behind you.

Reaching up with one hand, he tried hard to focus on helping you adjust your grip on the handgun, instead of focusing on how he could feel the warmth of your back against his chest, or the way you smelled faintly of strawberries and something slightly floral, was that... roses?

His jaw tensing a little, Chris leaned back, his hand slipping from yours, though his fingers lingered just a moment longer than necessary, as he watched you.

"S-same thing as before. Take aim, and... well, you know."

"Fire," came your response, a hint of sudden amusement in your voice. He nodded, unable to keep one corner of his mouth from lifting in a brief smirk.

"Exactly."

He watched as you stood there, inhaling for a second before letting it go, pulling the trigger, the crack of the bullet leaving its chamber a satisfying sound to his ears.

And when he looked out in the distance and saw how close you'd come to hitting that target dead fucking center...

You were a quick learner, once you got out of your own head and stopped being so stubborn. He could see it now, anyone could.

Hell, if you'd let him, he could probably shape you into one of the best recruits he'd ever taught, turn you into an absolute powerhouse of a soldier, maybe even help you earn Ghost status on TF141, a position that was highly strived for and sought after by many, but earned by so very few.

You didn't even have your callsign yet, you hadn't quite earned it yet. But by the time he was done with you...

'Bet you could have her coming undone for you...' the sudden errant thought slipped unbidden into his head before he could stop it, and he could feel the heat rush to his face.

Fuck, he needed to quit thinking like that, he knew it was wrong, it was so fucking wrong, and besides, would you even feel the same way he did-?

The sharp crack of another bullet leaving the chamber snapped him out of his thoughts, and he watched in shock as this time, finally--

Holy fuck.

It hit dead center in that target.

He stood there, his eyes widening, mouth slightly open in surprise as you immediately turned around, the biggest grin on your face.

"Bam. Dead center!"

The excitement in your voice was all too infectious, and he found himself starting to smile, a sense of newfound pride for you welling up inside him.

And when you locked eyes with him, giving him a wink and another excited little smile, something inside himself clicked into place, the decision made before he could stop it.

So it was just like that, all too suddenly, without practically any warning, that he was leaning down towards you, moving his and your mics out of the way, his mouth finding yours in the briefest of kisses, and oh fuck, what the fuck was he doing, what if you didn't-

But then there you were, yet again catching him off guard today, kissing him back, your mouth soft and yielding against his, your body arching into his touch, the handgun slipping from your fingers to land in the grass at his feet, your hand reaching up to tangle in his hair, tugging softly-

Fuck, you were like heaven to him-!

The softest of groans left his throat, and he could've sworn he heard his name fall from your lips for a moment, before the two of you finally parted, standing there staring at each other, breath coming out in quiet gasps.

He could see the heat flooding your cheeks, could feel the warmth coming from you, took notice of the way your eyes darkened with barely concealed desire.

So it wasn't just him, then.

You could feel it, too...?

Almost like you could hear his unspoken question, you gave a slight nod, your breath coming out in soft pants before you spoke.

"That was... um, yeah. Fuck. Wow."

It wasn't enough, hearing your voice filtered in through the speakers, Chris needed to hear it in person. Reaching up to shut off the comm link on his headphones, he tugged them off, watching as you did the same, discarding them back in their bin, before retrieving his weapon from the grass and reholstering it.

"You, uh... job well done today, Y/N," he said, awkwardly extending a hand out towards you. You eyed it dubiously, not shaking it and instead raising a brow at him as you gave him a confused look.

"We're back to formalities now...?"

The way you asked the question, the slight tinge of poorly concealed hurt starting to reflect there in your eyes, Chris didn't like it.

"I- you-" he scrambled to try and find a proper response, not wanting to leave you hanging. "We... we can't do that again-" the words seemed to tumble from his mouth, one right after the other.

And the injured look on your face, the way you swallowed hard, your eyes taking on a glassy look before you quickly blinked, hoping he wouldn't see-

Fuck. It was a lie, and he knew it. He couldn't do that to you, couldn't lie to you like this, it wasn't fair to you.

"I- Y/N, sweetheart, look at me. I... can't be the reason they make you leave. Because they will. And... and you won't get your callsign, you-"

"I don't care."

You cut him off midsentence, those three words giving him pause.

"You- what?"

You repeated those three words, your gaze hardening as you stared up at him, your resolve never wavering even as your eyes remained on the verge of swimming with unshed tears.

"I... I think maybe I thought, if I hated you enough, it wouldn't matter how I felt about you. I thought maybe if I didn't let myself care enough, it wouldn't fucking matter someday, if we were out in the field together and one of us went missing. It wouldn't... hurt as much.

"And... and I know that's not an excuse for why I was probably one of the brattiest recruits you've ever had, and I know it probably doesn't make it any better, or any easier-"

"Stop," Chris cut you off mid-rant, his voice on the verge of breaking.

So that's why you had been so difficult to work with during your first few weeks here.

It wasn't because you hated him, not truly.

It was the exact opposite.

It was because you... cared too much for him?

"I'm sorry, I should've told you sooner, I... you made it too easy to hate you and I... I didn't like the idea of becoming too attached, of caring too much, of..." your voice trailed off at the end, your gaze dropping to stare down at the grass.

And then you did the one thing he'd gotten so used to noticing, one of the many things about you that he found a little too endearing.

You nervously dug the toe of your boot into the grass, your fingers fidgeting in front of you.

"Of what?" Chris asked softly, urging you to continue.

And your next words nearly broke him.

"Of falling in love with you."

Brown eyes widening, Chris took a step towards you, taking both of your hands in his, and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Hey, look at me. I..." he broke off with a gentle sigh before continuing, "it's not that I don't want this, I promise you, I do. There's so many things about you, tiny little things that other people don't notice, that I find adorable and endearing and- Y/N, sweetheart.

"I... I think maybe I might be falling for you too. But as badly as I want this to work, I also want to see you come out of this as part of our team, I want so many things for you. I want you to be able to have your own callsign to go by, I want to see you leave my care as one of the best recruits this place has ever had, I want..."

He trailed off, his thoughts racing at a million miles an hour. What was it exactly that he wanted, more than anything else, more than he'd ever wanted anything?

The answer was both simple, and at the same time, not simple.

He wanted you.

"What, what do you want?"

He pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of your neck, his words coming out mumbled and broken.

"I want you."

"So have me..."

Your response, the way you said it, the way you moved to gently card your fingers through his hair, almost as a semblance of trying to comfort him, he wasn't expecting any of it.

Lifting his head to gaze down at you, he swallowed thickly past the raw emotion he could feel building up inside.

"But it's not that simple, Y/N-"

"Okay, and the life I've chosen here, with you and everyone else, isn't simple either. But... maybe we can figure it out... together..?"

Your voice held so much conviction, your tone determined, your demeanor suggesting you weren't about to back down. It reminded him so much of your first week here, of how training this morning had gone.

You'd been so defiant, determined then, too.

You were really pushing for this to work out, weren't you? He had to admire your tenacity...

With a soft sigh, he met your gaze, silently pleading with you. "What if this doesn't work-?"

You cut him off midsentence, taking the lead for once and standing up on your tiptoes to capture his mouth in the softest, gentlest of kisses, both of your hands briefly moving to cup his face between them, the gesture utterly pure and wholesome.

When you pulled back to look up at him, he wasn't surprised to see that same conviction had settled there in your eyes, one corner of your mouth lifting in a wry smile.

"Then we keep trying until it does work? Just like my training?" you whispered.

He couldn't help the laugh that slipped free from his lips; the comparison was too perfect. But maybe you were right...

Maybe if the two of you kept trying, eventually things would work themselves out...

He just had to try.

"Okay," he sighed softly, taking your hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Is... is that a yes, or...?" you asked, casting a tentative sideways glance up at him, and he nodded, trying not to laugh at the way you were failing to hide the sly smile on your face.

"It's a yes, rookie..."

🥀 SIX MONTHS LATER 🥀

"And it is with the highest, greatest honor, that we present this new recruit with their place on our team, here as a part of Taskforce 141. With many months of training and guidance under the care of our own Lieutenant Christopher Cerulli, this recruit has proven themselves beyond the highest measure.

"It is with much respect that we announce to you all how proud we are to acknowledge the new addition to our team."

Horror and his teammates sat there in the audience, his blue eyes fixed on the scene before him and everyone else, on the small recruit standing up there on that stage, with the tall Lieutenant standing proudly beside her.

And it was with the greatest sense of pride and love that he sat there, watching as you finally, finally got the one thing you'd been wanting since you first joined their base: to be a part of their team, to just belong.

Chris had been right about you from the beginning; with more training and devotion and care, you would indeed grow to be one of the sharpest recruits they'd turned out in a long time. He'd also noticed the way your relationship with his best friend had blossomed, how close you and Chris had gotten over these past six months.

Vin and everyone else had made cracks about it, that they'd known all along something was going on between you and Chris, it had just been a matter of time. He knew better than that though, the dynamic you and his best friend had, it went so much deeper than that.

Anyone could see it if they looked hard enough, really. He could see it.

The way Chris stood there, his hand clasped tightly in yours, the proud Lieutenant and his newest recruit, one bearing the familiar patch with the callsign 'MOTIONLESS' embroidered in pristine white letters... and the other bearing a callsign of her own, 'GREMLIN'.

Horror couldn't help but smile at the slight irony as he sat there; how fitting the name was for you. Tiny recruit, sure, but full of fiery passion... with a knack of never backing down, always ready to go head to head with anyone on their best day, or even their worst day...

"Welcome to the team, rookie... you made it."

💀 TAGLIST: @synthetic-wasp-570 @nixwolfe @th4t-em0-k1d @tearfallpixie @ladyveronikawrites @nerdraging4point0 @thesazzb @circle-with-me @motionlessomens @thatchickwiththecamera @skulliecadaver-blog @embracethereaper42 @talialovesmiw @bxrnthyfears @cookiesupplier @bobateaandchocolatepudding @somewhere-diamond @beaker1636 @ciginatree

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

[rheasbrvtality]

I COULDNT BE ANYMORE HAPPY FOR HER

[rhea-ripley]

WrestleMania XL || April 06 - 2024

[thatchickwiththecamera]

Motionless in White Interview after performing Rhea Ripley’s theme song at Wrestlemania XL!

[miwnet]

This place is HAUNTED

[lornashores]

slaughterhouse – motionless in white ft. bryan garris [x]

[sitkowski]

[steel-casket]

no coherent thoughts just the sign of life music video

[ebechnasheim]

THE WAY HE'S LOOKING AT HER 😭

[haegeumyg]

230909 ♡ Chris Cerulli, Motionless In White

[lalalychee]

ricky: :) we're all having so much fun.

60% of the band: ricky ruined the whole music video with his stupid shirt

[rheasbrvtality]

oh how times have changed 🖤

[rhea-ripley]

WrestleMania XL || April 06 - 2024

[burymeinblck]

Motionless In White - Sign Of Life (Behind The Scenes)