#gold called the police on them and broke the door

[sugaroto]

For a second I thought "Prometheus and Epimetheus as Philip and Caleb"

Like why?😭

If anything they remind me of Lolos and Frenimos from the story my grandma used to tell me when I was little

[xreaderbooks]

Paradise on Earth (14)

Chapter: 14. Homecoming

Pair: JJ Maybank x Routledge! Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: Language, Violence, Guns, Police brutality

Summary: Y/n and the pogues travel to charleston to get answers from Mrs. Limberey.

A/N: It's been a min so if you were previously tagged in this story and no longer want to be tagged just let me know or if you changed your username and would like me to update it in order for you to continue being tagged just send me a message. If you're new and want to be tagged leave a comment or send me a message :)

Available on Wattpad and AO3

Masterlist - Series Masterlist - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

The sound of the heavy door knocker echoed from inside Mrs. Limbreys's home. Pope slams the handle down thrice more giving you all a questioning look, "Was that too much?" 

"It echoed the entire house that's for sure," JJ responds. "So they definitely heard it."

"Maybe nobody's home?" Kie says. Pope lifts the handle to the door knocker and slams it down twice more, on the second knock a man with light brown hair, dark circles around his eyes, and a scruffy beard opens the door. He surveys the group and smirks, pointing at the boy to your left. 

"You must be Pope."

Pope hesitates, then asks "Are you Mr. Limbrey?"

"Ms. Limbrey" The man corrects, "was expecting you yesterday."

"I'm sorry, my car broke down on the way up here-" Pope stutters.

"Carburetor blew up in the middle of nowheresville." JJ tells the guy, "Sorry about that."

"She was really upset when you didn't show up."

"We tried to call, but there's no number on the invitation." You piped in, "We got here as fast as we could."

"She also expected you to come alone." The man reels the attention back on Pope.

"These are my friends, they helped find the royal merchant too. I-"

"The instructions were explicit, your friends can stay outside." He forces a smile, an attempt to seem nicer than what he was demanding.

JJ tries to negotiate by telling the man that the group was a package deal but Pope shuts him down. "It's okay, I got this. I'll be good."

"Yeah, we'll be right here" Kie smiles reassuringly.

Pope whispers with his back slightly turned to Mrs. Limbreys lackey "Keep the car running." He squeezes Kiara's hand and followed the man inside. He lets the door shut behind him and you wince at the sound. The idea of Pope being alone with the unkempt-looking man and the strange woman who was apparently highly upset that he didn't show up on time, left you feeling uneasy. 

Nevertheless, you, Kiara, and JJ got comfortable inside Hayward's truck, keeping a close eye on the large yellow house.

"If Limbrey's legit then Ward gets arrested, and maybe Sarah gets the gold," Kie explains as you watch Pope get swept to the backyard of Mrs. Limbrey's house. He looks at the truck but it was hard to decipher if he was in trouble or not. 

"Does that look voluntary?" You ask the others. The man who was now following close behind a blonde woman who you can only assume would be Mrs. Limbrey, pushed Pope to look forward. 

"That would be a negative," JJ said.

"Come on," Kie was ready to go after them until JJ laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her from going. "What?"

"They're going into the alley," You notice. "So we should go around the back."

"Yeah, we'll meet them on the other side." JJ turns the key to the truck in the ignition and slowly goes around the block. You and Kie stare intently into the alleyways but there was no sign of Pope, Mrs. Limbrey, or the man. 

"Where did they go?" You questioned.

"What if they went underground?" JJ started with his unlikely theories, "In C.H.U.D. when they took people down into the sewers, it would turn the humans into humanoids 'cause of the radiation. And then all of a sudden-"

"JJ, that doesn't even make any sense." 

Kie gives the both of you a fixed look and returns to her search for Pope. Five-Ten minutes pass and no sign of him, you pull out your phone in hopes that there would be service. You open up google maps and set it to satellite mode, tracing where Limbreys house would be to any potential paths they could have taken. 

"Y/N, I know you are not playing Pokemon Go without me right now," JJ glances at your phone.

You rolled your eyes, focusing your attention back on your phone, Limbreys property was bigger than you thought it was. "JJ, go back to Limbreys, I think I found something."

"Oh like what?" JJ snorted "A Charizard?"

Kiara laughs at that one, "That has to be the dorkiest shit you have ever said."

~~~

You heard the sound of grunts coming from behind a bush. JJ and Kie followed your lead as you guided them to where you were hoping Pope would be. At the turn of a corner, you heard something like a fight and you knew Pope was in trouble. The three of you ran into the action, Pope was wrestling the man who works for Limbrey, and the man was reaching for the taser but JJ ran up just in time to kick the taser to Kie who shouted: "Come on!"

The four of you rush back to the truck, Pope gasping for breath "That was crazy as shit, let's get out of here!" 

JJ needed no encouragement, the tires made a loud screeching sound when he made a sharp turn around the narrow street where you found Pope's location. You look over your shoulder noticing a car speeding up behind you. "I think he's following us!"

"This is a one-way!" Pope shouts. "Turn left!" There were cars heading directly towards you, or you guys were headed directly towards the way of traffic. JJ follows the directions behind yelled at him and almost runs over two running pedestrians.

"That was an evasive driving technique y'all," The manic smile on JJ's face, was not at all concerning.

"Where are we going?" You ask.

"Hang on, I'm gonna lose him." Was all the warning he gave before he rotates the wheel left into a random alleyway? There was smoke similar to the smoke from earlier coming from the hood. "You said he fixed the carburetor, you said he fixed it!" JJ shouts accusatorily at Pope.

"No, no, no, no!" Kie panics. The four of you now had no way to run from the man chasing you, not to mention the way home. You'd have to ditch Heyward's truck in the alley and come back for it later. You all hustle your way out of the truck, grabbing your backpacks from the trunk, all the while JJ's making a point about never trusting mechanics. 

The man now rounded the corner and you bust into a sprint, you look back for a second and catch a glint of something black in his hand. "Guys, I think he has a gun!"

"Shit, get down!" JJ says.

"I'm cramping!" Pope pants beside you. 

Oxygen gets sharper in your chest every time you breathe, yet you don't feel like you can inhale properly, nor do you think you can actually catch a breath from all the running. You now regret never going to a gym and rethinking every unhealthy food decision you ever made. You're about to get shot and die because you decided to skip every time you had to do a mile in P.E. to vape in the abandoned school bathroom with JJ.

"This is such an uncool way to die," You wheeze out. JJ leads you all through an alley between two houses in hopes of losing the guy but he just gains onto your group. Suddenly, Kie and the others come to a halt. There in front of you alive, tanned, and busted-looking as usual was John B. Right behind him was the kook princess herself, Sarah Cameron. 

You couldn't help the breathy laugh of relief that you let out when you saw him. It was like time had slowed down and all you needed was that one second to process your brother's presence before he rushed you all to get into the seating behind his bicycle. 

"Pedal faster John B!" Sarah told him, looking back there were now two more men chasing after you. 

"God, you guys are heavy," Pope complains as he and JJ are helping John B by pushing the chair with the extra weight of you, Kiara, and Sara.

Ms. Limbreys lackey had caught up to you all now grabbing Pope and dragging him down. Pope rolled away and ran back to the bike, the man gripped the back of the chair you were sitting on and Kie and Sarah shoved his hand away. He slipped and fell onto the street allowing you all to escape. 

~~~

It felt like the end of a really fucked up story, the way you all floated off into the sunset in the stolen boat. You knew this was far from the end with all that was waiting for you, your brother, and your friends when you get back to the cut. For now, you bask in the sense of normalcy as you drift into the marshes. Stories of your separate journeys had you all laughing, crying, and howling in hysteria at how your lives even got to this point. 

Eventually, hunger became too much to ignore. John B anchored the boat at a random nearby dock. There were a few scattered houses around, homes with enough land to farm. Jackpot.

You, Kiara, and Sarah ran off as soon as you could, fleeing far away from the boys in search of anything that could sustain you. The first few places you checked out were duds but you heard one of the girls call out and you ran. 

Watermelons were not in your top three favorite fruits, after today that changed. Once you were able to crack open the Watermelon, the three of you settled on a rusty old bench with 3 feet-tall grass. After a good couple of minutes of you all satiating your hunger with handfuls of the fruit, Sarah dropped the bomb. 

"Wait, so you really got married?" Kie asked.

"It wasn't exactly legal," Sarah explained with a smile. "But yeah."

Your smile widened with hers, never in a million years would you have thought that your brother married. John B wasn't the settling type, much less at this age and Sarah Cameron was not number in your list of people that you had in mind. Granted you didn't have anyone in mind for that matter.

"Am I crazy or is there something going on with you and Pope?" Your 'sister-in-law' questions.

Kie shrugs, "Maybe."

"That's not a no," You smirk at her while sharing a knowing look with the blonde seated next to you. 

"It's not a no," Kie repeats her shrug and you all giggle in response. "Mm, Don't you have a little thing to share with us now too Y/N?"

"See that's definitely a no," You shake your head furiously at her before she has a chance to ask. 

"What is happening right now?" Sarah barks out a laugh.

"JJ and Y/N possibly." Kie's statement almost made you choke on the watermelon you were currently chewing. 

"No!" You protest, "You see this is where gossip spreads. Lies!"

Kie rolls her eyes playfully, "C'mon we all see it."

JJ definitely doesn't. This was the first time Kiara has ever mentioned anything regarding you and JJ, you shared your crush on the boy way back when but nothing to count for now. As far as she was concerned the rule of 'No pogue on pogue macking' was still on and JJ was still at the top of the list. The rule was set in for Kiara, to be honest, John B was your brother. Pope lowkey had a thing for Kie but his nerdy ass was never gonna do a thing about it. You would retract that last sentence now but it's mutual so it doesn't count.

The only one who was vocal about his feelings or supposed feelings was JJ and Kie never gave a straight answer other than "You know that rules". 

"There's nothing to see, JJ's otherwise preoccupied with his feelings," You didn't know how much of that was true. While JJ did flirt with Kie, he flirted with more than half of the female population. There was no telling who or what he was serious about. One thing for sure is that he is not interested in you. 

"He's different when he's around you." 

"He's different around you too Kie, you just don't take him seriously enough to realize it." 

Kie sighed, "That's because I'm not interested. I have my 'maybe' thing with Pope going on, I am spoken for. You, however, are not."

"How weird is it that we're that friend group now?" Sarah scrunched her nose.

"The one where every single member is paired up," Kie nodded mournfully. "Our saving grace is that we don't switch partners."

You snort, "That's cause there's six of us and two of us are related. Not to mention the combinations -if we exclude John B and me- are too weird to think about."

"You never answered the question though," Sarah redirected. You wish she hadn't.

"Short story is; I may or may not like JJ and as far as I know JJ does not like me in that way. It's been confirmed with and without the flirting involved."

"And how long ago was this confirmation?" The brown-haired girl's tone was too accusatory for your liking. "It's been years, feelings change."

"Yeah, but one thing won't- I'm John B's sister and let's say fuck the rule on macking, JJ is a lot of things but he's not gonna betray John B like that."

"You see if you look at it as a betrayal..." Sarah drags. You roll your eyes and stuff your mouth with watermelon to avoid further questioning. 

~~~

After a swift family meeting you had all agreed to 'let shit hit the fan tomorrow' as John B said, JJ and Kie went into a bodega to grab a case of beers before you made your way back to the Chateau. 

The pogues being back together felt like old times, straight vibing and floating along the marshes the warmth of the sun with the comfort of knowing the water is fresh to jump in. John B was alive and you didn't have the burden of surviving alone on your shoulders. Your thoughts drifted to the almost comatose state you were in while your brother was gone. The self-hatred and regret seared into your heart from all the memories of you and Rafe, together. 

You refused to let your mistakes of the past ruin the one night of peace you had before reality hit tomorrow. The hot tub JJ impulsively bought sat in your yard, and you and the rest of your friends sat around it listening to Pope spit rhymes you knew could come out of him with a good couple of beers. 

As the night turned darker, you in your hazed state noticed how Kie was staring intently at Pope as he and JJ wrestled. Pope strategically placed his leg behind JJs allowing him to straddle JJ, beating him. You wiggled your eyebrows at Kie who smirked as he won and gazed at him as he walked away from JJ laying on the ground with his fists up in celebration.

"I leave and this is what happens," John B shakes his head at Kie following after Pope, most likely for some privacy.

"Are you blaming me?" JJ points to himself looking jokingly offended. 

"A 'lil bit," John B stands from his beach chair shaking his beer bottle. "Your boy's out." He leaves in search of more. 

"You guys are the ones that died!" JJ exclaims in defense. 

"Literally one job, JJ," Sarah comments.

You let them continue their debate as your eyes search for John B, he just grabbed a can of beer from the cooler that was placed below the tree bark that was cut out to be in the shape of a heart. His tombstone of sorts. 

You walked up to him, the sounds of JJ and Sarah debating the rule were distant.

His voice croaked as he spoke, "Cute art project."

Tears welled in your eyes, and the memories of that day and every day since he was declared dead, haunted you. 

"Killed the tree though," John B joked. Your laughter stifled the sob that was forming in your throat. 

"I missed you John B," You stepped forward into your brother's arms that were ready to receive you. He held onto you tight as he whispered back, "I missed you too Princess."

~~~

The sound of a car door closing in the background interrupted the teasing you and JJ were calling out to Pope and Kiara who had borrowed John B's boat. JJ was about to make another joke, probably about how John B should clean it when they back or something like it. 

"What was that?" John B asked, on high alert. His panicked tone made you anxious.

"Your chicken?" JJ responded.

"I heard a car door."

"I heard it too," You confirmed. The only sounds you heard after the silence that followed your confirmation were the crickets, the music playing in the background, and JJ clucking like a chicken. John B covered his mouth to get JJ to shut up.

Panic filled your nerves at the anticipation. JJ put out the fire while John B helped you and Sarah climb up the tree before following up himself, JJ in tow. Hopefully whoever it was that was out there wouldn't see you. You try to steady your breathing when you hear Rafe's voice. 

"No, there ain't shit here man." Rafe's drug dealer, Barry, answers Rafe.

"They were obviously just here based off the smoke!" 

"Great observation boy scout."

 Rafe was standing a couple of feet away from where you and John B were having your moment. He points the gun at it and laughs maniacally, "Well shit."

"Your girl and your sister's a pogue for life huh, Rafe?" Barry adds fuel to Rafe's fire with his words. "Now who would have thought?"

Sarah's eyes meet yours for a second before you glance at JJ, you didn't realize you were breathing heavily, and he brings a finger to his lips.

"Shit!" Rafe lets out a yell full of rage, and you flinch as he shoots one, two, three times at the tree dedicated to your brother. Barry shoves Rafe, shouting at him to stop. 

"You're gonna get us caught!" He tugs Rafe along. "Let's go!"

~~~

None of you got to sleep last night, you spent the rest of the night til daybreak clutching onto Sarah, both of you distraught about how attached you were to Rafe. Sarah as his sister and you, his ex-girlfriend. There was no escaping him. JJ silently watched over you as you held your head in his hands, Sarah had John B to lean on but you- you had no one. 

Once you saw that Pope and Kie had returned from wherever they wandered off to JJ quickly informed them that you all had to go, rushing onto the boat with a cooler of drinks and what little snack you had, you all sailed off to a small part of the island that no one really came to.

Debates about what to do next stirred disagreements all around. Sarah brought up an idea that was a long shot. 

"With me back, my dad is gonna have to choose between me and Rafe." She made her point, "He's gonna choose me."

"Ward keeps lying to you, Sarah." John B tells her. Poor Sarah looks so tired, you all were, but her family is fucked up, and her idea of Ward choosing between her and Rafe was iffy.

"I-I know it sounds crazy-"

"Yeah, it does!" Kie proclaims. 

"But he's my dad and I know him. I know he loves me." She looks with pleading eyes at all of you, "I'm just asking for two hours."

You bit your lip shaking your head in defeat, there was no stopping her at this point. It was not going to go well and you could not shake this feeling since she left with the HMS Pogue, that something bad was about to happen. You didn't know if you could take any more bad news. 

You, Kie, and JJ went to gather wood, sharing your thoughts on this whole situation. The three of you with piles of wood in hand, dropping it all when you saw the HMS Pogue come into view. 

"Sarah!" You call out to her. The five of your run to meet her, and she informs you that the plan didn't work. 

"Welp, that settles it guys, you need to load up the wagon and get the hell out of dodge." JJ comes up behind them after ensuring the boat wouldn't leave the shore. 

Pope stands with hands on his hips telling them that they need to get supplies as soon as possible. There was something- boats with wailing sirens- coming in the distance. You clutch onto Kie's wrist, "Guys, I think it's too late."

"We have to find another way out," John B declares. 

As soon as one of the officers speaks on the bullhorn, giving you orders to stay on the beach with your hands in the air, you all bolt. Running into the small lake and into the trees, "Sarah you good?" You call out behind you. John B and JJ helped her into the water, her gunshot wound making it harder to escape. You swam through deeper water and found a large tree to hide behind. 

Sirens approached from everywhere, the coast guard was trekking the water with guns in their hands. You panted, out of breath and your heart ran at a million. You watched as JJ took out the gun, John B grabbing it out of his hand and shaking his head. He tossed the gun to the ground, JJ looked reluctant to let go but he did and spread the dirt on top of the gun to keep it hidden. 

"Step out into the clearing, get down. Do not move!" Shoupe's orders were contradictory but John B followed them. 

"The rest of you stay right where you are, keep your hands where we can see them!"

You and the others did what you were told until Deputy Thomas marched right up to John B and began to beat him to the ground. You were shouting with tears free falling down your cheeks, begging them to stop this. These adults were just standing by, allowing your brother to get beat by a man much older and much heftier than him for a crime he did not commit. 

After a couple more punches John B was down. 

~~~

Chapter 15

Taglist: @deanwherescas - @thtbwltts - @nerdypartytrashpsychic - @random-girl-army - @siresweeney - @simpingbutch - @obx-pogues-4-life - @mitchloveswriting - @p-prettybitch - @gwynschampagne - @slut4booksx - @ellallheart - @shay-https - @namacissi - @lyn07 - @caseysalvatore - @mysticmolina - @dangerdolns - @inkandpen22 - @beebeerockknot - @im-broliet - @princessalana - @princesspogue - @ayeitsjustmee - @instabull - @sexyfoxlady - @80strashbag - @onlyangel-444 - @a-j-stuffs - @clinelyn - @saintgwyn - @bubs-world - @sdawn03 - @boldlypessimistic - @loki-loveer - @lostinatimeline

(If your name is crossed that means Tumblr won't let me tag you.)

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Omg hear me out PLS. s/o passes away and skellie finds someone else. After skellie has somewhat settled into that relationship, s/o comes back as a skeleton, confused as to what's going on

Undertale Sans - He's horrified. It took years for him to move on, years of therapy, years where he had to learn to move on, and you're not dead?! He's in shock right now, and crying in your arms, and he can't make a coherent sentence. You and his girl/boyfriend are very concerned. After his mind is clear, he is so lost. He loves you, but he loves his girl/boyfriend too and he feels like a piece of shit if he ever has to choose between you. He will let you both deal with that. It's too much to handle for him.

Undertale Papyrus - Papyrus is really surprised, and very embarrassed. He doesn't want to get rid of any of you, so... Maybe working with the three of you will do? He's quite not sure of what to do. He never read anything like that. If it's not working, he won't push it, but... He really wants to try (and gain as more time as he can in case he has to make a choice).

Underswap Sans - He stays with his current boy/girlfriend, because if he is in a relationship, that means he really moved on. He is sorry you had to see this, but he still wants to be friends. He just doesn't have feelings for you right now, not these types of feelings anymore. He knows it's for the best. Maybe you can make your life elsewhere.

Underswap Papyrus - The chances he found someone else are zero. Honey is very loyal, there's only one S/O and only one. He can't believe his eyes and his luck right now and he is so glad you're not dead.

Underfell Sans - Same. Red doesn't want any future relationship. Your death broke him. You found him looking very sad and pathetic, but man, he's crying like a baby in your arms, so relieved. He's so happy he can get a second chance.

Underfell Papyrus - LOL. He says his current boy/girlfriend that he is sorry and leaves with S/O. Edge might have been in love with that person, but everything vanished when he found his S/O again. He is way too loyal to let you go. He doesn't care if he hurt other people in the process. That's life. Life is painful, deal with it.

Horrortale Sans - That's terrible, terrible. Because Oak doesn't remember you. At all. He can see you're upset and hurt, but he doesn't understand why and it's scaring him. You scared his current boy/girlfriend too. They called you an harrassor and warn you to never come back. You are so heartbroken you dust in front of them. Oak never felt so guilty before, and he doesn't even know why.

Horrortale Papyrus - He never found love again after you, so it's quite the relieved! He prefered this that way, thinking he's not made for relationship after all, but thank god you are back to change his mind!

Swapfell Sans - So. What you're saying is that you're his S/O. Back from the dead. And somehow you're alive. He closes the door at your face. No thanks, he doesn't want any zombie inside his house. You're angry and threats to break the door if he doesn't open. His boy/girlfriend calls the police on you because they're scared lol.

Swapfell Papyrus - Oh cool, he's hallucinating now. That's new. Oh well, one more problem to deal with. He invites you home but he really acts like you're not real until his current boy/girlfriend asks who you are and why you're sitting in the couch with him. That's when Rus realises it's actually real and he is now very embarrassed because... Uh... He has no idea what to do??? You end up trying to share him. He's not very difficult anyway.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He looks at you in shock for a second, then his face becomes cold again. You hear someone ask who is at the door from the living room. "NO ONE. JUST THE MAIL MAN. HE GOT THE HOUSE WRONG." then he closes the door at your face, without an explanation. You are in shock, and confused, and so betrayed. Wine is not coming back. He moved on. The only thing you will hear from him are the money he's sending you regularly to buy your silence. You're heartbroken and angry.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - Coffee never found someone else. He's very loyal, and he cried a river when he realised you're not dead. That's the second best day of his life.

[boricuacherry-blog]

It was an unseasonably warm day, and while the leaves were starting to turn their predictable shades of red and gold, the crisp fall chill hadn't settled in just yet in Richmond, Virginia. It was Monday, in September of 2016. That evening seemed pretty typical in the Jacobs household.

21-year-old Keeshae Jacobs was getting ready to go out, while her mother Toni and her brother settled in for the night. Keeshae did seem a little troubled as she headed out. She'd had an argument with her boyfriend. "She was pretty upset," said Toni. "But me and her brother seemed to talk her down, then she was like, 'Alright, mom, I'm gonna go to my friend's house, I'll be back tomorrow.'"

Before leaving, Keeshae promised to be back early the next morning to make her 25-year-old brother Deavon breakfast. Toni remembers the moment she watched her daughter walk out the front door, wearing her typical outfit: black basketball shorts, pink-and-black Nikes, and a pink scarf. Around 11, Toni got ready for bed. She had to work the next morning. Keeshae texted her she had made it to her friend's.

The next morning though, Keeshae still hadn't come home. Toni figured she would hear from her later, and went to work. When Keeshae still wasn't answering her phone, Toni became alarmed. Her calls to Keeshae kept going to voicemail. She began calling all of Keeshae's friends, but none of them had heard from her. It made no sense to Toni - Keeshae hadn't even gone that far from home, in a city that she had always considered safe.

Toni could never have imagined that the questions she began having would go unanswered for years, and that she would personally have to take on the role of investigator. Six years later, Keeshae is still missing, and Toni has reason to believe she is still alive.

"Keeshae was the homebody. She was very family-oriented," said Toni. "She used to be my little sidekick most of the time. She liked to go places with me, be around my friends, and she just gave the greatest hugs. She was such a sweet and loving person. Her brother was incarcerated for a short period of time, and she was excited that he was home, so that was her main focus. Her main priority was making sure he stayed out of trouble. You would've thought she was the oldest, cause she acted like she ran stuff."

Toni added, "I never had to worry about Keeshae going out to the clubs or anything like that. The only thing I worried about was the company she kept. I had to tell her, 'Listen, be cautious. Not everyone is your friend.' She had one or two that maybe was OK, but then she had some that was questionable."

There was one girl in particular Toni warned her daughter about.

"It was just something about the girl," Toni remembered. "I can't even put my finger on it. But I didn't think she was a good friend to Keeshae. I did not care for her."

Coincidentally, that girl was one of the last people to have seen Keeshae the night she went out.

"The morning after she didn't come home, I became frantic. I knew I had to do something, so I just began knocking on doors. Keeshae's best guy friend [Demarcus] gave her a ride to that girl's house. Now I trust this guy, but that girl I didn't."

That's when Toni met someone she believes knows more than he's telling her or police. The two-story red brick row house that she went knocking on was on Broadstreet in Richmond's quaint Church Hill neighborhood. The door swung open and in front of her stood a man in his thirties. He said his name was Otis [Tucker].

"He said he saw Keeshae that Monday at 5, but that didn't add up, because I was like, 'No, she was at home at 5.' Then he kept changing the time, and I called the police right then and there. They searched the home but she wasn't there. So I started plastering flyers all over the neighborhood. That led to a phone-call, where a woman told me she knew this Otis guy. She basically told me he beat her, and refused to let her leave, then did sexual things to her. I broke down, because he probably did the same thing to my daughter. That was my worst nightmare hearing that."

"And Otis apparently knew Keeshae. He said she always came over there, with that female friend I don't care about. I found out later that that friend had romantic interests in that man. I feel the friend knows more than she's saying also."

A reporter who tried to cover the case ran into roadblocks when he tried to pry information from the police. While Richmond police have never publicly named a suspect, they did divulge that foul play was suspected.

Except they didn't say that until Keeshae had been missing for more than a year.

Toni knew foul play was involved almost immediately when police found blood in the the home that day they searched. No amount large enough to deduce a crime was committed, but still. And she showed them Keeshae's call log, and the anamoly of her calls suddenly stopping.

Why did it take the Richmond police a year and two months to ask the public for help if they believed foul play was involved? We don't know, because they're not talking. All they've acknowledged is that something happened to Keeshae in that house.

Three months after Keeshae vanished, Toni's son was murdered in what police have said is an unrelated incident. The man who murdered him took a plea deal and only served five years in jail. Although the legal system keeps failing her, Toni maintains the belief that Keeshae is still out there and waiting to be found - alive.

"She needs me to find her, and I can't give up. I believe she may have been trafficked, because that Otis guy had planned on abducting the [woman who called me] but had to let her go when police were coming. I don't believe I fully mourned my son's death, because I still have to fight for Keeshae."

Note: Keeshae is 5'3", 100 lbs, has a tattoo of a rose on her shoulder, the name Toni on her left shoulder, paw prints on her right thigh and a leaf on her right foot. Both ears are pierced.

[compo67]

Compare & Contrast: House of Gold (2014)

My writing from 2014 is so different from my writing in 2023! Here's a chapter of "House of Gold" from "before" and "after."

2014

“Don’t kiss me, you’ll get sick.”

“I’ll risk getting sick.”

“No.”

“Jen, it’s okay.”

“Fine. A small one.”

Jared leaves Smithville on a rainy Tuesday morning. Jensen left the night before by himself in a car that came from the airport to pick him up. He’s made the set call for today despite being sick and running a hundred and one degree fever. They’ve made set accommodations for the past two days just for him and he can’t miss another call. He plans to use his illness as an advantage on set but Jared doesn’t quite understand how. Either way, they separate for twelve hours. Jared pulled out his carryon bag an hour after Jensen left and started packing.

“Long as you don’t mind havin’ a guest around,” he could hear John saying to his momma, polite and appreciative. “Promise you won’t notice I’m here, ma’am.”

“I wouldn’t mind if I did notice you were here,” his momma replied. “And don’t call me ma’am. Makes me feel old. I’m not that old, right Jay? Just turned thirty last year.”

“For the sixth time,” Jared snapped out with a small laugh.

She came over and he expected a swat to the head and a lecture on how when she was a girl she had half the men in this town kneeling at her front door, begging to let them take her out here or treat her to this. She likes to go on sometimes about how it’s her good looks Jensen best be damn grateful for.

Instead, she hugged him.

She felt so small.

Of course, she read his mind, and it earned him a small cuff to the ear. “Don’t,” she muttered, looking at him directly. “Don’t you dare do that, Jared Tristan Padalecki. Don’t you treat me like I’m fine china. I was never that kind of girl. Never been that kind of woman.” And that’s true. He knew it. She broke each arm at least once climbing trees as a girl. Broke her right leg when she was sixteen and riding an admirer’s motorcycle alone and took a sharp turn too fast. That motorcycle is still in their garage.

“John’s got a gun,” she whispered to him, a glint of excitement in her eye. “Gonna take him shooting.”

The plan is for John to stay in Smithville for a week while Jared joins Jensen on set in Vancouver. It was all Jensen and Mr. Mayhue’s idea. Right before Jensen left he and Jared met with Mr. Mayhue at the store. His employer refused to accept any money for the repairs or business it cost him. The building, they were assured, was insured and it gave Mr. Mayhue’s brother-in-law work for once. But he tipped his ten gallon hat and leaned back in his chair and admitted that he was concerned for Jared’s safety. In his experience, people bent on doing petty things like this didn’t stop until they got the reaction they wanted. It was Mr. Mayhue’s fear that vandalism would lead to something else—and his position in the community did not warrant any more interest from the police. They took pictures, poked around, and did nothing else. A week off is not a problem in comparison. They can manage.

Jared turns this all around in his head on the plane ride from Austin to Vancouver.

A coach ticket would have been fine, he thinks, looking around and sighing. He’s looked up ticket prices for first class flights on this route. His shoulders bristle and he tries to shake off his worry. Stop it. Jensen does these things because he cares. It’s not to make Jared feel less than capable or childish. Sometimes you need to accept help, Jared tells himself. It just seems excessive when there are people waiting on him left and right. He isn’t used to this.

When he lands at four in the afternoon he can’t get his ears to pop. Pulling at his left ear lobe, he sends a text to his momma informing him that he made it just fine. When that’s done he digs around his pockets for gum or something to chew on. This never happened on the flights from Austin to Miami or Dallas to Austin. Then again, those were all at maximum three hour flights and this was six. His ass has fallen asleep and his joints hurt from sitting down so long. Even with more foot room in first class his knees still hurt from crouching. Walking out of the terminal with his carryon, still trying to get his ears to pop, he wonders how the hell he has arrived. Customs was a breeze since he only has one piece of luggage on him and Jensen called ahead. He comes in through this airport so often that the airport staff knows him well. One of the security guards handed back Jared’s passport with a sincere, “Welcome to Canada, sir.”

By the looks of the airport, it doesn’t immediately feel like he’s in another country. Another state, yes. There are no ten gallon hats or belt buckles on display; he doesn’t hear y’all or right quick or any kind of drawl. He follows signs for the above ground exit and prays not to get lost in the airport. Please let him have some kind of sense to find the arrivals pick up, where Jensen said he’d have a car sent.

Ten minutes later and Jared is completely turned around and lost. The layout to this airport isn’t anything like the few he’s been in. Just as he’s beginning to panic, his phone goes off. He expects it to be his momma.

“You’re adorable when you have no clue what you’re doin’.” A Texan drawl. Jared feels the knot in his chest loosen. He can’t punch out a witty response and Jensen gets it. “Look to your left, sweetheart.”

This is bad.

Every time Jared panics he’s going to expect Jensen there to help him out of whatever mess he’s in.

He doesn’t care if it’s cliché or silly or totally predictable. His carryon wheels squeaking, he runs the short distance between him and the man in sunglasses and a baseball hat.

The first thing that’s said doesn’t come from Jared.

“God, I missed you.”

He is greatly loved.

---

2023

Jensen leaves at night, by himself, in a car that came to pick him up and take him to the airport.

He just barely makes the set call for today, despite being sick and running a one-hundred and one degree fever. He plans to use his illness as a way to get even more into character. Or something like that. Before he left, Jared insisted on a kiss.

“Don’t kiss me, you’ll get sick.”

“I’ll risk getting sick, Jen.”

“No, I won't put you in harm's way, Jay. Absolutely not.”

“Good lord, it’s okay.”

“Fine. A small one.”

Jared is set to leave Smithville the next day--a rainy Tuesday morning.

John and Sherri talk in the kitchen as Jared gets ready.

"Just as long as you don't mind having a guest around," John says to Sherri, his tone polite and appreciative. "I promise you won't notice I'm here, ma'am."

“I wouldn’t mind if I did notice you were here,” Sherri replies. “And don’t call me ma’am. Makes me feel old. I’m not that old, right Jay? Just turned thirty last year.”

“For the sixth time,” Jared quips.

She walks over and he expects a swat to the head and a lecture on how when she was a girl she had half the men in this town kneeling at her front door, begging to let them take her out here or treat her to this. She likes to go on sometimes about how it’s her good looks Jensen best be damn grateful for.

Instead, she hugs him.

She feels so small.

Of course, she read his mind, and it earns him a small cuff to the ear.

“Don’t,” she mutters, looking at him directly. “Don’t you dare do that, Jared Tristan. Don’t you treat me like I’m fine china. I was never that kind of girl. Never been that kind of woman.”

And that’s true. He knew it. She broke each arm at least once climbing trees as a girl. Broke her right leg when she was sixteen and riding an admirer’s motorcycle alone and took a sharp turn too fast. That motorcycle is still in their garage.

“John’s got a gun,” she whispers to him, a glint of excitement in her eye. “Gonna take him to the shooting range.”

The plan is for John to stay in Smithville for a week while Jared joins Jensen on set in Vancouver. It was all Jensen and Mr. Mayhue’s idea. Right before Jensen left, he and Jared met with Mr. Mayhue at the store. Mr. Mayhue refused to accept any money for the repairs or business it cost him. The building is insured and it gave Mr. Mayhue’s brother-in-law work for once. But Mr. Mayhue tipped his ten gallon hat, leaned back in his chair, and admitted that he was concerned for Jared’s safety.

In his experience, people bent on doing petty things like this don’t stop until they get the reaction they want. It was Mr. Mayhue’s fear that vandalism would lead to something else. He gave Jared two weeks off. The store will manage.

Jared turns this all around in his head on the drive from Smithville to Austin. John drives, with Sherri up front and Jared in the backseat with his carry-on. He hugs his mother extra tight when he leaves them curbside.

He checks in without a problem, though it is his very first time flying anywhere alone and his first time using his passport. When he boards, he can't believe how spacious it is in first class. A coach ticket would have been fine, he thinks, looking around and shaking his head. Of course, Jensen paid for the ticket and refused to think of Jared flying in coach. Jared has looked up ticket prices for first class flights on this route before. His shoulders bristle and he tries to shake off his fretting. Stop it. Jensen does these things because he cares. It’s not to make Jared feel less than capable or childish. Sometimes you need to accept help, Jared tells himself.

It just seems excessive when there are people waiting on him left and right. He isn’t used to this.

When he lands at four in the afternoon, he can’t get his ears to pop. Pulling at his left ear lobe, he sends a text to his momma informing him that he made it just fine. When that’s done, he digs around his pockets for gum. His ass has fallen asleep and his joints hurt from sitting down for six hours. Even with more foot room in first class his knees still hurt from crouching. Walking out of the terminal with his carry-on, still trying to get his ears to pop, he wonders how the hell he has arrived. Customs is a breeze since he only has one piece of luggage on him.

One of the security guards hands back Jared’s passport and says, “Welcome to Canada, sir.”

By the looks of the airport, it doesn’t immediately feel like he’s in another country. Another state, yes. There are no ten gallon hats or belt buckles on display. He doesn’t hear "y’all" or "right quick" or any kind of drawl. It's almost unnerving. He follows signs for the above ground exit and prays to the universe that he doesn't get lost in the airport. Please let him have some kind of sense to find the arrivals pick up, where Jensen said he’d have a car ready and waiting for him.

Ten minutes later, Jared is completely turned around and lost. The layout to this airport isn’t anything like the few he’s been in. Just as he’s beginning to panic, his phone goes off. He expects it to be his momma.

“You’re adorable when you have no clue what you’re doin’.” A Texan drawl. Jared feels the knot in his chest loosen up. He can’t punch out a witty response and Jensen gets it. “Look to your left, sweetheart.”

This is bad.

Every time Jared panics he’s going to expect Jensen there to help him out of whatever mess he’s in.

He doesn’t care if it’s cliché or silly or totally predictable. With his carry-on wheels squeaking, he runs the short distance between him and the man in sunglasses and a baseball hat.

“God, I missed you,” Jensen says, flipping his sunglasses up to give Jared a proper kiss. "C'mere."

Jared knows he is greatly loved.

[dawnfire12]

Lust or Love

Summary: Doug Penhall needs some comforting after he feels like no one in the police force believes him about the dirty cop Adabo. 

Doug Penhall x reader

Warnings: Smut. Unprotected sex.

A/N: It’s based off the Besieged episode. I was sad that there isn’t a lot of Doug Penhall fanfic really anyway so I created this one shot. I may be posting a story about him and this character if I have time, highly doubtful, therefore this one shot exists.

“Hey, Doug. Come in.” I swing my apartment door open and wide so Doug can walk into the room. His comforting and musky cologne scent whiffs off him as he passes me to go towards the couch. He’s wearing his leather jacket, a tight black t-shirt that shows off his muscles and blue jeans. 

He makes his way into my living room which is about 50 steps away from the front door. My living room has a long dark green couch that leans against a window with closed curtains and has only three gold pillows and two dark blue chairs on either side of the couch. By the chair closest to the window is a blue lamp that can turn off with just one click. A glass coffee table that is gold and has gold butterflies engraved in it sits in front of the couch.

“Do you want something to drink? A beer or glass of wine?” I ask while making my way to the kitchen.

“I’ll take a beer.” He calls from the living room.

I open the fridge door and take out the beer. I pull open the silverware draw with a hard yank as it constantly gets stuck to get out the beer opener. I place them on the kitchen tabletop and take out the cork from the bottle of wine that has been sitting on my counter since I came home from the chapel. I was already planning on having a glass of wine before Doug came over. I pour the wine into my glass, pocket the beer opener in my jacket pocket and carry the beer in my other hand towards Doug. 

He stands up when he sees me with my hands full and takes the beer from me, “Thank you.”

I nod and take the beer opener out from my jacket pocket, handing it to him,”No problem,” I take off my jacket and throw it on one of the chairs.

He opens the bottle which lets out a little hiss and takes a sip, “What’s with your look?”

I look down at my skirt and blouse, “What do you mean what’s with my look?”

“You normally don’t dress like that.” He gestures to my outfit.

“Are you saying I don’t dress pretty or I’m not pretty enough to wear this?” I raise my eyebrow.

“No, you’re pretty and it’s a pretty look. It’s not your normal look.”

I smile,”I know. I’m just teasing. Judy and I are working of the murder case of the drug dealer Ozzy. We are posing as his friends to his girlfriend to see if she knows anything. She is such a lovely girl and has an adorable daughter but she’s hooked on heroin. We saw her trying to offer her body in exchange for heroin and it broke Judy’s heart so I took Judy out to lunch to try and help her feel better. Sorry, I’m rattling off while you came here to complain.”

“Nah, it’s okay.”

“What? You got no complaints now? Come on Doug. Talk to me!” I take a sip of my wine.

“It’s just uh nobody believes me.” His eyes are downcast like a depressed puppy.

“Okay, elaborate.” I motion with my hand.

He shifts so his knees are facing mine and places his one arm around the back of the couch while his other arm lays in his lap, “I thought this guy, Adabo, was like the best you could ever be. He’s the guy I wanted to be. And now I think he threw a dealer off a roof,”  He pauses for a second, “Or not.”

I place my hand on top of his hand that’s on the back of the couch.

“And I got Hanson riding around with him and he probably thinks I’m crazy too. Fuller thinks I’m crazy. IAD thinks I’m crazy. Maybe I am crazy.”

“Do you think you’re crazy?”

He shakes his head,”No. I think I’m right.”

“Well, okay.” I tilt my head.

“Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Depends.” 

He smiles and doesn’t say anything. The silence fills the room and my cheeks start to feel flush. I never took the time to appreciate how handsome Doug looks up close with his hair all slicked back and the gold chain that peeks out from the neckline of his shirt.

He pushes up and moves his face closer to mine before connecting our lips. Our lips move in sync and I grab ahold of the bottom of his shirt. He licks my bottom lip and I open my mouth so our tongues can meet in a delicious kiss. I tightened my grip on his shirt as the kiss became deeper and almost impossible to breathe. He swallows my every breath while his tongue slides over mine. He leans over me more until I’m laying fully on my back.

I open my legs and prop my knees up so he can fit between my legs better. Our lips part and he kisses the right side of my neck slowly. He kisses a particular spot on my neck above my collarbone where he licks and sucks the skin. I gasp, clawing his shoulders and moving my crotch against his.

He leans up, bringing his hands to the hem of my shirt and looks at me for permission. I nod and he takes my shirt off my body. I sit up, reaching for his shirt to take off when he pushes me down and takes it off himself. He leans back down and kisses my chest, passing my boobs and going down towards my stomach. He kisses the skin above where the skirt lays and pushes himself down the couch to kiss me from my right leg up to my underwear. He kisses me through the underwear and I gasp out a moan. He moves the underwear to the side a little and licks me.

I grip onto the back of the couch and moan,”Doug.”

He looks up at me from underneath my skirt and proceeds to give another long lick. I moan and tilt my head back, then I fumble with the zipper of my skirt and pull it down. I try to pull the skirt down my legs but Doug has a hold on my legs.

He looks up at me and I whimper,”Doug please. Take it off of me.”

He leans up to kiss me while his one hand tugs my skirt off of my body. Once it’s off, he throws it somewhere in the living room and wraps my legs around his waist. He places his hands on my back and sits up, making me be a little bit taller than him. I break our lips apart and kiss down his neck. He stands up and walks towards my room. I kiss the left side of his neck until he drops me onto my bed. He moves to lay on top of me but I put my foot on his hard cock.

“Take it off.” I rub my foot on his cock.

He groans and steps away from me, unzipping his pants and kicking them to the side. I open my legs up and he lays back on top of me. He reconnects our lips and takes off my bra. He cups my one boob and brushes his hand over the nipple. I gasp into his mouth. He lowers his mouth down to my nipple and sucks on it. I moan at the feeling of his warm tongue. He does the same to my other boob before heading down towards my underwear, where he drags it down to my feet with his teeth. 

He stands up looking at me,”You are beautiful.”

He takes off his boxers and hovers over me while his fingers make their way up to my entrance. He pushes his first thick finger into my clenching pussy and thrusts it. I moan and grip onto the sheets. He adds another to stretch me out and I grip the sheets tighter. My eyes are closed shut until I feel him remove his fingers. 

I open my eyes to see him licking his fingers, “Sweet.”

He crawls on top of me and wraps my legs around his waist before thrusting. I gasp out as he sheathes himself to the hilt. He groans before pulling out and shoving it back in. 

“Doug.” I moan out and grip his arms. 

He thrusts hard, gripping onto my waist and I throw my head back. I tighten my legs around his waist and I move my arms around his back. He drives himself into me and his gold chain dangles in front of me. I dig my nails into his back and he hisses, going faster. I feel my pussy clenching and the pleasure building up more.

“Don’t stop Doug. Please make me cum.” I gasp out as the pleasure builds faster while he grabs my waist harder. He lifts my hips up a little more and thrusts a few more times making him go deeper and it makes the steady pleasure of my orgasm crash so fast that I see stars in my eyes.

He fucks me through my orgasm and turns over so he’s laying on his back and I’m on top. I breathe in and out quickly trying to regain my breath before placing my hands on his chest and moving my hips. From this angle, I can feel him in my stomach. I scratch my nails into his chest as I move my hips in a fast circular motion. He sits up and holds me close to him.

“Doug, please.” I plead into his mouth and kiss him. 

He starts thrusting from below and it makes me cry out. He shifts so his knees are up and it helps him thrust inside me better. He thrusts my waist down onto his dick over and over again. I gasp, moan and cry out when my second orgasm washes over me. As I come down from my high, Doug loses control over his thrusts and comes inside of me. He thrusts lazily before pulling out and laying me beside him.

I catch my breath and kiss him one more time before resting my head on his chest and falling asleep for the night, not ready to deal with the consequences that will come from our actions.

[leftfield-fm]

Blackpool was something else. It was a Scots holiday weekend. The sweltering ballroom was packed with sweating Glaswegians, many of them drunk. Despite a heavy force of security men and policemen - who were not allowed inside the hall and stayed backstage out of sight - there was an atmosphere of impending violence from the moment we took the stage. We began with our usual show, but Brian seemed to enjoy teasing the more demonstrative members of the crowd near the stage. Roy Carr, a musician who preceded us on stage and who later wrote for New Musical Express, asserts that Brian had been attempting to upstage Mick's theatricality. "Someone at the very front of the stage suddenly took exception to Brian's effete posturing," says Roy. "So did his cronies. As Brian nervously bounced closer to the edge of the stage, this gang of sodden louts began a contest to see which one of them could spit on the Stone. Not one of them missed their target."

Keith was livid. He moved over to where Brian was being abused and gave the ringleader a warning between songs. Minutes later, Keith was spat on. Outraged, he retaliated by jamming the heel of his boot down on the knuckles of the spitting troublemaker who had been leaning with his hands and chin resting on the lip of the stage. Nor did he end it there; after taking one step backwards, he plunged the toe of his boot into the lout's nose.

In the ensuing riot, we would have been slaughtered if the stage hadn't been about six feet high. Stu recalled later: "It was very nearly the date on my gravestone. There were no cops, no bouncers, just a couple of old retainers in uniform at each corner of the stage. They had only one final number to do at the end of the second set and I thought: 'They'll be off, if they're lucky.' Then one guy in the front spat at Keith, and Keith kicked him in the head. And that was it. Good night. The whole place erupted. Keith still thought he was God and that he could kick one of these guys and get away with it. The rest of the band had already turned, realizing they'd got to get off the stage. I pushed Keith and said: 'For fuck's sake, get out of here while you're still alive.' And I went off as well."

We were smuggled out of the building over a roof and guided to a back door, where a police van was waiting and they drove us away quickly to the station, where our own car picked us up. But for the police, one of us would almost certainly have been killed. There was a lull in the ballroom for a few seconds when it was thought we would return, then the riot started in earnest. The angry mob of teenagers began breaking up the place. Hundreds of youths stormed the stage. Some were thrown bodily back into the crowd. Amplifiers, drum kits and other equipment worth about £2,000 were kicked off the stage and smashed. Pieces were hurled at policemen and attendants. Red-and-gold curtains had been ripped down, chairs and heavy plush ten-feet-long seating forms wrenched apart, with pieces crashing against stage lighting. Clocks were smashed and a bottle was hurled through the huge chandelier. There was a hail of shoes, bottles, coins and other missiles. Before police and staff could restore order, running fights broke out all over the ballroom. Cymbals went through the air and people thumped each other as all the amplifiers were smashed up. Then there was the most glorious crash of all time: a Steinway grand piano was pushed off stage, smashing into pieces. Charlie hadn't been using his drums that night; he'd borrowed a kit from a guy who was sitting there crying over his lovely Ludwig kit. He got one cymbal back. They didn't steal the drums, they just smashed them. Of the amps, only bits of wood were left and I think we got one loudspeaker chassis without any cone in it. That was all. Everything else was totally mangled. One mob, chanting "Scotland, Scotland!" challenged the police to a fight. During the riot, scores of police reinforcements were called in. Wielding batons, they charged straight into the mob and eventually broke up the riot. Two policemen and about thirty members of the audience had their injuries treated at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital, which resembled a casualty clearing center. One had been hit by a microphone. A number of arrests were made and several youths were hustled into a police van outside. At eleven o'clock, the recorded pop music, which had been played throughout the riot, was switched off as police escorted the last dancers outside.

excerpt from Bill Wyman's memoir, Stone Alone

[cwritesforfun]

Rafe Cameron x Fem!Reader: Alternate Ending to S1

Rafe had been dating you for 1 year much to his dad's dismay. Everyone else was happy for him and them as a couple. Rafe, however, values his father's opinion more than he should leading him to break up with Y/N. While Rafe did love Y/N, he wanted his father's love and thought that cutting her out would lead to that.

Y/N = Your Name

This imagine will take place when Ward Cameron tries to leave with Sarah on the plane with the gold.

**I don't own any of the characters or plot or the italicized lines I used in this imagine** yes I did change the plot a bit**

Y/N's POV

When Kie called me saying she had a bad feeling about today and about what Rafe might do, I showed up to help her immediately. I know Rafe well or I used to and I want to help them get their gold back. I think they deserve it especially over Ward Cameron.

We park outside where JJ's dads boat is and we take a look inside.

JJ exclaims "Here she is! Hey girl! The Phantom! 40 years old! Fastest thing we've ever seen!"

Kie replies "She's kind of a junker."

JJ replies "Careful, she can hear you."

I reply "I doubt she cares. Why is she a she?"

JJ smirks and starts to make an explanation.

We hear a door slide open and Kie says "Pope, thank goodness you're here."

I look over and begin to walk over when I see Barry, the drug dealer I know who gives illegal drugs to Rafe. Wtf?!? This cannot be good.

He exclaims "Hey sweet cheeks! You haven't been around your boyfriend in awhile. It's a shame. I thought you two would last. I guess it's my turn to have a little fun."

Before I can snap at him, I hear "Back off Barry, we came here for a reason. Don't get distracted. Remember that."

I turn and see Rafe standing there with cuts on his face. What did he do? What happened?

I then notice he's refusing to meet my gaze.

I also notice a random other man who must be with Barry carrying a gun. Who is he? Huh!

Barry turns to JJ and screams angrily "You didn't think I would forget about you, me, and the side of the road. I'm here because I want my mf money!"

Barry punches JJ square in the face and I start to move to help him before I'm pulled back by Rafe.

I glance at him and he says "It's better if you don't fight me, Y/N. I don't want to hurt you."

I reply "You broke my heart already. What's next? My arm, gahhh!! I don't want to be anywhere near you! You're an effing jerk!"

He raises his hand as if he's about to slap me and he hesitates. Gosh why didn't he do it?

I notice Pope running in heading straight towards Barry and JJ with a purpose.

In that moment, I break free from Rafe's arms and I kick him in the balls. I do regret it a little, but boy did that make me feel real good.

We all run out and towards the plane area.

We see John B chasing down Sarah who is being held by Ward. We run out and start chasing them down.

We make it over and help John B stop the plane. Ward storms out and begins yelling at us.

Sheriff Peterkin shows up and says "Ward Cameron, I should've known. If I have my way, you will be in prison for a long time."

Ward Cameron replies "Let's hope you don't."

Sheriff Peterkin replies "But you're surrounded and there's lots of witnesses. You're alone."

We then hear "No he's not."

Rafe comes around the corner with a gun pointed straight at the Sheriff.

Without thinking, I step in front of her and say "Don't do it, Rafe. You doing this may help your father, but you'll have to live with the fact you killed someone. Someone who has a family that will miss her and friends in the police force who will want justice for her killer. Killing her would send you to prison no matter if your dad can buy you time. As Cat Stevens said, I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail."

Rafe starts to lower his gun and Ward throws Sarah onto the ground.

As we all move to help Sarah, Ward Cameron jumps over to Rafe, steals the gun from Rafe's hand, and shoots at me.

I glance down and see blood pouring out of my side. Oh. I should've known that was coming.

I feel woozy looking at my own blood pouring from me and fall to the ground.

I then notice Ward Cameron move the gun to Rafe's head and I try to move to stop him. Before I can, I hear a shot fire and hit Ward causing him to fall to the ground.

Sheriff Peterkin bends over me and presses a cloth to my side. She turns to my friends and exclaims "I need someone to talk to Y/N. Keep her awake. She's losing a lot of blood. Come on Y/N. The ambulance is on the way. You'll be okay. Someone hold this down and I'll handcuff Ward Cameron."

I close my eyes a little out of feeling tired and I hear "Y/N please no. I can't lose my best friend."

I slightly open them and see Kie crying while holding my hand. Pope is holding the cloth to my side and JJ is soothly rubbing my arm.

I reply "I ... I won't die Kie. You heard the Sheriff. The ambulance is on the way and I'll be alright."

That makes her cry harder and I see Rafe out of the corner of my eye standing near me.

I exclaim "At least you won't go to jail, Rafe."

JJ, Kie, and Pope glance at Rafe.

He bends down next to me and says "I never meant for this to happen. It went too far. I was supposed to be there to protect you and I failed. I'm sorry Y/N.  Please live baby. I need you Y/N and I love you."

I begin to close my eyes again and I hear their voices trying to call me back.

My eyes open slightly when the ambulance shows up and they attach me to a lot of tubes.

I nod in and out of consciousness.

Rafe rides in the ambulance and holds my hand. I don't know how my friends allowed him to come instead of them. I'm glad he's here though. I know he cares even if it's deep down.

We make it to a hospital and I'm given some painkillers that make me sleep.

Rafe's POV

I sit out in the hall waiting for news of Y/N.

I want her to live. I need her to live. She cannot die today. No. Not by my father's hand. I mean not by anyone's hand but especially not him. I still can't believe she is currently in this position. I should've protected her.

I use one of the phones in the hospital and I contact her family. It's the right thing to do. Her mother freaks out and tells me she is on the way.

A little while later, her mom arrives and asks me what happened. So I explain it to her and I leave out nothing. Her face goes from happy that I found Y/N's love, scared when I mentioned my drug usage, sad when I broke up with Y/N, understanding when I told her how I craved my father's love, then horrified at what really went down.

Y/N's mom asks "How did she look before surgery?"

I answer "She was losing a lot blood. She was in and out of consciousness the whole time. If she did talk, she was hopeful for the future and kind. She said she knew surgery would go well."

She replies "My poor baby."

We sit huddled together for a bit until a doctor comes out. The doctor tells us she will live. She will most likely not wake up for a few more days and she'll be hooked up to an IV until she recovers. She had surgery and will have to go to weekly doctor's appointments until it heals enough. She'll apparently never fully heal.

They wheel her into the room and she looks so at peace. My poor love.  

Y/N's mom says "Sweetheart, I can stay with her tonight. They said she wouldn't wake up for a little while. If she does, I'll call you right away. You should go get some sleep or try to at least. She'd want you to be well rested when you see her. You can come back tomorrow morning if you'd like to. Tell her friends if you know them and are close with them."

I don't feel like fighting her on this and truthfully if she is only allowed one visitor, it should be her mom. I can visit tomorrow.

I nod and reply "If she does wake up, tell her I'm sorry and I love her. I'll be here tomorrow regardless."

She nods and hugs me.

I leave.

The next two days - I spend talking to her friends even though they hate me, telling the police what happened that day and leading up to it, learning I'm not going to jail cuz I did in fact not shoot but I will have to go to community service for punishment, barely sleeping, and at the hospital by Y/N's side. She hasn't woken up yet. I want her too.

I sit reading some book she bought me next to her brother and her mother by her side.

I hear coughing and see Y/N awake.

Her mom jumps up and helps give her water.

She drinks it and thanks her mom.

The nurse comes in as she's drinking water and asks her questions then goes over medicine and food options for later.

Y/N's mom walks out to grab something and I glance over at Y/N. She looks so at peace and calm. She half smiles at me.

Y/N's mom then walks back in with her friends. Y/N's mom and brother leave.

Kie hugs Y/N first then JJ, Sarah, Pope, and John B do. Do I hug her? She probably hates me. Y/N looks over at me and asks "Wanna hug, Rafe? Everyone's getting one today."

I smile and I hug her. So she doesn't hate me. That's good. I also kiss her on the cheek and she gives me a small smile.

Her friends tell her everything going on and I add things I know from my police interviews.

She seems shocked and happy about the results of all of this.

Kie asks "So when do you get to leave?"

Y/N answers "I just have to be able to walk a little and my pain has to be like 2 out of 7. So far it's been at like a 5 today. I mean it could be a few days. Then I'll be on partial bed rest and have weekly appointments here. They also said I'll never fully heal yet surgery went well, so I don't know what to make of it."

I reply "The Doctor said you'd live. You just have to be careful baby. With my dad in jail and me not associating with Barry anymore, I can get you around and hang out with you if you want or need me."

Y/N replies "Thanks. I appreciate it. I'm also sure my mom will appreciate some of the work being taken off her shoulders."

I nod and smile

Her friends spend another hour or so with us then they leave.

The nurse shows up and drops off the lunch food for Y/N.

Y/N's brother returns to give me a sandwich they bought me and I thank him. That was sweet of him. He then tells us him and Y/N's mom are going out for a bit and they'll be back at dinner.

Y/N exclaims "Bring your chair over here, Rafe. I want to be able to sit and talk with you while we eat."

I move my chair over and sit next to her.

She smiles at me and says "You & I haven't spoken alone since well before the incident. So ... ummm how are you really doing?"

I answer "Fine I guess. I think I'm better than I thought I would be."

She asks "Are you serious or lying? Your under eye bags say otherwise."

I sigh and answer "Ok you caught me! I was lying. I just don't want you to worry about me."

She replies "Rafe, even though we broke up, that didn't mean the feelings went away. I still love you and want you to be okay. I know you're probably dealing with a lot right now and I appreciate how strong you've been around me. Just know you don't have to be. And if you need someone to be there for you, I'm here. I can't move, so I'm kinda stuck if you start talking."

I laugh and smile.

I reach over to her hand and put my hand on hers. She smiles back at me.

I exclaim "I didn't realize how much of an unhealthy relationship I had with my dad until he shot you. It was then I also realized I couldn't live without you in my life. I'm serious about that. I know I did some bad things when we were broken up like the drug use and selling. I haven't used anything since the day it all went down. I actually am starting to feel like my old self again. I want us to be friends at least. I just want you in my life in some capacity. I love you so much Y/N.”

She smiles and replies "I love you too. Now come and kiss me."

I ask "Are you sure?"

She nods and I lean forward to kiss her

We kiss:)

...........................................................................

THANKS FOR READING!!

:)

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

13 of the world's most stupid criminals

 Armed robber Andrew Hennells was caught after he boasted on Facebook about his plans to raid a supermarket in a post which included a selfie, a picture of a knife, and the words: "Doing. Tesco. Over." Police caught him 15 minutes later with the knife and £410 in cash stolen from a Tesco in King's Lynn, Norfolk. He was jailed for four years.

A retired couple from Lancashire returned home from a holiday in 2014 to discover a burglar fast asleep in their bed. Martin Holtby and Pat Dyson were amazed to find the intruder, Lukasz Chojnowski, had done their dishes, washed his underwear and even bought some groceries.

Two Welsh tourists landed themselves in court in 2012 after they got drunk and stole a penguin called Dirk from Sea World in Australia. Rhys Owen Jones, 21, and Keri Mules, 20, from south Wales, broke into the park on Queensland's Gold Coast, swam with the dolphins and let off a fire extinguisher in the shark enclosure, before making off with Dirk the penguin. They later released Dirk into a canal, but were spotted by locals who called police. A magistrate fined them 1,000 Australian dollars

A man suspected of arson and vandalism sent a selfie to police in Ohio in the US because he found the photo on his arrest warrant to be unflattering.

Officials were left baffled by an Afghan Taliban commander who gave himself up - and then tried to claim the $100 reward for his capture.

A man who tried to rob a Glasgow bookmakers while "armed" with a cucumber came unstuck when he was tackled to the ground by an off-duty police officer. Gary Rough brandished the vegetable - covered in a black sock - at a female worker at Ladbrokes in Shettleston and demanded cash, which she refused.

A criminal on the run took the ill-advised approach of taunting Gwent Police under a Facebook appeal post for his arrest, saying “"Haha catch me if you can wont see me slipping [sic]," James taunted, later telling a news agency: "I have been walking around near home so they're not trying too hard to catch me."

During his attempted heist, James Allan removed his balaclava, fell over a drinks display and then could not open the door to escape - because he was pushing it instead of pulling. The lady he had just held up with a toy gun had to come and open it for him. Not only that, but he had also tried to rob the same shop 10 days earlier.

Christopher Badman, from Bridgend in south Wales, used a carrier bag on his head as a disguise when he burgled a hotel in nearby Porthcawl during its annual Elvis Presley convention. Unfortunately for him, he was captured on CCTV taking the bag off his head, and looking towards the camera.

A burglar in China had to be rescued after his attempt to squeeze through a small fifth floor window of an apartment block left him dangling. It took rescuers 30 minutes to free him. He was eventually handed over to police

An aspiring bank robber who wore a "terrible disguise" of sunglasses and socks over his shoes gave the cashier his full name and address - half an hour before he attempted to hold the branch up.

A suspected car thief in Pretoria, South Africa, was foiled when the auto-lock system of the car he broke into trapped him inside.  The man was stuck for an hour and a half shouting for help, while amused passers-by pointed and laughed.

Ashley Keast used a stolen SIM card to snap a self portrait inside a house he was burgling. The man then posted the picture on the Whatsapp messenger application - but also unknowingly sent the picture to the victim's work colleagues.

[fantasydaydreamers]

Just started watching Haikyuu and kuroo is my god i swear. hes so tall and looks like hes a dirty mf. need me one of him in my life (aged up obv) 😭

"Gang Related" BadBoy!Kuroo x Reader

Word Count: 5,480

Warings: Blood/wounds, Smut

Author’s Note: This was so fun to write and come up with a scenario forrrr🥺(my mf weakNESS) I hope you enjoy~

Notorious.

That wasn't the only word you would use to describe him, but if you looked it up in the dictionary, his picture would be underneath it with a cocky smirk in agreement. He was top dog--the streets feared him and he liked to run shit like he owned everything. Kuroo Tetsuro was his name and in the wrong parts of town, if you so happen to even utter it, you were asking for a fight. 

It was irritating.

It all started back in high school before he became a well-known gang leader. It was late one night after you had just spent hours studying for exams, finally retiring to your bed, when the reviving of engines outside your window started up. You were sure they were just passing by, but the constant noise had you tossing and turning in your bed for the past hour as you tried to fall asleep. How the police weren't called despite the clear noise complaint was beyond your comprehension, but you were getting close to your breaking point.

It became clear to you who was the source of the noise was, the longer you laid there staring at the ceiling and the idea of him made you scowl in distaste. As if he wasn't annoying enough at school by wandering the halls and picking fights almost every week, causing trouble this late at night just goes to show how bored he must be. The fact that he had nothing better to do besides tearing up the streets late at night with his little gang of groupies made you irritated. It was worse knowing that he only lived a few blocks away from you anyway.

A loud 'skrrt' was all it took for you to you whip your pillow against the wall as you hoisted yourself out of bed, storming over to your window. Unlatching the locks, you push the glass up and fumble with the screen, shoving it open. As convenient as it was to have your bedroom on the bottom floor, you never thought you would be doing this.

A cool breeze made goosebumps cover your arms as equally cool grass caressed your feet as you stomped around the side of your house and onto the street. You saw a few stray motorcycles pass by, and now that you were outside, you could hear the cheers and whistles that carried through the air. Quite honestly, you didn't give a fuck anymore. Waltzing into the middle of the street, you stare at another motorcycle speeding right at you, but you couldn't find it in you to move. Crossing your arms over your chest, you glare as the motorcycle took a second to slow down to a small hum as the rider came to a stop in front of you. You stared into the black helmet covering the guy's face as multiple motorcycles revved up behind you, trapping you in a circle.

Raising an eyebrow in question, you watch the rider finally take off his helmet, shaking out his messy black hair before running a gloved hand through it, spiking it back to its typical style. Golden irises stared at you lazily, a matching smirk on his face to go with it. His ear piercings and lip ring glinted from the headlights shining on him and you wanted to vomit.

"Kuroo," you seethed, ignoring the few whistles around you. 

"Oh, heyyy princess...what are you doing out this late?" Kuroo hummed calmly, irritating you even further. 

"Oh, you know, going for a stroll. I thought it was a perfect night to roam the streets completely unbothered." Shifting your stance, you pretend to answer his question thoughtfully with sarcasm oozing from your lips.

Kuroo gave a small 'tsk' and eyed you up and down slowly, a strange look on his face. "That's...weird."

A few snorts could be heard around the circle above the hum of the engines and you just wanted to scream. Before you could tell him off, the guy on the motorcycle next to him pulled off his helmet and you came face-to-face with Bokuto Kotaro. Of fucking course. Now, this makes sense.

Bokuto, at the time, was the most well-known gang leader around and was older than you and Kuroo. You believe he was in college, but you had no idea if he even attended the school anyway. It was just another question added to your list of curiosity as to why Kuroo would spend his last year in high school hanging out with the biggest gang in town. Not to mention you were just casually outside your house talking to them. Yep. No big deal.

You glanced back and forth to the matching golden irises that bore into you nonchalantly. Bokuto broke the staring contest when he quirked his eyebrow in amusement, turning to Kuroo. As he turned, you saw a glimpse of black ink that covered his neck and disappeared under his leather jacket.

"Well, well, you didn't tell me you had a missus."

"He doesn't." Before Kuroo could open his mouth, you answer for him while staring daggers into his shocked eyes. Bokuto turns back to you, his grin even wider as more whistles echo around you.

"Can you and your gang of groupies get off my street? Some of us actually have a life to wake up to tomorrow." You cross your arms over your chest, not having one ounce of fear in your body as howls of laughter rang out. All you could see was the disbelief on Kuroo's face as he remained speechless and unmoving. Bokuto was next to him, hunched over the motorcycle handlebars trying to catch his breath.

"Shit!" Taking a deep breath of air, Bokuto leans up, a few stray chuckles leaving him as he finally eyes you up and down almost approvingly. The urge to roll your eyes was strong, but you could do nothing other than yawn, sleep calling your name.

 "I think that's enough for tonight, hm?" Bokuto taps his knuckles of the top of Kuroo's head softly, gazing at him almost fondly. Interesting.

A flicker of anger flashed across Kuroo's face and just as he opened his mouth, Bokuto interrupted him again. "I wanted to go back and eat pizza with you guys anyway. Remember how I said I didn't want to stick to tradition? How boringgg."

Kuroo closed his mouth and looked away almost as if he was pouting. A genuine smile crossed Bokuto's face as he turned back to you in your half-sleep state. "Sorry, 'princess,' we'll let you get your beauty sleep now." Running a hand through his striped hair, he tosses you a wink and puts his helmet back on, revving his bike on purpose, turning towards Kuroo.

Kuroo shoots you one last curious gaze before putting his back on as well. You shoot them one last wary look, unsure if they were actually going to stop, before stepping out of the motorcycle ring. Walking back across your lawn, basically sleepwalking at this point, you faintly realize that the group of boys never drove off until you were out of sight.

~*~*~*~*

Little did you know that during the motorcycle incident, it was a way of saying goodbye to their beloved gang leader. Bokuto was stepping down from the position and handing it off to Kuroo as he was moving away for his college major which surprised you greatly. You were happy for him, but that was the beginning of Kuroo's legacy.

The days after the incident Kuroo became quiet at school which scared the teachers and staff--even the students started to feel uneasy. He would shoot you lingering glances in the hallways and you would always wave or throw him a random peace sign if you felt like it. Because...what the fuck? Graduation came fast and you remember sitting in your seat and clapping for Kuroo's name being called, only to find out he never showed up. That was the last time you ever thought you would hear of him again, but you were far from right.

Now in college, you hear of stories all the time of rising gang violence and a recent rival one that had just started growing. The streets weren't nearly as active as they are now when Bokuto was leader, but you didn't have time to ponder over it. Everyone in your city was warned to get home before it got dark out and to lock windows and doors for safety. It sounded like a real run-down place to be living in but the news made it sound worse than what it really was.

The next time you saw Kuroo again was on one of those nights where you should've been home already, but didn't take the news seriously. You had gone out to walk to the nearest grocery store, wanting to buy a late dinner, and as you were walking home, two guys approached you with sickening grins on their faces, trying to back you into a corner. Your heart was pounding in your ears as cold sweat started to form on your skin. Before they could get any closer, footsteps were echoing on the pavement as you and the two guys turned to the shadow approaching. Your heart lept in your throat and you frantically darted your eyes around looking for a way to escape before a deep yet familiar voice spoke out.

"There you are, princess."

The two men in front of you froze in place, their guarded expressions transforming into one of horror as they looked at each other and took off running in the opposite direction. You let out a breath of air and turned towards the man walking out from the shadows.

His hair didn't change much, but there were newly added piercings in his ear and two on one eyebrow. His eyes looked darker than you remember, the gold no longer warm and heated, but dull and cold. A cigarette hung loosely from his lips as he strode towards you, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, lazy and unbothered. When he finally came to a stop in front of you, you could see black ink covering the sides and back of his neck which reminded you of the glimpse you got from Bokuto that one time.

"Kuroo." You breathe his name in a sigh of relief. You were highly aware that he was equally s dangerous, but the fact that he was familiar sent a wave of reassurance that you were safe.

He looks at you up and down and shakes his head. "Still taking these 'strolls' unbothered? You haven't changed much."

"Huh?" Confused, you watch Kuroo shake his head again and motion his head to the side.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home."

You fall into step beside him, silent. What are you supposed to say to someone you haven't seen in years and is also running the biggest gang in the city? "Cold out, huh?" Nice one, (Y/n).

Feeling your face heat up with the lame question, you look over at Kuroo anyway and see his lip quirked up but he doesn't respond. Ooookayyy...

"What are you doing out this late?" You try again, adjusting the bag you were holding.

"Business."

You felt your irritation spike by the lack of communication you were receiving. Sure, you and Kuroo were never close, but you two still knew each other. "Asshole," you mumble, crossing your arms from the cool wind.

This time Kuroo snorted and reached up to take the cigarette out of his mouth. "Is that any way to thank the gentleman who just saved your cute ass?"

A few words in that sentence almost made you stumble, your mind trying to catch up to your ears. Gentleman? Cute? Pursing your lips you walk a little faster towards your house. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself."

Kuroo easily matched your stride and let out a chuckle, the sound making goosebumps appear on your arms. His voice was more mature and silky and as you spared him another glance out of the corner of your eye, you couldn't deny how attractive he was. "There's that feisty girl I remember."

"I'm surprised you remember me regardless." You state truthfully, slowing your strides back to normal.

"How could I forget sleeping beauty coming out on the middle of the road in the dead of night to tell a gang to get off her street~?" The cooing tone coming from Kuroo's voice had you flushing as you turned to look at him, seeing his eyes glinting slightly with that golden warmth that was missing before. Now that he mentioned it, since you confronted them that one time, nothing ever occurred on your street again.

"Damn right." Despite the beating of your heart, you answer him and flush more, hoping the streetlamps didn't give you away. The laugh that escaped Kuroo had you biting your lip, as he stretched his hands up in the sky.

"Shit...Bokuto was right."

That's what Kuroo had mumbled, but you didn't hear him as he immediately changed into a different topic, asking you about college and what you've been up to lately. The conversation seemed to end too quickly because the next thing you knew, you were outside your house exchanging contact info with the resident gang leader longing to talk some more.

~*~*~*~*

After that, Kuroo and you became close, which came as a shock. Obviously, you didn't meet up in person often, as he had a reputation and couldn't risk showing his face in broad daylight, but also because he was always busy. It was strange seeing just how far your relationship had developed. There were flirty remarks often passed around, mostly from Kuroo himself, but you would be stupid not to admit that you had developed some sort of feelings toward him.

It was another late night and you were just getting ready for bed when there was a knock at your window that made instant chills cover your entire body. Another knock came, followed by a thud. "What the fuck is that?!" Mostly talking to yourself, you hurry and shut off all the lights so you could open the blinds and see outside without a glare. Squinting into the dark, you see a figure slumped against your window on the ground. Your heart was beating widely in your chest, but upon hearing the blinds being pulled up, the figure looked up and you could barely make out that it was Kuroo.

"Son of a-" You whisper-yell to yourself, hurrying to unlatch the window, opening it to push the screen out. "Why do you enjoy scaring the shit out of me?!" Keeping your voice down, you scold Kuroo as he literally crawls through your window and onto your floor, grunting.

His movements clicked into your head fast as you hurry and got down next to him, trying to pull his jacket off. Pained groans fell from his lips as you tried to hush him, as to not disturb anyone in the house.

Your hand finally felt something warm and sticky and you gasped. "Kuroo!" A breathless gasp came from the body on your floor as he tried to sit up. Rushing back over to the lights, you flick them on and gasp.

"Hah...sorry to come by unannounced, but I don't think I could've made it back to base-" Just then Kuroo fell into a coughing fit, clutching his side as you noticed the stab wound the ripped through his shirt. Shushing him gently, you help Kuroo stand and sit him on your bed, propping him up against the wall.

"Don't move." Panicked, you quietly exit your room and make sure you didn't hear anyone still up. Grabbing a few towels and medical supplies, you quickly drop them off in your room before making your way to the kitchen and filling a bowl with warm water. It amazed you just how nimble you were grabbing everything you thought you needed without any noise.

Making your way back to your room, you lock your door and look to Kuroo, who was clenching his teeth while glaring at the ceiling in pain.

"How?" Placing the bowl off to the side, you set up your supplies and motion towards his shirt. "Off."

Kuroo tried for a smirk, but all you saw was a wince. "Princess, I just got here~"

"Now. Isn't. The. Time." Seething, Kuroo didn't comment as you helped him with the shirt, the fabric sticking to his skin from the blood and sweat covering him. You laid out a towel next to him to catch anything before it ruined your bedsheets. The gash was pretty big, but you couldn't tell how deep it was from the amount of blood covering it. Sighing, you dip another towel into the bowl of water and began dabbing away the blood, trying to avoid the deepest part. Kuroo grunts and you shoot him an apologetic look.

"Sorry...it's going to hurt worse when I put the antiseptic on later. So, what happened, boss man?" The pet name had Kuroo smiling through the pain as you cleaned the wound as gently as you could.

"I was a few blocks south, finishing up some business with Akaashi-fuck-when the Miya twins stepped out from the shadows and jumped me. It was a setup and to think that Akaashi knew--at this rate, we might have to join together with Oikawa's small gang so we can figure out what's happening." Kuroo took a deep breath and you can see the conflict and anger on his face, his hand clutching your bedsheets angrily. Silently, you hand him one of your pillows before he continued.

"And me! A fuckin dumbass for not having a backup. I told the guys it was an easy deal and to not worry but I," Kuroo's voice cracks, "-I never would've thought that Akaashi....fuck."

Your heart shattered hearing the raw emotion coming from him. Kuroo was never one to be vulnerable so hearing him break down like this in front of you, you knew it was serious. "Akaashi and Bokuto were close, right?" You ask softly, finally finishing the cleaning.

"Yeah," he replied softly, "They knew each other's boundaries and respected them, but this...this is low." Kuroo squeezed your pillow to his face and you rubbed his arm soothingly. If there was one thing you learned about gangs from befriending Kuroo is that you never-NEVER-break trust, loyalty, or a promise. It was detrimental if one, or all three, were broken. Kuroo always stays true to his word when it comes to you and you always returned the favor. Knowing that there was a history behind this shocking betrayal made it clear that something bigger was approaching.

He was shaking and you knew it was because of the anger, hurt, and pain he was feeling all at once. Thinking quietly, you reach for the antiseptic and antibiotic ointment. "Okay, this is going to sting a lot so...hide your face in the pillow if it gets to be too much."

Kuroo chuckled weakly but clutched the pillow tighter. "Princess, I was just stabbed and escaped a gang who tried to off me."

"Yeah, but you were high on adrenaline so you didn't feel it as much." You retort, shooting him another warning before folding up another towel a few times, holding it under the cut as you poured the antiseptic over the wound. A loud hiss came from the wound as Kuroo more or less screamed into the pillow. It was painful to hear and watch, knowing he was already in emotional pain and this was only making it worse. Leaning down, you blow on the wound, trying to ease the pain as Kuroo tensed and squirmed on your bed, trying to stay still.

Placing the towel down with one hand, you begin fanning it, doing everything you could to help ease his suffering. "Okay, okay that's done." You hurry and wipe any access drops and fan it some more as you reach for the next thing. "Now I'm just going to rub the antibiotic ointment on which doesn't hurt. The stinging will go away, I promise."

Kuroo doesn't say anything but slows his breathing and pulls his face away from the pillow with agony and exhaustion written all over his face. You rub the edges of the wound with the ointment and reach for the gauze tape and pads. Smothering some ointment on the pad, you place it over the wound, sighing in relief. "Can you hold that there for a second, please?"

Kuroo obeys as you unroll the gauze tape, having him let go as you wrap it around his torso a few times, making sure it's secure. When you were satisfied, you pulled away with a deep breath and looked up to Kuroo who was staring at you with an unreadable expression. "Is it too tight?" You ask, looking back down to make sure the end wouldn't come undone by itself.

Kuroo shakes his head and grins. "I always thought about having my own nurse, but I never expected to actually be in pain while being 'treated.'"

Rolling your eyes, you take the last clean smaller towel you saved and dipped it now into the luke-warm water, and wiped off Kuroo's face. The evidence of a fight was obvious as Kuroo closed his eyes and let you clean him off. "You should see the other guys," Kuroo mumbled again making you snort.

"I bet," you softly reply, pulling away to see just how heavy his eyes were. "Here, move down slowly and lay on your back. Try not to move on your side tonight."

Moving off the edge of your bed, Kuroo slowly slides down your bed and hums softly. "Oh? We're having a sleepover, princess?" You laugh and start picking up your supplies, opting to throw in a load of laundry now since there's no way you could get away with bloody towels at any other time. "Comfy..." Kuroo mumbles again before slow breathing filled your room as he fell asleep.

Rolling your eyes, you look towards his feet and begin taking off his boots, placing them outside your window as you fixed the screen and closed it shut. By the time you finished cleaning, it was almost five in the morning as you laid next to Kuroo, who was still asleep on his back. He didn't move at all and you finally had time to look at him. It was embarrassing to think about having a shirtless guy in your bed next to you while looking like...that.

He was attractive. Toned muscles were all you could see as more peaks of black ink caressed his sides from the tattoo on his back. Your eyes ran again over his chest and noticed both nipples pierced and stifled a gasp before turning away from him. Reaching for your blankets, you cover yourself and Kuroo, trying to avoid looking at his chest, as you fell into a deep sleep.

~*~*~*~*

The feeling of being watched woke you from your slumber as you came face to face with Kuroo's sly gaze. Just barely opening your eyes, you go to stretch and realize Kuroo's arm was wrapped around you. Memories from last night came flooding back, making you sit up quickly, the room spinning as you tried to focus on him. "Your side!"

"It's my other side." Kuroo mused, pulling you back down on the bed.

"What time is it?" You ask, still dizzy from abruptly sitting up.

"Dunno."

Annoyed and still tired, you look up to those golden irises who were staring at you with a fondness that made your heart flutter. You blink slowly and glance at the window seeing bright golden hues coloring the sky. The sun must've just risen so it's probably only been a few hours since you fell asleep.

"How long have you been up?"

"Dunno."

"Are you in pain? Do you want me to go get you some medicine? Rewrap your gauze?"

"(Y/n)."

"Are you okay? Did you sleep okay at least?"

"(Y/n)."

"Oh my God, did I snore and wake you up or something?"

"(Y/n)!"

Kuroo's laughter cuts you off from thinking a mile a minute and butterflies erupted in your stomach seeing the happy expression on his face. Compared to last night, you never want him to experience that kind of betrayal and hurt again. He looked almost angelic being basked in the beautiful golden rays, his eyes glowing brighter than you've ever seen.

"God, I love you."

The words left his mouth in a sincere whisper, his gaze like honey as he stared straight into your soul, the confession making blood rush to your ears. It was as if your breath had been stolen, hyper-aware of Kuroo's hand beginning to trace random patterns on your back.

"I-" It was surreal having these pent-up emotions you've suppressed come tumbling out of your mouth in an instant. "I love you too."

The biggest smile that graced Kuroo's face was another phenomenon that stole your breath away, his lips leaning down to brush against yours. They were teasing brushes, Kuroo seeming almost cautious with himself which made your cheeks flame.

"Why are you embarrassed? I should be the one-" Kuroo chuckles, pulling back, his own face lightly dusted in pink. "Cute." He cuts himself off once he saw your expression, completely enamored by it.

Heat radiated off your face as Kuroo pressed you closer against his bare chest, the hand on your back trailing over your side and up to tilt your chin towards him. He thumbed the skin under your bottom lip, his eyes focused on the soft flesh, a low hum leaving his throat.

Dazed, the feeling of his thumb pulling your lip down had you squirming slightly. He leans down again, this time pecking your lips softly with his thumb still holding your chin in place. The press of his lips against yours had a low fire start building in your stomach, a soft sigh leaving you.

"How can I repay my princess for takin' such good care of me?" Kuroo murmured, against your ear, his hand moving back towards your hips, finding exposed skin from your pajamas. 'My princess' rang in your head repeatedly, your heart skipping a beat.

"You're hurt." You pant out, feeling Kuroo's lips trail down to your neck, a moan leaving your throat. The noise you let out only made Kuroo shudder, his hand sliding to the back of your thigh, lifting it onto his waist.

"Mmm...I can still make you feel good now." Kuroo's fingers trace your ass, inching towards the inner part of your legs, brushing against your clothed lips. "And I promise to make you feel even better when I recover."

The 'I promise,' had you shuddering knowing he wouldn't go back on his word. You felt amazing right now, with the teasing touches he was giving you over your clothed slit. The position he put you in made you more spread open and exposed to his touch. "K-Kuroo..."

Just then, his finger brushed a soft circle over your clit and you mewled into his chest.

"So sensitive..." Kuroo purred, his finger repeating the motion before running back to your thigh, squeezing it gently. Noticing he stopped, you tilt your head up and try to glare at him, only to see his amused yet lustful expression. "What's wrong, princess?"

"Why'd you stop?" You ask, pussy fluttering with arousal.

Kuroo hums and adjusts himself so he was leaning over you on his elbow. "Look at me. If you want my fingers that bad, you need to look at me as I finger that pretty little pussy of yours. Look away, and I'll stop."

The silky dominating voice coming from him made you gulp and you nod, face permanently red from the situation. Kuroo smirked and you felt his fingers start inching back over your slit, his golden irises holding your gaze. "That's it...good girl."

The praise sent another rush of arousal through you, a whimper falling from your lips causing Kuroo's smirk to widen. "Yeah? You like being told you're a good girl? My princess has always been such a good girl~"

"Please, Kuroo." You beg, his finger teasing the sides of your underwear, his own groan falling from his lips. Feeling his finger slip under, you roll your hips on him, trying to keep your eyes open as his finger brushed against your clit. "F-fuck," you reach a hand up to grip his toned bicep moaning softly. Kuroo trails his finger up and down your slit, dipping down to collect your slick, letting out a small curse as well.

"Shit, you're so fucking wet for me princess...you want it?" Kuroo holds your gaze, daring you to look away again as you bite your lip, trembling.

"Please...boss."

Kuroo's eyes widened in shock before cursing again, his finger pushing into you. "Fuck...fuck...call me that again, (Y/n)."

You feel his finger curl upwards, stroking your textured walls drawing broken moans from your throat, your hips rocking with his thrust. "Boss...feels so good." You pant out again, drunkenly staring into Kuroo's pink-tinted face, his pupils blown wide with lust. A second finger slides in with the first and you cry out, gripping his bicep harder. Letting out a growl, Kuroo leans down and pressed his lips against your ear talking you through your euphoria. 

"So tight and hot around me, princess. Next time, I'm going to make sure you scream my name as I bury myself deep in this lewd pussy. Want that? It's too bad you have to keep quiet now...you wouldn't want your family to know you have a boy in your room...much less me."

Biting your lip, you try to limit the cries of pleasure spilling from your mouth, Kuroo's fingers hitting a sweet spot in you that that you choking out air. His fingers sped up, curling and stroking that one spot that had you withering in place. "Ohhh~ how's it feel? Gonna cum soon?"

He suddenly withdraws his fingers and brings them up to his lips, sucking on them and moaning hotly before reaching back down, entering you. "Tastes good..." Kuroo breathes out, grinning at your shocked expression. It was hot, watching him lick his lips as he leans down to bite your neck.

Your thigh starts to shake from your incoming orgasm, Kuroo keeping a steady pace, his heavy breathing matching your own. "Cum for me, (Y/n)." As soon as those words left his mouth, your back arched, a loud moan ripping from your throat before Kuroo covered your lips with his, swallowing your noises. He worked you through your release, his tongue mingling with yours as he growled softly. When you finally calmed down, he removed his fingers and you watched as he brought them up to his mouth, sliding them in and sucking off your juices.

You could only watch through blurry eyes as Kuroo hummed around his fingers, pulling them away with a pop. "Fuck princess you taste so good. I'm really going to have to ravage you next time." His husky voice made you realize how hard he must be from what just happened and you pulled back to look down at him.

"You-" About to ask if he wanted you to return the favor, a loud ringing came from his jacket that was thrown over your chair. Turning to look at him he nods and you get out of bed, on wobbly legs which had Kuroo smirking again, as you tried to find his phone. Reading the caller ID, you walk back over to the bed and sit, handing him the phone. "It's Tanaka."

Kuroo lowers himself onto his back and brings the phone up to his ear sighing. "Yo."

You couldn't make out what Tanaka was saying, a lot of shouting going, on but Kuroo's expression remained neutral. "I got caught up last night." He answered and paused again, listening to Tanaka shout some more. You took this time to examine his gauze, hoping your activities from earlier didn't ruin anything.

Everything seemed to be okay and you glanced back up at Kuroo who was smiling at you softly. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few." Without waiting for a response, Kuroo hung up and tossed his phone down sighing. "I have to go."

He starts to get up and you help him, feeling bad for not being able to return the favor. "But-"

"Next time." Kuroo turns towards you and cups your face, kissing you while sighing contently. "Thank you for everything, (Y/n). You're the realest one I have and I'm not letting you go. Ever." Kissing your head one last time, he grabs his jacket and walks towards your window, opening it up.

"I love you, be safe." You murmur, running your finger over his gauze again.

 Kuroo smirks.

"I promise."

[late-to-the-party-81]

Checkmate Ch10

AN: Hello all!

So Loki now knows what's what! Now to go get his girl, but she's got some shit to get through first. Luckily she has him to rely on.

This series is un-Beta'd. Divider by @firefly-graphics. Mood-board by me but photo credits to those who took them.

Series Master list | Chapter 9

CW: Swearing, Angst, Mental Health issues/Anxiety/Panic attacks, Discussions of attempted rape, Slut Shaming/Victim Blaming, Loki being a feminist, Alcohol consumption, Mutual Pining, hand-wavy legal processes

Word count: 3.4k

Will he be here?

Will he be here?

Chess paced up and down the sterile corridor. She was alternating between chewing on her bottom lip and worrying the tip of her right thumb. Lisa had given up trying to calm her. She hadn’t seen Loki since the day after…the incident…

It had been over a month and she had no idea what was going on. She’d texted him whilst he had been away, but she’d only gotten short responses from him, if at all. Given the amount of time he’d been gone he must have found some way to stop the buzzing he kept complaining of. And if he’d done that, then he wouldn’t need to visit her any longer. She was missing him so much.

Using the heel of her palms Chess brushed away the start of her tears. She couldn’t think about that today, it was going to be hard enough without trying to analyse the status of her and Loki’s relationship.

She’d stayed off work for three weeks, having returned last week, needing the monotony of admin to keep her busy. She still wasn’t feeling up to returning to her classes, as she had no idea how she would react if one of her training partners grabbed her.

She had, however, continued to use the gym, spending exorbitant amounts of money getting taxis there and back again. She had a counselling session twice a week at the moment. She felt like she was making some progress, but it was hard not to keep checking over her shoulder, double and triple checking the lock on her door.

The clicking of heels coming up behind her brought her back to the present. The government prosecutor placed her hand gently on Chess’ shoulder and gave her a friendly smile.

“Are you ready for this? The cross-examination is not going to be pleasant, but I’ll try and do everything I can to make it as pain-less as possible.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

She plastered a fake smile on her face, using it like armour.

“I’ll be calling the other witnesses first. The paramedics and police officers who attended, and your…um…friend.”

Chess felt her heart flutter at those words.

“He’s definitely coming? He’ll be here?”

She failed to keep the eagerness from her voice or the sparkle from her eyes.

She didn’t notice the knowing smile on Lisa’s face. But she did notice the smell of cinnamon and sandalwood as it enclosed her and the sound of an amused chuckle from behind her, before she spun on her heel and grasped at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest.

“Loki…”

His name left her mouth like a gasp, and he momentarily stiffened before wrapping her in his own embrace, resting his cheek on the top of her head. He was wearing a black suit, with a black shirt, his tie also mainly black but with a delicate pattern picked out in gold and emerald thread. His hair hung loose, as always, and he had his long, black, woollen coat on over the top.

“Miss me ildflue?”

A tightening of her arms around him was her response. She raised her head to look at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. The temptation to kiss her was strong. He wanted to chase away every fear and every doubt within her. But he knew if he started he wouldn’t be able to stop. And this was neither the time, nor the place. So instead he raised his palm to her face, slowly rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

“I missed you too little one.”

A cough broke through their private bubble and they both turned to look at Lisa who was grinning madly.

“Come on you two, let’s get this over and done with. Then you can both get on with being adorable. Friends my arse.”

Chess blushed and looked at the floor. Loki just grinned back at the sassy blonde girl before they all followed the prosecutor into the court room.

Chess kept the fingers of her right hand intertwined with Loki’s left, and her left hand came up to fiddle with her necklace, the one that HE had given her all those years before. He said she was strong. She didn’t feel it today, and hoped that if she wore the necklace it would help.

She could hear the sound of whispering as she walked in, hand in hand with Loki, but she kept her gaze on the floor in front of her, desperately trying to keep her breathing under control. As they all got to the front she realised she wouldn’t be able to sit with him; She had to let go.

Her head snapped up, to look at him in distress. He gazed back down at her, his eyes making her feel calm, and then he briefly dropped a kiss on her forehead, before removing his hand from hers and pushing her gently in the small of her back to follow the prosecutor.

Loki moved to sit next to Lisa in the row immediately behind Chess. His eyes narrowed as he saw her ex and his two friends sat at the opposing table with their defender. The three young men were sensible enough to look away.

For Chess the rest of the day passed in a blur. Photos taken of her and her injuries at the scene were shown, testimony heard from the paramedics and police. Her heart was in her mouth when Loki was called. She could see how his fingers gripped the witness box as he described the scene he had found when he arrived. How he had heard her screams and seen her struggles.

The defence tried to claim that the whole affair had been a sex game got out of hand – that Chess had been a willing participate and ‘liked it rough’. It took everything she had not to vomit across the table. She reached her hand back behind her and felt Lisa clasp it. She kept her eyes on Loki’s face. She could see the anger rising in him, his lips pressed together so hard they were losing colour.

“I was not mistaken about what I saw. I was not mistaken about the cries I heard. I was not mistaken about the fear across her face. To paraphrase an old acquaintance, you know who I am. Are you suggesting that the God of Lies cannot distinguish between the truth of a situation and a falsehood? I held her as she vomited, I held her as she cried. I know her.”

“That leads me to my next question Mr Friggason. How well do you know her? It seems to me that a girl who would take someone such as yourself to her bed would be up for, shall I say, less standard entertainment in the bedroom.”

For a moment, Chess thought that Loki was going to vault out of the witness box and kill the defender where he stood. She could make out his pulse throbbing in his temple, see how he narrowed his eyes, blazing green in rage.

“My relationship with Francesca is not on trial here. Anything she and I may or may not have done together does not have any bearing on what those three men attempted to do. The fact that their only defence is to try and victim shame, try to slut-shame, shows everyone here the real truth. I was there a few minutes after she discovered the truth of their relationship since she returned. I saw the hurt and strength in her eyes as she walked away, leaving him as part of her past. She did not ask for this, did not want it and did not deserve it.”

He returned to his seat, visibly shaking with the effort of restraining his baser instincts. He wanted to pull her into his arms and run out of the courthouse as fast as he could. Whisk her off to New Asgard and just get her away from this place. But unfortunately it was her turn to testify.

She read out the statement she had made to the police, and answered the gentle questions from the prosecutor about the phone messages she had received, about how she was certain he had been following her. The messages had come from cheap ‘pay you go’ sims, not on a plan, but the police had managed to dig up footage of Max in a phone shop local to him. The footage showed him purchasing the cheapest model phone available, and a large quantity of separate sim cards.

She had to go over how she fought them off, how she had tried to escape, and by the time she had finished she was breathing hard, feeling light headed. She was relieved when the judge called for a recess before cross-examination. As soon as she got back across to him she clasped Loki’s hand in hers, using him like an anchor. He all but held her up as they were all lead into a side room to have their break.

Loki steered Chess to a small sofa and sat down with her. She had both hands gripping him now. Her knuckles were white and he was once again surprised by her strength. Lisa brought over a glass of water and Loki almost breathed a sigh of relief when the death grip on his hands was released so Chess could actually drink it. There was a tap on the door and the prosecutor went to open it. One of the court clerks started to talk to her in a low voice. The kind woman turned and addressed Chess.

“The judge has called me, as the defence wants to talk to him. The clerk will come and get you when it is time to go back in.”

All Chess could do was nod. She didn’t think she’d be able to get her voice working. Putting the glass down, she slid her hands back into Loki’s and leant against his chest. But she was still shaking and her breathing was still rapid. Slow tears rolled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, desperately trying to get herself under control. She felt a gentle touch on her knee. Half opening her eyes she could see Lisa crouched on the floor in front of her.

“Chess, sweetheart. We need to get you out of this headspace. Concentrate on what your senses are telling you, not your mind. Tell me what you can feel.”

“I can taste salt”

Her voice came out as a ragged whisper.

“I can see you and Loki. I can feel Loki’s hand, his shirt, my necklace.”

Her voice became a little steadier.

“I can hear your voice, Loki’s heartbeat, a digger outside the building, the ticking of the clock. I can smell sandalwood, cinnamon, my sweat…erm…your perfume, my shampoo.”

“Feeling better?”

“A little, thanks Lees.”

She pushed her head further into Loki’s chest.

“And thank you too.”

Loki ran his hand over her hair, soothing her. They stayed there altogether in silence, until the moment was broken by a knock on the door. Lisa rose to open it. The court clerk was standing there; it was time to go back in.

All three resumed their original places, but this time Chess’ hand reached out behind her, to be encased in both of Loki’s, one of his thumbs idly rubbing back and forth over the pulse point on her wrist. She turned to look at the prosecutor who gave her a big smile and patted her free arm.

Why is she smiling so much?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the judge speaking to them all. Her breathing hitched and she spun around in her chair, a smile lighting her face as she looked at Loki and Lisa. Max and his friends had changed their plea. She wouldn’t be cross-examined. They had admitted they were guilty of assault and attempted rape.

After taking care of everything that needed to be done, the three of them moved quickly to the nearest bar. Loki insisted on buying a bottle of champagne.

“You were so brave ildflue, they can’t hurt you or anyone else because you were willing to speak up.”

“I’m just glad I don’t have to go back for sentencing.”

After finishing her glass, Lisa excused herself.

“You can give her a ride home, can’t you Loki?” she asked with a knowing smirk. And before either he or Chess could answer she was swaggering out of the door.

“Have fun you crazy kids – do something I would!”

Loki shook his head with a smile on his face, before topping up both their glasses with the remainder of the champagne. They made small talk, Loki asking her about work and how her counselling was going. In return she asked about the work he was doing in New Asgard. She couldn’t take her eyes of him as he spoke with such passion. Having something to do, which he enjoyed definitely suited him. They were interrupted by the sound of Chess’ stomach rumbling, which caused her to blush.

“I…umm… couldn’t eat anything this morning. Too nervous.”

“I shall have to cook you something then, sweetheart, would you like that?”

Chess swallowed and nodded. She felt like a moth drawn to a flame. She wanted him to take care of her, to love her. She couldn’t fight how she felt anymore, didn’t care if he didn’t love her the way she loved him. He obviously cared and for now, she thought, that would have to be enough.

He walked her to his car, her arm tucked in the crook of his. She relaxed into the seat, dozing lightly, as he effortlessly manoeuvred the vehicle through the traffic. The radio was set to a classical station and she smiled to herself about how well that fit with him. She was aware of him humming along, how the scent that was uniquely him suffused the whole of the car. If she never did anything else for the rest of her life other than sit in this car whilst he drove, she would be happy.

She opened her eyes and stretched as the car slowed and travelled down an incline into an underground garage. She suddenly had a small attack of nerves; she had never been to Loki’s apartment before and had no idea what to expect. And where was this going? Was he content just to remain has friends, or like her, did he want more?

She looked down at her clothes, a navy trouser-suit, navy and gold pumps and a conservative white blouse that was definitely the right choice for court, but less so for dinner?...a date?...a seduction?...whatever this was.

The car stopped, and before she knew it, Loki was round, opening her door for her and holding out his hand to help her out. His fingers intertwined with hers once again as he lead her towards the lift that was only a few feet away from his parking space. That should have been the first indicator of the type of apartment he had, but she missed that and the fact that once in the lift he used a key to ensure they went straight to the top without stopping. It was only once he opened the door and she stepped through that Chess fully realised the type of lifestyle Loki had.

The far wall was floor to ceiling glass windows, with doors which lead out onto a large balcony. This main room, was like her own, but more so – an open plan cooking and living space. The furniture was mainly black, but with green and gold accents, which drew a smile from her.

To offset this scheme the walls and carpet were white, with numerous paintings and prints on the wall, eclectic in style. It was all very, well, Loki.

He divested himself of his long coat and helped her out of her suit jacket, hanging them up on hooks by the door.

“Please take a seat. I’ll just be a moment. I’m just going to change out of this into something, shall we say, more comfortable.”

The words could have come out of his mouth full of salacious innuendo, but he lightened the moment by waggling his eyebrows at her, making her giggle. He walked towards the door which must lead to his bedroom.

Chess craned her head trying to get a peak.

Holy shit, is that a four poster bed? And emerald satin sheets? Fuuuuuuuuck…

The door closed behind him and Chess was left sat on his sofa, fantasising about how it would feel to be lain on that bed and be taken apart by Loki, piece by piece. Despite the time that had passed since their night together, she could still remember the pleasure he had wrung from her body with every touch of his fingers, his lips, his tongue. His cock. She shivered at the memory. She hadn’t even realised she had closed her eyes until she heard his voice again.

“Are you okay sweetheart? You look rather flushed.”

Her eyes snapped open and she could feel the blush on her face deepening.

“I, uh, yes. I’m fine. Just feeling a bit out of sorts I suppose.”

She tried not to drink in the view of him in front of her. He had changed into black slacks and a dark green long sleeve top, the former clinging off his hips and buttocks in a way that made her want to rip them straight off and the latter hugging his pecs and the planes of his abs in such a scandalous manner it shouldn’t have been allowed.

She resisted the urge to push it up and off his flesh and cover him in bites and kisses. She bit down on her lip to suppress a groan, and sent a prayer of thanks to every deity when he turned and walked into his kitchen area.

Rising from the sofa, she relocated to one of the bar stools so she could watch him as he prepared their meal. It was a simple one, omelettes with ham and spinach, a fresh salad on the side and some boiled and buttered new potatoes. He waved her away when she attempted to help set the table. He pulled cutlery and napkins (green of course) from the side board, and filled glasses with water and chilled white wine. And, as ever, being the perfect gentleman, he pulled out the chair for her as she relocated from her perch.

They ate in companionable silence, but kept darting looks at each other. They finally finished eating and Loki carried the empty plates over to the sink. He turned back to her, leaning against the counter, that mischievous look in his eyes once again. She knew he could see the hunger in her eyes and she no longer cared. She strode towards him trying to look more composed than she felt. When his lips turned up into his trademark, cocky smirk, she lost it.

Fuck it!

Closing the distance between them quickly her hands reached up to tangle into his hair and drag his head down so she could crash her lips against his.

There was only a moment of hesitation before his arms wrapped around her, cradling her body against his, one palm resting between her shoulder blades and the other at the base of her spine. He deepened the kiss, but slowed it, taking his time to learn every part of her mouth. Her hands left his hair, to grasp his shirt. She couldn’t think any more, she wanted to be surround by him, become one with him, in a way that transcended mere physical intimacy. And the way he was kissing her, so slowly and unhurried. It was entirely different to their previous kisses all those months ago. The fire and the hunger still burned bright, but it was slightly more under control, at least for the time being.

Chess moaned into his mouth, not knowing if it was from arousal or frustration, but was probably both. In response Loki slid his hand from her shoulders to the back of her head. His lips moved from hers to pepper along her jaw bone and down her neck. He smiled into her skin as she writhed against him, her chest heaving.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.”

“Oh, ildflue, I’ve missed that filthy mouth of yours.”

His lips swooped back to hers as he lifted her up and carried her towards the bedroom, shouldering it open then kicking it closed with a loud bang.

Chapter 11

Tag list: @sidepartskinnyjeans @christywantspizza @turbolisedcomet @animnerd @viva-asgardia

[frankiefellinlove]

Happy Birthday to Phantom Danny Federici <3

Farewell To Danny:

"Let me start with the stories.

Back in the days of miracles, the frontier days when "Mad Dog" Lopez and his temper struck fear into the band, small club owners, innocent civilians and all women, children and small animals.

Back in the days when you could still sign your life away on the hood of a parked car in New York City.

Back shortly after a young red-headed accordionist struck gold on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and he and his mama were sent to Switzerland to show them how it's really done.

Back before beach bums were featured on the cover of Time magazine.

I'm talking about back when the E Street Band was a communist organization! My pal, quiet, shy Dan Federici, was a one-man creator of some of the hairiest circumstances of our 40 year career… And that wasn't easy to do. He had "Mad Dog" Lopez to compete with… Danny just outlasted him. Maybe it was the "police riot" in Middletown, New Jersey. A show we were doing to raise bail money for "Mad Dog" Lopez who was in jail in Richmond, Virginia, for having an altercation with police officers who we'd aggravated by playing too long. Danny allegedly knocked over our huge Marshall stacks on some of Middletown's finest who had rushed the stage because we broke the law by…playing too long. As I stood there watching, several police oficers crawled out from underneath the speaker cabinets and rushed away to seek medical attention. Another nice young officer stood in front of me onstage waving his nightstick, poking and calling me nasty names. I looked over to see Danny with a beefy police officer pulling on one arm while Flo Federici, his first wife, pulled on the other, assisting her man in resisting arrest. A kid leapt from the audience onto the stage, momentarily distracting the beefy officer with the insults of the day. Forever thereafter, "Phantom" Dan Federici slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

A warrant out for his arrest and one month on the lam later, he still hadn't been brought to justice. We hid him in various places but now we had a problem. We had a show coming at Monmouth College. We needed the money and we had to do the gig. We tried a replacement but it didn't work out. So Danny, to all of our admiration, stepped up and said he'd risk his freedom, take the chance and play.

Show night. 2,000 screaming fans in the Monmouth College gym. We had it worked out so Danny would not appear onstage until the moment we started playing. We figured the police who were there to arrest him wouldn't do so onstage during the show and risk starting another riot.

Let me set the scene for you. Danny is hiding, hunkered down in the backseat of a car in the parking lot. At five minutes to eight, our scheduled start time, I go out to whisk him in. I tap on the window.

"Danny, come on, it's time."

I hear back, "I'm not going."

Me: "What do you mean you're not going?"

Danny: "The cops are on the roof of the gym. I've seen them and they're going to nail me the minute I step out of this car."

As I open the door, I realize that Danny has been smoking a little something and had grown rather paranoid. I said, "Dan, there are no cops on the roof."

He says, "Yes, I saw them, I tell you. I'm not coming in."

So I used a procedure I'd call on often over the next forty years in dealing with my old pal's concerns. I threatened him…and cajoled. Finally, out he came. Across the parking lot and into the gym we swept for a rapturous concert during which we laughted like thieves at our excellent dodge of the local cops.

At the end of the evening, during the last song, I pulled the entire crowd up onto the stage and Danny slipped into the audience and out the front door. Once again, "Phantom" Dan had made his exit. (I still get the occasional card from the old Chief of Police of Middletown wishing us well. Our histories are forever intertwined.) And that, my friends, was only the beginning.

There was the time Danny quit the band during a rough period at Max's Kansas City, explaining to me that he was leaving to fix televisions. I asked him to think about that and come back later.

Or Danny, in the band rental car, bouncing off several parked cars after a night of entertainment, smashing out the windshield with his head but saved from severe injury by the huge hard cowboy hat he bought in Texas on our last Western swing.

Or Danny, leaving a large marijuana plant on the front seat of his car in a tow away zone. The car was promptly towed. He said, "Bruce, I'm going to go down and report that it was stolen." I said, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Down he went and straight into the slammer without passing go.

Or Danny, the only member of the E Street Band to be physically thrown out of the Stone Pony. Considering all the money we made them, that wasn't easy to do.

Or Danny receiving and surviving a "cautionary assault" from an enraged but restrained "Big Man" Clarence Clemons while they were living together and Danny finally drove the "Big Man" over the big top.

Or Danny assisting me in removing my foot from his stereo speaker after being the only band member ever to drive me into a violent rage.

And through it all, Danny played his beautiful, soulful B3 organ for me and our love grew. And continued to grow. Life is funny like that. He was my homeboy, and great, and for that you make considerations… And he was much more tolerant of my failures than I was of his.

When Danny wasn't causing chaos, he was a sweet, talented, unassuming, unpretentious good-hearted guy who simply had an unchecked ability to make good fortune and things in general go fabulously wrong. But beyond all of that, he also had a mountain of the right stuff. He had the heart and soul of an engineer. He learned to fly. He was always up on the latest technology and would explain it to you patiently and in enormous detail. He was always "souping" something up, his car, his stereo, his B3. When Patti joined the band, he was the most welcoming, thoughtful, kindest friend to the first woman entering our "boys club." He loved his kids, always bragging about Jason, Harley, and Madison, and he loved his wife Maya for the new things she brought into his life. And then there was his artistry. He was the most intuitive player I've ever seen. His style was slippery and fluid, drawn to the spaces the other musicians in the E Street Band left. He wasn't an assertive player, he was a complementary player. A true accompanist. He naturally supplied the glue that bound the band's sound together. In doing so, he created for himself a very specific style. When you hear Dan Federici, you don't hear a blanket of sound, you hear a riff, packed with energy, flying above everything else for a few moments and then gone back in the track. "Phantom" Dan Federici. Now you hear him, now you don't. Offstage, Danny couldn't recite a lyric or a chord progression for one of my songs. Onstage, his ears opened up. He listened, he felt, he played, finding the perfect hole and placement for a chord or a flurry of notes. This style created a tremendous feeling of spontaneity in our ensemble playing. In the studio, if I wanted to loosen up the track we were recording, I'd put Danny on it and not tell him what to play. I'd just set him loose. He brought with him the sound of the carnival, the amusements, the boardwalk, the beach, the geography of our youth and the heart and soul of the birthplace of the E Street Band.

Then we grew up. Very slowly. We stood together through a lot of trials and tribulations. Danny's response to a mistake onstage, hard times, catastrophic events was usually a shrug and a smile. Sort of an "I am but one man in a raging sea, but I'm still afloat. And we're all still here." I watched Danny fight and conquer some tough addictions. I watched him struggle to put his life together and in the last decade when the band reunited, thrive on sitting in his seat behind that big B3, filled with life and, yes, a new maturity, passion for his job, his family and his home in the brother and sisterhood of our band. Finally, I watched him fight his cancer without complaint and with great courage and spirit. When I asked him how things looked, he just said, "what are you going to do? I'm looking forward to tomorrow." Danny, the sunny side up fatalist. He never gave up right to the end.

A few weeks back we ended up onstage in Indianapolis for what would be the last time. Before we went on I asked him what he wanted to play and he said, "Sandy." He wanted to strap on the accordion and revisit the boardwalk of our youth during the summer nights when we'd walk along the boards with all the time in the world. So what if we just smashed into three parked cars, it's a beautiful night! So what if we're on the lam from the entire Middletown police department, let's go take a swim! He wanted to play once more the song that is of course about the end of something wonderful and the beginning of something unknown and new. Let's go back to the days of miracles. Pete Townshend said, "a rock and roll band is a crazy thing. You meet some people when you're a kid and unlike any other occupation in the whole world, you're stuck with them your whole life no matter who they are or what crazy things they do."

If we didn't play together, the E Street Band at this point would probably not know one another. We wouldn't be in this room together. But we do… We do play together. And every night at 8 p.m., we walk out on stage together and that, my friends, is a place where miracles occur…old and new miracles. And those you are with, in the presence of miracles, you never forget. Life does not separate you. Time does not separate you. Animosities do not separate you. Death does not separate you. Those you are with who create miracles for you, like Danny did for me every night, you are honored to be amongst.

Of course we all grow up and we know "it's only rock and roll"…but it's not. After a lifetime of watching a man perform his miracle for you, night after night, it feels an awful lot like love.

So today, making another one of his mysterious exits, we say farewell to Danny, "Phantom" Dan, Federici. Father, husband, my brother, my friend, my mystery, my thorn, my rose, my keyboard player, my miracle man and lifelong member in good standing of the house rockin', pants droppin', earth shockin', hard rockin', booty shakin', love makin', heart breakin', soul cryin'… and, yes, death defyin' legendary E Street Band."

Bruce at the memorial service for Danny

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas : Your blessings are your curses.

Also on AO3

TL;DR:

Dead All Might acts as a guardian angel to this heroic quirkless kid he runs into. Izuku gets put into a dangerous situation and turns out – DNA wasn’t needed to pass OFA. Just intent. Izuku gains the ability to see All Might along with the ability to use his quirk.

Sadly, AFO notices.

Now Izuku is on the run with a ghost for a guardian after AFO’s goons kill his mother.

Your blessings are your curses:

TL;DR: Dead all might, acts as a guardian angel to this quirkless kid he runs into. Izuku gets put into a dangerous situation and turns out – DNA wasn’t needed to pass OFA. Just intent. Izuku gains the ability to see All Might along with the ability to use his quirk.

Sadly, AFO notices.

Now Izuku is on the run with a ghost for a guardian after AFO’s goons kill his mother.

So – In the fight between All for One and All Might six years before canon, All Might loses.

Not horribly. All for One is still left almost dead and retreats into hiding, but All Might falls unconscious never to open his eyes again, later dying of sepsis in the hospital. His eyes may never physically reopen, but he does awaken – translucent and noncorporeal.

For a while he doesn’t know if it’s a latent quirk, or maybe something All for One did as a final blow, but no – it’s One for All. One for All has a mind of its own and refuses to disappear until Yagi has found a successor. Not that Yagi knows that.

His old haunts are too painful to hang around, the whole nation is grieving for him and seeing that pain on his old friend's faces burns something fierce. So he does what he’s always done. He helps.

Midoriya Izuku is nine when his favourite hero dies. He sees how the nation is grieving and his desire to be a hero only burns brighter. The bullying he suffers worsens, hate crimes against the quirkless and those with ‘villainous’ quirks uptick. Japan isn’t a pillar of safety and security anymore – crime rates have risen to match or overtake worldwide averages.

Still, he feels almost, safer? He gets luckier – the book his classmate stole shows up in his bag by the next period, bullies trip more often, and sometimes as he runs from villain attacks or classmates with their quirks popping against the nape of his neck, he feels a broad hand push him forwards, giving him an extra burst of speed.

He decides it must be the All Might charm he bought the day before the news of All Might’s death broke. A small solid plastic charm meant for a phone with a bright yellow bell attached, along with a tag reading “I AM HERE”. He fills the bell with scraps of paper so no one can hear it ring as he holds it tight in his hand when he gets nervous.

Midoriya Izuku is nine when he is almost killed.

With All Might gone, organized crime spikes. Quirk trafficking rings spring up – very rare, but no less real. It’s one of these such rings that kidnaps Izuku on his way home from school. He awakens, sore and blurry-eyed in a warehouse with a half dozen other crying children. One by one they are forced to show off their quirks, to gauge their value.

Izuku has no quirk to show. He has no value to these people. They growl at him to stop playing around, to stop pretending to be a hero (his All Might charm is almost cutting into his hand from how hard he holds it. He needs his luck more than ever please all might save me one more time - ). He can't bring himself to shut his eyes as a flaming hand reaches towards his face.

For a moment it feels like he's being held. He feels safe.

A shockwave levels the warehouse, leaving he and the other children untouched, the villains buried in the rubble. Green sparks sink into his skin, dancing over the rapidly purpling bruises decorating his arm. He runs.

He comes back to himself in a park, sobbing and shaking, arms wrapped around his shaking form and an oddly familiar voice murmuring apologies and praise as a broad hand runs gently through his hair.

It seems One for All never needed DNA, only intent, to pass itself along. With the passing of the quirk, Yagi should have dissipated, but he refused, clinging to the child he’d accidentally burdened with his legacy, the same quirkless child he’d been playing guardian angel for all this time.

When Izuku sees All Might he freezes. It’s not All Might as he knew him, rather – this is the All Might that died. He’s translucent, faded around the edges, with a tattered and bloodstained costume, thick padded bandaging over his stomach hiding stiches staining to close infected wounds, doing little to stop the blood oozing through. Still – All Might’s eyes are bright blue and kind and his smile is as it always was. Izuku throws himself onto his hero and sobs.

All Might – Yagi, as he insisted Izuku call him – led him to the nearest police station, as he tried to explain what had occurred. It wasn’t easy considering Yagi didn’t seem to be sure himself, but Izuku was pretty sure the quirk he’d been accidentally gifted was sentient.

Izuku held his arms up to the sky, stretching his fingers to the pinpricks of light in the night sky. Sparks of glittering gold, green, white, blue and red jumped across his skin, like the static shocks he’d get when he wore his wool socks in bed, but less painful. They almost felt playful.

“What are they called?” Yagi looked at him, confusion clear on his face. One of his spikes of hair drooped, and if Izuku could ignore the dust and blood that ran through it it would almost be funny.

“They? My boy, do you mean the sparks? If so, they don’t have a name.”

Izuku frowned, letting his hand drop. He could feel the sparks gently brushing his injuries, almost soothingly. “No, I mean your quirk. They should have a name, they’re so nice to me.”

Yagi coughed, dark blood spilling from his mouth, never to hit the ground. “One for All. It’s called One for All.”

Izuku’s frown deepened.

“All Might, mama says it’s rude to call someone an it.”

Inko is reunited with her only mildly injured son, now excitedly gushing about a quirk he’d somehow manifested. She privately thanks whatever spirit finally decided to smile upon her son, even if it took so long.

Their happiness doesn’t last long. Days later Izuku receives a summons to the head office. He freezes when he sees the police officer, Yagi’s comforting hand on his shoulder the only thing that keeps him from running.

It was a villain attack, the officer says with kindness so forced Izuku wants to cry. Yagi looks angry. If you’ll just come with us so we can get you to the safehouse with your mother –

Yagi almost growls with rage. “She’s lying.” He whispers, habit enforced despite the fact Izuku is the only person alive that can hear him. “Follow her out of the school then run” Izuku does exactly that, quirk sparking up his legs and pushing him forwards, down the familiar path to home. He takes the stairs six at a time, quirk chipping the edges of the concrete as he hurls himself forward.

Their apartment is in shambles, bookshelves tipped, small objects laying scattered on the floor, a pale arm laying limply from a half-open bathroom door.

Yagi pushes him out of the apartment and confirms the identity himself. He urges a sobbing Izuku to say his goodbyes to his mother’s corpse as they quickly gather all the money in the house, a few spare clothes and whatever food and water Yagi could knock down from the pantry shelves for him. Izuku crams it into his backpack as he sobs, Yagi guarding the entrance as he boils with rage and guilt.

He didn’t think All for One would find Izuku. He didn’t think he would even be looking. He was wrong and now his boy was paying the price.

So starts his time on the run.

He meets Shinsou first, saving him from some rubble in a villain attack. He meets him again later, battered and bruised – not from a villain, but from his foster parents. Shinsou joins him, no matter how Izuku explains hes in danger. Shinsou wants to be a hero, and if the only way he gets to be a hero is stubbornly keeping Izuku out of trouble? That’s not a bad trade-off, considering izuku was the first person to save him.

A little while later the two run into Shouto feverish and badly burnt and try to nurse him back to health as best they can. A few days in Touya and Toga run into their little camp guns blazing, expecting them to have kidnapped Shouto only to see Izuku patiently trying to feed him rice porridge with a veritable pile of ‘liberated’ fever reducers on the floor beside them.

They apologise but Shinsou and a still feverish Shouto refuse to talk to Touya or Toga for like three days bc they made Izuku cry.

They refuse to leave no matter how Izuku explains he has a centuries old villain after him. These kids are ride or die. So Hitoshi, Shouto and Izuku are like 9 and trying to learn what they can from libraries and newspapers, never settling down for too long. Toga (12) and Touya/Dabi (14) try and keep them all alive by working or stealing what they need to live. It doesn’t take long for them to evolve into a mini vigilante group.

Aizawa becomes familiar with the messy group of short vigilantes that seem to bounce from prefecture to prefecture every second day, to the point that the force is pretty sure one of them has a teleportation quirk because they don’t seem to have any kind of home base. He’s completely uninterested in trying to arrest them in the beginning – they aren’t hurting anyone and are not half bad at what they do.

That changes when he meets them.

Battered and bleeding out in a rainy alley with a villain looming over him with a knife, Aizawa is pretty sure this is the night he dies. The knife swings back, glinting in the streetlights as he tries in vain to scramble backwards with heavy limbs. It never connects. The villain jerks back as a brilliant blue plume of flame cuts him off, burning the tips of his hair. Not expecting backup the villain bolts. Aizawa feels small hands helping him into a sitting position – his stomach starts to sink. When the short masked figure with curly hair speaks he feels his heart turn to ice. The figure couldn’t be older than 11, probably closer to 10.

He wakes up in the hospital and he makes it his mission to save these kids.

Ghost All Might is having a rough time. His boy is in danger and the best he can do is rattle windows and trip sprinting villains. He can’t help them enough.

He has a plan though.

He warns Izuku that he’ll be gone for a while and to keep safe without him and he goes out scouting. Being invisible and impermeable is normally a curse but when trying to find a paranoid 200-year-old super villain? It’s pretty damn useful. It takes months but eventually he’s not only tracked down All for One’s main hideout he’s also memorised his schedule. It’s nothing impressive considering the man is still mostly bedbound after what All Might did to him, but he won't be a pushover. It’s a start, though.

Izuku cries tears of joy when he sees All Might again and cries even more when he shares what he found. It’s do or die time. He offers every one of his friends the chance to split now because there is a good chance they’ll die, but none of them wants to leave him. With that, he starts planning.

They’ll need Eraserhead, no bones about it. Without him, there would be no way to strike the final blow. They spend a few weeks refining their stealth then they seek Aizawa out.

They knew he’d have a price for helping them, but they never expected it would be so high, but simultaneously so kind. In exchange for his help and a vow of silence he wants each child to let him help them, to find them a safe place to live, a school to go to – a future. Izuku has spent his whole life being told he doesn’t have a future, from when he was diagnosed quirkless to the almost 2 years spent on the run from Japan’s most dangerous villain. He’s still not sure he’ll have one, even with All for One dead, but he knows he wants his friends to grow up happy and safe.

He accepts.

With Aizawa’s help, with Dabi and Toga clearing the way and Shinsou standing in the wings as the last resort, Izuku kills All for One as he sleeps. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy, just quiet footsteps, a sharp knife and shaking hands.

Aizawa is horrified this child just killed someone in front of him, but Izuku is sobbing and All for One is notorious in underground circles so he keeps his quirk up until the blood stops flowing from his neck. He takes the children and flees.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Imaginary Friends

Pairing: Dad!Tom Holland x Reader

Request submitted by @karaannejones

Synopsis: Tom thinks you’re his sons imaginary friend until he meets you or as I like to call it  FBI OPEN UP...ur heart lol

Masterlist

“FBI! OPEN UP!” Spencer softly kicked the door to Tom’s room with his little fingers in the shape of a gun.

“I didn’t do it! I’m innocent!” Tom held up his hands as he son pointed his finger gun at him. He got out of his chair and tumbled on the ground to get away from Spencer.

“Pew pew! Pew pew!” Spencer followed him and chased him out of the room. Spencer grabbed an FBI hat that was way too big for him and put it on his head before tackling Tom. Tom pretended to fall to the ground and threw Spencer in the air a few times until he noticed his hat.

“Where did you get that?” Tom asked as he held his son above his face.

“The pretty lady next door.” Spencer answer as his hat fell into his eyes. Tom set him down on the ground and fixed the hat to sit better on his sons head.

“The pretty lady next door?” Tom furrowed his brows. “I’ve never seen anyone in or out of that house.”

“Because she’s a secret agent, duh.” Spencer giggled as his hat fell down again. “No one can see her unless she wants to be seen.”

“What does this lady look like?” Tom played along, thinking Spencer just had an imaginary friend.

“She’s beautiful.” Spencer gushed. “She wears all black like a ninja and has a shiny badge. She lets me hold it sometimes.”

“Wow.” Tom pretended to be impressed. “What’s her name?”

“I can’t tell you. It’ll blow her cover.” Spencer said like it was obvious. He began to roll around and pretend to shoot things with his finger guns

“Right.” Tom chuckled. “She sounds really cool, buddy.”

“She is. She fights bad guys.” Spencer did a karate pose. “And sometimes, it’s bad girls.”

“Like Doc Oc and Venom? Daddy fights those guys too.” Tom humored him.

“Like kidnappers.” Spencer replied to Tom’s surprise.

“Kidnappers?” Tom questioned. “Where did you see that?”

“The pretty lady next door told me.” Spencer said. “She also told me to keep the doors and windows locked at night.”

“How long have you been talking to this lady?” Tom wondered. Spencer’s imaginary friend was pretty detailed for never having been mentioned before.

“A few months. She’s away a lot for cases.” Spencer explained as he began to play with some toys scattered on the carpet.

“Okay, buddy.” Tom laughed in content. “Maybe you can introduce her to me sometime.”

“Okay daddy.” Spencer smiled happily as Tom came over to play with him.

~

A few weeks later, Tom walked past Spencer’s room and heard him talking to his toys.

“You can never talk to strangers. Don’t let them buy you any candy or ice cream, even if it’s a fudge pop. You can only talk to adults that you know.” Spencer explained you his toys. Tom smiled to himself as he listened to his son babbling. He walked into his room and took a seat across from Spencer.

“Who told you all of that, buddy?” He laughed curiously.

“The special agent next door.” Spencer repeated. “She said we need a code word in case a stranger tries to pick me up from school.”

“A code word?”

“If they don’t know the code word, I won’t go with them.” Spencer explained and Tom realized he was right.

“That’s a good idea, buddy. What do you want the word to be?” He asked his son.

“Y/n.” Spencer said immediately.

“Y/n? Why that?” Tom wondered. They didn’t know anyone with that name, to Tom’s knowledge. He had no idea where his son would learn that name.

“That’s the name of the lady next door. She said I could tell you since you also fight bad guys. Can that be our word, daddy?” Spencer asked as he ran a toy car over Toms leg.

“Sure.” Tom agreed. “That can be our word.”

~

“Look daddy! I got a gold star on my report.” Spencer ran into the house, waving a piece of paper around in the air.

Tom greeted his son with a smile and scooped him off the ground, giving him a big kiss on the cheek before taking the paper.

“Who I Want to be when I grow up by Spencer Holland. Aw, buddy. Good job.” Tom praised as he read the title of the paper.

“I’m gonna go play.” Spencer told him and ran to his room.

Tom sat down at the kitchen table to read his sons paper.

“When I grow up, I want to be like the lady next door. She’s a secret agent for the FBI and brings home lost children. Her job is very dangerous because she fights bad guys. I think she is very smart and brave and that is why I want to be like her.” Tom read. He wasn’t disappointed that it wasn’t about him, just concerned. It was one thing for Spencer to have imaginary friends, it was another thing to write about them at school. Spencer could talk about the lady next door all he wanted at home, but that’s where it should stay. Tom was raising him all on his own, and he didn’t know if six year olds should be talking about their imaginary friends to other people. He decided to talk to Spencer about it as he made his way to his room.

“Hey, buddy, can we talk?” Tom asked as he knocked lightly on Spencer’s doorframe.

“Okay daddy.” Spencer smiled at him from his bed.

“I see you wrote your report on the lady next door.” Tom began.

“I did. I’m going to give it to her when she comes home next week.” Spencer bounced your and down in excitement as he brushed the hair on his police Barbie. Tom laid the report on his bed and sighed.

“Spencer, I had imaginary friends at your age too. It’s perfectly normal.” Tom began. “You just can’t write about her at school like she’s real.”

“She is real!” Spencer protested. “She lets me work on cases with her and let’s me hold her briefcase.”

“Do you think maybe you saw her on TV and got confused?” Tom asked gently. “Nobody lives next door, buddy.”

“Yes she does.” Spencer whined. “I’ll prove it to you.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me.” Tom assured him. “She can be real at home, but it’s different at school.”

Spencer was about to say something when he heard a car door slam outside. He looked out his window and broke into a huge smile.

“She’s home!” Spencer cheered and ran out of the room. He ran all the way outside and tackled you in hug. Tom watched this from the window with a shocked expression. His son was hugging a woman he had never seen before, and he looked completely comfortable with her. Tom was about to go outside when he noticed a gun strapped to your hip.

Could Spencer had been telling the truth?

“Spence!” You hugged Spencer tightly before setting him down. “How are you doing, buddy?”

“I missed you.” He smiled wildly. “Do you have any cuts from the bad guys?”

“Nope.” You said proudly. “We took him down and ended the case a week earlier than we thought. Thanks for helping me work the case.” You cupped his chin fondly and dug in your pocket. “If you’re gonna keep helping me with this, you’re gonna need a badge of your own.”

You handed Spencer a tiny badge that said FBI on it and his eyes lit up with joy.

“Wow!” He beamed. Thank you! Now I can be just like you. I even wrote about you in my report.”

“You did? Can I see?” You asked him and he handed you the paper.

“Here. I was just showing my daddy.”

You took the report from Spencer’s hands and gave him a grateful smile. You read the paper a few times, almost teared up from how much it meant to you. He grinned proudly at you as you rubbed your thumb over the gold star.

“I love this. Can I keep it for when you’re a famous FBI agent?” You asked him as you pinned the badge to his chest.

“Okay.” Spencer nodded eagerly. You took your eyes off him for a moment when you heard his front door open. Tom came running out of the house and bent down next to his son.

“Spencer, what did I say about talking to strangers?” He scolded before looking up at you. You gave him a kind smile and his heart nearly stopped. Spencer really knew what he was talking about when he called you a pretty lady. Tom flushed in embarrassment and gave you a shy smile back.

“She’s not a stranger. She’s a secret agent.” Spencer insisted and you chuckled. You and Tom stood up and you held out your hand.

“Hi, I’m Special Agent L/N.” You introduced yourself and shook his hand. “You can call me Y/n.”

Tom opened his mouth to speak but found himself star struck. You were exactly as Spencer described in your all black outfit and pretty face. He couldn’t believe he had lived next to you for so long and had never seen you.

“See, daddy? She’s not a stranger.” Spencer said as he tugged on Toms hand. “She fights the bad guys like you do.”

“Oh, are you in law enforcement as well?” You asked Tom and he immediately forgot what he did for a living. Spencer tugged on his hand again and Tom snapped out of it.

“My character is.” He answered. “I’m an actor.”

“Have you been in anything I would’ve seen?”

“Depends.” Tom said. “Are you into natural disasters or superhero’s?”

“I can’t say I am.” You laughed the most beautiful laugh Tom had ever heard. “You mean like Marvel?”

“Yeah. I play Spider-man.” He answered, beginning to feel more confident when your eyes widened in amazement.

“No way.” You gasped. “I didn’t know I was living next door to a superhero.”

“Neither did I.” He laughed softly. You looked at each other for a moment and smiled.

“What do people call you when you’re not playing Spiderman?” You realized your never caught his name.

“Sorry, I’m Tom. I’m Spencer’s dad.” He looked down at his son and noticed the badge on his chest. “What’s that?”

“It’s a badge. Y/n said secret gents need a badge.” Spencer said proudly as he tapped on his badge.

“It’s true. Now you’re official.” You nodded at Spencer. Tom looked between the two of you with a pleasantly surprised smile. Seeing you be so kind to his son warmed his heart. Spencer didn’t have the easiest type making friends in school because he was shy, but he seemed extremely comfortable with you.

“Cool.” Spencer wiggled with excitement. “I’m gonna catch an unsub.”

“I bet you are.” You winked at him before he ran off.

“So how do you guys know each other?” Tom wondered once Spencer had run off.

“Oh, Spence is the smartest guy I’ve ever worked with.” You laughed and folded your arms. “He helps me with cases all the time. He’s loves reading the case files.” You shrugged and Tom smiled at you fondly.

“He talks about you all the time. You’ve taught him a lot.” Tom said in appreciation. It was nice to have someone else looking out for his since he was raising him all alone.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped.” You said suddenly. “The badge is something they sell for agents with kids. He always asks to see mine so I thought I’d get him his own.”

“No, it’s fine. I really appreciate it, actually.” Tom assured you. “This whole time, I thought you were his imaginary friend.”

“Really? That’s so funny.” You smiled in delight. “I usually see him in the yard and ask him for help with the case I’m working on. Don’t worry, I’ve never shown him anything graphic or violent. He actually helped me crack a case the other week when he suggested that the unsub could be a woman.”

“Unsub?” Tom questioned.

“Sorry. Work talk.” You laughed shyly. “Unidentified subject.”

“And he helped you find the person?” Tom asked in amazement. He couldn’t imagine how his 6 year old helped the FBI.

“Absolutely.” You insisted. “My team was only looking at male offenders until Spence said it could be a woman. He’s actually really good at this stuff. He told me he wants to be an agent when he grows up. I hope you don’t mind, I gave him one of my hats.”

“I don’t mind at all. He thinks you’re a secret agent, though. Like a spy.” He chuckled and you shook your head with a smile.

“I told him I was a special agent. He must’ve thought I meant secret.” You explained. “It’s okay. He still understands what I do.”

“I know. I hear him teaching his toys about safety all the time.” Tom said and you put a hand over your heart.

“Does he? That’s so cute.” You pouted. “I just taught him a few safety precautions he should always take.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Tom said sincerely. He couldn’t help thinking about how motherly you already acted towards Spencer. Tom didn’t date because of the thought of having to introduce Spencer to random women scared him, but you had already formed a bond with him. Tom couldn’t help the butterflies he was feeling from being around you. Everything about you, from your independence to your bravery, was drawing Tom in.

“Of course. It’s my job to keep people safe.” You nodded. “I also just like talking to him. You have a really great kid.”

“Yeah, I know.” Tom smiled proudly as he looked over his shoulder at Spencer.

“You and your wife did a great job with him.” You said quietly as you looked down at your boots.

“Yeah, uh, no wife.” Tom scratched the back of his head and you tried to hide your smile. “It’s just him and I. And apparently, you.”

“I see a lot of horrible things on the job. Your sons smiling face makes me remember why I do what I do. It’s all for the kids.” You said sincerely.

“What do you do, exactly?” Tom wondered.

“I work for the FBI and I specialize in child abductions.” You told him and he looked impressed as it all made sense.

“Oh. So that’s where he’s getting all his information from.” He realized. “I think you taught my son more than I ever did.”

“He was always happy to learn.” You smiled brightly. “You’re lucky you don’t have a daughter. I would have a lot more safety precautions to teach her.”

“I’m sorry. Your job can’t be easy.” Tom frowned. You had to spend all day looking for missing children, and he was sure you didn’t always find them. That couldn’t be easy, yet you still faced the world with a smile on your face and kindness in your heart.

That only made Tom like you more.

“It’s not.” You agreed. “But every time I get to reunite a child with their parents, I remember that it’s worth it.”

Tom opened his mouth to speak and closed it. He had never been so star struck around a girl before.

“Sorry, I’m just a little speechless right now.” He laughed shyly and scratched his head again. “You’re just kind of the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I, um, wow.” He shook his head to regain focus as you laughed.

“Thank you, Tom.” You smiled. “I’m really glad I got to meet the man who raised my favorite kid.”

“Do you think we could maybe continue this meeting over dinner?” He made a bold move to keep you on the line.

“Are you asking me out, Spiderman?” You cocked your head and squinted your eyes at him.

“I’m trying to. I’m not very good at this.” He said sheepishly. You took a step forward and straightened out the collar of his shirt as he watched you with wide eyes.

“Well I think you’re doing a great job.” You but your bottom lip and looked him in the eyes. “How does 7 work for you?”

“7 is good.” He squeaked and you smirked.

“I’ll leave my gun at home. Unless you’re planning on getting fresh. Then I’ll have to arrest you.” You said seriously.

“I-“

“I’m teasing.” You cut him off with a laugh. “I’ll see you at 7.”

Spencer ran back up to you and Tom and Tom picked him up.

“See, daddy? I told you there was a pretty lady next door.” Spencer insisted. “I wanna be just like her.”

“Aw. You’re gonna be the greatest FBI agent the world has ever seen.” You pinched his cheek. “I hope you’ll invite me to your induction ceremony.”

“Maybe you can come as my date.” Tom shrugged and you shot him a smile.

“Yeah. Maybe I can.”

Tag List 🏷

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[funkyj4eva]

So, little obsessed with kyalinzumi and thought I’d share this little fic.

Kya is visiting Izumi at the Fire Nation Palace, Lin is in Republic city. Just a phone call between the ladies.

=====================================================

“Just call her to confirm. That way you can guilt trip her if she’s wavering.” Izumi responds as she waves off Kya’s incessant what if scenarios whilst making her way over to the large bookshelf in her study to find a reference to a bylaw.

“Foiiiinnneeee.” Kya responds as she drops her cheesy romance novel on the coffee table and pushes herself up off the lounge set, heading towards the phone sitting on Izumi’s desk. After dialling the number for Lin’s assistant, she perches herself on the edge of the desk waiting to be connected.

Upon verifying who the caller was, and checking the Chief’s schedule, Hui  places the caller on hold and heads over to the Chief’s office to knock on her door.

“Chief, I’ve got the Fire Nation Royal Palace on the line.” She informs her boss, who glances up from the report she was skimming through.

“Put them through.” She says as she scribbles a note on the notepad beside her.

                                ******

With a nod of her head in acknowledgement, Hui returns to her desk to update the caller, “Hello? Are you still on the line?”

“Yes, I’m still here.”

“Perfect. I’m just putting you through now. Please hold.” Hui responds to Kya.

“Patching through now, Chief.” Her assistant calls out and closes the office door once she hears the phone ring.

“Beifong.” Lin answers after she tucks the receiver between her head and her shoulder, so that she could flip the page of the report.

“What chu wearing?” Kya purrs down the receiver as she entwines her fingers with the phone’s line.

Without skipping a beat, the Metalbender replies in her no nonsense, gruff, Chief voice, “Limited edition Republic City Chief of Police uniform in black with gold trim,” as she continues skimming through the report, not paying much attention to the question or the caller as she was still engrossed in the findings.

Dumbstruck that Lin actually answered her without reprimand, the Waterbender was at a loss for words and failed to answer the woman, as the vivid image of said woman clad in her police uniform and commanding tone sent a shiver down her spine and a warmth spreading to her core.

“Hello? You there?” Lin speaks again into the receiver, after adjusting it so that she was holding the phone. “Hellooo?” she repeats as she places the report down, giving the caller her full attention now.

Still no response.

Completely forgetting what she called the Metalbender for and in her panicked state she slammed the receiver down on the hook and clasped her hands in front of her face, shying away from the phone.

“Shit.” She mutters to herself as she hears the line cut and the sound of the dial tone fills her ears, “stupid line must be playing up again,” returning the receiver onto the hook.

  Meanwhile on the other end of the line…

“So? Did you get through to her?” Izumi queried as she made her way back to her desk while flipping through to the page she was after.

“Uh… yeah.” She responded while still dazed.

“Annnddd? What did she say?” the Firebender prodded.

“She said that she was wearing her uniform.” She replies in an aloof manner, as the Fire Lord shoots her a quizzical look.

                                  ******

Riiiinnnggg, riiiiinnnnnngggg!

The shrill sound of the telephone cut through the air and temporarily paused the conversation between the two women.

Placing the book down on her desk and eyeing the younger woman, Izumi pushed her glasses back up before answering the phone.

“Izumi speaking.” She answered in her formal voice.

“Hey, it’s me. I was just on a call with the palace and the line cut all of a sudden. Were you after me?”

Relaxing as she heard Lin’s voice over the receiver, she reverted to a casual tone, “It was actually Kya.”

“Oh? Is Kya with you?”

“Yes, she was the one who called.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, wasn’t paying attention to the voice on the other end of the line.” The younger woman apologises, “Should’ve known that it was her, as you don’t exactly ask what I’m wearing when you call.” She chuckles at the thought.

“Is that something that you would like me to partake in?” the Firebender responded with a smile teasing at her lips and her eyes alight with amusement as she turns to regard Kya.

Clearing her throat from the sudden turn of conversation, the Metalbender responds, “Um, I’m not - that’s not the point of this phone call!” She splutters and abruptly cuts herself off, feeling a little flustered. “Did she actually have a message for me or was this a call for pleasure? I’m a bit flat chat today and she knows that we don’t do this while I’m at work.” She said cutting to the chase.

“She did have a reason for the call, though I am intrigued as to what you said to her. You’ve left her in a bit of a stupor.”

“She asked me what I was wearing, so I told her that I was wearing a limited edition Republic City Chief of Police uniform in black with gold trim.”

“Mhm, and did you say it in your Chief voice?”

“Uh, yes?” Lin responds a little perplexed as to why the conversation was still being steered to what she was wearing.

“No wonder.” She responds with a gentle laugh, “I’ll have to sort her out as you aren’t here.”

“Zumi?”

“Yes?”

“The original point of the call?” Lin offers in a slightly exasperated voice as she tries to take control of the conversation once again.

“Ah, yes. Kya was wondering if you will be attending the Mid-Autumn festival gala this year at city hall? I have managed to adjust my schedule and will be making my way to Republic City to make an appearance at the gala, and will also use this time to check in on the Fire Nation embassy while I’m there. Kya of course, will be joining me.” She answers in a semi-bored tone. “Irrespective of your attendance, please note that we will be staying at your residence for the duration of our visit.”

Leaning back into her chair, Lin processes the information before replying with an air of playfulness, “Is that right? And how long will your visit be?”

“A total of five nights.”

“Hm.” She hummed in response, “And what happens if I decide not to be present at either locations during your visit?”

Slightly taken aback by the Metalbender’s response, the older woman seats herself in her chair before dropping her tone of voice to a low and sultry one, usually reserved for their private quarters, “Well then you will have been a very, very bad girl, and will be punished for your actions.”

Biting back a smile and trying to stave off the slight giddiness from the possibility of some long overdue playtime, she quickly responded, “I’ll think about it” before hanging up on the Fire Lord.

With a scoff, the older woman leaned forward to drop the phone back onto the receiver, before pushing back into her chair, shaking her head in amusement at the bratty-ness of the younger woman.

“Well?” Kya asked in anticipation, having snapped out of her daze.

“She said that she’ll think about it.” Izumi said as she vacated her chair and walked towards Kya, grabbing her by the middle of her dress and pulling her in for short but searing kiss. Having brought back the warmth in her core, Izumi abruptly broke off the kiss and pushed the woman back to her original position and letting go of her dress. Using the same hand that just released the Waterbender, she lightly trailed a finger from the mocha skinned woman’s chest up her neck and to her chin and then tapping the side of her jaw twice with two fingers, eliciting a groan from the needy woman.

“Come, we need to take care of your situation.” She said in the same low sultry voice that she had only just used with Lin, before swiftly turning to exit her private study and to head to their bedroom.

[yikestripes]

High Heels, Red Dress

i think this is actually the longest fic i’ve written to date, goddamn. as always, i really really ran with this one. **LOOSELY BASED OFF OF SEASON 4 EPISODE 9 “52 Pickup”.

word count: 3.8k

warnings: none, some angst and some fluff.

“So you think he’s taking classes on how to talk to women?” Prentiss asked, incredulous. You tried to surprise your giggles, causing the others to look at you.

“Maybe Reid should try that,” Spencer’s face reddened as he busied himself with the file, pretending to read through it. You could tell he was faking because it never took him that long to study a file.

“I’m kidding, Spence.” You said a short time later, suddenly feeling guilty. Spencer looked up at you and nodded, tight lipped. He returned to the book he was reading. You shook your head and headed to the back of the jet to make yourself a coffee and take a break for a little while. Your peace, however, was short lived. Morgan strolled back and started making himself a cup of coffee while you waited for yours to finish brewing. He looked at you, eyebrows raised.

“What’s on your mind, Sweet Thing?” He asked.

“I feel really bad about what I said to Spencer.” You said quietly, taking a long sip of your coffee. Derek chuckled.

“I know why you said it, can’t say I blame you entirely.” You narrowed your eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh nothing, nothing at all.”

“Morgan.” Your tone raised slightly.

“Alright fine, you can put the angry eyes away. All I meant was that I can see the way you look at him, and you’re frustrated that he hasn’t made any sort of moves.” He said, leaning against the counter and raising his eyebrows again. “Am I wrong?”

Your answer was you walking away. He was completely on track, but you couldn’t bear to say the words out loud just yet. There wasn’t much hope on your end in terms of Spencer feeling the same way about you that you do him, so what was the point of hoping? It just lead to high expectations and low outcomes. You forced yourself to concentrate on the case file for the rest of the ride, briefly glancing at Spencer here and there; you made eye contact 3 times.

Although the jet ride was painfully quiet, the arrival on the scene was nowhere near as heavy. Well, in a sense. You were staring a dead woman in the face who looked just a little bit too much like you for your taste, and you could tell Prentiss was having similar thoughts.

“I guess we have to go pay this “Viper” guy a visit.” Spencer said behind you, quietly. You turned and looked at him, eyebrows raised. It was the first thing he’d said to you since the jet.

“Okay, I'll grab the keys from Hotch.” You turned on your heel and headed in Hotch’s direction as Morgan approached Reid.

“I see the way you look at her, you know.” Morgan said from behind him, frightening Reid slightly. He tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, and made a confused face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said quietly, walking to the car you hopped in.

“Those two are made for each other, goddamn.” Morgan said to no one in particular. Meanwhile, your ride to Viper’s class was a little too quiet for your liking. You broke the silence and turned the radio down slightly.

“I’m sorry, Spencer.” He looked at you suddenly, as if lost in his own thoughts.

“For what?” He frowned.

“For what I said on the jet, that was unfair and I’m sorry.” Spencer was quiet for a minute, contemplating.

“I really am, Spence.”

“No no I know, I accept your apology. I was just thinking, what if that was the reason the unsub had taken the class in the first place?” You paused, waiting for him to continue. He had something.

“Meaning that if a woman in his life, whether it was a girlfriend, wife, or maybe a female in a club, made him feel small and that he was unable to pick up women. Maybe he’s impotent and he’s out to prove a point.” You grinned and touched Spencer’s arm lightly, retracting when you remembered his disdain for being touched. His facial expression faltered, but was replaced quickly when he called Hotch.

“You are such a genius, Boy Wonder.” He smiled and looked at his hands in his lap, feeling warmth spread through his body.

The drive through downtown Atlanta was an easy one, you having spent the majority of your early to late teens and 20s driving all through downtown D.C. You arrived at the community center rather quickly, and found Viper in a seminar room on the first floor.

“This is the jungle, my friends, and you are the predators.” He said to his class, earning a round of applause.

As you and Spencer approached, he looked you up and down hungrily, licking his lips.

“Well hello there, gorgeous. Fortunately for you my class just let out, and I happen to have an hour until my ne-”

“My name is Doctor Spencer Reid and I’m with the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit, and this is Agent (Y/L/N).” Viper tore his prying eyes away from you for a moment to look Spencer up and down, clearly unimpressed.

“Sure, sure. What can I do for you, Agents?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“This is regarding your, uh, class. Have you seen any sort of suspicious people or any of your students acting out of the ordinary?” Reid said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“All my students are out of the ordinary, otherwise they wouldn’t need me to guide them.” He returned his attention to you, with a smirk.

“I, however, am the master. Picking up women is my profession and my dedication.” You rolled your eyes.

“We need to see a list of your students.” You said, monotone.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Sweetheart.”

“We will come back with a warrant.” You glared. Men like Viper made you sick.

“Alright, fine, Miss. Agent. You’ll get the roster. You can have anything else you want, you just have to ask nicely.” Viper leaned in closer and Spencer moved forward, almost shielding you.

“Oh, Dr. Reid, moving to protect the lady, hmm? How often do you have to rely on that title of yours to help you bring women home?” He almost laughed.

“Frankly, “Viper”, the way you talk to women is completely demeaning and utterly disgusting. We will come back with a warrant and will be investigating your supposed alibis, because right now you are a prime suspect in a murder investigation.” Spencer got in Viper’s face, his face as cold as stone. You’d never seen him get his back up in this way, usually it was Morgan.

“I have receipts to back up my whereabouts last night, for your information.”

“If you have any questions, call the Atlanta police department.” You said quietly, handing him a card with the number written out on the back. He looked you up and down one more time and replaced the ridiculous furry hat back on his head.

You followed Spencer out the door and back to the car, almost unable to keep up with his pace.

“Spence, what’s up?” He looked out the window, not saying anything. You could sense his anger.

“What’s wrong?” You pressed.

“I don’t like the way Viper was looking at you or talking to you.” He spat. “He was looking at you the way a predator looks at literal prey; you are so much more than that.”

Your face softened, and you rested a hand on his shoulder.

“I appreciate you standing up for me, that was very sweet.” You whispered, giving him a small smile. His heart fluttered, and he mustered up a small smile in return.

“Anytime, (Y/N/N).” He looked back out the window and subconsciously unclenched his fists at your sides, making you smile a little more.

Your ride back to the police station was very quiet, Spencer was still angry at Viper’s disgusting nature, and was completely against Morgan and Hotch’s idea to send you into a club as bait.

“This is ridiculous!” He said, crossing his arms.

“Spence, it’s fine. If it’s what I have to do, then it’s what I have to do.” You said, beginning to get frustrated. You appreciated more than anything how much Spencer cared, it made your heart do backflips, but you could take care of yourself. You’d been an FBI agent for 4 and a half years, and trained with Morgan regularly. Worst case scenario, you could handle yourself.

“It’s not fine, (Y/N). You were already subjected to Viper once today, now you have to go act as the prey for the unsub? What if he kidnaps you?”

“Reid, we’re going to be stationed at the bar and on the floor handing out fliers. Nothing is going to happen.” Spencer walked out of the room, Prentiss following close behind.

You crossed your arms and huffed. Hotch looked at you, and then looked away. You knew what you had to do, and you were determined to save some lives tonight, whether Spencer liked it or not.

“Are you ladies almost ready?” Hotch said on the other side of the door.

“Yeah, Hotch, we’ll be out in 5 minutes.” Emily called back. You could hear Hotch’s retreating footsteps, and resumed your conversation.

“Did he really say that?” Emily asked, securing an earring.

“Yep. Verbatim.”

“Wow, I can’t believe Reid had the guts to stand up to Viper like that, or that Viper even had the audacity to say something like that!”

“When you’re a misogynistic narcissist, anything is possible.”

Emily laughed in response as you looked at yourself in the full body mirror, smiling a little bit. As much as you hated to admit it, you did look good. You were in a tight red dress with a plunging neckline, gold jewelry, and red heels. You adorned a smokey eye look and teased your hair, completing the outfit. If nothing else, you were definitely ready for the club. Prentiss’s outfit was similar, except black with silver accessories. You opened the door to find your knights awaiting, and a few dropped jaws.

“Phew, you ladies clean up nice. You sure you’re alright with this?” Morgan said, directing the question at you.

“Yeah. Where’s Reid?” You asked, Spencer nowhere in sight. Morgan frowned and stuck his hands in his pockets.

“He’s waiting in the car.” Hotch said, looking at Morgan. Morgan shrugged his shoulders as you followed them to the car you were set to take, separately from the rest of the team so it looked like you were going in on your own.

“Spencer’s jaw would drop harder than Morgan’s if he saw you back there,” Emily said, a knowing look crossing her features. You snorted a little.

“Yeah right, he wouldn’t notice anything was different.” Months ago on a ladies night with Emily, JJ, and Penelope, you’d confessed your crush on Spencer to them after a few glasses of wine too many. Since then, they’d done everything they could to try and make sure you two would get together, but to no avail. Either Spencer was pretty good at hiding his true feelings, or he just did not feel the same way.

You were hoping for option 1.

You arrived at the club a lot sooner than you would’ve liked, and entered beside Prentiss.

“Just pretend like it’s another ladies night.” She said. You nodded and headed straight for the bar while she went to find a hightop to stand at.

“Two margaritas, please.” You told the bartender, who flashed a white smile. You smiled back softly and looked at the sea of people crowding the dance floor, looking for any sort of activity that caught your eye. On the other side of the bar, something did catch your eye. Spencer. He was staring at you, and when he noticed you looking back, he reverted his attention to Morgan. You frowned, and thanked the bartender.

“Spence was staring at me.” You said as you placed your drinks on the table. Prentiss raised her eyebrows and nodded at Morgan, who nodded back. He and Spencer moved slightly away from the bar to pass out fliers and ask if anyone had seen the man from the sketch.

You mindlessly sipped your marg when a familiar scent hit your nose, and rose your eyes to meet Viper’s.

“Oh no.” You said, giving Prentiss a look.

“Hello again, fancy meeting you here. Decide to take me up on my offer to see me on my turf?” He asked.

“No.” You said.

“Well, maybe I can pique your friend’s interest here. How are you, Sweetheart?” Prentiss glared.

“Here to prey on some younger women?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow. Viper frowned, but recovered quickly.

“If that means you, then yes ma’am. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked, trying to take her hand. She snapped her hand back to her body, and looked annoyed.

“If you aren’t here to help us, walk away.” She said, clenching her teeth. Viper shrugged and headed back in the direction of the bar, probably to find some other poor soul.

“He is not real.”

“I wish that were true.” You both took a long drag from your drinks, and found your eyes wandering towards the tall, curly haired genius. It was hard to find him at first, until you picked him out as the most uncomfortable man in the room. Morgan was beside him, also without any fliers, pointing to various women in the room. Spencer was nodding, as if taking mental notes about whatever Morgan was saying.

“Women like it when you can make them laugh. I know your sense of humor is a bit questionable, but if you can get her laughing, you’re definitely on your way there.” Spencer nodded, finding his gaze locked on you. You looked absolutely stunning in your red dress, barely coming above your knees. Your makeup accentuated your gorgeous eyes and your hair framed your face, and Spencer was breathless.

“Hey, stay with me, Pretty Boy. These tips can work on her too, I promise.” He nodded in your direction with a knowing smirk. Spencer’s cheeks flushed and he turned his attention to the bartender, who was talking to a couple of younger girls. He approached her and gave her a shy smile and a wave, pulling a spare flier from his pocket.

“Have you seen this guy walking around tonight?” He asked. The bartender shook her head and moved on to the man next to her, filling a drink order as she spoke.

“He looks familiar, but so do all the men I come across around here. He’s a common character.” She nodded to the paper in Spencer’s hand. She clearly wasn’t interested, too busy to be.

“Alright, then can I ask you something?” He said, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. She placed the drink down in front of the man next to him, turning her attention back to Spencer.

“Shoot.” She looked down the bar and saw that the other bartender had taken a few guests at a time, so she had a free minute.

Now he was across the room, talking to the female bartender. He was performing a magic trick for her, causing your blood to boil. She was giggling and touching his arm, and you could see the blush on his cheeks from across the room.

You grabbed your drink and were ready to march over there, when Prentiss caught your arm.

“I think I know who the unsub is,” You looked at her, thoughts of Spencer long forgotten.

“I was thinking about what you were saying about Viper’s speech today- the thing about squashing the queen bee.” Sparks collided in your brain as your eyes widened, connecting the dots.

“I’ll grab Spencer and Morgan, tell Hotch and let’s get out of here.” You chugged the rest of the margarita and felt it immediately, marching over to Spencer and Morgan much more confidently than you should have.

“We know who the unsub is,” You said, primarily to Morgan.

“Who?” Spencer asked, abandoning the magic trick and the bartender. She walked away without a second glance. Your glare hardened as you turned on your heel, walking out of the bar.

Morgan and Reid looked at each other before following you outside, watching as you jumped in the car with Prentiss and Hotch. Rossi pulled up in a car beside them, and they hopped in too. Spencer and Morgan put their vests on in the car and Spencer allowed his mind to wander. You’d looked so angry back there. Did he say something? He was only angry on your behalf earlier, he didn’t think you would be upset with him for something so trivial. He frowned as you all pulled up outside of the house.

You hopped out after Prentiss, still in your dress, but changed into black high top converse. You looked somehow even better with the dress and the converse, your hair still wild and free. Spencer gulped as he unholstered his gun, following behind Morgan. You were the first to enter the house, clearing almost half of the downstairs by the time Morgan and Reid caught up. You started up the stairs when you’d heard a crash from behind a door.

“He’s in there!” You yelled, jumping down the stairs to kick down the basement door. “FBI you’re under arrest!” You screamed down the stairs, making your way down with Morgan hot on your heels.

“Put your weapon down.” Morgan said, aiming right for his head. The unsub simply laughed.

“Or what, you’ll shoot me, pretty girl? I don’t think so.” The unsub inched closer, and you trained your gun on his head.

“One more step and you die. I don’t really think you want that, though.” You remained firm, and the unsub lost his nerve. The knife clattered as it hit the ground, the victim crying as she wriggled in her restraints behind him.

Morgan cuffed him and forced him upstairs, and as Reid approached you, you followed behind them. Reid frowned once more and followed Prentiss and Rossi back upstairs. Luckily, the unsub had slipped up and led the trail right to his home and the latest victim, who you were able to save. No harm had come to her when you had gotten there, although the disemboweling seemed like it was about to begin. It was safe to say she was scarred psychologically.

You stood a bit apart, arms crossed over your chest. You didn’t even hear Spencer approach.

“I don’t think I got the chance to tell you this, neither at the club or at the police station. You look beautiful,” Spencer’s brown eyes glistened, boring into yours.

“Thanks.” You said.

“I can tell by your tone and body language that you’re upset with me, but I still haven’t quite worked out why.” He pressed, standing in front of you, hands in his pockets.

“You don’t think I can handle myself.” You said, raising your eyes to meet his. He scrunched his face in confusion.

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to; it was the way you were so angry at the police station earlier today. It didn’t seem like you thought I could do it or handle it.” You glared. Your expression softened when Spencer frowned.

“I didn’t mean to make you think that, I was just worried about you. I don’t know what I would do with myself if anything happened to you,” Spence said quietly, taking your hand in his. All your anger dissipated the moment he took your hand.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

You were quiet for a minute, contemplating bringing up what you saw between Spencer and the bartender. You decided against it, and opted to give him a hug.

“I appreciate how much you care, Spence.” You said into his shoulder. He gratefully returned the hug, elated that you were no longer angry with him. You both pulled away and rejoined your team, heading for the jet. You both slept the entire plane ride, since you were able to change into a pair of leggings and a hoodie. Spencer’s hoodie.

Spencer walked you to your car as he did after most cases, just so he could be secure in knowing you were safe for another night. You had been debating the entire walk whether or not it was a good idea to bring up the bartender, and you eventually decided to ask. You had to know whether or not to move on.

“Spence,” You broke the silence as you approached your car. He turned his attention to you, his eyes tired. “Whatever happened with the bartender from the club?” You asked, absentmindedly picking at your nails. He picked up on it right away, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“What do you mean?” He took your hand to stop your nail picking. You frowned. He rubbed his thumb across your knuckles to prompt you to continue.

“You were flirting with her and I wasn’t sure how it went.” You hadn’t thought past asking the question, therefore you didn’t have a very good reason why you were asking. Spencer looked unconvinced, but decided to bite anyway.

“Nothing happened, I didn’t get her number or anything. She wasn’t really my type.” He said, nodding. You nodded in return and smiled. He smiled, but furrowed his eyebrows further. “Why?” He smirked a little.

“I was just curious.”

“Uh huh. What’s the actual reason?”

“I WAS curious!”

“With ulterior motives, I'm sure.”

You shifted your weight between your feet, suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze. He raised his eyebrows and closed the already shrinking gap between you, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. He pulled away and raised his eyebrows as if to ask, “Is that why?”. You reached up and pulled his face back down to yours in another soft, warm kiss.

“Yeah. I was a little bit jealous.” You said, slightly breathless. Spencer smiled softly, and intertwined your fingers.

“Why were you jealous?” You sighed, and smiled up at him.

“Because I like you, dummy.” His eyebrows shot up as if you told him the secret to curing cancer, and slowly processed a response.

“I-I like you too.” You pressed a final kiss to his warm lips and grinned into it, letting your forehead come to rest against yours.

“I should have known the way you were drooling over me in that dress.” You whispered. He looked away and swallowed, running a hand through his hair.

“Goodnight, Spence.” You rolled your eyes as you threw your go bag in your back seat. He was grinning like a doofus as he made his way to his car, receiving a text from you as soon as he got in.

“You’re such a little dork, Reid. You’re lucky you’re adorable.” The warm feeling washed over Spencer once again as he held his phone to his chest, smiling like an idiot his entire drive home.