#hope you’re doing well elle <33

[rozugold]

happy tea time <3 may your day be sweet & your beverages warm 💛

WA Happy tea time :D!!

[ellecdc]

Hello Elle!! I’ve been lurking thru your fics (pos) and they’re just so awesome !! May I request a fluffy little fic of male!reader and boyfriend!remus just cuddling and reading together in the gryffindor common room? It doesn’t have to be much,,,just maybe them snuggled up under some blankets and reading their respective books while lightly nudging each other from time to time (you can tweak the request in whatever way you want,,,as long as it’s fluffy it would be super duper nice!)

of course, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to !! Hope you have a great day <33

lurk away babes! I'm so glad to have you here. thanks for your request <333

Remus Lupin x male!reader cuddled on the couch in the Gryffindor common room

You had to admit that you were very surprised at how extremely touchy Remus Lupin turned out to be. 

You had no idea that the quiet spoken, aloof personality you had initially fallen for, followed by the shy flirting and gentle teasing would ultimately lead to this.

That’s not to say that Remus was huge on PDA – he really wasn’t, which was just as fine for you as you really weren’t that kind of person either – but he was almost always touching you in some way.

Sitting together in the Great Hall, his leg would be pressed up against yours (hips, thighs, and ankles). If you were walking to class together, he’d likely have your hand in his, or at the very least his elbow would gently bump into yours with every step. 

And when you were working on your Divination homework whilst he read on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room? Well, he was pretty much sitting on top of you; your legs intertwined comically under the blanket as his thumb gently caressed your Achilles tendon. 

You thought that perhaps the blanket provided enough privacy for him to be as affectionate as he would be if no one else was around to see, which made you very happy considering you’d likely melt on the spot if he tried sitting with you like this in the courtyard. 

You were technically finished your Divination homework already but were going over your answers in preparation for a test next week; this left your attention split between your work and Remus’ muscle twitches and quiet gasps. 

“Merlin, Moons. You’re gonna kick your boyfriend right off the sofa if you don’t settle down over there.” Sirius teased without lifting his head from the game of exploding snap he was playing with Peter on the floor.

You hated to laugh at Remus’ expense, but you couldn’t help but chuckle at the horrified look on his face as he began to apologize to you.

“I didn’t kick you hard, did I?” He asked, moving his hands higher under the blanket to massage at your knee.

“I’m okay, Rem. What’s going on in that book of yours that has you so excited?” You redirected, closing your notebook and textbook to give him your full attention.

Remus’ face was a mix of excitement at getting to tell you about his book and shame at having interrupted your homework.

“It’s really not that big of a deal, you can finish your homework.” He offered shyly, a pretty blush decorating his cheeks. You were sure your face looked just as lovesick as you felt.

“I was finished already; I was just studying for the test next week.”

When he still didn’t look completely sold, you dramatically sighed and shifted your body so you were sitting knee to knee with Remus – nearly in his lap. 

“How about this? You catch me up on everything going on in your book now, and you can help me study tomorrow?” You bargained, aiming for earnest but likely missing by a mile at the amount of affection flowing through you for this boy.

“You sure?” He asked, voice full of shy hope.

You smiled. “Absolutely.” 

“Okay, deal.” He agreed, bodily pulling you impossibly further into his side as he began tallying off all of the goings on in his book since the last time he’d updated you on it. 

You hummed in all the right places and even threw in a “oh my gods, you’re kidding”, and a “they did not!”, even though you didn’t particularly care for the story, just that it made your boyfriend so happy.

“Moony, why do you never read to me anymore?” Sirius pouted, throwing you a cheeky wink as he interrupted his mate.

“For this exact reason, Sirius, you always interrupt and then complain that I’m boring you.”

Sirius, never one to be shamefaced, vehemently denied the accusations. “Slander!”

“It’s not slander if it’s true, Pads.” Peter mumbled from his place.

“You’re welcome to join us, Sirius.” You called, even shifting over to suggest there was room beside you should the long-haired boy want it.

To your horror, Sirius actually looked like he was going to stand up.

“No!” Remus shouted, holding his hands out as if prepared to bodily fend off Sirius should he try to sit with you. “Don’t encourage him, love. He’s a menace.”

Sirius clutched at non-existent pearls adorning his neck as he looked at Remus in outrage. “How dare you!? Did you ever stop to think I just wanted to sit with Y/N? He’s far lovelier than you.”

“Sod off, he’s mine; get your own.” Remus mumbled, actually lifting you from your spot on the sofa to pull you directly into his lap. You felt all of the blood in your body rush to your face as you tried to hide behind the blanket.

“Fine.” Sirius harrumphed, finally standing and disrupting the game of cards he’d long abandoned in favour of drama. 

“PRONGS?!” Sirius shouted, causing everyone else in the common room to shush at him. As was usually the case with Sirius, he ignored them.

“YEAH?” James shouted back, clearly sitting in their shared dorm room.

“CAN I COME CUDDLE?” 

“OF COURSE YOU CAN!”

“THANK YOU!”

With that Sirius turned to give Remus his most shit eating grin. “You’re missing out, Moons.”

Remus scoffed as he began nuzzling into your neck.

“Honestly, is it too much to ask to get through one game?” Peter moaned as he began picking up all of the cards that had been discarded.

“You know better than to try to play with Sirius Drama Queen Black and James ADHD Potter, Wormy.” Remus replied, not bothering to remove himself from your neck. 

You turned your head when you heard stomping from the way Sirius had just left to see an annoyed looking Lily Evans. 

“You’re lucky you have a boyfriend with a backbone, Y/N.” She muttered, barely pausing to speak as she headed straight up to the girl’s dormitory. 

“Poor Lily.” You chuckled, which turned into a full laugh when the puffs of breath from Remus’ laughter tickled your ear. 

Feeling particularly mischievous, you turned to peck a kiss to Remus’ nose before mustering up your most sincere face.

“Maybe we should invite her to cuddle with us.”

Now, if you had been dating Sirius Black, your boyfriend would have clutched once again at his non-existent pearls and began singing about the injustices.

However, you were dating Remus Lupin, which meant he chidingly squeezed your side in the way he knew was ticklish and called you a minx.

Lily was right though.

You were very lucky. 

[heyitsellebell]

elle’s diary - Page 82 - 05/02/24 @ 10:16pm

heya! Hope you’re well <3 Today was a lot cooler weather-wise, which I was very grateful for. It even rained a bunch, which was perfect because I worked on syncing the lyrics of a lot of ‘aqua profunda’ (the slowed + rain + reverb anthology) for most of the day.

I only have 11 of 33 songs left to sync, which is awesome. It’s so satisfying to see the songs get checked off as you work on them. Aside from that I had a nice dinner of green curry with my mum, and edited some playlists on Spotify. I swear making playlists to certain aesthetics would be my job in another life lol, I love doing it so much. Anyways, I think that’s gonna be all for now. Thanks for reading and take care of yourself <3

lots of love,

elle xoxo (24 days until ‘elsewhere’ is out!)

[xxacademy]

hi academy ((this is elle’s main, hehe silly lil taylor swift girl… we r literally like the 2 best friends in this video fr https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwiCNF6skhg/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ== ))

um i hate scary movies.. i enjoy spooky video games for the most part bc i feel like i can protect myself and the plots are just so much more well developed.

but there is a movie that i ADORE and consider scary and i would love ur thoughts on “Coraline” if you have the time <3

mwah mwah have a great weekend

ELLE MY LOVE HELLO!!! YOU’RE SO SWEET IM CRYING THAT REEL IS LITERALLY US <33 you’re so beautiful and angelic and i love your vibe, i love that people can be friends and still have their own unique style hehe <3

AND LOL i completely understand you, i just for some reason enjoy the feeling of being scared? hahahaha. i love horror movies and video games— all though i find games scarier because i have to move myself through the story.

i have memories of sitting on the dead space pause screen, scared shitless, wondering how i’m going to continue loll. atleast i can just let the movie keep playing…

and omg coraline is a top tier animated movie for me. i love the attention to detail that film has, and i mean the art direction is just perfection. it’s unsettling… i remember seeing it when i was like 10 with my grandma in the movie theater and i wasn’t expecting it to be borderline horror. i left the theater in awe. i re-watched it a couple of years ago and i still got the same bone-chilling feeling.

it’s so beautifully done,, i love love coraline, GREAT PICK!!!!! maybe we re-watch again now that spooky season is upon us 🎃

thank uuu this weekend was so so nice and relaxing,, im dreading this week as it’s my last week at my shitty job but the end is in sight— on the bright side, i got a new tattoo yesterday :-))

sorry if this was extra rambley, i got a lot on my mind right now lol!! anyways ily elle, i hope you’re doing the best <33 xoxo

[randoimago]

just wanted to say it’s very encouraging and heartwarming to see you reblogging writing after I’ve been hiatus-ing 🥰💛 ilu kat i hope you’re doing well!

I love your writing so I'm more than happy to reblog!! And ilu2 ells bells <33 I've been doing good and I hope you are too!

[luvrhyune]

morning elle <3 your phone theme is so pretty??? & the aesthetics of your other blogs are so nice too :D ALSO YOUR VOICE ISN’T ANNOYING!! you have a lovely voice!!!

wishing you the best of luck for your exam; but you’re capable, i believe in you!!! make sure you take of yourself!!

how’s today been for you so far? have any plans you’re looking forward to? congrats on the note counts for try again & a baby btw!! — 🐶

hello puppy!! thsnk you sm hehe <33 but also people were saying they really loved my accent,, but it’s rated one of tje worst ones in england 😭😭???

with my exams… i fucking hope i do well with this new teacher i have :// i think we’re his first class, or he’s never had teacher training before because hes so hard to work with oh my god

and so far, my day has been SHIT. <///3 i woke up late, THEN i was 30 minutes late to my progress check exam but then rachalog has really brightened up my day alongside the fact that i got payed today AND i’ve just ordered some food :D!! i just hope work goes well for me tonight

[wonfilms]

ELLE !! <33 hope i’m not too late for this, but congratulations on hitting 500 ^^!! you deserve it so so much ++ and even more,, you’re the absolute sweetest 🫂🫂

p.s. — i think i’ve watched your account grow from 100 to 500 followers ?? you’ve worked super hard, love <333 take well-deserved breaks !! ++ iconic orange wonie board

AH VI THANK YOU SO SO MUCH PRETTY! YOU'RE THE SWEETEST EVER!! you're literally one of my fav people on here ilysm! <333

i'll make sure to take breaks i promise muah muah ❣️❣️

ORANGE WONIE 😭😭😭😭😭😭 HE'S SO CUTE I CANT DO THIS AT 7AM PLEAAASE, THE BEST GIFT YOU COULDVE GIVEN ME, I WANNA KISS HIM

[ffsg0jo]

lija!! it’s been a while, i hope you’re doing great, bby ✿

elle you're an absolute angel i love you so so much. i hope that you're having the bestest day ever and i hope you're doing really well <33

[ellewords]

hey friendo! i was wondering if you (or any of your followers) have any kpop song recommendations that have really good choreo that goes with it? me and my friend are making a playlist of kpop songs that we like with choreo we wish we could do but can’t, and we’re trying to expand our playlist some more. can be any type of group, we’re just looking for suggestions!

thank you and i hope you’re doing well

hi hi !!! i have to admit i only religiously listen to quite a few groups so this list isn’t really that exhaustive :<< so if anyone here has more suggestions for anon, feel free to drop em in my inbox (and also promo your faves haha!)

seventeen’s choreos are always *chef’s kiss* like the detail? the synchronization? mhmm a lot of their stuff is amazing but in terms of choreo hit, fear, and don’t wanna cry are the standouts for me

naughty by red velvet’s irene and seulgi is insane !! like the hand movements ooooooh

nct’s got some v good choreo too, esp if you’re looking for kinda cool looking, almost high energy ones...a few standouts for me are cherry bomb, 90s love, and kick back. baby don’t stop is really good too

the choreo of stray kids’ god’s menu, back door, and easy hit really hard

the choreo for twice’s fancy slaps

got7’s choreo for lullaby, you calling my name, and if you do live in my head rent free

and if you’re looking for something a lil spicier, exo’s love shot and the eve are pretty iconic

taemin’s move is so !!!! too , v nice and fluid

[dreatine]

Fic: Nirvana

Title: Nirvana

Author: dreatine

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Elle/Spencer

Summary: This story is part of @fortheloveofcriminalminds 600 celebration. The two sentences to be used are :       "Just so you know, this isn't my first rodeo." and " In the likely event that this all goes pear shaped, just remember I told you so."

Plot: Elle/Spencer undercover at a casino.

Word count:   1723 (give or take since I handcounted it in longhand)

Phrases Used: Both. It will be in bold.

Notes: I own nothing/CBS owns all.

Notes 2: Thanks to Sharon for betaing. Title comes from reading a 33 1/3 book on the making of 'In Utero' by Nirvana.

************************************

Glancing one last time in the mirror. Elle dabbed at her lipstick with a tissue. It had been awhile since she'd worn this dramatic of makeup but knew she had to look the part of glamorous girlfriend as part of the undercover operation with Reid. Chuckling to herself, she remembered the conversation from the precinct earlier in the day.

"We know the unsub targets couples of older women with younger men at casinos. It's most likely the place where he lost his wife or girlfriend to a younger man. It's the location of the stressor." Hotch explained, eyeing  Elle. "So, we're going undercover."

"Why're looking at me?" Elle asked, incredulously. "You're acting like I'm Grandma Moses." She shook her head."No way. This isn't going to work."

"You're the oldest woman here." Gideon replied, matter of fact.

Elle shot him a look. "Thanks."she huffed. " Fine. But, I have to buy a dress and I'm charging it to the Bureau."

"I'd expect nothing less." Hotch answered. Turning to Spencer, he said. "Reid, you get dressed too."

Spencer looked up. "What?"

"Reid, you're the youngest man. It has to be you." Gideon answered. " Derek is too old."

"Thanks, man." Derek smirked.

"But...umm..." Spencer stuttered, fidgeting nervously.

"Besides, you play poker." Hotch reminded him. "You'll be able to stay in the game for awhile."

Swallowing hard, Spencer replied, dejectedly. "All right."

Elle got up and went to him. "Thanks,Reid. I'll try not to take your reluctance personally."

"What?" Spencer replied, surprised. "No! I didn't mean.."

Elle smiled at him. "I'm just kidding." she patted his shoulder. "FYI, in the likely event that this all goes pear shaped, just remember I told you so." She pointed to everyone before dragging JJ out the door to keep help her buy a dress.

Elle smiled at her words to Reid. She was only teasing him about his reluctance to be paired with her. She knew or she hoped it wasn't because he didn't want to paired with her even as pretense. She was fond of the genius, perhaps too fond if she was honest with herself. Especially after the train incident.

'Stop thinking that.' she mentally chastised. 'I can't think about that now.'

Looking at the full length mirror once more, she grabbed her purse and left the hotel room.

*****

Spencer combed his hair back a few times, his nerves getting the best of him. Going undercover was nerve wracking, pretend to be someone he's not wasn't exactly his forte. But, doing with Elle was causing him to stroke out. He recalled his conversation with Derek at the precinct after Elle left to buy a dress. The thought alone of Elle in a dress causing him to get hot under the collar.

"Man, good luck with Elle."

He glanced up curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked, worrying that his unrequited crush on Elle was starting to show through. Ever since the events on the train, he noticed that they had gotten closer since then, talking more, sitting together on the jet, being more comfortable around her. Having to be in a pretend relationship with her was definitely not going to be comfortable. He had a crush on her before, but now, if he was honest with himself, he was a little bit in love with her. And having to pretend was going to be hard without admitting his feelings outright.

"I mean." Derek sat next to him. "She can be a handful."

Twirling a pencil, Spencer quickly answered. " I've never thought that. She's professional and.."

"Reid, I'm not criticizing her." Derek assured him, " I'm just saying she's more experienced that you at..well.." he trailed off.

Blushing, Spencer picked up his belongings and replied. "Derek, don't worry. Both are virtues will be intact."

He sighed recalling the conversation.Of course, Spencer knew he wouldn't be in Elle's league but he hated to be reminded of it. Smoothing down his jacket, he glanced at the mirror once more.

It was going to be a long night.

*************** Precinct later:

"All right, you two." Hotch explained, going over the plans a second time, which was needed because both Elle and Spencer hardly paid attention. Both couldn't keep their eyes off the other.

'Reid's hot.' she mused, running her tongue over her lips which thankfully Spencer didn't see because he was too busy blatantingly staring at her, his pupils blown.

'She's the most beautiful woman ever.' he thought, his eyes roving over her, admiring the way the red sating hugged her curves. This wasn't helping with his feelings for her.

"Reid, you got that?" Hotch barked.

Nodding, he answered. "Yes. I'm ready." he glanced at Elle who was smirking at him. 'Great.' he thought.

********

At the casino:

Looping her arm through his, Elle whispered to Spencer. "Nervous?" she asked, looking out at the potentials in the place.

"A little." he replied. 'But, not why she thinks' he mused. Clearing his throat, "Just so you know, this isn't my first rodeo." he told her, a sense of confidence peeking through.

She raised her eyebrow in question. "Really? Pretending to be a couple?" she asked, a little bite in her query that didn't go unnoticed by Spencer.

He shook his head." No, not that." he looked down at her. "I mean that I've participated in poker tournaments before."

"You have?"

He nodded. "I can count cards. I used to win all the time until I got banned from the casinos in Vegas, Laughlin and Pahrump."

"I'm impressed." Elle replied, smiling beatifically at him.

"I'm glad." he answered, grinning widely at her, causing Elle to laugh at his response.

"Guys, get going." Gideon blasted in their earpieces, breaking up their intimate conversation.

"Right." Spencer said, steering Elle to the tables. "This way, milady."

Elle grinned. *****************

Elle had never felt more alive than she did at this  moment. It had nothing to do with the potential nabbing of an unsub or the slightly chaotic tense atmosphere. No, it had to do with Spencer himself. Watching him play poker, beating every opponent mercilessly, admiring his long fingers caressing the cards, imagining them caressing her. It was a sight to behold. It was intoxicating. Adding to the fact that they had to be a couple and every so often, he would wrap his arm around her waist or place a kiss on her cheek was driving her crazy. She was falling fast, her defenses around him collapsing.

'Keep it together, Greenaway.' she chastised. reminding herself to focus on the case at hand.

"Hey, baby." She leaned down, her head resting on Spencer's shoulders "How's it going?"

He whispered. "Good. Just need one more card." An involuntary shiver went through him at Elle's breathy words in his ear. Spencer didn't know if he could take it anymore. Not the poker playing, which came naturally to him as breathing, not counting of cards or profiling bluffs. No, what was driving him to distraction was Elle. All night having her so close to him, whispering sweet words in his ears, kissing his neck was igniting at fire in him that he was afraid would explode soon. If they kept this up any longer, his feelings for her wouldn't be kept a secret much longer. 'My resolve is wavering'. he thought as he got his card.

"You're gonna bet or what?" A gruff man said, tapping his hand against the table. Both of them glanced toward him. This guy, mid-50s, big and demeanor throughout the tournament, alternating between obnoxious and quiet, fit the profile to a T.  As the night wore on, he became increasingly agitated as the losses kept piling up and his stares toward them anytime they kissed or cuddled, confirmed to them that he was the unsub. They just needed to wait till he made a move.

"Um..yeah." Spencer laid down two chips. "10." As in 10,000 dollars.

"Call it."

The unsub laid his hand down, grinning triumphantly. "Straight flush." The audience gasped.

Spencer lightly tapped his fingers, pondering. "Well?" the unsub asked, impatiently.

Without missing a beat, he softly laid down his cards. "Royal flush."

Elle smiled widely, pride surging through her. He was in his element. 'He wasn't lying when he said this wasn't his first rodeo.' she mused. as the crowd cheered.

"Fuck!" The unsub yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "I'm out."

"Hotch, he's leaving." Elle whispered. "He's wearing a black leather jacket, black newsboy hat."

"Gotta it."

Quickly, Spencer gathered his winnings, staying at the table a few beats, not wanting to arouse suspicion. Leaning down, Elle stated loudly. " Honey, we should leave while you're perfect." She kissed his cheek as he looked slightly taken back at her words."Don't want you to get cold."

"You're right." he answered, squeezing Elle's leg. Standing up, he grabbed the chip holder and Elle, leaving to the immense relief of the other players. Out of eyesight, they walked briskly to the exit, when the heard Gideon say in their earpieces. "We got him."

******************** Later that night:

Entering the hotel, Spencer held the door for Elle. "Thank you." "You're welcome."

Walking slowly to the elevators, each one was quiet, lost in thought. Ever since they wrapped up the case, they hadn't had a chance to talk, only able to sneak glances at each other.Both had taken a lot of ribbing, primarily from Derek on their undercover work. He kept making comments about the cuddling they did and how they'd make a cute couple, which did hit a little too close to home for both of them. Neither one had been so thankful to get back to the hotel after Hotch let them go.

Trying to break the tension, Elle offered. "Too bad you couldn't keep the money."

"I know." he smiled softly.

"What would you have done with it?" she asked, curiously.

DING! The elevator door opened and Spencer, ever the gentleman, let her enter first. She gave him a smile in thanks as she pushed the floor button.

"I'd given some to my mom. Some to local charities." he answered, as the car went up.

"Nothing for yourself?" she inquired.

He shrugged." Maybe some books, I guess."

DING! They arrived at their floor. Spencer indicated for her to go first, and they began to walk down the hall.

"So, just books?" she asked again. wanting to keep him talking. "No cars, no IPods? Or new clothes?"

Smirking, Spencer shook his head. "No." They arrived at her door, when he asked in sudden seriousness. "Do you think I need new clothes?"

She shook her head, looking into his honey brown eyes. 'He's so beautiful.' she thought. Aloud, she replied. "I meant what I said earlier. You're perfect."

Staring into her dark eyes, searching for something. He must have found what he was looking for because the next thing she knew, he grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into her.

The kiss went on for what seemed like forever, neither one willing to let go of the other, fearful that if they did, it would break whatever spell that cast over them.

Reluctantly, the need for air became too much and the broke away, panting harshly. Spencer was the first to recover.

"Elle." he strangled out.

She shook her head, putting a finger to his lips. "I don't want to pretend. I want it to be real."

Grinning widely, Spencer replied. "Me too."

They both stood outside the room, smiling brightly, both basking in the new development in their relationship. It felt right, it felt perfect. It felt like nirvana.

******

The End

[katsulovee]

:¨·.·¨:

`·. Mutuals Appreciation post! ★°*ﾟ

bun being soft on main hours lol but i wanted to make an appreciation post for all my lovely mutuals because you all always been here for me and i just wanna show you my love and appreciation sobs

long post ahead and in no specific order; these are the people i’ve been talking to lately and would like to appreciate (but i do appreciate all my moots too)

@cutiekawa - first-ever wife <33, i love you so much and im so so glad to have you in my life babe. You were really the first mutual I actually talked to every single day and so so happy I got to meet you. I love talking to you every day and I can't wait for future adventures bub!

@peaxhcringe - listen here, I love you so much. I know we sometimes do be having hard times but you're always there for me and you're my best friend. There's literally so much I can say about you but thank you for taking a chance on me and I'm just forever grateful that I even dmed you on tumblr in the first place. I can't wait for more adventures with you.

@catzula - bye i hate you /j, NO ILY cause you're also in my wife harem and i know we have gotten closer and even though you're supposed to be sleeping you stay up and talk to me (which you should also be sleeping grrr). Our relationship is just amazing because we hate but love each other and you're always there for me AND YOU ALSO HAVE GREAT TASTE MWAH.

@snoozless - ELLE, you are just so so so amazing, ilysm and you're always there to listen to my vents and rants and you always want to help me. You show me so much love and support and I'm just so so glad i met you and I always love listening to your little rants and when you go on about things that make you happy, you're literally the definition of perfection and serotonin ilyyyy.

@eraser-baby - MY OTHER WIFEY, sara I LOVE YOU. I know we just started talking on this account even though I followed you on my old one BUT YOU'RE SO PRECIOUS. You're always there for me when I be having bad days and you always bring my askbox so much serotonin with your lovely memes. I AM SO GLAD WE ARE GETTING ALONG SO WELL cause i was lowkey afraid of you but to realize you're so lovely and sweet and wonderful.

@noya-sleftankle - MY WIFEYYYYYYY. You're my second wifey of course and I love you so much. Thank you for taking a chance on me when we first met and you are loved soooo much. I love our little check in we do with each other and the random convos in between. YOURE WRITING IS AMAZING AND ILYYYY.

@sugawaaras-deactivated20210426 - yeah babe i know you're deactivated but i can't leave you out. YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU and you're always there for me through the good times and bad and i just mwah i love you and I'm so glad we are such good friends <333

@kohi-zeri - hey you're so sexc hahaha, no kohi you're literally so nice and so calm and i just love talking to you on the server. You are like always there to also listen to my little vents and there to calm the chaos that happens with in the server. You are just so nice to know and you are also so lovely to hang around with and kohi stop being so perfect ily

@tetsulatte - ellie the baddie uwu. HEY ELLIE, I know we didn't talk for a long period of time but I love your presence you have. You radiate such warm energy and you bring so much joy and happiness with you. I know thing's may have been rough but I'm so proud of you for pushing through and I'm manifesting that testytube comes back and finds you <3

@milktyama - RINNIE!!! naurr rinnie ilysm and somehow you always know what I'm thinking which is like omg. You're like a little sister to me and I just love love being your friend. You bring so much positivity and I am just grateful that I meet you babe.

@sugas-sweetheart - ppsps sofia ilysm, thank you for listening to my random dms and ideas. We've been moots for so long and i feel like we have such a strong bond and i love talking to you and interacting with your posts and things hehe, ilysm baby <33

@deaf-bakugou-katsuki - my catboy, fine I'm gonna say it again, i love you catboy. I KNOW LIKE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING IT WAS SO AWKWARD but now you're like one of my other besties and my catboy of course. I love talking to you and spamming your askbox with nonsense everyday. stay forever wonderful (and i know you simp for me dummy just admit it)

@tooruluv - MYA!!! god i still remember the first time i followed you and i cant believe you, an amazing writer and person overall, consider me as a friend. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOU and you're so amazing and you're just such a wonderful person to talk to and you're really supportive.

@tsumue - RUNA HI, i know we don't really talk a lot a lot but whenever we do you're so sweet and kind. You care about my well being so much and it makes me love you even more, you are just so amazing and i hope we get to talk more soon!!

@u-make-my-heart-tsumtsum - REE YOU ARE SO SWEET TO ME, i remember like the first time we met was off an network and even though we both aren't in it anymore i enjoy seeing you on my dash and i love love love talking to you. You're always so sweet and gentle with me, thank you so much baby

that's all for right now loves, i was going to do all my moots but then we would be here for forever, I love all of you so much and you all have a special place in my heart <33

[sorrelchestnut]

EVERYBODY’S PICKIN’ UP ON THAT FELINE BEAT, PART 37

holy shit I finished a scene.  We’re really close to the end now, y’all.  That being said: this definitely ends on a cliffhanger.  Fair warning.

Part 1.  Part 2.  Part 3.  Part 4.  Part 5.  Part 6.  Part 7.  Part 8.  Part 9.  Part 10.  Part 11. Part 12.  Part 13.  Part 14.  Part 15.  Part 16.  Part 17.  Part 18.  Part 19. Part 20.  Part 21.  Part 22. Part 23. Part 24. Part 25. Part 26.  Part 27. Part 28. Part 29. Part 30. Part 31. Part 32. Part 33.  Part 34. Part 35. Part 36.

Title: everybody’s picking up on that feline beat Author: Sorrel Fandom: Fallout 4 Rating: Mature Warnings: None Relationships: Deacon/Female Sole Survivor Series: Part 3 of everybody wants to be a cat

Coffee helps; fresh air and sunshine helps more.  For someone who spends a significant majority of her life inside, underground, nocturnal, and/or just generally skulking around in the shadows, Whisper can be surprisingly solar-powered at times.  By the time they're over the river she's in almost obnoxiously high spirits, singing "Anything Goes" in a squeaky falsetto that makes him think longingly of the roll of duct tape in his pack.

"The world has gone mad today, and good's bad today, and black's white today, and day's night today-"

"Whisper, I swear to God-"

"And that gent today you gave a cent today once had sev-er-al chateaus!"

"Alright, Cole Porter, that's enough."  She grins wider and opens her mouth, and he hastily slaps a hand over it before she can start the next verse.  "No."

Her lips tickle against his palm as she grumbles, "You're no fun."

"What, because I like living?  You're going to bring down every raider in the greater Boston area, the way you're caterwaul- ow!  Fuck!"

She tucks her thumbs in the straps of her pack and gives him a cheerful, empty-headed smile, showing off the pearly white teeth she just sunk into the base of his thumb.  "Talk shit, get hit."

"Jesus, you're aggressive."  He studies his hand but doesn't find any sign of bleeding, just a neat row of stark white tooth marks rapidly flushing back pink.  "Whatever happened to licking my hand to gross me out?"

"Sometimes I can really tell you were an only child," she informs him, shaking her head faux-mournfully.  "You gotta go big or go home, that's my motto."

"Good thing we're going home, isn't it?"  When she squints at him, he smiles sunnily and holds his injured hand a couple inches above her head.  "I mean, 'big' isn't exactly your strong suit, so..."

She launches herself at him with a war cry.

Bickering aside, they straighten up when they come into sight of Diamond City, falling into character as a pair of road-weary mercenaries coming off an all-night hike and desperate for a shower and some sleep.  (Which, to be fair, isn't that far off from the truth, all things considered.)  They're both in costume already, not that that took long.  All Whisper had to do was slick back her hair and throw on a pair of sunglasses and hey presto: Olivia Bailey, ruins-rover extraordinaire.  Next to her all Deacon has to do is look suitably grizzled and road-weary, so he pretty much just tossed the least-disgusting raider's jacket on over his travel clothes and smeared some dust artistically through his stubble and called it a goddamn day.

It certainly works well enough on the second-shift gate guard, a pockmarked woman with nicotine stains on her fingers.  She waves them through with a disinterested nod, already going back to her book before they even clear the gate.  Deacon squashes down the contrary impulse to make some kind of scene and just nods back, professional and cool, as he wraps an arm around Whisper's shoulder.  She gives him a little sideways look that says I know what you're doing but doesn't bother to pull away until they're in the tunnel.

Deacon looks around and then back to her, pointedly.  Whisper huffs a laugh.

"What now?"

"Nothing," he says, and waggles his eyebrows.  "It's just… here we are again.  Where it all started.  Back to the site of our fateful first meeting."

Her eyes narrow.  "Weren't you the one who said-"

"Mm, yeah, but I've had time to think about it, and I think you made a compelling point.  First contact is definitely the first one that counts."

"You just don't want to 'fess up on just how long you were following me around."

"Why, partner, I'm hurt that you would think of such a thing," he says, and moves swiftly on before she can call him on the obvious evasion.  "You know, you keep bringing me back here, I'm going to start thinking you've got a secret romantic streak."  She gives him a look.  "Very secret."

"That's me, all hearts and flowers," says quite the most ruthlessly practical woman Deacon's ever met.  "Besides, if I was going to start up with romantical remembrances at this late date, that wouldn't be the one I'd pick.  I was so sleep-deprived I'm lucky I remembered my own name."

"Couldn't tell to look at you," Deacon says, in massive understatement.  She was all easy swagger and magazine-cover grin, on her way to bigger and better things.  She sure as shit didn't look like she was running on the ragged edge of her endurance - but then, he knows better than most just how well she can lie with a smile.

She glances over at him as they break out of the tunnel, her gaze shrewd over the rim of her shades.  "You remember it pretty well, huh?"

Nope, nuh-uh, not going there.  "Your hair was longer," Deacon says, tweaking the end of one of her curls in a transparent bid for distraction.  "I remember that for sure."

"Well, yeah," she says, ducking neatly around a kid that seems really intent on wherever she's running.  "You told me to cut it."

"I did?"  He definitely doesn't remember that.  "When?"

"When we were prepping for the Covenant op.  You said blonde, I said I had to grab some bleach, and you gave me that 'oh honey' look you do when people are being particularly stupid and told me to just cut it off, you had a spare wig lying around someplace."

That does sound like him.  "And you just did it?" he says, because Whisper is a lot of things, but 'obedient' sure as shit isn't one of them.

"You were brandishing a knife when you said it," she admits.  "It seemed easier to give in than argue."

Yeah, that definitely sounds like him.  Especially then: that must've been, what, their first week together?  Back then everything was one long haze of exhaustion, staggering from one crisis to the next with barely enough time to take a shit.  Hauling her into the Covenant op was a desperation play, pure and simple: he needed backup, and anyone had to be better than Glory.  He hadn't known, then, what she could do with nothing more than a smile and a little room to work.

Though he figured it out pretty damn quick.

"I'd say it worked out," he says, and tweaks her dark hair again.  "You do make a fetching blonde."

She gives him a look over the tops of her shades, knowing and a bit amused.  "They do have more fun."

Aaaand now he's thinking about their first time, that silver dress pushed up around her thighs, blonde wig spilling across the mattress above her and blue eyes begging him in the dark.  He clears his throat.  "You want to go talk to Valentine?"

"In a bit," she says, and wraps her arm around his waist.  He automatically puts his arm around her in turn, and she leans her head on his shoulder, a picture-perfect image of a lovesick spouse.  "Need to make the rounds, hit up a few of the merchants first.  It'd be weird if I didn't."

"God forbid we look weird," he agrees, and laughs at her elbow in his stomach.

~*~

She does break off eventually, slips away to discuss things with Valentine and leaves him with a key and strict instructions to take care of dinner.  Deacon makes a quick loop of his own, touching base with the runners they placed last time and offloading some of their scav while he's at it.  Myrna's girl has been promoted to working the afternoon shift solo, and is more than happy to take a few extra minutes dickering in order to fill him in on the local gossip.  He rounds it off with a visit to the Dugout where the cocky one is still serving drinks - Deacon makes a note to collect the ten caps from Whisper later - and picks up some dinner to go on his way out.  Never let it be said he can't follow orders when it suits him.

He's setting out the plates when Whisper follows him in just a few minutes later with a slammed door and a cheerful, "Hallo the house!" from the far end of her little warehouse.

"Kitchen!" he calls back, and a moment later she appears, weaving her way through the stacked boxes and dropping a noticeably emptier pack on the floor by the stove.

"Need a hand?"

The food's pretty much done, so he tilts his head to the table with a hopeful, "Something to drink?"

"I've got just the thing," and she grabs her pack again, fishing around inside until she comes up with a couple bottles of Bobrov's homebrew.  "I tried to catch you at the Dugout but Vadim said you just left.  Good enough?"

"We-ell, everyone knows a dry white pairs best with seafood, but for day-old mirelurk I suppose it will just have to do."

"You're trying to ruin my appetite but it's not working," she informs him, nose in the air.  "I'm so hungry I'd eat a mirelurk raw."

He laughs and nudges in behind her as she turns to grab a bottle opener.  "C'mon, darlin', don't be like that.  You know it's only the best for my girl."

"Flatterer," she says, nothing in her voice now but laughter.  "You talk any sweeter, I'm gonna be forced to check those lips for honey."

"Aw, babe.  You say the - ha ha - sweetest things."  He buries his nose in the back of her neck and inhales.  "I get the cigarettes, but why do you smell like one of Tom's experiments?  Hot metal and burnt wiring," he clarifies, when she gives him a truly weird look.

"Oh, I stopped by Piper's after I talked to Nick," she says, all offhand as if she's not talking about the biggest gossip in the Commonwealth.

Deacon unpeels himself from her back and takes her by the shoulders.  "Whisper," he says, seriously.  "Do we need to have a conversation about operational security?  Because I feel like you may have been out that day."

"Oh, so you want her to come by and harangue me in person?  Because that is one hundred percent what she'd do if she heard I was in town and didn't go see her first."

Okay, so maybe she has a point.  The thought of Piper fucking Wright showing up at his door - well, Whisper's door, whatever - demanding to know his intentions toward her friend… Yeah, no.  That's gonna be a haaaard pass.

Whisper grins at him, the devil in her eyes.  He knows that look.  "Whisper-"

"Ohhhh, I see what this is about."

"Fear," he assures her, trying to head whatever this is off at the pass, "this is a very healthy and reasonable level of fear," but she's on her way to a punchline and won't be deterred.

"You're a fan!" she declares, over his groan of protest.  "Aww, sweetheart, why didn't you say something earlier?  I could totally arrange an introduction for you."

"Ahhh, no thanks," Deacon manages, through the bolt of terror that thought inspires.  "Little-known fact, spies are in fact allergic to reporters?  Like, clinically.  The hives are brutal."

She takes pity on him and gives way with a laugh, her eyes crinkling up at the corners.  "Don't worry, babe, I'll protect you."

"You're the best."

"And don't you forget it."  She pops open one of the bottles one-handed, handing it off to him with a cheery flourish.  "Besides, you don't wanna bitch too much about my girl Piper.  Her caps bought you this booze."

"I take it back, she's my new favorite person.  After your radiant self, of course."  He takes a swig and passes it back, enjoying the flush of boozy heat down through his chest as he turns back to the stove.  After a moment's consideration, he adds a couple extra tatos to the pan.  If they're drinking Bobrov's then he definitely wants to lay down a hearty base.  "Something interesting afoot?"

"Mhm?"

"Your payout from Wright.  Anything I should know about?"

She wobbles her flat hand side-to-side, a wordless eh.  "Not really.  Just a side project I've been working on."

Interesting.  It's not as if they tell each other everything they get up to - he certainly has any number of moving parts at any given moment she's not read in on, and this business with Hancock gave him a good idea about how much he doesn't know about her adventures - but the fun stuff, yeah, that's usually share and share alike.  Then again, maybe it's a leftover from her little enforced vacation back in August.  He's mostly kept his nose out of whatever she was up to those weeks in hopes she'll do him the same courtesy, so there's a gap in his intel.

"Very mysterious," he teases, nudging a little.  "C'mon, not even a hint for your faithful partner?"

She refuses to be nudged, only smiles faintly and hunches one shoulder into a lopsided shrug.  "You can read it in the paper tomorrow like everyone else."

"Way harsh."

"That's me, cruel and unusual."  She passes him back a plate with an absent kiss to his scruffy cheek.  "C'mon, quit fondling that pot holder and get me some supper.  I'm starving."

~*~

It's a good night, maybe the best he's had in a while.  Deacon sort of figured she'd be distracted, mind on her mission tomorrow, but instead it's the opposite: for the first time in what seems like weeks, he has her full and undivided attention, and he basks in it like winter sunshine.  They trade stories and quips, mostly things they've told each other a dozen times over but still fresh, still funny, still so much fun to watch her trying out a new spin, a new angle.  She's so fucking good at that, always has been.  Yet another thing Deacon never needed to teach her, but damn does he never get tired of watching her reinvent herself on the fly.

Deacon, for his part, finds himself mugging shamelessly for her attention, chasing her approval as fervently as any junkie he's ever pretended to be.  And unlike a junkie Deacon gets what he's craving in spades, because she's as generous with her smiles as she is with her stories, lounging back in her chair with her glass in her hand, thighs sprawled wide and her voice gone syrup-slow with that insinuating smirk that only ever spurs him on.

Later, he doesn't entirely remember how they end up in bed.  The booze turns everything smeary and soft-focus, like light coming in through a stained-glass window, and his memory preserves only a series of snapshots: pulling Whisper into his lap, her startled yelp of laughter muffled with his mouth.  Making out on the landing, one foot braced a step down to put him closer to her height, his fingers busy on her shirt buttons and hers on his belt buckle.  Tumbling into bed in a snarl of limbs, laughingly disentangling them until Whisper tugs him up over her in the dark.  Burying his face in the sweat-slicked curve of her neck as he works his cock inside of her, her blunt nails scoring lines down the length of his back and her heels digging into the backs of his thighs to urge him on.  The flicker of the candlelight playing across her lush mouth and her dark, shadowed eyes, her damp hair clinging to her forehead as she tosses her head back against the pillows.  The low breathy rasp of her voice, "Deacon," murmured against his ear, "Deacon, Deacon, please-"

And then when he wakes up, he's alone.

The radio downstairs is playing “The Wanderer,” and Deacon lies there for a moment, listening to the clatter of the rain against the windows, experiencing an overwhelming surge of deja vu.

Then he hauls himself out of bed, picks up his boots, and goes in search of his wayward accomplice.

Unlike last time, there's no pint-sized partner clattering around in the kitchen, cooking breakfast and dancing around like temptation on two legs.  The room is cool and dim, only the faint mid-morning sunshine straggling in through an upper window to light the way, and the only sign of habitation is the soft strains of the radio.  Deacon does a quick check in the warehouse section just in case - have the boxes been breeding back there? - but the only sign of life in here is him.  Most damningly of all, Whisper's pack is gone from the hook beside the door, leaving his looking lopsided next to the empty space where its partner used to be.

Do not project onto an inanimate object, Deacon my lad, he tells himself, and checks the counter next to the radio, where he previously saw a pad and a pencil half-buried under a precarious stack of ammo boxes.  Sure enough, there's a note there, torn loose from the pad and folded into thirds with John scrawled across the front in unfamiliar handwriting that must belong to Liv.

She's just keeping cover, not stupid enough to write anything else out here in the open where anyone could walk in and see it, but Deacon still stares at it for a long moment, that single syllable knocking around somewhere at the bottom of his ribs.  Then he shakes his head at himself, reaches out, and unfolds the note.

hey handsome, you looked so peaceful i couldn't bring myself to wake you.  at least one of us should get to sleep in, and nick had me up with the sun.  (you know what he's like when he's on a case!)  shouldn't take long though, just a quick run down to goodneighbor and fingers crossed we'll be back by supper.  take care of my best guy while i'm gone.  xoxo, liv

The radio changes to “One More Tomorrow,” and Deacon glares at it as he folds up the note.  Reading between the breezy, heavily fictionalized lines, it's clear enough she decided to handle this Kellogg business solo.  Which is… fair enough, he supposes, but something about it doesn't sit square.  Did she think he would have told her no, if she asked him to stay put?  He thought he made it pretty clear the whole thing was hers to handle or not as she saw fit.  Or maybe she just thought it'd be too awkward, having him up in her business like that?  Maybe after their last op, she's about had her fill of personal.  He couldn't blame her if that's the case, but he hopes she knows the last thing he'd ever want to do is make things harder for her.

Well, there's not much he can do about it either way, not with her at least a few hours ahead of him, judging by the sun, and definitely not with her clear instruction to sit tight.  Waiting isn't much his favorite part and he didn't really plan to be hanging out in Diamond City all day, but Deacon's an adaptable fellow; he'll find a way to keep himself occupied.

The market is bustling at this hour of the morning, and Deacon lets the crowd carry him along, thinking vaguely about picking up some noodles for breakfast and then maybe having a wander around.  It's not great for his cover to spend so much time out and about on his own, but with the right sidelong look most people will probably assume she's sleeping off a wild night, which would be great for his ego, at least.  Besides, there's really no substitute for market gossip when it comes to keeping a pulse on the goings-on in the Commonwealth, which is what he plans to tell Dez if she gives him shit for the wasted day.  Not that she will, because if Deacon has his way she'll never hear about any of this, but he likes having a contingency plan in place.  Makes him feel all nice and comfy.

It's when he's looping around the counter in search of an open stool that he catches the familiar sound of Piper Junior hawking her wares at full volume.  Which is funny, 'cause by his calculation they're not due for another issue for at least a week.  Normally Piper's pretty regular with the print, except-

Deacon gets a sinking sensation in his chest.

-except when she has something too juicy to wait and damn it, Whisper, what the hell are you up to?

Normally the last place he wants to be is anywhere near someone named Wright, but since his partner has been up to shenanigans without bothering to inform him first, he figures that in this case 'better safe than sorry' means getting out ahead of whatever nonsense Whisper's been cooking up rather than running the other way.  He makes sure to pull his cap low over his eyes, hitches his pack higher on his shoulders, and sidles over towards the Public Occurrences like he just doesn't have anything better to do.

"Extra, extra, read all about it!  Minutemen General has the tell-all of the century!"

Oh, it's Minutemen business.  Geez, why didn't she just say so?  If she's running some propaganda job for Garvey, the last thing he'd want to do is get in her way.  It was obvious they needed something after the trip to the Slog the other week, and throwing Piper at the problem is probably the most efficient way to get the word out.  Half the damn Commonwealth reads her paper at some point or another, even if it's just so they can tell themselves how wrong she is.

Still, Whisper did tell him he'd find out today, so she probably expects him to read up on whatever it is.  He snatches a paper off the top of the stack and flips it over, scanning for the headline.

Woman out of Time: Savior of the Minutemen Tells All About Life Before the Bomb!

"-not the current General," Little Wright's saying, when Deacon manages to stop staring at the paper and drag his attention back to the real world.  "The first one, the one that retook the Cast- hey!"

Deacon finds the paper snatched right from his hands, a pint-sized version of a familiar glare beaming up at him.  "You gotta pay before you read," Little Wright informs him.  "We're not running a charity here!"

"Uh, right," says Deacon, who still feels like he's hearing everything underwater, slow-motion and echoing strangely.  "What's the deal with this General, then?"

"Didn'tcha see the headline?  She's from before the War!  Vault froze her in cryo, right here in the Commonwealth!"

Vault 111.  Oh, fuck.   Ohhhh fuck.

"So you gonna buy or just stand there and stare?"  Little Wright brandished the paper at him.  "Hot off the presses!  Only ten caps, and you can be the first to know!"

[jenniferxprentiss]

you think you want me (but you don’t know what you’re getting into)

part one of the “somebody that I used to know” universe. ao3.

JJ x Elle Greenaway

“Do you want a drink?” Truthfully, she didn’t — not after the day she had at work — but didn’t want to offend the man, felt her heart clench with guilt at the way he was looking at her with puppy dog eyes and lopsided half smile. She reasoned with herself that one drink wouldn’t impair her judgement too much, and it was rude to sit there without buying something, turned back to him with a small half smile. “I’ll take a glass of white wine… whatever you’ve got.” “I pictured you as more of a red girl.” “It’s funny that you pictured me as anything at all.”

hi my lovelies!

first of all, a huge huge huge thank you to @whiskey-fluent for helping me craft this amazing universe that I love so much, and for fueling my love of elle once again. ilysm. <33. and a thank you to @babyblockcolorcat for naming this fic and also the universe. <3

tag list! @j3mily @heat-waveee @ellegreenawy @anepiphany @criminalmindsgonewrong @jjsgirlfriend @blakes-dictionxry && whoever else wants a tag in the future!!

hope u all love it!

——

The rain poured down on her shoulders hard and fast, and JJ hurried down the road to the only open storefront she could find— a small place, the flashing of a neon open sign in the window the only indication that it was open. It was dark now, the evening chill setting into the air and deep into her bones, toes numb and feet soaked in her shoes that were less than appropriate for the weather.

She shivered, soaked to the bone and hair clinging to her face, pulling the heavy wooden door open and stepping inside in a hurry. JJ shook the water from her head and arms, thoroughly drenched and chuckling under her breath at herself at the thought that it would help dry her off, even a little bit.

There was a spot at the front door for jackets and a mat for shoes, and the regular patrons clearly had respect for the establishment by the way their shoes were neatly lined across the wall. She toed her own shoes off, bending to line them up on the plastic mat alongside the other pairs before shaking off her jacket and hanging it on a free hook.

JJ took in her surroundings — from the peeling grey paint on the walls to the hushed chatter coming from further inside the establishment down the hall — felt her toes start to regain some of their feeling on the surprisingly warm linoleum as she padded her way down the hall and further into the bar. There was a sense of comfort she felt, though she had never been there in her life — something that came with the quiet chatter and dim lighting, a stark contrast to the typical bar scene of darkness and booming music.

She padded down the hall, stopping in the doorway of the room, a small smile twitching the corners of her lips upwards despite the chattering of her teeth. JJ looked around the room, took in the friendly smile from the bartender and the few tables of middle aged patrons sharing a drink while quietly talking amongst themselves. There were a few people circling the pool table, captivated by their game of billiards.

JJ’s breath hitched at the woman who was bent over the table, back to the doorway of the room. Her jeans clung to her curves in all the right places, shirt riding up slightly as she lined up her shot. She was a pro with the cue, flipped her curly dark hair over her shoulder before standing up and letting out a triumphant sound.

For a moment, JJ almost thought it was someone she knew — not a random stranger in a bar she had never been to before — but she couldn’t help but feel a nervous flutter in her stomach at the thought. Pushing the thought from her mind, she forced herself to look away from the group at the pool table and move towards the bar, perching herself on the edge of a stool and allowing herself to look around at the room.

“Can I help you? You don’t come here often, do you?”

The bartender’s voice was a stark contrast to his appearance — tone soft and kind, a hint of a southern twang behind his words while he stood well over six feet tall, his shoulders broad and arms strong. He smiled politely at her, pushed a clean hand towel across the wooden counter and motioned for her to dry her arms and face off.

He waited for her to be done, arms folded across his chest and looking at her with an eyebrow cocked, lips curved into a perfectly sculpted smirk. His facial hair was patchy and short in an endearing way that somehow made him look boyish to her despite the fact that his eyes looked older, wiser.

“Sorry, yeah, I’ve never been here before… just trying to get out of the rain.”

“Make yourself at home.” He smiled, fingers tapping against the wooden counter. “Name’s Will — from New Orleans but settled down here about ten years ago and opened this place. And you?”

JJ sighed, ran the damp towel over her face one last time before passing it back to him across the bar. She let her eyes wander to the wood under her hands, focusing on the scratches and dents. Her fingertips grazed the wood, finger digging into a particularly large dent before looking up at Will.

“Jennifer, but my friends call me JJ. FBI agent, I’ve worked for the bureau for a little over a decade now.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, then busied himself with wiping the bar down. Will didn’t seem to be a man of many words, and for JJ, that was okay. She didn’t intend on staying or intruding on the group of regulars, all in their respective corners talking amongst themselves — only intended on staying long enough to wait out the rain to make the rest of her walk less dreadful.

“Do you want a drink?”

Truthfully, she didn’t — not after the day she had at work — but didn’t want to offend the man, felt her heart clench with guilt at the way he was looking at her with puppy dog eyes and lopsided half smile. She reasoned with herself that one drink wouldn’t impair her judgement too much, and it was rude to sit there without buying something, turned back to him with a small half smile.

“I’ll take a glass of white wine… whatever you’ve got.”

“I pictured you as more of a red girl.”

“It’s funny that you pictured me as anything at all.”

The bartender — Will — busied himself with pouring her drink, boyish smile still tugging upwards on the corners of his lips. His hair was half in his face, hanging in his eyes as he poured her drink. It gave JJ the opportunity to look away from his gaze, turn over her shoulder and around the room again. There was an air of familiarity to the place despite having never set foot in the establishment — the comfortable, quiet chatter of the room giving her a sense of belonging.

She turned back to the bartender, let her fingers brush over the scratches and dents in the wood top as she waited. He was taking his time, glancing up at her through his mess of wavy hair, smirk on his lips. After a moment, he put the bottle back on the shelf before turning to her and sliding the glass across the bar top.

“So you said FBI, didn’t you?” He barely waited for her to take a sip, leaning his back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Mhmm.” She swallowed, looked at him with an eyebrow raised in cautious skepticism. Most people, when they found out she was with the bureau, usually wanted some sort of confidential information. “Behavioral Analysis Unit, been there for over a decade.”

“Hm, the unit name sounds familiar.” Will peered up over the bar, eyes connecting with someone behind JJ’s back. “Hey, Elle? Come up here for a second.”

JJ felt her heart speed up and breath catch at the name of her former teammate. She tried to push away the nervous flutter in her stomach, the way her heart pounded. It was surely a crazy coincidence, most likely one of the older women that was sat around a table with her friends, not the girl from the pool table.

“Will… what’s up?”

She knew that voice anywhere, though it had been years since she last heard it. JJ nearly gasped, whipping around to where the woman stood behind her, dark hair curled and falling around her shoulders — a little longer than she remembered it being, but it suited her well.

Her face was free of makeup aside from some lip gloss and mascara, her nose and cheeks dusted with light freckles. It was a side of Elle JJ could only remember from the few late nights they had spent in hotel rooms across the country together, curled up on the bed watching trash television and laughing at the men on the team.

“Jennifer fucking Jareau. I wouldn’t have thought in a million years…”

“You know each other?” Will’s lips were turned up in a smirk he couldn’t bite back, like he knew exactly what he had done.

“Know each other? This is the JJ I told you about… from my bureau days.”

“I had a feeling.” He smirked, nodded at a patron on the other side of the bar before turning back to the two women. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

There was an awkward silence between them, and JJ was thankful for the dim lighting and quiet chatter of the patrons around them. She looked Elle up and down, a small smile tugging the corners of her lips upwards — she looked good, the lines on her face deeper and more permanent, but there was an air of overall happiness and peace to her that JJ couldn’t remember seeing before.

“You look good, Elle.”

“As do you. Still working for the bureau?”

“Yeah. What’re you doing now?”

She assumed that there would be a bit of residual annoyance from Elle about the fact that she was still with the bureau following the events that ultimately lead to her leaving, but she only smiled warmly at JJ and took a sip from her own glass. It appeared to be a mixed drink, not the straight tequila JJ remembered from years prior.

“I’m a therapist… I work primarily with domestic violence patients. If I can’t beat these sick fucks, I’m going to help everyone who gets out alive.”

It was exactly what she expected Elle to be doing — making a difference in people’s lives for the better — and the thought brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to her heart. It was hard, after Elle left, especially before Emily arrived, and the empty spot in the unit had closed but the hole in JJ’s life never had.

There truly was no one like Elle, and no matter how hard she had tried to forget about her or to replace her, the void remained.

“Are you married yet?” Elle quirked an eyebrow at JJ, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from their professions.

“No… never really found the right person.” JJ forced a half smile, remembered the conversations her and Elle used to have about life, love, and families. “You?”

“Dated around here and there, never found the one. My heart had been elsewhere for a few years.”

It alluded to their quasi relationship from Elle’s time in the BAU, and they both knew it. There was an awkward silence between them, both trying to pretend they weren’t looking each other up and down. JJ was as enamored by Elle as she had been all those years ago, but this time it was her maturity and calmness instead of her crazed enthusiasm.

“Did they replace me with a woman? Hotchner refused to tell me.”

JJ let out a breathy laugh at Elle’s words, shaking her head in disbelief. Of course she would care if her position was replaced by a male of female — she had always stressed the importance of having women in male dominated fields, was the one who taught JJ to shoulder past old white men and command a room with few words.

“Yeah, though the position has been a bit of a revolving door through the years. Emily first — my best friend — and then she left so we got Alex, then Kate, then Tara… Tara stayed, even after Emily came back.”

She made a noncommittal noise at JJ’s words, eyebrow cocked in an expression she recognized as satisfaction. Elle took another sip from her drink, leaning casually against the bar with a small smirk playing on her lips, something JJ was used to. Elle always carried herself with such confidence and professionalism, even outside of work, she wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t lost the swagger.

“Rum and coke?” JJ nodded towards Elle’s glass, trying her best to make small talk, though she wasn’t succeeding.

“No, just coke.” She took another sip out of her straw, and only then did JJ notice she lacked the glassy look of intoxication in her eyes. “I stopped drinking after I left… after it happened.”

Her words carried so much hidden meaning, and JJ knew exactly what she was referencing. Randall Garner and the way he attacked her, left her in such a state of disarray for so long, her PTSD seeping into every area of her life — ultimately ending when she shot the serial rapist and resigned not long after.

“Where did you go? After you left, I mean.”

“Around, for a while. Stayed with some family out of town until it stopped hurting me so badly to be here. Then I came back, got my stuff, moved to California for a few years. Now I’m back… and I come here to beat these assholes at a few games of pool.”

JJ let herself laugh at Elle’s flippant tone, smile turning into a somber one when she remembered the months after Elle’s resignation. She had left without leaving so much as a phone number or email address, only giving JJ a short goodbye before she walked out of the office for what was supposed to be forever.

She had never thought in a million years that she would find her here, in a small little bar on the corner of the street JJ walked down every night.

“I went by your old apartment for months, hoping to catch you out or to see you.”

“I know… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s really okay.”

There was an awkward silence between them, JJ bringing her glass of wine to her lips and taking a long sip. She couldn’t help the violent shiver that passed through her body, her clothes still thoroughly soaked and freezing despite the towel Will had offered her when she first sat down.

Elle pushed her drink across the bar, her eyebrows knit together into a look of concern. She took in JJ’s clothing for the first time — shirt clinging to her body and jeans sodden — before putting her card down on the wooden counter and motioning for Will to come over.

“I didn’t even realize, you must be freezing.”

“I’m okay, really. I just ducked in here to get out of the rain for a minute… I’m glad I stepped inside.”

Elle was biting her lip, nose crinkled as though she was debating saying something. She slipped her leather jacket off her shoulders, lips curved up into a nervous smile as she handed it to JJ, motioned for her to put it on.

“My apartment isn’t too far from here, you could come back and get some dry clothes… maybe stay for some takeout and a movie? Plus, I drove.”

The proposition was nice, and much better than walking the rest of the way home in the pouring rain. She nodded, slipping her arms into the arms of Elle’s jacket and could smell the familiar mix of gardenias and strawberry shampoo — found herself immediately falling into a familiar memory from over a decade ago when they were younger and stupider, and JJ had fallen into the lake on a case.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to Elle’s arms in her tank top, the way her shoulders were dotted with more freckles than she remembered — arms still as toned as they were a decade ago. She surely hadn’t lost the physique from when she was in the bureau years ago, still just as thin and toned as she was back then.

“I don’t want to impose on your evening.”

Elle took JJ’s hand with a surprising fierceness, a steely look in her eyes. She knew that look well, it meant not to test her — that she would ultimately get her way.

“You aren’t imposing if I asked you to come.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m doubly sure. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

[heyitsellebell]

elle’s diary - Page 33 - 18/12/23 @ 10:44pm

heya! Hope you’re well! Had an alright day today. Woke up around 3pm (had trouble getting to sleep) and had some breakfast of toast with plum jam, cherries, and a coffee. Got ready and cleaned my room, then it was time to wrap some presents with my mum! We only had a few left as my mum had begun the process while I was sleeping. It was so much fun to listen to some Christmas music and wrap away.

After that I unstacked the dishwasher and then we had some dinner of spanakopita and fish with hummus and coleslaw (yummmm). I cleaned up the table and then got to uploading and syncing the rest of the lyrics for my 5th release ‘Lesser’. There were only five songs left to do, but it takes some time to line up the lyrics with the track, so I only finished it 20 minutes ago.

I just listened to ‘The Fear of Falling In Love’ and ‘James and Paul’ and I like how they are sounding! I reallly want to start on the vocals for the former soon. I just need to finish uploading and syncing all my lyrics and then I’ll work on it. Can’t wait :) It’s currently raining, which is lovely. It’s my favourite weather, I sleep so well to it. Alrighty, that’s gonna be all for now! Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

lots of love,

elle

P.S. This was my fit for the day. Busted out the overalls for the first time in a while!

[sunsmile-lou]

hii elle havent spoken to u in sooo long how are u?? (also the new pfp's so cuuute!!! )💞💓💘💗💕

Hii my love💕💕 you make me so happy it's crazy even seeing this made me smile so big🥺 I'm good! one of my friends came here today and it was so much fun! I missed her! and we just laughed and talked the whole time and I loved it so much!! and aww thank you! I wanted to change it for a while🙈 and I love this picture of him🥺 and I changed it a bit so it matches my blog thingie and stuff but how are you doing love? do you have any plans for today or tomorrow? and you should go to sleep darling omg! isn't it like 1am there? you deserve some rest! and I love youuuu so so much and I hope you're doing well<33

[randoimago]

dm Rando 👀 I can imagine your games are a great time! Hope you’re doing well <3

Is that a wild Bells Elles I see 👀

But thank you!! I am trying to do my best at least 😁 and I do my best with being a DM but sometimes it's fun to taunt them with a Deck of Many Things~

Hope you're doing well too <33