#i can make up some Sloan prompts later if that would be helpful

[ectogeo-rebubbles]

Happy 31st anniversary, DS9!

Because 31 is the Sloan number, I hereby challenge the fandom to collectively post at least 31 new fanworks tagged "Luther Sloan" on ao3 this year (2024) to celebrate! >:)

(The original air date of the first DS9 episode was Jan 3, 1993.)

[noodyl-blasstal]

If you’re taking prompts from that list, how about 24 for taakitz?

Thank you so much Anon, this one was fun!

“Stop bringing me tea, or I’ll fall in love with you and that’s a threat.” From this prompt list (still accepting, although cannot promise a speedy turnabout!)

___________________

Finding a flatmate to replace Lup was never going to be an easy task. Taako had known once they finally started dating that it wouldn’t be long until she moved in with Barry. The relief of no longer having to deal with their increasingly more ridiculous pining wasn’t quite eclipsed by the anxiety of upcoming change, but it was a close run thing.

By the end of the first month Lup had spent nearly every night at Barry’s place. Taako was grateful, really grateful, (they had a whole lot of missed time to make up for and he didn’t want to be sharing a wall with them while they did,) but he couldn’t afford this place alone. Lup offered to just keep paying rent, but it wasn’t fair to let her when she was barely there and her stuff had mostly all migrated.

The logical option was a friend-of-a-friend. Magnus knew someone called Carey from his gym who was looking for a place. It wasn’t the same as living with Lup, but it was nice. They chatted, he took pity on her and added actual flavour to her meal prep, and then out of nowhere she decided to confess her years-long crush to Killian. A month later she gave her notice.

Next up was Avi. Lup and Barry knew him from work. He’d barely stepped foot in the flat before he got up the courage to tell Johann he didn’t want to be just friends. Taako told him how pleased he was through gritted teeth.

Sloane came to him through Merle. He’d assured Taako that although she had a massive crush on someone it’d never work out because they were a police officer and Sloane wasn’t likely to actually date a “fed”. Taako had received the wedding invitation four months after she moved out.

After a very reasonable temper tantrum, a brief discussion about cleansing the flat’s energy because clearly Lup had left some “weird romance vibes”, and banning any of his friends from suggesting another replacement. Taako got Lup to help him write an ad, chucked it up online, and he chose Sazed… like an idiot.

The next ad was a lot more specific.

Flatmate wanted who isn’t going to set one foot in the place, get up the confidence to tell their crush they love them, and then leave within the month. If you could also not try to attempted-murder me that would be great. P.S. It’s a two bed, part furnished, £420 a month (blaze it). 

Kravitz was the only person to apply.

Hi Taako. I’m new to town and don’t know anyone here, so haven’t got any crushes to confess. I’ve also never murdered anyone before, so hopefully that helps reassure you. Your place is in a great area and I'd love to move in. I don’t smoke or have any pets, and I’m happy to pay a full month up front plus deposit.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Kravitz.

He followed up nearly immediately with a second email.

I just realised that a murderer would probably also say that they hadn’t murdered anyone. I can send references about not being a murderer if needed. Thank you, 

Kravitz.

When he moved in, he said Taako’s changeable shifts were “good actually” because he could practice his instruments while Taako was at work “without worrying about disturbing him”. Of course it didn’t bother him if Taako came home late, he “knew Taako’s job was important”. Considerate bastard. Kravitz had also suggested the shared roommate calendar, Taako could put his shifts in so Kravitz knew when he would be out and not worry if he wasn’t home. Taako wasn’t entirely sure why he would be worrying, but Kravitz hadn’t confessed his undying love to anyone yet, so Taako could deal with a calendar. It was actually helpful because Kravitz put his shit in too. At least Taako knew when he’d have the house to himself. 

The first time Kravitz made tea must have been an accident, Taako was sure of it, he happened to walk into the flat as Kravitz was making a cup and Krav offered him one too. Taako was tired, it had been A Day, they’d been slammed and he’d barely had a moment to grab food or slug down water between orders. So yes, actually, a cup of tea sounded delightful. Kravitz was still in his fancy boy get up from his orchestra bullshit, and Taako couldn’t confirm or deny if a hot boy serving him tea in a beautifully cut suit was exactly what he needed to feel better.

It didn’t stop there though, suddenly, every night they were both in Krav had a cup of tea waiting for him when he got home. It was nice, was the thing, because it wasn’t just the tea. It was tea and a conversation. Kravitz would lean on the counter in one of his nice soft jumpers with his sleeves rolled up and his ridiculous cello-case-carrying forearms out and just pay attention to Taako. He would ask questions about Taako’s day like he actually cared. Worse, he’d remember stuff Taako had talked about before and follow up on it. Then he’d tell Taako stuff about his day and trick Taako into caring about it and asking him questions too. It was unreasonable behaviour, is what it was.

Taako couldn’t let this keep happening. It had gone from nights he was on shift to just every fucking night. Krav would come knock on his door, or, more recently, pause whatever show they were binge watching together, and ask if he wanted a brew. Wanted a brew. Taako should be bullying him for doing weird slang, not finding it charming. He should be talking up the benefits of that sweet sweet bean-juice, not getting Merle’s advice on different mint plants so he could make Kravitz a new blend for Candlenights. He definitely shouldn’t be looking forward to tea time and having weird swoopy stomach feelings when he thought about it.

He tried to say no once. He did. But Kravitz looked like a puppy he’d kicked, and something terrible twisted in his guts, so he immediately lied and said actually he’d meant to say yes ha-ha-isn’t-it-funny-when-you-misspeak. Seeing Krav’s sad face split into a grin had lit something inside him that he’d desperately been trying and failing to put out since. He’d tried skipping nights, and he’d tried remembering how great coffee was, he’d tried making the tea himself because maybe Krav’s weird spell only worked when Krav boiled it, but nothing changed. In fact, it got worse. He missed Kravitz on the nights he skipped. He’d text Krav while he was out with Merle and Magnus because he actually wanted to know how Kravitz’s day went, and what they’d played at orchestra, and if he’d nailed the bit he’d been struggling with... Maybe it wasn’t the tea? No. That was stupid. It was definitely the tea.

Taako had been glancing at the clock for a good 40 minutes, any time now there’d be a knock on his door. He didn’t want to be in his room, he wanted to be out there with Kravitz watching Antiques Roadtrip and thinking up overly complex hauntings for all of the objects the presenters bought; but he couldn’t be because Kravitz had broken him with fucking tea. If he made him a cup tonight that was it, he was going to be an absolute gonner. Taako had talked to Lup about it and she’d confirmed what he’d been worried about. Taako had a crush on Kravitz, he’d had a crush on Kravitz for a while, and if Kravtiz made him another cup of tea he wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it. But right now, he knew what was happening, he was alert, and aware, and ready. Kravitz couldn’t trick him, he was too smart for that. He could fix this. 

The best option was probably just to go get a pint of water, make a completely casual comment about how warm it was - despite the fact they lived in a flat which was consistently freezing and they both knew it - and then scuttle away. Perfect plan. No cup of tea, and no falling in love with anyone. Taako strode down the hall and into the kitchen to grab his drink, intending to stop by the lounge on the way back.

“Oh, Taako! I was just about to come and see if you wanted any tea.” Krav looked genuinely pleased to see him. What a dick. 

Kravitz filled the kettle and looked expectantly at him.

“I’m…er… I’m really hot?” Taako didn’t entirely mean it as a question, but it definitely wasn’t a statement.

“Taako, you do realise you’re wearing a turtleneck, a jumper, and a blanket cape right now? Are you sure you don’t want to take a layer off? Are you sick?” Kravitz had the absolute indecency to look worried about him, like Taako was the one being unreasonable right now.

“I’m not sick!” Taako said, more of an edge than intended in his voice.

“Okay, is something else wrong? Do you want some water instead?” Kravitz still looked concerned, and apparently now the tea thing was leaking into other beverages because the thought of Kravitz getting him a glass of water to look after him was actually really nice, which was definitely fully and completely insane. He had to stop this.

“Kravitz, Krav, Kraverino, Kravanchini, my guy, you have to stop making me tea.” There. He’d done it.

Kravitz looked at him questioningly, then grabbed the lid from the side of the sink, placed it on the kettle, and set it on the stove. “Why?” He asked, simply.

“Because I’m gonna fall in love with you.” Taako snapped. Kravitz did not look as concerned as he was supposed to look right now. Fine, Taako could spell it out. “That’s a threat. I’ll do it!” There, at least now he’d fucking stop, and Taako could go back to being all spiky edges and iron insides, no more of this having feelings lark. He didn’t want to feel all goopy inside; he didn’t want his stomach to do flips when he saw Krav’s stupid handsome face; and he didn’t want to enjoy it when their hands brushed as Kravitz handed over his mug. Taako was good out here and he didn’t need anyone fucking it up, least of all his dork of a flatmate with his shared calendars and his non-caffinated beverages. The threat of having a whole Taako as his problem should do the job nicely. Nobody wanted Taako full time - that’s why everyone kept falling in love to get away from him… or trying to murder him.

Kravitz looked him dead in the eye, grinned, fucking grinned and clicked the hob to life under the kettle. “I’ll make the buttermint you like.” 

Taako was going to fall in love with Kravitz so hard he wouldn’t know what hit him. That’d show him.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

YES YES YES I WAS SO HOPING YOU WOULD REBLOG THAT PROMPT LIST!!!! :D

Can I get a 14 with taakitz please? :3 I love reading your work with characters dealing with chronic pain

14. I gotta say I was in love with your outfit already but when you smacked that asshole with your cane it was head over heels baby are you. Free later. 

--

Kravitz's whole vibe with the dating scene was... weird. Like, he hadn't dated since college weird. Not many men wanted to spend time with a guy who worked at a funeral home (understandable, really). The dark clothing he wore didn't help- his mother once described him as the physical manifestation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven". He took that as a positive, but he could have easily fit into something much more dreary, like "The Tell-Tale Heart".

It's not as if he talked to many people outside of work. And he certainly wasn't going up to a widower to be like "hey, you're super hot, you wanna date?"

That being said: He was not at work. Against his better judgement, Sloane had dragged him out to the mall to third-wheel her date again. She and Hurley had lifted him behind in Hot Topic and he had wanted to be offended, but he took ten minutes to notice they were missing, so he really couldn't be.

He bought a chain for his wallet and got himself a pretzel and lemonade. He felt like a depressed clown. Kravitz tried not to think about this too much, for the sake of trying to believe his mental health was not going down the drain, but dead people were much easier to talk to and keep track of than the living were.

With no friends to make him uncomfortable by flirting directly in his face, Kravitz moved on to the next best thing: Watching people. He leaned back a little on the bench, scanning through the crowd.

There was a woman in front of a phone kiosk with two little children hanging onto her as she talked to a, frankly, way too enthusiastic employee. There was a person hanging out in front of the bathrooms and attempting to vape, but their pen didn't seem to be working. A man was sobbing on the bench across the corridor, a pile of roses next to him. Maybe his date had died? Nope, don't think that. Kravitz could not go up to a crying man and advertise for the funeral home he worked at.

A distraction. He needed a distraction. He picked through the crowd again until he found someone who was absolutely seeping of drama- a man who looked like a punk rainbow had thrown up on him. He had on a bright red leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders. It was sleeveless, but he wore a long sleeve deep sea green shirt under it. His pants were a sparkly sort of black and his shoes had entirely too many latches and laces.

He was leaning his body weight on two forearm canes, looking bored as a man in front of him yelled. Kravitz couldn't hear it over the hustle and bustle of the mall, but punk-man didn't seem to care for him much. Neither of them seemed to notice the wide berth the crowd around them was giving them.

Punk-man said something. Angry Man responded. Punk-man shifted his stance slightly, now actually looking somewhat upset. Angry Man shouted some more and, in the blink of an eye, Punk-man leaned solely against his left cane and brought the right one into the air and right on down into Angry Man's skull.

A mall security guard got between them and Punk-man's annoyed, downright upset expression shifted into the most people-pleasing smile Kravitz had ever seen. He spoke to the security guard quickly, before Angry Man had the chance to recover, and then turned tail and headed straight towards Kravitz.

Fuck. Kravitz looked away, hoping his staring hadn't been too obvious. Punk-man sat on the opposite side of the bench with a sigh, unclasping the cane from one arm and stretching his wrist. The crowd swept around the security guard and Angry Man and they disappeared, just like that. Kravitz looked at Punk-man out of the corner of his eye.

He was... so attractive, is the thing. Like, Kravitz didn't do dating very much, ever, but fuck. His skin itself seemed to be shimmering. Now that he was closer, Kravitz could read a few of his patches and he was enjoying the vibe. He was really enjoying the vibe.

How do you talk to people again? Gods, he wished Sloane was here. If she could woo Hurley then she'd be able to help him, right? Right?? What would Sloane do?

"I gotta say," Kravitz started, "I was in love with your outfit already but when you smacked that asshole with your cane it was head over heels, baby. are you... free later?"

The baby was a bit much. Actually, all of that was a bit much, but it was already out of his mouth. Fuck. That was it. Kravitz didn't know how to talk to living people anymore. He had officially cracked.

Punk-man laughed. At him? No, with him, maybe. But it was bright and cheerful and he was smiling, which only made him a hundred times more attractive.

"I might be," Punk-man said. "Depends on who's asking, hot shot."

"Uhm, Kravitz," Kravitz said. "Me. I'm Kravitz."

"Taako," Punk-man said. "Y'know, from TV?"

Kravitz didn't have cable. Fuck. He needed to get cable. But Taako seemed to expect his silence a waved a hand to dismiss the thought.

"It's aspirational," Taako said. "But, uhhh, yeah, I could be free later. Hopefully, I will be free later if my dumbass sister actually makes a move on our dumbass friend. D'you know how hard it is to third wheel every single day of your life, Krav? Be honest."

"I, uh." He thought of Hurley and Sloane. "I get the vibe sometimes, yeah."

"You get the vibe," Taako repeated, his grin all teeth. "Well, I'll fill in the rest. Maybe they won't listen to me but if I get a total stranger to say they're in love, they physically cannot keep playing this game."

[inebranlablc]

Not rules, but FYIs that might be helpful:  

i.   I use small text, colored text, icons and formatting. I don’t care if my partners format or not. Here is a formatting request form if you would like me to accommodate. 

ii. I am mobile bound a majority of the time and even write frequently from mobile. Thus, if you do not have mobile friendly rules or pages it may take me up to two weeks to follow back. It generally takes me a few days to follow back regardless.

iii. I set a mutuals limit for myself because I am extremely busy irl. If I hit my limit, I will not take any new mutuals, but I may follow back later if some of my current mutuals leave or go inactive. If I softblock but follow later, that is why. 

iv. I want to interact with all of my mutuals. Thus, I will make attempts to interact with all of you either by: liking starter calls, sending memes/prompts, liking plotting calls, or reaching out via IMs. My method will vary based on the blog/ how busy I am at the moment. If I have made several attempts to interact with you within a month and there is no reciprocation, I will soft block( unless it's evident that you are on hiatus, having technical difficulties, etc ). You are free to refollow! But if there is no interaction within a month after we connect again and I soft block again, I probably won't refollow a third time.

v. I don't practice mains or do mains calls. I'm very plot oriented so I prefer for these connections to happen organically. Instead, I have opted for using my connections page to list those that I have created ongoing plots or dynamics with.

vi. A brief background for sequels muses: Admiral Rae Sloane was the remaining highest ranking Imperial officer in the known Imperial Remnant after the Battle of Endor. She was given the title, Grand Admiral, by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax and became the Figure head of the Imperial Remnant. Unbeknownst to Sloane, Rax was secretly trying to carry out Palpatine contingency plan via inciting a war that would destroy the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic through a battle held over the planet Jakku. Despite Rax betraying, framing and almost killing her, Sloane survived and was able to kill Rax.

She escape Jakku, while gravely injured, as the Imperial Remnant was losing the war. Sloane ventured into the Unknown regions with her only remaining crew: former Imperial Academy Commandant, Brendol Hux, a group of vicious teen soldiers Brendol was training and Brendol's 5 year old son, Armitage Hux. The soldiers would become the First Order's first group of stormtroopers.

In the unknown regions Sloane rejoined other members of the Imperial Remnant and went forward to gather allies and resources to start the First Order. Unlike Rax, who wanted a cult-like Empire that still invested in aggressive force as a means of governing, Sloane wanted to use the Empire's might to form an central military to rid the galaxy of chaos and gang violence.

There is no current canon explanation for why she disappeared and why Snoke rose as the leader of the First Order in her place. But there are implications that Brendol Hux betrayed her. The last mention of Sloane is the the Phasma novel, which implies that she disappeared or died before 30 ABY.

More detailed info and book excerpts can be found on my carrd.

[trippin-over-my-fandoms]

Hi I hope this isn't rude but I wanted to ask if you had like a compiled list of all the spacegravity prompts you'd been requested for so we could look forward to reading them

Ah of course! No titles yet and nothing laid out 100% but that's what I'm up to today! This ask has helped me build up a proper list so tysm anon!

Here's what y'all can look forward to! (sort of in order of which I'll probably release first) :

A dinner where they announce their proposal! I started on this one technically with the "Under One Roof" fic, set it up at least... just need to get it done!

Umbrella's and Sparrows as Teens! I had at least three similar requests for this au and I'm looking at combing the ideas! Some are similar in enough aspects I'd almost be writing the exact same thing a bunch of times so I'll be compiling them! Don't worry! I'm gonna work on a moodboard and possibly a "cover" to make up for the individual requests!

NSFW Headcanon/Thoughts list! Currently sitting in my drafts! Just need to finish it!

Solo Sloane NSFW Fic I had an idea for while away.

meeting each other at their lowest points (might end up doing this sooner rather than later- I love angst!!)

Sloane on her first every flight and Luther there as support! I started working on this while away and got a few paragraphs in. Got a few asks to see them on their honeymoon too and while I'm still unsure as to where to take them for that- that could be where they're headed in the fic!

The wedding but everyone is alive! Another one I got a few times and I'll admit I also wanna see what it would be like! Lets just say I'm picturing bridesmaids dresses as I type this. We need a proper wedding party!!!!

Jealous Allison!

Hurt/Sick fic!

Forbidden Love request combined with the request where they meet on individual vacations and have to go home and tell everyone about their engagement! yikes!

the 60s au!

Hopefully I won't keep y'all waiting too much longer!!

[sesamestreep]

Not sure if you're still doing the 3 sentence word fic prompt but if you are: Sloan and Don "never"

well, this took on a life of its own, and it’s basically a full fic. set immediately after episode 2x05, so fair warning for Sloan’s plot line in that episode. it’s not discussed in great detail here, so I didn’t tag much of anything about it, but I’m happy to add more if people think it’s necessary. slightly nsfw content, I guess, but not in an exciting way ;)

“Wait, never?”

“Never.”

“Like, never never?”

“How many PhDs do you have again?” Don asks, amused. “And you need me to explain what the word ‘never’ means?”

Sloan tips forward in her seat—too fast, she realizes, as she lands way closer to the bar than she meant to. She lays her palms flat against the sticky varnished surface, as she tries to gather her thoughts and feelings into something coherent. “I’m sorry, that’s just not possible,” she says, finally. She might be a little drunk, given how long that simple phrase took for her to formulate.

Don laughs into his glass. “I think I would know.”

“Yeah, but…really? Never?”

“We did this already.”

“I thought dudes, like, needed them,” Sloan says, gesturing aggressively with the hand that isn’t curled around her drink. “Like, to survive.”

That just makes Don scoff at her, though. “Come on.”

“I’m serious! I thought nude photos were basically the cornerstone of modern dating.”

He shakes his head, as if he can’t quite believe her. It occurs to her a second later that it might have been an excuse to avoid meeting her eye. “At the risk of sounding like a complete geezer,” he says, sounding hesitant, “I have this thing called an imagination.”

Sloan snorts, more loudly than she meant to. “You do sound like a complete geezer. If you start talking about how you used to have to walk fifteen miles to school each day, and fifteen miles back, in the snow, I’m just going to leave you here.”

“I know I was the one who said you needed to make it to the rage phase, but I didn’t mean with me specifically.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” she says, putting her glass down on the bar guiltily. “I get snotty when I’m drunk.”

Don waves off the apology immediately. “I was kidding. I meant—never mind. You can be as snotty to me as you want. If it helps.”

“I don’t know.”

“If I were in your situation, I’d be a lot drunker. And much snottier.”

“Well,” Sloan says, spreading her hands out wide to indicate…something, “as we’ve established, you couldn’t be in my situation. Because you’ve never…”

“Okay, what I actually said was that I’ve never asked for them. You’re extrapolating quite a lot from that one statement.”

It takes a superhuman amount of effort for Sloan to actually swallow the gin in her mouth at that moment, because all her jaw wants to do is drop to the floor. Luckily, she manages it, because the alternative would be a whole mess. She briefly loses her train of thought when she considers how many worse things have been spilled on this bar’s floor, given its general level of divey-ness. It’s not their usual spot—she’d insisted she wasn’t up for Hang Chew’s and dealing with the awkwardness of facing everyone else from ACN when NewsNight wraps and the bar fills up with staff, but she’d also been absolutely certain that she needed to get shitfaced basically immediately after the Incident at AIG, so now she and Don are in some hole-in-the-wall near enough to the Financial District that she can make that happen but not close enough that they’ll be surrounded by finance bros. The wisdom of getting this drunk in public less than 24 hours after the greatest humiliation of her adult life and the most profound violation she’s ever experienced is, perhaps, debatable, but, while she can count the number of people she actually, truly trusts at this moment on one hand, she also knows somewhere deeper than logic that Don will do right by her, that if anyone tries to ruin today for her anymore than it’s already been ruined, he will stop it or he’ll catch an assault charge trying. She knows this to be true. So, in relative terms, she’s not doing anything that risky. But that’s not what they were talking about, was it? Oh, right.

“Donald Ulysses Keefer,” she says, slowly, “are you saying that someone has naked photos of you just lying around somewhere?”

“First of all, very proud of you for getting my last name right, at the very least—”

“Wait, are you saying your name isn’t Don?”

“It is Don. It’s not Donald.”

“It’s just Don?” She asks, brow furrowing in consternation. “Like, Don Corleone?”

“Well, that’s not exactly—it’s not important.”

Sloan squints at him. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Great question,” he replies, drily. “But I must say, I’m more confused and intrigued by your other question.”

“Which one?”

“You asked if someone out there has naked photos of me just lying around.”

“Oh, yes. That question. What about it?”

Don steeples his fingers underneath his chin, affecting a serious air. “Is your question, are there nude photos of me in the world and those photos are just lying around, waiting to be discovered? Or are you asking if there are, out there in the world, nude photos of me, in which I am not only nude but also just lying around?”

Sloan pauses, trying to formulate a response. “My question is—what I meant was—go fuck yourself, Don.”

“I was trying to be funny.”

“I know you were,” she says. “It doesn’t mean you succeeded.”

He frowns. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want him to be sorry,” she all but shouts, her thoughts coming through crystal clear and actually translating into words for the first time all night. “And not just because I punched him in the face!”

Don watches her carefully for a long time, waiting for her breathing to even out after her outburst, for her fingers to loosen their grip on the edge of the bar. Sloan hadn’t realized any of that was happening until she realized he was waiting for it to stop. She, on the other hand, is waiting for him to get impatient, to rush her into being okay somehow, and to finally fuck this up so she can be really, truly mad at him, rather than at his entire gender as a concept.

He doesn’t, though. He just keeps surprising her. She always forgets how patient he can be when he needs to, which is easy to miss under his quick temper. They’re not two qualities that should coincide in a person but Don’s ineffable like that.

“You’re ineffable,” she says, out loud, for some reason. The alcohol seems a likely culprit.

“You’re telling me,” he quips. “Maybe that’s why nobody wants nude pictures of me.”

“That’s not what ineffable means. It’s like—”

“I know what it means, Sloan. I was an English major, for Christ’s sake,” he says. “I’m in the wrong generation for all this shit.”

She rolls her eyes. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people who wishes they were born in a different era because they want to die of polio or whatever.”

“No, professor. I was talking about the nude photos thing. That is, if you’re still curious.”

“Oh. Sure.”

“I’m saying I came of age in the wrong era for that. My go-to move for hitting on girls when I was in college was to ask for their email address. Like I was going to send them a newsletter, or something.”

“And nobody in your 19th century women writers seminar was offering you a dirty Polaroid to look at when you got back to your dorm after playing hacky sack on the quad?”

Don gives her a look, then, of such transparent delight that it almost knocks her over. “God, Sloan, it’s like you were there,” he says, amused.

She shrugs, trying to pretend like she isn’t still a little off-balance. “I wish I had been. I’m sure you had some egregious facial hair that I could be blackmailing you about now.”

He laughs at that. “No comment. But, to your earlier question, no. No one was offering and it never would have even occurred to me to ask.”

He trails off, then—lost in thought or maybe just distracted by the TVs in the bar playing March Madness. This is the moment that, if Sloan was sober, she’d pump the brakes on this conversation. It was a bad idea to even start them on this subject at all, but they’re getting dangerously close to discussing specifics about Don’s dating life, which is not something she needs specifics on. She spends too much time thinking about him in a potentially romantic context as it is; the last thing she needs is for those fantasies to be more realistic.

But Sloan isn’t sober, so she asks, “And now…?”

“And now,” he says, choosing his words carefully as he shifts his attention back to her, “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s not like I’m doing much dating now anyway.”

She ignores the warning bells telling her to turn back. “No?”

“No,” Don repeats, looking down at his drink where it sits on the bar. “I’m…focusing on myself, I guess.”

“In my experience, men do that even when they’re in relationships.”

“Ouch. Okay.”

Sloan winces. “Sorry, it was an easy joke.”

“No, no, that was—it was a fair hit. I’m sure Maggie could tell you—”

“Maggie hasn’t told me anything,” she says, starting to reach for his arm before she thinks better of it. “Really, Don, I was just trying to be funny.”

“Still, I imagine she could tell you some horror stories about me.”

As if she’d ask. As if anything Maggie could say would truly warn her off now. She doesn’t say that, though.

“For fuck’s sake,” she shouts, instead, because anger is definitely easier, “are you ever going to stop raking yourself over the coals for whatever the hell happened with Maggie? She screwed that shit up too, you know, and she’s said as much to you and to everyone else who will listen. Why do you insist on taking all of the credit for that relationship blowing up?”

Gone is the amused affection that was in his eyes earlier, she thinks, as he turns to her with a look of pure frustration. “Because I was wrong first,” he says, sharply. “And most often. And I should have known better. I should have been the adult in that relationship.”

“Well, it’s troubling that you seem to think a healthy relationship requires only one adult, but besides that—”

Don puts up a hand to stop her in her tracks. “I believe you now, you know. You’re very mean when you’re drunk.”

“I said snotty.”

“And?”

Sloan huffs in annoyance. “Snotty and mean are different things!”

“I’d say they’re not but I really don’t want to fight about it, so fine. You’re very snotty.”

“Thank you. And you’re full of shit.”

“I know that,” he says, hotly. A second later, though, he seems to run out of steam. He drags his hands down his face miserably. “Believe me, I know.”

Some of the fight goes out of her too, seeing him so dejected. “One mistake doesn’t mean you deserve to be unhappy forever,” she says, trying to sound gentle.

“I could say the same thing to you,” he replies. “Would it make a difference?”

“Coming from you? It might.”

He considers her for a long moment before he moves to cover her hand gently with his own. He does it slowly, leaving her plenty of time to pull back or avoid the contact somehow, but she stays where she is. It’s really the lightest touch imaginable, like he’s just trying to be sure he has her attention and not like he’s actually trying to hold her hand, but she can feel her heartbeat in her throat nonetheless.

“Sloan Ulysses Sabbith,” Don says, earnestly and deliberately, meeting her gaze steadily, “you don’t deserve to be this unhappy forever. And what’s more, you won’t be. I promise you that.”

She clears her throat, which is suddenly very dry. “Oh, really?”

“Really,” he says, giving her hand a pat before he withdraws his own.

She does not allow herself to feel disappointed by this. There are more important matters to deal with, anyway. “How could you possibly promise such a thing?”

“Because I can see the future.”

“And the real answer?”

“That is the real answer,” he says, standing up and fishing his wallet out of the pocket of his jeans.

“Don,” she says, exasperated.

He leans into her space a little, as he tries to copy her tone. “Sloan.”

“How could you possibly know that I’ll be happy?” She asks, hating how sincere and vulnerable she sounds. He’s not even being serious right now, but she still needs to know why he said it. Even if it’s all just a joke, she has to know.

Don seems to hear the urgency in her question because he puts his hands on her shoulders to steady himself as he looks her in the eye. “Because you, Sloan, are not the sort of woman who settles for less,” he says, firmly. “You do not give up. You do not blink first. You are the sort of woman who, when faced with injustice, punches it in the goddamn face. If it comes down to a fight between you and Fate, over whether you’re destined to be happy or not, my money is on you. It’s always on you.”

She doesn’t know what to say in response to that. The moment stretches between them as she tries to come up with anything at all. Nothing feels right. If the situation were different—if this wasn’t the worst day of her life, and if Don was still sitting down, she’d probably just climb into his lap right here and now, witnesses be damned. But that wouldn’t be appropriate. If this is ever going to happen—if they’re ever going to happen—she doesn’t want it to be tainted by everything else that’s happened today. This is a moment for them, but it’s not their moment. Not yet.

“My middle name is not Ulysses,” she says, faintly. It’s the best she can do, under the circumstances. “You know that, right?”

“I know,” he says, with a small smile. “It’s Imogene.”

“How did you—?”

“I pay attention, Sloan,” he says. “I’m going to go pay the tab, okay?”

He pats her on the shoulder as he goes by, a quick good game gesture that probably means nothing, but she still feels her pulse flutter at the contact. She watches him move through the crush of people at the bar and lets herself imagine this night as something simpler, like it was actually just the two of them on a regular date and once he’s done paying, he’ll make sure she gets home alright—not because she’s had a rough day but because he wants an excuse to spend fifteen more minutes with her and because she might invite him up to her place if he kisses her goodnight in front of her building. It would be lovely, she thinks, as she looks at him across the room now. He must feel her eyes on him then, because he turns and gives her a quick smile before returning his attention to the bartender. Not yet, she thinks. But soon.

[whatisthiswritingthing]

Congrats on the baby - Ali Krieger x Ashlyn Harris x Reader

Combining a couple prompts here. 

Ali and Ashlyn adopt Sloane, and begin neglecting their relationship with Reader. Reader moves to Manchester without the couple knowing and don't see each other for a couple months until Camp. 

“Dinner tonight?” Y/N skimmed a hand along Ali’s lower back as she slid in the locker next to her.

“Not tonight Y/N/N,” Ali muttered while she continued to rummage through her bag, “Sloane is finally getting on to a normal sleep schedule,” the brunette couldn’t help the soft smile that came onto her face at the mention of her daughter, “so Ash and I really don’t want to mess it up with people over.”

“Oh,” Y/N sagged into her locker cubby, “I, uh, I was really hoping to talk to you and Ash,”

Y/N didn’t finish her sentence, cut off by Ash coming over with Sloane in her arms., “hi mommy,” the keeper mimicked a baby voice, waving the babies hand.

“Hi beautiful girl,” Ali cooed, completely cutting off any conversation with her other girlfriend. Stretching her hands out, taking Sloane from Ashlyn. The blonde keeper wrapped her arms around Ali’s waist, pulling them close to her chest, effectively sandwiching the baby between them.

The couple were in their own world, both making soft sounds at the baby. Ali gently hugging Sloane while Ashlyn kept a secure arm around Ali, gently scratching the babies back, encouraging her to sleep.

Y/N let out a small sigh, slowly tugged her practice gear off, grabbing a towel and making her way to take an ice back. She shuffled her feet along the ground, chin tucked to her chest, eyes watching her feet.

Y/N kicked her slides off and eased into the ice water, wasting no time submerging her entire body. She took in a sharp breath, content to be feeling something. Slowly letting out the breath, she tilted her head back, eyes closed. The cold numbed her body but did nothing to settle her mind. She had tamped down her feelings for the couple for months, ignoring how she felt as long as she could, until finally it blew up and they began a steady relationship for the past couple months.

The couple promised nothing would change when the baby arrived, that she would still be part of their family. That she could take her time after the adoption agency called announcing their application had been approved; the married couple having had more time to prepare. It had taken only a couple weeks before Y/N was forgotten all together. It wasn’t that she hadn’t attempted to be part of the small family. When she was around, she didn’t feel like a partner anymore, a babysitter at best.

Y/N let out another sigh, a small tremble coursing through her body. She opened her eyes and glanced at the clock, her eyes widening when she looked at the clock, realizing how long she had been lost in her thoughts.

Weakly pushing herself out of the tub, she shivered while she wrapped a towel around herself. Trudging herself back to her locker, she methodically dried off and got dressed.

She sat in the locker, glancing around the change room, taking it all in for the last time. Letting out a shaky breath, she dropped her head into her hands.

“they’re not even going to help you pack up?” Alex walked back into the empty locker room.

Y/N let out a bitter laugh, smiling to herself, she dropped her hands to lay limply between her knees and shaking her head, “they don’t know,” she brought her head up, giving Alex a watery smile, tears lingering at the edges of her eyes.

Shrugging her shoulders, she pushed herself up and slowly packed her bag, tossing all her pride gear into a pile onto the side, wanting no reminder of her time with the team.

Alex slowly approached, firmly gripping Y/N’s hands, forcing her to stop moving and pulling her into hug. Y/N struggled for a second, her emotions hardly being contained as it is.

“I’m not excusing how they’re acting, I understand being a new mom is hard, but treating you this way isn’t acceptable,” the forward ran a soothing hand up and down Y/N’s back, feeling her slowing relax, “it’s ok to feel this way Y/N.”

At that, the gentle encouragement that her feelings were valid, Y/N let out a shuddering breath and hugged Alex tight, a few tears finally leaking out.

Y/N accepted the comfort for a minute before pulling away, wiping her eyes before beginning to pack again.

Alex sat in the locker, just watching her.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow,” Y/N finished zipping her bag, leaning over and methodically folding the discarded pride equipment, “I don’t have much, donated what I don’t need, rest can come with me.”

Alex watched the soccer player carry the pile of gear to the equipment room and leave it in a neat pile on the table.

“Y/N,” Alex started while the younger woman walked back over, “why did you get rid of everything?”

“No reason to keep anything somewhere I’m not coming back to,” Y/N shrugged her shoulders, hands flopping into her thighs, defeated. She had no intention of coming back, there was nothing keeping her here anymore.

Y/N picked up her gym bag, taking one more look around the room, her eyes stopped on her name plate. Sighing, she reached up and tore it off. She traced her fingers over the logo, turning she shoved it into the trash can as she left the change room for the final time.

“Manchester is lucky to have you,” Alex squeezed Y/N’s bicep as they walked out.

The next morning Ali made her way to her locker, Sloane already being left with the team babysitter for the practice. She sat down and began pulling her stuff out of her bag before slowing her movement, then stopping all together, shooting up from spot. Her eyes widened when she took in the empty locker next to her.

The brunette needlessly reached a handout, skimming over the empty hook, stretching up, thumb gliding over the blank name plate.

“She flew out this morning,” Alex said firmly, sitting next to the empty locker.

Ali’s head whipped to the left, waiting for Alex to continue speaking, “what do you mean flew out?” she pressed while Alex ignored her and continued to get dressed.

The forward let out a slow, calming breath, “I mean, she got on a plane and the plane flew away,” not looking up from tying her cleats.

“A plane?” the defender managed to stutter out, eyebrows creasing, attempting to understand what was going on.

“What about a plane?” Ashlyn dropped into the empty locker Ali couldn’t take her eyes off.

Alex rolled her eyes, scoffing while she left the locker room.

“Y/N’s gone, Ash,” Ali gasped out, motioning her hand to the empty locker Ashlyn was sitting.

Ashlyn quickly shifted, head rapidly looking over both shoulders. Not able to take it all in fully, she got up and stood next to Ali. Mimicking her motions from earlier, running a hand over the suddenly empty name plate.

“She’s gone?” the blonde whispered.

Ali wordlessly nodded along, biting her lip, doing her best to keep her tears from spilling. Ashlyn dropped her arm back to her side. The couple just stood there, staring at the empty locker, attempting to figure out what was going on.

“I don’t understand,” Ali leaned into Ashlyn, who slowly brought an arm around her wife’s shoulder.

Fed up, Alex stormed back over, “what’s not to understand?” she snapped, arms crossed, glaring at the couple, “you acted like she didn’t exist, she’s been trying to tell you for weeks that she was going to Manchester. She left this morning, packed up her locker last night,” she gestured to the empty locker, the pointed at the pile of Orlando gear on the table in the equipment room.

The couple turned around and stared at the forward, both opening and closing their mouths.

“You still don’t have anything to say?” Alex scoffed, rolling her eyes, making her way out to the field.

“Manchester?” Ashlyn finally found her words again, “we need to phone her. Or Christin. Or Tobin,” she rushed to her locker, fumbling through her things to pull out her phone. Feeling her fingers brush it, she frantically tried to pull it out, dropping it on the ground in her rush, “fuck!” she bent down, scooping it up.

“Ash, we have practice. And Y/N will still be on the plane, and Tobs and Chris will be sleeping. We have to figure some stuff out first and then try and this afternoon,” Ali place a gentle hand on the keepers forearm, pulling the phone and placing it back on the top of the locker.

“But,” Ashlyn looked down at Ali, her eyes sad, tears precariously balanced on the edge of her eyes, “we need to talk to her, find out what happened, why she went to England,” she rambled, shaking her head, reaching for her phone again only to be stopped by Ali.

“I know why Ash,” Ali whispered, “you do too,” she nervously began fidgeting with Ashlyn’s fingers, resting her forehead against the blondes shoulder. “Alex said Y/N has been trying for weeks to tell us, we have been ignoring her. Think about, when was the last time we spent any time together, as a couple? She has been so great with us, with Sloane, she’s been so patient, trying so hard to be part of everything.”

Defeated, Ashlyn pulled her hand away, dropping into her locker, “we did this,” the tears finally began to fall.

“Come on Ash,” Ali attempted to pull the keeper up, “there’s nothing we can do right now. We have to practice and after we can try calling her and Tobs or Chris.”

Ashlyn sighed and let Ali lead her out to the field.

“Ash do you know what time it is here?” Tobin answered the phone a couple hours later. Voice thick with sleep, letting out a loud groan while she stretched.

“Have you talked Y/N?” Ashlyn quickly asked, ignoring the question.

“Her flight doesn’t land for a couple more hours,” the brunette groaned into the phone, the phone rustling while Tobin attempted to burrow into the pillow, fighting sleep at the early hour.

“Can you,” Ashlyn paused, not knowing how to continue her thoughts, not knowing what she wanted, or what Tobin could do, “uhh get her to call us when she gets there?”

“Yupp,” Tobin muttered out, disconnecting the call.

All the couples calls for the next couple weeks went unanswered, text left unread, voicemails un-listened to. Tobin and Christen had attempted to mediate, but Y/N refused to put them in the middle of it, not telling them anything. Y/N had kept to herself since moving to Manchester, putting all her time and focus into training.

“I understand you guys think this is the way to work things out, but I think it’s time to just give her space,” Christen gently tried to encourage one day when the other couple called again.

“But we need her to know that we are putting the effort in, that we know we made a mistake and that we know we need to find a better balance,” Ali said desperately into the phone.

“I know that Ali, we can’t keep mediating for you though,” Christen soothed into the phone, “she needs some space still. You’ll see her at camp next week. Give her until then, talk to her in person.”

Ali anxiously passed the lobby of the hotel the following week, Ashlyn working to sooth a fussy Sloane, the baby feeding off the couples emotions.

“Y/N!” Ali called as soon as she saw the younger woman walk into the hotel, wheeling her bag behind her.

Y/N gave a small wave and smile, attempting to continue through the lobby, only to be stopped Christen gently stopping her with a hand on her arm.

Ali rushed over, forcing herself to slow down when she saw how uncomfortable Y/N seemed, Ashlyn trailing behind, rocking Sloane back and forth.

“Uhh how are you? How was the flight in?” Ali nervously asked, nervously raised her arms to lean in for a hug, pulling away when she noticed Y/N not move, awkwardly dropping her arms back to her side.

“It was good,” she gave a small nod, “you?”

“I’m good, we’re good,” she motioned to Ashlyn behind them, the blonde still trying to sooth the baby who had now began to cry, “we are so happy to see you.”

Ali continued to force herself from reaching out, tugging her sleeves over her hands.

“Yeah, I can tell,” Y/N scoffed, looking over Ali’s shoulder at Ashlyn who had walked away as Sloane became more upset, “good seeing you Ashlyn,” she snarked and continued to the elevator.

Ashlyn’s turned sharply, still aware of the baby in her arms, “Y/N,” she tried to call out, only to be ignored as the elevator doors closed, “damnit.”

“I’m tired of being in the middle of this, so I’m going to try and help,” Christen approached the couple, “I don’t know what you guys think the main issue is, but it isn’t Sloane. It’s that you guys ignored her weeks when she did nothing but be supportive and try and be part of your life. You completely disregarded her as a partner in your relationship.”

The couple listened on, taking in what Christen had to say. Both realizing that the problem they thought they needed to fix was the wrong problem. They had been thinking that Y/N didn’t like Sloane, not that they had cut out Y/N from their relationship.

They each looked at each other, both having come to the same conclusion. That they needed to prove to Y/N that they wanted her to be an equal partner, not try and get Y/N to bond with Sloane.

The next morning the couple left Sloane with the group of younger players, hoping to talk to Y/N before breakfast.

“Y/N!” Ashlyn called out, the blonde and brunette rushed out of their seats, trying to catch Y/N before she got to a table, hoping to avoid a scene in front of the team.

“Can we talk?” Ali asked softly.

“Sure,” Y/N firm where she stood, face stoic as she stared at the couple, not giving them anything else, not encouraging them to continue.

“Here?” Ashlyn asked softly, glancing around the room. No one else paying attention to them, but she knew herself and Ali couple be emotional, especially when Y/N was involved.

“Sure,” Y/N agreed, shrugging her shoulders, remaining indifferent.

“Ok, uhh, sure, whatever you want,” Ali rushed out, knowing they were losing Y/N’s attention, “we just wanted to talk about us. We know we screwed up when you left. That we put all our attention onto Sloane, and we neglected our relationship with you. But, we recognize it now, and we want to make it better,” the brunette looked at Y/N hopefully, glancing to Ashlyn to see if she had anything else to say.

Y/N narrowed her eyes at the couple, clenching her jaw, “do you know how ridiculous I felt? You guys got Sloane and were so happy, and I was so happy for you guys, and so happy to be a part of it with you. Then it was like I didn’t exist, and I was jealous of how much attention Sloane got, I was jealous of a fucking baby! A fucking baby,” she threw her arms up, exasperated, “I felt so ridiculous, and hurt and left out, all at the same time. You guys wouldn’t even talk to me long enough to let me tell you about Manchester.”

Y/N crossed her arms, staring hard, waiting for either of them to say. Neither knew what to say, dropping their eyes to floor, hearing the pain in the younger woman’s voice breaking their hearts.

“That’s what I thought,” she scoffed, shaking her head and walking away, “congrats on the baby by the way,” she called over her shoulder, briefly glancing at them.        

[arcturusreads]

Sports Day - Merhayes

Another AO3 prompt where Cormac has a moment with Meredith's kids. who's surprised that they knew him that well.

Meredith wasn’t quite sure who came up with the idea for Grey-Sloan Family Sports Day, but she was going to kill Bailey for agreeing with it. It’s not that she didn’t love her kids and wanted to spend time with. Mer spent a lot of time playing tag with Ellis, in the back garden, kicking a ball around in a lame attempt of soccer with Bailey and helped Zola with some amateur gymnastics but sports day was something else.

Sports day meant egg and spoon races, three legged races and who knew what else. Meredith was not athletic, not by a long shot and would have happily just watched everyone else take part. Unfortunately, her kids had seen the flyer that Amelia had bought home with her and were determined that Meredith took part in every parent race that was being held. She’d tried for a while to convince them that Maggie or Amelia could also take part, but her kids all had her stubborn streak. So, Meredith now found herself signed up to more races that she had ever done in her life.

The day of the event had been cursed with sunshine. Meredith had been hoping for a downpour of rain so the whole thing could get called off, but her kids had run into her bedroom that morning, with Zola yanking the curtain open and lo and behold, sunlight had come streaming in.

When they had made it to the field, Meredith laid out the picnic blanket. Catching the kids before they all ran off, she made sure that they were slathered with sunscreen. The courses were still being set up and families still needed to arrive, so Mer took the opportunity to lay down and close her eyes, using the discarded jackets as a pillow. She was just about ready to drift off when a soccer ball came flying into her side.

“Ooft,” Mer shot upright to see her son with a cheeky grin on his face.

“Sorry, mommy.” Not that Bailey looked or sounded sorry in slightest

He quickly changed to his face to his puppy-dog eyes which reminded her exactly of Derek and all she could do was laugh.

“It’s fine, sweetie but mommy isn’t the goal post.”

“Are you gonna come and join us?” Ellis begged as she ran to join her brother.

“Please, mommy, it’ll be fun!” Zola added in.

One of them she might have been able to say no to, maybe even two but when then three of them got together, she stood no chance. The moment she had become a mother, Meredith had known that she wanted a part of her kids’ lives in a way that her mother never had been. Ellis Grey wouldn’t be seen dead at a family sports day but for Meredith, as much as she had been dreading the actual races, these were the kind of days that she loved most.

Surgery was amazing, the thrill and the rush of adrenaline that she got from it was always going to be one of her favourite feelings, but nothing would beat how she felt when she spent time with her kids. Even when they left the house a mess and drove her crazy, Mer knew that she would give up everything for them.

So, Meredith pushed herself up from her seat, picking up the soccer ball and ran with it. It took her kids a minute to realise what was going on before they ran after her.

“Mommy, that isn’t how you play soccer!” Bailey yelled behind her.

She looked back over at them and laughed, wishing that they would always be this carefree and happy. Eventually she stopped in her tracks and threw the ball to Ellis.

“Come on, Ellie Belle, it’s us against them.”

As she caught the ball, Ellis stuck her tongue out to her younger siblings and as quick as her little legs would take her. A quick look over her should made her see that Bailey was close to catching up with her and out of panic, Ellis quickly launched the ball away from her, to whoever was nearest. Who happened to be the Head of Paediatric Surgery.

“Ellis,” Meredith jogged over to her kids, all three of whom were grinning up at the Irish surgeon. “What did we say about throwing the ball at guests?”

“But Dr Mac isn’t a guest momma, we’re not home!”

Sometimes Meredith wished her kids weren’t that logical but at five-years-old, Ellis had an answer for everything.

“Still, baby, we’ve got to be careful and only throw to people who are in the game.”

“Dr Hayes doesn’t mind. Do you Dr Hayes?” Bailey turned to Cormac who grinned before kneeling with the soccer ball in hand.

“Absolutely not, Bailey but your mother is right, you have to be careful, okay?”

Ellis nodded eagerly at Cormac who gave her a wink.

“And how are you doing, Miss Zola? How did that science project go?”

Beaming, Zola pushed her chest out in pride. “I got the best in the class! Mrs Johnson said it’s the best she’s ever seen!”

“I’m impressed, you’re going to have to show me some time.”

“I could bring it to the hospital, if that okay with you, Mommy?” Zola turned to look at her mom.

Still in a little shock over how well Cormac seemed to know her kids, she managed to nod. “Yeah, sure thing, Zozo. You can bring it with you next time you come into work with me.”

“And how about you, Bailey? Did you manage to make the soccer team?”

Bailey sighed dramatically. “Yeah,” he drew out looking at the ground.

“You don’t seem too happy about that.”

“I am!” Bailey quickly shot back, not wanting Dr Hayes to think that he didn’t enjoy soccer anymore. “But because stuff’s closed, they said we have to wait until the new school year to play.”

“Ahh,” Cormac nodded in understanding, “I see, well that just gives you time to practice over Summer, right? And then you can get even better.”

Not having thought of it that way, Bailey was suddenly very excited about being on the soccer team again.

“Momma said I can start swimming lessons when they open again!” Ellis piped up, not wanting to be left out.

“Oh really,” Cormac smiled and arched an eyebrow. “Is that going to make you a mermaid princess then?”

“Yes!” Ellis started to jump up and down, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Meredith held out her hands to stead her little girl. “Alright you three, why don’t you get the ball back from Dr Hayes and go play, I’ll join you guys in a second.”

“Okay, it was really nice seeing you again, Dr Hayes!” Zola flashed him a bright smile as she took the ball.

“Are you here for sports day? Will you come and play with us later?”

Before Meredith was able to object and say that Cormac probably had better things to do, he replied. “I’m here with my boys and I’m sure they’d love to join us as well if you don’t mind.”

The prospect of having other boys to play was the best news Bailey could have had. “Yes, thank, Dr Hayes! Zola! Zola, guess what?” And with that Bailey was chasing after his sister to tell her his good news.

Ellis was the only one left and Meredith wondered why she hadn’t gone with her brother and sister yet but suddenly Ellis wrapped her arms around Cormac’s neck. “Bye, Dr Mac.” Giggling, she let go and went to join Ellis and Bailey.

Cormac straightened himself to full height, “What?” He saw the curious look on Meredith’s face.

“How do you and my kids know each other so well?”

Chuckling nervously, Cormac answered, “I-uh, spent a lot of time talking to them on video chat when they would ring to talk to you. I hope you don’t mind…”

He was worried that he had overstepped a mark. At the time, he just wanted to help cheer them up. He knew how his sons had been when their mom had been in hospital and at least she had been awake and responsive.

“Mind? No, but I hope you’re ready because they’re going to have a million and one questions whenever they see you.” She was teasing him, but it was also true. Her kids were just an inquisitive as she was.

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. You’ve got a great bunch there, Grey. Seem to take after their mother.”

[polyamoryinfandoms]

Monthly Fic Roundup!

Hey gang! I’m posting the fics that were recommended on our last surveymonkey poll; thanks for everyone who recommended fics. Please note I did not get to read every fic on here and depended on your responses and the AO3 tags to mark for any triggers or story notes, so please read with caution if you’re worried about any content warnings!

If you want to recommend more fics, I’ll be posting another roundup poll later in the day today! 

Under the cut are 32 fics from: 

Agents of Shield (1) 

Bill & Ted (1) 

Castlevania (1) 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (1) 

DCU (2) 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (4) 

Game of Thrones (1) 

Harry Potter (1) 

Leverage (1) 

Mission Impossible (1 -- series) 

Sanders Sides (1-- series)

Sense8 (1)

Sherlock (1-- series) 

Star Wars (1) 

Stranger Things (8) 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1) 

The Untamed/CQL/MDZS (2)

Teen Wolf (2) 

White Collar (1) 

Agents of Shield: 

is it chill that you’re in my head? by lazyfish 

Pairing: Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse/Alphonso Mackenzie

TW/TAGS: PTSD, Referenced Torture

Summary: It doesn't take long for Mack to realize he's in love with Bobbi and Hunter and has been for a while. Other realizations take slightly longer.

Bill and Ted (movie):

Our Home, Our Family, Our Love by CaptainWeasley

Pairing: Bill/Ted/Elizabeth/Joanna

TW/TAGS: slurs, implied/referenced child abuse, internalized homophobia, self harm

Summary: A series of firsts in Ted's life, as he slowly comes to terms with his sexuality and learns how to handle being in love with both his wife and his best friend. When Billie and Thea come out as trans, each in her own way, he does everything he can to help them be who they are.

Castlevania: 

Deliverance by cricketsong1985

Pairing: Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades/Alucard

TW/Tags: Blood kink, explicit sexual content,  gore, trauma, angst

Summary: Adrian is beginning to think that Wallachia will be a smoking pile of ash long before he, Trevor, and Sypha can stop Dracula’s war on humanity. They’ve been chasing the castle for months, but each time they get close, it vanishes. Traveling with such genuine and trustworthy allies has been unexpectedly pleasant; Adrian doesn’t mind that Trevor and Sypha are involved with each other, but he is taken entirely by surprise when they open their relationship to him one evening. Hopelessly in over his head, his heart keeps urging him forward, even when he’s forced to confront the darkest aspects of his nature. Adrian must learn to swallow his pride and let himself be vulnerable if he wants a chance at happiness. Unfortunately, there isn’t much time for looking within when the world is drenched in blood and magic, and the path to victory may destroy him completely.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: 

We will be judged by the courage of our hearts by MagicClem

Pairing: Harvey Kinkle/Sabrina Spellman/Nicholas Scratch

TW/TAGS: mention of an abusive parent 

Summary: It's been a month since the 13 almost destroyed Greendale. Now a full Witch, Sabrina tries to move on, with the help of one Nicholas Scratch.But one night, Harvey arrives at the Spellman's house and everything becomes complicated.

DCU: 

not for the faint of heart by pasdecoeur

Pairing: Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent

TW/TAGS: Explicit Sexual Content 

Summary: Clark opens a door that was meant to stay closed. Things spiral. or, What Not To Do When You’ve Fallen in Love with Batman: A Guide by Hal Jordan & Clark Kent.

All Good Things Come in Threes (Legends of Tomorrow) by IncendiaGlacies

Pairing: Gideon/Rip Hunter/Miranda Coburn

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting

Summary: “Two is a couple, three is a crowd,” Gideon stated. In which Gideon navigates her polyamorous relationship with Rip and Miranda. Domestic slice of life goodness.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:

Pairing for all of these are Pairing: Cameron/Ferris/Sloane and are written by @fbdo1986

it’s enough to be whiplash

TW: death mention (no character death), drowning

A/N: To put it plainly, I took a few tricks from John Hughes’s earlier scripts of the film, which were more surreal and up-front with discussing death and end of the world scenarios. It was inspired by a concept that I couldn’t seem to shake after I thought of it: what if the pool scene was just a bit more high stakes?

all the things I never told you 

Summary: It’s Sloane, Ferris, and Cameron’s first afternoon alone at the Bueller residence in months. The busy twenty-four year olds who’ve struggled to find time together as their lives unfold in front of them try to think of what to do for the day when Cameron decides to let them in on what he’s been keeping from them.

bye bye love 

TW: Death mention (none of the main characters)

Summary: A hopefully angsty number that details Sloane’s, Cameron’s, and Ferris’s journey through heartbreak and loss after their Sophomore year in college. The title is named after a song by The Cars by the same name!

firestarter

Prompt #5: Where it doesn’t hurt with the OT3

Game of Thrones: 

Constellatory by blueandbulae

Pairing: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell/Robb Stark (polycule, NO incest) 

TW: Some canon typical violence

Summary: It’s strange and messy and maybe nobody else will ever understand them but it works. It’s theirs, and theirs alone, and nobody can take that from them.Or: Robb and Theon storm King's Landing, rescue the princesses, and save the kingdom. Then comes the hard part.

Harry Potter: 

Unconventional by silver_fish

Pairing: Harry Potter/Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger

Summary: A few years, now, have passed since Hedwig’s death, and Hermione thinks it’s time Harry got a new pet. What sort of pet, though, neither she nor Ron know. Not until Harry himself offers her the perfect solution, that is.

Leverage: 

for better or worse (we change together) by idkimoutofideas

Pairing: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer

TW/TAGS: Canon typical violence

Summary: The moment Parker saw the stranger standing by the elevator, a dozen alarm bells went off in her head. She froze, and Hardison nearly walked into her as he entered behind her. It took her a moment to realize that while half of the alarm bells were telling her to get the fuck out of there, the other half were telling her to look closer. Or, Eliot Spencer is a recent war veteran who just moved to Portland in an attempt to lead a calmer lifestyle. He ends up with some weird neighbors, but it's Portland, everyone's a little weird.

Mission Impossible: 

Polyamorous Spies (series of 2 fics) by MagicClem

Pairing: Benji Dunn/Ethan Hunt/Ilsa Faust

TW/TAGS: Blood & injuries (2nd fic) 

Sander’s Sides: 

Love and Other Fairytales by SoDoRoses (Fairychess)

Pairing: LAMP/CALM (Logan, Roman, Virgil, Patton)

TW: violence, major character death, no NSFW in the main fic but there is a side series with NSFW, animal death, description of rot, nonconsentual control of another person, 'like death' state of being

Sense8: 

Crazy Life by MagicClem

Pairing: Kala Dandekar/Wolfgang Bogdanow/Rajan Rasal

Summary: Rajan would admit that this past few years had been crazy and life seems determined to make it crazier and crazier.Or: This is "Amor Vincit Omnia" from Rajan's perspective.

Sherlock: 

Lorem Ipsum by Saathi1013 (series) 

Pairing:  Sherlock Holmes/John Watson/Sarah Sawyer

TW: Abduction

Star Wars:

so just pull the trigger by Darnaguen

Pairing: Han Solo/Qi'ra/Lando Calrissian

TW/TAGS: Alcohol use 

Summary: “Oh, don’t pout Haan.” Lando lounges back, licking his newly berry-tinted lips with a lazy grin. “You know all you have to do is ask.”(Qi’ra’s eyes are glinting and her smile is dagger-sharp. Han knows the look: it’s one she wears whenever she has a winning hand.The dice on the table are mediocre at best. He shakes his head and drinks deep.)

Stranger Things: 

All pairings are Steve Harrington/Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler

The Hawkins Three by nonymos

TW: Some canon typical homophobia and slurs

Summary: It's two weeks after the Snow Ball, Nancy's officially with Jonathan, and Steve is trying to move forward. If only he wasn't on a path that keeps circling back to the both of them.

lovers in a dangerous time by diogxnes

TW/TAGS: Briefly: panic attacks/PTSD, parental neglect

Summary: “So,” says Robin, sitting back in her chair, “what’s the deal there, anyway? With the whole you-Nancy-Jonathan thing.”The question makes his mouth run dry. Why would she ask that? Can she tell, possibly, how much he’s been thinking about Nancy these past few days? How starstruck he was when Nancy showed up at his house? Does she know about the mysterious warmth in his stomach when he thinks about Jonathan? “What do you mean, the whole me-Nancy-Jonathan thing?” “Come on, Steve. She’s your ex and he famously beat you up two years ago and now they’re dating each other and all three of you somehow ended up a part of this weird little monster-fighting club together. There’s gotta be a story there.”“I don’t know, Robs,” says Steve, rolling his eyes, relieved beyond measure that that’s all she meant. “You pretty much just covered all of it. There’s not much more to tell.”

Have Happened by cortexikid

TW/TAGS: Homophobia

Summary: "I overheard you. You were talking in your sleep.”Steve's heart fluttered nervously.“It was a little funny at first,” Nancy admitted, her tone a mix of teasing and apologetic, “you were moaning my name and I thought it’d be kinda funny if Mike accidentally overheard you having a sex dream about his sister—”Steve couldn’t control the guffaw that escaped him. “But then you said Jonathan’s name. Right after mine. All in the same breath.”

it’s a risk, it’s a gamble by nondz (pinkjook)

TW/TAGS: NSFW

Summary: “I think we should pretend to date,” Robin says. "What?" Steve answers.

still turning out by scoutshonor

TW/TAGS: Homophobic language

Summary: Steve knows senior year's supposed to be tough, but seriously?Not only does his dad want him to take over his business, but he lands himself into a fight with his best friend leaving him friendless and booted out of his inner-circle, gets stuck watching a bunch of kids after school because of a missing credit, has to repeat eleventh grade history, and, oh yeah. He has the minor issue of having no idea what he actually wants to do with his life.But it's not all that bad: not the kids he has to watch, and certainly not Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, two friends from his history class. Friends. Just friends. Yeah, he and you both know that's bullshit.Steve's got a lot of figuring out to do.(or: HSAU Stoncy with Steve as a senior, doing his best)

(Following Stoncy fics are by @pterawaters​) 

Now and For Always 

TW/TAGS: Explicit, Sex where one party is drunk and the other isn't

Summary: Between graduating from college, starting new careers, and planning a wedding, the summer of 1990 is a busy time for Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan. When a war starts in the middle east, Jonathan gets called away just three weeks before the wedding. He’s determined to make it back in time, no matter what it takes.

It's not like people live like this

TW/TAGS: Car Accidents, Period-Typical Homophobia, NSFW

Summary: Concerned that Steve's less-than-stellar grades might have been making them look bad, his parents hired him a tutor, Jonathan Byers, they were sure he wouldn't find as distracting as his last one. Sure, Jonathan had good grades in school, but he really wished he didn't have to take the extra work to help his mother put food on the table. After all, everyone knew Steve Harrington was a jerk. Right? It turned out, not so much. After an impromptu study-session-turned-party and a game of spin the bottle, Steve and Jonathan both found themselves dating Nancy Wheeler. And that wasn't even the strangest thing that happened to any of them that week.

Mr. Sandman (series) 

TW/TAGS: Canon-typical violence, Explicit scenes

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: 

Simmer On Low by canardroublard

Pairing: Illya/Napoleon/Gaby

TW/TAGS: semi-implied consensual voyeurism, whump

Summary: Scenes from five kitchens.

The Untamed/CQL/MDZS: 

inclusions by keiyashi 

Pairing: Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn/Xiǎo Xīngchén/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi

TW/TAGS: NSFW

Summary: “I guess I feel left out. And I’m asking you to show me how not to?”“Show you?” Xue Yang laughs, easing the tension the only way he knows how. “Daozhang, if you aren’t careful, I might think you’re implying something quite forward.”Xingchen blinks at him. “Xue Yang, I feel like you’re trying to embarrass me, but that is what I was implying.”

melting the glacier by keiyashi 

Pairing: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo/Niè Míngjué

Summary: Wanting to be with Nie Mingjue is something Lan Xichen accepted about himself long ago. He wants only happiness for his friend, no matter what form it takes. Even if that form is quite lovely and possesses an enchanting mouth.

Teen Wolf: 

Feels Better Biting Down by callunavulgari, hiza-chan (callunavulgari)

Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale/Lydia Martin

TW/TAGS: Blood

That I See You by FiccinDylan

Pairing: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski/Jordan Parris

TW/TAGS: NSFW, abo, m-preg (non graphic), werewolves, triads are normal

Summary: Deputy Jordan Parrish and Chef Derek Hale are in the prime of their lives and ready to take the next step in their relationship by courting an omega. Everything seems to be progressing smoothly until the new omega (aka Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff’s son) surfaces some unresolved tension from Jordan’s past. Jordan originally had the benefit of amnesia to block out his harried background, but now with his amnesia behind him, will he be able to resolve his past before he ruins his future?

White Collar: 

Always Starts the Same, with a Boy and a Girl by lightgetsin

Pairing: Neal Caffrey/Peter Burke/Elizabeth Burke

Tags: AU 

Summary: Summer, 1998. Neal Caffrey robs the gallery where Elizabeth O'Dell is working late, and comes away with a lot more than art. Agent Burke has no idea what's about to hit him.

[chachkayes]

Are You With Me? - Mer x Hayes

Hey all! I wrote this fic based on the scene where Hayes finds Meredith passed out in the parking lot and continued the scene based on partially how I think it’ll go, and also how I hope it’ll go as a die hard Merhayes stan. I based the title of the fic on the song “Are You With Me” by nilu, which is featured in the season 14 episode “Personal Jesus”. I’d highly recommend listening to it if you haven’t already. It’s so good.

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“No. No!” Cormac Hayes’ worst nightmare was coming true. Just as he was heading out for the night, he was faced with Meredith Grey, laying unresponsive on the Grey-Sloan parking lot pavement. Cormac dropped his bag and ran to her side. “Grey! Grey!” He called out to her, praying that she would wake up and look at him. He knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. “Grey, can you hear me?” Everything he’d ever feared since meeting Meredith was happening. He called for help, and several hospital staff came to their aide. As he handed out orders to quickly get Meredith to safety, he held her neck and checked for a pulse. He looked over her and tried to find any signs of life. “Can you hear me, Grey?” He asked again. He wanted nothing more than for her to open her eyes. God, this couldn’t happen again. He knew he wouldn’t survive if he lost her as well. “Grey, come on. Stay with me, Grey.” He was pleading to her, to God, and to Abigail. He felt all the emotions he’d had when Abigail was in her final days start to creep into his system. “I’m here, don’t worry. You’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.” He kept repeating it until he couldn’t anymore. Mostly in hopes that Meredith somehow could hear him but couldn’t respond, and also to keep himself calm.

Part of him felt partially responsible for whatever happened. She was tired and yet he paged her to go into surgery. He’d heard her talking to Jackson about how she was jealous that he had been in an OR and not her. He knew he had a patient that needed a general surgeon, he figured it’d make her happy – and it did, and part of him selfishly wanted to spend time alone with her. Had the surgery set her over the edge? Was it too much? ‘No, Cormac. No time to think like that.’ He thought to himself. ‘Not right now, not when you’re trying to save her life. She needs you to be strong for her.’ Where was the damn gurney? With still no sign of any staff returning, Cormac was petrified that Meredith was running out of time. So, he gently picked her up and rushed her towards the ER. He couldn’t waste any more time waiting outside.

As he reached the doors to the ER, he saw Bailey, Koracick, and Altman gearing up. Cormac had mixed feelings about this – he was glad that the nurse who’d ran inside had alerted others to help him, but he was upset that he couldn’t get the gurney quick enough.

“Hayes, what the hell happened?” Bailey said as he laid Meredith down. Altman and Koracick immediately surrounded her and started hooking her up to monitors. “I… I don’t know. I was going to leave, and I just saw her laying there on the ground. I don’t know what happened.” He turned away from Meredith for a moment to put on a trauma gown and gloves, then immediately returned to her side. He was so relieved when he turned around and the monitors confirmed her heart was still beating. He looked to the nurse who was with him in the parking lot and asked her to go get his bag from the pavement. It had his scrappy old N95, which he’d need if he wanted to help them with Meredith at all.

He couldn’t help but be pissed at himself for not telling Meredith about his feelings for her earlier. He was scared of them and what they meant. That fear seemed so insignificant now. So stupid. He could lose her, the only other person that understood him.

“She’s dehydrated, and it looks like she probably passed out from exhaustion. I guess it’s a good thing she passed out in the parking lot and not in her car. And it’s even better that you found her.” Koracick said after shining his flashlight in her eyes to make sure her pupils hadn’t blown. The nerves were eating Cormac up inside.

“I’m concerned about how low her oxygen levels are. I want to get her hooked up to IV fluids and continuous O2 until those levels improve” Teddy said as she grabbed the oxygen mask and placed it carefully over Meredith’s face. Bailey could see how distressed Cormac was about what had happened, he sat by Meredith’s side and held her hand, almost as if he were to let go, so would she. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her with tears welling in his eyes. “Dr. Bailey, is there anything I can do? Anything at all?” Cormac felt like he was a sitting duck – he wanted to do something to help out. He couldn’t just watch helplessly. Bailey sighed and racked her brain. “I’m worried she caught COVID. Get into full COVID equipment and then do not leave her side. Monitor her - you page me or Altman if anything looks off. She’s also going to need a familiar face to wake up to.” Hayes nodded and stood up, looking down at Meredith’s hand in his. Reluctantly, he let go to quickly get into his gear. Bailey grabbed her hand right afterwards. Cormac sprinted to get into his scrubs and full PPE, as well as text his son that there was an emergency and he wouldn’t be home that night.

When he returned, they were admitting Meredith and getting ready to transport her to her room. He walked beside her gurney, looking back to see her vitals every few seconds. When they finally settled in the room, Hayes took a seat right beside Meredith. Not too long after, Bailey, Koracick, and Altman left, leaving Hayes alone to take care of Meredith, and think about every worst possible case scenario.

Hours passed – Meredith’s vitals were still stable, but she still hadn’t woken up. Still holding her hand, he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. He talked to Abigail and prayed that Meredith would wake up, then tried to get some rest. 3 hours later, Hayes was abruptly woken up by a small squeeze on his hand. He woke up immediately and saw that Meredith’s eyes were still closed. “Grey? Grey, can you hear me? I’m right here.” She squeezed his hand again. “Okay, Grey – you need to open your eyes.” Very slowly, Meredith opened her eyes and looked beside her. Cormac breathed a giant sigh of relief. He smiled at her, and she returned the smile. He had never been so relieved to see it. Weakly, she spoke. “What happened?” Cormac could tell that she was still tired and very confused. “I found you laying on the ground in the parking lot. You were dehydrated and exhausted. Your oxygen levels were concerning, so we tested you for COVID. It’s why you’ve got your mask on and the nasal cannula.” He locked eyes with her. He didn’t ever want to break it. “And?” She asked. “We haven’t gotten the results of your test back yet; we’re taking precautions just in case. I have to hand it to you, Grey. You gave me one hell of a scare out there.” He told her, which prompted a slight laugh from her. “I seem to be pretty good at doing that to everyone.” Cormac looked down and let out a dry chuckle. He looked back up at her and took in every feature of hers.

“Can you take a deep breath for me?” He asked her. She nodded and took in a deep breath. “Did that hurt?” He followed up. “Only a little.” Meredith could see the light in Cormac’s eyes flicker out a little when she said that. “Hayes, let’s not worry until we have to.” Meredith sighed and let her eyes drift around the room. “You know, while I was out, I actually thought I was dead.” She commented after a few fleeting moments of silence. “How come?” Cormac tilted his head, confused. “I saw Derek. We were on a beach together, and he called out to me. I thought I had died and was meeting Derek in the afterlife.” Cormac smiled at Meredith; he was glad she didn’t die but she was so happy to have seen Derek. “That must have been amazing.” She smiled at him; he was the only one who could understand why she was so happy. “It was. It truly was.” He gazed deeply at her. “No matter what happens with your test, I don’t regret staying with you. I’m just glad you woke up. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you.” She grabbed his hand again and gave him a small smile while gazing softly into his eyes. They sat in silence for a while, then they lightly chatted while enjoying each other’s company until Bailey came by about an hour later.

[herewegobacktomoon]

I can’t keep up

This fanfic was inspired by a prompt left in the comments on , where theey asked me to write about a situation where Maya comes to Grey Sloan to go home together with Carina, but when she enters the office she finds her asleep on her desk after a long shift. I hope you’ll like it. Let me know what you think!

It was 7.30 pm and Maya had just finished her shift: it had been an endless day of work where they had to rescue an entire family whose house caught fire because of a gas leak, but putting it out had been way more difficult than they expected.

She was extremely tired, every part of her body was aching, except for her heart: it was beating fast, almost jumping out of her chest at the thought of finally being able to see Carina. On her way to the door, she tried to call Carina, so that she would have known where to wait her, but she didn't answer. She tried to call her again, two or three times, but there was no sign of Carina. Thinking that her girlfriend had probably got stuck in a long unexpected surgery, by the moment her shift should have been over at 6, she headed to Grey Sloan to see what was happening.

As soon as she stepped into the hospital, she bumped into Amelia Shepherd, who welcomed her all covered up, wearing two masks and a face shield to protect her, but with smiling eyes: “Hey Maya! How is it going? Have you come to rescue your girlfriend?” she said jokingly.

“Well, it's hard but everything's ok, luckily. What about you? Yes, I've come to look for her, she didn't answer my phone calls, so I thought she was in the middle of some kind of last-time surgery or stuff like that..” answered Maya smiling.

“Yes, we're all good, thanks! Ehm..Actually I haven't seen Carina for at least one hour, but she should be in her office. It has been a very tough day, above all for her...Go check on her, as you probably know, she doesn't talk too much about what she goes through...” Maya nodded in approval, now looking a bit concerned, thanking Amelia and heading straight to Carina's office.

As she entered the room, she said softly: “Hi bella, I've missed you. I tried to call you earlier but you didn't answer me. Is everything ok?”. After closing the door, she turned around, in order to be able to see Carina, and she couldn't help but smile. The Italian was all curled up, with her head on her desk, hiding between her arms, still with her scrub on: Maya could tell she had  fallen asleep at least an hour ago, as she didn't make a move at the sound of the door closing. She walked towards her, hesitating a little: she stared at her, with eyes full of love, thinking that Carina was the best thing that could have ever happened to her. Then she got closer and when she was right in front of her, she lowered to kiss her head, gently stroking it, but Carina didn't move.

Trying to wake her up without scaring her, Maya crouched, putting her hands on Carina's thighs, caressing them and looking up to her face: “Hey babe, wake up...are you ok?” she whispered. She didn't want to ruin her sleep, but she knew it wasn't good for her to sleep that way and in that office. After a few seconds, Carina slowly turned her head, struggling to open her eyes: as she saw Maya, she tried to put herself together, even though her movements were still a little bit delayed: “Oh my God, I'm sorry Bella, I was checking a patient's report and I must have fallen asleep. I'm sorry, I'm...” Carina anxiously stated, suddenly waken up by an as implacable as unexplained worry.

Maya smiled at her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips: “Don't worry bella, no problem for me. I've really enjoyed watching you while you were asleep. But tell me, how was your day?”

Carina grinned and added: “Well, you should have got me wake up as soon as you arrived! Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Today has been very tough...”

Before asking what happened, Maya focused her attention on her girlfriend's face: her cheeks were red, probably due to the pressure against the arms, but her eyes were red too, as if she had cried before falling asleep. She didn't want to ask too many questions, she would have preferred Carina to tell her about what had been going on, so she simply said: “Why? What happened?”.

Carina got up from her chair, taking Maya by the hand and leading her towards the couch she has in her office, and decided to sit down on it: the blond followed without saying a word. Tilting her head back, against the backrest of the couch, she replied. “I don't know, too many things going on: two surgeries, my brother, the pandemic itself... I can't keep up”.

Maya took her hand back in hers, and brought it to her mouth, in order to place a gentle kiss on it: “Oh babe, I'm sorry. Tell me everything, I'm here for you.”

Carina took a deep breath, then turned her head, looking at Maya, without saying a word. There was something between them which was new and inexplicable to both: their eyes could talk, no matter how many words they were thinking without being able to say them out loud. Their eyes could read them all. Indeed, Maya opened her arms, slowly twisting her body, so that Carina could come and rest against her chest, hidden in the warmth of her girlfriend's comforting hug, an offer she was only waiting for.

Now resting with her back pressing against her girlfriend's chest, she continued: “Today was really hard: as soon as I got here,there was an emergency with a woman in labour who needed to be operated, as her baby had been having trouble breathing and his heart had a very low pulse.<br /> We were able to get him out just in time, saving both the mama and the baby, but there were some complications with the woman so it lasted for about 4 hours.”

Carina sighed as if she could feel all the tension of that moment back in her body again: Maya noticed it, felt her stiffening, and started kissing her neck, then lowering to her shoulder and asked: “Wow, it must have been tough!! But you're an amazing doctor bella, you found the problem in time and this gave you the chance to save them!”. She would have liked to ask her about the second surgery, but she didn't know what had happened, so she didn't know what reactions her words could provoke, she didn't want to upset Carina, so she just waited for her to reply.

“Thank you bella, but I only did my job! Anyway, the second surgery didn't go as well as the first... I mean, both the baby and the mama were ok, actually there were even less complications than the previous surgery, but something dreadful happened. When the woman delivered the baby, by the moment she had been skipping her check-ups for the last 5 months, she didn't know her baby had a heart defect, and when she found it out, she decided to leave the baby at the hospital, she just didn't want that little girl any more...”. 

Her voice was broken and she titled her head back, now resting in the space between Maya's neck and shoulder, trying to keep all her tears inside. Without even seeing her eyes, Maya could tell she was about to cry: her breath was heavy and she was slowly sliding down the couch, as if she was trying to hide and disappear. In order to calm her and remind her she was not alone, Maya tightened her grip, took Carina's hands and started stroking them, moving then to her face, where she had arrived just in time to wipe the first tear Carina had shed.

“Oh babe, I'm so sorry you had to go through all this today. Sometimes, people just fear the worse: probably that woman was too afraid to face something like that. But it's not up to you, it's not your fault if she did what she did. You don't have to feel guilty. I know you don't show it too much, but I also know that you're the most sensitive person that exists in this world, even though you try to shut your feelings down, to avoid being disappointed. But this makes me love you even more.” said Maya warmly, delicately kissing  her girlfriend's red cheek, in the attempt of making her feel any better.

“I know, it's just that the thought of that little girl, left alone, even though she will probably find a family, really upsets me. I don't even know why...I'm not judging the woman's decision, I perfectly understand the fear, the worry and all, it's just that the idea of her being abandoned just because she isn't perfect makes me both angry and sad...it reminds me of...argh..” said Carina, before starting to cry again. 

Maya didn't get what she was talking about, but now it was not that important, she would have figured it out later: she made Carina turn around, now chest to chest, and hugged her without saying anything, every now and then lowering to kiss her girlfriend's head. She had always been that kind of person who trips up on her own words, never knowing what to say, but in that moment, it wouldn't have made any difference: Carina just needed her to be there, to be present, and she was trying her best to show it. Carina didn't move: she hid her head, pressing it on the blonde's chest, similarly to a kid who has just fallen down and got hurt. She just wanted to disappear in the warmth of Maya's body, pushing all her thoughts away. 

After some minutes in that position, all curled up, with Maya never loosening her grip and Carina feeling safer and safer between her arms, the latter tried to say something, with her voice still sounding broken: “I'm sorry bella, I don't know what happened to me... it's just that it reminds me of my childhood...”. She then wiped her tears, moving her hair away from her forehead, and placed a kiss on Maya's neck.

Her girlfriend, after pressing a light kiss against her nose, replied: “ You have nothing to apologize for. Hey, remember? I'm here for you, as you're here for me. It was you who taught me to talk about our problems. It's normal, things can get overwhelming for everyone, also for my very special and amazingly hot Italian doctor. What matters the most is that you don't have worries about reaching out for help. I love you Carina, and I want to stand by you, to laugh with you but also to help you when you need me to.”

Carina's heart skipped a beat: she was tired, her eyes teary, her hair a total mess, but her heart felt safe and knowing Maya was there for her made her calm down. “ I love you Maya. I don't know how you do this... you always arrive at the right time, using the right words and you make me feel better. It's incredible.” she said, hinting at a smile.

Maya giggled and raising her eyebrows, quite proudly, answered: “The secret is to never leave. And I'm not going anywhere without you.”

They both laughed at Maya's statement, and then cupped each other's faces: with all the tension created by the eye-contact they were making, they couldn't help but kissing, a long, gentle kiss which warmed them up.

A few minutes later, they were no longer lying, but sitting next to each other on the couch.

At first, Maya hesitated, but then she couldn't stop thinking about a word Carina had mentioned before breaking down, so she asked: “Hey, I was thinking about what you were saying before, and...I don't want to upset you, so if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine by me, but I was wondering...what did you mean when you said that the little girl reminded you of your childhood? Do you know people who have been through stuff like that? Or it's about you?”.

Carina knew that Maya would have asked about it, and probably she had tried to avoid that topic before just to wait that question, so that she had no excuses to keep it to herself. Without even acknowledging it, she started playing with her fingers and her rings, more in an insecure way than a nervous one, and Maya immediately noticed it, taking Carina's hands in hers, keeping on stroking them, gently rubbing her thumbs on them.

Carina looked at her wide blue loving eyes, and finally decided to open up: “When I was a little girl, back in Italy, and my parents divorced, my mum decided to come to the U.S. with Andrea, leaving me there with my dad. I know that she decided to bring him here with her instead of me because he was too little to handle my dad's problem, but I didn't use to see it that way... I've always had  that feeling that if I had been a better daughter, with better grades, with some plans in life, she would have probably brought me here too. But I wasn't as perfect as my little brother, and I've always felt as she had left me alone... I know it's stupid, I...”

Before she could finish, Maya immediately interrupted her: “It isn't stupid at all. It's your feelings Carina and they matter. I'm sure your mama didn't mean to leave you, or think of you as her “imperfect daughter”. Probably she made a wrong choice, but that doesn't mean that what you feel is stupid, let alone unimportant.” She then looked at the Italian who was carefully listening to her and added: “Hey come here, I want to show you something...”

Carina was caught by surprise, but she got closer to her, curious to see what she had in mind.

They stood up, Maya still holding Carina's hands: “Close your eyes.” she said, putting one of her girlfriend's hand right on her chest, so that it could feel her heartbeat. Then, she leaned to place on Carina's lips an endless kiss.

After taking a deep breath, recovering from that feeling, she asked: “What did you feel? The first thing that comes to your mind?”

The Italian hadn't got the point yet, but she replied with a smirk: “Well, your heart feels like you've just won your second gold medal, it's beating really fast.”

Maya couldn't help but giggle and said: “Not that you're wrong, but I just proved my point”.

Carina now looked even more confused: “ I don't think I'm following you.”

Maya continued: “We've just kissed, and I could tell it wasn't just me who enjoyed it, but still the first thing you noticed is how I reacted to it, instead of focusing on the emotions it provoked to you. What I am saying is that you care too much about other people, which is not bad at all, but you often forget yourself. You have to learn to listen to your heart first, to your feelings: I know that it was probably screaming my name and you didn't want to give me the satisfaction, but I need you to remember one thing. You are important, you matter, always.”

Carina smirked at such a self-confidence, which she knew was only an attempt from Maya to steal her a smile, but her eyes were now teary again, this time for joy, because Maya's words had truly moved her. 

“I don't know what to say, you amazes me every time. I couldn't be any luckier in life. I love you bella, I truly do” the Italian said warmly, pressing her forehead against Maya's.

It was 8.45 pm, they had spent more than one hour talking in that office so they decided it would be better to head home.

After picking up all her stuff, Carina walked towards the door, followed by Maya, who was looking forward to going home. Out of the blue, before stepping outside the office, the Italian turned around towards Maya and said: “Oh, anyway... I forgot to say that you, Captain, would have probably arrived second if our hearts had to compete... the gold medalist is Italian this time!”

Maya smirked, in the softest possible way, kissed her girlfriend and replied: “Well, if so... my honour to lose, then.”

[thedefinitionofendgame]

A New Adventure

Marina and Surrera (+ kids) one-shot | Rated G | Canonverse

A/N: Just some cute Marina-centric (with Surrera too ofc) fluff about graduation and moving on to a different part in life. Features Marina’s son and the Surrera trio. I love both couples and love when I think of a fic that can include both of them :) enjoy!

•

You can read this work on ao3 and fanfiction.net as well

Written & cover by@thedefinitionofendgame (aka me)

The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. For April, it was surprisingly sunny and warm; there were no clouds in sight. It was perfect weather for the special event that was to take place today because in a few short hours, Maya and Carina's son would walk across the stage at his graduation ceremony. He would graduate from one part of life, and walk onward to a new adventure in life. The child they argued on conceiving for years would adjust his cap, straighten his too-big gown and put on a brave smile before stepping out for the crowd.

His three biggest supporters besides his moms, would be cheering the loudest from their designated seats in the third row, six seats in from the aisle. Non-biological cousins who were raised as his siblings because the young boy didn't have any "real" ones. He was his moms' one and only miracle. But Andy and Sullivan's kids—two girls and a boy—were all the love he needed. Emilia had done her walk years before; she was six years older than her cousin. The twins, Clara and Tanner were closer to his age, but still two years older. For their cousin’s graduation though, the trio were on their best behaviour and had put on their fanciest clothes.

Carina wiped her eyes and Maya moved a hand behind her wife's back to pat her lightly. She had tears in her own eyes yet felt the need to keep it together. Sullivan was put in charge of video-taping, as he was the least likely to get emotional and cry. Andy leaned over to Maya and whispered, "I cried when all three of their names were called."

Maya nodded. She remembered having to console her best friend about her own kids growing up before, and now it was finally Maya’s turn. She had never been prouder of her son until this moment. He had overcome so many mountains but those never stopped his short legs. He just kept climbing, more often than not with a smile on his face. Soon, people began to shush one another, as the announcer walked across the stage with a microphone in hand. The ceremony was about to begin!

“Good afternoon everyone. My name is Georgia Davis, and I am so happy you could join us today.” Pause for a polite smattering of applause. “While we know how anxious you are to watch your not-so-little ones walk across the stage, we ask for your patience as we read through their names. This is one of our largest classes yet to graduate. Let’s give our kids a huge round of applause!”

This time the clapping wasn’t forced and nearly deafened the room. After waiting for the noise to settle down, Ms. Davis began to read down her list. Maya and Carina’s son would be near the top, as his hyphenated last name gave him the alphabetical advantage. Bishop came before DeLuca in the alphabet, which was one of the reasons Maya’s last name was first on his birth certificate. For Andy and Sullivan’s kids, they had decided whose last name went first the same way; Herrera won out over Sullivan.

"Andrew Bishop-DeLuca." Maya snapped her attention back to the stage, stopping her day dream. She couldn’t believe she almost missed the moment her son walked out because she was thinking about last names of all things! The teacher smiled and began clapping. Seconds later, a young boy walked across the stage, head held proudly. He had Carina’s brown hair, blue eyes like Maya and walked just like the man he was named after. He was every bit as trouble as the late Andrew DeLuca as well, but just as kind too. Sometimes, Maya knew that it hurt Carina to watch their son embody someone Carina had grown up alongside. Though they both wouldn’t change it for the world, because their child was still unique in his own way.

"Little Andy's all grown up," the real Andy said. Maya and Carina's son had been named after Carina's deceased brother and dubbed with the nickname "Little Andy" after Maya's best friend. It fit him perfectly because some of his aunt’s fiery personality had rubbed off onto him. Whenever he sassed his moms, they blamed it on Andy.

In the middle of the stage, Andrew turned and waved at his family, ignoring the clear instructions he had been given at home to shake the teacher’s hand and not look for his moms. Everyone laughed though, and both Maya and Carina were too proud to be upset. The teacher was ready for this, and gently placed his scroll in his hands, and directed him off stage. Sullivan smiled over from his seat farther down the row; he had gotten the whole thing on video.

After Andrew’s turn, his row of supporters sat quietly and just simply watched everyone else. Georgia Davis had been right when she said this was the largest class in a while, as a total of thirty two graduates crossed the stage. When at last everyone had gone, and many parents were crying, Ms. Davis returned and thanked everyone for coming. More speeches and awards would be given out later. It was now time for refreshments and a chance to stretch after sitting for so long.

Outside, Carina was still sobbing quietly against Maya's shoulder. "We're gonna be empty nesters soon! I can't believe it,” the Italian woman said sadly.

Maya rolled her eyes. She totally supported her wife's emotions today of all days, but calling them “empty nesters” was being a little dramatic. "Babe, he's only graduating from preschool. He starts kindergarten in September, and will be with us for at least another fourteen years. We'll be okay." She had to hold in a chuckle, as she wrapped an arm around Carina.

"Only fourteen years! That'll pass in seconds! We should've had more kids!" Carina wailed, while Maya refrained from telling Carina that having Andrew almost killed her and that another child wasn't going to be possible. Like ever.

Andy sidled over and chose to make matters worse by saying, "I've only got twelve years left with the twins, in that case. And ten with Emilia." Maya's best friend looked like she was going to cry as well, and Maya couldn't handle two crying women, so she had to do something. Quickly. So she grabbed both of their hands and forced them to look at they're not-so-baby-like babies. The Fantastic Four—a cheesy nickname dubbed for all their kids—were now playing on the mini playground. Tanner, who took his role as an “older cousin” very seriously, was helping Andrew climb the jungle gym. Emilia and Clara were running around, probably scuffing up their shoes in true Herrera-Sullivan kid fashion. Sullivan was standing nearby, a grim expression on his face. He now had three headstrong women living in his house and sometimes it was almost too much to bear. But he loved them and his son more than anything else in the world.

Sullivan noticed them watching and waved, a smile lighting up his entire face when he saw his wife. Maya still sometimes wondered how her best friend and the ex-battalion chief managed to get together despite their odds at first. One look at the chemistry between them would answer all ones' questions. They were just made for each other. Sullivan was back to being Fire Chief Sullivan, a title he most definitely hung over Andy's head. Andy had finally made Captain at Station 19 four and a half years prior. Maya stepped down completely by her own accord when Carina got pregnant; having a family meant more to her than any title, now. It was a good thing she stepped down as well, because Carina was hospitalized for nearly five months and someone had to take care of Little Andy at home that entire time.

Andy waved back at her husband, and left Maya and Carina to go stand beside him. Carina was calming down, thankfully, and stared at the big, blue sky above. She rested her head on Maya’s shoulder, even though the blonde was shorter, and sighed. Maya gently reached up to wind her fingers around Carina’s curls. Her wife had once said that was calming, so Maya did it often now. They stood together, thinking about different things probably, but under one general consensus; their son was growing up way too fast. It seemed like just yesterday they were holding him together in the Labour and Delivery wing of Grey-Sloan Memorial. That was before Carina began hemorrhaging and needed lifesaving surgery, of course. But the two moms had had two peaceful hours with their new baby. Together, as a family of three. Maya had looked at her son and thought, so this is what unconditional love is. She had sworn she would love her son for whatever he accomplished, no matter how big or small. She wouldn’t push him to the point of abuse and yell at him if he came second. She would love his other mom more than the world, and make up for all the pain her parents had put her through. Speaking of her parents, Maya’s mom asked for a picture of Andrew today, as she wasn’t exactly invited to the ceremony. Technically anyone could come, but Maya had specifically told her family that it was “parents only” and just left out the fact that Andy, Sullivan and their kids had attended for Andrew. Although Andrew didn’t even care that his grandparents weren’t present; all that mattered to him were his cousins.

“Andrew, Mommy wants to get some pictures of you. Is that okay?” Maya asked, taking Carina with her as she headed over to the jungle gym where the kids were playing. Carina pulled out her cellphone and handed it to Maya, who was ready to capture whatever smile Andrew gave them. Sometimes he was silly, especially around the twins.

Maya’s reply was a fit of giggling from the kids. She raised an eyebrow at them but apparently didn’t come across stern enough. Andy ended up clearing her throat, which caused Emilia to smarten up. She prompted her siblings to listen and Tanner nudged Andrew, who guiltily turned to his mom. He was only four, though, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that he took longer to listen.

“Do you want us in the picture Auntie Maya?” Emilia asked, gesturing to herself and her siblings.

“Of course.” Maya let them all strike a pose in front of the playground. She clicked away and let Carina try to make them laugh behind her. Sullivan put an arm around his wife, and they just watched the four kids goof off. After the candid moments of sorts, Maya did get Andrew to pose with a proper smile on his face. The twins ambled over to their parents and though they were getting too big to be carried, Andy held Tanner on her hip while Sullivan scooped up Clara. Emilia stood in front of them and they looked ready for a picture. Maya also seemed to think so, and turned the camera on them. “Smile!”

The Herrera-Sullivan’s smiled like their lives depended on it. “Want me to take pictures of you three?” Andy offered, putting Tanner down.

Maya handed her phone over in answer. “Do you want to sit on my shoulders, Bambino?” That was another one of Andrew’s nicknames, dubbed by his Italian mother. Maya was doing her best to learn Carina’s dialect but still could barely keep a basic conversation. Ten year old Emilia was better than her Auntie Maya, and Italian was just one of the four she was learning. Besides English, all the Herrera-Sullivan kids had been taught Spanish. The twins were just starting German and Italian, while Emilia was half fluent in both. It amazed Maya how quickly kids could pick up another language. Andrew was even interested in Italian, though it was mostly because the twins were learning it. He was a bit of a copycat at four years old.

Andrew held out his arms for his mom to pick him up. Maya hoisted her son over her head and he let out a giggle. Carina smoothed down his small collared shirt and straightened his pants, before turning towards the camera. They all smiled really big as Andy snapped picture after picture. As image after image was taken, Maya couldn’t help but wonder where she would be right now if she hadn’t changed her mind about kids. It had taken quite a lot of convincing from her Italian wife—plus babysitting Emilia and the twins constantly—before Maya felt like she was ready to become a mother. Craning her neck to look at Andrew now, everything made sense. Everything had worked out and Andrew was perfect. Of course Maya was being biased because he was her son, yet she couldn’t help it! It was a parent’s right to think their child was perfect even though sometimes they did things that drove them crazy.

Andrew had a habit of copying everything someone said, for either three sentences or three hours. It was very aggravating and Maya had accidentally raised her voice at him a couple times. He also refused to pick up toys—cancelling his cousins coming over was the only thing that made him do chores at this point. But those were small things and they were part of growing up. Heck, Maya knew she did things that probably drove her wife and son crazy. Maybe by the time Andrew graduated high school, their bad habits would be gone. One could only hope.

“Should we head back to our place now?” Maya asked, pocketing the cellphone Andy returned to her. The families had planned for a sleepover with all the cousins plus ice cream and more treats at home. They only lived a ten minute drive from the preschool.

The happy screams that followed were enough. Andy, Sullivan and their kids left first, giving Maya and Carina a moment alone with just Andrew. Carina didn’t say anything, but enveloped Andrew in a hug, that he returned with a smile on his face. “I’m so proud of you, Bambino. Mamma loves you.”

“Mommy loves you too.” Maya crouched down and opened her arms for a group hug. “We are both so proud of you, Andrew. We always will be. You can always count on us to love you for whoever you become.” Together Maya and Carina would fix the mistakes their own parents made and teach their son acceptance and kindness no matter what. It was only right.

Andrew pulled away from the hug and cupped his moms faces in his hands; first Carina, then Maya. “I love you Mamma. I love you Mommy.” Pause. “Now can we go eat ice cream and play with my cousins?”

Both of his moms let out a laugh. “Yes sweet boy, we can. Today is your day! Are you excited to start Kindergarten in the fall?” Maya got Andrew all buckled up and then began the drive towards home.

“Sorta. Tanner says it’s fun. Clara doesn’t like art but I like art!” Andrew informed them. “I didn’t ask Emmy yet. It’s gooder than fifth grade I bet. Uncle Sully says he’s too old to remember Kindergarten, even though I asked him.” In the front passenger seat, Carina snickered. Sullivan hated the fact that people called him ‘Sully’, especially attached to something as endearing as ‘uncle’. Jack Gibson had taught all the firestation kids what to call everyone to get under their skin just a little. Ever since Andrew had heard his Uncle Sullivan’s nickname, ‘Sully’ was the only name he used. While Sullivan was chagrined about it, Andy loved her nephew for using it to bug her husband.

From the driver’s seat, Maya replied, “I’m sure it is buddy.” In the rear-view mirror, Maya looked at her son and smiled. He was looking more like Carina every day, just with blue eyes. Carina was biologically related to Andrew, conceived with the help of a sperm donor. But he was just as much Maya’s as he was Carina’s, and shared more personality traits with her than his ‘Mamma’. He was smart and caring and worked hard for the most part; just like Maya. He was handsome and sweet and loved life, just like Carina. Though preschool graduation was big, high school graduation was going to be bigger.

Like Andy said before, in eight years Emilia would graduate high school. In twelve years, the twins would follow suit. And Andrew would bring up the rear fourteen years from now. Each time all four adults would cry and wish their babies stayed little for just a while longer. They would marvel over what the kid was like as a baby, as a child and as a teen. Comparing who they were before, and who they had become. Maya knew she wasn’t ready to think about Andrew’s future past Kindergarten, but sometimes she wondered.

Whatever he did with his life, he would be good at it. He would do his best and smile and try to get better no matter what. That was something good Maya had passed on to him. Andrew Bishop-DeLuca was a force to be reckoned with and everything he would one day overcome, would only make him stronger. Though what would never change, would be the undying love and support of his moms. Of his cousins and aunt and uncle. Friends he would meet along the way. Maybe a partner down the road. Andrew was going to love and be loved, that was something Maya was certain about. Even if he was only four years old.

The two families would cheers later, with ice cream cake forks and a small sip of champagne for the adults. They would congratulate Andrew and give him hugs and advice for the future. His cousins would tell him all they could remember about Kindergarten, and Uncle Sully would claim he couldn't remember his days in school, then come up with some crazy tale about his life that had everyone in awe but also giggling. Andy would reminisce about her own kids’ graduations in the past and those to come in the future. Carina would cry more tears and Maya would brush them away like she always did. Life would go on, and things would be okay as long as they remembered they would always have each other.

To new beginnings and new adventures with love always guiding the way.

[hopscotchandlemon]

All She Ever Wanted

Prompt number: 10. All I ever wanted

 Fandom: NCIS

 Rating: Teen

 Warnings/Tags: Mentions of Death and Child Abuse

The drug paraphernalia scattered next to the empty crib made Gibbs shudder internally. The dead Marine in autopsy was somehow linked to this nondescript house in Maryland and the more they saw, the more sordid it became. Ducky had said the Marine died of a heroin overdose but a lack of track marks or any physiological signs of drug use meant it looked like this had been their one and only foray into the use of intravenous drugs. Indeed, they passed a drugs test only 4 weeks earlier. He ordered Bishop and Torres to bag and tag the evidence before going outside to take a look at the neighbourhood.

The house had been empty when they’d arrived and the homeowners seemed to be long gone along with their foster children. His phone rang, it was McGee.

‘Boss, all the foster kids are in school apart from Maisy, who is a 14 year old girl who quite often doesn’t attend and has been reported missing to local police.’

‘Ok McGee, send over her photo so we can keep a look out,’ he replied.

A moment later his phone pinged and the photo of an unhappy looking girl with her brown hair and green eyes appeared on his screen. He looked up, aware of someone walking up the sidewalk. He watched as the girl from the photo ground to a halt on seeing all the cars outside the house. To compound things, a police car lit up behind her. With a terrified look on her face, she ran diagonally across the road and Gibbs tried to intercept her.

‘Maisy wait, you’re not in any trouble,’ he shouted across to her, moving closer and closer. The police car accelerated past her. As Gibbs managed to get to her she started lashing out and was able to land a punch to Gibbs’ mouth, splitting his lip. He managed to get his arms around her as she attempted to hit and kick him. One of the local LEOs drew their gun and pointed it towards the girl. Her legs immediately buckled, meaning Gibbs had to lower her to the ground as she screamed hysterically.

‘Put the weapon away,’ he yelled at the police officer, letting go of the girl who had now curled herself into the tightest ball. Her sobbing nearly broke his heart.

‘Maisy, my name is Special Agent Gibbs. You are not in any trouble, we just need to ask you some questions,’ he held a hanky to his busted lip.

The girl remained on the floor, clearly terrified. By now Torres and Bishop were with him and wondering how the timid looking child on the floor had managed to swing a punch at Gibbs. They obviously knew better than to say anything though. Ellie got down to her level and tried to reassure her, putting a hand on her shoulder but she flinched instantly, making Ellie retract her hand.

Having managed to stem the bleeding from his lip, Gibbs mused as to what this poor girl must have been through in her life to make her so terrified. Once he’d been to ball out the LEO who had drawn a gun at her (and by default, at him) He crouched down to the floor. Her watery green eyes were looking at him.

‘Are you ready to get up?’ his voice was gentle. His battered lips smiled at her.

She nodded. He offered his hand which she took and slowly got up. He explained where they were going to take her and reiterated that she was not in any trouble. Ellie led her to the car and she got in without any resistance.

Back at the office, Gibbs went to find Jack, sensing that he’d need her to help him question Maisy. Jack grimaced when she saw his now bruised and swollen lip.

‘A 14-year-old did that? Not good for your reputation Gunny,’ she teased.

Gibbs gave her a look before relayed the story to her, how she’d just crumpled when the gun was pointed at her.

‘Do we have her file from children services? Might help with questioning.’

‘Torres is requesting it now as well as an advocate. Bishop is getting her some food because it doesn’t look like she’s eaten in a while.

Once Sloane had read her file she sighed loudly and put it down on the desk. Gibbs walked in.

‘Useful?’ he asked, motioning towards the file.

‘I can see why she reacted like she did at the scene. Poor girl has a history of physical and sexual abuse from her dad, who was a cop.’

‘Gibbs took a sharp intake of breath, his face uncomfortable with what her had just learned.

In the conference room, Jack led the questioning. Maisy kept looking at Gibbs, a worried look on her face.

‘Is everything ok Maisy. Would you prefer Agent Gibbs left?’ Jack asked.

She shook her head.

‘I’m sorry,’ she spoke nervously, her finger pointing towards Gibbs mouth.

He smiled at her. ‘It’s ok. I know you were scared.’

Jack carried out the interview and Maisy was forthcoming with information, telling Jack about the drug dealer foster parent. She didn’t recognise the Marine but she was able to provide information that was useful to their inquiry.

Gibbs knew the information she’d given them put her at risk and he put in an application for protective custody. When it was granted, Jack agreed to stay with Maisy at Gibbs’ house. It was a sad inditement on her life as a foster child that she didn’t even question it, she just appeared resigned to going where she had to. Gibbs drove her home while Jack went to the shops to get Maisy some clothes and toiletries as well as picking up takeaway on the way home. Once Jack arrived, Gibbs got the plates out and dished up the food. They sat at the table together to eat. Jack what chatting away about nothing important. Gibbs was giving her his patented ‘what-are-you-talking-about’ look. Maisy twiddled her fork around in her food. Gibbs noted how the unhappy girl from before was smiling. She caught him looking at her, smiling every bit as much as she was.

‘Hey you look happy. Or are you just amused at us two?’ Jack commented.

‘I don’t usually get this this sort of normality when I get to a foster home. Usually it’s bad because my last placement couldn’t handle me or something like that. But this, just sat here eating noodles and listening to you two, it’s good and that’s all I really wanted.’

Gibbs and Sloane looked at each other, almost telepathically telling each other to look up how to register as a foster carer in the morning.

[psychadelickate]

NCIS - Jack Sloane: Ice Queen

Imagine: Ice Queen Word Count: 1324 Fandom: NCIS Pairing: Sloane x Reader Rating: Teen Gif: Not Mine Requested: Anonymous Prompt: Okay but, Jack x Reader where they are like polar opposites, Jack being bubbly and such and R being extremely cold and detached and Jack makes it her personal mission to find out why (end t however) sort my gay ass loves your fics 😂 Sorry this took me so long...

You’re silent the entire car ride home. Jimmy had offered to drop you home but the scathing look from Jack had him rescinding his offer. One look at her face stopped your protest on your lips. Her knuckles have turned white, gripping the steering wheel with enough force to break something. You think about making a joke, breaking the tension, but a glare at you silences your words. The drive feels like eternity. Her hand shaking you is what wakes you up fifteen minutes later and you note she’s parked outside her apartment building. Once she sees you’re awake she exits the vehicle. Her back is straight, spine rigid enough to nock an arrow. You don’t verbalise your thoughts. You follow her up the stairs to her third-floor apartment, watch as she feeds the key into the keyhole and unlocks the door. She steps aside, gesturing for you to enter before he and shuts the door with slightly more force than necessary.

“Sit,” her tone is enough to get you to do so, opting for her kitchen counter rather than the couch or a stool. You watch as she retreats to her bedroom, hear her rummaging for something and she returns a few minutes later, with a first aid kit in her hand. She’s still deathly silent and you can feel the anger radiating off her. This is different. Jack is normally the one to diffuse situations, the one to calm everyone down, always ready with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. You’re the one who stays angry at the world. “Jack,” you start but a look from her silences you again. You feel her fingers on your chin, tilting your head up to get a better look at your face in the light of her apartment. She delicately thumbs away what you think is a streak of your blood from the corner of your mouth, saying nothing as she examines it. Her fingers press your cheek and the pressure of her hand stings slightly. You wince unintentionally. Your eye doesn’t fare any better, although it’s a dull throb now. A brief pause and you feel your heart skip a beat when her gaze finally pins yours. Her voice is quiet and tense, her anger barely restrained. “What were you thinking? Taking on a drunk idiot?” You won’t admit it to her, or anyone else for that matter, but you weren’t thinking. You’d just reacted. Yes, it wasn’t the best of reactions but the man had been pushing your buttons the entire night. “He was talking shit about you -,” you start. “And you thought it was okay to start a fight because of that? He was drunk and looking for a fight. Are you going to beat up every person who talks nonsense about me?” Jack questions. “Yes!” your brain whispers. Your voice remains mute.   She’s cleaned your cheek and the area around your eye with a warm cloth and is applying some ointment to your cheek, telling you it’ll help with relieving the swelling. “(Y/N)?” they way she says your name stops your breath in your chest. You need to leave. This is dangerous. You have the nickname ‘Ice Queen’ for a reason, and quite frankly you have no intention of showing one Special Agent Jaqueline Sloane you’re anything but a cold, detached, bitch. Eleanor Bishop is a different story, she knows you’re not an Ice Queen, but she also knows you’re not in love with her. Oh God! You really do have to leave if you want to keep that secret. “I should go,” you hop off the counter as soon as she steps away from you. Jack whirls around to face you. “No, there’s no way I’m allowing you to drive home in that state. You can stay over tonight,” she informs you. “I’ll be fine,” you tell her, but she’s not interested. “Would you like me to call Gibbs?” she pulls her phone from somewhere and you know she’s not kidding. Also, you have no desire for a stare-down with Gibbs tonight. But it’s the red mark around her wrist that finally convinces you to stay. That asshole had the balls to grab Jack by the wrist and well, you weren’t having any of that. “Fine,” you huff and collapse onto the couch, your arms folded, showing your discontent. You watch her as she putters around, getting her coffee machine started. Five long minutes later she hands you a mug of coffee, no sugar, just as you prefer. The red around her wrist has darkened and you feel your anger rise again. If you ever see that motherfucker again, you’re going to kill him. It takes three attempts at saying your name to get your attention because you’re still staring at her wrist. She, however, is examining your knuckles, red and swollen and thankfully not torn. Still, you don’t miss the narrowing of her eyes. She reaches out to touch your bruised knuckles but you pull your hand before hers can touch yours. “(Y/N),” she’s tired, doesn’t have any fight left in her. She seats herself next to you on the couch, making sure there’s just enough distance that she’s not touching you. “Is it something I did that I’m not aware of?” You look confusedly at her. “The reason you’re so closed off from me. You talk to Ellie and Tim and Nick. God, you talk more to Gibbs than anyone I know, and yet, you’ve barely said a hundred words to me since I started at NCIS and that was two years ago. That’s a long time to hate someone without actually knowing them.” Jack’s correct. You’ve somehow managed working alongside her partially for two years without actually talking to her. Sure, the fact that Bishop and Torres talked so much helped, but still. Looking at Jack’s expression now, you think you should’ve made more of an effort. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. You don’t want to talk to me and that’s fine. It’s been going on for so long, what’s one more day, right?” she’s hurt and you see tears pooling in her eyes. “Jack,” you turn to face her. A lone tear escapes and rolls down her cheek. Instinctively, you wipe it away with your thumb, the action surprising you both. She holds your hand as you try to retract it. Your heart-beat speeds up and she’s close enough to hear it thudding in your chest. Her phone rings and she gets up to answer it, the moment broken. You drain your coffee, slightly colder than you prefer it. Your phone starts a few minutes later and you stand to answer it. It’s Palmer, asking if you’re still alive. You assure him you are. He asks you a few more questions, just to check and when he’s finally satisfied he hangs up. “I don’t hate you,” she’s walking toward you. “No?” You shake your head. “Then what is it?” she asks you, her tone gentle yet probing. “I like you.” She waits for you to continue. “I like you, more than I should.” Still no verbal reaction. “And you’re so far out of my league, I don’t think we’re even playing the same sport, let alone being on the same team,” the words rush out of your mouth. You avoid looking at her, afraid at being rejected. She waits a beat before talking. “Well then, how about we start with being friends? Having an actual conversation with each other?” “Okay.” “Okay.” Another two minutes of silence pass. “I knew you weren’t an Ice Queen, despite what the other agents keep telling me.” You can’t help the blush that rises in your cheeks. “But we can discuss that tomorrow. Let’s get you to bed.” “Wow, that was fast, I’ve only just agreed to be friends with you,” you joke with her and are relieved when you see her mouth curve into a smile.

Tag-list: @stanathanxoox​ @diaryofafan17​ @iwritetoavoidmyproblems​ @mahc1562​ @ladyzombiielove​ @pinturicchio13​ if you’d like to be tagged, let me know. 

masterlist here scroll down for Jack Sloane

[alj4890]

Choices September Challenge

Day 25 Image

(Thomas Hunt x OC*Amanda) in a Choices Red Carpet Diaries Drabble

A/N Not a part of any of my AU's for this particular pair, yet I thought the idea for this seemed to match them, LOL. Plus I love seeing Thomas give in to love and romance. And I've been holding on to the above photo for a prompt like this.

@choicesseptemberchallenge20​ @xjustin-ethansgirliex @lovealexhunt@lxaah11   @alleksa16   @penguininapinktuxedo   @blackcoffee85   @stopforamoment     @hopelessromantic1352     @krsnlove     @annekebbphotography        @hopelessromantic1352   . @sunflowergirl05   @desireepow-1986  @greywitchyshots   @moodyvalentinestories  @emceesynonymroll   @my-heart-beats-for-ya @aworldoffandoms   @ab1901          @flyawayboo   @i-bloody-love-drake-walker   . @trappedinfandoms   @kate-mckenzie

Masterlist

Proof

"I don't understand." Amanda's brow furrowed. "I thought you wanted us to keep out of the press until we knew how we felt about one another."

"That was only part of it." Thomas pulled her closer in his embrace. "I knew from the moment we met how deep my feelings for you would be." His lips grazed hers. "But since I haven't been in a serious relationship in years, the paparazzi will never allow us to step out the door without hounding us to death."

"And that's why you won't go as my date?" Amanda eased out of his arms.

"I think they suspect that there is something more here than mere friendship." He replied. "If I show up at the gala with you, that will all but confirm our relationship."

Amanda stepped back to sit in a chair. "I see."

Thomas sat on the couch, watching her warily. Something about her tone and expression had him concerned.

"You don't know how articles, interviews, and pictures can play havoc with a couple, much less when the two live in different countries."

Amanda folded her arms, keeping her eyes adverted. "Trust me. I do know the power of the press."

He relaxed somewhat. "Then you aren't upset."

Her lips parted to say her usual no. Then it struck her that she shouldn't downplay her feelings about this. If what they had was what she suspected, then she needed to be upfront with him.

"Actually, I am upset." Her eyes lifted to his. "I don't care about the press taking pictures of us. I'm happy being with you."

He reached for her hand. "I'm happy with you too. But having our relationship under a microscope will be difficult." He laced his fingers with hers. "If I am captured not smiling like a fool each time we are caught out together, then they will start the stories that there is trouble between us. If you are seen at court speaking with another man, then they'll say I've been replaced. It will become ridiculous."

"I can ignore them." Amanda argued. "I would think that you could too."

His eyes narrowed. "I do ignore them on a regular basis."

"Not if you are afraid to be accused of having a romantic relationship with me." She yanked her hand away. "I thought there was something..." She took a deep breath. "I thought we were moving forward to deeper emotions."

Thomas rose off the couch to pace. He knew he was in love with her. He had actually planned on this particular visit to tell her what was in his heart.

But to put all this out there...reveal the vulnerability she had caused in him to the world...he didn't want to risk losing her.

Hadn't he seen through the years how the press had a hand in destroying marriages and relationships within the film industry with nothing more than a few photos and suspicious headlines?

"Amanda, I--"

She waited for him to say something to prove to her that there was something here, that she hadn’t been fooling herself these last few months.

When he continued to struggle with the words, she pushed herself out of the chair.

"Right then." She smoothed her skirt down. "I have a plane to catch if I am to arrive in Nappa in time." She gathered her purse and coat. "I promised Rashad that I would help him with the speech he has to deliver tomorrow night."

Thomas took a step forward. "How long will you be gone?"

She shrugged. "I thought I would be gone just the weekend." She avoided looking at him. "I don't know when I will be back in Los Angeles now."

His eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I need time to think." Amanda looked up to see how he was taking her decision. "I don't like being kept a secret as if you are either afraid of someone finding out you are no longer single or that you are ashamed of me."

"That's preposterous!" He snapped. "You know you are the only one I have been dating since the night we met. Those that I am closest to know we are together. Why would you--"

"I want us to have a future." She interrupted.

Her voice cracked on the word future. She closed her eyes briefly before trying to speak calmly once more.

"That includes not hiding that from the world." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Goodbye, Thomas."

Before he could respond, she walked out of his home and possibly out of his life.

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

Later that night...

"I thought you were bringing Amanda with you." Addison stood on tiptoes to look around the crowded party.

"She needed to leave earlier than she expected." Thomas grumbled.

"I thought you were planning on going with her." Holly pointed out.

"Er, no." He tried to get away from their questions. "We decided I should remain behind."

"Why?" Addison persisted.

He ordered a drink and pretended he hadn't heard her question.

"Why?" She repeated. "Didn't she want you to be her date for the ball?"

He downed his drink, motioning for a refill. "Yes."

"Then why are you here?" Holly prodded. "Are you planning on flying out tomorrow?"

"No." He winced at the burning gulp he took.

Addison and Holly shared a look.

"Did you...did you break up?"

His silence caused alarm.

"No!" Addison gripped his arm, forcing him to acknowledge her. "You two aren't through, are you?"

"I--" he finished his drink, slamming the glass down. "She said she needed time to think."

"About what?" Holly snapped. "You two were perfectly happy at dinner the other night."

He tried to shake off Addison's tenacious grip. "This does not concern you."

"On the contrary." Holly grabbed ahold of his other arm. "We care about you and her."

The lid on his temper was being held by a mere thread. "It is a ridiculous difference of opinion." He wrenched his arms free. "Nothing more."

"Difference of opinion about what exactly?" Holly and Addison dogged his steps.

He knew they would follow him the rest of the night if he didn't tell them. Finding an empty room, he motioned them inside.

Once the door was closed, he explained the issue.

"Wait a minute." Addison held up her hands. "You're afraid of the press?" Her tone hardened. "Are you insane?!"

He glared silently at her.

Holly observed him closely. "You love her, don't you." She took her glasses off to tap against her chin while she tilted her head in thought. The revelation grew clearer. "And that is what scares you."

"I--" he sputtered. "That's beside the--you--"

"Get over yourself!" Addison snapped. "Who cares if the paparazzi follow you from now until you two have a household of babies? You're going to ruin this without their help in trying to maintain this idiotic image you have created of being the unfeeling director." Her eyes narrowed. “The man who needs no one.”

Thomas and Holly stared at her in stunned silence. Addison rarely lost her temper to this extent.

"I have to see the articles all the time about Matt's supposed chemistry with his latest co-star." She placed her hands on her hips. "But I know I am the one who has his heart."

Holly nodded in agreement. "Same for me with Ryan. Nothing makes me happier than seeing him in interviews proclaim that I'm the only one for him." She focused on Thomas. "Don't you think it's time you revealed to Amanda and the world that you love her?"

He rubbed his hands down his face.

He knew he was going to have to make a grand gesture to fix this.

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

The next day, Napa Valley, William Sloan's home...

"I could always call on one of men I work with to be your escort for the ball." Rashad offered. "There's even a few coming in from New York that you might like to meet."

Amanda shook her head. "I appreciate that, but I am fine going on my own."

Hana's concerned expression became even more pronounced. "Is there anything we can do?"

Amanda forced a pleasant smile. "I could use some help choosing which dress to wear."

"I can do that." Hana watched their friend disappear into her room.

She waited until the door closed before turning to Rashad. "Should we intervene?"

"I wouldn't know where to start." He grimaced. "You know how bad I am with this sort of thing."

She looped her arms around his neck. "You are wonderful with relationships."

He smiled at her. "Only when it involves you, Hana." He pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. "There is a CEO from New York that might be a good match for Amanda. He plans on coming out tonight."

"Then we will introduce them to each other." Hana decided. "That way there isn't any pressure on either of them."

Amanda stepped out in a black ballgown and gave a brief twirl. "Here's the first one I brought."

Hana turned her attention to helping the duchess look her absolute best for the ball.

She was determined to see her friend happy by the end of this evening. She secretly hoped though that Thomas would end up surprising them all by showing up at the last minute. With a heartfelt sigh, she made comments about the next dress Amanda modeled for her.

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

An hour before the ball...

Amanda chewed on her lip as she reread the strange text she had received from Thomas.

Please meet me at Wilson's Diner.

She quickly sent a reply.

Why? I have a ball to get to.

Her eyebrows lifted when he immediately replied.

There is something I need to say.

She hesitated.

What is it you wish to say?

Something I should have said a long time ago.

"Thomas." She mumbled, completely frustrated with the man. Cursing herself the entire time, she quickly texted back that she would be there in a few minutes.

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

Wilson's Diner...

Though she felt ridiculous stepping into the causal establishment in a ballgown, Amanda paused in the doorway, trying to see where Thomas was seated.

A waitress approached her with a smile. "You must be the one the guy sitting in the back is waiting on."

She led her to his table.

Amanda stopped in her tracks when she saw Thomas sitting there in a tuxedo. He had a bouquet of flowers and had somehow managed to have a heart box of candy in the middle of September.

He slid out of the booth and took her in his arms.

Before she could utter a word, he kissed her.

Amanda heard the faint clicks of cameras.

When she pulled away to see where they were coming from, Thomas stopped her with his words.

"I'm in love with you, Amanda."

Her lips parted, eyes searching his. "You are?"

He kissed her again, causing the sound of more clicks to occur.

"You make it impossible to not fall in love." He said softly.

She smiled against his lips. "I'm in love with you too, Thomas."

He stepped back to hand her the flowers and candy.

"May I take you to the ball?" He asked.

"I would like that." She breathed in the sweet smell of the her roses.

Thomas slipped his arm around her and addressed the patrons of the diner. "If you want more for your story, we will be attending the charity ball Sloan Industries is hosting."

The majority of patrons clicked one last photo before hurrying out to get to the venue.

"You purposely had the press here?" Amanda asked.

"I did." He led her out to a waiting car.

She stopped him when he opened the door for her. "You didn't have to do that." She lowered her head. "I would never ask you to do something like that when I know how much you value your privacy."

He propped his arm on the roof of the car. "Then what did you need to think about?"

She blew a frustrated breath. "If I could be alright with hiding my feelings for you while out in public."

"And could you?" Thomas gently cupped her chin, urging her to meet his steady gaze.

"Maybe. A little longer perhaps." Amanda shrugged once more. "But the way things have progressed between us the last few months, I don't think I could continue like this."

Thomas took her flowers and candy, setting them down in the car, then pulled her back into his arms.

"I don't want to lose you." He admitted. "The thought of that happening along with the press either having a hand in it or reminding me of my failure in making you happy..." He touched his forehead to hers. "...that is why I tried to avoid their finding out about us."

She met his lips in a tender kiss.

He reluctantly pulled away. "We're going to be late."

Her frustrated groan brought a smile to his face.

"I want to show you off." Thomas whispered, as his lips skimmed her neck.

"If you insist." Amanda slipped out of his embrace and sat down in the car.

He followed after her, gave instructions to their driver, then raised the privacy barrier.

"Thomas?"

"Yes?" He lifted her hand to his lips.

"I can't wait to show you off either."

[temilyrights]

the case of us (chapter eleven)

Jack Sloane x Reader

A/N: Okay, we’re finally here. The last chapter. It's been a wild ride! Thank you all for joining me on this journey. I’m linking the dresses Jack and Reader wear later on in this chapter. My description doesn’t do Jack’s dress nearly enough justice. (Thank you for all your suggestions and this isn’t really what any of the colours you suggested but I saw it and fell in love). Also @x-multifandom-trash-x​ I may have added an adaptation of the text thing you tagged me in....Also, gotta thank @sassystrongsexysloane​ for being my sounding bored and motivating me to write aha. Wow, so this really is the end. Really thank you guys for reading/commenting/liking. I'm honestly kind of sad it's over. I hope you're happy with how I decided to end it. It took me forever to decide how to do it because I just kept adding more ahah. Anyway, I’ll shut up now and as always, feedback is welcome and very much appreciated :)

Jack | Reader (just pretend there’s a slit in reader’s dress)

Read on AO3

Chapter Ten

You sat on the cold autopsy table watching Jimmy pace back and forth, hair sticking up in different directions due to how many times he’d run his hands through it. “This was going to be the celebration we never had! But if I can’t make it or you guys can’t-” 

Jumping off the table you grab Jimmy’s arms halting his steps. “There’s no way you won’t be there and it’s still two days away Jimmy, I’m sure the case will be wrapped up by then.” 

Jimmy and Breena were throwing an anniversary party, they’d sent out invitations months ago but this was your third day working the case for SecNav and it didn’t seem like it would be wrapping up anytime soon so Jimmy was beginning to freak out. He wanted you all there and you wanted to be there. It was just the reality of that happening was lowering by the day. 

“You think so?” 

“I do. I don’t care if we wrap the case 10 minutes before the party begins, I’ll make sure everyone is there.” At your earnest expression, Jimmy relaxes slightly, and you drop your arms from him. 

“Thank you.” 

“Not a problem.” You smirk. “Now, I need to go get a book from Jack. I’ll see you later.” You exchange goodbye’s before you quickly make your way to the elevator, probably too giddy at the thought of seeing her. 

Since the evening at her house, you hadn’t really seen her even during office hours. This case was a hard one. Gibbs had you all working pretty much constantly. The only free time you got consisted of you heading home to catch a few hours of sleep, shower and maybe eat before you’d be heading back to the office. So, apart from one coffee break that you’d managed to catch together and a couple of times over the last few days she’d appear to drop off evals or watch an interrogation you hadn’t seen her. 

And it sounded pathetic, but you missed her. 

Jack’s sitting at her desk when you enter, a bright smile lights up her face when she sees you and it has you relaxing for the first time in days. “Hey.” 

“And to what do I owe this honour?” She grins, dropping her pen and turning her chair to face you. 

“Do you happen to own a copy of Hollin’s Criminal Behaviour?” 

“Yeah, on the bookshelf. For the case?” 

You hum, making your way over and start to scan the shelves for your target. “I remember reading it in college, it had a reference to a case that could help with this.” You shrug frowning. “Thought it was worth a look, that’s if I can find it-”

You suck in a sharp breath as Jack comes up behind you, fingers brushing your waist as the whole of her front pushes into your back and she leans over grabbing the book from the shelf. “This the one you looking for?” Her voice tickles your skin and you have to resist the urge to squeeze your thighs together, her voice sounding like pure sex. You swallow, nodding your head wordlessly as you take the book from her and try to control the blush rising up your cheeks. 

Jack steps back, a devilish smirk on her face as she makes her way back towards her desk as if she wasn’t aware of the effect she was having on you. “You’re a cruel woman, Jacqueline Sloane.” Jack laughs as she leans over her desk with a wiggle to her hips that has your eyes zeroing in on her ass before trailing down her legs to her heeled feet. She’s wearing a tight black pencil skirt with a zip down the back that was demanding your attention along with a champagne satin blouse. “Very cruel.”

Jack turns around humming, as you approach. “Is this where I’m supposed to pretend to be sorry?” Rolling your eyes, you drop the book onto the coffee table and then pull Jack into you. She wraps an arm around your waist pulling you in closer and arches a brow. You cup her cheek, a smile spreading across your face as you just take her in. 

“Hi.” 

“Hi” Jack’s expression softens. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to work?” 

“Yeah, probably but I’m really quite happy here at the moment.”

“Oh, well, I can’t argue with that.” 

You hum, your eyes moving to focus on Jack’s lips which are smirking devilishly and god, you really wanted to kiss her. “I think we should pick up where we left off the other night.” 

Jack’s nose scrunches up. “Really? In my office?” 

You shrug, stepping forward, prompting Jack backwards until her bottom hits the desk. “Why not? Plenty of fantasies involving this place.” 

Jack pushes your shoulder, as she huffs a laugh. “Behave.”

“Where’s the fun in that, Jacqueline?” 

Jack’s eyes darken, her gaze flicking to your lips and then back to your eyes.  “I like when you call me Jacqueline.”

“That’s good to know.” You brush your thumb over Jack’s lip, a smirk blossoming on your face when you hear her suck in a sharp breath. “...Jacqueline.” 

“Y/N,” Jack warns. 

“Yes?” 

“Step. Back.” You pout but don’t move, and Jack rolls her eyes playfully. “I don’t want the first, well second, time I kiss you to be in my office when we’re both tired and also half concentrated on a case where someone could interrupt us at any second.” Good to know you weren’t the only one thinking about that kiss still...it’d been the main contender in your dreams (day and night) since it happened. How Jack felt in your arms, the feeling of her lips and the way she’d gripped your hair. You swallow roughly. 

“One, I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” You get a jab in your side for that, causing you to release a yelp and step back. “and two, you bringing up that kiss isn’t exactly motivating me not to kiss you.” 

“Pick the book up and get the hell out of my office.” 

“Bossy.” You mutter and then immediately duck seconds before a lollipop flies over your head. “Hey!”

Jack walks around her desk, falling into her chair with a smug smile on her face that has you rolling your eyes. 

“Fine. I get the message. I’m going.” Smiling you make your way to her office door. You pause before opening it though, turning back to see Jack shamelessly checking you out, you arch a brow. “Enjoying yourself?” 

“Immensely.”

You chuckle. “Oh, hey, you’re still coming to Jimmy’s anniversary party, right?” 

Jack nods. “If the case is wrapped up.”

“Ok, cool.” You swing on your heels, chewing your lip as you wonder if you should ask the question you’ve been toying around in your head for the last day. Jack’s watching you closely and it makes your chicken out. “I’ll meet you there I guess.” 

Jack smirks. “Or you could pick me up?”

Your cheeks flush pink as a smile takes over your face “Or yeah, I could do that.”

“Good, now go do your job.” 

“Yes, boss.” You were pretty sure if you hadn’t moved and shut the door behind you another lollipop would have been flung at you. 

----

The case is finally wrapped up Saturday afternoon and you’re practically dead on your feet by the time you finish your report and hand it into Gibbs. He takes one look at you and the rest of the team, all in similar states of drowsiness and huffs. “Alright, go home and get some shut-eye.” 

“Oh, thank god.” Nick sighs from his desk, perking up for the first time that day. You quickly grab your bag and switch off your computer.

“See you all at six!” You shout back to the team as you make your way to the elevator receiving a variety of groans and grins in response. 

You manage a couple of hours of sleep when you get home and wake up feeling semi-human and start to get ready for the evening. Your dress for the night was gorgeous. It was a midnight blue colour and you may have picked it out with Jack in mind. It was a silk midi halter neck dress that flatters your figure. The criss-cross spaghetti straps held the back of your dress together, showing off your back all the way down to your waist but your favourite part of the dress was the slit that went up above your knee. You paired the dress with a pale gold clutch and strappy heels, you keep your hair down styling it nicely and applied your makeup, spending way too much time trying to get the perfect wing with your eyeliner.  

Your heart’s thumping in your chest when you pull up outside Jack’s house. You shoot her a text informing her you were here and then get out the car and lean against it as you wait for her. 

Your jaw nearly hits the floor when she exits. She looked like a literal goddess in her dress. It was a black chiffon material that was covered in metallic purple leaves and golden birds. It was a wrap dress with a flowy skirt and billowy sleeves with a deep plunging v neck that showed you ample cleavage while still looking completely sophisticated. She’d paired it with a simple pair of nude heels and a matching bag. Her hair was straight for a change and you could feel yourself heating up at the sight, her smirk devilish as she approached. 

“You look...gorgeous.” You swallow roughly and the second she steps in reach you pull her flush against you. Jack wraps her arms around your neck, clutch still in her hands as she laughs softly. 

“I’m glad you like it, cost me an arm and a leg.” 

“Definitely worth it.” You hum, your eyes dropping to her cleavage then up to her mouth and then back to her eyes which are filled with amusement. 

“You look stunning too. I like you in blue.” Your cheeks heat up as one of Jack’s hands moves from your neck to trail down your back, stopping and teasing at the waist of your dress. 

“Jack.” You warn, fingers digging into the soft material on her hips. Jack smiles smugly and you move to cup her cheek pulling her in closer to you.

“Nuh-uh.” Jack stops you, pulling her head back as you pout. “You’ll ruin my lipstick.” 

“Seriously?!” You moan, mouth hanging open as Jack steps back and with a smug smirk walks around you opens the passenger’s side of the car and slips in. You tip your head back groaning. She was actually going to kill you. 

----

Because of how busy the case had been, you’d spent the whole week in professional work mode, meaning people (well, Ellie) didn’t have the opportunity to question what had happened between you and Jack. No one could really work out how the two of you were either because whenever Jack appeared she was in work mode as well. She’d shoot you a few smirks or smiles and you think Ellie noticed a couple of times, but it wasn’t enough to form a conclusion of what had happened. 

Jack and you had never clarified what the two of you were and to be honest, you weren’t in any rush to have that conversation. You knew you liked Jack and that she liked you too so that was enough, however that didn’t help you with tonight. Part of you wanted to scream from the rooftops that the woman of your dreams was into you but a bigger part of you wanted to keep this between the two of you, at least for now. 

“Jack?” You ask, switching off the engine of the car as you look from the venue and towards her. She hums, as she sorts through her clutch. You don’t respond and Jack looks over to you with a frown. 

“Everything okay?” 

“Yeah. I just...Tonight. Can we keep us on the down-low, it’s not that I don’t want-” 

Jack reaches out and squeezes your hand, halting your words. “I’d like that. I could really do with at least a few weeks without Torres’ comments and the looks from the rest of the team. Plus, it makes it more fun if people don’t know.” 

You breathe a sigh of relief, squeezing Jack’s hand with a soft smile. “Thank you.” 

Jimmy’s outdone himself. The venue is beautiful. A decent sized room filled with round tables, a dance floor and a bar already surrounded by guests. You spot Ellie and Nick standing at the bar and wave at them. Ellie waves back and signals her head to the side of the room where the rest of the team were. Gibbs, Ducky, Vance, Kasie, and Tim and Delilah. 

Jack laughs from beside you when she sees Gibbs. He looks widely uncomfortable and you know this is his literal idea of hell. A room full of people, half of who he doesn’t know but who he’ll probably end up having to socialise with while also wearing a suit, which looked brand new so probably wasn’t that comfortable. “Enjoying yourself, cowboy?” Jack teases when you reach the group. 

Gibbs grunts causing the rest of the group to start laughing. Everyone falls into conversation. Jack and Vance walk away from the group, presumingly to get drinks and you talk with Delilah. This was her first night away from the twins for a while and you could tell she was enjoying it. You want to say hello to Jimmy but every time you see him he’s already talking to someone while looking a little frazzled, so you decide to wait for later. 

It’s not long before it’s time for food. You make your way over to the table the team had claimed as their own. Jack’s sitting down already, a free seat on one side of her that she signals to. You grin and make your way over but before you get close enough Ducky takes the chair. 

“Sorry.” Jack mouths, disappointment clear and you shrug, trying to hide your pout. There’s a seat free in between Nick and Kasie so you take that one. Jack was basically opposite you, so it wasn’t too bad. 

Food is served, conversation is had and after dessert plates are cleared away Jimmy rises from his chair. He’s sitting a few tables away from you all, he clinks his glasses a little hard causing it to smash in his hands. Nick sniggers from next to you and both you and Ellie elbow him in the side at exactly the same time. “Hey!” Nick whines as the rest of the table laugh, Jack looking at you with a playful roll of the eyes and smirk.

Jimmy clears his throat. “Okay, let’s try that again. Breena and I want to thank you all for coming. This party has been a long time coming, and I’d like to thank Y/N for keeping me calm throughout the week as I freaked out on more than one occasion that this was going to be a repeat of what happened with our wedding all those years ago.” Jimmy nods towards you with a smile, and you lift a glass up at him and smile, your cheeks heat up as everyone turns to look at you. You see Tim and Gibbs exchange a look as they remember the day years before. It’s weird to think that the team was completely different now and that there was an ocean of people you’d never had the opportunity to meet. It makes you sad on occasion but then you look at Jack, as you do now, and you decide it doesn’t matter. 

“So, I asked you all here today to celebrate Breena and I. We met around this time 10 years ago and she brought a light into my life I didn’t even realise I was missing. It hasn’t always been easy, sometimes it’s been damn right difficult, but I wouldn’t ever change any of it. Getting to love you, Breena has been one of the greatest honours of my life, along with being Victoria’s father.” Your eyes flick from Jimmy and towards Jack. She’s watching Jimmy with a soft smile on her face and your heartbeat begins to pick up. “With the job I do, it gets difficult to see the good in the world, sometimes the bad just seems like too much, that no matter what I do there’s always going to be something evil lurking around the corner. And maybe that’s true, but it’s also true that coming home to you, no matter my day, will never fail to lift my mood because just being near you or hearing your voice fills me with a sense of calm and belonging. Our love isn’t perfect because we aren’t perfect but it’s real. It makes me a better man and a better father. It has kept me strong and helped me to grow into the person I am today, and every day I come home and see you I’m reminded of how lucky I am that you walked into my life and decided I was worthy of your love. So, I want to thank you Brenna, and Victoria, for being my home, for being my world.” 

“Wow, Jimmy’s got skills,” Nick mutters from next to you but you don’t acknowledge it, can’t. Your eyes remain fixed on the side of Jack’s head as you think about how the thing between the two of you could easily become love...You wonder if it already is because you look at her and you feel that sense of calm and belonging. You’d had feelings for Jack long before you admitted them to yourself and yes, she could set your body on fire with just a look but she could also make your chest swell with something words couldn’t describe, and that’s what love is right? Indescribable. 

Jack turns her head and looks at you, her eyes are misty, and your emotions must be all over your face because Jack sucks in a breath. Her eyes soften with a smile just for you, and yep, you’re a goner. 

----

Jack disappears once people start to make their way to the dance floor. You search the whole room for her and eventually find her standing outside on the patio. Her arms are wrapped around her waist as she looks up at the sky. You can still hear the music sounding from the hall as you make your way to stand beside her, pausing only to place your drinks on a table. Jack doesn’t move but you know she knows you’re here. “Everything okay?” You ask quietly, lightly bumping your shoulder against hers as you look up to the sky. It’s a clear night and the stars shine brightly down on you. 

“Yeah, just…” Jack blows out a breath and she doesn’t need to use any more words because you get it. 

“Yeah, me too.” Jack smiles and lightly bumps her shoulder back against yours. A song you recognise starts sounding from the hall, and you grin. “Come with me.” 

You tug at her arm, prompting her to drop her arms from her waist and you tangle one of your hands with hers and drag her down the side of the building. “Y/N, where are we-” 

“Ssh.” You whisper and know Jack has rolled her eyes without even turning to look at her. You look around the space, stopping when you reach a slightly secluded area. It’s dark enough that people wouldn’t immediately notice the two of you if they came outside, but still close enough that you can hear the music, even if it’s slightly muffled. You turn back to look at Jack, who’s watching you with an amused smile. “Dance with me?”

Jack grins and tugs you close. Your hands remain clasped together as she holds you against her and you both move to the song. You move your free hand to fiddle with the ends of Jack’s hair. You loved her beachy waves but her with straight hair just did something to you. “You look beautiful tonight.” You say as Jack spins you out. 

“I know,” Jack smirks, and you roll your eyes and spin yourself back into her. She grasps your other hand and you sway, your back pushed into her front as she holds you close. Jack sighs as she rests her head on your shoulder. Your eyes fall shut as you bask in the moment. It still felt a little surreal, that this was your new reality. That you could touch and hold her like this without fear of rejection.

“Thank you.” The words escape your lips in a breathy whisper. 

Jack hums, “For what?” 

“For everything. For being you.” Jack smiles into your shoulder, placing a soft kiss against the exposed skin. She drops one of your hands and you turn back around to face her, cupping her cheek and lightly brushing a thumb over her open lips before meeting her eyes. “Can I kiss you yet?” It’s not a whine but it’s almost one and Jack smirks but instead of answering moves her hand to the back of your neck and pulls you in. 

And oh, god, it’s better than the first time. The kiss is tantalizingly soft and slow and full of things that it was way too early to say. She pulls away all too quickly with a light nip to your lip that has you wanting to pull her right back to you. “Was it worth the wait?” Jack’s face is full of smug satisfaction so you assume your eyes are slightly glazed. 

“You’re the romantic, you tell me.” 

“You think you're cute, huh?” Jack rolls her eyes, lightly poking you in the side causing you to laugh. 

“Oh, I’m damn right adorable.” 

Jack snorts. “You wish.” Laughter sounds from the hall drawing both of your attention, Jack sighs and steps away. “We should go back inside.” 

You pout. As much as it was the right thing to do no part of you wanted to return to a hall full of people and not stay right here in Jack’s arms. “5 more minutes.” 

Jack tugs your hand. “Come on, It’s Jim-”

“Make me.” Jack freezes, swallowing roughly as her eyes darken in the moonlight. You bite your lip, preening at Jack and that’s all it takes for her to pull you back in flush against her. She leans in, her mouth coming to hover by your ear. 

“Fine, but you might moan a little.” and oh. That definitely wasn’t fair. Jack captures your lips in a kiss that has your toe’s curling. Your hand cups her jaw, the other wrapped around her waist to keep her close while Jack’s hand finds its way to your hair. She walks you backwards until you hit the wall. 

“Not motivating me to go inside.” You say in between kisses. Jack makes a noise of frustration every time you pull your mouth away from hers. 

“Shut up.” Her lips slam back into yours and your tongues fight for dominance. Jack pushes you further into the wall, her hand moving to tease at the slit of your dress and you moan, thighs squeezing together. Jack smirks against your mouth and takes control of the kiss. You don’t try to fight it, your hand skims down her back and palms her ass causing Jack to groan into your mouth. In retaliation, Jack’s hand sneaks further up the slit in your dress, shifting it upwards as her fingers tease the top of your thigh and you wiggle against her, your body already aching for her touch. You nibble her lip when she just smirks. 

“Really?” You say breathlessly. “You made me wait to kiss you but your fine with basically fucking me against a wall?” 

Jack laughs. “No, just getting you worked up as punishment.” 

Your eyes close and your head tips back when Jack runs her nails down from where they rest on your thigh. “It’s working.” Jack kisses up your neck, making her way to your earlobe which she roughly tugs before instantly soothing it with a swipe of her tongue. 

“Good.” 

“Jacqueline.” You whine, bringing her mouth back to meet yours as Jack’s hand squeezes your thigh and she releases a breathy moan. 

Someone loudly clears their throat and you jump in Jack’s arms, yanking your mouth away from her and looking towards none other than Leon Vance. Your face turns scarlet as you quickly fix your dress while Jack just steps back with a smug smile and turns to look at her friend. 

“Can I help you, Leon?” You know she’s friends with the director, but you have no idea how she’s not at least slightly embarrassed. Vance rolls his eyes, shaking his head as he chuckles and looks between the two of you.

“Really, Jack?” Jack’s entire body tenses up, her face morphing into a scowl. Leon’s eyes widen as Jack’s body shifts to stand slightly in front of you, protecting you. 

“Yes. What’s the problem?” 

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that if you’re going to” Vance’s face scrunches up slightly “do that...at least do it somewhere private.” 

“It was private until you turned up.” You mutter but obviously not quietly enough as Vance releases an unimpressed snort as Jack laughs. Your face heats up all over again and you groan, dropping your head onto Jack’s shoulder as you die from embarrassment. 

“Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. Just go somewhere private before Victoria, or even Jimmy, comes across you and you scar them for life.” You smother a laugh into Jack’s shoulder as you imagine the look of horror on Jimmy’s face. Jack must do the same as she chuckles. With one last shake of the head, Vance turns around. “Nice to know some office gossip does ring true though.” 

Your head snaps up from Jack’s shoulder. “What office gossip?” Both of you shout at the same time but Vance doesn’t answer just continues walking and makes his way back into the hall. Jack and you turn to each other and break out into laughter.

“Do you think it’s late enough that we can leave?” 

Jack arches a brow “Got somewhere to be?” You grin but don’t respond so Jack looks at her watch and shrugs. “Kind of early but if we’re apologetic we’d probably be fine.”

Pulling Jack in by the fabric of her dress as your hand comes up to swipe at the underside of her breast and you breathe against her lips “Take me home Jack.” She growls, capturing your mouth in a searing kiss that has you whimpering. You slow it down into soft kisses, both of you eventually separating as you take ragged breaths. 

The lipstick Jack had been trying to protect at the beginning of the night was now basically non-existent, most of what is left is smudged around her lips and with a chuckle, you reach out and wipe it away. “You need to get a kiss-proof lipstick.” 

Jack smirks. “It looks better on you anyway.” Your eyes widen as you wipe a thumb over your own lips surprised to see the muted pink of Jack’s lipstick covering your thumb. “Here, let me.” Jack wipes at your mouth, getting rid of the rest before placing a soft peck against your lips. “Ready to go?” 

“More than.” 

You drop each other’s hands, keeping a suitable distance between you as you make your way back into the hall. You feign tiredness as an excuse, and no one really questions it especially after the case this week. You pull Jimmy and Breena into hugs, congratulating them and apologising for ducking out early. Vance gives you both a pointed look but doesn’t say anything, although his smirk says enough if Gibbs’ eye roll is anything to go by. Delilah looks absolutely gleeful and it prompts you to check your dress is in place and run a hand through your hair to check you were presentable as there wasn’t a reason she should be this knowing. You watch as she leans over and whispers in Tim’s ear. Tim splutters on his drink head flying up to look between you and Jack, his ears turning bright pink. 

You look to Jack, who’s watching you with an affectionate smile and you feel your chest warm as you breathe deeply. She tilts her head towards the door and you nod, both of you saying one final goodnight to the team before making your way out of the hall. 

“Do you think anyone doesn’t know about us?” You ask, looking at Jack over the top of your car. 

She huffs. “Not with the way you were making goo-goo eyes at me the whole night.” 

Your jaw drops open, as you make a noise in outrage trying to dampen the blush rising up your cheeks. “It’s not like you were any better!” 

Jack shrugs as she fails to suppress her smile. “Probably not.” 

Life isn’t perfect. You’d accepted that a long time ago, but as you drive to your apartment listening to Jack hum along to the music playing from the radio as she flicks through her phone, it felt pretty damn close. It didn’t matter that you had a mountain of chores waiting for you at home, or that both of you were a little jaded, or that at any moment you could be called into work. All that mattered was that she was next to you.

“Will you stop looking at me and focus on the road? I don’t really fancy ending our evening with a trip to Bethesda.” 

And even if she didn’t know it, she already had your heart.