#i just need my daily jj dose

[hotchaways]

the lack of jj fics on tumblr makes me want to do the work myself 🫣

[weirdmorefics]

So Very Basic- Spencer Reid X Reader

A/N- This may have just been an excuse for me to infodump about Pride and Prejudice but I swear the fic is still good! Reader is also very Autistic coded but I am Autistic so that happens a lot when I write hope you don't mind.

Pronouns- She/her

Tooth-Rooting Fluff

Word Count- 822

Summary- Spencer judging your book tastes on the jet back home.

Spencer and I have made it a habit of sitting next to each other every flight home. We usually talk about the recent books we have finished or are currently reading. Sometimes we just sit in silence and read together. These are my favorite moments in my life I never feel calmer in the jet with Spencer by my side or across from me. This time it felt different though Spencer's eyes have not left me once I swear he hadn't flipped a page of his book.

"Hey Spence, What's your book about?" I say trying to hint at the fact that I can obviously see he has not flipped a single page.

He seemed startled by my sudden question but proceeded to tell me the entire synopsis of his book.

I slam my book shut and shout, "You have read that book already!"

He seemed perplexed by my reaction "There is no rule against rereading books I think authors would prefer you reread their works."

I groan, "There is when you spend the whole flight staring at me distracting me from my book."

Spencer flushes and I am one hundred percent sure I am right now.

"Hotch the children are fighting again!" Rossi shouts like a mother making me shake my head at him.

"Hotch Spence is poking meee," Emily teases in her best Y/N impersonation. JJ of course joins in playing the role of Spencer, "I am not Y/n." She draws out my name.

Spencer and I look as red as two tomatoes and my safe space has turned into an inescapable nightmare.

He leans in and whispers in my ear, "You know this is your fault for picking the most basic Jane Austen novel."

I gasp dramatically which of course just causes more stares from the team.

Derek sighed knowing this Y/n gasp all too well, "Pretty boy what are you doing offending Y/n? Do you want to listen to another one of her defensive rants for thirty minutes?"

"I quite enjoy them," Spencer smiles.

Rossi rolls his eyes, "You would."

I stand up, "Pride and Prejudice is beautiful from its book, it's movie, and it's BBC Special!"

JJ sighs," Here she goes."

"The drama in the book is spectacular as it delves into each sister's feelings about marriage and how at the time it was their only option. Don't even get me started on the twenty-seven with no prospects speech! Oh my goodness Darcy is the perfect match for Elizabeth with them both being so headstrong makes for the best enemies to lovers! Speaking of Darcy in the film when he does that hand-clench thing it was not even in the book! It wasn't even scripted! Which made me feel he was the perfect actor for Darcy he understood the role perfectly!" I ramble out putting my hand on my chest the rest of the team is annoyed at another one of my outbursts but Spencer is looking at me like I am the only person on the plane and I flush when I meet his eyes.

Hotch shouts at me, "L/N would you sit down we are about to go into a patch of turbulence." He of course says this too late and I embarrassingly fall on top of Spencer.

I immediately try to scramble off Spencer but he holds me there. I look away from him trying to hide my flushed face and he asks if I am alright.

"Yup, just mortified but everybody needs a good daily dose of that am I right." I smile trying to play it off but I play with my hair a common tell of mine that everyone in the BAU knows by now.

"You know I have never seen the Pride and Prejudice film," Spencer says slyly.

My eyes light up "You must see it! It's on Netflix I have seen it over a hundred times! I can probably quote all the words by now."

"I actually don't have Netflix I don't really watch television," He rubs the back of his neck.

"That's fine I could totally bring my laptop to you to watch it! Or we could watch it at my apartment!" I ramble out coming off more excited than I meant to.

"That sounds great," Spencer smiles, "Do you really know all the words you could recite some now?" He teases.

I turn the deepest red I think I have ever been in my life and of course, Derek has to jump in.

"Oh pretty boy has moves," he whistles.

Spence rolls his eyes "Shut up Morgan."

"Could we all shut up? Some of us like to rest so we can actually focus on work when we get back." Hotch says in his typical annoyed-with-us voice.

"I guess reciting Pride and Prejudice to you will have to wait," I whisper into Spencer's ear it was finally my time to make him blush.

[somber-sapphic]

Of Misery and Murders

〖Notes: This is my CM series that I have over on my Ao3, but I figured that some of you over here might enjoy it as well!〗

〖Summary: Emily gets sick at the same time a deranged killer starts cutting up faces in Seattle Washington.〗

〖Word Count: 1.4k〗

〖Pairing: Jemily〗

〖WARNINGS: Guys. I cannot stress this enough, this is a casefic. I have created a serial killer and I am going into detail. Nothing will happen to our main characters, but there will be descriptions of blood/death. Please don't read if this is something that bothers you. It is purely plot related and (unrelated I suppose) this is an ongoing series.〗

☾Masterlists☽

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Emily ignored the fuzzy numbers on the thermometer’s screen and put the device away, resolving to take four Advil and take a double dose of non-drowsy cold medicine. She understood that the idea was a bad one, but she had to get through the day. There were mountains of paperwork and JJ had hinted at an incoming case that they would need all hands on deck. 

The brunette bundled herself in a thick sweater and wrapped a scarf around her neck before taking one last glance in the mirror. She had done her best to cover the high flush on her cheeks and blend out the dark circles, but there was no denying it: she looked awful. 

Emily almost fell asleep twice in the fifteen minutes it took for her to get to the BAU and she was starting to wonder if her decision to come to work had been a bad one. No, she was just doing what she needed to do. She was going to work, part of daily life. No damn cold would take her out of the game. She was a Prentiss and Prentiss’s don’t show weakness. 

She stumbled into the BAU five minutes late (she had somehow forgotten how to get there halfway through the drive) and ran straight into Garcia. The tech analyst squeaked as her files spilled onto the floor and she dropped to the ground, scurrying to pick them up. Emily tried to make herself do the same, but her body just wasn’t replying to her brain's commands. 

The brunette simply watched as her friend collected the papers, struggling to get her limbs to respond. When Penelope stood back up, her hair a bit out of place she frowned deeply and reached out to touch Emily’s cheek. The profiler managed to take a step away before the hand could connect and forced her political smile onto her lips. 

“Oh my love, you don’t look so good.” She said, her voice full of concern. 

“M’fine Pen. Didn’t get any sleep last night.” The brunette chuckled, trying to ignore the slight congestion littering her voice. Plus, she wasn’t lying. The persistent cough and aches in her bones had kept her up for most of the night. 

“Okay, but that really doesn’t explain the scarf, Em. We’re barely into October, it's not that cold yet.” She pressed, not willing to let her concern go. Garcia could tell that her friend wasn’t feeling well, not only was it obvious, but she also had sort of a sixth sense for telling what was wrong with the people she loved. 

“Drop it, Garcia.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. It felt like there were fire ants crawling over her skin and she was regretting the extra cold medicine. Her mind was already fuzzy with fever and the medication wasn’t helping. 

The blonde took her shoulders, eyes flooded with worry. It was that look that told Emily that she wasn’t going to win this one, not with Penelope anyway. 

“I took DayQuil. It’s just a cold.” Emily murmured, rubbing her nose on her sleeve. She sniffled heavily and aimed a sneeze into her elbow which certainly didn’t help her case. The sneeze sounded sickly and didn’t give her any relief from the congestion, in fact, it just made it worse. 

“That is not just a cold. You need-”

“Garcia! We can’t start without you to present!” Hotch snapped, yelling across the bullpen. His glare was full of impatience, and he sounded as though he would rip them in two if they didn’t hurry. Emily started forward but leaned heavily against a desk, a wave of dizziness crashing over her. 

“You are so going home.” The blonde grumbled, taking Emily’s wrist. The exhausted woman didn’t protest, no one could see them anyway it didn’t matter. Plus, Garcia was keeping her balanced. 

Emily found herself being dragged into the round table room, the tech analyst only dropping her arm when she knew that they would be seen. Hotch was staring at his watch impatiently, but his expression turned to one of mild concern when he saw his shivering profiler. 

“Jeez Em, you look like shit.” Morgan commented, wrinkling his nose in a playful way. 

“Bite me.” she said in return, plopping down in a chair as far away from him as possible. She pulled the chair close to the table and wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to conserve heat. Reid gave her a sideways glance and scooched away, probably worried about the germs. Emily really couldn’t blame him; she was probably a germ fountain. 

“Prentiss, why are you here?” Hotch questioned, sounding genuinely appalled. He had a strict policy when it came to working while sick: you couldn’t. It put everyone involved in danger and he was sure to remind them all of that every flu season. His agents never listened to him, and it always turned into a lecture in which he could usually get them to leave. 

“I work here Hotch. You hired me. Well, you didn’t fire me.” she replied, as sarcastic as ever. Her boss raised his eyebrow, slightly astonished that she was being so argumentative. He sighed as he studied her appearance, taking in the excess makeup and slight shivering. 

“Go home, come back when you’ve been fever free for 24 hours. Garcia, present.” He dismissed her so quickly that Emily wasn’t quite sure that it had happened. The brunette stiffened at the comment, her resolve hardening. She would not go home over this shit, it was a head cold, not the plague. 

“No. There’s a case, it is my job to work cases and catch killers. I don’t see you bowing out over a sore throat and the sniffles.” She snapped back, leaning forward in challenge. The two stared at each other for about fifteen seconds, before Hotch backed off, rolling his eyes in frustration. 

“Fine. Penelope, go.” 

All Emily could really say about the case was that there was someone in Seattle Washington stealing eyeballs, cutting off ears and noses and dumping bodies in the ocean. She didn’t know what the deal was with facial features, but he seemed to hate them. 

“Dehumanizing his victims?” she asked, feeling the need to add her input. He definitely wouldn’t let her stay if she was useless to the team, she had to provide some sort of use. Reid nodded his agreement and gave her another little glance. 

“Or maybe a fetish. There are no other wounds on the body, just the face. Do they know what he poisoned them with?”

“I don’t think we can assume the killer was a male yet, there were no signs of sexual assault and poisoning is most typically done women. The disfigurement of the face could be linked to jealousy, it would go with the dehumanization aspect.” JJ added, cutting Garcia off before she could answer. 

“Sorry Pen, go ahead.” She apologized, quickly realizing what she had done. The perky blonde flashed her a smile and shook her head. 

“Not to worry, sugarplum. It seems that the Unsub is using Arsenic as their poison of choice. Any other questions, my dears?” Penelope was great at acting cheerful while showing them awful images. It was probably because she never faced the screen. 

“That’s all. Wheels up in thirty. Prentiss, stay back for a moment.” Hotch ordered, watching as they all hurried out. No one wanted to see the conversation between the two of them. 

Emily stood and faced him, arms crossed in front of her. She was standing in an almost fighting stance, trying to look slightly intimidating. It was hard to take her seriously with the runny nose and tired eyes. If Hotch was being honest with himself, he truly wanted to take her home and ensure that she rested. He truly cared about his team; their wellbeing was incredibly important to him. 

“Look Prentiss, I won’t make you stay behind, but only because we need all hands-on deck for this one. In any other situation, you would be suspended for this disobedience. Understand?” He asked, matching her stance. Part of her wanted to argue, but she really couldn’t think of a reason for it. It was just her stubborn streak and her fever clouded mind. 

“Understood. May I go sir?” She swiped her fist across her drippy nose and waited for the sharp nod that meant she could stumble back to her desk and lean for a few seconds while she pretended to rifle through her go-bag. 

She sagged against her desk and took a wheezy breath, wondering why the stupid medicine wasn’t working. The brunette let herself sit there for a few seconds then steeled herself against the dizziness, preparing for what was sure to be a long week. 

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[erwinsvow]

LOVED WHAT YOU WROTE ABOUT THAT LAST ASK! i think it makes so much sense with their whole dynamic. and ughh i hate to admit it but i liked top on that one!

also i missed u too! i just got better from a fever so i wasn't hanging around here much ;( how have you been??

(btw ik it's not the focus but i just died with the whole jj thing with readers cup... im such a jj girl at heart im so sorry!

- 🔮

hi angel face first im so sorry hope ur feeling sm better!!! we missed u around these parts <33 but u need ur rest. as a healthcare worker ill prescribe u ur daily dose of rafe today tho!

omgggg i am so obsessed w this reader and this idea noww! i forgot all abt pogue reader (for now! she is my beloved dw) but i am feeling a lil more inspired to write this so im sooo happy you love it <3

yesss i need to rewatch and like do character studies on topper and kelce to rlly incorporate them. i do adore this reader shes such a cutie brightens up their mean little selves <3

i knooowwww stop as everyone on here knows i was a jj girl first back in 2020,,, hes so near n dear to me. cant resist writing him in everywhere. the first obx thing i ever wrote was 10k words of jj winning reader over from rafe in 2020 sobbinnn i need him

anyways <3 i adore you as always ty so much for popping in! what else would you like to see? u have the best ideas :)

[maybanksbabe]

https://www.tumblr.com/maybanksbabe/721846343733280768/can-we-talk-about-how-similar-jj-and-rafe?source=share

Maybe that's why Sarah gravitated towards jj out of the others pogues(minus jb for obvious reasons). It's like she's trying to replace something that was never there. That the only way she can grieve something that only existed in her mind was to find something that echoes the melody she created in her head. And having a bittersweet symphony playing in her head whenever she and JJ are alone and seeing the similarities. She misses rafe or at least the memory of rafe, but having to live with the pain of knowing that the only way for them to live in peace is for them to grow and heal without each other. A type of pain that only jj can soothe by just being himself.

Rafe was only ever a big brother to Sarah when she was little, before he stopped seeing her as a little sister and more of competition for their fathers love. The father that fooled not only himself but his son into believing that violence is love. The father that denied his son of the help he needed because if he acknowledged the fact that his son needed help he would have i admit that he himself needed help. The father that tried to shelter his daughter from the world bc of how awful it is, he's seen it first hand. Ward is a pogue at heart but his 'need' to have better outweighed the fact he needed to be better. He loves his daughter because she is everything he's not and he's afraid of his son because of how alike they really are.

The parallels between rafe and JJ are so important to me. The way they both tried and failed to kill their father, they had the gun in their hands, pointed at the same person that caused so much damage, and their finger on the trigger, ready to finally be free of the pain deep in their hearts, but the only thing stopping them was their love for their fathers. Them helping their dads even tho they know the consequences if they did (jj helping his father get off the island for good even tho he was already doing something time sensitive and rafe's whole situation with peterkin) and the fact that they both find safety in their anger. The way they want their dads to love them like their fathers used to so they push the dead weight of the memories of their fathers seemingly doing their jobs in order not to hate them. And now they have learn not only letting go of those same memories, but letting go of the pain of them being in their lives (ward dying and Luke leaving)

I'm thinking too much about them and now I'm in pain. Here's some daily dose of angst for you.

I have no notes for this - the analysis is perfect and it breaks my heart 😫😭

[neuroprincess]

Criminal Minds - You meet again (Preferences)

Classification: Fluff

Pairing: Alex Blake, Elle Greenaway, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia and Tara Lewis

Warnings: None

Word count: +900

Alex Blake

- After graduation you received several offers and some of them with a little push with Alex Blake's mentorship, this led you to work in several countries before 27 but at the same time took you away from the woman who helped make it all possible. After two years living in Italy, you return to Virginia and receive an offer to work in Washington with the BAU after notable contributions with international bureaus. On your first day of work you imagined you would be in a completely unfamiliar and uncomfortable field, but as soon as you saw the familiar face among the agents at the reception you just smiled and ran to Alex, hugging her full of longing and happiness.

Elle Greenaway

- A week you're picking on Elle and the next her desk is empty, even though you're not that close you were very proud and happy that she got a position in the elite FBI, the place she so longed for. A few months later you are at a bar at your cousin's bachelorette party in Washington, about to bring the fourth shot of tequila to your lips when a man approaches you introducing himself as Derek, you chat for a few minutes until a familiar voice tells him to leave you alone, you turn to find Elle giving you an amused look. "She's too much sand for your little truck, Morgan."

Emily Prentiss

- It has been almost one year since you have cared for Prentiss and some things have changed in the meantime, after completing a specialization in obstetrics you have gone from being a private nurse to a nurse midwife, caring for pregnant women and assisting with deliveries, doing what you love in bringing little ones into the world. A patient, a victim of kidnapping and abuse recently rescued by the FBI, is admitted to the hospital, in labor and in critical condition. With other women and their babies born in captivity. You successfully save the lives of mother and child, the FBI team came to congratulate your medical team for a job well done, then you reunited her, Emily waited for everyone to leave to approach. "When did you come back? Oh my God, I'm so glad you're safe." you whisper pulling her into a warm hug.

Jennifer Jareau

- Two weeks! You just can't believe you spent two consecutive weeks unconscious, that bastard got what he wanted, traumatized you to the point that you won't let anyone touch you for fear they might hurt you, the nurse was having trouble giving you the daily dose of medication when the blonde walked into the room, you recognized her immediately as the woman who saved you from that monster and you let your guard down. JJ dismissed the nurse and started a conversation that ended with her managing to convince you to take the cocktail. "Agent Jareau, why are you here?" you questioned after realizing that she didn't need to be here after her work was already finished, the blonde is unresponsive, not knowing what to answer "It's okay, I enjoy your company, please stay with me until I sleep?" She agreed to that and said she bought you something to eat besides hospital food as your first meal when you wake up.

Penelope Garcia

- Two days after the incident at the coffee shop you receive a call from an unknown number that you happily discover is from the girl who saved your life that day, what would have been a quick 5 minute conversation to schedule a coffee turns into a 30 minute animated conversation with Penelope, she seemed to know your every taste and knew how to approach the subjects with incredible naturalness, both of you had to end the call because of work but made an appointment so that you could reward the blonde. The next day you meet at a themed cafe in the city center, Penelope makes you try some eccentric coffees and desserts, it is a fun afternoon and you talk a lot, promising each other to arrange new dates soon. "I'd love to do it again, how about a bar this time?" she texts you late in the afternoon after dropping you off at home.

Tara Lewis

- In the end Steven was fired after adulterating reports from an investigation that left you in the hospital for a few days, when returned to the agency they sent you to the therapy again and you thought it wouldn't be all bad to find the same professional, already trusting and even enjoying Lewis' consultations. But she was no longer there, after the whole mess with Barnes resolved she was able to return to her old BAU position, you were happy for her knowing how unfair the reassignment of her as the agents therapist was and how much she wished to return. When the next case was over you went to congratulate her at the BAU building, bringing her flowers and a bottle of wine, Tara was surprised and grateful for the gift of good cheer. "You know, it's late and I'd hate to have to drink that bottle alone, do you want to come over to my apartment? Talk and complain about that asshole Steven. And I can tell you about the embarrassment Barnes went through with the Senator." She winked at you and led the way out of the building.

[gubler-me-up]

Broken Telephone

Request: Spencer Request. You're new to the team, having transferred from the NYPD and are also studying for a Doctorate at the same time. Spencer falls in love with you straight away, but saddens when he hears you talking to JJ about a guy you do a load of fun activities with a guy and a little girl. He assumes you're taken and it breaks his heart. Eventually, he finds out you were talking about your cousin and his daughter & asks you out on a date, and you say yes.

A/N: Thanks for the request, anon! This was a really cute, fun request to write! Starting it was tough though because I didn’t know the exact tone I wanted for it. I hope it’s okay though! When I was reading through the beginning part before I edited it I was like “I have a whole degree in English and I can’t even write properly i hate it here” LOL the first paragraph was a MESS but I fixed it. I think the rest is fine! Enjoy, love!!

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff

Content warning: None

Word count: 1.7k

-------------

Upgrading from NYPD to the BAU was probably your greatest career move to date. You hated how NYPD operated and dealt with crimes. It made you so frustrated. If you weren’t born and raised in New York you wouldn’t even be a part of NYPD. You felt as if New York would always be your home, but sometimes you had to branch out to find what’s best for you.

Moving to Washington, D.C. was a completely new start for you and you felt as if it were only right you changed a few things about yourself. First, you cut your hair shorter. Very cliche of a restart arc, but you thought you’d feel free with less weight weighing your head down. You also bought an actual house. After years of living in a small, cramped apartment you thought it was right to invest in something bigger and more welcoming.

The biggest thing you were proud of during the transition to the BAU was finishing your Ph.D. in Linguistics. You had wanted to complete it years ago, but found it difficult to focus on it while at NYPD. With the bureau they allowed you to work on your Ph.D. as long as you worked your agreed-upon hours every week. It felt amazing to finally have a support net to motivate you towards your dreams.

You weren’t the only one excited about your Ph.D. though. Your coworker, Dr. Spencer Reid, couldn’t wait to see you during your time in to discuss your Ph.D. with you. As soon as you walked to your desk, he’d be the first one to greet you with a huge, lovable smile, rosy red cheeks and a sparkle in his eyes. You had never seen someone so animated over linguistics before. If you two weren’t talking about linguistics or random facts he would spurt out, the conversation was about you.

On one particular day though, the good doctor was running late to work. You were kind of disappointed you weren’t greeted with a daily dose of facts early in the morning. The second best thing happened when JJ walked towards your desk with two Starbucks coffees.

“Ugh, if I knew you a few years earlier, I would have married you before Will could ever dream to,” you said.

She laughed. “I don’t think Spence would allow that to happen without a fight. He’s been quite the busy bee around you.”

She handed you your drink as you pondered on what she said. Just maybe he had a slight crush on you. The way he expressed his interest was adorable for sure. You preferred his way of flirting over the typical sexualized pick-up lines many men in your life have used.

“Are you saying super-genius Dr. Spencer Reid has a crush on me? I won’t believe it until he runs some tests about your theory,” you said as you took a sip of your coffee.

“Maybe he’ll ask you out one of these days between statistics,” she said.

You smiled. “That would be nice. I just hope he doesn’t do it this weekend. Remember I told you how Adrian was visiting this weekend? He’s bringing the little one with him.”

“Oh, really? What’s their name?”

“Her name’s Rhea. She’s the cutest little thing ever.”

You pulled out your phone to look for a picture of them. You found a picture of the three of you from a few months ago before you left for D.C. You turned your phone to JJ and she instantly melted.

“Oh my gosh, she’s adorable,” she said.

You proudly smiled. “Right. She’s the cutest four-year-old I know. I think I was the happiest one in the room when I met her for the first time. Adrian was a puddle of tears and nerves from the reality of taking care of this little girl forever. He treats her like an absolute princess.”

“You both are lucky to have her in your lives. She looks like a ray of sunshine.”

“She is. We do so many fun things together. The last time we hung out we went to this trampoline park. This weekend we’re going to the food festival.”

“That does sound like a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll bring Will and the kids there.”

You were going to respond to JJ until you noticed Reid sitting at his desk which was diagonally across from yours. You hadn’t even noticed him come in at all let alone sit down to start his workday. He had already buried his nose deep into case files. JJ looked at Reid with as much confusion as you did. He was never quiet unless something was troubling him.

“No fact today for me, doctor?” You joked.

He looked up at you. He had no sparkle in his eye or a blush painted on his face. He looked disappointed. You were confused as to what made your chatty doctor become so mute.

“I just wanted to start these case files,” he said.

“You sure there isn’t anything wrong, Spence?” JJ asked.

“No, I’m fine. I just gotta finish these before Hotch comes in,” he said.

He then buried his face back into the file without uttering another word. You and JJ looked at each other. You were concerned there was something wrong, but JJ’s look said to leave it alone for now. You sighed and took another long sip of your coffee. You stared at him out of the corner of your eye. You hoped whatever he was going through he’d tell you eventually.

————

You packed your things up to leave 20 minutes ago, but stuck around your desk until you saw Reid also getting ready to leave. You wanted to inquire about his miserable attitude towards you. You noticed throughout the day he was normal with everyone else except you. When you tried to spark conversation, he would give you quick, to the point answers before he made a B-line back to his desk. He gave you no choice but to crack him.

As soon as you saw him put his books and files into his satchel. He swung the strap around his shoulder and made his way to the door. He didn’t even look at you the whole time he got ready to leave. This was getting ridiculous to you. You picked up your purse and ran towards him before he caught the elevator.

“Spencer,” you called out.

He turned to look at you. “What’s up?”

You looked at him confused. “What’s up with me? What’s up with you?”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you haven’t talked to me or even looked at me longer than a second today.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“You weren’t too busy to tell Morgan how many microscopic mites were living on his face today.”

“I thought it was valuable information he needed to know.”

“And you didn’t think it would be valuable to tell me?”

“In the moment, no.”

He went to go press the button for the elevator but you stopped his hand. You grabbed his hand tightly to make sure he didn’t escape your grip. He looked at you as if he was uncomfortable with you touching him. You knew awhile ago he had thing about not liking to shake hands, but you had stepped over that barrier with him a long time ago.

“I don’t think you should be doing this,” he quietly said.

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Why not?”

“I feel as if I’ve been intruding,” he said.

“Intruding on what?”

“Your family life.”

You let go of his hand as you stood there in shock. You didn’t understand what he meant when he said that. If he wanted to ask you out all he had to do was ask and you’d sort out your schedule. Adrian and Rhea would understand if you took a few hours to go on your first date in over two years.

“You think you’re intruding on my family life? How so?” You asked.

“If you really want to know I wanted to take you to the food festival this weekend because I know how much you love unique foods, but then I heard you and JJ talking about your partner and daughter coming this-“

“Hold up, wait,” you said before bursting into an uncontrollable laugh.

He looked at you funny. You watched as he stared in confusion as you laughed at his interpretation of your conversation with JJ. To be fair you had never mentioned Adrian and Rhea to him before, but you didn’t know he’d be eavesdropping in your conversation with JJ.

“You think Adrian’s my partner and Rhea’s my kid? Well, I’m proud to say that for once in Dr. Spencer Reid’s life he is completely, utterly wrong.”

“What?”

“Yeah, Adrian’s my cousin and Rhea’s his daughter. They’re coming to visit me from New York for the weekend. Adrian’s basically like a big brother to me.”

His face went from confused to embarrassed in a fraction of a second. His face turned to that noticeable red and an awkward smile spread across his face. You continued to laugh at his demeanour as you pressed the elevator button, so the two of you could actually get going.

“Oh. I’m so sorry for being weird to you, Y/N. I just felt terrible for thinking about asking you on a date while you were in a committed relationship,” he said.

“I get it, I do. I think you can make it up to me though,” you said.

The elevator dinged and the two of you stepped inside. He looked at you in amusement. You looked back at him with a big smile on your face and big, hopeful eyes. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Would you like to go on a date?” He asked.

You nodded your head. “I’d love to. We can even go to the food festival, so you can meet Adrian and Rhea in person.”

“That would be nice. I heard you telling JJ how lovely they are.”

“I bet they seem even lovelier now that you know they’re not my partner and child.”

“You can say that.”

—–

MASTERLIST

[whump-town]

The Unforgiving Tide

Today I got my first dose of the Covid vaccine so to celebrate I wrote Mortch h/c because I love it and I can't help it. It's also centered around one of my favorites-- Route 66 so enjoy the pain assholes

No warnings or anything just the normal stuff

Derek Morgan knows one thing for certain and that is that there is absolutely no way that anything about love is a choice. The absolute light of his life, the person who puts a pep in his step and gets him through the day is Penelope Garcia and that is who he would choose. Day in and day out, it is Penelope and he loves her to the ends of the Earth but love, as Derek has come to understand it, is very much so not about choices. Rarely is it ever the easiest and that’s, of course, the option Derek has been given. Because while Penelope fancies the worst type of men and the prettiest women Derek gets her polar opposite.

Which is strange because he knows he’s heard somewhere that love like his balances out in some ways-- that Aaron and Penelope should have more in common. But Aaron looks like if the Grim Reaper walked among them and Penelope as if one person could harness all that is the rainbow. Well… maybe that’s only for straight people and those not screwed by life into falling in love with brooding, silent idiots like Aaron Hotchner.

None of them say it, and he’s acutely aware that he’s mostly the reason why, but it feels strange without Hotch here with them. Dave unflinchingly keeps them moving on, doesn’t push at Derek’s coiling rattlesnake of a mood, but he keeps them in motion. The others need it because this is the part of the job that they stumble over. The part that requires they leave certain things behind. Today it’s Hotch not even an hour after seeing his limp form moved from the conference floor onto a stretcher. When they’d watched for seven and a half minutes as he lay on the floor unresponsive. Deaf to Dave frantically calling out his name, to JJ trying to squeeze his hand to make his fingers curl back around hers.

Derek had sat on the plane looking at all the signs he’d managed to miss. The WebMD page pulled up on his screen so he could flick back and forth between his messages with Aaron and the symptoms listed out on the page. Felt his stomach churn as each symptom made its way into their conversations from the week. How Aaron had known something was wrong but Derek hadn’t, he wasn’t even concerned. He’d let Aaron turn food away and didn’t press on that like he should have. Aaron had told him his blood pressure was low, anxiously rubbing at his fingers and his voice going breathless with his struggle to admit that. Derek had… He’s become blind to the countless, never-ending problems with Aaron’s body and now Aaron’s having emergency surgery for something Derek should have seen. Alone in Virginia while Derek hunts down some girl who likely doesn’t want to be found.

Because Derek hadn’t seen.

He hadn’t known.

“He’ll be okay,” JJ whispers, squeezing his fingers the same way she had Aaron’s. He looks down at their joined hands, hears Dave calling out for Aaron again. Hears the silence of his own thoughts, remembers that he’d just stood there. Maybe the problem isn’t Aaron at all…

Somehow he ends up angry, not at himself, but at Aaron. The doctors are always warning him about things like this. Dips or rises in his blood pressure are detrimental to his body, he can’t regulate his body temperature like a normal person. He has to have so much caloric intake daily. When he doesn’t meet that level he’s playing a very dangerous game with his body. Throw in the anticoagulants that he takes, the Lexapro, the steroids that bombard his body to fight off the arthritis swelling in his right hand. There are so many more and Derek can’t even begin to name them, Aaron can’t either. If he misses a dose their day crashes to the ground.

He needs that medicine to survive and Derek doesn’t need to be told that somewhere along the line this can be accounted for. That he’ll find one too many of something in one of those prescription bottles pushing the cabinet’s ability to stay closed. A doctor’s going to tell him Aaron’s weight has dropped again and they’ll probably put him on some special diet that makes him miserable. Have him choking down thick smoothies choked full of spinach and vitamins and some special blend of chalk.

Where was Derek?

He’s in the kitchen with Aaron, they eat ⅔ of their meals together. Derek checks these things so how did it slip by him? How did he miss something so in his face?

-------------

Time is very warped but he knows the intensity of the pain eating up his body. Overwhelming heat spreading through him, breaking his skin out in a cold sweat that leaves him shivering and moving wounds that he can’t see but he can most certainly feel. His dry lips part and he grunts, eyelids too heavy to do more than flutter but he can see the blurred outline of someone by his side. Can track pale flesh to where it’s connected to his own.

“Hotch?” a cold hand presses to his face, a finger brushing through a tear that slides down his cheek. “You’re okay.”

That’s not really the question, not the most pressing thing on his mind. Memories tangle in his poor understanding of past and present. Tasers and gunshots and stabbings-- he can’t discern what has happened with what already did. Bits of tragedies creating a confusing web he finds himself ensnared in.

He sees blonde hair, feels those cold fingers ghosting along his skin. “Garcia?” he asks because he needs one solid piece of truth to hold onto. “What happened?” She won’t lie to him, he trusts this blindly. There’s something about the two of them, with or without Derek in the equation, that draws them to one another. A safety he finds in all her brightness, like turning your face to the sun and he is everything that she is not but there is always safety in his shadows. A place she can tuck herself into to escape being known for just a moment and just be.

She squeezes his fingers, bringing feeling to them. The movement is something to focus on, something real where only hazy snippets have made themselves known. “I don’t--” she’s uncertain if she’s allowed to tell him. The risk of upsetting him far larger than her want to please him by telling him. “Everyone’s ok. We’re all okay.”

His hum of understanding comes delayed, his presence of mind slipping. He wants to press on, ask more questions, and know exactly what she means by everyone and what “okay” constitutes. Not because he doesn’t necessarily trust her but because he isn’t sure how many people is everyone. Jack? Did he hurt his own son? Is Emily here? Did he hurt her? What about Dave? He feels distanced from Dave but he won’t forgive himself if he hurt the other man. And what of Derek? Oh… Derek, would she really tell him if he were hurt?

She presses her palm to his forehead, working her fingers through his soft hair. Smiling when he turns into her, closing his mouth and giving in. Stopping this futile fight. “Just rest,” she assures him. “You’re okay.” He thinks, passively as she presses a kiss to his temple and tugs the blankets closer to his chest, that she’s being too tender. Too nice. He hasn’t got the proof just yet but he’s too tired to push for more.

-------------

Derek goes home as soon as they land in Virginia, he can feel their eyes on his back as he moves to his car without comment. They got Samantha Wilcox and now his job is done, nothing he does anymore has to be something that they see and he cherishes the thirty minutes it’s going to take to get home. Thirty whole minutes to do what he needs to. Cry or scream or punch something and all without Spencer’s sad eyes following him or JJ trying to be supportive. He just wants to feel unabashed and freely, without consequence.

He turns the volume of his CD up, tears form and the last thing he wants to hear are his own sobs. He’s not focused on the music, he just needs something loud and distracting to get him home. The CD starts to play and quickly, harder than what’s necessary he turns it off. It’s Aaron’s and angry tears that he can’t blink away swell in his eyes as he thinks about how much he hates the song “Back In the USSR”. It’s just bad music but Aaron loves it.

And he’s back to thinking about reality and not this bubble of nothing he’s trying to convince himself he has. Aaron’s go-bag is with Penelope but there are other things that he needs that won’t be in there. Derek realizes that he has no idea if the hospital will need Aaron’s other prescriptions or just what all he should bring to the hospital. He really doesn’t know anything at all but home is safe and it’s not the hospital so heads there.

He grabs what he knows Aaron will want.

Aaron’s worn copy of Anna Karenina is sitting on his nightstand, his reading glasses on Derek’s. They once had a case to go in but Derek doesn’t waste time looking for that, just tucks one of the sides into his shirt. He goes to his own dresser and pulls out a flannel. Aaron has plenty of his own, and ones that fit those abnormally long arms of his, but he’ll prefer this one nonetheless. Not that it’s special, it’s just Derek’s. There are other, nonessential, things that he grabs mindlessly trying to think about those stupid lists Aaron’s always making for this exact case scenario but he can’t remember everything.

Derek grows flustered and with a thick sigh, tears swelling in his eyes, he throws himself across their bed. His chest hitches and he moves until his face is in Aaron’s pillow, breathing in that distinct smell of his soap and detergent. This is his fault, isn’t it? He can’t begin to think about how many times Dave warned him something like this would happen. That loving Aaron means things like this and watching his back. That this isn’t fieldwork and he can’t let his guard down the second he thinks the dangers over. And he’d promised Emily when she left he could handle it. He loves Aaron so it shouldn’t be that hard and she’d smiled so sadly when he said that and now he wishes he hadn’t understood why.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he has half a mind to ignore it. Whatever it is can wait but he doesn’t want to miss anything with Aaron. “Hello?” half his face is still pushed into the bed.

There’s a crackle over the phone, something being moved and Penelope’s voice just slightly distanced. He’s just about to speak again when the sound gets clear. “Sorry!” she offers. “Hotch looked cold so I was fighting the blanket monsters in the closet to save him!” She sounds just breathless enough that he can imagine her standing on her tiptoes trying to fight down a blanket from somewhere too high.

He knows there’s no way Aaron asked for a blanket. “How is he?” Derek asks softly.

Penelope sits herself down in the visitor’s chair and looks over at Hotch. He’s sleeping, hasn’t so much as moved a muscle since he woke up. “Confused,” she sighs. She’s not really sure if he had looked cold but she can’t stand just sitting here and watching so she had to do something and besides, Hotch is always cold.

Derek hums.

“Are you coming?”

The others are all probably there already. He knows he’ll use this trip home as his excuse but he could have asked any one of them to collect these things. They wouldn’t even need him to tell them where things are, wouldn’t even need to be told which things to get. He’s just stalling and he knows it. “Yeah,” he pulls Aaron’s pillow close. Wrapping his arms around it like it’s the body of the man he wishes so badly were here right now. Then Derek could think about something else-- the way Aaron’s legs get tangled in the bedsheets or the fact that he drools when he’s sleeping really, really good.

But Aaron isn’t here.

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming.”

He’s met with tears. Spencer stands before him, shaking the limb of a tree in the wind of a great storm. The kind that would wake Aaron in the middle of the night, enticing him with the sharp whipping sounds and the crashing of distant trash cans. Forcing Derek to wake up shivering, wondering where Aaron’s dragged himself off to. He’s fairly certain he no longer knows how to sleep without Aaron there-- without the feeling of his comfortable weight settled against his hips. Aaron always sleeps so close to him, never more than an arm’s length away.

The tears that hit Spencer’s cheeks are like the fat drops that ping off the windows. The harder ones always startling Aaron until he can self-consciously glance at Derek and see if he noticed. He always does. Spencer pulls his mouth open, moving his jaw like the hinges of an old front door.

“Is he dead?” Derek doesn’t feel up for waiting for all the foolishness of whatever nonsense Spencer’s come up with. Whatever it is that he’s gearing up for can wait, Derek only cares about one thing.

Reid glances to the floor, “I-- I-- He’s, ugh, Garcia’s still back with him.”

Good. Derek squeezes Spencer’s shoulder as he passes but doesn’t say anything. Spencer doesn’t do well with this business, the realization that the people he loves crack. They stumble and they fall and they get hurt and Derek doesn’t feel like lying. Because Aaron is like this a lot and Spencer won’t believe him anyway.

He passes Dave and he gets a good supportive nod. “I called Emily,” Dave tells him. “I think she’d appreciate it if you called her back later.”

Derek nods his head, she’ll likely want to speak to Aaron. He can already hear that argument but it’ll be good for someone to be angry with Aaron. God knows Emily won’t be pleased. It’ll give Aaron something to focus on, an argument to win while everything else falls in around him. Because he already knows Emily’s going to threaten to come home but Aaron won’t let her. Derek smiles as he thinks about that, she’ll wait a week he already knows. In a week she’ll be down here and she’ll be met with one of Aaron’s tired sighs while she vehemently denies she came home to make sure he was really okay.

Derek doesn’t understand why they can’t just say express worry like other people.

Penelope greets him with a tight hug as if she’s squeezing all the bad feelings away. He lets her try but she pulls away and knows she was unsuccessful. “He’s been very well behaved,” Penelope tells him brightly. As if they’re talking about Derek’s mischievous toddler. “Almost… snugly.” He’d let her hold his hand, turning himself in towards the comforting hand she’d placed against his cheek. No one else’s definition of warm but for Hotch that’s… it’s pretty snugly.

“Mmm,” Derek knows he’ll get the moody, if not clingy bits of Aaron but he’ll be okay. “Thank you,” he tells her sincerely, squeezing her hands and sinking into the hug she wraps him into. “He doesn’t like--” he can’t get the rest of the words out, choking on tears. Aaron hates waking up in the hospital. Derek’s seen it enough to know. It’s too disorienting but a familiar face always helps.

Penelope nods, squeezing him. “I know,” she whispers. “I know.”

With a nod, Derek pulls away and he wipes his eyes. Tries to pull himself together but he’s been too angry all day, too on edge to really clean up.

“He’ll be happy to see you,” Penelope says, her bags collected as she’s stepping out.

Derek can only hope that’s true.

He settles down in the visitor’s chair and frowns when he sees how swollen Aaron’s right hand is. He finds the grooves of the joint easily, rubbing at the boney digits mindlessly as he searches the bed for the TV remote. There’s got to be something on the TV. It’s not football season anymore but baseball is on and that’s the best sport according to Aaron. Derek wonders how he ended up with someone who hates watching sports so much but that can make things interesting. But baseball… Aaron hates everything else but won’t complain when Derek puts on baseball of all things.

Aaron makes a soft crackling sound as he wakes, turning his head from Derek, and grunting a half whimper when he can’t pull his hand away from Derek’s hold. He pries his eyes open, mouth too dry to form full words but the sound of his lips touching sounds just enough like Derek’s name for him to smile up at Aaron. His eyes close again, pinched with the pain rolling through his chest and the agitated flames licking at the joints of his right hand. The latter of which Derek is not helping as he rotates his thumb over the swollen skin, digging into hurt like he’s trying to draw blood.

Tenderly, Derek moves Aaron’s fingers to the bed, standing with a groan of his own when the small of his back lights up like timber as he stretches out. He smiles when he sees Aaron’s hazily drugged gaze go right to where his shirt rides up over his hips and blushes furiously when he’s caught. Derek hums to himself, shaking his head but smiling all the same. It’s cute, he thinks as he pours Aaron a cup of water. Very cute, he decides when he finds that the blush hasn’t crept away when he turns back to him.

“Small sips,” Derek directs softly, holding the straw to Aaron’s lips.

The first sip hurts, burns his sensitive throat as it goes down but it creates an insatiable thirst. He greedily pulls at the straw for more until Derek pulls it away from him. If Derek could have it his way, he’d never tell Aaron no but too much water will make him sick. While Aaron looks at him now as if a victim of something truly heinous, he’ll be thankful when he has nothing in his system to throw up when the anesthesia wrecks his stomach.

Derek sits back down and picks Aaron’s hand back up, eyes flicking to Aaron’s when he whimpers at just the gentle touch. Without a word, Derek resumes his rubbing to try and soothe the joints of his hand into some sort of reprise in normal hood. But Aaron’s exhausted and confused, nearly overwhelmed by the drugs and Derek and the weight of his chest, and he whimpers. Tries to pull away again because all he knows is that touching hurts and can’t fathom that it is so much worse when Derek doesn’t wring the pain out.

“Ouch,” Aaron croaks, breathlessly grunting and trying to move his fingers. It’s as pins have been set in the bones and he cries out at this new overwhelming pain. “Please,” he asks Derek, “stop it. Hurts.”

Derek shushes him softly, pouring his attention into willing Aaron’s pain into submission. “You’re okay,” Derek promises. “You’re okay.” But his words do nothing to stop the pain and Aaron just looks back at him. Sad, pained eyes darting over Derek’s face. “It’s okay, Aaron.”

Aaron turns his head, gasping slightly at the way it pulls at the stitches. “Sorry,” he whispers. Looking up at Derek and searching Derek’s face for some inclination of truth. Of what’s happening but he’s certain there’s something to be sorry for. There’s no way he hasn’t done something he shouldn’t have. Pushed something or forgotten it.

Derek wipes the single tear that falls down Aaron’s cheek away with his thumb. “You haven’t done anything wrong,” Derek soothes. “You’re okay.” That seems to work in some small way, Aaron swallowing thickly but not dragging his tired eyes away from Derek’s. Slowly he combs his fingers through Aaron’s hair, pushing back the long strands. With a smirk, seeing the blissed eased way Aaron has fallen back into the pillow at his touch alone, he feels a spark of mischief hit him. He can’t help but smile. “Emily is going to call you later,” he whispers, smiling brighter when Aaron groans. Pinching his face up. Derek rolls his eyes, “you love her.”

Aaron cracks an eye open, setting a drugged sort of haze scowl onto him. “Don’t let her hear you say that.” With a shake of his head, he knows his Aaron’s back, just a grumpy little glimpse but he’s there. Fighting his way through the drugs. “I mean it,” Aaron grumbles. The last thing he needs is Emily getting the idea that he might actually cherish her friendship.

Derek does roll his eyes this time, “if you behave you can buy my silence.”

Aaron cracks an eye open but doesn’t complain. Derek’s going to tell Dave anyhow so it doesn’t matter if Aaron does behave, even though Derek knows he won’t, Emily will hear it. He might even sprinkle something else in there as payback. That what he gets, serves him right for scaring Derek like that. Derek is really going to enjoy watching Aaron get himself out of this hole but for now…

He squeezes Aaron’s wrist, smiling when Aaron turns his head towards him humming just under his breath. “I love you,” Derek confesses softly and it’s rare that he gets a verbal reply but he’s learned to lean into the numerous ways Aaron knows how to say it. And today he doesn’t hear the words back but tomorrow he’ll find a popsicle or a jello cup waiting for him. Aaron’s grumpy scowl lightening when he steps into the room. And Derek will know that Aaron loves him too.

[dreamypeaches]

don’t wake up pt. 4 | rafe cameron x reader

summary: you and rafe discuss the future of your relationship

warnings: SMUT, cursing, drug mention, alcohol mention, death mention

word count: 4.6k (these just keep getting longer)

a/n: some parts of this i love, some parts i hate. this is a very fluffy, emotional chapter with a healthy dose of smut ;). there will be two more parts to this and i hope to finish the whole thing by this weekend! enjoy, lovelies!

series masterlist

You had been alive for many years now, but you couldn’t remember a single moment where you were as happy and at peace as you were now with Rafe. You had spent the rest of the day cuddling on your tiny bed, binging The X-Files. You took breaks every once and a while to eat, have sex, or just talk.

You’d never spent this much time with Rafe before. You made nice small talk when he would give you rides and sometimes you would engage in some pillow talk after he had railed you. The most you’d really talked had been that night on the beach. But now, he was baring his soul to you. He told you all about his family problems, how he could never please his father, never be as good as Sarah. He even told you, vaguely, about his problems with drugs. He mentioned Barry and all the shit he had done for him, but didn’t go into details and you didn’t press him for them. You listened intently, absorbing all the information. On the outside, you played it cool, giving him comforting words and touches, trying not to reveal how overwhelming all this was to you. But you continued to listen anyway, realizing quickly that this was the first time Rafe had really spoke to anyone about the problems swirling around inside his head.

In turn, he listened to you. You talked about your parents. Your dad had left when your mom was pregnant with your youngest sister. Your mom came in and out of your life, finally completely disappearing when your older sister turned 18. Your older sister had gotten married young to the love of her life, only for him to die tragically not long after the birth of their third child. Now it was just you three sisters and the kids, trying your best to stay alive.

Rafe didn’t pretend to understand what you went through. Being a Kook, he was so far removed from any of your daily worries that couldn’t even comprehend what it was like. But he still listened and provided comfort and sympathy.

Even though you both were talking about the problems that plagued your lives, it was easy to forget about them while you were laying in his arms. Rafe had been a figure in your life long before your relationship had started. He was the man who talked shit about your way of life. He beat up your friends, leading to you spend nights cleaning JJ or Pope or John B’s (mostly JJ’s) wounds. The Rafe holding you in his arms was a completely different person to the one you had known in passing, to the one your friends told you nothing but bad things about.

When you woke up the next morning, untangling yourself from arms of Rafe to get ready for work, you could feel the bubble that had surrounded you since last month getting ready to burst. Everything had changed yesterday. You knew you couldn’t go on the same way you had before, fucking each other’s brains out then disappearing the next morning, and you didn’t want that anymore. You wanted Rafe, all of him. You wanted to hold him and kiss him and tell him everything would be alright. You wanted to hold his hand and go on stupidly adorable dates. And, yeah, you also wanted to continue fucking his brains out. But then you thought of the Pogues and Sarah. You couldn’t lose them, they were your family. You tried to think of their reactions if you told them about you and Rafe, and all you could picture was JJ annihilating Rafe’s face with his fists, Kie, Pope, and John B’s betrayed looks, and Sarah’s disgust at you sleeping with her brother.

The anxiety was vibrating through your veins when Rafe found you. You stood at the stove making breakfast, already dressed for work. He came up behind you, shirtless, wrapping his arms around your waist and placing sweet kisses on your neck and shoulder. You easily relaxed against him, trying calm the voice in your head.

“Good morning,” Rafe said. Sleep had made his voice low and raspy, but you could hear the smile in his words.

“How’d you sleep?” You asked, turning the stove off. You tried to move to grab a couple plates, but Rafe refused to let you go, his grip on your waist tightening. You shuddered as his lips assaulted your neck, sucking and nipping at the sensitive skin. Your moans were quick to turn into giggles as Rafe’s fingers moved up to your sides under your shirt, tickling the sensitive area of your stomach. You shouted his name, wiggling in his arms. His laugh was addictive, loud and joyful.

“Rafe! If you don’t stop I will-” You started to speak between laughs, but Rafe interrupted you. He spun you to face him pulling you in for passionate kiss. Butterflies flooded your stomach, worries of the morning flying away as you fell into Rafe. The look in his eyes when he pulled away made your knees weak. It was a look of pure adoration that terrified and excited you at the same time.

“I’ve never slept better,” He said, answering your earlier question. He let you go, helping you cut some strawberries for the breakfast. You two sat at the kitchen table, Rafe’s hand refusing to let go of yours as you ate.

“I have work until 6, but my family won’t be back till tomorrow morning, so you’re welcome to just hang out here,” You said. Rafe nodded, chewing his eggs thoughtfully.

“Topper and Kelce wanted to go golfing today, but I’ll be back before you get home,” he replied, shooting you a smile. You smiled back before returning to your breakfast. You reveled in the domesticity of this: eating breakfast, holding hands, planning out your day. But the mention of his friends shoved your previous worries back to the forefront of your mind. You finished up the rest of your food, moving to clean your plate as you spoke. “We should talk.”

The easygoing demeanor had disappeared from Rafe’s face, replaced by a worried brow and fidgeting hands.

“About us,” you continued, “about what we are and what we’re doing, because, to be perfectly honest, I can’t go back to how it was. Not after yesterday, I can’t go back to just being your fuck buddy or whatever. I like you, Rafe. But I’m also terrified that any possible relationship will completely fall apart.”

Rafe had made his way over to you as you spoke. Taking your hand in his, he brought it to his lips to leave comforting kisses on your knuckles.

“I like you too, Y/N. I want to be with you. You make me happier than I have ever been. But, you’re right, we need to discuss it.”

You smile up at him and peck his lips, stroking his jaw softly.

“We’ll take the day to think about it, okay. I have to go to work.”

You start to move away, only for Rafe to pull you against him for a slow and passionate kiss. Reluctantly, you both pulled away to rest your foreheads against each other.

“I’ll see you later,” He whispered.

He walked you to the door, giving you several more kisses before you finally made it out. You couldn’t hold back your smile as you made your way down the street.

You set the glass of lemonade down in front of Pope while Kie gave JJ his Dr. Pepper. You enjoyed your job at The Wreck. Kiara worked her magic on her dad to get all the same shifts as you, making it a million times better than any other job you had worked. Plus, the tips were as incredible as the food, and you got a free meal every shift. The rest of the Pogues typically dropped in when you and Kie were working. John B and Sarah were off doing who knows what (probably macking on each other), leaving JJ and Pope to keep you and your best friend company on the slow shift.

JJ nodded towards you, pointing at your neck. “Hell yeah, Y/N, nice to see you’re getting some.”

Your eyes widened, free hand slamming down on your neck where your collar had slipped down some. Kie and Pope joined in on the fun, poking at the hickey on your neck and asking if you had a fun night. You just shook your head, ignoring the burning in your cheeks.

“Y/N, you’ve had hickies all over you for the past month. You keep skipping out on hanging out with us, and when you do, you’re always sneaking off in the middle of the night You’re either getting incredibly lucky, or your seeing someone and not telling us,” Kie said, giving you a pointed look.

You sighed. You were in no way ready for this conversation, but your heart hurt having to lie to your best friends. Their advice was important to you, and you needed it now more than ever. As you observed their questioning faces, you realized there was no easy way out of this.

“Yes, there is someone,” You started. You’re friends all started to speak at once, but you were quick to interrupt them. “No, I’m not going to tell you who it is. Not yet anyway, not until I figure shit out. I’m not even sure what we are, because at first it was just a mostly physical thing, but yesterday he came to my house and it honestly might have been the best day of my life. It was amazing! But, if we do start dating or whatever, it has the potential to end badly, like really badly between us and between…other people that we know and I don’t know if I want to risk it.”

The quiet chatter of the Wreck grew ten times louder over the silence of your friends. They took a moment to absorb your speech, each Pogue trying to find a way to soothe their friends mind. Kie was the first to move, taking your hand in hers.

“If you really like him, Y/N, then you need to go for it. You never know what might happen.”

JJ and Pope nodded in agreement. Smiling, you nodded along.

“You’re right, I should just go for it.”

“Fuck yeah! You get that dick, girl!” JJ exclaimed, earning a slap on the arm and a look from Pope. Grinning, you shook your head at your friends as you moved to bring an order to one of your tables.

“Would you ever date a Pogue?” Rafe asked, leaning against the golf cart as Kelce took his turn at the tee.

“Depends, how hot is she?” Topper replied.

“I’m not talking about a hook up. Would you full-on date a Pogue, like take her on dates and shit, It doesn’t matter how hot she is.” Though she is very hot, Rafe thought to himself. Kelce joined the boys, motioning for Topper to take his turn.

“Is that who you ditched us for yesterday, a Pogue?” Kelce questioned.

The three boys were supposed to go golfing yesterday. Rafe had been to overwhelmed and enraptured by you that he hadn’t texted telling them he couldn’t make it. Kelce and Topper had been salty about it since he had met up with them that morning.

“You’re still not answering my question. Would you or would you not date a Pogue?”

Topper returned and Rafe moved to place his ball on the tee.

“Fuck no,” Topper said, “I don’t need to deal with that baggage.”

Thwack. Rafe watched his ball fly across the green, only half caring about where it handed. He leaned on his club, turning to face his friends.

“What baggage?”

“You know, the Pogue baggage. All the looks and the questions. Plus, you’d have to spend time on the Cut and probably with her Pogue friends, who wants to do that?”

It wasn’t what Rafe wanted to hear, but he new there was some merit behind the words. If he dated you, there would be looks. People would look at you the same way he looked at most Pogues. He knew from experience that those looks were never good. The thought of you having to deal with all the pretentious, Pogue hating Kooks he surrounded himself with was nauseating. He wouldn’t be able to control his tongue or fists for very long, and that would end up putting him in deep shit.

The thought of spending time on the Cut wasn’t as bad. He’d spent a whole day there yesterday, though that was mostly at your house. The only Pogue he really knew, other than you, was Barry, and he was far from friends with him. He tried to imagine himself sitting with you, holding you in his arms while you laughed at something one of your friends said. Your friends, the Pogues who probably hated him more than anyone else, plus his sister. Picturing himself actually having a pleasant time with any of them almost made him laugh out loud. He pictured him and JJ having a conversation that didn’t involve insults and flying hands and his mind went blank.

All his doubts and fears about a future with you piling up quickly, almost drowning him, until pulled him out with a few simple words.

“I would date a Pogue.” Rafe and Topper looked at their friend in shock. “I mean, if you like them and they like you and you’re happy, who cares what everyone else thinks. Fuck ‘em.”

Rafe wanted to hug him. It was like the clouds had parted and Kelce was the sun shining down on him. Rafe walked up to him, a wild grin on his face, and clapped Kelce on the shoulder.

“You’re right! Fuck ‘em!” Rafe threw his club on the cart and started jogging in the direction of the club.

“Where are you going? We have a game to finish!” Topper yelled

“I have some business to take care of!” Rafe shouted back.

He jogged the rest of the way to his bike, a plan formulating in his mind.

Your walk back home seemed faster than ever. The giddiness and nerves pounding through you clouded your mind, making you zone out for most of the walk. Nothing would be the same when you got home. Rafe’s bike was parked on the side of your house, heart beginning to pound at just the sight of it. Taking your time searching for your house key in your purse, you tried to calm your breath. Whatever happened behind this door, you needed to stay calm. You wouldn’t let your heart be broken by Rafe Cameron, and your refused to break his. With a deep breath, you turned the key and pushed open the door to your future.

The twinkling lights were a wondrous sight. They laid on the floor in front of entrance, creating a short path to the kitchen. Rafe stood by the table, dressed in an outfit of this that looked familiar and comforting, but your couldn’t put your finger on why. His normally slick hair fell softly into his face, a style you preferred much more than his usual look. On the table stood a lit candle and a small bouquet of flowers. Two empty plates sat across from each other, so sparkling clean that you were positive they had not been in this home this morning.

Your once pounding heart had quite nearly stopped at the sight before you. Rafe met you half way, hands instantly falling on your hips to pull you closer. Despite his closeness, you were too distracted by everything to look at him. The once cluttered living room, which seemed more like a used toy store than a room, had been completely cleaned. The dishes in the sink were gone, and you could see the clean light blinking on the side.

“What is all this?” You wondered, finally meeting his eyes. His gaze nearly melted you with it’s warmth.

“It’s for you. I’ve never really had a first date before, wanted it to be special,” He answered. The word date made your heart skip. No words fell from your mouth as it dropped opened, lost in the shock of it all.

“Is it too much?” Rafe asked, suddenly nervous. You shook your head.

“I mean, it’s a lot, but it’s…it’s…incredible. I think this is the most beautiful thing anyone has done for me.”

The confidence flooded back into Rafe, who leaned down give you a quick, passionate kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. The feeling of his soft hair between your fingers drove you wild.

Rafe broke the kiss quickly, giving you one last peck before pulling away.

“I left something for you on your bed. Go get changed, take a shower if you want. The food will be here soon.”

“Are you telling me I smell?” You joked with a smirk.

He simply shook his head, turning you and pushing you in the direction of your bedroom.

Moving toward the door, you sneaked a look back at Rafe, who winked at you. Entering the room, you notice your own clothes laid out on the bed. A pair of shorts, a flannel, and a crop top you hadn’t worn since…

Your mind flashes back to Rafe’s outfit and your suddenly transported to a moment on the beach over a month ago. The breeze in his hair, the light of the moon reflecting off the ocean and casting a dim glow across the pair of you. You feel close to crying as you realize what he did.

You grab the clothes and hurry across to the bathroom. After brushing your teeth, you strip and hop into the shower. In record time, your hair is washed, body scrubbed, and legs shaved.You dry your hair quickly, trying you remember how you styled it that night. Completely dressed with light make up, you stare at yourself in the mirror. Taking  deep breath, you step out of the bedroom and are greeted by a delicious aroma wafting through the house. You catch Rafe making some finishing touches at the table. You lean against the counter, watching him fret over the arrangement of the flowers.

“I think I fell into the water that night, because this is some alternate universe where Rafe Cameron is in my kitchen, messing with flowers.”

Rafe turns, surprise fading into a light blush at your comment. He reaches his hand towards you and you take it, allowing him to lead you to your seat. The plates were now filled with food, and you quickly noticed that it was your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant.

“How’d you know this was my favorite?” You asked as you took your seat. Rafe sat across from your and smiled.

“You threatened me with castration one night if I didn’t take you to pick it up.”

You giggled at the memory.

Digging in to your food, silence fell over the table. Both of you knew what needed to happen now, but neither of you wanted to be the first to speak. He instead asked you about your day, and you his. Sweet small talk filled the air as you finished up. When Rafe moved to take both your plates to the sink, you spoke.

“Rafe, this is really wonderful. The clothes and the food and the lights and the flowers, it’s all so sweet. But..”

“I want to be with you,” Rafe interrupted, causing your jaw to snap closed. “I know it’ll be hard and people will talk, but fuck ‘em! It’s all worth it if I get to call you my girlfriend. Even if it ends horribly, I want to try.”

You smiled softly, standing and moving to be in front of him. Taking his hand in yours, you placed a sweet kiss on the back of his hand.

“I want to be with you too. But I have some conditions.”

Rafe nodded, encouraging you to continue.

“First, we don’t tell anyone, for now. I think we should give it a couple weeks at least to make sure that this is good and real. Second, you need to be nice to my friends. No more fights with JJ or shit talking the Pogues. If you can’t be nice, at least be civil, because they are my family. I will also do the same with Topper and Kelce. And that’s it. Those are my conditions.”

“Well,” Rafe chuckled, “I agree to your conditions. I’ll be nice to the Pogues, but I’m not gonna force you to be nice to Topper, he’s an asshole. I do have my own conditions.”

“Shoot.”

“Come to Midsummers with me.”

You froze, hand releasing his and falling limply at your side. You couldn’t help but exclaim, “Midsummers!?”

“It’s still a month away, so that gives up plenty of time to figure this out. Not that we have anything to worry about, we’re fucking perfect for each other. I want you to be my date to Midsummers. I want to spend an unbelievable amount of money buying you the perfect dress. I want to get drunk on champagne and dance with you and make sure everyone knows that Rafe Cameron is dating the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world. Then we sneak off early, get a little high, and I fuck you until the sun comes up.”

You feel your cheeks heat up at the thought.

“How could I say no to that?”

“So?”

“So…we’re doing this.”

Rafe’s grin grew so wide his cheeks felt like they were on fire. He wrapped his arms around you and kissed his girlfriend with a fire that burned brighter than the sun. You returned with equal energy, feeling his smile against your lips. His hand wandered your body, soft touches transitioning to hard grips and back again. Making his way to your ass, he pulled away to smirk down at you.

“Ready for dessert?”

“Shut up and take your clothes off.”

A trail of clothes followed you to the bedroom as you ran. After each piece of clothing fell to the floor, Rafe would grab you again, pushing you against the wall for a rough kiss before moving away to remove another item of clothing.

The smiles never fell from your faces as Rafe pulled you into your bedroom, making you giggle as he spun you in his arms to hold you against his chest, back facing him. You were both completely naked at this point and your mind was focused on every place where Rafe’s skin met yours. As Rafe’s fingers dance up your sides and stomach before roughly gripping a breast in each hand, future possibilities were left where they belong, in the future. Here and now with Rafe pressed against your back, nipping at sucking at your neck and massaging your breast, this is where you wanted to be.

One of his hands moved up to grip your hair, forcing you to give him better access to your neck. You moaned as he lightly bit at your sensitive spot, soothing it with his tongue. His other hand slid down to ghost across your already dripping cunt. Feeling his fingers begin to rub slowly at your clit, you let out a low moan.

“So fucking beautiful,” Rafe growled in your ear, “and you’re all mine.”

His fingers moved down farther, playing with your entrance.

“Fuck, Rafe, please, make me yours. Fill me up and make me scream your name.” Rafe groaned, turning you around and backing you up until you fell onto the bed. Hovering over you, his fingers tapped on your bottom lip.

“Suck.” He demanded. You took his fingers in your mouth and did as you were told, wrapping your tongue around them and sucking hard. They came out of you with a pop and Rafe didn’t waste anytime plunging them into you. You yelled out at being filled so suddenly, the pleasure flooding you all at once. He set a rough pace, the sound of your wet pussy and your lewd moans filling the room.

You quickly grew impatient, wanting to feel all of Rafe. You pulled his hand away, returning his fingers to your mouth and licking them clean.

“Just fuck me already, Rafe.”

He moaned pulling you in for a kiss that was all teeth and tongue.

“Whatever you say, angel.”

He plunged into you, filling you up completely and leaving you no time to adjust as he pulled out completely and thrusted into you again. Over and over he pounded into you, fucking you into the mattress. His hand wrapped around your throat, only slightly surprising the sinful noises leaving your lips.

“So fucking wet, angel. Is this all for me?”

You barely nodded, overwhelmed by the pleasure coursing through you. His grip tightened for a moment.

“Words, angel.”

“Yes, Rafe, just for you. This pussy is all yours. All yours, Rafe.”

“Yeah it fucking is.”

The speed of his thrusts increased, helping him plunge deeper into you. You were a moaning mess beneath him, yelling out every time his tip hit your g-spot. Your name fell from his lips, his eyes never leaving yours as he mercilessly pounded into you. One hand moved down to your clit, pressing hard against it before rubbing figure eights into the sensitive bundle. You screamed out, gripping onto Rafe’s forearm to anchor yourself in reality.

“Scream my name when you cum one my cock, angel. Tell me who makes you feel this good.”

“Rafe…” You moaned. His fingers increased their pressure on your clit.

“Rafe!” You mewled as he took one nipples in his mouth, tugging on it with his teeth.

“Rafe!” You yelled as he made you see stars, your juices covering his cock as you found your release. He pulled out of you and you whimpered at the sudden emptiness. It didn’t last long, though, as he flipped you on to your stomach and started pounding into you again. A scream released from your throat as he slapped your ass, once, twice, three times.

“Please, Rafe! Cum in me! I’m all yours Rafe, make me yours!”

He leaned over you, pressing his chest against your back as he fucked you. The new angle, accompanied by the bites and kisses he placed across your shoulders, made your eyes roll back in your head. His hand moved under you to work your clit again.

“I want you to cum with me, angel. Cum with me.”

As his thrusts became sloppier, the movements against your clit grew more rapid. It didn’t take long for you to reach the edge again. Feeling Rafe twitch inside of you, you knew he was close too. Rafe let out an animalistic groan as he released into you, your pussy clenching around him, milking him as your orgasm overtook you. He rode out your orgasms, giving you a few more lazy thrusts before stilling inside you. His arm wrapped around your waist, holding you against him as he collapsed on his side onto the bed.

Rafe held his girlfriend close, savoring the warmth of her pussy around his dick, while she sighed at the feeling of his dick inside her, filling her up. The only sound in the room now was your heavy breathing. Neither of you could speak, but both your minds were running a mile a minute. Rafe pulled you, the woman he now got to call his, flush against him, peppering kisses across your cheek, neck, and shoulder.

A few minutes passed before either of you spoke. It was Rafe who broke the silence.

“Is this a dream?” He whispered to the air.

“No, baby,” You replied, “this is very real.”

He pressed a kiss to the place between your shoulder blades before resting his forehead against the back of your head.

“Then I hope I never fall asleep.”

taglist: @teenwaywardasgardian @kindahavefeelingskindaheartless @obxmxybxnk @butgilinsky @juliarose21 @bluesiderudy @ilovejjmaybank @diverrdown @diverdcwn @drewsephsmiles @https-luna @broken-jj

lmk if you want to be tagged or if i forgot to tag you!

[fungusbabey]

Can I get John b fluff of him taking care of you after you broke your leg? Like JJ keeps trying to steal your crutches and John b is like prepared to kick some ass for you to be left alone because you're "fragile"

doctor’s orders - john b/reader

y/n broke her leg, and john b is going to help her with treatment.

+

being a pogue had its ups and downs, both metaphorically and physically. once, when feeling from some particularly agressive kooks with the rest of the crew, y/n’s foot hitched on a chain link fence, sending her flying. she fell eight feet and landed on her leg. a sickening crunch was heard, and she cried out in pain. a trip to a town clinic confirmed that it was, indeed, broken. she was to be in a cast for two months.

presently, y/n was on her second of her eight weeks in the cast, and she was still completely bummed out by the fact that she couldn’t do anything fun for two whole months. she insisted that her friends still go out and have fun, so they did so reluctantly, but john b would frequently come pick her up in the van (and help her get in, like a true gentleman), and bring her over to hang out at the chateau.

she would have enjoyed those hang-outs more if everyone would treat her like she was normal. that is, if jj would stop making her present disability into a constant joke. she loved him like the big brother she never had, but she was fed up with his constant teasing. she never would have said anything, of course, but it was obvious to anyone who cared to look.

at one particular hang-out, everyone was gathered outside, lounged in rickety, old lawn chairs when john b arrived with y/n. after he helped her out of the back, she hobbled unsteadily toward her friends, looking a bit like a newborn giraffe on her crutches. all was well until i rushed over and grabbed one of the crutches from beneath her.

“think fast!” he cackled, and time froze as y/n desperately tried to balance herself on her remaining crutch. it started to slip on the gravel. she braced herself for the impact.

but it didn’t come. strong arms grabbed her waist from behind, steadying her successfully.

“jj, what the hell?” john b’s voice boomed, the vibrations carrying from his chest to the back of her head. she rested in his embrace and closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

“dude, it’s just a joke. she’s fine, see?” jj defended, gesturing to the girl in his furious friend’s arms.

“you can’t do that shit, jj. she has a broken bone, and the rest of her body is probably weaker because of that. it’s putting all her energy into healing. she’s super fucking fragile right now. just back off, dude,” he huffed, turning his attention back to y/n.

“you alright, doll?” he questioned, carefully turning her so that he could see her face. she nodded shakily. “come on, i’ll be your crutch,” he insisted, carefully taking the other crutch from her hand and leaning it against a nearby tree. he wrapped a firm arm around her waist, and she held onto him and he helped her inside to the couch.

“how are you feeling? can i get you anything?” he inquired, sitting down carefully next to the injured girl.

“i’m a little sore, but i’m okay,” she confessed. “i don’t need anything, but could you... stay with me?” she asked shyly, her cheeks flushed.

“oh,” he gasped, sucking in air slowly. “i, um... yeah, of course. i’d love to,” he grinned as he gained his composure. “doctor john b, at your service.” he winked exaggeratedly.

“well, what’s your the prognosis, doc?” she teased, playing along.

“i think you’ll be just fine, as long as you follow my treatment plan,” he informed with false graveness. “you’ll need a daily dose of cuddles... from me, of course. doctor’s orders.”

[okimargarvez]

WHEN THEY FIRST MET- Tara

Original title: When they first met.

Prompt: writing challenge.

Warning: none.

Genre: family, romantic, comedy, friendship.

Characters: all members of BAU team, O.C.

Pairing: Garvez.

Note: oneshot (collection of individual tales of each member, except for Walker).

Legend: 💑💏😘😈👓🔦🎲🎈👻⚰.

Song mentioned: none.

When They First Met- Masterlist

MY OTHER GARVEZ STORIES

*Tara: Behind a screen

 Penelope quickly dialed the answer to the message she had received, with a smile on her lips. They are all taken by this damn game ... a colleague of mine this morning did nothing but talk all the time about this... she was naturally referring to Rossi. The new case wasn't very demanding, and it was in Virginia, so they didn't even have to use the jet. By nine o'clock they were all home, including her.

Well, it's not just any "a" match... it's the super bowl. There is people preparing for this event for weeks... Oh no, he, too, one of those maniacs? She wouldn't never think! He never talked about sports, and they have been texting quite a bit 'of months. She had signed up on that website a bit for challenge, a little to get a laugh and a little... because... now, that Derek had gone, she needed a dose of flirt daily.

Are you a maniac of those things too?😲  She inserted a smiley face even shocked, to increase the effect. He had been the first to contact her. He had never shown himself to be trivial, nor had he started with a string of copy-paste compliments, as men usually did. Indeed, he had courted pretty clearly her, but with words, weaving particular phrases, taking an interest in her life. By now they have been texting practically every day, usually before going to sleep. And at least on her part, the feeling had become very serious.

A little...  I got that from my grandfather, is an affective thing, more than anything else... A moment's pause, that if they were face to face, would have been embarrassed silence. She didn't know what to say, but didn't want to say bye to him. Fortunately, a moment later another message arrived. But I didn't want to talk about it. We've been texting regularly for six months and I'd like to go deeper. Meet you from the truth. Penelope jumped, reading his words. She liked the idea that he wanted to meet her seriously, but was also afraid. What if he was disappointed? She would have lost this which has now become a pleasant habit. You don't say anything? I don't think it's premature. I can't be content with a telematic relationship... She took too long to answer him.

You're right, just ... I've always been honest with you, and I want to be so now. I'm little terror, like a girl in high school. I'm blonde, but other than that... the exact opposite of classic beauty that appeals to men. 😊 She added that face, to play down a bit, but actually she was very serious. She waited anxiously for his reply, but time passed, and the telephone remained silent.

Let me judge 😉 When we meet, then? 😃 Finally it had enlightened, and her heart had started to beat driven crazy. Can one fall in love like that, only through some message and smile?

Are you really so very eager to see me? When will you be in Virginia?

Not even half a minute had passed. I'm already here, baby 😉 Tomorrow night? It's Friday, and you should have a free night, right? How could he remember it? Penelope melted even more. What will he be like? And his voice? It was time to find out, not to be afraid anymore.

Yeah, as long as there is not a case, otherwise it deal's off... you know that mine is a job like that... zero private life.

I know I know. So, see you tomorrow (I hope). I really want to meet you, Penelope. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight. If will not be tomorrow night, it will be another, soon. Good night, little one. ❤

The woman thought she heard an unknown voice whisper those words in her ear and out the window a breeze caressed her skin. She closed her eyes. You're too sweet, Luke. Get some sleep, you have to be fit for tomorrow 😝 Sweet dreams...

She put the alarm clock on, took off the internet connection and tried to fall asleep. She didn't know when Morpheus actually captured her, but went from a dream to 'other, protagonists always men, many male specimens, she wandered among the crowd looking for Luke, but couldn't find her. She woke up the next morning with great difficulty, as if had really done all those kilometers. She dressed normally and pretended, all day, that it was an ordinary day. Her colleagues realized that there was something strange about her, especially girls. Eventually Tara and JJ took her aside.

-Penelope, are you ok? Your mind just tends to wander off these days. You sent me the file about the case of the last year, rather than those of this year...- the blonde peered at the screen shown by her friend and sighed. Love makes people stupid.

-Oh, I'm sorry, I'll send it back immediately.- but she was blocked by the other.

-There was a man involved, right?- there was no response and this confirmed her supposition. In that moment she heard a sound that a message was come. And Penelope was sure it was him. But she couldn't look at it now, under the eyes of her friends and co-workers. -Garcia, we've known each other for a long time, I killed a man, for you!- JJ was willing to play whatever card she must.

-Okay, okay. I give up. I have a date. Tonight.- both smiled as she told this. -I met him in chat, he's very attractive, sweet... Don't give me that look!- the petite blonde had look at her with a serious expression contrite. -That's why I didn't want to tell you. Nothing will happen. I remember very well what happened the last time, it was never about chat or dating web site. Nothing will happen. He's a federal, like us.- JJ was about to reply. -Okay, Battle was a cop but... I'm sure. Really, JJ don't worry!- she took her hand, but the friend hug her. Penelope met Tara's gaze and realized that she was not trying to convince her friends but herself.

 Luke looked at himself in the mirror. White or blue shirt? He let his life partner choose; a specimen of Belgian shepherd who, lying on the bed, looked at him as if he were stupid, and she was probably right. Then he opted for the first one, put it on and looked at the time. If all's going well, there were only two hours left. He couldn't stop thinking about her, didn't know how to expect her, apart from the fact that she was blonde. After all, the appearance wasn't so important, he was much more anxious to actually be able to finally hear her voice. It would be as he was dreamed it? Sweet but with some mischievous aftertaste?

I'm counting the minutes. 😃 Everything ok at work? By now he no longer had any brakes, could no longer worry about looking like a fool, too attracted with a woman who he had known through messages, her name and job... But it was not true, he had learned much more of Penelope, she had allowed him to know her soul... and now only the icing on the cake was missing. He was sure wouldn't be disappointed. He hoped could say the same about her.

-Ah, Roxy, I'm pretty fool, right? I hope I can bring her here very soon and let you know her. She loves all the animals and I'm sure she'll drive crazy for you, girl.- he gave her a caress and then went on with the preparation, trying to sweat as little as possible.

 Penelope wasn't in a very different situation, except that had no one to share her anxieties with, so she talked for herself. Finally, after a long and exhausting research, she decided to wear a red dress with white diamonds, which came quite a bit above the knee, but it was even content, by her standards. Loose, smooth hair and red glasses, matched. Shoes with décolleté and high heels. Only one thing was missing: the courage to direct the feet to the place where they had decided to meet.

Red and white dress. Glasses. I'll not tell you more.

The message blew him up, he had already arrived on the spot and looked around, knowing that she was not there yet. He had read it and smiled. White shirt and jeans. If she wanted to play, he was ready. The answer was not long in coming.

Doesn't count, you're unfair! Any more particular sign? He laughed openly, looking around again. No blonde dressed in red and white around.

Dark hair. Tall. I can't say more, because there's nothing to say, really. You'll realize it when you'll look at me... In the meantime, he kept on watching the crowd and while was reading the next message (Mmm, dark, I like it) identified her. A woman with long, fair blond hair, a pair of glasses, and a dress that matched the description, was looking around in front of him with a bewildered look. It was definitely her.

-Penelope?- he asked once had reached her. She stood for a moment paralyzed, seeing that man by the Latin traits, very charming, who had spoken to her, calling her name. Then she realized it had to be Luke. Then she nodded.

-You expected better, right? You're disappointed...- it was a clear provocation, just as she had always liked to do with messages, behind a screen. He wanted him to tell her she was wrong. And Luke understood that perfectly, although he wasn't a profiler.

-What are you saying! You look great in this dress...- he gave her an exploratory look that would clarify his real appreciation. Penelope had all the curves at the right point and above all... her voice was exactly as he had imagined: sweet, not shrill, sexy and caressing.

-Do you really think so?- she peered at him carefully, not trusting him. -I don't understand why you didn't want to send me a picture. In short, congratulations for the 'wrap... I don't thought I had chatted with Mister Latin America... how the hell can you be single?- Luke was like to find out that she was delirious in live exactly as in the virtual world. At her last question he shrugged.

-Well, I did it on purpose. Like you, I don't like to be judged from the appearance. As for the second question... I've known few interesting women, lately, if I must be honest... indeed, only one.- he made her the wink and she blushed.

-You're too gallant, man, I could end up believing you...- she recovered quickly enough, folding her arms a few inches from him. Yet still too distant for Luke's taste.

-So, where do you want to bring me? I'm a guest here and I don't know which way to go... - he was teasing her, and Penelope understood it quickly enough but didn't have time to reply in kind, because he took her arm, leading her away from the crowd. It was the first time ever that their bodies came into contact and both felt electric shocks. It was not like exchanging text messages, talking to each other (even if every evening) behind keyboards and screens.

-It seems to me that you know how to move very well ...- she finally managed to say how much he stopped, near a row of shops, under the arcades. Suddenly there was a rumble and after a few seconds it began to rain with great intensity. Luke gave her the 'wink, as if to tell her he had super powers and was thus able to predict the shower and put her away. He's still not had left her to go. Penelope began to shiver everywhere, except at that spot, covered by him. The man, however, noticed that she was cold and so moved his arm around her back and embraced her, pushing her against his chest, with such ease that anyone would have mistake them like a perfect couple, well-matched as if they were together for years. -Luke ...- with some other tremor, this time of another kind, he looked for her look. It was the first time sshe uttered that name in front of him, and latter had liked how it sounded.

-I know.- he whispered. The woman felt the warmth of his breath on her hair -I'm running too fast. But I can't do without it. It's just for the rain, when it ceases I'll let you go... if you want it.- and in fact Penelope didn't want it at all, in that simple grip she felt safe and loved, at the same time, as when was with Morgan, with the except that in the eyes of Luke there it was also something else that was missing in those of ex BAU's agent: an interest physical, and sexual. Possible? It was not worth asking such questions when his hand began to make a slight movement on her back, a kind of repeated caress that was as sweet as his good-night messages.

She wished that the rain would never stop. A rumble of thunder was heard just after a flash that lit them up. The storm was in full swing, but usually more were intense and less would last. Who knows how Luke realized that her expression had become sad. -Hey, baby, what's going on?- not getting any answer, he lifted her face, holding her chin with two fingers. Penelope shook her head.

-Nothing, nothing special. Just... I feel stupid, as usual. Because I'm trying to find the strength to get away from you, to protest and do the right thing. Because we had spoken only through PCs and phones, and it's my world, the one in which I move better, but... but the so-called "normal people"- she made the quotation marks with her hands keeping the tone serious, even in delirium -they think negative about who trust someone he's just met, and maybe they right. But I'm feel so good in your arms, feel your scent, your warmth that surrounds me... I'm the usual stupid fool, don't pay attention to... - but he interrupted her in a way that certainly she didn't expect. Pushing her even closer to his body and grasping her face, he put his lips on those of Penelope and felt himself on cloud line. The "people", as she said, could say what they wanted. In many cases people pretended to be who they weren't, behind a screen, they had painted themselves leaner, smarter or funny... but there wasn't the case of Luke and Penelope. She had never tried to make him believe she was a stick-style model or a nuclear scientist, and Luke had told her about his dog, about dangerous missions and about being tired of being welcomed (only) by Roxy, who he adored. The woman returned the kiss with a moment of delay and realized that wanted more, wanted to feel the rough and big hands of him dig her, touch her everywhere, cross every border, but also understood that during the evening she would place her heart and not only her body, on a silver platter and Luke could dispose of it at will. And although he had proved himself sweet and interested in something else, she was too afraid to stay and experience the consequences. She parted and ran away, in the rain. He stood looking at her for a moment, then began to pursue her. He didn't take long to catch her wrist.

-Penelope, did I do something wrong?- he was too cute, too... Everything. And she felt wasn't ready yet, still worthy for a man like that.

-No, no... I... I'm sorry to have wasted your time, but... I'm not ready to... of... understood?- obviously not. -Make everything real.- He said then - I'm sorry, Luke, I'm sorry.- she weeping, but hoped that he wouldn't notice and exchange those tears for drops of rain, which continued to flow inexorably on them, drenching them. The cold she felt, however, was not due to it.

-Can we continue slip messages?- but it was a vain hope, and he knew it. He had understood when had looked into her eyes. Not even the feeling that now felt each other, would be able to fight against the terror that had taken her. Only she, alone, could have overcome it. Penelope shook her head, then gave him a kiss on the cheek and ran away, leaving him alone with that sign that burned on the skin, the frost in the heart and an empty space impossible to fill.

 ***

-My god, what a touching story.- all taken from listening the story, nobody notice someone had arrived. But they recognized the voice of their computer technician.

-Penelope?- JJ is the first to recover and even the first to realize that she isn't alone. Next to the blonde there is in fact Alvez and they... is holding hands.

-What are you doing here? Were not you both sick?- Emily asks, trying to take things into her own hands.

-Well, if I'm honest... we said a little lie.- she turns to Luke and looks at him with accomplice and mischievous gaze. -We knew that there would be no major cases, and we needed a moment to do something...- everyone here think negative, for this last sentence. -And then they called me and told me that you were stuck in here and... I'm had to come and this big head, had to accompany me... didn't you know that I helped to create this security system?- someone laughs at her serious and proud tone.

-No offense, Garcia, but you didn't do a great job. I had a fabulous evening with Monica, waiting for me instead... - Walker sighs, not completely resigned.

-It's only ten o'clock, you still have time to... - the Latin is interrupted by an elbowed in the ribs by the woman he was holding his hand. -Ouch!- she looks at him as if to say You've been looking for this. JJ and Tara laugh.

-But then... are you together, seriously?- finally Rossi finds the courage to ask the question that was on the tip of everyone's tongue. Penelope looks at Luke and seems to ask him for permission to spill everything.

-Ehm... yes.- the other blonde has a desire to strangle her and embrace, simultaneously.

-What? For how long?- JJ is anticipated by the boss.

-In our defense... for a short time. After the car crash... I realized that I could no longer continue to call him Newbie and dream about him every night... but couldn't have done it, however, to tell him how I felt. So, I approached, I did the 'friend"-impossible not to notice the way in which Luke looks at her while she talking. -l helped him with Roxy, since he had to move on crutches... and so, haven't to no more walking on hot coals... He showed his hand, a little more.- she smiles in an ironic way at him and he seems to struggle to resist the temptation to take this smile off with a kiss.

-I asked her a date and she said yes. I told her "a real date", she repeated "Ok, a real date". And it was... magnificent... - but it's clear that what he thinks, what is really magnificent is she.

-Wow, guys, I'd like to choke you but... I'm so happy for you! I knew it! I knew it!- JJ jumps, gloating for being the first to notice something between them.

-Yeah, please, boy, treat her right, because if you had to make her suffer... - the retired writer almost seriously threatens him. Luke chuckles a little embarrassed.

-Quiet, Rossi.- he replies, however, with great conviction. Penelope takes his arm.

-Tell me something, Garcia, how long have you been listening to?- confirmation of Emily's suspicions comes through a pair of mischievous smiles.

-I must be honest? When you started reading stories. That's why we decided to show ourselves like that.- she raises their hands, again intertwined. -All beautiful stories, but I particularly liked the later... - he overlaps almost on the words of his woman.

-For me the first.- and makes a wink to reinforce his opinion.

-The usual maniac!- Garcia scolds him, then return to earth, before ending up to made love in front of their colleagues. There will be time at home, to resume what the call of the technicians has interrupted.

-Out of curiosity- Tara starts while they eventually leave the room and take the elevator. -You two met here at the BAU when Luke became profiler or before?- Luke and Penelope look at each other.

-The answer is much more complicated than it may seem ...-

Note: this story is not ended! 

TAGS: @theshamelessmanatee @itsdawnashlie @talesoffairies @janiedreams88 @kiki-krakatoa @yessenia993 @teyamarra @c00lhandsluke  @gcchic @arses21434 @orangesickle @entireoranges @jarmin @kathy5654 @martinab26 @thisonekid @thenibblets @perfectly-penelope @ambrosiaswhispers @maziikeen92 @lovelukealvez @reidskitty13 @jenf42 @gracieeelizabeth27 @silviajajaja @smalliemichelle99 @charchampagne14 @ichooseno  @ megs2219 @rkt3357 @franklintrixie @thinitta @chewwy123 @skisun @maba84 @saisnarry @myhollyhanna23 @thenorthernlytes

[dailyaudiobible]

03/19/2018 DAB Transcript

Numbers 28:16-29:40, Luke 3:23-38, Psalms 62:1-12, Proverbs 11:18-19

Today is the 19th day of March. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian and it is always a joy to come around the global campfire and spend these moments together as we take another step and move further and deeper into the story that leads us through the Bible in a year. So, to take the next step, we will continue to read from the God's word Translation, which is what we're reading from this week and we will obviously pick up where we left off yesterday, which will take us back into the book of Numbers and today we will read chapter 28 verse 16 through 29 verse 40.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the Old Testament today in the book of numbers we had quite a bit of repetition over celebrations, festivals. And, so, you see how in the book of numbers we’re moving from narrative and then back into law. So, when the narrative pieces happen we’re telling the story - they moved here, they did this, this person came to curse them, this is what God said. That's the narrative style. And, so, we’re used to the following that kind of style, that's how we speak to each other, we tell each other stories. But when you're reading something legal then, yeah, it can get monotonous because it's very repetitive so that there is nothing left to chance basically, so that it's very, very abundantly clear. Even still though, right, in court every day the nuances of the law are being argued over and judged by a judge. So, we see the need for this this kind of language that is very specific and very thorough.

And we get to the New Testament today and we dive into a genealogy and spend our whole time basically starting with Jesus and working our way back all the way to Adam. And, so, reading genealogies like the one found in Luke can also seem monotonous and uninteresting. But think of it like this. That list, those names we called out is as wide ranging of a story as can be imagined filled with all of those generations. Think about what has changed in the world since your birth. And some of you are like, you know, it was like 15 years ago and some of you that was like 85 years ago, but within your lifetime even if you're 15 years old a lot has changed in the world. Every single one of those names that we called out was a generation. Imagine what happened in their lifetimes in the world. Every single one of those names had wide-ranging things happening around them in their lifetime carrying the story forward. Those names, they represent millions of lives who lived in that generation. And, so, believe it or not, if we were able to trace our own ancestry all the way back, somewhere along the line we would intersect with that story, right, because we all descend from Adam and Eve. We’re all part of the same story and it's a story that continues forward and we’re going to tell a part of that story with the way that we live our lives today. So, these genealogies, they serve as a reminder that God is with us throughout the generations throughout all time and He wants to know and be known by us. He’s our Father.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for life and consciousness, we thank You that we can perceive and understand Your word and that Your Holy Spirit pulls us forward deeper into intimacy with You and that we are a part of the same story that has been being told since the beginning and You've allowed us to be a part of Your story. We fall to our knees, we are humbled, we are grateful, we are created in Your image. You allowed us to live because You desire to know us, and You desire to be known by us. We are humbled, we fall to our knees, we worship You. Come Holy Spirit we pray, may we live Your story today. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, you know, always stay connected in any way that you can, in any way that you desire, any way that you need to.

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we’ve been doing…well…now for…for over two and a half months…like we’re well outside of shore mow, we’re out in the deep sailing across…across this year as we make our way through the Bible. If that has been a life-giving rhythm to you, if coming together and knowing that this is happening every day and that there's a community around this, and we’re not alone in this and not only are we not alone in life, this is not a solitary devotional thing, like our quiet time that we have to make time for and drudge our way through every day. This is a dynamic thing. The Bible is speaking to us. This is happening every day. If that has brought life and good news to you, then and thank you. Thank you for your partnership. So, there's a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you're using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey all this is The Misfit Man from Cincinnati and I was calling to just encourage JJ from Utah. I  just heard your call about having some struggles with drugs and relapsing and then falling back into that. So, brother I just wanted to let you know I’m gonna be lifting you up in prayer and just give you some encouragement to find someone around you that you can talk to in person and that you can share your heart with and your struggles and that they can help pray for you to break these agreements and these chains that are holding you back and drawing you back to a life that you don’t want to be in, help you figure out, you know, what is it, where is it, that is causing you the most grief and the most trouble with temptation, you know, and not being able to fight those temptations when they come. And to kind of echo Slave of Jesus, you need to find some scriptural weapons and have those ready at hand to pullout at any moment. Just start reciting those. And it is so powerful to just recite the word of God as far as, you know, breaking those bonds and denying those temptations. So, gonna be lifting you up brother. Love you man. Stay strong. All right. Bye.

Hey DAB family this is Eric from Massachusetts, formerly from Indiana. I wanted to call and pray for JJ from Utah. JJ you said that you’re struggling with addiction to drugs and that even though you’re active in the church and everything it’s still a problem for you. And I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been a Christian my whole life, but I’ve also been addicted to porn and lust in general for more than half my life and it was only just earlier this year that God has finally broken that chain for me. And, so, I wanted to call and let you know that I’m gonna pray for you, that I’m praying for all the other addicts out there and I pray that you can find like a Celebrate Recovery or a men’s group or something like that or some sort of group to work this out with. Telling your friends is good and healthy but being in a group of people who know exactly what you’re going through is the most important thing. Also seeking a counselor or something like that, somebody that you can confide in who’s routing for you and who is on your side. I’ll be praying for you and praying for all the other addicts of there. Jesus, I pray that you would be with us and guide us and give us strength and courage to do the right thing and to help ourselves. Sometimes we just need ask for help and a lot of times we don’t. God, I pray that we do that, and I thank you that JJ was willing to ask for help pray. I agree with him and I agree with all the other addicts including myself. And we thank you for your great love. Amen.

Hi, calling to pray for JJ from Utah. JJ, I heard your heart. Father we just pray for JJ Lord God that you would give him the strength Lord God to fight Lord God these drugs, these things that it’s hard to come by God and you are his strength you are his shield and we just pray God that you would just give him the strength that he needs. I will refer you to Lamentations 3:22 that says stand fast, love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They’re new every morning. Every morning is a fresh new day for you man. I just pray that you would find the help and the strength that you need in Jesus’ name. Be blessed.

Hi this is Chip The Carpenter from Georgia. This is my first time calling the Daily Audio Bible. It’s March the 15th and I just heard from JJ in Utah and JJ this is for you. JJ I just want you to know how much the Lord loves you, how much he wants to hold you, and that you are a man after God’s heart. Also, JJ He doesn’t…He’s not really concerned about what all you’re doing, He’s not really concerned about the drug use you have. That’s simply just a crutch like a broken leg, it’s a crutch, it’s just a crutch, but what He is concerned about JJ is the person you are and who you are and the well-being of your Spirit. He wants you, I feel like He’s saying, to rest with Him to see it and simply be in His presence. You don’t have to worry about doing this or that or seeking this or that. Simply seek Him, He’s there, He loves you. Let Him embrace you with his arms. Let His breath breathe upon you and warm you and nurture you, nurture your mind, your soul, and most of all you spirit. Just like Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans the prosper you and not to harm you and 14 says, I will bring you back from the captivity. Let the Lord do this for you JJ. His hand is upon you my son. Do not despair, do not be discouraged, He is there. In Jesus’ name we ask these things. Amen.

Hi Daily Audio Bible friends this is Bridget from New York. I’m calling to pray for a few you guys. Today is March 15th. I just listened to March 14th. I’m gonn pray for Holly for the missions field, for Dr. John, and for Mary. So, Holly, father God in the name of Jesus Lord I just ask you right now father…you’ve called her to the missions field. She’s believed since the age of three Lord God. And father God with you there’s no question when you call us out Lord. So, I just pray father that if you desire for her to go to the missions field at this time Lord that father God you would open every door and every path and make it a clear smooth way to get to that mission field father God. Close any doors that should not be open at this time Lord God and open up every single door that there would be no…not even an ounce of doubt, not even a drop of doubt in Holly’s life oh God about going into the missions field. I pray for Dr. John Lord God for first and foremost his prodigal son, the relationship that him and Jason have Lord and I ask you Lord in the name of Jesus to mend them father. I ask you to have your Holy Spirit go and arrest Jason father and bring him back to his father Lord. There’s nothing like being fatherless Lord, there’s nothing like feeling fatherless Lord and you have a father here crying out for his son. God, I just pray father for you to bring and restore that relationship Lord and to cover his family and his wife and all the people suffering with cancer father that every person that is suffering right now Lord in the name of Jesus father God would find you and meet you and know that in the end father God we return to you. I bless you guys. I’ll pray for you Mary on another call. Bye.

[fitono]

A Trainer’s Guide to Protein

The more time you spend with your clients, the more questions you’ll be asked about nutrition.

And for good reason. The two or three hours a week you spend with them in the gym are no match for the 21 meals and countless snacks they consume on their own time. Until their training and nutrition are in synch, they won’t get the results they’re paying you to deliver.

The questions change with the whims of the celebrity-industrial complex, but there’s one constant: protein.

Over at the curl rack, every dude-bro and fem-bro has some opinion about bro-tein for bro-gainz.

Their doctors, meanwhile, give them the opposite message. They’re telling everyone with a BMI north of 25 to eat less and move more, while pooh-poohing the importance of protein and sending everyone out the door with a photocopied list of all the foods they should avoid.

With all due to respect to my friends in white coats and tight T-shirts, both sides are full of hot air and nitrogenous compounds.

Here’s what science has to say about the role of protein for health, body composition, and performance. I included footnoted references for those who, like me, enjoy diving into the deep end of the data pool.

1. How much protein do you need?

We’ll begin with a basic fact that I don’t think anyone disputes: To maximize muscle gains following resistance training, your clients need dietary protein (1).

The question, then, is how much it takes to get the job done.

Let’s start with clients who’re cutting calories with the goal of getting leaner and lighter.

Human studies show that 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day is best for retaining lean body mass—muscle, bone, and everything else that isn’t fat (2-5).

Which is awesomely precise, but mathematically complex for the average person. Here’s a much simpler frame, one that will get most of your clients close enough:

Women: 4 x 30

Men: 4 x 40

That is, four meals a day with 30 grams of protein per meal for women or 40 grams for men.

READ ALSO: Five Ways to Help Your Clients Lose Weight. 

2. How do they come up with that target?

Researchers account for two main items:

First is the leucine threshold. This is the 2.5 to 3.5 grams of the amino acid leucine that you need to jump-start the muscle repair process (7-9).

Next are essential amino acids, which provide the raw building blocks for muscle protein synthesis. As little as 6 grams of EAAs could be enough (10, 11).

3. Is there any benefit to going over these amounts?

Not much, as shown in a study that came out earlier this year (6). It was a meta-analysis—a combination of data from previous studies—with this conclusion:

“With protein supplementation, protein intakes at amounts greater than [roughly] 1.6 grams per kilogram per day do not further contribute resistance training-induced gains in fat-free mass.”

For a 100-kilogram/220-pound guy, that’s 160 grams of protein per day.

It’s much higher than your doctor would recommend (the RDA clocks in around 60 grams per day), but lower than the 1-gram-per-pound-per-day target that bro scientists use as their gold standard.

There may be other benefits to eating more, since protein is highly satiating and may help you eat less overall. But you’re probably better off filling up on all the other healthy, nutrient-rich foods that make up a balanced diet.

4. How much should you have at once?

The more protein you have in any given meal, no matter the source, the easier it is to get the leucine and EAAs you need for muscle protein synthesis and to hit your daily target.

To maximize the acute anabolic response, you need about 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram per meal, across a minimum of four meals per day (12). So a lifter who weighs 100 kilograms/220 pounds would shoot for 40 grams per meal. A female athlete who weighs half that much could get the job done with 20 grams.

Contrary to popular belief, you can use more than 30 grams of protein at once. In one study, for example, 40 grams consumed before bedtime was shown to be effective (13).

5. Which protein sources are best?

Encourage your clients to focus on whole foods most of the time. Animal sources like fish, chicken, beef, pork, and eggs offer the highest-quality protein for building muscle. That is, they’re complete proteins, containing all the essential amino acids, with enough leucine to cross the threshold.

A serving size of 5 ounces of meat or fish will typically get you in the neighborhood of 30 grams of protein. Eight ounces will get you to 40 grams. For convenience, you can get 40 grams from two scoops of most protein supplements.

You’d need seven eggs or five cups of milk to reach 40 grams. So while they’re both awesome sources of high-quality protein, they aren’t the most practical stand-alone options.

6. Do you need BCAAs?

Short answer: no. If you’re getting enough protein from whole foods and supplements, you don’t need to pile on additional branched-chain amino acids (14, 15). Two scoops of whey protein isolate, for example, contains 10 grams of BCAAs, half of which is leucine.

As one study noted:

“[I]t is reasonable to conclude that there is no credible evidence that ingestion of a dietary supplement of BCAAs alone results in a physiologically significant stimulation of muscle protein.” (16).

You could make a case that they’d be useful for a client who’s on an extremely low-protein diet, or who just isn’t hungry enough to reach the amounts shown in the research I’ve cited. In that case, BCAAs could help your client get across the leucine threshold of 2.5 to 3.5 grams at each meal (17). 

7. Should you account for the protein in foods like nuts, seeds, and vegetables?

Life is too short to count the protein grams in broccoli. Not only is there very little total protein in the foods I mentioned, what they have is typically low in leucine and the other BCAAs.

It’s much simpler to track the amounts in the high-protein foods I listed in point number five.

8. Does protein timing matter?

There was a time when the most dedicated muscleheads thought they had to slam down a protein shake containing exactly 34.7 grams of protein within 27.7 minutes of putting down the last weight on their last set.

I’m exaggerating, but not by much.

Yes, there is an anabolic window, but it’s not nearly as narrow as we used to think. Once you account for total protein across the entire day, the specific timing of each dose isn’t especially important (18-20).

It’s a pretty simple message for your clients: Get some protein one or two hours before training, and then an hour or two afterward. Your body can take it from there.

9. What about vegan protein?

Many plant-based proteins are low in either leucine or EAAs. So your vegan clients have two options:

1. Use complete protein sources

These include:

Soy*

Buckwheat

Hemp

Chia

Quorn mycoprotein (Fusarium venenatum, aka soil-dwelling saprotrophic nonpathogenic fungus) **

Most sprouted grain***

Rice****

Pea

* Contrary to bro-science lore, eating soy won’t ungender your male clients. But, speaking as a guy, I personally wouldn’t make it my primary source of protein.

** As appetizing as it sounds (and who doesn’t love their nonpathogenic fungi?), there have been reports of adverse reactions among those sensitive to molds (22).

*** These are whole-grain seeds that have started to grow; they typically have less starch and better nutrient availability, and are easier to digest.

**** It’s only effective in higher amounts, or when you mix it with pea protein. It’s the supplemental version of the classic rice-and-beans combination.

2. Use more protein

In a study in which subjects were given 48 grams of either rice or whey protein after training, there was no difference in muscle growth over eight weeks (21).

Summing Up

I hope this serves as a handy guide for your clients who’re confused over the conflicting claims they see online. But if it’s still too long or complicated, you can simplify this list to two basic options:

1. Super-simple option:

* For female clients: 4 x 30 (four meals with at least 30 grams of protein per meal)

* For male clients: 4 x 40 (four meals with at least 40 grams of protein per meal)

Reaching 30 grams is easy: 

½ chicken breast

2 chicken thighs

1 cup of cottage cheese

1 cup of soybeans

1 cup of rice + 1 cup of black beans

5 to 6 ounces of meat or fish (a serving that’s about the size and thickness of your client’s hand and fingers, or two checkbooks)

5 eggs

4 glasses of milk

1 ½ scoops of a typical protein supplement

2. Nerd-herder math option:

Multiply the client’s body weight by 0.7 to get the total amount of protein per day. Divide by the number of meals and/or snacks your client typically eats.

So if the client weighs 200 pounds, the math tells us he should shoot for 140 grams of protein per day—35 grams per meal spread over four meals.

This should cover most of the questions your clients will have about protein. For everything else … yeah. Good luck with that.

Nerd Fuel (References)

1. Phillips SM. The impact of protein quality on the promotion of resistance exercise-induced changes in muscle mass. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2016;13:64.

2. Walberg JL, Leidy MK, Sturgill DJ, Hinkle DE, Ritchey SJ, Sebolt DR. Macronutrient content of a hypoenergy diet affects nitrogen retention and muscle function in weight lifters. Int J Sports Med. 1988;9(4):261-6.

3. Mero AA, Huovinen H, Matintupa O, Hulmi JJ, Puurtinen R, Hohtari H, et al. Moderate energy restriction with high protein diet results in healthier outcome in women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010;7(1):4.

4. Mettler S, Mitchell N, Tipton KD. Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(2):326-37.

5. Layman DK, Evans E, Baum JI, Seyler J, Erickson DJ, Boileau RA. Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women. The Journal of nutrition. 2005;135(8):1903-10.

6. Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-84.

7. Norton LE, Wilson GJ, Layman DK, Moulton CJ, Garlick PJ. Leucine content of dietary proteins is a determinant of postprandial skeletal muscle protein synthesis in adult rats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012;9(1):67.

8. Breen L, Churchward-Venne TA. Leucine: a nutrient ‘trigger’ for muscle anabolism, but what more? J Physiol. 2012;590(9):2065-6.

9. Norton LE, Layman DK. Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise. The Journal of nutrition. 2006;136(2):533s-7s.

10. Rasmussen BB, Tipton KD, Miller SL, Wolf SE, Wolfe RR. An oral essential amino acid-carbohydrate supplement enhances muscle protein anabolism after resistance exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2000;88(2):386-92.

11. Kato H, Suzuki H, Mimura M, Inoue Y, Sugita M, Suzuki K, et al. Leucine-enriched essential amino acids attenuate muscle soreness and improve muscle protein synthesis after eccentric contractions in rats. Amino Acids. 2015;47(6):1193-201.

12. Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018;15:10.

13. Trommelen J, van Loon LJ. Pre-Sleep Protein Ingestion to Improve the Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Response to Exercise Training. Nutrients. 2016;8(12).

14. Dieter BP, Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. The data do not seem to support a benefit to BCAA supplementation during periods of caloric restriction. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2016;13:21.

15. Jackman SR, Witard OC, Philp A, Wallis GA, Baar K, Tipton KD. Branched-Chain Amino Acid Ingestion Stimulates Muscle Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis following Resistance Exercise in Humans. Front Physiol. 2017;8:390.

16. Wolfe RR. Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:30.

17. Churchward-Venne TA, Burd NA, Mitchell CJ, West DW, Philp A, Marcotte GR, et al. Supplementation of a suboptimal protein dose with leucine or essential amino acids: effects on myofibrillar protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(11):2751-65.

18. Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Krieger JW. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10(1):53.

19. Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ. Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10(1):5.

20. Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, Stout JR, Campbell B, Wilborn CD, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:33.

21. Joy JM, Lowery RP, Wilson JM, Purpura M, De Souza EO, Wilson SM, et al. The effects of 8 weeks of whey or rice protein supplementation on body composition and exercise performance. Nutrition journal. 2013;12:86.

22. Hoff M, Trueb RM, Ballmer-Weber BK, Vieths S, Wuethrich B. Immediate-type hypersensitivity reaction to ingestion of mycoprotein (Quorn) in a patient allergic to molds caused by acidic ribosomal protein P2. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 2003;111(5):1106-10.

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A Trainer’s Guide to Protein published first on https://medium.com/@MyDietArea

[glitteryhottubavenue]

With a name like that

who knows what kind of people will be drawn to it

what’s in a name

nope.

I cross my legs alot. I think to keep myself warm but also I’ve been trying to notice it more and then I’ll put my legs on the ground in a manspread kind of way. I hope I hold correct posture. 

What is it about the energy between two people. Why can’t I control my face?

I am working on being present in the moment but for the moment I am working presently. hmmm that can be worked on

writing without a censor is hard

I kind of want to write about my day and then it comes out all different than what I had intended. Like do I keep typos? do I not have to follow proper sentence form and structure or even a coherent thought halfway through

can I just write the same thing

can I just write the same thing

Can I just Write the Same Thing

I guess not

I like the power of threes. I wish I was more assured about what I knew about how to create theatre. Like can I write a book about what I’ve learned about story telling from a sound designers point of view.

I guess I could. That would be interesting. To about.00002% of the American population but hey at least it would be relevant.

I have a tattoo from a tennessee williams festival

I also have a tattoo from a split second decision that is a comedy and tradgedy masks, sock and buskin, but with pumpkins as faces. It’s my first colored tattoo and I’m pretty proud of it. It’s cute and makes me laugh.

When I think about how I was raised on Pokemon it is no wonder that I like to travel. Although are my shows like collecting pokemon or is it like the knowledge is pokemon and my shows are the battles that get me to higher levels.

I guess that’s how life works.

 William Burroughs and the cut up method constantly tickle my brain. What did he actually get famous for and where did his money come from?

self edititng self edititing self editing editing 

just keep writing until the spell check doesn’t correct you and then you know you’ll have passed

my brain is being funny tonight I guess it’s a funny night

It has been a pretty good day overall though. I felt the most confident practicing with JJ and saying hey. I don’t know why I have to keep them at an arms length though. It’s like they have too much attention or affection or just doting presence that I’m like dude just chill and thank you I like hanging with you too but yikes I’m not ready for that much. And it’s not to say that I don’t appreciate them because I do and I recognize and honor that they have been an integral part of me growing as an artist but if I’m honest with myself I have to take them in doses. Today felt nice though.

The show felt better. I feel like I can do this. I WILL DO THIS FUCK THAT I WILL DO THIS AND IT WILL ROCK!!!

I mean if the actors keep giving me the material to work with then I will gladly take what their character thinks. My design it to grow with the show. Being present is helping I feel it. I would like to womanifest a fantastic show and the confidence, strength, stamina, will power, and humor with which to execute the piece. I can do this I can do this I can do this.

And I can womanifest a career in animation. I would really like to voice and write possibly for an animation. And get my shit together musically. I can do this I can do this. I at least have the opportunity with JJ, and the show. I’m excited but something else is telling me to keep pushing for more. I mean I’ve made it to the next level and now need to work for a hot second where I’m at if I want to continue to grow with it. I should probably pick up the Artists way again especially if I keep writing the daily pages. I should set aside time in the morning to do this because it does feel like at the very least good for exercising my hands, vocabulary, spelling, and recount of the day. 

go get em go get em go get em go get him geit gemti gemigemitem

trying out beats on a keyboard is fun.

I NEED TO MEMORIZE A BEAT FROM A PLASTIC DRUM AND INCORPORATE IT INTO THE SHOW SOMEHOW

Guitar?

He sings, can he give me an example of his work?

What has he sung?

Has he gotten back to me?

What is his style like I wonder.

I guess I’ll find out.

And I shouldn’t act defeated when we first meet. He doesn’t know me so I can be full of tricks to him. Lets have an initial convo about where we are musically and then figure out the best solution as to how we pair this. Take his lead. Your major ideas are, finding a beat for him, using plastic gallon drums, sax (but need to source so don’t count on it, michael suggested harmonica but that is definetely not a sound that I heard in NOLA so I don’t think that would be good.) My friend has a pocket trumpet I could maybe borrow would When the saints be a good number to play I wonder. I should ask J  anyway if he wouldn’t mind letting me borrow it. to see if I could at least try to learn it. I manifest the trumpet from J.

Everyone in my life is named J ok

once twice three times a lady

frice fifece sice times a man

what?

there has been a lot of discussion about the gender movement. I had to respell that 3 times. HMMM gender queer

what the fuck does that even mean

Why do I feel like being detached made me lose some level of understanding the details of things.

Maybe most of my memory exists in my muscles. Too many years of field hockey practice. At least I was a goalie and got to stand up

God damn those days. What fucking Days

Shit

Speaking of, I threw up my entire guts over the course of 8 hours just 4 days ago and now I feel better so I hope that lasts but what the fuck menstrual cycle.

What.the.actual.fuck.

Does that happen as you grow older or does it just happen to people when they’re dehydrated.

Ok why haven’t the transmen raised any kind of fuss about men with periods. 

Why aren’t the transmen held up as much as trasnwomen. I mean all politics aside I feel like I can rattle off the name of 3 trasnwomen that are household names but only because I’ve been deep in lgbt culture especially in womyn’s culture I can think of names of transmen. I guess entertainment and mainstream isnt everything but I think about it because I can’t seem to decide if I want to go ahead and move forward with that decision myself. It’s just so time consuming and money sucking that I’d rather just diet and be gay but damn Ive gotten so attracted to people that I know would date me if I was a guy. I think that phase is done now and I’m starting to come into my own though and through being observant and open am learning so much more about what people I’m attracted to want and how I can fulfil that and also my own needs...selfish? I guess, I’ve never claimed otherwise.... That will probably cost me brownie points somewhere down the line of life but we’ll see. 

I do enjoy being on my own and my life just sets me up with little pockets of people to learn over time. I can take my time with this show because we’re going to be together for a good long time. 

And its TW so yay.