#in case you were wondering yes I have gone off the deep end and yes I am overanalyzing talos like I have him under a microscope

[martianbugsbunny]

So it's kind of being presented that the forehead touch is a Skrull greeting (ex. the scene where Priscilla introduces Fury and Gravik) but come on. The scenes where Talos and Soren, and Talos and Nick, respectively, were reunited show so much more intimacy and meaning than just an ordinary greeting; it's a real emotional moment on both accounts. The way they mirror each other is incredibly cool, and I love that in both it's insanely clear that Talos is locked in this embrace with someone he cares about deeply.

[ssahotchnerr]

heyyy! i was wondering if you could write something where the reader is part of the bau, and their favourite bracelet breaks on a case so aaron offers to fix it for them on the plane? love love love your stuff btw!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

the small things

instead of a bracelet i went with a necklace i hope that's alright <3 cw; nothing but fluff, aaron is down bad hehe

every day you took the chance, and you knew it was stupid.

your favorite necklace. your most prized possession. deep down you knew you shouldn't wear it in the field, but the need to have it overruled your caution.

despite being hidden behind the safety of your vest, the chain had given out, snapping amidst the rush of chasing an unsub. you were lucky your vest was so tightly pressed against your body; while it's sole purpose was to protect you from the imminent threat of danger, it's snugness prevented the necklace from slipping onto the ground unnoticed. instead, it had noticeably dropped onto the floor of the suv as you were freeing yourself afterwards.

you felt partially silly for feeling upset over it, it being such a small thing, but it held a lot of sentimental value. a day literally hadn’t gone by where you haven’t worn it.

it helped you think- rolling it between your fingers as you pondered over a difficult profile, or found yourself doing the same in times of stress. most importantly, it made you feel safe. and given your job title, you would take as much of that as you could get.

and aaron noticed.

he noticed it as you became accustomed to the team in the very beginning, every day after that, every time he talked to you. so as you all were packing up to leave the department, it wasn't hard to miss- it's absence was loud. so was the sadness in your eyes, and the strain in your voice as you casually talked to jj, trying to act as if nothing were troubling you.

it was a part of you, familiar. so he could only imagine how you currently felt.

"so," aaron started, taking the open seat to your left. you had secluded yourself from the others, giving yourself the opportunity to wallow alone on the jet ride home. "i know- it's not much, but. do you still have it? your necklace?"

you gave him an almost questionable look, but nodded a yes.

aaron's eyes were soft, trusting as always, but he still asked- needing the permission to handle something that held so much meaning to you. "may i?"

you sat up slightly from your slouched position, granting you the room to fish the necklace from your jean pocket. the broken sight of it caught you off guard again, just as the initial discovery of it's broken state did earlier in the day. you felt a tad sick to your stomach, the object being on your person, for years- more than you could count- brought down to nothing but a scrap piece of jewelry.

nonetheless, you still dropped it into his open palm.

"i thought this could work, for the meantime." aaron narrated as he reached into his suit pocket himself, obtaining a small safety pin. very carefully, he threaded the small needle through the chain, before doing the same on the opposite end. he gestured for you to turn, and you twisted in your seat upon his instruction.

his breath was warm on the back of your neck as he spoke, fastening the safety pin to a close. "again, i know it's not mu-"

"no." you shook your head, tears welling in your eyes. the necklace now hung lower on your chest than you were used to, but it was secure. and right back where it belonged.

to say the least, you were extremely touched, turning back around to face him. you were nearly speechless, finding it hard to form words. "it's perfect. thank you."

the corners of aaron's lips twitched, pulling into a smile. "i know of a good jeweler. he was haley's go-to back in the day, and i still have the number somewhere in one of her old phone books. he's an old friend, so he'll do this as a favor. you won't need to worry about a cost or anything."

your eyes softened more if it were possible. "no, hotch. i-"

"no." he threw your word right back at you, nothing but kindness in his eyes. "trust me. it's the small things, right?"

his words took you by surprise, a soft breath leaving you. suddenly, the world didn't seem as dark. "yeah, it is."

he nodded, his mouth drawing into another small smile as his eyes left yours.

"i'm sorry it broke." his words left him in a mumble, and from the solemn, regretful tone present, one would think he was at fault for your necklace breaking.

sweet man.

you clasped onto his hand, giving it a tight squeeze and causing his brown eyes to meet yours yet again. you held onto the eye contact, not allowing him to tear his gaze away. "thank you for fixing it, aaron. really."

[agvstdr]

Isolated - Sam Winchester

Summary: The Winchester brothers have decided to split up, each going their own way. But will Sam really be alone?

a few months ago sam and dean decided to split up. the news reached me while i was in the car with the intention of reaching them, to find a solution to stop the apocalypse.

so i asked myself what to do, whether to follow sam and help him have a normal life or whether to help dean: anyone could think that the right choice is to follow dean and help the world but it is clear that dean does not want me to follow him, perhaps because he knows that i am very attached to sam. so i was left alone too, i followed some cases, killing monsters that came my way: losing news of both winchesters. at the end of a particularly difficult case, i stop at the first bar i find on the road, when i enter i immediately realize that a bartender is sam.

"sam?"

the girl next to him, looks first at me and then at him, surely wondering what kind of relationship there is between us.

"isn't your name kit?" the girl asks sam who nods

i then understand that he hasn't revealed his real name and i understand that i got him in trouble.

"it's my middle name." he answers making her laugh

"yes, his middle name is samuel, that makes more sense." i add trying to help him

"how do you know each other?" the girl asks again, who is starting to be too curious for my taste.

"we've been friends for many years." I answer hoping she'll leave us alone, when she doesn't it's sam who intervenes.

"come on i'll buy you a beer."

"what are you doing here? were you hunting?"

"yeah, a ghost pissed off with his family."

i know he wants to ask me something and i know what it is: he wants to know about dean.

"i don't know anything about dean, if you want to know, i offered to help him but he refused, we haven't spoken since." i explain and he nods, he was definitely hoping i knew something about his brother and i'm sorry i can't help him. we don't have time to say anything else, that a group of hunters, easily recognizable, enters the bar and starts talking to sam: they are talking far from where i am sitting, so i can't understand what they are asking him but it is clear that whatever it is, sam said no.

"they wanted help with some demons that are roaming the city, i said no."

"i could have gone." i say getting up to join the hunters who have just left the place, sam, however, stops me.

"no, i don't trust them, stay here."

i do as i say, and i stay with him until the bar closes.

the calm atmosphere is interrupted by two hunters who had entered a few hours before: one of them points a knife at the girl's throat while the other starts talking to sam, ignoring me.

"demons killed my friend but they said some interesting things about you."

"demons lie."

"then tell me it's not true that you drank demon blood and that you didn't start the apocalypse."

a deep silence falls in the bar, sam can't deny the truth.

"then it's true." says the hunter as he looks at something in his hands

"either you drink this and help us kill the last demons that are left or she dies."

i realize that what she has in her hands is demon blood.

i look at sam with wide eyes, hoping with all my heart that he doesn't drink that blood, or he will go back to a few months ago.

i can't risk sam drinking it, so i quickly pull out my gun and kill the hunter who had his knife pointed at the girl's throat, who manages to free herself and runs to me for protection. in the meantime sam starts to fight against the hunter who had offered him blood: when he is about to kill him, he stops, seeing both me and the girl looking at him, yet we both know that if this man stays alive he will only create problems.

i don't think twice about pulling out my gun again and killing him too.

"you didn't have to kill him but thank you."

sam and i meet back in the hotel room, after he offers me a roof over my head for the night.

"it had to be done, no problem." i smile at him and he smiles back

we sit in silence for a few moments, sitting next to each other, then i decide to speak my mind.

"i'm not mad at you sam, sure i'm sorry about what happened but i understand why you did it. and even if it doesn't seem like it, dean will too, he just needs time."

sam looks at me and seems really surprised by my words: it's definitely not what he expected.

"thank you so much."

then unexpectedly he rests his head on my shoulder, as if he's looking for comfort and I hope he's receiving it.

sitting next to sam, in such an intimate way, I understand that my place is here with him.

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 1: Breakin’ Up With a Broken Heart

From: Bigger Houses Series

Pairing: (Future) Mountain Ranger! Ari Levinson x Reader, mentions of past ex x reader

Summary: A year after a breakup that left you shattered, you’re ready to start life anew in your secluded Colorado mountain cabin. Just when you swear off love is when a new beast crosses your path.

Word Count: 1,896

Content/Warnings: Mentions of heartbreak, in-depth description of a breakup and feelings regarding that, safe driving in juxtaposition to a reckless person, deep introspection, enjoyment of mountain cabin vibes, lmk if I missed any

Author’s Note: This serves as a lot of exposition for what I hope will be a very lovey story; everyone knows you’ll probably face some heartbreak first. Also, yes, this is heavily based on my first heartbreak. What about it? Anyway, please enjoy the start of this long-anticipated fic. Likes, comments, reblogs, and asks are appreciated more than you know. And in case you didn’t hear it yet today, I love you.

Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

I STRONGLY suggest listening to this song, not just because it’ll help get across the vibes I’d like, but also because it’s a really good song.

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Next >

Your break-up

It’s been months since you walked out on him and left town in a cloud of dust. It didn’t end well, but you’d be lying if you said you thought he was right for you.

One year ago

It ended in a text. Nine months gone in a text.

I’m done.

To which you responded: You mean our relationship? Ok.

It was honestly a relief. You had been looking for a way out, but couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Maybe a part of you wondered if someone would ever want you that much again, even though he only ever showed it in words and not action. Your head was okay with the situation, but it seemed your heart didn’t get the memo. Even though it ended by what you considered a mutual agreement (if that’s what you call him dumping you over you not visiting on a weekend you were spending with your family since he didn’t prioritize anyone’s time but his own), it still hurt. Three days later, he posted a pic with a new girl and a new car the same price as the ring you two had looked at.

He was a textbook narcissist with mommy issues, how’d they always find you? It was the kind of relationship where three months in, you should’ve ended it, but stuck around for another six. It was full of late-night calls, but not even the good ones. These were the ones that happened because he never seemed to have time for you during the day. The attention seemed good at first, but the calls would leave you tired the next morning, unable to get up as early as you wanted to so you could be productive. And you couldn’t talk to your mom and sister about it. They hated him. They saw through his selfish behavior before you and you wish you would’ve listened before giving him everything you could, which still wasn’t enough.

He said he wanted to get married hardly a month in because he loved everything about you. At first, you thought it was a joke, but the more he said it, the more you somehow convinced yourself that was what you wanted, too, but it could not have been more far from the truth. You wanted a happy life with a partner, but not like that and not that fast. Well, was it too fast? Or did it just feel that way because it was with the wrong person? Plus, it was less of a partnership, and more of a continuous compromise put on your part. Either way, as time went on, you realized that every small conversation was leading to a fight and your work and other relationships were suffering from the time he expected of you, but never returned. All he did was expect you to give, not holding himself to that same standard, but for some reason, you kept holding on. You had even looked at rings, not committing, though, because he knew you’d want him to speak to your mother first and she would never go for it. So, the relationship continued to drag on until he got upset since you said no to him one too many times.

But that was so long ago now. You did your time crying, listening to all the sad songs, wondering where you could have possibly gone wrong until you had enough. The only thing you really did wrong was not trust your instincts. You went too far following his heart and not far enough with your own mind. Love can be cerebral, right? It should be. There was no reason to feel sorry for yourself, you were better off and doing all the things you wanted that he’d held you back from before. He had very evidently moved on, and so could you. Sick of feeling down in a town that only reminded you of heartbreak, you found what you needed right now: a new job and an open Zillow posting you’d been watching for forever: your ticket out.

You were taking a vacation to your brand new start, tears long gone and dried with the wind that blew through your hair as you drove through the wooded mountainside. The sun was warm on your face, all loneliness was left in the darkness you left behind. Boxes and bags graciously organized by your mom filled the back of your SUV, and her’s sat just as full, driving behind you up the mountain passes. Before you’d gotten up here, the two of you had stopped at the last gas station, filling up your cars, getting a couple snacks, and stretching your legs before the final couple miles upward. Standing outside your cars gassing up, she looked over to you.

“Hey, just a reminder to be careful in the mountains. You don’t know what’s up there. Mountain lions, bears, snakes.”

“Oh my” you said giggling at your own Wizard of Oz reference.

She smiled and rolled her eyes at you “haha, very funny, but I’m serious. Not just about living there, but driving, too. You never know when a deer could jump out.”

You’d heard this a thousand times, being from wooded, albeit less dense, areas before. Plus, your mom was always concerned about you. Perks of growing up with a dad who was never really present. All of her focus could go to you. Never seeing a proper model relationship was probably half of the reason you had gotten into this mess, too, but you’d never blame that. She’d given you all she could and done a darn good job raising a driven, successful daughter (in every aspect except romance). You were eternally grateful for her support of moving where you had always wanted. It was honestly the perfect opportunity. Once the pumps clicked and the gas was finished, you both prepared to hop back into your cars.

“And remember, don’t talk to strangers.”

“Mom, we’re driving. I doubt we’ll run into anyone else up there.”

She shrugged and you responded with a small smirk, shaking your head as you put the keys in the ignition.

Back to driving higher and higher in elevation, you were drumming your fingers on the dashboard to the songs on the radio that you had blasting. Benefit of driving alone: no interrupted music. As you kept going, the road was becoming narrower and windier, pairing with the dimming afternoon sun. As you were rounding a big bend, you saw something step out into the road and you immediately swerved around it to avoid crashing, pulling over onto the side right after. What was that? A bear? A deer? No, not a deer, too tall. Your mom pulled over right behind you and rolled down her window as you got out of the car and walked back to hers to fill her in.

“What happened?”

“Something stepped out into the road. I’m not sure what it was.” A tall man with cascading brown hair and a full, fitting beard stepped into your vision through your mom’s passenger window. “Or should I say someone. I’m gonna go talk to him, make sure he’s okay.”

“Alright, kiddo. Be careful, though. I’ll be right here.”

You stood up from leaning against your mom’s driver side door and made your way around the front of the car, your eyes drifting upwards from the ground to a narrow waist and broad shoulders, chest rising and falling with deep breaths, eventually meeting with the most gorgeous pair of ocean blues. All these features belonged to the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen, but that didn’t excuse the fact that he ran out into the middle of the road and could’ve killed either of you.

Caught off guard by the whole situation, your brain defaulted to panic and defensive mode.

“Oh my gosh! I thought you were a bear! I almost hit you!”

The man looked at you with wide eyes and simply blinked, unable to form a response until he stuttered out

“I-it’s really my fault. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”

Even when evidently distracted and out of it, he was still insanely attractive, making you grow more anxious by the second under his intense stare and scrutinization as he continued to stand there, taking you in and then catching himself and looking anywhere else. You were self-conscious of your hair that was tucked under a beanie to combat the cold mountain air and likely disheveled from your long day. He was obviously in a state where arguing wouldn’t benefit either of you, and honestly, you were in the same boat, ready to get to your new home and start unpacking. The sun was starting to set already and you definitely didn’t want to be out after dark, plus you knew the exhaustion from the drive would be catching up soon.

“Um, it’s ok, I just think you need to be more careful next time. Listen, I don’t wanna be pulled over on this stretch of road for too long, God forbid a real bear, or someone without good reflexes comes around, but, I’m glad you’re not hurt. Take care.”

Wanting to avoid any more awkward interactions and the opportunity of embarrassing yourself in front of an adonis, you rushed back to your car and started back up the mountain. You could see the image of the man in your side mirror getting smaller, his gaze still fixed on your car, until you turned and lost sight of him.

Once you pulled into your new home, your mom met you with a suitcase, ready to take the stairs to the entrance.

“Well he was cute, albeit a little reckless. Wonder what was going on”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever see him again, though. Maybe that’s for the best. I don’t need to make a habit of almost hitting things when driving around up here.”

You unlocked the door and held it open for your mom as she walked in and turned back to look at you. “Well, by the looks of how small this town is, you might. And once you figure out whatever’s going on in his head, maybe he’ll be a nice new friend to have up here.”

“Um, yeah, I guess. Maybe. After all this time, I think I’ll need a friend. Someone to restore my hope for humanity.”

You tried to lighten the mood regarding your distaste for others that had grown from feeling so deeply betrayed and your mom gave a knowing glance in response. But it seemed there was something more to it. It was knowing in more ways than one, hardly noticeable, as you turned to go get another load to bring in from the trunk.

Your mind raced with thoughts of having to get all of this junk into the house. You stepped out into the crisp mountain air, admiring the deepening blue sky and unobstructed stars, the darkness in contrast to the way your mood had brightened slowly from something similarly dark over the past year, becoming more like the stars that glowed in the beautiful night ski. As you trotted down the stairs, your tried to convince yourself that being here was going to be everything you hoped for yourself and your future ticket to happiness. That the last thing on your mind was love.

Next >

[jjkamochoso]

The Perfect Fit

Overview: Levi Ackerman begrudgingly finds himself falling in love with the Survey Corps’ seamstress. Will they be able to own up to their feelings for each other? Or is their love doomed to fail before they discover the truths of each other’s hearts? This slow burn reader insert story will be filled with angst, yearning, and a bit of mystery as we slowly unravel the truths behind Y/N’s past… and explore her and Levi’s future!

Chapter 11

Series Masterlist

Chapter 10 linked here

Chapter 12 linked here

Levi Ackerman x female reader

Warnings: cussing

You looked at Levi expectantly. "What do you say, Captain? Ready to run away with me?"

Levi couldn't deny that he was craving a change of scenery as well. With his injuries, he couldn't participate in training and the four bland walls of his office combined with never ending paperwork was enough to make even the most sane man mad. He also really liked the way those words sounded coming from your mouth. He knew he had a duty to humanity and could never drop his responsibilities to run away from it all and live a more peaceful life, but boy, he'd enjoy playing pretend with you for a little while, focusing on humanitarian duties rather than fighting for once.

"I'm ready to leave right now if you are."

You broke out in a smile, relieved that he still wanted to help you give away blankets and clothes to people in the unfortunate areas of the interior.

"Good. I am too, but the paperwork that allows us to take leave and horses isn't. I have to talk to Erwin and see when we can go. I'm thinking as long as you're cleared by the doctor, we can head out in 3 days' time. Is that alright?"

Levi nodded yes and you told him to get some rest before leaving to find your oldest friend, the commander. When you knocked on the door, he granted you entry and you closed the door behind you.

"How's my dearest friend been holding up lately?" Erwin asked you as you two shared a hug before taking a seat.

"Oh, I've been alright, nothing too crazy," you answered. "How about yourself? You've got a lot more going on than I ever have or hope to."

He took a sip of the drink on his desk and you wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of alcohol.

"It's as much to be expected for the man in charge." His blue eyes danced around the room, not meeting your own. "It's nothing I can't handle. It's... a lot sometimes, though. I become afraid that no matter how much I try to do, it's all futile. I have so many goals that I can't-" He cut himself off as he swallowed another drink and you took notice of the deep eye bags he was sporting. You knew he had a lot riding on him, but he usually handled (or hid) it so well. You reached out to grip his hand as a sign of affection.

"I know you're in charge, but you're not the only one who should be held accountable for any failings, so stop blaming yourself. What you guys do is a thankless job but you're not without so many accomplishments. It seems like it's always one step forward, three steps back working here, but if there's anything I learned from you, it's that you have to keep walking. So, Erwin.” He looked up at you. "You have to keep moving forward. You're the heart of the Scouts. You're the only one whose faith has never wavered. We all believe in you."

Erwin let out a deep sigh and squeezed your hand back. "Thank you. I needed that. This is why I keep you around."

You chuckled, happy that you were able to lift his spirits a little bit.

"I know you didn't come here to see me wallow in pity, so what is it I can do to help?" he inquired.

"I'm planning on leaving for Wall Sina to do my charity work in a few days and I was wondering if I could borrow a cart and horse. I'd be gone about 10 days, 4 days traveling each way, 1 day passing everything out, and an extra in case something goes wrong. I was also coming to put in my request for leave, as well as Captain Levi's since he'll be accompanying me."

Erwin's eyebrows raised at the sound of his close friend's name. "Levi, huh? I've noticed that you two have gotten pretty close but he wouldn't leave work with just anybody, you know. He must think you're pretty special."

You felt embarrassment worm its way up your body as Erwin tried to contain his teasing smile. The commander's two closest friends couldn't fool him--Levi hadn't been this outwardly affectionate since he had shown up with Isabelle and Furlan all those years ago and you hadn't been this smiley with anyone, ever-- but he found the whole thing endearing.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you, y/n. I think it's nice that he's found something with you, whatever it is. I haven't seen either of you this happy in many years, or ever. This trip of yours will be good for the both of you to get out and do something for the betterment of humanity. It would bring some much needed positivity to you and the captain, I'm sure. I'll process the papers and send you on your way in no time."

You thanked him as you heard a knock at the door. Another soldier had told Erwin it was time for a meeting so you thanked him for his help and waved goodbye. You were held up at the door by the sound of his voice once more.

"Hey, y/n. Where exactly in Wall Sina are you going?"

You tilted your head in confusion. "There's the shelters in the capital that house citizens from the Underground until they can safely leave for Wall Rose. They're the same ones you and I usually go to. Why?"

He halted for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Well, with Levi there, I don't want... Just try to avoid the Underground. I don't want you two getting hurt."

You didn't understand what he was trying to get at, but you figured it wasn't the time for you to probe him. If the chance arrived, you would have to ask Levi exactly what Erwin meant. You thanked him for his warning and left, wracking your brain on what that enigma of a man was going on about.

Several days after your meeting with Erwin, he had told you everything got approved and Levi told you of his clearance from the doctor. You were to leave in a few hours so you began packing, your stomach fluttering with anxiety. You always got nervous before a trip but this one was stressful because of its unknowns. You had never traveled between walls without Erwin and his words hadn't left your mind. Why did he mention you getting hurt? You'd been there plenty of times prior with the blonde man, none of which had gone wrong, so why was he being cryptic about Levi? You tried to shake it from your head. Erwin had been under tons of stress lately so you chalked it up to him still reeling from the losses of the expedition. You had just thrown the last of your shirts in a bag when you heard a knock at your door. Levi was there, a duffel on his arm and a surprisingly pleasant look on his face.

"I'm ready if you are."

You were. You had already brought outside the bags of donation items so all that was left was your personal bag. You went to pick it up from the bed but Levi beat you to it.

"Aren't you still nursing broken ribs?" you asked, watching him in amusement as he shuffled down the hallway with both of your belongings.

"The doctor cleared me for all activity. I would be training shitty cadets to be less shitty right now if it weren't for you."

"Should I be saying you're welcome that you're not?"

Levi pondered for a second. "Four eyes is always saying I need a vacation."

"Their wish is now granted. So you're welcome," you replied, giggling a bit. When you stepped outside, you were expecting to be greeted by an open air cart, but instead, you were face to face with a fancy contained carriage. You thought maybe it was for someone else, but when Levi started loading your things inside, you knew it was for you.

"Did you know about this?" you asked him, flabbergasted. He put away the last of the bags as he answered you.

"The weather's supposed to be bad in a few days. I didn't want you catching a cold on our trip so I made Erwin reserve this instead."

Levi never failed to surprise you. He was so kind the way he thought about you and made your life so much easier. You nearly kissed him on the spot but didn't want him to keel over and die before you could get anywhere. The raven haired man wouldn't look you in the eye as you climbed inside the carriage, presumably shy about his caring so much about your wellbeing. The carriage driver took off and you two left the castle walls. You kept your eyes pointed out the window, not wanting to miss the opportunity to watch the foliage pass you by. It was your favorite part about riding in a cart or on a horse while holding onto someone else. Seeing the trees fly by you in this area almost reminded you of Levi taking you home that one day all those months ago. This carriage should have brought up that same feeling of freedom, but this time you were heading toward a place that had held you in its wretched confines for far too long. As you rode further and further away from your home and closer to your family in Mitras, you felt like you were starting to drown in a deep ocean of melancholy and stress. As you were lost in your own world, you didn't notice Levi staring at you from his bench across from yours. He was thankful that you were day dreaming because it meant he could observe you without hesitation. You normally looked very beautiful to him, but today, in your civilian clothes and more relaxed hairstyle than usual, you looked absolutely stunning. Even though this trip certainly wasn't just for pleasure, he was looking forward to a short break from the woes of every day life. He was hoping you were, too, but he saw your eyebrows furrow and you had a sad glint in your eye.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Levi's voice brought you out of your daze.

"Hmm? Oh. No, I just-- I get nervous on trips, that's all," you said. If Levi could tell you weren't giving him the whole truth, he didn't say anything.

You sighed, opting to speak your mind a bit more. "When I leave my home and head into the city, I get hit with this indescribable sadness. I think it's because I see people who have literally nothing and I can't help but think I'm not doing enough for them when I have so much."

"Don't be stupid. The fact that you're going out of your way to show kindness when others don't is a testament to your character. What you're doing will be appreciated by those who need it most. Trust me."

He spoke with such conviction that you wondered if he was ever one of those people who needed help. You didn't give it much thought since it was rude to make assumptions about someone's past.

"You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better, Levi. Thank you."

He scoffed. "I think you're the only person that's ever said that."

"That makes it all the more special then, doesn't it?" you asked, making him roll his eyes but you knew he agreed.

The carriage continued on its fast pace while you two sat in silence, both reading books. You kept peeking your eyes over the pages, taking the time to appreciate how Levi looked today. He never looked anything less than handsome to you, but him out of a uniform made your heart beat faster. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt with black pants and both items highlighted his frame perfectly. You loved the way he looked with the cravat but you were mesmerized with the graceful way his neck craned without something covering it up. He shifted in his seat and you quickly averted your eyes, hoping he hadn't seen you checking him out.

"Is your book that boring you'd rather look at me?" he asked, his gaze staying on his own unturned pages.

"Boring, no. Rather look at you, definitely," you said, taking the fact that you got caught in stride.

"Tch. Have some shame, brat," he chided, a faint blush showing up on his cheeks. You found it fun to tease Levi here and there. You wanted to keep showing him that you found him desirable so he wasn't left wondering if you still liked him romantically or not. Not that physical looks mattered to you two anyway, but you figured it didn't hurt to flirt with him every once in awhile to keep him on his toes. Afternoon turned to night and it got too dark to read, opting to leave the gas lamp off for now to conserve it in case of emergencies. The carriage slowed to a halt and the driver let you know that you were stopping for the night at a local inn. You and Levi exited the carriage, Levi taking your bag once again, and made a plan with the driver to meet up in the morning to set off. A room wasn't ready yet when you checked in so you and Levi went to the restaurant to partake in a nice warm meal. Conversation flowed easily between you two as you tore into the bread and meat you were served. When you finally got a key to your room, you opened the door and immediately frowned. You were supposed to get a room with two beds, but there was only one. You looked at Levi who didn't even seem to notice as he was already inside and discarded the bags in the corner of the room. You followed him in, confusion taking over you.

"There's only one bed," you said, stating the obvious.

"It's fine. I'll sleep on the floor," he replied, grabbing the extra blanket from the bed and laying it out. You stomped over to him, grabbing the soft textile.

"No way, especially not when you're still healing. I can go downstairs and talk to the owner, there has to be another room."

There wasn't. You and Levi had booked the last available room and the one with two beds that you had requested when you had gotten there was previously reserved. When you got back to your room, Levi had already laid down on the floor in an attempt to rest for a little while. You stood over him, your arms crossed.

"Get up, idiot. You're not sleeping on the floor."

"I don't sleep much anyway, idiot. Go to bed."

"If you don't get up, I'm sleeping on the ground, too."

That got Levi's attention, prompting him to sit up. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard and I'm around teenagers all day."

"Look," you said, defeated, "the bed is more than big enough for the two of us. You'll have your personal space and I promise I won't invade it on purpose."

Levi took his sweet time thinking about what he was going to do while you were loving life on the plush mattress, your pajamas on, and cozy under the covers. You heard the mattress creak as his body took up the spot next to yours.

"Finally decided to join me, loverboy?" You were joking with him to cover up the fact that you were nervous about sharing an entire sleeping space with the love of your life. Normally, sharing a bed with someone wouldn't be a huge deal, especially when that someone was a person who you trusted with your life, but Levi was a special case. You never wanted to push him into doing anything too fast or make him uncomfortable and you knew that relationship things like this could easily freak him out.

"I will not hesitate to snuff out your life with this pillow."

Well, at least he was acting like his normal self. He was, up until you heard shuffling under the sheets and felt the mattress dip down closer to you. It was nearly pitch black in the room so you couldn't see anything, but you felt your breath hitch in your throat as Levi scooted close enough to your face where you caught a glimpse of the faintest reflection of moonlight in his eyes. His breath was barely fanning over your arm that was lying next to your cheek on your pillow. All of a sudden you felt his hand on yours as he interlaced your fingers. It was a good thing that the room had no light because you were both flustered messes.

"Is this okay?" he whispered.

"Very," you whispered back, brushing your lips over the back of his hand like a kiss from a fleeting ghost. Even though Levi barely slept that night because of his ever present insomnia rearing its ugly head, lying next to you, with your bodies eventually intertwining, he found himself more rested than he ever knew could be possible.

Chapter 12

Taglist: @blueeclipsepaperstudent @raginginferno267 @come-away-with-me87

[crazycurly-77]

Games

Don't really know what possessed me to write this, but here it is. Have fun! 

After a hard and tiring case Tim, Tony, Abby and you were celebrating the successful completion in a cute little bar. Amazingly even Gibbs joined your round.

You had a lot of fun and at one point during the evening Tony discovered the little stage and the karaoke machine. So he suggested playing a game. You all cheered about this idea. The game you played was truth or dare and everybody agreed to play. 

To decide who's next Tony put an empty bottle in the middle of the table and spinned it around. 

Tim was the first to play and said “truth”. Abby laughed and cheered immediately and asked him “how do you like my new tattoo?” His head became a fiery red and he stuttered “it's hot.”

“Wheeee!!!” She was absolutely excited, which made even Gibbs laugh. He was sitting beside you and was very content about that, because he came to be able to spend a few nice hours with you outside of work. 

But that you didn't know. Sure, the two of you got along very well and in the last couple of months in which you were working with Abby the team became friends to you, but you developed tender feelings for the silver fox as well. 

That he developed deep feelings for you too was a fact and everybody saw his longing looks towards you, except yourself. You were busy with trying to hide your feelings and pining after him yourself. 

You laughed so hard because of Abby's lucky dance, that you nearly missed that the bottle had landed on Tony. With a mischievous grin he chose “dare”. “I see a karaoke machine on the stage. So I dare you to sing “Rock DJ” of Robbie Williams” Tim challenged him. 

Tony laughed and nodded saying “alright!” and walked towards the place of the upcoming desaster. He performed extremely good, but luckily he was good in his job. His singing had your ears nearly bleeding, but it was very funny. 

He came back to the table exhausted, panting heavily and laughing his ass off as you all did. Sitting down he grabbed the bottle and spinned it. 

Again you were lucky. Abby was next. “Truth” she said smiling widely. 

Tony grinned as only he could and then asked “do you and Tim have an affair?” 

She clapped her hands laughing again and yelled a loud “Yes! Sure!” 

Pour Tim became red as a tomato again and tried not to be seen. 

Gibbs only looked at him, but said nothing. In all the happiness the atmosphere was now a little tense, so Abby quickly took the bottle to lighten the mood once more. 

This time you had no such luck as previously. The bottle landed on you. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes and said “Dare”. 

Abby knew that you can sing, because you were sometimes singing when you were waiting for test results and she loved your voice. But she was the only one who knew of your talent. 

Secretly she planned on getting Gibbs and you together because of your feelings for one another and this game was her perfect chance to work on this project. So she dared you “you have to sing “Hallelujah” in the version of Rufus Wainwright.”

All were laughing and you shrugged your shoulders saying simply “okay.”

You entered the stage, went to the machine and put it off with the words “that I don't need” and you winked to the waiting people. 

Then you took a seat on the piano and began to play and to sing. You closed your eyes to feel the music as you sang and the whole room was silent. After the song ended and you stood to walk back to your colleagues your audience gave you standing ovations. 

Abby fell into your arms jumping up and down “I knew you would make it! And it was so wonderful! I love your voice!”

“Y/N! I didn't know you could sing. Why didn't you told me?” Tony pouted. 

You smiled “you didn't asked.”

Sitting beside Gibbs again he layed his hand on your shoulder and said “very good, Y/L/N. Should sing more often.”

He gave you such a warm and tender smile that your mind gone blank and your heart was racing in your chest. Could he hear and feel it beating so fast? 

The two of you were so captured in each other that you didn't noticed that Tony answered another question truthfully and now directed the bottle back to you. 

Nobody complained about that, because all of them wanted to hear more from you. 

“Me once again? You're kidding. But alright. What do you want to hear?” you asked laughing. Immediately Tony demanded triumphantly “Sitting on a dock of a bay” of Otis Redding!”

“Yeah!!!” was heared from all sides. 

“Good. So be it” you nodded and walked back to the stage. 

Again everyone was fascinated and excited. 

“You are a singer!! What are you doing in the lab?” Tim asked in earnest. 

Your cheeks burned “Thank you so much, but it's just a hobby of mine and I love what I'm doing professionally.”

So this was settled. 

Gibbs asked himself the same what Tim had asked you and he feared your answer, but there was nothing to fear. You wouldn't leave him, would you? 

Of course they said that you were the next again and before you could say anything Tim cheered “I love when you sing ballads. So please, I want to hear “Run” of Leona Lewis.”

That was a sad but wonderful song, because it gives courage. 

So you sang it and Gibbs had to swallow hard. You singing this song got absolutely under his skin, no matter what. 

Tim, Tony and Abby saw this and congratulated themselves. Their plan seemed to work. Sure, originally it was Abby's plan, but Tim and Tony decided to help her as they noticed what she tried. 

Tim was next, so you didn't have to spend the whole evening on stage. He had to drink a glass of beer in one go as he chose the dare. Tony came after him, made the same choice and had to drink a glass of rum. He coughed heavily, but finally he made it and cheered at himself and bathed in his triumph. 

“Now it's my turn!” he then yelled and spun the bottle again. And again you had bad luck, because it landed once more on you. 

“Why does it never land on Gibbs?” you murmured a little annoyed. 

“Because it has too much fear of him!” Tony laughed and nearly toppled over because of it. 

While all were laughing, this earned him a glare and a head-slap from the boss. 

But it didn't help, it was your turn, so you said confidentially “I'll stick with dare.”

Surely you had only to sing again…

…but no!!!

Abby sent you a mischievous grin and demanded “you have to kiss Gibbs.”

Your jaw dropped and you blanched of surprise. Then you gulped and kissed him on the cheek. Everyone was disappointed, but most especially him. For a moment he thought his dreams would come true and his heart was trying to jump out of his chest, but no. He only felt your lips that he wanted to taste so much on his cheek.

Your cheeks however burned of embarrassment. Your heart was racing and you feared his reaction, but he simply stared at you with his wonderful ice blue eyes. 

Then you spun the bottle. It landed on Abby. She chose dare and gave a really good performance of AC/DC's “Thunderstruck”. 

Your little break wasn't long before it was your turn again. This time you chose to tell the truth. So Tony took his chance, stared at you and asked “do you have a boyfriend currently?” 

Once again you turned red “actually not. No, I don't have a boyfriend or someone like that at the moment.”

Tony and most of all Gibbs were very pleased with your answer. 

Then you turned the bottle, but Abby manipulated it, so it landed on you once more. You sighed and said “dare”.

Tim spoke up and made a wish “I would like to hear “The Rose” of Bette Midler.”

Abby cried excited “Yes! Such a wonderful song. A really good choice.”

You rolled your eyes, but went smiling to the stage once again. You loved singing, but you were getting slowly tired of the game. And you had a feeling, that maybe the three of Tim, Tony and Abby were up to something. 

But okay, it was your turn. 

You walked to the micro and it was silent again. Everybody held their breath in anticipation of what would happen. 

You breathed deeply to calm yourself, closed your eyes and began to sing. 

You poured all your heart in the song to get the wonderful message to your audience and everyone listened to your voice. 

You were totally oblivious that Gibbs stood up totally mesmerized and slowly walked to you. The team gasped in astonishment, but he couldn't help himself. He felt like he was drawn magically to you and couldn't resist for the life of him. 

As you had finished the song you opened your eyes to find his blue ones directly in front of you. Without a word he cupped your cheek with one hand and your waist with the other and pulled you to him. 

He wanted to taste your lips so badly so he slowly closed the distance between you and kissed you softly and tenderly. Breaking the kiss after a short while he kissed you lovingly on your forehead too, turned and walked back to your table. 

You stood there unable to move, think or do anything. What was that? Out of the blue your boss kissed you! The only thing in your mind was the word “wow!” 

After you collected yourself you went back to your table too, where you were met with three widely grinning faces and ice blue eyes which followed your every move over the edge of a beer glass. 

Sitting again next to Gibbs you took a sip from your own beer and then laughed “now it's MY turn to turn the bottle!” 

You grabbed it and instantly a hand was laid on yours. Holding your hand Gibbs turned the bottle at himself. He locked eyes with you and stated “it's my turn and I'm choosing the dare. But it's actually not a dare, but an honor.”

Everyone wondered and waited for what he was going to do, but he didn't care about the audience. He simply pulled you gently to him and kissed you hard and deeply to get his message to you and to stake his claim. 

Neither of you were able to grab a thought or say a word after this world turning kiss. You two were in your own world and forgot all your surroundings, co-workers inclusively. 

It took Tony to bring you both back to reality. He clapped Gibbs on the shoulder and winked saying “you should go and take a room.”

Instead of glaring at him, Gibbs grinned widely and murmured to you “for once he's right. Come on, Y/N. Let's go!” 

Under the cheering, clapping and laughing of your colleagues the two of you left the bar to celebrate the beginning of your life together.

The End

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Here you will find the other stories I've written to date.

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Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

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[danses-with-dogmeat]

I love love love how you write! The little details you add into your reacts are amazing <3 I was hoping to ask if you haven't done so yet, what would the romanced companions say in their own version of the "Hi Honey" holo tape? It could be them making their own tape for any reason or to replace the one the SoSu's spouse made becuase it was destroyed or buried with them, it doesnt matter, just thought that would help the angst/comfort factor 😅 have a good day, love <3

Fallout 4 Companions' Versions of the "Hi, Honey" Tape

Okay, I adore this <3

It's a.... bit more angsty than I meant it to be, but it's all happy and fluffy underneath, so, you know... kinda my forte 😅 And also some of them are... more romanced than others, as you'll see, so just a heads up on that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Also, I tried kind of a different format for this one, almost like you're reading the subtitles/script for the holotape, so hopefully the unique format makes this one interesting 😁

Oh, and just a quick TW for mention of suicidal thoughts/actions!

Cait:

"Oi, ya fucking-- Does this damn thing even work?"

*exasperated noise*

"Alright. There, I think that's done it."

*muffled adjusting*

"Okay."

*sigh*

"Hey. Sole... I uh, I don't really know how to tell ya everything I'd like to... Before I go through with this, you know. I'm not sure what's goin te happen, but I wanted you to know one thing before I go inte that machine, since... I don't know, I might not come back out as meself. Or, or even at all."

*deep breath*

"I just, in case somethin' happens, I want ya te know..."

(pause)

"I love ya."

*short chuckle*

"I know, sounds strange comin' from me, I'm sure, but... It's the truth. I do, and I have, for a bit, but... I'm not really sure why it took me this long te tell ya. Maybe cuz I was scared. Scared that I'd scare ya away."

*Huff of breath*

"Me? Scared? I know how it sounds, trust me, but it's true. I was... worried about losin' ya. Cuz, truth is, Sole, yer the first person who actually seems to give a damn what happens te me. You know this, I've told ya, I know, but even me own damn parents didn't give a shite about me. An' the ghoul, well, he only ever considered what I could do for him. Knew how to keep me hooked, to keep makin' him money. But you... I had my doubts, I'll be the first to admit, but... You've looked out fer me better than anyone, and you did from the start, with nothin' to gain by doin' so."

(pause)

"I don't know why ye did it. Almost scared me off, the thought of someone bein kind te me fer no reason at all. Thought you were gonna end up worse than all the rest, because there was no way you were just bein' that nice with nothin' te gain from it. But I was wrong. And I've never been so damn glad te be wrong in me whole life."

(pause)

*Deep breath*

"An' I want ye t'know one more thing... I knew about this machine. I knew about it a bit ago. I could've gone with someone else, could've gone on me own, even. Maybe I wouldn't have made it out alive, but it didn't really matter te me at the time. And neither did gettin' clean. I told you I'd been trying to get sober for awhile, but nothin' was workin', and that wasn't a lie, but... Before you, I didn't really want te get clean. There was just..."

(pause)

"There was no point to it. Get clean fer what? I didn't want to feel anythin'. Well, anythin' but the rush of psycho. Couldn't feel anything if I was off it, I was so damn numb to the whole world... But you... you changed that. Somewhere along the way, when I was with you, I felt... somethin' else. I want te feel that again, but I want te feel it all. No psycho, no nothin'. Just you. And I'm hopin' you feel the same, but if you don't... It doesn't matter too much. I just... I wanted you te know."

(pause)

*huff of air*

"So there. I said what I meant to. You heard it. An' whether or not ye feel the same, I... I just hope it means somethin' to ya."

*click*

Curie:

"My love! Look at what I 'ave found! Or... Listen to it, rather."

*giggling*

"But isn't zhis wonderful? I can now tell you 'ow much I love you! Zhough, I do suppose I say it quite often... Still, what better day zhan zhis? I know zhere are many who no longer observe zhis holiday, but it is our first one together and I wanted to do something special. I thought of many possible zhings to gift you, since I feel as zhough I simply could not give you enough!"

*laughter*

"But zhen... I settled on zhis idea... I want you to listen to zhis recording, any time you are not feeling at your best, when I am not around to help you, or whenever else you feel like it, even when I am in zhe room next to you, you will have zhis at your disposal."

"I just want you to know 'ow much I care for you. You are zhe one who saved me, who made me not feel so alone in zhis new world, who helped me not to be afraid. I was afraid, mon amour, you remember. I was afraid to go out on my own, so you stayed close to my side, I was afraid I could never follow my dreams, zhat I could not become who I am today, afraid I would never be able to be with you, to feel all zhat I do when you are near and beside me. I would not be myself without you, I would still be in zhat 'orrible vault, would still be afraid and alone..."

(pause)

"But I am not, and it is thanks to you. You are... zhe most beautiful person I have ever come into contact with. The kindest, the most loving, zhe gentlest, and you are zhe one I love, when I did not know I was capable of such feeling! You made it so, my lovely Sole, and I could not be more grateful to share all zhese new-- all zhese so very human experiences with you. I love you, vers la lune et retour."

*giggles*

"It is amazing zhat I can say such things and mean zhem! I had heard about love, had read about it, and knew of zhe chemicals and such, but to feel it, to say zhese things, to know why I'm saying zhem, who is making me feel zhem, it is a wonderful feeling, mon cheri/e."

(pause)

"Oh!"

*shuffling paper noises*

"And I almost forgot! Comme c'est drôle de moi... I have a poem to read to you! It is one I read from a novel long ago, I had to dig to find it, to make sure it was correct. I did not understand it zhen, not as much as I do now, but now, it is all zhe more beautiful."

*clears throat*

"Je dédie à tes pleurs, à ton sourire,

Mes plus douces pensées,

Celle que je te dis, celles aussi

Qui demeurent imprécisées

Et trop profondes pour les dire"

"I can translate as well! Do not worry! It just sounds so belle en François. What it means is, zhat I dedicate my sweetest thoughts to both your tears and your smiles, all of my thoughts, zhe ones zhat I say to you, and zhe ones I 'ave no words for, zhat are too imprecise. Even zhose thoughts zhat are so deep zhat you cannot say zhem aloud, even zhose go to you, mon amour. I dedicate so much to you, because you 'ave given me so very much since zhe day you and I met. It does seem rather small in comparison, just zhis little poem, after all you 'ave done, but it is zhe truth. I love you so much, my Sole. 'Appy Valentines day."

"Love, Curie."

Danse:

*clears throat*

"I know I'm not very good at these sort of talks in person, and... I'm honestly not sure it'll be any better through this tape. But I feel like I have to try."

"I'm... Well, let me just preface this by saying that I'm sorry for what happened today. You weren't meant to... Well, let's just say that I should've thrown that tape recording away a long time ago. That same day that I recorded it, even. And if it's any consolation, I never paid the contents of it any further mind after our talk at the Bunker. When I think of it now, I..."

*deep sigh*

"Knowing what I do now, what was to come... I can't believe I would've just... Just ended it."

(pause)

"Everything was so jumbled then. After I found out what I was, I felt so lost. My existence, without the Brotherhood, it felt so... purposeless. The words on that tape... they just helped me get everything off my mind. Helped me feel like there was a way out of all that uncertainty, as rash as it may seem in hindsight."

"Then you appeared below the surface. Even with all my defenses... I don't even know why I put them up, if I was just planning to...

*sigh*

"It's not a day I like to remember."

"You are what made it bearable. Not just that day, not just my... whole self discovery, but everything. Without you, I wouldn't have only been dead, but I would have been lost. Everything I truly believe in, all that I've worked for... I felt like less than nothing when it was all stripped away. Along with my identity. My personhood. But these past couple years... you've built me up again. You've made me into something-- someone I can be proud of. Helped me make the difference I thought could only be achieved through the Brotherhood, and I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you for all that you've given me."

"My life, my belief in myself, the courage to move on when I felt I had nothing, that I was nothing... But I was wrong. I was always wrong. I never had nothing, not even on my darkest days, when I wished beyond reason that I could crawl out of my own synthetic skin. Even on those days, I still had you."

"The day that you confessed your feelings to me was the first day that I began to question a few of the core beliefs of the Brotherhood. With the overwhelming strength and certainty of my own feelings for you, I wondered how the Brotherhood could ever consider me-- my kind, to be soulless abominations. Every day my feelings of fondness for you grow stronger, and every day I stray away from the belief that I'm nothing but a mere machine. I never could've done that without you."

"Ever since the day I met you, I've felt like... somehow, our fates have been tied to one another. Like I was always meant to know you. And it might be strange, to phrase it that way, to think that some... higher power pulled the strings in such a way to ensure our meeting, our friendship, o-our love, but if it hadn't turned out that way... that tape I made would be in the Brotherhood archives, and I would be..."

*exhale*

"I just hope that my presence in your life has yielded even a fraction of the happiness, security and support that you provide me with. If so, it'll all have been worth it."

"I hope what I said on this tape doesn't make you uncomfortable, I-I know the subject matter is quite upsetting, but if I can offer further consolation, the tape in question no longer exists. I erased it, in favor of this message. I thought it would be... symbolic. The way our love for one another, and my dedication to you has erased the negative feelings I had for myself, that almost drove me to complete ruin. I apologize again for what you heard on that tape, and it pains me to know you felt guilt for not being able to do more after my... self discovery. The truth is, Sole, you were the only thing standing between me and the ending that that tape promised for my life, and I could never find a way to thank you for all that you've done for me."

"I love you, Sole. More than I thought could ever be possible, even before finding out that I was a synth."

(pause)

*clears throat*

"Anyway, that was what I felt I had to say. I know it was long winded, and I... well, I never know quite how to end these conversations, but I suppose it's worth saying it again. Thank you, Sole. For giving me my life back. The rest of it belongs to you."

Deacon:

"Csssshhhhk this is your captain speaking, yeah, we're gonna be traveling at around fifty eight thousand feet in a minute here, so just wanted to tell you to get comfortable, drop those trays, get out those peanuts, oxygen masks, space suits, and--"

*muffled laughter*

"No, but anyway... Hey Sole, it's ah, it's me. You're favorite crimefighting deathbunny, and partner in all things inappropriate. I... just wanted to make this... I know we don't have the same type of job security or workers' compensation from before the big booms, so just y'know, like an insurance policy, especially now that there's all this added paperwork with our little developing relationship status, it just felt important, y'know? Another record to dust off one day. And... I wanted to be sure you could always have a way to hear my lovely voice, my bad jokes, my flawless singing, you know, just in case... I know how much you'd miss it."

*sighs*

"Look, I... I know it hasn't always been easy, everything you've been through, to add all my problems to the pile. The trust issues, the compulsive lying, those pesky little intimacy problems that make things extra fun, and... I could go on, but I'm afraid the tape would run out of space."

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is... Thanks. Sole. You're everything I needed and never deserved or expected. I had this plan, this idea of what the rest of my life would be like, and you just--"

*breaks into laughter*

"You just waltzed right into those catacombs and blew those ideas to smithereens. Shot 'em down with your charm and your selflessness and good looks, and man... I didn't stand a chance. I can't believe you chose me. You coulda had anybody. Even Carrington, if you kept at it, but you chose to love me, even with how... difficult it must've been-- must be..."

"I still don't know why you did it, but I've never been more grateful in my life. You're my partner in crime, my fellow deathbunny, my bestie, and now you're my husband/wife?! ... It's crazy. Crazy awesome, and I... I never thought I'd tread that kind of path again, not with anyone, and I wouldn't have... if it weren't for you."

"Ahh, you. You're just... The best, and I love you. I know I don't say it enough, and when I do, I don't sound serious. But no matter how uncomfy it makes me feel to say it aloud, it's true. I love you, Sole."

(pause)

"But alright, bestie, I've gotta go. I'm about to have the best sleepover of my life, with this awesome person, I'm sure you know them, and I'm really feeling like I'm gonna get lucky. You can't see it, but I just winked at you. Anyways, wish me luck, and I'll... I'll see you in the field."

"Deathbunny out."

Gage:

“Hiya there boss… It’s…”

*under his breath* “I hope this damn thing is even recording.”

*snorts*

 “But, it’s me. Jus’ wanted to say some stuff…"

*sighs*

“Look, it’s tough for me, I’m sure you know it more than most, but, it’s tough for me to reach out like this. I never… Well, you know this too Sole, but, I never done this sorta thing before. With the relationship and the… I don’t know, man, the arguments. Before, well, fights like this usually meant the end of things, but you said that ain’t how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to work through this shit, somehow, and so I… I guess I figured I’d start with this.” 

*deep breath*

“I’m sorry. Sole. There, okay? I’m sorry for bein’ an asshole, for not givin’ you enough credit, not remembering that yer new to this whole raider thing, this whole Overboss thing. And that… well, you’ve probably never been with someone like me before. I sure as hell’ve never been with somebody like you, but… What can I say? It’s hard to find folks like you out here anyhow. You’re your own breed, boss. And that’s far from a bad thing. Jus’... Well, you know me. If you’re your own breed, I’m a goddamn mutt. I’m rough around the edges, not used to tryin’ to make things work. I’ve solved a hell of a lot more problems with my knife than I have with my words, but… I wanna… Well, I wanna make things work this time ‘round, boss… Sole… I mean, you know how I feel about ya, and I… I ain’t never had anything like this, and I just don’t know how I got along so long without you, cuz… Well, Sole, cuz you just make everything better.”

(pause)

“I mean… my life’s not worth a whole lot, that ain’t no mystery or nothin’, but when yer in it… It feels like somethin’ worth having. Not like the rest of my life, oh… stumblin’ around looking for scraps of quick fixes that could make me forget how little my life really means, but… having something worth holding onto, worth bein’ around for… that’s what it’s like with you.”

*dry chuckle*

“And to think, I was stupid enough to think that one little argument was worth losing all this over. Worth losing the only thing in my life that really makes it worthwhile. Cuz that’s what you are, baby. That’s what you are to me. Even though I don’t say it a whole lot… It don’t mean that I… That I don’t mean it, you know?”

*sigh*

“I can’t be the easiest to get along with, I’m sure. I’m so damn hard-headed most of the time, and I always act like I know what I’m talking about, which… Well, you know that usually ain’t the truth.”

*chuckles*

“But somehow you got the patience for all this. All my shit. And… I may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, or whatever the saying is, but I know what I got with you. I know what you’re worth, baby, and it’s more than I got, and I know you bein’ with me at all is a charity, but… Well dammit, I hope I got some worth to you too, cuz I just… I need you now, Sole. I wanna be worth the headache and the patience, and I wanna work through the fights and learn how to make it up to you. I never had this before… I never felt this way about no one. I don’t wanna lose it. I can’t… lose you. Things jus’, well, they just wouldn’t be the same…” 

*deep sigh*

“I know I’m going ‘round in circles a bit here, but you know apologies ain’t really my strong suit. An’ neither is all this mushy stuff, but I’m trying all right? I’m trying for you. And I’m gonna keep on doing that until you tell me you can’t stand it no more. It’s just the kinda reckless, hard-headed, stubborn fool I am, Sole. Gonna keep telling you how you changed it all for me, how you’re so damn incredible it makes my chest hurt, how I… Well dammit. Guess I’ve gotta say it now, huh? Look, there. You did it boss, you got it out of me. Damn near slipped out before I could even catch it too. Nasty little words, but… It’s never been truer. I love you Sole.”

(pause)

*comical sigh*

“And while we’re at it, might as well say I’m sorry again, too. There. You got both outta me. Got it all. There’s nothing left for you to take, baby, all my cards just out on the table like that and I forgot how to fucking bluff.” 

*soft chuckle*

“Nah, but… I mean it, Sole. I ain’t nothin’ without you. Next time we fight, just pull this shit outta your pocket and I’ll shut right up, I promise. And… If I’m ever not sayin’ all that… All that I should, if I’m being an ass like I do sometimes, just listen to this while I’m off sulkin’ somewhere. Cuz it’s true. It’s all true, and no amount of me bein’ pissy or stubborn is gonna change that... Is gonna change the fact that… Well, dammit, I do, I love you, Sole.”

(pause)

“Greedy bastard, you’ve gotten it outta me twice now, so you should be all caught up for awhile… Just don’t use it against me too often, okay? Don’t abuse this shit, or you definitely ain’t gonna hear it as much, I’ll tell ya that.”

*chuckles*

 “Alright, don’t know when this thing is gonna run outta tape, but it’s bound to be close. I’ll, ah, I’ll see ya soon, baby.”

*click*

Hancock:

"Heya, Sunshine. It's, ah, it's me. I know it hasn't been all that long since we've seen each other, and I know you're busy. Hard being the hero all the time, hard being the best person there is in the Commonwealth, I get it. But I wanted to tell ya, that... I miss you. I miss you when we're not together, from the moment I see you leave through the Goodneighbor gate, I'm already turning to tell you how much I'm gonna miss you, before I realize that you're gone. That's how bad it is, sweetheart, I-I talk to you even when you're not here."

*chuckles*

"Maybe it's cuz I'm a little nuts, or something, I don't know. Either way though, when I'm alone like this, jus'... thinking about you, I wish I had a way to hear that pretty voice o' yours. So, I thought we could make somethin' like this. Just a reminder, that I'm thinkin' about ya, I'm wishin' you were here, even though I know it's important that you're away."

*sighs*

"Still doesn't change that I want you back here by my side. Or to be out there with you. Kickin' ass. Making a difference. Watchin' you in action, if you know what I mean, heh. Yeah."

(pause)

"Damn this hurts. I get it. I do. I know you have to be out there. I know I can't go everywhere with you all the time, an' I don't mean to make you feel bad, baby, not at all. Jus' want you to know. Know how much it affects me when you're not here."

*sniffles*

*forced chuckle*

"Fahrenheit even notices. Says I'm no fun when you're not around anymore. She's had to drag me outta bed a few times this week... Yeah."

*shaky breath*

"Sorry 'bout this, Sunshine. Sorry if it doesn't make much sense. Brain's kinda foggy right now. I don't mean to make ya feel bad, you know? Jus'... just wanted you to know."

(pause)

"Shit, already said that, huh? Damn, it's just, it's true. I miss you, I love you, baby, and I want you with me all the time."

*muffled* "Oh Jesus. What are you doing?"

"Nothin,' Fare, go on."

*Fahrenheit* "Who are you talking to?"

"Sole. Now go on. Not done yet."

*Fahrenheit* "Sole? Hancock, Sole's not--"

"I know. Leaving a message for 'em. When they are here."

*sigh*

*door closing*

"Jesus. See? Goin' crazy over here, with her hoverin' over me. Need you, baby."

"Now... what was I sayin'?"

*laughter*

"Sorry it's so all over the place. This is what you do to me."

*a breath*

"There's just one thing I'm gonna ask from you, baby. You can go, I know you've gotta sometimes, just... come back. Alright, Sunshine? Come back to me. Do what you gotta do, but just know, now, that I've got you. You're part of the package. The coat, the hat, my whole look, the talk, my title, everything that makes me, me, now you're in that. I can't--"

*sniffles*

"I can't be without ya. Not for good, ya hear? So all I gotta know, is that you're gonna come back to me. Just... Try and think about that when you're out there on your own. Don't take the risk if you don't have to. You're good, baby. The most selfless person I ever met, and I love that about you, but... don't make the sacrifice, okay? I know I'm bein' selfish, but I ain't a saint like you, so I'd say it's pretty on-brand."

*soft chuckle*

"Just don't... Jus' come back to me. That's all I'm saying. It's all I need, okay, baby? Just need you..."

*sigh*

"Think I should probably let you go now, huh? So you can get back to bein' a badass, an' all that. Just one more thing though, before you set this tape aside... I love you, Sole. Just need you to know that, if you haven't listened to anything else on this tape, just know that. I love you, and... I'll see you soon."

MacCready:

"Geeze I hope this thing works..."

*fiddling noises*

"How do you even know if it's recording? Is that...? Hmm."

(pause)

"Okay. Well, here goes nothing."

*Clears throat*

"Hey, Sole. I, ah, I hope this works, because I've got a few things I wanted to... um, say. Wow, geeze, really off to a good start here, huh? I just hope this dang thing is even recording."

*chuckle*

"But if it is... Well, I just wanted to say... thanks."

*soft sigh*

"Truth is, I wouldn't even be doing this if it weren't for you. Maybe one day, yeah, it was always the plan to go back to Duncan, to be with him, but... I never thought I'd be bringing him back to a family. It was... one of the reasons I think I was putting it off. I mean, what do I have to offer? As a dad I-I'm doing my best, but... Is it enough? Will he be lonely with just me? Can I look after him as well as I want to, as well as he deserves? Is he going to be happy, with just me? And maybe he was, and I worried for nothing, but... With you, the decision was so much easier. And..."

*deep breath*

"Well, without your help, I... I might not even have been able to ask those questions. Duncan might not have... You know."

(pause)

"But you helped me. Even when you barely even knew me."

*laughter*

"I didn't think there was anyone like you out there, who would just help me, and not expect anything in return, I didn't think I'd ever find someone out there worthwhile. I mean, after the Gunners, well, they made it hard to see the good in the world, and even when I met you, I know I was... Well, I was a bit of an ass, huh?"

*chuckles*

"But that didn't seem to phase you. No... I don't think anything I could've done would have scared you away for good, once you saw how badly I needed you."

"And that's why I love you so much, Sole. You put other people before you, and you don't expect a damn thing in return, and it's so... Gosh, it's so weird that you do that, I've never met anyone like that, and I've never met anyone like you, and I didn't think, honestly... I never thought I'd be able to fall for someone again, after everything, but... I never saw you coming. And I mean... I'm a sniper. So I've got good eyes, you know."

*breaks into laughter*

"Sorry for that one. Sort of. But I can see that face, without you even being here, I can see that amused but... disappointed look you give me when I make those bad jokes. Those 'dad jokes' as you call them."

*more chuckling*

"I love you so much, baby. I didn't think I'd ever be able to say those words again. To say those words and-and mean them, but I can. And... I know you felt the same way, about loving again, after everything you've lost, but... I'm glad you found me. In that dingy old underground bar, where I almost got my butt whooped by those Gunner clowns, where I was spending all my hard-earned caps trying to drown out my problems... You pulled me out of that, and probably saved my life... No, you did save it, cuz without you, if I'd lost Duncan too, I just... Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to go on much longer if I didn't have him. If I didn't have you."

*sniffs*

"But he's going to be..."

*laughs*

"Just so excited to meet you, I mean, I've told you about him, he's just so adventurous and playful, and even when he couldn't talk at all, he loved meeting new people, and he's- god, he's gonna love you. And I'm gonna have my work cut out for me, cuz, I mean... you think I'm cute? Just wait, I mean, I'm never gonna see you again, you're just gonna want to run off with him and leave me behind, I mean-- his eyes, Sole, they're so blue, and his little cheeks, and gosh, there's nothing I love more than him... than you, too, and the thought of you two together? Heck, I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself, I'm not going to be able to handle it all. To handle... for the first time in so long, being actually... happy. Being part of a family again..."

*exhale*

"You know... I think you know that it... It makes me nervous. To be so happy. To have so much to lose, but... I know that you know what that's like. And I just- I just can't wait for us all to be a part of it. No matter how scary it is, or how strange it'll feel to have it again, to have a family, but have it be different, but... I'm so glad it's with you. And I just... I can't wait to see you, baby. Can't wait for you to see him."

*a breath*

"Just promise me... promise me you won't... leave."

*sniffs*

"...That you won't run off with Duncan and leave me behind. I promise, there's enough of him for both of us i-if we ration, you know?"

*teary laughter*

"We can share him, just... Just stay safe, for me, Sole, okay? I don't want-- I can't lose... I just... can't do this alone."

*deep breath*

"But, ah, anyway, I'll see you soon, okay Sole? I'll see you when I-- when we get back. I love you, and the next time we're together... we'll be a proper family."

Nick:

"Hey there, Sole. It's ah, it's your Nick here. Just wanted to make somethin' for ya, to help get you through these next few... days, maybe. I know this isn't gonna be easy, but I want you to know, I'm proud of you. You did it. You made it where no one thought you ever could, and hopefully, it pays off."

*low sigh*

"God, I hope it does. If there's anyone out there who deserves it, it's you. But we both know it doesn't always work that way..."

*exhale*

"No matter what happens in there though, I'm here for you. Always, alright? I don't mean that lightly, Sole. I've helped you come this far... even when it really didn't seem like you needed my help."

*chuckle*

"I mean it was you who saved me first, right?"

*more laughter*

*small sigh*

"Anyway, guess what I'm really saying here, Sole, is that... I want it to go right. I want you to find your boy, I want you, more than anything, to be happy. You've been through so much, more than anyone should have to go through, and I want you to be able to rest, to have the family you wanted, that you deserve, or, part of that family, at least. You're one of the best damn people I've met in all my years, and no matter how this all goes, I'll be by your side to help you face it."

(pause)

"You know... I'm not really sure why you picked me, if I'm honest, Sole. I'm just a rusty old synth, but... I'm a rusty old synth who's... in love with you. Who wants, more than most anything, for you to just be happy. And if I can have some part in making that happen, well, then I guess I shouldn't really question it, huh? But who am I kidding? I'm a detective, it's in my nature to question unlikely things."

*small chuckle*

"Well, guess I've rambled on here quite a bit, but I wanted you to have something. For when you're in there, so you remember that you're not alone. You've got good friends out here, so many people who care about you, who are rootin' for ya. Me, most of all. No matter what happens, we're all proud of how far you've come. No one even thought this would be possible, but since the day I met you, I've been realizing that the word 'impossible' really isn't in your vocabulary, huh? Who would've thought some pre-war vaulty would get as far as you did? Well, you did, and you really showed anyone who thought differently. It's one of the, oh, couple dozen or so things I love about you, darling. You always show those that need showing, always right the wrongs around you, even when some would argue it ain't your business. But you show those folks too, don't ya?"

*chuckles*

"You're just a whole lotta something, there, Sole. I never met anyone like ya, and there's no one else I could think of who could get through everything you've survived. You'll get through this too, I know it. And... I don't know, maybe I'm just losin' a few screws or something, but I believe you're gonna find your boy in there... But no matter what happens in the Institute, just know you got people out here waitin' for ya. Wishin' ya the best. Wishin' for ya to make it back home to us. We all love ya, Sole. And me? I love ya most of all."

"Yours, Nick."

Piper:

"Come on, come onnnn."

*Nat speaking indiscernably*

"That did it? You think?"

*Nat* "Yes."

"Oh. Okay. Geesh, this is why I just wanted to write a letter or something, but Nat said I should... cuz of the tape that you lost, and what it meant to you, and hearing my voice and-- Geeze, already rambling. So unlike me, huh?"

*laughter*

"Uh, anyways, um... Hey. Blue."

*more laughter*

"Who let me do this? This is awful. I wanna just talk straight to you, you know? See that cute little face of yours, that embarrassed smile with the way your eyes crinkle. The face you're probably making right now. Eh? Did I getcha? Are you making that face? Bet you are."

*giggling*

"I guess I know you pretty well by now, huh? Four years, Blue. Four! I don't know how I've put up with you all that time, but also, I... I don't really know what I would've done without you. That day we met... I think back on it all the time. How perfect everything had to be for us to meet like that, to get that great first impression. It always makes me laugh, the way we still give Danny a hard time about it, blaming him whenever we have those silly little arguments, just so we can't blame each other. I wonder if other couples do that? If they have a sort of scapegoat for their silly little..."

(pause)

"Okay, yeah, getting off topic. The reason I made this, well, this tape recording, that I wanted to be a note, that I probably could've just said straight to your face, was so I could just say... thanks. I know I tell you a lot how much you mean to me, but, I also think you always need to hear it. You've been through so much, lived through multiple lifetimes... you really were-- and are, the story of the century, Blue. You're incredible, and strong, and goofy, and absolutely adorable, if I do say so myself."

*giggles*

"Ahem, anyways, um... Where was I?... Oh! Yeah, you're..."

*quick breath*

"You're a great leader, and you could do anything you set your mind to, I mean really, once you've lived over two hundred years, learned how to fight giant monster lizards, how to cure super mutants, travel through someone's brain, and even teleport, I think the sky is hardly the limit."

*more soft laughter*

"Yeah... I knew I'd get just a little off topic, but when it all comes down to it, there's really only one thing you need to know, Blue."

"I love you. And I'm so grateful to have you in my life and as my partner in everything, and though these past few years have been like... the best of my life, I think the future holds a lot for us. Keep being strong, keep being you, and I'll be right here, cheering you on, loving you. Like I have from the start."

(pause)

"Oh, and Nat'll be here too. Rolling her eyes. Scrunching her face when we kiss in front of her and pretending to barf, but... she'll be loving you too. Won't you, sis?"

*Noncommittal noise*

"See? She agrees. Love ya, Blue. See you soon."

(pause)

*whispered* "Which one do I press to stop it? Which one? Oh. Oh, okay, I see--"

*click*

Preston:

"Sole? Hey. It's Preston."

*light chuckle*

"But you could probably guess that, huh? Yeah, well, I just wanted to say a few things. So you have them, so we do, for later, and everything... I'm just... Where to even start with you?"

*a breath*

"You're just... so amazing. You have been, since the day I met you, and every day since. You've taken everything the Commonwealth throws at you, and you've turned it into something beautiful. Something we can help grow, help to make this world a better place. And... you've given me hope."

*light laughter*

"It sounds so simplified when I put it like that, but it's not."

*soft sigh*

"I had no hope, before I met you. It was gone, and I just felt... hollow, but now I see all of the amazing possibilities for the world, for you and me, and the Minutemen. I never would've made it this far without you, and what we're doing now? This big adventure we're taking together? I know... I know you've been there before. That you... had a family before, and I know the way it turned out, and I can't imagine how difficult it is to look past that, and to try again. But... I want you to know I'm here for you. I always will be, just like you were there for me, when I needed you most."

"I want this for us, and you're... God, Sole, you're just so strong to want this too, so brave, and selfless, and-- and you just see the possibilities in life and you go for them, and I love that about you."

"Even just saying all this, it has me smiling from ear to ear. Just thinking about you does that to me, babe. I couldn't tell you the last time I smiled like this before I met you. I don't think I even could, to tell you the truth, but now... I mean, my cheeks hurt. Just thinking about seeing you after this mission, thinking about our talk, about us... settling down... Yeah, it's gonna be tough. Like you said, it's hard to get me to stay in one place, but you like to wander a whole lot too, you know."

*laughing*

"But I don't think I've been more ready, more excited for anything in my life. I love you so much, I almost can't believe it sometimes, but then I see you, and I... Well, I can believe it, because you're just that good. That perfect, that kind and loving, and selfless, and I just can't believe that out of all the other people in this world, I was lucky enough to meet you, and somehow, you wanted to be with me too."

(pause)

"I think I might've told you this already. At least once, but just in case, I'm gonna tell you again... Sole. I loved you from the moment I saw you. I... I couldn't believe it."

*laughter*

"I thought it was crazy, thought I lost my mind or something, but it was true. As soon as you came into my life, I was ready to pledge mine to you. I-I was in love. And as unbelievable as it seemed at the time, so soon after meeting you, that's never changed. And I'm betting that it never will."

"I love you, Sole. So much, and I can't wait to see you back here, and I can't wait to make that pledge all over again, can't wait to start our family, and... And god, I'm so excited to see you, I can't even sit still, I just--"

*muffled voice*

"What? Now?"

*sound of confirmation*

"Already? But I thought--"

*Annoyed sound getting further away*

"No, hold on, I'm coming!"

"Sturges says you're here."

"You're... you're home. You're home early..."

*disbelieving laughter*

"I'm gonna go and see you. Now. Right now, I've gotta--"

*muffled rustling noise*

"I'm gonna go. Sort of. I love you Sole, see you soon!"

X6-88:

"Sole... Ma'am/Sir. This is X6-88. I..."

*small sigh*

"I would like to extend my condolences to you. Your son... I wish you could have known him as I did. As so many of us did, as you never had the chance to. It is unfortunate, but... What I said, before, when I told you that I believe in you... It was not a lie, sir/ma'am. I do believe, fully, that you are meant to take his place, that you will do incredible things for The Institute."

"To be honest, I'm not sure why I felt the urge to record this message for you, but... Perhaps it's because I feel... that you should be able to hear this, to listen to this tape if ever you feel... inadequate, or... alone. You are neither, sir/ma'am, I assure you."

(pause)

"And I also... I know what it's like. To feel that way."

"Perfection is something that's required in every unit that is created to be a courser. It's something hardwired into us, and so is our aptitude for solitude, and yet... Either there is great fault with my programming, or you were enough to bypass all of it altogether. I've never felt less... Well, perhaps not less perfect, but I've never felt... more..."

*quietly*

"Human, than when I'm with you."

"It is not by my own conscious decision, but all of my defenses seem to lower when you are at my side. I've spoken so outwardly with you, I've... laughed, which is something I never knew I was capable of doing. I've come to despise being alone completely. Or... perhaps not alone, but more... without you. It makes my chest feel tight, and my thoughts wander to your safety whenever I'm not by your side. I'm not... I'm not quite sure why I feel so differently about you than I do anyone else I've met, why you elicit these reactions and thoughts, but I do know that they are enough for me to believe you are... exceptional."

*soft exhale*

"There is no one more capable, or better suited to leading us. No one who has had the influence over me that you do. Not Ayo, not Father, not even the... infuriatingly endearing young Shaun."

*short laugh*

"None of them... and yet you, from the beginning, have surprised me. Your prowess in combat, your amusing commentary, your strange empathy and searing wit... It all took me by surprise. Which isn't easy, I'll have you know. I'm a courser after all."

*muted chuckle*

(pause)

"I'm a courser... And yet, you've always treated me like an... an equal. Not a machine, or a weapon, not something to fear or to order around without regard for my own preferences, my own... conscience. It's something I never thought that I would find to be a virtue. Not something that's ever mattered to me, and yet, now... Now anyone who's not you, everyone here who disregards me the way they always have... It tries my patience."

(pause)

"I blame you, for that, sir/ma'am. But also I'm... Thankful to you. I'm... glad I've been able to accompany you in your travels, that I've been able to guide you in your new time in this world, I feel privileged that I've been able to witness your transformation, that I've gotten to know you, after all this time, and I... I want you to know that I'm here for you. Now, as you grieve the loss of your son, and in the future, as you take on your new responsibilities as the leader of The Institute. I will be here, by your side. To protect you, to help you, to amuse you, even, if that's what you require from me, since I often seem to do so without realizing it."

*soft exhale*

"I want the best for you, Sole. I want you to feel safe, I want you to be... happy. It's not something I'm used to... wanting these things for another, but as always, you are the exception. If you need anything from me, if you want anything, I will be here. For you, Sole."

"Sincerely, X6."

[thru-the-grapevine]

Like Breathing

Pairing: Vernon x fem!reader

Summary: Vernon wants to make sure Valentine’s Day is done right. Thankfully, so do you.

Word Count: 1.8k

Tags: fluff, pillow forts, fade-to-black mature content near the end (minors dni just in case)

Author’s note: Happy Valentine’s Day! May we never forget who my OG ult bias is :)

It was days like this that Vernon was convinced you were perfect for him.

He glanced down at you, flopped on your back across his lap, fidgeting absently as you watched the movie playing on the screen. You glanced up at him, noticing his focus shift to you, and smiled sweetly before looking back at the movie again.

It had been your idea to stay in tonight, something you’d suggested a couple weeks ago.

“Everyone’s always going out and doing stuff on Valentine’s Day,” you’d texted. “Way less exhausting for us if we get takeout and watch like Star Wars or something.”

He’d agreed without extra thought, glad you felt the same. Why bother doing something out of the ordinary when you’d both rather be doing what you usually did?

And he didn’t normally second-guess himself on these things; he didn’t need to. Being with you had always felt as easy as breathing to Vernon. You’d never needed grand gestures or elaborate plans out of him, had always liked him for exactly how he liked to be, unassuming and quietly affectionate. It felt relieving, especially after all the idol pressures at work. Being with you was like taking a deep breath of fresh air after tense, short breaths all day.

But he’d heard his groupmates talking about Valentine’s Day plans as they spent time together in the studio and the practice rooms, workshopping their late spring comeback. His groupmates with partners were taking them places for Valentine’s Day, giving them things, some of them planning the day out with detail.

“I’m not making a habit of it,” Mingyu had said after sharing some of his plans. “But it’s a day specifically made to be special, right? An excuse to get creative, to give them something they haven’t wanted to ask for. So I’m going for it.”

And Vernon had pondered, absently at first, whether you’d want anything like that from him. Something special on a special day. Then he began wondering if there were things you wanted to do or try or have that you hadn’t wanted to ask for before. But that was silly; you’d never implied anything like that, so he was fine.

Probably.

The closer to the day he’d gotten, the less sure he became of that. The less sure he became of himself. Being with you was easy as breathing…but was it too easy, too effortless? Was he trying hard enough for you?

“Would you be interested in going to this one place tomorrow night?” He’d texted you yesterday night on a whim.

“Oh, did you want to go someplace?” You’d responded.

No. “Yes.”

You’d sent “👀” in response, and he’d given in. You always seemed to be on to him.

“So there isn’t anything different or more interesting you’ve secretly been wanting to do and haven’t told me about?”

“Vernon 😂” you’d texted. “If I wanted to do something else with you I would talk to you about it like a normal person, I promise ❤️”

He’d gone to bed relieved. And then, of course, woken up second-guessing it again.

“Let’s try it out anyway,” he’d texted you around lunchtime, watching some of his groupmates getting plans together and sending partners things. “Just to say we did, and then we can come home and do what we always do.”

And he’d been so busy mentally preparing himself to be around people, to be in a more formal atmosphere, to impress you so much that you’d never doubt that he cared, that he never realized you’d never replied.

He walked into your apartment to find it dark, only to flip the nearest switch and come face to face with a massive blanket fort in the living room.

“Um…babe?” He called, toeing off his shoes and drinking in the fort. It was rather impressive; how long had this taken you?

“Don’t you look nice.”

He looked down to see you sitting at one of the entrances to the fort (because yes, it did look like there was more than one), cross-legged, donned in one of his hoodies.

A sheepish smile played at the corners of his mouth. “So, uh…what’s all this?”

He couldn’t remember the last time you looked this shy. “Um…happy Valentine’s Day?”

He blinked. “Oh?”

“I know it’s not exactly going out somewhere,” you said, words rushing out like you were afraid he’d stop you. “But it just…seemed more us? And look, I even—”

You leaned back through the fort entrance, rustling something plastic, then re-emerged with a stuffed plastic bag in hand. “I got takeout. It’s from that one place you mentioned, since you sounded interested in it.”

He raised his eyebrows, letting the information slowly sink in, a tension he hadn’t noticed in his chest beginning to loosen.

You sighed and set the takeout bag down, standing and approaching him slowly. “I should’ve said something, maybe. It’s just…I dunno, it sounded like you got in your head a little, because I know you sounded happy about just staying in a couple weeks ago, and I thought I’d put together something you might actually like doing, just in case you wanted the option—”

You cut off as he scooped you into a tight hug.

“I fucking love you,” he sighed, and it was like he could breathe again. No going out, no big impressive gestures, no frills or flair. Just getting to be with you, as him.

God, he loved getting to be himself with you.

He felt you sigh and grin against his shoulder before wrapping your arms around him, hugging him back. “Love you too, Vern’.”

He basked in the soft warmth of you for a long, long moment, certain the feeling of you in his arms was his favorite.

“Am I allowed in the fort all fancy?” He mumbled, remembering he’d dressed nicer in anticipation of going out.

You laughed. “You left some practice clothes here last week that I washed, if you want to change.”

“Amazing. You thought of everything.” He leaned back, gazing at you, fond. God, he loved you so bad. He was truly fucked.

Your lopsided smile was a mix of bashful and affectionate. “Wanna eat and watch some Star Wars in my badass blanket fort?”

“Hell yeah I do,” he said, a grin spreading over his face. “How long did that thing even take you?”

“Literally all day. Please love it.”

“It’s the best in the whole world,” he reassured you, pressing a kiss to your forehead before letting you go to find his practice clothes.

There was something truly wonderful, something safe and pleasant, knowing the whole world was outside your apartment, bustling around doing things, and that Vernon could be in here away from all of it with the only person worth being not-alone with on Valentine’s Day. He loved the comfort of his practice clothes that now smelled like you, the coziness of your blanket fort decked out in fairy lights, the ease and interest of trying and swapping bites of the new takeout with you.

It was that it was all you, he thought, not bothering to concentrate on the movie when you’d finished eating, preferring to drink you in, instead. You made all of this the preferable option. You made some of Vernon’s favorite things better. It felt almost too good to be true, that he could have something so wonderful, the happiness of you with him. And now, just sitting together in contented silence, he didn’t see how it could get much better.

You stretched and shifted your hips as you watched the movie, and Vernon kept a steadying hand on your hip, feeling the sliver of skin between your joggers waistband and his hoodie—and something else.

He paused, glancing down at your hip. Gingerly, he moved his hand enough to reveal a small slip of lace.

“What’s this?” He asked, thumbing along the fabric again, fascinated.

“Oh,” you said, and when he glanced up at your face he was met with a cat-like grin. “Nothing. Hardly anything. Here, look.”

He felt his throat go dry when you tucked your thumbs into the waistband of your joggers and lifted your hips, wriggling until the fabric bunched around your knees. You leaned back, resting your hands above your head, the hem of his hoodie riding up to give him a better view. A pair of pretty, sheer lace underwear rode low on your hips, tinted in his favorite color.

“Christ,” he muttered under his breath, reverent. He traced his thumb along the lacy band again and tried to remember how to breathe.

“Nice, right?” Vernon could hear you smiling but couldn’t tear his eyes from the newly exposed sight. “And it may be part of a set.”

He nearly choked on his own tongue. Fuck. He glanced up at you, eyebrows raised.

“…Is that so,” he rasped.

You nodded, looking especially pleased with yourself, then sat up.

“It’s just that, well,” you mused as you maneuvered yourself to straddle his lap, “you sounded like you were interested in some variety today, and I don’t always get a chance to be fancy like this, so I thought, you know, why not?”

Why not, indeed. God. This was variety Vernon could get behind. He settled his hands at your hips, sliding them up beneath his hoodie to rest at your waist.

You grinned, leaning in until you were nose to nose. “If you’re really good I’ll let you take it off of me. You can be good for me, can’t you, Vern’?”

“I fucking love you,” he groaned, tilting his chin up just as you leaned in and kissed him hungrily.

Turns out there was a way tonight could get better, after all.

The movie was long over by the time the two of you relaxed again, piled in a tangle of limbs amongst strewn pillows in the blanket fort. Vernon stroked gently along your bare spine, sighing.

“I really didn’t put in any effort for you tonight, did I.”

You snorted. “Babe, we’re not allowed to have sex like that for you to say you’ve put in no effort for me.”

“No, I mean,” he said, abashed grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Just like, in general today. I was going to impress you, I swear I was, I just…”

You propped your chin on his sternum, frowning at him. “Vernon, you don’t need to impress me. You’ve already got me. You got me without the impressing, to be honest.”

He glanced down at you. “I just don’t want you to think I don’t care enough, or that I’m not willing to make any effort for you, or something awful like that.”

Your face softened into something warm. You leaned up and pressed the gentlest of kisses to his mouth.

“I don’t think that. I could never think that. You were willing to get fancy and go out, things you don’t like doing on your own time, just for me. I’d be stupid not to see that for what it is.”

He smiled then, lifting his hand from your back and stroking his fingers through your hair.

“Love you,” he whispered.

You grinned. “Sap…love you, too.”

[wolveria]

The Raven’s Hymn - Ch 30

Pairing: SCP-049 x Reader

Series Warnings: Eventual smut, dubcon, slow burn, violence, horror, death, monsters, human experiments, dark with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: “Do you sense any presence of SCP-035 within?”

AO3

“Approach the case.”

At least you knew where the Site Director had gone.

You did not comply, remaining still as if in hopes of not moving, you could prevent what was coming.

Maybe Leahy was feeling charitable today—he didn’t immediately threaten you with promises of torment or punishment. Instead, he waited from behind the thick one-way observation glass. He had all the time in the world. Where else could you go?

One foot in front of the other, you slowly made your way to the pedestal. Perhaps you would get lucky, and nothing would happen. You had survived worse SCPs.

That felt like a lie.

“Do you feel any influence, or otherwise unnatural sensations, on your mind or body?” Leahy asked once you came to a stop in front of the platform.

“No.” Not unless he counted bone-deep terror, or your unending hatred for him. What the hell was he thinking? And what was that shit Dr. Puli had peddled about no more cross-testing without higher approval? Surely no one signed off on this insanity.

“Put on the mask.”

Even though the command was inevitable, Leahy’s words set your heart thudding like a kicking rabbit.

“Since when did 035 have his host privileges returned?” It was a pathetic attempt to avoid your fate, a last-ditch effort to stall. Maybe there was even a small spark of hope that Leahy would see reason. Even he knew how dangerous this SCP was when given a living human host, hence why he was no longer given any. At all. Not even a mannequin.

“You will not be serving as a host. Do it.”

He was on edge. Good. He should be nervous.

You took a breath and observed the deceptively clean mask. There was no sign of the black goo, which according to 049, was pure Pestilence. The irony didn’t escape you that you were about to truly test if you immune to being reinfected, and that’s if 049’s assessment was accurate. You’d always thought 035’s goo was more of an acid—

“Stop stalling, Reid.”

Hissing out air through your teeth, you quickly picked up the ceramic mask as if ripping off a bandage. The mask continued to give you a comedic smile, but other than that, it remained as it was. It felt as ordinary as any other theater mask would.

Praying to whoever would listen, you pressed the inside of the mask against your face. Nothing happened. It wouldn’t even stick. You pressed it harder against your skin, wondering if the mask was nothing more than a piece of costume now. Insert and lifeless, the entity inside ceasing to exist.

And then the ceramic bolted to your skin like metal to a magnet. You balked, but the voice of panic ringing in your head wasn’t your own.

No, no, it’s all wrong! I can’t… can’t move. Can’t control—why can’t I, it’s all wrong, all wrong! Get out! GET OUT!

You hadn’t moved, your hands hovering near your head before finally dropping.

“SCP-035?”

You turned your head toward the mirror, your movements still freely under your control even as that foreign fear in your mind continued to rage. The image reflected back at you was startling, the mask on your face changed to that of a sorrowful frown.

“No, it’s still me,” you said, voice muffled by the barrier.

“Do you sense any presence of SCP-035 within?”

Going by the cacophony in your head like someone was literally bouncing off the inside of your skull, it was safe to assume there was a presence.

“Yes. He’s… agitated. He can’t control me.”

Leahy said nothing for a moment, no doubt consulting his notes in excitement like the bureaucratic little bully he was.

“I have a series of questions here that you will relay to SCP-035, and you will report its answers as exact as possible.”

The presence in your head reared itself like an enraged cobra, flaring before a strike.

Get fucked, you absolute cunt-rag!

You relayed 035’s response, and Leahy said nothing, bringing you a rare but immense feeling of satisfaction. And just like that, the other presence in your mind settled, the agitated cobra reclining into a languid coil. No longer poised to attack, but no less dangerous for it.

Not a fan of the Site Director either? No… no, you wouldn’t be. I know you. Of course, I do, of course. I simply didn’t recognize… I was distraught. Can’t blame me for that, no. Not used to being the one worn, instead of doing the wearing. You understand, don’t you? You do, you’re a very reasonable little thing, aren’t you, Reid? It’s been too long since our last interview. I’ve missed you. Did you miss me?

035’s return to a cool, calm control would have been unsettling if you hadn’t known this SCP so well. Or as well as anyone was able. His very nature made it difficult to get to know him, his ability to passively influence and infect with his personality one of the things that made him so dangerous.

You didn’t have a chance to respond; Leahy was already giving his next instructions.

“SCP-035, I want you to take control of her.”

A feeling rippled over your mind, your brain translating it into a sort of amused snort.

I see the Site Director hasn’t changed much. Stupid is as stupid does, my mother always said. If I had a mother. Ignore him, you and I have business to discuss. I know what they’ve been doing to you these past weeks. Oh, you know how it is. The fools who observe this cell, they talk and they think. They talk loud and think even louder. I hear things… interesting things. You would like to know, wouldn’t you? I bet you would.

He gave a laugh, or the mental equivalent of one, able to read your thoughts just as quickly as you could think them.

Yes, it does seem we’re able to hear each other without much in the way of hiding. No, I’m not happy about it either, but we’re going to have to suck it up like big boys and girls. Don’t mind your pretty head, I’m not going to do anything dastardly with what I glean from your traumatized mind. Your secrets are safe with me. After all, who would I share them with?

You thought he had a point, and 035 said, Of course I do. Whatever they say about me is a lie, darling. I’m a very reasonable man, doing his best to survive in a world where his jailers are mad. What do you say? You scratch my back, I scratch yours, so to speak. And we both screw the Foundation while we’re at it, hmm? It’s not like they’ve taken our best interests to heart. And neither of us are getting out of here.

A low, bassy tone vibrated in your mind, and goosebumps rippled across your flesh at the inhuman, incomprehensible malice glimpsed for just a moment. Whatever 035 truly was, or had been, he was a shadow of it now. Perhaps the only reason he could be contained at all.

“Did you hear me, SCP-6830?”

035 let out a silent flicker of amusement.

That’s the designation he gave you? What an idiot. Absolute IQ of a coral sponge with the charisma of a blowfly. Tell him I’m weak and barely able to produce thoughts, so he’ll have to be patient with how slow I am. He should be familiar with the concept.

A smile curled in the shadows of your mind.

Meanwhile, you and I can have a little… heart-to-heart.  

You relayed the message, wondering what 035 could possibly think you had to talk about.

Oh, so many things. Let’s start with you. Yes, you. We’ll get to me, don’t worry. So… what do you remember before joining this circus?

There was no point in avoiding his curiosity, though perhaps curiosity was too gentle a word. He wanted a piece of you in the form of deep, personal information. That was how all of his interviews went: 035 didn’t indulge in questions until he got to ask a few of his own. As one of the few people willing to take that risk, you had become one of his main interviewers, though you hadn’t given him much to work with. Not like this.

You cast your mind back, a mistake in hindsight. One you started, you couldn’t stop, the memories flowing easily as 035 flipped through them like pages in a book. He thumbed past most of your childhood, which was mostly normal and uneventful. What was he hoping to find?

Yada yada yada, bor-i-i-i-ng… Ah, here we go.

A memory unfolded against your will. You were at your old office job, the one you’d had before the Foundation and before you’d been exposed to the existence of SCPs. You’d worked there for two years until the event that knocked you off course, sending your life on an entirely different path.

Something was… wrong with your coworkers. No matter how early you came in or how late you left, they were always there. Within days, they began to look haggard, unraveled, and when you asked if they were feeling well, they would lash out until you left them alone.

You tried reporting this concerning behavior to HR, but it went nowhere. Your coworkers continued to deteriorate, their clothes unwashed, their faces taunt with lack of sleep and proper food. Not knowing what else to do, you contacted the local health authority, thinking there was radon gas or some kind of serious contagion.

Within the day, agents had showed up and cordoned off the building. You never saw your coworkers again.

You were interviewed by a man in a dark suit, and you never saw him again either, but he offered you a job. A mysterious one where you went to an unmarked building for an interview, was hired on the spot, and immediately taken to a site for the Foundation. You hadn’t even been allowed to go back home to get your things, and you’d remained ever since. You’d risen through the ranks, transferring from one site to the next, your handling of the SCPs expertly done despite having no background in behavioral or psychological sciences.

If there’s one thing the Foundation does well, and trust me, it’s one of the very few things, it’s that they have an eye for talent and anomalies. Their spies are everywhere. You don’t find the Foundation, the Foundation finds you. Funny that’s not how it worked for you. And isn’t it strange the anomaly affecting your coworkers didn’t affect you. Did the Foundation ever explore that? Perhaps that’s why you ended up in 049’s cell with no way out. You’ve been their unlucky test bunny since day one. How tragic.

At your denial, 035 made a tsk noise despite having no mouth.

You poor, poor thing. I pity you. At least we know we’ve been contained. You were given the illusion of freedom.

It wasn’t… it wasn’t true. It wasn’t! You would have sensed something, seen something. It wasn’t possible—

“SCP-6830, you will allow the subject to control your body.”

The masked SCP sighed with dramatic flair that was fit for an audience of hundreds rather than one.

Does that puffed-up spatchcock think I haven’t been trying? Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, yes. So many interesting memories around anomalies. You don’t know what I mean? Well, that’s because they’re buried deep. Very deep… Oh, no, please. Allow me.

Like fingers ripping through a present, rough appendages ripped through your mind, bleeding them open without compassion. Images assailed you, memories long buried and forgotten.

You were on a camping trip with your family, your cousins leading you into the woods to play tricks on you with tales of urban legends. But you saw creatures in the woods that night, small and dark with gnashing teeth and devouring mouths where their eyes should have been. When you told your parents the creatures were real, they didn’t believe you.

A strange shadow followed your mother around throughout your early teens. You knew her cluster headaches were about to make an appearance, because the shadow would be persistent hours before. This continued until one day you yelled at the “monster” to go away, and it did. Your mother never had a cluster headache after that, though she believed her latest medication was finally working.

Your senior year in high school, you avoided English whenever you could, nearly failing the class and not being graduated. No one could understand your aversion, and you didn’t know how to explain that sometimes the ceiling of the classroom was… somewhere else. A glimpse into another place, one that didn’t always make spatial sense, gazing into its depths flipping your stomach as if you were about to fall upwards into it. You weren’t surprised to hear the classroom caught fire a year after you graduated. You were only surprised it had taken so long.

The cruel fingers released your mind, and you flinched out of their hold, gasping and shivering even as sweat clung to your hairline.

Oh my, do you want to lie down? Kick up your feet for a while and let me take over? 035 gasped with unnecessary zeal. That would be a fun experiment. Give me the reins, and I’ll put this body to good use—Fine, fine, no need to get hysterical, Jesus, I was just asking. Which is something I never do, by the way, so consider yourself bestowed with a great gift.

Another slow smile curdled in your mind like sour milk.

That’s an interesting word association. Gift. Makes you think of… him. Yes, let’s talk about the enigmatic 049. Come now, don’t be shy. It’ll be painless, I promise. Let’s see here… Stop resisting, damn it. Normally it’s fun when they resist, but by God, you’re giving me a headache. I’m trying to help you, woman. Do you want to fix your fuck-up or not?

The white walls of the cell had retreated to the point where you hardly saw them anymore. Instead, it was like you were having a conversation with someone you couldn’t quite see, in a place too dimly lit to make out properly, and his voice was in your ear so clearly it could have been your own. Except you’d never spoken with such malicious joy before.

That got your attention. Yes, to put it delicately, you hurt his feelings. My bestest friend in the whole world, and you broke his heart—What do you mean? Of course, we’re friends. Even if he said—Well, that’s his opinion, and it’s wrong. You took his shriveled heart and stomped it into a million pieces. Don’t believe me? I’ll show you.

As if your thoughts were recorded on a magnetic tape, 035 rewound them back to the precise moment he wanted, a memory you shied away from like a skittish horse from a rattler. The mask wouldn’t let you turn away. There was no sanctuary within your own mind, no corner you could hide or escape from his focus.

Standing within a familiar scene, you were the observer this time, a captive audience from your argument with 049 the previous night. It should have been impossible to view it from angles outside yourself, and yet a copy of yourself stood in profile, glaring up at the much taller SCP.

“It’s why your followers never stayed,” said the past version of yourself, an angry scowl curling her mouth. “They knew the path you walked wasn’t one of science. It was madness. Zealotry and fanaticism. Righteousness in the form of a crusade, and you slaughtered anyone who didn’t take up your banner.”

You couldn’t look away, couldn’t cover your ears, nothing to stop what was happening as each cruel word was delivered. Having said it once was enough, having to hear it again was agony.

“That’s why you couldn’t bring her back. You didn’t cure her, you murdered her in cold blood—”

035 froze the moment in time. There was something in 049’s eyes, a fragile nakedness, like a piece of armor being ripped away to expose the flesh underneath. It was a haunted look you had somehow missed.

Did you notice something interesting? The whole time you were reading him the riot act, calling him a murderer and a menace to society, what did he do? 035 asked, gleeful. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. He let you steamroll over him, and do you know why? Because you were right. This is what he deserves. He’s a peddler of death, a bringer of ill omens and black tides. Worse, he’s a charlatan. He rages about the Pestilence, and yet, his actions did naught but bring the carrion birds. Until… you.

You said nothing, unable to draw away from 049’s face, wishing more than anything you could take back those words.

He understands the hypocrisy of what he does better than you realize, 035 crooned in your ear, his words draped in insidious velvet. It’s why he harbors such hatred for me. I’m his twisted reflection. We are the same, only I don’t let shame stop me from taking what I want.

His influence surrounded you, closing in with suffocating darkness. You rebuked him, shaking him off like a biting flea on a dog’s back, and he simply laughed. The cell drew into sharp focus, your muffled breathing too loud in your ears. You didn’t know if Leahy had been speaking to you, but at least you were still in control of your own body.

But your attention was not something 035 was willing to let go of just yet.

Relax, I was only testing you. It would be an insult if I didn’t. Now, back to 049. He continued on, as if attempting to make you his thrall was simply good manners. Notice he only voiced his displeasure when you brought up Pernella. Sweet Pernella. I knew her, you know. She was just a babe when he found her. An innocent, forsaken chick taken under the raven’s wing. But alas… she met the same fate all his companions do. Keep that in mind, darling, lest you wind up as the next Pernella.

An impish giggle followed on the heels of the dire warning.

I’m kidding, you won’t end up like her. Why? Well, for one, he can’t kill you in his usual fashion. He’d have to get his hands dirty. A knife here, a strangling there. But he won’t. You’re far too precious. Can you imagine, being as old as he is and never able to touch another living being? It must drive him to madness. Perhaps that’s why he is the way he is. He simply needs a hug. His hand held. Maybe something a bit more salacious? I’m not one to judge, you do you, whatever creams your Twinkie. All I’m saying is, I think the doctor is full of pent-up frustration that could be solved with one of you on your back.

But enough about the doctor’s sexual yearnings, let’s talk about my second favorite subject. I—what? Don’t be such a prude, I’m right. 049 is so starved for affection that all you would need to do is pet his head and call him a good boy, and he’d ruin his trousers. Or… his equivalent for trousers.

Anyway, what’s my first favorite subject, you didn’t ask? Well—oh, you know already. Yes, it’s me. But for the second—Would you stop interrupting me! Oh, I never explained how to make amends with 049? Say you’re sorry. Apologize. Honestly, haven’t you done this before? Now, my second favorite subject: containment breaches.

Why are you yelling? This will benefit the both of us! Believe me, with some of the scuttlebutt I’ve heard, escape is your best option. Think I’m lying? Well, that’s your problem and you have trust issues. I don’t lie when the truth benefits me, and nothing would benefit me more than causing a little prison break.

“I want to leave,” you blurted. “Now.”

“We’ve only started,” Leahy said, his irritation leeching across the intercom. “You will stay in that cell until testing is complete.”

He’ll keep you in here as long as he can, just to see the black ooze eat away at you, 035 purred in your ear. It won’t, of course. I can’t produce it while you’re wearing me. You really dry up the tear ducts, you know? A cruel vixen. Tempting innocent SCPs with your wily ways and then dashing their hearts against the cold containment walls.

You mentally shoved against him, but 035 simply laughed. He wasn’t going anywhere, not with the mask still in place.

Don’t you even want to know how the breach will happen? Come on, take a guess. I’ll even give you a hint. It starts with 049… and ends with you.

“Let me out, Leahy!” you cried at the observation window, your raw desperation a jarring comparison to the mask grinning back at you.

“That’s Site Director Leahy, and no. You have yet to give me a more in-depth analysis of the effects of SCP-035. I know you’re communicating with it. Until you give me something of substance, you can rot in that cell—”

Rage boiled within your chest and your head snapped up, your words deep and reverberating with something below the surface. An unseen monster, circling the waters.

“You’ll be the one rotting if you don’t let me out!”

Leahy was quiet, and you could actually see through the one-way mirror to the other side. The Sire Director looked startled, as did the three other doctors and assistants with him.

“SCP-035, is that you?”

You tilted your head, the reflection mimicking the movement, but it didn’t feel like you. The dark eyeholes of the mask burned with an unnatural purple light, and the words that came from your throat were smooth and oily, slipping free without your permission.

“Why don’t you come in and find out, you pus-filled sack of meat? I’ll even let you wear the mask since you want answers so badly.”

You took a step closer, able to see the oddly smooth, sinuous way you moved in the reflection. It was still you, but it was also… not you.

“Do your own dirty work,” your voice said with a purr. “I know you’re capable of it. Or did you think what happened to 682 is a secret?”

The Site Director jerked forward over the mic.

“Reid, remove the mask, now!”

You ripped off the mask. The ceramic came free of your skin unwillingly, your face stinging at the effort. You took deep breaths of stale air that tasted like a mountain breeze in comparison to wearing the mask, and your mind whirled at the sudden absence of the mask’s owner. Shoving the SCP back in the case, you closed the lid, the ceramic smile grinning at you conspiratorially.

Before you’d removed the mask, 035 had given a parting whisper.

See you soon, sweetheart.

Next Chapter

[randomfoggytiger]

"You're Only Going to End Up Hurting Yourself"

Part V of the Bill Scully POV mini-series (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV~.)

(Dedicated to @baronessblixen for her continued interest.)

*****

The first time Bill Scully saw Dana’s child was after the hearing.

Maggie showed him Emily’s picture in passing-- though how or when she’d gotten it, he hadn't known-- mumbling, “I said she doesn’t look like Melissa; but she does, doesn’t she, Bill?” Mulder’s car drove up then; and his mom dashed off to put the photo back.

While Dana and her partner spilled out and wove around each other-- indescribably in sync, shadowing each other-- Bill thought, Yes, she does look like you, Melissa-- more like you than Dana. 

*****

He allowed Mulder to stay past polite visiting hours, maintaining a stern but silent distance as much as possible. Because of this man's testimony, Dana stood a chance. Her daughter stood a chance.  

“Bill, I’m so tired,” Tara had whispered, massaging her drooping head with both hands. She looked up, eyes clouded with confusion and grief-- for Dana, for this little girl, for their first Christmas as a growing family. “I just want to get some sleep.” 

His own headache seemed to radiate from the top of his skull to the slope of his shoulders: everything tensed, everything ached. Wearily standing, he nodded. “Then let’s get you to bed, Honey.”

“He won’t think it’s rude?”

“I don’t think the normal standards apply to him, Tara. It’s late, anyway.” 

They lumbered to the staircase, fatigued, when Dana poked through the doorway. “You guys okay?” 

Of course they weren’t. His sister was murdered. His other sister had an unidentifiable chip in her neck. His brother had started speaking to him again and sent a gift to Dana for Christmas. His wife’s hard-won holiday was shot. His baby was due two weeks ago. His little sister had a daughter that wasn't hers. His mother was almost sick with worry. The pain never stops. 

“Could you take Tara’s other arm so we can…?”

And Dana did, like he knew she would: a need to be of use. Perhaps as penance, for everything. 

*****

He should have expected Dana and Mulder would vanish in the night.

He woke a fitful hour later to the surprise of an eerily quiet house; and was still more surprised that the two of them had not simply dropped into a deep sleep on the couch rather than… wherever they’d gone. He didn’t know which outlook was more grim: the thought she’d followed her partner back to his motel or the suspicion that they were both chasing down another lead in the Sims’ case. 

It was after eight when the phone rang, about the time Maggie would be up and about.

“Hello? Um, it’s Dana… Mom, if you can pick up the phone--”

“Dana? It’s Bill.” 

He heard her long sigh through the wire, wondered how many times she’d watched the clock to increase her odds of avoiding him. “Bill. Hi.” 

“Where are you, Dana?”

“I’m… at the hospital. Emily’s sick.”

The pain never stops. “She is? How sick-- what happened?"

“I don’t know, it’s…. She has a rare disorder that was being treated before her parents’ murder. We don’t know…. We’re working on diagnosing her condition right now so we can treat her.” 

“Do you want us to be there with you?”

“No. No, I, uh, think it’s best that you and Mom and Tara keep your distance, for now. Until we know something.” 

“Is her condition communicable?” 

“Bill…. It’s safer if you three stay away.” 

“Dana.” 

“...Yes?” 

“We’ll pray for her.” 

*****

Maggie intended to call Dana after lunch, but by eleven o’clock the three of them had checked into labor and delivery. By three, Dana still hadn’t answered her phone; and by four they were transferred to a private room. 

“Mom, leave it!” Bill yelled, his wife’s excruciating grip sapping away the last reserves of his patience; but it was Tara’s pleading “Mom,” that drew her back. 

It was late when his sister reconnected; and, with labor stalled and an epidural in, he nodded-- with his wife's go-ahead-- at Maggie, who hurried to wherever the Sim girl's ward was and back in under forty minutes.

Matthew was over six hours old before Dana called again. From his periphery, Bill watched his mother grab the phone and dodge into the hall as Tara shifted slightly in her sleep.  His all-consuming focus, however, was on the quiet baby in his arms-- staring at his son’s tiny, clenching fists; wondering if his baby hairs would rust like his sisters’ or darken like his own. 

He didn’t glance up when Maggie reentered and approached; but he snapped to attention when her quivering exhale broke the silence. 

Tears were streaming down her red cheeks, black makeup smearing in small splotches around her eyes. 

“Bill….”

Emily was gone. 

*****

Dana poured her grief into meticulous planning-- despite wanting to do more, the family was only allowed to assist with sorting paperwork and dialing up Bill's priest for the funeral service.

Between baby Matthew’s homecoming, Tara’s recovery, new parenthood, and necessary arrangements, it took over a week before he realized Mulder no longer came to the house. 

*****

The first time Bill saw Dana's child in person was at her wake.

She was Melissa-blonde-- the red not yet prominent enough to shift her from strawberry to flaming redhead-- and Dana chubby. Her pretty little dress still smelled new, its blue perfectly complementing the small, gold cross necklace draped across her neck. 

He stood silently by as the funeral director lowered the coffin lid, refusing to think about the fact he’d never gotten to look into his niece's eyes.

*****

New flights were booked two days before Emily’s funeral; and two days after, his mother and sister were packing up for their return trip back to D.C.

“D.C.? Don’t you want to spend time with Mom in Maryland?” 

Dana had paused and straightened to her full height. “No. My extended leave is almost up. Besides, I need to get back to work.” 

“Back to work? You want to go back to work after everything?” 

“Bill,” she snapped; then deflated, slumping onto the bed. “I can’t have this discussion right now.”

“Dana… we almost lost you, we’ve lost Melissa-- now Emily’s buried in my church cemetery. When will it be enough?”

“Bill, please. Don’t.” 

She was going to cry. With the lack of sleep, the unreality of the past few weeks, and the infuriating nature of this impossible situation, even he might cry. 

As if on cue, Matthew’s wails and Tara’s animated shushes floated down from the master bedroom, by turns swiftly grieved and swiftly soothed. Bill stood, half-in and half-out of Dana's door, trying to fathom the overwhelming protective surge that coursed like fire under his skin. In a split second, something ripped or erected or split apart-- hard to define, but powerful in its finality.

Turning to walk away, he added, “Fine. But tell Mom not to call me when you’re in trouble again, Dana-- I won’t lose my child, too.” 

*****

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

Tagging @today-in-fic

[tiny-maus-boots]

Darkest of Nights pt 18

A/N: for all those patient waiters. Thank you. sorry it took forever this time.

Chloe

“Is…is that a minotaur's head hanging on the wall??”

Both vampires turned to follow Beca's pointed finger. Aubrey slid herself between them and the stuffed head with a menacing growl that promised an eternity of pain. 

Chloe quickly slid her arms around the blonde vampire and rested her chin on Aubrey’s shoulder. It had been a long time since she had fit herself along Bree's back like this and the simple action stoked the ember of five centuries of longing that softened her voice.

"Hey Growly Pants. You know the big guy has been dead for over a millenia now. He can't actually hurt anyone."

"I don't like the way he is looking at us."

Aubrey gave a low growling hiss and snapped her teeth at Sal. Beca giggled from the bed and clapped her hand over her mouth too late to keep Aubrey from hearing it. Chloe bit her lip and guided the blonde back to the smaller woman's side. She had the feeling she would be smiling and laughing a lot more as they learned to navigate this unnamed thing between them.

"Okay lets just leave Sal alone."

The necromancer was still a bit too pale for Chloe’s liking but the blood loss had in no way dampened Beca's amusement and wonder at Aubrey’s state.

"Is she drunk right now?"

Aubrey had left off her scowling and was now gently sniffing along Beca’s temple and ear. Chloe nudged Aubrey back into the bed further from Beca, just in case she was still a little hungry. When they had been in the VW she hadn’t even blinked at another vampire feeding from the brunette. It had been right and natural because it was Aubrey. Chloe’s gaze drifted down to the smear of red on Beca's arm.

"Well. You are intoxicating, speaking from experience."

"You barely had a sip."

There was something suggestive in the comment and her fangs lengthened in response. She had bitten Beca before against her will but to be invited…

"Chloe…"

Aubrey’s solid, weighty tone brought her back to herself. Chloe gave a slight shake of her head and smiled to chase away the lure of Beca's  blood. Yes. It had been right for Aubrey to feed before but it was too soon for Beca to donate a second time.

"Just rest, I'll be right back." 

Chloe eased out of her heeled boots for what felt like the first time in weeks and stretched her toes in the plush pale carpet. Home. Home was safe. She had done it, she had found Beca and brought Aubrey back. Chloe stretched with a self satisfied groan and padded into the kitchen to peek into the fridge. Not much fit for a human save for the bottles of water. 

Truthfully, she should have prepared better for their return. Aubrey would have. Chloe leaned against the counter before picking up the handset of the wired phone system. It picked up instantly and although he didn't speak or even breathe she could feel her father's presence on the other end.

"Dad…"

"How could you bring her here?"

Just when she was feeling so pleased at a job well done. Chloe lowered her voice and moved further into the kitchen.

"Should I have left her for the Guard to find? You know what they do to her kind."

"Do you even know what she did to us? Were you even aware? Or were you so enthralled that you do not yet realize…"

Chloe knew. She could feel each and every vampire that Beca had touched and drained. Honestly she had been surprised at how many there were. She had been gone so long searching for the last of the Michile, had grown so out of touch that she hadn’t realized things were changing quickly at home.

"I know! I know what she did and I helped her!"

"Chloe!"

Years of obedience silenced her immediately. There was nothing quite like a father's deep disapproval to take the wind from her sails. It had been the right thing to do and she didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. Chloe met his angry silence with a tired sigh before the phone was taken by another. Her mother's cool, even tone replaced her father's deep rumble of frustration.

"You found her."

"I found them both."

"I smelled blood."

That was unsurprising. She hadn’t seen her mother in the crowd but she didn't need to be close to catch that scent. Cahira was known for her ability to track prey for miles on the scent of a single drop of blood. Chloe nodded her head even though her mother couldn't see.

"We had trouble. They caught up to us before Aubrey was at full strength…it was bad. She was dying Mama." 

"So you fed the necromancer to her." 

It wasn’t a question. It was a flat practical statement. Sacrifice the necromancer to save the Queen. It would be expected and maybe even would earn her some forgiveness for bringing a threat into their midst. But it wasn't the truth.

"She offered herself. Actually…she didn't give either of us a choice." Pride warmed her tone and she looked over her shoulder to peek into the bedroom. Aubrey was curled protectively around a dozing Beca and still glaring at the minotaur's head on the wall with a curled lip. "She commanded Aubrey to drink until she healed. And yes I am aware that she took from all of us to fix the damage in Bree's body. I encouraged it and I will do it again if I have to."

Cahira's soft gasp of surprise was expected. Her musical, lilting laugh was not. Chloe frowned and looked at the receiver before putting it back to her ear.

"Mom?"

"She will need care to recover. No doubt they both will." Chloe could tell her mother was taking charge even before she heard the snapped out command through the line. "Husband make yourself useful and collect their belongings from the garage. Have someone dispose of that vehicle far enough away that the Guard gains nothing from finding it."

Despite the heavy feet and grumbling she could hear in the background she knew her father was doing as told. It made her smile a little. In three thousand years not a single thing had changed between them. Einar may be the head of their bloodline but it was ruled by Cahira’s fiery spirit.

"Your travel things and some food will be brought to your rooms."

The line cut off abruptly in her ear and she grunted softly.  Chloe loved her mom but her phone etiquette could use some work. She hung up the receiver, grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and wandered back to the bedroom. Beca's dark blue eyes opened and tracked her movement.

"Here you should drink this."

"Oh water, yes, please. My brain feels dry."

Chloe chuckled and handed Beca a bottle. The redhead settled on the edge of the bed awkwardly. Now that they were alone together in safety she hardly knew how to be anymore. Beca seemed to feel the awkwardness between them all and leaned in for a gentle shoulder bump.

"So. Sal Mineo-taur, huh? That would totally be clever if anyone still knew who Sal Mineo was, Grandma."

Her mouth dropped open as she sputtered for a response. Grandma? How dare! Beca took one look at her outraged expression and dissolved into laughter. It was the kind of laughter that couldn’t be stopped once it started. Too many days on the run, too many threats to their lives, too many near misses. The laughter was contagious and Chloe found herself chuckling with Beca.

They collapsed into each other and back into the bed still laughing. Chloe reached up to tuck a strand of dark hair behind Beca's ear. There was a comfortable stillness between them, then. Nothing but the reassuring sound of Beca's heartbeat and the warmth of her body tucked between her and Aubrey. 

"So this is a thing, huh? All of us. What with the kissing and the cuddling and feeding and all. I guess…you want to keep me?"

Chloe's heart broke with how timidly hopeful the other woman sounded. She brought their faces together for another soft kiss. 

"It's the real deal. You, me and Bree against the world."

"And…and we are all okay with that? Because…you two…"

Chloe understood what Beca was asking. There was a very long, complicated history between her and Aubrey. Beca was walking into a battlefield full of emotional landmines and blindly trusting that it would all work out.

Aubrey sat up and snarled a soft warning and Beca’s eyes widened.

“So that’s a no? Or..? Is that like a sexy growl? No? What’s happening right now?”

“Someone is coming.

”Chloe knew they were safe in her father's home but she still reached for the heavy iron staff resting against the wall next to the headboard. A moment later a soft knock sounded from the door.

"Wait here."

"I thought we were safe here."

“Totes but it doesn’t hurt to remind people that I am in fact a certifiable badass.”

“I believe the certifiable part.”

Chloe stood and offered Beca a reassuring smile. But she didn't put her staff down when she went to the door. Aubrey slid an arm around Beca and dragged her further back on the bed protectively as the redhead answered the door. 

She opened it a crack to peek out and sighed. This was going to be interesting, she was sure. Chloe stepped back and gestured inside allowing them entrance. Her parents walked in, her mother pushing a wheeled cart overly laden with food and bags of blood. Her father looked surly and annoyed with his arms full of whatever was of value in the van.

"Mom…Dad. You didn’t have to bring this yourselves.”

"Everyone else was too afraid."

"Husband, kindly close your mouth."

Aubrey eased off the bed with liquid grace, her sure steps bringing her before Einar. He was a good foot and a half taller than she was but he trembled as he sank to his knees before her. Her dad might be grumpy pants about having a necromancer in his home but wasn't grumpy enough to say it in front of Aubrey’s face. 

Chloe bit her lip trying to fight the smile when Bree brushed past him dismissively and picked through the food on the cart.

"There are no pig snacks on this cart."

Beca cautiously made her way into the room. She paused and gave a hesitant nod to Chloe’s parents before sidling up to Aubrey.

"Burgers, Bree. Remember?"

"Right. Burgers. There are no pig burgers on this cart."

Beca's face split into a wide grin at the other woman's earnest expression of concentration. Einar and Cahira shared a stunned blink when the necromancer gave them a smirk and a wink.

"She's still working on catching up on the lingo, kids."

"Cheeky little thing, aren't you?"

Beca eyed Chloe's still kneeling father for a moment, trying to decide how respectful she needed to be. It only took her a tick to decide ‘not that respectful’.

"Only on days that end with the letter y. Uh Mr. The…no longer…lonely? Do you guys just have a normal last name or should I just call you dad?"

"Wha..da…I…"

Nothing in this world, in all her lifetimes on earth, could have prepared her for the shock, outrage and bewilderment on her dad's face as he struggled to find a response. Chloe and Cahira made the mistake of glancing at each other. It was too much to bear and they both broke into  fits of unrestrained laughter. 

Gods help her…she loved that tiny woman.

[favoritesegacharacterbracket]

[FINAL PART]

Once the group had finished collecting Yosuke (who’d had an unfortunate encounter with Surge the Tenrec by the time they caught up to him), they could finally head out to properly look for Kanji and Schezo.

Futaba’s navigation led them to a small cave hidden in a rock wall. 

“Yeah, that’s… That’s Schezo alright,” Arle laughed weakly, though she was feeling a lot of dread at the moment. If Schezo had gone out of the way to find a place he’d be comfortable staying for a while, then maybe this really was the worst case scenario that Rulue had mentioned.

“Everyone, stay on guard. We don’t know what lurks within,” Yu Narukami cautioned, and most of the group replied with an emphatic “Yes!”.

When they proceeded into the depths of the cave, what they found at the end of the dark, damp hallways was…

…two young men, sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by heaps of colorful yarn.

“Hey, you’re pullin’ the knots too tightly. It’s gonna turn into a tube that way.”

“Hmpf… Very well. Gently, gently…”

“And now you’re just dropping loops left ‘n right…Try relaxing your fingers a little, ‘kay?”

“Grrr… This is far more complex than expected…”

The search troupe were staring. In shock. In awe.

“They’re… knitting??” Arle exclaimed a little louder than she meant to.

“Crocheting,” corrected Yu and Arle let out a deep sigh. Geez, what a relief!

“Hm… Green, brown, white…” Amitie counted the colors of yarn Schezo was using off her hands.

“Acorn frog,” Sig concluded. “He’s trying to make an acorn frog.”

“Oho… Our Sir Creeper has an unexpectedly cute side to him, it would seem!” Ringo noted, and Arle gave an awkward nod.

“Yeah, what do I say… He’s always kinda been like that.”

Yosuke, meanwhile, had buried his sweaty face in his palms.

“Somebody tell me why I didn’t see this coming,” he said.

“I dunno, Yosuke. Why DIDN’T you see it coming?” Teddie echoed back cheerfully.

Yosuke elbowed him in the side. 

“Still…” Yukiko wondered something “These two have been at this ever since before the results were announced, right? Does that mean they don’t even know which one of them won yet?”

“They probably never cared about that to begin with,” noted Yu.

Naoto gave a quick sigh, “I’m glad to see that this ‘case’ had such a… benign resolution.”

To that, Arle Nadja laughed, “Me too! It’s pretty rare to see Schezo make friends, too. Guess that’s probably the real ‘victory’ of the day from his perspective! …Even if he wouldn’t admit it.”

The group then continued to silently keep watch from around the corner as Schezo and Kanji continued working the yarn around them into adorable trinkets. 

[THE END]

Part 3 Here

[blakeivy80]

Take the chance - a short Pablo Schreiber fanfic

4 877 / 5 000

It’s 8.00 am, her phone rings. But who could it be at this time? Unknown number…. huuuum no! If it’s important, they’ll leave a message! She has a slight hangover from the day before. Damn what happened ? And why did she drink?? while she usually avoids it, she can't handle alcohol and quickly ends up “dumpy”. This is what happens when you get sucked into an impromptu party with your best friend, with lots of people you don't know, in a place you don't know, drinking things you don't know either obviously.

Oh, yes, she recalls something….there was a man….tall…..um and pretty handsome according to her vague memories. But then, who was it?? and above all, what happened?? Come on, it's time to get up! No message on the machine, so it wasn't so important.

A good shower will put her thoughts back in place! She must have been pretty drunk to have gone to bed in her t-shirt from the day before, she apparently just took the time to take off her jeans, which were…..folded on the chair in front of her bed?? and her shoes, placed well next to them? ok, so she took the time to do that, while drunk? Strange, very strange...

She notices a foreign smell on her t-shirt, a perfume, quite pleasant otherwise. He should be pretty darn close!! she said to herself, so that her t-shirt was soaked with his perfume!! Well, we'll take the time to analyze all that later, and Tina will probably be able to tell us a little more, but first, the shower!

Once done, she feels so much better, and a nice little tea should help her put the pieces back together little by little. That’s when the phone rings again, this time for a video call ! But what is this ?? who would try to call her on Facetime at that time? with an unknown number... she still doesn't pick up, with nothing other than her towel around her, that wouldn't be very appropriate. A message pops on her phone “Hi! Not up yet? “ But who the hell is it…..? She clicks on the message. Damn, whoever it is, they'll see that I read it! And it calls again. Damn but damn! Oops, no, the phone slips through her fingers, wrong move and now the screen lights up. ohhh shit shit, right on her neckline, luckily the towel didn't fall!

“Well what a welcome!” said a man’s voice, laughing. “uhhhh, hi!” she said, raising the phone to reveal its screen:

- Oh damn!! She suddenly feels herself blushing. Holly shit, but he is downright handsome!! “Hi” he replies with a beautiful smile and the sun in his beautiful green eyes….mymy, she was suddenly very hot. “always up for a walk in nature?”

“uhh….yeah….”. But what is he talking about?? Her ? go wandering in nature? Well, he must have really had an effect on her, and she must have been very drunk to accept! The only thing she masters is the treadmill at the gym! He laughs,

“I've the feeling you don’t have much memory of yesterday evening, am I wrong?” - She looks away, takes a deep breath….

”um, indeed” she replies, scratching her head, “if you could refresh my memory”.

“Look, it's no biggy ! I can be at your place in 20 minutes, we’ll have a good coffee or tea for you, and I’ll tell you all about it!”

“Because you know where I live??” - “How do you think you got home last night? you were too drunk, I wasn’t gonna let you take your car.” Oh….. “I drove you back, carried you to your bed and..”

“uh…how did I end up without my jeans?”

“I’m the one who took it off you, but don’t worry, I didn’t watch it, it was just to make you feel better” - ouch…. “NOTHING happened, don’t panic!!” - ouch again…”Come on, I’ll let you get dressed, even if I honestly don’t mind the shower towel look,” he said, laughing, “and I’ll be there in 20 minutes, ok?”

She hesitates for a moment, ok, he was stunningly handsome, very gentlemanly and also considerate a priori, but... what if he was...

“I'm not a psychopath, in case you're wondering” he said- he laughs, so ok, plus he reads her mind … “But…last night…. listen, I rarely feel comfortable with people I don't know, but you, it was so easy, I had the impression that we had some kind of connexion, and that doesn't happen often to me, so, ….well I would have liked to get to know you better… without the alcohol”, he finishes with a sweet smile. - She wasn't used to this kind of thing either, but... there, something told her that she had to get out of her comfort zone, and take the chance and accept! Which she did.

For the rest, I leave it to your imagination...

[masschase]

Rowvember Day 7: Attractive

I could have done a few things with this prompt, but honestly? I wanted to talk about a section of Out of Time that's one of my absolute favourite scenes ever. It's the beginning/end sections of Chapter 14: Smashed(non-smut chapter but only the beginning and end will make sense out of context), which refers to both the slang for drunk and illusions being shattered.

I remember writing it around this time this year. It was definitely November, because it's set on Christmas Eve, and I remember that being the following month and then when it was actually Christmas I was reading it back and smiling to myself.

I never intended Matt and Casey to be super close before the events of my fic, not in the first draft. But the more I started writing these little excerpts of their life in the two years after SRIV, the closer they became as friends. I began to see the fanfic concept as way more than 'meddling with the past changing things' and way more about a deep requited love that Casey doesn't admit to herself is there and Matt doesn't know is requited.

I also didn't intend for them to have had anything definitively non-platonic happen between them except for the one off "romance" during SRIV. But this scene was pivotal for establishing that Casey switches from being almost completely clueless about her feelings to actively in denial.

To summarise the setting, the Saints have been watching Christmas movies and drinking. The final few have just gone to bed aside from Matt and Casey who are side-by-side in one of the egg chairs, and Kinzie who's passed out in one.

They have their usual banter and decide since they didn't manage to sneak away for Nyte Blayde night as planned (Christmas Eve 2021 was a Friday) they'll watch it on the projector instead of the couch. Casey decides to go back to the couch to get her Christmas pyjamas and a bag of chips she's been saving there.

She changes at the couch, but is surprised by what she finds in the wall above it, pulling the item out. At first when she returns, Matt is focused on a combination of getting Nyte Blayde to work and slightly making fun of the ridiculous outfit.

“Wait, stop trying to distract me and answer my question.” she reminded him, waving the offending item. He seemed to look properly this time. “Oh that...” he looked at her curiously. “I think it’s mistletoe. Do you um... need that one explained?” he asked, sounding amused. “Do I need the custom explained? No; Shaundi told me. Do I wanna know what it’s doing above our couch? Fuckin’ yes.” she clarified. His nonchalance to this whole thing was starting to bother her. He frowned. “Oh so it’s OUR couch now but when it needs all the crisp and popcorn crumbs cleaned out, suddenly it’s MY couch.” he said with a smirk, still evading the question. “Matt, why did you put this where we were gonna sit tonight?” she rephrased, done with his distractions. “What? I didn’t!” he protested. “...What?” He laughed. “You think I put it there?” “Well yeah... I guess I... assumed...” He shook his head at her. “Don’t you think if that were the case I’d have insisted on us watching there?” he asked, almost suggestively. He had a point. “Huh.” she replied thoughtfully, returning to sit beside him. “You know, there are free chairs now...” he said gently. “Although...” his hand brushed against the side of her thigh lightly. “You’re very soft...” She ignored him, looking down at the mistletoe in her hands. “Who d’ya think put this above our couch?” “I presume... one of the others messing about.”. He shrugged. “Does it matter?” “Uh... I guess not.” she replied, turning it over in thoughtfully, wondering for the first time how the rest of the gang might perceive their Friday nights together. “You’re sure it wasn’t you?” she asked again. There was a pause. “Why, did you want it to be me?” she heard him tease. “Shut up.” she smirked, looking over at him. His face was softened by the glow of the Christmas lights and the fireplace. His blue eyes sparkled through the haze of eggnog and mulled wine and brandy. Fuck. Her smirk fell right off her face. “Are you alright?” he asked gently, his expression turning from playful to mildly concerned. It was the booze right? It had to be the booze, and the lights, and the festive cheer or some shit. She knew objectively that her Matty was hot, or she wouldn’t have fucked him that one time. But he had no right looking all... beautiful like that. “Matty... I uh...” she heard her words slip out, disembodied. If there was an end to that sentence, she certainly didn’t know what it was. She picked up the mistletoe and held it above her head, smirking at him like it was some sort of challenge. God, what was she doing? His eyebrows raised in alarm. Then he smiled, drew closer and placed a kiss on her cheek, but he hovered there for a very long moment. Curious. Unsatisfied. “EWW!” she suddenly heard Kinzie shout, making them both jump. Her arm dropped back to her side as she peered forward for her, but it seemed she was still in her own chair. “You two let me watch Nyte Blayde? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

So yeah, this is the night Casey kind of realises she's very attracted to Matt, which turns into the wanting to fuck him again at New Years, though that actually becomes a very bittersweet kiss instead. From there they have other near misses, until the fanfic begins and kind of drags her feelings out in a few different ways.

That mistletoe and the resultant spacesuit left on the couch caused all sorts of problems on Christmas Day, believe me!

As for who planted the mistletoe... well that might just come up on a different day 🤭

[cheekygirl2309]

I posted 353 times in 2022

That's 1 more post than 2021!

18 posts created (5%)

335 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@rose-edith

@the-last-rat-standing

@heavenlyharmon

@navalcriminalimagines

@stanathanxoox

I tagged 19 of my posts in 2022

#ncis - 17 posts

#leroy jethro gibbs - 14 posts

#jethro gibbs - 13 posts

#gibbs x reader - 8 posts

#gibbs imagine - 7 posts

#ncis x reader - 6 posts

#jethro gibbs x reader - 6 posts

#ncis gibbs - 5 posts

#gibbs - 4 posts

#mark harmon - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 29 characters

#leroy jethro gibbs headcanons

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Let’s start a thread, what’s your favourite Gibbs Moment, show everyone with a Pic or Gif, here is mine, and props to @markharmonparadise for the wonderful Gif!!

14 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

#4

It’s officially the end of an era, The Leroy Jethro Gibbs Era has ended, Mark Harmon has been taken out the opening credits for NCIS, and his Voiceover is gone as well. It’s been a wild and crazy ride these last 19 seasons, let’s all Celebrate The Leroy Jethro Gibbs Era, with our favourite memories of him and etc!

15 notes - Posted September 20, 2022

#3

Happy 71st Birthday Mark Harmon!

22 notes - Posted September 2, 2022

#2

See the full post

29 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

A Father’s Love Has No Ends

Chapter 1- The Phone Call

On this day 4 years ago Gibbs received a phone call that would change his life forever. It was a cool and crisp November night when Gibbs awoke to his phone ringing, he rubbed his eyes, grabbed his phone off the coffee table and looked at the Caller ID and read Bethesda Naval Hospital. Then his mind started racing trying to figure out which of the team was hurt now, he took a deep breath and answered the phone “Gibbs” he said in a worried tone. “Hi, Mr. Gibbs this is Louise Carrington calling from Bethesda Naval Hospital, I’m a Caseworker for the foster care system on the Labor and Delivery ward here and I have a Keri Suzanne Neilson who just gave birth, Keri contacted us when she found out she expecting and told us she wanted to give her rights up to her child and let the child’s father raise her and with that being said, you Mr. Gibbs are the child’s father, if you could come down here to the hospital right now so we can sort out all the paperwork for your Daughter, so you can take her home” the case worker explained. “My Daughter” Gibbs said in shock, “Yes you were listed as her father, we can do a DNA test if you need Mr.Gibbs” “No, no I don’t need one, I’m on my way, Does she have a name?” Gibbs said and asked the case worker. “Yes she does, her name is Kaleigh, that's the only name we have listed, her mother didn’t give her a middle or last name there was a note left saying that Keri wanted you to give her the rest” the case worker told Gibbs. “Thank you Ms. Carrington, I’ll be there in 20” Gibbs said as closed his phone.

Gibbs rubbed his face then stood up and stretched. Then went upstairs to get dressed. As he was getting dressed, he kept replaying that entire conversation with the case worker over in his head and the same phrase kept repeating “You, Mr.Gibbs are the child’s father” and he couldn’t understand why Keri wouldn’t tell him anything and why she would give up her rights to their child, but at this moment the most important thing was getting to the hospital to get his daughter.

Gibbs made his way down the stairs as he reached the bottom step he grabbed his keys, wallet and badge(just in case) off the table by the front door and headed out locking the door behind him. On the drive to the hospital, he realized that he had nothing for Kaleigh at his house so he decided to call Abby to ask her to run to the Baby store and pick up what he needed for Kaleigh. He flipped his phone open and hit the speed dial for Abby.  “Hi Gibbs”, “Hey Abs I know it's 12:30 in the morning and I’m sorry I woke you, but I need a huge favor can you run to the all night drugstore and pick up some Newborn Diapers, formula, and any other items I will need for a Newborn, and then drop them off at my place. I will explain later right now I don’t have time, I need to get to Bethesda”, “Sure thing Bossman, anything for you” “You're a lifesaver Abs, thank you, Caf Pow on me for next 3 months” Gibbs said as hung up the phone and pulled into the parking lot at Bethesda and parked the charger and got out. 

As he made his way inside he took a deep breath and headed for the elevator,  up to the Labor and Delivery ward. As the doors opened an older lady with graying hair was talking to a nurse at the desk and her badge read Louise Carrington. Gibbs made his way up to her “Umm, excuse me Ms. Carrington, I’m Leroy Jethro Gibbs you called me earlier regarding Kaleigh Gibbs” Gibbs said politely.  “Ah, yes right this way Mr.Gibbs” Ms. Carrington guided Gibbs to a conference room, “Can I see Keri, I would like to talk to her?” Gibbs asked right off the bat. “Well that will be a problem Mr. Gibbs, Ms. Neilson died shortly after giving birth due to complications I’m sorry Mr. Gibbs” Ms. Carrington explained, as Gibbs sat stunned. Gibbs took a breath and continued “So Keri signed her right away, before she gave birth?” he asked, “Yes, this was all worked out before she gave birth, Keri had all the Paperwork drawn up she knew she didn’t want anything to do with Kaleigh, she admitted to me that she wasn’t fit to be a mother, she knew that Kaleigh would be safe and cared for by you. So the only thing left now is for you to sign the papers and take custody of your daughter” Ms. Carrington said as she placed the Paperwork on the table in front of Gibbs so he could sign. When Gibbs signed the paperwork he knew at that moment, that his daughter would be his everything, and he would be her everything. “Can I see Kaleigh now?” Gibbs asked. “Yes, you can but I have one more question first, Keri only gave her the name Kaleigh, I need to add her full name to her birth certificate, and she left that up to you Mr.Gibbs” Ms. Carrington asked. “Kaleigh Ann Elizabeth Gibbs” he answered. “Well, then that does it, Kaleigh is in the Nursery the tag on her crib says “Baby Gibbs”, but before you leave let me clip this bracelet on your wrist so you enter and see your daughter” Ms. Carrington said as she placed the bracelet on. “Thank You for everything Ms. Carrington, I will for sure stay in touch with you” Gibbs said as he left the conference room and headed for the Nursery. 

He made his way to the nursery and stopped at the big window, looked in and found the crib that had the tag that read Baby Gibbs. He was taken back by the blonde hair and blue eyed baby. He couldn't believe that it was his daughter that he was a father again. He took a deep breath and said a Prayer something he hasn’t done since Shannon and Kelly, “Dear God, I know that I haven’t done this in a long time, partly because I’ve been angry with you for taking my girls from me, but I need you to listen. I need you to keep my little blue eyed baby girl safe, and healthy. Just please don’t take her from me, she’s my second chance and I can’t lose her, I don’t think I’d make it if I lose her I promise I will be a better person and will always be there for Kaleigh, Amen” Gibbs said with tears falling down his cheeks. He then made his way into the nursery and up to Kaleigh's crib. He slowly and gently picked her up in his arms and held his daughter for the first time as he was holding Kaleigh. She wrapped her tiny hand around his finger, held on tightly and slid his finger into her mouth and then started sucking on it. At that moment he knew that this little girl was his world and he was hers. That he’d do anything and everything for her. That he’d keep her safe and protected. Gibbs sat in the rocking chair next to the crib and rocked Kaleigh, as he rocked he looked up and knew that Shannon and Kelly sent him this little Angel, “Thanks Shan, Kelly, for my second chance” he said as he cried for the first time in a longtime.

Gibbs sat there crying and rocking Kaleigh for about an hour as he did, Kaleigh got fussy and one of the nurses heard Kaleigh starting to cry, she came over to where Gibbs and Kaleigh were sitting, “I think she’s hungry, how about we take her back to her Mom, you can follow” the Nurse suggested, “Her mother passed away shortly after giving birth she just has me now” Gibbs replied back. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, I’m so sorry” the nurse apologized. “I’ll get some formula for her and just a suggestion, Skin to Skin contact is the best for newborns and their Daddy's. It helps them connect better and bond. It's good for both you and baby” the nurse said as she made her way out to get formula. As the nurse left Gibbs decided that he would try skin to skin with Kaleigh, he gently put Kaleigh down in her crib and took his jacket, hoodie and t-shirt off and picked up Kaleigh again. He then sat down in the rocking chair and unwrapped Kaleigh from her blanket, slipped her out of the onesie and placed Kaleigh on his chest when he did she instantly calmed down and snuggled up to him. At that moment he realized that he never got to do this with Kelly when she was a Baby, because he was deployed. He then looked at Kaleigh and whispered to her “Daddy promises to never miss the special moments with you” and Kaleigh she cooed back at him.

After being fed and changed Kaleigh fell asleep instantly and Gibbs figured that was the best time to get her ready to leave the hospital and take Kaleigh home. One of the nurses on the ward was kind enough to bring him some clothes to take Kaleigh home in. So he gently and very quickly got Kaleigh changed in to the clothes and swaddled in her blanket so she was all ready to go he then placed Kaleigh into Kelly’s old car seat/carrier that he had put into the car before he left home, he figured it would work until he could send Abby for a new car seat/carrier for her, as he buckled Kaleigh into the car seat/carrier she fisted her hand into his hoodie and Gibbs knew she wouldn’t let go. So he quickly slipped it off and covered Kaleigh up with it to keep her warm he then headed out. As he reached the Charger he opened the back door and placed the car seat/carrier on base and made sure it clicked in and that Kaleigh was still covered with his hoodie he then closed the back seat door and walked around to the driver's side of the charger. As he sat down in the driver’s seat he looked up into the rearview mirror and saw his baby girl. He knew at that moment that this was the start of his new life as Father to that precious little baby back there.

Here is my newest story, I want to send a big shout to @word-scribbless for all the help with writing, she has helped will all my stories, she is my go to girl for #GibbsSpeak, she really and truly knows how to properly write #GibbsSpeak!!! so Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

@word-scribbless  @nerdyfangirl67 @hopscotchandlemon @navalcriminalimagines @ilovemark1951

44 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

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[rappaccini]

toh finale thoughts

as before, the animation is stunning. the attention to detail is unmatched and the fight scenes were gorgeous.

damn vee literally did nothing in the end huh

and the caleb-evelyne thing sure never mattered.

the dreamworld was cool. wish they'd gone into more depth with luz and belos paralleling to make that hallucination feel much more impactful. as is, it just feels like luz is cosplaying him rather than we're learning some deep-seated fear in her psyche. the 'you've been the whole villain all along' thing really falls flat if we never receive any indications that it's possible for luz to become that.

bringing it back to luz eda and king was great. i missed this trio.

i find the collector clip show funny.

deeply appreciate them not asspulling a redemption for belos. yes, most people can be reached with kindness and forgiveness... but some can't. most people are doing the best they can. some are not.

i definitely think that the whole 'Luz is a Good Person, You Guys' thing that takes up the first half of the special is the writers trying to address the bullshit criticisms of her character and the badfaith flattening of amity in particular into a generic mean girl. which, well they're not assassinating the chars to appeal to those fans, but they also didn't need to address it either.

love the symbolism of luz getting killed and resurrected, getting to meet god and gain power from him

the gnarly entropy luz's body gets was a great design.

so's her titan form. it's so magical-girly but that's part of the charm. luz gets to not just dress up as her favorite character, but be something her own.

the animation in this fight sequence is stunning.

don't like hunter being demoted to support crew in the final showdown with His Abuser. no one deserves this confrontation more than him and he doesn't even get a chance to tell belos to fuck off and give luz the green card to beat his ass. she just goes lion turtle while he's stuck on the blimp. again, they wanted season 3b zuko so bad they skipped all the most important parts of that arc. in this case, zuko facing ozai during black sun, telling him he's wrong, and saying he'll leave his defeat to the avatar.

like. this is Luz's Fight, being that she's the protagonist and the emperor's foil. but hunter needed to participate too. the bare minimum would've been him and luz having a private moment where he gives her his blessing to pulp his uncle.

sure, give hunter something to do helping the folks at the archives, but he doesn't know them like the hexsquad do.

also again i wish they let luz keep her glyph magic instead of moving on to a palisman. toh spend three seasons building up luz's new unique magic style only to say 'sike! it was a placeholder until she could get the Exact Same Thing Everyone Else Has'. yes camila and the hexsquad get to use it in the climax, but it's luz's magic. it feels wrong that she dropped it as soon as she got a cooler replacement. there had to be some way for her to integrate it more prominently into her titan magic.

belos as final boss had to happen. relieved they didn't make it the collector at the last second. giving him no forgiveness and handing over his destruction to the people he hurt and the literal land he colonized was excellent. smart sidestep of the Kid Protag Can't Kill rule that feels thematically coherent (stares at atla). especially him being melted by water like a classic fairy tale witch

and making him the literal heart of the rot, to match the metaphorical one he was the whole time.

luz keeping her dorky self, but now having the confidence to call herself luz instead of luzura? wonderful.

archives. clever way to sidestep killing everyone bc kids cartoon.

love hunter being adopted by darius. it was properly built up and they seem like a great match personality wise. it caps off hunter's need for a new family (not to mention a new father figure who actually loves and cares for him), and darius's need to redeem himself for his complicity in letting belos abuse his nephew.

salty fandom side note: my controversial opinion is that Hunter Noceda the headcanon reeks to me of a group of people who earnestly wanted to see a pair of adopted male-female siblings being the main characters of a cartoon of this nature, projecting that dynamic onto two friends who aren't related or the same species, who definitely do have romantic tension that just never goes anywhere, who briefly live together as teens being cared for by the same adult after having never known each other as children, and whose parents aren't/will never be married, hallucinating it into Two Literal Siblings, having that interest whipped into an insistent fury that it's the Only Interpretation Allowed by lunter antis/the most rabid lumity stans who wanted an excuse to declare the ship problematic, and since it being abusive would mean blackwashing hunter's character and that was out of the question, they went with it being incest by the vaguest of technicalities, therefore literal 100% no-different-from-two-bio-siblings-fucking incest, therefore anyone who likes lunter becomes depraved, abusive, somehow also homophobic and therefore a 'valid' target for mobbing.

anytime i see art of luz and hunter in a pose that could be interpreted as romantic, and the word 'siblings' is slapped in the description i just think 'so you definitely know what you drew and that people would see it that way. you're just too insecure to let people interpret it as they please, huh'

anyway, hunter deamonne was the right choice. given how quickly hunlow got smashed together to Protect Lumity's Innocence, i'm relieved the writers didn't asspull hunter into the noceda family just to please the fans.

(.... to the people who want luz to have a sibling from the boiling isles who was adopted by camila to protect them from belos, THAT'S VEE)

speaking of ~hUnTeR nOcEdA~ who wants to bet the next ironclad luz-and-hunter-are-siblings pivot will be 'obviously darius and alador marry because they were onscreen together for one shot, and since lumity marry, and hunter is darius's adopted son, they are siblings-in-law and therefore the Exact Same Thing as literal full-on-related-siblings-who-were-raised-together.' fucking. idiots.

or maybe the even more elaborate mental gymnastics routine of 'obviously darius and camila will marry, making luz and hunter stepsiblings'.

either way, it's canon that these two characters who aren't related... aren't related. i feel like people need reminding of that.

i love ending on a time skip epilogue

i appreciate that rebuilding the isles is a work in progress that'll take years. no magical everything-is-fine-now-that-we-killed-the-bad-guy

their college designs are great

palisman carver hunter works. give him a quiet life surrounded by the wild magic he was denied, helping to create things

gus and willow's endings are solid. gus living his human world loving dream, willow getting to beat ass. good for them.

amity certainly was doing... something?

luz staying in the magical realm is great. this story is about not having to choose a category or group to ally yourself with, and finding your own path. it was never going to involve luz going back to the human world forever.

i do wonder if she finished hs in the human realm though. i think that's an important aspect of her character that's been overlooked-- she came to the isles to find the belonging she didn't find in the human world. she needed to go back to the human world, even if only temporarily, to show how her adventure changed her as a person. i'll give it a pass given how truncated this season was. her hs days were probably cut for the first special. still hope she got to have them to some extent.

love the nocedas buying the portal house. best of both worlds is the best ending.

pour one out for flapjack.

again i acknowledge that hunlow's buildup got totally wiped out because s3 had to be truncated. yes, it probably would've been much more developed if s3 got to be a whole twenty or even just ten episodes. sucks. still don't like them as a couple. still reeks of 'we need to pair up the biggest threats to lumity together so Nothing Can Touch Our Baby' and it's still annoying when they coulda just written all four characters better from day 1.

again amity is here to be The Girlfriend. it's wonderful and groundbreaking that a disney cartoon gets to have its main couple be two female characters who get to be a couple onscreen during the run of the show but it's still such an undersell of amity as a character. wish she got her own role in the story as an individual.

so in full review... yeah toh is a mostly-great show with some gaping weak points. even with all the issues i have with it, it's unquestionably beautiful to look at, full of fantastic ideas and characters, made by people who deeply loved what they were doing and mostly stuck to their guns. if this came out when i was a preteen, i'd have loved it.

but that being said, preteen me didn't watch it. adult me did.

adult me appreciates all those aspects and especially how the creatives chose to die falling on their queer sword instead of letting the mouse censor things and water down the message. but adult me does think there are some gaping holes in the writing that keep toh from being one of the All Time Greats. avatar come again, this is not. it's close, but not quite there. i'll recommend it to everyone forever, but i Will talk about the issues too.

yes, the romance is one of my big issues. lumity was just wlw kataang. it was cute and you saw it coming, and Yes I Sure Am Glad It Was Able To Exist... but it totally overpowers and consumes amity's individual character. not to mention that all luz and amity's individual character arc moments could have been better satisfied by pairings with hunter and willow respectively. it's just odd that a show this strongly written failed so hard in this regard, and either didn't at all realize that their two main couples should have swapped partners, or definitely knew and consciously chose to go with the worse option because they wanted wish fulfillment.

but more than that, the biggest problem with toh isn't actually that it was shot dead by disney before it could finish its story on its own terms. if anything these three supersized episodes showed that it was capable of efficient storytelling all along and just didn't do it. season 1's pacing was really fucking bad, and introducing hunter in s2 was a massive mistake. even if they did get two-and-a-half seasons, they still could've ended on such a stronger note if hunter was in s1, and if they actually let the plot get rolling before s1e18.

and on the fandom end of things i'm most happy that the worst people in the fandom will move on to find another children's cartoon to make unbearable for everyone else. ideally the lunter shippers can finally poke their heads out and have fun with the (disclaimer, in the event some nutjob reads this:) non-canon ship. including and especially multishippers.

in general, it's always fun to see how fandoms develop after the dust settled. which headcanons, aus, and theories gain prominence, which discourses are forgotten. which ships and characters aren't remembered fondly, which ones will get a retroactive groundswell. what aspects of the show will be loved, which will be critiqued.