#it was so sweet of you to write her a crossword! i bet that made her feel really special and seen <3

[coquelicoq]

Speaking of crosswords, I made a new friend that loves them (her personal record for the nyt mini is 13 seconds!!!) and we were doing paper plate awards and I made hers a super basic crossword and she was so excited she cried a little!

Anyways I told her she should start trying to write them, considering she says she literally sees crosswords when her eyes are closed. Just wanted to share since you are The Crossword Person in my brain lol

that's awesome! i hope she tries it out and has fun with it! i think writing crosswords enhances the crossword-solving experience because you better understand what goes into it and can really admire a clever theme or an elegant fill in a way that you might not have noticed otherwise. at least that's been the case for me! it also makes me way crankier now when i see a poorly done puzzle, but you win some you lose some. best of luck to her!! <3

[bruhlsbees]

jackpot || dark!daniel x fem!reader

summary: after saving your life from a client, daniel takes you back to his trailer to treat your wounds

pairing: dark!daniel x fem!reader

word count: 5,417

warnings: violence (reader gets beat up and daniel beats up someone), gang violence (daniel sells guns and shit), s*x work (reader is a s*x worker), fluff smut (reader and daniel), 18+, minors dni, nsfw

a/n: hey everyone!! here's a short little thing i wrote up! as i said before, i'll be moving into my first apartment on may 20 so writings will be a bit scarce! if you're looking for chapter two of garden of eden, i'm hoping to have that up before i leave tomorrow morning!! :)

It was ironic for many who lived under The Highway - stuck in the same place while those above came and went so freely...that was the thing though, those above were free. Nobody came to The Highway willingly - and if they did, they were fucking morons. You either were born into the business or you somehow lost a bet and were working your losses back to be able to leave.

Even though it sounded bad, it wasn’t entirely bad. For many, The Highway became their home and those who worked there became family. Business could be bad at times - angry customers coming back heated and threatening to put workers in the ground, the occasional sweep from the cops, the winters when the wind iced your skin away - but you couldn’t expect perfection.

The Highway was the best some could get. The younger teenagers and kids painted murals on the walls and pillars to brighten the place up, those who sold the cars often times would save some speakers for there to be music played during the day and evening, and the older ladies who cooked would always make sure everyone went to bed with a full belly of food.

So, in a way, The Highway wasn’t any different from life above.

Security for The Highway sometimes fell through. There was no ‘leader’ of The Highway, but for Daniel, the people seemed to agree that he was fit for the role. So Daniel made sure that everything ran smoothly down under The Highway. He had men stationed on either side and some on top near the hills that would lead down to where they camped. It had been a bitch and a half to put together, but after three years, things finally were looking up.

He had just finished dealing with a client who failed to make payments. Daniel never liked dealing with people who couldn’t make payments on time, because it often meant ‘teaching them a lesson’ or ‘giving them a friendly reminder’...that lesson or reminder often meant Daniel returning to The Highway with bloody knuckles and a cut lip - because someone always tried to fight back.

This time was no different. He was pissed beyond pissed to be out almost two grand and the guy who owed money’s wife came out of nowhere with a knife and sliced him good across the cheek.

As he walked up to the washbasin that was at the end of the row of tents that belonged to some of the girls who worked at night, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he grabbed a rag that was hanging up on the clothesline, dipping it in the water before pressing the cool rag to his cheek, hissing in pain.

Daniel must have been muttering something under his breath because the girls that were around the fire out in front of their tents turned and smirked, whistling at him while he cleaned himself up.

“Ooh, someone got it good today.” One of the girls teased, giggling with the others. Shaking his head, Daniel smiled and walked around the basin, over to the girls before hovering over them.

“Dumb bitch got me good...came out of nowhere. I’m lucky I didn’t lose a fucking eye.” The girls were good at making men feel good, that’s what their job was after all, but he knew that the teasing and praises that were directed towards him weren’t fake, perhaps the most sincere the girls would ever act towards anyone.

“I would have been sad to see your pretty eye not there when you came back, Danny.” Another girl confessed, pouting as she looked up at him. He smiled and reached down, pinching her cheek before standing back up.

“Don’t worry about me doll, ain’t nobody taking my eyes.”

As he looked around the fire at the usual crowd, he noticed that you weren’t there in your usual spot. Frowning, he glanced around the camp to see if maybe you were somewhere else, his own thoughts drowning out the sound of the girls continuing to tease him.

“She’s off with a client. Been gone for a bit now. Looks like she had a bag, not sure what that all means, but I don’t think she will be coming back tonight.”

Turning around, Daniel looked at one of the older ladies who was seated in an old rocking chair near the washbasin, filling out a half-used crossword puzzle book, her glasses slipped down to the tip of her nose. Looking up, she took off her glasses and held them in her lap, continuing to rock slow in the chair while Daniel approached her.

“You said she had a bag? Who’d she go with? Is he a regular?” Daniel tried his best to not sound too worried, but it was you. He knew it was stupid to fall in love with one of the girls at camp, given how he had his own role in camp and you had your’s - but out of everyone in the camp, as cliche as it was, you were different. There was a twinkle about you that just brought life wherever you went. He’d be lying to himself if he said that you weren’t the reason he still stayed under The Highway.

So when the old lady shook her head, shrugging her shoulders, Daniel could only feel his worst fears coming true. “Like I said, hun, she had a bag and she’s been gone for a while now. I didn’t recognize him, but he was driving a green mustang. Ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. That much I could tell you.”

And that would be enough. Leaning down, Daniel kissed her cheek and smiled, “Thank you.” He turned around to head to his trailer to get some things before being stopped by the sound of the old lady.

“You’re probably the only one who can get through to her...you kids got a lot more to your lives that rottin’ away down here. You find her and you two run...run away from all this and don’t look back,” Her words were always honest and always made you think hard on your own choices. She was like the eyes of The Highway, always knowing what was going on and when it happened and with who. If she told you to do something out of the better interest for you, you’d best believe that it was the choice you needed to make.

“And for God’s sake, son, just tell her how you feel. Quit moping around like a beaten puppy everytime she goes off with someone.”

All Daniel could do was smile, even with his cheeks pink from being called out about his own feelings for you, he couldn’t be mad. Turning back towards his path, he quickly made strides to his trailer that was down the trail a ways near the creek.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You knew something was off the moment you got in his car. It was like a switch - the charming and sweet man who approached you at the camp suddenly was gone, in his place was something darker, more sinister. He had sped so quickly out of camp that you swore your stomach went to your throat. You clutched the strap of your duffle bag tightly, looking out the window with tears in your eyes as the creek’s current headed in the opposite way. The opposite way from where he was taking you - away from The Highway, away from your home, away from Daniel.

You closed your eyes tightly, letting the tears drip down your cheeks, your teeth clamped on your tongue to stifle your cries. You knew they didn’t like it when you cried, it only made you less pretty...made them feel uncomfortable because now they saw that you had more feelings than just flirty.

He must have heard you sniffle, or realized by your body language that something was off with you. He didn’t care though, he just rolled his eyes and scoffed, “You gonna make me pay you more to deal with your whiny ass? Come on, why don’t you give me a pretty smile, yeah? Like the one you gave me earlier? God, you girls are so pathetic aren’t you? Not a single thought runs through that head, does it?”

He hit the breaks suddenly, sending you forward until you stopped yourself with your hand pressed against the dashboard. Your chest heaved, panic settling in as he turned, wrapping one arm around you with his other hand still clenched around the wheel. “You ain’t gonna make this no fun for me tonight are ya? You’ve seen the way your friends come back if they don’t do what we pay you to do. Do you want that to happen to you?”

Shaking your head, you mumbled out a ‘no’, watching as his hand went from the steering wheel and to your face, carefully wiping away your tears. “No, you’re right. You don’t. So come on, put on a little smile and let’s have some fun, yeah?”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

They never went far with clients. That was always the rule. They could go as far as when the creek splits, but nothing past that. Too many have they lost from guys taking advantage of them and driving off with them, only to find them days - sometimes weeks - later face down off in the woods. It was a sight that would never leave Daniel, and now it seemed the only face he saw on those bodies were of you.

With his gun in his left hand and a flashlight in the other, Daniel stormed throughout the woods, marching through the thicket to find the stupid green mustang that you’d be in. He already went down the trail and didn’t find the car near the creek, so if he couldn’t find it in the woods, well...he could only hope he did.

It was pitch black out by now, the moon was high up in the sky that gave enough light when not covered by the trees. Daniel had dealt with these types of guys plenty of times - the assholes who think that just because he paid for a service, meant he could do whatever he wanted. No, no that’s not how it worked.

By the time he reached the edge of the treeline, spotting the twinkling waves from the water, he felt his heart sink. This was it. He had searched the bare trail and in the woods and still you weren’t anywhere to be found. He’d lost you, he had let you down. Feeling the tears prick at his eyes, Daniel blinked them away, nostrils flared as he became angry now, pacing in his spot, gun clenched tight in his hand as his heart began to race.

“Fuck!”

He knew that he wasn’t thinking at this point, his boot stomping into the ground until he grew tired, the rage consuming him. Daniel didn’t want to give up, he couldn’t, but where else would he have gone? He didn’t have a damn clue. But then, by some stroke of God, he saw it - the fucking car.

Across the creek hidden in the bushes was the green mustang. From his spot on the other side he couldn’t see you in the car, but he knew you couldn’t have been far. Without giving it another thought, he took off down the path, cutting across the slanted hill that split the creek in two and crept towards the other side of the creek, landing in the tall grass before making his way closer to the car.

When he reached the edge of the tall grass, he knelt and looked into the car, eyes squinting to try and get a better look, but still, he couldn’t see you in there. Standing up, Daniel carefully made his way to the car, popping his head up to look through the window in the backseat. While he didn’t want to see someone balls deep inside of you, right now he almost wishes he did - at least then he’d know you were okay.

Rounding the back of the car, looking around to see if maybe you were outside, his steps came to a stop when he finally saw you, in a small clearing in the thick of the bushes, on your back with your hands above your face. Your shirt looked as though it had been torn off, in two pieces surrounding you.

“Please! Please, don’t! Stop! Stop, I promise I’ll-”

Daniel couldn’t watch when you got a kick to the side, flinching away at the sound of your cries as the client above you, shirt off, continued to humiliate you. “Shut up! You hear me! Shut up! God, I can’t stand it when you cry!”

Your hands dropped to your side, curling up in a ball to conceal yourself from him, a whimper escaping your throat as you closed your eyes tightly, not wanting to watch if he decided that you hadn’t had enough.

But Daniel did. And it would end there.

Not bothering to stay quiet, Daniel stood up from his spot in the bushes, the leaves rustling as he stormed out and towards the two of you - not giving the man a second to speak before Daniel connected the flashlight to his head, sending him down onto ass before climbing on top of him, grabbing him by his throat and squeezing his hand around him.

Daniel didn’t have to say anything - the look in his eyes saying enough. His eyes, even darker than normal, stared wide at the man, whose face was turning a plum color from how quickly he was losing oxygen. He was struggling to get out of Daniel’s grasp, and feeling him struggle only made Daniel tighten his grip.

You were trying not to watch, too in shock at how violent the scene unfolded in front of you. Your hands were now covering your face, although you were still peeking between your fingers. The only time you closed your eyes was when Daniel finally raised his gun, your body flinching at the sound of it going off and the ‘thud’ of the body hitting the dirt.

Even though you knew he was dead, you still couldn’t bear to look at what was in front of you, too scared to see if maybe you were wrong and it wasn’t the client who was dead, but by some twisted joke, Daniel. You were shaking in your spot in the dirt, hands squished over your face tightly, a yelp escaping you when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

“Shh, shh, it’s just me. It’s Daniel, hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Pulling your hands away slowly, you opened your eyes and looked up to see Daniel, crouched in front of you with a hand on your shoulder, a weak smile on his face. Your face contorted and a sob escaped you, your body falling into his as you hugged him tightly, face buried into his chest. Taken back by how scared you were, Daniel carefully wrapped his arms around you, holding you close until your sobs died down to a dull whimpering.

“Come on, let’s get you back home, okay?”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

He carried you back to camp, his own jacket wrapped around you to conceal you with the lack of a shirt. When the two of you made it back, Daniel stopped at some of the men that were on patrol that night, explaining the situation down on the other side of the creek and for them to ‘take care of it’. You knew what it meant - dispose of the vehicle and any evidence that would point the blame back towards you all. You never liked to think about what they did, but this time, this time you did want to know.

Daniel carried you all the way to his trailer, inside until you reached his bathroom. He set you down and helped you walk in, letting you sit on the toilet while he sat across from you on the edge of the bathtub.

“Fuck, what were you even doin out there?”

You felt so naked in front of him - having him see you in such a broken state. You don’t know why, but you wanted to cry. No, you did know why, you were so pathetically humiliated and the wash of guilt was flooding over you.

“I- this hasn’t happened before,” You quipped back, a whimper escaping your throat, “He promised to take me away from it all, I thought I could trust hi-“

“Gimme a break, you ain’t no amateur. You’ve been out there longer than me and even I know not to trust anyone who makes promises,” He sat back on the edge of the tub, looking at you from your spot on the toilet, “You gotta be more careful. You hear me? I don’t need to be going out there and finding you face down on the side of the road.”

You dropped your head down, looking at your bloody knuckles. You could hear it in his voice how disappointed he was, how worried he was. yet you still went back, still went out on the street to meet with strangers at night.

But little did you know that he still looked at you in a way that beamed you as an angel. To him you were perfect - despite your job, your upbringing into The Highway, your own personal demons - he still saw you as something so pure and delicate it made his heart hurt every fucking time he saw you out there under The Highway…smoking a cigarette waiting for another customer.

“You can say it. I’m a fucking idiot.” You suddenly said, breaking the silence. Looking up and at Daniel, you frowned, cracked lips twitching as the heat from your black eye began to radiate. You knew it would be a long time before that healed.

You should’ve been dead with this last one. God did he get you good. You were lucky that Daniel found you when he did and pulled the guy off of you, otherwise, well - you wouldn’t be sitting here if he hadn’t.

Daniel smiled sadly your way and you didn’t notice it, but his own eyes began to glisten with tears. Shaking your head, you turned and looked away from him. “I’m sorry…” you choked out, your body soon breaking down as your hand came up to your face, shielding your tears from him, your other hand still on your knee.

You jumped slightly when you felt his warm hand on you, holding your hand that was on your knee. Hesitantly, you peeked through your fingers towards him, seeing him gently stroking your delicate hand with his fingers.

“The thought of losing you…it fucking kills me. You know that? I don’t…I don’t judge you for what you do, okay? Never, never. But you’re too nice, too naive. If I hadn’t got there when I did you would be-“

He was cut off by his own sobs, and you were surprised to say the least when you saw him break down, his gruff demeanor shattering. Your mouth fell open, unsure as to what to say. What could you say?

Moving carefully, you stood up and shakily took a step towards him, sitting on his leg while you took his face in your hands, tilting it up to look at you.

You didn’t have to say anything, your eyes saying enough. You smiled weakly at him and gently ran your fingers down his face, wiping away his tears. He closed his eyes and leaned into your touch, soon lulling his head forward to rest on your chest.

Your fingers moved from his face and to his hair, running through his long locks, your face nestled at the crown of his head, taking in his scent. You felt him wrap his arms around you, holding you close to him, tracing patterns in your back.

The two of you sat like that for several moments, neither of you rushing the moment. Eventually, though, you felt him pull back, his head moving up to look into your eyes. While his right hand still kept holding onto your waist, his left made its way up the side of your face, cupping your cheek and letting your head fall into his palm. For the first time in a long time, you felt safe.

When you opened your eyes, staring back at him, you couldn’t help but blush when he smiled back, feeling his right hand squeeze your waist - almost in a teasing manner. He only wanted to see you smile, cheer you up in any way that he could.

“Why do you stay around?” He asked suddenly, his voice quiet as he continued to hold you to him, stroking the side of your face and the side of your waist. Daniel noticed your smile fall as if you were preparing to admit something not good. His heart sank, worry washing over him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling your thumbs caress his face, looking at him endearing, “Why do you stay around?” You pressed, wondering if maybe - just maybe - he thought the same as you. But you beat him to it, leaning forward slightly before your head jerked back slightly, catching yourself from getting too close. “Why would I leave you?”

And there it was - the confession that he had been praying for. Hearing you confirm that you felt the same way made the weight on his shoulders slip away. The laugh that escaped his mouth was more in shock than humorous. When you tilted your head, eyebrows furrowed, you suddenly became embarrassed - did he not think the same?

But then he kissed you, so deeply and sweet, a kiss you had never experienced before. You moaned from the suddenness of the kiss, melting into him as your hands slipped behind his head and around his neck, pulling yourself even closer onto his lap as the two of you continued to kiss.

Wrapping your legs around his waist, Daniel held you to him as he stood up, making his way out of the bathroom and down the hall into his bedroom, laying you carefully on the bed before pulling away. You couldn’t help but blush as he took you in, his eyes wandering over you.

“You’re so beautiful, you know that?” He whispered, his eyes finding yours again. He leaned forward to kiss you but felt your fingers on his lips, stopping him suddenly. Daniel felt his heart sink, was he being too pushy?

“Are you- are you sure you want to do this with me? I mean...since I, well…”

He knew where you were going with your comment and he could only frown, laying next to you on his side, propping himself up with his left elbow that sat next to your head, his right hand holding your face.

“Oh...no, no, why would you think that? Of course I want to do this with you,” He noticed you beginning to tear up and his expression fell, “Hey, hey...don’t cry, you’re okay.”

Pulling you close, he cradled your head under his chin, kissing your head as he let you cry it out. Stroking your temple with his thumb, he felt your body shake in his hold, your cries muffled by his shirt. He didn’t know what he could say to make you feel better, it was so fuckin heartbreaking to hear you talk the way you did about yourself.

“I can’t think of anyone else I would want to lay in bed with. I said I don’t judge you for what you do, and I meant that.”

Pushing away from him gently, you looked up at him, closing your eyes for a moment when he wiped away your tears. Unlike your client from earlier, Daniel was gentle, comforting you unlike the client who was torturing you. Perhaps you were scared to admit that you wanted to be intimate with Daniel, because deep down you only knew how sex worked when it came to your job - never for pure love.

“Do you want this? With me? You can tell me no and I won’t be mad, I promise you that. If you just want to lay here even, I’m okay with that. I just don’t ever want you out of my arms ever again. I want to know that you’re safe in my arms every night from this day on.”

At his confession, you could only smile, not sure what to say. Your brain was spinning so violently you were surprised that you were even able to stay focused on what he was saying. You went to scoot up but he stopped you, rolling over so you were slightly under him.

“Let me take care of you tonight for once, if you’d let me.” You smiled and finally nodded, a smile spreading across both of your faces before carefully the two of you leaned forward, lips meeting once again.

Slowly his fingers ran up and down the side of your body, moving closer to your breasts that were covered by your bra. Giving them a gentle squeeze, you moaned in his mouth and arched your back, pressing them into his hands more. Daniel smiled against your lips and reached around, unhooking your bra before pulling it off.

You watched as he slowly peppered kisses across your face, moving down your face and to your jawline, down your neck, across your chest, before finally reaching your breasts. He took one in his mouth, suckling until he heard you moaning before pulling away, moving to the other while his hands hooked onto the waistband of your skirt, pulling it down along with your panties.

Daniel pulled away from your breast and sat up, drinking in your naked form before taking your hands into his, squeezing them as he brought them to his lips, kissing over your bruised knuckles and teasingly nibbled on your fingers until he heard you laugh.

“So beautiful…” He murmured against your fingers, letting your hands drop down his chest before you hooked onto his shirt, pushing it up and with his help, pulling it off and onto the floor to join your clothes. With him still sitting up, your hands reached for his belt and swiftly pulled it off, undoing the button of his jeans before pushing them down with his jeans.

Before you could do anything else, Daniel coaxed you back into the bed, hovering over you with your legs spread apart, his hands rubbing up your inner thighs and squeezing them, his dick - now hard - rubbing against your entrance earning a sweet whine from you.

“You gonna take my whole cock baby? Do I finally get to make you mine after all these years?” He whispered, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to your own. Feeling you nod your head, you moaned and let your eyes roll back at the feeling of him teasingly pushing in you slowly before pulling out. “Yes...please, Daniel, please.”

He knew any other time he would press on with what you wanted, letting you beg longer before he finally gave you what you wanted and fucked you good. But this time, this night, he was going to make sure you were treated right.

“I got you, baby, just look at me, okay? I wanna see your pretty face when I fuck you.”

You nodded and looked into his eyes, smiling weakly when his mouth fell open, a faint ‘ahh’ escaping his lips, “There she is, my pretty girl.”

His endearing words sent you over the edge that night. Even with a black eye, cracked lips, and overall just a complete mess than what you normally looked like, he still made you feel like the prettiest girl in the room.

When he finally pushed into you, slowly bottoming out inside of you, the two of you moaned against one another’s lips, the vibration buzzing off each other. Daniel didn’t want this to be too much of a quickie - he would be honest and say he wouldn’t last as long as he would have liked - but he still wanted to take his time.

And that he did.

The pace he went was good for you, intoxicating even. With your legs and arms wrapped around him, you shifted up and down in the bed as he slowly fucked you, typically going in and out of you soft, but occasionally surprising you with a harder thrust. He enjoyed hearing your moans, especially the louder ones of surprise when he suddenly slapped his hips against yours.

His lips felt lonely and he leaned forward, capturing your lips into his with a deep kiss, his own teeth pulling at your lips gently before running his tongue along the bottom of your lip, pushing it in your mouth to mesh with your own.

You moaned against his mouth, your hands holding his face and you kissed him back, the scene almost sickening at how passionate the two of you were. It didn’t take long for you to pull away, your own climax beginning to rise. Letting out a whine, you pressed your forehead against the side of his face.

“Daniel, I- I don’t know how much longer I can last.”

The burning sensation that began to heat up in your core made your legs begin to shake. Gripping onto your thighs, Daniel picked up his pace a bit, his own climax rising too. “It’s okay, I got you. You’re doing so good.”

Daniel’s praises towards you did not help the sensation slow down, but you weren’t upset. Getting off to him- with him, made up for the entire evening. The sex wasn’t even bad, but given the circumstances of the night and how quick it went, you only could wish it lasted longer.

When the fireworks in your head finally went off, your body going slack, you tried to catch your breath as Daniel still continued to rut inside of you, grunting at the feeling of you tightening around him. His pace became even quicker, almost animalistic before he finally snapped his hips in you one more time, cumming deep inside of you.

Collapsing down on top of you, Daniel desperately tried to catch his breath, his head rested against your breasts, legs tangled in with yours. You both had your eyes closed, mouths open as you panted. You felt the softness of his beard against your chest and you smiled, the safe feeling coming back. Your fingers gently ran through his hair, pushing it back as you grew tired.

Before you could fall asleep, Daniel had gotten up and left for the bathroom, coming back with a rag to clean the two of you off before he tossed the rag with his dirty clothes, crawling into bed beside you and pulling you close, kissing the top of your head. It didn’t take long before the two of you finally fell asleep.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

The warmth of the sun cast down on your face as you leaned your head out the window, resting against your arms as you smiled. The sky was still pink from the sunrise and the world around you was quiet - peaceful. The soft music that played from Daniel’s radio was the only voice you heard.

Glancing over to his right, Daniel smiled at the sight of how calm you were, enjoying the moment while he drove the two of you down the highway in his truck. With his left hand on the steering wheel, his right hand found your hand, bringing your hand up for a kiss before resting it back down beside you. He shifted to get comfortable and make you comfortable when he felt you shift and curl up into him, your head resting against his chest.

After you had fallen asleep, that same night Daniel decided that it was finally time for you two to get away - to start the life the two of you deserved. He packed up his trailer and shoved both of your belongings into the back of his truck, the trailer hitched to the back of his truck. It wasn’t a perfect home by any means, but it was your home and that’s what mattered most.

It didn’t matter where you went, so long as you had each other. And the first time in a long time, the two of you were finally free.

[silkenstarlight]

come back, haunt me (prologue)

Summary: reader faces an unexpected foe on her way home.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader

Warning/s: mention of alcoholism, stalking, violence, kidnapping

Word count: 1.3k

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Author's note: this is a bit different from the one-shots i normally write! it's place-based and has more of a novel-like tone, but i wanted to give a voice to the daydream that's been consuming my waking hours. let me know what you think!

San Francisco

January 19, 1952

Mama’s always telling me to come straight home.

Here’s 30 bucks. Go on down to the liquor store and get me another bottle of Jack. And don’t you dilly-dally-- you’re living under my roof, you live by my rules.

I really should listen to her, one of these days.

It’s a strange sensation, being followed. You want to disappear, to melt into the shadows and evade your pursuer’s unrelenting gaze, but at the same time, you want to scream so loud that the sheer volume could pierce glass. You want to run and run and run, never slowing, never stopping, until your feet carry you to some distant, unknowable safety that even the searchlights can’t uncover. You want to be home, even if it means being around Mama after she’s started drinking.

I couldn’t decide which was the safest bet as I walked home, clutching the crumpled paper bag that concealed my mother’s chosen vice. I supposed that I could use the bottle as a weapon, could bludgeon the shadowy man who had followed me for several blocks now on my return home, but the thought of the sound it would make-- the sickening crack, the thud of his limp body, the splat of muddied crimson-- it was enough to make me gag. And, Mama would be angry if I wasted her 30 dollars. So, I continued my hurried pace, passing beneath the buzzing, amber halos of streetlights, brisk steps matching the quickened, thumping rhythm of my heartbeat.

My breath puffed out in little clouds and I crossed my arms against the sudden, biting breeze, gritting my teeth and tucking the bottle closer to my body. It’s the fucking dead of winter, how long did he wait on that street corner until he chose some poor girl to follow home? I turned my head slightly, trying to catch him in my periphery, but all I could see was the brown of his long overcoat. I huffed a breath and willed my legs to move faster.

I tried scanning my memories of the liquor store for his face. Dirty linoleum tiles, barred windows and humming refrigerators with sticky doors. Aisles striped rainbow, full of potato chips and room temp Coca-cola, black taffy and hot tamales. A quiet, mousy man with glasses too big for his face, buying a crumpled newspaper and a packet of sunflower seeds. A woman with scraggly hair and gray pit stains languidly browsing through the magazines. A store clerk, bored, half-lidded gaze flickering lazily between customers and his crossword. But no man in a long overcoat-- he was nowhere inside. I had only noticed him once I started walking.

I looked back again, less and less worried that he was some innocent pedestrian who would be offended by my vigilant stare. No, he was definitely closer, his long, loping gait slowly but surely swallowing up the distance between us, his gaze piercing through the darkness, tracking my every movement. Shit. Mama’s always warning me about strange men. Thoughts of quick gunshots and fluttering yellow police tape, of my name splashed on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, filled my mind.

No.

I couldn’t meet my end, not like that, dead eyes plastered across the city like a warning. My heart thudded in my ribcage so hard it almost hurt, but I was walking as fast as I could. I couldn’t run. He would surely catch me. And, I couldn’t go to the nearest police station. I would have to make a sweeping turn, allowing the man the chance to assuredly catch up to me and drag me into an alley to do whatever it was that he wanted to do to me. My eyes darted from left to right, searching for safety. I couldn’t go home, and I couldn’t go to the police.

The cathedral.

Of course.

Ahead, the hulking, gothic spires of Grace Cathedral rose into the sky, out of place amidst the violet, steel-and-glass canyon of the city street. But, it offered a tantalizingly sweet sense of safety, its complex arches and buttresses offering plenty of dark corners and crevices to hide in until the man in the overcoat lost interest and realized that stalking me was more effort than it was worth. It was worth a shot. I crossed the street, hardly taking the time to look left and right for any oncoming cars, and jogged up the steps. I could hear the sound of footfalls against asphalt, the flutter of his coat in the barren street, as he followed.

I approached the front door, partially because it was the obvious choice, exactly where he expected me to go first. But the shadows also hung heaviest over the cathedral’s entrance, allowing me to make my next move virtually undetected, so long as I made a decision before he got too close. Either dive to the right into the bushes, where I could wait him out, or shuffle along the wall to the right, where two high-rises stood, offering a short alleyway as a mode of escape. I turned right, then turned left, shifting my weight from foot to foot, second-guessing myself at each movement. Just fucking breathe. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was probably close. So, I turned left, treading lightly on the balls of my feet to avoid making noise. Twenty feet, ten feet, five until the alley. So close. I stepped away from the safety of the cathedral’s wall to make the final leap to safety when I felt a gloved hand wrap around my arm and yank.

“No!” My voice grated with panic, harsh and high, as he pulled me back into the shadows surrounding the cathedral. He gripped my shoulders so tight that I knew they would be covered in little purple bruises, and he pushed me against the wall with a grunt. Feeling daring, I looked up, locking eyes with him. If he was going to hurt me, kidnap me, kill me, I wanted to know what he looked like. Buzzed blond hair, brown eyes so dark they were almost black. His nose was crooked, as if it had been broken once or twice, and his lips were thin, bared over crooked teeth.

My breath stilled when I realized that he, too, was searching my face for something, his eyes darting up and down as if searching for some identificatory feature. When his gaze settled on the thin scar above my eyebrow, earned in a bicycling accident, he chuckled, his breath fanning towards me in a sour huff. He smiled, his eyes crinkled and dark, glittering in the shadows.

“Zola will be pleased.” He had a throaty, slavic accent, his voice gruff. My heart was pounding in my chest, my legs trembling beneath me, but I cocked my head.

“Who is that? Zola, who is that?” I breathed, trying to will some sense of bravery into my voice.

He simply chuckled again in response, grabbing me roughly by the elbows to lead me into the exact alleyway I had chosen for safety. Ahead, a black car waited, its driver wearing an equally severe expression to that of my captor.

He opened the door for me, ever the gentleman, and shoved me inside, barely taking care to make sure that my head didn’t hit the top of the car. Before shutting the door, he bent down, grabbing my chin and jerking my face towards his. I stared into his eyes and gritted my teeth.

He smirked, reaching into his pocket with his other hand to pull out a black hood. Before pulling it down over my face and blinding me to where they were taking me, he let my last memory of home be of his face.

“Heil Hydra,” he uttered thickly, relishing each syllable.

Confusion rose in my chest, brows knotting together. But, before I could question him further, he pulled the hood down over my face and everything went dark.

[brianconnollyandsweet]

An interview to Brian Connolly published in FAN magazine, May 1974

TRANSCRIPT:

When we asked ourselves who we could possibly get to talk about The Sweet, we didn’t have to think too hard. Who better than Brian Connolly, the handsome singer who was there at the beginning of it all? Brian, as ever, was only too willing to help. One of his hobbies is chatting, and as one of his favourite topics of conversation just happens to be The Sweet… he was delighted to oblige.

Brian starts by telling us about Mick Tucker.

“As you know, Mick is the drummer and, as far as we’re concerned, one of the best in the business. It’s only the heavy rock drummers who get the praise heaped on them, but Mick could hold his own in any company. His full name is Michael Thomas Tucker, and I’ll get it in before you can, yes, he has sung for his supper!

“Mick was born on July 17, 1949 [actual year of birth was 1947] at the Central Middlesex Hospital outside London. I remember him telling me that he joined his first group at 14, a Shadows type band. Then he got into a Beatles type group. Obviously a great believer in doing his own thing at the time was our Mick! Anyway, he left school to become a car salesman, which he did quite successfully until he swapped his showroom for showbiz and joined me in a group called Wainwright’s Gentlemen.

“Now that was some group! It was a seven-piece soul band and among its members were Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, who went on to find fame and fortune with Deep Purple. But getting back to Mick, he’s got a very wide taste in music, ranging from Tony Bennet to Argent.

“As regards his appearance, I’d say he is about six feet tall, weighs ten and half stone and has a thing about colourful clothes. Like myself, Mick is a keen swimmer and when we’re away from England on tour he keeps going on about wanting to fly home for a decent pint of beer. He sounds like a record that’s stuck, but we know what he means.

“It goes without saying we reckon he’s a great mate and about as natural as they come. He hates conceit and affected people and makes sure his [illegible] half size doesn’t go up.”

Now it’s Steve Priest who comes under the Connolly microscope.

“Steve is quite a driving force behind The Sweet and drags reserves of energy out of his body when the rest of us have just about had it. He lays down a thumping bass and you don’t have to listen to our records that closely to know how much we like to feature a heavy bass [illegible].

“He was born Stephen Norman Priest on February 23, 1950 [actual year of birth 1948] in Hayes, Middlesex. He’s five feet seven inches tall and weighs nine and a half stone. Steve is another who started in a soul band, which of course were all the rage in the early 60s. During the day he worked as a solicitor’s clerk then switched to car electronics. At night he was with his group, [The] Army, and joined us full-time when he was made redundant at his day job.

“I bet a bloke was never so glad to lose his job.

“Steve is very into songwriting and helps us a lot when it comes to writing stuff for our albums. He enjoys heavy sounds like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, but there is a more gentle side in his taste and I’ve known him to be knocked out by tender ballads.

“Talking of taste, he shows it in his favourite actress, Raquel Welch. Steve raves about her when all she does is stand there and look marvellous. He’d go mad if she won an Oscar!

“He’s a bit of a TV addict and isn’t too choosy about what he watches. He says it’s for relaxation anyway, so if a programme is bad or just plain boring, his mind goes blank or he falls asleep. So, the goggle box is doing him some good. But on the other hand, he sets his lively mind to work by doing crosswords, and he’s pretty quick too.

“For some reason, he figures his lucky number is seven, but I’ve never seen it work for him. Steve likes the colour blue, to match his eyes, and would like to have tons of money because he hasn’t found a single advantage in being broke. He’s not alone in that. He says his ambition is to go into record production, but to tell the truth I can’t see him being one hundred per cent happy a back-room boy.

“It would be a matter of months before he missed the applause and the audiences. Steve is a natural show-off, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

What does Brian have to say about Andy Scott?

“Andrew David Scott is our great lead guitarist and as you might guess from his middle name, he’s Welsh. Andy was born in Wrexham in North Wales ten inches tall and topped the scale at exactly ten stone before his Sunday lunch!

“Andy has only ever had one ambition and that was to get to the top in his career, and we’re knocked out for him that he’s enjoying a great run because he’s had one or two disappointments along the way. In 1966, he joined a new group called Silverstone and was successful at an audition for TV’s Opportunity Knocks. They were so good they appeared on the show six times.

“Sadly, nothing much went right for them after that, and Andy and his brother joined a singer called Gus Eadon to form The Elastic Band. Then, as they were beginning to get somewhere, Steve Ellis left Love Affair and Gus was chosen as his replacement. The Scott brothers were then joined by a pianist and for six months they backed [The] Scaffold.

“Andy’s next big chance came with Mayfield’s Mule. There was a lot of talent and money in and behind the group, yet still they failed to make it. From there, Andy joined us, and it’s been up-hill all the way. He likes modern jazz and groups like Deep Purple. His favourite [illegible] folk include Gene Hackman, Richard Roundtree [?] and Glenda Jackson.

“He’s the real soccer nut in the band, and Andy’s ambition is to fly a plane single-handed. Unless he promises to use his other hand as well, we’re sticking to the train!”

Brian didn’t know we wanted him to talk about himself as well, but after a bit of gentle persuasion and a threat to let Mick do the job for him, he relented.

“Bit embarrassing, this,” he began. “You probably know I was born in Hamilton, outside Glasgow in Scotland on October 5, 1949 [1945 actually], came to London when I was 12 and the same year made my television debut on The Carroll Levis Talent Show for kids. I was always interested in music, especially when rock ‘n’ roll came along, but I doubted my ability to make a successful career out of it.

“I then had a spell in the Merchant Navy because I thought I would like the life and see the world. All I saw were harbour towns in the east of England. Anyway, I played with a few groups before meeting up with Mick in Wainwright’s Gentlemen and going on to form The Sweet with him.

“I’m five feet eight inches tall, weigh just over nine and a half stone, and have blue eyes and blonde hair. My favourite color is purple, and lucky number [is] five although I couldn’t give you a logical reason why. I enjoy target shooting, playing records and talking to people with bags of personality.

“I suppose I’m even-tempered, but I feel sorry for the people who do feel the lash of my tongue when that temper goes. I show no mercy! I don’t have many close friends, just the group, my family, and one or two people not connected with the business. All in all, I love my work and still can’t get over the fantastic success we’re enjoying.”

[kjs-s]

No time for pain

Pairing  Steve trevor x reader

Fandom Wonder Woman

Summary  The reader tries to hide an injury from Steve during their mission

Prompt  “Because I am a lady. That’s why.” The Aristocats

Word Count: 1353

Warnings: mention of gambling and injury

A/N: This is my entry for @thefanficfaerie 3000 follower Disney celebration. It was inspired by my ankle injury. I hope you like it and sorry it took me so long. I actuallt started writing this on Wednesday.

Modern AU Diana is his boss and Etta is another spy in this one.

‘’And after all that failed, I just had to think about what my mentor would do. So, I hit the guard on the head with the briefcase. Not exactly the way Diana would have gone about it then again, it worked.’’ Etta was filling you in on her latest mission. You loved hearing her stories since she always found an interesting way to get out of difficult situations.

‘’Maybe, except your ways are funnier for when I have to read your reports. Not to mention way less lethal than some of the other agents’. Same goes for (Y/N); in just a few months, she has caught more criminal than any other rookie has. I am so proud of both of you.’’ You could tell Diana meant it and that there was no condescending tone in her voice. She recruited you with Steve and immediately spotted your potential.

You continued talking while waiting for Steve to arrive. Diana had summoned the two of you to her office for a new assignment. Being early in the morning you figured your partner would be late to get there. Therefore, you invited Etta to gossip a little about her latest successful apprehension. Listening to her talk was one of the best stress reliefs for you.

As soon as Steve arrived, you were briefed about your new mission. You were still new and having your boss trust you to accompany Steve was unbelievable. It made you want to impress her even more than the first time you met.

‘’ Now that Trevor is finally here, we can start.’’ She gave each of you a file and put the picture of the man on the screen behind her. ‘’Meet Christopher Anderson. He is one of the sons of Margaret Anderson, you might know her as the queen of diamonds. She has the most successful stores all over the United States and Europe. Many organizations believe that she or her sons are smuggling diamonds but they have failed to find any evidence.’’

‘’And you want us to spy on the son in the hopes of finding out the truth?’’ Steve hoped for a mission like that for so long. One of his friends used to work at one of the stores until she was fired for pushing a client to stop him from touching her. From that moment on, Steve started to hate that family.

‘’Not quite. My friends from other agencies overheard that Christopher has a bit of a habit. He liked to gamble all over the globe. He is not actively trying to hide that although every casino he is at has doubled the security while he is there. Lucky for us the casino he chose this week is the Empire. In addition, since I am aware that Steve’s uncle works there I arranged for you to enter the high rollers poker game.’’

‘’Do you think he might talk during the game? Or that he would have something illegal on him?’’ You asked not even thinking that you have no clue how to play poker. You like watching it since you find it oddly relaxing but you weren’t any good at it.

‘’Neither. Steve will make sure to sit beside him. You would be his ‘’good luck charm’’. Just find an opportunity to put a bug on Christopher and then leave. We will take care of everything else from here. John will be waiting outside to drive you back here when you are done.’’

The mission seemed easy. However, you knew from experience that everything could go wrong. Especially knowing Steve’s bad luck with missions. He has never been caught but he has come close too many times to count.

‘’Do you have a plan about the game? Do you even know how to play?’’ He looked at you with a shocked look realizing that he actually didn’t.

‘’Do you? Maybe you can teach me or something.’’

‘’ Sorry to disappoint you, Trevor. I have only watched poker. I bet you can read about it and try to play on your laptop a bit. I will come with you so we can establish when you think you might need me. I can come over at the beginning of every round hoping that our target wouldn’t suspect anything.’’

Despite the plan being solid you still found yourselves running around in the casino trying to escape from the guards chasing you. You were still lucky that it was just your target’s guards and not the casino ones as well. One of them noticed you looking at him for too long and thought you were trying to cheat. Fortunately, you still managed to put the bug on him before being made.

‘’(Y/N) we need to hurry. I already informed John to wait for us by the entrance so all we have to do is to make it there. Are you ok? Can you even run in these shoes?’’

‘’I’m fine Steve. Don’t worry about me.’’ You tried to hide the fact that your feet hurt like hell. In the attempt to avoid the guards you took a turn and hit the heel of your right foot on a column. However, you wouldn’t allow Steve to see you in pain. He is too overprotective of you.

‘’This is the second to last door but it’s locked. Do you want to do the honors of kicking it open?’’ Steve loved how you always react to doing small things that you have seen in movies and he always offered to let you try anything.

‘’It’s fine Steve. You go right ahead.’’ You still managed to sound calm in order to fool him until you made it to the car.

‘’But why? You love things like that.’’

‘’Because I am a lady. That’s why. Just kick the door, Trevor.’’ You yelled at him while looking around for the guards.

He was startled by your outburst yet he remained silent. When you finally made it to the car waiting outside, he turned to you.

‘’Can we talk about what happened earlier? You never talk to me like that. If you were refusing to kick the door due to the shoes or the outfit you are wearing I understand. It must have been difficult to manage it.’’

You tried to answer him except he was sitting too close to you that when you tried to sit up you winched in pain.

‘’What’s wrong, partner? Are you hurt?’’ He looked you over trying to see any bruise or cut.

‘’It’s just my ankle. I had sprained it a couple of weeks ago and now I must have twisted it again. It’s not a big deal. I just didn’t tell you anything not to worry you. And because I knew you would react like that.’’

He was already examining you and putting his jacket under your ankle. He was always caring like that with his friends and even if you thought it was sweet sometimes it became too much.

‘’I will alert Diana to prepare a nurse to check on you. And I will take care of you with everything you need. Let me start by removing your shoes.’’ Resisting his care would be futile so you let him massage your injured ankle. By the time you reached the headquarters, a doctor and two nurses were ready to see you. Apparently, Steve had made it look like you were dying.

The doctor advised you to rest for some days. All your friends made sure you wouldn’t be bored while bedridden. Diana informed you that the mission was successful in stopping the smuggling operation and brought you some crosswords to spend the time. Etta came by to entertain you with her stories. And of course, Steve was there all the time checking on you and not letting you forget why he was the best partner. You felt so lucky having those people in your life and couldn’t wait to get back to working with them.

  @writing-journeyx   @sprinkleofhappinessuniverse@ohyesmarvel@agentpeggicarter@buckyofthemyscira@romantichen @once-upon-an-imagine @locke-writes@lucetheding@marveliskindacool@captainrogerss   @jurassicbarnes@uncomfortable-writers@theassetseyeliner@sgtbxckybxrnes @thetherianthropydaily@dresupi@caplansteverogers@captainrogerss@dirajunara-archive@imamotherfuckingstar-lord @outside-the-government@thefanficfaerie@admiralamott@yallneedtrek@goingknowherewastaken@girl-next-door-writes @janeykath318@kaitymccoy123 @musikat18

[rutabagarabitowitz]

First Lines

​This looked super fun, thanks for the tag @avenuepotter! Plus it helps me kinda revisit stuff I’ve been not working on.

Paste a short sentence/paragraph you think a potential reader may find intriguing from your last 20 stories and then tag 10 other authors. WIP’s are fair game (many people I saw included WIP’s) or Rules: Paste the 1st paragraph of your last 20 stories. Then tag ten of your favourite writers to complete the challenge, too.

8 WIP posts

1. From Head Over Feet: Chapter 38, Home Sweet Home (Put a Ring on it) WIP

Alex sat cross legged on her bed and scowled as she rubbed out her answer on the crossword puzzle in her lap with an eraser. Beside her Sonny was tapping at his phone with one hand and sipping coffee from the mug in the other. His long legs were sprawled out in front of him covered in blue sweats with New York Mets written down the right pant leg. Alex dropped the newspaper in frustration and stuck her pencil into her messy bun. She reached with a grabby hand towards Sonny's mug.

2. From Never Any More Heaven not Hell, chap 2: Just My Imagination WIP

Alex pushed her cart away with a very small wave his direction. She headed to checkout aware she only had half her list checked off. She was grateful for the empty lane and that she was able to pay fast. She took her few bags and Teddy and rushed outside not daring to look back over her shoulder. She could feel her heart racing and she felt like crying. The way he stared. What he said about being a show-off. What did that mean?

She walked home on autopilot, barely aware of her surroundings. She dumped the bags on the table and sat with Teddy on the couch, not bothering to unwrap her from the sling. It wasn't until Sonny came through the door, still in his shorts and gym shirt, that she realized she was just sitting there. 

3. From something I've been writing about Alex's bro Henry/something I've been working on as in a novel. 

An older man eyed him as he was coming in, seeing his fatigues he smiled proudly. Henry returned with his own uneven smile and shuffled off towards the handicap stall. He was glad for free Wild Turkey on the plane, but it was beginning to wear off. That or the clean Northern California air had already infested his psyche; the sobering reality of death hung around the atmosphere. 

4. From a WIP/something from Head Over Feet

Sonny shook off the familiar stirring in his chest at the sight of Alex's old doorway, "naw, I'm Sonny, Sonny Carisi, I live up stairs. I'm NYPD if, ya know, anything comes up."

5. WIP?? Something stupid I thought of today that's amusing???

"Dat guy has a lot of calcetines!"

Walt snorted. "He has a lot of socks?"

A blush appeared across sonny's cheeks. "No...ya know balls."

"Cajones," Alex corrected with the smile a mother gives her toddler, complete with head tilt. 

"You don't know Spanish!"

"I know the bad words," she smirked. 

6. More WIP from a novel I'm working. Same one as above. 

Rose spilled the contents of the box all over the floor near the side of the bed where Ted slept. She sat in the mess she made leaning up against the mattress. She reached her hand up to grasp his imaginary limb that he'd dangle over the edge. She could almost hear him snoring. He always slept for so long when he came home. She'd join him of course, relishing the warmth of his sun freckled skin and his smell of musky sweat. Alex would sneak into their room and want to sleep in their bed. If Alex got to Walt was sure to follow. Henry would hold out but he would eventually join his siblings as they all rejoiced in daddy finally being home. Those were the best times. When rose ceased to be a single parent. When she got to free herself from stay at home motherhood. 

7. From Head Over Feet WIP future chapter?

"Hey Alex!" The door slammed open and Malucci marched in without looking up. As he started to launch into a set of orders he looked up to see the tender scene before him. "Oh, whoa! Sorry. 5 more minutes?"

"Please," she sighed and made eye contact with Sonny again as he pulled away from her. 

"You got 3. Nice to see ya Carisi." He nodded and pointed his chin up at Sonny. 

"You too Dave," Sonny answered loudly as he left the room. Sonny smirked at Alex. "Dats the end of dat."

"Hold on," she gripped his jacket sleeve as he made to stand up. She pulled him back to her tipping her head back and connecting with his lips. She kissed him hard, one hand pressed tightly to his chest, she could feel the heavy Kevlar beneath the police windbreaker. He turned his head to capture more of her lips as he kissed back, his tongue darting out to slip between their lips. 

"Mmm," she sighed as she pulled back for air. Sonny grinned at her, a dazed expression overcoming his features. 

"Be careful, Sonny," she warned as he stood up. 

"I always am," he assured her. 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

8. From some random Sonny/Al smut WIP

When Sonny closed the door behind him softly he could hear Alex's bed making noise. He laughed to himself knowing first hand how creaky her mattress was. He left his things on the chair and then he heard it: soft moaning sounds to accompany the creaky bed. He stopped. He heard it again and felt the blood pulse in his veins. He walked forward to the almost closed bedroom door.

12 other svu stories completed

9. from Head Over Feet ch. 38 Hey Jealousy

“It’s not icy!” She shoved him aside and directed him back to the passengers side.

He pouted over to the opposite side of the vehicle and climbed in after she unlocked the doors. Amanda smirked to herself secretly amused she’d gotten him riled up. He continued to look pouty as he buckled his seatbelt.

“So what do we do now?” he turned to her.

10. one-off story: Election Night

“IF THIS IS THE NEW WORLD I’M GOING IN DRUNK,” Walt shouted, waving his beer aloft.

Sonny had run off to buy more booze as the polls closed in California deciding it would be better if he kept his companions drunk and sated after Walt and Alex started picking at each other over allegiance to party or politics.

11. from Tricks N Treats

Amanda wore a witch hat on top of a sweater and jeans, nothing elaborate. Jesse however was decked out in her movie quality Sleeping Beauty costume. Her mother had allowed her to wear a tiny amount of lipstick and Jesse was busy kissing her hand and giggling at the mark it left.

12. from Snap Story

Sonny laughed as he sat up beside her on the edge of the mattress.

“Oh my– you put me on snapchat?” she yelled.

13. from Head over Feet ch. 6 Cinco de Mayo

He teetered a bit but quickly found his footing. He wrapped his arms around her waist and put his head on her shoulder. With his face so close to hers she could smell the liquor on his breath.

“Oh god, you smell like tequila.” She made a face.

“My friend, Sully, threw a Cinco de Mayo party-”

“It’s August.” She raised an eyebrow as she finally got the door open and pulled away from him to get inside.

He paused. “Well it was the theme! But there was tequila there!”

“And lots of it, I can see.” She said. “You sure it wasn’t tequila themed?”

“Okay, full disclosure, I had a few margaritas.” He gestured wildly.

14. from Head over Feet ch. 8 Chinese

He folded his jacket over his arm and slung his backpack over the opposite arm. Once he got outside he felt the difference of the cool interior and the full summer heat. The sun was still out and he realized he was going to sweat through his skin before he got home. He stopped to roll up his sleeves further.

“Lookin’ good, Detective!” a familiar voice cat-called.

15. from Head Over Feet ch.13 Some Space

It was barely after sun up, but Walt’s bladder had been trained to military time. He stretched his limbs as he got off the couch and headed for the bathroom which in Alex’s house was inside her bedroom. He knew Sonny had spent the night because he pretended he didn’t hear them giggle when he got there close to 1am. Walt also pretended not to hear bedsprings or any other sounds that confirmed his sister wasn’t an asexual being.

16. from Good with his Hands Walt/Barba side story

It had been awhile since Rafael had actually dated. He kept himself very busy, or rather the SVU did. There were occasional nights away from his hum drum but mostly he was married to his work. He also rarely frequented gay bars. They always attracted the wrong sort of man. But he felt like he needed an ego boost that night a few weeks back. Just one compliment, one "ay Papí!" And Raf would feel a little better about himself. Maybe if he was cute he'd have some fun but he wasn't betting on it. They were always 'cute and,' cute and slutty, cute and too young, cute and high. He was unsurprisingly picky about who he brought home.

17. from Head over Feet ch. 21 Family Stuff

Bella took a bite of her yogurt and slowly answered. “Well, he’s never invited anyone to Thanksgiving. He’s had girlfriends but…it’s never that serious. Not Thanksgiving serious. Then last week he told Ma there might be an extra table setting. It’s a big deal for my brother.”

18. from Head over Feet Ch.26 What are you Thankful For?

Sonny looked around the room at two entire families that he wasn’t sure about mixing, but it seemed to be going well. He still worried about Alex. She looked okay but he wanted to make sure she actually was. He just needed a minute away from everyone else, observing and analyzing their every move.

“Hey.” He turned to Alex. “My mom asked me to get the folding table like an hour ago, ya wanna help me?”

19. from Dinner and a Movie (Walt/Barba)

“This is so domestic.” Rafael called, but he didn’t smile less. It felt good. The nervousness he held about Walt’s relative youth to his own was waning but not gone. Maybe that nervousness is what fueled this.

He tried to focus on Luke Skywalker and his drama but he kept hearing the sizzle of the pan in the kitchen and Walt whistling the music. He wanted to go in there and take him away from the cooking and back to his lips. Maybe hold the boy tightly and pull on the hair that was getting longer the more time he spent away from wearing fatigues. Did Walt even wear fatigues? Rafael never ventured to ask what he did out in the field or how in the field he was. Was he just on a foreign base? Was he in combat? Had he been?

Rafael suddenly felt worried he’d never asked, as if there was a hurt he wasn’t attending to. He didn’t want Walt to think he just liked his body or his cute smile. Rafael liked a lot more of him than that but he wasn’t sure he should be revealing all that just yet. No need to rush.

20. inspired by “Unholiest Alliance” Sonny/Al: Faith

After Sonny changed into a pair of flannel pajamas and a hoodie he settled on the sofa with a beer. He picked up the photo he got from his mom and the wooden frame he bought at the sale for fifty cents. He carefully unscrewed the backing and placed the snapshot inside. Satisfied with his work he turned the picture over and smiled.

He heard Alex’s key in the lock and he looked up as she opened the door and came inside. Her eyes were downcast but she smiled when their gaze met.

“Hi babe.” She greeted. She dropped her bag on the chair as she made her way over to him on the couch.

anddddd now I have to tag people.... uh?

@knittingharlot @singinprincess @hawkland @imasecretstorywriter @justjaclin @ anyone else who writes? I can’t remember i’m so inactive. 

but it’s a lot of fun! thanks!