#its alden

[im-cool]

Okay I've just been thinking about this all day. The Vacker family, just as a whole, is so dysfunctional like what, how has this not been properly addressed in the books. Something is wrong with them.

[soup-in-my-fly]

Say “cheese”

Now say “aah”

[sourmiiiilk]

day 2 of drawing @carnivorekitty's Jacob until he realises he's been leaving blonde hair all over my apartment while breaking in.

bro got hit hard by the recession, he doesn't even have pants anymore

[cavennmalore]

Something weird I've noticed in the kotlc fandom that I really cannot wrap my head around is the treatment of the Vacker family, specifically Alden and Fitz. These are understandably popular characters (and for good reason) and it makes sense that people interpret them in different ways. I can't help but notice that some of the predominant discussions around them center on personality traits they just... don't have in canon.

Most of the characterizations I see of Alden treat him as a rampant child abuser. He's overbearing, stern, and determined to force his child to live up to the Vacker name by any means necessary. Naturally, Alden is not a perfect character or father, but such a harsh depiction flattens much of what makes him dynamic in the books. As I see it, there are two main flaws that Alden has in canon: his past with Prentice and his meddling.

What Alden did to Prentice is treated pretty seriously throughout the series. In Exile, it's made clear that falsely accusing (or, not so falsely, depending on what you consider the real crime to be) Prentice and performing the mindbreak is the biggest regret of his life. So big, that it shatters his sanity and ruins one of his closest relationships (Exile, Chapter 35; Nightfall, Chapter 3). It's the mistake that keeps on giving, and it's made abundantly clear that while Alden wasn't aware of what he was truly doing, he bears responsibility nonetheless. It's a burden that Alden takes extremely seriously, pushing him to search for the Moonlark for years, but more on that later. While his guilt over Prentice is an important part of his character, it's not the flaw that I usually see given the most weight in his characterizations.

Alden's meddling is prominent, to say the least. It heavily features in most interpretations I see of him online, largely negatively and largely without specificity. In canon, there are really two ways that his nosiness presents itself: his children's personal lives and his hunt for the Moonlark. The two best examples of his meddling as a parent come from his interventions in Fitz and Biana's friendships. In the first book, Alden encourages Biana to befriend Sophie because he worries about her (Keeper, Chapters 43 and 47). He acts similarly with Fitz and Keefe, encouraging Fitz to invite Keefe to Everglen so Keefe can avoid spending time with Cassius (Flashback, Chapter 21). In both cases, Alden doesn't go beyond asking his kids to spend time with potential friends. He doesn't micromanage their hangouts or insist it's for status reasons; he's interested in supervising kids who he worries are in a bad spot. This is notably different from Gisela's meddling, which is for personal gain with tangible, selfish goals (Neverseen, Chapter 63). Maybe Alden shouldn't be pushing his kids to spend time with those they don't have an interest in. But the eventual friendships that arise from them make up for it, in my opinion.

The other form Alden's meddling takes is his hunt for the Moonlark. As a manifestation of his guilt over Prentice's mindbreak, Alden enlists Alvar and Fitz to search the Forbidden Cities for the Moonlark. I've seen this search used as the basis for a lot of the animosity between Alden and his sons, which I think is incorrect. Alvar is the first hunter and is very open about how pointless he thought the endeavor was (Keeper, Chapter 28; Neverseen, Chapter 1). The difference of opinions over the Black Swan between Alvar and Alden is a point of contention in their relationship, but it's important to note that Alvar doesn't claim to feel pressured or pushed into the search. He just thinks the conspiracy of the Black Swan is stupid (Keeper, Chapter 28). Of course, much of this protesting was a cover for the fact that he was working with the Neverseen and would've been searching anyway (Neverseen, Chapter 63).

Fitz takes over the search at age six (Neverseen, Chapter 1). Fitz's age when being sent out is questionable at best, and I think is fair to criticize Alden for (though, I think the age has more to do with Shannon being unable to decide how Elvin aging is supposed to work since none of the other characters seem to think six is unreasonably young). But while the reader can freely critique Alden for this, what's crucial is that Fitz doesn't seem to mind this. Rather than be upset or resentful that Alden had him search for the Moonlark, Fitz calls it "the most important thing [he'll] probably ever do" (Stellarlune, Chapter 43). He's proud of the work he and his father did; if anything, it's a positive in their relationship. I've seen some arguments that pushing Fitz into the Forbidden Cities is part of a pattern of having kids do dangerous work (per Sophie doing Fintans mindbreak in Exile, even though that wasn't Alden's idea and he offered to disobey the Council if she didn't want to), which isn't necessarily unfair. What I do think is a problem is acting like the search for the Moonlark had a significant negative impact on Alden's relationships with his sons.

Part of the reason I think this interpretation is so prevalent is a contributing misunderstanding about Fitz's character. Fitz is often portrayed as anxiety-ridden over his role as a Vacker and the expectations that come along with it. Being a leader isn't something he wants, but something he feels pressured into. In canon, Fitz is almost the complete opposite. He's shown at being naturally gifted at telepathy and school and is incredibly charming. Being a Vacker -- and the expectations that come with it -- is something he embraces wholeheartedly. In fact, it is the loss of his leadership that causes struggle. A main point of contention that Fitz has with Sophie in Stellarlune (Chapter 43) is that he "still want[s] to be that guy that everyone looks to" even though that's no longer his role. None of this is to say that Fitz is perfect, or that he doesn't fight against the idea of being labeled so. Instead, much of Fitz's arc is about learning when to step back and change his perspective on the world, including recognizing when his privilege has clouded his judgment. His rejection of being labeled perfect has more to do, in my eyes, with having a difficult time reconciling his "idyllic" childhood with the harsher childhoods of his friends (Flashback, Chapter 21).

So what is the problem between the Vackers, if not fanon? The one issue that is repeatedly brought up by both Fitz and Alvar alike regarding their father is favoritism. Alvar felt ignored after the births of Fitz and Biana, claiming that Alden replaced him with Fitz whom he refers to as the "Golden Child" (Neverseen, Chapter 72; Flashback, Chapter 49). Fitz feels betrayed by his parents' immediate re-welcoming of Alvar when his memories are gone, insisting they prioritize Alvar over Fitz and Biana's safety (Flashback, Chapter 16). In both cases, Fitz and Alvar feel like an afterthought or the lesser child. It's that feeling that fuels (or encourages, considering Alvar's done quite a bit throughout the series to create independent hate lol) the animosity between them and Alden.

It's this "favorite child" dynamic that I find really interesting and unique about the Vacker's dysfunction in the series. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see a reason to paint over this dynamic with bullying, especially considering there is a father-son relationship in canon that is the Vacker fanon almost to a T. Cassius spent Keefe's whole life attempting to pressure him into becoming a "real" Sencen, which Keefe tried to do before realizing it was unattainable (Flashback, Chapter 21). It's the bedrock of their non-relationship. To shove Fitz and Alden into that pigeonhole is a disservice to each of these relationships, which have their own intrigues without sharing. None of this is to say that people can't headcanon as they wish, and to try and play with characters is the fun of fandom. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from that or shame them for it. But to claim those relationships are canon is disingenuous to me and a misportrayal of the books.

[camelspit]

the current debates on sokeefe/sophitz and alden rn are so funny i feel like i was forcefully put in a time machine and blasted to a few years ago

[inkcovens]

did anyone ever figure out what the vacker legacy was lmao

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 30/04/2024

guess what​?​?​?​?​?​?​?​?

Season 2 Featured on: Haltmann's Highest Quality Video Game Rips

Ripped by alden wolf

Requested by eg_9371! (Request Form)

It's Gonna Be May!

Saying that SiIvaGunner has in-jokes is perhaps the most obvious statement of all time - it is an in-joke upon which the entire channel is built upon. Yet there's obviously always different LAYERS to each joke, how obvious each of them are - and even today, there are many running gags on the channel that fly over people's heads despite having followed along for so long. Indeed, such is the case today with guess what​?​?​?​?​?​?​?​?, as requestee eg_9371 made me aware of a channel in-joke that's been running quietly in the background for the better part of seven years as of today. All of it built on one simple truth - tomorrow, it's gonna be may.

To reiterate - beyond the funny ha-ha memes we all know like Mr. Grand Dad and more, the SiIvaGunner channel is filled with little nods and gags that oft go overlooked. I of course covered 5 Nights of Snop Dog recently which is a great example of one, there's how rips like Kill & Learn (Recut Ver​.​) reference a running joke by long-time mashup artist Triple-Q about how Sonic Adventure 2 and Kill la Kill have an immeasurable amount of similarities, rips like Kermit in the Ocean being spiritual successors to very specific years-old rips on the channel - you get the jist. Some of these gags eventually get special attention on the channel through specific channel events, but such has not yet been the case with guess what​?​?​?​?​?​?​?​?'s joke - it's a gag that's stayed in the background since its very beginnings, and is only being kept running by a select few rippers. If you're listening to the rip now and it still hasn't landed yet, you may need to be enlightened to the ways of hit boy band *NSYNC. Or, well, really the band itself matters very little compared to the song of choice - It's Gonna Be Me.

Boy band music has a pretty interesting track record on SiIva in general, honestly. One Direction, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, *NSYNC - to me the typical audience that obsesses over these kinds of bands feels at odds with my image of the average SiIvaGunner fan, and yet whenever they're prominently pushed I get reminded of just how good their music can be when wielded by good rippers. We've had two explosively quality events focusing on two bands in particular, the Big Time Rush takeover of Season 5 with Famous Surprise and the One Direction day of Season 7 with Beautiful Dreamer. *NSYNC hasn't had the same explosion of notoriety, but It's Gonna Be Me in particular has stealthily appeared on the channel every year since 2017 on April 30th. The joke is originally an ancient Tumblr meme from 2012, based on the way singer Justin Timberlake (yes!) pronounces the titular line in the song as "It's gonna be May" - the joke writes itself, and so Tumblr users have annually celebrated the day-before-May in Timberlake's honor.

eg_9371 writes in his request for this post that he's actually one of the most active rippers in keeping this joke going on SiIva for all these years, which I find extremely commendable, and it all started in Season 2, with guess what​?​?​?​?​?​?​?​?. It's a rearrangement of the song in the style of Donkey Kong Country 2's Mining Melancholy, a track most notable for its rhythmic percussion of steel drums sounding like steadily-working pickaxes deep in the mines. Its a fantastic track on its own, yet that percussion especially is a shockingly natural fit for the harpsichord(?) backing prominent throughout It's Gonna Be Me. Mining Melancholy's usual percussion and other parts of its melody stick around for large parts of the rip, making it more of a melody swap/mashup of the two than a full rearrangement a la Sog-Gee Ambiance - but it only serves to enhance the two tracks used, giving It's Gonna Be Me a more melancholic sound and Mining Melancholy a more self-assured feel in return, a super interesting blend of moods. I don't think the It's gonna be May bit would have worked nearly as well if the rip it was paired with wasn't of high quality, and guess what​?​?​?​?​?​?​?​? clears that threshold effortlessly - its a great rip that's made me appreciate the quality in both songs used.

*NSYNC rips have, again, continued to show up in all the years since, always on the dot, often even deliberately placed as the LAST rip of April 30th to drive the joke home. I think it's really sweet that the joke has stuck with eg_9371 in particular, likely in part due to alden wolf's initial contribution to the bit - he's even made It's Gonna Be Me rips on dates completely unrelated to the beginning of May, just because its a genuinely fun song to listen to. There's tons of these "secret" gags left to find on the channel, reoccurring dates or rips that reference jokes from other rips that are years-old by now - and really, a huge part of the fun in running this blog is getting to discover so many turning gears of the channel that I'd never been made aware of. Keep an eye out for these gags yourself - and keep an eye out on SiIvaGunner channel itself later today, to see if It's Gonna Be May for yet one more year.

[venusararara]

MINORS BEGONE

i sent gatherine and jacob to the mall together heheh

@carnivorekitty they went to the emo store, i almost made them be dirty together again, but maybe jacob deserves to hang out with her one time without nearly dying uwu

so he tried to stop her from buying a totally legit mewsheen fumku pop and failed before feeding her nyquil chicken <3

i just put gatherine in emo clothes, jacob is wearing somethin inspired by a fit i saw in a video a few months back, it's below the cut

shes legendary, i couldnt get the catfish right butthe idea is present i think

[bookwyrminspiration]

people keeping replying to my old alden pronunciation post so I'm going to turn it into a poll :)

Note: this is specifically about the AL part of his name. disregard how you pronounce the DEN when selecting your answer unless its vital. elaborate on it in the tags if you'd like, though

if we'd had polls then I would've used them, but I'm making up for it now.

[toby-35]

Alden Parker x reader

Hello! another fic here! this time with Parker. I've fallen in love with the guy, so do enjoy. <3

Word count: 2407

Overview: Late night trip back to DC, staying in a hotel when things get hot.

Warning: Smut. A lot of it. 18+

Honestly not proof read but do enjoy!

It was a long night on the road heading back to NCIS, with it being completely pitch black and cold outside, you and Parker had agreed to grab a place for the night so you could both catch up on sleep and be awake for the rest of the journey tomorrow.

You opened the door to the only room you could get your hands on. “I’ll take the sofa thing-” you walked over to the sofa bed and placed your bag down.

“Nuh uh- you take the bed; you’ve done a lot of work today and need the good night sleep” Parker suggested.

“Really? Says the man that literally chased a guy 4 blocks” you quipped back.

The two of you stood there staring at each other. It was true, you had both had an exhausting day of catching criminals and the driving just didn’t help the fact. Parker put his hands on his hips. “Take the bed” his face deadpan staring at you.

“Either you take the bed or neither of us do” you responded, not acknowledging him staring at you.

“We’re both responsible adults- how bout we just share the bed? Its big enough” Parker suggested, you turned around and shrugged. “Which side do you want?”

Parker shook his head. “Just pick your side and I’ll go on the other one” You put your hands up in surrender, the pair of you could have gone on all night, who’s having the bed, which side, how many pillows, who hogs the blanket. But you both caved because you were both admittedly too tired to care.

You headed into the bathroom to clean up and wind down for the night, brushing your teeth and going to the loo, when you came back into the room, you were wearing your pj’s, you got into bed on your preferred side and got comfortable. “Damn why is it so cold?” You asked shivering under the blanket and pulling it right over you. “Its winter” Parker replied as he got on his side, he however was wearing a nice grey t-shirt with his boxers, how he wasn’t cold surpassed you.

After an hour of sleep or so, you woke up absolutely shivering cold, you got up and used the loo again while you were awake, you came back into the room and grabbed the jumper that Parker had been wearing earlier, it was quite thick so hopefully it would keep you warm. “Sorry parker” you thought to yourself as you put it on and then got back in bed.

You curled up with a pillow and tried to get back to sleep, albeit a little warmer with Parker’s jumper. He in the meantime had taken off his t-shirt because he got too warm. “You alright?” a voice peeped up, Parker, still awake. You turned over to see him looking at you.

“Freezing cold” you said with a shake in your voice. You tried closing your eyes again to go back to sleep. “Is that my jumper?” Parker asked recognising it in the dark somehow. You hummed in response, not opening your eyes.

“Well, if you’re so cold come cool me down, I’m roasting” Parker suggested, hoping you’d come lay closer to him. You caved, you needed all the heat you could get, you shuffled over to Parker, resting your head on his chest and cuddling him, his arms wrapped around you. “Better?” he asked quietly, again you just hummed in response. You closed your eyes and began feeling yourself warming up ever so slightly.

You moved your head slightly to look at Parker who was looking at you. You shared each other’s gaze for a while, not saying anything, it wasn’t awkward, you were surprised. You hadn’t realised but you were both leaning in towards each other. Your lips brushing, feeling each other’s breath on your lips. Your hand that was on Parker’s torso began slowly moving up towards his chest, your lips touched firmly, a slightly quiet moan escaping both of you as the kiss began, Parker moved his hand from your waist and began moving it up your back, pulling you ever so closer. Your hand moved from his chest to his hair, making a mess of it as you kissed. You moved a leg so it was over Parker’s.

Parker had a hand on your cheek, kissing you ever so passionately but gently, you let out a moan in the kiss which only spurred him on more. Without the both of you realising, both of your hips were making movement. With your hand still in Parker’s hair you began to lean back and rest you back on the bed, while bringing Parker closer to you, he got the memo, he placed himself over you ever so slightly, still kissing you, he made his move, his hand started trailing down from your cheek to your breasts. He stopped for a moment and parted his lips from yours, you made a slight groan as he pulled away.

“Are you okay with this?” Parker asked, being very attentive and making sure you wanted to go further. “Yes!” you breathlessly replied, pulling his lips back to yours. He needed nothing else, his hand going down to your waist and under your tops. His hand made its way back up, his hands were very gentle, he placed his hand on your breast, he perked up even more when he realised you weren’t wearing a bra. You let out a slight groan “oh- Parker” you let out. His hand made its way back down from your breast and down to your waistband.

“Alden-” he corrected you, his voice soft, his hand making its way under your waistband and below, the slight coldness of his hand made you tingle, your hips thrusted up making his fingers touch you, he made circles on your clit before slowly inserting one of his fingers, he gently moved his finger in and out before inserting another, your eyes closed as your head went back into your pillow. “Alden...” you let out in a whisper. Your hands moved from the back of his head to his cheeks.

Alden pulled his fingers out of you as he kissed you, he inserted his fingers in your mouth, you sucked your juice off his fingers and then he kissed you. He placed himself in between your legs, his bulge against your entrance. He placed his arms under your back and pulled you up close to him, sitting you up, he pulled off his jumper and your top at the same time, revealing your bare chest, he held you close to him, he gently placed you back on the bed and towered over you, kissing you, his kissed made their way from your lips down to your chest, peppering kissed all the way down until he got to your breasts. He licked and sucked your breast as he squoze them, he hummed against your breast. You let out little noises of pleasure, your hands back in his hair, gripping it in your hands.

Alden slowly made his way down from your breasts, still giving them a squeeze as he made his way to your waist. He pulled at your waistband; you lifted up slightly so he could pull them off. He threw your bottoms off the bed and got back to business, he kissed your thighs and got closer and closer to your entrance, he began exploring you with his tongue, you had a grip of his hair, directing him where to go, his tongue entered you, your grip got a bit tighter and you let out a moan.

He hummed against you as he explored you, your hips moving to get maximum pleasure. “Alden, oh my god-” he hit the spot he kept going, going a little faster, making you make so many noises. Hearing them turned him on even more, he had a little more fun and then came back up to you. Kissing you with everything he had, his bulge against you, you wrapped your legs around his waist and let go of his hair as he kissed you and grabbed the waistband of his boxers, palming his hard from the outside of his boxers, he groaned in the kiss.

Your hand made its way into his boxers, taking a hold of his hard made him groan loudly, his head whipping back, his eyes squeezed shut. You began stroking his cock, touching the tip with your thumb, that made his quiver. “Fuck- (Y/n)” you sat up and moved back slightly when Alden sat up, you pulled down his boxers and let out his cock, before he knew it, you were going down on him, excited noises coming from the back of his throat, you took him whole, his hand rested on your head, guiding you into a rhythm as he gently thrusted himself in your mouth. You moaned against his throbbing hard on, sending vibrations through his body. You slowly pulled yourself away and began kissing around his cock as you stroked him, his head moving back again.

When he regained his strength, he leaned down and kissed you, tasting himself in your mouth. His lips parted from yours. “I want you Alden” you breathed out against his lips. He wanted to take you right there and then, but without protection he wouldn’t. He got off the bed and picked you up, your legs wrapping around his waist, your arms around his neck, his hands on your ass. He kissed you while he made his way over to the sofa bed where his bag was, he placed you down for a moment while he looked in his bag, while he was leant over you kissed his hard, distracting him, he very quickly found some protection, he ripped open the wrapper there and then, he began fiddling trying to put it on, once he had the condom on he picked you back up and placed you on the edge of the bed, you were sat in front of him, he kissed you gently as he placed himself against you, you reached down, holding his cock and placed him against your entrance.

Alden slowly entered you; he moved in and out very slowly to get you comfortable and then he began picking up the pace, finding his rhythm, you both moaned lightly as you lay back against the bed, Alden leant down and kissed you as he thrusted but the pair of you were making so much noise your lips could barely stay together. “Al...den” you loudly moaned. Alden picked up his pace, you were fully taking him. He loved it when you shouted his name, it enticed him. His head was in you neck, biting and kissing you neck. “Lay down” you whispered in his ear.

Alden didn’t need telling twice, he pulled out of you and climbed onto the bed, laying on his back in the centre of the bed. You straddled him, placing his cock inside of you, taking the lead, you moved your hips against him, leading him to hit his head into the pillows, his hands landed on your ass, squeezing it tightly, he took over the lead, he thrusted himself inside of you, pulling you against him, your chests touching, he wrapped his arms around you and fucked you, hard. Both letting out noises and words that didn’t make sense, “Yes!” you let out, you placed your head in his neck, kissing him and moaning his name. he picked up his pace, fucking you with everything he had.

You were both coming to your climax, Alden turned you over and placed you on your back, he was towering over you as he finished, kissing you all over. He finished inside of you gasping as he did, “baby-” he whispered. He could see you were almost there but not quite; he fucked you a bit harder with everything he had left as you started moaning loudly “Alden- yes! I’m-” Alden pulled out of you and moved his head down to clean you up, you came in his mouth as he sucked and finished you off, his hand on your breast, your hands in his hair. Once he cleaned you up, his lips made their way back to your lips. He lay down beside you, kissing you and holding you close to him.

“you’re perfect” he said in between kisses. “Have you warmed up?” he asked with a smirk. “Yes- thank you Alden-” you responded with a smile. Alden had a smirk laying across his face, he was very obviously proud of himself, he got off the bed and headed into the bathroom, grabbing a towel and wetting it with warm water. You were confused when he left the room but he came back and cleaned you and himself up.

The pair of you managed to get comfortable again and settled, you cuddled up to each other, he held you close, you rested a hand on his beard, stroking that until you both fell asleep. Neither of you had realised until you woke up the next morning.

Both of your phones were going crazy, Alden picked his up while you were asleep. “Parker” he whispered. It was the team wondering where the two of you were, Alden handled it and then ended the call. Neither of you had moved in your sleep during the night so your head was on Alden’s chest. He placed a kiss to your forehead and moved your hair out of your face.

“Good morning sweet” Alden said quietly as you began to wake up, you ‘buried’ your head more in his chest, you were sleepy and didn’t want the night to end. You looked at him. “Good morning, Alden” you mumbled. The two of you just shared a stare. Alden placed a kiss on your lips, your body tingled like it did the night before. “Well, that puts the rumour to rest” Alden said. You looked at him with a smirk.

The chemistry you and Alden had at NCIS made everyone thinking you were dating, either that, or sleeping together. “When we get back to DC, I’m making you dinner” you told him. He pecked your lips with a smile. “I can’t wait”

The pair of you got dressed and headed out, getting in the car and driving the rest of the way back home. The next few days were going to be interesting.

-Seagull

[n-evermores]

I Want Your Midnights

Pairing: Alden Parker x Fem!reader

Word count: 1,638

Genre/Warnings: Fluff, romance, hurt/comfort if you squint, implied age gap

Summary: During squadroom talk, you admit that you never had a New Year's kiss. Everyone seems surprised, and this makes you feel like you've missed out on something special. Alden overhears the conversation and decides to do something about it.       

You exited the elevator, walking towards your desk to overhear the gang talking about New Year's countdowns and kissing. You paused, turning to place your bag on your desk with a quizzical look writ across your face. "What are you guys talking about?"

Torres turned to look at you with an almost amused smirk, "You know. A New Year's kiss. Keep up." He said, rotating his hands towards himself as if they were the thinking gears inside your brain.  

You rolled your eyes at the gesture before shaking your head. "I know, Nick." You gruffed, "Just why are you talking about it is my question?"

Knight smiled at you, a single brow quirking, "The real question is, why do you seem so sour about it?" She pried, catching everyone's attention.

"I don't," You defended before leaning back against your desk with your arms crossed over your chest. "I just don't get the tradition is all." 

"You've never been kissed on New Year's." Nick realized, exchanging a glance with McGee.

You didn't know what to say. You just stood there awkwardly. The silence and knowing stares from your team betrayed you, and you relented. "Fine!" You exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air, "I've never been kissed on New Year's! There I'll admit it."

"Seriously?" Knight asked, shaking her head at you, "That's a bummer. Perhaps this time you will."

"Why? Are you offering?" You asked in a deadpan tone, and she laughed. 

"No, I have someone in mind for me. But perhaps it'll happen for you with someone else?" She said with a grin.

"Well, I'll have to meet them today because New Year's Eve is tomorrow." You grumbled just as Parker turned the corner. 

"Chances will be slim," Parker suddenly said, holding up his phone as all of your phones pinged with a bandium alert about a body. His gaze crossed yours in a way that made your insides flutter. He obviously overheard the conversation, and you felt a little embarrassed now. You swallowed the lump in your throat before quickly moving to gather your things.

"Looks like we'll be working through the New Year." Knight lamented as the lot of you gathered into the elevator. You stole a glance at Parker, and he must have felt the weight of your gaze because he threw you a side glance. You felt your face heat up and quickly looked away from him. Your insides were jittery as your nerves began to get the best of you. Your little crush on Parker was getting out of hand. The man was old enough to be your father, yet you found yourself thinking about him in ways that stated otherwise. There was just something about him that you found so attractive. Maybe it was his mannerisms, the way he spoke, or the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Perhaps it was everything. 

-

Knight wasn't wrong when she said you would be working through the new year. It was New Year's Eve, and you weren't even close to cracking the case. You sat in the squadroom, digging through old files that may help connect the dots to your case. You covered your mouth, stifling a yawn just as Parker walked in. It was just the two of you. The lights were dimmed because everyone but your team had gone home. Kasie was still down in her lab, McGee was talking with Palmer while Torres and Knight were off doing something else. You were all working late, trying to bring justice to your dead naval officer, but it seemed you continuously ran into dead ends. 

"Why don't you go home? Get some rest, and we can pick this up again in the morning." Parker suggested, standing right next to your desk. You turned your chair to look up at him through tired eyes and shook your head. You glanced at your phone to see it was ten minutes until midnight. You could be celebrating, but honestly, the only people would want to celebrate with were all in the building with you. Your team was your family and all you had. 

"I may as well stay. It's nearly midnight anyway."

Parker cracked a smile, "Yeah, but you still have ten minutes to find that person to share that New Year's kiss with." He said.

You felt your face flush hot. So he did hear that conversation. You ran your hands through your hair, and your eyes averted to his mouth. "Very funny. Unless he pops out from the elevator, I'm afraid that will not happen."

He chuckled, squatting slightly to knock your knees with his, "Go on, get out of here." He reached down to help you stand, and you graciously took his hands, allowing him to pull you to your feet. You were standing right before him, and he was dangerously close to you. You lifted your chin to meet his gaze and smiled. "Happy New Year, Parker." 

He returned the gesture, his mouth tugging into a gentle smile that matched his hazel eyes, "Not quite yet." He said back in a whisper, and the two of you just stood there in silence, looking at each other as if waiting for something to happen. You wanted to steal a glance at your phone and check the time, but you were a little lost in Parker's eyes. Your lips suddenly felt dry, and your tongue darted out to apply moisture. This time, his eyes roved down to look at your mouth. You noticed and felt your body flush. 

"Well, I suppose I should get going. Don't wanna miss that guy in the elevator." You laughed uneasily. Parker must have found this amusing because his eyes crinkled, and he released a humorless laugh.

"Doubt it." He said before glancing down at his phone. "Five more minutes."

"Yeah, the chances are slim, as you said. One more year without a New Year kiss won't hurt." You decided with a little shrug. "Wanna wait for the countdown?"

"Sure, why not?" He shifted slightly, halfway sitting on your desk with his arms crossed. "Did you initially have plans for tonight?" He asked, making conversation until the countdown. 

You remained standing, turning to face him. You released a long sigh, "No. I didn't. I was going to check if you guys were doing something." You admitted.

"Of course, I would have invited you over if you had nowhere to go." He assured you, "If we didn't have the case getting in our way."

"I know. And I appreciate that." You replied before looking around the empty squadroom. "Too bad we don't have champagne. Isn't that what people drink for this occasion?"

He smirked, "Yeah. You know. Have you never celebrated The New Year before?" 

You were sure the embarrassment was writ all over your face. "Of course I have."

"No kiss. Not sure about the champagne. I'm starting to think you haven't." He didn't sound judgmental about it, but it was definitely an assumption on his part. 

"I have, just not in the usual way I guess." You shrugged again, "Too bad the rest of the team couldn't join us.." 

He made a non-committal sound at your words, shifting a little on the desk to get more comfortable, or perhaps he felt out of place or awkward. You couldn't tell. "I suppose, yeah." He stared back at you in a way you couldn't quite place. Parker was hard to read sometimes. He was kind to you and seemed to be a little softer with you than everyone else. Not that he was ever really hard on anyone, but you always felt he treated you a little differently. He glanced down at his phone, "Well, look at that. It's midnight." 

Your heart felt a little heavy at his words. "Oh. Just like that, huh?" You asked, and his gaze averted to your face. It's almost as if he read you. As if he knew you felt alone at that moment. It was the New Year, and you were standing by your desk at work and didn't even notice the countdown. 

"Come here." He said, holding his arms out for you, and you immediately stepped forward for him to envelope you in a warm hug. He squeezed you tightly before pulling back some to look down at you. "You okay?"

Your breath came out shaky at how close he was, and you gave a slight nod, your eyes averting to his mouth again. Confliction flickered in his gaze, and you saw his adam's apple bob nervously. He inched closer to your lips, his eyes never leaving yours. He was letting you know what he was doing, allowing you to stop him if you wanted. You gave a small nod of assent. You couldn't believe this was even happening and that Parker was about to kiss you.

The moment his lips touched yours, tingles shot through you, and your heart in your chest felt like it would burst into a million little stars. His mouth opened against yours, urging you to do the same. You reached up for him, your fingers digging into his hair. You would have kept kissing him if it wasn't for the need to breathe. He kept you in his arms but pulled back enough to look into your eyes.

 He searched your gaze, and you gave him a dazed smile. "Happy New Year, Y/N." He whispered.

"Happy New Year, Park." You said before shifting closer to rest your chin against his shoulder, and he tightened his arms around your body. You weren't ready to let go of him just yet. 

[bloodstainedbarn]

hes just SO CUTE

[dr-wormman]

Yayyy happy new year!… the initial version of this is probably a month old but I didn't like it and decided to go back and fix it

[shadowsofthegun-if]

Wait, so to my understanding Jesse and Adrian were involved romantically at some point, right? (If I'm wrong just delete this least I die of embarrassment)

So what are Jesse's thoughts on Blessing showing interest (physical/romantic) in Adrian?

Don't worry anon you're correct!! Jesse and Adrian had a thing going on for a few years but ended up having a pretty huge falling out that caused them to go separate ways

When Jesse finds out that Blessing has any interest in Adrian he is so upset he genuinely doesn't know what to do. He's done everything he can to make sure that Blessing and Adrian don't meet and the one time he doesn't this happens. He'll go into full-blown protective older brother mode and do everything he can to try to get Adrian to back off and to get Blessing to see that Adrian is not the type of person they need to be messing with. Overall he's a wreck and he's scrambling to find a way to stop any type of relationship from developing

[crymeariveronceagain]

(When does a comet become a meteor?) (When does a candle become a blaze?) Forgive me (When does a reason become the blame?) Forgive me (When does a man become a monster?) Forgive me ~ Just A Man, by Jorge Rivera-Hernans

Grady Ruewen has been an emissary since he got out of the Elite levels at Foxfire. He loves his job, he loves what it means for him and his family. But Grady has one thing that not many others do. A code of morals that grips him in its teeth and shakes him like a dog with a chewy toy. Grady can never run, can never hide, from truth and righteousness. Perhaps it's why he's never been shady enough to be a particularly good emissary. Perhaps that's why, after he lost his daughter, he quit.

Perhaps this was the worst possible day for Grady to go back to work. But he's back at work.

AKA: Hey what if Grady hates the council and abandoned his post as an emissary for a really really really fricked up reason?

~~~

I hope this makes every last one of you cry! It has been giving me brainworms for far too long!!! I was really going for something here and I hope you all enjoy it.

Here’s the song that it’s based on, btw:

[r0w0fie]

I don't regret anything

Play spot the Ren

Characters belong to @sinfulforrest @solarchaotica @artisanwatrofficialblog @carnivorekitty & peeps