#the rainmaker: chapter 4

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 4: Splash Zone

From: The Rainmaker Series

Pairing: Mob! Steve x Forensic Scientist! Reader

Summary: Ups and downs are just another part of your week. This time, it would seem all the ups have to do with Steve.

Word count: 3,969

Content/warnings: swears, mean coworker Det. John Walker, nice coworker Det. Scott Lang, a gift, boxing and punching, puddles, verbal altercations, hidden happiness and feelings, hidden occupations, unwanted attention, wanted attention (not from the same person)

Author’s Note: Enjoy this next installment of the awkward little bean and his journey of getting the cold scientist to warm up to him.

I love hearing your feedback! I’d appreciate it more than you know if you took the time to leave an ask, comment, or reblog in addition to your like. Thank you for reading!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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You came in to work on Tuesday afternoon to a gift basket waiting at your desk - the desk outside just outside the lab that you hardly used since you were so swamped with cases lately. You were set to work well past midnight tonight, and had only packed a lunch, so you were sure the little snacks you could see peeking through the clear packaging would prove helpful for the hours you planned on being glued to screens doing data analysis. You could definitely swing doing all your work out here instead of cooped up for once.

Not only was there a gift basket, but a decently large paper bag sitting on your desk that had seemingly already been ripped open. Great. Someone already contaminated the crime scene. As you peeked over the cellophane wrapping of the obscenely large basket, you were greeted by a certain detective, leaning back in your rolling chair, feet kicked up on the desk, to-go container and fork in hand.

“Hey, Decky! About time you came in. Your pasta was getting cold, so I thought I’d help you out with it. There’s so much here!”

Your brows furrowed as you observed detective Lang slurping down a bite of carbonara, the container already half gone.

“What the hell, Scott? What is going on?”

Scott shrugged and used his fork to swirl up another bite. “What? Not like you were gonna finish all of that pasta in one go. Figured I’d take some off your hands.”

“Wha-“ you stood there, flabbergasted, mouth opening and closing while you contemplated your next words. You grabbed the receipt on the paper bag to see the contents listed, with ‘SR’ written in red sharpie at the bottom. It looked like it was all your favorites from Steve’s restaurant, plus some new items.

Your confusion increased as you pushed Scott’s feet off your desk and scooted over to read the card on the gift basket.

“Sorry our night got a little interrupted. Buck appreciates the kindness, though. Feel free take it all out on me. I’ve got a knock-out time planned for us. -SR”

There was an address on the back and an additional note for you to meet him there after your Thursday shift. And to… wear athletic clothes? What?

An amused smile began to creep onto your lips before the realization came crashing down and you whipped around. “Hold on a second, what the fuck, Scott!? You’re eating my gift!! Not to mention something that a civilian dropped off at a police precinct. That could have been poisoned!”

Scott laughed as he set down his fork in the container. “Nah, I knew it at least wasn’t poisoned. One of Steve’s guys dropped it off.”

You grabbed the lid off your desk and placed it on Scott’s pasta container before ripping it from his hands. “Hey! I wasn’t done yet!”

He leaned forward to grab it back out of your hands before you whisked it away again. “Ah ah, no. Answer my questions first and then you can have my pasta back.”

Scott sighed exasperatedly, his shoulders slumping forward. “Okay, fine. What do you want to know? That’s really good carbonara and I want it back ASAP.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why it was sent to me. Now, tell me how you know one of Steve’s guys dropped it off… and what do you mean by ‘Steve’s guys?’”

Scott shrugged again. Some detective he was. “I don’t know. I was at my desk when I saw it all get delivered. You know how Steve is. He’s got those delivery boys that help him out. Sure, I consider him a pal but I don’t ask too many questions about that. I understand he’s a busy guy. You’re just lucky I commandeered the area before Walker caught a whiff. That’s literally all I know. Now it’s time for you to answer my question.”

You rolled your eyes and begrudgingly handed him back the container. “Okay fine. You’re lucky I like you way better than that street rat, Walker. You get one question. One.”

Scott smirked at you as he popped off the lid and threw it back over your desk calendar. “Now I know Steve and I are well acquainted, but what’s he doing sending you things? You do him a special favor or something?”

You sighed and crossed your arms and legs, leaning back and squinting at your closest work friend. “First of all, that was two questions. And second of all, no. You know I’m not in the habit of sharing confidential information. If you must know, Steve and I are…friends. And we hung out, like once…or twice, but there was kind of a wrench thrown in the second one. I think this is his way of making it up to me.”

His grin grew toothy. “Yeah, okay. ‘Friends.’” He put up his hand that wasn’t holding food in air quotes. “Whatever you say, bud. Steve and I have been friends for half a decade, but you don’t see me getting gift baskets and lunch deliveries.”

You shook your head as you spun his chair around and nudged it forward for him to get out. “Well, I wouldn’t complain if I were you, bud, because you’ve evidently benefitted from the gift nonetheless. Don’t you have crimes to solve?”

Scott hopped out of the chair with a startle at your aggressive push. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Enjoy your little present from your boy. I’ll be back later to talk to you about those tests you ran last last week I asked for. And for some snacks.” He winked before running off, ducking to scarf down the rest of his meal.

You sighed before plopping down into your seat and hiding behind the basket and your computer monitor, trying to keep your excitement under wraps. You untied the ribbon at the top of the present and pulled down the rustling covering to finally take a look at everything inside. The contents were…broad… to say the least.

On top were some scrunchies, the exact ones you loved to use to pull your hair back in the lab, actually. And under that were duplicates of all the snacks Steve had brought over to your place the previous weekend that you still had in abundance.

Your cabinets were going to be endlessly stocked at this rate. In there, too, you found an adorable teddy bear dressed up in a suit. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was supposed to look like someone who was growing all too familiar. But next to it was also a stuffed hedgehog and otter wearing the same? He must’ve seen your one hedgehog flower pot on the mantle and assumed it was your favorite. Now the otter, that was an interesting choice, although not unfounded. Maybe he knew you were a card carrying member of the zoo and aquarium.

Speaking of flower pots, though, as you dug to the bottom to see an assortment of candles, your perusing of the varieties of scents was cut short by another delivery.

Two men came in holding flower pots and vases. From what you could make out, there was a small cactus and a fern, and a large arrangement that seemed to hold one of every single type and color of flower under the sun being carried by the first man. You peered over the contents of your desk to see Detective Lang nodding at you. Great, this was drawing attention.

The second delivery boy came with a huge vase full of red roses, to which Scott shrugged and shook his head, pointing and mouthing, “that one’s not one of Steve’s guys,” to you.

Before you could get up to even look at the cards to the flowers, a manifestation of the unwanted attention you had garnered was sauntering over to your desk in the form of Detective John Walker. Literally the worst guy here. The only reason he was a detective was because he was so focused on pleasing the dude bros of superior management, but God forbid he take advice from you or any female officer on the force.

Before you could stop him, he reached out and grabbed the card out of the roses. “Got a secret admirer, Decky?”

You rolled your eyes, tempted to slap his hand and keep him away from your stuff. “Don’t call me that. Only friends call me that.”

He laughed as he read the small piece of card stock he fiddled with between his fingers. “What about Lucas Bell? Seems like he’s a friend, and maybe more than that for sending you a bouquet like this.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. Lucas? You searched through the other arrangements to see if there was another card, which you found in the colorful, less aggressive bouquet. SR. Somehow the both of them had sent you flowers on the same day? What was Lucas doing sending you flowers? You literally never talked to him. You made sure of that as much as possible. It was so odd.

From what you could gather, Steve had sent you the gorgeous flowers, along with the potted plants, and a single wooden yellow rose you hadn’t noticed before. Sure, it was… a lot, but it was tasteful, and something about it made you warm. Poor thing really just sent one of everything possible, but it was the kindest gesture that had happened for you in a long time. If this was the apology you got for something as simple as an interruption from Bucky on something you weren’t even sure was a date, then there’s no telling what else Steve could possibly have up his sleeve. His ridiculous, designer sleeve.

In a strong juxtaposition, though, looking at the bouquet from Lucas almost made you sick to your stomach. Such a forward flower to send out of the blue to someone who you almost never talk to. You knew you couldn’t call and complain to your mom about this, either, because she’d say something about him being so sweet and famous. Like those were good markers in a partner: fake television demeanor qualities.

Walker set down the card again and began to rifle through the contents of your gift basket. “Man, looks like Lucas really wants you to go on a date with him. Sent you all these sweets and said so in the card. Mind if I steal some?”

This time you did smack John’s hand, giving him a scowl. “This isn’t all from Lucas. Only those stupid roses over there are. And no, you can’t have anything. This is my stuff. God, for being a detective you’re terrible at reading the room. Now leave.”

Walker raised his hands in compliance and walked away. “Damn, okay. Don’t think it’s fair Lang gets pasta and I get hit, but whatever. Enjoy your love letters.”

You rolled your eyes before going over to the other side of the desk and reading the card from the roses. As much as you hated it, Walker was right. Lucas was asking to meet up. Just for a nice walk along the river. Sure, that seemed like an enjoyable activity, but only with someone you knew well enough to hold conversation. And he was more of the type to talk at you than with you.

You took the vase of roses over to the break room, placing them on the center of the table and shoved the card in your desk drawer before sitting back down again at the space cleared of everything except for what Steve had sent. When you peered around, you were satisfied by the reduction in glares your way as you sniffed through the remaining candle scents and chose what pasta to eat while working through your shift. Only Detective Lang was witness to the dopey smile on your face.

By the time Thursday had come around, you had finished all of your pasta leftovers and burned through a candle and a half, thoroughly enjoying all Steve had left you, even though you could tell some of the items were him throwing darts at a wall and hoping one would hit just right. But the thing was, just about everything in that basket was a straight bullseye.

You parked your car and got out on the busy street, dressed in a pantsuit from having to stand witness in a trial earlier. You were in the middle of a city block with shop windows recessed into the ground, standing at the top of a staircase, preparing to head down with a bag containing your athletic clothes in hand. You tightened the hair held up with your new scrunchie and took a deep breath. It looked like an old gym. Not quite what you expected, so you pulled out your phone to double check you got the right place. In your state of minor distraction, you just barely clocked the sound of shouting and pounding footsteps coming from your side. But by the time you looked up to see a man sprinting towards you, it was too late. He shoved you out of his way, down into a puddle. You were barely able to sit up enough to see someone else chasing him, far behind and much slower. You squinted as the form changed from a jog to a walk and came into focus. Walker. He threw his arms up in exasperation when he saw it was you.

“Way to fucking go, Decks. You let my perp get away!”

You stood up out of the stagnant water, brushing yourself off ineffectively as it had already soaked into the material. Luckily, you were going to be changing soon anyway, but after that and everything else, today was not the day for Walker to get all high and mighty with you.

“Walker, that’s not my job. How was I supposed to know that was your perp? Or a perp at all?”

He rolled his eyes and threw his hands to his hips, looking at your bag that still was thrown to the side on the ground, not making an effort to pick it up. “Who else would be running in a city? Obviously someone guilty!”

You bent down to grab the dusty duffle and slung it over your shoulder, cocking your head to your side. Your voice was becoming sharper, meaner. “People run in the city all the time, but that’s besides the point. How am I supposed to ID any of your perps if you refuse to tell anyone about your cases or let them help you until it’s too late? The reason that guy got away is your fault because I wasn’t properly informed. Maybe if you weren’t so wrongfully prideful and said where you were going or who you were going after before you left, you could’ve had backup. From someone actually on shift.”

Walker groaned and straightened his arm out past your shoulder, gesturing towards the direction where the man ran. “I was assuming you would take on that responsibility and be able to see the man very evidently running away from me, but no, you were stupid. Just like how you were about Lucas Bell. Maybe if you were smart, you would’ve taken him up on that date. Yeah, I saw how you discarded those roses. But just like the way you shove off your work, you shoved him off.”

You scoffed. Your annoyance made it so you couldn’t hear a jingle of a bell from the door down the steps behind you open while John was yapping on and on. “What does that have to do with anything right now!? Walker, I don’t shove off work, and if I’m stupid, you’re a literal brick. I’ve told you time and time again, I’m working dozens of cases at a time to your one, so you can hop off my back. Plus, I’m not a detective, but by the fact that you are, I can’t believe you’d be so brainless.”

You watched as his boastfully broad shoulders began to slump into an almost cowering form, so you kept going. “And what’s up with your obsession with Lucas Bell? I see the way you throw yourself at him at every crime scene. Do you think he’s going to give you some sort of connection? You’re a cop. You should be the one with connections! Is it a crush? Go home. To. Your. Wife.”

You were heaving breaths after your rant as you felt a presence loom over your shoulder. You turned to see what it was, only to be met by a familiar chest, upon which sat a head of messy blond hair, connected by a pair of shoulders that were begging to be let out of the confines of their white t-shirt and a thick neck somewhere in the middle. Steve.

He looked down and gave you a smile before shooting an intimidating gaze at Walker. “I believe you heard her. Go. Home.”

John simply nodded and turned to jog away in the direction from where he came, not daring to look back.

Your eyes stayed on Steve, but you didn’t share his smile, still frustrated with the situation. “I was handling that.”

He simply nodded, grabbing your bag off your shoulder and putting his hand on the small of your back to guide your down the stairs. “I could tell. You were doing a great job. Bullies need stood up to. I really don’t like them.”

You laughed dryly, walking through the door he held open for you. “Yeah, he’s pretty much as awful as it gets.”

You walked in to see the old gym, occupied mostly by a bunch of older guys using punching bags on the other side of a boxing ring, but otherwise empty. No one even spared the two of you a confused or judging glance. Steve gently directed you to the back of the room, handing your bag back and gesturing to a locker room. “You can go ahead and change in here. No one will bother you. And then come find me in the ring.”

He left you with a wink and a pat on the back.

Throwing endless punches was just what you needed after that whole altercation with Walker, and Steve was more than happy to oblige. He stood opposite you in the ring, giving small directions and corrections you were taking exceptionally well. After the initial rage wore off, the two of you stopped for water.

Steve handed you your bottle as he took a sip of his own. He had been relatively quiet so far, so you decided to ask him a question that was on your mind. “So why here? Why’d you want to go boxing?”

That wasn’t a question he was expecting, and it wasn’t one he wanted to truthfully answer. Sure, the two of you had hung out before, but this isn’t the usual destination of a date, much less a third date. If he was being honest, it was because he wanted to make sure you knew self defense. With your proximity to him and Bucky, it wasn’t out of the question that you might need those skills if the time came. When the time came, when he could finally bring himself to tell you about his job outside of the businesses you knew.

Instead, he just shrugged one shoulder, sliding the sparring mitts back on his hands. “Thought it might be a good release of pent up energy. Lang told me you had to sit for a court case today, figured you’d want to blow off some steam. And now that I see what other stuff you’ve got to deal with on a daily basis, I’m wondering why I haven’t asked you to join me every day. You need it after working with a douche like Walker. Although, I’m not sure if my poor hands could handle much more.”

He feigned a pout as you let out a breathy laugh, putting your gloves back on, as well, agreeing with his assessment. As the two of you stepped back into the center of the ring and started another round, albeit slower, Steve piped up. “Okay, my turn. What’s the deal with Lucas Bell? I heard you two talking about him. Did you guys mean the news reporter?”

You sighed, doing your best to keep a rhythm to your punches and ducking under Steve’s arm. “Uh, yeah. That’s the one. Lucas and I grew up together, so he contacts me every now and again. Sent flowers to my work the other day. Asked to take me for a date on the riverwalk, but I turned it down.”

Steve shuffled lightly on his feet, keeping you on your toes. He did his best to imbue his tone with genuine curiosity and nothing else. “Why’d you say no?”

You stopped in your tracks, but kept your arms up. “Well, do you think I should’ve said yes?”

Steve felt something in his gut at that. Of course he didn’t want you to have said yes, but he had no jurisdiction over that. And he still wasn’t exactly sure what was going on between the two of you. Whether or not you considered it friendship or something more like he had wanted it to be. “Well, I’m not in charge of you.”

You nodded and went back to throwing soft punches. “That’s right. But you should know, he’s historically not my favorite. He’s nice and all, I guess, but I honestly can’t stand him. Never been able to since we were kids. Everyone always thought it was nice that he would bring me flowers and stuff but it was just obsessive and weird to me. I never bought into his charms like all our neighbors expected me to. Anyway, I enjoy someone else’s company a little more.”

Steve hung on to the last part of your statement. Were you talking about him? He hoped so. But after getting caught up in the thought of that, he didn’t realize he had stopped moving until you gave him a punch on the shoulder.

Instead of flinching or being upset, though, he just shared your playful smirk at the dreamy look on his face and replied with a quip. “C’mon, Decky. You can hit harder than that. Where’s all that energy? I thought the pasta I sent you would have helped to carboload for today.”

You laughed and mixed it with a deep breath before going back in, harder. “Oh trust me, I could do this all day. And thanks for that gift by the way, it was really nice of you.”

Your eyes caught his sparkling blue ones for a second, sharing sincerity. “Any time. Honestly. You can go into any of my restaurants whenever you want and get anything you desire. On me. Just say your name and they’ll know.”

You shook your head free of his earnest gaze. “Steve, that’s no way to run a business. You can’t just give handouts to everyone.”

“They’re not for everyone. Just for you. Let me do this. That way you never have to worry about cooking for yourself on those hard days when you get home late. You can enjoy a carefree night out, or the celebration of a solved case. Let me at least do that for you.”

You finally relented, dropping your head to your chest before finally beginning to punch Steve’s hands as hard as you were at the beginning of the session. You next word came through clenched teeth, partially from his persistence and the smile you were trying to bite back at just how giving he was willing to be for you. “Fine.”

Steve smiled brightly at your new found energy and the acceptance of his offer. “Atta girl.”

Next >

Bonus A/N: we all know a Walker, but we all deserve to know a Steeb

Series Taglist: @evie-119

[floofyfungi]

What do the rainmakers think of Alexis after this latest chapter? I have to wonder because it seems like she saved Novastorm from a world of hurt.

What about Thundercracker? Even he seems pretty shocked with how she talked to Starscream.

Novastorm and Ionstorm will reappear in chapter 4 so you will learn more about their thoughts soon :) Acidstorm is just relieved Novastorm didn't lose a wing.

Thundercracker is even more confused than he was before. He's known Starscream his whole life, his brother does not tolerate cheek. Especially in front of his soldiers. The fact he listened to Alexis and didn't threaten her once would be weird if Alexis was a decepticon soldier who had earned her stripes. But this is an organic child. He'd expect Starscream to kill her for having the audacity to exist in his presence!

Essentially his reaction the entire time was:

Thundercracker thinks Alexis is a lunatic with no survival instincts. But one Starscream appears to be fond of. So he'll do his best to keep this weird human alive.

[sawdusst]

Coroika Pirate AU Main Thread! ⚓

Here is all of the stuff for my Coroika Pirate AU! I’ll update this as I post more :] Hope you enjoy!

(Edit: some of the art/information may be outdated or subject to change.)

Pirate AU part 1 (the S4 + background info) 

Pirate AU part 2 (Rider, Gloves, Emperor, Prince, etc.) 

Pirate AU part 3 (X-Blood, Wireglasses, Barreleye, & Hivemind)

Pirate AU part 4 (Krakens, Tako, & more on Prince/Emperor)

The Guardians ft. Hivemind (and also a bit on Prince)

The Shadows  ← a bit outdated!

A slight change (Shellmet is now captain!) 

Updated flags

====== [ ⚓ ] ======

Written stuff 🖋️:

The Rainmaker Heist

Theft of a Crew:

Intro

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Last updated: 12/3/23

[thefoldedbird]

Alright I've got one chapter finished and posted, six more chapters outlined and a decent beginning on chapters 2 and 4. This is going better than I thought. I don't have any motivation to sit down and actually write more chapters currently but I want to at least get a solid outline started on chapter 8.

Also I keep calling Skyfire, Jetfire and it's starting to break my brain. I just know I'm going to catch myself skipping back and forth between the two while writing but this fic is basically set in G1 and he's Skyfire in G1.

Also fuck the rainmakers, gimmie all the background weirdos no one remembers so I can stick them in the story and make them do weird shit.

I suddenly have Starscream/Jetfire brainrot and 700 words of a draft plucked from the ether with no idea where it's going. My only plans are slow burn, emotional self-torture, not-so-unrequited love on both sides, romantic denial, hints of past/current romantic abuse and eventual budding romance.

So like...this is gonna take forever and a day. Consume my year perhaps. Or I'll post one chapter and get bored out of my mind with the concept. It's a gamble honestly.

[slippinmickeys]

Of the Eight Winds, Part 8

This is the last chapter (there will be an epilogue) from the prompt from @sunflowerseedsandscience : “Mulder is unhappily married when Scully is partnered with him, and while he doesn’t cheat (because sorry that’s not romantic), he falls for her so hard that he finally gets the courage to end the marriage and start fresh.”

Links to parts one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven.

1

He wanted to go to Scully’s door the second he left the courtroom after his divorce was finalized but it felt sordid, fast. He needs to try to be on his own, live in his own head, if only for a few weeks, months. The thing is, needs and wants are two different things.

They took a few out of state cases, and one local one. He discovered that she had a cat.

Skinner sent her to the West Coast and after three days, he decided he was done waiting.

2

His divorce was final and their coupling was imminent. She could feel the inevitable slide toward him like she was teetering on a hillside, his pull as inexorable as gravity.

They were tentative and shy with each other in the office, and the whole waiting thing felt as stupid as it felt necessary. She had to wait until he came to her. The weeks grinded on, a weight pressing onto her.

Skinner asked her for a consult and so she flew west. With every mile that passed below her, something unclenched around her heart, so by the time she pulled into the small parking lot of the Santa Barbara Field Office, she felt an insouciant lightness.

The local SAC was a woman, and they formed an instant rapport. On her last night, Agent Fielding took her to a small tasting room just off the beaten path and they got tipsy on the local Pinot Noir and shared trench stories from the field and Quantico.

“I had this one case,” Fielding said, draining the last of her glass, “where the local Sheriff called the two other male agents working the case ‘Special Agent,’ but insisted on calling me ‘Miss.’”

Scully gave an exaggerated eye roll.

“Exactly,” Fielding went on, “Finally, I told him if he was going to call me miss, he’d better use my last name along with it, and when he asked what it was, I told him it was ‘Andry.’”

“Oh no,” Scully said.

“Oh yes. That fucker called me Miss Andry for the better part of a week and had no clue.”

They both laughed.

“Tell me about your partner,” Fielding said, running her fingers over the rim of her glass.

“Mulder?” Scully said, “He’s never treated me as anything but an equal.”

“So he’s a good one, huh?”

“The best,” Scully said, missing him suddenly.

As if they shared a heart, her cell phone chirped from her pocket.

It was after midnight on the East Coast.

“Mulder, everything okay?” she said, holding up a finger to Fielding, who watched with interest.

“I miss you,” he said, point blank, “when are you coming home?”

She could feel her cheeks color, adrenaline dumping into her bloodstream.

“Tomorrow,” she said. Tomorrow is a Friday.

“Tomorrow,” he said, the word imbued with implication. They both hung up.

“One of those good ones,” Fielding said, wearing a knowing smile.

Scully nodded, returned the smile. He was.

When she flew back east, his pull was as strong as the jet stream, and everything about the air was verging, each breath in; anticipation, each breath out; hope.

3

Two weeks in and she didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. This kind of sex was as desperate as it was sweet; pure and carnal and sybaritic. They’d scarcely left the bed in two days and she was certain by Monday she’d barely be able to walk.

She stared at her reflection, at her bee-stung lips, the beard burn scrape along her throat. It was 7:00am, time for her contraceptive. She’d gotten on the pill a month ago, and even as she understood the science, she has the urge to take two, just in case—she’d never had so much sex in her life.

Pop it through the foil, water from the faucet. She let it drip onto her bare chest from her chin.

When she got back into bed, Mulder, newly awake, reached for her.

“Is there a word for this?” he whispered to her, his nose pressing into her neck, his erection into her thigh.

“Satyriasis,” she said clinically, and he huffed a laugh into her skin.

“I knew you’d know,” he said.

She rolled to face him.

“I was thinking we could just call it love,” she said, and she saw emotion reach his eyes.

He gave her a tiny, serious nod.

4

They investigated a mercenary rainmaker in a drought-stricken Midwestern town and encountered a force more powerful than the weather. Here was a man who may love a woman with more passion and devotion than he loved Scully. He was humbled before him; a man with the improbable name of Holman Hardt.

When Holman came to him for advice, he gave it freely. Yes, he was in love with Agent Scully. There was a reason for the mutual gazing. He told him how he had been married to someone else but had been in love with her for five years before he had the courage to end his marriage and tell Scully how he felt. He encouraged Holman to do the same.

“If you love her,” Mulder said, growing emotional despite the ridiculousness of the entire case, “Holman, you gotta tell her.”

Holman marched to Sheila’s office and kissed her soundly.

The happy couple invited him and Scully to join them at their high school reunion, and they surprised themselves by accepting.

They danced to 10CC and The Hues Corporation and they drank watered down cocktails and made out in a high school hallway.

When they flew out the next day, the clouds--every last one from here into the horizon—were in the shape of hearts.

5

“There’s a place I want to show you,” he said, “get dressed.”

He hauled on jeans and had to lift up Blackwell to find his other sock, which she’d been using as a pillow.

He’d been wanting to broach the topic of moving in together for months, though when he’d asked her five minutes ago, he did so casually, like he’d only just thought of it.

When they pulled up to 42 Magnolia Avenue in Alexandria, Scully looked over at him, confused.

“Mulder, what is this?” she asked.

The house was gorgeous. It was a two-level, craftsman-inspired behemoth with a large two car garage and a deep front yard. There were twin magnolia trees on the front of the property, and while the yard was shaded, it got lots of light.

“It’s an Open House,” he said, not quite lying.

“Mulder, we could never afford this,” she said, looking at the neighboring houses. This was a neighborhood of lobbyists, congressmen, even. The lots were large, beautiful, and so were the homes.

“So?” he said, stepping out of the car, “we’ll get an idea of what we like.”

She looked dubious, but got out of the car, too.

When they got to the front door, the realtor opened it and gave Mulder a nod.

“Welcome,” she said, “come on in and take a look around.”

“Wow,” Scully said, impressed. The foyer wasn’t overly large, but was big enough for bench seating and and had a decent sized closet. But what was beyond the foyer seemed to have grabbed her attention. It opened up to a large open concept living room that rolled into an impressive kitchen. The appliances were new and stainless steel. There was a fireplace in the corner and a large bay window that looked out over a spacious back yard dotted with dogwoods and lined with large trees.

After touring the upstairs (“Blackwood would love the sun in that third bedroom,” she said “and that master bath is lovely,”) she came to stand in front of the big window in the living room, looking out over the back. The realtor was standing in the kitchen with her arms behind her back and a confident smile on her face.

“So,” Mulder said, coming up behind her, “can you see yourself living in a house like this?”

“Only if I’d married that thoracic surgeon,” she said wistfully, stepping into him and smiling into his chin.

“Is that a yes?” Mulder said.

“It’s a yes,” she said, tilting her head back, “this house is perfect. Maybe it’ll be up for sale in another 20 years when I’m running the Bureau.”

Mulder turned to the realtor.

“What do you think, Marie? Could you see us in this house 20 years from now?”

“And beyond,” Marie said, with a pleased smile.

Mulder nodded at her and she nodded back, stepping out into the foyer and closing the front door behind her softly.

“Mulder?” Scully said, giving him a look, “what’s going on?”

“I’m glad you like the house, Scully,” he said, leaning down to give the end of her nose a gentle peck, “it’s yours.”

Despite the huge fight it had caused, he was glad he had gone ahead with the pre-nup with Lauren. The money he’d inherited from his maternal grandmother had finally been put to good use.

Scully’s brows were creased in confusion.

“Both of our names are on the deed,” he said, “it’s just waiting for your signature. Marie has it out in her car.”

6

In Winston-Salem, she would not leave his bedside. He was her medical puzzle to solve and she left the policing to Skinner. Weaver, Drs. Voss and Scobie, even the malevolent Morley Tobacco Company, none of them mattered. Eventually, she figured it out, and Mulder was saved.

It wasn’t until nearly a week later that she looked at her birth control pack and realized that the days did not line up. Somewhere in North Carolina, she lost track of time.

7

Scully was waiting on a bench outside of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History when he pushed Lily up in the stroller. The baby was making fretting noises, just on the verge of all-out tears. She stood when they approached.

“Hey you two, everything go okay?”

Mulder nodded and kicked the brake on the stroller, lifting the muslin blanket he’d had draped over the top of the bassinet compartment.

“Someone’s getting hungry,” he said, and Scully reached in and pulled Lily out, sitting down on the bench and unhooking the strap of her nursing bra.

Mulder dug a hand deep into the pocket of his jeans as if checking for change before he sat down next to her. Lily latched on and began to nurse. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind Scully’s ear.

“Is Lauren okay?” Scully asked kindly.  

He leaned back, surveying the mall behind the Smithsonian.

“She’s good,” he said.

“I’m glad.”

He felt a sense of peace descend on him. A part of him had always felt responsible for the bad years with Lauren--he should have never asked her to marry him in the first place. To see her happy and light brought him a lightness, too.

8

His father died when Lily was 15 and William was 12. The whole of the Scully/Mulders packed up for a week and drove up to Massachusetts.

His mother met them there from Raleigh, looking frail. There was a dowager’s hump starting to form on her spine and her hair looked thin and impossibly white. Looking at his father’s casket, he felt all of his fifty-five years.

He recognized nearly everyone at the wake, but there was a woman lingering over the cheese plate that looked out of place, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. When he approached her, she drifted away ahead of him and he was about to search for her in earnest when Scully grabbed him by the arm.

“I’m going to take the kids down to the beach, give them a little reprieve from Aunt Edna asking about Tinder.”

He nodded, kissed her cheek.

He was grabbed by a distant cousin as soon as Scully left his side, and was caught in small talk for the next forty five minutes.

9

“You’re… you’re what?” he asked, certain he didn’t hear right. He’d been expecting the worst.

“Pregnant,” she said again, and for a moment he was too stunned by the reversal. Then it dawned on him that it was not bad news. That it was traditionally good news.

He grabbed her face in both hands and bent his knees until his face was level with hers.

“Holy shit ,” he said, practically laughing. He flashed on the moment he found out she was pregnant with Lily and felt a kind of synergy.

“You’re happy?” she asked, hedging.

“I’m… are you ?”

“I’m stunned,” she said, “after Will was born…”

Mulder remembered her slick hand in his, her white-knuckled grip when Dr. Wong told them she would no longer be able to conceive.

He dropped to his knees before her, put his hands on her hips, his forehead over her womb. After a moment he leaned back.

“We got rid of all our baby stuff,” he said.

“We did,” she said.

“We specifically had a garage sale to get rid of it.”

“Yes.”

“Our hoity-toity neighbors were really irritated by the whole thing.”

“They were.”

“We’re going to have to buy all new stuff,” he said, his enthusiasm starting to wane.

“We are,” she said, “though the safety stuff would be expired now, anyway.”

The wheels were spinning in Mulder’s head. They would have to start a whole new college fund.

Scully grabbed his hands and sunk down to sit next to him.

“I was afraid you were going to be upset,” she finally said.

He gave her a look and squeezed her hand.

“Never,” he said, and she nodded, believing him.

“I warn you now, if you bring up my age in relation to this pregnancy, I will handcuff you to the pipes in the basement.”

Mulder pursed his lips, huffed out one small laugh.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Scully,” he said.

She shook her head, tipped it until it was leaning on his shoulder.

“Do you really think we can do this again?” she asked him earnestly.

He grabbed both sides of her face and they connected eyes.

“You might be the skeptic here, Scully,” he said, “me? I’m the believer.”

[caramelcat]

Playlist: The Cave fill, Triple R, Friday December 2018

The Buzzcocks - I Believe

Royal Headache - Down The Lane

Shogun & the Sheets - Hold On Kid

Guided By Voices - Space Gun

Maxband - Means To An End

Chris Wilson - Wage Justice for the Working Poor

Sons of Kemet - My Queen is Mamie Phipps Clark

Sunwatchers feat. Eugene Chadbourne - Uncle Sam Do

Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Sunset Village

Time For Dreams - Move It (Dream Kit “Come With Me” remix)

Melody’s Echo Chamber - Quand Les Larmes D'un Ange Font Danser La Neige

The Putbacks feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - No Man No

Andy Bey - Celestial Blues

Sun Ra - The Door of the Cosmos

The Samps - Ancient Times

U.S. Girls - Velvet 4 Sale

Tess Roby - Ballad 5

Chromatics - I Can Never Be Myself When You’re Around

Jimmy Cass - Chapter 6

Honeymoon Killers - Décollage

Peaking Lights feat. Chloe Sevigny - Little Flower

Inga Copeland – So Far, So Clean

Anna von Hausswolff - The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra

Heron Oblivion - Oriar (Live)

Deafheaven - Honeycomb

Southeast Desert Metal - Rainmaker

Dead Can Dance - Act 1: Seaborne

[splattershotsundae]

Ink is Thicker Than Water --- Chapter 5: I give it a 10

Toda spent most of his afternoon wishing he felt well enough to pace. Finding out that Orvokki was still alive was no small news. She was a cruel woman, and visions of what she was like, and what she thought like still stuck with him and plagued his sleep. Another thing to worry about was Simon… They’d logged off in a huff, and he was genuinely worried, both about how they were and about… how they really thought about him.

A motion from his skope caught his attention and he took a sharp breath. Simon was back online.

T: hey

S: Hey.

T: I'm sorry about earlier. i was freaking out bout Orvokki, and I forgot and gt a little carried away. T: we decided we still arent going to do anyhting right now.

S: ... Ok.

T: ... u doing ok...?

Toda sighed a little after he sent it. He should just ask them... He was probably freaking out over nothing. Simon had told Jill that she was strong, in and out of battle, hadn't they? And hadn't they told him that they thought Rank was just a letter and a number, before they played Rainmaker? ... But when they lost at Blackbelly, they took that pretty hard... He'd thought it had something to do with what Yuri had said to them, especially with the conversation the two of them had had afterwards... but was that the case?

S:... Not really. S: But there's not much we can do.

T: Yeah...

T: can i ask u something?

S: Yeah, sure.

T: when did u know that u liked me? How long had we knon each ohter? T: Im not trying 2 b gushy, just curious.

S:... S: Call me shallow, but I'm pretty sure I was going to yell at you for bumping into me until I saw your face. S: when I said I'd always found you cute... I... Wasn't kidding. S: I kind of thought it would just be a fling...but here we are.

His breath caught in his throat, and it felt like his stomach had dropped a few inches. Oh no. Any other time he would've been a little flattered, but... no no no...

S: what really got me was... Getting to know you though... You've been a good influence on me. S: I wouldn't trade meeting you, or how I feel, for anything in the entire world.

T: Ive been a good influence on u?

S: Yeah.

He paused, looking at the message. What had he done that they'd think was a good influence? He typed a response, trying to make it sound lighthearted.

T: how so? hvae I... inspired u to make more puns or smoething? :P

S: Ha, maybe that in addition. S: ... I was starting to forget what trust felt like. S: well, except with Jill. But the point is, I needed some mutual trust... You and Bato sort of reminded me. You guys got me to open up. S: I'm sure there are other things here and there but... That's what comes to mind first.

T: ah...

S: Are you ok?

T: yea mi fnie

Toda winced; he'd sent that way too quickly... Quit stalling and just ask already, for crying out loud.

S: .... Toda...

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, his face flushing, then took a deep breath. Here goes nothing…

T: We told Jill about the conversation we had the other day; we were trying to explain why w weren't going to tlak to 3, and we sort of back ourselves nto a corner. T: wen we told her you had sort of said not to mention it to hr, she said it was because u thoght she was weak T: Because she lkies to batle for fun, and u battle to win T: she thinks taht u think that makes hr weak

S: ... She... Still thinks that?

T: Thats what she said... T: ... So ou don't think that?

S: Did you think I do?

T: I didn't at first, cause I told u right when we met that B nd I play for fun T: btu seh said if u hd liked m from the start tehn u would have askd us anyway T: I still didn't wnat 2 tihnk that u thought liek taht T: btu i wsa...

S: i domt anytmore Damn it.

[SloshMasterV3 is offline]

T: wiat no! His fingers trembled. He didn’t mean to make them upset again, he just… He took another deep breath and wiped his eyes. At least he had an answer… Sort of...

He read their last message again; they didn't anymore... So had they used to?

A chime pulled him from his thoughts.

[4PawzAndMeow is online.]

J: re u the reason theres a new barrge of sobs comin form S's room?

Toda's heart sank. Oh no…

T: ... Probbly...

J: O J: I... wasn't bein serioos.

T: u soundd pretty serious

J: i ment th@ i didnt think u were Y... sry

T: oh

J:... U dint brak up wih thm did U?

T: no no T: no I didn't

J: @ lest theres th@

T: yah...

He glanced at Simon's tab. He needed to apologize again... But… it could be hours before they came back online…

T: hy Jill T: can I cme ovr? T: I want to say sory to thm. T: or hve a chance to

J: say sorry 4 wh@?

T: how abot if thy dn’t wnat to hear it I go to yuor room an we cn talk

There was a long pause.

J: yeah K. J: th@ works.

T: k T: be theer soon

J: k

He took a deep breath, then got his shoes on, slipped on his Splattershot Jr’s holster, and went on his way, taking his time so he didn’t wear himself out. He thought all the way over, running through his head his apology over and over again. How much should he say? Probably everything. As he drew near to the Grace house, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Madeline opened the door, blinking in surprise. "Toda?" She asked. "Simon and Jill didn't say you were coming over."

"Afternoon, Mrs. Grace." Toda said, probably more formally than he needed to. "Jill invited me over about an hour ago?”

She paused, glancing over her shoulder for a second, then stepped aside to let him in. “Alright, just don’t bug Simon right now, they’re… not feeling so good today.”

He felt a twinge of guilt; That was the exact reason why he was here. "Thank you.” He said, peering around as he entered.

It was still quite a mess, the floor was scuffed and stained in a multitude of places, the stairs had no railing, bullet holes in the walls, the drywall on the ceiling was cracked, and Madeline’s prized roller was resting beside the stairs instead of hanging on the wall, at least for the moment. It looked like a warzone, and to be fair it sort of was. He gave a nod toward Madeline, then carefully made his way upstairs, managing to avoid grabbing for the railing that was no longer there.

He carefully stepped up to Simon’s door, a lump in his throat. He could hear faint sobbing on the other side, and he briefly considered skipping and just talking to Jill�� when he saw her staring at him from down the hall. Her gaze flitted from him to the door and back again expectantly.

He took what felt like the millionth deep breath that day and knocked softly on the door.

“Go AWAY!” They shouted immediately.

He flinched, glancing for the stairs and praying Madeline hadn’t heard that. "Simon?" When there was no reply he steeled himself and continued. "Simon, I.. I wanted to apologize for earlier. I would have sent a message on Skope, but you were offline and… " He looked down at the floor. “The question was personal, it… I hope it didn’t feel like… an attack. When Jill.. When she told me about your past, it... Kind of struck a nerve with me. There was this kid I was sort of friends with for a while, named Benny; I think I referred to him once as a 'Luna-wielding ass'... It's a long story, but I should have known better than to think that you would think like that. I know you're not like that, I know that isn't you. I'm really sorry."

There was a long pause before the door opened a crack, and Simon stuck out their hand. Gingerly he took it, grip loose, just in case they wanted to pull away. However, their grip tightened, and they flung open the door, pulling him into an embrace.

He squeaked and stumbled as he almost lost his balance, but then squeezed them tight, resting his chin on their shoulder. "I-I'm really sorry." He repeated.

"... Nothing’s getting easier..." Simon whispered.

"No, it it isn’t..." He agreed. "... You'd think we would've earned a break at this point, huh?"

"You would think..." They agreed with a sigh. "... Well, while things are this difficult, if this 'Benny' shows his face you let me know so I can punch it."

He smiled just a little bit. "I will... Thanks."

"No problem... You don't even have to tell me why." They said quietly.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "... Is there someone I should keep my eyes out for?" He asked. "So I can return the favor?"

Their grip tightened around him. "Roderick. You see that bastard you can punch him as hard as you like."

"Gladly." He muttered with a small nod.

"It's a deal then." They said.

"A deal.” He agreed. “… Can we sit down? I had to do a lot of walking and I’m kind of worn out...”

“I’m not surprised, it’s awfully late.” They said, edging over to sit on the foot of their bed.

“… Wait, it is?” He asked, pulling away.

“… Yeah, Toda, it’s like, 10. Dude, it’s dark out and it’s summer, what time did you think it was?”

“I dunno, 6? 6:30?” He said, feeling his cheeks flush.

Simon slowly put one palm on their face. “Did you even set up a ride home? The trains are going to close soon.”

“… I forgot to tell my mom I was leaving.” He admitted.

Their other hand joined the first. "… Okay, I can ask my Mom if she'll drive you home-" They broke off for a long moment. "... You're probably not going to be comfortable with that."

"... Not really." He said, breaking off eye contact, sure his ears were flushed by now.

“How about I ask mom and dad if you can sleep over, and then we play some video games downstairs?

He smiled at that, nodding “Yeah… I need to call my parents too.”

They smiled. “Okay, meet me downstairs soon.” They said,

He nodded, absently adjusting his cap as he watched them go… They were still so cute…

After a moment he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “… Hey dad, it’s Toda. Can I stay the night at Simon’s house?”

THUD

Toda sat up with a snort, rubbing one of his eyes as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Of course it's still a problem!" Jill was shouting.

"Shhh! Keep it down! He's still sleeping!" Simon replied.

"And already it's all about him!" She snapped.

Oh no. He remembered now. He’d spent the night at Simon’s house, after coming over to apologize… apparently there was still friction between the twins however… He grabbed his squidvader cap and started to put it on.

"It's not all about him! What's this 'it' you keep talking about anyway!?" Simon snapped, he could hear them pacing outside.

"I... I don't know, but.. This isn't working!" Jill replied.

"No SHIT. But I'm not just going to sit here while you yell at me for every mistake I've ever made." They said angrily.

"Maybe you should apologize for once!" She huffed.

His hearts sank a little. “Oh no...” He abandoned tucking all his tentacles into his hat and stood, quickly making his way to the door.

"I thought this might be the one time you'd be ok with it!" They exclaimed.

"You broke your promise!" She said.

"Ok, First off, We shouldn't be having this argument right now, and second of all, I thought you /liked/ Toda!"

"I do!! I do! He's the nicest kid you've ever dated. But I'm tired of you being so selfish and hypocritical!"

"Hypocritical? How am I-"

"You talk about how you want to be just like mom, just as good as mom. But when it comes down to it, you /have/ to have me with you, and you only use our squad as a dating device!" Jill shouted. “None of us deserve that!”

Toda flung open the door and peeked out, having to use one hand to hold his hat on. Both Jill and Simon turned to look at him, looking rather embarrassed.

“… Hey Toda~” Jill said, tone cheerful, but posture anything but.

“… Sorry.” Simon said, looking away.

"... It's okay." He mumbled, still a little bit groggy. He looked between the two of them… they were both obviously upset… He was never good at helping during something like this, that was what Bato was good at… Right, be like Bato. He squared his shoulders, then stepped up and put a hand on Jill’s shoulder. “It’s… okay to be upset.”

“Upset? I’m more than upset!” She said, pulling away from him. “I’m furious!”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Simon huffed. “We should just leave it.”

“Leave what, the squad!?” She snapped. "You'd probably LIKE that! You can just as easily find a cute and/or muscular and dumb boy to replace me by tomorrow!"

"Jill!"

Toda flinched a little bit at her tone, pressing himself up against the wall. "Jill… Can you maybe take a deep--”

"ADMIT IT! YOU DON'T WANT ME!!!" She interrupted.

"YES! I! DO!!!" Simon snapped back.

"BULLSHIT!!!" She screamed. YOU LIED ABOUT DATING TODA, YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T USE OUR SQUAD FOR DATING AGAIN, ALL YOU DO IS LIE LIE LIE!"

“Jill I--” Toda tried to cut in.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!!!" They screamed back.

“Simon---” He tried again.

"YOU ALSO LIED ABOUT THE AGENT THING!!” Jill screeched.

"I-I DIDN'T LIE, I JUST DIDN'T TELL YOU!!!" Simon hollered, slightly wavering.

“ENOUGH!” Toda snapped, flushing with embarrassment. “… Sorry, I… You’re not going to get anywhere if you keep screaming at each other! Jill, what’s really wrong?”

Jill was silent a long moment. “… I… I’m lonely, and I’m worried I’m going to lose Simon to you…”

Toda’s ears drooped. “I’m not trying to take them away… I’m sorry you felt that way...” He slowly looked at Simon. “… Simon, what about you? What’s wrong?”

They looked at him a long moment, then sighed. “… I… I’m scared I’m going to lose you too Jill, but… I’m scared that if we get involved, we’ll.. die. It’s dangerous out there, and I don’t want you to be left without me, or to be without you, or both of us to be gone, and our parents are left in a ruined house all by themselves...”

Jill was quiet for a long moment. “… So you aren’t… just scared of me being hurt?”

They shook their head. “No, of course not. I’ve been hurt out there just as easily…” They sighed. “I’m sorry, for… saying that you were weak once… I didn’t know it had stuck with you and I didn’t know just how much I’d hurt you. You’re not weak, and trust me, I’ll never say you are again. You’re stronger than me in a lot of ways.”

She paused, then huffed. “No I’m not...”

“Yes you are.” Simon pressed. “You’re stronger in will and in joy, and… maybe physically, I’m not sure.”

She started laughing, then wiped at her eye before holding out her hand, palm down. “To Splattershot Sundae.”

They smirked, and put their hand on top of hers. “To Splattershot Sundae.”

“To Splattershot Sundae.” Toda agreed, putting his hand on top of theirs.

There was a long pause, then Jill put her other hand on top and spoke in a deep voice. “I’m Bato and I’m totally here.”

Toda laughed. “Dear Judd, that’s spot on.”

"... We good Jill?" Simon asked.

"We're much better. I'll... Try to talk with you if something comes up, rather than just blow up." She said awkwardly.

“I would appreciate that.” They huffed. “… Hey, where’s mom and dad, they hate it when we fight.”

Jill got a gleam in her eye. “Mom got… /the call/”

Simon’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

"... The call?" Toda asked, glancing between the two of them with a confused look.

"The call's just what we call it when Mom suddenly gets dragged in to more work, but she can't legally tell us what it is." Simon explained. "But in this case that's good news… perhaps a battle’s around the corner."

He smiled. “Oooo, that is good news!”

"And then Dad's off to regular work." Jill asked.

"Seems we've got the house entirely to ourselves." Simon shrugged. "As well as the burden to make breakfast, I think."

Toda's stomach growled a little bit at the mention of breakfast and he blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Jill giggled. "It seems like a cereal morning to me!” She said, then sprinted down the hall. “Better come after me quick or I’ll put ice cream on it!”

“Jill, no!” Simon yelped, running after her.

Toda laughed and ran after them, letting himself smile.

Toda is Knitter’s character.

Simon and Jill are Shuckle’s characters.

Splatoon belongs to Nintendo.

Please consider liking or reblogging if you enjoyed, it’s nice to know we’re doing things right.

Shuckle has a patreon if you would like to provide additional support!

[<PREV] [INDEX] [NEXT>]

[placetobenation]

August 8th, 18:30 from Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Kanagawa

B Block’s penultimate show takes place in a significant venue and on a significant date for the company, more on which below. After the shocking upsets of Day 14, Okada faces Suzuki, Omega faces SANADA, and EVIL takes on Michael Elgin. Let’s get to it.

To paraphrase what Lion’s Pride author Chris Charlton said on Twitter about the importance of today’s date and venue:

On August 8th 1988, New Japan held Super Monday in Yokohama, a show headlined by Tatsumi Fujinami’s one-hour draw with Antonio Inoki. Though Fujinami didn’t win the IWGP title that day, this was considered the torch-passing moment and the start of a final chapter for Inoki that lasted nearly ten years. The match was so important that NJPW has run the Yokohama Gymnasium on August 8th every year since, and along with Wrestle Kingdom, New Year Dash and Wrestling Dontaku it’s one of only four show that are held on the same date and in the same building every year. In the opener of 8/8/88, Osamu Matsuda beat Minoru Suzuki, today – 29 years later – Suzuki headlines against Okada.

The story so far…

Primer

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Here we go…

Chase Owens defeated Tomoyuki Oka

Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado defeated Syota Umino & Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Yuji Nagata (Special note should be made of Fale’s atrocious new Bullet Club t-shirt.)

YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Hirai Kawato, Kota Ibushi & Togi Makabe

David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi

B Block – Round Eight

Satoshi Kojima (w/ Hiroyoshi Tenzan) vs. Tama Tonga

Tama attacked Kojima and stole his robe (a bad habit he’s picked up this G1), then stole the machine gun chops. Kojima managed a back body drop, but his plancha missed the mark and Tama capitalised and applied a camel clutch in the ring. He continued with Mongolian Chops, but received several in return from Tenzan and then Kojima, who unleashed machine guns chops and the leaping elbow, but Tama blocked the follow-up to hit a fireman’s carry flapjack. Stinger Splash and a jumping neckbreaker for two. After fighting over a suplex, Kojima scored the Koji Cutter and sent Tama to the floor, and both men took a moment to recover. Kojima threw Tama back in at 18 and nailed a brainbuster for two, but an attempted lariat was countered to the Tongan Twist, then Tama pummelled Kojima’s right arm only to be floored by a left-handed lariat floored for a near-fall. Emerald Flowsion! One, two, no. The lariat was ducked once more and Tama hit the Gun Stun for the win. Just a match. **3/4

Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano

Yano quickly slipped from the ring then crawled under it and Juice followed! We saw Yano emerge only to get dragged back under, then both men jumped from under the apron and back into the ring at 19. Yano then threw Juice into the guardrail and tied his dreadlocks to it! Juice managed to untie his hair and ran back in at 18, but was sent straight into an exposed turnbuckle and Yano got a roll-up for two. Snap DDT from Juice for two. The follow-up was countered, then the referee missed one low blow but blocked a second and Juice nailed the haymaker before planting Yano with Pulp Friction! Short and sweet, this was a fun little match and thankfully Juice was able to pick up another win. **1/4

Michael Elgin vs. EVIL

Evil went on the attack, but Elgin fired back and hit the slingshot splash for two. Evil retreated to the floor, where he whipped Elgin into the guardrail, then put a chair over his head and rammed him into the ringpost.  Back in, the surfboard curb stomp and senton got two, but Elgin fired up and dumped Evil with a powerslam, and a German suplex into the turnbuckle earned him a two-count. Evil hit the ref-assisted side kick and discus clothesline, but was caught diving from the middle-rope and planted with a Falcon Arrow for another two-count. The powerbomb was blocked, however, and Evil hit the fisherman buster to put both men down. After simultaneous clotheslines, Evil hit a German suplex and turned Elgin inside-out with a lariat before nailing Darkness Falls! Two-count only. Elgin blocked the headbutt and hit a German of his own for some respite, then a pair of corner clotheslines set up a top-rope superplex! One, two, no. Buckle bomb, Elgin Bomb blocked, headbutt from Evil, Enzuigiri from Elgin! Sit-out crucifix bomb for a near-fall! A lariat dumped Evil on his head and the Elgin Bomb landed for the three-count.

This picked up significantly once they got to the throwing bombs stage, although it was noticeably flat before then, and I don’t often criticise the booking, but it irked me that Elgin (who’s been a non-factor outside his main events with Okada and Omega) got the win over a man who just beat Okada. Still, a fun closing stretch for sure. ***1/4

Kenny Omega (w/ Chase Owens) vs. SANADA

A very nice opening exchange, in which both men dodged several attempts at finishers, culminated in Sanada’s Dragon Screw sending Omega to the floor. Outside, Omega scored an asai moonsault from the guardrail, almost spiking himself in the process, then returned to the ring and cinched in facelock while smoothing Sanada’s mohawk. The pendulum backbreaker got two, and Omega choked Sanada with his own vest before they traded chops, then Sanada’s springboard dropkick was caught and countered to the Finlay Roll/moonsault combo for two, but he did manage a suplex for some brief respite. Chops and elbows back-and-forth, and Sanada hit the double-leapfrog dropkick followed by a plancha! Back in, the Paradise Lock preceded a seated dropkick, much to the crowd’s delight, but Omega flipped out of the backdrop and landed the leapfrog bulldog for two. Suplex blocked, Sanada’s standing moonsault avoided, and Omega nailed a delayed cross-legged Ushigoroshi. The V-Trigger connected, but Sanada reversed the One-Winged Angel to a frankensteiner and hit the TKO for a two-count, then the moonsault missed the mark, but he scored with the Dragon Sleeper by flipping out of the corner, and grapevined Omega to the mat. The rope-break was made and Sanada missed with another moonsault, then Omega hit a Snapdragon suplex and a running knee strike for a near-fall. They traded chops and elbows again, and Omega hit a knee lift for another two-count, but the V-Trigger missed and Sanada nailed a spinning back kick. He looked to be attempting his version of Destino, but Omega blocked him and countered to the One-Winged Angel! One, two, three.

Good match and a strong effort, but the crowd was flat again and that dragged the whole thing down. In the right environment this might’ve been something special. ***1/2

Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (w/ El Desperado & Taichi)

Okada scored with a snapmare and seated dropkick, then he blocked the rope-hung armbar and sent Suzuki to the floor and into the crowd. Taichi and Desperado attacked, but Okada took care of them and admonished referee Red Shoes for his lack of control, and the young lions dragged the Suzuki-gun boys to the back. In the ring, elbows were traded, with Suzuki targeting Okada’s taped neck and shoulders and striking him as his head was draped over the apron. Knee lifts from Suzuki, and he rammed Suzuki into the guardrail neck-first! Ouch. Red Shoes prevented the use of a chair (to applause), but the beatdown continued as Suzuki pummelled Okada with kicks before a straitjacket neckbreaker enabled Okada to hit back with a sequence of back elbows, a DDT and the leaping uppercut.

Suzuki fired straight back with elbow strikes, but Okada kept him at bay with uppercuts and Heavy Rain. Reverse neckbreaker, the diving elbow connected, and the Rainmaker was signalled. Suzuki avoided it by clinging on with a guillotine choke, then blocked the tombstone and nailed Okada with a dropkick to the jaw. He applied the sleeper, but Okada slipped out and planted him with a Gotch-Style tombstone, drawing boos! He attempted a second after Suzuki blocked the Rainmaker again, but Suzuki hit a tombstone of his own! Back to the neck went Suzuki, and he cinched in a facelock then transitioned to a headscissors before Okada made the ropes. Kicks and stiff elbows floored Okada, and Suzuki enjoyed the support of the crowd before nailing an enzuigiri and locking in the Octopus Hold! Okada sank to the mat and Suzuki got a two-count. The piledriver was blocked, though, and Suzuki charged straight into The Dropkick! Okada nailed the shotgun dropkick from the top, then a German suplex, but the Rainmaker was ducked and reversed into Saka Otoshi! Suzuki cinched in the sleeper in the middle of the ring, but somehow Okada managed to stretch his foot to the bottom-rope. Strike flurry from Suzuki, then slaps, dropping Okada to the mat, but Okada scored a desperate Rainmaker and kept hold of the wrist to smash Suzuki with a second. He crawled to the cover and Suzuki kicked out weakly, so Okada lifted him again. Brutal slaps from Suzuki, then more, then Okada replied with his own, and Suzuki put his hands behind his back to invite Okada’s strikes! Okada desperately blocked the piledriver and they smiled at each other as they returned to slaps. With seconds to go, Okada countered the sleeper and a nailed a third Rainmaker, but collapsed to the mat and was unable to make the cover before the bell signalled the 30-minute time limit. The match ends in a draw.

Very good, if somewhat predictable once I twigged what they were going for. I felt that they went to the attempted finishers too early to sustain the tension in the final fifteen minutes, but that said, Suzuki’s tributes to Inoki were a fun detail and the slap exchanges were fantastic. I can see this being a match that some people really dig, whilst others don’t get into it at all. For me, while not up to their title match in February, there was enough here to go: ****1/4

B Block standings after Round Eight

Okada – 13

Omega – 12

EVIL – 10

Suzuki – 9

SANADA – 8

Elgin – 8

Robinson – 6

Tonga – 6

Yano – 6

Kojima – 2

Final thoughts: A decent show with a strong main event, but for such an historic date and venue the crowd wasn’t half flat for the most part. Omega must now beat Okada on Saturday to reach Sunday’s final.

I’m back on Friday for A Block’s final show. See you then. 

Sixteen down, three to go.

[rohitkoluguri-blog]

Micro Irrigation System Market Forecast (2018-2023)

Asia Pacific will Dominate the Micro Irrigation System Market

Asia Pacific will dominate the micro irrigation system market in the coming years. This is due to the increasing adoption of the micro irrigation systems in the agricultural applications. Asia Pacific is followed by the Americas. In this region, agriculture makes use of ground and surface water, to a great extent. Hence, there is a need for efficient irrigation systems to maintain farm profitability. Asia Pacific, China and Japan are important, attractive regions for implementing the micro irrigation systems.

Selected Regulatory Analysis Done in the Full Report:

The agriculture segment will have the largest share in the micro irrigation system market during the forecast period. This is due to the fact that agriculture is a major occupation in different regions. The growth of economic practices in agriculture will drive the adoption of microsprinkler. The green house segment is also expected to have a significant growth in the forecast period due to the growing demand for cost and water efficient methods of the agricultural activities.

Selected Driving Factors Mentioned in the Full Report:

The increase of food requirement will enhance the demand for the micro drip irrigation system in the coming years.

The growth of greenhouse production will elevate the growth of the drip feed irrigation during the forecast period.

There are enhanced crop yield results due to the use of micro irrigation and this spurs the growth of micro irrigation systems.

Also, the growing advancements, such as, automation in the sprinkler system are beneficial for the micro irrigation systems.      

Request for table of contents of the full report by providing your details in the below link:

https://industryarc.com/pdfdownload.php?id=15236

Key Players of the Micro Irrigation System Market

The companies which dominate the Micro Irrigation System Market are Netafim Limited, The Toro company, Jain irrigation systems Ltd and Rain Bird Corporation. Netafim provides smart irrigation solutions for a sustainable future. It also provides advanced automated solutions for agriculture, greenhouses, landscaping and mining. Toro Company provides maintenance equipment and services and turf irrigation systems and landscaping equipment. Jain irrigation systems is an agri business company which produces plastic products and manufactures fruit and vegetable juices. Rain Bird Corporation provides irrigation products for farm, golf courses, sports, and homes in the US.

The Micro Irrigation System Market is Segmented as Below:

The growing demand for food and agricultural products enhance the demand for the micro irrigation systems.

 A. Micro Irrigation System Market By Type

     1. Sprinkler Irrigation      2. Surface Drip Irrigation      3. Sub Surface Drip Irrigation

B. Micro Irrigation System Market By Applications

     1. Field Crops      2. Plantation Crops      3. Orchard Crops      4. Turf And Forage Grasses      5. Others

C. Micro Irrigation System Market By Component

   1. Pump    2. Flowmeters    3. Valves    4. Filters    5. Injection equipment    6. Mainlines and submains    7. Drip or microsprinkler lateral lines

D. Micro Irrigation System Market By Geography(14+ countries) E. Micro Irrigation System Market Entropy F. Company Profiles

     1. Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd      2. Rain Bird Corporation      3. The Toro Company      4. A.T.P. Srl - Avanzate Technologies      5. Wanner Engineering, Inc.      6. Caylor Industrial Sales, Inc.      7. Reboca SL      8. Automat Industries Pvt. Ltd.      9. Tayfur Water Systems     10. Beta Plast Srl     11. Riegos Ruiz     12. Rainmaker Pump Stations     13. Mondragon Soluciones     14. Cassese SARL     15. Monfort     16. Filternox-Antel     17. Fattori Srl     18. Jsc Dnepropetrovsk Aggregate Plant     19. Kapi SRL     20. Greenfield Irrigation

G. Appendix: Abbreviations, Sources, Research Methodology, Bibliography, Compilation of Experts, Disclaimer.

Related Report:

A.Drip Irrigation Systems Market https://industryarc.com/Report/15226/drip-irrigation-systems-market.html

B.Agricultural Drones Market https://industryarc.com/Report/15384/agricultural-drones-market.html

What can you expect from the report?

The Micro Irrigation System Market Report is prepared with the main agenda to cover the following 20 points:

1. Market Size by Product Categories 2. Market trends 3. Manufacturer Landscape 4. Distributor Landscape 5. Pricing Analysis 6. Top 10 End user Analysis 7. Product Benchmarking 8. Product Developments 9. Mergers & Acquisition Analysis 10. Patent Analysis 11. Demand Analysis (By Revenue & Volume ) 12. Country level Analysis (15+) 13. Competitor Analysis 14. Market Shares Analysis 15. Value Chain Analysis 16. Supply Chain Analysis 17. Strategic Analysis 18. Current & Future Market Landscape Analysis 19. Opportunity Analysis 20. Revenue and Volume Analysis

Does IndustryARC publish country, geography or application based reports in Micro Irrigation System?

Yes, we do have separate reports and database as mentioned below         1. Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)                                                   2. North America Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)           3. Europe Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)         4. Asia Pacific Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)         5. Rest of the world Micro Irrigation System Market((2018-2023)         6. Field Crops Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)           7. Plantation Crops Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)         8. Orchard Crops Micro Irrigation System Market(2018-2023)

Talk to one of our sales representative about the full report by providing your details in the link below:

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Does IndustryARC provide customized reports and charge additionally for limited customization?

Yes, we can customize the report by extracting data from our database of reports and annual subscription databases. We can provide the following free customization:

1. Increase the level of data in application or end user industry. 2. Increase the number of countries in geography or product chapter. 3. Find out market shares for other smaller companies or companies which are of interest to you 4. Company profiles can be requested based on your interest. 5. Patent analysis, pricing, product analysis, product benchmarking, value and supply chain analysis can be requested for a country or end use segment. Any other major customizations can be discussed with our team and can provide a separate quote based on your requirements. You can drop an e-mail to sales@industryarc.com to discuss more about our consulting services.

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About IndustryARC:

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IndustryARC primarily focuses on Cutting Edge Technologies and Newer Applications in a Market. Our Custom Research Services are designed to provide insights on the constant flux in the global supply-demand gap of markets. Our strong team of analysts enables us to meet the client research needs at a rapid speed, with a variety of options for your business.

We look forward to support the client to be able to better address their customer needs, stay ahead in the market, become the top competitor and get real-time recommendations on business strategies and deals. Contact us to find out how we can help you today.

[bigtreefest]

The Rainmaker Masterlist

A Mob! Steve Rogers x Forensic Scientist! Reader Series

Part of the Outta Nowhere AU

Main Masterlist

Series Summary: You’re just trying to do your job, solving crimes and running tests. It doesn’t help, though, that a certain ‘business man’ keeps showing up, a little too curious about your work

1. Fix Your Shoelaces

2. Cooks in the Kitchen

3. Pick Up The Pace

4. Splash Zone

5. So That’s What It Means

6. Storm Warning

7. Help the Bear

8. Never Be Sorry

9. Shortcut

10. Waste of Lime

11. Luke Warm

12. Free Time

13. Alone Together

14. How About Pizza?

15. Cold, Then Hot

16. Banana Pancakes

17. Your Man

18. I Know You Do

Drabbles & Extras

Getting Along (ask answered)

Decks vs Honeybee Character Distinctions

How the Outta Nowhere AU Chapters line up

Conflict Resolution (ask answered)

Woman In Black (Future Halloween)

[sawdusst]

The Rainmaker Heist: Complete edition 🌊⚓ (Coroika Pirate AU)

Hey gamers! I wanted to organize the main thread a bit so you could just ignore this post if you want to.

Since I'm planning another Choose Your Own Adventure type thing I wanted to make an individual thread for TRH to make room for the other thing-- so this is the individual thread. :]

The Rainmaker Heist focuses on Gloves & his team trying to steal the Rainmaker :D

Here's the link to the main thread for more stuff on the Pirate AU! :D

INTRO

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Aftermath Stuff

Total Word Count: 15,273 + some edits made outside of Google Docs

[soundofawesomeblog]

100 songs for the ultimate 2017 playlist: this is Estelle’s picks for the best DAMN. tracks of the year.

2017 is the year when everyone is tired of all the bullshit. It is the year when you can’t just be a silent witness. It is the year when whistleblowers brought horrible people down, some of which managed to keep a shiny facade for decades all while being pieces of crap behind closed doors. It is the year (Afro-)American football athletes acted like heroes. It is the year Australia voted in favour of same-sex marriage and realized that love was the answer.

Don’t get me wrong: 2017 was horrible in an awful lot of ways. But we need to look at the positive if we want to be able to advance in 2018. Many artists felt the need to address the state of the world as it is right now and managed to make diamonds from the coal. Some were confrontational, some were loving and caring. But all of the artists behind the 100 songs on this list helped on their own scale to make our lives more bearable. 

As usual, this is my personal list of the best jams of 2017; Léa's list of 100 songs and Mathieu’s choices are also available now. If you want more music, you can revisit my lists of 2014, 2015 and 2016. This time, however, the top 50 tracks will come with a short description so you can know what to expect from them.

100. Cardi B – Bodak Yellow 99. Nilufer Yanya – Golden Cage 98. Wolf Alice – Don’t Delete The Kisses 97. Priests – Nothing Feels Natural 96. Tove Lo – Disco Tits 95. Vince Staples – Crabs In A Bucket 94. Sampha – (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano 93. Future – Mask Off 92. Tops – Petals 91. Cuesta Loeb – Grass It Grows 90. Sleigh Bells – Rainmaker 89. Kesha – Praying 88. Tyler, The Creator feat. ASAP Rocky – Who Dat Boy 87. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 86. Remo Drive – Art School 85. French Montana feat. Sae Lee – Unforgettable 84. Miguel – Told You So 83. MØ – Nights With You 82. SZA feat. Travis Scott – Love Galore 81. Methyl Ethel – Ubu 80. Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling 79. Alex Lahey – I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself 78. Paramore – Hard Times 77. Jay-Z - The Story of O.J. 76. Charly Bliss – Westermarck

75. King Krule - Dum Surfer 74. The Courtneys - Minnesota 73. LCD Soundsystem – tonite 72. Jay Som – Baybee 71. Slowdive – Don’t Know Why 70. Charli XCX feat. Uffie – Babygirl 69. Lorde – Perfect Places 68. Kelly Lee Owens feat. Jenny Hval – Anxi. 67. Haim – Want You Back 66. Naomi Elizabeth – When You Got The Best You’re Like Wow 65. Japandroids – North East South West 64. Hannah Diamond - Never Again 63. Washed Out – Get Lost 62. BROCKHAMPTON – GUMMY 61. Mura Masa feat. Charli XCX – 1 Night 60. Lana Del Rey feat. The Weeknd – Lust For Life 59. Tkay Maidza & Danny L Harle - Bom Bom 58. Phoebe Bridgers – Motion Sickness 57. St. Vincent – Los Ageless 56. Charly Bliss – Percolator 55. Haim – Right Now 54. Real Estate – Darling 53. Pale Waves – There’s A Honey 52. Makthaverskan – In My Dreams 51. Julien Baker – Appointments

50. Saya - Cold Fire

Canadian newcomer Saya proves that the coolest pop happens North of the border with Cold Fire, the sonic equivalent to a dark thick and sexy cloud of smoke. And it feels just as dangerous as the title implies it.

49, Beach Fossils – Down The Line

Driven by a bouncy bass line worthy of Joy Division, Down the Line sees Beach Fossils revealing a 4am indie text message of a track, a low-key anthem to living a slacker life and trying to find someone to share it with.

48. Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean & Migos – Slide

Calvin Harris created with Slide the dancefloor number we always knew Frank Ocean had in him, with inspiration from Thinking 'Bout You's echoed handclaps and Nikes' pitched up vocal hook. More important, Ocean sounds fun in a way we rarely see in his solo work. Migos' verses only add more spice.

47. The Drums – Blood Under My Belt

One of the best songs of the summer, Blood Under My Belt is a catchy slice of effortless indie pop that should stand the test of time like The Drums' best material for decades to come.

46. Lorde – Supercut

Lorde embodies the millennial generation through one of our best guilty pleasures: supercut videos. The song feels as dizzying as the lyrics, with various moving parts stitched together better than any supercut you'll find on YouTube.

45. Kendrick Lamar – DNA.

Kendrick Lamar's attack mode is something to behold. On DNA. he raps about his blackness and attacks FOX News' divisive and clueless stances, all while riding one of the hardest beat of the year on the track's back end.

44. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar

Selena Gomez gets serious indie cred for sampling Psycho Killer's bass line, and the fact that it's pretty much all that backs her up on Bad Liar showcases her talent as a charismatic interpret for this year's best low-key pop moment.

43. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Over Everything

Two of the greatest slack-rock icons of today pair up for some serious hammock soundtrack as Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile stop time together in the chilliest of ways on Over Everything.

42. Björk - The Gate

"It’s about rediscovering love", said Björk to Dazed about her latest album, Utopia. Lead single The Gate showcases the veteran artist surrounded by reverb and deep love, pleading for the unnamed "you" to care for her until Arca's production finally takes over.

41. LCD Soundsystem - call the police

James Murphy and his friends have lost nothing of their dance-punk instincts and LCD Soundsystem builds another snowballing number with call the police, a track that becomes so manic you might as well text the cops.

40. Colour Of Spring - Love

Leeds' best-kept secret, Colour of Spring is yet to release a full album, but Love sounds like it came from a classic shoegaze band with years of experience, all while keeping the urgency of someone trying to break out into the scene.

39. Kelela - LMK

Kelela came of age on Take Me Apart, her first full-length album and LMK is the sound of an artist finding her own, unique lane. Here, Kelela mixes Smooth R&B vocals to a bass-heavy beat from the future.

38. (Sandy) Alex G - Bobby

(Sandy) Alex G's latest album was a little less lo-fi than his earlier works, but Bobby proves that he can still make charming and honest folk music when he wants. Emily Yacina's voice only adds more warmth to a track as comfortable as a blanket.

37. The War On Drugs - Holding On

Channeling the gods of classic rock and indie, The War On Drugs deliver one of the band's most immediate and blown up song of its catalogue with the urgent Holding On.

36. Mac Demarco - My Old Man

Freak folk icon Mac DeMarco realizes he is becoming like his father in the worst ways on My Old Man, but his trademark no fuss delivery renders his uh-ohs as charming as he can be.

35. Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3

The exact moment where grunge, SoundCloud, hip-hop and mainstream collided together, XO TOUR Llif3 is one of the most depressing but also fascinating singles to make it to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

34. Kevin Morby - City Music

Even with a limited set of lyrics, folk rock artist Kevin Morby channels his inner Marquee Moon on the ambitious City Music, a musical trip that starts with a soothing guitar riff and turns into a damn fine jam.

33. Miguel feat. Travis Scott - Sky Walker

It's no news that Miguel can do sexy, but with Sky Walker, he injects a whole dose of fun and raunchy one-liners to his music for a smooth party number.

32. Alvvays - In Undertow

On In Undertow, indie pop darlings Alvvays' comeback single, the Canadian band sounds more direct and confident than ever. With its waves of guitar wooshes and Molly Rankins’ unique voice, it’s a real heartthrob. 

31. Frank Ocean - Chanel

Frank Ocean is on a streak; after releasing the outstanding Blonde in 2016, he came back with several singles in 2017. On Chanel, he blurs the lines between rapping and crooning, carrying the sparse production all the way over the high expectations he now has to deal with.

30. Alice Glass - Without Love

God bless Alice Glass and her comeback. There was no better way to start the next chapter of her career than with such a devastating electropop single, one where she channels a mix of the darkest parts of Samus from Metroid and Grimes for unique results.

29. SZA - Drew Barrymore

Perhaps the biggest revelation of 2017, SZA exposes all of her flaws and insecurities on Drew Barrymore, an honest R&B ballad set to a gin-fuelled backbeat. Her skilful flow in the verses is only a bonus.

28. Miya Folick - Give It To Me

Miya Folick showcases a sweet voice over a sparse guitar riff until she really, really wants you to give it to her. Then, her voice launches into the stratosphere as goosebumps emerge from your entire body.

27. Slowdive - Sugar For The Pill

Sugar for the Pill is quite the ballad, but it is still the most pop Slowdive has ever been with Neil Halstead's voice front and center over the dreamy guitars.

26. Vince Staples - Big FIsh

Don't let the banging beat or an uncredited Juicy J fool you with its club-ready hook; Vince Staples is not praising partying, money and booze on Big Fish. He instead reflects on his past misfortunes and how he can try to leave it behind him.

25. Thundercat - Friend Zone

No one did groovy in 2017 the way Thundercat did. Friend Zone is the best example of this, with its dizzying synths, bouncy bass line and Thundercat's unique voice.

24. Jay Som - The Bus Song

Jay Som is a low-key girl. She makes bedroom pop and likes the bus. Yet on The Bus Song, she hints at bigger ambitions with her rich arrangements and undeniable sense of melody. 

23. Jay-Z - 4:44

One year after Beyoncé called him out for cheating on Lemonade, Jay-Z takes the blame and faces how he fucked up on 4:44. And unlike the wave of apologies that came out in the last few months, this one feels sincere. Oh, and it's got quite the beat too.

22, Waxahatchee - Never Been Wrong

Katie Crutchfield opens her fourth album as Waxahatchee with a solid rock single, ready to defeat someone who wronged her badly - and who is definitely going to regret it.

21. Screaming Females - Glass House

This post-punk number is driven by an incessant bassline and start-stops from the rest of the band while Marissa Paternoster gives an unforgettable vocal performance.

20. The xx - I Dare You

Oliver Sim and Romy's voices intertwine perfectly on I Dare You, pleading to fall in love over a Jamie xx beat that recalls the band’s early days.

19. Charly Bliss - Glitter

Real glitter is apparently as toxic to the environment than the relationship Eva Hendricks details in this track, one that matches powerpop and indie aspirations with melody, fun and one hell of a hook.

18. Pierre Kwenders - Sexus Plexus Nexus

Polyglot, Montréal-based Pierre Kwenders offers a smooth as hell mix of world music on Sexus Plexus Nexus, a track that should bring bodies closer to each other on any dancefloor.

17. Tyler, The Creator feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy - 911/Mr. Lonely

Tyler, The Creator enlists Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean for a breezy complaint about being lonely on 911, a trend he flips on the Mr. Lonely part of the song. There, he quits playing games and admits that he can't even lie, he's been lonely as fuck.

16. Mount Eerie - Real Death

Death became a common theme in music lately, and Mount Eerie's mourning of his wife on Real Death might be the most honest, direct and arresting testament of grief yet.

15. The War On Drugs - Thinking Of A Place

It's not the first trick in the book to release a comeback single that runs for eleven minutes. But The War On Drugs pulls it off with Thinking Of A Place, a song that embraces classic and indie rock in a laidback way. After all, we've got all our time.

14. Slowdive - Slomo

Slowdive's Slomo is seven minutes of pure bliss. Three decades in the scene, the British band manages to bring a track that already sits up there as one of the best shoegaze anthems.

13. Khalid - Young Dumb & Broke

"Yeah we're just young, dumb and broke, but we still got love to give" sings the newly Grammy nominated Khalid. Here, he delivers a laidback anthem for a generation that has nothing else to do but get high and live its life like there are still plenty of tomorrows.

12. St. Vincent - New York

St. Vincent is now an insane BDSM lord, but her most powerful single in 2017 was still a tender ballad called New York. Is it a love letter to the city? To David Bowie? To her ex? No answer can be as satisfying as the way she says "motherfucker" in the track.

11. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

Julien Baker knows how to strip naked her emotions in her songs. In Turn Out the Lights' finale, she lets it all out as she realizes she needs to get out of her lowest point on her own.

10. Julie Byrne - Natural Blue

Singer-songwriter Julie Byrne looks as peaceful as ever on the cover of her latest indie folk album Not Even Happiness, and highlight ballad Natural Blue feels just as comforting.

9. Japandroids - No Known Drink Or Drug

All Japandroids songs are propelled by a crunchy riff and a big rush of passion. No Known Drink Or Drug just happens to pack an unmatched level of it all, as rock and love triumphs in a truly life-affirming anthem.

8. Alvvays - Dreams Tonite

Dreams Tonite unfolds like a flower in Spring, with Molly Rankin's voice as sweet as a late-night milkshake for a soothing and timeless twee pop number.

7. Perfume Genius - Slip Away

The single most uplifting moment in a song this year comes exactly 49 seconds into Slip Away. Perfume Genius opens the curtains wide to show his love to the world in the loudest chamber pop number.

6. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.

Kendrick never really left, but HUMBLE. hits harder than any comeback. Kung Fu Kenny's first solo #1 saw him take the throne and shut down all pretenders as hip-hop biggest force.

5. Lorde - Green Light

Lorde is all grown up now and she knows how to build a memorable, if quirkily constructed, hit single. Green Light is the sound of a popstar hitting her zeitgeist, a dance song that feels vital.

4. Charli XCX - Boys

My favorite emoji lately has hearts in lieu of eyes and Boys sounds like its favorite song. Here, Charli gets lost in her pretty boys' fantasies, laying in a bed full of heart-shaped pillows, and forgets about her problems, one game coin sound at a time.

3. Lana Del Rey - Love

After years of dark and bleak songs, Lana Del Rey decided in 2017 to look out for us. For the first time, she sounds happy and bubbly: Love was the unexpected rush of hope we so desperately needed this year. "Don't worry baby..."

2. Vince Staples - Yeah Right

With boundaries-pushing production from SOPHIE and Flume, Vince Staples provides the most forward-thinking rap song of the year. Add Kendrick flexing one of his best flows in a guest verse and you've got the biggest banger you haven't heard yet on Yeah Right.

1. Sorority Noise - No Halo

Written by Cameron Boucher as he pulled off in front of his friend's house, forgetting he passed away a year ago, No Halo is emo's most essential single in this decade. An arresting number, the song reaches a whole new level on its gut-wrenching chorus.In a year when our heads spun out of control in all directions, No Halo is a reminder that life is short and that you should tell your close ones that you love them before it’s too late.

This is it for this year, one in which I found myself toying with the top 10 up until the very last minute. If you want to listen to these songs, I encourage you to check the Spotify playlist at the bottom that should contain almost all of the tracks you’ve seen here.

[dive-into-marketing]

Must have! Wow! This book totally exceeded my expectations! I highly reccomend this for anyone who owns a business, is in sales, in a leadership position, or really is looking to have success in the corporate and/or marketing arena! As an entrepreneur, this book has certainly opened my eyes to a lot of do's and don'ts & has taught me very much. I am having much more success with my customers & my general people skills overall. This arrived on time & in perfect condition. Thank you! Go to Amazon

Good info, none of the "think positive" filler A lot of practical information. Easy to read and never pretentious. If you want a useful read about how to be better at sales, this book is a good buy. Go to Amazon

Four Stars Several tidbits of nice information. But lacked a discussion of alternatives and justifications. Potentially useful Go to Amazon

Great! Bought for my 4 person sales team and we all have enjoyed becoming "Rainmakers". Has sparked new ideas and a positive approach to our sales. Go to Amazon

Quick & easy read - great reminders for business. Easy read with compilation of dozens of sales and communications rules, techniques and guidelines ~ much of it "common sense" but arrangement and putting them all in one place for quick review and easy access is nice. Go to Amazon

Eh....Not sold on it. way too short. There aren't really many key takeaways which help improve sales experience. Just kind of your typical sales propaganda Koolaid pitches. Go to Amazon

Four Stars ok Go to Amazon

Good Common Sense Advice Jeffrey Fox provides good, common sense advice. While I do agree that some it is simplified, Overall the way he writes and the easy to read format give you time to digest and build on each proceeding chapter. I am a business coach and adviser to franchisees around the country and I have purchased numerous copies of this book as well as other titles Jeff has written. Many of my franchisees just simply won't take the time to read and this is the perfect book for them to spend just a few minutes a day with to provide the knowledge they can use to be more successful. Go to Amazon

My boss loves this book. I have several other ... Classic and Effective Networking Guide - Read This! Awesome, Direct, informative and simple interesting but short Great Best Written Book Ever!!!!!!! Still classic after all these years.

[grapsandclaps]

FIGHT CLUB PRO PROJECT MAYHEM NIGHT 2

After the previous nights shenanigans, it was going to be a long day ahead with the show not starting till 7pm so with that i still awoke from my Novotel slumber at 730am to write Night 1 of this weekend (the lengths i go for your entertainment) and also to study the days horse racing before moving off to the britwres staple of Wetherspoons for breakfast.

As readers will know i had a previous issue with the Spoons in Wolverhampton as their service was something not to be proud of, but i guess they got wind of the bad review and produced a decent standard on this morning.

With lots of time to pass it was off to see more of the local establishments starting off with The Goose which is a bit like a Wetherspoons laden in Wolverhampton Wanderers flags and with Wolves playing on this day it was packed making for a decent atmosphere. A pint of 5% IPA was had here at a cost of £3.25 (with a Camra discount), i recommend this pub if you fancy a change from Wetherspoons.

Next pub was The Royal London to see 2 of the many Chris's of the graps crew - Dan and Chris is a popular wrestling fan name and it is quite the struggle when there are 5 of each in the room. This pub is similar to The Footage in Manchester and has a great selection of drink anything ranging from £3 to £4.50 in price and one of the better pubs on the Wolves scene.

It was then time to check into the self-acclaimed "MURDER HOTEL"☠☠☠☠which despite some bad reviews turned out to be decent but like every Britannia hotel it smelt of Old and Staleness. Checked in i met everyone else who congregated in The Hooded Ram which is a mixture of an Indian Street Food restaurant/bar, here i had a pint of Mordue IPA for £3.80 and once again another decent drinking hole.

The drinking festivities took us then to the Hog's Head for the Saturday ritual of watching my football coupon going down on Soccer Saturday, much fun here seeing Rochdale go 2 up early vs Gillingham whilst supping my 4.1% Black Ice Ale from Titanic Brewery.

Next stop on the way was the #lovethegraps (Alan Boon and Chris East give them a follow) meet up in Jacks Cafe Bar & Restaurant near to the Starworks venue. This was also the venue for the Geoff Ogden Gauntlet for The Gold (BritWres Pool Championship), there was plenty of challengera here including early contenders - Athers, Myself and Gadge for whom the latter had Geoff on the ropes till missing the black leaving Geoff open for a 4 ball clear up to the amazement of the restaurant crowd.

This though took a toll on Geoff as he dropped the title to globetrotting DJ Kreiss who doubled a lucky yellow on his way to victory. But that wasnt the end to the madness with Kreiss dropping the belt to Athers who is now on a 4 match streak beating 3 others to end proceeding. So watch out for the next chapter in Stockport next week. Food had here was a huge Cheesy Garlic Naan for £3.50 and a Lamb Jalfrezi with a kick of chilli for £8.95. It filled a hole and was very tasty - well worth another trip even if just for the £3.10 for a pint of Pravha.

Wrestling time and for the first time I was front row at a show and if it was anything like the night before it was going to be good, so lets see what went down :-

First out was Chris Brookes with his injured wolf Kid Lykos vs EITA who came with the present of a dog collar neckbrace for Lykos to the cheers of the crowd and was worked well into the match. Really good match here with EITA standing out better than the previous nights 6 man match but after many distractions from Lykos, Brookes picked up the win again with the CHEEKY ROLL UP OF DOOM! When will wrestlers learn to counter this move?

CZW Rules tag match with Havoc and Margera fresh from their crazy Deathmatch the night before, came out to a well deserved standing ovation for their efforts vs Wentz & Xavier. This was an ok match but having seen the chaos from the night before this paled into comparison sadly, lots of ladders, light tubes and chairs - one of which was passed by myself to Desmond Xavier leaving me chairless and sitting on the floor like it was a school assembly much to the laughter of Alan Boon and Shauna - Cheers 😁. Havoc got the win for the Callous Hearts here with the rainmaker.

Next up was the much anticipated Shane Strickland vs THE BIG O - OMARI and this didnt miss a beat! A bit of an early feeling out process before Strickland worked on Omari's arm which was an opposite to the usual Strickland high flying offence. Omari made the comeback with an awe-inspiring Huracarana from the top rope that must have been a 10ft drop given Omaris height, The Big O slam got a close 2 fall, then after another attempt he fell into a keylock submission from Strickland (great reversal this) and with that it led to a Strickland win in a fantastic match and another star making performance by Omari who could be the 2018 MVP - Watch This Space 😮.

ITS KICKING TIME! With Mochizuki facing Travis Banks in a short 7 minute kick and chop fest which was alright whilst it lasted and could have done with a few more minutes given the two combatants. Mochi picked up the win with a flying kick from the top for a sudden victory over the luckless Banks.

After the break, the sirens blared and here comes NO FUNNNNNAAAAHHH Damien Dunne calling out Bar Manager for the night Session Moth Martina with added run ins from Shay Purser and Jack Sexsmith who used the numbers right to get the upper hand on Dunne who was sent packing to the back with the taste of 3 Flavoured Condoms in his gob.

7 way scramble next with Aussie Open vs Mark Haskins vs Millie McKenzie vs Jordan Devlin vs "Canvasback" David Starr vs OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH CIMA. This was all action like the night before's scramble with the main focus being on Millie McKenzie hanging with the lads and she performed brilliantly here and she is another who 2018 could be something brilliant on the UK scene. Apart from Millie - Starr, CIMA and the Aussies were cheered greatly by the Wolves massive and it was one of those who got the win in a brilliant match to watch - CIMA!!

One thing to report here after the match, a couple of reprobates were rightly scolded for the shout out of "GET YOUR TITS OUT!" to Millie. Wrestling at times recently has incorporated the local village idiots you see on the darts and football terraces of the UK and its a shame when stuff like this happens - Tossers!

Semi Main was Kay Lee Ray vs Jessica Havok in a good womens match with Havok playing the monster role well and as i have said this weekend, i couldnt believe she still isnt in TNA or even maybe in WWE as she is a good fit. Here she picked up the big win with a top rope tombstone to KLR in 10 minutes and with that it was time for the main event 6 man tag match.

British Strong Style vs OI4K & Sami Callihan in maybe the top 3 of great matches of the whole weekend. This was a huge step up from the Dragon Gate 6 way, action all over the building here including an insane dive from Dave Crist from the top of the rampway onto the wrestlers below. A coast to coast RKO from Jake Crist to Tyler Bate which had this writer in awe at what he had seen and to top it all off - Trent Seven hit a huge top rope piledriver for the win in 20 minutes to a huge standing ovation and a fitting end to a great weekend.

The night was still young though with the graps gang invading local rock bar The Giffard to dance the night away to Meatloaf, Fleetwood Mac and Queen. One thing to note though - The Giffard loos were a sight of wet bog roll, stale piss and a reet fishy smell - what a scene to paint 😯.

2am it was time to go to bed to get sleep in before the next days decision to take in another wrestling show in Salford - WrestlePro with our Geoff and David Starr's Number 1 Fan Shauna.

In closing, I would like to say Fight Club Pro pulled a blinder this weekend with some great moments and action - The Deathmatch is something i have even been trying to describe at work this morning which means it is still fresh in my mind. Sadly missing the remaining 2 FCP shows this year due to prior bookings but it has made me want to see them more next year live, which fingers crossed I will be able to do. #grapsandclaps

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 11: Barn Burner

From: You Catch More Bees With Honey Series

Pairing: Mob! Bucky x Farmer! Reader

Summary: You and Bucky will fight your way through whatever you can to get Curtis

Word count: 2,433

Content/warnings: Interrogation, mention of tranquilizer darts, mob themes, kissing, swears, let me know if I missed anything

Author’s Note: everyone say a biiiiig thank you to @hawkeyes-queen for the motivation for me finishing this chapter. Thank you, darling. And I hope to answer your ask with a blurb soon. This occurs at the same time as Ch. 8 of The Rainmaker and Ch. 4 of Handiwork

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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You stood there with your arms and legs crossed, leaning against a hay bale in the old barn. In front of you sat two men that you were less than pleased with, still unconscious thanks to the power of Bucky’s fist.

Bucky paced the floor in front of you, on the phone with an ally from the city: Stark. Apparently Lloyd had been causing him grief, as well, for some time now, and after you two were done with him, that’s where he’d be going to be dealt with. Some underground weapons bunker it seemed.

As he hung up the phone, Bucky placed his hands on his hips, stopped in front of you, and sighed. His face looked so tired, eyes sunken in, brows pulled together in distress. You were sure it mirrored your own.

You uncrossed your arms, taking a step towards him as he reached for your waist. Strands of hair that had grown a little too long flopped in front of his forehead and you pushed them back, running your fingers through his hair, giving Bucky the only taste of relaxation he was sure to get tonight. That was probably a good thing. Bucky had already lost his worn bar clothes in favor of a suit, ready for all the business that was sure to take up this night.

As you brushed a palm against his stubbly cheek, he leaned into your touch, a soft hum leaving his lips that was taken from his grasp as soon as it came when the sound of fabric rustling reached both of your ears. Lloyd was stirring awake.

Bucky stood up stark straight at that, but turned his head and kissed your palm before the tenderness left his eyes, replaced with a cold working demeanor.

He turned around, his bulky shoulders doing their best to shield you from Lloyd. You peeked around him anyway, though, catching the way Lloyd’s eyelashes fluttered open, his dark eyebrows raising in amusement when he registered that he was sitting in front of the mob boss he once called a friend. He let out a low whistle.

“Ah, Bucky! Bucky, Bucky, Bucky Barnes. What a pleasure to be dealt with personally. Heard you’ve got goons out the wazoo these days, which is surprising, considering how much I’ve enjoyed personally knocking them off lately.”

If he weren’t already stiff as a board, Bucky would’ve tensed at that. So many innocent people were dead at the hand of Lloyd, a series of killings in the city. Whether they were workers in the family or tangentially related, some of them unknowing of their connections until it was too late, Lloyd had shamelessly gone after them. A barista, a hairdresser, and several lower-level guards taken because they were accessible; something that Bucky worked hard to make sure you and he weren’t. But he hadn’t even thought about the friends of friends. Or just friends, including Curtis, that Lloyd could apparently so easily snatch.

Lloyd was shuffling in his seat, likely feeling around for one of the various knives he kept hidden on his body, but Bucky shook his head and shook off Lloyd’s previous attempt at a jab.

“You’re not gonna find any weapons on your person, Hansen. I strip searched you already. Personally. Checked all your old hiding places and some new ones. Don’t forget who taught you those hiding spots in the first place. I will applaud you for being creative with the new ones, though.”

Lloyd lifted his head, a smirk rising under his mustache, covering the small disappointment of being weaponless. He cocked his head to the side, giving a wink to Bucky.

“Ooooo, kinky. Didn’t know you were such a freak, Buck. But I guess that’s just the natural course when you date someone like Lil for so long.”

Bucky let a huff out of his nose. He was trying his best to remain stoic, but Lloyd knew just the right ways to get under his skin. You took a step forward and put a steadying hand on Bucky’s back. You didn’t want him to appear weak, but you knew you’d get nothing if this whole thing went south. It was all about getting Curtis back and keeping Lloyd in custody. Veering from the plan wasn’t worth the risk.

Lloyd noticed your action, the smirk on his face growing into a shit-eating smile.

“Well if it isn’t the sweet peach, here to calm down big, bad Bucky.”

Bucky’s fists clenched at that. He didn’t want you anywhere near Lloyd, but you insisted, and he was no one to tell you that you couldn’t do something.

Lloyd leaned towards you as much as the ropes around his chest would allow, as if he was about to tell a secret.

“No need to come to the rescue, cupcake. He ever tell you the things he’s done to rise to the top? This is nothing. I’m surprised he doesn’t have me hanging from the rafters by my toenails already.”

He was too sure of himself. He must’ve not known just how much Bucky had told you about himself in your time together, which pretty much aligned with all you had coaxed Steve and Sam to tell you previously. You knew a lot, but still not everything, especially about Lillian. But you trusted Bucky. That was what mattered.

You stayed silent while Lloyd pressed his shoulders back. He was attempting to steal the power back from Bucky through you, even in the evident power imbalance that was ongoing. His cockiness was filling the room, almost suffocating. Before you could make another movement, Steve, who had been standing up against the barn wall, took long strides towards you, grabbing your upper arm.

He led you out of the barn, into the cool night air. You looked up at him with slight confusion. Nothing you hadn’t expected had happened yet, but Steve knew Bucky even better than you, so he must’ve had good reason. His face, full of sadness that was only slightly mixed with his stoic work demeanor was matched with tight lips before he spoke, eyes boring urgently into yours.

“Bee, why don’t you go grab Cherry? Maybe she can help us. Bucky is about to do something I’m sure you’re not gonna want to watch, and I’m sure a calmer hand will be needed. Especially for Cole.”

Without a word, just a concerned expression, you simply nodded and headed back to the house.

You could tell Cherry was nervous with the way she bit her nails on the whole walk as you led her to the interrogation barn. You weren’t sure how much Bucky had done since you were gone, but you could tell it was probably a lot based off the bruises you could see forming on the mob boss’s hand when you walked in. Lloyd’s face had grown several fresh marks, as well, that would likely look much worse tomorrow, but the look on his face wouldn’t have given that away. He smiled through the grime that physically and metaphorically coated him.

You looked over at Cole who must’ve woken up not too long ago, a look near terror on his face. As gruesome as it was, even the right of one of your beloved cows giving birth hadn’t prepared you for the sight of pain inflicted on one man by another. If Lillian was as twisted as Bucky and Lloyd had made her seem, you were beyond scared for Curtis.

You shuffled further into the barn, taking a place by Steve, who stood calmly watching the scene. As soon as you had walked through the door, Bucky had turned to see you, his eyes wild, but they softened just the slightest bit as he made his way over to start discussing strategy.

“I can’t get jack shit with Lloyd here, fucking bastard. I know Cole will squeal as soon as he’s alone, though. We just need to-“

He was cut off by a sound that made you all turn your heads. The rafters of the barn creaked and down swung Decks, before landing onto the soft floor with a rustle of the thin smattering of hay over a bare dirt floor. The action caught the attention of the captives, too, as they watched her stalk over to them. Her shoulders were stiff, unyielding. You had only seen her like this once before. In a bar, when a guy she had gone on a couple of dates with spilled his drink on you and didn’t apologize. Except, compared to her demeanor now, that seemed like an anger level of two. This was an eleven.

Steve made a movement to go towards her, but Bucky barred him with an arm. That was a good idea. It was never smart for anyone to get in her way when she got like this, and that included Lloyd and Cole. They were in her way in the act of finding Curtis. She spoke in a low and even tone, but the urgency and spite in her voice was almost deafening.

“I’ll give you one more shot. I’m sick of watching this dance. Where. Is. Curtis?”

Cole stuttered, “I-I don’t know.”

Smack. In a flash, his head was tossed to the side, looking down towards the ground, red already filling his cheek. Beside you, Steve flinched, and based on the look that Bucky gave him, you could assume that was not something the second in command often did.

“Wrong answer.”

She took a step to her left, putting herself directly in front of Lloyd.

“Where?”

Her voice was alarmingly even to an outsider, but you could just barely pick up on the increasing annoyance. It was calm, yet rage-filled. Lloyd shook his head as his shoulders rose and fell with laughter. Bad idea. Your eyes darted down to see the way Decks’s fists tightened.

“Oh, come on, Pumpkin. You’re a smartie. Bet you’re a sweet peach just like your friend, too, but I’m not giving up whe-“

Punch. Right to the jaw. Good. You hated that he kept calling you that. It was a reminder of someone you no longer were. And a signal of just how far off the mark Lloyd was from gauging this situation.

It was almost in slow motion as Lloyd fell to the hay floor in a heap with a dull thump and a rustle. She had knocked him out cold.

Her eyes were fixed on Cole again.

“Is that motivation enough for you to help us now?”

Cole furiously nodded and looked back over his shoulder at Cherry. “I’ll talk to her.”

It was obviously so he could deal with the one furthest removed from knowing how to properly run business, but the request was turned down quickly as the tall blond beside you took a long stride towards the center of the barn and shook his head.

“No way. You lost your right to negotiate when you let Lloyd cross that line. You talk to me or you don’t have a tongue to talk anymore. Got it?”

Cole swallowed in nervousness. In the next second, Bucky caught your eye. With a jerk of his head, he wordlessly gestured for you to take Cherry out of the barn and you nodded, gently guiding her out as quickly as the two of you came in. Decks was already nearly out of sight, halfway across the field to the house.

Soon before the sunrise, you met Bucky out on the porch. He was on the steps below you, looking up and rubbing his hands up and down your sides as his crew loaded vehicles behind him. Your hands cradled his jaw as he explained the situation to you.

“Curtis isn’t being held too far from here. Apparently Lillian is still there, too. We’ll take care of it all.”

You nodded, your thumb brushing over the apple of his cheek. “Okay. Be careful. Save my cousin.”

Bucky nodded, looking deeply into your eyes and observing them grow hard, tough, fiery for a moment. “…and burn it all down. To the ground. I mean it. I’m sick of this shit and it’s gotta end. I don’t deserve this, Decks doesn’t, and Curtis and Cherry sure as hell don’t.”

Bucky smiled at your fierce statement, going on his toes for a quick kiss. “You got it, Honey. See you in a little.”

Bucky set fire to the farm with ease. Lillian was nothing when it came to the power he held. She met him at the front entrance to one of Cole’s farm property, her heels, inappropriate for the situation, rolling in the gravel.

“James. It’s nice to see you. Come to crawl back to me? It’s too bad that I’ve already got someone else.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. He just had to buy time while his men got in position and Steve got to Curtis.

“No, Lil. But Steve did always warn me that it seemed like you had a thing for inept, kicked puppies. I should’ve predicted Cole would become your next little plaything.”

She smirked with her red lips and shrugged. “Well, that could’ve been you, but it looks like you’ve turned into what you always dreaded. A pawn trying to take on the queen and king.”

Bucky chuckled. “So you’re calling yourself a queen now? And who’s the king? Cole? Lloyd? Both equally cringe-inducing options.”

Before Lillian or the guard behind her could make a move or say another word, a dart was shot into their necks and she tumbled into Bucky’s arms. More of Bucky’s guards emerged from the surrounding tall grass, taking care of the two of them and waiting for their next steps.

Meanwhile, you were trying to hold the house together, cooking breakfast for a worried Cherry and an angry Decks. Cherry was dealing, though, but Decks was a mess. But you knew a lot was happening for her. Betraying her trust and putting so much pressure on her wasn’t what you had wanted to do, but it was the only option you could see.

As your mind was wandering with menial tasks, though, you got a notification on your phone from the security sensors that Peter had installed, indicating something was coming up the driveway. You prayed it was Curtis and he was in one piece.

Based on Cherry first tossing a mug at the wall in surprise, which luckily wasn’t one of your nice ones, you weren’t sure, but then you heard Curtis’s voice and you finally felt yourself relax for the first time in a month.

As soon as Curtis entered, Decks gave him a big hug before he came and did the same to you.

Next >

Bonus A/N: it’s been awhile, but I’m glad to be getting back to this. Thank you for reading, I’d really appreciate hearing about what you thought through comments, reblogs, and asks. Much love!

Taglist: @mrsnikstan @multifandomreader73 @scuzmunkie @openup-yourmind @vicmc624 @hawkeyes-queen @blackhawkfanatic @morgthemagpie @buckybarnessimpp @calwitch @thesarcasmqueen-22 @ronearoundblindly @thedonswife13 @mercurial-chuckles @thezombieprostitute @steviebbboi

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 8: Never Be Sorry

From: The Rainmaker Series

Pairing: Mob! Steve x Forensic Scientist! Reader

Summary: There’s a lot to apologize for, but some things happen for a reason

Word count: 6,323

Content/warnings: mob themes, gun mentions, swears, yelling, tough love, interrogation, punching, slapping, convincing-ish arguments?, fires, lots of time switching between the past and present, angst, sass

Author’s Note: I hope you enjoy this next chapter! It takes place at the same time as chapter 4 of Handiwork and Chapter 11 of YCMBWH.

Your feedback is appreciated in all forms! Comments, reblogs, and asks are golden💗

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

< Prev | Series Masterlist | Next >

“Everything’s Fucked.” You spoke through gritted teeth, arms crossed, looking out the window. The open fields were whizzing by in the early morning light as Number Five drove you home in Bucky’s car, leaving him and Steve at the farm to clean up after the events of the previous night.

It was per your insistence that you stay until Curtis was found, despite having to get called in to the office for this Sunday afternoon. As much as you wished to stay back and ensure Curtis and Cherry were alright, you had a job to do. Sure, Steve and his goons could’ve called off for you like they did the last time, but you couldn’t risk the association with them, not anymore. Not when so much else in your life was at stake. And honestly, you weren’t sure how much more time you could stand to be around people. Your last straw was on the verge of snapping.

Late last night (aka early morning)

You sat in the hay loft of one of the small barns on the farm, feet swinging from the rafters as you watched the scene below. You observed the two men who crossed you, crossed Curtis as they sat in metal chairs, tied with fresh rope, one of them squirming, the other calmly watching the scene with a mischievous smirk on his face.

There was no way it was genuine, though. You knew they were going to lose. You had heard all about the the abilities of Bucky in the city from Five when you cornered him upon your return from the bar. You knew men were tearing down Lloyd’s organization as this entire scene was occurring, and you knew Bucky would get what he wanted. Apparently he had a reputation for that. How it flew under your nose for so many years, you weren’t sure, but it meant he was really good. Which might’ve also meant you weren’t as good as you thought, but that was a thought you tried to push from your mind, despite the way it kept creeping in.

Bucky was circling the two men, akin to a shark, crisp suit adorned, taking the place of the jeans and flannel shirt he borrowed for the bar. Steve was wearing the same, and your previous disdain for that formalwear was growing back and burning your throat. Sure, the farm clothes were comfortable, but you knew that would’ve made them too vulnerable, which wasn’t gonna fly in a mob interrogation like this. So suits it was. Gone was the simple pleasure associated with the old, worn clothing. This was all business.

The same went for you, except in your case, business meant comfort. The second you got back from the bar and entered the farmhouse, you shucked the dress off your body and weant straight for the laundry room, borrowing a pair of Bee’s jeans and an old flannel of Curtis’s that was sitting on top of the pile, the extra material tucked into your waistband as it bloused over your body. It was perfect for a crisp night like this, and you were sure he wouldn’t mind. Plus, who knew how dirty you were going to get at this point? You were literally in a barn.

This interrogation was going nowhere, though. Lloyd was fucking smug as ever and Cole was being a whiny bitch. And worse even, after rolling Lloyd’s name around in your head for an hour, it all made sense. Hansen. As in Lillian Hansen, criminal defense attorney that you abhorred, despite the fact you luckily never really had to deal with her. But you knew how much Scott couldn’t stand the lady, and you imagined Andy felt the same. Ugh, Andy, or should you go back to calling him DA Barber now, who was probably on Steve’s payroll. And probably Scott, too! Was there anyone left that you could trust to tell you the truth!? It looked like you were the only one who you could have faith in anymore. And maybe Cherry? But now, you were gonna use that rage and that self-reliance to get some results.

You swung down from the rafters and landed on strong legs in your boots on the dirt floor. Bucky had just gone over to greet Cherry who had walked into the barn. This was your open opportunity to get what you needed out of these pricks.

You stalked towards the men in the metal chairs, your face showing the vengeance these two were sure to face soon, if not by your hand, then by the mob’s. Your eyes narrowed and shoulders squared as you looked between the two men. You hated them more than you hated even Walker for what they had a part in. More than spoiled milk, more than being left out of the loop. More than Steve.

You were grateful for the way the corner of your eye caught Bucky’s arm barring Steve from approaching you. He had already messed up enough and taken choices from you. This wasn’t another thing you needed taken away. You would deal with it your own way as you stepped in front of Cole.

“I’ll give you one more shot. I’m sick of watching this dance. Where. Is. Curtis?”

A stuttering voice came out of Cole. “I-I don’t know.”

You rolled your eyes. Of course he didn’t. What a dipshit. The kind who doesn’t know basic science or who to trust. But you guessed, at this point, you didn’t either. You raised your arm.

Smack. In a flash, his head was tossed to the side.

“Wrong answer.”

If Cole wasn’t going to give what you needed, maybe Lloyd could, or maybe he and his tight lips could be the vessel to get the Turner heir to squeal.

You took a step to your left, putting yourself directly in front of Lloyd.

“Where?”

Your voice was even and low. Calm, yet rage-lined. You were so sick of all this shit. You had no room to feel sad or worried anymore. All that was left was anger. At the situation, at yourself. It filled you, but it fueled you. Lloyd shook his head, paired with his shoulders that jumped up and down with laughter. Your fists tightened at the way you could tell he wasn’t taking you seriously.

“Oh, come on, Pumpkin. You’re a smartie. Bet you’re a sweet peach just like your friend, too, but I’m not giving up whe-“

Punch. Right to the jaw. It was almost in slow motion as Lloyd fell to the hay floor in a heap with a dull thump and a rustle. You had pinpointed the right spot and knocked him out cold. Your eyes quickly fixed on Cole again, seeing a new wave of fear had swept across his face.

“Is that motivation enough for you to help us now?”

He furiously nodded, but then looked back over his shoulder at Cherry. “I’ll talk to her.”

You could see the surprise on her face, but he was in no place to make demands. Just as you were about to speak up, Steve’s voice filled the barn.

“No way. You lost your right to negotiate when you let Lloyd cross that line. You talk to me or you don’t have a tongue to talk anymore. Got it?”

You watched Cole gulp in fear. That was on him for refusing to deal directly with you, and now he got Steve, who you didn’t even know the capabilities of, never having witnessed him in this environment before. All of the unknowns hitting you at once were too much. You had to get out of there, so you turned on your heel and swiftly exited the barn, fast walking away. Anywhere else.

You grumbled and shook your head as your boots brushed through the tall grass. “Fucking dumbass mobsters.”

Present

The mid-morning sun was high and bright in your eyes as you continued on the highway back home. You were exhausted, but things would get better once you got back to work. Right? They had to.

You turned in your seat, cracking your back and doing your best to stretch in the confined space. You took the opportunity to reach around, too, opening the glove compartment, shifting items around.

Peter was attempting to keep his eyes on the road, but his gaze kept flashing to you. “Everything alright, Miss Decks?”

You groaned in frustration, rifling through the drinks in the center console. Of course it was a cooler.

“Where does Bucky keep the sunglasses? He’s gotta have an extra pair somewhere. Rich bastard is rarely unprepared, I know it.”

Peter reached up near the rear view mirror and popped open a sunglasses holder where you saw a pair of dark frames.

“Ah, thank you, Five.”

You grabbed them and closed the holder, before sliding them on your face, crossing your arms, and scooting back down in the passenger seat. There was still a ways to go, and this was a little better so you didn’t go blind.

Just as you started nodding off for a nap, you felt a buzzing in your pocket. You let out a big sigh and pulled out your phone, rolling your eyes when you saw who it was: Bee. You groaned as you hit the button to answer the call, putting it on speaker in case there was something she had to say to Peter.

“What?”

There was a deep breath taken on the other side of the line. “Well good morning to you, too, Sunshine. How’s the drive going? You kind of left abruptly.”

You continued to stare out at the road, more cars having joined alongside you as the day continued.

“Yeah. Couldn’t waste anymore time. Had to get back for the shift they need me for this afternoon.”

You heard her hum, knowing exactly what her face was from that noise. Most definitely tight-lipped and skeptical.

“Yeah, okay. And this isn’t you running away from your problems, right?”

You were silent for a second. She didn’t need to call you out like that. You were fine. It was all…fine. Maybe if you could convince her of that, you could convince yourself, too.

“What problems? We got Curtis back. Bucky is gonna help you figure out everything to keep your farm and then some I bet. No issues here except me having to go to work.”

It was Bee’s turn to stay silent now. It’s not like she was ever an excessive talker, but both of you knew that if she wasn’t gracing you with a response, she could see right through you and was waiting for you to state the conclusion on your own. Her silence drove you crazy.

“Okay, fine! I’m going back to my job to drown myself in test analysis reports and probably straining my eyes at the microscope again. Is that what you wanna hear?”

She let out a dry laugh from the other end of the line.

“While I admire the hustle, partner, you know it’s not. I wanna hear you talk about exactly what’s going on with a certain blonde puppy that’s pouting in my living room right now. But…since I love you I can give you good news first.”

Good news didn’t sound like something that could exist right now. But before you could catch more of those thoughts, you were interrupted by the clearing of a throat next to you. Oh right, Five was driving this car.

“Ugh. Before you speak more, hold on. Because this is between me and you, and I don’t need someone reporting this information to his boss.”

You looked over at Peter and the way his brow furrowed.

“Five, can I count on you to keep whatever you hear in this conversation a secret?”

He simply gave a curt nod.

“Discretion is my entire job description, Miss Decks.”

You sighed. It was exactly what you wanted to hear, but was it just that?

“Yeah, but do you have to report everything I say to your superiors?”

Peter shrugged. “I have to follow their orders…so if they tell me to…yes.”

“But isn’t your primary order right now to protect me? So protect me by not saying anything to Steve. What’s he gonna do? Hold a gun to your head?”

Peter was silent.

“Oh my god, he’s not gonna put a gun to your head, is he!?”

Peter spared a quick glance at you. “Um, I’d hope not. Probably not? No, no, he knows I’d never cross him. Mr. Rogers doesn’t like to get rid of people for no good reason. So definitely not if he knew the order of my silence came from you.”

From the phone in your hand, you heard Bee hum. “Ooooo, Decky, your reputation among the ranks precedes you.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’d tell you to shut up, but I’m actually trying to give you the opportunity to speak right now, and I have no desire to hear more about this hierarchy, so talk before I change my mind.”

Humor reached her voice at the way you were beginning to open up to her again. “Oh I love how you love me. You might regret giving that free rein, but I’ll get on with it. This weekend went to… excuse my language…shit, but I didn’t even get to show you your surprise.”

Your ears perked up. “Bee, you what? When on Earth did you have time for that?”

She made an unsure, drawn out sound. “Well…I didn’t. I’ve had my hands pretty full..it’s um, technically from Cole, but you’re gonna like it.”

You scoffed. “How am I going to like something regifted from that fucking weirdo.”

The annoyance she’d been holding back with your bitter mood was starting to show in her voice now. Something very rare. You couldn’t believe you were actually wearing her patience down. “Decks, can you just be nice for one second!? Don’t make me call you by your birth name, because I swear I will. I’ll use the middle one, too! God. It’s a cow. It’s that cow you always asked for. She’s yours and she needs a name. Please be nice to me. I’m trying so hard right now to help you. Try and shed some light on this terrible situation.”

“Okay, okay, fine.” You shrunk in on yourself in your seat and your voice was almost a squeak. As much as you wanted to be annoyed at everything and how it did truly go to shit, you couldn’t blame it on her. It really wasn’t her fault. And this subject change was kind of nice.

Your voice was still small. “So tell me more about this cow. Mini highland?”

Back was her bright tone. “Yep! That’s the one. Light brown and adorable. You wanna rif on it?”

You sighed. “Um…maybe not right now? But I really do appreciate it. Give that girl a nice spa day for me, will you?”

You couldn’t see it, but you were sure she was nodding on the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, yeah. I will.”

Earlier last night (right after returning from the bar)

Steve and Bucky had converted one of the barns on the property into a makeshift interrogation room while Cole and Lloyd were still out cold, Bucky having knocked them out as a result of the fight in the bar. He knew you had driven Cherry home, but had no idea where you were now as he walked around the barn entrance, kicking stray rocks and looking up at the clear sky, littered with stars. All he could think about was sharing that view with you.

Over his shoulder, he could hear the grass rustling from footsteps and suddenly next to him stood Bucky. Steve looked at his best friend with a halfhearted smile, the pain evidently seeping through. It wasn’t going to be an easy night by any means, but Bucky knew it was much harder for Steve than him. Steve sighed, comfortable enough to speak his mind. He had to get this out, voicing something would keep him from combusting.

“It’s so beautiful. All the times I’ve been out here, I haven’t gotten the chance to look up at the sky at night without all the light pollution. Decks would love this. I bet she knows all the constellations.”

Bucky let out a small chuckle at the obsessive thoughts of his friend. He had a point, though, and he felt it a little more as he heard Bee walk up behind him, slotting her fingers between his own and setting her head on his shoulder. Steve continued to stare upward with a small, wistful sigh as Bee spoke over the light chirp of the crickets.

“She does. She took an astronomy elective in college. The stars are no use enjoying alone. You should be staring up at them together, but she needs to come to that conclusion on her own now that she knows everything.”

Steve nodded, huffed, then wiped his tired eyes with the heels of his palms, finally dropping his head.

“Yeah, you’re right. But I’m going to keep trying. I have to.”

Bee clicked her tongue and looked over at Bucky, responding to Steve. “As you should. Sometimes the best things are the ones someone teaches you to work a little extra for.”

Present

“Now it’s your turn, Decks. What’s really got you twisted?” Bee’s bright voice was louder than you’d like on the phone speaker.

You grumbled your response under your breath.

“What? I couldn’t quite catch that?”

You sighed and took a sip of water from the bottle you pulled out of the cooler, preparing yourself to finally voice the feelings you’d had cooped up inside.

“God, Bee this is so fucking embarrassing. I was stupid and blind. That’s what I’m so mad about, Curtis aside. It was all right in front of me the entire time. I should’ve seen it coming. I mean, Bucky, Steve, Lillian, Lloyd. They were all right there! And I missed them! I’m a terrible civic servant. I should just rescind that application I sent to the FBI.”

You huffed after having said your peace, but were glad the phone wasn’t up by your ear when her voices busted through the speaker again.

“WAIT, you applied to the FBI!? Decks, why didn’t you tell me?!”

You shrugged. “I don’t know, didn’t feel right at the time when I was at your house. And I didn’t want it over call or text in case the NSA or someone else was listening, but what does it matter now? I’m a terrible investigator.”

You thought for a second before speaking up again. “I shouldn’t have tried to make all this for myself. Maybe my mom was right and I should’ve looked for a husband a long time ago. Settled down or something and stopped pushing to have more. The world’s been trying to tell me that’s all I’m good for, but obviously even that’s something I mess up.”

“Ugh, Decks. You’ve gotta stop with that malarkey your mom fed you. Sure, she’s great and she stayed home once she found a husband, but that doesn’t have to be you. You’ve told me several times you don’t want that to be you. If that’s what you want now, great, but I know you and I know it’s not. I think you should keep going for your goals. You’d be great in the FBI.”

You wanted to smile at the compliment, but you felt like a fool. “Would I, though? For the several reasons I just told you? Plus, even if I were to get in, they do background checks. And interviews of family and friends. How’s it gonna look if my best friend is involved with the mob? And so is that guy that I kissed, like twice, but wanted to do way more than kiss with? And oh yeah, his best friend, which also happens to be the aforementioned best friend’s boyfriend? Also mob. And let’s add another friend getting kidnapped by a dirty lawyer, once again, mob, to the list. Can’t hide that.”

Bee sighed in contemplation. “Well, uh, actually, you can. Technically on paper I’m a produce contractor for Bucky’s restaurants. That’s why they’ve got all the businesses, bestie.”

“But even if that does work for the interview process, my luck won’t roll on forever. So maybe cut ties are for the best. But also, do they really even matter? Like, not really at this point. Nothing matters. I’ll just stay in the city, do my little science experiments like a monkey for those fuckwads like Walker, and maybe get a cat. It’ll be grand.”

Bee almost growled. You were sure it was terrifying in person. “Can you just stop feeling sorry for yourself!? I didn’t want to have to pull out the tough love but you leave me no choice. Yeah, this whole thing is fucked up. You got lied to, and I’m sorry for that. But honestly, nothing was fake. I’ll tell you that for a fact. And I know you know it, too. You can join the FBI if you want. You can keep your digital footprint and paper trail clean, and you can find happiness on your own terms. I’m this close to saying I’m sick of this sour behavior, Decks. If anyone can find their way out of a tangled mess like the one you think you’re caught up in, it’s you. So like you always do, put your head down and stop complainin’!”

You didn’t want to dignify this all with a response, so she kept going, but something on the other end of the line was trying to get her attention. “Listen, I’ve gotta go. But you know where I stand. On all of this. On you, on Steve, on your job. You can call me whenever, just think about it and stop selling yourself short. I know you’ve got this whole hard, tough exterior going for you, and it’s great. I love it, because I know the softness underneath. But don’t let that all harden, too. I can see you want it to because yeah, this all hurts, but that’s not gonna help your pain. It’s just gonna trap it there.”

What the fuck was this wise sage advice? She was turning into her uncle slowly. You were sure of it. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean she was wrong, though, but you didn’t want to hear it. So you simply put your hood up and pulled the strings tight. Her voice held a tone of disappointment, but also empathy at your continued silence; it was softer now.

“I love you, and I care for you, and I want you to know, I never would have let Steve get that close to you if I didn’t think it could bloom into something amazing. For both of you. It’s beyond just having someone else there. I know you’re mad, but maybe give him a chance. Okay? I’ve really gotta go now. Bye.”

The dial tone signaling the end of the call filled the car. You watched as Peter’s hands adjusted on the wheel and the city skyline came into view.

The thing was, after getting all of that out to Bee and listening to her, you realized you weren’t really mad, but it all just hurt. It was a pain that came from heartbreak. Someone you trusted let you down; multiple people. But you weren’t sorry about how you acted because of it. And to your surprise, you weren’t sorry about much that had happened at all, but for now, you needed to focus on you.

Late last night (after the interrogation)

Steve stayed light on his feet as he ducked and made his way through the tall grass of the farm field. After your…. convincing argument… as to why Cole should speak up, he spilled everything to Bucky and Steve. And it was everything. The extent of his deals with Lloyd, his original plans to overtake Bee’s farm, the true financial state of his own empire, and the fact that he and Lillian were seeing each other. Which was…frankly, more than Steve was willing to hear.

All of that information, though, led him to one of the newer locations of the Turner farms. One that specialized in cattle feed and storage, so no live animals on the property, just fallow and crop fields, and several barns and silos.

Steve rushed through the tall grass, flanked by Bucky and his men, giving silent hand signals as orders. They were to make as little of a scene as possible, which would’ve been successful if Lillian’s men hadn’t made a mess of everything. Shooting without silencers, screaming, making the entire scene evident to any onlookers. They were lucky they were in the middle of nowhere. Someone might just mistake it all as a farmer’s altercation with a coyote.

After having taken care of the two guards outside one of the barns while Bucky and his men handled the rest of the area, Steve was on alert as he slid the barn door open on the largest of the several buildings. The early morning light lit up the dim barn, illuminating Curtis’s face. Steve wanted to feel relief but he had to make sure Curtis was alright first. He surveyed the area as he approached.

Out in front of him, Curtis squinted and spoke with a raspy voice. “Steve?”

Steve gave him a small smile, surprised when Curtis’s face fell a little flat, not giving much emotion.

“Hey there, partner. I’m here for retrieval service.”

He walked around behind Curtis and crouched down, pulling the knife out of his breast pocket, flicking it open, and cutting the wrist restraints. Curtis immediately brought his hands to his front, rubbing the tender area.

“Did you get Lillian? She was outside. And all the guards? Is everyone else okay? How’s Cherry? Decks? Bee?”

Steve walked around to Curtis’s front, crouching once again to begin sawing at the ropes that held his ankles.

“The girls are good. Safe on the farm being guarded, but I think they can handle themselves. Your girl has taken this quite well all things considered.”

Steve broke through the ropes and looked up at Curtis’s face. There was a cut on his cheek that appeared to be bruising slowly.

“Lillian got you pretty good, huh? Don’t worry, we’ve got her now. And Lloyd and Cole. They’re getting delivered back to an old friend in the city as we speak. Probably won’t have to see their faces ever again. That’s a blessing.”

Steve thought back to Lillian meeting him and Bucky at the edge of the property when they first arrived, gun and singular henchman at the ready, easily overpowered by the two of them. Backup must have been lagging. They were easily set in the back of one of the SUVs in the brigade to be sent away. Good riddance, she was terrible and Curtis didn’t even know the half of it.

Curtis nodded in assent. “You could say that again.”

Steve looked Curtis once over, checking for any more injuries, satisfied to not see anything too bad. She must’ve been planning something terribly drawn out and he was lucky she never got there. “Can you walk?”

Curtis nodded and groaned as he threw his hands to his knees and pressed out of the uncomfortable metal chair.

“Yeah…you never really answered all of my questions, though, city boy, at least not fully….”

Steve internally winced, hoping that would squeak past, but it didn’t. He walked with Curtis up to the edge of the barn, peeking out to check if the coast was clear and speaking into an ear piece, indicating Curtis had been picked up and was ready for transport. He nodded with confirmation and his shoulders relaxed a little, although Steve grabbed the gun from the holster on his hip just in case, keeping it low as they shuffled out into the open field. One could never be too cautious of Lillian, but this didn’t seem like a plan that was thought out very well.

Steve and Curtis stepped out onto the land of one of the Turners farms. It was a newer one, a shame, yet somewhat satisfying by how much of it was on fire right now. The barn behind them was already up in flames, per the boss’s orders.

Steve led Curtis back to his black SUV parked on the gravel road, but looked at the farmer with confusion as Curtis took it upon himself to go towards the driver’s seat, despite the way Steve was very evidently guiding him towards the passenger side. Curtis held his hand out for the keys expectantly. Steve was nervous, he didn’t like the look on his face one bit. It was stern, demanding, and…protective? And it perfectly matched his vocal tone.

“Come on. While I drive home, you’re gonna walk me through your plan to get Decks back. If the next time I see her, she’s as mopey as she’s been this weekend, or worse yet, this hardens her, you’ll have hell to pay.”

Steve sighed as he settled into his seat. “Okay, okay. But I think I’m gonna need a lot of your input. Just be nice about it.”

Curtis raised a skeptical brow at Steve as he pulled out onto the country road. Steve wished he could crawl out of his skin. He might have just risked his life to save Curtis, but now he was on edge, faced with having to confront not only what he did wrong, but how he planned to fix it, and the fact that it may never be good with you again.

In Steve’s extended silence, Curtis decided to speak up, one hand on the wheel to slightly turn his body.

“You know, Steve, I’ve always been a little skeptical of you.”

Steve’s heart was beating fast. He wasn’t blind. Something about the two of them just never clicked.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you. I think you and I just don’t understand the way each other ticks. I don’t know why you do the things you do.”

Steve cleared his throat, turning towards Curtis to hear more.

“Way back when, Decks dated a friend of mine. It didn’t really go anywhere, but I knew I didn’t like it and I wasn’t sure why.”

Steve nodded in anticipation to where this was going.

“I came to realize it was because I was protective, because I know her. And I know she’s tough, but there’s a lot more vulnerability under that surface. And from that moment, I saw, too, that anyone who dated her without taking special consideration for that wasn’t my friend. Anyone who didn’t bare their own intentions and thoughts like I knew she was bound to do, wasn’t a friend.”

Steve shifted in discomfort. “So you don’t think I care? You don’t think I’m honest?”

Curtis blew out a breath. “I can tell you care, but I think you were a little too comfortable withholding the truth from someone who put their inner self on display for you.”

Steve nodded in understanding. He knew what he did was wrong, but he had no idea what the true gravity of it was.

“So, you got anything more to say about it, buddy? How are you going to apologize? How will you say you’re sorry and deserving of her?”

Steve wiped a hand down over his face.

“I-I don’t know. Maybe send her something? Some food, whatever she might want? Do you know what she might want? A car? A-“

Curtis stopped him right there. “I don’t think so. You can’t buy her forgiveness. How are you showing it to her? Plus, you can’t give her a car. The FBI will flag your connection to her real quick and I won’t let your feelings and lack of knowledge make a smudge on her background check when she just sent in that application.”

Steve sighed. He had no idea you applied to the FBI. Heck, he just learned only a week ago how you got your nickname. It seemed like he was so taken aback with your chemistry, and with hiding his identity, that the two of you skipped over each other as people.

“Okay, I-I didn’t know that. What do I do to show her, then, though?”

Curtis laughed dryly. “That’s for you to figure out. And sure, it could come in the form of gifts, but more so, it should come in the form of you. Do something that shows you’re willing to go by her pace, to learn the way she works and lives her life, not that you’re trying to fit her into yours, or worse yet, have her be an accessory to everything else you have going on. Decks is someone worth prioritizing.”

“Yeah, I know. Fuck. Well then it seems like I’ve got some work to do.”

“Big time. Now, my turn, because I wanna know the extent of hell you and I may have gone through together in another sense. Tell me what Lillian was like growing up.”

Steve smiled a little in the corner of his mouth. Maybe once he fixed it all with you, he and Curtis could get along after all. “Well, I’ll tell you what. I’m a saint compared to her.”

Curtis snickered. “I figured, golden boy.”

Earlier this morning, just before your departure

You shuffled around upstairs in the farmhouse, gathering the few items you came with in preparation to head back home. You knew the boys were out getting Curtis with cautious optimism they’d be back any minute. Bee and Cherry were downstairs, cleaning up the dishes from breakfast as you packed.

As you looked out the window, you saw an SUV turn off the dirt road and onto the driveway. You finished shoving everything else in your bag, slung it over your shoulder and went down the steps. When you got there, you saw Cherry walking out the front door as Bee was digging a broom and dustpan out of the closet.

You dropped your bag on the bench to scope the area, morning light glowing through the curtains. Your survey was cut short, though.

“Decks, be a dear and hold this dustpan for me, won’t you?”

You silently nodded, squatting down and looking at the shattered coffee mug. Bee didn’t seem on alert, though. She seemed relieved, and that’s when you heard Curtis’s voice on the other side of the door. You perked up before going to throw away the ceramic shards.

Just as you were dusting off your hands, the front door creaked open revealing Curtis a little battered and bruised, but walking just fine. As Bee put away the broom, you ran up to him and threw your arms around his neck. Your voice was muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

“I never thought I’d have to say a statement like this twice in a couple months, but I’m so happy you’re alive.”

Curtis laughed and rubbed your back. “Sure am. And I agree. That’s enough mob business for now.”

You let out a watery laugh, pulling away and letting Bee in to see her cousin. The door remained open and your eyes went straight to your bag again. As you grabbed it and put it over your shoulder, you quickly shuffled out the door, past the two large and suited men, running towards the third one who had agreed to drive you home.

Steve had walked in the house, ready to talk to you, but was caught by surprise when you zipped past him. As Bucky joined the group in the living room, ready to debrief everyone, all Steve could focus on was you. He lurched forward on his feet, shoved by Curtis, and used the momentum to jog down to Bucky’s car where you had already gotten in the passenger seat.

Peter was still standing outside the driver’s side as you looked straight ahead, arms crossed and ready to leave now that Curtis was alright. You had no intention of speaking with Steve, even though he was knocking on your window with a concerned look on his face.

“Decks. Hey, can I talk to you for a second?”

You shook your head just barely enough for him to see.

“Please? I want to apologize. I’m sorry.”

You reached a hand out to lower the window just a crack, still not granting him eye contact.

“Sorry for what, Steven?”

He took a deep breath, leaning forward so his one hand sat on the roof of the car, the other bracing the side mirror.

“Sorry for lying. Betraying your trust. Keeping the truth from you.”

You nodded, your lips pursed in slight anger and consideration. You finally whipped your head to face him.

“Did you ever think that maybe I wanted the choice, Steve? To know the truth. Decide whether or not what I felt for you was real by knowing all of you? You took that away from me.”

He nodded, staring down at the rocks in front of his feet. “I know, I know. That’s…..that was bad decision-making on my part-“

“See, but you got to make a decision. I didn’t. There’s a difference there. All that time spent together was a lie and a borderline waste.”

Steve shook his head, the watery blue of his eyes finally rising to meet yours again. “I don’t think it was. All those times with me, they were the real me, and I know they were the real you, too. That’s something I’ll never be sorry for: our time together. But I am sorry for taking the choice of you knowing what I might be getting you into.”

“You should be.” You faced forward in your seat again and rolled your window up, hearing Steve’s demands to Peter through the glass.

Next >

Bonus A/N: ooooooh! What does it all mean!? Hehehe🫣 was Curtis too nice to Steve? Be honest. Was bee too nice to Decks? Should she have pushed her back towards Steve a little harder?

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