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proceduralpassion · 19 days ago

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𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐥𝐞

𝐅𝐨𝐫 @𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝'𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 (𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤, 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐳𝐭𝐞𝐜, 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐭)

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧/𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟐.𝟐𝐤

𝐀/𝐍: 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐦 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐁𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐜! 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨… 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐙𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫!! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 "𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 (𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤, 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐳𝐭𝐞𝐜, 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐭)" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲𝐲𝐲𝐲𝐲𝐲 𝐀𝐔 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐘𝐂 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐥. 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲'𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟐 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐮𝐝𝐨𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝!

With the sunset comes coolness after a blazing day. And still, Tiffany finds herself invigorated. Filled with so much passion that her happiness bursts at the seams of her. It's been so long and she can't remember the last time she's felt this heavy stream of inspiration flowing through her.

It might've been when she first joined the FBI. She had all these aspirations of hunting down the worst of the worst when it came to criminals. Giving victims' families peace and making the world a safer place. It was a service she felt like she was doing, but it was also something that gave her purpose. Filled her with meaning. Buzzed her with an energy that meant that life was worth living to its fullest. It was a burden until it wasn't.

And she doesn't let herself be stapled down by society's way of shoehorning people into one path and one path only. Life had different colors, different seasons.

Egypt brought a new season for her.

***

"I think we should stop seeing each other."

He's prepared for the shocked expression that paints Gemma's face. He still winces internally because he hates that he's now planted tears in her eyes.

"Y- you want to break up with me?" She stutters.

"It's not you-" he curses himself before he even registers how quickly her gaze turns from sadness to ire.

"It's not me? The old and tired 'it's not you, it's me' cop out? Really, OA?!"

"That did not come out right. I'm sorry," he says.

Gemma backs away from the hand he uses to reach out for her, "Then, what is this really?? I deserve, at least, an explanation."

He takes a deep breath and in that moment, her eyes veer from him and looks at what's behind him.

"Why do you have so much luggage out? You're going somewhere?"

"Can we sit? Please?"

Begrudgingly, she follows his lead and they're eye to eye, sitting across from each other in the penthouse they live in together.

"I'm going back to Egypt to spend some time with family. A lot has happened this year and I'm starting to feel… dillusioned. With life. With my job." The "with you" remains unsaid but they both hear it clearly in the echoes that linger between them. "I haven't been sleeping. I'm unfocused at work. I.. I don't feel like myself."

Gemma's eyes water again because she can't deny that she hasn't noticed.

"I had dinner over at my mom's last night and she just… knew. I try to be upbeat and leave all that stuff out of my mind when I'm there, especially when it's the only time I get to see my nieces and nephews, but she confronted me after everyone else left and… Well, I haven't cried that long and hard for a really long time."

His shoulders still feel worn down with the weight of his problems, but they feel lighter from yesterday. His umi had held him in her arms like he wasn't 6'5" and twice her size. When they finally parted from their embrace, OA felt like he could breathe again without the achiness.

"Mom's hugs have super powers," Zahra, one of his sisters, used to say when they were young.

OA continues, "We had a long talk about everything I've been feeling. How unhappy I feel, no matter how hard I try. She made a suggestion. Says I should consider taking some time off from work and visit my relatives in Egypt. To take a minute to enjoy life beyond the swiftness of NYC. I reminded her that I haven't been since-" He finds himself at a loss, just like last night, trying to remember his last time in the country where his ancestry lies. "It was definitely before I joined the FBI, possibly even before I did my stint with the DEA, so we're nearing the ten year mark for sure."

They both look at his luggage by the door. Gemma with frustration and OA with resoluteness.

"It sounded right in the moment. Doing anything else actually feels wrong in a way, I can't explain it. I don't know if I'm supposed to be searching for something or simply putting a pause on my life here. I've made up my mind, though. I put in for a temporary leave this morning so that I could have time to fill out the paperwork for an extended sabbatical. My flight's in three hours."

Everything's moving too fast for her and she seeks out for the stability he's always provided for her. She moves to sit on the coffee table and grasps his shoulder.

"OK, but that doesn't mean we have to break up. It's not like you're gonna be gone forever."

Her voice weakens towards the end of her statement and she wonders if it sounds as unsure as she heard it in her head.

"I don't know how long I'm gonna be gone. I don't even know if I'm gonna want to come back to the same life as before. My mind feels like it's floating and nothing feels certain anymore, Gem. And that’s not fair to you to have to wait by the sidelines until I figure all of that out."

She's crying in earnest now and OA can feel his own tears begging for release. He kisses her forehead as she curls into him, clutching onto his shirt.

"I'm so sorry."

***

"I humbly request forgiveness for underestimating how entertaining American card games can be."

Mikail Salahuddin has to slightly stand and raise his voice in order for Tiff to hear his goofy banter. There's too much joyful glee and good-natured ruckus on the restaurant's outdoor patio for moderately-leveled conversation to be heard.

"We humbly accept!" Clarke Dulles, who's sitting next to Tiffany, shouts back at him.

Dinner has long been over, but the drinks continued and somewhere, along the way, a deck of Uno cards hits the table. As the only two familiar with the game, Clarke and Tiffany take initiative in teaching the rest of the group how to play and chaos ensued from there.

"This game is lethal all on its own, I'd never think to incorporate alcohol into the mix," Tiffany says to Clarke as the first round ramps up.

"Yeah… I'd be worried about breaking up long-time friendships tonight if everyone here weren't practically strangers," Clarke jokes.

Maybe strangers wasn't the most accurate depiction, but everyone here was acquaintances at most.

A full-out cards tournament has found itself underway and as the rounds continue, the final round is between Clarke and Firdus, the youngest and meekest of the group, but apparently not someone to be messed with when it comes to color/number strategy and swift hand movements. She beat Tiff out in the last round, who's still salty about that damn "Draw 4+ card" that fucked up her chances of winning it all.

Firdus is fast but Clarke has experience on her side and she throws down the "Uno! Uno Out" combo in the fraction of a second.

Tiff and Clarke give each other two-handed high fives that forms into a hug with Clarke slightly lifting Tiff off the ground. They're both tall women yet their embrace is by no means clumsy.

The rest of their table also celebrates Clarke's win, complete with good-humored digs about her having the advantage. Somewhere amongst the mayhem, Tiffany hears her name being called. She looks away from her group, searching for the source. Almost immediately, she finds herself looking at a face she hasn't seen in well over a year.

"OA?"

He walks closer to her as Tiffany veers further from the group.

"What are you doing here?" She asks, astonished at being face to face with someone she'd never thought she'd see again.

OA's face mirrors the same. He chuckles, "I could ask you same thing. I thought you moved back to Georgia."

"Well, I did, kinda. I went back to school, and well…"

Another round of Uno had started at her table and loud cheers once again sprang from their eclectic party.

"You want to-?"

"Should we-?"

They intercept each other's questions and stop. Their laughter intermingles.

OA speaks again, "I have a table over in the corner."

***

Tiffany made eye contact with Clarke and mouthed a "be back later" before following OA to a cozier corner on the outdoor patio. They sit face to face at the small rounded dining table.

"This is a such a surprise," Tiff remarks. "I never thought I'd run into you, here of all places. Which I guess is kinda weird since you're Egyptian, but still."

OA chuckles, "No, it's fine. I didn't really expect to turn up here anytime soon either. I'm super curious about you ended up here, though."

"Yeah, like I said, I went back to school. I'm in a grad program studying archeology."

"Archeology.." He muses. "Wow."

This time, it's Tiffany who snickers. "A surprise, I know. I went through a phase of being obsessed with tombs and artifacts, as a kid. This is me fulfilling a childhood dream of mine, I guess. I go to UGA, but a spot opened up for a study abroad program last minute, and I applied."

She throws her hands up as if to "and here I am."

"Wow." OA says again, still stunned. "I mean, you look happy."

He also wants to add "beautiful" to the end of his assessment. She's always been attractive, but he watched how the toll of Trevor's death and the aftermath that followed stole some of her light. She had stopped cracking jokes in between their work assignments on those mundane desk days. She came in to work with bags under her eyes that even coffee couldn't lift. She always had an excuse to dip out of her social gatherings after work. The glow of who she was had lessened, and even though he was distraught when she announced that she was leaving the FBI and moving out of NYC, he had hoped that she would find it again. The spark of radiance that made people gravitate to her.

As OA pored over her, he knew that she found it again. That passion and aura that rubbed off on anyone in her closeness. She also seemed more at peace. Relaxed.

Her face dazzled with felicity. Her skin had a lustrous sheen that accentuated the soft features of her. Her slinky blouse and flowy pants gave off comfy and casual vibes and the incoming sunset behind her served as the perfect backdrop for the perfect picture of contentment.

"I am happy," she muses. Then her head tilts, almost like she's assessing him. If she can tell that he is by all means not content, she doesn't say anything. She merely asks, "So what brings you to Egypt? Visiting family?"

OA nods. "Yes, actually." He doesn't want to confide in his own problems, especially when she seems at such bliss, but she's always been disarming. "I needed to take some time away from work. Get away from all the noise and just… think."

Her eyes are sympathetic, like she has a glimpse into his suffering. He supposes she has considering her reasons for her own departure. Still, she doesn't push.

"How long are you here for?" She inquires.

OA shrugs, "Not really sure, yet. I landed yesterday. Not the best timing, though, because today's my aunt and uncle's anniversary. I'm staying with them, but I felt bad about encroaching so I've just been exploring the city all evening. Stumbled upon this place and had dinner inside."

Tiff looks back to her table. Clarke has her back turned while on the phone, while the rest are finishing yet another Uno game.

"Well, if you don't mind a bunch of rambunctious archeology and anthropology students, you're more than welcome to come join our table. I think we were about to order basbousa for dessert."

OA's eyes widen. "Wowww. You're in Egypt, for who knows how long, and you're laying claim to my favorite dessert."

Tiffany bursts out into laughter. "If it makes you feel any better, I will say that I have yet to eat any as good as that Egyptian restaurant you took me to in Queens."

"That's because they probably mass produce and freeze theirs at a busy restaurant like this. That place in Queens was a mom and pops. Sister Hamdi probably made it fresh every single day."

"Mmm, so what you're saying is I need to find someone who can make it on the spot." Tiffany jokes.

OA throws his hands up, "Come by my aunt's one day and I'm sure she'll be whipping it up in the kitchen by the time I open the front door."

They both laugh together and OA looks on at Tiffany with wonder.

What were the chances he would ever see her again after she left the city? And yet, here she is again. He knew that she had her own thing going on here. She was probably focused on her study abroad program and finding joy in a new field. Still, he didn't want this to be the last time they saw each other again. Just when he's about to suggest, seriously, that she come over for dinner one evening, one of her friends pops up.

Tiffany looks back and notices Clarke standing over her. She looks like she's just seen a ghost, her heart beating fast and her steps slightly off tilt.

Tiff immediately stands up to steady her. "Clarke, what is it?"

"Our professor.. She's dead."

𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐙𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐙𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨 <𝟑

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭.

𝐓𝐚𝐠: @narcosfandomdiscord

#fbi cbs #narcovember #oa zidan #tiffany wallace #zillace #tiffany wallace x oa zidan

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proceduralpassion · 21 days ago

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𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞

𝐅𝐨𝐫 @𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝’𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 (𝐞.𝐠. 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐫, 𝐞𝐭𝐜)

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏.𝟔𝐤

𝐀/𝐍: 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 ��𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 ��'𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐥 😭𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞! 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈'𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜 "𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐨 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞." 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲'𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫!

The coffee shop is deserted as per usual. Horacio is sure he's one of only a handful of people who keep the business running. It's why he makes sure to always leave his change in the tip jar and doesn't berate himself for ordering an extra pastry every now and then. He gets his coffee and is almost startled when he looks over at the corner and spots Kiara.

The two haven't had much interaction since his injury that he had treated at her hospital. He's seen her in passing a few times in his visits to a fellow soldier who was injured more severely in that explosion, but that had easily been over a month ago.

She glances up and the smile she gives him is ethereal. She lights up in a way he's not sure he deserves. Still, it gives his heart a flutter and he can't deny that he aches for the sensation.

"Fancy seeing you here," she says.

"I could say the same. This was starting to become my café, after all," he sits across from her, sipping his cortado.

"Oh, wow, mighty possessive of you." She clutches her hand to her chest in mock insult. "This place has the best iced coffees so I'm unapologetic at encroaching upon your territory."

His shoulders shake with silent laughter.

"How's your ribs?"

He makes a show of stretching to show that he's fully healed. "Good as new. The breathing exercises that you recommended did the trick."

Kiara flounces her hair sassily. "Well, what'd you expect from the world's best nurse to be?"

"Nothing but the excellent care you provided. If you're this good as a student, you're going to be an outstanding nurse."

Her smile is infectious and Horacio does nothing to stop himself from matching it with one of his own.

Flattered, she gives a meek "thank you."

The older lady who owns the coffee shop walks over to the front door and turns the "open" sign to "closed." When she looks over at the duo, she sends them a wink and tells them they can stay as long as they want before she retires to the upstairs unit that she's fashioned as her home.

Kiara takes another sip of her drink before asking, "How are things going with your job? No more explosions or stepping on to land mines, I hope?"

Horacio smugly shrugs as if to say, "hazard of the job."

"I'm afraid you met me at a time that might've mischaracterized my average day. Rare action moments aside, the job of a soldier is actually not all that interesting."

"So bore me." Kiara sits back in her seat. "Seriously, tell me about what you do."

He indulges her and the conversation flows naturally. He tells her his family background, how he hails from three generations of soldiers and how his enlistment stemmed from a sense of duty and not passion. "I'm content," he says. He tells her how his career started right after he finished high school and how his main responsibilities were that of a foot soldier. It's been several years since and now he has people under him that he commands but his job is mostly the same.

"I follow orders. I'm given tasks and I carry them out. Sometimes, I delegate, but my main challenge entails of following through on the action plans that have been set before me."

"Is that enough for you, though?"

Horacio pauses.

"Not that there's anything wrong with being the one to deliver action." She placates her statement gently, expressing herself with her hands. "I mean, you're the one serving the deliverables. You're literally at the front lines tangibly doing something to solve problems. Protecting people. Defusing danger. But can you see yourself doing that for the rest of your life? Could you ever see yourself being the person to create the plan? Being the person who acts on intel and makes the decisions?"

He ponders for a minute. Truly considers the challenge she's set before him because it's never occurred to him that this could fall in the realm of being a good soldier.

"I like having my boots on the ground-" he starts.

"Who says you have to give up one to have the other?"

He nods silently, thinking. He's never been questioned before on his aspirations. Challenged on what his definition of duty was and what it could be.

She shrugs her shoulders. "But, hey, what do I know? I'm just yapping. I've been scolded quite enough about sounding 'too idealistic.'"

Horacio shakes his head. "No. It's good to have varying perspectives. A person can't be well-rounded if they're unable to withstand their viewpoints being challenged."

A silence covers them without the unease that normally blankets two people who don't know each other very well.

"What about you?" Horacio asks.

"What about me?"

"Why nurse? Why not doctor? Why not be the person who makes the treatment plans and does the procedures?"

Kiara chuckles.

"What?"

"You're gonna think I'm a hypocrite," she admits.

He doesn't say anything at first. He waits for her insight.

"I mean, I'm kind of like you. I like having my boots on the ground. When a patient comes in, whether it's pneumonia or a stab wound, we're usually the first one that sees the patient. Triages them and assesses the damage. And even after the doctor has done their job, we're still the ones checking on the patients. Monitoring their progress. Catching the things that the doctors don't see because they're not the ones who has their eyes on them constantly."

"I can understand that. And it doesn’t make you a hypocrite, by the way. Truth be told, I think you just sold me on the route of nursing if I were medically inclined."

"Even when that includes giving sponge baths to bedridden old men who pretend like they're still virile enough to flirt with you?"

At that, Horacio grimaces. Kiara's laughter bounces off the walls of the empty café.

"This is nice," she sighs happily, sitting back in her seat.

Horacio raises his eyebrows.

"Making a friend. Getting to know someone," she supplies.

"I agree." He nods, relaxing his chair also.

After a moment, with only the slightest of hesitations, he later says, "I have a dilemma."

When the words first leave his mouth, he wonders if he should've spoken them. However, he can't deny the dose of happiness that hits him at how quickly she tunes in.

"Hit me," she says, her full attention on him.

"Earlier this week, I witnessed a fellow soldier doing something he shouldn't have. Technically, we work in different units so our paths don't cross that often. But we were conducting field work, and as a junior lieutenant, I'm expected to write detailed reports on the happenings during field work and include any and all of my observations. I feel at odds with whether I should let things be given that there were no major repercussions or whether I should say something, given the soldier's actions were irresponsible at best and potentially illegal at worst."

In an extra moment of vulnerability, Horacio adds softly, "I don't like feeling at odds."

Kiara gives him a soft, sympathetic smile and reaches her hand over to cover his.

"I don't like feeling at odds either," she says. "And you're right, you definitely do have a dilemma."

She takes a pause to gather her thoughts and his eyes peer into hers intensely, curious at the inner workings of her mind.

"I can't tell you what I'd do," she starts. "But I can tell you all the things that'd float through my mind as I try to find the answers."

He nods, almost imperceptibly.

"Well, I'd think about the gravity of the action. As a nurse, was this something that could've killed a patient? Is this something likely to happen again if I don't speak up? Is this a person that has integrity and trustworthiness? Someone that might've fucked up in the moment but the type of person to make things right and take responsibility for their actions? And then.. Well, I'd think about my own integrity, too. Am I hurting someone by saying something? Am I hurting someone if I don't say something? At the end of the day, the truth always finds the light of the day. How would the people around me feel if they found out I had been hiding something when I had the chance to use my voice? Shit… I know we haven't known each other for long, but.. I mean, your opinion of me matters to me. I'd think about how you'd feel if I did something that put my character into question."

Horacio's mind crawls out of its daze. Not only had his thoughts been centered on the pearls of her perspective, but it also had momentarily short-circuited as she told him just how much she valued his own character.

It's like there's a thick sludge that keeps his words at the back of his throat, and he has to fight through it to be able to speak again.

"And then, I would know," she finishes. "I'd think about you and then I'd know what the right decision is."

He clears his throat. Drinks the last sips of his now room temperature coffee and clears his throat again.

"I can't imagine you've ever been known to make a bad decision. Your mind works with a pristine sense of clarity."

Kiara shrugs. "I could make a joke and say that you would think that since I just said I value your opinion, but I'm gonna take the compliment like a champ because I say we're both pretty wise people."

Horacio shoots back. "I could make a toast right now to "wise people" but I'm afraid Senorita Rosales would not be too happy if I summoned her back down here to refill our cups."

Their laughs intermingle and cover the café's four walls with dulcet tones of a growing bond.

𝐀/𝐍: 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲.

𝐓𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬-𝐦𝐜 @𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 @𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐮𝐧-𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 @𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐬

#narcos #horacio carrillo #narcovember #horacio carrillo x kiara nash #horacio carrillo x oc

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