#Jeremy {other muses}

[rippedlovelines]

this is so indulgent of me, rlly, but i feel like kevin and jeremy texting each other often would be soooooo cute !!! like this doesn’t even have to be set in canon or wtv i js like the idea of kevin texting jeremy niche facts abt history and being like “isn’t this so cool???” and jeremy kicking his feet and being possesed with cute aggression >_< kevin likes texting jeremy bcs he’s always so responsive and jeremy likes texting kevin bcs he’s kevin <3

kevin: Jeremy did you know [fun fact abt historical agriculture technique] ??? Absolutely fascinating, isn’t it ! 🙂

jeremy: wow, kevin ! that really is pretty interesting 😄 [is rolling around on his bed squealing bcs kevin day is so fucking cute and serious abt his interests]

[silvermasquerade]

aftg fandom: renee girlies are there any pins or keychains of her that exist??? im trying to find any of her- ( I cant find any of the non three main boys. So more of them would help) help its for an ita bag

[wehowl-archive]

i have two pack alphas on this blog. the first is jeremy danvers who has been a werewolf since birth, and became an alpha when he was 32(or so) years old and is currently in his 50s/60s depending on the verse

the other is kitty norville who is a bitten wolf, was a werewolf for roughly four years before she killed the abusive alphas and became alpha herself

[avis-writeshq]

01 — better than revenge

summary: “she’s not a saint, no, she’s not what you think. she’s an actress.”  pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader genre: best friends to lovers, mutual pining, slow burn warnings: fluff, angst with a happy ending, Lila is a real piece of work here, VERY CANON COMPLIANT, Spencer’s a bit of an ass :( wc: 10.4k a/n: special mention to @astrophileous for beta reading MWAH SPARKS FLY MASTERLIST // MAIN MASTERLIST

“Hey kid, wheels up in thirty.” Derek nods towards you, dropping a case file on your desk. 

You raise an eyebrow, flicking open the case file to the first page. A small laugh of disbelief leaves your lips. “Ooh, Los Angeles, media capital of the world. What’s the occasion?”

“Three murders, all shot in the head executional style.” 

Your face falls into a grimace as you grab your go-bag and tuck the file under your arm, following the rest of the team to the jet. “Spence and Gideon are there already, right? Talk about timing.”

Elle can’t help but grin at your words, slinking an arm over your shoulder. “Looks like you’ll see loverboy a lot sooner than you think.”

A shriek of betrayal leaves your lips as you throw her arm off of you. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Sure you don’t,” JJ all but cackles as she boards the plane, grinning the entire way. 

“I’m gonna kill you,” you grumble, dropping your things on one of the seats in the jet. “Seriously, I mean it. I know how to get away with murder.”

Hotch raises an eyebrow at you, his gaze that of a disappointed yet amused father. “Not the brightest thing to say while you’re in a room full of FBI agents.”

Elle lets out a ‘hah!’ as she sits across from you, crossing one leg over the other as she grins. “Get comfortable, buttercup, six hour flight and you’re not going anywhere.”

“Assholes.” You roll your eyes teasingly, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear as you turn to your case files. “And it’s not like that.”

“Oh, of course not,” Elle snickers, “you’re just friends.”

You throw a pen at her and it bounces off her leg harmlessly. “I can smell the sarcasm.”

“You’ll be smelling more of it,” Derek laughs, ruffling your hair. “Sit tight, kid, we’re in for a long flight.”

Once everyone was settled and the jet was high in the air, the team began to look through the files with Garcia on speaker as usual. 

“First two victims, Wally Melman and Chloe Harris,” You recite dutifully, glancing over the grotesque crime scene images. “Seems like they were both killed in public places.”

“Chloe was killed while walking her dog on the beach in Santa Monica which she did every morning, and Wally was killed outside of a massage parlour,” JJ reiterates, sitting down with a cup of tea in her hand. 

“In Culver City,” Derek adds. 

“Which he went to every Tuesday,” Elle continues.

Derek looks to the rest of the team, a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, if he knows their schedules, maybe that means he follows his victims for a while.”

“And not a single witness. So we know this UnSub can blend in,” Hotch mutters. “Regardless of the location, he has the ability to hide in plain sight.”

“So, he’s meticulous.” Elle nods, her eyes drifting from Hotch to the case file. 

“The media is calling Natalie Ryan’s murder the biggest celebrity homicide since Sharon Tate,” JJ adds, looking through the images of the newspaper clippings that were sent to her laptop.

“Great,” You muse, although frustration is clear in your voice. “What does that mean for us?”

Hotch lets out a sigh. “That everybody will be watching.”

***

“This guy is an assassin?” Detective Kim asks with disbelief as the rest of the team reiterates their thoughts once they were in the police department. 

“When you look at the victimology, there’s no obvious links,” Morgan points out. “All the kills were clean except in the instance of the last victim, Jeremy Collins.”

You nod, tucking a strand of hair as you reference the case files. “There’s absolutely no evidence left at the crime scene. Labs have found zero DNA, no manifestation of psychosexual release, and from what we can tell there’s no detectable signature of any kind. These kills are straight forward, almost like he’s on a mission.”

“Remember, our profiles are formulated not just by what’s present at the scene but also what’s absent,” Gideon says to Detective Kim.

“From all the evidence that we’ve gathered, we believe you’re looking for a Type Four Assassin,” Elle explains.

“Type Four?” 

Spencer immediately jumps in to explain, gesticulating throughout his explanation. “Type One’s are political assassins like John Wilkes Booth. Type Two’s are egocentrics looking for simple recognition.”

“Type Three’s are psychopaths,” Hotch continues, “cold-blooded killers who leave far messier scenes. Type Four, our UnSub, suffers from a major mental disorder and is frequently delusional.”

“The closer we come to figuring out that delusion, the closer we’ll get to finding the UnSub,” Reid points out. 

Everyone is left to their own thoughts and you look over to Spencer, a soft grin on your face. “How was your father-son bonding time?”

Spencer gives you a pointed look, but a soft laugh leaves his lips. “It was… fine.”

“Fine? Out of everyone on the team, Gideon chose you to present a talk about behavioural analysis and profiling to the LAPD. You love conferences. C’mon, give me something!” You nudge his shoulder gently. 

“We uh.. we went to an art gallery the other day. We met a movie star, so that was cool…” his cheeks are dusted with a soft pink as he talks and your curiosity only increases. 

“A movie star, huh? Look at you, mingling with the high and mighty.” You poke his cheek with a laugh. “Tell me about them.”

He flushes at the contact, clearing his throat. “Um… her name is Lila Archer. Have you heard of her? She’s–”

“Reid, (L/N), we’re meeting with someone,” Derek cuts in, nodding towards the both of you.

You blink in confusion as you follow him to another room. “Suspect?”

“Someone received a note,” Derek says quickly, glancing over at the note in Elle’s hands. “On a newspaper clipping of the latest murder.”

“Lila?”

A blonde woman was sitting in the next room over, her legs crossed over as she waits. Her eyes light up in recognition and she stands up. You can’t help but be impressed as you give her a quick once over. She’s gorgeous, exactly what you expect from a famous movie star. 

“I’m Agent (L/N),” You say gently, moving from your spot next to Spencer and holding your hand out. “This is Agent Morgan and I’m assuming you already know Doctor Reid. I understand that you received a note this morning?”

She wearily shakes your hand, her blue eyes flitting between you and Reid. “Yeah.”

“We just have a few questions to ask. We know that these things are sensitive, but we promise we’ll try to make the situation as easy as possible for you.” You shoot her a kind smile, excusing her weariness for fear or anxiety. “Is that alright?”

“Sure.” She respond curtly, shooting a smile towards Spencer before walking past you.

“Uh… okay?” You let out a little laugh in confusion and Derek raises an eyebrow at you.

“What was that about?” He asks, frowning.

You shrug your shoulders, watching as Spencer leads her to an empty desk. “Trust me, I have no idea. Maybe she’s just nervous and wants to talk to a familiar face.”

Derek hums in thought. “Maybe. But usually victims like this are more willing to speak to someone of the same gender. It’s strange that she was so direct to you.”

“She’s been through a traumatic experience. If I got a newspaper clipping with a message written in blood, I probably wouldn’t be too thrilled meeting new people either,” You defend, pursing your lips. “She’s probably just… scared, right?”

He doesn’t respond, moving to follow Spencer and Lila further into the police department. A few questions were asks about her relationship with the other victims, only to find that she was in fact the connection between the other victims. Wally Melman was a producer who Lila met with a few times to discuss a role, only for him to cast Natalie Ryan instead. Chloe Harris looked an awful lot like Lila, so it was likely that the UnSub got rid of her in order to ‘ice-out’ the competition. 

“(L/N), may I talk to you for a moment?” Hotch asks quickly, waving you over. 

You blink in confusion but nod, walking over to where he stands by the desk. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I want you to try and get as much information from Lila as possible.” He gestures to where Lila sits in one of the victim waiting rooms. “This is your area of expertise. Try and find out if there’s any distinct information that she’s given to anyone so that we can track the UnSub.”

“Got it.” You offer a smile, fixing your shirt as you agree. “I’ll update you if I get any new information.”

You make your way over to where Lila was sitting, trying to look as friendly as possible. “Hey, Lila. Are you alright? Can I get you anything?”

She glances over you for a second, looking you up and down before shaking her head. “I’m fine. Where’s Spencer?”

Your brows furrow at his words. “Doctor Reid…? He’s currently going through the timeline of events with our colleagues. In the meantime, I was hoping to ask a few questions, maybe shed some light on the entire situation.”

She raises an eyebrow before nodding. “Okay.”

“Alright…” you clear your throat, taking a seat across from her. “You mentioned that you receive a bowl of red anemones on the seventh of every month. Do you mind… telling me why you like those flowers so much?”

She shrugs dismissively, running a hand through her blonde hair. “They’re pretty. I like the colour.”

You nod slowly, writing that down in your notes. “Well that’s understandable; they’re very beautiful flowers. But they’re a little uncommon as a favourite flower, don’t you think? If you like the colour, a more common favourite flower would be poppies or roses… are you sure there isn’t another reason? The meaning behind red anemones is forsaken love and death… does that intrigue you at all?”

She scoffs, “are you trying to accuse me of something?”

“Not at all,” you say quickly, “I apologise if it comes off that way. I’m just trying to find out as much as possible about the entire situation. For all we know, those flowers could have been sent by the UnSub.”

A short silence lulls in the room as well as an awkward tension. So, you try to take things from another angle. 

“I love hydrangeas,” you say gently, a small smile on your lips. “I like the way they’re always bunched together and the colours are beautiful. Only a few people know that I like them though. My close friend and colleagues, my family… do you remember telling anyone about your favourite flower?”

She’s quiet for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know.”

Your face falls and you press a little more. “Are you sure you don’t remember? Maybe… maybe your manager, or a friend of yours?”

“I said ‘I don’t know’, okay?” She snaps, her hands balling into fists as she glares at you. “God, it’s not that hard to understand.”

You lean back in your chair, your gaze hardening. “I understand that this is difficult for you, but any information–”

“I don’t have any information!” Lila huffs, her hands placed in her lap. “Are you stupid or something?”

“The likelihood of these people being murdered because of you is incredibly high,” You say sharply, shutting your notebook. “If you’re withholding information from us it could prove detrimental to the investigation. I’m only trying to do my job. Asking you questions is part of my job.”

Her lips twitch at your words and she scowls. “I already told you I don’t remember.”

“Not remembering and not knowing are two different things, Ms Archer.” You place your card on the table. “If you remember anything, please give me a call.”

You get up from your seat, heading to the door, only to see that it was wide open with Derek and Spencer standing at the doorway. In seconds, Lila’s gaze softens and she runs out of the room, sniffling as she does. Your gaze follows her as she runs out of the police station, a look of disbelief on your features.

“What the…”

“Seriously (Y/N)?” Spencer demands, a frown on his face. 

You gape at his words. “What are you–”

He cuts you off, running after Lila. Derek raises an eyebrow in their direction before turning to you. 

“You okay, pretty girl?” Derek asks gently, patting your shoulder. 

“Honestly? I have no idea,” You confess quietly, biting your lip. “I’ve never seen him get so…”

“Upset? Angry?” he finishes, a small laugh leaving his lips. “You and me both. Look, kid, it’s not your fault. She was clearly being dismissive of your questions and she needed a reality check.”

“It’s not like I’ve never spoken that way when interrogating someone before,” You point out, brows furrowed in frustration. “Even then, Spencer has never had an issue with it. I just– I don’t understand what’s got him so worked up.”

Derek can’t help but laugh. “You’re a profiler. Isn’t it obvious?”

You pause for a moment, thinking through their interaction. “He has a crush on her, doesn’t he? He likes her. Of course he does. Brilliant, now he’s involved.”

Derek pats you on the back sympathetically. “Come on, pretty girl. We’ve got a job to do.”

***

Despite your original hesitancy, Hotch asked you personally to go with the others, meaning that you had no right to refuse. Well, you could, but that would mean throwing Elle under the bus and she would be much more helpful at the precinct than on set. So, before you could fake being sick and bail the investigation, you,  Derek, and Spencer went to check out the set of Lila’s movie, hoping to better observe her interactions with her costars and the staff. 

The inside of Lila’s small trailer is hot. Incredibly hot but relatively empty. As you look around, you gather that she’s either a minimalist or just didn’t have to spend a lot time in the trailer at all. Lila sits in front of the little group, wearing a robe to cover her costume: a cyan sequinned bikini set that she looked absolutely criminal in. Her hair has been styled in a classic blowout and you wonder how much time it took to get it to look so effortless.

“I’m not stopping my life,” she says, her voice almost stern as she steps out of the trailer and back onto the set.

You purse your lips as you glance at the paper in the plastic pocket, now labelled as ‘evidence’. Apparently it was taped up to the door of her trailer. Your eyes shift to Spencer who’s gaze doesn’t leave the door that Lila just walked out of for much longer than necessary. Neither of you have spoken since yesterday’s incident.

You hum thoughtfully, as you pull out your notebook, glancing at the notes you’ve been making. “Well, I guess the only thing we can do is talk to the people on set. Maybe they saw something. I’ll see if I can find out who has access to Lila’s trailer.”

Spencer nods in your direction. “Yeah, that’s… that’s a good idea.”

One of your eyebrows quirk up. “Okay…? Why do you sound so surprised?”

He flushes under your scrutiny, clearing his throat as the three of you begin to walk out of the trailer and towards the set. “I’m not! I– I’m not surprised. You’re good at your job.”

“You didn’t seem to think that yesterday,” You respond lightly, your tone petty and passive aggressive, gaze flickering between the cameras and lights on set. 

Derek coughs awkwardly before excusing himself and entering further into the set leaving you and Spencer alone outside by a vending machine. Spencer falters at your words and he runs a hand through his hair. The harsh Los Angeles sun beats down against your skin and you fiddle with the notebook in your hands. In turn, he fixes up his sleeves, rolling them up to his elbow, giving you a clear view of his forearms and large hands. 

“I’m sorry,” He says softly, chewing on his bottom lip. “I didn’t– I was out of line.”

“You were,” You agree, your gaze shifting between the chilled bottled drinks in the vending machine and him. “Buy me a drink and we’ll call it even.”

A boyish grin grows on his face and he nods, pulling out his wallet. “Yeah. Yeah, okay, awesome. Iced coffee?”

“You know me so well,” you respond with an equally large smile, poking his cheek. “Thank you!”

He presses a few buttons, grabbing a Cola for himself. You can’t help but laugh, giving him a pointed look. He quickly moves to defend himself, “It’s a hot day, okay? An exception.”

“An exception,” You repeat, trying to hide your smile as you crack open the lid of your drink and take a sip. “What happened to ‘Cola has 50 grams of sugar in it. That’s the equivalent of eating two full bars of milk chocolate’?”

He pouts at your words, opening his drink and you watch as a few bubbles rise to the top of the bottle. He takes a swig of his drink, sighing in content. “Shut up.”

You laugh again once you officially enter the set, nudging Spencer with your arm teasingly. He nudges you back, rolling his eyes and poking your cheek. You retaliate by doing the same, swinging your drink as you walk. 

Before you could do or say anything else, Derek taps your shoulder. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”

Spencer’s brows furrow. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just wanted to cross reference answers,” Derek dismisses. 

“Let me pull up my list,” You respond helpfully, grabbing your notebook. “Hey, Spence, do you mind canvassing the rest of the crew? See if anyone pays any special attention on Lila?”

He nods at your words, moving towards Lila, sipping on his drink. In the meantime, you turn towards Derek, a curious look on your face. 

“Little Miss Madonna has been glaring at you since the moment you entered the set,” Morgan says quietly, his gaze flitting to where Lila was making coffee. 

You practically snap your neck as you look up in her direction, watching as she quickly fumbles to make herself a cup of something. You turn away and you could practically feel her gaze burning against your scalp. A frown makes its way onto your face and you resist the urge to roll your eyes. You glance over to where she and Spencer were talking, blanching when you watch as she takes a swig of his Cola.

“You don’t mind, do you?” You hear her ask as she drinks and Spencer hurriedly shakes his head.

A quiet scoff leaves your lips and Derek nudges you with a look that reads ‘behave.’ You lift your hands in surrender and follow him over to where Spencer now stands by himself, Lila gone to talk to some other staff member.

“An exception, huh?” You ask Spencer, referring to his aversion to germs and sharing food. Your tone is mostly teasing despite the underlying bitterness beneath it. 

“Shut up.” He mutters quietly, cheeks hot from embarrassment of being caught.

Derek snorts, clapping his shoulder before moving on.

***

The next day, you were going over the evidence that was provided by the LAPD. Considering that it was a relatively young case, there weren’t copious amounts of evidence, meaning that there were still untied strings to go through. The entire situation proved more difficult than necessary; no one seemed to notice anything  amiss when it came to Lila and her relationships, and considering that the actress wasn’t very forthcoming with the information she knew, you were hitting dead-end after dead-end. 

Although geographical profiling was more of Spencer’s expertise than yours, you figured it wouldn’t do anyone harm by triangulating the previous three murders. He was standing beside you, his presence not unwelcome as he guides you step by step on how to plot an understandable and accurate profile. Hotch had asked him to coach you through the entire situation and explain his point of view, as well as his thought process when it came to geographical profiling. With a comfort zone now clearly expressed, you were discussing probable suspects on the phone with Garcia.

“Will Hunter… currently the town hermit, previous criminal record of armed battery and robbery,” Garcia recites, and you pull up his file.

“Mm… maybe? No, I don’t think so. His crimes don’t match the UnSub’s profile. He seems to be messier, uh, tending to use bats and knives than a clean shot to the head. And the profile suggests that the UnSub is able to blend in with the crowd.” You hum in thought, turning to Spencer.

“Hermits like Will Hunter wouldn’t be able to do that,” He explains to Garcia, putting his file into the ‘unlikely’ folder.

Garcia sighs in frustration and you can hear her furiously type away on her computer. “How about–”

“Hold that thought,” Elle says quickly, cutting Penelope off apologetically. “(Y/N), did you know Lila’s here?”

You blink in confusion, slowly shaking your head no. “She’s here? I didn’t get any calls from her.”

Elle shrugs at your words. “She looks like she’s going to burn a hole through your head.”

Your brows furrow and your gaze shifts to the blonde woman through the office window. She has her arms folded over her chest, a scowl on her face, before her cheeks burn in embarrassment of being caught. Spencer follows your gaze, his face lighting up at the sight of the actress. It’s almost as if he has selective hearing when it comes to his celebrity crush, clearly not hearing the part where Elle points out that Lila has been glaring at you the entire time.

“Can we talk outside?” You ask Elle quickly, getting up from your seat, not taking no for an answer.

Spencer opens his mouth to say something before he shuts it, watching as you drag your other co-worker out of the room. Your attention shifts between Lila and Elle, your brows furrowing. 

“What is it?” You ask, your back turned towards the actress. “Why is she here?”

“She gave me a list of people who know what her favourite flower is,” Elle says quietly.

Your ears go red at her words, your eyes practically bulging out of your head. “Excuse me?”

“She called me yesterday,” she explains, handing you the list of people. “She said that she remembers who they were and came in today to give me a list of people.”

You scoff in disbelief, throwing your hands up in the air in frustration. “I gave her my card.”

“She called and asked for me.” 

You scoff again, rolling your eyes. “Oh, so suddenly she can remember everything when she talks to you, but nothing when she talks to me? She’s not very slick.”

The door behind you opens, revealing Spencer who has been listening in the entire time. His jaw is clenched and a frown is etched upon his features as he looks at you accusingly. 

“Maybe she just didn’t remember,” he points out harshly as you and Elle re-enter the room.

An incredulous look makes its way into your face. “Excuse me?”

“She didn’t remember, and now she does,” Spencer says, and from the corner of your eye you watch Elle slowly leave the room once more. The door closes with a soft click.

“That doesn’t change the fact that she went to Elle and not to me,” you respond, trying to keep your voice even and your words clear. You take a deep breath in an effort to calm yourself down.

Spencer scowls at you. “Maybe she has every right to go to Elle after you snapped at her the first time you tried to talk to her.”

“Are you– are you being serious right now?” A humourless laugh leaves your lips as you glare up at him. “Look, Reid, I’m sorry that I’m not her biggest fan and that I don’t kiss the ground she walks on, but I was doing my job. A job that I believe I am quite good at. It’s not like speaking harshly is unheard of when it comes to the retrieval of information.”

He flinches when you call him by his last name but he stands his ground. “If you were so good at your job, you wouldn’t have to speak to her that way,” he argues, and you can see the vein in his forehead begin to protrude.

His words sting and bite you and suddenly you feel your resolve snapping. “You know what?” The words are slow and deliberate as they leave your lips, and you jab a finger against his chest. “I get that you have a crush on her and that you’re finally going through puberty but that does not mean that you can ignore the job you are currently on.”

He swallows thickly and he opens his mouth to retaliate but you push your finger against his chest once more.

“I am not finished.” Your voice is low with frustration and annoyance as you scowl, glaring up at him. “I don’t care who you’re attracted to or who you want to sleep with. I don’t give a damn if that someone is victim in the investigation because it’s not my problem. I do, however, have a problem when you undermine my ability to do my job and do nothing to fix it.

The worst part is the fact that you’re my friend. You’re supposed to be supportive and helpful and– and– and understanding.” Your mouth is moving quicker than your brain can register and you’re stumbling over your words as you snap at him. “I’m supposed to be able to go to you if I’m going through something. I should be able to talk to you if someone or something is bothering me, but now I’m just afraid that you’ll call me crazy and then criticise me all over again.”

His face falls and he looks at you like a kicked puppy as the words slowly sink in. He reaches out to you, his hazel eyes searching your face but the only emotion that you’re showing is anger. You push his hand away, the frown set on your eyebrows. It’s only then when you realise that Garcia has been listening into the conversation the entire time, your heart lurching to a stop when you hear her cough on the other side of the line.

“Um… is now a bad time to say that I didn’t get any other hits for the profile?” She asks tentatively through the speaker, and you feel your face burning.

“I need air,” you announce to no one in particular, before grabbing your files and storming out of the room.

Elle catches your arm on the way out, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. “(Y/N)-“

“Hey. Sorry.” You bite your lip, loosening the grip you have on your papers. “Where’s Hotch?”

“With Derek and Gideon,” she says gently. “Lila got another note and we’re going to check on her manager. Do you want to come with?”

You exhale before nodding. “Yeah. That’d be good.”

“Okay.” She squeezes your arm gently, her eyes flitting between you and Spencer who was inside the conference room, pacing back and forth. “Is… everything alright?”

“Honestly? No.” You offer her a wry smile, shoving your files into your bag. “But it’s fine.”

She chuckles a little in disbelief, leading you to the black SUVs outside. Derek and Gideon were already there, waiting patiently for the two of you while Hotch has already left in another SUV. Apparently the ‘no profiling each other’ rule was thrown out the window as soon as they saw the state you were in, and Derek quickly makes his way over to you.

“(Y/N), are you–”

“I’m fine,” you snap, before closing your eyes tightly and letting out a deep breath. “Sorry, Morgan. I’m okay, just had an argument with Reid.”

At that, his eyebrows shoot upwards. “Since when did you call him ��Reid’? And what do you mean you had a fight with him? He literally can’t say no to you.”

“Yeah, that was before a Miss Archer walked into the room,” you mutter bitterly. “Shot a literal arrow through his heart. She put her name to good use. I never stood a chance.”

“Hey now, don’t say that,” Elle says, climbing into the SUV. You follow closely behind and she continues. “He’s just confused right now.”

You can’t help but scoff. “I really doubt that.”

Gideon starts the car, looking at you through the rear view mirror. “You’re a profiler. What do you really think?”

The words die at your tongue and you deflate into the seat of the car. You hate to admit it, but Gideon is right. You should be able to figure out exactly what Spencer is thinking. After all, he’s your best friend– you shouldn’t have to be worrying about guessing games when it comes to him.

Hotch is the first to arrive at the manager’s office, watching as your group pull up in front of the building. Once everyone clambours out of the car, they enter the building, a sigh of relief leaving them as they enjoy the air conditioned lobby. With a flash of a badge, the receptionist is quick to tell you which floor and room number Michael was in.

“Floor 11, Room 03,” you mumble to yourself as you scribble it down in your notes.

The elevator ride is silent and you rock back and forth on your feet as the lift begins to rise. Your head is spinning with thoughts and regrets as you consider the harsh words that you spat at Spencer’s face less than an hour ago. You must not have been hiding your frustration well because Hotch finally says something. 

“Is everything alright?” He asks, much like a father would when their child is having a tantrum. It’s fitting.

You shrug. “I will be.”

“Is it to do with Reid?” 

You cough awkwardly, glancing back at the notes in your hand. “That obvious?”

Derek snorts from behind you. “Yeah, a little.”

“Everyone knows you’re in love with him,” Elle adds, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“I am– I am not in love with him!” You all but shriek, shooting her a half hearted glare and you stutter out a response. “I mean, I– uh– I like him but–“

“You are a horrible liar,” Derek cackles and you groan. 

Hotch and Gideon watch amused at the interaction, and the latter finally pipes in.

“Profiling isn’t something you can just turn off,” he explains to you, his tone gentle. He reminds you of a grandfather giving advice to their youngest grandchild, and a small smile makes its way onto your face. He continues to speak, “it’s subconscious and it becomes a habit. The only time it stops is when you either need it most, or when you don’t want to see anything.”

The elevator comes to a stop on the eleventh floor and Michael’s office wasn’t far away. The writing on the frosted glass reads ‘1103, Michael Ryer & associates, talent management’ and Elle raps on the door.

“Hello?” 

“Mr Ryer?” Gideon calls.

She knocks a few times again before opening the door entirely. “Michael–”

You’re met with Michael Ryer, dead in his arm chair and shot to the head, just like all the other victims. Despite having faced these circumstances before, you still feel sick to the stomach as you stare at Michael’s lifeless body and soulless eyes. It’s unnerving.

“Up until now every victim was a person who could be perceived as a threat to Miss Archer,” Hotch comments as they enter the room, pulling out his phone.

“Yeah, but Michael was a friend,” Elle says with a frown.

You look up from your notes. “He was a threat to the stalker.”

In less than twenty minutes, the LAPD dispatched forensics and evidence teams to the office. Lila and Spencer were on their way back to her house, deciding that it was best to deny the stalker access to her. You rifle through Michael’s belongings: his schedules, his files… everything until you come to one particular manila envelope. 

“Morgan, Elle, look at this,” you murmur, pulling the photos out of the envelope. “Pictures of Lila… nude.”

A flash of a grimace passes along Elle’s face, but it’s gone as quickly as it appears. “He was probably paying someone to keep them out of the press.”

“The name on the file says Joe Martinez,” Derek mutters, turning the envelope over.

The name must have struck a chord, because Detective Kim’s head immediately snaps around to look at you. “Paparazzo?”

You blink. “You know this guy?”

“Yeah, I deal with him a lot,” Kim responds, his face stoic. 

“We should follow that lead,” You comment, tucking the photos back in the envelope and looking over at Detective Kim and Derek. “I’m ready to go when you are?”

After an okay from Hotch, you, Derek, and Detective Kim make your way over to the Joe Martinez’s place. After knocking on the door to his place multiple times, Derek decides to open it in the way he knows best: by kicking it down. You grip your gun, holding it out in front of you as you travel through the hallways. 

“Clear!” You yell out upon pushing another door open, seeing nobody inside.

“(Y/N), you need to check this out,” comes Morgan’s call, and you follow the direction of his voice

Pinned above a small desk are picture upon pictures of Lila Archer. When she has lunch, when she’s out with her friends… it’s almost as if this person has completely documented her life. It’s a little nerve wracking, knowing that someone could follow you and take photos without anyone even realising.

“Hey is that–” you pause, pulling a piece of paper off the wall. “This is Lila’s schedule.”

Derek blinks in surprise. “I’m guessing he’s not supposed to have that?”

“No,” Detective Kim responds, and your gaze shifts to the table.

“Hey, isn’t that–” you feel your heart practically stop as you see who’s in the photos. 

“That’s Reid,” Derek mutters.

Kim shifts through the photos. “There’s a whole bunch of them,” he says, pulling out at least five or six print outs. “Is he a target now?”

Derek scoffs, throwing the photos on the table and pulling out his phone, making a beeline for the exit. “Not if I can help it.”

You and Detective Kim follow him out, making your way to the SUV. 

“Reid? Hey, it’s Morgan. Listen, you gotta watch your back over there, we just found a bunch of close-up photos of you at this guy Joseph Martinez’s studio. It looks like he could be the UnSub.”

As he speaks you feel your heart pound in your ears. Your head is dizzy with fear and you’re following after Morgan who’s walking unbelievably quickly. 

“He has a ton of photos of Lila and Nathalie plus a call sheet for Lila’s show,” Derek continues, the speed of his walk not wavering. “(Y/N) and I are on our way right now but I need you to be real careful until we get there, all right?”

You look down to shove your notes back into your bag when you hear it. The distinct vrooming of a motorcycle engine. You don’t think too much of it, only turning your head to look over your shoulder, your hand finding the handle of the car door. That’s all it takes for the motorcyclist to drive straight toward you and the others, pointing an arm out.

“Gun!” You manage to scream, just before the UnSub open fires, hitting Detective Kim. 

You dive behind the car, grimacing when your knee collided roughly against the pavement. By the time you manage to recover and grab your gun out of its holster, the UnSub is long gone. You stare as Morgan fires a couple shots before watching the motorcyclist ride off into the LA traffic,  and you turn to Detective Kim.

“You got hit. Where?” You ask, shoving your gun back into its holster.

He grunts in pain, his entire weight on the car as he groans out, “yeah, it’s fine. Just my shoulder.”

“Derek, call for help,” you order, pressing firmly at the wound with your hand to lessen the bleeding. He lets out a cry of pain and you wince. “Sorry, it’s bleeding a lot. Gunshot wound to the shoulder, no exit wound. Seeing as you’re not already dead, I don’t think it hit any major arteries, but it might have busted your collarbone. You’re lucky if that’s the extent of the damage. The shoulder contains a bunch of important and major bloodlines, as well as nerve endings.”

Derek turns to you with a wry smile. “You’re starting to sound like Reid.”

“You spend four years with him, you’ll start to learn a few things,” you respond with a humourless laugh. You continue to press against Detective Kim’s wound, murmuring an apology. 

“You should talk to him,” Derek prompts.

You scoff, “we have a detective bleeding in front of us and the thing you’re worried about is my love life?”

“Isn’t the first rule of relieving pain through distraction?” He asks. You shoot him an unimpressed look and he quickly nods his head. “Okay, sorry.”

Ten minutes later, Detective Kim is hoisted into the ambulance. You cringe as you wash his blood off your hands, once, twice, then a third time to make sure everything is gone. Your shirt has a couple of blood spots and you can’t help but frown; you liked that shirt. At least the stain isn’t too big– just a few splotches here and there. 

“It’s a good thing you held the wound,” an EMT praises, working quickly to secure Kim’s shoulder. “He shattered his collarbone, but you seemed to have managed to control the bleeding.”

If it weren’t for the circumstances, you would have shouted a clear ‘I told you so’ to both Derek and Detective Kim, but you keep your mouth shut.

Hotch, Gideon, and Elle arrive moments later, speaking to Derek about the detective’s injuries. 

“You okay?” Elle asks gently, squeezing your shoulder. 

“Yeah,” you murmur, wringing your hands together. “Just a little jumpy. I’ll be fine.”

“We need to get to her house,” Gideon mutters, glancing at the group. 

Without another moment to lose, you’re clambering into an SUV, gripping the steering wheel until your knuckles turn white. Elle climbs into the passenger seat beside you, her brows knitted together in concern. She opens her mouth to say something but shuts it, watching as you start the car and speed off into the direction of Lila’s house. 

After slamming the door shut and gripping the gun firmly in the palm of your hand, you follow Derek through the back entry of the house. You weren’t even sure if it could even be counted as a ‘house’; the place looked like it had at least five bedrooms on both floors. Derek glances at you, signalling to be quiet, then another to keep your eyes on him. A quiet splashing in the pool alerts your attention, and despite his attempts of getting you to not look, you do. And as soon as you do, you really wish you hadn’t. 

You are met with the sight of Lila Archer in her bikini-clad glory, in the pool with Doctor Spencer Walter Reid. Doctor ‘pools are incredibly unhygienic, harbouring more than 50 million different types of bacteria’ Reid. And as if it couldn’t get any worse, you watch as their lips touch again and again, his hands cupping her face and her hands arms around his neck. 

Spencer pulls away from the kiss, his breath heavy and his head spinning. This is wrong. He’s not supposed to being do this. His brain is short circuiting and it’s even worse when he considers all the germs that could be in this pool. His head spins with the names of viruses and bacteria that could be festering in the waters he was currently in, and then he remembers he has more pressing matters to attend to. Namely the girl who was literally pressing her lips to his. 

He pulls away, stammering over responses. “We can’t– we shouldn’t. I’m a federal agent and you’re–”

Lila stares at him, amused, with her hands cupping his neck. “There’s no one here.”

“I’m supposed to be protecting you,” Spencer tries again, anxiety gnawing at his stomach. This is wrong. Unprofessional. Then his mind wanders to you and the nagging voice in the back of his mind urges him to do something. 

“There are police out front,” Lila says, kissing him again before continuing, “there are coyotes out back.”

“This is completely inappropriate,” Spencer stutters out, his hands reaching for her shoulders. Her skin is cold from the summer night’s breeze, even more so considering how they’re submerged in disgusting chlorine-filled pool water. 

“This?” She presses her lips to his once more. “What’s this?”

“This isn’t–” he swallows thickly, his cheeks flared. “No, there’s this thing called transference–”

Lila pulls away, her stare drifting from his eyes to his lips as she asks, “you don’t like me?”

Spencer blanches at the question. “What?”

“You don’t like me,” Lila repeats, more sure of herself now. “It’s because of her, right?”

He frowns at the insinuation. “‘Her’? Who’s ‘her’?”

“The other person on your team,” Lila says, her words bitter. “You like her don’t you?”

His mouth goes dry and he opens and closes it like a fish out of water. “What?”

“Let me change your mind,” she whispers, bringing her lips to his for the nth time. 

Spencer barely has time to react, his hands moving to the side of her face and he imagines that she’s you. But she’s not you and you would never kiss him in the middle of the pool. You would never pull him in by his tie and cut him off when he’s speaking. He pulls away. 

“Stop. Stop, Lila, I’m sorry, I have to– I have to tell you something.” His mind is blanking. Why is it that when he needs it, his brain shuts off?

“What?” Lila asks, her lips moving to his cheek and then to his jaw. 

“I didn’t want to tell you this before because I was a bit worried.” He’s screaming at himself in his head, kicking himself because ‘why the hell did he just say that?!’ Regardless of the way he wishes he could shut his mouth and run out of the pool, he continues, “I don’t know how to say it but I can’t not tell you.”

“What is it?” She finally pulls away and Spencer lets out a breath of relief.

The relief is short lived because he starts to blab, “Your manager, Michael–”

“What?”

“Gideon went to check on him but he got there too late.” Spencer thinks he’s going to hurl, his mind running a million times an hour and screaming, ‘No you idiot! No, no, no! Out of all the things you could say–’

Lila scrambles out of the pool, clearly distraught, and he reaches out to touch her arm… only to be swatted away with her sobbing and telling him not to touch her. He figures he deserves that and follows out of the pool after her. 

“How could you– how could you not tell me?” Lila demands, her tears mixing with the pool water already on her face. 

“I was afraid you’d be upset,” Spencer says lamely, water dripping from his trousers and he just wants a towel. 

“You– you knew what you knew and… how could you not…?” She’s on the verge of hyperventilating and she looks at him before looking away. 

“I’m sorry,” Spencer says quietly, not knowing what else to say.

Lila retreats into her house, shutting the glass sliding door behind her and Spencer can only watch as she throws a pillow at the wall before going up the stairs to her room. He stands there, in the cold, dripping wet from the pool water and he wipes his face with his hand. His gun sits on the table, damp, and he has the urge to scream. Before he could do something exceedingly stupid, the sound of footsteps alert him and he spins around. 

“Elle?”

“We found him in the bushes,” she says to Spencer, nodding to the guy being cuffed by Derek. 

“I told her she should cut those.” He says dismissively, wiping his gun with a towel. He looks at her and then at you. He swallows thickly, noticing the way your eyes look him up and down, the disapproval oozing in your stare. “I– uh– I fell in.”

“Yeah,” you respond, holding the camera up and a sarcastic smile blossoms on your face. “I’m sure there are plenty of photos of it.”

He sighs, “(Y/N)–”

“Hey, stop shoving me, man!” Joe snaps as Derek pushes him to walk forward.

“You’re a suspect in the murder of Wally Melman, Natalie Ryan, and Jeremy Collins.”

You watch as Joe’s face comically contorts from annoyance to confusion as he jumps to defend himself. “Murder? What? Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa–”

“Just shut up with the ‘whoa’. We know for a fact that you have hundreds of photographs of Lila Archer and Natalie Ryan on the walls of your studio. You have Miss Archer’s daily schedule on your desk. You’ve been stalking her.”

“Look, guy, hold up. Every paparazzi’s a celebrity stalker,” Joe says and the rest of the group turn to look at him incredulously. He continues to speak undeterred. “If you don’t stalk them, you don’t get the shot, and if you don’t get the shot, you don’t sell no pictures.”

“Yeah, well this one’s gonna cost you,” you hum, holding the camera in your hands and ripping the film out despite his yells of defiance.

Derek steps forward, pushing Joe to keep him walking. “Tell it to your lawyer.”

“Wh– I’m still being locked up?”

“That’s right, at the very least you’re trespassing.”

Elle and Derek walk Joe out of the premises, and you push the pulverised film against Spencer’s chest. He grips it in his hands, a soft ‘oof’ leaving his lips at the contact. 

“You’re welcome,” you mutter, albeit a little bitterly, as you turn to follow the rest of your team out.

“(Y/N), listen, it didn’t mean anything,” he says softly, squeezing the film in his fist tightly while the other hand reaches out to you. 

You roll your eyes, opening up the sliding door. “I told you, Reid, I don’t care who you sleep with.”

He splutters a little, pushing his hair away from his face. “We didn’t– I didn’t– we didn’t sleep together, you know that.”

“Even more reason why I shouldn’t care.”

His hand grips onto your shoulder, turning you around so that you’re facing him. “But you do. ‘Shouldn’t’? You care. You clearly obviously care, (Y/N).”

“I don’t,” you deny, pushing his hand away. “Reid–”

“Stop calling me that.”

“–it doesn’t matter. I don’t care. I’m leaving.”

He grabs onto your arm, stopping your retreat. “Why are you being like this?”

“I am not ‘being like’ anything!”

“(Y/N).”

“Doctor, this is highly unprofessional.”

He has to stop the frustrated groan that was moments away from leaving his lips as he stares at you. His eyes ghost over your frame, stopping directly at the dark red splotches on your shirt.

“What happened?” He demands, taking a step closer. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“Who’s blood is that?”

“Detective Kim’s.”

“What– were you shot at?” 

His hands fly to your face, trembling and cold, and you would have thought it was romantic if he didn’t do the exact same thing less than twenty minutes ago with another girl. 

“It doesn’t matter,” you dismiss quietly. 

“Don’t say that.”

“God, you act as if we’re dating or something!” You snap, pulling away from him. 

He stops short, his cheeks and ears reddening at your words. His mind goes blank and suddenly he feels very warm at the idea. Dating you? Every moment he had with Lila in that pool is nothing compared to the idea of dating you.

He watches as you roll your eyes before tugging your arm out of his grip. He wants to cry out again, to say something, but his head just seems to repeat the words ‘we’re dating’ over and over again. 

“Just forget it, Reid.” You look to the house and your gaze grows steely once more. “Your girlfriend is calling.”

*** 

“I want to try and talk to some of Lila’s close friends,” you say to the others after getting off the phone with Garcia. “According to Penelope, there’s a girl named Maggie Lowe on the list that Lila gave us and they’ve known each other since college. Apparently, they spent a lot of time together and Lila helped her get a job.”

“I’ll go with you,” Elle says instantly, climbing into the car. “Why Maggie?”

You start the ignition, backing out of the driveway and onto the main road, following the GPS directions. “They spend almost all of their time together. I mean, she must have noticed something off, you know?”

Elle nods slowly in understanding. “She knows about the red anemones, right?”

“Yeah. And she was the one who found the note taped to the door.” You pause, thinking through the evidence again. “Her apartment is right in the middle of the comfort zone.”

“You think she could be the UnSub?”

“It all seems too convenient. But then again, we didn’t profile the stalker as a woman. There have got to be some inaccuracies or things we overlooked because of the gender,” you murmur, stopping at a red light. “Call Garcia for me.”

The phone rings once before Penelope’s unmistakable voice chimes through. “Speak my pretties, and you shall be heard!”

“Hey, Pen, can you check what vehicle is registered under Maggie Lowe’s name?” You ask into the speaker, parking in front of the apartment.

“Checking, checking… aha! It’s a Honda Motorcycle, she just got it serviced six and a half months ago.”

“That’s the vehicle that the UnSub was driving when they shot at us,” you mumble in realisation. “Call the others, the UnSub might be Maggie Lowe. We’re checking the apartment now.”

“Gideon and Derek are at the art gallery to talk to Parker Dunley,” Elle points out. “I’ll let them know we’re at her apartment.”

There’s a typing on the other side of the line and Penelope chimes in once more. “Bad news, my loves. The cameras report Lowe’s motorcycle leaving the apartment complex half an hour ago.”

“Garcia, call Reid and tell him what we know. Elle and I are going into the apartment. We might find evidence or clues on who the next victim might be.” 

With that, you hang up, getting out of the car and running up the stairs with Elle hot on your heels. 

“Maggie Lowe?” You call through the door, knocking once then twice. 

You’re met with silence and you grimace, deciding to do Derek’s favourite move: kicking the door down. With a crash, the door slams open and you grip your gun a little tighter in your hand. Bathroom, clear. Kitchen and pantry, clear. Lounge, clear. Bedroom, clear– you stop short. Pictures– framed pictures– of Lila hung around the wall. A cork board with newspaper clipping and magazine cut outs were pinned meticulously to the cork backing, each one with Lila’s face and name circled with bold red marker. 

“Holy shit…” Elle whispers, holstering her gun and staring at the wall. “This is… this is beyond obsession.”

“You’re telling me,” you respond, putting on a blue glove and flipping through the cork board. “Call the others, Maggie is definitely the UnSub. Someone this obsessed must have…” you pause, filing through the desk on the other side of the room, “… a diary. Each murder was described to detail in each entry, as well as her feelings towards Lila.”

Elle grimaces as she looks over your shoulder to read the diary entries. “Grim.”

You huff out a laugh. “Yeah.”

Above her desk are images of Lila. Every single show she’s been in since Julliard, every time she was mentioned in an article, posters, newspaper clippings of the murders… the entire ordeal makes you feel sick. 

Elle sucks in a breath, staring at the desk. “She’s got Lila’s entire life documented.”

“And she’s probably already at Lila’s house,” you mutter, grabbing your phone. “We need to get over there, now.”

*** 

“The city of angels everything you thought it would be?” Derek asks amusedly, leaning against the wall of the jet as he watches you pour your third cup of coffee in the past three hours. 

It’s a couple days after Maggie Lowe was apprehended and the team were on the jet home getting some much needed rest. The aircon was put on full blast and you couldn’t be more grateful for it, enjoying the coolness on your skin in contrast to the hot Los Angeles weather. 

“I’m never coming back here,” you quip, your gaze shifting to where Spencer sits. He’s reading a book but he hasn’t turned a page for the past thirty seconds. “If I were to overthrow America, Los Angeles is the first place to go.”

Derek snorts, his eyebrows raising. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” you huff, finally looking at him. “I’m serious!”

“Sure kid. Totally believe you.”

He’s teasing, a knowing smirk on his face as he watches you chug the coffee with a grimace. Your tongue burns and you fill the cup with water and chug that as well, ignoring the amused look Derek keeps sending you. From the corner of your eye you see Spencer reading his book. At least, it would appear that he was reading to someone who didn’t know him. But you know him. He’s been staring into the pages for the past minute now and that alone was enough to let you know that he was paying more attention to your and Derek’s conversation than to the words on the page. 

You resist the urge to roll your eyes as you sit beside Elle who is already fast asleep. You envy her for a moment as she leans against the plane window, blissfully unaware to your mental torment. Stupid Spencer and his stupidly pretty face. From where you’re sitting you can see the back of his head and you glare at that the ridiculous mop of brown on his head. 

The rest of the plane ride is uneventful and by the time you make it back to the office it’s already late. It’s nearing one in the morning and everyone begins to head home. Derek is yawning as he leaves the office and Elle has a look that screams ‘Don’t talk to me’. Gideon is long gone and Hotch was in his office, packing up the last of his papers and files. 

Spencer is sitting at his desk, combing through the paperwork and stashing a couple pages into his satchel. He bids farewell to Derek and the others before shoving his train pass into his pocket. 

“You’re taking the train?” You ask, finally speaking to him.

His eyebrows raise in surprise and he shifts on his feet, gripping the strap of his bag. “Um, yeah. I took the train here, so...”

“Oh.” You nod, glancing at the clock. “No you’re not.”

He huffs out a laugh. “What?”

“You’re crazy if you think I’m letting you get onto a train at one in the morning,” you say, pointing with your chin to the elevator. “You might be a man and all, but it doesn’t change the statistics.”

You know his weakness. Statistics. Facts. Spencer hates the fact that you know him so well. 

He relents, getting into the elevator with you. “I thought you were mad at me.”

He hears you scoff, pressing B1 on the elevator. “Just because I’m mad at you, doesn’t mean that I’m going to let you do something potentially dangerous.”

He hates the way your words makes his heart flutter and he continues speak. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you did,” you respond curtly, watching as the elevator doors open. “Come on, my car is that way.”

Spencer flinches at your tone. “I’m sorry.”

You laugh. “You don’t even know what you’re sorry for.”

“I–” the words die on his tongue as he wracks his brain. “I thought it was because you didn’t like Lila.”

“That’s true,” you murmur, unlocking the car. “Look, Reid–”

“Please,” he cuts you off, his voice cracking as he practically begs. “Please stop calling me that.”

He doesn’t miss the way your eyes flicker to him as you tug the car door open. “You want me to stop calling you by your name?”

Spencer’s nostrils flare as he gets in the car. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

You laugh again as you start the engine, glancing at the mirrors. “Everyone calls you Reid. It shouldn’t be any different for me.”

He huffs. “But it is different. You’re… different.”

“How?” You challenge, backing out of the parking spot and getting onto the main road. You’ve memorised the route from Quantico to Spencer’s apartment in DC– an almost one hour drive and you understand why Spencer hates driving to and from work. 

He falters before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. Just please don’t call me by my last name again.”

“Spencer,” You try again, missing the visible relief in his eyes, “I’m not mad at you because of something as miniscule as a girl. You’re entitled to your own relationships outside of work.”

“I don’t under– oh.” The realisation dawns on him when he recalls all the words you threw at him at the precinct. “I wasn’t a very good friend, was I?”

“No, Spencer, you weren’t.” You don’t hesitate to say it and Spencer winces at how quickly you agree with him. “You were unfair and let your emotions get in the way of the case. You criticised me and undermined my authority and then you had the absolute nerve to act as if nothing was wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” he croaks out, the lump in his throat getting bigger. 

“It hurt, Spencer,” you say, and your voice cracks as well. “It hurt because you’re my best friend and I would have supported you through everything. You know that. And I get that friends fight, but I thought that we wouldn’t fight about something as stupid as who you hook up with.”

“I didn’t hook up with her,” Spencer says quietly, and he thinks he might cry. “I’m serious, (Y/N), I didn’t hook up with her. She kissed me–”

“It doesn’t matter.” Your gaze shifts to him for barely a second before it’s back on the road. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter who you’re attracted to. I just didn’t think it would effect our friendship.”

“I’m sorry,” Spencer says again, holding onto his bag. 

You’re quiet before continuing, “ I know you are. I know that. I’m sorry that you thought that you needed to justify your feelings to me.”

He swallows thickly, watching your face carefully. You didn’t do anything to make him feel like he had to justify himself. If anything, it was Spencer’s conscious that made him feel the need to explain himself. The guilt that he felt after kissing Lila was enough to get him to feel sick. The guilt that he felt after knowing how badly he hurt you was enough to make him want to grovel at your feet. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” He mumbles, wetting his bottom lip. “You had– have– every right to be upset.”

“I don’t want to be upset anymore,” You say as you continue to drive down the freeway. 

He’s quiet before he finally says, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

He swallows the lump in his throat and he presses the pads of his fingers into the corner of his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

You finally park in front of his apartment, leaning against the chair. “I know. I know, I’m sorry too. I said… a lot of things.”

“I deserved it,” he says, a small laugh leaving his lips as he finally looks at you. “You’re right, I wasn’t being fair.”

You hum, leaning over the console to give him an awkward hug. He presses his nose into your shoulder, breathing in your vanilla perfume. His arms wrap around your middle and he realises how much he missed this. How he missed being close to you. 

“I won’t do it again,” he promises. 

“I know.”

“I really am sorry.”

“You need to stop apologising.” Your words come out like a laugh and he realises how much he misses that sound too.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he says into your shoulder. “Coffees for a month. I’ll even get you those croissants you like, even though they’re really overpriced.”

You laugh again and he smiles. 

“You apologising is already good enough,” You say, squeezing his arms. “Now go get some rest, Spence.”

His smile widens at the nickname and he finally pulls away. “Good night. Thank you for driving me home.”

You smile back. “Good night. Don’t mention it.”

The next morning, you find a steaming coffee on your desk and a freshly baked croissant in a brown paper bag. Spencer waves at you and you can’t help the goofy grin on your face as you take a bite into the croissant. 

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[dismaltouch]

"yes, of course it's ridiculous. you're gonna work yourself up into some massive emotional breakdown and i'm not really the type of person who knows how to deal with that. in case you haven't noticed ... comforting people isn't exactly my specialty." he was still trying to learn how to be on the more vulnerable side. his father had taught him to be stoic his entire life, to never allow his guard to falter because it could be his undoing. compartmentalizing and regulating his emotions came easily to jeremy. "you're not going to tell anyone," he insisted, shaking his head at her. "because you're scared right now, and you know that if you do tell someone ... chances are i'll end up killing them too. you're a lot of things daphne, but you're not smart enough to just preemptively record a conversation. i told you because i was under the impression that i could trust you." his words came out factually, as if he was simply relaying information to the girl. "i'm not insane, daphne. of course i can acknowledge that it's evil. murder in itself is an evil act, obviously. i just also know that sometimes it's justified. you can't deny that other people feel that way either. what happens when they sentence criminals to death and use lethal injection or the electric chair? that's still technically murder, but it's justified. they're killing people for killing other people. don't you understand that? if it makes me a villain ... then i'm fine with being one." all he could do was shrug indifferently, because he knew that neither of them would see eye to eye. "you don't have to believe me. i'm sure you're understandably confused and terrified right now." hence the reason he was still keeping a safe distance, not rushing at her or trying to soothe her with his presence. "karma? of course not. if karma were real the world would be a much different place than it is." he was going to stay true to that belief for the rest of his life, too. he allowed her to express herself, to get it all out there. she was the one having difficulty with the situation after all. "have you finished with your little rant? do you feel better now?"

daphne supposed it made sense that he had rationalized it all in his head to allow himself to feel like he'd made the right decision. the alternative would've been living the rest of his life wracked with the guilt of knowing he'd done irreversible damage, and that would've been a grim existence. "is it really that ridiculous?" how he could act like she was overreacting was beyond her, considering she felt her reaction was pretty reasonable, all things considered. "and what if i do tell someone? what if i was recording this whole conversation right now? why on earth would you have told me what you did, and expect me to just be ok with it?" surely he couldn't have been expecting her to just move on with their relationship as if nothing happened. this gruesome revelation had changed everything between them. "a necessary evil... so you agree that it's evil? and you're ok with being a villain?" she supposed the definition of 'villain' was a nebulous one, but committing murder— multiple murders, apparently— seemed objectively villainous. "i don't fucking believe you!" her voice had raised to a shrill tone, beginning to lose what little composure she still possessed. "it's not a matter of opinion, that's how the saying goes! don't you believe in karma? maybe nobody else knows what you did, but the universe does, and it's not just gonna let you get away with that shit. and i can't feel sorry for someone i don't know, but that doesn't mean i think it was right! killing is wrong, jeremy, period. you can't just sit on your high horse and act like what you did was justified, because it wasn't. you're not some vigilante, you're not an anti-hero, you're a fucking monster, and it's you that's gonna have to live with that for the rest of your life."

[xoxoskai]

NIKOBRAN HEADCANNONS

to keep you going this last week before God of Fury drops<3

Between all his sons-in-law, Brandon is Kyle's favorite.

Levi's is Mia (cousin-fuckers who stole his son and daughter he'll always beef with)

Brandon and Niko are the type of relatives to wear matching clothes on Christmas because Niko would take up any chance to wear matching anything with Brandon.

If and when Brandon bakes, no one gets a chance to even taste what he made before Niko devours it all.

The only place Niko can fall asleep in at record speed is Brandon's arms.

The only reason Niko teaches Brandon how to drive a bike is so he can put his arms around his boyfriend's slutty waist boyfriend.

Remi is terrified on Brandon's behalf.

"Bran, yes, he's hot but mate, look at that guy! He has some skin on those tattoos!"

Astrid shares Remi's concerns but soon comes to find out that Niko is the biggest goofball of sunshine and almost adopts him.

Surprisingly, the one who takes the longest to accept Brandon is Rai. Because it's not her first time meeting the Kings (hello, she's a far relative) and she's worried that her oldest who is actually tender hearted and plagued by demons of his past, might be crushed beyond repair if Brandon hurt him.

Brandon and Landon think they can get away with tricking their in-laws by dressing as each other but they underestimate the Sokolov-Hunters who told them apart the moment they walked in.

Brandon tried it on Niko once when he first divulged about how Maya and Mia used to do it, but Niko could tell Brandon apart from his "psycho" brother in a heartbeat.

"It's your eyes" He had murmured. "Yours sparkle"

Glyndon is weary of Niko but as long as Brandon's happy, she's happy.

Landon is supremely unhappy.

When Landon first opposes their relationship by threatening Niko, Niko flings back "Remember who you're dating and what I mean to them" back at him.

Niko and Landon almost kill each other multiple times.

If there's someone even more unhappy than Landon, it's Crieghton.

Creighton: "Does this mean I can't fight him anymore?" Elsa: "Why were you fighting him before this?!" Creighton: "Is anyone else hearing this buzzing? I should go check."

Niko goes feral whenever he sees Brandon shirtless and vice-versa but

Niko is always shirtless, so Brandon is always suffering.

Unlike Niko, Brandon doesn't carry him into a dark corner to immediately fuck.

If there's no scene of Brandon asking Niko "Who's fucking you?" Rina, you'll hear from my therapist. And if there's not a single, evil, unhinged Brandon moment where Niko is flabbergasted at the change and is accusing him of being two-faced at which Brandon will laugh, lean in and ask tauntingly "What are you going to do? Tell on me?" I will sue.

Brandon's muse is Niko. (Bitch, I said what I said)

Unlike Landon, Brandon doesn't divulge this piece of information to his boyfriend because he does not want to give Niko even more reasons to walk around with lesser clothes.

Brandon gets a tattoo for Niko on his ribs. (cue feral Nikolai)

After which Niko tries to get Brandon's name tattooed on his favorite organ, but Jeremy literally deadlocks the door to his room to keep him inside after Niko asked for opinions in their group chat about his decision.

Niko: You don't think it's romantic? Jeremy, Killian, Gareth, Landon, Eli, Creighton, Remi:

They've definitely rolled around in paint and fucked on a canvas after it. Niko would display it in the entryway of their house if Brandon let him.

They've also joined the mile high club.

After they get engaged, Brandon calls him by his full-name as in "Nikolai Sokolov-Hunter-King" just to piss him off but Nikolai loves being associated to Brandon in every possible way, so it backfires.

Their wedding bands have each other's name inscribed in them.

As does the underside of their ring fingers in the other's handwriting.

Nikolai tries drawing a heart over the i in his name and almost gets smacked.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

-Wanna Feel Your Skin.

A/n: I apologize if this sucks and if I left you off the tag list. But really on so sorry if it sucks.

Warnings: P in the V, teasing, creampie, biting, rough sex, aftercare, sex pollen. { everything is consensual ,Female reader.

Tag List:

@jeremy-is-heere , @cuti3pie4u , @yeojoongiee , @the-abyss-of-fandoms , @hrefna-the-raven , @msghostface , @lunamomos

Inspirations:

[ CLAIM ] our muses are arguing because receiver is worried and overprotective of sender, but when they get up in each other’s faces they end up kissing and groping at each other.

Song: Skin- Rihanna

Song 2: Dangerous Woman- Ariana Grande

Heat, it’s all he was feeling. Heat and want.

Leon didn’t understand what was happening to him, why he was feeling like this, why he wanted you so badly.

He had to push down, he couldn’t focus on that! He can’t shouldn’t be focusing on wanting to fuck you.Gritting his teeth he ran a shaky hand through his hair. He didn’t know what the fuck he got injected with but right now his priorities was to find Ashley and make sure that you stay safe in the process.

And of course she had to show up, Leon knew how much Ada pushed your buttons. She knew his feelings for you despite him never telling you.

“It would be so easy Leon, to just give in to your desires…I don’t think she’ll complain.”

Leon wanted to say something, he tried to open his mouth but that scuffle had riled him up. He could feel his pulse pounding under his skin, his heart racing.

Working his jaw Leon did his best to focus on what Ada saying but then you stepped closer, your hand placing its self on his forearm. He wanted to shrug you off. The rational part in his brain begging him to push you away. It was coming to a point where he couldn’t even hear your voices anymore.

“Why the hell are you here.”It’s not like you hated the woman per say, you knew the shit she did yet that wasn’t the reason why you held so much hate for her, you hated how much she flirted with Leon. That he seemed to hold something for her. You hated how jealous you felt but you knew you could never admit it out loud. What was the point in admitting your feelings only to be turned down.

Ignoring your question, Ada tipped her head to the side watching the man stumble towards the table. His nails digging into the wood, chest heaving. She wondered if this might be the push you both needed. She was honestly getting tired of watching you both dance around each others feelings.

“You should take care of our dear Boy Scout. Don’t think he’ll last much longer.”

Turning away from Ada you gasped seeing Leon hunched across the table, he didn’t look good and at the moment you could careless Ada being gone.

“Leon! Shit you’re burning up.” Pressing your hand to his head you tried to think what might be wrong.

God why did you have to stand so close to him, why did you have to smell so good. Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to drown out your voice, tried to tell you to leave but nothing game out but a strangled groan, he could feel his blood rushing south. Something he did not want to happen.

“Don’t tell me you’re all worked up about her Leon.God I don’t understand why you’d even having feelings for that woman.”

Pushing away from the table he took a few steps away from you nearly tripping. He wanted, wanted you badly and he was scared what might happen if he’d act on his impulse.

“Really Y/n…you think I have feelings for her? Christ you’re smart but I didn’t think you’d be blind. How can’t you see that.” Gritting his teeth he snapped his neck towards you. “You don’t see they I have feelings for you?”

“What?” You we’re so quite he wasn’t sure how he picked it up and right now he didn’t care, he never meant for the words to spill past his lip this. He hated how desperate he sounded.

A small rumble escaped his lips, he didn’t know what made him snap. Maybe it was the pent up feelings or how you were looking at him but he wanted you, he wanted you now and the next thing you knew your body was being pinned to the small table. Leon’s hands on your hips. You tried not to shudder feeling his hardness pressing into you. His lips finding yours, you did your best to return the kiss until he broke it.

His face hiding against your neck, his fingers skimming your bare skin as they slid under the shirt you were wearing. “Please…please you need to leave.I can’t stand the thought of hurting you.”

Sinking your teeth in your lip you let your fingers run down the back of his neck. “Then take me Leon…please…I want this.”

Your voice, your pleading as your legs wrapped around his hips. Your clothes coming off happened bast, to fast in his mind. His hand cupping your breasts, sliding down your hips to your center.

This was his, for his eyes lonely and once he was out of this hellhole he was going to take you right, treat you like a Queen but right now he wants you and he’ll make sure you’d be screaming out his name.

A small whimper escaped your through as he pushed a finger in your warmth, your juices coating his fingers. He couldn’t wait to be within you, to feel you envelope his cock.

“Don’t hold back Leon.Please I want to feel all of you.”

Leon did his best to not to hurt you, his nails digging into your curves as he drew you closer. Your body nearly sliding off the table as he sheathed himself into your warmth.The table groaning underneath you as he continued to thrusts, his hands guiding your hips. You did your best to match Leon’s movements. One hand moving down where you both were joined as he pressed his thumb to your clit.

A cry leaving your lips, your breasts bouncing with head of his hard thrusts.His lips capturing your own as his tongue swirled against your own, your cry’s muffled.

The familiar feeling building in your stomach as your legs tightened around his hips. Your fingers weaving through his freed hand, Leon squeezing it gently. The only sound in the room were the ones of your love making, moans spilling past your lips. Begging for more, a deep chuckle escaping Leons chest as he slowed his pace. His mind clearing of the fog, teasing you.

The tip of his cock brushing your clit as he nuzzled your neck as he moved his hand back to your hips.

“Say my name.”

“Leon…please. Don’t stop.”

Your body tensing as he pushed his cock back into your pussy.

“So good, you feel so good.”

Your first climax hits you the moment Leon pulled out his member. The tip barley grazing your walls. Your teeth sinking into your bottom lip. Your body quivering, chest heaving as your arousal dripped down your thighs and on the table below you, waves of pleasure shooting through your body as he thrusted back into you.

“More.”

Picking up the pace, Leon hitched your leg higher on his hips, the new angle making you cry out his name. Your scream echoing the once silent room as pleasure rolls through you.

Then you scream, your throat raw as he continue to thrust.His breaths coming in harsh, burning pants against your cheeks as he continues to fuck you, his hips snapping against yours as his name continued to slip past your lips over and over.

Your head swimming with dazed pleasure, consuming desire. Your blood pounding in your ears as as the table creaked with each force of his thrusts.Another climax building, a feral growl escaping Leon’s throat as you felt the base of his cock start to swell.

“Yes!”You could feel yourself getting closer to the edge, feel the pleasure building within you as his thrusts started to become more sloppy.

“Y/n.”He groans out your name, rutting faster, deeper, his thrusts becoming more desperate and with one last, power thrust he slams his shaft within you. Your nails digging into his shoulder as you sobbed out his name.

Leon comes, burying his face in your neck, a shuddering groan of pleasure escaping his lips, his chest pressed against yours. You could feel his heart pounding as your lips found his, your body still shaking with pleasure as he fills you with his seed.You kiss him, slowly, careful as he throbs within you.

His mind free from the fog, everything finally clear as his body finally relaxes.Your fingers now stroking his cheek as he lent against your hand finally coming down from the high.

“I’m sorry…this wasn’t exactly how I wanted our first time to happen but.”

Chucking weakly you ran your feelings through Leon’s hair, the man melting into your touch. Of course the man would revert into his caring self. “Leon. You don’t have to apologize, I mean it’s not the most romantic place but I’m not complaining.” Placing a kiss you his cheek you then gave him a teasing smile. “But next time you want to fuck me, pick a place that’s more comfortable.” You teased.

Snorting Leon captured your lips in for one last kiss before he finally pulled out from your warmth.Watching the cum slipping out of your warmth was stirring something with him, forcing himself to look away he cleared out his throat tugging his pants back up. “Sorry for…tossing your clothes away.”

Blinking, you narrowed your eyes, a smile forming on your lips as you started to put your clothes back on. “How’s that fair that I’m the only one that got naked.”

Once you were finally dressed Leon placed his hands on your hips. “I promise…next time we’ll both be naked.”

“Hmm and I’ll be comfortable.”

Placing his fingers under your chin he forced you to look at him. “You’ll be very comfortable.”

Grinning you gave him another kiss before pulling away. “Good, now before we go and you know rescue Ashley again. How are you feeling?.”

Closing his eyes, Leon clutched your hips. He hummed. “A lot better actually, I love you. I should have said that in the beginning.”

“I love you too Leon.”

[reiniesainyo]

IN BETWEEN. charlie bushnell x reader – 01

01 | SPARKS FLY previous | next | masterfile

SYNPOSIS. when a girl's co-star is good to her and now she wants it more than everything in between. (smau)

A/N. this chapter is more like world building (it's where i explain what the fuck i'm doing with the YN okay)

The "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series at Disney+ has added an unexpected pick to its growing cast.

The new live-action series is based on the hugely successful novels from author Rick Riordan of the same title. We will be seeing YN LN join the series as Rina Velasco, one of the supporting characters of the show.

LN's Rina Velasco is referred to as "the offspring of The Muses, goddesses of the sciences and the arts." Unlike most other demigods, she is born out of the artistic and scientific output of the muses. When the moral ingenuity of humans meets the divine musings of The Muses. Her character is described as a unique allrounder who becomes a mentor figure to our main cast as they embark on their journey.

This will be LN's first on-screen role of her career. LN's experience mostly lies in Broadway, she is known for playing Kim in the Miss Saigon revival on Broadway. LN was nominated for a Tony in 2022 for the same role. She is repped by Salonga/Chien Entertainment and B817 Agency.

Riordan posted on the Meta app, Threads, about this update to the casting saying: "YN was one of the actors we didn't expect to see a tape of but when we saw it, we couldn't help but fall in love with her. She embodies the spirit of Rina so well and is such a kind spirit, we can't wait for you to fall in love with her too! Welcome to the cast, YN!"

The live-action show is based on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson book series. It tells the fantastical tale of the titular 12-year-old modern demigod (Scobell), who's just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover (Simhadri) and Annabeth (Jeffries), Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.

Production on the show is now underway in Vancouver. Riordan and Jon Steinberg are writing the pilot with James Bobin directing. Steinberg and his producing partner Dan Shotz are overseeing the series and serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson, and Gotham Group's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg. 20th Television is the studio. Salke was formerly the president of Touchstone Television and originally put the show into development.

liked by percyseries, iamcharliebushnell, and 37,789 others thelnarchive the child of the muses @percyseries

percyseries OUR MUSE!

user1 this is literally perfect casting who cried i did ↳ user2 she's so rina coded! thank the gods for the casting directors

iamcharliebushnell only muse in my life ↳ thlnarchive only traveler in my life ↳ user3 the way filming hasn't started and they're already like this ↳ user4 their chemistry is chemistry-ing

user5 roman empire. she is my roman empire.

dior.n.goodjohn i LOVE LOVE LOVE women ↳ thelnarchive HELP i love you

user6 this is so fcking random but i NEED her in a taylor swift music video

A/N i truly hope you guys can forgive the horrible editing in the pictures. the article portion is based on (and has some parts that are directly pulled from) this article from variety ! here's some succint information about rina velasco, the PJO character YN LN plays (and is my childhood OC!) - rina velasco, filipino, 18 years old (year younger than luke) - she's an offspring of the muses, not directly a child or daughter, though she may be referred as such - by her being an offspring of the muses, i mean that she was born in the same way athena's children are born. - but in rina's case she's more like a weird conglomeration of each muse. her birth is a rare event, but her mothers are honored as minor goddesses so she stayed in the apollo cabin (connection to music) - rina operates as a guidance figure for the main trio, especially annabeth - she's also luke's love interest, there's a lot of tragicness and doomed romance stuff with those two - and for the sake of everyone, we pretend like the weird i love you from the books didn't happen !

[highly-important]

Little Art things I'm obsessed with pt 1

Portraits of absent figures:

David Hockney - A Bigger Splash, 1967

Hockney originally visited California in 1963 and was won over by the sunlight and laid-back lifestyle, especially the luxury and ubiquity of the swimming pool. He described it as his "promised land" The splash is about freezing a moment in time, but it is also empty of human presence but implying a human. The male figure is present in some of David's other works from this time period, especially his muse and then-partner Peter Schlesinger. These paintings are about a hedonistic gay lifestyle, and the swimmers, the divers, are often the subject of voyeurism and desire. But in this painting, we just missed the diver, which makes the object of desire more private and personal. Who was the painter looking at, lusting after, etc. I like the contrast of the incredibly sharp and graphic suburban neighborhood, and the chaotic, organic splash. So again, if the divers represent this homosexual desire, we have this contrast of an orderly heterosexual world, and the queerness that joyfully disrupts it.

And then of course, with the absent figure, there is this massive sense of loss and loneliness. And so much of loneliness is about concealment, hiding in shame. This is a private space, but its also an exposed space, enhancing the loneliness. The figure is isolated, alone, invisible. Its a sadness that contrasts with the setting, the activity, and saturated lighting.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres - Untitled (billboard of an empty bed), 1991

These billboards were exhibited in the streets of Manhattan during the AIDS crisis. This piece was created the same year Felix Gonzalez-Torres's boyfriend Ross died. This portrait is a celebration of love and a memorization of loss and the emotions between intimacy and publicity. In the artist's own words:

“What I’m trying to say is that we cannot give the powers that be what they want, what they are expecting from us. Some homophobic senator is going to have a very hard time trying to explain to his constituency that my work is homoerotic or pornographic, but if I were to do a performance with HIV blood — that’s what he wants, that’s what the rags expect because they can sensationalize that, and that’s what’s disappointing. Some of the work I make is more effective because it’s more dangerous. We both make work that looks like something else but it’s not that. We’re infiltrating that look.“

The work intentionally uses the matching, identical depressions to imply a same-sex couple. The image itself is extremely intimate, but its being displayed in public spaces.

Felix Gonzales-Torres became known for his absent bodies.

And then, a little different, this painting by Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (1837) commissioned by Frederick and and Coralie Frey, depicts the three Frey children, with the faint shadow of a figure. There was a legend that there was a fourth figure in this painting. In 2005 a private collector, Jeremy K Simien, purchased the painting and it underwent conservation.

The painting revealed Bélizaire, a fifteen year-old enslaved domestic owned by the children's father. The picture captures the complex relationship between the boy and the children, the family that was keeping him captive. For one thing, the way he is set back from the others. There is this sort of intimacy between them along side the psychological trauma of forced bondage.

Here is a great Tiktok about the painting, to quote "What I'm struck by is what a sensitive portrait this is of this young man who was living in an inhumane society where he, despite being a human being, was bought and sold."

A few years after this painting was created, the three Frey children died, and Bélizaire was the only one who survived into adulthood.

The painting stayed in the Frey family. At some point, likely in the late 19th or 20th century, Bélizaire was intentionally painted over. In 1972, the great-granddaughter of Coralie Frey donated the painting to a Louisiana museum, informing them that a figure was painted over. During the course of the painting's life at the museum, no effort was put into restoring the figure.

Jeremy Simien's, who bought and restored this painting, said on his instagram "Bélizaire, they know your name now. Tell the ancestors to let me sleep for a minute."

And shout out to the picture that make me want to write this, Hyde Park Flowers, London by Tumblr user @kimironside I won't re-post it so check out the link.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Carmy the Artist

I was up this morning reading more on this vibrant collaboration book. It's a very specific thing, Richie says. So i'm offering a positive perspective. Consider this: in the first teaser, Carmy arrives early, has a notebook, unravels knives, looks into the distance, and then at the screen.

In the second teaser, Carmy has a cigarette in his mouth and puts his foot on the chair. I don't think he kicks it; I think his foot lingers and plays with it, as if once again he's in his head, thinking. The two shots above remind me of an artist being thoughtful, ready to work, ready to brainstorm.

As I've written previously, Richie mentions "Vibrant Collaboration," and this could be from the book by Heinz Robert that delves into unconscious attraction and deep eros in the workplace. Here are some quotes that inspired the book Vibrant Collaboration.

Here's some quotes from Ayo and Jeremy about Sydney and Carmy.

Passion and intimacy, Sydney delivers something different...

Here's my guess, Carmy will have cold feelings for everyone except Sydney. With Sydney, it will invoke a certain feeling that we've seen since season 1, and that's passion. It's a passion for each other and its unconscious consequences for the rest of the team, as the book explains.

The teaser could be misleading. Sydney isn't in the trailer because with her, the scenes are different. I think that even showing the two of them together could reveal spoilers.

Because we can't know they're going to spend a lot of time together, creating a menu and Carmy thinking of her, and doing things for her.

Get ready for a deeper look into Carmy's intimacy and honesty, as well as the things that hold him back. Last season, we discovered why he struggles to truly connect with Sydney (i.e. he holds back and delays, fixing himself(the fridge), as well as self-hatred, but that's a different meta). in the season finale, he vows to never be absent from the restaurant or, in other words, from Sydney.

There's going to be different explorations for what love is, what passion is and how it can lead carmy to his true purpose.

They've already co-created The Bear, and now they have to co-create the menu. They may be so deeply involved in each other that Carmy can't worry about anyone else but Sydney. The show mentions inspiration, and I've written along with a few others about Sydney being his muse. He's going to need to figure her out in order to create that perfect dish.

See, the psycho Carmy that he talks about no longer exists. It's a different kind of Carmy. Psycho Carmy existed and was driven by being hurt by Mikey as he disappeared into work. But this time, he dives into work because he believes he hurt Sydney. He wasn't there for her. This drive, this life force behind being 'focused' Carmy, is from deep feelings of love this time around.

And this love that he can't feel for himself, love that exists only when he thinks of Sydney will be explored.

[lcandothisallday]

Jeremy concepts: Jeremy sees you at a pickup game and shows off to flirt

A Shot Worth Taking - Jeremy (WMCJ) x f!reader

Part 1 - Meet Cute

note: this started as a concept (that’s why the writing is very unprofessional lol) but the idea has sparked an idea for a series

warnings: none

series masterlist!

no because imagine you and your girl friends are there because your friend vanessa is supporting her man while he plays a different game, and you're just sitting there on the bench slightly bored and scrolling through your phone.

but then jeremy sees you and his breath gets caught in his throat--your beauty just stopping him in his tracks completely. and he glances down at his outfit--specifically at his wacky sandals and its the first time he feels a bit self-conscious so he KNEW he had to step up his ball game if he wanted to impress you even an ounce.

kamal notices jeremy's internal conflict and he follows his line of sight and sees you sitting there which causes him to smirk. "finally considering your god awful outfit choices?" he teases the curly haired man. Jeremy scoffs and shrugs him off nonchalantly. "fuck off" he mutters. "we gotta win this pick up," jeremy mumbled.

kamal begins laughing before he smirked, his intrusive thought winning. "AYO!!!" he yelled out towards you, causing you and your home girls to look up and pay attention to the group. immediately Jeremy's eyes widened and he smacked kamal. "man what the fuck are you doing?!" he exclaimed.

"getting her to pay attention," kamal responded. "now pull up and work your magic," he mused, moving towards the middle of the half-court to begin the game.

jeremy groaned and sluggishly followed, hoping you didn't catch on. but the thing is--you did catch on. after kamal had shouted for your guys' attention, you were intrigued, a playful smile on your lips.

"oh my god," Vanessa exclaimed. "what the hell is the white boy wearing?!" she laughed. you cringe playfully but you can't help your giggle.

"its not...that bad" you laughed. "I wonder if he's any good."

your other friend destiny scoffed. "looks like he was dragged from an organic smoothie shop to play in the pick up...aint no way this white man can jump."

as the game starts, you lean forward, resting your elbows against your knees as you and your girls watch intently. jeremy nervously glances you once more before he laser focuses on the game.

you observe as he runs around the court, effectively working with kamal before he approaches the 3-point line for the first time and easily sinking the ball into the basket. your friends gasp in shock and all you can do is grin. jeremy had a proud and cocky grin evident on his face, before he turned, made direct eye contact with you, and confidently winking your way, causing you to blush madly.

destiny instantly caught on and playfully shoved you in disbelief. “the white boy is into you!” she laughed. you go to deny and she scoffs. “don’t try to deny that shit! own it babes!”

“i cant lie…he’s really cute,” you breath out, feeling your face get hot at the confession. you all continue watching as jeremy puts on a record show. he was unbelievably good and extremely funny just from what you overheard him say to the other team.

“oh he’s definitely showing off to get your attention,” vanessa points out after a while with a smirk. “i say you shoot your shot after the game…maybe you need a white guy after the shit show you experienced with that lebanese guy that did you dirty.”

“ugh don’t remind me,” you shutter.

jeremy and kamal were huffing as they stood in front of the other two guys, effectively waiting for the pay out with smirks on their faces.

“pay up bitch,” jeremy mused cockily, his right hand held out while the other held onto the basketball.

the guy whined as he pulled out the bills and handed them over. “you’re gonna get beat up one day with that strategy,” he muttered sourly.

jeremy could only grin. “pleasure doing business.”

“nice game,” he hears someone say, causing him to swing around to face the person, coming face to face with you. he grinned even wider if possible.

“hey,” he breathed out.

“hi,” you smile. “you were really impressive…i cant lie—me and my girls didn’t think you’d play that good,” you admit shyly.

jeremy licked his lips and looked at you with amusement. how the fuck did you manage to be even prettier up close? “i played at gonzaga—”

“yeah i figured with your knees,” you replied, causing him to smirk. “so you paying attention huh?”

you scoff playfully. “how can i not when you’re so obviously trying to impress me,” you flirt back confidently.

Jeremy grinned. “how can i not when such a pretty girl is in the stands watching me?” his comment makes you blush. “im jeremy by the way.”

“im y/n…”

“would you maybe wanna grab dinner sometime?”

[dont-know-where]

LEVITY RISES x TIMESTUCK

Time Tape or Portal from the LR!AU gets wonked up sooooo bad that LR!Sixer and LR!Stan (post-apawcalypse) get sent to a completely different dimension and time (1981-82 in Canon GF)

They both end up with a Canon!Ford that's only a week or so away from finding out the truth about the portal.

(Also for clarification: Canon!Ford = Ford, LR!Ford = Sixer, Canon!Stanley = Stan, LR!Stanley = Stanley)

WE GOT STUFF LIKE:

Sixer immediately tries to shake Ford's hand, but jumps away suddenly after the realization that touching your alternate dimensional self destroys the entire dimension.

Stanley coming up with the Sixer-Ford idea, and screaming "POINDEXTER!" at the top of his lungs to get both of their attentions.

Sixer putting on a sock puppet show for Ford and Fiddleford detailing how he's pretty sure everything's gonna go down (LR isn't a perfect swap so he's wrong on a couple things). Ford and Fiddleford watch in horror. Sixer wonders if he used too much glitter.

Sixer and Stanley wondering if they're doomed to lose each other in every universe if they didn't even stay together in this one.

Stan and Ford wondering if they really acted like that as kids.

"Wait...the weird triangle that Sixer doodles is your muse?"

"The dog from that overly sugary candy ended your world?!"

Ford coming up with a theory a-la "Jeremy Bearimy" as to why the timeline is so different in the LR!AU

(Sixer spends the whole time Ford's explaining it in the background scribbling on paper, seemingly frustrated with something)

(When Ford's done explaining Sixer walks up and points somewhere on the "Jeremy Bearimy" replacement and says "Look Stanley! That's our birthday! :D")

[chefkids]

Hi, apparently Molly and Jeremy were spotted in Copenhagen beginning of June filming season 4. They wrapped the season soon after. Do you think it means Carmy is taking her to Noma? As some sort of grand gesture for the finale? I'm worried😭 why would they start season 3 with the recipient of the only dish that he put his own touch on being Syd and said dish ending up being the best meal of her life if they want him to end up with Cl*ire bear 🤐

I think people need to remember that Chris had three seasons of the show mapped out from the very start. Season 2 Carmy was all about being distracted from The Bear by Claire. Meaning that he knew Claire was going to be a character introduced in Season 2. If he wanted to sell the viewers on the truly being Carmy's long lost love of his life he would've started planting the seeds since season one. He planted seeds of Syd and Carmy's invisible string with the best meal she ever had comment she made to Marcus. He planted seeds about Donna's Christmas meltdown with a comment Carmy made to Tina. He knew what was going to happen in Part I, II, and III of The Bear since season 1. They are capable of writing well rounded interesting dynamic women. They chose to leave Claire as generic as they could. They chose to have their relationship in both season 2 and 3 be only based longing looks and kissing and virtually no deep conversations that felt truly emotionally vulnerable and like they led to anything.

Carmy taking Claire to Noma would mean he by some miracle gets back together with her, which I doubt she wants. She already expressed to the Fak's that she feels like it's done. But say she does get back with him. It would also imply he has regressed back to the point of continuing to impose Sydney onto Claire. Because Claire really doesn't give a fuck about Noma. And Carmy has already spent plenty of time there. It's Sydney who wanted to go there and look for inspiration.

So either Sydney will leave him and he'll find a way to convince Claire to be with him again and take her there as an "inspiration trip" and maybe in the process realize what he's doing is stupid af and that he's not finding inspiration without Sydney, because at the end of the day she is his muse now. And he'll realize he can't just keep pretending that Claire is Sydney and he'll finally stop regressing and stop using Claire as an avoidance tactic for dealing with his feelings about Sydney.

Or Molly being there probably had nothing to do with what they filmed and she as just there for fun and support. There were many others from the cast and crew there, so who knows. We'll see.

Either way I do not have doubt that Claire and Carmy will be done by the end of the series. She is not his future. She was only really seen as his past in season 3, and in Season 2 when they were in the present, she was only seen as a stand in Sydney for Carmy.

[lumi077]

jealous jealous girls and boys~

You’re gorgeous, everyone knows this. Your partner, bless their heart, are very crudely aware of just how jaw dropping you are when their insecurities mingle with their protectiveness when they see, or hear, you get hit on. It wasn’t something you were unused to, and they know you love and want only them, but can they really help it if they…overreact?

Warnings; Unwanted advances, , possessive themes, hotd/got canon incest, infidelity (Loba), potential ooc.

Characters (multifandom): Walden Darling (WH), Astarion (BG3), Daemon and Rhaenyra targaryen (HOTD), Scaramouche/Wanderer (Genshin), Leliana (DA; I), Loba (Apex)

A/N: Take this as a peace offering till I can get the next chapter of Winters’ Servants out T^T I’ve been busy, I got a new job and my dog died bc of my other dog and my mom is crazy :( Also, Baldur’s Gate 3 y’all I’m getting it and I’m so excited! I mayhaps rushed Loba’s part so sorry not sorry 😛

_

Rainbow Factory Wally (Walden) | (Welcome Home AU)

It was a normal day in the factory for all intents and purposes, making your daily rounds and supplying your husband with your infamous coffee whenever you needed to. And that’s why you found yourself in the breakroom, making a fresh pot of coffee for your caffeine addict of a spouse. 

Your name was spoken softly from behind and you blinked, moving your head to peek over your shoulder to see the owner of the voice smile sweetly at you. Jeremy was an infamous flirt in the office, but you were spared due to the fact your husband very much owned this factory. “You look gorgeous today, you know.” He hummed, eyes raking over your body.

You raised an eyebrow. You were wearing a black turtleneck, a lab coat with your name, and leggings. You looked exactly like you always do, and it’s not like any curves you possessed could be seen over the baggy lab coat. Deciding to just play it off, you laughed. “I look how I always do.” You point out good naturedly, shooting him a rather amused look as you turned your body to look at him. 

“Exactly.” He almost purred out the words, slinking closer to you with a sly smile. You have to admit the new found proximity did nothing but amuse you more. Jeremy was 5’5, rather bland, and wasn’t even the brightest. You found it absolutely amusing to think that he believes he can compete with your husband in anything.

“I see. Then thank you for the compliment.” You mused, turning back to pour the coffee into the “world’s most decent boss” mug you got him as a gag gift last christmas. Mixing in just the right amount of sweeteners, you turned. “Now, is there something I can do for you Jeremy?” you asked as you began to walk out, hearing his awkward footsteps signaling that he was following you.

“I know about you and the boss…” He trailed off, and you hoped for his sake that he wouldn’t say what you knew the next few words were. “But me and you could still happen.” Seemed he was dumber than you thought. 

You were now outside Wally’s office, an amused smile painting your lips. “Oh, is that so?”

Jeremy must have been oblivious as to where you were, because he gently put his hand on your shoulder and proclaimed rather boldly “I’ve been in love with you, for a very long time now. Dare I say, longer than that man you call your husband.” 

You sputtered then. He basically yelled that! Right outside Wally’s office. “I-”

A loud bang resonated as the door to the office swung open, effectively interrupting you, the hinges almost breaking at the sheer force he used to open the door. “What. Did. You. Just. Say.” Wide angry eyes met scared downcasted ones.

Jeremy looked like he regrets his decision very much right now, and you very dully felt a small tinge of sympathy but it was gone faster than it came.

“Nothing! I was just say-” Jeremey sputtered, trying to find a defense only to be interrupted crudely.

“Get your goddamn hand off my wife, and I’ll consider this as your letter of resignation.” He growled, grabbing his forearm and forcefully yanking the arm you weren’t even aware was still touching you off.

Jeremy, upon getting his arm released from a death grip that was sure to leave him bruised, ran away.

You couldn’t help but let laughter bubble out from your throat before clearing it. “Oh, that was something.”

Wally turned to you and growled again, grasping your jaw softly but roughly at the same time, angled your head up, and kissed you. The kiss left you breathless, your hand squeezing the coffee mug in surprise as he pulled away.

“You’re mine, dollface. And only mine.”

_

Astarion (BG3)

The tavern was bustling with life, music, and song as they normally do, and happiness threatened to suffocate you and your party as soon as you all stepped foot into the establishment. Mead, wine, and an assortment of other alcoholic beverages were held tightly in almost every person’s hand. You shrugged when your party gave you a questioning look, looking back over the tavern with a keen eye.

“Have fun?” Was all you supplied before walking to the barkeep for the first time of what would be many. 

Karlach wasted no time in going to mingle with the other patrons, eager to relieve the stress of battle by telling tales of them to strangers who watched with eager eyes and ears.

Gale was never one for all this merriment, so he politely claimed a table in one of the few secluded corners as he normally does. That table would soon be taken up by Astarion as well, who was content to just watch you mingle with the people of the tavern.

Time flew by rather quickly, the drinks making it hard for you to truly grasp just how much had gone away from you. Astarion was readying himself to get up and cross the tavern to get to you, tell you that you and your party had spent a sufficient amount of time here, and that it was time to head back to camp for some rest.

But he was quickly blocked from you by two drows. Tall, dark, imposing, yet handsome in their own right. Nothing that compared to Astarion, not even your alcohol muddled mind thought so.

“Hello gorgeous.” The woman spoke, tone smooth with lust and desire. This weirded you out, as you did nothing to suggest you were wanting *that* kind of relief. You really just sat at the bar, talking with the barkeep and the man next to you.

“What’s a delicate flower like you doing with no company at a place like this?” She asked, hand moving to rest on top of your own that was laying on the solid surface of the bar.

You wrinkled your nose at the unwanted touch, but the female drow seemed to not notice or simply not care. You’re unsure which one was the truth, it could even be both for all you know at this point. Alcohol made it hard to discern anything really, and you found yourself craving the presence of your beloved. 

The male spoke this time, his tone gruff despite him trying to sound sensual. “Perhaps we could keep you company for the night?”

Astarion’s blood boiled as he heard what those two heathens were saying to you. It took him months of carefully crafted flirts for you to even get comfortable with HIM flirting with you. And he was someone you had trusted enough to be a traveling companion and to watch your back. He knows that surely, when he sees your face it will be riddled with tell tale signs of uncomfort. 

You cleared your throat, hoping to rid it of the bile that crept up it the more and more they talked and crudely flirted with you. “Ah, no.” You mumbled, eyes searching for your sanguine lover. “I’m taken.” you managed to slur.

The female drow cooed “That doesn’t have to mean anything, not for tonight at least.” 

Astarion finally emerged right next to you, red eyes boring into the female drows. “Excuse me.” His voice, normally smooth and flirtatious, was anything but now. “I see you met my partner, exquisite aren’t they?” his tone softened as his hand went up to caress your cheek, cherishing the way you leaned into the touch immediately.

The female and male drow looked to each other before looking back at Astarion and smiling. “Why yes, yes they are.” 

Astarion hummed, rubbing his thumb on your cheek absent of mind, before remembering these people dared to flirt with what was his. “How unfortunate for you that this masterpiece is all mine, yes?” He sounded calm and almost teasing, but his eyes showed just how much he wanted to murder them.

Deciding that words weren’t enough he delicately moved your head up so he could plant the sweetest kiss on your lips, which you eagerly returned with drunken enthusiasm that made his heart swell with love. 

“See how eager they are for me?” He cooed, rubbing your cheek after pulling away. “That’s something you couldn’t even dream of receiving.” Picking you up bridal style for fear you drunk yourself into a stupor, he turned and left.

“That’s enough tavern for tonight my sweet.” He hummed softly as you laid your head on his shoulder

“Astar-” You mumbled sleepily, nuzzling your face into his neck “I love you- so so much.”

He chuckled, placing the softest kiss to your cheek “I know my darling, I love you too.”

__

Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen (HOTD)

Your family, the true Targaryens, were visiting the red keep for the first time in so many years. The difference of it all from the red keep you grew up in startled you to your core. It makes your mind ill to think this was only allowed to happen because of a usurper of your family’s rightful throne. 

Really the entire castle makes you ill, absolutely sick to your stomach truthfully. So you were trying to find comfort in the place where you resided most of your innocent years. The garden. But even that was different now, the flowers you used to pride yourself on had all wilted and been changed. The color green makes you sick now.

While you were preoccupied in your musings of sadness and trepidation, a man had slinked his way beside you and broke the silence you relished in. “Good morrow, sister.”

You blinked and looked to your right, being met with Aemond. He was only your half brother, sharing your father’s genetics while looking all Hightower. His last name should have been hightower, yet you cannot claim to hate or even dislike him. Just a faint feeling of mistrust that had been planted since the night his mother had left a scar on your arm. “Aemond.” You greeted slowly, almost defensively. “Good morrow.”

His one eye scanned the garden ahead before going back to focus on you, a delicate and almost faux looking smile on his face. Or perhaps it was just too real. “How are you? It has been many moons since I last saw your beautiful face.”

You blushed despite yourself, compliments always left your cheeks the faintest of reds, even if you mistrusted the person who spoke them. “Kirimvose” You muttered, changing to High Valyrian. You don’t know why, it just felt too right in this situation. And instinctual gut feeling that you have long since learned you should heed.

“You are welcome.” He hummed, eye suddenly showing keen interest “Do you normally use High Valyrian interchangeably like that? What a smart lady you are, Mandia” 

It was your turn to be surprised, he knows of the language of your family? Even being half bred like he is? “Yes, mostly for my children to pick it up better.” You stressed the word children to him, as if he could forget. One of your sons did give him that painful affliction afterall.

“Ah yes, my nephews.” He mused, not looking at you anymore but through you. “How are they doing these days?”

You smiled, your first genuine one not born of needing to be respectful to a lord or lady. Aemond thought it looked beautiful on you, like the finest dress. “Wonderful. My boys Luke and Jace are bonding excellently with their dragons.” You hummed, motherly love oozing from your tone. “And little Joffery is quite taken with the babies.” you put a hand on your stomach “Especially our baby Visenya. I think he likes having a baby sister to protect.” 

He was surprised “You were with child?”

You nodded “Maybe she’ll grow up to steal Vhagar from you.” You chuckled, hand over your mouth.

Aemond laughed as well “I’m sure she’ll be a brilliant rider, just like her Muña”

“You flatter me.” Your blush grew a tad bit redder. Aemond felt a pang of affection that he was able to make that happen. You were too good for his sister and uncle, deserving of someone more well read with a dragon to match the size of your own. 

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted his musings of what he could have had with you, had his father stepped up and demanded you wed him. “Is this a small reunion?” Daemon joked, leaning on a wall. His eyes looked anything but full of mirth, annoyance and possessiveness shined brightly in his eyes like dragon fire.

“Uncle.” Aemond scoffed out the word like it meant little to him. And it probably did, you know he was never close with Daemon. Jealousy slithered in his veins like blood did, burning him.

“What are you and my wife talking about, hm?” He asked casually, walking leisurely to you before wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing a soft kiss to your temple, looking down with fondness Aemond could never imagine being gazed at with. “Hello my love.”

“Hello Daemon.” You giggle gleefully, resting your head against his own while your arms go to rest on top of his. Aemond’s veins burned worse.

“Simply catching up, it’s been quite a while since she has been to the red keep.” He spoke, jealousy dripping from his words like venom, eye glaring at his uncle’s arms that was wrapped where he longed his to be. Daemon tightened his grip slightly. “I was just about to offer a tour of the grounds, much has changed.” he smiled twistedly at Daemon, using that as a taunt.

Daemon narrowed his eyes, and somewhere you could hear the roar of Caraxes and Vhagar. You hope that they aren’t fighting because their riders have bad blood. “That won’t be needed. She grew up here just as you did Aemond.”

You soon grew uneasy, eyes shifting to the side, “I have.” You assented.

Daemon smirked unbeknownst to you, smug because it was him who you would always back. Always Daemon, never Aemond.”Of course my lady, apologies.”

You smiled uneasily “No need for apologies Aemond. It was a kind offer.” That soothed the burn within his veins slightly. You thought he was kind.

You felt yourself almost suffocating before your lovely wife walked into the garden with Alicent “Ah, my beloveds.” Nrya smiled kindly at you two, eyes shining with love before she nodded to Aemond respectfully. 

“It is almost time for the feast, you two would be wise to get ready.” She looked at you knowingly and winked.

Daemon let out a hearty groan “yes yes my wife, very well.” he let his arms fall from you and stepped back, offering you his hand.

“Shall I help you get ready, my darling?” He asked teasingly, eyes glinting with lust as you laughed and took his hand. Rhaenyra already has an excuse for both of your tardiness, rest assured. Cannibal will have to take blame for your lack of proper walking.

___

Wanderer (genshin)

Wanderer was stuck wandering, as one does, around the bustling streets on Liyue. It was the lantern rite, something you had continuously told him you had wanted to go to many times and he decided there was no harm in it. How crudely wrong he was, as soon as he entered the city of contracts with you, the crowd had swept you away from him. 

So here he was trying to find you like a puppy separated from their owner, and it continuously made him more and more irritated as more time passed that you were not in his eyesight. His hands, that were balled into fists, relaxed immediately upon hearing the soft sound that was your laughter. It was quiet, barely heard above the chattering of these imbeciles that surrounded him, but he was able to follow the sweet sound where he found you with some man.

The man was short, close to Wanderer’s own height, with white hair with a red streak. He looked to hail from Inazuma. Anger boiled deep within his veins, eyes glaring at the man who dared to talk to you.

“Your eyes shine like the lanterns in the sky, your skin as smooth and unbroken as the purest piece of porcelain.” he mused, smiling softly at your red face. Wanderer has never said anything close to that to you, always just quick grumblings about how you looked decent. And it didn’t bother you much anymore, you grew to love him after all. But having this kind of attention on you was thrilling simply because it was new! Kazuha’s eyes bore into yours with a soft intensity that oddly fit in this moment. But he was simply supposed to help you find your beloved, not make poetry about you. No matter how lovely it made you feel.

Wanderer barged over, not sparing the man a glance as he grasped your wrist in his hand and dragged you away. He could barely hear you say your goodbyes to the traveler from Inazuma over just how angry he felt. Were you going to leave him? Go to someone who he just witnessed really could treat you better? No, he won’t allow it. You're his, you’ve been his for centuries now, and if you could remember and love him despite all he has done in his past then you must be his soulmate.

He hissed out your name, stopping in a darkened alley before pushing you against the wall, trapping your head between his arms as he leered at you. “What do you think you were doing, you idiot.” this wasn’t the way he wanted to do this, not at all. He wanted to have a softer approach but for some reason he just can’t. He loves you, he promises he does. He just can’t show it.

“Scara…” you cooed, hands going up to cup his face “I was looking for you.” You assured gently, thumb massaging his cheek as he ever so slightly leaned into your hold. “Kazuha offered to help me find you since I’m so unfamiliar with Liyue Harbor.” You could always see through his brass actions, being able to see the softer side through all the boundaries he put around himself to hide in.

“Is that so?” His words lacked his mocking bite that it would have for anyone else “Then why was he flirting with you?” He asked, pressing a chaste kiss on your thumb.

You giggled, a sound that made him relax more. “Maybe he just thinks I’s pretty. But you're the only one for me.”

He smiled then, liking the concept that you knew you were only “Yes, yes I am.” He hummed, cupping the hand you had on his face with his own. 

“You’re mine, not even the gods could take you away from me.” He sighed happily as he felt your lips start pecking around his face, closing his eyes in bliss. “They could try, but I would move the very heavens to keep you by my side. Always.”

“And forever.” You finished as Scara finally connected his lips with yours, savoring the rare softness in which he kissed you with.

___

Leliana (DA; I)

The sky was clear, not a cloud dotted the open sky of Skyhold and the sun beamed down in soft warm rays. You were sitting on the railing of the balcony that belonged to the upper tower that housed your partner Leliana, as well as her ravens and spies. It was a cool day, which wasn’t abnormal seeing as this stronghold was built into the mountains. Construction was going very well, the ramparts were now open to patrol and the rooms were looking better and better.

The inquisitor was running around down on the lower level, and you watched from your vantage point with amusement. You were unsure why they were in such a hurried state, seeing as there wasn’t really anyone rushing them in the least. But you’ll leave them alone about it for now. 

Looking up as you heard the door clank open, a scout you had never seen before stepped out and joined you on the terrace. Turning your body to face him, you tilted your head in confusion. Normally Leli’s spies were too busy to do all that much around Skyhold. Perhaps he was just recouping after a tough mission.

“Hello madame, nice evening ain’t it?” He had a strong Fereldan accent, so he was from there and arguably is mostly stationed there because the accent hasn’t faded even a bit.

“Yes, it is.” You spoke skeptically, normally one scout isn’t stationed at one nation for too long, lest they be found out and compromise the entire spy network your lover has spent years perfecting.

“The nightingale wishes me to look after you.” He saluted, before going back to ease and leaning on the wall.

You raised a brow, why would you need to watch over here of all places? Leli was right through that door, and there isn’t many places of entry here that aren’t very loud.

“I see.” You doubt grew, but you would give him the benefit of the doubt. Your Leli was very paranoid, and with good reason you suppose. It must be hard to have all those enemies, those known and unknown that are hiding in the shadows with a dagger or poison. 

“You're beautiful, you know.” He broke the silence again, your lack of an answer must not have been deterring at all for the spy. “A true masterpiece.” he mused.

“Thank you.” You were starting to get bored now, eyes lidding due to boredom. Any second now.

With tactful grace the door opened silently, you could hear the faintest of footsteps take 3 steps before pausing. Another minute of the spy not noticing her, she coughed. It was fake and sounded way too smooth and dull for it to be real.

That made the man jump, his attention snapping to your lover. “Lady Nightingale!”

“Charts.” Her smooth voice riddled with Orlesian accent was sour sounding now. Like she ruined her new pair of shoes in the blood of darkspawn. “At ease, were you?”

His eyes looked everywhere but her as his body froze up under her intense scrutiny “Forgive me, lady nightingale.”

“I’ll see what to do with you.” She stated dismissively, waving him away with her hand “Now run along, I’m sure Charter will find some use for you in the meantime.”

He did not need to be told twice, quickly exiting the balcony with a loud slam to the door. “Lousy company, my dearest?” she teased gently with a small, walking next to you and letting you lean on her.

“Somewhat.” You agreed, resting your head on her shoulder and you looked to the mountains. “Seemed tired. Have him running?”

“He’s new.” She shrugged gently as to not disturb you. “Fresh out of redcliff.” 

“I could tell he was Fereldan, his accent is very noticeable.” You hummed, hand coming out to trace random little patterns on her arm. “Strong.”

“It is.” She agreed. “We will have to rid him of it before we send him out in the field.”

You raised a brow “He’s that new?”

“Yes. he is training under Charter at the moment, and hopefully she will be able to help.” Leli slowly removed herself from you.

“I have to go my beloved. Work is neverending when you’re trying to save the world.” She hummed and kissed his cheek delicately.

You sighed but nodded “I know my love. I’ll see you tonight?”

She smiled sadly “I’ll see you tonight.”

You sighed again as she walked away.

__

Loba

It was duos day! A glorious chance to win with whoever you shall get teamed with to achieve glory and fame. On a bigger note then being a legend already grants you.

You were paired with one of the newer Legends. New Castle you think his name was, but you can’t be bothered to remember.  He seemed to be quite sweet on you, much to Loba’s irritation. You were hers goddamnit! Why couldn’t he see that.

So here you were, on the dropship talking to your duo as wells as your other friends like Lifeline, Octane, and Bangalore.

“Are you excited, amigo? I mean you are with the newbie, so me and Lifeline will take it easy on you if we find you.” Octane laughed, patting you on the shoulder affectionately. 

“I’ll be the one taking it easy on you, tane!” You protested with a giggle.

New Castle clasped his hand onto your other shoulder and laughed deepily. “I promise I won’t be any dead weight to a beauty like them.” 

High heels clacked against the iron flooring of the ship, you were approaching your destination and would soon have to prep to get ready to drop and land for the games to begin. You assumed it was Loba, so you two could have your usual good luck kiss but was surprised when it was Wattson. Loba’s partner.

“Hey.” She smiled and waved “Loba wanted to say she’s too busy to see you before the drop, so she’ll be looking extra hard for you on the ground.” She spoke cheerily.

You blinked. This was the first time she’s done something like this. Was she really so jealous that she’s taking it out on you now? Does she think that you’re too receptive about it? Was that the problem.

Wattson frowned “Are you alright?”

You shook your head and offered your best reassuring smile that you possible could. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little disappointed ya know? But you get heading back Wattson, I don’t want you to miss drop.”

She looked at you, calculating and unsure before her frown only deepened. But she nodded “Yeah ok. See you around, yeah?” and with that she left as quick and out of nowhere as she came. 

Finally it was time to drop, the arena was Olympus. Easy enough, it was your personal favorite because your abilities served you every well here. You don’t how New castle was going to fare though, so you kept an eye on him. Even if he is part of your relationship problems, he was still your duo and you still wanted to win.

“I’m the jump master.” You called out, laughter bubbling in your throat “Hope you brought an extra pair of pants newbie.”

“Wh-” he was cut off as you unexpectedly jumped, a yell bubbling out from his throat and into the air that you two were descending in.

You chose a little area that you knew has enough supply bins to give you both some weapons and a few syringes. Maybe a better evo shield too, hopefully.

“So.” he started “How do you prefer to fight?” he asked as he picked up a Hemlock Burst AR.

“I’m a sniper.” You spoke quietly and hushed, hoping he’d take the hint and do the same. Enemies can be anywhere, and with Wraith’s abilities you wouldn’t even see her coming till she was here guns blazing. She was smart, and has good hearing.

He hummed “So I’ll need to man the front. Can do.”

You rolled your eyes, picking up a wingman and some sniper ammo. “You better. Though you probably won’t see enough action. I’m a damn good shot.”

“Better be.” he laughed quietly, loading his burst.

“There’s a care package near us.” You reported, looking to where it was going to land. “Let’s head over.”

And so you did, you getting your favorite gun ever the Kraber, and New Castle getting a\\ prowler. With these new found weapons and some new Evoshields after some kills, you two quickly climbed the latter till it was the last 3. Only six other legends at most. 

You were kill leader with a stunning 12 kills, and perched high up as you looked through the enhanced scope on your Kraber. You killed Octane and Lifeline before they even knew what happened, same with bloodhound and Fuse. You killed Ash but Revenant got away, and Bangalore and Valkyrie left as soon as they heard a shot from your Kraber, knowing that with your aim it would be a death sentence. 

Caustic and Mirage were easy to pick off when they got distracted arguing with one another, and you killed Wattson as well. 

So it was probably Loba and Revenant still out there. New Castle was antsy before you heard it. Revenant’s totem and gun shots. He must have found Loba in one of the buildings, and given their history it’s unsurprising he would waste his ult on her. 

Clicking a button, a visor was put over your eyes and you could clearly see that Loba was the victor. 1 squad left, it was just her. You felt bad about this, of course. But as soon as she poked her head out, you were the victors.

The follow up party was the usual, and you were looking for Loba and of course you found her. You were the best sniper ever seen, your senses honed completely. So when you heard her and turned the corner to apologize, you saw the last thing you had ever wanted to see.

Loba and Valkyrie were kissing.

[drewsbuzzcut]

The Touch Of A Hand Lit The Fuse

Jeremy Swayman x Lyla Blair

A ‘The Masterminds’ blurb

warnings: mentions dying and that should be it

takes place: February 2024

“You know, I tried to get tickets to your concert, but they sold out before I could even press ‘purchase’,” a voice comes up behind Lyla.

She turns around only to be pleasantly surprised to see The Bruins goalie her team drafted, Jeremy. Her eyes flit between his nice beard and his even prettier eyes. She’s glad she’ll get the chance to finally talk to him after all the eye contact they were sharing earlier. Lyla can still feel the electrical current flowing through her veins after the handshake they shared when he was drafted.

“Well, if you’re still up for going, I can place you backstage or on the side stage. Whatever works for you,” Lyla muses, tilting her head to the side and batting her eyes at him.

“Seriously?” Jeremy perks up, eyes excited and cheeks flushing red. He wasn’t expecting the offer, but he is thrilled by it.

“Oh yeah. I saw that TikTok you did with your teammates, so how could I not have a dedicated fan at one of my shows,” Lyla teases and gets a cute smile out of him.

“Aw man. My reputation precedes me. I’m kind of embarrassed you saw that,” he admits, eyes cast low and fingers scratching at the back of his neck.

“I think it’s hot, you, knowing the words to my songs and willingly going along with the video,” Lyla says, earning that saccharine laugh from Jeremy.

“How could I not know the words? Your voice is the best thing I’ve ever heard,” he flirts, leaning down closer to her ear to make sure she hears his words.

Lyla feels her heart stutter, the red flush blooming on her cheeks the same way it was on him. She bites down on her lip to stop her smile, but a laugh bubbles up and brings out her smile even more. Jeremy thinks if he’d die right now, he’d be content with that. The way her lips curve when she’s trying to fight her smile makes him want to kiss her. He needs to know what her lips feel like.

“He’s handsome and he’s not afraid to support a woman. You make it tough not to be attracted to you,” Lyla flirts back, intensely looking up into his eyes.

Jeremy swears his heart starts to do somersaults. He feels the urge to just run and scream at the top of his lungs, because this gorgeous girl thinks he’s attractive. She’s talking to him and being flirty, and Jeremy is sure his cheeks are on fire.

“I’m a gentleman, too,” he says cooly.

“Oh are you?”

Instead of responding, he walks ahead of her, turning back and offering his hand out to her to help her walk off the ice. He honestly didn’t want her to slip being that she’s wearing heels, but it just so happened to coincide with what he told her.

Lyla, whose heart is racing, feels that electric shock in her palm once again. She wonders if he feels it too. He does.

“Thank you, Jeremy. I-“ Lyla gets interrupted by her publicist.

“Ly, we need you to do a photo op with Nathan,” she speaks quickly, pulling Lyla away from Jeremy before she can mutter a goodbye.

Disappointment is an understatement. Jeremy feels her absence so thoroughly, her warmth still sits in the palm of his hand. Now he has to watch her laugh and pose for pictures with other hockey players.

“Hey, I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t mean to just leave. My publicist just wanted me to get that done before they leave,” Lyla explains, setting her free hand on Jeremy’s bicep.

Her touch snaps him out of his daze. His eyes peer down to where her hand rests on him and the butterflies return. Giddiness settles in his features.

“Don’t worry about it. If I were them, I’d want a picture with you, too,” he says with earnest.

“I feel special,” Lyla jokes, flipping her hair over her shoulder dramatically.

“So, I will take you up on that offer for the side stage view at your concert, if you come to our game next week against Calgary,” Jeremy offers.

“Deal,” she agrees easily, a never ending smile shining bright at him.

“And I think we need to get you a bruins jersey instead of that one,” Jeremy points to the Colorado Avalanche jersey in her hand.

“Only if it has your last name on the back,” Lyla adds in her only condition.

Jeremy nods his head, looking down to hide his smile. He can get used to being around her.

a/n: First actual part of The Masterminds! I truly cherish Lyla and Jeremy so much, and all of you who contributed to this au.

[stargirlie25]

Oki dok so i have read all of the LOG books except the first one.

Mainly because imo Elites>bratva.

So i do not like Killian because he is constantly up my mans Landon. Although i love Jeremy and Nikolai....OK the real reason is because his nickname is so stupid like the other nickames i like

Landon-Little muse ( as in she is his muse bc he is an artist)

Jeremy- Lichiska (lets not talk about the english but its sounds hot in russian)

Creighton-Little purple (I dont like the little but purple is cute bc thats his girls favorite color)

Nikolai- Lotus flower, prince charming (I swear all his nicknames for his man is the best thing ever and even if it was little hippo i would stan it)

Now the one that makes me want to scratch my eyes out

Killian- Little rabbit. LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? YOU COULDNT THINK OF ANYTHING CUTE? Poor Glyn she must be jealous all her friends have better nicknames.

Im probably just going to read it tho