#Medicine Bow Range

[christhiry]

Medicine Bow Range, Wyoming. Lookout Lake. June 26, 2022

[oogleboogleoogle]

Medicine Bow Peak bathed in moonlight.

[oooshinyphotography]

Columbine flowers are just so beautiful. Easily one of my favorite wildflowers.

Light purple columbines.

Snowy Range Mountains, Wyoming. 8-17-19.

Canon T5 F/6.3 1/640s ISO-169 18-135 @ 135mm.

[zepskies]

Every Second Counts - Part 4

Pairing: Russell Shaw x F. Reader

Summary: One date with your best friend’s brother leaves you wanting more, even though his questionable job and vagabond lifestyle make you want to guard your heart. When your brother falls into trouble, however, Russell is the one you trust to help you find him. 

AN: No cliffhangers this time, I promise. 😘

Word Count: 4K

Tags/Warnings: Perilous situations, blood and violence, some more protective Russell, angst, hurt/comfort, and fluff.~

💜 Series Masterlist

Part 4: “Mountain Man”

You were running for your life. 

Blood dripped down into your line of vision, but you swept it away from your face with a haphazard hand, along with your tears as you nearly stumbled on the path. 

A gunshot rang in your ears and hit a tree instead of your head.

Shit! You screamed and ducked, but you kept running…

After you tumbled down the hill, it was a small mercy that you didn’t break any bones when you eventually landed at the bottom. You’d stared up at the sky, winded, your back aching. Until you noticed Rick, one of Eddie’s men. He was sliding down the hill after you. 

You didn’t know what happened to your brother after he attempted to push you out of harm’s way. That thought alone gripped your heart like a vice, but you knew you couldn’t stay here on the ground either. 

You forced your body to move, whimpering at the pain and stiffness. Shakily you pushed onto your feet and slipped on dead leaves as you went. You moved your legs faster, until you were able to take off running deeper into the forest.

You gasped when your foot caught on a large rock. It sent you crashing into the ground. With your hands still bound, it made pushing yourself back up that much more difficult.

You spat out a couple of leaves. Fuck…

When Rick caught up to you, fear made you jolt into action. You wrapped your gathered hands around the rock that felled you and tossed it at him with all the strength you had. He blocked the projectile with the same hand that held his gun, like an idiot. You really couldn’t be blamed when the gun went off in his face.

He screamed, and so did you on reflex. Though his cheek and brow had been grazed by the bullet, he was lucky he still had both eyes. He blinked a bit of blood out of his left one. You scrambled back onto your feet and meant to keep running, but Rick still managed to surge forward and get a hold of your hair. 

Uttering a short scream, you grabbed his shirt and kneed him as hard as you could between the legs. You hoped you crushed his dick and balls.

“Oh, f—” He went down to the ground, sinking onto his knees as he dropped his gun. He glared up at you. “You little bitch!” 

You were panting for breath, but you didn’t wait for him to recover and grab his weapon again. 

You ran. 

You ran, even though you had no idea where you were going. You just knew that you couldn’t stay in one place. But if you couldn’t find your way around a college campus, how the hell were you supposed to navigate the damn Medicine Bow National Forest?

Along with your desperation and fear, tears kept filling your eyes whenever you thought of Charlie. 

Please, please, please…

“Goddamn, they could be anywhere,” Russell groused, as he and Colter hiked through the forest. He was, admittedly, breathing a bit harder from the trek uphill. “It’s been hours already.”

“It’s barely been an hour,” Colter reminded him. And he didn’t look winded in the least.

Bastard. Russell glanced at him, but then he focused on the horizon. The sun was finally starting to come up, which was good for them. They could see the trails more clearly.

“Remember when Dad used to make us free-climb the cliffs in Sierra?” Russell asked.

“Yeah,” Colter said. “You used to beat me every time. Wonder what happened to that guy.”

His tone was teasing. Russell shot him a look, half annoyed, and half amused.

“Yeah, well, he turned 40,” Russell replied.

Colter smiled, but both of them paused when they heard a gunshot ring out, followed by two more.

“That was close,” he said.

“Yeah,” Russell agreed, drawing his own gun. Colter did the same, and they hurried up a roaming hill that had Russell briefly peering over the side. In his mind’s eye, he had to shutter away the memory of seeing a body flung over the side in the dark and the rain. Then him looking over the edge of that cliff and recognizing his father’s twisted body.

And Colter, shouting up at him with angry, tearful, accusing eyes.

A male groan broke Russell out of his thoughts as he and his brother came up on a grim scene. Two men laid dead, and another young man with dark hair was lying prone on the ground, clutching his wounded leg. He’d been shot, though a gun also was held tightly in his own hand. He aimed it at the newcomers.

“Charlie?” Colter asked. He recognized the other man from your family photos.

Charlie blinked up at him in surprise, but not without a grim set to his jaw.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked.

Russell let out a subtle breath. Colter was relieved as well.

“I’m Colter. This is my brother, Russell,” he said. “Your sister asked for our help to find you.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. All of them slowly lowered their weapons. Russell gestured at the bodies lying yards away from him.

“I’m guessing one of those guys is Eddie Mendez?” he said.

Charlie nodded, gesturing at the man closest to him with his gun. He groaned at the agony in his right thigh. Colter quickly went to his side and began to wrap a tourniquet around his leg to stem the bleeding.

“Did the bullet go through?” Colter asked.

“I think so,” Charlie replied.

“Where’s your sister?” Russell asked, his impatience evident in his stance and the way he held his gun while scanning his surroundings. His frown deepened when he didn’t see you.

“Oh, fuck!” Charlie said, and not at the pain of Colter wrapping his leg. His eyes were wide with panic. “Rick’s after her. I clipped him, but he slipped by me.”

“Where?” Russell asked. Charlie pointed down the side of the hill.

“Down there. Headed north I think, but I’m not sure,” he said quickly. “Help her, please!”

Russell didn’t need any encouragement. He started down the hill first. 

After making sure Charlie was stable for now, Colter followed after his brother a few minutes later. 

Russell called your name as he searched through the dense trees. Sunlight was beginning to filter through their leaves in dappled color on the trail. It gave him a better view ahead.

He stopped short when he saw a splatter of blood on the ground, painting the dirt and some dead leaves. A well of unease rose in his gut.

He headed toward the sound of running water, and he soon found another cliff. Just beyond it was a waterfall, and river below. Seeing no signs of life, he pulled back and continued to call your name, and all the while, pushing down his worry.

“Russell?!”

He turned sharply to see you coming out of your hiding place—a large fallen tree. A smile started to raise his lips, but no sooner had he taken one step in your direction, when he almost got a bullet in his head for his trouble. 

“Watch out!” you yelled. Rick came out into the clearing and aimed at you next. 

“Get down!” Russell shouted. 

Without blinking, he shot Rick three times: once in the shoulder, twice in the chest. 

The man went down. He was dead before he even met the ground. 

It was then that Colter finally caught up. Russell nodded at him, but his focus was on heading for the fallen tree after he stowed his gun.

The moment he took a step over it, you popped up with a yell, ready to smack him with a tree branch. He leaned back raised up his hands in defense. 

“Whoa, hey, it’s okay! It’s just me, slugger,” he said with a grin. 

You let out a sharp sigh of relief. The branch fell from your loose fingers. As you caught your breath, your mouth trembled, and your eyes filled with tears at the sight of him. 

Russell softened. He reached for you.

“Come ‘ere,” he said. Your hands slipped into his, and he helped you over the trunk of the tree. After using his handy pocketknife to cut through the zip ties binding your wrists together, you landed right into his waiting embrace. There, you spilled hot tears into his bulletproof vest. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve gotcha,” he said. His voice was low and soothing. “You’re okay.”

You raised your head with a desperate question in your eyes.

“Charlie?” you asked.

“Charlie’s okay too,” Russell assured. His hand soothed over your tangled hair and down your back. He could feel you trembling as you rested against him and sobbed. He held you tight, safe, as he rocked you a little from side to side. His own relief was a weight off his chest. 

Colter stood by and watched with a secret smile. 

With his bare hands clawing into damp soil, Colter dug up the crate Charlie buried near the base of the waterfall. True to his word, it was filled with precious artifacts. 

“Just, please be careful,” you warned him again over his shoulder. “These are quite literally hundreds of years old.”

Before Colter could assure you, again, that he’d be careful, you actually set a hand on his shoulder and implored him to move back.

“Matter of fact, sorry, let me do this part,” you said. “I’m the only one who’s really trained to handle these. Plus, your hands are dirty.”

Colter raised a brow, but he obliged you. He glanced over at his brother. Russell just watched in amusement while you opened the crate. 

You wished you had gloves on for this, but you supposed it couldn’t be helped. You stopped just shy of touching them—a bow and arrow, three spears, and a couple of knives. Each were crafted with wood and bone, with designs carved and accented in faded red and blue.

“Wow,” you whispered. Your historian heart was singing right now. 

You made sure each artifact was intact and hadn’t sustained water damage, then you covered them back up with the lid to the crate. 

“Okay, now you can take it, thank you. This thing is heavy,” you said, with a pat on Colter’s shoulder. 

His lips played at a smile, but he accepted the responsibility of carrying the crate.

Russell rested a hand on the small of your back to subtly help you back up the hill. You couldn’t help walking closer with him, your arm brushing against his side. You glanced up at him with a smile. He matched you, then looked up ahead. 

Charlie was waiting for you all while leaning against a tree. He still looked like utter hell—cut up, bruised, bloody, and now shot in the leg. You went to his side and gently grabbed his arm. 

���God, Charlie. You sure you’re okay?” you asked. He curled an arm around your shoulders and flashed you a familiar grin. 

“Oh, yeah. I’m like a cockroach. Just keep coming back,” he said.

You had to agree with that, laughing through the spark of your tears. Russell came on his other side and shouldered most of your brother's weight off his bad leg. 

“Okay, here we go. One step at a time,” Russell said.

Slowly, painfully, Charlie managed to make it back to Colter’s truck with you and Russell supporting him. Colter brought up the rear with the artifacts in tow. 

And behind you all, the sun broke more fully across the dewy trees in a morning swathed with orange and gold.

After Colter drove you and Charlie to the hospital, he and Russell took off again soon after to do something with the three bodies hidden under a tarp in the bed of the pickup truck. The thought made you shudder, along with the fact that the Shaw brothers knew how to hide bodies.

But you supposed it was better than the alternative.

As it was, you, Colter, and Charlie had to lie to the hospital staff about how you both had earned your injuries—in a brutal mugging, where Colter was able to scare off the men that got the jump on you and Charlie.

"I never saw their faces," as he'd later told the police, while the nurses prepped him for surgery. "I just tried to protect my sister the best I could."

You backed him up on the story, even as the lie felt bitter on your tongue and made you nervous (especially when you thought of poor Dr. Feinman).

Despite that little break-in at the museum yesterday, you'd never been good at being a rule breaker. Fortunately, Colter's calmness when he gave his corroborating statement helped you. Like Russell, he was a solid, anchoring presence...if in a different way.

For the crate of relics, Colter advised Charlie to ship them back to the museum anonymously. It would be the easiest way to encourage the police to lose steam on looking for who took them in the first place. You and your brother begrudgingly agreed, even if you had a secret thought of sending the artifacts to the NMAI. Maybe you could convince Charlie to send them there instead, or to one of the local Native American tribes here in Wyoming.

Hours later, however, you were able to finally be with your brother when he came out of surgery. In that time, your own bruises and the cut above your brow had been tended to in the Emergency Department. Now, you sat by his bedside while he slept off the anesthesia. You stroked his scuffed hand on the bed.

He really was a mess, you thought, as a tear rolled down your cheek. But he was alive. That was what mattered now.

A quiet knock at the door had you looking up, and then smiling to see Russell.

“Hey,” you said quietly, and in surprise. “Everything…went well?”

Russell’s lips quirked. “Yeah, we’re all set.”

No one would be finding those bodies anytime soon. He had a buddy in Denver, Colorado who happened to be a cremator. It was only a couple hours over from Laramie. He and Colter had just gotten back from driving the bodies there.

Before Colter drove over to Dory's apartment next, both to check on her and to fill her in on everything, he'd dropped Russell off at your house so he could get his car. He hadn’t felt right about leaving you in the hospital by yourself, even if you did have your brother.

Not without saying goodbye, at least.

“You know, I need to ask his doctor a question about his post-op care,” you said, gesturing at Charlie. “Can you stay with him for a minute while I go find a nurse?”

“Sure,” Russell agreed. You smiled gratefully and touched his arm as you passed him.

When you were gone, it left a heavy silence in your wake. Russell looked over at Charlie’s sleeping form. Russell sighed and sunk down into the chair beside the bed. He rubbed his tired face with both hands.

Shit. Now that he thought about it, he could’ve just told Colter to bring Dory here. He pulled out his phone to call his sister, when a low groan caught his attention.

Aw geez. What kinda timing, Russell thought, as he realized Charlie was waking up. His eyes slowly slid open, brows furrowing at the bright lights above him, then at the man beside him.

“Hey, man,” Russell said. “You’re okay. You’re in the hospital.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Charlie said, with another groan as he tried to stretch his body. He found he couldn’t yet move his leg. As awareness blinked back into his eyes, he settled on Russell with resignation.

“Thank you,” he said. “What you did for me, for her…I sure as hell didn’t deserve it, but thank you for saving her.”

Russell shook his head. “No need. Just get better.”

“Yeah. The doc says in a few months, I’ll be able to learn how to walk again,” Charlie said.

Russell gave him a firmer look.

“No, I mean get better,” he said. “You know you nearly got your sister killed.”

Charlie’s gaze fell. His face tightened, but really, he couldn’t even be upset at the accusation. He knew it was true, and his guilt already threatened to consume him. He also knew he should be in jail for what he’d done, and what he’d facilitated for months. After what nearly happened in the past twenty-four hours, he wasn’t sure how you could ever forgive him.

“Look, I served too. I know what you’re going through, being back here,” Russell said. “It feels wrong and right, don’t it?”

After a beat, Charlie nodded. “What branch?”

“Special Ops. I hear you were a pilot, Captain.”

“Yeah, I was,” Charlie said, his eyes lowering. “Now…now I don’t know what I am.”

“You’re her brother,” Russell said. Both his tone and his gaze all but demanded that the other man look him in the eyes. “Not her father or her son, her brother. I know you’ve been struggling. But I think you already know what you need to do, and figure out who you’re gonna be today, tomorrow, and the next.”

Charlie took in those words, and tried not to chafe at them coming from a near stranger. He knew, deep down, that all of it was right.

You came in a moment later with two cups of coffee. You brightened with a gasp when you saw that Charlie was awake.

“Hey.” He found a smile for you. You gave Russell the coffee you’d brought for him, but you quickly set yours down on the rolling tray so you could sit beside your brother.

Russell stepped out to give you two some privacy. You thanked him again and watched him go. Then, you turned back to Charlie with a tearful smile.

“How’re you feeling?” you asked.

“Have I said how much I love morphine?” Charlie remarked.

You rolled your eyes and took his hand in yours. “Yeah, how can I forget your thing for hard drugs.”

That hit sharper than a mere joke. His eyes fell away from yours. You sighed and bit your lip.

“I’m sorry,” you said. Charlie shook his head and covered your hand with his.

“No, I’m sorry. For everything I’ve put you through. And I don’t just mean today,” he said. “I’m going to make it up to you.”

“All that matters is that you’re here, and you’re going to be fine,” you said. “I’ve already put together a list of what you’re going to need when we bring you home—”

Charlie stopped you with a squeeze of your hand.

“I’m not going home just yet,” he said.

“Well, no, not until they discharge you, but—”

Again, he gently cut you off. “You were right. I need treatment, and not just for this damn leg.”

He swept a hand through his hair and sighed.

“When they let me out of here, I’m going back to rehab,” he said. “After that, we’ll see.”

 Tears stung in your eyes…but you nodded in relief. You held both of his hands then.

“You’re not doing this alone,” you told him. “I’ll be with you, every step.”

 Charlie let out a self-deprecating chuckle. He felt he didn’t deserve that, but he smiled at you.

“I know. You’ll be nagging me in my head, even when you’re not there,” he said. You smirked and brushed his greasy hair away from his face.

“Damn straight,” you replied. “I’ve finally become Mom.”

Charlie shook his head in amusement, but he leveled you with a pointed finger.

“But for now, you need to go home and get some rest,” he said.

You reluctantly agreed with that too. After a full twenty-four hours without sleep, you realized that you were exhausted. You leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I love you,” you said. “I’ll come back to see you tomorrow.”

“Good. Love you too,” said Charlie. His eyelids were starting to droop from the pain medication, but he forced himself to stay awake for a little while longer. He even helped you back onto your feet with a guiding hand on your back. “Wait, is someone staying with you tonight? I don’t want you to be alone.”

You grabbed up your purse. “Don’t worry. I think I’ve got that covered.”

Your brother quirked a suspicious smile at the look on your face. The one you tried to hide from him when you noticed his scrutiny.

“What, is it one of those guys who helped us?” he asked. “Is it the blonde one—Ken doll? Or the mountain man?”

Of course he knew their names, but he just wanted to mess with you. He could already see you getting flustered while you twisted the strap of your purse between your fingers and glanced at the door.

 “What? No! Just go to sleep. Take advantage of the morphine while you’ve got it,” you said. “Don’t worry. I’ll call Dory.”

Charlie leveled you with a look. “Mhmm.”

He pulled the blanket higher on his chest and watched you leave. When the door swung open, he saw Russell leaning against the wall, waiting for you. 

Charlie huffed. He should’ve known. 

Okay, mountain man.  

That was the last thought he had before he drifted off.

You left your brother’s room just about overwhelmed with a maelstrom of emotions. However, the moment you saw Russell waiting for you, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, it all distilled into one simple thing. 

He met your gaze and started to smile. 

You smiled back, and you went to him. 

You reached up to frame his face with both hands, and you searched for something in his eyes. They were tinged with surprise, but he waited on you, wondering what you were about to do. 

When you thought you found what you were looking for, you raised up on your toes and pressed your lips to his.

His hands unconsciously found your waist and held you to him. He met your lips in kind, and even deepened the connection. Your fingers slipped into his hair, lightly dragging your nails against his scalp. He hummed in pleasure. 

When your lips eventually parted from his, it was still too soon, he thought. Russell stared down at you with a question in his eyes—one he couldn’t help voicing.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “Thank you for everything.”

Ah… Russell’s smile evened out and faded slightly. 

So that was just a gesture of gratitude. He hoped you didn’t decide to thank Colter that way. 

“You don’t need to thank me,” Russell said. “I’m glad Charlie’s all right.”

“No, I do need to. So thank you,” you said. Your hands drifted down his chest, plucking at the edge of his jacket. 

“I don’t really want to be alone today, to be honest,” you admitted. “Would you…want to…keep me company for a while? You could rest up at my place.”

Russell’s brows raised. His lips curved. 

“Well, sure. I could do that. Your couch seemed pretty comfortable,” he said. 

“You don’t have to stay on the couch,” you replied. 

And then, Russell finally read your meaning. He saw it in your eyes, staring up at him through your lashes.

Maybe that kiss was exactly what he thought it meant. His smile became more genuine.

“Well, okay,” he said eventually. He wrapped an arm around your waist. “Let’s get you home then.”

You leaned against his side and gave him a lazy salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

He shook his head. His smile deepened into a grin.  

“You’re a little delirious, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Probably need some water,” you said with a giggle. “And God, I’m starving.”

Russell laid a gentle kiss to the side of your head that wasn’t bruised.

“All right, we’ll take care of that too,” he said.

“You know what I’m craving?” you asked. He looked down at you questioningly, and again he found your smile.

“Sriracha fries,” you said.

Russell busted out laughing at that. He fist-pumped the air with his free hand. 

“Hell, yeah.” 

For that, and much more, he would count today as a win. 

AN: There we go! A nice fluffy finish for you. How did you like how Charlie's arc wrapped up, along with her reunion with Russell? 💜

But just wait. We're not quite done yet...

Next Time:

He took in your hesitant face, then the pretty dress you had on. The color matched your eyes. Soulful eyes.

He smiled when you let him see them again.

“Can you see the bruises? I think I covered them up well enough,” you said. You turned to look at yourself in the mirror again, touching your jaw carefully. 

Russell’s hand raised to find your cheek, earning your attention with wider eyes. His thumb swept across your skin as you started to blush.

“You’re beautiful,” he said with a smile. “Don’t you worry about that.”

Your face warmed further, despite your smile. 

“Yeah, the makeup helps,” you quipped. 

“I didn’t say anything about makeup,” he replied. Though he grinned and made a show of looking closer at your face. “Although, have your lashes always been that damn long?”

You laughed, but he didn’t let go of you.

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 5 (Finale!)

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Russell S. Tag List:

@kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007

@wincastifer @ades106 @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @roseblue373

@brianochka @branj19 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog @globetrotter28 @charmed-asylum

@waywardxwords @deanwinchestersgirl87 @this-is-me19 @rachiem4-blog @sweettimelady

@leigh70 @clinicallydepresso @xiphoidbones @skoveu @nyotamalfoy

@kmc1989 @jackles010378 @emily-winchester @waynes-multiverse @jessjad

@my-stories-vault @deans-spinster-witch @syrma-sensei @stellasfictionalworld @ultimatecin73

@jesllianaquilesrolonsworld @pieandmonsters @lhymer1995 @taehyungxjungkookistaekook @lovelystoriesaj

@nicksalchemy1 @spnwoman @onlyangel-444 @sexyvixen7 @illicithallways

@wolkenprinzessin007 @alwaystiredandconfused @carpenterswife @cheynovak @grilledcheeseandtomato

[travelingthief]

Lord Apollo Devotional Post

Divination

Tarot/Oracle decks

Pendulums

Rune stones

Charm casting supplies

Crystal balls

Scrying bowls

All divination tools

Cookie fortunes

Tea leaves

Art

Paint brushes/paints

Canvases

Colored pencils/markers/crayons

Collages

Journals

Art books

Art prints

Anything you made

Sculptures 

Zines

Stickers

Any art supplies

Music

Music boxes

Records/CDs/Cassettes

Record players/radios/MP3 etc.

Headphones

Music posters

Band merch

Instruments/String instruments

Dance shoes

Concert tickets

CD book holders

Sun and Light

Sun imagery

Sunscreen

Aloe for sunburns

Golden objects

Matches

Candles

Sunflowers/sunflower seeds

Health and Healing

First aid kits

Medicine

Pain relievers

Band-aids

Ice/heat packs

Rice socks 

Masks

Aloe

Ambulance toy cars

Adaptive aids

Archery 

Darts

Bow and arrows

Arrow quiver

Dart board

Targets 

Bullseye 

Myth Related

Snake skins

Snake imagery (Python)

Laurels

Bay leaves (Daphne)

Palm trees (Birth myth)

Ravens/Crows 

Crow feathers (Why the crow is black)

Cattle/turtles (Hermes birth myth)

Swans (Pulled His chariot)

Hyacinths (Hyacinthus)

Locks of hair 

Food

Vanilla

Honey

Sunny D

Lemons/lemon juice

Oranges/orange juice

Citrus

Water

Devotional Acts

Health

Take your meds

Go to therapy

Exercise

Wear a mask (We are still in a pandemic y’all)

Get vaccinated

Get STI tested

Self care

Learn first aid/CPR

Keep a first aid kit at home/in your car

Learn about alternative medicine

Advocate for accessible healthcare

Advocate for disability rights

Volunteer at a hospital

Give blood/plasma

Volunteer at a retirement home

Learn about anatomy/biology/nutrition

Learn about health conditions/rare disorders

Eat healthy for your body

Help fund surgeries if you can

Trip sit for someone

Listen to your body

Sunlight

Sunbathe

Wear sunscreen

Start a garden

Make sun water

Open all the windows on a sunny day

Music

Go to a concert/show

Listen to music

Make a playlist for someone you love

Make a playlist for Apollo

Learn an instrument/play and instrument

Dance

Sing

Support local bands

Explore new music

Burn CDs

Divination/Prophecy

Daily tarot card/rune stones

Make an oracle deck

Give divination readings

Shadow work

Colormancy

Art

Make something

Draw/paint/craft

Write a poem/story

Color

Make a zine

Go see a play

Get a tattoo

Archery

Throw darts

Use a slingshot

Take up archery

Go to a shooting range

[nofingjustaninchident]

omg i’m so excited for this surprise event you don’t understand 😻

if you’re taking requests for the event, could you possibly write something fluffy between a daughter of apollo and jason grace? maybe she’s teaching him how to shoot a bullseye or how to properly apply a splint? and then it just turns fluffy and cute with some playful banter here and there?

if not, that’s totally okay and you can ignore this :’)

YAY FOR JASON GRACE!!!

ᯓ★ it’s your golden hour

summary jason doesn’t say no to an opportunity of spending an evening with his crush.

warnings like two curse words

word count 1.2k

now listening to golden hour by jvke

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

the sun was high in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over Camp Half-Blood. jason walked towards the archery range, his heart light with anticipation. he had been looking forward to this day all week - spending time with y/n, his favorite daughter of apollo. in general, the apollo kids were known for their knowledge in archery and in medicine, which were two things that jason learnt and perfected back in camp jupiter.

but how could he deny an excuse to spend whole afternoon close to his long-time crush? it’d be stupid, wasn’t it?

y/n was considered by many the best archer in camp. while she was really good at the infirmary and tended to spend most of her time there, she indeed was one of the greatest archers that camp had ever seen.

jason spotted her frame at the range, her bow slung casually over her shoulder. she was looking down at her hands, and she probably was holding something. but, at that distance, jason couldn’t see much. when the girl realized that her apprentice was there, she raised her eyes and smiled at him.

obviously, the girl would never admit it to anyone other than herself, but ever since jason feel out of the sky in that burning chariot, she had been extremely attracted to him. and now that she knew him for who he was?

“ready to become an archery pro?” y/n teased, handing him a bow.

jason chuckled, taking the bow and examining it. “i’m ready if you’re ready to teach. im more used to wielding a sword, you know.”

that wasn’t a lie. he did prefer fighting with swords, but he already knew how to shoot perfectly. but you offered so kindly, and he just couldn’t say no, could he?

she laughed, positioning him in front of a target. “don’t worry, i’m a great teacher. just follow my lead.”

she stood behind him, adjusting his stance, her hands warm on his arms as she guided him. jason felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine at her touch. it wasn’t quite electric - and he knew enough about electric touch - but it was pleasant. warm.

she was so close to him that he could smell the faint scent of wildflowers coming from her hair.

“okay, now pull back the string and aim for the center,” y/n instructed, her voice soft and encouraging.

jason cleared his throat, trying to put his focus back on track. he did as she said, his eyes narrowing in concentration. he released the arrow, watching as it flew through the air and landed just shy of the bullseye. he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“not bad!” she praised, stepping back with a grin. “you’ve got potential, sparky.”

jason smirked, a playful glint in his eye. “maybe i just have a great teacher, hm?” he asked, teasingly.

y/n rolled her eyes, laughing. “alright, let’s see if you can do it again.”

after a few more tries, jason’s shots improved, each arrow landing closer to the center. she cheered him on, her excitement contagious. eventually, he managed to hit the bullseye, and they both erupted into cheers.

“see? i knew you could do it!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a spontaneous hug.

for a beat, he didn’t respond to the hug, to stunned to do anything about it. but, when his soul went back to his body, he hugged her back tightly, circling his arms around her waist and spinning her in the air.

jason’s heart was pounding, and the time just froze in those few seconds they were hugging. he memorized everything. the smell of her hair. how soft her body felt against his, how her own heart was also beating fast.

she pulled back slightly, her arms still around his neck and his own around her waist. their faces were inches apart, and jason couldn’t have missed the way she stared to his chapped lips.

well, maybe he was imagining it, but still.

“uh, so,” jason said, breaking the silence and pulling away completely, “what’s next on our agenda? maybe you can teach me how to properly apply a splint?”

at this point, he was clinging to anything to spend more time with her. maybe if that spark appeared again…

she grinned, nodding. “sure thing, mr. hero. follow me.”

y/n led him to the infirmary, where she gathered the necessary supplies. she demonstrated the proper technique, showing him how to support and immobilize a limb.

“got it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

jason nodded, concentrating hard as he practiced on a training dummy. she watched him, her heart swelling with affection. he was so earnest, so determined to get it right.

gods, wasn’t he handsome doing it.

“perfect,” you said, smiling. “you’re a natural.”

Jason looked up at her, his blue eyes warm with appreciation. “thanks. for the whole teaching part. you’re really cool, you know that?”

she blushed, shaking her head. “flattery will get you everywhere, sparky.”

he chuckled, stepping closer. “good to know. but i do have to test if flattery will take me somewhere i want to be.”

y/n gulped. what was happening right now? jason was easily one of the most socially awkward people she knew, and now he was doing this? he couldn’t be talking about flirting, right?

“you’re so damn pretty, you know that?” he continued, running a hand through her silky hair. “you’re smart, you’re fierce, you’re funny. and beautiful. so damn beautiful.” he muttered.

suddenly, he pressed a feather light kiss to her cheek and pulled away. she shivered when he was out of reach. she missed his warmth and his comforting smell.

jason smiled brightly, as if nothing ever happened. “thanks for today. i had a great time. we should do it again someday.”

his exterior was calm and collected, but he was freaking out. his mind was racing two hundred miles per second and it all revolved around her. what if she didn’t like that? what if it was way too forward? he could’ve just killed the beginning of a really good friendship.

but, before he could leave, y/n walked over to him and, tip toeing, pressed a soft and light kiss to his lips. “sure, just say the time.”

he blushed and smiled, waving to her as he left the infirmary. y/n stood there, staring at the door with a stupid grin on her lips.

“come on!” she suddenly heard, and turned around to see an annoyed looking will. “in front of my meds? really?”

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

a/n: happy fourth, you americans! this means absolutely no fucking thing to me, but yeah, have a good holiday!

[mariposa-drowned]

Abby x injured!reader fluff 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Hello lovely! Thank you so much for being my first request! I'm sorry this took so long, I struggled with this one for a bit, and it was stuck in my drafts for longer than I'd like to admit. I know this isn't pure fluff, and I apologize for that, but I do have some period comfort/fluff in the works, so hopefully that makes up for this. I did my best to make this gender neutral aswell, so I hope I did okay:)

Warnings- hurt/comfort, small interaction with icky men, smidge of blood, bad and inaccurate medical descriptions, swearing, reader doesn't like taking medicine, that should be it but if I missed any lmk!

--🤍🖤🏹🤍🖤🏹🤍🖤🏹🤍🖤🏹🤍🖤🏹🤍🖤--

It was a pretty normal patrol day, you had been paired with Abby once again, you were convinced she was tugging some sort of strings to get paired up with you whenever you were out. But you werent complaining. Patrol was almost over, you just needed to check an abandoned convience store on the corner and then you could radio back to be picked up.

It seems that the seraphites had a different idea in mind about that. Before you could even register what was going on, you and Abby had been ambushed just as you were exiting the store. Bows and large rusty guns all pointed your way.

"Well, well look what we have here." one of the men on the front horse said. He looked to the others on horses and spoke again "What do you think men? Should we blow their brains out right here? Or have a little fun with these sinners?"

You looked to Abby, trying not to show the fear on your face and ultimatley failing, you reached to your hip for your gun before feeling Abbys hand covering yours, you looked to her with confusion evident on your face as Abby whispered to you.

"We're outnumbered, I radioed for backup when I heard them coming. Just stay calm for a minute." You trusted Abby with your entire life, so you slowly took your hand away from your hip, taking hold of Abbys hand instead.

You were snapped back to reality as one of the men got off his horse "I don't know, I think the little one would be nice, might take her back huh?" a murmur of agreement was heard from the other seraphites.

Abby gripped your hand harder, trying to gaurd you with her large frame.

"Don't fucking touch them."

"Oh protective one eh? I don't think you're in much of a position to have a say in this, do you?"

You heard a low growl come from Abby. You took a quick look around, trying to figure out what was taking the rest of patrol so long to come get you. Once you were distracted, you felt yourself being ripped away from Abby, the movment catching herself so off gaurd that her grip faultered. You let out a small yelp before your back was pressed against one of the men who had gotten of his horse. His hands digging into your wrist and hip where he held you. You could feel his hot breath on your neck trying to think.

Taking a deep breathe, you did what seemed most reasonable at the moment. You lifted your leg up and kicked backwards, hitting your captor right in the nuts. The man groaned, stumbling back as you tried to run forward back to Abby. You were a mere 5 feet away from her when you felt a searing pain in your leg. Dropping to the ground you let out a louder scream this time, the arrow doing deeper into your leg as you fell.

Abby screamed your name, quickly running to you as the men surrounding you started laughing. Their laughter was cut short though as you heard one of the WLF vehicles pull up, gunshots rang around you as bodies fell to the ground, Abby got close to you, sheilding you with her body. You couldnt help but start crying, you could feel the pain crawling up your leg as you tried to curl in closer to Abby, hoping she would take some of the pain away.

Once the gunshots ceased, you looked up with blurry eyes, seeing people rush towards you, medkit in hand. You could see mel come into view, a grimace on her face before she quickly hid it.

"We need to get them on the truck now, they need to go to the medwing, too much blood loss." Mel hurriedly spluttered out.

Abby nodded, she whispered a quick 'I'm sorry baby' before lifting you up bridal style, you yelled out in pain, a string of curses coming from your mouth as she carried you.

Abby laid you down on the truckbed sitting down next to you. Mel sat down by your leg, trying to asses the damage she got out a tourniquet. You looked to her knowing exactly what that was for and how much it would hurt. You tried to shuffle away, Abby quickly slid behind you, holding you still.

"no no no, Mel please, we really don't need to use that"

Mel gave you an apologetic look before starting to slip the tourniquet around your leg just above where the arrow stayed. You kept spluttering out pleas making pathetic attempts at kicking away, it got you nowhere. This was gonna hurt like a bitch. Mel leaned closer to Abby whispering a small "keep her still, it'll hurt worse if she's moving" Abby nodded at the request, still behind you she took both your arms to cross them over your chest, hugging you tight.

"you're alright angel, doin so good baby, so strong. Just need you to try and be still."

You looked up at her in question, still panicking when you felt the tourniquet start tightening. You screamed out, trying to wiggle out of Abby's iron grip despite her soft words.

You were so tired, and in so much pain, eventually your yelling stopped and you went slack in Abby's arms. She felt for your pulse, elevated, but still okay. She figured it was probably best for you to be unconscious right now anyways.

⁠●●●⁠●●●●●●●⁠●●●●●⁠●●●●●●●⁠●●●●●⁠●●●●●●●⁠●

You woke up feeling extremely groggy, like you were living in a cloud of fog. You tried to sit up, assessing your surroundings only to find you were in yours and Abby's shared space in the stadium. You were tucked into the bed, trapped in a cucoon of yours and Abby's blankets. Abby could see movement from the corner of her eye as she was tidying up the small kitchen.

"Hey my love how you feeling?" Abby walked over to you and sat on the edge of the bed, being cautious of your leg.

"Like I got shot with an arrow." You deadpanned, Abby laughed at your response "what happened? I remember passing out in the back of the truck."

Abby sighed "Well, once we got you back to the med-wing they took out the arrowhead but found that those asshole seraphites dipped it in some sort of natural poison found in plant roots. So they had to come up with a concoction of medicine to help your body process it, but they only had so much to spare. Long story short, you've been out for two days and the poison is likey still in your system and will be for the next few weeks. I've been checking on the wound and it does seem to be healing okay. We've both been given a month off and you're allowed to stay here with me as long as I look after you. Mel said she might still come by for checkups just to be safe though"

You kept your gaze on the blankets that surrounded you trying to process the information.

"I'm gonna be okay though right? We can still go out together?"

Abby could hear the tremble in your voice, she knew you were most likley overwelmed with the surge of information and the pain that you were in. She scooched in a bit closer to hold both sides of your head in her hands.

"You will be okay. You will heal overtime and I will help you in any way I can, we will do this together okay?"

You met Abbys eyes, you knew deep down that you would recover, and everything would eventually go back to normal, but you needed that reassurance. You put your hands over Abbys that currently resided on your face, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes focusing on her touch and how her smell had surrounded you, being redressed in one of her big shirts, her blankets mixed with yours all around.

You enjoyed the moment for several minutes before a sharp stinging pain radiated throughout your leg. Your face twisting into a grimace, Abby took notice of your expression and quickly pulled away from you, muttering under her breath 'be right back baby' you sat there as Abby went to go retrieve whatever. Taking a fistful of the blankets into your hand as you slunk down on the bed into a laying position you could feel the pain getting higher up your leg, letting out a small whimper in response. When she said that there would still be lingering poison she was not kidding at all.

Abbys footsteps neared the bed as she helped you back into a sitting position, her face contorting as she heard your small cries as the pain intesified, she placed her items on the side table and quickly positioned her frame behind yours.

"okay i have something here to help but its gonna taste like shit and burn like bad alcohol goin down okay?" You let out a small sob, Abby shushing you before speaking again "I know angel but it'll help lessen the pain, I have water right here for you afterwards, just need you to take one big gulp of it and you'll be all done." she held up a small bottle to your lips, you tried to take in a deep breathe to prepare yourself for the awful taste, but you would do whatever to stop the nausiating sensation in your leg.

You opened your mouth, Abby taking it as her signal to bring the bottle to your lips. You had to hold back a gag as you tasted the revolting medicine of sorts, squeezing your eyes shut you managed a full swallow before pushing back into Abby signaling yo her you were done. You reached around, searching for the water she had mentioned, wanting to rid the taste from your mouth.

Abby replaced the small bottle with a glass of water, bringing it to your lips and whispering soft praises into the air. You finished the whole glass noticing the pain in your leg had lowered back to a tolerable amount already.

"what the hell was that sin of a drink" Abby laughed at your comment, wrapping her arms around your torso

"Something that Mel and a few others downstairs put together as a morphine like substitute, but it has to be ingested orally unlike morphine which would require an IV. Does it feel any better?"

"I dont feel like tearing my leg off anymore so I guess so. Just aches on my upper leg now, I think I just wanna try and go back to sleep." you yawned through your last statement only proving your point more.

Abbys hand lowered down towards your injured leg as she started softly kneading the fat there trying to soothe the ache you mentioned "I'm fine with you going back to sleep but I need you to eat something first."

You whined at both the mention of eating something right after that horrible "medicine" and from the relief of Abbys hand on your thigh. Before you could protest Abby had shoved a protien bar in your hand. "Just this and I'll massage you til' you fall asleep"

You took the bar with a small grumble, knowing that her hand was currently working magic for your injured leg and you would probably start crying if she stopped. You quickly chomped it down, hearing a hum of approval from Abby. She repositioned you so you were laying on your good side leg, as she remained behind you. Her hands contined to rub on your leg, the other rested under you on your side, giving small squeezes of reasurance every now and then.

She contined her motions until she heard your breathing even out, your body fully relaxing into her as you slipped off into a dreamless state. Abby let herself doze off aswell after making sure you were okay.

Abby startled awake feeling small movements and whimpers of discomfort coming from you. Often times your dreams were riddled with nightmares but she knew that you were just uncomfortable from your body language. She maneuvered your body so you were laying on the matress flat on your back and started lightly kneading a bit further down your leg, trying to help rid your discomfort.

You settled down after a minute or two, waking Abby up a few more times during the night as she helped readjust your body, ultimately propping your leg up on a few pillows. She didn't know if it was doing much, but judging by how you slipped back into sleep so easily, she figured you were comfy enough.

Giving a final kiss on your forehead, she fell asleep with you, interlacing her hand with yours as she joined you in slumber.

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Shoot The Works-Tier Harribel x Reader

Apacci did not think that the first time she would be seeing your Resurrección would be in such a… dire situation.

Mila Rose was very much aware of why you were blasting the Quincy to bits and pieces, she just wished she was not caught in the crossfire.

Sung-Sun, was not at all wanting to deal with this right now.

However, they had to deal with it if they wanted to get Harribel back.

Though, that didn’t make hearing something as ominous as “Shoot The Work’s, Desperado” any better.

Especially when entire sections of the castle were being blown to shreds by bullets, Bala’s, and Cero’s.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

An hour and a half.

That is how long it took you to shoot through the skeleton crew left by the Quincy at Hueco Mundo.

This was, of course, concerning to the Tres Bestias.

Not because it had taken so long.

But because these were the foot soldiers.

Nonetheless, that didn’t make what was unfolding right infront of them right now any less nerve wracking.

Your Revolver was leveled at your opponent across the sands of Hueco Mundo.

The Quincy leveled his bow and arrow at you in turn.

Reishi was pulled from the air and into the vacuum the both of you made.

The moon hung high in the starless sky.

The wind blew the sands across the infinite plane.

Apacci watched with her breath held.

Mila Rose’s eye’s shot between you and the Quincy you were dueling.

Sung-Sun’s proverbial heart was beating out of her chest.

Then, it came down to two, simple things.

Who shot first, and who was still standing last.

The Quincy loosed his arrow.

The sound of gunfire rang across the plain.

Then, it was over.

The arrow found its mark, severing your right arm clean off.

However, your aim was truer, your bullet finding its target in the forehead of the Quincy, and exiting out the back of it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

After all was said and done, it was only by the grace of the Soul King you had survived.

Not just getting your arm blown off, but the other wounds you took in getting the Queen Of Hueco Mundo back.

The same went for Harribel herself from her fight with the Quincy King and her imprisonment.

During the time the both of you were recovering, Appaci was a nervous wreck, Mila Rose was reading over anything she could find about medicine, and the usually stone faced Sung-Sun was visibly concerned, checking in to make sure that the nurses were taking good care of the both of you.

Eventually however, after things had cooled down considerably, both you and Harribel were back to… well, not working order, but not teetering on the razor's edge between life and death.

And so, as if she had not just been nearly killed, Tier Harribel threw herself back into her work of making a civilized world out of the wasteland of Hueco Mundo, much to the irritation of the Tres Bestias who, after many hours of arguing, managed to persuade her into doing paperwork first before going back into full force.

And they had the perfect idea on who should be her secretary.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Apacci felt like withering under the gaze of you and Harribel as she turned in the report.

Within a minute of looking at the paper, Harribel was massaging the sides of her head as she let out a long, suffering sigh.

“Is this why Barragan was such a cantankerous old bastard?” Harribel muttered to herself, irritation apparent in her voice.

In the five days since Harribel had been put on leave by her subordinates, all three of them had managed to cause some sort of chaos that ranged from minor criminal mischief, to crimes that would’ve made Szylarapero balk.

“Emilou Apacci, please tell Franceska Mila Rose, and Cyan Sung-Sun that all three of you will receiving a lecture on why you cannot summon Ayon to, and I quote “Play Whack-A-Mole with the Menos Grande as the Mole’s” some time after I have made a full recovery.” Harribel ordered Apacci with a glare that would’ve killed anything lesser than an Adjuchas.

Apacci muttered a quick “Sung-Sun, you snitch” under her breath before bowing and saying “Yes mamm.” and shooting out the door.

Near instantly after Apacci left, Harribel slumped in her chair.

“It is like herding cats…” the queen of Hueco Mundo muttered in frustration before turning to you.

“Please tell me you have some good news?”

“Of course milady.” you responded with a slight bow before handing her a small grocery bag labeled with the words “Kisuke Urahara’s Sweets Shop”.

Ever since being broken out from the imprisonment of the Quincy and taking that strange medicine Urahara gave to the both of you, a sweet tooth had developed in the Queen Of Hueco Mundo as well as in you.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Over time, Harribel grew to rely on you as her second in command.

As it turns out, Loyalty is hard to find in Hueco Mundo.

And that was a trait Harribel admired in others.

And then, Harribel realized something about you.

Whenever she was alone with you, she didn’t feel on edge.

This was odd, not only because of who Harribel was, but because of what she was.

An Arrancar, a species that was, at its core, evil.

Traitorous, always looking over their shoulders, and constantly hungry, constantly on edge, wondering where their next meal came from.

Despite that, in the moments she was able to spend alone with you, she felt like she could breathe.

She wondered what this was, at least until she saw the title of one of Sung-Sun’s books.

That’s when it clicked.

“Love”.

Harribel wasn’t sure what to think about that.

It was something she had only ever heard of from Tosen when he was speaking with Wonderweiss.

And yet… It fits.

The comfort she felt.

The fact she felt that you would always have her back.

All of it.

She… liked that feeling.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Could you explain "Post Regenerative Trauma" (PRT)?

What is Post-Regenerative Trauma (PRT)?

Post-Regenerative Trauma (PRT) is the Gallifreyan equivalent of a very bad hangover. It's a catch-all term for the chaotic mix of symptoms that crop up post-regeneration, which can vary wildly from body to body. The effects are most noticeable in the first 48 hours but can last up to four days.

🩺 Symptoms of PRT

Physical: Gallifreyans can experience anything from fainting, muscle weakness, and dizziness to full-blown cardiac issues. One moment they're fine; the next, they're crumpled on the TARDIS floor, wondering what just hit them.

Mental: Amnesia, confusion, and delirium are very common. The new brain structure is still trying to boot up, so forgetting their own name or what planet they're on is par for the course.

Emotional: The sudden rewiring of neural pathways can lead to erratic behaviour and mood swings. They could go from laughing maniacally to crying over a crooked bow tie in seconds.

Psychological: Dealing with a whole new face and personality can lead to body and psychological dysmorphia. They may find it extremely difficult, and sometimes even scary, to understand who they are in their new form.

Superhuman Abilities: On the plus side, they can experience bursts of superhuman strength, heightened senses, or flashes of genius. Sadly, this turbo mode usually wears off pretty quickly.

🤔 What Causes PRT?

During regeneration, the body is flooded with artron and lindos energy. These make the process possible, but too much of a good thing can cause issues like hyperactivity, irritability, and, in severe cases, physical or genetic mutations—essentially, a form of temporary artron poisoning, known as hyperatronosis. The release of the lindos hormone can also lead to biological hiccups like sudden weakness, seizures, or even a total systems crash.

Oldbloods suffer more severely with PRT due to their lack of control over the process, while Newbloods handle it with far less drama. If the regeneration was triggered by trauma or extreme stress, the emotional fallout can lead to severe PRT. The more dramatic the exit, the messier the entrance.

🛠️ Treatments & Remedies

Sleep: It's crucial. In the case of PRT, a few hours (or days) of rest can work wonders. Keep them away from stressful situations and hand them a nice fluffy pillow.

Zero Rooms & Metamorphic Symbiosis Regenerators: These specialised environments help the body and mind stabilise by reducing external stimuli. It's like a spa day for a stressed-out Time Lord.

Letting Off Steam: Excess artron energy can be expelled through the respiratory system, given to a TARDIS, or even burned off with a good, old-fashioned workout. Anything to get back to baseline.

🏫 So ...

With symptoms ranging from the bizarre to the downright dangerous, please handle post-regenerative trauma with care—and maybe a nice cup of tea. If your Gallifreyan is experiencing PRT, be patient, keep them comfortable, and remember: it's not a bug, it's a feature.

Related:

💬|🧬⚡How to track and manage artron levels?: How artron levels can be tracked and managed, plus symptoms of hypo/hyperartronosis and first-line treatment.

💬|✨👽Do Time Lords get dysphoric about their regenerations?: Regeneration dysphoria and what to consider.

💬|✨🦸Why does a Gallifreyan get ‘superpowers’ straight after regeneration?: Why Gallifreyans ‘explode’ on regeneration and are overly energetic.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →���Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired😴

[male-fanfics-for-days]

Check-ups Can be Rough

Arthur Morgan X Male Reader

A/n: A little fanfic idea I had while doing laundry, please don't ask why I am just really gay for this cowboy.

Warning: a slight sexual theme towards the end

Some of the men in camp had just gotten back from a decent-sized robbery, Arthur and you included in that group. Now in camp, you were quick off your horse and ushering the men into your medical tent to be checked before they were allowed to go about the rest of the day.

You were the camp's actual doctor, as helpful as Reverend Swanson's medicines could be in the harder situations, you were actually trained in what you did by professionals. Those same professionals taught you how to use a gun, specifically long-ranged weapons, you favoring the sniper. It was actually your attempted killing of Dutch van der Linde that brought you into the gang.

Charles went into the tent with you first, as he was usually the one in first if no one was obviously hurt. He wasn't ashamed to get checked over by the doctor, other men in camp thought going to you was a slight show of weakness.

After Charles was Javier, then John, a stubborn Bill Williamson, then Micah

Arthur would have gone after Charles but Dutch wanted to speak with him just as he had gotten back. Never one to half-ass things, you had Arthur promise to come to visit the medical tent after he was done, even if you gave him a quick once-over to see he was fine.

So, after talking with Dutch, he made his way over to your tent. Most times your tent flaps were closed when checking over someone, but you had assessed that none of them were hurt enough to need the privacy of a closed area. This meant Arthur could see you looking over Micah as he walked up.

He stayed quiet outside the tent, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the poles of the tent fixed to the ground, simply watching you work.

Arthur wasn't too ashamed to admit he was impressed by you. You worked in an efficiency he could only dream of achieving, always on point with everything you do but especially your shots. He's seen you first hand down men 100 meters away, and that was with a bow!

Then came your medical work. You never left anything to chance, not a cut, bruise, cough, or sneeze that happened in camp you didn't hear and check on. It was seen as overbearing and unnecessary to some, but Arthur knew that this carefulness came from a good heart.

You'd confided in him about how you were taught. Sure, you had read some books, but you were mostly learning by action. You saw firsthand how even the smallest cut could kill a man by infection, that an unassuming bruise of the skin could lead to amputation because of an ignored issue.

You knew you could be a bit too much sometimes, but after coming to care about (almost) everyone in camp, their wellbeing was on your mind constantly.

He watched you switch between looking over Micah's physical form to listening to his breathing and his heartbeat, which made the man swat your hands away.

"Alright alright, we're done here." He stands from the chair you had everyone sit in, glaring at your hands. "I ain't need to be fussed over anymore, I'm fine."

"That is for me to determine, Mr. Bell." You grit your teeth at him, putting away your stethoscope, pushing on his shoulders to sit him back down.

"Everyone gets the same checkups, and I just had to dig a 3-day-old bullet out of your shoulder."

"And I'm telling you, Doctor," Micah spits out in mockery. "I'm fine."

Micah goes to push you off him, but you shove him into the chair quickly. You put your knee on his chest, forcing the chair to lean back and hit the table behind it. Micah flailed for a moment but went still when you just as quickly brandished a small nearby scalpel (still clearly covered in Micah's blood from getting the bullet out) and put it close to his throat.

"Now, Mister Bell," You speak lowly, your eyes going dark as you lean in closer to him.

"I am a doctor, the only one here, in fact. You may not like it, but I'm the only one who can keep you alive in this camp, and if I see fit? I could turn a blind eye to your injuries."

Despite being pinned in a chair, leaning back on a table, and unable to sit up, Micah chuckles darkly.

"You ain't got the nerve." His voice dripped with venom. " The only kills you've gotten were from people dumb enough not to look in the trees, you monkey. Even today, you were hiding away and shootin' from afar, too afraid to fight like a real man."

"A real man, you say?" You scoff, leaning back and letting Micah's chair fall back to the ground as you back away.

You turn from him to the table on the other side of the tent, and having thought he won, Micah smirks.

Then, yelps and flinches as a much bigger knife than a scalpel embeds itself into the chair, right in the space between his legs and extremely close to his nethers.

Micah looks at the blade in shock then turns his head up to look back up at you, still standing in the motion of throwing it. A dark look in your eyes as you sigh through your nose.

"I'll tell you right now, Micah Bell, as good as I am with a rifle?" You point to his crotch. "I'm even better with a blade."

Looking back down, Micah sees that the blade was so close to his crotch and so sharp, that it sliced a thin hole right through it. While looking at the knife he doesn't see you walk over and pull it out of the chair's wood, swiping it near his face so close that it took a few strands of hair with it.

You take a cloth off your belt and wipe the blade down as if it being close to Micah was enough to dirty it. You turn your back to him once more and wave the blade out, dismissing him.

"Now get the fuck out of my tent."

Micah sat for a moment in stunned silence, as if he didn't expect you to openly threaten him within earshot of others. But then he huffs, standing quickly and stomping out of the tent, pushing past Arthur even despite having enough space to leave.

Arthur had watched all of that happen with so much focus, he only just noticed after Micah had left that his eyes were dry from leaving them wide open the whole time.

He wasn't sure why, but his heart was racing and his face felt hotter with every passing moment as he replayed what happen in his head. The way you silenced Micah, the way you held the blade, the way you stood, the way you talked. Everything about what happened made Arthur feel... something.

"Arthur," you called out, snapping him out of his thoughts as he looks at you.

You have a growing grin on your face as you clean your hands off in a bucket of water.

"Looking to camp in my workspace?"

Arthur gives you a confused look as you chuckle a bit and point down at his pants, a mischievous look in your eye.

"With your tent pitched I assumed you'd be staying awhile."

Horrified, Arthur looks down to see that, indeed... he had a very visible bulge in his pants. He gave an awkward cough, taking off his hat to cover himself, all the while you laughed.

If he wasn't red and hot in the face before, he sure as hell was now, your laughing at him sure didn't help.

"Alright, big boy, let's get you checked out quickly so you can deal with that in private."

With the realization of some feelings he had towards you, he also came to the conclusion that this was by far the most embarrassing medical checkup he's ever had.

[christhiry]

Medicine Bow Range.  June 25, 2021

[oogleboogleoogle]

Medicine Bow Peak and the Snowy Range in the moonlight.

[kittysdiary]

Kitty’s Guide to Fall/Winter 2023

You’ve all LOVED my season guides so it’s only fair that I continue the tradition and make a fall/winter guide for 2023! In this guide I’ll be going over important topics that will outline what the kitty energy is going to be for the cold + cozy season. This guide will give you a month to prep for a bombshell fall/winter! 🍂🥧🎀

Kitty Energy This Fall/Winter

For this coming season I’m definitely going for that off duty supermodel look. Bombshell curls, doe eyed lash extensions, brown lipglosses and warm toned neutral eyeshadows with a pop of glitter. Layered looks are a must for these up and coming cold months. This years color palette will range from pink, cream, browns and dark denim.

Beauty

Pressed matte powders

Charlotte Tilbury + Patrick Ta are the makeup brand vibes for this up and coming season

Brown lip liners and neutral pink glosses

Long + fluffed lashes. Go for lashes with that seductive cat eye look!

New body butters, face creams, hand creams and face masks that draw in moisture. Weather change can cause dryness + irritation so focusing on products that hydrate is a must!!

French tip nails + toes

Fragrances with warm notes. Ex.) vanilla, cinnamon, spices + cashmere.

Valentino Donna Born in Roma Intense, Dior Poison & Mugler Alien Goddess.

Bellami hair extensions

Hair colors -> blonde, chestnut, deep chocolate brown + jet black.

Messy buns, high ponytails, curtain bangs + sleek styles.

Fashion

Fur coats + fur details that give off trophy wife energy.

Sterling sliver and pretty gold accessories

Bow details

Victoria Secret silk pajama sets + slippers

La Perla and Agent Provocateur lingerie pieces

Tote bags or top handle bags. Find bags with lots of space so you can fill it with travel sized lotion, moisturizer and hand sanitizer.

Knitted cashmere sweaters with a turtleneck to look elegant and cozy.

Velour tracksuits

Fuzzy lounge wear sets + lounge cardigans to wear around the house.

Ear muffs

Pearl + diamond statement pieces

Fluffy slippers

Pink, cream, brown, black + dark denim.

Cheetah and leopard print staple pieces

Small + thick gold hoops

Gloves with a fur trim

Ankle boots + luxurious high heels. Flats for busy days when you’re on your feet like at work.

Essentials

Booked spa, hair and nail appointments

Cozy comforter + blankets

Car maintenance

Snow boots

Invest in bubble bath soaps, bath salts + candles for a relaxing night in.

Buy new calendars, planners + stationary.

Purchase new dishes, silverware and mugs for holiday hosting.

Holiday decor

Thick tights, leggings, leg warmers + undershirts

Uggs

Thermo cups

Cold/flu medicine

Umbrella

Tea + tea brewer

Lip balm

[ethereal-navi]

Wounded Feelings

Pairing: Neteyam x Navi! Omatikaya! Reader

Summary: You tend to Neteyam’s wounds after the war party returns.

Content Warning: Nothing besides some minor swearing.

A/N: Hii So this is my first Avatar piece and I’ve been eager to write ever since I saw the new movie. Shit really brought back my avatar phase 😭

“Y/N, don’t forget to have everything prepared for when they return.”

“Yes ma’am.” You moved from your spot and carefully set up all the supplies necessary for healing around the Tsahik’s tent.

Training under Mo’at was no easy task and on days like this you were always on edge. Whenever the war party was out you had to pray to the Great Mother that everyone would come back in one piece and your healing wasn’t needed.

This time around two of your favorite people happened to be close to the battlefield. Neteyam and Lo’ak were tasked with air support today and hopefully if they followed their father’s instructions they shouldn’t be in any danger.

Mo’at could sense your distraction as she watched you mess up the placement of supplies.

“They’ll be fine, Y/N. You need to focus.”

Shaken out of your thoughts and brought back to reality. You quickly fixed your mistake before mentally kicking yourself.

“Yes of course. I’m sorry.”

Suddenly the sound of war cries rang through the cave and Tuk ran into the tent.

“They’re back! Y/N come on, come on!!” She ran out as quickly as she entered. Leaving you to look at Mo’at for approval.

“Go. But be back soon.”

You nodded with a thankful smile on your face. After leaving the tent you quickly met up with Tuk, Kiri and Spider. The four of you eagerly waited as the Ikrans landed near the cliffs.

As the warriors dismounted their Ikrans the four of you ran up to greet them. Tuk immediately running up to her mother while you and Kiri checked on the boys.

A gash on Neteyam’s chest distracted you from the scolding they were currently receiving.

“Oh Great Mother, what have you gotten into this time?” Your fingers lightly danced around the wound causing him to wince.

“Y/N, go help Mo’at with the wounded.” You turned to look at the Oletykan.

“Neteyam is wounded.” Your statement made Tuk look over her other brother in worry.

“It’s fine.” Neteyam bowed his head in submission towards his father. Clearly he thought this scolding was more important.

Jake exhaled roughly.

“Y/N, Kiri, Tuk, go now.”

The three of you sighed and made your way to the tent.

“It’s my fault sir-“

“You’re right, cause you’re the big brother and you gotta act like it.” Jake shook his head in disappointment and Neytiri stood behind her child.

“Ma Jake, your son is actually bleeding.”

“I’m fine, mom.”

Jake sighed and looked at the boy.

“Go get patched up. Dismissed.”

Lo’ak was then left to deal with Jake’s wrath alone. Not before getting a warning look from his mother.

Once the two of them entered the tent you immediately sat him down as Mo’at worked on paste for his wound.

“Skxawng. The hell were you thinking?? You and your brother, always getting into trouble.” You lightly hit the back of his head causing him to hiss.

“I know I know. We just bit off more than we could chew, that’s all.”

You sighed looking at him. If only he knew how much you worry about him while he’s out there.

“You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.” You accepted the bowl Mo’at handed you and began placing the paste on his wound, which caused him to yelp out in pain.

“Aww does the baby need a kiss on the boo boo?” Spider said as stood behind him, taunting him as Lo’ak finally came to join the group.

“I would use yamna bark.” Kiri interjected.

“Oh you would? And who is Tsahik?” Mo’at said while smiling at her granddaughter.

“You are grandmother-move.” She nudged her younger brother out of the way. “You are grandmother. But it stings less.”

You scoffed at her comment.

“I think he should remember this sting for when he wants to do something reckless.” The tent laughed as you continued to apply the medicine.

After things had settled down you sat yourself on the edge of the cave, looking out into the night. It didn’t take long for Neteyam to join on the edge. His thighs touching yours while his eyes scanned your face.

“What’s on your mind, yawntu?”

Your cheeks flush at the nickname. After all this time you still couldn’t get used to it.

“You could have gotten really hurt today Nete, Lo’ak too. Or worse-“

His hand moved to the back of your neck, making you turn to him.

“Hey, I’m okay. With the help of you and my grandmother’s painful remedy.” The two of you chuckled.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll stay out of trouble, I wouldn’t want this pretty face to be stained with tears.” His thumb moved to gently stroke your cheek, making you smile.

Times like these you really thought he reciprocated your feelings. But he was just being nice, right?

Translations

Yawntu- loved one

[tzyuki]

[ 박성훈 ] THE WAY THINGS GO ꒰ P.SH x F!READER

001. queen is back

IN WHICH ✶ — y/n returns to korea after three years of college due to her grandmother being too sick and unable to care for herself. she transfers to hybe university for her senior year, bumping into a bunch of her old school friends. but once she bumps into her best friend of 7 years she’s unrecognizable to him due to the fact they haven’t seen nor talked to each other in 4 years. she can’t remember how to say his name to call out for him, or even remember how many moles he had on his face.

“I’ll call you back, I need to get my halmeoni’s medicine.” Y/n told Chaewon, who was on the other line of the phone. “Kay, be safe.” Chaewon said before ending the call.

Y/n was walking to the pharmacist near her grandmother's house. Y/n currently lived with her grandmother and not at the dorms. Her halmeoni insisted she live with her friends at the dorms but Y/n couldn’t leave her sick halmeoni alone.

The bell of the door rang as Y/n walked in. “Bro, no one told your stupid ass to jump off the balcony stairs onto an air mattress.” Another thing Y/n heard as she walked in. It was a man her age on his phone as he looked at the bandages. “I don’t care if Jay dared you, what are you a child?—actually don’t answer that. You better pay Rei back for that vase, she gifted it to us.”

“Is it a lot of blood?” The man paused, waiting for an answer. “Okay, good because I’m not trying to buy the 50 pack, they charge three dollars more.” He whispers the last part.

Y/n walked past the man to the register in the back of the store. “Hello, I’m here to pick up medicine for Baek Jinho.”

“Perfect, on time! It was just finished! I’ll go get it.” The cashier went into the back to go fetch the bag of meds. Y/n looked around the store, surprised to still see the man looking at bandages.

“Here it is!” The lady handed the bag to Y/n. “I already paid online.” Y/n made sure to tell the lady. “Yes, so you’re free to go.” The lady smiled. “Thank you.” Y/n slightly bowed before turning around.

She accidentally bumps into the man’s chest. “Oh—I’m so sorry.” Y/n picks up the dropped items. “I didn’t see you.” Y/n bows continuously. “No problem.” The man chuckles, “I was standing kind of close anyways. You’re good.” The man flashes his charming smile.

“You’re in my foreign languages, right?” Y/n nodded her head. “I’m Park Sunghoon, Dance Major. What about you?” Y/n couldn’t answer, because one, this was THEE Park Sunghoon she was talking to, the Park Sunghoon she grew up with. Could he not recognize her? Has it really been that long? and second, he was getting spam texts and calls.

“Ugh—I’m so sorry, I need to take this.” Sunghoon groaned as he accepted the call. “What happened now? No, I'm not stopping to get snacks.” His conversation got faint as Y/n started to walk away from his presence.

Seeing Park Sunghoon was not what she expected to be like. She expected him to welcome her back with open arms and “How have you been” questions. Instead he couldn’t even tell it was her.

m.list — previous — next

taglist : @yenqa @jiawji @lilriswife4life @ahnneyong @heart4hees @infpistj @mrchweeee @txtbrainrot @ja4hyvn @nanaheex @bunchofroses07 @rikisly @oldjws @viagumi

[topguncortez]

Bad Medicine | Chapter 10

previous part | masterlist | next part

synopsis: A wealthy Italian mobster sets up his daughter to marry the head of one of the last remaining mafias in California. The union was supposed to create and heal the damage between two families, but all it does is cause more harm than good.

word count: 5.2k

warnings: guns, drugs, mentions of prostitution, mentions of physical assault, mentions of sexual violence, mentions of torture, mentions of suicide, physical violence, nudity, guns, dead bodies, mutilated dead bodies, mentions of graphic images, murder, character death.

Her voice was quiet when she asked to see his body. Jake didn’t argue, letting Javy, Rooster and a handful of other guards drive to the city to go see Reuben’s body. She watched as the world passed her by, sitting in silence as she got to the hospital. There were places in a hospital regular people weren’t supposed to see. One of those was the morgue. Y/N had been there once before, when she had to identify her mother, or what was left of her. The rooms were cold, to keep the bodies fresh. They were bright, lit with fluorescents so the medical staff could see what they were autopsying. The doctor let her come in, instead of standing in the family viewing room. Jake had called in a favor with a doctor he knew at the hospital. 

“Do you want to go alone?” Rooster asked as they stood in the viewing room. Y/N’s eyes were fixed on the closed blind in front of her. Rooster had been in here once before too, waiting to view the bodies of his parents to identify them, “Y/N?” He asked again, gently grabbing her hand. 

She sucked in a breath and looked at Rooster, “Yeah,” She nodded, “I want to be alone.” 

Rooster nodded and placed a kiss on the top of her head before leaving the room, allowing the doctor to come in. Y/N had to sign a bunch of release forms before she could even be standing in the viewing room. 

“I should brace you Mrs. Seresin-” 

“It’s Santiago.” Y/N corrected the doctor, handing him the last form.  

“My apologies,” He nodded. There were three bodies lying on separate tables, hidden underneath stark white sheets. It broke her heart to see the bodies in front of her. They belonged to someone, they had a name, a story, but now, they were lying in a hospital basement waiting to be claimed. Y/N could see the outline of them and guessed which one Reueben was under. 

The doctor walked over to the last one, and stood looking down at the body. Y/N walked over slowly, licking her lips, “Please confirm the identity on the chart.” 

The doctor handed her the clipboard. Y/N read his name: REUBEN A FITCH, MALE, AGE 35. She nodded, handing the clipboard back and looking away from the body on the table. 

“That’s him.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. The doctor nodded, handing the clipboard to his nurse. He looked at Y/N, taking a moment to read her before grabbing the top of the sheet and pulling it down. She closed her eyes, feeling the small gust of wind from the sheet being pulled back. She kept her eyes closed until the doctor spoke up. 

“You can’t see anything, just his face,” He assured her, “He was shot three times in the chest at a close range. The death was quick, he didn’t suffer long,” Somehow that didn’t bring her a single ounce of comfort. The doctor frowned, “We’ll give you a moment.” 

“You said he died quickly,” Y/N said. 

“Yes, Ms. Santiago,” The doctor said. 

“So he probably wasn’t scared.” 

The doctor frowned, “Probably not, Ms. Santiago.” 

She nodded and the doctor quietly exited the morgue, leaving her alone. She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes. She gasped seeing his stilled face. His skin looked colorless, his lips were cracked and red. She placed her hand on the top of his head, running softly over his stiff dry hair. She bowed her head, trying to hide her face in her arm as she let out a loud sob. She felt her knees buckle, and she placed her other hand on the side of the table to try and keep herself up. When everyone else had left her, Reuben was always there. 

Reuben had always been there to pick up the pieces. He was the one who realized that she was missing for several days. Her brothers and father brushed it off, summing it up to her just traveling around Europe again. But Reuben knew it was something far worse than that. He had been the one to find her beaten, tortured, and inches away from death in that alley. 

“What am I supposed to do?” Y/N cried out, “I can’t. . . I can’t protect myself.” 

Those very words she had cried out days after she had woken up in the hospital after being found. She woke up to see a sleeping Reuben by her side. It had sent her into a panic, her mind not fully comprehending her injuries. Her jaw had been wired shut due to it being broken by the pipe she received to the face. Reuben had calmed her down, telling her as much as she needed to know. 

“You’re safe, Y/N. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I live.” 

“You motherfucker!” She yelled pounding on the metal table, “Who’s supposed to protect me now! You fucking selfish bitch! You should’ve let him take those fucking bullets!” 

She knew that Reuben would never let that happen. He would die for the people he loved. He could always see the bigger picture, one that Y/N chose to ignore most of the time. There was something in him that knew if Jake had died on those steps, Y/N would never forgive him. He had no second guesses about stepping in front of Jake, and Y/N knew that too. 

She crouched down, letting her head rest on the cool metal of the table. She shook her head, pushing her tears away. Y/N stood up and looked at Reuben one last time, she leaned down and whispered to his corpse:

“Un uomo innocente in vita, un uomo innocente in morte,” She placed a kiss on his cheek, and grabbed the white sheet pulling it back over his head. 

— — — ♱♱♱ — — — ♱♱♱ — — — 

The next couple days at the house were strenuous. Y/N pushed Jake away even more than she already had. The only thing that had changed was the two of them laying next to each other in bed every night. But even in a shared bed, they kept their distance from each other. The boys were surprised to see Y/N every morning in the office, dressed in business casual, listening in on the meetings and deals going down. 

“We gotta figure out Dante,” Rooster said, kicking his feet up on his desk, “The longer we wait, the worse this shit is gonna be.” 

Jake nodded. They had gotten a call last night about a gun stock house going up in flames, several women and children trapped on the inside. Y/N wanted no part in figuring out what to do about Dante, her main focus was finding Sophie alive and Francisco dead. Jake looked over at her as she drowned out the talk of the boys. He had been watching her closely, scared of what she might do. The only person in the house she had confided in was laying in the basement of a funeral home waiting to get cremated. 

“What if we use her?” Javy said, looking over at Y/N.

“Hell the fuck no,” Jake answered quickly, “I’ve been talking to other crews in the area. They set up a meeting with Dante, we pull up and off that son of a bitch.” 

“You think that’s actually gonna work? We tried that shit and Rooster got stabbed,” Javy said. 

“I really would not like to get stabbed again either,” Rooster added. 

Jake rolled his eyes and started speaking about his plan, which caused Javy to jump in on the argument. Y/N sat back in her chair, watching as all four boys argued different points on how to capture and kill Dante. A loud, shrill scream is what broke up the argument, all five of their heads snapping towards the open office door. Rooster was the first one out, pulling his gun from his waistband, and creeping down the hallway. The rest followed after him, and Bob softly pushed Y/N to the back to protect her. Jake walked cautiously into the foyer, seeing another guard usher Emile away from the door, looking faint and pale. Jake tucked his gun in his waistband and walked over to the open door. 

He did a double take, looking from the scene right out his front door and over to his family, “Get Y/N out of here.” Rooster nodded, taking a step back and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“No,” She shrugged Rooster’s arm from her shoulders, “What the hell is going on?” She asked, taking a step forward, only to be blocked by Rooster, “No, move.” Rooster refused to move, blocking Y/N’s every step. She clenched her jaw and rammed her elbow into Rooster’s side, causing him to double over. Jake held his arms across the doorway, broadening himself to stop her. “Jake-” She looked up at him, locking his eyes with her own, “let me through.”

The determined look in her eyes told him that no matter what he said, she would find a way through him, so he tucked his arms across his chest, allowing her to pass him. He kept his back to her, but could hear the gasp that left her lips. Bob followed close behind, looking over her shoulder as the two of them gagged at the sight.

Laying across the concrete pad was Isabella, bloody, bruised, and barely clothed, moreso covered in pictures, each cutting into Y/N as she stared down at the woman. She walked slowly, as if she was walking on a tightrope and could fall to her death at any moment. Everything looked familiar, from the way Isabella’s face had been beaten, to the way her body was positioned on the concrete. 

Bob leaned towards Jake, “Are those pictures-” 

“Y/N and her mother.” Jake interrupted, keeping his voice low. Jake looked at her, as she knelt down in front of the dead girl’s body. Her shaky hand reached out and grabbed one of the pictures. The printed picture displayed her own broken and bloody body when she was found in the alley. She looked down at Isabella, her teary eyes landing on the familiar letters burned into her ribcage. Y/N felt her own scar begin to burn, a reminder that her and the dead girl were one in the same. 

“Y/N, I think that’s enough, let’s go inside, we’ll get this dealt with.” Jake said, reaching out to brush his hand on her arm. Y/N stood up slowly, her hands trembling. Jake softly took the picture from her hands, he had to turn his head to keep from gagging at the material on it. 

“It’s the same.” Y/N said, her voice barely above a whisper as she continued to stare at the corpse.

“What do you mean?” Jake asked, stepping closer, pressing his chest against her shoulder, “Baby, come on-” 

“The stab marks, the- the bruises, everything- it’s the same as when he-” She didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence before Jake pulled her into his arms, pressing her head against his chest, immediately barking orders at the others to take care of it.

Bob stepped through the mass of guards, squatting down to be level with the body, looking at the pictures. He picked up the one that had been in Y/N’s hand, studying the similarities between the picture and current display in front of him. She was right, everything was the same, even down to the scar that ran down Isabella’s face, more than likely from the same pipe that had caused Y/N’s. 

“She’s wearing the same thing?” Javy asked, moving to stand next to his big brother and finding the parallel between the post beating pictures of Y/N, and Isabella.

“Everything seems to be the same, the holes, the bruises, she was probably-”

“That’s enough,” Rooster grunted, “Let’s just get this shit cleaned up.” He moves to pick up the pictures, and immediately noticed something in Isabella’s hand. He pulled the crumpled piece of paper from between her cold, stiff fingers, opening it to see what more of a message could have been left in addition to the body. 

This should have been you.

Rooster handed the note to Bob. All of them shared a look, before turning and seeing their leader comforting his fiance. Y/N didn’t dare to move, watching as the guards cleaned up the mess. Y/N hated Isabella, but she would never imagine the next time she saw the girl, it would be her dead, tortured corpse on her front door. Jake tried to get Y/N to go inside, but she shook her head. He stood by her, taking her hand in his, giving her a comforting squeeze as the guards loaded up Isabella’s body in the back of an SUV. 

“Where will they take her?” Y/N asked. 

“Private funeral home. We’ve got a guy who handles this stuff,” Jake said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. 

“Does she have a family?” 

“I don’t know, babe, she was nothing more than a whore. She was gonna meet an untimely death either way.” 

Y/N snapped her head and looked at him, “She didn’t deserve this. I know exactly what happened to her.” 

“We don’t know that it-” 

“She had the brand.” 

“What?” 

Y/N clenched her jaw and pulled up her shirt, exposing the puffy scared skin with Francisco’s initials burned into her ribcage. Jake sucked in a breath, looking into her eyes. He knew there was nothing he could say that would bring her comfort right now. Y/N knew the exact pain Isabella had gone through, and Jake wished she didn’t. 

“She deserved better than this. She is someone’s daughter. I was someone’s daughter.” 

“Y/N-” 

Jake called out to her as she spun on her feet and ran up the stairs. Jake closed his eyes as the master bedroom door slammed shut. Y/N took a deep breath, looking around her room. She looked at the various pictures and items that sat on her vanity. The smiling faces of her friends and family mocking her. She let out a frustrated scream, as she stormed over and swiped everything off the vanity, letting it go smashing to the ground. The one picture that didn’t fall with the rest, was a single image of her, her mother and father. She found it ironic that it didn’t fall and break. She picked it up in her small hands, letting her tears fall and hit the glass. 

The smiles on her parents' faces were of true happiness and love. The image had been captured the day Y/N had agreed to marry Francisco. She had been in love then, or so she thought. The perfect girl in the picture seemed like a stranger. Her skin was soft and smooth, not scared like it was now. Her eyes were bright and happy. Her smile wasn’t damaged. Y/N raised the picture above her head, letting out a scream as she threw it on the ground, watching it slam into a million pieces. 

She was tired of being weak. Tired of constantly having to rely on others to keep her safe. She had trusted someone once before to keep her safe and protected, but it only led to heartbreak and misery. Y/N walked into the bathroom, looking at her tear stained face in the mirror. She was tired of looking like this. She had wasted enough tears and feeling sorry for herself. Y/N ran her fingers over the scar that ran down her face, something her father had wanted her to get plastic surgery to fix. It was her daily reminder of what had been taken from her. But also, of the strength she had gained. 

The boys were sitting in the living room when Y/N came running down the stairs. The scene from outside had been cleaned, and Isabella’s body had been disposed of. Y/N didn’t even bother looking at the door as she walked right over to the group of them. Bob looked at her, a smirk on his face noticing the shift in her confidence. 

“We need to take care of this Dante shit, tonight.” She spoke to them. 

“No,” Jake said, shaking his head, “You’re too emotional right now. You need to have a clear-” his words were cut off by a loud smack across his face. He held his cheek, turning his head to look at the woman in front of him. Her face was cold as he searched her up and down. All the boys watched them with baited breath waiting for Jake to explode with violence. 

“I am sick and tired of men making these decisions for me. We do this tonight. He can’t keep getting away with making poor women their plaything and killing them. You and I both know we can’t go to the feds or this shit will be flipped on us. It’s bad enough you got one of them sitting on your fucking couch right now. We either do this tonight, or we prepare for more dead bodies to pile up and stock to be burned.” 

Jake took a step back from her, a smirk on his face as he took her in. The power that she had was intoxicating. All eyes were on her and Jake, as they waited to see what Jake would do. All he did was, folding his arms over his chest. 

“So what's the plan?” 

“That’s for me to know, and you to wonder.” 

All four men watched her leave, their mouths slightly open. Jake shamelessly fixed his pants, biting his lip. This was the woman he had been waiting for. He watched her body disappear down the hallway, hearing the door to his office shutting. Jake looked over his shoulder at his brothers who were waiting for the next command. 

“I guess we listen to her now.” Jake said. The boys nodded, all dispersing in various directions. Jake just stood there, shaking his head, replaying what had just happened in his head. 

— — — ♱♱♱ — — — ♱♱♱ — — — 

The master bedroom had slowly started to turn into a space for the both of them to be in. Jake started leaving his clothes and shoes in the closet at first. Then he started bringing in his shower stuff. Eventually all his belongings ended up in the bedroom. The first couple days of them sharing a room had been awkward, accidentally running into each other, or exposing themselves to one another. But they had quickly learned how to operate around each other. 

Jake walked out of the closet, buttoning up his shirt when his gaze fell on Y/N, who was sitting at her vanity, working on covering up the bruising on her face. The bruises from the night in his office had started to fade, leaving behind the yellowing color of healing. Every time he looked at her, it was a constant reminder of one of the worst nights of his life. For a week after that night, he never looked her in the eye. He couldn’t bring himself too. The prominent black and blue under her eyes made his heart break everytime. 

“Your nose looks like it’s healed,” Jake spoke, walking over to her. She smiled as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. 

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore,” Y/N said, setting her makeup brush down, “I can actually cover it up pretty well with makeup now. Before I had to color correct the bruises and all, it was a whole process.” 

“I’m so sor-” 

“Jake, it’s fine. It’s all in the past now.” 

“No, Y/N it’s not,” Jake said, and knelt down in front of her. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, “I am so sorry for what I did that night. I don’t even know what came over me that night. I was just so angry and confused and… I never meant to hurt you like that. I listened to your screams that whole night. I actually came in here, and sat watching you sleep. I was terrified I'd wake up in the morning and find out you hurt yourself. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that would’ve happened.” 

Y/N could remember him waking her up in the middle of the night from her nightmares. He would just wake her up, and step back, not wanting to make things worse. Several times she had found herself yearning for Jake’s touch, something to comfort her while she fought to get herself back to sleep. 

“I don’t plan on leaving you for a long time,” Y/N said softly. Jake nodded, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pulling her in for a kiss. Her hands went to his cheeks, caressing them softly as he kissed her. 

“Guys! It happened! They kissed!” The two of them jumped apart to find Javy standing in the doorway, a large smile on his face like a kid on Christmas morning. The both of them laughed and Jake pushed himself up to his feet. 

“Are you ready to go?” Jake asked her. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She pushed herself up from her seat, fixing the tan and red bodycon dress she was wearing. Jake looked over her body, admiring her curves. The red lace was mesmerizing, strategically placed on her body covering her modesty. Y/N fluffed her hair, letting the curls fall down around her shoulders. 

“All ready, how do I look?”

“Are you sure this plan has to be done tonight?” Jake asked, “Cause I’d rather do something else-” 

Y/N rolled her eyes, stepping away from her vanity. Jake pushed her chair in, following behind her. Javy leaned up against the wall outside of the door, a similar smirk on his face. 

“You’re acting like that’s the worst thing we’ve done,” Y/N said to Javy, which caused the man’s jaw to drop. Jake raised his eyebrows at his brother, biting back a cocky grin as he slapped Y/N’s ass as she walked out the door. 

“Jacob Thomas!” She gasped and Jake couldn’t help but laugh, throwing his arm around her shoulders. 

— — — ♱♱♱ — — — ♱♱♱ — — — 

Jake had set Y/N free to go the second they walked into the club. He told her where to look if she needed help, but he trusted that she could handle this. Her plan was simple as she explained to them on the drive to the club, she was going to lure Dante in on the dance floor, distract him enough for Javy to sneak up behind him and inject him with an anesthetic so they could move him to the chamber for questioning. Jake and Bob both made their way to the second floor, while Rooster and Javy got lost on the dance floor.

Dante had slowly made his way into the club, weary of the possible eyes on him. He knew that Jake wouldn’t dare to do anything dumb in a club full of people, which was one of the only reasons he agreed to this meetup. Dante ordered himself a drink and leaned against the bar. His eyes scanned over the dark club, landing on Y/N. She shot him a wink and a nod as she pressed her back against some man behind her. Dante smirked, setting his drink down and pushed himself through the crowd and over to her.  

She was easy to spot, standing in the middle of the floor, the center of attention. Jake watched with his jaw clenched as she danced with his friend. Javy looked a little too excited as he gripped her hips, swaying her to the beat of the music. Jake stood up straighter seeing Dante push his way through the crowd and over to her. He watched how they easily fell into conversation and a dance. She was intoxicating, every single thing about her, Jake was loving watching her be pressed in between the two men, but he also wanted nothing more than to storm down there and bury a bullet in between Dante’s eyes. Bob stood next to him, taking in his tense body language. 

“How are things going?” Bob. 

“What do you mean?” Jake asked back. 

“With her,” Bob nodded down to the floor, “You don’t seem to want to smash her face into tables anymore.” Jake glared at him and Bob laughed raising his hands up, “Sorry, tough crowd.” 

“Asshole,” Jake sighed, “I think I’m finally accepting my fate. Emile called me out after that night, and I think it made me realize something.” 

“And that was. . . “ 

“That I love her.” 

“Jake-” 

“I mean it,” Jake said, downing the rest of his drink, “I buried myself in pussy and power for years after Natasha because I was scared. I didn’t allow myself time to heal, but the thought of losing her. . . it drives me crazy. I mean look at- where the fuck is she?” 

Bob looked from his brother down to the dancefloor, seeing that Y/N was now gone. Jake was furious watching as Javy and Rooster frantically looked around the dancefloor, hoping to find her before their leader sees she’s gone. Jake pushed himself from his spot, quickly moving downstairs, Bob hot on his heels. Jake got to the main area, having to physically push himself through the crowd to get to the other side where his brothers stood. Both Rooster and Javy looked like deer in the headlights when Jake stood before them.

“Where the fuck is Y/N?” Jake demanded. The boys shared a look of uncertainty, neither of them daring to look their leader in the eye. “Goddamnit, Where is she?!” 

“Last I saw her, she was headed to the back,” Javy shrugged. 

“With who?” Jake asked, “I swear to god, I will light this whole club up if you don’t start running your fucking gums.” 

“Dante,” Javy said. Jake saw red as he pushed away from his brothers, the crowd moving for him this time as he stormed his way to the back. He had no care as he opened the doors, exposing the random couples in the rooms in various states of undress. 

He got to the last door, and could see movement and shapes behind the opaque glass door. He could hear the muffled sounds and took a deep breath as he pushed the door open. Jake’s brown eyes scanned over her, taking in the sight of her tan and red lace dress pushed up higher on her thighs. Her legs spread as the leader of the Soto Mafia was on his knees in front of her, his head in between her thighs. Jake cocked his eyebrow, noticing the gun she had pressed to his head. 

“Nice of you to join us, sweetheart.” She smirked. 

“Didn’t know this was a group project, honey.” Jake said, leaning against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest, “What’s going on here?” 

“Dante here was just telling me about all the things he can do with his mouth. But as far as I can tell, the only thing he can do is bore me to death.”

“You’re still alive, so clearly he can’t even do that correctly.” 

“You really tell girls that shit and expect them to get wet? Dude, I’m drier than the fucking Saraha right now.” 

Jake rolled his eyes, “Let’s leave the theatrics to Coyote. Get on with it.” 

“Fine,” She sat up from the couch, and walked around Dante, keeping the gun on his head, and pressing it against the back of his head, “Where is he keeping her?” Dante let out a choked moan at the grip she had on his hair, and the feeling of her breath against his ear, causing Jake to once again roll his eyes.

“The place of civic, used to be a butcher shop,” Dante winced as Y/N pushed the gun further into his head, “H-he promised me a slice of the cut. He wanted to get you there. He knows if the wedding doesn’t happen, The Santiagos don’t break ties with the Solanos.” 

That was new information for Jake as he clenched his jaw. He continued to watch his fiance press the dangerous man for information, and how easily Dante gave it up for her. Jake made a mental note to make sure that Bob pulled all the footage from the room, and started a plan on breaking into the old butcher shop that was once owned by Javy’s family. 

“Last thing,” Y/N said, “Is the girl alive?” 

Dante closed his eyes, knowing that there was only one correct answer, and he was not about to give it, “I-I. . . She was breathing the last I saw her. . . a week ago.” 

Y/N looked up at Jake, a tear running down her face, “Not good enough.” She kept her eyes on Jake the whole time as she pulled the trigger, and Dante’s body fell to the floor with a thud. Jake quickly walked to her and pulled her into him. He closed his eyes as he took in a deep whiff of her perfume before pulling away and checking her over for injuries. 

“You okay?” He asked and Y/N nodded, “I thought you were the distraction,” He ran his thumb over her cheek.

A smirk graced her lips, “Never send a man to do a woman’s job’.” 

Jake just shook his head as he pulled her in for another kiss, cradling the back of her head, as she slid the gun he hadn’t even realized had been missing, back into the holster on the back of his belt.

“When did you take that?” Jake asked, confused. 

“On the way here. Maybe you should pay attention to who's getting in your pants.” Jake watched with a dumbfounded expression as she walked down the hallway to meet his brothers. She stopped briefly and turned, noticing he was still in his same spot, “You coming?” She asked, holding her hand out to him. 

He shook his head, moving from his spot to take her hand, “You’re going to be the death of me.” 

“What a lucky way to die.” 

The boys waited nervously as they watched Jake and Y/N walk back out from the back. Each of them was judging their leader’s expression before speaking, but he was unreadable. They did notice their conjoined hands, and a bright smile on Y/N’s face. Javy was the first to break, sighing in relief, his face breaking out into a smile. He could see the shift in his twin more than anyone else could. 

“We’re going to need a cleaning crew for the last room,” Jake said, pointing behind him. 

“What did you do to him?” Rooster asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Blew his mind-” “Left a bit of a mess-” Jake and Y/N both looked at each other, as the other three boys shared a look of confusion. Jake rolled his eyes. 

“Just make sure that shit gets cleaned. New carpet would be appreciated.” 

“Oh, we could put in that hardwood that I had suggested.”

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