#SHOUT OUT TO DEREK SUAREZ

[anincurabledisease]

oh god I am much closer to step three cove's age than step two cove, unlike before.

i got into this game when I was only thirteen :-( it was the staple of my life for two years. it was there when i was just figuring out labels, or when i was having a bad depressive episode, and more; i was extremely lonely during the pandemic, so cove and my imagination helped me out a ton

now that im seventeen and is so, so far from the thirteen year old i once was, it feels so weird but, i'm grateful, and thankful

THIS GAME & ITS CHARACTERS WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART :cry:

[now-and-4ever]

Derek x MC Week Day 4 - AU

Hosted by @derek-week-event

Set in an AU equivalent to just before Step 3.

Last time on Soccer Star Suarez:

"This is looking bad! Derek Suarez is ten points behind Cove Holden! If he doesn't catch up soon it's all over! Cove Holden will become the champion of One-on-One Soccer!" shouted the announcer to the filled stadium.

"You should stop punishing yourself. There's no way you can beat me," said Cove. Derek, breathing hard and looking rough just gritted his teeth as he glared at Cove.

In the stands Patricia held her hands in front of herself as if in prayer. "Derek..."

Now, we continue!

"Derek..."

Terri balled her hands into fists. "We can't give up! If we stop believing in Derek it's all over!"

"But Terri," said Miranda, "How can he possibly bring this back? Cove is just too far ahead."

"I don't know, but this can't be the end!" said Terri.

While Terri and Miranda argued about logistics Patricia thought to herself. She thought about all the times Derek had helped her out by giving his all to make things right. How he never wanted to leave her without a smile. How he was a master of making the impossible possible. "Terri's right..." Her two friends looked at her. "We can't give up now! We have to believe in Derek!" She stood up and shouted towards the field, "You can do it Derek!" Terri and Miranda, inspired, joined in on her cheering.

On the field Derek was having doubts about his ability to win. Then the sound of Patricia's voice hit his ear. He grinned and stood up. "I will never give in, Cove. Because I always have a plan!" Cove took a step back. It was almost as if he could see an aura of power glowing around Derek. He could swear he heard the sound of some kind of theme song. With that Derek shot forward and took the ball from Cove. Derek moved the ball several feet down the field. There was barely any time left on the clock. As Cove tried to close in to take back the ball Derek knew it was now or never. He lifted his foot back and got ready for the kick of his career. With all the force he could muster he kicked the ball from just beyond the halfway point. The ball flew straight through the air as if shot out of a cannon. Not only did it make it to the goal, but it shot right through the net and hit the wall behind it!

A horn blared and all eyes were on the judges. They talked amongst themselves and it felt like it took forever to wait for the verdict. In the end they awarded that goal eleven points.

"What a comeback!" shouted the announcer, "I've never seen anything like that in all my years! This year's champion of One-on-One Soccer is Derek Suarez!"

The crowd went wild with cheers and celebration! Patricia, Terri, and Miranda rushed onto the field. Patricia jumped into Derek's waiting arms. "You did it!" she shouted.

"I couldn't have done it without you," admitted Derek, "Your belief in me gave me strength." The two of them smiled at each other.

Cove came up and stuck out a hand that Derek gladly shook. "You're one of a kind, Derek. There's no one I would rather have as my rival."

"Same to you, Cove," said Derek. They relished in the brotherly bond of true rivals before Cove walked away. Derek shouted after him, "Hey, feel free to join us later! We'll get pizza to celebrate!" Cove simply waved his hand without looking back.

At the awards ceremony Derek proudly held his trophy up for the world to see. He was happy, but he knew that out there were more tournaments to win. He couldn't call himself a master of soccer just yet. He still had to prove himself.

[suddenserendipity]

Derek Suarez Week Day 1: Pinky promise

For @derek-week-event. I had forgotten about this during the summer but here I am - late but ready to contribute because Derek deserves all the goodness from the fandom too.

The phone rings as it lays on the pile of homework on the desk that he hasn’t gotten to yet. It plays a song that he once saw in concert - a long time ago. It’s what jolts him awake from his slumber on the bed. His guess is he had fallen asleep on his stomach sometime after coming home from school and now tries to to rub the sleep from his eyes as he answers.

Switching on the display the light almost blinds him and he winces before swiping on the little phone icon.

“Mmmyealloo…”  he slurs as a yawn breaks free from his jaws. It would have embarrassed him if he’d been more awake to care.

   “Uh…. Hi, it’s me” her voice is clear and though she sounds confused there’s a hint of amusement. “Sorry, Did I wake you?” 

He lets out a small chuckle  “Yeah… you caught me, uh - what time is it anyway?” He takes a turn around his bed to look at the clock radio standing on the bedside table showing ‘8PM’ in purple neon light. 

“Ugh… Oh shoot… I keep forgetting the different time zones. Well it’s 5PM here in California, I was just gonna have my dinner here in my dorm and thought I could call you because you probably were having dinner too.”

“Aww, I could probably swing that if… you just give me a few minutes. I haven’t eaten since lunch so… yeah a few minutes - Can I call you on video chat in maybe 10 minutes?”

She lets out a sigh that sends a delightful tingle down his spine through the cell phone. “Alright, but don’t take too long because my take out is getting cold as we speak”

“Derek’s back!” she shouts at him with a laugh as her image pops up on his laptop. “So what are you having? I’m having some lo mein but I also got some orange chicken and soup… Will probably have some of that for lunch tomorrow though”

“PB&J” he smiles and waves with the, clearly made in a rush, sandwich in his hand.

“That’s all? Peak nutritional value” she smirks at him as she twirls the noodles with a black plastic fork.

“I also got some BBQ chips and a protein shake… nearly all the food groups are covered” he teases as he opens the bag of chips with a distinct pop.

“Alright but promise me you’ll have something… more substantial for dinner tomorrow” she holds up her pinky towards the webcam and him. "Pinky promise"

He chuckles with a deep rumble in his chest at her silliness but holds up his pinky too “Pinky promise” 

[violenthunted]

𝟻𝟷. sender calls out to the receiver from a distance, their voice echoing in the mist.

he had told her not to go. he had told her not to go & she hadn't listened. he should have known. face, meet reflection. once juno had an idea, there was no point in trying to displace it from that thick head of hers. it didn't matter what derek had told her. that it was most likely a trap from their unsub. that what the unsub wanted was juno & nothing else. (reid seemed to think that her unique motive was utter discord. pandemonium built from the ground-up. in truth, derek didn't really perceive the difference between complete disarray & juno's torment.)

it still hurt his jaw like year-old dental cavities; how long it had taken them to figure out that it had been her from the very start. the dollface killer. dhufeainnewedd. how she had been within their files from day one. even this week had been a complete failure on their part: how many days had it taken them to realize that she had them chasing phantoms ; all looking for different parts of a same puzzle. how the fuck had she figured out how to make them play her game, he still had trouble understanding. juno, he knew. everyone did: dollface had her teeth in her. they all have that one file they take home, the one they look at & contemplate & wish they had dealt with in a different way. dollface was juno's. in more ways than he was comfortable admitting.

but the others? why had none of them shared the clues, the taunts, the drawings, they had found or received? how had she managed to achieve that kind of disorder without alarming any of them? he supposed that the girl knew the team better than they knew her. god, it made him feel sick. she was a nightmare dressed as an eccentric cowgirl, and it didn't matter that she had reid's brains or garcia's culture, there was nothing about her that morgan could stand. and whenever juno talked about her, the same feeling of unease rose in his chest, all the way up to his throat, stale disgust on the tongue.

when he had told suarez to stand down, he had meant it. he might not have the brains, but he was still aware of what was happening: they were in her territory & like predator meeting prey, she'd have them down before they'd even get a chance to see her. so they had to get out. that's why he had shouted. but he knew, he knew she wouldn't listen. he knew she'd shoulder on, trying to prove something. and he had let her go. he had let her go because he had been too slow, too unfocused, still completely unaware that this game was made of rules he would only understand too late.

"morgan!" his name echoes through the mist, from wall to wall, but he can barely see in front of him. teary eyes desperately try to catch juno's silhouette but it's all in vain : she's gone, gone, and he's coughing his lungs out. "suarez!" his own call sounds more like a plea than an order. his hands are extended in front of him ; his gun hasn't even been taken out because there's no point. he can't see, he can barely breathe, and all the sounds he can hear are coming from him. a hurried heart, a brutal cough. and his own broken voice, again, again, again, calling for her. hoping she'll come back to him instead of facing the abyss, even though… he knows. he knows where she'll decide to go. five years from now, he knows which steps he would have taken, where he would have gone.

fuck, youth really makes you stupid. "@suarcz, get back! now!"

[now-and-4ever]

OLBA Week Day 4 - Family

Hosted by @olba-week-event

Set a year after Step 4

It was almost Father's Day. A car was driving down the highway with one destination in mind: the Suarez family apartment in Prism Vista City. Jorge was in the driver's seat and Nova was in the passenger's seat. Jorge was at peace, enjoying seeing the familiar scenery. Nova was outwardly calm, seeming to admire the sights outside. However, internally, xe was experiencing a storm. Recently xe and Jorge had finally put a label to their relationship. They were officially dating as romantic partners. With that Jorge extended an invitation to meet his family the next time they could all be together. Nova accepted the offer, but now xe had xyr worries.

Nova was thinking, “It'll be fine. Jorge has talked so much about how nice his family is. They'll love you. … But what if they don't? What if his older brother doesn't think I'm good enough? What if his younger brother doesn't think I'm good enough? And his mom! I don't think I could live with myself if I disappointed her!”

“Nova.”

“He mentioned a sorta sister. I'm still not sure what a sorta sister is. She'll totally hate me for not understanding that! Oh wait, I think he said she won't be here today.”

“Nova!”

Nova snapped out of xyr thoughts. Xe looked around and saw that the car had parked in a covered parking lot. They were there. Xe looked at Jorge. He had a concerned look on his face.

“Are you doing alright?” he asked.

Nova gave him a smile. “Yeah. I guess the ride made me space out.”

Jorge knew Nova well enough to both know there was something else going on and that he didn't need to press the issue right now. The two of them got out of the car, stretched away their stiffness, and made their way into the elevator to reach the door of the Suarez household. Jorge gave it a knock and it swung open right away, courtesy of Derek. Beyond him was the familiar living room. It was decorated with balloons and a banner that said “Welcome Home!” Standing below the banner was the rest of the Suarez family. The whole family repeated the message on the banner in a cheerful shout.

Jorge said with eyes wide, “Wow. You didn't have to do all this just for me.”

“We didn't do it just for you, dummy,” said Nicolas, “Derek had to be welcomed back too.” Derek shot a look at the youngest Suarez.

Irene approached Jorge and Nova as they walked in and Derek closed the door behind them. Gregorio and Nicolas followed behind Irene. She hugged Jorge and said, “It is so good to see you!”

“Hi, Mom, it's good to see you too,” laughed Jorge.

Irene turned to Nova. “You must be Nova! I've heard so much about you! It is nice to finally meet you!” She moved to take hold of Nova's hands, pausing to give xem the chance to consent. Nova let xyr hands be gripped by Irene.

“It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Suarez,” said Nova.

“It's wonderful that one of my sons has found love,” said Gregorio, “It's just too bad I put my bet on Derek being the first. I'll have to remember to bring my wallet next time I see Cliff.”

“What?!” exclaimed Derek. His father's resulting laughter proved it was just a joke. Nova and Jorge both blushed at it. Nicolas tried to hide his own snickering.

“Really, Rio,” said Irene. “You shouldn't tease our sons like that.”

“Sorry, sorry,” said Gregorio, “I am happy to meet Nova. Xe and Junior make a great looking couple.” It was too late. He had fully entered dad mode. Teasing was inevitable.

Derek decided to nip this in the bud. “What are we all doing standing at the door? Let's take some seats.”

Thanks to Derek, decorum was reestablished. Despite any attempts from Nicolas or Gregorio to insert tiny bits of mischief. Together the group caught each other up on what was going on in their lives, played some games, and had a delicious lunch. It was an afternoon filled with fun and joy. Near the end of it Nova took a moment to xemself to relax on the couch while the Suarez family was busy figuring out a puzzle. Jorge walked over to xem.

“Mind if I join you?” asked Jorge. Nova nodded to say it was fine. Jorge sat next to xem. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, I'm doing good,” said Nova.

“That's good to hear,” said Jorge. “You seemed distracted when we got here today.”

“Oh, that,” said Nova. “Nevermind that. I was just overthinking things again. I worried about your family not liking me. But today proved me wrong. I had a lot of fun and they easily accepted me into the fold.”

Jorge smiled. “Yeah. They can be a handful sometimes, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.”

Nova chuckled, “Good thing your older brother and mom knew how to keep your younger brother and dad in line.”

Jorge laughed out loud. “It feels like it's always been that way. Welcome to my family.”