#Swat Toilet (Pre-war) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mveloc · 6 years ago

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Days of Why and How

Chapter 13

Author’s Note: Yes, I’m alive! I haven’t been super active online due to how crazy busy I’ve been, but I promised that I would complete this fic and continue writing, so that’s what I intend to do :) I’d like to thank all of you who’ve continued to stick with this fic and support me--I really do appreciate it. I wish I could find the time to update more frequently and I’m really going to try, but work keeps me pretty bogged down and I’m also working on some original writing, so free time is in short supply these days. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

There is a trigger warning for violence in this one--I don’t think it’s too descriptive, but I want to tread on the safe side. If blood makes you squeamish, be warned (although I really don’t think it’s any worse than Pure Radiance for those of you who’ve read that one).

She’s immune to the sound of blaring car horns and hollered profanities as she weaves in and out of traffic, one hand gripping tightly to the wheel and the other holding her phone to her ear, hopelessly listening for some sort of response. For the fifth time in as many minutes, the ringing subsides and she's greeted by a pre-recorded message of Cosima’s voice that she would normally find charming.

Tonight?

Not so much.

“Cosima, answer your phone! This is important!” Delphine snaps, slamming her hand against the wheel in a fit of fury. “I think Aldous is coming for you!”

She presses the large red circle on the screen to terminate the call before dialling again, hoping six is her lucky number. As soon as she looks up from her phone and back to the road, she manages to react in time to the red light that’s suddenly appeared, slamming on her breaks and nearly springing forward through the windshield.

“Hey, this is Cosima. As much as I’d love to—”

She ends the call again, tossing her phone into the back seat and nearly growling in frustration. Luckily enough, she’s not left to stew in her anger for too long as Bobby’s comes into view. She doesn’t even bother pulling into the nearest parking lot and instead opts to double park right out front, indifferent to the potential consequences. She leaps out of her car and bounds into Bobby’s, head whipping back and forth as she tries to locate Cosima.

“Where’s the fire?” Bobby asks, stopping what she’s doing she address the frantic blonde.

“Where is Cosima?”

“Uh, she’s gone for the night. She worked an earlier shift today,” Bobby replies with a raised brow.

“This is really important, Bobby. Do you know where she went?” Delphine asks.

The tattooed woman shakes her head.

“Sorry. No idea.”

For the second time that night, Delphine feels her heart sink even deeper into her chest. Sensing the French woman’s distress, Bobby tries her best to be helpful.

“Sarah was in earlier. The two left together. Maybe she knows?”

The suggestion permeates her panic. When Sarah had called earlier, she was clearly no longer with Cosima, but maybe Cosima had mentioned what her plans were? In any case, it was all she really had to go on since Cosima was avoiding her calls.

She expels a breathy word of thanks before racing back out to her car, hopping into the driver’s seat and reaching behind to retrieve her discarded phone. She continues to ignore the honking as she scrolls through her call history, finding the number that Sarah had called her from and dialling it back.

Luckily for her, Sarah isn’t as petulant as Cosima.

“Delphine?” she answers, seeming just as surprised by the call as Delphine had been by hers earlier in the evening.

Delphine cuts right to the chase.

“Do you have eyes on Cosima?”

“Not this second. What’s the deal?”

Delphine expels a frustrated sigh.

“Sarah, I told you—��

“Oi! I’m with my daughter right now, okay?” Sarah lashes back, matching Delphine flame-for-flame. “The only kid I babysit is my own.”

She shouldn’t be surprised that Sarah isn’t up to the task, but for whatever reason, she expected more. The Brit clearly has no idea just how severe the situation is.

“Just relax. I have Felix on watch duty.”

Finally, she catches the break she’s needed the entire night.

“Then you need to get him on the phone right now, and tell him he needs to take Cosima and go to ground,” Delphine says sternly.

“Jesus. What the hell’s going on?”

“Just do it!” Delphine snaps again. “I think someone’s coming for her.”

+ + + + +

She doesn’t know when Delphine managed to slip her number into her contact list, but her blood begins to boil the second she sees “Eskimo Pie” staring back at her from her phone screen. She isn’t sure what she’s most insulted by—the fact that her ex had somehow gotten a hold of her phone and entered her information without permission, the fact that she had the gall to use that nickname after everything, or the fact that she’s calling at all after she’d made it abundantly clear that she wants nothing to do with the blonde.

She quickly declines the call, giving an apologetic half-wave when about a dozen people in the theatre turn to her with looks of annoyance.

A minute later, her phone starts up again and so do the glaring strangers.

“Would you turn that bloody thing off?” Felix whispers harshly, swatting her on the shoulder. “You’re going to ruin the best part.”

“Yeah. Sorry,” she mumbles, turning her phone on silent.

She focuses her attention back to the large screen, watching Elizabeth Berkley ride Kyle MacLachlan in what has to be one of the most ridiculous sex scenes ever committed to film. The sound of water splashing is almost drowned out by the thunderous applause and laughter, and while she wishes she could join in on the amusement, Delphine has successfully managed to get under her skin with two simple phone calls.

“Are you okay, darling?” Felix asks, noticing his friend is suddenly distracted. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“No—Elizabeth Berkley’s tits are fine. You’re looking morose.”

“Can we just watch the movie? I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Felix shrugs, then fixes his gaze back on the screen. Even though she’s seen this movie at least a dozen times, she finds herself completely lost as she tries to wrap her head around why Delphine would be calling her.

Probably more of the same bullshit.

Why does she care?

Cosima pulls her phone out of her pocket again to see that Delphine has called four more times. She turns the device completely off this time without a second thought, fairly certain that a vein on her head is probably looking much more pronounced at the moment.

“I have to pee,” she huffs, rushing out of the theatre with no preamble.

She ascends a flight of stairs to find the woman’s washroom and is thankful that there’s no one in any of the stalls. She hurries into the larger handicapped stall, slamming the door behind her and locking it before plopping down onto the toilet, burying her head in her hands.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” she mutters, sliding her fingers beneath her glasses to press her closed eyes.

Today was full of almost too much bullshit for anyone to take; first, Shay’s uncle had showed up at Bobby’s while she was working to intimidate her. The encounter had left her pretty shaken up and she considered going straight to Shay’s after work, but Sarah had convinced her otherwise.

“Fuck all of this mess,” she had said dismissively. “Come grab dinner with me, Fee, and Kira.”

It had been far too long since she’d seen her niece and the thought of spending time with people who cared about her—people who were removed from the current war that was going on—sounded blissful. They had taken Kira to a diner and laughed as the small girl ordered an entire stack of pancakes and an ice cream sundae for dinner. No one protested—not even Kira as they all stole bites ice cream throughout the meal. Once they were finished and she was ready to call it a night, Felix had somehow convinced her to come to a late night screening of Showgirls with him.

Her true family had somehow managed to take her mind off all the chaos that was encircling her. She hadn’t realized how tightly she was wound until her belly was full of laughter again. At this point, maybe finishing the job with Sarah and taking off with her, Felix, and Kira really was the best thing for her.

She spends several more minutes sitting in the stall, trying to push Delphine and Shay’s uncle and even Shay from her mind. After a short breathing exercise, she feels ready to rejoin Felix for the grand finale—only the second she exits the women’s washroom, he’s standing right there with a panicked look upon his face.

“We need to go—right now,” he says, grabbing her arm.

“What’s going on?” she asks, eyeing the flamboyant young man suspiciously.

“Sarah says you’re not safe.”

She rips her arm out of Felix’s grasp, equal parts confused and angry.

“Sarah? What the hell does Sarah know?” she counters.

“You can ask her yourself.”

Felix holds up his phone, then shoves it in her face. She takes it from his hand and holds it to her ear. The second she says hello, she’s met by the Spanish Inquisition.

“Why’s your bloody phone turned off?”

“Uh, cause Delphine keeps fucking harassing me—not that it’s any of your business,” Cosima retorts with just as much sass.

“Yeah. I just got off the phone with her.”

She stops dead in her tracks, much to the dismay of Felix who’s all but dragging her down the stairs at this point.

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“She’s not fucking around, Cos!” Sarah barks. “She says someone’s coming for you.”

“And you believe her?”

“Yeah, I do!”

Cosima brings her hand to her forehead, resting it there for a moment as she tries to figure out exactly what’s happening and determine her next move. She’d like to think that Sarah is overreacting and Delphine is playing both of them for fools, but considering the fact that Dmitri Davydov appeared at her goddamn place of work earlier in the day, she can’t help but heed the warning.

“I’ve gotta go.”

She hangs up the phone, then shoves it back into Felix’s hand. Without bothering to explain, she races down the flight of stairs and through the front lobby of the theatre, out onto the street.

“What are you doing? Where are you going?” Felix asks, trailing behind.

“I need to talk to Shay,” she answers, pulling her own phone out and turning it back on.

She can see that Delphine has left her a voicemail and she scowls, opting instead to open the Uber app to call herself a car.

“No—you need to come with me and we need to disappear.”

Cosima shakes her adamantly.

“Look, this is about her uncle. I need to sort this shit out once and for all.”

She isn’t going to wait around for one of Dmitri’s men to come and snatch her up—or even worse. As strange as it seems, she’s probably the safest with Shay right now; Dmitri wouldn’t come for her with his niece standing between them, would he?

“It won’t take long.”

+ + + + +

She bangs loudly on the door three times, her head hanging low as she tries to contain her anger. It wasn’t her intention to come to Shay’s apartment and explode on her lover, but the longer she sat in the back of that Uber pondering the most recent events in her life, the more angry she became.

Shay hasn't betrayed her the way Delphine has, but she did introduce her twisted uncle into the mix, and even though Shay’s been supportive on so many occasions, Cosima can’t help but wonder if it’s all just an act. As much as she hates to admit it, she’s not exactly the best judge of character when it comes to people she’s involved with; Delphine had managed to fuck her over royally and she never saw it coming. Could this be another con job?

Before she has time to give it more thought, Shay’s door swings open and she’s greeted by the wide-eyed blonde.

“Just what the hell is your deal?”

“I’m sorry?”

“First, you bring me to your creepy uncle’s mansion, then he shows up at my work asking all these questions, and now I have Delphine and Sarah telling me that I’m about to be offed,” Cosima immediately spills.

Perhaps it’s too much up front, but she’s unable to contain herself. Sensing this, Shay quickly scans the hallway of her apartment complex for any potential onlookers, then opens the door wider.

“Come inside. Hurry.”

Once they’re both safe behind closed doors, Shay releases a long sigh.

“My uncle isn’t going to ‘off’ you, if that’s what this is about.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Cosima remains closed off, her arms folded tightly across her chest and head cocked slightly to the side; everything about her is hard and accusatory—no room for the softness they usually share.

“He wouldn’t do that,” Shay replies.

Cosima shakes her head incredulously.

“He’s a mob boss, Shay!”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t do that to me! He knows I care about you.”

She can see the hurt swimming behind Shay’s eyes, but she stands her ground.

“I can’t do this,” she sighs wearily. “I can’t deal with this shit anymore.”

When did her life become this? Somehow, she doesn’t think she can blame it all on Delphine. She doesn’t even think she can blame it all on Shay, as much as she’d like to. After all, she’s the common denominator between the two; through all the bullshit and the lies and the terrible choices, here she is—at the center of it all.

“Cosima, just calm down.”

Shay’s words have the opposite of their intended effect.

“It’s just been one thing after another! First Delphine, then you!” Cosima unleashes, pacing erratically around Shay’s small apartment. “I thought things were going to be easy between us but I guess that was just wishful thinking, huh?”

“I’m sorry, okay?”

Cosima pauses, struck by the sincerity in Shay’s voice.

“I know he’s, like, way out of line by asking you all those questions. I didn't think things would go down like this,” Shay tries to explain.

She moves past Cosima and drops down onto the couch in a long, deflated breath. She runs her hands through her hair and finally settles them on the back of her skull, her head sinking low between her legs.

Cosima shifts from one foot to the other, reassessing their conversation. Maybe she did come in too hot. She didn’t expect such an easy victory. Of course, her and Shay have never really fought before so she wasn’t sure what to expect, but watching Shay shut down like this certainly wasn’t it.

“Why did you bring me up at all? Why did you have to drag me into this shit?”

She tries to swallow the thickness in her voice, but she’s unsuccessful in masking that she’s on the verge of tears at this point. She can’t be sure if they’re tears of hurt, frustration, or exhaustion, but it hardly matters anymore.

“God, I didn’t even mean to!” Shay bursts, her head snapping up again to face Cosima. “I just brought you up in passing! I said, like, maybe three things about you, okay? How was I supposed to know he’d offer you a job?”

“Shay, he showed up at my work! He scared the shit out of my friend! He scared the shit out of me!” Cosima counters. “It doesn’t matter what you meant—what matters is what’s happening now because of what you did!”

She feels like she’s suffering from a major case of deja vu, and that’s when her choice becomes painfully clear.

“I can’t live like this,” Cosima proclaims, her voice cracking.

She’s instantly transported back into that car with Delphine all those years ago; she had meant it back then too, but couldn’t find the strength to follow through when Delphine had captured her gaze, held her close, and fought like hell to keep them alive. When she locks eyes with Shay, there’s no fight, no fire.

Instead, a silent understanding passes between them.

“I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it,” Shay quietly says.

“You’ll take care of it?”

The blonde finally stands again, nodding slowly.

“I’m going to go over to his house right now and sort this all out. I’m going to tell him to leave you alone from now on.”

She makes her way across the apartment and grabs her coat off the coat rack, the urgency in her movements matching the urgency of her words. Cosima merely watches as Shay throws her coat on over her pyjamas and then reaches for her boots.

“Do you really think he’ll listen to you?” Cosima asks.

She has a hard time believing that Dmitri Davydov would simply give up his pursuit at the behest of a woman—family or not. Everything she’s been told about this man tells her he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.

“He owes me one,” Shay mutters over her shoulder as she finishes tying her boots. “When I went down, the cops didn’t even want me. He was their big fish—they were just trying to use me to get to him. They were hoping I’d give them something they could use to take him down. I mean, I totally could have and I probably would have served a lot less time, but I kept my mouth shut.”

It was never a secret that Shay served time because of her involvement with her family, but the particulars surrounding the entire situation remained a mystery to Cosima. It was something they never spoke about. Shay knew all the dark and sordid details surrounding Cosima’s imprisonment, but for whatever reason, the blonde had never shared her own story with her before and she had never thought to ask beyond the CliffsNotes version she was presented with.

“When I got out, he told me he was indebted to me. He told me if there was anything I ever needed, all I had to do was ask,” Shay finishes. “So I’ll call in my favour and you can put this all behind you, okay?”

Again, her mind wanders back to that car ride with Delphine. Her then-girlfriend had made a similar promise—one she couldn’t keep. She wants so badly to believe Shay, but she cannot hide her skepticism.

“Okay,” she reluctantly agrees.

They exit Shay’s apartment in a tense silence, riding the elevator down to the ground level and leaving the complex. Shay’s bug is parked in its usual spot across the street and Cosima watches with hands stuffed in her pockets as Shay begins to cross the street—that is, until she notices Cosima isn’t following and stops.

“Where are you off to?” Shay asks, turning back to acknowledge Cosima.

“I need to go meet up with Sarah and Felix,” Cosima shrugs.

“Wanna ride?”

Cosima stops for a moment, considering.

“No, it’s fine.”

Shay sighs, then takes a step closer.

“Are things going to be weird between us from now on?”

Cosima lifts her gaze, eyes focusing on the black, boundless sky above her. She manages to blink away the tears that almost form and takes the much needed minute to compose herself.

“Honestly?” she counters. “I think I need a break from the whole ‘us’ part.”

She shakes her head, finally able to meet Shay’s gaze.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t do this again.”

The lump in Shay’s throat is visible as she swallows it down hard. She digests Cosima’s answer with a slow nod and distant eyes.

“I get it.”

With that, she turns away from Cosima and makes her way towards her car.

There’s nothing left to say and yet Cosima can’t fight the words that are rising to the surface. They’re fuelled by guilt—guilt that she hasn’t been entirely honest with Shay, and despite everything that’s happened, she can sense Shay’s sincerity; she had said before that Shay’s intent didn’t matter, only her actions. When she reflects on her own actions, she realizes that she’s just as culpable in the death of their relationship as Shay is.

“I slept with Delphine.”

Shay stops mid-stride, the wind completely sucked out of her sail. Thankfully there’s not a lot of traffic on this side street at this time of night, and without the threat of an oncoming vehicle, Shay remains planted in the middle of the road.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to take that,” she says just loud enough for Cosima to hear as she turns around to face her again.

“I-It was before I met back up with you,” Cosima tries to explain, closing some of the distance between them until they’re both standing in the middle of the road. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d judge me or be mad at me or something.”

Shay cocks her head, her curiosity strangely piqued.

“Why would I be mad at you?”

Cosima gives the question some real thought.

Why did she have any reason to believe that Shay would be mad at her? Shay’s been nothing but kind and understanding through everything. Perhaps she’s projecting; if their roles were reversed, she would undoubtedly be hurt and consider her actions a betrayal.

“Because I told you I’d look you up as soon as I got out, but I didn’t,” Cosima admits. “I guess I didn’t technically look Delphine up either, but I went to her first—not you.”

Now that the truth is out, she’s both relieved and angry all over again.

“I didn’t even mean to. I was so fucking mad at her and I still ended up in bed with her anyway.”

Shay places a hand on Cosima’s arm in a bid to quell her stirring emotions.

“Look, you don’t have to explain—”

“But I want to,” Cosima presses.

She’s been grappling with this explanation for years, unable to truly find the words to express what she needs to say. If she can’t be honest with herself or with Shay in this moment, what hope does she have? She takes a deep, steadying breath and finds her legs for the first time in forever.

“I wish I could hate her, but I just… I can’t.”

She quivers as the words crack and crumble in her mouth like she’s chewing on a mouthful of charcoal. They leave a black, chalky texture for her to ruminate as all the toxins are slowly pulled from her body.

“I have every fucking reason to and every time I see her or hear her voice or think about her, I get so fucking angry—but it’s not because I hate her,” she confesses, her lower lip trembling.

Shay is looking at her now with deep and sympathetic eyes, but she slowly removes her hand from Cosima’s arm and allows her to unravel all on her own.

“I’m angry because I can’t, so I just hate myself instead.”

She stares at her feet, eyes swollen and face red. She knows if she looks up to meet Shay’s gaze, she’ll be greeted by warmth—a warmth she isn’t ready to embrace just yet.

“You don’t have to punish yourself, Cosima.”

She hears the waver in Shay’s voice and that’s when she knows she needs to escape.

“I have to go,” she mutters, sniffling quietly and turning away as fast as she possibly can.

She leaves Shay standing there, never bothering to look back and face her. She wipes her glossy eyes on the sleeve of her coat as she continues to walk away, and she can hear Shay’s car door open then slam shut, followed by the sound her driving away. Only once she’s certain she’s alone does she stop her trek; she had bee so desperate to place enough distance between them that she didn’t even consider where she was heading. She pulls out her phone and opens the Uber app, setting Felix’s apartment as her destination.

She takes another deep breath, relishing in the fact that the worst part of her night is now over. All she can think about is getting back to Felix’s, smoking the fattest bowl she can pack, and drifting off to a less-cruel reality… that is, until she senses an unfamiliar presence nearby.

She turns to face the oncoming car, squinting carefully to make out the licence plate. She then refers back to the app and realizes that the car slowly approaching her is not the blue Toyota Camry listed. She folds her arms over her chest, eyes following the car until it comes to an excruciatingly slow stop right next to her. The driver’s window rolls down and she can barely make out the figure at the wheel.

“Looking for a ride?” he asks.

She bends her head a little lower to get a better look at the man. He appears to be in his forties, with a thick beard and pair of aviator glasses that remind her of her dad’s when she was little. He offers her a smile, but there’s something chilling and soulless about it that immediately makes her blood run cold.

“Oh, uh, that’s okay. My ride is on its way,” she mutters, trying her best to conceal the creeping panic on her face.

She begins walking again, her pace hurried as she tries to put more distance between her and the stranger. She checks her phone, mentally cursing when she sees her ride is still in the process of completing a nearby trip. She manages to get about half a block before she hears the car come whizzing past her, making a sharp turn up onto the sidewalk to cut off her path.

She freezes, this time greeted by the barrel of a gun sticking out of the window instead of a creepy smile.

“Let’s try this one more time,” the man says, clicking the safety off his weapon. “Looking for a ride?”

Cosima slowly raises her hands into the air, the colour draining from her face completely.

“H-Hey now. Let’s just take it easy, okay?” she tries to talk him down, her voice trembling. “Just take it easy.”

The gun remains fixed on her.

“Get in the car,” the man repeats, his smile gone.

“Shay’s on her way to meet with Dmitri right now. She’s going to clear this all up, okay? You don’t have to do this,” she tries to reason with him.

What happens next surprises her.

“Dmitri?” the man asks in a breath of laughter.

He seems genuinely amused by her suggestion and her brow furrows, confusion momentarily taking the place of fear.

“You really think I’m Bratva?”

The world begins to fade away as soon as she understands what’s really happening, and while she shouldn’t be surprised in the least, she finds herself blindsided yet again and too terrified to be angry that the man who ruined her life the first time will also be the one responsible for ending it.

“Fine,” he sighs.

He makes no attempt to hide his annoyance at the inconvenience her lack of cooperation is causing him. She doesn’t mean to defy his demand, but she can’t will her legs to carry her forward and climb into the car; one would think a gun pointed directly at them would be a brilliant motivator, but the weapon has the opposite of its intended effect on her.

The second he steps out of his car is when sound and colour return to her. She tries to backpedal, but she knows there’s nowhere she can run now, so she closes her eyes tightly and tries to let her usually active brain carry her somewhere else.

“Since you don’t want to get in the car, we can do this right—”

She screams out—the sound of a loud impact cutting through her haze-like shock. The second she’s able to process that the sound isn’t a bullet in her head, she opens her eyes again only to find that the creepy man is no longer standing in front of her with a gun pointed at her face. Instead, he’s several meters away from her in a bloody heap on the ground. Her eyes then land on a second car which sports a distinct, body-shaped dent on the front bumper and hood.

Cosima finds her breath again.

She knows this car.

Her eyes follow Delphine as she climbs out of the driver’s seat, walking over to the groaning man with purpose in every step.

“D-Delphine?” he asks, completely caught off guard by this development.

The blonde draws her own gun, staring down at the man with complete disdain. She points her weapon at his face, prompting him to raise his hands and begin to plead—a plead that’s cut short by a bullet which finds its home snuggly between his eyes.

Cosima drops to her knees, eyes wide and mouth gaping in terror. Tremors tear through her body, even as Delphine holsters her gun and comes dashing over.

“Cosima!” Delphine calls out, dropping to her knees in front of her to assess Cosima’s current state. “Are you okay?”

“W-What…?”

She can’t find her words, mouth dry and tongue swollen as she tries make sense of what the hell is happening.

“You don’t answer your phone!” Delphine snaps. “I’ve been trying to reach you all night—trying to warn you!”

She reaches for Cosima, pulling the brunette to her feet again. She’s shaky on her legs, but Delphine slings an arm around her waist to help support her.

“We have to go.”

Cosima can only nod as Delphine ushers her into the passenger’s seat, buckles her in, then runs back around to climb into the driver’s seat and take off.

+ + + + +

They march down the dimly-lit corridor to Aldous’s office, one of her hands clasped firmly with Cosima’s and the other carrying the briefcase that contains their prize. She had promised Cosima that this would be it—now was the time to tell Aldous they wanted out. If they played their cards right, they could be on a plane to St. Barts this evening.

They both stop in front of the hulk of a man who guards the door. It only takes him a second to scan them over before he nods, stepping aside and granting them entry. Before they open the door, they exchange one last look; Delphine’s smile is weak but reassuring, and elicits a similar one from Cosima.

“Thank God you’re here—the both of you,” Aldous proclaims the second they walk through the door.

He stands, circling around from behind his desk to greet them both properly. He places both of his hands on their shoulders and gently squeezes; Delphine has grown accustomed to the gesture, but she can feel the shiver travel down Cosima’s spine.

“We’re fine, Aldous. We didn’t see any danger on the road,” Delphine answers.

“That’s good news.”

He backs away until he’s pressed against his desk, leaning against it and staring at them expectantly.

“Well?”

As if on cue, Delphine releases Cosima’s hand and steps forward, handing him the briefcase.

“Here it is—all of it.”

He smiles, walking back around his desk to place the briefcase on the surface. As soon as he opens it and peers inside, his smile grows.

“Nicely done.”

He rifles through the case, silently counting the prize as the two young women stand awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. Cosima slips her hand back into Delphine’s and the blonde looks over to her side to meet Cosima’s gaze.

“What is it?”

They both freeze, their attention directed back to the older man.

He’s stopped counting his money long enough to notice the tension between the two and he waits for one of them to step forward and explain.

“We need to talk,” Delphine finally breaks.

Aldous pauses for a brief moment, then closes the briefcase.

“Is everything okay?” he asks.

Delphine opens her mouth, but the right words elude her. How does she explain herself to Aldous without insulting or angering him?

“No, everything’s definitely not okay,” Cosima chimes in.

Delphine squeezes Cosima’s hand a little harder—a warning to proceed with caution. Cosima’s always been too cheeky for her own good and while Delphine usually finds it to be one of her more endearing traits, it’s far from charming at the moment. Cosima responds in kind by yanking her hand away from Delphine’s and folding her arms across her chest, frown all-too-prominent.

“How can I help?”

Delphine expels a mental sigh of relief when Aldous doesn’t retaliate against the insolent comment. She searches Aldous carefully and determines that he seems to be in a sound state of mind; there’s a calmness radiating from him and she senses that it’s safe to tread a little deeper into the water.

“Well,” she begins, taking another step forward. “Cosima and I were talking, and… well… we—”

“You’re making a huge mistake!”

They both jump as soon as the door bursts open. They turn to identify the source of the sound and they’re greeted by the hulk again, only this time, he has his bulging bicep around a much smaller man’s neck.

“Hold that thought, Delphine,” Aldous says smoothly, lifting a hand to stop her.

He makes his way around his desk once more and the hulk tosses his boisterous captive to the floor. Upon closer inspection, both women can see that the man appears to be badly beaten; his hands are tied behind his back, his lip is swollen and dribbling blood, and his face is badly bruised—so much so that one of his eyes is completely swollen shut.

“What’s going on?” Delphine asks in a panic.

She can see the same panic reflected back at her in Cosima’s eyes and she instinctively steps closer to her girlfriend, the two of them stepping off to the side of the room.

“You know Patrick, don’t you?” Aldous asks, gesturing towards the man.

“Y-yes, we’ve met,” Delphine reluctantly replies.

She doesn’t know him well and has never personally worked with him, but she’s seen his face and knows that he’s another one of Aldous’s subordinates. His relationship with Aldous far predates her own and she wonders just what the hell is going on.

“Leekie, what the fuck is this all about?” Patrick spits, taking the words right out of her mouth.

Aldous turns to Cosima and Delphine—now backed up against the wall.

“Patrick here has been stealing from me.”

“Bullshit!” Patrick barks. “You know I’m no rat!”

Delphine feels her heart stop in her chest.

She suddenly knows what this is all about, as well as what’s about to happen.

“He’s the reason for all the panic,” Aldous explains. “It seems he forwarded your coordinates to an unknown third party.”

“What?” both woman ask in unison.

“That’s a goddamn lie!”

“He was probably hoping they’d kill you both, recover the money, then wire him his share once your bodies were cold and they were long gone.”

Cosima wraps her arms around one of Delphine’s, pulling her in even closer. The gesture serves to tether Delphine—to reassure her that they’re here together, that no matter what happens, that’s how it’ll stay.

“You see, I don’t tolerate disobedience. I don’t tolerate disloyalty.”

Aldous’s tone is much harsher now. The calm waters she had detected before have given way to a thundering tidal wave that advances far too quickly to avoid; the only thing left to do now is to be pulled under.

“W-Wait a second, Leekie! It’s not like that, I-I swear!”

As Patrick pleads for his life, Aldous retrieves his gun and promptly unloads three bullets into his face without any sort of preamble or regard for his audience. Cosima cries out, burying her face between Delphine’s shoulder blades in a bid to block out the horrible image. A loud gasp escapes from Delphine’s lips before she can bring a hand up to cover her gaping mouth. She’s unable to pull her eyes away from Patrick’s bloody corpse as the hulk drags his lifeless body out of the room without a word or second, closing the door behind him as if he’s merely taking out a bag of trash.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, but I think it’s important that you did.”

Aldous steps closer towards them and Delphine feels Cosima’s grip tighten to the point of being painful.

“We’re surrounded by enemies, even on the inside,” Aldous lectures them. “In this line of work, loyalty is worth far more than any dollar price you can name.”

He stops, considering the two young women before him. Cosima peers out from behind Delphine, her eyes red and glistening with tears but her glare as resolute as ever. Delphine swallows hard, nodding at Aldous’s words. He walks back over to his desk, grabbing the briefcase and then approaching them again, briefcase outstretched.

“Here.”

Delphine is stunned.

“A-All of it?”

Aldous smiles.

“Consider it a reward for your loyalty.”

Delphine reaches out to accept the briefcase and she feels Cosima’s nails bite into her skin as if to force her to retract her hand. The blonde knows that there’s no way she can pull back now, so she bites down hard on her lower lip to block out the stinging in her arm and accept the gift bestowed upon her.

“You have a bright future here,” Aldous tells them, craning his neck to steal a clearer glimpse of Cosima. “The both of you.”

Delphine diverts her gaze to the floor and nearly drags Cosima out of the room, rushing through a pool of blood in the process. She leads her Eurydice to safety, only she manages to make it all the way out without looking back once to assess the state of her girlfriend, the fear of losing her far too great.

It isn’t until they’re back at her apartment that she realizes the woman she left with was not the woman she came with.

This becomes gut-wrenchingly obvious as she sit atop her bed, listening attentively to Cosima’s sobs as they break through the barrier of the bathroom door. After over an hour of the shower running, Delphine finally finds the courage to make her way over to the bathroom door and knock gently.

“May I come in?” she asks softly.

When she isn’t greeted by an answer, she slowly opens the door a crack and slides her head in.

“Cosima?”

She isn’t met by the billows of steam she initially expected (although she’s fairly certainly there’s no hot water left at this point) and she steps fully into the bathroom, gazing through the glass of the shower door to spy her girlfriend sitting on the floor, knees tucked to her chest and face buried in them.

“Cosima…”

Cosima finally looks up, her face red and splotchy. Her makeup is long gone—cried off or washed away in the shower, she’s unsure—and her entire body trembles violently as she tries to catch the sobs and whimpers that rip through her.

“I can’t get it out of my head,” Cosima cracks.

Delphine feels her own chest seize up and she surges forward, climbing into the freezing shower to help pull Cosima up off the floor and into her arms.

#cophine #cophine fanfic #fanfiction #orphan black

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cartooncrazed · 7 years ago

Text

Under the Weather

Hello! I’m going through major Camp Camp withdrawals and so wrote some fic

It’s pretty much self-indulgent sickfic starring Max and Mom!Gwen because Mom!Gwen is an amazing concept

Also uh Gwen and David are expecting a kid and Max is a little older here (12 maybe? 13? idk)

Also I try not to swear (yet I watch Camp Camp, hmmm) in my writing so most stuff is censored, so to speak (sans a few words) Apologies in advance if that makes things clunky or hard to read!!

You can read it under the cut or here if you’d like

And as always:

(or any Adult/Child shippers for that matter...just stay away)

Gwen woke up suddenly to the sound of retching and was surprised that, for once, it wasn't her in the bathroom in the morning.

She sat up slowly on the couch, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Sitting up caused her blanket to slip off of her, and she forward to pick it up, mindful of her bulging belly.

She looked around the living room, blinking blearily. Can’t believe I fell asleep in the living room again…well, actually, I can, she thought. Even before she was pregnant, David would warn her that it wasn’t good for her to fall asleep on the couch so much, but now he was even more concerned.

She remembered their conversation last night; David pleading with her to come to bed with him, and she promising she would after just one more episode. By this point in their relationship, David knew that “one more episode” didn’t mean much when it came to reality TV. He had sighed, smiling at her then slipped a kiss on her cheek before going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Gwen really had planned to on getting to bed last night. She wanted to be close to David… Gwen had never been one for cuddling, but something about having a tiny human growing inside of her made her want to be just a little more affectionate. Weird.

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, Gwen heard someone retching again, the sound making her own stomach turn in sympathy. Whoever was in the bathroom was, apparently, having quite a rough morning.

She heard the toilet flush, a few rough sounding coughs, the sink running a few times, and then finally the door to the bathroom opened. From her position on the couch, she couldn’t see who had been in there. She’d have to investigate then.

“David?” She asked quietly, waiting for a response. All she heard was footsteps walking rapidly away from the direction of her and David’s room. That must mean…

“Max?” The footsteps stopped. Silence. “Max, is that you?” She asked again. Nothing for a few minutes, then she heard quiet curse. “Damn it” the voice mumbled from the darkness in the hallway.

“Max, could you come here for a second?” Gwen asked, her voice softening even more. She heard a sigh, then Max walked into the living room

If Gwen was going to be honest, the kid looked like hell. Max had always sported slight bags under his eyes, but this morning those bags looked even darker, and somehow more sunken in. His normally dark skin looked ashen, and his curls were a mess, some strands sticking to his sweat-slicked forehead. He refused to look at her, and instead looked down at the carpet. “What?” He asked curtly.

“Uhhh…you feeling okay, kid?” Gwen asked, sitting up straighter and looking more alert. She looked Max up and down, concern twisting its way through her chest.

Max shrugged, then let out a loud sniffle. “I’m fine”, He mumbled, still avoiding her gaze.

“You didn’t sound like you were fine. And you look like s--t” Gwen said, looking straight at him despite his refusal to meet her gaze. “Come here, sit down next to me.”

Max hesitated, too tired to snap back at her with a snide remark. Instead, he listened to her, sitting at the other end of the couch, arms crossed. “I said I’m okay.”

“Uh-huh…Sure…” Gwen said, leaning towards him to place the back of her hand to his forehead. Just as she thought; Max was burning up.

“Yikes, you feel like a freaking oven,” She commented, worry creasing her brow. Max was quiet, his arms remaining crossed and his body faced away from her. He usually has a comeback ready for her, and his silence was a testament to just how poorly he was feeling.

“Hold tight,” Gwen said as she slowly lifted herself off the couch. She walked (though she felt like she waddled nowadays) into the kitchen and grabbed a can of ginger ale from the fridge.

She handed the can to Max, who scrunched his nose at the familiar green and gold can. “Ugh, this s—t tastes disgusting.”

“Not true.” Gwen protested. “It’ll help your stomach. Trust me. Morning sickness is a b—tch, and this stuff is a godsend”, Max mumbled something under his breath, but decided to take a drink. He scrunched his face in disgust, but took a few more sips nonetheless.

Gwen slowly sat back down next to him. She glanced over at Max, who seemed to be staring off into space, the can resting absentmindedly in his hands. Then he turned to look at her, eyes brows raised. “Wait a minute…why are you even up this early, anyway?” He asked.

Gwen shrugged. “I fell behind on a season on a of Teen Prison Mom Wars, so I-“

“UGH, never mind. I think I got the idea.”

Gwen flashed a rather mischievous grin. “You can always watch it with me, you know. You’re missing out.”

“Hard pass.”

------

They sat in silence (except for Max’s sniffles and nose blowing) for a while, resting in comfortable silence. Gwen eventually reached for the remote, and turned the TV back on, volume low so as not to wake up David.

“If you even think about turning to one of your crappy reality shows…” Max threatened, glowering at her.

“Oh, Max. Come on. I know you wanna Keep up With the Kardashians just as much as I do.”

Max snorted, and finished off the remaining ginger ale in his can. “Yeah f----ing right.”

Gwen laughed, then turned to something they could both agree on. Some cheesy action movie. There was nothing else really on so early in the morning, anyway.

“Feeling any better?” Gwen asked.

“Mmm…I guess. A little.” Max replied, however, he looked off to the side and down at his feet rather than meeting her eyes.

“...It’s okay if you don’t feel okay, Max,” Gwen re-assured. “If you still feel sick, just let me know.”

“It’s not that,” Max said. “It’s just…you know…” He trailed off.

“I think I’d know a little bit more if you told me,” Gwen replied as gently as she could.

Max was silent again, his eyes attuned fixedly to the TV.

His silence caused Gwen to feel a little down. She and David had taken in Max around three years ago, once his parent’s utter neglect of him had really come to light during his time at Camp Campbell. She figured he probably still had a hard time opening up to people, although he was significantly less…prickly as he had been when she first met him. She would have a hard time opening up too, if the two people in life she thought would for sure would love her, instead resented her very existence and wished she wasn’t around, and showed their disdain by leaving her in a run-down summer camp every year just so they didn’t have to deal with her… So she didn’t push Max to say anymore. Instead, they kept watching TV.

Sunlight peeked through the blinds as the morning wore on. After a while, she noticed Max had fallen asleep. She thought maybe she should help him get back to bed, but he looked so comfortable curled up on the couch. The hardened pre-teen that she and David had come to love always looked so peaceful when he was asleep. She wished he could look this content all the time, if not for the wounds life had already inflicted on him. Instead, Gwen simply laid her blanket over him, letting him snooze where he was.

After a while, Gwen felt her own eyes get heavy, and she dozed off too.

——-

She woke for the second time, this time to a gentle tapping on her shoulder. Before she could look to see who it was, Gwen noticed a heaviness and warmth on her right side. At some point during their joint nap session, Max had shifted over towards her side of the couch. He lay against her side, breathing heavily.

She smiled, then glanced upwards to see David looking down at the two of them worriedly. Gwen shifted slightly, trying to be careful to not wake him up.

“What’s going on?” David whispered, looking between the two of them.

“Max isn’t feeling so hot,” She whispered back. Max stirred. “So, I’m keeping an eye on him.”

“Is he okay?” David asked worriedly

Gwen used her free hand to reach over and touch his forehead. “Mmm…he still has a fever.”

“Maybe I should stay home…” David replied.

“You don’t need to stay home, David. I’m not a baby. You can still go to work,” Max muttered drily, rubbing his eyes. “Also, you both f---king suck at whispering.”

David rubbed his neck, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry, Max! But are you sure you’re okay?”

Max shrugged, and upon realizing he was leaning against Gwen moved slightly away from her. Gwen had to admit, that stung a little.

“He’ll be okay”, Gwen chimed in. “Besides, I’ll be here. Maternity leave has its perks, you know.” She said, ruffling Max’s hair. He futilely swatted at her hands, pouting.

“Oh, but maybe pick up some extra medicine on the way home. And ginger ale.” Gwen added.

David nodded, and wished them both a (very cheerful) goodbye before heading out the door.

Gwen stood up and stretched, loosening up stiff limbs, before heading into the kitchen.

“Well, I know it’s pretty early…but I’m starving,” Gwen announced. “How are you feeling, Max? Think you can handle breakfast?”

“…I’m good,” Max replied, seemingly sinking further into the couch. He felt better compared to earlier this morning, but food was still far from his mind.

Gwen decided on scrambled eggs and bacon, and while she was cooking she decided to give Max’s school a call to let them know he wouldn’t be coming in today. Before she headed back into the living room, she also grabbed a small bowl of cheerios, a piece of toast and glass of water for Max.

He looked his lackluster breakfast, eyebrows raised. “You can just pick at it if your stomach feels better later,” Gwen explained. “But you really do have to drink water; don’t want you getting dehydrated or anything.”

Max felt something flutter in his chest. Something that felt warm, and full. Even though he had been with David and Gwen for a while now, it still made him feel…weird, when they showed so much concern for him. He still wasn’t exactly used to this feeling…but at the same time, he couldn’t say he hated it either.

-----

The day went by slowly, and they spent most of the day in front of the TV. Gwen caught up on some reading, and Max slowly absorbed himself with movies most of the day, dozing on and off. Gwen woke him up every now and then for medicine (which he greeted with protest and grumbling each time).

“Being sick sucks ass” Max announced, suddenly.

“It sure does kid,” Gwen replied.

“And so do all these movies”

“Don’t see anything else you like?”

Max shrugged “Not really.”

“Weeeeelll,” Gwen started, a mischievous glint in her eye. “We could always-”

Max, who was lying down on the couch, gave her a playful kick on her thigh. “No. Way. No reality television.”

“Oh come on, Max, one episode of Dr. Phil won’t kill you.”

Max let out a very loud, very dramatic groan. “You know, trash tv isn’t probably good for that baby. The kid might come out sounding like one of those valley girls if you keep it up. Like the Flower Scouts or something.”

Gwen placed a hand on her stomach, letting out a laugh. “Oh God, no. That would kinda suck, to be honest. I like my valley girl accents behind the television screen, thank you very much, not coming from my children.”

“Like, moooom, I just, like, totaaaaally need like, you know, a new Louis Vuitton Purse to totaaaaaly match my new Silver Rolls Royce. Eveeerybody knows a girl needs a matching purse for her caaaar!” Max said, mockingly.

Gwen laughed harder. “Max, you do a very convincing accent you know that? You can’t tell me you aren’t secretly watching my shows when David and I aren’t here!”

“I am not!” Max huffed. Gwen laughed at the offended look on his face. She giggled for a few moments, before she realized that something Max had just said stuck out to her.

“It sounds like you’re hoping on having a baby sister, huh?” Gwen said, smiling softly.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Gwen shrugged. “I don’t know. When you talk, I just get the feeling you always refer to the baby as a girl. Like just now. And you have before too.” Gwen giggled, remembering something. “Like, when I first told you I was pregnant, didn’t you say we should name the baby Maxine so her name was ‘almost as awesome as yours’”?

Max shrugged, slightly embarrassed “Yeah, I guess.”

“Why’s that?”

“Hmmm…” Max thought for a moment. “I don’t know, just a feeling, I guess. Intuition.”

“Huh, so I bet you’re looking forward to a little sister to tease, huh?” Gwen said, but very suddenly started to regret her words.

Max seemed to deflate at her last sentence. Gwen realized he had pointedly avoiding her gaze since she had started talking more about the baby. He had scooted even farther away on the couch, knees pulled up to his chest. His shoulders slumped, and something uneasy seemed to be brewing beneath his eyes.

“Max, are you feeling okay?” Gwen asked worriedly. “Do you feel sick again?”

Max closed his eyes for a moment, then buried his face in his knees. “I’m okay,” He replied after a while, but it was bitingly clear to Gwen that something was wrong.

Upon sensing Gwen’s worry, Max looked up at her again briefly. “Really, I’m okay. Just...I guess I just felt kind of dizzy.”

Gwen reached over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “I’ll get you some more water, okay?” She said, getting up towards the kitchen.

That was…strange. Gwen thought. She knew his reaction had something to do with talking about the baby, and not just him feeling sick (although that probably hadn’t helped). She desperately wanted to dig deeper, but at the same time didn’t want to pressure Max. She sighed, pouring water into a glass absentmindedly while she tried to come up with a solution to helping him.

When she got back to the living room, Max was already falling asleep again, his head nestled into the crook of his elbow as he laid on the opposite arm of the couch. Poor kid, she thought to herself, settling back down on the couch. She was about to reach for the remote to turn the volume back down when her phone chimed, alerting her to a text message.

How is Max doing? David.

A little better. Gwen replied. Fever is down, but he still isn’t feeling great. His stomach still seems kinda upset too, he’s barely eaten anything.

Hmm…that’s not good. Maybe I should leave work early?

It’s fine. I mean he’s drinking water and all, so he’s not dehydrated. I’ll heat up some soup later and see if he can eat that.

Ok, let me know if anything changes!

Will do, she replied back. Her fingers hovered over her screen for a minute; she considered telling David what had happened between her and Max, but decided against it. Instead, she set her phone back in her pockets and went back to her book, keeping a close eye on Max.

-----

Sleep didn’t seem to do Max any good this time around. Gwen noticed that he definitely looked worse after waking up. The bags under his eyes had darkened, and he looked paler than he did in the morning. He stayed nestled into the opposite end of the couch, very quiet.

Gwen scooted towards him. “You okay?” She asked quietly. Max shook his head; no, then. Gwen sighed sadly, and gently ran her hands through his curls. When Max didn’t swat or scoot away, she rubbed his back, in an attempt at comforting him. Max couldn’t admit it, but he was grateful.

“I know this will sound like the worst idea ever,” Gwen said, still rubbing his back, “But you gotta eat something, kid. If you don’t, you could feel worse.”

“I’m not hungry,” Max grumbled quietly.

“I know…but try just eating a little bit, okay? It might help your stomach, a little.”

Max didn’t reply, so Gwen got up towards the kitchen. Before she could take a step, however, Max weakly grabbed on to the leg of her pajama pants.

“Max?” Gwen asked, concerned. His hand was trembling against her thigh.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked, slowly sitting back down. “Max, talk to me. What’s up?”

He stayed silent for a while, before speaking up. “I feel bad.” He suddenly blurted out, as if he had been holding in a breath he’d been waiting to exhale.

“I know, Max. I can only imagine. You’re pretty sick, buddy.”

“No! N-not because of that,” Max replied quickly.

Gwen raised her eyebrow. “Because of what?” She probed, hoping Max wouldn’t close himself off again.

Max paused for a long time before speaking again. “Because,” he started, and Gwen noticed that his voice was trembling. “Because all day, you’ve been…you know, you’ve been doing stuff for me.”

Gwen was stunned. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t that. “What do you mean?” She asked, her own voice barely above a whisper.

“I mean…I’ve been here all day, just kind of lazing around,”

Because you’re sick, you goof, Gwen wanted to say, but didn’t want to interrupt.

“And you know, you’re the one who should be taken care of, right? I mean, you’re the one that’s knocked up, but you’ve been moving around all day, and I just feel like s--t because, I mean…you should be the one getting taken care of…”

“Max, I’m pregnant, but I can still move, you know,” Gwen couldn’t help herself. “It’s actually good for me to move around”

“But you’re sick too, right?” Max said. “Morning sickness, right? So you shouldn’t be taking care of me, I’m just…getting in the way…”

“Max-“

“And I don’t want to get in the way,” Max was speaking quickly, and the glassy glare of his fever flickered behind his eyes. “I don’t want to get in the way. You shouldn’t have to take care of me,” Max shivered, suddenly both cold and hot at once.

“Max, calm down,” Gwen said, but he couldn’t stop. F—k, what was wrong with him?

“You and David…you have the kid to take care of now,” He continued. “And I don’t want to be in the way of that. I don’t want…want you taking care of me when you have the baby…because, that’s your and David’s actual kid and I…I don’t want to mess up your guy’s family, okay? I don’t want you two to feel like you have to have me around, anymore, because now—"

“Max!” Gwen said, sharply, and a little bit angrier than intended.

Max looked at her then, suddenly snapped out of his reverie. After (semi) coming back to his senses, he couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes. He had never meant to say any of that. He would never admit it, but he’d been secretly insecure about the whole baby thing. He was scared; scared he’d be forgotten again, abandoned again. If his own parents didn’t want him as their only child, why would Gwen and David want him? Especially after all the s—t he’d put them through during camp.

Before he could register what was happening, Gwen had swept him up into a tight hug. Even though he felt gross, sick, and was probably sweaty, she hugged him.

“Max,” she started, her voice breaking. “Don’t you say that. Don’t you ever say that, again. You’re my kid as much as this child is. And David’s too. You are not a burden Max. and not in the way, okay? David loves you and…I love you, Max.”

For a while they sat there in silence, Gwen holding Max and him sitting there, uncomfortable and slightly stunned. After a while he slowly and weakly wrapped his arms around her as well, and began sniffling-which Gwen suspected wasn’t from him being sick. They held each other in silence for a while, until Max began to squirm a bit in her grasp.

“Ah, sorry kid.” She said while letting him go. “Didn’t mean to suffocate you or anything.”

Max shook his head. “No, it’s okay.” He said quietly. “Uh, thanks. For, you know…”

Gwen nodded. “Any time, buddy.”

“You know,” Max started, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “That kid is one hell of a kicker.”

Gwen took a moment to realize what he was talking about. “Heh,” she smirked. “You could feel that, huh? I guess she wanted to get in on our moment too. She was basically trying to kick herself to freedom for a moment there.”

“Ah,” Max said, smiling wider. “You said she.”

“Hm…I guess I did. Either you’re rubbing off on me, or it must be fate. I’ll tell David to pick up some pink paint and a crib on the way home.”

“Screw those lame-ass gender norms.” Max said, slight slightly while wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.” We’re gonna paint her room black with flames and so she grows up to be a badass.”

“Uh, not happening, kiddo.”

“Just you wait and see. I’ll call Nikki and Neil over to help paint!”

“Whateeeeever you say, Max.” Gwen replied teasingly.

Although still pale, Max had seemed to perk up. They went back and forth for a while, before Max admitted he was starting to get hungry. Visibly relieved, Gwen made Max and herself a pair of sandwiches before joining him in front of the TV again.

-----

David stepped inside the front door as quickly as he could, desperate to get away from the chill outside. He entered a dark and quiet living room, save for the blue white glow and sounds coming from the television.

He scanned the living room quickly, then quietly put his bags of groceries on the floor. He smiled up seeing Gwen and Max, fast asleep on the couch. Gwen was up against the end of the couch, and Max was right next to her, laying against her arm. David smiled as he heard their slow and even breathing-they were thoroughly asleep.

David gently placed the back of his hand against Max’s forehead, glad to feel that whatever fever he had seemed to have calmed down. Max stirred slightly, pressing in against Gwen and holding on to her arm. David suppressed the urge to take out his phone and snap a picture for his family scrapbook. Maybe when Max was feeling better… for the time being, David simply adjusted the blanket over the pair and let them sleep the rest of the evening away.

#camp camp #cc max #cc david #cc gwen #cc dadvid #cc momgwen #sickfic #do NOT under any circumstances tag this as an adult/child ship if you reblog

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junker-town · 6 years ago

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An NFL fan’s rooting guide to college football’s rivalry week

Here’s which college football team you should cheer, based solely on your NFL fandom.

The NFL has its share of heated rivalries. Saints vs. Falcons. Vikings vs. Packers. Browns vs. themselves. But they can’t compare to another kind of hate, one that many were born into: the visceral, tribal, and sometimes a little (OK, a lot) unhealthy world of college football rivalries.

Not every NFL fan has pledged their undying loyalty to a college football team, which includes but is not limited to the following actions: getting a tasteful tattoo of the school’s logo on your hip, naming a pet after the mascot, naming a child after one of the school’s colors, requesting the alma mater be sung at your funeral, and treating your rival’s name like it’s Voldemort.

You can still join in the fun/anxiety, even if you’re not a diehard whose entire year is made or destroyed in the span of three hours in November. Let’s help you decide which college football team to cheer for in its upcoming rivalry game based on your NFL fandom.

First, a few notes on the methodology:

This is a rooting guide for rivalry games yet to be played. Many happened earlier in the season — like Texas-Oklahoma, Michigan-Michigan State, Harvard-Yale, Montana-Montana State — so they were excluded.

There are more upcoming rivalry games than just these 16 listed here, but I wanted to limit it to 32 schools, one for each NFL team.

It’s not a perfect science, but for the most part, the more alumni from one college on an NFL team, the more likely they’ll be matched up.

Because the college football schedule changes every year, and NFL rosters much more often than that, this is for 2018 only.

Thursday, Nov. 22

It’s true: Thanksgiving football is not just for the NFL!

Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State

This one isn’t a friendly intrastate rivalry, that’s for sure. They’ve been playing for the Golden Egg for almost a century. Their first meeting ended in fisticuffs, and the rage-filled battle for the soul of Mississippi hasn’t stopped since. Their last meeting was a beautiful four-hour exchange of gesticulation and trolling.

Cheer for the Rebels if you’re a fan of the: New York Giants

Say what you will about the Eli Manning’s play the last few seasons. Debate about his level of washedness, if you must. Laugh at Eli Face, always. But he’s still a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest players in Ole Miss history. So between Manning and tight end Evan Engram — a target Manning sometimes remembers exists — there’s a good bit of Rebels blood in the Giants’ starting offense.

Cheer for the Bulldogs if you’re a fan of the: Green Bay Packers

The most Mississippi State-heavy roster belongs to the Texans, but there are even more Clemson players, as well as one Ole Miss alum (A.J. Moore), in Houston. The Packers are home to two Bulldogs and no Rebels: cornerback Will Redmond and Hunter Bradley, who was the only long snapper drafted in 2018. And we should all celebrate long snappers. MSU also has the support of one Brett Favre — unless they’re playing his alma mater, Southern Miss.

Friday, Nov. 23

There’s no better cure for a turkey hangover than spending the day parked on the couch watching football.

Iowa vs. Nebraska

They might seem like two of the nicest (read: most Midwestern) states in the U.S., but they’ve long been enemies, even before Nebraska joined the Big Ten. Like, 100 years before that. For decades, the football rivalry went mostly dormant. Now, the two neighbors, and division mates, battle every year.

Cheer for the Hawkeyes if you’re fan of the: Buffalo Bills

The Packers and 49ers have more Hawkeye players than the Bills do, but this pairing seemed like more of a fit (tbh, the Bills were kinda like the kid who is always picked last at dodgeball — someone had to take them). One of the team’s Hawkeyes is Micah Hyde, who was a solid defensive back for the Packers before signing with the Bills in 2017. He then became a Pro Bowler — and one of Buffalo’s top defenders. Offensive tackle Ike Boettger is the other Iowa alum on the roster. Plus, the Bills have looked stereotypically Iowa-like this year, featuring an impressive defense, lots of punting, and sometimes, and seemingly randomly, an offensive explosion.

Cheer for the Cornhuskers if you’re fan of the: New York Jets

Both Nebraska and the Jets came into the season with a renewed sense of hope — and a roster that didn’t have quite the talent to match. They’re both still pretty young, so the future isn’t bleak, even if the rest of their seasons are mostly about building toward that future. The Jets also have three Cornhuskers on the ol’ 53: receiver Quincy Enunwa, and offensive linemen Spencer Long and Brent Qvale.

Oregon State vs. Oregon

No Pac-12 rivalry has been played more times than the Civil War, which is set for its 122nd meeting Friday in Corvallis. Fun fact: the 1983 edition of the game, which predated the implementation of overtime, ended in a 0-0 tie (shoutout, Frank Beamer). The teams combined for 11 turnovers and four field goal misses, and it was fittingly dubbed “the Toilet Bowl.”

Cheer for the Beavers if you’re fan of the: Los Angeles Rams

Cheering for a two-win team might give Rams fans bad flashbacks to pre-Sean McVay times, but there are only 13 Oregon State alums in the NFL right now and three of them play for the Rams. That includes two of their best players: wide receiver Brandin Cooks and punter Johnny Hekker. The third is backup quarterback Sean Mannion, who owns most of Oregon State’s passing records and should get his moment to shine in Week 17 when the Rams sit all their starters.

Cheer for the Ducks if you’re fan of the: Seattle Seahawks

Remember the Seahawks’ “Action Green” Color Rush jerseys? Nike can say otherwise, but don’t tell me they weren’t just recycled bits of some of the many, maaaany Oregon uniforms pieced together. So the two teams already have a little, sartorially speaking, in common. They’re also not far off geographically. Seattle fans could just head on I-5 S for a few hours and cheer for the program that produced Ed Dickson and Dion Jordan.

Washington State vs. Washington

It’s not that hard figuring out the origins of the Apple Cup’s name. I mean, apples = Washington, right? [Googles just to make sure] Right. It’s more than that, though. It’s a post-Thanksgiving tradition that divides friends and family and represents not just a culture clash of a state pocketed away in the Northwest corner of the country, but of America herself. The “Crapple Cup” no more, there’s been a lot riding on the game in recent years. Washington has owned the rivalry for the past decade, but Washington State is as hot as any team right now.

Cheer for the Cougars if you’re fan of the: Arizona Cardinals

The Cougs are, undeniably, a damn delight this year. Gardner Minshew II (real name, I promise) and his surprising Heisman campaign has all of Pullman wearing fake mustaches, and his legend grows with every new jockstrap story we hear. And what NFL team could use a heaping of fun more than the Cardinals, who average 14.5 points per game and just lost to the Raiders? So take a few hours Friday night to enjoy Deone Bucannon’s alma mater, a team that can put up points and have a blast doing it.

Cheer for the Huskies if you’re fan of the: Atlanta Falcons

Two years ago, both the Huskies and Falcons were dealt bitter disappointments in the postseason, in vastly different ways, to their sport’s most recent dynasty. Alabama swatted Washington away like a pesky gnat in the College Football Playoff semifinals, a 24-7 yawner that wasn’t even as close as that score indicates. The Falcons, as no one will ever let them forget, blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl and lost in overtime to the Patriots. That kinship, plus UW alumni Desmond Trufant and Marvin Hall on the roster, makes this a match.

Saturday, Nov. 24

To put it simply, this is the best day in college football every year.

Ohio State vs. Michigan

Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s only one of the greatest rivalry is sports. Michigan holds an all-time lead in the series, but Ohio State has dominated The Game since the start of the new millennium. This year, the stakes are high like usual. The winner goes to the Big Ten Championship and preserves its College Football Playoff hopes. The loser, as all losers nowadays, becomes a meme. The difference this year is that Michigan is favored — in Columbus.

Cheer for the Buckeyes if you’re a fan of the: New Orleans Saints

There is no NFL/college football bromance quite like the Saints and Buckeyes. Currently there are six Ohio State grads on the Saints roster, including almost the entire secondary. Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, Kurt Coleman, Ted Ginn Jr., Marshon Lattimore, and Michael Thomas all went from scarlet and gray to black and gold. Then throw in J.T. “the spot was good” Barrett on the practice squad — and zero Wolverines on the roster — and Ohio State really is the Saints’ Triple-AAA team. Oscar winner J.K. Simmons would agree.

Cheer for the Wolverines if you’re a fan of the: Baltimore Ravens

There aren’t many NFL rosters that are completely devoid of an Ohio State presence, but the Ravens are one of them. They also have two Wolverines (Willie Henry, Chris Wormley), and a Harbaugh for a coach. Both teams boast the No. 1 defense in their respective sport and have an above-average running game. And if anyone would appreciate a mascot named after one of the most famous writers in American history, it’s probably a Michigan Man or Woman.

Georgia vs. Georgia Tech

Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate — no really, that’s what the rivalry, one of college football’s most underrated, is called. No nickname can top that. Georgia Tech was once a member of the SEC, but it must have gotten tired of everything just meaning more, because the school bolted more than 50 years ago. But the rivalry, which goes back to 1893, has lived on.

Cheer for the Bulldogs if you’re fan of the: Cincinnati Bengals

Cats and dogs living together! Despite the mass hysteria that might yield, there’s something appropriate about bringing together two teams that gave their fans hope only to cruelly yank it away in their most recent playoff appearance. For Georgia, that was last year against Alabama in the national title game. For the Bengals, it was three seasons ago against who else but the Steelers. So that’s one reason. The other is that Cincy’s roster is littered with Dawgs: Geno Atkins, Clint Boling, Cordy Glenn, A.J. Green, and Shawn Williams.

Cheer for the Yellow Jackets if you’re fan of the: Indianapolis Colts

Some people are slow to wake up. They’re groggy, they’re grumpy, and dammit, don’t talk to them until they’ve had their coffee. That was Georgia Tech and Indianapolis at the start of the season. The Yellow Jackets fell to 1-3 after their third straight loss, while the Colts stumbled to an even worse 1-5 record. Since then, they’ve both shaken off their slumps and won four straight and could be a dangerous opponent for any team to face. The Colts have one GA Tech alum on their roster: cornerback/special teamer Chris Milton.

North Carolina vs. NC State

Most would think of this as a basketball rivalry first and foremost, but the football teams have been playing even longer. It’s been competitive lately, too. In their last 20 meetings, NC State holds a slight 11-9 lead.

Cheer for the Tarheels if you’re fan of the: Chicago Bears

Not much is going right for UNC football this season. Bears fans probably understand that feeling after four straight losing seasons — and seven straight seasons of missing the playoffs. Things are looking up for the Bears this year, thanks in part to one-time UNC quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, even if we’re still trying to figure out how good he is.

Cheer for the Wildpack if you’re fan of the: Los Angeles Chargers

If any NFL team knows what it’s like to be good but completely overshadowed, it’s the Chargers. If any quarterback knows what it’s like to be good but completely overshadowed, it’s Chargers QB — and former NC State QB — Philip Rivers. That chip-on-the-shoulder bond gives Chargers fans a good reason to support Rivers’ and defensive tackle Justin Jones’ alma mater.

Georgia State vs. Georgia Southern

It’s not the most prominent rivalry in the South, or even Georgia itself. But it’s fierce in its own right, even if it’s still in its infancy. The fight over who is the real GSU has powered what they call “Modern Day Hate” — a battle that was first won by Georgia Southern in 2014, but has since been all Georgia State.

Cheer for the Panthers if you’re fan of the: Philadelphia Eagles

It might seem incongruent for Philly fans to cheer for the Panthers and against the Eagles — but let’s face it, no one likes to boo Eagles fans more than Eagles fans. There aren’t many Georgia State players in the NFL, either, but one of them, Chandon Sullivan, might be Philadelphia’s last remaining healthy cornerback.

Cheer for the Eagles if you’re fan of the: San Francisco 49ers

Georgia Southern won two games all of last season. This year, the Eagles are 8-3. That’s the kind of turnaround a two-win team like the 49ers can get behind. Oh, there are only three Georgia Southern alumni in the NFL — and two of them, Matt Breida and Jerick McKinnon, play running back for the 49ers.

Florida State vs. Florida

This rivalry is the Beanie Babies of college football — it captivated the nation in the 90s and though it still exists, we’ve more or less forgotten about it. One or both teams are usually ranked for this game; this year, it’s Florida, but it’s Florida State that has won five in a row and seven of the last eight in this matchup.

Cheer for the Seminoles if you’re fan of the: Jacksonville Jaguars

If Florida Man were a singular entity rather than a concept, he would probably cheer for both of these teams. But it works on other levels, too. Both teams can wallow in the disappointment of the current season. Both are football’s biggest supplier of reaction memes. Both can claim the NFL’s best present-day trash talker, Jalen Ramsey — and Rashad Greene and Telvin Smith, too.

Cheer for the Gators if you’re fan of the: Oakland Raiders

There is something so utterly joyless about watching both teams that I don’t want to inflict them on any other fans. At least this way, Raiders fans can get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a good miserable team. Gators Reggie Nelson, David Sharpe, and Johnny Townsend are all on the Raiders’ active roster, while Eddy Piñeiro is one of two kickers on their injured reserve.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

At stake every year in the Big Ten’s oldest rivalry is Paul Bunyan’s Axe, which is different from the Paul Bunyan Trophy that goes to the winner of Michigan vs. Michigan State. If Paul Bunyan wasn’t B1G enough for you, they used to play for a slab of bacon?!?

Cheer for the Badgers if you’re fan of the: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On the surface, Wisconsin and Tampa don’t seem to have that much in common — until you think of all the snowbirds who probably migrate down to the Tampa area in the winter. Then consider Wisconsin’s mascot’s name, Bucky Badger, and the fact that the Bucs’ roster has more Wisconsin alumni than any other NFL team, and it’s kismet. Funnily enough, even though Wisconsin spits out offensive linemen, that doesn’t include any of the three Badgers — DT Beau Allen, LB Jack Cichy, and RB Dare Ogunbowale — in Tampa.

Cheer for the Gophers if you’re fan of the: Minnesota Vikings

This one is fairly easy: They’re both located in Minneapolis. They even shared a stadium for a couple seasons while the Vikings’ new digs were being built. They both last claimed a title in the 60s, well before their sport’s current championship format was introduced. There are only seven former Gophers on active NFL rosters right now and none of them play for the same team. But one of them, cornerback Marcus Sherels, suits up for the purple and gold.

Arizona vs. Arizona State

This rivalry usually falls under the radar — mostly because the two teams aren’t exactly elite football programs. It’s more passionate than you probably realize and spilts the state pretty 50-50. No trophy has been around longer than the Territorial Cup, either. Well, sorta.

Cheer for the Wildcats if you’re fan of the: Tennessee Titans

Sometimes it must feel a little lonely having an unusual name. It’s hard to find a keychain with “Sherwood” or “Bryannca” or whatever people are naming their children these days on it. Those kids probably have moments when they wish their name were something simpler, like Paul or Emily. That’s what it must be like to be the Titans. Unless you count the Remember the, there aren’t any many others with their name. Every other mascot, in any sport at any level, is the Wildcats, though. The one Arizona alum on Tennessee’s roster is the only person in the world with the name Dane Cruikshank. Rooting for the Wildcats gives him, and the Titans, a chance to live as a James or Elizabeth for a change.

Cheer for the Sun Devils if you’re fan of the: Miami Dolphins

You might think Da U is the school that most closely resembles the partying-that-borders-on-dangerous vibe of Miami, but nope, it’s Arizona State. And well, 25 percent of the Arizona State players in the NFL are with the Dolphins: Kalen Ballage, Matt Haack, and — the man, the myth, the legend — Brock Osweiler.

Alabama vs. Auburn

The Iron Bowl has a rich history dating back to 1893, but it’s the most recent matchups that have been without peer — and that’d be the case if we were ONLY talking about the Kick Six. Arguably no rivalry has mattered more in the past decade, because one of these teams has been ranked No. 1 or 2 entering this game since 2008 — and usually at the end of the season, too.

Cheer for the Crimson Tide if you’re fan of the: Washington NFL team

The Tuscaloosa-to-Landover pipeline can’t be matched right now. Washington is home to a whopping seven Bama players, including about 90 percent of its defense: Jonathan Allen, Ryan Anderson, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Daron Payne, and the lone offensive player, guard Arie Kouandjio. Washington has had a rough go of it with injuries this season, but at least this way, its fans can enjoy a team that is the closest to being unbeatable as we’ve seen in years.

Cheer for the Tigers if you’re fan of the: Cleveland Browns

Remember when people were asking last year if Bama could beat the Browns? The answer was no of course, even though the Browns went 0-16 and the Tide won another national championship. But Auburn fans probably got tired of hearing it — especially considering the Tigers were the only team to beat the Crimson Tide last year. Plus, with three players from Auburn — Ricardo Louis, Greg Robinson, and Jermaine Whitehead — and no Bama guys (a rarity for an NFL roster), the chances of hearing “Roll Tide” in Cleveland aren’t high.

Clemson vs. South Carolina

The Palmetto Bowl is the South’s longest continuous rivalry. It began in 1896 and the intrastate battle has been held every year since 1909. Clemson has won a nice 69 of their 115 meetings. They’ve only once played on Thanksgiving, in 1963. It was moved back a few days following the assassination of JFK.

Cheer for the Tigers if you’re fan of the: Houston Texans

Texans fans only need one reason to cheer for Clemson: Deshaun Watson. His run in the College Football Playoff, which culminated in a heroic performance against Alabama for the championship, is partly why the Texans traded up to draft Watson that following April. Now, Houston has the franchise quarterback it had been waiting for since, well, ever. It just so happens that Texans DeAndre Hopkins, D.J. Reader, and Carlos Watkins also went to Clemson.

Cheer for the Gamecocks if you’re fan of the: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers play in North Carolina, but the University of South Carolina is closer to Bank of America Stadium than Tobacco Road is. It’s a straight shot 90 miles down I-77 to get from Charlotte to Columbia. Besides, they’re the Carolina Panthers. South Carolina shouldn’t have to feel left out, especially with alumni Damiere Byrd and Captain Munnerlyn on the Panthers’ roster.

USC vs. Notre Dame

There isn’t any college rivalry quite like this one: two blue bloods, separated by 2,000 miles, who play annually despite not even being in the same conference — or, in Notre Dame’s case, not being in a conference at all. Combined, the two powerhouses can boast 22 national championships and 13 Heisman winners (14, if you count Reggie Bush’s vacated one). Speaking of, the Bush Push was one of the most indelible college football moments of the last 15 years, preserving USC’s chances of a threepeat — and thwarted later on by Vince Young and Texas.

Cheer for the Trojans if you’re fan of the: Dallas Cowboys

Gee, what could a five-win team whose fans want their coach gone have in common with ... a five-win team whose fans want their coach gone? Both the Cowboys and Trojans are still quite popular, even if their heyday of everyone becoming a bandwagon fan is over. There’s a healthy USC presence in Arlington too, thanks to Marcus Martin, Tyron Smith, and Antwaun Woods.

Cheer for the Irish if you’re fan of the: Detroit Lions

If you live in Michigan and don’t bleed maize and blue or green and white, then the easiest way to annoy both Wolverines and Spartans fans would be to cheer for ... well, probably Ohio State. But Notre Dame would be a close second. South Bend is only three hours away from Detroit, and the Lions’ roster includes TJ Jones, Romeo Okwara, Theo Riddick, and until recently, Golden Tate.

Utah vs. BYU

BYU really hates Utah, while Utah hates BYU just as much but sometimes likes to pretend it doesn’t. It’s a complicated rivalry, especially considering one is a religious school and the other is public. The so-called Holy War has been kind of naughty, complete with statue vandalism, back-to-back ejections, a failed two-point try for the win, a trip to Sin City, public name-calling, and a Utah cheerleader punching a BYU fan, repeatedly, in the face.

Cheer for the Utes if you’re fan of the: Denver Broncos

Salt Lake City is almost directly to Denver’s west (as is Provo, but it seemed obvious which one of those should be paired up with a place that has marijuana dispensaries). There are also a lot of Broncos fans in the Mountain states, including in Utah. The Broncos have the highest concentration of Utes on their roster, with Garett Bolles, Devontae Booker, and Tim Patrick all in Denver.

Cheer for the Cougars if you’re fan of the: Kansas City Chiefs

Not only does this match rival with rival, but Andy Reid is also BYU alum. It should be no surprise then that of the nine Cougars in the NFL, two of them — Tejan Koroma and Daniel Sorensen — play for the Chiefs.

Saturday, Dec. 8

Yes, this isn’t for another two weeks, but it felt wrong to leave it out.

Navy vs. Army

Every year, the college football regular season ends with the Army-Navy game. Philadelphia serves as its most frequent host, though sometimes the game has been played in other locations including Baltimore and East Rutherford, New Jersey. What truly sets it apart, though, is just how polite the rivalry is.

Cheer for the Knights if you’re fan of the: Pittsburgh Steelers

There is exactly one Army man in the NFL right now: Steelers starting left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, who served three tours of duty three tours in Afghanistan before he started his NFL career. The Steelers organization has continually shown its support for the Army over the years, as well.

Cheer for the Midshipmen if you’re fan of the: New England Patriots

Just like with Army, there’s only one Navy veteran in the NFL currently and that’s Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona. Bill Belichick also has strong ties to Navy, where his father was a longtime assistant coach. Belichick grew up in Annapolis and has never stopped calling it home, despite not living there for decades. And well, the Patriots of all teams pretty much had to be partnered with a service academy.

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