#about how someone on the congregational care team was going on about how we should have our livestream easily findable on our website

[taleweaver-ramblings]

I don't know which developer or designer or such put this bulletin board in this game, but whoever it is gets me (and has definitely worked in communications at some point).

[captainamericasmotercycle]

Please write something for my man Aaron Hotchner like him being jealous or something girl I don’t know just something anywayyy love yaaa

hi thank you so much for your request! <3 jealous!aaron under the cut!!

you were trying to keep your relationship as quiet as possible, considering the two of you were coworkers and he was significantly older — or more literally, he was your boss.

you had agreed upon minimal romantic interactions around the team, settling for discrete pinky touches, or an occasional love struck smile.

it wasn’t until you had come back from a rather tough case that everything you had built came crashing down.

returning to the bau, you and the rest of the team had decided to get drinks, because lord knows you needed them, so you had picked a bar to congregate at until everyone was sufficiently wasted.

aaron and david had chosen to be the team’s chaperones for the night, opting for a singular glass of liquor.

you, jj, emily, and penelope were all squished into one side of the booth that you were sharing with the team, giggling and laughing, keeping everyone’s spirits high.

you sucked down two fun and fruity drinks and still were not satisfied with your consumption — seeing as you and the girls had your hearts set on trying all of the flavors the bar had to offer.

standing with a bit of a tipsy wobble, you offered to get more flavors for the girls to try, which they happily obliged to.

aaron watched as you made your way over to the side of the bar, chatting with the bartender as she made the drinks.

everything was going smoothly, but he thought about how much you were going to hate your hangover in the morning. as he got lost in thought about taking care of you, he didn’t notice a man approach you…until derek’s loud mouth made it known to everyone at the table.

“damn! looks like you girls are about to get some free drinks!”

aaron’s head snapped over to where you were standing and noticed the signs of your discomfort — the way you crossed you legs, the picking as your nails, and the polite, tight-lipped smile you presented.

aaron could feel his jealousy rising. he didn’t know what happened, but it was like he blacked out, because one moment he was sitting with the team, and the next he was up at the bar next to you with his large hand on the small of your back.

you leaned into his touch and the man talking to you looked aaron up and down.

“what? are you her dad or something?”

“i’m her boyfriend.”

aaron moved his other hand to his waist, his coat jacket moved to reveal his fbi badge. the man’s eyes went wide, looking from the badge to you, then from you and back to the badge.

“you know on second thought, i think we should skip those drinks,”

aaron grinned smugly at the man, “i think that’s a good idea.”

as the man scurried off, you turned around and gave aaron a chaste peck on the lips, “i think someone got a little jealous,”

“me? never!”

you smiled at him as he pressed a slow kiss to your temple. the girls’ and your drinks finally were ready, placed in front of you on the counter. aaron helped you carry them back to the table.

as you approached the table, the rest of the team shared the same look, a look that very similarly resembled the one the man at the bar displayed.

setting the drinks down, you both slid back into your seats. rossi was the first to break the silence, patting aaron on the back, “so..?”

“yes.”

“alright then!”

[trekscribbles]

The Bushwhack Job: Chapter Eight

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven

(Disclaimer: This is a relatively rough draft and subject to change when I post to AO3. I'm just overly excited and want to share what I have.)

Nate had thought the world was ending after Sam. He went through the motions for a while, trying to do what he thought he was supposed to do, what Maggie needed him to do, what Sam would want him to do. He did try. But he wasn’t strong enough to hold all that pain and anger and hatred, and eventually, it all fell apart around him. He hadn’t ever hoped that things would be all right again, and if he was honest with himself, part of him didn’t want them to be. It wasn’t fair that he could just pick up and move on without his son. It wasn’t right.

But they’d done it for him. The team, who he didn’t want, who he loved and admired in spite of himself, they’d brought him back to life against his will. They’d made him see that he still had a purpose... worth. Family.

And now…

It turned out the world could end more than once.

They’d gotten separate rooms at the new hotel, but they all congregated in Nate’s—just like Boston, just like always—gathering around him, cutting off his escape before he could make it. No one slept. No one spoke. They sat together through the night, staring into the emptiness that Nate had almost lost himself to years before, unable to see a path through it.

They’d discussed this—he and Eliot, in private, one of the times Nate had retreated to the bar to contemplate the things he didn’t tell the others. Eliot joined him sometimes, sitting between Nate and the door with a book or a beer. As long as he was quiet, Nate usually appreciated the company. But he’d come down one night when Nate was several glasses into a fresh bottle, a beanie pulled low over the new stitches on his eyebrow, and sat too close for Nate to ignore him.

“We have to talk about it,” he’d said.

Nate had tried to change the subject, but Eliot wouldn’t let it go. “I need to know you have a plan.”

“That’s my job,” Nate had told him.

But Eliot had just looked at him, his eyes calm and clear. “When it happens,” he’d said—not if, when— “Leave the body. It’s not worth anyone else getting hurt; what happens to it doesn’t matter to me. Get them out, get them safe, regroup, re-plan. Promise me.”

And because it was Nate, because he couldn’t handle having this conversation in anything but hypotheticals, and because he was Jimmy Ford’s son, he’d said, “Yeah, sure. If you die on the job, I promise to leave your body behind.”

He’d said it sarcastically, but Eliot had nodded like it was a real agreement, like he expected follow-through. “It’ll be bloody, Nate,” he’d said, lowering his voice, his head bowed slightly so he was looking up at Nate beneath his hat. “I don’t want the others to see. Do you understand?”

And he had, then. And he hated it, and he put it from his mind, telling himself it would never happen.

He’d been just as powerless to stop it as he had been with Sam. It may not have been his fault directly—Eliot had made the choice to go into that building, without Nate’s orders—but Nate had picked the case. Nate had kept them working past that first job. Nate had relied on him to keep the others safe at the expense of his own welfare.

And now, somehow, he was supposed to keep them going.

The sun rose bright and uncaring through the hotel window, and Parker stirred from her spot at Hardison’s side. “I want to finish this,” she said, looking directly at Nate, her voice a challenge.

“How can we?” Sophie asked. “We have the funeral to plan. Someone should track down his family.”

“No funeral.” Nate’s words were low, but they all heard. Their silence was painful.

Sophie’s eyes welled up again. “Nate, we have to—”

“He didn’t want one,” Nate said.

“I don’t care what he wanted.” Sophie glared at him, her lower lip trembling. “We’re not just going to let him disappear. He deserves to be remembered. Honored.”

“His first priority was keeping us safe,” Nate said. He met Parker’s gaze and gave her a small nod. “Lancaster came after us, and he’ll try to come after us again. We’re not going to let it happen.”

“Then we finish the job,” Hardison said, his voice soft and raw. “Without Eliot?”

Nate summoned his best attempt at confidence. “We finish it for Eliot.”

And then… Then, when he was sure the others were safe, the world could end again. 

***

The plan, for the most part, was unchanged: gather information, get close to Lancaster, and find proof of his wrongdoings. It was the timeline that worried Nate now.

“What does Lancaster want most?” he asked, echoing their conversation from a few days before.

Sophie was markedly less animated than when she’d answered the first time. “He idolizes folk figures from the Old West... Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Buffalo Bill. He’s tried to build up a reputation as some kind of outlaw hero.”

“Right,” Nate said. “He says he steals the deals away from his competition. We know he does more than that—he likes to walk this line of respectable businessman with a dangerous side. The law doesn’t apply to him because he sees himself as the next Butch Cassidy. So he’s after something, something to make others see him the way he does. It goes beyond using cheap construction materials—that’s just his way of saving money. What’s he saving it for?”

“He’s been buying up a ton of properties over the last year,” Hardison said dully. His laptop was open, and Nate watched him switch from a page full of Eliot’s aliases to a tab featuring Lancaster’s company records. “But I can’t see a pattern in them. They’re different types of properties, residential, commercial, everything, and they’re all over the city.”

“Okay,” Nate said. “So he’s looking for something. Hardison, find what those properties have in common. Then all we have to do is give it to him.”

He stopped himself from thinking too far beyond that.

“What can I do?” Parker asked, appearing at his elbow. He didn’t have the energy to startle, but he took a moment to inhale and hold his breath before answering.

“You have to stay here,” he said at last.

Her eyes flashed. “No. I can’t just—”

“You’re burned,” Nate said. “If you walk into Lancaster’s offices, he’ll know it’s us. We’ll never have a chance.”

“Then I’ll make sure he doesn’t see me,” Parker said desperately. “Nate, please, I can’t stay behind. I can’t.”

He wanted to argue. It was smarter to leave her behind where she’d be safe, where she couldn’t be used against them—but then Sophie was moving to stand beside her, and Nate knew he’d lost the fight before it started.

“She’ll go in disguise,” Sophie said.

“Through the vents,” Parker added.

Hardison spoke without looking up from the computer. “Either we factor her into the plan, or she’ll go in on her own. Which do you prefer?”

“All right, fine,” Nate said. “But Parker, you have to be careful. If Lancaster sees you, it’s over.”

She held his gaze, her expression hard. “I’ll be careful.”

“Hey,” Hardison said. They looked at him, and as she turned, Nate caught the glimmer of a necklace chain on Parker’s throat. 

Relief and fresh grief roughened his voice when he spoke. “Find something?”

“Yeah.” Hardison leaned back so they could see his screen. “Lancaster gave a press release this morning.”

They crowded closer, and Hardison snorted as he scanned the article. “Listen to this. ‘Businessman Stephen Lancaster has claimed to have evidence of a significant historical find, which he is in the process of authenticating...’ Bla bla bla… ‘The find is currently being held in his downtown office, which Lancaster assures readers is thief-proof.’ The audacity.”

“What did he find?” Parker asked.

Hardison went back to reading. “I don’t know… it doesn’t say. But it seems like it might be related to those properties he was buying up. I started looking through them, and they all date back to the 1800s. A bunch of them have connections to Frank James.”

“As in Jesse James’s brother?” Nate asked.

Hardison nodded. “Apparently he used to live near here. When he left the gang, he settled near Cement, Oklahoma, with—” He broke off, his eyes wide, and looked at Nate. “Cash. All their cash, from all their robberies. It’s never been found.”

“Jesse and Frank James made their name robbing supply wagons and trains after the Civil War,” Nate said thoughtfully. “They were bushwhackers—guerilla fighters working to preserve the Confederacy. Supposedly, they were trying to gather the funds to continue the war after Lee’s surrender, but Jesse was killed and Frank turned himself in, and the money was never found.”

“Lancaster thinks the money is here in the city?” Sophie asked.

Hardison’s fingers tapped over his keyboard. “Seems that way. It looks like the properties were all originally owned by the Classen family. They go back all the way to the founding of the city.”

“Do they have a connection to Jesse James?” Nate asked.

There was a pause while Hardison typed, but his frown answered for him. “I don’t see anything, but I’ll keep digging. There’s this, though.” He glanced up again, and Nate tried not to notice how drained he looked. “There’s only one building previously owned by the Classens that Lancaster hasn’t bought. It belongs to a June Davidge now.”

Nate nodded. “Then let’s go pay her a visit. Parker, find out if she knows anything about the connection between her property and the James stash. Hardison, keep looking into things here. Sophie and I will see what we can get out of Lancaster.”

“The comms are still offline,” Hardison said.

Nate held up his stolen phone. “Then we’ll do things the old fashioned way. Be careful, be aware, and call the minute you find anything. Lancaster will be expecting retaliation.”

Hardison shot a look at Parker, and the desperate fear in his eyes made Nate’s stomach turn. Parker was capable—they all were—but they hadn’t really had to worry about each other before. There had never been a threat that Eliot couldn’t handle, and now…

He cleared his throat, swallowing his own fear. “We have to trust each other,” he said softly. “We have to trust ourselves. If we doubt, if we hesitate…”

Parker set her jaw. “That’s not going to happen. We can’t let Lancaster get away with this.”

Nate met Sophie’s eyes, still red, still filled with all the pain and shock and fear that had crippled them all, and for a moment, he considered cutting their losses. They could leave town, make it clear that they were no longer a threat to Lancaster, and try to pick up the pieces in safety. That was what he’d promised Eliot, after all—that he would keep them safe. But doing that, leaving now… it would break them. There would be nothing left for them to save.

And he wanted to save them. Needed to save them—needed to keep them going until they could continue on their own, until he could be sure that they would be okay.

And he wanted Lancaster to pay.

“We do this,” Nate said in a low voice. “And we get justice for Eliot. After that… we’ll figure it out. Okay?”

Parker nodded, then Sophie, and finally Hardison.

Nate pocketed his phone and led the way out the door.

[legendaryevokercupcake]

DSMP/Hermitcraft Headcanon/Ficlet (Maybe? I'll turn it into a full on fanfic later)

Queen Eret knew that the server is going to detonate almost a month before it happens. She also knew there is nothing she can do about it. Because of this, she told Purpled, Tubbo, Ghostboo, Tommy, Eryn, Niki and Puffy that they're going to be ambassadors to another server so that they won't be there when their own server goes up in flames.

Eryn decides they would rather stay with the queen, Tommy doesn't want to go to another server when this server is finally looking up for him, Ghostboo doesn't care. Tubbo agrees and Eret pays off Purpled to say yes. Niki and Puffy also agree.

So Eret goes to his oldest sibling, Tinfoilchef, with a request. Ask Xisuma to harbor these people in Hermitcraft while the DSMP burns. Of course, Xisuma says yes, not only because he's a genuinely good person, but because Purpled is his son and he wants to talk to the alien.

Tubbo mentions that he's going to be an ambassador to 'Some almost 10 year old server' while talking to Phil, who figures out that it's Hermitcraft instantly. Phil calls up his firstborn, Grian, to let him know some people are going to be arriving on Hermitcraft and to ask pesky bird man to be nice to them and not start a war.

Then, Phil goes to Xisuma personally. They know each other through Mumza, X being the God of the Void and Phil being the Angel of Death. Phil explains all of the terrible things that have happened on the DSMP and Xisuma is, justifiably, horrified and livid. He almost goes to kill Dream himself in that moment. It's f*ckin' bada$$. Instead, he suggests that Phil ask Ranboo to join Hermitcraft as an ambassador as well.

A month later, everything is settled. There's only one more month until the DSMP blows up, but Tubbo, Ranboo, Niki, Puffy and Purpled won't be there when it does. This gives Eret some comfort as they watch 2B2T's Tyranny amass explosives (Another headcanon, but to summarize, Kinorana, Doc and Sam are related).

They spawn in the wrong place. Instead of being at the correct spawn point, they're in the middle of a random forest. Within minutes of them beginning to walk, they are attacked by a small group of zombies. There are maybe five of them, but the only weapons the group of ambassadors has are two daggers that Purpled snuck in.

Suddenly, as the team is about to be overwhelmed, three arrows go whizzing past Tubbo's left horn, striking three zombies down instantly. Purpled manages to down one of the remaining two zombies with his kn1ves and Puffy uses the power of g o a t to k1ll the other.

A being in a black and green metal suit closely resembling that of Doom Guy jumps out of a nearby tree, presumably being the person who sh0t the zombies. They had a helmet obscuring their face. Purpled practically jumped up and down, flying straight into the stranger. "Hi dad!"

Tubbo felt his soul return to his body after the terror of yet another faceless admin arriving. Puffy stepped forward, politely extending a hand. "Um... hello Administrator. We're the, uh, Dream SMP congregation."

The person in the suit spoke with a British accent. Tubbo liked their voice. It was kind and endearing and sounded a bit like his own, everything Dream's voice wasn't. "No need for formalities, call me X. You must be Captain Puffy, if I'm not mistaken? Renowned pirate, therapist and knight?"

Ranboo looked taken aback by how genuinely human this person seemed. "Yes, that's me! So, X, how did we get here instead of Spawn?"

"There might be a problem in the code, I'll fix it in a bit!" The person looked at Tubbo. "You're Tubbo, correct? The person who figured out how to create nuclear weapons? I'm impressed by your work, I have someone I think you should meet when we get somewhere safe." Next, the person turned to Ranboo. "Ranboo Beloved? Tubbo's husband and one of the few who managed to stick to their morals? I approve of your 'people over factions' mentality."

Ranboo looked slightly embarrassed at that. Many wouldn't even tolerate that mentality, much less approve of it.

"Niki Niachu?" The admin turned to Niki, "The baker and arsonist? I've heard good things about you. It's a pleasure to meet you all." And within minutes, this strange person established themself as far better than Dream. Tubbo decided that this might actually be an ok trip.

Little did he know what was happening on his old SMP. Little did he know, this might not be a 'trip' at all.

[servicemastercleanbelair]

Top 6 Reasons to Outsource Your Commercial Cleaning

Whether you’re a restaurant owner, a facilities manager, or a member of an administrative team looking to cut costs and increase profit margins, this blog is for you. If you currently hire employees to comprise your own janitorial staff, or you have employees you hired for one job add cleaning duties to their day, there’s a better way.

Today we’re going to discuss the top reasons it makes business sense to outsource your commercial cleaning to a company that specializes in the area.

Reason 1: You Save Money

This is probably the biggest reason to hire a company to provide commercial cleaning services. If you examine your budget, take a look at how much you spend monthly on:

·       Employee wages and benefits for cleaning staff

·       Workers’ compensation insurance for those staff members

·       Payroll expenses

·       Cleaning supplies

·       Training time

When you add all of those expenses together, you may find it’s more cost-effective to outsource your cleaning and janitorial services. This can be especially true for school districts, universities, and senior living complexes.

Reason 2: You Save Time

Saving time and money. Sounds good, right? By outsourcing your commercial cleaning services, you save time. There’s no need to post job listings and weed through job candidates. There’s also no need to train employees in proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures. When you outsource to a commercial cleaning company like ServiceMaster Clean PBM of Baltimore, we handle the screening and hiring of employees and ensure that every member of our staff receives paid training in cleaning best practices.

This gives you more time to focus on running your business or attend to more pressing matters.

Reason 3: You Save Yourself Headaches

As a building manager or store manager, think about how many times a closing shift employee has called in sick or needed to go home early. This put you in the position of trying to find someone to replace them at the last minute. What a headache. With a company like ours, we take on the responsibility of finding substitute staff if for some reason your regular commercial cleaning staff is unable to work that day.

Reason 4: You Get a Superior Level of Clean

If you have employees that add cleaning to the end of their regular job, they may not be doing as thorough a job. They may cut corners on cleaning and disinfecting in order to go do something else after work. This can be especially important in the restaurant business or daycare business.

When you have to pass unannounced inspections, you need to be sure your kitchen and the rest of your facility are clean and sanitized. Because failing an inspection can mean hefty fines and bad publicity. And if you fail due to a major violation, it can mean you have to close down your business until you remedy the situation.

When you outsource your commercial cleaning, you get trained staff who take less time to do more. And you never have to worry about cleaning supplies inadvertently left next to the food prep area or within reach of small children.

Reason 5: You Boost Employee Morale

This goes along with the previous idea. The top reason employees try to avoid the closing shift? Because you add cleaning the place to their job duties. They just want to go home. Boost employee morale and make it easier to fill the closing shift by outsourcing your commercial cleaning.

In addition, regular cleaning provided by a commercial cleaning company shows your employees you care about their working environment and health. That can increase employee retention and productivity.

Reason 6: You Make a Good Impression

We list this reason last, but perhaps we should have listed it first. Your business depends on the goodwill of your customers, your patrons, your residents, your congregants – you name it. If your facility is dirty, smells bad, or even has restrooms with overflowing trash bins, you turn away business. Someone might even leave you a negative review.

By greeting all who come through your doors with a clean and shining building, you make a great impression. You show you care about the details and care about their business.

Schedule a FREE Commercial Cleaning Consultation

If you’re interested in saving time and money, as well as boosting employee morale, it’s time to explore outsourcing your cleaning needs to a professional commercial cleaning company. ServiceMaster Clean PBM has decades of experience providing a superior level of cleaning to schools and universities, churches, restaurants, senior living complexes, office buildings, medical facilities, financial institutions, retail spaces, and industrial locations throughout Baltimore and Harford counties.

Schedule an on-site consultation by filling out the Get a Quote form, or calling (410) 618-4527. We’ll meet with you to discuss what you want to be cleaned, how often you want us to clean, and what time of day you want your commercial cleaning done. We can arrange a one-time deep cleaning or ongoing cleaning – whatever you need.

[reidsconverse]

memories • spencer reid

Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: none! just 4000 words of pure angst

This was an old fic reworked to be about around spencer so its taking a lottt of creative/artistic liberty with the character, so it kinda sucks im sorry! 😁

Every moment you had with him was one to be remembered and cherished for better or worse.

It had been a few weeks since Spencer had officially ended things, he had moved all of his stuff out of your apartment and now it seemed as if he had never even existed in the same place as you, as though you two were strangers. That is had it not been for the images of memories the two of you held. So, here you were sat alone in your room, your only company the half-empty bottle of wine and photographs of the two of you which sat strewn carelessly across your floor.

You picked up a picture and stared at it realising you both looked so happy. His arm was wrapped around your shoulder, a cup in his hand and his signature grin sitting across his face. Your head was leaning against his shoulder, the smile on your face reminding you of how free you had felt that night, you had never felt happier and you recognised that night as the night you realised...you were so in love.

"We should have a party," Spencer yelled despite there being no one else other than the two of you in the room.

"Right now?" You looked at him as if he was insane, not only was it completely out of character for your boyfriend but also, it was 1 am on a Wednesday and although your friends weren't those with a regular schedule you presumed most of them would decline a house party in the middle of the week.

"Yeah right now, c'mon doll I'll call Derek and some of the others and you call your friends." His hand was already on his phone texting Derek before you could protest so you followed his instructions and went ahead and invited your friends before getting up and preparing for this impromptu party.

It had only been 10 minutes when you heard Derek and some others open the door shouting for Spencer and you walked over with a grin on your face, "Hey D, Spencers being a diva and redoing his hair, he'll be right down." You said, rolling your eyes as Derek pulled you into a hug, he may have been Spencer's best friend but he thought of you as a sister and always treated you as such.

"Well I have look good for my girl," You heard Spencer say from behind you quickly placing a kiss on your cheek before doing his weird handshake with Derek, "Hey, thanks for coming'."

The three of you made your way to the kitchen to grab some drinks and greet some more guests who had congregated in that area and before you knew it, you were 4 shots in, feeling way past tipsy and in the mood to dance.

"Hey Spence," You said walking over to where he was now sat, a cup in his hand as he held a conversation with JJ and Emily about something that you didn't care too much about. You waved a quick hello to the girls so as not to be rude and then placed your head on his shoulder to let him know of your presence.

"Hey darling, you feeling good?" He turned his face and flashed you a wide grin before wrapping an arm around you to pull you close to him. He enjoyed being near you whenever he could, when he was away he would long for the days where all he did was sit and hold you close to him regardless of what the two of you were doing, so now whenever he had the chance he would hold you close.

"Feelin' great Spence.. wanna dance with you..."  You said pulling out of his hold and grabbing his hand leading him onto the 'dance floor', which was just the open space in your living room. He laughed and quickly finished his drink, discarding the cup somewhere in the room and held you as you both danced to the music playing through the speakers.

After a couple of songs, you both made your way to get another drink and get a break from the crowd, you sat at the kitchen island and passed him a drink."You know, considering you're a genius, I would've thought you'd be able to coordinate a bit better."  You said teasing him about his choice of moves which had essentially been him waving his arms in the air attempting to be in tune with the music.

He looked at you in fake shock and scoffed, "Yeah well it was still better than whatever you were trying to do." Referring to your horrendous attempt at trying to be sexy which in truth was never going to be anything but embarrassing. You stuck your tongue out in a childish manner causing him to laugh and quickly move to place his lips against yours giving you a soft kiss.

You jumped down from the counter after pulling back as a couple of your friends walked in and struck up a conversation about nothing interesting yet you made the effort to look engaged as Spencers's arm slipped over your shoulders and you placed your head against his shoulder.

"Hey guys, look here." You both turned to see your friend Harry, as always with a polaroid camera in his hand. You and Spencer gave each other a quick smile before grinning wide for the camera, both your faces full of love and happiness.

You sat there thinking about how quickly things can change, the people in the image you held so young and naive to the struggles the future would hold. Taking another sip of your wine you skimmed through some more pictures before stopping at one that held a bittersweet meaning. A picture that was taken a few days after what had been your worst fight, you both looked happy but all you could think about the events leading up to the image being taken.

It was your and Spencers 5th anniversary and he had promised he would make it to dinner. You hadn't seen each other in weeks because he was away on a case but he had promised he wouldn't miss this day, he had asked for permission from Hotch to leave for a couple of days so he would be there. "No excuses, No ifs and buts...I'll be there babe. I promise."

But there you were, alone at a table for two. The look on the waiters face held nothing but pity as he walked over for the fourth time to ask if someone would be joining you. Finally, you gave up and shook your head to let him know you would be leaving and would like the cheque. You had never felt so humiliated walking out of the restaurant head held high but tears building up in your eyes and so you cried. You felt so broken, almost as broken as all those promises Spencer had made you. The word promise and sorry had lost all meaning in the last 5 years, simply a courtesy rather than meaningful.

The minute you got home your phone began ringing, it was Spencer.

"Hey doll, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it, the team wanted to go out last night and I kind of missed my -." He began to explain causing you to scoff, 'no ifs or buts' my ass.

"How could you?" Your voice cracking as you tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill for the second time that night. "I waited for 2 fucking hours Spencer, I felt like a fucking idiot."  

"What? What are you talking about?" His voice was full of confusion. "Didn't you get my text?"

"No, I fucking didn't. I didn't get a fucking text. But that's not the fucking point, You should've been here, you promised you would be here."

"Babe, I'm so -," He began but you knew what he was gonna say. The only conversations you seemed to have were stuck on a loop like a broken record.

"Save it. Don't say you're sorry when you don't mean it, stop saying sorry and show it instead."

"Look, I'll get on the first flight out. I'll see you in a few hours, I'll make it up to you I prom-." You hung up the phone before he could continue, his promise worth nothing to you anymore. Walking over to the couch, you fell asleep the minute your head rested against one of the many cushions populating the seat.

You woke up to keys jingling in the door, yet you made no effort to move from where you were. The sound of his footsteps got louder as he approached.

"Babe? I know you're up." He said, kneeling beside you making you sigh and sit up. "Babe, I'm so sorry. I fucked up."

You just stared at him, it might have been petty but you didn't want to give in to his apologies just yet, he had to understand just how much he had hurt you first.

"I couldn't care less anymore, Spencer. I just need to remember that I'll always come second to work and that's fine, it's important to you and I understand that." You got up and walked over to the kitchen to gather yourself.

"Babe you are the most important thing to me, I'm sorry-."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Here we go again, Spencer there's only so many times you can say you're sorry before it loses all meaning. I'm sick and tired of this, I don't know if I can do this anymore. You're never here, you make promises you can never keep and I'm pretty sure you've told me you're sorry more times than you've told me you love me."

"Please don't do this. I love you." His voice was shaking, breaking down at the thought of you leaving him. He moved over to you and turned you so you were facing him. "I know this means nothing to you but I am so sorry. I've been so shitty to you and I know it."

"Spencer, I deserve better than this and I'm sick of forgiving you and acting like I'm fine with how you treat me, you might not mean it but it fucking hurts. I love you so much and I know you love me but would it kill you to put me first for once in your fucking life."

This annoyed him, the lack of sleep and being overworked leaving him less patient and more irritable, "That's not fucking fair, you knew what you were signing up for when you started dating me, I'm doing my fucking best. I go to work for US, to support US. If I could devote all of my time to you if I could, but I can't and it fucking kills me. You can't understand how much I miss you when I'm not here."

Tears welled in your eyes seeing him breakdown, unable to keep up the unbothered facade you had on, "I just...Spence, I miss you too. It hurts not being able to be near you and so when you're not there when you promise you will be, it hurts it really fucking hurts not to mention it's terrifying, how am I supposed to know you're ok if you do shit like that."

He pulled you into his arms as you sobbed into his chest, all the emotions you'd kept bottled up during the argument letting go. "I know baby, I'm so sorry I hurt you. I promise, and I mean it this time, I won't let you down again. I love you." He mumbled into your hair, slowly kissing your forehead whilst consoling you and holding you like he never wanted to let go.

The two of you went to bed that night in silence, not a word was spoken until the next day wherein Spencer switched off his phone and dedicated the whole weekend to you and only you. He kept his word once he had to leave, always fulfiling his promises, never pushing you to the side and communicating with you always. The two of you felt strong again, you were happy.

You put your glass down and walked out of your room and began pacing around the living room, pictures of you and him still up on your walls, the walls that no longer belonged to the both of you. You thought back to when he asked you to move him, how nervous he was and how excited you were.

It was movie night at Spencers house. Each week he invited everyone over to watch a film, everyone taking it in turns to select a film. This week Emily had chosen Midsommar, a film you were yet to see so you were excited. You were sat beside Spencer on the loveseat, his arm around you and your face resting against his chest, a blanket covering you both for extra comfort. You looked up and saw Derek and Penelope lay spread across the floor whilst JJ and Emily sat on the sofa. Bowls of popcorn and sweets were scattered around the room and beer bottles were piling up. It was nights like this that you wanted to treasure forever, for the first time you felt like you had a family, people to call your own, people you could trust.

"Watcha thinking about?" Spencer asked, glancing at you and realising your mind wasn't directed at the movie anymore.

"Nothing, just really lucky to have you in my life," You reached your hand up to hold his face and gave him a soft kiss. "I love you."

He pulled you in closer if that was even possible, "I love you too."

"Ugh, get a room." Derek groaned making you both chuckle.

Spencer responded by throwing some popcorn at him, "Aw is someone jealous, don't worry you'll find someone soon enough."

Derek murmured a quiet, "Fuck off" before turning his attention back to the movie, making everyone laugh.

The movie ended shortly and everyone was discussing what to watch next, you were in the mood for a comedy but Derek wanted to watch Die Hard for the millionth time. After several minutes of slight arguing, you finally decided on rewatching Moana for the 12th time.

Everyone was pretty much settled, drinks refilled, popcorn replenished and everyone back in their positions. Emily was about to press play before JJ stopped her, "Wait before you start I'm kinda cold can I borrow a sweater?" She asked Spencer.

"Yeah sure, take one from our room." He said casually like it was normal but it made your breath hitch in your throat, did he just say our room? As in, yours and his. Unofficially he wasn't wrong, it was your room as much as his, you spent pretty much every night here making having your own apartment redundant, but he hadn't yet asked you to move in with him. You couldn't help the small blush on your face and the way your lips turned upwards at his words. It made you happy knowing he thought of it as something for both of you.

"What has you so happy?" Penelope asked in a teasing tone, she'd picked up on Spencer words and knew exactly why you were smiling.

You just stuck your tongue out at her and looked up at Spencer, "Our room huh?" You asked making him smile.

"Yeah I mean, you're here every day, maybe more than I am. You should just move in at this point." He let out a little laugh after he said leaving you confused as to whether he was being serious, so you just laughed along and waited for JJ to come back so you could start the movie.

A couple of hours later almost everyone was half asleep, everyone apart from you and Spencer. You began making your way to his room followed by him carrying the blanket he had taken from his bed. The two of you went about your night routine, Spencer had insisted on keeping at least half of your things at his place hence why you never had to leave. You quickly changed into one of his shirts which fit you just right and climbed into bed where he was already sitting, reading a book.

"Spence, were you being serious...earlier when you said I should move in?" You asked him, making him put down his book and look at you.

"Would you like that? You don't have to say yes but I would love it if you moved in. The mornings when I wake up and you're still next to me, are the best mornings. Honestly, knowing I'm going to wake up next to you makes falling asleep easier. Plus Tesla and Edison love you, maybe even more than they loves me." He asked, the mention of his fish making you laugh despite the fact your eyes were welling up, what had you done to deserve the sweetest man to walk the earth.

You shifted yourself so you were straddling him and held his face in your hands, "I would love to move in with you." You answered placing a soft kiss to his lips.

"I love you so much," He said as you moved back to laying down next him. "You make me the happiest man alive and I'm so lucky to have you."

"God, Spence you gotta stop before I start crying, I love you too." You said, as he laughed and pulled you into a comfortable sleeping position.

"Goodnight love." He mumbled, already falling asleep.

"Goodnight Spence." You responded, closing your eyes and beginning to drift off but not before saying, "By the way, the fishies definitely love me more."

You hadn't realised you were crying until a tear fell onto the frame you were holding. The image just as blurred as the memories it held. You carefully placed the image face down onto the table rather than placing it back up. Making your way to the sofa, you got your phone out and glanced at the image that had left you in this state. A picture of him and her, his hands holding hers as tight as they once held yours, the grin on both of their faces wide. He was happy, only it wasn't because of you anymore. You closed your eyes again, remembering how it all ended.

He had been distant since he had come back from this last case, he had been away for almost two months trying to catch this unsub and you had thought he'd be more excited to come back to you and finally be home. But he hadn't spent more than 10 minutes with you, the only time the two of you were in the same room for longer than that was when you fell asleep. Recently that had also stopped, he spent more nights away from home and at clubs with Derek and Emily , only coming back once he knew you weren't there. It was killing you but every time you questioned it he shrugged you off, telling you he loved you.

You wanted to scream at him if he loved you why isn't he showing it, why does he refuse to acknowledge you. You knew he was lying to you, he didn't love you anymore, you could see it in his eyes, how he never looked at you as he used to, he never held you like he used to. It was killing you and you knew you should ask him but you also knew that would lead to conversation you didn't want to have, an ending you didn't want to happen. So you kept quiet, went about your day and didn't question his actions, you had decided you would rather have the worst of him than not have him at all.

But that didn't last long. A few weeks later something happened, something you could ignore. Spencer had barely been home, only coming back to grab new clothes and leaving again often returning at 4 am or not all. The nights you spent alone, his side of the bed going cold broke your heart bit by bit. But you weren't ready for it to completely shatter, the images Penelope sent you of him holding that girl, a little too close, a little too tight, a little too much, start to fill your screen causing a lump in your throat and tears threatening to spill. You walked to the kitchen, surprised to see him there, he was sat at the counter head in his hands and a coffee in front of him.

"Spencer, what fuck is going on?" You all but shouted.

"Shh, my heads killing me." He said, burying his head in his hands attempting to block you out.

"You fucking asshole." You screamed at him, the pain and hurt evident in your broken voice as you tried your best not to cry.

This made him look up, far quicker than he should've causing his head to fill with pain and throb, but he didn't care, the memories of last night were coming back he knew he had fucked up. "I-I'm sorry, I was drunk and she was just there, nothing happened.

"You're sorry? Are you fucking kidding me?" You said, moving away from him as he got up to come closer to you. "No, don't fucking touch me. I'm done."

"What? No look I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I love you." The words were said, but the tone held so much uncertainty you couldn't tell if he was trying to convince you or himself.

"No you don't Spencer, not anymore. I know you don't and I've been lying to myself, saying that I'm ok with it when I'm not. I love you so much but I can't keep hurting myself by pretending like we're fine, We're not fine, we haven't been for a long time. Yes that fucking hurts, I thought we were forever, I thought we were going to grow old together and have kids and show them that we were soulmates. I thought we were perfect but we aren't."

"I never wanted to hurt you, I love you so much but-" He started with a sigh.

"You're not in love with me anymore..." You finished for him

"I'm so sorry. I wish things were different, I wish I could control how I felt. You were everything to me, I really did picture a future for us but things changed, I don't know why and I don't know how. You don't deserve this, I'm so sorry."

"I know Spence, I know." You moved closer to him and he held you like it was the last time... because it was. "I'm sorry too."

You pulled away from him."I'll grab some stuff and go stay at my mom's for a few days. I just need to find a new place to move my stuff to." You said, trying to brush some tears away but failing as they kept falling.

"No, it's fine. I'll go, this is just as much your home as it is mine. I'll stay with Derek for a bit, you take your time sorting stuff out ok?" He said, using his thumbs to attempt to wipe away your tears. You sighed but nodded knowing he wouldn't take no for an answer.

You sat down as he went to the room to gather some things, your mind reeling from the last half hour. How could so much change in such a short period of time, years spent together thrown away so quick.

"I'm done, I'll get going ok?" He said placing his duffel bag down beside by the door.

"So this is it huh?" You said, with a sigh. You felt him walk towards you and take a seat next to you.

"The last 10 years have been the most incredible time of my life, you put up with so much of my shit and loved me unconditionally and I can't thank you enough for giving the eager 25-year-old who wanted nothing more than to impress you a chance. I'm never going to stop loving you, you know that. I'm never gonna forget about you, my first love, the first woman to capture my heart. I'm so sorry things didn't work out like how we'd imagined them. If I could change how I feel I would, I wanted nothing more than for this to be a silly phase, for me to wake up one day and feel how I felt again. But it didn't happen and it fucking sucks."

"I get it, Spence, you have to do what makes you happy and I'm not gonna stop you. I'm just sorry it wasn't me that could give you want and need, but you're gonna make some girl out there very happy if you're even half the man you were when you were with me." You gave him a soft smile as he stroked your hair and kissed your forehead.

He stood up and walked to the door. "Call me when you're ready ok? I love you." He turned and gave you a soft smile before picking up his bag and walking out the door.

You just broke down, you don't know how long you sat there sobbing your heart out but it felt like forever. Everything hurt so bad you didn't think you'd ever feel any emotion other than heartbreak for as long as you lived.

You took a deep breath as your hand hovered over the delete button on your phone, it was time to move on just as he had. As you released the breath you were holding, your finger pressed against the button, deleting all the pictures you had with him and you felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders and the realisation sunk in.

You loved him so much, but he wasn't yours to love anymore.

He was just a memory.

-

tagged: @gcblers​ @187-reid​ @mgg-theprettiestboy​ @mggbler​ @snitchthewitch​

[azucanela]

chapter ii

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

warnings: cursing. mentions of a bomb.

word count: 3k

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows.

series masterlist

THE MEETING WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. AT ALL. Or at least, that’s how it seemed in Y/N’s eyes. Seeing as the only thing that had come out of it was… spending more time with Bakugou. Which was the opposite of what she wanted to do at the moment seeing as she despised him. Y/N actually had a feeling that any further interactions with Bakugou would only end in more chaos. So, Y/N decided she would set to work, as she would any other day. 

Ignore the problem until it goes away, right?

Slipping on her hero costume feels like a chore, pulling the gloves of her suit on with a grimace. They only served as a reminder of her inability to fully control her ability— though Y/N was known as someone with some of the most impressive quirk control. There was always that underlying feeling, of course that feeling never belonged to her. It had always been hard, shutting out the emotions of others, Y/N had found that those who feel the most strongly were the ones she would avoid.

Clearly she had failed.

Regardless, those emotions tended to be distracting as she went about her day. Y/N had learnt to ignore them, to block them out for periods of time, but in a career like hers it was unavoidable. The pain, the rage, the panic, the pure feeling of fear. It could get overwhelming and that often put her at a disadvantage. Emotions were viewed as a weakness, and oftentimes allowing your emotions to get the best of you resulted in unnecessary deaths. But allowing the emotions of others to do so? 

It got even worse when she actually activated her quirk to its fullest extent.  With a single touch, she could utilize the abilities of a person— all their abilities. When it came to quirks, if you controlled your quirk well, so could she. Otherwise, she would adapt the skills of a person, their intelligence, their athleticism, even their hobbies. Y/N could even the fact that she’d made it through UA to this ability. After all, she’d never been athletic, but her classmates had been. 

But her setback had always been a pain, especially in battle, Y/N felt the pain of whoever’s quirk she mimicked. If they were shot, Y/N felt it as if she had been shot as well. She’d never experienced someone dying on her. Nor did she want to. But Y/N was capable of holding as many quirks and capabilities as she could handle— and pain added up very quickly. 

It had been worse when she was younger, but Y/N had grown during her time at UA, and now she was capable of ignoring the emotions of others to an extent, and her pain tolerance had grown exponentially. 

Y/N was grateful for her success, for the agency she’d been working at. She was not grateful for the looks she got on the way there, Y/N could feel the whispers of those who watched her enter as they walked past. Though she could only hope her own staff had more respect for her. 

Her lips pressed together into a tight lipped smile as she entered, and Y/N found herself bracing for whatever could greet her. And to her delight, it appeared that everything was normal. Save for Lorelai’s presence by the entrance, her phone in hand. As though she had known Y/N had entered, the girl in question looks up from her phone before Y/N even has the chance to speak.

“We need to go over our plan, Y/N.”

In response, Y/N waves her off, continuing down the corridor. She smiles to those who greet her, mumbling back to them as Lorelai follows her. “Actually, I need to plan my first patrol of the morning.” She says, looking back to her friend momentarily.

“Then I’ll plan. And my plan includes a real nice fake dating scheme, kinda like those movies.”

Almost instantly Y/N turns around, glaring at Lorelai— who simply offers her a smile in response, clearly pleased with herself as she begins to move alongside Y/N rather than behind her. Y/N had no doubt that they would plan a fake dating scheme if it came down to it, unless she got involved that is. “So?”

“Well, the fake dating scheme was an actual option but you clearly don't like that.” Lorelai mumbles out in response, now holding a tablet as she guides them into a room. “Aside from that, basic press events together,” Lorelai looks up from her tablet pointedly, “where you actually look like you’re enjoying yourself, should amend the situation easily enough.”

Y/N raised a brow, taking a step around the long meeting table where those who worked at Hawk’s agency would soon congregate for their weekly assignments, “a little too easy if you ask me.” She looks to Lorelai, “Bakugou agreed to this?”

“I’m sure his PR team will convince him.” Came her response, shrugging as she took a seat on the table and crossed her legs. “We can do a public statement but there’s no real reason for making this a bigger thing than it already is. It would only end badly.” 

With a frown, Y/N’s eyes drift back towards the window. They’re still on the first floor so it’s not like she’s seeing much, but it’s almost astonishing, how there are people just… going about their days without a single fear in the world. All Might’s downfall had eradicated the mindset but on days like these it felt as though not a single thing had changed. As though there weren’t still dozens of underground organizations planning horrid things, and there weren’t hero agencies like her own devising ways to stop them.

Hero Society was a fragile, and corrupt thing. 

Y/N had watched as they threw children into every battle, she remembered when she’d been forced to do such things herself. She had watched her comrades, her friends, nearly die for a cause they were too young to comprehend. And she watched as civilians criticized them for not doing enough. Why did her publicity even matter? Shouldn’t that be the least of her concerns? Y/N found it funny that she needed to do well in polls to do her job well. It was the only real way to guarantee access to certain information that low ranked heroes didn’t get. 

With a sigh,Y/N turns back, brows furrowed, “so when does this start?”

Placing the tablet beside her on the table, Lorelai rests her palms against it and leans back against them, “next week probably. Haru still needs to work out the details with the rest of the PR team and Bakugou.” 

A small laugh escapes Y/N as she mumbles out, “it takes a whole team to keep that man from ruining himself.”

“Most Pro Heroes have a PR team, Y/N. You’re one of few exceptions.” Lorelai corrects, looking to her. It was true, Y/N was aware that more popular heroes often had teams of people coordinating their social media, schedules, public outings, and more. 

Y/N tilts her head at Lorelai, “why is that?” 

Lorelai raises a brow at her friend’s words, “what, you want to get rid of me?”

Y/N laughs once more, shaking her head, “no… it’s just—” She turns to face her friend, “when I hired you I couldn’t really afford anyone else. Now I can. But you do all the work by yourself.” Biting her lip, Y/N asks, “why is that? I could get you an assistant or something, easily.”

“Well you aren’t exactly the most problematic,” Lorelai responds, offering her a small smile.

Nodding, Y/N pulls out a chair at the head of the table, taking a seat, “but you also have plenty of other clients—”

The door opens, drawing their attention to the person who stands there, one of many heroes who worked at the agency., Pro Hero Telen, a simple hero name with an equally simple quirk. But his ability had saved them numerous times in battle. He pauses as he enters, “is it— is it not time for the briefing? Have I interrupted something? I apologize I can—” 

He moves to shut the door but Lorelai simply hops off the table, collecting her tablet as she heads to the door and rests a hand on his shoulder, “don’t worry— we’re done here, right Y/N?” Y/N simply nods, and Lorelai offers her a smile, “be careful today.” She mumbles out, before turning back to Telen. Y/N doesn’t know what she says, but he pales and nods before entering. Shortly after, everyone else seems to file inside, and Y/N finds herself sighing as she spins around in her chair as she waits. 

It would be a long day. A very, very, long day. 

BAKUGOU WAS TIRED. He really was. Working at Endeavor’s Agency meant long hours, endless paperwork, constant cases. And right now he was assigned to the current big thing; the Stain copycat that had yet to be caught. Unfortunately, this guy didn’t seem to be an amateur like the rest. Of course, whoever it was, they’d primarily been attacking minor Pro Heroes, until recently. 

Slowly working their way up the food chain of heroes until they ended up coming across someone who was relevant. It was inevitable, at one point whoever it was, they’d bite more than they can chew. Trying to take on a hero that surpassed their skills, whatever those skills may be— or they would slip up. Leaving behind some sort of evidence that would result in their capture. 

The only issue was, there was no telling where or when this would be. How many would have to die before they were caught? Bakugou didn’t necessarily want to know, and it was his job to make sure no one ever knew how many. 

A job he was failing. Alongside Deku, who had also been assigned to the case, it was a curious partnership but he had no choice to make it work. And his publicist had insisted that any presence with a hero like him would be good publicity. After all, most of the public knew about their little rivalry so it would make him seem diplomatic in a way. But Deku was…

“So… the gala, huh.”

Well, he was Deku.

“Shut up.” 

Thankfully, they hadn’t run into any reporters, though he was sure someone had caught pictures of them on duty together. Which was bound to end either ridiculously well for him, or incredibly poorly. It was always hit or miss with the press and Bakugou despised the entire aspect of the job. It was the one thing he could admit he was bad at. He wasn’t the most approachable, meaning it was rare for reporters to approach him in the first place due to his renowned temper.

The pair was making their way through the streets of the city, patrol was normal but they were currently on their way to the police station. They were supposed to be collaborating with the police to handle this copycat, and for some reason Deku was… panicked. It was subtle but the guy had been practically sweating bullets since Endeavor told them they’d need to work with the police. 

If Bakugou was honest this whole job was busy work. Why else would Endeavor’s agency be working on it? The Number One hero had to have better things to do. Maybe this was a punishment for what happened on the last mission they went on.

Bakugou frowns at the thought, electing to push those thoughts to the back of his mind as they come to stand in front of the Police Station. He finds himself bringing a hand to rub his temple. It was definitely going to be a long day. And he hadn’t even spoken to Haru about how the meeting with Lorelai went yet. Not that he wanted to know at this point, Bakugou had a feeling he wouldn’t be satisfied with any solution they proposed.

He really didn’t feel like dealing with any of this. So, Bakugou finds himself thinking that it might be time to use all those vacation days he’d been holding onto since he’d started working with Endeavor. They were piling up after all.

With a huff, he and Deku make their way up the steps up the police station, and Bakugou pushes the door open. It’s busy inside, as expected. A bustling atmosphere that reeks of blood, sweat, and tears, literally. There are some people seated, likely waiting to be processed, they’re handcuffed and Bakugou is fairly sure he recognizes one of them. Not that he has the time to dwell on it as they move through the police station.

One of the officers makes their way towards them, “you’re the heroes Endeavor’s agency sent?” He asks, looking to Deku, brow raised. “Welcome back.” 

Bakugou looks at Izuku incredulously as they begin to follow the man through the mess of a building, “the hell is that supposed to mean?” He hisses, but Izuku’s face has already flushed as he covers it with his hands, shaking his head.

“It was one time, how do all of you know about it!” Izuku cried out, and Bakugou finds himself glaring at his partner for the day, even without context.

The officer simply laughs, waving him off as they make their way into a room. There stands the police chief, Kenji Tsuragamae, and a few others seated at some of the many seats in the room, in front of white board that seems to be more of a mess than those around them. They look tired, exhausted even. 

Tsuragamae seems to notice their presence, clapping to garner the attention of the few inside the room, “everyone, please welcome the Pro Heroes from Endeavor’s agency. They’ll be assisting us with this case moving forwards.”

The officers seem rather unimpressed, and since Izuku still seems rather embarrassed for some reason, Bakugou finds himself stepping forwards, “what’s going on?”

With a sigh, he goes to answer. But he doesn’t get the chance as an explosion sounds and the building shakes. A siren goes off above them and suddenly the sprinklers began shooting out water as a woman entered, “sir! There’s been an explosion.”

Bakugou fights the urge to say, no shit, as he and Izuku exchange looks, “is it an attack?”

“On the police? That’s bold.” The officer from earlier comments as they all rise from their seats. But the fear in the room is abundantly evident as they all await her response, anticipation amongst them all. Because who would do such a thing, and so strategically placed on the day

The woman only shakes her head, and this time a man appears beside her, based on the way he’s dressed— Bakugou would have to guess he’s a plumber of some sort, but the man simply explains, “we think it’s an issue with the boiler room.” 

Bakugou finds himself rolling his eyes, “then why are you still here?” He turns to the rest of the room, “get on with the briefing and get the damn plumber down there.” He grumbles out, before taking a seat once more and redirecting his attention back to the chief, gesturing for him to carry on with his presentation. All the while Izuku is apologizing rather profusely for his attitude.

Now, crime had worsened exponentially after All Might’s downfall. It’s not that other heroes were suddenly less capable, although some were discouraged by the fall of the greatest hero. It’s just that All Might was a symbol. Even years after the fact, Bakugou could still see it. Things had changed. Although in recent times, crime had lessened thanks to the work of today’s Pro Heroes, there were still… issues.

Many had gone the vigilante route as a result of the League of Villains and Stain— and speaking of Stain, there had been several copycats over the years, people who agreed with his ideals and his actions. Which is what brought them here. The issue at hand was this most recent copycat was… decent. Most of the time it was amateurs who didn’t plan that far ahead, quick and easy to catch with minimal casualties, if any. 

Essentially, the police had nothing on him. Just a list of his victims and what they had in common. They were underground heroes, like that of his own teacher from UA, but something about them seemed off, different from what they’d seen in other copycats in the past. They weren’t like the flashy heroes you would find, the ones who seemed… fake. The ones most targeted because they fit Stain’s idea of a false hero.

And even then, there was no being sure which were the victims of this copycat and which were that of others. As the anniversary of Stain’s capture grew closer, more attacks were popping up. 

Shaking away these thoughts, Bakugou grimaces. All he had gotten from that briefing was that they knew nothing, had done nothing, and were going nowhere. Which wasn’t necessarily encouraging. So far, there were four confirmed victims of the copycat, and three additional deaths that were viewed as possible victims of the copycat. Technically, one of the copycats, but that wasn’t something he necessarily wanted to think about. 

Yeah, he would definitely be taking those vacation days.

[broadstflyers]

A/N: I am so excited to be starting my first ever series. This is inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan” because her music creates stories in my head that I must write down on (digital) paper. Please keep in mind this chapter is written in past tense, and the story probably won't be in present tense for at least another few chapters. Let me know what you think! If you want to be on the tag list for the next chapter, or drop any (constructive) feedback, you can take this survey here.

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: None

Summary: They say at fourteen you’re too young to know you’re in love. But what if you aren’t?

Navigation: chapter two

Grade: 9 Age: 14 --------------------------------- As sure as you are that spring comes after winter, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and seconds turn into minutes, you know you are in love with Joel Farabee. Not the gushy “I want to hug you and kiss you and never let you go” love, the intense “I want to burst at the seams because I just want to scream it on the rooftops and tell you and it literally crushes my heart that I can’t” love.

Yeah, that love.

The problem?

You were only fourteen when you knew.

Yes, the grand old age of fourteen. The age you were supposed to be nervously texting multiple boys, wondering if you were going to be asked to the ninth grade dance and worrying about who your first kiss was going to be, or even the first person you were going to hold hands with.

It started on the first day of school, but the start of it all was less than romantic. You shuffled up the hallway with one of your best friends, your feet felt like lead.

“What’s wrong?” Luna whispered in your ear.

“I really hate math,” you huffed. It was the last period of the day, eighth period, and you had to spend it in what was probably going to be a room full of rambunctious athletes who would be itching to burst out of the room at the very sound of the bell. How did you know this? Because you had been stuck in a class like that ever since the beginning of middle school. It made for some laughs, yes, but for some reason a pessimistic attitude bitterly swarmed around you in dark circles. Also, math in general made you anxious, and it didn’t help that the last few years you had to fend for yourself because of your lack of friends in said class.

“Well, at least you’ll have me this year,” Luna attempted to reassure you and your looming anxiety.

“Yeah, but I wonder who’s going to be in our class this year,” you mumbled. Your stomach swarmed with butterflies, but you’d rather call them icky moths.

Luna opened her mouth to respond, but you reached the door frame before her. Before you could even make it through the entrance, you made eye contact with a group of rowdy boys sitting at a table directly in front of you. You stopped dead in your tracks. They paused in their shouting to turn and look at you and Luna, since you were only about seven or eight feet away.

You scanned their faces, and you recognized most of them. They were mostly hockey players that played for the local team that looked for a shot at the NTDP in just a few short years. It was Syracuse, hockey was a pretty big deal there. There was also the prospective varsity quarterback and his star wide-receiver, these labels given to them at just fourteen. Of course, more athletes. Suddenly, you locked eyes with this boy you strangely have never seen before. His hand was hovering in air over his friend’s head with what you could only assume is his friend’s pencil in a lame attempt to keep him from grabbing it.

He blinked a few times, and you might have blinked a few times, you honestly couldn’t remember.

You snapped out of your trance and looked over to the board that said, “Welcome class! Pick your seats for the first day!”

“Hey,” Luna nudged you and grabbed your arm, “let’s sit over there.”

She lead you to a table adjacent to the boys’ table, despite your unheard protests of being “too close” to them.

You took your seat huffing, and you pulled out your binder and got ready for class, something you wished the crazy boys would pick up on. Thankfully the bell rang, your teacher shut the door, and class began.

That’s the first time you saw him. Not very eventful, but hey, you two were awkward fourteen year olds just entering grade nine. Of course things were not going to be all fireworks and love at first sight.

---------------------------------

A few classes went by, and the only disturbance that occurred was when the class was taking one of those horrible diagnostic tests. See, you really hated disturbances, interruptions, anything relating to that matter.

So when this dude named Joel (you learned his name when he was yelled at for playing rap music in the middle of class) started fooling around with his friend while you were trying to figure out why letters were in math now, you weren’t happy, to say the least.

And when he locked eyes with you and made a silly face, yours did not move in a rather unamused manner. You simply blinked and looked back down at your test.

You missed his face slightly fall, but it was short lived when the teacher yelled his name from across the room and made everyone jump ten feet. He was quiet after that.

---------------------------------

It was a random Tuesday in late October.

You and Luna were chatting about your previous classes, until you both stopped in your tracks and you raised an eyebrow. Everyone in your class was standing up and congregating away from tables. You could hear the ominous music creeping over everyone’s heads.

“Oh no,” you whined to Luna.

She winced. “We’re being assigned seats, aren’t we?”

You nodded. You both stood in the sea of kids and awaited your fate.

“Alright, everyone,” your teacher said. “You guys have been extremely chatty lately.” She paused to side-eye Joel and his friends.

He opened his mouth to protest, but he quickly shut it when she frowned.

“So you leave me no choice, but I must assign seats,” she dramatically said as she unveiled the new seating chart on the board.

Everyone pushed and shoved to the front to see where their name lied in the cards of fate. You heard some soft celebrations and loud protests.

You nudged your way in and scanned up and down the board. Luna wasn’t at the same table, but she was sitting facing towards you at another table. Hopefully you and her would be able to make eye contact. You scanned until you see your name fall right next to someone who you would rather forget you treated so poorly. It was there in bright, bold red.

Joel Farabee.

“Aw man,” you and a voice said in unison. You looked up at your side to see that it’s him. Oh dear brother. Did you both just admit out loud that you don’t want to sit next to each other? You and him rolled your eyes at each other, huffing that you’ll be forced to be in each other’s presence.

And you knew he was thinking some sort of variation of what you were: how dare your teacher.

You trudged over to your seat and plopped down. He threw down his stuff and sat next to you. You could sense his extreme dislike for your rather serious demeanor. Hey, you could crack a smile.

Just not around him. And for the life of you, you couldn’t figure out why. It’s almost like if you did, you knew you would never stop...

You both avoided eye contact, you played with your pencil as he yelled to one of his friends across the classroom about some stupid video game.

And that’s just how it was for weeks. You’d both come in, sit down, he’d scream to his friends, you’d fight shooting him a really dirty look.

Until one day, you accidentally did. Now, later when you told Luna, you swore up and down you didn’t mean to, and it was just the fact that seventh period gym was terrible (but when was it not). Okay, so maybe you were fed up with him yelling about whatever rap song came out, or whatever Instagram model popped up on his feed (that made you shutter).

But what you did wasn’t really admittedly the nicest.

“Joel, do you always have to yell so freaking loudly?” you snapped.

He feigned a stunned expression, or maybe he really meant it, who knows what goes on in that boy’s seemingly empty head.

“Do you have to be such a downer…like all the time? Kinda ruins the vibe bro.”

You rolled your eyes. “Thanks Joel, because the number one thing I care about is ruining your ‘vibe’,” you put that word in air quotes, “and not getting any work done in this class, bro.”

Now he rolled his eyes. “Look, you could benefit from loosening up a little, you know? You’re kind of just, not a fun person.”

A look of real hurt flashed across your face. One that he caught. “No,” you punctually state. Then you turn your seat so you completely have your back to him and you’re facing the board.

Meanwhile Luna and your table-mates watched the whole situation unfold. Okay, and maybe most of the class.

And when the bell rang and he called your name, you simply decided you didn’t hear it.

“He’s calling you,” Luna prodded.

You just shook your head as you continued down the hallway to the bus. On the bus, you had some thinking to do.

Did he really think of you as...boring? You usually didn’t let the immature words of boys get to you, but this, this really hurt.

---------------------------------

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Luna insisted that evening while lying on your bedroom floor that same Friday evening.

“Yes he did, and he’s kind of right,” you begrudgingly conceded. “I haven’t been the nicest to him,” you sigh into your hands, “and maybe I should be.”

“Well, what’s stopping you?” Luna curiously asked.

“I, I don’t know.”

---------------------------------

The following Monday, you winced and leaned into Luna as you approached the classroom. To say you were terrified is an understatement.

But you took a deep breath, held your head high, and locked your face into a neutral expression. You never let anyone get the best of you, and you weren’t going to let Joel out of all people be one of the first.

Luna offered a small sympathetic smile as she made her way to her seat.

Your heart beated out of your chest anticipating his arrival. Sure enough, you caught him out of the corner of your eye. He took his time and strutted around the room to talk to all the friends he had. He was obviously looking to avoid you, too.

Coward.

Eventually, he made his way to his seat. He cleared his throat, but you didn’t budge. Ever heard of being saved by the bell?

“I’m going to hand back everyone’s quizzes from last class,” your teacher announced. You audibly groaned. That quiz did not go well. Who puts diamonds and boxes and something called factoring in math?

Sure enough, she shoved a C- into your sweaty hands.

“Dang,” you whispered.

You glanced over at Joel’s paper. 100%.

Are you kidding me?

His prying eyes had the audacity to spot your C-, as if you didn’t pry on his paper seconds before.

“That’s rough,” he said, trying to make eye contact with you.

“I- um, yeah, it is,” you choked out with your eyes still glued on your paper.

His heart broke when he heard your wavering voice. He had to do something.

“Can I see it?” He quietly asked, when quiet usually isn’t typically his demeanor.

You furrowed your brows in confusion. “Uh, sure?”

He took the paper and started drawing stars around the C- mark, very messily, may you add.

You went to take the paper back, but he moved it away from your grasp.

“One second,” he pleaded. He stuck his tongue out in concentration.

You tried to see how badly he was defacing your quiz, but the position of his arm prohibited you from peering over to see.

“Done,” he proudly said as he slid the paper back over to you.

Instead of a plain old C-, there was now...a C- with stars around it.

“Joel, this is very lovely and all, but why the stars around the C-?”

He smiled with his sickeningly sweet toothless grin, and your heart absolutely backflipped into oblivion.

“That’s not a C-,” he goofily joked, “that’s the moon, y/n,” he said through a smile. “See it?”

You looked up from your paper and looked at him in the eye. Your hands shook from adrenaline, your heart was fluttering, goodness, you didn’t know how you could feel any lighter.

That smile was going to be the death of you.

“Yeah, Joel,” you cracked a smile, “I do see it. Thank you,” you sincerely said.

Crack a smile.

You cracked a smile.

His heart skipped a beat. He knew instantly he was going to do whatever it took to keep that smile on your face for as long as possible. He didn’t care what he would have to do.

He smiled once more, and he turned to his buddies to shield his face from you. He didn’t want you to see how red it was turning. He proceeded to explain to them how perfect his stars were and how no one could top them. Something along the lines of “Bro, you have to see this one, it’s so perfect bro…” He also told them how he made you feel better while slapping his chest, for some reason, as in yeah, I made the mopiest girl in school smile. He sounded like he was priding himself on it.

His smile, the way he talked about you, those freaking stars. You’d let him draw those all over your arm instead any day.

At that age, you may not have known why there were letters in algebra, but you knew that the way he made you feel wasn't the same as you did with your two other crushes back in middle school. This just felt...absolutely weird.

But absolutely right.

And that’s the story of how at just fourteen years old, you knew you were absolutely screwed.

[hedgiwithapen]

How about the Leverage Crew arriving in Central City in time for the that time Barry got accused of murdering DeVoe. Basically, Leverage Crew (Classic or Redeption is your choice) meddling in that plan. Because screw DeVoe. Can be in the same universe as The Central City job, or a brand new AU; your choice.

this one Long The courthouse was packed when a sleek black van pulled up to a loading zone. Nathan Ford turned from the passenger seat. “You all know the play?” “Mm, yup,” Parker said, clipping a badge to her blazer pocket. “The Boston skip.” “It’s not the Boston Skip,” Hardison snapped, fussing with his tie.. “You’re just grumpy because you have to play the lawyer again.” Eliot smirked. “Hey, you said only if it comes to a cross examine, I did my job, if you all do your jobs right and it doesn’t come to that,” Hardison’s voice pitched upwards. “If?” Sophie put on the emergency break. “If? Hardison, I’m hurt.” “Soph,” Nate sighed. “Let it go.” “For now. We’re having words later,” Sophie insisted. “Can we just get this over with?” Eliot asked, maneuvering to take the driver’s seat. “ you know I don’t like us splitting up like this.” “It’ll only be for a bit,” Parker said, squeezing his hand. “ We’ll be fine.” They left the van in twos, first Parker and hardison, briefcase and extraneous computer in hand, and a minute or two later Sophie and Nate followed-- and Nate with a plain folder tucked under his arm. Eliot drove in the direction of the police station, ready for the next phase of the plan. They hadn’t exactly called ahead, but that wasn’t going to be much of a problem. Cisco Ramon was the first to spot them. He goggled a bit. “What are you doing here?” he asked as Hardison approached the bench where Team Flash had congregated. Hardison smiled, knowing the prosecutor was watching. “I came to offer my services,” he said, sending a quick text with a thought. “ Where is Ms Horton?” “Here,” the short woman said, her eyes cutting between the two as Cisco checked his phone. “ Who are you? Cisco, who is--” Cisco looked up from the message--you didn’t see us coming?-- and relaxed slightly for the first time in weeks. “I’m part of Mr. Allen’s legal team,” Hardison smiled wide. “He’s ok, Cecile,” Cisco vouched. “ He and his, uh, coworkers have helped us in the past. With Z--wait, that was before you. Um.” “My firm helped get Henry Allen some money, after that unfortunate mess. And we’re here to see justice through again.” He hesitated. “ Or pick up where it leaves off,” he said under his breath. Cecile took in a sharp breath. “When did we hire you?” “Uh--” “Cecile, it’s really ok,” Caitlin joined the cluster. “They know about STAR. And apparently about the recent… developments.” “You think we don’t keep tabs on your crazy city? Now, Ms. Horton, as your co-lawyer, we need to discuss strategy. I’ve got some character witnesses I’d like to introduce, some crucial evidence that needs to be submitted, is there an office we might use?” He steered her away, nodding to Parker, deep in conversation with the prosecutor.

“You let that jerk stick around?” Iris jumped when she heard the voice in her ear. Turning she sighed with recognition. “ Lilli--Sophie?” “In the flesh.” She smiled. “I can’t stay long, but Eliot wanted me to ask.” Iris sighed. “If it’s Eliot asking, I guess you mean Harry. He’s been a lot better since Eliot kicked his ass, that’s for sure. And he has been helpful.” “I’m sure,” Sophie sounded anything but sure. “Listen, we’ve got this pretty well handled, but you and your friends may wish to be ready in case of reprisals. Have you upgraded security lately?” “Cisco’s worked on it,” Iris confirmed. “Good. Hardison would love to take a look, later. We’re probably going to be in the area, we’ve had word something’s fishy at that prison of yours.” When Iris opened her mouth Sophie shook her head. “Iron Heights. Point is, we’ll be around should you need anything.” “Thank you for the offer,” Iris said. She shook her head. “ These people are smart, Sophie. Dangerous.” “Not compared to my team,” Sophie smiled. “Save your worry. Look, see? Hardison’s in place, and Parker’s in the wings. I’ve got to go take care of my part. If you see your husband, let him know, will you?” “I-- sure,” Iris said, and she watched as Sophie stood and walked into a crowd. An entirely different person made her way past a bailiff and into the Juror’s box, leaning over to the man beside her and nodding in the direction of the door Barry Allen had just been escorted through. As Iris stood to take his hand across the gap between his seat and the benches, Sophie gave a little nod to the two of them. “It is strange,” the man said. “But I don’t think we’re meant to discuss the case until we’re in the back.” “Of course not,” Sophie said. “I was just thinking about it, is all. If it were a scene in a mystery novel, I’d call it too obvious.” “You do have a point,” the man agreed. “I’m actually a novelist myself.” “You don’t say,” Sophie smiled. “Classic red herring, am I right? And what a story. Two men in the same family accused of nearly identical murders…” She tapped her com, giving a quick signal. Nate was up. “Ah, a quick word?” Nate stepped away from the wall, flagging down Mrs. DeVoe and her companion. “No,” she snapped, putting on what Nate could see was a reasonably convincing mask of Grieving Widow. Convincing to a mark, maybe. But the Mako was right--you can’t con a conman. “Vultures, all of you.” “Oh, I’m not a reporter.” Nate said easily. He nodded to the tall man at Marlize’s Elbow. “Mr. DeVoe, I’m sure you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” He was pleased to see shock cross the face of Dominic Lanse. The man grabbed him by the arm, yanking him into an empty room. Mrs. DeVoe followed, locking it behind her. “Just so you are aware, there is video footage of you dragging me in here,” Nate said in his most helpful voice. “In case you decide to kill me here, probably not your smartest move.” he glanced around. “Private, though. Good.” He gave his signature infuriating grin. “Make this quick,” Clifford said in Dominic’s voice. “Court begins soon.” “Right, well, that’s going to be your problem.” Nate shrugged. “ Let’s skip the pleasantries. I know everything, about your plan at least. Your computer banks! Normal people couldn’t even find them, so you’ve got that going for you, though the security is lacking once you get past that, so B+. I am not Normal People. I have the best hacker in the multiverse, though, so,” he clicked his tongue in mock dismay, “like I said, my team and I --I’m sure you’re trying to think of who we are right now--know everything.” Marlize glanced at her silent watch, frowning. “Oh, no, no, I’m not a meta.” Nate shook his head. “But the thing is, I don’t have to be to destroy you.” “What--” “Again. I know everything, Thinker. Your basement prison, your hidden files, what you want with that satellite… you really shouldn’t have written everything down… twice even.” He fished a small book out of his pocket, and let them see the plain cover. Clifford’s eyes darkened. “That’s mine.” “Yeah, well, I also have the

multiverse’s greatest thief.” “Our home is under police protection and surveillance. There are officers--” “There right now, I’m aware.” Eliot Spencer, clutching a cup of coffee in one hand, flashed a badge at the pair of officers standing by a door. “Any trouble?” “Nope. She just left for the courthouse. Some work, huh? Just standing here.” “Hmm.“ Eliot agreed. “Though I guess if something did happen, the Flash would swoop in.” “Nine times out of ten,” the first officer agreed. “Or one of his buddies. “ “Maybe 8 times,” the second officer shrugged. “ You new?” “Just transferred from Keystone.” Eliot said. “Not so much nonsense there.” “I hear that. Good to have the backup though.” Eliot nodded. “ You do a walk through?” “Uh, no…. Like I said, no trouble, officer-- “Ted Crichton,” Eliot interrupted. “You haven’t walked through? What if someone’s in there, waiting to assault Mrs. DeVoe when she gets back?” “Well, uh, we don’t have a warrant--” “For crying out loud--” Eliot pulled a paper from his pocket. “See? Now let's go. You stay out here. Who has the back-- does no one have the back door? “ The officers hurried inside. “Don’t forget to check the closets,” Eliot called. -- “ Like I said. Best thief. Best hacker. Now, honestly--and you can run the numbers-- your best bet would be to cut your losses right here, right now. You’re already lying on the stand, so say you were coerced into implicating Mr. Allen--if you need someone to blame I do have a list of patsys that really need the jail time. You do that, put your little plan,” he waggled the book “ back in the box or write it up as the next dystopian best seller for High School English classes to dissect for decades to come, and you can walk away from this.” A laugh. “No one will believe anything you say. That book can’t be traced to me, and even if it could be, it doesn’t prove anything. So someone thinks I’m a supervillain. I’m dead. You have nothing that proves Mr. Allen innocent. You’re out of your mind, Mr. Ford.” “Oh good, you know who I am. Think a little harder.” “As threats go, it’s half baked,” Marlize challenged. “What are you going to do if we refuse? Break Allen out of jail so he can be a fugitive? He’d never go along with it. And the Flash can’t stop us.” “I’d run those numbers again, you’ve left out quite a few variables. But no.” “No?” “If you refuse, if you keep up your little game, lie on the stand, sell that sob story, maybe you're right and the Flash can’t stop you. But he doesn’t need to. I’ll destroy you.” “You.” It was not a question. “For someone claiming to be the smartest man in the world, I’m a bit worried about your memory. I said it already--I’m not here alone. But be my guest. Tell your lies. Right about now the Jury is thinking about what an embarrassment to the city Henry Allen’s trial was and how closely this resembles it… the similarities, the way the timelines don’t quite match up… “ “Really? You’re trying to convince the jury to ignore evidence and go with their hearts? A pathos appeal? That’s not going to work. There’s less than a 3% chance of that even ending in a mistrial, much less acquittal.” “I’m sure that’s what your numbers said,” Nate smiled yet again, this time sharklike. “Cute. I bet you think it’s difficult to get assigned jury duty. “ “It-- we checked all the names. We know--” “You know who they are, yes, yes. But you don’t know who we are. Another sloppy mistake. Now, the jury’s, you're right, not a total slam dunk. So, right now the prosecutor is getting word of some new evidence from a very well respected FBI agent about how helpful the Flash and Mr Allen have both been in assisting with a case against a known human trafficker--you know her, Ammunet Black. The one you bought your puppet from. FBI picked her up…mmm, ten minutes ago? And she had some very interesting things to say. You can guess what they were. Add to that the evidence--” “What evidence?” “The wire transfers between you and Ms. Black. In December and a few days ago. We didn’t even have to fake that first one, but even if the second

one looks a little fishy, the fact that--” “Nate, we got him,” crackled Eliot’s voice in his ear. “--the police just found a metahuman locked in your hall closet--Weeper, I think is what Ms. Black called him-- should make things clear. He wasn’t thrilled about having to stick around much longer but your basement is pretty hard for normal people to find so we had to nudge that a bit. But hey, you’re all for planting evidence. Anyways, court’s in ten minutes…. but the police will be arresting you in about three, if my math’s right-- care to check?-- so I can make this very quick. We have video of you threatening the Flash, holding him prisoner the same night as that wire transfer, proof of Dominic’s powers and sale--my hacker thanks you for all those cameras and bugs, by the way, made his job much easier-- and you add that all up and it sure looks like you got upset at the Flash and Allen for poking into your meta trafficking and decided a frame up was in order.” Nate hefted the folder, “and then there’s this.” “And what,” Marlize asked, shaking with rage, “ is that?” “A copy of files that will be delivered to the FBI, NSA and Dean of Husdson University if you don’t admit to the frame up.” Nate said, thumbing through them. “Proof that you, Mrs. DeVoe, fed information to certain entities across Africa and the Middle East where you were doing your research and aid work to assist in their terror attacks and human trafficking--ties in quite nicely to your work with Ammunet, if I do say so myself. And proof that the “late” Mr. DeVoe plagiarized his thesis, his dissertation, even the syllabi for his classes.” “Lies. No one will believe any of--” “Oh, it’s all very well forged. Except for the bit about the Syllabi. For shame.” Nate tutted. “And part of the dissertation. Can they take away a PH.d posthumously? Anyways, even if it wasn’t, do you really think that no one would believe a man who thinks that giving everyone on the planet late stage Alzheimer’s is going to solve famine and illness? What kind of legitimate history teacher doesn’t know about cholera or the effects of the agricultural revolution? Every lie has a kernel of truth to it.” Nate glanced at the clock on the wall. “Well, that certainly was enlightening. And before you decide to simply kill me, run your little calculations with one more variable: Eliot Spencer.” DeVoe’s brow furrowed and what little color he had drained from his face. “ That’s what I thought. Three.. Two.. one.” Nate raised his voice. “ Help! I’m in here!” The door crashed from its hinges. “The Gloat is the best part,” Parker, FBI badge swinging, put an arm over Barry’s shoulders. He stood with Iris next to her and Eliot as the DeVoes were hauled away. “You know, I think I might have to agree,” Iris said, squeezing Barry’s hand. “Or second best, at least,” she added meaningfully. “So… what now?” Joe asked. “I mean, there’s still… the red tape, but… do we need to be worried? Don’t they still have--” “Oh, that sick chair and computer set up?” Hardison asked with a smirk. “I want it.” Harry announced. “When did you get here?” Hardison asked, affronted. -- Parker held up her badge as she pushed the crate up a ramp into Lucille. “Special Agent Hagen! Let me help you with that,” Agent McSweeten said, taking the dolley handle from her. Parker beamed, patting the side, careful not to dislodge the panel on the side. “Thanks!” -- “Anyways, you can’t just call dibs. You’re too late,” Hardison added, giving Parker a fistbump. “We stole it.”

[sachiwrites]

some friends to lovers hcs for sakusa pls? i've been thirsting over him for a while and seeing him in the recent manga chapters plus season 4 is just--

same fam, same. its been a whole mess over here. yikes this got long

— you are 210% that neighbor who his parents rely on to acclimate their son into being a somewhat decent member of society. is it a hardy task for someone at the age of six? yeah. was sakusa an absolute shit at that age too? of course. but he stopped that one kid from pulling your hair in class that day so he’s basically your unofficial hero. even if it was only because apparently you had ‘cooties’.

— naturally you continued to have this unknown disease for most of your life. but apparently so did everyone else in Japan. except when you got older it simply became known as- physical contact.

— “kiyoomi, why don’t you play outside with your friend?”

—“ they’re dirty.”

— sticks and stone may break your bones but the mud streaked across your face and hands would most certainly kill sakusa. or at least that’s what you thought at the age of seven when you went grab him off his front porch anyway. he sort of whined and pushed you for it, causing you to fall back on your rear, much to his parents obvious disdain. or as so you gathered as you smirked over their shoulder as they carried you inside, earning an extra few years of sakusa’s ire.

— “yoomi, lets play tag.”

— “it’s kiyoomi. and no, play by yourself.”

— “sakusa-san, yoomi doesn’t want to-“

— “run”

— the two of you were ‘reluctant’ friends until the age of eight. more or less, sakusa was required to spend at least half an hour outside with you a daily. half way through that the tenture you had mercy on him and introduced him to video games within the safety of his own home. sakusa has zero interest in crash bandicoot, but he likes you a little more for your concede.

— but his parents knew what they were doing when they put their son’s social reputation into your hands. for a while you were his only friend but occasionally you were able to integrate him into society. through little things like sitting down your lunch next to his and offering to be his partner in project.

— “i don’t need your help with this.”

— “maybe, but i need yours, so pretty please.”

— sakusa was a young genius and it would benefit you to take advantage of that feature. call it payment for all your years of servitude.

— the only time you found yourself not needing to be a crutch in his life was when he was playing volleyball. it was an option during recess to give the students an opportunity to scout out interests in athletic ventures. the sport was almost too perfect for sakusa- as an indoor requirement with almost no physical contact. it was his niche. a part of society that catered to his needs in a way that didn’t require your intervention.

— naturally, others began taking notice of his talents. other students were more likely to invite him for games during breaks- most knowing to keep their distance and touch to a limit. his own enjoyment of the sport slowly geared him towards pseudo-friendships that allowed him to play more and garner his skill set.

— “im going to try out for the volleyball club.”

— of course you knew this much. it was what he was so obviously looking forward to the most in junior high. it was just his decision to share his own thought with you the struck home.

— “yeah? i guess i should get some cheers ready for you games, eh?”

— he flinches away from your enthusiasm, his face portraying a mistake in letting you know so soon. but not once did he ever deter you from coming. in fact, you continued to be made aware of each an every upcoming match regardless of importance.

— “we have a practice match against haizen today.”

— wasn’t the most significant but he invited you so you’d be there. probably more vocal than you needed to be but he could mark your attendance and that’s all that mattered.

— a small part of you was worried that volleyball would take your place. it obviously had more suitable attributes than you. but it almost became a staple in your evolving relationship.

— in fact the first game you missed inflicted the first real argument you could remember having with sakusa. it surprised even his parents when you met him the next day to walk to class. you were use to a quiet shoulder but not a cold shoulder.

— “is something wrong?”

— it continued for most of the trip until you couldn’t take it anymore and reached for his arm. instead of shaking you off, he turns on you, gaze lit a flame with an emotion you didn’t recognize.

— “i had a game and you didn’t show up.”

— thinking back you did recall most of the students congregating towards the gym after class. it vaguely registered but you’d seen less of sakusa that day and more of pressing from your teacher to get your grades in order.

— “i had to stay back with my instructor. i needed help with my studies.”

— it was a little embarrassing- not something you wanted to admit. especially to someone like sakusa who obviously excelled where you fell short.

— “you’re an idiot. you come to me for that. ill help you after my games.”

— perphas it was in that moment that you should have realized that sakusa was more cognitive of his reliance than you were.

— what he does realize it how much he’s going to have to help you if he intended for you to join him at itachiyama. the school had shown interest in him earlier than year and it was mutual. but it’s prestige called for academics when sports weren’t your strong suit.

— matches weren’t the only appointments sakusa held you to. nearly everyday after class, whether your place or his, he made himself present while you studied. he wasn’t an overbearing tutor but he called you out in your faults and made you aware of mistakes before they became a habit. he wasn’t going to make you a super genius but you would become a student worthy of acceptance.

— the two of you were building something that only your parents noticed at first while watching from the doorway. itachiyama would be a dynamic chapter for both of you.

— the title of that chapter is: volleyball. because wow does that become an even bigger part of your life. itachiyama was already a powerhouse before sakusa but now he’s a cog in the wheel and an important one at that. quickly climbing ranks and becoming an imperative part of the team. if only he was more receptive to his newly popular status.

— he was still the same old germaphobe- avoiding crowds and wanting to get home as soon as possible to shower in his own tub instead of the school issued ones.

— his personality sort of highlighted your presence more than you expected. but given sakusa’s overall avoidance of unnecessary interactions, it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise.

— “he can be a bit much, but please take care of him.”

— above your bowed head, his older teammate coo and awe at sakusa’s cute little friend. this of course leads to more teasing for him but it’s all part of being part of a team- a larger whole. something you were willing to give up a bit of sakusa for.

— “are you two dating or something?”

— oh but that. you get a lot of that. not just by his teammates either. everyone seems to notice how sakusa tolerates you more than anyone else. though part of you wants to point out to his fan base that they would get a lot further if they just gave him his space. -yet here you were huddled up close in the library while he looked over your school work, so what could you say to that?

— “are you paying attention?”

— “hey, i got most of these right. give me a break.”

— not thinking about it, you go to ruffle his hair as a retort. an action sure to give you his ire- but it doesn’t? in fact his gaze doesn’t even lift from his book. and is he leaning closer? weird.

— sakusa is making rapid progress not only within tokyo but on a national level. it’s one of his teammates that points out his accomplishments to you one day while you’re waiting for sakusa to emerge from the locker rooms.

— “your boyfriend is really something else. already the ace of the team and he’s climbing the stats nationally too. you must be proud.”

— you are proud. very impressed, in fact. but sakusa is not your boyfriend. an important note that you most certainly do not get to point out because now sakusa is here and is corralling you towards the exit from his pressure of his chest against your back.

— he’s much more hands on now. less in tolerating your touch and more so initiating his own. it’s a late realization but most of your attention is stuck on that same teammate who is waving mischievously from the door.

— but oh man. it’s becoming a lot more obvious to you now when sakusa offers to hold you books while you change your shoes, and holding on to them even as you travel to class. he sits a little bit closer to you during study hall now, the erratic hitter of your knee brushing against his with every jerk up.

— “...are you okay, ‘yoomi?”

— he doesn’t complain about the name. not even a pinch of his brow, just confusion as he peers down at you.

— “im fine.”

— huh

— it’s all fun and games until his fingers catch yours one day while you walk side by side. it seemed like a fluke, just an accidental swing and bump. but then they’re latching and now you’re connected?

— “yoomi?”

— “it’s cold”

— yeah. okay, fair enough.

— periodic becomes occasional and now it’s a habit.

— and of course everyone takes notice. because sure sakusa tolerates you more than most. but now there’s a basis for it.

— “ah, so tables have turned.”

— “i knew it.”

— “top in the nation and already dating. our little kohai is such a pillar.”

— you’re beyond overwhelmed. worse because kiyoomi looks mildly irritated but doesn’t seem to be denying any of it.

— and you just have to ask.

— “yoomi are we dating?”

— because wow, only yesterday it seemed like he was still just your best friend. one who held your hand, shared his lunch, fell asleep on your shoulder in more than one occasion-

“— “we’re together. we’ve always been.”

— okay, yeah but context here.

— but then he’s dragging down the mask across his face, letting it hang under his chin. his lips are on your temple and phew, that’s new.

— “we should get home. i have a match tomorrow.”

— a game that becomes a statement in more ways than one.

— “ooh, is that sakusa’s jacket? so the rumors are true.”

— you fumble with the sleeves that seems to be determined to swallow up your hands. when he’d first offered it to you, it seemed so natural.

— “you might get cold.”

— god your boyf-... friend was so confusing.

— “not really. he hasn’t asked.”

— your classmate seems unconvinced but doesn’t comment further. that’s doesn’t say the same for the rest of the class who use every opportunity to chip at your resolve.

— “haven’t they been dating the whole time?”

— “they always hold hands now.”

— “i mean that’s his jacket isn’t it? it’s he like a germaphobe?”

— it’s getting harder to concentrate on the game. and certainly doesn’t help with every glance sakusa tosses up into the stands. by the end of the match, you’re beyond frazzled and ready to just sakusa the second he emerges from the gym.

— his teammate offer thanks in exchange for your praises on a game well won. it helps to distract you for a brief moment-but there he is now.

— his fingers slip befeeen yours like they belong and you can’t find the voice to complain. after congratulating him, there’s not much more said on your part. he walks you to your doorstep, not just the entrance, and lets his hand fall away. yet you both linger.

— “are we-“

— “are you-“

— when it comes down to it. obviously sakusa fails when it comes to words and actions seem to speak clearly.

— sakusa doesn’t protest when you reach up and undo his face mask for him. going as far as to lower his head, aware of your intentions, when you lean in.

— it’s a short kiss. a testing peck to balance in the shallow end before diving deep. his nose nudges yours and it’s your laugh that breaks the kiss.

— kiss-with kiyoomi sakusa-your once reluctant friend and now?

— sakusa leans in again. this time his hand on your shoulder for stabilization. there’s no tongue or extra touches. it’s just the act.

— life is all about changes.

— you smile and decide, yeah, you can do this.

— before he can leave, however, he’s tugging at the collar of his jacket.

— “i prefer to use my own detergent. but you can have it back tomorrow.”

— or maybe just some adjustments.

[praphit]

It’s BHM! So, you know... “Friday”.

In honor of Black History Month, I figured I'd do a Classic Review of one of the blackest movies of all time. I was thinking to myself: "New Jack City"? "Barbershop"? "Harlem Nights"? "Malcolm X"? I really should have went with "Malcolm X"... oh well, the next best movie to my homeboy Malcolm's is...

"FRIDAY"

A film about two young brothas, getting high on a porch.

Y'all might say, "Who cares? I do that every night."

I can see that, but this was a different time. Back in the day, you had to be more secretive about your weed game.

Only Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Bill Clinton were allowed to smoke, publicly, back then.

Now, we've got some legalizations, your mama probably smokes it in the kitchen for... some "medical reason", I'm sure. The stigma is lessened (Thank God), BUT not gone.

It's only freely-legal in certain spots around the world. It's not like you can show up to Sunday dinner smelling like pot; Grandma would def smack you upside the head. 

And I don't think you're going to see The Pope smoking a blunt during one of his messages anytime soon. It's still worse in the media's eyes when a black person is smoking it than a white person... but we'll move the needle on the struggle as we can :)

Our story starts with Craig (Ice Cube) & Smokey (Chris Tucker).

Like all blazed duos (Cheech & Chong, Harold & Kumar, Snoop & Martha), adventures await, 

only this adventure would be contained to their neighborhood... and mainly Craig's parents porch.

When I was a kid, watching this movie, I could relate more to a small adventure like this. When you're a kid, it's really just school, your block, and maybe some games; your world is small. The thing is that these two are not kids. They're two broke ass black MEN in their early twenties.

There's a lot happening, in and around their porch though: drug deal action, fights, pooping outside of someone's house (have you ever done that? - never mind, don't answer... I don't want to know), women

 women, 

and more women 

(that's Mrs. Parker, entertaining the neighborhood), 

and this Rev. Booty (we'll call him), 

ready to entertain MRS. Parker.

There's a Rev. Booty on every ministry team. Some dude creeping through the congregation, trying to (and probably succeeding to) bang your wife... or your husband. These days it could be either one... or both - that’s progress!

Think what you will about Rev. Booty - he's got a job; our High Heroes do not. I know the wackiness around them may seem cool, but not so much when you ain't got no money. Then, it's just sad.

"Friday" Lesson #1 - It's Not Cool to be Broke

The movie is a bit deceiving in that these two unmotivated gentlemen are still getting play from the ladies in the neighborhood. All men know that women can smell a stink on a man, that's smells worse than his weed, and that is the scent of having NO MONEY.

But, these two men are just trying to LIVE! Craig lost his job, stealing boxes from work. THE MAN took that job away. It's almost like THE MAN wants Craig smoking weed, all day, on the porch.

Could’ve happened to any of us! How many of y'all have stolen something small from work?! A pen? Some napkins? A packet of ketchup? A roll of toilet paper? Be honest! I didn't make you be honest about pooping outside; be honest here! We all have!

Craig & Smokey have got to deal with drug dealers, guns, a bully named Deebo 

(Tommy Lister Jr - RIP), 

a father with boundary issues... 

all while being high as hell - that's a rough time in life!

They don't need super villains! They've got the good Reverend trying to bang their moms.

"Friday" Lesson #2 - Get the bleep out of the Hood!

Get out! You can give back, if you want, but AFTER you get out! Some people say "No, you've got to LOVE the hood. HEAL the hood." That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The hood does not want your love or your healing. The hood wants to mug you, and take all of your shit! Think of the cast of this movie: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Regina King, John Witherspoon (RIP), Nia Long, Bernie Mac (RIP) - all got out of the hood!

GET OUT, DAMMIT!

The climax of this story comes when Smokey, who was supposed to be selling weed, but due to his name (Nature over Nurture) had been smoking it instead. As a result, he owed some drug  dealer 200 hundred dollars. Of course, when a drug dealer is owed money, they're going to collect OR they're going to start shooting.

Two men in their 20's can't seem to come up with 200 bucks. Their families and friends, apparently can't either.... or more likely, they don't want to get involved.

"Friday" Lesson #3 - Don't Nobody Give a F%ck!

Got parents catching their kids with guns, and they keep it moving. You've got one bully named Deebo, terrorizing the city. Mrs. Parker out here, with no clothes on, bending over for... God knows what, watering her grass for 5 hours everyday, and somehow the hose keeps accidentally turning on herself... 

very slowly.... 

you know that might not actually be a problem:)

But, drugs, domestic violence, and the threat of your son getting murdered are certainly problems; problems that no one seems to care about in that neighborhood.

There's a scene where the neighborhood gets shot up, two women are assaulted, there's a street fight (with no one stepping in to help. Just a dad saying "Let him be a man"), and some dude gets hit with a brick. I didn't see one cop! Not just in this scene... I'm talking about the entire movie, with this kinda thing happening all of the time.

And then, at the end of that action, everyone just goes in and goes to sleep. There's still a dude ( even though he's the bad guy) unconscious on the ground. Look, he's either dead and is going to rot, eventually (cuz the cops ain't showing up) OR he's going to wake up and murder everyone who was in that scene.

Get out of the hood!

Grade: It's a classic, for sure! I'll watch it again and again. But, is it a good movie? - no :) Perhaps it was back in 1995, when it came out. It's a funny movie! Every time Chris Tucker or John Witherspoon were on camera, I laughed out loud. But... you know :) 

Still a classic though.

a very generous B-

I really should have done "Malcolm X" to honor BHM, right? Denzel? 

That's a powerful movie. Not really any laughs in "Malcolm X" though, and certainly no Mrs. Parker

[idontgiveaflyinggrayson69]

Small Talk

Author: Nat / @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69​

Requested: Yes – Anonymous

Fandom: NHL  

Relationship: Pre-Established; Colton Parayko x Reader

Song: Small Talk by Niall Horan

Summary: Truth or drink with the Blues was maybe not the best game to get involved in when you were crushing hard on Colton Parayko.

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Alcohol. Mentioned and implied sex

“I have a great idea!” One of Colton’s teammates said with a smirk. He was having a get together which turned into a small party. A lot of the team with there as well as their better halves. Colton, one of your close friends, brought you along. He brought you to a lot of team events or parties.

“They’re only fun if you’re there,” he would always say when you protested or declined because you weren’t a team member or better half. And then he would give you sad eyes, and if there was one thing you couldn’t say no to it was Colton when he gave you sad eyes. So, like many times before, you ended up here to hang with the guys. It just became a lot more party than you were expecting and you had had a lot more to drink than you were expecting.

A couple hours later and the party had died down to just team and better halves and all of you congregated around the fire he had going in the backyard. You were sitting on grass between Colton’s legs, another drink in your hand. Colton had offered you his chair and his lap, but you declined both to sit on the grass. You were quite comfy there.

You looked up from the fire towards Vince who was smiling. If you were sober you would have been scared of what his ‘great’ idea would be, but you were too warm and happy to care.

“What’s your bright idea?” Sammy bit.

“We should play truth or drink. We could finally get some details out of some of you.” He said, looking across the fire at some of the guys. You had no idea what he was implying, but you figured it had to do with some of the players holding back some details of their personal life.

You weren’t bothered by it and if they were to play truth or drink, you would play too, though you figured you might have a harder time coming up with questions. But that was fine. And you were just a friend, you didn’t have any information that they were after. So, you would be happy to just sit by the fire and nurse your drink and maybe pick up on some funny stories.

And that was how you got roped into a game of truth or drink with the St Louis Blues.

You weren’t totally listening to what was happening around you if you were being honest. You were content just sitting there, watching the fire. And Colton’s leg was warm against your side as you leaned against him. You smiled and laughed here and then, catching some funny comment or dirty secret spilt from one of the guys or their better half around the fire, but mostly it was just background noise.

That is until Vince called your name.

“What?” You asked, pulling your eyes from the fire and scanning across the group to find the guy behind the voice. To say you were surprised to hear your name called would be an understatement. You were really not expecting your name to be called because you could spill no details about any of the team members.

Maybe you could say something about Colton, but you didn’t know what they could possibly ask you that they didn’t already know. You settled with thinking they were just going to ask you to be nice and include you. Which was why you were caught off guard when he asked you, “would you fuck Colton?”

You choked on your drink and Colton leaned forwards to rub your back soothingly while he shot daggers at his teammate. Colton confided in his friend about his feelings for you. This sort of thing was NOT supposed to happen.

The people around the fire laughed at your reaction, which only made you blush more than you already were.

“What?” You asked when you stopped choking. You could not believe your ears. Vince did not just ask you if you would fuck Colton.

“Would you fuck big blue?” He repeated, gesturing to the guy behind you. Once he was sure you weren’t choking, Colton leaned back into his chair and was careful not to look at any of his teammates. He was sure he was blushing and he just hoped the darkness of the night or the warm glow of the fire was enough to cover it up so they wouldn’t notice.

How were you supposed to even answer that? You say ‘yes’ and you could ruin things with Colton. You say ‘no’ and he could be offended. And who knows what he’ll interpret you drinking for. None of your options were appealing. I mean, you would fuck Colton in a heartbeat given the chance, but you couldn’t say that.

You decided that drinking was your best bet, so you locked eyes with the guy who asked you and took a big drink of your drink, making a lot of the guys snicker at you. That only made you blush more.

“Interesting.” Vince said with a smirk. You didn’t dare look behind you at Colton. You were too afraid to see him or what expression he wore. So, you took a deep breath and asked Sammy when he lost his virginity. It was an easy enough question and it pulled some snickers from the group as they all turned their attention to Sammy.

You wanted to feel bad, but the weight left your shoulders at the attention going to someone else. You let your eyes fall back to the fire as your mind raced with how they could affect your friendship with Colton. You tried to reassure yourself that it was just a question and not to over think it, but you couldn’t snuff out the sliver of fear inside you that he could interpret things wrong and then you lose him.

You couldn’t lose him.

Colton could sense that you were off, so he gave you a little nudge with your knee. He wanted you to turn around so he could talk to you or soothe you or something. You were basically statue still sitting between his legs and he was scared about what could be going through your head.

Sure, his own head was running with your answer to the question, but he tried to shut that down. What he was feeling and what you could have meant by your answer didn’t matter, what mattered was that you were okay.

But instead of getting a good response from you from his nudge, you pushed yourself up to your feet, mumbling about needing to get another drink before you turned around to go inside. He caught your eye for a moment before you cast your gaze to the grass and walked to the back door, opening and closing it behind you softly.

When the door was closed, leaving you alone in the dim lights of the living room, you left out a shaky breath. You would be able to gather your thoughts, or try to ignore them, you weren’t picky.

You made your way to the kitchen to get another drink. They had brought a case of beer out to the fire, but you weren’t really a fan of what they drank. Colton knew that and be brought you a couple drinks that he knew you liked. They were in the fridge. And, honestly, you were never more grateful to have a drink you could easily down right now.

You pulled open the fridge and reached to grab another drink when you heard the screen door open and closed. You grabbed the drink and closed the door, looking over to see Colton standing there. He gave you a smile, but you could tell he was nervous. That only made your own nerves worse.

“Yeah?” You asked when he didn’t say anything, only wandered to the kitchen, resting his hands on the counter of the island. He was starting to really freak you out with how he was acting.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He said, giving you a smile. You could tell he was lying so you sighed and leaned against the fridge, cracking your drink open and taking a big drink.

“Tell me the truth, Colt. I can tell that something is bothering you.” You told him after you swallowed.

“I just—“ He started before he shook his head. “It’s nothing. I just couldn’t be out there without you.”

And while that was part of the truth, it wasn’t the whole truth. After you left, the truth or drink game fell quiet and all eyes turned to Colton. Everyone there knew about Colton’s feelings for you so it was a good gossip that you didn’t say ‘no’ to sleeping with him, and that you left.

They wouldn’t shut up about what this couldmean and it was driving Colton crazy so he had to leave. And, of course, he got a lot of hooting and hollering when he headed inside, but he ignored them. Nothing was going to happen anyways.

You sighed and put your drink down on the table before you walked over to him. You covered his hand with your own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “What’s up, Colt?” Your voice was soft as you looked at him. It wasn’t like him to be like this.

He caught you off guard with his next words.

“You didn’t answer Vince’s question.” He said softly, lifting his eyes from the counter to look at you. There was something unreadable in his eyes and it made your stomach to twist more than it already was at his words. This was your worst fear, that he was offended by your lack of answer, that he was assuming bad things and you didn’t know what to do, so you just pulled your hand back from his.

“What was I supposed to say?” You asked, taking a step back. You didn’t know what to do.

Colton was quiet for a moment before he asked, “would you?”

“What?” You replied, giving him a look, your heart beginning to beat harder against your chest. You could see the back door out of the corner of your eye, but to get to it you would have to go through Colton and that just wasn’t going to happen. You knew that he would try to catch you so you didn’t dare run.

“Would you fuck me?” He asked you, his voice soft. Even though you were freaking out over everything, the way he looked at you and the way he asked you if you would fuck him sent a shiver through your body. You hated how hot you thought it was.

“Colton…” You warned, but your voice was weak. It was so hard to fight him, especially when he was looking at you like that.  

“Answer me.” He told you, standing straight and moving to box you in against the counter, his arms on either side of you. “Please.”

You looked up at him for a moment and nodded your head. “I would.”

Colton was surprised, but besides a long blink, you wouldn’t know it. He kept himself composed as you confessed that you found him attractive enough to fuck. The real question was if you liked him enough to do more than fuck.

“Do you…” he started before he tried again, nerves clawing in his chest. “Would you have dinner with me if I asked?”

You smiled, your fear melting away. “I would. I would do whatever you wanted.”

“I want to kiss you.” He told you, his voice low. He surprised you with his sudden confidence, but you weren’t complaining. You let your eyes drop from his to his lips and you nodded your head.

“You should.” You breathed, your voice barely above a whisper.

Colton looked back at your eyes for a moment before leaned forwards to kiss you. His lips were soft against yours. The kiss was slow but it felt so right. You moved your hands up from your side to hold his waist. At your touch, Colton pulled back from the kiss, looking at you for a moment before he reconnected your lips in a much deeper, heated kiss. He kept one of his hands on the counter but he brought the other to your jaw, tilting your head so he could kiss you deeper and pull you closer.

When he slipped his tongue into your mouth, you couldn’t help but moan against his lips and fist his shirt in your hands.

“I really want to take you to dinner.” He said when he pulled back.

You nodded. “I would like that, but I honestly want something else with you right now.”

“Yeah?” He asked, moving a hand down to your waist but he kept it over your shirt. Colton was always a gentleman.

“I would really like you to fuck me.” You told him, going up onto your tippy toes to whisper in his ear. The breath caught in Colton’s throat and he nodded.

“Yeah, yeah I would like that too.”

You smirked and moved your hand down from his waist to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Order an Uber and let’s go back to your place.”

He took his phone from your hands and nodded.

[chandelier-s-notebook]

If anyone wants to be part of a taglist of the Vigilante AU, feel free to message me/send an ask.

Taglist: @sleepysnails @causeimfabulous @anty-kreatywna @w00d-lands

Reminder: 12-11-04 = TimeDeo 27-10-01 = Sammygreen

Ao3 link

----------------------------------------

Eret and DK were standing guard in the fifth wing outside of the room where they were housing the criminals. Corpse and Toast, LilyPichu and Fuslie, and Peter and Edison would occasionally come in to throw another person into the brig.

Their comms lit up. “Triage to Beta. Triage to Beta,” Tina said.

“Beta here.” Eret’s smooth voice came over comms. “What do you need Delta?”

“Some of the upper district kids are getting antsy. They don’t trust us. Some kid, 12-11-04, Deo has them staying put, but it’d really help if you were here. Ease the tensions. They aren’t very happy that the heroes aren’t here.”

“Of course they aren’t. Deo? One of the kids?”

“District 12.”

“Roger. Beta to Alpha.”

“Present,” Hafu said.

“Did you catch that?”

“Yes. I’ve already sent Dumbdog to replace you.”

“Pleasant. Thank you. Beta out.”

“Triage out.”

- - -

“Delta are you there?” Hafu asked.

“Yes Ma’am!” xChocoabrs voice flew over the wires.

“How’s the child extraction going?”

“Smoothly. There’s a lot more kids than we thought there were.”

“Is there a med-bay we need to worry about?”

“No. The kids get fixed up in the main room after their fights and get sent back to their cells.”

“Pleasant.”

“I know.”

“Alpha out.”

“Delta out.”

Hafu readjusted her grip on her shorty. She was thankful none of them had needed to fire a single shot yet. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Alpha and Charlie team had corralled all the adults into staying in their seats. Wait-staff had been instructed to continue serving dinner as normal.

T’was a hostile dinning environment to say the least.

Hafu, Wolfabelle, Steve, Koji, and Sleepy were walking around the perimeter keeping everyone in their seat and inside the main room. And Yvonnie, Elaina, and Ellum were walking around the room taking pictures of every table, so they could report everyone of them.

The high profile characters tried to hide their faces, but that didn’t really work.

Once Elaine reported that that had at least one picture of every table she stood in the middle of the ring and shouted. “Attention! We will escort you all out of the building one table at a time. You will all be free to find your cars and return to your homes. Please be patient with us as this will take some time.

Hafu grabbed Steve and they two of them stood on either side of the doors while everyone else from Alpha and Charlie starts leading groups one at a time to the door. They let remind the business men to have a nice night, and remind them that this place is very illeagal, so they should be very careful when complaining about being held hostage.

Hafu tuned her comm to the common frequency. “Beta Team? Do you have a status update?”

The team converses on comms for twenty seconds.

“We have them all in a back room. Everyone is doing final sweeps.” DK said. “We have 37 here.”

“Good. Make sure they are all in binds so we can get them onto the school bus.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

She pivoted, conversation over. “How’s extraction going?”

“It’s going good,” 5up said. “There are a few that don’t like vigilantes, but they get over it quickly.”

“How much more time do you need?”

“I’m making good time. xChocobars came finished with the level 1s and came to help me.”

“Same over here,” Rae piped in. “We’re done with level 3 and only have a few more level 4 cells.”

“Understood. Delta?”

“Yes Hafu?”

“Can you guys make sure that all the kids are groups by District?”

“We’ve been doing that. The older kids are helping us place them in little groups. Sometimes friends don’t want to leave each other, but for the most part it’s good.”

“You have everyone logged?”

“Everyone so far. We have a line piling up, but it’s going quickly.”

“Start finding out how many kids are in each District and grouping them so we can take them home.”

“Okay! And 1-30 stay together?”

“Yes. Thank you Tina.”

“No worries!”

- - -

“Hi Niki.” Eret pushed his way to the table. “Cupcake?”

She handed him one with a galaxy swirl. “The upper level kids are over there.” She pointed to a group of kids standing off to the side. “12-11-04 and 27-10-01 are trying to comfort them.”

“Do they have names?”

“Deo and Sammy. Deo actually likes you guys though.” A brunette girl handed a small child a cupcake. “Have a cupcake,” she says to another boy.

“Thanks,” Eret says before she ran off. Eret nodded to Niki before heading over to where the upper District kids where congregated.

“Oh it’s you,” Sammy says.

“It’s me.”

“Eighty-Seven.”

“If you won’t use my name, I prefer Captain Sparklez’ son, but sure. Let’s go with that.”

“Where are the heroes?”

“Not coming.”

“Told you so,” Deo muttered.

Eret gave a terse smile and opened his arms out wide. “Welcome to District 67. Were you don’t report things to Hero HQ even when you really should.”

“What do you mean don’t report?” Sammy demands.

“Someone might have reported suspicious activity at this area, but Hero HQ didn’t notice. Hafu did though.”

“Look at how many kids are here.” Sammy gestures wildly to the field. “I’ve been missing for months. My parents would have reported!”

Eret puts his hands up to calm down the rest of the group who were shouting similar concerns. “And they probably did. The news was full of kids getting snatched. The heroes just didn’t look any further than District 50.”

“What?”

“I’m very sorry to tell you this, but the reports fell off in Districts 30 to 50. No one below there bothered reporting. They don’t have enough faith in heroes, but they did have faith that word of mouth would eventually get to their local vigilantes. And the heroes probably assumed you’d be local. They never looked down here.”

“So what are you? Vigilantes?” one girl from the crowd asked.

“Yes.”

She scoffed. “I want a hero. I won’t feel safe until I have a hero.”

“Look. We’re going to get everybody out. Get all the evidence. Then we’ll go to Hero HQ. You just need to trust us all enough to get on a bus and we will get you to a hero. Those from District 1 to District 30 will go to hero HQ and everyone else will be dispersed among the vigilantes. Sound good? You just need to wait a little longer, and you should be home in 48 hours.”

“I want a hero now.”

“Well I’m the closed you’re going to get,” Eret said. “My dad’s Captain Sparklez. You know me.”

“Shouldn’t you have told your dad?” Deo asked. “Shouldn’t there still be hero back up?”

“Absolutely not. They come in here and take over.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” the girl demanded.

Eret looked her dead in the eye. “You have may have faith in heroes, but just because dad lives in 87 doesn’t mean he helps us day-to-day.”

“So you didn’t tell your dad when you found a warehouse full of kidnapped children that had been all over the news?” Sammy asked incredulously.

“I didn’t find it. And by the time I was told about it, telling dad would have hindered our ability to do anything about the warehouse. You’d have been stuck here for another few months at least. Heroes have procedures that, yes keep people safe, but they also take forever; especially with a job this big.”

“Fine.”

“I’m not asking you to like it. I’m asking you go sit tight, not run away, and wait for us to get you to where you’re going.”

Sammy huffed.

Deo put his hand on his shoulder. “Do you know how to get back to District 27 from here?”

“No,” he muttered.

“Then just deal with it okay?”

The girl from earlier asked quietly, “You’ll take us home?”

“We’ll take you back to Hero HQ once we have the place cleared out. The Heroes will take you the last leg of the journey.”

The three busses rolled up, two stayed at the field and the third drove towards the warehouse.

Eret went and stood on a box and clapped to get everybody’s attention. “As you all know, we’ve slowly been moving you all so you’re with other kids in your District. We’re going to start taking you home. As you can see we have three busses here. Two will be for the kids in the upper thirty. Everybody else will be put under the guide of one of our vigilantes. We’re crunching the numbers and later we will call out with more information. Thank you for being patient with us as we process everything and everyone. The upper thirty can make their way to Syykuno and Rae. Please remember that there are a lot of you and some seats will have to triple up.”

Deo took the lead of the upper 30 District kids. He didn’t know who Rae and Syykuno were, but some of the level 3’s did, and Deo knows the colour yellow, he knows what a school bus looks like.

Deo ran to the backseat with Sammy and they both collapsed onto the vinyl.

“Wonder where that third bus went.”

“Probably to wherever they’re keeping the dudes that stole us.”

“Oh those guys. Fuck those guys.”

[malleux]

Running with the Wolves [4]

masterlist ; << | >>

-> Pairing: Yuri Leclarc x Fem!Reader

-> Modern!Au | Gang!Au | Enemies to Friends to Lovers

-> Word Count: ~1.3k

-> Warnings: Cursing, Inappropriate Jokes

-> Summary: You were just a normal college student, trying to find her way in a new place. You didn't mean to get caught up in the wrong crowd. You just wanted coffee, but now you're running with the wolves.

a/n: i actually lost my taglist and idk if the people on the previous chapters still want to be on it! so please, please, please, if you were on the original taglist and still want to be notified- or if you’re new and want to be notified of new chapters- send me an ask, a message, or a reply! these are the only two i can remember who wanted to be on it.

You were never a morning person. The idea of waking up before 9 was a nightmare to you- even 9 was a little too early for your liking.

When you woke up early for classes, you were grumpy. You had an attitude with everyone who approached you, even Ellie. Everyone knew not to mess with you in the mornings.

But here, standing in Yuri's bedroom at 7:30am, you had no place to get an attitude.

Hapi was knelt at the bedside, carefully helping her injured leader sit up. He winced slightly with every movement, obviously not wanting to show weakness in front of his teammates. Unfortunately for Yuri, though, his members weren't idiots. Even you could see the flinches and tight breaths that he harbored in his chest every time he had to move and quite frankly, it was pitiful.

Hiram's eyes hadn't left you from the moment you entered Yuri's room where they all had congregated. Hapi insisted on wrapping Yuri's bandage first to reach you what do you. You were thankful- you'd never played nurse before. Especially not to a gunshot wound.

The room was quiet. Tense. You could feel everyone's weariness as Yuri slowly laid back in the bed, once more hiding his pain. Hapi patted the blankets and stood up, facing you.

"If the wound starts bleeding again, reinforce it with some dry bandages. Don't take it off if it's not bleeding. If it is, don't take it off until it's done bleeding. Yuri's had enough wounds, unfortunately, so he can help you gauge those things. We cleaned the dirt and shit out last night, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about cleaning it. Just- don't run off again. Please."

You heard the exasperation in her voice and nodded. Rhys held his hand out to you- in it, a small flip phone. You took it cautiously, still not forgetting how the silent man sliced you yesterday, and fiddled with the piece of technology.

"It's a burner phone. We'll call you after visiting both the Blue Lions and Golden Deer to give an update. Afterwards, destroy it. If you need to contact us, there's one number in the contacts list. Text it and just say the code "9653". We'll call back on a public phone. Do not use any specific words that could give away anything. Be subtle in case someone's listening. I'm smart enough to figure out what you're saying." Hiram explained.

Sensing how you absolutely refused to look at, or even acknowledge, Hiram's presence, Hapi continued. "We're about to leave. This is your last chance to redeem yourself, so we hope that you'll make the right decision. Remember, Y/N, we're not going to hurt you."

You nodded, eyes flickering to Yuri's frame. He seemed almost child-like laying in the large king bed, his eyes half-lidded as he listened to his members speak. He met your gaze and you quickly looked away, watching as the Wolves filed out of the room.

Hapi placed her hand on your shoulder. "Yuri's a little difficult to get along with, but he has good intentions. Take care of him."

"Yeah!" Hiram cackled from the hallway, "Make it up to him. Make him some breakfast, give him some head- OW!"

Hapi shook her head. "There's plenty of food in the fridge. Don't order take-out, don't have any form of outside communication besides us. Don't go looking for your phone either, Hiram destroyed it."

"Wait- he what?!" You called out, but they were gone. The house was silent after Hapi had locked the doors completely. You turned to Yuri, who was still glaring at you. "Do you want breakfast?"

"I'd like to be with my team."

Your lips pulled into a tight line and you sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Alright, I'm sorry." When he quirked an eyebrow, you explained. "I- I didn't mean to shoot you. I was scared, and I meant for it to be just a warning shot. My hands were shaking and I didn't even aim. I didn't want to hit anyone."

Yuri stayed quiet, still analyzing your form as you played with your fingers. He looked rather cute, laying there with the soft comforter stopping just below his nose. Only his eyes and the top of his head peaked out, making him seem like a pouting child. A pouting child with a gun and years of combat experience, but a child nonetheless.

"I want pancakes."

☆ ☆ ☆

Hapi was right- there were an abundance of ingredients in the kitchen of the house, ready for you to use. But there was just one problem.

You had no clue how to make pancakes.

Flour, eggs, butter, and baking powder sat on the counter, untouched by your hands as you wracked your brain. You didn't have a phone to look up a recipe. Hiram would probably kill you if you used one of his computers. The flip phone was for emergencies only, and definitely didn't have any pancake recipes hidden in the notes section.

You sighed, deciding to grab a few measuring cups. Then, you stared at the ingredients again. While lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice a certain purple-haired asshole limping into the kitchen and plopping himself down at the table. He watched you for a moment.

"You know you actually have to cook, right? Pancakes don't just make themselves while you watch."

"Fuck-" You jumped and whipped around, the measuring cup flying out of your grip and landing on the floor. "What are you doing up? You need to be resting."

"Do you even know how to make pancakes?"

Your eye twitched. He was ignoring your questions. "I- Of course I do! Now go back to bed before your wound reopens. How did you even get up, anyways? Not even twenty minutes ago you were struggling to sit up."

"I'm a miracle boy. Now, make pancakes."

You huffed and faced your mess again. In a wild guess, you grabbed the measuring cup once more and reached for the milk carton. Two cups should be okay, right?

"You're doing liquids first? Interesting. That's not how my mother taught."

"Then tell me, Yuri, how did your mother make pancakes?" You seethed through your teeth.

The man only grinned and leaned his cheek against his palm. "I'm glad you asked. There's no harm in admitting you're clueless. First, do the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, all of that."

You're a dry ingredient, you bit back from saying. Yuri might not be in good shape to fight if you launched yourself at him from across the kitchen, but you didn't miss the glint of the handgun that rested against his hip. The same one you had used to shoot him.

“Now put in the eggs and milk and shit.” Yuri gave you more measurements and ingredients and soon enough, you had pancakes on a plate and were serving them to the charity case that sat across from you at the table. He was quiet as he ate, and to you the tense silence was unbearable. You had to break it.

“These are good- you said your mom taught you how to make them like this? What was she like?” You flinched at the look Yuri gave you, immediately regretting asking.

“She was the one person in my life who I could just be myself around. Not Yuri, the leader of the Ashen Wolves, not Yuri, the man who’s killed more than his members combined, just Yuri, her son. My mom was the best woman to ever exist.” He spoke intensely, and you could see just how much he loved her.

“Was?”

“She- she’s missing.” Yuri closed his eyes and placed his fork down, standing up. “I’m going back to bed. Uh, thanks.”

You nodded and began gathering the plates together, bringing them to the sink to wash them. You were fully aware that Yuri had stopped in the doorway and was observing you as you cleaned. He cleared his throat.

“And Y/N. Just so you know, none of us chose this life. We’re all in the Wolves for a reason. We’ve all got our own goals and plans. Don’t be quick to judge.”

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒

taglist: @dimitrimidim @emperor-pizza

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[welllpthisishappening]

Welllp These Are Books: the April 2021 Edition

I did not read Romeo and Juliet this month. I read a bunch of other books. Like, a bunch. More than one series. Because Big Bang burnout is real and grown adults missing their deadlines is a real good way to stress me out. So, I read a bunch. Good books, very bad books, books that caused limbs to flail. For positive and not-so-positive reasons. Naturally, all those reasons must be shared. Under the cut with occasionally long and rant-prone reviews, as well as spoilers. Beware of spoilers under the cut. Please keep telling me what to read, internet. My library wish list is almost comically long now.

GIVE ME ALL THE WORLD BUILDING AND SNARK AND FIGHTING! WITH MAGIC! AND SWORDS! IT’S MY FAVORITE THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

— Picture it, approximately twelve forty-seven am. My husband is asleep. I am reading. The second book in this series ends. And I say, right out loud, at what might now be twelve forty-eight am, HOLY SHIT IT JUST ENDED. Justin thought we were under attack. No man has ever snapped awake quicker. He was not pleased. At least not in the same way that I was about these books. Which I goddamn LOVED. Loved. The world building. The magic. The banter. Rhy and Kell’s relationship. Once more. RHY AND KELL’S RELATIONSHIP. Which I might have cared about more than the romance??? Maybe??? I cannot get over how good this world building was. I know people have quips with it, and that’s fair. I saw the “twist” coming in the first book, and I think trying to preserve that left some plot holes that are understandably frustrating. Because Lilah definitely needed depth perception to fight as well as she did. Also did Schwab really refer to her as a cross dresser in her author’s note? Yikes. She wore a dude’s jacket, like—c’mon V.E. Other than that though. I loved it. Also shout out to @peglegsjones for suggesting this one in my 2020 post and call out to me for taking so long to read it.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . . A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.  A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.   Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

— I’ve talked about how little I cared about anything that happened in Shadow and Bone before, but I kept seeing gifs of the Crows in the Netflix show and my brain was like: huh, I could like them. So, after some help from the very helpful internet, I’m happy to report I do in fact like them. At one point, I slunk into the couch. Like that’s how overcome with emotion I was. Kaz ripped a dude’s eye out! For Inej! Matthias loved Nina’s laugh! I would like to hug Jesper. Seriously, this hit all my high points and world building and banter and I lol’ed at “scheming face.” I would like my hold to come through faster on the sequel.

THEY DID NOT CALL INTERMISSION HALFTIME AND MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WAS WAY DIFFERENT THAN THESE KIDS

The Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

— The first book in this series was free on Amazon. So, I read it. And really liked it??? It was so chock full of cliches and badly written tropes and Garrett probably should have accepted that Hannah didn’t want to go out at the start, but like—he was cute? And as we all know I am TRASH™ for stories set in the same verse, so, like, I just kept reading these trashy college hockey books. Trashy is a compliment here. God, these kids had so much sex. So much. An incredible amount, really. I once had a guy tell me he was physically attracted to me, but not emotionally attracted to me in college. Like, that was my college experience. The first and second books were the best, I think. I didn’t really like Dean that much.

MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE HE WAS A RABBI???

The Intimacy Experiement by Rosie Danan

Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won't hire her. Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag nominated him as one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Low on both funds and congregants, the executive board of Ethan's new shul hired him with the hopes that his nontraditional background will attract more millennials to the faith. They've given him three months to turn things around or else they'll close the doors of his synagogue for good. Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.

— Ok, I know that sounds bad. Again, I’m a creature of predictable habit and this was the sequel to The Roommate, which I absolutely LOVED last year. But where as the relationship in that one was kind of swoony, this one was...I don’t know, really. Everyone was a well-rounded character and the plot was good, but there was this semi-invisible something that made it difficult for me to get fully on board with the whole story. Honestly, it might be because he was a religious figure?? Also, they got together real quick. Like zero to sixty in twenty-six seconds flat.

I KNOW IT’S BAD, IT WAS BAD AND YET—I CANNOT STOP READING IT???

Too Wild to Tame by Tessa Bailey

Sometimes you just can't resist playing with fire . . . By day, Aaron Clarkson suits up, shakes hands, and acts the perfect gentleman. But at night, behind bedroom doors, the tie comes off and the real Aaron comes out to play. Mixing business with pleasure got him fired, so Aaron knows that if he wants to work for the country's most powerful senator, he'll have to keep his eye on the prize. That's easier said than done when he meets the senator's daughter, who's wild, gorgeous, and 100 percent trouble. Grace Pendleton is the black sheep of her conservative family. Yet while Aaron's presence reminds her of a past she'd rather forget, something in his eyes keeps drawing her in. Maybe it's the way his voice turns her molten. Or maybe it's because deep down inside, the ultra-smooth, polished Aaron Clarkson might be more than even Grace can handle . . .

— Last month I read the first book in this series and it was absolutely ridiculous. This one even more so. The Clarksons are still on the road trip (sans one sibling because she fell in love in a week in the first book) and Aaron was, like, not a root’able character? Very Edward Cullen I’M A BAD GUY, BELLA vibes and his relationship with Grace was so strange. Super rushed again, obvs. Meeting in the woods is weird enough. Professing love forty-eight hours later is decidedly unbelievable. Also there was a kidnapping involved? I totally put a hold on the next book in the series.

COME UP WITH DIFFERENT TRAUMA, I DARE YOU! OR NO TRAUMA. WHAT A CONCEPT!!

The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents' latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she's out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later -- the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What's not surprising: he's not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.

Jay Shah looks good on paper...and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He's also infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late-night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

— I had such high hopes for this one. Which is on me, I guess. Because I didn’t hate this one, but it was...not great. Maybe I’m just getting old and crotchety but I am BEGGING romance writers to come up with different trauma for their female protagonists. Not every woman has to have been assaulted to rationalize their current personality. Doesn’t have to happen. Like, ok, yes it does happen. Far more than it should. But that’s an entirely different story, and I am so tired of female characters getting absolutely destroyed by their past only to have that be their defining characteristic for so much of the book. Until a nice man they were initially mean to shows up and he’s UNDERSTANDING and he CARES and it’s just, bleh. It’s bleh. Tired and predictable and I’m over it.

IN WHICH I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT THE COVER

Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover. Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

— Ok, so I had had this book on hold for so long that I genuinely forgot about it and forgot who it was written by. Samantha Young wrote that one book that I called the worst book I had ever read. Only I did not realize that when I started reading this one. So, you see how this sets us up for disaster. Because this book was a disaster. Everyone was goddamn annoying. And whiny. Shit, everyone whined. About everything. Also, the actual writing was atrocious. I am not usually one to be like “men can’t write,” but at one point I told both @shireness-says and @optomisticgirl that this book must have been secretly written by a man because no woman writing it would be so obsessed with pointing out where her cellulite was. Like, what??? Also the first sex scene? Oh my God, I laughed. Guffawed. The so-called love interest literally asked: “Are we going to have sex now?” And then they just did. It was so bad. Also there was a dog? Who went everywhere with the so-called love interest. And they just never explained that? I thought it was going to be part of some crushing and depressing backstory. Nah, he was just there.

HOLY SHIT THIS WAS SO DUMB I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS WAS A BOOK! A BOOK MEANT FOR YOUNG ADULTS! WHAT IS YOUNG ADULT???

The Queen’s Secret by Melissa de la Cruz

Lilac's birthright makes her the Queen of Renovia, and a forced marriage made her the Queen of Montrice. But being a ruler does not mean making the rules. For Lilac, taking the throne means giving up the opportunity to be with love of her life, the kingdom's assassin, Caledon Holt. Worse, Cale is forced to leave the castle when a horrific set of magical attacks threatens Lilac's sovereignty. Now Cal eand Lilac will have to battle dark forces separately, even though being together is the only thing that's ever saved them.

— Remember last month when I was like: can’t wait for my hold to come through on this sequel so I know what happens? What an idiot. THIS BOOK WAS SO DUMB I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WAS A BOOK. As always in my rage-induced rants, no apologies for spoilers because seriously do NOT read this, but Lilac (legit, that was her name) married some other dude but just kept fucking Cale??? Like she had a secret door? So he could come in and they could fuck?? I just—oh my God. So, all these things kept happening. Magic and bad stuff and horses were killed. Lilac’s mother was the absolute WORST. Honestly the most worthless character who at one point was like “well, my story is over, guess it’s time to leave,” and then just left?? Forced Lilac into a marriage of alliance and no love and then everything evil was defeated in point two four seconds. It happened so fast I wasn’t even sure it happened. So, then I’m like, ok, how are Lilac and Cale going to end up together? Because this is YA and that’s how it’s supposed to work. Only her being married and that marriage requiring an heir is something of a rather large hurdle. Don’t worry! Remember when Lilac and Cale were fucking? Everyone totally knew. Including the king Lilac is married to. Who is somehow like...ok with this? And tells Cale that Lilac is pregnant. ISN’T THAT WONDERFUL! Sure, because now they can lie and claim its the king’s heir. ONLY IT’S CALE’S KID! AND CALE IS COOL WITH THIS! His entire internal monologue during this is about how he realizes he might not ever be able to tell his kid he’s their father, but he’ll be around and that’s good. Wait, what??? But there’s more! Not only is Lilac having Cale’s kid, but the king she’s married to is in love with one of Cale’s spy associates. So the king and the spy are going to go hang out (and presumably have their own kids) at one castle and Lilac and Cale are going to go to another. Lilac and the king never get divorced or annulled or whatever. Everyone stays as is and married as is and—they all live happily ever after? This was presented as a good ending, I swear. What the shit, guys, seriously.

[azucanela]

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

PAIRING: SUGAWARA KOUSHI X FEM!READER

REQUEST: if you’re feeling into it a suga fic where they like dated during high school and later get back together after college would be awesome!! maybe fem y/n was manager for karasuno or something and they just broke up bc of distance! and if you don’t want to do this that’s perfectly okay! take care of yourself, you’re an amazing writer!!

WARNINGS: ANGST TO FLUFF. KISSING. MILD TIMESKIP SPOILERS.

WORD COUNT: 1.9k

A/N: i love suga, SUGA SUPREMACY, thank you for the request it was fun to write!

HAIKYUU!! MASTERLIST

HE LOVED HER AND THERE WAS NO DENYING IT, but it wouldn’t be the first time that two people very in love had been forced apart for whatever the circumstances. 

You could see it in the way he forced her onto the inside of the sidewalk— a small thing done in an attempt to keep her safe from possible incoming cars. You could see it in the way Sugawara’s eyes fell on her absently, so encapsulated with her words and the passion in her voice. You could see it in the way he seemed to light up when he saw her in the stands of his volleyball games, even though he likely wouldn’t be playing. 

And oh did Y/N L/N love him as well. Her sad smiles at the mention of his name were evidence enough, and if not, it was the way she frequently asked Daichi and Asahi of his health full well knowing the boy had a tendency to forego taking care of himself when he was so caught up in the well being of others.

Kageyama had observed it early on— or more accurately, Hinata had observed it early on, pointing out to the young setter that his senior was obviously enamored with their second manager. Hinata’s emotional intelligence had always been far ahead of Kageyama’s, although Kageyama had noticed the difference in... treatment between the pair, he had never truly realized they were dating.

But it soon became abundantly clear that they were in fact, together. And Y/N L/N wasn’t just the other manager of the Karasuno Boy’s Volleyball Team, but the girlfriend of Sugawara Koushi.

Which is the main reason why Kageyama had suspected she hated him early on, after all he’d taken her boyfriend’s spot on the starting line up, and he had bluntly pointed this fact out to her by the vending machine one day. Though Y/N had simply laughed it off, bringing a hand to Kageyama’s shoulder and offering him a smile.

Just like Sugawara had. Maybe that’s what made them the perfect pair, Kageyama wasn’t sure. But anyone with a set of eyes could tell they were a disgustingly perfect couple. 

Which is why Kageyama had never imagined they would break up. Nor had anyone in the club really. Even Asahi and Daichi were left in shock as the pair went their separate ways. 

It was supposed to make things easier, leaving. They would both be abandoning everything they ever knew and heading off to college after all, and seeing as they’d both ended up at different colleges... well, how plausible was a long distance relationship? 

It was a mutual break up. That they mutually did not want. 

Not much changed if Y/N is honest, and maybe that’s why she didn’t find herself sobbing in her bed until she actually got to college. It was just a label, but at one point... the change became alarmingly clear to her— the fact that she and Sugawara Koushi were no longer together.

Sugawara felt it in the little things, when he went to message her good morning and remember that... they weren’t together anymore. Did Y/N even want a good morning text? Maybe she was receiving one from someone else now. 

Talking wasn’t awkward, with the silent agreement that if they ever needed someone to talk to, they would always be there. But the change was painful enough to drive them apart in a way that wasn’t just physical. 

It’s not until she’s seeing him again that Y/N is reminded of that very pain once more, though the smile on her face is still very genuine and authentic as she throws her arms around the three boys from her third year. 

Sugawara holds on for a little too long. 

“It’s so good to see you guys! Are we all excited for our boys’ final tournament of their third year?” She exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around Kiyoko.

Daichi ruffles Y/N’s hair as he grins, “of course I’m excited to see them win again.” Comes his reply.

And of course, Asahi finds himself beaming with an albeit nervous smile as he agrees, “definitely! I believe in them.”

“I dunno guys, maybe Hinata will forget to spike again,” Sugawara chimes in, jokingly of course, while Kiyoko nods along with the rest of her friends as she offers them a small smile. Her eyes drifting to the arm that Sugawara throws over Y/N’s shoulder. “It’ll be just like old times!”

Just like old times indeed.

Daichi finds himself giving Asahi a look, that is returned with a look of confusion until he gently shoves him forward, a look of realization washing over his face as he begins to walk faster and Kiyoko says, “why don’t we head on over to our seats guys?” She turns to Y/N and Sugawara, “would you mind getting us some snacks from the vendors?”

The pair exchanges looks momentarily before Y/N offers Kiyoko a smile as she nods, “yeah, of course. Any preferences?”

“The usual!” Daichi replies, waving them off as he drags Asahi away, winking at Sugawara before disappearing around the corner alongside Kiyoko as well. 

Sugawara simply raises a brow, opening his mouth to say something until Y/N’s hand comes to grasp his own— loosely holding the one wrung around her shoulder as she begins to speak of which vendor they should visit.

But the only thing he can focus on is the ring she wears. For a moment, he panics, thinking that someone else has already snatched her away, that he lost the woman he loves.

Until he looks a little closer and recognizes the very promise ring he’d given her in their third year, almost identical to the one he was currently wearing around his neck, attached to a chain he’d purchased shortly into his first year of college. After all, he couldn’t bring himself to take it off either. 

Y/N seems to take note of this, pausing before noticing where his gaze has fallen, her cheeks warming at the realization. “I’ve been meaning to return the ring to you, sorry about that.” She releases his hand with a tight lipped smile, moving to remove the ring, only for Sugawara’s hand to come over hers as he shakes his head.

“Keep it. What would I do with it anyways?” And who else would he give it to?

Y/N pauses, eyes drifting between the ring and Sugawara for a moment before replying, “okay.”  

It’s not that they hadn’t talked at all in the past few years, just that things had changed and now neither of them new where the boundaries were. What could they do? What couldn’t they? Where was the invisible line between friend and former lover? It was a line they danced around in each interaction and today was no different.

Y/N finds herself desperately needing some space as she inhales deeply, perhaps it’s because she’s shocked by how easily he’d wormed his way back into her heart in the five seconds they’d been together now. Or maybe it’s the reminder that nothing had changed, she was still going to college across the country.

It’s not until they’re seated beside each other once more, two years later, that Y/N realizes nothing had changed. 

It’s a party they’d thrown for the New Year, and practically a get together for their teammates, new and old. They pair had managed to get onto professional teams— to no ones surprise. Although the fact that they’d be opposing each other was a surprise. 

Somehow, Y/N and Sugawara had found themselves on the balcony of the home, fresh out of college— which had really been the only thing keeping them apart up until now.

So, something had changed.

“You’re officially a teacher!” Y/N exclaimed, beaming at Sugawara with a smile that he quickly returns, drink in hand. 

He’s leaning against the balcony. eyes drifting towards the lively city as he replies, “kind of. I was lucky to even get hired so soon after graduating.” He takes a sip of his drink, “I just hope next year is better.”

A small laugh escapes Y/N as she downs what is left of her own drink, “me too, Suga.” Their eyes meet, and she can see the way he stiffens at the name, it had been a while since she’d called him by anything other than his first name. Though Y/N disregards this fact as she asks, “so what school are you working at?”

Y/N can see the passion in his eyes as he begins to speak of the school he’ll be working at, nodding along until she realizes, she recognizes the name, mouth gaping open as she asks, “are you serious? I recently got a job at one of the corporations in that area!” She exclaimed. Sugawara is opening his mouth to say something when they suddenly hear the people inside cry out—

10.

“Oh! I didn’t realize it was that time.” Y/N mumbled, looking inside to see their friends— new and old— congregating together around the TV. She wonders how time could’ve passed so quickly, it feels as though she had only ventured out to the balcony a few minutes prior because last Y/N had checked, it was barely 10PM.

9.

Sugawara allows a laugh to escape him as he nods, “time flies by when you’re having fun right?” And Y/N finds herself in shock momentarily, wondering if maybe he’d read her mind.

8.

Y/N turns to him, offering him a small smile as she nods in agreement, “it does. Doesn’t it?” And Sugawara is left feeling breathless, even after all these years, her smile still seems to have that effect on him. 

7.

“I did, have fun. By the way.” Sugawara says, eyes darting between the door of the balcony and Y/N. His words are true, he did have fun, of course Sugawara would never consider lying to Y/N. And even if he did try, Sugawara had a feeling she’d be able to tell. 

6. 

“We should head back inside.” She continues, eyes drifting back towards where their friends are calling out the countdown. Huddled together, Y/N finds herself smiling at the sight of Tanaka’s arm around Kiyoko’s shoulder.

5.

Y/N meets Kiyoko’s eyes momentarily, and the look Kiyoko gives her is one of urgency, one that tells her, “don’t you dare come back here right now.” But Y/N finds herself rolling her eyes as she begins to head back inside. 

4.

Their relationship had been over for years, and yet Kiyoko was still trying to convince her that the boy’s feelings never changed. Though Y/N wouldn’t deny that she would always love Sugawara— and she had no doubt that he still loved her— those feelings were probably purely platonic now. Right?

3.

Right. Y/N shakes off the feeling as she continues inside, until she feels a hand wrap around her wrist, keeping her from carrying on inside and yanking her backwards. Y/N finds herself colliding with Sugawara’s chest with a gasp.

2.

Sugawara’s eyes meet hers, a clear question within them as he wordlessly places his drink on the rim of the balcony. The hand on her wrist still firmly placed there as Y/N nods slowly.

1. 

And suddenly his lips finds hers, Y/N’s arm winding around his neck with her drink still in hand while Sugawara’s hand comes to her waist in an attempt to pull her closer. Almost desperate to be closer to each other as the crowd inside begins screaming and cheering. Y/N frees her other hand from his grasp and brings it to his shirt to tug him even closer while his other hands comes to her cheek.

When they pull away, Sugawara is grinning as he says, “happy new year, babe.”