#and i also changed up the one corner next to the entrance and gave her a little vanity and changed up what clothes were hung up on the wall

[lyssafreyguy]

speaking of my villagers' houses I went back into Francine and O'Hare's houses just to adjust them a teeny tiny bit and I'm so so much happier with them like I might go back into everyone else's houses real quick just to make sure there aren't any other little changes I might wanna make before the dream address gets uploaded

[missadangel]

The Heart of Rome (Marcus Acacius x OC)

All Chapters List

XVI. Separation and Triumph (+18, Smut, MDNI)

"Amor vincit omnia."

Love conquers all.

“Domina!”

They called out to you cheerfully as you got out of the carriage and ran towards Norell and Decima. They were running towards you too. You embraced them with tears in your eyes and walked into the courtyard together. Marcus noticed Octavius, who was waiting at the entrance with a smile on his face. He was the one who took care of everything until your arrival. Marcus tapped his friend on the shoulder and invited him inside. You saw Tullia in the courtyard, gave her a hug too. Even though she was a bit hesitant due to respect as was her custom, she hugged you back.

Everyone was delighted to be home. That evening, you suggested having dinner together in the courtyard, with everyone else included. This was definitely the first time anyone had seen an evening like this in the villa. It was certainly not a common occurrence in other villas or houses in Rome. However, the slaves were still shy, understandably so, given the unusual situation. If they told anyone on the street, it is likely that no one would believe them. Nevertheless, it was true. You saw them as family, not just as slaves, and they had a lot of respect and admiration for you.

On that particular evening, you managed to surprise Marcus once more. He was continually amazed at your capacity for compassion, and mercy. Throughout the meal, he was unable to take his eyes off you. He thought you were so stunning that it felt as if you could only be a dream yet you were there, by his side. You were a blessing to him, not just a person, a miracle that he woke up to every morning.

After dinner, you checked out the renovated and refurbished parts of the villa together. The courtyard was bigger and there was a private resting area right next to the fountain. It also seemed like a great spot for when you have guests over too. You headed back to your chambers as it was getting dark. You were really pleased with the new look of your room. Marcus's armour and other dangerous items were taken to the next room. A small mattress and a closet were added. This wasn't the only change.

The bed was wider and more comfortable, with drapes and a canopy. The tulle around the bed was tied with ribbons and had floral ornaments. It was clear that it had been prepared carefully. The rest of the room was pretty much the same, with the desk, small dining table, and clothes section. As your belly was getting bigger every day, your old tunics were a bit tight, especially at the waist. While Marcus took off his red shawl, you checked the measurements of all your tunics. It was clear that you wouldn't fit into any of them soon.

Marcus took off his belt and looked you over from head to toe. "If you're not sure what to wear, I can give you some advice."

You smiled without looking at him. “I already know what you're going to say."

“Are you reading my mind?” He asked. "Well..." He was moving slowly towards you. “What is on my mind at the moment, princess?” He wrapped his arms around you. It was pretty obvious what he was thinking, given that you could feel him right behind your hips. You turned your head and touched his nose with yours.

“I think, you want me?”

“That's so true.” His thick fingers ran through your hair and inhaled your scent. “So, where do I want you? Any guesses?”

"Hmm, on our new bed?"

He turned you around and put his hands on your hips, making you gasp. “And right beneath me.” He said, breathing heavily.

You threw your arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, your heart racing with excitement. "Should I tell you where I want you, too?"

He smirked, leaned in and kissed the tip of your nose. "Tell me, my love." Another kiss on the corner of your lips. "Where do you want me?" One more kiss on your neck. "Say it." and another kiss, this time on the collarbone, sending shivers of delight down your spine with each warm kiss.

You pulled his head closer and whispered in his ear with a seductive smile on your lips. "I want you deep inside me."

And before you knew it, you were in his arms, gasping as the ground gave way beneath your feet.

"Whatever my princess wants." He said as he carried you to the bed. You crawled across the middle of the bed. "At your service, my lady." He grinned and you swayed a little with the jolt of his weight as he crawled onto the bed towards you.

"I realise the bed is bigger now, was that necessary?" You asked, your voice filled with playful teasing.

Marcus gripped the hem of your tunic as you ran your hand along the silk sheet, his eyes sparkling with desire.

"You didn't like it? I thought we might be able to move on the wide bed more easily." He said, helping you out of the tunic and taking you by the waist. He pulled you in closer and together you rolled to the other side of the bed, with you now on top of him. "Like this, for instance. Or..." He grabbed you again and this time you rolled to the other end of the bed. This time he was on top of you. "Like this."

You giggled. "I think I understand your point." You reached out your arms to remove his tunic, and once he was free of it, he grasped your legs and drew you closer to him. His gaze shifted from humorous to predatory as he gazed at your exposed body. You felt like his prey, and your heart beat faster as his eager hands slid slowly from your ankles to your legs and then to your thighs. Marcus pressed his lips hungrily against yours and tension hummed between the two of you as your lips touched. 

Tasting the wine he'd just drunk and rolled your tongue around his. You were holding back a little from drinking wine since you were carrying a child, but you realised that you missed the taste. Your enthusiastic movements in his mouth had only served to heighten his arousal. He was filled with excitement and pleasure, an interesting mix that would lead to him taking you roughly. He rubbed his need against your pearl, you were slick as he teased your entrance with the smooth wide tip of his length. He kissed you as he pushed himself inside you. The two of you moaned into the kiss, you were mewling as his length hit your inner back wall. Backing off the kiss to let you catch your breath, he then began to pull out and thrust back into you. Your tight wet warmth surrounded him as he thrust and pulled inside you. He held your hands in his own, pinning you to the bed as he kept thrusting his hips back and forth, slowly picking up speed. Rolling his hips in that way he knew you loved, the two of you started panting and moaning louder.

"Marcus," you said breathlessly. "Deeper, please."

"As you wish, my love." He hummed.

You gasped as you felt him lift your legs up to get a more direct angle into you. His hips picked up speed, driving into you harder. Your legs dangled in the air as he pounded into you, and you moaned loudly. He set one of your legs back down, straightening up his back as he lifted the other one over his shoulder. Your hips began bucking in time with his own. You looked at him, staring into his dark brown eyes as felt some kind of raw wave of pleasure course through your body. Setting your leg back down, he resumed his earlier stance over you, his one arm grabbed you around the waist. You knew from that move that he was close, so you were. His mouth found yours once more. You moaned into his mouth, lost in the mess of love and pleasure you two shared.

"What do you want me to do now, my love?" He asked huskily. He could feel himself beginning to tighten up as his body built up to release.

"Fill me in…” You panted. “With your love,” your breath hit against his collarbone which spurred his on, making him thrust harder and harder into you. Your legs wrapped around his hips, your arms following suit around his back to pull him closer. His chest pressing against your breasts, he gave several more hard thrusts before finally stopping. You both hit your climaxes at once, he was filling you with his seed, and you could feel it all build up within you as you rode your own pleasure out. He kissed your breasts as he felt your rapid heart racing against your ribcage.

After a few minutes, your breath began to settle. Marcus leaned in and kissed you. One of your hands moved up to behind his head, while the other ran his back up and down. When he pulled out of you and broke the kiss, you let out another moan. He looked down and smiled to see some of his seed trickling out of you. You rolled over, and he rested his head on the pillow while you curled into him to listen to his heartbeat slow down. You ran your fingers over his bare chest while you were at it. You lay there for what seemed like an eternity, lost in your bliss. His scent on your skin, the taste of him in your mouth and his warm seed still floating in the very center of your womanhood, all of it show that you were conquered by him. You smiled to yourself, feeling a sense of belonging to him in every part of your body. He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer, then drew the silk sheets up, covering you both. Your eyelids were already closing as you rested your head on his chest, feeling safe and loved. The last thing you felt before drifting off to sleep was his lips moving slowly over your head.

The sun came up over the horizon in a beautiful, graceful arc, bathing the sky in a kaleidoscope of colours as the day began. The villa was illuminated by the sun's rays, which brought about a striking contrast to the previous days' gloom. The villa had been quite deserted, ruined and abandoned in the past few days. However, as of this morning, it was evident that it was waking up to better days than its former ones, as sounds began to spread out of its courtyard. The sense of comfort and peace at leaving those difficult days behind was starting to spread throughout this large house.

The same tranquil atmosphere was also present in your bedroom. The mornings you woke up in the villa were quite noisy but peaceful and full of life, unlike the ones at Domus Severiana, which were boring, quiet and full of intrigue. You smile as you listen to all those sounds you've missed. The cheerful rooster, the birds singing outside the window, the light footsteps coming from the courtyard, indicating the slaves were getting started with their day, and of course, the breathing of the man you loved lying next to you. You wanted to enjoy these morning sounds for a while longer, but as soon as you felt Marcus's warm lips on your sternum, you opened your eyes.

Looking down, you noticed his grey curly hair, and reach out to run your fingers through it. He looked up at you with a mischievous expression on his face.

"Morning," you said, yawning.

"Morning indeed. Since my sun rose from her sleep now." He kissed your chin and made you giggle. Your heartbeat quickened as his lips traveled down from your chin to your neck and down to your collarbone. You slid your fingers from his hair to the nape of his neck. He propped himself up on his elbow on the bed and slowly slid the back of his hand from between your breasts to your navel, pulling down the sheet covering your body to expose your entire body. His hasty lips met yours and he ran a hand over your knees, slipping his fingers between them as you immediately spread your legs for him. It was your body's classic response to his magic touch. A little hastily he grabbed your hips and pulled you closer. Positioning himself between your legs and fondling your entrance with his thick fingers, you bit your lower lip in pleasure.

"Hmm, so ready for me," he grinned then he slid his length deep inside you, making you moan loudly. You watched him as he licked your wetness off his thumb, then his lips, relishing every second of the taste. He then leaned towards you and met your mouth again. The gentle breeze from the window blew the tulle around the bed towards you, but you were too caught up in the moment to pay attention to it. You wrapped your arms tightly around his neck as he made glorious thrusts into your most sensitive spot, taking you to the heights of raw pleasure.

He pulled his hips back and grabbed yours just as he was coming out of you, adjusted himself, and thrust again, this time going deeper inside you. This sends waves of pleasure through your body with each movement. You were on the brink, teetering dangerously close to the edge. Your fingers scratching around his neck was driving him wild. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you roughly to him and sat on his heels on the bed. As you wrapped your legs around his waist, a wave of mind-blowing pleasure swept over your whole body. You felt like you were seeing your surroundings in a yellowish filter, and you were sure it wasn't the sunlight filtering into the room. As you let out a loud moan, he buried his head in your collarbone and let out a roar against your neck, sucking and nibbling at your flesh as you felt him bless you with his hot liquid. You both stayed like that for a while with your eyes closed, panting. As your breathing settled down, you could hear the sounds from outside again which brought you back to reality. He put his forehead against yours, you opened your eyes, you giggled at each other and then he laid you back down.  He slowly came out of you, and you made a sound like mewling. He smirked and kissed your cheek. You watched as he picked up his white tunic from the floor and put it on, waiting for your breathing to return to normal. He got out of bed and walked to the door, ordering the slaves to bring breakfast for you. Then he approached you and pulled the sheet over your body.

"Get some rest until breakfast arrives, my love," he smiled, turned, and walked over to his desk.

You sat up in bed to see what he was doing. He sat down and took some papers from the drawer.

"I suppose the General of Rome doesn't get much rest."

He replied with a smile as he picked up his quill and dipped it into the ink. "I need to let my legates and the legion in the south know what's been going on recently."

"I see. Then you will go to the Field of Mars to send the message, won't you?" You asked.

"Yes, my lady. I will." He replied as he wrote it.

You got out of bed and went to the closet to get some clean clothes. He gave you a quick glance as you wore your cream tunic. Then you slowly approached Marcus. You sat down in the chair opposite his desk and picked up the seal of Legion III with the Pegasus symbol on it. He looked at you and sighed.

"But it's so hard," he murmured. You looked at him, not understanding what he meant. "I can't concentrate with you sitting across from me, looking so beautiful.”

Your cheeks flushed and put your hand over your face. "Should I cover my face like this then?"

He smiled, "Give me a minute," he said before writing the last line and rolling the paper. Then he took your hand, and placed a kiss on it. "Do you want to seal it?"

"Can I really do it?"

"Of course you can, my love." Without letting go of your hand, he made you walk around the table and sat you on his lap. He broke a small piece of sealing wax that he placed in a spoon put above the flame of the oil lamp. While he waited for it to melt, he looked at you, locking his eyes on yours. But he didn't seem to notice that his hand had slipped touching the flame.

"Marcus, you're going to burn your hand," you said anxiously, grabbing his hand. But he was still looking at you, with those brown eyes. "I'm already burning," he said in a deep voice. "And your hair is my fire," His fingers ran through your hair. "Your love is driving me mad. I can't take my eyes off you."

You smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. He kissed you back passionately. He then poured the melting wax on the place where he had closed the letter, took your hand that was holding the seal and guided you to press the seal.

“Why Pegasus?” You asked.

He turned your hand so that you were both looking at the seal now. “It's because, he is primarily associated with bravery, success in battle, protection, duty, and commitment. He was also born from Medusa's blood.” He explained and kissed your palm, then your wrist, your arm, and your shoulder, which made you laugh. And then he kissed your lips, but the kiss was interrupted by a knock at the door.

That was Norell. She'd brought your breakfast to the room with a smile. You smiled back and had a quick chat then she left the room. After breakfast, you helped Marcus get dressed. As he did yesterday, he was going to wear his white tunic today. You placed the red shawl over his shoulders and fastened it with a big brooch pin at the collar. Then you left the room together and went downstairs. You saw Octavius and Decima chatting at the entrance to the courtyard. He wasn't wearing his armour today either. They both noticed you and nodded. Then he went to the stables to get the horses.

"Is Cato still in the Field of Mars?" you asked Marcus, as you both looked after Octavius.

Yes, he's with the other wounded soldiers. I've given them all the day off today. I might be back early this evening since there won't be any training."

"Are they going to be alright?"

"Hope so. We've got five medici there. I'm not sure if they're as good as you, though." He gave a little smile.

"I can come and check them if you need me."

His expression suddenly changed. "You want me to take you among hundreds of men? Not a chance." His voice was firm.

You rolled your eyes. He took your hand, and his expression softened as he looked into your eyes. "You're my medicus, so you can only heal me."

"But that seems a little selfish, General."

"I'm a bit selfish when it comes to you," he said with a little smile.

You gave him a smile in return.

Then you heard a horse neigh, and you both looked in that direction. Marcus's face lit up when Octavius brought Dromos over to him. Marcus stepped towards him and Dromos reared up and let out a loud whinny.

"I missed you too, old friend," said Marcus, stroking his face. Then he got on his horse, grabbed the reins, looking at you. "My lady, I'm leaving now."

"Come back safe." You said, waving your hand.

He nodded with a smile and gave Dromos a nudge forward. Octavius mounted his horse too, and nodded to you before riding after him. As they rode away, their long red shawls fluttered gently in the wind, mixed with the dust from the roadway.

That afternoon, when you were sitting in the courtyard with Decima and Norell, you talked about all the things that had transpired. You also talked about what Caracalla did, how Flavius came close to killing you, and how Macrinus almost caused disaster in Rome. They also told you about the days they spent as were detained and imprisoned. You felt a little down as you talked about those unfortunate days.

"Fortunately, your child is really strong," Decima said, putting her hand on your belly. You put your hand on hers and smiled at her.

"He's as strong as his father," Norell said, smiling.

You exhaled. "Oh, how I've missed talking to you, girls! I've really missed sitting together like this with you."

"We've missed you too," Decima said.

"We have been hoping and praying for your wellbeing and that of the child, as well as the general’s."

“Domina!”

You looked at the slave who was calling out to you and smiled. "I even missed you calling me out in this way," you said, laughing. The girls joined in with your laughter. But when you saw the slave's smile fade, yours did too.

"Is something wrong?"

"A carriage just arrived."

You raised your eyebrows. "Or is it my brother?"

The slave shook his head as no. You frowned and stood up.

And then two women you had never seen before entered the courtyard, one of whom appeared to be quite elderly, while the other seemed to be of a similar age to you. You could tell from their clothes that they weren't just ordinary people. Before you even had a chance to ask anything, they both looked at you with surprise and then the older woman came over to you with her arms outstretched and gave you a hug. Then the other woman gave you a hug too. Decima Norell and the other slaves in the courtyard were looking at you with curious eyes.

The older woman stepped back and looked you in the face. She was crying and sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Aurelia Marciana! You have grown into a beautiful young lady! I am so pleased to see you are alive! My sweet and lovely niece!" She touched your hair gently, her eyes brimming with tears.

You were taken aback. "You referred to me as your niece?" 

She nodded. "I am Antonia Marciana, your mother Paccia Marciana's sister."

"You... are... my aunt?" Your voice cracked. You didn't even know you had a relative on your mother's side – it was a complete surprise.

"I am, my dear. This is my daughter Paulina here, your cousin," the woman next to her took your hand and you smiled at her. "As soon as we heard that you were alive, we set off for Rome, but unfortunately, we learned that our relatives including your father's, had been killed by your half-brother, so we decided to head back. Fortunately, that tyrant is dead so we were able to come here to meet you."

You wiped away your tears and invited them to have a seat. "I imagine you've had quite a journey. I'll get them to prepare you some food." You said, and looked at Decima and Norell who nodded and made their way to the kitchen.

"It was a long journey indeed. My feet are a bit worn out from carrying my old body," Antonia said as she sat down on the lectus with her daughter's help. "You really look just like her, your mother. My poor sister left us before she had enough of you. She loved you so much. You were everything to her."

As she talked about your mother, you started to cry again, your heart ached.

“Even it was not enough, we thought we had lost you. All of your relatives, myself included, grieved for many years thanks to your father. But thank the Gods you are alive now. Is it true you've been in Egypt all this time?" She held out her hand to you, beckoning you to come over.

You sat down next to her and cleared your throat before answering. "Yes, I lived there without even knowing who I was."

"Septimus, that cruel man. I'll never forgive him for sending you away like that. I think it was all down to his new wife and his spoilt sons. After your mother passed away, I wanted to take you with me to Leptis Magna, but your father wouldn't let me." She took your hand in hers.  "But somehow you ended up back in Rome. I'm relieved that those brothers of yours didn't do anything to you. We were surprised to learn that you were here and not in the palace, and we were even more surprised and worried when we heard that you were wed. We would have loved to make it to the wedding, but it seems it all rather quickly." She said as if she was asking you.

You gave a little smile. "It all happened pretty quickly yes, but it's great that you're here now. I'm really pleased to meet you."

They smiled back in return. The slaves brought the food to the table and left. Your aunt leaned in, and held your hand.

"Aurelia, dear, I was a bit concerned when I heard you'd wed a soldier, a Roman General." She spoke in a low voice, almost as if she were whispering. “Or did those evil twins force you to wed him? What was his name again?"

"General Acacius," you said at once. "But no, not them. I wanted to wed the general of my own free will.”

Your aunt pursed her lips. "I mean, you're a princess after all. Besides, I heard that he's a bit old for you."

"Mother, please," Paulina said with a little whine.

She ignored her. "Is he kind to you? I'd love to know if he's a good husband. Does he fulfill all your needs?"

Your cheeks flushed. "Um, yes, aunt Antonia. He's a kind person and a great husband. I am beyond happy with him. Besides, age is just a number, isn't it?"

"Oh, your eyes just light up when you talk about him. Right, Paulina?"

"Indeed mother. I get the impression that she is very much in love with her husband." She said with a warm smile.

You smiled back, blushing again.

"I'm so delighted to see you happy, my dear." She said sincerely. "Now, I'm relieved."

While you were answering their questions about your marriage, they ate their meal. You were somewhat taken aback at how swiftly you became accustomed to them, but it was truly a pleasure getting to know someone who was your relative, particularly your mother's sister. Apparently, they'd returned to Rome after living in Leptis Magna for many years, and they mentioned that Paulina's husband was planning to stand for election as a member of the senate in the new reign, which would mean that you would see them more often. 

Three months later…

The last few months have been pretty busy for everyone. Geta's decision to raise the pay of the legions has led to a significant increase in the number of people applying to join. Marcus was shuttled from the Field of Mars to the barracks. All in all, when he returned in the evening, he was tired, but he still couldn't resist burying himself between your thighs and breasts. Your belly bump is certainly bigger, since the due date is just around the corner in two or three months. Your appetite had recently increased, and Marcus was certain it was because the child you were carrying was going to be strong. Your aunt and cousin Paulina were now living in the villa since her husband had become a member of the Senate. You and Marcus went to visit them once, and they got on well. But now it is difficult and tiring for you to travel so much. Marcus didn't want you to go anywhere unless you had to. Everyone at the villa was more attentive to you than ever before, trying their best to fulfill your every wish. Once a week, a midwife, selected with great care by your aunt, would come to check on you. She said that you were doing well, that the child was healthy, and that everything appeared to be fine.

Towards the end of that month, however, circumstances forced the first prolonged separation from Marcus. The army that Macrinus had secretly deployed and left behind in the vicinity of Syria had overstepped its bounds when it received the latest news and decided to cooperate with the Sasanian dynasty in attacking Roman troops in the south. When the southern legions reported this to Marcus, he thought it best to go there and repel them. With the approval of the Senate and Geta, the date of departure was set.

That evening, it seemed like sadness had taken over the villa. After dinner with Marcus, he helped you sit on the edge of the bed. The baby started kicking, as it always did after dinner. He was kneeling beside you, trying to feel the baby's kicks with his hand above your belly.

"He's a fighter," he murmured with a smile. "Don't give your mother any difficulty while I'm away, would you?" He rubbed your belly.

"What if you don't make it to the birth?" you asked, pursing your lips.

He looked up at you and kissed you on the belly before sitting down next to you. He took your hands in his.

"It's still two months away. I think I'll be back by then. Even if I don't, I'm certain you'll manage, my love."

"Could you perhaps consider not going? I believe there may be someone else who could serve as general and potentially prevail against them. Am I mistaken?"

He touched your cheek. "There is no qualified commander who knows this region as thoroughly as I do yet there is no time to choose someone to do anyway. It has to be me, my love. The soldiers in my legion in the south are like brothers to me. How can I sit here while they are out there fighting with everything they have?”

You bowed your head and couldn't stop your tears, which dripped down your cheek and into his hand. He wiped your tears away with his thumbs and gave you a kiss on the temple. "I promise you, my princess, I will be back to you safe and sound. Besides, they say, separation makes love grow and strengthen."

You felt your heartache as you looked at his face. "My heart is always longing for you, even if you're just a short distance away."

He smiled. "No matter how far I go, I'm always with you, do not forget that."

You placed his hand on your chest. "My only consolation will be the dream of you touching me again. So touch me in such a way that it would be the only thing that will keep me strong in your absence.”

Without a moment's hesitation, he pressed his lips to yours, and a complex emotion, a blend of passion and sadness, swept over your entire body. You tilted your head back ever so slightly to catch your breath, and his lips traced a path to your neck while your fingers ran possessively through his grey curls. Your heart was racing as he quickly undressed you and then himself. Still sitting on the end of the bed, he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you onto his lap. Given the size of your belly, this position seemed more appropriate.  He kissed your breasts, and you bent your knees and sat on his lap with his hands on your hips. He kissed you again and entered you needily, which made you both let out a moan of pleasure. You put your arms around his neck, your breasts brushing against his chest. He supported your back with one hand and started thrusting deeply into you, lifting you on his lap and thrusting again and again. Every touch, every kiss felt like it was the last time and full of love. Your hot breaths, loud moans, love, and sorrow filled the room, creating a memory worth remembering as your bodies merged perfectly.

The morning was overcast as if the sadness in you had turned into dark clouds and covered the whole sky. As you helped Marcus put on his armour, you tried to hold back your tears, to be strong, but you were about to fail. However, you didn't want him to remember you as sad, so you did your best to suppress your feelings and try to smile as much as possible. He kissed you one last time before leaving the room. There was so much in that kiss, passion, love, sorrow and a vow to return. Everyone in the villa seemed a bit down as they followed you outside. Marcus looked at you one last time before mounting his horse. He was wearing his long red shawl over his armour and his galea (helmet) in his hand. Instinctively you moved closer to him. He rubbed your belly, then took your hand and kissed it with his eyes closed. Then he opens his eyes and looks into yours.

"I promise you, my lady, I will return in triumph."

You nodded. "May the Gods watch over you and bring each soldier home safely. Rome victrix."

"Rome victrix." He repeated and then mounted his horse.

Your eyes filled with tears that you had been holding back. You watched them until they disappeared from sight with Octavius, and finally, all the feelings you had been suppressing started to come out. Decima embraced you as you sobbed. You stood there together for a while, and all the slaves gathered around to calm you down. The sky rumbled with thunder and soon it began to rain as if to accompany your crying.

One month later…

The days were tough, but you got through them somehow.  During that time, you sent Marcus lots of letters. But you had to keep them short since they were travelling by pigeon. You had mentioned the cool, rainy days in your letters. You had said the midwife was coming in once or twice a week and that the baby was doing well, that it was getting big enough to keep you awake at night.

In his last letter Marcus wrote that the army had managed to repel the initial assault, but the situation remained fluid and the prospect of conflict was now a distinct possibility. He did not write to you as frequently as you did, but you could imagine how busy he was, so you waited patiently. That evening you wrote him another letter, not knowing if it would reach him. It was the only way to stay strong, to hold on. It made you feel like you were talking to him.

“My husband, my love, my brave general, owner of my heart. Every minute, every hour, every day, every breath I take without you is like torture. My only consolation is our child growing inside me. The midwife says it's now less than a month before the birth, and our son must be looking forward to coming, but I try to calm him down by telling him to wait for his father. I hope you will return to us soon, my love. In your absence, things are different. I can't taste the food I eat or smell the flowers I smell the same way I used to. Everything feels incomplete without you. I miss you so much. I am praying that you will come back to me safely. Your Aurelia.”

The next day, after breakfast, you decided to go downstairs and visit Unio in the stables. You were looking forward to riding on her back again. You thought of Marcus as you stroked her silky pearl-white mane. You thought of him all the time anyway, and everything reminded you of him. You felt a bit down, and Unio nudged you with his nose and whinnied as if he wanted to cheer you up.

“Domina!”

You looked over at the voice calling you, and one of the slaves came running over. Decima was right behind him, looking worried.

“My lady, Emperor Geta.”

“Not again, please.”

Over the past few weeks, you've been feeling resentful towards your brother Geta, turning down all of his requests. Every week he sent you a letter to read and a carriage to take you to him, but you never wanted to meet up with him. You had a good reason for that, though. But today was different. You were surprised to see a lectica (palanquin) outside the door, which was usually used for short distances.

One of the guards approached you and nodded. "Princess, Emperor Geta is awaiting you. He said you would be more comfortable if we took you to him this way."

It was actually more comfortable than the carriage. There wasn't much risk of shaking, but the distance between Palatine Hill and the villa was quite a long way.

"But this way you'll be pretty tired," you said, looking at the slaves.

"They're used to carrying people who weigh more than you over longer distances," the guard explained.

"It's an honour to carry our princess," said one of them.

They all looked at you with a reassuring gaze.

"Emperor Geta has entrusted you to us, please let us carry you."

You agreed to put an end to this nonsense that happens every week.

Decima came to you, "I will accompany you."

"I can't let you walk all that way." You protested.

"Please, my lady. I cannot send you there alone."

"She's right, my lady. Let her come with you." Tullia approached you. "At least it will give me some relief."

You sighed. "Very well," you said and sat on the lectica with Decima's help. The slaves slowly lifted you up.

"Be careful with our princess!" Tullia gave them a firm warning. It was a strange feeling, being carried all that way on the shoulders of slaves. You couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, but they didn't seem to be having any difficulty.

Upon your arrival at Palatine Hill at noon, you were pleased to find the travel to be quite comfortable. The slaves were looking well and showed no signs of fatigue. They lowered you carefully and gave you a hand getting out. You thanked them and walked towards Domus Severiana, accompanied by Decima and the guards. You suddenly realised how much you'd missed the place. After all, you and Marcus had many memories here too. You smiled to yourself, no matter where you went, it felt like his memories were right there with you, following you like a shadow. You first visit the tomb with Decima, to pay your respects to your father before heading to the great hall. Once you were back in the courtyard, you asked Decima to find out where Geta was. After all, he summoned you, but he wasn't there which you found a bit strange.

You turned your head when you heard footsteps approaching behind you, but it wasn't him.

"Gods! Who is this lovely lady?”

He was a young man who looked older than Geta, perhaps around your age, someone you had never seen before. He approached you with an unnecessary grin on his face. "May I know who you are beautiful lady?"

You frowned, turning your head away.

“Sister!”

You turned and saw that Geta was coming towards you from behind the other man.

"You are the famous Princess Aurelia? You're much prettier than they say."

Geta gave him a dirty look, "I find it pretty gross that you were so desperate that you would hit on a woman with a child." He chastised him. He reached out to embrace you, but your stomach was in the way. "Oh my, it's getting quite big!"

The man laughed. "Aah, apologize, my lady. I was distracted by your beauty and didn't notice your big belly.”

You rolled your eyes. "Why did you summon me?" You asked Geta.

"Come inside with me," he said, wrapping an arm around you, and narrowing his eyes at the other man.

He watched you two walk away, pursing his lips.

When you stepped into the great hall, Geta sat you down in a chair. He then sat opposite you.

"I'm sorry I summoned you here, but I didn't have a chance to leave the palace. Besides, you refused to come and you didn't write me back, what could I do? You left me helpless, I missed you so much."

He was going to hug you again, but you drew back. His eyes widened in surprise. "Or are you angry with me?”

You sighed, couldn't hold it in any longer. "Of course I'm angry with you! How could I not be? My husband went to war to fight for you, for Rome. He had to leave his wife behind. However, the Emperor of Rome chose to stay here in his palace instead of being with his army!" You suddenly began to cry, unable to stop sobbing.

Geta stood up and approached you, putting one hand on your shoulder.

"Forgive me, sister. I wanted to go with them, but you know the reason."

"What reason?”

He frowned. "Haven't you read the letters I sent you? How rude of you sister. You broke my heart." He approached the table and poured himself a glass of wine from the decanter. "That bastard you just saw at back the courtyard, my cousin, he arrived in Rome months ago. Apparently, my mother made him a promise when she saved the Senate from Macrinus. But his target isn't the Senate, it's something bigger."

Suddenly you felt guilty, he had obviously fallen on hard times as well.

"It'll never end, will it? Someone will always want to ascend the throne." You mumbled.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"You're not angry with me for shouting at you, are you?"

He smiled. "I deserve it," he said, taking a sip of his wine. "I'm glad you came, I really needed to see you. And..." he said, putting the glass on the table and coming closer to you, taking your hands and looking into your eyes. "As for the other reason that I called you..." He smirked. "I've got some news that will make you happy."

You raised your eyebrows. "What is it?”

"I have been informed two days ago that our ships carrying the army have set sail from Alexandria."

Suddenly your heart began to beat rapidly with excitement, your throat felt dry.

"It is thought that they should arrive in Ostia in a few days. General Acacius, your husband, is returning home in triumph."

"Thank the Gods! You don't know how happy you made me, brother!" You hugged him, eyes filled with tears.

"It's nice to see you smiling again." He murmured, rubbing your back.

You began to cry again, which has become something of a habit for you recently.

"Please stop crying. He's coming back. I promise I won't send him to war again.”

Suddenly you felt a spasm in your womb and you gasped.

"Sister! Are you alright? Gods forbid, but I hope you're not in labor, are you?"

"No, there's still time. It's just a little contraction," you said through clenched teeth.

"Are you certain?" He asked anxiously.

You nodded. "I want to return home now. I'd better not move a muscle until Acacius returns. I don't want to give birth while he's away."

"You're right. Thank you for coming," he kissed you on the cheek. "Just seeing you for a little while is enough for me.”

He helped you to your feet. You looked at him. "Make sure you keep your promises to our people, brother. You must be able to rule alone. Be strong and wise, like our father."

"I promise I will. Thank you, Aurelia, for believing in me more than my mother did. She only gives lectures and tells me not to trust anyone."

"You don't need anyone's wisdom. You're a Roman Emperor, remember that, stand tall."

He nodded and smiled. Suddenly, you felt the baby kick and smiled, then took Geta's hand and placed it over your belly. He laughed as he felt the kick.

"Oh, gods! Looks like my nephew is going to be a quiet fighter, just like his father. Is the midwife sure it's a boy?"

"Yes, she said she is certain." You said a little hesitantly.

"Then you are carrying little Acacius! Rome surely needs him!”

You smiled. "I hope he will be just like his father."

He smiled back and then walked you out, making jokes about your big belly on the way. Getting slaps on the back from you in return.

The day of return.

Three days had passed since your last meeting with Geta, and there was still no word from Marcus or the Roman army. You were concerned because he hadn't replied to your last letters, but you took some solace in what Geta had said. Cato, who was waiting in the harbor of Ostia, was sending you the latest news every evening with a soldier. But the news you were waiting for never came, and each passing day was becoming more and more unbearable. However, today, unlike other days, that soldier arrived while you were resting in the courtyard after breakfast. He came by early today because he had the news you were waiting for. The good news you'd been hoping for and praying for.

"I've got some good news for you, my lady. We have a sighting of our army's ships off the coast of Ostia!"

You smile and place your hand on your chest, just above your heart, which begins to beat faster.

"Praise the gods!" cried Tullia, raising her arms in the air.  Everyone in the villa smiled at each other and looked at you with a warm, relieved expression. You were just so overwhelmed that you didn't know what to say. Decima and Norell gave you a hug, sharing your happiness as you shed a few tears. You quickly told them to get the bath ready and prepare the food. Your heart was racing with excitement, and you could feel your whole body trembling. He was returning, your husband, your love, your happiness, your general, back to you.

As the sun's rays filtered through the clouds and illuminated the blue waters of the sea, the ships of the Roman army coyly approached the harbour. Marcus exhaled deeply as his gaze traversed the outlines of the city skyline. He was grateful to be able to return to his city and homeland in triumph. Previously, upon returning home, his thoughts had been solely focused on relaxing at his villa and then heading to the barracks or the Field of Mars, the only place he would be occupied again. But now he had you in his life, he had something to come back for, something to give up all his duties for. A month without you felt like a year to him, he was tired and full of longing.

He reached for his armour and picked up the papers he'd tucked under it. All the letters you had written to him. As he brought them to his lips and kissed them, he couldn't help but smile. He was really looking forward to seeing you and having you in his arms again. Once the ship was approaching in the harbour, Octavius brought his red shawl and helped him put it on. They exchanged a proud smile and went down on deck together as the ship made its way to the dock. Marcus tapped all his soldiers on the shoulder as they all saluted him. They were all tired, proud and cheerful. The ship maneuvered to port on the port tack and came alongside with a slight bump, the waves crashing into the harbour causing the waves to splash the people waiting on the shore. The gangway was brought for the soldiers who were ready to get off the ship. The people on the shore cheered, and the soldiers on board saluted as Marcus stepped from the ship onto the shore. After him, other soldiers disembarked, and a festive atmosphere prevailed on the shore. Cato came running to them and saluted Marcus, who touched his shoulder in return.

"Aurelia? Tell me, is she alright?" He asked excitedly.

Cato smiled. "Yes, sir. Lady Aurelia and the others are all waiting for you."

Marcus let out a sigh of relief, but now feeling more excited, he turned to Octavius. "Are you coming with me?"

"Yes, sir." He replied with a shy smile.

"My lady, why don't you take a seat?"

You ignored Tullia's concern, shaking your head as 'no'. “I'll wait here until he arrives," you said firmly.

You were all waiting outside the villa, just off the dirt road. You were feeling a little nervous and your heart was beating a little faster, making it a little difficult to catch your breath. You were getting tired, but you decided to wait there for a little longer. Everyone had their eyes locked on the end of the road, excitedly waiting for their Dominus to arrive. Decima came to you and took your hand and put one hand on your back, sharing your exhilaration.

And then, you heard some horses' hooves pounding on the ground, followed by a few loud neighs. You kept your eyes fixed on the road ahead, waiting impatiently. Your hands were shaking, your palms were sweating, and your heart was beating faster than ever. Decima gave you a rub on the shoulder. And Marcus came into view, urging his horse on to go faster, his voice bouncing off the road. You took a step forward and almost forgot about your big belly, wanting to run towards him. Marcus reared his horse, looking at you, and then jumped off and ran towards you. The slaves murmured to each other in joy. You gave Decima's hand a gentle push to walked towards him. She said something in concern, but you ignored her. All you could think about was Marcus who came over to you with a big smile on his face. He took your hands first, then looked at your belly in amazement and took you in his arms. He turned you around a few times in joy, making you giggle. Then he set you down and gave you a tight but careful hug, grabbing your neck pulling your head closer, burying his face in your hair, breathing you in.

"Thank the gods! You have returned to me, my love." Tears filled your eyes.

He looked into your eyes, and you could see his longing there, burning bright. "As I promised, I have returned to you, my lady, in triumph."

You embraced him tightly, running your fingers through his grey hair as the tears rolled down your cheeks. You inhaled his scent, kissed his neck, and let out a few sobs that echoed off the outer walls of the villa.

Marcus gently wiped away your tears with his fingers and placed his arm around you.

"Welcome home, general!" the slaves saluted him.

"Thank the gods you have returned safely," Tullia said cherfully.

"Thank you Tullia," Marcus said, then noticed Decima standing timidly. He turned around and looked at Octavius and made a sign to him. Then they embraced each other as you walked into the courtyard. You tilted your head to look at them, Marcus leaning down and kissing the top of your head, pulling you closer to him.

"My love, you've become even more beautiful since I last saw you," Marcus said, his fingers brushing through your hair.

You two were in the Balneum, you were seated on his lap in the water, your head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure if I really look beautiful. I have some body flaws." You giggled, pointing to your belly.

You felt his lips beneath your earlobe. "I'm in love with every part of you that you think is a flaw. Besides, you're beautiful in every way. It's simply not possible otherwise." He put his hand on your belly, smiled when he felt a kick. "See? Our child agrees."

You smiled, then lifted your head to look at his face. "I've noticed that when you talk about him, you always say 'our child', not 'our son'. Do you think it's going to be a girl?"

"It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl since it's our child, the fruit of our love." He kissed your temple.

"Wouldn't you prefer it to be a boy? From what I've seen, Roman men care more about that."

"Nonsense. If you ask me, I would prefer a girl with your hair, your eyes, your beauty." His lips brushed against your cheek.

"Really? The midwife says it's a boy. And in my experience as a medicus, I find that to be true.”

“Aurelia, please don't worry about that. I promise you, nothing else matters more than ensuring our child is born healthy.”

You looked at him admiringly and sighed. "I've missed you so much. Your voice, the way you always comforted me." You then frowned. "I'll speak to Geta and make sure he doesn't send you anywhere else. I was really worried about you. I was so close to having an early labor."

He laughed. ‘'I'm glad I returned in time. I was afraid that if I didn't make it."

Then he sighed deeply. "I missed you too. Without you, It's like nothing tastes the same, not even the food I eat or the wine I drink. It was as if even the sun wasn't as bright as it usually is. Even when I was fighting enemy soldiers, all I could think about was returning to you. I felt no other emotion and had no other purpose. You looked at him and he looked at you. No matter how far away we were, I felt you with me every time I closed my eyes. He pressed his palm on your chest, right above your heart. Maybe it's because our souls are bound together. Our hearts are tied together.”

Your eyes locked on his lips, he realized what you wanted, and he leaned down and kissed you. The kiss was more restrained than ever, full of love, like a cry of longing. But your heavy breathing made him break the kiss.

"Are you alright, my love?"

You nodded, taking his hand on your thigh. "Marcus, please, I need you now more than ever."

He smirked. "It seems our bodies need to be as one as our souls."

He grabbed your hips and pulled you to him. With his need, already writhing to be inside you, he entered you impatiently.

Your belly prevented you from wrapping your arms around his neck, so you put your hands on his shoulders. "Gods!" you moaned in pleasure. You had missed feeling him inside you so much.

"Let me," He said and turned you around and pulled you back to him a little roughly, your back bumped against his chest. His hands, his arms, every part of his body was yearning to touch you, to possess you. He guided you to sit properly on his lap and entered you from behind. You found this position more comfortable. He gently gripped onto your hips and pushed you against his groin, splashes echoing off the damp walls of the balneum. His hands reached up to cup your breasts, kneading them possessively. With each thrust, each touch, you felt more and more breathless, and you were getting closer and closer to the edge. His lips were hot as they travelled along your neckline, soon to be replaced by his tongue and teeth. Your back arched and you pressed into his shoulder, giving him the opportunity to kiss you deeply.

"Marcus!" you gasped. You dug your fingers into his arms that were wrapped around you.

"I know my love, me too." He whispered in your ear and tightened his grip around you, thrusting as deep as he could. He picked up the pace at an incredible rate and you cried out his name over and over as you both reached your climaxes.

The intense pleasure you were experiencing suddenly gave way to pain. "Ow!" You groaned.

You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling incredible pressure in your womb but still able to detect the remaining traces of pleasure.

"Aurelia?" He grabbed your hair with one hand to look at your face. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" His voice was full of concern.

You were in too much pain to speak. Or was it time? You suddenly felt afraid. "I'm not hurt. I'm just having contractions," you said through clenched teeth.

Marcus stood up and helped you to your feet. He poured a bucket of clean water over your shoulders and gave you a kiss on the head. "We should summon the midwife. Let me dry you off first."

You nodded and got out of the tub with his help.

The midwife came in a hurry, but by the time she arrived, you were no longer having contractions. She examined you anyway and said some things you didn't like.

"You're still some time away from labor, my lady," she said, and then she looked at Marcus. "Contractions are very normal at this stage, but it is wise not to trigger them too much as this can lead to an early birth. The earlier premature birth happens, the greater the health risks for your child."

You frowned, pursing your lips.

"I want you to move in here next week," Marcus said, looking at her. "Whatever you need will be provided. Inform the slaves of what you need for the birth, everything should be ready by now." He spoke in a firm tone as if giving orders to a soldier.

"As you wish sir. I will have everything ready. Please take care until then, my lady." She bowed her head and left the room.

"I think she's exaggerating a bit. I feel fine," you said, pursing your lips. Marcus sat down on the bed next to you and took your hand.

"Well, we'd better err on the side of caution anyway."

"Or will you not touch me again until the birth?"

He gave you a smile and stroked your cheek.

"You know I don't mean that."

He rolled his eyes. "Aurelia, you heard her too. She said it wouldn't be good for the child. We'll be patient. What's the big deal?"

You shrugged stubbornly, he laughed at your expression. Then he leaned in and whispered in your ear. "I promise you that after the birth, when you're ready, I'll make love to you until the morning. It will be so incredible that you'll forget your name in the morning."

You giggled and pulled him to you and kissed him passionately. But when the kiss got dangerously deep, he stopped you and pulled back. You frowned again. Marcus sighed and pinched your cheek. "You're going to have to be patient, princess.”

That week was more arduous than you anticipated. Your belly got bigger, it was harder to breathe and even sleeping peacefully became almost impossible. The baby was so active that it kept you awake at night. Marcus tried putting pillows between your legs and under your belly to help you sleep better, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. It wasn't just because you were carrying a child, but also because you couldn't touch him the way you wanted to, even though there were only a few inches between you and Marcus in bed. This absence of physical contact was starting to bother you, but he didn't seem too concerned. Or maybe he was just hiding his feelings really well – you weren't sure. All he did was hold your hand, kiss the top of your head or place a soft kiss on your lips. You were craving for more yet you had to restrain yourself. You kept telling yourself to be patient, to wait a little longer.

Since he's tired of battle, Marcus was spending a little more time at the villa which you were happy about it. But for some reason he was suddenly leaving every afternoon and coming back quite late at night. When you asked him about it, he mentioned that there was an election between the legions, and he had to re-select his centurions and legates after the last war. But it was a bit strange that it was in the evening, maybe it was hard for him too, not being able to touch you, so it was good to be at work, who knows, so you didn't ask too many questions.

When Antonia, your aunt, invited you to a dinner banquet at her house one night, you weren't sure you wanted to go at first. But it was tough spending time at the villa without Marcus and it was very boring to just lie down all day anyway. That is why you decided to go.

The reason for the banquet was that Pauline's husband had now risen to a high position in the council, and they were expecting a child soon too. You thought it would be a good opportunity to meet the other senate wives, so you decided to go.

Marcus said you could go if your midwife would accompany you there as if she wasn't already following you like a shadow. You were hoping this banquet would be a nice change of pace since you hadn't been around people for a while.

Their villa was really grand, though not quite as big as yours. The courtyard was really lovely and spacious. The whole place was lit up with twinkling lights, specially lit for tonight. The soft, happy sounds of women's laughter floated out of the courtyard. As soon as you stepped inside, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at you. It was just like your wedding day. You couldn't help but smile as you remembered it. You gave them a quick look as you walked over to your aunt. Some of the women looked a little jealous, some admired you, and others looked respectful.

"Oh, my beautiful niece Aurelia! You’re here!" She gave you a big hug and held your hands with joy. "Come dear, please have a seat,” she made you sit on a lectus filled with cushions, which you realised was a specially prepared place for you. Decima put a cushion just behind you to make you feel comfortable, you thanked her.

Paulina came over and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. You congratulated her on her husband's success and on the little one she was expecting. The banquet carried on, with the women chatting and laughing, before they sat down to eat. They kept asking you lots of questions. As you might expect, the questions were all about the child and the birth. Julia was there too, along with two other women. You ignored their looks and carried on chatting with your aunt.

"How long until the birth, princess? Your belly looks so big now," a woman asked.

"My belly was smaller when I gave birth to my daughter." Said another one, they laughed.

"The midwife thinks it'll probably be next week," you replied.

"It's so close now. I hope the baby is born healthy, my lady."

You nodded your thanks.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," your aunt said, smiling at you.

It suddenly dawned on you that your aunt's reason for calling you there was not as innocent as it seemed. After all, you've had the chance to get to know her over the past few months. She was showing off to other women about the power of your status, but she didn't seem to be malicious.

"Oh, it's so tough being a woman, isn't it?” One of them said, with a sigh. "They tell us from a young age that we should marry a powerful man and bear him children. But what about men? It's all so easy and comfortable for them." The woman seemed a little drunk, but she made a fair point.

Antonia narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you're right, my dear, but my Paulina's husband, my son-in-law, is never one to sit still. He's worked hard for his position." Then she looked at you. "Neither is Aurelia's husband, General Acacius, he's a hero. Let's make a toss to him and the glorious Roman army once more!"

You smiled at her and lifted your glass with the juice in it.

"Of course he is," Julia replied, with a hint of sarcasm. You were curious as to why she had broken the silence she had kept all night. And you were pretty sure you wouldn't be pleased with what she had to say. 'But he's just like any other man. All men are basically the same."

Before you could ask her a question, someone else butted in and said something into her ear, then they laughed. You frowned.

"Come now! Are we here to talk about men, ladies?" Someone complained.

But you found yourself looking at the woman next to Julia, who was giving you some pretty suggestive glances, and you felt pretty uncomfortable.

"Lady Domna!" you called out loudly. You sat up, giving her a stern look. "There seemed to be an insinuation in your voice. I want to know why."

The woman next to her laughed. "Oh, poor thing, she has no idea."

"What are you talking about?" This behavior annoyed you. Your aunt grabbed your hand, Decima touched your shoulder.

"My niece asked you a question," your aunt said firmly, seemed like she didn't like them at all just like you did.

Julia smiled cruelly. "Aurelia, it could happen to any of us. I don't mean to disrespect his memory, but my husband Septimus, your father, turned to other women to fulfill his sexual needs when my belly was as big as yours."

"My husband did too," one of them complained.

You stood up. "What did you just say?"

Julia rolled her eyes and looked at you like she won a victory. "Whore house," she said. "Acacius, your husband, was there the other day. Horatia's husband visits there often, so she said that he saw him there, right Horatia?"

She nodded hesitantly.

You were stunned, and instinctively put your both hands over your mouth. Suddenly your whole body began to tremble with rage.

To be continued…

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Tuesday's Gone — Chapter 6

Russell Shaw x Reader

Summary: When the police does little to no help to find your missing daughter, you are forced to contact Colter Shaw. What you don’t expect is how his investigation will reveal secrets about both your past and your daughter’s, in ways you never imagined.

Warnings: Language, mentions of complicated birth, blood

A/N: Hi, loves! Sorry for going MIA for a week, but in my defense, I gave you a heads up. 🙈 These next few weeks are unfortunately going to be like that, but I’m trying my best to proofread everything in time. I’ll also reply to everyone as soon as I can!!! Thank you for your patience and support. 🤍

Title’s based on Tuesday’s Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Catch up on Chapter 5 here

Tuesday’s Gone masterlist

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The gunshot cracked through the streets, cutting through the night like a bad omen. You pulled Emma close as your heart was hammering relentlessly in your chest. The silence that followed only sharpened your fear. Eyes shut tight, you forced yourself to breathe, clinging to one thought: Please, don’t let it be Russell. Not like this. Not now. Not when you saw a flicker of hope of not only escaping this nightmare, but also of maybe finally finding some closure for everything left unsaid between you.

Your whole life flashed through your mind, choppy and absurdly fast like a Charlie Chaplin-movie.  If it weren’t for the terror, you might’ve laughed at how comically swift and disjointed the images came, like a slapstick comedy, only it wasn’t funny.

Your mind drifted to those first moments, four years ago, that had changed everything. You could see those two unmistakable blue lines on the pregnancy test, clear as an August sky, no room for doubt. You could also see the way your body started to tremble at the weight of it and how you clung to your sister, Anna, who tried her best to comfort you while also nagging you to tell her what’s the matter.  

You also remembered the first time you held Emma the day she was born - well, technically the day after she was born. She had decided to make a dramatic entrance, tangling herself in her umbilical cord. You’d been knocked out cold from the emergency C-section, missing the whole thing. In hindsight, probably for the best; your nerves would’ve been shot otherwise. But when you finally held her, all that worry and exhaustion melted away as she looked up at you with those big, curious eyes, and just like that, she had you wrapped around her tiny fingers. 

You held her then, almost the same way you were holding her now, though you tried to shove that comparison to the back of your mind. 

The memory of your parents’ first meeting with her was also vivid. Your dad, who’d been all fire and brimstone about Russell – and let’s be honest, your unplanned pregnancy – had melted the second he saw Emma’s bright green eyes. You’d never seen him, the tough, no-nonsense mechanic, act so soft. It was like watching a grizzly suddenly turn into a teddy bear. Your mom, of course, was over the moon, but you expected that. She’s always been your biggest cheerleader, besides Anna. Your dad, though, was also someone you could always count on, but there was something different about your bond with him.

As these memories flashed by, it hit you like a ton of bricks: they must be out of their minds with worry. You hadn’t told them about Colter Shaw’s involvement in finding Emma, and they had no clue that calling him was basically inviting Russell into the picture, to invite him into this mess. The irony, of course, being that this very mess had started with him – even if he hadn’t exactly meant for things to spiral into a nightmare.

You can’t help but think back to how you and Russell first met – it felt like fate with a side of fries. He was sitting in a corner booth at the diner where you worked, trying to figure out the menu like it was written in hieroglyphs. That Cream t-shirt of his clung to his broad shoulders in just the right way, and the dim lighting made him look like something out of a movie. A guy who looked that good and had killer music taste? Yeah, you knew you were doomed.

At the time, you were pulling double shifts to scrape together enough to pay for the student loan you took out years ago, feeling every inch of burnout creeping in. But then there was Russell, glancing up at you with a gaze so intense it could’ve burned a hole through the laminated menu. The moment you stepped up to take his order, his eyes locked onto yours like he’d found what he was looking for… and for almost three years, they never really left.

“Y/N?” A voice cut through your spiraling thoughts. 

Your ears perked up and then the voice spoke up again.

“It’s safe. You can come out now.” 

Colter. Calm and steady, as always.

Your eyes flew open and you peeked around the tree and saw the aftermath. There was Colter, standing tall with his gun lowered, surveying the scene. And sprawled on the ground, clutching his shoulder and looking about as smug as a wet rat was Rourke, blood seeping through his fingers. Couldn’t have happened to a better guy. 

But Colter wasn’t alone. Officers from the Springland Sheriff’s Department marched in behind him with raised guns, all sporting that famous TV-cop focus. The sheriff himself was there, giving Rourke a look like he was mentally listing all the charges he’d be writing up. His men had Rourke’s goons pinned. Now that their great boss was down, they didn’t seem too keen to put on a fight. Their faces looked like they’d just been sucker-punched by surprise. 

And they weren’t the only ones.

You held Emma tight, inching out from behind the tree, eyes scanning frantically until you found Russell. He was there, standing over Rourke, right where the standoff had left them. He seemed unharmed, aside from the bruises and cuts he was already sporting.

Thank God.

He looked just as shocked as you to see his brother here, surrounded by cops. Russell wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with law enforcement – his years at Horizon as a black ops agent made him wary of trusting any man with badges. But today? He looked downright relieved to see so many uniforms. 

On the pavement, Rourke gritted his teeth, trying to hold onto whatever shred of authority he had left.

“Shaw, you little –what, you brought some friends?” His voice was strained, all his earlier swagger bleeding out along with the blood from his shoulder.

Russell shot his brother a look that could’ve covered a dozen emotions, then glanced at the walking douche with the pornstache. “Guess you should’ve checked that warehouse a little better.” 

The sheriff stepped forward, his face all business as he looked down at Rourke. “James Rourke” he said, his voice tinged with authority as he put the man in handcuffs, “you’re under arrest for kidnapping, assault, conspiracy, human trafficking, and about a dozen other charges I’ll happily review once we’re at the station. Don’t worry, We’ve got just enough time until the feds get here.”

The feds? And human trafficking?

Before you could think any further, Russell stepped closer to you and Emma, and without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around you two. You could feel how the weight of it all fell off his shoulders as he let himself melt in this moment. He felt that this moment, right here, is going to be something he’ll always remember. You hesitated, but seeing Emma already snuggled up to him, you decided to let yourself lean in. Just a little.

As he held you both, Russell glanced up and spotted Reenie walking alongside Colter. Reenie, no doubt, was behind the intel that finally exposed Rourke. For years, Russell had suspected that Rourke was running something shady, a side hustle no one in Morello’s circle knew about. And he was right. Rourke was overseeing an entire underground trafficking network, bringing in young, vulnerable women, and doing it all without Morello’s knowledge. 

Rourke was smart enough to keep his illegal dealings separate from Morello’s empire at Horizon. If Morello had known, he would’ve shut it down immediately, but Rourke kept it quiet, carefully concealed behind the black ops company he worked for. Rourke had always been good at playing both sides. Loyal enough to keep up appearances with Morello, but greedy enough to carve out his own profits on the side. The money was too good to walk away from, and that’s why he kept it hidden so well. He’d threatened Russell to stay quiet, and for a while, Russell had listened, against his better judgment. He regretted it every day.

But the minute he tried to walk away, to cut ties, Rourke made sure he understood that there was no leaving without consequences. Technically, he was Russell’s superior.

If you wanted out, you paid the price. 

And that price had been higher than Russell ever expected.

Reenie caught his eye, her lips curving into a subtle but unmistakable smile. He gave her a quick nod – a silent thank-you he knew he could never fully repay. Not to her, and not to Colter. 

The sheriff nodded to his team, signaling them to move. Two officers stepped forward, dragging Rourke to his feet with little care for dignity. His eyes flared with anger, but the fight was gone.

“You can try to take me down, but this isn’t over” he snarled. His gaze darted to Russell, who remained let go of the two of you as he faced his ex son of a bitch boss. “You really think you’ve won? You think a few pretty words from your little sheriff buddy will save you? I have people everywhere. I’ll get out. And when I do…”

As he was led past you, Rourke’s gaze landed on you and Emma, his eyes narrowing in a way that made your skin crawl.

Russell’s voice cut through, icy and unshakable. “It’s over, James. With the mountain of evidence I’m about to gift-wrap for the feds, you’re not seeing daylight anytime this century. So get cozy with prison food – and try to make some friends.” 

“We know about your little side hustles, Rourke.” Reenie spoke up. “Made sure your bosses do now, too. This’ll stick, for good.”

“Oh, and don’t worry” Russell added with a smirk. “I’ll be sure to send a postcard from the outside.”

Rourke’s expression twisted with contempt as he was led out to the sheriff’s car with the rest of his men, who had been swiftly rounded up by the officers. As the street cleared, silence fell, broken only by the occasional shuffling as the officers began to file out, satisfied that Rourke was finally out of commission.

Colter turned back to you, his face softening as he took in the sight of Emma clinging to you. “You’re alright?” he asked as he looked between you, Russell, and your daughter. It was the first time it seemed to click for him. He had a niece.

“We’re fine” you replied, still sounding like you’d been hit by a truck. The shock was still working its way through you, and you weren’t sure if you were still breathing properly. “Colter, I– there aren’t words. Thank you. How– How did you know where we were? And what happened–”

Colter gave a small, reassuring smile. “I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise I will answer all of them” he said simply. “But you have other issues at hand.” he nodded towards his brother. Russell nodded next to you, and after patting his brother on the shoulder they exchanged a brief hug, awkward and stiff, like two grown men who were both allergic to affection. You couldn’t help but notice that, for a moment, they actually seemed... human. 

You didn’t know much about their connection, Russell had always kept his family history under wraps. But you weren’t blind. You could tell there was some sort of tension between them, some unspoken history – but you knew it wasn't the time or place to ask questions. Still, seeing them like this, even for a moment, was kind of... nice. You weren’t sure if it was the whole "brotherly love" thing or just the fact that they managed to put aside whatever baggage they were hauling around. Either way, it was kind of refreshing to see them looking like, well, brothers for once.

After a couple of seconds, Russell stepped back. “How did you pull this off?”

Colter shrugged, a grin slipping onto his face. “Had some favors to cash in from the Springland Sheriff’s Department. Figured they’d be interested in getting their hands on a guy like Rourke after the things Reenie uncovered about him. Turns out, I was right.”

Russell nodded, a newfound respect in his eyes. And at least he now knew where they were. Not even that far away from Idaho Falls. “Guess I owe you one. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“You owe me more than one, but we can settle that later.” Colter smirked. “The cops want to take the girls into the hospital for a medical check up. Good luck with convincing them” he smirked and with that, he strolled over to the attorney, Reenie as you recently learned. If you squinted, you could’ve sworn there was something more in the way they spoke to each other. But Colter was right. There were more pressing things to focus on than whatever unspoken story was between them.

The cool night air hit you like a shock as you exhaled deeply, letting the chilly wind breeze through your body. It was over. Really, truly over. You turned to Russell, overwhelmed with a mix of gratitude, relief and unresolved tension. You both stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do with the silence between you. It was the first time you were face-to-face with reality, without the distraction of searching for Emma or pretending not to notice the elephant in the room.

“I know you don’t want to“ he began, holding up a hand before you could get a word in. “But you and Emma need to check into the hospital. Just to be sure she’s okay, no hidden bumps or bruises.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but he shook his head, a little smirk tugging at his lips. “Don’t try to be a hero. Do it for her, if not for yourself. And…maybe a little for me, too” His eyes softened as he looked at you both. “I need to know you’re safe. After everything that just went down, I don’t think I could handle one more surprise tonight.”

You could hear the exhaustion in his voice, the weight of everything that had just happened pressing down on him. It wasn’t the usual tough-guy act, but something raw and real.

With a sigh, you nodded. “Fine. But only because you’re looking at me like you’re about to pass out on the spot.” You paused, giving him a pointed look. “But only on one condition. You come with us.”

Russell blinked, clearly thrown off by your request. He probably expected you to give him some kind of cold shoulder routine, maybe even throw in a few snide comments for good measure. But no, instead, here you were, asking him to join you and Emma at the hospital. Progress? Maybe. Or maybe you were just too tired to argue anymore. Either way, the surprise was written all over his face.

Still, he smiled faintly as a reluctant agreement when he glanced at Emma standing next to you. She was staring up at him, her little face so adorably and comically pleading, showing that she was clearly not ready to let him go. Goddamn puppy eyes, he thought. And they were working. “Guess I don’t have much choice, huh?”

You gave him a look that was part teasing, part serious. “Not really.”

A few deputies had gathered around, ready to escort you to Springland Hospital. Russell glanced at them briefly, then let out a small amused smile. 

As the three of you made your way toward the cars, you couldn't help but feel the weight of the moment. Things weren’t magically fixed between you and Russell, far from it. There was still so much left unsaid, so much tension hanging in the air between you two. But maybe, this was a step in the right direction.

━━━━━━━━━━✦✧✦━━━━━━━━━━━

Anna had been pacing for what felt like a century. Two days of no news, no word, no nothing. First, Emma vanished. Then you. Anna knew you better than anyone, that sister-sense always worked well between you, so she could feel the weight of your usual nervous, anxious energy magnified tenfold. After Emma went missing, it was only natural that her thoughts veered to the worst-case scenario – what if you had done something… irreversible?

She’d been on the phone with your parents non-stop, but no one knew a damn thing. They have been just as on the edge. You just disappeared, leaving no trace behind. And Anna? She wasn’t about to leave your house. No way. Someone had to be here, in case you both randomly showed up like nothing happened.

It had been two days. Two days of staring at the door, waiting for it to open, praying you and Emma would walk in, hand in hand, ready to explain what the hell just happened.

Her thoughts stopped, a glimmer of hope flashing through her chest as she heard the sound of keys rattling at the door. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. It had to be you. No one else had a key besides her and your parents.

With a mix of joy and anger ready to spill out in one messy confession, Anna hurried over to the door, ready to throw herself at you, hugging you tight and probably swearing at you for disappearing without a word.

But when the door swung open, it wasn’t you standing there.

No, it was him. The one face she swore she’d punch the next time she saw him.

“What the actual hell are you doing here?” she snapped, her words laced with enough venom to make anyone think twice about speaking.

━━━━━━━━━━✦✧✦━━━━━━━━━━━

Next on Tuesday’s Gone (Sneak Peek from Chapter 7)

Finally, you reached out, your fingers brushing his. “Stay” you said quietly. “We still have a lot to figure out, but... I’d like you to stay. At least until she wakes up.”

━━━━━━━━━━✦✧✦━━━━━━━━━━━

And they’re finally out of the trenches! It took some time, but don’t worry, the journey isn’t over yet. The next chapter is one of my personal favorites (I mean, check out the sneak peek!).

Read Chapter 7 here

🤍Taglist🤍

@bitchykittenconnoisseur @smoothdogsgirl @spnfamily-j2 @winchesterwild78 @deans-spinster-witch @deans-baby-momma @zepskies @kr804573 @sebastianstangirl01 @kmc1989 @drakelover78 @amberlthomas @lomlbuckybarnes @n-o-p-e-never

[marvelseries19]

THE ONLY MEMORY IS US KISSING IN THE MOONLIGHT

Pairing: Mary Earps x reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Summary: All of your memories are lost after a concussion... All but one.

A/N: First, it was meant to be a one-shot but, it turned out to be a bit too long for my liking so, in the next few days I should be able to post the second part if you want it. Despite studying to be a nurse, I have no idea how a concussion works, so, don't quote me on anything. Also, I used to play football like a hundred years ago, so, again, don't quote me on anything. I hoped to post this on Valentine's Day, but life happened, and I ended up driving my sister to get a few things, which set me back a lot. I hope you like it and I'm open to reading your feedback and your ideas if you want. I did not proofread it so, if you see a misspelled word or something... no you didn't.

Warnings: Mention of injuries mostly.

Word count: 1.4k+

[You do not have permission to repost or translate any of my stories or claim them as yours]

Part one

Manchester United vs. Manchester City 

It was Derby match day, and as such, you were all nervous about it. Everyone was very determined to get another win for the team. But there was no one more determined than your fiance. Mary tended to take it very hard whenever someone got the ball past her, especially on a Derby match, and you more than anyone knew how much it affected her, having witnessed Mary's dedication and passion for the game countless times before. Her commitment to the team was unwavering, and she always gave it her all on the field. The pressure of this match only fueled her determination further, making her even more focused on stopping every shot that came her way. It was also the reason you were so committed to ensuring she could, hopefully, maintain a clean sheet.

Traveling to the stadium proceeded as usual. Before heading outside to do the field inspection, you went to the changing rooms and put away your gear. Following one of your pre-match traditions, you went hand in hand, talking about some ideas and your hopes while also giving each other sweet, supportive words.

After you were done with the inspection, everyone headed toward the changing room to start getting ready to go out for the warm-up. "Baby…" Mary came to sit next to you in your cubby, holding the physio tape out for you to take. Another one of your traditions was for you to tape her fingers before every game. You kissed each of her fingers as you taped it, taking care to get it exactly how she wanted it. "All done, baby." You leaned in to kiss her cheek before she moved to tie your boots. When you first made it a tradition, your teammates made sure to tease you relentlessly about it, but after time passed, they realized how important it was for both of you and decided to just silently admire the dedication and love each of you put into the task.

It felt like you blinked when you suddenly had to get out to the tunnel to make your entrance, but not before sharing a sweet kiss with your soon-to-be wife.

The next hour passed like a blur. Each team left it all out on the field in the first half, both being very physical about their game. By this point, the goalkeepers were the only players who had not been taken down by another player. Leaving the first time 0–0 didn't help either to calm their playing strategies.

Halftime goes as expected. The pressure of the derby weighs heavily on everyone, especially on the defensive line and Mary, since the opposite team managed to break it a few times, creating dangerous opportunities that your girlfriend was successfully able to save.

Going to the second leg of the game, you were even more determined to help Mary get a clean sheet, so when the other team got a corner kick, you were inside the penalty box to make sure that the ball didn't get past the blond's hands.

Your heart was racing while you waited for the city player to take the corner, fighting to maintain the mark on your player. All that was on your mind was keeping that ball away from the danger zone, so when the ball was finally in the air, you, along with the other players, jumped to head the ball.

That is the last thing you get to see, as your head not only collides with the other footballer's head, but since you were near the post, your head ended up hitting it too. Mary got a hold of the ball, but before she could send it far, she noticed your unmoving body. Ella, who was near you, leaned down to make sure you were okay, but if the blood on your forehead wasn't enough to scare her, your lack of response was.

The medics are rushed to the playground, worried that head injuries can become bad really fast. Mary is stuck in place, not able to do anything more than call out for you in hopes that you open your eyes.

"Baby, please just open your eyes." A nudge from Zelem takes her out of her shock, finally making her way toward you.

"We need to take her to the hospital; she's not waking up." One of the physios said as they called in the paramedics on standby at each game.

"I need to go with her," Mary said to her captain. "Go, I'll talk to the coach." With a pat on the goalkeeper's shoulder, she sent her on her way. "Let me know what happens!"

—

Mary is left in the waiting area, concerned about your condition, while you are hurried into the hospital for some scans to determine the extent of the injuries. She understands that injuries are inevitable in such a physically demanding sport, but it breaks her heart to watch the person she loves so much lying on the ground, unable to open her eyes. The blonde was struggling mightily with her tears, trying not to think of the worst-case scenario because she knew it would not help.

The remainder of the squad started to move toward the waiting room an hour later. Even though Mary wasn't crying just yet, her expression made it obvious that she was frightened about your condition, and they were all rather concerned about it.

They didn't have to wait much longer for a status report. The doctor appears through the door of the waiting room. "Y/n Y/l/n's family?"

Mary shot up from her seat. "Yes, I'm her fiance."

"I have some news; there are no signs of intracranial bleeding, which was our main concern, but she does have a pretty serious concussion, so I must warn you. She may present some loss of memory, but it will be temporary, and there is no way of knowing how much time it will take for her to recover it or how much of it she'll lose if she does at all."

"So, she's going to be okay, right?" Mary said, her voice filled with concern.

"Yes, she will need to rest a lot and take it easy for a while, but she's going to be okay." Everyone could feel the tension leave their shoulders. "Would you like to see her?"

"Yes, please." The doctor was quick to direct the blonde to your room. Mary wanted to cry at the sight of you, so small on the hospital bed and with a big bandage on your head.

"Remember that she might not know who you are just yet; just be gentle with her." The keeper could only nod to the doctor. "I'll leave you with her; if you need anything, just press the button on the side of her bed."

Mary walked next to you and held your hand in one of hers; with the other, she very gently caressed your cheek, not wanting to disturb you in any way. She was scared out of her mind. You were about to get married; you were supposed to enjoy this chapter of your life, and now you might not even remember who she was.

The first few hours were the easiest for her. The more time that passed, the more she worried. What was taking so long? The doctor had said that you would be okay; it was just a concussion.

Your teammates had tried in vain to lift her spirits, but at least they'd succeeded in getting the blonde to change out of her still-fitting team kit and take a shower.

The shower, the strong emotions of the day, and the game you had played tired her out. She fell asleep with her head resting next to your body on the bed while holding your hand for dear life.

—

Your eyelids flickered open and then shut again as soon as you noticed the room's brightness; this made the pounding sensation in your head worse. You tried moving your hand to cover your face when you felt a weight on top of it. The movement stirred Mary up, who took a second to understand what was happening.

"Baby, you're awake," Mary whispered with a mixture of relief and concern in her voice. She gently moved her head from your body and sat up, allowing you to adjust to the light. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry.

"Who are you?"

To be continued…

[alexa-fika]

The Little Stowaway Wanderer Chapter 1 (Whitebeard pirates x child!reader)

A/N This series is a reformatted series of my original child OC series, which I also posted; as this had to be reformatted to fit the reader outline a lot of things had to be removed and changed to better fit the mold, making it much shorter than the original one, but I wanted to post it since you guys seemed to really want that format and I want to make sure everyone feels included <3

Dividers by @/saradika

The young child has somehow found themselves aboard a ship, looking around the storage place, with only boxes to see and only the waves of the ocean hitting the ship to be heard. The tranquility of the place gave them an inch of reassurance, however.

That thought and reassurance were swiftly shut down as chaos arrived in the form of two brawling men knocking into the stack of boxes right behind them, a squeal escaping them at their sudden entrance and collision, jumping away just as the boxes crashed down.

The two men instantly stop their antics as the childish scream echoes in the ship’s storage room.

“What was that?” questions Thatch

“It sounded like a kid?” Ace said, looking around and spotting a small child rapidly getting up from the ground; he stared at them for a few seconds before grinning.

“Oyaji is gonna be ecstatic; we’ve got ourselves a small stowaway!”

The child is quick to run away from the two Commanders, too spooked by the clash to stop at the call of the two pirates.

You see a large hand wrap around the bottom of the storage box you were hiding in and being slowly lifted.

Thatch lifts the box above his head so the kid is at face level.

When they make eye contact with Thatch, they see a bright, friendly, goofy smile.

“Heeey! Whatcha doing down there?” He says with glee, a big grin across his face, the corner of his eyes crinkling, and he raises his eyebrows, seeming to be having a good time

The child screeches, startling Thatch and causing him to lose hold of the box, dropping It to the ground; a whine escapes the child as she falls along with the box.

They back away until their back hits a wall, completely trapped. Nowhere left to go, they wait in fear, mind racing.

“Hey, Hey, we don’t mean no harm! We just had a bad beginning; we didn’t mean to crash into you like that. I’m sorry we must have frightened you, right?”

He takes one long, slow step to stand over them. He is much taller than most people and looks down at her as he squats down to their level.

They look up at him, taking in his words and nodding slowly.

Ace approaches them, squatting next to Thatch to stare at them.

“We really don’t mean any, nor did we mean to hurt you; we didn’t know you were there. Otherwise, we would have been more careful.”

They relaxed slightly at their words, but the progress of both men was quickly erased. A rough wave hit the ship, shifting the boxes that had tumbled in their previous squaffle the clash and crashing of the boxes, startling the child once again. Reader squeaks, making a run for it, hiding deeper in the storage area.

Thatch and Ace turn to look at the small child.

Thatch frowns as he sees the girl run off.

He leans forward and glances at Ace.

“You ready?”

Ace takes one last look at the child before looking at Thatch, making a chasing motion with his hands as he takes off after them.

Ace’s footsteps shake the storage area as he takes off after them. Thatch follows up behind, still with a big grin on his face.

There we go! Hope you guys enjoy this little adventure; if you like it, be sure to visit my original version with my oc!

[c0la-queen]

Set the World on Fire | Chapter 1

Summary: Reader unknowingly sets off a series of events that will change her - and the world - forever.

Words: 2.4k

Warnings: Violence, minor Reader injury

Note: Finally got Chapter 1 done, I'm so sorry this took so long! I'm sorry if this feels rambling-ish to some of you, but I really like how it turned out. Establishes a lot of physical and technical world-building for the base. Also I promise the next chapter will have more Red Leader!! I hope you enjoy, mwah mwah!!

--

Two years later…

You sighed softly as you walked through the halls, accompanied only by your footsteps. Your boots gave an unyielding click, click, click against the concrete floors. The frigid air seeped in through the walls, making you yearn for your warm bed.

A week at the main Red Army base was not enough to get used to how different it was. Especially compared to the smaller base you had been in - the same base that had found you after the attack. There, everyone was close. It took maybe 5 minutes to walk from one side of the base to the other. You were a little family that all stuck together. The mess hall maybe had three to five full tables every meal shift. Soldiers could call out to someone on the other side of the room to banter, and everyone present would laugh. Promotions were few between and celebrated by everyone with drinks and a special dinner. You all supported each other. The size and bond reminded you of a graduating class of seniors.

But if that base was a graduating class, the main base was an entire high school. There were soldiers who had been living in the base that couldn't tell you the names of more than 10-20 of their peers. You were sure that even if you ran for 5 minutes, you would only make it halfway across the base. There was an air of competition between everyone - not the good kind, but a sort of hostile tension between everyone to climb the ranks as fast as possible. During meal shifts, you would be lucky to find a seat in the mess hall unless someone specifically saved you one. You'd have to nearly yell just to hear the person across from you over the chatter in the room. You felt isolated and outnumbered.

It felt like ironically interesting commentary on human behavior and how its affected by population size.

You felt a yawn fight its way from your lips, the corners of your eyes stinging from drowsiness. You were on a late night patrol shift, which almost all soldiers dreaded. All privates had to log a specific amount of night patrol hours every month, given in a specific schedule. Night patrols consisted of 4 groups every shift, each one located at one of the main entrances to the base. The first shift started at 8 pm sharp, right when the last dinner ends. Shifts change twice every night - once at 1 pm and once at 6 am. It could get boring after a short while, simply walking up and down the well-worn length of the base perimeter, waiting for something interesting to happen. The winter months were the worst - the base was only mildly warm even during the height of the summer, but winter was by far harsher than most of the soldiers were used to. Several layers of clothes were needed just to get through the 5 hour shifts. Various ways of coping were used around the base by all privates; hand warmers, thermoses full of hot drinks, balaclavas, extra layering, etc. If it exists, the Red Army privates have tried it.

Not having to do night patrols was a huge motivator for privates to get a promotion.

You were lucky enough to have been given the first shift that night - it was 1:30 am, and the second shift had just swapped out with you. After your supervisor gave you the approval, you were released. Exhaustion dragging deep in your bones, you were ready to simply peel your outer clothes off and pass out in your bed in your tank top and panties. Despite the shared dislike of having to do patrols, you couldn't help but admire how organized the main base was. Red Leader's constant presence meant that every single thing was designed to be as smooth as possible. He was constantly criticized by his enemies for being a cruel, cold-hearted monster, but that never quite fit in your mind. The main base was the biggest target for attacks, raids, and other things, but it was by far the safest Red Army base across Europe.

How could a man be a monster when he personally ensured that his soldiers were safe and cared for in the place that they called home?

A noise drew you out of your thoughts. It was faint, but it was hard to miss in the silence of the halls. Voices. Whispers bleeding out into the empty halls from a small distance ahead of you. The halls were in "Night Mode" - an automatic setting that kicked in at 9 pm, shutting off the main overhead lights and switching to soft strip lights along the edges of the floors and ceiling. It was meant to be enough light to easily navigate through the hallways while not being so bright that it disturbs soldiers' sleep. One of Red Leader's many personal mechanics installed around the base to improve everyone's daily life. That peaceful light was interrupted by the harsh light of a nearby room that poured into the halls from an open door.

You stopped a short distance from the door when you noticed the shadows of two people cast along the floors. Part of you wanted to dismiss it as two soldiers simply out of their quarters past curfew, doing a piss-poor job of not getting caught. But something told you not to jump to conclusions. A swirling feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach at the sight of the shadows. Prey instincts pressed against the forefront of your brain, telling you stay quiet. stay out of sight. do not be seen. Deciding to heed these instincts, you slowed your breathing, listening to the whispered words coming from the room.

It was hard to hear exactly what was being said, but you managed to catch a few phrases. 'Red Leader's quarters,' 'find it,' and 'take the shot.' Piecing together what was going on wasn't difficult to do. Any other words were lost to you, the rush of blood ringing in your ears completely drowning them out. Thoughts and scenarios raced through your mind, but one phrase echoed the loudest.

Find the alarm.

The entire base was fixed with an alarm system. Activators were littered through the halls, making them easy to find. Slowly, carefully, you began to take steps backwards, intending to make your way to an alarm you spotted a few paces back without risking being seen by the two plotters. Fate had other ideas. Two men stepped out of the room. They were dressed in black clothing, likely chosen for stealth. The strip lights made it difficult to see their faces clearly, but one thing was certain.

They were looking directly at you.

Your heartbeat felt like a ticking second hand of a clock as you stood still, feet glued to the floor. You stared. They stared. Then, everything came rushing back. One of the intruders took a step toward you, and you bolted. You heard your boots thump against the concrete as you sprinted in the direction you came from, adrenaline pumping through your veins. The alarm activator quickly came into view. To avoid unauthorized use, it could only be turned on with the use of the standard Red Army ID cards that were required to be kept on your person at all times. You yanked yours off the clip, not caring if the thin bit of plastic bit broke in the process, and slammed it against the scanner. You didn't even bother to waste time checking how close your pursuers were to you. As soon as the screen lit up, you slammed your thumb against the button that red 'INTRUDERS' in big, bold letters. Seconds after you pressed it, a weight slammed into your side, slamming you to the cold concrete ground. One of the intruders sat on top of you, wrapping his hands around your throat.

But it was too late. Red lights bathed the halls, the low blare of the alarm echoing through the entire building. The other intruder appeared in your line of vision, grabbing the first by the shoulder and dragging him off of you. You gasp as air filled your lungs again.

"Leave her, we have to get out of here."

"But-"

"We are not sticking around to get caught. Do you have any idea what Red Leader does to prisoners?"

You rolled onto your side, coughs wracking your body. Your throat stung from the phantom feeling of the man's hands. Your ears rang, and you couldn't hear anything except muffled footsteps for a while. Suddenly, hands were on your shoulders. Panic coursed through you, thinking they had come back to finish the job. Your hand lashed out. Something solid collided with your fist, and there was a grunt. The hands disappeared for a second, but quickly came back. You were rolled onto your back. In that moment, your hearing cleared.

"Private!"

Standing over you was a fellow Red Army soldier. You recognized him as one of the lieutenants that had worked with your platoon before. He helped you sit up, looking over you for any obvious injuries. Another soldier was standing off to the side, clutching his face. The lieutenant snapped in front of your face, drawing you back to the present.

"Can you hear me, Private? Do you need medical attention?"

You completely disregarded his questions, panicked energy filling your entire body.

"Two intruders, male, wearing all black. They're targeting Red Leader."

The lieutenant paused, taking in that information. He looked over his shoulder, nodding to the other soldier. He returned the nod, then disappeared down the hallway. The lieutenant focused back on you. You could hear soldiers flooding the hallway all around you, pulled from their sleep by the alarm and guns drawn.

"Private, do you need medical? How copy?"

You swallowed thickly. The sting of your throat made you wince. Still, you shook your head 'no.' The lieutenants eyes flickered across you, taking in your state. They rested just below your head.

"I'm taking you to medical."

You barely had time to argue when you were scooped into his arms. He stood, holding you with little to no effort. He looked around at the soldiers gathered in the halls, barking out orders over the blaring of the alarm.

"We got two intruders wearing all black, location unknown. Bring them in alive. Red Leader is the confirmed target, protect at all costs. Lovelace, get it over the radio."

Sergeant Major Lovelace nodded and repeated the message over her radio, making sure all soldiers knew the situation. The lieutenant holding you made his way through the halls, weaving through the other soldiers as he made his way to the medical wing.

"What's your name, Private?"

You gave him your last name, trying to blink away the spinning of the world. The lieutenant clicked his tongue softly.

"Full name, c'mon."

Oh. He wanted to keep you talking, to prevent any potential passing out. You indulged, giving him your full name. He gave you a crooked grin, the small gap between his front teeth giving it an almost boyish charm. He had shaggy brown hair that tufted out at his neck in a small mullet, cornflower blue eyes, and sun kissed skin. A small scar stretched across his chin - it didn't look like the ugly scar of some traumatic injury; more like the faint scar of past teenage mischief.

"The name's Lieutenant Kai Veern. You did great tonight, (Name)."

Lieutenant Veern proceeded to ramble to you as he navigated the chaotic halls. A Southern accent was laced into his words, relaxing your panicked brain. Soon, he pushed a door open with his hip, addressing the nurses that were standing in a group.

"Got a soldier with fresh bruising around her neck. Disoriented. Unsure of any other injuries."

You zoned out as you were set on a check-up table. The nurses bustled around you, checking you for injuries.

You wondered where Red Leader was.

--

"Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on in my base?"

The intruder alarms had long been turned off. Tord paced his office, glancing at the clock on the wall. 5 am. God, he needed a smoke.

"Two intruders were apprehended in the east wing. They're being held in interrogation as we speak."

"Separately?"

Patryk nodded.

"Who pulled the alarm?"

"Private (Last Name). The patrol supervisor said she had just been released from first shift. We're headed down to medical to get her report right after this."

Tord's eyes snapped up to his Major General and Lieutenant General.

"Medical? What do you mean, medical?"

Paul and Patryk shared a nervous glance. Paul shifted in his spot.

"Lieutenants Veern and Winston found her on the ground in the hall. Veern escorted her to medical for bruising around her neck. It's likely that one of the intruders tried to strangle her."

Hot anger flashed through Tord. He slammed his hand against his desk, the heavy metal making a loud impact against the wooden surface. Paul and Patryk didn't even flinch.

"You're telling me that not only did someone have the audacity to sneak into my base like vermin, but one of them put his hands on my soldier? Does she have any other injuries? Did any other soldier report to medical?"

Paul shook his head to both questions. A growl rumbled from Tord's chest.

"They still harmed one of mine. That is a transgression I will not take lightly. Find out which one did it. Save him for me. If neither of them cough it up, give them both a lesson. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

The two stood and saluted.

"Wait. I want you to report straight to interrogation."

Patryk frowned.

"But what about Private-"

"I am going to see her myself."

The two soldiers blinked in surprise, staring at him as if he had grown a second head. Tord huffed, waving his hand dismissively as he pulled a cigar from the box on his desk.

"She could have been risking her life to pull that alarm. I want to talk to her directly."

Failing to bite back their smiles, Tord's trusted soldiers nodded and headed out the door. The guards posted outside his office shut the doors behind them.

Tord sighed, lighting his cigar and taking a deep inhale. The smoke puffed around him as he exhaled, shoulders slowly relaxing. He tapped his other fingers against his desk as he stewed in his thoughts.

Private (Name)…

He was very curious.

[redbullcateringfiction]

New multi chapter Toto Wolff fanfic -

Cantata

Arabella is the executive assistant for Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. 10 years into her career, it looks like the tide is changing, and she's beginning to question her relationship with him. Is it something more, or nothing but an idea lingering in her head?

F/M, Fluff, Boss/Employee Relationship, Romance, Pining, Love, Slow Burn

Read the 1st chapter below the cut or on AO3

Hello Reader,

I wanted to let you know that I am in no way speculating on Susie Wolff's sexuality. I simply wanted to write a happy fic with no affairs and no messy divorces. Susie is lovely. Susie is baby girl. She deserves nothing but the best. I simply want this fic to focus on Toto and an original female character's relationship with no underlying narratives.

Thanks,

A.E.

chapter 1 - solo

My father has a habit. He will always play classical music. In the car, in the living room, in the kitchen, as he read us bedtime stories. Always. There was never a moment in my childhood home that wasn’t covered with classical music. He also has a deep appreciation for Formula racing. The television was always on something related to F1, and if we dared to change the channel, we best change it back before he got back home. Eventually, we all gave up on changing it at all.

I noticed on one of those particular Sunday mornings the way the cars and the classical music moved together in one beautiful melody. I watched as the cars turned the corners delicately, coming nearly to a halt, before speeding ahead. I loved watching as the grid took off. How they all came around the corners slowly. My father’s favorite driver when I was a child was Ayrton Senna. His passing hit my home like a tornado. The classical music never stopped, until that day.

There were no races in my home for an entire year. My father refused to watch a race without Senna. March 10th, 1996, the television turned on again. So did the music. I watched as my father sat down, and suddenly I became just as entranced as him. The first race of that season, and the grid was just as delicate as a dance as I had remembered.

~

"You misspelled my name," Toto mumbled, leaning over me. He rolled his eyes, and laughed about it as he rapidly pressed backspace. For the first time in our long relationship, I had found myself mindlessly savoring the scent of his expensive cologne. It lingered in the way a cologne does when it's noticed and not announced.

"Torger, not Torfer," he smiled. "You don't know this by now?" It froze me in my tracks. My typical sassy response failed to come to my mouth like it usually would. I was so caught up in actually, for the first time, properly noticing Toto Wolff.

"I'm joking, lighten up," he said, finally backing away. He must've noticed the way I had locked my jaw and could barely focus.

"Oh, sorry. I just got a little lost in thought," I responded.

"I can tell. You did misspell my name after all," he said, sitting on the edge of my desk. I swatted my hand in his direction. I hate bent papers and he was dangerously close to my pile of documents. He lifted himself up just long enough for me to grab the pile, and he sat firmly on the edge again.

"How are things going?" he asked.

"It's been hard to schedule the team strategy meetings, and between interviews and engagements, the schedule is relatively heavy for the next few weeks."

"Ah well that's interesting but I meant how are things going with you?"

Despite having worked with Toto for several years, I was never prepared for that question. It wasn't exceptionally rare or anything, it just seemed to be that he always asked during a busy period. A kind thing to do, but busy periods such as this were always excessively intense for Toto and I. The kind of busy where I yelled at him for being 5 minutes over in his meeting because it meant we were twenty minutes late for the next. So, I always assume it's a work question.

"Things are good...Yes, good."

"Are you excited?"

"For?"

"The Grand Prix? Is your family flying in? Your sister had a baby, right?"

My family. Right. I shouldn't have forgotten. This is one of three Grand Prix’s my family will attend. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and the Dutch Grand Prix. It's only really that my family lives in the Netherlands. Am I Dutch, though? I prefer the term "vaguely European" to describe myself. My family comprises of Moroccan immigrants. I don't have the height, nor the blonde hair and blue eyes. I don't, however, have the Moroccan culture present in my life. My family are immigrants. As part of our citizenship, our culture slowly faded away 2 generations ago. It's always a small bit of my life that I've resented. Feeling so lost in the classroom, in the professional world, in...well every aspect of my life. Maybe it isn't so small. Either way, deliberately destroying the traces of your culture also deliberately destroys your family dynamic. There is no glue to hold us together. Just blood and irritation. I can dislike my father's rigid way of thinking, but I can't reason it away with "it's where we're from." It isn't. You've ridded yourself and us of it. Instead, all I can do is take a job where I am constantly galloping across the world with a swank apartment in London. Then, you can stop by at one of 3 races. The first, the middle, and the last. They happen to speak your language that you forced me not to speak inat the first and the last, and in the middle one I get to feel uncomfortable as everyone is excited for my “home” race. Yay.

“She did have a baby. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her though,” I brushed the conversation away. He gave me a notably flat face in response.

“You have to make time for family. Even I do,” He crossed his arms.

Frankly, I don’t want to. This also isn’t a fight I want to take with Toto “Twice Divorced” Wolff. If he can be best friends with both of his ex-wives, who am I to complain about a little bit of immigrant family drama? More so, his relationship with Susie couldn’t be more sickeningly sweet. When she came out as a lesbian, he was the first one to support her in every way. There was not a single moment of hardship between them. And I, therefore, cannot for a moment consider complaining about my mommy and daddy issues.

“You’re right,” I mumbled, going back to typing my email.

“You don’t genuinely think I’m right. You never do,” He chuckled.

“So, maybe I was lying,” I winked.

“Well, I’ll stop bothering you, Arabella,” he sighed and stood up.

“Not so fast, Torger, ” I nearly hissed. “We have to leave in 5 minutes for a meeting. If you’re tempted to forget with who, I’ll kindly remind you that we have a sponsor function this evening.”

“I hadn’t forgotten. I was simply off to pack my bag.”

“I doubt that,” I chuckled. I know very well the role I serve here. I’m the executive assistant. That means I don’t just run the schedule, but rather in a way, I run him. At some point during the day, I leave the office or paddock and head to a plane, hotel, or home. But for the other 80% of the day, I am the best micromanager this side of the Atlantic. It’s something I enjoy, and that’s the most important part of Formula 1. For the drivers, it’s an enjoyment and a true passion to race. For the team principal, there is an enjoyment and true passion to lead a magnificent crew into victory. For me, I know these things require an obsession. I have to be 5 feet ahead of everyone else, and 6 feet behind Toto.

I quickly sent off my email making sure not a single typo said “Torfer,” and packed my own bag. I opened the padfolio and placed the important materials into it and prepared to debrief. I picked up my cell phone and texted the driver to ensure he was waiting outside. I just know I’m the most annoying person in Brackley.

Toto finally wandered out of his office with just enough time for us to get down the elevator and out the door. “You just love running down the clock,” I mumbled.

“We may be a racing company but not everything has to be a race,” He answered as we walked towards the elevator.

“Do you look at your schedule? At all?”

“If I did, what would I pay you for?” He chuckled. I knew that was a bold-faced lie. If he wants to rearrange his entire week, he might require a bit of help, but most of the appointments seamlessly find a new spot. We speed walked to the car and hopped in the back, and I quickly opened the padfolio.

“UBS London, correct?” The driver, Reggie, asked.

“Yes,” I answered. I passed the padfolio to Toto, and he took his glasses off his shirt collar and looked at the papers.

“First, you’ll be meeting with the investment team. It should be a 45-minute meeting where you’ll run through the projections for the upcoming season. The data is on the next sheet, and after that you’ll find the design for the investors showcase tonight. It’ll consist of UBS staff. The car is on its way to London, and will be in the center of the ballroom, and next to it will be a race suit. Just spend a nice amount of time pointing out the UBS logo on the clothing and you should be fine,” I explained.

“And the scheduling?”

“The meeting is at 1pm. You’ll head to the hotel, and you’ll find the clothing for tonight in the wardrobe. There are some options there. At 6pm, you’ll head to the hotel ballroom, give a quick speech with a UBS representative, and head back up for bed at 11pm. Or later if you prefer, it’s up to how much sleep you’d like. At 8am, we fly to Sakhir and get ready for testing the day after.”

“I don’t know why they’re so desperate to be this close to the first race,” Toto sighed. “Will you be there the whole evening?”

“I’ll head out at about 7, after the speeches,” I nodded. “I’ll get to the airport about an hour before you.”

“Lewis and Valtteri, what about them?” Toto asked.

“What about them? I don’t dare to touch their schedules. Their assistants have razor sharp teeth and bite.”

He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“They’ll be in that night prior to testing. Let them get a good rest in. If you want to bother them then, feel free.”

“So, is your family flying in?” Toto asked.

“Anyway, the hotel in Sakhir is the same as last. Everyone loved the bathrooms. Quite fancy even for F1 standards.”

“The hotel I presume your family will be staying in?” Toto smirked. I turned to see he was holding his reading glasses, while staring at me expectantly. I clearly was not getting out of this.

“I booked them two rooms, yes. And they’ll fly in right before the race,” I nodded.

“Are you meeting with them? That should be nice.”

“I had no plans to. Far too busy. They’re really on here for the race, not for me.”

“Paddock passes then. You can give them a nice tour.”

“I don’t have time to do a tour.”

“I’ll make sure you have time to do a tour!” Toto answered.

I stared rather blankly at him. Pick your battles, pick them wisely. Is this a fight I want to win? Ever since I’ve started here, Toto has encouraged me to give the free tickets to my family. I, then, get to spend a shocking amount of time and money ordering them their flights and arranging them like a herder. Then, I get to smile and wave from just outside the paddock and strategically avoid them with nothing more than a quick apology. Sorry! I got caught up. I’m sure you can imagine how busy it is. I’ll see you guys during the holiday break! And then, once a year, I sit surrounded in chaos at my parents’ home, practically watching dishes fly to the dinner table. I then completely dissociate from my body, someone has very nice conversations with them pretending to be me, and I then reenter my body. I fly back to London and have a good 2 weeks of Tinder dates. Ah. Right. Tinder.

I can absolutely use that to move on from this conversation. I open my phone and begin the swiping adventure without a second thought. I could sense Toto staring at me waiting for a response.

“Sure. I’m sure they’d love paddock passes. My dad is a big Hamilton fan,” I nodded.

“Great! I’ll get it done,” Toto answered before getting on his own phone, presumably to provide my father with his dream of meeting Lewis Hamilton. Well, I expect this season will be very similar to the last 9.

[noturvlentine]

a stranger under the skin (pt3)

༺ ♰ ༻

Leon Kennedy x reader series

Summary [series]- after Chris Redfield has requested for your transfer from the BSAA, you’re tasked with uncovering a chain of bio-terrorist attacks alongside Leon Kennedy. Destruction, duty and your untold past brings you spiralling into an unlikely bond with your partner, as efforts are made and promises are broken.

I APOLOGISE FOR TEMPORARILY GOING AWOL!!!! I’m back now and this series is gonna keep up bc I really want to write for it and have been!!!

OKAY, I know Chris didn’t technicality command SOUs before 2009, but for the sake of the story let’s pretend that it fits in somewhere with the plot- or history, because it makes sense somehow that there’s this loss dynamic or prior stoicism from her job. And because why not- but yea that’s it.

alcohol, pills, violence in the near future and basically all that stuff

1.3k words

previous part (2)

༺ ♰ ༻

Target Location

Eastern Europe

2009

11:00AM

You had arrived to your escort well into the dawn of the next day, probably because of the subsequent European timezone but the sudden change in light wasn’t of your concern as time was measured strictly in numbers, as you’d say. It had been a good while since you got the chance to admire the sunrise, it was quite late for the tail end of winter and last you could remember, it definitely looked better than the clouds of sand swallowing your view in South America. This sudden breeze of peacefulness also had you wondering when the last time you flew out in a civilian aircraft was. Maybe that’s why you never slept on transport because you were always shoved into the stomach of an Osprey or a CH-47 and what not. Leon had remained quiet, there was something brewing between the two of you that lacked of mutual understanding. Maybe it was better this way, the only important thing is that you needed to work well enough together to get the job done. That’s all. No hard feelings.

Somewhere in Eastern Europe

STRATCOM Safe house

2009

11:30AM

The car ride to the safe house was surprisingly uneventful. You’d half expected the car to explode and flip over some ten times and this operation would backfire with you and Leon heading home early, in comfortable black bags to no one’s condolences. At least that was how it was for you. God knows about Leon, the guy can’t seem to catch a break yet refuses to die. The city was well kept, not modern enough to suite the Americans yet not of great heritage at the heart. Another disposable sight for terrorism, seeing as no one expected to get a great amount of attention in a small Eastern European city, yet they only seemed to have sent the two of you. Your escort, a quiet man of no specific organisation at glance, cleared your departure through the back alley to a modest, yet somewhat unoccupied apartment building. The back entrance was between two large bins and a couple water tanks servicing the unit. The door was heavy and swung shut behind you, there wasn’t an elevator, only the quiet hum in the upward staircase lit by a square, graticule skylight around six floors up. You stepped into the beam of light and stared straight at it, the sky turning grey and boring by the time the morning fully rendered. Leon stopped beside you, following his gaze upwards to inquire yours. You could hear his hand fishing out the set of keys to your unit from his jacket pocket.

‘So they gave you the keys huh?’ You joked, breaking the silence, somewhat offended that no one had filled you in about breaking in and entering. You simply received a short laugh back as Leon headed up the stairs, his boots tapping softly and rhythmically up the stairs. Your unit was on the fourth floor, a one bedroom flat facing the street, which was mostly empty despite it already being well into the day. All the equipment was already packed into heavy duty cases stacked up in the corner, a replacement Christmas tree with everything you could possibly need- tactically that is, along with supplies that was meant to last you both for more than enough time. None of you bother to turn the lights on as your bags are dumped onto one of the couches facing the window, a cloud of dust flakes up from the couch but Leon doesn’t think twice before sitting down. You turn your back to him as you make your way closer to the windows, standing just around the frame enough to have a full view of the area, scanning your surroundings. Funny how the first thing that stuck was planning out your escape from a possible war zone, or apartment block or whatever. By now you’ve got it all mapped out-

The alley by the corner store, a fire hatch to the left of your window, another route behind the sixth parking meter and-

‘I could get used to this you know,’ you tried to ignore Leon’s statement of amusement. But instead, to your own surprise and credibility you reply with a sarcastic ‘yeah?’ and receive a hum from Leon.

‘Yeah, they got nice damn equipment and a comfortable place to hide out, best they’ve done if you ask me. Mustn’t be an easy job then.’ He’s casual, and it doesn’t sit well with you.

‘This is such a fucking domestic job.’ You snark, flicking your head around and turning back away from the window.

‘And does that make you uncomfortable?’ Leon questions, or rather, rhetorical, because he knows you’d rather be suffering out in the field under the scorching sun carrying 10kg of solid gear trying your best not to catch a bullet or two. You don’t reply, but simply glare straight at him heavily, arms crossed, to which Leon only returns a friendly smile ambiguous of sarcasm but ultimately understanding. You blink once, then turn on your heels over to the stack of heavy duty cases to fetch the debrief. The pile of documents slaps the glass coffee table hard as Leon glances at the memo before turning his head up to look at you, standing on the other side.

‘Do we wanna start or wait until someone blows our door down?’

It was probably around 21:00PM when the two of you had finished assessments and any additional planning after going through the memo a few more times. Dinner was a couple of protein bars and some green bottled substance probably beneficial to your health, who knows. All your belongings and sheets of paper was piled up on the coffee table, at some point you had gotten up to close the curtains and switch on the lights, but that felt like an eternity ago. You were staring at the ceiling with your head over the back of the couch when you head Leon rattle something metal in his hands. Your head was heavy and you’d blinked the rest out of your eyes and sat up to face Leon, who was now taking a swig at something from a small flask. Leon let the lid hang out to the side which for some reason your eyes settled on to, then back up to meet his gaze. You couldn’t blame him honestly, you’d taken something to numb the nerves some short hours ago to which the small capsule containing those pills were now peaking out under a few sheets of paper.

‘I’m not an alcoholic, don’t worry.’ He said, satirically over a warm grin.

‘You know you shouldn’t be drinking on the job’ you implied, signalling at the vessel tucked between his hands.

‘Oh yea? Well you aren’t any better there’ he nodded towards the bottle of pills on the coffee table.

‘Well don’t worry, I’m not a drug addict.’you teased. Leon laid back into the couch, his hand with the flask resting between his legs, staring at you comically, eyebrows raised and all.

He wasnt convinced

‘We all have our excuses Leon.’ You smiled, half heartedly.

He took another sip of his liquor, this time, resting it on the table before leaning back again.

‘And for the record, im not insane either.’ You added jokingly.

‘Well I sure disagree with that.’ He laughed. ‘No one willingly goes through the same hoard of papers six times in the same afternoon.’

AN: I’m back, and I didn’t know what to do with that chapter but hope it kicks things off again. I’m on vacation early atm so updates will be coming!!!!

[aidanchaser]

hello chase!!!! i wanted to insert my own question so ❓what is your thought process when you edit your own works and what are some rules of thumb you use when editing?

oh noooooo you had to ask a hard one ahah. Thank you very much; I'll do my best to do it justice

I have common mistakes I look for, like I'm constantly using seemed/thought/appeared when simply stating what is happening is far more effective. But, ultimately, when editing my own work, my primary question is, "Does this [sentence/word/paragraph/scene] communicate what want my reader to feel/understand a)effectively b)efficiently c)creatively?"

Everything I change as I read and reread and reread my writing revolves around that question.

A really great example is the editing I just did on the 1920s AU! I'll do a side-by-side comparison for anyone who's interested under the cut

Here's the link to the first draft of the 1920s AU smoke-break scene. It was edited for grammar, but the first pass is never the best pass, and I revised the scene more intimately the next day.

The beginning of any scene needs to set a specific tone and communicate key details of the setting to the reader. This paragraph wasn't very effective at that.

It wasn’t snowing, though it certainly felt cold enough to. Marinette pulled her collar closed against her throat and cheeks, keeping herself as snug as she could. She had some privacy in the dark alley that guarded the back entrance of the Lucky Lady, but the click of her lighter must have attracted attention from the street. She saw the white suit jacket and vest that was becoming painfully familiar approach.

So I revised it with just a few concrete details just to add dimension to the space, so that I could more effectively introduce the setting.

It wasn’t snowing, though it certainly felt cold enough to start. Marinette pulled her collar closed against her throat and cheeks, keeping herself as snug as she could. She had a fairly narrow view of the street, illuminated by a nearby lamp, but the corner of the theater that backed the Lucky Lady cut through that light, giving her a space of quiet darkness to enjoy a reprieve during the chaos of an evening shift. There were not many out on a cold night like this, but a painfully familiar voice cut through the crisp air.

I also shifted from the visual of the white coat to the sound of Adrien's voice because I wanted to draw out the scene a little bit more! This dialogue from the original, while snappy and efficient, didn't give the feeling I wanted it to.

“What happened to your coat?” she asked. “I gave it to a gentleman who looked like he needed it more than I did.” The tip of his cigarette glowed orange, and he returned her lighter to her. His eyes looked warm in this dim light. She tucked her lighter back into her coat. “And what happened to your date?” “I called her a cab. I was hoping to chat with you before returning home.”

The beginning of this fic spends a lot of time dwelling on how suspicious Marinette is of Adrien's motives. This scene offers her a glimpse of his kindness for the first time, forcing her to reexamine her assumptions. The dialogue wasn't very effective or emotionally charged, so the quippy dialogue instead became:

It was indeed Adrien Agreste, chatting with a young man in a threadbare coat that looked like it might have once been a blue officer’s uniform, but had weathered enough snow and shrapnel to be little more than scraps. The right sleeve was pinned up to the shoulder. Adrien shrugged out of his coat and handed it to the young man. “There’s some spare bills in the pocket. Get yourself something hot to eat and a room.” He sounded like the boy who had abandoned her, not the man who had returned. His voice was gentle, uncertain. There was none of the swagger she’d seen in the young man in her shop that morning, nor the cold grin he’d sported when he’d entered the Lucky Lady.

Even though it's less efficient, it is much more effective. It allows me to linger in Marinette's loneliness a little bit longer before Adrien approaches her, and it lets me flesh out the post-war Paris setting with a bit more atmosphere.

I also spent some time revising the angelic metaphor paragraph. It was really important to me to include saint-reminiscent iconography around Adrien during this scene. I want my readers well-aware that even though Marinette is suspicious of Adrien, he's still the Adrien we know and love, and they can trust that I am going to explain his suspicious actions.

“I heard a rumor that if a gentleman is down on his luck, you’re the lady to see.” “I’ve been known to reverse fortunes,” she murmured. “From toppling those on thrones to lifting up those in the gutter. You don’t strike me as a man in a gutter.” He turned his head to blow a lungful of smoke away from her. The street lamp glinted off of his hair, creating a golden halo. “One man’s heaven,” he shrugged, and let the rest of phrase disappear behind a rueful smile. 

The above metaphor works, and I didn't change it a whole lot, but there are a few key shifts in the revision below:

“I heard a rumor that if a gentleman is down on his luck, you’re the lady to see.” And Adrien, like she had just moments ago, took in a long draw on his cigarette and held it in his chest.  “I’ve been known to reverse fortunes,” she murmured. “From toppling those on thrones to lifting up those in the gutter. You don’t strike me as a man in a gutter.” He shrugged and turned his head to blow the smoke away from her. The street lamp glinted off of his hat and his bangs, creating a golden halo. “One man’s heaven.” He let the rest of phrase disappear behind a rueful smile.

The added inhale on the cigarette, harkening back to an earlier moment Marinette had where she holds onto the heat of it to try to forget her heartbreak, implies that Adrien is hurting just as much. It tells the reader he's still pining for Ladybug, too.

Moving the shrug from the end to the beginning stretches out that longing and it gives the dialogue more room to breathe. It's a tiny change from "'heaven,' he shrugged" to "'heaven.' He let the rest" but it does make a difference in the tone. It's not a blow-off response. It's pointed. It emphasizes his hurt more neatly, and even if Marinette can't recognize it, the reader hopefully can, even if unconsciously.

Also I forgot when I wrote the halo description that Adrien would of course be wearing a hat; it's 1920-ish.

So there you have it! A couple of changes made for creativity and efficiency, hopefully making the scene just a little more effective!

[darrens-toyhouse]

Oh, Mr. Policeman!

Estevan Aguliar, Morgan Grantz and the town/city, East Armeira belong to @mrboogerlip

This is just a little fanfic/gift fic on how Estevan and Milo met! Nothing more!

~~~

"Now that that's done, I can head back home!"

Wiping his tears away, the young man got off the ground, dusted off the dirt and gravel of his skirt before turning around and heading back to his shithole apartment. It's been weeks since he last been outside in the summer heat so he was feeling a bit sweaty and dizzy, maybe he should've picked a better time to see his friends, or maybe he shouldn't have gone outside at all?

No. No! He needed to get out this time! Get some air and feel the sweet summer light on his skin, even if the light did hurt his eyes a bit after being cooped up inside for so long.

As the young man adjusted his glasses and walked downtown and back into the quiet city, he sighed as he walked passed a couple of teens smoking cigarettes and drinking what seemed to alcohol straight from several unlabeled bottles. They were all wearing baggy pants and lose shirts with the exception of one, a young girl, who wore a tank top and low-rise jeans, she even wore hoop earrings that matched her white shirt.

He shifted his eyes towards the group to get a better look at them and chuckled to himself.

It made him feel nostalgic...

Sometimes he wished he could just go back to being a teenager, a little gangsta hooligan with no future ahead of him in sight, sitting outside a disheveled, rundown, abandoned, house covered in graffiti and trash, drinking that good ole' blue freeze with his buddies while the most irritating rap blasted in the background.

Glance after glance as he walked, the teens continued to laugh, joke, cuss up a storm and cough up their lungs before washing all that tar with straight warm booze. No one could stop them now, they probably thought.

No one expect the police...

As soon as he heard those sirens blare and the red and blue lights blind his eyes, the man steady hid behind the small claustrophobic alleyway between two neighboring apartment homes, hiding his hands behind his back as if he were a kid again, hiding a stolen can of spray paint after spraying someone's car or worse a baggy of drugs.

Peeking out from behind the corner, the man adjusted his glasses and gasped silently as he watched the teens laughter fade ruther and ruther and be replaced with sighs of worry, annoyance and anger as the police car drover closer and closer before finally, parking right next to them!

One teen hurriedly got up, fist clenched and ready but was immediately pulled back by another as the officer stepped out.

He was wearing the typical bright blue uniform barley hidden behind a dark blue vest which matched his hat and pants, there was also a belt tied straight to his waist in which he carried a gun and taser, and a gold badge strapped to the right side of his chest.

The man pondered about the outfit as it was very VERY unusual for AcersVille police who often wore a dark black shirt and black vest, driving around in their white and black cars, a gun mostly already in out of their belts and a little walkie talkie in their upper vest pockets to be wearing something so...off? Maybe the times have changed?

It wasn't until he looked a little bit more closer at the cop car itself. It was blue, a deep dark blue that on the right side of the car read in big bold letters, EAST ARMEIRA PD.

The man gulped, "East Armeira?"

East Armeira, the large yet bustling city where everyone truly lived happily, and even if some had their own dark past or secrets to hid, it still didn't stop them from enjoying life in their own city unlike the people of AcersVille.

Yet it was still a shocking surprise that someone from a city so bright and full of hope would even come down here. Not to mention, the fact AcersVille often closed itself off constantly from outside cities, such as blocking the only entrance in the springtime.

Some of the teens gave the officer a stern look of pure rage while some showed faces of guilt, others showed shame. They knew that each and everyone of them all had a history with the law at such young ages and couldn't afford to go back to jail, after all those bottles of alcohol were not cheap.

The police officer shifted his eyes down at the multiple cigarette buds on the ground and then towards the bottles of alcohol, and shook his head in disbelief.

He had been told way back at his time at East Armeira Police Academy about on how troubled AcersVille teens were and how the police there were struggling to keep things under control but to see it for himself now, it truly was ridiculous! He didn't understand why the East Armeira police department was so ready to head into AcersVille and help parole it, even if it was for a very small amount of time, but now he knew why they were also so hesitant to deal with it's citizens in the first place.

It was almost like they knew the happy-cheerful smiley face façade was just that...a façade!

"What are you little rascals doing out here in the blistering heat, huh? I see you guys got some cigarettes on you."

He turned his attention back to the booze, "A couple of drinks too? Wow! You kiddos have homework right? Why not instead do that instead of being on the streets? It's more safe!"

He gave the teens a warm smile, assuring them he wasn't going to arrest nor hurt them. They were just some juveniles, AcersVille juveniles, but juveniles for sure. All they needed was someone to swerve them on the right path!

"Homework? You think WE got homework!?!"

One of the teens spat on the police officer's shoe, it was the girl! She held up her fist and started going off!

Even though, she was smaller then her male friends, she seemed to have a very smart mouth, a nasty attitude and heavy anger issues on top of being drunk out of her mind and as she stumbled, her hoop earrings swayed side to side each time, her friends desperately trying to hold her back.

"Why don't you fuck off! We ain't do shit!"

One of the boys put a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to comfort her by saying her name and when that didn't work, he spoke up in a clear tone.

"Come on, let's just back head to the park."

Yet the girl still flat-out refused to listen!

She began to cuss even louder at the officer about how she didn't do anything even though they were technically drinking, smoking and causing a ruckus. And when the officer asked them were did the booze and cigarettes even come from and if they stole it, that's when the teens all got defensive, leading to a knife being pulled out.

The man hiding from behind the corner knew where this was going and quickly ran over to the police officer and declared that it him, who purchased their stolen drugs before then looking back at the confused teens and then back at the officer, hands slightly up as he faked a guilty look.

"It was me, officer."

His voice softened slightly. He shifted his eyes to the now cowering teens and reassured to them that everything was going to be okay, if they complied, before swiveling back to officer, his face even more guilty then before.

"I-I was the one who bought them the cigarettes and booze."

The officer raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion painted his face as he turned his view back to the teens who nodded hesitatingly.

"I see. Well guess you little rascals are off the hook."

The officer then pulled out a pair of cold sliver cuffs and cleared his throat. He hand cuffed the other adult and sighed.

"As for you, madame, you're coming with me."

The officer escorted the young man, or who he perceived to be a young women, into the back of his car before he turned back to the group of trouble making teens and gave them a disappointed glare. He knew that at the end of the day they were just teenagers but something else told him, they would never change their ways.

As he closed the back passenger door and made his way over to the driver seat, he looked down at the other adult and frowned.

"You didn't have to lie for them you know, miss. They're just some hooligans."

He looked up at the teens who were now spray painting the building they had been sitting in front of and rolled his eyes. As someone who had grown up to follow all of his mother's rules and work extremely hard to get were he was, it practically disgusted him. Such troublesome behavior that could never be fixed.

"Before you know it, they'll all be dead by tomorrow anyway."

The other adult simply chuckled in response and looked up at the officer with a look of pure emptiness and replied in a soft, yet dead toned voice,

"Then let today be their tomorrow."

×××

Past BlueBird Rode and down MaryLane, the two finally made it to the broken down apartment complex that was completely covered in trash, littering not only one balcony but multiple. There was even an old roach infested, bloodstained mattress sitting outside which let off a strong musty stench in the heat.

The police officer covered his noise as he parked his car in front of the apartment and got out in a hurry.

While he did not want to judge, he just had to blurt out,

"You live here, miss?"

To which the other man nodded, "Better than the rode we just past. I would never go back to living down BlueBird Rode again! To many prostitutes at night down there and to think people still raise their kids to grow up in this city."

The only thing the officer could say to such as response was a simple, nervously confused, "Oh?"

The young man let out a cute, soft giggle at the officer's wariness, "Hey, how about I offer you some tea? You look a little scared, Mr. Policeman!"

"D-do I?"

"Mm-hm! My treat! Now come on!"

Before the officer could say anything else, he was immediately pulled by the arm and lead up a couple of stairs, each hallway they past smelled like smoke, cigarette buds and dust littered the black carpeted floors and the mold in the corners had started to blend with the carpet. Each door they had past was either busted slightly open, scratched up with chalk from the kids who lived here or in the case of one, blown up with bullet holes.

The only door that didn't look tattered up or had mold and cigarette buds everywhere, was the only one with a slightly faded but readable number, apartment 208!

The police officer watched the other unlock the door and swing it open, causing a loud THUMP to be heard, followed by the sound of shattered glass as a picture had suddenly fallen off the wall.

While the apartment looked to be squeaky clean there was still some things that looked off.

There were slight cracks in the wall, dirty dishes piled up in the sink, small bits of crumbs and paper accumulated in some corners of the living room, and the dinning room, which was cramped right next to the living room couch was dusty beyond belief and looked like it hadn't been touched in years.

"Sorry if it's a bit dusty and dirty, I wasn't really expecting a visitor."

The other man snickered and pulled over a chair, "Please by all means take a seat, Mr. Policeman! I'll be right back, okay?"

The officer did as he was told and sat down, taking off his hat and fanning himself with it. Was this really was the hottest summer yet? Or maybe he was just uncomfortable? He never knew the city was this bad after all! Sure, rowdy, rebellious teens was one thing but this? This was a living nightmare!

As soon as he finished his tea, he would leave and head back home immediately and report back to his boss, the chief of police, Morgan Grantz! AcersVille was clearly NOT the city that needed to be protected by outsiders!

The officer gulped and turned his attention back to the cracks in the wall and adjusted his collar.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, miss, how long have you lived here? This places looks a bit-"

"Shabby? Yeah, I know. The last people that lived here left it a hot mess, hence the cracks. I've been trying to find another place to say but there really isn't a safe place to go."

When the man came back, he was holding a small tray that had two cups of tea diligently placed on top of it. He carefully sat the tray down on the table, and sat across from the officer.

He picked up his cup of tea by the handle and frowned, "Everywhere's the same..."

The officer shifted his eyes to the single cup om the tray and picked it up, taking a small sip. He was curious so he finally popped out the question that was truly on his mind, "Can't you just leave?"

The other man in the room got quiet.

"Leave?"

A long, awkward pause.

"No. I can't just leave. I was born here."

The officer shrugged and sat his cup down, "So? I was born in East Armeira, but that doesn't mean I have to stay, even if it is my home."

"Y-you wouldn't get it..."

"Get what? That this city is a extremely disheveled? Unsafe even?"

The man bit his lip and fiddled with the rim of his cup, "It's complicated..."

Another long awkward pause.

The young man adjusted his glasses and looked up at the officer, now curious.

"What's East Armeira like anyway, Mr. Policeman?"

"I don't really know how to explain it that well, miss. It's a very nice place, nicer than here anyway. Everyone gets along, everyone knows everybody, it's perfect!"

The man raised an eyebrow, he had never heard someone describe a city as perfect before.

"Really?"

"Sorta. Crime exist but its mostly petty theft. Nothing really too serious, ya know."

When the police off took another sip, the other man's eyes started to sparkle with curiosity! He began to question the officer about everything he knew about East Armeira. Like what were the people or if they had a mall? Did they also have a nightly carnival like they did over here? The possible amount of questions was endless!

And each time the officer would answer, giving out what he knew from a personal perspective of growing up in such a wonderful town! And each time he did, the man's eyes got even more filled with curiosity and he began to ask even more questions.

"Oh I see! Maybe one day I can come and visit you, Mr. Policeman!"

The officer let out a light chuckle followed by a warm smile as he sat his empty cup down on the tray, got up and put his hat back on.

"Oh please, call me, Estevan! Estevan Aguliar!"

"Estevan? That's a very funny name!"

"Oh? Then what's your name, miss?"

The nam hesitated at first even backing away in the process. He swore he would never give his name out to anyone else ever again, especially not a police officer but since Estevan seemed very very kind and extremely sweet, he broke his vow.

He cleared his throat and let out a hushed sigh.

"...Milo Campbell. Milo J-Josiah Campbell. Though you can just call me Milo..."

The officer blinked then let out a mean snicker, "You look a lot more like a Lily or a Charlotte, miss."

Milo was about to say something but kept his mouth shut once Estevan checked his watch and shook his head. He gave Milo another warm smile and started to head back home.

"Guess I have to go, Ms. Campbell! Thanks for the tea by the way, it was delicious!"

Milo smiled back, "Oh, no problem! Feel free to stop by anytime, Mr. Policeman!"

Estevan let out a light laugh as he headed out the door and back to his car, only to see it completely vandalize with gang graffiti. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips as he rolled his eyes abd walked over to the driver's seat and scooted his way inside.

The last thing he saw was Milo. Standing by the window, waving goodbye.

~~~

Sorry @mrboogerlip if Estevan is written out of character I tried my hardest to say in character but I always end up picturing him as a serious yet stern guy with a sensitive soft side XD

And sorry if I got East Armeira wrong too! I have no idea what the town or city is suppose to be like but I imagine it's a big city/town with lots of people who are very very sweet and are easy to get along with but the town itself also has some very dark stuff like the whole Correa Family!

[yubellia]

Reborn as Lila Rossi: The fox and the caterpillar (chapter five) „the first real step to power“

Greetings! It has been a while huh? Sorry for that. For a while I have been working an 8hour job every day. Turns out you just aren’t in the mood to write your thoughts and ideas down if you are busy and only have the weekends. Anyway, I am still here. I hope you will enjoy this new chapter.

„Normal speaking“ (thinking)

„Trixx speaking“ (Trixx thinking)

„Duusu speaking“

——————————————————

Trixx was speechless but started to fly very close to Lila‘s face. „What?! What do you mean by that? Lila, if the miraculous is damaged, you can‘t use it under ANY circumstances! We can get it, but we should give it to master Fu.“

Lila interrupted Trixx harshly. „We won‘t tell him or give him anything! And I forbid you to tell him or the other kwamis anything. Got it? We do the work here! I got dragged into this. Now I just try to get out and I do it my way!“

Trixx tried to fly away from her but couldn’t. „Trixx. I asked you, ‚Do you understand what I said?‘.“

After raising her voice, Lila was calm again but looked at Trixx, expecting an answer. „Yes Lila. I understand.“ stepping closer, Lila patted Trixx softly on the head. „I didn’t want to yell. And I promise I finish this as quickly as possible, without hurting myself or anyone as long as I can avoid it. But I do it my way. Ok? I just need you to trust me.“ Trixx nods and Lila pushes some grapes on a table over to him. „Now eat up. Eat as much as you can. Tonigh, we really push it.“

A few hours later. Lila took off her Lila disguise, put on a completely black outfit and sits on the roof of a house near the Agrest mansion.

„Ok. You got it?“ Trixx nods. „Yeah. So we do a new illusion. A misty fog. We do this invisible thing. And than we grab the miraculous from the safe. But why do we have to check more than one?“

„Because they also have a replica for the miraculous. I don‘t know which one is which. We might need to grab both.“

They both waited until long after it was dark. Keeping an eye on the lights in the Agreste Mansion. It was after midnight when finally the last lights went out.

„Finally. These people need to get a better ‚work-life-sleep balance‘ that‘s for sure. Now, Trixx! Let’s pounce!“

This time, she didn’t transform into Volpina. Her new outfit was a skintight suit in black with a black coat which gave the illusion of nine tails. She kept her more ‚Lila like‘ appearance. „Now. Let‘s finish this.“

She started to play the flute again. She kept playing for a longer time. The light getting brighter before she threw it at the mansion. A misty fog started to spread in the mansion, swallowing sound and sight. Next, she turned herself invisible just to be sure before she went in.

She needed some help from Trixx here and there. Detransforming so that he could open a window for her. Luckily she remembered to dress in black and cover her face.

Once she was inside and transformed again, she started to carefully sneak around. Her first stop was the entrance hall with the giant portrait of Adrien’s mother. Just in case, she whispered. „Trixx, let’s rest.“ she herself stayed invisible. Trixx took a good look at the portrait. „Wow… he really adored her huh? Want me to open it?“ „Yes. But wait. Do you sense something? Is it here already?“ Trixx went closer and faded through the portrait and into the safe. A moment later, the portrait went to the side like a door and and the safe followed. Inside was a picture of Gabriel’s wife and the brooch. „Take it! And hurry! This is it!“ Lila grabbed the brooch, put a fake inside and closed everything after Trixx came out. The brooch flickered in her hand, attempting to change form. „Oh damn it. Trixx, let’s pounce!“

Once she was transformed again, she hurried to get out. She almost reached the window when Nathalie came around the corner. Her hunting gear in hand. (Damn it! She noticed!) Nathalie moved very slowly and carefully. If Lila hadn’t seen her, Nathalie could have surprised her from behind. Now, Lila herself moved slowly and just prayed to god that the floor would not creak. Both woman aimed for the open window. Nathalie, to block the exit and Lila, to get the hell out and away from a woman that carries a loaded crossbow. Nathalie examined the room closer and turned a little. With her looking the other way, Lila made a run for it and jumped out of the window. Nathalie actually shot in her direction but only hit the wall. Once she was out and far enough, she decided to undo what she did. „Mirage vanish.“ it didn’t matter anymore now. She had what she wanted and she was out of sight.

Lila ran from one rooftop to the next. She only detransformed after she reached her hideout.

„Trixx, let‘s Rest.“ Lila collapsed on a chair and Trixx landed on her head. „That was close. Way….to close. Now, what do you do with it? You can‘t use it in this state.“

Lila got up and put the peacock brooch in a self made construction to hold it up. „Now, you might wanna take cover.“

The other day, Lila got the stuff she needed. I fireproof cup made of graphite, a gold necklace from ‚her mother‘, propane gas, appropriate pliers, gloves and one of those lab safety glasses.

She used the propane gas to create a flame under the graphite cup and melted the necklace.

„Won‘t your mom miss that necklace?“

„No. It was a gift to her daughter. And I won‘t miss it. This is more important. Also, it’s not my mother anyway.“

Once the necklace was fully melted, she put some of the crushed asteroid powder inside. Last was the peacock feather.

There was a blue puff of smoke coming out of it for a moment.

„Ok Trixx, take cover. It was nice knowing you.“

Trixx flew behind one of the stone walls. Just in case.

Lila took the pliers to grab the cup after turning off the flame and brought it over to the brooch.

„slowly…“ she tilted the little cup. She only needed one or two drops….

The gold spread through the cracks in the miraculous, filling them completely.

Afterwards, she put the cup away to a save place to cool down.

„Now…. Miraculous, repair yourself!“

The brooch started to glow and floated upwards. When the light faded, the brooch was no longer in camouflage mode. It fell down directly in Lila’s hands.

„This… should do it…..“

Trixx came closer to look too. „It looks fixed. But there is only one way to know.“

Lila put the brooch on. There was no flickering, no static sound. It just changed its form. A blue light appeared and a little peacock emerged from it.

„Oh my! I feel great!! My head is all clear, I don‘t feel all fuzzy and my emotions are more stable too! It’s like waking from a very bad dream! What happened?“ after a moment of flying around, they noticed Lila and Trixx.

„Trixx! Oh I’m so glad to see you! And who are you? Did you fix me?“

Lila smiled down at her. „That depends. Is your miraculous fixed now? Can I use it? I am Lila by the way. At least that’s the name I use.“

Duusu smiled but tilted her head. „I don‘t know why you shouldn’t? I feel great! My miraculous looks great too! It’s no longer flickering. It should be save now. Oh and I am Duusu I am so grateful to you!“

Duusu rushed to Lila’s face and hugged her cheek. „Alright, alright. How about you eat something, I clean this all up and I tell you what’s going on. I need your power, your help. I only have grapes here though. Tell me what you want and I get it for you later ok? Trixx you need to share.“

Duusu started munching after a cheerful „thank you!“ and listened.

„I‘m glad that Duusu is fine but I still can‘t believe that this worked. Or that I have to share now.“

Lila explained everything. How she isn’t ‚Lila‘, how she isn‘t a teenage girl either and how she endet up here.

„And that’s my story. I need power to get the miraculous from Ladybug and Chat Noir. So that I can go home and bring the real Lila back. To restore order.“

Duusu burst into tears and hugged Lila again.

„Thats such a sad story. I hope you get your happy ending.“

Lila gave Duusu a smile. So far, almost no one really pitied her or hoped that she would win.

„Thank you. I promise, I try my best to not harm anyone really with your power. There will be a time, when we become the bad guys. But my main focus will be ladybug and chat noir. Ok? So. I have a few rules for you and Trixx. No flying off, no contacting the master, and you follow my lead. Alright?“

Duusu and Trixx nodded their heads. „Ok great. So, let’s go home. It’s way too late and I have school tomorrow.“

——————————————————

Done! After an eternity i finally updated this story! Feels good to finish this chapter.

I hope you liked it. And I hope you join me again in the future. Whenever i upload again. I try my best.

Oh! And if you find any grammar mistakes, feel free to keep them.

See you next time!

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Part 10: Red Right Hand

Summary: In the midst of trying to juggle a dozen developing situations at once, Tommy and Lucy separately encounter the new pretty barmaid.

Word Count: 2,971

Warnings: Violence.

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Chapter 2: The Guns

“I’ll hang out here,” Lucy said, coming to a stop at the entrance of the church. He pulled off his hat, running a hand over his hair to smooth it.

“Thanks.”

“Mm,” she eyed the church warily. “Are you sure that you won’t burst into flames the second you step inside?”

He gave a fond nudge. “You’re not funny.”

Lucy snickered, nudging him back even as he smiled, beginning to climb the steps.

“This won’t take long.”

Huffing to herself, she crossed her arms, leaning against a wall and pulling a cigarette from her coat. It was likely that Polly had called Tommy to see her in the church because she had caught some inkling about the guns. Or maybe she just knew that Tommy wasn’t telling her everything. Which meant she wasn’t going to let it go until he did. 

She was annoying like that. 

The guns. The guns were a problem, but also an opportunity. She could still remember that night at the yard, a lantern clutched in Tommy’s hand while the rain pelted down on them. Charlie and Curly using a crowbar to wrench open the crate. Lucy had been beside Tommy, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm, pressed against his side to seek refuge from the chill that had come with the rain. It had taken all four of them to pull one of the large boxes from the crate. And the machine gun that greeted them when they unlatched the box and pulled it open had glimmered against the downpour. 

Twenty-five Lewis machine guns. Ten thousand rounds of ammunition. Fifty semi-automatic rifles. Two hundred pistols with shells.

It was like fucking Christmas. 

But with them had now come that copper from Belfast. Probably sent down to Birmingham with the sole mission of finding and recovering the stolen guns. That was no small problem. 

The door to the church creaked open and Polly stepped out, chin held high with a small huff when she spotted Lucy waiting. She walked past her without so much as a hello.

Screw you too, you old witch.

Lucy pushed the lump of bitterness at Polly’s constant rejection down. No point in getting upset over something that would never change. A moment later, Tommy came out of the church. 

“What did she say?”

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “I told her about the guns.”

“Let me guess: she thinks we should throw them in the cut.”

“Something along those lines, yes.”

“Are you?”

Tommy sighed. “I don’t know yet.”

Lucy looked at him shrewdly. Much as he may have pretended that he hadn’t made up his mind yet, she knew him better. Those guns weren’t going anywhere.

“I need to go take care of some boys who have been making trouble at the Marquis for the past couple of nights,” she informed him as they walked. “I’ll meet you back at the shop after?”

“You know, we have people who’ll do the brunt of the enforcing for us, these days,” Tommy said, eyebrow raised.

“Yes. But these boys are repeat offenders. Clearly they aren’t taking our men seriously.”

“Mm. Try not to get blood everywhere.”

“You know I never make any promises in that regard,” she grinned. Tommy snorted, stopping to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

“Be safe.”

“Always am. I’ll see you in a bit.”

∗ ∗ ∗

Peeling off her coat and removing her hat, Grace hung them both on the peg in the backroom, smoothing down her white shirt once before stepping out behind the bar. Harry was already busy wiping down a table. He smiled at her kindly.

“Still not too late to back out, you know,” he said. Grace smiled politely and shook her head. He shrugged. “All right. To work you get, then.”

He’d given her an impromptu training session right after she’d convinced him to hire her, so she already knew where everything was. They only had a few patrons at the moment, crowded around their tables and muttering quietly amongst themselves. A group in the corner were beginning to grow rather rowdy, laughing boisterously as they gulped down their drinks. Between pouring beer and whiskey she busied herself with tidying things behind the bar.   

The doors slammed open and a tiny woman strode in. She was dressed like a man, in dark trousers with a matching waistcoat over a white button down shirt, a gray hat identical to the ones that the Peaky Blinders wore pulled over her head, a black coat swishing around her legs. There was a gun clutched in her hand. At the sight of her all laughter and conversation suddenly ceased, the entire pub growing eerily silent.   

She strode to the bar and settled the arm holding the gun down across it. Shaking dark red, bouncy loose curls out of her face, she grinned at Grace.

“Hullo. You’re new,” her dark green eyes glittered with genuine warmth, looking Grace up and down.

“Um, hello,” Grace wasn’t quite sure what else to say. The woman tilted her head, the light catching slightly, illuminating the shape of her cheeks. There was a doll-like quality to her, only accentuated by her porcelain white skin and short stature. But the mischievous sparkle in her eyes could only be described as devilish.

“Whiskey, please. Irish.”

Grace hesitated. Harry had yet to tell her what the rules were in regards to serving women in the pub. The woman pressed still smiling lips together. There was a smudge of something red across her left cheek. Either it was blood, or the woman had been terribly off the mark when applying her lipstick.

“Miss. Winters,” Harry said, appearing from the backroom. He nodded to the gun still settled in her hand. “Do you mind?”

Winters looked down at the gun as if she’d forgotten that it was there, smile widening as she placed it in the holster inside her coat. “Sure,” she cocked her head to the side. “You’ve hired a new barmaid, Harry.”

“Yes.”

Glittering green eyes landed back on Grace. She fumbled awkwardly with the rag in her hands, hoping that Winters didn’t notice how flustered her constant, grinning gaze was making her.

“Hi. I’m Lucy Winters,” she thrust out a hand to Grace. Taking it carefully, she forced herself not to look away from those bright eyes as she shook her hand. 

“Grace Burgess.”

“Where are you from, Grace Burgess?”

“There’s no need for an interrogation, Miss. Winters,” Harry said. Lucy raised an eyebrow.

“It’s alright,” Grace said quickly, moving to pour Lucy the whiskey she’d asked for. “I’m from Galway,” she set the bottle back behind the bar and nudged the glass of amber toward the red head. 

Lucy’s eyes narrowed a very tiny fraction, as if assessing if she was telling the truth or not. She took a slow sip of her whiskey. Around them, the patrons had begun to return to their conversations, but in considerably more hushed tones than they were previously.

“You have, um…” Grace bit her lip, unsure how to say it. She instead just raised a hand to her own face, pointing at her cheek in the approximate spot where the splatter of red was smudged across Lucy’s face. Lucy’s brows furrowed, a hand wiping down the opposite cheek. “No. Um, here,” she reached into her pocket for her handkerchief, reaching across the bar, hand cupping Lucy’s chin to hold her face in place as she wiped the fabric across her cheek. Her skin was startling, almost alarmingly, cold to the touch. The red stained the pristine white of the handkerchief. Yes, it was definitely blood. But clearly not hers.

“Thanks,” Lucy’s eyes still danced with amusement, and Grace glanced away bashfully, refolding her handkerchief and tucking it away. 

“How did that happen?” she ventured, carefully. Lucy’s eyebrows rose, and she swallowed down the rest of her drink, tossing a few coins onto the bar.

“That’s a story for another time, love. Glad to see you got things all cleaned up, Harry,” she called to him from across the pub, then pushed away from the bar and headed towards the doors. “It was nice to meet you, Grace from Galway!” she called over her shoulder, the door swinging shut behind her.  

∗ ∗ ∗

“The coppers picked up Arthur,” she said, poking her head into her and Tommy’s office, where he was reading over some papers. His head snapped up.

“What?”

“He’s all bloodied up. Said something about a broken finger, too.”

He shot out of his chair, following her to the kitchen, where John had just hauled Arthur into a chair. He groaned deeply in pain.

“We need some booze for the cuts,” Lucy said, moving to riffle through the pantry. At no sight of any bottles of liquor, she straightened. “Okay, where the hell is everything?”

“Polly went on a cleaning frenzy a day or so ago,” Ada said apologetically.

“I’ll go get some rum from the Garrison,” Tommy huffed. At the mention of the pub Lucy’s head lifted, jogging to follow Tommy as he headed for the door.

“Hey, when you get there, check out the new barmaid that Harry hired,” she said softly to him. “She’s pretty.”

“Is that so?” he shot her an amused look.

“Mhm.”

“You’re a strange woman, you know that?”

“You like my strangeness.”

He touched her cheek lightly. “I do,” his eyes darted over her shoulder at another groan of pain from Arthur. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” she watched as the door clicked softly shut behind him, biting her lip to hide her smile.

∗ ∗ ∗

“Are you a whore?” 

The question, from the man who up until that moment had her half hypnotized by his beauty and deep voice, knocked her completely off balance, lips parting and eyes widening. In his eyes–the lightest pair of blue Grace had ever seen–something cold and suspicious looked back at her. 

“Because if you’re not, you’re in the wrong place,” he didn’t even wait to see her reaction to his words, turning on his heel with the bottle of rum he’d ordered and stalking from the pub. For a moment Grace could only stand there, jaw clenching with anger and humiliation while her cheeks flared pink. She grabbed the notes he’d set on the bar and slammed the doors to the snug closed with a little more force than necessary.

“He’s one of them you warned me about,” she said to Harry.

“Look, Grace, you’re a friendly girl but be careful. If I say something’s on the house, then say nothing to whoever you’re serving.”

She nodded. Harry looked down.

“If they decide that they want you, there’s nothing anybody could do about it,” he shot her an apologetic look. “Lucky for you, since he got back from France, Tommy doesn’t want anybody at all. Except…” he hesitated.

“What?”

Harry shook his head. “They’re just rumors. I shouldn’t say,” he glanced down. “Some people say he and his assistant, Lucy Winters, have…something going on.”

“The woman who was in here earlier, with the red hair?”

Harry nodded. “But,” he shrugged, “like I said, they’re just rumors,” he shuffled around her quickly, to attend to the other patrons and probably to avoid any more of her questioning. Grace remained standing there for a long while, just staring at the shelves of liquor before her, the sounds of the customers behind her little more than muffled noise. 

∗ ∗ ∗

Lucy sat sprawled out in a chair, her feet propped up on another as she watched Ada and Polly fuss over Arthur. All the while John pestered Ada from the sidelines.

Watching them all without Tommy, it was a miracle that they were able to survive a few hours without his constant supervision.

The door slammed open, the Devil, conjured seemingly by her thoughts of him, sweeping back into the room, a bottle of rum clutched in one hand.

“Let me see him,” Tommy walked around to face Arthur, opening the bottle and handing it to him, working quickly yet carefully as he dunked the cloth seeping in a steaming basin of water and rang it out while Arthur took a large swig of rum. “Give me that,” he took the bottle back, pouring a helping into the cloth and cupping Arthur’s chin in one hand. Arthur inhaled sharply as Tommy pressed the cloth to the cuts on his face. “You’re all right,” Tommy assured, wiping away the blood. Arthur grasped him by the arm. As he started to speak, giving a report of what Inspector Campbell had told him, Tommy stiffened and pulled away. 

When he was done speaking, he was met with silence. 

Tommy looked down and away, to the cigarette in his hand. Lucy suddenly became very interested in examining the toes of her oxfords.

“What’s wrong with you?” Arthur asked. “Lucy?” his eyes snapped to her. “What the fuck is going on, eh? What do you know?” she didn’t meet his gaze, instead choosing to focus on her rings, fiddling with them. Arthur let out a growl and turned to Polly. “What the fuck is wrong with him lately?”

Tommy straightened, jaw clenching. Lucy’s shoulders tensed.

“If I knew, I’d buy the cure from Compton’s chemists,” Polly said, and turned away. Lucy could feel the beginnings of a fight building in the air, leaving her teeth on edge, muscles tense.

“You tell her, but you won’t tell us?” Arthur hissed at Tommy through bloodied teeth. Lucy’s head lifted in surprise at his tone. Usually Arthur was the nicest towards her out of all the family members outside of Tommy. “Why? We’re family! She’s not–”

“Careful, Arthur,” Tommy’s voice had dropped dangerously. “Careful.”

Arthur retreated, eyes darting between them. Lucy thought she saw a flicker of regret there, before his gaze dropped to the floor.  

“Maybe we should talk about this at another time, when you aren’t so hard to look at, Arthur,” she suggested. “We have a meeting to get to,” standing, she gave Tommy a pointed look. He nodded, stiffly. She didn’t wait around to hear what he said to Arthur in farewell, heading straight for the door.

Her fingers twisted in her hair, running through her curls before yanking her cap on. Tommy’s hand was warm, even through the layers of fabric she was clothed in, when he rested it on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

“Arthur doesn’t mean it,” his voice was a soft rumble. With a half smile, she rocked her head from side to side.

“Yeah, I know.” But the others do, she added silently. Tommy looked at her sadly. He tried. He really did. But there was only so much that even he could do. It wasn’t like he could force them to like her. “I’m fine.” Taking the cigarette dangling from Tommy’s lips and pressing it to her own, she took a healthy drag before handing it back to him. “What do you want to do about…all of that?” she jerked her head towards the door. They began walking down the street, away from the betting shop.

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted with a tired sigh. For a brief moment, she let her hand rest comfortingly between his shoulder blades. He shot her a semi-alarmed look. “I don’t actually have meeting right now, do I?”

“Hm? Oh, no. That was a lie,” she shot a look over her shoulder at the house. “Figured we better get out of there before things got ugly.”

“Mm. Thanks.”

“Did you see the new barmaid?”

He shot her a look. “Yeah, I did.”

“And?”

He shrugged. “You were right.”

“You say that as though it’s surprising–hey!” she gaped at him in mock astonishment as he elbowed her playfully, his lips pressing together in that way they did when he was trying not to smile. “You’re a right bastard, you know that, Shelby.”

He chuckled, offering his arm to her so that she could loop her hand through it, palm resting over his bicep.

“So? Did you introduce yourself?”

“Not exactly.”

Something in his tone gave her pause. “Tommy…what did you say to her?”

“Nothing.”

“Tommy.”

“I just ordered the rum and left,” at her unconvinced look, he sighed. “I asked her if she was a whore.”

“You what!?”

“Alright, listen–”

“Tommy…” she half whined. 

“Oh, as if you weren’t wondering the same thing!”

“Yeah, but you can’t just ask someone that!”

He shrugged, unbothered. “Why not?”

“It’s…it’s rude!”

“Since when have you concerned yourself with manners?”

When she shot him a glare, it was to find him looking at her with a smirk, clearly taking quite a large amount of glee in teasing her. 

Bastard. He was lucky he was so pretty.

“She’s never gonna talk to us again,” she complained. Tommy chuckled, patting her arm.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, love.”

She nudged him lightly. “Cocky.”

He just chuckled again at her chastising, smiling to himself for a moment more before his expression turned more serious. “Ask around about her,” 

“Harry said she had references. I haven’t had time to properly verify them yet, though.”

“Pretty, highly qualified barmaids like that don’t just show up. Not here.”

Lucy chewed on her bottom lip. Much as she knew he was right, there was a not insignificant part of her that was tempted to just for once throw caution to the wind. Grace was so pretty. And she seemed so nice…

“Maybe she’s just down on her luck. Like I was.”

Tommy’s eyes were soft like the sky on a warm summer day. “No one’s like you, love.” 

Her heart fluttered, shooting him an affectionate look before stretching up to kiss his cheek, squeezing her arm around his as they walked in comfortable silence. 

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[prairiesongserial]

21.8

Friday lay in bed with Cody, both of them dressed in the new traveling clothes that Sacha had given them. Both of them stared up at the ceiling, elbows touching. Sacha had gone to great expense just to fuck them over with that letter of introduction–Friday kept coming back to that. And whether it had been intentional or not. It was a waste of her energy, trying to figure it out, but it was better than thinking about Val.

Cody, she was pretty sure, wasn’t thinking at all. She’d told him her plan several times, Cody fighting for understanding from the very distant place his mind had gone. Eventually he had nodded and agreed: whatever you think is best.

Cody breathed deeply beside her–if not for the steady hammer of his heart, she could have mistaken him for asleep. Almost time. She wanted to wait at least until midnight. She imagined the rescue team–fuck the rescue team–had spent the rest of the afternoon testing the stability of the cave-in before finally taking a delicate, hesitant approach–digging Val and John out one rock at a time, more curious to see if they were still alive than moved by any urgency. Friday grit her teeth.

Cody’s hand found hers, and she gripped it back, hard.

“How’s that head?” she asked him. Cody was lightly concussed from the fall after Officer Liang had tased him. A doctor had come to the room to check him out after.

“Fine,” he said. “Hurts.”

It was like lying next to John. Friday rolled her eyes fondly and gave his hand another hard squeeze.

“Ready?” she said. It wasn’t as late as she had wanted, but she couldn’t wait any longer.

Cody nodded in the dark.

*

It wasn’t hard to get her hands on a map of the city once they were out of the palace. Friday broke into a shuttered newsstand and got herself an entire book of maps. She flipped through under a street lamp, shaking a few bits of glass from her coat sleeve.

After a minute to orient herself, Cody standing silently at her side, Friday started walking. The entrances to the subway weren’t marked on the map, but she was able to find the cross-street where they’d been separated from John and Val. If the subway had been laid out on a grid, it wouldn’t be hard to find another way down.

Friday walked fast. It would be a long, cold walk before they reached their starting point.

When she and Cody had arrived back at the palace, Officer Liang had put them in a guest room to wait for news about their friends. She hadn’t warned them–maybe hadn’t known–that the Queen would come in person to talk to them.

Friday had been sitting on the floor, too tired to clean up and get changed, with her back braced against the bed. Cody had been in worse shape. He was conscious, but sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, bent double with his hands over the back of his head. He kept threatening to throw up.

The Queen entered without knocking. She was dressed in a pink pantsuit and heels, silver jewelry jangling at her wrists.

“My guard says John Graves and Valerie Lecter are unaccounted for,” she had said–no greeting. She was clearly livid. “The explosives were tampered with and detonated prematurely–how curious. And now two French spies are running loose under my city.”

That was an interesting way to say that the bag holding volatile explosives had been hit by a train. But Friday and Cody hadn’t shared that detail, and no matter how bad it looked, she wasn’t giving the Queen any information. Cody must have agreed–that, or he was too nauseous to speak.

“I am not pleased,” the Queen snapped. “Mr. Graves and Mr. Lecter must have understood that the two of you are my collateral when they left you behind. Until they return–or are brought back–the two of you will be staying where I can see you.”

So the Queen thought that John and Val had met up with the faction that had kidnapped the princes–the regent’s supporters. Conspiracy made more sense than random tragedy. Friday also would have liked to believe that John and Val had blown the explosives and escaped into the Underground as an act of political espionage.

So they’d waited, and were left alone for the most part. Shortly after Cody was seen by the doctor, one of the palace guard had come to deliver dinner; Friday had stolen his keys. They’d washed up and changed clothes. And kept waiting.

Friday held her map up under the next street light. This was where they’d resurfaced, she and Officer Liang carrying Cody between them. Their best bet was to head east, keeping their eyes peeled for another train station.

Friday looked up from the map and nearly jumped out of her skin. The Queen was standing stock-still against the nearest brick building. She was barely caught in the light of the street lamp, staring placidly at Friday and waiting to be noticed.

“What?” Cody said. His eyes followed hers, but he didn’t have the same reaction. He stepped closer. A second later, Friday realized that what she was looking at was a life-sized poster plastered onto the brick.

“Stand together for a safer England,” Cody said flatly. “Queen Georgiana Victoria is here to help.”

Friday realized what had been bothering her–what didn’t make sense. There had been a regent and a couple of kid princes. Where the hell had they come up with a queen?

Cody returned to Friday’s side, then shrugged. They walked east. More life-sized posters of the Queen were glued up on nearly every wall, but she and Cody didn’t stop to read them. They did walk a little faster.

It wasn’t long until they found another entrance down into the subway. They climbed down a quiet, dark set of stairs that seemed to go on forever. At the bottom, Friday set down her bag and dug through for her flashlight. There was a steady dripping sound, and then the sound of footsteps.

Before Friday got her flashlight up, she found herself illuminated in a beam of light. Officer Liang was staring her down, flashlight in one hand, taser in the other.

“I fucking knew it,” Officer Liang said. “What part of ‘wait for the rescue team’ did you not understand?”

Officer Liang’s gaze slid over Friday’s shoulder, and her expression changed.

“You can come with us, then,” Cody said, voice hard. “We could use more hands. You can drop that.”

“Please lower your weapon,” Officer Liang said, swallowing.

“No,” Cody said.

A beat of silence passed, interrupted only by the sound of dripping.

“He will shoot you,” Friday said. “We’re both a little upset that you tased him earlier.”

Still, silence. Officer Liang blinked rapidly, clearly nervous.

“No one knows you’re here, right?” Cody said. “Your shift would have ended hours ago.”

For a second, Friday was sure that Cody was going to shoot Officer Liang. She could feel his intent to kill her the way an animal’s instincts told it a predator was nearby. Then the tension broke. Officer Liang handed her taser to Friday, handle first, and Friday took it. Cody holstered his gun–John’s gun.

Officer Liang crossed her arms over her chest, looking small.

“Let’s go,” Cody said.

Friday let him take the lead, handing him the flashlight from her bag. To her surprise, Officer Liang trailed after them. Apparently if she couldn’t arrest them, she was at least determined to tail them and make her report to the Queen. Gutsy. Especially if she really thought Friday and Cody could be colluding with kidnappers or terrorists.

Cody led them to the cave-in at a fast pace. Friday took a deep breath as his flashlight moved over the wall of rock and gravel and–from this side of the cave-in–twisted metal. The train had been destroyed in the explosion, reduced to nothing but scorched parts.

The second thing Friday noticed was that there was no sign of a rescue team ever having approached the site–at least not from this side. No scaffolding or supports, no tools, no sign of progress. Friday looked at Officer Liang out of the corner of her eye. Her mouth hung slightly open.

“Is that a train?” she mouthed. She reached for the portable phone on her belt. Friday snatched it without any resistance.

Cody was pacing in front of the wreckage. He’d extend a hand sometimes toward a sheet of metal, as if to look underneath it, but stop himself at the last second.

The beam of his flashlight glanced off something on the wall. Friday took Officer Liang’s flashlight before she could protest and went to get a better look.

It was graffiti. Friday ran the light up and down the wall–it was completely covered in spray-painted words, pictures, and symbols. It was like they were in a different subway tunnel. On the other side of the cave-in, there hadn’t been anything like this.

Officer Liang also seemed interested. She gave a low whistle.

“What’s any of this mean?” Friday asked her. She spared a glance to Cody. He had stopped pacing, but he hadn’t started digging. Also thinking, like her, that if John and Val had been caught in that rubble, they were already dead.

Officer Liang had started to answer Friday’s question–the faction that had kidnapped the princes was anti-Monarchy, which was why they had thrown their support behind the regent when he had attempted to assassinate the princes and had finished the job themselves.

“You think the princes are dead?” Friday said. She turned, bringing the light to the opposite wall of the tunnel, where there was more of the same style of graffiti. Something metal on the tracks caught the light for a second, and Friday thought she knew what it was. Blood pounded in her ears as she attempted to keep the beam of the flashlight steady on the wall. She wanted to make sure, but she didn’t want to draw too much attention from Officer Liang.

“They’ve been missing for a while now,” Officer Liang said hesitantly. “They wouldn’t keep them alive.”

Friday barely heard her. Not Our Queen was painted large over ten or twelve feet of the wall. The writing was stylized in a way that made it hard for Friday to read. Similar messages covered the surrounding wall:

Where’d you come from, Georgiana?

Fuck your throne.

And… Friday squinted. She stepped closer. There was spray-painted writing, a long phrase written much smaller than the other messages so that it would fit.

Popule meus, quid feci tibi? aut in quo constristavi te? responde mihi.

Friday sounded out the phrase, confused when it didn’t come together into words she recognized. It hadn’t been stylized like the other graffiti. A less-experienced hand had clearly been trying very hard to make each letter legible, though still the paint had dripped and bled. It was the most recent message on this wall, Friday realized, seeing how it overlapped on top of all the surrounding tags and slogans.

Responde mihi. Answer me. She knew that. She read it all again. She turned her flashlight off so that Officer Liang wouldn’t see the shaking beam of light. Or the expression on her face.

She could hear it in Val’s voice, the disturbing chant that was part of the Good Friday service. She couldn’t have said exactly what this part meant, but now that she knew what she was looking at, she could hear the rhythm of it in her head. Responde mihi.

Why this message? Val had to know she didn’t know Latin. She wouldn’t understand. Tears of relief threatened to spill over even as her mind raced, reading the message over and over. He knew she wouldn’t understand, so maybe the meaning didn’t matter. What mattered was what she did understand. 

It was a Catholic thing. It was only said for Good Friday–she almost laughed through her tears. For her, it was a message for her. Thanks, Val, she got it. 

And he wanted an answer. An answer to what? Maybe not an answer to a question, but a response, something that Friday had to do. She shuffled back to the center of the tracks and turned the flashlight back on, slowly raising it back to the wall, as if she’d intended to get another look from a few feet back. Really, she was scanning the ground–there. The glimmer of metal, not scorched and black, but shiny. Friday’s heart beat a little faster.

A sound of distress drew her attention back to the rubble. Cody was holding something. Officer Liang hurried to his side, and Friday took the opportunity to snatch up what she had seen on the tracks. She closed her fist around it, sand and gravel leaking out of her fingers.

She approached Cody, joining Officer Liang. He’d found a boot with the laces slashed, rather than untied. He stood there, holding it, staring at Friday for an explanation.

“Is that John’s?” she asked.

Cody nodded, his mouth twisted.

She took it from him, not wanting to look, but knowing that it would decide whether John had also survived. She grit her teeth and looked inside the boot. It was empty. She dropped it and grasped Cody into a hug.

“He’s alive,” she whispered into the crook of his neck. “Act sad.”

Beside them, keeping some distance, Officer Liang looked disturbed. Like she wanted to offer condolences but knew they wouldn’t be welcome. Friday squeezed Cody tighter into the hug, the ring clutched in her fist held tightly enough to make a circular indent in her palm.

“Really?” Cody said, crying.

“Shh,” Friday said, but she nodded, rubbing the sides of their heads together.

*

As the three of them walked back the way they’d come, Friday’s flashlight grazed floor-to-ceiling letters spray-painted in black. They were so large that Friday had to hold the letters in her mind as they progressed, gradually putting the words together.

H-E

H-E-M

She reached into her pocket to touch the ring she’d picked up from the middle of the tracks. The ring Val had believed she would find. Responde mihi–answer me–bring it back to me?

H-E-M-I-S-P-H-E-R-E

O-U-T

The full meaning of Val’s message fell into place, answering a question she hadn’t thought to ask. 

Why leave her a coded message unless something was keeping Val and John from communicating clearly? The Good Friday service, and this part in particular, was all about Christ’s betrayal–it was basically a big “What the hell did I ever do to you?”

Either Val hadn’t been in a position to send her a message freely, or he hadn’t thought it was safe for Friday to receive it.

Either way, Friday understood loud and clear: Watch your back.

21.7 || epilogue 21

[jordanprice]

June 12 - Kiyomizudera and Gion

Today we went to see the Kiyomizu Temple in Kiyomizudera and to see the Gion area entertainment district. It was like an hour or so to get there by train, which as far as things for this trip is manageable. I didn’t realize the two would be so close to each other though.

When we got to Kiyomizudera, we walked through a street that had a bunch of shops that looked interesting. Lauren saw a few things she wanted to go back for, but we weren’t sure that we would be able to, at least not until after the stuff for the day. When we got to the temple, there were these metal sandals and two metal poles. I wish I got a picture of them, but unfortunately I did not (so I stole a video I took of Lauren doing it to take a pic from). You were supposed to try and lift them for some reason, so everyone did it. The sandals were easy, and the one pole was not too difficult at all. But the one I’m pretty sure was meant to be either impossible or nearly so. I think I put more effort into it than anyone and I really gave it my all, but it still wouldn’t budge. The person who put the next most effort in was probably Nico. I ended up staining my nice shirt with rust, which kinda sucked though, but it came out fairly easily luckily.

We then went to the fountains that the temple is famous for, and why it is called the Pure Water Temple. I explained how it works in the academic reflection. Bianca, Lauren, and I each picked a different one of the fountains. Bianca chose the first one, Lauren chose the middle one, and I chose the last one. So, between the three of us, we got all the things.

Okay then I don’t have any pictures of this, but get ready for this next part. Let me paint you a picture. So, next we go to this one thing that is called Canon’s womb. Yeah, I know… (also, this version of Canon is a dude, so why he got a womb?) So, you walk up to the entrance and they “strongly encourage” a ¥100 “donation” before entering. You have to take off your shoes before descending down a cold, dark staircase. When you get to the bottom and round the corner, it is pitch black. I’m talking you cannot see the person in front of you or your hand in front of your face type of dark. You have to follow the walls with your hands to be able to navigate this cavern which was void of light. Every step feels unsure and the walls are inconsistent. Eventually you arrive in this room with extremely dim lighting, just enough so you can make out this large stone disk. Which you are supposed to spin and make a wish. However, there is just one issue… they were absolutely pumping strongly scented smoke into the room. Not only do I think that that is in general an awful idea and extremely dangerous, but on top of that I have asthma. I felt awful for rushing people out so I could leave, but I think they understood. That place caused me a literal asthma attack and I’m glad I had my inhaler on me. I could barely breathe, but in a way I found that funny. That experience was supposed to be like being reborn, and when I was born the first time around I initially couldn’t breathe, so it’s on brand for me not to be able to breathe the second time around either. The irony was so delectable.

We were supposed to meet up again at six for some performance. I had gotten permission from professor Smith for Lauren and I to leave to go to the Pokémon cafe, since we already had reservations and could not change them, but also since I had asked him the day before when we would be done and he said by four and I would’ve needed to make the cancellation then. It worked out though and Lauren and I headed there. It was like 45 mins away from Gion, and our reservation was at 5:30. Lauren still wanted to look around for a while and to go back and get the things she saw on the way up as aforementioned. She seemed kinda confused at me rushing her to leave, as she thought we still had plenty of time. However, she was immediately understanding once I said that our reservation was at 5:30. This whole time she had been thinking it was at 6:15, which is our reservation time for this one vegan ramen place, so I understand the mix up. We then rush to get to the Pokémon cafe in Osaka and we make it there at like 5:28, so just in time.

The cafe itself was very cute, but I felt so bad for Lauren, as the only thing she thought she could maybe eat out of the food items on the menu ended up having shrimp in it and she couldn’t get it. There are two issues with this, one is she is vegetarian, and the second is that she is literally allergic to shrimp. She said that it was okay though and that she was just looking forward to the desserts. I got the pikachu ramen bowl and it was like literally just decorated instant ramen. It was cute, but not very tasty.

The desserts on the other hand were pretty good. Lauren and I got all three desserts and split them so we could try them all. (Unfortunately I do not have photos, my apologies)

Also, there was this whole performance with pikachu dancing, which was cute as well. One thing that pissed me off what I had reserved special merch items that you can only get if you reserve them, but they claimed I did not reserve any, even when I showed them the reservation number. Actually so annoying.

We then went to our third Pokémon center for the trip, then explored a bit more of the mall and headed back to the hotel. This was the point at which I found a basket of crème puffs in a 7-eleven, and they were genuinely incredible. Mashle has made me crave crème puffs, and I see me eating more of them in the future.

Academic reflection

Today I learned about the Kiyomizu Temple, which is also known as the Pure Water Temple. I learned about how the three fountains of pure water are said to each help with an aspect of your life. One is for help with business and academic stuff, one is for relationships and love, and one is for longevity. However, the twist is that nobody knows which fountain is which. It is said that if you drink the water from a fountain, it will help you with its corresponding aspect of life. The catch with this is that you may only drink from one, as the gods will deem you greedy if you drink from multiple. So, you only get to drink from one, and you have no idea which aspect you are supposedly getting help from the gods in.

I also learned about the Geisha entertainers in the Gion area, which used to be well known for being an entertainment district. They were not just courtesans, the Geisha were skilled, literate entertainers that would dance, play music, present poems, and more. Rich men would pay for them to perform at parties and such. There are still Geisha in the Gion area to this day, but they are less common.

[blues824]

okayy, this one is a bit long so bear with me please!

imagine, in a au world where the league of villains get a redemption arc and so they get to go to u.a.; them with a gentle and kindhearted reader who is willing to befriend them while everyone else is still a little wary. im thinking, kind and empathic like tanjiro and is able to make them feel as if they really have a chance at changing.

you dont have to write all of the LOV, it can just be shigaraki, dabi, and toga! i dont want you to have to write too much.

Toga’s scenario sounds exactly like the beginning of Wednesday

Tomura Shigaraki

People were definitely hesitant to give this man a second chance. He was doing his best but no one believed in him. He got a job at U.A. where he could teach the students about how destructive quirks can be and how to limit the amount of damage done to any party. This was arranged so that he could be on close watch.

There was one teacher he had taken a particular interest in. They were an up and coming Hero, as well as Aizawa’s assistant. They always greeted him with a smile and a wave, and they were also the one who showed him around U.A. 

You were his first friend, proof that he turned over a new leaf and left behind a life of crime. You always made him a bento for lunch (he loves your cooking) and always tried to have at least 3 conversations with him.

After a while, he asked why you were so kind to someone like him. He wasn’t wary or anything, he was just curious. You smiled and said ‘to me, being a hero means giving people a second chance. Society turned its back on you first, so you had every right to be angry. I’m just sorry I couldn’t help you sooner.’ This made him blush a little.

Eventually, after being work friends (and just friends in general), Tomura got the courage to ask you out. He was about to go in and hug you when you said yes, but he looked at his hands in disdain. You pulled his gloves off the table and handed them to him, and once he put them on you wrapped your arms around him. You pulled back a little to place a kiss on his cheek and he stiffened but then relaxed and wrapped his arms around you as well.

Dabi 

People were wary of him not just because of his actions but also because of his appearance. The scars he got from his quirk obviously showed and he had staples and stitches. When he got a job at UA, he had to teach the older students about how destructive quirks can be and how not to inflict too much damage to yourself while still pushing yourself past your comfort zone.

You were assigned as his teacher’s assistant, and that caused you both to become close over time. You were the only one who actively tried to befriend him. Before class, as you both set everything up for the day ahead, you would always shake his hand and give him a warm smile before making your way to your corner desk.

He was grateful for you. You made his life that much easier, and he appreciated it a lot. You would spend your lunch breaks at his desk while discussing everything that came to mind. He’s even told you about a few of his villainous journeys.

One day, during one of these lunch breaks, he asked why you were so kind and genuine. You smiled and told him, ‘Well, it would be kind of weird to teach the next generation of heroes without reflecting the virtues a hero should have. Plus I figured that there was more to you than what most see.’

Eventually, after class on a Friday afternoon, he called out your name before you left. You turned and gave him your full attention, and that’s when he asked you out for a date at 7. You suddenly felt shy before nodding. Dabi walked you out before he pressed a kiss to your forehead and headed back to his apartment.

Himiko Toga

Since she was young enough, she was transferred mid-semester as a second-year student. After all, she had gotten nearly perfect scores on the written Entrance Exam and showed great Battle IQ in the practical Entrance Exam.

You were one of her classmates, and your teacher gave you the task of showing her around and bringing her to her dorm. Instead of looking at her in disgust as most of the other students did, you had a friendly grin and shook her hand.

You both instantly became friends. You would have study sessions that ended in laughter because you both were doing impressions of your classmates. You became assignment partners, lunch buddies, basically each other’s ride-or-die.

One day, during one of your study sessions, the conversation got serious for a second. She asked you why you were so nice to her even after learning about her actions and you held her hand in your own. You told her, ‘A hero is supposed to give everyone a second chance. That also means former villains.’

Eventually, once you were packing up after class and getting ready to head to your dorm, Toga pulled you aside and asked you out. Once you said yes, she almost tackled you to the ground in a hug while peppering kisses all over your face.

[nobody7102]

It's Okay

Pairing: Robert 'Bob' Floyd

Warning: Angst, injury, plane ejection and crash, hospitals, medical talk

Request: @mypr3ttygirlworld "If your comfortable, after watching greys anatomy I have been thinking of a story where Bob gets a brain injury/ brain surgery it’s him and his so basically coming to terms with what that entails. Only if your comfortable with writing it and if not I completely understand!"

A/N: They way I cried multiple times while writing this. I changed the request a tiny bit. Also I don’t know medical stuff so idk if anything is correct medically speaking

Main Master-List

___________________________

Y/N’s heart pounded in her chest as she ran from the parking lot into the entrance of the hospital, eye’s dashing around for some familiar face.

In the two years of dating Y/N knew that there would always be risks when dating Bob, but they never fully thought about it… until reality had caught up with them.

Her breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with Rooster, before she racked her eyes over the rest of the team as they all sat in the waiting area. Standing from his seat Rooster made his way over to Y/N, pulling her into a hug.

Thoughts flooded Y/N’s head as she hugged him, and that's when her senses caught up with her as she took in Rooster’s words “Maverick’s talking with the doctors right now… we don’t really know anything” 

Y/N just nodded, pulling back “Where’s Natasha?” Rooster motioned to the corner of the waiting room, where Phoenix was slumped in her chair, one arm crossed over her form as the other rested against it, covering her face as her leg bounced against the floor.

Quietly Y/N made her way over to the pilot, kneeling down in front of her, Y/N placed a hand on Phoenix’s knee, causing it to stop bouncing as she looked up.

Y/N’s eyes softened taking in Natasha’s state. Her eyes were red, hair askew, and Y/N noticed how the palms of her hands were indented with the crescent shape of her nails. Leaning forward, Y/N pulled her into a hug as the pilot let out a rigid sob, arms wrapping around Y/N’s form “I-... I don’t know what happened” she mumbled into Y/N’s shoulder. 

The damn that had been holding back the tears and emotions finally broke in Y/N as she hugged Phoenix tighter. The two, not uttering a word as the rest of the team just watched, unsure what to do.

It took a few moments for the two women to regain their senses before Y/N sat next to Natasha and rested her head on her shoulder, as everyone else moved to sit closer to them.

“What happened?” Y/N finally managed to ask after a few minutes, as she sat up, her voice was quite as if something would break if she spoke any louder.

She felt Phoenix stiffen a bit at the question before she cleared her throat “It was supposed to be a simple training day…” she swallowed what little spit was left in her dry mouth “We were just gonna be practicing a flight path and ther-” her voice caught in her throat, her thoughts raced as she tried to find the word but everything just mushed together.

“We were flying when Phoenix caught some turbulence” Hangman continued, seeing how Phoenix struggled, he took her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze “They tried to level out, but it blew out the controls… and one of the engines.” he continued

“I thought-” Natasha started again, taking a breath “I hit the canopy button… but the latch got stuck… and then Bob’s seat-” tears started to make their way down her cheeks, she lifted her hands up to hide her face “I’m so sorry Y/N” she mumbled.

Standing from her seat Y/N walked from the group and out the entrance, she paced not knowing what else to do, not noticing how Rooster had gotten up to follow her. 

“Y/N” he called out to her “Y/N, you’re gonna make yourself sick” he grabbed her arm “Will you just take a breath? Please? I know you’re worried but if you worry yourself sick, it’s not gonna do anyone any good” 

“What am I supposed to do then Rooster?” she snapped tears coming to her eyes once again “I….I don’t know how all of you can just sit in there and do fucking nothing!” she raised her voice “god I would love to just sit and do nothing but I-... I-” as she tried to finish her sentence her body began to shake, Rooster pulled her into another hug “I still have so many things I have to tell him… things I wanna do with him…. I can’t-.... I can’t lose him” she sobbed into his chest.

The two stood in silence before the heard the door to the entrance open, “Captain’s back” Coyote’s voice filled the air before the door closed again.

Pulling away from each other, Y/N wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks, taking a few breaths. 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Bradley placed a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself as they made their way back into the waiting area. Moving back over to the team, Y/N took her place beside Phoenix, locking her arm with hers, giving her an apologetic look for leaving as she did moments before. To which Natasha just nodded before the two turned their attention to Maverick, who shot the two women a sad smile, before turning back to the majority of the team.

“Bob’s still in surgery, all the guy could tell me was that he had a brain bleed from the impact of the canopy and he’s having a craniotomy… they said it's gonna be another 2 or 3 hours. So if you all want to stay feel free, but if you want to go home and get some rest I understand. Admiral Simpson has granted everyone here time off for the week, and I will be staying and giving updates out to those who choose to go home” with that Maverick turned to hunker down in a chair.

Out of the whole team Y/N, Phoenix, Hangman, and Rooster had opted to stay with Maverick. As the time passed the team found themselves coping in any way they could.

Pete had taken to drawing small scribbles onto a notepad that he had found in the waiting area, trying to forget that the last time he was a part of an injury this bad was with Goose.

Y/N found herself biting and tugging at her nails, it wasn’t supper bad at first till she let out a sight hiss as she pulled at a hangnail. 

Looking over Phoenix noticed how red Y/N fingers had gotten, reaching her hand over she took one of Y/N’s hands in hers and gave it a squeeze. Looking away from her own hands Y/N gave Natasha a small smile of appreciation before her gaze caught sight of Natasha’s hand, which was also red and raw like her own. 

Hangman had started the train of hand holding, when he noticed how Natasha kept burying her nails into the flesh of her palms, so he took it upon himself to grab the aviator's hand to keep her from causing herself anymore damage. 

Rooster would glance between their small group before he turned his attention to the hallway watching the doctors and nurses as they walked, counting how many different colored scrubs he saw, how many were running places as opposed to walking, anything he could think of to keep his mind busy before he glanced back to his group and started the routine over.

At some point Y/N had fallen asleep against Phoenix’s shoulder, not even realizing it till Maverick and Phoenix were slowly trying to get her to stir from the slumber.

“Y/N there's a nurse coming out” as soon as the words left Phoenix’s mouth, Y/N was wide awake. Trying to straighten out her appearance as the group sat waiting to see whose name would fall from the nurses lips as she picked up a clipboard.

“Floyd, Robert” the nurse called out, causing them all to stand and follow the nurse into a hallway. Once a few feet from the waiting area a man came out to join the group. 

“Are all of you here for Mr. Floyd?” the man hummed, taking the board from the nurse. He was met with nods from the group before he looked at the board in his hand “What about the Emergency contact: Y/N Y/L/N?” 

Heading her name, Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise. Bob never told her she was made his emergency contact, but she raised her hand sheepishly “That’s me” 

“Ms. Y/L/N why don’t you follow m-”

“No” Y/N cut the man off “Sorry…” she quickly apologized before adding “The people who are here are all that Bob has… at least all that he had that aren’t states away right now, whatever you tell me you can tell them” 

The man nodded then continued “Well, my name is Doctor Tanner I was the surgeon for Mr. Floyd’s craniotomy. For the most part the helmet did it’s job and absorbed most of the impact, however it still caused a minor brain bleed. We were able to stop the bleed and he’s in recovery right now. He’s a very lucky man” 

Hearing those words brought tears to everyone’s eyes, as Phoenix turned into Hangman for a hug, Rooster and Maverick shared a small smile before Y/N felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, not caring whose hand it was she placed her over it and squeezed back as the surgeon continued “We aren’t allowing visitors right now per hospital visiting hours but since Ms. Y/L/N is Mr. Floyd’s emergency contact you can stay with him till he’s out of the hospital”

“Oh…okay” was all Y/N could muster before she turned to her group. Rooster was the first to pull her into a hug. Followed by Maverick who had been the one to place his hand on her shoulder, gave her hand a reassuring squeeze once more before Phoenix and Y/N shared a tight embrace. 

“Jake and I were thinking of visiting tomorrow, do you want us to stop by your place and bring you anything?” Phoenix mumbled into Y/N’s shoulder.

Nodding as she pulled out of the hug Y/N let out a sigh “My purse… and my phone charger” Natasha nodded before Hangman pulled Y/N into a side hug. 

After bidding her ‘goodbyes’ and ‘good nights’ to the group the surgeon led her down the halls of the hospital.

He paused right outside of a room and turned to Y/N “I didn’t wanna say this in front of your group because there are some things I can only share…. Or at least am advised to only share with immediate family or emergency contact, but the surgery was rough for Mr. Floyd… we had to stop two more brain bleeds before he was fully stable… just so you're aware when you go in, he’s hooked up to a ventilator right now to help regulate his breathing till he wakes up… which brings be to my second point, we don’t know when he’ll wake up” as he spoke Y/N bit the inside of her cheeks trying to stay calm “The anesthesia will wear off in a few hours but after a surgery like his, he will wake up at some point we just don’t know when. Do you understand?”

Y/N nodded “Yes” her voice was quite like it had been before in the waiting area. Turning to the door of the room, he opened it for her. 

Taking a deep breath, Y/N closed her eyes as her mind raced once more before she opened her eyes and stepped through the door and into the room. Like the surgeon had said Bob looked rough, as Doctor Tanner had said Bob was hooked up to a ventilator. Part of his head, towards the crown was wrapped, and his face was slightly swollen from the surgery. 

Biting the insides of her cheek once more she moved further into the room, taking a seat in the chair that had been placed at his bedside. As she sat, she felt her body begin to shake once more, trying to steady her breathing she reached her hand out to take Bob’s, her thumb rubbing circled on the back of his.

Doctor Tanner cleared his throat, drawing Y/N’s attention to him once more “If you need anything or if anything happens, press that button” he motioned to a button on the wall beside the monitor that was tracking Bob’s heart rate. 

“Thank you” Y/N gave the man a small smile before he left the room, and she turned her attention back to the man laying in front of her. Letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, tears started to make their way down her cheeks as she let out shaky uneven breaths. 

Bringing Bob’s hand up to her mouth, she lightly kissed it, being mindful of the monitors and IVs in it. She closed her eyes as did, a few tears falling onto the back of his palm before she opened them once more and set his hand back down on the bed. 

“Whoever’s looking out for you Bobby… we should send them a muffin basket” she joked to herself.

As the hours passed, Y/N found herself staring at Bob, memorizing the features she thought she knew so well. Yet as she looked she found herself noticing things she hadn’t, by now the swelling had mostly gone down and Y/N’s eyes traced over the details of Bob’s face. How he had a slightly uneven tan on his forehead from where his helmet sat. How the skin by the bridge of his nose had slight bruising around it, presumably from his glassing being squished into his face.

All the little details she thought she knew, like the back of her hand, were now different in some miniscule way. Taking his hand in her’s, Y/N brought his hand to her mouth kissing the back of it as she fought back tears.

“Oh Bobby…” she watched as his chest raised and fell, with the steady beep of the monitor in the background “... I love you so much…. And Phoenix and I are gonna kick your ass if you die….” she chuckled to herself as tears slipped down her cheeks “... Jake and Nat are grabbing stuff for us you know…. Probably feeding the animals too” she yawned, taking a few more minutes to herself to admire Bob’s sleeping form before she rubbed her eyes and leaned over Bob’s bedside, holding Bob’s hand as she fell asleep.

__________________________

The next morning, Phoenix and Jake arrived at the hospital with two bags in hand as they were being led to Bob’s room. Upon arrival they were met with Y/N in a chair that was pulled up to the bedside, she was draped over the bedside holding Bob’s hand. 

Setting the bag she held down next to the bed Natasha looked to Jake, who gave her an encouraging smile as she approached Y/N’s sleeping form. Extending her hand, she placed it on Y/N’s shoulder. “Y/N” she hummed quietly lightly shaking Y/N’s shoulder, after a few minutes she tried again “Y/N” she tried again shaking her shoulder a bit harder. 

“Hmm?” Y/N slowly stirred, pening her eyes she blinked before rubbing at her already irritated eyes before looking to the hand on her shoulder, then to Natasha. “Hi” she said quietly 

“Hi… How’s it going?” Natasha took her hand from Y/N’s shoulder and made her way to pull up another chair next to Y/N

“Where am I supposed to sit?” Jake set his bag down next to the one Natasha had brought in and looked around the room for another chair.

Natasha chuckled as Y/N sat up motioning to a spot at the end of the hospital bed, next to Bob’s feet “Do you want the chair or the bed end?” she shifted in the chair, cracking her back as she did. 

“I’ll take the bed end” he moved to sit on the other side of Y/N. “So back to Natasha’s question” he placed a hand on Y/N’s shoulder.

Y/N shrugged “You know… I’m as expected” she motioned to the door “The nurses come in every few hours to check on Bob” she looked back to the man resting in the bed “They’re gonna keep him on the vent till he wakes up… then after they have to see where he’s at after the surgery” she felt Hangman lightly squeeze her shoulder. 

She took Bob’s hand in hers once more “How’s everyone else doing?” 

Natasha shrugged “As expected… The team’s been meeting up at the Hard Deck.. Mav’s been between here and the Hard Deck” 

“I really have to thank him for sending out the updates to everyone, because I just don’t think I could handle that” Y/N sighed.

Looking between Y/N and Bob, Hangman leaned back against the end of the bed “So have you noticed anything? When my family was waiting for my mom to wake up after her surgery, my dad said he would see her twitch… like she was dreaming”

Y/N shook her head moving her eyes off of Bob and to Hangman “I haven’t noticed anything, but it’s only been 4-ish hours since the surgery…. I hope he’s dreaming… dreaming about something good…” Y/N sighed “I don’t know what I’m gonna do” 

To this comment Hangman smirked before he grabbed the bag he had brought and held it out to Y/N “And Nat said you wouldn’t need these” A look of confusion crossed Y/N’s face as she took the bag from Jake. Opening it she was met with three books and a set of colored pencils and the ‘Game of Thrones’ Bob had gotten her for the holidays last year. “I figured you’d need something to keep yourself occupied… I also saw a spare pair of glasses on the book shelf and threw those in there too.”

A smile came to Y/N’s face “Thank you Jake” 

The day turned to night before Y/N was awoken from her sleep by the should of couching.

“Holy shit” She breathed quickly, rising to push the Nuse’s button before she was at Bob’s side taking his hands in her as she tried to stop him from pulling on the tube himself as he continued to cough looking around the room frantically. 

“Bob, Honey” she held his hands at his sides “Bobby. Look at me” her voice was calm yet firm as she moved her hands to grip his “Bobby, breath through your nose” she introduced, watching as Bob did as she said “you had to go under for surgery, okay?” she continued with tears in her eyes, watching as he nodded, understanding “They had to put you on a vent while we were waiting for you to wake up… the nurses are gonna be here in a few minutes to take it out but till then I’m gonna be right here, and you’re gonna breathe through your nose okay?” he nodded again before giving her hands a squeeze.

Like Y/N predicted, the nurses didn’t take long to come in and remove the tube. Once the tube was finally out a nurse helped him take a few sips of water as she talked to Bob, taking down the rest of his vitals.

“Now your vocal cords are going to be swollen for the next few days. So take it very easy with talking” the nurse watched as Bob nodded “you’re gonna be taking up for an MRI and a Cat scan just to make sure everythings okay before Dr. Tanner comes in to talk to you… but that won’t be for a few hours since we’ve got others scheduled ahead of you” the nurse smiled at the two of you, noticing how Bob never let go of your hand, before leaving the room.

Turning to you Bob gave you a light smile before he tapped on the bridge of his nose, wincing slightly as his finger made contact with it.

Nodding in understatement, Y/N let go of his hand briefly to search through the bag that rested at her feet for the spare pair of glasses that Jake had included.

Taking out the blue plastic case, she opened it before unfolding the glasses and slipping them onto Bob’s face. “Better?” she hummed watching as his smile grew, probably from getting to see Y/N better. “I’m glad” she chuckled, bringing her hand up to the side of Bob’s face, holding his cheek. Instinctively he leaned into her touch as her thumb caressed his cheekbone. 

Y/N let her hand linger for a few more moments before she grabbed her phone out of her pocket, before her eyes flickered to Bob “Are you okay if I take a picture to send to everyone?” she watched as he nodded before throwing up a peace sign that was accompanied by a lazy and tired grin for the photo.

Making a group text for the team(and not wanting Maverick to give all the updates) she send the photo before adding

‘Look who’s awake :)’

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Y/N took Bob’s hand once more and brought it to her lips, kissing his knuckles. “It's like one in the morning… we should both probably get some rest” she suggested and watched as Bob patted the bed. “Baby, I don’t know if that’s a good idea right now” she chuckled “Besides I don’t think we’d both fit” 

Shaking his head, refusing her answer. Bob scooched over on the hospital bed, making room for Y/N before patting once again to the space besides him.

Letting out a sigh, Y/N rose from her seat to join Bob on the bed. Mindful of the monitors he was hooked up to. Y/N relaxed into his side as his arm wrapped around her, as she took in his scent and the weight of his arm along her shoulder. She didn’t notice how he held his breath upon resting the whole weight of his arm against her. 

“Bob?” Y/N raised her brow, feeling his body tense even more. She turned her body and her hand moved to hold his shoulder. 

He felt her free hand reach up to wipe away a few stray tears that had fallen down his cheeks. Feeling her thumb against his cheek a sob racked over Bob’s body as Y/N pulled him closer. Holding him, mindful of herself and his IV and monitors.

“Its okay Bobby” she felt his grip tighten around her “We’re gonna figure this out” she hummed kissing his cheek.

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General Taglist: @caswinchester2000

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