#and i doubt his broke ass can afford a lawyer

[galaoki]

he didn’t really thought it through :/

coloured ver:

[sunakith]

hi! sorry in advance for this long ask 😥 i read metamorphosis in your old blog and reread it here again. i remember the asks you got in your old blog with all of the possible theories about WHO the snitch could possibly be: from yn’s friends to suna’s and the wildest one, suna himself. so i’d like to share my theory up to ch20.

THE SNAKE:

* is someone who has been telling yn’s mom about her whereabouts for a while (even before she officially met suna and his friends)

* the only people who yn is close to AND trust are 3: kuroo, akaashi and sora

* the task at the begging was easy: yn didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, was always cautious around people. so it was easy money without getting yn in trouble(?)

* something interesting: the meeting between them and yn’s mom. they had to choose a cafe that was not only suitable for mrs LN standards BUT also a place away from prying eyes (i see it as if someone saw them it would be hard to explain why they were together 👀)

so the snitch CANNOT be any of suna’s friends bc not only they never met yn in person before she went to suna’s tattoo shop but there was no way they could know yn’s whereabouts and mrs LN didn’t know about their existence till after the family brunch at the fancy restaurant (yn told her parents she didn’t know them)

the snitch could be one (you said it was only one) between kuroo akaashi and sora

1. KUROO - probably yn longtime friend among the three. they come form the same family background: rich kids plus their parents are friends. contrary to yn’s parents, kuroo’s seem to be less strict and support his (side/temporary) career as a youtuber but it doesn’t mean they don’t have expectations on their son. he’s studying law school and one if not both of his parents are lawyers (him saying he would use his parents old books bc he didn’t have some at the begging of the smau) - he has to follow his parents steps either bc he wants to or has been forced/induced on wanting to be a lawyer.

even tho he said multiple times he was broke, we should think on HIS meaning of being broke. he has a certain life stile so when he says he needs money it doesn’t mean he cannot afford to pay for rent (does he even have to pay? does he own the place he lives in? and even if he was broke and needed money for food he could easily go to his family’s home.

is he the snake? for me, no he isn’t (and it was confirmed in ch21)

* as he said - (ch21) excluding the easy money - there was nothing for him to risk his friendship with yn. even if yn’s mom doesn’t stand him it didn’t stop her from being friends with his parents

* he’s the one who could really understand yn’s situation with her parents. what it means coming from a wealthy family and your parents put a certain pressure on you and your future wether intentionally (the LNs) or not (the Kuroos)

2. AKAASHI - the perfect guy according to yn’s mom.

* he doesn’t come from a wealthy family, his tuition is paid by yn’s parents (no one knows this info) so he really does need extra money bc he has to cover for his other expenses and support his own family

* he’s close to yn but not enough to know her feelings/doubts (sora)

* the way mrs LN talk/message the snake like she genuinely cares about them

* when yn ditched the dinner with the sakusa’s and her parents, yn’s mom with sakusa went to her apartment (they found sora with atsumu). yn was with suna and he decided to drive her back home, that’s when yn’s mom and sakusa met suna and yn panicked bc of sakusa’s presence. mrs LN asked info about suna to the snake and they didn’t know who she was talking about (sora was there and knew suna was with yn). only kuroo and akaashi weren’t there/didn’t know suna met mrs LN

* akaashi went back home for a month and during that period he missed certain things about yn x suna relationship also he didn’t check that often the gc.

* the brunch (ch20) - akaashi wasn’t there: we don’t know yet how yns mom and sakusa knew where to find yn. did the snake told any of them the address OR did yn ratted herself out by posting the place on her ig (it is public if im not mistaken)? the snake could easily forward the picture to any of them if her profile was private and they didn’t know the address (akaashi)

3. SORA - yn’s only female friend

* like akaashi she doesn’t come from a wealthy family (as far as we know) and she doesn’t go to college but works.

* yn’s mom dislikes her (at least on the surface)

* she doesn’t understand why yn is/was so obedient to her parents, it’s hard to understand from an outside pov (kuroo in a certain way can even if his parents aren’t that controlling)

* the cafe meeting with mrs LN. the way the place should be secluded 👀

* as i said before telling yn’s mom about yn’s life was easy money and there was nothing «interesting» in her life to be hidden from her parents

the snake (for me) is one between sora and akaashi.

AFTER CH21 im thinking more on akaashi bc of the convo between the snake and sakusa where sakusa tells the snake that what they are doing all of this for yn’s sake. akaashi doesn’t know how yn truly feels about suna nor her doubts/worries before they became official (only sora knows) BUT if the snake ends up being sora…(i guess that would be the biggest betrayal yn could get) she deserves an oscars as best actress in a bc not only she played matchmaker with yn x suna but she’s basically yn’s (only) confidant

last but not least let’s talk about my man (sorry yn) suna. not to be a suna apologist (im the first to call his ass out when he’s bitch) but could you really blame him for not wanting to listen to yn? he opened up about his past with her and in one of the first chapters - don’t remember if it was the gc with the twins or he told to yn - was mentioned how his last relationship or the most important one he ended up being emotionally hurt by his partner and he decided to stay away from relationship for a while. so imagine what/how he felt when sakusa told him he was yn’s boyfriend when she not only told him sakusa was just a family friends but they are (suna x yn) supposed to be in a relationship.

yn postponing to tell suna the truth about sakusa (them being together in a arranged relationship bc of their parents business) ended up hurting him. there was never a right moment (the sooner the better) but she should have explained

or at least vaguely mention it to him either when she told him about her parents (when they opened up about each other) or after the apartment incident BUT definitely before they started dating bc she basically lied to suna.

i think that’s all 😵‍💫

The fucking thought & detail that went into this ask!!!! I love it!!!!

Okay, so let me try to answer this properly without skipping over anything, but also without giving away any key parts of the au lol.

So, I did mention this fact on my old blog, but I didn't mention it here, so the snake has been betraying Y/N way before she was introduced to Suna, & his friends. So that fact alone eliminates Atsumu & Osamu from being the snake. You are also correct about the snake having it easy at first. Because there wasn't anything to report seeing how she never did anything until Suna came into the picture. That's when the snake started gathering information. But even at first they were hesitant to say anything, hence why Y/N's mom had to reassure the snake that it was okay, & that all of this was only in Y/N's favor.

We know now that Kuroo is not the snake, because in chapter 21 Sakusa had a conversation with the real snake, & pinning Kuroo out to be the backstabber was all part of his plan to keep the real snake safe. So that means, Sora, & Akaashi are the only ones left.

Sora & Akaashi do not come from wealthy families. Sora makes a very comfortable living tho with her job as a bartender. Akaashi is being put through school by the financial support of Y/N's parents ( this was also a fact I mentioned in the introduction chapter back on my old blog. ) But Y/N does not know about her parents supporting Akaashi, the only one that knows that information is Bokuto.

With Akaashi being financially supported it would make sense for him to be the snake right? Because in return he's doing something for them. But Sora could also very well be the snake. Yes she hates how Y/N parents are treating her, & she wants Y/N to be happy. But there could be a chance that she's the snake because she just simply wants to be on Y/N's parents good side. & at the same time try to convince her parents that Suna is the best thing for her. Because the snake does tell Y/N's mom about how they think Y/N is happier when she's with Suna, & they try to get her mom to see that. Though her mom is a bit stubborn, but maybe that's also what the snake is trying to do. Hoping that the mom will back out of this plan Y/N's family has for her, & let her do what she wants.

You know get on their good side & then win their trust in order to save their friend. So that could be a possibility why the snake is Sora.

Sooo who is the real snake??? 👀👀

& lastly, I agree! Y/N definitely should've told Suna sooner. But in her defense, she was scared that he'd walk away after hearing how much of a complicated mess all of that is. Sure she told him about her parents & stuff like that, but in Y/N's mind that's nothing compared to being in an arranged engagement against your will. She was scared that Suna will leave before she figures out a way to get out of going public with the fake engagement. She was hoping she would figure out a plan that would get her out of it before Suna found out. But it all back fired :(

[andyet-here-we-are]

I Would Get Into Millions of Accidents Just to See You, Chapter 2 (aka Nurse Geralt AU)

(ao3: x

Chapter 1 Tumblr Link: x )

Geralt is not someone who is an active social media user. He has never been.

Hell, he wouldn’t even use WhatsApp if he didn’t have to.

He thinks that apps like this make people so accessible, and leaves little privacy, and ironically, despite it’s called “social media” it makes people less social. He has lost count of how many times he has seen a group of friends sitting somewhere and scrolling through some apps on their phone or something instead of talking to each other.

Of course, it depends on one’s use, but from what he can tell, whenever you’re online, people tend to think that you have all the time in the world.

So no, thank you very much. He likes his privacy.

Whenever he says that “Social media is for people who don’t have nothing better and important to do,” Ciri just gives him The Look ™ and says: “Okay, boomer.”

He has no idea what the hell it’s supposed to mean, but he is sure it’s not something good.

Once Ciri had downloaded some dating app on his phone without his permission while he was sleeping his ass off after a very tiring night shift. That little match-maker of a girl.

And not only that, but also she had said: “I texted some of the users for you! The ones I thought you might like. One of them seemed nice, I like her energy. So, anyway, long story short, you have a date this weekend. You can thank me later.”

“Excuse me, you did what?!”

Needless to say, Ciri wasn’t allowed to use the internet for three days after that.

“I just want you to be happy,”  on the third day, Ciri had said out of the blue while they were reading I, Robot together —they were both into sci-fi, and reading was a great escape from thinking about all the things going on in life.

“You deserve love. Everyone does. Your whole life is nothing but me and your job, and… You deserve happiness, dad. You deserve love.”

“Come here,” Geralt had said, opening his arms wide for her to embrace him, which Ciri had applied.

“I am happy, pumpkin.”

“You could be happier… If there was someone you loved and dated—”

“Ciri, look. Love is… A beautiful thing.” he started ‘Even though it can be hurtful,’ was left unsaid.

“But love doesn’t necessarily mean the affection between a couple. It doesn’t just mean romantic love. Love can be in many forms, shapes, and different ways. Love of self, of animals, of nature, friends, family… We experience love every day when you think about it. You can find it in everything.  Even in a slice of homemade pie that Mrs. April brought us today.”

“I love pie! But dad, I doubt that if a slice of pie can tell you that you look lovely today. A cutie-pie on the other hand—”

“Ciri, have you been even listening to me?”

“…and a pie can’t run their fingers through your hair-”

Geralt sighs, “Why am I even trying?”

“Deep down you know I’m right. Dad… How about you just… give her a chance? For me? Just see how it goes?”

"Is it gonna make you happy if I do that?”

“So happy!”

“And you’re not gonna do something like that ever again.”

“Promise!”

“Not downloading stupid apps on my phone, and not trying to set me up.”

“You got it, Cap!”

Geralt had met with that woman, and they just didn’t click.

True to her word, Ciri never has done something like that again.

***

Geralt is not someone who likes social media.

But there he is, looking at the musician’s posts instead of sleeping—even though he has to get up early as always tomorrow—scrolling through the app, and feeling like a high school girl with a stupid crush.

He reads every little caption the musician had written.

Surprisingly- well, maybe not so surprisingly- his songs aren’t the only thing he posts about.

He posts about random things; sometimes it’s a pretty flower he came across this morning, sometimes it’s a kitten, a book he is currently reading, food recipes, his drawings, things like that.

His account seems like just his personality.

Filled with all the beautiful colors in the word. Filled with joy, and every little thing he shares feels so sincere. Personal.

[I tried that recipe @Brianricci has sent me and it still feels like there are fireworks in my stomach, so here’s a little drawing for you my life-saver pasta-mate.]

That one makes Geralt smile. Reminds him of that day.

***

“I have something for you, Mr. Should Have Been A Model But Became A Nurse For Some Reason. Not that I’m complaining, for the record. The only thing I have complaints about is your hospital’s awful food. So awful that it should be illegal. A sin, even. You’re sinning whenever you guys force people to eat that food. I can only imagine your staff’s weekly confessing: ‘Forgive me father for I’ve sinned.’

‘What’s wrong, immortal one? What did you do?’

‘Oh, father, even bathing myself in holy water can’t cleanse me from my sins! I made my patient eat that awful food, I had to, father! I had to! I had no choice! But I have faith that I can change that one day!’

‘Faith becomes you. Stay with it. Keep fighting the good fight with all thy might.’

God help him this man is so ridiculous.

“Why are you suddenly Anthony Hopkins from The Rite?”

“Eh, just felt like it,” Jaskier shrugs “Your jello is pretty good though, so, good deed point. And your nurses aren’t half bad either, so I heard.”

Jaskier winks at him.

The audacity of that man.

“Anyway! As I was saying, I have something for you—”

“I have something for you, too, Mr. Pankratz,” Geralt says. He has a good guess about what Jaskier has for him.

A drawing of a flower.

He had heard the staff talking about how the pretty patient in room 242 has been giving flower drawings to pretty much everyone while he was walking around.

“Why thank you, you shouldn’t have! You brought some wine for me or something? For the celebration for my third week here? You’re so kind, my good sir.”

“It’s your medicines.”

“…ever the heartbreaker. I take back everything I said. You’re the devil in disguise.”

After Geralt gives him his medicines, Jaskier pulls a scratch book under his pillow and carefully tears a page from it. He gives it to Geralt.

“I thought I was the devil in disguise?” The nurse says as he takes the drawing from him “Are you sure that you should give demons a flower draw—”

Geralt can’t finish his sentence.

Because what he is looking at certainly is not a flower drawing.

It’s a man who holds a syringe in his hand with a kind smile on his face, and the syringe is filled with cute little hearts.

It’s him.

There’s a giant cactus standing behind him for some reason Geralt finds it hard to understand why.

He has seen the other drawings, and they are nothing like this one. This one looks like Jaskier has tried his hardest to make it perfect. Put everything in it. It’s perfect and detailed as if he had drawn it while looking at Geralt. It also seems familiar for some reason.

“—in conclusion, devils are fallen angels, so…” Geralt hears Jaskier talking.

Yet he is too busy to say something as he keeps looking at the drawing in his hands.

“Ooops, did I go too far with the hearts?”

“Hm.”

“Geralt? Say something, please? Oh God, I broke my nurse. They’re sooo gonna sue me. And I don’t think I can afford a good lawyer, I’ll rot in jails, I’m too young to rot in jails, I can’t be someone’s bitch, I’m not even—”

“May I ask why is there a cactus standing behind me?”

“A comment! Phew! Finally! Well, that would be because you’re just like a cactus.”

Geralt raises an eyebrow.

“Better than being a weed, Dandelion.”

Jaskier holds his hand to his chest and gasps, feigning offense.

“Words hurt, Geralt. Words hurt.

I meant it as, like, let’s face it, you’re kinda prickly on the outside sometimes, but soft on the inside? A cactus in the desert.”

Geralt sighs.

“And now you imply that my hospital is a desert. How nice. What’s next?”

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s okay.”

It’s obviously more than okay, but teasing with the young man is fun, and everyone needs some fun in their lives once in a while.

“If you don’t appreciate my drawing just give it back,” Jaskier makes grabby hands as he pouts like a little kid that just dropped his ice cream,  “I’m pretty sure it’ll look good on my fridge anyway. No trouble for me.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“I’m not giving this back. Too late, you should’ve thought that before you gave it to me. Can’t take it back now.”

“If you don’t say something nice about my spectacular drawing you can be sure that I’m gonna take it back from your hands even if that means putting up a fight.”

“How bold of you to think that you’re in a condition to put up a fight.”

“You’d be surprised. And if I can’t, your other nurse friends and your fellow patients can do it for me. I haven’t been handing out flower drawings for nothing all day.”

“And you say I am the devil in disguise.”

“I never said I was an angel, have I? Seriously though, you have ten seconds to pay a compliment to my drawing. Ten—”

“ ‘Okay’ was a compliment.”

“I beg to differ, since when ‘okay’ is a compliment? Say that to the Italian chef in Mamma Mia when he asks how is the pasta and see if he takes ‘okay’ as a compliment and doesn’t pour half-full pasta plate over your head, and ruin your favorite bee shirt. Also, nine.”

“That was oddly specific. Did that happen to you?”

“Eight, I have no idea what you’re talking about, I was just being hypothetical. Seven, six—”

“I bet he wouldn’t threaten me with taking my meal back if I did at least.”

“Sev— wait a second I was counting backwards, weren’t I? Where were we? Five!”

“Man, you’re really no good at math.”

“Wanna know what I’m good at? Many things, and fighting happens to be one of them. Four, ” Jaskier attempts to get up from the bed, somehow forgetting about his broken leg for a split second and swears: “Ah, cock!”

Geralt barely holds back a laugh at that one.

“Careful.”

“I can still verbally fight you.”

“You’ve been already doing that for the last five minutes.”

“…three.”

“You never give up, do you?” Geralt rolls his eyes with a smile, “It’s a good drawing. I really like it.”

Another lie.

He doesn’t just like it, he loves it.

But even saying that he likes it is enough to make Jaskier beam at him.

“You gave everyone a flower drawing,” he points out  “but I get a cactus and a drawing of myself, why is that? It must have taken some time to draw this.”

“A special drawing for a special nurse.” Not making eye contact, Jaskier says so softly that Geralt nearly misses it. “Yeah, it sure took some time to draw it, and my schedule was so full because of all the crazy hospital parties you guys keep throwing that I could hardly find the time, but eh, I managed somehow.”

“Sucks that they never invite me to that parties,” the nurse jokes back. “Seriously though, thank you. I appreciate it.”            

“I’d like to draw something for Ciri, too. But I’m saving it for later when I can meet her. You didn’t tell her that I’m here, right?”

“She doesn’t know.”

“Good! Keep it that way.”

***

Smiling at the memory, Geralt rises from his bed to take the drawing from his bedside drawer. No, of course he doesn’t look at it every day, what are you talking about?

If he hadn’t promised Jaskier that he wouldn’t let Ciri know until these two can meet in person, this drawing would be on his wall already.

Maybe next to Ciri’s painting of a white wolf.

He had considered doing so but then decided that it would be wise if he didn’t. No doubt Ciri would figure out it was Jaskier’s drawing as soon as she would see it. It was signed by him, after all. Not that Ciri couldn’t figure it out without the signature.

“What the hell, Geralt” The nurse snorts to himself and runs a hand over his face as he imagines his room filled with the drawings of his daughter, and Jaskier’s. “What are you gonna dream about next? Ciri being a flower girl at your wedding?”

Fuck.

He is totally dreaming about it now.

God, it’s crazy how much he misses him, even though he doesn’t really know him.

Ciri already is crazy about Jaskier, and Geralt looks forward to them to meet, to see how Ciri is going to react when she sees him. He feels like the two would talk non-stop, and he would just listen to them talking about God knows what.

He would have no problem with that; in fact.

“I’ll give him a call tomorrow,” he thinks.

He wants to see Jaskier again.

(Thanks for reading! Sorry for the lack of Jaskier in this chapter, but it was like:

-So, it’s time for you to meet Ciri! 

-Hah, well, I love her, but I don’t think so. Not yet. 

-But Ciri- 

-You can have me as a Flashback Guest in this chapter, nothing more. 

-But my plan wasn’t like this. 

-Too bad, I’m my own character.

Let me know what you think please. Have a good day everyone ~ 💛)

[oyesmendes]

The Coffee Roasters - Prologue

a/n: yeeeee i hope you like it! this is a whole new series for me so i hope you shower Sophie and Niall all the love you have ❤️SHOUTOUT TO @ohholyfanficsmain​ YOU’RE THE BOMB, ELLE.

Caffe Americano - a shot of espresso in a cup of hot water; a splash of sunshine for an empty heart.

It was a busy day in downtown Brighton, the streets bustling with people. And you can say it was the same for the small cafe owned by the Hoang family. 3rd generation coffee masters, the Hoang’s have had their cafe on the same street in the same spot for over 50 years. The tiny shop was home to many - office workers too busy to make their own morning brew; the old couple who lived a few blocks away and came everyday without fail after their morning walk; and the students who needed a pick me up while they studied their asses off. Everyone who lived on the street knew the Hoang’s and they knew everyone like the back of their hands. Each of their regular’s morning order, all the way down to how hot they like their tea and how many pumps of vanilla syrup they’d like in their latte. And all of the credit goes to Sophie Hoang. The middle child, and only girl of the Hoang’s that has been running around in the cafe ever since she could move a limb. She definitely took after her father, Alex Hoang, who has been running the cafe as far as he could remember.

“All you need is a good set of hands, and a lot of love, Mei” Alex always reminded her when she was growing up. Alex and his wife, Angela, weren’t your typical Asian parents. They never wanted to force their children to become doctors or lawyers, only wanted them to focus on what they loved. And for Sophie, that was running the cafe. It worried her parents at first, a small Asian girl getting her hands dirty with coffee grinds stuck in her nails but Sophie loved every single moment of it, so much so that her parents gave her and her brothers free reign to run the business.

Running the cafe was tough though, especially being a shop with years full of history, the crowd never seems to die down until the evenings when caffeine intake wasn’t so welcomed. Of course occasionally they’d have one or two people come in, getting their fix of coffee to fuel them through the night. And Sophie always added an extra bit of cookies or cupcakes, just to brighten their day a little. You can say that she was the neighbourhood sweetheart, the one that brought the sunshine even if it was pouring down rain. However, she couldn’t run this cafe alone. She had her brothers, Brighton’s biggest heart throbs - Austin and Harvey to help her through each day. That is, if a girl wasn’t trying hard to flirt with them at the cashier or pick-up counter.

“Take the flirting to the back!” Sophie yelled at Harvey who was at the pick up counter. He was talking to a dirty blonde, who was busy scribbling her number down on his arms. She blew him a kiss, which he (very cliche, I know) caught in his hands and put it right on his heart. Sophie gagged a little as she shoved another order into her brother’s hand.

“Come on, Mei. She was really pretty!” He scrambled to dish the rest of the coffee out. “Caffe Latte for Anna! Espresso for David!” Sophie rolled her eyes at his comment. She admits that her brothers were indeed, hot, but they were also pretty dumb. She couldn’t remember the last time Harvey every had a girlfriend for more than 6 months. And don’t even talk about Austin who’s probably never even been on a real date. Brighton’s biggest heart throbs, they said.

The morning crowd was finally slowing down, so Sophie began the second part of her routine - making pastries. The Coffee Roasters no doubt was one of the best coffee shops in Brighton, but it was also the best place to get your fresh pastries, handmade and only for a limited period of time daily. As Sophie was rolling the last of her croissants and placing them in the oven to bake, she heard Austin call for her from the front.

“What is it, di?” Sophie wiped her hands on her apron, looking at her brother who was standing all alone at the front counter. “Where’s Harvs?” Austin shrugged his shoulders and you rolled your eyes, knowing fully well that Harvey was probably down the corner of the street, flirting with the blonde from this morning.  

“I need to go use the bathroom, can you watch the front for me?” Austin gave his older sister a small grin. Sophie nodded, shooing her brother off to the back rooms. It was the cafe’s quiet time and the period she enjoyed the second most, the first definitely being the morning and afternoon crowds where Sophie planted herself at the coffee machines. She was scrolling through Instagram, before a young man walks in, taking his cap off. Sophie perks up, a wide smile plastered on her face. A new customer, someone she hasn’t seen before, someone that will probably be coming back again for more coffee, hopefully.

“Hi! How can I help you?” She asks the man as he looks at the massive menu board above her. He pauses to think, for a really long time, probably overwhelmed by the variety that the cafe had. What she didn’t know was, he was trying to suppress the flashbacks of coffee shop dates he had with his girlfriend. Well, ex-girlfriend now. They broke up last night and she threw him out of her apartment. He barely got any sleep on the soft plush hotel bed and the coffee from this cafe was the only thing that was going to prevent him from collapsing to the ground. He folds his arms in front of him, still staring blankly at the menu while last night’s memories came crashing back to him. The words they exchanged were brutal, some of the most hurtful he’s ever heard come out of her mouth. It was as if she became another person, so full of hatred and anger. “You’re a stranger” Niall remembers whispering under his breath as he watched her throw his travel bag him. He felt as if a dark cloud was looming over his head ever since last night, even with the sun shining down on the city today. The loud ding from the oven in the backroom brings Niall back to reality, and Sophie straightens up.

“Hey..” She waves her hand in front of him to get his attention and in a split second, he’s staring into her brown eyes. “I’m going to grab something from the back real quick, you take your time in deciding what you would like ya?” The man nods slowly, still looking at the menu. Sophie speeds through the backroom, pulling out the tray of piping hot croissants from the oven. She puts one in a paper bag, leaving the rest too cool on the rack. When she gets to the front of the cafe, Austin already has the man’s order on a chit.

“Caffe Americano” he tells her and Sophie nods, hands working on autopilot. The drink is out in seconds, and she brings the croissant and cup of coffee to the pick up counter.

“Americano for Niall!” He approaches the counter quickly, not wanting to be recognised by anyone. She slides the drink over to him, followed by the paper bag with the croissant. Their eyes meet, and unlike his own, Niall could see the rays of sunshine in Sophie’s eyes, she was beaming and the constant curve in her lips was proof of it. They were staring at each other again, and when they realise it, Sophie manages a soft smile, fiddling with the marker she had in her hands.

“On the house, they just came out of the oven so be careful!” She hands them over to him, before dipping back behind the machines. A string of orders have come in and Sophie can’t afford to have them be delayed. Niall grabs the bag, and coffee, thanking her softly, and makes his walk back to his hotel. Something about the girl intrigued him - the way her eyes held so much light, and energy. He would never admit it but he was watching her as she focused even when hot steam came gushing at her face as she made the espresso; and the whirring of the machine that almost made her hands look as if they were dancing while prepared his drink. Maybe he should go back tomorrow, try to have a conversation with her. Maybe. When he arrives back in his room, he sets the paper bag on the table, and he notices the note that Sophie has left on it,

Your eyes are really beautiful. Hope to see you again sometime! -S

Just a tiny message, absolutely harmless. Sophie left such messages for her customers and it was her way of making them smile - a drop of sunshine is what the old couple across the street would call it. It kept her customers coming back for more, and it definitely did put a small smile on Niall’s face. He sipped on the Americano, amazed at how fragrant and strong the coffee was, even when it was basically a watered down espresso. Niall attacked the croissant next, letting out a moan as he bit into the flaky yet soft piece of pastry. At first he was hesitant about visiting the cafe again, but he knew the croissant was his sign that he had to go back. He had to meet this girl.

[motherofoliver]

Lost on You (Chapter 1)

(AO3)

Summary: After over a year on a roller coaster ride, Kaneki leaves prison and attempts to make amends for his mistakes.

Word Count: 2,118

*****

“Here are your things. You may exit through that door.” The guard slid Kaneki his things through a small opening in the glass and pointed towards the metal door leading to the outside world. He put on his jacket, bloodstains still on it.

That’s gonna be a bitch to dry clean.

After checking his wallet, Kaneki pushed the metal door open and walked outside to find a vintage red Mustang with a familiar face standing besides it.

“Where’s Touka?”

“I missed you too, buddy. Please try to contain your excitement at seeing me.” Hide chuckled as he came up closer and embraced the dark-haired man. It took a while for Kaneki to hug him back. He wasn’t sure when the last time he was held by anyone was. Definitely over a month. Maybe over three months. Not since T…

“You smell like shit.” Hide wrinkled his nose and stepped back while comically waving his hand.

“Yeah, prison can do that to you.” Kaneki made his way to the front seat of the car and leaned it back.

“Did they make you shower with expired chicken stock?” Hide got into the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition. Pop music blared from the radio as he reversed the car and sped onto the main street. “My place is closer than yours, we’ll stop there so you can shower and have a change of clothes.”

“Just take me home.” Kaneki sounded exhausted. He slid down his seat and placed his arm over his eyes.

“No can do. Akira wants to see you.”

Kaneki groaned. “I just got out. I can’t attend a work meeting right now.”

“Hey man, it’s the least you could do. She busted her ass to get you out.” Hide sounded playful but Kaneki knew him well enough to know there was a tinge of reproach in his voice. Akira must have pulled a lot of strings she did not want to pull. The familiar wave of guilt washed over him and his throat tightened.

“Will Touka be there?” And would she speak to me if she was?

“I don’t know, I think she’s been busy with a new client.”  Hide was tapping his fingers against the wheel with the music but Kaneki could feel his eyes glancing at him with concern. “I thought guys got buff in jail, how did you manage to get thinner?” Hide tried to cheer up the atmosphere by teasing him but his mind was already elsewhere.

“Yeah, well, prison food tastes like shit.” Kaneki replied absentmindedly. He couldn’t actually remember what prison food tasted like or if he even ate it. He couldn’t remember much of anything besides the thoughts that kept a watchful rotation in his head like a music worm you can’t hum your way out of.

“Don’t worry about that. Tonight I’ll take you out for the best meal of your life. It’ll be a mukbang of all your favorite foods. Gotta celebrate you surviving prison.”

Kaneki didn’t react. He was already humming his tune.

***

Breaking news! Our favorite hot mess, Ken Kaneki, is out of prison after only serving one month of his prison sentence! Insider sources tell us a deal was mediated with the prosecution and the actor was released on parole this morning! We contacted his agency for a statement on the release of the famous one eyed dragon but they have yet to reach out. Do you think he got off easy? Share your thoughts with us on our social media at…

Akira closed her browser tab and took a deep sigh. She could already feel a headache forming behind her eyes and she was positive it will get worse within the next few hours. She pressed her intercom button “Hairu, could you please get me some water and Paracetamol before Kaneki gets here?”

“Yes, ma’am” The reply was quick and Akira immediately heard the sound of Hairu leaving her desk to the communal office area.

How will we spin this one?

Throughout the last year, working as Kaneki’s publicist meant she has had to bend over backwards and use every trick up her sleeve to maintain a modicum of a career for him. Paying exuberant amounts of money to cover up his drug use, settlements, bribes, killing stories and videos of his repeated arrests, convincing prostitutes not to post photos of him snorting cocaine off them on their Instagram, negotiating with producers and directors to keep him on their movies even though he’s consistently 6 hours late to set and doesn’t even know his lines.

It’s just a phase; he’s going through a difficult time.

Or so she kept telling herself as he punched and kicked and snorted his way through the five stages of grief. It took less than 3 months to change his reputation from the ‘wholesome child star who made it’ into a violent drug addict who couldn’t stay sober for a five minutes morning statement of apology. His childhood portraits turned into snarky memes on social media mocking his downward spiral. Tabloids competed to come up with the most outrageous story of the day about him, and they didn’t have to work too hard to find them.

Hairu knocked at the door. Akira nodded for her to enter. She placed a sheet of pills and a water bottle on her desk then moved out. Akira interrupted her at the door “Is Touka in the office today?”

“No, ma’am. She went to Italy yesterday for the photoshoot.”

Thank God. “Thank you, Hairu.” At least that will be one less outburst to deal with today. Hairu nodded and closed the door behind her.

Kaneki would definitely make a scene if Touka was around. He has managed to botch every interaction they had ever since they broke up and Touka has been through enough last few months. There was no need to add the burden of handling Kaneki just yet.

Speak of the devil.

Akira’s phone lit up with a message from Hide: “Just dropped Kaneki off. He’s all yours.”

Akira took a deep breath and reached for the pills.

***

Kaneki felt every eye in the hall on him. He had hoped his entry would be inconspicuous but looking at his reflection in the elevator, he realized he may have overdone it a bit with the black. He looked like a modern day rendition of the grim reaper if he wanted to start a goth band. Kaneki clicked the 14th floor button, Creative Celebrity Globe.

What a dumb fucking name.

Unconsciously, Kaneki started tapping his foot. He wasn’t sure what to expect with Akira but he doubted it will be anything good. But that wasn’t the thing making him nervous.

What if Touka is in her office? I should go say hi. Right? She wouldn’t mind that. It’s only being civil.

The elevator doors opened and Kaneki instinctually went to the right, room 1407. The door was locked and the lights were out. He looked inside and Touka’s bag wasn’t on the table by the window. Music wasn’t playing on her computer. His eyes searched for the bunny calendar he got her but it wasn’t on the wall next to the desk. Kaneki felt a pit in his stomach at the thought she might have thrown it away.

“Kaneki! Glad to have you back.” Akira’s voice snapped Kaneki out of his thoughts. Akira gestured towards her office with a formal smile on her face. The dark circles around her eyes had deepened since the last time she visited him in prison. She followed him as he made his way into her office and closed the door behind them.

“I’m sure you didn’t want to come here today but we need to discuss our plan from now on.” Akira said matter-of-factly as she pulled a few folders from her drawer. “There will be a shit storm next couple of weeks so it’s best if you lay low. That means no social media, no going out, no smoking, no alcohol, no drugs, no midnight visits from attentive women, alright?”

Kaneki rolled his eyes. “Why not just tie me to a chair and be done with it?”

“Will that be necessary?” Akira’s glare was hard. Kaneki wanted to glare back but he felt too ashamed to try it.

Akira continued. “After that, I have set some volunteer activities for you to join. We’ll leak photos after you prove your presence with the other volunteers. If we feel the time is right, Hairu will start posting on your social media to begin rehabilitating your image and …”

“Isn’t it best if Touka does that?” Kaneki interrupted. “She is more familiar with my personal brand.”

Akira’s look would have been almost condescending if not for the pity. “You don’t have a personal brand left, and Touka no longer works on your team.” Akira said slowly, as if she was talking to a child. “Hairu is more than competent enough for this task.”

Kaneki’s foot started tapping aggressively but he didn’t say anything.

“If all goes right, we might be able to get you a role on a Netflix show set to start production in 6 months. I’m personal friends with the director and he would be willing to hire you as a favor for me.” Akira placed her fists beneath her chin. “That is if you get your act together.”

“What if I don’t want to do that?” Kaneki asked defiantly. He had been feeling like a puppet steered by the people around him for the last month and he wasn’t looking forward to being that puppet for the next six months.

“Don’t want what? To get your act together?” Akira’s eyebrow rose. “I’m afraid that’s implied in your parole.” She leaned back in her chair with crossed hands.

“No, I mean acting. I mean this whole life. Can’t I just retire now? I’ve done my time.” Kaneki was getting antsy in his seat. The room felt as it was getting smaller. Akira’s voice was becoming distant. His foot was basically shaking now instead of tapping. He wanted to go back to Touka’s office and look for the calendar. She wouldn’t have thrown it away.

“With whose money do you plan to do that?” Akira’s question was like a jolt of electricity.

“What do you mean whose money? Mine of course!” Kaneki’s voice rose on the last word.

“Would that be the money you spent on drugs? Or travels? Or lawyers? Or settlements?” Akira dropped one of the folders in front of him. “You still have fees and settlements worth millions to pay. You can’t afford to retire unless you’re willing to go back to jail for much longer than you were sentenced.” Akira opened the folder and pointed to a signature line. “That’s why I need you to sign here. We’re selling your apartment.”

Akira’s voice grew distant again. Kaneki’s choices for the last year fell crashing on him and his breath stopped in his chest. “I can’t do that.” He managed to croak out.

He really couldn’t. That apartment was the first thing he ever bought with his money. He bought it for himself and Touka. He decorated it with Touka. That apartment was where they spent their first night together. Even after they broke up, he didn’t let any other woman in there. That place was his and Touka’s, together. Selling it would mean letting go of that final thread holding them together.

“You have to, Kaneki.” Akira’s tone was sympathetic but firm. “You could be sued if you don’t pay some of those fees and your royalties right now won’t cut it. People are still mad at you and won’t show your movies or buy them.”

“Isn’t there any work I can do right now? I’ll do anything.” Kaneki was quietly pleading. “Can’t I take money from the trust fund?”

“No, Arima was very clear in his will that you cannot access that till you’re 30. I already asked the lawyers.” Akira felt a hitch in her throat at the mention of Arima, and looking at Kaneki, she could tell he felt the same.

Kaneki’s tone became stern “I’ll have to think about this before I sign.” He stood up. “Where are my keys?” He extended his hand.

“You won’t be staying at your place. Too many photographers.” She handed him the folder. “You’ll stay at Hide’s place till you finish the Netflix production.”

Kaneki snatched the folder from Akira’s hand and walked outside. He couldn’t hide the anger in his step. He pressed the elevator’s button as if it offended him personally. He took another look at the document inside the folder before throwing the whole thing in the trash.

[loove-persevering]

Fast Cars (Steve Harrington x reader! Blurb)

Description: Reader gets in a car accident resulting from Billy speeding and all she wants is Steve to come see her at the hospital! (A/N: I know this doesn’t go much with season 3 but we shall just pretend!) 

I sat in the hospital bed looking down at the cast that was being wrapped around my arm, my mom was sitting off to the side on the phone with the insurance company no doubt demanding Billy’s insurance pay for my injury since it was his fault. I was driving home the mall after visiting Steve at work for his break and in general I just sat there to talk with him since he wasn’t busy, but on the way home Billy Hargrove happened to be coming down the road the opposite direction. He was racing down the road as usual carelessly and somehow lost control of the car slamming into the back rear tire of yours causing your car to go off road and spin until it eventually rolled over once resulting in you breaking your arm and having some minor lacerations on your face.  

‘’Mom?’’ You ask wanting to have someone to talk to and help keep you distracted from the pain and throbbing in your arm. ‘’Mom?’’ You call out again and she glance over at you holding her finger up to you as she holds onto the cord with the other hand. You sigh falling back down in the bed waiting for her to be done, after a few minutes she gets off the phone looking at you with sorrow.  

‘’I think I’m going to go have to get a lawyer,’’ She says simply making your mouth open slightly, ‘’I’m sorry honey the hospital is trying to have me pay and we can’t afford it, I have to plus that ass-’’ She begins to explain but you wave her off, ‘’I’ll be back, you’ll be okay right?’’ She asks and even though you hated to be left alone you give her a soft smile encouraging her to go.  

You close your eyes resting for a little while and then finally a nurse comes back in waking you up, ‘’Hi Hon, I’m Sue! How’s the pain?’’ She asks you walking over to you leaning against your bed slightly.  

‘’Uh,’’ You pause, ‘’My arm really hurts and so does my head a bit,’’ You explain to her and she nods at you sympathetically.  

‘’Okay we’ll get some meds for you then!’’ She says eagerly giving you an encouraging smile making her way across the room.  

‘’Hey!’’ You call out causing her to turn around raising her eyebrow at you, ‘’Would you mind moving the phone over here?’’ You ask her. ‘’I have to call someone!’’ You tell her and she smiles at you walking over and grabbing the phone then handing it back to you. ‘’Thanks!’’ You tell her graciously. You dial the familiar number of Scoops Ahoy! And wait for someone to answer, you always called Steve at work and while sometimes he was too busy to talk you hoped now he wouldn’t be.  

‘’Ahoy, Captain Steve speaking!’’ You hear his familiar goofy voice through the phone causing you to laugh.  

‘’You’re such a dork,’’ You say laughing.  

‘’No I’m not! It’s company policy to answer like that!’’ He argues back.  

‘’I thought you said screw company policy?’’ You ask him knowing he said exactly that at one point when they told him to wear a hat.  

‘’I said no such thing,’’ Steve says trying to sound professional, ‘’How was dinner?’’ He asks.  

‘’Yeahhhhh,’’ You say dragging it out. ‘’About that,’’ You say letting out a nervous laught.  

‘’What?’’ He asks.

‘’Well I’m at the hospital actually-’’ You begin to say but he cuts you off.  

‘’You’re at the hospital?’’ He asks sounding shocked but also worried, ‘’What the hell happened?’’ He asks.  

‘’I got in a car accident,’’ You tell him, ‘’It wasn’t my fault though, and I would’ve called you sooner but my mom was on the phone with the insurance and so the phone was occupied,’’ You admit to him. ‘’And she just left a while ago so I had the nurse let me use the phone,’’ You tell him.

‘’A car accident?’’ He questions. ‘’Are you okay?’’ He now says sounding concerned.  

‘’I’m fine now! I broke my arm, so I got a cool cast and I’ll let the kids sign it so it won’t look so dull,’’ You say hearing Steve let out a laugh from the other end. ‘’But just a few scrapes other than that I’m still all in one piece!’’ You tell him.  

‘’Thank God,’’ You hear him sigh in relief. ‘’Who’s the dipshit that caused it?’’ He asks. You hesitated to tell him because you knew as soon as he heard he was going to lose his shit. ‘’Y/N,’’ He says warily, he knew you too well.  

‘’Okay well, it was Billy Hargrove,’’ You say cringing as soon as the words leave your mouth.  

‘’I swear I’m gonna kick his ass!’’ You hear Steve yell. Yup, this is the reaction you expected. ‘’I swear I’m going to kill him-How fast was he going?- Is he at the hospital too?’’ Steve says spitting one question after another.  

‘’Steve,’’ You try to interrupt him but he continues to ramble, ‘’Steve!’’ You yell a bit louder and he goes quiet. ‘’I’m okay, I’ll be out of the hospital tomorrow!’’ You tell him. ‘’I’m just waiting on my mom to get back.’’  

You heard Steve sigh and you could picture him leaning his hand against the wall as he held onto the phone with his other hand, ‘’He could’ve really hurt you Y/N,’’ Steve says softy. ‘’What if it would’ve been worse?’’ He asks sounding like he was about to cry.  

‘’It wasn’t,’’ You tell him. ‘’I will be okay, but right now I just want my boyfriend to come cuddle with me in this not big enough bed.’’ You say a smile echoing on you face, ‘’If you can, I know you’re working.’’ You say.

‘’No, no, no of course I’ll come.’’ He rushes out. ‘’I’ll just have to tell Robin to close up, I’ll be there as soon as I can alright?’’ He tells you.  

‘’Alright,’’ You say feeling happy knowing you would have him here.  

‘’Y/N?’’ You hear him asking. You hum in response, ‘’I love you.’’ He says.  

You smile knowing that he was still probably worried about you, ‘’I love you more Steve,’’ You tell him. ‘’Just take your time okay?’’ You tell him and wish each other a short goodbye.  

An hour later Steve still wasn’t there which you didn’t mind, you didn’t want him to rush and end up having an accident of his own. You just patiently read the magazine next to your bed as you waited flipping through it absentmindedly. You hear a knock on the door showing someone was here and you look up to find Billy Hargrove standing at the entrance of the door, ‘’Y/L/N,’’ He says to you.  

‘’I still have one good hand Hargrove and I am not afraid to use it,’’ You say rolling your eyes closing the magazine in your lap. ‘’What do you want?’’ You ask him.  

‘’I wanted to apologize,’’ He says simply. Your eyes widen in shock, an apology from the Billy Hargrove? Who knew! He stands there awkwardly his hands together behind his back and you knew this was a very rare occasion for him.  

‘’You don’t apologize much do you?’’ You say laughing causing him to perk up slightly. ‘’Well, turns out I’m a very forgiving person,’’ You pause. ‘’Lucky you.’’ You say and that causes a slight smile on his face. ‘’So I do forgive you but I have to ask a favor in return,’’ You tell him and he looks at you confused.  

‘’A favor?’’ He asks sounding slightly annoyed.

‘’A favor yes,’’ You tell him. ‘’While this could’ve been much worse,’’ You say gesturing to your arm in the cast lifting it up slightly. ‘’It wasn’t but that doesn’t mean that next time it won’t be, and next time it might be a kid or something.’’ You point out. ‘’So just watch it okay?’’ You ask him. ‘’That’s my only request,’’ You say after he doesn’t answer for a few seconds.  

‘’I can do that I guess,’’ He says making your raise your eyebrow in question, ‘’I can do that.’’ He says which sounded much more confident. You smile pleased that he agreed and he smiles back at you light heartedly.  

‘’What the hell do you think you’re doing here?’’ You hear the familiar voice call out his voice laced with anger. Steve appears at the door a teddy bear with a balloon attached to it in one hand and a your favorite candy in the other. ‘’Haven’t you done enough?’’ He asks.  

‘’Steve,’’ You call out to him wanting him to calm down a bit, you could understand why he was mad but you did not want to see another fight between the two. ‘’Steve!’’ You yell waiving your cast up in the air as he glared at Billy trying to gain his attention, ‘’Babe,’’ You call out making him turn his head away from Billy to you, ‘’He just came by to apologize,’’ You tell him.  

‘’Apologize?’’ He asks and the expression on his face said it all, he couldn’t believe the words. You nod your head and he glances back at Billy.  

‘’I should go,’’ Billy says awkwardly. He looks away from Steve and over to you, ‘’I’ll see you around Y/N,’’ He says simply.  

‘’Like hell you will,’’ Steve says.  

‘’Steve,’’ You sigh making him turn to you giving you a confused and innocent look. ‘’Remember our deal Hargrove,’’ You say pointing at him and he nods glancing one more time at Steve who looked probably the least intimidating you’d ever seen him with the bear and the balloon. He walks out the door and Steve watches him as he leaves giving you a weird look.  

‘’What deal?’’ He asks coming over closer to your bed.  

‘’Just a little condition for him,’’ You say simply. ‘’Is that for me?’’ You ask and he smiles handing you the bear, you pull it into your chest hugging it tightly setting your chin on its head. ‘’Thank you,’’ You say smiling at him and he just gives a goofy smile back. You move over slightly in the small hospital bed and pat down at the available spot for him to sit with you.  

‘’Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you?’’ He asks cautiously sitting down just barely on the edge.  

‘’Just shut up and get in bed with me!’’ You tell him.  

‘’Well I can’t say no to that can I?’’ He asks a flirtatious smile across his face as he moves further into the bed wrapping his arm around your shoulder and you sink into his chest. ‘’Feel any better?’’ He asks as you lift your hand to grab his that was draped over your shoulder.  

‘’I do now,’’ You say leaning your head against his chest and closing your eyes.

_________________

‘’Disgusting,’’ You hear a voice say aloud. You peel your eyes open noticing Dustin, Mike, Will, Lucas, El, and Max all standing at the edge of the bed.  You felt your cheeks heat up and you move yourself up causing the grip against your torso to tighten, you look over noticing Steve was still asleep next to you and you smile.  

You touch his shoulder gently shaking him and he groans in response, you look back at the kids who were all laughing at how much of a baby Steve probably looked like. ‘’Steve,’’ You say pushing him. ‘’Stevey,’’ You say in your baby voice causing for more laughter. Steve opens his eyes slightly looking around the room his eyes widening a bit when he notices the company, ‘’Did you call them?’’ You ask him.  

‘’He called me,’’ Dustin says, ‘’Then I kind of called everyone else.’’ He says and you smile at him.  

‘’Did you all bike here?’’ You ask and they all nod, ‘’You guys didn’t have to do that!’’ You say clutching your good hand over your chest.  

Steve pushes himself up further stretching and then rubbing his eyes, ‘’I knew you’d guys would come eventually,’’ He points out.  

‘’Are you gonna let us sign your cast?’’ You hear Dustin asks and you nod eagerly. ‘’I want first dibs,’’ He says and you laugh nodding at him.  

‘’You got it,’’ You tell him, ‘’Go find a sharpie,’’ You say to nobody in general but Mike leaves dragging El with him and they come back a few moments later a sharpie in hand. You smile as Dustin walks over and signs his name and one after another everyone else does as well, after everybody’s gone you hand over the marker to Steve who smiles at you mischievously. ‘’Do not write anything inappropriate!’’ You tell him laughing.  

You wait a few moments looking at everyone as Steve writes on your cast letting out a laugh and everyone else finds a spot to sit in the room. Although your mom left you alone it was days like this that you knew that no matter what you would never be actually alone. That you had not only Steve but a whole parade of people who cared about you and that was the best feeling in the world.  

[cosmic-cactus2]

laws of attraction | spencer reid x reader | chapter 3

Description: "The law of attraction is the attractive, magnetic power of the Universe that manifests through everyone and through everything. It is part of the creative power of the Universe. Even the law of gravity is part of the law of attraction. This law attracts thoughts, ideas, people, situations, circumstances, and the things you think about." She was cynical about love. She didn't believe in soulmates, or fate, or that the universe brought you together. She believed in science, facts, and statistics. Her experience had taught her that love didn't exist, so she wasn't hell bent on finding it. She was just the broken girl with a tragic backstory she wouldn't let anyone see. But when she gets bumped up to a job working for BAU as a personal forensics analyst at Quantico, she meets someone that might just make her believe in love again. He might have too. {SET AFTER SEASON 13 OF CRIMINAL MINDS}. Warnings: adult language, some adult themes, blood, gore. Couple: Spencer Reid x Female Reader. Read new chapters ahead of time here on Wattpad ————————————————————

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter 3

first case

⊱⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⊰

The pictures flashing on the board were gruesome, truly. There was blood absolutely everywhere, so much that the walls almost looked like they were painted with it. It made your stomach churn because of the damage done to the bodies, but otherwise you seemed unfazed.

"Last week, the Anderson's were all brutally murdered in their home in Orlando, Florida. The children were both beaten with their father's golf clubs and then strangled with their mother's pearl necklaces. The parents were then stabbed repeatedly and left to bleed out in front of their dead children." As you looked at he pictures up close in the virtual case file, your eyebrows furrowed. Pictures of the children's faces flooded your vision, their faces caked in blood with streaks visible from tear tracks. Their eyes seemed to stare vacantly and blindly, glazed over while their mouths lay open and breathless. Their necks had a ring of sickly purple dots, pearls laying in their hair and on their bodies. Their clothes were bloody and torn in places, and bruises adorned the otherwise pristine white skin. Your eyes went vacant as you then looked at the parents, red pools of blood spread around them like a bedsheet. The mothers hair was caked in blood, the blonde strands now dip dyed a hideous red. The father's beard was stained with it, his white button up torn to shreds. You swiped again and a new family popped up on the screen, every picture more gruesome than the last.

"Y/n?" Prentiss' voice snapped you out of your daze, hands shaking a bit as you closed the tablet. You'd never seen anything like this where you worked before, and you didn't think there'd be a shortage here. You noticed the room was empty except for Penelope, who was still standing at the front of the room.

"We're heading out. Got your bags?" You felt around for your messenger bag you'd packed full of essentials the night before.

"Yeah, I got it." You offered a weak smile before standing up, following her as she walked to the door at the end of the room. Penelope stopped you as you walked.

"It gets easier after a while, trust me." She gave you a comforting smile in an effort to reassure you. You sent a meek one back.

"I hope so."

—————————————————

The jet ride seemed agonizingly long, especially since those crime scene photos were engrained in your mind. It was like time was slowing down as you stared at the clouds outside your window, legs pulled to your chest as your hands picked nervously at the fabric of your pants.

"You okay?" You were startled a little bit by a voice, looked up into the aisle to see a concerned looking Spencer with his hands in his pockets. You just shrugged. He sat down across from you, almost waiting for you to say something. "You aren't used to this, are you?" You shook your head.

"Hell no. I worked for a lame ass police department who could barely afford proper lab equipment before this. My whole day was spent trying to figure out what drug was on a person's t-shirt."

"That big of a jump?"

"Yeah. I mean, I expected to jump into things right away but...not this. Not this brutal. And not this young." There was a moment of silence between the two of you, your eyes and mind drifting off to a place hidden deep in your mind that you didn't want to go again. Finally, your mouth opened and you spoke what you were thinking aloud. "How many cases with kids do you guys have?"

"I'm pretty sure we've all lost count by now." Another silence.

"See, I took this job to get away from the boring. It was like every day was planned out for me, and when I got this job opportunity it was like life would finally be exciting. This is not what I meant by exciting." The two of you let out a small laugh before Prentiss asked everyone to come together to look over everything one more time before the jet landed.

"Okay, so, let's look over this again before we land. Garcia, did you find any connection between both families?" Garcia's face popped up on the screens of the jet.

"Nothing I can see. The Anderson's were easy going people, father was a lawyer, mother stayed at home, went to church every Sunday. The Kirkland's were similar except the kids were teenagers, the mother worked at a bank and the father was a mechanic at a local garage."

"The unsub has to be using some type of ruse to get into the house. Social worker, sales rep, cleaning service." Alvez spoke with certainty and confidence; you felt like you didn't fit in with everyone since they were so experienced at this and you got shaken up over some dead kids.

"It's also possible both families knew the unsub. Maybe a teacher or a church goer."

"Wouldn't be anything associated with church or school, neither of the families attended the same ones." The team talked in amongst themselves and threw out theories before Garcia spoke again. "Uh, guys? A third family was just found this morning. The Davidson's. Mom, Eleanor, was 38, father James was 40, daughter Carol who was 16, and son Adam who was 12." You decided not to look at any of the pictures, knowing full well you'd just have to go anyway. They continued talking for a moment before Emily started giving out assignments.

"-and Reid, you'll go with Y/N to the crime scene." He gave you a small smile and you smiled back, staring out the window again as the plane approached its landing.

—————————————————

"So you've never been out in the field before?" Spencer asked you the question out of curiosity as you two stepped out of the large black sedan.

"A few times, but nothing as brutal as this. Mainly just shootings and overdoses." You wrung your hands nervously as you approached the sealed off house. The looming police tape gave you a sense of dread that hung over you like a dark cloud.

"So how'd you end up getting into the bureau?"

"My boss sent in an application for me a few years ago since I was 'outstanding in my field' as he put it. Basically I could analyze almost 100 pieces of evidence a day as opposed to my coworker's 60, and successfully reconstructed over 50 crime scenes." You opened the door to the house, noticing the bloody footprints leading into the house from the door. You bent down to look at it, evidence markers next to each one. "First glance I'd have to say it's a size 8 work boot, most likely rubber soles." You walked further into the room, Spencer trailing behind. He looked over the scene.

"There was some sort of struggle. Picture frames are knocked over and the lamp is broken." You walked over to the center of the living room, looking at the four bodies laying on the ground. The sight repulsed you, and you momentarily looked away. You shook yourself out, remembering you had a job to do.

"The mother and father were positioned here, and the children across from them. He made them sit across from each other and bound their hands with barbed wire it looks like, based off the puncture wounds. It would make it impossible for them to struggle with hurting themselves further in the process."

"He grabbed the statuette from the table next to the couch." Reid walked over to the table, looking at the empty space. "He beat the children with it almost to death, before strangling them with the father's neckties." You crouched over the two children's bodies, lifting up their clothes in spots.

"He knew exactly where to hit them to inflict maximum pain but prolong the death until the exact moment he wanted to kill them. He avoided hitting the head so they wouldn't be knocked unconscious, but he broke almost all their joints. No doubt it was so the parents would hear their screams." Spencer walked to the parents, leaning over their bodies as you stood across from him.

"Then he cut the parents, avoiding every major artery so they wouldn't bleed out as fast. The unsub has to have extensive medical knowledge or experience to know this much about how to prolong his victim's torture." You took a moment to collect yourself from the gruesome scene, looking at the trail of bloody footprints. You followed it, stopping at a chair that sat in a corner in the foyer. You noticed a smooth bloody glove print on the side of the chair. Your eyes trailed to scuff marks on the floor, sliding the chair to the end of them.

The chair landed right in the middle of the hallway, looking directly at the family.

"He watched them as they died."

[foreverlilaclies]

Titanic AU

Nothing To Do But Wait

Pairing: JayDick

Rated: M

The Southhampton docks was bustling with activity and voices. The day was bright and the people around seemed to be filled with energy and excitement. And why would they not be? After all they were all about to set sail on the largest ship in the world. The RMS Titanic was prepared to set sail on her maiden voyage. The ship was luxurious as it was huge. Measuring 269 meters in length and over 150 feet in height. She was huge, beautiful and unsinkable.

A nine year old boy stood in the middle of the docks, staring up at the ship in stony silence. He pid no attention to the people moving around him, his eyes focused on the ship that would take him from his home in London and force him to live somewhere else. Somewhere unknown. He hated the unknown. He hated feeling so lost and uncertain when he was accustomed to being assured.

“I do not want to go.” He spoke up, for what was probably the tenth time. He didn’t care though. It was as true now as it was three hours ago. Damian Wayne had never been one to hide his disdain.

“I know,” The voice beside him replied softly. “Neither do I.” Damian turned his head so he could properly see the young man beside him. His father’s ward had been a constant in his life since he was four and he had been unceremoniously dropped on his father’s doorstep by his mother. Damian had few memories of his own mother. She had left when he was very young, leaving Damian with his father and returning to her own home in lands far away. Damian’s father, Bruce had already taken in a child by this time. A twelve year old boy with a complexion as dark as Damian’s own and eyes as blue as the morning sky. He looked troubled now. Almost frightened by the sheer size of the ship before them.

Bruce Wayne had taken Richard in after his parents were killed when he was very young. Six or so. Bruce had raise him as his very own and when Damian came along,  he looked to the older boy as his older brother, blood or not. Bruce was a very wealthy young man, having inherited his family’s wealth after his own parents had lost their lives in a robbery. Bruce fueled the pain from losing them to help those in need. Thomas Wayne had been a doctor who catered to those in need and Bruce channeled that in the the law. There were many who could not afford a lawyer of the Wayne signature and Bruce reached out to them and gained a reputation as a cut throat but fair lawyer who cared more for the victim than the money. He came to claim the moniker of Bruce ‘The Bat’ Wayne. Bats struck fear in the hearts of men when darkness fell and Bruce used it to instill fear in those who hurt others.

“Boys,” A voice suddenly spoke up, startling Damian who turned his head towards the man, eyes narrowing slightly. “I trust you’re both prepared?” Dick did not turn to face him, still gazing up at the ship.

“We are.” Dick murmured for Damian who continued to scowl. Thomas Wayne Jr. had Bruce’s face and build but none of his warmth. Same cheekbones and strong jaw, same dark hair and thin lips. His nose was a bit thinner and his eyes a shade lighter than Bruce’s, but it was no doubt that they were brothers. He looked away from the two boys to gaze at the Titanic.

“The finest ship in the world,” Thomas mused, hands on hips as he came to stand next to Dick and gaze up at the ship. “It’s larger than I had imagined.” His voice was a low rumble that never managed to sound like Bruce's. Dick seemed unimpressed.

“I don’t see what the fuss is all about,” Dick looked away from the ship to fix Thomas with a curious stare. “It  doesn’t look any bigger than the Mauretania.” Damian looked from Dick to Thomas who sighed with a little smile. He shook his head, brows pulling together.

“You can be blasé about somethings Richard, but not the Titanic. You are far too difficult to impress.”  He looked away from the ship to fix the two boys with a long stare. “Shall we?” He motioned his hand towards the crowd.

“In a moment,” Dick once again spoke up for Damian. “I’d like to look for a bit longer.” Thomas nodded at this, tipping his hat towards Dick and offering him a small smile that Damian never understood.

“Very well, Richard. I will see you on the ship. Nephew, stick with Richard.” Damian stared silently after his uncle as he vanished into the crowd of people, no doubt to find his own group.

It still hurt to really look at the man. Too many memories. Bruce Wayne had been killed by one of the criminals he had put away. Joseph Carr had managed to escape his prison and confronted Bruce at his firm. This had left Damian without a father and Richard without the man who had raised him. Until Bruce’s younger brother had returned. Thomas Wayne Jr had spent his youth abroad, never interested in the family. He had been to Paris and Egypt and even to India. He had returned right after Bruce’s funeral and had gone so far as to dismiss the family butler, Alfred. It had been a bitter few weeks. Bruce was gone and this man with his face was taking away everything Damian and Dick held dear. Alfred had been like a grandfather to them and it had broken the old man’s heart to have to leave them. It only made sense that Thomas would wish to take even more it seemed.He was a man who traveled. Now his interests lay in traveling even farther than he had before. America held promise. America was unknown.

“You will not leave me?” Damian suddenly spoke up and Dick looked away from the Titanic to smile at his brother. His eyes were bluer than the sky and in that moment Damian adored him more than anything in the world.

“Never.” Dick replied softly. Damian reached out for Dick’s hand and clung to it, feeling better when Dick squeezed it reassuringly. They stood there for a long while and stared at the ship before them, both lost to the unknown it presented.

  Playing poker was a form of art if you asked Jason Peter Todd. It took patience, cunning and confidence with each hand. With each fold of a card, the player was painting their picture as the winner or loser of the game. Jason Todd was an artist and he knew full well that this painting would not be forgotten. Today that art would be considered more of a war. The winner after all would be winning something far grander than a few coins or beer.

It was high morning on the 10th of April. The sky was blue and Jason Todd was ready to face the world. First he just had to win this damn poker game. He was facing off against three older men who seemed far more confident than Jason had felt. Three tickets sat in the middle of the table, ripe for the taking. The bar was loud and crowded and smelled of tobacco and old beer. It was a smell Jason had become accustomed to.

“I fold.” One of the across next to him sullenly spoke up, showing his lousy deck. The young man next to Jason slowly lowered his own cards and once again, there was nothing. Jason but down any disappointment and looked to the graying older man across from them. The man scowled, showing his own hand of cards. Nothing for him either.

The two boys with Jason watched him carefully. Roy Harper was a smart mouthed twenty year old Irish man and Tim Drake was the little street urchin that had followed them since Jason had caught him trying to steal some food. Urchins needed to stick together after all. Tim was fifteen and still naive to how bad the world really was. He looked at the bright side of things and although it was endearing, Jason also found it dangerous. He was seventeen and saw the world for what it was dirty and filled with pain and ambition. The rich ate and the poor starved. That was how things were.

Jason grinned at the young man next to him, nudging his shoulder. “You gonna save our asses Harper?” He asked and Roy snorted, showing his deck that had nothing of merit.

“Nothing.”

“Yeah.” Roy muttered. They looked towards the final man who slowly smiled, dark brown eyes filled with excitement that had both Tim and Roy looking very nervous. The bar seemed to fall silent as they waited for him to show his cards. His two teammates leaned close. The man called Sven set down his cards and Roy breathed out a soft curse.

“Two pair.” Jason muttered as Sven and his two friends shared quick grins, all assured they had won. Jason turned to his boys. His green eyes were saddened as if deeply troubled and Tim's stomach dropped.

“I'm sorry boys.” Jason spoke up with a shake of his head and both Tim and Roy started in, dismayed.

“Todd, that was all our money!” Roy shouted, voice booming in the tavern and catching the critical eye of the barkeeper who was pouring a glass for an elderly man across from him.

“What will we do now?” Tim asked as Sven and his friends both kicked back in delight. Jason shook his head with a little sigh.

“We’re not gonna be able to worry about that for awhile.” He replied, looking from Roy to Tim. “Because we’re going to America! Full House Boys!” He called out with glee, throwing his winning cards onto the scratched surface of the table for all witnesses to see. Roy was on his feet in an instant, fist high in the air as he called out, gaining the attention of all the patrons.

“We’re going on the Titanic!” He crowed. “We’re going to America!” He grabbed Tim by the scruff of the neck to hug him. Sven sank into his seat, his two friends heatedly arguing in a language Jason did not understand. He did understand however when one of them socked Sven in the face. Jason and Roy broke into laughter, watching as Tim quickly gathered their winnings.

“We’re going to America!” Jason repeated in awe. He was going home.

“I'm afraid you're not likely to be going anywhere! You lads better hurry!” The barkeeper suddenly spoke up, causing the bar to fall quiet. He pointed to the clock behind him. “Titanic sets sail in five minutes!” There was a hush of silence.

“Shit!” Roy cursed, and all three of them scrambled for their items. Five minutes to get to the ship. They could do it. Jason saluted Sven and his fellow losers before racing after Tim and Roy.

“Run!” Tim cried out. There were people everywhere when they finally made it to the docks. Jason laughed out loud, high on glee of their winning. He ducked under the arm of a passing man, spinning out of the way of another. He could see Roy ahead, red hair flaming in the morning sun.

“We’re living the highlife now boys!” Roy shouted over his shoulder. Jason passed by, legs pumping as he gripped his bag over his shoulder.

“We’re damned royalty!” He corrected. They approached the ship, dodging by the various people, Roy reached for Tim to help pull him along. They approached the deck leading to the Titanic, stopping the man from sealing the door.

“We’re passengers!” Jason called out as they made their way towards the entrance. “Don’t go, we’re passengers!” He held the tickets out to the man at man, breathing heavily. The man accepted them and nodded for them to enter. They ran like mad men, laughing and shouting as they raced by other guests of the Titanic. They reached the decks, the sun nearly blinding as they strode across the deck towards the railings. Roy was silent as he looked over the edge, but both Jason and Tim were excited and loud as they looked at all the people. They could see the little tavern they had been in not six minutes before.

“Goodbye!” Jason shouted to the crowd on the docks below. “We’ll miss you!” Beside him, Tim waved gleefully, dark eyes bright. They continued to wave and shout, neither caring about anything and Roy watched them with a little smirk. The Titanic began to set out and Tim continued to wave at the crowd, laughing as he did so. Jason leaned back, watching the tavern as it began to shrink  away. Beside him, Roy chuckled.

“We’re the luckiest sons of bitches in the world.” He muttered, voice nearly drowned out by the crowds. Jason nodded, eyes never leaving the shrinking tavern.

“Yeah. We really are.”

[synnefo-nefeli]

Holiday/ Winter Fic Drabbles: Day 10!!!

Prompt: “P/E, Strange Days Universe, Thanksgiving”

An anon asked for some Omegaverse lawyer dads at thanksgiving during the events of Strange Days.  This story kinda went its own way, anon, but it explains WHY Miles was being so cuddly and snuggly at Thanksgiving, considering that Miles is incredibly reserved for an Omega.  This story takes place about two months before the events of Strange Days occur, so this story is more of an Omegaverse AU of AA5 between AA5-3 and AA5-4/5.

Hope you like it!!

You can read my Ace Attorney Omegaverse AU, Strange Days, over at AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3588921

He found Miles standing by the kitchen door that lead out to the living room, with that wistful far-away look in his eyes.  If he angled himself the right way by the kitchen’s island, Phoenix could follow Miles’ gaze without disturbing his mate.

Just beyond the door, the dining room table, and the opening to the living room he could barely see Trucy and Apollo’s heads bobbing as they talked on the couch.

Snippets of their conversation and soft laughter floated into the kitchen.  He saw Miles lips quirk momentarily for a smile before Phoenix saw the oft expression of melancholy settle upon his mate’s face, punctuated by a hard swallow.

Around this time of the year- barely recovered from the emotions from the autumn mating season before it all mixed with the beginnings of the holiday stress, culminating in the anniversary of both his father’s death and Miles’ own near miss of self-damnation, Miles’ anxieties tended to flare.  Phoenix, however, could sense more anxiety than usual about his mate.

Time for a distraction, “You’re back already?”  Phoenix broached, stepping quietly behind Miles so that his mate wouldn’t panic, pretending that Phoenix hadn’t sensed that his mate had returned from the detention center minutes ago.  That he hadn’t heard the front gate of their new home and Miles’ car enter the garage and the carport door open and close.

Miles back stiffened in response to being caught off-guard, but when he saw Phoenix he quietly nodded, allowing the folded jacket draped on his arm fall onto the stools of the island,

“Yes. The hours were shortened today.”

Phoenix could tell there was something bothering Miles but he instead wrapped his arms about his mate and drew him into a kiss,

“ It’s the holidays- usually people visit. They couldn’t make an exception for the Chief Prosecutor?”

Miles huffed, “More that <i>she</i> couldn’t make an exception for anyone- Chief Prosecutor or not-”

Phoenix caught a whiff of Alpha- female, lesser weight than himself...but similar to Blackquill’s-

“I ran afoul of Simon Blackquill’s older sister,” Miles clarified, “she isn’t kind towards attorneys-”

“Even those who are trying to get her brother out?” Phoenix felt himself bristle, “define ‘afoul’-”

He could feel Miles roll his eyes at him in his repose toward someone being nasty towards his mate, but did not comment, 

“She’s extremely frustrated that’s all, Wright...time is running out. We have less than a month and she feels that I am not doing enough to bring her brother’s case to a retrial.”

“And you just let her cut into you?”  Phoenix asked.

“The beta who is assigned to protect Simon, Fulbright, came to my rescue.”

“I doubt that another Blackquill (Fulbright can barely control him in court and that’s *with* a shock-collar) would take kindly to a Beta detective telling them how to act.”

Miles shrugged, “Better him than me.  Fortunately, Simon distracted both of them with his, ‘shut up and let me hang’ speech, so their attention was off of me.  I like to think Simon was doing me a favor in allowing me to escape at least...however-”

Phoenix felt the long tired sigh spread through Miles body, “I am growing worried that soon it will no longer be just bravado and gallows humor- the reality is, no matter how I review the evidence, no matter which angle of logic I line up, everything points to Simon being the culprit and Simon will be executed,”  the scent of anxiety was rising in Miles,

“and yet there are pieces missing, pieces he is keeping from me, that I know will prove his innocence and end this dark age, but I just...cannot-,” a frustrated swallow.  Miles was burrowing his neck into Phoenix’s own.  Agitation rolling off his mate in this waves.

Momentarily, Phoenix was grateful for Trucy and Apollo being Betas, or else they would both be alerted to Miles’ distress.

Instinctively, he felt himself croon...a deep rumble that usually worked in easing Miles’ stresses.  He rubbed his mate’s back, gently murmuring “it’s okays” and “don’t worries”, before,

“We’ll turn this around, Miles.  Somehow we always do.”

Miles swallowed against Phoenix’s shoulder, resting his head more securely and wrapping himself firmly in his Phoenix’s hold.  

Phoenix just held them there.  Miles anxieties and melancholy rarely reared their head outside of the privacy of their bedroom or the small private nest (but completely un-nest-like) study Miles holed himself within during the season when Phoenix wasn’t around.  Miles was incredibly good at swallowing and concealing his feelings, but sometimes they bubbled forth and his mate spiraled in a way where he needed days to recover.

Miles could not afford to lose his head so close to end, especially if this gambit involving Simon and Phantom was hurtling towards an end- either Simon’s or some other.

“Hey,” Phoenix purred, “everything is going to be fine.  You’re going to be fine.”

Miles shifted in his hold, “You sound like Justice-”

“Yeah, I hear it every day, but after a time it starts to help,” Phoenix rubbed at Miles’ back, “you just need to tell yourself that...and then clear your head.  If only for a few hours.”

Miles made another long sigh, but did not lift his head from Phoenix’s shoulder,

“C’mon.  Apollo came over for dessert and after-dinner games; don’t you want to see Trucy kick my ass at charades? You look forward to that-”

There was a soft laugh against the fabric of his hoodie.  Phoenix pulled against the collar of Miles shirt to expose the back of his mate’s neck.  He found the scarred spot at the juncture with his thumb and gently rubbed it; relishing in the soft relieved noise Miles made,

“Just shut your brain off for a few hours and relax- it’s Thanksgiving, you and I are alive and well, Fran’s going to be here tomorrow with Adrian and your nephew...and we’ve got Trucy and Apollo here ready to have some family fun, okay?”

There was a dither at the word ‘family’, and Phoenix rubbed the spot some more until he felt Miles visibly relax,

“Okay?”

Miles nodded.  Phoenix leaned down and kissed the spot where he’d claimed Miles as his own nearly ten years ago.  He felt the rest of Miles’ anxieties fall away beneath his lips.

“C’mon,” he purred, “go and change into something less stuffy and meet me on the couch-”

“Will it bother your subordinate, if I am more,” Miles searched for a moment, “‘Omega’ this evening?”  

Phoenix wanted to laugh, of course Miles would ask if it was alright to show affection and for physical reassurance,

“I think you’re allowed to be comfortable in your own home, Miles,” Phoenix couldn’t hold back his grin.  It wasn’t everyday that Miles wanted to be cuddly outside of their bedroom, and Phoenix wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to snuggle his husband, 

“and Apollo won’t judge you or think little of you because you decided to be affectionate to me, your husband- he’s a Beta, Miles, he doesn’t get a lot of the hangups people have about Omegas in power-”

“Are you certain?”

Phoenix sighed and kissed Miles again, “Positive.  If anything, you’ll have to worry more about Trucy snapping pictures of us and texting them to Pearl and Maya with captions that say ‘ooommg they’re so cuuute’, than you eroding any respect Apollo has for you.”

Miles nodded, “Alright.  Let me go and change-” he moved to pick up his jacket, presumably to hang it in the hall closet on his way to their bedroom.

“No cravats,” Phoenix teased, as he coaxed his mate towards the hall.

Miles’ hand shot out and caught his own, linking them before pulling Phoenix towards his mate for another kiss,

“I love you,” Miles breathed when they broke, “I don’t know what I’d do without you to set me straight.”

Phoenix smiled, “I could say the same to you too-” he kissed Miles once more, “I guess that’s the reason you and I make such a great team- we ground one another.”

Miles drew away with a quiet hum of approval and made his way down the hall.  Phoenix wouldn’t lie to himself that Miles melancholy had been cured, it was there, still lurking beneath the surface of all the stresses that swirled within Miles.  However, as he watched his mate walk away, perfect and rigid postured as always, Phoenix noted that Miles shoulders were certainly more relaxed.

The kitchen door swung open to reveal Trucy, “Is Papa home, Daddy?”  Trucy beamed, “I’m getting bored and Apollo refuses to be my target for my knife trick-”

Behind her Apollo yelped, “I am pretty sure your dad doesn’t want you throwing knives in the house...or at people.”

Don’t throw knives at your brother-  Is what he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue for the hundredth time since he had learned the truth that Thalassa had entrusted him with.  He bit down his annoyance of being forced to keep such a secret from two people he cherished, especially knowing how much Apollo desired a family.  

He kissed his daughter on the head as he passed, “I thought you told me that Aunt Fran wasn’t teaching you how to throw knives, Trucy-” his tone was teasing.

“You said that she couldn’t teach me how to throw knives when I was under 16, Daddy,” she chirped following him back into the family room.  

He settled into the couch opposite of Apollo, refreshing his junior associate’s cup of coffee. Trucy bounced into the seat next to Apollo, and he watched them banter for a few moments.

Miles entered minutes later, exchanging pleasantries with Apollo, and receiving an exuberant hug from Trucy, before he settled next to Phoenix; leaning against Phoenix’s side.

It took a few rounds of charades before Miles’ posture totally relaxed against him, and another hour before he was happy to have Phoenix’s arm around him. 

The evening was comfortable and happy.  

The four of them a family.

[asspostate]

“Katelyn Ebner: "Okay, so when I do a drug test, I'll be free to go, correct?" Officer Carroll: "You're going to jail, ma'am. Okay? I don't have a magical drug test that I can give you right now." (...) The waitress spent the night in jail, had her alcohol server's permit revoked because of the arrest. After four months, prosecutors dismissed all her charges -- because the blood test came back completely clean.“

“..Officer Carroll relies on his drug recognition expert training -- but in these three dismissed cases, he did not do the full evaluation after the arrests..“

“Cobb County Investigators exonerated the officer and doubted Ebner's innocence (...) Last week, Cobb County's DUI Task Force was awarded a trophy by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Officer Carroll was given a Silver Medal for 90 DUI arrests during 2016... (and) got a promotion and a merit raise after a 2016 employment evaluation... He got top marks for making the correct arrest-no arrest decision on impaired drivers.”

“ "I remember my lawyer trying to talk about a deal," she said. "I was like, 'I'm not taking a deal. I didn't do anything! I want more than just a deal -- I want more than just dismissal; I want my life back. Can you reverse time? If you can go back in time, then that's what I really want.'" “

just... what the fuck. what a horrifying precedent to set: Build your professional reputation on arresting whoever you feel like, and when you invariably get it wrong, we’ll swear up and down that it’s because the tests are wrong more often than a single human being wrapped up in his rep and his ego...and then we’ll give you a medal, and a raise.

And these are the three we know about, right now. Imagine that you’re, say, 18, imagine that you’re broke and can’t afford a lawyer, imagine that you have little to no support and precious little life experience and some shithead pulls you over, decides he hasn’t had enough arrests this month, profiles you or just decides that he doesn’t give a shit. and accuses you of being high. He can, and he knows he can- after all, nothing happened to him the last time he did it. Imagine that you’re all those things and you’re scared and embarrassed and confused because you didn’t do jack shit and someone says ‘let’s take a deal on this, it will make it easier.’ imagine that maybe there are more than three times he’s done this- that maybe there’s someone, or two someones, or three someones, out there who took the first way out they saw because they were upset, or who did get cleared but didn’t happen to get in touch with the press. imagine that he’s going to do it again- but you probably won’t have to imagine it for long.

jesus christ. “expert” my ass.

additional reading: http://rollingout.com/2017/05/08/georgia-cop-thinks-smoke-weed-will-get-dui/