#and if the notes are 'sherry explain more of this why

[callsignspark]

change your ticket home

a top gun maverick AU

pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Sherrie McHone (fem!OC)

summary: After a successful business trip on the West Coast, two Wells Corporation engineers have problems getting back home. Thank god for Bradley Bradshaw, a man who is determined to make their hours waiting in the terminal as enjoyable as possible. And if he and his pretty travel companion (and colleague) get closer along the way? Well that’s just a bonus.

warnings: difficulties of being a woman in a male-dominated field, minor misogyny from coworkers, yearning, pining, Bradley being an absolute sweetheart, it's vaguely alluded to but Sherrie is named after the Steve Perry song, American Airlines bashing bc this fic is based on a real and horrible experience I had a few years ago. and yes, the title is from the one direction song.

word count: 9.8k | masterlist

note: happy saturday! this has been in the works for almost a year and I'm so thrilled to finally be sharing it! this is dedicated to @gretagerwigsmuse, who gave so many wonderful ideas and has continually been a cheerleader for this fic. happy birthday!

Friday, July 15, 2016 | 06:36 AM PST | San Diego, CA

“If I fake a heart attack, we can get out of this meeting, right?”

She looks over at Bradley sprawled in the uncomfortable café chair in his navy suit, his arm slung over the back of her chair. He’s down to just his crisp, white button-up, jacket, and tie abandoned within the first ten minutes of the call.

“Suck it up, we’re almost done.” She rolls her eyes. “And Martin knows you’re a supremely healthy thirty-two-year-old, so no, I don’t think that will work.”

“Sherrie…” His whine is cut off by her hand covering his mouth as she unmutes her microphone and mentally praises his decision to sit so close to her. Not having to pull out both laptops was just an additional perk on top of her ability to silence him.

“That’s correct, Sean. We got them to agree to a small batch trail run for the connectors. We’ll be working together on running them through environmental testing before committing to a full contract.”

“And why are they agreeing to that? Because frankly, it makes no sense to me why they would want to do that.”

Bradley straightens up, his eyes narrowing at the Teams box showing the older man’s initials. “Well, Sean, as Sherrie explained before. Harris hasn’t produced connectors like this before, and they’re interested in the test results, specifically the shock data. So they agreed to take on half the burden so they can use the information for their own use. If this works how we think it will, this will be a huge boost for their business, even if the patent is shared.”

She looks at him, half admonishment and half appreciation, always a little bit amazed when he had her back, no matter how many times he had done it. “The contracts team is drawing up the final agreements and negotiating with their team next week, so best case scenario is we have reports with usable data by the end of the summer. Worst case, it’ll drift into the middle of Q1.”

“That’s great work you guys did out there, thank you. Alright, I think that covers everything we had to talk about today. McHone, Bradshaw - have a safe flight back, and everyone have a good weekend!” Martin ends the call before anyone can add anything.

Bradley laughs. “God, he’s just as sick of Sean as I am. I can’t wait until he retires.”

“He’s not that bad; you’re just grumpy because you had to dress up for the staff meeting, and then Martin said cameras off today.”

“I am upset about that! I will be logging yet another suggestion that we should have casual Fridays and casual travel policy. But I’m more upset because he talks down to you all the time! Like you haven’t been carrying this department on your back since we started ten years ago!”

“Carrying is an exaggeration, Bradley.” She looks up from where she’s putting her laptop away. “I think you have time to change into something comfy before we board.”

“American Airlines Flight 2307 from San Diego to Charlotte, Boarding Group A can now board.”

“Or not.” She giggles as he groans, reaching over to pull her other air pod out of his ear. “Come on, it’s a long flight; you can sleep on the plane. Just be thankful you’re not wearing an underwire bra and heels.”

“I don’t know how you do that.” He mutters, shooing her away when she tries to pick up her carry-on, throwing it over his shoulder alongside his own.

“I don’t either. I’m going to get a massage when we get back to Boston.”

“Ohhh, a massage sounds nice.” He subtly sticks his elbow out for her grab, which she gratefully does, letting his tall frame guide her to their gate. “You know you didn’t have to wear heels, right?”

“You should shut up while I’m still thankful you yelled at Sean for me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sherrie leans her head on his arm as they wait in the priority boarding line, one of the perks of traveling on the company’s dime. Normally, she would worry about being more professional while carrying her work bag that had the Wells Corporation logo embroidered on it, but she can’t bring herself to care. Yesterday’s meetings ran late, and the following client dinner had kept them out until almost midnight. After packing, going to bed late, and having to get up at 3:30AM to get to the airport, she was exhausted.

She takes her bag before they scan their tickets, not fighting when he grabs it again on their walk down the jet bridge.

“Where are you sitting again?”

“I’m in 16C.” She snorts at Bradley’s pout. “What? You knew we weren’t going to be sitting together.”

“But I’m going to be bored all the way back in 21D by myself.”

“Bud, you’re going to fall asleep in the first 30 minutes like you always do, and then I would be stuck for the next four hours with you leaning and drooling on me.”

Bradley whips his head around, “That is a baseless accusation. I do not drool!”

“You 100% definitely do drool, I’ve seen it.” Her smirk widens when his attempt to fight back is cut off by the flight attendants greeting them.

He ushers Sherrie on first, politely nodding to the flight crew before following her down the aisle, ducking down to whisper. “I do not drool.”

“You absolutely do drool. You also snore.”

She can feel eyes on them as they shuffle down the aisle, making eye contact with an older woman who raises her eyebrows in appreciation at the hunk of a man behind her.

This happens everywhere they go.

Bradley is such a gentleman, always opening doors and carrying her bags, that people never believe the two are just friends and coworkers. She’s had complete strangers fight with her when she says there’s nothing between them. Unable to accept that it’s just platonic.

As much as she wishes it could be more.

After years of learning all the little details of each other, she knows they would be good together. Their decade-long friendship allowing her to thoroughly analyze how well their personalities would mesh. They share the same beliefs and have the same interests; they even have overlapping friend groups. They’re made for each other.

On paper.

In reality, it will never happen.

She won’t let it.

“Is this good here?” Bradley’s question interrupts her weekly internal spiral; his big brown eyes blink at her over his shoulder as he puts her bag into the overhead compartment.

“That’s fine. Can you grab my water bottle out of the side pocket?

“Here ya go, ma’am. I’ll meet you by the water foundation when we land, okay?”

She nods, smiling as he hustles back to his seat to avoid a family almost flattening him in their haste to get to their assigned seats.

Her seat neighbors haven’t arrived yet, so Sherrie sits down without bothering to buckle, tucking her work bag under the row in front of her after pulling out her plane kit. Her pencil case from college that she’s repurposed to hold her headphones, phone charger, gum, hand sanitizer, and a few other small necessities.

Her phone buzzes as she’s storing her water bottle and the little bag away in the pocket of the seat in front of her.

Bradley is woken up by his seat neighbor hitting his arm as he reaches to grab a drink, nodding at the guy’s apologetic face before trying to get comfortable again. Alan talked way too much at dinner last night, and it was a struggle to stay awake during the project manager’s third round of gushing over how brilliant and profitable Sherrie’s proposal would be for both companies.

“Sir? This is for you, do you want it?” The muffled question is accompanied by someone shaking his shoulder. He peels open his eyes to see the flight attendant holding out two packets of Biscoff cookies.

His face must be confused enough for the short woman to take pity on him. “Your friend up there said these are your favorite and asked me to give hers to you.”

His heart warms up, taking the treats and saying thank you. He enjoys the cookies, washing them down with the ginger ale he also got, thinking about how well Sherrie knows him. He forces himself to wait for them to finish snack service before he gets up to use the restroom.

“Thank you.” Bradley revels in the way Sherrie jumps when he pops her headphone out, purposefully brushing his lips against her ear. “Hmmm, you were right, your seatmate is cute.”

She glares up at him, a smile threatening to break through. “Isn’t he? He fell asleep five minutes after take off, just like you.”

“Yet, another baseless accusation!”

“I heard you snoring.”

“You shouldn’t lie in front of small children.”

“His mom said he’s seven months old; I don’t think we have to be concerned about teaching him to lie while he’s still in a car seat.”

“Probably shouldn’t chance it, though. Say I don’t snore.”

“You just said I shouldn’t lie. Should probably go to the bathroom before you start holding up traffic.” She puts her headphone back in, wiggling her fingers at him before going back to reading on her phone.

It gives him the strangest sense of déjà vu.

Tuesday, March 25, 2005 | 10:43 AM EST | Charlottesville, VA

“…and he said you had already-” Bradley cuts himself off, realizing she can’t hear him. He chuckles; he should have known better than to just walk up and start talking.

He doesn’t know Sherrie McHone very well. They had taken all the freshman intro to engineering requirements together, and this year their classes had split into their chosen disciplines. His mechanical, hers electrical. But he knows her well enough to know that she can pretty much only be found without her headphones during class.

He remembers the first time they spoke last semester after he accidentally walked right into her. He had told Danny it’s because she’s so much shorter than him, but it’s really because he wasn't paying attention.

Sherrie had only taken one earpiece out to make sure he was okay before continuing onto her class, seamlessly weaving between upperclassmen as she shoved her headphone back in.

“Sherrie?” No response.

He lets out a tiny huff and checks his watch. Normally, he wouldn’t care that she’s clueless to his existence even as he’s right beside her, but he’s got a class soon, and he’s still two buildings away. So he does the only thing he can.

He pops her headphones out and steps back for fear of getting smacked.

Her head whips up, narrowing in on him freakishly fast. “What the fuck, Bradshaw?”

He’s surprised to learn that she knows his name.

“Sorry, Sherrie! I’ve been trying to talk to you for like five minutes, and you somehow haven’t noticed, but I’ve got class in 15 minutes, so I needed to get your attention.”

“Oh…” Her green eyes widen in surprise, the apples of her cheeks turning a light pink. “Sorry about that. What did you need? Wait. How did you find me?”

A fair question.

“Khondker told me where you sit.” He partially fibs.

All semester he had been watching her disappear after EE221, the one class they shared. It had taken him a while, but he was pretty sure he had found her secret study nook in the electrical engineering wing of the building. Their TA had only confirmed Bradley’s theory of where he could find his fellow sophomore.

“I don’t understand this last section we’ve been learning, and Khondker said you had already finished the homework and could help me. So could you?”

“He didn’t help you?” Sherrie raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

“He tried.” Bradley scratches the back of his head, remembering how frustrated the patient man had been after his third attempt at explaining. “I just really don’t understand circuit loops. And he thought having a classmate explain it to me would make it stick. That or he was just so sick of me, he’s pawning me off.”

He watches her think, her pencil rapidly tapping against her notebook, making him nervous.

“I don’t want to be rude, but if you don’t understand current loops, I’m not sure how much help I can be. I understand the material, but I’m not a miracle worker.”

Her bluntness makes him smile. “I’m not expecting miracles, just help with the homework. If you have time.”

“Okay, just as long as you don’t get your hopes up too much.” She grabs a bright pink notebook and opens it up. “So, I’m usually free-”

“I don't want to interrupt, but I do have to get to class, so could we figure out a time later today?”

“Sure, I’ll be here until my class at four. Feel free to sit down if I’m not here; it just means I’m grabbing food.” He nods, backing away. “Wait! Bradley! Go down this hall and out the side door. You’ll be like halfway there already.”

“Awesome, thanks!” He starts to jog down the hallway, looking back to see her putting her headphones back in. Waving back when she smiles and wiggles her fingers at him before going back to her homework.

Friday, July 15, 2016 | 3:16 PM EST | Charlotte, NC

“Our flight got delayed, and I’m hungry.”

Sherrie jumps, not expecting Bradley to get that close to her face three seconds after she exited the bathroom.

“Okay, I could eat. Where do you wan-”

“Auntie Anne’s.”

He’s walking away before she can even process what he said. She allows herself one second to appreciate the way he looks, walking through the concourse - navy slacks fitting his legs perfectly and all their bags thrown over his broad shoulders - before she’s clicking along after him.

“Bradshaw!” He freezes and turns, almost taking a lanky teenager out with her backpack. “Oh my god, Bradley! Be careful! You almost took that kid’s head off.”

His smile is sheepish as she shuffles them over to the wall. “I did not do that on purpose.”

She giggles and takes her backpack from his shoulder. “Yeah, I kinda figured. But you should have seen his face. His life flashed before his eyes. All sixteen years.”

“I can carry that Sherrie.”

“That’s okay, I got it. No! Bradley!”

He ignores her, smiling at her frustrated little stomp when he hands over her tan, cross-body purse out of her work bag. “You just carry that and make sure I don’t take out any toddlers or old ladies.”

“How am I supposed to do that if I’m ahead of you?” She snarks as he steers them toward the food stands.

“You’re smart; I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Bradley laughs when she mocks him under her breath. “I can hear you, smartass.”

“You were meant to, Bradley.”

His heart flutters at the teasing wink she sends over her shoulder. It’s been twelve years since they became friends, and he still feels like that 20-year-old kid who was nervous to talk to the pretty red-headed girl he had a crush on.

He can feel eyes on them as her heels catch people’s attention, and he finds himself glaring at men who are shamelessly staring. Her shoes aren’t loud as they click along on the tile floor, but it’s hard to ignore the beautiful woman striding along in business casual.

It happens everywhere they go.

Sherrie has always been beautiful and painfully unaware of her effect on men. It never matters where they are - at work, the rare baseball game he forces her to attend, happy hour with their friends from school - she always catches attention. It doesn’t bother him because she never reciprocates, and he’s always the one to give her a ride back to her apartment.

Even if he wishes it was their apartment they were going to.

He’s watched her change over the last decade, seen her grow as a person. He’s risen through the ranks with her professionally, the two of them matching each other step for step with each promotion and raise. He’s publicly assured her that her hair still looks good as it’s deepened color with age, now less red and more auburn. He’s privately appreciated the way her body has changed, softer and curvier than when they were kids. Her wide hips are a frequent star in his daydreams.

It's the only place where they’ll ever be in a relationship.

He knows they’d be perfect together. Old friends who know each other so well they don’t even have to talk to communicate sometimes. Whose attitudes fit together like puzzle pieces, perfectly in sync with each other. He knows it won’t happen. Can’t happen.

“Grab us a table, and I’ll get the food.”

“Okay.” He doesn’t fight her about paying, knowing this will be covered under their per diem. “Don’t forget my-”

“You’re frozen lemonade, I know!”

Bradley rolls his eyes at the hand that waves over her shoulder, settling their bags at a table and keeping an eye on Sherrie while sending an update to Mav.

His thumbs hover over the keyboard. He wants to tell his uncle the whole situation - that he’s not afraid to flirt with Sherrie.

“Everything okay?”

Bradley looks up to find her eyebrows furrowed as she sets a tray down.

“All good. Just sending my family an update that we’re delayed.”

She nods, sitting in the chair across from him. “Here’s your mini pretzel dogs, with mustard and a frozen lemonade. This is my pretzel nuggets, cheese sauce, and Diet Coke. Oh! And I got us these cinnamon sugar pretzels to share!”

“Thank you for remembering the mustard.”

“Bradley, when have I ever forgotten the mustard? Here, take some napkins.”

He shoves an entire mini pretzel dog in his mouth in lieu of answering her question, which they both know the answer to. Never. She has never forgotten his love for pretzels with mustard.

They eat in comfortable silence, the way only two friends can, occasionally dunking into each other's sauces as they scroll through their phones.

“Hey, how is your da- oh Bradley! You got mustard on your shirt!” His head snaps down to his shirt, groaning when he sees the yellow blob on his white button-up.

“Fuck! This is new, too!”

Sherrie dives into her bag, muttering about a stain stick, a triumphant noise escaping when she comes up successful. Scooting closer to him, she’s hit with a wave of nostalgia as she helps him clean his shirt.

Friday, April 6, 2007 | 10:12 PM EST | Charlottesville, VA

“You should’ve been gone, knowing how I made you feel!”

Sherrie’s head pops up from the lab reports she’s grading.

“And I should've been gone, after all your words of steel!”

She knows that voice.

“Oh, I must've been a dreamer! And I must've been someone else!”

She knows that voice very well.

“And we should've been over!”

She rushes for the front door, hoping and praying that the idiot she’s become close friends with this year isn’t actually outside her townhouse.

“Oh! Sherrie, our love holds on! Holds on!”

She whips the door open and, sure enough, drunkenly singing to her neighbor's house is Bradley Bradshaw.

“Bradley!” She hisses at him, ignoring the flutters in her stomach when he points his big, goofy grin towards her and not the tulips the soccer girls next door planted in front of their bay window. “What are you doing? It’s 10 PM!”

“You didn’t come.”

“First man to ever care about that.” She mutters, snorting at her joke.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing. What are you doing here?”

His puppy dog eyes are vicious, and she has the urge to slap her hand over her eyes so she doesn’t succumb to their power. “You didn’t come to the party!”

Sherrie sighs, she thought he might be disappointed she didn’t come to the annual Sigma Chi Easter Bash, but she never thought he would actually notice her absence. Or that it would result in a drunken serenade.

“Bradley, I told you I had a lot of grading and might not make it tonight.” She gently reminds him, stifling a laugh when he trips over his own feet while standing still. “You okay?”

“I have to pee. Can I come in?”

She’s pretty sure he’s just making excuses but lets him in any way; she doesn’t need to deal with him getting a public indecency charge on top of everything else. “Shoes off, Bradshaw. Bathroom is right here; I’ll be in the dining room.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He sloppily salutes her, losing his balance and thunking against the wall, one shoe still on.

Sherrie just blinks at him before returning to her spot at the dining room table, holding in the laugh threatening to escape. She settles in her chair, focusing on the mediocre reports her students had turned in.

“I washed my hands!” Bradley’s abrupt entrance startles her. “Can we have a snack? I’m hungry?

She watches in amusement as he shuffles to her fridge, riffling through the shelves before opening the freezer and gasping.

“I love pretzels. Can we make these? Please?”

The box of pretzels belongs to her roommate, but she’s not strong enough to deny Bradley’s big brown eyes two times in a row so she makes a mental note to buy Amna a new box the next time she goes to the store. “Yeah, we can. But no touching the oven when you’re drunk. Go sit down.”

“I’m not drunk!” He argues even as he follows her directions, plopping himself at the table and nosily leafing through her done pile. “Wow, lots of red here.”

“Bradley! Don’t look at those!”

“Why not?”

“Would you want some random student looking through your homework?”

His rebuttal gets cut off by the oven beeping, announcing it’s up to temp. After she pops the tray in the oven, she turns and catches him appreciating the pj shorts riding up her shapely legs.

“What?” Her head cocks in confusion.

“Nothin'… cute shorts.”

“Thank you.” He watches in fascination as she snips at him even while her cheeks turn pink. “It’s almost like I was dressed for comfort and not planning on being interrupted.”

“But you’re glad I’m here, right?”

“I’ve had worse company on a Friday night.” She nudges him out of her chair. “While those are baking, go find something to watch, and I’m going to finish grading this report.”

“Such a responsible TA.”

Pride fills his chest as Sherrie snorts at his joke and goes back to work. They’ve officially been friends since last year, but he still tries his hardest to make her laugh. She's always so busy and stressed, and she does the cutest little snort-laugh when he catches her off guard.

He puts on a random movie, just grabbing a VHS case with the Disney logo on the side, before plopping on the couch. “Is there a reason you have so many kids movies?”

“Those are Jayla’s, she collects them.” Sherrie answers, never looking up from the table. “What did you choose?”

“It’s a surprise!”

“You don’t remember, huh?”

“Nope! I’ll be quiet now.”

She hums a thank you in his direction, and Bradley keeps his promise, watching her work and staying quiet until the timer goes off. His chin hooked on the back of the couch; he follows her movement through the kitchen as she pulls the pretzels out and transfers them to a plate.

“Can I have mustard, please?”

“Sure can.” Sherrie smiles at his dopey smile as she makes her way to the couch. “Here, take these, then we can eat.”

He gulps down the painkillers she drops in his hand, chugging the rest of the apple juice after they’re gone, smiling when she absentmindedly praises him for listening. He shoves a bite of pretzel in his mouth and mashes the play button, and is pleasantly surprised to find A Bug’s Life was the mystery choice.

“I love this movie,” he garbles through a pretzel. “I love how Flick wins over the princess just by getting a chance to show off his true self.”

“That was shockingly wise for the drunk man sprawled on my couch.”

Bradley thanks her, already a bit more sober but not enough to pick up on her teasing. “So, why didn’t you come? Grading really couldn’t wait?”

“It probably could have, but I’m not a partier, Bradley. You know that.” She dips a piece of pretzel in the mustard. “Besides, I really didn’t think you would notice I wasn’t there, Mr. Popular.”

“You’re the only person I invited; of course, I noticed when you didn’t show up.”

“Really? No one else? Why?”

“I know it’s almost finals, but I wanted to hang out without any books in front of us; that’s all we do lately. Study. Plus, you’ve been extra stressed about something that you don’t want to talk about, and I just wanted you to relax since you won’t talk to me about whatever is bothering you.”

“That’s sweet of you, Bradley. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it’s just that my family has been…” She waves a hand through the air, a deep sigh escaping. “It’s complicated. I’m trying not to think about it too much.”

“Well, I’m here if you do want to talk.”

“Thanks bud. How about you? How’re your parents?” She takes one last chunk before nudging the plate in his direction and settling back into the corner.

“Mom is good; she’s close to being considered cancer-free. I think we’re gonna throw a party when she gets there.”

“That’s awesome, Bradley! I’m glad she’s doing so well. How’s your dad?”

“Mav isn’t my dad.”

A record scratch plays in Sherrie’s head as she freezes. She knows she’s heard Bradley talk about his dad, and she’d seen photos of his parents the one time she had visited his frat house last year. He had specifically pointed the photo out, telling her it was his parents. She had even been next to him when he was on the phone when he said “dad” to the person on the other end.

“My dad died when I was three. Mav is- was his best friend. I call him dad sometimes because he’s the closest thing I’ve got.”

Sherrie feels her heart break as Bradley sniffles and sadly shoves a mustard-covered pretzel in his mouth, unshed tears clumping his eyelashes. She’s never seen her friend like this before; she’s experienced many other emotions - frustration, joy, confusion - but the pain creasing his brow is new.

Comforting crying people has never been her forte, but instinctively - almost like they moved without her permission - Sherrie’s fingers run over his hair. Gently stroking the sun-streaked waves as a few tears escape down his cheeks and she scoots closer, letting her body press into his side and hoping the proximity helps.

“I’m sorry for crying on you.” He quietly apologizes after a few minutes of tears.

“S’okay. Family can be hard sometimes.”

“Complicated.”

“That too.” She hums, not moving as he swipes at his eyes and leans against her more, his head resting on her shoulder in a slouched position that can’t be comfortable.

“I love Mav; he’s my dad in all the ways it matters. It just sucks that my actual dad won’t be here for graduation. Like, I know he’s missed so much of my life already, but something about him missing college graduation is worse than everything else. It’s just so unfair; I barely remember him, but I just- I just miss him so much, Sherrie.”

Her heart cracks in half at the whispered confession. She can’t even imagine the pain of losing a parent at such a young age. The inability to remember one of the people responsible for giving you life, all memories fuzzy and most built from second-hand recollections of those who can remember. So she says the one thing she would want to hear.

“Tell me about him.”

Sherrie knows she said the right thing when his red-rimmed eyes brighten, and he immediately launches into a beloved story detailing his father’s love of pranks. She listens dutifully — laughing at the right moments and asking questions when Bradley gets carried away, forgetting that she doesn’t know all the people in his story — and feels her heart warm more and more. She’s always liked Bradley, probably more than she should, but it’s hard not to like him. He’s considerate, smart, and funny, not to mention handsome.

Thankfully, before she gets lost in thoughts of broad shoulders and strong jawlines, a big glob of mustard drops on Bradley’s t-shirt, abruptly cutting him off. The two stare in silence at the yellow condiment sitting on the black cotton shirt, somehow surprised at its appearance, before breaking down into giggles.

“C’mon Bradshaw,” Sherrie grabs his hand, pulling him off the couch. “I have a Tide pen we can use on that mess.”

Bradley follows her up the stairs and into the bathroom, teasing Sherrie about the way her tongue pokes out when she focuses. She takes the gentle taunts, grateful he’s focusing on that and not on her pink cheeks or the way her eyes keep darting to his toned stomach. She’s not sure it was completely necessary for him to strip his shirt off, but she won’t be complaining.

“Well,” A few minutes later, she interrupts his rambling story about a slip and slide. Or she thinks that’s what it’s about; she missed the first part. “I think this is as good as I can get it.”

“That’s okay; it’s not like it’s new or anything. Thanks, Sherrie.”

She steadfastly ignores the pounding heart in her chest as miles of golden skin gets covered back up, trying to not feel too disappointed by its disappearance.

Friday, July 15, 2016 | 3:56 PM EST | Charlotte, NC

“Oh, this is ridiculous!” Bradley complains a bit too loudly, ears going hot when several pairs of eyes curiously dart toward him, but his focus doesn’t stay on that for very long when he catches the face Sherrie makes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

He squints suspiciously as she avoids eye contact. He usually takes her at her word and doesn’t push, but the frown pulling down the corners of her pink lips sets off bells in his head. “Sherrie, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Bradley. I’m fine.”

He grumbles at her lack of response but settles again in the spot they had claimed after finishing their snack. The gate was still packed, but they had found a prime location with outlets; the only downside was having to sit on the floor, something that is getting harder the older they get.

Bradley scans the area, trying to scout out some open chairs for them to grab, while Sherrie goes back to the movie they’ve been watching on his phone. His eyes drop away from the chairs in surprise when she scoots closer and leans on his shoulder. It’s not uncommon for them to sit close like this at home in Boston, sides pressed together, but she makes a point to be professional when they’re on travel.

“Hey,” he gently nudges her side, concern rising when she doesn’t lift her head, choosing to tilt her neck back, looking up at him with tired eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Panic grips his chest when tears start forming, clouding her green eyes. “Sherrie?! What’s wrong?”

“We were supposed to be halfway home by now, and I’m so uncomfortable. I’m sorry, Bradley, I’m just so tired.” She whimpers, hiding against his bicep.

It hits him like a glass of cold water. Of course, she’s uncomfortable. She’s been walking around in heels and her pantsuit since 4AM California time after getting maybe three hours of sleep. His suit and shoes are comfortable and easily wearable for twelve-plus hours, not to mention the jacket and tie that were ditched sometime after the mustard incident.

“Oh, Sherrie, it’s okay. Let’s go change, yeah? Then we’ll find a quieter place so you can close your eyes and maybe get some sleep.”

“But the policy…”

Bradley resists the urge to roll his eyes at her insistence on rule-following. “In the nicest way possible, Sher, fuck the policy. You’re uncomfortable, and I care about that way more than I could ever care about a stupid, archaic policy.”

He stands, unplugging their phones and gathering their bags on his shoulder before turning to his best friend, who is still on the floor. “C’mon, we’re putting comfy clothes on.”

“But Bradley-”

“No arguing.” He interrupts, helping her off the ground and directing them back towards the restrooms. “We’re not going to sit in our suits for god knows how much longer.”

“But Bradley, I don’t have anything to change into. We had such a packed schedule I didn’t bother to bring normal clothes.” He ignores the thumping of his heart when her hand grabs his forearm, warm fingers slipping under the edge of the rolled-up sleeve as she tugs to slow his pace. At that information, he slides them out of the flow of traffic and over to the wall, Bradley pressing her against one of the columns lining the concourse atrium.

“You don’t have any regular clothes? What about your pajamas?”

“I have a pair of leggings because I was going to do a training run in the gym last night, but that’s it. I can’t wear my pjs because… well, they’re not appropriate for public.”

“Your leggings are clean, though, right?” He asks, ignoring the thoughts of what non-public appropriate pajamas might look like.

“Well, yeah, dinner went so late I barely had time to sleep before we had to be up. I guess I could buy a shirt at one of the SmartShop- what are you doing?”

Bradley peers up from his knees, where he had started digging in his bag. “I’m grabbing one of my shirts for you. Would you prefer a t-shirt or a sweatshirt? Actually, you’re definitely gonna get cold, sweatshirt for you.”

He pulls the worn, gray crew neck out, shaking it out before handing it over.

“You still have this?” The disbelief in her voice makes him laugh.

“Of course, I still have that! Relay was always my favorite event of the year. And that year was my favorite one.”

As the philanthropy chair of Sigma Chi, part of his job was to sign the brothers up for volunteer events and fundraisers. With his mom’s diagnosis, he ensured their schedule included the campus’ annual Relay for Life event, pouring as many resources as he could into the fundraiser that directly helped advance cancer research.

“Wait, but why was junior year your favorite?” She asks, brushing her fingers over the cracked, screen-printed logo.

“Because that’s the reason we became friends, Sher.”

Surprised green eyes meet sincere brown eyes, a thousand words said in the silence of their stares, both remembering the lead-up to that day in April so many years ago.

Bradley’s eyes widen in panic as everyone at the gate starts moving as a herd. They had finally found seats to relax in after changing, the group of passengers waiting with them shrinking as time went on. And now, with only ten minutes until boarding, their gate has changed again.

“Sherrie, wake up!” He feels bad shaking the snoozing woman off, but they have to move with the group to make it to the new part of Terminal A in time for their flight. “C’mon, honey, they changed the gate again — we gotta go!”

“What are you- again?! Shit!” She wipes the bleariness from her eyes, slinging her bags over her shoulder and grabbing the hand he holds out.

The two coworkers, along with fifty of their fellow passengers who have stuck this out, speed walk down the first branch of the terminal. The entire group picking up the pace when turning the corner towards the second branch where the new gate lives. By the time they hit the second branch, everyone is practically running — time ticking down to boarding — no one wanting to miss this flight.

As if the blob of Flight 1121 passengers racing toward the end of the terminal didn’t garner attention from other gates, the entire terminal is staring by the time they reach gate A28, and several people start yelling in frustration.

“This is unbelievable!” An older gentleman’s unhappiness is interrupted by three simultaneous updates pinging everyone’s phones.

Bradley’s head drops back in disbelief, wrapping his arm around Sherrie when her head thunks against his chest. He doesn’t even get a chance to comfort her before the gate agents are making announcements about getting people on other flights, providing hotel rooms, and the vouchers that will be shared.

“Again, we apologize, but if you have flexible travel plans, we ask that you please go to the end of the line so those with time constraints can be taken care of first. Thank you for your cooperation, folks!”

“Well, that’s us, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Sherrie blows air out of her lips, a mischievous smile taking over her face. “Hey, at least this means extra per diem money.”

Bradley laughs as they move to the back of the squiggly line that’s forming, letting her take the bags so he can step away to call to update their supervisor and then his pet sitter. It only takes a few rings for his boss to pick up. “Bradshaw! What’s up? You okay?”

“Hey Martin, all good. Just wanted to let you know that our flight has gotten supremely delayed. We won’t be home until tomorrow morning sometime.”

“Jesus, do you guys need anything?”

“Nah, we’re good. The airline is putting us up in a hotel for the night and giving vouchers for a bunch of stuff. Just called to let you know and for a heads up on the expense report.”

“Well, that is the most important part!” Martin’s honking laugh makes Bradley chuckle as he glances to check on Sherrie’s progress in line. “How’s Sherrie? She good?”

“Yeah, she’s good. She’s holding our spot in line for getting new tickets and stuff.” And it looks like she’s made friends already, he silently adds, smiling at her interacting with the elderly couple in front of her.

“Good. Alright then, I’ll see you on Monday, but let me know if you guys need anything. And hey! If you two end up in the same hotel room — remember what I said on your first day!”

The line goes dead, and so does Bradley’s smile, his stomach churning like it does every time he remembers his first day at the Wells Corporation.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 | 11:15 AM EST | Boston, MA

“Will you calm down?”

“I can’t, Bradley. What if no one likes me? What if I fuck up?!” She hisses, working to appear calm as they wait for their supervisor to show up, but failing.

“First of all, we’re starting together, so you have at least one person that likes you. And you’re great, everyone will like you. Second, there will be mistakes, but we just graduated — they’re not going to let us do anything alone because we don’t know anything yet.”

Sherrie nods, tucking her hands under her legs and trying to breathe. Bradley’s words are encouraging, but he doesn’t know how difficult her internship was last summer. The older engineers she shadowed treated her like a glorified coffee girl and secretary. Even when she had pointed out a mistake they all had missed, there was no change — just the addition of making her type their reports to see if she could catch something the non-engineer tech writers would miss.

This is a brand new company, but misogyny wasn’t unique to Waite Green Construction. Every woman has to work twice as hard to prove her worth and intellect, no matter her age or experience. She’s just hoping her onboarding mentor will be the only other woman in the department; it would be the perfect way to gain a professional mentor once she’s out of the probation period.

“Good morning, kids! How was orientation?” Mr. Teresi walks into the conference room.

Bradley shakes his hand first, “It was good, sir. Nice to see you again.”

“Good to hear! Learn lots of new things.”

“Yes, I think we can be considered experts on trade secrets now.” Sherrie jokes, focusing on making sure her handshake is firm but not too firm.

“Wonderful. So, I’m guessing you two have been introduced, but just in case you haven’t. Bradley, this is Sherrie McHone; she’s an electrical engineer. And Sherrie, this is Bradley Bradshaw, a mechanical engineer.”

“We actually went to school together, sir.”

“We’re friends,” Bradley adds, the two of them exchanging small smiles.

“Oh, great! Well, that makes things easier getting started. Now let’s go over my plan for the two of you, and then we’ll get lunch, my treat for your first day.”

Their supervisor talks for half an hour, going over things they’ll need to be trained in and their first assignments. By the time he’s done, several notebook pages have been filled and highlighted with things that need to be looked up.

“Alright!” The older engineer claps, rubbing his hands together. “I’m sure your brains are overloaded with information, so go drop your things at your desks, and we’ll head to lunch.”

The recent graduates gather their notes and head for the door, quietly talking about a training they’ll be attending next week when he stops them. “One more thing, guys. They never mention it during R&D orientation, but I feel it’s necessary to mention it to new people. Here at Wells, there isn’t a fraternization policy among non-management coworkers or between any employees in different divisions. But we are a fairly small department, so keep in mind who you interact with and what impacts that may have at work.”

Sherrie feels the blood drain from her already pale face as her brand new supervisor stares at her the entire time he speaks, ignoring Bradley completely. She’s going to be sick. Less than four hours into the first professional role of her career, and it’s already happening.

This is the moment it starts, she thinks, her heart pounding in her throat as she robotically nods. It’s never the men that get these warnings. It’s always the women. Always us. Always me.

“I don’t care about that. But there are some people who will, even though they shouldn’t. And I want you guys to have the best experience here you possibly can. You’re both extremely bright, and I’m excited about your futures. I don’t want you to get bogged down by the opinions of others. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” They answer in unison before filing out of the conference room.

“Sherrie, don’t worry about that. He’s just-”

“Trust me, Bradley. I know exactly what he was saying. I’m going to use the restroom, and then I’ll meet you guys at the elevator.”

“Sherrie…”

But she ignores her friend, shrugging her purse over her shoulder and keeping her face neutral as she heads for the single-stall ladies’ room. Fighting to hold the tears back until she’s inside for fear of being perceived as emotional. A quality no woman can afford to have in a professional setting.

Friday, July 15, 2016 | 8:05 PM EST | Charlotte, NC

“Hey, everything? Martin says hi.”

“We’re good! This is Mr. and Mrs. Ludden; they’re going to visit their newest granddaughter. How’re Sophie and Louis?” Bradley smiles at the excited way she introduces them, putting a steadying hand on her back when she bounces up on her toes.

“Oh, congrats! They’re good; Marie can watch’em one more day, problem.”

“Good, we’ll have to get her a thank you present for the short notice.”

“You didn’t tell us you guys had kids!”

Bradley and Sherrie freeze in place, eyes widening in surprise at the older woman’s words.

“Oh- uh- we-” Sherrie giggles awkwardly. “Sophie and Louis are our cats; we don’t have kids.”

“I’m so sorry!” Mrs. Ludden gasps, hand covering her mouth in shock while her husband groans her name.

“Louise, how many times do we have to do this before you stop making assumptions?”

“It’s okay, innocent mistake,” Bradley assures them.

“Well, they’re such a cute couple. I just thought they would have adorable children, too!”

“Actually… we’re not…”

“Oh, lord. Let me guess. You’re not dating. You’re just friends.”

“Coworkers too, but we were friends first.” Sherrie suppresses a laugh when the older gentleman rubs a hand over his eyes in exasperation.

“Don’t even start, Clayton!”

“I wasn’t going to, dear.”

Bradley can’t help the laugh that escapes at the comfortable ribbing they give each other; it reminds him of his friendship with Sherrie. The easy way they tease, never going too far.

“Would you two like to join us after we get rebooked?” Bradley asks. “We’re going to use our food vouchers tonight to grab dinner before we head to whatever hotel they put us up in.”

The four adults move through the line, chatting about small things and comparing pictures of grandkids and cats. It’s a nice way to spend the time, especially when they get to share judging looks when a woman throws a tantrum and yells at the gate agent. But soon enough, they’re walking back to the main concourse and deciding what food to get.

“No, stop. You just sit here with the bags, and I’ll grab the food.” Bradley gently pushes Sherrie back into her chair, rolling his eyes as he talks over her protests. “I know. You want mac and cheese, Diet Coke, and whatever pulled pork flavor looks best.”

“He’s sweet,” Louise says, watching the two men make their way over to the BBQ place.

“He’s annoying.” Which makes her companion laugh. “Yes, he’s very sweet. I’m lucky to be such good friends with him.”

“Can I ask why the two of you aren’t together? He even knows what food to bring you.”

“It’s just never been like that between us. We’ve always just been friends. And he’s annoyingly smart, so he always remembers what I order.” Sherrie half smiles, pushing down the pain in her chest at the harmless curiosity, watching Bradley laugh at something Clayton says as she remembers the first time he remembered one of her favorites.

Saturday, March 4, 2006 | 1:34 PM EST | Charlottesville, VA

“Thanks for meeting me on a Saturday, Bradshaw. It’s just such a busy semester.”

“No problem. You know you can call me Bradley, right?”

“Oh, sorry. Do you not like being called Bradshaw?” Sherrie blinks when a bottle of Diet Coke and a small bag of Skittles is set on the table in front of her. “What’s this?”

“Your favorite snack.”

“Right… but why?”

“Because you have that about 50% of the time when we meet up to work on this project. Now, I finished transcribing the interview with Commander Buck last night. Did you want to- Sherrie?”

She shifts her focus from the food to the boy across from her in the study nook they’ve claimed as theirs for the semester. “Why do you remember my favorite snack?”

“Because we’re friends?” Brown eyes look into hers, equally confused.

“We’re friends?”

“I hope so; otherwise, this is gonna get awkward when you hug me in a minute.”

“Why am I going to hug you?!”

Bradley laughs at her flabbergasted expression, but it doesn’t hurt her feelings like it does when other people laugh at her. Something about the tone of the laugh makes it feel like he’s laughing at her, but rather with her, and she just doesn’t know the joke yet.

“Because as team captain, I am happy to announce to the Relay Chair that Sigma Chi has officially raised $5,000 thanks to your idea.”

“Bradley, that’s incredible!” She doesn’t feel silly when she bounces around the table to hug his neck, rocking them back and forth in excitement.

“Well, if you think that’s good - let me show you what we’re anticipating to raise this month…”

Friday, July 15, 2016 | 10:12 PM EST | Charlotte, NC

“I just don’t understand how we’re having such bad luck!”

Sherrie rolls her eyes as he unlocks the door. “Bradley, breathe. You’re being very dramatic right now.”

“How is “we’re out of rooms” a legitimate reason for the hotel to give? Not that I mind sharing with you, but like how is that possible? The airline specifically works with them to book rooms for things like this! And the airline! That gate agent who wanted to book us to fly into Hartford and then drive the rest of the way to Boston! That's insane!”

“I don’t know, the Bradley flying into Bradley joke was pretty funny.” She mutters, clicking the lights on as she checks the cleanliness of the room.

“It wasn’t.” Bradley pouts, flopping onto the bed closest to the door. “Do you want to shower first?”

“No, go ahead, but I’m going to wash my face first so I can do a face mask. I’m so dry from the airport air.” He listens to the sounds of water running and the quiet humming as she carefully applies the drenched sheet to her skin. “All yours!”

“Thanks, Sher. I won’t be long.”

He showers quickly but takes extra time cleaning his teeth, his mouth feeling gross after the long travel day. When he comes out, he’s surprised at how cozy the room feels. With only one lamp on, the air conditioning set low to keep the fan running, and an old movie on the TV, it almost feels like they could be at home in his living room. They silently move around each other, Sherrie heading to the bathroom with a pile of things while Bradley organizes his things for the morning, wanting to get as much rest as possible before their early alarm.

He scrolls through emails and texts while he waits for her to shower, turning the television off since he knows there’s a small chance of either of them making it five minutes after they kill the lights. He's updating Mav on tomorrow’s travel plans when Sherrie comes out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel. Bradley sees her packing things out of the corner of his eye, not fully paying attention until he plugs his phone in.

“That’s what you wear to bed?”

“Bradley!” He laughs at how she jumps, her hands coming down to cover her shorts.

“What? They’re cute! Very pink.”

Her face goes as pink as the pajama set she’s wearing. “Stop making fun of me!”

“I’m not! You know, I love strawberries.” He can’t help the way his eyes roam up and down her body, admiring from the spaghetti straps on her smooth shoulders to the scalloped edge of her shorts. “I see why you didn’t want to change into those at the airport.”

“Oh my god…” She huffs, climbing into her own queen bed and stuffing herself under the sheets. “You set an alarm, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. Want me to turn the light off?”

“Please. God, this day cannot be over soon enough.”

He chuckles and turns the lamp off, listening to her shuffle around in the sheets as she gets comfortable. It’s quiet for a few minutes, and he can hear her breathing leveling out, but he can’t keep quiet; the conversation at the airport running through his mind.

“Sher?” It takes a second, but she quietly hums in response. “We have to talk about it again.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Sherrie-”

“No, Bradley. We talked about this two weeks ago. Nothing has changed since then.”

“Yes, things have changed since then. You interviewed for that principal engineer position. Which if you get-”

“I’m not going to get it. They’re going to pick Trevor.”

“They’re going to pick you. You’re the best person for the job!”

“That’s not how it works, and you know it.”

He’s silent, the crushing weight on his chest feeling heavier when he hears her sniffle.

“Oh, Sherrie…” He slips out of his bed and into hers, wrapping the woman he loves in his arms. He lets her cry, knowing she’s frustrated and exhausted, only speaking up again when she’s calmed down. “I’m sorry, honey.”

“No, I’m sorry, Bradley. It’s not fair that we’ve been dancing around this for so many years, and I keep saying no. You deserve someone who isn’t afraid to be with you. Not a coward like me.”

“You’re not a coward; you’re one of the bravest people I know, Sherrie Anne McHone. I know how critical people are of women, in this field especially. And I love you, so I don’t mind waiting until we’re in a position that you’re confident won’t jeopardize your career. So, we’ll wait to hear about the job, and once you hear that you’ve gotten it, I’m treating you to the nicest dinner in Boston.”

“Bradley, we don’t know-”

“I know we don’t know. But think about how it would be if it does. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

“But what about-”

“Doesn’t matter, honey.”

“You don’t even know what I was gonna say.” Sherrie mumbles, cuddling further into his side, making it clear that he wasn’t allowed to leave.

“I know, but it doesn’t matter, whatever it is — we’ll figure it out.”

Saturday, July 16, 2016 | 10:32 AM EST | Somewhere over Virginia

“She’ll take a ginger ale; thank you so much.” Bradley balances his apple juice, the two packets of Biscoff cookies, and the bubbling soda he got for Sherrie. The smiling flight attendant moves past their row as he turns to his row companion.

They’re finally on their way home after waking up to more delay announcements. The additional time meant there was time to get coffee and some fruit from the hotel before their taxi back to the airport arrived, and the Luddens had even stopped to chat for a second at the gate, excited that they had gotten bumped up to first class since the flight was nearly empty.

All things considered, it had been a good morning even though Sherrie was insisting on working during the flight. Bradley is sure it’s an attempt to ignore their talk from last night, not wanting to dwell on the emotional moment when things are still so up in the air.

He looks over at the woman he’s known since he was eighteen, overwhelmed for a moment by how little things have changed since the first time he ever noticed her. Bradley fondly watches as she furiously types, hunched over her laptop with headphones, playing what he knows is eighties hair bands.

Her nose wrinkles in frustration, and suddenly it’s 2003 again, and he’s trying to get the attention of the red-haired girl whose table has the only empty chair left, something he desperately needs since this book can’t leave the library. He’s unable to get her attention and resorts to knocking on the table, heart skipping a beat when the prettiest green eyes he’s ever seen blink up at him. Bradley gestures at the empty chair, silently asking if he can sit, and is grateful when she nods because her smile is making his knees wobble. For the next hour, he tries to take notes for his paper, but he keeps getting distracted by the beautiful girl across from him. Bradley isn’t sure if he’s upset or happy when she packs up her stuff and leaves, giving him a little wave when she notices him watching her.

That had been thirteen years ago, and her intense focus still distracts him, but he’s not afraid to interrupt her this time. Fingers rub her arm that is covered in his sweatshirt again, but this time, he knows it smells like her shampoo instead of his cologne. Her smile still sends his heart skipping when she looks up at him, her pretty eyes widening in joy when she catches sight of the red snack packaging and the plastic cup holding her second favorite soda.

“Thank you!” She whispers, leaning across the empty middle seat in their row to kiss his cheek. “Oh, and we should go out to lunch when we get back! I want to try that new noodle place that opened in Southie.”

He just smiles when she immediately gets back to work; cheek puffed out from the cookie she stuffed in her mouth.

Maybe she’s not avoiding our talk from last night.

Thursday, August 11, 2017 | 2:15 PM EST | Boston, MA

“You got a minute?” Bradley knocks on the edge of her cubicle. It may be a different floor of their building, but all of the office space is the same dated stuff from decades ago.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“First of all…” He ducks down and presses a swift kiss to her plush mouth, still trying to make up for all those years he couldn’t. “And don’t say anything because I already checked before I did because I wanted to kiss my girl.”

He chuckles at the pink spots that shine on her cheeks. It’s been a year since Sherrie snagged the promotion, and they officially became an item, but she still turns a little red whenever he says something sweet.

“Second, you are all packed, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“I was gonna swing by the apartment and get our bags so we can head straight to the airport after work.”

“You took the afternoon off? Why?”

Bradley was expecting this question and smoothly fibs. “I worked the hours out with Martin for this week so I could run a few last-minute errands. Do you want me to grab snacks?”

“Okay, Mr. Secrets. When you’re at home, could you water the ivy? I forgot this morning, and I don’t want it to die while we’re gone.”

“Of course! Need me to do anything else?”

Sherrie hums, staring at the ceiling as she thinks. “One more kiss?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bradley happily complies with her request.

“Okay, now you have to go. I have to finish prepping for this meeting where I get to yell at Sean.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll pick you up later. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Have fun with your mysterious errands.” Sherrie teases, and Bradley smirks back, knowing how much she would be freaking out if he knew what he would be doing while she professionally reamed out their least favorite colleague.

“Thanks, honey. Text me if you think of something.” Sherrie waves over her shoulder, already zoned back into her work.

Bradley doesn’t dare look at his buzzing phone until he’s safely on the elevator, pleased to see confirmation texts from their hotel and the airline. Would it be cheesy to quietly propose in the airport that was a catalyst in their relationship? Maybe, but he knew Sherrie would love it. He’s just hoping the TSA didn’t call out the ring that would be hiding in his carry-on.

#deltasupremacy I also want to give a special thanks to @sometimesanalice, who gave so much encouragement through the texts despite having no idea what I was writing - you're the best! tagged some friends and most those who interacted with the original announcement post for this fic all those months ago!

tagging: @gretagerwigsmuse @sometimesanalice @laracrofted @theharddeck @hangmanbrainrot @hangmanssunnies @thesewordsareallihavetogive @princessphilly @katieshook02 @atarmychick007 @kmc1989 @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby @misfitpeach @luckyladycreator2 @scarlettwidow19 @mini-bee-bee @midnightstarqueen @shamelessghostwagonwobbler

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[bomberqueen17]

Liveblogging the Aubreyad: Post Captain Part Three

I promise, this book really is that long. It's not that I'm rambling. I mean I am a little, but.

OK installment one was fly honeys and financial ruin, installment two was Bear Fursona and How Many Indiamen Has Tom Pullings Been In Please Read The Footnotes On This One, and we left off with Jack Finally Gets A Ship And Asks For One Big Favor. So now we are going to find out about this Disaster Boat and the Big Favor.

But first I can't resist this exchange between Stephen and Sophia, Jack's would-be wife prospect. Stephen and Sophie have hit it off as platonic friends and confide in one another a great deal, and Stephen is trying to convince Sophie that if she would just tell Jack she's into him then Jack would do what he had to do to make it happen. She refuses, she couldn't possibly, but meanwhile she is trying to explain to Stephen that Diana treats him like shit because she's trying to figure out if Stephen is into her or not, so if he would just fucking tell her he's into her she would stop being such a raging bitch to him, and Stephen, completely devoid of any self-analysis of this situation, breaks off his contemplation of how very wrong Sophie is to ignore his advice to explain to her that of course he must ignore her advice.

So while Jack is in his interview with Lord Melville, Stephen and Sophie are walking in a nearby park, and have this exchange.

'If you had seen him last night at Lady Keith's, you would not have worried. To be sure, he lost the rest of his ear in the Indiaman - but that was nothing.' 'His ear!' cried Sophia, turning white and coming to a dead halt in the middle of the Parade. 'You are standing in a puddle, my dear. Let me lead you to dry land. Yes, his ear, his right ear, or what there was left of it. But it was nothing. I sewed it on again; and as I say, if you had seen him last night, you would have been easy in your mind.' [...]'What a good friend you are to him, Dr Maturin. His other friends are so grateful to you.’ ‘I sew his ears on from time to time, sure.'

Anyway: The Big Favor, below.

So Jack repairs aboard HMS Disaster Polychrest to fit her out, she never having sailed anywhere before and for good reason, and Stephen turns up shortly in Portsmouth and sends Jack a note to let him know he's arrived. Jack responds, not having shipped any paper or pens aboard, by sending a messenger by way of reply. Brace yourself for the absolute onslaught of human sunshine that is about to follow:

A thundering on the stairs, as though someone had released a bull; the door burst inwards, trembling, and Pullings appeared, lighting up the room with his happiness and his new blue coat. 'I'm made, sir,' he cried, seizing Stephen's hand. 'Made at last! My commission came down with the mail. Oh, wish me joy!' 'Why, so I do,' said Stephen, wincing in that iron grip, 'if more joy you can contain - if more felicity will not make your cup overflow. Have you been drinking, Lieutenant Pullings? Pray sit in a chair like a rational being, and do not spring about the room.' 'Oh say it again, sir,' said the lieutenant, sitting and gazing at Stephen with pure love beaming from his face. 'Not a drop.' [...] 'Lieutenant, will you drink a glass of wine, a glass of sherry-wine?' 'You've said it again, sir,' cried Pullings, with another burst of effulgence. ('You would swear that light actually emanated from that face,' observed Stephen privately.) 'I take it very kind. Just a drop, if you please. I am not going to get drunk until tomorrow night - my feast.'

Pullings does indeed throw a party, to which both Jack and Stephen are invited. But first, the situation-- Pullings is the junior lieutenant, and Jack's first lieutenant is a Mr. Parker, who has been a lieutenant 35 years and never been given a command of his own, for reasons that become obvious: he is not good at his job. He doesn't totally understand how ships work, and focuses instead on cosmetic issues, and to motivate the men he constantly yells at them and beats them and generally is a terror to them. But he has influential friends-- not influential enough to get him his step, but influential enough that Jack is stuck with him.

The staffing of the ship is not ideal either, as they're very short-handed and of the men they have, most are Not Sailors. Pullings goes out to press men out of an incoming Indiaman ("won't she already be stripped?" asks Stephen, and Tom laughs at him.

“Love you, sir, I made two voyages in her. There are hidey-holes under her half-deck you would never dream of, without you helped to stow men into 'em. I'll have half a dozen men out of her, or you may say, black's the white of your eye, Tom Pullings. Lieutenant Tom Pullings,' he added, secretly.

I already included this one in the Indiaman Body Count Tally)

As a bit of a consolation, though, somehow Barret Bonden and his cousin Joe Plaice show up, bold as brass, rowing straight through that harbor openly to report aboard, so Jack has his coxswain back.

(We find out, alas, that Bonden's nephew George Lucock, who Jack had rated midshipman in the Sophie, couldn't get a Navy ship as a mid and wound up pressed as a foremast jack out of a merchantman and into HMS York, which recently went down with all hands in a blow-- built by the same corrupt dockyard as the Polychrest, so she probably came apart at the seams in the heavy storm-swell. Jack is sorely grieved, having valued the young man highly.)

So Barret Bonden takes the captain ashore in his barge to attend TOM PULLINGS's celebratory feast, at an inn near the shore in Gosport-- his parents have come, and his sweetheart.

The young man was standing there with his parents and an astonishingly pretty girl, a sweet little pink creature in lace mittens with immense blue eyes and an expression of grave alarm. 'I should like to take her home and keep her as a pet,' thought Jack, looking down at her with great benevolence.

The party goes well (Stephen bonds delightedly with Mrs. Pullings over their mutual love of mushrooms) but then the bailiffs show up, having been tipped off that Jack is there. Jack gets out the window but there are more waiting for him outside the inn and he can't jump down. So he hollers "Polychrest!" down to the end of the lane where his barge is moored, and up the street come running his barge crew, led by the loyal and extremely capable Barret Bonden, who knocks the head cop flat out with a wooden stave. "Pullings," Jack says once the bailiffs have fled, leaving several of their number stretched unconscious in the mud, "press those men," and so they go back to the ship with several additional hands.

By sea law this is perfectly legal. They have out-copped the fucking cops, and are very pleased with themselves.

So the next day they go out to sea and immediately find out that however little they expected out of the Polychrest, she is in fact much worse. She has so much leeway-- meaning, the wind pushes her bodily across the surface of the water no matter which direction she is meant to be sailing in or how closely she is steered-- that she is manageable only in wide vast open empty stretches of water, but her construction means she has no hold for supplies to be stored in, so she cannot make long voyages over vast open empty stretches of water. She must be used for duties that put her close in to the shore, but she cannot be steered well enough to be close in to the shore.

As a bonus they find out that she is actually slightly better at going backwards than forwards, which is. Well, embarrassing, and unexpected. But Jack can sail anything, and does, so on they go to rendezvous with the blockading Channel fleet.

Additional supporting characters revealed at this time include my son William Babbington, he of the venereal diseases, and a new tiny baby named Parslow, who mostly exists for Babbington to play wicked pranks upon.

HMS Failboat reaches the Channel fleet, whose job it is to keep the French from invading. This is a very real danger, there are hundreds of thousands of French troops sitting on the other side of the channel quite openly in a state of high preparedness and Napoleon around this time said "Let us be masters of the Channel for six hours and we are masters of the world."

But the commander of this patrolling squadron at this time is our old enemy Admiral Harte, yon blue-faced son of an old French fart whom we have known and loathed these years, and he really, really sucks.

Meanwhile in shipboard life, Stephen has fallen afoul of the incompetent Parker, who he catches gratutiously torturing the men out of his misguided ideas of how discipline works. This obliges Jack to openly interfere; he had been trying to be diplomatic with Parker, but he cannot overlook this. He handles it very competently, making Stephen and Parker apologize formally to one another and dismiss the incident, and then berating Parker in private. Stephen is coldly furious and offers to quit on the spot, but is talked down. He does however take a short leave and go ashore, where he visits Sophie and tells her among other things that Jack isn't eating very much because he's too poor to lay in his own private supplies, which is customary for ship captains.

And so Killick comes aboard, bearing extravagant amounts of food sent as gifts by Sophie. Jack actually almost cries, it's such a kind and also necessary thing for her to have done. And it's good timing, because Canning comes to dine. (He is Jewish and there is a funny sidebar as Jack tries to find out from the Bible [Stephen is astonished that he owns a copy] whether Jews can eat venison. The answer, as far as the unfussy Canning is concerned, is yes.)

So the dinner is a success, but then they immediately put to sea again. But not far out to sea. And Jack goes repeatedly ashore to visit-- Diana, not Sophie. Diana, who is in Dover, which is easy for the squadron to get to. (Sophie is farther away and also he cannot see her because her mother would not allow it, and she has refused to tell him openly that she wants this, though one would think the food she sent would have been a clue. And yet.) But Jack goes to visit Diana even in peril of being arrested, to the detriment of his duty, to the damage of his reputation, delaying the sailing of convoys he's meant to escort, imperiling his career. Which is what she wants. It's easy for men to say they care about her, but in her state she demands sacrifices to prove it, which Stephen provides as well but in his case she wants declarations, which he won't make.

Back aboard, Jack is trying to fix the ship's rigging to make her sail forwards more often, and Stephen is bonding with the new Marine captain over the various martial arts. The Marine asks if he should like to do some fencing practice. "Would that be quite regular?" Stephen asks, apparently without a hint of irony continuing "I have a horror of the least appearance of eccentricity."

Really. Do you now.

Anyhow they do practice fencing and pistol-shooting, and Jack is astonished to realize that his mildly bumbling friend is actually an incredible shot and a very skilled fencer. Stephen's university days had involved rather an extreme amount of dueling and he is extremely well-practiced and skilled at these arts.

HMS Failboat meets the Bellone, their old frienemy. They could chase her off and simply take the prizes she was escorting, but Jack knows that she does too much damage to English commercial traffic to be allowed to continue, so he doggedly chases her, leaving the prizes behind. He cannot take her, but drives her onto the rocks of the Spanish coast, and watches the surf break her back.

Admiral Harte doesn't give a fuck about this, he's just mad Jack didn't take the prizes.

Stephen is called away to do intelligence work, which Jack still knows nothing about really-- he has some inklings that there are depths to Stephen, but has no idea what those depths really are. Stephen visits Diana and Sophie on the way again, and again, Diana tries to get him to show concrete interest and he won't; he then tells Sophie she absolutely must show Jack some concrete interest but she says she can't and then counter-insists that he absolutely must be more direct with Diana, and he refuses. (I begin to see why this book is so long...)

Stephen is landed by the dark of the moon on the Spanish coast, and some undefinable time later he returns, deeply tanned, and tells everyone he's been in Ireland seeing to tedious family business.

He meets Heneage Dundas, who begs him to tell Jack that everyone has noticed him going ashore so much, it is entirely obvious to everyone what he is doing and it does not look good to anyone. He begs Stephen to tell Jack, lest Jack imperil what few chances he has to advance his career. Dundas is himself a notorious womanizer, so coming from him, this is really, really saying something.

Back aboard, Stephen finds the ship thoroughly unhappy, badgered by Parker's hard-horse willy-nilly torture, unbolstered by any real help from a despondent Jack, after a boring and unproductive convoy escort to the Baltic. But, Jack brought Stephen a souvenir-- a narwhal horn-- and Stephen is delighted.

So delighted he resolves to try to convey Dundas's message. Jack, already sensitive because he knows he's behaving badly, takes it amiss, answers him sharply, carelessly uses the word bastard to which Stephen, being one, is extremely sensitive. Stephen cannot abide it, demands Jack withdraw, and Jack, too angry, doubles down instead, pointing out that Stephen coming back deeply suntanned from a trip to Ireland is beyond believing and makes one question whether Stephen is telling the truth about anything-- which is of course entirely the wrong thing to ever say to someone who has fought as many duels as Stephen, and so of course Stephen goes to ask Dundas to second him in a duel.

Jack belatedly withdraws the word bastard but nothing else, which isn't going to cut it. But the scheduling is prohibitive, so the whole thing drags on unresolved.

Jack goes ashore once more to see Diana, but her servant says she isn't at home; he sneaks around back and discovers that indeed she is there, entertaining Canning in her bedroom.

Admiral Harte now orders the Failboat to go and traverse a very dangerous set of inshore channels to look in upon a French harbor. Now, either Harte is trying to get him killed, or is genuinely ignorant enough not to realize that the Polychrest is fatally unsuited to this mission, but Jack is so dispirited that he merely registers a dull formal protest about it (Failboat's hull has indeed started to come apart and it needs refitting already), then goes away shrugging on what amounts to a suicide mission.

Stephen meanwhile has been noticing that the men are increasingly sullen, but attributes it to the falling-out he has had with Jack-- most of the crew has been treating him poorly now that he is clearly no longer the Captain's Favorite. But in the sick bay he hears the men talking about their plans for mutiny. So he goes, dutifully, to tell Jack: the men will mutiny once they are close to France, and plan to carry the ship to a French harbor once the officers are dead. He will not name names, he is no informer, but he felt it his duty to report the fact of the matter.

Jack knew this was coming, they had been rolling shot in the night and he is not unaware of the state of the ship. He has a solution.

'Men,' said Jack, 'I know damned well what's going on. I know damned well what's going on; and I won't have it. What simple fellows you are, to listen to a parcel of makee-clever sea-lawyers and politicians, glib, quick-talking coves. Some of you have put your necks into the noose. I say your necks into the noose. You see the Ville de Paris over there?' Every head turned to the line-of-battle ship on the horizon. 'I have only to signal her, or half a dozen other cruisers, and run you up to the yardarm with the Rogue's March playing. Damned fools, to listen to such talk. But I am not going to signal to the Ville de Paris nor to any other king's ship. Why not? Because the Polychrest is going into action this very night, that's why. I am not going to have it said in the fleet that any Polychrest is afraid of hard knocks.”

No punishment, the incident will not be logged, but they are going to go on this possible suicide mission here and now and either fucking do the impossible or fucking die trying.

Everyone is pleased by this, except Parker, so off they go, making it to their target in shockingly good time. The navigation is incredibly tricky, and Jack does not know the waters, so he is relying entirely on his master, who is a Channel pilot. He double and triple-checks everything with the master, but the master is absolutely confident, despite the fog that has rolled in, despite how tricky this harbor in specific is. No, they are in the right place, the master is perfectly confident, this is going exactly as planned, and so they are definitely going to--

They run hard aground on a sandbar, midsentence. They were in the wrong place, the master having confused one distinctive headland with another identical distinctive headland. They are now hard aground under the overlapping fire of two heavy, well-staffed land batteries, the fog is lifting, and the gunboats from the harbor are coming out to destroy them.

The only way off the sandbar is to carry an anchor out some distance and then winch themselves off with it, but none of the smaller boats they possess are strong enough to carry the anchor. They will have to go steal one from the harbor. Having decided this within the first three seconds of realizing the situation, Jack then realizes that it would be faster, better, to go cut out a large enough vessel from that harbor to simply directly tow the Polychrest off. And there is in fact a 20-gun corvette there, the Fanciulla, anchored under the batteries, but so close under them that their guns could not bear on her. She is the ship they were meant to locate, and there she is. And why not cut her out? It's suicidal but then this whole thing was anyway.

So he calls for volunteers for this absolutely madcap, reckless plan, and is stunned when most of the men onboard follow him with zero hesitation; he has to order some to stay behind to keep the ship, having already ordered some others off on a distraction gambit to draw the gunboats off.

They reach the corvette; Babbington gets shot and Jack saves him, it's only his arm that is broken, he tucks it into his shirt and fights on, desperately. Pullings cuts the cables with his bloody axe, the Fanciulla is theirs-- the battery has not realized the ship is taken and does not fire on them as they make their way back out to the Polychrest, only belatedly opening fire when they're most of the way there. They pass a cable, set the sails, get on the capstan bars, and are working to tow the Polychrest off-- it has started to move-- they're nearly there-- and then the cable is cut by shot from the batteries, and there is no surviving boat to carry another cable.

So Jack, already wounded but determined, swims over to the Fanciulla to get another cable. He is wounded again in the water, and comes aboard exhausted and bleeding heavily. No one else can swim, and the Fanciulla cannot come any closer without grounding herself as well. So he takes the heavy cable and sets off back to the Polychrest, nearly drowns, but gets there, seeing double. Bonden has to haul him out of the water, he cannot stand, but finally heaves to his feet to take a place at the capstan in the final desperate effort to get the Polychrest unstuck.

She floats. But she has been hulled upwards of 200 times by the batteries' heavy shot, and above all, her poorly-built hull is coming apart at the seams. She cannot swim long.

They tow her out. A large number of transport ships had fled the harbor when the fighting started, meaning to get clear of whatever happened, and they are all out in the shipping lane, milling about and completely confused. The Polychrest and Fanciulla sink several, take one that blunders into them and gets stuck, and leave flaming chaos behind them. Which was, after all, the substance of Jack's orders.

They get everything they can off the Polychrest, and then, finally, she sinks. And so does Jack, massively short on blood.

But the book is not over, no. There's more, but this is another suitable place for an intermission.

Stay tuned for: Gibbon crimes, sixty thousand bees, romantic heartbreak and separate resolution (not the same romance), and somebody gets a promotion. Two somebodies! ... one of them is really not who you would expect.

[solarmidnight]

Chreon Fic Rec List!

As promised, here is my Chreon fic rec list. Please leave a comment and kudos to show these authors some love!

If you are a fanfic author and find your fic on this list and you'd like it removed, please message me and I will remove it immediately.

Please make sure to read the tags for each fic for warnings/triggers.

Be My Remedy by tirsynni (8K)

When Leon agrees to do a favor for Chris, he should have expected everything to go to hell. At least this time he isn't alone when the mission is done.

Persona Non Grata by Yuu_chi (26k)

A no strings attached arrangement with the love of your life seems like a good idea right up until you realize he's in love with somebody else.

you don't fare well without me by realpoutydadsurvives (23k)

Leon shuddered a breath out of his frozen lungs and asked numbly, “Why do you hate me?” There was a quiet more invasive than the deadly silence of the world beyond the walls protecting them and Leon hated himself for being so stupid— stupid fucking Kennedy saying shit he wasn’t supposed to say— fumbling for a way to cover up his fuck up, when Chris’s low voice broke the silence, saying, “I don’t hate you, Leon. I never have.” “Liar,” Leon accused softly into the darkness of their warm refuge. “You’re a f-fucking liar.”

fate changed (we keep loving as if the story isn't over yet) by fonulyn (note: past relationship Piers/Leon) (34k)

In hindsight, Leon knew the second he opened the door and saw Chris standing there, dressed in his service uniform, mouth pinched to a grim line and unable to meet Leon’s gaze straight. There was only one logical reason for it, only one way to explain why he was standing there like he would rather be anywhere else, and Leon almost slammed the door right in his face. “Leon, I…” Chris started, suddenly forgetting every single word he’d prepared. “Piers. He…” he trailed off, and risked a glance at Leon, who was standing there like a statue. It was like he wasn’t even breathing, with the way he was staring at Chris. “He saved my life. He saved Sherry. And he saved Jake. Hell, he probably saved the whole world, but he—” “Don’t.” - Or the one wherein no one really knows how to handle their grief, but somehow life goes on anyway.

Chris by Any Other Name by leftid (30k)

“Christopher Adam Redfield,” the rookie said, admonishingly. “You clean up your mess this instant.” “Who?” was Chris’ reply. ———————— Leon Scott Kennedy takes pity on Christopher ‘No-Middle-Name’ Redfield, and spends the next several years they know each other trying to find one. Technically it’s a series of 26 drabbles spanning from RE1 to RE8. A small line of plot managed to sneak into this episodic series.

Cocksucker by r3zuri (note: also features Krauser/Leon) (12k)

When Leon is ten, he tells his parents that girls are gross and he’s never getting married. They tell him he’ll change his mind when he’s older.

Collide by NovelNormandy (8k)

“Oops,” Chris says and Leon huffs a surprised laugh, now using his grip on Chris’s arm and the back of his neck to help hold his weight. “Sorry.” Leon shrugs, looking back at him. “It’s from IKEA.” “So what do I owe you, like 38 bucks?” Leon adjusts his hold on Chris, wrapping his legs firmly around the other man’s hips. “Can think of another way you can get me back.”

Welcome Back by nanaa127 (5k)

After an extended mission, Leon unexpectedly shows up at a conference Chris is attending. Chris is happy to see him. Very, very happy.

New Rookie by leonsknife (6K)

There's a new rookie at the R.P.D. and he's caught Chris' attention.

who am i after tasting you? by chthonicheart (38K)

“I fear the entire floor might have heard us last night,” Chris starts. Leon’s ears start ringing. What? “Yeah, I know. The server told me to tell you he gives us his ‘sincerest congratulations.’” “Christ,” Leon mutters, mostly to himself. “If only this complimentary breakfast came with complimentary mimosas.” 

One Tomorrow at a Time by Requiem (37K)

During the fight with Arias, Leon gets infected and turns into a B.O.W. Chris is not giving up on him that easily.

as i drown in irresistible love by FireandLightning (5K)

It's a late night at the BSAA offices when Chris receives a text from Leon containing a photo of Leon himself next to... Chris can get very, very jealous of people flirting with Leon sometimes. Leon knows just how to turn that jealousy to his advantage, especially for when he wants to get literally demolished and punished suitably by Chris Redfield.

[space-spring]

I reblogged that post the other day about never finishing video games and it made me stop and think hard about my life and the fact that. oh my god....... I really DO never finish video games........... So I have changed my ways by finishing up Chapter 4 and the ending of Chaos route for Tactics Ogre! Tons of endgame spoilers ahead but here are my bullet-pointed highlights:

My guy Azelstan the pirate! I love him. His whole arc with losing his daughter reminded me a little of Svarog and Hossabara from Triangle Strategy (albeit with substantially more nihilism!), and finding him at the port and then going through the story with the girl he takes under his wing made me die a little inside.

I do really appreciate the fact that even once he joins you he's still a little bit of a mess! I feel like a lot of the characters join Denam out of anger or honor or something else equally passionate, and meanwhile Azelstan's out here going "I've lost everything I love and this is just a decent way to try and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else." He's simply a very sad old man and I love him a lot

This is not a highlight per se but it IS funny: I had to play the whole pirate cove dungeon where you recruit him like three or four times because I kept thinking I had the recruitment conditions fulfilled and then. did not in fact have the recruitment conditions fulfilled. I killed SO many ghosts. I got to the point where I just bought like 30 exorcism arcanas before going in so I could just have anyone regardless of cleric status blast the stilled undead whenever I needed to

AUGHKDHJSHDGHJJS. I am. SO unwell about the Sherri recruitment scene. I cannot express just how much I am unwell about the Sherri recruitment scene. All the Phoraena sisters really are so cool and good and I spontaneously combust whenever they come on screen but this scene is just AUUUUUGH........ It kills me thinking about how long Sherri's been hiding out because she doesn't think anyone will welcome her back and meanwhile her sisters just!!! love her so much!!!!!!!!!! and SHE loves THEM so much!!!!!! it just makes me go woaugh..........

I also just replayed some of the earlier chapters with Cerya and Cistina to test out the endgame rewind feature, and I take back my little chart I made of them a while back where they're arguing over clothes and things. All of the sisters are defined first and foremost by Being Willing To Sacrifice Everything For Each Other and I love them so much about it

And in addition to all the Phoraena sister dynamics, looking at this scene through the perspective of Denam ALSO having a sister who's keeping herself apart because she feels unloved is so. wowowowow

And on that note Denam and Catiua are rotating around in my head 24/7!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really so in love with how far the writers went with their argument and fallout and also insane about the bad ending in this scenario because AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?! and also I'm just a sucker for guilt arcs and having to live with mistakes even when it'd be easier not to. Catiua's absolutely insane (affectionate) and I think it's so fun how she changes things around and really comes into her own after this.

Also I really really love that the two of them got to have such a narratively clear conversation about everything that went down!!!!! This is a complete tangent but I sometimes kind of go insane over the fact that in Triangle Strategy we really don't get to see a ton of Roland and Cordelia after they reunite and Whiteholm is retaken. They have. so many things to talk about, and Cordelia has more than a few valid reasons to feel resentment toward Roland for the way he handled retaking Whiteholm. The closest they come to really talking about how they feel is that scene where they're standing in the garden and Roland's trying to explain why he killed Avlora and Cordelia just kinda quietly goes, "I know. I get it. I can't blame you." And while that scene is fun in its own "this bad boy can fit SO many emotionally traumatized Cordelia headcanons in it" sort of way, it's also so so so nice to see Denam and Catiua do the opposite and actually sit down and hash it out for a bit. They get to talk about why they're angry!!! They both get to explain themselves and then reassure each other that they're still loved!!!! They get to be genuinely close again and work as a team!!!!! and I love that for them :)

Also with comparisons to Cordelia, Catiua very distinctly doesn't get sidelined after Denam rescues her!!!! She's an active participant in the war and really takes charge over Denam, which is very neat imo, and I love getting to see her coronation and speech at the end

THIS ATTACK SPECIFICALLY. The whole final boss was so cool but I actually gasped and sat back when I saw this, it was just so so different than any of the other graphics in the game and it made me go nuts

AAAAOAUGH GHAGHG

The credits are really pretty :)

RHCKCHHGLGLRLRLAHHJG I am once again foaming at the mouth about the way the game blends game mechanics and story this is SUCH a fun explanation for how the whole world tarot system works and also I am absolutely gutted by the idea of Denam doing this canonically because he can't stand the regret of the choices he's had to make. I feel like Denam's guilt over the entire conflict isn't explicitly mentioned a ton (he actively makes a lot of comments to the effect of "I'm doing what my honor dictates and I have nothing to be ashamed of") and then every once in a while the game comes back and slaps you with stuff like this. Like hey. hey. yasumi matsuno. can we talk? I jst wantto talkk

Also all the endgame content is SO GOOD. I'm starting to move over to Reborn because I want to experience all the voice acting and stuff over on that version, but it's also so hard to leave my team and all the cool stuff I've unlocked. I need to read up on it more but I'm 90% sure you can recruit Lancelot and Warren if you do the Palace of the Dead stuff which I avoided in Chapter 4, so I'm tempted to go back and do that on there sometime. Or mayhaps I'll just play it through on Reborn once I get through Lawful and Neutral!

But yeah!!! Overall, such a fun route and a fun game and a fun ending :) I do feel like I want to come back to Chaos route once I've finished the other two, because I miss Vyce and the role-playing part of my RPG-obsessed brain really wants him to survive the canon-ish ending because I think there's a ton of things from the beginning of the route that I'll think differently on now that I've finished (like all of the stuff building up to Vyce going nuts and Catiua leaving).

[jillsandwhichs]

cleon fic , chap 7 , visiting

masterlist

pairing: Claire Redfield & Leon Kennedy

summary: Claire & Leon pick up Sherry and spend the day with her

status of their relationship in this oneshot: Close friends w clear feelings

wc: 6.5k

type: Sfw

a/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Thank you

"It feels like it's been forever since we last seen her, I'm excited." Claire expressed, sitting comfortably in the passenger seat of Leon's car. The two of them were heading to Sherry's school to pick her up. This was their first time ever seeing her together and not only that, it was also their first time picking her up from her private school, she began attending it a little while after the Raccoon City incident. Now she's fourteen years old! Time flys by so quickly.

"Yeah, she's gotten taller too." Leon snickered, his hand resting steadily on the steering wheel as he drove 25 MPH, driving towards her school. It was a high security school system too, they had to bring a signed note and their ID's just in case the staff didn't believe the fact they were family friends to Sherry, that's how bonded they were, like they were a small, loving family. "She really has." Claire exclaimed, pulling down the mirror above her and grabbing her chapstick and lipgloss from her small, red purse.

"So... What do you think all three of us will do once she's here? I'm okay with anything, as long as you two are happy." Leon explained, every so often glancing over at Claire, seeing she was applying lip gloss on, it made her rosey pink lips more shiny looking. "Oh, whatever Sherry wants to do honestly. Off the top of my head though we could do something like getting lunch then afterwards we could take her to the pier, last I seen her she told me she always wanted to ride the ferris wheel there!" Claire stated, placing her belongings back into her purse.

"Sounds fun, we can do that. Where do you think we'd go for lunch?" "Oh either Emmy's Diner or we could check out that new burger spot in town... What was it called again?" Claire asked, a puzzled look plastered on her face. "John's. It's literally just referred to as John's. I think there's more to the name but that's what I've heard a few people call it." Leon explained, hoping she'd understand what he had meant. "I see, makes sense. Whichever Sherry chooses, we'll go there, yeah?" "Of course." He nodded.

"Since when do you wear makeup?" Leon chuckled, taking another glance at her face, his cheeks felt flushed although he couldn't pin down why exactly. "I don't, I just picked this up at the store the other day, it smelt good so, why not?" Claire giggled, popping her lips and turning her head to face the windshield. In front of them, all that was visible were busy streets, pedestrians, bright green grass patches, flowers that were so vibrant and beautiful & more. Claire wasn't much of a city girl, but scenery's around the city were to die for. Leon is way more into the city, definitely was made for it.

"When does she get out of school? I'm sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions, I'm just out of the loop." "No worries and around three p.m, so in like ten minutes, luckily, we're almost there." "How will she know what car to go to?" "I'm sure Derek let her know, he's organized like that." Claire scoffed. She was most definitely not a fan of Derek, who is the current guardian of Sherry after both William and Annette passed away in the Raccoon City incident.

"What's wrong with Derek? Isn't it good he took her in? No one usually does kind-hearted things like that anymore." Leon questioned, he didn't know anything about the man who took Sherry in as his own, but Claire knew more. "I mean... He hasn't done anything wrong in particular. He's just very intimidating and mean sometimes... Not to Sherry but the people who work for them and even me before. I don't know, I guess I don't know enough on him to make that assumption." Claire spoke, sighing softly.

The car was silent for a few final minutes. All that was heard was their quiet breaths of air & the radio playing a quiet tune, it was "Running Down a Dream." By Tom Petty, whom just so happens to be one of Claire's favorite musical artists. Claire hadn't been in the same vehicle with Leon since when she had introduced him to her brother ; that was well over a year ago. The two just lived busy lives and never necessarily had the time to spend one on one time together. Today was a perfect chance to do so, Claire had invited him to see Sherry considering Derek had only ever let her do so before today.

Derek was extremely protective over Sherry and while Claire is thankful for that, she wishes she could understand why. Derek claims he knew William and Annette yet when she asked Sherry if she even met Derek or had even heard of him, she told her she had no clue who he was. Either way, he's kept Sherry safe the past couple years so Claire honestly has no complaints. If she could of had it her way, she would've taken Sherry in. Things just wouldn't have been able to work that way though.

"Which street is her school located on again?" Leon wondered, facing Claire as they were stopped at a red light. "Leon, I literally messaged you all the details, how are you so forgetful?" "Guess that's what happens when I'm so tight on a schedule... Now, Claire, which street?" Leon joked, nudging her before pulling his car foward. "Beau street, like three minutes away. You're gonna wanna go straight until you see that Ikea up town, then go left and you'll see the school, it's pretty hard to miss." Claire directed him to where they'd need to go, she was a smart girl, smart with navigation.

Nodding a few times, Leon kept his eye out for the Ikea just up ahead. "Oh, I forgot to ask you, has my brother Chris contacted you at all?" Claire asked Leon, a somewhat worrisome tone filled her voice. "No... Why? Is he alright?" "Probably, well, I hope. He's been kind of M.I.A. Probably just busy with work though, I shouldn't get myself so worked up." "Yeah... Don't forget what happened last time when you went searching for him..." Leon attempted to make a darker themed joke but Claire just didn't respond. Bad move, Leon.

Leon felt kind of bad after cracking that joke. Claire wasn't the kind of person to take things like that lightly. Leon just uses it as a way to cope. "I'm sorry Claire, I didn't mean it to seem like... Mean or something. I just have a hard time accepting what happened, you know?" "I understand, people respond to trauma in different ways." Claire breathed out deeply. She was such a caring and understanding woman. Leon liked that about her, a lot. Leon found himself admiring Claire for the way she is not only for being caring and understanding, but also everything else that's great about her too.

"I respect you, you know that?" Leon stated, sighing out and hoping she'd understand what he meant. They definitely had a mutual respect for one another but it's on a higher level than just respect. They cherish one another. They get each other. You respect your friends, of course, but these two went through hell and back together, their respect isn't just based by the definition of the word but rather the actions they implemented whilst they've known each other. "You respect me? I'd hope so. I respect you too." Claire giggled, giving him a gleeful smile before turning her head away.

"Yeah, I just respect your way of thinking. Just how you are as a person." Leon spoke quietly, not wanting to seem overbearing. "I appreciate that." Claire said with a hopeful gleem in her eyes ; it was as if she had always wanted to hear words like that come from him specifically. "Oh, just up here is Sherry's school, it's the building with the maroon, brownish roof, it's hard to miss." Claire added, making sure he didn't pass by the school. "Gotcha." Leon responded, keeping a lookout for Sherry's private school.

"I cannot wait to get something to eat, I bet she can't either. I just had avocado toast for breakfast but that was at nine a.m, I need to eat." Claire snorted, comfortably sitting but also not so much due to being ecstatic to see Sherry, she felt fidgety. "Well worry no further, I'll have you two girls fed in no time." Leon chucked her a half smile, it's rare to even manage to get a grin out of him. "Are you going to eat as well? You better Leon." Claire stated sternly, her bossy attitude was attractive but Leon would never say that straight to her.

"We'll see, I haven't ate yet today but then again, I don't have much of an appetite." Leon spoke, turning left after he spotted the Ikea he had been keeping an eye out for. "Oh, so it's just up here, correct?" "Yep, then you're gonna have to show the camera out ID's. Derek told me we can park in front of the school, I'm pretty sure Sherry knows which car we're in too." Claire assured him, while Derek wasn't the best man out there, he made sure their visitation was organized to a T.

As he drove onwards, he seen the dark red colored roof Claire had spoken about. She wasn't kidding when she told him it was huge. How many students do they even need to fit in there? Leon found it to be unnecessary. Then again, rich people make unnecessary financial decisions, for the most part. "So do I pull into this gate up here?" "Yes but you're going to need to stop so the camera can check our ID's." Claire explained carefully. "I don't think this much security is needed but alright." Leon chuckled, snagging his ID from the center console.

The gate was large and black, it look intimidating. It was as if they were about to enter some gothic, mystical castle, but it was just a school for crying out loud. "Give me your ID." Leon requested, holding his hand out to hers. His hand was significantly bigger than hers, he noticed that. "Here you go." Claire whispered, her finger colliding with his hand as she gently placed her ID into it. The man rolled down his driver seat window and looked at the speaker merged into the brick wall along the gate. With it was a small camera, almost like one that would be attached to a doorbell.

A voice began to play, it sounded like artificial intelligence. Is this place fancy enough to afford that? Damn... "When ready, please show your personal ID(s) to the camera above, once done, wait for the clear to proceed forward." The automated voice spoke, it sounded like your average news reporter or receptionist. "What is this techy bullshit?" Leon muttered to himself, taking both his and Claire's ID's, aiming them to face the small camera. He kept them there til a quiet beep noise was heard, then the sound of the gate as it slowly retracted open. "High security my ass." "Well, Leon, the people in the office most likely see our ID's and knew we are here for Sherry." She claimed.

It was currently two-fifty-eight p.m, Sherry will be out any minute. Both of them were glad they were able to do this with her. Sherry didn't deserve what happened to her back in Raccoon City. She was just a little girl. Both Leon and Claire plan to do as much as they can with her to make it up. Sherry views Claire as a sort of mother figure and Leon as a fatherly one, although Derek plays more of a role in that. Either way, Sherry admires them both and is grateful for all they have done for her.

Multiple cars already made their way into the parking lot, taking their place and waiting for their children to be out of school for the day. Leon's never done anything like this before but deep down, it felt sort of nice. It felt like he was a dad. He definitely isn't ready for a child yet but he's contemplated it. He's just never found the right woman. Hopefully in the future he'll be able to. "I feel like a dad picking up his daughter from school." Leon joked, parking his vehicle a couple spots down from the front door that lead out of the school.

"That's funny... Do you ever want kids someday?" "Someday, yeah maybe, but til then, no." Leon stated. "I don't think I'd make a good father." Leon expressed, soughing aloud. "Oh Leon, that's nonsense, I've seen how you are, you would make a good dad, trust me." Claire comforted him, along with her affirming words, she placed her soft, delicate hand upon his as it rested on the center console. "You'd make a great mother, I mean, look how you are with Sherry... Were you ever a babysitter? Like whilst you were in High School or College?" Leon asked, his question genuine. He was curious, that's all.

"Actually, yes! Chris has this friend, Barry, and he has two young girls. Their names were Polly and Moria. Moria was closer in my age but Polly was a whole lot younger. I watched them from time to time and Moria actually wants to join TerraSave eventually. Obviously she can't right now." "I knew it." Leon snickered. He suspected she's always had some experience with children to some capacity. "You're a dork." Claire teased, smiling at him, her cheeks a light pinkish shade.

Interrupting them, a loud ringing bell was heard, indicating school was officially out. "Here we go, tons of kids just flying on out." Leon sighed, making sure he kept a look out for Sherry. It doesn't help at this school, they're forced to wear uniforms. "I was told Sherry has her hair up today with a pink headband so I'll make sure to spot that out." Claire said, rolling down the passenger side window and sticking her head out of it, the relaxing breezy wind instantly hitting her divine facial structure.

Facing the same way as Claire, Leon also made sure to attempt to look for Sherry in the crowd of students. There weren't as many as Leon had expected but still, there was a good chunk of kids running out of the building and searching for their guardians. "Is that her?" Leon pointed to a young girl. "Definitely not, Sherry isn't that tall." Claire snorted, remaining in her same position.

As the last crowd of students came out of the school, Claire soon seen Sherry in all her glory, she looked adorable! Claire was beaming at the fact she was able to see Sherry today, it had been a month or two since the last time she visited her. Sticking her head further out the window, Claire shouted out to the young girl. "Sherry! Sherry, over here! It's me and Leon!" Claire spoke loudly, waving her hand to her, nudging for her to come over to the car. "Claire? Leon!? I'm coming!" Sherry replied, her tone louder as well as she sprinted for the car.

A radiant look was all over Sherry's face. She was clearly glad to see the two of them. Leon clicked the 'unlock' button for the backseat doors, allowing her to enter the car swiftly. Sherry opened the door behind Leon's seat and climbed in, her smile was infectious. "Hi! How was school Sherry?" Claire questioned, facing Sherry and grinning at her kindly. "Claire, why are you guy's?" Sherry completely disregarded Claire's question, she was too excited to even process what she said.

"Well, me and Leon missed you! Did Derek not tell you we were coming to see you?" "No, he just told me to look out for a specific colored car... I didn't expect it to be you guy's!" Sherry exclaimed, her bright cheerful smile was the absolute cutest. "Oh, that's weird, he was supposed to. Either way, aren't you happy to see us?" "Very much so. Hi Leon!" Sherry spoke sweetly, buckling herself in. "Hey Sher-Bear, how are you and how was school?" Damn, he really was talking like he was a father.

"I'm great and school was okay, just learning about ecosystems, which I love animals so." Sherry spoke, she was so cute when talking about things she enjoyed! "That sounds entertaining." Leon spoke, trying to have glee in his voice but he just isn't great with his emotions. After a couple moments of silent, Claire began to speak and explain what they were going to do for the day. "So, Sherry, we were thinking we could go get some lunch and afterwards go to that ferris wheel on the pier you were telling me all about, does that sound like a plan?" Claire asked, her lips curled into a gentle smirk. "Oh, yes, yes it does, I'm very hungry and I think the lights on the ferris wheel will be on by then!" Sherry was clearly delighted with the idea Claire presented.

"To begin, where would you like to eat? We can either go to Emmy's Diner or that new burger place, John's. Have you been to either before?" Claire asked, wanting to see if she's had experience at either or. "No, neither actually... What's at Emmy's?" Sherry wondered. "So, they have practically everything. Any food, you name it, I guarantee they have it." "And what does John's have?" "Off the top of my head, they mostly serve meats as in burgers, hot dogs, tenders and more. Not as much of a variety." Claire stated. "We can do Emmy's then!" Sherry chose the spot they were going to eat at. "Alrighty then, sounds good." Claire responded, turning back to face the front of the car, buckling back up.

"Emmy's is out by the local Church, yeah?" Leon asked Claire, beginning to drive out of the parking lot and back out onto the road. "Yes, it's just across from it. That's why they host so many events there. Sherry, does Derek take you to Church?" Claire questioned her, wanting to check out whether or not Derek had religious beliefs. "Oh, Church? Sometimes. Usually though he just goes there to talk to some random men, I just usually sit in the front area." Sherry told Claire, it made her a bit skeptical. "Ok then..." Claire tittered out, wondering who these men were and why of all places Derek was deciding to meet them at a Church.

"By the way Sherry, just so you don't worry, Derek said he'll pick you up from the pier once we're all done, okay?" "That's fine." Sherry replied, placing her backpack down on the floor of the car, facing forward and seeing the buildings fly by as Leon drove them to the diner. "I am so hungry, I can't wait to eat." Claire expressed, gazing at Sherry through the mirror. "Me too!" "What did you eat at school?" Leon asked Sherry, wondering if she even got to eat anything. "Well, I didn't really eat anything. I just had string cheese and a few apple slices." Sherry responded. "I don't eat at school, I usually wait till Derek gives me a snack at home or gets me dinner." Leon and Claire stayed silent momentarily.

"Does he feed you everyday? At least dinner?" Leon questioned. Leon wasn't so sure of this Derek guy, he wanted to make sure he was taking proper care of Sherry. "Yes, sometimes he just tells me to wait until breakfast though but that's rare." Sherry vocalized. "Are you saying you sometimes come home from school and just don't eat?" "Well, yeah, it's fine though, I always get breakfast." Sherry tried to console what she had said but Leon was going to have a serious word with Derek.

After Sherry finished talking, Claire gave Leon a very particular glare, as if she was upset. "We'll get it figured out." Leon whispered to Claire, moving his hand from the steering wheel and to squeeze her hand for a second before moving it back, using both hands to steer. "Yes, yes we will." Claire uttered quietly to him. Claire was suddenly in a different mood ; it was as if someone had disturbed a mama bear protecting her baby cub.

"Emmy's Diner is just up here, turn right at the post." Claire spoke louder now, not wanting to seem as though her and Leon were being secretive. "Alrighty..." Leon mumbled, getting ready to turn right. "You ready to get some food in your belly?" Claire asked Sherry, lightening the mood as much as she could. "Yes, I really am. I wonder what I'll eat." "You can get anything you'd like, it's on us." Claire responded, giving Sherry a lot of freedom. This was all about her, Claire will always try her best to make hers and Sherry's time together. Well, now hers, Leon's and Sherry's!

Once Leon reached the post, he turned right and spotted the diner they had decided to dine in at. "Do I just park alongside the road?" "Yes, just make sure you don't hit the curb." Claire tittered, pointing to the curb right by the parking spaces. "I have hit one to many curbs in my lifetime, sometimes I wonder how I haven't gotten my licence revoked." Leon chuckled. Claire and Sherry both let out small laughs. Leon felt accomplished with the fact the two found him amusing.

Parking the car in a diagonal position, Leon took his keys out of the ignition and placed them into his leather jacket pocket, glancing at both Claire and Sherry. "You two ready?" Leon asked, his tone friendly. "Yes." The two of them spoke in unison. The man nodded and opened his car door first, then he opened up the young girls door. As Sherry got out, she stretched her legs and viewed the area they were in. She was never downtown much and it felt like a whole new world.

Leon jogged over to Claire's door, opening it for her and helping her out of his car. "I guess chivalry isn't dead." Claire snickered, taking a hair tie from her purse and pulling her healthy, brushed hair into a ponytail. "Claire, you're so pretty!" Sherry admired her openly. Little girls always have a tendency to look up to the beauty of women around them. It's adorable. "Aw, thank you Sherry, you're a cutie." Claire complimented her back, patting her head with a gentle touch.

Pushing the doors open, Leon allowed Claire and Sherry to walk into the diner first before he then followed behind them. It was packed on the inside. The sound of workers speaking to customers was heard almost immediately after entering the establishment. Great, tasty aromas were filling the building, just one deep breath almost felt as though you were eating rather than just sniffing it. Forks and plates clanked all over, either from locals eating or waiters/waitresses bussing a table.

The walls were decorated too. The diner had been around for many years, both Leon and Claire have been here before but it had been so long. There has definitely been some updates and adjustments. The walls had random paintings all over them. One wall that was visible when you first enter in had a train on it, along with a wooden platform featuring people traversing onto it and or off of it. Whilst another wall featured a snowy pathway with lamp posts littered all along it.

There were no tables that were in the center of the room, each table was drilled into the wall like a booth, each seating arrangement was a couch-like seat, a cushion if you will. Practically, all the tables were booths. The diner was old school but not to the extent of the fifties. "Let's go get a table." Leon spoke to them, leading them to the back area of the diner. He spotted a perfect table near a open window, a light flowy breeze slithering through the crack of it. It was gonna be extremely nice to sit by.

Claire and Sherry sat side by side while Leon sat across from them, he allowed the girls to take the breezy side, wanting them to be as comfortable as possible. He was a noble man. "Where are menus?" Sherry asked, seeing the empty table that only had a salt and pepper shaker on it. "Oh sweetheart, this isn't like other restaurants, we just have to wait for a waitress or waiter to come up to us." Claire spoke kindly to her, helping her understand.

"Have you decided whether or not you're going to eat?" Claire asked Leon, giving him a kind gaze. "Yeah, why not? I'd rather eat now than later, Lord knows I hate cooking." "Good to hear." Claire chortled, glancing at Sherry. "I haven't been here in quite some time. I usually just cook at home or I'll eat over at a friend's." Claire spoke, looking out the window. Large buildings were everywhere in the city, they were mesmerizing.

As the three of them were conversing, a waitress walked over to their booth. Her name tag read, 'Candice'. "Hi, I'm Candice and I'm going to be your waitress this afternoon, I'll leave you three to scan over the menus but before I leave, do you know what you'd like to drink? Our options vary from water, to soda and for the little ones, juice or chocolate milk." Candice spoke, she had a bubbly aura to her.

Claire began to speak considering she was the most extroverted out of them all, "I'll just take a water and Sherry, what would you like?" "Apple juice, please." Sherry requested with a sweet tone. Candice was writing down their orders, then turned her head to Leon. "I'll just have a Coke, non diet please." Leon stated, he seemed awkward but maybe he just struggled socially. "Okay, I'll have those out to you here soon, in the mean time, please take your time and decide what you three would like to eat." The waitress spoke, nodding speedily before trotting off to the back.

"Okay Sherry, let's start with you, anything on that menu sound interesting? If you don't want a younger kids meal, I'm more than glad to get you something else." Claire offered, wanting to allow Sherry to continuously have that freedom she mentioned earlier. "No, that's okay! I'd like the fish sticks with a side of fries, if that's okay..." Sherry spoke shyly, both Leon and Claire found it sweet, her manners were off the charts.

"Well of course that's okay! Tell you what, I'll get you ice cream at the pier to, how does that sound?" Claire said with a smile on her beautiful face. "I'd like that so much." Sherry admitted. Claire nodded with glee before taking a look at the menu herself. "They have a lot of options, I honestly can't decide. Have you decided yet, Leon?" "Not yet, I am debating between a burger or a country fried steak though." Leon contemplated. "Okay." Claire uttered back.

Both of them eyed down the menus a bit longer, choosing what meal they wanted to order before Candice came back around. "Yeah, you know what, I'll get the Mongolian style beef with broccoli, I didn't think they'd have it here but it's pretty tasty from what I remember. How about you?" Claire spoke, then questioning Leon. "I've settled on the country fried steak, it comes with some vegetables so balance." He snickered, smirking at her. His smirk left a warm feeling within her.

"Okay, okay, all settled." Claire said with a relieved tone. "Sherry, I didn't take you as the type to like fish." Claire randomly brought the thought up. "Oh, yeah, my mom used to make me fish sticks, I like them a lot. I miss hers." Sherry spoke, her tone glum. "Oh, I see, I'm glad you have that memory of your mother, sweetheart." Claire whispered to her, giving her a melancholy gaze. "Your mother loved you Sherry." Leon spoke up, intervening with the conversation. Sherry gave Leon a look of peace, as if what he had said stuck with her.

Breaking the tension of the heart breaking but also warming moment, their waitress had arrived with all three of their drinks. "A juice for you, a Coke for you and a water for you." She mumbled out, placing her hands on her hips and snatching out her notepad. "Have you all chosen what it is you'd like to order?" "Uh, yes, we have." Claire cleared her throat before speaking again, "She would like the kid's meal of fish sticks with a side of french fries and Sherry, what sauce would you want with those?" "Ketchup please and thank you." Sherry spoke softly.

Continuing to keep her eyes on the paper, Candice wrote down Sherry's entire order. "How about you now?" "Yes, I would like the Mongolian style beef with broccoli please, light with the sauce, I always get a terrible stomach ache afterwards." Claire snorted, giving her order in a humorous manner. "I feel you on that. Now how about you sir?" Candice asked Leon. Leon hadn't really been focusing on them at the moment, rather he was deep in thought. So when Candice called for him, it took a second for it to click. It was like he was in some sort of trance. "Oh, yeah, sorry, come again?"

"My bad sir, I was wondering what it is you've decided to order?" "Oh, no, apologies, I would like the country fried steak with a side of the vegetable mix." Leon established his order, talking moderately so she could get it all written down. "Okie dokie then, thank you for your time, your food should be out shortly, if you need any further assistance, any waitress is available to accommodate your needs." Candice said before ambling off to another booth in need of service.

Claire was concerned about Leon. He had seemed as though he was out of it. Like something very peculiar was on his mind. "You okay?" Claire asked him. "Yeah, course I am, just some stuff is on my mind." Leon admitted but had a delightful tone so Claire just dealt with it. "If you say so." Claire replied. "Claire, I have to use the bathroom." Sherry said with a hushed voice. "Oh, I don't know where that is, Leon, do you?" "Yeah, Sher-bear, it's back there to the left, do you need help?" "No thank you, I'll be back in a moment." Sherry got up and went down to the restroom.

"Leon, are you sure everything is okay?" Claire asked, her tone worrisome. "Yeah Claire, just stressed about work, nothing you need to worry about." "You're so stubborn." Claire snickered. "Says you." Leon teased her, giving her a slight smile. "Not as stubborn as you though." Claire smiled, her eyes were so easy to get lost in, Leon couldn't help himself. "For what it's worth, being with you... And Sherry, of course, keeps my mind off of it all, for the most part." Leon spoke with truthfulness. He struggled being affectionate, it's hard now. "I feel the same way." Claire responded.

The two took a moment and gazed at one another. It didn't feel awkward. It just felt like it was needed. It felt like it was just them and no one else. Claire felt safe with Leon and vice versa. It was hard to come to terms with the fact they had to trust one another ; they both have difficult trust issues after everything that has happened. "I think you're great Leon." Claire said, her tone sweet. "I think you're even greater." Leon chuckled, looking away from her now, studying the restaurant around them.

Neither of them spoke for a good bit but the silence was shattered when Candice came over with all of their food. "Alrighty, here is your country fried steak with vegetables, hope you enjoy." Candice said, earnest filled her vocal cords. "Here is your Mongolian style beef with broccoli, light on the sauce too and here is the young lady's fish sticks with fries, is she still here?" "Yes, she's just in the lady's room." Claire responded, nodding politely. "Okay, that's fine! Well, I hope you all enjoy your meals and feel free to wave me over if you need anything else." Candice then walked away for the final time.

"It looks good." Claire said, practically foaming at the mouth. "It does, I agree. Let's wait till Sherry's back though." Leon stated, he was a gentleman at heart. "Totally, my food needs to cool down anyways, look at that steam." Claire's astonished tone was rather cute. "I see it." Leon replied. "I hope Sherry likes her food. I mean, out of all she could've gotten, she chose fish sticks." Claire giggled. "To each their own though." She followed up.

Footsteps were heard and Sherry was now visible again as she treaded back to the booth. "I'm back." Sherry said with a timid tone. "It smells so yummy." She denoted. "It sure does." Leon added onto her statement. "We can all eat now." Claire cleared, taking her fork and picking through her food. Leon cut up his steak and took small chunks of it into his mouth, chewing thoroughly. "Yeah, I needed that." Leon tittered, breathing in the fumes of his steak. Sherry dipped her fish stick into the sauce and took a decent bite, it was clear she needed some food in her system. "Best fish sticks I've had in awhile... Though, it could never compare to my mom's." Sherry made a point.

Claire took a bite of the beef with a broccoli floret attached to it. It tasted amazing, Claire was surprised the cooks pulled it off. It's one of her favorite foods so she's more than glad to devour this meal. "Really good. I wanna learn how to make Mongolian style beef with broccoli, I just wanna cook in general." Claire stated, her index finger curled in front of her lips as she chewed. "I'm learning how to cook right now and soon enough, I'll get into a cooking class at school!" Sherry spoke with happiness. "Oh really? What's your favorite thing to cook as of current?" Claire questioned. "Definitely pancakes." Sherry shirked. "Oh yeah." Leon laughed, taking a bite of some carrots.

"What're you learning to cook right now?" Claire wondered. "Right now, Derek is having me learn cake, it's the first sweet treat I'm learning to cook. I love chocolate cake." Sherry admired the sound of it. "Chocolate flavored anything is delicious." Leon agreed. "You two are crazy, vanilla is the way to go." Claire butted in, standing her ground. "No way!" Sherry snickered, Leon nodded in agreement. "Weirdos." Claire snorted, taking another bite of her food.

One thing all three of them could agree on was that moments like these would be remembered forever. Especially for Sherry, these two saved her life and they were extremely selfless towards her, risking their own lives to save her and take good care of her. Sherry considers them to be parental figures to her, especially Claire but Leon also means a lot to her. Claire is just the one she's closer to.

"Wanna try a bite Sherry? I know you like broccoli." Claire offered, a piece of beef and broccoli were stabbed into the fork. "Sure!" Sherry nodded, taking a swift bite of it and determining whether it was good or not. "I like it, it's just chewy." "I like the chewiness of it, it's tender, I love it." Claire said happily. "You wanna try, Leon?" "No, I do not like the sauce used for it, it's too thick." Leon chuckled, taking a bite of his steak, it was perfectly seasoned. "Exactly why I ask for light sauce." Claire nodded in response. It's like they think alike.

-

The three of them took their time eating their food and conversing among each other. It was a great time. Sherry eased in to the hang-out quite easily and felt comfort knowing she had Leon and Claire by her side. Sherry felt anxious when Leon and Claire had first picked her up from school ; it's not because she's uncomfortable with them, she just has a hard time adjusting to different environments, it was just so much more different with both of them and all three of them going out together.

"I cannot finish these fish sticks and fries." Sherry tittered, grabbing a napkin and wiping her face and hands. Both Leon and Claire had downed their food, they were very hungry. "That's okay, we can get you a to-go box, how's that sound?" Claire wondered. "That's fine by me." Sherry spoke out. Claire waved her hand to signal the waitress. Candice wandered over to them with a bright smile.

"What can I get you guy's?" Candice asked, grabbing Leon and Claire's empty plates, noticing Sherry's wasn't. "Hi, we just need a to-go box for her." Claire said, giving Candice a half smile. Candice nodded and stepped off to take the plates away and grab Sherry her styrofoam box. "Okay Sherry, would you still like to go to the pier and ride the Ferris wheel?" Claire questioned her, her head resting on her hand. "Yes, that would be nice. Can we still get ice cream?" "Oh, yes, you can, I'm way to full for some." Claire cackled, her stomach was full finally.

"Will you get ice cream Leon?" Sherry asked him, her smile was full of elation. "Maybe, I usually don't have sweets but if you can convince me enough, maybe." Leon chuckled, giving Sherry an ultimatum. The sun was getting closer to setting due to daylight savings, it was gorgeous outside. The sky was a sunny yellow with tints of orange and pink throughout the sky. It was picture worthy even. "Look how pretty the sky is." Claire pointed out, admiring it. "Yeah, it is alluring." Leon commented. "Sunsets are so beautiful." Sherry added.

Candice ambled back over with the check and a container for Sherry to use. "Here you go, little one. And here you two go, the check, take your time." Candice announced, smiling softly before walking back off to continue working. "I can pay for it all." Claire said, reaching for her wallet. "No, it's okay, I got the most expensive meal so allow me." Leon spoke. "Leon, it's totally okay, it's on me." "No, let me." Leon insisted, reaching for a couple bills and sliding them into the check book. "If you say so but next time, I'll pay." "Deal." Leon winked at her.

Sherry placed her food into the container, making sure the food didn't touch and it was organized enough to her appeal. "Ready?" Claire asked the two of them. "Ready!" Sherry exclaimed, practically jumping out of the booth and beginning to head out of the diners door. All three of them had a great time together and were more than happy to continue it. Together.

[itsscatballou]

The End Will Justify It All - Chapter 6

A Negan Series

Chapter 5 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

Warnings - guns, shooting, wounds, blood, violence, captivity, illness, and some language. 18+ only.

Feedback is welcome!

This was wrong.

There were too many. How had this happened?

She’d sent a note through a Savior to Simon earlier in the day to meet her for a drink at the fire after her dinner with Negan, which meant there should be three guys along the fence: Simon at the fire on the far end, and two guys on guard.

She counted 14 right now, maybe more, they kept moving. She looked at Daryl and Sherry, hunched down beside her, the three of them hiding behind a stack of wood crates. There were enough stacks and barrels between them and the hole she’d strategically placed in the fence that in the dark of night, they could get most of the way unseen.  The last ten yards to the hole was so exposed that no matter how well they timed the run, with this many eyes looking around, they would be seen.

Everything else had gone perfectly today. Fat Joey didn’t question her at all when she told him Dwight asked her to tune up his bike and have it waiting outside the gate for him. She had a whole story ready to explain where Dwight was going and why, but he could not have cared less. He was just happy to be speaking to her. She smiled sweetly at him, and he handed her the keys without another thought.

She’d asked Sherry to deliver Dwight’s lunch to him in front of Daryl’s cell today, so she could get to her target practice early.

“Hey, before I forget,” she said to Sherry as she handed her Dwight’s tray with a BLT, pickle, and glass of iced sweet tea, “can you meet me in the stairwell after my dinner with Negan tonight? I just need to talk for a while.” Sherry agreed, happily, as she walked away with the tray of food.

Her dinner with Negan was normal, if not a little awkward after the events of the night before. They ate, they played Scrabble, and they drank. She needed the drink. She found herself a little too distracted by every move of his mouth, flashes of their encounter last night trying to make their way into her mind. She had to force herself to focus on her Scrabble tiles more than once. It didn’t help that Negan played suggestive words, with that wicked grin, every chance he got. She was starting to sweat. She offered to refill their drinks when they were about halfway through the game and left him staring at his tiles while she worked at the bar cart. She delivered a well-timed joke and they both chuckled as she tipped the small bag of crushed sleeping pills into his whiskey. Swirling the glass around as she walked back, she smiled to herself as the powder dissolved in the amber liquid.

He'd emptied the glass by the time the game finished, him beating her for the first time. She wished she’d purposefully let that happen.  She bid him goodnight. She even kissed him on the cheek before leaving, and grinned again.

Dwight was passed out in his chair outside Daryl’s cell, as she expected. She’d put enough crushed sleeping pills in both his mayo and his sweet tea to knock Fat Joey out, but she couldn’t risk him waking up and ruining it all.

Daryl stared at her wide-eyed when she opened his cell and dragged the sleeping Dwight into it. She wanted to embrace Daryl, kiss him, and explain everything, but she had the escape planned very specifically. There just wasn’t time. She settled for one deep but quick kiss and held his hands as she instructed him to follow her closely, silently, and do exactly what she said.

They tiptoed as fast as they could down the halls, only having to duck into an empty room once to hide from a passerby. When they reached the stairwell, they found Sherry where she’d said she’d be. Sherry seemed to understand what was happening as soon as she saw Daryl, and without a word followed them both down the stairs.

“Wassat?” Daryl asked her as she grabbed a backpack from a dark corner at the bottom of the stairs.

“Supplies,” she answered, flinging it on her back and motioning for them to hide against the wall while she opened the door to outside.

They crouched, scampered, and crawled in the dark, finally making it here, where she was frozen, trying to figure out what went wrong. She hadn’t planned for this many guys; there shouldn’t be this many guys.

“Wha’s wrong?” Daryl asked her, feeling her stress.

“Just let me think for a second,” she whispered back.

She knew it wasn’t possible. She couldn’t get them all out without them being seen. If they were seen, they’d be hunted down. What would follow that made her stomach turn.

She knew what she had to do.

She turned to Daryl, kissed him hard and passionately. She handed him the bag of supplies and told him, “Stay low behind the row of stacks and barrels, when you get to the end, time it so no one sees you, and make a run straight to the fence. There is a hole cut out there, you can’t see it until you’re on it. Whatever you do, just keep going. When you get to the woods, follow the cuts in the tree like you taught me, you’ll find a bike ready to go. Do not wait for me, I will find you. Take Sherry wherever she wants to go, and then you go somewhere else. Daryl,” she held his face in her hands and looked hard in his eyes, “do not go back to Alexandria. Find another community to hide in until it’s safe to contact Rick.”

She looked at Sherry, “whatever happens here, keep going. Make him keep going.”

Sherry hugged her as she said, “I will. Thank you.”

Daryl started to argue, but she gently pushed him. She watched as they turned and slipped away into the dark.

When they’d gotten far enough away, she took a deep breath and stood, stepping into the flood lights. All the guys stopped moving and looked at her. She looked toward Simon, who should have been expecting her, and her heart stopped. Standing right beside him, with his arms crossed and Lucille hanging from one hand, was Negan. Well, his sleeping pills didn’t work, she thought.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” he shook his head, “well, boys, it looks like you were telling me the truth. Unlike Y/N here, who has been lying to me…”

When she said nothing, Negan turned to Simon, “I believe you two were going to be having a drink together? Well, what the hell? Let’s have a drink!”

And there it was, exactly what she needed. What Daryl and Sherry needed. “Negan, I’m so glad you’re joining us!” she exclaimed, seeing a flash of surprise across of Negan’s face at her response. “I love having drinks around the fire with friends! In fact, why don’t we invite everyone?”

She spun in a half circle, looking at each Savior in area. “Negan and I would like to invite you all to have a drink with us right now,” and when only a few moved toward her she added, “on Negan!”

They all moved at that, smiles spreading across their faces, and some swatting her arm in thanks as they passed. She smiled at Negan as they all filed in around the fire, far from the fence Daryl and Sherry should be approaching now.

She thought she heard the ting of metal moving. She smiled to herself.

She spent the next hour and a half making her rounds with the guys at the fire, joking with most of them, asking some of them about their girlfriends or wives. Everyone enjoying the beers she’d provided on Negan’s tab. When she felt she’d given Daryl and Sherry a big enough safety net of time, she said her goodnights and made her way back to the building.

She was almost to the door when Negan called from the group, “Y/n! You can’t go yet! You and Simon barely spoke, and I for one, would like to know what it was you wanted to talk about that brought you out in on this cold night, sneaking around like a rat, to talk in the dark…”

------

She braced herself for whatever he was about to say or do. She could almost see the fury radiating from him in waves. It no longer mattered what happened to her, she could handle it. Or maybe she couldn’t. That was fine, too. Daryl was out, he could be with his family again. He could do good, be good out there. Somehow, he and Rick would take Negan down, she had no doubt about that. Hopefully she would live to see it, she thought, as she saw the rage in Negan’s eyes directed at her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but it wasn’t his voice that escaped his mouth, it was a boom. A gunshot. No, it didn’t come from his mouth, it had come from somewhere behind him. Was someone shooting? Time seemed to slow. She felt a pang in her thigh, she looked down. There was blood, dark and thick, insidiously oozing from a hole in her pants, where the sting came from. Her legs gave out in that moment, and she was on the ground. She could no longer hear anything around her, could only feel the pain. She was on fire. She gripped at her thigh, a wounded animal panicking. She needed to calm down, get help, breathe. When was the last time she took a breath? She willed herself to suck in air, her head clearing some with the effort. She winced as she forced herself into a sitting position and took another breath. Apply pressure, she told herself, stop the bleeding until someone gets the doctor. She pressed, screaming at the added pain, her vision fading at the edges. She breathed again and kept pressing. Why was no one coming to help? Her ears cleared, and she knew without looking that no one would be. She raised her head to see blurs of legs as people ran past her, she heard men yelling, some screaming in pain, more gunshots. There were others here, now. Their faces were covered with what looked like ski masks.

She needed to get somewhere safe or get to some weapons. She tried to stand, stumbled back down, vision almost completely black from the effort. She tried again. Successfully on her feet now, she raised upright to evaluate the best direction to go. She saw it happen from her peripheral, but not in time to stop the metal cylinder from connecting with her skull. She barely had time to register the pain erupt from her temple before she was unconscious.   

She felt the pain before she knew she was awake. She’d never felt anything like it, she could barely breathe she hurt so badly. She couldn’t decide what parts of her hurt worse – her left thigh was still screaming with pain. Her head throbbed, a sharp pain radiating from her right cheek. She could taste blood, and guessed at her stuffy nose that she must have fallen on her face. The pain on her back was new – it stung, as cool air whispered against raw skin. She must have been dragged, she realized. Dragged where?

She opened her eyes. Well, she tried. Only her left eye would open, the swelling from her right cheek forcing that eye closed. Her head still drooping, she was looking at her lap. Her left pant leg was soaked in her own blood. She slowly lifted her hand to survey her head wound, but it wouldn’t move. She noticed then the ropes tying her hands behind her, uncomfortable as her elbows awkwardly tried to bend around the chairback behind her. She saw similar ropes restraining her feet to the legs of the chair she sat in. Do not panic, she told herself, assess.

As slowly as possible, to avoid blacking out, she raised her head. She saw a dark room lit by several camping lanterns placed on the floor. Concrete walls with no windows, some large iron equipment and pipes, possibly a boiler room? She and the lamps were the only occupants. She carefully turned her head, searching for a door. She heard one open behind her, and light flooded the floor in front of her, shadowed by her own hunched figure. “She’s awake,” a man’s voice said.

Two sets of footsteps approached behind her. Another voice said, “We know you’re in some considerable pain…” she didn’t respond. “We’d like to help you, if you want that.”

He waited for her to answer. She didn’t.

“We wouldn’t ask for much in return,” the first voice added, “just some information.”

“You gonna make me talk to the wall or come around and face me like men?” she growled, the effort of speaking sending the pain in her cheek rioting through her head.

One of them chuckled. “I would bet money that spirit is what attracted Negan to you,” he said as he moved in front of her and crouched to meet her eyes. He surveyed her face and whistled, “it might have been your face too, before this.” He touched her cheek on the last word, and she flinched away from him at the fire hot pain it sent through her.

“Shooo, I bet that does hurt.” He cooed at her. She glared as best she could with one open eye.

“We have some medicine, a doctor here, that could at least make that hurt less,” he said, “all we need to know is how many people Negan has working for him, and where they are stationed.”

“It doesn’t hurt that bad,” she said nonchalantly. She couldn’t think clearly from the pain, but she knew she didn’t want to give these assholes anything they wanted. “I think I’m good.”

The man in her face smiled, the smile not unlike one she’d seen on Negan’s face plenty of times, before making a point. “Well, I guess we need to change that,” he said viciously, before his right hand made forceful contact with her left jaw, sending her head flying right, only to see the back hand of the other guy flying toward her wounded cheek. She went unconscious again.

When she woke the next time, she heard thumping. Unrhythmic, sporadic, and it was coming from several different directions. She heard her two new friends talking in low, panicked voices behind her. “I thought we’d have more time!” one of them said, “how did they find us after only two days?” “I don’t know, but we gotta do something.” “What? They have us surrounded, and they’ve already killed most of our people!” The pause in their conversation gave her mind a chance to catch up, to realize what she was heard was gunshots.

“Did you really think,” her words were slow, the effort of talking through her newly bruised jaw slowing her down, “you could hit him at home, and he wouldn’t retaliate?” The guys moved from the door to stand in front of her while she talked. “You didn’t even know how many people he had, and you thought you could beat him?” she forced a laugh through the excruciating pain.

“You think this is funny, bitch?” one of them responded. “Well I’ll show you what I think is funny,” he said, lifting his metal pipe, the one she assumed gave her the busted face, like a baseball bat.

“I would not do that if I were you,” a familiar villainous voice growled from the door behind her, and her heart fluttered. Negan was here. For her. She was surprised at the relief she felt. “Not that holding back now will save you.”

Two Saviors appeared from behind her, holding guns. Her captors raised their hands, and the Saviors forced them to their knees. She felt her wrist restraints cut and fall, and rubbed her arms as she watched Negan cut her foot restraints. He placed her arm around his shoulder and helped her to stand on her good foot. With most of her weight leaning on him, he helped her to limp toward the door. She stopped him before they exited and turned back toward the room.

“If I can’t be the one to do it, I need to see it,” she told him. He nodded in understanding, and then toward the Saviors. She didn’t flinch at all at the gunshots, or as their lifeless bodies hit the floor.

Negan picked her up, then, carrying her from the room. He rushed down passages, and out through double doors. Blinking her good eye against the blinding sun, she heard continued shooting, and saw bodies, both Saviors and not, on the ground as Negan ran with her toward a truck. He placed her in the passenger seat as easily as he could and made for the driver’s side. She heard him yell orders to whoever was near as he climbed in and started the truck, not hesitating before throwing it in reverse and speeding away from the battle.

------

The truck sputtered and steam flooded from the hood.

“Shit.” Negan grumbled as the truck came to a stop on its own. “It must have been shot before we got away.” He frantically searched the cab of the truck. “Of course there is no damn radio in here! Is everyone an idiot?”

He thought for a moment, and finally asked, “Can you walk at all?”

It was the first time he’d spoken to her since they’d fled, they had been driving for about thirty minutes. “I… um, I can try,” she replied.

She steeled herself. This was going to hurt, but she knew there was no alternative. With all the gunfire, they didn’t know how many walkers were on their way toward them, and who knew how long it would be until their guys started heading back. If there were any guys left to come back… she shook the thought from her head as Negan opened her door and helped her out of the truck.

Immediately she knew she couldn’t do this, but she refused to tell Negan that. Refused to let him see the severity of her pain. So she began trying to find a rhythm of step, lean into him, hop. Each hop sent a white-hot flare of pain through her whole body, but she kept going. She was grateful that he would stop often to let her catch her breath, using the time to also wiggle her jaw, which was getting stiff and even more sore from clenching her teeth.

She guessed they’d been slowly hobbling down the road for about two hours when they saw an old barn ahead, a short distance from the road, in a field. He jerked his chin in the barn’s direction and said, ��we need to stop here for the night.” It was nearly dusk already, and she knew if they kept going, they would risk tripping in the dark. The thought of that pain alone made her flinch.

Inside the barn, Negan gathered a mound of hay and gently set her down on it. After securing the doors behind them, he sat down across from her, resting his head against the wall behind him and closing his eyes. She watched as he seemed to be calming himself down, if she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was meditating.

“Who were those guys?” she asked, finally breaking the tense silence.

“One of the communities we own,” he said without opening his eyes, “we caught one of them at the Sanctuary when they took you. Took the bastard a whole day to break and tell us where they’d taken you. It took us half the next day to get there.” He finally lifted his head and surveyed her, lingering on her wounds. “It’s gonna be a long walk back…”

She nodded, fighting back the stinging tears at the thought of the long journey ahead of her tomorrow.

He moved to her, gingerly touching her wounded face and looking more closely at the wounds in the fading rays of light barn walls were allowing in. He met her eyes, still lightly holding her face in his hands. It hurt, but she didn’t mind.  

“I saw you go down,” he said slowly, “from the first shot. But I didn’t see where they’d hit you. By the time I got to where you fell, you were gone. I thought you were dead, until Simon said he saw them load you up and take off.” His eyes shone with pain.

“I didn’t know if anyone would come for me,” she said softly. She hadn’t admitted it to herself in that boiler room, but she had not been hopeful of making it back out of there. “When I heard you…” her voice broke as her tears finally flooded. He gently pulled her into his chest and wrapped her in his arms as she wept. When she stopped, she said into his shirt, “we really gotta stop hanging out like this.” They both chuckled as they separated.

It was dark now, and the temperature was dropping. Negan made a dugout in the hay and helped her to lay down in it. Once she was settled, he settled in behind her, pulling her close for warmth. They laid that way for a long time, listening to each other breathe, when she eventually broke the silence.

“I believe I still have two free questions,” she said in lighthearted tone.

“You definitely used two already,” he quipped back.

“Yes, but you only answered one of them,” she said, lightly pressing him with her elbow. “So, I get the second one back.”

“I’ll allow it,” he said, pulling her a little closer and nestling her head under his chin.

She laid there a few more minutes before asking, “you showing up there today, was that… well, was that to find me? Or for retaliation for attacking you?”

He didn’t answer for long enough that she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. “It wasn’t about retaliation,” he said finally. “As for your other question… Lucille was my wife, before. And during. She died, because of me… because of my inaction. I wasn’t going to let inaction be the cause of your death, too.” Something in her ached at his response, some twinge beginning of understanding how he’d become the Negan she knew.

The cold crept deeper into her. She shivered, despite the warmth Negan wrapped around her.

As she succumbed to a pressing urge to sleep, she thought she heard Negan say, “you are burning up.”

------

When she woke up, she was in Negan’s bed in the Sanctuary. An IV in her arm snaked to two pouches of liquids hung from a metal pole beside the head of the bed. She couldn’t remember getting here. In fact, she couldn’t remember much at all following the night in the barn. There were brief flashes of trees rushing past while Negan carried her, the doctor holding her non-wounded eye open and flashing a light into her eye, and the occasional voice talking to her, or someone beside her. It was an unnerving feeling, remembering nothing between one place and the next, but somehow knowing that time had passed.

She realized suddenly how dry her mouth was, and how thirsty she felt. She looked around the room to find a glass of water on the nightstand beside her. Beside the nightstand, in the leather armchair that used to be in the sitting area, Negan slept. He couldn’t have been comfortable, she thought, with his neck at that angle against the back of the chair. He looked a little haggard. Dark circles under his eyes, his scruff longer than he usually kept it, his hair unwashed and a little unkempt. He stirred as she reached for the water glass, just slightly too far away, and sat up when he realized she was awake. He stood, handed the glass to her, and walked out of the room. A moment later, he returned with the doctor.

As he assessed her, she asked questions to fill in the gaps. Her bullet wound was a good one – all the way through, no major arteries nicked, it didn’t hit bone. It would take some time and some effort, but the muscle it pierced would heal and she’d be able to walk again. It had become infected while she was tied up, and the infection had gone deep. Her fever had gotten dangerously high, which explained her sleeping through the last four days. Her cheekbone was likely fractured, though he expected it to heal well, too. Her nose had been reset, and her jaw and cheek bruises were already turning shades of greens and yellows. The swelling had receded enough that she could open her right eye enough to see out of. She turned down the offer to see herself in a mirror. Negan listened intently, not saying anything and not meeting her eyes.

The doctor left her with orders to drink as much water as she could, eat as much as she could, and sleep as much as she could. Once the infection cleared and the gunshot wound had closed, she could start working on walking again.

She looked at Negan, who was staring at the door the doctor had shut behind him.

“I vaguely remember you carrying me through the woods… you must have nearly killed yourself carrying me that far. I can’t thank you enough,” she said, meaning every word. He did not turn his head.

“I can ask the doctor to help me move to my room, so you can have your bed back.”

“No,” was all he said, before leaving her alone.

She told herself not to stress about whatever that was. If it was about her, he’d eventually have it out with her, and if it wasn’t then it would go away. But sitting there, in his bed, with nothing to do but think, stressing about it is what she did. She went over every possible reason he would be pissed at her, when she was literally unconscious for four days. After an hour or so of spiraling, the door opened, and she was surprised to see Tanya enter with a tray of food. Tanya set the tray up on the bed and made her way to sit in the chair near the bedside.

“Um,” she said to Tanya, with a raised eyebrow, “thank you?”

Tanya seemed to know she wasn’t asking about the food and explained. “Negan sent me to sit with you for a while. If you need anything I can get it for you. Or I guess if you want to talk, that’s what I’m here for, too.” Then she added, quietly, “which will be a nice change of pace.”

“Wait,” she asked Tanya, pulling the tray of food closer, “what does that mean?”

“Oh,” Tanya pushed a breath out of her nose in a sort-of laugh, “you’ve just been asleep every time I’ve been in here before.”

“You... you came to see me?” she was surprised. She and Tanya weren’t exactly friends. With Sherry gone, she wasn’t sure she had any friends here anymore.

“Well… Negan didn’t want you to be alone. He sat with you almost all of the time, but if he had to leave for whatever reason, he sent one of us to be with you. Said we had to stay awake in case you woke up.”

“I guess that explains why he looked so rough,” she commented.

Tanya replied, “yeah, I don’t think he’s had much sleep since he carried you in.”

She contemplated all of this while she ate the food Tanya had brought her. It didn’t take her long, she found with the first bite that she was famished.

When she finished her meal, she asked Tanya to fill her in on what she’d missed. She put on her best surprised face when Tanya told her Daryl had escaped. As Tanya informed her that when Negan was gathering the troops to come after her and her captors, they’d discovered Dwight missing, and the wives had not seen Sherry for a while either. They assumed both had run away together. Then two days ago, Negan suddenly remembered Daryl was locked up and with Dwight gone, no one was making sure he was fed, but they opened the cell to find Dwight in there, half-starved and feral. He said Sherry had drugged his food, and he woke up in Daryl’s cell.

“Sherry and Daryl ran away together?” she asked Tanya, dumbfounded.

Tanya couldn’t believe it either, “Negan was furious. He sent Simon and a group to Alexandria to find Daryl, but they haven’t been able to find him.”

She didn’t let Tanya see the relief she felt. This had worked out surprisingly well for her. She had planned to deal with Dwight later, though she hadn’t quite decided how at the time she’d locked him up. And Daryl had listened to her and didn’t go find Rick, that, too, was a relief.

After a few more minutes of chitchat, and Tanya getting a couple of books for her to read while she was bedbound, she told Tanya she was feeling very tired. According to Tanya, Negan wanted Tanya in there anyway, so she got a book for herself, and moved to Negan’s couch.

Sleep quickly consumed her, and she woke hours later to find Negan gently shaking the foot of her good leg to rouse her.

“Dinner,” he grunted, motioning to the tray on the bed.  He helped her into a sitting position before seating himself in the chair beside the bed.

“You don’t want to eat, too?” she asked him. 

“No,” he bluntly replied. Still in a mood.

She ate in silence for a few minutes. She was trying to decide how to proceed in conversation when he beat her to it.

“Free question,” he declared. “And don’t lie this time.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “When did I lie to you?” she asked him, not looking away from her stew as she took a spoonful.

“When I asked you before why you were really here. You lied. I want the truth this time.”

Her food turned leaden in her stomach, and she suddenly had no appetite.

“You came here to get Daryl out, didn’t you?”

She looked up at him, held his hard stare.

“Yes.”

“And you succeeded, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I knew the moment we couldn’t find Dwight and Sherry was gone, too, there was more to it than them running away. They’d already tried that and failed miserably; Dwight is too spineless to try a second time. And that douchebag in Alexandria, Spencer, he’d let it slip that you and Daryl had a little thing going before you met me… so, I checked Daryl’s cell,” he confessed, “and who did I find, sleeping like a baby, not a scratch on him?”

“Negan,” she started, but he cut her off.

“Here’s the other thing, you didn’t just drug Dwight and get Daryl out… you tried to drug me, too. Didn’t you?”

She didn’t respond.

“I took one sip of that whiskey and could tell something was off about it. But I wanted to see what you were doing.”

She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat. She couldn’t run, she knew screaming would be useless. All she had on this tray was a spoon and some hot stew… she could throw it in his face, but that would only piss him off… she had no option but to take whatever punishment he had in store for her.

“Are you going to burn my face?” she asked him, no fear in her voice.

He stared at her for a long time before responding.

“No,” he said, defeat laced his tone. “No. You covered your tracks well. Dwight believes Sherry drugged him, and everyone else believes it, too.”

She loosed a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She wanted to thank him, but she didn’t think he’d receive it well.

They sat in silence for the rest of the evening, Negan removing her tray when she didn’t touch it for a while. He retreated to the bathroom, and she heard the shower turn on. She settled in, feeling tired again, and closed her eyes. Sleep didn’t come, but she kept her eyes closed, as Negan completed his shower and came back into the room. She heard him click lamps off, his footsteps moving around the room. She felt the bed dip as he climbed in beside her.

He'd found her out, revealed her plans, she had confessed it all, and now he was going to sleep beside her. She turned to her side to find his bare back facing her.

She knew she shouldn’t press her luck, but now curiosity was getting the best of her.

“If you knew when those guys took me… why did you come for me? Why lose all those guys to get me back?”

She watched his back decompress as she sighed, and then as he turned to his side to face her.

“How is the answer to that not obvious by now?”

She searched his eyes and watched as they moved to her mouth and then back to her eyes. He moved in close, their lips nearly touching. Then he kissed her. This kiss was not like the last time he kissed her. This was gentle, passionate, soft but powerful. She kissed him back.

When he pulled away from the kiss several minutes later, her silently cursing her wounds and the IV preventing them from going further, Negan said softly to her, “you will have to decide one of these days. You can try to survive with Daryl, or you can thrive here with me. You can’t be in my bed and his, too.” With that, he turned over and went to sleep.

[porcelainseashore]

Hiii !! 🩷🩷🫂 

— 🪐 🎨

For the ask game!

Hey Ruby!! Lotsa love and hugs back 🤗 Ty for asking! 💕

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

Easter weekend trip with my bf to another quaint German town ⛪

Spring has arrived, the days are getting longer and I'm feeling more active 🌳

Finally started writing my first chapter of the vampire Leon fic after making 10 pages of not yet finished plot notes ✍️

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

Ooofff this is toughie 😩 There are just so many amazing RE fan artists around and I can't really pick an absolute favourite! Lemme link over @luckyraeve's RE2R Leon and Sherry piece as it's just so wholesome *and yes in case you didn't already know, RE2R Leon is my bestest boy ✨

🖌️ And of course I wanna give a shoutout to all the others who I've been loving the work of so much! I've probably missed out a number, but here are a bunch you should check out:

@wr0wn

@larvamars

@bealuant

@kiiraspawn

@ma-ar

@19o4

@ashrillvenheim

tanyagavva (Twitter)

MaizeyArt (Twitter)

Sardine (Twitter)

attckher (Twitter)

an___chovy (Twitter)

[zuleyhasposts]

Stand By Your Man (Negan/Reader)

Chapter Five - Night.

“Well, hello there, doll.” He was smiling and he also was looking directly into your eyes. You didn’t know why your body was overheating like an oven but you knew you had to break eye contact before your face would have been entirely red.

“Hi!” You felt your body petrified. The best solution was him to pick you up and put you in the center of the room already.

“What are you waiting for?”

He opened the door even more and you speeded yourself up to enter, this caused him to laugh at your reaction. Negan found you funny and it wasn’t something bad, it was the opposite. They would remind him of old times, the good ones.

You were about to say something when you found him behind you. He was smelling so good and you were surprised at your own thought to bury your face in his shirt. His shirt, because he wasn’t wearing his usual black leather jacket. You didn’t mind the sight of his strong arms. And probably neither him.

“Why don’t you take a seat?” His hand was on your back and you hoped that he couldn’t feel the warmth of your body. It was getting embarrassing for you and it didn’t even start.

Did he always act like this around girls? You noted this as a possible question to ask him. Only when you felt comfortable enough, though.

You reached for the black leather couch and it was at that moment you saw the food tray.

“Were you eating? I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” You cussed at yourself mentally for not waiting more than five minutes before knocking.

“Mh?” Negan turned around to see what you were talking about, “No, you didn’t interrupt anything, doll. I wasn’t hungry. It was Sherry who brought it here.”

It was funny to think about you both not eating anything, even if it was probably for different reasons. For sure Negan wasn’t the type of person to feel anxiety when it comes about socializing. For you it was still a weak spot you always tried to fix somehow.

And about the Sherry part, you didn’t know what to think. It was impossible that Negan preferred to talk with you than spending the night with Sherry. Even if it was actually the truth.

“Do you want to drink something?” He put some whisky and a pair of glasses on the table, but you thought it was better to not drink when your stomach is empty. The last thing you wanted was to get drunk with Negan at the first…you didn’t know what to call it. It wasn’t a date but it looked like it, so what was the best name?

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, I wouldn’t be responsible for what could happen.”

He laughed again, taking a seat next to you on the couch. He let a long sigh escape his mouth.

“Can I ask you a question?” You changed your position, so you could face him better.

He was drinking but his hand moved in a way that it meant you could ask what you wanted to ask. You couldn’t explain why but it was one of the hottest things you saw in recent times. But it was probably because you didn’t see a lot of hot things, so it was kind of an explanation.

“Do you think that my presence here will cause some troubles with your wives?”

He raised an eyebrow and one side of his mouth was about to lift to form a smirk on his face. No, you had to explain yourself better before it was too late.

“What I meant is…” Negan saw you pouring some whisky - not too much, remember, because you didn’t eat anything - in the glass and drinking it, “I mean, I bet it’s already difficult to give your love to four wives and I honestly don’t want-”

He started to laugh even more than before and both your face and your body were burning. “Oh, please” you said and buried your face into your hands for two seconds before realizing the embarrassing question you just made.

“Negan!” Even your frustration couldn’t stop him from laughing. “It’s a serious question.”

He licked his lower lip, tasting the whisky he drank before. He was staring into your eyes again. “Doll, do you actually think I love them?”

“I don’t know,” you said in a confused voice, your hands fluttered around as you tried - again - to explain yourself better. “Love is very subjective, but I think it’s impossible to love five people at the same time.”

“Do you think I care enough about them?”

You started to chew the inside on your cheek, unable to answer those questions. Not that you didn’t know what you say, but you didn’t want to touch some sore spots for Negan.

He smiled again, thinking upon how the questions could be too much, he feared that you could experience too much pressure. “I’ll change the question, doll. Maybe this one will be easier to answer: what’s love for you?”

You turned deep red.”To me love is one million things and all of them are always linked to the same person.”

“I don’t experience love since my wife is dead,” he drank again, and this time he was staring at the bottle, “and it was at the beginning of this fucking shit.”

You blinked and stared at him in astonishment. He was talking about his personal life with you.

He continued. “Let me tell you something, doll. I was a piece of shit with her and I regret it, every single time. But no, I don’t love them and I don’t care enough for them.”

You were still staring. “But then, why do you keep them? What’s the point?”

He returned the stare. “I don’t fucking know, I was thinking to just drop them.”

“What do you mean?”

Negan ran a hand between his hair and relaxed his body even more on the couch. “I want to remove this fucking “wife” status, I guess.”

“Wow,” your throat felt extremely dry, “that’s quite a big change. But I think you should talk to them first.”

“To say what? Get the fuck out of my face because I don’t want to fuck with you all anymore?”

There was a moment of silence before you both started to laugh like two drinking buddies. It was like all the shyness from your body was leaving you, second by second.

A tear fell from your eye because of the laughing. “But why this choice? I thought you cared a lot about status, ego and all of this stuff.”

Negan breathed deeply. “I did, but I think what I want more is something real.”

“Oh my,” you rolled your eyes, “Negan entering into his romantic era.”

“The fuck not,” he rested his head against the back of the sofa, still staring at you. “And what about you, doll?”

You were so pretty and Negan saw it every single time. He wouldn’t have minded staring at you for hours. He never denied the fact that he was disappointed when you said “no” at his request of “marriage”. He felt like he never accepted it fully. It wasn’t only because he wanted to fuck and toss you around like a doll - he was still Negan, afterall - but he could have spended more personal time with you. Like this one. He started to blame the fact that he drank.

“What about me?” You smiled at Negan. “I don’t know what they already told you about me, but I was a psychologist back then.”

“I kind of have a fucking vision about you wearing a lab coat.”

“Oh, stop it,” you shaked your head at his sarcastic responses, you never imagined yourself to be so candid with someone without thinking it. “I’m not the first and not the last, doll.”

You drank the last sip from the glass, noticing only now how the bottle got empty very quickly. “And if you wanted to know, I never had a relationship and I’m not interested in anyone, yet.”

Negan believed those words, but a part of him still felt an ick at the thought of you and Simon. Maybe for you it was nothing, but what about him? He had to ask anyway.

“What about Simon?”

“What do you mean?” You raised an eyebrow at the question. You didn’t know if he was asking because he actually wanted to know or because there was something deeper.

“Doll,” his tone became more serious as he crossed his arms over his chest, “everybody fucking see you both all the time talking. Don’t try to lie to me.”

“Absolutely not!” You got closer to Negan. “I don’t know what they told you, but me and Simon are friends, that’s it. We often talk but nothing more. I think he probably has something for younger men.”

Negan’s muscles became more relaxed. That was the answer he wanted and he got it. “I always suspected it.”

“Listen here, why do you ask me abo-” your question got interrupted from the rumbling of the stomach. Your cheeks became a deep red again and you put both of your hands to cover your mouth, as if the sound came from there.

“Look like somebody didn’t fuck eat.” Negan chuckled, he definitely enjoyed your reactions when you felt embarrassed.

“You didn’t eat either.” You underlined.

“At least my stomach doesn’t fucking growl, doll.”

He was right about it and you didn’t know what to say. “I could go back to my room and see if I still have my chocolate bars. It’s not much but it’s still something.”

“C’here” he gently pulled you by your waist even closer now, you both felt glued to each other, “since I didn’t eat either and there’s this tray of food, we’re gonna eat together.”

You didn’t like when he removed his hand from your waist to make you sit better and more comfortable. You kind of wished that it would have lasted more. You knew it was a consequence of being touch-starved, but you couldn’t deny the fact that Negan was a very attractive man.

You found yourself sometimes to wonder how things would have changed if you became one of his wives. You had to shush your mind before sexually explicit images popped up. “So?” His dimple came out from his pretty smile, as he kept teasing. “Do you want to eat with me or not? Do you fucking prefer I eat you instead?”

Your mouth dropped open in reaction at what he asked. “You’re vulgar, Negan.”

“Women love it.”

“And also, there’s just one fork here. Am I supposed to eat with my bare hands?”

“If our princess doesn’t get too fucking disgusted, she can eat from my fork.”

You liked the nickname. “I don’t, so we can eat from the same fork.”

You waited for him to give you the fork but it never happened. Instead, he stabbed the food with the fork and he brought it to your mouth. You were shocked at what he was doing, but you decided to hide it pretty well and took the piece of food into your mouth.

You both started to eat like this until all the food was over. You didn’t expect it to be this comfortable.

“Ya good now?” He asked casually as he licked his lower lip.

“I am,” you and your stomach finally felt good enough, “and you want to know what?”

“What?”

You couldn’t go away without trying to make him the way he made you since the night. “In this way, by eating from the same fork, it’s like we indirectly kissed.”

He smirked at you and you realized that you probably failed your intent. “I thought you said it was a friendly night.”

“Because it is!”

“Yeah, sure, doll.”

The birds were chirping outside and you wondered why they were so damn loud. A strange sensation was in your body, like if your bed became hard and soft at the same time. You didn’t want to open your eyes, you were still tired and sleepy, but you couldn’t stop yourself from seeing why your bed felt this way.

When you opened your eyes there was Negan. He had his eyes closed, he was still sleeping. You thought it was still a dream.

You slowly moved yourself, only to come to the realization your head was in his lap. You slept on his couch with him. You couldn’t believe this. By looking even more around, you saw his hand on your waist. You felt a knot in your throat. Even if you both didn’t have sex, it felt like one.

You didn’t know what to do and how to move, your body freezed entirely when you saw him waking up.

“Well, good-fucking-morning, doll.”

───────────────────────────────────────────

AO3 Link:

[eighteenoheight]

I don’t know how to feel. There are aspects I like… such as the buckles and the hoodie. It’s not giving ninja apart from the katana and the tabi shoe (the split toe part of the boots). The hoodie seems vaguely Asian inspired but not enough to say ninja. I guess it looks stealthy, kind of assassin adjacent. Put a gun to my head and I still couldn’t scramble to explain the devil horns.

Back to the hoodie though. I think the cropped part looks dumb. I’m not talking about sexualisation, my issue is more it’s not stylish and it’s just weird to pair this “urban ninja” getup with a bikini top. They could have done something a little more on theme, or just bring down the crop so we can see more of the hoodie design.

I can get over the blonde hair but the blue eyes? I’m my humble opinion Moira has the best eye colour of any RE character so why change it. It makes her resemble Sherry Birkin. Neither an insult nor a compliment I just don’t understand the need to change the eye colour.

Might as well do a little side note on the sexualisation topic even though I don’t have much to add. If it is a sexualised outfit and was intended to be so I’ll trust that judgement but I can’t see it past how silly the costume looks. Same with Claire’s western one. Of all the revelations 2 DLC costumes, Natalia is the only one I really like because it’s so adorable. The rest are kind of a miss for me. I’m guessing the aim was like a costume party or something? I don’t know for the only DLC looks we got it’s a little depressing.

I think I developed a bit of a disdain for this costume because of what we could have had.

Life is so unfair sometimes.

[banamine-bananime]

Agent Ohio ❌ Sherry fanmix

Spotify link

this bitch LONG because i am. so obsessed. there is no hope for me. only toxic yuri that has the possibility to become the kind of love that instead transforms a toxic situation into something beautiful. join me.

I Swallowed Shampoo / Soupy Garbage Juice

I can't even explain it's just the exact vibes of Overwhelming Stupidity mixed with Overwhelming Dread and Certainty Death Is Coming

Why Am I in This Room / Soupy Garbage Juice

as above, but with the Overwhelming Stupidity mixed with the Overwhelming Existential Ennui when faced with rotting away in insignificance without any purpose, because it has been decided that your life is so worthless and pointless that's all there is for you, and that decision being made made itself true, simply because a Powerful Man had an "eject bozos" button

Community Gardens / The Scary Jokes

Full disclosure/I am a monster, a creature of despair/Not that that should be a cause for concern/If there's one thing I've learned in all my years here/It's that despair is less abundant in those who understand/How to plant their hearts in community gardens .... The years have been hard on this lonely heart/If you wanna know the truth/There's no more community gardens/So, I guess I'll have to settle for you

seeing two possibilities in front of you: 1) growing "community gardens", both literal and metaphorical, to make the best of a bad situation - or even make it into a better situation than where you were before losing everything - with those you love and take care of each other, 2) dwelling on the despair of your situation and trying to find meaning instead in more fighting, more conflict, because that's all you have been taught can be a Purpose in life, as someone grew up in the era of total war and tried to give themself for humanity to the military. sherry can see the former as possible, but only if vera does, but is increasingly losing hope that vera ever will. vera loves sherry, but can only see the second possibility. the only way she can see herself and sherry together is secret, starcrossed Toxic Yuri TM within this narrative of conflict between the bases she's created, and so that's what she'll settle for.

Climate Crisis Love Song / Nathan Apollo

Skies are grey, grass is brown Trees are dead, they're burning down World is ending, look around I can't breathe But your eyes look me down I got nothin' I can say Yeah, you took my breath away

loving someone fiercely within a horrible, hopeless situation, and not knowing whether that love is the bright spot within it or part of that horrible situation. also, the whole thing is hilariously absurd, because there is always a really slapstick element to sherry and vera's tragedy, on account of 1) the absurdity that there is literally no reason for them to be fighting, and 2) vera is a theatre kid at heart and cannot Be The Villain without treating it like a super hammy role

Psycho / Cloudy June

You're the one that I can not take my eyes off What's it like to fall for a psycho? Need another rush to die for 20/20 Sight when the night falls Better be the one to hunt than to cry for What's it like to fall for a psycho? Need another rush to die for

being totally obsessed with each other and just as obsessed with the rush of constantly trying to kill each other as a distraction from thinking about the pointless horror of your situation

Teeth / 5 Seconds of Summer

Some days, you're the only thing I know Only thing that's burning when the nights grow cold Can't look away, can't look away Beg you to stay, beg you to stay, yeah Sometimes, you're a stranger in my bed Don't know if you love me or you want me dead

Walls Could Talk / Halsey

Told my new roommate not to let you in But you're so damn good with a bobby pin Now you gon' play me like a violin Hittin' these notes

And we both hope there's something But we bo-both keep fronting

Super Freak / Rick James

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Super freak, super freak That girl's a super freak Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

vera is indeed a super freak. they also have super freaky sex. that's all.

Fahrradsattel / Pisse

Du willst einen Ring am Finger / You want a ring on your finger Eine Gummihand in deiner / A rubber hand in yours Festgekettet und für immer / Chained and forever

Aber ich will dein Fahrradsattel sein / But I want to be your bicycles seat

vera can't see a committed, normal relationship between them as anything but a sad pipe dream, with them out here, because there's no way to find any purpose without being Enemies. she just wants to fuck real nasty.

Hey Sexy Lady / Shaggy

Hey sexy lady, I like your flow Your body's burnin', I lost control Your booty on me, ceiling to floor Only you can make me scream and beg for more

they are literally just. so embarrassing and cheesy in dramatic sexy hatefucking foreplay. think that one Hark! A Vagrant Comic

this is them all the time

Flip Flop / Yucky Duster

And your friends they kind of blow They're all jerks I don't know They're all such jerks! I don't know You don't even know what you want You don't even know what you want

sherry and vera at each other: fuck your idiots they shot my idiots

What If Things Get Worse / Kaden MacKay

There is need to fret, though you can bet it'll get better But probably not yet or ever, so don't hold your breath Actually, hold it as long as you need 'Cause you locked your own cage, and you'll never be freed And the only thing that is approaching with speed is your death

You're gonna die! You're gonna die! You're gonna die! You're gonna die!

never forget the underlying existential dread driving every crazy thing they do. because they sure don't! BONUS level of existential dread for sherry: being acutely aware that "you locked your own cage" and things would literally be So Much Less Bad if her and these fuckers she's marooned with could just. stop trying to kill each other. l'enfer c'est les autres.

The Chain / Fleetwood Mac

And if you don't love me now (you don't love me now) You will never love me again I can still hear you saying (still hear you saying) You would never break the chain (never break the chain)

Chain keep us together (running in the shadow)

sherry knows that whatever this relationship is, it's not love (oh, but it's so much worse than that: it is love yet they still do this to each other). but they are obsessed with each other and will never stop.

Problems / DeathbyRomy

Wonder why, when we both got problems Why won't you help me solve them? I love you, but you don't and this is how I cope

sherry, screaming into the void and banging her head against a wall: WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS AND ***WHY THE FUCK*** DO I LIKE YOU

Bad Romance / Lady Gaga

You know that I want you And you know that I need you I want it bad, your bad romance

I want your love, and I want your revenge You and me could write a bad romance (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

Criminal / Britney Spears

But mama I'm in love with a criminal And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical Mama please don't cry, I will be alright All reason aside I just can't deny, I love the guy

see above re: incredibly embarrassing chewing-the-scenery-in-role-of-villain hatefucking foreplay, and dear lord, sherry is into it even though she's extremely aware of how incredibly stupid and cringe it is, objectively. fuck her whole life

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now / The Smiths

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job And heaven knows I'm miserable now

In my life Oh, why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?

good news: vera found a purpose! bad news: it is a terrible, miserable purpose she allowed to be given to her by the people who decided she and her friends are too worthless to be allowed to live or even to bother to kill properly.

Come As You Are / Nirvana

Come as you are, as you were As I want you to be As a friend, as a friend As an old enemy

Take your time, hurry up Choice is yours, don't be late

despite everything, i love you, and i will whether we choose to be enemies or friends, so the choice is yours: are we going to make our own concept of a worthwhile life and try to find happiness together, or will we live in a fun, blood-and-adrenaline-soaked rush distracting us from underlying misery?

The Killing Moon / Echo & the Bunnymen

In starlit nights, I saw you So cruelly, you kissed me Your lips, a magic world Your sky, all hung with jewels The killing moon Will come too soon

Trigger Of Love / JAWNY

Run, she got the gun She will pull the trigger on you and the trigger is of love

vera will shoot you both literally and with love for someone (her) that you are SO mad at yourself for being in love with

I Shot Cupid / Stela Cole

I shot Cupid, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bang 'Cause I don't wanna fall in love again Lo-lo-lo-love again I shot Cupid, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bang 'Cause I don't wanna fall in love again Lo-lo-lo-love again

desperately fighting that trigger of love

Worst In Me / Unlike Pluto

I saw you standing there, and I knew I'm done for, it's over, I'm through, oh Playing games from the start, oh Sinking your nails in my heart, no

You bring out the worst in me, oh

sherry, realizing that she is utterly fucked from how into this crazy asshole she is, and that she's going to keep falling into this crazyness, too

Lover Is a Day / Cuco

I'll take the bumpy road, it'll probably break my legs As long as I don't show you what's ruining my head Funny thing about you is you read me pretty well But you haven't found me yet at the bottom of the well Annoying you with smoke signals, asking you for help 'Cause your immediate presence lifts me straight away from hell

vera knows that what she's doing is fucked up and irrational, but she's in a fucked up and irrational situation and can't see any other way to be.

you stupid bitch / girl in red

You stupid bitch, can't you see The perfect one for you is me?

once again, here sherry is, banging her head against the wall and screaming about vera's intentness on making things worse

Crazy Girls / TOOPOOR

I know I can be destructive in the things I do Will hurt you, and might make you hate me But I'll still love you

You're my enemy and my remedy But if you're not gonna bleed for me, go (Go)

vera, once again, certain that hatefucking is as close to a happy ending as they get, and afraid that this isn't enough for sherry and she'll be left all alone

Fall in Love / Android52

Heaven is really not far away Why can't we fall in love for a day? I want to fall in love Baby just for the night Just for the night

vera's "starcrossed enemy-lovers who must keep their nights together secret from their teams" roleplay she's living in

Daisy / ashnikko

I'm crazy, but you like that, I bite back Daisies on your nightstand, never forget it I blossom in the moonlight, screw eyes Glacial with the blue ice, I'm terrifying

see prev note, but with more of vera hamming up her "i'm a villain now because a story needs a villain and i will not let us fade into narrative meaninglessness" role

Villain / Bella Poarch

I'll be the villain tonight I kinda like when you despise me after we fight (Feels so much better when I'm) Pushin' all your buttons 'til you're crawlin' on the floor You say you hate my guts, but you're still coming back for more

vera honestly finds method acting as ~sherry's villainous enemy~ so fucking therapeutic. freak.

dumb dumb / mazie

Disappointment takes us by surprise Even though by now I think we should have realized Everyone is dumb (dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb)

I just wanna go from here Close my eyes and disappear (disappear)

every day sherry is amazed by the depths of stupid they all reach, shooting at each other for no reason etc, and she kinda wishes hargrove had just killed them instead of going through this indignity of seeing that they're all so incompetent and stupid that they'll make their own hell. l'enfer c'est les autres indeed!!

Just Pretend / Bad Omens

I'm not afraid of the war you've come to wage against my sins I'm not okay, but I can try my best to just pretend

I can wait for you at the bottom I can stay away if you want me to I can wait for years if I gotta Heaven knows I ain't getting over you

I know the pain that you hide behind the smile on your face And not a day goes by where I don't think I feel the same

they are Not Doing Okay, but they understand that about each other and they love each other no matter how much they hurt each other, so they'll keep this up as long as it takes for them to actually get together and lift each other up

Shameless / Camila Cabello

Right now, I'm shameless Screamin' my lungs out for ya Not afraid to face it I need you more than I want to Need you more than I want to Show me you're shameless Write it on my neck, why don't ya?

they fuck real nasty and real stupid and god sherry wishes she wasn't so into it

Kiss or Kill / Stela Cole

K-I-L-L-I-N-G Kiss or kill, kiss or kill Kiss or ki-ki-ki-ki Kiss or kill, kiss or kill Kiss or ki-ki-ki-ki

Mixed Messages / Tom Cardy

Mixed messages Mixed messages One second, I say you're very pretty (very pretty) And then I show up at your house and I kick your dog, yeah

Mixed messages Mixed messages I pay for the dog's veterinary bills But then I punch your dad in the dick

Now we're going to a hospital Just me, you, and your dad in the back of an ambulance And even with your dad's broken dick The air is thick with (sexual tension)

exactly this sort of stupidity and insanity and, somehow, in spite of it all, horniness

Fall / The Terrordactyls

Shoot me in the face I'll shot you in the face We'll see which one of us Can shoot the other in the most accurate place Stab me in the chest I'll stab you in the chest We'll see which one of us Can stab the other in the chest the very best

If you want to die Give me a call We'll have each other bleeding in no time at all

My Nemesis / Danny Jacob

My neme'-neme', ooh, my neme'-neme'-neme" And I feel fine 'cause I've got a nemesis My neme'-neme', ooh, my neme'-neme'-neme' My neme'-neme', ooh, my neme'-neme'-neme'

Now I hate him, and he hates me What a wonderful animosity Besides his hat, he wears no clothes Now I have someone to oppose Yes, I have a nemesis

What Is This Feeling / Wicked The Musical

What is this feeling So sudden and new?

I felt the moment I laid eyes on you

My pulse is rushing

My head is reeling

My face is flushing

What is this feeling? Fervid as a flame Does it have a name? Yes! Loathing Unadulterated loathing

Shutup You're Stupid / That Handsome Devil

It's the middle of the night And I'm calling you crazy While you're calling me baby

I don't wanna close my eyes Cause I'm here right now Tryna memorize Every crack in your lips Cause I already miss it

You're stupid and I love you for it You're stupid and I love you for it (So dumb, literally so dumb, just like so not smart)

I Did Something Bad / Taylor Swift

They say I did something bad Then why's it feel so good? They say I did something bad But why's it feel so good? Most fun I ever had And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could It just felt so good, good

vera is living her bestworst life and insisting on keeping up the act that yes!! she is so bloodthirsty and rogueish muahahaha she totally is having so much fun!!!! not on the edge of despair at all!!!

Shoot All Your Problems Away / LilDeuceDeuce

lol. yeah sure did get passed up for that big promotion and stuck in a REAL shit job with a REAL shit boss huh. shoot each other about it.

Perfect For You / Jennifer Damiano and Adam Chanler-Berat

Our planet is poison, the oceans, the air Around and beneath and above you

The world is at war, filled with death and disease We dance on the edge of destruction The globe's getting warmer by deadly degrees And this is one fucked up seduction

I can't fix what's fucked up But one thing I know I can do I can be perfect for you

Sweet but Psycho / Ava Max

"Grab a cop gun" kinda crazy She's poison but tasty Yeah, people say, "Run, don't walk away" 'Cause she's sweet but a psycho A little bit psycho

She'll make you curse, but she a blessin' She'll rip your shirt within a second You'll be coming back, back for seconds With your plate, you just can't help it

No, no, you'll play along Let her lead you on You'll be saying, "No, no" Then saying, "Yes, yes, yes" 'Cause she messin' with your head

have i mentioned just how mad sherry is at herself for being so in love with this asshole and so into these incredibly transparently putting-on-a-show-of-being-soooo-edgy-and-vicious theatrics

Trying to Survive / Colony House

Aren't we all in the same boat? Taking on water Yeah, we're all in the same boat

Don't we all share the same space? Living and dying We all come from the same place

Tired of trying to survive Tired of fighting for my life I'm just like anybody, anywhere Navigating complicated times But I'm trying to survive Yeah, we're all trying to survive

COULD WE NOT JUST ALL GET ALONG. GOOD GOD.

The Great War / Taylor Swift

My knuckles were bruised like violets Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep-talked Spineless in my tomb of silence Tore your banners down, took the battle underground And maybe it was ego swinging Maybe it was her Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur

good god the drama. please vera stop being such a Theatre Kid for just ten seconds

Judas / Lady Gaga

I'm just a Holy Fool, oh, baby, it's so cruel But I'm still in love with Judas, baby I'm just a Holy Fool, oh, baby, it's so cruel But I'm still in love with Judas, baby

sherry is completely aware of how stupid and manufactured the team-vs-team-and-starcrossed-lovers drama is and yet she is just as swept up in the drama of BEING IN LOVE WITH JUDAS OH WHAT A FOOL SHE IS. it just also comes with the hell of being more self-aware about it

Cry About It Later / Katy Perry

I'll cry about it later Tonight I'm havin' fun

I know tomorrow I'll be love hungover But I'm ready for a shameless summer

sherry does not respect herself the morning after most of her Bad Vera-Related Decisions but oh god are they ever fun

bad idea! / girl in red

It was a bad idea Calling you up Was such a bad idea I'm totally fucked It was a bad idea To think I could stop Was such a bad idea I can't get enough

see above!

10 Things I Hate About You / Leah Kate

Five, you're toxic Four, can't trust you Three, you still got mommy issues Two years of your bullshit I can't undo One, I hate the fact that you made me love you

Nobody / Mitski

And I don't want your pity I just want somebody near me Guess I'm a coward I just want to feel alright

And I know no one will save me I just need someone to kiss Give me one good honest kiss And I'll be alright

at their most vulnerable core, they're just sad and desperately want the comfort of straightforward, healthy love, or physical connection if they can't have that, that most basic need of human connection in this isolated wasteland

I'm Your Villain / Franz Ferdinand

You toss in a word And I'm your villain I see the passion emerge And I'm your villain

I know what I am And I'm your villain Oh no, I don't give a damn If I'm your villain

Combat Baby / Metric

Combat baby, come back baby Fight off the lethargy Don't go quietly Combat baby Said you would never give up easy Combat baby, come back

vera will not go quietly into irrelevancy, worthlessness, meaninglessness. she will claw back meaning to her life with combat. and that's her love language with her baby <3

Is This Danger / Bombadil

Is this danger? Is this true love? Is this something I can hope to know?

Is this a basket? Is this my own life? Is this container to never use?

Is this sadness? Is this past us? Is this a moment we did not choose?

I've been holding back on loving you I've been holding back, I've been holding back

vera in a moment of reflection and allowing herself to hope that maybe, perhaps, they could have something better

You Don't Understand Me / The Raconteurs

You don't understand me. But if the feeling was right you might Comprehend me. And I don't claim to understand you. (Oh...) But I've been looking around And I haven't found anybody like you.

And there's always another point of view, A better way to do the things we do. And how can you know me and I know you If nothing is true?

vera, again reflecting. she knows that sherry doesn't understand why she's so intent on making up this conflict for a Purpose, but she's always felt that it's her only choice to survive and cope, to cling to the military way of life and view of herself as A Soldier. now, she wonders if she can accept that the people who told her that combat was what she was good for also told her she was good for absolutely nothing, and if she can give up clinging to that "point of view" and "way to do the things we do"

You Think You're Tough / Hunx and His Punx

Oh god, what have I done?/Oh no, what have I become?/Am I in love?/Oh shit, I hate myself for falling for someone who's tough/I swear I hated you, thought you were gross, now I'm the fool/You were my nemesis, never thought we could coexist/Am I in love? Am I in love?/Am I in love? Am I in love?/Am I in love with someone who thinks they're tough?

spoiler they fell in love concurrently to becoming "enemies". there is no time they thought they hated the other without also loving her... but vera does love pretending to live in her bitter-enemies-to-lovers roleplay with sherry sometimes

The Jail That Sets You Free / Asaf Avidan

Honey, come with me, it's just you and me Baby, believe it's as simple as can be I will be the jail that sets you free - I will be the jail that sets you free

I'm shuffling underneath my pillow for the bed-crumbs of my mind It's hard to look there for a future, when I left it all behind Please don't condescend and say you've heard this one before I'm hard to please sometimes - I'm hard to please sometimes

their life together, marooned together, could be the jail that sets each other free. vera starts to believe in this, she wants to believe in this, but it's just so hard for her to let go of the past, of everything she worked for to get to where she was before she left it behind, before she was left behind. she knows she's hard to love and hard to please and she's sorry. just please don't pretend you understand exactly what she feels, sherry.

Your Stupid Face / Kaden MacKay

What are you doing here? I didn't run away! It was... it was a strategic retreat What is there to talk about? It's over—I ruined it Well, yeah of course I'm sorry, but No, no, don't forgive me! Why do you do that? Why—why give me another chance to mess things up? Because you—what? Those three little words Out of the blue Completely uncalled for Especially from you

Don't you dare leave our problems and pain on the shelf! Because if you don't hate me, I can't hate myself But that's why I need you You shatter my fear 'Cause despite my misdeed, you are still right here Though it's stupid to date me You're willing to try And if you don't hate me, then why should I? Are you sure you don't want to give up on me? You're a moron

Bet / Rio Romeo

I'll bet on you sweetheart Like a game of cards And if I lose my hand I'm sure it's worth the charge To love and to loss Is worth the cost So I'm wagering forever just to be in your arms

I'm playing with fire In the sense I feel warm And I swear to fucking God I'll weather the storms

trying to make something better together and letting go of everything they cling to from the past is scary but it's worth it

[the-firebird69]

Sherry is correct. At least half of them are inaccessible fully however about 20% more were made inaccessible recently and that does make 70%. And that's in the Eastern Hemisphere. The remaining 30% will be inaccessible by the end of the day tomorrow all of the nukes and personnel will be defunct. He has expended 0.5% of his eastern hemisphere army in the attempt to save his stashes and caches and he will expand the remaining in that activity tomorrow at the mall while he is there bothering our son andken

That's correct we expect all of them to be out tonight we expect to anticipate that the bunkers in the Western Hemisphere will reach probably 40% inaccessible that's because they're much larger and have a lot more people in them and weaponry and it will begin to prop be problems we're problematic for them tomorrow in that they are going to block all of those bunkers 100% as they feel the nuclear weapons are disabled. And they are going to destroy them using a different method and they are doing it scientifically of course they may reach that 100 percent mark tomorrow night and tomorrow they may reach the 100 percent mark on the Eastern Hemisphere nuclear bunkers. And they are speeding it up since they cannot utilize the facilities they are contaminated beyond repair and it explains why they're so dumb and insane. There will then proceed onto the separatist city areas and Dale mobilize their armies to do so and they are gathering the weaponry from the caches and stashes to invade those will take three or four days to empty that's the weaponry caches but they will suppress the place as they get more of the weaponry out. These city areas of the separatists which are 80% trump will fall within 4 or 5 days of today. The island of New Zealand is being stormed daily and their levels of manpower are reducing and they are blockaded. And Emily is one of the trump girls and she is in Star Wars and goes against Trump because he's a buffoon and tries to do something to savor people somehow and it doesn't work as well as one would want she ends up dead. Several other things are happening we have noted that there very evil to our son and daughter and us but our son is suffering. A lot of people are saying we need this idiot outta here but they can't do anything and they don't and it's awful but next week he's going to be pushed around this week he's going to be pushed around for example in the Midwest their number is dwindling rapidly and it won't be long before they are powerless. So we print now

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

[rachelfoleyisntdead]

About the re9 "leaks":

"A closing chapter for a few things" This doesn't mean anything. It's definitely not a closing chapter for Chris UNLESS the game takes place post-Shadows of rose. Which I doubt, because Chris would be over 60. This could be a closing chapter for Leon and Ada, but hopefully without Ada's death (Aeon haters can die mad). It could also be a closing chapter for Jill, who we haven't seen in any NEW (not remake) mainline content in a while. I don't see it as a closing chapter for Claire because honestly, Claire doesn't have anything to close. She has no overarching story, no unfinished business or loose ends. She just Shows Up sometimes. I'd like to see Mia and Chris being forced to work together to close the Mold chapter out, and perhaps explain why Mia doesn't have rose in the Village DLC. But I doubt it--when there's a vitriolic reaction to a female character, Capcom just plays into it and panders to it rather than trying to develop the character.

"Both a closing and a beginning" This, again, is too vague to actually mean anything. Hopefully it means that the OG 4 are done-done, and we'll be moving forward with new-ish characters, like the original intention of re6 (til it bombed). Sherry, Jake and Helena did nothing wrong. Bring them back, and Parker and Sheva. (Carlos ILY but you're too old bb, please be retired.)

"New story arcs to come after re9" Note that they said new arcs--this just means they won't be continuing the mold. It doesn't necessarily mean we're getting new characters or Chris is retired. I highly doubt they're giving up Chris. That man isn't getting a break ever.

"Takes the series to new directions" ...this also is too vague to mean anything other than "no more mold". There aren't many more directions to take the series other than psychological horror (since zombies, parasites, cocoons and now mold have been done). That would be the only direction they haven't tried, though they tested the waters in Village. I'd like to see it. This could also just be another vague way of saying "new story arcs".

Highest budget/longest development time/release in 2025 This is the only part that sounds like an actual leak. And it still doesn't mean anything. We've seen plenty of high budget AAA games still suck. It's likely going to be a beautiful game, we know Capcom can make great settings with amazing atmosphere.

[chadwick211]

The Best Whiskey Gifts for Valentine's Day

If you're planning a party or just having a simple meal at home, a good whiskey is always a nice treat. What would be the best way to celebrate Valentine's Day this year? Sendgifts have some great Valentine's Day gift ideas to get you started!

Buying whiskey online is a great way to get your hands on hard-to-find bottles. Alcohol delivery services such as Sendgifts can help you get your favorite bottle delivered right to your front door without all the hassle. With its wide selection of whiskey, you can find something that suits your taste and preference.

 Celebrate the Spirit of Valentine’s Day with a Whiskey

A romantic Valentine's Day date with flowers and chocolates is a classic! Is it time to make a change? A fine whiskey served in a classy glass is a nice touch.

Whether you're having a party, gathering with friends, or want to send whiskey gifts, this classic spirit is a perfect choice. It can also be romantic to choose the right whiskey for Valentine's Day dinner.

A glass of whiskey will give Valentine's Day a uniqueness and a class that will set it apart from past years.

 Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

This coveted whiskey from Buffalo Trace Distillery (owned by the Sazerac Corporation) is in high demand these days. The sweet, citrusy, oaky profile of this acclaimed bourbon, coupled with notes of clove, will delight whiskey lovers.

If the receiver is unfamiliar with the spirit, you can then explain why Blanton's is said to be the first single barrel bourbon, and how eight different racehorse stoppers spell out the name.

 Macallan 15-Year Double Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky

A world-renowned brand with a premium price-point and world-class quality, Macallan Scotch is familiar to even the most uneducated whiskey drinker. Even though the Macallan 15-year Double Oak Single Malt isn't cheap, it's more affordable than the 20- to30-year varieties.

Macallan Double Cask whiskies are aged in hand-crafted oak casks seasoned with dry Oloroso sherry, delivering notes of vanilla, butterscotch, citrus, and an unmistakable Macallan spice.

 Yamazaki 12-Year Single Malt Whiskey

There's no doubt that the Japanese are huge whiskey enthusiasts, and they've been crafting their own brews for decades now. As a pioneer of Japanese-distilled whiskey, Yamazaki has grown into a global beverage giant which owns former American whiskey brands like Jim Beam and Makers Mark.

When it comes to quality Japanese whiskey, Yamazaki is at the top of the list, and price isn't the sole determining factor. Anyone who appreciates whiskey will enjoy this unique flavor profile of this buttery, bright, and fruity whiskey.

 Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey

A thousand years ago, the Irish and Scots were among the first to use barley and grain to create whiskey, instead of wine-based spirits like brandy that European aristocracy enjoyed. Irish whiskey was differentiated from Scotch whiskey by adding an "e" to the word whisky.

Glendalough is an independent Irish distillery that won double gold in the 2021 San Francisco spirits competition. The brand is named after St. Kevin Monastic City, where monks first distilled whiskey in the 6th century (the spirit's mascot). Aside from all the fascinating history, this whiskey is excellent and unique that would make a great gift.

It has a creamy, malty nose begins with rich vanilla, white chocolate and buttery fudge. Notes of cooking apples, white grapes, marzipan icing and toasted oak form in the backdrop.

 W.L. Weller Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey

As the first "wheated" bourbon, W.L Weller Special Reserve (another Buffalo Trace brand) is a unique whiskey to gift. Bourbon typically contains at least 51% corn, a small percentage of barley, and a small amount of rye. WL Weller was the first to use rye grain instead of wheat, giving the product a delicate, smooth finish.

This bourbon maintains its abundant sweetness on the palate, delivering a tasty yet classic mix of honey, caramel, vanilla, and light fruit. The W.L Weller brand has seven variations, all of which are hard to find and very expensive.

 Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey

As opposed to bourbon, rye whiskey must contain at least 51% rye grain, giving it a sharp, spicy, alcohol-forward flavor profile. In the world of rye whiskey, Sagamore Spirit is a young distillery out of Baltimore that is doing some creative things. Its signature rye whiskey is a blend of a high rye and low rye mash bill, both aged for 4-6 years.

With notes of spicy cinnamon, sweet honey, and a nutty finish, the low and high rye blend delivers a complex flavor profile. You can sip this spirit neat or mix it with a Manhattan for a delicious drink.

 Lagavulin 16 Year Scotch

If you know someone who loves mezcal and is looking to convert them to whisky, Lagavulin would make an excellent gift. It has a wonderfully smooth finish and is one of the smokiest Scotches you'll find. This whiskey is dominated by smoke, but it also displays well-placed notes of tea and sweet tobacco.

Lagavulin takes longer to distill and mature than any other whisky in the brand's Classic Malt Collection.

 Sazerac Rye Whiskey

Having over 20 different whiskey brands under its belt, it's hard to avoid mentioning Sazerac whiskey. If you know someone who lives in New Orleans, you may be familiar with Sazerac Rye, which has deep roots in the city that date back to the 1800s.

This whiskey giant chose the name after a drink made from rye whiskey and Peychaud's Bitters popular before the Civil War. This whiskey is not just a traditional rye whiskey, but is also an affordable and delicious whiskey gift.

 Wild Turkey Longbranch

For those who want an excellent whiskey in the mid-level price range, but want to avoid a played-out bottle of Jack, Wild Turkey Longbranch is a great choice. Smooth and oaky, this bourbon is perfect for sipping neat or on the rocks.

It has a caramel and spices on the palate with subtle smokiness and a hint of oak and char. It's warm and smooth from start to finish.

[roseategales]

second chapter of wfofb may well end up around 5-6k 

i was aiming for 3-4k

[ladydimitrescusdarling]

How RE8 did its Female Characters Dirty - Introduction & Part One: Mia Winters

The Resident Evil fandom has always been known for its kickass female characters - Jill, Claire, Ada, Sherry, Mia etc. - which is part of the reason I had such high hopes and expectations for Resident Evil Village. From the get-go it looked like we were going to get both quality and quantity in this department.

Which is why I was so disappointed when I experienced the game. 

When I’m talking about a good/great female character, I’m not really talking about moral alignment. You can have a character who frickin’ nails it as a villain and is a great character to experience. 

Like a lot of people I was swept up in the Lady D hype and believe me my love of her has not changed or diminished, but after the initial excitement had died down I kind of realised with growing disappointment that RE8 did its girls dirty.

I’m gonna break down pretty much every female character of the game and share my opinion of how I thought they were screwed over, didn’t reach their potential and/or in some cases communicated some pretty shitty messages.

Mia Winters

We first get to know Mia in RE7 and I personally thought she was really cool (way cooler than Ethan). I found her to be pragmatic, caring, resilient, brave and multifaceted. And we know there was more to her than a loving wife. 

RE8 would have been a great chance to explore her character more deeply, maybe how she got involved with Evelyn, what her thoughts and goals were. I think it would have been way more meaningful to have Mia pursuing Rose.

The first impression we get of her in RE8 is snappy, unpleasant, moody, defensive. Just, generally, really not nice.

And obviously we later learn that this is Miranda in disguise, but the fact that her behaviour gets portrayed as not unusual is shady af and a real diversion from the Mia from RE7. There’s nothing from Ethan noting how her behaviour has changed or how she’s acting strange or different.

Also he never lets her get a goddamn word in. I swear his most repeated line in the game is ‘What are you talking about?’ yet he completely talks over Mia when she’s trying to explain then acts confused about everything.

Like let the woman finish her damn sentence!

Then we find later that she’s been held in a spooky dungeon all along and she’s just been helpless this whole time? You’re telling me that in all that time she wouldn’t have found some way out? Or some way to do anything?

Mia doesn’t get any kind of active role in RE8. She’s entirely reduced to this essentially useless/helpless wife and mother who won’t shut up about how ‘special’ Ethan is blah blah snore. She’s denied her independence and capabilities we started to explore in RE7.

Discussion and sharing thoughts are welcome! Part 2 will be covering Elena and Luiza

[darling-i-read-it]

Pretty Boy

Leon Kennedy x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: slight suggestive tones

Author’s Note: italics are flashbacks! I loved this concept and I really wanna write something drawn out about it (i’ve had this idea with ethan and leon for months but haven’t written it down yet) so it was nice to dip my toes in!

Requested: by anon, Leon kennedy and a female reader they dated after raccon city incident but they break for whatever reason and in infinite darkness they reunite and realize how much they love each other

Summary: the request

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

You had never been in the white house before this. You were capable and talented but the white house had never quite been your speed. You preferred to do things with the BSAA where you could. Apparently though, this upcoming problem was going to be a problem that needed a member of the BSAA on hand. When they called Chris Redfield he sent you in, knowing that you were the best he had.

You walked across the carpet into the room you had been sent to.

“You must be Y/N,” a woman sitting at the table said. She stood up and shook your hand. You gave her a kind smile and nodded. “I’m Shen May. This is Jason and this is Patrick,” she said, gesturing to the two other men in the room.

“Great. Now we’re just waiting on one more,” Patrick said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Yes,” Shen May explained. “Leon Kennedy is on his way.” Your eyes went wide.

“Leon Kennedy is the fifth agent?” you asked.

“Yes. He’s more than capable, do you have a problem with that?” You shook your head quickly. The opposite of a problem actually.

You remembered meeting Leon like it was yesterday. He had a gorgeous smile and such kind eyes. You held those eyes close to your heart in trying times, even years after you had broken up. It had been so long you couldn’t even remember why you had broken up. You had met each other in Raccoon City and dated for about a year after that. You were pretty sure you had broken up due to schedules conflicting. You never saw each other much in the end.

“No, just surprised is all,” you said.

“Isn’t he the guy who saved the President’s daughter?” Patrick asked. You smiled a bit to yourself. That sounded like Leon.

===

Leon was in the helicopter as you had this conversation below. He looked down at the papers they had given him on this. Pictures of all four of you were on different sheets. Leon’s eyes lingered on your picture. The picture had been taken when you were caught off guard but you still looked beautiful.

He had a hard time not smiling down at the pictures.

You reminded him of a time where he was more innocent. Before all of this had affected him.

You sat with him on the train as it rumbled underneath you. Sherry and Claire were inside but the two of you were sitting outside, watching the tunnel as it went by. You were watching for other enemies to sneak their way out before you got a chance to escape.

Leon couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over. He had his hand on your thigh absentmindedly. You had met a little less than 24 hours ago but he was already fiercely protective of you.

You blew a piece of hair out of your face.

“And to think, you only got involved in this because you were late to work,” you said, laughing gently. You rocked your head back and met his blue eyes. “You’re kinda dumb pretty boy.” He chuckled, feeling the butterflies flutter in his chest.

“You’re here too!”

It may have been the worst day of his life but he was so grateful to come out of it with you, Sherry and Claire. Then he lost you. This damn job had taken too much.

The helicopter landed and he rushed in, saving Patrick from a zombie and heading to the President.

He saw you before he saw the President. You locked eyes. You fought the urge to throw your arms around him just to smell him again. This was a job, you had a job to do.

“There’s zombies on the perimeter,” Leon said and it was like he was saying it just to you.

“We figured,” you said, giving him a sly smile.

====

You and Leon didn’t have much of a chance to chat until you got on the submarine. Jason had given everyone orders but they weren’t until the next morning. You sat in your small room, checking your guns and cleaning them.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in!”

The door opened. You looked up and met Leon’s eyes. You sat up straight on your bed.

“Leon,” you muttered. “Fancy seeing you here,” you said. He laughed a bit and shut the door behind him. He leaned up against it. The room was so small, he was no more than five feet away from you. Almost close enough to touch.

“I didn’t know you’d be on this job,” he explained.

“Are you unhappy I am?”

“No, no,” he said, quickly. You smiled slyly and glanced down at your hands. He held his eye contact with you. “I just didn’t know.”

“I’m glad you’re here. You look really good Leon. How long has it been? Five years? You haven’t gotten a different haircut, pretty boy.” He lightly blushed at the nickname, just like he did all those years ago.

“Do you remember why we broke up?” he asked. “Sorry to be blunt about it, I just cannot think of a real reason.” You shrugged.

“We were just getting into the meat of the job. It was too much to handle when we were handling both of us I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess. God that was so long ago.” He sat down beside you on the bed but not close enough for your thighs to be brushing. “So do you have a boyfriend?” You laughed, looking down at your fiddling fingers.

“No I don’t.” You looked up at him. “Do you have a-”

Before you could even finish the question he had his lips on yours. You breathed in his breath, taken aback. He had his hands on your cheeks, leaning over at you. He started to pull away a bit, the worry setting in that you didn’t feel the same way but you just came back with double the intensity, leaning over him and throwing your arms around his neck.

You pulled away and met his eyes, those startling blues.

“Glad you feel that way too,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I don’t think I ever stopped feeling that way.” You backed up a bit, letting your fingers linger on the side of his neck. “We have a job to do here. We should focus.”

“Fuck the job,” he said and you both giggled.

“After this job is done I won’t leave your side for a month.”

“You wanna give this a go again? That was quick.”

“Is that not what you wanna do?”

“Oh no, that is exactly what I wanna do. I don’t think I’ve had a moment of emotional peace since we broke up.” You grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“You’re gonna regret this Kennedy. I’m gonna be extra clingy.”

“Not as clingy as me in 1998, I promise.”

Resident Evil Tag List: @ceruleanrainblues, @chloe-online , @alexxavicry