#and then we've been trying to train the other team to take these cases over and its SLOW.

[quiisquiliae]

Not an expert but I'm pretty sure work kicked my ass this week. My brain is mush, and I wish for death. I am here and lurking for the night, might post a lil banter call later on cuz I wanna write but UGH brain cells, they're nowhere to be found.

[dk-wren]

I haven't seen anyone talk about this yet, but it's something I caught/thought about while watching ep. 11. (If someone has already pointed this out and provided a more in-depth and eloquent explanation, then my apologies).

This is one of the first times Kazuki is shown fighting with a gun in the main timeline. I might be wrong, but the only other time Kazuki is shown fighting with a gun is in ep. 7's flashback to the night Yuzuko was killed.

Kazuki has been shown handling a gun in promotional art and technically used a gun in the prologue of ep. 1. (While you might disagree, I'm not really counting that moment since, at least for me, it's still unclear as to where the prologue falls into the overall BD timeline and there wasn't much of a fight leading up to Kazuki firing it). With this in mind, ep. 11 is the first time we really see him in action with a gun.

For one thing, as Rei talks about in this episode, Kazuki is the "brains" of the duo. So, when they work together, Kazuki does most of the recon, scouting, and distracting (Exp: their assigment from ep. 2 or Rei mentioning how the scout missions Kyu gave them in ep. 5 matches more with Kazuki's typical work). Since this series has more or less revolved around Kazuki and Rei as a team, we've only really seen Kazuki on missions with Rei, who is likely the better-trained or more accurate shooter/gunsman. Therefore, Kazuki takes on the more info gatherer role. Also, as an assassin, I highly doubt Kazuki is that inept at using a gun. Instead, he's just normally not in a role that requires him to use one.

I like to think Kazuki hasn't used or fought with a gun since Yuzuko's death. This could potentially be because he links her death to the necessity of fighting with a gun or after her death, Kyu did not believe Kazuki was mentally in a space to handle a gun or a mission that might require him to use one. Or perhaps, Kazuki was always more interested in and better at his scouting assignments, so once he was paired with Rei, he no longer felt the need to have to continue fighting in this way (or refusing missions that required him to use a gun).

Regardless, I think it would be so interesting that Kazuki's concern over Miri's safety is what pulls him out of this fear or refusal to fight with a gun. Someone, or rather Ogino (again), is threatening his family, so Kazuki's gonna do whatever it takes to protect them.

Given his line of work, I think Kazuki has a deep understanding of how guns can destroy and can protect. In Yuzuko's case, Kazuki witnessed the destructive and deadly side of the gun. After spending years reflecting on this, and recently giving himself the permission to change as a person, when it comes to Miri and Misaki, Kazuki now understands how he can use this weapon of death to protect the ones he loves. Yes, it is still a bringer of death, but this time Kazuki is gonna try everything in his power to not allow it to be for his family.

While Misaki did not survive, Kazuki was able to protect Miri. I don't think "inspired" is the right word, but something about Miri being in life-threatening danger is what caused Kazuki to just rush into the Unasaka's apartment, ready to fight whoever was threatening his little Miri. Kazuki fighting in a way that is unlike his normal style on assignments and being so willing to run into battle with little preparation was just one of the many things that stuck out to me from this episode. Essentially, Miri was in danger and Kazuki was gonna stop at nothing to protect her, perhaps that's why he opted for a gun this time. Kazuki was gonna use the weapon he associates and has first hand experience with, in terms of its ability to cause death, to take out any threat that would try to harm Miri.

[steverogers-wife]

Avengers x Scottish!OC

Hello! This is my first post on here so please feel free to let me know how I can improve :)

Summary: Fletcher Collins is a high level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She is an incredibly skilled fighter, hacker, and has never missed a shot. The only thing she struggles with however, is people understanding what the hell she's saying. Set in 2020, Thanos never happened.

Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner.

Warnings: None

Part 1 | Part 2

Avengers POV

We watch and wait, as Fury reorganises his files for the fourth time since we've walked in.

"Fury", Natasha sighs, "We're all here, why are we waiting around?"

"As i've already stated Agent Romanoff", the man says, looking towards the team, "Not everyone is here."

Tony looks mock confused as he begins counting the people round the table.

"Well who else are we waiting on? We have hundreds of HYDRA files to go through and I feel like we're wasting our ti-", Steve begins, when he is abruptly cut off by a woman with fiery red hair walking into the room.

"Better late than never Agent Collins." The Director says glaring slightly at the woman, although the group can see the amusement in his eyes.

The woman shrugs at his remark, a slight smirk pulling at the edge of her lips.

"Now we can begin," the Director states, "You've all been working on taking down HYDRA for years, and although we all immensely appreciate what you've done for us all, we believe it's time to get rid of this damn organisation once and for all."

The Avengers look at each other confused at his statement, as if that wasn't what they were trying to do. Sam and Steve exchange glances whilst Bucky sits quietly, with a noticeable crease between his brows. Natasha makes eye contact with Steve, confirming they were thinking the same thing.

"Sir", the Captain begins, "with all due respect, what do you think we've been doing?", he finished with a slight cold tone.

"I believe it's time we speed up the process, hence why we are bringing in Agent Collins on the case. She has been working under the wraps for S.H.I.E.L.D. for years, and has been specialising in HYDRA for the past 8 years. She will be working with you all gaining intel from HYDRA, training you as well as going on missions with you until this has been sorted." The Director says with a sense of finality in his tone.

"Director I really don't believe we need addition help with this," Sam begins, "We've got the last few bases we just need to prepare the missions for them."

"Well Agent Collins has information that tells us different", Nick states with annoyance, "Please Mr. Wilson, tell us how you found those bases?"

Sam stutters, under pressure from the Director, "You uhh, you gave us the coordinates Sir?" He says, unsure of his answer.

The Director hums. "And where do you think I got those coordinates from?" He finishes, his gaze shifting over the woman, who is still yet to say anything.

"Wait she got us those coords?" Wanda asks hesitantly.

"Yes, she also has mountains of information regarding those bases as well as others, and plans to take them down. With her on your team, bringing down HYDRA will be a hell of a lot quicker." Fury says, bringing his gaze back to the team.

"Well what if we say no?" Stark questions, obviously not liking the idea.

"The decision has already been made Stark," Nick states, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Any questions?"

"Yeah, does she talk or does she just blankly stare like Buck", Sam says with amusement, earning an elbow in the rib from Bucky's metal arm.

"Oh she talks, she's just hard to understand. You wanna introduce yourself Agent?" Nick questions looking to the woman.

She shrugs as all eyes in the room turn to her.

Natasha sighs, "Why is she hard to understand?"

"Because she's Scottish, Agent Romanoff, with a very very strong accent. You'll get used to her and her slang soon enough. Meeting dismissed."

Agent Collins nods in the direction of the Director before making her exit, not giving her new "teammates" a single glance.

__________________________

Hiii! Please let me know if you enjoyed and would like to see more, i'll be aiming to do a good few chapters for this and they'll definitely be longer than this one. Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment any suggestions you have of what you'd like to see :) - Raea

[teenage-idiot]

In the Blink of an Eye - 8

Avengers Age of Ultron | Quicksilver x Female Reader Fan-fiction.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

Contains strong language, sexual references and mentions of death.

1315 words

CHAPTER 8

The grass felt soft underfoot as I walked over to where everyone else was standing. Today we were training outside, which I guess would be a nice change as it could get awfully stuffy being cooped up inside all day. The fresh air could do us all some good.

We all lined up and Cap told us what was going to happen.

"Today, you are really going to need to join together and work as a team if you want to win. We are going to be playing capture the flag. You're going to be put into two teams, and I'll tell you what those teams are in just a moment, but first you need to know the rules. One team will be attacking, and the other defending, then you'll switch. The team attacking has to get the flag, whilst keeping as many of their team members on their feet as possible, and the team defending must try to knock the other team down, and prevent them from getting the flag. Now you can only use the items you have at hand now, or in some cases, the powers you harness. Okay, now we've established a set of rules, the teams will be as follows. In team one, Wanda, Falcon and Pietro."

I heard a small 'yes' escape from Wanda's lips as her brother walked over to join her. He turned and looked at me, giving me a small smirk as he did so.

"Team two will be those that are left, War Machine, Vision and y/n. Team one, you're going to be attacking first, so team two, you're defending."

Cap finished speaking, and team one stayed with him and Nat at the starting point, while my team went off into the woods behind the field we'd been standing on. We found the point with the flag, and made a plan.

"James, you and I will head out a bit further. Y/n, I think you should stay here and guard the flag," Vision said, and I couldn't help but feel like he thought I was going to bring their team down, like I was feeble and weak. Nevertheless, I agreed.

"Sure, that's fine," I lied, feeling useless already.

So, Vision and War Machine headed back out into the woods, and I remained with the flag.

A siren sounded off in the distance somewhere, signalling the start of the game. My whole body tensed up, and I suddenly felt a wave of nervousness surge over me. For a while I just stood there, listening to noises from afar. Then, I heard leaves rustling to my right. There was nothing there, but out of my peripheral vision I saw someone whoosh past me to my left. 

'Not someone,' I thought, 'Pietro.'

I was totally on edge, all my senses tingling, and goose bumps running up and down my bare arms. 

Before I knew what had happened, my whole body was spinning, literally spinning in the air, and when I came back down, I came down hard. My body smacked down onto the ground, and my stomach felt like it had just been punched about twenty times. 

I got up as fast as I could, and thankfully the flag hadn't been taken yet. 

A cocky looking Pietro sauntered towards me, a smug look on his face.

"You didn't see that coming?" he smirked, one eyebrow raised.

I heard more rustling coming from behind me and whipped around to see Wanda walking up to where the flag was. I swiftly froze her with my telekinesis, alas, just in time to see Pietro grabbing the flag. 

Another siren sounded, signalling the end of the first half of the game, and that it was time to switch. My team headed back to the starting point and team one stayed behind.

"Don't worry. We'll get them this time," James said confidently, and I gave a weak smile, partly feeling it was my fault we'd lost.

Once again, we talked strategy, devising how best to beat the other team. 

"The twins worked together last time, so they'll probably do the same this time around," I said.

"I agree," said James.

"James, I think you should take Falcon, I'll take the twins," Vision spoke, a sense of authority in his voice.

"Wait, what about me?" I said puzzled. Did he really just want me to do nothing?

"Y/n, I think you should be the one to go for the flag. You're the fastest and most agile, and I don't think they'll see you coming. You're the only one who can do it," he said.

"Oh I don't think that's true-" I tried to argue, but Vision cut me off.

"No, you are more powerful than you think. You can do it, y/n. It has to be you."

I nodded sharply, feeling a sense of pride within me, and then the siren went off.

I ran for ages, as fast as I could go. I kept running and didn't look back, but then I stopped abruptly. The twins were directly ahead of me.

'Shit' I thought. Where the hell was Vision?

Suddenly, he appeared and started battling it out with Wanda. Leaving me faced with Pietro yet again.

He dashed towards me, and without thinking, I hurled a log straight towards him. He fell to the ground and I went over to the spot he was at.

"You didn't see that coming?" I said, mimicking his tone.

He just laughed and let his head fall back on the ground, still lying underneath the log.

I sprinted off to the point where the flag was situated. There was no one there. It all looked a bit too easy, so I proceeded with caution. 

Just as I thought, Falcon leaped out of nowhere, but James tackled him to the ground with perfect timing.

"The flag!" he yelled, signalling for me to get it.

I ran up to it and ripped it from the small pole it was hanging from. 

The siren sounded loud and clear, and all of us went back to the start, eager to find out who'd won the game.

"Okay, so both teams won when they were playing attack, however, there can only be one real winner," Cap began.

I could feel the tension rising in my body, hoping we had done enough to secure victory.

"The winning team is, team two," Cap announced.

I couldn't stop smiling. James and I high-fived each other and Vision gave us both a nod, letting us know that we did well. 

"Before you go, I want you all to know that you did well today, all of you. I'll see you all later," Cap said, and then walked off with Natasha to go back inside.

Everyone started chatting as we walked back inside, and I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hope I didn't hurt you too bad," Pietro said, half smirking as he talked.

"Same to you," I said, smirking back.

"Touché," he laughed, causing me to laugh with him.

We continued to talk and laugh with each other until we got upstairs.

"Hey, no hard feelings right?" I joked, extending my arm for a handshake.

Instead of shaking my hand like expected, Pietro pulled me in for a hug, catching me totally off guard. I was shocked for a second, but then I hugged back. He was so warm, and dear lord he smelled good. I smiled, taking in his scent for a few seconds, as he mumbled something into my hair.

"No hard feelings."

He pulled away, and I felt a tinge of sadness in him doing so. He uttered a casual 'see you later,' and then walked off to his room.

I entered my room and shut the door behind me, sliding down it. I hugged my knees to my chest and found myself smiling uncontrollably. 

What was this boy doing to me?

[radicalshadow]

Screw it, time to gab about my Pokemon TTRPG

The System

OKAY so first off, the system is City of Mist. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a ruleslight 2d6 system that’s roleplay heavy. Character abilities (called Power Tags) are created based on who they are as a character! Needless to say, it’s extremely fun. Power tags add +1 bonuses if they can apply to a situation, and you have to tell the GM why they’d apply.

It’s not a Pokemon system by any means, but my GM modified the rules the tiniest bit to make it fit! Stuff like moves and Pokemon abilities are power tags, and she just uses City of Mist’s battle system.

WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, our world’s background under the cut…

The Backstory

Five years ago, there was a massive and sudden surge in crime throughout the world. Team Plasma was trying to take over Unova again. Team Flare attempted to fire the Ultimate Weapon. Lusamine was being a horrible mother. Team Galactic summoned Dialga and Palkia to recreate the world.

All of these conspiracies were stopped in time, let it be by promising young trainers, or in the case of Galactic, Sinnoh’s Champion (who cleared out every Galactic location + Spear Pillar in the span of six hours). All, that is, save for one: Team Magma.

Five years ago, Team Magma successfully awakened Groudon.

Five years ago, Hoenn was destroyed.

The calamity struck hard, with earthquakes and harsh weather and the eruption of Mount Chimney. Some people managed to get out safely. Some haven’t been accounted for since.

Despite being seven hours away by plane, Sinnoh happily took in most of Hoenn’s refugees. Leaders even began to share Gyms! Everything seemed to be stabilizing.

This brings us to the present day.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions about Hoenn, especially considering many important people are still unaccounted for. So, Professor Rowan set out to assemble a team to explore the region aboard a research vessel known as the RARAT. Without further ado, introducing:

The Ruby Expedition Squad

Recreo Shirona, of Snowpoint City. Raised by his Sneasel and an expert in Hisuian culture, he’s just as much of an archeology nerd as his cousin Cynthia. He even has several Hisuian Pokemon!

Unknown to the party, he’s also an officer of the International Police with the code name ‘Scholar’. It seems that Professor Rowan gave him some other missions…

Harper Lochstone, of Dewford Town. One of the refugees from Hoenn who’s trained directly under Cynthia as her protege these past five years. She’s been travelling with her Espeon Ruby for years. Only, Ruby isn’t really an Espeon; she’s a Latias.

Returning to Hoenn is deeply personal to her. Not only is it her homeland, but her father stayed behind during the calamity to help with the evacuations. She’s on the lookout for him.

“Emma Sky”, of Snowpoint City. A psychological researcher of both people and Pokemon. She has one Pokemon herself, who she’s only revealed to Harper: a Type: Null.

Her true name is Vivian Silene, aka Commander Mercury. The former Scientific Director of Team Galactic and Cyrus’ protege, she’s currently at the top of Interpol’s wanted list due to her extensive crimes against humanity. Not only is Hoenn a good way to escape the law, but it may also be the opportunity for her to remove the new weakness in her heart…

Those are our PCs, but City of Mist allows us the option to add important NPCs to the party! The Ruby Expedition Squad has two:

Maudie Lochstone, Harper's stepmother. She's the pilot(?) of our research vessel. Of course, she's also searching for Harper's father, considering that's Maudie's husband.

Cyrus Constancy, the spectral former leader of Team Galactic. Five years ago, he was murdered by Giratina at Spear Pillar. Four years ago, he started haunting Vivian and has been by her side ever since.

This is our party so far! We're only four sessions in (including Session 0) so far, but we've had a lot of really good moments! As a bonus, too, I've been writing session recaps as journal entries by Vivian--she's my character, and a little messed up psychologically due to her past as a terrorist.

I may post them here, along with the occasional reblogged session highlight (if Vivian wouldn't know/phrase it in the way that it occurred). So, be aware of all of that!

[travisklcesasdfasd]

PRIVATE: i don't know how you missed that i loved dogs, i've always been someone to love them. and i love your mom's dog, think because the dog feels my size, but don't worry i won't go for anything too big. oh the favorite child huh? i get where this is coming from you're jealous of your mom's dog stealing the limelight. can't deny the dog is a damn star in it's own right, babe. i'm sure that they would adjust to having a dog around, it's not like your cats are horrible monsters, they might be a little off put at first but with a little extra love and figuring thing out we can make anything happen. you have no clue how happy i am to hear that you're the happiest you've been in a long time. it's all i want for you, to be happy, to know that i will do whatever it takes to make you happy. that at the end of the day all i want is for us to have a loving, healthy relationship based on honesty, respect, and transparency. which we've been pretty good at doing so far. i promise we will find a way to make christmas still be the special holiday you love and enjoy, you don't have to give it up. still get to decorate, throw parties, it'll just look a little different on christmas morning since i'll be heading in to the game. we can always get up super early to celebrate, or do our gifts to each other christmas eve. a lot of countries celebrate the big part of it the night before so we could make that a thing. i've no doubt that we will find a way to make that special. you will have your recording studio, i'll have my man cave, it's a win-win for both of us in this case. plus it's not like i'm going to sell my new place in kc anytime soon and then if we want to build in nashville we have somewhere that is already homebase for the time being. i think i might have to keep that part a secret but did i ever tell you why i picked the ring that i did?

if it's something you want, that i'm all for it. not actively trying but not actively preventing pregnancy. from what i gather between all your extensive working out, the performances, coming off birth control, our schedules not always lining up to be together, we wouldn't possibly even get pregnant for probably several months or over a year, maybe two years. and that's being probably more generous, not that i know everything but just based on what i know and have looked into a little bit. starting with one or two and then going from there. because i don't think i'd mind three or four... but obviously we have to see how one goes first.

how does one end up with someone as amazing as tree. does she have someone she's training that's as amazing that i can hire on. because sooner or later i'll clean house with my own team and want something a bit more streamline and know for sure that they are working in my best interest. if people found out that that is all it would take to release rep TV they'd be finding ways to make those photos happen so how about we keep that between you and me, because i love you but i'm not looking to have my bare ass on the fron of a magazine. just a woman, babe, i love you, but you are so much more than just a woman.

you do have a tendency to be loud even if i'm covering your mouth with my hand. there are plenty on the team that are work colleagues that i wouldn't call friends, but i would still be respectful of because they're my teammates. we need to be able to work as a team, we don't want to throw off that magic we have and i'm not going to be the one to do it, neither is pat, so we'll work together and continue to do what we need to do on the field. someday maybe i'll get to say what i truly felt back then but for now it just is how it is. does it mean i won't make mention not to bring you up again in his speeches and make it very clear you're off limits, whether it's lyrics or not. he's gonna have the best time with espn i just know it. and i've no doubt that he'll be ripping me apart every step of the way, until someone else does it too much and then he'll be ready to fight.

okay, rightfully, no i wouldn't actually quit when i just have a few years of my contract left, we're in our prime, so i don't see us struggling so that wouldn't need to happen. even if i know you'd love to see groupie travis, you're gonna have to wait a bit for that, baby. oh i like how you think, thinking ahead, a midnights suit in chiefs colors, i'm going to say fuck yes. talk about an early birthday present for me. as long as i can get some kind of a remake home so that i can enjoy it for myself. the fans have gotten to enjoy it far longer than i have and i need to make up for the time. you wouldn't be encroaching, i would happily invite you but i don't know how breaking the internet would go if we had you on because you know that would happen. it's bad enough i give away when you're in the room with me by the way i stare at you because you're a little minx who walks around half naked.

we'll be together soon, babe. i promise. i've got some things i need to take care of but the second i can be back out traveling to see you perform i'll be there. check your phone later i may have sent you some stuff for later baby, but i'm expecting some back in return later.

Private: A dog man?! Who are you and who did I agree to marry? No, it's okay. I'll forgive this fatal flaw and one day, we'll have a dog. As long as it's not a big one like my moms. Cause that thing is more of a horse. And the favorite child. I don't know how the cats will love having a dog around full time. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my whole life. And feel the most me I have in a long time. A lot of that has to do with you and showing me how it is to be in a healthy, loving relationship again. I wake up and just feel... happy. Even when we're apart. It's crazy. I'm fine with people going out of business because we're boring. I know that it's all part of your job. It just sucks because Christmas is my favorite holiday. But you know I can adapt. It's something I chose when I wanted to be with you. We both make sacrifices to be with one another. And I wouldn't change that for the world, my love. You telling me that just makes me want to start drawing up plans for some renovations but I'll hold off until I'm home. I'll try not to take over your man cave too much. But when we find our home - we'll make sure that there's plenty of space for everything that we want. Maybe we can just purchase some land and build our dream house. All I know is I want a recording studio and a big kitchen so I can cook and bake. I dunno, baby - you getting down on one knee was a pretty big thing. And is one of my favorite memories. I still want to know how you pulled all that off without me knowing. Are you ever going to tell me?

I can talk to my doctor all about it. I'll set up an appointment with them. Even though it'll be via zoom. But... it's something that I want. I've never really thought about family planning before. Just preventing the whole baby thing. But now... I don't want to prevent it. I want everything with you. Just maybe... not a whole football team. We can start with one or two and see if we can handle them first.

Tree truly is a lifesaver when it comes to certain things and I'm sure that she'll help us to make sure the wedding is as private as possible. I'm going to hand that responsibility over to her because that's one stress that I don't want. If people managed to get photos of us in the bedroom doing things... then maybe it'd get me to release Rep TV, ha. Because I think I'd be pissed off enough to do that. One day maybe people will get bored with me. I'm really not that interesting. Just a woman out there living my life.

And I would do the same for your friends. They're part of my family now so I'd do anything to make sure that they're happy. Especially Ross and Pat. Joe did seem to disappear. He probably heard us fucking and didn't want to hear none of that. I can't keep quiet when I'm with you. Like you always say, people can think what they want to. It's all so complicated with everything going on. And the two of you aren't friends. You're just work colleagues. No one gets along with everyone they work with. You've said what you needed to say and that's all you can do in this moment in time. Everything is a bit of a nightmare at the moment but at least it happened before the season really started, right? So you can work through this and not have to worry about it when it comes to the games and such. Jase is such a good man, and I'm ready to see what he does with ESPN. I hope he's brutal with you and takes no mercy. Just because I think that'd be amusing.

You'd quit football so that we can have amazing sex? Interesting proposition there. And one that I'm not going to echo. You can just be my groupie and make sure that I'm getting a good fucking each night. So... do you also want me to get a midnights body suit in the chiefs colors? Just give me a list here, babe. I thought it was a good moment to bring it out of retirement for a moment. People also thought that it got lost in the fire. There were many rumors going around about that suit. I can bring it back home, though. People thinking I'm going to be a guest star just to be disappointed since I'd be in there for less than a minute. But also - that's completely your thing. I don't need to encroach on everything that you do.

Oh, yeah? Well, next time we're together - I'll be sure to give you a couple of hickeys. I can easily pay that favor back to you, Trav. Although you could hide it so easily. Nothing wrong with using a little make up to cover it up. I'm not planning on having a wardrobe malfunction anytime soon. You've got nothing to worry about there. Those marks are completely safe. Even if I do like admiring them in the mirror and knowing exactly what you did to me. I don't think it makes you cocky at all. What's the point in arguing back?

[max33imagines]

67. ‘I know you’re still mad at me.’ — Max Verstappen X Reader.

"We've got to go Y/n!" Shouted Max from the living room. You quickly grabbed a jacket and your bag running out of your bedroom to see him waiting by the front door. Today Max was racing in Monaco so you were both able to stay in your shared apartment knowing it wouldn't take too long to get to the track. You had high hopes for Max and this race today, if all goes well you were hoping to finally tell him something. You felt bad for keeping it a secret, you tell each other everything, but you had to pick the right moment. If he wins it'll be the icing on the cake, and if he doesn't I'm sure it'll turn his mood around, you thought.

It didn't take either of you long to get to the track, Max heading to his motor home to get ready as you sat on the sofa. You took your jacket off as Max began putting his racing suit on, seeing him look at you from the side of his eye.

"You know it's hot babe, why did you bring the jacket in the first place?" At this point you were trying to fan yourself with your hands in an attempt to cool yourself down, but was failing miserably

"Just in case? You rushed me anyway." Max laughed and shook his head knowing he gave you more than enough time to get ready.

It wasn't long until the race was about to start, Max had been over the strategy a countless amount of times as he geared himself up to win this race. He was starting in pole so had a good advantage on the track.

"Good luck, have a good race and be safe! I love you." You said with your arms around Max's neck as his rested on your waist. You kissed him softly before Max replied, "I love you too. Always."

The race was close, Max pushed his car as well as the tyres to the limit and you felt as though you watched the entire race with your hands over your eyes.

"Beautiful drive mate, that's P1" said Max's engineers, Max cheering and thanking his team in response.

After the podium and the PR you finally got a few moments alone with Max, instantly running into his arms and kissing him.

"Congratulations!!!" You squealed as he hugged you even tighter.

"You're my lucky charm I swear!" He said as he put you down, walking hand in hand back to his motor home.

"So some of the guys want to go out tonight, fancy coming?" Max asked, taking a moment to calm down from the adrenaline rush.

"I was hoping we could go back to the apartment, spend some time with you before you're back to training." You said, you probably sounded crazy thinking he would go home right now, but you wanted to talk to him, just the two of you.

"Y/n, I'm a Monacan race winner!!!" He said mocking his engineers.

"I'm going to go out with the guys, I want to celebrate this with you too though, my lucky charm!" He said, walking closer to you, wrapping his arms around you.

"I'll come." You said, not wanting to pick at him to go home with you.

You both went back to your apartment anyway for a quick shower and change of clothes before you was out in some bar with Max, Daniel, Lando and a few guys from the Red Bull team.

"What are you having Y/n?" Daniel asked as you shook your head.

"Oh I'll just have a coke, I think I'll have you look after Max tonight." You joked as Daniel agreed.

After a couple hours with everyone you asked Max when he was thinking of making a move.

"We've just got here." He muttered as he took another sip of his drink. He was pretty drunk already, little did he know he was slowly ruining your plans. You nodded and stayed quiet, another hour past and you asked again.

"What is with you? We'll leave in bit." Max snapped. Being in a club sober was no fun at all, but you knew at this point Max would be falling all over the place, one of you needed a sense of balance to get home. You laughed as you watched Lando and Daniel stumble up to the bar to order even more drinks before looking at Max next to you. You couldn't tell if he was falling asleep or just blinking very slowly.

"Can we please go home now?" You asked as Max jumped up just as Daniel and Lando came back with more drinks.

"Sorry guys but Y/n wants me to cut this short so I hope you have a lovely evening, but I'm being sent home." Max said as you rolled your eyes. You apologised to Daniel and Lando, despite the fact they were probably too drunk to realise what was going on, and followed Max out of the bar.

"You've been a real bitch tonight Y/n." Max snapped as he tried to walk 5 steps in front of you but ended up wandering into the road. You ran up to him grabbing his arm to keep him on the pavement but he quickly pulled away. Max's drunk words can be sharp and spiteful, but you know he doesn't mean it. He's just in a mood that you've stopped his fun.

"I don't get it, we always celebrate to win the race but you've been begging me to leave my friends, leave my team and sit in an apartment with you. 'Can we go home Max, when are we going home, take me home' " Max said mocking you. You let him ramble on about how boring you are because you didn't drink and how you're 'acting like his mother' but you didn't care. You wanted to say shut up but you knew that would send him off on another tangent.

You got back to your apartment, turning the lights on and putting your keys on the hook. You got Max a glass of water as he sat on the sofa, accepting it gladly as he took a sip. You let him cool down for a little bit as you decided to get ready for bed, taking another shower to wash your hair, taking some extra time with your skin care routine and picking out some comfy clothes. You pulled the small box out from the back of the wardrobe, placing it on your nightstand before going back to the living room to try and gage Max's mood.

"Are you going to bed?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from the show he was watching to look at you.

"That depends on what mood you're in." You said still standing in the doorway, not wanting to sit down if he was just going to tell you to go away.

"I don't get why you were so desperate to leave early and ruin my night." He said bluntly. He seemed to have sobered up a little bit, seeing he had drank all of the water you gave him and given the fact he wasn't passed out.

"Okay, I know you're mad at me." You started as Max glared at you, pausing his show.

"I know you won today, and I'm so beyond proud of you, you know I am. But I've been needing to tell you something for a few weeks now. I'm sorry I haven't told you already but I didn't know when the right time would be and after you winning today I thought it'd be perfect opportunity." You said as you got up to grab the small box from your room, you came running back as Max looked confused.

"Tell me what?" He simply asked. His eyes darting between your eyes and the box. You extended your arm, offering him the box as Max continued to look in your eyes.

"You haven't broken something have you?"

"Just open it."

Max opened the lid to the box, freezing instantly. He looked back at you to see you trying to hold back a smile.

"Are you?"

You nodded as he threw the box to the floor, taking you into his arms holding you tight.

"I'm going to be a Dad." He said as he let go of you.

"I'm sorry I tried to get you to come home and I'm sorry if I was annoying tonight, I've just been trying to tell you for so long-"

"Fuck Y/n I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't have said all of that before, I didn't mean it. There's me being an idiot wanting to drink with the guys and there's you trying to tell me you're pregnant!" You laughed as he picked you up before quickly putting you back down before apologising again.

"You're going to be the best Mum ever! We have to tell my parents, and your parents, and our friends. I promise I'll make this work around my schedule, I'm going to be there for you every step of the way. Fuck, I'm gonna be a dad!!!!" Max said again.

You both spent the night speaking of what was to come for the two of you, Max continuously apologising for his actions earlier on in the evening which you dismissed straight away, just excited that it wasn't just your little secret any more.

Max was so excited for his future with you, raising a family together, planning all the things the three of you will do. Max then had a lightbulb moment, turning to you with a wide smile on his face, "Y/n, we have to buy them a Kart!!!"

[babymetaldoll]

"Victory" (Spencer Reid/ Reader)

Requested: Yes

Summary: Spencer's daughter hates her father's girlfriend. But when he is in prison, life pushes them to finally get along.

Warning: Cursing, a little angst, a mean teenager, and fluff.

Word count: 5,4K

A/N: Hello, pretty people! How are you? I've missed you! Life has been a little messy and filled with angst, so writing hasn't come easy in the lastest weeks. Hope you like this story, and I hope I can bring you a new one soon ���

Masterlist

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Spencer's daughter hated her dad's new girlfriend. And she wasn't subtle about it. She hated that her father was now dating, 'cos she didn't want to share his love. So now she didn't even want to be around him anymore 'cos he was so happy, it was annoying.

It wasn't that she hated her father, 'cos she loved him. But she was never going to face the fact she was jealous. She didn't want to share Spencer with anyone because he was all the family she knew, and they were a team.

Victoria Reid was twelve years old. She had grown up alone with her dad 'cos her mother had ditched the two of them soon after she was born. Spencer had tried to explain to his daughter her mom had left 'cos she wasn't ready to deal with the responsibility of being a mother, which was true. He, on the other hand, was happy to know he was going to be a father, and he repeated over and over again she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

That was true.

When Spencer and his ex found out they were going to be parents, he was ecstatic. He couldn't wait to hold his baby in his arms and watch them grow. He didn't know his girlfriend had other plans, though, and soon after Victoria was born, she had left the two of them and never looked back.

Spencer wasn't going to lose the chance of being a dad. Even when he knew he was too young, Reid was ready to raise that baby on his own and give her all the love he had.

That's why he and Victoria were so close. Spencer was the only parent she had ever had. He was her world. And though Spencer was only 24 when Tori was born, he had given her his best.

Tori was the BAU's baby girl. Everybody in the team was a part of her life because she had grown up with them. Penelope was her best friend and godmother. Victoria would spend a lot of time with her while her dad was away on a case. Derek was her cool uncle. He helped her train to get into the basketball team and taught her how to dance. JJ was the closest to a mother figure in her life. Tori would spend time with her after school, playing with Henry. Spencer always said JJ was like a sister for him, and that's why they were all like family. Tori actually called Henry and Michel her cousins.

Emily was like her best friend. They could talk about anything, and at least twice a month, they would go out together shopping, just the two of them. Spencer always respected his daughter's relationship with his friend 'cos they were their little extended family. Tori called Rossi "Nono." He had taught her himself, and she loved going to his mansion, 'cos he always had new video games to play with her.

But then came (Y/N). She had joined the team when Victoria was only six years old, and for the first five years, they got along just fine. (Y/N) would come along shopping with her and Emily, sometimes she took Tori out for some pastries, and talked about bands, boys. Victoria loved her.

That until the incident.

She hated (Y/N) after the incident.

Victoria refused to talk to her after THE INCIDENT.

It was a warm spring afternoon, Spencer and (Y/N) had the afternoon off, and they were at his apartment... heavily making out on the couch. That's why they lost track of time.

(Y/N) and Spencer had started dating a few months before. They had been in love with each other for years. Still, neither of them had acted on it until Rossi's birthday party, when they had a little too many drinks and finally confessed their feelings. They wanted to take things slow, but when you make out in front of the whole team, it might be a little harder imagined.

But they had decided to wait for the right time to tell Victoria. But, unfortunately, the right time didn't come soon enough.

- "Dad!! I'm home!!"- Victoria opened the front door and froze in shock at the scene going on in front of her. The twelve-year-old had asked her best friend's mother to drop her home earlier when Penelope told her Spencer had already gone home. In Garcia's defense, she had no idea what was going on in Reid's residence, and if she had known, she would have never let Victoria know her dad was home.

(Y/N) widened her eyes and quickly grabbed a pillow to cover herself. She was shirtless, sitting on Spencer's lap. She still had her bra on (thank god), but anyone could tell that scene was leading to the bedroom in a few seconds.

- "Shit!"- Spencer whispered and closed his eyes as he realized what was going on. (Y/N) held her breath as she stared into the young teen's eyes. Victoria didn't know what to do or what to say, so she simply ran to her room and slammed the door.

- "Ok... so I think Tori knows about us"- (Y/N) tried to ease the mood and smiled at her boyfriend as she put on her shirt. But Spencer sighed and covered his face with both hands- "Oh, come on. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Let me talk to her."

- "No, (Y/N), let me talk to her first."- Spencer stood up and kissed (Y/N) 's nose- "I know she is mad, and I should be the one dealing with her anger."

Reid knew his daughter well enough to anticipate her behavior. People had often told him he could be a little passive-aggressive when he was upset. And his daughter was just like him.

- "Victoria, open the door!"- he said and waited a few seconds after knocking.

- "Go away!"- the teenager yelled, laying on her bed. She felt betrayed and confused. But most of all, she felt angry that her father had decided to have a girlfriend. He had no right to do such a thing. He had to take care of her and her grandma. No one else.

- "Victoria, we need to talk about this!"

- "You seemed too busy with your girlfriend to talk to me, dad. So go away!"

- "Victoria Marie!"- Spencer knocked on the door but got no answer from his daughter. (Y/N) heard it all from the couch and tried to think of a way to fix things with the young girl.

Sadly, it wasn't going to be easy, and in the months that followed, everything was far from being normal again.

- "I hate her!"- Victoria huffed and left her book aside. Spencer was trying to explain to her why (Y/N) would stay with her and Diana while he took a short work trip for the weekend. But the girl didn't want to hear a word about it.

- "You used to get along with her just fine until we started dating."- Spencer tried to dialogue with his daughter. Still, it was honestly getting harder and harder each time they touched the subject.

- "Used to. You just said it. I have the right to change my mind about people. Why can't I stay with auntie Penelope for the weekend?"

- "Because I want you to make an effort and try to get along with (Y/N) again. Victoria, we've been through this before. I love you, and that's not going to change just because I am dating (Y/N)."

- "This is so unfair! I hate you!!"

Spence tried to stay calm, but after over four-month having the same argument almost every day, he was losing it. Victoria stormed out and slammed her bedroom door behind her back. Maybe it was better not to push it, Spencer thought, defeated, and called Penelope to ask her if his daughter could spend the weekend with her, 'cos he had to travel. Maybe Victoria and (Y/N) weren't going to get along if he forced them to spend time together.

Everyone had already tried to talk to her about what was going on: JJ, Emily, Penelope. But Victoria wasn't ready to give in. She wanted to hate (Y/N), and nothing was going to change that. Or so she thought.

The day Penelope showed up in Victoria's school and announced her something had happened to her dad was engraved in the girl's memory forever as the worst day of her life. Her father had been arrested in Mexico, but Garcia had assured her, the whole team was working to bring him home safe. Meanwhile, she would stay with her in her apartment (she was already there anyway), and Diana would stay home with her nurse.

Victoria's heart was broken. She was basically alone in the whole world. Her father was her anchor. Her protector. Her superhero. Her best friend. And now, all of a sudden, he was gone, and though everybody told her it was going to be ok, she knew it wasn't.

- "Hey,"- (Y/N) walked into Penelope's office and found Victoria doing her homework- "Pen told me you were here, and I thought maybe you'd like one of these."

The young SSA said and handed the girl a box of fresh chocolate frosted with sprinkled donuts and a strawberry milkshake. Her favorites.

But Victoria didn't reply. Instead, she looked at (Y/N) right in the eyes, not moving a muscle, and then returned to her homework.

It had been two weeks since Spencer had been accused of murder, and he had been transferred to Virginia. But the team was far from solving the case.

- "Ok, Tori, please stop this. I know you don't like me dating your dad, but this is not the right time to fight. I know..."- (Y/N) made a short pause and took a deep breath before resuming her idea- "I know how you feel."

- "No. You don't."- Victoria Reid's voice was loud and clear, like thunder, hitting earth with anger. So clear, in fact, (Y/N) widened her eyes when she heard her.

- "You have no idea how I feel. Your dad ain't in jail accused of killing some woman in Mexico. You have no right to tell me that!"

- "My boyfriend and best friend in the whole world is in jail right now, and it doesn't matter if I work myself to death 18 hours every single fucking day; I still can't find the way to help him. I feel lost and alone, and most of all, scared, 'cos I've come to realize I have no idea how to live without him anymore. I'm guessing that's very close to what you feel."

(Y/N) poured her heart with complete honesty to her boyfriend's daughter, fighting the tears back, though you could feel the desperation in her voice. She didn't know if it would be of any use, but she had to take that from her chest. She missed Spencer so much she felt she was going insane. She had no idea what to do.

Victoria stared at her, furrowing her eyes and pouting. She didn't want to cry in front of (Y/N) 'cos she didn't want her trying to console her.

- "Just because you are dating him doesn't mean you have to take care of me. I can take care of myself."- Tori said and looked at the donut. She was hungry, they looked delicious, but the teenager didn't want to accept any gift coming from (Y/N).

- "I am not here because you are my boyfriend's daughter. I thought you were a cool kid way before I fell in love with him."- (Y/N) tried to calm herself down and sat across the table from Victoria- "And I am not trying to steal him from you. I just wanna... make him happy."

- "We were happy,"- the teenager's comeback was like a slap on (Y/N) 's face, but she did her best not to take it personally. She knew it was useless fighting with a teenager.

- "I have a visit scheduled for tomorrow. If you'd like, we could go together."

Tori held her breath. She hadn't seen her father since he left for Mexico. Of course, Victoria wanted to see him and hug him. It was all she wanted in the whole world. But... she didn't want to be friendly with (Y/N).

- "If I go... it doesn't mean I like you."- the young girl whispered.

- "I know"- (Y/N) nodded, feeling already triumphant.

- "And it doesn't mean I'm ok with you dating him."

- "I understand. I just know you miss him, Tori. I really know how you feel, and I'm gonna help you whenever I get a chance."- Victoria didn't answer; she just sighed and grabbed a donut. (Y/N) tried not to smile, feeling she had a small victory.

Spencer couldn't believe it when he saw his little girl waiting for him sitting next to (Y/N) instead of his lawyer in the small grey room. Victoria stood up and ran to him the second the door opened and wrapped her arms around her father as tight as possible.

(Y/N) looked at the guards, thankful neither of them had tried to stop the teenager.

Spencer kissed his daughter's cheek a few times and whispered how sorry he was to put her under those circumstances. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He was speechless. A part of him hated the idea of his daughter visiting him in jail, but he also missed her too much to argue with (Y/N) for bringing her over.

- "I'll go fill a few forms. Be right back"- (Y/N) whispered and saw Spencer's warm smile as he mouthed "Thank you," still hugging his daughter. She whispered, "I love you," and walked outside the room. She knew Victoria would appreciate a few minutes alone with her father, and she didn't want to take that away from them. She really wanted to make Spencer and Tori happy, and spending time together was what they needed.

- "I know this is hard, peanut, but we'll get through it. I'll be out in a few weeks. I promise"- Spencer held his daughter's hands as they sat across the table.

- "I miss you"- her voice was a soft whisper, as she kept trying not to cry anymore. She didn't want to make him feel guilty, sad, or anxious.

- "Me too. How are you? How is living with aunt Penelope going?"

- "Ok... we watch a lot of movies."

- "And school?"- Tori shrugged.

- "Ok, I guess."

- "Victoria..."

- "I got a C on my history paper."

- "Baby..."

- "I know, I know, I should have tried harder, but I really didn't want to do it."

Spencer was torn between lecturing his daughter for getting a bad grade and actually telling her it was ok, 'cos they were going through a rough patch. It was obvious she might get bad grades, all things considered.

- "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you"- it was all Spencer managed to whisper.

- "Don't say that, dad. I'm sorry I slacked off."

- "You know, you could ask (Y/N) for help,"- Spencer suggested, but Tori just rolled her eyes, annoyed- "She has a master in the subject..."

- "Dad, please don't force me to talk to her."

- "I'm just saying... you don't have to be her best friend, just ask for help when needed, especially when it comes to school. Besides, it's clear she isn't a bad person if she brought you here today."

- "She just wants to win me over."- Tori mumbled and crossed her arms on her chest. But she knew her dad was right in one thing: (Y/N) had done a pretty good thing taking her to see her dad and letting them spend time together on their own.

Victoria thought she was losing her mind after three months had passed and her father was still in jail. It didn't matter that (Y/N) took her every Saturday morning to visit, played her favorite music, and bought her all the pastries she loved. She needed to live with her father again and do all the small things they loved: making breakfast together, playing scrabble, taking long walks in the park, eating ice cream. Tori even missed her father's annoying habits. She missed his rambling and how he always had an answer for everything, even for the things she didn't want to talk about with him.

Spencer was an amazing father, no questions asked, and Victoria Reid knew she couldn't ask for a better dad than him. She just wanted him back.

But things weren't going to improve soon.

When the team found out Diana Reid had been kidnapped, (Y/N) had to take a minute and lock herself in the bathroom to cry her heart out. She felt bad things were never going to cease, and she didn't want to tell Victoria. The girl had already been through so much, adding the abduction of her grandmother wasn't fair. Tori was just twelve. She shouldn't be going through all that.

- "Victoria?"

Prentiss decided she was going to be the one to tell the girl what was going on, and (Y/N) offered herself to look for her. She was in Rossi's office, reading a book curled on his comfy couch. That poor kid almost lived at the BAU by then.

- "My homework is done."- she replied, not taking her eyes from the page she was reading.

- "That's good. And what are you reading?"- Tori sighed and showed her the cover- "Something Wicked this way comes," I love that book"- (Y/N) smiled and took a look around.

- "Figured my father forced you to read it."

- "Actually, I read it when I was ten, and it's one of my favorite books."- (Y/N) looked at Victoria, but the teenager kept pretending to read, ignoring her- "Emily needs to talk to you."

- "And why are you here? Why didn't aunt Emily come? Are you her secretary?"- there was something about Victoria's attitude that reminded (Y/N) of Reid.

- "I wanted to see you, see how you were doing, and take you to the conference room"- Tori sighed and stood up. She hoped Emily had good news about her father, 'cos she was honestly going insane.

But of course, Prentiss didn't have any good news.

- "I'm sorry, Tori, but... you are going to have to stay here tonight"- the girl frowned, confused, and looked at the whole team around her. Everybody looked like they hadn't slept in days. Which, by the way, was very accurate.

- "Why?"

- "'Cos we are going to have to..."- Emily paused and held her breath, staring at her niece's eyes.- "I'm sorry, Tori, but this is the truth: the woman who framed your father has kidnapped Diana, and I'm scared she might try to get you too. So until we catch her, the safest place to be is here, at the BAU. With us."

Tori gasped and covered her mouth with both hands as tears filled her eyes in a second.

- "Nana? Is she ok?"

- "We don't know yet, but we are working to bring her home safe as soon as possible"- JJ caressed Tori's arm and tried to hold her, but she pushed her away mad frowned.

- "You keep saying that, you keep telling me you are working to bring my family home safe, but so far, you haven't done anything!! I am still alone! Dad is in jail, and everybody knows he is innocent! And now nana is gone too!!"

- "Baby, we know it is hard, but..."- Emily wanted to explain to Victoria everything was more complex than they had expected, but the girl covered her ears and shook her head, yelling as she stormed out of the room

- "I don't wanna hear you!! I want my dad!!"

It was painful to hear those things, 'cos the team was doing the best they could for Reid and his family, but they could understand the frustration and, most of all, the fear that little girl felt.

- "I'll talk to her,"- (Y/N) said and turned to Emily- "You guys continue what you were doing. I'll try to calm her down."

- "Are you sure you wanna go?"- Emily asked and cut (Y/N) a short smile.

- "Yeah, for once, she is mad at all of us, not just me."

The young SSA walked to Garcias's office, where Tori was hidden underneath a desk, crying.

- "Hey."

- "Leave me alone."

- "I know I'm the last person you wanna be with right now, and I am sorry I can't do anything to make you feel better. I can only promise you this: we are doing all we can to bring your dad and your grandmother back home safe." - (Y/N) whispered as she walked slowly towards the girl, who sobbed, whipping off the tears from her eyes.

- "Just leave me alone. I want to be alone,"- Tori mumbled and wrapped her arms around herself, sobbing.

- "I'm not gonna leave you alone, Tori. You are not alone here with us."

- "I am alone!! I want my daddy!! I need my daddy!!"- the girl continued crying her eyes out, hidden underneath the desk. (Y/N) kneeled next to her and sat on the floor.

- "Come here"- it was a bold move, 'cos (Y/N) knew the girl was going to reject her, but she didn't care. She couldn't deal with her sadness, and it scared her to think how bad the child was feeling. So, (Y/N) opened her arms and moved the teen closer to her.

Surprisingly, the girl didn't reject her. Instead, she cried against the fabric of (Y/N) 's sweater and sobbed, shaking, as (Y/N) caressed her hair carefully.

- "I swear, we are not gonna rest until he is free and until Diana is home."

- "I want my family back,"- Victoria mumbled and sighed.

- "You'll get it. I swear, I'll do everything I can to bring them back to you."

That was the first time since (Y/N) started dating Spencer that Victoria let her close. In the middle of the mess they were all lost into, it felt like a little break of peace. Another small victory for the young woman.

(Y/N) didn't mind spending the whole night awake going through an endless pile of files if it meant there was a chance to bring Spencer back home. Tori stayed in Rossi's office, where she made something that looked pretty much like a fort on the couch, with blankets and pillows, to hide from the rest of the world.

It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, looking at the girl hidden there, trying to read, trying to draw, trying to do anything to take her mind from reality. Penelope brought her something to eat, but she rejected it, saying she wasn't hungry. Emily and JJ had tried to talk to her, but Tori kindly said she wanted to be alone. Even Morgan had called her and announced to her he was taking a plane from Chicago to help the team looking for Diana.

None of that cheered Victoria up.

- "I bought you this,"

Around ten, (Y/N) opened Rossi's door and walked in, holding a box of frosted chocolate donuts with sprinkles.

- "They always cheer your dad up, so I'm counting they will do the trick with you too"- the young woman tried to joke but found Victoria crying quietly insider her fort.

- "Please, just leave me alone,"- she whispered and hid her face with both her hands. (Y/N) didn't pay attention and sat with her inside the fort.

- "Not a chance."

- "I really don't wanna do this now, just leave me alone,"- the girl sighed, defeated, and continued crying.

- "Come here, I told you, you are not alone."

- "I am alone, (Y/N)! My dad is in jail, my grandma is kidnapped, and my mother left me 'cos she didn't love me!"

- "No, baby, don't say that"- (Y/N) wrapped her arms around Tori and kissed the top of her head.

- "I know my mom didn't want to have me, and maybe she was right... maybe I am cursed, and all this is my fault."

- "Victoria Marie Reid, you are talking senseless" (Y/N) held the girl's shoulder and looked into her eyes.

- "You are an adorable young girl who deserves the best in the world. Why did this happen? I don't know, bad shit happens in life, and we must try to learn something from it. That's it. There's no reason or cause. Shit happens, baby, but we must raise stronger than before. You are an incredible young girl, and I know your dad is proud of you. I am proud of you, 'cos you've been so courageous and brave."

- "You are just saying that 'cos you are with my dad."

- "No. I would say that even if I hated your dad. You know why? 'Cos I am not lying, you are awesome, and I love you, get that into your head. And you are not alone, 'cos I am here, see?"- (Y/N) ran her thumb on Tori's cheek, whipping off a few of her tears- "I'm here even when you don't want me to be, so I don't know if you can tell, but you are doomed, you can't get rid of me now. I'm like a disease, but a good one... I don' know if there's a good disease. I'm sure your dad would have the answer for my random comment right now."

Both Victoria and (Y/N) chuckled at the same time, and the girl nodded.

- "He definitely would..."

- "He would also lecture me why I shouldn't give you sugar after dinner, but he is not here, and I am not telling him, so please don't tell him 'cos he is going to be mad at me... and at you."- (Y/N) handed Tori the box of donuts, and the girl smiled.

- "I won't tell him."

- "Great, we have our own little sugary secret. Eat all the donuts you want; I'm going to be with the team in the conference room. Emily has a meeting early morning with the judge."- (Y/N) kissed the top of Vitoria's head and stood up.

- "If you need anything, I'm across the hall."- the SSA said, and the girl nodded, chewing a donut.

- "Thank you, (Y/N)"

By the next day, the miracle had happened. Victoria couldn't stop crying when (Y/N) announced she was taking Spencer back home. Tori stood in front of his father's girlfriend and felt how the tears filled her eyes in less than a minute. Happy tears, for once.

(Y/N) smiled at her, glad to know the young girl was going to have her life back. It surprised her when Tori hugged her, wrapping her arms around her tight. (Y/N) stayed still for an instant, trying to understand what was happening. She hugged Victoria and kissed the top of her head. The child was crying, and suddenly, so was she. The nightmare was over. At least a part of it. They still needed to find Diana. But the fact they were going to have Reid back was already giving everybody the peace of mind they needed to finish the task.

(Y/N) held Spencer's hand tight all the way from the prison to the BAU. He kept his eyes locked on their hands, fingers tangled together. He couldn't believe it was actually happening. He couldn't believe he was a free man.

- "How's Tori?"- he whispered and turned to his girlfriend. Penelope and Luke were in the car with them, but somehow, Spencer could only register the presence of his girlfriend. Not because he didn't care about his friends, but because he could only take just a small amount of information at the time. It was all too much for him at that moment.

- "Good. She has been incredibly strong."

- "Did you tell her about mom?"- Spencer was afraid to ask but needed to know what was going on with his daughter. (Y/N) nodded and sighed.

- "We decided it was better if she knew what was happening, we had to keep her at the BAU, and she was going to get suspicious she couldn't go to Penelope's... sorry."

- "Don't be. You did what was best for her."- Spencer turned to his girlfriend and smiled at her for a second. It was a short, sweet smile. Almost shy. But it was enough to warm her heart and wake the butterflies in her stomach. She was so in love with Spencer Reid, everything he did fluster her.

Victoria thought her heart was about to burst as he waited for her father to arrive. Spencer looked at (Y/N) one last time, and she squeezed his hand kindly, smiling when the elevator door opened, and all he heard was:

- "Daddy!!"- Tori yelled and ran to hug Spencer as soon as she saw him. He couldn't even step out of the elevator when his daughter nearly tackled him, wrapping her arms around him tight.

- "My baby!"- he whispered and spun her in the air a few times- "Are you ok?"- he held her face with both hands and took a good look at her. She was crying but smiling as she nodded.

- "I'm so happy to see you, dad."

- "I missed you so, so much"- Spencer kissed the top of her head and sighed. (Y/N) smiled, and whipped off the tears from her eyes as she stared at the scene. Garcia and Luke stood next to her, enjoying a brief moment of happiness and peace.

- "Me more,"- Victoria whispered and hugged Spencer again- "I swear I'm never going to fight with you again."

- "I'm taking a mental note of that,"- he answered and felt her body shaking as she giggled. Spencer hadn't heard his daughter laugh, giggle, or even watched her smile in the three months he had spent away from her. And that sound was sweet and warm, like a balm to his soul.

- "I'm sorry, Spencer... but, we have to..."- Emily interrupted the moment and smiled at her friend. They all knew they still had to do one more thing before celebrating. They had to take Diana Reid back home safe and sound. Victoria let her father go and smiled at him.

- "I love you, dad."

- "I love you too, princess."

And as the team walked to the conference room to brief Spencer about the case and update him with the latest information, (Y/N) felt someone hold her hand.

- "Thank you,"- Victoria whispered and cut her a smile that warmed her heart.

- "Come here,"- she answered and turned around to wrap her arms around her for a second. Spencer looked at them, and for once, he didn't know what to say. Victoria and (Y/N) just stood in the middle of the hall, hugged for a few minutes, and Reid couldn't believe it. It was so heartwarming and emotional; he really didn't know how to react.

- "Come on, dad!! You are going to miss the movie!"- Victoria yelled and set the popcorn on the coffee table.

- "You can pause it!"- Spencer yelled from his desk, where he was finishing writing a letter for his mother.

- "Or you can hurry!"- Tori answered and sat on the couch.

- "Here's your tea, your highness"- (Y/N) walked to the girl holding a tray filled with cups and more snacks- "Come on, honey! We are not waiting for you!"

Three months after prison and life had never been so good for Spencer, Victoria, and (Y/N).

- "I had never seen you so eager to watch a Marvel movie, since when are you two fans of Thor?"- Spencer walked to the living room, hearing his girlfriend and daughter laugh.

- "Always, huge fan."- (Y/N) smiled and tapped on the couch. Reid sat between his two women and sighed.

- "I can smell the sarcasm in the air."

- "No, honey. We love Thor, right Tori?"

- "Yes! Big fans, huge, the biggest fans"- Spencer looked at his daughter and raised an eyebrow.

- "Ok, I'll buy it. Let's watch the movie."

(Y/N) and Tori giggled at the very same moments like they were sharing a secret joke Spencer couldn't understand, but he didn't really matter. He was happy, his heart was content, and there was nothing more perfect that minute, 'cos his family was all on the same couch, watching a movie, enjoying an afternoon together. Like he had always dreamt of.

----

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overstepping [one] // jane banner (Wind River)

summary: after getting several voicemails from your colleague and best friend with her asking for your backup, you attempt to call her back, only to get no answer.

warning/s: mentions of rape, murder and injuries.

author’s note: this is a two parter because i finally watched Wind River and it broke my heart but also lizzie was v cute and i felt the need to write this, hope you like it x

part two | masterlist | wattpad

"C'mon, work you stupid phone," I complained for the millionth time, before standing on the chair to get a better signal.

When I saw the bars in the corner of the screen increase, a grin appeared on my lips. I loved my parents, but the fact that they lived in a remote cabin in Tennessee with zero signal was not my favourite thing.

When the bars remained, my phone decided to actually be helpful and receive all the messages, calls and voicemails I missed. I did a brief flick through, noticing nothing was too important that couldn't wait for me to return to work. As an FBI agent, I rarely got time off. And now that I had taken a two month vacation to spend with my parents, I was adamant on enjoying it, even if I was missing work a smidge.

Next were the calls, which I noticed were mostly from my colleague and close friend, Jane Banner. I furrowed my brows, realising she'd left me several voicemails, too, which was strange since she knew I was on a break from work. What could be so important?

I sighed, glancing down at my uncomfortable position standing on the chair and leaning above the wardrobe. It was the only place in the house with decent signal and the only other place that wasn’t in the middle of nowhere was twenty minutes out. Telling myself I'd just listen to one voicemail to make sure everything was okay, I played the earliest message.

"Hey, Y/N. I'm sorry, I know you're on a break, but I just had to talk to you," it began, and Jane sounded troubled. "I was in Vegas, as you know, but I've been called out to a reservation in Wyoming where this poor girl was–" She paused, releasing a shaky breath. "She was raped and left to die out in the cold. I thought I could send in another team to take a look – y'know, usual protocol. But the coroner won't rule it a homicide and you know what that means."

I swallowed hard, knowing exactly what that meant. If it wasn't ruled a homicide, no backup would come and we had to move onto the next case. But if this girl was raped and left to die, the rapist was still out there and wasn't getting caught by the FBI.

"I can't just leave it and go," Jane continued quietly, with that recognisable passion for her job evident in her voice. "I have to do what I can. But I... I can't do this alone. It's not like other cases, Y/N. It's different out here. And there's only so much their police department can do. I know you're on a break, but I was hoping that, maybe, you could come out here and help me? It's the Wind River Indian Reservation. That's it, I guess. Bye."

The message ended and I found myself chewing on my lower lip anxiously, unable to think about anything other than Jane now. She'd worried me with that one voicemail alone – I couldn't imagine what the others said.

She was usually so good at dealing with cases, but this seemed different. She sounded shaken up, attempting to put on a brave face by the sounds of it. What was so different about this case? She didn't need me. She was capable.

Curiosity got the better of me and I played the second message, ignoring the discomfort in my arms as I stretched to maintain the signal. It was left a day after the first one.

"Hey, so I just remembered that you said you don't get much signal up there with your parents," she began apologetically. "I don't mean to– shit, it's so cold..." There was a pause, a noise in the background, then she continued, "Sorry, just turning up the heating. Anyway, I was saying. I don't mean to intrude on your break. I just– I'm hoping you'll find signal and hear this because I could really use your help. I think we've got a lead on who may have done it. It was hectic today. Really could've used that backup."

She chuckled dryly at her attempt at a joke, but all I felt was guilt. She sounded exhausted within a day of being there.

"I hope you get this," she finished with a sigh. "I should go. Got a busy day tomorrow. Hope you're doing okay. Bye."

I wasted no time in playing the next message. Three days into her case.

"I don't know why I keep sending these," she began with a hoarse voice, and my heart clenched at the sound of it. "You clearly aren't getting them in time. But it's easier talking to you like this than not at all."

It went quiet, so quiet that I thought she may have finished and forgot to hang up. But then she spoke up again, a whimper escaping her lips.

"It's so hard," she admitted. "We've covered worse cases, but this one... everything about it makes me uncomfortable. Something doesn't feel right. I've got a lead – we think it might be the boyfriend who did it and we're gonna see him tomorrow. But I don't know."

I frowned, squeezing my phone tightly because I didn't recognise the girl speaking as my friend. This girl sounded broken and I wondered what she could have discovered that made her like this.

"I've got the police department with me for backup," she said with a sniffle. "And Cory, he's a hunter whose been helping me with the case. They're all gonna be with me tomorrow. But I wish you were here, too. You always make things easier."

The lump in my throat wouldn't disappear no matter how many times I swallowed it. She made things easier, too. Always. And all I wanted to was be by her side and be there for her like she always was for me.

"Sorry about this," she said with a watery laugh, and I could imagine the embarrassed smile on her face as she did. "I sound like such an idiot. Never mind these messages. Just enjoy your break. I shouldn't be worrying you like this. See you when you get back."

The message ended and I checked to see if there were anymore, but to my disappointment, there wasn't. That message was from a few days ago and she hadn't sent anything since which was concerning in itself.

Trying not to panic for no reason, I called Jane. Hopefully everything was okay and I was being stupid. She was a fully-trained FBI agent. She could take care of herself. Right?

The call rang and rang, but nobody picked up. One missed call. No biggie. She probably heard it and couldn't find her phone or something. So, I tried again.

More ringing and no answer. Okay, no big deal. Just try again.

Another call and no answer. The chewing on my lip became more intense. Why the hell wasn't she picking up? Was she still working the case?

I waited an hour, trying again at ten minute intervals, unable to fight my concern. But there was no answer every time and I realised that I couldn't sit and wait for her to call back. Not after how she sounded in those voicemails.

No, I had to go there. She needed backup.

—

Wyoming was way colder than I could have prepared for.

I mean, technically, I prepared for nothing. I bid my parents a goodbye, threw some random clothes in a bag and caught the next plane over there. I tried for Jane's phone constantly, knowing she was never one to ignore me for this long, but there was no point. She wasn't answering, which could only mean so much.

When I reached the reservation, I had no idea where anything was or what I was looking for exactly. I just knew that as soon as the taxi dropped me off in the centre of town, I didn't know where to go.

There were a lot of locals hanging around, so my first port of call was to ask them if they'd seen Jane around – or Agent Banner, as she may have introduced herself. I showed them a picture of her on my phone, described her with vivid detail, but they just stared at me like I was crazy. I was starting to believe I was at one point, until I stopped by the convenience store.

As worried as I was for Jane's whereabouts, the chill in my bones was real. Especially my hands, which I was certain would fall off any minute. So, I decided to buy some gloves and also ask the cashier if he'd seen Jane around or heard anything of her. Whilst I was doing that, a customer caught my attention, probably having overheard my conversation.

"Did you say Jane Banner?" he asked with a quirked brow, interrupting my purchase. "The FBI lady, right?"

I nodded quickly, facing him. "Yes, that's her! D'you know where she is?"

He nodded casually. "Yeah, she's in the hospital. That big shootout that happened a few days ago, right?"

My stomach dropped. "The what?"

"The shootout," he repeated, not aware of the concern in my face. "At the drill site. A bunch of officers were killed and the FBI lady was one of the only one left standing." He tutted as he shook his head. "Very lucky that one."

A shootout? The hospital? Only one left standing? No wonder she hadn't been answering her calls.

"Can you– do you–" I stopped, clearing my throat and trying to stop freaking out. "Which hospital?"

After getting the address from him, I caught a taxi to the only hospital in town and prayed to God that Jane was okay. The one thing she'd asked for was backup and I couldn't even give her that. If I'd just looked at my messages sooner... fuck.

Getting past the front desk and to Jane's room was no issue at all. A quick flash of my FBI badge was enough for the receptionist to give me the details and wave me through. My heart was constricting in my chest the longer it took. What if it was really bad? What if that customer's intel was outdated and Jane was– no. I couldn't afford to think like that.

Upon finding Jane's room, I spotted an older man leaving through the door, being careful to close it behind him. I didn't recognise him at all.

"Excuse me," I called, earning his attention. "Is that Jane Banner's room you just came from?"

He seemed surprised, glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was speaking to him, before nodding. "Yes. Sorry, who are you?"

I pulled my badge from my pocket and showed him, though I doubted anyone would take me seriously when my eyes were watering at thought of Jane being severely injured.

"I'm her friend," I said, swallowing down the lump in my throat before lowering my badge.

"Oh, you're the backup that didn't come," he said with realisation.

My eyes flickered to the floor guiltily. He wasn't exactly wrong.

"I didn't mean it like that," he added quickly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

I shook my head, lifting my eyes to meet his. "It's okay. I should've... I should've been here." It went quiet as he didn't know what to say, so I looked to him halfheartedly. "I assume you're from the police department, one of the ones who helped Jane."

"Not exactly," he said, before putting out his hand for me to shake. "Name's Cory. I'm a hunter by trade."

Returning his handshake, I recalled Jane's voicemail. "Oh, yeah, she mentioned you... thank you for helping her out."

When I couldn’t, I added in my head.

He offered me a small smile and I couldn't find it in myself to return it. I must have looked like shit, since he gave me a pitiful gaze.

"You want me to catch you up before you go in?" he asked, nodding to Jane's door. "She's okay by the way."

I nodded, sucking up a breath. My nerves were eating away at me the longer I didn't see Jane – half of me was terrified of what I'd find, and the other half was afraid she'd be upset or angry because I left her to it, even when she pleaded for my help.

Cory and I took a seat down the hall and he proceeded to explain about the case and how they found the guy who raped that poor girl. The shootout was the worst bit, making me shiver with discomfort. Apparently, Jane had gotten blasted with a shotgun, puncturing her torso and neck despite the vest she wore. All of the officers with her were killed and by the sounds of it, Jane almost was, too. But Cory managed to take out the criminals and the rapist himself. When he was finished telling me, I had no words.

"She's a bit shaken up, but her surgery went well," Cory reassured with a short nod. "Does she know you're coming?"

I shook my head, voice thick with emotion. "She wouldn't answer her phone. I guess I know why now."

Cory nodded, rubbing the back of his neck before sparing me a consoling glance. "She talked about you a lot. I think it'll cheer her up seeing you. You should go."

My eyes met his, teary and stinging with unshed tears. "Thank you so much."

He shrugged bashfully, but he didn't realise all that he'd done. I gave him a small, tight smile before standing up with a sigh. No point dwelling anymore – I had to see her.

Pushing my selfish feelings aside, I sucked it up and approached Jane's room. She would either want to punch me or not, but either way, I had to see if she was okay. And so, when I opened the door slightly, heart racing in my chest, said heart jumped in my throat at the sight of her.

She was laying on the bed with wires stuck in her and, only from what I could see, bandages were covering the side of her neck. I thought she was sleeping at first, but then her head tilted towards the door curiously, and bright blue eyes widened with disbelief.

"Y/N?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "What are you– how did you get here?"

I closed the door behind me and hesitantly approached her bedside, unable to stop my eyes from soaking in the sight of her. She looked so feeble and vulnerable and unlike how I saw her last. Then, Cory's words came back to me and I began to imagine the worst scenario of her getting shot, blood seeping from her wounds, the life draining from her eyes...

"Y/N," she called, and I looked to her startlingly, hoping I didn't look as troubled as I felt.

"Sorry," I said, clearing my throat. "I, er– the messages. Voicemail. I heard them and tried calling you back, but..."

She pursed her lips, exhaling with a wince and looking up at the ceiling, as if suddenly remembering she left messages in the first place.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," I said quietly, guilt seeping back in.

"No, no, don't be," she said, and I just about noticed the pink dusting her cheeks. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have interrupted your vacation like that. I know you said you wanted a break and–"

"Jane, no, don't even say that," I cut her off, reaching for her hand in an instant. She looked my way, eyes flickering between mine nervously. I squeezed her hand gently and said, "I should have been here. You needed me and I– I didn't come. Maybe if I had, this could have ended differently."

She tried to smile, but I could see the discomfort in her eyes. "It's not that bad, honestly. It just looks bad."

I pressed my lips together, eyes falling to the bandage on her neck. Even though it was big and covered her wound, I could still make out the bruising around it from the impact of the shell. I didn't imagine the torso wound looking any different, and that thought alone made me regret leaving her alone. It was very much as bad as it looked; I knew that and she knew that.

Her lips trembled as she avoided my eyes, her own tearing up. I pushed away my guilt momentarily and changed the subject.

"So, I met Cory. He seems like a great guy."

She didn't say anything as she seemed lost in thought. Either that or she was trying not to cry in front of me. I hoped it wasn't the latter, since the last thing I wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable.

"You know," I said, when she wouldn't speak, "I'm pretty sure I told you to stay safe before I left for my vacation."

At my poor attempt to lighten the mood, she cracked a small, tight smile, but a smile nonetheless, and my racing heart slowed down momentarily.

"I'm glad you're okay," I said, now that I had her attention again, and she looked my way with a softened expression. "Kind of okay. But you know... okay."

Thankfully, she knew what I meant and her hand tightened around mine.

"I'm glad you came," she returned, and I couldn't look away even if I tried. She was always able to trap me with a single gaze.

With a tug of her hand, she motioned for me to sit on the edge of her bed, so I did. And then she began to ask me about my vacation, what I'd been up to this past month, how my parents were... basically anything and everything except for the case. And it was understandable, since she was reminded of it all the time. If I could be a form of escapism for her, so be it. It was the least I could do.

We spoke for hours until the nurse came in to let me know visiting hours were over and I'd have to come back tomorrow. With a regretful sigh, I got up from my seat on her bedside and stretched my limbs.

"Where are you staying?" she asked, a slight frown on her lips.

I smiled awkwardly, realising I didn't think that far ahead. "I'm not gonna lie, I don't know. I came straight here. There's gotta be a hotel or something in this town, right?"

She nodded and flicked her hand to the shelves on the other side of the room. "You should stay in my room in the inn. Key's in my bag over there."

"Oh, I don't have to do that–"

"Y/N, it's not like I'm going to be staying there anytime soon," she cut me off, smiling halfheartedly. "Please."

I chewed on my lip and nodded, giving in. When I grabbed her keys from her bag, I stopped by her bedside and gave her a supportive smile.

"I'll back first thing in the morning, if you don't mind," I said, and she finally gave me a smile that reached her eyes.

"I'd like that."

I nodded, resting a hand on hers and squeezing comfortingly. "Goodnight."

—

Though I knew Jane was okay, I still couldn't stop myself from thinking about her all night. The sight of her wounds and the broken expression on her face was enough to keep me awake. And the guilt that came with it all... why couldn't I have just picked up my damn phone?

As promised, I returned to Jane's hospital room the next morning, this time bringing some breakfast snacks from the hospital cafeteria since I knew the food would be much better than whatever they were serving her. Judging by the content expression on her face when I gave it to her, I was right.

When she finished eating, she was able to sit up slightly and move over on her bed, urging for me to join her and watch some TV with her. There was no way I was going to turn down that offer, so I slid next to her and kept a packet of sliced apples between us as we watched whatever was playing on the TV.

About halfway through watching, she spoke up randomly, taking me by surprise.

"When are you leaving?"

I tore my gaze from the screen and realised she was staring at me with intense green eyes.

"When you're well enough to," I answered truthfully.

She looked down to her hands. "You don't have to stay with me. You can go."

I studied her profile, knowing it was the wrong time to appreciate how stunning she looked even when she was makeup-free, sporting a bed head and tired.

"Do you want me to go?" I asked softly, afraid I may have overstepped.

She was quick to shake her head slightly, finally lifting her gaze to meet mine with glossy ones. "No."

I nodded, trying very hard not to smile, cleared my throat and grabbed her hand. "Then I'm not leaving. I'll be right here until you get better and I can take you home."

A ragged breath escaped her lips as she nodded in response. We both looked back to the TV and I noticed she didn't let go of my hand, her fingers warm to the touch and giving me goosebumps at the contact. But I wouldn't have had it any other way.

[thebookreader12345]

Difference of Opinion - Chapter Two

Synopsis: The Intelligence Unit just wanted a nice vacation. What they didn't expect was to be pulled into an active investigation by Agent L/N, who works at the BAU

Chapter One Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five

Y/N's POV

"I'm sorry, Hotch. Could you repeat that?" I ask and press one hand against my other ear to try and hear him better. Between the jackhammer going off from the construction sight on the upcoming corner and the honking horns all around me, it was difficult to hear what my boss was saying.

"I said that there's another crime scene in D.C.," Hotch repeated. "Could you make your way over there?"

"Uh, sure. Notify whoever's on scene that I'll be there in like 10 minutes," I tell Hotch. As I hung up the phone, the line of cars in front of me slowly inched forwards, giving me access to a side street. I turned my wheel to the side and sped off down the deserted street, avoiding all the traffic so that I could get to the scene faster. Just like I said, I arrived at the scene within 10 minutes. "Hey. I'm SSA L/N with the BAU. I'm looking for the guy that called this in."

"He's over there," the police officer spoke and gestured to a man standing just outside of the yellow crime scene tape that blocked off part of the alley. I thanked him quickly and made my way over to the man, who was silently watching the Crime Scene Investigators do there job.

"Hi," I greet the man. "You're the one that called the body in?"

"Yeah," the man replied and stuck out his hand. "Halstead. Well, er, Jay."

"SSA Y/N L/N," I return and shake his hand. "Police or military?"

"Excuse me?" Jay questioned.

"Well, you keep glancing over at that body over there, which you don't seemed phased by at all. Then there's your stance. You've got your hands resting against your belt, and your body weight is equally distributed between your front and back feet, meaning you're accustomed to taking off in a hurry. Finally, you gave me your last name first. I know for a fact that law enforcement officers have that habit, being one myself. And the military receive almost the exact same training, so the way we're taught to introduce ourselves are the exact same. So, you're either a police officer or in the military," I explain. "Which is it?"

Jay chuckled. "Both, actually. I'm a former Army Ranger, but I'm currently a detective with the Chicago Police Department."

"I'm impressed," I confess. "So, Jay, tell me what happened here."

"My friends and I were just walking down the street trying to decide what to get for lunch when I saw the body," Jay claimed.

"Any chance you know the man who's body you just found?" I implore.

"Actually, yeah. I do," Jay answered. "His name's John Contour. He's one of Chicago's aldermen."

"Huh," I hum. "That's odd."

"What?" Jay quizzed.

"My team, the BAU, we've been working on this case where politicians are being murdered all over D.C. But this is the first victim to have not been working in D.C.," I respond. "You said you work for CPD, yeah?"

"Yeah. The Intelligence Unit. It's the most elite unit in Chicago," Jay clarified.

"Well, the BAU is the most elite unit in the FBI, and we're kind of struggling a bit. Maybe you and your friends could come down to headquarters and help us for a bit," I propose.

"On one condition," Jay said. "Do you know any good places to get lunch down here?"

I smiled. "Well, there's a good Indian place near the bureau. I'm sure we could swing by on the way to headquarters. And in the meantime, you can introduce me to your friends."

"You've got yourself a deal, Agent L/N," Jay agreed.

"Please. Call me Y/N," I say.

...........................................

"Damn! This really is good," Adam chirped as he took a bite of a samosa.

"Right! I told you guys that we had a good Indian place!" I exclaim. Just then, the door to the conference room cracked open, and Spencer poked his head inside. Upon seeing him, my heart fluttered. "H-hey Spence."

"Is that Indian food I smell?" Spencer asked.

I nodded and extended a bag out to him. "Yep. And I brought you some Chicken Tandoori. Your favorite."

"Really? You're the best. So uh, what's going on here?" Spencer questioned and gestured to the others sitting in the room.

"Yeah, could you gather the rest of the team for me? I've got some introductions to make," I declare. As Spencer left the room, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding and turned towards the Intelligence Unit, who were all staring at me. "What?"

Kim raised her eyebrows. "Who was that?"

"Oh, uh, that was Spencer," I reply.

"Mmhmm. And do you have a crush on Spencer?" Kevin probed.

"W-what?" I stammer. "No. We're just friends."

"Uh-huh," Hailey hummed.

"He is," I insist. "So, back to what I was saying before Spencer walked in. Our unit is comprised of people who have held different jobs in the past, which is why we all have a variety of specialties when it comes down to the BAU. Like me, for example. I used to work for the Counter Terrorism Unit. Being there made me an expert strategist, and I've also got an extended knowledge of drugs and certain biological/chemical weaponry."

"That's very cool," Jay commented.

I smiled. "Thanks. I enjoyed it. But the BAU better suits me, and I love all of the people here, so it was a no-brainer when I was asked to take up a position here. This unit, they're like my second family."

"Trust me. We know what that's like," Kevin claimed. That's when the door to the conference room opened for the second time, and the rest of my unit walked in. Hotch was the last to enter, and he shut the door behind him.

"I guess introductions are in order," I start. "Team, this is the Intelligence Unit from the CPD. We've got Jay Halstead, Hailey Upton, Kim Burgess, Adam Ruzek, and Kevin Atwater."

"It's so nice to meet you guys," Penelope chimed and offered up a big smile.

"And then we've got the BAU," I continue. "You guys briefly met Spencer Reid, then there's Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, David Rossi, and our Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. Hotch, these guys know our latest victim."

"We're aware of him," Hailey corrected. "He's one of the lesser liked aldermen. Most people in Chicago don't really care for him."

"Reid, I want you to get started on a geographic profile," Hotch ordered. "Prentiss, head to the ME's office and talk to the medical examiner about our latest victim. L/N, when she gets back, I want you two to compare the autopsy reports. The rest of us will continue to dig deeper into the victims and try to find any connections."

I gave Hotch a small nod. "Got it. I'm just gonna finish catching these guys up on the case." The team began leaving the room, and Spencer was at the back of the group, so naturally, he was one of the last to exit. "Oh, and Spence, enjoy the food."

"I will," Spencer returned and grinned before leaving the room.

"They seem like a good group," Kim expressed.

"They are," I agree.

"So, you mentioned everyone had specialties," Jay brought up.

"Right. Well, Penelope is our technical analyst, so she's brilliant when it comes to computers. Derek is good with explosives and obsessional crimes. Emily was raised with a mother as a diplomat, so she knows a variety of languages and is our child advocate. JJ is our media liaison and deals with the press and newspapers. Rossi is a hostage negotiator. Hotch is our lead behavioral expert. And then Spencer is our resident genius. He's knows practically everything," I explain. "Now that all of that is cleared up, I've got to talk to you guys about our case. All of the men, well, political figures who have been killed, have been white and in their late 50s, and none of them had any physical wounds, which leaves me to believe our unsub uses some sort of poison or toxin."

"Geographical profile? Unsub?" Adam quizzed.

"Sorry," I apologize. "Those are normal terms for us around here. A geographical profile is basically where we plot all of the points connected to a series of crimes so we can figure out a comfort zone for our unsub, which stands for unknown subject. That's just a fancy term for offender. Have any of you guys ever worked with the FBI before?"

"I have," Hailey answered. "For a few weeks up in New York. They were actually the ones who suggested the trip since they couldn't come."

"Oh, so you know Agents Zidan, Sisto, Castille and all of those guys? I've met them a few times before. They're great," I confess. "Anyways, I have to meet up with Emily so we can look at the autopsy reports, but I need you guys to dig into our third victim, Mr. Contour. I'd have Penelope do it, but she's already swamped with looking into our other two victims. I'll get her to stop by though with tablets and print outs of everything he's involved in, and then you guys can get to work. You're welcome to help yourselves to some coffee from the break room which is just across the bullpen, and if you need any help, I will be at my desk."

"Sounds good. Thank you," Jay spoke.

"Thank you too. All of you. I know you probably just wanted a nice vacation, but instead you got sucked into this," I say.

Kevin waved me off. "It's no problem. We love our job, and if we can help get this son of a bitch off the streets, we're all for it."

"Great. Well then, I'll leave you guys to finish eating, and I'll have Penelope drop off those files and tablets as soon as possible," I tell them. As I left the conference room, I bumped into Rossi, who was just about to enter his office.

"You really think this team can help us solve the case?" Rossi interrogated.

I sighed. "I really hope so. They're from Chicago, they're aware of the recent victim, and they're apart of CPD's most elite unit. We've been on this case for a week already, Rossi. So maybe a fresh set of eyes will do us some good." About an hour later, Emily returned with the autopsy reports, and the two of us began to examine this. After a few minutes, I noticed something. "Emily, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah," Emily replied and set down the file. "We should gather the team." Just then, JJ entered the bullpen, and she was just the person I wanted to talk to.

"JJ, grab Hotch and Rossi from their offices," I instruct. "And then meet us in the conference room. We might've found something." So Emily and I got both the BAU and Intelligence together in the conference room, and everyone got situated at and around the table.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Hotch implored.

"It says here in the autopsy reports that all three men died of heart attacks," I declare. "But I found that odd since none of them had any previous heart problems. So, I continued reading, and I discovered something else. Batrachotoxin."

Derek frowned. "Batra what?"

"Batrachotoxin is one of the world's deadliest poisons," Spencer clarified. "Native Americans used it on their blowpipes to hunt their pray, and while it can be found on plants, the most potent form is taken from the backs of poison dart frogs."

"Exactly," I confirm. "There were also no physical wounds like puncture marks or bruises, so it was most likely digested somehow. Because of that and the quick deaths, I came to the conclusion most of you are probably coming to now as well."

"I'm sorry, could we back up a second?" Kim requested. "What conclusion have you guys come to? What does all of this mean?"

"It means our unsub is a woman," I share.

______________________

Tag List:

@prettypyschoinpink @securityfriendly-jay @scarletsoldierrr @lorenakaspersen @virtualreader @carnationworld @caitsymichelle13 @ncostin2001

[heizuha-queen]

Hello! It's that girl who doesn't know when to stop coming up with more headcannons at 2am in the morning again.

Another idea sparked in my head.

You know how it's common for K-pop idols to have solo activities such as joining a variety show?

Have you heard of Busted! ?

Not sure if you've heard about this variety program. It airs on Netflix and currently have three seasons. The cast members consists of various celebrities ranging from comedians to actors to idols. Exo Sehun and Gugudan Sejeong are actually members of that show as well. (Btw, Sehun even low-key dressed up as KID once. It was a masterpiece. Period)

The show is a mystery/detective game program. The cast have to solve puzzles and search for clues to complete the missions given. The best part of the program is that the production team doesn't make the cast solve stupid, kid puzzle games.

They have to solve actual, scary, cases. Murders. Robbery. Conspiracy stuff.

So....

What if... Kazuha joins a program like this as a cast member?

I believe she would actually be perfect to join the show for several reasons:

1. Her intelligence

We've seen that she is actually very smart. Her deduction skills may not be as sharp as Heiji's, but we were shown in canon how Kazuha is actually very intelligent, even able to decipher the dying message of the victim in the Heiji Vs Kazuha episode. (If you remember, even Kogoro & Ran weren't able to solve it)

Not just that, remember how in the 7th Movie, Kazuha was able to come up with a really smart way to save Heiji from getting killed by that masked man by just using her sock and rocks?

If she were to join the cast, she'll be a valuable asset that could help them solve the missions much more quickly due to her wits.

2. Her physical prowess

Okay, to be honest, it's not necessary for the cast members to be proficient in martial arts. However, her aikido would definitely be a huge bonus. Imagine a scene where the cast members were all scared and being chased by something (like a villain, criminal,etc) As everyone is running away to not get caught and lose or something, Kazuha just stands there like a badass and back flip the villain like... Wouldn't that be totally awesome?

The production crew may or may not advise Kazuha to not repeat that so the staff members won't turn down their job as future villain roles.

(Also, ever since the back flip incident, the internet may or may not vote her as the most badass K-pop idol to live)

3. Her popularity

Since I think everyone on your blog agrees that Kazuha will be extremely popular, imagine the viewers she would attract to watch the program. It wouldn't be just the Korean audience. Her international fans would watch. Her Japanese audience would watch. Her group's fan would watch.

Of course, most importantly, Heizuha fans would loyally watch every episode as they pray that Heiji would miraculously guest on one of the episodes since they're thirsty for any Heizuha interaction.

(Even a cameo phone call would be enough tbh)

4. Her experience

I strongly believe that no matter how hard Kazuha's agency tried to avoid scandal by hiding the fact that Kazuha has been to a lot of cases and crime scenes (because of Heiji), the internet still discovers it. Hence, the producer of the show believe that she would perfect since she has experience and know how to ACTUALLY act when trying to do detective work. Her attitude would make the (fake) murder case looks real and legit, hence bringing more quality to the show.

5. Her relationship with people who are in the field

I think that, over time, people would discover that Kazuha is a daughter of a very notable and respectable police officer. Due to that, in a way, I think people would trust Kazuha's instinct more on the show, and indirectly, she would unconsciously lead the cast members to solve the mystery without being explicitly bossy nor pushy.

I would also LOVE to imagine that in those EXTREMELY RARE instances where a mission becomes extremely hard, for instance, they've spent longer time than necessary on a clue, the production crew gives them a chance to call someone and ask for help. (Tbh the production crew could just straight up tell them the answer, but where's the entertainment value in that?) Most of the time people would ask Kazuha to call for help since she has connections to a bunch of smart people who could solve the clue in just a few minutes. ( ie; her dad, Heiji).But of course, (for the sake of entertainment lol), the cast prefer if she calls Heiji for help. (Hence, why Heiji makes some cameos on the show through phone calls)

Let's be real, the production crew and cast members are (low-key) hardcore Heizuha shippers.

6. Her personality

She may be hot-headed at times, but that just adds charm to her personality you know? It also sometimes help the cast stay in check to help out with the investigation. At the end of the day, her determination to complete a mission yet adorableness in her interactions are really what makes people love her so much. Her frankness and straightforwardness also helps her forge genuine friendships with the rest of the cast members and production crew. From the show, people could see more than a properly-trained K-pop idol on stage. Rather, a smart individual who is also a human. People get to see her as herself, not just a celebrity.

Of course, I don't think she'll immediately join the program as a rookie K-pop idol. Maybe 5/6 years after her debut, where members of her group are all exploring their own individual solo career?

Although on another note, can you imagine how Heiji would react when she's on the show.

I bet Heiji watches every episode of the show but never admits it. He would also get frustrated when everyone on the show takes too long to find a hint, but have this huge proud smile on his face whenever Kazuha solves it.

Of course, Heiji would tease Kazuha for every small thing she did on the show when they facetime or call each other in private. Just because~

I also imagine Kazuha having to change Heiji's name on her phone to something neutral that doesn't indicate that they're dating. Ever since joining the show, she also has to change the lock screen of her phone since she could be asked to call Heiji for help without any warning. (Better safe than sorry)

I guess that's all for this random shot of headcannons. I hope you enjoy them!

Ps; By the way, if I do end up writing Heizuha fanfics (WE DESPERATELY NEED MORE!!), I'll let you know 😊

Umm PLEASE NEVER LEARN TO STOP BECAUSE I LOVE READING YOUR HEADCANONS!

I really love the idea of Heiji appearing in phone calls and I can imagine him watching every episode. It’s a routine that no one can break for him😂😂

[beetlegoose01]

stolen whispers: chapter 1

AN: this fic isn’t a request, it’s a story i’ve been preparing for a lil while and I’m so excited to share this with you all <3

I’ll link it on my Archive if you prefer to read it there. Also warning, there’s quite a few OCs.

Time: 2028 (Scorbus have been married for two years)

Summary: When a new generation of Death Eaters kidnap Scorpius, Albus and Rose put aside their differences to rescue him.

TW: Kidnapping/Language/minor violence

~~~~

Two witches wearing shadowy black robes entered the tavern, finding a table near the back. They ordered their mead, waiting for their third partner impatiently. It was a crowded area, so thankfully there was a small chance they would be overheard.

"We don't want more mead." The first woman growled, tapping her long nails at the table. The bartender, a tall man with a mustache put the drinks down.

"I didn't think so." He lips curled into a grin as he morphed into a younger man with wild dusty brown hair, wearing matching robes. He was handsome, but had an eerie presence to him. Any reasonable person would have at least flinched at the transformation, though neither witch did. "Hello ladies." He grinned cheekily.

"Soren, enough playing games." The second woman said, though she was smirking.

Soren barked out a laugh. "It was funny, Mara. And you know it."

The first woman, Lilith narrowed her eyes. She pulled down her hood, revealing cascading inky black hair down her shoulders. A scar that showed no sign of mending was down her cheek. "Your skills are impressive, but useless if you don't use them for our own gain. Don't forget that." She pulled her hood back.

"Understood." He murmured, taking a seat.

"We have much to discuss," She continued, flicking her wand idly. "Our current plan in action. Our...act of revenge. It's been thirty years since The Tenebris was wrongfully killed. I am sick and tired of his name being tossed around in history like he was some monster. He was on the right side."

"Are you certain we want to call the Dark Lord that?" Mara asked suspiciously.

"Shh! You know if anyone hears us, they'll lock us up for good. For speaking our minds." Lilith said. "It's safer we call him by his code name."

Her companions nodded.

"Because of his loss, we have mudbloods in positions of power. Our siblings that fought for his cause are locked up. Or worse, dead."

Mara and Soren looked grim.

"If we had more allies, perhaps we would have had a chance." Soren noted. "We weren't even alive then but...I have a feeling if we were..."

"Just because we weren't alive then, doesn't mean we don't have opinions over the lives stolen!" Mara argued. "That damn Harry Potter."

"Correct. And Soren is right too. For once. If we had more allies, or better yet...certain allies didn't betray us. The Malfoys for instance." She took a sip of her drink.

"Are you suggesting something?" Mara asked.

"Of course I am, don't be so daft." Lilian said, deadly calm. "I want to make that family suffer for what they did. My uncle Vincent Crabbe died for their selfishness. Draco Malfoy had a chance to save him, and he refused like the coward he is. His mother Narcissa lied to Tenebris' face. They are backstabbing filth that besmirched the Sacred 28. No, it isn't just about their betrayal or avenging those we lost in the war. Think of the big picture. They have the capabilities to join our side. To...respawn a new generation of Death Eaters. But that's not all...

"The Malfoys have lots of gold." She drawled. "Surely, they'll spare a few for us in exchange for something important. Or rather...someone."

"Someone?" Soren paused. "What are you suggesting?"

"Regretfully, Astoria Malfoy has passed on." Mara didn't sound the least bit sympathetic, instead stated it blandly. "So using her as a ransom for Draco is a no go."

"Ah, but there is still someone left." Lillian said, removing a small photograph from her cloak, she slid it across the table.

A young man with platinum hair was pictured, beaming brightly in Healer Robes.

"Scorpius Malfoy."

Soren and Mara exchanged a look of satisfaction.

"Bring him to me."

~~~~~~~~~~

The best thing about mornings, at least to Albus, was waking up beside his husband. The sun's bright rays peaked through the window of their cream colored bedroom, slowly stirring them both awake. If it was up to him, he would stay in their warm bed, arms wrapped around Scorpius until noon.

Scorpius rolled over, so that they were facing each other. His eyes fluttered open, and Albus felt his heart melt at his sapphire eyes.

"Hi." He yawned. His voice was slightly croaky, no doubt from the morning.

Albus replied by nuzzling his nose, then kissed his cheek. "Hi honey."

Scorpius laughed lightly. "Let's get up then. Start the day? It's a Saturday. We have the whole weekend to spend together."

"I'd rather spend it here with you."

Bathilda mewed from the kitchen.

"But our child is hungry." Scorpius teased, stretching as he slid out of bed. Albus begrudgingly slumped after him, not eager to wake up before ten am. But his own stomach was growling too.

"Speaking of children," Albus said, starting to work on their breakfast as Scorpius poured Bathilda's food. "Iris is pregnant again. James told me through a Howler yesterday."

"Really?" Scorpius' eyes widened. "That's great news!"

"Yeah, not for my ears." He commented dryly, still traumatized by James' excited screeching in his ear. "Baby number three." He whistled. "Do you think they're trying to make an entire quidditch team? With Teddy and Vic's lot included, they're on their way."

Though he was joking, Scorpius noticed that Albus was glowing, happy for his brother and sister in law. That was one of the many reasons he loved Albus. His love for his siblings.

"Perhaps. When are they due?"

"September. Which means...that's where they scurried off to last Christmas party." Albus quipped. "To have a little fun."

"Albus!" Scorpius scolded. "Honestly, only you would make a beautiful moment gross."

"It's life, Scorp!" He chuckled. "You're a Healer, you should know these things."

"We'll have to visit. Maybe bring a gift basket to congratulate them." He mused, smiling fondly. "I can't wait to meet our new niece or nephew." There was a wistful look in his eye that Albus caught.

"You've got that look on your face." He noted, amused. He served the plates of bacon sandwiches on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"That Scorpius 'I want something but I'm not going to spell it out for you' face."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh." Albus said, forest green eyes brightening in amusement. "What's up?" He took a seat, tucking into breakfast.

"Well," Scorpius started, staring at his food. "I was thinking..." He stopped himself, hesitant to continue his train of thoughts.

"Yeah?" Albus nudged him gently.

"I want a child." He said, his voice quiet, but firm. "I love my nieces and nephews so much, but they aren't...ours. I want to start a family with you, Albus. Raise a little one of our own to be bright and wonderful and brave and..."

Albus' expression softened. "I do too. You know I do, Scorpius. It's just...difficult right now." He stared at his wedding band. "You know it's harder for us than any hetero couple." He waved his hand vaguely. "Adoption is hard, surrogacy is expensive. Maybe once we settled into our careers more, we can talk about it."

"I think we're ready to go beyond just talking about it, Al."

"We're still young. We've still got time. But...I definitely want to work it out. Somehow, we will. We always do."

Scorpius beamed, reaching to kiss Albus' knuckle. "Thank you." He sat up abruptly. "Oh, I almost forgot- it's the farmer's market today."

Albus snorted. "You're exactly like your dad, you know?"

"Yes yes yes, but we should go!" Scorpius said, levitating the plates to the sink and it automatically was clean due to the floating sponges.

"We? I've got some work to do. I'm not very fond of small talk with old people selling fruit."

"Al, it's really good fruit." Scorpius said seriously. "And it's not all old people. I've seen some of our old schoolmates there."

Albus cringed. "That's even worse."

"Don't be so dramatic. Are you still coming?"

"Mm, but I should really finish this article. Go on without me."

"If you're sure...do you want me to bring anything back?"

Albus thought for a moment. "Those strawberries Ms. Beaker sells. Please? Strawberries and cream sounds so good right now."

"Brilliant, I'm on it." Scorpius did a mock salute.

"Have fun." Al waved as Scorpius appatered, leaving the kitchen empty. Albus went straight to work on his article.

~•~

The market was lively and merry, despite the early hour. Scorpius had stopped by the strawberry stand first, in case he forgot.

Ever since they had moved two years ago, Scorpius had found himself drawn to the quaint farmer's market. Not because of the delicious, fresh food, but to socialize. He made quite a few friends with the muggles who lived around there...mostly old ladies. The early days of their marriage, Albus would join him. Before life got in the way, and work had to be done.

Not that he wasn't busy himself. He only had two days off as a Healer, sometimes less. He didn't know how they would manage childcare, but like Al had said, it was best not to dwell on the future.

"Scorpius? Is that you?"

He turned around, following the voice from behind him. "Polly ...Chapman?" He uttered blandly, praying he wasn't mistaken. He didn't have the best memory- even with old schoolmates who bullied him.

"Yep." Polly said, laughing lightly. "It's me. Been a while."

"It has." Scorpius shifted his weight. "How are things?"

"Great!" She smiled, swishing her blonde ponytail, the same air of confidence from when she was a teenager. "Yann and I are engaged."

"Oh! That's wonderful." Scorpius said, pretending to sound pleased. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I proposed to them last month. It was just as I had dreamed."

"How is...Yann?" Scorpius did not actually care how Yann was.

"They're good! Brilliant actually, since they passed Auror training." Polly looked genuinely proud of them, which he had to admit was adorable. "Are you and Albus still..."

"Yes, yes. We um, er- we've been married almost two years actually." He added.

"Aw, that's very sweet. You two were always very close, yeah?" Polly looked at him, and Scorpius nearly walked backwards, intimidated by her stance. She still was extremely scary, like a lioness but with a great sense of fashion. "I know...Yann, Karl and I weren't the best to you two but perhaps we could..." She trailed off. "I'd like you both to come. To the wedding. If you'd like."

That...wasn't what he was expecting. He half expected her to invite him to another Blood Ball.

"Pardon?" Scorpius asked, dumbfounded. "I mean- yeah, that sounds great! Fun! Yes. That sounds nice. I'll bring it up to Al."

Polly was glowing. "Brill! I've got to go, but we should all hang out sometime. Like old times."

Like old times? Scorpius thought. When did they ever hang out?

Nodding mutely, he walked away from Polly with a puzzled, but cheerful expression. He hadn't completely fucked up the conversation, which was always a plus. It still felt odd that Polly Chapman of all people was talking to him, let alone inviting him to her wedding. It was bizarre.

He passed the final vendor, and was surprised and amused to see a tiny girl, no more than seven standing behind it. She had a Brownie uniform on, bright rosy cheeks and pigtails included.

"Would you like a biscuit?" She squealed.

It had taken him a moment to respond, he was still thinking of Polly being kind to him "Oh erm- of course." It was impossible to say no to an adorable small child. He reached for some muggle money, handing her the pound notes. "Just the one box please."

"Okie dokie!" She said, handing him the box. She waited a moment, pouting. "Go on, try it." She urged.

"I really shouldn't I-"

"Please?" The little girl gave him the most pitiful expression. "It's for a good cause, mister. We're helping orphaned puppies find homes."

"Well, alright. For the puppies." He fumbled open the box, taking a polite bite out of the cookie. It was a classic lemon cookie with powdered sugar, one of his favorites. But the second he swallowed, he felt dizzy all of a sudden. "What..." He stumbled back. "Oh my," He gulped, the entire market swirling around him. Something wasn’t right. "is there something in..." 

He would be damned if he let this happen without some sort of fight. Throwing his basket aside, he collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness.

"We've got him."

[kenmasgameboy]

PIPSQUEAK

a kuroo x gangmember!reader

summary;

" you like to cause a bit of trouble, pipsqueak?"

" pipsqueak? seriously?"

Life for you got turned upside down after your first year at Nekoma high. Realizing it was too dangerous, your parents sent you back to live in Miyagi and attend Karasuno with your old friends. Kuroo Tetsuro, the Police Chiefs son, comes into contact with you in the most unexpected way possible, bringing trouble wherever you both go.

—————————-

Prologue.

      High school was never that interesting to you. Though, you'll admit that it was a good way to help the days pass. You always found different games to help.

At first, games to you meant sneaking out of the house, slashing tires, almost getting arrested, going to parties. You had a bad reputation. You had been mixed up with all the wrong people before at your old school. But now you were going to turn your life around. Even if that means that now games to you would mean studying. Kind of.

         The closest you'd probably get to your new life would be getting in trouble for minor things at school. For example, falling asleep in class was a specialty of yours. Truly, an art form. Waking up to that sweet slap of a ruler against your desk was better than any alarm clock you'd ever hear. The rush in your chest, the heat to your cheeks, the sweaty palms. Incredible. But that is it. You promised your mother that this year you would be making her proud at Karasuno. You wouldn't be hanging out with those "thugs" as she liked to call them. You would keep up, maybe pay attention, and maybe make some more real friends.

       The truth was that school never felt like a real challenge to you. Sure there were plenty of difficult subjects that made you feel stupid but you always kept out of the drama, minded your business, and kept your head down. It was fine. There really was a target on your back now that you were the new girl at school though, and you had adjusted week by week meeting new people and reuniting with some old ones, too. But ultimately you decided the social system just wasn't made for you. There wasn't really a good place for you to fit in, or maybe it just wasn't comparing to the kind of family you made before.

      Today was one of those days where your motivation was at its peak, you were taking good notes. Studied for a quiz, been overly diligent. Then that sweet beautiful sound of the lunch bell rang, you pulled out your food, grabbed your skateboard, and left the classroom in a bit of a hurry. As you were leaving you started to hear a conversation:

      Dude, don't worry, I have it completely handled. Watch...

      "(Y/N)!" Narita, your classmate called for you once you exited the room and into the hallway. He stood next to Ennoshita who looked like he would explode any second. You knew Narita, him and Ennoshita were in Class 4 with you and you really didn't have that many real friends at school but you wouldn't mind calling them that. They were some of the friends you were reunited with from middle school, they were a big comfort to you when you transferred in.

      "Hey, how's it going?" You slowly walked over, trying to find your excuse to leave and take a nap without seeming impolite.

      "Great, good. Thanks, yourself?" Narita answered for him and Ennoshita. He also seemed in a hurry for some reason but was much worse at covering it up.

      "Pretty tired, but uh, for the most part—" You started but your sentence didn't last long.

      "You should come to my party! Uh— Our party. We're having a party it would probably wake you up. It's in Tokyo! I mean—" Narita came in strong.

       "Nice, buddy. You really do got this handled." Was all Ennoshita followed it up with, "Gotta go, see you guys in class."

       "A party?" You laughed a little, just because these guys were anything but the partying type. You started walking and Narita was following you like a hawk, "Don't you guys have volleyball practice or something?"

        "Yeah, of course. But not this Friday night! I mean technically we do but we'll be done at 6:30. Party can start at 7:30." Narita followed up, "All the volleyball guys will be there, too. We have a summer training camp in Tokyo starting on Monday so this is kind of the only day we can get everyone together. We already had our friends from Nekoma invite pretty much everyone they knew."

       "N-Nekoma, huh?" Your smile wavered, "That sounds like it'll be really fun for you guys. Thanks for the invite, but I don't really know anyone on your team. Plus, I can't get to Tokyo by 7:30." You said, declining as well as you could without making your answer too suspicious.

       "Well, yeah about that. Um, by 'it's in Tokyo' what I meant to say was Tokyo guys will be there. They're volleyball players, too, actually." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck and adjusting his satchel, trying his best to act cool and lean against the vending machine you were using.

       "So, it's a Volleyball mixer with you guys and a bunch of guys from Tokyo but it's not in Tokyo? Where is it, then?" You asked for the elaboration, kind of liking this dancing way to get to the point.

        "Yes, well and other schools in Miyagi, too. It's a lot of schools, I mean I'm talking Nekoma, Fukorodani, Aoba Johsai, Johzenji, Date Tech, Shiratorizawa.. maybe.. Inarizaki.. and more.. again maybe. But it's at Kinoshita's house. Which is still kinda far, but it has a pool! His family is loaded and they'll all be gone this weekend." Narita finally got to the point.

        "Sounds like it'll be a good time for you guys. I'm happy for you, sounds like you've made a lot of friends from other schools." You cheers'd your milk to him and started walking again to find a place to eat.

        "No, no. Girls will be there, too. It's kinda the whole point."

        "You really have to work on your pitch." You said plainly.

        "Please, I need your help (Y/N). I was put in charge of getting girls to come to this party." Narita begged, you couldn't help but let out a laugh at his desperation. In all your years of knowing him and being in the same classes you had never seen him talk to a single girl who wasn't in a group project or something related to it.

        "Why you?"

        "It was either me or Tanaka."

        "Oh, then definitely you are the better choice." You agreed, having known just from the previous stories he's told you. "Interesting proposition. I'll think about it."

       "You'll think about it and say yes?" He tried, "Every time I talk to a pretty girl I feel like I'm going to throw up, I can't talk to groups of girls and invite them to a party. But you're likable, more well known now since you're the new girl."

       "First of all, rude that I don't make you want to throw up. I'm pretty, sometimes."

       "Fair."

        "How about, I'll say yes if you tell me who it is you have a crush on, which girl you most want at this party then I'll help out." You offered. Narita thought for a minute as you started eating your lunch.

       "Fine." He nodded, "This is my duty to my boys." Then he leaned into your ear and whispered the name of the prettiest and smartest girl in your class: Ichika Yua. Ichika was going to be a tough sell.

       "Alright. A deals a deal. You've given me a secret and I will do what I can do. How many girls do you need, anyway? Are we going for a 1:1 ratio or..?"

       "No, these guys need a much higher chance I think. Let's try a 4:1 ratio."

       "Yeah, actually you're gonna take what you can get."

       "Yes, ma'am."

        "Now give me the rundown on your team. I don't really know any of them and I need to know for my pitches I have to do this week. And don't think because I'm doing some work means that you can slack off okay. I really only know 2nd-year girls, if you want 3rd year or 1st you have to go to them. You need to try too. Also, will there be alcohol?" You listed off your demands and were straight forward. Narita made a slow nod,

        "Oh, I almost forgot. Do you know any girls from Nekoma who could come?" He asked you the dreaded question.

        Yup, you were originally supposed to spend your high school years at Nekoma High School. When you were entering high school your dad got a job offer in Tokyo, forcing you to move out there after middle school. Then after everything happened, your Mom knew it was too risky to let you live out in Tokyo still and she shipped you back here to go to Karasuno and live in a small apartment by yourself. You have family friends who come to check on you and your parents visit when they can. It's not horrible, at least now you get to come back to streets more familiar.

      "Um, I think the girls I knew from Nekoma aren't exactly the girls you want at a party. Besides, you should just ask your volleyball brethren to ask some girls and pull their weight. Or are they too pretty for you to talk to?" You teased Narita and knocked his head.

      "Hey, girls are girls." Narita held his head from where you knocked it.

      "Sure, if thats the case then the next time you see me I better be seeing some chunks."

     You and Narita continued to eat lunch together that day. Until you realized you only had a limited amount of time left and had to use the bathroom before class so you excused yourself. You skated away around the outside of the courtyard with a bun in your mouth and around some of your other classmates, waving.

        "Dude, uh. Who was that?" A guy with an aggressive appearance walked up to Narita, having walked past a few minutes before but stayed just to gawk.

        "Huh? (Y/N)?" Narita clarified, innocently.

        "(Y/N)... wow. What a beautiful name." Tanaka sighed in simp, "Is she our year?"

        "Yeah, man. She's in my class. You never noticed her before? I'm surprised she was the talk of Karasuno guys for like the whole first week of this year." He laughed. "She is technically new to Karasuno this year. But she's from Miyagi, I've known her since grade school."

        "My babe sensor has been reserved for Kiyoko only recently. Trying to be loyal." He humphed, "You guys a thing?"

       "What? No, no." Narita laughed, "No, we've just been friends for a while. She's helping me get girls to come to the party on Friday."

       Tanaka jumped up with optimism, "Yes! This is going to be the best party of our high school lives!"

       "I hope so." Narita rubbed his neck to try and tame his nerves again.

       "(Y/N).." Tanaka sighed again, "You know who's gonna go nuts when they get a look at her, right?"

       "I know."

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next

Thank you so much for reading!! Please let me know what you think and keep reading!!

[btssunnyboy]

Partners In Crime - Jeon Jungkook Part 1

You had a vendetta, and this was your chance. You were gonna prove yourself, but now you got another person to worry about.

Word Count - 3,131

Warning - Undercover Agent! AU, profanity and mentions of drinking.

Masterlist

Also I’m back after a few months break I’m so sorry, but hopefully I’ll be back with a lot more updates!!!

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"I absolutely refuse! I'm more then qualified to handle this mission on my own."

The words slipped pasted your lips quicker then you intended. Venom laced through every word, as you stared stared at your higher up. His eyes threatened to roll back in his head ; agitation clearly visible through his stressed state. He released a heavy breath, while pinching the bridge of his nose. His hands form together into bone crushingly tight fist.

"L/n! Work with me! You need a partner for this assignment and he's the perfect coverup!" Mr. Jones ushered out as his eyes glanced cautiously at the clock. The small ticks that erupted from the small machine filling the tense silence that was floating in the air. His leg shook wildly in return in made the floorboards squeak underneath the shaky weight.

"I've been working Jackson Wang's case for over six months! His banquet is my shot to prove I'm worthy of my spot on this team!" You bellowed, comic stream bursting from your ears. Your face was red from embarrassment, disappointment and most importantly anger. Pure, boiling, hot anger seeping through every crevice of your body. This was chance to prove that you weren't a rookie anymore! This was a chance to live up to what you father used to be on this force.

"You've shown your worth more then enough times to be about of my department, but this is a mission that requires back up. It's too dangerous even for you." Mr. Jones sighed once more when he noticed your posture. Stick straight back, with clenched hands and jaw. You were passed the state of furious, and he knew hell was about to rain down. "Can I at least tell you his name."

"Of course it's a guy."

"His name is Jeon Jungkook. He's one of the top residents we have, and he's moving up through the ranks remarkably well." The sickly sweet comment rolled off of his tongue with such ease. It disgusted you down to your core. You didn't need a partner to handle Jackson Wang. You've dealt with his accomplices, and you sure as hell can take a guy like him on. "Now would you please stop making a big scene."

On one hand Mr. Jones had a point. Your reaction was starting to take the form of a five year old who just got told no to a brand new toy. You were overreacting, but with a good reason to back it up. This was your main chance ; you didn't want to be shadowed by some partner who would take all the credit. This was your shot, and you desperately needed it. Your worth in this department now rests on the hands of someone called Jeon Jungkook.

Before you mouth could open to add more snarky comment chief's door swung open. I'm walked a man who was almost your age, but maybe a bit older. His big doe eyes held so much innocence ; you almost pity the man who decided to work in a job like this. A job that requires you to be deceiving in every way, a job that tests your limits, and a job that puts your life in danger every time you walk out those doors. Being undercover has it's downfalls, and it may corrupt a sweet guy like him.

"This is your partner. Jeon Jungkook meet L/n Y/n."

"It's a pleasure to meet you! I've actually heard so much about you!" He beamed while staring softly at you. His hand was extended, and your whole body was hesitant to even shake his hand. He noticed the delay, and awkwardly pulled his hand away, and rubbed the nape of his neck. "It's gonna be an honor working with you."

You stayed silent through the entire exchange. The way his smile dropped ever so slightly, but the gleam never left his eyes. His stare was now directed towards the chief. Desperately trying to get the train moving along, and bolt as fast as he could out those glass doors. The chief gave a sudden scoff, before he started making his point clear.

"Jeon I'm sorry for this unprofessional like matter coming from one of our finest, but you two need to work together." The message was supposed to be loud and clear. Both of you were supposed to understand that this mission is going to take every once of willpower from the both of you. "This is his case file, learn it, live it, and then catch it."

Sharp nods left the both of you, as you reached for your file. Flipping through what felt like miles of charges against him. Things been drug charges, third degree battery, and many, many more. This just goes to prove that money will get your dumbass out of any situation. This man has ruined lives, and here he is still allowed to roam the streets without a care in the fucking world.

"Jesus Christ how can this guy live with himself?" Jungkook mumbled while pulling his chair out. His eyes scanned each charge, and loudly showed his disapproval. His scoff filled the small room, as if practically reverberated throughout. "What do you think about all of this?"

His question lingered in the air, as a response was settled onto your tongue. It was searing in your mouth, begging to have the cool air hit it and diminish the intensity of it. Instead you stayed silent. Letting your eyes linger on the file, even though you knew everything about this man. His motives, his relationship, his goddamn childhood. You knew it all, and a personal vendetta was pushing you towards getting this bastard in jail. Him and his stupid connections ruined your life, and you're never going to forget that.

"I know this isn't exactly your idea type of mission, but I'm just here to help." Jungkook softly said as he pulled his chair to the front of your desk. His famous doe eyes staring so softly into yours. They had a gleam that looked like a whole universe was settled underneath his cornea. His smile was still on his face, as if you silence wasn't affecting him at all. He didn't seem to care, as he continued on this conversation. "We still need to think of a plan to catch him."

He wasn't wrong. This whole mission still needed to be planned out step by step. And all you've got so far is the fact he's in town for the week, and once he leaves this area your team's jurisdiction will be useful no more. It has to be you, and your partner who take him down. The mere thought of him leaving made your hands clench in anger once more. Your knuckles going white from the harsh grip, and you could already fill your nails tearing the skin of your palms. His eyes glanced down at your hands, and he took it as his sign to leave.

"You don't have to go." Your voice was so soft he almost didn't hear it. This was a drastic change from your demeanor back in the chief's office. You tightly shut your eyes, and wished you'd just kept your mouth shut. He was just about to leave, and you could've been alone to make a plan layout. This could've be done all by yourself, but something made you want him. Something made it hard to see him go. "Like you said we need a plan."

"Y-yeah! A plan if were gonna catch him we need to make sure that he's caught in the act. I figured the only reason why he's never be truly admitted to jail is that he's never been see doing these things. Someone else always manages to take the fault." Jungkook stammered, as he pulled out his laptop. His eyes scanning every detail of the records he's looking at. Different people each lined up with charge that some how correspond with Jackson Wang's charges. They go down for him, and he just leaves them there. What a sicko.

You nodded your head in understanding. He would get charged and then everything would be dropped. Only for another man to take the place, and as they said coincidental at the time. This plan needs two brains working together, a different perspective is exactly what this mission needs. Yet you still can't bring yourself to accept that. It was stupid sitting here in a mood just because you have to have a partner

"We have less then a week to catch up so Jeon Jungkook. What's our first move." You sighed as you leaned back in your seat. A curt nod came from him as he typed away on his computer, original doe soft eyes were pressed in harsh glares. His min was set on finding an answer, and it looked like he was set on finding one fast.

"His banquet, like we've mentioned before is our only shot there's no other way. The only problem is that we need an invitation." Jungkook grumbled as he slammed his laptop shut. He knew this was a big opportunity, and now he can't do anything about it.

"I've got that covered, before Bailey's incident she's was assigned this case and already acquired two tickets. Now this is our last shot bring him back home. Do I make myself clear?"  The chief spoke loudly. Making sure this was getting through both of your heads.

"Crystal."

"You're both two of the youngest on this team, make this count. And be careful, Jackson Wang is many things, but he's not a fool. One slip up and this whole operation goes down."

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"So we have to look like a couple at this party." Jungkook sighed as he fixed the blazer that settled onto his broad shoulders. The sleek looking material complimented his body in an extraordinary way. He was actually looking the part of a wealthy business man, and that's exactly the cover up that was needed. "We still have a few days, maybe we should actually go on a date."

Your eyebrows shot up in a questionable look. Your head tilted to the side as well. The emerald dress in your hands suddenly worth a lot more attention then the dashing man in front of you. It felt stupid to get to know him considering after this mission you planned on never talking to him again. Hell you planned on staying quiet throughout the whole night at the banquet. Get in, get him and get the hell out. It wasn't supposed to be a bonding experience.

"Come on, I'm not that bad." He commented again, as he shrugged off the sleek material. He somehow looked even better without that jacket. His white button down shirt cling to his biceps, making him even more appealing. That same smile he always wore still graced his face. Almost like it was the only permanent expression he had. "I mean I'd like to get to know you considering we're gonna be on the same team after this."

You dreaded it when he spoke that sentence. You truly didn't mind him it's just, getting close to someone in this business has its consequences. Consequences that take every ounce of happiness in you, and rip it to shreds. You've gone through them enough to know just how terrible they actually are. You didn't want to experience that pain again, and Jungkook sure wasn't worth going through that guy wrenching pain once more. But you never know what could happen in the span of a week. Once more you stayed locked onto the target of the silky emerald dress in front of you.

"I just wanna make sure you're okay with being around me. If we have to look like a couple we're gonna have to be touching in some way to make it more believable. Maybe just tell me some lies, or say I love you. It's gonna be fake anyways."

The way he spoke so nonchalantly physically hurt your heart. It was so stupid to let those few words effect you in such a big way. You were gonna ditch him so you had no right to upset about this.

"Let's get take-out and go to my place tonight. This better be worth my night."

"Of course it's gonna be."

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It was a silent ride to your little apartment. The cars passing by providing only little bit of noise in the long car ride. You could tell he was itching to start a conversation based on the way his hand kept twitching. His eyes would shoot from the road back to your sleepy form. He just wanted to get to know you, and he's usually a talk active person. But he's scared he's gonna mess up things if he even speaks a word. He's worried that if he breathes the wrong way you're gonna complain even more. 

"Up here at the left." You said in a groggy tone, and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. A small yawn passing through once again. You honestly don't know if you're awake enough to even make it to your apartment door. But there is a hot takeout box in your lap, and it’s been a long day. Besides Lucy was definitely awake, and she’s always happy too see you. Well most of the time she is. Your keys wiggled in the lock as you tried to open the door. The sound of keys slapping against the concrete woke you up only slightly.

“Here let me do it.” He spoke softly as he took the keys from your weak grip. His hands softly guiding the takeout from yours. “If you want to reschedule it’s fine.”

“No it’s fine, when need this bonding experience anyways. Besides I think Lucy has already taken a liking to you.” You laughed lightly as the calico cat immediately rubbed her head against his jean clad legs. A soft purr erupting from her. The freaking cat loves him, but hisses at anyone else. “Well hello there.”

That little heifer has the audacity to love up on him, and completely ignore you. You’re the one who fills her green bowl, gives her half the food on your plate. And she goes to the stranger that smells like mint and chocolate.

“I swear she’s usually in a mood.” You commented, as you tossed your coat on the back of the couch. As Jungkook sat down she immediately made her nest on his lap. Like you said before, that little heifer. “Okay now lets start talking.”

“Okay, what’s your favorite tv show.” He softly said as he shoveled the noodles in his mouth. His eyes never leaving yours once more, as if he truly wanted to know. He’s actually taking this hang out session seriously.

“I’ve really been getting into body of proof recently, that was reason why I wanted to be a medical examiner at the start of my career.” You smiled at the memory. Your mom done everything in her power to put you on the right track. She was always worried you’d get chocked up dealing with dead bodies like that, but she was more worried you’d get caught in between a murderer and a victim. Like your new job was any better.

“Why didn’t you continue with that?” His question was innocent as all get outs. But it still hurt to even think about the reason why you dropped it from your worries all together.

“That a personal question for another time.” You sighed as you wiped the corners of your mouth. Your eyes staying down casted towards the hardwood floors. When you noticed how Lucy’s food bowl was empty you took that as your chance to leave. Slowly searching through your kitchen cabinets looking for favorite chicken meal.

“Oh, okay. I didn’t realize, that it was like that.”

“You couldn’t have know, it’s fine how about we move onto the next topic.”

He sucked in air through his teeth as he raked his mind for another topic. The air was tense, and that was the last thing he wanted. He cleared his throat, as he lightly stroked Lucy’s head. She dug her head further into his hand ; trying to appreciate the warmth that he was giving her.

“Look I’m sorry I keep making everything so difficult. I’m not trying too it’s just in this job I’m scared to open up. It’s gotten me in some trouble, and that almost took me out.” You confessed as you popped open the cat food. Hearing her small paws tapping against the hardwood floors once more. You wiped your hands off on your jeans, and turned to face him fully. His head was tilted in the way yours does, and his eyes held that curious gleam once more.

“I understand that to an extent, but we’re just talking right now nothing bad is gonna happen.” He smiled as he pushed himself up off the couch. Leaning down with a huff he sat beside of you and watched at Lucy lapped up the food that was left in her plate. As soon as she was done she moved towards the man behind her. She happily rubbed her small head underneath his chin.

“Lucy seems pretty content with you, maybe that’s a good sign.” You half smiled as you twirled her soft tail around you index finger. Successfully gaining her attention, as your little baby licked at the tips of your fingers. “How about we put in a random movie, and go from there.”

He smiled widely as he rushed towards the small component underneath the tv. His eyes gleaming happily as he traced the spine of each dvd. Before his eyes settled onto the marvel section. His hands grasped the dozens of DVD’s and sprawled the across the floor. Ranging from Captain American to the one and only Endgame. A small chuckled passed through his lips as he held up one of the Iron Man disc.

“We can bond over one of my favorite movies.”

“I’ll get drinks.” You smiled as you raced towards your cabinets once. Pulling out the wine from the back corner. The beautiful blue bottle shinning underneath the soft lights of your kitchen. Pulling out two wine glasses you jumped onto the couch beside of him.

“I’m ready whenever you are.” He tipped his glass towards you with a suggestive smile. His eyes lingering towards the alcohol in your hands.

“Okay then let’s play the infamous twenty-one questions.” You spoke as you poured the wine and let it flow into the glasses. Watching as the foam started to settle. Taking a sip, and letting the cool liquid soothe you throat. “What made you want to go undercover.”

“Let’s get ready for a story.”

[kali-tmblr]

The Sisters: Parallels in the Relationships Between Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and Winter in RWBY

It's tempting just to run "Sister Stuff" on this space and be done with it, but the subject needs a bit more attention than that. Ruby x Yang and Weiss x Winter are not exact parallels. Winter isn't a straight-up Yang counterpart for Weiss. Yang and Ruby are two years apart. Winter and Weiss are six to eight years apart. Because of age and distance, the relationship Weiss has with Winter seems halfway between the relationship Ruby has with Yang and Qrow. Weiss relates to Winter more like the way Ruby relates to Qrow in Volumes 1-3 than the way Ruby relates to Yang. Weiss adores and idealizes Winter, but she really isn't that close to her in daily life. So while they are alike in some ways, in other ways they are very different.

Let's talk about the similarities first. We have two pairs of sisters. They come from families that have suffered trauma. All four girls want to be Huntresses, with the Big Sisters being further along with that goal, Yang by two years and Winter having gradated from Atlas Academy (a requisite for becoming a Specialist). Both Big Sisters are helping their Little Sister with her training, and are proud of her progress. Both Little Sisters show high levels of talent and dedication. Both Little Sisters adore their Big Sisters, but don't copy them completely. This is fortunate because both Big Sisters are emotionally damaged. Yang has PTSD from the Fall of Beacon, and Winter appears to be still traumatized from her childhood experiences. Having been in a similar situation I would not be surprised if she has PTSD as well.

There's a final set of similarities between Yang and Winter. Both women have tempers that have caused them grief in combat. Winter's signature move in Amity Arena, the one she opened her duel with Qrow by performing, is essentially the same one Yang was performing when Adam cut off her arm. Both women also start out with a tendency in battle to concentrate too much on their goal to the exclusion of their surroundings. This tendency cost Yang her arm at the Fall of Beacon, and Winter her duel with Qrow when she didn't realize Ironwood was right behind her. According to the information on her Amity Arena card, Winter had this tendency even before she enrolled at Atlas Academy, and has it to a greater extent than anyone else we've met except for Ironwood. Yang was able to overcome this tendency with the help of her mentor, Tai. Unfortunately Winter's mentor is Ironwood, who could use some help in this department himself.

But there's more contrast than there is parallel with these young women. Both families have suffered trauma, but the Xiou Long household has recovered and is healthier, in spite of the fact that it's the Schnee family that is "intact". Yang is an optimist, Winter seems to be a pessimist. Due to the difference in their ages, the way both Big Sisters relate to their Little Sisters is different. For Yang growing up with Ruby only two years younger than her, Ruby was her world. According to the Amity Arena card, for Winter growing up with Weiss born around the time she started school, Weiss was an afterthought. These two minor deviations combine to result in a significant difference in how the Big Sisters treat their Little Sisters. Yang is very protective of Ruby, whereas Winter vacillates between "tough love" and abuse, with an emphasis on teaching Weiss that she shouldn't expect anyone to ever protect her. I couldn't help thinking, at the end of Winter's introductory scene in Volume 3 that Winter's treatment of Weiss is not going to go down well with Yang. Honestly, I'm looking forward to that meeting as much as I'm looking forward to Winter meeting Weiss or Qrow.

(I understand that Winter is still reacting from her own abusive upbringing and that she is trying to do better, but she needs to work on it more.)

These differences are underscored in the Yang and Weiss character shorts from Volume 5. Both of these shorts have the same basic plot -- Big Sister gives Little Sister a training session just outside their house back before Volume 1 again. In the case of Yang and Ruby, this appears to be a clearing in the woods near their house. In the case of Winter and Weiss, this appears to be the courtyard of their house. Both Big Sisters state that they are giving Little Sister this lesson because Big Sister won't be around to protect them all the time. And that's about where the similarity ends.

Weiss' short opens with "Path to Isolation", the bleakest of all the Weiss songs. Weiss is practicing with her sword, killing wave after wave of Winter's summoned Beowolves, each preceded by a wave of very specific snow flurries on a cloudless night (a sign, perhaps, that Winter is the Winter Maiden?) while Winter watches from somewhere unseen. (Coincidentally, killing Beowolves is the same thing we see Ruby doing in the first trailer.) Weiss takes out about a dozen before losing her sword and going down. We learn that Weiss didn't perform well enough, but what we don't learn is what the target was. How many Beowolves did she have to kill to pass? How close did she get? Or was it a timed test, did she have to keep going for a certain length of time? You need to give that kind of information when you are coaching, otherwise the coach isn't doing her job. Expressing disappointment with no objective feedback can actually make the student worse. Curiously, Winter never touches Weiss, not even to hand her back her sword. Instead she sticks Myrtenaster in the ground and walks away.

Back on Patch, Yang's short opens with "Ignite", the cockiest of her songs. She is giving a very reluctant Ruby a lesson in weaponless combat. Hand to hand is Ruby's weakness, and while she she's content with that fact, Yang isn't going to let it rest there. Their sparring amounts to Yang attacking and Ruby dodging, until Ruby can't dodge a blow and uses her Semblance to run away. Yang looks for Ruby and finds an Ursa instead. Ruby comes back to find her sister locked in a tough battle with the Grimm that Yang eventually wins. Ruby is relieved that Yang won and distressed that she couldn't help Yang without a weapon. Yang hugs Ruby and, assures her that Yang will always have her back.

Both shorts begin and end with similar framing scenes revolving around runaways. Weiss is running away to Mistral hoping to catch up to Winter (who previously in a time-honored tradition among abused children, ran away from an abusive home by joining the military). Unlike the audience she is unaware that Winter has been recalled to Atlas, and her quest is in vain. Even so, her mood is more melancholy than hopeful.

Meanwhile, Yang is in Anima searching for Ruby, who has run away from home seeking answers in Mistral. Yang was too broken to say anything when Ruby left, but now she is well enough to follow. Her mood is hopeful and somewhat amused.

The major difference between the two stories comes down to expectations. Winter and Weiss have been taught not to expect people to help them unless they "earn" it by virtue of their rank and/or effort. The interesting thing about this assumed privilege is how Weiss uses it. We never see her try to use her status to get something after Blake shoots her down in their first scene. And while she does claim to have earned certain things by virtue of her hard work, the favors in question are all fairly ordinary things that anyone should be able to ask for by virtue of being a person. The most extreme example is when she questions Ruby's leadership position in "The Badge and the Burden Part 2". The question itself is legitimate, but premature, however Weiss is a teenager and "jumping the gun" is a common trait in teens. So it's interesting that in the first two volumes she thinks she has to earn the right through hard work to ask legitimate perfectly questions.

Winter emphasizes that she won't be around to save Weiss and that Weiss has to be able to save herself. This is true, but there's a big difference between being able to look after yourself and expecting that you will always have to look after yourself because no one will ever freely help you.

Ruby and Yang have a different expectation. As Ruby explains to Ozpin in their first meeting, she and her sister were taught to help people. This leads them to have two expectations. They expect that they will need to be able to look after themselves so they will be available to help others, and they also expect that other people will be willing to help them. This leads them to ask other people for help more often. Sometimes the people they ask to help them don't, with Raven being the most prominent example. But more often than not, they do. These different expectations are thrown into stark contrast when Weiss and Ruby run away from home. When Weiss runs away, she's on her own. When Ruby runs away, she takes Team RJNR with her.

(I'm not underestimating how difficult life is for abuse survivors trying to escape, just pointing out how it messes with your head over the long term. I'm over 50, and I still have trouble asking for help.)

Expectations lead to promises. It's interesting how Yang and Ruby approach promises. Yang promises Ruby that Yang will always have Ruby's back, and she keeps that promise to the best of her ability. This knowledge gives Ruby the confidence to push herself further. Does Yang always keep that promise? No, but it takes being maimed to stop her, and as soon as she can she is back to keeping it. In the meantime the confidence Ruby has gained from all the times Yang has kept her word has gotten her almost to Haven by then.

Ruby has promised Weiss that Team RWBY will be by her side every second in Atlas, and has acted to keep that promise at every step along the way. It's not a promise that can be kept forever. Eventually it's going to be broken. But by then the strength and confidence Weiss has gained from all the times it has been kept should help her go much further than she could have gotten on her own.

On a final note, the Winter we saw in Volume 3 might not be the Winter we meet again. As much time has passed for her as for the rest of the characters, and they have all changed. Weiss'disappearance may have shaken her, and she may either scream at her, or smother her with attention, or both. We shall see.

[positivelypetty]

A REALLY long rant on the Joint Training Arc.

Okay, so since the Joint Training Arc is basically done, I thought I would share my various opinions and adress certain issues that A LOT of people had with this arc.

But, before we get into the actual rant, I think I should distinguish the difference between an opinion, criticism and just plain antagonism.

Here is an example of just misinformed toxicity:

This is just being TOXIC!!! You can’t shelter these horrible comments by saying “it’s just an opinion.” Please don’t act like after 4 years of really enthralling writing, he’s now the worst writer ever. Instead, explain why you don’t think this was the best story choice, instead of being clearly misinformed. It’s nothing absolutely terrible, but just a simple example on how people can be so demanding and completely inconsiderate to the creator.

“Forbidding” Horikoshi from writing is actually ridiculous. He WROTE AND CREATED your “precious sons” that you love so much. So, if you claim that the manga is now utter trash because it doesn’t personally cater to you, please abandon or take a long break from the manga/anime to maybe clear your head. Thank you.

We don’t need any more toxicity in this fandom than we already do.

Now with that said, let’s talk about the arc! (Also keep in mind that these ideas spurred from Reddit so, I decided to expand on it)

1-B vs 1-A situation:

I've been reading a ton of comments too, the good, and the bad and it's fine, everyone has their opinions and that's cool, but for me, it didn't seem it was about who won or lost, it was more about how each class was taught. And this boils down to both Vlad and Aizawa.

Vlad has obviously been pushing his students and their quirks to the max in regards to working in teams. This shines through in all of the fights they all work together very well and know the strengths and weaknesses of each other as well as their enemies. They go into a battle with a plan and are ready to execute the plan flawlessly.

Whereas Aizawa I believe has pushed for more individualist thinking style, and I think this comes from his basis of fighting villains. No one will come to save you, you have to be able to handle yourself whether escaping or defeating. He doesn't coddle his students, and he does push them to the brink as well. What's interesting is Class A has had more hands-on experience. With Aizawa’s teaching style I think they sometimes have a harder time working with one another and they can fall apart with their teamwork. HOWEVER their real-life experience has taught them that the best-laid out plans can not go as plan, and they are able to utilize their 'individual' thinking to fight regardless of a plan falling through.

I found it really interesting and I think there's value in both ways of thinking for Vlad and Aizawa. For Class B, they will have to learn how to abandon a plan that's not working and strategize on the fly, and Class A will have to hone their teamwork for long-running battles.

And let's be honest, these are just kids, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit, I don't find Class B to be 'trash' just because they lost, they still fought hard and worked better together in the long run then Class A. Class B didn't have any dead weight with their battles, everyone was utilized and contributed to all their fights. People are so set on who “won” or who “lost” the battle, that people overlook everyone’s overall individual quirks and techniques. I personally believe that many of the 1-B students were amazing and are forces to be reckoned with. It’s just that 1-A knows how to handle themselves when things don’t to go to plan rather than 1-B (as mentioned before) which gave 1-A the upper-hand in most of the battles, but I can definitely name a few fights where Class A's members were carried by their team.

Now to address the Shinsou thing:

To everyone who was PRESSED that Shinsou didn’t win....

What do you expect from Shinsou? I feel like people were overestimating him. Even with those cloth bindings and his quirk. All you need to do is shut your mouth, grab his cloth bindings (at best he has a few months training) keep focusing on him,restrain him, and boom you're done.(I obviously know it’s not that simple, but basically) I love Shinsou, I really do, but he’s basically Aizawa (I love Aizawa too don’t get me wrong). Aizawa mentioned that it took FIVE YEARS for him to truly master his quirk, and even though since this is the younger generation, so he’ll probably get the hang of it sooner, how long as he really been “training” his quirk under Aizawa? Definitely not long enough for him to go 1v1 with someone who is a close combat fighter. (It really isn’t that shocking that Deku won, he could probably win without Black Whip). Don't get me wrong Shinsou has improved MONUMENTALLY but not to the extent of 1-A who has direct experience in fighting villains. I just think people are mainly mad that 1-B lost is as because they think Shinsou won’t get into the Hero Course. Like chill. One of the main reasons 1-A won in the first match was because of Shinsou, so I think that proves that he is MORE than capable to get in to the Hero Course.

The whole OP Deku thing:

First off, I honestly don't expect him to ever match All Might at his prime in terms of consistent pure raw strength. Deku isn't a giant man of pure muscle, so I don't think he'd be able to go 100 and maintain it like All Might could. Deku is more of a person of different techniques and strategy, rather than brute force. Like, I don't know if Deku is going to be throwing punches that can blow away a city block.

That being said, each generation is getting stronger. Like, Endeavor will be surpassed by Todoroki by the time he graduates (if it even takes that long). Iida is already faster than Gran Torino. In the very beginning of the manga, they mentioned Deku will be the strongest holder of OFA, since it gets stronger each generation. Deku will have formidable rivals if the other strong students also reach their full potential. Hell, those rowdy kids we saw at the makeup exam already had really strong quirks at their young age. Generational power creep means that everybody around Deku will get way stronger than the current pros.

I understand the sentiment that Deku doesn't need more quirks, but Deku's quirk development was already approaching a plateau in terms of being able to fully control what power he could handle. He'd just work on his technique and slowly get stronger and stronger. Sure, he's gonna eventually be able to punch/kick hard enough to shoot himself around in the air, but we've already seen that stuff (plus Bakugo does that too). I know Horikoshi is creative and will develop some cool moves for Deku, but Deku's struggle to control OfA was mostly over. All he had to do wast master OFA steadily and he’ll be good. More quirks means that he may unlock more quirks when he's able to use more %. So instead of reaching 30% and just being X amount stronger physically, he may unlock a new tool to try and master/incorporate into his combat toolkit.

If this is a negative turn for the story, we won't even be able to tell until many, many more chapters are released. We may look back and decide that this was a bad move, but we shouldn't assume that's the case when it was literally introduced TWO WHOLE CHAPTERS AGO. (even though I don’t think it was a bad move AT ALL)

What I hope to see in future Arcs:

I think what fans would really enjoy and we could all use some real Deku character development. Deku’s my favorite character, but I feel like people can’t connect to him as much as someone like Todoroki, because his lack of emotional development. He’s indeed way more confident then he was in the beginning, I still feel like he has low self esteem. Someone needs to tell him that he’s worthy of this mega powerful quirk. ( he needs it 😭)We know so much about him, but rarely see him living his day to day life outside of training, costume updates and the occasional villain attack. Last time we got anything close to development in was only told through Aoyama's development.

These next few chapters will definitely give us something, but only as it relates to One for All. I'd honestly like to know Deku's thoughts about his situation, he seems determined that's for sure. Does he feel stressed, uninformed, unprepared, scared...resentful? We can infer a bunch, I'd just like to see him talk to All Might, Bakugo or his mom about it.

In Conclusion:

Honestly, to me,It never seemed to matter who won or lost any of these matches people were gonna complain regardless. When Class A wins they call it predictable and when class B won they say call it BS or plot amor. Even when it’s a draw people got upset saying Todoroki was disappointing. Some people wanted the matches to be fleshed out over a couple of chapters rather than rushed, then a few weeks later complained that it was taking to long. Bakugo wins his match quickly and those same people lose their minds about how they wanted the match to be longer. People complained about Horikoshi not letting the girls shine in battle after the second match, but conveniently forgets Tsuyu was the MVP of the first match and Kendo and Mushroom girl made 1-B win the second match. (AND WE’RE NOT GONNA FORGET HOW URARAKA AND MINA DOMINATED THE MATCH)Then you have the people who say all of 1-B is worthless and then Juzo and Tetsutetsu prove otherwise. Now we have people think Deku is OP but in this new chapter it seems that he much has a limit to using these other abilities but I’m sure that won’t stop the myriad of complaints. Every week the same people come to see the spoilers and complain based off of a fragmented non-contextualized summary of the chapter and wonder why they enjoy the chapter itself less. Maybe going into a chapter with a negative outlook will do that. The part that irks me is that virtually everyone whose binge-read this arc seems to enjoy it only seems to be us week to week readers with a issue. Either way I hope the discussion going into the next arc are far more level-headed constructive than they have been.

I think this will be one of the arcs that played out better once it was animated. Individual panels maybe favored over the anime, but overall pacing will surely favor the anime. Waiting week in and week out, over analyzing every short chapter has really done no favors for fans and Horikoshi.