#any words bolded and italicized are signed

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

— open starter

muse: freya laurey (district 9 victor of the 66th games turned rebel known for surviving despite losing her leg in the games) verse: main

the capitol was nothing if not an unfriendly husk to her. she never relished her time here. the second she set foot off the train, she wanted to go home. being a victor meant she had to spend some amount of time at the whims of the painted people. she generally stayed within the areas of the city she was familiar with, her routine guaranteed she was largely left alone. until she wasn't, she tried to mask her disappointment as the other sat down in front of her. she couldn't exactly stop them, it was a communal dining area after all. she ought to play nice, especially since it was just them in the dining room. i thought i was the only one that ate this late, she commented.

[woso-soso]

Missing Puzzle Piece Pt.2

Mapi Leon x Reader x Ingrid Engen

Summary: What happens when Ingrid starts to catch feelings for those already taken and will they all act on those feelings?

Word Count: 4,857

Part 1

Any time words are Italicized it indicates another language being spoken, in the case of this story it will indicate Spanish is spoken. Any time words are Bold German is being spoken. These language changes shouldn't occur too much in the future!

Ingrid's POV

Ingrid had only been in Barcelona for a total of two hours when her first misstep happened. Walking out of the conference room with an air of confidence, the impact of her hitting something knocking her back into reality. The crash of a box hitting the ground snapping her out of her shock, she found herself staring at a much smaller person, their eyes not meeting hers as they stared down at the box on the ground. Ingrid had a gut feeling it held something valuable, a sick feeling forming in her stomach at the thought of having broken something within hours of signing her contract. 

“I’m so sorry,” She rushes out, her hand still holding onto the stranger's arm in an attempt to keep them from falling. 

“It.. is.. okay,” she stammered out, clearly doing her best to come up with a response in English. 

“I’m Ingrid, I just signed with the women's team,” she says, a soft smile on her face. Releasing the stranger's arm to hold her hand out towards her. She takes her hand gently, not really committing to shaking it.

“I am Y/N,” She responds with a small shake of their hands. 

“Well it was very nice to meet you Y/N,” Ingrid says as she observes a slight blush form across Y/N’s face. Her eyes go back to the box on the floor but before Y/N gets a chance to bend down and pick it up Ingrid quickly retrieves the remarkably heavy box from the floor. Handing it over to Y/N, who visibly relaxes when she opens the box to see all of its contents still intact. Ingrid takes this as her moment to quickly turn and head down the hallway, unknowingly leaving Y/N behind in a state of confusion. 

It only takes Ingrid slightly longer than expected to navigate her way to the women's team locker room. The music coming from inside guiding her the last few hallways to find it. While this wasn’t her first time meeting some of the team, mainly knowing Caro from the Norwegian national team and Frido from the time they shared at Wolfsburg, a pit of nerves still settled in her stomach. The fact that her Spanish was still very limited only intensified her nerves. Taking one last deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, she pushes the door open. The music hitting her ears first, the fast Spanish conversations hitting her second. It’s all overwhelming as she stands in the doorway, her brain telling her to turn around and flee but before she gets a chance she feels someone grab her hand. Whipping her head around she finds the comforting smile of the blond she knew so well. 

“Frido,” Ingrid sighs out, knowing that there is no way she can actually hear her.

“Ingrid, I’m so happy you're here!” Frido declares loudly as she pulls her into a hug. The familiar feeling of someone she knows relaxing her slightly. “Everyone,” Frido shouts, drawing the attention of the locker room. The music shutting off, silencing the room to an almost eerie level. “I’m sure some of you know her but I would like to introduce you all to Ingrid, she's just signed her contract. She’s still learning Spanish so please, be gentle with her.” Frido announces with a big grin on her face. The majority of what she had said going right over Ingrid's head. The majority of players in the room shout back a simple hello not wanting to overwhelm the brunette woman. Caro makes her way over to give Ingrid a quick hug before heading out to the training pitch not staying to mingle as the two already had plans for later that night. 

“Hello, I’m Alexia,” Alexia Putellas says, extending her hand for Ingrid to shake. The introduction felt kind of unnecessary, of course Ingrid knew of Alexia Putellas she would have to be living under a rock to not know of the Alexia Putellas. “I wanted to introduce myself before we get started, if you have any questions please let me know I’ll do my best to answer.” With that Alexia is gone, Ingrid looks around the remaining group in the locker room. Frido lingers by her cubby, tying her boots just right. Another taller brunette sits in her cubby in the corner, the name Cata Coll plastered above the cubby. Finally there is a tattoo covered blond, her back is turned to Ingrid but her heart starts to flutter. 

Ingrid had sworn off dating teammates, not after the last time at Wolfsburg which had ended in a mild disaster. She had been determined to not find any of her new teams enticing, yet, here she was instantly feeling drawn towards the bleach blond beauty in front of her. 

“Don’t get caught staring,” Frido whispers as she goes to pass her. “Your cubby is the empty one next to mine, I’d start getting ready if I were you.” With a shake of her head Ingrid quickly gets herself ready, ignoring the blond she now knows is named María León if the plaque above her cubby is correct. 

Ingrid's first practice with the team goes as well as it could, there were times she struggled to follow directions that were rambled off too quickly in Spanish. But thankfully Caro was there to save her the embarrassment, always quickly filling her in when needed in Norwegian. The language barrier doesn’t keep her from being drawn towards the woman she now knows prefers to go by Mapi. Mapi’s English is obviously something she is working on as she jokes around with Frido and Caro in English even though both of them can understand her just fine in Spanish. She has a charm that draws Ingrid in, the tattoos scattered across her body wanting her to learn more about her. The quote “looks can be deceiving” tattooed across her throat interested her the most. 

“Are you still up for tonight?” Caro asks, starting Ingrid as she yet again catches herself staring at Mapi. 

“Yeah.. totally.. for sure.” She stammers, tearing her eyes away from Mapi. 

“Good, I have the perfect place to take you. Also, I’d be careful with the staring. She’ll notice quicker than you think.” Caro’s warning causes a bright blush to form across Ingrid's face, she had hoped she had been somewhat discrete but she realizes now she is incapable of that. “Come on, let's head out,” Caro says, taping her on the back as she passes by. Ingrid takes one last look back at Mapi, a small smile forming as she watches the blond celebrate yet another penalty kick she made. 

Ingrid does her best to keep Mapi out of her head going into practice over the next week, yet she always seems to wiggle her way back in. From being paired up for drills, her arm draped lazily across her shoulder during team huddles, to short conversations during water breaks. Ingrid was inevitably growing a crush on the shorter woman. 

“Are you coming to team bonding tonight,” a voice rings from behind her, turning to see Alexia walking up to her. A water bottle extended towards her. 

“Thanks,” Ingrid says softly, taking the bottle from her hand, turning away from watching Mapi to try and focus on Alexia. “I was planning on it, who all is coming?” 

“Most of us will be, I know some of them are bringing their partners so be prepared for more people then normal.” Alexia says between breaths, her own water bottle clutched tightly in her hand. 

“Okay, thanks for the heads up,” She says handing the water bottle back over before heading towards the locker room. Did she really want to go to team bonding, not really. She had barely gotten unpacked, she was mentally and physically exhausted. She also knew deep down the majority of the night would be spent trying to decipher Spanish, Spanish spoken at a speed that was bound to be impossible to understand. But she also deep down wanted to see Mapi, away from the pitch, in clothes that weren’t workout attire. Sure she may not understand her all of the time but she made her laugh, she was comfortable with her and she wanted to see if she felt that away from the pitch. 

The team had chosen a restaurant not too far from the training facilities making it an easy enough walk. She was just happy she had chosen practical shoes this morning seeing as she still didn’t have a car either hitching rides or walking everywhere. Yet Ingrid still found herself arriving after a good majority of the team, like Alexia had said many of them were there with their partners making the already cramped space even tighter. 

“Ingrid,” Caro shouts, waving her over to the table she had seemingly commandeered for the night, Marta sat with her in the corner. The table, while not large, had a few seats left open, Ingrid wasn’t sure if she had been saving them or if she got lucky that she arrived when she did but she wasn’t going to question it. 

“There's a lot of people here,” She says as she sits down, finally taking a moment to breathe. 

“And we are still waiting on some, I think Mapi got held up so I know she’ll be here soon,” Caro mentions nonchalantly, seemingly not noticing the blush that appeared on Ingrid's face. The waiter comes around to get their orders, Marta saving her some grace by ordering for her thankfully. She still hadn’t tried to order anything out since being here, too afraid of embarrassing herself. 

Conversation comes easily with Caro and Marta, the three of them switching between English, Norwegian, and Spanish easily. It wasn’t until a cheer of commotion was heard from the entrance of the room that Ingrid looked up. Instantly seeing Mapi dressed casually in a button-up shirt and some shorts, her hair thrown up in a haphazard bun. But as her eyes trail lower her stomach drops. Mapi’s hand is firmly locked with another, and as she follows that hand she finds the gorgeous person she literally ran into in the hallway her first day here. The two of them appeared happy, laughing as some of the players went over to greet the two of them. The first thing many of them do is hug the person attached to Mapi. This clearly wasn’t a new thing. 

“Who is that with Mapi?” Ingrid asks hesitantly.  

“Oh, that’s Y/N, Mapi’s been with her for as long as I’ve known them. I’m pretty sure they’ve been together since they were like teenagers but don’t quote me on that.” Caro says not looking up from her phone. The sick feeling in Ingrid's stomach gets even worse as the pair make their way towards their table. The table with the only seats left. 

Y/N’s POV

You hadn’t planned on taking forever at work, you’d known Mapi had a team bonding night she was hoping for you to come to. You had been sure to text her that she might as well go ahead without you, insisting that editing the final few photos for the men’s merchandise page were going to take longer than planned. When you didn’t get an answer back you assumed she would head out and let you know where she was so you could meet up later. What you hadn’t expected was for her to pop up in your cubicle, hoping up onto your desk. 

“I told you to go ahead my love,” You said, not looking up from the computer in front of you. 

“I know, and I decided I would rather be here with you and when you're done we will go together. The girls will still be there.” Mapi insisted. Taking a mint from the jar on your desk, popping it into her mouth without a second thought. 

“How have things been with the team?” You ask as you click over to the next picture.

“Good, the set pieces are starting to finally come together. Ingrid won’t stop staring at me. Oh Alexia’s free kicks are looking really good too.” Mapi says while scrolling on her phone, not looking up as you stop clicking. 

“Who won’t stop staring at you?” Turning to stare at the blond, her fingers stopping as she registers what she had said. 

“Um… Ingrid.” Mapi says hesitantly, putting her phone down to turn and give you her full attention. The conversation the two of you had still fresh in your minds. 

“She’s been staring, does she know you have a partner?” You inquire, more out of curiosity than anything else.

“I… umm I haven’t mentioned it, I don’t know if the other girls have said anything.” You hum at her response, turning back towards your laptop to finish up the last few details. “Are you mad at me?” Mapi asks after a moment. 

“No, there’s no reason to be.” You respond, quickly saving the last image before sending them off to the admin for merchandising. “You haven’t done anything, how can I be mad when someone is staring at my extremely sexy girlfriend. Honestly it's kind of a complement. Now come on, I'm all done, let's go get food.” You insist, grabbing your bag and taking Mapi’s hand in yours.

The drive to the restaurant is short but comfortable as the two of you sit in content silence. Seeing the rest of the girls had arrived the two of you park, letting Mapi lead you in, still taking a backseat when it comes to being around the team. You still had hopes to one day work with the women's team and that meant the boundaries you had still had to be upheld. 

“It’s been a minute since you’ve been around Y/N,” Alexia says, greeting you with a hug. 

“I’ve been just a little busy,” You responded with a grin, the last few months had been extra hectic due to your promotion and you knew the girls had missed your presence. Plenty of them had messaged you to tell you themselves no longer trusting Mapi to relay the message. 

“Well we are happy you're here, I’m sure there are some seats somewhere.” Alexia says, letting Mapi pull you away from the group that had formed. It's only once you get close to the table that you notice who's sitting there. 

“Are these seats free,” Mapi asks smoothly, her English much more advanced than yours. 

“There all yours,” Caro says, waving her hand at the last two seats at the table. The two of you manage to squeeze into the tight table, you have to sit almost on top of Ingrid, a blush forming on your cheeks that you're thankful is hidden by the darkened room. “What took you two so long anyway?” 

“She was held up with work,” Mapi answers, not looking up from the menu the two of you were sharing. 

“What is it you do Y/N?” Ingrid asks. 

It takes you a moment to process what she had said, hesitantly looking over to Mapi for help. 

“She’s wondering what your job is,” She aids quickly, her hand going to your knee as a way to reassure you. 

“Ah, I um… I work with the mens team… I am their uh head photographer.” You get out after a moment. Mapi gives your knee a soft squeeze, she knew how much you had been working on your English and how nervous you were to actually speak it. 

“Oh so that's why I saw you in the offices, how long have you been doing that?” Ingrid asks, turning to look at you. Her intensely hazel eyes illuminated by the candles that are scattered around the room. You hesitate, swallowing your nerves. You hadn’t fully understood her question, she had been speaking too quickly. But you also don’t want to seem incapable of holding a conversation. 

“How long?” You reply hesitantly hoping she will give you some reassurance you were on the right track. You don’t get a verbal response but her smile widens, a small nod of her head telling you to go on. “I have um.. I’ve been with Barcelona since 2017, but I have…. been doing photos since we lived in Madrid.” You hope that your response is clear, looking to Mapi for reassurance. Her subtle smile making it clear you had done well. 

“Oh, by we you mean the two of you.” Ingrid inquires, pointing between you and Mapi. 

“Uh-huh,” Mapi responds as she takes a sip of her water, wanting to give you a moment to relax. Trying to not only process but respond in English was still new to you and it still quickly drained you. 

“Oh, well how long have the two of you been together?” She asks, her eyes bouncing between the two of you. You can see her eyeing Mapis' hand that was still resting on your knee. 

“Um, I’m twenty six,” Mapi says, thinking intensely. Neither one of you have ever been big on dates and you didn;t have a set anniversary date as your relationship formed over time, neither one of you feeling the need to mark any one day as your official anniversary. “So we are going on ten years. But we’ve known one another since we were seven” 

“Wow,” is all Ingrid says, seemingly deflating in on herself, turning away from the two of you to take a large drink of the beverage she had in front of her. 

“It really has been ten years huh,” You exclaim softly, your hand going to take hers. 

“And yet still no ring on it,” Marta says suddenly, her eyes bouncing between the three of you sat across from her and Caro. 

“I don’t see a ring on Caro’s finger do you,” Mapi asks back, turning to you and Ingrid for confirmation. You shrug in agreement, while Ingrid seems to have drawn into herself not even noticing that Mapi had asked a question. 

“No, I don’t see one, maybe get on that Marta.” You quip back with a soft laugh, as Caro turns to also mockingly stare down Marta the woman suddenly on the hot seat. 

Ingrid’s POV

Of course she’s with someone, of course she's with HER. The two of them make sense together. Their artsy, funny, they balance each other so well. With Mapi’s loud extraverted ways and Y/N’s more quiet introverted personality. The two of them slotted together perfectly, how could Ingrid ever think differently. 

“Ingrid you okay?” Caro asks, snapping Ingrid out of her thoughts, The group sat at the table staring at her in wonder. Ingrid hadn’t realized she had been so zoned out, the light buzz from the alcohol making it feel as though time was moving at a pace slower than a snail. 

“I’m fine,” Ingrid mumbles, running her hand down her face in hopes of shaking herself out of whatever funk she has gotten herself into. 

“Are you feeling good?” Y/N asked gently, placing her hand on Ingrid's knee. The contact causes a blush to form on Ingrid's cheeks, the butterflies in her stomach an unwelcome guest. Especially after finding out that the women in front of her were a couple, both completely unattainable by her. 

“I think I'm going to head out, I have to walk home and I'm starting to get a headache.” Ingrid responds, turning to grab her bag. 

“Oh you walked here?” Mapi asks, leaning around Y/N to look at the dark haired woman. 

“Yeah, I haven’t gotten around to getting a car yet,” Ingrid sighs, standing to leave. 

“Wait,” Y/N says, grabbing Ingrid's hand. “We can give you a life.” Ingrid halts for a moment, the warm feeling of Y/N’s hand wrapped around hers making her anxiety skyrocket. Looking over to Mapi, hoping deep down she will say no. 

“Yeah, Ingrid we can give you a ride we need to be heading home anyway.” Mapi insisted. 

Ingrid takes a second to think over the offer, was the lack of a walk home really worth being in a car with not one but two extremely attractive people. Two extremely attractive people who are together, two people who Ingrid wishes she could be with. “Um, sure, a ride would be nice.” The idea of an hour-long walk being worse than riding in a car with the two of them. 

Ingrid watches as Mapi and Y/N make their way around the room hugging some of the others goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Caro asks as she stands to hug Ingrid goodbye. 

“Yeah, of course.” She responds, leaning into the comfort of her longtime friend. 

Ingrid follows the pair out of the restaurant, the two of them appearing so at ease with one another. They had clearly spent many years together, the way they just knew what the other was going to do without any words spoken between the two of them. She quietly slips into the backseat behind Y/N, tucking herself into the corner. 

“So, where are we taking you?” Mapi asks as she puts the car in drive pulling away from the illuminated restaurant. 

“I’m just in the team apartments.” Ingrid responds quietly letting her eyes drift close. 

“Wait… really,” Y/N says whipping around in her seat to stare at Ingrid causing her to snap her eyes open in surprise not expecting any reaction let alone that one. 

“Yeah, why?” Ingrid asks hesitantly, slightly cracking open her eyes to watch the woman in front of her. The woman who now has her body contorted around to be able to watch ingrid, a mild look of panic clear on Mapi’s face as she places her hand on Y/N’s thigh hoping she will eventually seat herself. 

“We live there too,” Y/N declares with the most confidence she has had the whole night speaking English. “We should… all spend time… together,” Y/N’s bright smile makes Ingrid feel just a little more comfortable in the couple's presence. “Would that not be fun Mapi?” Y/N asks, finally turning back around in her seat. 

“It would be very fun my love,” Mapi responds, looking over at the woman with a soft smile. “That’s if Ingrid would want to.” Mapi says, putting the ball fully in Ingrid's court, yet deep down she knows the only answer is of course she would. The two women in front of her fascinate her on a level she hasn’t experienced in years. Part of that scares her but another part of it thrills her. 

“I would love to spend more time with you both,” Ingrid declares after a moment, her own smile growing as Y/N begins to ramble off in Spanish, what she can only assume is all the things that she would be planning for the three of them to do. 

When Ingrid had accepted the offer to spend time with the Spanish couple she hadn’t expected how much the two of them would be a part of her day. The majority of the time it was dinner after training, sometimes with Y/N sometimes without her as she would be away with the mens team. When that would happen Mapi would be sure to get her on facetime at some point in the night so that Ingrid could work on her Spanish and so Y/N could work on her English, the two of them making a point to talk exclusively between those two languages. Ingrid found that overtime she sought out the pair, whether it be finding Y/N in her cubicle during breaks in training needing some quiet time away from the team. Oftentimes being found by Mapi when training would start up again, other times she would seek Mapi out in the lunchroom avoiding her normal table that consisted of Caro and Frido. The pair always sent her looks of concern as she would sit down with the blond Spaniard, they both knew of her growing crush on Mapi, they both knew Mapi was also very much taken. What they didn’t know was that Ingrid's crush wasn’t just on Mapi, it was on Y/N as well. Something she would never admit to them. 

“Will you be joining Y/N and I for dinner tonight?” Mapi asks quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to them in the overly crowded lunchroom as Ingrid takes a seat next to her.

“I will if you both would like me to,” Ingrid replies, poking at the salad that sits on her plate. The food no longer appetizing now that she is thinking about the dinner Y/N was bound to make. 

“We would, we actually have something we would like to ask you tonight.” Mapi whispers, looking over at Ingrid, her eyes soft, not wanting to stress her out more than necessary. 

“Oh you do,” Ingrid quips back. “If you guys want me to get my own car you don’t need to feed me to ask me.” 

“I promise we have no issue with giving you rides,” Mapi remarks as she stabs her food in front of her. No longer looking Ingrid in the eye. A soft blush forming across her cheeks, for what reason Ingrid doesn’t know. “Y/N should be meeting us out front pretty much right after practice if that is okay with you.”

“Of course that's okay with me, I can’t wait to see what Y/N comes up with tonight.” Ingrid replies, placing a gentle hand on Mapi’s bouncing knee, the woman's sudden nerves being very clear to Ingrid. 

"Trust me, she’s come up with something very special.” Mapi says, resting her hand on top of Ingrids. 

Ingrid is very surprised by the spread Y/N manages to cook up in just a matter of hours after returning home from work. The baked fish and roasted veggies sitting in the middle of the table, with quinoa and a side salad in serving dishes off to the side. 

“What have I done to deserve the honor of getting this for dinner?” Ingrid asks as the three of them get comfortable at the table, the feeling of Bagheera weaving between their legs bringing comfort to the table. 

“Well,” Y/N starts, looking over to Mapi for reassurance. “Please tell us if we… got this very.. wrong. But we feel like you may have a… crush… on us.” Y/N stutters out, nerves clearly present on her face. Ingrid sits there, eyes wide as she swallows. Had she been so obvious, the secret she had been holding so closely being thrown on the table right in front of her. 

“I,” she stammers “I didn’t want to make either of you uncomfortable, I didn’t mean to if I did, I wasn’t going to ever act on it I promise,” 

“Hey it's okay,” Mapi cuts her off, Ingrids mouth snapping shut as Mapi reaches across the table to gently take her hand. “We feel the same way.” 

“What? What do you mean?” Ingrid asks, a look of panic clear on her face. 

“We like you too,” Y/N says softly, not wanting to overwhelm the woman in front of them. 

“We wanted to see if you felt the same,” Mapi reassures. “If you would be open to it we would like to take you on an actual date, all three of us.” 

Ingrid sits there stunned, she had never expected to be called out on her crush let alone having it reciprocated. Not by one but both of the people, she had never even thought it was possible that both of them would like her let alone want to date her. She hadn’t ever thought of a relationship with either of them let alone both of them. Would she be able to balance a relationship with more than one person, deep down she knew she wanted both of the people in front of her but did they truly both want her back. 

“Really? All three of us, date?” Ingrid asks bluntly. 

“Yes, only if you would be open to it. We have both felt this attraction and we have talked about it extensively and if you would be willing to try we would be happy to as well.” Mapi declares, having taken over the conversation for her and Y/N. 

“I would be willing to try, only if it’s truly something you are both open to.” Ingrid responds, sure she was hesitant but how could she say no when the best outcome was a relationship with two of her favorite people. 

“We are both very open to it, we know there will be a lot of changes but we are willing to work on that with you.” Mapi says, squeezing her hand gently. 

“Okay,” Ingrid breathes out. “Where are we going?” A large smile spreads across her face as she looks at her two favorite people in front of her. Sure this would be a change, a big change but she was willing to see where it would go.

[dazzlerwriting]

call me & i’ll come

robert ‘bob’ floyd x singer!reader

Pictures are not mine, credit to pinterest!

3.5k words

summary: inspired by “Watermelon” by Jane + John Q Public. after bob joins a D&D campaign to make friends in San Diego, he gets talked into also joining the band that is formed within the group. Over time he and the lead singer slowly get closer and closer. What happens when they kiss, but don’t talk about what the kiss meant to them?

warnings: slight miscommunication! fluff fluff fluff. a bit angsty at one point. the end gets a bit heated so 18+ MDNI!!!! Reader uses she/her pronouns, but theres no other descriptors! petname “darlin” is used twice. use of y/n (i tried so hard not to lol) flashback is bold and italicized

authors note: first off, thank you @lewmagoo for posting about drummer rhett, which in turn helped inspire this story! & everyone posting their Atta Boy stuff was also a huge inspiration to this!! only my second fic and i wrote so much. i just kept going and didnt stop until it was finished! im so sorry lmao. but i hope you enjoy!! this is mostly from bob’s pov!

Bob Floyd has a secret. Well, two. The first one is that he plays in a band in his free time, specifically, he plays the drums. Anyone who may watch how Bob acts when he thinks no one is paying attention, they would see him drumming on his lap, on the desk, or on any free surface. But the Dagger Squad isn’t that astute when it comes to their fellow workers lives. Natasha knows but, there’s a certain trust to be had between a pilot & their WSO. So Bob told her, and while she was taken a bit aback that the quiet Bob Floyd played the drums in an actual band, she was supportive.

Now, the secret that not even Natasha knows, the one Bob would swear he would take to his grave, is that he has a crush on the lead singer in their band. It's not just a silly crush that would go away with time; no, this crush has stuck since he first met her at a community D&D meetup.

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Flashback

He saw a sign that read “New Dungeons and Dragons campaign, starting Wednesday! All leveled players welcomed!” on the board at the grocery store a week after being stationed in San Diego. He decided he needed a creative outlet after work and maybe to make friends that weren’t pilots. So he went, and that’s when he saw her. She was their Game Master and she was wearing a renaissance faire-esque outfit. From that first sighting, he was a goner. He would look at her theatrical storytelling during their sessions with a fondness that rivaled the way Orpheus looked at Euridyce. Quickly he would look away before she caught him, but if he had kept looking, he would have noticed her looking at him the same way.

Somewhere along the way, another member of the party, named Blake, noticed Bob drumming on his thigh when the game would die down for a bit. They suggested Bob joined their band, seeing as they were in desperate need of a new drummer, the last one leaving to hit it big time. He went on a whole spill about everything having to do with the band and Bob was apprehensive at first, performing was way out of his comfort zone. He wasn’t like Rooster, he didn’t think he had the proper stage presence to perform for a crowd, and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

But that’s when she walked over to the two, a smirk on her face as she looked at Blake and said “Blake… go easy on Bobby boy here. I’m sure he doesn’t need a whole infomercial on why he should join us.” She turned to Bob and put her hand on his arm, and for a second he was sure his brain short-circuited. Now with a soft smile on her face, she gently said “Bob we would love for you to join us, only if you’re comfortable. I know you could be called away at a second’s notice, but regardless it would be an honor to have you as our drummer.” He sat there for a second just taking her in, from the casual way she was dressed, to her kind demeanor. He realized at that moment he was royally fucked because he would do anything she asked. He looked her in the eyes and responded “I-I’ll do it,” stuttering a bit but getting through it. Her smile widened, her eyes lit up with what Bob thought could be adoration, and she jumped up a bit clapping, “Great! We rehearse every Saturday, usually, gigs are small just hangouts for friends or family! I’ll text you all the details.” He missed the warmth from her hand as soon as it was gone but her reaction was worth it. That night while Bob was getting ready to sleep, his phone lit up with a text.

Y/N: Thank you for agreeing to this Bob, it truly means a lot. I’m glad you decided to come to our session that first night :)

And after replying, he fell asleep with a grin on his face, not regretting his decision one bit.

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Now after a few months, Bob and the rest of the members have gotten close. They hang out outside of rehearsal and game sessions, and they’ve even been to Bob’s apartment for dinner. That’s when he told Natasha that he was in a band, and introduced them to her. They had a great night and Bob felt like he had found his group of people. The thought of leaving them for a mission, where the outcome was unknown, was scary, but the idea of having them all there to come back to, outweighed the formidable thoughts. Especially when he thought about the kind, charming, and beautiful singer who made it her mission to text Bob every day to ensure he was having a good day. Over the few months they had learned a lot about each other, she made sure to ask him the same questions he would ask her. Including dreams, they had as kids, favorite movies, biggest music inspirations, etc. He opened up to her about the constant teasing from the Dagger Squad, including the “Baby on Board” joke. And he learned she was the biggest nerd outside of D&D, texting him updates on the latest comic she had read, the newest Doctor Who update, and random fun facts about his favorite movies. With every text he received, Bob fell deeper and deeper into Cupid’s chokehold.

It all kinda got turned upside down when he and Phoenix suffered from a Bird Strike during training, and they had to eject. Early morning, after leaving the hospital and getting home, he texted the band group chat to let them know he would be missing both D&D and band practice. He was bombarded with questions regarding his well-being, and texts lending out sympathy to him. But y/n had been quiet, that is until he heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he saw her standing there with several bags full of groceries and a shy smile on her face. “Hi,” she said softly “I’m sorry for the intrusion but I just wanted to make sure your recovery was a stress-free time, and well, I just, I’m sorry I can drop all this off and go if you want me to. I should’ve texted beforehand and I..” she was rambling now and he thought he couldn’t find her any more endearing than he did right now. He adjusted his glasses and stepped out of the doorway, “N-no come on in, you are welcome here at any time, you know that.” At that, her shoulders dropped a bit in relief and he could see her let out a breath he doubted she knew she was holding in. He led her to the kitchen and watched her get to work doing whatever she was here to do.

“Okay so I have the stuff to make baked potato soup, Alfredo, and I also brought peanuts, chips, Gatorade, and a bunch of other snacks for you.” She quickly got everything out of the bags, putting things in the right place, and Bob was hit with a daydream of this being a normal occurrence. A domestic life with her, both of them dancing around each other in the kitchen, making dinner while dancing to songs like “I’ll Be Seeing You” by Billie Holiday. He was so caught up with his daydream, he didn’t even realize she was talking to him. “I’m sorry what did you say?” He asked with a bashful smile. She shook her head with a gentle laugh, and said “I was just saying you should go get comfortable, I’ll be in here for a while.” He looked at her and gave a soft nod, immediately going to lie down on the couch and continue his daydreaming. For a while, he could hear her gentle hums coming from the kitchen, and he let that lull him into a peaceful sleep where he dreamed of a future where they were together.

A few hours later he was woken up by someone gently shaking his shoulder. He rubbed his eyes, put his glasses on, and when he looked to see who it was, he swore he was still dreaming. She looked almost angelic standing above him with a caring smile and a bowl of something in her hands. “Sorry to wake you, it just hit 4, so I thought you might be hungry,” she gave a soft shrug and looked a bit nervous to see what his reaction might be. He took the bowl from her hands and gave a soft thank you with a smile he hoped was kind, and not some kind of grimace from still being a bit tired. He realized it was baked potato soup and he had to admit it was the best soup he had ever had, “This is amazing, thank you so much.” She gave another shrug and replied “It’s the least I can do, need our best sorcerer and drummer to get better soon! I put the rest in the fridge along with the Alfredo. The snacks are still on your island, but I should get out of your hair now. If you need anything please know I am a call away.” He really didn’t want her to leave just yet so he did something that even shocked him, “Do you want to stay, I’m sure you’re hungry as well and we could watch a movie or something?” Her eyes widened and a bright smile appeared on her face, “I would love to if you really don’t mind.” Of course, he didn’t mind, was she crazy?? If he could he would spend all of his time with her. “I don’t, please you’ve done so much for me today so please stay.” He didn’t mean to sound so needy, but it didn’t seem to deter her. In fact, her smile got brighter and she nodded her head.

They decided on watching Wall-E, it seemed like a good idea at the moment, but now they are both sniffling on the couch. “God who knew a cute robot could turn two adults into an emotional mess?” she said while turning to him, wiping the tears from under her eyes. He looked at her and she was gorgeous he thought. They sat looking in each other’s eyes for a moment and in a flash, their lips were on each other. He doesn’t know who leaned in first, all he knew was her lips were soft and he could feel her breath from her nose. As soon as it started, it was over and he chased her lips when she pulled away. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I’m so- I’m gonna go. Thank you Bob.” she rushed out, quickly grabbed her stuff, and practically ran from his apartment. He sat there dumbfounded, had he messed it up so quickly? Did she not like him in the same way he did her? He didn’t know, he kept wondering what happened while putting things away, and he fell asleep asking himself what happened.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

A few weeks have passed, and things have gone semi-back to normal. There’s an awkward tension between them every session, every band practice, and the texts from her have stopped outside of letting him know of any changes to the schedule. Natasha could tell something was going on with her backseater, but he wouldn’t budge. He just told her it was nothing and that he was fine. But anyone with any common sense could see he wasn’t fine, he was distracted at work, he didn’t have the band members over for dinner, and he just seemed lost in thoughts every time someone talked to him at Hard Deck. But Natasha wasn’t having it, so she contacted Y/N, she told her Bob was acting strange. Y/N let her know what happened, and that she felt as if the kiss had only happened because Bob was emotional. She also let it slip to Nat that she had been harboring a crush on Bob since they first met, and despite trying to ignore it, it continued to grow. Nat told her the band should perform at the Hard Deck that weekend, and Y/N agreed only if Bob was okay with it. She texted Bob and he decided it was time to overcome the fear of the Dagger Squad knowing he was in a band. If he couldn’t overcome the fear of telling her how he felt, and how the kiss made him feel, then he could at least do this. And so it was set, the group would be performing at the Hard Deck, and Bob let that distract him from whatever else he was feeling at the time.

Saturday finally came, and Bob was a ball of nerves. He was sure the squad wouldn’t be too harsh towards him, but when it came to Hangman, he could never tell. When he arrived at the bar to do sound checks, he saw her again and a bit of his nerves calmed. She looked at him with a gentle but nervous smile “Hey Bob, glad you made it. We’re just gonna run through a few songs, and then we’ll get going with the show. I also brought a new song, it’s not too much but it will be the last song for the night.” He nodded his head, a bit lost in her eyes. He pushed his glasses up a bit and got his drums set up. After sound check, people started filling in the bar. Nat came up to him with a bit of a smirk, “I know about your kiss with Miss Gorgeous Singer up there.” She then lightly punched his arm, “Why wouldn’t you tell me, Bob? This is important information and I thought we were best friends.” She had a faux pout on her lips now and he shrugged, “I don’t know what happened Nat, it was going so well and then she just ran out.” He looked down, twirling his drumsticks, and she realized he was quite upset. She’s guessing the two idiots haven’t even talked about it. “I’m sorry Bob, but hey maybe things will work out after tonight,” she said with a comforting smile. It was at that moment, Jake, Javy, Bradley, and Mickey realized it was their own “Baby on Board” on the drums for tonight.

“Well well well, what do we have here?” Jake said with his usual smirk on his face. “Cut it bagman.” Natasha quickly replied, she realized it was time for the band to start so she gave Bob a final comforting smile, then quickly pushed Jake and the rest of the guys back.

You got on stage and introduced the band. The show started and everything was going well. Bob was keeping up, concentrating hard and using the quick time between songs to push his glasses up his nose. Finally it was time for the new song, and he was a bit nervous, seeing as they hadn’t rehearsed it yet. He heard you clear your throat as you said “Hey y’all, this last song is a new one I wrote about a week ago. Sometimes you just meet someone and realize you will always be there for them no matter what.” With that, you looked back to the group and nodded to let them know it was time to start.

I’m the watermelon slammed into your driveway

Crack me open so I feel the air inside me

Bob stared at her while playing and realized that in someway, she had cracked his introverted shell. She helped him become more comfortable. She even was a huge reason he had a group of people who cared about him, outside of the dagger squad. He quickly looked at Natasha in the crowd, just to see her smirking right at him.

Music boyfriend I’m your yum yum

Call me and I’ll come

Y/N’s words from weeks prior echoed in his head as she sang, “If you need anything please know I am a call away.” And it hit him in this moment that maybe just maybe, she did feel the same way about him.

Am I dreaming or did you just kiss me

You don’t know it but you already miss me

He looked back at her and realized she was looking at him. Singing this song to him. She had a bashful smile on her face, and he could tell she was a nervous.

Fuck the rest of them

Fuck em all

Fuck em all but us

In this moment, everyone else in the bar seemed to fade away. It was just them, and he made the decision to admit what he was feeling after the show. She was breathtaking, and he thinks he may not make it if he doesn’t tell her tonight. She finally turned away in time to sing the last line to the crowd.

Fuck em all but us.

When the song ended, the bar was full of applause, even the squad looked impressed by the show. Bob watched her walk off stage after saying her thank yous, and head for the back deck. He got up to follow but was immediately stopped by the Dagger Squad, they were all patting him on the back and smiling at him. “Didn’t think you had it in you Bob, but that was truly amazing. And it seems as if the singer thinks so too.” Jake said to him with a genuine smile on his face. Natasha pushed Jake out of the way and gave Bob a hug, pulling away she said “Go get her, we’ll all still be here when you get back.” With that Bob gave a quick thank you and rushed toward the back door.

He saw y/n standing there, arms crossed over the railing and head up to the sky. When she heard the door open, she turned her head and she had a sheepish smile on her face. He thought she looked so beautiful, a bit sweaty from the show, the moon as backlighting. Her beauty rivaled that of the ocean. She was gorgeous in every sense of the word.

“You did good tonight Bobby. Thank you for letting us come play here.” She said softly as he made his way over to her. He felt warmth crawl up his neck at the use of his nickname, and he put his hand on his neck as he told her “You were gorgeous tonight.” She gave a soft laugh and bashfully turned her head. Before she could respond he continued talking, “Thank you. For everything. You invited me to this band, not even knowing if I was a good drummer. You texted me daily just to make sure I was doing okay. You made me possibly the best food I’ve had in forever. Don’t tell my ma I said that, she would never let me live it down.” He chuckled while saying that, he took a deep breath in and continued, “You have changed me as a person, so thank you.” She looked back at him, eyes wide, mouth agape. She had tears lining the bottom of her eyes, as she rushed over to hug him. “I’m so sorry I ran out of your apartment that night. I was nervous you were only kissing me because of the emotions from the movie and the tiredness. But that kiss meant everything to me. I haven’t stopped thinking about it or you since it happened.” Her speech was a bit muffled from the way she was pressed to Bob. Now it was his turn to look a bit shocked, he hadn’t even thought about how she might have thought it was all her fault. He held her and said“Darlin’ I think we’ve both been a bit idiotic. I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since I met you, and after that night I thought I messed everything up. I truly like you, I think I might even be falling in love with you if I’m honest.” She pulled back a bit and looked him in the eyes for the slightest sign that he could be lying, when she couldn’t find one she put her hand on his neck and pulled his lips to hers. This kiss was different. This kiss held all of the unspoken feelings they’ve both kept bottled up for months. He grabbed her hips and pushed her back against the railing, she opened her mouth to gasp, allowing his tongue to slip inside.

She tugged at his hair and he let out a quiet groan. Just as he was making way to pick her up, the loud noise of several nosey aviators cheering burst their bubble. She pulled back and leant her forehead on his chest, shying away a bit. He turned back to see the group smiling, clapping, whooping, and hollering. He turned back towards her and lifted her face up to his, “I’m sorry about them. Also I’m sorry I feel like I’m doing this a bit backwards, but would you like to go out for dinner soon?” He felt a bit nervous asking the question but she just looked at him like he hung all the moon and stars. “Sure, how about we go talk to your friends for a bit, then go pick up some food, and maybe finish what we start at your place?” She asked with a flirty smirk on her face. Yeah she was going to be the death of him.

[inlovewithpandora]

- My Heart -

Pairing: Aged!up Tsireya (18) x fem! Metkayina!deaf!reader (18)

Synopsis: You and Tsireya have been friends for years and you’ve always wondered if she liked you. You felt like there was a spark between the both of you until something happened and blew the fire away… or did it?

Content: childhood friends to lovers, slight angst, miscommunication, a little hurt w/ comfort, super fluffy, kiss at the end, courting gift, courting proposal

Author’s Note: This only took me two days to write! Writing for Tsireya is so fun for me, Im going to try and write for her more often! (So if you have requests for her feel free to send them in)

- ‘Sentences bolded and italicized indicates signing’

- Please excuse any mistakes!

Word Count: 3.2k

Glossary: Tsakarem - Tsahìk in training || Skxawng - idiot,moron || yawntutsyìp - little loved one, darling || Olo'eyktan - Clan Leader || Tsahìk - Spiritual Leader

Extra: requests are open! Please read rules prior to requesting!

Links: Navigation || Masterlist || Taglist

Ever since you were a small child you knew you were different. You couldn't hear the ocean waves crashing into the sand, the laughter of children playing, or the voices of your parents when they attempted to communicate with you.

When your parents noticed that you didn't react to loud noise, them calling your name, or anything else related to hearing they immediately took you to the Tsahìk hoping that she could cure you.

Ronal tried multiple rituals, herbs, and techniques but nothing was successful.

That's when you were deemed deaf.

You were never mad or sad that Eywa made you this way. You felt like the Great Mother blessed you with a deep connection to her world. You always believed that not having one sense heightened your others.

Wherever you looked or touched you could feel her presence. The wind gliding across your skin, the coolness of the ocean water as you swam around, looking at the beautiful aquatic creatures, and the way your body absorbed the sun's warmth.

You admired every aspect and detail of Pandora.

You always loved collecting shells and incorporating them into your latest hairstyle, weaving them into necklaces, bracelets, or gorgeous headpieces.

Growing up you didn't have many friends due to your condition. Children in the village weren't fond of being your companion because they felt like you wouldn't be able to keep up with them.

You and Tsireya met for the first time when both of you were ten years old, she had seen you walking around the village multiple times and she always wondered why you were alone. One day Tsireya and Ronal were walking to their marui when Tsireya saw you from afar, sitting in the sand drawing different images with your fingers.

"Mother, why is she always alone? Why doesn't she talk to anyone?" Tsireya questioned her mother

"She is deaf yawntutsyìp therefore she cannot speak since she's never learned how. Whenever someone tries to speak to her she can't hear them" Ronal knew how much of a loving and caring heart her daughter had and she knew that Tsireya wanted to get to know you, "Maybe you should go play with her one day, I know she would love your company"

And the next day Tsireya came up to you in hopes to create a friendship. You were doing your normal routine, playing in the sand. As you drew pictures of your favorite fish you felt a tap on your shoulder which startled you a little. You turned around and came face to face with Tsireya, 'Hi, I'm Tsireya what's your name?' she signed to you with a friendly, bright smile

'I'm y/n'

'Do you want to make necklaces with me?' Tsireya gestures to the basket next to her filled with woven string, shells, polished stones, and other materials.

You were surprised by her offer. That someone wanted to do an activity with you, especially the Olo'eyktan's and Tsahìk's daughter, 'Yes I would like that. Necklaces are my favorite thing to make' you sign to her, feeling a sense of excitement swirl inside you.

Tsireya sat down next to you and placed the basket in between both of you and began to create beautiful necklaces to wear around the village. That was one of your favorite childhood memories, the day you made your first friend.

—

After that day, both of you were inseparable from each other including today. Both of you were now eighteen and were still stuck to the hip. Every day you and Tsireya spent together her heart filled with love for you.

She loved watching you teach young Na'vi children sign language. The way you were patient with them, the excitement on your face when they mastered a new word or sentence, and the passion you showed while teaching them new things.

You and Tsireya would spend any waking moment together. While Tsireya did her clan duties she would always ask you to tag along with her and of course, you didn't mind. Some days while her and Ronal would work on creating new healing herbs you would sit in the corner quietly, just observing, and sometimes Ronal would let you assist.

Tsireya had such an effect on you. The way your body tingles when she taps you to get your attention, the way your heart skips a beat when she signs your name gracefully, and you absolutely loved it when both of you would sneak out at night and stargaze under the beautiful moonlight.

Even though you had love for her, you never wanted to admit it out loud. You felt like Tsireya could do so much better than you. Multiple people wanted to be Tsireya's future mate which you knew. She had multiple potential suitors, hearing suitors.

Your deafness made you feel inadequate because you would never be able to hear her speak sweet nothings to you, if you ever decided to adopt children you wouldn't even be able to hear their giggles, and if they got hurt you couldn’t speak comforting words to them. Just the thought of it that and more made you feel insecure that you couldn't provide Tsireya what she deserves in a significant other.

For the past few weeks, you and Tsireya haven't been spending as much time together, due to her teaching the Sully children the way of water. You wished you could see her more often but you knew she had a numerous amount of duties due to her being tsakarem.

Since Tsireya wasn't around as much you've been spending more time with Ronal, helping her with her duties which she didn't mind because she loved having you around.

'y/n go get Tsireya for me, she should still be at the beach teaching the Sully children' Ronal requested as she organized her collection of herbs.

You nodded in response, pushing yourself on your feet and began walking towards the beach. As you walked you were getting slight butterflies at the thought of seeing Tsireya. You haven't seen her all day so you were anticipating seeing her beautiful face and feeling her touch.

As your feet planted on the sand you begin to look around for Tsireya but you didn't see her, as you wander around the beach you ran into Ao'nung, 'Ao'nung, have you seen Tsireya? Your mother is asking for her' you signed to him hoping he could help you with your search for his sister

'Oh yeah her and that skxawng are over there' he signed with an annoyed look at the mention of Lo'ak

'Okay thank you' you begin to walk over to the place Aonung said Tsireya was.

As you walk to the other end of the beach you see Lo'ak and Tsireya sitting next to each other. Right when you were about to make your presence known and walk into their line of sight you saw Tsireya place her hands on Lo’ak’s chest.

When you saw the way Lo'ak looked at her, the way his eyes frantically tried to avert her gaze as he blushed made your face contort. The way Tsireya touched him didn't seem platonic, it seemed loving, the way you wanted her to touch you she touched him and it made you feel multiple emotions at once.

As you continued to watch them your stomach began to churn. Watching the person you love be with someone else in this way made you feel disgusted. You couldn't believe that she was into Lo'ak, she never said anything about him that gave the notion that she liked him so you were taken aback.

You could see Lo'ak begin to lean in and that just sent you over the top, you had enough. You turned your heels in the sand and stormed away. Knowing that they were kissing right now made you feel an agonizing pain in your heart, you felt so stupid for having feelings for Tsireya when you knew that her heart could belong to another.

You felt dumb for thinking someone, thinking Tsireya, the next heir of the Tsahìk title could ever love someone like you.

You didn't even walk back to Ronal's marui. You went to your marui instead and began to sulk, cry, whatever you needed to do so this melancholic feeling could subside.

—

You've been avoiding Tsireya for almost a week now. Every time you say her even attempt to walk in your direction you turned the other way. You couldn't even look at her without seeing an image of her and Lo'ak, the thought of her loving him made your skin crawl.

Currently, you and Kiri were talking while sitting at the pier, 'Kiri I love your shawl, your going to have to show me how to make one'

'Yes, of course, you can come by my mauri tomorrow and I'll show you'

As you and Kiri continued laughing and conversing your mind couldn't do anything except drift off to Tsireya. As much as you wanted to get her out of your head you couldn't and thinking of her not seeing you the way you saw her just made you feel sick to the stomach.

'y/n what's wrong? Are you okay?' Kiri noticed how your once happy expression turned downcast in a matter of seconds

'I saw Lo'ak and Tsireya together almost a week ago' As your hands moved your eyes held nothing but sadness, just talking about the situation made tears want to evade your eyes.

Kiri saw your expression and she was slightly confused, she didn’t understand why you would be saddened by that, ‘Why is that bothering you?’

‘Because…’ you hesitated on signing the rest of the sentence. You felt like if you signed it, it would feel too real, ‘I like Tsireya but she doesn’t like me back’

It all clicked for Kiri, she noticed how you’ve been avoiding Tsireya and it all made sense to her, you were lovesick, ‘oh y/n, I’m so sorry come here’ Kiri pulled you into a hug, rubbing your back in a comforting manner.

As Kiri comforted you, you could see someone walking in the distance. Once the person got closer you could see their face. It was Tsireya, the person you didn’t want to see.

you pulled back from Kiri’s embrace and pushed yourself onto your feet, 'I'm sorry Kiri, I have to go' As you signed your eyes began glossy from unshed tears. If you stood there another minute you felt like you would breakdown completely so you just took off.

As Tsireya watched you scurry off it made her ears pin to her skull, she couldn't understand why you'd been avoiding her. She has missed you dearly. She missed hearing your laugh and watching your face light up with a smile. She couldn’t understand why you’ve been so distant all of a sudden so she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

She walked up to her Kiri and began to ask her questions, “Do you know what’s wrong with y/n? She’s been avoiding me and I don’t understand why”

“Well… I don’t feel like it’s my place to say…” Kiri didn’t want to out your feelings because she didn’t know if Tsireya knew how you felt about her or not.

“Please Kiri, I need your help” Kiri could hear the desperation in her voice, she knew that Tsireya really wanted to know how to fix it with you.

“All I’m going to say is talk to her. The reason she’s avoiding can be fixed with honest and open conversation”

“Okay, I’ll go talk to her, right now. Thank you Kiri” Tsireya began to walk around the village with a determined look on her face, trying to find you so she could make this right.

—

You were sitting on the edge of your bed crying, wondering why you felt so upset about this. You knew that Tsireya could have feelings for another person but deep down you hoped to Eywa it was you, that she felt a burning desire for you.

As the tears flowed freely down your cheeks, you began to see a shadow of someone walking inside your marui. When Tsireya walked in she saw you frantically wiping your tears which made her feel a twinge of pain in her heart.

‘Why are you here?’

‘Because I haven’t talked to you in almost a week, you’ve been avoiding me and I want to know why’

You began shaking your head. You didn’t want to tell her because you felt like it didn’t matter. You figured there was no point in telling her your true feelings if she didn’t like you back, ‘No Tsireya, I’m not telling you’

Tsireya's face began to contort into a confused expression, ‘Why not?’

‘Because it doesn’t matter anymore Tsireya’

‘Why doesn’t it matter? Tell me, I want to make this right, I want to know what’s bothering you’ Tsireya placed her hands on your shoulder, gliding her thumb against your skin lightly.

Oh how you missed her touch, the way her hands felt against your skin made you want to melt into a puddle but all you could do is think about how that same hand was on Lo’ak, ‘Stop Tsireya’ you stand up abruptly and walk over to the other side of your mauri. You could feel all the sadness stir into another emotio, Anger.

‘Stop what?’

‘Touching me, just stop okay?! Why don’t you go and touch Lo’ak!’ Your hands were being to move at the speed of light, the more you signed to her your heartbeat began to increase.

‘Touch Lo’ak? What are you talking about?’

‘I saw you and him at the end of the beach, you put your hands on his chest and then he leaned and… kissed you’

‘y/n wait that’s not-’

‘You know I really thought you could like me, that you would see me the way I see you but it’s clear that you like him instead of me. I feel like such a skxawng for thinking you would want someone like me, someone who can’t even give you what you need in a mate’

From this moment there was no going back for you, you were starting to ramble and there was no possible way to take back any of your words. You didn’t want her to find out that you liked her this way but it was too late.

‘You deserve someone who can listen to your problems. Someone who can vocally tell you words of love and affection, someone, who has the same abilities as you and I can’t provide any of that’ Your hands began to shake as you signed, sobs began to try and emerge from your throat but you tried your best to reduce them.

‘I know you love another and I can’t help but be upset, I can’t provide you with things as he can and it makes me feel horrible’

The only thing Tsireya could do is shake her head, the way she saw you talk about yourself saddened her. She feels dumb for not telling you her true feelings before. She felt like if she would’ve admitted her fondness for you this whole thing would’ve been avoided.

‘y/n, I do not like Lo’ak’

‘You don’t?’

‘No, what you saw was me working with him on his breathing lessons and he interpreted it as flirting. When he leaned in attempting to kiss me I told him that my heart already belonged to someone’

Tsireya walked up to you and placed your hand on her chest, letting you feel her heartbeat.

As your hand made contact with her skin, you felt shivers run down your spine. The anger and sadness you felt in your heart were replaced with joy, the joy that your assumption about her liking Lo’ak was false.

‘My heart belongs to you, it always has. From the moment we met as children, I knew you were special and you are. I do not need to hear you vocally speak because you speak to me with your heart. I don’t need to hear your words when I know they are genuine and kind. I don’t need your words when just your touches and your presence is enough, all I need is you y/n’

As you saw Tsireya’s words, seeing how she felt about you made you become overwhelmed with emotion. Your lips began to tremble as you attempted to hold yourself together. This was the moment you’d been waiting on for years, to know that Tsireya loved you just like you loved her.

‘You are not inadequate because you can’t hear like me, it only makes you unique from everyone else. The way you see the world is amazing. The way you care for Eywa, our clan, the young na’vi you teach’ Tsireya takes a small breath, feeling a tear fall down her cheek, ‘The way you love and care for me speaks volumes to where you don’t have you to’

‘I can’t fathom living this life another second without having you by my side…’ Tsireya reaches into her pouch that is around her waist and pulls out a beautiful necklace adorned with small iridescent seashells and delicate beads.

‘I would love nothing more than to court you’ she smiles brightly, the same bright smile she gave you eight years ago when she introduced herself to you. She was still that kind and patient person you meet many years ago, she was the same person you fell in love with.

Your stomach immediately began doing backflips, it felt like butterflies were fluttering inside you. The thought of Tsireya courting you made your heart swell to an unreasonable amount, ‘I would love for you to court me, nothing would make me happier Tsireya’

Tsireya's tail began to swing excitedly behind her, she was filled with bliss that you agreed. As you noticed the movement of her tail it made you let out a small laugh. The same laugh that Tsireya missed, the laugh that could brighten up her day no matter the circumstances.

‘Can you put the necklace on me?’

‘Of course, I can’

As you lifted your hair Tsireya placed the necklace around your neck with ease. You rubbed your fingertips against the smooth shell and all you could do is smile. You couldn’t believe Tsireya just asked to court you, everything happened so fast but everything felt so right. You wouldn’t want it any other way.

As Tsireya stood in front of you her oceanic eyes were staring at you in awe, she couldn’t believe that she had someone as beautiful as you. She felt like the luckiest Na’vi on Pandora to have you.

To her, you were one in a million.

Tsireya gracefully moved her hands up to your face, gently caressing your cheek. Your breathing began to increase slightly, you were in anticipation about what was going to occur next.

Tsireya pulls you into her, pressing her lips gently on yours. As your lips collided you felt a warmth fill your chest.

The kiss was soft yet fiery.

You could almost taste Tsireya’s desire for you on her lips, it made you feel amazing that you could make her this happy and that she felt loved by you.

When you and Tsireya finally broke the kiss you felt the need to gasp for air, you felt breathless yet you loved every second of what just occurred.

As you looked at Tsireya her cheeks were painted bright red, you could tell she loved the kiss just as much as you, ‘I see you y/n, I’ll forever see you’

‘I see you, my heart will forever belong to you’

I hope you enjoyed💗!

Previous fic

Like, comments, and reblogs are highly appreciated💗!

A/N - I’ve been wanting to write a fic like this for a while and @ghoul-bonez convinced me to finally do it! Check out her story ‘I love you, I see you, I trust you’ (Ao’nung x Fem! Deaf! Sully! Reader)

- Also let me know how y’all feel about this type of story because I have more character x deaf!reader ideas

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©️inlovewithpandora ━━━ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 | All rights reserved. Do not repost, reupload, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[clovermarigold]

Smoke & Ice Chap.2

Italicized & Bold= spoken in Greek

Masterlist

“Sister Calla!” The blond-haired boy yelled running through the Mangrove, halting Calla’s meditation. “Miche, what did I tell you about yelling” the woman opened her eyes to see the fear plaguing the young boy “Miche, what’s wrong?”. “Strangers! By the gate clearing” he finally comes in past the doorway. “How many?” Miche stammered “I don’t know! I didn’t count”.

“Were there a lot” she asked, if it was anywhere above 30 she doubted most would survive a conflict. “I don’t know… Maybe. There were around 5-10”. The woman thought for a moment, looking him over that he didn't have any injuries. Most would applaud Miche’s ability to flee, but not against a party that size with any basic training, “And they didn’t hurt you? Chase You? Threaten you?” Miche shook his head. 

“You were wise to come to me. Go to Cypress. I will handle it from here”, “But-” Miche blurted before she put a hand to his mouth. “All will be well. Go” Reluctantly, Miche made his way to the training grounds, leaving her to deal with the Mangroves' new unscheduled visitors. 

She had done well in giving her people a fresh start, the Mangrove, though young, was a haven to the Hamadryad. Secret from all except those who knew of the truth concerning magic and the existence of the other realms. The sound of men told Cala she had found the intruders.

“The matron is the leader of the Hamadryad. It is usually a title to be inherited, like that of grandmaster. However, the last matron did not have children. And it was instead given to the oldest of them” a voice said. So, the intruders were not lost, they came with purpose. They were in search of her. Part of her mind told her to rid the Mangrove of them, to strike before they knew she was even there. However, they had not attacked Miche or given chase. In fact, at the moment they remained still, sitting, waiting… for her. 

Looking at the group, there appeared to be six of them. Four of which were dressed in Shaolin dress, the bright orange contrasting the shades of green surrounding them. The other two, however, were more difficult for her to read. Both dressed in different uniforms, standing separate from the others, both wearing masks that conceal their face. 

  As foreign as the group was, they showed no signs of hostile intent. That did not excuse them for entering the Mangrove, even if it wasn’t anywhere close to the main camp. Choosing to assert authority rather than to lurk in the shadows, Calla stepped out from her hiding spot. “Woah, who is Ms. Smokeshow” one of the men dressed in orange said. She was beginning to question if she was correct in her belief that these were Shaolin.

It was a questionable group to be sure. The man who spoke was most certainly an American. And the two not dressed in orange concerned you. It was obvious by how they held themselves/ mainly the one dressed in blue, that they were the seniors of the men, but beyond that. Their clothes told that they were assassins. “You are not welcome here, Shaolin. Leave”. One of the Shaolin, dressed in a bamboo hat, moved to the front. “We mean no ill intent. Were sent by Lord Liu Kang to speak with the matron of the Hamadryad”.

Liu Kang… She should have known. That snake finally sent his followers to offer their “aid” in exchange for servitude. “You are speaking to her. I have no interest in entertaining a word from Liu Kang” the man who spoke showed visible shock before recentering himself. “My apologies, matron. I am Raiden, we have been chosen by Lord Liu Kang to represent earth realm in the upcoming tournament against Outworld”.

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of the tournament. Nothing good had ever come to the Hamadryad from that cursed tradition, “I will not tell you again, lea-” the blue ninja pushed forward past Raiden causing the younger man to nearly lose his balance. “I have no time for this. The Hamadryad have neglected their duty for a near century. Are you not ashamed? ".

Reactions differed from the man’s words. Raiden as well as the gray-haired ninja reacted with shock. “Brother!” The latter was quick to grab his shoulder, only to be shrugged off. The other Shaolin, however, instead chose to place poorly hidden hands-on weapons or in fists. No doubt sensing the hostile end of their companions' verbal assault. 

“What did you say to me, Shaolin?” Sounds of cracks from the earth began to grow, but it did nothing to intimidate the blue adorned intruder. “I am no Shaolin, woman. I am the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei”. “Bi han, that is enough!” The Grey ninja finally broke through to his brother, forcefully grabbing him and pushing him back so he would be in the front. “Matron, please forgive him, my brother is merely tired from our jou-”.

A loud crack followed by a whip was sounded as in a second a large spiraling root erupted from the ground, crashing into the gray man. With a crunch he landed side first into the trunk of a tree. “I warned you” With a scowl the man called Bi han lunged forward nearly landing his fist into Calla’s side. Shards of ice splintered from his hands as it collided with a tree behind her. Bi han’s recovery was quick, as he pivoted in an instant to launch forward, knee colliding with her back. 

“Agh you gotta be kidding me” the man with the sword said, unsheathing his blade and rushing forward, followed in tow by the man with a steel hat. “And here you were thinking I was going to be the one to screw this up”, “Shut it Johnny” the American smirked following. 

“Ahh” Calla was sent forward as pain shot through her back. Before she could hit the ground face first, she stretched out her arms to momentarily handstand, landing back on her feet with a summersault. “This is the matron of the Hamadryad. Pathetic” Bi han closed his hand encasing it in cold magic, ice vapor seeping off in plumes. 

Calla’s nostrils flared at that. Young for her title? Perhaps. Limited in experience in combat with individuals of his skill caliber? Yes. But pathetic? Oh, he would regret that. She would make sure of it. 

The sound of ringing steel as a katana sliced the dirt in front of her, just narrowly avoided. The swordsman pulled back, swiping repeatedly from side to side, up and down. Calla twisted and parried, struggling to dodge the onslaught of attacks. One particularly placed swing left her with no choice but to balance on one foot with the other in the air to avoid its cut. Gritting her teeth, she flipped her wrist, commanding a root to break through the ground’s surface and wrap around his legs and waist before spinning quickly and burying them both into the ground, the swordsman chest deep in soil. 

The singular victory was short lived as the hatted man running approached, as did Bi han. Choosing to focus on the cryomancer, a wall of vines, thick as Forearms barreled out from the forest to separate the new threats from distracting her from him. “Winter will always bow to spring” Bi han’s eyes narrowed. “But I shall be your fall” a trail of ice coated the ground allowing Bi han to slide towards her at breakneck speed. Before he could get close enough to swipe at her, the ice shattered, long and sharp thorns piercing through at an angle. Bi han jumped back to avoid its edge. 

Wet. Something liquid just rolled off his hand. Looking to his right arm, Bi han’s eyes widened to see a trail of red sliding down his arm. A cut, not one to cause worry of blood loss, but enough for a good third of his arm to be coated in blood. She had cut him. This woman had pierced the skin of the Lin Kuei’s Grandmaster. Rage was all he felt, she had spilt his blood, and he would return the favor. In one swift motion, his foot was planted into her stomach, forcing her to the ground, his food still planted on her stomach. From his hands ice gathers, swirling and vicious. And with a guttural animalistic scream of rage, he pulled back his hand to-

“That’s enough!” The man in gray pulled back Bi han’s arm causing him to misfire, finally recovered from his surprise attack. “Mind your place, Tomas! -”. “Lord Liu Kang sent us here for diplomatic reasons! Not to kill the last Matron of the Hamadryad!” Bi han’s eyes looked down at Calla in anger. “...” Slowly, he lifted his foot off of Calla and released the magic in his hand. 

Almost scrambling, Calla rose to her feet, taking a few steps back. He could have killed her just then. She had been too careless, she could have died, left the Mangrove without her! “Matron Calla, I beg you to forgive our transgressions” Tomas pleaded. With a crack, the wall of vines untied itself and receded to the brush, revealing the three other Shaolin who were trapped on the other side. “Go” it came out quiet, almost… afraid? “...Lord Liu Kang instructed us not to return until we convinced you to return” the way he said it was sympathetic, understanding… soft. “...You can remain here. But you are forbidden to enter the Mangrove’s heart” Tomas nodded in agreement. Calla turned, she would return home. The others would need to know, a meeting would need to be called. 

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[socially-awkward-skeleton]

All Along the Watchtower (chapter 7)

[Can also be read on AO3]

Pairing: Captain John Price x Fem!OC (3rd person POV)

Word count: 4.7k

Warnings: Minors DNI - no major warnings this time besides some angsty thoughts, mentions of human trafficking, smoking, and swearing

Otherwise, get ready for lots of flirting and banter

Summary: Upon return to the safehouse Rory and Price decide on their next steps to deal with Zorokov and face some of the skeletons in Rory's closet.

A/N: Rory Sinclair is a dual citizen (both Canada and the UK) who's been living in the UK since she was 14. She is 28 at the time of this fic, Price is 32. This series is set in 2017 before the events of the first MW game. Rory's thoughts are bold and italicized, other italics are used for emphasis

October 18, 2017 01:30 - Safehouse

Price stood against the frosty window, red flashing neon lights from the hotel sign outside painting streaks along the wall as coils of grey smoke drifted from the end of his cigar he puffed away on, clouds of it billowing from his mouth as he exhaled. Steady, cold eyes stared out from under his furrowed brow as he held his tablet and conversed with Laswell. 

Rory tucked herself on the side of her bed, crossing one leg and folding it under the other as she lit her cigarette and listened to the two of them discuss how the mission had gone so far, the intel they collected, the freedom of the hostages saved, and what the next steps were, all the while feeling like she was a kid in detention. What had happened in that club was not her greatest hour and hardly the defining moment of her career (she hoped for this mission as well). Sure she’d saved the lives of those women, but there was certainly a new form of tension between her and the Captain – one she could have done without. She hadn't come this far in her career to fuck it all up now and get herself chained to a desk from here on. 

“ The laptop was a good find. Searching it now. ” Laswell’s voice filled the small hotel room while Rory held an ice pack to her shoulder, her fingers trembling as they clung to the plastic bag, still feeling the ache from the fight she had been in earlier. She pulled the cigarette from her lips and exhaled, some of the stress momentarily relieved as she was hit by another dose of nicotine. 

“Went through enough trouble to get it.”

Her ears burned as Price's condemning glare landed on her. Embarrassment and her wounded pride festered inside. For all her skill and her cool, calm demeanour she still fell prey to that part of her that wanted every reminder in her head of that mission removed by any means necessary, even putting herself and others in danger. It was hot-headed and foolhardy, not the move of someone who wanted to be a leader, not the decision someone with her experience should ever make. 

She looked up at the captain just as he turned away, his back facing her and (taking the hint) got up and headed into the bathroom, the toilet lid serving as her seat as she continued icing her aches and pains away. 

Pulling the sweater over her head, slowly rolling the bulk of knitted material off of her torso, she sat there in just the thin material of her bra, letting the shock of freezing ice hit her bare skin. Wincing, Rory bit her lip, exhaling smoke through her nostrils forcefully. The red swelling on her arm and shoulder had already given way to dark blue and purple bruising in tortoiseshell patches along her skin. Deep inside the tender muscle she felt the sting pulsating, the pain hidden far below the surface.

Even with the door shut she could still hear the hoarse whispers of Price from the other room as he continued talking with Laswell. 

“ How’s the sergeant doing? ”

“SRR having her on desk duty might’ve been for good reason. Girl nearly botched the whole damn op.”

Tossing the bag of half melted ice into the sink beside her, Rory continued to smoke, sitting in the flickering fluorescent lights, beating herself up more about what she had done than the Bratva enforcer ever had. It was a nightmare. She had worked rigorously to get to this point in her career, tireless in her efforts. This was her shot to impress a special forces officer with her skills that could get her back out into the field and instead she was letting the shit that resided in the back of her head take the lead. She was better than all this. He had every right to say that about her. The situation only stung more knowing that this was all some vain attempt to prove that she wasn’t that twenty three year old corporal in the bathroom stall anymore, that she wasn’t young and impulsive, that she had changed. 

Her hand shook as she held the cigarette, the ash falling off the end as she rubbed at her tired eyes. Saving those girls was the right move, it was the only move. It was the one her mother would have wanted her to make. Fighting for something that was right. Doing a little good to make up for all the bad she had done. That was the kind of person she had been raised as. The kindness of the ‘Lamb’, a direct result of her upbringing under the gentle wing of a woman who had always put others first before herself. Not the violent thing she had been trained to become, forced to morph into in order to survive in a cruel and unforgiving world filled with enemies. 

“Thought you said she had experience with this sort of thing?”

“ She does . Plenty .”

More experience than Rory cared to admit, than her record would allow to show. Redactions upon redactions and black ink that hid all the things that had been asked of her. Things she willingly did. For the greater good. 

Price grunted, “At least she can fight.”

That felt more like a sucker punch to the gut than a compliment. The reason she was sure the SRR had recruited her. Tired and worn out, bi-weekly visits to the therapist, pills to help her sleep – but at least she could fight. At least she had experience. At least she knew just how fucked the world was. How corrupt and fallible the system was, how rules were made to be broken just like people. They couldn’t lose that, could they? Her skills, her achievements, they were useful even as her hands shook. She could turn off her morality because someone with more patches and medals on their uniform told her so. At least she could fight. 

“ The intel you found, it's a rabbit hole, John. Just when we think we've found the bottom another trail opens. This goes deep and Zorokov's name keeps popping up all along the way .”

“Any other names stickin’ out?”

“ Yeah , hold on a minute .” Laswell cut off for a moment, leaving Rory in the silence of the bathroom as she sucked on the filter of her cigarette and breathed in the burning sensation of smoke that charred every branch of her lungs. “ Abdullah Al Ghulam. He's apparently under protection. An asset. Was supposed to be keeping his nose clean in Dubai .”

She froze. God, that name would never stop haunting her . Just when she thought one door to her memory closed, another was kicked wide open. Crushing the cigarette butt into the sink, she walked back into the room as she pulled her sweater on carefully, trying not to agitate her shoulder further. Not bothering to wait for the captain’s reaction to her return before speaking, “Al Ghulam never should have been given protection. My squad should have taken him out in Syria when we had the chance.”

Price looked up from his tablet, his eyes burning into her. “Pardon?”

Pulling at the thick fibres hanging loosely around her waist, straightening out the sweater to lay flat, Rory continued, “Abdullah Al Ghulam. The black mission before my transfer. That was who my squad was sent to intercept. He was an arms dealer assisting the insurgency in Iraq.”

“ You’ve dealt with him before? Why wasn’t he removed ?” Laswell asked, a flurry of keystrokes audible from her end. 

“The CIA officer we were working with had orders to keep him alive.”

“Of course,” Price groaned.

Laswell’s voice came through once more. “ Who was the officer on that mission, Sergeant? ”

“Officer Roger Walker.”

“ I’ve had dealings with him ,” Laswell replied with a heavy sigh. 

“He’s a charming fellow.” The venom in Rory’s voice wasn’t lost on anyone. 

“ I’ll look into his mission report for that op, see what I can dig up. Might give us some more fuel for the fire. Meanwhile –”

“Meanwhile, Zorokov is still making deals and walking around a free man,” Price interjected.

“ He’s still our priority here, getting to him is imperative. With the trace we have working we know there’s a meeting coming up between him and a few of his connections. Has it marked in the calendar as ‘Helios’ at nine pm on the 25th. From what I can tell, it’s a nightclub. Apparently it's the home for many of his dealings, out of the sight of prying eyes while under everyone’s nose .”

Price rolled his eyes to look up at the ceiling, visibly unimpressed with the thought of having to go to another club. “Christ,” he rasped.

“Relax, sir. You can’t go in there anyway, Zorokov’s probably already been made aware of you.” Rory looked at him with a smirk. “Besides, we both know you don’t like the music.” Rather than focus on her mistakes, she couldn’t help but make light of the situation, anything to make her feel a little less like a ball and chain that Price was forced to drag around. 

Lifting his brow, the corners of Price's mouth just starting to curl. “So what, you’re offering to go in my stead? If he knows about me, he’s going to know you too – especially after your little jailbreak.”

She let the jab roll off her back like water. “Maybe. That’s a risk we’ll have to take. If anyone’s going to be able to get close to him, it’s me. No matter how well guarded a man thinks he is, when it comes to women, the brain might not be the one in control.”

The pause afforded between them was thick, that awkward elephant in the room still swaying its trunk. Professionalism was a tactful barrier keeping them from doing something they might regret. The rosy blush on Price’s cheeks faded while a grimace crept back up his face, the little flexes in each of his features letting her know something wasn’t sitting right with him even as he tried to remain stony.

“And considering Al Ghulam is tied up into this as well, there’s a friend of mine who I think could help,” Rory continued. 

“A friend?” His brow rose. His body, a wall of muscle, stiffened.

“An MI6 agent. Andrew Owen.”

He sneered at the thought. “I don’t like to work with people I’ve never met before. I need to be able to trust who I’ve got covering my six. Not the biggest fan of intelligence personnel either – no offence, Kate.”

“ None taken. ”

Rory crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged her shoulders. “You’re working with me.” She tipped her head to the side and stared him down in a challenge. 

For all intents and purposes, Price really didn’t know her other than in the biblical sense. He might have picked around in her head a little, barely scraping the surface, but he had an opinion of her now even if it wasn’t the full picture. He failed to remember she was also military intelligence. She might have screwed up her last shot, but this was an opportunity to save her bacon, to prove her skills in another capacity. Deep recon .

“That's different.”

“Is it?” She didn't see how.

Ignoring her question completely, Price continued, “How do you plan on getting to Zorokov? Gonna start more trouble?” He eyed her up and down with a low hum. 

Rory smiled and dropped her hands to her hips, her confidence spilling over in the moment, reminding the captain of the pretty woman who had once grabbed his attention five years ago. “Just have to use my feminine wiles and sweet talk the prick, yeah?” She said with a simple shrug of her shoulder and a flutter of her lashes. 

“You’re willing to be bait?” 

Her eyes never left his gaze, pumping herself up on the inside, refusing to back down. “I know what my strengths are.” 

Price’s eyes roamed over her once more, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. She was sure he was picturing how she had looked that night in the bar, the woman he had been seduced by. “Shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you to catch his attention.” His eyes seemed to twinkle at her as he said it, the smirk on his face causing the lines on his face to crinkle as he gave a quick little thrust of his pelvis and bounced on his heels. 

Rory rolled her eyes and huffed quietly. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t try and chat me up in Russian.”

“If he does, you can always just smile and nod – he’d probably like that.” He paused and his grin got wider. “Just open with that posh girl accent you’ve built up and I’m sure he’ll have no problem usin’ the Queen’s English with ya.”

“Oh, cheers.” She couldn’t help but laugh as he took the piss out of her.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing, Sergeant.” He spoke with a warm rumble, softening up to her. “You certainly sound more English than the first time I met you, can hardly tell you’re even Canadian anymore.”

“Yeah, well, time’ll do that to a person.”

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his head to meet her eye line, his voice quieter. “It suits you.”

Rory cocked her brow, taken aback by the compliment given out of the blue. Her lips parted, eyes widening. Doe-like . “Really?”

“Yeah. I like it.” 

She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, her jaw clenching tight. Not sure how to take it. It was just a little too friendly. He seemed a little too comfortable being playful with her now, even with Laswell on the line listening in, especially after the way she had acted earlier.

“Right,” he ran a hand through his hair and dropped his eyes from her to return to his tablet. Putting on the airs of the stoic captain once more. “Get in touch with Owen. We’ll start working on getting you nice and personal with Zorokov.”

“ Good luck out there. The both of you. ”

“Thanks, Kate.” He ended the call with Laswell and looked over at Rory once more, pausing to size her up. “You sure you’re ready for this? Going in undercover?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done it.” Sliding her hands over her hips, she rested them in the back pockets of her jeans. Casual . Hoping she appeared relaxed. 

“This isn’t like recon out in the field though, is it? You’d be up close. On your own. I can’t have your switch flipping.”

“I’m aware. I know that this is our best chance of getting to him, nabbing him and interrogating him.” Her eyes fell as her mouth drew into a straight line, she knew how easily this situation could make her flip. “I’ll deal with the personal shit.”

Heaving out a sigh, Price bit his lip. “Contact your mate, get him out here, soon as,” he ordered, pointing his finger at her as he did so. “The quicker we can get the hell out of this shithole, the better.” 

“Yes, sir.”

Crossing the room, he walked over to his bed and tossed the tablet into his duffel. Stretching his neck from side to side as he sat down, he finished smoking the last of his cigar, his impenetrable gaze shifting sideways as he kept her in his periphery. 

Rory dug into her bag and pulled out her cellphone, scrolling through her list of contacts before her thumb hovered over her old lieutenant’s name. She always knew letting Al Ghulam go into CIA hands was the wrong decision, it was a little too late to say ‘I told you so’, but she might finally get some closure on an old scar and it would be nice to do so with an old friend at her side, someone who knew just how bad the bastard was.

The dial tone in her ear rang several times before Andrew answered, his smile apparent in his voice. “ Sinclair! ”

She paced along the floor beside her bed, a few steps to the left and then back to the right, glancing up every now and again to notice Price still watching her out of the corner of his eye. “Andy, I need you.”

“ Say no more, darling. What do you need? ”

Her thumb had drifted up towards her mouth and her nail sat between her teeth. “Working an op –”

“ You’re out in the field again? ”

The concern in his voice, she could hear it plain as day. Andrew had been the only person she could really talk to about what she had seen because he had lived it too. He knew just how badly it had affected her. The nightmares. The tremors. He was the only one with the clearance to know, not to mention the threat that still loomed over her from Walker about wiretapping. Even if she wanted to tell her father about what had happened to his only daughter, she couldn’t. All she had was Andy.

“Yeah. Russia.”

“ Jesus, you’re a ways from home. ”

Price stared at her from over his shoulder and she had to avert her eyes, going back to pacing in front of the bed. “Can’t go into full details but I need you to do a little shopping for me before you meet me here. And I need you to bring a very easily concealable wire with you.”

“ Consider me intrigued .”

“Going in undercover. Need to catch some prey. It requires using some… assets .”

“ Showing a little leg for a cause? ”

Her smirk grew. “I trust your judgement, Andy.”

“ You might regret saying that .” His laugh was warm and genuine, he’d never been above teasing her with playful banter.

“Shut it,” she said with a laugh. “Need you out this way ASAP.”

“ I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail .” Rory rolled her eyes. “ Text me your measurements, yeah? ”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll send you details in a bit. Just hurry up.”

“ See you soon .”

Upon hanging up her phone she noticed the way Price’s eyes seemed to have narrowed, the crow's feet by his eyes creasing further. “It’s late. We should get some rest.” With that, he stood up and moved for the bathroom. 

She would be lucky if sleep came to her tonight.  

---

It had started to rain in the early morning hours, droplets spilling down the single glass pane cutting long streaks through the frost that clung to the window, the red neon lights filtering through and creating bubbled patterns on the wall. Rory sat wearing little besides a tee shirt and her panties on the radiator looking out the window, cracked open just enough to let a cold breeze through the room. Slipping a cigarette from the pack, she lit it and inhaled deeply while closing her eyes, breathing in the nicotine and the night. Running her fingers through her hair, she brushed the dark tresses over to part on the opposite side. 

Lost in the haze of smoke that surrounded her head, she was startled by John’s gruff voice, made thicker by the sleep he’d just stirred from. “You’re awake?” Rubbing at his beard, he rolled over in his bed to sit on the side of it, wearing only his boxer briefs as his steely gaze bore into her from the dark as he watched her. “What’re you doin’ up?”

She took another drag of her cigarette before looking at him, exhaling out a stream of smoke like a chimney. "Can't sleep. It's not a rare thing for me."

Stretching out his back with a groan, he continued to watch her. "Somethin’ bothering you, Sergeant?"

"Not particularly,” she hummed. “Suppose it's just a good night for a smoke."

He chuckled and got up, grabbing his own cigar and lighter from his bedside table. "Mind if I join you?"

“Like I could stop you,” she said with a smirk, her gaze traveling with him as he took a spot near her on the wall by the window. It was the first time she had really been given the chance to see him in all his glory. Even when they had been together five years ago, they were both at least partially dressed. Seeing him like this was rather eye opening and Rory couldn’t help but take in all the sights along Price’s body. Every scar, each freckle, the hair that carpeted his chest, trailing down his stomach, and covered his muscular limbs. 

"You’d be surprised." He smirked as he caught her eyes roaming over him, but he didn’t bring attention to it, rather basking in it instead. “New habit?”

“This?” Rory motioned with the cigarette in her hand. “God, no.” She laughed quietly and took another drag from it. "Been smoking these since I was 16. Used to sneak out to the pitch behind the school with my mates for a fag and watch the lads play footie."

"You rebel," John said with another chuckle. Lifting his lighter to the tip of his cigar, he let the flame dance against it until it began to smoke, burning in the dark.

"I’m surprised you didn’t taste it on my breath before." She tapped her cigarette ashes out the window and stared at the orange glow across from her, like a moth to a flame she felt drawn to him.

“I haven’t tasted much in years,” he said, chomping down on his cigar, letting the smoke billow from his nostrils. 

She giggled quietly and her eyes rose to watch the embers at the end of the cigar burning with the same vigor as the ones that had begun to flicker in her gut. Her mouth suddenly went dry, finding it difficult to swallow. Her breath hitching as her mind tried to process the thoughts that didn’t revolve around the handsome man that stood before her. When she finally gained some clarity of thought between puffs of her cigarette, her smile faded as she spoke, "There is something, Captain."

"'Course."

His voice was gravelly at this time of night, and as he came to lean against the wall beside the window with his shoulder, drawing himself a little closer towards her, she seemed to find it hard to ask the question that she’d been carrying for some time. 

"Why was I the one chosen for this mission?"

"You'd have to ask Laswell that one," he said with a grumble.

Warm hazel eyes tried to read his expression as shadows streaked across his face. “You didn't have a hand in it at all?"

"Not a one. Scout's honor,” he said with a nod. “Trust me, seeing you board that helo was one hell of a shock to me too."

A smile broke out across her face. "Liar. You didn't even know it was me." She tapped her cigarette ashes out the window and smirked around it as she brought it back to sit between her lips.

He flexed his shoulders, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe not right away. You’d cut your hair and your accent’s gotten thicker too, but the moment I heard you say Rory, well , then it all clicked into place."

“Oh, did it now?” She’d forgotten how very little she was wearing until the moment she noticed his eyes wander up the length of her legs, a hint of desire in his gaze before meeting hers with a warm glint. Pulling down on the hem of her shirt – what little good it did – she stared back at him. “We’re supposed to be professionals, remember ?”

His eyes flitted away from her, pulling the cigar from his mouth to blow out a plume of smoke. “Forgive me, Sergeant. There’s only so much a man can take before his body betrays his will.”

“You have been doing a very good job considering we’ve been trapped together like this. I’ll give you that.”

He cleared his throat, averting his gaze from her as best he could. Rubbing at his neck as he tried to change subjects. “Back there…seeing that side of you...the knife.”

The cigarette in her mouth glowed as she inhaled with a heavy breath, sighing out the stream of smoke. “I’m not particularly fond of having to be like that. I do what I have to. Intimidation, fear – they’re good weapons. But I’m not some sadist, I don’t enjoy it.”

“Wasn’t going to say that you do. You don’t stay a soldier for as long as we have without getting your hands dirty. I’m no innocent here myself.”

Tapping her cigarette out the opening once more, she leaned back against the window frame and closed her eyes taking a deep breath before returning the cigarette to her lips. “Getting my hands dirty…I know all about that.” She huffed out a laugh and took the cigarette from her mouth before resting her hands on her knees, the smoke trailing in wisps up from the cigarette’s ashy tip. “The mission I worked before this, the one that got me transferred. Al Ghulam . It was supposed to just be the usual joint CIA mission tracking weapon shipments.” A tremor shook through hand and she was quick to start rubbing at her knuckles, trying to work out the ghosts that seemed to haunt her nerves below. “I don’t know where the intel went wrong, but we stumbled upon something else instead.” She paused and pressed her forehead to the cold glass beside her. Her stare blank as she looked down at the street below. Her voice a quiet whisper as it cracked. “Human trafficking ring. I’ll never forget seeing women and children being penned like animals, bought and sold like property. Starving…Treated like dog shit.”  

He pulled the cigar from his mouth, his brow furrowed as he stared at her, muttering a hushed “Jesus” under his breath.

“These bastards trade them like they’re on the fucking stock exchange.” She blinked several times and glanced over at him. “I’m sorry if I went off the rails back there. I just –” She shook her head, running her fingers through her hair again. “Knowing the absolute lows of humanity isn’t something I can always keep locked in the vault, you know?” Looking up at him, Rory lifted her brow, hoping they might come to some sort of understanding.

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t follow orders and that I acted on my own accord. I wouldn’t be like that for any other reason. It won’t happen again, Captain.” She gave him a soft grin, placating him.

Taking another long drag of his cigar, he blew smoke and sighed. “See that it doesn’t. We’re here to get intel to fight a war, Sinclair. Not get revenge. I don’t need you actin’ like a fuckin’ muppet on my watch.”

Cracking a wide grin, a laugh leaked out of her against her will. “I deserve that.”

“Goddamn right you do.” His teasing smirk returned, the crow’s feet around his eyes crinkling. “But considering the shit you’ve seen I'm surprised you can even crack a bloody grin at all.”

Rory shrugged, tipping her head to the side, feeling vulnerable for just a brief moment. “That's just life though, isn't it? It's the fucking pits, and then we die, and that's that. No point letting it ruin what bit of good there is.”

His brow knit together, but he kept his cocky grin as he continued to look at her. Not adding to her discussion, instead appearing as though he was debating something in his head, the cogs spinning behind his eyes.

Basking in the red neon light, she smiled softly at him. “You're looking at me like I've just grown an extra head, John.”

“ John ? We're back to a first name basis, eh?”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” 

“Not exactly professional, is it?” He lowered his head and looked up at her through his raised brow, the lines in his forehead creasing. A spark in his self-assured stare.

“No, I suppose not.”

“You s'pose right.” He stubbed out his cigar on the windowsill. “Get some sleep, Sinclair.” He patted her leg with his large, rough hand and then moved back to his bed. 

The warmth from where he had touched her lingered, her fingers grazing over where his calloused hand had been as if she could still feel him there. Her ogle followed him as he settled back into his bed, spending just a little too long focusing on his body. 

Fuck. 

She was falling despite herself. 

[hunting-songs]

REMEMBER TO REPOST & NOT REBLOG. FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THE LIST.

bold  the aesthetic  for your  muse italicize what can be taken 2 ways or applies only partially.

“ you rise, I fall, I stand, you crawl, you twist, I turn. ” / “ just braid your hair if you won’t brush it, at least, you useless girl. ” / pulling on your skirt with one hand as you shuffle away. / “ you’ll get it done before the day is up. ” / guilt that isn’t yours to have. / it’s a crooked game, but it’s the only one in town. / chains. / a face in the mirror that you don’t recognize. / “ how could you do this to me? ” / the sharp sting of guilt. / you feel something even though you’re paid to do the opposite. / the family you never had. / falling backwards through time. / quicksand. / drowning, but you don’t save yourself. / “ you’re getting better. ” / “ they smile like a snake.” / you’re the stars and the sky. / there’s a part of you that couldn’t stay away even if you were forced to. / they are your wings, there’s no doubt there./ “ let’s take off somewhere. let’s fly. ” / you edge a bit too close to the sun. / another ghost to take your place after every stumble. / deep roots in the ground slashed open in the sun. / rock candy melting in water. / waves rise and leave the foam behind./ the precipice you call home has a tip you’ll reach eventually. / happiness is the best front a man can make. / discomfort at the tiniest of touches. / the sky opens up when you see them. / rain comes down. / poppy fields. / your sanity hanging by a thread. / “ oh god, what have you done? ” /

your mother had the most beautiful gardens, but you can’t grow anything worth a damn. / the similarities between deep space and deep water. / they’ve got a devil on their shoulder and an angel in their mind. / you tried to help, but it only got worse. / now they’re dead, it’s all your fault. / adam & eve in the garden. / a temptress in crisp button-downs. / “ fuck, you’ve gone off the deep end, haven’t you? ” / they lie so perfectly you almost forget yourself./ the spark that lit the kindling on your funeral pyre. / you smell like the mountains in the winter. / crisp red apples piled up on the table. / your shoes are sharp, but your wit is even sharper./ a soft, hollow spot sits in your chest. / there’s a place you’ll never leave no matter who tries to stop you. / the seat of power fits like a glove. / heavy is the head that wears the crown./ you share a space, but not a mind. / they think you are weak; you are, maybe. / “ what are you going to do with all of these pills? ” / an empty bird’s nest. / broken pencil tips. / there’s an empty paper in front of you that you’ll never fill. / “ we want you to succeed. i hope you can grasp that. ” / “ they weren’t there when it happened. ” / quick to anger. / corruption. / there’s a red string tying you together. / the scent of whiskey on the horizon. / “ you’re the best friend i’ve ever had. ” / pink tipped fingers lock in secrecy. / “ jump. I dare you. ”/ 99 red balloons drifting through a hazy sky. / you try to lift your head up, but it’s so much effort. / always walking on sunshine. / marble under the sun. / “ I was hoping that you’d understand. ” /there’s a million reasons to come down from the clouds, but you can’t be bothered./ loon is the word of the day. / hair twisted up with glitter butterfly clips like a haphazard mobile. / you drift, but you know where you’re going. / no one has any dirt on you because you’re infinitely spotless. / the empty side of your bed they crawled into when they were nine. / court hearings. / “ I miss you. ”/ siblings are a funny thing. / they point out every family-shaped hole in every picture on the mantelpiece. / a lone wolf separated from its pack. / god-blood. /

“ they say your name is death. ”/all-consuming passion. / think about the things you did. / feed off the daylight. / no signs of life. / “ what are you waiting for? ” / a diaphanous sea of rose petals. / pure wilderness. / if you’re hungry enough, anyone can stop caring about something long enough to eat it. / spine like a ladder, and his weary feet can’t find purchase. /the burn was so slow no one ever saw it coming. / learn through teaching. / there were things; your own acts from which you could not recover. / how the other half dies. / “ have you ever thought about why trees bleed? ” /  your mother crashed against the rocks to give you the world. /  you are not safe. you are alone. no one is coming for you. / “ go down with me, fall with me. ” / i am awake in the place where women die. /thunder rolling on the hills. / black on black on black on black on bl — / the long game. / restless hands. / ivy infiltrating an empty, corroded church. / you will do anything to spare them. / a cemetery by the moon, unblessed. / every sparrow god forgot. / even when you walked one would think you waltzed. / the worst monsters wear the faces of men. / “ madmen know nothing, but you should have seen me. ”/ “ my blood ran cold. ” / power corrupts. / wood grain and nail tracks. / no scales are strong enough to judge you.

[xsoldier]

This misses the most pivotal lines of dialogue from this exchange — which are what Vlaakith says after you make that reply, because they have some UTTERLY GLORIOUS contextual details hidden in them that I absolutely cannot help but gush over.

First is the fact that Vlaakith kicks off by ALL CAPS SCREAMING AT YOU, for your mere rational objection to her not choosing to display her power against a true foe. Gith define themselves on showing their combat prowess, and her using that against YOU and not her actual foe is a glaring sign of weakness.

Not only that, but your lack of hesitation in questioning her power and exposing her fear is forcing the Lich Queen into such a blindly seething petty rage to the point that she then burns a 9th level WISH spell, which is why that text is bold and italicized in her final line, and why it's not spoken in all caps — that is her specific wording for casting the Wish spell.

This is why it instantly eliminates you & your party into a no contest Game Over screen.

She does this JUST to defeat you rather than her actual enemy inside the Astral Prism. This transpires in a way that simultaneously serves as definitive proof that Vlaakith is too much of a spineless excuse for a real "god" to just use those same powers on the person she is utterly TERRIFIED of inside the Artifact, and all this happens in front of all of her highest officers in Crèche Y'llek.

…but it's even MORE significant than that.

As the conversational choices with Lae'zel throughout the game will demonstrate, the Gith's interactions are singularly defined by conflict. They recognize weakness when it presents itself, and her fear is unmistakable. Vlaakith shows just how hollow and incapable she truly is as a leader in this moment. Burning a Wish spell like this is a MONUMENTALLY STUPID use of this 9th Level Conjuration spell — but even moreso when you know what the actual risk of using it like this is, in addition to what the immediate effects would be.

Casting Wish allows you to: Duplicate any spell of 8th level or lower without any components OR do one of the following; create a non-magical object worth 25k gold, grant 20 creatures you can see their full HP and all effects of Greater Restoration, grant 10 creatures damage resistance of any type you choose, grant 10 creatures immunity to one specific spell or effect for 8 hours, undo an event that has occurred within the last Round by forcing a single reroll after which reality will bend to alter itself according to that one change.

If you want to push Wish to do MORE than this, there are further stipulations AND additional risks to doing that.

State your wish to the DM as precisely as possible. The DM has great latitude in ruling what occurs in such an instance; the greater the wish, the greater the likelihood that something goes wrong. This spell might simply fail, the effect you desire might only be partly achieved, or you might suffer some unforeseen consequence as a result of how you worded the wish. For example, wishing that a villain were dead might propel you forward in time to a period when that villain is no longer alive, effectively removing you from the game. Similarly, wishing for a legendary magic item or artifact might instantly transport you to the presence of the item’s current owner.

Vlaakith wishing you to End is explicitly a utilization of Wish in this extra capacity — and doing this also has DIRECT penalties, even BEFORE any potential unforseen issues that arise specific to the context.

The stress of casting this spell to produce any effect other than duplicating another spell weakens you. After enduring that stress, each time you cast a spell until you finish a long rest, you take 1d10 necrotic damage per level of that spell. This damage can’t be reduced or prevented in any way. In addition, your Strength drops to 3, if it isn’t 3 or lower already, for 2d4 days. For each of those days that you spend resting and doing nothing more than light activity, your remaining recovery time decreases by 2 days. Finally, there is a 33 percent chance that you are unable to cast wish ever again if you suffer this stress.

Vlaakith's physical Strength score is immediately reduced to 3, making her nearly helpless against any type of melee combat for up to a full week.

She will be taking unblockable Necrotic damage for casting ANY magic until she can take a long rest, and Lich Queen Vlaakith is primarily a spellcaster. The wording here means that even as a Lich, Vlaakith is NOT immune to the specific blowback Necrotic damage which would otherwise be harmless to her as an undead.

AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, there's a 1 in 3 chance that no matter how powerful she is as one who ascended to GODHOOD, this single enraged act could mean that she can NEVER cast Wish EVER AGAIN…

— and this is all BEFORE any contextually unique consequences of not only using Wish outside of spell duplication, but ALSO pushing it WELL past the intended scope of its power with a very particular request of wishing you "to end" and how that will twist to deliver unique consequences to her of equal magnitude to what she caused, likely bringing about her own end (which in terms of BG3 is exactly what a Game Over screen does. Vlaakith also ended herself by her Wish LITERALLY ending the game).

While this is at best a phyrric victory for the main story of Baldur's Gate 3, it is one that I cackled about out loud (much like Sips did in his playthrough) and absolutely reveled in it as a life-long DM. In addition to being the very first time I ever got a game over while playing, the way in which this plays out, and what it actually means in the greater scope of the story of things is why I wholeheartedly considered this my first "canon" death in the game.

Had this been a standard D&D game, I would GLADLY have rolled up a new character after this encounter & TPK, because it introduces a foundational fracture in Vlaakith's image that would allow dissent to take hold, and makes her UTTERLY POWERLESS to prevent any Gith who realizes that from immediately seizing that power from her — because The Lich Queen Vlaakith is merely a title, and she is number 157, and ANYONE could be 158.

Vlaakith became a Lich because she never sired a proper heir to succeed her reign, and she rules over the Gith by stealing the power of her very strongest & most loyal servants as Lae'zel's end game Ascension scene shows her becoming merely a dinner meal to sustain her Lich Queen. Had this moment of a rage-fueled Wish made out of fear transpired in the way that ends your party, it's almost certain that Kith'rak Voss and his allies would have immediately seized this utterly priceless opportunity to overthrow and destroy her for good.

This would have fundamentally rocked the foundation of power and caused the following attacks against the Emperor to free Orpheus to almost certainly play out differently, potentially even stopping the Absolute before it could ever become a Netherbrain.

This is even before taking into account Vlaakith's Wish running into Gale's connection to Mystra, his lifeforce containing the Orb of Karsus that feeds on the Weave itself, and how the Karsite weave contained in Gale when his life is magically forced to end might just end up consuming Vlaakith's own magic outright. (That's all even before any connection to whatever other consequences would immediately fall upon her for this cosmically petulant display of fear & weakness if the "create a Game Over screen" wasn't the mechanism by which her Wish resolved itself in a tabletop setting).

Either way, your death here would very likely have been as legendary and pivotal to the world of Faerûn as what you achieved through victory in the main story. As a DM this is EXACTLY what makes Baldur's Gate 3 something that is absolutely unparalleled in how it tucks away little critically important details for D&D veterans all over the place.

As someone who's both played & DM'd D&D for nearly 30 years now and have had characters be struck down in moments of necessary defiance of power like this as well as have characters defy and take godhood from those undeserving of it, this particular dialogue string with Vlaakith stands out SO strongly in my mind, because of the unwritten but implied story that sits on the other side of this TPK event.

No other game has made me beam in pride at a Game Over screen like this before, and I don't think any other game will ever even come close to doing something like this again for me. Absolutely iconic.

yeah i don't know what i was expecting here

[dankusner]

Hammerle — Insurtech: An innovation for insurance

One of the top complaints about insurance is that it is simply too confusing.

Insurance is a legal contract between the insurer, who promises to pay for a covered loss, and the insured, who promises to pay premiums.

As if.

Pull out one of your insurance policies and read the definition of “covered loss.”

Copy the definition into a Word document.

Now look at the capitalized, italicized or bolded words within the sentences.

Those words are defined terms.

The definitions will be found within the policy itself or a referenced statute.

Now replace every defined term in your covered loss paragraph with the actual definition.

This will likely triple the length of the paragraph.

Now look at any exceptions stated in your policy.

Go back and insert each exception in the relevant location within your covered loss definition.

You may have to insert an exception more than once if it applies to more than one provision.

One last exercise:

Read every insurance case opinion and statute, federal and state, that has been published in the last 100 years, discern which are still good law and incorporate them into your modified covered loss policy.

Finally you have a comprehensive covered loss provision.

Impossible, you say?

Of course it is.

No wonder one of the top complaints about insurance is that it is simply too confusing.

Other common complaints:

The policy is too expensive, insurance companies delay or deny claims for specious reasons, insurance companies lowball settlement offers, it is too easy for an insurer to game the system, insurance is a cash drain for most people and businesses, and the insurance policy will not cover a catastrophic event like a hurricane or pandemic.

We may have a solution. It is called “insurtech.”

Insurtech is insurance offered as a digital product.

It makes sense because insurance does not require a huge operating plant or supply chain, it can be sold via a website or mobile app without a salesperson and the market is huge so even a small slice can translate into huge dollars.

New insurtech companies are being formed at a rapid pace.

They come with consumer protections because a company must be licensed in every state in which it sells a product.

Each product must meet the requirements of that state.

They also come with a much better customer experience.

Insurtech companies offer a streamlined digital process from start to finish: client portal, application, approval, signing, premium payment, claims, settlement offer and claim payment.

The companies are able to quickly implement changes to existing products, expand product lines and market new products.

There are no delays occasioned by agents on vacation, sick or on leave.

Product and claim questions are answered via app, email or client portal almost immediately.

For examples of what some insurtech companies look like, see Clearcover (auto), Lemonade (home), Ladder (life), Oscar (health wellness incentive) and Next Insurance (business, professional liability, workers’ comp).

The surge in insurtech products should force changes to the stodgy insurance industry, mandate removal of barriers to entry by new companies, and lead to a change in regulations.

Impossible?

That is what the taxi companies said when Lyft and Uber drove onto the scene.

Friendly and understandable insurance policies? Now that is progress.

Virginia Hammerle is a Texas attorney whose practice includes estate planning, guardianship and probate. Sign up for her newsletter at legaltalk@hammerle.com. Contact Hammerle Finley Law Firm to schedule a consultation at hammerle.com. This column does not constitute legal advice.

[jennyscott1]

Access An Online Notepad

In today's digital age, online notepads have become essential for keeping track of important information and organizing our thoughts. Accessing and using an online notepad is incredibly easy and convenient. First, you only need a reliable internet connection and a device such as a computer or a smartphone.

To access an online notepad, you can open your preferred web browser and search for a trusted website that offers this service. Once you find the website, create an account by providing your email address and choosing a secure password. After signing up, you can typically access a blank virtual notepad to start jotting down your notes. Some notepads provide free services, like Google Docs, online text files, etc., without signup. You can use these kinds of notepads and create your work easier. And you can share your text with anyone via posting link.

Using an online notepad is similar to using any other word-processing software. You can type directly on the virtual page using the keyboard or copy paste text from other sources like emails or websites. Online notepads also offer various formatting options, such as bolding text, italicizing words, creating bullet points, or highlighting essential sections. Most platforms allow users to save their notes automatically or manually to prevent losing valuable information.

visit

[enhypia]

JS ; exes

exes answers questions with the choice of drinking instead of answering

pairings: park jongseong x gn!reader

genre: angst, mild fluff

words: roughly 1.7k

masterlist ⸺ series masterlist

~guides and warnings~

italics - reader speaking

bold - jay speaking

[enclosed] - interviewer speaking

italicized bold - both reader and jay speaking

[enclosed bold or italics] - question (depends on who's speaking)

heavily inspired by: rec.create lie detector games, cut truth or drink

warning: contains and mentions of !!! drinking, swearing, neglect, breaking up

i don't promote underage drinking, save your livers

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

hello, i'm (y/n)

and i'm jay

we're (awkward eye contact)

uhh we're exes

[you guys were invited here today as exes for a fun little drinking game, you guys were aware of that right?]

yes

yup

*interviewer shuffles awkwardly

sorry it's just, our friends were the ones who signed up for us

yeah, we just found out about it three days ago

[but are you guys still okay with doing this?]

we're okay

just give us a few minutes to get used to environment

*(y/n) chuckles

[okay, for this game, questions will be asked and if you refuse to answer, you drink, it's that simple. are you guys ready? should we start?]

*jay nods

ready as i'll ever be

[how long were you guys together?]

we were together for almost 3 years

[how long have you guys been broken up?]

about a year and a half now

[who broke up with who?]

i did they did

[why did you break up with him?]

so this was all a year and a half ago okay? no coming for jay, he's grown, we've grown

thanks?

you're welcome

*jay laughs

uhh.. it just really reached a point where i felt neglected in a way? and it was just tiring? i kept thinking 'do i deserve this treatment?' and i hated that i was doubting everything, including his feelings. so i just said let's talk about it and then yeah we split up

*jay drinks and (y/n) laughs

sorry sorry

nah i just needed that

[okay, how about we officially start the q&a portion between the of you now?]

*both nod and played rock paper and scissors to determine who gets to ask first, jay wins

*he picks up a card and facepalms after seeing the question

goddamn

should i be scared?

not sure, but you might opt to drink though

[do you blame me for what happened to us?]

oh my god *(y/n) laughs

i know right

so we're unpacking emotions today? okay noted

you can just drink if you're not comfortable with it

i'll drink but i'll still answer, might ease your mind no?

*jay couldn't stop his head from nodding

*(y/n) drinks

i admit that i blamed you at first, but then i got to thinking that it wasn't just you, i was also at fault too since i never really vocalized what i felt? i just let it build up until it reached the point where you couldn't do anything about it anymore, and i couldn't too.

yeah but it's more of my fault since i felt something was wrong but i just brushed it off, i brushed you off.

....

shot?

*jay smiles slightly and both raised their glasses to cheers before drinking

we were both at fault and i don't blame you, jay. i hope you stop blaming yourself

*(y/n) smiles softly then picks up a card to stop any reply they might get from jay

god why are these questions so heavy? it wasn't like this from other episodes

*jay and crew laugh

okay, hit me

[what's your biggest regret about our relationship?]

what the fuck

SEE ?!

*both laugh and jay drinks

okay, next question

no, i'm answering

[we won't stop you but just reminding you both that it's okay not to answer if you drink]

the alcohol releases the unhinged-ness

in other words, this is really just us using the alcohol to actually say what we feel

i think you already the answer, and it's that i didn't do anything about us even if i felt something was wrong. i just kept on focusing on my career that i reached a point where i brushed everything off as nothing. and in the end, while i got the success i wanted, somehow i also feel like i'm on the losing end really.

*(y/n) drinks making jay laugh

what? it's my first time hearing all this !

it was a rough break so

omg is this our closure ???

*jay's eyes widened

and it's filmed ?!?!

*everyone laughs

couple goals *(y/n) does a hashtag

oh wait *(y/n) looks at jay

exes goals *both do a hashtag pose

*they laugh, ignoring the sting in their hearts

okay, okay moving on

*jay laughs again

is it a heavy one again?

nope

[do your friends hate me?]

*(y/n) bursts out laughing

please 😭

we have the same friends

we share a lot of mutual friends

that's why there was like tension for a month in the friend group because no one knew what to do

i'm sorry you had to endure all that friends

remember when they literally made an organized schedule to hang out where we wouldn't see each since the break up was still fresh?

yeah like i got heeseung on tuesdays

and i got him on thursdays

😭😭😭

we love them though, they did their best to console us both

thanks guys <33

*(y/n) picks up a card

goddammit

[do you think we could've actually worked out our problems?]

i think it's unfair that i get a lot of heavy questions

i have the power of god and anime on my side today

i think we could've, if i just had taken the actual time to reflect and sit down and talk, we could've worked it out.

*(y/n) slaps jay's arm

i told you, stop blaming yourself

k

*(y/n) rolls their eyes

*jay picks up a card and

oh

what?

*he is stuttering guys, he is fidgeting

[do you wish we were still together?]

oh

yeah

.....

*both drink

i mean-

*jay has been paralyzed, he did not expect (y/n) to answer

i'm happy where i am right now, maybe there are moments of weakness that the thought crosses my mind but i don't dwell on it too much. i think we're both still learning and growing.

*jay doesn't want to think about the fact that (y/n) never said a clear yes or no

*(y/n) picks up a card and groans

please just drink to this

why?

[what do you think of me now?]

....

drink.

no?

why?

because-

why?

i'm answering

why?

i want to?

no.

right now i'm just really proud of you.

*WORLD PAUSE, (y/n) is malfunctioning

it's a little sad that i didn't get to witness a lot of it but i promise i watched from afar and i'm so proud of you. like it makes me feel lighter in a way? knowing that you're still going and pursuing your dreams. it just made me at ease that -

*(y/n) drinks, looking very much like snow white's apples

are you blushing?

jay i will kick you

*he laughs and pinches (y/n) cheeks making them redder, (y/n) slaps his hands away

i won't hesitate bitch

how about you huh?

[what do you think of me now?]

*jay you should know not to tease too much or else it'll bite you back

i think you're absolutely amazing.

*jay could only blame himself

i am in constant awe and there's this pride that i have in me whenever i see you thriving. it's weird because i thought i'd be bitter about it, but since i knew of your goals and how passionate you were, all i felt was pride. it did hurt a little that i couldn't go "that's my baby!" anymore.

*alert! jay's ears are red and it's spreading to his cheeks and neck

okay next question!

*he quickly picks up a card making (y/n) burst out laughing

everything i said was true though.

hajima. stop. pause. i'm not listening

*(y/n) laughs at flustered jay

this is the last one.

[question for both: if you could tell me anything, what would you say?]

sheesh

same

rock paper scissors? loser goes first

*jay wins

*(y/n) drinks

can you turn around for this one, like don't look at me.

*jay followed

i want to say that,,,, that it's not your fault for putting your future first. it kind of stung since you made me feel like i wasn't a part of it but i know that wasn't your intention. i understand your actions and i don't blame you. if i was in your position i probably would've been the same. i'm sorry that i didn't try harder, like you said we could've made it work but i just got so tired, i hope you can forgive me for that as well.

okay i'm turning around as well, your turn

*(y/n)'s eyes are glassy, but jay doesn't need to see that

i want to say that i'm sorry for neglecting you. i feel like you're tired of me saying sorry but that's really all i could do. i forgive you by the way even if i don't get why you're apologizing to me. i also want to say that, it wasn't you. it sounds cliche but you weren't the reason i became like that, it was me. it was never you. so please don't blame yourself for anything. please don't question your worth because you were more than enough.

yah i didn't want to unpack that

well i still know you and i was given the chance to say it now so

*(y/n) turns around wiping tears, jay is sniffling

i need a drink damn

*(y/n) pours a shot and jay as well, both drink after clinking their glasses

[you guys good?]

*both looks at each other and chuckles

we're good

i can't believe we have to thank our friends for setting this up

*jay groans

[care to answer one last question that is in everyone's minds' right now?]

oh god

is it what i think it is

[will we see you guys be featured again? maybe exes to couples again?]

let's drink!

*both take one last shot and waves to the camera

*(y/n) shrugs and jay winks

bye~

»————-　♡　————-«

bonus: youtube comments (peep last one)

masterlist ⸺ series masterlist

a/n: i was planning to post this sooner but my pharma prof suddenly dropped a 6-page activity lmao rip, im scheduling the timestamps i forgot to post last update sorry sorry. my angst skills are subpar forgive me but i tried my best. i hope you like this one too !! jake's will be uploaded next ! please look forward to it <33

[mickey-henry]

𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

summary: bucky’s been flirting with you, but hasn’t taken it further than that. frustrated, you decide to take matters into your own hands.

word count: 2.1k

warnings: occasional swearing (but not much) and frustrating flirting (I’d be melting if it was happening to me). besides that, this fic is pure fluffy fun.

author’s note: hello there! this is my second fic; I’m very excited to post it! I found the header image here, and if you want to listen to the song I reference in this fic, you can listen here. bold text indicates singing, while italicized text refers to inner thoughts. likes, reblogs, messages, replies, and comments are cherished! I hope you like it! 💖

Bucky Barnes is an acquaintance at best. The two of you rarely work together, and with conflicting schedules, you see little of each other around the compound. On a random Friday in April, however, something changes in you. The moment is nothing out of the ordinary. You’re sitting on the couch in the main living space, re-reading one of your favorite books. Bucky has just returned from a mission; you glance up to see his exhausted expression. He catches your eye, winking with a smile, before walking to his room. Your heart flutters and your head freezes at the response. “Oh, no,” you think to yourself. “Maybe that was a one-time thing? I don’t actually like him, right?” Wrong. 

Ever since that night, the mere presence of Bucky Barnes drives you crazy: his stunning blue eyes that squint ever so slightly when he smiles, his adorable nose that crinkles when he laughs, his pillowy lips that you lose yourself in, his  fluffy hair you can’t help but imagine running your fingers through, his scruff speckled jawline that you wish would brush along your hands, cheeks, anywhere really. He occupies your dreams; you can’t escape this man even if you try. Today, he drives you crazier than usual. He stands in the compound's kitchen in a tight black t-shirt, one that leaves nothing to the imagination. This is the first time you’ve seen him in short sleeves, in anything other than tactical gear. You can’t help but stare as he prepares his lunch. The shirt hugs his frame tight, accentuating his biceps that had no right to be that big. “Gosh, he must spend hours in the gym to look like that.” You then notice the vein in his right arm protruding from his skin, tracing it with your eyes. You didn’t think he could become any more beautiful, but here he is before you, incredible as ever. 

You’re pulled from your reverie when Bucky calls your name. “Yeah?” you reply, barely masking the startled stutter in your voice.

“Pass me the salt?”

“Oh! Sure, of course,” you muster, taking a sip of water from the glass in front of you as you hand him the salt shaker. 

“Thanks, doll,” he flirts with a smile, the same one he gave you that night when he got back to the compound. You nearly choke. “Bucky Barnes called me a term of endearment?!? Holy shit.” Your heart swells and you look down at your glass in a desperate attempt to hide the blush creeping its way across your cheeks. “Goodness gracious, I respond this way from a simple word?” You couldn’t imagine how you’d feel if he touched you. 

It didn’t take long to find out. The following day, you stand in the kitchen prepping your lunch, singing softly along to the song playing from your phone. Bucky appears soon after. He stands close to you for a moment, closer than necessary, but of course you don’t mind. He has just showered; his cologne lingers in the air, intoxicating you. Somehow, you keep singing along, showing no sign that your mind is elsewhere. 

“Ugh, he smells amazing. This man has too much power over me; this is ridiculous! I don’t even remember what I was doing—”

“You have a beautiful voice,” he compliments.

“Thank you, Bucky,” you softly reply, your heart racing at his praise.

“Let me get by you real fast, doll,” he says, moving to walk behind you. 

“There he goes again with the pet name. My god, could this get any worse—” 

He places his hands gently on your hips as he moves beside you. Electricity travels through your whole body; you’re internally screaming at his touch. His hands feel better than you imagined. Even though the contact lasts only a moment, the effects of his touch linger after, leaving you speechless. 

You hear a musical chuckle from the man behind you. “Is he teasing me? It sure feels like it,” you wonder. There is no way that he can’t see the effect he has on you. Before you can even formulate another thought, he touches you again as he moves back to the other side of you. “That was definitely on purpose; certainly he wouldn’t do this by accident. Right?”

Your eyes linger as he finishes putting together his lunch. He catches your gaze and smiles. “See you later, sweetheart,” he says with a wink before leaving the room. “Okay, that answers my question; that was very intentional. What am I going to do with myself?”

You don’t know how much longer you can take his teasing. Throughout the week, he ups his antics, calling you pet names more than your own, stealing touches whenever he can get away with it, smiling whenever you make eye contact. The tension is insatiable; thoughts of Bucky follow you everywhere. You decide to take matters in your own hands; Bucky did not seem to be planning to make a move anytime soon. If he is going to tease the hell out of you, you might as well get some payback. 

───────────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ─────────────

Tony’s announcement of Friday night karaoke gives you a wicked idea. However, for it to work, you need to recruit help. You know just who to ask. It doesn’t take long to find Sam and Steve; they spent a ton of their free time sparring in the gym. They seem to be at the end of their workout, their movements slow and sloppy, relying on witty retorts to throw off the other. They stop when they notice your arrival. 

“Hey!” Sam says with a smile, hugging you as you approach. You squeeze him tightly, even with his sticky sweat coating his arms. You greet Steve with a hug too.

“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” Steve asks as you let go.

“Can I ask you guys something? And you promise you two won’t laugh at me? Especially if I'm reading this wrong?”

“Of course,” answers Steve. 

“Yeah, for sure,” replies Sam. 

You hesitate for a second, taking a deep breath. “Does Bucky like me? I swear he does. He keeps teasing me, and I don’t know how much longer I can take it. I think I am practically in love with the guy at this point, he’s so beautiful and—”

You stop as the boys exchange glances and begin laughing. 

You cross your arms, hurt. “You said you wouldn’t laugh at me! I can’t control how I feel.”

“No! Wait! We aren’t laughing at you!” Steve says between giggles. 

You furrow your brows. “Then why are you laughing?”

“Bucky’s obsessed with you,” Steve answers after calming his laughter. 

“God, yes, you’re all he talks about nowadays,” Sam adds. 

“What?! He does? Why? Are you shitting me right now? Because that would be really freaking mean—“

“No! Of course not,” Steve insists. “Don’t you see the way he looks at you?”

“And the pet names he gives you?” Sam adds.

“And how he can’t seem to keep his hands to himself lately?” Steve finishes. 

Now you feel stupid for even asking. Of course you noticed all of those things. They were all you ever thought about. “Well, yeah, but maybe he does that with all the girls.”

“What girls?” Sam retorted. “The only women who are here often enough to cross paths with him are you, Natasha, and Wanda. Wanda’s with Vision, as weird as that is, but love is love. Natasha shoots daggers at anyone who looks at her with love in their eyes. That leaves you.”

“Why in the world would he like me? Of all people? He’s out of my league,” you sigh,

Sam’s scoff pulls you from your thoughts. “Bucky? Out of your league? He’s a crazy ex-assassin with emotional issues! If anything, he's out of your league.”

“You’re a catch, why wouldn’t he like you?” Steve assures.

Steve and Sam always know just what to say to make you feel better. “I guess you’re right,” you admit with a defeated grin. 

“So, you know how Bucky feels. What are you going to do about it?” Steve asks. 

“I have an idea, but I need your help.”

“We’re listening.”

You divulge your plan to them. They smile, hyping you up. 

“Dude, I’m so down!” Sam exclaims, clapping his hands in excitement. 

“You think this will work?”

“Definitely,” Steve assures. “This is going to be amazing!”

“Okay then, we’re doing this. Let’s go find Bucky. Time to initiate phase one.”

───────────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ─────────────

Bucky is sitting on the common room couch, flipping through a book when he sees you, Sam, and Steve enter. He exchanges a glance with you, smiling as your eyes light up. The three of you sit down. You’re sitting next to Sam, closer than usual. There’s a brief moment of silence before you speak. “Sam, are you going to karaoke night?”

“Of course! Wouldn’t miss everyone’s drunk-ass singing for the world.”

“Will you be my duet partner?”

This catches Bucky’s attention. He looks up from his book. Why the hell were you asking Sam to sing with you? You normally ask the girls...

“Sure thing, baby. It’ll be a ton of fun!” Sam smiles. 

Baby?! What?! How dare he call you a pet name, his girl, right in front of him? Well, you may not be his girl yet, but Sam knows how he feels about you. What the hell is he thinking?

“Yay! This’ll be so fun!” You hug him, grabbing his hand before continuing, “Wanna practice with me in a bit?”

“Find me when you’re ready, sweetheart,” Sam answers, kissing your knuckle before letting go of your hand. 

Sweetheart?! What the fuck was going on? Did he miss his shot? Would Sam really do that to him? Bucky can barely handle his swirling thoughts. He storms out of the room without looking back. 

Steve can’t help but laugh once Bucky is out of earshot. “That worked a little too well, wouldn’t you say so?”

“That wasn’t too far, was it?” you ask with a worried expression on your face. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it. He’ll just come on even stronger now. He won’t give up on you that easily,” Sam assures you. 

───────────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ─────────────

Bucky can barely contain his anger as you step on the stage with Sam, giggling and smiling at your karaoke partner. Jealousy engulfs him. He can barely listen to the start of the song, ignoring the catchy beat blasting through the speakers. He doesn’t recognize the song, but looks up from his drink when you sing, “Hey Bucky boy, what you doing tonight? I wanna see what you got in store."

He looks right at you. Did she just say Bucky?

Sam echoes, “Hey, hey Bucky!” Well, that answers his question.

“You're giving it your all when you're dancing on me. I want to see if you can give me some more,” you continue, twirling your fingers through your hair.

“Hey, hey Bucky!”

“You can be my man, I can be your girl, and we can pump this jam however you want,” you sing, swaying your hips to the cadence of the lyrics.

“Hey, hey Bucky!”

“Pump it from the side, pump it upside down, or we can pump it from the back and the front,” you wink as you finish the line. Bucky sits up suddenly, crossing his legs, his face turning beet red. You smile, knowing the plan was working. Steve laughs from beside him. He keeps his eyes glued on you as the two of you continue the song, utterly entranced. You look him right in the eye as you end the song, “I want you tonight.”

You saunter over to where he is sitting after high-fiving Sam, confidence filling your chest. “So, what did you think of my performance, Bucky?”

You yelp as he grabs your hips and pulls you down to sit on his lap. His voice deepens, “you’re such a tease, you know that right?”

You laugh. “I’m the tease? Really? You’re the one who just pulled me onto your lap and taunts me with flirtatious remarks and smiles all freaking day. My god Bucky, make a move already—”

He cuts you off, pulling you in for a kiss, his flesh arm grabbing the back of your neck. The team whoops and cheers. 

“Glad you finally made a move, Bucky,” you pant as your lips part from his.

“Best decision I ever made in my life, doll.” Before you can respond, he kisses you again, the karaoke bar fading in the background as you finally embrace the man of your dreams.

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

All Along the Watchtower (Chapter 14)

[Can also be read on AO3]

Pairing: Captain John Price x Fem!OC (3rd person POV)

Word count: 3.5 K

Warnings: Minors DNI - canon typical violence, swearing, smoking, military inaccuracies

Summary: The intrepid duo head to the Syrian base controlled by Zorokov's PMC, and a full-scale invasion occurs

A/N: Rory Sinclair is a dual citizen (both Canada and the UK) who's been living in the UK since she was 14. She is 28 at the time of this fic, Price is 32. This series is set in 2017 before the events of the first MW game. Rory's thoughts are bold and italicized, other italics are used for emphasis

*I have struggled with this chapter for a while now, it's not perfect but it had to get done so I could make the ship finally sail for these two. (Only 4 chapters left after this) Throwing this chapter at the wall and running*

November 2, 2017 14:52 - Al-Hasakah, Syria

Helicopter shadows stretched across the arid sand, massed together, flying in formation. Rory could practically hear the Ride of the Valkyries playing in her head as the forces of the US Marines and SAS all rained down upon the outskirts of one city near the border of Turkey and right in the path of Iran’s slowly growing power in the region. However, this was in no way a move to stop the encroaching involvement of a foreign government, this was a controlled, confined operation against the hired goons owned by Zorokov and ISIS forces, with one clear directive – wipe them off the map completely . 

As the approach began, the nose of each helo pointed down towards the compound in the distance, the doors opened on each side and ropes dropped, soldiers rappelling into the coming battle and armed to the teeth. At the door of one such helicopter, the wind whipping through her hair, rocking side to side with the turbulence, Rory looked down through her aviators at the mass of golden sand and the gray smattering of rocks that passed below. Her cigarette clenched between her teeth, smoke coiling up past her cheek, holding the mesh beside the door for stability as she stood by Price – his boonie hat looking as though it wanted to fly off his head any moment – and listened intently as he gave his orders. 

“We’ll be at the X in three. Gonna fight our way through to the designated area f’ the nest. Expect heavy resistance. Ground troops will take care of clearin’ us a path and keepin’ enemies distracted. Stay on me, yeah?”

Nodding at his orders, she mused, “Feels just like the good old days.”

“Gettin’ sentimental about the job already, Sinclair?”

“I’ll be the first to admit, sometimes a good fight’s in order.” She tossed her nearly spent cigarette butt out of the helicopter and watched as it fell to the ground below, fading out of view that farther it got. “This is my bread and butter. Nothing quite like it to get the adrenaline pumping,” she stated, checking the rope tied into her harness by tugging on it. 

His gloved hand came to her shoulder, resting there. “Lookin’ forward to seein’ you in action again, Lamb .”

A half grin curled at her lips with the use of her call sign. “I was wondering when that was going to come out.”

Meeting her with a smirk, he tipped his head towards the open exit of the helicopter. “Go on, sweetheart. I’ll meet you on the ground.”

Giving him a little salute, she jumped out of the helicopter door, rappelling down the rope into the flurry of gunfire that had kicked off down below. The wind whipping through her hair, she forgot just how terrifying yet freeing this all felt, having to rely on training and her team to get out alive. A shiver crawled down her spine as the adrenaline started to spill throughout her body. Sniper rifle strapped to her back, assault rifle in her hands, she found cover below and waited for Price before making her next move. 

In the distance, heavy tanks began to roll out from the compound, treads cutting through sand as mortar shells went off, and even from this far away, vibrations still traveled up her legs and made her pulse quicken. She was in the thick of it. There was no turning back. 

The radio crackled with chatter from other units, heavy fire and casualties were already being called in as artillery fire continued and black smoke started to rise into the sky – their forces were powerful, but not unstoppable.  

As Price descended, Rory picked off the insurgents that started to move in. Even with an assault rifle she had the same precision as with her sniper scope, and with just a few quick shots, bodies dropped and rolled down the sandy dunes. Boots hitting the ground running, Price was quick to reach her side behind cover. All hints of the humor he had had with her before were gone. This was the hardened Captain at her side, ruthless and determined, the man who had no fear about getting his hands dirty to get the job done. “Let’s push up, stick close,” his voice a husky whisper as if he were saving it for the real heat when he would start barking orders. 

Following in his wake, Rory kept hunched behind the burnt-out ruins of armored vehicles. Picking off those who popped out of hiding like the targets on the training ground, she never wasted a shot, every one had to count. 

The sound of incoming tanks grew steadily, the loud metal clink and then boom of artillery being loaded and fired increasing. Missiles sailed towards their targets from the helicopters above. Pockets of sand blown sky high. This was never going to be any walk in the park, but it did remind her just how close she walked with death at any given time while out in the field and on the front lines. In the grand scheme she had gotten away with little damage in her time as a soldier, a few bullet wounds, some scars from shrapnel, but nothing life threatening nor career altering – at a moment’s notice that could all change however. 

A muffled yell caught Price’s attention and he stopped, his eyes narrowing until realization hit and he was shoving Rory backwards to the ground with him.

“ RPG! Incoming! ”

Hitting the ground, the force of the blast wave shook through her chest, the plate metal weight crushing down onto her ribs. Ears ringing, head spinning, nausea spilled over as her inner ear was left trying to find its point of balance. Sand in her eyes began to sting as they watered and she tried to blink the debris out. With a groan she rolled onto her side and watched as the Captain was the first to get back up to his feet, dusting himself off. 

His piercing stare focused on Rory still laying on the ground. “You broken?” He asked, head tilted, concern painted on his features. 

She couldn’t quite make out the words, his voice muffled in her ears like she was swimming underwater, the same odd droning it had been during that ride back to the safehouse after her fight for survival with Zorokov. Her head fuzzy like it was stuffed with cotton, Rory looked at him stupefied.

“Sergeant, you broken?” Speaking in a rough bark as he moved closer, Price held out his hand for her to take. 

His brusque tone clearing the daze from her head, she gave her head a shake and dragged her hand down her face, wiping the sand off that clung to her. Fighting to get her bearings once more, her vision still somewhat blurred, she looked up at him trying not to appear quite so foggy. “No.”

His grip on her hand was powerful, a forceful pull to drag her back up to her feet. An appraising glare swept over her as he chose to decide for himself whether she was actually telling the truth. “Good.” 

She nodded and grabbed her weapon from the ground, her first few steps were a stumble until her center of gravity was restored, but her boots marched on.  

Fighting their way through the abandoned town that led to the outpost, Price led her towards a branch away from the middle of the ongoing battle around them. A shelled-out husk of a mosque would provide ample coverage of the warzone, a bird’s eye view of the entirety of their surroundings, and that was to be her sniper’s nest. 

“Take overwatch up top there,” Price said pointing to the roof of the building. 

“Affirm. “I’ve got your six out there, just keep your head on a swivel, eh?”

“You bet your arse I will. Give ‘em hell, Lamb.”

Splitting off, she raced down the emptied street, and entered through the blown out doors of the mosque. Climbing up through the rubble to reach the sun that came through the weapon-made skylight above her, beams of golden light caused the dust and dirt around her to glow as it drifted through the air. Careful with each placement of her hands and feet, she made her way to the top, given no time to appreciate the view before she was setting up her rifle and laying on her belly amidst the debris from a previous attack upon this part of the city, overlooking the entire warzone that led up to the outpost. 

Rory watched through her scope, keeping her eye on the action and the many enemies that still scattered the area. There was no shortage of targets for her to set her sights on, but rather than just pick off every one she could see, her focus remained on the Captain and keeping him protected as he moved forward, taking out the threats that remained unseen from his vantage point, but not from hers. She had promised to watch his back, she wouldn’t fail in that duty, she wanted to shield him all the same. 

As he moved through the hordes they had come to fight, she realized upon closer inspection that there was something about the way Price moved – it was entirely predatory. Danger lurked in those steely eyes, unknowable, impenetrable, and buried below all the control he aimed to enforce upon himself (and everyone else for that matter). Slipping for just a moment in the heat of battle, something feral growled up to the surface as he tore through the enemy like they barely existed at all. A fury that lay dormant until such a time as violence was required, when a threat deserved his attention. Quick and dirty, sharp and biting. Whether with his guns or the knife he carried, if he set out to end a life he surely would. Her chest tightened just at the thought, like if her heart beat any harder it might explode inside her – a ticking time bomb. 

Rubbing at her eyes, she jammed her thumb and forefinger into her tear ducts until phosphenes danced across her vision, pretending as though she were fighting the glare of the sun shining into them – but that didn’t explain the coiling knot in her abdomen or the shortness of breath she suddenly felt. Definitely a leftover daze from the bomb… Now was not the time or the place – she knew better than that. 

Lighting a cigarette to settle herself, she let it dangle from her lips as she scanned the derelict cityscape, recognizing a squad of enemy soldiers headed in Price’s direction. Eleven targets . Lining up her aim, accounting for wind speed and direction, as if just the feel of it over her skin gave her all the answers – an instinctive art – Rory took out each one in rapid succession with one shot through the head. Efficiency is what she had come to be known for in her time as a sniper. Bullets tore through the air, the concussive force of them crumpling bodies like ragdolls as the back of their skulls were ripped open, spraying those next in line for death in blood and brain matter. Easy picking .

The radio crackled, and Price’s voice was deep and rich over the broadcast, congratulating her. “ Good shit. ”

There was an undeniable pride in his voice. A man all too willing to shower her in praise. If she had her scope trained on him she was sure she would see the blush on his cheeks, overcome by a fluster from her skills and acumen in this situation. 

“Couldn’t have done better yourself?” she teased.

“ There’s no goddamn way I'm admitting to that. Keep it up, Sinclair .”

She chuckled quietly and kept scanning the environment for enemies as Price moved ever closer with the rest of the forces, clearing out enemy troops on their way towards attacking the outpost. From her place in the nest, she could see it all: buildings slowly cleared by squads, the streets emptied of tanks and armored vehicles as bombs rained down from the air support above, fires spreading, the heat building, the way the sun glinted off the scraps of metal and rebar that dangled off the destroyed buildings… and off the scope aimed out a top window near the Captain’s location. Quick to warn him, she called out the threat’s position over the radio. “Captain, you have a sniper above you. 10 o’clock.”

Cover fire sprayed from his weapon and from the soldiers that had collected on his position, a squad of marines having been slowly picked off earlier by the threat she had located, they hid behind the leftover remains of a wall already riddled with bullet holes.

Noting the enemy sniper’s nest, she aimed down the scope, adjusting slightly to the right, and took out the sniper and the spotter that shared a window with one bullet, as precise as a Swiss timepiece. 

“ Fucking hell, Sergeant .” He gave a low whistle. “ I can see why the CIA loved having you about. Weren’t lying when it comes to being a damn good shot, were you? ”

Laughing, she picked up her cigarette from the sand and took a drag. “I certainly wouldn’t lie about something like that, Captain.”

“ Just how many confirmed kills have you got? ”

“I’ll tell you when this is over.”

After hours pushing forward at a slow crawl and with the exterior cleared, the sun had nearly begun to set and the orange hues of the sky met with the bloodstained sand at the horizon. The outpost, their objective, was all that remained in their efforts for diverting further conflict between nations in the Middle East. 

A quick brief later, the invasion began. Rules of engagement: weapons free . 

Ally tanks rolled out, armored vehicles with turret guns following in close proximity and the wave of soldiers that still stood - drained, but not beaten - bringing up the rear. 

One foot in front of the other they marched steadily. Night vision ordered to be used. 

Rory’s hand twitched and with a quick flex of her fingers, she swallowed back that feeling of deja vu. Groundhog day. Repeating the mistakes of the past, or rather, making up for them. Back in Syria, sweeping an outpost – at least this time she already knew there were ties to something less than savory. She could expect the very worst and then be surprised not to find it, if she were lucky. 

Flicking down the night vision goggles, she once more delved into that world of black and white. Shades of gray, just like everything else in her career. She moved forward, following on the heels of Price as he started the charge. Gunshots sounding off, endless rounds of muzzle flare. The milieu of constant war that she had panged for at her desk in relative safety at Stirling Lines surrounded her, the jealousy that had bubbled up inside her for having been left on the sidelines now converted into hunger, a drive to see the mission complete and successful pushing her forward past the fear and doubt that holed up inside her head. 

Spreading throughout the outpost, multiple small squads took it floor by floor, clearing it like a pack of wolves, swarming their prey and tearing it down to nothing at all. Put on the defensive, the enemy started to become more desperate and short sighted, fighting reflexively rather than methodically. It made them weak to interception moves and flanking, it also made them extremely dangerous the more rash they became. Explosions on other floors brought with them flashbacks to Afghanistan and Iraq, and the reminder of IEDs permeating Rory’s thoughts. That fear of entering a known weapon production site and wondering whether one would meet their demise via bomb vest detonation was a near persistent threat on a person’s mind. She held her weapon a little tighter to her and carried on moving forward, following Price who firmly held point. While the others took care of the threat, they were headed to the command center, the heart and brain of the enemy operation. 

A large, metal bunker door was shut tight before them, a security panel on its side, the most high tech and hard to break protection this outpost had shown to have thus far. 

“Have we got thermal imaging on how many are in there? Last thing we want is to walk into a bloody firing line,” Rory whispered as she took her spot to the side as Price set up the C4 to breach the door. 

“Walls are too thick, can’t get anything accurate.”

“So we’re going in blind.”

“Welcome to the special forces, Sergeant.”

She stretched out her shoulders, twisting her neck from side to side. Stress climbing up her nerves and tensing her muscles. Combat readiness caused her nerves to jump and twitch, moving reflexively, body on high alert. 

“We blow the charges to breach, then toss flashbangs, keep ‘em stunned. Then take ‘em out.”

“Two on however many. I’ll take those odds.”

Moving to a safe distance, the charges were detonated and the metal of the bulkhead door was shorn open, leaving jagged, smoking edges. With a quick toss of the first grenade, leaving the enemy in shock and disadvantaged, unaware of how much resistance they were actually up against. Rory and Price took point at opposite sides of the door, ducking in to pick off the enemy soldiers inside. 

As the smoke eventually cleared and bullet fire stopped being returned, the two soldiers waited to make sure the room was entirely clear, doing a sweep of the room from the safety of their cover before entering inside. 

Bodies of hired guns, PMC soldiers, lay in a haphazard mess around the room. Blood dripping from the holes bored through their kevlar, riddled with bullets. Slowly but surely, scanning the bodies, their fingers at the ready on their triggers, Price and Rory made sure there were no survivors left, ready to spring up and attack them. 

On the table in the middle of the room, a laptop sat, one of the enemy corpses hunched over the keyboard, blood sprayed across the screen. Pushing the body out of the seat, letting it fall to the floor heavily, Rory wiped her arm over the screen, clearing it of the red bodily fluid and bits of viscera that had landed upon it. 

Taking a seat at the chair, she managed to gain access to the laptops files, reaching the main PMC server and a database of contracts. “What are we looking for specifically?”

“Anythin’ that will leave Zorokov out in the cold, leave him without allies.”

“So Russian contracts,” she stated quickly.

“Get mother Russia involved and they’ll be happy to let us deal with ‘im.”

“Good old-fashioned blackmail.”

“Thank goodness we’ve got Kate to help get us that information quick.” Pressing on his radio, Price got in contact with Laswell. “Kate, just hit a goldmine for ya.”

Connecting to their server, Laswell began searching through the PMC’s database of contracts. Finding each and every op they had been hired for and by who, a list of shell companies attached. 

“ You weren’t kidding, John. ” 

There was a silence as Laswell got to work digging, finding the right knife to sever the ties that kept Zorokov safe. 

“ I’m guessing you haven’t dug too deep into these contracts yet, have you? ”

“Why?” Price’s tone became severe as he stared at the screen still smeared with drops of blood. 

“ One of the more recent contracts. It’s Russian .”

“Where?” he growled, all ready to take on another fight.

“ Urzikstan . Support against Al Qatala and the Liberation Force .”

Steely eyes narrowed at the info drop. “Barkov?”

“ How’d you know? ”

An almost distant look appeared in Price’s stare, memories coming forward of a time years ago when he was a Lieutenant. A war that never ended, had started long before he got there and – if the Russians had their way – would likely continue on. 

“Seems as though you have history with him,” Rory said softly.

“You could say that,” he rasped.

“Urzikstan? Isn’t that where you’d been serving that first time we –”

“Yeah.” His jaw clenched. “Surprised you remember that.”

“Got a good memory for things.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, his glare darkened. “Country’s been war torn for twenty years.”

He stated it matter-of-factly, so jaded by years of war, of fighting, of being a soldier. It didn’t even seem to faze him anymore speaking in numbers like that. It was just the cold, hard facts. Blunt and brutal. There was no point in sugarcoating it when the people of those countries couldn’t turn a blind eye to it, they lived it every day. 

“Jesus Christ,” she said, rubbing at her brow. “Well no wonder Russia’s been looking out for Zorokov. It’s not just the money, he’s helping the bloody war effort. Destabilization in the region.”

“ I’ll make sure this gets to the right people .”

“Thanks, Kate.”

This was it, the noose they had been looking for to tighten around Zorokov. The tourniquet to chop off the gangrenous arm. The rotten job of ending one oligarch’s reign was nearly complete. They could come home. 

[maria-akira]

good girls don't get used: michael langdon x fem! reader — PART 2

—♡—

READ PART 1 HERE

summary: michael langdon, your ex, falls into a bet wherein he needs to (fake) date you. if he falls inlove again, he loses, and doesn't get the prize.

warnings: making out, pre-smut???, michael as a tiktok fuckboy, + me not proofreading this hahah sorry

italicized bold words are direct lyrics from the song :)

please excuse any errors. enjoy!

—♡—

It had been a few hours since Y/N arrived at home. She changed into an oversized shirt and a comfy pair of shorts. To be honest, she has never tutored anyone before, except for her baby brother Aaron. With Aaron it was just 1+1 or 2x3, you know? The basics.

"Mom, someone's coming over tonight!" She called out from upstairs,

"Who will?"

Y/N didn't know what to say. Her parents knew about Michael, and how they broke up. She didn't want her mom to know that it was him who would be coming over. Why hide it? She'll see him anyways.

"Michael! Michael Langdon!" Y/N went downstairs to finally face her mom.

"Wait, your ex?"

"Yeah.."

Her mom laughed, "Oh my, looks like something's gonna happen~" She said in a sing-song tone while she prepared dinner.

Y/N rolled her eyes, "Oh my goood mom! That was 2 years ago, he just asked if I could tutor him. Apparently, he's failing."

"He's what? Failing? Isn't he one of the top students in your batch?"

"Yeah, I honestly don't know what happened to hi—"

Ding Dong!

Oh my god, She felt her heart beating fast.

Y/N walked to the front door and opened it, and there he was. Michael Langdon in his grey sweatpants and black hoodie.

"Hey, Y/N." Michael greeted, giving her a smile.

Y/N looked him up and down,

"Hi." She gave him a sarcastic look and stepped out of the way, gesturing him to come in.

Y/N's mom squealed, "Oh my, Michael! Look how you've grown!" She squeezed him into a hug and it made Michael laugh.

Aaron came down the stairs to see what the fuss was about. When he saw Michael, he rushed towards him and hugged his thigh.

"Michaeeeelll!! You're here!" Aaron giggled

Aaron loved Michael a lot. When Y/N and Michael were still together, he would always play with him.

"Hey, slugger! Now you've grown alot too, huh?" Michael kneeled down to his height and ruffled his hair, "Yup! I'm a big boy now." Aaron said proudly with his chin up.

Slugger. That was the nickname Michael gave him.

"Is Michael staying over?" Aaron pouted and gave her puppy eyes.

Y/N panicked. How was she gonna explain?

"Well, he actually came over to study for school, but he—"

"Of course I'll stay over! Anything for you, slugger." Michael cut her off. Y/N widened her eyes, making a 'what the fuck are you doing?!?!' expression at him.

Y/N faked a cough, "Aaron, go stay with mom okay? Michael and I will be studying now."

Aaron whined and crossed his arms. "But I wanna play with Michaaael!!"

"You'll do that later. After all, he said that he'll be staying over." She looked over to Michael and gave him a sarcastic smile.

—

After a few moments of arguing with Aaron, Y/N and Michael finally went upstairs. "Your room changed alot." Michael said as he looked around her room for the first time in 2 years. Once Y/N shut the door, she stormed over to Michael.

"Langdon what the fuck was that down there?!?! I only allowed you to come over, not stay over! Where will you even sleep?!"

"In a bed, duh."

Y/N slapped his forehead, causing Michael to wince at the pain.

"Are you that stupid?! Sleep on the fucking floor!" She hid her face in her hands out of frustration, then lifting her head again. "You know what? Fuck it. I don't care anymore."

—

"So if you move negative four here, what will you get?" Y/N asked, pointing her pencil on the equation. It's now 8PM, Michael and her were studying the last subject for the day, which was Math.

Michael analyzed the problem, then wrote down the answer. "Fifty.. three?" He slid the paper to her direction. While Y/N was checking his solution, he received a message from Duncan.

Dunc 🖕🏻: how's tutoring going?

Michael: its fine ig, lmao im staying over 😴

Dunc 🖕🏻: yooo what?? where you gonna sleep?

Michael: beside her? idk im still gonna play video games with her brother so i guess i'll sleep beside her 😶

Michael: brb shes done checking my solution

"Michael," She called for his attention, He let out a hum in response. "Your solution is correct.. But to avoid confusion, change this into an arrow instead of an equal sign, because it isn't the final answer yet." Y/N pointed out his mistake and circled it with a mechanical pencil.

Michael smiled. despite this 'trying to get her trust back' thing, he thought that Y/N was adorable like this. Focused with academics. He admired her alot.

Y/N looked over at Michael, "Langdon, are you even listening?" She snapped her fingers in attempt to catch Michael's attention.

Michael went back to reality, "Yeah. I get it now, thanks Y/N." Michael got his paper back and saw all the check marks. While Michael was distracted with his paper, Y/N stood up and streched. "They're all correct?" He looked up at her and asked in fake disbelief. Y/N rolled her eyes, "Duh, what are all the check marks for, dimwit?" She furrowed her eye brows and made her way to the door.

She glanced over at the clock beside her mirror, it was already 8:15 PM. "Hey, we have to go down for dinner now." She looked over to him and opened the door. Michael stood up and made his way to the door, stopping by the mirror, "Damn, I'm hot." Michael said as he praised his reflection in the mirror. When Y/N heard this, she furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him.

"Yeah sure, maybe in a different planet." She insulted, playfully hitting his arm.

"Oh c'mon Y/N, you miss me." Michael leaned on the wall with the support of his arm. Y/N shut the door.

"What makes you say that, Langdon?" She crossed her arms and leaned against the door.

"I've seen the way you look at me, baby. Admit it, you miss me, you wanna kiss me, you wanna be mine all over again."

"Don't hit me with your 'say you miss me, say you wanna kiss me.' shit, Langdon. I'm not that stupid," Y/N pulled on the neckline of Michael's hoodie, signalling him to come closer. Now, their faces were a few centimeters apart.

"Let's face the facts here, Langdon. Actually? you want me." She pulled him even closer, her lips ghosting over his. Michael moved closer in attempt to kiss her, yet to no avail. Y/N smirked and pushed him away. "You know, you're better than that." She gave him a little tap on the cheek and left the room, slamming the door in his face.

Michael was speechless. Y/N did change, a lot.

—

"So what brings you here, Michael?" Y/N's father asked, eating a slice of steak that was on his plate. "I'm currently failing some of my classes and I asked Y/N if she could help me. Luckily, she agreed." Michael looked over to Y/N and gave her a smile. She kicks him under the table, causing him to flinch.

"Will you be staying over, Michael? It's getting late." Y/N's mother asked this time, "If that would be okay with you, Mrs. Y/L/N." Michael replied, looking over to Y/N again.

Well, let's say that everyone looked at Y/N after Michael said that.

The silence made Y/N glance at them, "Why are you all looking at me..?" She said in a confused tone, her mom shot her a 'is it okay if he sleeps in your room' look. Y/N sighed, "Fine, he'll sleep in my room." Now, everyone went back to what they were doing.

After dinner, Y/N's mom called up Michael's parents to inform them that he would be staying for the night.

Y/N was washing the dishes tonight, and of course Michael volunteered to help her.

"Why did you even volunteer? You hate washing dishes, Langdon." She said as she cleaned a dirty plate with the soap filled sponge.

"Oh c'mon, Y/N. Can't I change?" He replied, rinsing one of the dishes that Y/N cleaned.

Y/N scoffed, "You? Change?"

Michael elbowed her side, "Hey, I did change!"

"Whatever." She went back to what she was doing cleaned the rest of the dishes, ignoring Michael's statement.

After a few more dishes, her hair started to slip away from the loose ponytail she made earlier. Her hands were slippery and full of soap, if she were to wash her hands and fix her hair, then go back to washing the dishes, her hands would be wet again. Plus, the drying towel was on Michael's side. So she asked for his help.

"Michael," Her voice was soft. Softer than usual. "Yea?" Michael replied, still rinsing the dishes.

"Can you please tie my hair up? It's slipping away."

"Hold on." Michael shook the water off his hands and dried it using the towel beside him, while Y/N turned her back over to his direction. Michael removed the hair tie and bit on it. He started gathering her hair from the top, combing his fingers through her soft, silky hair. He was very gentle. After he gathered her hair, he removed the hair tie from his teeth and tied her hair, careful not to tug too hard.

Y/N turned around to face him, "Hm, maybe you did change," Michael was curious when she paused. "Because you used to be so aggressive when you tied my hair." She joked and finished off the dishes that were left.

—

It's now 11 pm. Michael is in Aaron's room playing video games, and Y/N is alone in her room, doing some extra school work that was due for next week.

Like any other Friday night, girls like Y/N's age would be out partying like there was no tomorrow. After that one time she was really drunk and a guy touched her inappropriately, she never went out partying again.

Once Y/N finished her school work, she decided to take a shower. She wanted to take advantage of Michael's absence and stay in the shower longer than usual. Like a typical teenage girl, she would blast music in the shower, dancing and singing like she had a whole audience to perform for.

Y/N wrapped a towel around her body and left the bathroom to get her clothes from the dresser. Little did she know, Michael was back from her brother's room.

"I see you still have that body, huh?" Michael smirked and looked her up and down. Y/N turned around to see Michael on her bed. Her instincts told her to scream and throw an object at him, so she did.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Chill, it's not like you haven't sent me your nudes before." Michael dodged whatever she threw at him and laughed.

"Yea, and I regret sending those to your ugly ass. If I could turn back time, I would've sent them to your hot bestfriend, Duncan was it?" She turned around again to get her clothes from the dresser. Michael walked over to her and grabbed her neck from behind,

"What did you fucking say?" He growled in her ear. She smirked and bat her eyelashes innocently at him.

"I said, I would've sent them to Duncan. You should set me up with him, hm?" Y/N knew what she was doing, "Aww, is little Mikey getting jealous?" She mocked in fake sympathy. She removed his hand from her neck, turned around to face him and gave him a pout. 

Michael was furious. What has gotten into him? He doesn't even love her. He just fell into a stupid bet just to fuck some girl's pussy after he fucks with her ex's feelings. But why does he feel like this? Like he needs to have Y/N only for himself?

Before Y/N went back to the bathroom to get dressed, she just had to get on Michael’s nerves again, as if she wasn’t already. At this point, she could literally see fire in his eyes. He was really mad. But why?

"Look at you, Mikey. You can't respond when you react." She giggled and gave him a quick nose boop as the cherry on top for her little act. But she wasn't getting away so fast. When she turned her back on him, Michael aggresively wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her, securing an arm around her waist.

"Where do you think you're going, you little shit? You aren't getting away easily after that stunt." The grip on Y/N's throat slowly tightened. "W-Wh... Why are you so mah-d.. Huh?" She managed to choke out.

Michael left soft kisses against her neck, while slowly loosening the grip on her throat. "See, Mikey? You're the one who misses me." Y/N whimpered, using her free hand to pull on Michael's hair in hopes of prying him off, but he was stubborn. Y/N whispered in his ear, "Whatever it is you're trying to do, Langdon, I'll never give in." She pushed her elbow into his ribs, causing Michael to groan. Finally, Y/N goes back to her bathroom to get dressed.

Once she leaves, Michael punches the nearest wall in frustration. He hated rejection. The girls that he usually fucked with never turned him down, they always wanted more. Why wouldn't it work on Y/N?

Michael sat on the long side of her bed, still thinking about what happened earlier. He couldn't believe that she could play with him like that. It made him look like he was the desperate one, which he is.

He took out his phone to text Duncan about what happened.

Michael: yo dunc, something happened

Dunc 🖕🏻: what happened? slr i'm at a party

Michael: bro she's a tough little shit. i did the usual thing that i would do to another girl, she didn't give in at all. instead, she's playing with me.

Dunc ��🏻: lmao man step up your game, she isn't your usual girl

Michael: dumbass you think i'm not?

Dunc 🖕🏻: duh??? if you were actually stepping up your game then you would've fucked her there and then 🙄

Michael: whatever.

Once he heard her bathroom door open, he immediately hid his phone back in his pocket. He looked over his shoulder to see Y/N already dressed in her pajamas. Michael didn't know what to do. His angelic side says to 'go and say sorry', yet his devilish side says to 'try harder and fuck with her feelings even more.' Of course, it was obvious what is choice was.

Y/N plopped herself on the bed and grabbed her blanket that was near Michael. She then placed the blanket over her and locked eyes with him.

Michael crawled beside her and placed the blanket over him as well. They are a few inches apart. Y/N turned the TV on, clicking on Netflix. Though she tried her best to ignore Michael, she can't help but think about what happened earlier. She liked it. No, she loved it. She loved the fact that she was able to get on Michael's nerves, and how he reacted to it. It was hella attractive to her, and the smell of Michael's perfume wasn't helping her either.

Now, Y/N was watching some cartoon show that she loved. "Are you kidding? You still watch cartoons?" Michael complained, gesturing at the TV. "Yea? What about it? I bet you only watch porn." She shot back and pulled the blanket towards her, leaving Michael without it.

Michael laughed, "I just can't believe a girl like you would watch cartoons. I find it cute." He pulled the blanket towards him, sticking his tongue out to tease her.

A few minutes passed by and Michael was on his phone, scrolling on TikTok. The same sound that kept repeating for almost a minute caught Y/N's attention. Was he watching the same video?

Y/N paused the TV and looked over to Michael's direction, averting her gaze to his phone. She took a good look at the video. a shirtless boy with a gold chain, with LED lights in their room.

"You've been watching that video over and over again, Langdon. Do you like him or something?"

"Yea, I like myself."

Like myself? Oh my god, no.

"What do you mean..?" That can't be him in the video.

"That's me."

Y/N's mouth dropped, "Wha— huh? How? I mean, yeah.. but?"

Michael let out a laugh that he had been holding in, "But what? Look, I'll show you." He handed her his phone, which allowed Y/N to have a closer look of the video.

"So you're telling me you blew up on tiktok by thrusting a phone on your pelvis??" Y/N stared at the amount of likes, a fucking million.

"Uh, yeah? That's how TikTok works? Look at the comments." Michael tapped the comments icon and Y/N scrolled through it.

'yo im down bad 😫'

'can we keep him a secret pls'

'chill i have a bf..'

'break my back 🤪'

Y/N bursted out in laughter, "Oh my god, if only they knew." she gave his phone back and Michael looked at her with a puzzled look.

"Knew what?" He asked, "You couldn't even 'break my back' two years ago, Michael!" She said in between giggles. "That was two years ago, Y/N! Two fucking years. I was a virgin!" Michael defended himself, then immediately realizing what he said.

Y/N wasn't aware that she was Michael's first.

"Wait Y/N, the last part isn't tru—"

She smirked and grabbed her phone from wherever she left it. She opened Twitter and decided to tweet about what Michael said, just for fun.

just wanted to let yall know that @m_langdon admitted that 2 years ago he lost his virginity to me 🤩

"What are you typing and why are you smiling?" Michael asked with a hint of fear in his voice. He feared that Y/N would do something that would tear his reputation down.

Y/N gave him a mischievous grin, "Oh nothing, just tweeted about what you said."

Michael's face fell, and Y/N hit the tweet button.

"Did you twee—"

"Yeah, go check your Twitter. I tagged you too."

Michael shot her a slight glare and went to his Twitter.

Y/N's tweet already had 5 retweets, 14 likes, and 8 replies.

"You did not." Michael said, shocked at how she would do something like this. "Ooh sorry babe, I just did." She faked a pout and formed a letter 'L' with her hand.

Michael felt embarrassment fill him, he wanted to scream at her so bad. He never thought that she would go this far. She was never like this.

He took a deep breath, "Why did you tweet that?"

"And you have the audacity to ask why?"

"Delete that tweet, Y/N." His voice was demanding and dark.

"Or what?"

Michael slowly started to kneel on the bed and hover over her. "You don't want to know."

Y/N smirked and fixed her posture, "Infact, I'd like to know. Care to tell me?” 

Michael clearly wasn’t having any of her shit, he was more than angry. He wanted to release all of his frustrations, and he was gonna do that. 

He trapped her by placing a leg on each side of her left thigh. Surprisingly, Y/N did not shrink against the headboard of the bed. She remained in her place. Their faces are centimeters apart now, 

“Now what, Langdon? Just gonna stare at me? Pathetic shit.” She cupped his face and stroked his cheek mockingly, then dragging her thumb against his bottom lip. 

“Shut the fuck up.” Michael swatted her hand away and crashed his lips again hers. The kiss was so intense, Michael hasn’t kissed any girl like this, it was a foreign feeling for him, and especially for Y/N. Michael’s free hand started roaming throughout her body, tickling her soft flesh. Meanwhile, Y/N was tugging on Michael’s hoodie, “Take this off.” She pulled away from the kiss and gasped for air. Michael took off his hoodie and revealed his naked chest infront of her.

Y/N felt weak. She wanted to fight this feeling so bad, which was lust. But it was too late.

"Fuck me, Michael.." Y/N whimpered, ashamed of her current state. Michael ran his thumb over her bottom lip, "What was that? I didn't catch it." He pouted, teasing her. Y/N couldn't believe herself. She promised herself that she would never fall for any of Michael's antics, yet here she is— completely submitting to him.

Y/N cleared her throat, "Fuck me please.." Michael cocked his head to the side, amused. He was enjoying this. He loved it so much. He finally had Y/N where he wanted her to be, wrapped around his little finger.

Michael's lips ghosted against her cheek, his breath warming up her skin. "Gladly."

And it begins now.

—♡—

this took me like 3 weeks im sorry 😔 nonethelEEEESSSSS i enjoyed writing this despite some breakdowns here and there <3

tags (ily all sm <3): @kitwalker02 @angelicmichael @deademobitch @iheartfrogs101 @tatestripedsweater @mrs-march-ahs @no-mercy-bby @hawtghostgirl @vixemi @antichristwifey @bitchchatter @fallwiththesun @booksandfandomsarelife1 @roseelizabeth666 (im sorry if i missed anyone!!)

—♡—

[helnjk]

All I’ve Ever Known - G.W.

George Weasley x fem!reader

last of my oneshots for my showtunes fic list, based on the song All I’ve Ever Known from the musical Hadestown! i’ve had so much fun with this series of fics, i hope you guys have enjoyed reading them xx 

Word Count: 2.8k 

Summary: george finds her extremely intriguing, the way she spends her days drawing and creating art. maybe one day he’ll pluck up the courage to talk to her. 

Warnings: mentions of food, mentions of bullying/exclusivity, stereotypical slytherin biases

lyrics are bold and italicized 

–

I was alone so long 

I didn’t even know that I was lonely

Y/N sat by herself at the end of the Slytherin table, pushing what was left of her meal around her plate. She could hear the different conversations flowing around her, the ones including her fellow housemates moreso, but as usual she wasn’t involved in any of them.

She could hear Malfoy sneering to his little crew about something or other that Potter did to irritate him that day. She could hear Adrian Pucey discussing the latest Quidditch plays they had used at training that day. She could hear a couple of first years anxiously discussing the topic of their exams the next day. 

All around her were signs of companionship and community, yet she was left utterly alone. She wasn’t stupid. She knew why she had been outcasted from her house the moment she got sorted. 

“Isn’t she muggleborn?” 

“What a disgrace to Slytherin.”

“The Sorting Hat’s made a mistake with that one.” 

Over the years, she had gotten used to how those in her house treated her–holding her at arm’s length. She had spent many nights in her first year crying herself to sleep because of how all-consuming the loneliness had been, but now at her seventh year, she was numb to it all. 

She knew who she was: A talented muggleborn witch and a proud Slytherin. She didn’t need validation from anyone else. And anyways, most of her time was spent out on the grounds with her sketchpad or in the Room of Requirement painting. 

Loud laughs from the Gryffindor table spurred her out of her thoughts. The Weasley twins had pranked their younger brother, and it seemed like their younger sister was an accomplice to the crime as well. The rest of the red and gold house was watching on amusedly, no doubt accustomed to similar situations. 

The Weasleys were a well known family at Hogwarts. How could they not be? With their fiery red hair and their big personalities, it was a given that they caught the attention of almost every student. 

Y/N admired how they just fit right in with their house, their second family. Of course, a lot of it had to do with the fact that they were so comfortable with the Hat’s placement. Their whole family was sorted into Gryffindor, she could remember, albeit slightly foggily, the older Weasley siblings in leadership roles when she was younger. 

Her eyes lingered on George’s laughing figure for a second longer than the rest of them. She was always intrigued by the younger twin. They seldom had classes together, but from what she could gather, he was just as observant and perceptive as he was mischievous and quick witted.  

As bodies began to take their leave from the Great Hall, a rough shove to the shoulder nearly made Y/N fall onto the floor. Her eyes snapped up to the offender and she saw the unbecoming sneer of Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were snickering not so quietly behind him as he stared down at her. 

“Whoops,” he jeered, “Sorry to disrupt your staring at the blood traitors and gryffindorks. Maybe you’d be better off with the lot of them.” 

With a huff, Y/N gathered her things and strode out of the hall without so much as a second look behind her.  

It's like I’d known you all along

I knew you before we met

And I don’t even know you yet

All I know is you're someone I have always known

She was drawing again, George noted.

It always baffled him how she was always alone. Usually students at Hogwarts drifted about their days in groups or pairs; it was rare to see someone spend most of their time by themselves. Growing up with 6 siblings, and having a twin, George was so used to the chaos and noise that came with it that he couldn’t picture what it was like to go about your day solo.  

His eyes drifted towards her figure sitting on a blanket out in the grounds. She was blissfully unaware of her surroundings, or more to the point, the person staring at her like a bloody idiot. The weather was slowly transitioning from autumn into winter, and he could tell that she was trying to milk the last few warm days. 

It was no secret to him that she preferred to sketch out in the sunny grounds, but Hogwarts being situated in the Scottish countryside made it so that her window of opportunity to do so was limited.

He was so focused on how her brows furrowed in concentration and how her lips pursed ever so slightly when she made a mistake, that he didn’t notice Fred’s many deep sighs. This caused his twin to take one final deep breath and exhale as loudly as possible. 

“What’s got your wand in a knot then?” George asked, taking his eyes off of Y/N and turning to face his brother. 

“Finally noticed that I exist, have you?” teased Fred. 

“Oi, just get on with whatever you want to say!” 

He merely laughed, “If you want to talk to the snake, just do it!” 

George had the audacity to act as if he didn’t know what Fred meant, “What in Merlin’s name are you on about?” 

“Don’t be daft,” Fred smacked him lightly on the back of the head, “You’ve been pining after that Slytherin bird for months, just go and talk to her already!”

“Was I that obvious?” 

With a frustrated groan, Fred shoved his twin in the direction of the girl. George stumbled for a second and checked to see if she had seen, she hadn’t. He sent a glare at the redhead over his shoulder, before dusting off his trousers and donning a confident facade. 

As he strode across the courtyard, his hands grew increasingly clammy and his heart began to beat erratically in his chest. There was no turning back now, though, as he approached the girl. 

His shadow blocked the sun from Y/N’s notebook and she looked up, not expecting anyone to get so close to her. 

“Erm, hello,” George waved awkwardly as he towered over her figure.

She blinked a few times before replying, “Hello. Can I help you with something?” 

“Mind if I join you?” 

George’s question rang through the still air for a moment as Y/N processed what he had just asked. No one had ever wanted to keep her company as she drew before, she wasn’t quite sure how to react. Just before the moment turned even more awkward than it already was, she gave him a swift nod. 

The tall, lanky redhead folded his legs beneath him as he made himself comfortable on the path of grass next to her. He had to stop himself from grinning too wide, “I’ve seen you around, you know.” 

She merely raised a confused eyebrow in his direction. 

“Not-not like I’ve been stalking you!” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck and feeling his ears turn hot, “I’ve just noticed you like to draw out here, especially when the weather’s warm.” 

“Oh,” she mumbled, brushing her hair behind her ear. 

“I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?” 

George’s gaze on hers was so sincere, she kicked herself internally for not saying the right thing to him, “No you’re not! Don’t worry. I’m just not used to people paying much attention to what I do. I mean, I’m not that interesting.” 

She felt small under his analytic gaze, but something in her kept her from looking away. 

“Well I think you’re plenty interesting from what I’ve seen,” He shrugged nonchalantly, “Tell me about your drawings!” 

He had said the magic words and the pair of them dove into a conversation. Y/N couldn’t contain her excitement, as she rarely had the opportunity to speak about something she was so passionate about. 

“These look bloody brilliant,” George murmured in awe as he flipped through the pages of her notebook.  

Y/N’s face warmed at the compliment, “Thanks.” 

All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own 

But now I wanna hold you too

For nearly every day after their first encounter, George made it a point to talk to Y/N. Whether it be along the hallways on the way to class, during meals (he would take her hand and drag her to the Gryffindor tables, much to her bemusement), or out on the grounds while she drew. 

Most of the time, he would talk and talk and talk as she listened quietly. A soft smile would always grace her lips as she observed him and how he spoke so highly of his family and how he was so excited for the shop he would be opening with his brother. The tone of his voice and his large grins always made her feel included in whatever it was that he talked about.

“Hello love,” George smiled down at her before plopping down on the soft grass to her right, “Reckon we’re on the last few days of good weather.”

His eyes raised skywards as the overcast clouds floated above them, hers did the same. 

“It’s alright,” she shrugged, sending him a small smile, “We’ve made the most of it, I think.”  

The pair sat in relative silence, as silent as it could be with one of the Weasley twins, as Y/N built up the courage to show George what she had made for him. With a deep breath, she plucked something from her school bag that lay strewn across the grass and held the parchment to her chest.

“George?” 

“Yeah, Y/N?” his eyes trained on her nervous figure and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Everything alright?” 

She nodded her head swiftly, “Yeah everything’s perfect! I just wanted to show you something that I made.” 

Slowly, she smoothed out the parchment in front of them. She observed George quietly as he took in the sketch she had made. His eyes scanned it over once, twice, three times before they met hers again. 

“Is this…” He mumbled, taking the sketch into his hands to look closer.

“You’ve just been so excited about your joke shop that I–I made a logo for you guys,” she smiled sheepishly, “It’s pretty bare bones, but I wanted you to see it. I won’t take offence if you don’t like it!” 

George stared at her, mouth slightly agape. This was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for him, and she did it out of the kindness of her heart. Without a second thought, he threw his arms around her and quickly pulled her to his chest. Y/N let out a little ‘oof’ as she collided with him, heat spreading throughout her body. She was thankful that she was basically smushed on his chest, at least then he couldn’t tell how flustered she got at his display of affection. 

“So d’you like it?” she asked shyly, looking up at him. 

“I bloody love it!” 

Y/N let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding, the pair of them grinning at each other. 

Later in the day, George all but dragged Y/N into the Gryffindor common room in search of Fred. His brother was sat on one of the couches by the fireplace, chatting idly with Lee. The sound of parchment hitting him square in the chest rang through the relatively empty room. 

Fred’s hands immediately held onto whatever George had placed on him, and his eyes lit with joy as he realized what he was looking at. 

“Bloody hell!” he exclaimed, “Is this what I think it is?” 

George took a seat next to his brother, his hand tugging Y/N along to take the seat beside him, “Yep. Our Y/N here has made us a logo for Wheezes.” 

“This is brilliant, Y/N! Thank you!” 

For the second time that day, she found herself wrapped up in the arms of a Weasley twin. Slightly used to it, she just laughed the show of affection off and patted Fred slightly on the back. 

“Happy to help,” she smiled. 

–

As the seasons turned from autumn to winter, Y/N found herself spending more and more time with the red headed twins. She found their enthusiasm for their joke shop infectious, always chipping in with ideas of her own for products, or sketching up prototypes for them to look at. 

Slowly, her days were filled with laughter and warmth. 

It was a little jarring at first, spending so much time with people who actually cared about her, people who wanted to hear what she said and see what she created. It surprised her, really, how quickly she had become accustomed to being around them. 

After a while, though, she found herself wanting to spend as much time as possible with George. She lived for the routine that they had formed, spending most of their breaks and meals together. 

It struck her on a seemingly ordinary day, the realization that she was falling for him. 

Y/N and George were at a far corner in the library, discussing how the product designs she made could be tweaked a little. He was hunched over the parchment, tracing his fingers over the soft lines of charcoal on the parchment, smudging it just a tad bit and getting some of the pigment on him.

“I love the way you drew…” 

George had said something or other about the design, but Y/N couldn’t focus on anything except the way his arm flexed as he spoke. From the corner of her eye, she kept glancing at him, noticing how the glow of candlelight cast soft shadows on his face. The freckles on his cheeks seemed to dance in the flickering light, and looking at the constellations on his face made her breath hitch in her throat. 

She couldn’t quite place why her heart was raging in her chest, as if she hadn’t spent most of her days with the red headed boy anyway. 

And then it hit her. 

Her eyebrows shot up at the sudden awareness of her feelings for George. Oh sweet Merlin and Morgana, she thought. 

You take me in your arms

And suddenly there’s sunlight all around me

“George!” 

Y/N’s voice rang through the relatively empty hallway as she raced to meet her friend. The friend that she might have been in love with. The friend that she spent hours and hours of her day with, trying to ignore the bubble of feelings that wanted so badly to burst in her chest. 

The redhead who was on his way back up to his common room paused mid-step as he heard her voice. He spun on his heel, turning just in time for him to see her barreling towards him, waving a piece of parchment above her head. 

When she nearly collided head on with him, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist and steadied her, “Woah there, Y/N. There’s no need to try and kill me.”

She huffed, catching her breath slightly, “Sorry, I’m just so excited!” 

“Are you going to tell me what you’re excited about, or?” he teased, cocking his head to the side. 

With a grin on her face, she shoved the piece of parchment she was holding into George’s hands, “I just figured out how the general design of the Wonder Witch products should look like! See here there’s a–”

“Godric I love you.”

Both bodies froze at the statement. George immediately felt his whole body get hot, no doubt tinging his cheeks and the tips of his ears red. Y/N’s mouth was slightly agape, her mind whirring with all kinds of thoughts as she tried to comprehend what had just come out of George’s mouth. 

“What?” she asked, unable to form a proper sentence. 

George took a deep breath, there was no going back now, “Erm, yeah. I fancy the hell out of you, Y/N. That wasn’t the way I would’ve preferred to tell you but, I do–I do love you, yeah.” 

“Oh, Georgie,” Y/N whispered. 

Taking her answer as a rejection, he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s alright that you don’t feel the same way, I don’t want this to ruin–”

Instead of replying, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in a hug, “I love you too, you silly boy.” 

The nerves got the better of her, and her words were slightly muffled as she whispered them into his chest. 

“Come again?” 

“I love you too, George!” 

A wide grin spread across his face as he looked at the girl in his arms. He felt like he could fly with how happy he was. Everything he needed was right in front of him, and he would hold her close for as long as he could. 

–

General taglist: @expectoevans​ @george-fabian-weasley​ @gxthsanrio​ @slytherinscribbles​ @harpyloon​ @nuttytani​ @mesmerisedangel​ @amourtentiaa​ @hufflepuff5972

Weasley twins taglist: @whizboingies​ @pineapplesandpinas​ @papapapadumb​ @mrs-g-weasley​ @a-castle-of--glass​ @hey-there-angels​