#asked the captain to show me how to check the engine room

[jemichi90]

Some photos from my sailing trip from last weekend. The weather was alright at the sea, although the winds were not in our favor (but there were thunderstorms on land at the time, so I can't complain when it was otherwise so nice).

Since we had no passengers on this trip, I spent most of the time teaching newer crew mates various skills from navigation and steering to packing the sails on the bowsprit. Things that a deckhand won't have the time to learn on a busy passenger trip.

I still feel like I JUST started in the crew, but being asked for advice and getting to teach these skills to others reminds me that I've been sailing this ship for 8 years and actually know some stuff by now. xD

Makes me happy when I can be helpful. ^^

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 26- nightmares

Woah art again?? :D there may or may not be art for the rest of the month 👀 no promises tho. And also excuse the fact how there’s no nightmares, there’s just bad memories 😭 I didn’t know what else to do lol.

~~~~

It took hours getting people to safety on the broken boat, and fortunately none of them were hurt too badly. There were a few with broken bones, but Talon and Ammon began to care for them right away. The people were all huddled up on the deck, anxiously watching the land ahead of them. After a few hours, the boat miraculously started moving again, with the captain of the ship taking the helm again and driving to land. But there was no sign of Linebeck.

Leon didn’t think much of it since the man said he was going to fix the engine of the ship, but even after it had started moving again, he still hadn’t reunited with the men. Soon the land was getting closer and closer, so Leon decided to look for the sailor despite his motion sickness so he wouldn’t have to turn the ship upside-down to find him when they arrived. He walked down the stairs, noting the broken walls and steps, and he reached the engine room. It was a mess, but it wasn’t flooded anymore, with boxes and wax all blocking the hole that the monster created. The engine was whirring still, looking functional, and Linebeck was resting against the wall with a blank expression on his face, his arms resting on each knee as he stared. Leon walked up to him, waving his hand to get his attention, and Linebeck flinched slightly, his eyes finally focusing on something.

“Oh, hey,” he mumbled, moving his legs so he was on his knees. “I was just about to head up there.”

“Were you now?”

“Yeah…” Linebeck trailed off, standing up slowly while still clinging onto the wall. Leon glanced around the room again, nodding his head.

“It’s impressive down here. You fixed all this by yourself?”

Linebeck let out a bitter laugh. “No, I didn’t fix it. I just… fixed it enough to last us the rest of the trip.”

“Did it take a while?”

He shrugged. “Just had to pump out the water and fill the hole. The water damaged the engine, so fixing that wasn’t easy but…I guess it didn’t take too long.”

Leon frowned. “And you’ve been down here ever since?”

Linebeck looked down, a guilty expression on his face. “I mean—I’ve just been thinking about stuff.”

Leon stared at his face, the uncomfortable expression, the way he was rubbing his arms and legs…

“Is your scar bothering you?” Leon asked, and Linebeck’s eyes traveled to meet his, his expression turning more somber.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “tentacles just give me bad memories.”

Leon gave a knowing nod, remembering how his scar spread throughout his entire body as if something had held onto him. He wasn’t surprised to see Linebeck freeze up earlier. And yet…

“You were very brave up there, Linebeck,” he said, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Despite your fear, you took charge and steered the ship away from the beast’s attacks while also keeping us close enough to fight it. It was impressive.”

Linebeck smiled slightly, it having a hint of genuinity. “Ah, it’s nice to finally show off my skills for once I guess,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his head.”

“Yes, it was nice to see them in action. Makes me wonder what else you’re capable of.”

Linebeck grinned, a hint of teasing on his face, but he didn’t continue. Instead he frowned and faced Leon fully. “How’s Benji? I haven’t checked on him at all.”

“He’s fine from what we can tell,” Leon explained, “no injuries, though he does seem out of it.”

“Yeah. Goddesses, I owe him a lot. If it took me I—” he shuddered and looked away.

“Well, let’s head upstairs to thank him, shall we?” Leon suggested, holding out his hand. “I doubt being down in the dreary engine room isn’t doing you any favors.”

Linebeck stared at the ground, but he took Leon’s hand, following him up the stairs to the deck. It was dark out, with a lighthouse guiding the ship to the land, but Linebeck immediately took in a deep breath, the wind clearly bringing relief to him.

“It’s nice out here, isn’t it?” Leon commented, and Linebeck nodded.

“Yeah. It’s not the sea, but it’s better than the forest.”

“You don’t like the forest?”

“I hate it.”

Leon chuckled before leading Linebeck to where the rest of the group sat, all chatting amongst themselves while Benji played on his guitar. Benji turned his head right when they arrived, and his face lit up.

“Linebeck! There you are!” He cheered, positioning himself so Linebeck could fit the group. “Where’ve you been? I was sad you weren’t the first one crying over my situation.”

Linebeck laughed, though it was small, and he sat down next to him. “I’m sorry, Ben, I was just…um…”

“Linebeck was keeping an eye on the engine,” Leon jumped in, nudging him with his boot. “Had to drag him up here so he wouldn’t work himself to death.”

The rest of the men chuckled while Linebeck rolled his eyes.

“I guess I was working a little too hard,” he muttered, and Leon nudged him again.

“He’s quite the handyman.”

“Oh please,” Linebeck scoffed. “I only knew what I was doing ‘cause it was the same as my ship.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Talon jumped in, “you’re the reason why we’re heading to land in the first place!”

“And you’re why we defeated that monster,” Rusl added.

“And let’s not forget the lockpick,” Ammon continued, “that was the fastest picking of a lock I’ve ever seen.”

Linebeck scratched the back of his head, suddenly looking bashful, which Leon found amusing. Usually the man loved boasting about his own accomplishments.

“I-it was nothing, really,” he said, “I was just… caught up in the moment.”

“It saved us though,” Rusl pushed, and the rest of the men cheered in agreement.

“Well let’s not forget about Benji though,” Linebeck pointed to the man, “he saved my life after all.”

“Oh yeah,” Benji started, “I did do that! Glad somebody remembered huh?”

Rusl playfully shoved Benji and the men burst out in laughter, beginning to chat about things, their plan, and how good everyone did. But Leon watched Linebeck, who was still more reserved than normal, yet looking far better than before. He truly didn’t give the man enough credit—the man was far braver and competent than he had realized, and he couldn’t help but see him in a different light. He opened his mouth, but paused on what he was going to say. Perhaps he was going to apologize for his short temper that was always directed to him, or perhaps he was going to compliment him once again, but right when he was about to speak up, shouts interrupted him, and the group went silent as the unfortunate souls on the boat started shouting at the captain.

“We demand a refund!” A woman yelled, her arm in a sling as she was inches from the captain’s face.

“I-I’m terribly sorry but—” he started, but another man popped up, a furious look on his face.

“You made us pay twenty rupees just for us to almost die! You have to make up for it!”

“Y-yes I will but—” The captain glanced at the men who were watching and gave them a pleading look. “You guys, you men helped save us! Surely you can… help me?”

Benji scoffed. “Buddy, you owe us.”

“Yeah, I’m not helping you anymore,” Linebeck grumbled, and the captain whimpered.

“I-I—HOW ABOUT THIS! I give everyone on this boat a free… um… stay at the inn in the next town?”

“And a free doctor’s visit?” A woman jumped in, and he sighed.

“Y-yes, and a free doctor’s visit.”

“I’d rather have a refund.”

The angry mob all muttered in agreement, but Talon raised his hand.

“We’ll take the free inn,” he said, and the group nodded. They didn’t give the man rupees anyways.

“W-well—I can’t just refund all the money, I’m sorry,” the captain said, but all the outraged shouts quieted him, along with shouts from the men.

“Just give them their dang rupees back you scammer!” Talon yelled.

“Yeah!” Benji agreed, holding up his guitar with one arm.

“But give us the inn, we do really want it,” Ammon shouted, which resulted in the men all laughing as the poor captain got left to deal with the angry mob. It was well past midnight by the time they arrived to land, with the boat sputtering and stopping right when they docked. The workers at the docks only stared at the destroyed ship in shock as everyone started running off as soon as they were able. The men were the last ones off, with the captain giving them a pleading look before they walked onto the ramp.

“I will let you all stay on my ship if you’d fix it for me,” he begged, and Leon glanced at the others, who were subtly shaking their heads.

“Nah,” Linebeck said for Leon, and walked away with the others following. Leon simply shrugged at the captain and followed his friends, the group looking for the inn where they would stay. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Benji wailed and got on his knees, kissing the cobblestone.

“Oh, solid land!” He wailed, giving the cobblestones more kisses until Leon kicked him slightly.

“Don’t do that, you don’t know where it’s been,” he scolded, and Benji simply gave him an annoyed look before licking it. Leon let out a disgusted yell and stepped away from him as he scrambled to his feet, his tongue still hanging out of his mouth. “You are disgusting! Licking the ground where hundreds of people have walked upon with their shoes that have stepped in every bit of filth on the planet! What is wrong with you?”

Benji simply winked at him before retracting his tongue in his mouth, which genuinely made Leon want to puke. He survived the boat ride without emptying his stomach, and he was going to let this ruin it for him?

“Hey, you two weirdos!”

Leon and Benji looked to see Linebeck watching them with the others waiting impatiently for them to follow.

“Quit fighting like a married couple and let’s go. I’m tired.”

Leon and Benji glanced at each other before sighing and following the men. They were both very tired, Benji more than Leon no doubt after everything he went through that day, so going to an inn sounded nice. They finally found somewhere to stay, with the inn being very nice; it was tucked away in the corner of town with trees surrounding the building, and the innkeeper was just as nice as the place, giving the men separate rooms where two could room together (save for one that needed three).

“I call rooming with Talon!” Rusl shouted as they got the keys, his hand raised.

“No! I wanted to room with Talon!” Benji fought back, clinging onto the man’s arm.

“That’s not fair! How come you two get Talon?” Ammon jumped in, and all the men broke out into a lighthearted fight over who got to room with Talon while the poor man looked shocked. Leon couldn’t help the chuckle as he watched the group squabble. They were truly an interesting group of men.

Finally they decided on who would room with who: Kass and Ammon would take one room, Rusl, Benji, and Talon would take the other since Talon wanted to keep an eye on Benji, and Leon and Linebeck would take the final room. It was an arrangement they (reluctantly) agreed to, and they split up, with Leon feeling surprisingly sad that they weren’t all staying in the same room. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited to sleep in his own bed for once.

He and Linebeck reached the room, with it being on the second level of the inn. As soon as Leon reached the bed closest to the window, he took off his shoes and cape and flopped down onto the bed, the events from the day crashing down on him at once. Linebeck did the same, and before Leon could fully pass out, Linebeck spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Hey—um—thank you for what you said earlier. It helped.”

Leon opened his eyes and smiled slightly at Linebeck. “I’m glad it did… I… I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time over everything. You’ve proven me wrong time and time again.”

“Mm,” was all he said in response before burying his face in the pillow with a sigh. “Well, goodnight.”

Leon smiled and buried his own face further into the pillows. “Goodnight Linebeck. I’ll see you in the morning.” It was silent for a moment, so Leon decided to say one more thing before letting sleep whisk him away. “May you have pleasant dreams. It’s what you deserve.”

He heard shuffling, then it went quiet once again, with sleep finally beginning to overcome Leon. But he heard one more thing before he finally fell asleep, and it echoed through his mind just as he fell unconscious.

“You too.”

[imawkwardlysoc]

"only bought this dress so you could take it off"

Song: Dress by Taylor Swift

Pairing: bob floyd x reader (afab)

Warning(s): Allusions to smut (not written) & Aftercare

Word Count: 1,913

Summary: Y/N had just moved to Miramar and was invited to the Navy Ball in San Diego by her roommate. Soon when the both of them arrived, Y/N was met with a face she hasn't seen in a long time.

Backing away from the full length mirror, I admired the dress I picked out a few days ago. The muted gold beaded dress hugged my waist in all the right ways. With it being off the shoulder and a sweetheart neckline, it showed the right amount of chest without it being too scandalous.

“Wow, you look amazing.” I looked over to see my roommate, Natasha, entering my room.

“Are you sure? I mean is this appropriate for a naval ball?” I turned to face her.

“Yes, all heads will turn to you when you enter the ballroom,” she reassured me. “Who knows? Maybe a navy man will approach you and you end up going on a date with him, but if it’s Hangman, straight up reject him.”

I laughed at what she said. “Nat, I just moved here two weeks ago, I’m not looking for a relationship yet.”

Ever since I moved to San Diego two weeks ago, I’ve been more focused on my teaching job. I work at the local high school near a navy base as a science teacher. I was hired when the school year already started so I've been catching my students up since the substitute teacher they had barely got them learning.

“Well, the Lyft is almost here, you should finish getting ready,” she told me before leaving my room.

Slipping on a pair of gold heels, I grabbed my clutch and double checked the inside to see if I had all of the things I needed. Closing it, I walked out of my room and walked out of the house with Natasha after she locked the front door. Getting into the car, our driver started to drive us to the US Grant hotel.

“Hey, everything is going to be fine,” Natasha squeezed my hand. “All of the Dagger Squad is going to love you.”

We soon pulled up to the hotel and saw a bunch of naval higher ups in their uniforms with their plus ones. I’m pretty sure that I also saw some politicians entering the hotel. Natasha and I soon walked in and headed to the ballroom entrance where we showed our identifications along with invites.

When we walked in, I started to feel overwhelmed. Many members of the Navy and their plus ones filled the room while a live band played music.

“Oh, I see them!” Natasha started to drag me to where her friends were. “Guys, meet Y/N.”

I was soon met with two dark skinned men, one with a buzzcut, another one with a somewhat porno mustache, and one who looked like a real life Ken doll. She soon started to introduce me to them with their actual names and call signs. More of the members came and I was introduced to them along with her captain and his husband.

“Guess who finally showed up,” Jake announced. “How long does it take to get a soda?”

“Y/N, meet-” I looked over to see who came and I froze.

“Robbie?” His name fell out of my mouth.

“Y/N? Is that you?” He asked.

“Oh my god, it’s been so long.” I walked up and hugged him.

“It has.” He returned my hug.

“Wait, is this the Robbie you told me about?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah,” I nodded my head.

“Are we missing something here?” Mickey asked.

“Yeah, did you and Baby on Board used to have a thing or?” Jake asked.

“Baby on Board?” A confused look formed on my face when I heard the name he gave Robbie.

“No, we used to be childhood friends back in North Carolina,” Robbie explained.

“Yeah we’ve lived in the same neighborhood until I had to move to Arizona because my dad got a new job,” I nodded and pointed to Natasha. “That’s where I met Natasha.”

“And we’ve been inseparable until we had to leave for college.” Nat wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “It took me some convincing to get her to move down here.”

“Well, I had to finish both of my masters,” I told her.

“Two masters?” Admiral Kazansky raised his eyebrow.

“Yes, one in mechanical engineering and one in physics, but I also have a teaching credential for physics.” I smiled proudly.

“Do you mind if we continue this conversation while I get myself another drink?” The admiral asked me.

“I don’t mind at all Admiral,” I answered while linking arms with him.

While on our walk to the bar, he started asking me questions about my studies and why I double majored. I also talked about my time studying my undergrad at Cal Poly and getting my masters/teaching credential at the University of San Francisco. 

Throughout our conversation, I glanced at the other side of the room to see Robbie talking to some of his squadron members. We would send each other a smile if we made eye contact with each other.

Soon a familiar tune filled my ears and the room. Placing my drink down on the bar, I faced the admiral.

“Excuse me sir, but I have to do something,” I excused sir.

“It’s no problem, also call me Tom.” He smiled and I nodded my head.

Hurrying myself to the other side of the room, I made my way to where Robbie was. When I saw him leaning against the wall as he listened to his friends, a smile came onto our faces as lyrics started to echo through the room. Handing his drink to Ruben, I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dance floor as Come On Eileen played. (A/N I just imagine the dance scene in Perks of Being a Wallflower) We started to do the dance routine that we created when we were kids whenever this song played through the stereo. We continued to dance to the song and sang out the lyrics.

“Wow, it’s been a while since we last did that,” I caught my breath after he dipped me and we moved to a slow dancing position.

“I’m surprised that we still remember it,” he chuckled.

“After the amount of times we perform this dance in front of our families, I would be surprised if we don't remember the moves,” I looked up at him.

He still had the same face from what I remembered as a little kid, but it was more defined. He was still the shy and reserved kid that I knew of as I grew up.

“Hey, wanna head out?” He whispered in my ear which sent chills down my spine.

“Sure,” I agreed.

He led me off the dance floor and went to his squad.

“It’s been great meeting you all. I hope we get to see each other again,” I told everyone.

They all said their goodbyes and Robbie and I left the hotel ballroom. As Robbie and I waited for the valet to bring his wrangler around, I felt him put his coat over my shoulders and wrapped his arm around them. Leaning against him, I looked up at him and gave a smile. Soon the wrangler was pulled up and he helped me into the car. Getting into the driver’s seat, he closed the door and untied the tie he was wearing.

During the drive to Natasha and I’s house, we were sharing stories and memories from our childhood. He also explained the reason why Jake called him Baby on Board sometimes. I laughed at the stories that he had with his crew. I guess he’s glad that he’s permanently stationed here with his crew.

Pulling up in front of the house, he got out of the driver’s seat and helped me out of the car. Walking me up to the door, we stood there for a moment, waiting to see what happens next.

“Thanks for taking me home,” I thanked him.

“No problem, it’s nice seeing you again,” he smiled. “You look beautiful by the way.”

“Thank you,” I looked down at the ground and blushed.

I soon felt his fingers touch my chin and moved my head to face him. Don’t know the reason why but I started to feel my heart begin to race as my stomach fluttered. Leaning my head in as his did, our lips touched and moved. It continued for a few more seconds as it got more passionate until we detached, looking at each other with a blush on our faces.

“Did that just?” I asked.

“Yeah, it did,” he nodded his head.

“Well, I should head in now,” I told him and grabbed my house key from my clutch.

Unlocking it, I pushed open the door and walked into the house without closing the door. I tossed my clutch on the kitchen island and started my walk down the hallway to my room. Hearing the sound of Robbie’s footsteps entering the house, I looked over my shoulder a little and gave him a wink. Entering my room, I took off my heels and started to unzip the back of my dress.

“Need help with that?” I heard Robbie’s voice enter my room.

“Please,” I answered despite me not needing any help.

Chills were sent throughout my body as I felt his breath hit my neck as he slowly unzipped my dress. I bit the inside of my lip as he started to place kisses down my neck. With my dress off, leaving me in my undergarments, I turned and started to kiss him as he led me to my bed.

*Aftercare*

Tangled up in my bed sheets, Robbie laid flat on his back while I laid my head on his chest. One of his arms wrapped around my waist while the other drew circles on my thigh.

“Imagine if we told younger us that we’ll be in this situation,” I chuckled, looking up at him.

“I feel they would be grossed out,” he let out a laugh. “I miss this, I miss us hanging out with each other.”

“Me too,” I agreed. “It sucked that we weren’t able to keep in contact with each other.”

He nodded his head and hummed in agreement. “But hey, we got to see each other again even though it took over ten years.”

“True,” I laughed.

“I know I already said that you look beautiful but that dress on you is amazing,” he complimented me.

“Well, I should buy that dress in other colors if it makes you do this,” I smirked as I gestured to us in bed.

“Nah, anything you wear can make me feel like this,” he placed a kiss on my lips.

“This isn’t going to affect our friendship right?” I asked him.

“I already lost you once, not losing you again,” he said while pulling me closer to him.

I smiled and laid my head on his chest letting out a yawn. Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep.

*The Morning After*

Opening my eyes, I looked over to see Robbie still sleeping. Smiling to myself and last night’s events, I quietly got out of bed and threw on his dress shirt. Walking out of my room, I walked down the hall to the kitchen to see Natasha standing there with a cup of coffee and a smirk on her face.

“So, my backseater huh?” She asked.

“Shush,” I blushed a little while pouring myself a cup of coffee.

“Hey, just saying he’s a really good guy but you already know that,” she told me.

Soon we heard footsteps revealing Robbie in his boxers and hair disheveled.

“Yeah, he really is.”

[jacksepticeye-simp]

Confident (Head Engineer Mark x Reader)

Warning: This gets a little spicy, please click off if uncomfortable!

Your day on the ship was like any other. It was your responsibility to perform maintenance checks in order to keep the crew and ship in good condition. You were used to this routine, even though it was extremely boring. 

Your head engineer, Mark, was the only one who made your job easier. 

While you wouldn't admit it to anyone, you did have a small crush on him. 

The details about him were absolutely flawless, from his raven black hair to his bubbly personality, and his eyes too... You could stare into those brown eyes of his for hours at a time, and then- Oh, speak of the devil, Mark messaged you! To find out what he needs, you open the message. 

Would it be possible for us to meet in our quarters, captain? "I'm going to show you something." His message seemed off-putting. Maybe something was wrong or you were just paranoid. Well, it's good to see what he wants. 

Not like he's planning to smother you with a pillow or anything like that. You placed your hand on the scanner in front of the doors as they opened swiftly. You walked into the room you shared with the head engineer only to find the lights dimmed. 

You raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. Suddenly as if responding to your movement, multiple lights on a pathway made from flower petals lit up. Standing at the very end of the path, was Mark holding a sign that read 'Will you join me on a date, Captain?' You gasped in disbelief as your eyes locked on Mark's. "Yes!" You cried excitedly as you hugged him. He stood there in shock for a moment before smiling and hugging you back. 

"Really?" He asked, wanting to make sure you meant it. You nodded eagerly and looked at him again. Your eyes hold nothing but love. A slight grin covered his face. "Hey, captain?" Your gaze stays fixed on his face. 

"Want me to show you how much I love you?" He asked, leaning down to whisper in your ear. His voice is deep and smooth like velvet, creating a noticeable blush on your cheeks. You nodded, left speechless by his sudden confidence surge. Mark gently pushed you against the wall as he kissed your neck and collarbone. You just stood there, a blushing mess while he rubbed your sides. 

"God, you're so perfect, captain." He murmurs while kissing your cheek. He leans ever so close to your face and puts his hands on your waist while you put yours on his shoulders. Both of you leaned closer until your lips met. You 2 shared a passionate kiss for a while before it intensified. Mark gripped your hips tightly as the kiss got rougher, and the 2 of you eventually parted for air. Mark stared at you, his eyes half-lidded. "So, do you like how confident I can be, captain~?" You nodded as his lips curved into a smirk.

 "Then why don't I show you how confident I can get~.." 

Made for @dontspilltheteaplease

[triforce-of-mischief]

Hypochondria

@sicktember day 19, hypochondriac tendencies

Characters are from @thatbrokenpromise

Summary: Chief is sick, and Prince is very worried about his big brother.

Words: 840

AO3

Please reblog to show your support! Likes do nothing.

With Princess Zelda’s instructions, Prince easily found Chief’s home. He had watched her laugh when she was told that he had promised to return in a few hours, explaining fondly that he had probably gotten distracted by his music boxes or something else he had left behind. That sounded like the Engie Prince knew, too, so he kept telling himself that as he knocked on the front door. Chief was surely fine, he would hear and come and apologize and follow Prince back to the castle-

But Chief didn’t answer the door, not after a second or third time and Prince apprehensively opened it himself. There was no sign of the smaller man, though his medic bag was left open on the kitchen table. Prince walked over and checked, to the best of his ability, that nothing was missing. He absently closed it as he whistled, I’m here, where are you?

No response. Prince made his way to where he guessed Chief’s room was, and breathed a heavy sigh when he saw the still form on the bed. So his brother had exhausted himself, and fallen asleep on his own bed… Prince clicked his tongue, but Chief remained dead to the world. He didn’t stir as Prince crept closer, the rise and fall of the blankets the only indicator that he wasn’t truly dead.

Finally, after Prince sat on the bed and touched his shoulder, Chief opened his eyes. They were clouded and took a few too many moments to focus on him. Chief spoke aloud, and Prince recognized “Captain.”

“It’s me,” Prince signed. “You didn’t return to the castle when you said you would, are you feeling alright?”

Chief stared at his hands and mumbled something Prince couldn’t parse. Slow, rising dread filled him as he reached for Chief’s face. The other man withdrew as soon as his fingers brushed his skin, burying his face in the pillow, but Prince had already felt the fever.

Chief was sick, and he hadn’t told any of them. Had he even noticed, himself? He had been alone nearly all day and Prince couldn’t know how long his brother had been like this, how severe his symptoms were-

He needed to bring Chief to the castle, closer to the others, where they still had access to trained doctors.

He went to grab Chief’s bag, first, giving him a few extra minutes of rest. Chief was too tired- too weak- to protest as Prince gently pulled the blankets away. He was still dressed, even the steel-toed boots on his feet making it glaringly obvious that his only instinct had been to reach the bed. As Prince lifted him into his arms, he found his red cap underneath him from where it had been dislodged from his hair. That went in the bag, then they began the trip back to the castle.

They caught lingering stares as they passed various noblemen and guards, and Prince wondered uncomfortably what they thought of seeing their Chief Royal Engineer sick and limp in a stranger’s arms. He glared at them until they looked away just as uncomfortably, but it was impossible to avoid people entirely.

Prince held Chief tighter, his face pressed into his shoulder. Prince felt his whimper against his throat and wished that his brother was lucid so he could assure him that he was going to be okay. Maybe, if Prince could have said so, it would have been easier for him to believe it, too.

Chief was long asleep by the time they reached their room. Prince carefully opened the door and found Smith inside, the other hero rising to her feet when she saw them.

“What’s- is he alright?” she asked, eyes wide with concern.

Prince gave a soft whistle, Medic, and Smith nodded. She left to find a doctor while Prince gently laid Chief on the bed. The smaller man curled up immediately, and Prince didn’t leave his side. He stayed there even when Smith led a stranger into the room, who with a kind smile introduced himself as Chief’s own doctor. Prince waited with bated breath as the doctor examined Chief, growing so visibly impatient and anxious that Smith walked over to hug his shoulders.

“What’s wrong with him?” Prince demanded as soon as the doctor finished. “How bad is it, is he going to be okay-” He swallowed hard, and dropped his hands to his lap to hide their shaking.

“He’ll be fine,” the doctor said. “It’s nothing serious, he likely caught something and realized too late. He should recover quickly if you let him sleep off the fever and give him this when he wakes up.” He offered a small glass bottle, full of amber liquid. “It’s taken by mouth, don’t worry,” he added understandingly.

Prince stared past the bottle at Chief, sick and small and blessedly unaware of how he had scared him so badly. He reached for Chief’s hand and squeezed it, desperate for the reminder that he was going to be fine. They were both going to be fine.

[rhythm-catsandwine]

Chap 5 Birthday

It's been a while since I've updated 'Life Finds a Way" on here.

Master List and Life

Some NSFW

They got up early to eat a breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. The fresh food was a treat before flying out to find a job.

“So what's the birthday want for breakfast lunch and dinner?” Maynard looked over at their youngest.

“Duno”

“Well, we all know what he's getting for dessert.” Adam playfully shoved him towards Danny. 

“Con"t wait.” He grinned.

Danny grabbed hold of him and started licking his face. “Why wait?” giant paws roamed freely against his body.

Justin squirmed and tried to break free.

“Down boy.” Adam pulled Justin close again. Danny barked like a dog.

“Not at the dinner table,” Maynard complained. He pointed at their captain. “Don't encourage the children.”

“You mean child and his golden retriever.” 

“Why do people call you an octopus or a goat?” Justin asked Danny.

“Played drums in school. It kinda stuck, because of how I played.”

They walked back to their beloved ship after breakfast and packing up.

Justin almost forgot how beautiful their ship was. Her cool gray metal, thrusters to either side. The rear end made her look like an actual Firefly or lightning bug from afar. The thing that set her apart was her name hand-painted by Adam.  Blues surround her name in comet white. 

She smelt like home. All the little details scattered across her. From the little red, gold, purple, and yellow (Danny's favorite sports teams) alternating hearts in the engine room. To the little Strawberries, blueberries, and other fruit in the kitchen. Adam was slowly making it their own. He would likely keep going until there wasn't any room untouched. There was always a balance of space and shapes. 

Adam felt something at the back of his mind. It was like some energy shot down from the back of his neck to the base of his spine.  He glanced up to see another Firefly. But a 3, not a 6. There was some familiar energy coming from it. The feeling was like when someone else like him was near. His grip tightened on Justin’s hand.

“Wot?”

“That's a model 3” He pointed to the boat above them. 

The inspector who checked them in handed the paperwork over. Justin took it as Adam was phased out a bit. “I don't see how those old Models keep going.”

Danny nudged the captain bringing him back to reality. “All the Fireflies 3 and 6 keep going.  As long as you take care of them they take care of you” The 6 was bigger than the 3. But not like the 4 which required more crew.”  “Shadow” had a smoother ride, a fuel-efficient engine, and a longer range.

Once they broke atmo they were all on the bridge. They needed a job. Maynard leaned against the airlock leading down the stairs from the bridge. “What if we picked up the stash of meds from that moon? The atmo stuff will expire soon. And a few moons will be overdue for a delivery. Sell the stuff or trade as usual? Plus I'd like to stoke up on the other stuff we have there. “

“I'm in,” Danny said.

“Wot stash?”

“There’s this moon that the main thing they do is making clay. We hid a huge stack of stolen meds there. Has the meds that keep people on a moon or rock with fucked up atmo from dying.”

“The people are a little strange.  Sing about some guy called Jane.” Maynard folded his arms.

“They wot?”

“You'll hear. Once we're there.” Danny answered. “Some people warship weird things.”

Adam pulled up the maps and charts they needed to get there on the computer in the control panel, in front of Justin. “Some people juggle geese.”

“That's quite odd.” Justin followed Adam's finger gliding across the map of the stars, showing the route to take.

“Weirder than the occult or the fact the government cuts into people's brains to make them physic?”

“Guss not?” “Wait, they?”

“Don't think too hard. Over-analyzing separates the body from the mind” Maynard messed up Justin's hair. “Take about three days to get there curly q”

“Stop calling me that and messing with my hair!” Justin untagged his curls and got them out of his face. 

That night their captain was restless, tossing and turning between the sheets. Justin was tired from flying in empty space toward their next job. Leaving the busy moon and seeing stars he had never seen before, made it even worse. Then he worked out with Danny, with the weight equipment they kept under the stairs to the catwalk. After that Danny fucked him against the wall of the cargo bay, until Maynard needed Danny’s help with something in the greenhouse, that was next to the infirmary. He tried to distract himself with the image of the mechanic. Covered in sweat, clothes clinging to his body, showing everything. The man was big all over. 

“Adam. I can’t sleep with you moving about.” He wined. 

“Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Wanna talk bout it?”

Adam still had his back to the other. “You’d never leave us, right? Leave me?”

“No. Corse not.” He pulled the other close, pressing their bodies together. 

“It’s just that people usually leave me at some point. Even my parents. Maynard, Dan, and James are the only people who haven’t. Sometimes I think you’ll wake up one day and decide you’ve had enough. Or that I’m too much to handle. I mean Paul just left us.” He sounded fragile like he’d break if pushed even a hair further. “He left us. Fucking just left us.”

Justin propped himself up on his arm and rolled his partner over to face him. “That’s not what I’m going to do.”

“You’re the best thing that happened to me. I don't think I could handle you leaving.”

“ I promise I will never leave you. I love you.”  

“I love you too.”

“Is there anything else you want to talk bout? “ Justin had a feeling, that something was left unsaid. 

“There are things I’ve never told Maynard or Dan. I was dragged through hell. James was the only thing that got me through. Or we got each other through it. But I don’t want to talk about that tonight.“

“Is that why you get more nightmares when we’re landside?” 

Adam was afraid Justin could see right through him. “Yeah.” He let himself be held by the other. “Wait how do you know it gets worse landside?”

“I keep track.”

“You what?”

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“Hey! Tomorrow’s your birthday.”

“Mhmm” Justin pulled the other against his chest.

“Want the day off?”

“Why?”

“I know how to fly her. You deserve it.”

“Bot didn’t we already have a few days off?”

“That don’t count. Do you want off or not? Maynard and Dan do the same.”

“yes.”

Justin awoke to Adam kissing him softly all over, no inch of his skin would be left untouched. From his jaw to his neck and down towards his hips. “What do you want?” He asked between kisses.

Justin flipped them over and straddled the other.

“Hey! You’ll be doing all the work.”

“You asked me what I wanted.” He moved pulling a wine from the one beneath him. “But tonight. I want you to have yer way with me.”

“I know you like it rough. But like?” Adam felt Justin lower himself on his cock. “Fuck.”

“Like you always fuck me.” He hummed as Adam bucked his hips against the other. “I've grown to like it. Jus depends on my mood. Which I want.” 

“As you wish.”

“Cinnamon roll for the cinnamon roll?” Maynard placed a sweet treat, bigger than his face in front of him. It drowned in sweet icing. This was all real. Not protein. Real bread, sugar, and cinnamon. “And something to wash it down with.” A mug of real hot chocolate was placed carefully in his hands. “It’s salted dark chocolate with two shots of bourbon.” That’s how Maynard showed love, through food mostly but he wasn’t pushy about it. The other side was when he fussed over someone when they were sick of injured. 

“You want to get me drunk at 9 in the morning?” 

“You want to be?”

“No, I want to remember this day.”

“Happy 22 earth years curly-q”

It wasn’t long before Justin found himself pinned against the wall right next to the engine. He was getting railed by Danny. This time the door to the room that contained the heart of the ship was closed.  “Faster. Harder. “ He said between breaths. “Please.” He begged. “Dan” it was all over too soon, like with Adam just a few hours earlier. His legs felt like jello as soon as his feet hit the floor. “Bloody-” he fell into the blond's huge arms. 

“You had that coming curly q “ Danny messed his curls up even more. “God it's been? What? Like two weeks?” He was grinning like sunshine on a warm summer day.

“Duno.”

“Probably I'll stay like this until you two get out of your puppy dog honeymoon stage. “

“Nardo says we ain' going to”” Justin let the larger man hold him tight. 

Danny laughed.” It's weird when you mix accents” 

At lunch, he had his favorite soup, of meat and vegetables, and birthday cake. As soon as he was done eating the others put gifts in front of him. He opened the one from Danny first. It was a new black waistcoat with spirals in the same blue as his eyes. Maynard just gave him a blank menu for the week. Usually whoever had a birthday got to plan the meals for that week. Last he opened the one from Adam. “Lord of the Rings,” He read the name on the set of four small leather bond books. “The Hobbit.”

“I know how much you like literature and reading.” Adam pointed to the white journal with random doodles drawn on them. “And I know you’ve been wanting a new one.” 

“You didn’t have tu do this.” He blushed when he saw the little blue heart with “JC + AJ” in the middle, drawn on the first page of his new journal. 

Justin watched the others, talking and wondered why the other couple never got married. Dan wanted to but Maynard didn’t.  They would still have an open relationship. But Maynard called marriage a fancy piece of paper. Dan disagreed. He watched Adam laugh at something Maynard said. Adam was pretty. Maybe they would get married eventually. But how would they show that? Some wore necklaces some bracelets, tattoos, and others rings. Would one of them take the other's name? Or keep them the same?

Later Justin sat with Adam on the bridge, it almost felt weird sitting in the captain's chair, but they weren’t a normal crew either. Most captains would never let that happen. Adam was still flying “Shadow” with a few expert instructions from her actual pilot on how to fly smoother and more accurately. 

“Which do I read first?”

““The Hobbit”. If you want, Or you can read “The Fellowship” first like most. It don't make much of a difference.”

“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit….”  He read out loud until he came to the first song. He sang, trying his best to imagine how it was supposed to be sung. 

“I didnt know you could sing.” Adam stared at him in amazement. 

“I guess I can.”

“Don’t tell Maynard.”

“Why?”

“He’ll bring music night back and make you sing with him. Although I think you would sound great together.”

The last word resonated in his mind. He kept thinking of what the captain would do to him at the end of the day. “Adam.” He got up, placing his gifts carefully in the seat. “Would you want to go to our bunk early?” 

“You okay?”

“I jus keep thinking of what you're going to do to me.” He hugged the other from behind and giggled.”I’m already hard jus thinking about it.” 

“Or we could stay right here.”

Justin reached over to plug in the codes for autopilot.” No” He shook his head. “Our bunk.”

[theknightlywolfe]

So, I realized doing chores listening to Jenny rip apart a theme park somehow makes the task feel like it is going faster, so I listened to the galaxy edge video again and realized that with a few tweaks (and, of course, a better app) they could have had a somewhat decent experience with actual storylines that "affected" the other storylines and the ship.

Quick (relatively) and dirty run down of using the elements to better effect below the cut.

How to make choose your path work

In the first hour of arrival after people have gone to their rooms briefly, have two groups, one gets a tour of the ship and services (which includes safety information and allows for IRL questions) and explicitly state that if anything goes wrong during their trip they can check in with the lobby staff.  And the other group gets intro to crew, entertainment staff, First Order officer inspecting ship.  Have someone openly "sneak" information to the smuggler character.  At the end of the character intros have everyone but the smuggler walk off to "check on things" and allow the smuggler to say "if there's anything you need that the ship doesn't provide, you let me know" and wink.  Then flip.  This allows for IRL issues to be handled before the real start of things and gives you a preview of the options you are given for your story.

Cycle people through the bridge over the next two hours.  Captain says prior guests had so many questions about how the ship works that they set up training simulations to allow their guests to experience the bridge experience.  Have a "cargo ship" smuggling something on board show "out of the main window".  This "brings Chewbacca on board".  It also gives an opportunity for First Order people to report something to the officer, putting them on the First Order path.  People who approached the smuggler for "a piece of the action" get put on the smuggler path.  While cycling people through the bridge, have the "off" people going to the engineering room so the resistance character can meet them and "brag about the ship's amazing tech" while dropping hints about supporting the resistance.  This is where they introduce the Saja by explaining that they are an order that has traded service on the ship for passage.  The Saja can then be asked about their order where they then reveal they are force based, opening up a Jedi adjacent path.  Now, within the first few hours you have been introduced to the path options and the opportunity to start down one.  This initial path step gets noted by the personnel and automatically gives you 25% relationship on that path.

Then the next couple of hours you allow people to explore, rest, get a drink, explore the app and their room, etc.  The smuggler is available for people to "ask about special items".  The First Order officer is "screening" guests, the Saja are sermonizing, and the resistance guy is available in the open engineering room for people to ask questions about the resistance.  These interactions weigh 10% on reputation so it doesn't weigh you too much to the path you don't want if you try to do them all.  Right before dinner Chewbacca "sneaks" through the halls and people who report it to the First Order get another 10% on that path.

Then dinner and a show.  People above 30% smuggler or resistance get a note about helping Chewbacca hide in the cargo bay after dinner.  This is where the people on these paths get to "hack" the consoles to help him get in it and to "hide the hacking".  Who gets which task is random and after ten minutes at the consoles they meet at the cargo bay to "report their success" for the resistance, and "help steal supplies while others are distracted" if they are on the smuggler path.  They are told to tell others that ask them what they are doing that they are "just exploring the entertainment options".  Hacking can be having the RFID register on one of the tap points like the droid, then it shows in the app.  This gives a reason to explore the details they built in to the environment.

After he is hidden the people above 30% First Order get a notice in app that word is out about a criminal on board and they are to meet the First Order unit in the lobby to help "investigate the ship" and after ten minutes of searching through ship records (same mechanism as hacking) they are to meet at the cargo bay, find Chewbacca, and then escort him to the brig.

The Saja host a "force sensitivity testing" in the atrium, allowing people on the Jedi adjacent path to move the rocks.  This gives more people the chance with this play element and solidifies them on that path.

This also gives people chances to *rest* after dinner while again putting them on the path of their choice and not overloading any one area or character.  All the options last about half an hour and parents can dump their kids on a path and get a drink at the lounge and then wait for their kids to rush back with a fun story.  People who want to stay up late can hang at the bar or chat in the lobby and the actors can fade off shift as they "settle down for the night" while the people who want to sleep can go back to their rooms and enjoy (free!!!) Disney+ skinned with an intro about how it is entertainment collected from various worlds.

Also, since people have had a chance to set themselves distinctly on a path, before the NPC actors go off shift, they can check in with a coordinator and let them know which guests did their story line.  Then if the app doesn't reflect correctly, it can be manually overridden based on actor input by the coordinator so everyone is appropriately sorted for the next day's activities.  This also means that when the guest wakes up, the app can show them when their expected down time is so they can plan a nap, or going to the lounge, or whatever.

During breakfast the captain arrives and apologizes that they've been forced to stop at Batuu to pick up supplies since some of theirs went missing from the cargo bay mysteriously.  Directly tying into the actions of the smuggler path people the night before and properly explaining why the ship had to stop at a dump of a planet.

After breakfast the second day the Saja take the force path people for lightsaber training.  The First Order people go meet the officer at the brig to see Chewbacca behind bars and to go into how the presence of the criminal means something is going on in the ship and the first order needs your help to find out if there are any other things illegally aboard.  Then those people are sent to the cargo bay again to explore stuff, check out the displays (which need to be better) and play (better!)  games.  The smuggler path people go into Star Wars land and scan crates to find the things to be smuggled on board.  The resistance people go to the engineering room to get briefed on resistance movements and to "prepare for their tasks on planet" like finding someone to hide a resistance hero currently on the ship.

The next hour the resistance path people are asked to go into Star Wars land to do the rides as missions while the smuggler path people go to meet the business owners to "arrange for supplies and moving the crates".  The First Order people go to lightsaber training as part of the "ship entertainment". The Jedi adjacent people are alerted to Chewbacca in the brig and asked to go to the engineering room to put together an undetectable message to the remaining Jedi, who he knows, where they can do (better!) mini games there in prep for his break out.

The next hour the resistance people go to the business owners to make sure the resistance supplies and people are moving as they should be and someone can hide Chewbacca.  The smugglers path people do the rides for missions.  The Jedi adjacent people are sent to Star Wars land to scan crates to "find the holocron".  The First Order people then are put through a "test" to see if they are force sensitive in the atrium with implications that those who are will be under suspicion.

The next hour the First Order people are sent to Star Wars land to scan crates to look for contraband, heavily implied to make up for being force sensitive in the prior task.  The Jedi adjacent go to ask business owners if they know about the holocron since it wasn't in the crates.  The smugglers are free to do whatever.  The resistance people are to scan crates to make sure resistance supplies are going where they are needed.

The next hour the First Order people go to "interrogate" the business owners for information on smuggling and resistance activity.  The resistance people are free to do whatever and the smugglers are still free.  The Jedi Adjacent do the rides as missions.

The next hour the First Order people are sent to rides as missions, the rest are free to do whatever.

The next hour everyone is free to do whatever.

Then the smugglers "get recalled to the ship" to help with the items they are smuggling on board.  Everyone else stays in Star Wars land.

The next hour the smugglers go to engineering to "prep for their deliveries", the resistance people are recalled to help break out the resistance hero.  The rest are still free in Star Wars land.

The next hour the Jedi adjacent people are recalled to "prepare for something", left unspecified.  The First Order people are still free in Star Wars land.  The smugglers do the cargo loading on the bridge "bringing in their supplies".  The resistance people go to the brig to free Chewbacca.

The next hour the Jedi adjacent go to the brig to help sneak Chewbacca off the ship now that the resistance has freed him, make this a "sense others" activity to literally sneak through halls without getting spotted.  The First Order people are recalled to the ship to deal with an issue.  The resistance people do lightsaber training as "ship entertainment".  The smugglers get a rest.

Have lunch buffet run the whole time people are being recalled.

Then the First Order people go to the bridge to stop the escaping ship with Chewbacca.  The resistance people go to the atrium because they showed force aptitude at lightsaber training.  The smugglers are sent to the cargo bay to check on their smuggled supplies.  The Jedi adjacent get a rest.

Then the smugglers go to the atrium to try their luck at force aptitude.  The Jedi adjacent go to the cargo bay to "retrieve the holocron" and then meet Rey in the lightsaber pod for that scene.  The First Order people get a rest.  The resistance people go to the bridge to defend against a First Order attack who suspect the ship of smuggling.

Then roll out the casino games and run them while people cycle through dinner.

Then the smugglers are given lightsaber training as "ship entertainment", the First Order is sent to engineering to "see why the ship didn't fall to the first order attack".  The resistance people go to the cargo bay to make sure resistance supplies survived the attack.  The Jedi adjacent go to the bridge to mess with the sensors so Chewbacca can fly off while the others are distracted.

All throughout this the romance storyline is just happening to fill in the world building, same with the Twi'lek relic story line.  Several game tournaments run throughout so people have multiple chances at winner coins and those who don't want to rest can still do something in universe during their rest periods.  Kylo Ren showing up makes more sense if he was coming to retrieve Chewbacca and then punishes the ship for losing him.  And Rey being there for the holocron is the same and their encounter is a coincidence but makes sense based on the actions that have happened.

This gives everyone every mission/location on the ship and in Star Wars land, and they get the same amount of time in Star Wars land, same directed activities and then free time to wander or do the in land add ons.  The NPCs can also cycle their lunch breaks.  There are also built in times of rest for every path so no one gets too exhausted.  And since the paths are more distinct, the guests can start building their own stories by interacting repeatedly with people on the same path.  And this naturally staggers people between activities so no one staff person or location is overloaded at any time in a naturalistic way.  And you still get to use all the same mechanics for every path but now you have distinct stories that make sense in a progression and in relation to the other paths.

The third day/check out morning can be as it was with one change.  People on the resistance path are called to the engineering room to meet resistance guy who gifts them resistance medals and says they're part of it now.  The Jedi adjacent are called to the atrium and given tokens to show they are now members of the Saja.  The smugglers are called to the cargo bay and given coins showing they are now junior members of the Smugglers Guild.  The First Order people are called to the Lobby and given awards (pins) for their loyalty and service to the First Order.  Then the captain's speech is more cruise-esque, thanking the guests for joining them, apologizing for the unexpected stop at Batuu and all the drama, and hoping they enjoy the rest of their travels and welcoming them to join them for a voyage in the future.

No one gets moralized at, they get a unique souvenir that can only be gotten from the experience, and specifically relates to the path they chose which is cool but also gives a final moment/closure to each path.  It also means completionists with the free cash come back to do a different path to get that path's bauble.

I'm like the least LARP oriented LARPer, I am there for the whacky bats. And I threw the above together in less than an hour waiting to do a job interview. Like, there are ways to make what they already made work. Like Jenny said about the song lyrics, it just needed a few more hours thought.

[homerforsure]

Seven Sentence Sunday!

With 4 minutes to spare!

Tagged by the exquisite @shortsighted-owl, @fleurdebeton, @ajunerose, @rewritetheending, @princessfbi, and @bigfootsmom

A very fun game that we'll be playing with this next episode of LWH is "If Allison steals the first scene from Jinx but then changes the rest of the episode, how mad will everyone be?"

Work brings with it its own kind of tension. Buck shows up early for his first day back after his concussion symptoms finally dissipate completely, bringing donuts and grabbing the morning checklist before anyone else even has their uniform on. He’s excited for sure and grateful to be back, but it’s really the nerves that have him moving like an eager to please probie. 

Everyone notices. 

As she and Chimney stroll leisurely out of the locker room, Hen asks, “Who gave you an extra shot of espresso this morning?”

“And a clipboard,” Chimney adds, recoiling from the offending object in Buck’s hands. “I thought I hid those!”

“Yeah well Bobby had this one sitting out on his desk.” If Buck had to unclip a few papers from it when he swiped the board from his captain’s office, that’s no one’s business but his. The truth is that it feels good in his hands. There’s something about the steady checking of boxes that settles his buzzing brain and makes him feel more capable. More at ease. 

“And you’re in clipboard mode, why? Are we being inspected or something?”

“Do I need a reason to try to get things a little more organized around here?”

“Usually,” Hen says, deadpan. 

“Why didn’t this clean freak side ever make an appearance when you lived with me?”

“That was Buck 1.0. He was younger; he didn’t understand that a man’s home is his castle.” He also hadn’t had the experience of being the person who was having their space invaded by dirty socks and dishes crusted with leftover sauces and video game tourneys that carried on well after midnight. Buck figures whatever he put Chimney through back then, he’s more than karmically making up for it by enduring Albert on his couch for weeks on end.  

“Or a man’s fire station,” Chimney says, taking a bite of his apple as Buck pulls open the service kit for the engine.

Not tagging as we are a breath from monday, but next week! Next week I'm getting here first!

[los-ninos-tortugas]

Wait hang on I’m having soft feelings about Janeway bringing Donnie to the holodeck and showing him the Da Vinci simulation.

Idk how exactly they get there, maybe it’s becoming a bit more obvious that Donnie is getting restless, maybe he’s been spotted messing around in engineering or the jeffries tubes more than he’s strictly allowed to be, maybe he’s just been a bit more irritable with people around the ship, or maybe it’s because Janeway heard him in the mess hall complaining that a lot of the “kids” programs they have queued up on the holodeck currently steer a lot younger than he is.

(hey, he’ll gladly go with Naomi if she asks him to, but sometimes he wants something to do in there but whenever he looks at the program catalog he gets overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and can’t pick anything)

And Janeway can’t help but recall an encounter with a young, future helmsman (that either he doesn’t remember or just doesn’t want to admit he does) that helped keep a lid on the potential chaos that a very bored young man can get up to. And it’s no secret that Donatello’s interests skewed toward more cerebral subjects. She has the perfect program to show him.

Sam is a little surprised when the captain arrives at their quarters, but not so much. It’s sometime in the midafternoon by the ship’s internal clocks, and Voyager hasn’t had much need for extra repairs or maintenance lately, so there’s a bit of lull in crew activity right about now. There’s less that the captain needs to actively keep a watch over so long as Tom doesn’t fly them into some other anomaly this week.

And when Naomi was younger it wasn’t so uncommon that the captain would stop by to play with her or just check in on how Sam was doing. She cared about her crew like that. But she didn’t come quite as often as late, but Sam has a suspicion that her new ward is probably the reason for this impromptu visit.

“Is Donatello here with you right now?” Ah, she knew it.

“He’s back in his and Naomi’s room,” she said as she stepped aside to let the captain in.

“Do you mind if I borrow him for a little while?” Janeway asked.

“Not at all,” Sam replied. “Just let me tell him you’re coming in, I think he might be taking apart and rebuilding another data pad in there.” And Sam walked into the back of the quarters to retrieve Donnie.

At least he puts the data pads back together, Kathryn thought. Still wish I’d thought of this sooner, though.

Sam came back out a moment later, and with a mouthed “ok,” waved Kathryn into the kids’ room.

Donatello sat in the desk chair, he rapped his knuckles agains his knees. He made a slightly humorous image, sat in a chair that was just slightly too small to accommodate his height and gangly teenage limbs. It was originally just Naomi’s desk and chair after all, but now the two had to share.

Naomi herself was currently nowhere to be seen, but that probably meant she was either with Neelix or Seven of Nine.

“Hi, captain,” Donatello said meekly. It pains Kathryn that he’s still so nervous around her, but hopefully today she can fix that.

“Good afternoon, Donatello,” she greeted warmly. “Are you doing alright today?”

“I’m, uhhh….” He glanced furtively at the remains of the data pad on the desk, she wasn’t quite sure if he was in the taking apart or putting back together stage. “I’m doing okay today,” he started to tug at his sleeves. He pulled them over his hands and rolled them back again.

“Well I’m glad to hear that, because if you don’t mind coming with me, there’s something I’d like to show you.” She let fondness deep into her tone, she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea and think he was in trouble.

“Ooookay?” He raised one drawn-on-eyebrow (okay she can’t help but think that is actually a bit funny, what a peculiar habit to have. But it does make him easier to read).

She offers him her hand and helps pull him upright out of the too short chair. They wave goodbye to Samantha on their way out, and Kathryn starts leading Donatello towards the holodeck.

They walk in (what Kathryn hopes is) companionable silence. All that is heard is the barely audible swoosh swoosh of Donatello's pants and the clicking of her boots down the hall.

Upon arrival to the holodeck, Donatello once again raises his brow in mild curiosity. "Captain, no offense, but I've been to the holodeck before."

She chuckles, "Yes, I am aware of that, Donatello," she says good-naturedly. "I am also aware that most boys your age have well outgrown The Adventures of Flotter at this point, yes?"

Donnie shrugs noncommitally. He had never grown up with those stories to begin with, but he's not about to argue semantics right now. "I suppose," he finally said. "Naomi likes them, and I like Naomi, so...."

She chuckles again, and leans against the wall casually like she isn't both the coolest and most intimidating person Donnie has ever met. And he knows April O'Neil, so that's saying something.

"I suppose that's fair, but still, it can't hurt to branch out," Captain Janeway's face took on a more sober expression, and Donnie started to fidget with his sleeves again. "There's a place I like to go to when I'm feeling particularly stressed, or stuck on a problem, or too bogged down in my own thoughts.

Now, I think what you're dealing with is a little bit different, but I still think that this might help, and I want you to feel free to come here whenever you need to. Computer, load holodeck program "Janeway 7."

The computer responded with a chime and the archway opened. Captain Janeway waved him inside.

Donnie isn't sure what he expected, but he doesn't think it was this. There's a pleasant warmth in the air as (artificial) sunlight filters in through open windows, illuminating a stone room that seems to be some sort of workshop of all things. That is, if all the tools, design sketches, and half built inventions laying about are any indication. But amongst the various engineering projects there's also a myriad of half completed sculptures, drawings, and paintings strewn all throughout the shop in a sort of organized chaos.

Donnie steps through the workspace carefully, looking over everything as he goes. In the back of his mind he remembers that none of it is real. It's all a holographic hard light projection, but it's a very detailed one. He can't help but be fascinated. He's so enthralled that he starts when a deep, boisterous voice suddenly shouts,

"Katerina!"

Donnie looks up to see a white-bearded man descending the stairs of the workshop, a big grin splashed across his face.

"Katerina, it has been too long! Too long since you last visited me," the old man said. He had a thick Italian accent. "You know, I almost considered finally going off to France for good this time. The King has been sending me letters non-stop, begging me to come to court." The old man had been so focused on Captain Janeway, that it took a moment for his eyes to actually alight on Donnie.

"Ah, I see you have brought another strange friend with you, is he another "Scandinavian" like your friend, Tuvok, or does this young man hail from some other foreign shore?" He asked, looking Donnie up and down with an appraising eye.

"Maestro," Captain Janeway starts, "This is Donatello, he... has recently come to be under my care, he is also a student of the sciences." Bit of an understatement but Donnie will take it. If the Captain takes this holodeck character to be some sort of mentor figure, then he must be pretty impressive himself.

"Ah, well then it is very good to meet you, Donatello," the old man says jovially.

"It's nice to meet you too, Maestro...?" Donnie trails off.

"Ah! Of course, I have forgotten my hospitality. You may call Leonardo da Vinci."

Next ->

[washingmachinegirly]

Untitled: Pilot Episode  

“How long until we reach Cantos?”

“Umm…only one hour left Captain.”

“Thank you, Hannah.”

Thomas, the Captain, stared out the window as he wrung his hands together. Never in his 20 years of being Captain had he ever been so nervous, but today was different. Today, was the first time he and his crew were going to touch base with an alien life form and according to the ship’s Wayfinder Hannah, they were very close to making history.

Turning away from the window, Thomas finds himself face to face with his Second-in-Command, Mercedes.

“Is everything alright Sir? You seem…a bit freaked out.” Mercedes asks.

“How many times do I have to tell you that you can address me by my actual name? You’ve been my right-hand man for 20 years! And to answer your concerns, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Whatever you say…Sir,” she says with a smirk. “Would you like me to check up on the engineering department?”

“…Yes please,” Thomas responds as he rolls his eyes.

With a nod, Mercedes leaves the main control room of the ship and walks down the long hallway leading to the engineers’ lab. The lab contains the greatest rocket scientists and mechanical engineers the world may have ever seen, but if it weren’t for their credentials, you probably would have mistaken them for regular citizens. As Mercedes walks through the lab door, she makes eye contact with Miya, the ship’s Lead Scientist. Though rarely muttering a word and hiding in her work, Miya is not a force to be reckoned with. Within her field, she’s the smartest you’ll ever find, as well as the kindest you’ll ever meet.

“Hannah says we only have one hour left until we reach Cantos, should we be able to make it safely with the fuel we have?” Mercedes querries, which Miya answers with a curt nod and a small smile on her face. 

“Awesome,” Mercedes says, returning the smile. “Are all your other engineers working as hard as you?”

“Are you accusing me of slacking off Commander Mercedes?” Haylee, a fellow rocket scientist, yells playfully from the back.

“Well, prove me wrong if you’d like, but according to your computer log, you’ve been playing Slither.io during most of your work hours.” Mercedes quips.

“I’ll have you know I’m the one refueling the ship in the first place. If you need to worry about anyone not working, go check on Emma. Lord knows what she’s doing.” Haylee replies with an eye roll, pointing lazily to the other corner of the room.

Off in the far corner sat the ship’s oddest, yet smartest mechanical engineer, Emma. She tends to keep to herself, though when spoken to, it’s near impossible to get her to shut up. Many find her snobby and a bit intimidating, but that could be because she’s well over six feet tall. At the moment she seems to be tinkering with a robot prototype of hers. Most likely not what was assigned to her. Mercedes rolls her eyes and makes her way to Emma. Leaning against a table close by, she asks,

“Emma, what were you assigned to do today by Dr. Miya?” 

Slowly, Emma turns her head to face Mercedes and stands up, flattening out her pants.

“Well…This morning I was told I was supposed to get the conveyor belts in the canteen repaired, which I did. Then I was supposed to test our theories about the electrical to consume less gas and power altogether, but I’ve been doing that all week, and quite frankly, it’s boring.” she states with a shrug. 

“As I was walking around the ship during my lunch break, I saw how close we were to Cantos and I thought to myself, ‘Hey! Wouldn’t it be so cool if I finally finished my robot to show the aliens of much higher intelligence that we’re at least not as stupid as they think?’ and now we’re here.” she finishes, very much out of breath.

“Well…is the robot at least almost ready?” Mercedes asks, raising her eyebrows.

“Oh no, absolutely not. It could not be farther from ready. The joints are still stiff and the AI system is barely as intelligible as a nine-year-old. Not to mention the-” 

“ATTENTION ALL SPACE CREW. THE CAPTAIN NEEDS ALL PERSONNEL TO REPORT TO THE MAIN CONTROL ROOM. I REPEAT, ALL PERSONNEL TO THE MAIN CONTROL ROOM.” the voice of the Spaceship’s intern and Thomas’ assistant, Sophie, interrupts Emma.

With a small squeak, Emma immediately runs out of the lab and down the hall, eager to stay out of trouble for as long as she can. Rolling her eyes, Mercedes makes her way to the control room as well.

By the time she got there, everyone on the ship had gathered in the area by the large window facing Cantos. In front of the window stands Captain Thomas, once again wringing his hands together. Pushing past the group, Mercedes made her way to her place beside the Captain. Thomas looks up at her nervously and she responds with a simple nod. He clears his throat and all the personnel look at him, awaiting their next order.

“Hello everyone…as you know, we’re approaching Cantos in rapid succession. At this rate, we’ll be landing in the next 30 minutes.” Thomas states, “The reason I’ve gathered you all here today is that we need a single representative to join me in meeting the alien race.”

The entire room bursts into quiet commotion. Meet the alien race in Cantos? Word back from the homeworld says that the inhabitants of Cantos are extremely regal and selfish people, maybe even evil.

“Quiet down, quiet down! Now please, are there any volunteers?” Mercedes asks.

Silence across the room. The people looked amongst themselves. Who in their right minds would want to greet the aliens of Cantos?

“Um…I’ll go!” A quiet, lone voice says in the crowd.

Thomas and Mercedes look out into the crowd in search of the owner of the voice. Slowly, everyone moves out of the way to reveal the volunteer. Once revealed, Mercedes covers her face and lets out a tempered sigh. 

“Welcome to the team, Emma!” the Captain states cheerfully.

Of course, it had to be Emma.  

An hour later, Emma finds herself walking off the ship with Captain Thomas. Looking around, she sees bright blue oceans, hot sand, and a copious amount of fruit plants. So this is Cantos?

“So…do you have a plan?” she asks Thomas.

“A plan?” Thomas queries. 

“…A plan on how to communicate with the alien species known for being deceptive?”

“Ohhh, I was just planning on having a polite conversation, they can’t be that bad, can they?”

“…Yes they can. How about you just follow my lead.” Emma decides with an eye roll and sighs.

Soon enough, they set foot on the sandy grounds of Cantos and come face to face with three of the alien creatures, one of them seems to be the leader. The aliens don’t seem much different from human life, besides the fact that their average height is about two feet taller than a human and they’re all feminine presenting. Emma could name many men that would go insane at the sight. Looking over at the Captain, she can see the near lovestruck look he has. Her point stands tall.

“Hello, I am Nire, the leader of Cantos,” speaks the most adorned alien of the group. 

“This is Gub, my Second-in-Command, and Rolyat, the representative of my people.” she continues, referring to the tallest of the group, and then the shortest.

“I assume you are the Captain of this ship? State who you are and why you are here.” Nire demands, looking at Emma.

“Well, actually I-”

“My title is Captain Emma of the Bay. My crew and I are here on a space exploration journey in order to affirm intergalactic relations.” Emma states confidently, effectively cutting Thomas off.

“…And who is this man thing?” Nire asks, referring to Thomas. 

“Oh, him? That’s just my intern.” Emma answers nonchalantly.

“Very well. Before we get into official business, how about you join my girls and me for some mimosas.” 

“Well actually we’re on a business trip and we really shouldn’t be drinking on the job. Plus we’re on a time crunch, so it would probably be best to get down to business now.” Thomas inquires. 

All the alien women stare between Thomas and Emma as if he had committed a federal crime. Before Thomas could question their attitudes, Emma swiftly smacks him on the chest.

“You speak when asked, Tool!” Emma sneers with her arms crossed. 

Satisfied, the alien women continue walking towards the nearest bar. Emma walks up to Thomas and grabs him by the collar of his shirt.

“Clearly, you have no idea how things work on Cantos. Typical man. How about for the rest of this trip, you shut up and let me do my own thing, got it? Without me, you’ll surely be killed.” Emma finishes with a smile.

Almost as quick as the threat came, Emma got up and ran after the alien women, leaving Captain Thomas on the ground, rather confused. What had gotten into Emma? Could she have an ulterior motive? And if so, what could it be? 

To Be Continued in the Next Episode…

[myenterpriseisparked]

Little things from Star Trek Voyager that make me soft:

- Harry inviting Captain Janeway to Tom’s holobar for games and the way Janeway seems so touched at being included

- When Tom makes a cheesy joke at the helm and Janeway rolls with it while smirking at him knowingly (ex. “What if we set up a bicycle in the mess hall and pedal our way home?” “Now why didn’t I think of that.”)

 - When the ship is traveling through the Void and Harry writes a concerto on his clarinet and Tuvok stops to listen to it because he knows Harry worked hard on it

- When Chakotay makes little jokes with Harry and chuckles to himself when Harry jokes back like a proud dad

- Tuvok and Seven bonding over how dumb they think humans are

- The way Janeway looks at Sam Wildman when Sam tells her she’s pregnant. Janeway is clearly sympathizing with her nervousness about having a baby in the Delta Quadrant but she congratulates her anyway because she knows Sam needs to feel supported in her decision.

- When Tuvok tells Neelix he isn’t completely inept during security training and Neelix treats that like the massive Vulcan compliment it is

- The achingly gentle way Janeway looks at all of her crew members when they’re going through a tough time

- How defensive Chakotay gets when any member of the crew questions the captain’s judgement

- At Janeway’s funeral in “Coda,” she manages to keep her emotions in check until Harry starts talking and then she cries

- The fact that Janeway cries like a real person. Like, her face scrunches up, her lip quivers. She’s not out here crying those fake-ass stoic tears that other fictional characters do. She’s crying for real. 

- When Tom covers for Harry’s indiscretion because he knows how important Harry’s clean Starfleet record is to him

- The way Janeway hugs Kes during Elogium and sits to talk to her about puberty while gently stroking her hair and listening to her patiently

- The fact that there’s a pot of coffee ready in Janeway’s ready room all the time and you just know that Chakotay is using his own replicator rations for her

- In the wedding between duplicate Tom and B’Elanna when Chakotay walks B’Elanna down the isle and Janeway walks Tom down the aisle and they both look like the proudest parents to ever exist

- Chakotay and Neelix’s background friendship. You have to squint for it, but they have some funny little moments together that indicate an offscreen friendship that I wish we could have seen more of

- The fact that Janeway goes to visit almost everyone who gets admitted to sickbay

- Tom telling Harry that he will never forget Harry defending him in “The Chute” simply because he is Harry’s friend. Not because he had something Harry needed, or because Harry couldn’t survive without him, just because “this man is my friend.”

- When Janeway flat-out tells Harry that she thinks of him like a son and she’s proud of how he’s grown since coming on Voyager

- The way Tuvok just really, really loves his wife

- The fact that Janeway makes baby blankets for babies born on Voyager 

- How absolutely into Captain Proton Harry and Tom get (and how into character Janeway gets when she plays Arachnia)

- Chakotay and Janeway exchanging looks when someone says something dumb, especially when it’s one of their officers and they just look amused/exasperated

- “Chakotay? Are you there?” “No, I left an hour ago!”

- Tom inviting Seven to play ping pong because he thought she might enjoy the math behind it

- The way that Janeway never writes Neelix off, even though he can be a pest sometimes. If he says he knows how to do something, she lets him take a whack at it. If he’s got a story to tell and there’s no immediate danger, she listens. When he’s clearly baiting her into a conversation where he can show off his knowledge of Earth history, she bites and encourages him to tell her more because she knows it’s important to him to know about the history of the cultures represented on the ship.

- The fact that Neelix tries to get to know the cultures represented on the ship, even when he gets it wrong sometimes. He has good intentions.

- The entirety of Neelix and Tuvok’s interactions during “Riddles.” I was a hot mess that entire episode.

- Janeway finding out Tuvok’s birthday, making him a cake, baiting him into thinking she was mad at him so she could do a dramatic reveal, and Tuvok blowing out the candle even though he thought the candle was dumb just because she’s his best friend and he loves her

- The way Chakotay turns into Hearteyes McGee every time Janeway puts her hands on her hips, cocks her brow, and tells off an enemy

- How excited the whole crew gets when they find a cool space anomaly that isn’t immediately threatening them

- The fact that Janeway does her best to allow her officers to pursue their interests. Like when Tom asks to build the Delta Flyer, she lets him because cool spaceships are his Thing. When they find that lost ship from the early Mars missions, she lets Chakotay lead the away mission because that’s his Thing. She lets B’Elanna and Harry make a ton of adjustments to the engines because it might help them get home faster, but also because that’s their Thing. She understands how frustrating it can be to be locked in a spaceship for years without a way to pursue your interests and hobbies outside of the holodeck so she does her best to let them do their Things when opportunities do arise. 

- When Tom and Harry start a street brawl because they tried to play drunk tennis with some aliens and Janeway dresses them down for unbecoming conduct but then is like “.... so did you win?”

- The fact that both Harry and B’Elanna have fever dreams where they very clearly reveal that they see Janeway as a mother figure

- Seven of Nine and Naomi’s friendship and how pure it is and also how Seven always calls Naomi by her full name

- Also Neelix and Naomi’s friendship

- And the fact that Naomi is the Captain’s Assistant and Chakotay and Janeway send her back and forth between the two of them with messages because it makes her feel important

- I guess just Naomi Wildman in general

- Seven and The Doctor connecting over music

[sheetsonfire]

Hostage | Part 1

Summary: Y/N is a Firefighter at Firehouse 51, they get taken hostage inside the Firehouse with Casey's niece, Violet.

Fandom: Chicago Fire / Chicago PD / Chicago Med

Characters: Reader x Kelly Severide, Firehouse 51, Chicago Med, Jay Halstead, Hailey Upton

Warnings: Swearing, violence, injury

Word Count: 4575

It’s a crisp November morning in Chicago, Engine 51 is parked out front ready for the second shift. Plumes of water vapour dance in the sky as the surrounding neighbourhood tries to stay warm.

Squad 3, Truck 81, and Ambulance 61 are tucked away from the chill inside the garage, items for breakfast are waiting and ready to be cooked, members of Firehouse 51 sit intently listening to Chief’s briefing for the day. You’re not one to shirk focus when listening to the Chief, but Kelly’s thumb rubbing the back of your hand as you sit next to him is a comforting and welcome distraction.

You had been struggling to catch a good night’s rest lately, following a particularly difficult call involving two sisters who had got themselves trapped in the inferno of their burning bridal shop; it was a family business, only survived by their father and their uncle. You couldn’t get to them in time, despite a most relentless effort, the blaze had reached flashover point, Chief wasn’t giving you a second longer; Casey and Stella had been given the go ahead to pull your ass out of there.

The memory of the two women being in your reach but not close enough had haunted you, their burnt bodies were a jarring sight, no matter how many times you had seen such a scenario. You had spoken to the Chaplain about your grief and you were getting better at dealing with it, but the nightmares were still lingering.

Accompanying your grief was a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right with the whole situation, OFI had been given the case report to make their own determination; as much as it looked like a simple accident, you couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it. You knew grief came in all shapes and forms, but those brothers didn’t seem too phased by the death of their daughters and nieces respectively. Kelly’s hand squeezes yours gently, pulling you out of your reverie, you glance at him with a soft smile. You don’t know how you got so lucky to have him in your life, but you were always counting such a blessing. He returns the smile with a fondness, eyes twinkling as he turns back to focus on Chief, warm hand still clasped with yours.

“Oh, one more thing… There will be a service check on the washer and dryer this afternoon, so please make sure you’ve got enough uniform before that is done, or speak to Connie if you think there’s gonna be a problem… and I think that’s everything, let’s have a good one, Fifty-One. Dismissed.”

With a nod from Chief Boden everyone begins to arise from their seats.

Kelly releases your hand gently, standing up as he rubs your back, “Okay?” He asks, gaze focused on you with concern. “I’m good, just got a bit lost there for a second… but I’m back, all good.” You’re being genuine when you say those words, it’s no secret that it’s been hard on you, but you are definitely getting there and you know you’ll be fine with Kelly and the rest of 51 by your side.

The briefing room files out to go about their business before their next call, Kelly kisses your cheek as he parts to go talk to Squad about some planned drills, you caress his forearm as he parts from you, loving him so much. You’d be okay, you knew it.

… It takes a small jog to catch up with Matt who’s about to head off to squeeze in a washing load before the machines are out of action. “Captain, are we still on for this morning? I’m all set to show Violet the ropes with Stella and Sylvie.” Matt nods with a smile, “We are, Violet texted me, she’s on her way with her mom. ETA 10 minutes or so. Thanks again for doing this, Y/N. I really appreciate it, and I know Violet does too.” “It’s no problem, boss. Happy to help out a future firefighter.” You grin, excited that Stella’s Girls On Fire initiative had become so popular with the local girls in your ward; Violet in particular was eager to come to a working Firehouse and see how things were run.

It only made sense that it would be her Uncle Matt’s firehouse; Stella of course was more than thrilled to offer up a day with 51, and Brett had offered her services to demonstrate the medical aid side of things. “You’ll make a good Academy Instructor yet, Y/N.” Matt pats you on the shoulder,

“I’ll catch up with you later, I’ve got some laundry and paperwork that needs clearing up.” “Of course, Captain, see you in a bit.”

Matt’s kindness and belief in your abilities as a member of Truck had done wonders for your confidence lately, he was a firm but encouraging influence. It was a no brainer why he was such an adored captain.

…

You’re laying out some ladders, dummies and ropes ready for various activities as you hear a chipper voice from the other side of the apparatus floor, “Y/N!” Violet’s waving off her mom as she turns to you with an excited grin, she greets Kelly and the rest of Squad as she walks past their drill area with her duffle. “Hey you, all good to go?” Violet nods with a cheeky salute which makes you chuckle, “Brilliant, Junior Candidate, we’ll be getting started shortly, Stella’s just wrapping some things up with Herrmann, and your Uncle Matt will be out in a bit too… in the meantime why don’t we set your stuff down and get you familiarised with some equipment?” “Sounds great, I’m so excited. Thanks, Y/N. You and Stella are the best.”

…

You’re in the middle of showing Violet how to effectively wrap a rescue rope around a civilian dummy when you catch sight of two people approaching, a lingering glance makes your stomach churn as you realise who it is. The brothers from that fire. They instinctively activated your fight response, but before you could get a word out your worst fears were confirmed. Guns were produced from the back of their jeans, aimed right at you and Violet - the younger girl letting out a small yelp as you moved immediately to shield her.

You had been hidden from the others by one of the trucks, nobody else had seen the two men approach. Violet’s yelp catches the attention of Kelly, Capp, Joe and Tony who are just in earshot but it all happens so fast. The two intruders yank you and Violet front and centre into Squad’s eyeline, each of them standing with fists clenched, wanting desperately to approach and disarm, pushed back by the threat of guns aimed right at them. Kelly’s stomach drops, he knows you’re brave and tough, he wouldn’t even bat an eyelid going on a call with you, but this… this was different. He can feel the blood boiling within, knowing immediately that your funny feeling about these men had been correct all along. “Nobody does anything that I don’t tell them to do! Is that clear?!” The older of the two barks, his grip on the back of your neck and in your hair is unbearably tight, and the sight of the other holding onto Violet’s wrists makes you want to spit in their faces and yank her free.

…

A door opens to the left, your stomach flips in panic, willing nobody else to be dragged into this… It’s Stella. “Alriiight! Let’s get this party started Junior Candi-” Stella’s words die in her throat as she sees the scene before her, her eyes widen as her movement snaps your captor into action; you feel yourself snatched further away from your friends as guns are placed to yours and Violet’s temples. You try to slow your breathing, but you can’t help the trembling that vibrates through your body, feeling so sorry for Violet who has been brought into this. “Get inside. Move! Or I blow their fucking brains out!” The guns are pushed harder into you both, and you close your eyes for a moment, trying to regain composure. Kelly and the rest of the apparatus floor are forced to hustle back into the Firehouse, immediately turning back to look at the situation through the glass panels of the doors.

“Get the Chief, now! And call someone from Intelligence!” Kelly snaps, eyes never leaving yours, which is equal parts reassuring and agonising when all you want to do is be free from this nightmare and in his arms, back to having a normal day. You watch as Stella speaks on the phone, she catches your gaze and tries to smile to comfort you, but you can see the guilt and the terror on her face. You want so badly to reassure her that this can be in no way her fault; she couldn’t have known this would happen. The commotion and Kelly’s yelling finally gets the others to see what the hell is going on, a smattering of gasps and curses break out as the scene plays out before them, everybody recognising the two captors immediately.

“Son of a bitch. These heartless, VILE-.” Herrmann huffs, ready to march through the doors and give them a piece of his mind, shaking his head in utter disbelief, he can’t stand to see you and Violet like this. Mouch stops him in his tracks, squeezing his shoulder, worry written all over his face too but not wanting Christopher to get into a situation that was already in quick escalation.

…

Casey arrives from the back of the firehouse, his stomach plummeting at the sight he’s greeted with, adrenaline surging through his mind as he watches on, “What is this about? We can help!” Casey yells even though he knows exactly what this is about…

Your words on Casey’s report had pushed for OFI to investigate the Bridal Shop Fire as an arson, your statement had clearly backfired their plan to palm this off as an accident and claim insurance. Casey also had a hunch that the two men had never anticipated that the sisters would go back into the inferno to try and save their livelihood. Somehow these two animals had made it 51’s fault. Casey bit his cheek, wanting to let rip and cuss them out just like Herrmann wanted, but he knew he’d make it worse for you and Violet. “You’re going to learn what it’s like to be helpless as you watch people you love get hurt. And you’re going to watch as it becomes too late to do anything about it!” The words are insincere, their upset over the two dead women is sickeningly fake, the loss of a payout their only true tragedy.

That thought is startlingly interrupted when they see the butt of a gun colliding at full force into you. Agony explodes throughout your face, a sickening crunch in your nose makes you wail, blood instantly pouring from your nose, skin tightening by the second as it begins to swell and bruise, you stagger where you stand, your captor yanking your hair again which sets all of your nerves on edge. You feel your shirt becoming sodden with blood, a rusty iron stench quickly surrounding you. The gang all yell in anger and anguish, Kelly and Casey pounding their fists on the strips of window, Brett and Stella feeling equal parts horrified and pissed off, even Tuesday is barking relentlessly. Violet yells your name in horror, and your instinct to protect her is unwavering,

“It’s okay, honey. We’ll be okay.” Squeezing out a pained smile, trying to ignore the dizziness and nausea that rolls through you.

Violet nods, trying to keep her whimpers to a minimum, not wanting to draw anymore attention to you both. “Shut the fuck up, enough talking! You’re going to fucking do as you’re told until we can make them understand that this bullshit investigation is going to be dropped.”

You’re gasping for air, blood dripping into your mouth which makes you splutter. You fight hard to stay upright, the urge to argue back and plead crosses your mind, but it’s clear they’re not going to listen right now.

You glance in the direction of the doors, watching all of your friends, your family, looking so distraught, wishing this wasn’t happening. __

It had felt like hours since this whole nightmare had begun, but in reality it was minutes.

Capp comes back with an angry and tense Chief who is on his radio to Main, requesting Police assistance immediately, with the added stipulation that Intelligence be informed.

The dispatcher repeats the situation back to the Chief to confirm the situation, and then more terse chatter over the radio to confirm that 51 is removed from service until further notice.

His eyes land on the scene, jaw clenched as he sees you and Violet in the iron grip of the two men. He casts a look of fire and fury at the brothers, moving to give an abrupt knock on the doors to get their attention...

“Hey! This is my Firehouse, and those are our people. You are making a very very big mistake, whatever problem you need solving, it will not be solved like this!” Chief shouts, standing ramrod straight, hands on his hips as usual, authority oozing off him in waves.

But the brothers are on a high of rage and greed, fuelling each other’s aggravated actions.

“Get me someone who will do as they're told!” The second brother barks, yanking Violet by her hair, gun now digging into her stomach, making her squirm and squeal; a slight pang of panic ripples through your gut.

“Hey! Hey! Just take it out on me, she has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with this. You hear me? Leave her be!” You can’t stand to see Matt’s niece so scared and vulnerable, someone so bright and fearless in her everyday life. Your speech is garbled from the thick buildup of saliva and blood in your mouth, but you let your adrenaline carry your voice.

His malice turns towards you, punching you in the ribs. One, two, three times, knocking the air from you as you double over, your whole world seems to fizz into a blur. He growls into your ear, hot and stagnant alcoholic breath making your eyes water, “You like it rough, huh? We can make damn sure it’s you that gets it all, baby! Now shut these fucking garage doors, this is my show!” He spits at you, making you gag as you glare at him... as best you can with a smashed up face.

__

Everyone is vibrating with tension, Matt and Kelly are pacing like caged lions, wishing they could throttle the life out of these two pieces of shit. “I’ll fucking kill them.” Kelly mutters, hands on his head in frustration. “They’re never going to see daylight again after this. Never.” Matt huffs through his nose, Mouch, Herrmann and Joe watching on, feeling helpless.

…

Words float in your head, “Shut these fucking garage doors!” It takes you a moment to register that you had just been spoken to, long enough that the leader is about to join in on his brother’s beating and hit you again, you hold your hands up in a silent “Wait a second.” Gathering energy to upright yourself and speak. “We-we have to go over here then, that’s where the door panel is.”

You point shakily towards the panel on the other side of the apparatus floor, your legs feel like a newborn fowl’s as you stumble towards the switches, the two monsters keeping their hold on you and Violet as you move.

You’re dragged out of view by the two invaders, waving their guns at any Firehouse members that happened to be outside of the main building when all of this began, forcing them back outside and away. The doors are engaged and begin to slide down, cutting Firehouse 51 off from the outside world, casting an even darker shadow over the day.

…

“P.D. are 3 minutes out, Halstead and Upton are coming too.” Chief informs the group, squeezing both Kelly and Matt’s shoulders, everyone trying to get a better angle on where the girls have been taken.

Chief Boden exhales, trying to centre his thoughts and do what needs to be done to take command of the situation, he gets the attention of the group... “We have to do our best to stay calm, and make certain this situation can end with no further damage...Brett, Kidd, I want you to let Med know about our situation, and tell them to expect us at some point.” “Yes chief.” The two busy themselves with something they can actually do, gathering up any supplies they might need to treat you and Violet.

…

Maggie’s face is etched with worry as she reads the alert from Firehouse 51, springing into action to be ready on Med’s end.

“Ethan! I’ll be needing you, so standby. Firehouse 51 has a situation that’s ongoing. Let Connor know there’s potential incoming trauma, we have to be ready for the worst. They’ve got Y/N, Ethan. Matt Casey’s niece too.” “You got it Maggie, I’ll get us prepared… April-!” He moves off with speed to apprise his nurse of the situation and Connor too. Will glances over at Maggie from a computer station, tuned in to what the Charge Nurse had just said... “Maggie, did I hear you right? Y/N? And Casey’s niece?” Maggie touches Will’s arm gently, “Yeah… P.D are on their way over there, so’s Jay and Hailey… They’ve got the best going to help them, Will. We’ll be ready here too.”

Will nods, eyes narrowed in concern for you and Violet, squeezing Maggie’s shoulder in appreciation for the reassurance.

“Thanks, Mags.”

You had made good friends at Med, including Will. Between him and meeting Will’s brother, and his friends, in the process, you had formed a small community around you that you cherished so deeply - and they cherished you in return.

…

You zone out as the doors hit the floor and stop moving, you’re starting to flag on energy, the pain is radiating through you, breathing is a struggle with every sharp stab in your ribs, panting breaths as your nose is beyond being useful. Violet’s tears are silent as they push you both back towards the spot near Squad’s table, making sure that nobody gets the idea that they can try some sort of rescue. The sight of you is a sad one as your friends watch you fight to stay conscious. “It’s gonna be alright, sweetheart. We’re right here, we’ll get you.” Matt calls out to Violet, trying to keep her spirits up and redirect her attention, she can’t stop looking at your fragile and battered body. …

The second brother snarls, “I said-” His words die in his throat, the sound of the sirens are fast approaching, his brother yells out in anger, he points an accusing finger right at Chief with a growl, “You stupid son of a bitch, you were supposed to wait for MY instructions! Calling them was a big mistake, you’re going to live to regret it!” He’s caught in the throes of rage, neither he or his brother had thought much past making a show of kidnapping someone from 51 until the arson case was dropped.

With a venomous roar he fires his gun, the sound is deafening, echoing throughout the garage, vibrating through the doors where everyone stands, they look on in stunned horror… Kelly’s knees feel like jello as he watches you, Matt and Stella holding his arms to keep him steady. The silence is a split second, but it’s piercing, time seems to slow before reality kicks back in with full force. The cries of your name are swimming in your brain as you hit the ground with a sickening smack, blood oozing rapidly from your thigh, soaking your pants, strangled cries of pain escape you… you try and put pressure on it, but it hurts too much, everything hurts too much. You wanted Kelly. Kelly.

Violet scurries forward to hold the wound and apply pressure, leaning all her weight on the wound - like Uncle Matt showed her, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as you cry out in agony. Matt’s words echo in her ears, she knows that even if it hurts you it’ll save your life. The blood flow slows to a crawl, only ever so slightly seeping through her fingers, nausea circles in her throat but she stays focused, knowing that you need her to be brave. The two brothers are stunned themselves, they weren’t quite sure how they got themselves here, their panic continuing to manifest hysterically…

“I’m warning you now, anybody making a move won’t be making it out alive!” The two men watch you grow weaker by the second, Violet’s covered in your blood, pushing as hard as she can, despite your whimpers of protest, wanting the pain to stop.

The leader of the pair shoves his accomplice to the side to have a stern word, the gunshot was not part of his plan, everything was spiralling way too fast.

… P.D. are pulling into Firehouse 51 as they hear the gunshot, Jay Halstead is already at the glass watching you hit the floor, adrenaline flooding through him, Upton is on the other side of the building, eyes wide at the scene before her - she starts directing other officers into a formation, ready to take down these assholes for good.

Jay's fists are pounding on the garage doors as radios around him light up with chatter of “Shots fired, two hostages, one is a minor, two suspects armed and dangerous! Firefighter down!” Somewhere in your haze of sluggishness you could have sworn you heard Jay’s voice, your good friend Jay Halstead, here to save you. But you couldn’t be sure, everything felt like a dream now, starting to lose sensation of your extremities as Violet kept up her attempts to keep your blood inside you. Herrmann, Mouch, Joe, Capp, Tony, Brett and Stella all move to the side as officers, led by Hailey Upton, pile into the Firehouse’s main building; The Chief stays behind to update the detective on the situation as Kelly and Casey sprint to the other end of the Firehouse and bust through one of the exterior doors, trying to catch Jay up to speed. The two invaders are frazzled by the sudden rush of commotion, turning on each other in an instant. “What are we gonna do, you've messed this all up, you and your stupid whore spawn!” The younger of the two is waving his weapon around, pointing it as his brother now, sweat pouring off of him. His brother is incredulous, taking a swing at his idiot accomplice. “Me? I messed this up? You fucking shot a firefighter, genius!”

… “These knuckleheads are distracted, this is our best chance to wrap up this circus... “ Hailey watches the two brothers tussle, eyeing you and Violet a few metres away. You were eerily still, Violet still steadfastly keeping pressure on you. Upton turns to the waiting members of Firehouse 51, “Be ready, alright? Don’t move until I say we’re clear. Cruz, you think if we cover you you can get those garage doors moving?” “You bet, Detective. Ready when you are.”

He turns back, the conditions are still good for a breach, no more time to lose. [“Jay, you in position?”] [“Good to go, Hailey, we’re ready. Extra Ambos are on standby.”] [“Breach on my count.”]

[“Copy.”] [“1, 2, 3… Breach! Go go go!”] Commotion bursts into the garage, a cacophony of voices fill the air, you’re barely awake but you can recognise Jay and Hailey’s voices instantly. “Chicago P.D. drop your weapons, get on the ground, DO IT NOW!”

“Down! Down on the ground, DO IT!”

The two brothers clatter their guns to the ground, angry gibberish about “Justice” and “What’s theirs” Pushed to the ground as their hands are cuffed behind their backs by officers, the doors slide back up letting light and fresh air back in. You’re tired, so damn tired. You can feel yourself sinking further away when gentle hands are on you, securing your neck in a C-collar, “Hey sweetheart, can you go see Stella and your uncle for me? They’re going to make sure you’re alright. You did amazing Violet, you saved her life.” Violet nods tearfully, turning to Stella and Matt who quickly scoops her into his arms, making sure she’s okay. Violet’s pressure disappears and you’re vaguely aware of it being replaced with an adult’s pressure, gauze packing the wound and being wrapped tight. You can hear Kelly’s voice too, he’s helping Brett. You blink wearily at the vague shapes around you, that familiar warm hand taking yours, stroking again. Instant relief floods through you despite your pain. “K-Kelly... Kel…” You can’t seem to get your words out, sleep is pulling you closer. “Stay with us, baby. It’s over. We’ve got you. You’re incredible, I love you... Just stay awake a little longer, please?” “Y/N, it’s Sylvie...Can you hear me? Just blink if you can.” Brett shine’s a pen light in your eyes, checking for a pupillary response, you blink twice… at least you think you do, that simple act feeling like a shift’s worth of energy in one go. Brett’s assessing your ribs gently to check the extent of the damage, you whimper, everything is so tender, your face is throbbing and your thigh is radiating hot pain throughout your body. “Sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s okay, we’re here. Don’t speak, but try and stay awake for me, okay? I’m going to give you some oxygen and something for the pain, you’re safe.” You can feel Brett finishing assessing your injuries as Kelly, Herrmann and Mouch secure you onto a backboard, as they count and move you you barely react, making everybody’s stomachs drop at just how bad a shape you were in. Kelly looks at Brett, his eyes sad with worry. “She’s lost a lot of blood, we’re going to trauma her to Med. You can come with us if you like. There's a second Ambo waiting for Violet and Matt.” Kelly nods, glancing at Matt who gives him a silent comforting look. “Go. We’ll be right behind you, buddy.”

They’re carrying you to the back of 61, carefully slotting you in and securing you. Herrmann watches Kelly and Brett shut the doors as Stella hops into the driver’s side. He pats the back doors, willing Ambo to fly like a bat out of hell to Med. … The others are left to gather their thoughts and get their things to go to the hospital, Chief rubs a hand over his face, turning to find Jay and Hailey approaching with sympathetic, worried, looks. “Hey Chief, we’re gonna follow you guys to med. I know it’s an awful time, but we’ll need statements from everyone.” “Whatever you need, we know who these guys are, and we’ll all make damn sure to help get them put away where they belong.” The three exchange handshakes and head to their respective cars to get to Med, there was a lot to unpack.

...

End Of Part 1

[insane4fandoms]

Can I have Mark, Mack, and CeCe in a poly relationship with their captain, being jealous of how the bandit is getting too close to their captain (who is like a 6’2 strong buff lady with scars across their body) and try to show to the bandit that the captain is theirs? Can you make it very spicy😏😏😏��💕💕

Spicy you say? 😏

How could I turn down an Anon with that request? 🕺🏽✨💃🏽✨🕺🏽✨💃🏽✨

Belong to Us | Mark, Mack, and Celci x Fem! Reader

Summary: You allow Bandit to check your ship further, her words leave a bad taste in your partners’ mouth, you didn’t make it better and encouraged. You forgot how jealous they could be.

Length: 1,482 words

Warnings: Jealous Mark, Mack, and Celci, Flirty Bandit, got them one braincell in your head lmao. Spicy stuff 🌶🌶🌶 BE WARNED ⚠️ ⚠️⚠️

@crazy-obsessed-enby

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

It wasn’t everyday to have an alien bandit woman on your ship, nevertheless one who insults everything about the human race.

“A cryopod? How adorable,” Bandit snickered and tapped against the glass of Celci’s cryopod, and continued to walk around like she owned the place. You had no problem with Bandit, after all, she did save you and Mark with the wormhole problem.

When she asked to look around the Invincible fully, you accepted and thought it wasn’t a big deal, she has her own technology, and you have your own. Unfortunately, it was the crew who had problems with her. Mark hated her from the moment you met each other, and the others didn’t like her seeing their tech as beneath her.

“You know, you should use a different wiring on these “ADS drones”, some idiot could easily see they could go rogue at any moment,” Bandit traced her hand against the machine, before tipping it over, which caused Gunther to spew out curses and hug his drones.

“Captain! As much as we thank you for saving us from the wormhole, I don’t like this visitor we have!” You turned to see Celci stomping up to you, arms crossed and an annoyed look in her face.

“I second that, she’s been nothing but rude and condescending towards our hard working technology,” Mack grumbled, watching Bandit with disdain. You gave him a look and raised an eyebrow.

“And you’re so different on how you acted towards me?” You teasingly said, which caused the engineer’s face to heat up and looked away, grumbling.

“Captain, as much as I love you, she is insulting our baby!” Mark whined, leaning against you, making you sigh and let his hair a little. He enjoyed the affection and felt a little better.

“It’s not forever,” You reassured them, just as Bandit walked back towards you, humming a little. The three crew mates kept a close eye on her as she looked at you.

“Human technology may suck, but a certain someone doesn't. You bring this ship together,” Bandit said, dipping her eyes a little, taking in your muscles that showed from underneath your suit.

“Shame we don’t have a Captain as handsome and/or beautiful as you,” Bandit threw a flirty smile, which had you looking up at her, flattered at the compliment. Based on the sudden silence around you both, you could tell that what Bandit said irked Mark, Celci, and Mack.

“Especially ones with muscles like yours, you could definitely be feared by many, or attract many too~” You could practically feel three pairs of eyes boring into the back of your head, but you decided to test the waters.

“Ah, I could say the same about you, wanna be work out buddies?” You joked, which had Bandit give a laugh, patting you on the shoulder. You gave a bright smile, not daring to look behind you to see your partners’ reactions.

“Hey Bullet man, is that supposed to be your ADS control room?” Bandit then turned to walk down the hall, with Gunther chasing her while yelling.

“You stay away from my babies!!” He shouted, which made you snort and shake your head a little, smiling a little.

You turned to finish more of your Captain duties, where you realized that Mark, Celci, and Mack were gone. Concerned about where they were, you looked around the ship a little to find them. Just as you were about to pass a door, you heard it open and turned to see Mark stepping out of it and looked at you.

“Mark? What’s wro- ACK!” You got cut off by a sudden pull from Mark, getting you inside a vacant room, where he closed the door and locked it. You felt more people present and turned your bread to see Mack and Celci on the bed, where Celci got up and pulled you down with your suit.

“Celci? Mph-!” Your voice got muffled by the cold lips of Celci’s only yours. The sudden surprise went away and you leaned into the kiss more. You had your hands on her hips, while she placed her hands on your chest, slightly squeezing them, which made you give a soft moan.

You then felt two pairs of arms wrap around your waist, where you felt a tongue near the shell of your ear, and lips on your jaw. The sudden physical contact made you melt, feeling the love they have.

“Never flirt with her, even as a joke,” You heard a slight growl from Mark, and you turned your head a little, giving a mischievous smile.

“Jealous, aren’t we?” You cooed, kissing them on their foreheads. You know how jealous they could be, even if a crewmate looked at you longer than they should. And with Bandit? Oh boy, you’re in for a ride of pleasure.

“Hell yeah we’re jealous, you should know that,” Celci said as if it was obvious. You gave a soft laugh and gently pushed them off, where you walked backwards towards the bed, and sat down, hands reaching to the zipper of your suit.

“Well then, how about you three show me,” You turned to them, slowly unzipping your suit, allowing the three to see your muscles, covered in scars and flexed a little. You could practically see them drooling, which made you smile and winked at them.

“Who I belong to~?” You purred, sitting at the edge of the bed, crossing your leg over the other, leaning back on your arms. You saw Mark nod and slowly got onto the bed next to you.

“Oh, we’ll make sure of that,” Mark grinned mischievously, crawling behind you, and you felt his lips on your neck. You gave a small moan, motioning the others to come over. Mack sat beside you, leaning down to your breast, and latched his lips onto one of them, which had you exhale a little and pet his hair.

“Good boy,” You whispered, making him whimper a little. Celci slowly sat in your lap, kissing you a little more roughly, where you had your tongue go into her mouth, and made her moan, and the two of you separated, leaving a tiny string of saliva.

You gave a low hum, leaning towards Celci, placing your lips on her shoulder, where she gave a small whimper, and felt your hands run through her icy blue hair. Your other hand continued to pet Mack’s hair, making him mewl and continue to gently kiss your breast.

With a push, you landed on your back onto the bed, where you felt your head laying against the lap of Mark, Seeing Celci straddling your waist, and Mack giving soft kisses on your thighs.

Mark gently made you sit up a little, before he was suckling on your neck again, with Celci kissing your neck on the other side, which made you shiver slightly, giving them a content sigh as you felt Mack’s tongue near your core.

“I love you all,”

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

“Lucky dogs, they are,” Bandit chuckled, walking past the room where she heard small moans and shuffling in. Gunther rolled his eyes and stuck his cigar into his mouth.

“Lucky, yes. But those three are always so jealous. Their stubbornness and captain’s assertiveness, they balance each other out,” He explained, covering his ears to give you four a little more privacy.

After who knows how long, the door opened, revealing the four of you stepped out of the room. Celci, Mack, and Mark were fixing themselves up, looking like nothing just happened, but with smug smiles on their faces.

You, however, were an absolute mess. Clothes disheveled, hanging around your forearm, skin showing hickies and scars, hair messed up, and a big dopey smile on your face. Bandit snorted and crossed her arms.

“Couldn’t help but be jealous, huh?” She joked, where Mark pointed at her with pride, giving a small ‘ha!’ just as Mack gave you one last kiss, and Celci holding your hand. Before you could feel embarrassed, you felt a hand on your ruffled shirt, and you were pulled down a little to see Mark, where he leaned near your ear to whisper.

“You’re ours, and we’re yours. Never forget, Captain~,” He purred, kissing you on the lips and walked away, giving Bandit a smug look and walked past her. Mack and Celci gave kisses too before leaving too. Bandit crossed her arms and gave a grin, walking next to you.

“Those three are so lucky to have you,” Bandit commented teasingly, raising an eyebrow. You gave her a smile, finished zipping up your suit and watched your partners going to finish their jobs.

With slight blushing faces, the three of them had happy smiles (of course, Mack doesn’t show it, but you knew from his eyes), made your face heat up again, rubbing your face a little.

“Nah, I’m the lucky one,”

[starsscribble]

Stick Shift

Summary: Rick thinks he freeing Y/n. Y/n thinks she's the problem.

Tags: Angst, No comfort, Age Difference, Reader is 25 Rick is in in 40.

A/n: This was when I was on my Walking Dead kick. Finally got it edited.

But today I drove through the suburbs

Crying 'cause you weren't around

  You pulled into the post-apocalyptic suburbs; in a separate car than what Glenn and you left in. Your earlier pride of find and driving said care was gone. Now in it place was a numb type of sadness. It was stupid. You know that. Getting worked up over the fact you were driving a stick shift. All on your own. But Rick. Your boyfriend; ex-boyfriend now. He had been the one to teach you how to drive a stick shift. Before Virginia. When the group was still in the prison. When you were both still happy.

  “Come on,” his southern drawl was clear as day. You let out a puff of air. Head pushing against the headrest. “This was your idea. You gotta confess something.” You started to hate that you suggested this game, but the drive was so damn long. You didn’t have the radio to help distract you. No, it was just you, Rick, and a long stretch of Georgia backroad. The former sheriff’s right hand shifted off the steering wheel. Moving carefully as not to catch your attention. You were still racking your brain for a secret to tell. Then a yelp left your mouth. You jumped in your seat making the older man laugh. Hand retreated to the wheel.

“That’s what you get for taking so long pumpkin.” He grinned; eyes shifted from the road onto you. A hint of playfulness in those ocean blue eyes. 

“I was thinking of something!” You shot back making him chuckle before looking back to the road. 

“There’s gotta be something you have never told anyone.”

“Well,” you hummed. Readjusting in your seat. “I don’t know if this would count because I’ve never told this to anyone in the group.”

“I’ll count it.” He glances at you quickly, still smiling. Which makes you smile.

“Alright. I don’t know how to drive a stick shift.” You feel the jerk was the car spot. Rick looked at you as if you just told him the undead are all gone. Eye full of disbelief. 

“You’re joking.” He speaks after a beat and you shake your head. Nope, you couldn’t drive a stick to save your life. And with how the world was it just might. Rick took off his seatbelt as you questioned just what he was doing. “I’m gonna teach you how to drive stick. You might need it.”

“We are on a run.”

“Yep and this is the perfect time. Now get into the driver’s seat.”

  Slowly you parked next to Glenn. Killing the engine you got out as Glenn moved over to your vehicle. He smiled at you. Today was a good day. Got more food, medicine, and another car. The possibilities for cars were endless. Used for parts. Set up at protection. Used as traps. Daryl Dixon the town resident mechanic would have a field day with this car.

“I’m gonna check in with Rick,” Glenn says. You see him playing with his wedding band. Maggie’s baby bump had started to show and Glenn didn’t like being away for too long. Patting his shoulder you speak.

“Go see Maggie and your baby.” You slammed the driver’s side door shut. The dark-haired man stares at you. Willing to argue with you on this.

“Really it’s-” You raised your hand stopping him.

“If you don’t go check up on Maggie. I will and I’ll tell her how you screamed like a girl.” His eyes widen at the threat. 

“I didn’t know a group of bats would be in there!” He defended himself only making you grin at him. You both head away from the parking area. Back towards the stretch of cookie-cutter homes. You nudge his shoulder with yours.

“First it’s a colony of bats. Second, not only was the scream funny, so was your face.” You teased him. Glenn shoved your shoulder playfully. Before mumbling that he was going to check in with his wife. Leaving you with the task of checking in with the community’s newly appointed leader Rick. 

  Jogging onto his porch you knocked on the door. Eyes looking everywhere but the door until it opened. Sadly it wasn’t the male you were looking for. Carl greeted you with a soft smile. The bandages that once covered his right eye socket had been replaced with a custom-made eyepatch.

“Ahoy captain.” You tease the teenager who rolled his remaining eye. “Your dad here? Just checking in since Glenn and I got back.”

“Nope. Haven’t seen him since this morning.” Carl tells you, making you nodded. “When I see him…” He trails off because he knows you will just hunt his dad down. “I don’t know where he is.” He's lying. You know it. He knows that you know. But you just nod and quickly thank him. Tell him to kiss his sister for you before turning off the porch.

  And you're probably with that blonde girl

Who always made me doubt

She's so much older than me

She's everything I'm insecure about

  You know where Rick Grimes is. Feet carrying you down the still blood-stained street. Streets that just weeks ago were covered with the undead. You wave kindly to the people passing by. It is a mix of your group, older residents, and new people. You still feel out of place. Maybe you always will. Maybe you won't. You wonder quietly to yourself. A nice distraction. Because if you thought about where you were going. Where you had to go. You might just break. So you let your mind wander. Let your feet carry you to the destination. Everything seemed to be on autopilot. Until your using the knocker of the baby blue house. Her house.

“We should end this,” Rick says matter-of-factly. You stopped brushing your hair to look at him. He’s not facing you. Back facing you as he pulled his jeans on. 

“What?” Maybe you misheard him. Maybe it was your ear playing a trick on you. Because Rick couldn’t be breaking up with you right now.

“We should break up.” He rephrases. The words take the air from your lungs. Your mouth opened to say words that your mind can’t even come up with. The silence in the room grew by the seconds. It finally became too much for the man as he turned to face you. Jeans zipped up but not buttoned. Belt lay next to his shirt on the bed but his eyes fell on you instead. 

“Say something.” He requested of you softly. That same soft voice that he used when he said he loved you. Tears that formed in your eyes finally fell as you blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Before you looked him in the eyes.

“Is it me? Did I do something wrong?” Getting shot was nothing compared to your question to him. Because he knew you honestly thought you did something wrong. You always doubted yourself. But you were perfect. So goddamn perfect. And amazing. And young. 

“No sweetheart. It’s just…” He stops himself from going over to embrace you. Tell you to forget about it. Because this has to happen. You're 24. His 39. Even if the group. His and your family were ok with it. He heard the whispers around town. The other weren’t as supportive. 

“I think we should end this. We had an amazing run. And you're young. You’re gonna find someone else that will love you more than I ever could.” He breaks his own heart with his words. Because he doesn’t want you to find someone else. He wants to be with you until the end. When and where ever the end was. But you deserve better. You deserve someone around your age. Not an old man with two children like him. 

“I…” you stare at him. Cheeks strained with tears he caused. “I don’t want someone else.” You grab the comforter. It gets balled up as you tighten your grip on the fabric. Your mind running over everything you had done in the last weeks to get to the point. You had snapped at him a few days back because of Jessie Anderson. The blonde woman in her thirties that lived up the street. You didn’t hear what they were talking but her body language told you everything. She was flirting with Rick. And either he didn’t notice or didn’t care. Doubt played in your mind the whole day after seeing the interaction. Because Jessie was around Rick’s age. And you weren’t. You didn’t really have any life experience before the world ended. So it made sense if Rick preferred a woman his own age. As opposed to you, a 24-year-old kid in his eyes.

“I can get you a brownstone to stay in.” He said. Brushing off your comment. Which broke your heart even more.

  The door opened showing the blonde that lived there. A smile and questioning look on her face. 

“Is Rick here?” You asked, watching as she turned her head and yelling the man’s name into the home. He comes out from the kitchen; questioning who it was. The question dying in his throat when he saw it was you. Jessie excused herself leaving you and Rick alone. The former sheriff stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind him.

“Hey,” he gives you a tight-lipped smile. Which you return.

“Just came to tell you Glenn and I are back.”

“Right,” he nods. “You guys went on a run. Get anything good?” You nodded before listing off some of the supplies you got. Including the stick shift car. You heard him chuckle. Looking into his eyes you saw that same playfulness as the day he first forced you to drive a stick. 

“You didn’t flood the engine this time right?” He teased and you scoffed, punching him in the shoulder. 

“I was amazing.” You boasted. The older man stared at you and you swear you heard a quiet. ‘Ya, you are.’ 

“You don’t mind if I asked Glenn?” You roll your eyes but smile.

“Go ahead. He's gonna tell you the same thing.” He nodded. Hand going on his hips. You watch as he licks his lips. Your breath hitching as you feel your stomach twisting in knots. “I should go. Need a shower desperately.” You don’t wait for him to say goodbye or stop you. You're off the porch and down the road heading home in a few steps. 

  And all my friends are tired

Of hearing how much I miss you, but

I kinda feel sorry for them

'Cause they'll never know you the way that I do

  Maggie can’t drink. But that doesn’t mean you and Sasha can’t. Sasha, Abraham, and Rosita had come back later in the day from another run. They had been the unlucky ones not finding much of anything. But Sasha apparently found some top-tier booze in a rundown bar. The trio split it up between them. So here you were. Snacking on fresh strawberries drinking booze that would have been at least $100 for a bottle; straight out of the bottle. The three of you resting against the metal wall that protected the town from the nasty world outside.

“So,” Maggie started as she threw a strawberry stem into a bowl filled with them. “Heard someone talk with Rick.” Sasha and her eyes went to you as you grabbed the glass bottle of auburn liquid. Taking a healthy swig you felt the burn as it went down. You were far too sober to be talking about this. Talking about him. Because no one in the group knew why you guys ended it. Just one day you were a happy couple and the next you were packing up and moving into your own brownstone. Sasha took the bottle from you, making you whine. As you tried to reach for it but the former firefighter held it out of reach. Her hand on your chest also keeping you away from it.

“You can get some when you tell us what happened.” She landed down the rule and it makes you groan as you move to lay against the wall. You don't want to talk about it. You just want to wallow and let the scar form on your heart in peace.

A crack of thunder sends the trio onto the back porch of Maggie’s home. Lucky for you guys because moments after; the dark clouds opened up letting down heavy droplets that ping off the porch’s roof. Sasha is distracted by the rain. Asking Maggie if the crops will be ok. Allowing you to snatch the bottle from her hand and take another big glug. The bottle is half gone now. And honestly so are you. The alcohol works fast as your brain starts to go fuzzy. Sasha takes the bottle back slightly annoyed. But it clear the break-up has been hard. So she lets it go.

“You got your drink.” She says putting the cap back on and sitting it to the side out of your reach. “Now tell us what happened.”

“I don’t know.” You sob. You weren’t normally an emotional drunk. But with everything going on with Rick. Tonight you were. 

  And I know we weren't perfect

But I've never felt this way for no one, oh

And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay, now that I'm gone

  Maggie held you as you drunkenly cried. Sasha joined you on the other side, rubbing your back. You finally opened up about your breakup with Rick a month ago. You weren’t sure how much they understood because of the loud rain and your blubbering. But either way, they consoled you. Trying to help the only way they could. And the only way they knew how. Simply being there. Because for a month you kept this end. Kept this to yourself. So those outside of the group saw you were fine. The break-up didn’t seem to affect you. You carried on with work. Talked with Rick when it was needed. You acted fine. 

But the group knew it. Of course, they knew. It was an act. Because they saw how you were breaking. How you had a longing in your eyes when the cowboy boots-wearing man walked by. The smile that rarely reached your lips. You were faking so much of your joy because your heart was broken. 

“I just don’t get how he is so ok. Did I mean nothing?” The two women share a look at your question. Because they also know that Rick isn’t ok. Like you, he is acting. Because he is the leader and can’t break down. But the man isn’t ok. They don’t say that. Rick was the one that ended it. That was on him.

“I don’t know,” Maggie says softly as you rest your head onto her shoulder. “I wish I had the answer for you. But only Rick does.”

  Red lights, stop signs

I still see your face in the white cars, front yards

Can't drive past the places we used to go to

'Cause I still fuckin' love you, babe

  The street lights are now on. It’s still raining when you tell Maggie you were going home. Sasha and her try to get you to stay the night. Or at least until the rain lets up. But the rain isn't letting up. It was so heavy you could barely see a few steps in front of you. But you step off the back porch and disappear down the alleyway of the lined-up homes. You walk. Just walk because you don’t want to go home just yet. If you go home you’ll be lonely. And you don’t want that. Because for a month you have been lonely in that damn brownstone. Rick wasn’t lonely. He was with Jessie. His arms wrapped around her body. Damn your brain. Just because you didn’t want to be lonely didn’t mean you wanted to think about them together. 

  The rain started to ease up as you found yourself passing Rick’s house. The lights upstairs were on. As you quickly looked away from the cookie-cutter home. A shiver ran through you and shoved your hands into your soaked jean pockets. Maybe now was a good time to head home. You haven’t even turned when you heard your name being shouted over the rain. Looking back at Rick’s home you see him rushing off the porch and over to you. His dark brown jacket acting as an umbrella. He puts it mostly over you shielding you from the rain.

“What are you doing out here? You're going to get sick.” He frets because he knows how likely that is. Because after the rainstorm when the group was on the trek through Virginia you had gotten sick. “Come on.” He orders and you walk with him toward his house. 

  Sidewalks we crossed

I still hear your voice in the traffic, we're laughing

Over all the noise

  You smile at him lightly as he places a cup of peppermint tea in your hand; you're favorite. You're in one of his white t-shirt and pajama pants. Your hair, no longer wet from the rain but a hot shower. The alcohol is still in your system. How much you don’t know. 

“What were you doing walking in the rain?” He questioned taking the seat next to you. His own cup of tea in his hand.

“Was drinking with Sasha and Maggie.” You look towards him as his eyebrows knit together as the mention of Maggie and drinking. “Maggie was moderating us. She wasn’t drinking, come on. She knows better.” Rick nods bowing his head because he does know better to think that about Maggie. But his time as a cop taught him that some people just don’t care. Not about themselves. Not about others. And sure as hell not about kids. 

“Where did you get the booze from? Daryl?” You snort at him before blowing on your tea taking a careful sip. Sitting the cup down you look back towards him.

“I ain’t no rat officer.” He chuckles. You both do. A little inside joke between you both. And then the silence fell. The awkward uncertain silence of two people who didn’t know what to say next. You chew on the inside of your cheek as you stare into the tea. Rain still going strong outside, trapping on the roof of your former home.  Rick shifts beside you clearing his throat.

“Judy trying to walk.” It makes you smile a bit. 

“That’s good. Soon she’ll be running over you and Carl.” The older man chuckles nodding in agreement but you don’t see it. Head still bowed. Turning your mug as you watch the tea shift with each motion. 

“Seeing anyone?” He was trying to keep the conversation going. But there had to be another question to ask that wasn’t this. You still answer it by shaking your head.

“No. But you seemed to have moved on.” It has some bite to you. You're bitter. Of course, you are. The man you were in love with. Seemed to easily move on after he ended it. You lift the ceramic mug and take a huge glug of your tea. The warmth fills you but it’s not enough.

“Ya. Jessie, she’s…” He doesn’t know what to say. Jessie is ok. Good to have around. Doesn’t make him feel as empty. But she is just not you. All her touches. All her kisses. They feel off and he knows why. Because the hands touching him aren’t yours. Neither are the lips that kiss him. But Rick is stubborn. Even if it hurts you both, he knows you need better. You deserve the world and he just can’t give it to you.

“She’s perfect.” You looked at him. Sadness, rooted so deeply in your eyes. He wants to pull you into him. Tell you that he is sorry. That he will end it with Jessie. Come back to you. And try to make all of this right. But he already drew his line in the sand and he won’t cross it. Because the moment he touches you he knows it will be his undoing.

“She has her flaws. No one is perfect.” Except for you. He wants to add. He hears a quiet 'ya' then it silence once again.

  God, I'm so blue, know we're through

But I still fuckin' love you, babe

  You were gone when Rick woke up. His clothes lay on the guest bed since you were dried. He wondered just when you left. He wondered if you slept at all. Because he didn’t. Knowing you were in the house but not in his arms. He was restless the whole night. He sighs. Picking clothes up. It was sad that he hoped this wouldn’t be the last time. But it most likely was going to be the only time. Because how often are you going to walk in the rain drunk? He takes the clothes to the laundry room. Before he throws the shirt in the basket he lifts it to his nose. Inhaling the flowery body wash scent from when you shower last night. You must found where he hid the body wash you left behind. 

“Hey, dad!” Carl called out from the kitchen forcing Rick to dump the clothes in the basket. Entering the kitchen he smiled at his son. Judith was already in her high chair waiting for breakfast. Carl stood at the counter. The box of peppermint tea in his hands. Shit. He meant to put that up. Carl’s eye shifts from the box towards the sink. Where the mugs from last night sat unwashed. Then the young man turns to his father.

“Y/n was here wasn’t she?” He questioned but it was really a statement. It is the only reason for this tea to be out with two mugs in the sink.

“Ya,” He replied, moving towards his son and taking the box of tea from his hand. The young man sighed watching his father place the tea on a high shelf so only he could get to it.

“Why?” Carl asked.

“It was raining-”

“No,” he cut his father off. “Why did you break up with her?”

“Carl,” Rick sighed. As he pinched the bridge of his nose. If he didn’t want to have this conversation with Daryl or Michonne. He sure as hell didn’t want it with his son. But like Rick the young survivor was stubborn. He stepped into his father's past every time he tried to move around him.

“Carl,” Rick warns but the boy isn’t back down.

“No. You were happy with Y/n. Happier than I have ever seen you. Even with mom. Even before all of this.” The boy gestures at nothing but Rick knows what he means by that. Because he didn’t want to admit it. But his and Lori’s relationship was at rock bottom before the world ended. 

“So why? What happened?” Carl pressed, making Rick sigh. He wondered. Only for a second. If Michonne had put Carl up to his. But he shook that from his head. Michonne won’t do that. This is purely Carl. Because Carl loves you so much. The both of you had apparently clicked before Rick had gotten to the quarry. And that bond only grew over time. 

“It’s complicated, Carl. Now please,” Rick needed him to down the subject. And the young boy seemed to understand but is still pissed. He turns from his father. Feet carrying the young boy towards the door. “Where are you going?” He called out.

“Out!” And the slamming door let Rick know that Carl was gone. He sighed. 

  He knew everyone would move on. You would. Carl would. He would. In the far future, all of this will be just a bad memory. But right now. In the present, it hurt so fucking bad. Tears leaked from his eyes as he sucked in air. He did it to himself. He deserved this pain. And if he could he would take your pain. Allow you to be happy. To find love in someone else better than him. Because you're one of the good things in this ugly world. 

  I know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (Book 1) Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen: Inhibitions Distorted

            Captain’s Log: Our position, orbiting Psi 2000, an ancient world, now a frozen wasteland about to rip apart in its death throes.

            (Y/N) watched from the bridge as Psi 2000 floated before the Enterprise. It was hard to believe that the planet would die soon. From so far out it looked peaceful. But as any Federation officer knew, looks could be deceiving. That was why they had arrived, after all. They were bringing the scientists stationed on Psi 2000 back to base.

            “Spock here: do you read, Enterprise?” Spock’s voice came over the comms.

            “Affirmative,” replied Kirk.

            “All station personnel are dead,” reported Spock.

            (Y/N)’s eyes widened. Well, it seems looks are deceiving. That planet already has death visiting it.

l

            (Y/N) and Kirk walked into the Medbay to meet with Spock and Lieutenant Tormolen. They were being checked out for any illnesses due to the mysterious cause of death for the researchers on Psi 2000. Some had been choked, others had stripped in the cold with no cares. Something had to have caused them to act erratically.

            “How are they?” asked (Y/N).

            “They’re fine,” said Bones.

            “It was terrible,” said Tormolen. The fear radiated from him like heat from a fighter. “They were just sitting like they didn’t care. Whatever was happening, they didn’t care.” He wasn’t even trying to curb his terror. It just grew around him like a cloud. “I keep wondering—”

            “You keep wondering if man was meant to be out here,” finished Kirk. He smiled. “You keep wondering, and you keep signing on.”

Tormolen laughed, and his fear dissipated into mirth like a snowflake turning to water. In all honesty, (Y/N) was surprised it changed so quickly. It was a relief, however, because fear wasn’t good for their job.

“Any guesses, Mr. Spock?” asked Kirk. “Any idea what happened down there?”

“I wish I could say, Captain,” said Spock as he his blue uniform on over his black, form-fitting shirt.

            I’ve never seen him work out outside of missions, but he looks fit, thought (Y/N). Though I suppose the whole Vulcan mindset encourages keeping healthy in mind and body.

“Circumstances were quite bizarre,” said Spock. “However, our record tapes may show us something.”

“Six people dead.” Tormolen’s fear had returned as quickly as it left.

“I’d recommend some rest,” said (Y/N). “You’re a little shaken up.”

Kirk nodded. “I agree.”

“(L/N), are you able to sense any strange emotions from me?” asked Spock.

(Y/N) cocked their head for a moment. “No. But you know I can’t feel your emotions.”

            “Yes, normally. Simply ensuring everything is as it should be,” said Spock. “The scientists died under illogical circumstances. Therefore, I would like to remain logical.”

            “Don’t worry, Spock, I’ll let you know if you suddenly start showing emotions,” said (Y/N) teasingly.

            “Well, then, now that Spock is adequately calmed of his fear of being human,” joked Kirk. “He can do his work without any nerves.” Spock, frankly, looked offended at the insinuations.

l

            “Next tape,” said Kirk, sighing after yet another recording just showed snowed-in, frozen bodies.

            Spock inserted the next, and yet again the group watched bodies in strange moments of death parade across the screen.

            “It’s almost as if they were irrational, drugged,” muttered Kirk. “An engineer sitting there, apparently oblivious to everything, a woman strangled, a crewman with his phaser pistol in hand.”

            “He’d used the computer room as if it were a museum gallery,” said Spock. “And a full-clothed man frozen to death in a shower.”

            “If the image wasn’t so horrifying, it would sound like a joke,” said (Y/N).

            “Not even a theory, anyone?” asked Kirk.

            “Definitely not drugs or intoxication,” said Bones. “The bio-analysis proves that conclusively.”

            “Could be some form of space madness we’ve never heard of,” offered Spock. “It is a pity there is no way for (L/N) to determine what they felt during their death.”

            “Personally, I don’t mind. Going through a graveyard would be terrible,” said (Y/N). “But the best I can do is monitor yourself and Lieutenant Tormolen to see if some sort of madness does come on.”

            Spock nodded. “But even then, it would have to be caused by something. Our spectro-readings showed no contamination, no unusual elements present.”

            “Or at least, none that your tricorders could register,” pointed out Scotty.

            “Instruments register only those things they’re designed to register,” agreed Spock.

            “Space contains unknowns. That’s why the Federation sends out explorers still,” said (Y/N), nodding.

            “Earth science needs the closest possible measurement of the breakup of this planet,” said Kirk, interrupting his officers’ fantasies of the infinity of space. “To do this, the Enterprise will have to be in a critically tight orbit. Question—could what happened down there to those people create any unusual danger to this vessel and crew?”

            “We will need top efficiency, Captain,” said Spock. “It’ll be a tricky orbit. When a planet begins to go, there may be drastic changes in gravity, mass, magnetic field.”

            “The purpose of a briefing, gentlemen, is to get me answers based on your abilities and experience,” said Kirk. “In critical orbit, there’s no time for surprise.”

            “Unless you people on the bridge start taking showers with your clothes on, my engines can pull us out of anything,” said Scotty, smiling. “We’ll be warping out of orbit within a half-second of getting your command, Captain.”

            “Bridge to Captain,” said Uhura over the comms.

            “Kirk here,” replied the captain.

            “Scanners report sudden four-degree shift in planet magnetic field,” she said. “A change in mass, also, sir.”

            “It’s beginning,” said Spock. “Unusually rapid shifts.”

            “On our way, Lieutenant,” said Kirk. He stood and looked at Scotty. “I’ll hold you to that half-second.” He glanced at (Y/N). “Keep an eye out for any changes in people. If this ‘madness’ comes to the ship now, we’re doomed.”

            “Yes, sir,” said (Y/N).

l

            (Y/N) walked to the bridge quickly after checking on Tormolen in Medbay. Bones and Nurse Chapel were performing surgery on the boy who had tried to kill himself after having a mental breakdown in the rec room over man belonging in space.

            (Y/N) had a sinking feeling that the madness had begun. They hadn’t been able to see much when he was sedated, but there was lingering fear and anxiety. His emotions were out of control, which went along with the theory of some sort of infectious madness.

            “Relative gravity increasing, sir,” reported one officer.

            “Compensate, Mr. Riley,” said Kirk.

            Riley. Tormolen’s friend, thought (Y/N). They were in close quarters during his bout of madness. I’ll keep an eye out for any changes in him.

            “Magnetic field continuing to shift, planet shrinking in mass,” said Riley.

            “All scanning stations manned, all recorders functioning, Captain,” reported Spock.

            “Orbit steady now,” said Sulu.

            (Y/N) smiled. We’re ready to see a planet die. They were distracted by a flash of nerves from nearby. It was Riley, anxiously palming the side of his leg to rid himself of sweat. Hopefully just nervous about being so close to a dying planet. The navigation has to be incredibly precise. Maybe its just the pressure of the urgency…Hopefully, anyway. (Y/N) decided they would continue to monitor his mood. If the anxiety continued to grow without control, they would report it as a symptom of madness. “Loss of self-control.” They almost laughed. Spock would hate it.

            “Lieutenant (L/N), are you here to observe as well?” asked Spock. He knew that (Y/N)’s job did not require much from them when no other cultures were being contacted, so they had a tendency to hang around parts of the ship and observe what was going on. (It was a part of them he respected as an avid information gatherer himself).

            They nodded. “And to give a report on Lieutenant Tormolen.”

            “Is he alright?” asked Kirk.

            (Y/N) shrugged. “Bones is taking care of him, so I don’t know yet. But I can say that even in a sedated state significant amounts of emotions are coming through, like fear, which drove him to…hurt himself.”

            “And your ‘diagnosis’ of his emotions?” said Kirk.

            “If I compare to his psychiatric file, it is quite unusual for him to display this intensity of nerves. The file states he’s always had some questions about man’s place in the world and had self-doubt but made peace with it due to his love for exploration,” said (Y/N), waving their hands as they spoke. “I believe that his ability to control such thoughts and emotions was depleted, and that was why he hurt himself.”

            “So something brought such emotions to the surface,” murmured Kirk.

            “Yes, sir,” said (Y/N).

            An instrument began beeping, and the Enterprise lurched forward for a moment. (Y/N) caught themself on the captain’s chair and rested one hand on Spock’s arm (careful not to touch his hand), to steady him. After the jerk was over, they quickly removed their hand to not cause any offense.

            “What was that?” asked Kirk.

            “Relative gravity increase, sir,” said Sulu, frantically working with navigational instruments. “Like the planet reached out and yanked us.”

            Next to him, Riley was looking at his hand and trying to wipe invisible sweat away. (Y/N) furrowed their brow at that. They focused in on his feelings and felt the same nerves from earlier.

            “Compensate,” ordered Kirk. Sulu did as he asked. Kirk frowned when he spotted Riley not doing anything. “Compensate!”

            Riley, as if snapped from a daze, began working, and in a few moments, the Enterprise was at a safe orbit. “Steady now, sir.” He chuckled. “Made me a little nervous, I guess.” And like he said, the nerves settled somewhat.

            (Y/N) did not relax, though. As soon as the planet broke up, they were explaining their findings to Kirk and Spock. First they had to do this job, then they could face the “madness.” As they watched, the bosun whistle went off next to Kirk.

            “This is McCoy. Captain Kirk to Sickbay,” said Bones.

            “Uhura, monitor communications,” said Kirk as he got up. “Tell McCoy I’ll be there when I can.”

            “Yes, sir,” nodded Uhura.

            “Planet breakup is imminent, Captain,” reported Spock. “Shrinking in size at an increasing rate. As the planet continues to shrink in size, its surface moves away from us.”

            “Forcing us to spiral down to maintain the same distance from it,” said Kirk, grimacing.

            “Peak efficiency will be needed, then,” said (Y/N), settling into their chair next to Uhura to help monitor all the divisions communicating to each other. Uhura smiled at them, thankful for the assistance.

            “Exactly,” said Spock. “We must be prepared to respond instantly to any sudden change.”

            Kirk nodded and went to his comms. “Engine Room from Bridge.”

            “Scotty here, Captain,” came the reply.

            “Tie into the helm, Scotty,” ordered Kirk. “If we should call for power, we’ll need it fast.”

            “You’ll have it, sir,” said Scotty.

            “Rate of compaction seems constant,” reported Spock.

            “Then I’ll go see what the good doctor wants,” said Kirk. “Keep me informed of any change, Mr. Spock.” With that, Kirk left to speak to Bones.

            (Y/N) leaned over to Spock and spoke quietly. “I’m going to keep an eye on Riley. He’s showing similarly strange nerves like Tormolen did.”

            Spock nodded. “If his emotions are going to impede his navigational abilities, alert me at once. We cannot afford mistakes.”

            (Y/N) gave him a grin. “Of course.”

            “Don’t know if it’s this planet or what happened with Joe, but I’m sweating like a bridegroom,” said Sulu, chuckling.

            (Y/N) glanced over, and sure enough, Sulu was sweating. Just like Riley…but he was smiling brightly, radiating what (Y/N) would all slap-happiness. They blinked. Uh-oh. I think the sweating is the symptom. Not the nerves. The heightened emotions are what comes after the sweating. It doesn’t have to be nerves. “Spock.”

            Spock looked at them. “Yes, (L/N)?”

            “Our theory of the madness needs an adjustment,” said (Y/N). Spock raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “It’s not nerves, it’s just heightened emotions.” They nodded towards Sulu and Riley talking. “It’s the sweating that they all share.”

            Spock understood in a moment. Sulu and Riley had been with Tormolen and fought with him to put down the knife. They had been exposed and contracted the disease. “Well, then, we must relieve them of navig—”

            “Sulu!” shouted (Y/N), rising from their seat as Sulu, smiling brightly, nearly skipped away from his post and left through the turbolift.

            The Enterprise lurched as it began closing in towardsPsi 2000. Spock jumped from his chair and began manning Sulu’s to return them to orbit. (Y/N) breathed a sigh of relief as they stopped spinning towards the planet.

            “Lieutenant Rand, take over Sulu’s position,” said Spock sternly. “Mr. Riley, where did Mr. Sulu go?”

            Riley’s nerves transformed to bravado before (Y/N)’s very eyes, and they and Spock got a full view of how the madness effected people.

            “Have no fear, O’Riley’s here,” said Riley, turning in his seat with swagger. “And one Irishman is worth ten thousand—”

            “You’re relieved,” ordered Spock coolly. “Lieutenant Uhura, take over this station.”

            “Yes, sir,” said Uhura.

            Riley jumped to his feet. “Now that’s what I like! Let the women work, too. Universal suffrage.”

            “It’s like he’s drunk. No filter or inhibitions,” observed (Y/N). This would be funny if it didn’t get people killed.

            “Yes, he does. Report to Sickbay, Mr. Riley,” said Spock.

            “Exactly where I was heading…sir!” said Riley with a lilt of sarcasm. He practically skipped to the turbolift.

            Spock sighed and stepped to the comms. “Security. Mr. Riley is headed for Sickbay. See to it he arrives. Captain Kirk to the Bridge. We have two men exhibiting symptoms of the madness.”

            And if we don’t figure out a cure, more people will be infected.

[spockfan]

McCoy : Mister Ambassador, I understand you had retired before this conference was called. Forgive my curiosity, but as a doctor, I'm interested in Vulcan physiology. Isn't it unusual for a Vulcan to retire at your age? After all, you're only a hundred and two.

Sarek : One hundred two point four three seven precisely, Doctor, measured in your years. I had other concerns.

So Sarek retired because of health reasons but came out of it ostensibly to attend the conference on Babel because it's important but actually because the Enterprise had been assigned for transport and he wanted to check up on his son especially after the events in Amok Time.

I think this is why he only finishes Kirk's tour up until the engine room where Amanda gets a chance to talk to Spock then he immediately retires to rest right after.

Spock : If you will excuse me, Captain. *leaves*

Kirk : I'm sorry, Ambassador. I did not mean to offend. I thought that

Sarek : Offence is a human emotion. I'm returning to my quarters. Continue, my wife. *leaves*

He gives the appearance of completely ignoring Spock whenever they are in the same room but him interrupting Amanda as she explains what sehlats are indicate that he'd been paying very close attention to them all along.

Sarek : Excuse me, Doctor. It has been a rather long day for my wife. Captain.

He chides Amanda for embarrassing Spock and emphasizes that Spock is a Vulcan. But embarrassment is illogical so he shouldn't have even given a thought to Spock experiencing it especially over a fact.

When Amanda rhetorically asks him if he is proud of Spock, he evades but does not deny it.

Amanda : Sarek, you're proud of him, aren't you? You're showing almost human pride in your son.

Sarek : It does not require pride to ask that Spock be given the respect which is his due. Not as my son, but as Spock. Do you understand?

He wants Spock to be afforded respect not as his son but as Spock. Not as a Vulcan, or human but as his own being.

He may not know how to handle it (wow what an understatement) but it's really clear he cares a lot about his son.