#because this is just proof I’m around to serve people’s dirty work and clean messes when I can’t even stand on my two feet anyways

[kavehater]

Do I have to start saying not that anyone would care in that super duper passive aggressive way to guilt people into caring or what

[imagineddworld]

Unexpected

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: After serving detention with your favorite teacher, true feelings get revealed. 

Word counter: 3,5 K (3500)

Author’s note: I made Remus a new, young teacher, and the student just turned 18. There is still a 5 years difference, but I tried to make it a bit more comfortable for people who don’t really like big age gabs.

I also tried to make it gender neutral, so if you guys have any tips; that would be great. 

Didn’t proof read this, as lack of time with my exams very near. But I wanted to post something. As expected it turned out longer than I had meant to

Hope you enjoy xx 

The time had come where the seventh years were learning how to make Amortentia. A potion well known to most curious students as the love potion. But it was a very tough one to make. You got all the ingredients right, but the brewing method messed you up every time. Same for today, it had started to fog an odd green smoke. It was at least better than the time where it had blown up in Snape’s face. You had never received such a big punishment as then. You were given 5 essays to write and served detention for a whole month. 

“Detention Miss/Mister (Y/L)”, you heard the cold, monotone voice from behind you, “You can serve it with Professor Lupin after class. He needs help with grading essays”. You already had predicted this outcome to happen, but tried to argue anyway. “But-”, you silenced yourself as soon as you saw his cold glare. You sighed, slumping back in your chair. “Okay”, you mouthed silently, while making a mocking face. “That will be two detentions”, you heard him say angrily. You threw your arms in the air as a sign of annoyance, but didn’t say anything else. You started to clean your cauldron, hoping in the last minutes of class he wouldn’t give you more detentions or worse, gave you another essay to write. He really hated the living hell out of you. As one of the new teachers, together with Professor Lupin, you hand’t expected to be hate so much. You rarely did anything. Perhaps even breathing was too much for him. But there was not much you could do about it. You realized that the hard way. Most of the time you argued with him, but one particular time he had enough of your snarky comments. He had given you detention for nearly two months, making you clean all the little, dirty places of Hogwarts. All magic was forbidden, you needed to clean it all by hand. And as bonus to top it all off, he overloaded you with essays to write. Every week you needed to give two writer essays of 10 pages at least. After that event, you didn’t bother arguing much. 

The rest of the day went by as normal, mostly spend with your nose in your books. As your final class ended, you quickly dropped off the unnecessary books at your dorm that couldn’t fit in your bag. You only kept the ones you needed for your essay. The one you were planning to write after your detention. Your dorm seemed further away from Professor Lupin’s office, resulting in you needing to sprint through the halls. Luckily the halls were less crowded. Only a few students were chatting in the hallway, laughing with their friends and keeping each other up to date. When you reached the door, you were out of breath. Partly from the running and partly from your nerves. Your heart was pounding too, and you hands were shaking the slightest bit. You took in some deep breaths and tried to calm yourself. 

Detention with Remus Lupin made you more nervous than you had expected. He wasn’t just your favorite teacher, because of his amazing teaching skills. But also due to his kind character and beautiful looks. You had unexpectedly started to grow feelings for him. He had an amazing sweet and kind soul. His blue eyes sparkled every time he taught your class something new. Every time you got mesmerized by them, losing yourself into the beauty of the blue irises. Fascinated by the swirls of colors that came out when the light captured them from a certain perspective. His smile never failed to make your heart flutter. Every time he called your name during class, your face became beat red. His scars were a beautiful contrast against his slightly reddened cheeks. 

You had thought the fact that he was your teacher, would disgust you. But technically he wouldn’t be your teacher anymore in 2 months. And also the fact that there were only a few years between the two of you, made it more acceptable. He was a fairly new and young teacher. A lot of girls probably had crushed on him, so you weren’t to blame. It’s not like you could control your feelings. As long as you kept it hidden, you were fine. 

Your hands were shaking more, as you realized what was about to happen. Your heart started to pick up its beat up again, hammering against your chest. You softly knocked on the wooden door. “Come in”, his muffled voice could be heard form inside. With a little creak of the door, you made your way into his office. “Hello Professor. I’m here to serve my detention”, your voice was silent, and a bit shaky. He looked up from his desk full of papers, eyes lighting up the slightest bit. He gave you a sweet smile: “Ah yes, (Y/N). I was surprised when Snape me you were the one who had gotten detention. You never do anything wrong”. A light blush crept up your cheeks. His eyes were entrancing you, making your knees weak. “Well, I messed up the method of my potion, so you know how Snape is. Then I mocked him for his ridiculous behavior and got myself a second detention. So you will be stuck with me again tomorrow evening”, you smiled more confidently now. You didn’t regret your behavior. Snape really was a living hell. It was just your overthinking mind and overwhelming nerves that were bothering you now. As they were most of the time. 

“Oh, Don’t worry about that, dear. I don’t mind your company”, he smile seemed even brighter. The soft candle light really gave him a certain glow that had you mesmerized. It was a soft yellow light, that showed off all his features even better. This soft look in combination with his sweet words really made you swoon. These detentions might were going to kill you. This man couldn’t get any lovelier, at least you thought so. Every time you saw him, some new details had you drawn to him. Another little piece of him you could adore. Like whenever the light hits his eyes right, they looked almost yellow. As if a sun was glowing behind them. That might explain why they gave such a warm and loving appearance. Or the soft shadows that were cast on his face, pointing out his fine bone structure even more. His jawline standing out the most. The combination of his messy hair and wintery sweater, made him look very cosy. He gave off a feeling of home and trust. As if you truly could be yourself around him, even if there were certain boundaries. Maybe that comfort drew you the most to him.

“Well..., you can start with that pile over there”, his voice woken you from your daydream. He pointed to a chair in front of his desk with a smaller pile of papers on it neatly stacked. Your cheeks were flushing a bright red, as you realized he must have seen you stare at him for who knows how long. You placed your bag against the wall, and hung your robe on the hanger that stood in the corner. You carefully picked up the stack of papers and placed them on the desk, so you could sit. Lupin made some room for your pile, as his was literally scattered all over his wooden desk. He mumbled soft apologies in between soft, heartwarming chuckles. After he gave you a pen, some ink and instructions of how to rate these essays, you went to work. 

You had to be honest, it was quite hard to concentrate when you were sat in front of this beautiful man. You often glanced up, admiring him in this soft light and closer perspective. You didn’t dare to look up, but had a feeling his eyes were on you as well. But that could’ve been your feelings sparking up some deeply hidden hope for him ever being interested in you. Every time he leaned over to help you on a certain problem, you could feel your breath halt in your throat. You had trouble keeping your heart rate in control.

“I’m all done, Professor”, you said when you rated the last essay of your pile. He looked up with that loving smile of his, making your heart flutter for the umpteenth time. “Brilliant. Thank you for your assistance today”, he gently took the essays from your hand, and placed them on his big pile of already marked homework. “Maybe I could help you with that potion you were having trouble with?” You smiled widely at him: “Oh, that would be lovely, sir. I really could use some help”. He nodded happily, while his eyes seemed to spark that particular sparkle whenever he got passionated with teaching and helping people. “Do you have your textbook with you?” You mumbled a quiet yes, as you went to grab it from your bag. You handed it over to him, standing by his side on a formal distance away from him. “What potion were you working on?”, he asked while going through the pages of your book. “Amortentia”. As soon as the answer left you mouth, he started to cough lightly seen that he had just took a sip of his tea. “Are you okay, sir?”, you asked him worriedly, placing your hand on his arm. You were a bit unsure if you should touch him or not. But you had acted upon it like an instinct. Luckily he didn’t really reacted to the soft manner, meaning he probably didn’t mind. “Yeah, yeah. I’m alright, dear. Just chocked a bit on my tea, is all”. He cleared his throat and straightened out his back, adjusting his position as a way to recover from his small coughing fit. “So, Amortentia...”, he started off, sounding it bit absentmindedly. “Yeah, I have all the ingredients right. It’s the brewing method that messes me up every time. It always seems to go so well, until it suddenly doesn’t. And I don’t know why”, your explanation sounded like a rambling of quick words put together, making you unsure if he actually understood you. He nodded his head, as he read over the page. “Hmm, well. I’m here to help you. We just need supplies”.

The two of you snuck around the halls, if you even can consider it that. It was still a few hours before curfew and you were with a teacher, so not much trouble could happen. But you still sort of broke into Snape’s classroom, which he wouldn’t appreciate at all. “If we get caught, I am going to blame you. He already hates the living hell out of me”. The tall man next to you chuckled at your comment. “Trust me, love. He hates me plenty, you just don’t see it”. You raised your eyebrow questionably at him: “Why? You are such a lovable person”. The words left your mouth before you registered fully what you had said. His silence made you fear your previous statement even more. Did you mess up? But as you sneaked a look at him, it seemed like he wore a light blush on his cheek. Brighter than he usual reddened cheeks. Indeed it also could be the incidence of light, hitting his skin differently and creating an illusion of colours. 

As you reached the classroom, you quickly mumbled a spell to unlock the door to Snape’s ingredient collection. “Alright, get what you need. I’ll keep watch”, he said quietly, not really looking at you. You listed off all the ingredients you needed, having remembered them from the plenty of times that you had read over the page. You had placed the ingredients on the desk nearest to you, not risking to drop any in the searching process. But as you looked at the amount of pots and bits, you weren’t so sure if every item would make it back safely. “Could you give me a hand, sir?”, you said a bit louder, so he could hear you from the doorway. His head turned quickly to where you were standing. “Oh. Of course, darling”, he smiled, rushing over to your side. He took the bigger part of the items, stressing that it was only right. He could carry them all with only one arm, the other softly placed on the small of your back as he guided you out of the classroom. It must have been a protective, kind manner he always had had in him. You shouldn’t overthink such an innocent thing. But you had to be fair, it really made your heart melt and your skin burn where he hand was placed. It gave you all sort of tingles. 

He opened his door for you, opening his arm to allow you into his office. “Such a gentleman”, you teased, even if your cheeks were burning up. He glanced to the floor, hiding his face from your view. You set all the ingredients on the table, setting them on order of how you would need to use them. Remus placed his cauldron on the table and started to go over the instructions. He mostly gave you the lead, but stepped in wherever you were going to make a mistake. He also gave you useful tips for future potions. “You are doing a great job, (Y/N)”, he smiled form your side, keeping a respectable distance from you. “Well, you are helping me a lot. So, you could say we make quite a great team”, you smirked lightly, not really daring to look over to him. You just focused on stirring in the cauldron. A weight fell of your shoulders when you hear him chuckle: “If you say so, it must be true”. He sounded a little more playful. 

As you added the last ingredient, the liquid turned a beautiful pastel pink. The aroma that came from it was way better than all your previous attempts. You leaned over the cauldron to take a whiff of the odor. “Oh wow, this smells good. It’s way better than all my other attempts. It’s smells like man’s cologne and chocolate”, you said with an excited smile, but it fell soon after. “Or is it just you?”, you asked a Remus with a sad tone. You really wanted to succeed, but after all your failed attempts you didn’t know what Amortentia smelled or looked like. 

Lupin’s eyes were switching between your face and his hands, as if he were unsure of what to say or do. “Normally it smells like what you’re attracted to, miss/ mister (Y/L/N)”. Your eyes widened the slightest bit. Of course you knew that. You were just so enchanted by the smell, that you forgot you were actually outing your secret to the person you wanted to know the least. “Oh, yeah. I know that. But as my other attempts smelled so awful, I thought maybe Amortentia had an actual odor”, you tried to safe yourself. It was partly true, but you tried to cover up the fact that you had outed your secret. You had admitted smelling him, admitting to liking him as the potion had succeeded. “It- It’s alright”, he spoke quietly. A short moment of silence fell over the two fo you. But before it could get any more awkward, you decided to speak up again. “So, uhm. What do you smell, sir”. He seemed to swallow a big lump that had formed in his throat. Slowly he came into movement, leaning over the cauldron as well. He closed his eyes to focus on the scents that he smelled. “Old books and (a scent linked to you)”, he said absentmindedly. He reopened his eyes, but they weren’t focussing on anything particularly. He seemed a bit fazed out, but so were you. Maybe it was the potion, or it was the sudden awareness of your feelings and the position you found yourself in. You were trying to register what he had said previously. Did he smell you? it could be anyone, right? A lot of people must smell like that. You didn’t want to get your hopes up. It would only lead to heartaches. 

You fell back into reality, shaking your head lightly. Once your eyes were focussing again on the room you found yourself in, you realized how close you stood to one another. You must have subconsciously moved closer towards him. When you found the courage to look up, you found his clear blue eyes already trained on you. You felt very nervous underneath his gaze, as if you were being put on spot. You licked your lips as a sign of nerves. Your eyes roaming through the whole room, trying to avoid his gaze. You didn’t know what to do. “No, I can’t do this”, he whispered, stepping a few steps back. “What do you mean?”, you were really confused. Did he meant to do something? You knew nothing could happen between the two fo you. It was wrong in many ways, but you couldn’t help your feelings. You didn’t really expect him to feel anything back. So this came as a hit in the face, as if there had been actual hope all along. “You- you’re my student...”. You nodded slowly, still not getting exactly what he was on to. You had some speculations, but needed confirmation. You couldn’t trust your intuition. 

“I know.. In two months I won’t be. At least if I graduate”. He shook his head lightly, going with his hand through his hair. “Still.. I’m 5 years older than you. We can’t do this..”, he pointed between the two of you. At that moment it hit you. Your speculations were confirmed. You were somewhat embarrassed for how long it had taken you to realize what was happening. “You- you were considering that anything could happen between- between us?”, you stuttered, still not registering it completely. You were feeling like your ears were playing tricks on you. “Maybe...”, he said unsure. Even if you didn’t had your hopes up for anything to happen, still somewhere deep down the sparks of it had hidden. Knowing that he had considered it, but refused to follow through with it, hurt you more than expected. Your eyes started to water, but kept the tear in. Of course he noticed the change. He stepped closer to you and wiped away the single tear that had fallen from your eye. “I’m sorry, love. Please don’t cry”. You forced a small chuckle, smiling at his loving face. “No, it’s okay. Honestly, It’s okay”. Both your voices were quiet as they spoke, not willing to hurt the other even further. 

You couldn’t blame him for this decision. You couldn’t ask such a thing, couldn’t expect such a thing. It was against the rules. He needed to keep a certain distance with his students. The least you wanted was him to lose his job, because of your foolish crush. You respected his decision, even if it hurt. It would be for the better. 

His hand was still on your cheek. It was soft and warm against your skin. You wanted to cherish this moment, even if it was going to break your heart as soon as it ended. His other hand comfortably rested on your waist. “Screw the rules”, he mumbled. Before you registered what was happening, his soft lips were capturing yours in an unexpected but loving kiss. It was soft and tender, but all the while it was full of love. Once the shock wore off, your hands fell to his chest. You softly grabbed the fabric of his sweater. You could feel his rapid heartbeat underneath your palm. He pulled you closer to his body, deepening the kiss. His hand went to the back of your head, not willing to break the kiss yet. Eventually you needed to do so, as you were running out of air. You kept your closeness, both recovering from the unexpected kiss. 

“You are going to be the death of me, love”,he said breathlessly. You chuckled at his comment, leaning in to his chest to cuddle him. You enjoyed the warmth and feeling of being wrapped up in his arms. You looked up at him, being met by his sweet smile and enchanting eyes. “Likewise, sir”, you said before you captured his lips in a second kiss. This time even more passionate. The both of you smiled into it, feeling complete. It felt right. Even if you broke some rules, it was all worth it. 

[asphalt-cocktail]

Codebreaker- Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Girl in the Chair

Summary: Zero isn’t the absence of value, in fact, Zero is perhaps one of the most valuable people among the ghosts. Being coined their ‘guy in the chair’ meant that Zero was a ghost among ghosts and is only called from her spot in the shadows when she and Four are the only people who haven’t been caught on camera by a large criminal organization.  

A/N: What’s up cuties! AC here again, back at it with a brand new series! I’m not going to lie, not a lot happens in this chapter it is really just to establish sort of a background on the characters, get the plot rolling, and establish some tension between these two. I am trying to make this one a slow burn fic with a lot of sexual tension and pinning, maybe there will be smut, maybe there wont. It all depends what the people want! The taglist is open so please shoot me an ask if you would like to be added!

Pairing: Four x F!Reader

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Violence, illegal activity, guns, kind of kidnapping, language, tension is building, very politically charged content, not proof read

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Asks

Tag list is located at the bottom, please send an ASK if you would like to be tagged or if you would just like to chat about the fic/life in general and let me know if the tags do not work.

Beads of sweat trickled down the back of your neck while you sat, kneeling in front of the mess of wires and metal parts. It was so god damn hot in this stupid shed. They really couldn’t have housed you somewhere else?

Of course not, you were a grunt worker, the low man on the totem pole, a peon compared to everyone else in the organization. That was why you were stuffed in this hot dusty shed in the back of someone’s house. Mike probably didn’t even know you name, he only cared that you could make his products work.

You were a 23-year-old engineering PhD student studying materials. Your dream was to create more ecofriendly and cheap filters for water so that it could be easily accessible to those in impoverished areas of the world. Water is a basic necessity, not a right. So how the fuck did you wind up here, making bombs for what may or may not be an ecoterrorism group and hacking into large corporate databases on their behalf?

Well, you hang around the wrong crowd long enough, you’ll eventually find your way stuffed in some guy named Mike’s shed who believes Lions should be fed tofu.

You really didn’t mind it, aside from a few wacky ideologies Mike held, he and his troupe were relatively nice and stood for what you stood for: clean water, properly paid migrant workers, and sustainable living.

You wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your greasy and dirty hand as you tinkered away, piecing together a small pipe bomb. It was for your next target, a large family corporation that had a penchant for exploiting migrant workers by promising benefits and paths to citizenship in exchange for low, nearly inhuman pay. What they stood for make you feel sick, so you honestly didn’t feel bad knowing that this pipe bomb was going to be used to blow one of their corporate office entrances to bits in the middle of the night when no one was there.

It would serve as a warning.

After you finally finished connecting the last few bits together you carefully wiped it down and placed it inside the packaged box, then disposed of your gloves and changed your clothes, making sure to put your old ones in the burn pile. It seemed a bit excessive, but the last thing you wanted was to have anything linked back to you with bomb residue on it.

You sat in front of the computer, back slightly hunched over the keyboard while the lighting from the screen illuminated your face “Are you sure you don’t want the light on?” Mike said turning towards you

You let out a deep and irritated sigh, “What are you, a fucking idiot?” You a snapped as your eyes continued to stare at the security footage that rolled on the screen, “We’re in a van about to set off a bomb do you think turning on a light, so I don’t damage my eyesight is more important than getting caught?” Mike shrugged, you had a point.

You checked the clock 12:30am. It was time.

You grabbed the burner phone and flipped it open, dialing the number that would set off the timer. You gaze caught a small flicker of movement in the corner, a shadow that shouldn’t have been there. Your heart jumped when you saw a security guard walking to the front door, “Fuck,” You said, “Fuck, someone is in there, I have to disarm it!” You felt panic flooding through your veins and your heart rate began to increase.

“[Y/N], there isn’t enough time,” Mike snapped, his voice causing you to jump, “You won’t make it and you know it.” He pointed out, “It’s fine, what’s one less corporate pawn.”

Your breath hitched in your throat as you watched the seconds roll past on the security footage, knowing there were only minutes until it detonated, you could make it couldn’t you? You burst out the back of the van, gripping your laptop tightly to your chest and began to run as fast as you could. You tripped over your feet, stumbling in the grass and picked yourself right back up. You flipped open the burner, 1 minute 37 seconds. You could see the building coming into view and could feel your lungs burning, you honestly couldn’t remember the last time you had run that hard and that fast.

The closer you got to the building, the closer the bomb got to detonation. You clenched your jaw, ignoring the burning in your thighs and pressed on.

Your efforts were useless, you realized that when you woke up on the ground covered in rubble with your ears ringing. You coughed, your lungs felt chalky and your eyes burned from the layer of soot that had built up in them. When your vision finally cleared you could see grey and black dust settling and that the majority of the corporate office had been destroyed.

Fucking hell, your pipe bomb shouldn’t have been that strong. It should have just been enough to collapse the front entrance. You struggled to get up, the pain in your arms was excruciating and the dizziness in your head made it seem almost impossible to stand. You cried out in pain when you finally pushed yourself up, I need to get out of here, you thought. You still had that stupid burner phone on you.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” You turned to see an EMT coming towards you, his voice hammered against your ringing ears and his figure looked fuzzy, you really needed to get the fuck out of here.

“I’m fine, I don’t need help.” You barely recognized your voice from how hoarse it was.

“Ma’am, you’re bleeding, you need to sit down.” The EMT grabbed your shoulders and you shrugged them off, once again yelling in pain.

“Get off me.” You said stumbling as you thrashed against them.

It wasn’t until you felt the cold barrel of a gun nipping at your temple that you realized this wasn’t an ordinary EMT, “You’re going to come with me, got it? Or do you want the feds finding your ass.” His voice was harsh and sent a shiver down your spine.

You nodded your head, wincing at how tightly he was squeezing you before he threw you in the back of the ambulance. He drove for what seemed like ages only because you were fading in and out of consciousness. When he finally stopped, he woke you up, slapping at the sides of your face. You harshly turned your head way “What the fuck?” You croaked once more and tried to twist away only to find that you were hand cuffed to a gurney.

“How did you hack into the security system?” He was obviously done with formalities.

“You can’t prove anything.” You hissed.

“Where did you get the supplies, and how have you and your organization been able to go under the radar with these attacks for so long?”

“Bet you’re a fucking fed,” You spat, you couldn’t stand the cesspool that was more commonly known as the American government.

The guy smiled at you, flashing a perfectly aligned smile, “I’m not a cop. I just want to know how you’re so good at navigating the deep web and creating explosives.” He seemed genuinely interested, and it didn’t seem like you denying things was going to get yourself unhandcuffed anytime soon.

You let out a shaky sigh and shrugged, “I don’t know, I’m an engineering student I just wanted to buy Adderall to help me study for finals, so I bought it off the deep web, then Mike invited me to join his wanna be ELF group and I joined.” You answered honestly.

“Wanna be ELF group?” He his eyebrows arched with amusement, “You realize they have been using your explosives all over the country, did you really think that their attacks were only focused in this area?” You really hadn’t been paying attention to how many devices you would make or what Mike wanted you to order from the deep web, you would just do it with no questions asked, “There were six bombs planted in that building, you realize that don’t you?” You furrowed your brows with confusion, there was only supposed to be one at the entrance and what did he mean by all over the country?

You shrugged and let out a long sigh, you had really dug yourself into a deep hole “I don’t ask questions, I just make and order whatever he gives me on the list.”

“Why?” His question caught you off guard and he repeated himself, this time leaning in closer.

“Jesus, what are you going to do, kiss me?” You said turning your face away, “Give me some space, you smell like fucking garlic.” After he backed up you continued “I think that the American government is a cesspool on the face of society and they just stands by while people suffer. I’m sick of it.” you answered honestly.

“I’m Wade by the way.” He said finally introducing himself, “Don’t worry, I already know who you are.” He said brushing your response away, “Anyways, how would you like to join a group of people who are going over some real nasty people. I’m talking top of the line scum.” You arched your eyebrow with interest and urged him to continue, “This isn’t some small-time gig, I’m talking about taking down whole governments.”

“Do I get paid?” you quickly asked.

Wade couldn’t help but smirk, “No,” He laughed, “But don’t worry I’ll take care of your expenses.”

“What like some glorified sugar daddy?” You asked making a weird face at him.

Wade shrugged his shoulders “Something like that,” He sharply inhaled, remembering one important detail “Oh, right one more thing, if you’re going to join you have to go completely off the grid. You know like fake your death, no contact with your family, that sort of stuff.”

“No student loans?” Wade nodded his head, seeing interest sparkling in your eyes, “Fine with me, it looks like I died anyways with that fucking blast.”

After that meeting you were given the number zero.

Zero isn’t the absence of value, in fact you might have been one of the most valuable people on the team. The only problem was that the team didn’t know who you were. They didn’t know who ordered their supplies, or how One knew everything about everyone, or how their records were able to be so easily erased.

From what you saw they all seemed like nice enough people, but you preferred your ‘girl in the chair’ position and behind scenes work.

One even promised you that he would only call on you in a special occasion. Right now, seemed to be that special occasion considering he was ringing you up at 3 in the morning.

“Someone better be dying, One.” You said immediately upon answering your phone.

“No one is, not yet at least.” You could hear the stupid grin behind his voice, “I need you for a mission.”

You sat up in your bed, “Mission? No, I don’t do missions, I sit in the chair.” You said, panic arising in your voice.

One let out a sigh, “Well, you do now. Be at the base within the hour, we have a team meeting.”

So, you were thirty minutes late for good measure. There was no way you were going to be the first one to show up, it would have been hell having to sit there and explain the same story over and over again as new faces entered the room. So, you walked in the room, confidently late.

You might have been a little too confident because the sound of several guns being cocked and pointed in your direction as well as everyone being on guard caused you to freeze, “Easy, easy, guys. Christ you’re like a bunch of fucking animals.” One said quickly running in front of you with his arms up, “Put your guns down, and you” He said turning and pointing in your face, “You’re late. I told you an hour.”

You shrugged, “I didn’t want to be the first one in the room.” You said stuffing your hands in your sweatshirt pockets and walking around him, taking your seat on a stack of pallets.

One pinched his forehead and let out a deep sigh, “Well, now that everyone’s shown up you can go ahead and introduce yourself.” He said nudging your shoulder.

You gave an awkward wave “Hello, I’m Zero.” You introduced yourself and gave a short nod “Nice to meet you all.”

“Tell them what you do, it’s not fair knowing why everyone else was picked.” One sounded like a scolding mother

You sighed “What is this the first day of college?” you quickly retorted, causing a few of the team members to cover their mouths, hiding their laughter “I’m the codebreaker, the supply man, the explosives expert, the guy in the chair. Whatever you want to call me, just know I do the behind the scenes work.” You tried to not sound too prideful on your position.

“We have a supply man?” You recognized the thick British accent that came from Four.

“Where the hell do you think all your ammunition came from?” You asked him, “Did you all really think One did this all on his own?” their silence answered your question. You scoffed “Tch, One couldn’t navigate the deep web if he ever looked at it, probably would end up buying shit from some cop,” You spat on the ground when you mentioned law enforcement.

One rolled his eyes before continuing with the meeting, “So, as we know we’ll be needing to split up for the next few assignments which, is why I called in Zero to so kindly help us.” He paused for a moment to allow everyone to soak in the information, “Zero, you and Four are going to be sent to gather first hand intel on our target, Vincent Beck.” He cleared his throat “Two and Three were caught on camera sneaking around and Seven, Five, and I have our own assignment.”

You furrowed your brows “I couldn’t erase their footage?” You asked, somewhat shocked at what you were hearing.

One let out another, long sigh, “No, you tried to get into their data base, and they put that virus on your computer, remember?”

You remembered now, that stupid virus that caused endless popups to show up, once one was closed two more would show up, “Right,” You mumbled, chewing on your bottom lip.

One tossed you and Four your files, “Read up on those and come up with a plan, at noon the plane takes off, but I want to debrief at 11.”

And with that you found yourself in Four’s trailer, sitting on his lumpy couch “I’ve never done this before.” You admitted, “I only know how to gather intel through the computer.”

Four’s knee bounced, you didn’t know if it was because he was anxious or because of the constant need to keep moving, “I haven’t either,” He tried to sound reassuring, “But I think it’ll be fine, One usually knows what he’s talking about.”

You pursed your lips and gave Four a skeptical look, “Does he though?” You weren’t very convinced.

The blonde-haired man shrugged, “Yeah, he’s kind of a goon sometimes but he usually figures it out.” It sounded like Four wasn’t very convinced either.

“Well, do you have a plan for this?” You asked leaning back against the uncomfortable and cheap couch.

Four frowned “Got nothin’, you?” You could already tell this was going to be a disaster.

You paged through the file, “Vincent Beck,” You hummed, tapping your finger on your chin in thought, “Well we can’t do a guns blazing approach, we both are better suited for sneaking around, plus the fighting is going to come later.” You mused aloud.

“We just have to talk to him and build some trust, right?” He asked, building off your thoughts.

You nodded your head, still intently reading the file, “This guy is a real sicko,” You said frowning, “Human trafficking? Who the fuck even does this shit?” the details you read caused your stomach to churn, “We have to get as much dirt on this asshole as possible, really gain his trust.”

Four cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably “What if… what if I posed as a potential client?” He swallowed thickly, you could tell that the details of Vincent Beck did not sit well with him either.

You stared at Four, a long hard gaze, “That could work, we can get a way in, gather information on his sales, inside people, so on and so forth.” You rubbed your face, exhausted from your early morning wakeup call, “What about me?” You asked.

Four gave you a cheeky grin, “You can be my assistant.”

You scoffed, dropping the file on the floor next to you “Your assistant? Absolutely not.” You said shaking your head, “I can be a business partner.” You answered, a small smile playing on your lips.

Four rolled his eyes, “You’re a computer nerd, you don’t know about business.” He retorted.

“Yeah, and you’re a thief, what do you know about running a business?”

Four clutched his chest feigning hurt feelings “I’m hurt, truly,” He responded, “Running around with a band of thieves has a lot of business tactics behind it, plus, I know how to talk with other criminals.”

You crossed your arms over your chest “Know how to talk to criminals,” You scoffed “I talk to criminals every day-”

“Yeah- through a computer” Four scoffed right back at you.

“Wow looks like you two are getting along well.” You turned to see that One had let himself into the trailer.

“We’re getting along just fine.” You snapped at One.

“That’s why the two of you are screaming at each other like that, right?” the sarcasm was dripping from his voice, “Anyways, what’s the plan?”

Four leaned forward, anxious to share the idea he came up with “Okay so hear me out, we just need to get close to this guy and gather intel, no actual fighting right? So,” He pauses for what you can only assume is for dramatic effect, “What if I pose as a client, and Zero is my assistant?”

You shook your head “No, I already said no to the assistant.” you quickly said.

One tapped his chin with his index finger, “What if you posed as his girlfriend?” he suddenly said, going along with the idea.

If you would have had a drink in your mouth, you would have spit it out right then and there “Girlfriend?” You almost couldn’t believe the words as they left your mouth, you shook your head “No, I’m not doing that either.”

One stared at you “Do you have a better idea?” He challenged, “And I don’t want to hear business partner, what are you going to buy for everyone in his company? No, Four is going to go in there and say he was referred by one of his previous clients and you are going to pose as his girlfriend.” You moved to argue him, but One put his hand up “Nope, no questions that’s it. Wheels are up in an hour.” He stood up and moved to leave the trailer but stopped “Do the two of you have anything other than sweatpants to wear? You’re going to want to pose as someone with money to make it appealing.”

You sheepishly averted your gaze and Four let out a soft ‘uhhh’ which proved that the two of you really had nothing other than athleisure in your closet, “Fucks sake,” One said shaking his head, “Buy yourself some real clothes when you land so you at least look the part. Zero, you can figure the money out, I know you’ve been sifting through my accounts.”

You scratched the back of your neck and let out a small laugh, have you been slowly taking a bit of money out from One’s bank account? Yeah. But did you care? Nah, he was literally a billionaire and constantly had money flowing in from stocks and other investments.

Your plane ride was short, but most of it was spent establishing your fake relationship with Four while Five slept and Seven and One piloted the plane, “What are our names going to be?” Four asked, “I was thinking could be Jason, or a Roger, or something like that.”

You let out a sigh, you could tell this was going to be a long mission, “Why can’t we just use our actual names, no one knows that we’re still alive and we can just make up last names.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun though-”

“No,” You sharply interjected, “I think that it would be a lot easier to remember our own names since we have a lot of other details we need to remember, like how long have we been together?”

Four ran a hand through his neatly coifed hair, “What about a year and a couple months, you know couples always track little stuff like that.”

“A year and three months?” You asked, he nodded, you checked that off your list and moved onto the next thing, “Okay what about how we met?”

“Childhood friends?” Four suggested.

You shook your head, “No, I’m too lazy to remember all that info, plus we are from two different countries.”

He nodded his head, “Right,” He said, feeling slightly stupid, “What about a business conference?”

You quirked your brow, this actually sounded like a good idea, “Okay, we can meet at a business conference, you know grabbed a few drinks then the rest is history kind of a deal?” a thought popped into your brain, “Oh!” You said, “We need to lay down some ground rules.”

“Rules?” Four asked quirking his eyebrow at you.

“Yeah, rules, you know so we don’t weird the other person out.” You tried to reason, Four’s mouth made an ‘o’ and he nodded, urging you to continue “Number one, no PDA.”

Four rolled his eyes, “We’re supposed to be fake dating, we have to at least make it convincing.”

You let out a sigh, “Fine, no graphic PDA then.” He nodded in agreement, “Number two, no parading around with other people, this has to be convincing” You paused and waited for Four to interject, when he didn’t you continued “And three, stick to the story, no changing it up or adding onto it without telling the other one.”

“That’s it? Only three rules?” Four questioned, you nodded your head “Sounds simple enough.”

The two of you sat in silence for a moment before you glanced over at Four, feeling his eyes on you and caught the surprisingly charming smile he shot in your direction, “How about what I do for work? Can I say I’m inheriting my father’s business?”

You shrugged your head “Yeah, sure, just make sure it’s something you can actually talk about. Rich assholes love talking about what made them rich.”

“Yeah, any opportunity One has to brag, he leaps at it.” Four said laughing, you couldn’t help but join in.

The plane landed and after a short drive you found yourself in LA on a ritzy road with expensive shops. You felt out of place in your stained sweatshirt and beat up shoes, but who was going to stop you from entering with a platinum credit card?

After what seemed like hours’ worth of pointless shopping you and Four finally had a sufficient enough wardrobe gathered up to pass as wealthy couple and were able to check into your ritzy hotel. You and Four made your way up to the hotel room, floor 27 out of 35, the view of the city was absolutely breath taking. You had honestly never seen anything quite like it, “Wow,” You gasped dropping your many bags onto the floor and walking towards the large window that looked over West Hollywood.

The skyline was a mix of pastel pink and orange that had the dark shadows of tall buildings cutting jagged and rectangular shapes out of it, it looked as though it was something straight out of a magazine.

You’d also never been in a nicer hotel, it was large and spacious with a kitchenette, and one large bed covered in white sheets. You felt like there was a rock in your stomach “Why is there one bed?” You asked, furrowing your brow.

Four shrugged “One made the reservation, not me.” He said throwing his duffle bag down on the left side of the right side of the bed, opposite the window, “Guess it’s to seem more realistic? If the room gets searched, they won’t have to wonder why we use separate beds.” That was a far-fetched idea and part of you knew it was just One fucking with the two of you, “Don’t worry, I don’t snore.” Four joked, shooting you a cheeky winking at you.

You looked at him, slightly taken back by his blatant flirting, it caused your stomach to clench “Right, well,” You cleared your throat “I hope you’re not a blanket hog either.”

You sat on the bed, your laptop open and on your lap. It wasn’t the most ideal position, but you had to make do with what you had. Your fingers flew across your keyboard, satisfying clacks filling the large hotel room while you gathered information on Beck’s previous clientele. You turned towards Four who was mindlessly scrolling through his phone, “So for tomorrow, Beck is going to be at a vineyard for a tasting, that is where you’re going to approach him.” You said looking at Four to make sure he was paying attention. He wasn’t. You reached over, lightly kicking him and grabbing your attention, “Did you hear me?” You chastised.

Four jumped and sheepishly looked at you, “Yeah, I did, tomorrow we’re going to a vineyard and I’m going to talk to Beck.” He repeated looking at you and setting his phone on his chest.

You nodded, relieved that he was actually listening to you, “Good,” You said exhaling lightly “So, your referral is going to be this guy,” You said turning your screen towards Four, he leaned in and nodded his head “But what Beck doesn’t know is that Mr. Harrison is in prison and unable to answer any calls he may have regarding the validity of your referral.” You paused, giving the blond haired man a moment to soak in the information before you continued, “So, what you’re going to do is you’re going to introduce yourself, make some small talk, and then Segway to talk about your business associate Mr. Harrison. Mention something along the lines of special products and how high quality and reliable Beck’s side business is, say whatever you have to say to butter him up.”

“So I just need to kiss his ass?” Four asked for clarification.

You nodded your head, “Exactly, and for good measure we’re going to bring a bag of cash that I’ll be carrying.”

Four hummed, “Clever plan,” He complimented, you felt your face heating up, “You sure this is your first time in the field?” He gave you a skeptical glance before settling beneath the sheets and reaching to turn off his bedside lamp.

You shut your laptop, “Yeah, I just sit back at base most of the time, One didn’t even take me along to Italy,” You said and leaned over, putting it on the floor.

“You’ve been with us since Italy?” Disbelief filled Four’s voice.

“Yeah, I helped One track all of you down, he might be good with magnets but gathering info isn’t really his forte.” You said and sat up, shifting your pillows around before you laid back down, pulling the blankets up to your chin and burrowing in, “We better get some sleep, big day tomorrow.”

Four rolled onto his side, “Right, well, night.” He mumbled.

----

Your sleep was restless because of you nerves, you kept tossing and turning, sighing when the sheets got tangled in your feet until Four finally said something, “Stop moving, for the love of god.” He mumbled against his pillow, not bothering to even open an eye to look at you.

“Sorry,” You whispered, “I just can’t sleep.” You said smoothing your hands over the blankets that covered your chest.

Four let out a long, deep sigh, “Well try,” He was obviously someone who valued sleep and did not take kindly to be woken up.

When you finally awoke in the morning you stretched, feeling your back cracking as you groaned “Fuck,” You sighed, sitting up and looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, right, you were on a mission. Four walked out of the bathroom, his hair still wet and messily towel dried, and wearing a white tee-shirt and boxer briefs.

You felt heat creeping up your neck and flushing your face at the sight, he turned around, feeling your eyes staring holes into him “Morning,” He greeted.

“Morning.” You answered back.

Four rummaged through the bags of clothes you bought yesterday, frowning “What do you even wear to a vineyard party?” He asked tossing several shirts aside.

You pursed your lips “A well-tailored suit?” You suggested, pulling the blankets back and grabbing your own things before heading to the bathroom, “You done in here?” You asked poking your head out the bathroom door.

Four looked up at you, still frustrated over his outfit of choice and nodded “Yeah, ‘m finished.” He said turning his attention back to the bags.

The hot water from the shower soothed your stiff shoulders and the steam filled your nostrils, you let out a soft sigh slicking your hair from your face and scrubbed your hair and body, freeing it of the filth that had built up from your travels. Your shower seemed to put the nerves you held over the meeting today at ease even if it was only temporary.

When you walked out of the bathroom, dressed and almost ready to go your gaze caught Four, “You- you clean up nicely.” You complimented.

It was true, he did clean up nicely. His hair was neatly slicked back and the buttons on his crisp white button down were taut against his fit chest, threatening to give way if he moved just right. His collar was upturned and a tie loosely hung around his neck. He turned, drinking in your figure a ghost of a smirk playing on his face “So do you,” He said casually struggling with his tie.

“Need help?” You asked, walking towards him your hands reaching for the tie as you closed the gap. You were close to him, nearly chest to chest and could smell the cologne he had bought the other day. You fiddled with his tie, tying it properly and tightening it comfortably against his neck, “There,” you said placing a lingering touch against his chest.

The two of you stood for a moment, staring at each other before you forced yourself to be the first one to pull away, quickly grabbing your purse and slipping your shoes on. Your throat felt tight, you needed to get some fresh air quickly before you went mad.

Taglist: @lapofthemusicgods​, @chonkyhambs​, @teageowen​, @l0ve-0f-my-life​, @takemetoneverland420​

[just-dreaming-about]

First Impressions #4

I WAS JUST UP FOR DRAMA OK? So things are getting intense and dramatic this time for Thalia. I kinda like the final angst. #Sorrynotsorry? Enjoy!

She didn't know how things had gotten out of control so quickly. The plan was simple, wait until she received a code message from a hidden number and that would be herr signal to get out of the building as quickly as possible before S.H.I.E.L.D's agents took action. If she didn't do it in time, she would have problems since these agents would take her as one of Hammerhead's thugs. The signal she was waiting for came two weeks after she sealed the deal with Spider-Man. During those days she had kept busy training and helping thugs clean up weapons, her normal daily routine except that she hadn’t visited her father. Spider-Man told her that it would be best if she did so, S.H.I.E.L.D would make sure to put him safe before taking action and if she were to visit him perhaps Hammerhead would realize what was going on and that would spoil the plan. The plan was ruined from the start. She also hadn't had time to see Peter and return the jacket to him. When she received the message she was busy training hand-to-hand combat, this time with the surprise that Hammerhead's right hand was her partner. He fought well, she had to admit it. Behind his extremely slicked-back blonde hair, the jacket suit and his bored face, he knew how to move. She began to enjoy the fight between the biting comments that were thrown between them from time to time to anger the other and to attack with more force so she didn’t see the screen of her phone shine with the coded message and the hidden number. When they both ended training, she didn't give her phone much importance either as she slipped it into her training pants pocket.

-I didn't expect you to really know how to fight -she teased. -I'm not where I am because of my pretty face, you know? -he denied with his head but there was a funny smile on his face.

She looked at him feigning surprise and gestured with her hands as if her head had just exploded.

-You're a dork, you know? -he threw her the towel with which he had wiped the sweat from his face and neck.

When she reached out to return the towel, he was looking at his own phone, which he had taken out of his training bag, with a worried face.

-Bad news? -she asked pretending a carefree tone.

He turned to her as if wanting to say something but just then they heard a strange noise.

-I'm on my way! -yelled a voice that Thalia knew too well.

And then the cover of the ventilation duct crashed to the ground a few meters from where they were, a blue and red figure landed just after and Thalia thought she would rather be dead right now.

-Okay, I'm in. Where do I have to go? -he waited silently before speaking again- I'll be there in a minute.

Ready to run, it was at that moment that Spider-Man noticed the two people who were there with him. His first reaction was to look at her and then at him, where the mask made the shape of her eyes they widened with what she thought was a grimace, but then his right hand went to the right side of his face where his ear should be.

-I'm going to take a little longer.

She barely had a second to think, Hammerhead's right hand was there so she would have to pretend the situation caught her by surprise as well and try to fight Spider-Man alongside him. The surprise part didn't have to strain to fake it. So she took a defensive stance, ready to spring into action, and Spider-Man seemed to read her mind because he was also preparing to go into combat but he stopped them.

-Are you that stupid or is it just that we're lucky? -he asked to the masked hero with an expression of disbelief- Do you not think before acting? Didn't it occur to you to scan the place BEFORE entering? You're lucky it's just me and Thalia, what would have happened if it had been someone else? -Wait, are you Jerry? The person agent Shaw said he had inside? -asked Spider-Man now. -Obviously! I would have shot you already, although the truth is that I am wanting. Who let you be part of this mission? -Agent Simmons thought I could use some more experience -his voice sounded somewhat embarrassed but Thalia had to interrupt them because she was so lost. -I don't get it. Who are you and why aren't you surprised to see Spider-Man here?

In a quick recap Jerry explained that he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, that he had been infiltrating the ranks of Hammerhead for months and that he reported on all the illegal activities that took place there. He also told her that he had convinced Hammerhead to keep his father alive to use it and this would give him time to find a way out of there. So S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually taking care of her way Thalia was very surprised but had no time to process the new information, Spider-Man explained to them that there were detonators in the building in the places where Jerry had told them that there would be no one: his mission was to find the Hammerhead security room and download all the information on their computers before they detonated. Both Jerry and Spider-Man insisted that she should leave the building right now, but Thalia refused, wanted to help and be helpful, and Jerry argued with her as if he were some kind of self-proclaimed overprotective older brother. That bothered her. And it bothered her even more that Spider-Man agreed with him! Sorry? She had fought Spider-Man and had defended herself well! Well, maybe the hero kicked her off in their first encounter, but she had taken the hit and got up again. That had to serve as sufficient proof that she was able to keep up with them. But neither the infiltrated agent nor the hero-in-training seemed to see him as she did. So the three of them ran to the exit carefully taking the empty corridors since at that time there would not be many people in the building.

-Why are you coming with us? Spider-Man asked, skidding to the left, almost falling in the process. -The exit is in the same direction, idiot!

For a second Peter thought that Thalia was lying to him and that he was actually going to go with them all the way so he was relieved to see that she was turning right when they were turning left. He hoped that she could get to the exit well but, although her instinct told her to turn around and accompany her to a safe place, she kept running because this mission was very important and S.H.I.E.L.D. expected a lot from him and Happy also expected a lot from him and there were many outstanding eyes looking at him during this mission in principle simple but in which so many things could go wrong... Since that night two weeks ago he hadn't stopped thinking about her. There was a part of him that scolded himself for allowing the thing to go so far, now there were feelings involved and it was very difficult to explain to anyone related to this mission why he jumped to the slightest mention of Thalia. No one knew that he had come to know her as Peter, he was struggling to pretend that he only knew her as Spider-Man and that it was only a strong sense of justice that drove him. But he was looking forward to the mission being over to go see her and check that she was okay. On the one hand he wanted all this to end for her but on the other he wondered if when it was all over he would ever see her again. The times he had seen her as Peter had been entirely by luck and he had never found the courage or the words to ask for her phone number. The time was never appropriate Jerri was in charge of opening the door to the computer room and he flew with the pendrive to download all the information he could find. It was very fast actually. Just in and out. Jerri warned Peter that the detonators were about to explode, they should leave as soon as possible. He was guided by him to a large open window from which Peter could escape, Jerri had to keep his cover so he could find work for another great objective than S.H.I.E.L.D. was targeting from Hell's Kitchen. Peter threw his webs at the nearest building and swayed easily before hearing gunshots coming from the back of the building that faced a small private harbor. Something inside him told him that it would be better to check the origin of those shots even though his brain and the plan he knew he had to follow told him otherwise. And damn it this time he listened to his instincts because Thalia was there. Two thugs were holding her by the arms, a third was holding a gun pointed at the sky and threatened that the next shot would go to her leg if she didn't respond. In a couple of seconds he heard the man with the gun yell at the girl who was clenching and her jaw preparing for another blow. This was nothing that Thalia hadn’t felt before. The pain, the beatings, the threats... When the dirty work for Hammerhead began, her training also began and her training went through torture and interrogation. But this time they were going over. A gun? Really? She could barely open her left eye without pain, her nose was burning like it was broken and a second ago she had spat blood. The way the thugs held her by the arms assured her that they would leave bruises for a while because the bruises were slow to fade away from her. They had been hitting her in the stomach and before the gun they had taken out a knife with which they had made a rather deep wound in the left leg. When she refused to answer again, she received a blow to the right side of her face, close to her ear, with the butt of the pistol to intensify the blow, which, added to the weak state she was in, she practically made her pass out right there. Between painful blinks she saw a red and blue shadow attack the guy with the gun. She felt something hard hitting her all over her left side and only when she opened her eye a little she could see that she was on the ground and a mess of feet in front of her were fighting fiercely. Someone stepped on her left leg but didn’t know if had been wanting or not. At some point someone started shouting her name. In her semi-conscious state and for a brief second she thought it was Peter who was calling her. Would he have come to ask him to return the jacket? Because she didn't want to return it, it was her favorite.

-Peter? -she mumbled.

Then she saw herself with enough force to open the only eye that didn’t hurt and saw the masked face of Spider-Man. It was he who called her.

-Come on, you can't pass out here! -he insisted and seemed worried, but she was very tired and closed her eye again- You can't do this to me, hold on! Cute Boy is waiting for you.

The next time she was mildly aware of her surroundings, she was still unable to open her eyes. There were many voices around her and she felt as if whatever she was lying on radiated heat. Someone -a woman- spoke very quickly and another person -Cute Boy?- answered in a vague and confused way. The woman's voice sounded very close to her, more relaxed as if trying to calm her, just before she felt a puncture in her forearm. Only before she lost consciousness again did she realize that someone was holding her hand tightly. After that she felt another surge of energy envelop her but she still couldn't open her eyes and an horrible pain ran through her face and body. This time, she didn't have time to notice if anyone was talking around her before passing out again. The time she did find herself able to open her eyes, she didn't open them either because someone was speaking to her in a very sweet and reassuring way and she didn't want to interrupt. She vaguely remembered that the last time she heard that voice she thought it was Peter but it was Spider-Man who was trying to help her.

-Hey. It's me. Again.

Silence and then an attempt to laugh as if to try to calm himself.

-If you woke up now I wouldn't know how to explain why I'm here... and agent Johnson would probably kill me.

He was silent again and then a deep defeated sigh.

-But Simmons says that your brain response is good and that you surely hear everything they tell you, but your physical exhaustion beats your brain activity and that's why you still can't wake up.

Once again, silence, and then a hand grabbed her own and began to draw circles with his thumb. It was nice.

-I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough. I should have listened to you and let you come with us.

Again silence but this time longer than the previous ones.

-I miss you -he whispered- I-I know we barely know each other, that I only know about you how little you've told to-to Spider-Man and how little you've shown to-to Peter. But I-I... I miss meeting you on the roof of a building -he stopped to laugh nervously- I like how you called me. Cute boy. I-I'm a little embarrassed that-that y-you see me like that but I like it... When you wake up I would like you to call me that again -another pause for a nervous laugh- and to give me back my jacket although it looks much better on you.

The silence that followed was so long this time that Thalia thought she had lost consciousness again. Then he coughed before starting to speak again.

-You know? I'm not the only one waiting for you to wake up. Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D. your father is recovering his health and has started doing leg movement exercises to regain strength. He really wants to see you... And agent Johnson is impressed with your work, Jerri has done a full report on everything you have done while he was there with you, says you could enter the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy... I-If you want of course! It is not mandatory... Although they would let you choose the specialty and they would not force you to be a field agent if you don’t want to. There are many people wishing that you wake up... Me to... I am wishing that you wake up... -Parker? You don't have permission to be here. If Simmons catches you, you're a dead man -it was a voice that she had never heard but seemed like a young boy. -I know-I'm sorry, agent Fitz-sir. I-I was leaving. -Quickly and without being seen -I hope you're at least having a nice dream, Thalia -he whispered suddenly very close and then she felt the warm brush of lips on her forehead.

[nicciprinkey328-blog]

A Brothers’ Betrayal

Aaron

That was an interesting dinner, and I’m still pondering whether our parents have sat down and decided to give it another honest go. Dad probably felt guilty for all his wrongdoings, and mom excepted because it is her Christian duty. I personally would never allow my significant other to take advantage of me or make me look foolish like my father does to her. My heart always aches for her. Being the son, I am while Ira is out probably trying to figure out how to fix whatever they were talking about after my meeting today, I will be with my mother trying to up her spirits. It is that time of year to start to get the seedlings for our garden planted and into the greenhouse, so they can sprout. One thing my mother and I have in common is our green thumbs so to speak.

I finish helping her clean the kitchen and dining room, and head to my bedroom to change out of my good clothes and into something more suited for getting dirty. I also wash up and come down to join my mother who hands me I new pair of gloves. Out to the greenhouse we go. All the same little pots we used last year are in a desperate need of rinsing. We start by grabbing and carrying the boxes out to the hose. Mom begins setting them out in rows while I carry the rest of the boxes out to her. When I finish with all ten boxes, I assist with lining, and she begins to spray them all clean.

We have little conversation with each other. A mutual respect that right now we are too busy with our thoughts and worries in our heads that the silence and act of producing something out of what feels like nothing has a calming effect on our souls. I spend most of the time thinking about what exactly my little brother has gotten himself into. He was always the risk taker. The one who wasn’t afraid to say exactly what’s on his mind no matter the consequence. The daredevil who commanded everyone’s attention if he was in the room. As a small child it took all three of us to keep him from exploding at times. He could never handle anything unexpected, or that didn’t go his way. I learned early on that I had to just stay out of his way. Not try to pry into his problems, or thoughts without suffering his wrath. I just kept to myself unless I was asked to interfere. He was always in trouble for skipping class, and still when he is told what to do asks “why do I have to listen to you?”

There are probably millions of possible illegal stuff he could be mixed up in. My first thoughts are gambling, drugs, or some sort of street racing. I know that I must be careful and try to find out what it is he is up to without him being non the wiser. Once I have an idea, and proof of some sort I will have to come to my parents for aide. Just another problem that will drive a wedge between my parents and cause our family more stress. Dad will take his side and go easy on his punishment because he is the most like himself. Mother will freak to the point where dad will get annoyed by her, and a fight will ensue. They always fight about Ira. Why can’t he just try to stay out of trouble until he is out of the house? He doesn’t think about how his actions affect others around him. It’s like he is the King and most important person in the world, and we all live to make his life easier, and happy. Maybe I will confront him on my own and try to help him without involving our parents. Last thing mom needs right now is for her and dad to be fighting when they are obviously trying to work on themselves for once.

Once we finish rinsing all the pots out we start to carry the large bags of fertilizer to where we have the pots. Mom grabs a handful of seed packages, and I start to fill the pots one by one. Mom takes the seeds and puts three in each pot at a time. I love how this makes her smile. I take a second and decide to turn on the outdoor stereo and we enjoy singing along to some soft rock while playing in the dirt. I can relax for a moment and laugh with my mother. She is truly happy at this moment and there is no better sound in the world then my mothers voice. She sings like an angel who just got their wings. I would say a cross between Mariah Carey, and Sia. Lots of soul and with everything she has in her heart. I have no doubt in my mind that she could have been famous if it wasn’t for my dad tying her down with us boys before she had the chance to shine. Valedictorian of her class, head cheerleader, voted most likely to succeed. Where is that mother now? How can any women allow a man to control her and dictate what she is to become in this world, especially when she could have gone so far? Love can make you do crazy things I have heard, I just don’t have anything to compare it to.

Once we get done with all the pots we line them up on the shelves in the greenhouse. I then help her clean up the mess we left in the yard. We then go into the house, and I run straight up to shower while mom does her own thing. The rest of my night will be boring. I am going to see if I can’t hack into some of my brothers’ accounts. Maybe his AOL, and Myspace will have something I can get some dirt from. I must know what he has gotten himself into if he has any chance of making it without me here. Any brother would have the same responsibility. I know he is with Kelly and Rich who are the only people I ever see him chatting with online, so I am safe there. They won’t try to talk and catch me.

Quickly I can get into his account. 143Kelly is a given. Mom always says 143 to us when we are in public, so we aren’t embarrassed. It is our I Love You. The word count makes it easy to remember, and the only one Ira loves to any capacity right now is Kelly. Only girl I have ever heard of him fighting for. He is young yet, perhaps his feelings will change. Our parents have forbidden him from seeing her thinking she’s the whole reason he is getting caught up in troubling situations. Little do they know, and I am about to do some searching to find out the truth.

The first thing I come across is a conversation between Ira and Rich about meeting times and places. I notice they have spent a lot of time at the local bowling alley. Wonder what that’s about? The only reason anyone goes there is because of the bar. Neither one of them can get served there, and most of the bar tenders know them from around town. Strange to me why they would seem to be spending so much time in that area. I also see talk of what they call “Angel Dust”. I then do an internet search for it, and realize it is a slang term for cocaine. Wow. That’s what they are into.

The shock I am feeling must be showing on my face. I knew he was into some illegal stuff but dealing drugs at the age of fourteen is crazy to me. How did he even come to find out about it? Who in their right mind would approach a bunch of kids and ask them to sell something like this?

I have my work cut out for me over the next few days. I must find out who this Ron character is, and where to find him. I think it would be best if I tried following him tomorrow to see where he goes to get the stuff. He isn’t bringing it home that’s for sure. If Mom or Dad found out he would be dead for sure. It’s up to me to try to help him. It’s time for me to step up as the big brother and help him the best way I can.

[thecrookedgavel]

The Crooked Gavel - Ep 1 Transcript

Here is the transcript for Episode 1 of the queer audio drama - The Crooked Gavel. 

Audio of the episodes can be found here

Episode 1 Transcript

Credits Voice: You are listening to episode 1 of The Crooked Gavel: A 1920’s tale of court drama and lesbian romance, produced by Crooked Gavel Productions. This episode contains a scene of sexual assault, please look after yourself while listening.

Alice: I need an Earl Grey tea with just a bit of milk. It’s for Miss Paprika over at table 7, so make sure it’s cooled off a bit before I take it over to her!

Harry: Thank you, Alice. One noodle juice with a splash, less of a quilt and more of a bedsheet, on the way.

Alice: So as I was saying, my Daddy’s doing just fine, thanks for asking. He’s still working hard as headmaster and loving it. He did say he’s missing having you around in his last letter though, if that’s what you were wondering about.

Harry: *laughs* well if I’ve got to be honest, I was wondering just that. Some days, I miss teaching those little Joe Brooks, but making java and beating my gums with other intellectuals is the place to be. *sigh* Last time your father was here from Texas, we saw a Yankees game together. Say, did you listen to this week’s game? Hot dawg, I tell you, it had me jumping!

Alice: Oh no, Mr. Tarragon. I don’t much care for baseball. Never really interested me at all. The way you men drone on and on about it… Why, I am likely to be bored to tears.

Harry: Oh, come now, in my experience, everyone loves baseball. Even the ladies!

Alice: Only when they’re trying to impress a big timer.

Harry: In that case, you’d do well to learn a bit about baseball to aid you in your search for a husband.

Alice: Oh, Mr Tarragon, I’m not exactly husband hunting at the moment.

Harry: Really? Then what are you here in Brooklyn looking for? And please, give me a straight answer this time.

Alice: Well, inspiration. Direction. Belonging. Living in Texas just wasn’t for me. I found big city life to be very appealing. I’m sure you know the feeling.

Harry: You got me there. It took me a while to find where I fit in. But running The Crooked Gavel seems to suit me just fine. I do hope you find what you’re looking for. Order up!

Alice: Thank you Mr Tarragon, I think that I will.

---

Alice: Here’s your tea, Miss Paprika

Lillian: Thank you very much, young lady. *takes a sip* The tea is lovely, just the right temperature for me to start drinking. And I didn’t even have to ask this time!

Alice: You’re quite welcome. How’s your nephew doing, by the way?

Lillian: He’s doing wonderfully! Mathew’s started to get a lot of cases, possibly more than he has time for. But he just can’t say no to someone in need, I can tell you that.

Alice: I’m glad to hear that being a prosecutor has started to bear fruit. Speaking of, would you like me to bring you an apple to your table?

Lillian: Oh no, thank you. I’ll be leaving shortly after I finish my tea. I’m meeting Matthew outside as soon as he finishes up his paperwork for the afternoon. The boy has quite the gift for it, I’m told. This coffee house is so close to the courthouse, it just makes sense to drop in and see you! We’ll be taking a walk as soon as he gets here, since it’s such a lovely September afternoon.

Alice: Sure beats the storm last week. It started raining pitchforks so suddenly that I was caught walking home without an umbrella. Let me tell you, by the time I got home again, I looked like a cat that had a whole bathtub full of water dumped on her. Positively dreadful.

Lillian: *laughs heartily* That’s hard to imagine, given you look like the cat’s meow today! My dear, if only I were a few years younger.

Alice: Or if I were a few years older.

Lillian: *chuckle* if only… Anyways, my dear, here’s what I owe you for the tea. And don’t worry, you can keep the change.

Alice: Why thank you very much, miss Paprika. I do hope you have a lovely walk outside and an even lovelier day.

Lillian: Thank you, Alice. Good day to you, too.

---

Alice: I’m back!

Harry: You seem full of energy all of a sudden. Well, more so than usual.

Alice: I am indeed, and not because miss Paprika gave such a generous tip. She’s simply a pleasure to talk to. By the way, she said her tea was the perfect temperature for drinking.

Harry: Oh, Glad to hear, though you were the one who reminded me to let it cool. You have such a mind for people. I don’t know how you do it.

Alice: That’s very kind of you to say, Mr Tarragon. Why, I don’t think anything can ruin my mood right now!

*Door with bell opens*

Alice: Aww, shoot. I guess I spoke too soon. Well if it isn’t --

Harry: Judge Cayenne, always a pleasure to see the old egg

Alice: More like a bad egg. I know how he talks to you! You ought to hear how he talks to the rest of the staff. One time that high hat broke Betty’s poor heart down to tears. And she’s a regular bearcat!

Harry: John? What a bunch of malarkey! He is a pillar of our community… Why, he --- Well… To be honest, I have been hearing some rather nasty rumours about him lately

Alice: Yes? Do tell.

Harry: Let’s just say that if chin music is to be believed, that old bird makes the Crooked Gavel look straight. They all stem from the man he walked in with, Frank Saffron. That’s Cayenne’s assistant. He’s known to keep track of some rather dirty laundry. Mix in the fact that he’s so deep in the judge’s pocket, that he might as well be a couple of clams, and you’ve got yourself some moonshine that’ll put you straight in your coffin.

Alice: Now that sounds more like the fella I know

Harry: Both looking over here like they know what they want. *pause* That’s your cue, Alice.

Alice: Ooooh, but Mr Tarragon… Mr Cayenne makes me feel so uncomfortable. The way he talks down to me… it’s detestable. Couldn’t you serve him instead?

Harry: *sigh* Alice, I’m not paying you to be comfortable, I’m paying you to serve customers. He’s a customer, so serve him.

Alice: Oh, alright. I’m going, I’m going.

---

Alice: Welcome to the Crooked Gavel. My name is Alice, and I will be serving you today. Is there anything I can get for you?

Cayenne: Finally, we have been waiting for ages! You really know how to put the ‘wait’ in ‘wait staff’

Frank: *laughs a little too loudly* That’s a good one! You slay me, your honor.

Alice: Now that’s a load of hooey! You’ve not been here two whole minutes and yet you’re complaining. Now tell me, sir, did you bite into a lemon while I wasn’t looking, or is that face of yours just natural?

Cayenne: Buh - How dare you, you little trollop! You have just confirmed in my mind that you are disrespectful, vapid, and difficult to get along with

Alice: Well, for a judge, you don’t seem to be a very good judge of character

Frank: Oh yeah? Says who? Alice: Says everyone I’ve met with today. They all seemed to think very highly of me. Meanwhile, Mr Cayenne, you seem ill-tempered, antiquated, and like you’d be the wet blanket at a party.

Cayenne: *growl* You are living proof that women are best seen and not heard

Alice: As opposed to you, who is best not seen at all

Frank: *whispers* Wow, she sure got you good

Cayenne: *whispers* Silence… *normal tone* We would like to start with two espressos, mine with milk, his with sugar. Make sure his is cooled, and mine is hot

Alice: One test of my patience, coming right up

---

Cayenne: Though I usually prefer to be served by a woman for what I think to be… Obvious reasons…. It really can be quite taxing to have to actually speak with them

Frank: And how! You certainly have a way with words, your honor.

Cayenne: Thank you, old boy. That’s very kind of you. But that’s enough about her, let’s get down to business. Any changes to the monthly… donations to the John Cayenne fund?

Frank: Let me take a look. Hmmm… Everything seems to be in order…. Ah yes, it looks like the Mace brothers have missed their payment for the second month in a row.

Cayenne: Well... won’t they be surprised the next time either of them ends up in court. And exactly how much… creative accounting were you able to pull off this time?

Frank: This month I was able to get you 12 percent off the top.

Cayenne: *laughs* Attaboy, Frank. Excellent work, as always. You really are my right hand man, you know.

Frank: Aww shucks. It was nothing, your honor, really.

Cayenne: The only thing that would make this day better is to teach that flippant waitress a lesson. Wait, *chuckles* I have an idea that will put our little miss in her place...

---

Alice: Here are your drinks, made just the way you asked

Cayenne: Here, let me take them from you

Alice: No need to --- Woaaah! *Crash*

Alice: Now why’d you have to go and do a thing like that? You know I’m perfectly capable of placing drinks on a table myself!

Cayenne: Oh, sorry, sorry. How completely foolish of me. I don’t know what came over me.

Alice: You better be sorry, now I have to stoop down and clean this mess up all by myself

Cayenne: Yes, I suppose you will

*Slap*

Alice: *Gasp* Now would you kindly remove your hand from my backside, please? I-I-I find that wildly inappropriate… Your honor

Cayenne: Inappropriate? But you were the one who bent down in front of me. Wearing that dress… Wearing those heels. Why, you were simply asking for it.

Alice: I did not ask for you to… *gulp* try and woo me in that manner. I-I-I was simply doing my job

Frank: Your honour, don’t you think---

Cayenne: ubp, ubp, ubp! Woo you? Ha! Don’t flatter yourself thinking I was trying to woo you, sweetheart. You’re not even that good looking of a girl!

Alice: Well… Well then, why would you ---?

Harry: Alice, could you come over here a minute? Now?

---

Harry:  For crying out loud, Alice! Not only have you wasted a perfectly good set of espressos, but you’ve painted a customer’s suit with them! And not just any customer, I might add, but John Cayenne? He could shut the place down if he wanted to. What is the matter with you?

Alice: Please, Mr. Tarragon, you have to listen to me. None of this was my fault. He… That prune pit... Tipped over my hands on purpose! And worse, he did it so he could… So he could paw at me. I don’t feel so good. My knees feel so weak. And my head…

Harry: Oh here, why don’t you have a seat? *chair moving* 

Alice: Thank you… I can’t believe this has happened to me. You hear stories like these all the time, but I never thought it would happen to me. This just can’t be happening.

Harry: Oh, Alice. I can see how this would be awful for you. But you have to look on the bright side. He didn’t hurt you, or steal something of yours. No real crime was committed here today

Alice: No, that was definitely a crime, I know it must be. This whole thing has made me feel more terrible than I ever have in my life!

Harry: I understand, but there’s nothing left to be done. You’ll feel better in no time! I’ll give you a few minutes to compose yourself

Alice: I think I’m going to need more than a few minutes, Mr Tarragon. And there is so something that can be done! He can be pinched and shoved into a jail cell for what he did.

Harry: You can’t be suggesting that -

Alice: Yes I am, indeed. I’m going to take him to court. And you’re going to be my witness

Harry: Oh, no, that I cannot do. With the kind of pull that man has in the legal community, one word and there’d be a boycott on this establishment from every lawyer, aide, and clerk in Brooklyn. That’s more than half our regular clientele! 

Alice: Please, that awful man needs to be taken off the streets. You said yourself that he’s not on the level. He deserves to rot in jail for touching me like that.

Harry: I’m sorry Alice, but I… I didn’t see it happen. I can’t help you.

Alice: Baloney! With all the commotion, the entire BLOCK must have looked over.

Harry: I was already fixing up some java to replace the order that you… Well, he… dropped. Even if I had seen, I’d be out of a job if I spoke up. You’d be out of a job too.

Alice: I’m going to be out of a job this instant if you don’t pledge to help me!

Harry: Alice… Please don’t do this. I already said I can’t help you. Think of your future, think of your father, what would he say?

Alice: My father would support me no matter what. I’m sorry that you don’t share the same conviction. This is goodbye, Mr. Tarragon.

Harry: Alright, alright, I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you two months pay to hold you over until you find another job. Just don’t come back here expecting a place at the Gavel when your kale goes sour. 

Alice: *Pause* Thank you Mr Tarragon. You’ve always been very kind to me. I will remember that.

Harry: I can see it in your eyes that you’ll see this court idea of yours through to the end. Go on now,  I’ll clean up this mess myself. You go along home and get some rest.

Alice: Then, this is not goodbye. Only farewell. I do hope to see you again soon, only next time with justice by my side.

Harry: *Chuckles* Farewell then, Alice.

---

Alice: Mr Cayenne, a pleasure to see you, as always. Next time I see you, it’ll be in court!

Cayenne: Seeing as I have a career as a Judge, that is indeed a place you’d expect to see me

*Door with bell closes*

---

Credits Voice Thank you for listening to episode 1 of The Crooked Gavel! Follow us on Twitter @TheCrookedGavel for updates and discussions of this and other queer projects. This episode’s cast in order of appearance:

Katte Noel as Alice Cinnamon 

Nicholas Alain as Harry Tarragon 

Kaidan Cormier as Lillian Paprika 

An Capuano as Frank Saffron

Michael Hope as John Cayenne 

And An Capuano as the credits voice

Directed by - An Capuano

Produced by - An Capuano 

Written by - An Capuano

Copy Editing by - Sharon van Wyngaarden

Casting by - An Capuano

Sound Design by - An Capuano and BA Nemo

Logo Artist - McKenna Pipher

Audio Editing by - An Capuano

Audio Mastering by - An Capuano

Music by - Kevin MacLeod

Music used in this episode is attributed in the description.

[stunudo]

The Navy has both a tradition and a future--and we look with pride and confidence in both directions.

Admiral George Anderson

Navy to FBI to BAU: 6075 until 1810 remain

One of the Six: A Criminal Minds Fan-fiction 

Featuring: Bethany Devereaux     Setting: Prior to Pilot Episode

Self-prompts: Who left the opening in the BAU for Greenaway to fill? What was the BAU like before Gideon’s sabbatical?

My name is Bethany Devereaux. I was one of the six agents killed by Adrian Bale and this is my story.

A/N and Warnings: If you haven’t, please read Early Years for context. Very subtle mentions of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know has suffered from sexual assault please Call 1-800-656-4673 (US) for help. I also just want to say we need to do a better job of helping our veterans and active duty service members deal with this problem. Offensive slang. Longer, but the academy and Navy service afterwards is a minimum of 9 years! xoxo Stu  (Special thanks to @dontshootmespence, you’re amazing)

To say that I was unprepared for my induction summer and life as a Plebe isn’t accurate. I would say I was blindsided by the exhaustion. We got up at dawn. We ran the yard. We did formations. We ate in the mess hall. We were always a unit. The company became our family, friends and brothers in arms (no one actually said much that there were women present). We slept maybe six hours a night. It was a team-building, honor inducing, painfully mesmerizing blur. But I did it: I survived my seven weeks of bodily torture and got to see Mama and Daddy.

They had tours and history lessons while I had my regular duties. After the parade we waited alphabetically for our parents and guests to find us. I remember seeing Daddy with Mama’s fist holding his arm tightly, naturally she wore heels that were sinking into the grass of the yard. I couldn’t wait, I ran to them. The familiar hugs and scents overwhelmed me and I cried tears of happiness.

“Bethania, that is enough!” Mama shushed me, taking out her handkerchief for me to clean up.

“Looking trim there, Bets.” Daddy commented. His eyes were sad. I kept staring at them, watching as they exchanged glances.

“What happened?” I demanded. “Is it Charlie? Is he alright?” My older brother had been overseas, but not in a conflict zone.

“Charlie is fine, Bets,” Daddy began slowly, “It’s Pop-pop, he’s gone to heaven, baby. A few weeks ago.”

I know I was upset and grieving, but I will never shake the disappointment I felt. My parents, these two people in my life that I had trusted had withheld something so monumental.

There were only around 100 women alongside me as I began my studies that fall. The class size was roughly 1150. Routine was something that kept me focused. I worked hard and kept my head forward. Not down, not on a swivel. Eyes on the prize. I ignored the snark we got from time to time for being female, I was used to it.

Edwards and Vaughn were the other female midshipmen in my company. Edwards put up with nothing. If a guy so much as looked at her too long she was tearing him down with her thick Brooklyn slang. Vaughn was quiet, she would flinch if someone said something too loudly or catcalled. I wish she could have developed a thicker skin. Maybe its because she didn’t have the big brothers I did or maybe she had never been praised in her whole sorry eighteen years. I don’t know, but the sharks smelled blood.

It was the week before Thanksgiving leave that I found her in the lavatory. Her face was red from crying. The hard tile floor cooling her bruising skin. I don’t know how long she had been there, but I picked her up and took her to the infirmary. She moaned, “No, please” when the male doctors touched her. Her strained voice is etched into my memories.

“Midshipmen Devereaux, you can return to your classes.” Someone sent me away.

I visited Vaughn that night during study break. She didn’t want to talk about it. So I talked about the day, the awful food in the mess hall, how Jennings and Martin had been given extra laps. Nonsense small talk. She left before the end of the week. Back to Kansas, a landlocked state for the girl that dreamed of the sea. I never found out who had hurt her, she was too scared to tell. But from then on: my head was always checking two steps behind me as well.

My family had tickets to the Navy- Army game my second year at the Academy. It was in Jersey, so I had to get special leave privileges to go along. Charlie was there, thankfully my Midshipmen pulled out a victory after an otherwise embarrassing season. Gambling is not strictly promoted in the Fleet, so I am not going to say that I won a bet. Just that I left the game with some cash in my pocket.

“Hey, Bets!” Another Virginian drawl called out to me in the middle of the stands at Giants Stadium. I looked up to find a very filled out T.J. Stevens, grinning lazily at me. He was wearing a faded NAVY tee shirt, so I figured I could play nice. “How did you get away for the game?” He asked.

“Used every favor I had.” I smiled. “Wait, I have seen you! You’re a fucking Plebe! Why didn’t you say something to me in the yard?” I realized all my focus on my duties and routines I had missed my old family friend.

“Too shy, besides it’s not like they encourage socializing.” T.J. shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad it took you all the way to Jersey to say hey.”

“Maybe, want to hang out sometime? I mean, we could get together on town liberty next week?” He was six feet of shy and sweet southern charm, I nodded.

We did a good job sneaking around. Every upperclassman had different duties, but Plebes only had a chance of freedom on Saturday nights. Drinking was out of the question, we were both too young and dedicated. We found ourselves at the local bowling alley, on a fairly regular basis during that spring semester.

Unfortunately, my Company Operations Officer, Thomas (who was not the most pleasant fella) happened upon T.J. and I, a few weeks after Mid-term leave. “Well, well, lookie here.” His dark eyes scoring over us like a cobra. “And I had pegged you for a dyke, Devereaux.”

I rolled my eyes, like I hadn’t heard that one before. “Sir? Is there something we can help you with, otherwise I would like to continue to beat Stevens’ ass.” I quipped as I strolled down the alley and cleaned up with a spare.

T.J. was frozen. The upperclassman was watching his every twitch. “You’re up, T.J.” I tried to act casual. Finally he got up and took his turns. In the meantime, Thomas sat besides me and whispered with his beer breathe.

“You’re dead Devereaux. Plebes are off limits and you know that.”

I turned and looked him square in his beady eyes, “You have no proof. I have known Stevens for years. I was just making sure he was relaxing on his liberty.”

“You better watch yourself, girl.” Thomas’ southern drawl felt dirty now. “He’s got a few weeks before Sea Trials, hate him to mess that up.”

Turns out Thomas’ threats were empty. T.J. did fine at his trials, but he broke up with me anyway. Too scared of the attention, even though now we had nothing to hide. Life is funny that way. You throw things away when you finally have a chance at happiness. Or you are so afraid of the possibilities that you hightail it the other direction. I didn’t want a coward, even if he was sweet. I just had to keep telling myself that.

“After graduating from Annapolis I spent my time on a ship or two. Before a friend of my Daddy suggested I apply for something closer to home.”

I was part of a crew. I had earned a degree. I was serving my country, still making Pop-pop proud. The years in the Fleet held a sense of purpose and routine that could not be repeated in any other environment. I saw the entire world. I saw the Persian Gulf, after Desert Storm, but I got to those ancient waters and so many more.

I slept, ran and ate Navy. I worked with some amazing sailors. But I was restless. After Charlie had been at the Pentagon for two years, he kept telling me to keep my options open. I knew I didn’t have another enlistment in me, I didn’t want to command a full ship.

It was ironically a Stevens that told me to apply to the FBI. T.J.’s uncle Carl was teasing me during a big New Year’s bash at my folks’ house. It was now 1997, I had only six months left. Why not? How hard could a single target be after years of chasing shiploads?

The academy was nothing I wasn’t already trained to handle. The classes were more specific to law enforcement so I had to relearn my vocabulary. I was easily the oldest person in my class, surprise surprise. The mental stimulation was refreshing and tougher than I cared to admit.

The FBI was a good fit for me, I liked the results and being able to see my targets in person. The small unit working together was how I thrived. I had been placed in the Carolinas, it kept me near the water, but the honeymoon phase ended quickly. I began searching for bigger challenges after just two years. Then I found an internal posting for a profiler position in Quantico.

It was the late nineties and being a woman in the FBI was still uncommon. The position that had been vacated was that of the notorious ladies’ man and founding member, David Rossi. (He later became an international best selling author of True Crime books.) I interviewed with SSA Cole in a dimly lit basement office. After the second interview I got the impression they didn’t want to fill the position. That was the only time I did not achieve my objective and as a Devereaux, I didn’t just let that slide.

I returned for my second attempt at the promotion nearly ten months after my first interview with Katie Cole. Now it was her position that had been vacated. A talented clinical psychologist and profiler, her reputation and name left a large hole to fill in the small unit. But the fact that she had broken into the old boys’ club of the BAU made my opportunity all the more possible.

I had been working in the Boston field office, in the interim, hoping the diverse caseload would deepen my understanding of the work the profilers did. Irish mafia and vice cases helped develop my intuition and my confidence grew with each collar.

The offices were in a cement lined basement at the headquarters, just like the last time. Jason Gideon was regrouping after Rossi’s and Cole’s departures. Their poster boy Aaron Hotchner was running the interview process because Gideon didn’t have the attention span to interact well socially. Hotch was an arrogant lawyer with a chip on his shoulder when it came to child abuse cases. But his irrefutable moral compass held the whole unit together.

Aaron, remarkably, remembered me and asked pertinent questions to my expanding experiences. After an open-ended Q&A session I was told they would be in touch. I shook hands all around and made my way through the cave of file cabinets. SSA Gideon was staring at the cork side of an ancient chalkboard on wheels. There were photographs of victims and their dumpsites. I didn’t think he had registered my presence until he began to speak.

“Why would he wrap the bodies, but leave the faces exposed?” His musings were to himself, but I took it as an opening.

“Sir?” I pointed to a victim’s face. “He wants to see them, he comes back to check on them.”

His dark eyes turned on me as if I was speaking Swahili. I pointed to the position the bodies were in and the nearest footpaths. They were left directly in line of sight.

“What else can you tell me about this unsub?” Gideon asked, not making eye contact again. But I felt him watching my micro-expressions, my processing obvious on my heavily browed face.

“He takes talismans or mementos from each of the victims. He relives the deaths even when he can no longer visit their graves.”

“Hotch?” Gideon called. “Agent Devereaux is coming to Indiana with me. Handle the transfer while we’re gone.”

And just like that, I was in.

Next Chapter: New Girl on the Unit

@teatimewithtiya I hear you’re the expert, how did I do?

@criminalwriting @dontshootmespence @cherry-loves-fanfic @gubl-oser @imagicana @reiding-and-writing @milkandcookies528 @lookingforgalifrey @reidbyers @rachficrecs @hotchnerfuckmeup @criminal-navy-writings

[angelpunswriting]

Life in New York Under a Microscope

TW: Death, self harm

Carmen let out a huff, jamming his finger on the button to the third floor, his hands soon stuffed in his pockets with an unmistakable childish anger, despite being nineteen. 

  He’d been helping out with the Martinez kids downstairs for nearly three years now, asking for nothing in return. For the last year he’d been cleaning up the apartment as well in the hopes that Ms. Martinez might decide to pay him without him having to ask. However, today she had simply thanked him and sent him on his way. Again. 

It was beginning to piss him off, but it wasn’t like he didn’t get enough money to live off of his other part time job. 

He just thought it’d be nice to have a little extra cash and not have to worry about the rent. 

The elevator dinged when it got to his floor and the raven shuffled down the hall to his apartment he shared with his dad. He was buying time, knowing that he’d open the door to reveal his father in the middle of one of his batshit-crazy ‘rituals’. He hesitated outside the door, hand on the knob. He just needed a moment of calm before he went into the hellstorm of a home. 

    A bang from across the hall made him stop, a shattering sound and a woman shouting following it. The neighbors were fighting, as usual. 

He was quick to open the door and get inside when he heard their doorknob click, not wanting to get hit with a book again. 

    He’d gotten a black eye from the incident and had a hard time explaining to his dad that, no, he hadn’t gotten beaten up at school and no, no one was coming to take him away. It was just too much work to bother with, not to mention it had hurt like hell. 

The unmistakable crash of a vase against the door came a  moment later and he heard their apartment door slam, as well as the shuffling of feet going down the hall as Mr. Torres left to get drunk, again. 

It was like this entire shitty neighborhood was in some kind of horrible time loop, their days just repeating until they all inevitably died or were kicked out for not paying the rent. 

    When Carmen stepped into the apartment, his dad was sitting at the kitchen table, poring over a large, dusty book with a magnifying glass, taking notes in a loose-leaf notebook with half of the pages already filed. 

Of course, Carmen knew he was just writing the same thing he’d always write in that damned notebook. He was collecting words that begin with the letter ‘r’, simply going through all the books in his office and writing each and every r word, no matter how long or short. It didn’t matter if it was the same word three times in a row, he’d write it. It had become an unhealthy obsession, but Carmen would rather the other rip the entire r section out of their dictionary than get himself into trouble. Which he had done last week in a fit of rage during dinner. 

    His dad never seemed to leave the house, either. He’d get to the elevator and then come right back. His job had stopped calling and asking him to come in, and some people in the neighborhood even thought he was dead. Carmen let them think that, if only for the free dinners they’d send over. It was better than having to buy another meal from the gas station across the street. 

The raven had barely managed to graduate because halfway through his junior year, his mother had died and made his dad absolutely snap. 

He’d been so great before, too. 

    Carmen remembered the end of the month, when his dad would come home from his trips with some new story and artifact to show Carmen. He’d sit the boy in his lap and tell tales of far away places and fascinating religions.  He’d once brought home a small sculpture of Ganesh, giving it to Carmen and telling the story of Ganesha’s birth. 

    He remembered it all too clearly. 

His mother would be in their tiny kitchen, tired yet happy. The radio would be playing her favorite song, and she’d pull his dad up off of the couch and into a tango, dipping him to the floor despite the height difference. Carmen would try and join, the sculpture forgotten for a moment as they all laughed and danced around the apartment. 

The neighbors used to complain about the noise, but nowadays they’d just give him this pitiful, heartbroken look, knowing that their home had gone from such a warm place to the likes of a cave, with trash and books and dirty old clothes just covering everything. His dad was too sick to clean, and Carmen barely had enough time to sleep and eat, let alone clean their entire apartment. He’d do the dishes and occasionally take the trash out, but then he’d be too tired to do much else. 

    “ about time! “ his dad suddenly exclaimed, pulling out his antique pocket watch and checking the time despite the fact that the watch hadn’t worked in years. 

“ I’ve been waiting forever, i’ve got something amazing to show you!”

He got up and started for his room, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of Carmen’s stomach as he followed his dad. As worrisome as this was, he didn’t want to upset the man. He didn’t want to see him cry again, he’d made the mistake of asking too many questions back when he’d first gotten sick. 

    The man’s room was just as much of a disaster as the rest of the house, clothes and trash and just...stuff, everywhere. His shelves had once been full of the amazing artifacts and knick-knacks he’d bring home, but a lot of it was broken and on the floor surrounding his bed. Carmen planned to clean it all up one day, but he had to find the time to do so, first. Maybe he’d start with quitting is babysitting job. 

    “In here, in here!” His dad grinned almost wildly, leading the other into his attached bathroom. Carmen followed, soon gagging at the sight. The bathroom was just as awful, if not worse. He only came in here to help his dad wash up, but it hadn’t been this sickening before. That’s when he really almost vomited, spotting the fresh blood pooling in the sink. 

He glanced between his dad and the sink, only then noticing the spot of blood oozing through his shirt. 

“..Dad? Wh..what did you do?” he asked, quick to grab the man’s arm and push back his sleeves. There was one long, slim cut going down his wrist, a bit of dried blood going up his wrist as well. However, there was still a lot of blood coming out out of the cut itself, though it looked as if it had been done at least an hour ago. 

Carmen felt sick, but tried to remain calm. He sighed shakily, gently pulling his dad to the sink and turning on the water. 

    “ t-tell me what happened...does it hurt?” he asked, gently washing the other’s arm with warm water. HIs dad explained as he continued to clean the cut, soon wrapping a bandage around his wrist so it’d stop bleeding at the very least. He wondered if maybe he’d need stitches, but it didn’t look too deep. 

“ well, I was going through the drawer to find my knife. I’m working on this amazing carving, it looks so much like her, Carmen, you wouldn’t believe” he rambled, eyes still wild, though he was staying still for Carmen. “ I found that, over there. I thought maybe I could try and find her with it, but i think I missed the paper”

The raven glanced at the edge of the sink, where a letter opener sat, the blade crusted with blood. He shivered, sighing and shaking his head a bit, “ don’t mess with sharp stuff when I’m not here, okay? It’s dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt..”

His father nodded along with him, though Carmen knew he’d either forget or just not even process half the instructions Carmen gave him. He was losing his mind and losing it fast. 

    “ What do you want for supper? “ he asked, though he knew his dad would want the same thing and simply ignored him as he cleaned up the bathroom, trying not to gag at the smell. 

He threw the letter opener away, as he’d done countless times with other sharp objects, or things that his father could hurt himself with. He simply threw them out as he found them, not having the time to completely dad-proof the house like he’d like to. 

He considered taking his dad to a nursing home on multiple occasions, but they didn’t have the money for that. 

And Carmen just didn’t have the heart for it. His father was the reason he came home every day, the reason he worked hard. 

He was all the raven had left. 

The male finished cleaning and checked on his dad before he made dinner. It was just pre-cooked chicken out of a bag, but it was the best thing they’d had in awhile, apart from the neighbor’s stale casseroles. 

He soon served it up and brought one plate to his dad and took the other to his room, at least wanting to eat in peace. 

His room was tiny, as this place wasn’t really meant to be a two bedroom apartment. It had originally come with a laundry room, but he hadn’t been able to bring their washer and dryer anyway, so he just used the laundromat across the street when he did wash their clothes. 

His room was pretty clean, though the shelves were cluttered with stuff his father had brought back from various trips. There were statuettes and compasses, little instruments and jewelry. It was full of all these little treasures that he’d only kept for the fond memories. 

Carmen didn’t eat for a moment, setting his dinner on his bed and slowly heading over to the shelf. He picked up a snowglobe with the word ‘Hokkaido’ on the front, a little city inside of it. He remembered how his father had explained that the factory had messed up and put the city of Seattle in it instead, and he’d bought it just for Carmen, knowing he’d love it. 

And he did. 

It was his prized possession, the idea that his father had thought of him on his trip making him so happy, both as a kid and now, years later. 

   He smiled faintly down at the globe before placing it back on the shelf with a sigh. 

He sat on his bed and began to eat, but the longer he stared at the knick-knacks, the harder it was to hold back the tears that were seemingly always waiting to spill over. He hadn’t cried since his mother died, but the fact that his dad had gotten hurt again today made him wonder just how much time the other had left. 

His worst fear would become a reality and he’d be all alone for real this time. 

Carmen took a deep breath, swallowing back tears and finishing his dinner before heading back into the kitchen. His dad had barely eaten, his face already stuck back in the book, writing down ‘r’ words left and right. Carmen cleaned up both of their plates, saving the leftovers for a later date, he hated to waste food. 

“Alright, dad, it’s time for bed. You can continue tomorrow, ‘kay?” he warned, gently helping his dad up from the table and coaxing him into his bedroom. He was glad to close the door and not have to worry about his dad anymore that day. 

He’d already removed everything that his dad might hurt himself with as far as he knew, so he could go to bed without too much worry. His dad would never leave his room if Carmen didn’t get him up and going in the morning.                  

The raven changed into his uniform and headed out of the house, having to go his second job. He wouldn’t get back until midnight, and then he’d get about five hours of sleep before he had to go to work again, You’d think with the amount of work he did, Carmen wouldn’t have to worry about money so much. 

But the world was different for people like him, even if he was only half hispanic, there was still that gap that kept him from helping his dad. It was almost like people were holding him back so he’d never get anywhere.     

That night, he came home to the sound of sirens and the smell of smoke, people screaming and hanging out of windows, terrified by what he could only assume was his father’s doing. Time seemed to stop as he pushed past firefighters and paramedics alike, running into the building and up the stairs, wheezing as he breathed in smoke. His father wouldn’t leave his room unless Carmen got him. 

He was gonna die. 

Carmen raced into their apartment, having to kick open the door to get in, the handle was so hot. The male shouted for his dad repeatedly, hardly able to see through the flames. The fre had definitely started in their apartment, but luckily hadn’t completely consumed the place yet. 

He ran through the apartment, opening his dad’s door despite how hot the handle was this time, considering he didn’t think he was strong enough to kick it this time. He was running out of time, struggling to get air as he breathed in the hot, stinging smoke. The raven spotted his father on the bed, holding a burnt out match and an old cassette. Like he was trying to burn it. 

“ dad, c-c’mon, we gotta get out of here!” he shouted, tugging at his dad’s arm in an attempt to get him out of the apartment. ALmost the entire room was set ablaze, and Carmen knew neither of them would get out of this without some burns. His dad didn’t speak, obviously in the same situation as Carmen.The male could barely hear his breath, a soft wheezing sound that made him wonder if he heard it at all.   

He spotted the matches that had caused all this, matches from the restaurant his parents had had their first date. Looking closer, he was able to read the cassette. 

In a familiar, hardly legible cursive, it read ‘ To Dean, from Rosa’. His mother’s. 

“ Dad, please, we-we gotta go..” he wheezed, beginning to get light-headed from lack of oxygen. He took the cassette from his dad and grabbed his arm at the same time, attempting to lure him out of the bed, but the man wouldn’t budge. When Carmen let go, his hand fell limp and he knew his dad was dead. That’s when two firefighters burst into the room, one of them grabbing Carmen and dragging him out the door, the male screaming for his dad the entire time, until he passed out from the amount of smoke he’d breathed in.      

He woke in the hospital hours later, still gripping the half-melted cassette tape tight in his hands, the last reminder of either his parents. 

He really was alone, wasn’t he?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

[allfaucetsworld-blog]

5 Best Pull Down Pull-Out Kitchen Faucet Reviews 2018

You probably bought or built a house and now looking forward to furnishing the kitchen with high-quality faucets. Or maybe the previously fixed faucets aren’t serving you promptly, and there is the need for a change.

Well, welcome here since you just landed on the right site.

Now, kitchen faucets are much more than just a fixture in the kitchen. Besides their extensive role in the kitchen, they play a prominent role in complementing the entire décor of the house. Gone are the days standard faucets were the order for every new home. Today, manufacturers have gone a notch higher to create some of the best pull-down kitchen faucets the home industry has ever seen. For this reason, the market is flocked with a variety of best kitchen faucets 2018 that might leave you spoilt for choice. I’m therefore going to walk you through every detail you need to understand about the pull-down kitchen faucets. This way, making a selection won’t be as daunting as it seems.

5 Best Pull Down Kitchen Faucets 2018

#1 Delta 9178-AR-DST

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Delta 9178-AR is no doubt a favorite for most homeowners. The faucet has many exciting features that made it grab the first position.

From five attractive finishes to choose from, multiple flow options, durability and the five-year warranty granted by the manufacturer. The diamond technology incorporated in this single handle faucet further presents a tough coating on the ceramic valves allowing no room for possible leaks and drips.

Again, the magnetite docking system in the pull-down sprayer helps in positioning it securely preventing any chances of the spray wand bending or drooping after a while. The single hand lever further makes it easy to toggle between hot and cold.

The only problem with this Delta faucet is the lengthy and professional installation it requires. It’s not like I’m rebuffing the experts help here, but every homeowner would love to do the installation by themselves and save the few bucks for a bad day. However, if you are looking for a faucet that can serve you more than 5 million uses, then go Delta 9178-AR-DST

#2 Moen 7594SRS Arbor

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Since 1937, Moen Company has been at the forefront in updating their kitchen faucets and this Moen 7594SRS Arbor seems to be one of their all-time favorites. The elegant design and colors that range from chrome, matte black, oil rubbed bronze and spot stainless steel make it fit in any home décor. The faucet’s toggle switch option make easy to work with as you can easily switch between the various spray modes.

The Duralock quick connect system makes it ideal for DIY installation, therefore, saving you on the initial costs. The faucet is further equipped with a reflex system that securely docks the spray head in position, and this allows smooth operation as well as an effortless movement of the spray wand.

Other smart features in the faucet include minimal splashing, fingerprint resistance, easy handle positioning as well as a long-lasting pull-down spout.

The only concern with this faucet is the need for a spotter during installation and counterweight problems that have been reported by former users.

#3. Danze D455158SS

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If you are reading this and all you want is a commercial look for your kitchen but are not prepared to dig deep into the pocket, this Danze D455158SS is a good option for you. It is also a perfect pick for those of you who aspire for an eye-catching faucet with crispy and beautiful stripes of either a stainless steel or chrome finish.

The ceramic made disk valve in the faucet plays a role in eliminating drips and leaks that could lead to adverse problems caused by water damage.

This Danze faucet has a dual spray mode that maximizes its performance. The spray option handles heavy tasks such as washing and rinsing fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, and the aerated flow function is perfect for cleaning your hands and washing the dishes.

The Danze Company offers a limited lifetime guarantee on this faucet. It also meets the kitchen faucet requirements as stipulated by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and therefore makes it a perfect asset if you have a special needs individual in the family.

Despite the above positives, some users find the plastic spray wand a drawback. the spray wand tends to become defective especially if the faucet is in constant usage like in the busy kitchens.

#4 Grohe 32298DC1

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Grohe is renowned for developing sleek and stylish faucets fit for the modern kitchens, and this particular faucet lives up to the standards due to its great features. The attractive and shiny design makes it a win for most people. The perfect finishing eliminates chances of lime build up on the faucet. However, if any lime appears, the Speedclean anti-lime system incorporated in the faucet removes the limescale with a simple finger swipe.

The faucet’s locking dual spray feature has a diverter that allows for seamless switching to either spray or regular water flow. The one handle design further helps in controlling the water flow and temperature. The handle can either be positioned to the right, left or center.

Although the installation can be done without the assistance of a plumber, it needs keenness, and strictly following the manufacturer’s step by step guide.

The reduced water pressure that is not enough for various tasks in the kitchen. However, this can be attributed to the spout’s height that could likely be causing a backup. To solve this, you may need to check if there is an option of increasing the water pressure.

#5 Kohler K-560-VS Bellera

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If you are looking for a versatile faucet with a 1 or 3 hole installation, this model from Kohler is perfect for you. Kohler K-560-VS Bellera offers a combination of modern and classical look making the design one to envy. You can easily customize your kitchen with the three color options available to come up with the best modern look.

The faucet has a three function spray head setting that offers you a variety of uses in the kitchen. You can toggle between stream which is ideal for filling containers, sweep spray which presents forceful flow and therefore perfect for cleaning and finally the pause setting which allows for quick stops when performing certain tasks.

Kohler Company has designed this product innovatively by fitting it with a magnetic docking system situated within the spout to securely lock the spray head into perfect place. Again, the spray head has been installed with a master clean spray face to help it withstand mineral build up and therefore easy to clean.

Unlike some faucets that require you to depress a button when changing from stream to spray, this model has a touch control option that eliminates operating the faucet with dirty hands

Unfortunately, the faucet requires regular cleaning especially if you have hard water in your home. Otherwise, the faucet’s performance will be affected by accumulated build up.

5 best Pull-Out kitchen faucet

Delta 470-WH-DST

The Delta 470 Pull-out kitchen faucet has an elegant, sleek design which adds an aura of sophistication and classiness to your kitchen. It has a high-arc design which provides wide reach ability of 9-inch and allows a height of 8-inch. The long pullout spout can increase your sink workspace by 38-inch and you can also rotate it along an angle of 120 degrees, which makes it available towards the unreachable corners of your sink. The Delta 470 comes with the flexibility of using the 10-3/4 inch faucet base; you can omit it in case of small sink space. The Diamond Seal technology ensures leak free usage of this delta faucet. This technology ensures that you would not be in a worry to get your faucet area leak proof because it takes care of this issue easily. This faucet comes with a lifetime warranty and that why you can trust to buy it without any hesitations.

KOHLER K-15160-96

The KOHLER K-15160 has a single handed control valve which prevents the buildup of debris and hard water. A temperature memory control unit allows you to set the faucet for a specific temperature while the high-temperature control setting will avert the passage of very hot water and eliminate unnecessary scalding problems. The ergonomically designed pullout spout is easy to handle and move around while a simple touch-button allows you to switch between a spray water head or an aerated steam water head. You can easily choose between these two modes and there would not e an issue. The spout can cover a wide area of 9-inches so that you can spray the water around the sink easily and wash large sized utensils or objects in the kitchen. It has a height of about six inches with which you can easily wash long bottles and containers in your kitchen sink without getting splashes of water out of the sink and causing a mess around you.

GROHE 33 330 001

The Grohe kitchen faucet is a Eurodisc single-handed faucet with a built-in Grohe Silkmove Cartridge which efficiently controls the pressure and temperature of water. This is a low-height kitchen faucet and is extremely suitable for narrow sink spaces. While the height is 7-3/16 inches, the width reachability is 9-5/8 inches, which allows it to provide a wide sink coverage. The pull out spout head is rotatable around the sink space and an easy push button allows quick transition between regular flow and spray flow from the shower head. The Grohe Speed Clean technology protects the nozzle against scaling while the high quality chroming gives a scratch proof, lustrous finishing to this kitchen faucet. You can have this pullout faucet in your kitchen to add ease and comfort while working.

Moen 7545W

Moen 7545 Kitchen faucet comes with a glacier finish and simple design which goes well with all kind of kitchen settings. This single-lever faucet is ADA approved and has advanced features like pull out spout,temperature control, variable spray head modes and a quick pause button to stop the water flow for a while. The faucet has a height of 7-3/8 inches and the water flows at a pressure of 100 gpm while the swivel spout head can be rotated across an angle of 100 degrees. The Moen Kitchen faucets are based on a hydrolock installation system which makes it very simple to install the faucets and eliminates the need of all kinds of tools.

Pfister Pfirst Series

The Pfister Pfirst Series 1 is a stainless steel, ADA compliant single handed kitchen faucet with a high arc spout head which gives it wider reach around the sink. This faucet comes with flexible installation system and can be installed with 1 or 3 holes in the sink heads. With a height of 9-7/8 inches and a reach ability of 8-13/6 inches this kitchen faucet allows for greater coverage at the sink and a pull out spout head, it can rotate at an angle of 180 degrees makes it easier to wash things outside the sink. This faucet has an easy to use button on the spout head, which allows you to switch between stream and spray shower options.

What is a pull-down kitchen faucet?

The answer may seem obvious to a real estate developer, but the same may not be said about a homeowner furnishing his first home. And with a variety of faucet styles in the market, painting a clear picture of this product is necessary. At a glance, pull down faucets have an elongated and curved gooseneck design. They have tall spouts and are designed to pull down into the sink especially if you need to fill some pots and pans in the kitchen. For this reason, they are most suited for deep sinks. In most cases, they have a short hose since there isn’t much distance needed to be covered.

Should I Choose Pull Down Kitchen Faucet?

If you need a pull-down kitchen faucet but aren’t convinced of its advantages over other styles, then read along. The first assurance you need to have is that many companies are manufacturing this style of kitchen faucet and even give a warranty in the case where it does not meet your expectations. Secondly, the high demand of pull down kitchen faucets has led to competition among manufacturers aiming at creating faucets from a high quality brass material with other extra features geared towards serving you best. Not convinced yet?

I will tell you five more reasons a pull-down kitchen faucet is a great product for your kitchen.

Easy to operate.

As the name suggests, the faucet requires being pulled down for it to function. So, all you need is to pull the spray wand towards the sink and get working. The single handle lever in most of these faucets further makes it easy to adjust temperature and control water flow.

Ergonomically fit

Doubtless to say, the kitchen is the most important work area in your home. You, therefore, need a kitchen faucet that eliminates stress on the body. Manufacturers of the best pull-down kitchen faucets have put this factor in mind and by making these faucets as flexible as possible. The extendable hose, as well as the faucet’s ability to make a 360 turn, eliminates too much strain on your body. Again, the faucet requires a single down movement which translates to natural arm motion, and this makes sink access easier hence limited stretching and straining.

Contemporary design

You will agree with me that a lot of emphases is being put to bring out sophisticated fixtures for our homes. Pull-down kitchen faucets have not been left behind either. With a teapot design and a varied range of finishes, there is no doubt this faucet will create an eye-catching design for your kitchen and complement the entire home décor.

Multiple-flow functions

Most of the modern pull down kitchen faucets come with three water flow options; the stream mode which is ideal for regular washing and cleaning, the high flow function perfect for filling in containers and the spray option comes in handy when food gets stuck on the sink. In a nutshell, the three options ease the multiple functions intended for the kitchen faucet.

Perfect short hose

Who said the faucet hose has to be long for optimal functioning? If I may offer you a free tip, short hoses come with a pack of benefits. First, there are fewer chances of it developing kinks as a result of maneuvering in different directions like in the case of pull out faucets. Again, you do not have to worry of the hose accidentally getting stuck in some plumbing parts and therefore causing damage.

How can you identify the right pull-down kitchen faucet model?

As I mentioned earlier, getting the perfect kitchen faucet that fits your specifications is a great challenge to every homeowner. So, you are not alone in this. However, to make it a bit easy for you, certain factors need to be put into consideration before swapping that credit card ready for purchase.

Number of holes

I have previously heard of several homeowners making one huge mistake of not checking the number of holes in their sink before purchasing the faucet. It is important the holes on your sink tallies with that of the faucet. Otherwise, the faucet won’t fit.

Installation guide

If you are planning a DIY installation, ensure the product comes with a manual guide to ease the process. Additionally, the faucet should be easy to repair especially on the minor hitches such as leaks. No one wants to spend some coins on a plumber to fix something they can do themselves.

The brand

Be on the safe side by purchasing products from top rated pull down kitchen faucet brands such as Delta, Danze, Moen, Grohe, Kraus, and Kohler. This way, you avoid chances of purchasing counterfeit faucets that may end up breaking after a while.

The faucet angle

As minor as it may seem, the faucet angle has a lot to do with smooth water flow. While some faucets have 15-30 degree outward angle, others point directly to the sink. Both options influence how the water flows. For this reason, assess your needs and choose a faucet with a suitable vertical inclination to prevent excessive splashing.

Handle positioning

The position of the handle can adversely affect its functioning. For instance, some manufacturers design the handle only to rotate in a particular direction. Assuming the faucet needs to be mounted near a wall, and the handle turns towards the same wall, it means a lot of trouble working with the faucet. So, be sure to check on this position especially if you have limited space for installation.

Major concerns with pull down kitchen faucets

Although voted a great faucet style for every modern kitchen, the product has some concerns that result to homeowners shying away from purchasing the product.

The main shortcoming is the high initial costs involved when setting up the fixture. The best pull-down kitchen faucets are quite expensive and so is their installation. While DIY could be an option, it can lead to adverse faults that may be beyond repair. My advice, therefore, is, if you purpose to get this product, be ready to spend and avoid opting for shortcuts as they may be more expensive in the long run.

If you are considering having this style, ensure your kitchen has deep sinks, or you are planning to install them. Pull-down kitchen faucets do not work well with shallow sinks as they end up causing too much splashing that could end up messing the kitchen floor and counter.

Finally, some customers complain that some faucets tend to have low water pressure. In most cases, the cause is the tall spout that sometimes causes water backup. You may be wondering how that happens. Well, if the spout is more than 16 inches tall the pressure needs to be high for the water to flow out smoothly.

Parting Shot

Now, thank you for reading the entire. It is beyond doubt that pull down kitchen faucets are a win in functionality, practicality, and contemporary design. One thing you can agree with me is that the various kitchen faucets described above have shown that a kitchen faucet is not just a kitchen faucet. It takes innovation and modern technology for manufacturers to pull out a great product. There are lots of kitchen faucets out there and getting the right one is always challenging. However, it’s my hope that my review will help you in grabbing one of the best pull-down kitchen faucets in the market. I will also be humbled if you comment below with your thoughts on the various faucets discussed above. Better still, share the article with friends and help them make a sound judgment before purchasing their preferred kitchen faucet.

Source: https://www.allfaucetsworld.com/kitchen-faucets/best-pull-down-kitchen-faucet/