#but for now sonny is more than fine as captain

[timoswerner]

this has pissed me off beyond belief. firstly how is THAT what you take away from that match? secondly… this is just so insulting to sonny? i could understand the argument to make madders captain is sonny wasn’t there - a new head (who has won a club trophy in recent years lol) with new ideas, he’s the kind of the player to push his team over the line, and he’s very clearly stepped up (almost seems like he matured overnight) since being here. but sonny is here. and was clearly the natural choice to be captain. who cares if sonny isn’t ‘shouty’ enough, it’s not the 90s anymore where you captain has to be a shouty hard man à la roy keane. you really think sonny won’t speak up when needed? sonny has done so much for us, has always been a great example to every other player on and off the pitch, and bar a patchy first season with us and last season where we had a manager who drained the life out of every single player bar one, has always stepped up for us when we’ve needed him. the players all love him and would run through a brick wall for him. he is a perfect representative for our club and he deserve more respect from the fans.

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Here You Come Again [Part Eleven]

Fandom: Elvis Presley, RPF, American Actor

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Original Female Character

Characters: Elvis Presley, Addison Goodwin, Original Female Characters, Priscilla Presley, Colonel Tom Parker, Vernon Presley, Gladys Presley, Minnie Mae Presley, Marci Cunningham, Jerry Schilling, Red West, Sonny West, Marty Lacker, Joe Esposito, Charlie Hodge, Lamar Fike, Alan Fortas, George Klein, Memphis Mafia

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 8003

Summary: When Addison Goodwin was seventeen years old her life was turned inside out after a chance encounter with her past. Now, fifteen years later her life is the best it’s ever been. She has a home, a good job and a daughter she loves more than anything in the world but will all that remain when an old familiar face rolls into town.

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Graceland, Las Vegas, The International Hotel, Elvis In Vegas, 1970s, 1970s Elvis, Friends To Lovers, Rekindled Romance, Parenting, Time Line is Sketchy, Guilt, Betrayal, Teenage Pregnancy, Hawaii, Hidden Pregnancy, Jealousy, Sex, Absence of Parent, Single Motherhood, Trauma, Oral Sex, Tension

Notes: Jess should parent trap these idiots x

LINK TO ALL PARTS // LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST

‘Wait was that your last card?’ Jerry said looking at the pile of cards on the table in front of him and Jess’ now empty hands.

‘Yep,’ she beamed, ‘I win again.’

‘Aw hell,’ Charlie chuckled, throwing his dud deck on the pile.

‘You sure you ain’t cheating Vegas?’ Jerry said, narrowing his eyes as she beamed at him and shook her head.

‘Well if she is she does it better than her Daddy,’ Charlie smirked.

‘A whole lot less braggin’ too,’ Marty chuckled, throwing his hand down too.

‘It’s just pure talent,’ Jess smiled, gathering the pile of discarded cards so she could shuffle them.

‘Even so, don’t think I’m trustin’ ya to deal the next hand,’ Jerry said as his large hand came over hers so could pull the pile in his direction at which she rolled her eyes but allowed him to take over anyway.

Addison smiled to herself as she watched them, happy that Jess was enjoying herself especially since she wasn’t feeling quite as jovial. She was sitting across from the large table they were at, curled up on her seat with a book she had barely read two pages of as her mind kept wandering. Her nerves about going back to Memphis had grown over the week and though she knew being back in the place she had once called home would more than likely hurt she had been reassured because she had Elvis. She knew that even though he was excited for Jess to come home with him he would go slow for her benefit. Yet since he’d gotten on the plane he’d been different. He’d greeted them, but then he’d disappeared down to the back to what she had been informed was a bedroom and had yet to emerge even though they were beginning their descent over Tennessee. However as the Captain made an announcement that they were all required to take to their seats whilst they landed he reappeared, heading straight towards her until he was at the chair opposite.

‘Can I sit here?’ he asked tentatively. He had felt bad disappearing but after his talk with the Colonel he had had matters to discuss with his daddy and some of the boys. It had taken precedence but knowing how nervous she was about heading back home for the first time in years had been playing on his mind.

‘It’s your plane,’ she said with a smile. He smiled and took a seat opposite her, watching as she closed the book she was holding and slipped it into her bag. It was a small gesture but it was enough to make him realise he had her full attention which made his smile widen.

‘You doing okay?’ he asked watching her closely.

‘Fine,’ she said surprising herself at how true that was as she realised that her nerves had calmed the moment he appeared, ‘where’ve you been?’

‘Oh just dealing with some last-minute business stuff,’ Elvis said, it wasn’t technically a lie but given that the Colonel’s deal meant he wasn’t out of their lives just yet he didn’t want to tell her exactly what he had been up to.

‘Counting all your cash from Vegas huh?’ she teased.

‘Oh yeah,’ he chuckled, ‘it’s all out in ones in the back.’

‘I thought only strippers got paid in ones,’ she mused.

‘Maybe there are parts of my show you haven’t seen,’ Elvis smirked in a way that made an image flash through her mind and a throb to enter her lower belly. It was a thought she shook away immediately but as the conversation migrated to landing she couldn’t help but notice the distinct shuffle she had to do in her seat to get the feeling to leave.

On the way to Graceland she was quiet. Elvis took charge, pointing out places along the route home to Jess who seemed to have a question for everything he said. Addison nodded along as if she was listening but as they got closer and the scenery got all the more familiar she found she didn’t feel like laughing and joking along with them all that much. Eventually they pulled up outside those old familiar gates which were crowded by fans. The car didn’t stop though, instead Elvis offered a wave to his fans, then it rolled on in past the gate blocking them from view as they headed up the long and winding driveway.

‘Woah this place is huge,’ Jess said looking past him to the vast house as it grew closer, ‘I mean you could fit our house in it like five times.’

‘It’s not that big,’ Elvis said, suddenly feeling self-conscious as he felt Addison’s eyes on him.

‘It’s a literal mansion,’ Addison said. Though her words were teasing, the smile she offered him was one of reassurance, ‘I think you could probably fit our house in the stables let alone the house.’

‘There are stables?’ Jess asked looking at him excitedly.

‘Yeah, and a pool. Don’t worry I’ll show ya around,’ he said more relaxed. They’d stopped now and the door was being opened for them all to climb out.

‘Can we see them first?’ Jess asked as she stepped out following him up the garden path with Addison close behind.

‘Sure,’ he said as they entered, ‘they’re out back. We can head there first and then I’ll show you guys the rest of the house, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Jess said. He gestured for her to walk down the hall but as he went to follow her he noted Addison was still lingering by the front door, scanning each inch of the house in its entirety. It looked the same yet different. The neutral palette of the house she had left was replaced by darker, richer tones throughout the downstairs. Yet some pieces remained the same. The same hand-crafted grand piano still stood in the music room. The same China set Gladys had picked out on one of their errands was still standing proudly in the cabinet in the dining room. The staircase where she and Elvis had said goodbye still stood, unchanged as it was in her memories.

‘Addie?’ he asked pulling her from her thoughts. He was standing by the banister, Jess a step or two ahead of him, both of them watching as she lingered by the wide-open door.

‘Are you coming, Mom?’ Jess asked watching her mother’s face closely. She couldn’t read it. It was a mixture of happiness and sadness though she couldn’t tell which was winning.

‘No,’ Addison said, ‘you two go on. I’m good here.’

‘You sure?’ Elvis asked.

‘Positive,’ she smiled, ‘just don’t be outside too long, okay? It’s freezing.’

‘Okay,’ Jess said. Elvis watched her for a moment and then nodded directing his daughter to the back of the house. As they disappeared Addison glanced outside. Lamar and Marty had the bags stacked on the driveway threatening to come in at any moment so instead of lingering in the main part of the house she moseyed forward taking it all in as she went. It was different now and the memories in her mind scattered all over the place as she tried to account for what was still the same. Not much felt like it used to. There was a new room for one thing. It was ostentatiously kitsch with a jungle theme that struck her as mis-mashed in the scheme of things yet it was pretty in its own way. But as she wandered through the house she found that one thing felt entirely the same, her old room. It was bare of course, the only thing inside it was the stuff that had been there when she’d first arrived but other than that it was the same. The neutral walls remained the same colour they had been and though the bed wasn’t made when she looked in the wardrobe there was a folded-up bedding set she remembered every inch of.

‘Feels exactly the same, doesn’t it?’ she heard a voice say which startled her forcing her back from the wardrobe. When she looked towards the door she found Dodger standing in the doorway watching her with a kind smile.

‘You scared me,’ she said when Dodger didn’t say anything, awaiting a response to her first question she sighed, ‘yeah it does.’

The two women fell quiet for a moment and Addison shifted on her feet feeling Dodger’s motherly gaze on her. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know why out of all of them facing Dodger felt the hardest. Maybe it was because out of all of them she hadn’t done anything wrong. Though she hadn’t blamed Vernon he was still part of the Colonel’s scheme and no matter how she looked at that it hurt. But Dodger had been nothing but good to her which was probably why that guilty feeling was trickling in. The older woman seemed to sense her apprehension and not wanting to upset her she smiled and said, ‘what no hug?’

Addison looked at her, her arms open and waiting and sighed before she moved towards her and into her embrace. It was short and simple but the feeling it brought to Addison’s chest was one of comfort and warmth. When she pulled back Dodger put her hands on her face and smiled, ‘it’s good to see you.’

‘You too,’ Addison admitted, ‘Dodger about what happened-’

‘Oh no need to explain all of that,’ Dodger said, pulling back and waving her off.

‘But-’

‘It is what it is,’ she smiled, placing a reassuring hand on Addison’s shoulder. Maybe that was why Addison had anticipated this being the hardest one because she knew that no matter what Dodger would’ve understood, ‘now, where’s my grandbaby?’

‘Elvis is showing her the stables,’ Addison said.

‘I might’ve known,’ she said rolling her eyes as she moved away, ‘c’mon I’ll fix ya something to eat why you wait. Are you hungry?’

‘A little,’ Addison said. She wasn’t, in fact she had barely eaten anything all day as her stomach protested at the mere idea due to the nerves inside her but she knew better than to refuse a southern woman’s hospitality. As they entered the kitchen Dodger gestured for her to sit down at the table whilst she headed to the fridge and started pulling out random items.

‘Bet ya haven’t had some proper southern cookin’ in a while am I right?’ she said as she placed a container on the counter and then turned back to the fridge.

‘Not in a long time,’ Addison admitted.

‘Well I’m sure I’ll have you fifty pounds heavier by the time you leave,’ Dodger chuckled, moving around the kitchen as she turned the stove on. Addison didn’t even ask what she was making instead she just watched as she threw a knob of butter into the pan. Once several strips of bacon had been decanted out of the frying pan and onto a sandwich the older woman placed it down on the table in front of Addison and took a seat, wiping her hands on a towel that was over her shoulder.

‘So, how’s it feel to be back?’ she said as Addison took a bite of the meal in front of her and found it to be a BLT.

‘Weird,’ Addison said, covering her mouth as she spoke, ‘a lots changed.’

‘I’ll bet,’ Dodger said. Addison took another bite wondering if it was proper to ask what she wanted to. After all the way Dodger was treating her was as if she’d never left but there were things Addison didn’t know. Curiosities which sprung up that Elvis didn’t acknowledge probably as they had become commonplace for him. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask.

‘I noticed we dropped Vernon off down the road,’ she said, her eyes fixed on her plate though they darted to Dodger who was watching her closely.

‘Yeah, he lives down there now,’ Dodger said simply. Addison’s mind whirred. She had watched as Vernon had said goodbye, climbing out of the car with Dee in tow as they headed to their home. It was nice and of course only a stone’s throw away from Graceland but it had struck her as odd. Elvis had always said this home was for his parents; she wondered what could have made him change his mind.

‘What happened?’ she asked tentatively. Dodger sighed.

‘Dee,’ Dodger said earnestly.

‘Ah,’ Addison said.

‘Vernon and Dee met quite soon after Lovie passed. Now she’s a nice woman don’t get me wrong, but it just didn’t sit right with Elvis. So when he came back from the Army and saw that Dee had tried to make the house a home for her and Vernon he…let’s just say he wasn’t best pleased,’ Dodger said.

‘Oh,’ Addison said, her heart twinging at the idea of him rattling around this big old house all on his own. How empty it must’ve felt without his family. Without her.

‘Yeah, it was better for everyone that way,’ Dodger said.

‘And he still had you,’ she replied though she wasn’t sure who she was trying to reassure with that statement.

‘Oh I’ve told him the only way he’ll be getting me outta here is in a box,’ Dodger joked.

‘Well as long as that isn’t any time soon,’ Addison smiled.

‘Can’t be,’ Dodger said, ‘not when I’ve still got a grandbaby to meet.’

Addison smiled. She couldn’t believe she had been apprehensive about seeing Dodger. How she feared what the woman might say when she knew her well enough to know that this should’ve been the expected reception. Though in thinking about Dodger her mind drifted to another figure, one who had treated her just as well as she asked, ‘what about Mary?’

‘Oh she’s still here too,’ Dodger smiled, ‘only works a couple days a week nowadays on account of her back but we’ve got a new girl who picks up the slack.’

‘Bet she hates that,’ Addison giggled.

‘Eh she’s decent enough,’ Dodger said.

‘I bet it’s odd what without Gladys running things,’ Addison mused. She knew it probably wasn’t, given the number of changes she had walked past she was sure the good ship Graceland was still running as fine-tuned as ever and yet she couldn’t picture it. The house had been Gladys’ pride and joy, well besides Elvis, so seeing someone else at the helm felt odd.

‘Oh he’s had quite a few people running things,’ Dodger explained, making Addison’s brow furrow until she clicked on what the older woman meant. Of course there had been other people running it. With Vernon and Gladys gone Elvis was the head of the house, he always had been really, and of course he’d had his lady of the house. She cursed herself for being so obtuse as her suspicions were confirmed as Dodger continued, 'nice girls of course but never had that…spunk. Not like Lovie or you for that matter.’

The complement singed Addison’s cheeks not that Dodger seemed to notice though whether it was because of the casualness of which older people said things or the fact they could now hear Elvis and Jess coming in through the back door she didn’t know. Still she hid her face from the woman and turned to where she expected the pair to walk in at any minute.

‘That’s Lady,’ she heard Elvis say as they came into the room. Jess was behind him but he was looking back at her as he spoke, ‘she’s the perfect size for you but she’s Cilla’s and she can get real fussy about who rides her. Maybe you can try with her and if she’s not for agreein’ you could have a go on one of the others just until we can get you your own.’

‘Sounds good,’ Jess smiled.

‘Please tell me you aren’t talking about buying her a horse,’ Addison said as he turned around and noted the women sitting there.

‘I’m not buying her a horse,’ Elvis lied, ‘I’m buying a horse she may or may not have sole privileges in ridin’.’

‘Elvis she’s been here five minutes!’ Addison protested.

‘Exactly I’ve waited long enough don’t ya think,’ he teased watching as her eyes went wide. He was baiting her and she was falling for it and given he had been nervous about her stepping back into his world he was just happy she was relaxed enough to let him.

Dodger however wasn’t paying them any attention. She was looking at the young girl standing behind her grandson, watching her parents with a smirk on her face. She rose from her chair pushing past Elvis as she said, ‘forget about that! Let me look at her.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Elvis said, moving out of her way as she took Jess’ face in her hands, ‘Jess this is Dodger, uh your Grandma, Dodger this is Jessie.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ Jess said feeling her cheeks flame as the older woman eyed her closely.

‘Well aren’t you just as pretty as a picture,’ she said with a smile as her hands moved down to Jess’s shoulders ‘just like your Mama but there’s some of your Daddy in there too.’

‘It’s in the eyes,’ Addison said without thinking, dropping her gaze as Elvis smiled at her, ‘and the smile.’

‘You’re right,’ Dodger said, ‘she’ll be a heartbreaker that’s for sure.’

‘Not any time soon I hope,’ Elvis mumbled making Jess’ blush deepen. Dodger ignored him.

‘Question is do you have an appetite that rivals your Daddy’s?’ she said.

‘Why, are you cooking?’ Elvis asked as he took a seat next to Addison.

‘Did you think I was standing here for my health?’ Dodger asked as she moved back to the stove.

‘Well if you’re offering we won’t say no, right Jessie?’ he asked as Jess took a seat next to him.

‘If that’s okay,’ Jess said quietly.

‘Of course it is,’ Dodger said with the same easy-going nature she had offered to Addison, one that made Jess start to relax, ‘so, what do you want?’

Fortunately for Jess Dodger's easy-going nature was as infectious as Elvis' which meant she was able to relax so much so that when Elvis suggested he show them the rest of the house she felt dejected about having to leave her grandmother behind. Yet her curiosity was enough to make her agree. It was as huge as she suspected and though he explained a little about each room she still struggled to take it all in. It was surreal especially since they had gotten to know each other it had been what she had been thinking about. To be immersed in this world, his world. Now she was there it felt bizarre. Not to mention how strange it felt to see her mom in it, more comfortable in the surroundings that Jess had anticipated.

‘Now given the short notice I haven’t had a chance to sort everything out,’ Elvis said. They were on the stairs heading up to his floor something Addison noted now had a privacy wall installed at the top of separating the upstairs from everything else. He stepped through the door without thinking leading them to the old familiar landing she recognised, ‘now I thought you could either share the spare room or Jess you could bunk in Lisa’s room for the time being.’

‘Won’t she mind?’ Jess asked, glancing through the open door of the room he gestured at which was she assumed to be Lisa’s given the number of toys plonked inside.

‘She’s not gonna be here for another few weeks,’ Elvis said, ‘I just thought you might like it a bit more since there’s a TV in there.’

‘Oh yeah that’s fine,’ Jess said, peeking inside so she could see that large TV against the wall.

‘And when we’ve got some time maybe we could get the spare room set up properly… for you I mean,’ Elvis said nervously.

‘Like my own room?’ she asked glancing in the room next to Elvis’.

‘Yeah, I mean the boys normally stay in here but I’d rather have you up on this floor than somewhere else in the house so we can always move them elsewhere. If you’re alright with that,’ Elvis said.

‘Yeah, I’d like that,’ Jess smiled as she wandered towards Lisa’s room where her suitcases had already been put. Elvis looked at Addison who had been looking around taking everything in then he moved to the spare room door which grabbed her attention.

‘Are you okay sleepin’ in here?’ he asked watching as she peeked inside.

‘Yeah fine,’ she said as he pushed the door open further so she could enter ahead of him.

When she got inside she was surprised. It had never been a room she had spent much time in but even so she didn’t remember it being this way. It looked odd. There was of course a large bed in the middle but the rest of it seemed to have no cohesion as if things were flung in there without a second thought. She supposed it made sense, if the boys were using it as nothing more than a place to crash when Elvis needed them but still it felt impersonal. The rest of the house seemed to ooze his aura and personality out of every crevice and yet this felt stiff. It was only made more overt as she walked into the bathroom to find it was the one adjoining his room. It struck her as odd that the boy who had once wanted nothing more to be left alone would need someone so close by just in case. How he felt the need to have bodyguards and safety walls built within his own home.

‘What you thinking about?’ Elvis said. He was leaning on the door jamb, watching her as she surveyed the bathroom unable to process what might be going on in her brain. She looked up as he spoke, whatever it was flashing behind her eyes before she pushed it back and cracked a smile.

‘That we were idiots,’ she said coming towards him.

‘Huh?’ he asked puzzled.

‘You had a big ol’ room right next door to you and you put me at the other end of the house,’ she smirked.

‘Oh,’ he said catching her meaning, ‘I’ll have you know I was trying to resist temptation.’

‘Oh yeah? And how’d that work out for ya?’ she asked. She was close now, right in front of him, so much so he could smell the clean scent of her perfume – one he didn’t recognise off the bat but liked all the same.

‘If I remember rightly, it was you that wore me down,’ Elvis said in a velvet covered voice. She didn’t move away as he leaned in not even as that throb from earlier returned, instead she met him toe to toe.

‘Got us Jess didn’t it?’ she smiled.

‘That’s true,’ he conceded. They paused for a minute neither of them knowing where to turn now that the conversation had become a tad sentimental. Addison however leant into it and said, ‘thanks by the way for letting us stay here.’

‘It’s no problem,’ he said quietly.

‘I know I just really appreciate it,’ she said, ‘after this last week.’

‘I know,’ he said. And then without warning she leant in and hugged him. It took him off guard for a second but then his arms seemed to kick into gear and he wrapped them around her as she rested her head against his chest, the steady thump of his heartbeat against her ear. They stayed there for a moment each enjoying the sensation until they heard Jess call her.

‘Mom!’ Jess yelled from the other room. Addison paused, not wanting to pull back from the hug, not when she could tell that Jess’ call wasn’t one of distress, something that was proven as she called again.

‘Mom come and look at this!’ she heard her call again and with a sigh she pulled back. Elvis let her go cursing Jess’ timing as he did. She smiled at him and then moved past him without a word heading to wherever Jess needed her urgent attention. Elvis flopped against the door frame with a sigh. What a couple of weeks this was going to be.

✵✵✵

‘Hello?’ Addison said as the phone finally clicked on.

‘Hello?! That’s all I get? Hello?’ Marci said frantically, making Addison roll her eyes as she took a seat on the bed.

‘Okay I know it’s been a few days,’ Addison said.

‘Four days to be precise,’ Marci said, ‘when you said you’d call at least the day after you got there. I’ve been freaking out.’

‘Sorry, sorry,’ Addison said, ‘it’s been a little hectic.’

‘Well…I suppose I understand but don’t you ever leave me without a shred of news for that long again. I’ve been going stir crazy here,’ Marci said dramatically.

‘You mean you’ve been left without any gossip,’ Addison chuckled as she swung her legs up onto the mattress and rested back against the headboard. It was true she had told her friend that she would call her as soon as she could once she was in Memphis; it was just that life in Memphis seemed to move at the pace it always did which meant that Addison had barely had time to think let alone call anyone.

‘Exactly,’ Marci giggled, ‘so come on lay it on me how’s it going?’

‘Good,’ Addison said.

‘Really?’ Marci pressed.

‘Yeah,’ Addison said, ‘I mean we haven’t tackled the whole outside world thing yet but Jess seems to be adjusting well.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah, like a duck to water,’ Addison said.

‘Well that’s good, isn’t it?’ Marci asked. It was good and Addison was happy that Jess had managed to thrive here given how miserable she had been over the last week. It was just that she worried that being tucked away in the Graceland bubble would under prepare her for going back to the real world. And it wasn’t even all the fun stuff either like no school, endless activities and spending time with her dad, it was the fact that lingering outside the walls were people who still wanted to torment her. People who wanted to stick cameras in her face and hurl abuse at her just to get a reaction. That was what she was worried about.

‘Yeah, it is,’ Addison said, ‘I just hope she can adjust back that’s all.’

‘I’m sure she’ll be fine. Besides the more fun you guys are having the less attention you’re paying to the news, right?’ Marci asked.

‘I guess…how is all that going?’ Addison asked. She hadn't been paying much attention. Elvis had told her that over the years he had learned there was little point in keeping up with the tabloids. There wasn’t much they could do about it and trawling through the endless drivel would only end up making her feel ill, so it was best just to leave it alone. She had agreed though she had asked Marci to keep her finger on the pulse just in case she got curious.

‘Fine,’ Marci lied, sensing she had put her foot in it.

‘Mar,’ Addison warned.

‘Well…they're not talking about Jess,’ Marci admitted.

‘Oh, it’s about me huh?’ Addison asked, biting her lip.

‘Yeah…I mean it’s all trash. They don’t have any clue what actually happened so it's easy to question it I guess. Why now? Why so long without contacting him? Stuff like that,’ Marci said quietly. Addison took a deep breath. She supposed Marci was right. So long as they didn’t know she supposed they'd always wonder why she did what she did. But that didn’t matter, not when Elvis and those who did matter knew the truth. And so long as they weren’t slandering Jess’ name she supposed she could deal with whatever they had to say about her.

‘Anyway,’ she said moving on, ‘enough about me. How are you?’

‘Fine,’ Marci said airily. So airily in fact it made Addison pause.

‘How’s Tom?’ she asked.

‘Busy as always,’ Marci replied.

‘What about you? Have you got the plans for the new shop through yet?’ Addison asked.

‘Not yet but it’ll be fine,’ she said though the way she brushed it off made Addison suspicious, but her friend didn’t give her time to comment on it as she continued, ‘you know I spoke to Jess the other day.’

‘Oh?’ Addison asked allowing her friend to change the subject.

‘Yeah, apparently she’s got an Uncle Jerry now,’ she said teasingly.

‘Oh, yeah,’ Addison said with a smile, ‘he’s a sweetheart.’

‘He is?’ Marci asked curiously.

‘Well yeah I mean he’s exactly the same as he’s always been,’ Addison chuckled though the change of subject had now sparked her curiosity, ‘why do you ask?’

‘Just wondering,’ Marci said quietly.

‘Wondering about?’ Addison pried feeling intrigued.

‘Nothing,’ Marci said quickly, ‘look Addie I gotta go. Call me soon, okay?’

‘Okay?’ Addison said, perplexed.

‘Bye love you!’

‘Love you too,’ Addison said and before she could say anything else the phone clicked off leaving her sitting there confused. Addison had been anticipating the call to be a marathon one. Marci had been waiting for her to call and she figured they’d get into the whole trip at some point. Not to mention Addison was just as intrigued to hear about the plans Marci had been making to open her new salon now that she was properly situated with Tom in California. Yet once the conversation had fell on her she’d run for the hills which Addison thought odd. In fact she thought about it all the way downstairs until she was in the kitchen where Jess and Elvis were sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch.

She was dressed in jeans and a thick blue sweater as well as a pair of cowboy boots Addison was sure she hadn’t seen before. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Whilst she was sure she didn’t need them she had decided to become a little more lenient when it came to his purchasing especially given that they were on his turf. In fact Addison was glad in some respects that Elvis had the money to burn. Between horse-riding, guitar playing, and the couple games of touch football games Jess had been participating in her daughter was becoming a kid Addison didn’t even recognise and definitely one she couldn’t afford to fund the new hobbies of.

‘Good afternoon,’ she said as she moved to make herself a coffee. Though he didn’t say anything Elvis looked up from his chair and smiled as Jess said, ‘good afternoon.’

‘Did you two have fun out there?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, it was good,’ Jess said as her mother rested back waiting for the coffee machine.

‘She’s a real natural,’ Elvis said, ‘Lady even seems to have taken to her and she don’t like many people.’

‘Maybe she knows if she doesn’t cooperate you’ll buy another horse,’ Addison jested.

‘Maybe,’ Elvis smirked, turning his attention back to his meal as she poured herself a coffee. As she walked to her seat though she placed one down in front of him, a gesture she seemed to do without thinking.

‘What have you been up to?’ Jess asked as she sat down.

‘Oh not much. Had a shower, called Aunt Mar,’ she said, taking a sip.

‘Only just? Mom it’s been four days,’ Jess chastised.

‘Yeah, I know,’ Addison said, ‘believe it or not I’ve been a little busy.’

‘We haven’t even been anywhere,’ Jess giggled making Elvis smile wryly.

‘Well forgive me for not being on top of things,’ Addison said, eyeing her daughter as a thought came into her mind, ‘besides it’s not like she needed me to apparently you called her last week.’

‘Yeah so?’ Jess asked.

‘Told her all about your new Uncle Jerry she said,’ Addison said, raising an eyebrow. Jess’ face flooded crimson.

‘Oh that,’ Jess said, ‘well you told me about them dating…I was curious.’

‘You wouldn’t be trying to set them up now, would you?’ her mother asked making Elvis’ ears perk up as he watched Jess squirm.

‘No,’ she said though as Addison pressed with a look she sighed, ‘okay maybe. But you said she used to really like him! And he’s single.’

‘And Mar’s getting married,’ Addison reasoned.

‘To some weirdo,’ Jess said.

‘That’s none of our business,’ Addison said.

‘She’s our family of course it’s our business!’ Jess protested. Addison sighed and placed her cup down as she prepared to speak. She wondered why Marci had gotten all funny and hung up quicker than she should have. Now she wondered what nonsense Jess had been filling her head with. Before she could reply though Elvis jumped in feeling an argument mounting.

‘I think your mom means you’ve gotta let people figure out stuff on their own Jessie,’ Elvis said with a sympathetic smile. Jess looked between them both and then flopped back on her chair with a pout.

‘Okay fine,’ she said, ‘but I’m telling you he likes her too.’

‘Well if they end up together I’m sure your mom will agree you can say I told you so till the cows come home okay?’ Elvis chuckled.

‘Fine,’ Jess said though her face remained sour.

The trio fell silent with Jess pouting at her sandwich as she picked at it. Addison watched her daughter exasperatedly as she sipped her coffee. It wasn’t that she didn’t agree with her. Tom wasn’t her favourite boyfriend of Marci’s, but her friend did seem happy. And it wasn’t as though Marci tended to listen when it came to men. Addison had learned early doors that the best course of action was to let her friend do as she saw fit and then help her should she need it. Trying to push her back into the arms of someone she dated over a decade ago would surely only bring disaster. Elvis seemed to sense the animosity between the girls and decided to intervene. After all, the past few days had been going well. In their own little bubble they had been thriving and he didn’t want a couple of crossed words to start to ruin it.

‘So what are we doing today?’ he asked making the pair of them look at him.

‘I don’t know,’ Jess shrugged.

‘Maybe we could go out someplace,’ he suggested. Maybe that was for the best. Even in a house this large it didn’t always stop people from getting on top of one another.

‘Where?’ Jess asked.

‘Wherever you guys want,’ he shrugged.

‘Aren't you supposed to be our tour guide?’ Addison quipped deciding to let the small argument go hoping Jess wouldn’t feel too put out at her mother’s disagreements.

‘Hey you’re from here too y’know,’ Elvis replied.

‘Nah I’m a native Nevadan by now surely,’ she said, ‘just like Jess.’

‘There’s still a southern bell in there somewhere I’m sure of it. What do you think Jessie?’ Elvis said, making Jess giggle. She didn’t mean to, since she still felt chastised, but he had this aura about him she couldn’t resist.

‘I don’t know,’ Jess said smirking at her mom, ‘she doesn’t even have her twang anymore.’

‘I bet it’ll come back by the end of the week,’ Elvis said.

‘Oh you think?’ Addison asked. She was feeling a touch ganged up on as she did a lot of the time when it came to the pair of them, but she didn’t mind. Not when she could see Jess was pulling out of the funk her words had put her in.

‘Hundred percent right Jess?’ Elvis said. Jess nodded.

‘And here I was thinkin’ my own daughter would have some faith in me,’ Addison said, shaking her head, ‘but you’re on.’ 

‘Well in that case we better go somewhere ya don’t have to speak. You’ve already lost Jess’ faith can’t be losin’ anything else,’ Elvis said raising an eyebrow making her eyes narrow.

‘How about the Memphian?’ Addison said.

‘Sounds good to me.’

✵✵✵

It was weird for Addison to be back at the Memphian though these days that weird feeling seemed to be permanently there. It, like Graceland, seemed to have this timeless quality though there were obvious changes not only to the building but to the set-up itself. As they walked in Elvis led them down to the front where a station had already been set up for him containing a little table with a bottle of Pepsi and a bottle of spring water on top of it. He sat down gesturing for them to take a seat on either side of them which they did, Vernon sitting on Jess’ other side. Addison took her seat and glanced around. Again it struck her as different. Where nights at the Memphian and been a group affair he was now isolated, save for them being there, watching a movie all on his own. As the film rolled on silence fell, though he did lean into Jess at different moments to explain or talk about something that had amused them both, Addison kept her gaze on the screen but every so often she couldn’t help but glance at him. 

He still seemed so much of the boy she knew and yet she knew he was so different. It was hard to notice especially when he was around her as he seemed to become her Elvis but there were subtleties. Things that made her realise how much he had changed. As if the innocence in him was gone. She supposed she couldn’t fault it. After all, whatever scrap of innocence she had was ripped away the moment she left Graceland yet still it made her sad. It made her think of the kids they used to be, to yearn for what they might have become given the chance. She didn’t know why she was thinking of that instead of the movie that was playing out on the screen, but she couldn’t think of much else. 

If they were together now, if they had been all along would it still feel the same? Would the love have lasted with this new man that stood before her or would Germany and the loss of Gladys ruined them either way? Would they have stayed together for Jess or any other kids that may have come along? She didn’t know, but she couldn’t help but wonder. Because for all the newness of him he was still that boy when he was with her. He was still that boy who made her smile over pancakes, still the boy that teased her something chronic but took it when she dished it back, still the same boy who held her when she cried immediately springing into action to fix it so that she would smile again. 

But it wasn’t that simple. Because he wasn’t just that boy and she wasn’t that girl, not anymore. They had to think of Jess. In fact, he had more than one daughter to think about and she couldn’t help but think of the fact he already had a marriage that had failed despite the love being there. Was that something she could picture for herself? She had already lost him once. To do so again would ruin her, she was sure of it. 

She stayed quiet through the movies, lost in her thoughts until she realised the credits were rolling on the second film and people were starting to shift. When Elvis looked at her waiting for her get out of her seat and walk ahead of him, that adorable lopsided grin on his face, that was when she knew. It would ruin her. All the ifs and the maybes she couldn’t think of them because she couldn’t let herself.

‘What did you think?’ Elvis asked the pair of them as they headed out towards the lobby.

‘It was good,’ Jess said, ‘didn’t see the end coming though.’

‘Yeah, it was a good twist,’ Vernon said from behind them.

‘What about you Addie?’ he asked, she looked up at him as though she had been listening and said, ‘oh yeah good.’

‘She was probably too busy ogling Paul Newman,’ Jess giggled.

‘He’s distracting what can I say,’ Addison joked, smiling at the pair of them thankful neither seemed to notice how far her mind had been wandering. Elvis smiled too  but then turned away trying to ignore the sudden ache in his gut at Jess' words. They were in the lobby now, the boys gathered around wondering what the next move of the night was going to be.

‘So you girls wanna get some dinner?’ he asked.

‘Ooh yes,’ Jess said with a smile looking at her mom who seemed to hesitate.

‘Sure,’ Addison said tentatively, ‘where?’

‘How about Lombardi’s?’ Elvis asked.

‘Sounds good,’ Addison agreed with a smile.

‘Great, wait here I’ll get Joe to call ahead,’ Elvis said returning one before he walked over to Joe and offered him instructions. As he walked away Addison watched him trying to ignore the flutter inside her chest as she did. She shouldn’t be feeling like that, she couldn’t be feeling like that. Yet it was hard not to. Not when he looked so good in his deep blue suit. Not when he looked over at her, throwing her a smile though they had been apart mere seconds.

Whilst watching him however she didn’t notice Jess’ blue eyes watching her as they had been all week. In fact she had been watching the pair of them like a hawk since they had come to stay with him and because of it she was sure they liked one another. That had been why she had been talking to Marci about Jerry. Not because she was trying to meddle in her aunt’s love life but because she was sure what she was watching unfold was love. She’d been trying to get some intel on what had been like the first time around, how they had acted around one another, but Marci had deviated off on a tangent and not wanting to be too obvious about what she was after Jess had let her. Yet she didn’t need Marci’s intel to see know that what she was watching was what she had suspected all along.

She didn’t need Marci to help her realise he only told jokes when he was sure she was listening. She didn’t need Marci to notice the way her mom put her hand over his as she pointed out something on the menu. She didn’t need Marci to notice how her dad’s arm ended up behind her on the restaurant booth, close enough she was practically flat up beside him. They were little nuances she didn't miss and though she tried to pay attention it was hard to as every action had her head spinning. She wasn't even listening to Billy properly who was telling her of a film he and Elvis had worked on a while ago. 

‘-Yeah wouldn’t let me go,’ Billy chuckled, ‘had my arms locked in his so I couldn’t run away.’

‘Yeah, and you deserved it,’ Elvis smirked taking a sip of his water, 'you're just lucky I didn't break your arm.'

'That's mean,' Addison chastised though her expression was one of bemusement. 

'He got out eventually, didn't he?' Elvis reasoned with a smirk that made her roll her eyes. Jess' gaze was glued on the pair of them not that they noticed as they continued talking with Billy who was now explaining how he had become a stunt double for Elvis' leading lady. Jess was trying to listen but her eyes glazed over as questions spun around in her head. In fact, she only really pulled back to reality as Vernon slipped back into his seat beside her finally returning from the phone call her had been pulled away for nearly ten minutes earlier.  

‘Everything alright Daddy?’ Elvis asked as Vernon slipped back into his seat.

‘Yeah fine,’ Vernon said, ‘that damn garbage disposal again. Tripped everything in the house.’

‘I’ve told you just get someone in to fix it,’ Elvis said.

‘I know, I know,’ Vernon grumbled, ‘I thought I’d managed it this time but must be a wire faulty somewhere in there. Left her sitting in the dark that’s why she called.’

‘Has she fixed it?’ Addison asked.

‘I told her what to do,’ Vernon shrugged.

‘What so she could be sitting in the dark?’ Addison said her brow furrowing as Vernon made no excuses to leave, ‘why don’t you go home and help?’

‘Oh uh I’m sure she’ll be fine,’ Vernon said glancing at Elvis which caused Addison’s gaze to land on him. He didn’t want to agree. After all Dee was a grown woman, she could figure a fuse box out for herself, but he could feel her watching him, wondering why Vernon was hesitating to go home.

‘Yeah, why don’t you,’ Elvis said after a moment, ‘I mean dinner’s over.’

‘Right, uh sure,’ Vernon said not expecting the leniency Elvis was giving him though he took it all the same, ‘I’ll see you all later?’

There was a murmur of agreement from the people situated up that end of the table as he slipped out from behind the table but before he could leave Jess spoke and said, ‘actually can I come?’

‘To fix a fuse box?’ Elvis asked looking at her sceptically.

‘No,’ she said rolling her eyes, ‘I mean can I go home?’

‘Why?’ Addison asked. They were both watching her suspiciously, something she knew was bound to happen, but she didn’t let it phase her. She had been thinking a lot over dinner and though she had realised she didn’t need Marci’s help to recognise what was happening between her parents that didn’t mean she didn’t want to understand what had happened. They were never going to tell her but they weren’t the only people who had been around then. And she figured no better time to pry than a twenty-minute-long car journey with her grandpa.

‘I said I’d call Elaine,’ she said.

‘Can't you call her after?’ Elvis asked. He had been enjoying himself and he knew if Jess wanted to go home Addison probably would too which was something he didn’t want to happen.

‘Her mom only lets her use the phone until seven. I don’t want to miss her. Please?’ Jess asked in her sweetest voice. Addison looked at her curiously, glancing at Elvis as she said, ‘if your dad doesn’t mind dropping her off I’m okay with it.’

‘Sure. Uh Daddy do you mind?’ Elvis asked heaving an internal sigh of relief.

‘Of course not,’ Vernon smiled, ‘come on kiddo.’

‘You guys are the best,’ Jess smiled as she stood up from her seat.

‘See you later,’ Elvis smiled.

‘Yeah, see you later,’ Addison said watching as her daughter and Vernon headed towards the exit before she looked at Elvis.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know,’ she said doubtfully, ‘but I kinda feel like we just got played.’

‘Eh she’s a good kid. I’m sure whatever she’s up to is harmless,’ he chuckled. Addison chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment watching as he waited for her to agree. He was right, Jess was a good kid and whatever she was up to probably was something innocent. She nodded and sat back, feeling his arm touch the back of her shoulders. As Billy threw the conversation back into gear she thought of Jess and hoped that their faith in her was right because not to trust her would mean leaving the fun she was having and she didn't want that. Even if they couldn't be more, having him back as her friend was good enough. 

SERIES TAGS

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[itwasrealtome]

OUTSIDE THE LIE

I- American Party

⚠️ TW: Mentions the Russian Mafia, alcohol, drugs, inappropriate behavior [kissing sessions, dominant behavior, insinuation of prostitution]

Tonight You Are Mine "In a sense, I'm nothing less than who you claim to be." — The Technicolors

XXX

Tribeca, NY Present time

THE HANDS on her watch seemed to challenge Olivia.

Just a few more minutes and the ordeal would come to an end. She took a deep breath and wiped the palm of her hands against her elegant black dress, hoping to ease her nerves. But tonight, the adrenaline rush felt slightly different.

May simply have been a concern. Not every day did she and her unit have to face this level of threat. Besides, she recalled from her years of experience that crossing paths with the Russian mafia were never a particularly good omen.

The vehicle meant to drive her to the location – a simple, but quite fancy design – made a final turn toward the hotel. One could have easily identified the building. It stood out in the middle of the street, daring to scrap the sky from some of its floors. Lights beaming from within, which only helped brighten a city where the sky had already darkened due to the night. From the outside, the establishment appeared to be fulfilling its primary function of housing a wealthy clientele. It was a few of the indoor activities that the Captain was most concerned about.

As the car pulled up to the imposing front doors, Olivia allowed herself one last moment. She watched as some clients made their way inside, dressed in the most elegant suits and dresses ever seen. The very sight gave her chills. She was there on a mission, and there was simply no way a little outfit would spoil the fun of doing her job.

–All set, just waiting for you Liv.

Sergeant Fin Tutuola's voice echoed in her ear as a simple warning.

Now was time for her to join the party.

She unbuckled herself, her hand taking the seat belt back to its source, only to reach with a slight tremor for the inner handle. Yet, she froze, unable to get herself to squeeze it right away. Any hope one more breath would soothe her nerves was dashed, for it was only when she raised her head and met the new ADA's gaze through the center mirror that her pulse began to slow down a bit.

–You'll get them, quietly promised Sonny. But, please Captain, don't make me regret this.

–It'll be fine.

On those words, she quickly made her way out of the vehicle. The door slammed in Carisi's face, barely had he told her to be careful. He couldn't contain his sigh anymore, watching through the rearview mirror Olivia's figure getting increasingly distant. Once she stepped through the doorways, he headed for the surveillance van, cursing under his breath.

The building was a genuine labyrinth for anyone unfamiliar with its surroundings. So much so that the SVU Captain felt lost within seconds, turning and returning in huge hallways all seemingly leading to the same place. Some frustration was starting to get the better of her as she knew she had gone over the building's blueprint at least a dozen times with her unit.

Perhaps one final look at the map wouldn't have been too much...

Making her way through one of the halls, she luckily overheard a conversation that led her directly to the intended location. The hotel lounge was much more spacious than she had imagined. Or at least, it certainly felt like it judged by the pictures she'd seen.

She walked over to the bar, ignoring the stares of some of the men to find herself a seat behind the counter. From there, if she turned around a bit, she could easily keep an eye on the clients. Her agents were also all within her line of sight.

On one side, Fin was in the company of the newest recruit, Officer Kat Tamin, meanwhile, on the other side, Amanda, a familiar face from several years, was blending in well with the crowd of workers. But most importantly, she had the reserved VIP area directly in front of her, which meant that if their guests were willing to show up as scheduled, then she couldn't miss them.

–Okay guys, let's get the party started.

XXX

THE EVENING promised to be much longer than originally planned.

Settled in the stakeout van, Sonny couldn't bring himself anymore from fidgeting in his chair. His body moving from left to right thanks to the wheels fixed under his seat. The officer standing by his side didn't dare put an end to it, just as bored as he was by the wait. And if the whole thing was driving them nuts from the outside, it wasn't any better inside the building itself.

On the monitors, the attorney had no problem keeping up with his coworkers' moves. Though his gaze was more often on Amanda, who in her spot was having no trouble passing the time, he had noticed the sudden impatience of his two coworkers gathered at the same table. Kat was more of a go-getter than someone who spent hours waiting around. The numerous disagreements between her and the former detective were no longer to be counted. However, no matter what the sergeant was thinking, Carisi was probably thinking the same.

They wanted to end this hunting party as soon as they could.

Meanwhile, at the bar, Olivia reached for the freshly poured glass of red wine a waitress slid toward her. She paused briefly to glance at the woman, giving her a small smile of appreciation. The evening was slow but she at least had plenty to keep her taste buds on their toes. A welcome alternative to the wine she usually treated herself to on her own at night. Although, the luxurious glass holding the alcohol may have had something to do with it.

She gently shook it, watching the dark red wine mingle in waves. Part of her hoped to return to the safety of her home, where her son was waiting. But another part, probably the most passionate about this work, was determined not to leave this place until she had at least seen one of the suspects. She understood the exhaustion of her detectives. She herself was a victim of it. But she refused not to try everything to do justice to the victims of this case.

So caught up in her thoughts, Fin's voice almost faded away like a puff of wind in her earpiece. She began by looking around, wondering what might have interrupted their never-ending suspense. Over her shoulder, she carefully studied the sergeant's gaze, fully aware that only he could lead her in the right direction. Then, she saw. And understood.

The hunt had just been launched.

By the lounge's main doors, surrounded by what appeared to be several presumably armed guards, stood two women whose very presence could not be ignored.

Though persistent, Olivia's gaze remained unnoticed among those of the other customers.

From the spot she had already spent most of her evening, she only managed to catch a glimpse of either of their faces. The one who looked a little smaller in size nevertheless carried an aura worthy of terrifying anyone who dared to get close to her. From the other, she got nothing but brunette locks and killer curves.

Undoubtedly one of them was the head of the whole operation, right?

–Wait a minute, the boss would be a woman?

As the youngest detective faced her partner for further confirmation, her captain eventually dropped her gaze and suppressed her words with a sip of wine.

–It wouldn't be the first time we've seen this.

–It doesn't matter. Regardless of which one is pulling the strings, she's not alone.

Carisi's words echoed despite the distance from which he spoke them. He was right. In the end, it didn't matter if the boss was a woman, what counted though was to know which of the two was the actual threat. The only aim was to thwart this individual's plans.

Down at the bar, Olivia once again politely approached the bartender to refill her now empty glass with wine. The alcohol had had plenty of time to spread through her veins. A little liquid courage was not going to affect her work in any way.

But that's all it took to draw attention to her.

The brunette, already settled on one of the booths of the reserved VIP space, could not look away from her. She watched her every move, not bothering the redhead at her side who hastily dispatched her men as she pleased.

That's all it took for Olivia. She knew.

–Which one do you think is the boss?

–From the way the redhead leads the troops, I'll say her. Amanda nodded to the VIP area, urging Kat to pay closer attention. The brunette is just for show.

–I'm willing to bet anything that anyone who gets too close ends up dead in an alley.

The blonde detective was the first to show interest in Tutuola's words, cracking a subtle smile his way. If anyone was always willing to bet on anything, it was her. Even though officially everyone on the team knew not to give her the opportunity. Tonight, the odds were stacked against her. The bet was obvious, leaving no chance to anybody who would've wanted a different outcome. Of course, whoever got too close to the brunette would die in agony.

Hence, nothing good came out of it for Olivia, who could no longer rid herself of the latter's interest.

Each sip was meant to boost her confidence, which she was slowly losing with each passing second, but this woman's eyes had a way of unsettling her that she could not explain. Could it have been the suspect's beauty or some repressed feelings the captain was trying so hard to keep hidden, but there was something else.

A detective's intuition was seldom wrong. This time, Olivia was determined she was onto something.

–Looks like our little friend likes it rough.

The Assistant District Attorney was not wrong. Even from the stakeout position, one could easily witness the behavior of the suspected boss toward her guest. One hand wandering under the – short – dress of the latter, the other one tightly grasping her chin.

The brunette hardly had time to withdraw her eyes from her target as her lips were already captured. Only a brief second passed before she forced herself to return the kiss. Out of habit, though also to try to keep a minimum of intimacy, she caught herself trying to push the redhead's hand away.

–Что происходит сегодня вечером, детка? Each word was spoken quitely into her ear. Разве ты не хочешь быть моей хорошей девочкой? (What's going on tonight, baby? Don't you want to be my good girl?)

She felt her earlobe being captured by the woman's teeth before the latter's lips found access to her neck. No matter how badly she hoped to get away from the Russian's touch, she couldn't deny how good it felt to receive that kind of attention.

Tonight, she just had a different thing on her mind.

–Well, there's no denying she's hot!

–True. I just think the brunette has more charm.

–Focus!

Olivia had no intention of being so harsh on her team. On any other day, she would have been careful, except this time she didn't have the patience. She had just finished watching two of her suspects amid a kissing session and now had to settle for a game of looks with one of them while the other eagerly devoured her neck.

If the night already felt like forever, the SVU Captain had a strong belief it was only getting started.

As she turned back to the counter, intending to order what she assumed would be a final glass of wine, the brunette's gaze still pierced through her. She tried her best to dismiss it, shooting Amanda a frown of distress over her shoulder. While she expected it to end there, it was pretty far from done yet.

–There's movement, stated Fin through his mic. The brunette heads for the bar.

No one had seen the young woman stand up, or even leave the VIP area. From that point on, she seemed to weave through the crowd as if she owned the place. A confident pace, her head held high, and an ever-present bodyguard on her heels. Finding out which way she was heading was almost a blow.

–Uh, Captain? Kat's voice spoke of her concerns. It looks like she's coming your way.

A brief curse muttered through her teeth and Olivia sensed someone behind her. The clicking of the young woman's heels did not signal her arrival, yet the perfume cloud flowing from her undoubtedly betrayed her.

Drink in hand, Benson turned around – again –and arched an eyebrow in her direction. Eyes sweeping over the brunette from head to toe, waiting for an indication of her presence.

–Добрый вечер, незнакомка, spoke the doe in a flawless Russian accent. I couldn't help noticing you from over there. (Good evening, stranger.)

–Oh, really?

Olivia opted to act innocent, a thin smile forming on her lips. She swayed her wine in a smooth motion, her eyes locked onto the woman's, while a whole plan was emerging in her mind. Over her years of duty, she had gained enough experience to see through a situation like this one. Everything was on the line at that very peculiar moment. If there was a joker in the deck, it was either now or never. And so, no matter the consequences.

–See, this place is crowded but I've only had eyes for you since I arrived.

–You seem to be in pretty good company, though.

She pointed to the redhead, still sitting with her guests a few steps away from them, but the brunette did not take her eyes off her. She took another step toward Olivia, a flirtatious smile flashing her Colgate teeth, and ran her hand over one of her bare knees. Her skin was soft and warm so that it no longer felt so forbidden. Benson was hit by chills that instantly betrayed her. Her body had spoken before she even had time to utter the words that had gathered on the tip of her tongue.

–What would you say if I chose to stick around and treat you to a drink?

–Uhm, the SVU Captain feigned some reflection, then slightly sat up. I'll say someone might not enjoy the gesture.

–No need to worry about her, дорогая. All you have to do is agree to spend the night with me, and I promise I'll handle anything related to Natalia. (darling)

While Olivia was getting progressively more persuaded by the young woman, the officer working beside Carisi began to look for any information about the one known as Natalia. His fingers tapping frantically on the keyboard in front of him, so loudly that the noise began to break through the new ADA's headphones.

Sonny nearly cursed on several occasions, each time chewing on his lips right on time. No one could have guessed what annoyed him the most between his former Captain flirting with a – still–unknown – suspect, and the young man at his side stifling the women's words with his fuss. He heard words here and there, reading – or at least trying to – the rest on his coworker's lips.

The noise lasted until the brunette headed back to the VIP area, leaving behind Benson who suddenly felt her face heat up under the bright spotlights.

–Everything okay, Captain?

The woman faced the counter again, turning her back to her unit and hiding from them the sight of her face deeply impacted by the emotions she had just felt. It was only part of her job. However, it had been a long time since someone – a woman – had approached her in such a way.

Her heart swaying between two sides, she sucked in a deep breath before finally saying something.

–Yeah, all good. Did you find out anything about our new friends?

–You mean aside from the fact that Natalia hasn't lifted a finger yet regarding your interaction with her girlfriend?

–We're still looking, informed Carisi. I just want you to be careful. We don't know what this woman has in store for us.

–He's right Liv. We've seen this kind of arrangement before, but we don't know what the price is.

–Isn't it weird? asked Amanda, earning curious looks from the entire team. First, she proves to be possessive and dominant, and then she lets the girl hit on another woman and a stranger at that. It just doesn't feel right to me. I mean, look at them.

Nothing would have been stranger than sincerity from two people like them. Still, Olivia couldn't help but frown at the sight in front of her. The woman with whom she had just exchanged a few words was now under Natalia's control. Their faces so close to each other, spitting and receiving each other's words without being able to step back due to the redhead's grip on the other's chin.

It looked like trouble. Almost to the point of making Benson, who had nothing to blame herself for, regret this whole discussion.

Seconds felt like hours facing such a sight. It was like watching an old silent movie. One in which the acts alone were enough to speak for themselves and which would probably be off-limits to those under 18.

Olivia assumed the two lovers were communicating in an eastern language she still had some memories of. Yet, even if this was indeed the case, she was too far away to be able to hear anything. Only her team's questions and comments tickled her eardrum from time to time. Her eyes lingering on these two beings consuming each other without modesty.

She watched as the elder displayed her intimate familiarity with the brunette's body. Her hands drawing the curves of the youngest, from her neck to the curve of her buttocks. Her mouth giving up the rosy lips of her partner to overfly her throat then the start of her cleavage. One thing was for sure, if she was going to let her go for the night, she certainly wasn't going to make it easy.

Much like the SVU Captain, one might have wondered what price Fin was referring to. It could have been money, weapons, or drugs. It could have been anything.

Only, the attractive dark-haired woman had promised a single thing in compensation for her night.

With her eyes sparkling from mischief, she winked one last time at the so-called boss after a final slap on her butt. Once again, she melted among the crowd, grabbing a well-deserved drink on her way out.

Now, if the Special Victims Unit had found the evening lengthy, they were not about to be disappointed.

***

Taglist:

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[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 118

Dinner went smoothly, to Nyota’s quiet gratitude, though Lumen gave her a stern word for being up and about so much.

“Ya took a real beatin’ in there, ma’am. It ain’t good to be wanderin’ around so much until ya rest up more.” He kept his voice low and leaned close as he spoke, his natural warmth tickling her fur.

“Sorry, Lumen.” Nyota gave him a small, apologetic smile. “I was carried away, I think.” Once, she might have argued that she was fine, if only to keep up the illusion of strength. But she could feel fatigue setting in hard, and knew that he was right. It would only shatter the illusion harder if she worked herself past breaking.

He accepted this, and patted her shoulder. “I kinda expected it, with yer old friend visitin’. Just mind ya don’t stay up late, and let the kids handle the dishes tonight.”

“Kids.” That earned him an amused look. “Lumen, you do realize I am not that old myself, yes?”

He chuckled. “All ya organic folks’re kids to me.”

“Ha. As you say, old man.” She flicked his corona and got up to serve the pie. As she sat down again, she caught Marcy smiling at her, and returned it. She knew why; it had taken a very long time for Nyota to be comfortable enough with Marcy and Isobu to show physical affection with them. It must have been strange, but maybe good she hoped, to see Nyota warm up so fast with someone new. Perhaps it had been quicker with Lumen because he didn’t butt heads with her like Isobu often did, or because Isobu and Marcy had loosened up the cracks.

A spoon bounced off Lumen’s head and made him whistle like an out-of-tune radio.

“No ssticking Captain in bed, Lightss-friend,” Namina said through a mouthful of pie. “Can’t make sssweet treats from bed.”

“She can’t make them if ya run her ragged for yer darn sweet-fang, Ferny,” Lumen grumbled, shaking the spoon at him. “Captain, if ya start wheezin’ from that guffawin’, yer on yer own. I gotta knock some brains into this fella here.”

Mihre bounced their spoon off Lumen’s head too. “No flirting at the table, we have young listeners.”

Lumen whistled like a small train. “What’s with all these dang spoons?”

“Bewildered. How is that flirting?” Arrowmail asked, turning a bright stare from floran to novakid and back. “It sounds like threats to me.”

“No, it’s quite traditional floran flirting,” Nyota said. She hid her laughter under a carefully studious face. “Very by-the-book, but with a nice flair to it.”

Sonny whistled. “C’mon, Captain, you can’t be serious. Wait, Lumen, why’re you glowin’ like that?”

Lumen ducked to hide his fire-bright glow, hand over his brand. “Hush, lil’ Glowbug. By-the-book, my boot. I rusted the bottom clean outta the bucket…”

Eldie chuckled and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “I think you did fine.”

Lumen glowed brighter. Nyota let her grin slip free just a little bit. It was rather poetic, after how he’d teased her about Lana, but she’d spare him this once. Perhaps. Now she knew why floran pick-up lines had been in SAIL’s search history. She slid Lumen an extra slice of pie as a consolation prize.

Gizzie watched the proceedings with absolute bewilderment written all over their face. Nyota caught their eye with a small smile. “Not what you expected from a band of hardened wanderers?”

Gizzie shook their head, wide-eyed. “Not at all, no.”

“I appreciate your honesty.” Nyota slid a plate toward them. “Go on. You are allowed to have dessert too. I made plenty.”

They accepted the plate and started eating. About two seconds after the first bite, their face puckered. “It’s sour. But sweet…”

Nyota laughed. “Oculemon. It’s sharper and richer than Earth lemons, but very good once you get used to it.”

Gizzie seemed to agree; they were already reaching for another bite.

Nyota smiled and sat back to watch her odd little crew—her odd little family—settle into their routine. Sonny collected everyone’s dishes as they finished and joined Arjun to wash them. Arrowmail followed Oldarva upstairs to the library, Marcy close behind. After hesitating for a few moments, Gizzie tagged along. Mihre headlocked Namina and ended up as an impromptu scarf again as Namina just stood up and wandered off for his evening routine without reacting in the slightest. Lumen stayed behind, watching Nyota.

“Afraid I’ll keel over?” she teased with a small smile.

“Kinda, but ya seem alright.” Lumen got up and stretched with a quavering, happy hum. “It sure is a nice night. C’mon, let’s get ya back to bed. I’ll give ya somethin’ to keep the stiff at bay.”

[storiesofsvu]

Three Words Ch 2

Warnings: Language A/N: Okay, I’m taking major timeline liberties with this because, well..I fucking can.. Lol. The squad is based on season 17, with Liv as captain. Alex has just been “killed”, Casey’s taking over ADA. Olivia’s the only one that knows Alex is actually alive and in WPP, everyone else thinks she’s dead at this point. Just…to clarify. lololol

**

You gave a warm wave to Nick and Sonny as you crossed through the bull pen, file folder in hand, Melinda had asked you to drop off reports for Captain Benson on your way home. The door was open so you only gave the briefest of knocks on the frame as you entered.

“Oh come on Counsellor!” Olivia’s voice rung through the room, clearly angry you could tell from the tone in her voice she was simply not wanting to accept a new ADA. “We’ve given you everything we have on Richards, get us a warrant!”

“I can’t do that with circumstantial evidence, you should know that.”

“Shit, sorry.” You swerved, “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” You face scrunched quickly, breaking into a smile, “Hey.” You hadn’t realized Casey was the replacement for SVU. You’d been in touch, occasionally meeting up for drinks or lunch briefly, but you’d both been more than busy with work over the last few months.

“It’s fine Parker. Please tell me you’ve got good news on the Richards case.”

“Fraid I don’t.” You handed her the file, “She’s right, it’s circumstantial at best, DNA wasn’t a match.”

“Well what about the fingerprints? They were all over her office.” She was really grasping at straws here, the anger still very present in her voice, annoyed at the lawyer.

“Circumstantial, he was a client of hers, he was in that office nearly once a week.” Casey spoke calmly as to not egg her on even further. Benson began to nearly berate the younger woman, complaining about how she didn’t know what she was doing, too new and inexperienced in the world of sex crimes when you cut in.

“Liv! Take a second to chill, would you?” She froze, glancing over to you, perplexity written across her face, “You can’t chastise her for doing her job just because she’s not Alex.”

“Don’t you think you’re a little out of line?” She shot back.

“I’m just calling it how it is. You’re not the only one that misses her, trust me.” You understood where the emotion was coming from, but she had no reason to come after Alex’s replacement like that, whether or not it was Casey. Melinda had warned you about how Olivia had gotten after her partner was basically forced into retirement, how she’d constantly criticize Amaro over nit picky things, simply because he wasn’t Elliot. Truthfully, this was worse, having one of your closest friends shot in front of you wasn’t exactly an easy trauma to process. “You’ll have to keep digging, talk to her coworkers again, see if any of them will freely give up medical records, your perp had a vasectomy.”

“How do you know that?”

“The fluids present in the rape kit were semen, not sperm.”

“Fine.” Olivia groaned out, running a hand through her hair, turning her back to the two of you with a small wave of her hand as a signal that she was done with you.

“Thanks.” Casey shot you a warm smile as the elevator doors slid shut.

“No worries.” You smiled back, “Everyone’s a little on edge right now.”

“Understandably.” 

“How’d they manage to convince you into this after white collar?”

“I asked for straight homicide, but this was the opening they had for me.” Glancing down to her watch quickly, she took in the fact that you weren’t in your work scrubs. “You got time for a drink? Get me up to speed on the squad.” She shot you a sly grin.

“Course.”

**

Twenty minutes later you and Casey were nestled into bar stools in the lounge side of Latitude, a glass of rose in front of you, her usual scotch set in front of her as you picked over some cauliflower wings and truffle fries. You’d caught up on the walk over, effortless conversation flowing between you, full of laughter and smiles, happy to actually get to enjoy some time together for once.

“So aside from being a little high strung right now, what do I need to watch out for with these guys?” Casey’s lips spread into a smirk, she knew if there was someone to have the workplace drama/gossip it would definitely be you. Something about working around dead bodies all day made you pay a little extra attention, having to gain entertainment from something. Not to mention you were used to working with the squad as an outside force, much like she would be.

“God…where to even start?” You hummed over a sip of wine, “Liv’s honestly not that bad, Alex was one of her like, only friends, she’s not exactly taking it well. Otherwise she’s got a good head on her shoulders, does her best to keep the squad under control, really good with the vic’s, spends a lot of time advocating for them. She’ll be pretty strong willed to make sure you’re doing everything you can to get them justice on the cases.”

“Noted.” Casey’s eyes shot down to her phone as the screen lit up, eyes scanning the message quickly, “She definitely seemed passionate today.”

“I’d keep an eye on how you conduct yourself around the Sarge. Honestly great guy, heart’s in the right place but the squad’s been nothing but unwelcoming since he showed up.”

“Why?”

“Mike Dodds.”

“As in the police chief’s son?”

“Exactly.” You popped a fry into your mouth, “They’re all freaked out that he’s a fucking snitch, ready to run off to Daddy anytime he witness anything that’s even the slightest toe over the line…which is a lot…”

“Oh great.” Casey rolled her eyes, 

“Yeah. Good luck with that.” You laughed, glad that your end of the job didn’t have to worry too much about whether the detectives broke a rule or two along the way.

“Is he a snitch?” She asked in reference to Mike.

“No! He’s super chill, really sweet guy who just can’t seem to catch a break with this crowd.”

“Sounds like someone has a little work crush.” You snorted into your wine at the thought,

“Yeah…right! He’s too…proper. And then I’d have to go to all those stuffy fucking galas, no thanks. I’ll stick to my dead people.” Casey laughed at that, knowing how much you hated glitzy parties, hell you’d nearly skipped your own graduation. 

“Okay so who’re the hot messes then?” The look you gave her in response was one that she instantly knew she’d be more than bickering with the next names.

“Amaro and Rollins are honestly fucking disasters. Like, I’m talking personal life and half the time at work…and dragging personal lives into work. Wow.” You drained your wine at the thought, asking for a refill as you continued, “Rollins was great when she first got here, she was more timid, worked really well but her and Nick just constantly edge each other on. She’s the one you’ll have the most to worry about going rogue undercover without permission or even mentioning it to anyone. Nearly got herself assaulted twice, not to mention the gambling problem. She’s got some weird thing going on with Carisi, none of us are really sure what it is. I don’t even think they really know.” You let out a huff of a laugh.

“And Nick?”

“I’d go over his jacket for sure if I were you. He gets super fired up over situations, there’s bound to be a few excessive force complaints in there. His divorce was nasty, wife showed up at the precinct more than a few times, huge arguments in front of everyone until Benson could rally them into a conference room.”

“Okay so who do I have that’s going to actually help my job?” She asked with a groan,

“Carisi!” You enunciated your enthusiasm with a point of a french fry, “That kid is a fucking gem of an angel. And he’s in night school at Fordham, bonus there. And Fin is easily the most unproblematic of all of them, good guy, been at SVU nearly as long as Liv has and does good work.”

“All very good things to know.” She gave you a soft smile that you returned, “You still enjoying working at the lab?”

“Yeah. It’s perfect. Hours can get a bit intense but anything in this line of business does.”

“You still don’t find it weird you spend most of your time with dead bodies?” 

“No.” You laughed over the rim of your wine glass, “I mean when it’s late and you’ve been at it for hours your mind definitely starts playing tricks on you, you start to think you saw a hand or foot move, but I’m usually not alone in the morgue.” Casey’s eyes fluttered to her phone once again, she’d seemed kind of distracted by the blinking device, but you knew what the job was like,  “Work?” You questioned.

“No…” She shook her head, eyes glancing up right as your own phone went off. You huffed, annoyed at the interruption.

“Mine is…” You pulled out cash to cover your share while Casey flagged down the bartender.

“Perfect timing.” She replied, you noticed the bright smile on her face, eyes focussed behind you. You turned in time to see a woman greet Casey with a dazzling grin and a kiss on the cheek. “Y/N, this is Tara.”

“Oh..Hi..” You shook her hand gently, not missing the way Casey’s arm had wound around her waist. “I’ve gotta…” You gestured to your phone before answering it, giving Casey and Tara a wave as you grabbed your bag.

“Hey! Thanks for helping me kill time!” Casey called, you gave her a tight smile and a head nod before turning your full attention to what Melinda was saying to you.

[plaidbooks]

Hey 🥰 could I request working with Sonny and you two used to date but broke up, you remained friends but never really got over each other and your end up going through a pretty bad time with work or personal stuff and you’re struggling mentally and not eating etc and when he realises he comes over to your place to check ur ok and you just breakdown and he tells u he still loves u and that it’ll always be u 🥺

Some Space

A/N: I am so sorry that this took so long! I was so burnt out of writing, but I'm here now! I hope that this makes up for the wait!

This takes place before Sonny joins SVU--and his timeline is a little wonky to make this fic work, but oh well.

Tags: death, shootings, blood, disassociation

Words: 2590

Taglist: @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @permanentlydizzy @ben-c-group-therapy @infiniteoddball @glowingmess @whimsicallymad @lv7867 @storiesofsvu @cycat4077 @alwaysachorusgirl @glimmerglittergirl @joanofarkansass @redlipstickandplaid @reading--mermaid @dreamlover31 @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @detective-giggles @crowleysqueenofhell

“So, do you wanna move in together?” Sonny asked while you cuddled on his couch. You turned to look at him, and his face fell as he saw your expression. “…you don’t?”

You sighed. “It’s not like I don’t love you, Sonny, because I do. It’s just…I mean, we’re still in our mid-20s. I want a little more, uh, freedom before I settle down, you know?”

“I’ve known since we started dating in high school that I was in for the long term. I was thinking of maybe…I don’t know, getting married…having kids…. Now that we’ve settled into patrol, I thought it would be the perfect time to take the next step,” he muttered.

You sat in silence, debating. You loved Sonny, and you did want to marry him…someday. Not right now. You’ve barely lived any of your life; hell, you lived at home still. Sonny had his own apartment, but you didn’t want to go from living with your parents to living with him. You wanted space, time to figure out who you really were. And you didn’t think you could do that with Sonny. If he couldn’t give you your independence, if you both wanted different things, then you were going to have to break up with him, as much as it would break your heart to do it.

“Listen, Sonny, I need to live my own life for a little bit, discover myself. I-it’s nothing wrong with you, I promise—”

“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked softly.

Hearing the words out loud made tears form in your eyes. “I…yes, I guess I am. At least until I find myself…. I’m so sorry, Sonny. I’ll always care about you. We can still be friends?”

“Y-yeah…okay, sure. I…yeah…” he trailed off, unwrapping his arms from around you. You both sat there awkwardly, and the tension was thick. You stood, moving to grab your jacket, and Sonny followed you to the front door.

“This isn’t…goodbye. I promise you, Sonny Carisi. It’s just—”

“See you later?” he finished.

You gave him a smile, and a kiss on the cheek. “Yeah. I’ll see you later.”

*****************************

That was months ago now, and you had transferred out of Staten Island patrol, unable to see Sonny every day, those big, sad blue eyes trying to avoid your gaze. Now, you worked for Brooklyn, an officer in their Homicide department. You settled in quickly, and you found a cheap-ish apartment in Brooklyn.

It was nice living by yourself, and you highly enjoyed it. You missed Sonny dearly, but you thought it was too soon to reach out. Your heart still strained when you thought about the breakup, so you kept your distance. But it was getting easier and easier to let those feelings fade away in your new line of work. Brooklyn Homicide was a lot busier than Staten patrol, and you got along great with your partner, Drew Zimmer.

“We keep making these busts, and we’re gonna make detective in no time,” Drew said, grinning at you.

You smiled back as you shoved a cuffed perp in the backseat of your squad car. “Then we get paid halfway decently for doing much of the same as we are now.”

“Plus, normal clothes! Not this suffocating police uniform.”

You agreed, then moved to the front seat, Drew sliding in behind the steering wheel. You and Drew were close, but you never crossed a line. He was engaged to his high school sweetheart, something that made you slightly sad. Sonny was your high school sweetheart, and you wondered how different your life would’ve been if you moved in with him.

*************************

As Drew predicted, you both made detective later that year. You were officially the youngest detective, having moved up the ranks so quickly. You both went out for drinks to celebrate, and you had the wild impulse to invite Sonny. It had been almost a year since you broke up, and you could finally think about it without tearing up. But would he be okay with it? You fought the idea, putting your phone back in your pocket.

“Everything okay?” Drew asked, seeing the look on your face.

You shot him a fake smile. “Fine, fine. Just…thinking. Don’t worry about it.”

He gave you a hard, knowing look, as if he could read your mind. You had told him about Sonny, but you didn’t want to bring the celebration down. Instead, you took your glass and cheers him before taking a sip.

You jumped when your phone rang, and you pulled it out of your pocket. Your Captain’s name flashed across the screen, and you answered with a brisk voice. Drew watched and listened, then sighed when you said that you were both on your way.

“What do we got?” he asked, putting money on the table and standing.

You pulled your jacket on, heading for the door. “Body found in Prospect Heights. You okay to drive?”

“Sober as a fox.”

*************************

You both showed up quickly, seeing the officers who called in the body. Drew parked, and you made your way over. One of the officers started walking you both through the details when a gunshot rang out from down the alley that the body was in. Instinct took over as you hid behind a wall of the building, grabbing the closest officer to you and pulling them with you. Gunshots echoed in the alleyway as someone—or someones—unloaded on the entrance to the alley.

Drew was on the other side of the alleyway, and one of the officers was flat on their back, blood leaking from a bullet hole in their head. You ordered the officer next to you to call for backup, then waited until the gunfire stopped. Taking a chance, you snuck a quick peak. There were three individuals at the end of the alley, making their way quickly towards you.

You motioned to Drew, letting him know, before you reached your hand around the corner, firing blindly in an attempt to at least slow their advance. With the cover fire, Drew came halfway around the wall, actually aiming his gun as he fired.

“You got one of them,” he informed you. He got a few shots off before a bullet went through his neck, knocking him off his feet.

“Drew!” you screamed before whipping around the wall, shooting with deadly precision. There was only one man still standing—Drew must’ve got one before going down—and you shot him quickly. Then you dropped to your knees by Drew’s rasping form. You ripped off your jacket, pressing it to the bloody wound.

“Stay with me Drew, do you hear me? You have a fiancée to go home to,” you ordered, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. “Call a bus!” you yelled at the officer, who was staring in shock.

Drew reached up, grabbing your wrist. “T-tell Steph I—I love her…please,” he gasped, voice weak.

“You’re going to tell her yourself when you see her, okay?” you said, trying to smile at him.

He shook his head. “Tell her…please. I-I—” Drew let out a death rattle before laying still.

“No! No! Live, damn you! You can’t die on me, Drew! W-we’re partners!” you screamed. But he was gone. Tears spilled down your cheeks as you leaned over him.

Time meant nothing as you knelt there. You had no idea when the ambulance arrived, nor when your Captain showed up. You’re not sure who moved you away from Drew’s lifeless body, and you didn’t notice how you ended up at the hospital. You were still covered in Drew’s blood as the nurses ran tests, making sure you were uninjured. Your Captain ordered you to take time off, and you didn’t hear him, didn’t argue. You blinked and you were home, sitting on your couch, a bottle of whiskey in front of you.

***************************

IAB had been delayed by your Captain, but eventually, you had to face them. You couldn’t recall what they asked, or what you answered. The first emotion you felt in days was fleeting anger; the body that you had been called to investigate was left as bait. The men who shot at you, who killed your partner and an officer, were part of a gang, attempting to become cop killers. It was all a ruse to kill whichever cops arrived on the scene. Drew, one of the nicest, most genuine people you’ve known, was killed for street cred. But your anger soon disappeared, just like everything else.

***************************

It had been a week since Drew died in your arms. You visited his fiancée—she had already been informed of her love’s death—but you had to see her, pass on his final words. You held her as she cried, but you had no tears left. You felt nothing; you were just a shell. You stopped eating, stopped showering, stopped drinking, even water. You stopped sleeping; you just passed out nowadays, at any and all times of the day, wherever you happened to be laying. Your Captain called you a few times, trying to get you into therapy, but you never left your apartment.

One night, there was a knock on your door. You moved on phantom feet, unlocking and pulling your door open. You felt a dull punch to the gut as Sonny stood on your doorstep.

“H-hey doll…. I heard about your partner, and I thought I’d check up on you,” he said softly.

You nodded, not even attempting to fake a smile. “I’m fine,” you said in a monotone voice, ready to close the door on him. But Sonny was quicker.

“No, you’re not.” And with that, he pushed into your home. “When was the last time you’ve eaten? Washed? Brushed your teeth? Anything?”

You had no answer for him, and he quickly went to your kitchen, pulling open your fridge. Normally, you’d follow him, but instead, you went and collapsed on your couch, your legs unable to hold you up anymore.

Sonny came out with a glass of water. “Drink that,” he ordered, then stood there until you did. “Most of your food has gone bad; I’m going to run to the store. While I’m gone, I want you to shower, okay?”

You didn’t nod, made no indication that you had heard him. He ran a hand through his hair, hating seeing you like this.

“Okay…if you can shower, please do. Otherwise, just at least…drink another glass of water, okay?” He took the glass from your hand, refilled it, then came back and handed it to you. “I’ll be right back.”

You were unsure for how long he was gone; you dimly heard him come back. Sonny went to your kitchen with full grocery bags, and soon, the sounds and smells of cooking emanated from within. He came out soon after—or maybe it was longer, who knows?—with a plate of food.

When he noticed the full glass of water in your hand still, he shook his head, then sat next to you. You didn’t fight him as he fed you small bites, nor as he raised the glass of water to your lips. You tasted nothing as you ate half the plate. Sonny was afraid to make you sick with too much food at once, so he put the rest back in the kitchen. Then, he pulled you to the bathroom. He undressed you, then himself, before guiding you into the shower. The hot water brought you partly to your senses, just enough to feel Sonny’s hands washing your hair and body.

“You may have to get your hair cut short—it’s pretty damaged from lack of care,” he muttered, trying to work the knots out with his fingers. You nodded gently, letting him care for you. Once done, he wrapped you in a towel, patting you dry. Then, he took your toothbrush and put paste on it before handing it to you, lifting your hand to your mouth.

“Brush,” he softly ordered, and you did.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Sonny tugged you to your room, where he dressed you in your pajamas. Then he pushed you down into the bed.

“Sleep, okay? I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep,” he promised.

You laid on the pillow, and fresh tears came to your eyes. “He died in my arms,” you muttered.

Sonny’s expression softened. “I heard, doll. There was nothing more you could’ve done. Just rest now.”

As promised, he sat next to you until you drifted off, your hand in his.

*******************************

Sonny practically moved in with you after that, just until you could take care of yourself. He took you to a therapist, and a hair salon. He made you meals and made sure you drank water. At first, he would shower with you and made sure you brushed your teeth; those were the two things you started doing yourself the quickest. It took you a few weeks to break out of the shock-induced disassociation you were experiencing. Eventually, you started helping Sonny cook in your kitchen, and doing small chores around your apartment.

“Thank you, Sonny, for everything,” you said one night while you were eating dinner.

He smiled at you. “Of course, doll. I care about you.”

“I care about you, too. I—I should’ve called you earlier. I was just afraid that it was too soon.”

His smile faltered slightly. “I understand. I…it’s probably still too soon….”

“What do you mean?”

Sonny put his fork down, looking everywhere but at you. “Look, I’ve…I thought that enough time had passed, especially when I heard about your partner—” you flinched at the mention of Drew— “but when you opened the door and I saw how much it affected you, I realized that…I still love you, have always loved you. You were literally wasting away, and I couldn’t stand by and watch.”

You froze, not in shock at him, but at yourself. Because hearing the words out loud, you knew that you loved him, too.

“I’m sorry; you don’t need this right now. The last thing you need on your mind is—”

“I love you, too, Sonny. God, I love you so much,” you replied, throwing your arms around him, and leaning against his side.

He hesitated a moment before he wrapped an arm around your back. “Are ya sure? You’re going through some pretty traumatic stuff right now. Your emotions going a little haywire.”

“I’m sure. I-I was afraid to call you because I couldn’t handle seeing you. Because I never got over you.”

Sonny nodded. “I never got over you, either. Look, if you still want your space, I can live with that, as long as I don’t lose you again. I never want to lose you again.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either. I love you; I want to marry you one day. Let’s just…see how it goes, okay? I’ve learned a lot just in the year we’ve been apart—”

He cut you off with a kiss, his lips soft against yours. He felt so familiar, so much like home, and you realized how much you had really missed him. You kissed him back, holding him to you. He leaned his forehead against yours, lips brushing over yours.

“We’ll figure out the details later. Right now, I just want to get to know you again,” he breathed.

You nodded. “Please, yes. I want to remember you, Dominick.”

He pulled you closer, promising his whole self to you in a searing kiss.

[electrictoes]

All We Are

For @dailysvu’s Sonny Carisi Week

Day 4:  “What is this between us?  Relationship: Amanda Rollins  / Sonny Carisi​

Read on AO3

They don’t define this thing between them - it just is.

After a week, Sonny thinks maybe they should - but he’s so happy, and he doesn’t want to break this calm comfort they’ve found in each other by putting labels on things that have never needed to be labelled before.

Everyone around them is so curious though; other people want it defined. And it shouldn’t matter - shouldn’t be anyone’s business but their own. But it isn’t that simple. Their friends and family make no secret of the fact that they've been waiting for this almost as long as he has.

He skipped out on most of Memorial Day weekend with his family for the first time in his life - only putting in an appearance in his parents’ backyard late on Monday afternoon, a white lie on his lips; that he’s been stuck at work - a lie his mother sees through in an instant.

He can’t stop checking his phone; types and deletes a message to Amanda - an I miss you that he can’t bring himself to send, because it’s so ridiculous. He sends her a photo of the backyard filled with family instead, and smiles down at his phone when she sends him a photo back - the girls at the park, ice cream cones in their hands, sprinkles and chocolate sauce already trailing down Billie’s arm.

He tries to duck out of sight to call her a little later, but his mother catches him as he creeps up the stairs to his childhood bedroom; she stands at the foot of the stairs, hands on her hips, a scolding frown on her face - he hears the Dominick before she says it, and slinks back down to the hallway without a word, thinking about how he’s a prosecutor and he faces tougher opponents than his mother on a daily basis, but no one can reduce him to his thirteen year old self like she can.

His mom doesn’t let him slip back out to the party, her grip on his arm is firm as she tugs him into the kitchen, “Alright, out with it,” she says and he feigns confusion.

“I don’t-”

“It’s either a girl, or it’s something bad,” she says, arms crossed over her chest, a shadow of worry on her face. “And your sister told me you broke up with-”

Sonny sighs, resisting the urge to fold his own arms. He hadn’t actually told Bella that at all, just relayed one of the many arguments he and Nicole had had before they’d called it quits, but he wasn’t surprised that she’d drawn her own conclusions. “Bella needs to stop gossipin’ about me.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s nothin’ to-”  His mother fixes him with a look that would have had him running to his bedroom as a kid; he resists the urge to bolt now. “It’s new,” he says, and because his mom doesn’t so much as blink, he adds. “Rollins.”

There’s a part of him that’s almost giddy at the way she reacts - the way her posture softens and she smiles up at him. He enjoys it for half a second before the questions start coming in thick and fast - he deflects, but she ploughs on.

“So the two of you are-”

“Figuring that out,” he says. He listens to her as she talks about not wasting time, tells him he’s not getting any younger, reminds him his grandmother’s engagement ring is still sitting in her jewellery box upstairs just waiting for him to need it.

“Way too far ahead of yourself, Ma,” he says - too far ahead but still visible there on the horizon.

The closest they come to having the what is this? conversation in those early days is the is this a secret? conversation.

“I don’t want it to be,” Sonny admits, “But if you wanna wait until-”

“Until what?” Amanda asks him, “I’m sure,” she says. “If you are.”

They’re on the couch, the girls fast asleep down the hall and her feet resting in his lap; it’s casual and domestic and not really all that different from the way things have always been, but he lets himself take it in, appreciate the way his world is changing. He rests his hands on her shins as he smiles over at her, “I’m sure,” he says. And that’s it.

Everything left unsaid passes between them in looks, kisses, and touches. They don’t need more.

They don’t advertise it; there’s a time when they’ll have to - disclosure paperwork and conversations about professionalism and objectivity as though they haven’t been managing just fine up until now. But Sonny’s diligent - he’s checked the paperwork - he might have checked the paperwork over a year ago, when she’d left him at his desk with a sad smile and he’d spent the next forty-eight hours kicking himself, only for a global pandemic to stop him calling in that rain check  - and he knows they have time.

They do arrive at the precinct together one Tuesday morning a couple of weeks in; he has a meeting scheduled with Liv first thing and he hasn’t been back to his own apartment in three days. They’re not so blatant as to hold hands, but they do work with some of the best detectives in the city, so it isn’t a surprise that they’re caught out within minutes.

Fin gives them look, but he doesn’t say anything. Sonny’s sure he’ll get a comment in at some point, but while everyone knows Fin enjoys a gossip way more than he lets on, he’s good at keeping his questions to himself until the moment that best suits him.

Kat doesn’t follow suit. She’s nothing but questions and Sonny tries to escape under the guise of waiting for the captain in her office, but Amanda grips his jacket sleeve, silently telling him not leave her.

“How long?” Kat asks, “And what exactly-”

“Our business,” Amanda says; she’s smiling at Kat, no malice in her tone, but no room for argument either.

Jesse get a pass. Because she’s Jesse. And because this affects her just as much as it does Sonny and Amanda. For the first two weeks of waking up to Uncle Sonny sleeping in Mommy’s bed she doesn’t ask any questions - it surprises him, because that first morning waking up beside Amanda his second thought had been that they would have to figure out how to explain his presence there to Jesse and Billie. When Jesse had raced into Amanda's bedroom, though, she had just greeted him like she was used to him being there, and he’d wondered if they’d ever actually need to sit them down and explain.

Eventually she does ask, one night after he’s tucked Billie into bed with a kiss so it’s just the three of them awake. He leans in the bathroom doorway while Amanda gives Jesse her bath. She’s been unusually quiet, and there’s a thoughtful look on her face, “Mommy,” she says after a while, blinking water out of her eyes as Amanda washes her hair, “Is Uncle Sonny your husband now?”

Amanda coughs as though she’s the one with a face full of water, turning to look at Sonny with a startled expression. He gives her a soft smile, but he doesn’t have the answers either.

“Not yet, baby,” she says, and Sonny can’t help the grin that comes over his face, however wide Amanda’s eyes go at her own words.

“You’ve gotta have a weddin’ first,” Sonny adds, and Jesse beams over at him; he sees a dozen questions forming, but Amanda pours more water over her head, rinsing out the shampoo and buying them more time in the same moment.

Once she’s out of the bath, dressed in her pyjamas and ready for bed, Jesse throws her arms around his legs, hugging him tightly, “I’m glad you’re gonna have a wedding with Mommy,” she says, and tips her head back for a goodnight kiss before skipping to her bedroom as though she hadn’t essentially just told him to get on with proposing to her mother.

Amanda’s mother shows up unannounced at her apartment one Sunday morning, and it’s Sonny who answers the door - not expecting Beth Anne Rollins to be standing in the hallway, an impatient look on her face. “Oh,” is all she says when she clocks sight of him, her gaze travelling down the worn t-shirt and pyjama pants he’s wearing, his bare feet on the wooden floor. She pushes past him into the apartment, not greeting him or stopping for breath, “What are you doing here? Amanda finally admit she’s got a thing for you?”

He closes the door behind her and follows, not answering her questions. Billie scrambles down from the dining table to run and hug her grandmother, abandoning the cereal he’s spent the last ten minutes trying to coax her into eating, while she’d stubbornly refused and told him she wanted garlic bread for breakfast.

“Where is Amanda anyway?” Beth Anne asks, turning to look at him again. He feels self-conscious with her gaze on him, the soft clothes, untamed hair, shoeless Sonny Carisi was reserved for Amanda - and by extension the girls - certainly not for his possible future mother-in-law.

“Takin’ Frannie for a walk,” he says, “Jesse’s gone too,” he adds unnecessarily.

Beth Anne nods, still eyeing him with suspicion as she reaches into her handbag and pulls out a lollipop for Billie, who grabs at it gleefully.

“No-” he starts, but Beth Anne is already unwrapping the treat, and he sighs as Billie puts it in her mouth. “She hasn’t finished her breakfast,” he sighs.

“And who says you get to tell me what my granddaughter can eat?” Beth Anne says, smiling indulgently at Billie.

Sonny shakes his head, “I’m gonna… if you’re here I’m gonna get dressed,” he slips away to the bedroom, taking jeans and a shirt from the drawer he now has in Amanda’s dresser. While he changes he hears the sounds of Amanda’s return - Frannie barking, Jesse yelling a greeting to her grandmother. He hears murmuring as Amanda questions Beth Anne’s impromptu visit, and when he returns Amanda and her mother are at opposite ends of the kitchen, Amanda leaning back against the counter with an unimpressed look on her face.

“And then he tries to tell me not to give Billie candy-”

Amanda shakes her head, “He's right. It’s barely 9am, Momma.”

“Well, is he your boyfriend now or not?”

“Momma,” Amanda starts, but cuts herself off when she spots him hovering just beyond the kitchen, she gives him a warm smile, “We’re together, that’s all that matters,” she says, meeting his eye - all she feels and all that goes unsaid held in her gaze for him to see.

They fill in the disclosure paperwork that evening; they don’t have to just yet; they’ve still got time, Sonny’s been keeping the deadline in his head, but Amanda leaves him on the couch and goes out into the entryway where her work bag is; she returns a moment later, a manila folder in her hands that she passes over to him as she sits down. The form inside is mostly filled out - all their basic information already there in Amanda’s handwriting, the only empty boxes are Date of Disclosure, and Nature of Relationship.

“Time to make it official?” he asks, and she pokes his arm gently.

“It’s already official, Carisi,” she says, “Unless you’re thinking otherwise.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head at her, “You got a pen?”

“We’ve got to decide what to write in that box,” she tells him tapping the Nature of Relationship box with the pen she’s just grabbed. “Whatever we’re calling this,” she gestures between the two of them.

“According to Jesse, I’m your future husband,” he says, only half-joking.

Amanda just laughs at him, “I think you’d need to write fiancé,” she says, “But you’re not getting off that lightly - you need to propose to me yourself,” she tells him; she glances away as she adds, “Not yet, though.”

Someday, he thinks, leaning over, a hand reaching for her face, turning her back towards him so that he can kiss her; she lets him, kissing him right back for a minute or so before she puts one palm to his chest, pushing him back from her, “Carisi, let’s finish this first.”

He sighs as he pulls away, but it’s worth it not to have missed the impatient smirk on her face.

“I got it,” he tells her, resting the sheet of paper on his knee as he adds one word to the empty box. Partners.

[hannya-writes]

Hihihi! I know it's kinda crazy and I just found your acc but I was LITERALLY thinking about a Marvel-SVU crossover and found yoooooou. I mean... The algorithm lead me to you. It's ✨ Destiny ✨ haha So I was wondering if you could write something Marvel-SVU kinda with Carisi x reader (i don't know if you watch agents of shield) where reader has to go UC for Shield and falls in love with him and he finds out she's Shield etc. I don't know if I'm making any sense rn I'm just really happy I found you. And now I sound creepy but it's already too late and I'm sending this.

Dear @lapaquerette : I do not watch Agents of shield, but I did my best! I swear I did! 😭 you totally made sense! But I feel like there's part of this story that are not so good, anyways~ let's get to the story!!

Title: Don't Tell anyone

Fandom: MCU and Law and order SVU

Pairing: Sonny Caruso x Reader

Other characters: no, I think no

Category: romance

Warnings: this doesn't have a happy ending bc I'm bad writing those! This is long I think.

Author's note: for a moment I thought of making this a serie, but my head couldn't stand it! I don't feel like I can picture Carisi in the right way so probably he's going to be very OOC. Also I'm not supper proud of this because I literally did what I wanted with the time line, Captain America: Winter Soldier happens in 2016 however Caruso es ADA in 2020 if I'm not wrong but in this case the events of winter soldier happen in 2020. Also there's like 2 years of difference btw WS and Civil War, and I tried my best! To make everything fit, but you know, you can kick my ass in comments.

• • •

The mission was supposed to last just a couple of days. Y/n had to pose as an assistant to the Junior ADA's why did they need assistance she didn't know, but when Nick fury assigned her there she just didn't dared to ask.

"Find out what's going on there" he had said as if it was a life or dead situation.

Pepto. That's what happened. High expectations was the other thing happening. The Junior ADA's where being pressed, running towards death case by case.

It was boring, the first two days Y/n had played "who's the jerk of the room?" She had found more than one, stress made that to people. Who cares about cordiality when they had to put people in jail? The answer was Dominic "Sonny" Carisi.

Sonny never yelled or snapped at people, he always asked nicely about papers, he said "Good Morning" and "thank you". He was a gentleman, a knight in a shiny armor. He made funny jokes even when he was struggling with a case.

Y/n had felt a weird desire to help him after just one encounter. The puppy eyes, she reasoned. After that day when he was in court she appeared there, sat and suddenly the people being cross-examined poured the truth without control or bursted in fit of rage confessing everything. She wasn't making something bad, she was helping, which she was supposed to do. No one was going to link her to those incidents. No one knew what she could do.

— copies, now — one of ADA's order her and she almost pushed the asshole and told him to do it himself, it was only a copy machine, he only had to push a button! However, Y/n was a trained spy, she had control over every muscle in her face to not make a disgusted expression at the tall and skinny man. 63 ways to kill him appeared in her head in a second.

— Sure thing — she said in a gently tone, entertaining her mind in the more horrible ways to deal with Tommy.

Tommy Parish, a bully in and out of court, linked to the Irish Mafia. He thought he was a big fish, prepotent but surprisingly brilliant. He was like a weasel. He wasn't that important. Shield wasn't interested by his night activities. They thought there was something else, something more important. Y/n didn't think so. The more interesting thing there was...

— Oh, Sorry didn't meant to...— Sonny said as he almost hit Y/n with the door.

— my fault, I was standing here like a creep — she took the guilt with a sheepish smile.

— A penny for your thoughts — he said as he walked outside and Y/n instinctively followed, as she usually followed after director Nick Fury,

— I think I'm being punished — she said while walking aimlessly, if Sonny had walked in the male restroom she would have probably followed him blindly.

— punish? For what? Did Tommy said something mean to you again? — the blond man sounded concerned and for Y/n it was refreshing, people around her tended to be more defensive around her than being worried about her well being.

— no! I think Tommy is warming up to me — Y/n said proudly — it's my umm... Dad, he send me to live here and I think is because he is mad at me —

There was a small silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

— why would he be mad? You are amazing! — Sonny sounded so positive and brilliant, he always seemed to have that aura around him, even in the worst cases. Y/n noticed it, and worried her when he started to lose his shine.

— in my last job, I made a mistake and people got hurt — the confession was sincere. She wasn't lying, she was omitting that those people didn't just "got hurt", they died. She had killed them.

— You are human, humans make mistakes — he said stopping in front of an embellished door. — talk later? — he asked and Y/n nodded with a smile.

•••

After a month everything still was normal. No conspicuous action, no weird people. Y/n wondered why was she there? Was she really being punished by Fury? She had made a mistake, she had chose to save a person, she couldn't know that the objective was going to detonate the whole place. She couldn't read every single thought, her brain would melt if she even tried.

— Sorry, I need to... — said Sonny pointing at the copy machine, y/n blushed for being caught spacing out, again for the 4 time in a week

— I'm so sorry, allow me — y/n extended a hand offering to make the copy for Carisi.

— don't worry, I can push a button — he said making her smile and feel weird.

— please Mr. Carisi, let me be of help — she offered tilting her head a little bit, Sonny found that little action distracting and cute enough to give her the papers he needed to copy.

He saw her move, she was so elegant even just making copies.

— thank you — he told her sighing exhausted.

— don't worry Mr. Carisi, I'll do this, get it in a folder and get it back to you, why don't you go rest your eyes a bit? — she asked with a smile, noticing his tired demeanor

— I'll do it, if you start calling me Sonny — he negotiated and she laughed whole heartedly — come on, everytime you call me Mr. Carisi I feel like you are talking to my father —

— fine, you got yourself a deal — she offered her hand and he took her in his bigger one. Sonny felt asleep with the sound of the copy machine working.

— Sonny, Sonny — Y/n soft voice took him out of dreamland, he found out in that moment that his Nickname sounded awesome from Y/n lips.

•••

From Sonny's eyes y/n was an amazing woman who was able to help everyone with their tasks, she made copies, keep archives ordered, got everything for everyone. She made time to know all of the junior's ADA's of "her room", she served coffee when needed, got them food, kept clean clothes for them just in case. She was like a mother. Sometimes she even helped them found the info they needed. She made all of that and made it with a polite smile. She had been there for like a year and their interactions where short, but he was head over heels for her.

Why? Because she got a great sense of humor, she was nice, smart, sassy when needed, had an excellent memory, she made the best black coffee he had ever tasted. She never got nervous no matter the circumstances. He didn't understand how or why was she assigned to be the "mother hen" of 7 ADA's, but he was thankful. Some days became better the moment she gave him a smile and he imagined that smile was just for him.

Sonny pinched the bridge of his nose in pain. It was past midnight and he was still in his office, working on papers. Practicing his opening statement.

— the truth... The truth....— he repeated trying to remember the next point of the speach. He grunted frustrated.

— Sonny? — the sudden voice made the attorney jump and Y/n laughed.

— Geez, doll! — he exclaimed surprised — You should use a bell — added more awake than before.

— doll? — Y/n questioned rising an eyebrow, Sonny turned red.

— Sorry, I didn't mean to disrespect you — he quickly apologized.

— you didn't, I actually like it — she admitted — I'll allow it — added in a solemn voice — with a condition councilor, only in private I don't need more gossips going around—

After saying those words, Y/n knew that she was digging her own grave. She liked Sonny.

•••

Y/n looked at her phone horrified. Nick had send her and encrypted message. Which was resumed to: You are free of SHIELD, live the life of Y/n Veith. The life he had created for her, an identity that couldn't be connected to the Spy agency. Y/n Y/l/n had died in what they called something like the purge of Hydra. He didn't needed her. He had died. Captain america had basically destroyed the corrupted SHIELD. This was her life now. She was what? a secretary? An assistant?

She should had fail with SHIELD, she should had been there with Fury, protecting him. But she didn't. She pretended nothing happened and followed his last order to her: live like Y/n Veith.

She went with the flow. Acted like everything was just fine, made a routine, followed it to the last point. Untill one day out of the blue she broke down crying in Sonny's office. He was her friend.

— what happened? — he asked on the other side of the desk, surprised that in the middle of his speech, y/n started crying. The case was difficult, a father died to protect his daughter. The teenager girl had been raped and her father was killed by the rapist. It was way more complicated but, that were the facts.

— sorry, sorry — she said cleaning her face with her hands, Sonny approached and offered her a handkerchief that she took hesitantly. — I lost, I lost him — she stuttered.

Sonny kneeled by her side, took the handkerchief and cleaned her beautiful face.

— I'm so sorry, doll — he said even if he didn't understand, Y/n felt his consternation.

— my father died — she said with a soft voice — my house burned down — she added and Sonny understood, her father adopted her, he had saved her and then lost it all. The case had hit too close to her.

— Come on, we had enough of this case — he decided getting up, taking her hands to get her to stand — I'll take you home — he said and she smiled with sadness.

— I don't want to go to my department — she confessed getting up and Sonny gave her a soothing smile.

— We can go to my place — he offered without a second intention, she nodded and they walked away from the office, Sonny ordered an Uber.

Outside of One Hogan place with a heavy heart, y/n leaned against Sonny and he hugged her while waiting for their ride, and during the ride.

Y/n fell asleep without nightmares for the first time in the 6 months after the dead of Nick. Sonny by her side, over the covers and behind a "wall" of pillows fell asleep with the image of a peaceful Y/n.

•••

Three months later, Y/n entered Sonny's little office, she said a "sorry to interrupt", the blond man stopped writing and turned to her eagerly, he tried to suppress his desire to look into her eyes but he wasn't that good at that.

He hadn't seen her in more than 14 days thanks to his overflow of cases and her being stole by homicides DA, who had discovered she was very good in investing.

She muttered a "what?" In mockery, as if the distance and time hadn't even happened and added a "I got you a donut!". A donut that he had craved since morning but wasn't able to get. He sighed a laugh, sometimes it was as if she could read his mind.

— you are life saver, doll— he sighed in relief taking the donut from her hand.

— Should I get you some coffee? — she asked with that caring tone that made him feel special.

— I would love that — he accepted as she merrily went to the coffee machine and poured him a cup and then a glass of water.

Sonny wondered about where did those pretty and elegant glasses came from, have they always been there? She left a bag in the table and walked back to him. He pretended to be working but it was hard to act when she was walking towards him with that dark red pencil skirt that hug perfectly the curb of her hips, the black blouse making contrast, hanging a bit loose over her torso.

— thanks doll — he said when she put the coffee and water in a corner of the desk, he looked at her with a smile — water? — he asked with a joking tone, y/n nodded

— yes, sir — she said in the same joking mood — I took an account of the caffeine you ingest by day, this could be dangerous for your health, so for every cup of caffeine, one of water — she explained with as much confidence as a lawyer making an opening statement.

— are you worried about me? — he was almost flirting, she blushed even if they sometimes flirted a bit.

— I worry about all of you — she pointed out and gave a mischievous smile that made Sonny blush.

— thank you, doll — he quipped with a smile, she smiled back and walked away to Parish desk, the man sat there looked down to his papers as Y/n put a bagel by his hand.

Sonny noticed how Tommy's ears got as read as a tomato and turned to look at her with adoration, the same look the other ADA's got everytime she was near. He had seen how things slowly changed with Y/n presence, at first they were rude, condescending, then they realized that she was excellent in her work. She had saved all of them more than once with little actions.

Y/n had a charming aura and some men in the office had asked her out, Tommy included, but she always turned them down, with an excellent excuse. "I'm seeing someone".

Carisi wondered who. Who was she dating?

•••

— Coffee — she announced as she took a folder and put it carefully away.

Sonny smiled and suddenly thought of Y/n lie about she seeing someone. She had never tell him about her boyfriend, he thought of all of those slice of life moments they had, the banters they have, the many times she had helped him. The times she would stay in his apartment so she wouldn't be alone.

Was he the person she was seeing?

— do you have plans for tonight? — he asked abruptly and Y/n looked at him surprised.

— I got a date with my bed, but I can reschedule — she offered with a smile, she could rest later, she had to enjoy every moment with Sonny.

— do it, I'll take you to a wonderful place — He said with all of his confidence, she giggled — after work? — she nodded contently.

— It's a deal — she said before walking away with a big smile in her face.

Sonny felt stupidly happy. It was him. She was dating him unofficially.

•••

That night Y/n tried to look as perfect as was possible in work clothes, she had refreshed herself, use a little more of make up. She was excited, she really liked Sonny and had wanted to go on a date with him, no work talk, no solving ways to state a question. She wanted to know him in a more personal way.

They sat in a table of a nice looking bar, a decent one. It wasn't pretentious, they actually served food and not just greasy fast food. She had told him distorted versions of stories with her "family and friends", (since she couldn't talk about her real life and training) like that time her father had taught her how to use a gun for her homework and she discovered she had weak fingers.

She heard about his time as a Police officer, a detective nonetheless! Sargent Benson seemed to be a very empathic person, Detective Tutuola was definitely a funny man, Amanda was for him like one more of his sisters. And Sonny discovered that she was adopted by a man called Nick, Nick Veith he guessed, since he thought that was her real last name.

She had two "adopted" sister and a brother: Maria, Natalie and Clinton. Maria was righteous, Nat was smart and sassy, Clint was funny and sometimes really annoying. Sonny thought he would get along easily with them.

They laughed between stories, they were getting fun untill Y/n felt there was something wrong. Something was about to happen. Something bad.

— Something wrong? — Y/n barely registered Sonny's voice before jumping over him yelling a "get down". A telekinetic wake made the other around people fall to the ground just in time as a rain of bullets came from the broken windows.

Sonny heard the glass breaking, people screaming in panic. Saw the bullets fly over him and the bottles in the bar breaking in slow motion. He had never experienced anything like that. The light weight of Y/n over him. And his monkey mind thought about how right that felt.

There was a "clank" from a gas' bomb, then a flash and a cloud of white smoke. People stood up and started running.

— Y/n — Sonny pulled her to see her face, he thought she would be scared, paralyzed from fear. However, when he saw her face there was no fear, she seemed confused, puzzled. — come on, we have to move —

Y/n was thinking the same, but she didn't know what was the right move: defend everyone there using her not-so-human powers? Run away and pretend to be a delicate woman, scared of the situation?

— doll? — Sonny sounded worried and in almost panic, a switch turned as boots hit the floor of the bar.

— Stay behind me — Y/n said with confidence getting up, feeling the presence of 8 people surrounding them, circling them. — and... — she looked at Sonny worried — don't get scared — she pleaded softly.

— Y/n Y/l/n surrender yourself — someone yelled and the woman felt her skin crawl, she hadn't hear her name in more than a year. It sounded good.

— is this about the accords? — She thought, aware of the Sokovia accords and what they proposed. She hadn't signed them. No one was supposed to know about her, her powers, she hadn't expected the government to notice her.

Nat? Clint? Maybe Maria had told them.

— That's right, put your hands in the air — the man ordered in a shout. Y/n closed her eyes and closed her hand in a thigh fist, making the fog disappear.

— Sorry, I can't do that— she confessed pushing the man with telekinesis. — I'm not a weapon you can use —

A new row of bullets flew towards Y/n and Sonny. A bright green light appeared in her eyes and all of the bullets stopped in the air, traces of the same light that made Y/n shine seemed to contain the little bullets like tendrills, the bullets turned in the air pointing at the squadron that was attacking her

— Y/n, no! — Sonny made her react, the tendrills disappeared and the bullets fell useless to the ground as the woman turned to see the Attorney.

— Sonny, sonny — she stuttered worried— no, no, no, no, I would never hurt them, I'm not a monster, I'm not! — she said almost in panic,not because of the attack but for the ideas Sonny could get.

Sonny saw the green and now red light form an eyes over Y/n, then monsters from nightmares formed from the light, monsters like dogs, with skulls covering the hideous animals with blood dripping from their snouts, bodies wet with a black substance. The animals roared and jumped to defend them.

Y/n saw fear in Sonny's eyes. She recognized it, a bright tendril started to form in the exact point of her heart, the fear taking form in her presence. Her hand squished the light over her chest, stopping something else to form.

He didn't know what to say. Carisi knew about the avengers, the new york incident had affected his work, he had saw everything about "ultron", he was informed about Tony Stark and the avengers every move. But he didn't know what was he supposed to say? "Sign the accords" was what he wanted to say. It was selfish for him to ask that, he couldn't do it.

— doll, you're not a monster— he finally found his own voice to say that. — but you have to go —

— Sonny, I... — the ADA put a strand of hair behind Y/n ear taking her by surprise.

— If you don't mind, I'll like to kiss you — he said making her blink in disbelief.

— yes please...— she said and Carisi smiled brightly, his large hand caressed her cheek and softly leave a tender kiss in her soft lips. It barely lasted more than a second. When Carisi opened up his eyes, everything was back to normal. Like a couple of minutes ago, right before the shooting.

In the table was a note: "Don't tell anyone" he recognized Y/n writing. He wondered if everything had been a dream, a hallucination. A part of him told him that no, that couldn't be his imagination. Y/n had left.

[objection-argumentative]

Soulmates Part 8

This part is NFSW

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated

Enjoy 

Masterlist!

"Andrew, why are you here?" Kelsey was stunned at the older man. "I have come to bring you home in time for our wedding. I know you haven't been home since you were sixteen, but I planned a big white wedding for you. I thought it would be romantic as you like shit like that." The whole room was stunned in silence. You could hear a pin drop; it was that quiet. Andrew took an opportunity to grab Kelsey by the arm and try and pull her out of the building.

Rafael mind caught up with the scene in front of him. He pulled Kelsey to him, making Andrew lose grip of his soulmate's arm. "young man, I know you think you love this girl, but if you know what's best for her, you will let her go. I paid for this little number when she was eight years old. After years of waiting, it's time to cash in my investment."

Rafael snarled at the man." Suppose you think that my soulmate is returning to England to marry someone old enough to be her grandad, your more senile than you think. Now leave her alone, or I will have you arrested for assault and attempted kidnap of an NYPD detective." The older man looked between the couple, watching Kelsey cling to Rafael, causing his suit to crumple in her fists. "Fine, I will leave" Andrew grabbed Kelsey's chin and forced her to look into his eyes, "but this isn't over by a long shot, princess." Before Rafael could say anything to Andrew, he was already in the lift leaving. Kelsey ran towards the cribs and slammed the metal door.

"what the fuck was that Barba" nick was grinning like it was Christmas. Rafael glared at the packed room. Span on his heels and hurried towards the cribs and opened the door. The sight in front of him broke his heart. Kelsey was sitting in the corner hunched over herself, crying into her lap. Rafael bolted straight to the weeping girl "hush baby; it's ok, he has gone." The man scooped Kelsey up, sat down on one of the bunks and held her close. "I'm not going to let anyone or anything hurt you, baby, I promise. The vulnerable woman melted into her soulmate. "Wanna talk about it, baby?" Kelsey shook her head. Rafael kissed the crown of her head, letting her know that she was safe with him.

After what felt like hours, Kelsey stopped crying into the chest of her soulmate. Her body fell into complete exhaustion; her eyes were stinging; her head was pounding, and she didn't have any energy. Kelsey buried her face into the lawyer's neck. "I'm sorry for all the fuss. I know you didn't sign up for any of this." Rafael started rubbing soothing circles into the detectives back. "Dulce, dulce chica, you have done nothing to apologize for. We will get through this together." Kelsey nodded against the older man's neck. They sat for a good while longer, Rafael comforting kelsey, making sure she was ready to go back to the squad.

Kelsey detached herself from the man and stood between his legs and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Thank you, darling, for making me feel better" kelsey placed a kiss on his lips, stroked his cheek and smiled. "I'm going to have a shower ill see you in the bullpen for the update." Kelsey kissed the man again, moaning when his tongue slipt into her mouth. Rafael pulled away and smirked when he heard the girl whine at the loss of contact. "Go get ready baby, I will see you soon," Rafael walked out of the room to give the girl her space to get ready.

Twenty minutes later, Kelsey was sat at the desk in the bullpen. She was freshly showered, hair tied back into a "mum" bun, fresh her face was free of makeup, and she wore the new suit Rafael brought her. The whole squad was there, excluding their ADA. Cragen was explaining that there will be a partner move around. Kelsey is partnered up with Carisi. Sonny smiled at Kelsey and placed a hand on her shoulder "don't worry, doll. I have your back." Amanda glared at the pair.

Rafael walked into the bullpen. Watching Carisi touch Kelsey's shoulder sparked jealousy in his body. It was scaring him the bond was getting more robust; he didn't know much about what happens within the bond. He decided that his aubella was right; the couple did need to speak to a specialist of bonds, the couple needed to know what would happen in the bond and with themselves. He stopped watching the blonde detective from her desk, picked up the two coffee cups and made his way over to the squads brief.

He placed the large paper cup in front of her as he sat in the seat next to her. Unconsciously kelsey threaded her hand into Rafael's as the captain briefed the squad on the suicide of Katie Junave. "let me get this straight, Katie is rushed to hospital over a failed suicide attempt. She hears her mother talking with an NYPD detective about her ordeal. She then sneaks into the dispensary and overdoes on powerful pain killers and is found by nurses as the NYPD detective sits with an over-emotional mother." Finn quizzed, making sure he heard correctly. The whole squad faced Kelsey. "I know I should have paid more attention to the room, but Emily Junave was a wreck. But I made a Judgement call. I thought the doctors were taking care of Katie, and I put her mother first." Kelsey lowered her head and eyes, not wanting to see the judgement looks of her new team and bosses.

"Where was your partner Hardy?" Elliot quizzed, looking between the two blondes "Jessie needed me. I asked Hardy to fly solo; I needed to be with my little girl." The whole squad and the ADA were staring at Rollins, and it made her feel nervous. Rollins knew she had done wrong; she knew that kelsey shouldn't have gone to the call independently, but she didn't care. She and Jessie made cupcakes and watched frozen together-mother daughter time was well needed last night. "Rollins a word, now!" Rafael seethed as he walked over to one of the side rooms.

*That evening*

Kelsey sat with her legs stretched on her couch watching trashy tv. She wore leggings and a crop top with no bra. She reached over to grab her cup off the coffee table when Joanne came out of her room." Where is mister perfect tonight? Got a hot date with someone else" Joanne raised an eyebrow as Kelsey giggled. "No, he has a hot date with his work. Special victims Unit have four open cases, Meaning he is slammed with work." Kelsey sighed as she got up off the couch and flipped through the takeaway menu. "Fancy anything in particular tonight?" Joanne shook her head but pointed to the pizza menu. She nodded and placed the usual order of a large cheese pizza with Ginos.

Kelsey looked at her phone screen to make sure that she hadn't missed any communication from Rafael. She sighed when she realized she hadn't. Kelsey suddenly was not hungry anymore. The girl told her friend to put her pizza on top of the oven when it came, and she would get it later. Kelsey made her way to her bedroom. She turned on the lamp and plugged her phone into charge as she got into bed. Kelsey scrolled through social media for a little while. When she stumbled upon Lucia's Facebook page, she could not help her self but look. On his mother's Facebook page was holiday photos of her and her family, including Rafael. They were all enjoying a tropical climate sunbathing in the images.

There was one image of Rafael that kelsey couldn't stop looking at; he looked perfect. He was sat on a white plastic chair with the biggest smile on his face with a drink in hand.  He had very short but tight swimming trunks on; Rafael's body was heavily tanned from sitting in the sun. Kelsey could feel herself getting turned on by the image; she groaned in frustration and tossed the phone to her side.

She felt her hand slide down her leggings. She felt how wet she was for her soulmate; Kelsey whimpered at the contact on her sensitive clit as she slowly worked figures of eight with the nub. She started to work her clit a little faster, arching her back in the process. she began to build her orgasm up, moving more quickly on her clit as her left hand tweaked her left nipple under her crop top. Kelsey was about to cum from the most intense orgasm when Kelsey heard her door open. She was like a deer caught in headlights; her eyes flew open.

Kelsey's body froze as the door opened and revealed Rafael. "Jesus baby, I'm sorry I should have called" before he could finish his sentence, Kelsey jumped up off the bed. "Rafi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry, so so sorry, darling. It won't happen again" Rafael shook his head and pulled the girl into his chest. "Don't you dare apologize, baby. You never apologize to anyone for your pleasure. You looked like a heavenly sin baby. I wish I didn't interrupt you." he kissed her forehead and rubbed her back "what were you thinking about, baby?" kelsey sighed and closed her eyes, feeling embarrassment creeping up on her. she grabbed her phone and showed her soulmate the image of himself.

Rafael's eyes went dark and primal "you didn't cum, did you?" Kelsey looked at the floor and shook her head. Rafael lifted her face kelsey looked at the man in front of her "you are perfect, dulce chica, never shy away. You have no reason to. Please let me help you feel good. Let me make you cum, baby?" Kelsey was awestruck. Here was a man that was so perfect he made an angel look average. "Yes darling, I want you," kelsey whispered. Rafael growled, "If you want to stop at any point, say the word, and it stops immediately." kelsey nodded her head.

Rafael hungrily kissed the blonde woman. He moved from her lips to her neck down to her collar bone. The small whimpering noises coming from Kelsey's mouth is like music to his ears. He made his way back to her mouth and tugged off her top, revealing her breasts." Fuck baby. I didn't expect you to be braless dulce chica." His thumbs skim over her light pink nipples. "Rafi, please, I need you", she whispers in a breathy moan. The older man chuckles with the glint, "Anything for you, baby." The older man stripped the leggings off Kelsey and laid her down on the bed.

"You still ok with this, dulce chica?" Rafael rubbed his index finger in Kelsey's folds, feeling how wet she was for him. Kelsey nodded her head vigorously. "Please, darling, I need you." Rafael used his mouth and tongue to draw circles over Kelsey's sensitive nub. Rafael added a finger and started stroking the detective's G-spot with a "come here" motion. Kelsey's moans grew louder and longer. Drawn-out cries of desperation filled the room as Kelsey became close to release. Rafael's lips were sucking, wrapping themselves around her clit. His lips were soft and wet, and Rafael did not shy away from using them to his advantage. His greedy lips tried to suck on Kelsey as much and lovingly as possible. His tongue was a whole other story; his tongue was warm and thick. It teased her entrance with quick flicks that turned into extended explorations of everything he could reach.

As Kelsey felt herself coming closer, His movements became more frantic; he knew what he was doing. He needed to make her cum. Kelsey's entire body shuddered and convulsed as she came against Rafael's face, his mouth and hands not daring to stop until it was all out of her. Every extra touch and kiss sent tremors throughout her body until he finally pulled away. Rafael laid soft kisses over her body as he made his way back up to her lips. When his lips met Kelsey's, she wrapped her arms around his neck "that was terrific darling, thank you."

Rafael pulled off the girl and removed his clothing, and pulled on lounge pants from his overnight bag that was by the door. The man turned the lamp off and climbed into bed with the blondie. "You're so fucking beautiful when you cum, baby, and the way you moan and whimper. fuck baby. It's soo good. The older man started kissing Kelsey again. Kelsey was feeling bold, and she let her hand wander into his lounge pants, feeling the big thick erection against the palm of her hand. "you don't have to, baby. I will sleep it off." Kelsey shook her head " I want to, Darling, let me return the favour."

Kelsey started lazily pumping Rafeal's erection. the throaty moan that escaped the man's lips was pure ecstasy to the woman. "Please, baby, don't tease me," Kelsey knelt between the man legs. She leaned forward and took the head of his dick into her mouth, and started to suck him. "FUCK BABY" the man was a panting mess kelsey started to bob up and down on his dick she flicked her tongue over the head. Rafael threaded his hands through her hair and began to fuck her mouth. Her salvia all over his dick and balls while she took the throat fuck so well." Your so perfect angel, tan Buena puta polla." she reached down and started massaging his balls, "I going to cum", he stilled, giving her a choice between either wanking him off or letting him cum down her throat. To his surprise, Kelsey chose the latter, swallowing every drop of cum he produced.

Kelsey cuddled into the man's side as he came down from his high." you.are.so.perfect.baby.all.fucking.mine" Rafael kissed the girl between each word ", all yours, Rafi, I promise." the man pulled her so close to him she was practically on top of him. The room fell into a comfortable silence as kelsey was dozing in and out of sleep. At this moment, she knew that she could trust this man entirely with her life. She never felt as happy or safe as when she did with Rafael. This was her final thought as sleep took over her body.

[snarkwrites]

-- about my writing --

I’m currently taking requests / asks for headcanons [ can be either NSFW or just in general or a specific idea ] or fluff/filth Alphabet letters. These are the only requests I plan on taking. If you send me prompts / one shot ideas.. I won’t do them, sorry.

To see what the questions are for the fluff / filth alphabet, see [this post]

[ To my thots anon whomst I love with every cell in my body... Your thots are all going to fall under NSFW headcanons so please.. By all means.. Feel free to send me all the thots you want because I really really really really really enjoy writing them!!! Also, you can find the thots you’ve sent me on my nsfw masterlist, they’re not going anywhere. They were so good I had to add them to a masterlist somehow, I couldn’t resist. At everyone else out there, the same applies to you guys.]

So.. Here’s the thing.. I’ve decided that I’m going to be taking 3 kinds of requests. Those are as follows: Headcanons { filthy, fluffy or themed specifically at your choosing }, fluffy alphabet and filthy alphabet letters. These are the only kinds of request I answer so don’t send me prompts / one shot requests or ideas unless I specifically say otherwise.

Bearing the above in mind, I have some guidelines.

I’m only accepting headcanons (nsfw / fluff / specific theme &/or reader), fluffy or filthy alphabet letters. If you send me one shot ideas or prompts, I’m going to delete them because I don’t do one-shots.

One character per ask. I don’t care how many asks you send. But I ask that you only send one character per ask because that makes things a lot more simple for me.

You can send up to 4 letters in each ask if you’re asking for either version of the alphabet. Be sure to let me know whether you want filth or fluff or a mix of both. IE, you could send me something like this; character name - a, b {filth} & j v {fluff}. I’m not saying your ask has to look exactly like this but it does need to clearly state which version you’re asking for. The format I just did above was just the easiest way that came to mind for me.

The more precise you are with the headcanon requests you send, the better I can tailor them to you. If you just want an overall NSFW headcanon or overall fluff, that’s totally fine. But if you want a specific scenario ( friends to lovers, date night, weddings, the sky is the limit here) you need to tell me that. The same goes for if you want a specific reader (POC, plus size, sick, shy, virgin, imprint, etc) then I need to know that. It’s like I said.. The more specifics you give me, that’s more I have to work from.

As far as headcanons go, the things I won’t write are rape, incest / huge age gaps between reader / character. I’ll only write abuse if someone is getting their just desserts at the hands of character on readers behalf. Any asks containing rape / incest / huge age gaps are going to be deleted.

All asks must come to my inbox. I don’t take requests through DM or in comments on a post. If it helps, my anon is on, so you can request to your hearts content.

If the ask box is closed, this means I’m currently not taking headcanon or fluff/filth alphabet requests. This will also be noted on my blog bio and possibly a post stating why/for how long. Anything sent in after the ask box is closed will either be gotten to the next go around or it’ll be deleted, depending on the situation.

First of all... My content is meant strictly for adults. I do write some things that people underage can safely  read, but that is not always the case. I realize that I can’t stop minors from reading my work, but I can tell you outright that I’d rather you skip over it if you’re underage and it clearly states that it’s not written for anyone underage. Again.. I can’t do anything to stop minors from reading my NSFW content beyond just choosing never to post writing on the internet. And I don’t plan on stopping, so.. yeah.

I put warnings on everything. Reading those will definitely save you time and upset. If you keep reading something I’ve written and it upsets you in any way, I’m sorry but I can’t help. I warned you. You chose to take the risk -and most likely, you chose to skip the warning I gave before the post even started... It’s strictly on you now. It’s out of my hands. Any complaints or things of that nature are gonna be laughed at and deleted out of my inbox because I’m not here to argue or censor myself. I’m not your parents, just a peer. If you as a minor choose to look at me, an adult adjacent person, as an authority figure of any sort... First of all, why? Ya’ll.. no.. please don’t. I’m a hot mess, okay? To look at me like any trust worthy authority figure is... A huge error on your own part. Secondly, please don’t. I’m here to enjoy my favorite fandoms / post content for them. I’m not here to please people / censor myself and my content to make everyone else happy... Let me repeat. I put warnings on everything I post. If you keep reading and you read something you’re not supposed to this is now solely your own problem. Sorry, I guess?

I’ve seen other adults saying that they block minors on here. While I’m not gonna do that.. I will not tag minors in my NSFW content knowingly. If I find out you’re a minor and I’m posting something NSFW for a fandom you’ve asked to be tagged in, I will not be tagging you. Sorry. As much as I say I’m not here to parent you and I’m just your peer and you need to think of me like that instead, I’m also not willing to risk anything, either. I’m truly sorry in advance.

While I’m talking about tagging people / my taglist...If you want me to tag you in my writing, you need to be on my taglist. The taglist can be found [ here ] or you can dm / send an ask telling me you want to be added and I will be more than happy to do so. Don’t be afraid to ask me. I don’t mind at all! 

Every now and then, I’ll tag my friends in things I write. If I tag you in something and you don’t want me to, let me know. I won’t do it anymore. I’m not here to overwhelm or annoy anyone and I don’t want to come off as pushy, either. SO.. if you’re getting tagged or whatever and you want me to stop tagging you, all you have to do is let me know.

If you’re not on my tag list (or I don’t know you well enough to know whether you’d potentially want to read something) I will not be tagging you. If you’re a minor and I know for sure/think  you are and it’s smut, I will definitely not be tagging you.

Content I’m not willing to write or  you probably won’t find here: Incest and Rape. Those are my hard no’s. Just the thought of writing something like that makes me feel gross. I’m also not going to be writing huge age gaps in romantic stories either. (the closest I’ll come is like.. 18/19 and up to 24...) I mean absolutely no offense against people who can and do write things like this, I just can’t? 

American Horror Story; tate langdon, ben harmon, kit walker, kyle, dandy mott, jimmy darling, james patrick march, michael langdon, xavier plympton and night stalker.

Arrowverse; oliver queen, john diggle, slade wilson/deathstsroke, barry allen, cisco ramon, ray palmer, mick rory.

Bands / Celebrities; ask before sending because I haven’t done many of these and I’m still adjusting… Off the top of my head I’ve written for / feel comfortable with Nick Groff (ghost adventures), Jon Bernthal.. There are lots of others but alas, I’d stretch this out so badly if I added too many more names.

Boondock Saints movie; Connor Macmanus Murphy Macmanus & Rocco.

Breakfast Club movie; John Bender.

Castle Rock tv series; Dennis Zalewski, The Kid.

Criminal Minds; Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Hotch, Tobias Hankel & Adam/Amanda.

Crybaby Movie; wade walker.

CSI tv series; Greg Sanders, Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, Gil Grissom, Tim Speedle, Ryan Wolfe, Eric Delko, Danny Messer, Don Flack, Mack Taylor.

Dazed & Confused movie; Randal Pink Floyd, Mike Newhouse, Ron Slater, Fred O’Bannion and Kevin Pickford.

DC Cinematic; Digger Harkness.

Detroit Rock City movie; Tripp, Lex, Hawk and Jam.

Fast & The Furious series; Dom Toretto, Han.

Four Brothers movie; Angel, Jack or Bobby Mercer

Friday Night Lights tv series; Tim Riggins, ,Matt Saracen, Landry Clarke, Bobby Riggins, Vince.

General Hospital tv series; Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan, Johnny Zacarra, Dante Falconeri, several other of the guys on here…

Ghostbusters 80′s version movie; Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler , Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore.

Gotham tv series; Jerome Valeska, Jim Gordon, Joker, Riddler.

Harry Potter movies; Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Neville Longbottom.

Horror movies various; Billy Loomis/Scream, Charlie Walker/Scre4m, Wade/ House of Wax, Tom Hanninger/My Bloody Valentine + others. Trust me, there are... So many others. I just didn’t have the brain power to think of them all at the moment.

Law & Order tv series; Barba, Carisi, Stabler.

Lucifer tv series; Lucifer Morningstar.

Luke Cage; Luke Cage, Shades Alvarez.

Marvel Cinematic; Bruce Banner/hulk, Captain america/steve rogers, bucky barnes/winter soldier, eric killmonger, hawkeye/clintbarton, thor, loki, pietro maximoff, venom/eddie brock, starlord/peter quill, ironman/tony stark, wolverine.. I’m a marvel ho.

Mayans MC tv series; Angel Reyes and Ez Reyes.

NCIS tv series; Anthony Dinozzo, Timothy McGee, Marty Deeks, Greg Callen.

On My Block tv series; Spooky Diaz.

Punisher tv series; Billy Russo, Frank Castle.

Riverdale tv series; Jughead Jones, FP Jones, Reggie Mantle, Sweetpea, Archie Andrews.

Shameless tv series; Lip Gallagher.

Sons of Anarchy tv series; Jax Teller, Chibs Telford, Clay Morrow, Juice Ortiz, Opie Winston.

Stranger Things tv series; Jonathan Byers, Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington, Jim Hopper.

Star Wars movie series; Han Solo, Kylo Ren, Ben Solo, Poe Dameron, Finn.

Supernatural tv series; Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Crowley, Benny Lafitte, Kevin Tran.

Teen Wolf tv series; Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall, Derek Hale.

The Crow movie series; Eric Draven and Jimmy Quervo/Wicked Prayer.

The Lost Boys movie series; Edgar Frog, Allen Frog, David, Michael Emmerson, Sam Emmerson.

The Outsiders book/movie; Two Bit Matthews, Dally Winston, Darry Curtis, Soda Pop Curtis, Johnny Cade, Steve Randle.

The Walking Dead tv series; Daryl Dixon, Shane walsh, Rick Grimes, Negan, Glenn Rhee.

The Vampire Diaries tv series; Klaus Mikaelson, Kai Parker, Kol Mikaelson, Jeremy Gilbert, Damon Salvatore.

Twelve Rounds 3 movie; Detective John Shaw.

Twilight movies/books; Jasper Hale, Emmett Cullen, Jacob Black, Paul Lahote, Embry Call.

I’m gonna be honest here. I post on my own time, at my own pace. Some days I post constantly, sometimes it’s days or even weeks, and occasionally, a month before I post anything. So.. Now ya know.

If I’m not on and posting, odds are I’m busy, taking a break or whatever. But I’ll come back! I always do. 

Basically, what I’m saying here is I have no set posting schedule. At all. I post what I want when I’m in the mood to do so. Just something to keep in mind when you’re asking for headcanons / nsfw alphabet letters with characters.

[barisi-bartender]

Responsibilities Outside of You

Pairing: Rafael Barba x Sonny Carisi

Genre: Angst

Warnings: None that I can find

Word Count: 609

Synopsis: Stress doesn’t help fix a strained relationship

A/N: Hell of a 180 first a confession fic now a breakup one. I got so sad writing this so it might be bad. This is a one shot and not part of “totally canon...”

Rafael was getting frustrated, he really was trying his best. It felt hopeless trying to pretend this was still working. Not that Sonny wasn't trying either, it was just bad timing for them both.

SVU cases were never easy but the ADA's office had been putting more pressure on Rafael than usual. He just wanted a break, he was tired of coming home completely exhausted. As much as he loved his job, he felt like it was killing him.

It didn't help either that Sonny was dealing with the stress and expectations of his own job. He was slowly starting to feel fed up with everything. He was more irritable and it was like every sound annoyed him.

They saw each other everyday at work. Not that they didn't enjoy the other's presence. It's just that they wished they could go home to and have someone to vent to, just to ease some of their stress. Instead they're coming home to someone equally as drained as them.

Their apartment was dead silent, not even the sound of the TV. There was a palpable feeling of tension that loomed over them. It was a gradual build up as their stress built up as well. The frustration they both had was almost visible. It was inevitable there'd be a breaking point.

Rafael walked into the squad room where he was supposed to meet with the team to discuss the case. The lights were a little too bright. The noise was a little too loud, he was just barely holding it together.

"Where's the Captain?" Rafael asked when he spotted it was just Sonny

He took a long drink from his coffee "She went out with Fin, to talk to the witness"

"Again? I thought we already verified everyone?" The ADA sighed in frustration

All Sonny could do was shrug it off "It was not my choice, Counselor" he placed his cup down on the table loudly

Rafael cringed at the sound "What is your problem?" he said before he could stop himself

"My problem? I don't have a problem" Sonny scoffed "Just that you're being an annoying prick" he says under his breath

"Excuse me?" Rafael gasped in disbelief "I'm being an annoying prick? You're the one who's been pushing me around since this case started!"

Sonny threw his hands up "I wouldn't have to push you around if you actually listened to me!"

"I have my own responsibilities outside of you, I am sorry that the DA's office is pushing me to get this case over with!" Rafael raised his voice

"This isn't about me Rafael! It's not even about our relationship, I'm just asking you to stop being such a condescending asshole!" Sonny yelled back, they were both now shouting at each other in the middle of the squad room

Rafael took a breath "If you have such a problem with it then why don't we just end this? clearly neither of us even think it's worth trying to work this out"

"Fine" Sonny clenched his fist and sighed "If you want to end this, then it's over" his voice was soft again

Rafael nodded slowly and took another breath. His entire demeanour changed, one that Sonny recognised from when they first met. One that was purely stern and professional. "I'll call Benson myself later to discuss the case" he told Sonny "If she asks tell her to meet me at my office" And then he left

All Sonny could do was watch him walk away. He felt numb, not empty, or sad, just numb. Rafael's figure disappeared past the doors leaving Sonny alone in the squad room again.

[deansmom]

(ao3) dean/omc, character study, dean with tattoos, etc etc. expanded part of this.

Sonny was always more forgiving than John, about a lot of things. One thing that Dean was always grateful for, was that he felt that it was important for them to be able to be, y’know… kids.

So, Dean’s sixteen standing in the basement of some kid’s house from school, with a red solo cup in his hands. Robin’s here, somewhere, but he doesn’t know where she went. It doesn’t matter, they’re not together or anything, but he just – he thinks he likes her.

Maybe loves her?

Dean takes a sip of his beer and looks around the basement, feeling woefully out of place and also, absurdly excited to be here. He’s never been able to go to a party before.

Kyle – Kevin, maybe? – the kid who’s throwing the party, is yammering on in Dean’s ear and he tuned him out a while ago.

He feels his head bobbing along to the music without his permission and if Dean really focuses, he recognizes the voice singing. He’s heard her on the radio before in the Impala, but John never left it on for long.

Dean smiles to himself as the song changes, and this time it’s one he recognizes.

John would probably disown him and have a few choice words if he knew, but damn, he’s a teenager in the 90’s, of course he likes hip hop.

I love it when you call me Big Poppa.

“…Anyways, my brother comes home and he’s got this tattoo gun –“

Dean’s brain catches that last part of whatever this kid is saying (he’s really gotta remember his name) and it makes a lightbulb go off in his head. Huh.

“Hey,” Dean turns completely, so he’s facing the kid. “Does your brother actually tattoo?”

Kevin (Kyle? Ken?) grins, cross-faded beyond comprehension, “Hell yeah bro, he’s pretty good too.”

Some kid on the other side of the room yells before dive bombing off of the bar and the whole room erupts into loud, celebratory screams. It’s like, the perfect cliché high school party moment and Dean doesn’t even care that he’s missing it.

“Sick,” Dean remarks, feeling his own grin spread across his face. “Can he do one for me?”

Kyle (it’s a K name, he’s sure of it) claps a hand on his shoulder, shrugging, “I don’t see why not, man. Le’s go ask.”

He takes Dean’s hand abruptly and turns, pulling the two of them out of the main room in the basement and down a side hall. Dean tries to pretend that the heat spreading up his back to his face is just because it’s hot with all these kids crammed down here, and not because a cute boy is holding his hand. Especially since they’re having to shove past couples making out all up and down this narrow hallway and wow, it’s getting hard to focus.

It’s fine, right? Anybody would be blushing like this in Dean’s position. It’s not weird.

Kenny (fuck, he really should just ask him or something) drops his hand to knock on a door at the end of the hallway, “Jake!” He’s practically yelling and Dean chugs the rest of his beer when he feels the judgmental eyes of the couples turning to look at them. It’s fine, everything’s fine.

It takes a moment but then the door opens up and Dean’s brain fritzes out for a second.

Wow. Jake has gotta be the hottest guy he’s ever seen in real life.

Wait, what?

Jake glares at them, clearly amused that his little brother is fucking toasted, “What do you want Cam? You can’t make out with your boytoy in my room.”

Fuck, Dean swears internally. Not a K name then.

Cameron (allegedly) shoves Dean forward when he doesn’t say anything, “Not a boytoy. He wants a tat.”

It’s only at this point that Dean realizes he actually hasn’t said anything yet.

“Uh,” he tries, offering a hand to Jake. “Name’s Dean.”

He examines the offered hand for a moment and just when Dean’s certain the door is going to get slammed in his face, he looks up at Dean and says, “You got money?”

Dean nods, pulling his wallet out and handing over the $20 he got for doing a bunch of yardwork last weekend with some of the other boys from Sonny’s place.

Jake seems to think about it for another moment before sighing and opening the door wider, “Yeah, okay, why the hell not.” Dean nods, passing the $20 into his hand as he walks through the doorway.

Cameron makes a move to follow them but Jake stops him with a hand on his chest.

“No fucking way bro, I don’t want you anywhere near this with your drunk and germy ass.”

Absurdly, Dean feels a little lightheaded at the idea of being alone with this guy (or is it that he appreciates the consideration for his safety – he doesn’t want to think about it). He offers Cam a smile, “I’m good man, thanks.”

Cameron offers them both a salute with the same hand that his cup is in, and ends up spilling it on himself with a delighted cackle. “Aye-aye, Captain!”

Dean has to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing.

Jake however, just slams the door in his brother’s face with an amused snort, “How drunk is he anyways?”

Dean hums, looking around the room with interested eyes, “I dunno… he’s been talkin’ to me for the last thirty minutes with that same cup, but I wasn’t really listening.”

The music is much quieter in here, and he can’t make out any of the words anymore. But the room is clean with really only some clothes near the dresser, and the desk in the corner is a little cluttered, but it’s – it’s nice. It feels… cozy.

Jake makes a noise of affirmation, walking over to start clearing off at least part of his desk, “How drunk are you?”

Dean snorts, his eyes flying over all the books stacked under a record player in the corner.

“I had one beer…” He drops down onto the floor and pulls a book off the shelf, turning to grin at Jake, “You got good taste.”

It’s a well-worn, well-loved copy of Cat’s Cradle. It looks almost as beat to shit as Dean’s is.

Jake doesn’t quite smile at him, but he does look thoroughly amused at Dean’s excitement, “Yeah, I do alright.”

Dean sets it back on the bookshelf and sighs contently, relaxing back against the bed, “You don’t really look old enough to be, y’know…” He watches him move around the room easily, cleaning off the desk and pulling a big case out from the foot of the bed, “Doing this.”

There’s a muffled yell from somewhere out in the basement, and then the sound of another crash, and Dean can’t even bring himself to wonder what he’s missing.

“Eh,” Jake shrugs, going through the motions that he’s clearly done many times before. “Dropped out the same week I got an under the table apprenticeship. Been doin’ it for almost two years now.”

Dean squints, mentally doing the math, “So, you’re… what? 17? 18?”

Jake glances over his shoulder at him, smirking, “Why?”

Even Dean’s slightly impaired brain catches the implied question, and he squirms a little bit on the carpet, shrugging. “Can’t a guy ask questions?”

They both go quiet after that for a couple minutes, Dean too embarrassed to say anything else, and Jake too focused to try and carry a conversation with a kid he doesn’t know.

Maybe ten minutes later, Jake claps his hands together and it makes Dean jump out of his skin. He tries to glare at him, but judging by the way Jake’s barely containing his laughter, it probably doesn’t come across as very threatening.

“Okay,” Jake turns so he’s facing Dean in his chair. “What do you want?”

Dean nods, leaning forward and grabbing another book off the shelf, “You know the portrait?”

Finally, Dean seems to be the one with the upper hand, because Jake is staring at him like he’s grown a second head.

“Uh…” He squints at Dean, a small bit of amusement threatening to break into a grin, “No?”

Because he’s kind of a brat, Dean scoffs and flips to the title page where the autograph and self-portrait are staring back at him, “You don’t know and it’s your book?!” He leans forward, stretching as far as he can to hand the book over to Jake.

He looks at it for a moment, barely containing his smile, “You want this?”

Dean nods, scooting around so he’s facing Jake’s desk. “Yeah.”

Jake looks back up at him, feeling a little bit bewildered by the request, “You’re sure?”

It takes a lot of Dean’s self-control not to groan, so he just nods and says, “Definitely.”

They just stare at each other for what feels like an eternity, but is probably thirty seconds, before Jake laughs outright and shrugs, “Yeah, okay.”

Dean squawks, indignant, and moves so he’s sitting at the foot of the bed instead of on the floor, “What? You think it’s dumb or somethin’?”

Jake seems to consider him for a moment before his smile softens, “Nah, it’s just…” He points his pencil at Dean, “You’re kind of a weird kid.”

Dean huffs, rolling his eyes, “I’m not a kid. I’m gonna be 17 in January.”

He doesn’t say that he’s never really been a kid. He doesn’t say that this isn’t his first beer, but this is the first time he’s been able to go to a party and stay for longer than ten minutes. He doesn’t say that this is the first time he’s ever felt like a kid, but that he’s not really good at being 16. He doesn’t know how to talk to kids his own age because they’re only thinking about the SAT’s and prom and the sports team they’re on, and Dean can’t stop thinking about his little brother being alone with John.

“I just,” he says instead. “I just really like his stuff.”

And he knows that Mary supposedly liked it too.

Jake shrugs, still smiling at Dean, “Hey man, I’m not complaining. Just, y’know…” He turns around and starts pulling things out of his desk, “Cam probably doesn’t even know who Vonnegut is.”

Dean snorts, pulling his legs up onto the bed to sit with them crossed, “No offense, but your brother is kinda dumb.”

At that Jake barks a laugh, his shoulders relaxing minutely, “You’re not wrong.”

They talk while he works, about what kind of music they’re into and the other authors they’ve read and Dean even talks about Star Trek, and Jake just listens to him talk for as long as he wants. There’s no calling him a nerd or interrupting him, he just… listens. Eventually he asks Dean after a couple minutes if he’d be okay with it being freehand. He agrees because all the practice drawings Jake’s been doing look damn near perfect (and, well, he’s sixteen and doesn’t know how tattoos work).

Dean goes over to the record player and puts something on when Jake’s ready to start.

Ramble On starts thrumming through the speakers, and they can just barely hear it over the music from the party. It’s kinda nice.

He helps Jake pull the desk closer to the bed and the whole time they’re talking like it’s normal and they’ve known each other forever.

“Okay,” Jake interrupts him before Dean goes off on another tangent. “Drop your pants.”

For a second, Dean thinks that the record player is actually the source of the record scratch he just heard but nope, that was his head. Somehow, all the color drains from his face at the same time the rest of him starts to feel too hot and his skin feels too tight.

Dean makes a choking noise that was supposed to be a ‘What?!’

Jake sets a hand on his arm, biting his lip to stop from laughing at Dean’s panic, “You said you want it on your thigh, right?” He doesn’t wait for Dean to respond, he just squeezes his shoulder and says, “I need to shave it.”

Some part of Dean’s brain powers back on and he swallows, not sure why he’s so panicked, “Yeah, uh –“ He forces a laugh, “Yeah, duh, I – I knew that.”

Mercifully, Jake turns around for a moment so that Dean can pull his jeans down. He hops up onto the bed, feeling a little exposed, and ends up pulling a pillow onto his lap for, uh… reasons.

“Okay,” Dean squeaks out. He clears his throat, trying to get it back down to its normal pitch, “I mean, uh…” He gestures at his leg, “Go ahead.”

That time Jake does laugh at him and that’s fine, that’s fair, Dean likes his laugh. It’s nice.

Jake makes quick work of shaving the spot, a consummate professional – or at least, Dean assumes he is. He’s never actually gotten a tattoo before.

The alcohol that gets poured over the spot and then wiped off makes him hiss through his teeth, mostly from the temperature than anything else. Jake squeeze’s his other knee, meeting Dean’s eyes again with a smile. “Sorry, almost ready to start.”

And jesus, what a picture he makes.

Dean’s not gay, totally not gay, but wow, Jake is… beautiful. If he was a girl, Dean wouldn’t be able to stop talking about how gorgeous and full his lips are. Ever since he turned 13, Dean’s gotten shit for his lips and he never really got the appeal before, but he thinks he might get it now. Because yeah, if Jake was a girl, Dean would totally want to kiss those lips.

And you know, from a totally Not Gay perspective, the guy’s got a really nice face – a strong jaw with as much five-o’clock shadow that an eighteen-year-old can grow, dark skin that makes the color in his lips pop and the slight bit of green in his eyes glow.

And that smile? Jesus, Dean’s man enough to admit it makes his heart do the same thing it does when Robin smiles at him. It’s a really, really nice smile.

And the fact that Dean suddenly can’t not imagine Jake on his knees, sucking Dean’s –

He shakes himself out of it and he can feel the blush spreading across… well, probably across his whole face really.

“Okay,” Dean chokes out, trying desperately to pretend he isn’t getting hard under the pillow.

Jake smirks make him feel like he knows what Dean is thinking about, but he’s kind enough not to say anything. Not that there’s anything to say, clearly, because Dean’s definitely Not Into Dudes, he’s just – he’s just… hot. Like a girl, or –

The song changes as Jake finally (finally) turns the machine on. He makes eye contact with Dean, giving him another out if he wants it, “You ready?”

No.

Dean swallows and offers him his cockiest grin, pretending he isn’t freaking out, “I was born ready.” There’s a moment where it feels like Jake’s going to back out, going to call Dean on his shit, but then he leans forward and draws the first line.

He brings a hand up to bite at his fist and has to choke back a yelp.

Jake looks up at him again, not even bothering to hide his amusement, “You good?”

Dean nods, “Yeah, I, uh –“ He smiles, embarrassed, “I’m good. Go ahead.”

Thankfully, Jake just goes back to work without any further comment. It doesn’t hurt really, it just feels… weird. Dean grimaces at one pass and oh, okay, yeah, maybe it hurts a little bit, but it’s not like getting hurt on a hunt bad.

He closes his eyes and lets his mind zone out while Jake works.

Because his brain is terrible and can never be trusted, the first thing that pops into his head is that if he popped a chubby thinking about Jake, a dude, on his knees in front of him, he might actually be gay.

And well, that’s just – that’s a can of worms he’s never going to touch, at least not until John is dead. He winces at the thought, imagining that his dad dying would be a good thing, and Dean feels guilty. This is why John left him here.

If Dean doesn’t get off this train of thought, he’s going to have a panic attack in front of this really hot nice guy and he’d rather not embarrass himself. He tries to focus on the music and that isn’t even working because Dean can feel his muscles fighting to move.

Jake must notice because he takes that time to start talking while he works.

He tells Dean about high school, and the shop that he’ll legally work at when he turns 18, and about how bad his parents freaked when he dropped out. He tells Dean about his brother, about this girl that he went on a date with last week that was in love with her roommate, about the concert he went to last month – about everything and nothing, and Dean forgets… everything.

He forgets to panic and he forgets that his leg has gone numb from the vibrations of the gun. He laughs more than he has in a while, and they’re real laughs, the ones that make his whole face light up.

In return, he tells Jake about Sam, about Robin, about how he’s never stayed in one place so long, about high school and how much he really likes physics. Jake calls him a nerd again and Dean just shrugs, trying to play it cool. Really, he’s just excited to feel like he understands something in school.

It takes a total of 30 minutes for Jake to finish. He cleans it off carefully, explaining to Dean the whole time how to properly take care of a tattoo and what the healing process is like.

Some part of his brain wonders if he should be taking notes, because Dean’s a little too lightheaded to be sure he’s going to remember all of this in the morning.

He must have said something to that effect out loud because Jake laughs, “Don’t worry man, I’ve got a pamphlet in my backpack from the shop that you can have.”

He looks at Dean again with that beautiful smile that makes Dean feel like he’s floating. He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

The record player comes to a stop with a quiet click.

Before he chickens out, Dean surges forward and tries to pull Jake into a kiss – he misses, and ends up kissing just to the left of his mouth.

They both freeze for a moment and Dean should probably open his eyes to gauge the situation, but he’s terrified that he’s about to get thrown through a wall or something.

Fuck, he’s really stupid.

Instead, Jake huffs a laugh and brings his hand up to rest on the back of Dean’s head. “Hey, Dean?”

Dean squeezes his eyes tighter and has to lick his lips, his tongue ghosting over the corner of Jake’s mouth for a moment, before answering. “Yeah?” His voice breaks, but Dean can barely hear it over the hammering in his chest.

Jake smiles against his mouth, just breathing for a moment. “You ever kissed anybody before?”

He jerks his head to the side just a tiny bit, just enough to answer the question without having to move away. He’s still too scared to open his eyes.

Jake’s hand is big, big enough that his thumb ghosts over Dean’s jaw and it makes him shiver.

“Can I kiss you?”

Dean swallows, finally cracking one eye open.

Their foreheads are pressed together and Dean has never felt so… nervous before. Excited. Terrified. Hopeful. He licks his lips again and he shivers a little at the look Jake is giving him now, “Yeah… yeah, okay.”

This time, their lips actually make contact and – oh.

Dean makes a soft noise into it, one of his hands grabbing onto Jake’s forearm. He lets Jake take the lead here and just… tries to listen to his body. It’s better than he thought it would be. Jake’s lips are soft, and gentle, and plush and his brain flashes a mental image from before behind his eyes and Dean groans into it.

The groan makes it easier for someone, Dean’s not really sure who, to deepen the kiss. Jake stands up just a little bit, crowding closer to Dean on the bed, and Dean takes the opportunity to wrap an arm around his neck.

He nibbles at Jake’s bottom lip experimentally and it earns him a moan that makes Dean feel like he’s on fire. The hand that was on his head drops down to his lower back and some part of Dean’s brain chimes in with, I bet he could pick me up.

Dean whines at the thought, actually whines, and it would be mortifying if it didn’t make Jake make a truly beautiful sound in response.

He tries to lean up more into it the kiss but Jake pulls away, his lips a little swollen and a lot pinker. He closes his eyes for a moment while they both catch their breath and Dean licks his lips, unable to stop thinking about that noise.

“Dean,” Jake starts and he sounds like he’s really trying to argue with himself here. “Dean, look, we can’t –“

That seems to snap Dean out of it because suddenly it feels like everything’s crashing down around him and now, he can’t breathe for a totally un-fun reason.

The panic is clearly written across his face because Jake moves both of his hands to Dean’s cheeks. “Hey, Dean, look at me,” he sounds a little frantic with it. “Dean, buddy, just, look at me – please?”

“I’m sorry,” Dean blurts out. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I did wrong, I’m sorry, of course you don’t want to kiss me! Of course you don’t want to kiss me, you’re so cool and I’m just a kid and –“

He’s pulled up into another kiss and Dean’s brain totally fuzzes out with it.

God, he really likes kissing.

Long before he’s ready to stop, Jake pulls away again with a laugh and presses a kiss to Dean’s cheek this time. “Dean, I really like kissing you.” Dean thinks he probably looks really dopey right now, grinning up at him, and he feels like he’s maybe floating. “Yeah,” he giggles a little. “Me too.”

Jake presses a kiss to his forehead, so gentle and Dean feels like his heart is going to explode in his chest. “If you want to continue this…” He takes a step back so he’s no longer touching Dean and he laughs when Dean whines at him.

“Hey, no,” Jake’s grinning at him, and it’s a new grin than any of the other ones he’s seen tonight, and Dean feels like he can take on the world.

“If you, uh…” He brings a hand up to rub at his neck, looking away from Dean for a moment, “If you wanted to, y’know… continue this…” Jake gestures between the two of them and for the first time, Dean’s able to see that he’s not the only one who’s hard. That’s exciting.

“We should wait,” Jake finally says. “Until you’re, y’know… totally sober.”

Dean pouts, getting up onto his knees so they’re almost eye-to-eye.

(Has he mentioned how tall Jake is? Now that the floodgates are opened, all Dean can think about his climbing this kid like a god damn tree and wow, where the hell did that come from -)

“I’m totally sober.” He slurs the ‘s’ in sober, just a little bit.

Jake laughs, his hands coming up to rest on Dean’s hips to steady him, “Yeah okay, whatever you say.”

Dean tries to channel his little brother’s puppydog eyes, his arms coming up to wrap around Jake’s neck again, “Oh come on, pleeeease?”

A look flashes over his eyes, something a little dangerous peeking into that expression for a moment, and it’s gone as soon as it showed up. Jake smiles and kisses his forehead again, “Sorry buddy. Talk to me tomorrow morning.”

Dean sighs and pulls his arms away, crossing them over his chest. He looks adorable, not that Jake would ever tell him that.

He finally takes a full step backwards, this time completely out of reach, “So… do you like it?”

Because he’s still a little lust drunk Dean leers at him, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, “Yeah, dude.”

Jake rolls his eyes, wondering how he ended up in this situation, “The tattoo, idiot.”

Dean blinks owlishly at him for a moment, something finally clicking in his brain, “Oh, shit.”

He really did only have one beer, but he also got high with a couple of Robin’s friends before they got to the party, so Dean just tries to crawl off the bed like that on his knees, with his jeans around his ankles. Of course, Jake catches him before he slams face first into the desk. He’s a gentleman.

Dean yelps, his hands scrambling to grab onto Jake’s jacket. “Oh, shit, sorry.” His fingers dig into the muscles there and Dean makes a noise, “Oh wow, you’re strong.”

Jake doesn’t say anything, just deposits Dean safely onto the floor and takes a full two steps back. He’s a good guy, but he’s not a saint, and Dean seems intent on having all of his firsts in one night (which Jake wouldn’t recommend).

Dean pulls his jeans up enough to hop over to the full-length mirror by the door and his whole face lights up at the tattoo.

“Dude…” He doesn’t know how to communicate how this makes him feel. “It’s perfect.”

Jake covers it for him and helps Dean pull his pants on without disturbing the covering. He keeps a professional distance, and it’s driving Dean insane, but he’s getting close to missing his curfew anyways.

Neither one of them says anything until they’re at the door and Jake’s hand is on the knob. And then because he’s Dean, and he’s terrified and he doesn’t think he’ll do this again, he pulls Jake down into another kiss.

“Thanks,” he says against his lips.

Jake smiles, “My pleasure.”

---------------------------------------

The next time Dean sees Jake, it’s at a diner after school one day. They make out behind the dumpsters and Dean comes in his pants when Jake holds him up against the wall. It would be embarrassing if it wasn’t so hot.

A couple days after that Dean’s got another $20 from raking Sonny’s neighbors’ leaves, and he asks Sonny to drop him off at Cam’s house to work on a school project.

Sonny agrees and because he’s Sonny, and he can read Dean like a book for some reason, he spends the whole ride over there talking about the birds and the bees. The first half of it Dean’s terrified that he somehow knows about Jake, but then he realizes that Sonny saw Robin kiss him the other day.

Turns out, Dean’s kind of a hot commodity in his age group.

“Look, Sonny, I appreciate it,” Dean interrupts before he gets to a clinical explanation of how sex with a girl works. “But that’s like…” He huffs, making a vague gesture with his hands, “A while away.”

Sonny ‘harrumphs’ a pleased, gruff noise, and nods as they pull up to Cameron’s house, “Well that’s good to hear, kiddo. But you let me know when it gets there.”

Dean squirms in his seat, “Yeah yeah, sure, I’ll let you know.” He looks over at the house, “Can I get out now?” Sonny rolls his eyes and mumbles something about ‘damn kids.’

“Thanks Sonny, I’ll be home by 10!” He yells as he gets out of the car and runs up to the door. Sonny yells at his back, “9!” Dean turns to glare at him when he gets to the door but sighs and gives him a thumbs up.

That should be plenty of time anyways.

Jake opens the front door and both of the boys wave to Sonny before he actually pulls away from the curb.

Dean pushes him into the house once the truck is out of view and grins, “I want another tattoo.” He considers the situation for a moment before adding, “Please.”

Jake rolls his eyes, “I thought you just wanted to see me.”

A moment of panic flashes over Dean’s face and Jake sighs, remembering himself, “Sorry. Nobody’s home, it’s just me.”

He pulls Dean down the hall into the living room where the TV’s playing, “See? No parents, Cam’s at practice, Ali’s at a friend’s house.”

Dean looks around the room, taking Jake’s hand in his, “Oh… okay.”

They both watch whatever’s on MTV for a few minutes, just standing there in the middle of the room. Janet Jackson’s dancing with an animated cat, and it’s really weird, and then suddenly Dean hears himself say, “Hey, after, can I suck your dick?”

Jake sounds like he’s choking on something before it turns into a slightly hysterical laugh, because he’s now spent a total of at least two hours with Dean and he’s still floored by him.

But now, Dean’s the one staring at him like he’s lost his mind (also, like he wants to eat him) and Jake audibly swallows. “Uh… maybe.”

Sure, he’s got more experience than Dean does, but this is… a big responsibility.

For God knows what reason, Jake really likes Dean.

He barely knows this kid, but it feels like he’s known him forever. Dean is smart and he’s funny and he has great taste in everything, and he doesn’t think Jake is throwing his life away or whatever for not going to college. He thinks that Jake is talented and back behind the diner, Dean had told him that he thinks Jake’s going to be really famous one day.

It was kinda nice.

They go downstairs to Jake’s room after a couple minutes and Dean pulls a piece of notebook paper out of his backpack, “Here go.” He pulls the twenty out of his back pocket and offers it to Jake with a sheepish smile, “If it’s not enough, I can make more, it’ll just take me a couple days.”

Jake hesitates for a moment, looking back down at the sketch on the paper and then up at Dean, “Don’t… don’t worry about it.”

It’s the opening chords for Hey Jude.

He doesn’t have to know Dean very well to know that a sixteen-year-old boy who wants to get Hey Jude tattooed on him probably has some sentimental value tied to it.

Dean frowns, looking nervous for the first time since the other night, “Are you sure? I mean –“

Jake kisses him briefly, damn near chastely, to head off a bickering argument.

“I’m sure.”

It’s worth it for the smile Dean gives him anyways.

It’s easier this time, now that Dean knows what to do, and that they’re more comfortable with each other. Dean tells him about the wrestling team, about this project he really is working on with Cam, about how Robin kissed him the other day.

Jake smiles without looking up from what he’s cleaning, “Oh?”

Dean sighs, flopping back down on the bed, “It was a good kiss…” He knows that Jake can’t see him like this, but suddenly he feels a little too vulnerable so he covers it up like he always does.

“Didn’t make me come in my pants though.”

Jake’s laugh is loud and beautiful, and Dean watches him from an awkward angle on the bed.

They keep talking while Jake gets everything set up, goes through the motions of preparing Dean’s other thigh, and it isn’t up until the gun’s buzzing in his hand that Dean stops talking.

Jake squeezes the knee under the Vonnegut tattoo he did last week (that’s healing beautifully), “Hey.” He smiles at Dean, “You ready?”

Dean nods, but he doesn’t really say anything.

He’s wanted this one ever since he was twelve and he met a hunter who had the EKG of her dead daughter’s heartbeat tattooed on her arm. He doesn’t have anything like that from mom, nothing that is tangibly her, but he does have this song.

And yeah, maybe Dean’s a sap or a pussy, whatever. He loves his mom.

He watches the top of Jake’s head without sitting up and sighs tiredly, “You know…” Dean licks his lips, his voice a little too quiet, “I think my mom would like you.”

Jake pauses for half a second, not sure if he heard that right, but continues tracing over the lines on Dean’s thigh.

If Dean noticed the lack of response, he doesn’t seem to care.

“I don’t know what she’d think about you being a dude,” Dean sighs, his eyes looking back up at the ceiling. “But I think she’d like you.”

Jake smiles to himself, “Tell me about her?”

This time, Dean’s sigh sounds more dreamy than sad, “I don’t really remember much… I was four when she died.” He pauses for a moment, definitely not collecting himself or anything, “But she was my best friend.”

He feels tears welling up in his eyes but he ignores them.

“She made me chicken and rice soup when I was sick… I’m not sure if they’re memories or dreams, but I think we used to play dress up when I was like 3. She’d let me try on her dresses… oh, and she let me play with her makeup.” Dean laughs, blinking away the tears, “When my dad would come home hammered and screaming at us, she’d always come and find me wherever I hid. She’d hold me until I felt safe again… even when she was pregnant with Sammy.”

Jake doesn’t say anything, but he does squeeze Dean’s knee again.

“She was so brave… I’m sure she’d hate that I remember it, but oh man,” he laughs. “I remember when I was like three and a half, mom came home from a trip and I had this big bruise on my face. She went and got dad’s shotgun from the closet and chased him out of the house.”

It’s not a good memory, but it’s the last time anybody ever tried to protect Dean from John.

They’re quiet for a few minutes and right before he starts on the second pass, Jake finally asks, “How’s… how’s your dad?”

Dean laughs again, but it’s a bitter, angry laugh.

“John’s fine. John’s great.” Dean snorts and brings a hand up to wipe his face dry, “John told the cops to let me fucking rot in juvie.” He leans up just enough to make eye contact with Jake, “Oh yeah, I don’t know if you knew that, I’m living at Sonny’s.”

Because Dean seems to need to get some stuff off of his chest, Jake just goes back to work.

Dean flops back on the bed again, “Wanna know why I got arrested?” He waits for a minute before actually saying anything. Dramatic effect and all that.

“I stole food.” He laughs and steadfastly ignores how much he’s crying now, “My fucking dad left us for so long, I ran out of food and there’s no god damn truck stops around here –“

Oops, he hadn’t meant to say that.

For his part, Jake doesn’t really react to that. Dean won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

“…I had to get something for Sam to eat.” He sniffles, bringing an arm up to cover his eyes, “That was my big crime worthy of rotting in juvie for. Stealing some fucking bread and peanut butter from a store because my dad can’t do his only fucking job.”

Dean laughs again, “And now I’m here for fuck knows how long, and Sam’s with dad and –“ The laugh turns into a sob, “I’m not there to protect him.”

Jake lets out a breath as he finishes the last line and turns his gun off. He does a quick, cursory wipe of the tattoo and pulls his gloves off before climbing onto the bed and on top of Dean.

He’s fully, fully crying now, and Jake doesn’t like that.

So, he pulls Dean into his arms, slots a leg in between his, and uses that leverage to flip them so that Dean is laying on his chest. Dean wraps his arms tighter around Jake and hides his face in his neck, because this has to be the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to him. Worse than walking home with sticky jeans.

Jake rubs his back while he cries and he, blessedly, doesn’t try to say anything. There’s no pity, not placating, no platitudes, just a firm physical reminder that Dean’s not alone in his grief. He does occasionally press kisses to the top and sides of Dean’s head and Dean feels so wonderfully, devastatingly cherished.

If he was a better man, it would make him cry even more.

It takes him a little while to calm down, until his breathing no longer sounds like hyper ventilating. There’s definitely a snot stain on Jake’s shirt and Dean snorts when he’s aware enough to notice it.

“What?” Jake hums, running a hand through Dean’s hair, “What’s so funny?” Dean tucks his head further into his chest and sighs, “I left a snot stain on your shirt.”

After a beat Jake just shrugs, “Easier to get out than a come stain.”

The answer takes Dean by surprise and he has to pull back so that he can laugh sufficiently.

It gives them both a new angle to look at each other, and Dean can’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed anymore. He’s sure that he looks gross, his face is definitely all snotty and red and swollen, but Jake’s still looking at him the same way he has every time. Like Dean is something weird and wonderful and exciting, and Dean’s never felt like anything but a burden before.

So, yeah. He doesn’t mind so much that he cried in front of this hot boy that Dean kinda likes.

Jake brings a hand up to Dean’s cheek and wipes a stray tear away. Because he’s secretly desperate for affection, Dean can’t help but lean into it, turning his head just a little to kiss the hand.

“Dean…” Jake sighs and looks away for a moment, clearly debating whether he should say what he’s thinking or not.

No, he decides. Dean doesn’t need a lecture.

“You’re a really good guy.”

It seems to be the right thing to say, because Dean flops down on top of him again and pulls him into a new hug. Jake makes an ‘oof’ noise at the impact before he laughs, “And you’re apparently a cuddle whore.”

Dean snorts, snuffling even closer to him, “Shut up.”

Jake presses a kiss to the top of his head, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest.

“It’s okay. I like cuddling.”

Jake doesn’t see Dean for a couple weeks.

Finally, he’s home at the same time as his brother long enough to ask if Dean’s doing okay. Cam informs him that Dean hasn’t been at school for the last week and a half. There’s a rumor going around that he got expelled, but he doesn’t actually know what happened.

So the next day, on his way home from work, Jake pulls up to Sonny’s and parks his bike in front of the sign. Sonny’s Home For Boys.  

Right.

He hesitates for a moment, not sure if this is going to fuck things up for Dean, before he finally talks himself into just… asking. What’s the harm in asking?

The kids playing in the front yard don’t even look up at him, even as he hops up the front steps. Jake stops at the front door and hesitates just long enough that the door opens in his face before he even gets a chance.

He vaguely knows Sonny, has seen him around, but they’ve never actually met.

As it stands, Sonny’s just glaring at him like Jake’s existence is a deep imposition to him.

“Can I help you, son?”

Jake smiles awkwardly, “Uh, yeah, I –“ Shit. He didn’t think this far ahead.

Sonny crosses his arms over his chest, “Are you looking for someone?”

“Yes!” Jake laughs a little bit, “Yeah, I uh…” He winces, “I was looking for Dean? My brother goes to school with him and he hasn’t seen him in a little bit…”

Sonny’s face is infuriatingly understanding for a moment. “Ah.”

His posture relaxes and he offers Jake a small smile, “He’s gone, kid. His daddy came and picked him up a couplea’ weeks ago.”

Jake figured as much, but it still takes him by surprise how much it hurts to hear it out loud.

He returns the smile, “Oh, well…” He laughs, “My brother’s gonna be bummed. Him and Dean were, y’know, pretty…” Jake swallows, “Pretty close.”

Sonny’s looking at him like he knows a little too much.

“I should, uh,” Jake points back at the road, “I should probably go, then.”

He takes a couple of steps backwards, offering a hand up in lieu of a wave, “I’ll just get out of your hair. Thank you, thanks.”

Jake makes it to the end of the driveway before he hears Sonny yell at him from the front porch, “Hey, kid!”

He turns around, feeling a little bit absurd all of a sudden, “Yes sir?”

“He liked you too, you know.”

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Haunted Castle Chapter Six: Dungeon

After freeing Kamek, they had no more leads on where to go and thus went back to going through and methodically clearing out rooms until Luigi got another call from E. Gadd. Intel from the boo squad pointed them in the direction of another portrait. It was just some goombas that weren’t even super well-guarded but it was conveniently close by and they still needed saving even if doing so wouldn’t lead to finding King Boo.

Eventually, after a few more portraits, intel from the boos as well as that just being the direction, they were going anyway lead them to the dining hall. Where even with E. Gadd’s warning about how much ghost activity was going on inside, Luigi was surprised by the sheer number of ghosts that greeted him when he opened the doors. It was like a party in there and unfortunately, they noticed Luigi’s entrance right away, meaning he had little time to prepare before the fight started.

Things got a little dicey but ultimately thanks to Gooigi, he made it out on the other side only a little battered. Bowser Jr. ended up helping too via being a distraction and stunning ghosts with his flashlight either to defend himself or to help in taking them out. It was reckless and dumb, he should’ve run but he handled himself well. Enough so that once all the ghosts were cleared out, Luigi refrained from scolding him, thanking him for the help instead.

In the portraits, five of them, hung up along the walls, were an assortment of all the various kinds of minions Bowser employed. None of them were boos, though the dry bones were a bit iffy and scary because they were undead but as long as they weren’t ghosts it was probably fine.

Once they were all free, Bowser Jr. addressed them, telling them what was up and where to go and stuff. Luigi didn’t pay much attention, instead focusing on playing fetch with Polterpup for a bit. It was a welcome break that was unfortunately over all too soon because…

“I have good news and bad news,” E. Gadd reported over the communicator as soon as Luigi answered its ring. “Which do you want to hear first?”

“Uh… bad news?” Best to get that out of the way first.

“Most of our boo friends seem to have been caught and recaptured. Only the Captain and one other remain, though considering how long it’s been, the latter might’ve been captured too.” Surprisingly that wasn’t too bad, not good, they were helpful even if they were scary – and not totally trustworthy as far as Luigi was concerned – but not the end of the world either.

“And the good news?”

“While you were dealing with the dining hall ghosts, the Koopalings’ portraits were spotted being brought down to the dungeon. However, trying to investigate further is what lost us most of our boo friends so we don’t know what’s down there. It’s big though, I can tell you that based of the scanner’s reading. Both that and losing most of the boo squad when they went down there is what leads me and Kamek here to suspect it may be a trap.”

“How is that good news then?”

“If it’s a trap, that means it might be King Boo himself down there. Capturing him again should make the rest of the ghosts surrender or at least damage to moral enough to make capturing them easy.”

“But… it’s a trap!”

“Yes, but you’ve beaten him three times before so I’m sure you’ll be fine… probably anyway, there’s always a first time for everything, including losing. I’m rooting for you though sonny, you got Gooigi with you and you two are a fantastic ghost busting team. So, go and investigate, if nothing else you’ll at least save some kids.” With that he hung up, leaving Luigi floundering.

Going willing into a trap was not his idea of a smart move even if there was a good chance he’d be able to get out of it. There was always the chance that King Boo might finally best him either through a mistake he’d made or just being outsmarted. But… he didn’t have much choice; he’d come here to save everyone in general but the fact that they were kids made saving them even more important. And if King Boo was in the dungeon, he’d have to go down there eventually no matter what because the problem wouldn’t be solved until King Boo was taken care of. So what should he do? …

“What did E. Gadd have to say?”

He looked up to see Bowser Jr. and Gooigi had approached. The minions were gone now, presumably ordered to go somewhere safe for now.

After taking a deep breath to clear his mind, Luigi relayed to them what E. Gadd had told him, including the fact that it might be a trap.

“Hmm… a potential trap is worrying,” Bowser Jr. said when he was finished. “I don’t know if we have much choice though, we have to save them. But uh…” he glanced around the room before leaning in a bit more, his voice lowering to a near whisper, “still no sign of my dad?”

“No, sorry. He’ll be fine though, I promise. We’ll save him.” Luigi could almost guarantee that, right? Because Mario had always ultimately ended up fine every time he’d been taken by King Boo. He understood the worry though because there was always that ‘what if?’ in the back of one’s mind when a loved one was in danger.

Bowser Jr. shifted nervously but seemed to take some comfort in the promise as he nodded. “Yeah, we’ll save him eventually, I’m not worried. Let’s go save my siblings now. They’re going to be so jealous I got to help hunt ghosts with the pros and that I got to befriend a real-life goo person.” With a good facsimile of excitement, he took off towards the dining room’s exit.

Gooigi made a pleased sound as they followed. Feeling quite pleased as well that being allowed to help hunt ghosts with him was apparently something to be jealous of, Luigi stood up and hurried to catch up. Before deciding to head into a potential trap, they had to go back to E. Gadd and empty the Poltergust first anyway so he had some time to think about it. … He would probably end up going though, wouldn’t he? Because he wouldn’t be allowed to say ‘no’, he never was in these ghost hunting ‘adventures’.

~

The dungeons were of course in the basement, further down past Kamek’s lab. Unfortunately, there weren’t any secret passages heading to them, allowing entrance from an unexpected avenue, so they just had to make do. Polterpup had shown up again at least, trotting along only a short distance ahead, he’d warn them if he sensed anything too dangerous ahead of them… hopefully anyway.

As their little group made their way down the hall, the air seemed to get colder and tighter with each step forward. Luigi was shivering but he soldiered on anyway because he’d said he would and because Bowser Jr. trailed after him, depending on and expecting him to save his family. Gosh, babysitting really was the worst, wasn’t it?

Soon, up ahead, Polterpup slowed to a stop, raising his hackles to growl at something, allowing Luigi and company to catch up to him. The narrow hallway ended, opening up into a room, lined with jail cells. It was dark and their flashlights couldn’t penetrate far but of all the cells that were visible, they all appeared empty. There was no way they were though. Luigi and Gooigi would have to check every single one to root out the ghosts and whatever Polterpup was upset enough to growl at. And to make matters worse, Luigi’s flashlight was vibrating, indicating the presence of a hidden boo nearby. Which was just great because now he had to hunt down the boo’s hiding spot and get jump scared by it when it inevitably popped out at him.

How could he have possibly ended up in this situation? The only thing scarier than a haunted castle or mansion was a haunted dungeon deep underground – it wasn’t really that deep underground but it sure felt like there were miles of earth above them with how heavy the air seemed.

“What are we waiting for?” Bowser Jr. whispered, his voice barely audible but still enough to make Luigi startle. “My siblings are down here somewhere, we have to save them so let’s go.” He sounded scared too though and doing a poor job of hiding it.

“Let’s a-go,” Gooigi agreed in a whisper as they pointed into the room, eager to get going. At least they weren’t scared, they just wanted to hunt ghosts. And that was what they were here for so… with a sigh, Luigi took the lead again, silently gesturing Bowser Jr. to stay back at the entrance.

Maybe it was the jail cells and the strange shadows their flashlights cast into them through their bars but despite being more open, the room felt just as claustrophobic if not more so than the narrow hall had. It combined with the heavy atmosphere and knowing at least one boo hid somewhere within the darkness made Luigi wish more than ever he were almost anywhere else in the world right now. But that was pretty standard with these ghost hunting ‘adventures’. This was the last time though, after this he was going to make sure E. Gadd kept King Boo contained permanently. All he had to do was capture King Boo one last time.

Before he and Gooigi could take more than a few steps into the room, Polterpup barked and rushed forward to stand in front of them. He growled at something ahead of them a little way and to the left. There wasn’t anything visible there which could only mean one thing. Before Luigi or Gooigi could switch on their dark lights…

“Stupid traitorous dog, shut up,” a voice growled accompanied by a large thud as if someone with heavy shoes stomped the ground, “You ruined everything.” The spirit orbs dispersed, revealing what they’d been hiding. It was…

“Bowser?” Luigi asked, taking a step back. But no, actually there was something wrong with him.

“Papa! You’re okay.”

Luigi looked back to see Bowser Jr. rushing over. He barely managed to catch him as he passed by, grabbing him by the back of the shell and pulling him back.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Bowser Jr. struggled as Luigi desperately tried to hold him back.  

‘Bowser’ chuckled, his laugh strange and wrong but confirming Luigi’s fears. His mane, normally red was bleached white, his eyes glowing purple matched the glow of the crystal crown on his head. A less dramatic transformation than the last time Luigi had seen him possessed by a ghost but still just as unmistakable.

“Wow, you really are babysitting the brat, how cute?” King Boo said, smirking with Bowser’s face. “You’re even softer than I thought. Whatever though, you’ve saved me the trouble of having to hunt him down on my own. Your dumb dog ruined my surprise but I don’t even need it.”

“What?” Bowser Jr. said as he thankfully gave up on trying to reach his father. “What do you mean? What’s going on? Papa?”

Luigi’s heart bled for him but now wasn’t the time to for condolences or explanations. King Boo’s crown atop Bowser’s head flashed, tendrils of light yanked the still growling Polterpup out of the way as he took a deep breath. That meant fire!

Luigi reached over to grab Gooigi’s wrist to yank both them and Bowser Jr. back just in time to avoid it. It came far too close for comfort, seemingly almost signing the tips of his mustache. If he’d been even a few seconds slower to respond… Whatever though, he turned and ran, pushing Bowser Jr. ahead of him and pulling Gooigi along as well. How the hell was he supposed to fight King Boo when he was possessing Bowser?

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 58

Hadley saw the red flare around her and her cheer rang louder than the throbbing in her ears. She heard the quiet chuckle through her earpiece and saw the grey figure standing so small on the stone. That’s her Captain. She knew it heart and soul, that’s her Captain, there for her. Crimson petals bit sharp across the drone’s armored shell. It didn’t break—the distance weakened the bursts, even her Nyota was only so strong. But it was enough.

“Now, you damn thing!” Hadley shoved the mech into a charge—felt metal shriek and give, but not hers. Sparks cascaded across the drone’s screens and the winking face winked out. Hadley gritted her teeth and fired one more shot as close as she could get, then slammed the emergency teleport with her fist. Light flared on her screen an instant before she felt the light catch herself.

She spilled out of the mech like her bones were so much water, breathless and laughing. Someone warm caught her or pulled her up, she couldn’t tell. “Did you see—” Hadley wheezed. “Did you see her out there?”

“Sure did,” Lumen grunted, glowing bright with the effort of keeping her on her feet. “Hoo, but Arjun ain’t gonna like what ya did to his poor machine. But it’s whole I guess, and ya seem it. How many fingers do ya see?”

Hadley tried to sober up enough to count them. “Two and a thumb,” she guessed. Her arm felt cold.

“Close enough. Sonny, could ya get that second bed ready for her? Gonna need to check for concussion.” He interrupted her protest by turning her arm for a better look at it, and got a pained hiss that wasn’t quite coherent enough to be a swear. “And bandages, gonna need them.”

There was a nervous whistle somewhere near Hadley’s left ear. “I gotcha.”

Green blurred past. Maybe Lumen was right on the concussion. Hadley didn’t try to protest as he pulled her to lean a little more on his shoulder and led her into the sickbay. Something dripped off her fingertips. She looked down and saw just red down her arm. When had that gotten there?

“Whoa there—” Lumen shifted and stumbled, braced himself enough to hold her up still. “Sit, now. That’s a good gal. We got ya.”

Hadley nodded, and nodded again without meaning to as dizziness washed over her again. She heard Lumen’s hum take an alarmed note and knew she had to stay awake, had to keep her eyes open. Hard, that. But she kept staring at him and listening to him talk to her, even as the words lost meaning and turned into just a rising-falling drone. His hands were warm. She remembered that after, even if she couldn’t think enough now. Like moving sunsets. Steady and warm.  

*

Nyota lowered her hand and did not allow fear to hold her yet. She saw—she thought she saw—her hand touched her earpiece, the one she had lent Hadley before. Hadley. “Lumen, is she alright?”

His voice crackled through, calm and gentle. “Well I can’t say she’s fine, ma’am, but she’s alive, and I’ll see her kickin’ again soon enough if we know her right. Don’t ya worry ‘bout her. She’s gonna be alright.”

A soft smile followed her relieved sigh. “Thank you, Lumen. I’ll be back soon. I should handle this now, before anything else comes.”

He crackled, but didn’t argue. He knew better by now. “Just keep both eyes open. I got Arrowmail mindin’ the radar too but we ain’t gonna be able to help if somethin’ else attacks ya.”

“I know. I’ll be fine.” Nyota switched channels. But she didn’t speak yet. Didn’t trust her voice. So many thoughts blurring around in her head at once. Her worries—Lumen assured her, but she still, still could not stifle them. Hadley had pulled through worse before. She reminded herself of that, steeled her nerves, and walked to the gate at the center of the asteroid.

Stone rose high above her, dark against the stars. Nyota took a breath, and said, “Esther, can you hear me?”  

Seven long, tense seconds passed before the old woman’s voice crackled through, riddled with static. “I can, dear. Goodness, but this audio quality is terrible! Where are you?”

“I am outside of the Ancient Gate in Muhlifain Morass.” Nyota smiled under Esther’s surprised gasp. “I can’t afford to stay here too long. We ran into trouble already and expect more to come. What do you need to know, right now?”

“You’re actually—this is a splendid opportunity!” Nyota could hear a creaky, excited laugh, colored with the disbelief of someone who hoped but hadn’t quite believed. Esther caught her breath and kept talking again, with a quiet chuckle still tickling her voice. “I assume you have your Matter Manipulator with you? Scan the gate, and get as much detail as you can.”

“I will.” Nyota turned her attention to the vast stone arch, and buried the shiver that made fur rise along her spine. It really did look so uncannily close to the Ark. The same smooth stone, the same carved faces lining each side of the arch. She stepped closer, dark eyes fixed on the ancient carved stones. No, not quite the Ark. There were differences, small but key. It was the very image of the gate that had first brought her to the Outpost so many months ago, down to the tiny chisel scars on the nearest faces. She was not sure if that thought was a comfort or a fear.

Nyota reached up as far as she could and ran her hand over the carved apex face near the center of the arch. Six more faces stared impassively out into space, with a hollow spot at the bottom where an eighth might have gone, long ago. The ancient stonemason had carved the stone so finely that Nyota could feel individual locks of fur carefully traced by the chisel, untouched by time and weathering out in airless, timeless space.

“They knew what we would look like,” she murmured. “Eons ago, and they knew the shape of our face.”

[storiesofsvu]

I Was Good

Sonny Carisi x fem!reader Warnings: Language, smut, minor Dom/sub play.

You were sprawled on the couch, a TV marathon playing in front of you while you sipped on a glass of wine. Your boyfriend, Sonny Carisi had been gone, working undercover for weeks already, he only had contact with his Captain and you hated it, but you knew it was part of his work. You knew he had an important job, putting criminals away, and you were well adjusted after 3 years of being together. Your heart jumped into your throat when you heard noise at the apartment door, shooting up to look across the back of the couch. Your lips split into a happy grin when the door opened, revealing your boyfriend,

“Sonny!” You jumped up from the couch, he was barely able to close the door before you latched around him, relishing in the scent that was so distinctly him, happy to finally be in his arms again.

“Hey Doll.” He murmured, arms wrapping tightly around you, eager to feel your body against his again, a sigh escaping his lips as you relaxed against him.

“You okay?” You asked softly, hands cupping his face, eyes searching for any trace of injury against his skin. He hesitated for a moment, hands rubbing against your arms, lips meeting your forehead.

“Yeah.” He replied, “I’m fine sweetheart. I just missed you.”

“Missed you too.” You murmured, accepting the embrace of his body. The little pause of silence, relishing in each other’s bodies you felt the mood in the room shift, the energy coming off Sonny changed. His hand trailed up your arm, curling under your chin, tilting your head to face him. Your breath hitched, noticing his blown pupils, the way his other hand clutched around your waist.

“Did you behave sweetheart?”His voice was low, you knew exactly what he was getting at.

“Yes.” Your words were barely a whisper, “I was good while you were gone. I didn’t even touch myself.”

“Good girl.” He shot you a grin, “Suppose that means you really want to touch yourself now, doesn’t it?” Your heart rate picked up, furiously nodding at the man. He chuckled, giving you a soft spank, “Get to it then.”

You didn’t need anymore prompting than that, scurrying down the hallway to your bedroom, quickly stripping down. You dropped down onto the bed, shifting until you were laying up against the pillows, legs open for Sonny to get a clear view from the foot of the bed. He gave you a nod, allowing you to start as he stripped down.

The tips of your fingers delved into your folds, running through them a few times to dampen them, spreading your lower lips open for Sonny to see. You began to roll your clit, hips shooting up off the bed at the contact after so long of nothing, whines escaping your lips. You felt yourself clench around nothing as Sonny started to palm himself, a carnal desire as he watched you toy with your swollen nub. In the ultimate need of something more you were quick to plunge a finger into your waiting pussy, pumping in quickly.

“Feel better sweetheart?” Sonny murmured, voice dripping with need.

“No…” You whined, “Need more.” You gasped as you curled against your g-spot, “Need you.”

That was the thing, it was honestly easy for you to obey Sonny when he told you not to touch yourself when he was away, nothing could compare to how skillfully he could finger and fuck you. Nothing even came close. He gave a soft laugh,

“Think that can be arranged.” Crawling up your body, he bit down on your nipple, giving it a swift lick to soften the pain before meeting your lips with his. Practically growling at how quickly you submitted to him, letting his tongue dive into your mouth, the crisp taste of your chardonnay still evident. His hand traced up your thigh, chuckling at how wet you already were, absolutely aching for him.

He easily slid two fingers in, pumping torturously slow, relishing in the feeling of your warm walls clenching down around his hand. Your body writhed underneath him, finally satisfied with the way his fingers were filling you, stretching you out for his cock. His lips made their way down the side of your neck, occasionally nipping at your skin with his teeth. You felt like your body was on fire, thighs trembling around his arm as he scrapped past the spongey spot inside of your drenched cunt. His thumb hit your clit, rolling in time with his finger pumps, causing your body to jolt, whining out his name as he very quickly brought you to your peak.

Sonny gave you a moment to recover before shifting you on the bed, your head dangling off the edge as he moved to stand. He slowly pumped his cock, smirking down at you when you obediently opened your lips, eager to taste him again. Starting slowly he traced the tip of his dick around your lips, letting the pre-cum smear around your mouth. You hummed in satisfaction, your tongue darting out to suck the creaminess into your mouth. Gently you lapped at his cock, slowly sucking the tip of him into your mouth, Sonny groaned at the feeling. He pushed into your mouth deeper, his hand coming to rest against your throat, able to feel the bulge of his thickness through the thin skin. You gave a small gurgle as he hit the back of your throat, though not one of complaint.

“You can take it, you’ve done it before.” He muttered, thumb stroking against the bulging in your throat.

You opened your lips wider, letting Sonny begin to fuck your mouth, relishing in the feeling of his cock in your throat. Moaning, he threw his head back, plunging with ease in and out of your mouth, the wetness of your lips and tongue bringing him feelings of ecstasy. A loud groan escaped his lips, his hips stuttering as he hit the back of your throat again, leaving himself buried in your mouth, more weight collapsing against your neck. You gurgled, gagging lightly at the feeling, you held him there as long as you could before tapping against his wrist twice. In an instant he was out of you, letting you gasp for air as his hand softly caressed your face.

“That’s my good girl.” You hummed at his praise, giving him a soft smile. Sonny was quick to pull you up, flipping your body so that you were presented on your hands and knees facing away from him.

He slid the tip of his cock through your folds, you moaned at the feeling, surging your hips back, begging for him to plunge into you. You were surprised when he slipped in instantly, sinking fully into you, his hips meeting your ass with a grunt from his throat. The feeling of him burying into you made you whimper, dropping down onto your elbows as he began to thrust into you harder and faster. Both of you had been so eager for each other, you knew neither of you were going to last very long, there was no reason to start slow. Sonny’s cock dragged against your walls, you could feel the veins and ridges hitting every sensitive spot inside your pussy, Sonny could feel your walls beginning to flutter against him. His body dropped around you, hips pumping with purpose and speed, he felt you clench down around him, cunt in nearly a vice grip around his cock. A string of whines escaped your lips, eyes screwed shut while your hands dug into the bedsheets, knuckles paling in pleasure. It was only a matter of thrusts later that you felt him spill into you, groaning at the feeling. Sonny stilled over you, the pants of his breath hot against your neck while he softened inside of you.

You collapsed fully down onto the bed, whimpering at the loss when he gently pulled out of you, laying a gentle trail of kisses down your back, a reassuring hand rubbing down your side. He dropped down onto the bed, tugging you to him, smiling at the way you curled around his body. His lips met your forehead gently as you pulled the sheets up around the two of you. After a few moments of relaxed silence you spoke softly,

“I’m so glad you’re back baby.” You kissed his chest gently, humming at the way he pulled you tighter to him.

“I love you sweetheart.”

“I love you too.” You murmured, burying into his neck, eyes fluttering shut at the utter relaxation of having him back in your arms again.

___________ Taglist: @bisexualcrowley @dereksprentiss @detective-giggles @teamsladsandgents @witches-unruly-heart @ineedafinghug @billiedeannovak @stardust-galaxies @averyhotchner @glimmerglittergirl @reading--mermaid @beccabarba @itsjustmyfantasyroom @thatesqcrush @altsvu @redlipstickandplaid @lawandorderimagines @whimsicallymad @fandom-princess-forevermore @caracalwithchips

[strongerwiththepack]

Sensory Sunday: See

A new challenge you say? I am in. Believe it or not I have a half written fic on my laptop for IRRelief but I never got round to finishing it - whoops! Anyways, I work better with a deadline so managed to bash this one out today. It felt really good to be writing again, thanks so much for organising another challenge for us @gumnut-logic!

Gordon groaned into his pillow at the sound of the claxon but jumped out of bed nonetheless. Glancing at the clock he calculated that he’s barely gotten 3 hours of sleep and rubs his eyes tiredly. When he gets to the lounge Scott’s already there with John. Virgil and Alan are still out on their own rescue. Gordon was usually Virgil’s primary co-pilot but he’d been out on a solo rescue at an underwater research centre when the call had come in so Alan had taken his place.

Scott seemed to be arguing with John when he walked in. “-didn’t have to wake him, I can handle it.”

John glared. “You won’t be able to use the autopilot on One in those winds Scott, this is a two man job.”

John seemed to notice him then. “Sorry Gordon, I know you didn’t get much sleep. You feel up to it?”

Gordon stretched his arms above his head and grinned. “Totally. I am well rested and raring to go.”

He reckoned the statement was kind of ruined by the fact he was still in his pjs with bed-head but he tried his best.

Scott rolled his eyes at the statement as he made his way over to his chute. “Fine, suit-up Gordon but you are off duty for 12 hours minimum when we get back.”

“Aye-aye captain” he said with a salute while running towards his elevator.

…

Scott briefed him on the situation while they flew. A climber had gotten his ropes tangled on the side of a cliff in the French Alps. He was caught on the rocks and had broken his leg when he’d been slammed into the side of the side of the cliff. Mountain Rescue couldn’t get to him due to the growing wind in the area.

Gordon wondered how idiotic you had to be to scale a mountain at this time of year by yourself. That was like rule number one of rock climbing - always have a buddy. Hell, he wasn’t even allowed to go rock climbing on Tracy Island without one of his brothers. It was just common sense.

Gordon rarely flew in Thunderbird One and it was crazy how quickly they got there. Don’t get him wrong he loved Thunderbird Two but he had to admit he was impressed. Even if he had been pushed back into his seat by the G-forces the whole way.

Scott slowed as they reached their destination and John came on the line to direct them to the climbers location. With the reduced speed Gordon was able to stand up and prep for the rescue. He pulled on his helmet and strapped into a harness at the hatch of his brothers bird.

Scott voice sounded through his comm. “Okay Gordon I have sights on the climber, we’re about as close as we’re gonna get.”

Gordon gave confirmation that he was ready and Scott opened the hatch. The wind was harsh as it roared through the opening. Thunderbird One was even swaying slightly as his brother fought to keep her still.

Gordon hooked Thunderbird One’s grappling cable to his belt before taking out his own grappling gun. Scott could have shot One’s grappling cable out on his own but in these winds there was too big a risk of hitting the climber. It was safer for Gordon to grapple across first and attach the bulkier line by hand.

He shot his grapple gun towards the top edge of the cliff, well above the climber, and grinned when it attached straight away.

“Oh yeah, got it in one.” He boasted over the comms. “Heading out now.”

He could practically hear Scott’s eye roll over the comm. “FAB Gordon.”

Gordon braced himself and pulled the cord taunt before jumping down out of the hatch. He sailed across in a smooth arc through the piercing winds and bent his knees as he collided with the rock. He quickly found some hand-holds to steady himself and started making his way over to the climber who was a couple of metres to his right.

He knew John had been in contact with the climber but he called out anyway. “Hey there, heard you got yourself in a bit of trouble here.”

The guy was pretty much flattened against the cliff, one leg hanging loosely while the other was bent up onto a foothold, trying to take some of his weight off of his ropes. His teeth were chattering and his cheeks were red and starting to blister.

Hypothermia. Gordon thought grimly. The guy had been exposed to extreme icy winds for over an hour now. With the broken leg Gordon knew he could be dealing with shock as well

The guy did manage to give him a small smile that turned more into a grimace. “International Rescue.” He said with a relived tone. “Boy am I glad to see you.”

The guy was older than Gordon had expected but he could tell the man must have been a seasoned climber. He had all the right gear and looked to be in pretty good shape for his age. Kind of reminded Gordon of his dad.

Gordon smiled. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.” Gordon scanned the ropes and decided there was no use trying to salvage them. With the cold and the mans broken leg it would be better just to get the man secure and cut the ropes.

“We’ll get that leg set as soon as we’re inside Thunderbird One okay? Any other injuries?” Gordon asked as he attached another carabiner to the man harness, attaching the man to himself.

He looked up as the man shook his head. His heart stopped as he caught sight of something over the mans shoulder. Hardly 10 meters away was one of the chaos crews bombs. There was a blinking light that was steadily getting faster. Dammit.

No time for taking it slow now. He quickly attached the man to one of the ziplines hanging from the line coming from Thunderbird One. His own line was already attached so he gave a quick yank of the line, making sure it was secure before all but pushing the man off the cliff yelling “GO!”

The man yelped as he was suddenly airborne and Gordon followed close behind. He winced as the mans broken leg slammed against Thunderbird One’s interior as they made it inside but he didn’t have time to do anything. He turned back and pressed the manual release of the grapple line to detach them from the mountain.

“What the hell Gordon!?” Scott’s angry voice sounded over the comm. He’d basically broken every single safety procedure they had.

“Go Scott! Get away from the mountain! We’re in.” He yelled. There would be time for explanations when they were out of range of the blast zone. Gordon knew the damage one of Fuse’s bombs could cause.

He knew Scott wanted to shout at him some more but he couldn’t fault his brothers trust in him when they quickly flew away from the cliffside. The hatch started closing as Gordon helped get the man strapped into a seat. He didn’t want to cause the guy any more damage if this thing exploded and rocked their ship.

Gordon realised if there was a bomb on the mountain, the chaos crew couldn’t be far away. He didn’t want to admit that thought made his heart beat a bit faster. The memories of his last encounter weren’t going away anytime soon.

“Scott be careful, I think the chaos crew are in the area.” He warned across the comm link.

“Dammit.” Scott swore, his voice tinted with a growl. “John, can you see anything on the scanners.”

“Nothing Scott.” John was quick to reply. “They could have upgraded their cloaking technology though. EOS is running a more thorough scan.”

“FAB, John. Why do you think they’re here Gordon?”

“I saw one of their bombs on the mountain. It was about to blow.”

John hummed across the line. “There haven’t been any explosions in the area as far as I can see.”

“Maybe it was one of those proximity bombs or something.” Gordon theorised.

Johns answer was crisp. “I’ll look into it.”

Gordon couldn’t help the unease he was feeling as he got himself back into the mindset of a rescuer and returned to helping the climber.

“Sorry about the rough landing.” He tried to keep his voice light. “Let’s take a look at that leg.”

The man just nodded clearly still a bit shaken.

…

Gordon made his way back to the cockpit once they’d unloaded the climber to the local hospital. He gave the man a few choice words about not climbing alone in the future but from the pat on the shoulder and the alright sonny he’d received, he was pretty sure it hadn’t gone in.

He sat down heavily in the cockpit and once they were airborne Scott switched to autopilot and swivelled in his chair to face the younger man.

“Are you okay?” Scott eyed him wearily.

Gordon could understand the concern. That was his first encounter with anything hood-related since his accident.

“I’m fine, Scott.”

At the pointed look he received he sighed. “Honestly, Scott, I am.”

“Okay.” Scott conceded. “Talk me through what happened.”

When Gordon was done Scott gave him a confused look. “Why would the hood go to the trouble of placing a bomb and then not show up? Or even detonate it for that matter.”

Gordon just shrugged. He’d been wondering the same thing. In fact, he was still wired up waiting for a surprise attack. Anywhere they found chaos crew tech, the chaos crew were never far away. And they always showed up.

“Did the climber say anything?”

Gordon shook his head. “Said he didn’t even see the bomb. Don’t know how he missed it, it must’ve been right next to him for the whole hour he was there.”

Scott frowned at that. Something just wasn’t right here. “John notified the GDF, they’re going to scout out the area in a few hours once the storm has passed.”

Gordon just nodded at the statement. “Good.”

…

Gordon woke up that afternoon feeling a lot better after a good 8 hours of sleep. Despite it being the early hours of the morning when they’d gotten back last night he’d had to do a pretty thorough debrief with Scott and he was practically falling asleep standing up by the time they’d finished.

He wandered through to the lounge with a towel hung over his shoulder. With all the stress yesterday, he really needed to get in some laps of the pool.

He found Scott at their fathers desk later in the day. “Hey Scott, any word from the GDF?”

“Yes and no.” His brother replied cryptically with a sigh. Gordon caught the bags under his brothers eyes and knew Scott hadn’t slept as well as he had. He had a worried afterthought that maybe Scott hadn’t slept at all but John was usually on top of that.

Gordon rolled his eyes when his brother didn’t continue. “Are you going to elaborate or..?”

Scott seemed to have forgotten he was there as he looked up from the computer again. He must be working on something. “Uh yeah sorry Gordo.”

“The GDF combed the area but they couldn’t find anything. Not a trace that someone had even been there let alone any tech from the chaos crew.”

Gordon frowned and Scott eyed him wearily. “John’s been monitoring the area as well and he hasn’t found anything, not even a blip in the data…listen Gordon, are you 100% sure you saw something?”

Gordon could hear the reluctance in his brothers voice as he asked the question but it still stung a little. He became defensive. “Yes! It was there Scott.”

Scott held up his hands in a placating manor, but Gordon felt it gave off more of a patronising feel. “Just a question Gords. The visibility wasn’t great and it was a high stress situation, I’m just asking if you’re sure.”

Gordon frowned and actually took a second to think back. The visibility hadn’t been great but he’d seen it! He couldn’t have missed it with the red blinking lights counting down to his doom.

“I’m sure Scott.” He said decisively.

Scott nodded at his statement. “We’ll keep looking into it, if the hood has a new cloaking technology we need to know about it.”

When Scott went back to typing away on his computer Gordon couldn’t help but notice the slither of doubt present on his eldest brothers face. The pain he felt at the slight loss of trust was hard.

…

There was another call a few hours later. A cave-in, multiple groups of climbers scattered throughout the complex mining system. This was an all hands on deck sort of job, luckily Gordon had just passed the 12 hour mark since their last rescue.

He and Alan were burrowing into the East mining site on foot while Scott and Virgil took the West and Central sites respectively. There was only a short tiff from Alan about having to be babysat. If Gordon was honest, he was pretty sure it was himself who was being ‘babysat’ but he didn’t let Alan know that.

Honestly, he quite enjoyed rescues with his baby brother. Alan was much easier to wind up than Virgil and much less dangerous to wind up than Scott. Don’t even get started on the complex task that is winding up John. This was just some fun banter with his little brother who could definitely fire back as good as he got it.

“Y’know every time I look at you in your uniform it just reminds me of when you used to dress up as a power ranger.” Gordon hummed as they walked. Alan’s face turned thunderous and he knew he hit a good one.

“Maybe it’s the shoulder pads” he continued musing as he placed a hand on his chin in mock contemplation. “Oooor” he drawled out. “It’s just the fact that you’re still a little sprout with a babyface.”

Alan glared at him.

“Grandma says I’m going to grow taller than you.” His little brother huffed, sticking out his tongue at the end just to add to Gordon’s enjoyment of the childish statement.

“Oh definitely.” He nodded back. “Going to go from a baby sprout to a bean sprout just like Johnny. Maybe you’ll get the bad coordination to go with it.”

“I can hear you, you know Gordon.” John lectured through his watch.

Gordon at least had the grace to give a sheepish look at his space-bound brother.

“Sorry Johnny.” He grinned with basically no conviction behind the words.

“Mmm-hmm” John shot back.

Alan turned around, giving him a sickly-sweet smile. “You know, we all know you’re just overcompensating for your own height. Too bad you can’t grow out of that one.”

With the cheesy grin on his brothers face Gordon knew he thought he’d got him with that one. Gordon couldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“I’ll have you know I am very comfortable with- ALAN MOVE!”

All Alan had time to do was widen his eyes in panic and start to turn to glance over his shoulder before Gordon grabbed his brother and forcibly shove him behind him. Alan wasn’t ready for that though and lost his footing, taking Gordon down with him.

Alan cried out as they landed hard on the ground and Gordon panicked, thinking it had got him. He looked around wildly but saw nothing. The needed to move.

“What the hell Gordon!?” He heard Alan grunt out.

He practically full-on lifted his brother off the ground in his hurry to get out of there and he didn’t miss his Alans hiss of pain as he cradled his wrist to his chest. He mentally stored that information away for later and gave his brother a light push back towards the way they’d come.

“Run.”

“What’s going on Gordon?” John questioned with a hint of stress behind his words.

They were still running as Gordon answered, keeping Alan in front of him and glancing back frantically to make sure nothing was following them.

“A mecha tried to attacked Alan!”

“A mecha? The Mechanic is in custody Gordon, it couldn’t have been a mecha.”

“Well considering one almost just electrocuted Alan, I think you might want to double check that Johnny.” He huffed out.

“FAB Gordon, I’ll inform Scott and Virgil.”

Gordon didn’t let them stop running until the broke out into the sunlight again. Both him and Alan took a second to pant as they regained their breath. Gordon focused on his little brothers’ wrist immediately which he still held cradled to his chest.

“You okay?” he asked.

Alan grimaced. “Think I sprained my wrist.”

You mean you think I sprained your wrist. Gordon thought darkly as he recalled pushing his brother to the floor.

“Let get it wrapped in Two.” He sighed.

Virgil came running up to them then.

“What the hell happened?” Virgil exclaimed, seemingly trying to assess both his brothers simultaneously as his head pinballed between them almost comically.

“There are mechas in the tunnels!” Gordon told his brother worriedly. “Where’s Scott?”

“He’s on his way out with a group of miners.” Vigil hyper-focused onto Alan’s wrist as Gordon internally winced at the fact that him and Alan had abandoned the miners they were supposed to rescue.

“The mecha did this?” Virgil questioned Alan as he turned his brother’s wrist over gently.

“Uh, well not exactly.” Alan said sheepishly, looking at Gordon apologetically. “Gordon push me out of the way, and I fell on it.”

“Sorry Al.” Gordon said sincerely.

Alan waved him off, but Gordon still felt bad.

…

Scott joined them while they were in Two’s medbay. Alan sat on one of the pull-out beds, wrist wrapped tightly and had taken a couple of mild painkillers to chase away the ache.

Gordon startled as Scott came storming into the room.

“Mechas!? I thought we were done with those! What’s going on?”

John popped up then, like he always did when answers were needed. “I’ve spoken to the GDF, they’ve confirmed The Mechanic is still in custody.”

“So, the hood is using mechas now? Or the chaos crew?” Scott questioned, running a hand through his hair stiffly. Gordon could practically see them turning grey on the spot.

“It doesn’t make any sense, but I don’t have any answers right now.” John said with a frown. It wasn’t often John couldn’t provide the answers and Gordon knew it made him uncomfortable.

“There’s something else.” John said wearily. “I’m still not picking up any signs of any hostiles in the area.”

“What are you saying John?” Scott prodded.

“I should be picking up something on my scanners Scott. Even if the chaos crew aren’t here I should be able to pick up the mechas, I’ve always been able to in the past. There’s just nothing.”

Scott sighed. “FAB John, just keep looking.”

John pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something else but signed off nonetheless.

“We need to go back in to get the last group of climbers.” Scott said wearily.

Gordon started. “The GDF-“

“-won’t get here before this whole tunnelling system collapses” Scott countered quickly.

“How many mechas did you see?” Virgil queried from the side.

“Just the one.” Gordon answered.

“Alan?”

Alan looked like a deer caught in headlights as he looked between Virgil and Gordon. “Well to be honest, I didn’t see any.”

Scott’s brow furrowed at that one.

“Wait what? You didn’t see anything Alan?” Scott questioned.

“Uh no. Gordon pushed me down before I could look.”

Scott and Virgil shared a look and Gordon felt anger bubble up from within him, they’d clearly talked about this.

“Don’t act like I’m not here, I know what you’re thinking Scott.” Gordon growled. “I know what I saw.”

“I’m not saying anything.” Scott tried to diffuse.

There was a beat of tense silence before Scott frowned and headed over to the supply cupboards, taking out some clips to reload his grapple. The silence as he did so was deafening.

Scott put his field commander persona back in place as he continued. “Okay. Virgil, you come with me to get the last group of miners.”

“I can come too.” Gordon tried. “Safety in numbers and all that.”  

“I want you to stay with Alan” Scott said firmly in his Commander voice. Gordon knew that meant there was no room for argument.”

“Fine.” He said in a huffy voice, sitting back down in a chair.

Scott and Virgil made to leave.

“Just- “ Gordon started, stopping them. “-be careful okay?”

“FAB” Scott replied grimly as he and Virgil went back out towards the caves.

…

Scott and Virgil had retrieved the miners with no problems. Gordon had kind of been hoping they’d come across some trace of the Hood. He realised guiltily that he’d subconsciously been hoping his brothers would find trouble. He was glad they were safe but it would’ve been nice to have someone to backup his claims.

The trip back to the island had been pretty quiet but now was time for debrief. Gordon headed to the lounge once he’d showered and changed. He hovered in the doorway when he heard hushed angry voices in the lounge.

“What if it’s PTSD or something?” Scott whispered not-so-quietly.

“He’s not shown any other signs, you’re jumping to conclusions Scott.” That was Virgil.

“He hurt Alan! If he’s seeing things it could be dangerous.”

“No need to whisper fellas.” Gordon decided to announce his presence. “The whole island can hear you.”

“Gordon- “ Scott started, having the grace to look at least slightly guilty.

“It’s fine.” Gordon huffed as he sat down on the couch.

They waited in silence for Alan who ran in a few minutes later grinning sheepishly as Virgil glared at the damp bandages around his wrist. He was supposed to keep them dry. Gordon reckoned a trip to the infirmary was in line for his little brother once they were finished.

John popped up on cue as always and they started the debriefing. Scott talked through the actual rescue and then Gordon gave yet another account of what he saw in the mines. Albeit a much more detailed version while he was practically playing 20 questions with John and Scott. He felt like they were trying to poke holes in his story, but he tried to keep calm.

“Yeah like I said, it climbed up the wall behind Alan and pounced at him with the taser arm thing extended.”

“What was the visibility like?” Scott questioned further.

“Pretty dark but we both had our torches on and it’s kind of hard to miss a sparking spider monster in the dark Scott.” Gordon added a hint of sarcasm into his voice.

“I think Gordon’s told us enough Scott.” Virgil reasoned, always playing buffer between him and Scott.

John stepped in to give his report. “The GDF haven’t found anything in the area. And I still haven’t found anything either.”

John sounded like he was getting frustrated with himself.

“So, you pushed Alan down and it just disappeared?”

Apparently, Scott wasn’t done with his 20 questions yet.

Gordon sighed. To be honest this was the part that was bothering him as well. “Yeah, it’s weird when I knocked Alan out of the way I was sure I was in it’s path.”

He contemplated for a second before continuing. “I could’ve sworn the taser arm touched me before I fell too but I didn’t feel anything. Then I lost sight of it when I fell.”

He felt like the memory was becoming a lot clearer to him and he was finally noticing all the things that just didn’t add up.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t hear it land either.” Gordon knew he wasn’t exactly helping his story here, but he was just trying to be honest. “Those things are huge; it should have crashed to the ground.”

Everyone was staring at him now, Scott with worry, John with curiosity and confusion from both Alan and Virgil.

“What are you saying Gordon?” Scott asked gently, almost tactically.

Gordon was frustrated with this whole thing. “I don’t know okay! Something weird is going on.”

Scott spoke again, even more gently. “Listen Gordon, you’ve been through a very stressful situation when it comes to the Hood, you can tell us if you think you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”

“I know what I saw Scott!”

The concern in Scott’s eyes practically burned into his soul as his brother continued. “Paranoia is common in cases of PTSD, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Gordon scowled, scrunching his fists into the couch. “I’m not crazy Scott! Why can’t you just trust me!?”

“Well give me another answer for what’s happening then Gordon.” Scott shot back.

“I don’t know! But I know what I saw Scott!” Gordon exclaimed jumping up from the couch. All his brothers were looking at him with worried looks now and Gordon felt tears brimming at the edges of his eyes. “Why won’t you guys believe me?”

He knew he must be looking a bit crazy now but the problem was he was beginning to doubt himself as well. What if he hadn’t seen anything? Alan should have been able to see the mecha if it had been there. The climber should have noticed the bomb as well. John should have been able to pick up everything on his scanners and the GDF should have found the tech at the rescue sites.

He knows what he saw. But what if he can’t trust what he’s seeing anymore. Maybe he is imagining things. And then the worst possible thing happens. He sees a mecha on the ceiling in the corner of the living room. It just looks so unnatural in this setting that he cracks.

He sits back down heavily on the sofa and presses the heels of his hands into his head. “I don’t know what’s happening.” He whispers.

He looks back up at the ceiling and the mecha he thought he’d seen has vanished, leaving just the dark shadows of the corner. He is seeing things. His tears finally start to fall.

With tears streaming down his cheeks and panicky breaths coming from his lungs he’s not surprised when Virgil is suddenly there, kneeling down in front of him and placing hands on his shoulders.

“Just breathe Gordo. In and Out.” His brother deepens his own breathing, encouraging Gordon to imitate him. Gordon does and it gives him enough breath to let out a half-muffled sob. Virgil wraps his arms around him, and Gordon has to admit, he immediately feels slightly better. Virgil’s hugs are magic like that sometimes.

“You’re not crazy Gordon.” Virgil assures as he squeezes just a bit tighter. “We’re going to figure this out.”

Gordon sniffs, raising his own arms with a shuddering breath and hugs his brother back before tensing as his eyes catch movement on the table. He sucks in a sharp breath as his eyes watch the mecha. It’s not real. It’s not real.

But then Scott’s guilt-ridden eyes catch his own and follow his gaze. Gordon does not expect it when Scott’s eyes also widen in horror and he back-peddles away from the table so fast he almost trips.

“Holy- “

Gordon pushes Virgil off him in shock, pulling his brother up with him as he backs away, he sees Alan doing the same thing to his left. “You- you can see that?”

Scott just nods as Virgil gapes beside him.

“YES!” Gordon exclaims happily before quickly realising this is not much better of a situation. The glares he receives from his brothers prove as much.

“Sorry, sorry. Just revelling in the fact that I’m not actually going insane.” He tries to say it as a joke but his voice cracks half way though and his hands are still shaking slightly. “But I get it. New problem.”

“Why isn’t it doing anything?” Alan asks quietly and Gordon motions for his little brother to come and stand closer to him and Virgil.

“How did it even manage to get on the island?” Scott asked in bewilderment. Gordon could see the tension running through his eldest brothers body. This was their home, they were suppose to be safe here.

John’s hologram was still hovering above the table that it was standing on and a stupid part of Gordons brain was scared at his brothers supposed proximity to it. His space-bound brother was furiously typing on his keyboard with a deep frown etched onto his face.

“I don’t understand.” John exclaimed. “It’s not on any of my scanners, it shouldn’t exist!”

One of John’s hands was pulling at his hair and Gordon wondered briefly if his brother was feeling the same amount of crazy as he had just moments earlier. Well probably not the same amount, Gordon was pretty sure he’d fallen down the rabbit hole for a few minutes.

“Well I’m looking at it with my own two eyes Johnny so I can confirm it does exist.” Scott shot back.

Gordon couldn’t help himself.

“Sure you’re not seeing things Scott?”

“Not the time Gordon.” Scott grunted.

And then more of them scuttered in through the door. Another six to be precise. They scattered as they came in, covering the room.

“Dammit.” Scott swore. “Where’s Kayo?”

“She’s not on the island Scott.” John answered grimly. “I’ve called her back in but she’ll be at least another half an hour.”

“Grandma and Brains?”

“Locked in Brains’ lab, they’re aware of the situation.”

Scott nodded. “Good.”

Gordon felt Alan pushing in closer to him and peered over, noticing one of them slowly creeping towards his baby brother.

“What do we do Scott?” Gordon asked. He knew it was cruel of him to put this on his eldest brother, but he was just so used to Scott having all the answers.

“Try and get to the balcony. We can lock them inside.”

Gordon grabbed a pillow off the coach before retreating backwards towards the balcony. The mechas just seemed to stare at them as they went and Gordon thought they were going to get away easily before one started skittering towards him at a fast pace. He did the only thing he could do and threw the pillow he was holding with deadly accuracy…only to watch it soar right through the mecha.

What?

The one he’d hit seemed to shimmer slightly before reforming.

“They’re holograms!” Gordon exclaimed.

“Of course!” John gasped, a little too excitedly. “That’s why I wasn’t picking up any signals or thermals from them.”

“And why they never made any noise in the cave!” Gordon added.

Scott looked dumbfounded. “But why? Why go to all this trouble?”

It was then a low laugh sounded through the room and the mechas vanished, leaving behind a very realistic looking Hood.

“For fun Mr. Tracy”

Gordon scowled at the familiar voice.

“Hood.” Scott replied darkly. “Whatever your plan was it didn’t work, we’ve figured out your game.”

The Hood laughed under his breath, filling Gordon with unease. He even threw another pillow at the projection just to make sure he wasn’t the real thing. Thankfullt, it soared through harmlessly again.

“Knowing about them doesn’t reduce the impact Mr. Tracy. I have hundreds of microscopic projectors on your property now. They’re tiny and sophisticatedly cloaked, you’ll never find them all.”

Scott scowled, glaring at the man as he continued. “Let’s see how well you get on when you can’t even trust your own eyes.”

The man gave a roaring final laugh before signing off.

The brothers looked at each other with grim expressions. How were they going to get through this one?

Maybe tbc? I make no promises.