#cartel islanders

[islandtarochips]

Cartel Islanders Organization

Talofa everyone! I am going to share with you guys about the ideas of the Warriors Task Force's enemies. Which is the Cartels in the Pacific. So down there will explain everything of what I have in mind about the connection from the WTF and the Cartels! So...ENJOY!

Main Islands for the Human and Drug Trafficking:

Pohnpei

Chuuk

Yap

Kosrae

Solomon Islands

Fiji

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu

New Zealand

Hawaii

Easter Island

As you can see, most of the main islands had most of the connection all over Oceania. There are three different divisions there. Which is Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. They have a boss from one of those islands in each of those divisions who is in charge of these businesses. I will show the list down below to show which of the main islands are from that division. I will even show which islands are in charge.

Micronesia

Pohnpei (Boss)

Chuuk

Yap

Kosrae

Melanesia

Solomon Islands (Boss)

Fiji

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu

Polynesia

New Zealand (Boss)

Hawaii

Easter Island

There you have it folks! But just to be clear that I would like to focus on the Polynesia side. The story for my OCs are basically only about Polynesia. With some other islands that are not Polynesia area too. So to discuss further about the islands. These three main islands for the Polynesia Division. They are the ones who did most of the trafficking in their area. And the one that is in charge is New Zealand. For they do have a better economy than Hawaii and Easter Island. Which means the better the economy is, the better business that they’ll have.

Anyway, these three islands have their own Organization business with different names. Naming after their Mythical Creatures from their culture. Here are the names that they have provided. And I also added which other countries that they have partnerships with too!

New Zealand - Taniwha Organization

The Taniwha Organization are the ones who deal with shipping from one place to another. Both Human and Drug Trafficking. Secretly having illegal things into their ship. And that ship is bought by the boss who runs this business. A ship for each of the main Islands in order to keep their business going. They are also partnering up with Australia for any shipment they asked for. They are the one in charge to make sure that the business runs smoothly. If they see something was wrong. They will deal with the problem.

Hawaii - Nanaue Organization

Nanaue Organization are the ones dealing Human, Drug and Illegal Weapon Trafficking. They are also connected to the States AND Mexico. Because of them being close to those two areas. They are even connected with other islands. Like, Samoa and Tonga who are connected with Fiji. This Organization also has a little secret fun event which is an Underground Fights Arena. More money and fun to bet on someone.

Easter Island - Tangata Manu Organization

The Tangata Manu Organization also deals with Human and Drug Trafficking. They partner up with Brazil since they are close to them. They are a very well known business that has a drug to make some people look younger. It has very serious side effects though which most people are not aware of or don't even care about. So that’s why they use some people they have smuggled with and test the drugs onto them.

So yeah, those are the islands that they have good business with. They are the hometown for American Cartels now. There are even outlaw motorcycle gangs from Australia and New Zealand. So I think I’ll add that one later on. So that would be another reason why the Warriors Task Force are made! Although, there are OTHER WTF groups in the other two areas! Thinking that Micronesia AND Melanesia have the WTF in their area too! Just to help out to stop the expansion of the other cartels around the Pacific!

All thanks to Kanoa’s ideas of creating this Task Force and helping the other islanders around the Pacific. Him and his team had inspired many as they let them create their own Task Force that will be named Warriors Task Force as well. The team had done their best to protect their home from preventing Trafficking into their home.

So I hope you guys enjoy this one. I might add more info of the other islands or re-edited it but this is what I have for now! So thank you for reading this far! Love ya peles!

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[invye]

So @kacievvbbbb asking about modern AU headcanons had me revisiting my 'modernised' MiShanks AU I thought up a couple months ago.

I call it 'modernised' because it is more of a medium modern AU, where I keep much of the base OP lore and history, but shrink the 'active' world down to just a few islands. The overall tech level and societal developments are much closer to what we have now and I do away with most of the political plot. I haven't yet decided if Devil Fruits still exist, but if they do, they are much more rare and are kind of a thing of legend most people don't believe in. Only very select few people would know about them and the curse associated with them.

So lets get into it, I've got plenty of thoughts on Mihawk, Shanks and how their relationship plays together in a more modern world. (And because Rosinante is also one of my favourites, and I can't seem to not smush them all together, there is a CoraMiShanks bit at the end too.)

- Mihawk -

Basic weaponry is a bit more in line with modern expectations in this AU, but that will never ever stop Mihawk from being a swords guy. Mihawk is the authority on fencing, especially in historical context. He's basically got a PHD in swords, identifying them, maintaining them, using them. He's filthy rich, not just because he won every fencing tournament there is, but also because he straight up inherited that half maintained castle outside of town along with stupid amounts of money from an uncle everyone thought already died decades before Mihawk received his testament.

These days Mihawk only competes in the highest level tournament once a year to defend the title (his 'rivalry' with Shanks makes the news every time) and otherwise spends his time at home, reading, drinking, occasionally taking small sailing trips with his beloved Hitsugibune, and of course training his swordsmanship. Everyone thinks he's just living it up big in Kuraigana castle, but the people in town know that he just wants to raise his kids in peace.

Where did the kids come from? No one knows. They're definitely not his though. Anyway, turns out that Mihawk is really good with kids, so it takes barely a couple years for the whole town to load off their kids with him during holidays and days off school. (Look, Zeff runs a busy kitchen, and as much as Sanji tries to help, he's still too young for the holiday rush. Garp has to leave on Marine assignments at the most random times, and his bum of a son has vanished to who knows where years ago, and the grandkids are friends with Zoro and Sanji anyway and can do with burning out their energy running around the woods behind the castle. Bellemère has to leave on those assignments with Garp most of the time, so Nami joins the fray while Nojiko mostly plays with Perona. Mihawk usually leaves the teen girls be on their own, especially since Robin showed up a while ago to join them [she seems to stay on her own, and Mihawk keeps an eye on her in case she needs additional help, but Crocodile seems to have that sorted already]. Usopp's mom is still sick, and she's grateful to know her son is out there having fun with his friends while she tries the next medicine with horrible side effects.)

The kids love Mihawk. Mihawk loves the kids too and to much of his dismay, the kids know it. He is a figure of authority to them, but also a person of trust, who they can approach with problems and worries when their usual parental figure is unavailable or out of reach. Given that Mihawk is pretty much always around, he begrudgingly accepts his new job as free childcare provider for the town (Garp tried to pay once. They all realised very quickly they get much farther by paying in favours, food, or doing little odd jobs because that old castle always needs something done).

Mihawk promised to teach Ace and Sabo to sail this summer, and with Luffy insisting to bounce around them, he already plans on doing more swimming and child fishing than actual sailing.

- Shanks -

Shanks is still a pirate, but it's all on a much smaller scale. He's still got the 'Red Emperor' epithet, but his reputation is much more Robin Hood of the seas. The Red Force gets into small tussles with other pirates more often than the Marines, and really, as long as they have food and alcohol on board they are all perfectly fine just sailing and enjoying their freedom. No one ever knows where the Red Force is at any given time, but they are known to show up when natural disasters strike, not to plunder the remains, but to help the people rebuild long before the Marines get around to offer their help (once the Marines show up on the horizon the Red Force clears out, a couple shots are exchanged, none of them ever hit). Garp tried to yell them into joining the Marines more than once, really Shanks could even stay captain and keep his ship and crew, he just needs to fly the Marine flag, but they all simply laugh and wave as they go off again to who knows where.

However, there is one week every year, where everyone knows exactly where the Red Force will be. Shanks won't ever miss his chance to duel Mihawk in the grand fencing tournament a couple islands over from Mihawk's home. As opposed to Mihawk, who has his fixed position as defending champion, Shanks fights his way through the other contenders every year. He leans into the pirate reputation, taunting opponents, refusing protective gear, tiptoe-ing the line to breaking the rules. The people love to hate him, it's a spectacle every time. The grand finale inevitably is a duel between Mihawk and Shanks, even after Shanks lost his arm (he sat out for a year and people thought that was the end. They were very relieved when Shanks made his over the top entrance again the year after).

They have long abandoned the actual fencing rules and equipment during the finale. People clap and scream when Mihawk steps on stage carrying Yoru, the black blade just as legendary as his own reputation. Shanks never fails to grin and deliver a witty one liner (the people's boo is part of the performance) and then they lunge. Watching that fight is exhilarating. No protective gear, real blades, and two absolute masters going at each other with a force that would leave less competent fighters with the gravest of wounds. It's every bit as real as it is a performance. Everyone knows Mihawk will win before they even start, and the people can recognise a small collection of moves that they build in every time, the more flashy and wide swipes that could easily be punished but never are. It's not simply about Mihawk winning and Shanks losing, it's about witnessing a piece of history being brought back to life right in front of their eyes.

The fencing tournament has always been held within the context of the summer solstice, and with Mihawk and Shanks putting on their show its become a part of a bigger festival that focusses on celebrating history and old rites, the origins of which aren't always known anymore. Every year after the finale they throw a huge feast, traditional food all over, as historically accurate to a long past pirate era as it can get (Mihawk makes sure of it, that history PHD has to be good for something), dressing up accordingly is very much encouraged. Shanks and Mihawk keep carrying their blades and play up their daring villain and chivalrous hero act and no one thinks twice about drinking with the Red Hair Pirates (they have amazing stories to tell). Usually Mihawk ends up in the middle of a group of kids and answers all kinds of history questions, all professor like, but in his full on historical get up. Shanks catches a glimpse of him and sighs dreamily and all the people he's jokingly been flirting with and threatening to kidnap as part of his role know that they're talking to a very much taken man. They enjoy his company anyway and talk to him about what it is like to raise a kid out at sea as they watch Perona and Uta tease Zoro in the distance.

What people don't know, is that the Red Force winters. Pretty much everyone aside from a volunteer skeleton crew leaves the ship for home during the winter months.

No one in town mentions to outsiders that the Red Emperor stays with the Strongest Swordsman up in Kuraigana castle. Why would they? They're great with the kids. And Uta singing with Brook during the Baratie winter solstice celebration sells out the house every time (the townsfolk get a cheeky 50% off that day, it's a community event after all [except for Mihawk. His filthy rich ass can pay double and wouldn't notice {he does pay double. He does notice. He does not care}]).

- Rosinante & Law -

Because I can't help myself and I love thinking about Rosinante together with MiShanks, this story's active events that would make up a proper fic make it a CoraMiShanks story, which starts with Cora-san and Law arriving in town. (Rosinante is genuinely a situational mute in this one, and Law's illness is a bit less horrifying, and potentially cured/managed with medicine.) They're on assignment from Doflamingo who heard that there's a spot that has gone unfilled in the island's underworld and wants to take full advantage of the opportunity to weasel into Crocodile's operations.

Little does Doffy know that: a) Corazón accepted the assignment so he could get away from him; b) Corazón insisted on taking Law because he's still working on getting Law's illness cured; [c) {depending on if Devil Fruits exist} Corazón may have secretly taken the Ope Ope no Mi on his way out;] d) Dracule Mihawk personally checks out every newcomer in town and seems to know much more than he reasonably should; e) Dracule Mihawk loves kids and bonds with Rosinante in a single meeting that included him pulling Law out of a lake; f) gods damned Dracule Mihawk directly protects Crocodile's operations in a infuriating 'someone will do it so I pick the smallest evil' mindset and Crocodile is so damn smug about it; g) fucking Dracule Mihawk decides to keep Rosinante and Law under his protection; h) and WHERE DID THE FUCKING RED EMPEROR COME FROM???

Doffy is seething at his plans foiled. Crocodile laughs at him, tells him to go pound sand and uses the opportunity to poach a couple of Doffy's operatives. Doffy has no choice but to retreat and plot his vengeance for later.

[aricastmblr]

Se han completado ya se pueden ver las bases de cumpleaños de los monitos de bts en intheseom cuando fue el cumpleaños de suga

(9.1 jk morado y 10.13 jimin amarillo)

[dinothedemonkiller]

Okay. Which one of you fuckers was gonna tell me that in the Jurassic Park canon that there was a scientist named Frances White who was the, and I quote, "Pack Mother" of like 7 Raptors.

She stayed ON THE ISLAND after the events of Jurassic Park 1 WILLINGLY.

This is the best fucking thing in the series! AND NO ONE HAS TOLD ME?!?

[jonasemanuelhp]

El As bajo la manga

Cartel anunciador del Carnaval de Candelaria 2024

Las Vegas

[nelo0wesker]

Who is she? Part 2

Prequel Part 1

Armando x reader, enemies to lover.

@nobodygetsza @onlyrealjoy

————————-

Armando looks at Mike and Marcus holding you. You were in his lap doing your nails. He looks at your arm where a scar is. He remembered how that scar formed. He kisses the scar knowing what the scar was before it was burned was a tattoo. He looks up at his father and Marcus. “Y'all really want to know how we met?” He questions them. He ignored the footsteps coming their way knowing it’s Rita, Kelly and Dorn. He turns to them, seeing the popcorn. Armando raises his eyebrow at them and repeats his questions from earlier. “So y'all really want to know?” He questions.

“Yeah I want to know how you met her! She’s a badass” Marcus says, trying to compliment you. Mike looks at you really wanting to know how you and Armando met. “Yeah, how did you meet?” He questions them. “Fine we’ll tell you” you finally talk revealing you had a Spanish accent. “It’s a long story… you're not gonna like what you here” Armando tells them, holding your hand tightly. “We met in 2018…” he says and turns to you to see if you wanted him to talk about where you came from. She nods her head and he signs. “It was mafia vs. cartel. It was a war zone” he tells him going back to how exactly he met you.

——————

Spain, Tenerife Island

April 15, 2018

9:15 P.M.

The sound of your footsteps were loud in the warehouse. You walk past many members of the mafia going towards the ones that were on the floor. You look down at them and look up at the empty cases that were supposed to be filled with drugs. “Where is it?” She questions them. She already knew the answer to it though but she wanted them to confirm it. “T-the cartel stole it!” The man stutters looking at you backing away terrified.

You scoffed looking at these men knowing they were lying. It’s not really what happened. She could see the remains of cocaine on their faces. “Is that really what happens to amigo? Or did you sell it to the cartel?” She questions them kneeling down to their levels to meet them eye to eye. She watches the men's eyes widen when they realize they were caught.

“W-wait wait!” The men shout as you get back out pulling out your pistol and shooting them in the head. Both the men’s bodies fell to the ground dead. She turns to the other members and points at the dead men. “That’s a lesson! Whoever betrays the mafia dies!” She yells out at them as all the men and women nod their heads terrified of her.

Y/N is finally satisfied with their terrified expression. “Clean this shit up and find those drugs!” She yells walking past them as members scurried off away from her to clean off the bodies and find the location of the drugs.

You walk out the warehouse and stop and look to your right seeing your older brother. “Ivan…” you say lookin at him as he gets off the warehouse wall and walks to you and gives you a small smile. “Hola Y/N….”. Ivan ruffles her short hair and sighs seeing the look she had. “I know… but you had too…. If you didn’t you would be hurt more or worse death” he tells her thinking about their father. “I don’t want you to die at our fathers hands like our other siblings have” he tells her, moving her to walk with him away from the warehouse.

“Father owns Tererife island. He practically owns Spain…” he tells her. “You can’t anger him Y/N. Never go on his bad side”. Y/N turns to him and scuffs. “Don't you think I know that Ivan?! We grew up in the same place! I know the consequences if we disobey our father!” She tells him upset. “I remembered what happened to Gael…” she whispers, closing her eyes. His death was so long ago she shouldn’t be fazed anymore but she was. “I remember how father killed him” she tells him and Ivan's eyes soften at her words. He knew how Gael died as well. They witnessed it 15 years ago.

“Gaels death was a warning to us Y/N. Just… don’t mess up or piss father off. I don’t want you dead like the others” he tells her leaving to go into the warehouse. He stops at the door and turns to look at her. “We leave for Mexico in 2 hours… father gave us 3 days to get the cocaine back” he tells her watching her reaction. “If we don’t… who knows what he’ll do to us” Ivan says leaving her alone to check up on the members and the progress of where the exact location of the drugs are in Mexico.

————-

Y/N sits in her seat on the plane. She ignored her brother putting the luggage up. Ivan sits down ignoring other passengers as he goes on his phone to check if he got any notification. “Once this flight is done we’ll only have so much time to get those drugs back” he whispers to her so no other passenger hears them.

“Ivan… what if going here is a way to escape?” She questions him, making her brother pause on what she said. “If there was a way to escape the mafia Y/N. I would have already left” he tells her. Putting in his headphones watching her rest her head. He looked at his sister sadly knowing she never wanted to be part of the mafia. None of them did but they couldn’t say no to their father. If they did. It was death.

————-

New Mexico

April 16, 2018 3:30 P.M.

Y/N gets off the plane with Ivan following behind her. They get their bags later. When they got their bags they took a cab to a motel.

Y/N opens the door to her room seeing weapons laid out on the bed. She looks at them grabbing the knife and strapping herself. There wasn’t any time to sleep. She dissembles the sniper and puts the parts in a bag. She grabbed the two pistols and to her holsters that were on her. She pauses looking at her tattoo on her arm making her related to the mafia. She puts on her leather jacket to hide the weapons on her and leaves her room.

She turns her head seeing Ivan leave his room as well. “Come on. We do this silently” he tells her walking past her to get to the location of the drugs. You follow behind him not prepared what will happen. “If it doesn’t go as plan we use plan b” he tells her as they walked

————-

Y/N was on top of a roof not too far from where they tracked their supply of drugs that the cartel took. Ivan was right next to her looking through binoculars looking inside while you assembled your sniper.

Once assembled she aims to look inside the warehouse. She was looking through the scope and paused seeing a Caramel skinned male. Ivan whistles seeing who she’s looking at. “Armando Aretas,” Ivan whispered, looking at the Latino male. “That’s who jacked us off our supply.” He tells her as Y/N looks at the male again. She stopped to admire his looks. She couldn’t stop thinking that he was actually hot.

Ivan turns to her seeing the way she didn’t have her finger on the trigger. You were just looking at the scope. “Y/N you better get over your crush on him.. well most likely have to kill him” he tells her. She looks at her brother and rolls her eyes. “Can’t I just admire?” She asks him and he chuckles. “No”. She chuckled at his answer, going back to admire Armando. Ivan smiled hearing your chuckles. It’s been awhile since he heard that from you.

———-

Night Time

11:15 P.M.

Y/N sneaks in the warehouse along with Ivan. She kills members of the cartel that were in her path. The place was heavily guarded. Y/N was slowly creeping up on another cartel member but was dragged away from them. She turns her head to see Armando and readies herself for a fight.

Armando looks at her up and down. “Aren’t you a beauty” he tells her dodging her attacks as she tries to get him with a knife. He grabs her wrist and immediately she moves her left arm to the inside of her jacket and pulls out a pistol to shoot him.

Armando moves the pistol away from him as she shoots. He tried to unarm her but she quickly kicked him, making him grunt. She tries to shoot him but he pushes her down making the gun come out of her hand from the impact of her being slammed to the floor. She kicks his stomach so he’s off of her and gets up. Her head turns, hearing gunfire.

She knew she needed to go so she booked it. Armando was chasing her but she got away. She pants once she got in a distance away from the warehouse.

Y/N waited till her brother came to the motel. She turns to hear footsteps and pauses seeing her brother all blooded up. “No my blood” he tells her, opening his door to his room to change. She gets up from her spot and stretches. “I’m going out. Don’t wait for me” she tells him ready to go down the stairs but Ivan grabbed her arm. She turns to him. “What I’m only getting is something to eat… nothing else”.

Ivan just stared at her feeling his phone buzz in his pocket. He reaches into his pocket reading the message their father sent him. He read the message and his heart dropped seeing what it holds. He looks at you and hugs you tightly making Y/N grunt in surprise of the hug not expecting it. Ivan hugged her tightly, not letting go. He lets go of her and ruffles her hair. “Get me something as well” he tells her. She gives him a confused look at the rare show of emotion from Ivan and nods leaving the motel.

Ivan looks at his phone and punches the wall seeing the message again. He dropped his phone and stomped on it. The cracked screen still has the message on it saying “Kill Y/N”. The screen turned off for good as Ivan felt his eyes water. He didn’t want to kill his baby sister but he had no choice. If he doesn’t he’ll most likely die and she will still die. There’s nothing he can do.

————-

12:30 A.M.

Y/N drives to a close restaurant walking in. She goes up to the employee. She texts Ivan to ask what he wants but gets nothing. She waited a couple minutes but still nothing. She raises her eyebrow because Ivan always answers her.

She grumbles and looks at the menu thinking of what Ivan would want. “Fuck it. I want 2 orders on number 11” she tells the worker. She hears someone walking behind her but ignores it, ready to pay for the food.

“Let me pay for that mami” Armando says, grabbing her wrist so she doesn't pay and turns her around so they’re facing each other. He gives the cashier money for the food and looks at Y/N up and down. Y/N glares at him knowing she can’t do shit to him now not wanting it bring attention to themselves.

Armando couldn’t stop thinking that she's so pretty. “Cariño you're beautiful” he tells her. He knows why she’s here. She was here to get back the supply of cocaine that he took. “You're far from home mami” he tells her. “What the fuck do you want?” She whispers, pulling her wrist out of his grip.

“Just your number mami” Armando tells her with a smirk and she couldn’t stop thinking that the smirk he did was hot. “Fuck no” she tells him turning away from him but she moves to be in front of her. “Come on mami. At least give me a chance” he asks her and she just glares at him. “No we are enemies” she tells him walking past him hearing her food is ready. She goes to grab it but Armando stops her.

“Okay at least allow me what I want to say” he tells her, grabbing the food and pauses, raising her eyebrow at him. “You're a very beautiful woman. I admire your strong will” he tells her and goes on and on about her good qualities he admires making her blush because no one had ever said that to her. “How the hell did you get all that information about me after only meeting me once?!” She asks so confused and Armando just gives her a small smile.

He didn’t answer her question and grabbed her chin seeing the blush. He so badly wanted to kiss her but knows he couldn’t because she was part of the mafia. “You don’t have to go back,” he whispers to her. His thumb grazed her bottom lip as he looked into her eyes. Her eyes were very beautiful. Honestly the first time he saw her it was love at first sight.

She moved her chin away out of his hand. She was still blushing but she tried to control it. “I don’t have a choice,” she tells him, grabbing the food from him ready to walk past him but he gets in her way again. “Please I can protect you from your father” he tells her and she pauses to look at him. “There’s no hiding from my father…” she tells him and leaves the restaurant and gets in the car.

Once she gets in and closes the door her head turns hearing a knock on the window. She rolled her window down seeing Armando. He hands her a piece of paper and she opens it to see what is inside of it. She sees a number. Y/N raises her eyebrow at him. “Call me or Text me. I’m not picky but I’ll love to hear your voice over the phone” he says in his deep voice flirting with her more making her blush.

He smirks seeing her blush and backs away from the car watching her not say a thing to her and drive away.

_______________

She gets back to the motel and knocks on Ivan's door. Ivan opens the door. His hair wet from the shower. “You didn’t text me back, Iv” she tells him, giving him his food. Ivan opens the container to see what it was and nods liking what she got him. “Sorry my phone broke” he tells her, taking a bite out of his food.

“You’ve been gone for a while. I know it wasn’t you just waiting for the food.” He tells her. He knew his sister well. She scolds him sitting down on a chair to eat her food. “Nothing happened,” she tells him while eating her food. Ivan looked at his baby sister and sighs. “Y/N come tell me. We’re siblings, we don't hide things from each other” he tells her trying to get her to open up to him. Today would be the last day he’ll be able to spend with his baby sister. He wants to make the most out of it.

“That Aretas guy was there… he gave me his number” she tells him. She didn’t give him the details on how Armando was flirting with her. Ivan's smile didn’t go away hearing that. “You should text him” he tells her, making her stop eating to look at him. “Que?” She questions completely confused about what her brother just said to her.

“I said talk to him Y/N” Ivan repeated himself eating his food. “You like him-“ he says but she tried to deny it but he kept going. “He obviously likes you back so talk to him”. Y/N looks at her brother in shock on why he’s acting like the way he is now. Something was off and she doesn’t know what. “Ivan, are you okay?” She questions him watching him set his food down and get up going up to her and hugs her tightly.

He backs away and yawns. It was a fake one and he stretched. “I’m tired,” he tells her. He watches her get up to leave the room to go to her own. He gives a sad smile watching her leave.

——————-

Y/N walks into her room with her food in her hand. She was no longer hungry and put it in the fridge. She takes off her leather jacket and puts it on the chair. She grabs a towel and clothes to take a quick shower.

She walks in the shower after taking off all her clothes. She gets in putting shampoo in her hair thinking of how strange Ivan was acting towards her. She washes her hair and then washes her body.

She walks out the shower wrapping a towel over herself. She dries herself and puts on her pajamas. It was just a tank top and shorts. She walked out the bathroom to the bed grabbing her phone. She sighs looking at it and then looks at her leather jacket and grabs it. Her hand goes inside the pocket grabbing the paper with Armando's phone number on it

Y/N pauses looking at the phone number and types it in her phone and sends a quick message of saying hey. She didn’t even get it to sit down when she quickly got a hey back.

Armando was laying in his bed smiling when he got your text. He couldn’t actually believe you texted him back. He kept texting you back as you did the same with him. Messages go on in the night between the two. Certain things this man has said in these texts makes you blush cause you couldn’t believe how bold this man was.

Y/N chuckles lightly blushing how much this man has complimented her. He was a sweet talker. She’ll give him that. She couldn’t believe how well they hit it off.

_______________

April 17, 2018

9:51 A.M.

You quickly get up hearing a knock on your door. Y/N grumbles seeing her door open revealing Ramon. She quickly gets up seeing the oldest in the family here. She didn’t know he was coming. Ivan walks in going past Ramon to get to you.

Ramon looks around the room ignoring his two younger siblings. He didn’t look at you knowing you're gonna die today. He never had a relationship with you or Ivan. He gave up on that relationship a long time ago when Gael died. He remembers the look you had on your 6 year old face after seeing Gaels death. You had the look of hate and despair. It’s a look he could never forget. He knew you hated the family but you never showed it.

“Get dressed Y/N are leaving soon to get our drugs back” he tells her watching her get up and go to the bathroom to get dressed. He looks at her bed and sees her phone. It lights up and he goes and picks it up to see who messaged her. He didn’t get to see it because Ivan took it away from him. “It’s bad enough we have to kill her. Let her have this… she’s only 21.” Ivan says, his voice cracking a little. “She likes him. Don’t yell at her or anything” he tells him as you come back and Ivan hands her her phone back. They left the motel to plan on what to do

—————

The next time Armando and Y/N met it was night time. There was a whole fight between the mafia and cartel. The fight between the two was bloody.

Y/N pants looking at Armando. She was bloody from the fighting between them. So was he. Armando looks at her panting as well. He heard a shatter and turned his head seeing the floor engulfed in flames. Someone must have poured gasoline on the floor. He saw many bodies burn.

Y/N takes his distraction as a chance and hits him hard in the face making him back away from her. Armando's hand was on his face and he looked at her “that wasn’t nice Mami”. He dodges her punches and throws a punch at our stomach making her double over in pain. The fire quickly spreads around. The smoke thickened in the air making it become hard to breathe. She chokes and coughs at the lack of air. She was struggling to breath and he noticed that.

While they weren’t paying attention someone had aimed a gun at her and shot. Y/N coughs up blood and looks to her right to see who shot her and her heart drops seeing it was Ivan who shot Ramon watching them dragging Ivan away. His eyes were watery as he backs away and leaves the building. She yelled out in pain as the fire got to her arm and it started burning.

She was about to fall to the floor but Armando quickly goes to her and catches her from falling and taking out the fire. Holding her close. “I got you” he tells her, picking her up as she coughs up blood. Armando picks her up bridal style and leaves the burning warehouse.

————

Armando had saved Y/N from death. Bandaging her bullet wound that her brother created. He questioned why her siblings would betray her like that.

He sighs watching her sleep and gets up but pauses seeing the tattoo on her arm. He looked at the tattoo, noticing it’s a flower with a knife going through it. It was the mafia symbol. His eyes hardened looking at that tattoo. “I thought the mafia was about family?” He whispers out not noticing how she was awake.

“Not my family” she grunts out trying to sit up. Armando immediately pushes her back down not wanting her to get up. She looks at him and grumbles letting him put her down. “Why save me?” She questions him. He looked her in the eyes. “I don’t know.. I just couldn’t allow you to die. I just met you yesterday but I couldn’t bring myself to watch you die” he tells her honestly. He gives her a small charming smile that she couldn’t look away from. She blushes at his smile and grabs his collar with her uninjured hand. She pulls him down and kisses him.

Armando eyes and he kisses back. He wasn’t expecting you to kiss him so easily and early but he ain’t complaining. He backs away once the kiss is over and smiles seeing her blush and looks away.

—————-

Present day

“And that’s how we met” Armando tells them, holding you as all of them were in complete shock. “You know I expected you to meet her in a coffee shop. Not her being in the goddamn mafia!” Marcus tells him, looking at you in complete shock.

Mike looks at her. “It explains how well she can fight and defend herself with little to no help.” Mike says as Marcus whispers in Mike's ear. “Man, that's gonna be your daughter in law! Don’t piss her off” Marcus says and then turns or you see your dead ass stare at him making him gulp.

She smiles at him. A slow smile. “Armando, I don't like that smile. Mike!” Marcus says getting up and leaving the room, making you confused. Mike looks at her. “He’ll come around eventually” Mike tells her. He turns to her and starts asking her about herself. He might as well get used to the concept that you might be his daughter in law.

Rita, Kelly, and Dorn were still in complete shock. “I’m not gonna question it” Rita says watching Mike talk to you. She looks at Armando. “He likes her and she hasn’t done anything to us yet so I think we’re good” Rita tells them, getting up as the other two do the same. “Remind me to never piss her off” Dorn says walking out the building with the other two women following behind him.

Armando smiles seeing how well Mike is accepting you as his girlfriend. He loves how you seem to get along with his father. You didn’t have a problem talking to him.

[indiweb]

宿儺 、 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘 ◞ 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐓𝐄𝐀.

shopping spree antics ⋆ ryomen sukuna

꒰ྀི՞ ܸ. .ܸ՞꒱ྀི . . . you’re out on the town with your boyfriend for the evening , bothering him with your nonsense. ── est relationship. fluff. suggestive. / hc / © 𝘀𝘂𝗸𝘂𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲. ᐢ..ᐢ

dreypunte. there’s an age gap , reader being in her early/mid twenties while sukuna is in his late thirties. >.<

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ 𝜗ϱ

" let me just buy , ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀the entire store. "

⭑ bimbo reader. that some how got thee ryomen sukuna latched at her fucking hip. like full on if he saw any other male species even staring in her direction , he’d slaughter their entire bloodline.

" mira , papito , es tú favorito. "

⭑ bimbo reader. who was merely supposed to just be a piece in his extended checkers game. though , somehow became more with every interaction he had with her ; a tethered fire brewing in the depths of his core each glance he shot her way.

" ay que lindo , you know you love me. "

⭑ bimbo reader. is sukuna’s entire world. when she’s with , and without him , he has eyes on her at all times. never once taking any chances with her life. he’d risk hurting his own self before hers.

( ryomen sukuna 𝓍𝓍 bimbo reader )

⭒ cartel!sukuna. wasn’t one to enjoy being out and about. he hated being away from his scheduled plans. but, if it meant he got to let off some steam and spend the evening with you, he’d push aside his negative feelings and embrace the warmth of your multilayered arms snuggling into his as you wrapped them around his forearm.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. had a guilty pleasure of smelling the perfumes you were indecisive about buying, secretly imagining how you’d smell as he stuffed you whole, his head delved into the crevice of your neck just so he could engulf you entirely.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. loved resting one of his large hands along the skim of your shoulders, whilst his other kneaded at your clothed ass. you never minded, of course. your focus far too enthralled by all the adorably cute clothing pieces you picked out so diligently.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. adored when you pouted at him any time your favorite item was no longer in stock. because that was usually the time he took to pinch both of your cheeks as he gave you a small lecture about waiting for it to return. even though you both knew he’d send his men to search earths ends just to find it for you.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. thoroughly enjoyed your little fashion shows. especially since your style consisted of cute little tight fitted clothing that flaunted all of the curves he cherished deeply. and, always seemed to barely cover you ass anytime you gave him a spin, the man struggling to contain himself in such a high end store.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. knew that you knew what you were doing. he knew that you only did it so he’d give you a “lecture” about it later, at home. specifically in bed with your face buried so deep into the pillows and your raw ass being pounded into oblivion.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. gave you everything you wanted. no matter the price. not like he even spared it a glance, he had enough money to cure world hunger. but he was far too evil to do so, unless your precious self asked him with that doe-eyed expression he fell victim to religiously.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. who went to your home country with the intention of taking it for his own, some of the small gangs there owing him big bucks. but, ended up leaving with you around his waist and giving the island the wealthiest economy in the carribean.

⭒ cartel!sukuna. that wants to marry you, but overheard you one day expressing your dislikement of the idea. you weren’t a fan of marriage, it felt controlling. so, he settled with staying as your boyfriend until you said otherwise.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ 𝜗ϱ

. *. ⋆ subnotes. if you couldn’t tell already , this au is based in puerto rico ૮꒰ྀི つ˘ `⸝⸝ ꒱ྀིა

━━━━━━━━

﹙⠀𝓢.⠀﹚𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄⠀𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𑇓 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪ mature discretion advised. all rights reserved. do not plagiarize or steal works. ✧ ִֶָ ، !

[easternmind]

The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part I

The Kowloon Walled City was one of the most emblematic locations in Hong Kong due to its irregular, fast-paced and largely ungoverned growth within a minute parcel of land. During the occupation of Hong Kong Island by the British in the mid 18th century, the Qing authorities surrounded the area with walls, turning it into a strategic position from where to closely inspect the foreign nation's covert activities. Almost a century later, during World War II, the area was seized by the Japanese, who tore down the walls and repurposed the stone for the construction of a nearby airport.

After the war, China would eventually regain possession of the city, though the disinterest of local authorities in addressing its increasing social disturbances placed it in a downward path to a state of utter degradation. By the 1970s, Kowloon had become the epicentre of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, dominated by a handful of its most vicious Triads.

Towards the last years of its existence, the ancient settlement was as a precarious heap of concrete, sheltering nearly half a million people within less than seven acres of land. Cultural and political changes in China made it increasingly difficult for this urban anomaly to remain unaddressed. In the late 1980s, an action plan was put together aiming to relocate its inhabitants and reconvert the real estate into an inner-city park. Stories about residents refusing to leave their unsafe and unsanitary homes were featured prominently in newspapers, baffling readers all over the world. Once the single most densely populated area in the world, this enclave was an architectural aberration whose disconcerting aesthetic influenced numerous works of art in different fields of creation; including a small yet consequential number of video games that briefly reference or prominently feature this abominably transfixing space.

九龍島 (Kyu-Ryu-Tou) - Starcraft - 1986

The year is 2025. An arms dealer escalates the tensions between East and West by developing a genetic weapon in a secret base at Kowloon Island. The United Nations react by sending in their best man, Jamie Starr. Unrelated to the Walled City itself, the first game to be located in the Kowloon peninsula - and indeed include the name as a part of its title - is this obscure turn-based RPG, Kyu-Ryu-Tou for the NEC PC88 and FM-77 machines. The game is a sequel to Shangai, released the year before, featuring the same protagonist. Starcraft would also go on to produce a third instalment in 1987 named TO.KY.O. Clearly there wasn't much regard here from the developers part for geographic accuracy, as Kowloon is depicted here as being an island. While Hong Kong's southern territory is composed of an actual island, all the different areas named Kowloon are located in the mainland.

Riot City - Westone - 1991

One of the most shameless specimens among a relatively long list of Final Fight clones, Riot City contains subtle references to Kowloon, though never referring to it by name. Two narcotics detectives are assigned with the mission of dismantling a cartel running a crime-ridden located in fictional Riot Island. This recurring yet geographically nonsensical notion of Kowloon as an island comes up here, yet again. The final moment of the introduction sequence for this minor Sega arcade success shows both protagonists approaching a tight cluster of buildings whose source inspiration is quite unmistakable. Because Westone maintained ownership of most of this production's intellectual property, a later port to the PC Engine entitled Riot Zone was made possible with the help of Hudson soft. Kowloon's Gate - Zeque - 1997

Reviving the Walled City through the lens of cybermystic surrealism, Kowloon's Gate is a dense, daunting adventure masterfully capturing the slum's dark and narrow recesses. This 1997 Japanese Playstation exclusive spans across four discs of unparalleled full motion 3D CGI spectacle, alternating with real-time 3D dungeons brimming with outlandish characters and concepts deeply inspired by Chinese history, geography and cultural traditions.

Ironically, Zeque managed to embed the theme of Feng-Shui, the ancient geomantic art seeking harmony between the individual and their surrounding space, into a story set in the world's most historically untidy district.

SaGa Frontier - Square - 1997

SaGa Frontier takes place in a solar system named The Regions, composed of multiple inhabited worlds for the player to explore, each with its different degree of civilizational development and culture. One of these planets goes by the suggestive name Kūron. Its pervasive neon light signs, food stalls, makeshift cabins and rooftop scaffolding instantly evoke the memory of China’s so-called city of darkness.

Shadow Hearts - Sacnoth - 2001

Shortly after the release of Koudelka, Sacnoth's initiated the development of Shadow Hearts, the first episode from a cult RPG trilogy exclusively designed for the Playstation 2. In good Japanese fashion, the game proposes an anachronistic yet visually suggestive depiction of Kowloon, portraying its architectural style and degree of decay as it existed in the late twentieth century, despite the fact that the game's events take place during the nineteen twenties.

Just as noteworthy is the almost complete absence of any inhabitants, which inadvertently make this portrayal of the quarter eerily reminiscent of the state in which it was found circa 1993 or 1994, as local authorities brought the long, arduous eviction project to a close.

Shenmue II - SEGA AM2 - 2001

Shenmue II exhibits the most complete and period-accurate video game representation of Kowloon to date. While more recent games featuring this area may represent a number of its aspects with the aid of improved visual fidelity, none features it with such depth as this masterpiece of masterpieces. More than mere background decoration, Kowloon exists in the Shenmue series as a crucial, climacteric element of its modern epic narrative.

It is a well known fact that Yu Suzuki and his team conducted extensive research of the region so as to achieve a result that impresses even to this day. It must be noted, however, that they have similarly taken a fair share of creative liberty when converting the area to best align with the themes they wished to explore. Further reading is required for a more complete context in this regard, namely how this area ties with an early Dreamcast tech demo design which fans lovingly named Tower of Babel. Ostensively, technical limitations did curtail the degree of precision in which the surrounding area could be replicated. The aerial view from the cutscene in which Ryo Hazuki arrives on location places Kowloon at an imaginary degree of elevation over surrounding vegetation. In the year of 1987, during which the game is set, the actual enclave stood perfectly levelled with a myriad of other modern buildings, undoubtedly more than could be reproduced under the circumstances. These trifling considerations aside, Shenmue II entirely succeeds in capturing the vibrant life and mesmerizing beauty of the destitute and decayed urban agglomeration, in a way that it was deemed entirely impossible at the time of its release.

For reasons entirely related to per post content limitations imposed by Tumblr, this article will be continued in PART II.

[blueicequeen19]

Who’s It Going to Be?

Warnings: non-con, forced oral, dry humping, cum play

I gasp as Rafe’s fingers tighten around the column of my throat. I couldn’t scream or fight him. He was so much taller and stronger than me with a murderous look in his eyes as he searched my face for answers that I couldn’t give him.

“Don’t lie to me.” Rafe hisses, slamming my back against the wall of apartment and making the pictures on the wall rattle.

“I want to know where your sister is and you’re going to fucking tell me.” Rafe snarls, loosening his bruising grip long enough for me to suck in a painful breath. I open my mouth but he cuts me off, squeezing my windpipe again.

“She owes me a lot of money. A lot. So I’m not dumb enough to think she’s actually still on the island so where did she go to?” Rafe snaps, pressing his body so hard against mine that I could feel every hard outline of him. Especially how hard his cock was straining in his shorts.

“I’m—not—telling—you—shit.” I bite out, my eyes filling with tears from the pain of his hold and lack of air. Rafe’s gaze darkens further as he glares back at me before letting his blue eyes trail down my body like I was a fucking bag of coke. That was the problem. Rafe was my sisters dealer and she stole from him.

“I guess I could offer you up to the cartel as payment instead. Your sister mentioned you being a stuck up little virgin. People pay big money for that.” It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on me. Fear sunk into my bones and I started to tremble, the tears starting to flow.

“Or I could keep you for myself. Make you earn back every fucking dollar she took from me.” Rafe licks his lips, reaching down to palm one of my breasts over my sleep shirt. I whimper, trying to swallow against the palm of his hand.

“What will it be? You? Or your sister?” Rafe snaps, finally moving his hungry graze back to my face. My bottom lip quivers as Rafe leans down and nips it with his teeth, gently sucking the flesh into his mouth before releasing it. I try to turn away but i can’t. I couldn’t call the cops without them involving my sister. It would only make things worse. I was screwed.

“I’m curious how those lips would look around my cock.” Rafe rasps, reaching down to adjust himself before lowering his zipper.

“I bet you’ve never sucked dick before. Let me show you.” Rafe pushes me to my knees and I sniffle, coming face to face with his massive erection.

“Rafe, I-I can’t.” I cry, leaning away as his tip weeps precum.

“Sure you can. Surely a little thief can suck a dick.” Rafe fists my hair with one hand and slaps his cock against my lips with the other. I squeeze my lips shut and he paints them with his precum with a satisfied smirk on his face.

“Come on. Open up. I want to hear you choke.” Rafe rasps, slapping his cock against my lips again. He yanks hard on my hair, making me cry out so he can quickly shove himself down my throat. I immediately struggle and gag, trying to push away but he doesn’t let me; pinning me between him and the wall.

“Ah ah, watch those teeth. Relax your throat. You bite me and I’ll pop that ripe little cherry.” I slump in defeat, relaxing my throat and gagging as he starts to use my throat for his own pleasure.

“Oh fuck. That’s good. You’re doing so good. You might even be better at this then your sister.” Rafe groans, making me glare up at him. I can’t stop gagging but every time I think I’ll lose it, he pulls out just enough for the reflex to go away.

My eyes widen as his cock starts to throb and swell in my mouth. I’ve never given a blowjob let alone swallow someone’s cum. Just as I’m starting to panic, Rafe yanks free and yanks me to my feet, spinning me around and shoving my front against the wall.

“Rafe! Wait! Wait!” I cry as he yanks my sleep shirt over my shoulders and tears my panties down my legs. My legs nearly buckle as he presses against me, fitting his length perfectly between my cheeks and thrusting just as hard as he had in my throat.

“Fuck, it would take nothing for me to slip just a little lower and claim one of these little holes.” Rafe moans, plastering himself to my back as he dry humps me. Desire like I’d never felt before flooded my veins creating a painful throb between my legs.

“Would you like that? You wanna be my personal little fuck toy? You’re pretty when you cry.” Rafe nuzzles my neck, kissing and biting as he thrusts harder with pleasure filled grunts.

“No.” I hiss, just as his body slams harder against mine until he stills, his warmth shooting up my back and running back down the crack of my ass with a heavy sigh.

“You’re awfully wet for someone saying no.” Rafe growls, suddenly sliding two fingers through my slit. I jerk against him, zaps of pleasure shooting through me as he circles my clit. It takes me a moment to realize what he’s doing.

“Stop.” I bite out, trying to move out of his grasp.

“I’m just marking my territory. I want you to be covered and full of my cum one way or another.” Rafe growls, suddenly thrusting a cum coated finger into me. I gasp, trying to pull my hips away from him but he doesn’t loosen his hold on me. Next his finger finds its way into my ass and I cry out, the sensation foreign and unexpected.

“Stop it. I hate you.” I snarl, feeling him smile against my neck before biting me hard. A sob escapes as he sucks the tender flesh, marking me further.

“From here on out, I own you. You don’t talk to anyone else or go anywhere without my permission. I’ll fucking know and you won’t like what happens.” Rafe presses against my clit again and I jerk, hating the way my body is reacting to him. Rafe fists my hair, yanking back on the strands and capturing my lips in a bruising kiss, sealing my fate.

[justauthoring]

whole wide world.

just the two of you, together, in the whole wide world. and then? it's just you.

a/n -> okay, first, i realize i am late to bcs (as always) and that this probably won't get any notes BUT i just watched 06x03 and i am DISTRAUGHT also please excuse my poor attempt of using spanish endearments :) most of them are from google, so if you guys have suggestions, let me know!

tw. -> warning for better call saul 06x03? im not sure if i should put this, but just in case.

pairing -> ignacio "nacho" varga x f!reader

"we'll get out."

"nacho—"

"no," he cuts in, stepping towards you with a sharp look in his eyes. "we—you, me, my dad... we're gonna get out. all three of us."

letting out a sigh, you shake your head, reaching across the counter to grab his hand in your own. the action seems to still nacho, even if briefly, because he's blinking and his body is easing and then he's meeting your eyes and you see the fear behind them.

"i know," you assure, voice soft and warm. there wasn't an ounce of doubt in your voice. you knew nacho meant what he said and you trusted him wholeheartedly—if he said that you'd get out, he meant it. "i'm just worried."

"it'll be fine."

"will you?"

and he pauses at that, body stilling. he takes one look at you and huffs because he can't lie; you'll see right through him. you always have. so the admittance comes with a shaky sigh, letting his head fall into his hands as he pulls away from you.

"i dunno," he breathes. "i don't know anything."

your heart breaks.

"oh, mi dulce. ignacio."

pulling away from the counter, you make your way around the island, crossing the distance over to him with ease and take him into your arms. your arm wraps around his shoulder and you tug him towards you, ignoring the small fight he gives before he eventually falls into you with a choked sob.

his face presses into the curve of your neck, arms wrapping around your waist as he grips onto you like he's afraid you'll disappear from him.

"what's wrong, cariño?"

and he shakes his head against you, shaking all whilst he does it. you've asked him this question so many times and while this is the first time he's fallen apart on you quite like this, you know the answer will remain the same.

silence.

you know nacho is involved with the cartel and that he has been for a good chunk of his life; the secret of it had been revealed pretty early on in your relationship. it wasn't ideal but you knew at his heart nacho was a good man and in the end, it hadn't been enough to sway you from him.

but something had changed these last few months. things with his father and the cartel and he's been so damn secretive about it all but in your gut you knew it was bad. you're not sure you've seen him smile in weeks or look anything but tense. even when it was just the two of you, he seemed particularly on edge of everything around him.

then he'd told you it wasn't safe for you to take transit to work anymore. when you'd questioned that, he'd refused to say anything. the next day he'd come over with a new car, just for you.

it was clear he was in danger and given the way he'd been extra protective of you lately, you figured that danger extended to you. and his father, probably.

he said he'd get you away, that he'd keep you safe, so you didn't really care all that much about being in danger. you trusted his word and you knew he'd never let anything happen to you.

you were just worried about him.

terribly.

"you have to tell me," you plead, pulling back enough to see his face. nacho blinks at the movement, forcing the tears that had welled in his eyes to disappear, effectively righting himself to alleviate any concern.

it's too late.

"ignacio, please," you beg, squeezing his shoulders, fighting him from walking away. "i just need to know you're okay. i can't go on with this worry anymore. i can't. and you won't—"

he cuts you off by pressing his lips against your own. his movement is swift, quick, catching you by surprise as he tugs you against him by your hip, the other hand moving to brush your hair back and cup your cheek. the fight leaves you the second you feel his lips press against your own, instinctively leaning into his touch as your eyes flutter shut.

and when nacho pulls back and you're breathless, he lets his forehead fall against your own and it's like it's just the two of you in the whole wide world.

"mi amor," he whispers, breath soft and husky. "everything will be okay."

the shuttering breath you've been forcing back falls out of you then, your whole body shaking with the movement as you set your hands on his chest, desperate for the feel of him.

"i promise."

-

the second you're phone rings, you're flipping it open and pressing it to your ear without even checking the contact.

"ignacio?"

"hola mi amor."

your whole body eases, slumping against the back of your chair with a flush of relief you haven't felt in days. you take a moment, before snapping yourself back to attention; "where have you been? are you okay? i've been so worried, nacho. oh, gosh... are you hurt? what's happened?"

he chuckles, but it sounds thick and strained. "so many questions, baby."

you scoff. "you had me worried."

"i'm sorry, y/n."

there's something about the way he says it that twists uncomfortably inside of you, finally taking note of how strange he's sounded since you first heard him speak. he sounds strained and coarse, and there was a tinge of something else you couldn't quite pick up on.

"ignacio," you call as the worry settles back in, falling heavy on your chest. "are you okay? where are you?"

"i'm okay," he assures but his answer is a little too quick. "i'm sorry i've been gone so long. negocio, you see?"

you nod, even if he can't see it. "will you be back soon?"

this time, his answer delays. your heart sinks.

"soon," he agrees eventually. "i'm not sure."

"oh," you let out.

"i just wanted to hear your voice. i've missed you, mi amor."

"i've missed you too, nacho," you whisper, holding your phone as tight to yourself as you can; as if that'll bring nacho back. "i can't sleep without you."

"yeah?" he laughs lightly, "neither can i."

you press your lips together and hesitate on a reply. something dark and twisted sinks in on you and it makes you feel sick but you don't know what to do about it.

you don't know if there is anything you can do about it.

there's a cut over the line and you hear nacho sigh.

"i have to go, baby."

his voice thickens and cracks at the end of it.

"oh? okay..." swallowing thickly, you blink back the tears that involuntarily well in your eyes. "but you'll be home soon, right, amorcito?"

"...y-yeah."

biting your lip, you force back the sob that threatens to break past your lips.

"you promise then?" you ask, words choked.

there's a slight rustle. "i promise."

"i love you."

a pause; one that lasts for what feels like enternity before nacho replies; "....love you too, mi amor."

and he's pulling away before you can say anything else, the line cutting as you pull your phone to glance it, watching as the call ends. the sob wreckes past your lips then and you feel you sick, your stomach tight and your hands shaking as you think about the way his voice had sounded.

it occurs to you then you won't be seeing nacho again.

despite his promise.

[deeptrashwitch]

Earthquake

One-shot inspired by an episode of the k-drama Descendants of the Sun! Remember that the WTF belong to the marvelous @islandtarochips! Now, let's begin!

Taglist (just to show :3): @alypink @snootlestheangel @islandtarochips @hollywood-is-bleeding

@cynicvice @midnight193 @mutantthedark @justasmolbard @welldonekhushi

@tapioca-milktea1978 @imagoddamnonionmason @stargazing-sapphire2 @milkteaarttime @blacktacmopsi

@maymaylyn @thatonesillyducko @seraphiixiao @me-is-confused @gunnrblze @taciturntraveller

The Specters and the WTF were involved in a mission regarding a branch of a cartel they both were hunting. At first they were sent to France to chase the two leaders they were looking for. As they arrived and raided the main building, they noticed how the objectives had already fled away.

“Wraith, where to now?” Alicia asked while all of them looked around. 

“They split. One is going to Kiribati, but we have their live location over Kyrgyzstan.” Wraith informed through the joint line. “The other one’s going to Cyprus, right now arriving.”

Kanoa intervened from his comms as well. “Then we need to split as well, Origin. If we let them have any kind of advantage, they’ll disappear.”

Alicia nodded and made a sign to call her boys. “I agree. Where will you go, Alpha Six?” 

“Kyrgyzstan, if we can intercept the bastard, we can get the locations.”

“Copy that, we will go to Cyprus then.” 

Wraith intervened with a calm voice. “Alpha Six, you and your team can go with our pilot. I already planned a transport for the Specters.”

“Much appreciated, Wraith.” Kanoa said, then nodded at Alicia before going to get his people.

“Copy and over, guys, good luck.”

Soon Edward and Nicholas were flying the WTF to a base in Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile the Specters were on a carrier going to Cyprus as they were taking a look at some last minute files Wraith sent them to prepare themselves. They were arriving at night to the island and were meant to go to a building in a city near Nicosia. Although, Elliot was looking at the sky with a bad feeling.

“Something wrong?” Marcus asked curiously when he noticed Elliot’s frown.

“I just…have a bad feeling, y’know? But it’s odd, I can’t get a name to it.” He murmured a bit worried.

“You should tell the Captain.”

Elliot nodded, then his frown deepened a bit when he noticed the birds flying weirdly. “Yeah, I’ll go get her.”

As Elliot spoke with Alicia, Jackson was looking at the comms, noticing they were getting oddly cracked. When they contacted Nicholas about it, the man was confused but figured it out relatively quickly as they docked in Cyprus.They were driven to the city where they had the intel about their objective in silence. 

Either way, they kept comms open. 

“Alpha Six, here Origin, you copy?” Alicia asked calmly.

Kanoa answered with a chuckle. “Here Alpha Six, how’s the paradise island?”

“How funny.” She murmured with a smile. “We’re arriving at the building, fucking old by the way, you?”

“All done here, we managed to intercept it and we sent the intel to General Kalani and Wraith..”

“Good to hear that, have a good trip back home.”

“Thanks. Change and out.”

“Hehe, we’ll keep comms open just in case. Change and out.”

Soon the Specters went inside the building, noticing it was oddly empty. So they prepared for any kind of traps that might await them inside the building. With the rifles raised, they started to walk back against back as Elijah and Alexander climbed up to the ceiling beams. That was the way they moved for a while, with their recon and sniper cleaning part of the path and informing them about any kind of enemies or problems ahead, of which Noah and Elliot took care of. 

At some point, Elijah and Alexander stumbled over the beams and it called everyone's attention.

They climbed down quickly, surprisingly uneasy as they walked towards the team.

“Delta, Hawk, what is it?” Alicia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Something’s wrong, ma’am. Up in the beams, it shook.” Elijah murmured, shivering. “Not like us losing balance, but…literally shaking. It wasn’t strong but-”

“It’s not normal. That never happens.” Alexander interrupted, oddly serious.

Luke frowned and soon everyone was on high alert at what they said. The Lieutenant especially looked around and paled when he noticed some signs he knew well.

“What the-?” He murmured as he looked at some stagnant water now waving. “Oh fuck.”

“Harlem?” Jackson asked, now worried.

“Earthquake.” Luke murmured, and everyone tensed.

And in a second, the ground started to shake with enough strength that the huge machinery started to clink and fall. 

“Origin, Origin! What’s going on?!” Kanoa asked over comms when they heard the rumble from the other side of the line.

“There’s an earthquake! We’re evacuating!” Alicia answered as they started to ran towards the exit to avoid being locked with the machinery. 

“Wha-?!”

“CAPTAIN, THE PLACE IS COLLAPSING!” Luke shouted as the walls started to crack and explosions could be heard outside. 

“Get out! GET OUT! EVERYONE RETREAT NOW!” 

“WATCH OUT!” Jackson yelled with an edge of worry and fear.

Then a scream cut on the line, then it cracked and got cut off completely, just leaving static behind.

Meanwhile in Kyrgyzstan, the WTF seemed in shock as the static filled every channel they had available to try and communicate with the Specters. Tiala shared a look with Kanoa, then both of them looked at Agnes and nodded in silence. 

Blast nodded back and sped away, running towards the plane where Edward, Nicholas and Francis were anxiously looking at the control console of the comms.

“What’s going on?” She asked Edward, panting from the run.

Edward shook his head and looked at Nicholas. 

The comms expert seemed even more anxious than the other two. “I can’t get a hold of them. None at all. Lines are down completely.”

“What?” Agnes whispered worriedly. 

Francis simply went to look for some documents in the meantime, all while Tiala, Kanoa, Aelan and Nigel arrived running. The Specters cartograph was frantic as he logged in to get some news in real time.

“Viper, what do you have?” Edward asked worriedly.

Francis was pale as he read the breaking news, then looked at his Sergeant, whispering nervously. “Cyprus was hit by an earthquake that's a 6 on the Richter scale. They were near the epicenter.”

Kanoa felt a cold shiver run down his back and the fear started to clench his chest. For a second the world stopped as his mind kept running at the speed of light thinking about all the possible scenarios. 

“There’s seriously no way we can know how they are? None at all?” He asked, trying to keep his composure.

“Well, we all have trackers for our vital signs.” Edward explained, scratching the back of his neck out of pure nervousness and worry. “If Wraith can find the signal, at least we can know if they’re alright.”

“Good, good, is Wraith available?”

“Yes, sir.” Nicholas said, connecting with Black Tomb and Wraith’s office inside it. “We have her right now on channel three, connection stable.”

Kanoa nodded and took his own radio. “Wraith, here Alpha Six. You copy?”

“I’m here, Alpha Six, send traffic.” Wraith said as a keyboard clicked on the background. 

“We’re aware of the situation in Cyprus right now. Sergeant Edward Jackson informed us about vital signs trackers, can you get access to it?”

“I’m on it, give me a second.”

For a second everyone stayed in silence as they waited. It was a heavy silence filled with tension, and Tiala was speaking with Edward to prepare everything to take flight as soon as possible.

“I…I don’t know.” Wraith murmured, scared to everyone’s shock. “I can’t find it.”

“Repeat that, Wraith.” Kanoa ordered, his voice trembling for a moment.

“I can’t find the signal of the infantry team or recon pair trackers. To this moment, we aren’t sure if they’re dead or alive…they’re MIA from this moment forward.”

Kanoa closed his eyes almost like he received a punch while Francis sat next to the control console with a trembling sigh. Nicholas simply frowned and kept trying to connect with their radios. Even Nigel and Agnes seemed worried and confused, not sure of what to say at that moment or even at all.

Meanwhile Tiala looked at his brother and noticed the fear in his eyes as he leaned against the wall of the plane. She walked to him and put a hand over his shoulder.

“We can’t- we need to go get them. I don’t wanna think they might be dead.” He whispered, unable to look up from the floor.

“Noa, breathe in.” She said, worried. “We’ll find them. I already spoke with the Sergeant, and we’ll be ready to fly to Greece and move from there to Cyprus.”

Kanoa nodded in silence, feeling a lump on his throat. The forty minutes that took to refill and prepare the plane felt like an eternity for everyone. And as soon as the plane was ready to go, they charged everything and took flight while Wraith coordinated everything with a base in Greece.

In the middle of the flight, Wraith told them more about the situation as Francis showed them a map of the island.

“I’m following the news live, and it seems like the epicenter was in Nicosia. The capital is almost destroyed, and the cities nearby are somehow in the same state.” Wraith murmured, sighing heavily while Francis showed them images of the disaster in Cyprus. “We can’t wait for the rescue aid services, the priority is on Nicosia right now. From what I can tell…it’ll be days until they get to the place where they are.”

“What about the UE aid?” Tiala asked with a raised eyebrow.

“They aren't ready yet, but the Greek government can assign a rescue dog and its handler for now to help us if we’re ready to help in the rescue.”

Kanoa sighed and looked at Aelan, who seemed thoughtful. “Aelan, if we encounter an emergency-?”

“I'll lead with it until we can take them to a hospital or medical tent, Captain.” She said with a nod, seriously.

“Good to hear.”

“We’ll go too.” Edward said from the pilot seat. “We might not be infantry, but this is our team too.” 

“All hands are helping hands in these cases.” Kanoa said with a nod. 

As they flew over Georgia, Kanoa just closed his eyes and pressed the back of his head against the wall. He sighed and tried to ignore the thoughts about the possibilities of what happened. 

His hand clenched on a fist as he tensed. Not again. He won't lose anyone again if he has a say in it. 

A couple of hours later, they arrived in Greece and Kanoa went to speak with the high ranked soldiers while the rescue dog and the handler arrived. It was Aelan who spoke with him, coordinating everything to start the search as soon as they took land. Soon they hopped into a helicopter to fly towards Cyprus to start the rescue. 

The sight of the cities was discouraging, with the buildings collapsed, fires in some points of the cities and blocked roads. In a few minutes they arrived at the city where they had the last location from the team. And the first thing they saw was dozens of buildings destroyed on the floor while some people tried to help to find some victims of the earthquake. 

“Alright, let’s move everyone! We have people to find!” Kanoa ordered in a roar. 

“Yes sir!” Everyone shouted back and they started to move around the debris and the broken streets. 

The dog and its handler took the lead and Aelan followed them while the rest started the search and to help wherever they could as well. Sometimes, the dog barked towards some piles of debris where they started to search. To everyone's relief, they found many civilians still alive, so Aelan helped as much as she was able while some medical staff arrived after the nearby hospital sent their ambulances.

As they kept searching, bodies started to appear as well, which only worried the WTF and the remaining Specters even more.

For a while they didn’t find much as Wraith also told them that the rescue aid from the UE was on their way, which made everything a bit quicker for them. While they kept searching, at some point, when the rescue dog was a bit far, it started to bark loudly. And that called Aelan’s as well as the handler’s attention, so they called some of the paramedic and aid personnel. 

“Wait a minute-” She murmured at the same time she saw some smoke coming from under the debris near the dog, flare smoke. “They wouldn’t do something that stupid. Wait, it’s them, they would.”

Aelan ran towards the dog, who was scratching the debris and barking. 

“Who’s there?!” Jackson’s voice asked, half worried and half relieved.

“Jackson!? It’s Aelan!” She screamed, avoiding the flare smoke . “Are you okay?!”

“We’re still alive and using gas masks! But we need medical treatment for some of us!”

“On it! Have you-?!”

“Done triage?! Yes! We have one that needs immediate transport, two that need evaluation, another two with apparent light wounds and the rest of us are safe!”

“Copy that!” Aelan shouted, then turned on her radio. “To everyone, I found the Specters infantry and recon team. I repeat, I found them.”

“Copy that! Where are you? Six and I are on our way.” Tiala asked through comms.

“Approximately eight kilometers from the medical tent, follow the smoke, it’s a flare.”

Nigel’s voice came through as well. “Blast and I are going with some rescue personnel. Everyone can hear you right now.”

“Alright, we have eight people, all survivors, most of them are wounded and buried. I have no report of any external agent that can complicate the rescue.” She explained looking around and seeing how pieces of the building were still up. “Seems to be a partial collapse, so there is a possibility of foundations still supporting the area.”

Soon the comms were in stand by as well, and Aelan simply stayed beside the opening from where the smoke came from. She narrowed her eyes to try and glance inside, sighing relieved when she noticed the light of a flashlight emerging as well, followed by the well known medic.

“Good to see you, Jackson.” She said with a chuckle.

He huffed and sighed. “Me too, Aelan, me too. How’s everyone out there?”

“We’re helping with the rescue labors while searching for you, and you?”

“...We’re still alive and that’s enough for us right now.”

Aelan nodded and as soon as the flare started to burn off, she lit a new one and helped as much as she could to move some of the debris that didn’t seem to be of structural support. Not long after, the rest of the WTF arrived with Edward, Nicholas, Francis and a group of rescue workers. 

Bit by bit, the debris was taken off as the rescue personnel started to send a stretcher down. The first one that came out was Elijah, who was in the worst state of them.

The recon expert had an iron bar going through his leg, with his uniform already stained with blood. He was already in silence, simply exhausted despite the pain.

“The bar didn't seem to have punctured the femoral artery, either way, I haven't removed it in case I misdiagnosed.” Jackson explained to Aelan. “I stopped the bleeding, but still, he lost a lot of blood.”

Aelan nodded and helped to move Elijah to the place where the aid personnel were waiting before they rushed down to transport him to the medical tent. The next one was Alexander, who seemed to be hurting as Jackson explained that he was hit by some debris over his back. 

“He hasn’t moved since the end of the earthquake, I haven’t allowed him in case he has a crack or something.” Jackson explained while Alexander was taken by the rescue workers.

“Understood.”

One by one, he helped everyone to get the wounded ones out. Kanoa sighed relieved when he saw that everyone was alive, even chuckling a bit when Nigel and Agnes running to speak with Marcus and Noah, both of them with light wounds. 

However, he felt a shiver when he noticed how Alicia was unconscious. But before he could start to overthink, Tiala dragged him to talk for a second.

“Easy Noa, she’s okay.” She said to calm him down. “Jackson told Aelan what happened, she got hit by debris on the back of her head, but she’s unconscious because she was starting to panic bad.You know how Licia gets with dark places.”

“You sure?” He asked, worried.

“Wanna ask Luke? He’s already out.”

“Yes please.”

Tiala nodded and made a sign for Luke to get near, so the Lieutenant came near still covered in concrete powder and ashes. 

“What is it?” He asked curiously.

“First of all, are you good?” Tiala asked.

“Just a cut in my arm, nothing serious.”

“Good, do you mind explaining to Kanoa what happened? He's getting pretty worried for Alicia.”

“Ah, about her? She got hit by debris in the head, but when we ended down there it was pitch black and…well, we all know Alicia doesn’t like being in dark places like that. Long story short, Jackson helped her to calm down and she basically went out cold. She’ll be fine, Captain Toa, I promise.”

Kanoa nodded and sighed again, relieved, then decided to keep helping with the rescue activities while everyone was sent to the hospital. It was hours, until late night, before they could finish their help. mostly when the UE rescue aids came finally. They were covered in dust and tired, but they decided to go see if they could see everyone.

However, Wraith told them, more calmly than before, that they were in a hospital on the Turkish coast while they got treated. Mostly referring to Elijah’s injury, since most of Cyprus hospitals were either destroyed or collapsed. 

It wasn’t until three days later when they were able to go see them.

“Oh, c’mon! I didn’t die! No need to go mama hen with me here!” Elijah exclaimed, and it was heard from outside of the room.

“You shut up!” Noah exclaimed, half amused, half worried. “What if you fall down or something?”

“I’m not that clumsy, Noah!”

“Lie!” Nicholas intervened, laughing.

“Shut up!”

Tiala and Kanoa shared a look and chuckled. 

“Seems like they’re alright already, eh?” Kanoa murmured.

Once inside, they found the eight of them in their stretchers, some of them talking and some of them doing other things, while Edward, Francis and Nicholas were sitting with them and speaking. Jackson was in a corner, just watching everything with a smirk, but also with a huge bruise on his face and arms.

When he noticed them, the medic nodded as a greeting. Aelan went to get an update from him while the rest went to say hi to the wounded.

“You look horrible.” Kanoa commented to Alicia, chuckling despite the spark of worry in his eyes.

“I know, the worst part is that my neck itches and now I have a bald patch.” She commented with a calm laugh, leaving her book aside. 

“You do?”

“...Yeah.”

“Hehe, baldy.”

Alicia rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Shut up. But it’s good to see you, Noa.”

“Yeah, me too.” He murmured sitting beside her stretcher. “I was scared, y’know? For a second I thought you might be dead, and even just remembering you and your team were MIA…”

“I understand, don’t worry.” She said with a soft smile, punching gently his arm. “Also, since when am I easy to kill? You know I’d crawl back from hell if I had to.”

“Haha, how funny.” He said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

Alicia laughed softly, and then looked at how Tiala was waiting for them to finish. So she smiled and waved at her, to which Tiala waved back and went to hug her gently. 

“Good to see you, Licia.” Tiala said with a hum, sitting beside her and leaving a flower bouquet next on the nightstand.

“Likewise, Tia, it’s good to see you too. How did everything go?”

“Our objective is captured and being interrogated, and yours is dead.”

“For real?”

“We found the body after a while under the debris.”

“Huh, seems like the world took it in its hands.” Alicia joked with a smirk.

“Yeah, it seems like it.”

“Well, it ended well after all. But I can already guess Wraith will give us an update for the trackers.” She murmured, looking away. “And a scolding now that I think about it.”

“Oh yeah, even Wraith was scared.”

“Ah shit, what if I feign I ended deaf?”

“Alicia no!” Tiala and Kanoa shouted, frowning.

“Okay, okay, sheesh. Just let me rest while I get better, then I’ll lead with Wraith.” Alicia said with an ashamed smile, raising her hands as a peace gesture and chuckling.

[celenawrites]

safe and sound

Pairing - Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick x f!Reader

Warnings - Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots-in-love, pining, mentions of injuries and blood, mentions of needles, mentions of death, mentions of religious metaphors and the like (is it obvious that I have some religious trauma?), lots of yearning and tender moments(they should probably talk it out, but they won't - what a bummer), kinda whump/whumpee scenario, Gaz is forward with the praise, a lot of subtle yearning, somewhat open-ending.

Summary -

You're bleeding and bruised when he finds you.

Category -

1. One-shot

8. Safe House

Prompts -

5. 'I'll take care of you.'

11. 'Let me see you.'

14. 'Stay still.'

15. 'Take it off.'

Word Count - 2.8k

AO3 Version

Note -

This fic was written for 'Gazfest 2023' being organized by @glitterypirateduck. This event has led me to discovering so many writers and so many great stories for Gaz!

Check it out here: - Gazfest 2023

The mission had gone smoothly, for the most part. 

No one had died, no one was compromised and your team had been able to locate the weapon cache the cartel had been hiding in their expansive warehouse - stashed in the very heart of their operations, surrounded by drugs, guns and blood money. 

And yet you cannot help but feel like you have failed somehow. 

You lean against the wall, sitting on the island of the wash basin as you calmly debate the merits and demerits of forgoing a much-needed bath. You make a little game out of it - writing in your little mental lists about how fucked you’d be if you decide to not clean yourself up. 

Pros - you can go to sleep on the uncomfortable cot laid out in the small bedroom, you can go eat some awful MREs, you can talk to your captain and get an update on when you will leave, and did you mention that you can finally hit the hay?

Cons - you stink, your uniform is soaked in blood and sweat, you have injuries that you need to tend to (something that you do not look forward to), and you’re sure that you’d feel so much better if you take a steaming hot shower. 

Too bad that the water runs cold here. 

It is when you’re wholly absorbed into completing your mental checklist, when you see the door in front of you shake and hear the incessant sound of someone knocking on the wooden barrier as if it has personally offended them. 

You call out hesitantly, unsure about your ability to get up from your uncomfortable seat without worsening the injury into the side of your torso. 

“The door’s unlocked”. 

And that is where you seem to have messed up. 

The doorknob twists and the door is pushed open to the side, revealing a very pissed Sgt. Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick standing on the threshold of the room. You stare at him with wide eyes, and he wears an almost enraged expression on his handsome face, despite his best efforts in schooling himself to appear nonchalant to you. 

He has shed off his heavy jacket, his undershirt peeking from the few buttons of his military shirt. In one of his hands, he carries a first aid kit. And you take a secret oath in your mind to kick ass of whoever tipped him off about you. 

Probably Soap, that fucker-

The sergeant was the last person you wished to see at the moment, within reason. 

There has been a weird tension between you and him for the past couple of weeks. Ignored texts, brushed off advances, physical barriers and distances initiated by him that made you wonder if the bond you shared with the man had been nothing but a mirage that helped you tether your sanity as you survived the everyday grimness that haunts a person working in the military.  The ache in your heart had soon turned into a silent indignation of sorts, egging you on to match each action of his with a petty counteract of your own.  You refused to seek his company, and malevolent compliance had been your best companion when the direct chain of command forced you to listen to anything the sergeant requested; clearly the head on your shoulders worked well enough for you to prioritize the mission and the safety of your comrades over anything else, but it was extremely satisfying to watch your friend (The same friend who had just cut you out of his life in all regards like an invasive weed - forgetting that once its roots take place, the weed is nearly impossible to get rid of; and you’d be damned if you let him get rid of you so easily.) seethe in anger as you obey his commands on your own terms.  It all came to a head a week prior to the mission you were supposed to go on with the entire team. You had been minding your business, really - barely sparing Garrick a glance as you went about your way to brew yourself a pot of coffee when you heard him muttering something under his breath. You ask him to repeat himself, and next thing you know is that both of you are screaming your heads off - him for your ‘insubordination’ and you for him being a major bag of dicks.  With defeat sagging your shoulders and a deep exhale to calm yourself down, you detach yourself from the scene, leaving the man behind to his own devices in the rec room. It’s a miracle you didn’t raise your fists against him - you’d certainly have ended up with a broken wrist had you not retreated like a poor prey with your tail between your legs. And Gaz would’ve ended up with a broken nose.  It was more astonishing that the angry cacophony of yelling had not summoned your captain to the scene of the crime. 

You hadn’t spoken to the man since then. 

He takes long strides towards the wash basin, and you are mere inches away from your superior - close enough to take note of the pensive look on his face, his eyebrows furrowed and enhancing his crow’s feet under the pathetic yellow glow of the shitty bulb-light illuminating the otherwise grim room. 

If this was a lighter moment, you’d have eased the tension by pressing between his eyebrows - massaging away his tension with a simple roll of your thumb against his skin. If you were not mortally wounded and your sergeant wasn’t pissed at you right now, you’d have cracked a joke at your expense to see him laugh, his chuckle warming you up like the flames that licked at your fingertips whenever you got close to the fire to cook at home. 

Unfortunately, this is not the moment for you to attempt to make merry. 

He slams down puts down the kit on the island, next to your thigh and you flinch at the sudden movement. Your skittering only seems to make your injuries sting worse, and you grab at your abdomen, groaning at the sudden pain that shoots through you. You look down at your clenched hands, and notice how the blood paints them red. Your eyes widen a little at the scene, your fingers shaking with tremors as you try to appear unfazed at the crimson staining your skin and your clothes. 

You are always surprised at the mortality you possess whenever you get a close brush with death, not knowing when it will be your last. 

Gaz opens the metallic box open, meticulously pulling out various instruments to put at his disposal - gauze, bandages, rubbing alcohol, sterilized needles, and sutures. He looks up at you, his eyes narrowing as he takes in your pained expression and your crimson fingertips twitching mid-air.

With a ticked jaw, he demands, “Take it off”. 

“W-What?” you mumble out the question, slightly confused at his sudden order. 

With a sigh, he repeats himself for you, “I said, take it off”. 

The blood loss, while not fatal, seems to be impairing you cognitively. 

Dumbly, you ask again, “Why?”

He rubs at his forehead in frustration, and you’re almost inclined to apologize for worrying him. You wish to run your nails through his curls, quietly pinching at his nape as you rest your forehead against his and beg him to forgive you for being such an idiotic mess. 

Instead, you lean against the tiled walls like a delirious fool, losing blood fast. 

Patiently, he explains to you, taking into account your slowing brain, “You need to get those wounds checked, don’t you now?”

You nod at him with pursed lips, not at all happy at your current predicament. You can try and refuse, and he’d only end up butting heads with you again. Or you can swallow up your pride, and let him fix you up - awkward as that might seem. 

“Let me see you, then”, he asks you, and the shake in his otherwise firm voice makes you comply. 

Silently, you unfasten the buttons of your military-issued uniform shirt with shaky fingers. 

One by one. 

One by one. 

One by one. 

Your fingers give up on the task just shy of the last two buttons of the garment, the tremors making it almost impossible for you to even steady your aching arm. 

“Shit, shit, shit”, you curse to yourself, your fingertips constantly missing the plastic buttons on the shirt despite your best efforts. Irked at your inability to master such a simple task, you cannot help the tears of irritation that well up in your eyes, blurring your vision and giving you a much harder time with something you could’ve been done with in seconds. 

Calloused hands touch yours, and you can feel your skin set ablaze at the fragility of the touch as you look into the eyes of your dear friend and coworker. Glassy eyes look into his dark ones, conveying every little thing you wish to tell him - anguish, yearning, guilt, remorse, and  love. 

Every little thing that you fail to put into words and speech because your mouth is suddenly very dry, as if you have swallowed cotton and your tongue is weighed down by a block of lead. 

He always made you feel so nervous. 

He calls out your name (it sounds so sweet, so pristine when he says it - he exhales out each syllable of your moniker in reverence, as if you were a prayer to be uttered with utmost vigilance and devotion) and you snap out of your thoughts - your ears heating up partly due to embarrassment and partly due to the sudden proximity you share with the man standing before you. 

“I’ll handle this, ‘k?” his fingers toy with your button, and you do not protest as he unbuttons the last few of them near the hem of your shirt, leaving the center of your torso exposed. The cotton fabric sticks to your skin, thanks to the oozing wound on your waist that you had been nursing in the bathroom for the past half hour or so. 

You feel bashful, and yet you do not have the energy to express it - your eyes feeling heavier with every blink and the deft fingers of your sergeant feel warm against your cold, pallid skin. You fight yourself to stay awake, not eager about sleeping with untreated injuries and the dizziness that plagues you due to blood loss. 

You feel him tap at your arms, and you raise them just high enough so that he can lower down the sleeves of your shirt and undress you, leaving you in nothing but in a pair of khaki pants and your plain black bra. This is the closest you have come to being nude around the man, and if you weren't in enough pain to want to shoot yourself in the foot for your stupidity, you’d have tried to cover yourself up with your hands at least. 

Sadly, all modesty flew out of the window the moment you decided to get hurt on the field. 

Sometimes, modesty seems to leave your brain whenever you’re around him too. 

Kyle observes you with narrowed eyes, assessing the damage you had accumulated because of him. A lapse in judgment on his part had resulted in him not keeping a close eye around him and almost taking a bullet to his head - had you not tackled the henchmen to the ground; the scuffle had ended when you had slit his throat with your favorite knife, but not before taking some injuries of your own. 

When he had asked you about it, you had shrugged it off at the moment, assuring him that whatever you are inflicted with is something you can handle just fine. 

Clearly that was a lie, if your bloodied body is anything to go by it. 

Your face bears a few nicks and cuts that have already ceased bleeding - nothing too bad. Your body from neck down, however, seems to be a macabre masterpiece. Purple and yellow bruises litter across your shoulders and love handles. There are a few cuts that are closed up with dried blood; some of them are long enough to warrant some surgical assistance for recovery. And then he takes into notice your bloodied waist - the gash still oozing with fresh blood. 

You probably got it from the henchmen who almost blew his head off. 

He cannot believe he had let you get hurt on his watch. And he chides himself even more for believing your lies so easily. 

He is still so angry. At you. At himself. 

He tears out a piece of gauze from the packet he had laid out beside you, before slowly soaking it in a generous amount of rubbing alcohol. Your shoulders tense at the implication, and Gaz notices. (Of course, he does. He always noticed everything when it came to you.)

“This one’s gonna sting” is all he says before he’s pressing the gauze against an open wound and you prevent the scream that works up your throat by biting your tongue, grinding your molars against the muscle and tasting iron in your mouth. 

Your body twitches like a wild livewire as Gaz tries his best to treat your wounds, barely giving you a warning before you can feel the alcohol burn into your skin. You do not scream, but your sensitivity to pain leads you to shed a few tears of agony as you wait it all out with baited breath.

“.....So fucking stupid”, you hear the sergeant grumble to himself in your haze as he cleans your wounds and every time the gauze touches your skin, you cannot help but inch away from his hands, unable to handle the painful aftermath. 

“Cannot believe…”

“You really had to-”

He cuts himself off before he could finish his sentences, or maybe your brain is on a gradual process of shutting down - making it harder with each passing moment to pay attention to what he has to say to you. Through your muddled thoughts, all you can decipher is that he sounds angry. 

He’s angry. 

You shift just a little, hoping to brace for the pain by moving away from it - your pain-addled brain making you believe that prolonging the contact with the rubbing alcohol would help you recuperate from the pain much better. It only made the wound in your side bleed more, the droplets of crimson flowing down your abdomen like an endless rivulet.  

Kyle notices that, and he quickly grabs you by your shoulders to stop you from moving too much. You squirm under his touch; his palms are far too hot for your freezing skin, and you’d have probably jumped at the impact, had it not been for the indestructible hold he has of you. 

“Stay still”, he commands you, and you stop any and all movement immediately. You’re not sure you wish to fire the fuel that has been ignited in him when he saw your injured body on the island slab of the basin. 

“That’s it, sweetheart”, he assures you, his hands playing with the tips of your hair to soothe you, and you can feel shivers run down your spine. It’s soothing, to still be able to feel and react to his touch as if it’s the first time. 

“It hurts”, you sob out to him, your hands itching to grab at the wound near your waist - desperate to put any pressure on it, to stop the red liquid from leaving you lifeless. You’re scared and it shows. 

You won’t die, not yet anyway. And that is the only comforting thought you can muster to hold onto. 

You won’t die, even if your insides scream from the agony it feels from all of its open wounds and the ache your relaxed muscles throb with incessantly. 

You feel like you’re dying, but God has favored you today yet again. 

You wonder if the reason is divine intervention or a divine curse haunting you. 

“I know, sweet thing. I do. You did so good out there, having my back, yeah?” he asks and you nod eagerly in response, hoping to make amends with Gaz just in case. 

Just in case you breathe your last right here right now. In case you have run out of favor with the unknown deity who has protected you all this time without you knowing. 

“I got this, okay? I got you”, he leaves a soft kiss on your forehead, murmuring the affirming words against your skin. You feel yourself lighten up just a little at the gesture, knowing that this was not only to console you, but his own peace offering to you for earlier. For every little transgression he had committed against you. 

For the fight. For everything. 

“I promise everything will be okay. I’ll take care of you.”, he assures you, and for a moment you have faith that you’d live through the pain if he’s the one tending to it. 

Note -

I saw Prompts 5, 14 and 15 on the list and I couldn't resist writing a 'tending to your beloved in the bathroom while they're sitting and you're standing in front of them' scenario. Also a long lost fan art of the bathroom scene between Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa is a huge inspiration for this fic. (I have the books but I haven't gotten around to reading them. I have seen clips of the show, and I regret not having Netflix. Also, the yearning between the two is immaculate and the fanart is like stuck in my head, so if anyone can find it and send it to me, I'd appreciate it a lot.)

This is my first time participating for an event (at least for this fandom and blog). I seldom do these challenges because I tend to procrastinate for too long and forget to write before the due date.

When I finally finished the initial edit of this fic this morning, I almost entertained the idea of extending this fic, maybe by writing a second part of this story and incorporating a few more prompts in the Gazfest. But I have way too many WIPs to pay attention to, an original manuscript I need to start working on (and another one I need to edit), and I need to prepare for my final year of college too - so this is all I can offer, I am afraid. Maybe I will write a continuation of this, maybe I will write things from Gaz's perspective, but I won't be able to finish it in time, I am afraid. But I hope you enjoyed reading it, just like I enjoyed writing it. :)

Also, nevermind the title. I suck at naming things and I suck with names - can never get it right anyway. (also the Taylor Swift song being used as a title was purely coincidental - I swear on it)

[4kills23deaths]

My Personal Milena Lore

Okay, so we know pretty much ZILCH about Milena in canon. Some things can be inferred (like there clearly being SOME KIND of positive relationship between her and Makarov) and we do know some things in a vague fashion (her husband was murdered), but we know very little that's CONCRETE.

So, under the read-more, please enjoy my ramblings about my special interest favourite character. None of this is canon, remember! Just conjecture.

Okay, so the first thing I have to mention is really to do with Makarov, and that's the fact that there is NO WAY that man was 43 in MWIII. No. Julian does not look a whole year older than my mother, and therefore neither does Vladimir.

So it's my belief that Makarov was born Vladimir Dmitriyevich Makarov on October 4th, 1989. Almost a month before, Milena was born Milena Viktorovna Volkova on September 10th, 1989. This makes both of them 34 at the time wherein MWIII takes place.

She was born to very rich parents - Diana Yuriyevna Volkova and Viktor Mikhailevich Volkov - and grew up in Moscow, just like Makarov.

Upon finishing school with very good grades, Milena decided to attend university. This is where she met one Boris Aleksievich Romanov through mutual friends at a party. The man was rich, with a lot of connections, and the two soon began to date.

Within two years - on October 12th, 2009 - Milena and Boris married and Milena became Milena Viktorovna Romanova. Milena was 20 years old at this time.

Four years later, on Februrary 28th, 2013, Makarov and Milena meet when she comes along with Boris to a meeting.

Boris proves to be decent-ish at first, but becomes a very neglectful husband after Milena turns 25, causing Milena to quickly become incredibly bitter. He spends a lot of his time away from home, leaving his wife to attend to his actual business - which she quickly acclimates to and becomes much better than him at. Whilst her husband is gambling and cheating (which Milena can verify as he uses the same funds he's supposed to give to Makarov and his cause), Milena begins forming a plan to get rid of her shitty, boring husband. In the years between Milena and Makarov's first introduction and when she begins to plan, the two had become good friends. This is where Milena realises that having her husband killed rather than divorcing him will have many benefits - and not just for her.

During one of Boris's 'business trips' (read: gambling sprees), Milena meets with Makarov and exposes all of Boris's recent embezzlement. This both discredits her husband and makes Milena look damn good. Irreplacable, even. Makarov agrees to help her kill Boris, on the condition that Milena formally replaces her husband as a financier to the ultranationalists. Let it never be said that this woman doesn't know how to twist things in her favour.

On June 10th, 2017, during a supposed 'business dinner' between Milena, Boris, and Makarov on Plutus Island, Boris is murdered. Makarov deals with the legal side of things. Work with me here, I don't know how it'd work but it just would.

Milena decides to keep her current name, feeling that she's outgrown the name Milena Volkova at this point. She keeps her wedding ring (which can be seen in the Oligarch mission) as a 'fuck you' to the man who wasted eight years of her life.

Milena is thriving at this point. The personal and business relationship between her and Makarov grows ever more positive.

On April 6th, 2019, Vladimir Makarov is arrested during his terrorist attack on Verdansk. He's sent to Zordaya - this is canon.

During this time, Milena is able to, in Makarov's words 'build an army' - this is, of course, the PMC Konni Group. She works with Ivan Alexxeve and Andrei Nolan for the most part.

She brokers a deal between Las Almas Cartel and Konni Group to get hold of chemical weapons, as seen in (I believe) MWII. This is one of many things that I, sleep-deprived as I am, cannot remember the extent of, but I know are canon.

On November 10th, 2023, Vladimir Makarov is busted out of prison and returns to lead Konni Group.

On the evening of November 12th, 2023, Milena Romanova's island is raided by Task Force 141 in order to gain information on both Makarov's/Konni Group's finances and Makarov's whereabouts. With her security shot dead and her house shot up, Milena gives up Makarov's location.

(Side note: say what you will, but I think this was entirely reasonable of her. Milena's biggest motivation is her money, and she was scared as shit of losing it. But that's not all. As a fellow woman, I cannot begin to imagine the visceral terror I would feel if I were in her situation - alone on an island with nobody to immediately call for help, with two absolutely massive army men who don't exactly wish her well. We, the players, know that Ghost and Soap are protagonists and morally decent enough, but Milena does not. Anything could've happened, and I imagine that scared the shit out of her.)

Now, this is where we reach pure speculation.

We can infer that Makarov and Milena have a positive relationship - in the Praise and Punishment cutscene, Milena is the only one to call him by his given name. Critically, it can be noted that she's the only one in the whole game to be received well by Makarov when she does this. Makarov seems a very tactile man from what we see in this cutscene - most likely as a way to build loyalty - but there is a clear note of mutual respect in this cutscene between the two. She's clearly quite important - she stands pretty much by his side for the remainder of the cutscene.

All of that is to say this: Makarov seems to have dealt with Milena's betrayal in a manner uncommon to him. We see what happens when someone displeases Makarov - he shot Ivan in front of his soldiers to make an example. However, when Makarov speaks to Andrei after torturing one of Shadow Company's men, he mentions that (paraphrasing here) 'if [TF141] can get to Milena, they can get to any of us'.

He's giving her an awful lot of grace. Not cursing her. Not insisting she's hunted down or executed. He's making excuses.

Additionally, the mission after Oligarch (called Highrise) takes place 16 hours after. The cutscene for it takes place some point the night before Highrise begins. This means that Makarov found out about what happened (most likely from Milena herself calling) between 1 and 10 hours after. Remember - Milena was the only one allied with Konni who survived Oligarch. Only she would've known.

I believe that Milena is undoubtably still alive, and if (wishful thinking) we see her in MWIV, she and Makarov may still be allied.

I also believe, very strongly, that there is something between Vladimir Makarov and Milena Romanova. It may be romantic, it may be platonic, but he clearly gives a shit about her in a situation where it'd make a lot more sense for him to write her off as a traitor.

And I find that utterly fascinating.

[kierancaz]

So something I noticed when I was watching itsv and atsv that Uncle Aaron’s apartment in the movies is different. Like 42 Aaron’s isn’t just decorated different it’s a whole different place.

…. I may be watching these movies to much but ANYWAY here’s something that’s I noticed.

- do in itsv Aaron has a sword collection. He has I think two different racks and one of them is just katanas.

- in atsv he still has his swords but he also has many many more weapons on display and also a huge tire that’s just up against the wall.

- in itsv his apartment is… like an actual apartment. In atsv I think it’s some type of warehouse loft? At least that’s what I got from all the windows and through the windows you can see the Brooklyn bridge so wherever that place in it’s by the water.

- the kitchen setup is basically the same and I think they did that to fool you. This is NOT the same place, but if you’re not paying close attention you might think it is because you do get a decent look at 1610 Aaron’s kitchen and then he’s posed in front of it again in earth 42 and you can see he has the same pans hanging up and the same island.

- 42 Aaron also has an upstairs? When the camera first pans to Prowler Miles when he’s up on the crossbeam (support beam?) you can see stairs to his left that lead somewhere upstairs. (I wonder if 42 Miles just climbed the stairs and then got up onto the beam that way to be all dramatic when 1610 Miles woke up lol. Did Aaron help him with this? Did they plan out this dramatic reveal before 1610 Miles woke up? Lol)

- 42 Aaron’s place is just. Bigger. And decked out like a villain lair. Idk what to say but he has like chains and weapons literally all over the place it looks so evil but so cool. 1610 Aaron’s place seems like just a cool place to chill with all the plants and the neon sign behind the couch. I’m not even sure if 42 Aaron has a couch in that place. (He does have like barstool chairs at the island in the kitchen tho)

- and also, not really an apartment detail about his place but on the radio you hear what I’m assuming is J. Jonah Jameson talking about the Sinister Six Cartel. Which I’ve seen other people mention but haven’t really actually talked about. I wonder if they’re gonna show up in beyond the spiderverse? I think that would be cool and like why would they plant that little seed if not to use it for smth in the future sooo

Ok yah that’s all I have to say about 1610 and 42 Aaron’s apartments besides that they both look super cool in different ways and I want to hang out in both apartments at least once. (I may add to this if I notice something else or if I get my hands on some screenshots. Google and Pinterest are both failing me rn but at the same time ik not everyone is screenshotting every single frame of these movies so ig that job will be up to me 😕)

[jonasemanuelhp]

África

Propuesta para cartel anunciador del carnaval de Ingenio 2024.

No ha resultado ganador

[theresnosafeharbor4myships]

Fandom: Person of Interest, Careese Title: An Unexpected Tradition

“I’ll call if I need help,” John assured Joss, walking towards her front door. He could hear her footsteps trailing him and nearly groaned.

“John.” She said his name like a command, and knowing what he’d find, he turned to face her as he opened the door to the frigid night, a stark contrast to the warmth of the woman before him. “Be careful,” she implored, concern written on her face.

He nodded as his eyes darted over her shoulder towards the back door where Taylor entered the house.

“Mr. Badass!” the boy greeted, a wide smile on his face as he took off his jacket and moved to hang it in the hall closet.

John gave him an easy smile. “Hey, Taylor.”

“You just get here?”

“No, heading out.” He moved closer to the threshold, needing to leave before the look on Joss’s face made him change his mind about chasing after his numbers alone.

She’d tried convincing him to call Shaw in on this most recent pursuit, given he was tracking three ex-military perpetrators. But Finch had Shaw trailing one of the leaders of the Russian mob out on Long Island—and he’d fought off more than a trio of enemies too many times to count to be concerned for his own safety.

But the woman had a hold on him in ways he’d never planned for. If it wouldn’t put her in unnecessary danger, he’d take her up on her offer to join him, if only to erase the distress from her brow. God knew he craved her presence enough, wanted any excuse to spend more time with her—and alone. A dangerous prospect to be sure, but it hardly mattered when, despite the December night air at his back, his temperature rose as she sidled closer to him, worry still evident on her face.

He inched towards his exit. Damn if she wasn’t a beautiful distraction. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was trying to render him powerless. How she managed to look both apprehensive and longingly at him confounded him. And left him weak. He had to leave now—before he couldn’t without dragging her along with him.

“You can’t leave yet,” Taylor entreated, bringing him back to the moment at hand and leaving him wondering if the kid could read minds.

John didn’t trust himself to speak, and he and Joss simultaneously turned to look at Taylor.

A lilt of amusement crossed the teen’s face before he explained. “You and mom are standing under the mistletoe.”

John’s eyes darted to Joss, who gave Taylor a quizzical look, before they both glanced up at the sprig of green with a red ribbon around it, hanging on the door frame above them.

John had been trained to keep all emotion locked and hidden away, to never reveal a weakness by the look on his face or express what he felt inside. And he’d never felt more grateful for his training than this moment as heat washed through him, the idea of touching her, kissing her, an alluring prospect he could barely have hoped for. He’d faced cartels, murderers, assassins, friends-turned-foes, and death, but none of them left him as defenseless as the idea of kissing Joss—right here, right now—did.

Their eyes met briefly, but Joss turned quickly back to Taylor.

“Now where did that come from?” she asked in her best interrogator’s voice, though he heard a strain of an emotion he couldn’t name hiding in there, too.

Taylor smiled sheepishly. “I put it up last night before Brittany came over.”

Joss smiled in spite of herself. “Taylor,” she tried to scold, but it came out sounding half amused.

“It worked!” he stated proudly, even as his cheeks tinged red.

Joss couldn’t be too mad. He’d told her about his crush on Brittany a few months ago, and he’d invited the girl over for several study dates. She was polite, smart, and respectful, and Taylor’s grade in science had actually improved with their collaboration. It hurt Joss’s heart in the best way to see him growing up so fast, but if the worst he was going to do was strategically plan to kiss a girl under the mistletoe, she’d take it.

Her son was a little Casanova. And now he was playing at matchmaking. Had she revealed something to him? Let her inconvenient attraction to John bleed through when Taylor occasionally asked about him? She couldn’t recall ever letting her guard slip. It was bad enough she wondered what hugging her nonexistent vigilante would be like. What kissing him, touching him, laying next to him at night, having his hands on her skin would feel like. She didn’t need her son in the mix thinking the two of them together was a good idea.

Joss side-eyed Taylor, but he ignored her cautionary look.

“You know what that means,” Taylor practically sing-songed. “It’s tradition.”

“Taylor.” She used her best warning voice this time, and most people would have cowered. But not her son.

If John’s heart hadn’t settled in his throat at the prospect before him, he’d have smiled in spite of himself. He could thank Taylor later for this little interlude: the boy’s cheekiness, the interplay between mother and son, watching Joss be a mom–a side of her he rarely got to see—and a viable reason to kiss her.

“You’re not afraid, are you?” Taylor goaded his mom with the inherent smugness all teens seemed to possess.

If she wasn’t, John most certainly was. He’d told himself for months now that the skip his heart did when her name flashed across his phone screen was most certainly not because he wanted her, that he’d tease any asset the way he did her (despite the fact he never had before with anyone else. Ever.), that the lingering looks she sometimes pinned him with didn’t reach down into his soul, that her smile didn’t climb into his heart and take residence there, spurring him on to make it happen more often, that he didn’t wish with his every breath that he was an honorable, upright, living citizen for her, that the thought of losing her vacuumed the air right out of his lungs.

Oh yes, John Reese was most certainly afraid. Of Joss Carter, of her hold on him, of how much he’d let himself care for her. And certainly of the idea of kissing her. Because he knew he’d never want to stop.

He stared at her, his heart pounding so loudly it blurred everything around them. Could she hear it? Did she know he’d thought of kissing her senseless a thousand times in myriad ways? Did she want him to? Would she let him?

God, she was beautiful. The passion behind everything she did, the convictions she lived out every day, how much she loved her son, her heart as big as the sky, how strong and independent she was, the way she cared about people, loners, losers, the unseen, and the powerful alike. Her soft brown skin, the wave of her hair framing her face, the delicate curve of her cheeks, those big brown eyes he sometimes drowned in, the hourglass shape of her, those delectable lips.

Joss raised one eyebrow in defiance of her son and wondered what John thought of her ornery offspring and his antics. She turned to look at him, her nerves shot at the prospect of kissing him. Anyone else and she would’ve outright refused, brushing the notion off with a trite laugh and blaming Taylor and his immature sense of humor. But truthfully...she wanted to kiss John. Had for a lot longer than she’d let herself admit.

The man drove her to frustration more often than not—but he also drove her to utter distraction with the way he ambled around, all lean muscle, smug charm, protective compassion, flirtatious smiles, and sex appeal. She nearly groaned at the opportunity before her.

She stared up at him. Though his expression hadn’t changed, his eyes were softer but his body more tense. He shuffled closer to her, and her heart skipped.

“You don’t have to,” she found herself stupidly saying on a quiet breath. She wanted to kick herself but also refused to make him feel obligated. Just because she wanted this didn’t mean he did. And how humiliating would that be, to have him woodenly kiss her because of some stupid custom while she drooled and fantasized about it? She had no doubt he’d leave her in a satisfied but mortified puddle on the floor.

John’s gaze darted to her lips before he met her eyes again, and the air suddenly sizzled with electricity. “It’s tradition,” he murmured, mesmerized, slowly leaning towards her.

Joss swallowed hard at the hungry, heated look in his eyes. “Tradition,” she whispered in agreement just before her eyes dropped closed and his lips touched hers.

She’d imagined this happening any number of ways: him ravishing her, both of them unable to contain their passion; him seducing her with slow, methodical movements; catching her off guard like a trained predator with his prey; a dawning revelation of surprise, desperation, and hunger; a sweet and tender moment of romance. But this...this was something altogether different—and more potent.

His kiss, soft and tentative, sent her heart thundering wildly as goosebumps flowed down her arms. He teased her lips, first languishing, then slowly increasing the pressure until she thought she’d go mad with want. She was both drowning and soaring with sensations as she moved closer to him, her hands coming up to lay flat against his chest. He moaned softly into her mouth, the sound sending a surge of hunger through her, for him, for so much more. The man was a menace, driving her crazy on good days and nearly making her feral now.

Somewhere, John heard Taylor clearing his throat, and he knew he should stop. Should never have let this happen, never have let a teenage boy goad them into making out under the mistletoe. But he couldn’t pull away from her, not now that he knew what this felt like, not when she’d just leaned into him, allowing him to kiss her more ardently, needing to have her closer.

And when Joss didn’t respond to Taylor’s attempted interruption, John followed suit, ignoring all but the feeling of her lips moving with his.

“I’ve got homework,” he was vaguely aware of Taylor muttering awkwardly as his footsteps sounded up the stairs. “See ya, John.”

Now that they were alone, John kissed her properly, slipping his tongue out to touch hers as Joss’s hands slid around his neck. She pressed into him, and her groan had him cinching his arms around her and pulling her flush against him. He couldn’t get enough, wanted nothing more than to close the door behind him and spend hours right here, touching her, holding her, loving her. She was soft and willing and in his arms and letting him kiss her, and he thought he must be dreaming.

Joss eventually pulled away enough to rest her forehead against his, and John tried to catch his breath and calm his heart, his hands resting on her hips. She still stood there before him, not a fantasy or a daydream, but in the flesh—soft, curvy, feminine, tempting flesh—her hands around his neck, her fingers scraping sensuous tracks along his hairline.

“John.” She whispered his name, and despite the fact that it sounded like the soundtrack to every dream he’d ever had of her, he feared she’d send him away, regretting the best Christmas gift he’d ever received.

“I know you have to go, but…” She sounded breathless, and his own breath paused, waiting to hear the rest of that sentence. “I’ll be waiting right here when you’re done.”

He withdrew to stare at her, his heart thundering hard in his chest. Her lips were pink from his kisses, eyes full of desire, cheeks a little rosier than usual. “Promise?” He heard the slight tremble in his own voice, the desperation behind the single word, and marveled that she could reduce him to such a state.

Her hand came up to cup his face, her thumb running twice over his cheekbone. “If you come to the front door, I’ll be right here to meet you for round two.”

John couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his face to meet the flirtatious and cheeky challenge on her own. “Front door it is,” he pledged, and it was hands-down the easiest vow he’d ever made.

Her face turned serious, and he knew he had to leave. But damn, she made it difficult. “I’ll be careful,” he promised before she could reiterate the request. “I’ll see you soon.”

Joss nodded, and John stared at her a moment longer, then gave her a lingering peck—an amazing fortification against the harsh world he was about to step back into—and walked resolutely out the door and away from her, before he couldn’t leave at all.

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