#for now i really wanna finish the first draft of Egg Fic by the close of the month

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

Tonight on 'things I am doing instead of going to bed when I should be (10:30pm)': beefing up the Writer's Commentaries on my Dreamwidth

[daydreaming-nerd]

Moon River (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: Bucky has a nightmare and the reader hears him and comes to take care of him the only way she can think of.

Warnings: Nightmare, bucky has a panic attack, shy bucky, friends to lovers, tooth rotting fluff, like guys the end is so fluffy I can’t let me tell you this a feel good story. 

an: here’s an old draft I’ve been saving for a rainy day. It’s inspired by Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Here’s the inspo for this whole fic. 

It was just another night at the tower. My bare feet padded across the cold hardwood floor towards the kitchen to fill up my water cup. As I was waiting for my glass to fill I looked out at the city lights. Most people prefer mountains and valleys but I’ve always preferred the twinkling lights on the black sky. 

As if on queue I heard a scream coming from one of the rooms. A scream that was so loud I could feel it go through my ears and down my spine causing my body to shudder.

I ran as fast as I could towards the rooms. It didn’t take me long to realize it was coming from Bucky’s room. When I threw open the door I expected at least a dozen intruders and one very injured Bucky, but instead I found him thrashing around in his bed screaming so loud his throat must feel like sand paper. 

I ran over to him and immediately tried to wake him up.

“Bucky! Bucky wake up!” I screamed shaking his shoulders. “BUCKY WAKE UP ITS JUST A DREAM!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

All of the sudden he woke up and before I could even ask him if he was okay he started to panic. Shaking and crying he latched onto me burying his head in my chest. His rapid breaths hitting the neckline of my tank top. 

I would be completely lying if it said I knew exactly what to do in this situation. I had never talked to Bucky before now. If it wasn’t for my close friendship with Steve I’m sure he wouldn’t even know my name. Never the less we were practically strangers, yet here he sat clinging to me like I was the first human he had seen in ten years. I thought hard and fast about what always relaxes me. I started by lying down on my back so he was lying on top of me. Immediately after my brain ran to a song from my favorite move and I figured there was no way I could make it any worse. As I begun to sing I ran my hand up and down his back in a soothing manner. 

Moon river, wider than a mile

I'm crossing you in style some day.

Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker

Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way

Two drifters, off to see the world

There's such a lot of world to see.

We're after the same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend

My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me...

Almost as soon as it had all started it ended. Bucky sat fast asleep on top of me and I didn’t dare move. I would get up earlier in the morning to avoid the awkwardness. 

----------------------------

When I woke up the next morning I totally missed my mark. I sat in an empty bed where Bucky used to be. I sighed and walked out into the kitchen. There he was at the stove making scrambled eggs. My favorite mug was sitting on the counter filled with coffee. 

“Hi” Bucky said shyly turning around to put his eggs on a plate.

“Hi,” I said back. 

“I uh- I made you some coffee,” he said nodding towards my mug immediately casting his head down as if I were about to disapprove of the gesture.

“Thank you,” I said sitting down with it.

A silence ensued. Both of us knew what had happened last night but neither of us wanted to say anything. I wanted to tell him it was okay and that my heart went out to him. That he could always come to me. But the fact that we were still technically strangers silenced me. 

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be it happens to everyone,” I said.

“Not as frequently though,” he said sadly.

“Well don’t be ashamed, I know you don’t really know me but I’m always here for you if you need it,” 

“Thank you,” he said with a small smile.

I have to admit part of me hoped he would want to see me again.

--------------------------- 

The next time I heard from Bucky Barnes was when I got back from my run to find pink peonies sitting on my nightstand with a note scribbled in his handwriting.

I’m sorry again...thank you y/n.

-Bucky

I immediately changed and walked to the gym where I saw him training before I left. He has just finished up and was leaving.

“Thank you for the flowers,” I said.

“Oh-oh you’re welcome,” he said bashfully a red tint coming to his cheeks.

“I had to know,” I started “How did you know pink peonies were my favorite?” 

“I uh- I asked Steve,” He said scratching the back of his neck “Sorry thats probably really creepy” he added embarrassed. 

“No it’s not creepy, it’s sweet,” I said with a smile before walking towards the showers.

“Hey y/n can I ask you something?” Bucky said.

“Yes of course,”

“What was that song last night?” He said

“It’s called Moon River, it’s from my favorite movie Breakfast At Tiffany’s” I replied.

“Moon river,” he repeated to himself “I’ll remember that” he said walking towards his room.

---------------------------

I didn’t hear from Bucky for three days after that. I had assumed that all was well until one night I was woken up by F.R.I.D.A.Y around 4am 

“Miss l/n, it appears Mr. Barnes is in a high amount of distress. He is requesting your presence in his room.” 

I threw off my covers and ran straight to his room. When I got there I expected to see him in the middle of another bad dream but instead he just sat straight up on his bed still semi tucked into the covers wearing only an old pair of sweats. He let out a sniffle and when I sat down next to him I could tell that he had not slept since the last time I spoke to him. 

I reached my hand out to cup his face and he leaned into my touch and looked at me with the saddest eyes in the world. I got up and sat on his lap and pulled him into my chest thinking I could hug all the sad out of him. 

“What happened?” I asked running a hand through his hair.

“I thought I could just listen to the song and it would put me to sleep that way I wouldn’t bother you. But it’s not the same if you don’t sing it to me,” He said wrapping his arms around me to keep me put. 

“Come here,” I said lying down just like I did the first night and began singing to him.

When I was sure he was sound asleep I tried to wiggle out of his grasp so he could sleep more soundly. I almost succeeded when I felt Bucky stir.

“Please don’t go,” he said half asleep.

If there was one thing I couldn’t say no to it was Bucky Barnes.

So I climbed back into his bed and he instantly wrapped his arm around me only to rip it away.

“What’s wrong Buck?” I said.

“My metal arm. I don’t wanna hurt you,” he said sadly already turning around to face away from me.

“You won’t hurt me Buck I promise,” I said grabbing his metal arm and pulling him towards me again. 

He didn’t protest he just rolled back over and wrapped his metal arm around me. The vibranium was cold but I didn’t mind because it reminded me that Bucky was with me. 

--------------------------------

I woke up the next morning with the light of the sun on my face. I could hear Bucky’s steady breathing behind me. I peaked behind me to find he was still asleep.

I started getting out of bed only to have his hand clench around my waist. I giggled to myself and slowly pried his hand off getting out of bed. I stopped to look at him. He was so peaceful, this way despite the small look of disapproval that had subconsciously took over his face when I wiggled away from his grasp. I tip toed into the kitchen to start making breakfast. 

I was on my last Mickey Mouse shaped pancake when I heard a familiar voice.

“I feel like I should be the one making you breakfast,” Bucky said walking towards the plate of bacon next to me and the stove. 

“You had a rough night last night, and besides I felt like making Mickey pancakes,” I replied.

I put a plate together and handed it to him.

“Thanks doll,” he said blushing.

He sat down at the counter and all of the sudden the name he had just given me had sunk in leaving butterflies in my stomach.

“Doll?” I questioned.

“I’m uh... I’m sorry it slipped,” He said getting flustered. 

“Don’t be sorry I liked it,” I smiled setting down my plate across from his. 

I started eating a piece of bacon and then he got his courage to speak again.

“This is really good,” he started “Thank you again”

“Don’t mention it, I’d never pass up the opportunity to make Mickey pancakes. Disney is kinda my thing,” 

“I remember when Snow White came out, Bambi too. I always liked Bambi better.” he said before taking another bite.

“Bambi is one of my favorite’s as well. You know when you go to an art gallery and look at a painting and try to imagine the world inside of it and the story inside that world? That’s what I think watching Bambi is like.” I said.

“I never thought of it like that,” he said.

We both shoved another enormous bite on our mouths

“You know, I’ve never actually seen Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” he confessed.  

“It’s an older movie, not as old as you, but old” I joked.

“Ouch,” he smiled.

“Don’t worry Barnes, you look pretty good for an old man,” I said with a wink putting my plate in the sink and walking towards my room. “8 o’clock tonight” 

“8 o’clock tonight for what?” he asked.

“Watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s of course!”

-----------------------------------

From that night forward I had fallen head over heels for the soldier. Something about him just pulled me in and made me feel safe, made me feel like I had come home after being gone for years. We did everything together but Bucky was still shy with me at times. Never really opening up just always there beside me. The team made fun of him calling him my shadow. I never faulted him for it though. He might’ve been the one to always come find me and ask me what I was up to but in reality I was the one always hoping he would. Most nights he could make it through without needing me to save him from a nightmare but whenever he did I was always there to sing Moon River to him.

Two months passed and another one of my birthdays had arrived faster than I wanted it to. I was never a fan of birthdays. For me the whole experience was terribly awkward. Which would explain as to why I never let the team know. 

I had gone most of the day being able to avoid everyone just in case, but I knew at some point a certain soldier would be knocking at my door and honestly I didn’t mind.

When that quiet little knock finally did come though I told him to come in. He walked in holding a box wrapped in yesterdays newspaper.

“Happy Birthday doll,” he said  sitting down on the bed next to me handing me the box.

“Oh Bucky you shouldn’t have” I said giving him a hug. 

“Natasha said I should’ve used prettier wrapping paper but I didn’t even know how to wrap a present let alone how to make it pretty and I really hope that’s okay-” he rambled.

“shhhh Bucky I love it already,” I said starting to tear the newspaper off. 

Once I got all the paper off I opened the package and inside was a silver box shaped like a heart. 

“Oh Bucky it’s-”

“I wanted to give you something from Tiffany but I couldn’t afford it,”He said sadly. “So I did the next best thing,” he said insinuating for me to open the box.

I lifted the silver lid and music started to play. It was a music box, a music box that played Moon River. The inside of the lid was engraved, it said ‘For my best girl’ 

Tears started to fill my eyes. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.

“What is it doll? Do you not like it?” Bucky said anxiously.

“In all my years, no ones ever given me such a beautiful and thoughtful gift. Bucky I absolutely love it,” I said letting a few tears fall down my face. 

“y/n, I love you,” He blurted out.

“Bucky I-” 

“Wait that’s not on my script,” he started “y/n I love you. I love how you can never make regular pancakes because you think it’s a waste of batter to not make them look like Mickey Mouse. I love how you make me feel like I’m the only person in the world. I love how I miss you even when you’re just down the hall. I love how you help me understand technology without being condescending. I love how soft your skin is and how you always smell like vanilla and strawberries. I love how calm your voice is and how beautiful you look when the sunrises and you’re still asleep. I love how you always feel like home to me even when I haven’t felt that feeling since 1945. I love how two months ago when you heard me screaming you came in and took care of me even though you didn’t even know me. And I just- I love you! And I know I don’t deserve you and I know you must think I’m a fool, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.” he said.

“Bucky, I love you too.” I smiled

“You do?” he asked stunned at my response. 

“Of course I do! How could I not?” I laughed 

“You’re not just saying this to make me happy right?”

“No Bucky I really do love you,” I beamed.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked.

“You better!”

Without another word he grabbed the back of my neck and connected our lips. It was everything I ever wanted it to be. He was soft and gentle, every word he said to me came to life in that kiss as his lips moved against mine. Before things got too heated we pulled apart.

“You’re mine?” He said pressing his forehead to mine smiling. 

“All yours Barnes,” I said sealing my promise with a kiss.

PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT IF YOU LIKED IT! GETTING A FEEDBACK FROM YOU GUYS IS THE REASON I WRITE! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I LOVED WRITING IT! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! THANK YOU! STAY SAFE AND STAY HEALTHY <3

[bourbonboredom]

A Reason To Believe Chapter 11

Being an undercover officer is a perilous job and Flip Zimmerman knows this far too well. He keeps his romantic life limited to one-night stands, never letting anyone get too close. That all starts to change when he meets a vivacious Jewish woman named Elle just as he’s about to take on a seriously dangerous undercover job; infiltrating the KKK. Elle and his undercover work make him question things he’d never thought to before and challenge him to see the world, and himself, in a whole new light.

A Flip x OC Fic

Word Count: 3,817

Warnings: none

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled

It's been a long time since I did the Stroll

Oh let me get it back let me get it back

Let me get it back baby where I come from

(x)

The shrill ring of an alarm clock awoke the couple on Sunday morning. Elle's hand shot out from under the covers, frantically trying to turn it off. After a few seconds of fumbling and silent cursing, the alarm ceased it's screeching. Peaceful silence filled the small bedroom of her apartment, and for a moment he thought of just drifting back off.

He was persuaded out of this thought as he felt a pair of lips press to his neck and a few stray curls tickling his cheek.

"Time to get up," Her voice was full of sleep.

"But it's so warm here," He responded, wrapping his arms around her naked waist.

"I know, I wanna stay too, but we've got work to do," She laughed as he nuzzled his nose with hers.

"We could hold class here, I could teach you a few things while still under the covers," He teased, his calloused hands running further down her body.

"Babe," She half-scolded him, biting back a laugh as his beard tickled her neck as he kissed her.

"I know," He sighed dramatically, letting her break from his hold. The two crawled out of bed, their bodies tensing when greeted with the chilly morning air.

She walked to the bathroom while he retrieved a pair of sweatpants from his bag. He was unfolding them when he felt a sharp smack across his rear. He turned to see her smiling up at him, toothbrush in her mouth.

"Can you blame me?" She asked.

He answered by grabbing a handful of hers before giving her a light smack.

"Brush your teeth, dear," He smiled back. She rolled her eyes but retreated back to the bathroom.

He finished getting dressed, a grey t-shirt from his boot camp days and a pair of sneakers that didn't get much use other than working out in the minuscule station gym.

He switched places with Elle, brushing his teeth and slashing some water on his hair while she got dressed.

He met her in the kitchen, where she was pulling out a frying pan and a carton of eggs. She was wearing a blue tracksuit and a N.O.W. New York chapter t-shirt with a pair of converse.

"Scrambled or Over Easy?" She called to him.

"Over Easy," He answers, grabbing the orange juice from the fridge and throwing a few slices of bread into the toaster.

He retrieved the morning paper from the hallway while she turned on the radio. The voice of Carole King drifted from the speakers and filled the kitchen as she cracked the eggs into the pan.

He retrieved the newly toasted bread and set it on the table. He grabbed some plates from the cabinet and held them out so Elle could scoop the eggs on to them. They sat at the table together, her feet in his lap.

He read from the morning paper as they ate, with her adding commentary every once in a while.

"Election Day is coming up, they seem to be writing about it like Nixon was already re-elected,” He shared, absentmindedly moving the egg around in his plate.

"Ugh, I hope not. He's kept us in this war for too long," She scoffed.

"He's been pulling troops out though, it sounds like he is ending it soon,"

"This close to Election Day?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "We'll see what he does after the 8th,"

"So you're for McGovern then?" He asked, putting the paper down so he could finish eating.

"I mean I was hoping Chisholm was gonna be the democratic candidate but McGovern seems pretty strong too," She explained. "Chisholm was an assemblywoman in New York City, did some great stuff there. And it would have been cool to see a black woman as president,"

"Do you think America would be ready for that?" He asked.

"Probably not, but times are changing. I hope to see at least one in my lifetime," She finished her orange juice and poured another glass. "In the meantime, McGovern would end the war, he's been against it since the beginning. No offense to you of course,"

"None taken. I went because it seemed expected of me. Military family and all. And I probably would have been drafted if I'd waited," He explained. "I was 18, didn't really know what was going on, just that I was going to help those in need,"

"And once you were there?" She asked. He realized that he'd never really talked about his service with her before. He could see now the contained curiosity in her face, like she'd been wanting to ask but was unsure of his to brooch the topic.

"I didn't really know why we were there. We didn't seem to be doing much. I barely saw any action. We mostly were in the jungle, keeping watch and being bored. Probably one of the reasons why we came back so quickly,"

"I heard much different stories in college. Not that I don't believe you, but protesters always made it seem like you guys were slaughtering innocent people everyday,"

"I didn't experience that in my time, but I've heard other stories from other people. Some just won't talk about it at all, they freeze up. I don't think anyone really wants to stay though,"

"So you don't think we should be there?" She asked. He paused, thinking about it.

"I don't know if my opinion matters. They aren't going to pull out of Vietnam just because I have an opinion,"

"I think it matters. You were in the thick of it, your opinion probably matters the most. You fought in a highly controversial war that's still going on, and came home to a very divided country. There's protests and media coverage, it's almost impossible to not have an opinion at this point," She stated.

He ran his hands over her feet in his lap. He knew she had strong opinions, he appreciated it. But he didn't himself. He pushed any thoughts of being in Vietnam out of his head, didn't want to think about it. She was making him consider it.

"As I said, I'm not sure if what we're doing over there is helping. Nixon says he's pulling out troops, which is probably for the best. We could be using that money back home,"

"Yeah I think so too," She said quietly. He went back to eating and she poked him with one of her feet a moment later.

"Hey," She called. He looked back up at her. "Thanks for talking to me about your service, I know it must have been hard. And you know that I love you no matter what, right?"

"Yeah," He smiled, tickling the bottom of her foot, making her squeak. "And I love you even if you’re going to protests and making my job harder,"

"Peace and love man," She put up the V symbol with her fingers.

"Just don't run off and become a Hare Krishna. You can't pull off bald," He gets up and kisses her forehead. They both laugh.

"It's almost nine, do you want to start heading over?" She asked him, clearing the table after they were done eating.

"Yeah, let's go," He agreed, helping her set the plates into the sink. He'd volunteered to do dishes later.

They got into his car and drove towards the station. The streets were quiet, with most of the shops being closed for the day.

"Everyone must be in church," She noted, staring out the window as they drove.

"Yeah, it's pretty quiet out here on Sunday mornings," He noted.

"It was like that in Indiana too," She said, "New York was never quiet. Someone was always out and about. And I lived in a pretty diverse neighborhood so we had a lot of different religions around,"

"They do say it's the city that never sleeps," He mused.

"Something always seemed to be going on. Buffalo too, to a lesser extent. That’s were I wen to college upstate,” After a beat of silence she switched topics.

“I took a self defense class when I was home on break once. There was a studio offering a women-only class uptown,"

"Did you ever wind up needing to use them?"

"No, I was pretty fortunate that way. And at home I was always with my brother or friends so no one really bothered me,"

"So you gotta be a little rusty then. I want you to show me what you learned when we get inside," He instructed. "I want to see what I'm working with,"

"I think you've seen what you're working with," She teased, running a hand up his thigh as they pulled into the precinct parking lot.

"You really are trouble," He sighed, cutting the engine and ignoring the pressure building. "Save that for later, we got work to do,"

"You love it," She whispered, pulling him into a kiss by the collar of his jacket. She leaned over the seat to reach him better. Her hands wandered down his chest before settling near the fly of his jeans. Before she could go any further he ran his hand over the polyester covering her ass and gave her a quick smack.

"That's enough," He murmured, his voice pitching low enough to send vibrations through his chest. "Let's get inside, we've got a lot to cover,"

She smiled at him and touched her nose to his before climbing out the passengers side. They walked quickly into the station, getting out of the frigid morning air. The buzz of the fluorescent lights hummed above them as they walked down the deserted halls. Flip explained that the station wasn't as busy on Sunday's, especially first thing in the morning. A lot of the guys were at church or home with their families. Who was left was mostly newbies scattered between the office and patrol duty.

He led her to a room near the back of the station, holding the door open for her before flicking on the light. It was a mid-sized room with a few mats on the floor and a punching bag hanging in the corner.

"It's not much, but it's useful to brush up on stuff from time to time," He explains.

The musty smell of the room hits his nose and he tries to ignore it. They throw their coats by the door and walk to the center of the room.

"So what's first, coach?" Elle asked, pulling her curls out of her face with a hair tie. They settled in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, remaining as unruly as always.

"First, tell me what you know," He stood in front of her, hands on his hips.

"Well, its mostly ju jitsu," She explained. "It was a lot of using other people's strength to your advantage. Like if someone is trying to punch you you can use that arm to launch yourself away from them,"

"How so?" He was genuinely curious, he hadn't heard of this technique.

"Put your arm out like you're coming at me," She instructed, her body positioning itself for action.

He stood there, unsure of how much force he should use. He didn't want to accidentally hurt her.

"You can just do a slowed down punch if that helps," She offered.

He complied, throwing a gentle punch her way, just far enough away that his fist wouldn't connect. She grabbed his extended wrist with her left hand and put her right hand under his armpit, using his force to propel herself past him. He hadn't fully registered that she was behind him when he felt a nudge on the back of his knees.

"From here I could get a good head start on running away, or I could attack you. Maybe knock out your knees, or kick you in the balls, something that would throw you off," She explained, moving back in front of him while she let her fingers trail across his waist.

"That's good," He praises. Elle was a small woman, she was decently strong but still on the easier side to overpower. She would have a lot better chance to get out of a situation by doing moves like that.

"What else you got?"

"I can fuck up your wrist if you grab me,"

He chuckled, not out of disbelief, but because he loved how she would talk. She had a mouth that would've rivaled anyone in his platoon, but she was much prettier.

"Just grab you?" He asked.

"Yeah, get a good fistful of my shirt, and you don't need to be gentle. I won't be," She winked at him.

He took a breath and stepped toward her, fisting his large hand in the cotton of her t-shirt, right by the collar. She grabbed his wrist and dug it further into her chest at an angle, causing a sharp pain to run up his arm. He let out a surprised grunt and tried to use his other hand to push her away.

"That's enough Elle," He gritted out, and she let go of his arm. He shook it out, letting the pain dull before inspecting his wrist. "What did you do? That fuckin hurt,"

"I compressed your wrist," She explained. "Here, I'll do a slowed down version, I won't hurt you this time,"

He cautiously offered his hand again, which she balled up back into a fist at her collar.

"What I did is I bent your wrist so your palm was against me, and then trapped your hand in my armpit at that angle so you can't move. I then bent your elbow and used my hands at the back of your elbow to drive your wrist into me as I drive my weight down. If I kept going, I could probably break your wrist. Or at least do some damage to the tendons," She broke down the steps for him, moving in slow motion to demonstrate where her hands were going.

He watched in silence and, as promised, she didn't put the pressure on his wrist. When she was done explaining, he let go of her shirt, allowing her to smooth it out.

"That's pretty clever," He told her. "Maybe I'll teach those to the guys. You can never be too safe,"

"You could bring me to the office one day, I could kick everyone's ass," She grinned at him.

"You just might, detectives spend a lot of time behind desks. We could use the exercise," He admitted. "Could I show you some stuff now?"

"Sure, tell me what you know," She crossed her arms and waited for his instruction.

"Do you know how to throw a punch?" He asked.

"I can punch," She said simply.

"But can you throw a punch effectively, there's a difference," He started to explain. "Here, punch me in the chest,"

"You sure?" She seemed unsure of his request.

"Right here," He patted his right pectoral. "Hit me as hard as you can, it's okay,"

She took a breath, focusing on the spot his hand just touched. She bounced back and forth on her toes for a moment, one leg in front of the other. She wound up her right arm, drawing it back before quickly propelling it into his chest.

He let out a small grunt, she let out a louder one. It hurt a little, but her technique was sloppy. She shook her hand as she took it back, her knuckles red from impact.

"That was a good start, but the way you hold your hand is slowing you down and could hurt you more than your target," He took her hand in his, manipulating her fingers.

"Curl all your fingers in like this, it'll protect your joints because they're tucked away. You see how no finger sticks out more than another?" He pulled his hands back so she could see before he continued. "Next, don't tuck in your thumb like you did before , keep it under your knuckles out of the way. But don't hold it there too tight, you could fuck up your wrist on impact,”

"Now, when you're throwing your punch, keep it fluid. Anything too jerky or tight isn't as effective. Now you take your first two fingers and push those further forward. They're stronger, they'll lead the punch," he showed her with his hand how to bring the index and middle finger ever slightly forward in the first. She mimicked his movement.

"Now I want you to hit me again, but this time, as soon as you connect, bring your arm back to your body. It keeps you out of my reach, and it's easier for you to strike me again if needed," He patted the same part of his chest as before.

She nodded and got into position, she took a moment to flex her muscles in her arms, getting them ready. She threw the punch quickly, it landing with much more force than before. He braced himself by throwing a foot back, and she brought her arm back as quickly as it shot out. It hurt that time, the technique giving her more force.

"Better. Much better," He complimented, voice slightly strained.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her facial expression shifting to one of worry.

"I'm fine, it's supposed to hurt. Next time you throw one of those, go for the throat or the nose. It'll hurt a lot more,"

"Can do coach," She nodded. "Have you got anything else?"

They ran though a few more basic techniques. He had her throw some kicks at the punching bag, and teaching her to break out of a tackle. The latter eventually turned into a tickle fight, with Flip running his fingers under her shirt and along her waist until she was gasping from laughter.

"Flip! Quit it! I give up!" She yelled breathlessly, both of them laughing until it hurt their stomachs.

They barely heard the door to the gym open until a voice broke them out of their play fight.

"Well what do we have here?" An excited voice inquired.

Flip looked up to see officer Landers towering over the two of them, a sly smile covering his greasy face.

"Zimmerman, are you smuggling girls into the precinct? I hope you brought enough to share with the class,"

"She's allowed to be here, I'm teaching her self defense," He stated firmly, he was in no mood for the officers shit. And was definitely not in the mood to share.

"If thats what self defense classes look like, I might have to sign up for one. Are you free for another session after this?" Landers asked Elle, who looked ready for murder.

"If you don't mind being a punching bag," She shot back, her voice barely holding back any venom.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" Flip asked his coworker.

"Mmmm not at the moment, just got off shift. Maybe I'll stick around and watch the lesson," He leered.

"I think we were just finishing up, actually," Elle removed herself from under him, brushing past Landers to retrieve her jacket.

"Oh I won't be any bother sweetheart. I'll wait my turn," Landers called after her.

He got up soon after, following her lead, his coworker trailing behind. He threw on his jacket, catching up to Elle and putting a hand around her waist protectively. Landers called a few more things after them that they pretended they couldn't hear. He quickly got tired and went off in the other direction laughing to himself.

"Is it illegal to assault an officer if he's a creep?" She asked him, letting him continue to hold her as they walked.

"Yeah, unfortunately. Don't mind him, he's mostly harmless," He told her.

"Mostly? You know what? Forget it, I don't want to know, it'll just make me angry," She shook her head.

"So do you feel like you'll be able to do something like what I taught you if you were in trouble?" He asked.

"Yeah, that was helpful. Thanks babe," She looped an arm around him as well. She opened her mouth as if she were to say more but then closed it. They walked in silence to the car, climbing and settling in.

“Where to now?” He asked. “Home to practice under the covers?”

“You’re insatiable,” She swatted at him, grinning from ear to ear. “Maybe the diner first? That workout got me pretty hungry,”

“Diner it is,” He smiled.

He turned on the engine and pulled out of the Lot, taking the route through town. He turned the radio on and let her fiddle with the dial to find a station. She finally settled on a song with screeching guitars and thundering drums.

"Oh I love this one!" She exclaimed, turning it up.

"What is this?" He asked, slightly jarred by the loud music so early in the day. It was only noon after all.

"Led Zeppelin, you haven't heard of them yet?" She asked. He shook his head and she laughed. "Do you live under a rock?"

"You've seen where I live, thank you very much," He sasses. "I didn't take you for the rock and roll type,"

"I don't think I have a type with music, I just like it all," She says. "My brother was just telling me the other day that he's getting into Led Zeppelin, he saw them in concert a few months ago with some friends. Said it was the most fun he's ever had,"

"Are you sure he hasn't gone deaf since? I bet those guitars are no joke in person,"

"You're just an old man," She teased. "He's doing fine, for the most part. A week ago he was at the bar with a friend and the police raided it. It was a gay bar, and the police aren't too friendly with the patrons there,"

“Is he—” Flip began to ask.

“Yeah. Alex is gay, not that my family knows. I only found out by accident really, ran into him and his ‘friend’ one night,”

He sat listening, knowing he couldn't offer much to the conversation.

"He's of age, and knows he should be able to have a drink where's he's comfortable. He refused to leave and an officer punched him and dragged him outside with the friend. And it's not like he can report it to the police, because it's the NYPD who assaulted him in the first place. He had to tell mom and dad that he got it from a mugging and now they dont want him going out anymore,"

"Is he okay?" He asks, not knowing what else to ask. He felt ashamed that someone would do that, someone who he shared a job with.

"He's fine, just pissed. Like, so many of these gay kids are coming to the city because it's like a safe haven for them. Gets them out of their white picket fence suburbs. But they still can't really be themselves. My brother isn't hurting anyone with how he's living his life, and yet he can't even get a beer without being assaulted," She was getting angry, her voice raising as she continued to speak.

"I don't even want to think about what would happen if he lives in a town like this, with an active KKK chapter. Gay and Jewish? What kind of life would that be for him here? Part of me wants to tell him to just come live with me, get a break from our parents, but the other part knows he wouldn't be any better off here,"

“You sound like you miss him,” Flip noted.

“I do. But I’m not gonna have the money to go back home for a while. I spent a lot on the move here, even after selling all my furniture and getting cheap stuff here I’m still struggling to get my savings in order. It’s gonna be a while before I can see him in person again,”

“You’ll get there, I’m sure he understands,” He took a hand off the wheel to rub her shoulder in assurance. “I could teach him how to shoot a gun or something, if he ever comes out here,”

“Phillip Zimmerman don’t you dare,” Elle laughed at the thought. “The last thing I need is my baby brother running around the city with that knowledge. I think my mother would faint,”

“I think you’ve done far more that would make your mother faint. Does Mrs. Blum know about your long list of rebellion?”

“What mama doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Her lips twisted into a sly smile.

“You’re trouble,” He murmured lovingly as they pulled into the parking lot of the diner.

“I’m your trouble,” She shot back as the two of them climbed out of the car.

She reached for his hand as they walked toward the chrome plated building, he gladly took hers.

“My trouble” He thought to himself with a smile. “Absolutely worth it,”

—————-

NOTES

Did you know that jiu jitsu was used by first wave feminists as a self defense technique? And that self-defense classes became more popular with women in the 1970s and 1980s? With Elle being a N.O.W. member, I would assume she’d take at least a class or two.

The 1972 presidential election was fascinating for a number of reasons. Nixon using the war as a way to get reelected, the beginning of the watergate scandal, McGovern’s vice presidential candidate having to drop out because of a mental health scandal. It was a whole mess!

The American Psychiatric Association didn’t remove homosexuality from it’s list of psychiatric disorders until 1973. The Rainbow flag won’t be created for another 6 years.

Taglist: @ladygrey03​ @tinydancer40