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sandcobangevent · 8 months ago

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London is a Series of Tubes

By @daemonbreath and @silvascribble

The evening had started off normal enough.

Sherlock and John had just closed a tricky but very lucrative case, and John had insisted on a company outing to celebrate. Mariana had found a local theatre company that was doing Shakespeare’s 12th Night and managed to get them all tickets. Sherlock was surprisingly interested in Shakespeare and seemed very excited to see the play.

If they wanted to make it to the theatre in time for curtain call, they had to do a bit of scrambling to get ready. Right as John and Mariana were about to leave 221, Sherlock had remembered a sensitive experiment that needed tending to. He had told John and Mariana to go on without him, and that he’d meet them in the lobby. Not wanting to be late, Mariana had agreed and she and John caught a cab to the theatre.

That had been over an hour ago.

Mariana and John had arrived in time to get snacks and drinks, then waited in the lobby for Sherlock. No sign of him. Then the show started, and they found their seats. Still no detective. John tried to focus on the show, but his mind wandered. Did the experiment really take that long to attend to? Did Sherlock decide to walk to the theatre? Or… Or did he lie when he said he was interested in the show? Part of John’s brain latched onto that idea, but if John had learned anything from working with Sherlock, it was that he shouldn’t guess or jump to conclusions.

“I’m gonna text him,” John whispered to Mariana, who nodded, and he quietly got up and left the theatre. Once in the hall, John took his phone out and called Sherlock’s.

Ring…

“Sherlock Holmes. I’m not available right now. If you have a case, tell me everything important. If you don’t have a case, I probably don’t care.”

John sighed and ended the call. He tried a couple more times, but Sherlock still didn’t answer. John was starting to get worried— even if he was up to his eyeballs in a project, Sherlock would have answered his phone, even if it was just to make it stop ringing. He went to put his phone away, but it buzzed with a text.

[UNKNOWN] Come and find him.

[UNKNOWN] untitled.img

[UNKNOWN] untitled1.img

The pictures almost made John drop his phone. The first one was of Sherlock, bloodied and bruised, knocked out and tied to a chair. It seemed to have been taken in an tube station, but John couldn’t tell which one. There were no visible signs, and the tiles were caked with dirt and grime. The second picture was more confusing. It was a top-down view of two train cars connected by dark purple yarn, with the latter end of the yarn angled down. That was not good.

John hurried back into the theatre, and leaned down to whisper, “we need to leave.” into Mariana’s ear.

“What? Why?” Mariana asked.

“Now, Mariana,” John begged. “Please.”

Mariana sighed but relented, gathering her coat and purse before following John out of the theatre. John handed his phone to Mariana so she could see the messages, and she gasped.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, eyes wide. “How did this happen? He’s usually so careful…”

“No idea,” John said, taking his phone back. He dialed 999 and tapped his foot as he waited for someone to pick up.

“999, how can I h—”

“Hi, yeah, could you put me through to Detective Inspector Lestrade?” John asked. “It’s about Sherlock Holmes.”

The 999 operator sighed but agreed, and John was put on hold for a moment.

“DI Lestrade, ‘ow can I ‘elp?” Lestrade said after the call connected, her Yorkshire accent thick as ever.

“It’s Dr. Watson,” John replied. “Sherlock’s been kidnapped.”

A police car arrived not long after John hung up, Lestrade herself stepping out. John stepped forwards with his hand out, and she shook it.

“Good to meet you, Lestrade,” John said. “Sherlock’s had good things to say about you.”

“Same to you, Dr. Watson,” Lestrade said.

“Call me John, please.”

“Georgia, then,” she said, smiling tightly. “So, show me these texts you got.”

John took out his phone then unlocked it and passed it over to Georgia. She looked at both pictures, then handed it back.

“Any ideas?”

“W-what?” John stared at Georgia. “You’re asking me what to do?”

“Well, yeah.” Georgia shrugged. “Ye work with Holmes a lot, yeah? Y’must have learned some stuff from watchin’ him run around and solve crimes.”

Fuck. Okay. John took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to stay calm. What would Sherlock do if he were here? First thing’s first— consider everything that might be a clue. Sherlock said he’d be taking the tube to the theatre, so it’s likely he was picked up from Baker Street station. Whoever kidnapped him was ready with a clue and a picture of Sherlock, which meant the kidnapper didn’t plan on just killing Sherlock outright— they wanted something.

The picture he’d been sent definitely showed Sherlock in a tube station, just one that looked old and disused. Most likely an abandoned one. If John could figure out which station it was, they could rescue Sherlock.

“Okay,” John said, sounding a lot more calm than he felt, “I’m gonna need a map of the London Underground, including stations that aren’t in service anymore. Sherlock’s being held in a tube station, so he was probably taken from one.”

“Any thoughts as to which station?” Georgia asked, jotting down everything John said.

“Baker Street,” John replied. “He was gonna come here from that station.”

“Right. I’ll see if I can pull any CCTV footage to try an’ fin ‘im. D'you two need a right to yer flat?”

“No, but thank you for the offer,” Mariana said, smiling at Georgia. She nodded back at them, then got in her car and drove off. John took a deep breath, turning to Mariana.

“Right then. Let’s save Sherlock Holmes.”

#submission #sherlock and co #sherlock & co #flashbang event #sherlock homes #john watson #mariana ametxazurra

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thiswasinevitableid · 1 year ago

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Late Shift (Danbrey)

The winner of the "creatures and people" prompt poll was: A vampire who works the night shift at a gas station

Anywhere else, Dani would get in serious trouble for adding fresh herbs to the donut case offerings at four-thirty am.

Amnesty Lodge, with its attached gas station, does things a little differently. For starters, the head cook at the Lodge restaurant refuses to let them sell the standard gas station snacks without adding a few of his own into the mix. Hence the fairly fresh batch of doughnuts that he dropped off fifteen minutes ago. Dani’s basil plant has been growing even wilder this year, and she worked out that a sprinkle of basil makes the lemon filled donuts–even the ones Barclay doesn’t make–taste a million times better.

At least, that’s what customers tell them. Dani hasn’t eaten a donut since 1964.

Even when Stokers Famous Tonic became mainstream, allowing vampires to eat human food without getting violently ill, it’s not always cheap to get your hands on. And Dani likes to save hers for the fresh fruit from the garden, or when Barclay wants a recipe tester or Mama invites her for an early-morning cup of tea.

Or, if she plays her cards right, dinner with her favorite regular.

The door opens and the object of her dinner plans walks in, with far more energy than most humans have in the darkness of the morning.

“Hi Dani!” Aubrey waves. She’s brightened the flame-orange streak in her hair since Friday, making the black curls around it shine like a raven in the sun.

“Hi” Dani is relieved, not for the first time, that she can no longer blush, as Aubrey bends over to grab a Double Shot Oatmilk Monster Energy Coffee. She’s in her stage outfit, black dress jacket with studs sewn on the shoulders, and shorts and white dress shirt that look like someone ripped the arms and legs from a tuxedo.

Aubrey looks over her shoulder with a smile and Dani pretends to find a spot on the counter to clean with her nail.

“Just the usual please, if you’ve got it” The magician sets the drink on the counter. Dani grabs a waffle sandwich from the warming station; eggs, cheese, and hot sauce on a slightly sweet waffle, the kind Barclay makes in huge batches and then freezes.

“We do. Did you just get back from a show?”

“Nope” Aubrey leans on the counter, allowing Dani to see the bra peeking through the dress shirt, “heading to one. They booked me for a big brunch show at some country club in Huntington but they want me there, like, super duper early. Oh, wait, do you have baby carrots today?”

“Ummm” Dani glances at the chilled food display, “nope. Shipments are still kind of weird. Sorry.”

“Dr. Harris Bonkers will live without them. I’ve got other stuff to bribe him with to stay calm in the car.” She takes her change, but doesn’t move her hand right away. Instead she adds, “But you’re gonna owe him nose pets the next time he comes in.”

“I can handle that. Break a leg at the show.”

“Always do.” Aubrey gives her a wink and heads out into the parking lot, leaving her to rest her chin in her hands and sigh at the candy display.

—----------------------------------------------------------------

Aubrey’s totally going to do it. She’s going to ask Dani out when she stops for gas today. She’s made this promise to herself every day for the last two weeks, but gosh-darnit today she means it.

Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD, runs circles around her feet as she swipes on black lipstick and stamps on her eyeliner.

“Just a sec buddy, I’m almost done.”

A honk in reply.

“Look, if I had my way I’d spend all day petting you, but I need to get groceries and you’re not allowed in Leo’s after the banana incident.” She crouches down pets the rabbit’s nose, “but you’re coming with me tonight even though we don’t have a show. I’m gonna need emotional support for this. You gonna be my wingman?”

She moves her hand back a half-inch, and he immediately bumps it with his nose.

“Thanks doctor, knew I could count on you.”

—-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dani is dumping blood orange syrup into the slushee machine when Aubrey walks in. The magician makes a bee-line for drinks, Dr. Harris Bonkers hopping behind her. The white rabbit is close to the size of a Corgi, sporting his black harness with flames on the sides as his claws click on the tile.

Technically he’s not supposed to be in here, but Mama has never booted him when she’s spotted him inside the Lodge or the restaurant, and Dani figures people who are stopping for gas at eleven at night have more on their minds than complaining about a fluffy bunny.

She heads over to the counter and Aubrey follows her, setting her Cherry Coke next to the sign for the Kepler Trunk or Treat.

“That all for tonight?”

“Yep” Aubrey says a bit too cheerfully. She’s worrying the chain of her necklace, something Dani wishes she would do less or do much more, depending on how in control of herself she’s feeling that night.

She has such a gorgeous neck.

Oh no that’s too creepy.

“Anything for the doctor?”

“Nah, he got an apple slice earlier–Dr. Harris Bonkers you put that down.” She disappears from view, reappearing with a pack of Double Bubble in hand. There are two, square teeth marks in it.

“This too. Sorry, he really likes the smell of bubblegum.”

“Silly bunny, that’s not for you. And don’t worry about paying for it, it’s like a buck and also Indrid will eat the stuff that didn’t get chomped.”

Aubrey laughs, “Thanks. Um, so, I’m doing shows at the Kepler Fall Festival this weekend. One at eleven and one at three. I know your schedule is probably weird because you work so late here but, um, I realized I’d never actually invited you to one of my shows. This one is going to be super freaking cool, I made up some Halloween tricks and everything. Do you know it’s weirdly hard to make a pumpkin disappear? Uh, anyway, just thought I’d ask.”

If Dani goes, there’s a very high chance she’ll get a serious sunburn.

Aubrey smiles hopefully, the expression crinkling her nose and making Dani want to lean over and kiss it.

“I’ll be there.”

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani wasn’t at the first so, and with five minutes to go before the second one starts, Aubrey’s worried she won’t show. She so rarely sees the other woman around the Lodge during the day, like she sleeps through it, and it was silly of her to think she’d see her now.

She straightens Dr. Harris Bonker’s skull and crossbones tie, looks at the crowd and doesn’t see her. So she straightens out her cuffs and looks again,

Dani is there, in a seat in the back row. Her blonde hair falls over her shoulders, and she’s wearing a long, mint-green dress, brown boots up to her knee, lacy green gloves to her elbow, and is carrying a green and white striped parasol. She looks so cool and hot, how the hell is Aubrey supposed to focus on anything else?

Then again, Dani clearly made time to come see her perform.

The festival emcee announces her name. So she strides out to give the best performance of her life.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dani is pruning her night-blooming jasmine when she hears it; the unmistakable sound of something munching her collards.

“Hey Dani, have you seen-”

She holds up a hand to shush Barclay, “Can you see what’s making that noise at all?”

“Uhhhhh” the cook scans the beds, then raises his eyebrows, “unless my eyes are going, it’s Dr. Harris Bonkers.”

“What the hell?” Dani slips into the next row and finds Barclay is right; the massive rabbit is happily munching a big, green leaf without a care in the world.

“He must have hopped out the Lodge door.”

Barclay shakes his head, “Aubrey hasn’t been here since this morning, and I saw her leave with him in her arms. And her car isn’t in the lot now. He must have run away from home.”

Dani frowns, “Her apartment is three blocks from here. That’s a long ways for you to have gone, doctor.”

“C’mon little guy, let’s get you into the Lodge and give Aubrey a call. She’s probably worried sick.” Barclay bends down but the rabbit swiftly hops away, leaf still in its mouth.

“He’s right, we–whoops” Dani makes a grab for him, but he darts between her legs.

After ten minutes of failing to catch him, Dani is even more impressed with the fact Aubrey trained him for her act. Because if he doesn’t want to do something, there seems to be no way to make him do it.

“Hang on, I have an idea. Stay here and make sure he doesn’t run into the woods.”

Dani looks around, then turns into a bat and zips across to the gas station, grabs a pack of gum, and runs back to the Lodge garden. She kneels and calls, “Doctor, look what I’ve got.”

The rabbit, done with it’s collard, sniffs the air and turns towards her.

“It’s your favorite” She holds out the pack and the rabbit hops forward, bobbing now and then like he suspects a trap. Only when he gets his teeth on the wrapper is Dani able to scoop him into her arms.

He snorts, annoyed, as Dani passes Barclay the gum, “can you toss that or give it to Indrid? I’n gonna go call Aubrey.”

Dr Harris Bonkers explores her room as Dani picks up the landline and dials. Three tries over fifteen minutes leads to nothing. Kepler is in the NRQZ; if Aubrey’s not at home, Dani’s going to have a hell of a time getting a hold of her.

She keeps trying until it’s time to go to work, at which point she sticks the rabbit in a small laundry basket and carries him over to the gas station with her. After several attempts to get out, he calms when she gives him a few baby carrots and turns on the audiobook of Bunnicula on her phone (it helps her fall asleep).

Around midnight, the door dings and Aubrey walks in, looking more haggard than Dani’s ever seen her.

“I” she sniffs, wiping her eye, “I was wondering if you’d maybe seen Dr. Harris Bonkers? He, he got out while I was asleep earlier and I, I looked all over the neighborhood and I can’t, can’t”

“Hey, fireblossom, it’s okay.” Dani hurries around the counter a tad faster than a human should, “we found him in the garden. He’s behind the counter.”

“Ohthankfuckinggod.” Aubrey collapses against her, hugging her, “I was so worried, thank you so much, I owe you, like, big time.”

Dani hugs her back, takes a deep breath, and says, “How about dinner tomorrow?”

Aubrey looks up at her and grins, “I was hoping you’d say that” she kisses her nose, “and it’s cute that you already have a pet name for me.”

“Look, I have a lot of free time during work and it’s more fun to think about you than rearrange the candy bars again.” Dani kisses her cheek, “here, the doctor is waiting for you.”

They find the rabbit lounging, legs out, as the story drifts from the nearby phone.

“You are in big trouble young man” Aubrey scoops him up and holds him tight, “you jerk, never ever scare me like that again. You’re lucky Dani found you and not a coyote. Or the Johnson’s cat.” She pauses, listening, “awww, Dani figured out your favorite book.” She smiles like a thousand stars as she says, “I loved that one as a kid. I’ve always been a big fan of vampires.”

Dani licks a fang and kisses Aubrey on the cheek again, making her laugh, “Then I have another really good piece of news for you.”

#danbrey #aubrey little/dani #aubrey/dani #taz amnesty #promptober #vampire girlfriend

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noodyl-blasstal · 2 years ago

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Blupjeans Week: Myth (day 3)

Following on from the last two days prompts! Part 1 | Part 2 Today's @blupjeansweek prompt was Myth. -

Barry couldn't fathom how Taako managed it. Of course he, more than anyone Barry had ever met, could feign nonchalance on such an important day, but still. Barry knew he must be anxious deep down - no one cooked as much as Taako had been lately when they were fine, but aside from his occasional toe flexes Taako was sprawled loose limbed and casual across the chairs in the corridor.

"Stop worrying so loud, Barold." Taako didn't raise his head. Barry couldn't even get a read on his face because his ridiculous hat was tilted down over his eyes.

"I'm not worr…"

"Then what am I hearing, Barry? What distress is accosting my delicate elf ears? Taako's busy trying to nap and you're spreading your anxiety everywhere. It's not hygienic, my guy."

"Uh." Barry countered. Perfect, got him.

"Yeah, that's what Taako thought. Now, why are you doubting Lup?"

"I would never doubt Lup! She's smarter than both of them put together." Barry replied indignantly, he couldn't believe Taako, of all people, was accusing him of not believing in Lup. As far as Barry was concerned, if she told him she was gonna grab the moon right out of the sky his only concern would be where they were going to put it.

"Well then." Said Taako definitively as if the case was closed.

Barry looked at the door again. It had only been an hour. Anything up to four was relatively common. He knew she had this, but he just wanted to skip to that bit right now thank you very much. Maybe if he paced, did a little exercise, that would get rid of the nervous energy.

"Don't even think about it." Said Taako. "Sit down, read your book, it's going to be fine."

Barry sat obediently. He tried, he really did, but he was on what must have been his thirtieth attempt at reading the same page when the door finally cracked open. Barry barely had time to register it before Taako vaulted off the chairs and rushed over.

"Thank you again, Dr Tacco. Congratulations!"

Lup emerged from the room, finger gunned, and closed the door behind her. "Guess who's got two thumbs and a PhD?" She said as Taako slammed into her and knocked her sideways.

"Barold." He mumbled into her hair.

Lup pretended to try and wriggle out of his hug. "Fuck off, Goofus."

Barry wrapped himself around them both. "I'm also going with me. I checked, one, two." He prodded Lup in the back with each thumb in turn to make his point.

Lup laughed hard and long and wild. "I hate you both."

"We love you too." Said Barry and Taako together.

Lup stuck her tongue out. “Terrible, awful, what did I do to be cursed with you both?”

“I don’t know, Dr Lup. What did you do?” Barry grinned. Dr Lup! She’d done it. He knew she would. There was no universe in which she didn’t, but still. It was over.

“Dr Lup Tacco.” Taako said quietly. “You did it.”

“I did it.”

–

“You got the car snacks, Dr Bluejeans?”

“Of course I have, Dr Tacco. But, Dr Tacco, have you set up the playlist?”

“Dr Bluejeans, I cannot believe you’d doubt me, your good friend, Dr Tacco. Of course cha’girl’s got the playlist sorted.”

“But, Dr Tacco, is it the one we agreed on, or the one I saw you making to torture me?”

“I cannot believe these wild accusations that you are levelling, Dr Bluejeans. Of course it’s the one I made to torture you. Rude of you to entertain any other thought on the matter to be honest.”

Barry snorted. He still wasn’t entirely sure why Lup had agreed to road trip home with him despite not losing the bet, but maybe the allure of a second wardrobe full of vintage Barry threads (as Lup had designated them) had been too strong to resist. Either way, the car was packed, backup maps were in the glove box, roadside attractions had been scoped, their motel was booked, and his Mum was expecting them in a few days.

–

“There! There! There!!! Pull over, Dr Bear.” Lup pressed her face to the window and wriggled in her seat. “I knew we were close.”

Barry steered the car to the side of the road and parked on the gravel at the side. “We’ll be fine here. The road’s pretty dead and we shouldn’t be long.”

“Speak for yourself.” Said Lup, already unbuckled and clambering free.

By the time Barry had hauled himself out of the driver’s side and stretched out his rice crispy spine Lup was already halfway up the scrubby embankment. Barry smiled fondly, he wished he had half the energy reserve the twins seemed to possess.

“C’mon Bear! Look.”

The grass was sharp and the scree slippery, but Barry eventually made it, red and panting, to the rock.

“I love him.” Declared Lup, petting the top of the large, terribly painted frog she lounged across. “Take a picture for me please? Taako’s going to hate it. I’ll frame it for his birthday.”

Barry huffed out and laugh and snapped some photographs. Lup looked perfect in every single one, because of course she did.

“Now c’mere, we need to get some for the wall.” Lup spun herself round and made grabby hands at Barry. The photo collection had started during undergrad. Lup had read something about tangible photos being lost because of technology and decided to be a one woman task force to combat it. She religiously took photos, got them printed monthly, and strung them up around the house using a seemingly endless supply of tiny colourful pegs. The strings were a timeline of friendships, charting the day that Magnus appeared in their lives and decided they were going to be friends actually; Lucretia’s increasing appearance at events; Kravitz moving from glowering at the twins in the background of a shot in a lecture hall, to standing awkwardly at the edge of a group shot, to kissing Taako’s cheek and making him blush right to the tips of his ears. They charted bad haircuts (Lup), terrible fashion choices (Barry repeatedly begged Lup to take down the evidence of his pork pie hat era, but she resolutely refused), and covered the mundane to the sublime - book days, beach days, lecture halls, labs, picnics, hikes. All of it.

Barry walked over to her then waited for direction, Lup’s creative vision wasn’t something to be trifled with.

“Okay, can you hop up here with me? I’m just gonna go prop the camera.” Lup scooted off the edge as Barry found a solid foothold to push himself up with.

“Aye aye, Dr Captain… Captain Dr?” Barry saluted from the top of the frog and Lup laughed, mission accomplished. He still loved that he could inspire that reaction, after all this time she still loved his stupid jokes.

“Right, it’s on a 10 second timer… GO!” Lup sprinted and hopped deftly up the frog. Barry realised at the same time as she did that there was no way there was room for both of them to sit on top. Lup glanced at his lap and grinned, “...incoming, Barold!” She threw herself onto his knee and somehow produced a smile and a peace sign. There was no way Barry had been looking at the camera, he was definitely staring at Lup with the ‘lovesick’ face he’d bribed Taako into deleting or editing from photos so many times before.

“Uh… can we do that again? I think I blinked.” Maybe he could delete the last attempt before she saw it once they were back in the car. He’d managed it before, there was only so many times you could be photographed staring longingly at someone before they worked out you were probably a bit in love with them.

“Sure you aren’t just trying to keep me in your lap? You could just ask, you know?” Barry was going to expire, right here right now. She could stay in his lap forever as far as he was concerned, but she was joking and he would be serious about it if he asked her to stay put and she’d laugh, his heart would break, and she’d feel weird about the last 10 years of their lives.

“I… well… er… I… just… the blinking.” Perfectly eloquent. He nailed it. There was no way she’d pick up on the fact he was combusting.

“No problemo. Save my spot!” Lup started to wriggle free, but Barry scooped her instead, cradling her briefly before setting her down on the very edge. “Thanks Bear! You’ve been working out.”

Barry had very much not been working out, unless you counted frantic note taking - which they definitely hadn’t in high school, he’d checked.

“3-2-1, comin’ in hot!” Lup clicked the button and set off running back to the rock. Barry watched her go, laughing at the smile on her face. He should probably just have volunteered to use mage hand for this, but Lup was having too much fun. She ran up the side of the rock, and Barry caught her, tugging her down into his lap.

“8-9…” Lup raised her arms and Barry heard the familiar whoosh of flame. Gods, she was ridiculous and he loved every inch of her. He focused resolutely on the camera. “Think you managed without blinking that time?” Lup asked.

“Yeah, yeah, that was a good one.”

“Okay, stay put, I want one more of you with the frog please… Oh, do you still remember some of those bard spells Johann showed you?”

Barry nodded tentatively. “I do.”

“Cool, a cowboy hat please.” It was done before she’d slid back to the ground, and the raucous laugh she let out meant he’d definitely made a good choice. “The pink fuzzy trim really adds a mystique to the look, Barold. Have you been studying at the Taako school of headgear?”

Barry yee hawed instead of answering and Lup snapped away as he wielded his imaginary lasso.

Back in the car he felt a bubbling sense of pride as she set one of him high in his imaginary frog saddle as her screensaver and laughed again.

–

“It should be the next left, Bear. I hope you’re excited.” Lup uncurled herself from the scrunched up position she’d adopted for reading.

“”I’ve got a surprise and you’re gonna love it” can usually go either way with you and Taako, so I’ll reserve judgement for now.” Barry pretended to frown, but he knew Lup saw through it. He’d trust her with anything, she was the person his Mum’s ‘if your friends all jumped off a cliff’ lecture should have focused on. He wouldn’t have done it for Juan or Glennis, but Lup? He’d be straight over the side knowing she’d have figured out some way for them to fly. “Hang on… Lup, is that Mothman?”

“Maaaaybe. Turn in here.”

“... and that’s bigfoot?”

“Yep.” Lup popped the p and looked incredibly smug.

“Why’s the rabbit… oh, it has horns. Jackalope?”

“Jackalope.” Lup confirms.

“Lup, is this a cryptid hotel?” Okay, so the kitschy vibe was fun, but this was definitely more for Lup than for him. She didn’t usually miss with her surprises, but there was a first time for everything.

“It is, yes, but they also have a collection of academic papers you can view on the topic. There’s loads of really great evidence, according to the website.” Lup side eyed him.

“There’s research I can get angry at?” Okay, now she was talking.

“Bear, I hear those methodologies are real unscrupulous. There’s likely some inconsistencies in the referencing too, if you know what I mean.” Lup waggled her eyebrows.

“I love you.” Blurted Barry, then tried not to think about that too hard as he parked the car. That was fine. You could tell your friends you loved them, he’d told Lup he loved her before. He told all of them he loved them because he did. She didn’t need to know that he meant it in a different way when he said it to her.

“I love you too.” Lup nudged his arm. “Now let’s go see which theme the rooms are. I’m hoping for the Hodag, but I think you’d prefer Champ.”

“Oh, I see how it is, pawn me off with budget Nessy. I’m Jackalope or broke. You go ahead, I’ll grab the bags.” Barry cracked the back door and started the slow task of sorting through the detritus of the day. He wasn’t entirely sure where Lup had managed to accrue four souvenir bags, but he didn’t want to risk damaging anything. He piled them carefully to the side, then tracked down the overnight bags, and double checked to make sure he’d locked the car properly. Shouldering the rucksacks he headed into the reception, glad that Lup was sorting the rooms. Frankly, he didn’t want to have to speak to anyone other than her before he’d thrown himself into a long shower and felt a bit more human.

“Hey Bear.” Lup gave him a small wave from the electric blue sofa near the door. “There’s, well, there’s good news and there’s bad news. Which do you want first?”

Barry hesitated. You were definitely supposed to get the bad news first, but the day had been so nice that maybe he could just put off whatever was going to ruin it a little longer. “Give me the good?”

“Buy one get one free on frozen margs. The glasses are massive and they have wild flavours. I need to try at least three, you know, for science. One of them is goldfish and I don’t know if they mean the creature or the cracker.”

“Or both?”

“It could be both.”

“… and the bad news?”

“There may have been a tiny bit of a mix up. Just, like, the smallest amount. A little communication thing. You’ll barely notice it.” She smiled winningly, just like the time she broke his favourite mug, tried to fix it, somehow melted the shards, recruited Taako to fix it, and the resultant puddle became pudding.

“Uh huh.”

“We’re sharing.”

“Oh. That’s absolutely fine, I don’t mind.” It was better news than the margheritas, frankly.

“And there’s only one bed.”

“I don’t mind if you don’t.” They’d shared before, he could deal with another night sleeping on his arms so his stupid subconscious didn’t decide they should be cuddling, actually.

“...and-also-they-might-think-we’re-married.” Lup said in a rush.

“Sorry, what? I don’t think I heard you right.”

Lup blushed brighter than he’d ever seen. “They think we’re…”

“...Ah, Dr Bluejeans-Tacco, I’m so delighted to meet you.” A tall man in an ascot and cosy looking jumper appeared by his elbow before Lup could finish. She definitely couldn’t have said what he thought he’d heard. That was ridiculous, there was no way. “As I explained to the awe inspiring Dr Bluejeans-Tacco here, we’re always so pleased to see newlyweds at Myths and Bed-gends! Marriage is such an honoured tradition, a delight, a union of souls! We were so excited when she let us know this trip was a surprise as you were celebrating an important life event. Now, do let me show you to the honeymoon suite, but don’t forget to visit the gift shop or the CryptoNOMica restaurant later tonight!”

Before Barry could say anything the man strode off towards the corridor. Lup gave Barry a panicked look, seemingly undecided as to whether she should follow the man or flee the building. Barry knew he should probably be freaking out right now, but truly he couldn’t find it in himself. Most of all, he needed to get his back under some hot water and maybe lie down. Lup could explain what was going on after that, but right now she looked more uncertain than he’d ever seen her, and there was no way he was having that.

“Come on then, Dr Bluejeans-Tacco.” Barry grabbed Lup’s hand. “You were definitely right about this place being a surprise.”

#blupjeansweek2023 #Blupjeans #Barry Bluejeans #Lup Tacco #Noodyl Writes #Frog rock is real and I need to go visit #The Adventure Zone #TAZ fic #TW Alcohol mention

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killerandhealerqueen · 1 year ago

Note

Hiii are you maybe still taking prompts? Wanted to know if you could write something about SCI hahah

Was thinking about BYT and ZY getting into a car accident of some sort. BYT gets away lightly but ZY is more injured. Bonus if they were arguing before it happens heh

Hello anon! My ask box is always open for prompts! And I haven't done an S.C.I. prompt in a hot minute so I'm down! Also owww...I've never done a prompt like this so we shall see what happens! (It'll be a happy ending, of course but oh my god, is it going to hurt)

‘It’s all my fault’. That’s all Bai Yutong could keep repeating in his head over and over as he sat outside in the waiting room of the hospital, a steri-strip taped just above his eyebrow while bruises and other scrapes adorned his arms and hands. He then placed his head in his hands and let out a heavy sigh; God, it was all his fault.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been a rather normal day in the S.C.I. department, what with Wang Shao and Zhao Fu bickering over Wang Shao’s snacks, Bai Chi doing his best to stop their bickering, and Ma Han and Jiang Ling side-eying them from their desks. Meanwhile, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were in Bai Yutong’s office, Bai Yutong working on paperwork while Zhan Yao sat across from him grading papers from his class that he taught at the local university. As they were working, the door to the office opened and Bai Chi popped his head in.

“Bai Sir, Dr. Zhan. Sorry to disturb you, but we got a case” he stated. Both Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked up at him before they nodded and put down their pens, pushing themselves to their feet before they headed out of the office and into the bullpen to listen to the case they had received.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After getting briefed on the case, which was a case where an entire family was murdered, the youngest being only six weeks old, Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and the other headed out of the office, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao getting into Bai Yutong’s car before they sped off towards the scene.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they headed towards the scene, Bai Yutong looked over at Zhan Yao.

“Are you going to be able to handle this case?” he asked. Zhan Yao frowned.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he replied. Bai Yutong huffed.

“Because I know how you get when we get cases that involve children” he explained. Zhan Yao rolled his eyes.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll take breaks if I have to” he assured, only for Bai Yutong to frown.

“Are you sure? You could always sit this one out” he offered. Zhan Yao huffed.

“If I sat out every single case that involved children, I might as well quit my job” he snapped, making Bai Yutong give him a look.

“Cat—” he started.

“No, Bai Yutong!” Zhan Yao shouted, causing Bai Yutong to look at him in shock as he huffed.

“When I became a cop, I knew I was going to see some horrific things. I knew that. If I thought I couldn’t handle it, I would have stayed an academic” he spat. Bai Yutong was quiet before he huffed softly.

“You should have stayed an academic” he murmured, making Zhan Yao look over at him with wide eyes.

“What did you say?!” he exclaimed. Bai Yutong tsked.

“You heard me” he replied. Zhan Yao growled.

“No, no, say it again. Say it to my face. What did you say?” he demanded. Bai Yutong huffed.

“I said you should have stayed an academic! You shouldn’t have gone to the academy! You should have just moved to America like your dad wanted! You would have been safer there!” he exclaimed. Zhan Yao’s eyes widened before he shook his head.

“Don’t treat me like some fragile piece of glass, Bai Yutong!” he shouted. Bai Yutong huffed.

“But you are! You can’t shoot a gun, you’re susceptible to hypnotism, your stamina is absolutely shit, you can’t fucking remember to eat or sleep 95% of the god damn time unless I remind you…the only thing that’s going for you is your high intelligence!” he snapped. At his words, Zhan Yao looked at him with wide eyes as if he had been slapped before he shook himself out of it and scoffed.

“Well if it hadn’t been for my intelligence, half of our cases wouldn’t have gotten solved! Without me, S.C.I. is NOTHING!” he roared, making Bai Yutong bark out a laugh as they began to speed through an intersection.

“Oh give me a break. We can do just fine without you” he assured. Zhan Yao scoffed.

“You wouldn’t last a day without me” he sneered.

“That’s a lie” Bai Yutong retorted, making Zhan Yao raise an eyebrow.

“Is it?” he asked. However, before Bai Yutong could answer, a truck suddenly slammed into Zhan Yao’s side, causing both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong to cry out as the car skidded across the pavement before it suddenly flipped and rolled a few times before it came to a stop on its hood, leaving Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong suspended. As they hung there, thankfully still strapped to their seats, Bai Yutong let out a soft groan and slowly opened his eyes before he looked over to see Zhan Yao limp in his seat, his hair matted to his head as blood dripped down his face.

“C-Cat?” he called out. When Zhan Yao didn’t answer, Bai Yutong frowned before he reached out and took his hand, giving it a week squeeze.

“Zhan Yao” he called again. However, Zhan Yao still didn’t respond, causing Bai Yutong’s heart to drop to his stomach.

“Zhan Yao. Zhan Yao, please” he pleaded, but Zhan Yao didn’t answer.

‘Shit…I need to get us out of here’ Bai Yutong thought to himself before he released Zhan Yao’s hand and turned off the car before he unbuckled himself, making sure to protect himself with his arms on the way down so that he didn’t get any glass on his face (and boy was he grateful that he decided to wear his white leather jacket that day). Once he was safely out of his seat, he looked over at Zhan Yao and reached out, carefully placing two fingers to his pulse point. Thankfully, he could feel a pulse, but it was weak, causing him to take a shuddering breath.

“Hang on, Cat. I’ll get you out of here” he promised before he pulled his hand away and turned his attention to his car window, slowly beginning to crawl out feet first. As he crawled out of the car, he hissed every now and then as the glass pierced his hands but he could worry about himself later; right now he had to get Zhan Yao out. Once he was safely out of the car, he ran around to Zhan Yao’s side of the car and crawled inside, carefully placing himself directly under Zhan Yao before he reached up and cupped the back of his neck, making sure to support it before he unbuckled his belt, Zhan Yao all but dropping like dead weight onto him. Once he was safely out of his seat, Bai Yutong carefully shimmied himself out of the car, still holding Zhan Yao protectively, just as fire and rescue arrived on scene, a few firefighters running over to them.

“Sir! Sir, are you alright?” one firefighter asked. Bai Yutong glanced up at them before he nodded.

“I’m fine” he assured before he motioned to Zhan Yao.

“But my partner…my partner’s hurt. He’s bleeding” he stated. The firefighters nodded before one of them knelt before him and held out his arms.

“I’ll take him, sir” he stated. Bai Yutong looked at him, then down at Zhan Yao, who was still limp in his arms, before he carefully handed Zhan Yao off to him, the firefighter taking Zhan Yao in his arms before he rushed over to the EMTs, who had taken the gurney out of the ambulance. While they were working on Zhan Yao, the other firefighter who had run over to Bai Yutong held out his hand.

“Sir, you need to get looked at as well” he stated, only for Bai Yutong to shake his head.

“No, I’m fine—” he started when the firefighter gave him a look.

“Sir, you were just in a terrible car accident, we need to take you to the hospital to make sure nothing is broken and that you don’t have a concussion or have internal bleeding” he explained. Bai Yutong was quiet before he sighed and reached out, allowing the firefighter to help him to his feet and guide him over to the ambulance before he carefully climbed inside and sat on the bench beside the gurney Zhan Yao was strapped to. Once they were both inside, the firefighters closed the door and as soon as the doors were closed, the ambulance took off, speeding towards the hospital while the firefighters and the police officers remained behind to process the scene.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they sped towards the hospital, Bai Yutong watched as the EMTs worked on Zhan Yao, making sure that his heartrate was steady and that he was still breathing while also checking to see if anything else was broken. While they were checking him out, Bai Yutong slowly reached out and took Zhan Yao’s hand, giving it a gentle yet firm squeeze.

‘You’re gonna be fine, Cat. You’re gonna be fine’ he assured, even though it sounded more like he was reassuring himself more than anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once they arrived at the hospital, Zhan Yao was quickly taken out of the ambulance and rushed to the ER while Bai Yutong slowly exited the ambulance and followed behind, almost in a daze, until a nurse walked over to him and gently grasped his arm.

“Sir, let’s get you checked out as well” she suggested. Bai Yutong glanced over at her before he nodded weakly and allowed her to guide him over to a room to get checked out, all the while keeping his eyes on the hallway that Zhan Yao had been rushed down.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After he had been checked out and deemed “okay” (as in nothing was broken or bleeding and he was conscious), Bai Yutong headed to the waiting room and all but plopped down into one of the chairs, letting out a shuddering breath as he placed his head in his hands. It was all his fault. It was all his fucking fault. He shouldn’t have fucking said anything about the case or about how Zhan Yao should have sat it out or about how Zhan Yao should have stayed an academic and gone to America…He shouldn’t have fucking said anything. Because the last words he said to Zhan Yao before they were hit…was that they would be just fine without him. Which was a god damn fucking lie. It was a god damn lie. Bai Yutong was not fine without him…and he never would be. Because they were a pair. They were each other’s other half. They were soulmates. There was no Bai Yutong without Zhan Yao. Where one went, the other followed. And to think that he had the audacity to say that he didn’t need Zhan Yao and that he would be fine without him? God should have struck him dead. He should have been the one who got t-boned, not Zhan Yao. Zhan Yao didn’t deserve that, but he definitely did. As he sat there, wallowing in self-hatred, Gongsun, who sometimes took shifts at the hospital, walked over and stood before him.

“Bai Sir” he called out, making Bai Yutong look up at him with wide eyes before he shot to his feet.

“Gongsun” he breathed before he took a deep breath.

“How is he?” he asked. Gongsun sighed.

“He’s currently unconscious” he answered. Bai Yutong frowned.

“And his injuries?” he asked.

“He sustained a head wound and a broken arm on impact, along with some lacerations to the face from the glass as it entered the car when the other vehicle crashed into you” Gongsun replied. Bai Yutong was quiet before he took a shuddering breath.

“But is he…okay? Will he…live?” he whispered. Gongsun sighed.

“He’s currently in critical condition, so I can’t answer that right now. But have a little faith, Bai Sir. Dr. Zhan is strong” he assured. Bai Yutong nodded weakly before he looked at him.

“Can I see him?” he requested. Gongsun shook his head.

“Not at this time. If his condition improves and he regains consciousness, then we can allow you to see him” he stated. Bai Yutong nodded again before he turned and walked back over to his seat, making Gongsun frown.

“Bai Sir…you should go home. Get some rest” he suggested, only for Bai Yutong to shake his head.

“I’m not leaving” he declared. Gongsun made a face before he sighed heavily and turned, heading down the hallway; he knew better than to try and talk reason into Bai Yutong when Zhan Yao was involved. After he left, Bai Yutong continued to sit in the waiting room, just as the other members of S.C.I. came running over to him.

“Bai Sir!” they exclaimed, making Bai Yutong glance at them as they surrounded him.

“We heard what happened! Are you and Dr. Zhan okay?” Zhao Fu asked. Bai Yutong sighed.

“I’m fine…Zhan Yao’s unconscious and in critical condition” he answered, making everyone gasp before Ma Han looked at him.

“What do you want us to do?” she asked. Bai Yutong was quiet for a moment before he slowly lifted his head and looked at them.

“Figure out who’s in charge of this case and take it from them. Then figure out who hit us. They weren’t at the scene, so that makes it a hit and run” he declared. The S.C.I. members nodded and turned to leave when Bai Chi paused and looked at him.

“Sir…shouldn’t you go home?” he asked. Bai Yutong shot him a glare.

“Shouldn’t you be out trying to figure out who hit us?” he hissed. Bai Chi flinched before he nodded.

“Yes sir” he replied before he and the others rushed off, Bai Yutong sighing heavily before he placed his head back in his hands. He wasn’t leaving.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, Bao Sir came to visit and the minute he saw Bai Yutong sitting there with his head in his hands, he sighed softly before he quietly walked over and sat beside him. Neither man said anything for a while before Bao Sir cleared his throat.

“Take as much time as you need” he instructed, making Bai Yutong lift his head out of his hands and look at him before he dipped his head.

“Thank you, sir” he thanked. Bao Sir nodded before he pushed himself to his feet and walked away, not even bothering to suggest that Bai Yutong go home and leave Zhan Yao because he knew that Bai Yutong wouldn’t. When it came to Zhan Yao…all other priorities were thrown straight out the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Over the next couple of days, Bai Yutong practically lived at the hospital, refusing to move from his seat in the waiting room until one day, his older sister Bai Qingtang walked over to him and grabbed him by the arm.

“Get up” she ordered, only for Bai Yutong to shake his head.

“I’m not leaving” he replied, making Bai Qingtang tsk.

“Yes, you are” she declared before she released his arm and snapped her fingers, Da Ding and Xiao Ding quickly walking over before they all but yanked Bai Yutong out of his seat, much to his annoyance.

“Jie, let go of me. I’m not leaving Zhan Yao” he snapped, just as Bai Qingtang gave him a look.

“Yes, you are. There’s no point of you just sitting here waiting for something to happen. You need to take care of yourself too, baby brother. Because it’s not fair that only one of you is trying to get better. Remember, when Zhan Yao recovers and gets out of the hospital…you need to be there for him. And you can’t do that if you end up in the hospital yourself. Got it?” she demanded. Bai Yutong looked at her before he nodded.

“Yes jie” he murmured. Bai Qingtang nodded.

“Good” she agreed before she turned and began walking through the hallways of the hospital, Bai Yutong, Xiao Ding, and Da Ding following behind her.

“But…what about Zhan Yao—” Bai Yutong started.

“Don’t worry, Yutong, I’ve instructed Gongsun to call me the minute Xiao Yao’s condition improves” Bai Qingtang assured, causing Bai Yutong to frown.

“Why you?” he demanded. Bai Qingtang glanced over at him and smirked.

“Because I still have a car” she replied. Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes.

“Not funny, jie” he snapped. Bai Qingtang smiled sadly.

“Sorry, too soon” she apologized, Bai Yutong humming in reply as they continued out of the hospital.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After finally going home and showering and getting a good night’s rest, Bai Yutong decided that he was just going to…stay home. Bao Sir had said it was fine anyways and to take as much time as he needed so…he was going to take that time and just sort of…spiral. Which, you know, wasn’t exactly healthy but he knew that if he went to work, the others would just give him sad looks of pity when they thought he wasn’t looking or he would want to talk to Zhan Yao about something only to go into his office and find it empty, reminding him that he wasn’t in his office but in the hospital. And Bai Yutong didn’t need any reminders…his brain already reminded him enough with the nightmares every night.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Then one night, after another nightmare tore him out of his sleep with a loud gasp, Bai Yutong let out a low groan and flopped back onto his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes.

‘Stupid brain’ he grumbled before he let out a heavy sigh. He wasn’t much of a prayer, as he and Zhan Yao both believed in science and didn’t believe in the supernatural, but…if there was something or someone out there…who could make or help Zhan Yao get better…then a simple…pleading prayer couldn’t hurt…right?

“If you’re…out there…and you’re listening…please…please let Zhan Yao wake up. Please. I can’t…lose him” he whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A few days later, after he had prayed his pleading prayer, Bai Yutong was sitting on his couch, watching TV when there was a loud knock on his door, making him look over at it before he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to it, opening it to find Bai Qingtang standing outside.

“Jie?” he greeted. Bai Qingtang looked at him.

“He’s awake” she replied. At the news, Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and before Bai Qingtang could say anymore, he turned and rushed to his bedroom, quickly changing out of his pajamas and into a clean outfit before he rushed back over to her and motioned her away from the door.

“What are we waiting for, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” he exclaimed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the hospital, Bai Yutong all but ran to Zhan Yao’s room, bursting through the door before he rushed over to Zhan Yao’s bed, Zhan Yao looking at him sleepily.

“Mouse” he murmured.

“Cat” Bai Yutong breathed, staring at him in awe before he walked around to the other side of the bed and reached out, gently taking his right hand in his, as his left arm was in a cast.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Cat. It’s my fault” he apologized. Zhan Yao frowned.

“What is?” he asked. Bai Yutong sighed.

“The accident. You getting hurt. It’s my fault” he answered. Zhan Yao shook his head weakly.

“You didn’t know that the car was going to crash into us like that. How could you predict that?” he asked. Bai Yutong huffed.

“I was the one who was driving, I should have seen it” he grumbled. Zhan Yao shook his head again.

“Even if you had seen it in time, it would have been too late. It’s not your fault, Yutong” he assured. Bai Yutong was quiet before he let out a shuddering breath.

“I’m the one who should be lying here, not you” he whispered. At that statement, Zhan Yao’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to argue when Bai Yutong looked at him.

“You were right, you know. When you told me that we wouldn’t last a day without you. You were right. We wouldn’t last a day. I wouldn’t last a day…hell, maybe not even an hour” he stated before he took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for saying all of those horrible things and for saying that I don’t need you…because I do. I do need you, Zhan Yao. I need you and want you by my side, always. I don’t want you to go anywhere. You’re my other half, Zhan Yao. And I can’t lose you” he confessed. At his confession, Zhan Yao’s eyes widened again before tears began to pool in them and he let out a shuddering breath.

“I can’t lose you either” he whispered before he looked at him and laughed weakly.

“I heard you, you know. In the car. After we rolled and came to a stop. I heard you…calling me. I felt your hand squeezing mine. I wanted to reply, to squeeze your hand back but…I couldn’t. It was dark. And I…I was scared. I was scared I wasn’t going to wake up…or see you again” he admitted, causing Bai Yutong to smile tearily before he gave his hand a squeeze.

“But you’re here now. And I’m not going anywhere” he promised. Zhan Yao frowned.

“But what about work? Or the person who hit us?” he asked. Bai Yutong shook his head.

“Don’t worry about work or about the hit and run, the team can take care of it and themselves. Right now, you need to focus on getting better” he stated before he smiled.

“And Bao Sir said to take as much time as I needed before I came back so there’s no rush” he added. Zhan Yao shook his head in disbelief.

“You’re doing all this for me?” he whispered. Bai Yutong gave him a fond look.

“I’d do anything for you, Zhan Yao” he replied. Zhan Yao was quiet before he nodded, Bai Yutong smiling in reply before he gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up” he assured. Zhan Yao nodded again before he shut his eyes and began breathing deeply, soon slipping off to sleep. As he slept, Bai Yutong watched his chest rise and fall for a while, just taking him all in, before he quietly sat down in the chair beside his bed and gave his hand another squeeze.

‘I’m not going anywhere, Cat. Not now…not ever’.

#sass writes #s.c.i. 谜案集 #bai yutong #zhan yao #yaoyutong #tw car accident #tw car crash

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notesandchai · 2 years ago

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01.10.2023

2022 Winter (Q2)

Week 7 Day 2

It's nice to be 'home'. It is. Throws me off my rhythm though. It would be nicer if I did not get so distracted by everyone in the house, my brother comes in and I get distracted, my mother stops to ask me a question and we keep talking for like 40 minutes. I'll go downstairs for a quick snack and won't end up back in my room until I've made a cup of tea and accidentally watched half an episode of whatever's on TV and also gotten into an argument with someone.

What's worse is that I feel terrible for keeping my visits home short and sweet. I planned out this trip perfectly to align with my brother's birthday, a high school friend's engagement lunch, and my 9 day cycle in the numerology app. If I'm almost a quarter of a century old, I should be able to make my plans and stick with them. Somehow, I've gotta release the hold other people's words have on me... or at least just my dad heehee.

All of this is just pulling my attention away from the theories and ethics discussion posts I have to write by tonight as I will be d r i v i n g thru K a n s a s tomorrow.

We're a bit down on strength today. I'm doing my absolute best to stay out of my comfy, cozy bed. I've sat up at this table, and I've gotten my notion updated for this week's assignments and tasks. I've gotten some journaling started (thank you, audience <3).

Today:

The plan is to start by attacking the Feminist Theory chapter for Dr. K's theories course. There's also an overview video I will dive into after posting that should give me some general context before I start breaking my brain with the text. Then it's a simple case conceptualization (I say simple but this class is the one I struggle with the most as I orient myself theoretically) for the discussion post. I will get this done tonight {if I could just breeze through it, I would love that @ "the universe" thx}

Then I dive into some ethics ~ this week we're talking boundary violations. There's a chapter on it in the text and some references to find violations in my local state board's website... how exciting -- then a quick discussion post (again, I say quick, yet I barely crawl along it seems). I will also get this done tonight...

and all with enough time and energy and mental/physical eye power to finish the last half of the new Matilda musical with the fam. Techniques will wait until Thursday, once I have already driven through Kansas.

May doc have mercy on my soul (@ doc hudson from Cars)

#notesandchai op #myfourswords #week 7 #studyblr #uniblr #clinical mental health counseling #this is no form of inspiration #it is simply my last resort at remaining calm cool and studious #masters studying #tarot #tarot daily

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thevictoriousone · 7 months ago

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I was trying to think through this because I too feel that I was taught there was some level of rudeness in accepting these things. But I think it was more that no one ever really made sure to explain when it may be rude or when it was fine (someone offering a drink? Fine to accept! Asking if you can get yourself a drink? Also generally fine! Telling someone to get you something or, in some cases, even asking politely for them to get you something? Can definitely be rude)

I also think some people grew up with family members who WOULD offer a thing to appear polite but then be mad about doing/getting the thing they offered. OR worse, they’d do the polite thing but then expect a reciprocal “repayment” - “but I made you tea the other day so now you HAVE to let me borrow your car” or some such. My brother was like that for a while in early adulthood. So I can understand why some people might have difficulty navigating these situations.

As for me…I bring my water bottle and a Dr Pepper pretty much everywhere, so I almost always refuse a drink or often even a snack, hold up my drinks, and go “Thanks but I’m good!” Anyone who knows me at all knows I consider all situations at BYODP. I can be quite picky about drinks, so this is just what works for me. If I’m refusing a snack or something, sometimes I’ll offer a very short explanation why (“oh I don’t care for sweets, but thank you!”) just to show I’m not declining out of some weird politeness but because I genuinely don’t want that thing but ALSO I make sure to show appreciation for the offer!

some of y'all need to learn how to accept hospitality. stop assuming people are only offering to look after you out of twisted obligation that they don't actually want to do. when you assume that, you are often denying someone the opportunity to genuinely show a friend or stranger love. even if you don't really care about what they're offering, it's respectful of their desire to be kind to accept it anyways.

i had a bunch of girls i've never met over for a women's group. every single one of them denied my offer to make them tea (despite already making myself a mug anyways), get them water, a scone, etc.

i can tell when people refuse to let me be a good host because they "don't want to be a bother". like no!! please be a bother!!! i want to serve you and make you comfortable in my home!

not to be like "we live in a society" but really do live in a modern culture than emphasizes individualism to the point where people will reflexively deny any help or kindness from others for fear of treading on their independence. newsflash: dependence on each other is what makes a community. next time someone offers you kindness, accept it instead of making excuses for why you don't need it. otherwise you've robbed both yourself of being loved and someone else from showing love.

#I’m tired at work so I’m a bit rambly #pls forgive

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takeeachdayonebookatatime · 2 months ago

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Why did you elbow me? 228

Nicholas (Nick) Stephen McSwarek undercover part 38

The car accident part 13

Kate/Stana: pov I'm just so sleepy and nauseous everything hurts I haven't eaten in a few days. Water hasn't really been staying down. The Dr's said it might have something to do with the antibiotics, sedative and morning sickness. They are keeping a close eye on it and giving me tons of fluids. A nurse comes in to give me some nausea meds and asks if I would like to try and drink something, if I can hold it down she can get me some food to try. She tells me to slowly sip the water it immediately comes up and so does some stomach acid painfully all over me and the bed. I can't stop throwing up, the nurse calls my Dr's who run in the room. Dr Davidson, Dr Claudia Dr Hartfield are discussing what to do. I’m given a bunch more meds and start to feel my body relax. Dr Burkett had to leave because he has other patients to treat in his office. Dr Davidson offered to be on my case that way Dr Burkett doesn't have to drive down so much.

Dr Claudia: pov after Lanie and the nurses finish cleaning the sheets and Stana, she is back in bed asleep. me, Dr Davidson and Dr Hartfield have decided as a precaution Stana needs to be seen by a few other Dr to make sure everything is okay. The fact that she can't keep anything down is starting to concern us a little. The sedative should be out of her system by tomorrow. The antibiotics might cause her stomach to be upset on top of the morning sickness which could be a problem but she has been given nausea med which should be helping her. She is definitely keeping us on our toes. We have to be careful with her since she is on a lot of meds. Heart meds, pain meds, antibiotics, nausea meds, immune system ones, steroids, nebulizer, prenatal vitamins and meds to prevent blood clots since she isn't moving around.

Dr Hartfield: pov I'm concerned about what caused her aspiration pneumonia. I don't want her throwing up to make it worse. Let's do a round of the nebulizer while she sleeps. I listen to her lungs to make sure they don't sound worse. Her left lung is a concern since it has collapsed before. But it seems to be doing okay so far which is good.

Lanie: pov me and her Dr's are talking about how she needs to gain weight but with her throwing up its not happening. We discuss options for her to gain weight like protein smoothies. Back in Kate's room I suggest while she is sleeping, Castle and Jim should run some errands. I can handle everything while they are gone. Plus I want to talk to Esposito on the phone, I'm going to put the chair in the bathroom and leave the door open, that way I can talk and still keep an eye on her.

Castle: pov Alexis and Dave ate at the apartment with Mother. I asked earlier if they could check the apartment for Kate's bear but they couldn't find it, they said it wasn't at the loft either when they were there the other day. Where could this bear have gone? Me and Jim decided to run to Target to get a few things after we eat. We were originally going to head to the grocery store but needed a few non grocery things. That's why we picked Target, plus it's close to the apartment and hospital. It's too early to get any baby or maternity stuff.

Jim: pov at target I grab a cart while Castle locks the car I can tell it's bothering him being away from Katie it bothers me too. Well since she is going to be in the hospital for a while maybe we should get her a fuzzy blanket and some books. Castle suggests some comfortable pj's or accessible tops, maybe some lotion in case her skin gets dry or irritated from the iv and we can't forget some board games. I put some drinks in the cart while Castle grabs some easy snacks for us all, he also grabs some food items. Katie is still nothing by mouth until the vomiting is more under control. Lanie had told us what stuff was safe to get her. As we are passing by the toy aisle Castle spots the cutest stuffed elephant. I think it's for newborn babies. The packaging says it even has a heartbeat to soothe the baby. He put it in the cart saying it might help Katie sleep better since they can't find her bear.

Castle: pov we grab a few more things and quickly bag our stuff and leave. After dropping a few things off at the house me and Jim head back to the hospital. Lanie says she already ate, Kate's been asleep for a while. I show Lanie the elephant. Lanie, can you ask the officers who searched the apartment if Kate's bear was there because Alexis can't find it and it wasn't at the loft. You know she has had that thing forever, since she woke up from heart surgery after her shooting, you know it means the world to her.

Lanie: pov I think I have the officers number since I'm listed as Kate's emergency contact. I had to okay them going over to search the place. I grab my phone to make the call while Jim and Castle visit Kate. Hello, hi my name is Lanie are you one of the officers who search Captain Beckett and Detective Nick's apartment. You are the officer great, was there a stuffed animal there. I can hear him stalling, spit it out. He says his partner knocked over a cup and it spilled onto the stuffed animal while they were searching the apartment. The stuffed animal was very wet and gross. His partner was about to just throw it away. He tells me he took it to get cleaned and it desperately needed it. I tell him that bear has definitely been through a lot. She has had it since she woke up from emergency heart surgery a few years ago after being shot.

Castle: pov the officer is bringing the stuffed animal tomorrow. Alexis and Dave stopped by for a bit before heading out, Kate had suggested they both have a fun night out instead of worrying about her.

To be continued. ..,

#tvshow #castle #fanfiction #stanakatic #katebeckett #richardcastle #nathanfillion #lanieparish #tamalajones

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awkwarddystopianwarlord · 3 months ago

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Betrayed By Beverage

The Dr Pepper my friend purchased had already been opened earlier that day. She opened it outside the car lest it fizzed over, and pleaded for it to not do that, after which it promptly did. At least it was outside and the damage was done. Once the initial fizz over happens, you’re free from it happening again unless you shake your beverage around like a lunatic.

But imagine if that wasn’t the case and it got so much worse a few hours later. Except you don’t have to imagine because it actually got so much worse a few hours later.

Four of us strolled into a movie theater that evening to watch Deadpool & Wolverine. I sat next to the friend with the pop. We were getting ourselves sorted out, laying our snacks and drinks in their places, putting our bags under the seats, the usual pre-movie setup. It was just after this, right after we’d sat down and gotten cozy when I heard my friend whisper-plead again for the drink to not explode as she twisted the lid off.

It proceeded to explode, like, geyser kind of explosion.

It didn’t stop, even though she immediately tried putting the lid back on. Once my brain processed what was happening, I frantically moved our bags out of the way and grabbed napkins and we fought desperately to contain the situation. The other two friends didn’t notice for a bit because the two of us were panicking in hushed tones. We muffled our wild array of emotion-induced sounds that escaped our mouths and so, by the time those friends tuned in, we were already soaked in sticky fizzy drink.

We couldn’t leave though, the movie was about to start. Instead we remained in our damp, gooey state, for over two hours. The fake leather of the seats was flaking off onto our exposed skin because the sticky was so powerful. It was disgusting and I hated it. We had to half-assedly clean ourselves up via paper towel and water in the theater bathroom which was a super cute friendship bonding experience that I don’t ever want to do again. Luckily I also live within walking distance from the place so when we went back to my house I was able to change. My friend accepted her dreadful fate.

We then went to dinner in our slightly less sticky states which was good since we didn’t ruin the fake leather seats there unlike the previous ones. And when all the food was consumed and our bellies full, we called it an earlier-than-usual night because my friend felt gross and wanted to go home. Understandable. I desperately wanted to shower myself.

What a wild roller coaster of a Saturday that was. I love that I can look back at photos from that day and remember why I had a different outfit later on. I’m so glad I spent an amount of time planning my look only for it to get tarnished by carbonated death beverage.

#writing #blog #friday post #storytime #biweeklyblog #struggles

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darlingatlas · 2 years ago

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Things that happened in my friends and I's playthrough of Ace Attorney Pt. 13

Previously

Cast: Me Friend 1: L Friend 2: M Friend 3: N

xxxxx

Me, as Maya: And on top of that, I'm the suspect of the, of the, susefsfsf- FUCK! *laughter* M: Want to take that from the top? L: Yeah, you've only been accused three times? Me: SHUT THE FUCK UP!

xxxxx

M, as Pearl: I'll leave you two.....alone.

xxxxx

N: I'm gonna make the Judge a smoker for his voice. N: *does the voice* Us: YEAHHH!

xxxxx

N: von Karma talks so much!

xxxxx

N: *keeps breaking character because of laughing*

xxxxx

M: Morgan Fey... Goddamit. L: Wait, Morgan le Fay. Me: Wait, did you just get that??? L: Listen, we're stupid.

xxxxx

*Judge gets whipped* N: *deadpan* Ah.

xxxxx

L: *chokes on water from laughing* Me: Drinking is ill-advised for this gameplay.

xxxxx

*game keeps jumping between Judge and Morgan, who are both voiced by N* Franziska, to Judge: Be. Quiet. N: YES, PLEASE! MY THROAT IS KILLING ME!

xxxxx

Judge: Ms. Fey, please tell us what happened at this time. N: Which one? There's four of them.

xxxxx

M: With great strength, comes great thrustability!

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M: You know, I want to know. Where's the bailiff for all the stuff von Karm is doing??? N: She's committing assault!

xxxxx

N, as Judge: Who did she go speak to? Me: Your mom.

xxxxx

*Ini Miney returns* M, who loves this character's voice: AWWW YESS!

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L: *accidentally pushes the continue button mid-dialogue* N: GUILTY!

xxxxx

*everyone mimicking Ini Miney's sprite animations*

xxxxx

Judge: Wait, you mean to tell me that it wasn't Maya Fey but your sister you saw??? Me, as von Karma: YES, YOU STUPID FOOL! WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THIS 18 SEPARATE TIMES! N, as Judge: I have the memory of a goldfish! von Karma: THAT'S CALLED ALZHEIMER'S! M, quietly: The snack that smiles back

xxxxx

M: *uses Dr. Doofenshmirtz's voice for Mimi* AND THAT'S WHY I TOOK REVENGE.... ON THE TRI-STATE AREA!

xxxxx *talking about Ghostbusters and the BJ ghosts scene (long story... listen, we're talking about ghosts and spirits, of course we'd bring up Ghostbusters)* coincidentally.... von Karma: It is a bit hard to swallow *hysterical laughter*

xxxxx

M: This voice (for Ini) is just the yassified voice of #5: Burger King Foot Lettuce.

xxxxx

Phoenix: *explaining how UK cars have driver seats on the opposite side to US cars* Everyone: OHHHHHHH

xxxxx

Phoenix: THE WITNESS'S REAL NAME IS.... *given prompt to present profile* *accidentally presents attorney's badge* NONONONON

xxxxx

von Karma: THIS COURT IS A FRAUD! A SHAM! N: I mean, you're not wrong.

xxxxx

L: Wait, isn't this the case you both hate? N & Me: Yes.

xxxxx

L: How scared I should be of the clown you guys keep talking about? N: *ominous laughter* L: Got it.

xxxxx

*sees Max Galactica's picture* L: Why his tits out?

xxxxx

Max: Sweetie, drop porcupine head over there. L: *surprised Pikachu face*

xxxxx

Phoenix: The circus is closed. That means no clowns, no elephants. Me, as Maya: I mean... I don't know about that, Nick. I think there's a clown standing in front of me right now.

#aa #ace attorney playthrough #ace attorney justice for all #ace attorney liveblog #phoenix wright #maya fey #franziska von karma

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talesofstyles · 4 years ago

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Drs Styles

paediatric heart surgeon harry, husband harry and dad harry. honestly the holy trinity.

warning: they did it in the car. bloody animals.

Harry

“Move your car, please!”

“What are you going to do? Write me a ticket?”

“This is in the interests of safety for the children!”

I look at the time in the car. I’ve still got about twenty to twenty-five minutes to watch this drama unfold at the school gate. I just wish we had popcorn because drop-off and parking situations at the school gates are always more entertaining than Good Morning Britain.

The school gate is a strange social scene, and honestly, I don’t blame my wife for trying to avoid it like a plague. Sometimes, you don’t even have to talk to these people to know everything about their lives and more. I swear there are more gossips in the class WhatsApp group and daily playground chattering than in the copies of The Sun and Daily Mail combined. You know who’s married, who’s getting a divorce, whose husband shagged the au pair again, whose party you haven’t been invited to, even who’s looking for a builder.

I see the school caretaker chuckling to himself as he sweeps the autumn leaves off the pathway, no doubt also enjoying our morning entertainment.

“Why is Mrs Chambers screaming like that?” Alma, our eldest daughter, asks from the back of the car.

“Because that man parks his car in a drop-off zone,” I reply, still watching him as he removes a child from his car seat. “Do you know who that is?”

“I think the boy is your classmate,” Alma turns to her sister.

Fiona, our youngest, peers over to inspect. “Oh yeah, that’s Rufus and his dad.”

“Do we like Rufus?”

“Not unless we like boys who pee down the slides,” Fiona scrunches her nose up. “He stood at the top and peed down like a waterfall. I haven’t gone down the slide ever since.”

I shake my head and let out a chuckle. “M’sure they’ve cleaned it up since, button.”

Did you know that choosing a school for your child after nursery can be a head-throbbing, stomach-twisting, heart-pounding experience? Well, it can. How is one supposed to choose a school anyway? According to the proximity? Leavers Results? Adorable uniforms? Parents’ agendas?

After many, many discussions and visits through more schools than I can count, we ended up with Thomas’s Kensington. It’s a great school, and only ten minutes away from our home, making school runs easier. The downside of this school is the fact that it costs us an arm and a leg and that they’re always trying to rip us off any chance they get. Also, they only take the kids until 11, so after that, we’ll have to look for other schools again. But since our girls are only seven and five, we can worry about that later.

There’s a strange mix of parents at this place. I went to school up in the North and the school gate scene is nothing like this. Here there are more au pairs, fancy cars, nicer clothes and people coming with impressive tans from their last weekend break in Antibes. The kids here are suited up too: the PE kit is the size of a small weekender bag, and we put them in uniforms that make them look smart, hoping that will increase the size of their brains. A child walks past our car with a cello case, another with a hockey stick. It’s a different land here. One that my socialist in-laws constantly tease us about and one which my mum was hysterical about because she was scared her grandbabies would be little Tories. I promised her I’d keep them grounded by only giving them plain hobnobs. None of those luxury chocolate covered ones.

Jokes aside, my girls are happy here. They’re thriving. They learn French and Spanish and Mandarin, even if they share a class with kids who have ridiculous names like Kitty and Archibald.

A knock at my window calls me to attention. I wind it down.

“Are you Fiona’s dad?” A mum asks me.

“I am.”

“It’s about Ophelia’s riding party this Saturday at the riding stables.”

Like I said, it’s a different land here.

“I thought we RSVPed to that?” I look at her in confusion.

“Yes, you did, but we have to change the food options as one of the partygoers is allergic to nuts. I’m making everyone aware and we need to let the guests know that they can’t bring any nuts on the day.”

A dirty joke is right there on the tip of my tongue and I’m trying my hardest to keep it in. My wife would definitely find it funny though, I’ve got to remember this and tell her later.

“Noted,” I mean, I wasn’t going to send my daughter to a party with a packet of cashews anyway but I nod politely.

“And just gift vouchers for gifts please. Smiggle, if you can.”

Again, I nod, biting my tongue at the presumptuousness. But then I suddenly panic, because we haven’t entered the realms of pony riding just yet. Do I have to buy jods and boots? If I don’t, will my daughter be the odd one out? But Ophelia’s mum saunters off before I’ve got the chance to ask.

“Do I have to go to that party, daddy?” Fiona asks.

“Well, we’ve already replied, poppet,” I tell her. “Did you not want to go?”

“I’ll go if I have to.”

I don’t answer because I get distracted by a vacant space. I edge the car forward so my girls can hop off.

“I love you both. Have a good day, make good choices.”

“Bye daddy! We’ll see you after work!”

***

Evelina London Children’s Hospital is our second home. Of course, as a children’s hospital, we try to make the place as fun as possible as not to freak those little patients out at being ill. It is bright and primary coloured, and each ward is decorated according to its own theme with different colours and lovely artworks. There are televisions and toys almost in every corner. We have a giant slide on the ground floor, and even the bins are shaped like red London buses. The aim was to help the children to forget that they’re in a hospital and take their minds off their sickness.

Since my wife and I are in the same department, our offices are next to each other, both overlooking the Thames. It’s nice up here. Would’ve been nicer if we could sneak in a quickie, but that’s practically impossible with our shared secretary’s desk sitting literally in front of our doors.

Speak of the devil.

“Good morning. Here’s your tea,” my secretary follows me into my office with a cup of tea and a tiny plate with a couple of rich tea fingers. “Clinic until 3 pm, scheduled PDA ligation in the laboratory for 4 pm and then evening rounds on the wards.”

“Mornin’ Rhonda, you look lovely today,” I greet her cheerily. She’s a stern-looking woman who definitely likes her tea as strong as tits and who has probably never cried in her life. With such severity, she runs a tight ship, but she secretly has this affectionate side in her too. Not only is she a great secretary, but she also takes care of us in a way as a grandma does. She makes us tea, feeds us in between surgeries with biscuits or nice baby cheeses and crackers just so we wouldn’t starve.

See that sofa over there in the corner of my office? Rhonda got me that. It was around the time when I had just become a new father with the sweetest, most gorgeous little baby who did not sleep. Alma wasn’t a fussy baby though. For some reason, she just wouldn’t go back to sleep after her midnight feed for months. Believe me, I tried everything. I changed her nappy, I swayed and jiggled and rocked and sung her to sleep. Odd nonsensical songs like, ‘Alma darling go to sleeep. Sleepy sleep sleep. Pleeeeease. I’m so tirrrred. My eyeballs may actually exploooode. I don’t want you to see thaaat.’ And she would just look at me all wide-eyed like I’d lost the plot. Those were song lyrics? That was rubbish. Please don’t give up your day job. Also, it’s not sleeping time. I’m awake. I’m ready for life. Come on, entertain me, old man. Isn’t this nice, just you and me? Tell me everything you know. EVERYTHING.

Except of course she didn’t say all that. She would just stare at me and I had no idea what was going on in her little head.

I took over my wife’s patients at the hospital during her maternity leave, so I had longer hours at the hospital. One day Rhonda found me napping on the floor between surgeries, so she sweet-talked some porters into looking for any old sofas on the go and paid to have this one reupholstered. She even bought me a fleece throw for it too. We really don’t deserve her.

“You hittin’ on me?” She deadpans. “Yer wife not doing it for you these days?”

“It’s the blazer. I’m a sucker for a blazer.”

“If I’d known, I would’ve worn it more often,” she replies. “Did my nice dress yesterday not give you the fanny flutters?”

“It’s schlong shiver for me,” I roar with laughter. “And it’s the tartan, makes you look well old.”

“YN, yer husband’s a bloody git, did I ever tell you that?” Rhonda says loud enough for my wife to hear, and I can hear my wife’s laughter from her office next door. “Drink your tea. Your first clinic appointment is in twenty.”

“Yes ma’am,” I salute her.

***

The Arctic ward in the Evelina is home to many of our imaging, heart and kidney services. The name is probably giving it away, but everything is decorated in blue and white to go with the theme. We have several zones, and since paediatric cardiology clinics are held in the Walrus zone, I spend a great deal of time each day looking at walrus and snowflake decals.

“Doctor Styles!” I hear a little voice shouts in excitement as I walk towards the waiting room in the outpatient ward. I smile, because I recognise that voice even before I see the little person.

The waiting room is very open here compared to other hospitals. There’s a sea of noise, snacks, tiny juice boxes and colouring pages. There’s also always a look of expectation, judgement on the faces of parents and guardians every time I walk in. They want to see if their doctor is old or qualified enough to see their children. There’s always one child who has the whole gang with them; parents, two sets of grandparents and even several aunts and uncles, and there’s also at least one child running around in circles out of boredom.

This little lad bounces off his chair and hurls himself at me in a way like a little puppy would when its owner comes home from work. I put an arm out, hoping that he’ll apply the brakes but no such luck and he bundles himself into my arms. “Nice to see you, mate.”

His parents smile as they watch their son’s antics, who then runs off as I shake their hands. I turn around to see what caught his attention, and I can’t help but chuckle when I realise it’s my wife.

“Doctor pretty Styles!” He exclaims excitedly as he bundles himself into her arms. She gets a mouthful of curls in the process.

“Hi Rory,” she greets him as she runs her fingers through his curly mop.

“Oi,” I pout as I walk towards them. “You don’t think I’m pretty?”

“Your wife is prettier,” he says with a shrug, his tone matter-of-fact.

She laughs and gives him a high-five. “Rory, you are officially my favourite patient.”

She is right. Rory is one of our special patients for sure. We’ve both known him for about six years now, ever since Rory’s mum gave birth to this tiny human next door at St Thomas and his heart was literally broken. I remember watching proudly from the theatre when my wife replaced two of his valves when he was born. It was in our early years of training. Long time patients like Rory almost always feel like family. We’ve seen all their parents’ tears and watched over their children throughout the years. They send us cards and wine every Christmas and despite all attempts to keep a professional distance, their kids do feel like our own.

Rory shrugs off his dinosaur rucksack and unzips it, pulling out a drawing of a blue whale and an opened packet of KitKat. I like that the whale wears a top hat and appears to also don a moustache.

“I drew you both a picture. Only one though, because I figure you can share,” he says with a big toothy grin and hands the packet of KitKat to my wife. “And I’ve got half a KitKat here. Do you want it?”

“I’m good for now. Keep that KitKat for later on the tube,” she smiles and waves at Rory as she begins to walk away towards the fetal cardiology ward just down the hall. “Bye Rory, thanks for the picture.”

“Bye doctor pretty Styles,” Rory replies, making my wife laugh as she walks away. I give her a wave and a wink.

“Hey Rory, did you know a blue whale has a heart the size of a small car?” I ask him and his eyes widen.

“No way! That’s mega!” He exclaims. “Do you think you could operate on a whale heart?”

“I would need a very big ladder,” I tell him. “And a wetsuit. I’d give it a go though.”

A senior nurse from the outpatient ward, Florence approaches us with a junior nurse trailing behind her. “Dr Styles, always a pleasure.”

I smile at her. “Florence. How are we today?”

“Busy as usual,” she replies. “We’re about twenty minutes behind I’m afraid. We had Dr Goodridge in this morning and you know he likes to talk.”

“He always runs over,” I chuckle. “Well, don’t worry. I’ll skip lunch and get us back up to speed.”

“I’ll make sure to send some snacks for you. Here’s your chart, your files are already in your office. And this is Alice, your nurse today. She’s newly qualified so might need some instructions.”

The new nurse looks terrified so I smile at her to try and calm her fears. I totally get that. When you work in medicine, unfortunately, you’ll realise that there are a lot of rude self-important wankers.

I look down at my chart and find Rory’s name on the top of the list. “Well, look who’s coming with me to the exam room.”

Rory reaches out to hold my hand and we walk towards the examination room. His parents follow us closely, carrying the usual coats and devices that people do when they know they’re bound for a hospital waiting room. I see them inside and sit behind the desk.

“So, young man, I hear we’ve had a touch of drama with you. Can you tell me what happened?”

I’ve actually already got the information in the file, but I like the way this kid tells a story. He reminds me of my youngest.

“So… I was at school and we were doing PE and I wasn’t really feeling it because it was cold and really we should have been inside but Mr Witter makes us go outside because he used to be in the Army apparently and he says we should get used to the cold but that’s what they do in prisons.”

I smile. “Go on.”

“And then my heart started running.”

“You mean racing?”

He nods firmly. Racing isn’t even the word. It sprinted to the finish like Bolt at 252 beats per minute, three times the speed it should.

“It felt like bubbles in my chest and then the school went crazy panicky and they called the ambulance and they brought me to the hospital but not this one, it was another one and it wasn’t as good because you weren’t there and they had really bad biscuit.”

His mum adds. “And they gave him some drugs to bring it back to a steady rhythm; they were close to shocking him.” Her voice trails off and both parents’ faces look drawn and pale remembering the incident.

Rory looks absolutely unbothered by this. To be fair, we have put this little man through everything. We’ve cut his chest open more times than is necessary for someone so small, we hook him up to machines and put him on treadmills. His resilience and character amaze me, and I really can’t imagine what it feels like to see your child so vulnerable and helpless, to be paralysed and weighed down with such worry.

“Alright then, little man, we need to make sure that your heart is working as it should. This is Alice, and she is going to take you over for an ECG and we just need to make sure your tick-tock is in good shape.”

Rory nods and jumps off the chair. His dad offers him a piggyback, and his mum smiles at them. I can hear Rory offering that half KitKat to Alice as they leave the room.

His mother turns to me as the door is closed, her shoulders relaxing, allowing herself to breathe. “And how are you?” I ask her.

“You just think it’s done and then something like that comes along to scare you,” she says with a sigh.

“Let’s have these tests and then see if it’s anything major to worry about,” I try to calm her. “Episodes of rapid heartbeat is quite common in Rory’s case, and we can look into drugs to remedy that if necessary.”

She smiles, nodding.

“Did you have any other questions for me?”

She studies my face for a moment too long. “I… well, it will show up in Rory’s records soon, but my husband I are… I mean we’re getting a divorce.”

I pause for a moment. Of course, I know these things happen in life, but I’ve known this couple for years. I’ve seen them at their lowest ebb, bound by friendship and their love for that boy. I really do feel sorry for them.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I mumble.

“We just… we’re terrified about telling Rory.”

“He doesn’t know?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “We’re scared of breaking him. I mean, look at him. All of this stuff he’s been through and he carries on like nothing has happened. We don’t want to upset him.”

“It took a team of us the best part of six years to build Rory’s heart. There's a warranty on that workmanship,” I reassure her. “Have that chat with him. He’ll be fine.”

***

“Have we got time for dinner first?” I turn to my wife as we walk out of the hospital. We don’t normally have the luxury of ending our shift at the same time, but today is exceptional. We have parents’ evening at the girls’ school so Rhonda made sure to clear up our schedule after our evening rounds at the ward.

“No, but we can raid M&S and eat in the car?”

I’m starving and I almost cry with relief at the suggestion. “Always knew I married the right woman.”

She chuckles. “Damn right you did.”

We leave the car at the hospital and she drags me along the walkways to Waterloo, the breeze biting at our cheeks. I pull her into M&S, dodging the marching commuters and grab a basket.

“I’ll look for some wine,” she says before she saunters off. “Oh and I want sushi. None of that crap with the mayonnaise please.”

“Alright.”

I skipped lunch today so the whole place calls to me. I start taking very random things off the shelves: a packet of raspberry iced buns. That’ll do. I also take some hummus for my wife because she bloody loves hummus. I’m not even joking, I’ve seen her down a whole pot of it. Then I take some sushi as requested, some coleslaw, a family bag of mature cheddar and red onion crisps and a trifle. I hope I don’t bump into Rhonda. Next are cheese twists, noodle salad and cocktail sausages.

It takes me a while to notice that there is a man right next to me with a roll of yellow stickers in their back pocket. Hello there, you are one of my favourite people tonight. Have I managed to find that sacred hour when all the food is being marked down? He labels some prawns with dip and even though I get a little squeamish about eating fish near its expiry date, I put it in my basket. I then follow him around the corner. Now, this is dinner. I put all sorts of random food in my basket and smile at the thought.

Ooh, knockdown pizzas. I should get a pizza. That’s tomorrow’s tea sorted, the girls will love it. Although I can’t help but wonder, what’s the limit for us to feed our daughters frozen pizza in a week before they get taken away from us? But eh, we might be able to get away with it if we give them frozen peas on the side.

“Look at you,” says my wife, depositing two bottles of red in the basket.

“Yes, it’s me. I’m the yellow sticker bitch.”

She snickers as we turn to head for the tills. “Excellent work.”

***

“Mr and Mrs Styles, welcome.”

“Mrs Ebner, always a pleasure,” I shake the headmistress’ hand who’s standing at the door.

“Busy evening?” My wife asks her as she shakes her hand next.

“Always,” the headmistress replies with a smile, then proceeds to speak like she’s reading out of brochures. “But such a wonderful opportunity to connect with our parents and build on the special relationships we have with our school community.”

Two uniformed minions appear.

“Lewis, Maggie, could you please show Mr and Mrs Styles through to the drinks reception?”

They both nod in unison. The boy holds his arms out like a waiter showing us to our table. We follow them through the school’s grand corridors to the main hall. It’s the one thing I like about this place. It’s very Hogwarts-like with hefty engraved name boards and sepia photos of successful sports teams. In the hall, a throng of parents mill around waiting to see respective teachers. It’s the same every year. We all dodge the people from the PTA trying to sell us quiz tickets, and the bowls of crisps out of hygiene concerns.

“Red or white?” Asks a lady in an apron.

This right here is the very reason we get through parents’ evening. From the look of the bottle, it’s decent wine too. I think that’s where a good proportion of our fees is going.

“Red, please.”

We both take our glasses and walk to the corner of the hall. It’s essentially a holding area without the background music. The idea is that all the parents will get on and create a party vibe but it just becomes a strange family gathering. As terrible as it sounds, it’s sorted into cliques: parents who know each other via NCT groups, the international expat brigades who keep to themselves, the parents who’ve ostracised themselves by gossip, the ones who you know regularly brunch and ski together.

The boy from earlier suddenly appears in front of us. “Mrs Hughes is ready for you.”

I put my hand on the small of my wife’s back as we walk towards the classroom. Fiona’s teacher first and then Alma’s straight after. Right, we can do this.

“Mrs Hughes, we meet again,” I shake her hand. I’ve got no qualms about Mrs Hughes. She’s a seasoned teacher who likes a slack and sensible moccasin and we’re familiar with her since she taught Alma two years previously. When we enter the classroom, Lewis bows in reverence, taking his leave and I wonder whether to tip him.

“It’s always lovely to have another Styles girl in my classroom. Fiona is a particular delight.”

My wife and I smile proudly. I’m sure Mrs Hughes says this to every parent here about their child, but that’s always nice to hear.

“She talks a lot about you,” my wife says. “She seems to have settled in well.”

Mrs Hughes opens up a couple of books and it’s classic Fiona. Alma is ordered and neat—if she makes a mistake then she erases it completely and she underlines things with a ruler and listens to instruction carefully. She gets that from her mum. Fiona though, on the other hand, she’s all me. She has more wild abandon about her; no rulers, no rubbers. She puts giant crosses through things that don’t work and likes her bubble writing decorated with doodles of many, many cats.

I glance around the classroom as Mrs Hughes talks to us about standardised scores. The theme of the school is to show you how smart and educated these children are. Look at the copperplate handwriting, their reproductions of Van Gogh and our languages corner where they’ve all had a go at telling us what they like in French. I spy a contribution from my girl. J’adore les chats et le gâteau au chocolat.

I’ve lost track of the conversation so I try to catch up.

“So to push Fiona into those top scores, perhaps we can look into tutoring? For maths, in particular, so she can grasp some of the concepts a little more tightly,” says Mrs Hughes.

My wife and I look at each other confused. “Uh, I don’t think there’s a need, right? She’s only five.”

“It’s never too early,” replies Mrs Hughes. “We run an after-school tutoring club on Tuesdays that would help.”

Back when I was a youngster, clubs were fun endeavours that involved matching baseballs caps or were a chocolate biscuit that you had in your lunchbox. Maths tutoring session was not a club.

I ask her. “Is it free?”

“It’s fifteen pounds per session.”

See? My point being this should be a parents’ evening, not a sales session.

“Well, then it’s something to think about,” says my wife. “It could be that Fiona catches up with people throughout the year.”

“Possibly,” Mrs Hughes nods. Still, though, she proceeds to go into her folder and passes me a form. Sneaky. “Fiona has also shown great interest in languages and art. Her pictures have been a joy.”

Mrs Hughes goes to a file and pulls one of Fiona’s drawings. I glance down at it. It’s a standard child piece of art. The grass and sky are strips of colour to the top and bottom. It’s a family portrait, and we are as tall as the broccoli style trees. Wait, hang on a second. I count the number of people in the picture again. Is that-

“And Mrs Styles, I gather congratulations are in order,” she says with a smile. “Such lovely news.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Fiona told me it’s a boy,” she adds, and the sheer terror on my wife’s face at the realisation is priceless. “You must be very thrilled.”

I study the picture. There’s a house in the middle, and standing in a line in front of the house is our family. The one slightly taller than the broccoli tree is me. I’ve got my white lab coat, and I look like a serial killer because I’m holding a scalpel with the size of a butcher’s knife. Next to me is my wife, also with a white lab coat, but instead of a scalpel, she’s holding a very chunky baby who rather looks like a basketball with a head.

“Oh dear,” I chuckle. “Guess now we know what she’ll ask for Christmas.”

“Yeah,” my wife shakes her head. “We’re not expecting.”

“Oh, I apologise,” Mrs Hughes says with a sheepish smile.

“No worries, Mrs Hughes,” I tell her. “So, what else has our girl been up to here? Besides gossiping of course.”

Mrs Hughes laughs under her breath. “Well, in class, Fiona is attentive, bright and very helpful. She is a credit to you both.”

***

“I swear your daughter, Styles.”

We’re sitting in the car now. Finally done with parents’ evening, still laughing at the slightly creepy, chunky basketball baby in Fiona’s picture and the fact that three people, including Mrs Hughes, have congratulated us for the ‘baby’.

“You haven’t called me Styles in years,“ I turn to her with a grin. “Not since medical school.”

I can’t help but flashback to the good ol’ days when we had matching university hoodies and we’d test each other on the parts of a kidney whilst walking into lectures, sitting next to each other, sharing pens and cans of Lilt.

“Well, after that I became a Styles too,” she chuckles. “Would be confusing then, wouldn’t it?”

“True,” I laugh under my breath, then I grab her hand and pull it to my mouth so I can kiss her knuckles. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For being a Styles.”

“Aw, aren’t we soppy tonight?” She smirks. “Alright, stop the car.”

“What?”

“There,” she points to a dark empty spot and I oblige.

Then, before I can even ask her why, she reaches over and grabs me by the collar. Pulling me close to her and gives me a kiss. I kiss her back, and I smile when she bites gently on my bottom lip.

“Oi, oi. Something’s got you randy.”

The next thing I know, she undoes her seatbelt and then rolls her trousers down her legs along with her knickers, fumbling and giggling at the awkward movement. I push my seat back and pull my trousers down.

“Don’t fall on gearstick now,” I joke as she climbs over to straddle me. “Well, unless you want to, of course…”

She laughs as she lowers herself over my lap. I really can’t believe what’s happening here.

“Mrs Styles, we’re about to have sex in a car. Around the corner from our daughters’ school.”

“I know,” she says with a smile before she runs her tongue along my neck. “Not our first rodeo though.”

“Oh right, we did it in our Volvo years ago, didn’t we? Thought the suspension couldn’t take it.”

“And it turned out fine. Told you that you needed to have more faith in the Swedes, they’re a reliable breed.”

“I love it when you talk about Sweden.”

“Ikea.”

“Fuck.”

“Meatballs.”

“Billy Bookcase.”

She throws her head back in laughter and I take this as an opportunity to run my tongue along her collar bone. She gasps. I reach down to lift her before I slowly lower her over my cock. We both sigh as I enter her, a long exhalation with our lips barely touching.

“Viggo Mortensen.”

“Isn’t he Danish?”

“Tomato, Tomahto.”

I smile at my wife and push my hips up, silently telling her that we don’t need to talk about Swedish people anymore. She grabs onto the car seat and levers herself up and down. I look at her in the eye, a goofy smile still plastered across my face.

But then I squint. Light. Bollocks, what’s that? Where’s that light coming from? Crap, that’s bright. Shit. I see the flash of a hi-vis jacket, a knock at the window and someone shaking their head.

Oh sodding fucking bollocking shit wank.

#harry #harry styles #harry styles fic #harry styles one shot #harry styles fics #harry styles ff #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles au #dad!harry #husband!harry #doctor!harry #surgeon!harry

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alstroemeriadissonance · 3 years ago

Note

HJDJSJH I remember reading about Artem's reaction to MC singing along to 34+35 or something like that (I think it was from artemelle?) So could I please request Vyn's reaction to MC/ his s/o singing along to 34+35 by Ariana Grande in this car? I'm just curious to hear your thoughts/headcanons you have, it doesn't have to be a full fanfic or anything. Cheers!

- Krypton

Thank you for feeding the ideas gremlin

I took a bit of liberty to move the setting to NXX Headquarters instead of the car

I'm not too used to headcanons yet so please take this fic

And yes since this is Vyn Richter we're talking about, this is (WARNING: NSFW, do not click, interact if minor etc etc)

Poor Rosa had a tendency to sing out loud the last song she listened to whenever she reached peak stress levels at work.

First, it manifested as a humming as she compiled articles of past cases in Artem's office.

As the hours went on, specifically after Artem had proposed alterations of approach with one of their more difficult clients, song lyrics start to slip out from time to time, as she starts singing under her breath.

Her singing voice wasn't unpleasant, not at all. Sometimes it was a welcome distraction. However she was still in Artem's office, and the eponymous main occupant of the office was also present, bearing witness to Rosa's singing of the word Fuck.

Can you stay up all night

Fuck me til the daylight

34 35

"Good lord." Artem watched Rosa blurt out a pathetic jumble of apologies, excuses, the I'm really sorry it's just that I'm having a bad case of LSS and I can't get it out of my head I'm sorrys before banging the door leading to his office closed behind her.

It took a few seconds to sink in before Artem, his face going beet red, buried his face in his hands.

===

NXX Headquarters. Meeting Room.

Rosa was sure that at 3 PM on a Wednesday, no one was using the premises, and she had exclusive use of the office for the day.

Having worked with the men for months, Rosa already knew their schedules to heart: Luke was away doing NSB duties until well into the evening. Marius would be babysitting the board members of his family conglomerate well until 7 PM. Vyn would be in the university doing lectures, and at 6 PM he would be doing his rounds in his research center. And Artem...she left him back in the office.

And so, she laid out her temporary workstation on the large table, and for good measure, turned up the volume of her laptop's music player.

Her fingertips swiftly flutter across the keyboard, a fierce wave of productivity crashing over her, now that she was comfortable with the fact that there was no one around to bear witness to her embarrassing tendency to sing out loud her stress, lyrics raunchy or not.

Baby you might need a seatbelt when I ride it

I’mma leave it open like a door, come inside it

Even though I’m wifey you can hit it like a side chick

Don’t need no side dick, no

This went on for at least 2 hours.

...

Aaaaaand Save. Rosa smiled, triumphant. It only took her a couple of hours to complete her revisions, with a few more to spare left to unwind.

Fuck me til the daylight

34 35

Means I wanna 69 with ya

Aww shit

It was needless to say that she felt proud of herself. Maybe I should hijack the NXX Headquarters the next crunch ti--

The sound of slow clapping emanated from the other end of the room.

No way.

With an acute feeling of dread thudding her heart against her rib cage, Rosa slowly turned to the source of the sound.

Dr. Vyn Richter was leaning by the open doorway, still wearing his white laboratory coat, a plastic bag of convenience store snacks hanging from his arm. His usual gentle smile was replaced by something quite...unreadable.

"How--how long you've been here?" Rosa stammered, now truly mortified.

"Long enough to hear you sing along to the song on loop at least three times." Still the same unreadable smile obscuring his golden gaze.

Yes, Rosa was now well and truly mortified.

"I do not understand why you should be so flustered. I am already well familiar with your tendency to sing out loud while you are experiencing work-related stress." Vyn's voice was slow and measured, not exactly devoid of warmth, but there was clearly something.

There would be some moments when Rosa--nor anyone else, for that matter--could not figure out what the man was thinking at the time. This would be one of those moments.

Vyn smiled as he placed his plastic bag of convenience store groceries on the table. "Or are you perhaps embarrassed at your choice of music?" He chuckled to himself. "There is no need for that. Do not forget that I dabbled with EDM onstage."

Without waiting for a reply from Rosa, he disappeared into the NXX server room.

A couple of minutes later, the lights in the headquarters had considerably dimmed, as if the main power source has been cut off with the emergency lights taking over the task of illuminating the premises.

Only the server room remained fully functional.

Rosa had noticed that the pilot light of her laptop has gone out as well. Is there a power outage? At this time?

"Vyn," Rosa called out, "I think the power's gone out--"

"Never you worry," Vyn said, his strangely serene smile still on his face as he emerged out of the server room. "That was me.

"I only switched off the main power." Hands in his pockets, he walked slowly towards Rosa. "Let us pick up the conversation again. Why were you so flustered upon finding out that I listened to your singing?"

His steps were slow, languid, and in the sudden dimness of the room his gold eyes flashed.

Just like a cat. A predatory cat.

"Well, um," Rosa was now confused as to why Vyn was insisting on getting an answer on such a trivial question. "Because the lyrics was...was on the lewd side...?"

"Hoh, interesting," Vyn's steps stop right behind Rosa's chair. He then grabbed the backrest of her swivel chair and turned it so she faced him.

"Vyn..." she gulped, her body becoming increasingly hot, the once light, comforting ambiance of having exclusive use of the expansive room now being replaced with a palpable tension caused by the man towering over her.

"If the power is out...the electronic doors wouldn't work, either...?" Rosa asked, slightly unnerved.

"Exactly. No one can go out." Vyn then slams his hands on the table behind Rosa, trapping her in his arms. One of his knees bend and rest on Rosa's chair, right between her thighs.

"And most importantly, no one can come in." His breath, panting ever so slightly, is hot and moist against her ear.

Rosa's eyes widen, finally realizing what was going on. Vyn was actually turned on by the song.

Before the thought fully sinks in Vyn's lips crash onto hers in a violent kiss, his tongue lashing hungrily against hers, their breaths mingling in their heady embrace.

Despite her initial confusion Rosa eventually found herself pulling Vyn by the lapels of his lab coat, returning his kissing with equally heated fervor.

She had yet to fully find out what exactly pushes her lover's buttons, but it was always a welcome break whenever something pushed one of his invisible little switches that turn the generally well-mannered, detached doctor to someone more...primal.

"If I tell you how I want to deal with my work stress, right now," Vyn murmured as he took a break from drawing wet, sloppy circles at the back of Rosa's nape with the tip of his tongue, "will you indulge me?"

Having reduced to putty in his arms, Rosa could only acquiesce. "Mm. Tell me?" She was subconsciously grinding her arousal against Vyn's knee.

Vyn licked his lips with his tongue sensuously, while maintaining eye contact with the woman who drove him quite mad.

"Let us do what you were...singing about."

===

The only sounds that could be heard in the dimly-lit NXX meeting room were muffled moaning and lewd, wet noises.

Vyn had assured Rosa that the power to the CCTV cameras were also cut along with the lights.

So there would be nothing to record the image of them lying on the cold, hard floor, with only Vyn's white lab coat spread out underneath them as a poor replacement for proper bedding.

There should also be nothing to record the unbelievably lewd manner she was grinding her sex against Vyn's hungry mouth, open just wide enough to let his tongue run along the length of her slit while two fingers gently nudge that sweet spot inside her in a maddening rhythm.

"Vyn..." Rosa moaned, feeling that tell-tale heavy, warm sensation gathering heavily in her loins.

The man underneath her pauses long enough to air out his need. "Please..."

Powering through the slowly-building wave of pleasure coursing throughout all her nerves, she lowers her mouth and wraps her wet lips around his shaft, feeling it twitch against the ministrations of her tongue.

She then lifts her lips just enough to let her tongue swirl around Vyn's tip, as her saliva-wet hand strokes the length left neglected by her hot lips.

"Please...do not stop," Vyn's voice was already strained with sheer need, his own hips now grinding against her mouth.

Vyn then switches up the licking to sucking and oh did that send Rosa over the edge with a cry--she was about to momentarily let go of his hardness when his hand firmly pushes her head back down, as he violently shot his seed directly into her throat.

===

The next day, Luke and Marius were going over the control panel in the NXX server room.

"Yeah. I really can't tell what happened for the main power to be cut." Luke said as he inspected the panels, running diagnostics trying to troubleshoot the cause of the mysterious power interruption that was isolated to the NXX meeting room only.

"At least the servers weren't affected." Marius crossed his arms. "This hasn't happened before. I wonder..."

"I will speak with the utility contractor later about this matter," Vyn said as he lifted the little vacuum robot out of its spot just right underneath one of the server racks. "Oh? This is a rather odd place for this thing to wander in."

Marius's brows furrowed. "Strange," then to Luke, he asked "Do you think this little guy may have tripped over something and caused the power to go out?"

"Mm. Dunno, can't say anything definite yet."

"Ah, poor little thing," Rosa cooed at the vacuum robot as she took it from Vyn's arms. "Being blamed for something...naughty."

#tears of themis #tot vyn #vyn richter #vyn richter x reader #mo yi #tears of themis smut #tot smut

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shemarmooresfedora · 4 years ago

Text

Rebuilding Family

Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.

Pairing: Spencer x Fem! Reader

Masterlist

Chapter 10

You were packing up your stuff as students filed out of the lecture hall, it was your last class of the day. As you were walking out towards the parking lot, your phone started to vibrate in your bag. It was the school.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Hi Y/N. It’s Mrs. Flynn. I was just calling to let you know that Jo is now waiting inside with me because she was getting cold outside,” she informed you.

“Spencer’s not there?” you questioned, looking at the time displayed on your phone.

Pickup time was fifteen minutes ago.

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience,” you opened your car door and set your bag down in the passenger seat, turning on the ignition.

“No worries, I have to reorganize the classroom library anyways so I was already planning on staying after.”

Once the call ended, you tried to call Spencer but it went straight to voicemail.

“Hey Spencer, I don’t know if you forgot but it was your day to pick up Jo. I’m getting her now,” you said as you reversed out of your parking spot.

Minutes later, your phone rang again. Expecting Spencer’s contact to show up on screen, your brow furrowed when the name read “JJ” instead.

“Hi JJ?” you said, more of a question than a greeting.

“Y/N, Spencer has been shot. I already told Will to go back to the school to pick up Jo. You should get here if you can. He’s in surgery now but there has been no update since he went in,” JJ explained.

“Oh my god. Okay, I’m turning around now. How did this happen? He didn’t mention he was on a case?” you pulled into a random parking lot to turn around.

“Well technically, we weren’t. We had a lead on a possible local case and we went to interview a potential witness who could give us some more information. We realized too late that he was the unsub. He thought we were on to him and shot Spencer in the leg while trying to escape.”

You had silent tears running down your face.

“I’m five minutes out” is all you could muster and then you hung up the phone.

You ran into the ER doors to find the rest of the team in the waiting room. You were glad you went to Rossi’s dinner party now or else this would have been a much more awkward first meeting.

“Any updates?” you asked frantically.

“No,” Derek sighed, “But no news is good news.”

You took the empty seat in between JJ and Penelope and put your face in your hands, not wanting everyone to see your tears.

Two hours of crappy coffee and vending machine snacks as your only source of sustenance later, a doctor emerged from behind the double doors.

She had a completely neutral expression that you couldn’t read but then again you weren’t a profiler.

“Dr. Spencer Reid?” she asked, glancing down at her clipboard.

All of you stood and desperately crowded around her.

“Dr. Reid is in stable condition and awake. The bullet went into his thigh but it wasn’t through and through. He will need to be on crutches for about a week or so but luckily the bullet wound is near the edge of his thigh rather than the middle, meaning recovery time will be shorter,” she explained.

There was a collective sigh of relief along with a few “thank god”s.

“Although he is awake, I don’t think it’s best if you all go in at once since he is very drowsy. He has been asking for a Y/N?” the doctor looked around at you all.

All eyes fell on you. You collected yourself, grabbing your purse and following the doctor down the hall.

“I’ll let you know how he is,” you told everyone before you disappeared past the double doors.

The doctor guided you into a room at the end of the hall. You thanked her quietly and she nodded in acknowledgement, leaving you two alone. Spencer had his eyes closed but his hospital bed was inclined so he was sitting up slightly. You briskly walked over and took the seat right beside him. You took his hand in yours and squeezed it lightly, combing his messy hair out with your fingers.

As you were softly massaging his scalp, you heard a light groan. You retracted your fingers immediately as Spencer began to open his eyes.

Once Spencer took in his surroundings, he quickly sat up completely in bed, letting out a yelp of pain.

“Jo...it was my turn to pick up,” he said frantically.

“Hey, look at me, Spence. It’s okay, she’s at JJ and Will’s. You were shot in the thigh though so you’re not going anywhere. Please lie back down,” you assured him.

He nodded his head, relaxing a bit and looking down at his hands in his lap. He seemed to be processing something in his head.

“You called me ‘Spence’,” he stated.

Shit. That was twice now. It keeps slipping.

“Sorry, I-,” you began to ramble some apology that you didn’t even know where you were going with it. Luckily, he stopped you before you could further embarrass yourself.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” he spoke softly as he looked up at you, tears threatening to fall.

“I was so scared, Y/N,” he sobbed.

You swiftly pulled him into your embrace, tucking his head into your neck as you began to gently stroke his hair again.

“It’s okay, let it out. I can’t imagine what that was like. I’m so sorry you had to go through that but you're safe now, I promise,” you whispered to him.

“I was so afraid I was going to abandon you and Jo again. It hurt worse than the actual bullet,” he muttered into your neck.

You removed your hands from his hair and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look up at you.

“Spencer Reid, you did not abandon Jo in the first place so there is no ‘again’. Second of all, you would have died a hero saving lives and I would have made sure Jo knew that and she never forgot her Daddy or how much he loved her,” you spoke earnestly, never breaking eye contact.

Spencer’s eyes softened. A second later, his lips were on yours again. This time, however, you didn’t pull away. Life was too short and this was already complicated as is, what’s the harm.

You basked in the familiarity of his lips locking with yours. Once he finally pulled away for air, he rested his forehead against yours.

“Go out with me. A real date. No more college dorm dates with takeout,” he smiled.

“You know you didn’t have to get shot to ask me out, right?” you teased.

“I thought I needed a grand gesture,” he beamed, chucking lightly.

“Yeah, Spence, I’ll go on a date with you.”

His lips found yours once again.

“Jo, are you ready?” you called out from the kitchen, packing snacks.

“Mommy, I’m already at the door!” she exclaimed.

Jo was eager to go see her Daddy at the hospital. You would spend the day there until he was discharged and then he would live with you guys for the week. You insisted on being there to take care of him while he was healing. You didn’t want him hobbling around all alone in his apartment.

When you walked out to the front entryway, there was a stack of various toys and books that hadn’t been there when you came down the stairs.

“What is this?” you gestured to the pile, amused.

“Daddy has big boo-boo so he needs stuff to cheer him up,” she stated.

“I don’t think we are going to be able to bring all this. Plus, remember Daddy is coming home with us later today. So here’s what we will do,” you handed Jo her dinosaur backpack, “You pack all the stuff you can fit in this bag that you think Daddy needs right away and the rest of the stuff can wait.”

Jo made quick work of sorting through her massive pile, trying to decide what would make her dad the most happy.

“Daddy!” Jo excitedly screamed, running towards the bed.

“Jo!” he returned with the same sentiment.

She was unable to get up on the bed herself so you had to lift her up.

“Remember what I said, careful with Daddy or he won’t get better,” you reminded her.

“You can sit her on my good leg,” Spencer patted his right thigh where you gently set Jo down.

“We brought you loads of stuff, Daddy,” Jo chirped, looking over at you.

You revealed a box of donuts from your bag and the coffee tray you had been holding. You handed him a chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles and Jo a strawberry frosted with sprinkles. The two ‘cheers’ed their donuts before biting into them.

“Jo also brought you some things to cheer you up,” you handed her her backpack.

First, she promptly pulled out a pink Disney princesses band-aid and stuck it on Spencer’s already bandaged thigh.

“You need that so it doesn’t get infected,” she repeated Spencer’s words from when she fell at Rossi’s dinner party.

“Thank you, princess. What would I do without you?” he kissed the top of her head as she rummaged around in her backpack some more.

She set up her five favorite dinosaur toys on his tray table in front of them, glancing up at him for approval.

“Perfect,” he smiled, nodding.

Next, she pulled out a piece of paper that had been colored on.

“Who’s this?” Spencer asked, looking at the three stick figures doodled on the paper.

“That’s you, that’s Mommy, and that’s me,” she pointed to each of the sketches.

“Aw, that one is definitely making the fridge,” you smiled.

Finally, Jo took out her Magic Tree House book that she was currently reading. She needed help with some of the words but either you or Spencer or the both of you would help her read it every night.

“You already finished the last one?” Spencer picked up the new book that was next in the series, examining it and smiling proudly.

“And I didn’t need help with a single word on the last chapter,” Jo beamed.

“You’re so smart,” Spencer kissed her head again, “let’s see how far we can get on this one before we can go home.”

#spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfiction #reid x reader #spencer x reader #cm fanfic #spencer reid #criminal minds

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