#got out around half 2 and said our goodbyes before getting a taxi home

[biologicalmassofrubber]

Hmmm

[httpjeon]

MINE FOR TODAY — KSJ (M.)

synopsis. as part of a special valentines day sale, you make a bid in hopes to get a special discounted date with one of the dreamy bachelors of club ardor. you decide to choose The Romantic. 

pairing. seokjin/reader genre. angst, fluff, smut au. fake dating!au, date-for-hire!au wordcount. 6,171 contents. sad!seokjin, lonely!seokjin, light pining, teasing, protected sex, breast play, fingering, size kink (?), scratching, overstimulation, doggy style, pet names, light aftercare note. seokjins was by far the hardest to write. i have such a difficult time writing him ): i apologize, i did my best for him!

— club ardor masterlist.

© httpjeon 2020. do not repost, modify, or translate.

Your phone let out a startling ding, making you jump as you hadn't realized you'd forgotten to silence it. Taking a look around your cubicle, you made sure no one had noticed before you pulled it out and went to put in do not disturb mode. Before you did, however, the preview notification caught your attention.

"CLUB ARDOR VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL: See Inside for Details."

As you were about to unlock your phone to take a look, you heard the light clicks of your boss's heels coming towards you. You quickly slid your phone back into your drawer and turned your attention to your screen, feigning reading something.

Her footsteps paused outside of your cubicle before she called your name. You spun around in your chair to meet her gaze curiously.

"I really need those expense reports within the next hour, can you do that?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," you nodded, turning around once again to face your desk, "I'm actually almost done, I can probably have them on your desk in 30 minutes."

"That's perfect," she smiled, "Thank you."

You returned her smile and let out a sigh once you heard her footsteps disappear. Shaking your head, you let yourself become absorbed in your work once again -- forgetting about that email you'd received.

You caught a taxi to head home, not feeling like walking even though your apartment was only 5 minutes away. Your feet were aching and you just desperately wanted to take a shower and eat dinner as you'd accidentally missed your lunch break by working through it.

It wasn't the first time you'd considered yourself a bit too much of a workaholic.

It was nearing 11PM by the time you finally were able to settle down on the couch. Your hair was freshly washed and you were wrapped in a soft bathrobe with a nice face mask.

Reclining as the TV played in the background, you unlocked your phone to check after spending most of the day without. You responded to texts and checked your social media before suddenly remembered the email you had received earlier.

"CLUB ARDOR VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL: See Inside for Details."

It sat at the top of your emails and when you opened it, you were greeted with an image similar to a party invite. In pretty, cursive font it was written; "Once in a lifetime chance to meet the man of your dreams!"

There was a link beneath it that you clicked, causing it to open a new Safari page. The search bar indicated it had taken you to clubardor.com. It wasn't the first time you'd been on the website.

You heard of it's grand opening half a year ago and went to check it out. Unfortunately, you discovered that even the most basic package was 2 grand for 12 hours. The deluxe had a price that nearly sent you into cardiac arrest.

In the end, you just signed up for newsletters and things to be sent by email.

It seemed it paid off, as you found yourself on a page detailing a Valentine's special.

For the entire month of February, they were hosting a giveaway. According to each Date's schedule, a lucky woman would be chosen from a lottery to get a date with them for just $500 instead of $2,000. The insane discount had your jaw dropping.

You weren't embarrassed to admit that you were curious about the date-for-hire service. Biting your lip, you decided to throw your hat into the ring and place a bid on the special.

"Full money-back guarantee if you're not chosen!" was written in bold letters above the credit card input.

You had no worry about being scammed, Club Ardor had risen to the top in terms of dating services in the country -- after just 6 months of activity and just 7 bachelors available. They had an excellent reputation and were known for having an extremely high-class clientele.

With your lip caught between your teeth, an excited smile on your face, you put your payment information in and hit 'Enter'.

"Thank you for your bid! Please keep an eye on your email within the next week to determine if you've been chosen! Your lottery number is 1-241-994."

You opened up your note app and typed down the number on a blank note for safe keeping.

Returning to the website, you began to do some digging into each of the men available to hire. While their pictures weren't viewable -- for safety reasons, you supposed, there was plenty of information about them.

"Each Date has full control over creating his own scene. Location, dynamic, and length of time will vary. Please speak to your Date for more information on his plans to be sure you have allotted the correct time-frame. Abide by rules and limits he sets."

You flicked through the profiles of each man, eying their listed physical and emotional qualities.

That night, you went to sleep with excitement stirring in your heart.

Somehow, you managed to work through a couple days and ended up forgetting about even signing up for it. You were working so hard to get a promotion so you could escape the shitty cubicle that somehow spending $500 completely slipped your mind.

At least, that was until you were eating a bowl of cereal at nearly 3 in the morning on a Friday night -- 6 days after you had signed up, and your phone pinged with the alert of an email. Holding the spoon in your mouth, you picked up the device and unlocked it without even looking at the notification.

You went to your email and paused when you saw the email was from Club Ardor.

With shaking fingers, you opened it.

"Below are the applicants who filed for the lottery that won. If you do not see your number, expect a monetary refund within the next 24 hours."

You clicked out and went to your note app to check the number you had gotten. Refreshing your memory, you returned to the email and scanned down the list. There were a lot of numbers listed, you quickly realized. But by some miracle, you spotted your own number listed there in the middle.

"If your number is listed, please check your email for further instructions."

You backed out of the email and refreshed, sitting up straight when you realized you had a new one from Club Ardor.

"Congratulations on winning a special night, please follow this link to register for a date with the man of your choice!"

Clicking the bright red hyperlink, you watched the screen load for several seconds and go from white to black.

You flicked through all seven of the men passing the boyfriend, the romantic, the quiet one, the playboy, the softy, the bad boy, and the alpha male. It was easy to rule out the playboy, bad boy, and alpha male -- deeming them a little too hard of scenes than what you would be able to handle.

After a bit of deliberating, you decided on the romantic. He seemed to be the oldest at 26 years old and from the silhouette of his picture, you could see he had a very nice build with hide shoulders and pretty, thin waist. You assumed he would be closer to your type and you did enjoy romance so with a couple of clicks, you were registered for a date with him.

You were brought to another page which held instructions for downloading an application called Club Ardor along with a code it told you to input.

You did as you were instructed, highly impressed with the company's extensive work on the hiring process. It was very obvious to you that Club Ardor was, in fact, suited for those of high class. The service held an obviously high regard for discretion and safety for both its bachelors and clients.

Once the app was downloaded, you opened it and found a box to enter the code you'd been given.

You were then brought to a page to input information such as your name, age, height, likes, dislikes, and preferences. After entering it all, you were brought to an empty text message thread.

Before you could attempt to look around, your phone let out a jingle and a new text message popped up.

From: Seokjin Hi cutie! Our date is set for tomorrow night. Meet me at the Club Ardor building at 7PM sharp. Wear something nice and pretty, but comfortable. Can't wait to see you!

You read the text several times, surprised by the quick work he made before typing out a response letting him know you understood. The final thing he texted was a an address to the building you would meet him at.

Thankfully, your job has required you to dress nicely for business dinners in the past so you had a decent amount of things to wear. You decided on just a flowing dress that was breathable but complimented your figure. Placing it in the front of your closet for easy access, you went through your nightly routine and got into bed.

You worked through the day, it was a Friday so you compiled the information of the entire week and input it into the data system. It kept you busy and the hours passed by quickly.

You got off at 5, having made sure you finished everything as quickly as possible so you wouldn't have to work over time.

"You're in a rush today, _____," your boss smiled as she met you in the elevator, carrying a couple files.

"I um...I have a date tonight," you confessed sheepishly, face flushing when she gasped.

"Congratulations, I hope you have a wonderful time," she said, patting you on the back, "Stay safe, I'll see you on Monday."

The elevator opened to the 3rd floor and she got off, shooting you a little wave before the doors closed again. You were dropped off at the lobby and you adjusted your bag on your shoulder, bidding a goodbye to the receptionist as you exited your building.

Grabbing a taxi, you made your way home.

As soon as you stepped out of the shower, you heard your phone go off from your bedroom. The notification bell for the Club Ardor app was extremely hard to miss.

Wrapping a towel around yourself, you wandered into your bedroom and picked the device up.

From: Seokjin [5:45PM] Super excited, cutie! Can't wait to see you!

You smiled, typing out your response immediately, "Me either! See you soon!".

You were ready earlier than you would have liked. There were still 20 minutes until you could leave and be at Club Ardor on time. You didn't want to be too early or too late.

Timing it just right, you grabbed your purse and slipped your phone into the side pocket before slipping your heels on. The Uber you called pulled up right on time as you exited the lobby of your apartment complex.

Exchanging pleasantries, you crawled into the back seat and let out a nervous breath. Of course it wasn't until you were literally on your way that the nerves would kick in.

Club Ardor came into view at precisely 6:58PM.

The building was a huge high rise building with several floors. Club Ardor was a brightly lit neon sign atop the building. The Uber pulled up to the front curb and you stepped out, checking the time to see it was 6:59PM.

As the Uber sped away, you stepped up to the door, unsure of what to do. Deciding that you should probably let him know you were there, but as you unlocked your phone, the lobby door opened and a man stepped out.

He was dressed in a tux with a bowtie and he looked around for a second before his eyes landed on you.

"_____?" he smiled, walking up to you with his hand out, "It's nice to meet you, I'm Seokjin."

"Hi, Seokjin," you greeted, noting how big his hand was in yours before he pulled away.

"My cars in the garage," he jerked his head in the direction around the building, "Do you want to come or I can pull up."

"I'll...wait here," you said, making him laugh before nodding his head.

"I get it," he waved it off and began to jog around the building.

You could hear the rev of a car engine echo from the garage before a sleek white car came into view. Seokjin got out and jogged around the car to open the door for you.

You thanked him with a soft smile before getting in, pulling the seat belt on as he slammed the door shut.

Once in an enclosed space with him, you were immediately aware of how good he smelled. An almost sweet, fruity perfume wafted off of him and if you looked closely you could see he had a lip tint on.

"So, what's the plan?" you asked, breaking the silence that had settled.

"A romantic date on the water for two," he sighed, almost dreamily.

It couldn't help but laugh, which in turn brought a bright smile onto his face. The atmosphere became increasingly less tense as Seokjin drove to somewhere unknown.

"I'm so hungry," he complained from the driver's seat, making a turn onto a less populated road, "The food is honestly to die for."

"Whoa, what is this place?" you asked, not fully hearing his comment as you watched him pull up at a parking lot near a huge lake.

"This is where our date is, silly!" he grinned, getting out of the car and rounding to open your door for you.

He took your hand, escorting you towards a pier where there was a large boat bobbing with the waters natural movement.

"Hop aboard, lovely," he kept h is hold on your hand as you got onto the boat. He followed you and tugged your hand to get you to follow him.

Your body wavered as the boat suddenly took off but Seokjin was there to steady you with a broad grin.

"Have a seat," he motioned to a small table with two chairs across from one another.

"So," you huffed a laugh as you took a seat, "When you said...dinner on the water."

"I meant it literally," he shrugged, reaching over to click a button and several strings of white fairy lights illuminated everything around you.

"Whoa," you gasped, looking around.

You could see the lights from the buildings on shore and there was a beautiful cast of the moon shining over the water. It was beautiful and as you turned your gaze back to Seokjin, you were surprised to find him leaning his chin on his hand as he watched you.

"Your eyes are sparkling," he said, an almost serene smile on his lips.

In more proper light, you could make out his features more. He had wide shoulders, pretty, plump lips and flawless skin. His eyes were sparkling as well, the dark irises looking like stars were shining within them.

"Would you like to start eating?" he asked, reaching across the table to place his hand over yours. His skin was soft and warm and it made you smile as you nodded.

Dinner was a blur, he had a few dishes available to choose from since he didn't know exactly what you would like. You chose the steak, which seemed to make Seokjin quite happy as he ordered the same thing.

You could see where his romantic title came from as he reached across the table to feed you a couple bites every once in a while. Once the main course was over, the two of you shared a strawberry cheesecake slice after he lit the candle at the end of the table.

You had a good laugh when he failed to light it a few times because the breeze kept blowing it out.

"Now, the next portion of our date I'll admit...it's a little lame," he confessed sheepishly as he walked you back to the car.

"Oh?" you climbed into the seat after he opened the door for you.

"We're going to head back to Club Ardor, drink, and watch movies," he said, turning the key in the ignition.

"It's not lame," you giggled, resting your head back on the seat, "I think it's a great way to unwind."

"I'm glad you feel that way," he said, sounding relieved.

When you finally pulled back up to Club Ardor, Seokjin was blasting music and singing obnoxiously to it. You had your hand over your mouth to keep from laughing too much. Every once in a while, he'd take a look at you and end up laughing midway through his singing.

He pulled into the garage and pulled into a parking spot that had his name on a sign in front of it.

There was a door that he had to scan a card to unlock which led into what appeared to be a lounge room. He didn't waste any time in clicking the button to call the elevator.

Seokjin was comfortable. He had such a calm, relaxing demeanor that it put you at ease.

The two of you sat on the couch and clinked your glasses together before you both downed the shot he had poured. You cringed as it burned going down your throat, leaving a horrible taste in your mouth.

A bit of a lightweight, it didn't take much to get you tipsy and soon you were both losing it over some horrible movie he had accidentally picked.

"I swear it looked good in the previews!" he argued through laughter when you teased him about his choice.

"I'm picking the next one, you've lost movie-picking privileges!" you laughed, stealing the remote from his hands, making him gasp in shock.

He immediately began to try and get it back from you, his body pressed against yours. His perfume once again and it made your eyes flutter.

Pressed against the arm of the couch with Seokjin's body dangerously close to yours, you both paused. He met your eyes, seemingly searching for something in your gaze. As you searched his, you couldn't deny how...sad they looked.

Your breath began to quicken when his face slowly got closer to yours. You could feel his breath against your lips but before they could meet, he was pulling away. He took the remote with him and took his seat beside you once again, leaving you pressing your hand to your chest as your heart raced almost painfully.

There was a terrifyingly loud alarm that rang throughout the room, making you jolt awake.

Looking at the clock, you were disgruntled to see that it was 7 in the morning. Sitting up, you realized you were in bed when you were positive you fell asleep with Seokjin on the couch.

"Hey," he said, making you jump as he suddenly appeared in the doorway, "It's 7am."

"I see that," you mumbled, sliding out of bed, still sleepy.

"Our 12 hours are up."

And just like that it was over.

However, Seokjin didn't leave your mind after that though. Even when you stepped into your apartment, you couldn't stop thinking about him.

Especially how you almost kissed.

You were, of course, aware that Club Ardor dates would occasionally participate in physical intimacy. You hadn't expected it to happen to though. You could still remember the way his scent wafted around you and how close his lips were to yours or that sad look in his eyes.

A week passed by quickly and painlessly. You fell back into a rhythm with work, giving vague replies to your boss when she asked about how it went.

Somehow, Seokjin kept slipping into your mind. You couldn't shake him.

A measly 12 hours with a man you had only just met, and he seemed to have invaded your very subconscious.

That day, after work, you decided to take a detour to a local bar. It wasn't a very big, popular bar but the people in your neighborhood frequented it quite often. The atmosphere was buzzing inside and you made to take a seat at the bar but paused when you spotted a figure you recognized. You blinked several times, making sure you weren't hallucinating him.

"Seokjin?" you asked, making him jump.

His head snapped over to look at you, his eyes wide. He took you in for a second before his face morphed into confusion.

"What're you doing here? How'd you know I was here?" he sounded defensive and it made you frown, shaking your head.

"I live in the apartment complex down the street, I stopped here after work for a nice Friday drink," you motioned to your work attire and he seemed to relax. Part of you was offended that he thought you were some kind of stalker but you supposed in his line of work, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

He was drinking a beer slowly, seemingly lost in his own little world as he turned away from you. You got the hint, and went to walk away from him but you stopped when he called your name.

"Um...why don't you sit with me?" he asked, motioning to the empty stool beside him.

You were relieved he asked you to join him because that's all you wanted. You took the seat and he ordered you a drink, for which you thanked him. Being in his presence again felt nice and you already began to relax.

It seemed Seokjin had been drinking there for a while. His face was a little red and he was openly giggly and friendly -- a complete difference than what he was when you first sat him sitting there.

Time flew by with him but eventually you realized it had gotten dark outside and you'd stayed far longer than you had intended.

"I really need to be going," you sighed, the words painful as they slipped out of your mouth. You didn't want to leave him, you'd thought about him so long.

"Wait!" he cried, grabbing a hold of your blouse sleeve, effectively halting you.

"What is it?" you asked, alarmed by the saddened look on his face.

"I...Can't you stay?" he asked, voice soft.

"I...I really need to get home...I've got some reports to go over for work..." you explained, wincing when you watched him visibly deflate, "You...you can come over, if you want?"

"Really?" he looked hopeful again as he hopped off the stool.

He wobbled a bit and you laughed, reaching out to steady him even though you were a little tipsy yourself.

The two of you walked outside, the cool night air hitting your heated skin and making you shiver.

"I really...I'm not supposed to go home with clients..." he mumbled, as if talking to himself, "But I guess you're not technically a client anymore, right?"

You chuckled, cheeks burning when he pulled you close against him, "I guess I'm not."

"Yeah, so it's fine!" he chuckled.

Once the two of you stepped into your apartment, things seemed to shift. He took a seat on the couch and relaxed.

It gave you a moment to take him in; he wore jeans and a t-shirt, looking even better in casual clothes than he did in formal wear.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" you asked suddenly, unable to hold back your smile when he visibly perked up, "I'll make you some."

You disappeared into the kitchen, letting out a deep breath as you realized your heart was racing. Seokjin seemed to have the effect. He didn't even do anything and he had you flustered.

You heated up some milk in the microwave, not wanting to bother with stove top. Pouring the powder into the cup you stood and waited for the milk to be done.

Before it could finish, you felt a presence behind you that had you jumping out of your skin. Turning around, you were face to face with Seokjin's incredible visage. His brown eyes were wide, almost curious and a smile lingered on his pretty lips.

You subconsciously licked your own lips and you swear your saw his own eyes drop to your lips. The energy was tense between the two of you and his perfume was permeating off of him once again. Seokjin opened his mouth to say something but before he could the microwave beeped.

The spell was broken and he backed off, wandering back into the kitchen as you began to mix the powder and milk in the cup.

You took a seat beside him, handing him the cup before turning the TV on. The two of you relaxed, you pulled your throw blanket over you shoulders as Seokjin sipped on his hot chocolate.

As you watched him, you couldn't help but find him cute.

"Hey Seokjin?" you asked, earning a hum from him, "How come you work at Club Ardor?"

"Why do you ask that?" he questioned, frowning as he sat up straighter.

You followed suit, shrugging your shoulders, "I mean surely being a date-for-hire wasn't the job you dreamed of," your words brought a smile to his face and he let out a soft chuckle, "Plus, you're crazy good looking, funny, and charming...I'd expect someone like you to be a model or something."

"Well...thanks..." he smiled, cheeks a little red, "To tell you the truth...I've dated quite a bit but..." he seemed to deflate as he spoke, "It never worked out, they all just wanted me for my money and looks."

"How shallow..." you sighed, shaking your head in dismay.

"Eventually, I just decided to stop trying but...if I'm honest I get so lonely," his confession made you frown, "But I just...don't want to be open to anyone so...this job makes me feel loved, even if it's fake."

"You won't even try to find a girlfriend again or something?" you asked, pained at the idea of him just giving up.

He shook his head, "No one ever wants me for me. Do you think I haven't tried my hardest? It never works, I'm sick of feeling left like I'm worth less than I am."

"Seokjin..." you muttered, reaching over to place your hand over his that was curled up in a fist on his knee, "You...deserve to have someone genuinely love you. It seems impossible but...it can't be like this forever. Someone will come along that will see you for you but you can't just...shut down. You should keep trying," you squeezed his hand, feeling it relax from the fist, "Maybe you've been dating the wrong women!"

"You're right," he mumbled, surprising you, "I think someone more like you is my type."

It took a second for those words to sink in,"Wha--" you shook your head, letting out a soft laugh, "Don't tease me like that!"

"No, I really mean it, _____," he whispered, meeting your gaze. It held such conviction and sincerity that you felt your heart speed up, "I think you're beautiful and you're so sincere. When we had our date," he paused after saying the word before sighing, "I had never wanted to kiss or touch someone more than I wanted to with you. You are absolutely captivating and you don't even know it."

He shifted on the couch, turning to face his body towards you. Your proximity was closer than you expected once he faced you, if you leaned in just a bit more your noses would touch.

The tension between you rose, something hot building that neither of you could deny.

Then, his lips were on yours -- soft and warm with the taste of hot chocolate lingering on them. It wasn't even a thought to hesitate, you were immediately returning the kiss.

It became more heated as the seconds ticked by. You found yourself pinned to the couch with him above you, never breaking the kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck, tangling your fingers in his hair. Whimpering, you felt a shiver go down your spine when he softly nipped at your bottom lip.

When you pulled away, there was a minuscule thread of saliva connecting your lips. Once you met his heated gaze, you both knew what the other wanted.

The walk to the bedroom was a blur of shared kisses and wandering hands pushing clothes off. By the time you were pinned to the bed, you were both naked. 

Seokjin's pretty, plump lips found purchase on your neck, making you shiver as his breath fanned over the sensitive skin. Kisses trailed down to your chest, over your collarbones and sternum before reaching the gentle swell of your breasts. 

Your chest rose as you inhaled sharply at the feeling of his warm lips enveloping a perked nipple. His fingers caressed your skin so delicately you could almost miss it completely  

His digits dipped between your thighs to find your folds already wet. He groaned, lightly grazing his teeth against your nipple before looking up at you through his lashes.

“All this because of some kissing?” he teased, making your cheeks burn.

He huffed a laugh and moved to take your other nipple into his mouth. At that same moment, his fingers parted your folds and found your clit. You gasped, spreading your legs further for his access. 

His digits were skilled and graceful, circling your clit to make you whimper before dipping into your entrance. His fingers were long and found your sweet spot quickly, chuckling when your hips twitched upwards at the stimulation. 

He sat up, pulling away from you as he sat back on his heels. His fingers were still inside you and he eagerly watched the way your entrance stretched to accommodate his two — three fingers. 

Your eyes fluttered, rolling back in your head as he fucked you with his fingers. As a result, you missed him wrapping his left hand around his own cock, biting his lip as he finally got the stimulant he needed. 

Precum dripped down his shaft and he eagerly used it to lubricate his movements. He scissored his fingers inside you, making sure you were stretched enough to take him. 

When he pulled out, you whined at how empty you felt. 

“Have you got a condom?” he breathed, tightening his fist around his cock when you reached into your bedside drawer and pulled one out. 

You settled back, spreading your legs once again. He groaned, shuffling forward to cover your body with his. Your eyes met as the tip of this cock kissed your entrance. 

Both your mouths fell open as he sunk into you. Your tight walls squeezed him so wonderfully that he groaned. He stretched you open even more than his fingers had, giving you that wonderful burn you needed. 

He met your lips in a sweet kiss as he angled his hips toward your sweet spot. You whimpered, wrapping your arms around his shoulders to ground you as the pleasure ran rampant. He hissed, cock twitching at the sting of your nails on his back. 

His pelvic bone ground against your clit every time he sunk in, edging you closer and closer to release. Seokjin could feel the way you fluttered around him and he groaned.

Sliding a hand between your bodies, he circled the bud until you arched with a cry of pleasure. 

He eased you through the high, grinning when you trembled through the overstimulation. Finally, he slowed to a stop and pulled out. You whimpered, feeling your hole clench around nothing. 

“Roll over,” he breathed, cupping your hip to urge you onto your front.

With your face buried in the pillow and your ass in the air, you looked like a delectable treat for him. Standing on his knees, he sunk his cock back into your cunt. 

You both groaned. The angle had him hitting your spot with painful accuracy. You cried out, muffled in the fabric of the pillow, as he fucked you into even more overstimulation. Your recent orgasm had you much more sensitive and this position allowed him to abuse that. 

An almost sadistic grin crossed over his face as he enjoyed the little cries and whimpers you released the harder he fucked his cock into you. 

Reaching down, he tangled his hand in your hair. You gasped as he tugged until you were up on your knees as well. Your back was against his chest and you could feel him panting against your neck.

His lips found the junction of your neck and shoulder, nipping at the skin there. Your walls fluttered around him and he released your hair to reach around and cup your breast. 

“Fuck,” you gasped as he pinched your nipple, making your eyes roll back in your head.

“What is it, baby?” he groaned, the pet name making you flutter around him again. 

“M-Make me cum, please,” you begging, making him groan once more.

He didn't say anything further, simply slid his hand down your body until he found your swollen clit. The second his fingers touched the bud, you clenched tight around him in sensitivity. 

He circled the bud until you were trembling and gushing around him. You cried out his name as pleasure coursed through your body from your high. Seokjin didn't stop circling your clit and fucking his cock into your spasming walls until you were near tears.

He finally let you fall back down to the bed and began to chase his own high. He spread your ass cheeks apart, getting a good view of the way your cunt tried to suck him back in on every out stroke. The sight made him groan. 

It took you deliberately squeezing tightly around him tightly for him to cum. It was sudden and knocked the air out of him. He gripped your hips tightly as he spilled into the condom, his cock twitching the entire time.

Everything was still for several seconds before he pulled out. 

You rolled over to lay on your side as Seokjin got up and went into the bathroom. He came out a moment later with a wet cloth that he used to clean your thighs and folds with, laughing when you playfully smacked his shoulder from the oversensitivity. 

He finally crawled into the bed, the two of you wiggling until you were comfortable. 

You laid with Seokjin's chest beneath your head, the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat the only thing you heard. His hand softly combed through your hair and you smiled.

"This...This is what I've been needing for so long," he whispered, "No one trying to get something out of being with me. Just a sincere...caring touch."

"This is what you deserve, Seokjin," you sitting up to look at him. His hair was messed up in an adorable way that made you smile, "You can have so much more if you just...open yourself to it again."

Seokjin's gaze turns glassy as he opened his mouth to speak, "I'm just...scared."

Your heart ached when you saw a tear trickle from his eye. Reaching up, you swiped it away, "I know but...you deserve to be loved, Seokjin."

He didn't reply, simply reaching up to pull you back down into his arms. You held him in return, running your fingertips over his skin until you felt him relax as sleep finally overcame him. Adjusting yourself more comfortably, you let yourself fall asleep in his arms.

You opened your eyes to the morning sun shining into your bedroom. You licked your lips as your mouth felt dry and moved to sit up. As you did, you remembered what happened last night.

Looking beside you, you realized he wasn't in bed and the sheets were cold. Standing up, you wrapped your fuzzy robe around you and crept out of the bedroom.

"Seokjin?" you called, frowning when you received no reply.

Your heart was pounding as you made a round around the apartment to see if he left a note of anything. When you couldn't find anything, you returned to your bedroom to pick up your phone.

You froze, realizing you never actually got his phone number. You'd only communicated through the Club Ardor app.

Clicking on the icon, you waited for it to load.

Instead of being brought to your profile, you reached a page with a simple notice on it.

"Your date has filed a report, you are now blocked from using the Club Ardor service. If further contact is attempted, Club Ardor will be forced to take legal matters."

You stared at your phone for several seconds.

Everything that happened flashed through your mind -- the way he kissed you and confessed his feelings of loneliness and hurt to you. You wondered if any of it was true. Were you a game to him?

Your view of the notice on your screen became blurry as you realized you would never know.

[pinkispoggers]

2121 | Lance Bishop x Fem!Reader

WARNINGS: therapy and suicidal thought mentions, ALSO SMUT

Previous chapter: Questions Lead to Answers

Please Read!! Hi, so I just want to let you know that this will not be the last chapter, there will be more! And please, please, pleaseeeee (if you can) go read the Marvel Aliens Comic. It will help with the understanding of "therapist/shrink Bishop". And plus, it's good. Also Tw for Suicidal thought mentions and Therapy in general. (Also one more thing. The grammar fucking sucks (I think and I know) and none of this makes a shit bit of sense)

Words: 4.8k

enjoy!

When you wake up from Cryosleep, Bishop is nowhere to be found, just like you expected but you couldn't worry about him right now, you had to be on time for the next sleep, back to earth where you heard you would be hooked up with a new therapist like every marine and crew member was. You didn't exactly know why but you rolled with it.

As you were preparing to go to sleep in the second cryo, you heard a familiar voice talking and then walked in, it was Bishop, half-naked of course. He hopped into another sleeping chamber, but before his shut, he had a few last words. "Y/n, I left something in your bag…" and then he shut his lid by himself. "Something in my bag? What?" You whisper as you are being shut in, and there goes your second sleep.

You wake up… in a hospital? You suspected everyone did but you weren’t sure. You groggily sit up, trying to really see where you were. Yep, a hospital room with one nurse sitting in the back of the room, right next to you. "Hello?" You say and the nurse gets startled. "She's awake!!" The nurse called and a bunch of doctors rush in. "Woah- woah, woah, woah, what's going on…" you say tiredly. "Well, you have been in a coma for 2 days and we are going to let you go in 2 days. Is that OK with you?" "Yeah that's fine." You say, not really knowing what's going on.

_______________________________

The 2 days have passed and you are ready to go to your new home, a lovely little one-bedroom apartment. You get in a taxi and you are off. While you are sitting with all your things, it pops in your brain, that "thing" Bishop had given you. You can't get it now, as all your things are in the trunk of the taxi.

You arrive at the new place, feeling a little nervous, but you calm yourself. It's only 2 stories, and it's the only apparent in a few blocks. The only one you could get. You step inside. Yours is on the top floor, but stairs were all good to you. You get up there, and unlock the door.

It's beautiful! It's the perfect apartment to you. You sigh. There's a couch in the middle of the place, up against the wall, and you sit on in, grabbing your stuff and opening one of the bags. You don't know what you are looking for, but you knew you were looking for something foreign. "Aha!" You say as you found it. A chip.

"A chip?" You whisper. You get up, chip in hand and head over to your computer, in your bedroom. You plug the chip in and something pops up.

WEYLAND-YUTANI CORP

W

BUILDING BETTER WORLDS

A bunch of information came up.

BISHOP-MODEL- 341-B

And other things like relations, hyperdyne information, and others you had no care about. "It's… it's you…" you say softly. He had given you a copy of himself, his system.

You wanted to start crying. You were grateful for this, but you had no way to put this to use. That was the sad part. You leave your computer open and lie down on your bed. It's not the most comfortable, but it's something. You fade off to sleep after almost 30 minutes of pondering.

The next day

You stumble out of bed, staring at the ceiling. You had almost forgot you had your first session of therapy today. To say you were nervous would be an understatement.

You left your apartment, saying goodbye to the only plant you owned, on a tiny windowsill. You called a taxi and waited out front. Every moment that passed, you spent worrying about who you would get, what you would talk about, ya know, stuff like that. The taxi arrived and you headed off, not thinking anything of the trip until you saw a sign that said: WEYLAND-YUTANI CORPS

"Ah fuck" you mutter. You really didn't like the Weyland-yutani corps cause you thought it was really fucked up. What they were doing there behind closed doors, but you held up your end as a loyal Crew Member and Science officer… like Bishop.

You get out of the car and feel the air around you, it's nice. You step into the big building, guards letting you in and escorting you to the office where you would wait for your new therapist. You fill out all of the forms you need and sit and wait.

Almost 30 minutes later someone comes out and guides you to the office and walks away without saying a word. Anxiety was tearing at your chest, you felt like you were being pulled down but then the door opened. A tall, about 5'10 man looks (up/down) at you and a shiver goes down your spine, it's a Bishop model. "Uh-" you stumble on your words. "Is something wrong?" He asks and you shake your head and walk in as he holds the door open for you.

You go to sit down at a chair across from another chair on the other side of a dark oak desk, the big Weyland-Yutani corps logo and a blue-green wallpaper all around the room. The Bishop model comes to sit down across from you and grabs a laptop from a bookshelf in the side of the room. He opens it and jots down a few notes before striking up a conversation.

"Hello miss L/n, how are you doing today?" He said and you shivered in your seat. That beautiful voice. But it wasn't like the model that you meant. "I'm fine" you said blankly, wanting to say more, like you knew him, but you didn’t. "I- I mean I'm good!!" You change your mood so he doesn't suspect anything is wrong.

"Sorry to ask again but, is there something you want to tell me, to talk about.?" He says looking up at you with beautiful eyes. "Shit, uh… well… i- this is kinda hard for me cause I knew another Bishop model. And well…" you didn't want to give all the details because you honestly didn't want anybody knowing about your sexual relationship with the synthetic. "Ah, 2 other people that I've met with have! My model seems to be popular" He smiles.

You smile gently then peer over him to see a picture of some… familiar Marines? And was that… you? "Bishop?" You ask "yes miss L/n?" He says. "Can you tell me about that photo behind you?" You ask and he nods. "Well, that's supposed to be me before my memory chip was taken out, no one knows where it is so I was transferred to the therapy unit, given a new chip, and here I am!" He put his hands in prayer position, just fingers touching.

"Do you- do you see that woman on the side?" "Yes, she kind of looks like you!" He smiles. "That's because it is! Oh Bishop, before you gave me… I mean you lost your chip, we were friends!" You smile back "oh… you are a beautiful woman miss L/n. I wish to get to know you better!" He says and you blush hard. "Same?" You blush.

You begin to talk about the things you would normally have talked about with a random person, but a little more comfortable. He asked you things like any suicidal thoughts, or any thoughts of hurting others or yourself, things like

that. You talked about your friendly relationship with Bishop and the Marines, and how you met Bishop and the others. Overall it was a comforting talk. He made you feel safe.

The end of the meeting finally came and you felt great! You found this very helpful and calming. He taps your shoulder on the way out. "I never caught your name." He says. "Y/n!" You reply. He smiles. "Such a beautiful name" and you blush. You smile at him and walk out. You felt amazing! He shuts the door behind you and you smile and blush as butterflies fill your stomach.

You walk out of the building with no care in the world. You felt free, not locked up in the Sulaco, or in your apartment, the only difference would be you could leave your apartment any time unless you felt unsafe. You sit down at the desk with your laptop and see the same stuff as yesterday. "Shit." You say as you had missed the opportunity to tell him about it.

You stare blankly at the notes, not seeing anything wrong until you scroll down the page. "What?"

⚠️ERROR

CHIP MAY BE DAMAGED

PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS ⚠️

"Hm?" You say as you take out the chip to inspect it and you see a tear on the side of the chip. You pay no attention to it as you need to sleep. You put it down on the table and head to your bed. You lie in your bed, thinking of him, Bishop. All the things you could have talked about, showed him. Maybe next time you can. You finally fade off to sleep.

A week later

"RING RING RING" the alarm sounds. "Oh fuck off" you reply to the ringing in your head. You slowly get up from the bed, knowing what today was. Another meeting with Bishop. That lit you up with joy. You had a great idea… probably not the best, but to you it was great. You went over to the computer, grabbed the chip and put it in your pocket. You got some clothes on and rushed outside, forgetting breakfast, as you were too excited for the day. You reach for your phone to call a Taxi and it's there within minutes.

Inside his office______________

"Hello Y/n!" He starts the conversation, which you knew could go two ways. "Hello Bishop! How are you?" You ask. "Oh i'm just fine! How are you?" He returns. "I'm good! I have something to show you!" You say as you pull the chip out of your pocket. "What could that be? He asks and then he sees it. "Hm? A chip?" He asks "mhm! Yours. It's your missing chip. Look, you're not going to remember this but you gave it to me before going into our second cryo sleep." You say shyly, feeling connected to him, but also feeling difficulty to breathe, not knowing how he is going to react.

"No, sadly I don't remember, but I am going to need that." He says, holding his ground. "Fuck. Bishop, please understand, this was basically a gift… please, please notice that." You cry. "I'm sorry Y/n, please give it here" he laments. Before you could say, or do anything else, you got an idea, and not a good one. "No." You say as you get up and walk out of the room. "Fuck fuck fuck!" You say as you start to speed walk as you see he is right behind you.

You turn a corner but he sees you. You head towards the exit of the back rooms. He follows and you run out of the exit, hiding behind a side wall. You grab your phone and call a Taxi. Within 5 minutes it's here and you bold out from behind the wall, Bishop watching from behind. He just stands there, knowing you are going to try to get away, but he has a task that he needs to fulfill. Getting that chip. You hop in the car and you are off.

A few minutes later you are close to your house but you see a car behind you. You are in the back seat of the taxi, so you can easily turn around but you already knew who it was. It’s been a few more minutes and you knew it was him because why would anyone be following you this long? You reach your apartment and say thank you to the already worried driver and run in before Bishop could get out of his car.

"Shiiiit" you whisper as you run up the stairs, looking out for him through the space between the railing and he's already there, about to come up the stairs. He looks up into your eyes and a chill rolls down your spine. You run into your apartment, making sure he saw which one it was. You leave the door wide open and run into the closet across from your bedroom. Your bedroom door is shut and you hope he thinks you're in there. "Y/n?" He calls and you giggle.

You guessed he heard you because you could hear footsteps coming to the bedroom door. You slowly walk towards the inside of the closet door, plotting how you are going to go through with this. You know about Weyland-yutani synthetics and most of their anatomy. You remembered that there is a slot in his neck and you have to be careful because it could damage him if you are too rough. You plan it out within the next few seconds. You burst out.

You grab hold of his neck and wrap one leg around his torso. You're eying the slot behind his ear, barely covered by his ear. You snatch it out before he has time to react and you grab the other chip from your pocket as the other falls to the ground. You shove it in the slot and just before he can lay a hand on you, his

arms drop to his sides and you jump off of him backing away into the corner of the room as he turns around.

He's seeming to scan the room and then his beautiful eyes lock with yours. "Y/n?" He says and you nod happily. "How? How did you get me? Ho-" he said as you cut him off with a hug "doesn't matter, I missed you Bishop" you hop up to kiss him but he pushes you off. "Bishop?" "Sorry Y/n, something happened, I'm not sure what it is" He walks out of the room to go sit down on the couch in the living room, just leaving you in the closet. "What the fuck?" You whisper to yourself. He did not just do that, you thought.

You walk out of the closet slowly and walk over to the couch to sit next to him, to see if you could make things a little less awkward. "Hey… are you ok?" You ask softly. "No actually. Something in my system is off. I'm trying to figure out what it is at the moment. Sorry for any discomfort that I may have caused back there." He said unsure of himself, but you could tell that he knew what he did back there and that he was sorry. You easily forgave him and tried to sit beside him on the couch.

You try to get closer to him and he let's you. You rest your head on his shoulder and he pushes you off, again.

"Bishop? What's wrong, you weren't like this before." "Again, I'm sorry Y/n something in me is twitchy. I'm trying to resolve the problem right now." He says, staring into space. "Your chip?" You ask, remembering the warning on the computer screen when you plugged it in. "Maybe, do you think it's damaged?" He asks "well I was looking at it yesterday and it had a tear in on the side.

I could try to repair it? You say and he nods. "Can I?" You ask as your hand reaches up to his neck and he nods. But before you could take it out, a large hand hovered over your neck, then softly grabbing it and pulling you closer to him. He kisses you, pulling you in, gripping your hair, or what he could grab. You missed this, you missed this greatly, and you never wanted it to end but it had to, you knew it was a glitch. You reached your hand up to the back of his neck and behind his ear and pulled the chip out.

He went blank, and you pulled away from him, looking at his glassy eyes. You hop up from where you're sitting, making sure he's ok, and you walk to your room. You inspect the tear on the chip and try to push it together but nothing is working. "Fuck" you mutter. You go over to get the glue from the corner of the table. You had a gut feeling you would fuck it up even more, but you only wanted him back and that's what was driving you.

You smeared the glue around the crack and smushed it together with little force but it stayed and your mood lightened, honestly thinking this was gonna work. You ran to the living room, excited for this to work. You hopped on the couch, Indian style in front of him and hugged his lifeless, synthetic body. You reached over and gently plugged the chip into the socket and he awoke.

As he began to blink, he started to gaze around the room until he found you. "Y/n, did it work?" He asks. His first words since you put the chip in. "I think it did!" You shake happily. He leans in for I kiss and you happily kiss him. It doesn't last long but it's something alright!. He gets up from the couch without warning and goes to the kitchen. "What are you doing Bishop?" You ask and he looks back at you and winks. "Hm…" you whisper to yourself and turn on the TV.

A few minutes later

Your favorite show is on and you are comfortable where you are at. Bishop strides into the room with a plate in hand. "Awww… you didn’t have to!" You say and he nods gently. "Well, you have helped me and now I shall give you something back." He says and you blush. He walks over to you to give you your favorite food. "How did you know this was my favorite?" "I have no clue, but I do know how to cook and make some things." He laments and you smile widely as you take the plate and dig in.

As you finish your meal, he is hooked to the TV screen. "It's a good show isn't it?" You laugh as his eyes are wide open, barely

blinking. "Oh my gods Bishop, you are hooked," you say as you lean onto his shoulder. He doesn't stop you this time and you smile. "A very good show" He murmurs. "I know right. I'm obsessed with it." You say and he chuckles. His hand reaches to your leg and gently glides up and down. "Oh Bishop let's move this to the bedroom." You smirk "Oh? Alright," He picks you up in bridal style.

You gasp but you are ok with it. When you reach the bedroom, he lets you down onto the bed slowly. He unbuttons his shirt and throws It aside. You reach to take of your shirt but he's already there, ripping it off with no hesitation. "Bishop- that was one of my favorite shirts," you say, a little angry. "My apologies Y/n'' he says as he kisses you deeply and you kiss him back. "Apology accepted" you smile on his lips. He takes one breast in hand and fondles with it slowly. "Oh…" you moan and he smiles and pushes his tongue against your teeth and you let him in.

Before you could do anything else, he pulls off of you and pulls his pants and boxers down and you see him. All of him. Fully hard, pressed against your leg. He slowly pulls down your pants and underwear in one and he sees all of you. You smile nervously and he nods. "I won't judge, I've seen you before, remember?" He says and you nod. His large hands push your legs apart and pushes you up to the bed frame, holding you up 4 inches above the bed, arms wrapped around your torso so you don't fall.

He starts a trail of kisses up your leg and you shake a little, knowing what he is going to do. He reaches your sex. "Is this ok?" He asks and with a quiet "mhm" his tongue delves into your folds and you let out a gasp. His tongue circles around your clit slowly and your knees shake. One of your hands reaches over to grip his hair and the other, to grip the sheets for support. His slow circles got faster until you couldn’t take it anymore. you're shuddering, and quivering under him.

"Bishop… oh! I'm gonna-" he cuts you off applying the perfect amount of pressure to your clit and you explode with pleasure. "Ah-AH!!" You scream, knowing you have neighbors but you couldn't give a shit right now. Your chest is rising and falling as you are still in his arms, coming down from your high. "B- Bishop… you're too good for me" you laugh and he rises from your heat and smiles.

He sets you down on the bed gently and grips the sides of your waist. His cock is even closer to your pussy than before. You move your hips closer to his stomach and he takes the hint as he lines himself up with your entrance. You moan out for him to continue and as soon as you know it, his tip is in, letting you adjust to his size. "Please" you moan with soft eyes looking into his. With a snap of his hips, his cock is all the way in you, and you scream out his name.

"Are you ok with this?" He asks. "Mhm!" You say, holding back tears. He slowly starts to thrust and he leans down on you and buries his head in your neck. everything that is coming out of his mouth are moans and grunts. Your eyes roll back into your head and your head is chin up. "You're doing- s- so good." You call out. He smiles, leaving a trail of kisses up your neck as one hand makes it to your neck and grips it lightly. He speeds up his pace and the pain quickly turns into pleasure.

You wrap your arms around him as he's pumping in and out of you, your nails digging into his back, feeling around it but also trying to get a grip on him. He sucks on the skin of your neck, leaving a light bruise there, and you moan softly. As he's pounding into you, you notice that the bed frame is wiggling out of place but you couldn't care less. Every thrust is hitting your G Spot and a single tear falls down your face.

One of his hands reaches down to your clit, while the other tightens around your neck slightly, to a comfortable position. "Ah! Bishop!!" You yell out and his thumb speeds up against your clit. Your legs begin to shake, and your hand grips the sheets. He grunts loudly, and his thrusting speeds to an unhuman pace and you are in a heaven on earth. You are moaning

his name, quite loud but you didn’t care if anyone heard.

"D- don't stop" you moan out and he grunts as he pounds harder into you, a finger faster around your clit. His thrusts were getting sloppier and sloppier as he began to grunt even more. With one more thrust came a loud "CRACK" from the back board of the bed frame. You couldn't think straight with all the pleasure coursing through your veins, making you feel ecstasy."f- fuck… the bed frame!" You say bet he shushes you. "Im- i- im-" you try to make out but he whispers in your ear "Please do my love." As he applies more pressure to your clit. And you cum violently around his cock, moaning his name, and scratching his back wildly.

As you are cumming around him, a hot liquid shoots into you and you quiver under him one last time. He falls on top of you, not too harshly, but hard enough to make you squeak. You try your best to push him off of you but he won't budge. He finally notices he might be hurting you and pushes himself up. Right before he could say something, or smile even, you pushed him off of you, and under you. "Y/n?" He smirked and you positioned yourself over his cock, hovering on top of it, looking into his cow eyes.

"I'm not done, Bishop" you sigh and smile, a little self conscious but you knew he wouldn't judge. You moan as you lower yourself onto him and his head flies back onto the pillow and he lets out a low groan. You position yourself so that you are sturdy enough to start moving. You start to move up and down on him and he grabs hips gently. He's helping you move on him and you start to smile, one hand playing with your clit, and the other on his soft chest.

"Oh!" You shout and he grunts, you assume to speed up, so you do. He's moving his hips to the rhythm of your pumps. You flung your head back, do to all the pleasure and body heat emitting off of you and him. Every thrust he made would send you into a galaxy full of stars that you've never seen before. The pace was perfection; The strength was immaculate; The feelings that you felt were like nothing you had ever experienced before, and all you could think about was hoping this moment never ended. He's perfect. He's lifting you up and down his shaft and everything goes numb for a second but you are holding on perfectly.

You look into his eyes as he looks back into them with a gleam in his. You keep a stare on him while he's making you feel like you could explode. You rock your fingers around your clit even faster than before. You are a moaning and panting mess above him, but you held eye contact with him until you couldn't see straight anymore. "Im- MPF," you say as you pulse around his cock, cumming for the last time. As your walls are gripping his length, his legs are slightly convulsing under you. He left you buzzed. You wondered if he could actually feel something, or what it was like for him.

As you are coming down from your high, he's trying his best to sit up. He does and hugs you while you are still on him. You breathe hot against his neck, panting, and slowly letting go of your grip on him. He begins to massage your scalp; it feels amazing. Then without warning, he lifts you off of him and you gasp. He sets you down beside him and you get under the sheets but he just lies there. You snuggle close to him and he stretches one arm around you and you bury your head into his underarm.

"Hey bishop…" you say and he turns his head your way "How did you emit that much heat when I was riding you?" You ask and he chuckles "Ok, so let me make it simple; it's kind of like when a computer heats up because there is too much going on in the system processor, or anything else that would make it slower or heated." He says with a wide smile. "Oh… was I overheating you?! I'm so sorry!" You cry but he laughs again "no, it's not your fault, it's all the energy building together in me." He says and you connect the dots after a second. "Wait, wait, wait, so you're telling me-" you say but he cuts you off with a nod.

"Yes, when I participate in sexual activities, such as intercourse, my system will

create sudden bursts of energy. It does not hurt me but I do feel it. It's… pleasuring, so I can produce a human-like orgasm." He laughs once more. His laugh is so sweet. "Wait, so have you ever Masturbated before?" You ask and he nods "Yep, multiple times. Just to feel something, anything really. It's not a required function, it's just something I do to "feel good,"" He answers. You thought it was quite sad that he only did that to feel, but it also made you glad that he could actually do something like that, to take care of himself, his body, like that.

He slowly sits upright on the bed and you frown "What's wrong?" You ask and he shakes his head. "Nothing, I just don't sleep." He says firmly and you forget he's a synthetic for a split second. "Well, what are you going to do all night?" You ask. "I think I might watch that show and make you something in the morning." He smiles and you yawn "I'd like that very much." You smile back, hugging him one last time before laying back down and heading off to sleep.

Tag list: (I heard you were really interested!) @soggy-enchilada :)

[procrastinatorimagines]

Our Little Secret Part 7

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries / The Originals

Series: Our Little Secret

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // 

Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // Part 10 // Part 11 // Part 12 // Part 13 // Part 14 // Part 15 (Final)

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Warning/s: none

Word Count: 1,337

Summary: Y/N Gilbert tried to put Mystic Falls - it’s problems, and her whirlwind romance with Klaus Mikaelson - behind her after she graduated, but all it takes is one unusual phone call to bring her right back to where she started and into the path of her first love as she races to solve the mystery threatening the lives of everyone in her home town.

Tags: @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​ // @april-14-blog​ // @akshi8278​ // @keiko0​ // @mylovehes​ // @your-new-mom​

“Hello?” You answered, a pause as you waited somewhat impatiently for whoever had called you three times in the middle of the right to reply. The area code up it in Virginia, which, you realised with a feeling of slight dread, could only mean on thing. 

“Hello?!” Grumbling and half asleep you were about to hang up when you heard a crackle from the other end, pausing as you listened.

The crackling turned to panting, someone was running, presumably through... leaves? Was that the noise? You weren’t sure, but you were sure that you were tired. 

“Who is this?” You asked, turning on your bed side lamp and pushing yourself up into a sitting position, leaning against the head board and rubbing your eyes. 

“Help-” A voice came from the other side of the line, making you freeze, not daring to move another inch as you tried to listen to what was going on. “He said you could help-”

“Who is this? Who told you that?” You practically demanded, suddenly wide awake. The voice didn’t sound familiar but they sounded young, female, a teenager maybe?

“My dad- your number- in an emergency-” the connection was awful, and the continuous movement on the other end didn’t help, parts not getting through as you strained your ears to listen to what they had to say.

“Can you tell me who you are?” You asked her. A lot of your friends from Mystic Falls had children now, but the only ones in their teens were Lizzie and Josie Saltzman, but this didn’t sound like them, though it had been a number of years. “Please, I need you to tell me who you are, where you are, and if you’re in danger.”

You were already tearing yourself out of bed at this point, putting the phone on speaker. “Hope, my name’s Hope- Mystic- Salvatore Sch- please-” And with a scream, the line went dead. You stopped where you were standing, breathing shallow, face pale in horror. 

A second later, you’d forcefully shaken yourself out of it, there was no time to think. Ignoring the fact that it was 3 am, you threw open your closet, grabbing clothes for now and a suitcase to pack, multitasking getting dressed and packing for a trip. 

It had been years since you last set foot in Mystic Falls, moving away for college and only going back for your twin sister Elena’s ‘funeral’, but that didn’t mean you didn’t keep in contact with everyone there, occasionally. Silas, Kai, Lillian Salvatore, the Sirens... Tyler, Enzo and Stefan... 

A lot had happened, a lot of pain, a lot of loss, you’d only brought yourself to return to say goodbye to Elena, which thankfully hadn’t been permanent. You’d call her once you got to the airport, explain the phone call you’d received, as much as you could anyway.

Hope. You knew that name. It was the name of Klaus and Hailey’s daughter. If her dad had given her your number in case of emergencies... You didn’t know why he would have done, but nothing in this world meant more to Klaus than his family, especially his daughter you reckoned. So for him to give her your number, he must have put a lot of trust in you, or you were the absolute last resort. 

You’d loved Klaus once, not that you’d ever told him that, your romance had been like a fantasy, and fantasies didn’t last, especially when your prince charming was threatening to kill your sister and your friends. No relationship was perfect, but you and Klaus had been doomed to fail from the start. 

You were too different, different paths, different obligations... He’d always said that maybe one day, your paths would cross again, that it hadn’t been your time then but maybe it would be one day. Although you’d try to put it behind you, you still wore that shooting star necklace he’d given you, still thought of him when you looked up at the night sky. 

You glanced out of your windows now, taking in the twinkling lights about. Hope Mikaelson was in danger, and she’d asked for your help. So your help was what she was going to get, however helpful a human with no special abilities could be anyway.

You were going home.

-

You touched down in Viriginia just as the sun was rising, casting beautiful colours across the sky as you made your way to the taxi Elena had arranged for you. 

Elena had answered straight away; nothing screamed urgent like a mid night phone call from your distant, in multiple meanings, sister. You’d explained the situation on your way to your terminal, having booked the flight in the taxi over to the airport. She and Damon had been confused, to say the least, but they knew as much as you did.

They had Klaus’ number, you didn’t so they promised they’d be in touch with him, checking in with Alaric at the school too.

You spent the entire flight and taxi ride thinking it over again and again, replaying what had happened in your mind as you tried to figure out the why, all thoughts clearing from your mind only when you laid eyes on the welcome sign. 

Mystic Falls. You were actually here again. 

Checking your phone again you saw no new messages, from Elena or anyone else, which was odd. You’d expected someone to call you, anyone, but they hadn’t. They weren’t answering either, a feeling of pure dread filling you as the taxi reached the town square. 

It was still early morning, but the lack of people set your nerves on edge. 

“Huh, strange,” the taxi driver shivered, quickly taking your money and driving off as soon as you’d grabbed your belongings. You didn’t blame him, even by Mystic Falls standards, something was very wrong here. 

Okay, slight change of plan. Your planned first stop had been the School, but now it was the weapons cache Alaric had at the Mystic Grill. 

You moved quickly and carefully, on high alert just like Ric had taught you, an iron grip on your suitcase as you headed around the back of the building. 

It didn’t take you long to grab a supply of weapons, slipping a knife into each boot, a gun and stake in your belt and a crossbow on your back as you wished you didn’t have a suitcase to slow you down. You’d have to stash it here for now, just until you figured out what was going on.

Grabbing only the bare essentials out of it and shoving them into a more portable bag, you made it back around the building just in time to catch sight of something out the corner of your eye.

Pausing and slowly turning you looked into the window of the Grill, catching sight of people at the tables. You only had time to feel relieved for a split second before fear set in, looking at the way they were slumped over in their seats, some with their faces in their food, some on the floor, trays scattered around like they’d been dropped. They looked like they were asleep... or... dead. 

You felt your heart rate pick up as you swallowed, hard, not wanting to be anywhere near here when whatever did that came back. 

A shadow passing in front of you alerted you of someone or something behind you, flipping your crossbow back around from it’s position on your back and into your hands in seconds as you whirled around. You could take the girl out of Mystic Falls, but apparently you couldn’t take the Mystic Falls out of the girl.

Your breath caught in your throat as you registered who was standing before you, that face, that smirk... he hadn’t changed a bit. “Klaus,” you gasped, lowering your weapon as you took him in.

“Hello love,” he grinned, clearly glad to see you although his eyes revealed his worry, “now, what the blood hell is going on here?”

[wiypt-writes]

Leave No One Behind

Ch1: You Gotta Have A Plan Co-Written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Chapter Summary: After returning from Sudan following their arrest, Sam and Ari go their separate ways…but Ari just can’t let things go. He needs a plan to break the refugees he left in the camp out. And he comes up with a plan so ridiculous that it just might work. That is, if he can pull together the right team.

Unfortunately he knows that the 2 people he probably needs and wants there the most, are going to be the toughest to convince. After all, they are siblings…

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words.

Chapter Pairings:  Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz

A/N: Now, we believe from what research and reviews tell us, that RSDR takes place basically between 1979 and 1982 (the real Operation Brothers upon which it is based upon ran until 1984). To keep this as historically factual as possible, we have done all the research we can find on Mossad, the history of the Jewish people in the 40s through 80s…the rest is purely down to our imagination.

If anything is factually wrong, we mean no offence. Chalk it down to slight creative license and take this for what it is- a work of fiction.

“Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, that call me on and on across the universe…”  Across the Universe by the Beatles

Leave No One Behind Masterlist // Main Masterlist

 March 1979

Ari Levinson was a man who very rarely liked to sit still. He’d been the same as a boy, always needing to be doing something. And right now, even in a dark, sweaty, smelly cell in Sudan he was no different. Using the bars in the roof that gave them the only light and air into the area, he was doing pull ups, counting his way up to 100. When he finished his reps he dropped down with a sigh and made his way over to sit by Sammy who was leaning against the wall.

Ari glanced over at his friend, his fellow agent who simply looked at him without saying a word, and then looked away, both of them glancing up as Kabede, their in-country contact so to speak, walked over and sat besides Sammy.

“I heard the guards talking.” he said softly in his thick, African accent as Ari sat, his arms hanging over his knees. “They think we are smugglers. We need to get out of here.”

“Mr. Guy Thomas.” one of the guards called. All 3 of them exchanged a look, before Ari stood up and made his way to the cell door.

“You called?” he asked.

“You, and your friends…” the guard said, gun slung over his shoulder “You come with me…”

They did as they were told and were ushered into a small room, where they were unceremoniously handed their gear and told they were free to go. Ari did nothing but smile at Sammy, who rolled his eyes, because it was a knowing joke between everyone who ever ran a mission with Ari that he could fall in pig shit and come out smelling like roses.

Ari fished a packet of cigarettes out of his back pack, along with his shades and slipped them onto his eyes. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out into the sun, lighting his cigarette as he went. He paused for a moment, looking at the man who was leaning against a blue car, watching him. He jerked his head and Ari stepped towards him.  

“And you are?” Ari asked, eyeing him up.

“I'm the reason you're out of there.” The man said, pushing himself off the car. Ari exchanged a look with Sammy as the man continued “Walton Bowen, American.”

“No shit.” Sammy said, his eyes still on the man as Ari shook his hand.

“Yeah?” Walton looked at him before he moved to shake his hand too “Cultural attaché, the embassy in Khartoum.”

“Oh. Well, you must have your hands full, considering the flourishing cultural scene in Sudan.” Ari said, the sarcasm evident in his tone and Walton gave a little laugh.

“Not nearly as flourishing as you with your anthropology studies, I'm sure.” Walton said, his voice level but Ari could detect the note of disbelief he carried. “We got a call from DC, you gents had gotten yourselves into a bit of a pickle.”

As Ari kept his eyes on the man and his face straight, besides him Sammy pointed

“Is that our stuff in the back of your car?”

Ari looked at Sammy then round to the car as Walton nodded.

“Yes, it is.  I'm sorry about the hasty packing…” he said, gesturing to the car “…but I know you have a flight in less than five hours to London.”

Ari snorted, shaking his head a little. Of course we do, damned it Ethan.

“Where are you off to after that, boys?” Walton continued.

Ari didn’t reply, instead he chuckled, and turned from the man, walking over to where Kabede was stood a few feet away.

“Looks like they're calling me back. Are you gonna be okay?” Ari asked

“Yes” Kabede assured him “I will bring more families.”

“We'll find a better way.” Ari nodded, giving the man a friendly embrace, patting him on the back before he turned around and walked back towards Walton and Sammy.

“Hope you got my toothbrush…” he said, not stopping as he passed them both and made his way to the car. “It’s new.”

After a few hours layover in London, they were called to a desk and given tickets for a flight back to Isreal for an hour later.  Ari fell asleep before the taxi down the runway had even finished and awoke a few hours later, stretching and ordering himself a beer. Before much longer the plane began it’s descent into Ben Guiron Airport and Ari let out a sigh. He knew he should be glad to be home, but he wasn’t. He hated leaving a job half done. But he wouldn’t deny he was looking forward to a shower. He felt disgusting, looked disgusting, smelt disgusting. Thank fuck Ethan had the sense to book an entire row out for him and Sammy each.

They cleared customs easily and were met by a driver who waved them over to a car.

“Home?” The man asked Ari as he took his bags from him to take them to the trunk. .

“Office.” Ari corrected, as he wrenched open the passenger door of the car. “You coming?” he asked Sammy as he sat down.

“Nah. Nah, I'm going back home.” Sammy looked at him.

“What?” Ari said, frowning as he got back out, leaning on the roof of the car.

“Back to the clinic.” Sammy said with a small smile.

Ari looked around, before he shut the door and walked over to Sammy, his mouth open in surprise.

What the hell are you talking about?” he asked gently.

“I called Ethan back in London, got a message to Hannah. She’s picking me up.” Sammy said taking a deep breath “I'm done.”

Sammy moved to pull Ari into an embrace, which Ari returned, albeit it a little half- heartedly as he was still reeling from Sammy’s revelation.

“Why?” he asked, patting Sammy on the back.

“I love you, man.” Sammy said, pulling away “You're a lucky guy. But when the luck runs out, then... you gotta have a plan, and you never have one. So... I'm out. “

Sammy looked around.

“You're out?” Ari said flatly, his eyebrows raising.

“I'm out.”

“Sammy.” Ari said gently as Sam turned away. He paused and turned to face Ari again, smiling.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

Sam quickly walked away down towards the pick-up area outside the terminal, as Ari called his name again, a little louder, but he ignored him.

Ari sighed and looked upwards, wiping a hand over his face before he glanced at Sam’s retreating back just in time to see a flurry of dark, wavy hair rushing towards him. Ari continued to observe from a distance as Sammy hugged his sister back, her face pressed into the side of his neck, Sammy gently rubbing at her back. When he finally let her go, Ari finally got a look at her and he had to smile. The last time he had seen Hannah had been almost 3 years ago, at her husband Andy’s funeral and Ari was pleased to see she looked better than she had that day. Her hair was longer, her cheeks were fuller again, no longer hollow with grief. Her skin was darker, more tanned...she looked healthy, back to her vivacious self along with, he hoped, that spark that bounced in her deep blue eyes, Eyes he knew so well.

He had first met Hannah through Sammy when she was 17, and he was 24. He had liked her from the off, despite being 7 years older than her and there’d been a spark, there was no denying that. But for various reasons, despite a 3 month long sort of fling, it hadn’t worked out. He’d backed off, instead admiring her from afar, constantly telling himself he was too old and no good for her, and then he had met Sarah. Their relationship at first had been based on total, physical attraction and had been a total whirlwind. They had married later that same year after discovering Sarah was pregnant, Ari wanting to do the right thing by her. Their daughter Maya was born 7 months later and for the first 4 years, he had to admit he’d been happy.

Meanwhile, Hannah had started dating another one of their agents and friends, Andy Horowitz. They’d married too and then sadly mere months after they had married Andy had been killed on a mission they’d been running some 3 years ago, a mission Ari had been in charge of.

Hannah said she didn’t blame Ari, but he’d seen it written on every inch of her pretty face. She’d hardly been able to look him in the eyes since Andy’s death, and as a result he had made no effort to reach out in the 3 years since Andy’s funeral. Which he knew was a selfish, shitty thing to do on his behalf, as they’d all been so close, family close even, but Hannah had always worn her heart on her sleeve and he couldn’t face the turmoil and heartbreak she was emanating.

Sammy assured him she didn’t hold him at fault, not really and that she was just upset, compounded  by the fact she hadn’t been there and was only hearing everything 2nd hand. But still, it did nothing to assuage Ari’s guilt. Andy’s life cut so tragically short, and Hannah left widowed at such a young age…

The driver’s voice shook Ari out of his thoughts, and when his eyes focussed again he realised he was staring at nothing. Hannah and Sammy both long gone. With a nod to the man he climbed back in the car and they set off for HQ.

**** "You're pissed." Sammy told his sister, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Hanna didn't answer. She stared at the license plate of the car right before them as if it was the magic combination to some sort of treasure chest. She was avoiding looking at her brother. Of course she was pissed, that was out of the question, but she didn't want to discuss that in the middle of the early evening exasperating traffic. Why was the way out of the airport always so crammed with cars?

Sammy turned to look at her and read the signs like an open book. White knuckles from the intensity with which her hands where holding the steering wheel, furrowed brow and a twitch of the mouth where she was biting the inside of her right cheek. He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You are pissed. I can tell, Hannah."

"No, I'm not" she replied trying to sound as convincing as possible and hit the car horn three times. "Oh, come on! We all have places to be!"

"Yes, you are. And honking the horn while in a traffic jam won't get you anywhere quicker, you know that?" Sammy said raising an eyebrow at her sudden outburst.

"No, it won't. But it will keep me from slapping you across your stupid face." she bit back, admitting her irritation.

"Ok." Sammy said preparing for what was about to come slouched on the passenger seat "What's on your mind?"

"Damnit, Sammy. You know full well what's on my mind. You know perfectly fucking well." she hissed without even bothering to look at him.

He sighed and nodded as an only answer. Avoiding his sister's gaze, he turned and looked through the passenger window.

"Yet, there you go again." she resumed after a minute, once she had steadied her voice and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Getting yourself arrested. You could have been killed right there on the spot! I just ...."

"Hey…" Sammy said gently rubbing her thigh "It’s ok. I'm ok, right?"

Hannah nodded and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. There were a few minutes of silence in the car as the traffic resumed and Sammy waited patiently for his sister to get herself together before speaking.

"I spoke to Ethan from London, told him I'm out." Sam said.

"What?" Hannah asked surprised looking at her brother before rapidly turning her eyes to the road ahead.

"That last mission... it was just... I'm done. Can't do it anymore." Sam fumbled with the words while he rubbed the scars on his right hand with his left one.

Hannah looked at her brother again, before she sighed, concern flooding her system.

"What happened Sammy?"  she asked, her tone soft “It must be something bad to make you want to leave it all behind.”

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. It's just… I'm tired of all that shit and need to get out, that's all." Sam replied trying to convince his sister and, most importantly himself, it was the right decision. 

The sight of that woman letting herself drown in the river had taken a toll on him. It haunted him at night and whenever he closed his eyes. He could have done more, he should have saved her, he should have found her under that muddy water and swum with her to safety. But he hadn't been able to and he didn't want to go into another mission where he would lose lives instead of saving them. 

"So, what's the plan?" Hannah asked a moment later trying to snap her brother out from the place he seemed to be lost in.

"The plan is getting home, have a shower, eat something decent and sleep till the new full moon." Sam deadpanned with a faint smile.

"I’d also consider a haircut." Hanna quipped smiling at him. "That mop doesn't suit you, neither does the moustache!"

"Yeah, well. Not much you can do when you're down there and under for six weeks." Sam stated before he smiled at her "You, on the other hand, look great, Han" 

"Well, that's what you get when you shower and wash your clothes. You stink." she said winking at him and he laughed.

"Seriously though, what are you gonna do? “ Hannah asked him after a moments pause “You gotta have a plan."

"That's exactly what I told Ari..." Sammy shrugged and Hannah’s head whipped once more to look at him.

"Ari?" she asked double checking her brother "Was Ari on the mission with you? Actually, don’t bother answering because of course he was..." she trailed off.

"That reckless, lucky son of a bitch who never seems to have a back-up plan." Sam said before lighting a cigarette. “He was there alright.”

"I'd say the man without a plan has some things very well planned." she mused while tapping the steering wheel with her fingers.

"Yeah, well, as I told him I wanna go back to the clinic. If that's ok with you, that is."

"Of course it is Sam. It's our clinic, remember? And we could do with your help, in fact, it would be a blessing. We've been very busy lately." she said excited by the prospect of having her brother with her again. "Mum will be thrilled to hear that.” “How is she?” Sam asked.

“She’s ok.” Hannah said “I’ve been trying to get her to take it easy, consider retiring but…you know what she’s like.” Sammy snorted “Stubborn, opinionated, always thinks she knows best…that’s where you get it from.” Hannah merely raised her eyebrow and smirked a little. “I dare you to tell her that on Sunday…” “Sunday?” “Yeah, she hasn't told you yet but you're coming for lunch." Hannah smirked as Sammy rolled his eyes, smiling fondly “And she won’t take no for an answer.”

***** “Ladies and gentlemen. This afternoon, historic documents concluding the Treaty of Peace between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel will be signed…” Ari could hear the reporter on the news growing louder as he strode through the Mossad HQ towards Ethan’s office.

“Is he in?” he asked Ethan’s secretary, not bothering to wait for an answer.

“Wait, don't go in there…”

“Thanks.” he said, ignoring her as he pushed the door open, giving a small annoyed huff of a laugh as he tossed his back pack to his left where it landed with a thud. He then made his way over to the decanter of scotch on the shelves to the right of the room, Ethan not even bothering to look at him from where he was leaning against his desk, his own tumbler in hand, watching the TV, dressed in a crisp black suit and white shirt as always, his tie impeccably knotted.

“The Prime Minister is about to sign the most important peace accord in our lifetime and he can't enjoy it because of some remote tribe of our people getting massacred on a continent no one cares about.” Ethan said a little emotively, his British accent crisp as ever as he took a sip of his drink.

“Well, maybe you should let me do my job instead of pulling me out.”  Ari said, picking up his drink and turning towards the couch at the side of the room.

“Your job includes getting arrested?” Ethan asked, as he stood up straight and turned off the TV. Ari sighed as he slumped on the couch, one leg bent with his foot resting on the low coffee table in front of him “Or is this just another by-product of you being reckless and totally out of control?” he looked at Ari for the first time  since he had walked into the room.

“Sudan. My god, Ari…” Ethan snorted angrily, picking up his decanter to top up the glass. “An enemy country in a perpetual state of... fucked-up-ness. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that hiding refugees in a refugee camp was a pretty brilliant idea.” Ari said simply with no trace of irony, as he scratched at an itch on his side before necked his liquor.

“And how do you propose to get them out of there?” Ethan looked at him.

Ari sighed and placed the empty glass on the side next to the phone “Still working on that.”

“This job pays in migraines.” Ethan shook his head as he crossed the room and topped up Ari’s glass. “You look like shit.” he said, pointing to him with the hand that held the decanter which he placed on the coffee table.

“Thank you.” Ari replied “Smell like shit, too. I was under for six weeks.” he reached for the now once again full glass as Ethan sat on a chair opposite him.

“How's Sarah?” Ethan asked.

Ari looked down, his finger tapping on the rim of the glass before he placed it back on the side and slumped down on the sofa again, his eyes focussing downwards on his thigh as it bent upwards in front of him, his hand hooking underneath it.

“She left me.”

“Your life's a mess.” Ethan stated and Ari simply raised his eyebrows in agreement “Well, maybe this is a blessing in disguise, then.”

“What is?” Ari asked, as Ethan took a drink. “Are you taking me off this?”

“Exfil is going to come up with some alternative plans for the Ethiopians.” Ethan said as Ari tipped is head back with a frustrated sigh, his hands flying out to his side. “Then we'll discuss with the boss how best to move forward.”

“Ethan, don't do that.” Ari pleaded sitting forward “You know those guys are morons, they're gonna waste months on plans that aren't viable.  Months that we don't have. You gotta send me back.”  

“Go home, take a shower, spend some time with the family.”

“Ah Fuck!” Ari sighed, before his voice grew louder and he crossed his arms, taking on the tone and appearance of a sullen child “No.”

“No?” Ethan looked at him “It's done, Ari. You're not going anywhere.”

And that was that. Ethan wasn’t for turning. In the end Ari had stormed out of the office, his mood darkening by the second, and it didn’t get any better when he arrived home to find the place dark, empty and a message from Sarah on the answer phone telling him she’d taken Maya to her parents place.

Her parent’s place in fucking New Jersey

“Spend some time with the family…” Ethan’s words rang around his head as he slumped on the bed, beer in hand looking at the now empty side of the closet that had contained most of Sarah’s clothes.

Yeah, chance would be a fine thing.

**** Ari spent the following days on a semi-comatose state. He kept strict grooming and feeding habits, which was something he quite enjoyed after six weeks of not being able to give much thought to it.  He also took care of the chores now that it was only him at the house and set up a work-out routine to keep his one-track mind occupied and allow himself to physically blow off some steam. 

He was frustrated to say the least. Frustrated at being pulled out by Ethan, who wasn't even willing to reconsider his reinstatement for the time being. And frustrated on how, and it ached to admit, he missed his daughter. He had seen Maya last before leaving for Ethiopia and he had told her, and so had he thought at the time, he would come back home and spend all the time possible with her. But she wasn't there when he came back. 

Surprisingly enough, he didn't miss Sarah or, at least, not in the way he should. He did miss spending time with his family or the feeling of having a family to get back to and Sarah was part of that family. And, to tell the truth, he had never been home in this house alone. And, though he was beginning to come to terms with the fact this was his life going forward, he wasn't sure if he liked it. But, on the other hand he was also relieved. Sarah and he had been strained and fighting for so long before he left for the mission that her leaving had almost been a relief.  And, in a sense, he was glad she had done it before he was the one who had to suggest that maybe they needed to concede things weren't working between them because, frankly, Ari Levinson was a chicken shit when it came to stuff like that

But what Ari wasn't was cut out for the mundane, office life. A couple of weeks later his mind was in a state of turmoil. He took a trip out to New Jersey for a few weeks under Ethan’s instructions where he spent some quality time with Maya and had a very frank discussion with Sarah. The papers she had left him to sign upon his return from Ethiopia were legal documents which would enter them both into a legal period of 2 years separation and upon the conclusion therefore a Divorce would be mutually agreed. There was no way back for the pair of them, and he was relieved that she felt the same way and signed the papers in presence of an attorney who assured him this was the easiest, least messy way to go about things. Sarah had also agreed to return to Tel Aviv at some point as she conceded that keeping Maya at the other side of the ocean wasn’t fair to him or her. But when that would be, she never said.

All in all he wasn’t feeling great when he returned to HQ at the end of April especially when he was told that Exfil had yet to come up with any decent sort of plan. He told Ethan, once again, that they were fucking morons but was told to steer well clear. But Ari had never been one to stay out of things, or pay any attention to his boss when he thought he knew better. Day and night the idea of getting the refugees out of that Sudanese refugee camp was still haunting him. He had to come up with something and it had to be as soon as possible, before those Exfil idiots fucked it up completely. So after weighing up the situation for week or so more, he decided to get on with it off radar. He knew the best way to get Ethan to hear him out would be coming up with a fool-proof plan-something so absurd, far-fetched if you will, that no one would suspect they were smuggling Jewish refugees out of Ethiopia. 

So he did it by stealth, getting on with his normal duties of paper work and communicating with other Intelligence Operatives across the globe playing the co-ordination role Ethan had dumped him in and putting the final touches on the last mission reports he had been doing at Mossad Head Quarters. His day job so to speak.

The night times, however, well, they were his own. And he used them to do a bit of research of his own. 

He tried not to be spotted when he went to the archives department and asked the assistant there for a specific microfilm. Last thing he wanted was Ethan or one of his subordinates sniffing he was up to something. At least not before he could flesh his plan out in order to give a proper presentation to Ethan.

And finally, after an arduous period of research and countless sleepless nights it came to him, one warm night at the end of June. He was examining one map of the area on the computer when he noticed the sea. They could do it, the answer had to be in the sea. Ari felt a sudden surge of optimism and started digging into the different possibilities for a way out through sea instead of land and a feasible cover. His smile reached his eyes when he spotted just what he was looking for and a hunch told him to go for it. 

It took a few days for him to pull everything together and get what he needed, and contact the people he needed. Which was why, early one July morning he was pacing the Comms room, rubbing his beard nervously, ironically dressed in the same clothes he had been in a few days prior when the idea had originally occurred to him. It was funny now, how he didn’t have Sarah pecking his head about his outfits he simply donned his preferred casual clothing to the office, something his single friends at work seemed to do a hell of a lot. Speaking of which, he was feeling stressed out after a heated argument with his estranged wife over the phone earlier that day about him seeing Maya. She had kept her side of the bargain, returning to Tel Aviv, but as a result he’d moved out of the house, renting a two bed apartment not too far from what had been their family home. He’d had regular access and visits to his daughter, which had been fantastic, but tonight he’d been due to take Maya out for dinner. However, Sarah had changed her mind at the last minute, something to do with her work shifts and it being a school night. When he had pointed out that she didn’t give a shit about her school when she took her over to New Jersey for the best part of a month she’d simply called him an asshole and put the phone down. Unable to concentrate on anything he’d gone for a run and returned to the office when it was dark and most of the people had gone, to find there was still no communication waiting for him, to let him know if his plan was going to work.

And then, finally the fax from the Sudanese Tourist Board arrived and he knew he had a great plan. Now, he had to sell it to Ethan and it couldn't wait, despite the ungodly hour…

“Ethan! I have an idea.” Ari said as he climbed the stairs to Ethan’s apartment, backpack over his shoulder, his arms laden with rolled up maps and papers.

“It’s four o'clock in the morning.” Ethan said exasperatedly.

“It's a really good idea.” Ari assured him as he continued up the stairs. Ethan simply stood back as he entered his apartment “Do you always sleep in a silk robe?” Ari asked, turning to look at him before he headed into the living room. Ethan paused for a moment before he followed him in, shutting the door behind him.

Ethan listened patiently as he explained his plan, and for the most part simply nodded. When Ari finished, Ethan leaned back and smiled softly at him, his fingers drumming on the map Ari had spread over the table.

“You know what Ari…” Ethan said, a smile on his face “This is so ludicrous…it might just work…but you’ll need a good team.”

Ari smirked and handed Ethan another piece of paper, watching as his boss scanned down the names of the Agents and former Agents he had identified.

“This…” Ethan looked at him, shaking his head “This is not a team, it’s a recipe for disaster!”

“They’re the best of the best…” Ari shrugged.

"But the Navons?” Ethan looked at Ari, shaking his head in disbelief “You mean you want both of them? Seriously after everything that’s-?”

"Oh, no, my bad…” Ari said, cutting him off and reaching over and scribbling something on the paper as Ethan let out a sigh of relief before he looked up, his eyes twinkling as Ethan let out a groan as he spotted the correction Ari had made to the name. “She’s a Horowitz now..."

**** It took them a week to get all the details fleshed out to a point where Ethan was happy to take it to his superiors. Ari would have done it that same morning he had gone knocking on Ethan’s door but his boss had insisted on details and plans…something Ari wasn’t all that bothered by, preferring to work in the spur of the moment. Still, Ethan had insisted that he wouldn’t be able to sell the idea without answering questions, and had lectured him in great detail on the 5Ps, or 6 Ps in this case…

Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance…

He had to admit, however, Ethan had been right. As he began to spell out his ideas and plans to Isaacs, the Mossad Chief, he found himself being able to speak confidently, not just because he had conviction in his idea, but because he never once found himself lacking the ability to explain.

“The majority are coming in from Gondar and Tigray right there…” Ari said, leaning over from his chair to point at the map which was spread out on the desk. “But we can't land our planes anywhere near there.”

“Why?” Isaacs asked, looking at Ari from where he sat in his chair.

“Derg brought in the Russians and Cubans. It's limiting everyone's mobility. The chance of landing a plane without being noticed is non-existent.” Ari explained “The only way to get a substantial number out is by sea.”

“Ethiopia's practically landlocked.” Isaacs said, leaning forward and gesturing at the map.

Ari nodded in agreement, his hand rubbing at his beard before he looked at Ethan who was sat next to him in the other chair. Ethan inclined his eyes at Isaacs, instructing Ari to continue, so he did.

“But Sudan isn't.”

Isaacs paused from looking at the map and then glanced at Ari to Ethan and then back again.

“Seriously?”

Ari nodded.

Isaacs leaned back. “Something tells me this is going to take a bit longer than a few hours to explain…”

Ethan smiled a little and nodded “You could say that, yes.” “Ok…” Isaacs sighed, reaching for his phone “Let me make a few calls. I need to get my advisors down here…and food.” So that’s what he did. Ari found himself repeating various points again and again to different people as they headed in with various files, paper, pens…and he was getting a little frustrated as the night started to draw in. But he kept calm, taking his lead from Ethan who jumped in whenever he could sense Ari was starting to lose his cool a little, and Ari was thankful for the fact his boss was there.

“How long does it take to get from Sudan to Sinai by boat?” Isaacs asked.

“It takes three days.” Ethan began “You can…” “Just a-- Hold on a sec.” Isaacs said as Ari dropped his hands to his hips, leaning back against the large cupboard he was stood in front of. “Even if this could work, you'd need a team of agents on the ground. A team with international background.” Ethan and Ari exchanged a look, and both nodded at Isaacs as he continued “How are you gonna keep our agents that long inside an enemy state?”

“This is where it gets really good.” Ethan said, nodding at Ari who pulled an aerial shot out of the pack of files he had brought with him. Ari handed it to Isaacs.

“Red Sea Diving Resort. It's a hotel built by an Italian company in the early '70s.” Ari explained as he walked back to his leaning post, arms folded. “Fifty kilometres north of Port Sudan. The Italian company abandoned it five years ago.  Now the Sudanese government is looking to lease it, to boost tourism.”

The room fell silent as Isaacs looked at the photo, his expression perplexed which then morphed into surprise. He looked at Ari, how shifted a little uncomfortably, waiting for him to comment on the idea. Instead Isaacs stood up, and moved to his phone.

“Ask the Defence Minister if he can join us.” he said simply, and Ethan glanced at Ari, giving him a smile.

About twenty minutes later, the Defence Minister a Mr Henry Weiss joined them and listened carefully to what they had to say, Ari explaining once again what the outline of his plan was. It took him another hour, and it felt like he had been explaining this all day. Which, in reality, he had.

“Let me get this straight.” Weiss said, sitting on the edge of the desk as Isaacs sat in the chair behind hit, both hands behind his head as he was flanked by various other people from his agency, all of them watching Ari who was sat perched on another unit to Weiss’ right “You want Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, to purchase an abandoned hotel from the Sudanese government.”

“Lease, but yeah.” Ari said, nodding, his hand curling around his chin and mouth in an L-shape.

“Abandoned because?”

“Because the area where it's located is lawless. It's controlled by the Hadandawa.” Ari said, and for the first time he started to feel a little less confident.

“By the who?” Weiss looked at him

“It's a Bedouin tribe.” Ari supplied.

“Translates, The Lion Clan” Tellem, one of the military agents stood around the room supplied “Known for cannibalizing their enemies.”

“No…” Ari quickly began to protest as Isaacs glanced at the military agent who had spoken. “That's...” he took a pause and looked at Ethan who shifted and stared at Ari. And Ari knew why, because he hadn’t told any of this to Ethan. “ No, that's... not anymore.” Ari folded his arms in front of him. “Now it's... human trafficking. -Girls to Jedda, that sort of thing—“

“This... just gets better and better.” Ethan looked at Ari.

“So, your idea, just to reiterate…” Weiss drew the attention back to him “Is to send a group of Jews to a Muslim country, to a place where they might get eaten by Bedouins, to run a fake hotel, in order to rescue a group of black Jews who might or might not survive a 1,000-kilometer walk across the desert, to be smuggled out to sea by Israeli Navy Seals to an Israeli ship.”

“Disguised as a petroleum service vessel, yeah.” Ari said, smiling slightly.  

“That's ridiculous.” Tellem said with a sigh.

There was silence around the room. Ari looked up, and could take no read on anyone’s body language. He locked eyes with Ethan who gave him a sympathetic look and he let out a breath shaking his head.

Back to the drawing board.

“Is NATCOR still operational?” Weiss asked suddenly as Ari stood up.

“Yep” Isaacs replied, his eyes on Ari.

“What's NATCOR?” Ari frowned, hands on his hips.

“It's a shore company in Switzerland we use for large transactions.” Isaacs said simply

“How large?” Ari asked, not sure what this had to do with anything.

“Like leasing a hotel.” Isaacs said.

Well, shit!

With a small smile, one that was more from shock than victory he looked at Ethan who eyed him appraisingly.

“How long do you need?” Weiss asked and looked at Isaacs.

“I can pull the strings in NATCOR in a week or so but I need to know how much we need and when for.” Isaacs said, and once again all attention turned to Ari and Ethan.

“We’ll need a couple of months to pull the team together, get everything organised…leasing agreements that sort of thing…” Ethan said, looking at Ari

“Give me 3 months.” Ari nodded in agreement. “Maximum.”

*****

It turns out that the Sudanese Tourism Board play hard ball. 6 weeks it took. 6 fucking weeks to negotiate a price and a timescale. Originally they’d been willing to lease the Diving Resort from the middle of March until, after agreement of a slightly higher price, they had brought the date forward to January. That was still too far away for Ari’s liking, but as Ethan had reminded him if they missed even one cross on a t or a dot on an I, they were done for.

Finally, at the end of August, they had ironed out every crease they could see, and the confirmation that they had been accepted to hire the abandoned resort came through. A week later, at the start of September, Ari left Tel-Aviv again to start his recruiting spree. First stop, a Pan Am plane with destination Belize. 

He was having a coffee and tapping some stray sugar grains on the table surface with his index finger's pad absent-mindedly when his plane was called. His mind went to Maya as he waited in line, boarding pass in hand. He’d spent a lot of time with her over the last week, deliberately, and he knew she understood why he didn’t live with them anymore, but she hadn’t understood why he was going to be going away again. And then, on the last day before he left she had been especially quiet and brooding. Ari had tried to make small conversation with her but had failed and had opted to explain to his daughter why he had to go, as best as he could. She still hadn't reacted as Ari expected and he had to admit defeat. The final blow had come when he had asked Maya about the drawing he was holding of her family, a drawing he was absent from, and she had told her father he wasn't in the picture because he was at work. He hadn’t mentioned it to Sarah, it simply wasn’t worth the hassle.

"You've got to be kidding me" Rachel Reiter said to Ari with a chuckle as she stopped at the end of his row, trolley before her "What are you doing on this flight?" she added impersonating the perfect flight attendant.

"I'd like some tomato juice, please." Ari ordered with a smile.

She served him his tomato juice and sat on the free seat next to him. Ari explained to her he had pulled some strings to find out which flight she would be working. Not that Rachel needed to know. She was perfectly aware of what Ari was capable of and how Mossad worked. Thus, she explained the mission she was on, having scanned the briefcase of a passenger, a PLO accountant. 

Ari spent the following five minutes explaining briefly what the mission he was attempting to recruit her for consisted of.

"Ex is in stable asshole condition. Kids are perfect." Rachel told Ari when he asked about her family.

"And you're ok leaving them for an unknown amount of time?" he asked waiting for the confirmation she was in.

"If we don't do something no one will" was what Ari replied Rachel after she asked him to give her a good enough reason to enrol. And that was more than enough, as she smiled and nodded imperceptibly.

"Tell me one last thing." Rachel said standing up and brushing her skirt. "Who's in Belize?"

"Excuse me?" Ari asked with a poker face.

"I know you Ari. I've been running small missions on flights for the past 5 months, they must have told you. And yet you have chosen exactly this one to come talk to me?" she said whispering as she leaned to grab the tray where the now empty glass of tomato juice lay.

"Wait and see Rachel." he said with a broad smile. "I'll be in touch soon."

*******

It was hot, very hot when, a day later Ari sat at a table in a beach bar in Half Moon Caye waiting for Jake to finish his private lesson. Not exactly a diving one.

"What brings the great Ari Levinson all the way to Belize?" Jake Wolf greeted Ari from the door of the decompression tank, wearing nothing more than a dazzling smile.

"I have a unique mission to offer you." Ari told him "But I'm not gonna offer you anything until you cover yourself up" he joked watching as Jake approached him, arms open to give him a hug.

Jake ignored his friend’s request and after brazenly taking a cigarette out of Ari's packet sat on the chair facing him. Ari explained to Jake that he needed someone with expertise and diving skills for a mission related to what in Jake's words was a bloody genocide no one gives a shit about because it's in Africa.

So when Ari told him that his Prime Minister had decided to give a shit, he was convinced he had gained Jake's adventurous spirit and he would be on board. 

An hour and some beers later, Ari had explained to Jake the mission in detail and they both had caught up on their lives.

"Be ready to be called in in about a month give or take." Ari told Jake who nodded. 

"Why don't you stay a couple of days? Look around you. This is paradise, my friend." Jake said a big grin and open arms pointing at the white sand beach and tropical palm trees.

"I have a flight tomorrow morning." Ari had to refuse his friend’s offer, implying he had still places to be and people to recruit.

"Where to?" Jake asked knowingly.

"Amsterdam." Ari answered before puffing his cigarette. “At least that’s where my next victim was last time I checked…”

Jake just nodded, a faint glimmer of a smile showing, before saying "Then, the night is young. Let's make the most of it before you leave."

******

"You fucked up my lunch, man" Max Rose told Ari after lowering the gun he was pointing at his former mentor.

A mixture of relief and annoyance crossed Max’s face as he waited for Ari to give an explanation as to why was he sat in his arm chair, in the middle of his rented flat in Amsterdam, reading the fucking newspaper with a stupid grin on his stupid face.

"I have a mission for you." Ari said.

"Of course, you have" Max scoffed before hugging him. "But you're buying me lunch if you want me to listen to you."

And that's what they did. Ari knew if you had to win Max over, it had to be around food. After explaining the mission and what Max’s role would be, Ari had one last question and he had deliberately saved it for last when he knew Max would already be on board.

"Max, I need to know you're fine with all this because I need you to be focused. Are you ready to go back down there after Andy?"

"Absolutely." Max said without hesitating. But Ari could see a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Good." Ari said sympathetically "Then I guess I'll contact you in a month or so." Ari added before he raised his glass to toast for the mission.

***** 4 days later, just over a week after leaving, Ari was back in Tel-Aviv, having saved the discussion he knew was going to be the hardest until last.

He sat in the waiting room of the Ethan Navon Memorial Clinic, a place in which he hadn’t been for easily over 5 years, and was eventually ushered into the Examination Room where the nurse popped a thermometer under his tongue as he sat on the trolley, waiting.

“How can I help you Mr…Aw, fuck me!” Sammy groaned as he looked at Ari who gave him a cheeky smile “What the fuck?  What the fuck are you doing here?” he turned to his nurse “What the fuck is he doing here?”

“Hey, hey, just... Calm down.” Ari said gently, “I need to talk to you. Five minutes.”

Sammy tossed his file and glasses down on to the small equipment trolley and said something to his Nurse. She nodded, making a hasty exit and as Sammy went to close the door it stopped before he could shut it fully and swung fully open again, Hannah stepping into the room, frowning at her brother.

“Sammy? What's going on? I can hear you shouting all the way over in the other room? What’s the…” she trailed off as Sammy nodded towards Ari, her mouth falling open when she saw him “Fuck me…”

"Hey Hannah, how you doing?” Ari gave her a small smile. “You look great by the way."

And he meant it. Her hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck and she was dressed in a simple pencil skirt and blouse, her white doctors coat open.

"What do you want Ari?" she asked softly.

“It's a nice clinic you got.” Ari said, taking the thermometer out of his mouth, ”Save a lot of lives here?

“No. But we don't take any lives either.” Hannah shrugged as Ari took a deep breath, steeping his hands together.

“I know how to get 'em out, Sammy.”

Sam scoffed

“I got a plan.  And it's good.” Ari was almost whispering with excitement as he stood up off the bed.

“Yeah, that's...” Sam looked at his sister, laughing sarcastically “That's what you always say, until everything goes to shit.”

“Right, just hear me out. You don't like what I gotta say, I'm going.”  Hannah and Sammy both exchanged a look as Ari began to pull the documents and details out of his rucksack, standing on the other side of the examination bench.

“Ari…” Hannah began as she stepped forwards, but Sam gently touched her arm and he moved towards Ari, shaking his head.

“Ari, Ari…no…”

“What? You don't wanna hear the plan?”  Ari asked gently.

“Stop.” Sam instructed him.

“You don't wanna hear it? You'd rather be here than in the field?” Ari asked, disbelief in his tone as his voice grew louder.

“Shh!” Hannah instructed the pair of them as Sammy began packing the stuff back into Ari’s backpack for him.

“Why?” Ari pressed “You're the best field doctor I know.”

“I used to be.” Sam said gently “Back when I had two good hands.”  

“Hey, both hands tied behind your back, you're still the best.” Ari said honestly. Sam paused and looked at him for a second, before Ari took a deep breath. “I need you on this one….” he looked over Sammy’s shoulder and locked eyes with Hannah “Both of you.”

She frowned a little, her arms unfolding and dropping to her hips as she studied him.

“I can't do it without you.” Ari finished, diverting his attention back to Sam. Hannah watched her brother who paused for a moment, before he turned and walked past her, opening the door. He glanced back at Ari and said, quite forcefully.

“No.”

Hanna’s gaze dropped to the floor as Ari gave a small sigh “Alright…” and gathered up his belongings “Okay…” She looked up at him as he walked past, and he gave her a pleading look which she met with a passive one of her own as he gave her a sad smile, before he walked out, Sam avoiding his gaze as he did so.

The two siblings stood in silence for a moment before Hannah met Sam’s eyes.

“Oh no…” Sam groaned “Seriously…” “Can it hurt to hear him out?” She asked gently.

“Are you serious? For fucks sake…”Sam groaned. “You are, aren’t you?”

Hannah shrugged. Sam eyed his sister again and then rolled his eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine we’ll listen...” Sam said loudly, as he walked into the doorway, leaning out of it as Ari stopped and turned to face him “But only out of curiosity…because I'm still gonna say no.”  

Both siblings ushered Ari to Sam's office, Hannah leading the way. She opened the door to let both men in. 

Ari could smell a familiar scent of vanilla when he walked past Hannah into the room and couldn't help but smile softly at her but she was staring at her feet and didn't notice. He tried to make eye contact with her as she helped Sammy to clear the small round table at the right far corner of the office, but to no avail. He could only catch a glimpse of her long eyelashes where the locks that had fallen off her bun allowed him to. 

It was only when Sam asked him to do what he had to do that she raised her head from the table and her big blue eyes looked directly at his, stopping there for a couple of seconds.  A couple of seconds which Ari hoped had been enough to convey the message he wanted her to get. One second; I'm sorry. Another one; help me out in this.

A couple of seconds later her gaze went to the back pack that hanged from his left shoulder. Battered, colour faded by uncountable missions and frayed at the seams.

"Ever thought of changing that? It could use a bit of a wash?" Hannah asked, her head nodding towards the back pack as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

He looked at it confused and when he returned his eyes to Hannah saw she was smiling.

"It's been with me through thick and thin. Couldn't get rid of it at this point." Ari replied returning the smile and placing the back pack on the table.

"All right, let's get this over with." Sammy urged Ari while he took a lot of documents, photographs and maps out. 

Sam wasn't willing to spend any more second on pleasantries. He knew if he gave Ari the chance, he was bound to dive head first into whatever crazy plan he had come up with this time and the quicker he did that, the quicker he could tell him to piss off.

Thus, Ari spread the documents out and for the following 45 minutes he talked Sam and Hannah through his plan for the mission. He had been more thorough with details and careful with sensitive information as he knew Sam would be a harder nut to crack than Rachel, Jake or Max. Especially if he wanted Hannah in.

Both siblings remained silent during the explanation. Sharing a glance from time to time, but Ari was too excited and focused on trying to explain his plan well to read too much into it. When he finished he put his hands on his hips, blew a strand of hair that had fallen over his forehead and grinned with satisfaction, looking at them expectantly

Sammy, who had his arms crossed, moved a hand to his face rubbing his jaw and his eyes flicked a moment from the documents on the table to his sister. Hannah wasn’t looking at her brother, however, her attention was solely on the information Ari had set out.

"Is that a brochure for the hotel?" she asked as she took a brightly coloured and glossy document which was folded in the middle.

"Yup." he said popping the p.

"You've really given this plenty of thought." she said admiring the brochure as well as the rest of maps and planning documents scattered over the table.

"I have." Ari replied, his eyes pleading with her.

"So, just to be clear, you want us all to play house while smuggling refugees in and then out of fucking Sudan." Sam snorted.

"Basically, yes. And you sound like one of Isaacs' dogs." Ari protested.

Sam was about to bite back when Hannah grabbed his arm to cool him down.

"I think it's a brilliant plan." she said looking from Sam to Ari.

"Yeah, now he's the man with a plan." Sam scoffed and turned to look at her sister "And I don't care what you think, you're not going."

"Are you listening to yourself, Sam?" she said visibly annoyed at her brother’s overprotectiveness "You don't get to say what I am or am not doing. You hear me?"

Ari lowered his head and smiled at Hannah's outburst. She had always been an independent and opinionated girl and that had caught his attention right from the start. And she had turned into the determined and strong-willed gorgeous woman that stood there right in front of him, telling her older brother to basically fuck off. Ari couldn’t help but think how different she was from Sarah, who had become so clingy and demanding over the last few years.

"How do you even plan on getting all this up and running?" Sam asked Ari ignoring his sister.

"I said I’d have the details ironed out and a team assembled in 3 months and that was eight and a half weeks ago now, give or take” he said, looking at Sam then to Hannah “ I've got another three or so weeks to come up with covers for everyone and hand them out for memorizing. If everything goes to plan then we should be ready to deploy in January.”

Sam sighed and looked up at his sister who was busy studying the map, her sharp eyes roving over the details. Ari watched her for a second as she bit her lip before he looked back at Sam.

"I need you in this Sammy. I can't do it without you." he pleaded. Sam gave him a look, before he turned away shaking his head, clearly lost in his conflicting thoughts. Ari then switched his attention to Hannah. "And I need you too, Firefly.” At the use of his nickname for her she looked up, her eyes locking onto Ari’s a faint smile playing on her face as he held her gaze” I know I'm in no position to ask you to come with me. Not after what happened to Andy. But I really need a female doctor to take care of those refugee women."

Hannah visibly faltered at the mention of Andy. She hadn’t expected to hear his name, least of all from Ari's lips. He was really bringing the big guns out. But then again, persuasion tactics aside, it was a good plan and he was right about needing a woman to help out. Sammy had told her what had happened to that woman that had let herself drown on his last mission after they had found her bloodied and bruised by a tree after a vicious rape. It was common for women to be abused like that by the local authorities who persecuted them, and if there was something she could do to help, then Hannah already knew deep down that wouldn't be sitting the mission out. Andy wouldn't have done either and she was willing to bet Sam was already considering taking up Ari's offer. That fucking handsome bastard always got what he wanted. She would know.

"Which dumbasses have you got to agree to it so far?" Sammy asked, moving the discussion swiftly on. He had spotted his sister’s reaction to the mention of her late husband. She’d visibly wavered and Sammy had seen her right hand go straight to her necklace, where she wore her engagement ring and wedding band, an action she always undertook when she was nervous or the memory of Andy hit her. And it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ari either.

"Jake Wolf, who you know from a few missions, Max and Rachel..." Ari offered, turning to Sam.

"Max?" Hannah asked still fiddling with her necklace, but a look of surprise now on her face “Max agreed?”

Ari nodded smiling at her. He knew she would be in when she heard the name of her best friend. That was the reason he hadn't mentioned the names of the rest of the team along with the explanation and ensuing conversation. It was an ace up his sleeve he hadn’t wanted to play until necessary. And Sammy, good old Sammy, had provided him with the opportunity on a silver plate. A simple list of names, strategically ordered, and the match point was his.

Hannah looked at her brother and gave him a smile, inclining her head slightly, an action Ari knew all too well to be her conceding her agreement. He managed to resist the urge to punch the air in victory, but didn’t fight the smirk that slid across his face as he turned to Sam and asked.

"Are you dumbass enough to jump in?"

**** Chapter 2 Part 1

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.7k

Warnings: swearing, angst, drunk, motion of death

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 2 Part 4

Part 3

In less than ten minutes, we had pulled up to Liam's house. Liam paid for the taxi too. I kind of argued this time, but he pointed out he asked me to his house. I didn't get too stubborn about it.

Liam was living in a four-story terrace house, recently renovated by the looks of it. It was painted white with black wrought iron lacework, and it was beautiful. The front door and windows were painted black. It appeared to be the twin of the house that shared its wall.

We entered through the dining room, and I realised it was actually the two houses renovated together. The inside was modern with original heritage touches. The floors were light timber, and the walls were white. The ceilings had plaster and cornice so beautifully ornate that restoration must have taken ages. The room had an imposing black marble fireplace and a deep brown, almost black wooden dining table set on a grey shag rug in the room's centre. A huge abstract painting of bright pinks, greens and grey hung on the wall.

"Wow, this must have cost a mint!" I quickly covered my mouth. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

"It's ok. I was pleasantly surprised by the house too. The studio got the house for me I...." Liam was interrupted by a massive dog bounding into the room.

Liam got down and roughhoused with the dog for a bit. Wow, he was a monster! I'd seen a picture of Cole before that "Will" had sent me, but I wasn't quite prepared for how big he was. He was almost completely black with some brown above his eyes and ears. His paws were brown too, and his belly was grey. He wasn't any particular breed, apparently a rescue dog. I thought of my bull terrier cross cattle dog at home. This dog would eat him for breakfast, and Perrin wasn't small.

Cole's pink tongue lolled, and he panted as Liam moved from side to side. Cole imitated Liam's actions jumping about. He barked a couple of times as he got excited by the play. The noise reverberated through the quiet house.

"Shhh, Cole, people are sleeping." Liam softly admonished. Then his voice became stern. "Sit," he ordered before patting him. Liam looked at me and said, "Lana, this is Cole. Cole, Lana."

"Hi, Cole. You're much bigger in person." I could hear the slight tremor in my voice. Liam must have sensed I was nervous and came over to stand near me. Cole padded over and sniffed at me. Gingerly, I put my hand by my side and let him approach me. Cole nuzzled my hand, and I gave him a pat on the side of his neck. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I was worried he wouldn't like me. I love dogs but always get nervous around new ones." Liam put his head to the side, asking a silent question. "I had a dingo go me one time, and I've never really gotten over it." I squatted down and gave Cole more pats. "I think this guy is ok, though."

"Yeah, he's a good boy. How is Perrin, by the way?"

"He's ok." I sighed, "he's just old. The poor little guy can't get onto my bed anymore and sleeps in my lounge room now. I kinda miss it, but I have slept a bit better."

Liam gave Cole some more pats and told him to go sit. "Come on. I'll make you a tea or coffee if you'd like." I agreed a coffee would be perfect right now. I needed something to sober me up.

I sat at the kitchen bench while Liam made coffees. Cole sat by my stool, and I patted his head while watching Liam. Liam had kicked off his shoes and was walking around in his bare feet. It was amazing to see him so much more relaxed here than while we were out. He really did appear to enjoy being at home.

As Liam made our coffee, he moved with a grace that surprised me. His movements seemed economical and rigid but hinted at the power beneath them. He seemed coiled and ready to explode at any moment. It was like he was dancing the pasodoble, his body moving to an invisible beat. Images of Strictly Ballroom came into my mind, and I found myself humming Love is in the Air. I was drunker than I thought.

When Liam was done, he led me over to his large L shaped lounge, and I sat. Liam flopped down next to me, casually laying back and popped his feet up on the coffee table. Cole sat on a mat that was clearly his.

I sipped my coffee, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly the quiet between Liam and I felt awkward.

Liam and I spoke at the same time, "What.." "So..."

We both laughed. Liam indicated I should proceed. "Well, I was going to ask what brought you out to Sydney, for real, not the Will answer."

"A new project. I'm going to be filming a television show." Liam proceeded to tell me about his project, working with some people from Netflix on a fantasy/sci-fi series adaptation. He was so animated when telling me that it was obvious that he loved his job.

It would be his first television series and was to be more romance heavy than anything he had done in years. Liam explained that he is filming here because the story was written and developed in Australia. "If it works out, I'll probably be based out of Australia for the next few years. I'll go home to England for a few months during breaks, maybe do some small film roles. It's hard with Cole, though, because every trip into Australia means 10 days quarantine for him."

"Oh yeah, and you don't want a Pistol and Boo situation." Liam looked confused, and I explained about Amber Heard and Johnny Depp smuggling their dogs into Australia.

"I thought you said you don't follow celebrity gossip."

"I don't, but that was big news, hilarious really. It was on every bit of media in Australia, and then they had to make this cringe video apology. I almost felt bad for them." Then I yawned, suddenly all the alcohol had lost its buzz, and I was just tired. "The coffee doesn't seem to be doing its job. What time is it?"

Liam looked at his watch, "11.30."

"Yeah, it's late. I should get home. I don't want to turn into a pumpkin." I cringed. Fuck.

"You don't have to go. You could stay here." I raised my eyebrows. "I do have more than one bed if that's what you want." Liam leaned over to me and placed a hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb against my skin.

I looked at my nearly empty coffee mug. I swirled the dregs around the bottom as if it were tea leaves, and they would tell me what to do. "I don't want to go home yet, but I don't want to go too fast, either."

"That's ok."

I didn't move. I wanted to stay. Ten years ago, I would have stayed, but Andy's face flashed into my thoughts. I knew it was ridiculous. Andy had been gone for over three years now. But every time I even contemplated being with someone, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

Liam was waiting for an answer, but I didn't know what to tell him. 'It's not you, it's me' is such a tired cliche, but sometimes it's true.

"Lana, it's ok. If you want to go home, that's absolutely fine. I'll even call you an Uber."

I felt my eyes sting, and I looked away from Liam. My bloody traitorous tear ducts giving me away. I shouldn't have drunk so much. Alcohol always makes me emotional.

"Fuck." I swore under my breath. I angrily wiped at my eyes, thankful I had used waterproof mascara. My eyeliner was a different story, though, and black streaked my fingers. I asked Liam where his bathroom was, and I got up, only half listening to his directions. I found it quickly. It was only through the doorway into a little enclave with a powder room, stairs and a lift. What kind of bloody house has a lift?

I closed the door and sat on the toilet seat. I knew enough not to try to stop the tears, so I just let them go. Bloody hell, Andy. Why did he fucking have to leave me? Why the fuck did you have to fucking die. Goddammit. Why do I do this to myself? Why do I do this to Andy? I wanted to scream, to punch something, to throw something. I needed another cigarette. Fuck you, Andy. Fuck you. Fuck me. Fuck Liam.

As I always did when I thought of Andy, I remembered the last time I saw him. His sweet face looked down at me as he kissed me goodbye. His deep brown hair fell like a curtain around us, hiding our kiss from the world. Cheekily I had slipped my tongue into his mouth, and he had groaned as he pulled away. He told me to save it for when he got back and would be as quick as he could be. I had thanked him for filling in for me. He winked and said to thank him later. Then he left.

When I was able to, I started to take deep breaths. In through my nose, out through my mouth. I could feel the tightness in my chest slowly ease. Breathing became more comfortable, and the tears stopped. I looked at my hands, and I was able to release the fists I was making. My nails hadn't broken the skin this time, but small red crescents remained etched into my palms.

I waited a few minutes longer to make sure the moment had passed. It wasn't Andy's fault he died, and I knew that. It's also not my fault that I wanted someone to love again. Sleeping with someone other than Andy felt like crossing the Rubicon, no going back.

The fact was there is no going back, no Andy to go back to, even if I wanted. In my head, it still felt like a betrayal. But it wasn't. And Liam wasn't just anybody. He was a guy I had spent weeks talking to, getting to know, and although he looks different, he is still acting as I had expected. I saw a potential future here. Did I really want to let my past ruin it?

I cleared my throat and stood up, preparing myself to see the horror that looked back at me. Ugh, it wasn't great. My eyeliner had given me panda eyes, and the tears had created streaks down my cheeks.

Getting a tissue and blew my nose, and decided there was nothing else for it, I washed my makeup off my face. I avoided washing my eye makeup off though, that was a mess I just didn't have the products for, so I just wiped under my eyes and cleaned it up. I binned my tissues, washed my hands, took a few more deep breaths and prepared myself to face Liam.

I opened the door and walked straight into something solid that made me bounce back into the bathroom like a tennis ball. Hands caught me before I hit the floor, and I found myself in Liam's arms.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He asked.

"No," I was flustered again. I spent all that time calming down to just be in a state two seconds later. "I just didn't expect you to be outside the door. Jesus, you're like a brick shit house."

Liam didn't laugh. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine," I lied.

Liam didn't look convinced. He let me go and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now."

Liam nodded. "I'll get you that Uber." He pulled his phone out.

That's it then. All in all, it wasn't the worst date I'd been on since Andy died. Actually, it was probably the best. Liam, at least, was a guy I was attracted to and didn't appear to be a man child. He seemed to like me, even when I cried over another man. Although I doubt Liam knew that's why I was crying. I had told him I was married before and he had died, but that was only once and a long time ago, and we hadn't discussed it again.

The tears had done their job, and a calmness came over me now. I had said goodbye to Andy, and I was ready to take that last step to move on. That was why I started to date again; to open my heart, I was ready.

I put my hand on Liam's wrist, "if you still want me to, I'd like to stay."

"Are you sure? I probably shouldn't have asked in the first place. I let my other head think for me." Though I laughed at his candid admission, Liam's face was serious. "I'm not joking. I want you, and I didn't think about how you must be feeling. The whole fake profile thing must still be weighing on your mind. And all of the other problems that go along with being with me. You should have more time to think about it."

And my dead husband, let's not forget that. I didn't say that out loud, thank God. "I will have time to think about it. But right now, I want..." Shit. I've gone shy again. Just fucking tell him you want him too! "I mean, can't we just have a bit of a cuddle and a snog?"

Liam's lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile, "a cuddle and a snog?"

I nodded.

Smiling, Liam put his phone back in his pocket. "I think I can arrange that."

Without further warning, Liam grabbed my wrists in one hand and pinned them to the wall above my head. His other hand snaked around my waist, holding me to him, his hips rolling into mine. His eyes were fierce and focused on mine. I  closed my eyes, the sensations too much, and my breath quickened.

I heard Liam say through gritted teeth, "It's taken everything I had not to do this to you since I saw you at the bar. I wanted to take you then and there." His voice seemed to ease, the words coming easier for him. "You don't know how much I've wanted to touch you. To know you are real." Then he whispered, "and you are. Real. You're as beautiful tonight as you were in your pictures."

I opened my eyes and found Liam staring at me, and his intensity was nearly frightening. He pulled me tighter against himself, his fingertips digging into me while he crushed me against his body. I felt his hardness against my hip, and I couldn't stop myself from rubbing against it. This time Liam closed his eyes, and I felt the rush of blood to my centre.

Liam opened his eyes, desire naked on his face, "Kiss me," he said.

I met his soft and warm lips. I felt Liam's groan rumble in his vast chest, and kissing him again, my lips scraped against his whiskers. Liam kissed me back now. His tongue pushed past my lips, and found mine. His tongue playfully danced in my mouth. Liam's hand left my arse and started to feel my hips, my waist and then my breasts. He cupped them and gently squeezed. My breath caught as his hand skimmed past my nipple. His palm created friction against the lace of my bra, and tingles radiated through my body.

His lips left mine and went to my neck. He kissed and sucked at me, moving down to the top of my breasts. I heard him take a deep breath into my chest as his cheeks rubbed against my skin. His kisses became harder against my chest and moved back up to my neck, his teeth nipping at me as he went. Even though he had me captured, I wriggled against him, my hips moved uncontrollably, my breath uneven and weak.

Liam pulled away, still firmly gripping one of my hands. "Come with me." Liam led me to the lift.

"Where are we going?"

"To my bedroom." I pulled against him, forcing him to stop. "Sweetheart, I promise I won't fuck you until you ask."

My legs turned to jelly. I wanted to fall to my knees and beg despite my reservations. I nodded and followed Liam into the lift.

Part 4

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Leave No One Behind Ch 1: You Gotta Have A Plan

Co-Written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Chapter Summary: After returning from Sudan following their arrest, Sam and Ari go their separate ways…but Ari just can’t let things go. He needs a plan to break the refugees he left in the camp out. And he comes up with a plan so ridiculous that it just might work. That is, if he can pull together the right team.

Unfortunately he knows that the 2 people he probably needs and wants there the most, are going to be the toughest to convince. After all, they are siblings…

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words.

Chapter Pairings:  Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz

A/N: Now, we believe from what research and reviews tell us, that RSDR takes place basically between 1979 and 1982 (the real Operation Brothers upon which it is based upon ran until 1984). To keep this as historically factual as possible, we have done all the research we can find on Mossad, the history of the Jewish people in the 40s through 80s…the rest is purely down to our imagination.

If anything is factually wrong, we mean no offence. Chalk it down to slight creative license and take this for what it is- a work of fiction.

Before you continue, we recommend you read this to introduce the ‘cast’- Leave No One Behind: Meet the Characters

Also Tags will be done by reblogs as Tumblr seems to, once again, have been taken over by Hydra and isn’t giving everyone notifications.

Leave No One Behind Masterlist  Main Masterlist 

Chapter Song: Across the Universe by the Beatles

“Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, that call me on and on across the universe…”

March 1979

Ari Levinson was a man who very rarely liked to sit still. He’d been the same as a boy, always needing to be doing something. And right now, even in a dark, sweaty, smelly cell in Sudan he was no different. Using the bars in the roof that gave them the only light and air into the area, he was doing pull ups, counting his way up to 100. When he finished his reps he dropped down with a sigh and made his way over to sit by Sammy who was leaning against the wall.

Ari glanced over at his friend, his fellow agent who simply looked at him without saying a word, and then looked away, both of them glancing up as Kabede, their in-country contact so to speak, walked over and sat besides Sammy.

“I heard the guards talking.” he said softly in his thick, African accent as Ari sat, his arms hanging over his knees. “They think we are smugglers. We need to get out of here.”

“Mr. Guy Thomas.” one of the guards called. All 3 of them exchanged a look, before Ari stood up and made his way to the cell door.

“You called?” he asked.

“You, and your friends…” the guard said, gun slung over his shoulder “You come with me…”

They did as they were told and were ushered into a small room, where they were unceremoniously handed their gear and told they were free to go. Ari did nothing but smile at Sammy, who rolled his eyes, because it was a knowing joke between everyone who ever ran a mission with Ari that he could fall in pig shit and come out smelling like roses.

Ari fished a packet of cigarettes out of his back pack, along with his shades and slipped them onto his eyes. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out into the sun, lighting his cigarette as he went. He paused for a moment, looking at the man who was leaning against a blue car, watching him. He jerked his head and Ari stepped towards him.  

“And you are?” Ari asked, eyeing him up.

“I'm the reason you're out of there.” The man said, pushing himself off the car. Ari exchanged a look with Sammy as the man continued “Walton Bowen, American.”

“No shit.” Sammy said, his eyes still on the man as Ari shook his hand.

“Yeah?” Walton looked at him before he moved to shake his hand too “Cultural attaché, the embassy in Khartoum.”

“Oh. Well, you must have your hands full, considering the flourishing cultural scene in Sudan.” Ari said, the sarcasm evident in his tone and Walton gave a little laugh.

“Not nearly as flourishing as you with your anthropology studies, I'm sure.” Walton said, his voice level but Ari could detect the note of disbelief he carried. “We got a call from DC, you gents had gotten yourselves into a bit of a pickle.”

As Ari kept his eyes on the man and his face straight, besides him Sammy pointed

“Is that our stuff in the back of your car?”

Ari looked at Sammy then round to the car as Walton nodded.

“Yes, it is.  I'm sorry about the hasty packing…” he said, gesturing to the car “…but I know you have a flight in less than five hours to London.”

Ari snorted, shaking his head a little. Of course we do, damned it Ethan.

“Where are you off to after that, boys?” Walton continued.

Ari didn’t reply, instead he chuckled, and turned from the man, walking over to where Kabede was stood a few feet away.

“Looks like they're calling me back. Are you gonna be okay?” Ari asked

“Yes” Kabede assured him “I will bring more families.”

“We'll find a better way.” Ari nodded, giving the man a friendly embrace, patting him on the back before he turned around and walked back towards Walton and Sammy.

“Hope you got my toothbrush…” he said, not stopping as he passed them both and made his way to the car. “It’s new.”

After a few hours layover in London, they were called to a desk and given tickets for a flight back to Isreal for an hour later.  Ari fell asleep before the taxi down the runway had even finished and awoke a few hours later, stretching and ordering himself a beer. Before much longer the plane began it’s descent into Ben Guiron Airport and Ari let out a sigh. He knew he should be glad to be home, but he wasn’t. He hated leaving a job half done. But he wouldn’t deny he was looking forward to a shower. He felt disgusting, looked disgusting, smelt disgusting. Thank fuck Ethan had the sense to book an entire row out for him and Sammy each.

They cleared customs easily and were met by a driver who waved them over to a car.

“Home?” The man asked Ari as he took his bags from him to take them to the trunk. .

“Office.” Ari corrected, as he wrenched open the passenger door of the car. “You coming?” he asked Sammy as he sat down.

“Nah. Nah, I'm going back home.” Sammy looked at him.

“What?” Ari said, frowning as he got back out, leaning on the roof of the car.

“Back to the clinic.” Sammy said with a small smile.

Ari looked around, before he shut the door and walked over to Sammy, his mouth open in surprise.

What the hell are you talking about?” he asked gently.

“I called Ethan back in London, got a message to Hannah. She’s picking me up.” Sammy said taking a deep breath “I'm done.”

Sammy moved to pull Ari into an embrace, which Ari returned, albeit it a little half- heartedly as he was still reeling from Sammy’s revelation.

“Why?” he asked, patting Sammy on the back.

“I love you, man.” Sammy said, pulling away “You're a lucky guy. But when the luck runs out, then...  you gotta have a plan, and you never have one. So... I'm out. “

Sammy looked around.

“You're out?” Ari said flatly, his eyebrows raising.

“I'm out.”

“Sammy.” Ari said gently as Sam turned away. He paused and turned to face Ari again, smiling.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

Sam quickly walked away down towards the pick-up area outside the terminal, as Ari called his name again, a little louder, but he ignored him.

Ari sighed and looked upwards, wiping a hand over his face before he glanced at Sam’s retreating back just in time to see a flurry of dark, wavy hair rushing towards him. Ari continued to observe from a distance as Sammy hugged his sister back, her face pressed into the side of his neck, Sammy gently rubbing at her back. When he finally let her go, Ari finally got a look at her and he had to smile. The last time he had seen Hannah had been almost 3 years ago, at her husband Andy’s funeral and Ari was pleased to see she looked better than she had that day. Her hair was longer, her cheeks were fuller again, no longer hollow with grief. Her skin was darker, more tanned...she looked healthy, back to her vivacious self along with, he hoped, that spark that bounced in her deep blue eyes, Eyes he knew so well.

He had first met Hannah through Sammy when she was 17, and he was 24. He had liked her from the off, despite being 7 years older than her and there’d been a spark, there was no denying that. But for various reasons, despite a 3 month long sort of fling, it hadn’t worked out. He’d backed off, instead admiring her from afar, constantly telling himself he was too old and no good for her, and then he had met Sarah. Their relationship at first had been based on total, physical attraction and had been a total whirlwind. They had married later that same year after discovering Sarah was pregnant, Ari wanting to do the right thing by her. Their daughter Maya was born 7 months later and for the first 4 years, he had to admit he’d been happy.

Meanwhile, Hannah had started dating another one of their agents and friends, Andy Horowitz.  They’d married too and then sadly mere months after they had married Andy had been killed on a mission they’d been running some 3 years ago, a mission Ari had been in charge of.

Hannah said she didn’t blame Ari, but he’d seen it written on every inch of her pretty face. She’d hardly been able to look him in the eyes since Andy’s death, and as a result he had made no effort to reach out in the 3 years since Andy’s funeral. Which he knew was a selfish, shitty thing to do on his behalf, as they’d all been so close, family close even, but Hannah had always worn her heart on her sleeve and he couldn’t face the turmoil and heartbreak she was emanating.

Sammy assured him she didn’t hold him at fault, not really and that she was just upset, compounded  by the fact she hadn’t been there and was only hearing everything 2nd hand. But still, it did nothing to assuage Ari’s guilt. Andy’s life cut so tragically short, and Hannah left widowed at such a young age…

The driver’s voice shook Ari out of his thoughts, and when his eyes focussed again he realised he was staring at nothing. Hannah and Sammy both long gone. With a nod to the man he climbed back in the car and they set off for HQ.

**** "You're pissed." Sammy told his sister, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Hanna didn't answer. She stared at the license plate of the car right before them as if it was the magic combination to some sort of treasure chest. She was avoiding looking at her brother. Of course she was pissed, that was out of the question, but she didn't want to discuss that in the middle of the early evening exasperating traffic. Why was the way out of the airport always so crammed with cars?

Sammy turned to look at her and read the signs like an open book. White knuckles from the intensity with which her hands where holding the steering wheel, furrowed brow and a twitch of the mouth where she was biting the inside of her right cheek. He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You are pissed. I can tell, Hannah."

"No, I'm not" she replied trying to sound as convincing as possible and hit the car horn three times. "Oh, come on! We all have places to be!"

"Yes, you are. And honking the horn while in a traffic jam won't get you anywhere quicker, you know that?" Sammy said raising an eyebrow at her sudden outburst.

"No, it won't. But it will keep me from slapping you across your stupid face." she bit back, admitting her irritation.

"Ok." Sammy said preparing for what was about to come slouched on the passenger seat "What's on your mind?"

"Damnit, Sammy. You know full well what's on my mind. You know perfectly fucking well." she hissed without even bothering to look at him.

He sighed and nodded as an only answer. Avoiding his sister's gaze, he turned and looked through the passenger window.

"Yet, there you go again." she resumed after a minute, once she had steadied her voice and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Getting yourself arrested. You could have been killed right there on the spot! I just ...."

"Hey…" Sammy said gently rubbing her thigh "It’s ok. I'm ok, right?"

Hannah nodded and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. There were a few minutes of silence in the car as the traffic resumed and Sammy waited patiently for his sister to get herself together before speaking.

"I spoke to Ethan from London, told him I'm out." Sam said.

"What?" Hannah asked surprised looking at her brother before rapidly turning her eyes to the road ahead.

"That last mission... it was just... I'm done. Can't do it anymore." Sam fumbled with the words while he rubbed the scars on his right hand with his left one.

Hannah looked at her brother again, before she sighed, concern flooding her system.

"What happened Sammy?"  she asked, her tone soft “It must be something bad to make you want to leave it all behind.”

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. It's just… I'm tired of all that shit and need to get out, that's all." Sam replied trying to convince his sister and, most importantly himself, it was the right decision.

The sight of that woman letting herself drown in the river had taken a toll on him. It haunted him at night and whenever he closed his eyes. He could have done more, he should have saved her, he should have found her under that muddy water and swum with her to safety. But he hadn't been able to and he didn't want to go into another mission where he would lose lives instead of saving them.

"So, what's the plan?" Hannah asked a moment later trying to snap her brother out from the place he seemed to be lost in.

"The plan is getting home, have a shower, eat something decent and sleep till the new full moon." Sam deadpanned with a faint smile.

"I’d also consider a haircut." Hanna quipped smiling at him. "That mop doesn't suit you, neither does the moustache!"

"Yeah, well. Not much you can do when you're down there and under for six weeks." Sam stated before he smiled at her "You, on the other hand, look great, Han"

"Well, that's what you get when you shower and wash your clothes. You stink." she said winking at him and he laughed.

"Seriously though, what are you gonna do? “ Hannah asked him after a moments pause “You gotta have a plan."

"That's exactly what I told Ari..." Sammy shrugged and Hannah’s head whipped once more to look at him.

"Ari?" she asked double checking her brother "Was Ari on the mission with you? Actually, don’t bother answering because of course he was..." she trailed off.

"That reckless, lucky son of a bitch who never seems to have a back-up plan." Sam said before lighting a cigarette. “He was there alright.”

"I'd say the man without a plan has some things very well planned." she mused while tapping the steering wheel with her fingers.

"Yeah, well, as I told him I wanna go back to the clinic. If that's ok with you, that is."

"Of course it is Sam. It's our clinic, remember? And we could do with your help, in fact, it would be a blessing. We've been very busy lately." she said excited by the prospect of having her brother with her again. "Mum will be thrilled to hear that.” “How is she?” Sam asked.

“She’s ok.” Hannah said “I’ve been trying to get her to take it easy, consider retiring but…you know what she’s like.” Sammy snorted “Stubborn, opinionated, always thinks she knows best…that’s where you get it from.” Hannah merely raised her eyebrow and smirked a little. “I dare you to tell her that on Sunday…” “Sunday?” “Yeah, she hasn't told you yet but you're coming for lunch." Hannah smirked as Sammy rolled his eyes, smiling fondly “And she won’t take no for an answer.”

***** “Ladies and gentlemen. This afternoon, historic documents concluding the Treaty of Peace between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel will be signed…” Ari could hear the reporter on the news growing louder as he strode through the Mossad HQ towards Ethan’s office.

“Is he in?” he asked Ethan’s secretary, not bothering to wait for an answer.

“Wait, don't go in there…”

“Thanks.” he said, ignoring her as he pushed the door open, giving a small annoyed huff of a laugh as he tossed his back pack to his left where it landed with a thud. He then made his way over to the decanter of scotch on the shelves to the right of the room, Ethan not even bothering to look at him from where he was leaning against his desk, his own tumbler in hand, watching the TV, dressed in a crisp black suit and white shirt as always, his tie impeccably knotted.

“The Prime Minister is about to sign the most important peace accord in our lifetime and he can't enjoy it because of some remote tribe of our people getting massacred on a continent no one cares about.” Ethan said a little emotively, his British accent crisp as ever as he took a sip of his drink.

“Well, maybe you should let me do my job instead of pulling me out.”  Ari said, picking up his drink and turning towards the couch at the side of the room.

“Your job includes getting arrested?” Ethan asked, as he stood up straight and turned off the TV. Ari sighed as he slumped on the couch, one leg bent with his foot resting on the low coffee table in front of him “Or is this just another by-product of you being reckless and totally out of control?” he looked at Ari for the first time  since he had walked into the room.

“Sudan. My god, Ari…” Ethan snorted angrily, picking up his decanter to top up the glass. “An enemy country in a perpetual state of... fucked-up-ness. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that hiding refugees in a refugee camp was a pretty brilliant idea.” Ari said simply with no trace of irony, as he scratched at an itch on his side before necked his liquor.

“And how do you propose to get them out of there?” Ethan looked at him.

Ari sighed and placed the empty glass on the side next to the phone “Still working on that.”

“This job pays in migraines.” Ethan shook his head as he crossed the room and topped up Ari’s glass. “You look like shit.” he said, pointing to him with the hand that held the decanter which he placed on the coffee table.

“Thank you.” Ari replied “Smell like shit, too. I was under for six weeks.” he reached for the now once again full glass as Ethan sat on a chair opposite him.

“How's Sarah?” Ethan asked.

Ari looked down, his finger tapping on the rim of the glass before he placed it back on the side and slumped down on the sofa again, his eyes focussing downwards on his thigh as it bent upwards in front of him, his hand hooking underneath it.

“She left me.”

“Your life's a mess.” Ethan stated and Ari simply raised his eyebrows in agreement “Well, maybe this is a blessing in disguise, then.”

“What is?” Ari asked, as Ethan took a drink. “Are you taking me off this?”

“Exfil is going to come up with some alternative plans for the Ethiopians.” Ethan said as Ari tipped is head back with a frustrated sigh, his hands flying out to his side. “Then we'll discuss with the boss how best to move forward.”

“Ethan, don't do that.” Ari pleaded sitting forward “You know those guys are morons, they're gonna waste months on plans that aren't viable.  Months that we don't have. You gotta send me back.”  

“Go home, take a shower, spend some time with the family.”  

“Ah Fuck!” Ari sighed, before his voice grew louder and he crossed his arms, taking on the tone and appearance of a sullen child “No.”  

“No?” Ethan looked at him “It's done, Ari. You're not going anywhere.”

And that was that. Ethan wasn’t for turning. In the end Ari had stormed out of the office, his mood darkening by the second, and it didn’t get any better when he arrived home to find the place dark, empty and a message from Sarah on the answer phone telling him she’d taken Maya to her parents place.

Her parent’s place in fucking New Jersey

“Spend some time with the family…” Ethan’s words rang around his head as he slumped on the bed, beer in hand looking at the now empty side of the closet that had contained most of Sarah’s clothes.

Yeah, chance would be a fine thing.

**** Ari spent the following days on a semi-comatose state. He kept strict grooming and feeding habits, which was something he quite enjoyed after six weeks of not being able to give much thought to it.  He also took care of the chores now that it was only him at the house and set up a work-out routine to keep his one-track mind occupied and allow himself to physically blow off some steam.

He was frustrated to say the least. Frustrated at being pulled out by Ethan, who wasn't even willing to reconsider his reinstatement for the time being. And frustrated on how, and it ached to admit, he missed his daughter. He had seen Maya last before leaving for Ethiopia and he had told her, and so had he thought at the time, he would come back home and spend all the time possible with her. But she wasn't there when he came back.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't miss Sarah or, at least, not in the way he should. He did miss spending time with his family or the feeling of having a family to get back to and Sarah was part of that family. And, to tell the truth, he had never been home in this house alone. And, though he was beginning to come to terms with the fact this was his life going forward, he wasn't sure if he liked it. But, on the other hand he was also relieved. Sarah and he had been strained and fighting for so long before he left for the mission that her leaving had almost been a relief.  And, in a sense, he was glad she had done it before he was the one who had to suggest that maybe they needed to concede things weren't working between them because, frankly, Ari Levinson was a chicken shit when it came to stuff like that

But what Ari wasn't was cut out for the mundane, office life. A couple of weeks later his mind was in a state of turmoil. He took a trip out to New Jersey for a few weeks under Ethan’s instructions where he spent some quality time with Maya and had a very frank discussion with Sarah. The papers she had left him to sign upon his return from Ethiopia were legal documents which would enter them both into a legal period of 2 years separation and upon the conclusion therefore a Divorce would be mutually agreed. There was no way back for the pair of them, and he was relieved that she felt the same way and signed the papers in presence of an attorney who assured him this was the easiest, least messy way to go about things. Sarah had also agreed to return to Tel Aviv at some point as she conceded that keeping Maya at the other side of the ocean wasn’t fair to him or her. But when that would be, she never said.

All in all he wasn’t feeling great when he returned to HQ at the end of April especially when he was told that Exfil had yet to come up with any decent sort of plan. He told Ethan, once again, that they were fucking morons but was told to steer well clear. But Ari had never been one to stay out of things, or pay any attention to his boss when he thought he knew better. Day and night the idea of getting the refugees out of that Sudanese refugee camp was still haunting him. He had to come up with something and it had to be as soon as possible, before those Exfil idiots fucked it up completely. So after weighing up the situation for week or so more, he decided to get on with it off radar. He knew the best way to get Ethan to hear him out would be coming up with a fool-proof plan-something so absurd, far-fetched if you will, that no one would suspect they were smuggling Jewish refugees out of Ethiopia.

So he did it by stealth, getting on with his normal duties of paper work and communicating with other Intelligence Operatives across the globe playing the co-ordination role Ethan had dumped him in and putting the final touches on the last mission reports he had been doing at Mossad Head Quarters. His day job so to speak.

The night times, however, well, they were his own. And he used them to do a bit of research of his own.

He tried not to be spotted when he went to the archives department and asked the assistant there for a specific microfilm. Last thing he wanted was Ethan or one of his subordinates sniffing he was up to something. At least not before he could flesh his plan out in order to give a proper presentation to Ethan.

And finally, after an arduous period of research and countless sleepless nights it came to him, one warm night at the end of June. He was examining one map of the area on the computer when he noticed the sea. They could do it, the answer had to be in the sea. Ari felt a sudden surge of optimism and started digging into the different possibilities for a way out through sea instead of land and a feasible cover. His smile reached his eyes when he spotted just what he was looking for and a hunch told him to go for it.

It took a few days for him to pull everything together and get what he needed, and contact the people he needed. Which was why, early one July morning he was pacing the Comms room, rubbing his beard nervously, ironically dressed in the same clothes he had been in a few days prior when the idea had originally occurred to him. It was funny now, how he didn’t have Sarah pecking his head about his outfits he simply donned his preferred casual clothing to the office, something his single friends at work seemed to do a hell of a lot. Speaking of which, he was feeling stressed out after a heated argument with his estranged wife over the phone earlier that day about him seeing Maya. She had kept her side of the bargain, returning to Tel Aviv, but as a result he’d moved out of the house, renting a two bed apartment not too far from what had been their family home. He’d had regular access and visits to his daughter, which had been fantastic, but tonight he’d been due to take Maya out for dinner. However, Sarah had changed her mind at the last minute, something to do with her work shifts and it being a school night. When he had pointed out that she didn’t give a shit about her school when she took her over to New Jersey for the best part of a month she’d simply called him an asshole and put the phone down. Unable to concentrate on anything he’d gone for a run and returned to the office when it was dark and most of the people had gone, to find there was still no communication waiting for him, to let him know if his plan was going to work.

And then, finally the fax from the Sudanese Tourist Board arrived and he knew he had a great plan. Now, he had to sell it to Ethan and it couldn't wait, despite the ungodly hour…

“Ethan! I have an idea.” Ari said as he climbed the stairs to Ethan’s apartment, backpack over his shoulder, his arms laden with rolled up maps and papers.

“It’s four o'clock in the morning.” Ethan said exasperatedly.

“It's a really good idea.” Ari assured him as he continued up the stairs. Ethan simply stood back as he entered his apartment “Do you always sleep in a silk robe?” Ari asked, turning to look at him before he headed into the living room. Ethan paused for a moment before he followed him in, shutting the door behind him.

Ethan listened patiently as he explained his plan, and for the most part simply nodded. When Ari finished, Ethan leaned back and smiled softly at him, his fingers drumming on the map Ari had spread over the table.

“You know what Ari…” Ethan said, a smile on his face “This is so ludicrous…it might just work…but you’ll need a good team.”

Ari smirked and handed Ethan another piece of paper, watching as his boss scanned down the names of the Agents and former Agents he had identified.

“This…” Ethan looked at him, shaking his head “This is not a team, it’s a recipe for disaster!”

“They’re the best of the best…” Ari shrugged.

"But the Navons?” Ethan looked at Ari, shaking his head in disbelief “You mean you want both of them? Seriously after everything that’s-?”

"Oh, no, my bad…” Ari said, cutting him off and reaching over and scribbling something on the paper as Ethan let out a sigh of relief before he looked up, his eyes twinkling as Ethan let out a groan as he spotted the correction Ari had made to the name. “She’s a Horowitz now..."

**** It took them a week to get all the details fleshed out to a point where Ethan was happy to take it to his superiors. Ari would have done it that same morning he had gone knocking on Ethan’s door but his boss had insisted on details and plans…something Ari wasn’t all that bothered by, preferring to work in the spur of the moment. Still, Ethan had insisted that he wouldn’t be able to sell the idea without answering questions, and had lectured him in great detail on the 5Ps, or 6 Ps in this case…

Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance…

He had to admit, however, Ethan had been right. As he began to spell out his ideas and plans to Isaacs, the Mossad Chief, he found himself being able to speak confidently, not just because he had conviction in his idea, but because he never once found himself lacking the ability to explain.

“The majority are coming in from Gondar and Tigray right there…” Ari said, leaning over from his chair to point at the map which was spread out on the desk. “But we can't land our planes anywhere near there.”

“Why?” Isaacs asked, looking at Ari from where he sat in his chair.

“Derg brought in the Russians and Cubans. It's limiting everyone's mobility. The chance of landing a plane without being noticed is non-existent.” Ari explained “The only way to get a substantial number out is by sea.”

“Ethiopia's practically landlocked.” Isaacs said, leaning forward and gesturing at the map.

Ari nodded in agreement, his hand rubbing at his beard before he looked at Ethan who was sat next to him in the other chair. Ethan inclined his eyes at Isaacs, instructing Ari to continue, so he did.

“But Sudan isn't.”

Isaacs paused from looking at the map and then glanced at Ari to Ethan and then back again.

“Seriously?”

Ari nodded.

Isaacs leaned back. “Something tells me this is going to take a bit longer than a few hours to explain…”

Ethan smiled a little and nodded “You could say that, yes.” “Ok…” Isaacs sighed, reaching for his phone “Let me make a few calls. I need to get my advisors down here…and food.” So that’s what he did. Ari found himself repeating various points again and again to different people as they headed in with various files, paper, pens…and he was getting a little frustrated as the night started to draw in. But he kept calm, taking his lead from Ethan who jumped in whenever he could sense Ari was starting to lose his cool a little, and Ari was thankful for the fact his boss was there.

“How long does it take to get from Sudan to Sinai by boat?” Isaacs asked.

“It takes three days.” Ethan began “You can…” “Just a-- Hold on a sec.” Isaacs said as Ari dropped his hands to his hips, leaning back against the large cupboard he was stood in front of. “Even if this could work, you'd need a team of agents on the ground. A team with international background.” Ethan and Ari exchanged a look, and both nodded at Isaacs as he continued “How are you gonna keep our agents  that long inside an enemy state?”

“This is where it gets really good.” Ethan said, nodding at Ari who pulled an aerial shot out of the pack of files he had brought with him. Ari handed it to Isaacs.

“Red Sea Diving Resort.  It's a hotel built by an Italian company in the early '70s.” Ari explained as he walked back to his leaning post, arms folded. “Fifty kilometres north of Port Sudan. The Italian company abandoned it five years ago.  Now the Sudanese government is looking to lease it, to boost tourism.”

The room fell silent as Isaacs looked at the photo, his expression perplexed which then morphed into surprise. He looked at Ari, how shifted a little uncomfortably, waiting for him to comment on the idea. Instead Isaacs stood up, and moved to his phone.

“Ask the Defence Minister if he can join us.” he said simply, and Ethan glanced at Ari, giving him a smile.

About twenty minutes later, the Defence Minister a Mr Henry Weiss joined them and listened carefully to what they had to say, Ari explaining once again what the outline of his plan was. It took him another hour, and it felt like he had been explaining this all day. Which, in reality, he had.

“Let me get this straight.” Weiss said, sitting on the edge of the desk as Isaacs sat in the chair behind hit, both hands behind his head as he was flanked by various other people from his agency, all of them watching Ari who was sat perched on another unit to Weiss’ right “You want Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, to purchase an abandoned hotel from the Sudanese government.”

“Lease, but yeah.” Ari said, nodding, his hand curling around his chin and mouth in an L-shape.

“Abandoned because?”

“Because the area where it's located is lawless. It's controlled by the Hadandawa.” Ari said, and for the first time he started to feel a little less confident.

“By the who?” Weiss looked at him

“It's a Bedouin tribe.” Ari supplied.

“Translates, The Lion Clan” Tellem, one of the military agents stood around the room supplied “Known for cannibalizing their enemies.”

“No…” Ari quickly began to protest as Isaacs glanced at the military agent who had spoken. “That's...” he took a pause and looked at Ethan who shifted and stared at Ari. And Ari knew why, because he hadn’t told any of this to Ethan. “ No, that's... not anymore.” Ari folded his arms in front of him. “Now it's... human trafficking. -Girls to Jedda, that sort of thing—“

“This... just gets better and better.” Ethan looked at Ari.

“So, your idea, just to reiterate…” Weiss drew the attention back to him “Is to send a group of Jews to a Muslim country, to a place where they might get eaten by Bedouins, to run a fake hotel, in order to rescue a group of black Jews who might or might not survive a 1,000-kilometer walk across the desert, to be smuggled out to sea by Israeli Navy Seals to an Israeli ship.”

“Disguised as a petroleum service vessel, yeah.” Ari said, smiling slightly.  

“That's ridiculous.” Tellem said with a sigh.

There was silence around the room. Ari looked up, and could take no read on anyone’s body language. He locked eyes with Ethan who gave him a sympathetic look and he let out a breath shaking his head.

Back to the drawing board.

“Is NATCOR still operational?” Weiss asked suddenly as Ari stood up.

“Yep” Isaacs replied, his eyes on Ari.

“What's NATCOR?” Ari frowned, hands on his hips.

“It's a shore company in Switzerland we use for large transactions.” Isaacs said simply

“How large?” Ari asked, not sure what this had to do with anything.

“Like leasing a hotel.” Isaacs said.

Well, shit!

With a small smile, one that was more from shock than victory he looked at Ethan who eyed him appraisingly.

“How long do you need?” Weiss asked and looked at Isaacs.

“I can pull the strings in NATCOR in a week or so but I need to know how much we need and when for.” Isaacs said, and once again all attention turned to Ari and Ethan.

“We’ll need a couple of months to pull the team together, get everything organised…leasing agreements that sort of thing…” Ethan said, looking at Ari

“Give me 3 months.” Ari nodded in agreement. “Maximum.”

*****

It turns out that the Sudanese Tourism Board play hard ball. 6 weeks it took. 6 fucking weeks to negotiate a price and a timescale. Originally they’d been willing to lease the Diving Resort from the middle of March until, after agreement of a slightly higher price, they had brought the date forward to January. That was still too far away for Ari’s liking, but as Ethan had reminded him if they missed even one cross on a t or a dot on an I, they were done for.

Finally, at the end of August, they had ironed out every crease they could see, and the confirmation that they had been accepted to hire the abandoned resort came through. A week later, at the start of September, Ari left Tel-Aviv again to start his recruiting spree. First stop, a Pan Am plane with destination Belize.

He was having a coffee and tapping some stray sugar grains on the table surface with his index finger's pad absent-mindedly when his plane was called. His mind went to Maya as he waited in line, boarding pass in hand. He’d spent a lot of time with her over the last week, deliberately, and he knew she understood why he didn’t live with them anymore, but she hadn’t understood why he was going to be going away again. And then, on the last day before he left she had been especially quiet and brooding. Ari had tried to make small conversation with her but had failed and had opted to explain to his daughter why he had to go, as best as he could. She still hadn't reacted as Ari expected and he had to admit defeat. The final blow had come when he had asked Maya about the drawing he was holding of her family, a drawing he was absent from, and she had told her father he wasn't in the picture because he was at work. He hadn’t mentioned it to Sarah, it simply wasn’t worth the hassle.

"You've got to be kidding me" Rachel Reiter said to Ari with a chuckle as she stopped at the end of his row, trolley before her "What are you doing on this flight?" she added impersonating the perfect flight attendant.

"I'd like some tomato juice, please." Ari ordered with a smile.

She served him his tomato juice and sat on the free seat next to him. Ari explained to her he had pulled some strings to find out which flight she would be working. Not that Rachel needed to know. She was perfectly aware of what Ari was capable of and how Mossad worked. Thus, she explained the mission she was on, having scanned the briefcase of a passenger, a PLO accountant.

Ari spent the following five minutes explaining briefly what the mission he was attempting to recruit her for consisted of.

"Ex is in stable asshole condition. Kids are perfect." Rachel told Ari when he asked about her family.

"And you're ok leaving them for an unknown amount of time?" he asked waiting for the confirmation she was in.

"If we don't do something no one will" was what Ari replied Rachel after she asked him to give her a good enough reason to enrol. And that was more than enough, as she smiled and nodded imperceptibly.

"Tell me one last thing." Rachel said standing up and brushing her skirt. "Who's in Belize?"

"Excuse me?" Ari asked with a poker face.

"I know you Ari. I've been running small missions on flights for the past 5 months, they must have told you. And yet you have chosen exactly this one to come talk to me?" she said whispering as she leaned to grab the tray where the now empty glass of tomato juice lay.

"Wait and see Rachel." he said with a broad smile. "I'll be in touch soon."

*******

It was hot, very hot when, a day later Ari sat at a table in a beach bar in Half Moon Caye waiting for Jake to finish his private lesson. Not exactly a diving one.

"What brings the great Ari Levinson all the way to Belize?" Jake Wolf greeted Ari from the door of the decompression tank, wearing nothing more than a dazzling smile.

"I have a unique mission to offer you." Ari told him "But I'm not gonna offer you anything until you cover yourself up" he joked watching as Jake approached him, arms open to give him a hug.

Jake ignored his friend’s request and after brazenly taking a cigarette out of Ari's packet sat on the chair facing him. Ari explained to Jake that he needed someone with expertise and diving skills for a mission related to what in Jake's words was a bloody genocide no one gives a shit about because it's in Africa.

So when Ari told him that his Prime Minister had decided to give a shit, he was convinced he had gained Jake's adventurous spirit and he would be on board.

An hour and some beers later, Ari had explained to Jake the mission in detail and they both had caught up on their lives.

"Be ready to be called in in about a month give or take." Ari told Jake who nodded.

"Why don't you stay a couple of days? Look around you. This is paradise, my friend." Jake said a big grin and open arms pointing at the white sand beach and tropical palm trees.

"I have a flight tomorrow morning." Ari had to refuse his friend’s offer, implying he had still places to be and people to recruit.

"Where to?" Jake asked knowingly.

"Amsterdam." Ari answered before puffing his cigarette. “At least that’s where my next victim was last time I checked…”

Jake just nodded, a faint glimmer of a smile showing, before saying "Then, the night is young. Let's make the most of it before you leave."

******

"You fucked up my lunch, man" Max Rose told Ari after lowering the gun he was pointing at his former mentor.

A mixture of relief and annoyance crossed Max’s face as he waited for Ari to give an explanation as to why was he sat in his arm chair, in the middle of his rented flat in Amsterdam, reading the fucking newspaper with a stupid grin on his stupid face.

"I have a mission for you." Ari said.

"Of course, you have" Max scoffed before hugging him. "But you're buying me lunch if you want me to listen to you."

And that's what they did. Ari knew if you had to win Max over, it had to be around food. After explaining the mission and what Max’s role would be, Ari had one last question and he had deliberately saved it for last when he knew Max would already be on board.

"Max, I need to know you're fine with all this because I need you to be focused. Are you ready to go back down there after Andy?"

"Absolutely." Max said without hesitating. But Ari could see a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Good." Ari said sympathetically "Then I guess I'll contact you in a month or so." Ari added before he raised his glass to toast for the mission.

***** 4 days later, just over a week after leaving, Ari was back in Tel-Aviv, having saved the discussion he knew was going to be the hardest until last.

He sat in the waiting room of the Ethan Navon Memorial Clinic, a place in which he hadn’t been for easily over 5 years, and was eventually ushered into the Examination Room where the nurse popped a thermometer under his tongue as he sat on the trolley, waiting.

“How can I help you Mr…Aw, fuck me!” Sammy groaned as he looked at Ari who gave him a cheeky smile “What the fuck?  What the fuck are you doing here?” he turned to his nurse “What the fuck is he doing here?”

“Hey, hey, just... Calm down.” Ari said gently, “I need to talk to you. Five minutes.”

Sammy tossed his file and glasses down on to the small equipment trolley and said something to his Nurse. She nodded, making a hasty exit and as Sammy went to close the door it stopped before he could shut it fully and swung fully open again, Hannah stepping into the room, frowning at her brother.

“Sammy? What's going on? I can hear you shouting all the way over in the other room? What’s the…” she trailed off as Sammy nodded towards Ari, her mouth falling open when she saw him “Fuck me…”

"Hey Hannah, how you doing?” Ari gave her a small smile. “You look great by the way."

And he meant it. Her hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck and she was dressed in a simple pencil skirt and blouse, her white doctors coat open.

"What do you want Ari?" she asked softly.

“It's a nice clinic you got.” Ari said, taking the thermometer out of his mouth, ”Save a lot of lives here?

“No. But we don't take any lives either.” Hannah shrugged as Ari took a deep breath, steeping his hands together.

“I know how to get 'em out, Sammy.”

Sam scoffed

“I got a plan.  And it's good.” Ari was almost whispering with excitement as he stood up off the bed.

“Yeah, that's...” Sam looked at his sister, laughing sarcastically “That's what you always say, until everything goes to shit.”

“Right, just hear me out. You don't like what I gotta say, I'm going.”  Hannah and Sammy both exchanged a look as Ari began to pull the documents and details out of his rucksack, standing on the other side of the examination bench.

“Ari…” Hannah began as she stepped forwards, but Sam gently touched her arm and he moved towards Ari, shaking his head.

“Ari, Ari…no…”

“What? You don't wanna hear the plan?”  Ari asked gently.

“Stop.” Sam instructed him.

“You don't wanna hear it? You'd rather be here than in the field?” Ari asked, disbelief in his tone as his voice grew louder.

“Shh!” Hannah instructed the pair of them as Sammy began packing the stuff back into Ari’s backpack for him.

“Why?” Ari pressed “You're the best field doctor I know.”

“I used to be.” Sam said gently “Back when I had two good hands.”  

“Hey, both hands tied behind your back, you're still the best.” Ari said honestly. Sam paused and looked at him for a second, before Ari took a deep breath. “I need you on this one….” he looked over Sammy’s shoulder and locked eyes with Hannah “Both of you.”

She frowned a little, her arms unfolding and dropping to her hips as she studied him.

“I can't do it without you.” Ari finished, diverting his attention back to Sam. Hannah watched her brother who paused for a moment, before he turned and walked past her, opening the door. He glanced back at Ari and said, quite forcefully.

“No.”

Hanna’s gaze dropped to the floor as Ari gave a small sigh “Alright…” and gathered up his belongings “Okay…” She looked up at him as he walked past, and he gave her a pleading look which she met with a passive one of her own as he gave her a sad smile, before he walked out, Sam avoiding his gaze as he did so.

The two siblings stood in silence for a moment before Hannah met Sam’s eyes.

“Oh no…” Sam groaned “Seriously…” “Can it hurt to hear him out?” She asked gently.

“Are you serious? For fucks sake…”Sam groaned. “You are, aren’t you?”

Hannah shrugged. Sam eyed his sister again and then rolled his eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine we’ll listen...” Sam said loudly, as he walked into the doorway, leaning out of it as Ari stopped and turned to face him “But only out of curiosity…because I'm still gonna say no.”  

Both siblings ushered Ari to Sam's office, Hannah leading the way. She opened the door to let both men in.

Ari could smell a familiar scent of vanilla when he walked past Hannah into the room and couldn't help but smile softly at her but she was staring at her feet and didn't notice. He tried to make eye contact with her as she helped Sammy to clear the small round table at the right far corner of the office, but to no avail. He could only catch a glimpse of her long eyelashes where the locks that had fallen off her bun allowed him to.

It was only when Sam asked him to do what he had to do that she raised her head from the table and her big blue eyes looked directly at his, stopping there for a couple of seconds.  A couple of seconds which Ari hoped had been enough to convey the message he wanted her to get. One second; I'm sorry. Another one; help me out in this.

A couple of seconds later her gaze went to the back pack that hanged from his left shoulder. Battered, colour faded by uncountable missions and frayed at the seams.

"Ever thought of changing that? It could use a bit of a wash?" Hannah asked, her head nodding towards the back pack as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He looked at it confused and when he returned his eyes to Hannah saw she was smiling.

"It's been with me through thick and thin. Couldn't get rid of it at this point." Ari replied returning the smile and placing the back pack on the table.

"All right, let's get this over with." Sammy urged Ari while he took a lot of documents, photographs and maps out.

Sam wasn't willing to spend any more second on pleasantries. He knew if he gave Ari the chance, he was bound to dive head first into whatever crazy plan he had come up with this time and the quicker he did that, the quicker he could tell him to piss off.

Thus, Ari spread the documents out and for the following 45 minutes he talked Sam and Hannah through his plan for the mission. He had been more thorough with details and careful with sensitive information as he knew Sam would be a harder nut to crack than Rachel, Jake or Max. Especially if he wanted Hannah in.

Both siblings remained silent during the explanation. Sharing a glance from time to time, but Ari was too excited and focused on trying to explain his plan well to read too much into it. When he finished he put his hands on his hips, blew a strand of hair that had fallen over his forehead and grinned with satisfaction, looking at them expectantly

Sammy, who had his arms crossed, moved a hand to his face rubbing his jaw and his eyes flicked a moment from the documents on the table to his sister. Hannah wasn’t looking at her brother, however, her attention was solely on the information Ari had set out.

"Is that a brochure for the hotel?" she asked as she took a brightly coloured and glossy document which was folded in the middle.

"Yup." he said popping the p.

"You've really given this plenty of thought." she said admiring the brochure as well as the rest of maps and planning documents scattered over the table.

"I have." Ari replied, his eyes pleading with her.

"So, just to be clear, you want us all to play house while smuggling refugees in and then out of fucking Sudan." Sam snorted.

"Basically, yes. And you sound like one of Isaacs' dogs." Ari protested.

Sam was about to bite back when Hannah grabbed his arm to cool him down.

"I think it's a brilliant plan." she said looking from Sam to Ari.

"Yeah, now he's the man with a plan." Sam scoffed and turned to look at her sister "And I don't care what you think, you're not going."

"Are you listening to yourself, Sam?" she said visibly annoyed at her brother’s overprotectiveness "You don't get to say what I am or am not doing. You hear me?"

Ari lowered his head and smiled at Hannah's outburst. She had always been an independent and opinionated girl and that had caught his attention right from the start. And she had turned into the determined and strong-willed gorgeous woman that stood there right in front of him, telling her older brother to basically fuck off. Ari couldn’t help but think how different she was from Sarah, who had become so clingy and demanding over the last few years.

"How do you even plan on getting all this up and running?" Sam asked Ari ignoring his sister.

"I said I’d have the details ironed out and a team assembled in 3 months and that was eight and a half weeks ago now, give or take” he said, looking at Sam then to Hannah “ I've got another three or so weeks to come up with covers for everyone and hand them out for memorizing. If everything goes to plan then we should be ready to deploy in January.”

Sam sighed and looked up at his sister who was busy studying the map, her sharp eyes roving over the details. Ari watched her for a second as she bit her lip before he looked back at Sam.

"I need you in this Sammy. I can't do it without you." he pleaded. Sam gave him a look, before he turned away shaking his head, clearly lost in his conflicting thoughts. Ari then switched his attention to Hannah. "And I need you too, Firefly.” At the use of his nickname for her she looked up, her eyes locking onto Ari’s a faint smile playing on her face as he held her gaze” I know I'm in no position to ask you to come with me. Not after what happened to Andy. But I really need a female doctor to take care of those refugee women."

Hannah visibly faltered at the mention of Andy. She hadn’t expected to hear his name, least of all from Ari's lips. He was really bringing the big guns out. But then again, persuasion tactics aside, it was a good plan and he was right about needing a woman to help out. Sammy had told her what had happened to that woman that had let herself drown on his last mission after they had found her bloodied and bruised by a tree after a vicious rape. It was common for women to be abused like that by the local authorities who persecuted them, and if there was something she could do to help, then Hannah already knew deep down that wouldn't be sitting the mission out. Andy wouldn't have done either and she was willing to bet Sam was already considering taking up Ari's offer. That fucking handsome bastard always got what he wanted. She would know.

"Which dumbasses have you got to agree to it so far?" Sammy asked, moving the discussion swiftly on. He had spotted his sister’s reaction to the mention of her late husband. She’d visibly wavered and Sammy had seen her right hand go straight to her necklace, where she wore her engagement ring and wedding band, an action she always undertook when she was nervous or the memory of Andy hit her. And it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ari either.

"Jake Wolf, who you know from a few missions, Max and Rachel..." Ari offered, turning to Sam.

"Max?" Hannah asked still fiddling with her necklace, but a look of surprise now on her face “Max agreed?”

Ari nodded smiling at her. He knew she would be in when she heard the name of her best friend. That was the reason he hadn't mentioned the names of the rest of the team along with the explanation and ensuing conversation. It was an ace up his sleeve he hadn’t wanted to play until necessary. And Sammy, good old Sammy, had provided him with the opportunity on a silver plate. A simple list of names, strategically ordered, and the match point was his.

Hannah looked at her brother and gave him a smile, inclining her head slightly, an action Ari knew all too well to be her conceding her agreement. He managed to resist the urge to punch the air in victory, but didn’t fight the smirk that slid across his face as he turned to Sam and asked.

"Are you dumbass enough to jump in?"

[ainstgirl]

Finding Happines (2)

Chris Evans x Reader

Part 1

After filming Chris had invited you to watch a game and eat pizza with some crew members. "Y/N are you having fun?" Chris sits next to you on the sofa, taking advantage that Mark had gotten up for more pizza. "if we ignore the fact that I have no idea who is winning? yes, although seeing the smile you have it must be your team” you smile  “or you are a little tipsy" you say taking the beer that he offers you. "maybe both" he laughs "and maybe it's because you have pizza sauce here" he says brushing the corner of your lip "ohh" you say embarrassed, suddenly the temperature in that room was rising. It also doesn't help that Mark sat on that sofa making you and Chris sit skin to skin, Chris puts his arm around your shoulders to gain some space, but not enough to clear up your thoughts. You take a sip of beer, the cold calming the heat you felt, so you take another sip, and then another. You don't know how but the next time you blink the room is empty, only the sound of a movie is in the background. "what... where's everyone?" you say confused. "you have fallen asleep, did you find the game so boring?"  he says and you start to laugh "what is so funny?" he asks, why are you laughing? "i don't know" you say smiling "no idea" "are drunk?" now he is the one who smiles "No..." "i think you are" he says still smiling "How many fingers am I holding?" "your hand is huge" you say without thinking about what you say, alcohol tends to loosen your tongue. You put his hand together with yours to compare. "i'll take that as a yes" he says still holding your hand. "maybe i was having fun, it has been a while" "since you had fun?"  he asks "you eyes are .... and your lashes like what the fuck it's not fair" you say suddenly "Do you want me to call your husband to take you home?"  he looked worried. "no... i don't want to see him" you curl up next to him resting your head on his shoulder. "okay... is everything okay at home with..." he says with a worried tone but he stops when you start to caress his chest. You hear his heartbeat speed up, that makes yours accelerate too. "Y/N.." Chris says your name and you don't know if it's for you to stop or not to do it, so you take advantage of your position to give him little kisses on his neck, a small growl escapes his lips "Y/N" he whispers this time.  You brush his lower lip with your fingers, his gaze is so intense that you think you are going to be consumed, you shorten the distance from your mouths when your phone starts ringing returning you to reality. Suddenly all the alcohol seems to disappear from your veins when you see the name on the screen John. "I ....I have to go" You say separating yourself from him as if it burned to be by his side. "Y/N I..." he starts saying "No..I... goodbye Chris" you say before disappearing out the door.

During your taxi ride you can't stop thinking about how you almost kissed Chris, you were married, that couldn't happend... OMG how where you supossed to see him again after that. When you get home your husband is sleeping in bed, you had sent him a  message saying that you had fallen asleep in your trailer and that you were already going home. You laid next to him and you look at him while he sleeps, what happend? you where happy in your marriege so why did you almost do that? it was because of the alcohol... it has to be, right?.

During the weekend you couldn't take off the knot in your stomach, today you had to see Chris, you had scenes together, but how could you do it if you couldn't even look at his face? You were memorizing the next scene when there is a knock on the door of your little trailer. "Chris?" you are surprised to find him at your door. "Hey... i... can we talk?" he asks you a little nervous. "talk...um...yeah come in please" you step aside so that he can enter "you haven't answered any of my texts" he adds. "look I...." you start to say at the say time he says "i'm sorry" "you're sorry? i'm the one.. you know...." you can't even say it out loud "i was a little drunk and i shouldn't have .... get that closed to you" "look nothing really happend okay? i don't want things to get weird between us" "are you sure?"  you ask, you thought that he would be angry at you. "yeah we are friends and like i said nothing happend, lets pretend that night never happend okay?" "okay... thanks for coming here to talk, i dont think i could have filmed today scenes without talking first" you admited. "no problem, do you want to practice the scene with the lawyer?" he asks. "that would be grate Chris"  you smile. "lets do this" he sits on your couch "why don't you stay up, you know just in case you can't keep your hands off me" he jokes and you throw the script at his head "too soon Evans, too soon"

After your conversation with Chris things seem to have returned to normal and there were only a few weeks left of filming. You and chris were filming a scene outdoors and the screams of Chris's fans almost ruined the last shot. "Do they always scream? I imagine you going out in the morning for the newspaper and a lot of girls screaming OMG" you say while you serve yourself coffee from the buffet. "once I went to the movies to see a scary movie and there was a fan in the parking lot and I'm not going to lie to you Y/N, I was this close to wet my pants" "i would have paid to see that Chris" you joke "it has to be overwhelming, to feel the constant gaze of people around you" "it is" he says looking away "but it must be good to feel wanted by 90% of the population" "only 90%?"  he jokes "would you want that?" he asks you this time serious. "me? oh no, i'm good thanks, I like going everywere and that nobody notices me" you say remembering how you look in your trips to target  "well maybe once in a while it's nice to enter a room and that everyone turns to see you you know..." you say thinking out loud. "apparently you don't realize how people look at you then" he says and bites his lip before drinking his coffee. His words affect you more than they should. You were smiling at Chris when you got a message from John, apparently he has an interview with a future partner in New York, so he will be out of town this weekend. "something happend?" Chris must have noticed your change of mood. "it's.... just.. mens you know" you say turning off your phone. "hey" he jokes acting offended "sorry" you half smile heading to your trailer. "what happend? it's everything okay?" he asks going with you. "John he... is going to NY this weekend" you sigh "things between us have been weird lately, we have been married for 6 years now and last week it was our aniversary and he didn't even remember and i thouth...maybe he had plan something for this weekend because i have this weekend off so it was perfect but he is going to NY" you stop in front of your trailer "and it's not just that he forgot about it, it's a thousand other things..." you finish. "i dont know what to say y/N..." "i'm sorry i don't know why i told you" You go up the little stairs to get to your trailer and open the door "i'll see you later Chris" "Y/N" Chris says your name and you turn around to look at him "he is an idiot for not remembering" he says leaving you thinking what he would have done if it was your anniversary, surely he would have planned something romantic ... or perhaps you were idealizing him and he's like every other man.

Let me know what you think please <3

MASTERLIST

Part 3

[crystalwillow]

When You’re Ready - Part Two

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x Casey Valentine (F!MC)

Tagging: @lunayxcnco @kiteplayschoices @brycelahelalover @eleanorbloom @lucas-koh @obsessedheehee @fuseboxmusebox @rookie-ramsey

You can read Part One, here

========================

It had been 2 week since that night Raf and Casey fell asleep in his bed whilst looking at his old school books, and Casey was round again visiting. She was currently talking with Juliana about Rafael as they cooed over his baby photo’s together.

“You never told me you were always so cute.” Casey smiled at Raf as she glanced over at him, He blushed back with a small smile on his face. Unable to find words.

“He was always caring too. Our dog got sick once. He never left his side until he was better.”

“That sounds exactly like Rafael.”

They laughed as they turned back to the photo album, cooing at some more photos whilst Raf just sat and blushed. The day ran away with the three of the and soon Rafael was waving goodbye to Casey as her taxi pulled away from the curb outside the house. When she got home, The apartment was oddly quiet, as she turned the light to the kitchen on, she found a note on the side.

“Hey! We’ve all got extra-long shifts, so you’ll be alone until about 2am when we’re all finally home. We made sure to leave leftovers of yesterday’s dinner for you incase you get hungry. See you soon! Sienna, Elijah, Jackie and Aurora!”

Casey sighed as she placed the note back on the side and opened the fridge to find the leftovers there, waiting for her. She took them out and put them in the microwave to heat up, taking out her phone and sitting on the side as she waited. When she unlocked her phone she found unread messages from Baz, Ethan & Rafael. She worked through them in that order.

--- 8:56pm ---

Baz: Hey! Just wanted to check in and see if you need anything? It’s been a while!

--- 9:18pm ---

Casey: Hey Baz! It’s good to hear from you. The only thing I could do with is some company but, you’re probably still working so...

Baz: Actually. Ethan and I are just packing up and shutting everything down in the office right now.

Casey: What about June?

Baz: She stormed off after an argument with Ethan.

Casey: Oh...

Baz: Yeah... It was kinda over you..

Casey: What?!

=========================================

She switched chats into her messages with Ethan and her eyes widened as she read the message.

--- 7:23pm ---

Ethan: Whatever June tells you. I didn’t mean it like that. I value you as a friend and fellow doctor. Nothing more.

--- 9:26pm ---

Casey: Ethan? What on earth are you on about?

Casey: I know you aren’t still working Ethan Ramsey. Baz literally just told me you’re packing up and shutting down.

Casey: Dr. Ramsey. Answer me, please.

Ethan: I hate texting.

=========================================

Casey giggled as she switched over to The conversation with Rafael.

--- 9:01pm ---

Rafael: Message me when you get this. I’d like to know you get home safe!

--- 9:33pm ---

Casey: Hey handsome! I’m home, safe and sound. Still in one piece <3

Rafael: Thank God. I was starting to get worried.

Casey: You worry too much sometimes. You’d be the first person I tell if something was wrong.

Rafael: But what if it was something where you couldn’t tell me?

Casey: I’d find a way. You know that. I-

Rafael: You... ?

Rafael: Casey?

Rafael: Oh no... Somethings happening. See I told you!

Casey: Raf, calm down! I was just taking my dinner out of the microwave.

Rafael: Um... I knew that. Of course I knew that. You’re Casey Valentine. Food vacuum.

Casey: 😂. You’re funny Mr. Aveiro. Very funny, and cute.

Rafael: Damn right I’m cute! 😝😘

Casey: Swoon!

Rafael: Yes swoon over me!

Casey: I think the word used these days is simp.

Rafael: Simp? ... That sounds ridiculous. I like swoon way better.

Casey: Me too

Rafael: I forgot to ask you something earlier.

Casey: You can ask me now.

Rafael: Would you maybe... like to go on a date?

Casey: Raf? Are you kidding?! I’d love to go on a date!

Rafael: Really?! I’m not too... nerdy for you? I mean, you’re a certified badass at this point and I’m just well..

Casey: The guy I’ve very much in love with? They guy I think is so gorgeous and sexy and amazing it should be a crime. The guy who I call ‘My Superman’ ???

Rafael: You make me soft for you, Casey Valentine.

Casey: You sure about that? Rafael Aveiro.

Rafael: .... Get your mind out of the gutter.

Casey: 😂, You love me though!

Rafael: Yeah... I do 🙂 Very much so.

Casey: So... see you on this date?

Rafael: Yeah. I’ll call you tomorrow with instructions on where to meet me. Wear something casual but with a professional edge?

Casey: Okay! Goodnight Raf! 💕

Casey smiled at the message she got back. A picture of Raf snuggled in bed, pouting, followed by a message that read ‘wish you were here too.’

She placed her phone on the table just as there was a knock on the door. As she approached it she head two distinct voices on the other side.

“Come on Ethan! She sounded like she needed friends!”

“Dr. Mirani, this is stupid! She’s probably gone to bed by now. It’s late and she’s still recovering from a very traumatic experience.”

“I beg to differ, Ethan. If she was going to bed she would have said ‘goodnight’ because she isn’t as grumpy and rude as you.”

“Excuse me!”

Casey opened the door and smiled at them as they looked at each other.

“Well if it isn’t Dr. Sunshine and Dr. Rain Storm.”

“Hi Casey! We-”

“Ahem.”

“I thought you could use some company before bed.”

“What kind of friend would I bed if I didn’t invite you in for at least one night cap.”

“See Ethan! I told you she’d want to see us!”

Ethan reluctantly followed Baz inside as Casey moved aside for them.

“What can I get you Baz?”

“I’d kill for a beer if you have one please.”

“Ethan? Usual or is tonight the night where you’re changing things up and taking an adventure?”

“The usual, please.” He said and Casey disappeared into the kitchen. The three talked well into the night, they stayed so late that Casey insisted on them staying for the night as it would be too dangerous for them to drive.

--- 3 Days Later ---

Casey was on her way to the grocery store when her phone started buzzing in her pocket, she stopped off to the side and answered it without even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Casey!”

“Raf!”

“Hey!”

“Hi! You sound beautiful today.”

“Are you saying I don’t always sound beautiful, doctor?”

Casey giggled in response and Rafael joined in.

“You’re too cute Casey.”

“Why thank you, oh handsome knight.”

“I could stay on the line and shamelessly flirt all day. But I’d much rather do it in person. This afternoon. Meet me at my place, 3:45pm. It’s time for our date!”

“Really?”

“Really. You’re still okay with it right?”

“Yeah. I just....”

Rafael listened as Casey screamed and ran around on the other end of the line.

“SOMEBODY HELP ME! IT’S A BUMBLE BEE!!!!!”

He tried to stifle his laughter, but it was too hard to accomplish with the image he had in his head.

“Stop laughing at me Aveiro!” Casey shouted down the phone as her quickened pace came to a halt, followed by heavy breathing.

“I-I’m sorry Case. It’s just.... Oh man!” he said as his laughter calmed down. “Look. I’ll let you recover, and I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah. It’s a date!”

“Well of course it is, silly!”

They said goodbye and hung up, Casey getting her groceries and Rafael preparing for the date.

--- 3:39pm that day ---

Casey walked through Rafael’s neighborhood with a smile on her face as she approached his house. She had that giddy feeling which made her stop at the front door with her hand raised at the doorbell. After taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she closed her eyes and pressed the bell, waiting for an answer. She pulled and twisted a lock of her hair as she waited, jumping as the door opened to reveal a half dressed Rafael. She bit her lip as her eyes bulged a little before she started drinking in the sight in front of her.

“Like what you see?” he chuckled

“Very much.” she responded with a sultry smirk.

Grinning, Rafael opened the door wider inviting her inside. She followed him staring at his back as he retreated down the hallway, the only thing on her mind was what she wanted to do to him. And his back.

“Just make yourself comfortable on the couch, I’ll be ready in a moment. Sorry I’m running late.”

“It’s alright. It gives me a chance to be alone with my daydreams.”

“And what pray tell, are those daydreams?”

He grinned as Casey smirked at him, subtly licking her lips, eyeing his body one last time before he disappeared into his room. Casey was on the couch thinking about things she wanted to try with Raf when it came to the more intimate bedroom moments. She was so deep in her daydreams that she hadn’t noticed Rafael return from getting ready.

“Ahem..”

“Ah!” she screamed with a little jump as Raf cleared his throat, smiling at her. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to watch you bite your lip around 6 times and quietly moan about 4.”

“I what?!”

Rafael let out a hearty laugh as he looked at Casey’s horrified expression. “I’m just playing with you. You only bit your lip.” Casey scrunched up her nose and playfully whacked his chest as he continued to laugh. She watched him, taking in his outfit as he stood to his full height, stretching out. He was wearing a burgundy t-shirt, navy blue leather jacket, black distressed skinny jeans and crisp white sneakers. He’d accessorized with a gold watch and necklace with an airplane charm dangling from the chain. She preferred him in just his underwear or no clothes at all, but he was looking pretty damn fresh in this outfit and it was giving her butterflies all over again, just like that first day they met, and her eyes met his gorgeous chocolate brown ones. So warm and inviting they lit fireworks inside her as she smiled at him.

“Um... Earth to Casey? Hello...”

“Hm?” Casey hummed with slightly widened eyes as she snapped her attention to Raf

“Man, you’re really liking these daydreams huh?”

“Sorry. Just x-ray visioning your torso and seeing those chiseled abs through that t-shirt.”

Rafael blushed bashfully as Casey grinned at him, moving from her own position on the couch and stretching out too. Raf watched her the way she had just watched him, he also took in every part of her outfit. From her blue denim jeans to the powder blue jacket over the white blouse she had chosen to wear, all the way down to the accessories and crisp white sneakers which ironically matched his own.

“Hey. I guess we’re meant to be huh?” He smiled as he tapped their feet together. Casey looked down and felt a warmth spread through her chest at the small detail. It wasn’t intentional and that’s what made it feel all the more special to them both. Although neither would voice that out loud just yet.

“Could I use your bathroom before we go?” Casey asked

“Yeah, sure! Go right ahead. I’ll double check I’ve packed everything then meet you by the door.”

Casey smiled getting up on tip-toe and pecking his cheek before going to the bathroom. A short while later, Casey stood by a tree as Rafael laid a blanket over a patch of grass nearby. She had offered to help, but being the gentleman he is, Rafael insisted Casey let him do this alone. It was his date idea after all, he was supposed to be making her feel loved not like she was working. After he had anchored a corner down with the basket, he stood on another as he looked at Casey with a sugar sweet smile, sweeping his arm over their spot.

“Lunch madam?” he asked, making Casey giggle and blush a little. It had been a while since she had dated anyone after her awful breakup 5 years prior to this moment. Which is when she vowed to herself never to fall for anyone again. But yet here she was, on a date with a guy so sweet, who made her feel so happy, that she threw all caution to the wind because he was worth it. She smiled at Rafael as she took a seat on the blanket and he followed her swiftly. She smiled as he pulled a carton of orange juice and 2 plastic tumblers from the basket, pouring them both a glass. He closed the carton, standing it back in the basket before passing Casey a tumbler and giving her a peck on the cheek. She blushed and returned the gesture before hiding her blush behind the plastic cup in her hand.

“So.... What did you bring?”

“Well...” He chuckled. “Vovo baked quite a few things for us. I was planning on going to the store and buying our favourites but, you know vovo when it comes to food.” Casey nodded and giggled as she watched Raf dive into the basket, pulling out plates and containers of food. Her eyes bulged at the amount there was. “Raf! We aren’t going to eat all of that. Are we?” she questioned, slight terror on her face. He chuckled at her and shook his head.

“No of course not my sweet peach. But like I said, you know vovo.”

“I guess I do, yeah.” She smiled. “What are we starting with then?”

“Well, you pick. We have Pão de queijo, Kibe, Picanha-”

Casey looked at him through a narrowed eye as if it was crazy to bring that along. “I did suggest maybe we should have it at home, but she scolded me for that. Pretty much told me to stop being an idiot and to let you eat good. She basically all but called you a goddess.” He explained, Casey looked at him with her mouth open a little. He reached up and closed it with a sugary smile. “Close that beautiful. I don’t want to be tasting flies when I kiss you. Besides, you are a goddess.” Casey blinked rapidly as she took in his words. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. Why was he being so nice? Why was he treating her with so much respect? Giving her so much attention and not pulling his phone out every time it buzzed? Was this normal? She had spent so many date nights in her last relationship doing the majority of the grunt work whilst her boyfriend sat on his phone or games console, she just thought it was normal to wait on the man hand and foot. Give him everything he needs, wants and desires.

She sat there, staring at Rafael as he smiled at her, holding her jaw closed with such a feather light touch. She had thought of it before, but now she felt it. She loves this man. He’s everything. Sweet, charming, chivalrous.... she could let her mind wonder to how amazing he was that time they slept together one night during her first year at the hospital. But this wasn’t the moment for that, she teared up with a smile as her bottom lip quivered. His gaze turned from happiness to one of concern as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“Casey? Are you okay? D-did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head, grabbing a napkin, dabbing her tears away. She took a moment to calm herself before stepping over the spread of food and sitting in Raf’s lap giving him a hug.

“I only brought food.” He chuckled. “What’s brought this on?”

“I um. I know we’ve said it before, and you might hate me for telling you that I wasn’t entirely sure when I said it. But I’m sure now. I... I love you Rafael Aveiro.” She said, brushing his hair out of his face so she could look into his eyes better. A soft smile spread onto the mans features as he looked up at the woman in his lap, and just like magnets, their lips connected in a sweet, love filled kiss. When they pulled away, they looked into each other’s eyes. The moment pure and delicate as they rested their foreheads together.

“I love you too, Casey Valentine.” Rafael whispered, stealing another quick peck before Casey adjusted herself, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Could you feed me something?”

“Sure.”

“I’d like some cheese bread please. Oh and follow that with a chocolate strawberry.”

“As the lady wishes.” he smiled, feeding her some bread and then the strawberry.

She giggled as the chocolate crumbled and fell into her lap, she picked it up and popped it into her mouth and Raf chuckled at her cuteness. She smiled at him as she swallowed the strawberry and he raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Casey asked, quizzical look upon her face.

“Are you not going to share?” Rafael retorted, mocking offense.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Did you ask? Because I didn’t hear you.” She grinned and he shook his head with a smile. The rest of the date went really well. They traded childhood stories and even some secrets they vowed to never tell anyone because they would carry them to their graves as the only people who ever knew. But somehow, they felt comfortable telling each other.

As the sun set over the horizon, Casey and Rafael laid on the blanket huddled under their jackets as they watched the stars appear in the night sky. Rafael had answered a call from his grandma to help ease her worry, about both himself and Casey. He secretly liked, no loved, that Juliana saw Casey as part of the family already, and was even more taken aback by the fact she already had a ring ready for him to propose with when he felt the time was right. Of course that wasn’t going to be any time soon but, he knew in his soul as well as felt it in his stomach that Casey and himself were going to be together for life. So there was no rush. Beside he’d planned to date her for a while first from the moment he saw her in the ER that first day of her job. One day when he was sure they would both be ready, he would get down on bended knee and ask her to be Mrs. Aveiro, but until then, he was happy with dating the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

[thousandfourhundreddays]

Yours For Tonight. Pt 2

Michael Gray x Reader

Part One

A/n: Requested by @namelesslosers , “Part two please! This is amazing, Maybe one where he's already with Gina and the reader comes back to Small Heat? They never stopped loving each other and yeah... Anyway, tag me if you do please?”

The Morning After

“I couldn’t face saying goodbye for the last time, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I have to leave and I’m sorry that we can’t spend the rest of our lives together. I know I promised we would. I’ll never forget you Michael, the love that you showed me was possible, and I’ll forever be thankful for that. I’ll love you always, y/n”

That was the note you left for Michael the morning you left, taking one last look back at his sleeping figure before you gently closed his bedroom door, sneaking down the staircase and onto the cold, harsh cobbles of the street outside, ready to begin your new life in France with your boyfriend. Well... as ready as you would ever be.

Three Years Later

The sharp wind whipped around your as you stepped out of your taxi, taking a long, deep breath whilst you stood taking in your surroundings, the sleek black car vanishing back down the street. A small smile spread across your face as you saw the familiar blackish grey terrace houses that held so many memories. The dull, cold cobbles of the roads which ironically brought you so much warmth and comfort.

You were home... you were in Small Heath.

With no plans of where you’d live, or work, however truthfully, your husbands job left you quite well off so for now you could easily pay for a hotel for however long it took for you to find a house, you found yourself heading to the garrison.

As soon as you made your way through the sparkling golden doors, you caught eyes with Harry, his face lighting up with surprise. You sat and chatted for a good hour or so as he served the men in the pub, this is where you learned that Tommy had bought the pub not long after you left, explaining the glamorous new design. Sparking the topic of the Peaky Blinders, him raving about how well they were all doing which lead to you subtly asking how “Pollys son, that new lad Michael” was doing, which was how you were told he had moved to America on business for a while before moving back a few months later. The topic didn’t last long, you not wanting to seem suspicious so you let Harry briefly fill you in on how your mutual friends were doing.

After a short while, a few familiar faces, mostly friends from school and thier boyfriends and husband made their way into the pub as the day shifted into the evening. The garrison grew busier with time whilst you were bombarded with questions about your life over the past three years, the contry, the food, the people. You almost didn’t notice the door fly open and the faces of Tommy Shelby and Polly Gray appear in the doorway. You breathed a sigh of relief when they turned to make thier way into the back room.

That was until the door creaked opens once again, revealing the face of the man you once, a almost definitely still do love. Your breath caught in your throat as you stared at him, placing a cigarette between his lips and raising a match to light it. He lifted his eyes whilst tucking the match box back into his trouser pocket, scanning the room. Your heat skipped a beat as his chestnut brown eyes can’t into line with your y/e/c ones. It felt like the world stopped spinning, his face unreadable as you swallowed the lump in your throat. The buzz of chatter began to ring in your ears, fading into silence. To you, it felt like it was only you and him in the room. A shy, unsure smile flashed across your face, his astonished eyes softening in response.

Suddenly the noise returned to your ears, your heat started to beat and 1000 miles an hour and you watched a woman slip through the crack between the doors, her golden blonde hair glistening in the light. Her painted red lips raising to Michaels ear, whispering something which you couldn’t make out. Her hand making its way upto Michaels neck to get his attention, her burgundy nails gently scratching against his skin. On her finger, a ring.

You forced your eyes away and tears welled in them. Michael snatching his head in the direction of his wife and they also made thier way into the back room.

Your mind was riddled with questions and possibilities. How long had they been married? Did they have children? What was her name? Of corse you knew there was a possibility of seeing him, you weren’t stupid. You for some reason you hadn’t expected this.

You spent the next half an hour or so trying your best to act natural, a few wuenstioning looks were directed at you from your friends, which were returned with you most convincing smile.

Not long after, the Blinders left the back room, Tommy heading to the bar, Polly heading home, leaving Michael and his wife stood talking for a second before she ran to catch up with Polly. He stood searching the room for your face in the crowd of drunken men and tipsy women, after finally spotting you he gave a sly nod in the direction of the door, indicating for you to follow. You waited a minute or two to avoid any suspicion, and to prepare yourself for what was about to happen, before excusing yourself to the toilet and slipping out the out the pub undetected.

The cool air hit you, somewhat refreshing however due to your lack of preparation to be stood out in the cold with your ex lover at this time of night, and therefore your lack of coat, the cold soon hit your bones, causing you to warp your arms around yourself with a shiver.

You searched the darkness for Michael, only spotting him when the glow of a match lit up his face in a discreet ally a few meters away from the entrance of the Garrison. Letting out a shakey breath, your feet subconsciously carried you towards him.

You froze a couple of meters in front of him. You took in his appearance as you stared at one another. His eyes sat above light purple circles, he looked exhausted. His skin a little more wrinkled than when you left, obviously from stress. His hair gelled to the side, much smarter and professional than you ever remembered, must be to cover his tiredness.

“Hey” the simple word snapped you out of your thoughts, bringing your eyes back upto his. They were no longer bright and full of life, they were dull and mysterious.

“Hi” you said, your voice wavering slightly as you let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding.

He offered you a cigarette which you gladly took, thanking him with a smile as you made your way forward, now standing opposite him.

A few seconds past before he broke the silence.

“How’ve you been?” He said cautiously.

“Not bad, you?”

“Yeah, good, thank you”

You stood in an awkward silence, neither of you knowing how to begin a conversation, or more like not knowing what kind of conversation to start.

Once again, it was Michael who spoke first. “What are you doing here, y/n?”

“Well, Iv got nothing left for me in France, let’s just say that.”

“What about...” he began, about to ask about your boyfriend before his mind assumed the worst. “Is he... ok?”

“He’s fine. Well...” you took a second to think of how to word your sentence. Do you lie? How much should you tell? You gave in, letting out a sigh, you continued “Prison.”

Michael raised his eyebrows in shock, your boyfriend would be the last person anyone would’ve expected to go to prison. A respectable lawyer from an honourable family.

“Yeah” you said, reading his expression. “Money laundering... got three years inside.” You looked down at th ground, for some reason ashamed of your partners illegal antics which you had absolutely no involvement in.

“And you didn’t want to wait for him?”

“Nah” your lifted you head to have another drag of your cigarette, as did Michael.

“You know how I feel about criminals.” You joked with a small smile, you were fully aware of what Michael and his family did for a living, and he knew that. A faint grin flashed across his face, giving you his good old, soft ‘shut up’ face as he let out a soft laugh.

“Didn’t expect that” he said, deciding to state the obvious.

“Yeah well he wasn’t as lucky as you lot, he got caught” Another giggle left his lips, you always knew how to make him laugh, he loved that about you.

“No, but seriously... I just saw my chance and took it, you know how I felt about him, I never wanted to leave. Anyway, here I am.”

He gave you a sympathetic smile, imagining how it felt to have to sail off to a new country, leaving everything you ever knew behind to live with a boyfriend you you’d fell out of love with.

His trail of though was broken. “So, what’ve you been upto?” You said solemnly, leaning back against the cold brick wall, preparing yourself for the conversation surrounding his wife.

Michael inhaled on his cigarette, needing to calm his nerves, he knew you had realised who she was when he walked into the Garrison, you weren’t stupid, he could see it in your eyes.

“She’s my wife.” He stated, knowing you’d catch on to who he was talking about.

“Congratulations” you tried to put on your best fake smile.

“I didn’t think you’d ever come back, y/n, honestly if I had any ide-”

“Michael... dont. You weren’t to know”

He nodded slightly, clearing his throat. “I still love you, you know” his voice was shy, laced with anticipation and somewhat fear.

“Loving each other was never the problem, mikey” you said softly.

“Yeah but now the problems Gina, and I-”

“Gina” you cut him off, reality hitting you now that you learned his wife’s name. He just looked at you, sadness set deep within his eyes.

“I’d do anything for you y/n, anything to have you back” his voice was barely a whisper as he stepped closer to you. His hand cautiously reaching up to cup your face. You leaned into his palm as you eyes glided shut, a tear escaping. “Look at me, please y/n”

You slowly opened you eyes to see Michaels only inches away, now glistening with tears of his own. Before you knew it, his lips were on yours, the connection which you had longed to feel for so many years hit you. The butterflies in your stomach, the slight dizzy ness that only Michael ever made you feel. It was all still there.

Despite your hunger for him, you abruptly broke the kiss, stroking his cheek, trying to hold yourself back. “I can’t do this Michael... your happily married” once again leaning into his touch.

“I’m not happy” he said bluntly, shaking his head as if to convince you.

“She is”

“I’m so sorry y/n, for everything” his voice filled with regret.

“Don’t be, please don’t be... Iv got to go Mikey”

And with that, you smoothly escaped his grasp and made your way out onto the street, the biting wind surrounded you once again.

You heard the faint calls of Michael shouting your name as you forced you self to keep walking. Leaving you both with tear stained faces.

Michael would have to go home to his wife, his mind submerged in thoughts of you whilst you lay in an estranged hotel room, drowning in thoughts on Michael.

PartThree.

A/n: hehehehe I’m actually SO proud of this :) @namelesslosers I hope this is ok!!

Remember my requests are always open!!

Instagram: @peakyblindersengland

Masterlist

Xox

[royallyprincesslilly]

KinkToberFest Fic Collection #2🔥🔥/🔥🔥🔥

Title: Electrifying {🔥🔥 To 🔥🔥🔥}

Thor x Reader {One-Shot}

Warning: SMUT, NSFW,Electro-Stimulation (E-Stim) & Exhibitionism

Word Count: 3.1K

Note: Next up, we have the our favorite electric God. This is also first so, fingers crossed this captures him. FOLLOW THE RATING UP TOP. I kinda really like this concept this may pop up again sometime in the future.

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been six months since you’d seen him. Six long months. Six months of all work and no play. Six months of overworking yourself so you had no free time to miss him. He said he had to go back to Asgard on a mission. That mission that was supposed to be a week at most but ended up stretching longer than that. What was worse was that it was six months of no contact. That is what drove you crazy; you didn’t know if he was hurt, in trouble, trapped, locked up, nothing. There was no news. Why would there be? He was an Asgardian; it’s not like they had intergalactic and dimensional news that played highlights.

  “Hello, earth to Y/N!”

  You shook your head and looked to your friends who were staring at you. The boom of the music at the club you were at brought you back to where you were.

  “What?”

  “We’ve been calling your name for like a full minute,” Katy rang back.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

  “No, shit. Where were you?” You looked around at your three friends as they studied you waiting for an answer. Finishing your drink, you shrugged.

  “Nowhere, just thinking about something from work,” you lied.

  Melody groaned loudly as she rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion. She didn’t believe you and probably saw right through you. Out of her, Katy and Destinee, you and her were the closest. You told her damn near everything, including your relationship with him. Melody changed the subject and brought everyone’s attention to a group of guys across the club at the bar who were watching. After deciding on a plan of action everyone went into motion executing it. Katy and Destinee stood and began dancing with each other to the sultry music playing throughout the club. You and Melody sat closely and whispered as she looked over to them giving them a suggestive look that said, “come hither.”

Like clockwork, the four guys stood and sauntered over. Part of you felt like you were being unfaithful to him. Like you were disrespecting his memory, disrespecting your relationship. You almost laughed out loud. You didn’t even know if you had a relationship. You had two months of bliss, two months of laughter, two months of normalcy away from everything and every one, two months of toe-curling, back-arching love. Or you’d thought it was love. The longer he was away without even a carrier pigeon to you had you second guessing whatever it was you thought you’d felt. Maybe you didn’t mean anything to him.

  “Hi, I’m Parker.” You looked into the hazel eyes of one of the guys who’d just came over and smiled back at him.

  “Hi, Y/N.” Parker smiled and shook your hand before placing a semi-wet kiss to the back of your hand. Cheesy, you thought, but he was cute enough to get away with it.

  For the next thirty minutes or so, you and Parker sat and whispered together. He spit his best game and said all the right things and even was bold enough to place a hand on your knee and at the back of your neck, and even brushing your hair away from your face. He was doing all the right things. You didn’t get a bad vibe at all, but one thing was off. He wasn’t him—Thor.

  Melody could see your lackluster disposition with Parker, and she knew you were not into him. After exchanging an all-knowing glance with you, she nodded.

  You spent another hour at the club, dancing, drinking, and chopping it up with your friends and the guys trying their best to be the ones they went home with tonight. By the time you all said your goodbyes at the front of the club it was nearing two in the morning, and the air smelled sweet and pungent; you could feel a storm brewing. You could always smell when it was going to rain, but this oncoming storm felt different, smelled different.

  You said bye to your friends and got into a cab more than ready to climb into bed. The drive was a relatively quick one because, at two in the morning, the traffic in the city was almost nonexistence. You saw the sky slightly light up behind the dark rolling clouds with the distant flashes of lighting. You couldn’t help but think of him and wish he were there.

  Suddenly a loud clap a thunder boomed. It was loud enough to set off every car alarm around you, but the alarms couldn’t compete with the sound of the thunder or the bright burst of lighting that decorated the sky. The taxi driver swerved to a halt in an effort to avoid cars that were also doing the same thing. Once it was safe, you stepped out the car, and in the distance, you could see a concentrated beam of lighting stream down to the ground. Your eyes widened, and your heart stopped.

  “Thor,” you whispered.

  You quickly handed the driver a twenty and rand down the street. You were only five blocks from home and knew you could make it there quicker on foot than waiting in the backup the thunder and lightning show created. After two blocks, you regretted running in your heels, your feet hurt, and you were beginning to sweat.

  As you rounded the corner onto your street, you ran up to the door of your duplex and quickly made it inside. You looked around and checked each room. You didn’t know what you expected to find or who you expected to find. By the time you made it upstairs to check your office and then bedroom you breathed out and leaned against the wall. He wasn’t here.  Disappointment filled you, and you fought off the tears threatening to spill over.

  After a few minutes, you pulled yourself together and got into the shower. You needed some downtime in the worst way; you could feel the tension in your muscles and shoulders. You began to feel foolish for hoping, foolish for thinking it was him. Once you wrapped yourself in your silk robe you walked back downstairs and nearly fell flat on your ass when you saw him sitting in one of the recliner leather chairs. He was decked out in his God of Thunder garb.

  “Y/N.” the sound of his voice made your knees weak, and you gripped the stair railing and pressed your free hand to your abdomen.

  “Hello.”

  You bit your bottom lip, unable to speak.  When he stood, you followed his movements as he walked around the living room to come to stand before you. He was as tall as every and as brawny as the day you last saw him. He was gorgeous. You licked your lips as his hand reached out and touched your cheek. Just like that you were weak, and you threw yourself onto him pressing your face onto his chest. Thor wrapped his massive arms around your body and just held you. Without even knowing it your tears fell freely; they weren’t sad tears or even angry ones. They were grateful ones, tears that spoke of your relief.

  “I am here, my love.” You looked up into his stormy blue eyes and dropped your forehead to his chest. He smelled so good. Thor touched your cheek again, and you saw the soot on his hand. You looked back to his face and saw the same soot residue.

  “It was a rough ride.”

  “Come, let’s get you in the shower.” You slowly walked back up the steps with Thor’s hand in your leading him up to the bedroom that he hadn’t stepped foot into for six months.

  You walked him across the wooden floors up the steps to the ensuite bathroom. Once inside, you turned to him and began undressing him out of the heavy metal armor. Thor finished taking it off and dropped it to the stone tiles. You helped him peel off the shirt he wore then turned to the vanity to take his things out of the drawer. As you did you felt his hands wrap around your abdomen in an intimate hug. The heat from his body seeped into the thin layer of your robe, and you took a deep breath in and sighed out. He felt good, so damn good. You looked into the mirror, and he was looking right at you. Thor tipped your chin to the side angling your lips so he could reach them then claimed them in a sweet, sensual kiss. The kiss was not a heated one or one of urgency; it was a melancholy one, one that made you feel every ounce of the sadness that was between you. He stepped closer, and you could feel every bit of him pressed against you. Your belly rumbled with hunger, but it wasn’t for food.

  Pulling your lips away, you took a breath and looked down at the vanity sink. “Shower.”

  He nodded again and stepped away from you before he peeled off his pants and kicked them to the side along with his boots. He was soon as nude as the day he was born. You walked to the shower, turned on the water. Thor walked to you and stepped under the dual rainfall showerheads. The water streamed down his body, and you followed the river that dipped and rounded over every muscle and indentation his perfect body had. Your mouth watered and it took everything in you to turn.

  “Stay, please.” His voice was pleading and so damn vulnerable and you didn’t think you had the heart or the strength to deny him. After gulping down the word “yes” you looked back to him over your shoulder.

  “Come find me when you’re done.”

  You then walked out of the bathroom and peeped back at him through the checker paned window that separated your bedroom from the bathroom. You needed a drink.

  ~~~~~~

  Almost half an hour later, you were still sitting on your rooftop staring at the sky sipping your sixth glass of wine. You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t hear Thor approach until he slid behind you and nestled his chin in the crook of your neck. “Mmmm.”

  You smiled and sighed out. “I missed you so much Y/N.”

  “Six months, Thor.”

  “I know I am sorry. I desperately tried to get back to you, but one mission turned out to be more complicated than I could have imagined. I have been all over the realms. I could not come back until the threat had been eradicated. I am sorry.”

  You knew he was telling the truth, and you also knew how much you missed him. Turning to face him you wrapped your arms around him. “I missed you too, so damn much.” He smiled and crushed his lips to yours and took control of a brain searing kiss. You moaned and felt Thor lift you onto his lap. You could feel his growing need underneath the towel he wore.

  Thor’s hands ravaged your body, moving from your face to your shoulders, then your back before they gripped your backside. You moaned again and rocked on his lap. Thor’s groan was the indication your movements were having an impact. You grabbed the back of his head and pressed your lips more forcefully onto his, then dropped your hands to his shoulders and used them as a brace.

  Thor pulled your thighs and dropped you back onto the cushions, then hovered over you. his mouth connected with your neck and kissed your flesh before he sucked your skin. Slowly he trailed kisses down the center of your body before he captured your pert nipples between his teeth. You heard him groan, and with his groan the sky rumbled. Thor suckled at your breasts one at a time, creating such a delicious tension in your belly and between your thighs. You couldn’t wait any longer; it had already been too long.

  His mouth dipped over your belly and to your pelvis before he placed a suctioned kiss to your already needy bud. You gasped, arched your back, and angled your head backward. “Shit!” your thighs instinctively clenched around his head before he firmly pressed them back to the cushion. He moaned and continued exploring your folds. Thor didn’t wait or take his time with bringing you the pleasure you’d been denied for months. Thor moaned and shook his head between your thighs and slurped at your flesh. “Fuck!”

  “Language, my love.”

  You bit your bottom lip and glared down at him. His smile was mischievous, and it made you want him more. Thor held his hand up, and you saw electricity crackling between his fingers. Your eyes widened as you watched him toy with the current. “You trust me, right?” You nodded your head. Thor pointed up, and a bright lightning bolt shot up to the sky before it rippled with several more lighting strikes. The lightning accompanied more loud roars of thunder and soon drizzles began.

 You knew he was powerful, but this was the first time you’d seen him control more than just lighting and the thunder. Using your foot, you pushed his towel off his waist. His length bobbed in the air as if it were saluting you. “God you’re gorgeous,” you complimented.

  “Me? You’re the gorgeous one, my love. Your beautiful face has haunted me every waking moment. Your sweet scent has left me captivated and craving you for months. You are my best dream come to life.” you smiled. Thor pointed his finger to your breast, and a lightning bolt zapped your skin. You gasped, but it didn’t hurt. Thor searched your face for any indication that you were uncomfortable, and when he saw none, he pointed to your breast, and again, a lighting bolt kissed your skin, but this time the surge felt hotter and left a slight sting.

  “Mmm.”

  Thor repeated the action two more times; each surge was more powerful than the last. Each strike had a different effect. By the fourth time you were soaking wet and aching to feel his strength between your thighs. With the last strike his mouth was there to sooth the powerful sting that remained. The rain came down a little harder, and the water drops decorated your skin. As they fell, Thor’s tongue was there to lap up each drop.

  Suddenly you felt the hot and cold trike of lighting on your pearl. “Fuck!” Your shout echoed off your roof as your body convulsed from the sheer force of your unexpected orgasm.

  “You are so beautiful when you come undone, love.” Again, Thor struck between your legs with lighting. Your body seized as you gritted your teeth. He kept the surge on your skin as his lips wrapped around your nipple once more.

  Thor thrust his hips forward and speared his need right into your core. You screeched and the intensity of the surge increased, and again your orgasm took you by surprise. You clenched around him, but Thor did not stop his thrusts.

  “By the galaxy, you feel incredible. I have missed your cavernous depths, missed your delicious nectar that which sustains me.” His hips snapped forward forcing your body to shake with the impact of his bruising thrust. Each time he connected with the bundle of nerves within you with the force of thunder itself he manipulated the lighting to strike your clit rhythmically. Each strike intensified to a level that almost caused pain before it lowered to a bearable surge only to intensify again.

  After almost fifteen minutes, you couldn’t predict what was to come, and each time the anticipation of the next shock made you swell with such anticipation, you could barely breathe. Thor pounded into your heat with the spread and strength of the God he was. Every time his hips collided with yours the sky ripped apart with loud thunder and forceful rain. The rain beat down onto your bodies and made them slick. Without warning you felt your bodies lift off the cushions and hover into the air.

  Shock rang through you as you looked around, seeing that you were getting higher and higher into the air. When you looked back to Thor, his eyes were lighting white.

  “Do you trust me?” Trying to catch your breath and take in everything that was happening, you nodded.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you love me as I love you?” You smiled and nodded again before you kissed him most fervently. You pressed your forehead to his and nodded again.

  “Yes, I love you, Thor.”

  “I love you Y/N, forever and always.” With that, he shot into the air, and the backdrop was the lighting and thunder in the sky as he lifted his hips and plowed into you. Every time he connected, you still felt the electric charge his you, but this time it struck several places at once. His eyes were that of lighting, and you should have been afraid, but you weren’t. You wanted him with everything in you.

  You rocked your body with his hoping to show him just how badly you craved him. Thor’s moans became louder and louder, but they never overpowered the sound of the thunder because it too grew louder and louder. His skin’s heat intensified, and soon, it began to glow just as with the lighting in the sky. Thor snapped his hips into you once, twice and a third time until he dropped his head back and shout into the sky, setting it off with a deafening crescendo of thunder decorated with thousands of lightning bolts. You could feel yourself clenching around him as he ripped your orgasm from you. Your screams competed with his and the thunder, but nothing beat the god of thunder who commanded it.

  The two of you hovered in the sky bodies shaking from the force of the pleasure that was still surging through you. Slowly Thor’s eyes returned to his incredible blue ones. “My love,” he began.

  “My love.” He kissed you, and before you knew it, you were again on the cushion. The thunder in the shy turned into rumbles, and the light show died down. All that remained was the lite drizzle. You scoffed and laughed as you held his wet body to him.

  “That was new.” You could feel Thor’s smile on your temple.

  “Was it? Did you enjoy it?” You pulled back and gazed at him.

  “It was electrifyingly delightful.” You smiled wide, and he returned the smile.

  “I say we definitely try that again, maybe not tonight though. Shield and every other government entity will lose their mind if you do that again.”

  “Silly humans. I am the God of Thunder; I do as I please.” His lips crashed to yours, and with the fire of the kiss, you knew his intentions. It was going to be a stormy night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[kbridges]

21st birthday (pt.II)

8th member of GOT7: Ela (Song Dain)

July 17th 2019

"Him.", Joy said just as he came back from the bar with a bottle of whiskey and coke. "What about me.", Dohwan asked with a smile. "Dain asked where are you, so I said you went to get us drinks.", Joy explained. "That's not true, I just sat here looked around and she said you went there.", Dain said quickly. Dohwan just smiled and gave Dain a glass. "It's okay. What do you want to drink birthday girl?”

"Hmmm... just give me a half a glass of whiskey 3 cubes of ice and some coke.", Dain said politely, "unnie what will you drink?", she asked Joy. "Oh I'll have the same but with more coke less whiskey.",Joy answered. There was this weirdly awkward atmosphere in the air between the three. It was because Joy knows that Dain likes Dohwan but the question is does he likes her too. He's really sweet too her. But at the same time, it's confusing. What if he just thinks of her as a younger sister. She likes being friends with him but would be sad if he didn't like her. If her stupid crush on him would ruin their friendship, it's not worth it. That's why Dain has been trying to forget her feelings. 

"Dain, will you confess?", Joy asked her quietly so Dohwan didn't hear.  

"No, I think I won't.", Dain replied mumbling. 

Not wanting to be rude they started to talk to Dohwan. In the middle of a conversation about how he just got cast in a new drama and a realization that it's the same drama where Dain got the offer to play his characters love interest.

 "Oh my god, you could be playing a couple. That's so cute.", Joy said excitedly. At that moment Minjae and Taehyung came to their table. 

"Oh, come on Joy you're talking as if you didn't smooch his face in a drama a year ago.", Minjae commented making a kiss sound. Everyone laughed except Joy who pushed Minjae away as he wanted to sit next to her. 

"Oppa, come here, Tae oppa you too.”, she made a place for both of them next to her. Minjae sat next to her and complained about how Joy bullies him all the time. Dain just laughed and pinched his cheek. "Ow!", Minjae exclaimed. 

"Oh come on it wasn't even that bad.", Dain replied smiling. Then she gave him a kiss on a cheek. "Better?", she asked him. He just smiled and nodded his head. 

"You two would be cute together.", Taehyung commented. "Yeah, I know right?", Dohwan agreed. The shock on Joy's and Dain's face was noticeable, while Minjae just shook it off and replied "She's like a sister to me, actually no she's me. I can't date myself”.

 Dain nodded her head in agreement. Before anyone could say anything more Joy said she needs to go to the restroom because she could see the sadness in Dain's eyes. She asked Dain to come with her and she did. 

"Are you okay?", Joy asked her trying to look her in the eyes as they arrived in the restroom. 

"No? I don't know, I'm just glad he doesn't know I like him.", Dain said as she tried not to cry. 

At the same moment, Sunmi and Seulgi came in the restroom. "Dain-ah!", Sunmi exclaimed happily, but then she saw her eyes. 

"Oh sweetie what's wrong?", Sunmi asked as she went to hug her. 

"Unnie!", Dain said now sobbing in Sunmi's shoulder. Seulgi and Joy talked on the side while Sunmi was comforting Dain. 

"Come on tell us what happened?" Sunmi asked still hugging her. Joy and Dain explained that Dain liked someone but didn't say his name, and explained the situation. "Are you talking about Dohwan?", Seulgi questioned. "Yes.", Dain replied emotionless as she sat on the floor leaning on a wall. 

"Oh, forget him you'll find someone even better than him. I know handsome polite boys are your weakness but believe me it's just not meant to be, look you'll meet someone that'll never make you cry like he just did. Okay?", Sunmi said encouraging her. 

"And you are a beautiful girl Dain, so many guys and girls want you. Believe me, you'll find someone but now just go out there and enjoy your birthday. Cope with it however you want, get drunk, kiss someone, even hook up with someone, just don't cry. Okay?", Seulgi said giving her a hand to stand up. "Okay", Dain replied taking her hand. 

"Okay now first let's go pee then back to the party.", Joy said laughing. 

After they came back to the club and returned to the table there was Yeri, Eunwoo and Jungkook sitting with them. Dain sat next to Eunwoo and started to drink. Taehyung went to get two more bottles of whiskey and Dain was not stopping. On her 7th glass of whiskey with ice Eunwoo stopped her. 

"Wait a minute princess.", he said taking her glass. "Leave me alone, I want to drink, it's my birthday.", Dain said whiningly. 

"No, Dain what are you doing? Did something happen?", Eunwoo asked her. "No, I just feel like drinking", Dain replied as she tried to take her glass back from him. 

When she succeeded she got up and decided to go to the bar and get herself a cuba libre cocktail. After she took her glass she went to the first squad she saw, there where Changkyun, Joshua, Mark and Aron, talking in english. "Thank god, I found you guys because my brain has switched to english.", Dain said as she stood between Mark and Changkyun. 

"Darling, what are you doing?", Joshua asked her with a worried tone because he saw in what state she's in. 

"I'm drinking because I'm getting old. It's my birthday!", she replied now almost completely drunk. 

"What's the time?", Mark knew he had to be the big brother again and take care of her. "2:35", Aron replied. 

"See I still have time to sober up. I'm not leaving until 4 am. Remember that", Dain said to Mark," also this is my last drink today". Mark just sighed. 

Dain, on the other hand, was on tour to talk to everyone. Again. As she was walking, a girl tapped her shoulder. 

"Sorry, are you Dain?", the girl asked. Dain scanned the girl, she was pretty, probably a model, but why was she here, she knows some of the idols partners came to the party but she knew them already. 

"I'm looking for Dohwan, I'm his girlfriend Seo Hyeri, nice to meet you", she said smiling. 

"Oh... nice to meet you too", Dain said with a fake smile," he's down there at the second to last table". 

Dain was drunk but in a moment she felt like someone hit her in the face with a bucket of ice water. 

"Thank you", Hyeri replied and went to Dohwan. 

Dain knew she needs to get out of there as soon as possible. She went to her members who were having an Uno tournament with Seventeen and Monsta X at the biggest table in the club. She asked the whole bunch if there's anyone who wants to go home. Her members are too competitive to just go home so she got a no from them. Sunmi then came by to say goodbye because she was preparing for a comeback. Sunmi lives on the other side of the city so she can't go with her. After Sunmi left Dain asked the boys will anyone help her go home because she's scared to go alone. In the end, Jackson agreed to go with her. She said by to everyone and went home. They took a taxi to her house. 

Jackson was a bit drunk too but he was in a much better state then Dain who got her heart broken twice in one night. When they came to her apartment, he took off her shoes and they went to sit on the couch. As they started to talk about something irrelevant Dain did something stupid. She kissed him. As they were both drunk he kissed her back. It was not a kiss of love, it was a kiss full of a desire to be loved because they're heartbroken. They just went for it, neither of them pulling away, the complete opposite happened she found her way onto his lap, he grabbed her face as she put her fingers in his hair. But soon Jackson pulled away. 

"We can't be doing this Ela.", he said catching his breath and looking down. 

"I just don't want to do something that would make our friendship awkward and weird. I'm sorry.", Jackson explained. 

"Nah, I agree I don't even know what got into me, sorry.", Dain said as she got off his lap. 

"Also did something happened at the party?", Jackson asked because she was acting strange. Dain then explained everything to him. When she was done both of them were tired and went to sleep. They slept in the same bed just because Jackson knew she needed someone to hold her this night.

[just-some-random-blogger]

One Million In One Day | 8

GOT7 SugarDaddy!Jackson Wang x Reader + Park Jinyoung x Reader | Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ? Characters: GOT7 Summary: His mother’s final wish is to see him be happy in a relationship, knowing that Jackson would be fine when she left him. But, damn, he didn’t have time for relationships, especially not since he was busy running his father’s billion dollar empire, thus the compromise: you. Word Count: 4k+ Warnings: Stalking, fighting, cursing, mentioning of illness, TYPOS, etc.

Preview | Alternate Moodboard | Chapter 8 Teaser

A/N: i made a moodboard for this chapter because i needed the will to keep going cough cough but made it into a teaser cuz i write slow

Yall this is also the longest chapter ive written for anything lololl

"Hey Jackson," I mutter and turn from the ice cream cone in my hand to his clear smooth face, "not to sound greedy-- purely out of curiosity and to prepare myself..."

Jackson looks at me, brown eyes widening in expectation.

"Am... I gonna get paid again?" I said speaking lowly at one particular word.

He gives me a blank expression, and I follow it up quickly, raising a hand, "Can I just... not?"

He lets out a sigh and shakes his head, "Baby," he cuts himself of by licking the dripping the melted ice cream on the side of his cone that was trickling its way down to his fingers. I found myself gulping. He takes a bite and turns back to me, "a deal's a deal. I don't want to come off as a cheat."

"No but you won't cause it's-it's my request!"

He thinks as he eats his dessert. I purse my lips, "I honestly don't know what to do with it anymore. I paid my loads, have a whole new wardrobe and a whole fridge of food. I even payed my rent for the rest of the year and that still wasn't enough to get rid of it all. I had to get my friend help me burn the money and keep my sanity in check. I bought him a laptop and everything."

"Oh," Jackson pulls his head back and knits his brows, "you told Jinyoung?"

"What?" Part of me panics when I hear him say that name. 

Once the question registers in my head I shake my hands, "No, no, no. I told Mark, my other friend. And well, my roommate Nari, because there is no way she wouldn't find out about it anyway." I turn to Jackson and finish the rest of my ice cream. "You remember her, Nari? She was with me, uhm, when I was fitting that green dress."

Jackson's poker face shifts into a smile, "Ahhhh, yeah."

For a moment, we finish off eating and throw away our trash without words.

 "Who else did you tell?"

I turn to Jackson who starts walking off again. I follow after him and purse my lips in realization of what he could possibly be insinuating, "Oh, uhm, just them. And I may tell Jinyoung after this. Am... am I not supposed to? I mean I didn't really-- they don't... I trust them..."

Jackson shakes his head and breaks into a nervous laugh, "No. No. It's just... no offence, I don't doubt the fact that they can't use this against me. It's just," he chuckles, "usually the fake dating goes both ways. I dunno, it's a first that I don't have to worry about seeing your family too."

I can't help but break out in a laugh, "yikes. Sounds like a nightmare."

"Gosh, you have no clue."

 We trail off for a while. I break the silence this time, "So... do we have a deal?"

Jackson turns to me and lets out a breath, "Oh no, absolutely not."

I do a double take and pull my had back, "What?"

"Hearing myself say that aloud makes me realize how unfair this arrangement is to you. And it's making me feel uneasy, like I want to punch myself." He knits his brows and stuffs his hands in his pockets, "you have go around meeting all these people in environments you're not used to, in clothes that aren't yours," he lifts his thumb and point behind him with it, "having strange men follow you around." He releases a breath and turns to me, "and all you get out of that is paper."

I can't help but frown at his conclusion. It was plain to see how opposite our worlds were, with the mere way we value money. It made me feel lucky, honestly, that even though I wasn't rich, I had friends and family, their love around me, something this lonely billionaire evidently lacked.

"Listen, sweetheart. I don't mean to make you feel bad because of this, but, you have a lot of money, I don't. I don't have the need to focus on a massive business and to hear people around me nag about my love life, you do. The other gives what is needed and takes what the other has in excess. I don't know about you, but that seems like an awfully beneficial deal to me."

Jackson snickers after I spoke, "smart."

I smile upon hearing that.

"One of the things I like about you."

Wh- one of the things he--

"Alright Ms. Business Major. I see you learning in your classes."

I release a laugh at that and so does he. "But if anything, sweetheart," he stresses and leans down. I feel my neck and ears burn, "what? You can call me baby, but I can't call you sweetheart?"

He laughs, "No, no, it's cute. Please do." He turns his gaze forward, "this just further proves that I need to take care of you in the only way I can."

I groan and screw my eyes shut, "Jacksoooon." And here I was thinking that I actually got through to him.

"Ya. Why are you so rude? Are we same age?" He playfully glares and barks, "Oppa. Oppa."

I groan again and glare at him, "Oppa!"

He smiles and nods, "That's better."

I whine and stomp my feet, "Ahh! But I don't need it! I still have job!"

"What?" Jackson snaps, "you haven't quit your job?"

"Uh, no duh? How else am I gonna get pocket money?" I say, knowing he'd understand the fact that not everyone accepts a black card. Also, it was empty.

"The how'd you pay for your taxi?"

"I borrowed money from Mark."

Jackson's eyes blew in shock. He mumbles lowly and raises his hands, "my sugar baby needs a part-time job and borrows money."

 "Okay, listen," he starts, tapping his chest with his finger tips, "just let me do my thing." He, out of the blue, takes my hand and we continue walking. "I have to go back to work after this, but later I'll come pick you up because you need to meet my mom."

I nod slowly up heaing this, "Oh."

"And clearly now, you've made me realize this is two dates-"

"Jackson-"

"-shut up or I'll kiss you."

My jaw is left hanging. 

Jackson turns to me and holds back a laugh, lips curling into a smirk. 

"As I was saying, you have also pointed out that I really haven't being fair to you. Up, up, up-" he raises a hand and cuts me of before I could even begin. He lets go of my hand and links my arm with his. "Right. So, I've been used to having arrangements with women with excessive tastes that can blow off a million in one day. And more, who am I kidding. Which is why," he turns to me. 

I turn to him and he smiles, "I'm letting you cash out."

"Cash... hold on, wha-- cash out?"

Jackson seems confused and knits his brows for a second, and then bursts into laughter when he realizes, "Oh, no. Not like end this. No way! I still need you." He tugs on my arm and pulls it to his chest, embracing it as if he meant it personally. 

He giggles, "I mean like, I'll let you withdraw money."

I gasp and turn to him, "Oh my gosh, really?!"

"Yeah," he nods, "I mean you can only withdraw anything from that one bank, but yeah. You deserve that at least."

"Oh my gosh thank you!" I grin and pull away from him, only to be able to hug him tightly. I hold him for a few seconds and smile brightly when I let him go, "I could send my parents money. I could-- I could-- WOW!"

Jackson breaks into laughter.

"Okay, now, come on, I'll drive you home."

 With that, Jackson and I retrace our steps and find our way back to the car. The men following us seem to have gone away, to which I am relieved. We walk hand in hand, and he's doing all the talking. I watch as he laughs and wonder how he could talk about such stories, like getting his foot stuck in the toilet one time when he was younger, and still look so poised and handsome.

Jackson is playful all the way to my apartment. It made me happy, as I remember the last time I drove with him, back when we went to a party, he was pretty glum.

"You shouldn't let them get to you too much, Jackson." I speak up after our conversation about whatever popped up into our heads.

Jackson knits his brows and spares me a glance, "What do you mean?"

"Remember last time, after going to the party? You were pretty quiet, and it was kinda concerning."

He doesn't reply for a moment. When he does, he speaks half-playfully, "you're concerned about me?"

"No duh, Wang-Wang. You've been nothing but kind to me, and I'm the type to take care and check up on my friends."

He nods his head, "Well... thank you for... the concern, but that wasn't why I was quiet on pur drive back. I couldn't give two shits about whatever those rich bozos think. I just want them out of my business, babe."

I knit my brows, "Huh. Then why were you?"

Jackson chuckles and pulls on the collar of his top. "It's kinda complicated.” He turns to me, then back to the road to chuckle, “To a point where I'm not even really sure yet about it. But, uh, for what it's worth, if I figure it out, I'll tell you."

I hum, "well, are you sure you can figure it out by yourself? Sometimes all it tales is to say it aloud, y'know."

Jackson turns to me and offers a smile, "I know. But I don't want this to become real, and I'm pretty sure if I say it aloud, it will."

"Oh... well, I get that."

 Soon after, we arrived at my place. I turned to give Jackson a smile goodbye, but I was shocked when he moved in to give my cheek a kiss. He pressed his lips against skin, and I immediately felt the area burn, as if he was scorching hot. I’m glad I didn’t move yet, cause if I had moved any sooner, Jackson and I would've had to a disastrous lip lock--or teeth lock at that..

"Thank you for today," he says simply, close to my ear. I could smell his cologne.

My cheeks burn. Once he pulls away, I turn and gape at him for a second, "shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

He purses his lips and chuckles, "Not at all." 

For a moment, I just sit there, not knowing where to look and where to place my hands. Jackson smiles, and proceeds to cackle. It’s pretty obvious that he is pleased with how obviously I'm affected.

I feel my face redden, but I can't help myself and growl. I shove him and glare, "Next time, a little warning will suffice."

The man across me seems baffled by my action and tenses up only to burst out laughing all giddy "Mianheeee."

He shuffles in his seat, “Before you go,” and pulls out his wallet, “here... pocket money.”

He pulls out all the cash in his wallet and my eyes widen. I raise my brows, “That won’t be necessary, oppa.”

He shoots me a look and grabs my hand, “Oppa thinks otherwise.”

“But you’ll be paying me later!” I protest, trying my best to to actually grab hold of the money. “You’re even going to let me cash out, so this is all unnecessary.”

Jackson huffed, “Consider this as a bonus.”

“I don’t want a bonus!”

“Well, you either take it... or... or else I won’t talk to you again.”

For a moment, I look at him with a dumbfounded expression. I ask, “You do know that is worse for you than it is for me right!”

“Ugh! Just take it! I don’t have any leverage! I never thought I’d ever have to force someone to get my money.” Jackson whines and shakes his body in annoyance. “Just take it!” he groans, “It’s not like it’s a bribe. Just use it to pay Mark.”

“That is way too--”

“TAKE IT!” he screams, successfully planting the money in my hand, as his shout took me off guard. I awkwardly look around and Jackson shakes his head expectantly. I purse my lips and fold the paper, shoving it to my pockets.

Jackson smiles in content and pats my head. I scoff. I proceed then to remove my seat belt.

He watches as I do so and then asks, "You want me to walk you?"

I shake my head, "Oh, no need. I can manage."

“You sure?”

I turn to him and nod,  “I’m sure, Jackson.”

“Jackson oppa.”

I roll my eyes, “I never should’ve voluntarily called you that.”

He chuckles. 

I exit the car and wave him off dismissively the moment I'm out. He waves goodbye and drives away.

 By the time he's gone, Nari is running towards me like the fumbling mess she is. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, was that him?! I can't believe I missed him! GASH!"

I scowl at Nari and nudge her, "stop being such a loud mouth."

She huffs and turns to me, hands on her waist, "You have no clue how jelly I am."

I roll my eyes and walk inside. She follows quickly, "What are you gonna do about Jinyoung?"

I whip my head to her, "What about Jinyoung, Nari?"

"I mean, you have Jackson now! Jinyoung deserves to know."

"You say this, as if I like Jackson."

Nari looks mortified, "Bitch don't tell me you're gonna be like one of those dumb protagonists that's in denial and then has their world comes crashing down around them."

I scoff, "No, Nari, because I don't like Jackson-"

"bITCH-"

"-I like Jinyoung."

 "... ...ohmygosh, did you actually say that aloud?"

I dismiss her, but her squealing and iron grip prevent me from getting away. "EEEEEK I KNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITTTTTTTTT!"

"Shut up! You're gonna wake the dead," I hiss and cover her mouth, "Or even worse, Mrs. Kim. "

Literally, the moment I said that, there was a yapping old woman resounding curse words against the wall. Nari and I scrambled to hide from her wrath.

"YOU FUCKING KIDS, I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP WHEN JEOPARDY IS ON!"

 Alright. Yes. We managed to survive the terror in apartment 16, which was why I managed to brush up on my studies and the drama I had in the sidelines waiting for me.

I leaned back in my cozy attire, with shorts and hoodie, stuffing popcorn in my face as Lee Minho beat Kim Woobin up, and vice versa.

I don't mean to sound like a brag, but damn, there really is a difference with the cheap cotton shorts and these freakin 10,000 dollar ones. Would I ever recommend these to a friend? Helllll no, but damn they're realllly soft.

"Moron your phone is blowing up in your room," Nari screams from her own room. I scramble to my feet, shit is that Jackson?

 I push my popcorn off and run to my room. I see there's ten messages from Mark. I knit my brows.

STFU MARK: ok so i went to jinyoungs place

STFU MARK: i mean like at his job and the place is super packed and he looks super miserable i feel so bad i wanna help him woth the register

STFU MARK: Where are you even???? I swung by your place

STFU MARK: LOL RIGHT UR SUGAR BOYFI IS UR WITH HAHAHAH

STFU MARK: man this lady ordered ten burgers and i wish i could do that on the regular

STFU MARK: ok imma talk to jinyoung and order lunch too i hope he doesnt kill me cos if he does he'll lose his job too and i dont want that

STFU MARK: OKAY HE TOOK MY ORDER AND PRETENDED I WAS NO ONE BUT A CUSTOMER I DIE WHAT DID WE DO

STFU MARK: HE EVEN SMILED AT ME LIKE AN ACTUAL GENUINE PERSON HE LOOKS SO TIRED I FEEL SP BAD HELP MEEEEE GET OUT OF YOUR DATE RIGHT NOW

STFU MARK: ...... r u hetting paid again omg???? Also jinyoung wouldnt poison my food right

STFU MARK: I WANTED TO TALK TO JINYOUNG COS IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS GONNA CLOCK OUT BUT YUGYEOM TOLD ME TO SCRAM WHAT IS THIS HE SAID JINYOUNG IS SUPER TIRED AND NOT IN THE MOOD

 I wipe my forehead and cuss.

I give a quick reply to Mark, saying that I'll try to contact him. I then proceed to call Jinyoung. I call him five times before giving up and sending a text.

I open my conversation with Jinyoung and send three messages.

Me: Jinyoung

Me: i know like im legitimately dumb for not knowing what angered you, but mark and i arent mind readers

Me: please call me back and tell me whats wrong

 I sigh and pull my phone to my chest. I walk back out to continue watching my show. My heart leaps out of my chest and I squeak when my phone starts vibrating. I smile widely when I realize it's Jinyoung calling. Except it's not. It's Jackson. He's gonna pick me up.

  ---

My feet is clad with a golden pump. My dress is cascading with hundreds of delicate white beads upon bright violet fabric. I feel like a dewy star with the glowy makeup all over my skin. My hair is pulled back to make room for a crown-like headband and curled perfectly behind me.

While Hani did my makeup, part of me wondered why I looked so dressed up, when, as far as I knew, I would only be meeting with Jackson's mom. But then I realized it was Jackson's mom; she was probably born drenched in gold. This probably looks pathetic to her.

Hani was so kind and so enthusiastic as per usual, and she made me look like a princess with her magical touch. 

 We didn't take as long as I hoped we would, for now I am holding onto Jackson's hand as we walk down this large lawn, lit with garden lights and lights from fountains. The sun had just set, and so the residual sunshine in the sky made it look both orange and lilac. On my other hand, I  held a bouquet of violet flowers that strangely reminded me of the day I met Jackson.

As we drove here, I thought at first we were going to Jackson's house, or his parents, but as it turns, her mother is checked into some extra hotel.

Automatic doors opened, and a beefy but kind looking security guard greeted us, and Jackson by his name.

The place reeked the finesse of a museum. It was so large and spacious that I started thinking maybe it was a hidden museum of some sort. The minimal pieces of art make me think otherwise.

There were very few people going about, and most of them were wearing white.

I fell conscious after. Was this hotel themed in white? I moved closer to Jackson. The echoing of my heels against the marble floors only magnified my fumbling mind. Okay... maybe this wasn’t a hotel.

We walked and walked down this seemingly never ending hall, up until we reached room 19.

 Jackson released my hand and turned to me. Clearing his throat, he asked, "How do I look?"

He looked like a billionaire. His body was given complete justice in his velvet suit that matched the color of my violet dress. His shoes were shiner than my future. His skin was more flawless than my grades. Jackson looked like he always did, handsome and charming. But his big brown eye seemed nervous.

"You look amazing, like always," I offer with a smile.

Jackson lets put a soft sigh, "I'm glad you think I always look amazing."

I nod at him, not because I agreed but because he seemed like he had something much more to say. Though he was trying to play off this worry by joking, it was too clear he was worried.

He inhales sharply. "You may hate me for not telling you sooner, but..." Jackson points to the door of room 19 and screws his eyes shut.

I bit my lower lip and think about what Jackson could tell me next. He was agitated. This place makes him agitated. Well, everyone here is wearing white. Everything is quiet and spacious. His mom was staying here. I don’t think it’s a hotel anymore. Was this a spa? A wellness center?

... or was this a clinic? A hospital?

Why didn’t I just ask?

"The main reason why... I hired you is because of my mom." Jackson turns to his side then back to me, "She's... not doing so great. Not in a long time."

My jaw slacks once I realize my guess was right, "Your mom is sick?"

He sighs, "terminally ill if you need the right term."

"And... you want her to think... we're together?"

Jackson purses his lips, "It's all she wants from me now.”

 A shiver runs down my spine. I clench my bouquet. Part of me can't help but feel betrayed. He had all these chances from then til now to speak up but he was nothing but silent. All Jackson told me I was here to push away his nosy relatives. I huff in frustration. Really though I was here to lie to a dying lady.

I scoff at my own thoughts.

That very thought made my heart clench.

How hard must it be for Jackson to talk about this?

I want to wipe my face so badly, but I didn't want to ruin Hani's hard work.

"How could you only tell me this now?!" I heave sharply. "Do you know how wrong and messed up this is?"

"I know, I know," Jackson sighs. He takes a step forward and grabs both my hands, pushing the bouquet in the middle, "but please, you're my only hope. You're the only woman I've ever brought to my mom." He closes his eyes and raises his hands, shaking it around, "It's not as bad as it is. I made her think that I'm still pursuing you and so you're not really my girlfriend."

I knit my brows at that. Jackson steps even closer, "then I'll say it didn't work out because you like Jinyoung from..." he thinks and scoffs, "your Algebra--business math class."

His mention of  Jinyoung makes me chest contract. I look at our hands then Jackson's expression. The flowers seemed a lot less pretty to me now. I wonder what they think about my predicament.

 "Please, you are honestly innocent in all this. No matter what happens it's on me. Please. My mother doesn't get to meet new people. You won't even have to say anything, I'll do all the talking."

I want to throw the flowers at him and run away. But I don't.

I want to tell him all the reasons why this so called solution of his isn't a solution. But I don't.

I want to offer his comfort and give him another way. But I can't, cause it would take too much time and the clock, I can feel it ticking.

So what I do say is, "alright."

Jackson's face brightens. He repeats, "Alright," and with that wastes not time in going inside.

 "Finally!" a voice exclaims into the high ceiling. There is a large bed with a woman in the center. “I thought you’d never come.”

Jackson, hand holding mine, walked towards the woman and smiled, “Mama. I’m sorry we’re late.”

Once we’re close enough, Jackson lets go of me to hug and kiss the woman on the cheek. I was close enough to see how pale and dry her skin was. She was thin and had her thin hair combed behind her. It was plain to see that she really was sick. But the way she smiled and greeted her son, made you think otherwise.

Jackson pulls away and turns to me. Her mother does the same. I take this moment to give her the flowers, “Mrs. Wang.”

“Oh, are these for me? Thank you so much, darling.” She smiles ear to ear and gets the bouquet from me. “You may be wondering why you were forced into violet. Well, it’s my favorite color.”

I nod, “Jackson told me that.” At the very least.

“Have you eaten, mama?” Jackson asks as he sits next to his mother.

“You silly boy. You know I don’t have an appetite at night.”

Jackson narrows his eyes and shakes his head, “Mama... the nurses told me you had an apple for lunch.

“Kure, an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” she speaks in a light tone. Jackson breathes in heavily, clenching his jaw. He looks like he wants to go off, but at the same time, he looks really tired, like he doesn’t want to have this conversation again. And so I frown deeply.

“Mrs. Wang, you should really eat more than that... Jackson is really worried about you.” I speak for the upset man.

His mother turns to me and beams, “Ya, has Jackson been talking about me. That’s a first. Honestly, I still can’t believe your here! My Jackson always claims to have a girlfriend, but this time around... he really does.”

“Mama... she’s not my girlfriend, I told you.”

“Aiya!” she says, “you should try harder, then!” The woman gives her son a scolding look, then turns to me in a completely different manner, “Mianhe... ... My brother told me he had his men follow you to see how real you are just earlier today. I’m really sorry about that.”

“Mama,” Jackson says slowly.

She tuts her son. With a breath, she looks at me, “Oh, why are you still standing, please sit on my bed. It’s quite big enough for all three of us.”

With this I smile, nod, and sit down. She then slides to the far left side of the bed, where Jackson sat facing me. Mrs. Wang pulls me by my arm, and so I hop over to come closer to her.

Her hand is still on my arm when she pouts into a pleased smile, “You are far more beautiful than Jackson let on.”

My brows raise and my lips pull into an awkward smile. I nervously laugh and shake my head. She shakes her head too, “He won’t shut up about you!”

“Mama,” Jackson says, placing his hand on his mothers, releasing her grip from me, “That’s because you keep asking me about her.”

“Well how can I not, child! The most exciting thing that happens around here is when a new patient comes along and that’s horrible to think of considering this place is a hospital.”

Jackson once again feels and looks so defeated.

“Mrs. Wang,” I say to divert her attention.

“Oh, please, call me Mama. All of Jackson’s friends do that.”

I clear my throat and turn to Jackson for a split second. Nevertheless, I obey, “Mama... do you happen to watch k-dramas?”

Both Wangs seem to be surprised by my sudden question.

“Why of course! What else am I to do but watch all those dramas?” she chuckles.

“Did you happen to watch The Heirs?”

She gasps, “Of course I did! Lee Minho and--”

“Kim Woobin!” I squeal. “Ooooh, he is so good looking and I wanted him to get the girl so bad!!!!!”

Jackson pulls his head back at my words. Da hell is Kim Woobin? His mother laughs in glee. Once she catches he breath, she begins to fuel our talk. From then on, we begin our long conversation about wanting ‘the other’ love interest get the girl in the story. It escalates and the next thing Jackson knows he’s no longer part of the conversation, nor existent in the room.

He watches as the two women interact and laugh, making his heart clench. Mama had neither been this talkative nor cheery since Bambam visited and got drunk on champagne, and that was months ago.

I throw my head back in laughter. Jackson can’t help but laugh as well, even though he honestly didn’t follow the conversation anymore.

Mrs. Wang turns to his son and smiles, seeing how concentrated he was in the one thing in the room. She nudges him, and Jackson panics, turning to his mother with wide eyes.

Catching this, I settle down and turn to Jackson’s nervous expression. His mother breaks into a soft laugh. I knit my brows, “What happened?”

Jackson turns to me then to his mom. The latter speaks up, “Oh. Jackson’s just really lucky to have you that’s all.”

Part of me expected Jackson to whine in protest again. But when there’s only silence among us, I feel awkwardness envelope me.

Mrs. Wang coos and caresses her son’s cheeks, “Your handsomeness won’t be put to waste.” She then turns to me and pinches my cheeks, “You’ll have beautiful children.” 

My cheeks immediately burn upon hearing this.

Jackson breath hitches when he sees my reaction. I turn to him and gives me an awkward smile.

Jackson scratches he back of his nape when it dawns to him that he is utterly fucked. Why? Because he likes the idea his mom presented. The man mutters a curse word under his breath and stands, “How about we get some food, yeah?”

[starkerforlife6969]

Starker, Hacker Peter part 2

Read part 1 here. 

Peter takes another huge bite of the fluffy scrambled eggs and the buttery toast and thinks, as far as interrogations go, this isn’t too bad.

He’s good, but he’s not brilliant, and there have been a few close shaves. Definitely a few kidnappings which led to interrogations which are nothing like this sunny breakfast at Tony Stark’s marble-top kitchen counter.

Those interrogations had involved steel chairs and tight ropes and a lot of bruises.

This involves pure deliciousness.

It occurs to him, on the fourth gulpful of OJ, that Tony is watching him with unmasked interest.

Peter licks the crumbs from his lips and pauses. “Uh…”

“No, no,” Tony chuckles, “keep eating, please.”

Peter does, because survival outweighs embarrassment and you can never be one hundred percent sure of where your next hot meal is coming from. He mops the plate clean with extra helpings of hash browns, all the while surreptitiously casting his gaze around Stark’s apartment.

It’s nicer than Osbourne’s by a straight up mile. Easily the tallest building in New York, it looks down over the city and sparkles with light as it catches on the surfaces. There’s inbuilt tech everywhere, and it looks so advanced that Peter can’t help but puff out his chest a little at the fact that he hacked it.

Sure, his code wasn’t perfect, or he wouldn’t have been traced. But still. He hacked it!

He finishes his orange juice and smacks his lips together gracelessly, trying to ignore the lingering heat of Tony’s gaze, as he wipes his hand on his jeans. His whole outfit had been provided by Mr Stark, and Peter had hesitantly accepted because being in just his underwear had really imbalanced the playing field.

“So,” Tony murmurs, resting against the counter, arms crossed and looking very at-ease. “A good nights sleep, a nice hot meal, clean clothes. Things sure do look different the morning after the storm, don’t they, kid?”

Peter frowns. “Was last night supposed to be the storm? Because you don’t have anything on me-“

“Hey, hey,” Tony shoots him a look, “C’mon. I know you said you wouldn’t rat, but all you have to do is give me a name. Someone paid you to hack me, didn’t they? You tell me who that is, and you’re off scot-free.”

“I’m already free,” Peter insists, “you haven’t got any proof that I’m ‘The Spider’, okay?”

Tony’s eyebrows knit together and he purses his lips in mild irritation. Peter wonders how far confidence-intimidation tactics have gotten him so far. “Your apartment was crammed full of computers-“

“I like to game.”

“MIT said they only had one student capable of coding like that, and he dropped out two years ago and-“

“That’s what you’re going to use in a court of law?” Peter scoffs, ignoring the sting of hurt at the mention of MIT. He’d loved that school so much- “Wow. I may not have a law degree, but I can promise that’s going to raise some reasonable doubt-“

“Cut the crap, Parker.” Tony snaps, voice thick with irritation. “I know it was you-“

“Billionaire, tech-giant, philanthropist, and omniscient. Quite the résumé, Mr Stark.”

“Little shit-“

“I’m gonna head home, then,” Peter beams, slipping off the stool and heading for the door. “This was really fun, though-“

The doors slide open before he can walk out, and it’s the man who was driving the taxi from last night. Mr Strange. “Peter,” he grins, looking ridiculously put together for so early in the morning. “Are you leaving already?” Strange turns to sigh at Tony. “You’ve already upset him? I thought I told you to play nice.”

“I was playing nice.” Tony huffs, “he’s a little shit.”

“Goodbye, Mr Kidnapper,” Peter waves cheerily, hopping into the elevator, only for Strange to place his hand firmly against the door to stop it from closing.

“Peter,” he murmurs, voice low and pleading, “I seem to remember you saying you were amiable to a trade.”

Tony nods eagerly. “Yeah. You’re saying you won’t give me the name, but you haven’t even seen what I could offer.”

Peter wavers. The smart thing would be to go home, but home to what? All his tech is destroyed and he’ll have to tell Norman and then Norman will know that Tony knows and Peter could be out of a job and-

He sighs, rubbing his hand over his face and gesturing for them to lead the way.  

____

The look on Peter’s face at the sight of the newly-installed computer lab is enough to make Tony’s dick throb with arousal.

His eyes go obscenely wide, and they flicker over every monitor and wire, and his feet seem to carry him without consent over to processors and ergonomic keyboards. He looks like a kid in a candy shop. It’s the same look Tony gets when his lab’s been re-stocked and he’s itching to try to make something new.

Goddamn. It’s just another quality to add to the list of Peter Parker traits that Tony has found to be completely addictive.

The boy’s young. 22 and almost completely off the grid. He’s got no family, no on-the-grid friends, but ‘The Spider’ is infamous, and Tony can’t believe that it’s a pale, bambi-eyed boy from Queens.

“This set up is so much nicer than-“ he cuts himself off, and Tony looks up with a grin.

“Nicer than..?”

Peter glares at him, but the heat of his stare doesn’t last, because he catches sight of some fancy retina display and is immediately distracted.

His youth is his weak spot.

He’s good, really good, and clearly talented, but he doesn’t have the wisdom that only age will bring.

Because he’s just left his backpack in the guest bedroom, and Strange is looking through it right now. There has to be something incriminating in it. It’s the one thing Peter had taken with him when he’d run, his go bag, there has to be.

Tony doesn’t want to blackmail him. He’d much rather have a nice fair trade, because he’s unreasonably attracted to the spunky little kid, but still. A little insurance is always nice.

“If you gave me the name,” Tony croons, not wanting to startle Peter out of his appreciation, “you could work for me. Someone of your skill-set, nice high pay, regular hours, this would be your base of operations. Anything you needed…”

Peter narrows his eyes. “Would there be a contract?”

Tony smiles, pleased. “Yeah, all legal. No unlawful termination. How long’s it been since you’ve had a steady income? A job you could be proud of?”

There’s wavering in Peter’s eyes, and Tony thinks he might actually have him and the blackmail isn’t needed- when Strange walks in, clearing his throat and gesturing to Tony with a subtle nod of his head.

Tony heads over to him, and Strange bows his head and drops something into Tony’s hand.

“There was nothing in his bag but clothes and a passport. A real passport,” Strange whispers, and Tony grits his teeth a little, but it’s not the end of the world. Parker may actually accept his deal- “But I did find this.”

Tony looks into his hand to find a gorgeous pearl necklace.

It’s antique and expensive and there is no way Peter acquired it legally. It’s gotta be his safety nest for if he’s on the run. A quick pawn and some money to get away. Someone is surely looking for this baby.

“Good,” Tony mutters, trying to keep his voice down, “but we may not need it-“

There’s a sharp, audible gasp, and both men look up to see Peter staring at one of the reflective monitors.

From the way it’s angled, he can see the pearls in Tony’s hands.

“Well, nice timing,” Tony snarls at Stephen, who has the sense to look a little bashful. “Listen, kid, we weren’t gonna-“

“You went through my stuff?” Peter demands, face lovely and flushed and furious. He holds his hand out. “Give it back.”

Tony holds onto the pearls because it looks like a fair deal’s off the cards now. He and Stephen are both in front of the door, but Peter doesn’t look boxed in. He looks angry. “Where’d you get these, Parker? I thought your skillset stopped at hacking, but do you have a knack for stealing too?”

“Those aren’t yours!” Peter cries, and lunges forward clumsily to try to grab them. He misses, and Tony tuts.

“Calm down. I want to give them back to you, but I have to know who hired you. Was it Carlton Drake? The Life Foundation? Was it fucking Wayne Enterprises? Oscorp? Lexcorp? Roxxon?”

Peter rolls his eyes. “This city has a few too many tech companies. And like I said already, no.”

Tony shrugs. “Then you don’t get this necklace back.”

Peter curls his dainty hands into fists, before fishing out his phone. “I don’t wanna have to do this,” he warns, as he lights up the screen with his thumb. Tony frowns as Peter waggles it. “One press of a button and all SI users information is leaked. That sort of personal data loss…” he shakes his head and whistles in mock-empathy. “That’d be awful. I can’t imagine the way stocks would plummet. Can you, Mr Stark? I seem to remember something similar happening to LoweTube. But then The Spider hacked it and now- it doesn’t exist, does it?” 

“When the fuck did you hack my systems again?” Tony gapes, “we removed all trace of your coding-“

“I was on your wifi last night in the guest room, old man,” Peter snorts, rolling his eyes. “Do you know how easy it was to get past your firewalls from inside your ip address? I mean, I was half asleep.”

His thumb hovers over the button and Tony tosses him the pearls.

Peter catches them with a gentleness that makes Tony think they’re more sentimental than monetary.

“Well,” Stephen croaks, face still wary as Peter holds the phone in his hand. “I’m hoping you can forgive us, Mr Parker. We’re still clearly underestimating you.”

Tony cottons on. “He’s right, Peter. I’m sorry. We’re- we’re useless when it comes to hacking defences. We need you on our side.”

Peter looks between them, jaw clenched but eyes softer now that he has his pearls back. “Your systems were pretty shit.”

Tony refuses to snark back a rebuttal, and instead nods. “My offer still stands.”

Peter is silent for a long time, before he speaks. “I’m not going to tell you who hired me to hack you, but I will toughen up your whole system to be pretty much impervious to attacks again. For a price, of course.”

Tony pinches the bridge of his nose, but he can already feel himself agreeing. This is the second best scenario. Obviously, with Peter strengthening his walls it means the kid’s going to be able to build himself a way in to hack Tony whenever he wants- but he can’t see another way. It just irks Tony that he can’t go after whoever it was. He has a niggling feeling it might be Lex but he just can’t picture him actually having the balls. “I’m going to guess your price is fairly high?”

“Don’t worry, Mr Stark,” Peter grins, cocky and far too pretty for his own good, “I only want to be paid in stock.”

___

@darker-soft-starker for being the inspiration and @starkerchemistryy for being my friendship soulmate.

@stark-stark-baby @sbiderslut @lilsoshie @harmonystarker  @lurafita @awesomeimportantfan @the-mad-starker @meymourwhysstarker

[timelock97]

Game Changer

Chapter Four: Nervous Flyer & the Dragon Tamer

Word Count: 4390

Warnings: Language, probably

_________________________________________

I sigh loudly as I make some last few notes to one study-sheet before moving onto another one. I can’t help but laugh when I hear my friend and fellow classmate groan loudly from her seat on the couch in the office. “Same,” I mutter as I type in the last note for my final practical and exam prep, exiting out of the document and shutting my computer down for the evening.

“I’m honestly sick of all the studying,” she sighs, the sound of papers rustling..

“Same,” I stretch my arms over my head before looking over at her settled on the couch. “I propose we have something sweet, then head to bed.”

“I second your proposal.” She hums, standing and stretching as I gather the last few supplies and add them to my backpack for the following days events. “Do you want any help tomorrow packing for your trip?”

“I would very much appreciate it.” I giggle as I flip off the lights and the two of us head into the kitchen, discussing what needs to be done for tomorrow’s test and what is needed for the following day. I pull out the ingredients to make no-bake cookies, hold the peanut-butter. I grab the small, tattered recipe from its place in a folder nestled next to the stove.

Caitlyn sighs next to me as I finish making them, leaning her head against my shoulder in thought, “Do you feel ready for the next two days?”

I nod, scooping myself some before replacing the spoon into the pot so my mom can finish scooping them onto a wax sheet. She gives me a smile as she takes the pot away to do so as we walk back to my room. “Just have to get through the next two days then I’m on a flight to England.”

“Are you excited?” I look at her and see the wide smile on her face as she settles on the air mattress in the room.

“More than I am that this semester is finally over- no scratch that.” She immediately begins to laugh as I attempt to gracefully settle on the bed, I do not and almost drop my plate cookie first into my nice white sheets. Once I resituate myself I continue, “I am beyond happy this semester is almost over, but I’m also excited to see Lee again.” I miss him.“

Caitlyn bobs her head as she spoons some of the sweets in her mouth. Her phone lights up next to her, eyes locking with mine in apology. Her fiance is calling.

“Take it, it’s fine.” I say as I spoon what’s left in my mouth and get up from the bed. As she answers her phone I take her now empty plate and walk back into the kitchen and deposit them into the dishwasher.

“(Y/N/N), your phone keeps going off,” Aiden yells as he passes me, phone in hand.

I take it with a quick ‘thank you’ before checking it. I raise an eyebrow, seeing Leon’s face light up the screen, “You’re up late.”

Leon groans in annoyance into the receiver. “Rose has me here doing paperwork, I was practicing with my team until about two hours ago, and then Oleana told me I had paperwork to finish so I just,” he pauses to yawn, prompting me yawn with him. “Sorry, just got done.”

“Are you walking back to your apartment?” I move to go back and sit in the office where I won’t disturb anyone else with my conversation.

“Yeah,” I hear him shuffle his phone, I hear a small pop on the other end. “And before you tell me that I should take a taxi, I just let out Charizard to make sure I get home fine.”

“I appreciate that, I know you’re the great champion, but I like knowing you’re also safe.”

He sighs tiredly, “How did your exam go?”

“Good, it was pretty easy. Then we had our little party so that was nice.” I lean forward so my elbows rest on my knees, “Now we just have the really hard practical tomorrow and then the easy one after that.”

“You and the rest of your classmates are going to pass and then you only have one semester left.” Lee says, sighing at the end.

“How far are you from your apartment?”

“I can see the building as we speak.” He yawns again into the receiver, “I am going to let you know now, I’m probably going to crash as soon as I get in, just to let you know.”

I giggle, smiling at the thought of him falling face-first on the bed and falling asleep. “Well then I should let you go then. Sleep well, Leon. I love you.”

He yawns softly again, a small sigh following. “I love you too, my love, so so much. Goodnight.”

I smile as I end the call. Looking at the picture of Leon and I that was saved as my lock screen. I push up from the couch, shutting the door behind me as I finally decide to finish getting ready for bed. T-minus 2 days til I go home.

I was more than grateful that Caitlyn had offered to help me pack, she made sure that I had not only checked over my list, including the one that had the other gifts that I hadn’t mailed out yet. After both practicals finished up, and I had said goodbye to my classmates, I was headed home to do last minute everything.

“What are you most excited about,” Aiden asks as he climbs into my car before I drive back home.

“Going to Galar?” I ask, peaking at him as I turn out of the school, thankful that his school’s last day was today, and it was a half-day. “Uh, I think just seeing everything. I’m going in with an open mind, and my camera.”

Aiden laughs, shaking his head, “So are you just going to have your camera out twenty-four seven?”

“No,” I giggle, coming to a stop at a stop light, “But Lee is gonna show me around so I’ll take pictures while I am there, hopefully.”

Aiden nods, falling silent as I continue to drive. After a few minutes he lets out a small sigh, “Can I ask you a serious question?”

“Shoot, what’s up, fuzz-butt.” I tease, only for him to elbow my arm, “Hey! I am driving, don’t elbow me!”

“You aren’t taking me seriously!” He complains, a hint of anger and hurt coloring his tone.

“Okay, okay, hey.” I stop to peak at him again, his head is turned toward the window. “C'mon, what’s up, Aiden.”

He fidgets with his fingers, eyes downcast. “Dad mentioned that you might be moving out to Galar after you graduate from college, and that means you wouldn’t be here that often anymore.” He shifts in his seat, still not looking at me, “I don’t want you to leave. Who’s gonna pick me up from school, and take me out for ice cream when Mom and Dad are in a mood? I just,” he sniffles, “I just don’t want you to leave.”

“Aid,” I whisper, pulling into the driveway and parking. “Look at me.” I turn toward him and reach out for his hands, “No matter if I am here, or there, I am always gonna be around when you need me. It may be a phone call, or a skype call, but it’s not like I am just going to forget you, Dad, and Mom if I leave. I don’t even know if I am going to leave and live on Galar-”

“But Lee-”

“When the time comes, Lee and I will discuss it. Besides, there will still be family holidays and vacations; did you know that Galar does a lot better than most places when it comes to giving people time off? They really do, so I will still be here. Maybe not everyday, but still enough that you won’t miss me too much. Okay?” I reach my hand up and wipe a tear away from his eye. “I’m still going to be a huge pain in the butt no matter if I live down the street or across the ocean, promise.”

Aiden smiles and nods, “Okay, I believe you.” He wipes his eyes forcefully, sniffling loudly to the point that I really need to grab him a tissue “I just don’t think I am ready to be an only child yet.”

“Oh, believe me,” I tease as I step out of the car, “You will love being an only child.”

As the evening rolled around, I spent time talking on the phone with Leon to get any last minute details about my flight tomorrow. “So Rahian is going to be at the airport?” I ask as I triple check my packing list, moving about the room as I check through my bags.

“Yeah,” Lee sighs. I can hear shuffling of papers in the background, “He’s out in London visiting his brother and his nieces. He is flying on the same day so he is just going to wait until you fly in.”

“It’s going to be late,” I mutter, deleting a couple notes as I place the few things on the bed. “I mean, I leave here in the morning, but it’ll be afternoon your time. So it’ll be late by the time I even get to you.”

Lee hums, “It’ll be fine, besides, it will only be another hour after you land in London. He’s okay to wait.”

I move my jacket back onto the bed, “You are one-hundred percent-” “Positive, my love.” Leon cuts me off, “I even gave him your number so you can text him when you get off since finding the terminal can be a bit hard.”

I wait a second for him to continue, but when he doesn’t I let out a small giggle, “So am I supposed to guess his number or-” “Shit, right, one second love.”

I giggle as he put his phone on speaker to read the number off. I smile as I type it in, “Thank you, Lee Lee.”

“Eww, please no Lee Lee.” I hear him groan, “You can have my contact name be that, but for the love of Arceus, not in public.”

“But-”

“No, no buts.”

I immediately laugh, my whole body shaking. I can hear him groan on the other side of the phone as I do. Once I am able to compose myself, I can hear Leon chuckling on the other end of the phone. “So,” I manage after a little bit, “So should I change it in my phone? So your friends don’t see?”

“No,” his voice in sincere, “I just hate how it sounds aloud. Anything else is better than Lee Lee-”

“Oh, I am sure I can think of something worse.”

“Please don’t.” He whispers into the receiver, making me laugh again.

“No promises!” I sing, noticing the door opening, “Hold on, Leon-”

Aiden pushes the door open, his head just barely poking in, “Mom got the camera set up, so hang up with your boyfriend so we can celebrate Christmas.”

I giggle, “Okay, one minute Aiden.” I wave him off before placing my phone back to my ear, “I have been summoned, so that means I have to let you go.” I take one last look at my things, “So I will see you tomorrow.”

He chuckles, “Have a good night, (Y/N), I will see you tomorrow night. Remember to text Raihan when you get in, okay?”

“I will, I love you, Lee. See you soon.” Leon replies with a quick ‘I love you too,’ before we hang up. I stretch my arms over my head before walking to the door. Time to celebrate with my family before I head to bed and maybe get some shut-eye.

~

I couldn’t sleep: not when my head hit the pillow, not when we were settled in the car for the hour long drive to the airport, and not once I was settled on the six to seven hour long flight to London. It probably didn’t help that I was anxious about flying alone for the first time ever.

Arriving at the airport was another hassle; not only were we checked by customs straight out of the gate, but by random check, I got pulled into a room to discuss what were in my bags. They mistook something I got on the plane, a bag of cookies, as something they weren’t. I let them just throw it out as to not anger them more.

My feet dragged as I looked up at the boards that normally pointed me in the right direction, but I came up empty handed, and got bumped into a lot. I eventually ended up asking someone who I hoped could at least point me in somewhat of a correct direction, I was wrong.

“Miss?” I ask, the lady lifting her head and looking at me in annoyance, “Can you point me in the direction of the Galar terminal? I can’t seem to figure out-”

“We don’t have any such thing.” She snaps, looking at me as if I am just messing with her.

I raise an eyebrow before starting to pull my ticket from my bag, “But my ticket-”

“If you need help,” she lifts her hand and points vaguely from the place I had just come from, “You can go ask the ladies at the desk that way.”

I blink at her before nodding and whispering a quick thank you. So much for the help. I run a hand through my hair before slipping into the bathroom with my backpack and two suitcases that the people from customs had pulled out for me once seeing my ticket to lean against the wall. I take a minute to take a breath before trying to figure out my next move.

As if a sign from above, my phone finally pings, signalling that I have signal in the country. “Oh thank Lord baby Jesus.” I whisper, pulling the device out of my bag. As I go to punch in the number to call Raihan, the number pops up on the screen. I answer immediately, waving at other women to go into the bathroom. “Uh, hell-hello?”

“Hey, this is Raihan, this is Leon’s girlfriend (Y/N), right?”

A soft laugh leaves my parted lips, “Yeah, this is she. I uh, was just about to call you cause my phone finally found signal. Um,” I gather my things and place my backpack over my shoulders and begin dragging my suitcases out of the restroom. “I’m kinda lost, and no one seems to know where the terminal is?”

“Oh yeah, I thought Leon told you-”

“He did,” I sigh, “He-he did, I’m just a little stressed and, uh, sleep-deprived.”

I hear him laugh softly into the phone, “Okay, explain to me where you are at.” I do, it takes a minute for him to think about where I am but he is able to give me vage directions by giving me shops to look for to find where he is at. “I’ll meet you at the last Starbucks before we get to our terminal. Do you want me to stay on the line?”

“I would appreciate it,” I sigh as I start walking, keeping my bags as close as possible as I maneuver my way through the crowd. Raihan stays on the line, even though the poor guy is just hearing me mumble out where I need to go, correcting me if need be.

“Okay, you should be closest to the Starbucks, wave if you see.”

I let out a laugh, “What are you wearing?”

“Oh, yeah I am wearing a gray sweater and jeans, red phone in hand- did you almost dorp your suitcases to wave at me?”

I laugh, nodding my head as I recollect my bags and continue to roll them along as he steps outside the small shop. “Yeah, you stepped out and I was like, 'A-ha, I see him.” But I didn’t want to interrupt your explanation.“ He laughs, and it carries up the hallway. "Okay, I’m hanging up now.”

Raihan smiles, relaxing on the wall as I make my way over. “And here she is, the lady of the hour, Leon’s one-true-love, Miss (Y/F/N).”

I bow playfully, “Thank you, thank you, I will be here for the next two weeks.” I finally laugh as I come to a stop in front of him letting go of my suitcases. “Also, thank you for waiting to fly to Galar and wait for me, this was a lot more stressful than I thought.”

“No problem, cutiefly, figured I would help you out and also spend a little extra time with my brother and nieces.” Raihan lifts his duffle bag that I had just noticed on the ground beside him, and places it on top of one of my suitcase. “Besides, I know the airline will wait for all its passengers for the day so it was easier to fly us home.”

“Really?” I ask as Raihan starts to drag our bags to the right of the store down a back hallway, the wheels echoing in the small space.

“Mhm,” he hums, turning so his shoulder hits a push door, opening it to reveal a small terminal with a small waiting room and desk where a man is seated behind it. “Hey, Steven.”

“Raihan, how was the family?” He asks, not even looking up from his tablet.

“They were good,” Raihan states while leaning against the counter as a female flight attendant walks out and smiles at the two of us.

“Oh you are here! We can head as soon as you get checked in and get you comfortable!” She states happily, as Steven’s head snaps up and he stands to scan our tickets in.

“It’s nice to see you again, Felicia.” Raihan smiles as Steven takes his ticket and scans it. “I hope you and Steven get to go home for Christmas.”

“We do,” she coos, suddenly peaking around him. “Who is this?”

Raihan jabs his thumb back at me as he pushes our bags toward the open door. “This is (Y/N), Champion Leon’s girlfriend.”

The two smile at me as I pass my ticket to Steven, “Hello.”

“Is this your first time in Galar?” Felicia smiles.

“Yeah, I am really excited.” I giggle, taking back my ticket.

“Well,” Steven stands, stretching and reaching for Raihan’s and my bag. “I will get these into the cargo and you two can follow Felicia down the stairs and get settled into the plane.”

As he walks away, I look at Raihan in curiosity. He gives me a bright smile, his canines poking through like how they do in the game making me giggle. He motions for me to follow him and Felicia down the ramp and towards a flight of stairs that takes us right out onto the airway where our plane is parked. It’s a smaller plane, with stairs already rolled up to the door. Raihan enters first, and Felicia motions me to go next so she can follow in behind me. Once inside I notice that there are at least twenty seats. They are set in pairs on either side of an aisle.

“Go ahead and settle wherever is comfortable!” Felicia calls as she walks toward the front of the plane.

Raihan sits toward the front of the plane where the door is at. He sits in the aisle seat, reclining it back as far as it will go, kicking his feet up onto the armrest in front of him, and shuts his eyes, making me laugh. “What are you laughing at, cutiefly?”

“Aren’t you supposed to not recline the seat until they take off?”

He hums, smiling. He peeks an eye open to see me still standing in place, causing him to frown. “What are you still standing for? Sit, sit, sit,” Rahian places his feet back on the floor before reclining the seat back up so he can usher me into the seat beside him. Once I pass him, he carefully takes my backpack and places it in the upper compartments before retaking his seat.

Felicia and Steven both enter the plane quickly, followed by another man who gives us a quick nod before disappearing into the cockpit. Felicia smiles as the two of them sit down. “I’m not going to go through the normal flight precautions. If we have a problem with the flight we will send out our Pokemon, okay?”

I nod watching as they settle into their seats and the pilot comes over the communication system. “We are set to take off. Buckle-up everyone, we are headed home and should be arriving there at approximately eight fifty-five p.m.”

“Nervous flyer?” I jump at Raihan, who leaned closer to me so it’d just be said between us.

“Not usually, travelling alone makes it much worse.” I admit quietly, tensing up as the engine starts with a loud bang.

He gives me a soft smile, “Well, if you need to hold my hand, feel free.” He winks making me roll my eyes. “I’m serious, I just want you to be comfortable, this flight can be a bit rough.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” I whisper just as the begins backing out of its spot and starts heading to the runway. Once the plane is up in the air, I take a moment to check out the window and the city below. My body relaxes now that it’s in the sky, excluding the popping in my ears as I look out the window, until the motion-sickness settles in. I let out an annoyed sigh as I lean back into the seat and shut my eyes, maybe just maybe I could sleep.

“Motion sick?”

“Yeah,” I sigh, turning to look at him. I watch as he stands from his seat to walk to the front of the plane and prod through some drawers and cupboards. Before I can ask he comes back and hands me a bottle of medication used for motion sickness. “Thank you.” I whisper, popping off the top and taking the prescribed amount in hand before passing back the bottle. Raihan passes me a water bottle in return to take them with.

He settles down back into his seat after, giving me a small smile. He places his hand toward me, “May I have what is left?”

“Yeah,” I pass back the bottle, which he chugs until it’s empty. “Are your parents still living in Galar?”

He nods, “Yeah, my brother and his wife moved out of Galar about seven years ago when their youngest was one so she wouldn’t remember Pokemon.” He sighs as he shakes his head, “His wife’s idea more than his, but nothing they can do right now. They have three little girls now, all who love fairy-types, so I had one of the girls that lives in Glimwood Tangle make a couple dolls for them of some of the neighboring Pokemon.”

“Did they love them?”

He smiles and nods, “They adored them, but my brother’s wife was furious. I told her 'they have seen the shows, it’s not like they never existed here.’”

“Well, they are young, and their imagination will give those dolls life.”

“They will indeed.” Raihan smiles, letting out a small laugh. “So, what convinced you to finally fly out here?”

“Well, I would have been here this summer, but there was some big line of people that my passport had to go through to get it approved for me to come. Lee wanted me to do some work here until I had to go back to school.”

Raihan gives me a weird look, “There isn’t some big line of people to-” he cuts himself off before clicking his tongue. “The only person it has to go through is Chairman Rose, and he probably thought you would distract Leon, so he wouldn’t sign the papers to get it stamped until after the gym challenge ended at the end of the summer.”

“Huh,” I nod, my head in understanding, “Makes sense, but also that is really annoying. When Lee is focused it’s hard to pull him out of it-”

“But, it’s also you. Leon is a big supporter of family, he can be pulled out of his thoughts by you or Hop anyday.”

“You think so?”

“I know, believe me, the second I ask about you he lets his guard down.” Raihan is smiling happily, “Honestly, it’s nice to see him so happy.”

I smile, my fingers fidgeting with the zipper of my jacket, “Well I’m glad it’s not just when he is seeing me.” It’s meant to be a joke but I can tell Rahian is curious. “I know he talks sometimes while he works under Rose, I can tell he is being worked to the bone and exhausting himself. He worries me more than I would like to admit.”

Raihan nods in understanding, “I found him once in his office passed out, I made sure to take him out that morning to get some good food and some caffeine. He does say that Rose keeps him on his toes, it’s one thing I think he hates as champion.”

“I just hope Rose will let him have a holiday-”

“He may have to fight for it. I mean, we have a holiday banquet for all the gym leaders to celebrate the past season but that will be completely different. Rose and his little secretary will most-likely attempt to pull him away to do something.”

“So it’ll be on Hop and I to try and keep him from saying yes all the time.” I sigh, resting my head against the headrest

He nods, running his hand through his hair before he pulls his headband out of his jacket pocket. “It’ll be an uphill battle, I will be hoping you make it work out.”

I nod, leaning to open the window shade again to see lights below. “Are we already there?”

I feel Raihan lean toward me, “Yeah, the flight goes by pretty quickly, which is always nice.”

I yawn softly, “Guess we are almost home.”

“Passengers of Flight 295, welcome to Galar.”

_________________________________________

A/N: Its another day, that is another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know if you wanna be tagged! Let me know what you think!

Masterlist

[cuddletime-blog]

Lucien: Drunken Ares and Irritated MC

WARNING: Spoilers for Chapter 13, some angst, mild violence

It was 2:37 am and my phone was ringing. I turned on the lamp at my nightstand and grabbed my phone to check the caller ID. It was a phone call from Lucien…No, Ares. I stared at my phone with both a shocked and conflicted expression while letting it ring a few more times. My eyebrows were scrunched together so I rubbed the spot between my eyebrows and forehead, trying to think clearly. What could he possibly want to say to me at this time? I had already told him that he was my enemy and we weren’t on close speaking terms to be calling each other on the phone. I previously didn’t delete his number from my phone, but I never thought that I would be receiving a phone call from him at a time like this. I was scared and my heart beat faster.

Finally, when the phone rang for the fourth time, I picked up the call saying, “I think we no longer have any reason to be speaking to each other again,” but then I heard a different man’s voice replying, “Hello. Is this Ms. Elise? I’m very sorry to be disturbing you like this, but it is quite an urgent situation. I’m the owner of the Carmine Dahlia wine bar in Loveland and I have a young adult male customer passed out at our bar. He’s unconscious, but very feverish and I don’t know who else to call. There is no identification card on this customer. The bartender told me that he muttered your name a few times before passing out and I looked through his phone’s emergency contacts and your number was the only one that I found. I’m trying to close up the bar and I was wondering if you would be able to come pick him up soon if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” I thought about what I should do. Normally, wouldn’t he have been sent to the hospital or perhaps the owner could have called the police? I was thinking that in the worst case scenario, his fever could be life-threatening if he continued to remain unconscious without getting medical help. What if he became delirious and unable to control his Evol? Would other people around him be in danger? Why was he at the bar alone? Could there be anyone else from Black Swan lurking around him? After a little more deliberation, I told the bar owner, “I think I can be there in 30 minutes. Please keep an eye on him for me until I arrive.”

           When I arrived at the bar, Ares had been moved to a couch and was rolled over on his left side. He was still unconscious, but I could see that he was breathing fine. Seeing him drunk and passed out made me feel incredibly pissed. I paid the bar owner money, asking him and the bartender to please carry Ares into the taxi cab. There was no way that I would have been able to manage that alone. Then, I told the taxi cab driver to take me back to my apartment building and paid the driver more money as well so that he could help me carry Ares into the elevator up to my apartment floor.

Finally back inside my apartment, I carried Ares over to my bed and placed him on his left side. Thankfully, I had just changed the sheets on my bed earlier tonight so they were still new. I felt his forehead and placed a thermometer under his tongue. The thermometer’s reading was 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. He was sweating so much. I got a cold ice pack wrapped in a wet face towel to place on his forehead. Then, I dug through a box in my closet, found one of my father’s old shirts that I hadn’t donated, and placed it on the bed. I said, “Don’t get any weird ideas tomorrow. I’m just trying to help bring your fever down.” I unbuttoned Ares’s white dress shirt, wiped all of the sweat from his face and upper body, and changed him into my father’s old shirt. I got a glass of water from the kitchen and 2 acetaminophen tablets. I didn’t have any better idea to wake him up so I decided to do what I had been itching to do earlier ever since I saw him lying down passed out and feverish at the bar. I slapped him hard enough on one cheek to wake him up so that I could get him to swallow the water and the pills. Thankfully, Ares opened his eyes for me to give him the medication properly. I stared straight into his eyes while placing the pills into his mouth without looking away because I couldn’t afford to show him any fear. After swallowing the medication, he fell asleep. I thought that with his excellent memory and intelligence, he still might remember that slap tomorrow and the fact that I undressed him. It was already too late and I was too tired to worry any longer.

I took out a futon and placed it in my bedroom. I monitored him for an hour, making sure that his fever had improved and then fell asleep on my futon. I had to go to work in the morning so I quickly cooked a small pot of porridge with ground pork and green onions. Then, I also made some rice for my lunch with some steamed egg and tomato, a little bit of stir fry chicken, and bok choy. I put a cup of warm tea and a glass of water with a bottle of acetaminophen tablets on the kitchen table and quickly wrote a sticky note, which read: “Eat the porridge for breakfast and take the medication. There is a cold pitcher of water in the fridge and some dishes I made for lunch.”

I came back home from work and I felt frustrated so I wanted to clean the apartment before starting dinner. Ares was sitting on the couch in the living room when I arrived home and it looked like he had been waiting for me. I wasn’t in the mood to talk much yet so I told him, “I need to clean and make dinner first. Whatever you have to say to me will have to wait until later. I paid for the taxi cab ride to come pick you up and bring you here to the apartment last night so please help me clean my apartment and prepare dinner. Fortunately, you had already paid for your drinks at the bar beforehand so it’s just the cost of the taxi ride. I’ll consider it even if you help me today and you won’t owe me anymore. Vacuum and dust the living room and help me make a spinach soup for dinner.”

Ares helped me clean like I asked him to and I made a quick dinner consisting of stir fry chicken with mixed veggies and white rice. Then, I cleaned the kitchen counter and was about to start doing the dishes, but he already moved over to the sink and grabbed the dishwashing gloves away from me. With nothing else to do, I brewed a pot of tea for the both of us and went to sit on the living room couch. Ares sat down on a couch opposite from me and I grabbed the opportunity to speak first, saying “Thank you for your help earlier. More importantly, what were you doing or thinking that you got so drunk and passed out? You didn’t even know that you were running a fever? You drank so heavily even though you were sick. What if you did something while you were drunk and lost control of your Evol?” I didn’t know why I was so heated and felt like lecturing him.

He said, “That is my own matter. It does not concern you.” Then I replied, “Oh really? Then why have I been having recurring dreams in the past week about you drinking alone in another place in some dark corner while listening to some heartbroken song on your phone? If it was Lucien, he would have told me if he missed me. If it was Lucien, he wouldn’t be hiding from me and trying to keep everything to himself. That’s nothing like the Lucien I know. That’s a man who can’t even pull himself together and would rather suffer alone in silence. That’s not love. If you love someone, you should be able to trust them enough to let them know if you’re feeling sad, lonely, scared…everything. I can’t love someone who loves me half-heartedly and won’t even communicate with me properly.”

Ares walked over to the kitchen and didn’t say anything. I got up and followed after him into the kitchen, wanting to hear a proper explanation. Then, he suddenly pushed me against the kitchen wall, slipped one hand under the bottom left corner of my shirt, and caressed the area on my side slightly above my hip. Next, Ares lowered his head with his warm breath over my shoulder, bit the area between my neck and shoulder close to where my bra strap runs across my shoulder, and licked it slightly. He said, “The color on your face when you’re so angry looks ravishing too.” I was upset that I had let him be way too forward with me and intended to raise my hand to slap him across the cheek (I felt that he very much deserved this slap now), but he moved quicker than me, grabbed my hand, and kissed the top of it. Ares turned towards the door and walked away saying goodbye to me as he left. I locked the door after he left.

My thoughts were all heated, stormy, and jumbled in a mess. I tossed and turned that night in bed, unable to sleep so I got up and walked over to look outside my window. There was a full moon tonight and the night was beautiful and cold, almost like any other night this month. I walked over to my piano and started playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata over and over again with dedicated fervor before feeling sleepy enough to return to bed.

My alarm rang and I woke up, realizing that the events of the past 2 days were all just one night’s dream.