#happy macho monday

[hattyhimself]

macho monday 3: something in common

[intothedysphoria]

Steve had heard a lot about Billy before he ever met him.

The Hargrove’s had arrived during Shabbat so Steve was busy trying to wrangle his dyslexia into actually reading Hebrew for once while Hargrove was making his unforgettable impression on everyone. Still, Jonathan Byers and Dustin Henderson went to his Shul so Steve felt like he already knew the guy by the time Monday came knocking.

The way Henderson described him was like a cartoon monster, probably because he’d already developed a crush on his kid sister. The way Byers described him was almost with a quiet admiration. A guy flagging in small town Indiana had a lot of balls.

Hargrove was hot. Naturally. Almost scarily blonde, kind of like Jason Carver. Definitely Catholic. Could definitely ruin Steve’s life if he put his mind to it.

They didn’t officially talk until Halloween. Steve wasn’t drunk but he was one of the few. Tommy had been trying to get him to eat pork for a solid hour. Because it was so funny that Steve had religious dietary restrictions when they were all hammered.

Hargrove rolled his eyes and told Tommy to knock him off. He was about three inches shorter than Steve but he felt taller. Judging by the tightness of his leather pants, he’d been blessed by God in more than just his angelic good looks. That is, if the Christian God made angels who swayed slightly on their feet and were at the point of the night where everything smelled kind of old boots.

They ended up just talking. Nancy had gone god knows where after dumping his ass for Byers, Steve was pretty bummed after the sudden collapse of a year long relationship, even if he was slowly realising that he was gay, and Hargrove was happy to just have a chat. They debated the merits of Indiana Jones vs James Bond, then Steve drove him home.

The Hargrove house was absolutely fucking terrifying. Externally, it was just a fairly average place for a working class family of four but the confederate flag on Neil Hargrove’s pickup truck gave Steve pause. As did the old belt hanging out the back. Spikes attached.

Billy crashed at Steve’s instead. He said several lewd things about a mixture of girls and boys from Hawkins High, attempted to write a poem about Steve’s ass then promptly passed out and started snoring.

So. Billy Hargrove liked guys. Steve also liked guys. It wasn’t weird. Not unless Steve made it as such. They’d be fine.

It was not fine.

Billy had vanished by the time Steve woke up the following morning. He’d penned a short thank you note in very fancy handwriting, telling Steve that if anyone found out what had happened, he was dead. Eh. Steve had threatened worse.

He didn’t see Billy for about a week after that. Not until the blue Camaro parked outside the Byers. While there was a demodog just lying on the floor of the kitchen and Max was under Steve’s care.

Shit.

Steve sensed that flirting would not get him out of this one.

So he tried to act macho. Puffing out his chest. Peacocking just like Hargrove. Until Max’s ginger hair peeled out the window and he had to change tactics again.

Steve was not going to let his new crush get eaten by an alien. So he told him the truth.

Billy smoked five cigarettes right down to the filter while staring in horror at the creature on the kitchen floor. Ash got all over Joyce’s nice wooden floors. Nobody brought him up on it.

Then Billy’s face steeled and he fished a red bandana out of one of his pockets (Steve would pay attention to which side it had been on when he didn’t fear for his life) and grabbed his lighter.

“Let’s send these assholes to Hell.”

Steve couldn’t agree more.

Billy was not happy about having to sign a contract afterwards. Grumbling about how government was authoritarian bullshit. Still, he wrote his name with a flourish and asked to pull one of the scary government people to the side.

He did something unexpected when he finally emerged from the room afterwards. He kissed Steve. Apparently Steve hadn’t been making up a mutual crush in his head after all.

They had their first date a little before Christmas. Billy took him to Makeout Point. Fun was had. Then Billy drove Steve back to the Harringtons and made him watch Star Trek. Fucking nerd.

Six months went by and Steve never met Neil. He’d heard a lot about him, his opinion of African-Americans and Mexicans and Jews were dark and ugly and made Steve want to smash his teeth in. What cemented that opinion was that Billy was still coming to Steve’s with bruises patterning his torso, a split lip, broken toes.

It was the day when Neil had cracked Billy’s ribs that Steve decided to take matters into his own hands. Billy wasn’t well enough to come but Steve decided to have a little trip to the Hargrove’s, bat in hand. To have a talk.

Neil called Steve a kike and both of them faggots. There wasn’t a lot of talking after that.

Nobody knew quite where Neil had ran off to after that evening. Not even Steve. Not that he minded, as long as he stayed far away from Max and Billy.

He had Billy now, wearing his stupid leather pants as a joke, forcing him to watch more Star Trek. That was all that really mattered.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

More on Hunter McClaire and Darling in college:

Classmate: Uh Y/n who's that guy?

Hunter:*hugging Darling from behind while putting his chin on top of her head*

Darling: He's my boyfriend

Classmate: He's really clingy huh

Darling: You don't say

I absolutely love this heathers inspired OC. So here’s my headcanons. Also, darling is getting married her first year in college.

Hunter and Darling in college:

They got into an Ivy League school and got scholarships.

Most of darling’s scholarships was from her being in the local majorette team. He tried to pull her out of it, but he enjoyed seeing her in the costumes too much.

Hunter and darling don’t live on campus. He couldn’t handle the fact they’d be living apart. They live in an apartment near campus.

Their apartment bedroom is literally half and half. Darling still wanted her pink and nerd stuff. Hunter wanted his jock and macho stuff. So they compromised.

Hunter and Darling have the same classes. Luckily Darling settled on majoring in business with him.

Little does she know that she’ll be pregnant with Hunter’s baby by her senior year.

Dude has it all planned out. Marry darling by spring of her first year, enjoy two years of marriage, then start a family by senior year. That way he already has an heir to pass the company onto. And his parents can have a grandbaby to spoil.

Though his baby plan is put on hold when he discovers darling has an nexplanon implant in her arm when he gets her hormone results back (long story short, Hunter wanted to know why darling was more moody than usual after that one day he had to travel for a football game. Darling said she was sick and couldn’t make it. He believed her and the minute he hung up, she went to planned parenthood for a nexplanon implant)

He’s not happy. The only protection they use is condoms and that’s all they need. “What if the rod hurts you, babe? How could you be so stupid? This is why I need to attend your medical appointments.” Hunter told her to remove the rod, but darling didn’t. Eventually, he found out she lied and knocked her out. When darling came to, the rod was out.

Heath and Henry are in the same college too. That’s who watches over darling now if Hunter had to leave if it’s not football related. If he had to leave for football, both Heath and Henry, are on the team with him so they’re out. Instead he chains your leg to the apartment bed, and leaves a few sex toys and microwaveable meals.

There’s also a camera pointing right at you. Hunter enjoys watching you do your daily life like you usually would.

When he gets back he’s loving you right. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, seven days a week(I’m sorry for the Seven reference)

But seriously your pelvis is hurting for a while.

Hunter does most things for you like washing your hair( what if you get soap in your eyes?) and bathing you( he needs to make sure you’re not trying to wash his cum out)

You even eat his sometimes sprinkled with viagra and aphrodisiacs food. Admittedly, it freaks you out how he stares at you when you eat his meals.

“Are you enjoying the food, darling?”

“What’s in this?”

“Nothing out of the usual.”

“Ok* sarcasm*”

Hunter cuddles you like crazy. He is always the big spoon.

Which you don’t really mind because he’s big and has muscles.

Unfortunately, that means if he turns over, you turn with him. His grip is extremely tight.

[camlannpod]

Character Playlist: Dai Thomas

Happy off-week! Episode 2 will be with us next Monday, so in the interim I'm going to be taking these first few off-weeks to talk about our character playlists!! As you might have noticed, episode one is very much themed around Dai - so here's his playlist.

It's Called: Freefall - Paris Paloma

Anyway, you say you're too busy Saving everybody else to save yourself And you don't want no help, oh, well That's the story to tell

Despite appearances, Dai cares a lot about other people, and considers himself to be the emotional caretaker of the group. He knows Perry and Morgan have got the practical stuff covered, but he also knows that sometimes they're so busy surviving they forget how to live. That's what he's there for. He's the morale guy!

2. Waking Up The Giants - Grizfolk

We're the rhythm of the darkest nights We're the truth that's been left unspoken We're the shadows far beyond the lights We're waking, waking, waking up the giants

This one's pretty self-explanatory, and could be used for the show itself. We're in the apocalypse! There's a lot of stuff that our gang doesn't know yet about how all this works. And, from a folkloric perspective, giants are a huge part of Brittonic stories and literature.

3. Dear Fellow Traveller - Sea Wolf

Dear fellow traveler under the moon I saw you standing in the shadows and your eyes were blue You put your hand out, opened the door You said, "Come with me, boy, I want to show you something more"

Of the whole gang, Dai is the one who most wants to see the sheer wonder in this apocalypse. He refuses to believe that it's relentlessly cruel or relentlessly deadly. He doesn't see it as rot or poison so much as transformation. There's a part of him that's genuinely excited to explore this strange new world they're all living in.

4. Wolves of the Revolution - The Arcadian Wild

Stay awake, oh, from the wolves you run barefoot With their libellous venomous words, they shoot Pulled and panicked, the door is locked And you're trapped inside of your own heart

This one's for Dai and the Knights. As a Nameless survivor, Dai had a very hard time when the trio were with the Knights, and felt horribly powerless and horribly scared. Despite his bravado, and his determination to believe in the good of other survivors, he is just as afraid of going back as the others are.

5. Free the Beautiful - Harletson

Tell them to free the beautiful Our words are more than critical Tell them to free the bеautiful

As a character for me, Dai has a bit of Cassandra to him. Again this is about his determination to see the light in this apocalypse - to find beauty and magic in it, to believe in the kindness of others. Morgan and Perry are justified in their skepticism, but Dai knows they need to be reminded to hope for something better. Otherwise what's the point?

6. Should We Let the Fire Die? - Branches

Should we let the fire die? The sparks still have a flicker and the night is growing thicker, but Should we let the fire die?

So obviously this is about Dai's fire, and his hope with it - his refusal to give up entirely on the old world and all the people that were in it. But it's also very much about what a deeply romantic, deeply loving person he is. The kind of man who wishes for an evening to last forever, if only he can spend it with the person he loves.

7. Fuck It I'm A Flower - Crying Day Care Choir

Fuck it, I'm a flower Growing taller every day Getting greener by the hour And I don't care what people say

Dai has never been the most macho man in the room. His power doesn't come from physical strength and skill, he isn't a natural born leader, he isn't really forceful in anyway. Growing up in a fundamentally sexist world, that was a source of insecurity for him, but as he got older he began to defiantly celebrate this aspect of his personality along with his queerness. He's emotionally intelligent, kind, gentle and funny. He's the group's heart.

8. Hallelujah - Oh Wonder

Some days I don't think my mamma thinks I'm good enough to be a superstar But one day I will show her I'm a diamond in the rough, I'll be a superstar

Everyone underestimates Dai all the time. In the apocalypse that's a lot more literal, because he's Nameless, and groups like the Knights only really care about people's Names. He gets sick and tired of this, and frustrated with people constantly assuming he won't be capable of taking care of himself and others. This song is about Dai embracing the power he's had all along.

9. We Will All Be Changed - Seryn

We can write with ink and pen But we will sew with seeds instead Starting with words we've said And we will all be changed

This song is on all our core characters' playlists! In some ways yes, literally, they will all change by the end of the series. But it's also about them moving from fighting and surviving to living, healing and growing. They think they might have finally found somewhere safe to weather the apocalypse. What do they do now?

[pastelwitchling]

Hi lovely :) Have you written any fics where Alex tells Michael that loving him is the easiest thing in the world? Or Michael finds out that Alex said that about him? Just imagine the heart eyes!

***

              Michael hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. He’d called Alex during his lunchbreak, his body vibrating with annoyance and frustration at the junkyard’s most recent customer who’d spent the entirety of the past hour barking orders into Michael’s ear. Michael was really starting to resent being married and having someone he loved and cared about because, apparently, it meant he couldn’t risk exposing himself by opening earthquakes under assholes with his mind, and Alex must’ve been busy because he’d rejected the call.

              Sorry, meeting, I’ll call you after, his text immediately read. Except Alex must’ve been really distracted because he hadn’t actually rejected the call, instead setting his phone aside, not knowing that Michael was still on the other line, listening to everything.

              Michael didn’t bother texting him about it as he just missed his husband like crazy and was happy to listen to his soft voice as he spoke to his colleagues. He’d once joked that he loved it when Alex talked code-y to him. It turned out he didn’t care what Alex was talking about so long as he was talking. Something about knowing Alex was in a cool room, going about his day, admired for his genius and skill, soothed the agitation in his chest.

              So while Alex’s meeting went on, Michael leaned back against the airstream door, eyes shut, listening to his husband’s soft voice. Finally, when it sounded like the room was emptying out, Michael stood, ready to tell Alex he’d been on the line the whole time, when—

              “Was that Michael earlier?” Eduardo’s voice sounded, and Michael stilled. Would Alex get in trouble for answering his phone?

              But Alex’s chuckle eased his concerns at once. “Yeah. He’s probably dealing with assholes at work.”

              “Or he just misses you,” Alex’s boss mused. “You know, for such a cowboy, I expected more of a macho act.”

              “Oh did you?” Alex said, and Michael could hear his smile. He couldn’t help his own pained grin as he remembered the façade he put up years ago every time Alex got too close; the fear that if he didn’t protect his heart, this one person who mattered would shatter it beyond repair. That felt like centuries ago.

              “Bet he’s a handful, huh?” Eduardo chuckled good-naturedly, and had Michael and Alex not had the man and Kyle over for dinner several times already, he might’ve taken offense. As it stood, he stuck a tongue in his cheek and fought his own smile.

              “Actually,” Alex said softly, as if he couldn’t help it, “loving Michael’s just about the easiest thing in the world.”

              Michael’s smile dimmed, startled, and his heart panged. He scrunched his shoulders, automatically curling in around his phone as if it was his Alex instead. He missed him. Alex was right in his ear, and Michael missed him. Suddenly, and not really able to explain it, Michael hung up before Alex could pick his phone back up.

              Two seconds later, his phone rang again. “Hey, baby,” Alex greeted. “Sorry, that meeting went on longer than I thought it would.”

              “You’re fine,” Michael said. You’re perfect, you’re wonderful, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. “I was just finishing up.”

              A pause. “You sound happy,” Alex said slowly, amused. “Did something good happen?”

              Michael shut his eyes, hanging his head back. “No, I just . . . really missed you.”

              “I missed you too, baby.” Michael heard some shuffling, and imagined Alex grabbing his things. “I’m just about done here, I’m heading over.”

              Michael smiled at the thought. He knew no macho man could ever have been worth not having this. “Hurry.”

***

Happy malex Monday ❤️

[mariabtsos]

One That I Want ||m.yg|| – Chapter 9: Lightning

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Description: It is summer of 1956, and leader of the T-Birds Yoongi is working at a food joint at the beach to make extra money over the summer, when he meets a pretty girl. They start a summer fling that unfortunately had to come to end, but an unexpected turn of events will bring them back together.

Genre: 1950s au, angst, fluff, some smut, Greaser!Yoongi x Square/Goody-Two-Shoes!OC.

TW: underage drinking and smoking, sexual content, violence, misogyny (it’s the 1950s so peak macho man era).

Word Count: 1.6k+

Lottie was thankful to have spent most of her weekend with Nayeon, hanging out with her brought a happiness that she desperately needed. It was now Monday after school and they were laying on Lottie’s bed in a comfortable silence as the older played with her hair. Lottie felt like a change of style may serve her broken heart, but something better came along as the phone rang downstairs.

“Charlotte! There’s someone on the phone for you,” her little brother called.

“Were you expecting someone to call?” Nayeon asked, to which Lottie just shook her head confused, they both made their way down the stairs, her brother carelessly handing her the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby,” the deep rumble of Taehyung’s voice came through the receiver, flutters making themselves obvious in her stomach. “Oh, hi there Taehyung,” Nayeon immediately jumped up and down, getting closer to the phone so she could hear what they spoke about.

Taehyung had been hunting down her number the whole weekend, finally realizing she’ll most definitely not be in the Yellow Pages yet, he went to Wendy and asked her for it. He was keen on the foreigner, and now more so knowing how Yoongi had treated her. He wanted to make her feel better, even if she decided she wanted nothing to do with him other than be friends afterwards, seeing her so sad during the pep rally made him so angry and upset for her.

“I wanted to know if you’d let me take you out next Saturday?” he asked, Nayeon took the phone and covered the transmitter with her hands.

“Oh you have to go, weren’t you just telling me how you thought he was cute?” she whispered excitedly. Taehyung wasn’t sure if Nayeon actually knew how to whisper though, considering he heard most of what she said.

“Hmm, I guess, he’s pretty nifty,” Lottie replied, taking the phone back, “I’d love to go out with you Taehyungie!”

“Neeto! I’ll pick you up at 5, see you then baby,” Taehyung hung up after that, Nayeon immediately squealed, pulling her friend by her arm back up the stairs “I have to get you ready!” Lottie chuckled at that, she had to admit she was excited to go out with Taehyung, hopefully this was the new start she needed.

Namjoon felt lost, sitting on the hood of his beaten up car he wasn't sure how he felt about what had gone on Friday night, in a way he was excited to have finally gotten some from Kim, but so upset at what Jaebeom had done to his car.

“Namjoonah! Are you listenin’?” He was taken out of his thoughts by Yoongi.

“Sorry hyung, I just keep thinking about Friday, I hate that I got Kim and my heart wasn't in it,” he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“As long as something else was,” Jimin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Namjoon smacked the back of his neck causing the younger to yelp loudly “shut your trap.”

All Yoongi could do was chuckle at his dongsaengs along with Jin and Hobi who were leaning into each other from how hard they were laughing. “We'll figure it out Namjoonie, for now let's go get some shakes,” he grabbed his best friend's shoulder forcing him to stand up and walk to the diner's entrance.

What the hell?!

As the diner's doors swung open he was met with the most terrible sight ever.

Lottie and Kim Taehyung… on a date?

His friends’ immediately noticed Yoongi’s change in mood, following his gaze to the aforementioned, who were chatting rather lively. “You're staring hyung, let's go,” Hoseok pulled him to their usual booth, although that didn't stop Yoongi from continuing to stare.

“He’s achin’ for a breakin’,” he says under his breath.

“Going ape over bird dog over there Min?” Kim asked, Yoongi hadn’t even seen or heard her walk in, granted he was too busy burning a hole into Taehyung’s head.

“Bite the weenie Kim,” he rolled his eyes, finally looking away from Lottie, “with relish,” she replied cheekily, turning her attention to Namjoon, running one of her hands through his hair before walking away to the rest of her gang, who Yoongi had also not seen walk in. He chuckled at Namjoon’s face.

“Oh Namjoonie, don’t tell you’re gone for Kim?” he teased, making the younger break out of his trance, “pfft, you know these chicks, they’re only good for one thing,” he tried playing it off.

“Yeah,” Hobi piped up in defense of his friend, “what else are you supposed to do with them the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of the day?” He chuckled.

“Uhhh,” a confused Jimin jumped into the conversation,”is that all it takes? 15 minutes?” He asked nervously, causing the group to laugh. It was no secret to them that Jimin being the youngest was the least experienced of the group, it was something the aforementioned was insecure about; sure he’d done some petting and necking, but he’d never gone all the way with a chick. “No, Jiminie, it varies from person to person,” Jin explained, trying to reassure the youngest. Yoongi went back to staring, debating whether or not he should go up to Lottie, he found the opportunity when he saw her get up from her seat and head to the jukebox across the room.

Lottie was so happy to have gone on this date with Taehyung, she didn’t think she could laugh so hard her belly hurt and tears streamed down her face. He was such a gentleman and very good at making her comfortable. She was definitely grateful that Nayeon had convinced her to go.

“Wanna dance baby?” He asked you with a pretty smile that you just couldn’t say no to, you nodded very enthusiastically making him giggle. “Here’s a Won, pick something fun!” He handed her the small coin and she happily stood up, and walked to said jukebox. She was sorting through the selection of songs when she felt someone close to her.

“Don’t trust me to pick a song by mys-” she stopped when she saw Yoongi staring at her.

“Hey dolly,” he greeted her sheepishly, she scoffed in response.

“Hey,” Yoongi didn’t miss how quickly her smile had dropped once he’d shown up.

“Been wantin’ to talk to ya for a while”

“What could you possibly wanna talk about?” she retorted, she definitely sounded annoyed.

“That night at the pep rally,” he wished she would look at him, but she just kept looking through the song list, “the way I acted was terrible and it wasn’t me at all,” that last part made her look at him whilst she chuckled cynically.

“Then who was it? The person you told me to take out a missing person ad for?” Lottie felt her ears heat up as she let Yoongi know what she thought of him “it's okay, I've someone who won't go missing,” she turned and waved at Taehyung who flashed back a brilliant smile.

“Too bad his brains are in his biceps,” he said bitterly.

“Taehyung is a wonderful and smart young man, what have you ever done?” she finally inserted the small coin into the Jukebox, “c'mon Lottie I can run circles around him any day,” Yoongi complained, using his hand to point at Taehyung, who she saw taking off his letterman jacket to be more comfortable when the time came to dance.

“I'll believe that when I see it,” she looked at him one more time before choosing "Those Magic Changes" as the song she wanted to dance to, “bye Yoongi.”

Yoongi watched her walk away and Taehyung hold her as they swayed to the melody of the song, it made his heart shatter and his blood boil when he saw them giggling at each other, the obvious tint in Lottie's cheek making it obvious to Yoongi that she was keen of the jock.

He started walking back to his booth, where he noticed Jin and Namjoon missing, “where'd they go?” He asked his two remaining friends, “went to flirt with the girls, I heard Jin talking about how pretty Nayeon was looking today to Namjoon,” Hobi made a gagging sound.

I wish I could care as little as Hobi does, he thought.

Back at the table, Taehyung didn't miss the way Lottie's mood had changed, he'd seen Min approach her and he wanted nothing more than to beat his face in, but for now cheering her up was his priority.

“Hey baby! Ready to dance?” he smiled sweetly, holding his hand out to her.

Lottie was grateful for him at that moment so she took it, he pulled her close as they started dancing slowly. “So, have I been a good date so far?” he asked, they were so close, their noses barely a few inches apart.

“Hmm I don’t know,” she replied jokingly, prompting him to spin her around and dip her, she laughed loudly causing a couple of heads to turn their way, a very obvious Yoongi trying to bore holes into the back of Taehyung’s head… again.

“How about now?” His voice soft, they were close again, and Lottie didn't miss the way Taehyung's eyes went from her own to her lips, “I'd say you've been great,” their lips were barely touching. Lottie didn't want to move too fast, and she was suddenly aware that everyone was watching. She made a quick move and kissed his cheek, “but making out in front of everyone isn't my style,” Taehyung giggled.

“Not a problem baby, I'd never do anything you didn't want me to,” she gave him another kiss on the cheek and it almost looked like Taehyung’s face would split into two from how wide it was.

Yoongi wished his face would actually split into two.

[sukipershipper]

REUNION-A Punch Out Fic || Chapter 7

Oof, been a while since this ey? Hopefully we’re gon get some regular posting of this...though I don’t make many promises lol

Chapter 7: He was an Inspiration

During lunch, Mac sat next to Jarred and Li Mei, as per usual. The two of them knew there was something going on with the boy as of late, but neither knew what. Mac grabbed an apple from his bag and took a big bite from it, juice oozed from his mouth and dribbled down his chin. He wiped off the excess and once he swallowed, he grabbed a loose piece of paper from his bag and slammed it on the table, startling Jarred and Li. “Woah, dude wuzzat?” Jarred asked, “These are the phone numbers of some of the boxers that worked in the WVBA during the 70s,” Mac explained, “Neat, huh?”, “What do you need that for?’ Li Mei asked.

‘I wanna try digging deeper into this whole Kid Quick thing, why people loved him so much and how his death impacted the guys, ya know?”

“Yeaaaaahhhh” Jarred said with a wide, tired grin before it sloped into a small frown, “No…” he admitted.  Mac rolled his eyes with a smirk as he pulled his phone out, before his hand was grabbed by Li Mei in a panic. “Mac, before you do this, can I ask,” She started, wringing her fingers together, “Is this because of what happened on Monday?”, “I…no it’s not…not really anyhow” Mac said, reaching again for his phone.

Li Mei tapped the table in worry, “A-Are you sure it’s not-”, “IT’S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TRAINING! OK?” he yelled. Mac covered his mouth with his hand and brought it onto his friends in a panic. “I-I’m sorry Li, I didn’t mean to yell…” Mac apologized, “...but I need to do this..maybe if I learn…I can understand why everyone acts the way they do when we so much as mutter his name”, “O-ok then…” Li Mei said with a nod. Jared gave her a pat on the back, “Don’t worry, he ain’t lashing at you” he explained, leaning in to whisper, “It’s probably inner turmoil, my uncle has it A LOT”, “Ya know I can hear ya, right?” Mac said.

The older teen gave a smile, which was met with a shove from Mac. The trio laughed. “Anywho,” Mac continued, “I’mma get to calling, the sooner the better. It’s not gonna be easy but I need to do this…for me…for Doc…for Dean…”, “Then we will help you” Li Mei said with a smile, Jared nodded in response, “Yeah bro, besides I wanna get a scoop on Quickie too, ya know?”

“Serious?” Mac asked with a smile, both his friends gave a happy nod and smiled back. Mac chuckled happily, “Thank you both, really” he said, “This means a lot”, “No sweat bro, Now who we got first?” Jared asked.

Mac grabbed the paper and looked at the first name. A man named Ben Paora. Mac remembered that name being brought up a few times by Doc. He was known in the ring for being the most intimidating opponent you could fight, and he wasn’t even top of his circuit either! The man had the most terrifying stage presence. He apparently made Mr Macho Man cry once. “Ooh! Benny Boy!” Jared exclaimed, “I can ring him during study!”, “And I can ring that next name down…who is that? Archangel?”

Oscar Levington, better known by his stage name, Archangel, was the champion of the Minor Circuit. Mac didn’t know too much about him though. The most he knew about him was that he wore a big pair of metal wings, which were painted a beautiful golden-copperesque color. 

Mac nodded as he flicked the paper to his friends so they could write down the numbers they would call. “I’mma see if I can get a word in to Robin after school, Doc will let me see him” Mac explained. His two friends nodded, as they finished taking down the numbers on the paper before Mac took it back. Soon the bell rang and the three friends said their goodbyes as they headed off to class. Jared was headed towards his car to go ‘study at the library’. Normally he would just go to the park and hit a few blunts, but today he was headed there to make a very VERY important phone call.

A few minutes later he arrived at the park, went to his favorite bench and began flicking to the number he had written down. He dialed it in, hit the green button and waited. The tone buzzed for a few seconds until a raspy voice called from the other end. “Uh-huh, Kia Ora?” the voice greeted, “Uh, Hey bro! My name’s Jared an-”

“I ain’t your bloody bro, who is this?”

“Oh, My name is Jared Turner, are you Ben Paora? Te Awa Taniwhar?” 

The voice over the phone winced in annoyance at Jared’s pronunciation, but nonetheless he answered. “Ae, that would be me, what’you want?” he asked.

“I wanted to know if you knew anything about Mr Kid Quick?”

The voice paused, not speaking. After a while, the voice sparked up again, “Aue, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about him…” it spoke, “What do you need to know? And why you need to know it?”

“Uhh, it’s for my friend, and….” Jared took a deep breath, “...I wanted to know what kind of impact he had on the WVBA…or on…on you?”

A growl was heard on the other end, followed by “Upokokōhua” whatever that meant. “Alright then, you sitting down boy?” the voice asked. “Uhhh, yeah?” Jared replied, confused.

“Good…this is…probably gonna take a while” The voice explained, clicking his tongue.

“Ok then…I’m listening” Jared said, intrigued.

“Back when he first started, Jordan was one of the most formidable boxers. Like any good rookie, he was cocky, he was overconfident, but that ended up being his strength more so than his weakness. His confidence is what pushed him into the world circuit, got him to where he was before he died. To me, I think he was an inspiration”

“Inspiration?” 

“Yeah, to not just the younger folk, but to us older fellas in the ring”

“How so?”

“Simple, Hapaitia te ara, tika pumau ai te rangatiratanga mo nga uri whakatipu, Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence, and growth for future generations…His perseverance in the ring led a whole generation of kids to believe they had a chance, and it led people like me to strive to be stronger and an example to my own people! 

I was sure that he would carry out a wonderful legacy, to be the one who would inspire a whole generation of new boxers and a new beginning for the WVBA…instead his legacy was buried within the ropes of the ring…tutae mo te roro commissioners back then…thank god you have better head staff nowadays…”

“I’ll say” Jared added, thinking to himself, “He must’ve meant a lot to you, yeah?”

“Oh absolutely he did” The voice chuckled happily, “I just wish I could’ve told him that, we never really talked much when he WAS alive and now I regret not doing so…such a great soul…”

Silence once again lingered for a few seconds before the voice at the other end spoke up. “Anywho, I must’ve bored you a wee bit,” it chuckled, “I’ll leave you be now-”

“Well actually…” Jared interrupted, “...Do you think you could tell me about the time you made Mr Macho Man cry?”

The voice gave a raspy laugh from the other end, “Haha! Of course I can, it’s my favorite story after all…”

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

Doc was sat in the breakroom with Macho and Sandman, “I’m still sorry about what happened,” he explained to them, “I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately…he’s being so…”

“Secretive?” Sandman asked, “Yeah we noticed, right Carlos?” Macho nodded in response. “It’s not like him.” They were both right. Mac really had been very…uncooperative as of late, and it had been adhering to their training time together. Doc was worried because even if he was a kid, a reckless one at that, this was beyond something Doc knew he would do. Doc knew him for being inquisitive, bright, not…whatever this was. Not a menace. Not pushy. Not nosey. Just Mac. Plain old Mac…and now it felt like he hardly knew him at all.

“Maybe it’s my fault,” Doc said aloud, “All of this pressure and training…maybe I’ve put too much on his shoulders…that’s why he’s pushing me away…”

“Come on now, Doc, that’s not the reason…” Sandman said, putting a hand to the coach’s shoulder. “I want to believe you Mason,” Doc said, turning his gaze down and shoving the larger man's hand off his shoulder, “But I think I’ve just been...ignoring the fact that he ain’t like one of us…he’s a kid…a young, wonderful kid with his own goals and plans that…he probably doesn’t need to tell me or…or WANT to tell me…maybe I don’t know him as well as I thought…”

“Come on, that’s not true, it’s just…he’s been very…pushy as of late” Sandman continued, “I think this whole Kid Quick thing has gotten him all riled up”

“Can you stop bringing him up?” Macho asked, annoyed, “Seriously, it’s all I’ve heard today”

“Dude, it’s not a big deal, Okay?”

“It is to me, man!” Macho yelled, “Just because you didn’t care about him!”

“I didn’t care abou- Are you listening to yourself!?” Sandman yelled back, “I cared about him just as much as you did!”

“Yeah that’s why you talk about him like he's nothing!"

“I don’t talk about him like he’s nothing! That man meant the world to me!”

“BULLSHIT!!”

“NO, NOT BULLSHIT, CARLOS, I WA-”

“DON’T TRY AND MAKE EXCUSES, YOU DON’T ACTUALLY GIVE A FUCK ABOUT JORDAN, YOU ONLY GAVE A FUCK WHEN EVERYONE ELSE DID, NOT BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY CARED! AND HERE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT HIM LIKE YOU DO”

"FIRSTLY I DID CARE AND SECONDLY WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!? THE CONVERSATION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH QUICK IN THE FIRST PLACE, IT WAS ABOUT MACKY!!"

"WELL YOU MADE IT ABOUT QUICK!"

"NO, YOU MADE IT ABOUT QUICK! WHY ARE YOU GETTING LIKE THIS!? YOU DID IT WITH POPS AND YOU’RE DOING IT WITH ME!”

“I’m sorry, what happened with your pops?” Doc asked, trying to get a word in, but was ultimately ignored as the two giants continued to fight. Sandman shot up from his seat and pointed an accusing finger at Macho, “What the FUCK is your problem, Garcia!?”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS YOURS!? YOU TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE HE’S NOTHING! THROWING HIS NAME AROUND LIKE HE’S STILL AROUND!!”

“WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL!? IT’S JUST A NAME!! PEOPLE ARE GONNA SAY IT ALL THE TIME, IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!!”

“I DON’T LIKE HEARING HIS NAME! ALL IT DOES IS REMIND ME THAT HE’S NOT HERE! AND YOU TOSS IT AROUND LIKE HE DIDN’T SUFFER THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH THERE WAS TO ENDURE!”

“DYING IS A PART OF LIFE!! WE ARE GONNA LOSE PEOPLE ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!”

“WELL WE SHOULDN’T HAVE LOST HIM!!”

“BOTH OF YOU CUT IT OUT!!” Doc yelled. The taller men turned to the coach in shock, but of course they listened. “You are both being WAY too irrational and way too aggressive,” he said, sternly, “I think it’s best if you two stay away from each other for the rest of the day.” 

The two shared a look between each other. Sandman’s face was drawn with worry and, frankly, tiredness. He wanted this whole thing to be over and done with personally. But Macho’s face was seething red with anger. In a second he kicked the table over, startling the other two men and stomped out of the room in a huff. 

Sandman sighed and brought his hands over his eyes. He was much too tired to deal with this now. Doc only sighed. Today was gonna be…a lot.

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

The school bell sounded, the day had ended at last. Mac wasted no time dashing off to the WVBA as quickly as he could. Barely able to wave to his friend behind the cafe window. As he reached the WVBA’s car park, he took deep breaths as he walked up the stairs to the entrance. He walked around inside, waving off the boxers and trying his best to stay out of sight from them. Surprisingly there was no hello hug from Disco, so that was odd. He continued through the building’s halls until he found the office of Mr Jeremy Desire (pronounced Dez-err-ray), The WVBA’s Head and Commissioner. He was a much better head then the ones of the past, though admittedly there were a few things he could do better. For the most part though, he did really well in managing the boxers, his ringside staff and pretty much everything else. Plus, he was a kind man, and always had time for his boys in the ring. Particularly Mac. Knocking on the door, he was greeted with a “Come in!” 

Mac did so, twisting the knob and pushing the door open. He saw Mr Desire sat at his desk, typing away on his computer. He was a broad man, quite tall, and dressed casually in the chic of the 90s. His office was pretty standard, save for the countless pictures and posters of the boxers and himself around the room, followed by a few awards and personal memoirs. Desire looked up from his computer to see Mac standing in front of his desk. He smiled happily, “Mac my boy!” he greeted, “What can I do for ya, son?”

“Afternoon, Sir,” Mac started, “Hey I was wondering if you might know where Robin is?”

“Oh of course, yes, he’s out by the commentary table by the ring, son” Desire said, pointing to the door and flicking his finger to the right side of the hallway, “Why? What do you need him for?”

Mac bit his lip and gave a nervous laugh, “W-w-well I umm….I needed to ask him a few things about…something”

“Riiight” Desire said, “Listen Mac, I have heard about your little….debacle with Aran the other day”

“You did?”

“Yes, word gets around quickly” he stood up from his desk and gave the boy a worried look, “Listen, don’t try and start anything, ok? The WVBA has barely recovered from losing Quick in the way we did…I don’t want to have them be sent into another tizzy.”

“I promise, I won’t…I just…need answers”

“To?”

“...To…stuff…”

Desire went to speak, but was interrupted by a speaker calling him. ‘ BZZT! Mr Desire, can you come to the front desk please, there’s a woman here wanting to see you’

Desire sighed and made his way over to his desk, pressed a button on the speaker and replied. “Tell her I’ll be right there,” he said, turning his gaze back up to Mac as he made his way to the door, “Don’t stir anything, son” he warned as he opened the door and turned left down the hallway. Mac sighed and went to the right. Soon, he approached the ring's staff entrance. He could hear the echoes of a man talking inside. As he entered the large halls of the World Circuit’s ring, he saw the figure of a blue haired man in a purple suit. 

Robin was one of the WVBA’s most respected commentators, purely for the charm and charisma he brought to every match. Mac loved hearing him commentate his matches, it felt like a dream to have your every move narrated by such a man. Even when not commentating, Robin was one of the nicer folk, a wee bit prissy but still enjoyable to be around. Definitely not Don level’s of Prissy either

“Aaaand Here he comes! Off the rope! It’s a mighty hit from the Bruiser from the Bronx! Look at that swing!” his voice echoed. Mac smiled as he approached. “Here he goes! In for the second blow!” 

“Heya Robin!” Mac greeted, the blue haired man turned around in surprise but smiled as he caught sight of the young boy behind him. “Mac! Hello my friend!” he greeted, “I was just practicing for Friday night, What can I do for you?”

“Robin, I wanted to know if you knew anything about…Kid Quick?” Mac asked. Robin’s eyes shot open wide, that was a shock clearly. “Well…yes I believe I know a few things, how come? Robin asked, Mac gave another nervous laugh and smile, “Ohh…uhh….just starting up a conversation…?”

“...Weird way to start one but ok then,” Robin started, pulling up a seat for Mac to sit on. As the boy sat down, Robin took a deep breath and sighed, “Alrighty then…where to begin with Quickie…” he said, “...Well I can tell you about what I’ve learned based on the info from the archives? Will that help?”

“Yes please, anything is better than nothing at this point”

“Ok then…let’s see….Ah yes! He was born in Lansing, one of the most formidable opponents to ever grace the ring, he ALMOST beat Great Tiger for the amount of infractions he had. His speed was unmatched by everyone, his skill untamable and his legacy outstanding…He gave hope to the young generation…made them feel like there was a chance”

“A chance? For what?”

“He didn’t have a glamorous upbringing, he was abandoned by his parents, taken to orphanages and thrown back and forth between foster homes like he was garbage. He didn’t get to go to school until he was 7 and missed out on a severe chunk of his education. Grows up, finds the WVBA, and proves to the world that he doesn't need an education, or a fancy car to make it. If you got $50, skill, and a heart, you could make it…he gave children in that same situation a chance to see themselves going places…children like myself…”

Mac smiled warmly, “I guess he must’ve been a big idol for you, hm?” Robin nodded, “Growing up in Port-au-prince, I wasn’t lucky enough to have a nice warm home or nice food, but I did have stories…stories of this place…of boxers who lead their countries to victory…and Quickie didn’t lead just a country, he led a generation of us to believe we had a shot…I loved him for that…”

Robin’s happy expression faded away as he looked to the ground, “Wish I got the chance to tell him how much he meant to me…” 

“...Hey I’m sure he would’ve been happy to know he did that for you” Mac said, smiling. Robin smiled back and laughed, “...I can only pray that his family is alright…the only one I knew he had was his son...I forgot his name though…Dean I think?” he said. Mac only shrugged and gave a half smile, trying hard not to blurt out any confirmation. “Ah well, it’ll come to me eventually,” Robin said, “Anywho, you should get going before Doc comes here and gets my goat, I’ll see you around, oh! And good luck for Friday!”

“Thanks man…and uh, thanks! See you around!” Mac called back as he made his way back to the entrance he came from. A minute passed before he made his way out into the main lobby again, Doc standing in the middle looking around until he spotted Mac making his way towards him. “There you are, son!” he said, happily patting him on the back, “I was worried I’d need to send search and rescue after you”

“Haha, Doc!” Mac laughed, “It’s only been a few minutes”

“Still, I’m glad to see ya, life hasn’t been kind to ya lately so I’m thinking maybe we don’t go hard out today? I wanna let you recover from Monday…I know that day wasn’t very fun for you” Doc said, smiling. Mac smiled back happily, “I…I would like that…if we can?” 

“Ha! Of course we can! Come on kiddo, we’ll find a nice spot and do some light jabs, yeah? I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something anyhow”

“Yeah…Yeah! Ok Doc!”

The two smiled and made their way to the gym’s entrance. As they got in, Mac was greeted as per usual by Don and Aran. Hippo gave his usual grunt of a hello. A happy wave from Joe…well sort of. A grunt from Bull, and so on. It seemed pretty normal so far. Well almost. Macho didn’t give his usual ‘Sup dude’ as he saw him, and Sandman simply glanced at him without a word. 

They were also standing on opposite ends of the gym. Unusual for them, those two were glued to the hip. He also noticed the lack of any music, or constant punches…or hugging…or yelling…

“Hey, what’s going on? Where are Kaiser, Disco and…” Mac trailed off as he looked around, “...4 of our guys are gone!”

“Hmm, I didn’t even notice” Doc said, turning to Aran and Don, “You two, we missing some boys, where are they?”

“How tha’ feck would I know, ay?” Aran snarled, Don thought to himself, “I DID see Hugger getting dragged off by Kaiser, and Hondo and Disco followed after. I don’t know what happened after that though”

“Wait, what were they dragging him off for?”

“I don’t know, amigo, all I know is one minute they were here and the next gone! Haven’t seen them since”

Doc thought for a little bit, meanwhile Mac walked into the locker rooms to go and get changed. He shut the door behind him and set his bag on the bench as he pulled out his gear. He was halfway through taking off his shirt when he looked to the side and saw a bunch of papers on the floor, on top of it was a file with the name ‘Kid Quick’.

Mac picked it up and looked at the cover, the file had little handprints and teeth marks in it. 

The kid grit his teeth as his eyes widened in realization.

"...oh no…"

[madam-wakefield]

Open when... Chapter 11

AO3 Link FF Link

Summary:

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 When a few years into their relationship Bernie is asked to go back to the army and deploy Serena isn’t sure how she’s going to get through the nine months without her girlfriend. What she doesn’t expect is for it to be her girlfriend who has the perfect set of surprises to get her through both the best and the worst days. Canon divergent - Elinor lives (well actually the accident never happens), Raf lives, and Cameron isn’t a total ass! The staff of AAU also probably didn’t all work on there at the same time in canon but do in this! The fic is already fully written with the first few chapters having already been Beta’d. 27 chapters including the epilogue. Hoping to post every Monday and Friday!

Open when you want to hear my voice…

Serena sighs as she puts the phone down on the bedside table. It’s been eleven days since she last heard from Bernie via the phone. She had both an e-bluey and a handwritten bluey in that time but it’s just not the same as hearing her girlfriend’s voice. She knows Bernie is okay, telling her during their last conversation that they were going away from base for a while, and while she couldn’t tell her anymore, she probably wouldn’t be able to make contact for some time.

She appreciates the fact that Bernie had had the foresight to tell her, since she can’t imagine how worried she would have been had she not known about this pause in phone contact, but that doesn’t make it any easier right now. She is so desperate to hear her lover’s voice, no matter how crackly the phone line. It’s not going to happen though, not tonight, since it’s gone eleven at night which means it's gone half two in the morning where Bernie is. Stupid three and a half hour time difference still confuses her a little as she’s too used to the offsets being in full hours.

Serena so desperately wants to sleep. She’s tired, Jason having accidently woken her up at 5am by dropping the milk bottle on the floor, smashing everywhere. Instead, she slides out of bed and walks to the dressing table, where the box full of envelopes from Bernie sits. She thumbs through them slowly allowing her eyes to scan over each one, and she can not believe how many different situations Bernie has allowed for, the perfect mixture of happy and sad.

She finds the one that fits right near the back of all of them “Serena – open when you want to hear my voice.”

The envelope is thicker than the rest, she can feel something hard inside of it, but she isn’t sure what. She opens it carefully and pulls out the letter, and folded inside is a cd. Her brow furrows for a second, not really understanding. So, she turns to the letter, a little disappointed when she sees it only contains three sentences.

My Dearest Serena,

You need to hear my voice, and what better way for that than for the proper contents of this letter to be on the CD enclosed. I guess now you know what Raf, Fletch and I were up to at the nurses station the day you kept getting annoyed with us for whispering behind your back. Go listen and hopefully it will make you feel better.

All My Love, Bernie,

Your Big Macho Army Medic x

Serena remembers the day Bernie referred to as clearly as if it was yesterday. She’d been in a budget meeting and came down, early for a change, to find Raf, Fletch and Bernie all looking very sheepish at the nurses’ station. She’d brushed it off and they’d all quickly gone about their work but throughout the rest of the shift she’d kept catching them there, only for them to act as if nothing was going on every time they realised she was nearby. She’d been convinced that they were talking about her behind her back, and maybe they had been, but maybe not in the way that she thought.

She walks over to the CD player that she has positioned on the floor of the bedroom, next to her extensive music collection, even if she’s still failed to educate Bernie any further on her musical knowledge. She turns the volume down before placing the CD inside.

There’s a short rustling before she hears Bernie’s voice clearly over the speaker. She sinks down next to the speaker to allow herself to just listen.

“My Dearest Serena,

I wanted to do this for you in the hope that it would help when you needed to hear my voice. I promise that while Raf and Fletch helped me get this onto a CD only you and I will ever hear the content.” Serena chuckles at that. Bernie can drive a tank but doesn’t know how to rip a CD.

“I want to take this time to tell you how proud of you I am, of how proud I am of what you are doing there without me. Running the trauma unit with Raf, keeping AAU running like clockwork. I know this whole separation isn’t easy on you, but I’ll say again just how thankful that I am that you are letting me have this time.” Serena gets that. She almost told Bernie not to go, but it hadn’t taken her long at all to realise this was much more about Bernie than her and that it was the right thing to do.

“I know you miss me like crazy right now, and the only thing I can do to make that a little bit better is to tell you that the feeling is totally mutual. I miss you too, so much.” And in a weird way it does make Serena feel slightly better, a reminder that Bernie loves her as much as she loves Bernie.

“I hope you are doing your utmost to look after yourself with everything too. As much as Jason, Elinor, AAU and the trauma unit all matter, you can’t look after them if you aren’t looking after yourself, though I guess if you are listening to this, you’ve been willing to admit what you need, even if just to yourself. Always remember that you matter and your needs matter.” And Serena’s heart swells as it so often does when Bernie is involved, she always wants to make sure Serena is happy and cared for.

“As much as I’d love to let this go on and on, both you and I have things to do. So, I’m going to tell you that I love you so much and I’m missing you like crazy. Remember this is always here for any other times when you may just need to hear my voice again.

All My Love, Bernie,

Your Big Macho Army Medic” followed by the sound of Bernie air-kissing her. 

Serena takes the last sentence literally. She restarts the CD before climbing into bed, and finally with Bernie’s soft and gentle voice filling the room, she is able to fall into a sound sleep.

[hattyhimself]

more president macho because despite the current events and things going on today, it makes me feel better to draw my funny buff man lol

[menuandprice]

Chuy’s Happy Hour

Chuy’s is famous for their made-from-scratch enchiladas, burritos, and tacos, but do they have a happy hour? Not only does Chuy’s offer drink deals on domestic beers, house margaritas, and cocktails, but they also serve up a Fully-Loaded Nacho Car free of charge for guests who visit participating restaurants during happy hour. Not many happy hours give away free food, so we’d say the nacho car alone is worth taking a trip to your nearest Chuy’s. Here’s a look at the deals you can take advantage of during happy hour, as well as other daily specials you can find at your local Tex-Mex restaurant.

Chuy’s Happy Hour Specials in 2020

Happy hour at Chuy’s typically starts at 4:00 p.m. and goes until 7:00 pm Monday through Friday. While happy hour does not take place on Saturday and Sunday, there are daily food specials you can order through the weekend (more on that in a bit).

The absolute best part about happy hour at Chuy’s is the Free Fully-Loaded Nacho Car. Guests get to enjoy a complimentary spread of chips, salsa, queso, taco meat, and more alongside the drink of their choice. Drink specials may vary by location, but here’s a look at some of the most common one’s you’ll find at Chuy’s: - House Margaritas – $5.25 - Grande House Ritas – $8.25 - House Texas Martinis – $9.25 - Domestic Beers – $3.25 - Tecates – $1.00 off - Glass of Wine – $1.00 off - Bottle of Wine – $3.00 off Daily Specials at Chuy’s

Photo by Michelle Lee under the license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 In addition to happy hour, Chuy’s locations serve daily food specials Monday through Sunday. While the specials vary by restaurant, they often showcase the most popular menu items for a discounted price. Some of these daily specials include: - Love Me Tender Tacos for $9.99 - Muchos Tacos for $9.99 - Stuffed Avocado for $11.49 - Hatched Chicken Enchiladas for for $10.79 - Fajita Chicken Enchiladas for $11.09 - Chicken Velvet Enchiladas for $11.79 - Cosmic Combo for $11.19 - Macho Burrito for $11.99 - Pork Boom-Boom Enchiladas for $11.79 Chuy’s normally offers one or two of these specials per day. Be sure to ask your local restaurant which days they serve each meal. Prices and availability may vary. Another way to get exclusive specials from Chuy’s is by signing up for their email program. All you have to do is visit their website and submit your name, email, and local Chuy’s restaurant, and you will start receiving emails with news and specials. To find out about more happy hours at your favorite restaurants like Texas Roadhouse, Applebee’s, and Starbucks, check out our Fast Food Happy Hour page. The post Chuy’s Happy Hour appeared first on Fast Food Menu Prices. Read the full article

[w2beastars]

Waezi2′s thoughts on “Beast Complex” chapter 18.(for real this time)

Seriously, no BS this time!

So, it is impossible to read chap 18 online atm since there is some trouble with the site where it is originally posted. But I'm in a group where I watch as people translate the series, so I can tell you about the chapter that this time is about Airdo the Lion and Ako the Rabbit.

Remember those guys?

Yep, its the two idiots who Haru met. Their relationship went… sour, after they made out and that resulted in the normally gentle Airdo attacking Ako, leaving her with big scars on her head.

But whatever happened to those two?

This chapter takes place about a year after the incident. Airdo sees a poster that says that Ako is part of a beauty contest. She has been given the nickname “The Scar-Faced Angel.” Airdo had no idea she had returned to college and that she seems to be as social as she used to be. Airdo haven’t seen her since they were in court, and he decides to go see her so he can try apologize to her and see if she is okay. This makes sense since they are at the same college, so Airdo might as well go see her instead of accidentally bumping into her which would be painfully awkward.

Airdo expects to be kicked in the groin or something… But Ako is actually happy to see him. She hugs him and says she had hoped he would go look for her since she thought it would be too much for him if she called him.

She declarers how good it is to see him loudly and she even presents him to her friends, telling them that they used to date but that Airdo gave her the scars on her head.

... Yeah, I’m smelling a fish-sandwich.

The two of them leave the tennis club’s court, confusing Ako’s friends since they find it odd she would have anything to do with the lion who almost ate her.

But not as confused as Airdo when Ako starts lecturing him. She says that his timing is bad, that he should have waited to come to see her till Monday since this day is a holiday. It is easier to start rumors on a normal school day like Monday.

Yep, Ako haven’t changed at all, she is still very fixated when it comes to her reputation. She is good at seizing an opportunity when she spots one, so she is surprised when Airdo drops by to visit her at her club but also quick to turn it into an opportunity by telling her friends first that he attacked her AND that she has to visit him to talk things out.

But here is the thing.

Why not just make a scene? Why not yell and act like she is panicking when the teen lion comes to talk to her? Airdo knows how Ako thinks, and that would be the logical thing to do for someone who is part of a beauty contest by winning “pity points” as the Scar-Faced Angel.

The two of them decides to go to Airdo’s place and get a drink.

Okay, two things about this panel.

First of all, we get some world building as we see that Mugi’s new macho image is apparently a huge success. His “handsome uncle” photo book has sold over a million copies. Nice to know his change of image actually worked and that he can hopefully inspire a new generation of more confident shiba inu dogs.

Also, its a nice touch that Airdo uses an computer screen for television. Recall my friend Lasse doing that years ago while he lived in a smaller apartment.

As they sit with each their can of beer and watch TV, Airdo realizes that I can’t recall them ever being alone in a room. Ako almost always wanted them to be outside or in a public room so people saw them together since she liked the attention she got from being in a cross-species relationship. airdo once claimed that their relationship was kinda phony, that they were just fooling around. But he sees this moment as the chance for the two of them to talk for real, to get to actually know each other better.

Buuuuut Ako is wasted. She is apparently a lightweight when it comes to drinking.

(There have been no panels of Ako actually drinking beer. Keep that in mind for what happens next.)

But as Airdo looks at the sleeping rabbit with a bit of sadness, Ako reveals to not be asleep as she accuses him of pitying her and she storms out of the room. airdo is confused, and he decides to run after her.

As the teen lion chases after his rabbit ex, Ako begins to yell that she hates her scars but that she intent to make the most out of her situation, like getting a ton of followers on twitter as the “Scar-Faced Angel” as well as writing an autobiography about her trauma. But the last thing she wants is Airdo’s pity or him feeling guilty.

And then she makes one heck of a statement.

Well... she is not wrong.

Back in chapter 119 of Beastars where we first met these two idiots, Airdo tells Ako that they don’t have a serious relationship, that he is mostly Ako’s arm-candy. And that he is okay with that. But Ako then says that she wants Airdo to take her serious, to think of her as a female first instead of a small rabbit. So they passionately kiss... And Airdo then attacks her by accident because of his predator instincts.

Airdo was the one attacking Ako. But Ako was the one who unintentionally awakened Airdo’s killer instinct by underestimating how much of a slave animals are to their nature. So in a matter of speaking, yes, she DID “make” those scars.

Seeing Ako this honest and vulnerable makes Airdo confess his true feelings for the rabbit. He tells her that he loves her and that he wants more than just being a trendy woke couple, he wants them to actually date and know each other for real.

... And then Ako does this:

Yep, Ako is not drunk at all. She played Airdo like a fiddle so he would declare his love for her.

... AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! DAMN, BITCH! XD

Airdo laughes. After all, he loves Ako for being a smartass who seizes an opportunity when she spots it. He never had any ill feelings toward Ako being “scary” and almost manipulative. Heck, you could argue that he is a bit of a “bottom” as he was okay with Ako bossing him around both in this chapter and chapter 119 of Beastars. Why should he be pissed at her for doing her thing and basically manipulating him into confessing by pretending to be drunk and hysterical?

And besides, she was most likely telling the truth. She tells Airdo that she is vain and tries to milk her unfortunate situation. And she has not shown any signs of ill feelings toward Airdo in this chapter at all, so she doesn’t blame him for what happened.

I would say that this is a win for the both of them. Paru doesn’t let us have happy endings, not without at least a couple of catches. This is as close as the rabbit and lion will get to a joyful conclusion to their little tale :)

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 17

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

“We should get champagne or something, to celebrate,” Scully says, her eyes roving over the menu.

After three weeks of rehab, Teena Mulder has finally been able to move home, though she’s under the constant care of an in-home nurse. Knowing that she’s back in her own space, no longer the medical setting that made her miserable, is a huge weight off Mulder’s shoulders. This is why they’re out to dinner, celebrating a hopeful return to what feels like normal.

“Only if you’re driving home,” Mulder replies playfully, “you know what bubbly does to me.”

She gives him a flirtatious smirk. “Yes, I do.”

“Dana?” someone calls out, and they look over to see two women. One is tall and slim with light olive-toned skin and brunette shoulder-length hair. The other is significantly shorter, Latina, with thick hips and an ample bustline, her dark hair cascading down her back.

“Monica, hi,” Scully replies warmly to the tall woman. She turns to the shorter one, “you must be Dahlia.”

“Guilty as charged,” the short woman answers jovially with a heavy Spanish accent.

“This is my boyfriend, Fox Mulder,” Scully continues, gesturing to him, “Mulder, this is Monica, I’ve told you about her.”

Mulder nods in understanding. Scully has often mentioned a woman she regularly has coffee and lunch with who works in VICAP.

“Nice to finally meet you,” Mulder says, offering his hand to Monica.

She takes his hand with a firm grip, then gestures to the short woman, “this is my partner, Dahlia.”

Mulder and Scully both greet Dahlia with handshakes.

“Well, we’ll leave you to your meal, it was nice to run into you,” Monica says.

“Would you like to join us? We haven’t even ordered yet,” Scully offers, giving Mulder a quick glance to confirm that this is okay. He nods almost imperceptibly.

“Oh, we don’t want to impose,” Monica answers.

“Not at all,” Mulder jumps in, correctly picking up that Monica is worried about imposing on him, not Scully, “I’d love to finally get to know this mysterious VICAP woman Scully is always talking about.”

Monica smiles and he moves to the chair beside Scully so she and Dahlia can occupy the other two. They order champagne and appetizers, and he finds the two women to be very pleasant company.

“So, you work in VICAP too, then?” he asks Dahlia, and she gives him a confused look.

“No, I work at a little flower shop in Alexandria,” she answers.

“Oh, sorry, I thought Monica said you were partners.”

Scully shoots him an embarrassed glare, but Dahlia laughs.

“You know, I always tell Monica she should just call me her girlfriend, but she insists on ‘partner,’” she says, looking at Monica affectionately. He can’t help but smile, realizing he’d missed the very obvious fact that they are lovers.

“Girlfriend sounds so juvenile to me,” Monica explains, “partner feels a bit more serious, and permanent.”

“It’s okay, mija,” Dahlia continues, “you can call me your partner, hasta el día en que puedas ser mi esposa.”

Monica beams at her, and while he didn’t understand a word of that, it’s plainly clear that they are very much in love.

Appetizers come and go, flutes of champagne are emptied and refilled and a second bottle is ordered. Scully brings up Monica’s education and her experiences working at the New Orleans field office, and she and Mulder carry on a conversation about the change in VooDoo practices over the course of generations while Scully and Dahlia discover that they have similar taste in literature. Dahlia is telling a story about reading a Spanish translation of Jane Eyre as a teenager and how she still, to this day, has a hard time not calling him “Señor Rochester,” when the waiter brings by the check and Mulder snatches it away just as Dahlia was reaching for it.

“My treat,” Mulder says, pulling out his wallet.

Dahlia gives Monica a look, saying “me gusta este chico,” and Mulder chuckles.

“That I understood,” he quips, and they all laugh.

Back at the apartment, they get ready for bed. Scully is standing at the sink brushing her teeth when Mulder slinks up behind her, slipping his hands onto her hips and dipping his head down to kiss her neck.

“Mmm, there’s that champagne,” she says, the words garbled around her toothbrush.

“It’s not that champagne makes me want you, Scully. I always want you. It just makes me a little more bold,” he explains, trailing his fingers down to the hem of her night shirt and lifting it enough to get a look at her panties.

She swats his hand away. “Let me finish brushing my teeth,” she chastises, and he retreats to the bedroom.

She joins him a few minutes later, slipping under the sheets and draping her bare leg over his. He lifts his arm so she can burrow against his torso, her head on his chest. He rubs his hand across her back, eliciting a contented sigh.

“So, what did you think of Monica?” she asks, her fingertips on his ribcage moving in small circles.

“I really like her, I can see why you two hit it off,” he answers.

“She reminds me a little of you, actually,” she says, and he can feel her smile against his skin. “She has some...out there ideas.”

“Am I not talking enough about cryptids at home, Scully? You had to go find a friend to supplement?” he asks playfully, dipping his fingers into her armpit briefly in a threat to tickle her.

She clamps her arms against her sides and giggles. “We don’t talk much about that, but when I first met her she told me about my aura, so I figured you two would have some things in common.”

“That sounds more like Missy’s purview,” he comments, and then they fall silent for a moment.

“I’m actually really glad we ran into her,” Scully begins, running her hand down his abdomen to rest just beneath his belly button. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about and I wasn’t sure how to bring it up without you having some context.”

“Scully, if you’re about to suggest we have a foursome with Monica and Dahlia, I’m going to owe Frohike five hundred bucks,” he interjects.

She scoffs, “in your dreams, Mulder.”

“I think you mean Melvin.”

“Well, sorry Melvin, but that’s not what I was thinking about.” Her thumb hooks just beneath the elastic of his boxers, his happy trail tickling her skin.

“Okay, sorry, what were you thinking about?”

“What if,” she begins, dragging her finger back and forth under the fabric, “Monica was your partner. On the X files.”

He puts his hand over hers to still the movement, pulling away a bit so she’ll look at him.

“What do you mean, Scully?” He feels a rush of adrenaline, though he’s not yet sure if it’s from excitement or fear.

“I mean, she’s open to...unexplainable phenomena. The two of you get along quite well, and she wouldn't try to debunk your work or scoff at your theories. You said they might let you reopen them if you had a partner you could work with, and I think Monica might be that person.”

He considers this for a moment. “Who’s to say she’d even want to, she’s assigned to VICAP-”

“She hates VICAP,” Scully interjects, “it’s a bunch of macho men trying to one-up each other. I know she’d be happy to be reassigned, and to work out of the Hoover building. She and Dahlia live in Palisades; her commute sucks.”

His mind is reeling, but he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. “I don’t even know where we’d start, Scully. It seems so unlikely.”

“Just ask for a meeting with AD Skinner. If you think it would help for Monica to be a part of that meeting, I know she’d be happy to attend. I’ve told her a bit about The X files and I wouldn’t even bring this up with you unless I was sure she’d be interested. I can talk to her about it on Monday, if you want to give it a shot.”

He looks up at the ceiling, eyebrows stitched in thought. Hope pricks at the corners of his mind, but he knows well enough not to let it take root; he’s been disappointed too many times before. He looks over at Scully, her expression holding all the hope that he won’t allow himself to feel.

“Why are you doing this?” he asks gently.

“Because I want you to be happy,” she says earnestly, pulling her hand from beneath his and bringing it to his cheek, “from the moment I met you, I saw how you light up when you talk about The X Files. If there’s a chance you can investigate them again, I want to pursue it.”

He sighs, a tender smile tugging at his lips. He turns on his side, pushing his palms under her ass and pulling her on top of him as she giggles.

“Okay, talk to Monica,” he says, sliding his hands under her sleep shirt and up her bare back, “I’ll email Skinner on Monday.”

She smiles at him, self-satisfied and victorious.

“Now, about that champagne,” he says, pulling her down for a kiss.

———

She nervously checks her email every two minutes, aggressively clicking the send/receive button. Monica and Mulder were meeting with AD Skinner at 11:00am and it’s now almost 1:00pm and she hasn’t heard anything. That could either be a very good sign, or a very bad one. She has class in ten minutes and needs to head over to the lecture hall to prepare. She refreshes it one more time, and an email pops up.

From: fmulder@fbi.gov

Sent: September 18, 1997 12:51pm

To: dscully@fbi.gov

Subject: Maybe good news?

He didn’t say no, but he didn’t say yes, either. He asked us about 800 questions and then said he had to run it by the section chief. My impression is that he wants to make it work, but obviously it’s not totally within his control.

Fingers crossed. Hopefully we’ll know by Friday.

She heaves a big sigh, a cautious smile playing on her lips. She shoots him a quick response and then makes her way to class, praying all the way that the answer will be yes.

———

She’d taken that Friday off, for no reason in particular. Ever since Mulder had effectively moved in with her, she liked to take random weekdays off here and there just to have some time to herself. She’d spent the afternoon reading, re-arranging her spice cupboard, and making space for Mulder to have half her dresser instead of just one drawer. She’s sitting on the floor of the bedroom, surrounded by neatly folded stacks of T-shirts and pajama pants, when she hears the front door open. She checks her watch; it’s only 3:00 pm, too early for Mulder to be home.

“Hello?” she calls out nervously.

The bedroom door swings open and Mulder is there, his chest heaving and a dopey smile on his face.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, “what are you doing home?”

“It was approved,” he says breathlessly, apparently having run from wherever he parked the car.

“What was approved?” she asks, standing.

“The X Files, Scully. They’re reopened, effective Monday, with me and Reyes as the assigned agents,” he says, his smile broadening even further.

Her mouth drops open in disbelief, a surprised smile forming on her lips. She had held out hope, but she was also very aware that the chances were slim. He crosses the room, scooping her up in his arms, her legs wrapping around his hips.

“It never would have happened if it wasn’t for you,” he says, adoration in his eyes.

She kisses him, and he turns to lay her on the bed, shedding his suit jacket and tossing it on the floor. Moving quickly, desperately, he tugs at the waistband of her pants, stripping them off along with her panties, and pushes her shirt up to expose her breasts. He begins kissing her neck, down to her chest and belly, pausing intermittently to speak words of affirmation and gratitude until he reaches the apex of her thighs and is quiet.

He laps at her tenderly, humming and sighing as her body catches up and she feels the flush of desire form in her belly. She pushes her fingers into his hair, scraping gently at his scalp in encouragement as he flicks his tongue against her opening and she bucks her hips in response. His thumb swipes gently over her clit as he pushes his tongue inside her, licking at her increasingly slick walls and making her whimper. After a few minutes, he switches to his fingers inside her and his tongue at her clit. Swirling and sucking until she commands him not to stop, he holds steady as she falls apart against his lips, flexing his fingers deep inside to draw it out. Finally she taps on his head, and he crawls back up to plant soft kisses along her jaw.

“Consider us even,” she breathes out, eyes still closed in bliss.

“I think I might like to continue making it up to you,” he says with a nip to her earlobe, and she laughs.

“Okay, if you insist.”

[rawiswhore]

Various WWF, WCW and ECW Wrestlers x Fem Reader- "Something I Can Never Have"

When you signed to the World Wrestling Federation in 1996, you sold your soul to the devil.

Not just because you were now working for one of the biggest scumbags alive--Vince McMahon, but now that you were signed to that company, you were not allowed to work for other wrestling companies while working for the WWF, which you found unfair.

Even though you enjoyed working for the WWF, you'd also love to work for WCW and even more so, ECW.

Why?

Because there quite a lot of hot, sexy wrestlers in WCW and ECW that you really wanted to hook up with.  

You began watching WCW when Scott Hall joined that company, and when you watched WCW, there were so many wrestlers you were infatuated with.

Not only with Scott Hall, who looked better than ever, but also a jobber named Jim Powers, the Renegade when he ditched that facepaint and mullet, Chris Benoit (yes, THAT Chris Benoit, but this was a decade before he murdered his wife and son), Lex Luger, Eric Bischoff, and Chris Jericho.

When you discovered ECW, while ECW might've had a lot of really hideous men, there were a few hotties in that company.

Rob Van Dam, Raven, Stevie Richards when he didn't have facial hair and that tacky mullet, Nova, and even Shane Douglas when he had long hair.

Luckily, ECW invaded the WWF in 1997, which made you happy.

It made you even happier when Rob Van Dam was with the WWF for a while in 1997, and even better, he did almost completely sign with the WWF that year, but for some reason, he didn't.

Even though you loved being with Rob Van Dam during his stint in the WWF in 1997, it made you cry when he left the company.

It also made you really upset when the ECW roster invaded the WWF for mostly one episode, because you wanted some of them to stay---like Raven and Nova---even though the WWF was still rather family friendly in early 1997.

You've felt upset and even cried you couldn't work for WCW and ECW, although Sunny did cross over into ECW in late 1997 despite that she was working for the WWF, and Jerry Lawler crossed over into ECW that same year.

Rick Rude appeared on "Monday Night Raw" and "WCW Nitro" in the same night.

However, WCW was a family friendly wrestling company, and there's things you'd like to do to the WCW wrestlers on television you probably can't really do to them.

You've tried cheering yourself up, thinking that maybe some certain ECW and WCW wrestlers will join the WWF.

And indeed, many of them did eventually join the WWF, like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Rob Van Dam, Raven, Stevie Richards and even wrestlers you aren't attracted to like Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko.

And even better, Stevie Richards shaved that facial hair off when he joined the WWF.

It did make you happy when Chris Jericho, RVD, Stevie Richards, and even Chris Benoit joined the WWF, although Benoit looked better in WCW.

Nova made a few guest appearances in the WWF in 2001, and that made you happy AF, and Nova looked better than ever in '01.

Scott Hall also had a brief stint in the WWF again in 2002, and again, that really made you happy.

Although, when Raven joined the WWF, he looked like complete crap with that wet curly hair and handlebar moustache.

What was he thinking with that handlebar moustache?

Worse, Raven apparently has histrionic personality disorder, and people with histrionic personality disorder really care about how they look and focus solely on how they look, yet he looked like shit with that handlebar moustache.  

One of the criticisms WCW faced during its time is that it was a company that had wrestlers that were already established stars before they joined the company, like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Scott Hall/Razor Ramon, Kevin Nash/Diesel, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Lex Luger, and wrestling veterans like Rowdy Roddy Piper and Curt Hennig/Mr. Perfect, instead of creating new stars with a few exceptions.

Indeed, that is a good criticism.

The good news was in 1997 or 1998, the World Wrestling Federation and WCW were doing shows in California then, and the WWF and WCW roster were exercising at Gold's Gym then.

That made you really happy, because you got to have sex with and blend some of the WWF and WCW roster together.

You got to get gangbanged with some of the sexiest men in both the WWF and WCW during that time, and your dreams of getting fucked by some of the hottest men from WCW came true.

Not to mention, near the end of 1996, one day after Brian Pillman's infamous moment where he pulled a gun out on Stone Cold Steve Austin, the WCW roster was on the same airplane as the WWF, and you got to not only give lapdances to some men in WCW you thought were sexy, but have sex with them too on the plane.

When D Generation X tried to invade WCW in 1998, you were a member of DX, and you wanted to come inside the WCW building so you could hook up with some of the WCW talent, especially the sexiest ones.

Even though there are some hotties in WCW and ECW, is it worth it to have sex with some of them?

Lex Luger was pretty handsome and arguably looked better than ever during his stint in WCW, especially when he had long hair and not a mullet.

It's definitely worth it to fuck Scott Hall, Rob Van Dam and Nova.

You idolized Sunny when she was in the WWF, you were even friends with her, and you wanted to make an appearance in ECW while you still worked with the WWF like she did.

And your dreams did come true in 1998.

While watching WCW and ECW in the late 1990's, those companies had men that had gotten sexier in the looks department, like Scotty Riggs in 1997, and they added some sexy men to those companies.

Seeing ECW in its prime in the 1990's, some of the women's roster got spanked in the ring, either with a paddle or a hand, and you wanted to get spanked by some of the men in that company you thought were sexy.

In the summer of 2000, you took a hiatus from the WWF due to suffering from a real life sex addiction and depression.

However, your dreams of joining the WCW and ECW roster came true, and you did appear in ECW and WCW at the end of the year 2000.

Not only that, but you also hooked up with some of the men in WCW and ECW, like Rob Van Dam, Scott Hall and Mike Awesome.

Even better, you did get spanked during your run in ECW by some hot, sexy men.

When WCW and ECW went out of business, while that did make you sad, it also gave you hope that the roster would join the WWF: the most famous wrestling company in the world.

And indeed, many WCW and ECW talent joined the WWF and that really satisfied you.

Yes, you did hook up with some of the WCW and ECW roster who joined the WWF/E.

There's professional wrestlers from the past who were sexy AF in their prime that you never got to hook up with due to the fact that you were underage when they looked their sexiest.

And by the time you were an adult, they had mostly lost their looks, which made you a little sad.

Some WCW and ECW stars no doubt wanted to hook up with you while you were in the WWF, like Scott Hall and Raven, and you're sure even some WCW and ECW stars you aren't in lust with were lusting over you.

ECW was a wrestling company with a very gritty, edgy atmosphere to it, like a fight club, and you'd love to wash some of the sexiest male ECW wrestlers in the shower after a match, like Rob Van Dam.

And you did, that dream did come true, although you washed Rob Van Dam in the shower when he was in the WWF in 1997 as well as the early 2000's.

While you might've loved working as a valet flirting with some hot, sexy men to distract them, and you loved playing the character/gimmick you played in professional wrestling, you're probably better off being a ringrat---a groupie for professional wrestlers---than being signed to any wrestling company.

Because when you're a ringrat, you can have sex with any wrestler in any company.

While you were sad you couldn't hook up with some WCW and ECW stars, a positive thing is that the World Wrestling Federation arguably had the sexiest male wrestlers in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

In the 1st decade of the 21st Century, when you watched 2 new wrestling companies that emerged in the 2000's---Ring of Honor and TNA---there were some male wrestlers you did fall in lust with, and you did make some guest appearances in TNA in 2002.

You were upset over some hot wrestlers not being in the WWE, but a criticism TNA faced was they pushed some former WWE talent instead of their own original stars.

Although, some TNA wrestlers did have stints in the WWE, and you hooked up with them when they were in the WWE.

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ A LOT OF WORK TO DO ❜

with Marcus Álvarez.

Request: What about Marcus tryna set one of the Mayans up with reader, but she likes Marcus so she says no but doesn't give a reason, then eventually she admits she only has eyes for him??

BY @chibsytelford

Warnings: none.

Word count: about 2.3k

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: to the author, I found it on Google.

Masterlist.

“I think you are his type, Coco”. Marcus says, making the crew break into laughs.

“Nah, Padrino, we're just friends”.

“You're the only one which she goes around, hermano”. Angel adds clicking his tongue, before having a sip from his drink. “(Y/N) has been working here for the last year, and we don't know if she's ever had a single boyfriend”.

“Maybe sh—”.

“Believe me, she's not”. Bishop shakes his head laughing, stopping as soon as you come into the clubhouse.

“What's that funny?” You say, noticing the silent installed between all the Mayans.

“We think that… Coco and you should have a formal… date”. Marcus says, having a drag from his cig.

Licking your lips while you take off your bag to place it over the bar, you turn at him somewhat frowned. Rubbing your eyes with two fingers and a snort stuck on your throat, you cross both arms on your chest. You're a little tired of having to hear bullshit like that, plus, that they don't understand that between men and women could exist a healthy friendship.

“He's just my friend”.

“I said so, mami”.

“Look, we just say it for your good, mija, don't be angry”.

“For my good, stop talking 'bout shit you don't know, trying to push me into every fucking man that comes by that door. Because, surprise! Maybe I'm already in love with someone else, since the day I met him, but he's so, so, so fucking dumb that he hasn't noticed it yet”. Their mouths drop to the floor with widened eyes. “I could fucking wear a poster saying it and, even then, he wouldn't notice”.

Now, you're pissed off by Marcus' attitude. You were fine with the idea of not being the kind of girl he wants by her side. Maybe too young, maybe too curious, maybe too energetic. But seeing him trying to push you into another man gets you out of your calm. Frowning at them and making sure they're not going to say anything else, you just nod before crossing the hallway to your room, so you can change your clothes to start working at the scrapping.

Once that you're ready you step out from the dorm, tying your hair on a high pony-tail and keeping your rings inside a pocket. When you're back in the bar, you find some of Vicki's girls already there, hanging with the guys. But who gets your attention is that bitch that is always around Marcus, trying to catch the opportunity, now sitting on his lap and laughing at his shit.

“Look at you, Padrino, you're the one who never loses time”. You say with a bitter and sarcastic tone of voice, confusing him as you were waiting for.

Leading your steps towards the main office, greeting Chuckie with a gentle hug, you begin your work. It's too hot outside and having to do an inventory of the new cars that came during the last month, you decided to wear your black cap on your way to the last rows of scrap. You can't avoid thinking once and again about what happened some minutes ago, trying to not imagine that maybe it's not the first time the crew has that conversation. Marcus looked so participative that it's starting to hurt you somehow. Shaking your head, you start to write down the license plates and car models, in addition to the color.

Placing the notebook under your arm, you have a sip from the bottle of water, resting your back against a car in the shade. Bowing your head down, closing your eyes for a second, you hear a throat being cleared close to you. His scent is so unmistakable that you don't need to look at him to know who is.

“How can I help you, Padrino?” You ask, raising your opened eyes towards him.

“We didn't want to bother you, mija”.

“If this is an apology… Cool, I don't need'et”. You just reply pursing your lips.

“We were kidding”.

“It didn't seem like”. You're trying to keep calm, standing up to continue with your task, so you can go back to the office.

“I assumed it's one of us”. Stopping dead your steps, you turn around with a raised eyebrow.

“Déjalo, ¿sí? No voy a platicar contigo de ello”. (Forget it, okay? I'm not going to talk with you about it).

“Así que se trata de mí”. (So it's about me). He can't help but chuckle, placing his hands tangled under his abdomen.

Narrowing your eyes with your heart about to dead, you give him your back sighing, writing down the numbers from a red Mustang almost destroyed.

“Maybe I noticed something, but I thought it was just an illusion. So I didn't care”. With that confession, Marcus gets your attention. “When you know I'm coming, you use that perfume that smells like heaven”.

“I use it everyday”.

“No, you don't”. He laughs somewhat loud, feeling your cheeks burning. “Because when you don't know that I'm coming, you don't use it. And when you walk around me, I notice it. And that really fucks me up, because I love that smell”.

“Mere coincidence”.

“C'mon, reina. You can't lie to me”. He's walking closer in the meantime that he speaks, stopping him with a corner of your notebook pressing his chest.

“I have work to do, Padrino”. You just say, not knowing why the hell you don't jump into him. “As soon as I finish, as soon as I can leave”.

“Good, but you didn't say ‘no’”.

“'Bout what?”

“About that it's me who you are in love with”.

“Work. To. Do. Padrino”. You repeat, pointing his chest this time.

“Don't worry. I am going to be waiting for you at the office, until you finish your ‘work to do’”.

You have been praying all the prayers you know, going upstairs, to not find Marcus there. Talking about your feelings is something you're not used to, and less with someone like him, who looks like he's about to shoot you or something like that. Opening the door, you can sigh alleviated when you notice that it's empty, just like the bathroom. Taking off the cap and rubbing your forehead with the back of your left hand, you leave the notebook over the desk.

“DID YOU FINISH?”

The scream behind you makes you, literally, jump. You turn at him, throwing your cap straight to El Padrino. But you get a little self-absorbed hearing his laugh, a childish one. That laugh is so natural that bristles your skin and gives you some chills.

“Pinche cabrón…” (Fucking asshole). You mumble, frowning.

“Did you finish, or not?”

“You're so fucking annoying…”

“C'mon… You like to have my attention, don't you?”

“Jeez, stop”. You almost sob covering your face with both hands.

“Not until you accept to have a date with me”. He says chuckling yet, grabbing your wrists looking for your eyes. “You, me, my bike, the road, some mexican food… I think it's a good plan”.

“Okay…” You just say wrinkling your nose ashamed, without being able to believe that it is really happening.

“You don't sound excited, reina”.

“I'm trying to not die because of my nerves”.

“Good, work on that! I will pick you up tonight, if you are still alive, of course”.

No, you weren't expecting him to take you to a restaurant. He doesn't look like that kind of man, and you're more basic than that. And he finds out that you preferred that date, than another, when he sees the happy look installed on your face carrying a box full of different tacos. Sitting on a picnic table, you open it, to place it between both over the wood. You're really hungry and that food smells so good, that you can't wait to have a small piece from one of them under his eyes and a funny smile on his lips.

“Why didn't you tell me anything?” Marcus asks you, offering you a beer and having a sip from his.

“You always have… that shitty face scaring the shit outta me”. You smirk, trying to not laugh while finally grabbing a taco with a napkin under it, to not stain your clothes if something falls from it.

“I do—”. He can't help but chuckle without finishing talking, shaking his head.

“Oh, look at me, ‘El Padrino’!”. You tease him with a high-pitched voice, having a bite from your food. He laughs again and you're falling a little more every time he does it.

“I have an imagen to maintain”. Looking at him with both eyebrows raised, chewing your food with your mouth closed, the man bites his taco pretending that he doesn't enjoy that facet of rude man.

“For sure, macho alfa”. You chuckle spreading some lime over the taco in your hand. “So, why didn't you? Why didn't you… tell me anything?”

“The age? The distance? The risk?” Marcus asks leaning slightly over the table, without taking off his eyes from you. “I thought I was going crazy, until I noticed that thing you do with your perfume”.

“I don—”.

“Don't try to lie to me again, reina”.

“Maybe I did something”. You finally recognize, pursing your lips a little ashamed.

“Más sabe el diablo por viejo, que por diablo”. (This old dog knows all the tricks). He laughs nodding, seeing you licking your bottom lip after catching you.

“So… now what?” Having a sip from your beer, you ask with feigned innocence.

“I have to come back tomorrow to Oaktown, but I think I will be here next Monday”.

Nodding and grabbing another taco, giving it a bite in silence, you place your gaze on it. Knowing that you're having a good dinner but that he's going to leave again, makes you feel a little insecure about the fact that he could think about it being separated from you, and take the decision that it's better if you're not related. All these time falling in love more every day, for nothing. You also know that in Oakland still living his ex-wife and that's an added problem, because they have a good relationship. And you don't want it to change, but, what if after this night he sees that it's better to come back with her?

All these paranoias are oppressing your chest, keeping in mind that anything of these things wouldn't have to happen. That it's only inside your head. His hand getting tangled with your free, brings you back to reality, drawing a fleeting smile on your lips because of his unexpected caresses on the back of it with his thumb.

“I will be more time here, so I will see you often”. He just says, being somewhat aware of what's happening inside you.

“That sounds… good”. You recognize then, hoping that it's really true.

On your way back home, your arms are surrounding tightly his waist, as if you didn't want him to leave. And actually, you don't want to. More afraid of not coming back to you, that getting hurt for a dispute with someone. Your cheek is resting against his back, closing your eyes and focusing your senses on the buzz the engine produces, and on his scent, totally enraptured. But very much to your regret, the road comes to an end, reaching your destination. Parking the bike on the sidewalk in front of your house, you jump out from his bike, taking off the helmet a little cheerlessly. Leaving a soft sigh escaping from your lips, you purse them turning at your home for a second, while he gets up from the motorcycle.

“I live there…” You say, looking for an excuse to extend the evening.

“Yes, I know”. He chuckles taking off his helmet too, and placing both over the seat, watching him brushing his messed hair with three fingers.

“What time are you leaving?”

“In five hours, I think. We have like nine hours of road ahead”.

“Shit… and I'm here distracting you”. You whisper, rubbing your forehead. “Go to sleep, I wouldn't like to hear that you had an accident because you were tired”.

“I'm used to”. He just says, before placing both hands on your neck, leaning forward to kiss you.

And you know you're about to die, running out of air tangling your fingers in the folds of his jacket. His lips are moving so slow that it's a pleasant torture for you, tasting them as if you had all the time in the world to do it. You couldn't get tired of kissing him. Not now that you finally are doing it. His tongue settles itself among your lips, finding yours, as you push him closer with a soft plaintive moan drowning into his mouth. You really love Marcus, and now you're more scared than never. Pulling himself away from you, but leaving one last kiss in your cheek, you can't help but hug him. Sinking your nose into his neck, the mexican gently caresses your hair.

“I promise I will be back on Monday. And the first thing I will do it's come to see you and make it up to you, for being so far”.

“I hope so”. You mutter. “If I have waited for a year, I can wait for some more days… But come back, please”.

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[there-must-be-a-lock]

wings & the way down - part 4

Spencer Reid x Derek Morgan

Word Count: ~1870 this chapter

Warnings: None? 

A/N: A wild subplot appears! Gang’s mostly here, so we get to the fun stuff soon. Nobody’s reading this on tumblr, really, but I still feel the need to apologize for the delay! 

Catch up here. 

Monday, January 6 - Derek

As far as first days go, it could be a lot worse. It’s still fucking exhausting. 

They send the class president to meet him in the office, in the morning — blonde-haired and blue-eyed, straight out of a Colgate ad as she shakes his hand and introduces herself as “Jennifer, but my friends call me JJ.” 

Derek doesn’t fully trust girls like that, the ones who are so traditionally pretty they think they don’t have to be nice, but she’s cool enough as she shows him to his first class and gives him a brief tour, pointing out where he’ll want to go for his next class. He’s already feeling a little lost. 

People keep looking at him, and he wonders what they’re seeing. 

JJ seems to know everybody; she greets almost everyone by name as they walk, introducing Derek in passing. Most of the kids smile right back. It makes Derek reconsider his initial assessment of her; mean girls don’t usually get that sort of genuine warmth aimed in their direction. 

She invites him to eat lunch with her and her friends, but he has a meeting with Principal Strauss during lunch to talk about the student handbook, how he’s adjusting, and all the other fun shit. 

“No worries, standing invitation,” JJ tells him. 

“Tomorrow, then. It’s a date,” he replies, flashing his most charming grin. 

She smiles at that — not the flirtatious expression Derek expected, more like she’s laughing at a private joke — before waving and heading off to her own class.

The history teacher, Ms. Lewis, asks him to stand and introduce himself to the class, and to “Tell us something about yourself,” which… yeah, he saw that one coming, and he practiced it in front of the mirror last night. 

“Derek Morgan.” Not-too-bright smile; just casual enough to be cool, not cocky. “I just moved from Chicago. Psyched about the Vegas weather, not so much about the pizza.” 

He has to do the same thing at the start of every class. He’s going to be repeating it in his sleep, at this rate, and the more he says it, the more disingenuous it feels, trying to boil his identity down to one neat sentence. 

The English teacher, Blake, also asks him to say his favorite book, and Derek hesitates slightly. His instinct is to lie, say something cool and not quite as nerdy, but he catches himself and tells the truth instead. Nobody seems to care except the girl sitting next to him — dark hair, darker eyeliner — who raises a skeptical brow, like she doesn’t believe it. 

At the end of class, though, Blake pairs him with Eyeliner Girl for a project, and she gives him a begrudging smile before introducing herself: “Emily. Glad I’m not the new kid any more.” 

She scrawls her name and number on a piece of paper and slaps it down on the desk in front of him, saying something about meeting up later in the week, as she starts to pack up her stuff. Derek notices an enamel pin of a pansexual pride flag on her bag — between a Joy Division patch and a pin that says “Death Before Decaf” — but before he can figure out whether he wants to comment on that, she’s on her way out the door. 

Most of the day is just a blur of new faces and names and trying to remember where the fuck he’s going. Strauss is brusque but sharp. The place is huge, but there seem to be a lot of girls eager to show him around. People have been friendly enough; the whispers he hears are curious, instead of vicious. 

Derek feels a little bit like he’s got a spotlight on him every time he walks through the halls. At least here it’s a spotlight and not a bullseye. 

He wasn’t nervous for any of his classes, or anything, but he’s definitely nervous before practice. He’s not sure whether Coach Rossi told the team anything about why he ended up transferring mid-year. 

He’s braced for some hostility when he introduces himself to the team captain. “Hey, man, I know this has got to be weird, but—”

“Hey, apparently you can help us win some games,” the guy says, with a disarming smile. “Foyet. Glad to have you.” Derek breathes a little easier as they shake hands. 

Coach Rossi, meanwhile, isn’t like any high school coach Derek’s ever met. They’re usually big and loud and kinda aggro, but Rossi’s quieter, deadpan, well-dressed. He’s got this unimpressed expression, like he has seen some shit in his day and is not going to be bothered by any amount of macho teenage posturing. 

It feels good to be back on the court. The team’s not stellar, but fuck, it’s better than what he left behind, any day of the week. Derek’s in his element, here, and after a day of uncertainty, it’s nice to know he can still do this. By the end of practice, he seems to have won over most of the guys who seemed a little frosty at first, and that’s really fucking nice too. 

He hangs back for a minute to talk to Rossi, afterward, to thank him and just touch base. Then there’s talk of uniforms and making sure he has a locker, before the next practice, and by the time he gets showered, the rest of the team is gone.

He doesn’t mind walking back to the main building on his own. It feels like he’s been smiling and shaking hands and working so damn hard to make a decent first impression that he hasn’t been able to properly breathe all day. 

The school is mostly deserted, at this point — there are a few teachers still working at their desks, a couple students packing up. He gets a little bit turned around trying to find his locker again, wandering into an out-of-the-way section of classrooms near the auditorium before hitting a dead end. He retraces his steps and takes the right turn this time. 

Then he hears an argument around the corner, unmistakable in the relative quiet. He winces, wondering if he should announce his presence somehow, but it doesn’t sound like the kind of thing he wants to interrupt. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” a female voice is saying. “But every time I think about it… it’s terrifying. It’s easier for you, you’ve never—”

“You think this is easy?” another girl snarls. “Fuck that and fuck you. I told you, I’m not doing this. No fuckin’ way.” 

With that, heavy footsteps stomp away, echoing down the hall. 

Derek pauses for a moment, listening, but there’s no more sound; he waits a few seconds anyway before turning the corner, where one of the girls is still standing silently. 

When she whirls, startled by the sound of his footsteps, he realizes it’s JJ. 

It just takes her a blink to pull herself together at the sight of him; if he didn’t see the tears streaking down her cheeks, he’d almost believe it when she aims one of those Colgate-ad smiles in his direction. 

“You okay?” he asks hesitantly. JJ nods vigorously. 

“Totally! I think it’s allergies or something,” she insists. Right.  

“Think I’m a little turned around. How do I get out to the senior lot?” he asks her. 

“I’m heading that way, I’ll show you,” she says. As they start to walk, Derek can see her, out of the corner of his eye, wiping away tears discreetly. “How was your first day?” 

“Not bad, can’t complain,” he says, shrugging. “Pretty weird being the new kid, but… what are you gonna do, right?” 

JJ hesitates before saying, “Must be nice. Getting a fresh start, no expectations.” 

That’s not the usual line. Most people say it must be difficult, having to start over where nobody knows him; most people ask if he misses home, and they don’t consider what he’s trying to get away from. 

He doesn’t ask JJ what she wants to get away from — instead he says, “That’s what my momma keeps saying: I can be whoever I want to be.” 

“So who do you want to be, Derek Morgan?” 

“Just want to be myself,” he says, and she looks up at him with a small, sardonic smile. 

“You make it sound so easy,” she mutters. 

He laughs. “Yeah, fair enough.” 

This time, her smile seems more genuine. JJ points him in the right direction and then ducks into the women’s bathroom, with a wave and a reminder that she’ll see him for lunch. 

Derek heads toward the front door. He’s fishing around in his bag as he walks, looking for the keys to his uncle’s truck, when he walks right into somebody rushing out of the men’s bathroom. 

“Fuck, sorry, are you —” He stops dead, still with an arm out to help steady the other person, because the other person is Spencer. 

Spencer, who looks just as surprised as Derek feels. They lock eyes for a second, and Derek’s insides go on an entire fucking roller-coaster ride in one frozen moment. 

“I thought you were in college,” Derek blurts out, half-laughing, but Spencer doesn’t look even a little bit happy to see him. He’s gone pale. 

“What? No, still in fucking high school, last I checked.” His voice is bitter, and it cracks on the words. “I just take college classes sometimes.” 

“Oh.” 

“I thought you were visiting,” Spencer says, pushing his hair out of his face like he wants to be pulling it instead. 

“I am,” Derek says, stomach sinking when he realizes Spencer still isn’t smiling. “For another six months.”

Spencer’s mouth drops open, and Derek has a visceral flash of sensory memory: those pretty pink lips brushing his cheek. 

Spencer scowls. “So you’re — you go here. Fantastic.”  

Derek’s too tired to pretend the venom in Spencer’s tone doesn’t hurt. 

He snaps, “Did I do something wrong here, or did you just wake up on the bitchy side of the bed?” 

Maybe not his most mature reaction, but. It’s been a long fucking day.  

Spencer digs the heels of his hands into his eyes, for a second, and Derek can see the tension in his fingers. Then he exhales and it’s like all that twitchy furious energy drains out of him at once. He just looks exhausted. 

His voice is low and croaky as he says, “I liked that you didn’t see me the same way as everybody else does.” 

“So, what, you think that’s gonna change just cause we go to the same school now? What kinda asshole do you think I am?” 

“The kind who wears a varsity jacket,” Spencer mumbles. His eyes are huge and hurt and soft, and Derek recoils slightly. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Spencer shakes his head. “Never mind. Just — trust me, okay? You’re better off pretending you don’t know me.” 

“I want to know you, though,” Derek says quietly. 

Spencer’s phone is vibrating. He looks down at it and then gives Derek one more sad little half-smile as he starts to walk away. 

“If you still feel that way by the end of the week, give me a call,” he says over his shoulder, already pushing the front door open. “But you won’t.” Before Derek can respond, he’s flipping the phone open and saying, “Hey, Mom. I’m on my way.” 

When Derek collects himself and follows him out, Spencer’s already gone. 

.

.

.

[madam-wakefield]

Open when...Chapter 7

AO3 Link FF Link

Summary:

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 When a few years into their relationship Bernie is asked to go back to the army and deploy Serena isn't sure how she's going to get through the nine months without her girlfriend. What she doesn't expect is for it to be her girlfriend who has the perfect set of surprises to get her through both the best and the worst days. Canon divergent - Elinor lives (well actually the accident never happens), Raf lives, and Cameron isn't a total ass! The staff of AAU also probably didn't all work on there at the same time in canon but do in this! The fic is already fully written with the first few chapters having already been Beta'd. 27 chapters including the epilogue. Hoping to post every Monday and Friday!

Open when you should be celebrating your birthday…

Serena decides to work on her birthday, since she doesn’t need a reminder that Bernie can’t share it with her in person. If she’s a little picky about who she’s on shift with, well, it’s a perk of the job to choose the best team for her birthday, a team she knows will make the whole day easier to get through. 

When she wakes up, Jason has made her breakfast, simple scrambled egg on toast but totally appreciated. He wishes her happy birthday as he slides over a card and a present. It makes her heart fill with love all over again. She may not have known this boy all his life, but she does care deeply for him. 

She sips her coffee as she sets about opening the cards that have arrived in the post over the last few days: One from her cousin in Sydney, a few from former colleagues, a rather inappropriate one from Fleur and even one from Grace, her oldest uni friend. She’s disappointed when she doesn’t have one from Bernie but knows she can’t blame the other woman. She knows that Bernie would have tried, but she is in a warzone. 

She arrives at work in good spirits. She’s greeted with hugs from Morven, since she’s always so excited about other people’s birthdays, even if they themselves aren’t. 

When she walks into the office to deposit her bags, she can’t help but notice the vase filled with lilies on her desk. The smell alone is amazing, and they are gorgeous. She walks forward and extracts the little card attached. 

My Dearest Serena, 

Happy Birthday! 

All My Love, Bernie, 

Your Big Macho Army Medic x

The message is typed onto the card, but Serena can’t help but run her thumb gently over Bernie’s name. 

She turns to the messily wrapped present then, and really she shouldn’t have expected anything less from her girlfriend. She caresses the crimson ribbon before pulling it loose. She’s just slipping her finger into the paper when the red phone starts ringing. 

She places the gift gently on her desk before venturing out to face whatever awful injury she’s going to be dealing with. It’s a 22-year-old stab victim. She and Raf try endlessly to save the boy, named Sean, but in the end, they fail. After resuscitating him three times they decide the fourth just isn’t going to happen and that he’s already lost too much blood. 

Breaking the news of the loss to the family is the hardest thing to do, it always is. It’s just always felt a little bit harder since Bernie deployed, likely because of her own fears that one day it could be her on the receiving end of the conversation. 

Things get busy after that. Morven needs a second opinion on a patient and Raf requests her support in surgery. The messily wrapped package slips from her mind until she makes it back into the office with a very late lunch picked up from Pulses. Taking a sip of the strong hot coffee, she sets back to sliding the paper off the present. 

Underneath the paper is an envelope, the message in Bernie’s messy writing reads “Serena - Open when you should be celebrating your birthday…” And the beautiful ornamental figure she’d been contemplating buying herself before Bernie went away but just couldn’t justify is laying in her hands. 

And once again Serena feels like she doesn’t deserve Bernie. Bernie who once again went out of her way to think of her while getting herself ready to go to a war zone. They are just over two months into the nine months her love will be gone, and it hasn’t been easy on either of them, but somehow Bernie keeps finding ways to make it easier for her, to help her get through. 

She turns to the card next, sliding it out of the envelope. It’s a stunning design, with a map of Afghanistan on one side including Bernie’s name, and a map of England on the other side with her own name written there. The names are connected by a swirling heart. 

It’s the message that sets the whole thing off perfectly. “Though oceans may lie between us, we are never far apart for love doesn’t count miles. It’s measured by the heart.” Serena smiles gently because she knows that Bernie doesn’t find declarations like this easy but it’s exactly what Serena needs right now. She knows her love for Bernie hasn’t changed at all since she went away, but she also knows her heart yearns for her. 

As she opens the card, Serena’s eyes fall on the voucher inside. She scans over the word—a spa weekend—something she’s been promising herself for far too long but has never actually got around to. She shakes her head softly, thinking Bernie really shouldn’t have spent all this money on her. Then she reads the message written on the card.

My Dearest Serena,

Happy birthday, My Love! I hope you are able to have a wonderful day. I’m sorry I can’t be with you but I’ll give you a special belated birthday once I’m home. 

I hope the spa voucher is okay, I know you’ve been talking about going and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to treat you to a weekend away with Elinor. I’ve already sorted out the shifts so all you need to do is go and relax. 

What do they say about birthdays, another year older, another year wiser? Well, maybe this is me telling you to be a little bit wiser and to make sure you spend some time putting yourself first. I’m sorry I don’t get to spend this special day with you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to enjoy it. 

Once again, happy birthday!

All My Love, Bernie, 

Your Big Macho Army Medic x

Serena can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed at this. She’d mentioned wanting to spend more time with Elinor and also wanting to go to a spa and now Bernie has given her a chance to do both despite the fact Elinor hasn’t really warmed to Bernie. And despite the fact Bernie finds her own lack of relationship with Charlotte hard. Serena is determined to enjoy her weekend away and she is going to make sure Bernie’s belated birthday is something special when she gets home.

At the end of the shift Morven, Fletch and Raf pull her to Albie’s for drinks. “You can’t not come out for a nice glass of Shiraz on your birthday,” had been Fletcher’s response when she’d tried to say no. So, she gave in because she had to admit, a glass of Shiraz sounded divine. 

They are seated around a small table joking about the worst birthdays they’ve ever had due to work, Fletcher having been vomited on seven times during one birthday shift. 

Suddenly Serena feels her phone vibrate in her pocket and quickly slips it out to see Bernie is trying to skype her, she should have known Bernie would ensure she found time to ring on her birthday, and she’s going to answer it because it may be the only spare seconds Bernie gets. 

“Hello,” she says the minute the connection is made. Bernie is still in her desert fatigues, her hair still scraped back into the army acceptable manner, so she could easily be called away at any moment. The lines under her eyes are the darkest Serena has seen so far and she looks beyond exhausted but to Serena, she still looks beautiful. 

“Hey, and happy birthday, my love.” Serena smiles and then watches Bernie’s face as she works out where she is. “Oh shit, you’re busy, I’ll try and ring you later.” 

“Berenice Wolfe, don’t you dare! Yes, I’m at Albie’s with our friends but I always have time for you when you call, you know that! I’m so thankful you took the time to call me today! I know how busy you are.” It seems it’s only as she says Bernie’s name that the rest of the table realises who she’s skyping. 

In unison they stand up and walk to stand behind Serena so they can be seen in the camera, and so they can see Bernie on Serena’s screen. 

“Hey up, Major, you alright?” Fletch says not really giving Bernie a chance to process what she’s seeing. 

“I’m good, it’s lovely to see you guys.” She says, smiling back brightly. “I hope you’re looking after the birthday girl for me when I can’t be there to do it myself.” 

“Be assured, Ma’am, we are,” Raf jokes back, giving her a tiny salute. Neither he or Fletch have been able to refer to Bernie properly to her face since she announced she was deploying again but it’s all good natured. 

“Though we practically had to drag her to Albie’s, well, until we offered her a glass of Shiraz.” Morven adds. Morven has found Bernie’s deployment really tough, since the two of them have such a good relationship.

“Well, you know, Serena, if you have Shiraz, you always have a bargaining tool. But now go and enjoy your drinks and leave me to have a few minutes with my girlfriend!” Serena knows this means they probably haven’t got long. 

The three call their goodbyes to Bernie and all slip off to either the bar or the toilet. leaving Serena alone. 

“Hey,” Serena says again, enjoying this time when she gets to hear Bernie’s voice. 

“Hey, yourself, have you had a nice day?” Bernie always asks first. Serena has come to accept it, and understands it’s Bernie’s way of escaping for a few minutes. 

“It’s been good, busy, lost a patient but saved more that shouldn’t have really been able to be saved. It got better when you called. You know I love hearing your voice.” At this Bernie looks at her with that look full of love, the one that Serena knows would normally come from under her fringe.

“The feeling’s mutual, hearing your voice always gets me through a bad day.” And Serena knows then why Bernie looks so tired and while she’s still dressed in fatigues despite the late hour in Afghanistan. It’s been a bad day in the field. Serena knows Bernie won’t talk anymore about it, especially not today, so she changes the subject. 

“The birthday presents were wonderful, thank you. The figurine is beautiful even if you shouldn’t have. The spa looks incredible and how you managed to sort the shifts I don’t know. You really are so very thoughtful, how you managed that while sorting out to deploy so quickly, I have no idea.” 

And she really doesn’t. Serena knows how much Bernie had to do before deployment. She was running every day to build her stamina back up, she had to attend base every day for two weeks to ensure she was fit, could still shoot a rifle and was still able to command the soldiers. Don’t they know she’s co-lead of AAU? If she can lead the team there, she can lead anyone. She had to tie up all the ends of the trauma unit leaving them in a manageable way for her and Raf. She had to pack that stupidly heavy bergen, a bag so big that Serena can’t even believe she’s allowed to carry it, all while working in AAU, feeling bad enough about having nine months away from the place so refusing to take any more, and despite all of that she was still the foremost thing on Bernie’s mind. 

“You are worth it and so much more. Just promise me you’ll actually relax at the spa, enjoy being a mum to Elinor. Catch up on all her crazy uni gossip, drink too much Shiraz and have a good time.” Serena knows Bernie wants her and Elinor to have more of a relationship than she herself has with Charlotte and Cameron. Cam still has a very professional work relationship with his mum but that’s about it and Charlotte hasn’t really spoken to Bernie since the divorce and she knows it breaks Bernie’s heart. 

“You had me at too much Shiraz, love, I’ll write you a bluey while I’m there, in between all the spa treatments you managed to book. I really do appreciate it, you know. I love you.” The last three words are the only way she can truly get her appreciation across. 

“And I love you, sweetheart, but now go and enjoy your birthday drinks with our friends. I’ll make contact again when I can. Remember that I love and miss you so much. And happy birthday again, darling.”

“Thank you, I love you too Bernie, so much. Stay safe, soldier.”

Serena doesn’t have any time to worry or miss Bernie, a fresh glass of Shiraz is placed into her hand as the call disconnects and she spends the evening laughing and joking with her friends. Even Jason joins them when his shift as a porter ends, and she falls asleep that evening knowing she couldn’t ask for a better family of friends.