#he actually got arrested and had to spend a night in prison but hired a stupid lawyer who put him on curfew instead

[lonniemachin]

society if my dad went to jail in january

[egg-emperor]

Rate my Ivo's family headcanons:

Gerald's eldest son was a ...dissapontment. He did inherit none of his father's genius and spend his life as a typical rich sleazeball with no daily job, paying for mansions and casino nights with Gerald's riches. He did, however, care for his own son Ivo as much as he could and was neither abusive, neither that much neglectful father. However, that was not enough for Ivo. Ivo had no respect for his father since his first year of middle school when he had discovered that he is already much smarter and more ambitious than his dad ever was. Just about the only thing adult Ivo's character had inherited from his dad is his love for casinos and theme parks. But do not try suggesting to Ivo that he has any sentimentality towards his father's memory - he would murder you for this lol.

Ivo's mother, however, is a much different story. She was a professional thief, a vamp and an alpha bitch (Ivo believes he had inherited his own psychopathy from her). Ivo's mom was bailed out of prison and secretly hired by GUN to steal stuff for them. Here, she met Gerald and soon married in his family for money. She didn't really care about her husband and son... but her son still idolized her for her alpha bitch charisma and great manipulation skills (Ivo could see through his mother's manipulation of people around her already as a child. However, instead of being horrified, he was rather fascinated and dreaming to imitate his mother.

Ivo's mother was the only person ever Ivo had approached with the offer to voluntary join Eggman Empire and be given the high-rank position in it, in fact, be the second person in Eggman Empire after Ivo himself. However, his mom had argued that, since she is his mom and had taught him all of his manipulation skills, she should be, at least, Ivo's equal. After an absolutely horrendous family quarrel that had followed, Ivo had ended up kicking his mom out in the cold and tipping the police to arrest his mother for poisoning her husband (which may or may not have been true. Ivo didn't care). Many years later, Ivo learns that his mother had perished in the collateral damage caused by one of his own weapons of mass destruction during the events of... one of his many confrontations with Sonic. Ivo's reaction was... "Meh, whatever. "

Alright first of all, I love the inclusion of his father being into casinos. I like to imagine all of Ivo's main interests and fascinations of science, robotics, theme parks, carnivals, circuses, casinos, etc. All the other interests are things he could've actually found interest in and places he could actually visit as a child but of course he couldn't go to any casinos. XD So when it comes to them, it's a great idea for him to take interest in them when he was too young from learning about them from his father's interest. I do like to imagine that he did some gambling and was maybe a bit of a casino enthusiast, having an interest in visiting a lot of them and had a lot of experience and stories to tell and that's how Ivo got into them himself, though I also think he wouldn't want to admit that.

I like to imagine his father was pretty intelligent too though, not a super genius like his father Gerald or son Ivo but he was smart. I also imagine he wasn't lazy but actually very busy, he was a businessman and was very often away and pretty absent, so it was another thing that further fueled (though it wasn't the cause) Ivo's desire for attention and he used to be frustrated that he couldn't get the amount he wanted from him. I also imagine that his father did some mechanic work on the side and Ivo would go into his garage to observe at a young age and eventually start to join him in some work when he was a bit older. He learned some of the basics from him but eventually became better than him at a lot of things with his higher intelligence and skill but it would've hurt his father's pride to admit it.

I even like to extend it so his father had a thing for motorcycles and Ivo learned enough about them first enough for him to combine it with his practicing for robotics to make an early version of the Motobug as one of his first creations when he was much younger. And he became interested in them enough to get his first motorcycle in earlier adulthood, and his interest remained for his choice of extreme gear to be a bike, and it also explains his line of mission dialogue in Zero Gravity where he says "you should've seen what I could do when I was younger"

I did give his father some negative traits, he definitely didn't have the time or really even the required amount of desire of dedication to being a father to be considered a very good one. He was also a single father for more of Ivo's childhood than not, I'm even leaning towards his mother being absent for possibly all of it. So when his father wasn't around and that was often with his busy life, Ivo didn't have anyone to show his work to and nobody to give him the attention he wanted. He was also a bit of an egotistical asshole, but not as much as Ivo. And he wasn't cruel or abusive towards Ivo at all though, he never did anything harmful to him specifically. But Ivo just didn't like his personality and used to roll his eyes at the very same behavior he exhibited himself like a hypocrite. Because his father shouldn't act like the best when he knows he's the best. XD

You could say he was a little neglectful at least in terms of not being there often and when he was around, they didn't really bond much and their work in the garage together was one of the only times they did. He also often tried to make Ivo do things on his own and have certain responsibilities quite a bit earlier in life than he should have because he didn't have a lot of time for him with his work. He'd only stay home when he absolutely needed to in times where he wasn't taking a break, for example when Ivo would get too sick to take care of himself. But even then, if he wasn't bedridden and he could give him medicine, Ivo's dad would just give him that and go off to work. But that's the worst of the things he did, obviously it's not great as he should've been there more for him but he couldn't and he didn't do this with the specific intention to hurt or mistreat him. He was also probably just raising Ivo in a similar way he was raised himself.

I do feel he could've been bad with money when it came to things like gambling, smoking, drinking, and splurging on personal luxuries when he wasn't working but because he was rich, not only from inheritance but also from a successful business and work on the side, it wasn't really a worry but could've been a disappointment and another reason why he still wouldn't give his son much attention when he actually was around. But he would also let his son get whatever he wanted and Ivo being a spoiled entitled brat at least enjoyed this a lot and it was helpful in him acquiring resources and materials for work and passion projects. These things kept him occupied and he wouldn't feel lonely when his father wasn't around, he liked the alone time to get immersed in his hobbies and interests and work hard. He was just bothered that his father didn't give him the amount of attention and praise he wanted when he was around.

Part of this is because his father didn't really think his work was that surprising or impressive after all the things his father Gerald accomplished and his success that he'd looked up to and admired him for all his life similar to the way Ivo did, not because he wanted to be an ass and make his son feel bad. And while his father had negative traits, there were things about him he didn't like, but also some of his interests and knowledge came to be because of him, he still had no part in the forming of Ivo's core personality, bad behaviors, ego and desire for attention, and especially not his evil. His father isn't to blame, he only slightly further fueled his already existing desire for attention and praise at most. His admiration for Gerald still had way more influence over him than anything else in terms of wanting to become a brilliant successful scientist, but there isn't anyone that influenced his actual evil and he has nobody to blame for his choices. He could've been good but didn't want and choose to be.

I hope you don't mind me rambling about my own headcanons and concepts in response lol. But yeah, overall I'd say your headcanon for his father is good and quite similar to mine in terms of some of his behaviors, how Ivo got some of his interests like casinos and also motorcycles and his interest in the buff guys saw in the men's fashion and beachwear magazines and catalogs because he used to steal from his father's stack out of "boredom" for "studying" purposes and didn't realize how suspicious it was for his father to keep them in the first place until decades later and then he realized his father was probably bisexual lol in my interpretation of him, and how he wasn't abusive or intentionally neglectful. I like that a lot. But I imagine him to be a very busy and rather successful businessman and mechanic myself, though he did have some other negative traits and some bad habits. And Ivo already had some of these in common with him without it actually being due to any influence from him. Funnily enough, the only bad habit he almost got purely thanks to his father in my concept was smoking after stealing his easily accessible cigarettes but he had the responsibility to not become a chain-smoker like him. That's the only thing he can blame him for, leaving his cigarettes laying around for him to steal. But even then, it's not like he made Ivo steal and try them lol :P

As for those ideas for his mother, they're interesting and I have nothing against you for them but honestly, I'm not a fan of the idea that either of Ivo's parents were really evil people that heavily influenced the development of Ivo's core personality traits, behaviors, and evil, or anything like that. I don't think he admired and was inspired by anyone else like he was with Gerald. He didn't look up to any bad people and aspire to be just like them and try to follow in the evil footsteps of anyone, so he doesn't have any blame to put on any bad people for who he ended up becoming and the choices he made all by himself. I like the idea of that a lot more because I feel it's too common of a trope that a villain's parents play a part in the reason why they're evil when that isn't always the reason why people are bad in real life either. I like to see variety, I like how it hasn't been implied with game canon Eggman and didn't like it when it was a thing in AoStH.

I don't have any headcanons for his mother as I was stumped and it got to the point where I couldn't imagine her being there for Ivo's childhood, so I've been going with the idea she was absent/dead for a while. But if she wasn't, I wouldn't make her similar to AostH Robotnik's mother in the way she was controlling, influencing his evil, was a horrible person herself, etc. I also can't picture Eggman wanting to involve his family in the empire, I feel it was always intended for himself alone and he wouldn't want to give anyone else a high position of power, and he doesn't need to with his own power and his robots. I just imagine that when he was old enough, felt ready, had his inheritance from his grandfather, and was done being around his father (no arguments or anything, they just grew even more distant when Ivo no longer tried to get more attention from him and they could just tell they annoyed each other with their personalities and behaviors without having to say it) he just disappeared and began working towards his dreams.

We already know that he admired and was inspired by Gerald and despite him being a good man and role model for someone to have before the tragedy and how he changed at the end of his life, Ivo still very well could've developed a big ego and desire for being recognized by the whole world to the point he wanted to take over. And even then, the blame for his evil still can't be placed onto Gerald, as Ivo just happened to be inspired by him in the wrong ways as he decided to accomplish his dreams through evil and demand, instead of the intention to do good for the world like Gerald. And what happened to his grandfather leading up to his death clearly didn't play a part in why he's evil, it's just that he was proud of being related to his grandfather, proud of his own intelligence and skills, and desired the success and recognition he got more selfishly without caring to do good for people in the world like Gerald and was also willing to accomplish his dream in much eviller ways.

Though I also share the headcanon that he wouldn't really be upset about his parents' deaths, however they died. He didn't react with sadness towards learning about his mother's death, he had no particular feelings about it, just nothing. And it turns out it wasn't just because he didn't know his mother to be sad about it, it was because of his low empathy, just like how he has no visible strong emotional reaction to Gerald and Maria's tragedy, even despite his admiration for his grandfather. His father simply could've died of old age which is what I think I'm going with but if he had possibly gotten killed as a result of the collateral damage of Ivo's actions, I don't think even that would make him feel guilty as he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish his dreams and get what he wants. But in my concept, Ivo didn't know how he died because he wasn't in contact with him at all anymore. If he did, regardless of how he died, Ivo's reaction would be just as blank and nonchalant as he's been seen acting towards Gerald's.

You have some cool ideas and we have some in common too. These are just my personal thoughts and ideas and I get very excited and passionate when talking about this stuff and I enjoy seeing other people's ideas too, it's a lot of fun XD 💜

[roseworth]

'cause i know you won't

word count: 6.8k

description: “As much as I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my family…" the King said. "We can’t have a criminal living in the castle. Even a reformed criminal.”

Eugene and Rapunzel are separated by circumstance, and they need to learn how to live their new lives without each other.

(title inspired by One More Weekend by Maude Latour)

AO3

“Mr… Fitzherbert,” King Frederic said, his face stoic. “My daughter has told me you played a substantial role in her return home.”

“Oh, well, she did most of the work,” Eugene responded, nervously fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I, uh, I just wanted to keep her safe.”

The King hummed in approval, scanning his face. “She certainly cares a lot about you.”

“And I care about her, too.”

“I see,” he said simply, then cast his gaze away. “As much as I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my family… we can’t have a criminal living in the castle. Even a reformed criminal.”

Eugene nodded. “I understand, Your Majesty.” He kept his eyes glued to the floor in front of him. He wasn’t sure he could trust his own face if he looked up at the King.

“However, I have pardoned all your previous crimes in Corona. As of now, you are a free man in the kingdom,” he said as he handed Eugene a small stack of papers. Records that he had been pardoned. “And as promised, you will receive a reward for the return of the Princess.”

He didn’t want a reward.

“Thank you, Sir.”

The King examined him for a moment, then sighed. “I understand that you and Rapunzel are… close. But there’s no room for you in her new life, and I hope you can both accept that.”

Eugene forced a smile. “Yes, I understand, Your Majesty. Trust me, this pardon is more than I could ever ask for.”

Frederic nodded curtly, then extended his hand for Eugene to shake. Eugene shook it quickly and stood up, praying his legs wouldn’t collapse under him. He quietly walked out of the room before the King could change his mind and throw him in a prison cell.

He was a free man for the first time in… he didn’t know how long. He was running from guards for as long as he could remember. It felt wrong to walk past them now without fear of being arrested.

What would he do now? He honestly didn’t think he was going to make it this far. He was half-expecting to be strung up as soon as Rapunzel was safe. Yet he had still let himself hope that he could stay with her. That was his mistake.

As he walked down the hall of the castle on his way out, he glanced over at the door leading to Rapunzel’s new room. Her mother had brought her there to show her around and spend more time with her as the King talked to Eugene. She was probably still in there if he wanted to say goodbye.

He stopped in his tracks and stared at the door for a long time. Should he say goodbye? He wasn’t sure when he would see her again, and he did care about her. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

But maybe it would be better if he didn’t. It would be easier for her to let him go if he just left. It was like the King said, there was no room for him in her new life. She had her parents now, and a whole kingdom. She didn’t need him to cause problems when she’s finally happy.

Then again, maybe it would be better for closure if he said goodbye. So she could see that she didn’t need him, and she could easily transition into life without him. But that was selfish, wasn’t it? He just wanted to see her one last time even though it would hurt worse to see her again knowing that he could never be with her.

In the end, anything he could say to her would make it worse. He wanted to see her, but it would be better in the long run if he would just leave now without causing problems. That was what she needed, right? A life without problems. A life without people that would care more about themselves than about her. A life without him.

He took a deep breath and turned around, walking away from her room and out of the castle.

*

With the reward he received for rescuing the Lost Princess, he was able to buy himself a place to live in the kingdom. It certainly felt weird; having his own house and his own bed was all new to him. This life of not-crime was going to take some getting used to.

He had started talking to himself to cover the silence pretty quickly. Silence didn’t sit right with him now that he wasn’t hiding from anyone.

“Alright, straight-and-narrow day one!” he said cheerily, clapping his hands together. “Step one: make amends.” He figured if he was going to be living among the people of Corona, he couldn’t have them thinking of him as Flynn Rider anymore. He wanted them to know him as Eugene, and that started with fixing the mistakes Flynn Rider made.

Besides, making amends would be easy! Or it would be the hardest thing he’s ever done, he still wasn’t sure. Could go either way.

He opened the door and walked into the street, taking a deep breath and looking around. He would have to take it one by one, finding a way to make amends individually with everyone he had stolen from. That might take a while.

He didn’t steal anything too big from citizens. Most of his heists were taking from royalty and the elite, but he would often steal money or other essentials from normal people. It was enough to disrupt their lives, and they deserved some kind of restitution for that.

His first stop on his apology tour was the local shoemaker. Eugene had stolen a crate of boots from him a few years back, so he figured that was a good place to start. It wasn’t big enough that it was unforgivable, but it still might be memorable.

When he walked into the shop, he saw a familiar-looking mousy man with red hair standing behind the counter. The man looked up at him as he entered. “How can I help you?”

“Hi, I don’t know if you recognize me but-”

“You’re Flynn Rider!” the man interrupted, his eyes widening.

Eugene laughed uncomfortably. “Yes, but I recently had my crimes pardoned and I’m trying to turn over a new leaf, starting with making amends for the things I’ve done wrong.”

The man eyed him suspiciously. “I heard you saved the Princess, is that right?”

“Well, kind of. I didn’t really do much to save her, just happened to climb a tower where the Princess happened to be,” he admitted. The cobbler chuckled.

“Well, Flynn, what can I do for you?”

“Actually, it’s more what I can do for you,” he said. “I stole some shoes from here a few years ago, and while I can’t un-steal them, I’d like to make it up to you somehow.”

The man paused in thought, looking Eugene up and down to try to distinguish whether or not he was lying. “Alright then, how much do you know about making shoes?”

Eugene grinned. “I’ve actually been repairing my own shoes for years!” he said proudly. He lifted his foot and pointed to his boot. “This shoe has fallen apart more times than I can count, but look at it now! Perfectly intact!”

The shoemaker inspected the shoe and hummed his approval. “Impressive cobblering!” he said. “How would you like to do some work to repay me for the shoes, Flynn?”

“That sounds perfect,” he replied with a grin. “And my real name is actually Eugene, not Flynn.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I get why you went by Flynn for so long,” he said with a shrug. “I’m Feldspar.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Feldspar,” he said. “And I’m sorry for stealing from you all those years ago.”

Feldspar waved a hand dismissively. “Well, Eugene , if you’ve really changed like you say you have, it’s glue under the sole,” he said. “That’s a cobbler phrase. It’s like ‘water under the bridge,’ but better, because it’s about shoes.”

Eugene laughed. “Got it.”

.

Over the next few days, Eugene learned more about shoes than he ever thought he would know. He learned that the things he had been calling “that thingy” and “that other thingy” for years actually had their own names (it was the “welt” and the “outsole,” Who knew?).

He had made more shoes than he had stolen, and he was honestly pretty proud of himself. He had done a job and not a “job.” Honest labor was a new concept to him, but it was very welcome.

“I think you’ve more than paid off your debts,” Feldspar said at the end of the day, polishing his equipment. “But if you ever wanted to work here permanently, I’d be more than happy to hire you.”

“Really?”

“Of course! You’ve got some real skill here.”

Eugene grinned proudly, looking at the shoes he made. “I would love to. I just need to finish making amends to everyone else first,” he said. “But if the offer still stands once I do that, that would be great.”

“You’re a good kid, Eugene,” Feldspar said, patting his shoulder. “I can put in a good word with the rest of the town. I’m sure they’d all love to hear you out.”

“I sure hope so,” he said. His tone was lighthearted, but they both knew he wasn’t really kidding. He truly did want the rest of the kingdom to realize that he had moved past his old life, and he wanted to make it up to them.

He arrived back at his house later that night and breathed a small sigh of relief. “One forgiveness down, a thousand more to go,” he said to himself. “But that wasn’t so bad! I could have done this years ago!”

And maybe if I had done this years ago, the King wouldn’t have seen me as just a thief, and I could-

He closed his eyes and waved his arms in front of himself as if he could swat away the thought. He couldn’t dwell on Rapunzel. He had to move on. Even if she had changed his life for the better and brightened his entire outlook on life, and she was maybe the only person he had ever truly cared about.

Yeah, he had to forget about what he had lost, and stay focused on what was ahead of him. He sighed, running his hands over his face. He wondered if she was doing okay. She had been home for over a week now, and he hoped she was adapting alright.

He wished he could be there. He wanted to help her as best he could and make sure she was okay. She had other people now, a real family that loved her. He couldn’t provide her with anything.

But he missed her. He was constantly thinking about what it would be like if he didn’t have to leave her. He could be with the love of his life, and they would be happy. Maybe that was selfish. She deserved better than him, and he knew that. He was trying to move past the selfishness that he had held onto in his past.

He took another deep breath, trying to stop drowning himself in thoughts that would just hurt him. Instead, he chose to think about his forgiveness mission again. He still had a long way to go before he repaid all the debts he could, but he was proud of the small amount he had accomplished.

He knew he changed; he wasn’t who he was just a couple weeks ago. Himself from a month ago wouldn’t even recognize him now. He wanted to believe he really could be a better person than he was before. Abandoning the “Flynn Rider” persona might be the best thing he ever did.

.

He spent a lot of time the coming weeks meeting Coronans and doing what he could to make amends. Most of them just asked that he work to repay what he had stolen, which he was more than happy to do. Even though he wasn’t exactly the best at many of the jobs (apparently you can’t speed up baking by turning the oven to 600 degrees), he did his best to help out where he could.

His next stop was the blacksmith. He had been told that the blacksmith was kind, so hopefully, it wouldn’t be hard to get on his good side.

He approached the shop carefully, then waved to the man standing there. He looked tall and intimidating (especially since he was holding a huge hammer), so Eugene hoped the rumors about him being a gentle giant were true.

“Hi, uh, Xavier, right? My name is Eugene, but I used to go by Flynn Rider, and I stole some stuff from you. And I want to make amends for what I did,” he said. He had tried to get his opening statement down over time, but he never knew how to phrase the words ‘I stole from you and I can’t get your stuff back but I would really like it if you forgave me!’

Xavier smiled at him. “I appreciate the gesture, Eugene, but I do not believe you ever stole anything from me. So you don’t need to make up for anything!”

Eugene grimaced. “See, you don’t think I stole from you, but I know I did. Whenever weapons or gold would randomly disappear from here, that was usually me.”

“Oh,” the blacksmith said simply. He paused for what seemed like forever (but was really only a couple seconds), then chuckled. “I don’t know what you could do to make it up, but I do not mind that you took from me. I am sure you needed it.”

Eugene chewed on his lip. True, he definitely wouldn’t have survived without the weapons he stole, but that didn’t make it okay that he stole them. “Is there any work that you would need me to do? Or anything to just make your life a little easier? I want to make it up to you somehow.”

Xavier smiled. “You know what, I do have something. You’re an adventurer, right? Give me a good story, and I’ll consider your debts paid.”

He was taken aback, but smiled back anyway. “A story? Like what?”

“You saved the Lost Princess, right? How did that go?”

Eugene paused. He wasn’t sure how to tell a story like that. In all honesty, he was still grappling with everything that had happened, and he was pretty sure the story was going to sound insane. But the man asked for a story, and so as weird as it was, he was going to tell it as best he could.

“This is the story of how I died,” he said dramatically, then smiled. “Though, it’s not really my story. It’s Rapunzel’s.”

He launched into the story of the girl in the tower who only dreamed of seeing the lanterns, and the guy who only had a crown on his mind. There were quite a few holes in his story where he had no clue what happened. He had never figured out why her hair was magical in the first place, much less how Gothel found out about it.

Throughout the whole story, Xavier looked intrigued. He wasn’t sure how the man wasn’t at all phased by talk of magic healing hair and swordfighting horses, but he didn’t bother dwelling on it.

“And so, once I was brought back to life and she told me she was the Lost Princess, we went back to the kingdom. Now she’s with her family, and it’s the happy ending everyone wanted,” he finished. He looked at Xavier, trying to decipher what he was thinking.

“Wow,” he said. “That must have been quite a lot to go through.”

Eugene chuckled. “Oh, yeah. I know it sounds a little crazy, with all the magic and whatnot-”

“Trust me, I have heard all about that magic. The story of the magic healing flower has been passed down through generations.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, there have been myths about the Sundrop for millennia. It’s impressive that you got to see it in action.”

Eugene pressed his thumb into the palm of his left hand, rubbing it thoughtfully. The Sundrop’s powers were nothing compared to the way Rapunzel made him feel like his heart was bursting whenever she smiled, but that was neither here nor there.

“So, you are in love with the Princess, right?”

Eugene choked on his breath, then let out a shaky laugh. “Th-the Princess? Who? In love? Pfft, I don’t- I wouldn’t- I’ve never even met- I mean, I uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered, his hands fidgeting uncomfortably. Nice one, Fitzherbert, that was really convincing . Apparently, he completely lost his ability to lie when he stopped thieving. Fantastic .

Xavier simply smiled lightly. “The way you talk about her, it is easy to tell.”

Eugene sighed and shrugged halfheartedly. “It doesn’t matter, she’s with her family now. I couldn’t come in the way of her happiness.”

“Maybe her happiness is you, too.”

“Even then, a princess can’t be with a criminal. That’s just… that’s how it is.”

“Would a ‘criminal’ go around to everyone in town just to atone for every crime he once committed?”

Eugene’s gaze fell to the ground. He was trying to fix his past mistakes, but that doesn’t mean his mistakes didn’t happen. No matter how much he wanted to be a better person, he couldn’t undo what he had done.

After a brief silence, Xavier rested his hand on Eugene’s shoulder. “Well, Eugene, I’m glad you’re focusing on doing the right thing these days. And thank you for the story.”

*

Eugene had gone to all the townspeople and made amends within 3 months. Everyone was surprisingly receptive to his apologies, which made it easier. He still got the occasional glare as he walked down the street, but he did his best to ignore it. He had done what he could. He didn’t need everyone to like him, he just wanted to right his wrongs.

After he finished making his amends, he went back to the cobbler shop and took the job that Feldspar had offered him. He never would have guessed it, but he had a knack for making shoes. Having an honest job was new to him, but it was a welcome change.

.

6 months after he and Rapunzel had first returned to Corona and his crimes were pardoned, he had a steady job and was getting along the best he could with the others in the kingdom. Life was going pretty well for him, all things considered.

He was walking to work one day when a group of kids ran up to him with excited smiles on their faces. “Eugene!” Seth called out, waving his arm as he ran up to the man.

“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?”

“Can you tell them the story you told me last week?” the boy asked, gesturing to the other kids following him. “They don’t believe me.”

He smiled and sat down on the edge of the fountain in the street. He had a little bit of time before he had to get to work, right? “Alright, just a quick story,” he said. “This is the story of how I died,” he recited, sweeping an arm in front of himself. He stuck with that introduction whenever he told the story; he liked the way people reacted to the line. The kids’ eyes widened, and they sat on the ground in front of him, already completely engaged in what he was saying. “Well, don’t worry, it’s actually a very fun story, and the truth is it’s not even mine. This is the story of a girl named Rapunzel, and it starts with the sun…”

The kids hung onto his every word as he recounted the tale of the weirdest and best days of his life. He chose his words carefully, though, and made sure to keep out the part where he fell in love with Rapunzel. That small detail made the story seem more like a tale of lost love than the fun and rousing adventure that it was.

When he finished the story, his audience of children (and a few adults nearby that were pretending not to listen) looked stunned. “Whoa,” one kid said. “What happened to the chameleon?”

Eugene couldn’t help but smile at how the frog was the kid’s most important takeaway from the story. “Well, that little guy is still with the Princess,” he said. “And he’s living it up in the castle, blending into things just like he loves to do.”

Seth smiled excitedly. “You know, the Princess is coming into town today! Maybe you two can reunite now!”

“She— what?”

“Yeah! They announced that she’ll have a day in town before her coronation celebration!”

Eugene plastered on a smile but felt his stomach plummet. He didn’t know if he could see her without becoming a complete mess. He had been avoiding his feelings for months, but he was positive his resolve would break the second he saw her.

Besides, she wouldn’t want to see him. She had a whole new life, she must have moved on. He wasn’t going to hold her back, that wouldn’t be fair to her. She’d been living outside her tower for months, she probably didn’t think about him the way he constantly thought about her.

“Well, I should get to work, but it was great talking to you guys,” he said, standing up. The kids bid him goodbye, and he made his way to the cobbler shop. Making shoes would help distract him from thinking about Rapunzel. He just needed to focus on his work, everything would be fine.

.

“Did you hear the Princess is supposed to be in town today?” Feldspar said later that day. “I’ve heard you used to be friends with her,” he added with an eyebrow wiggle.

Eugene did his best to grin casually. “I heard, but I think I’m going to stay back. I’ve got a lot of shoes to finish.”

“Good on you! You know what we say in the shoe business: stitches before bi-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, you really shouldn’t call a princess that. Or anyone, for that matter.”

“I’m not just saying it about the Princess, it’s just an expression. All I’m saying is that in general, shoes should come first!”

Eugene didn’t bother arguing. He turned his attention back to the shoe he was working on. He didn’t have any interest in romance right now, given that he was still deeply in love with a girl he could never be with. That put a bit of a damper on his romantic life.

Later that day, a crowd gathered near the shop as it was announced that the Princess would be passing by. ���Are you sure you don’t want to see her?” Feldspar asked. Eugene shook his head.

“I’m alright here,” he insisted.

Feldspar shrugged. “Well, I’m going. I’ve got to see what kind of shoes the Princess likes so I can make plenty of them.” He walked confidently out the door, and Eugene didn’t have the heart to tell him that the Princess didn’t wear shoes at all.

He immersed himself back into the work he was doing, shoving away the thoughts of Rapunzel clouding his head. That wouldn’t help anyone.

And still, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing out the window in the front of the store to see if he could spot her. As much as he tried not to care, his heart stopped when he caught a glimpse of her in the street. She was surrounded by guards, and she looked… sad. She had a smile on her face, but something about it seemed distant.

When they had been in town on her birthday, she had found so much joy in talking to everyone around town. Now, with guards on every side of her, all she could do was smile and wave at the citizens. No wonder she seemed so sad.

He noticed something in her expression change, and he couldn’t figure out why until he realized what she saw. She was looking directly at him through the window. Oh.

His heart quickened. He wasn’t sure what to do now. Should he wave? Should he pretend he didn’t see her? They both stared at each other through the window for a moment, neither of them moving, until she was pulled away by the guards.

When she was out of his line of vision, he sighed heavily and leaned against the table in front of him, trying to steady his breath. He wouldn’t let one moment of eye contact ruin him.

“You’re never going to believe this,” Feldspar yelled as he threw open the door of the shop. “She doesn’t even wear shoes!”

.

As it turns out, just a moment of seeing her was, in fact, all he needed to be completely wrecked. He didn’t think about how much he missed her until he saw her in person again.

Eugene was lying awake in bed that night, unable to stop thoughts of her from infiltrating his head. He couldn’t fall asleep just because he had seen her for maybe 10 seconds that day. He couldn’t even be surprised, he had always known this was exactly what would happen when he let himself think about her.

What hurt most was how unhappy she looked. Before, he was able to convince himself that she was happy in the castle, so he couldn’t keep her from that happiness. But she wasn’t happy. She was trapped again. She was being kept from what made her happy, and to make matters worse, there was nothing he could do about it.

A soft knock at the door momentarily pulled him out of his hole of wallowing in self-pity. He furrowed his brow and sat up. Who would be at his house this late? It was the middle of the night, who could possibly need him right now?

He got up and walked to the door, grabbing his sword on the way (he wasn’t sure why, it’s not like an intruder was going to knock on the door first). When he opened the door, his eyes widened as he saw who was waiting there. “Rapunzel?”

“Hi,” she greeted softly.

“What are you doing here? Are you okay?” Instinctively, he reached out to touch her face, tossing his sword to the side. She smiled softly and leaned into his hand.

“My friend Cass helped me sneak out,” she said. That didn’t answer either of his questions, but he moved on anyway.

“Why did you sneak out?”

“Being a princess is… great , but it- it’s just a lot. And I needed time away from the castle.”

Eugene paused, his eyebrows creasing with concern. He wished he had been there to help her. He had been afraid she was going to struggle assimilating into the life of a princess, and he should have been there.

And now she’s standing in front of him, looking scared and tired and excited all at the same time. She had a dark hood over her head, covering her face in shadows. He knew the King would have him killed if he found out that Rapunzel had run away to his house in the middle of the night, but at that moment he couldn’t even pretend to care. “Do you want to come in?”

She smiled and nodded, and he stepped aside to let her in. She looked around as she walked in, taking in every detail of the room. “This is a nice place,” she remarked.

Eugene shrugged. “It’s not very exciting, but it’s much nicer than anywhere I’ve lived before,” he said with a grin, then added, “I’m sure the castle is much fancier than this, though. And probably complete with lots of beautiful paintings by Princess Rapunzel herself.”

Rapunzel blushed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of new space to paint in my room,” she said. “I could probably paint a little in here if you’d like!”

“As much as I’d love that, I don’t think you want to spend your one night out of the castle painting my house,” he responded with a slight chuckle.

Her eyes fell to the floor as she rocked back and forth on her feet. “Oh, yeah,” she said under her breath.

“So, speaking of that,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. “Where are you going now that you’ve run away?”

She paused for a moment, then let out a small laugh. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just knew I had to come here, I didn’t think of what I’d do after that.”

“Well, if you don’t have any plans,” Eugene said with a grin. “How about I take you on a quick trip out of the kingdom?”

Her eyes widened. “Out of the kingdom? Like, past the wall?”

The King would absolutely kill him for this. And yet, he still could not care less. “Yeah, we can get out for tonight, then back in before anyone notices. What do you say?”

The bright smile he got in return could rival the sun itself. “I would love to.”

Eugene quickly pulled his boots on, and they headed out the door. Once they were out in the open, a familiar horse came into view. Maximus snorted as he met Eugene’s eye. “Hey, Max! Didja miss me?”

Max closed his eyes and shook his head aggressively. Eugene patted his head. “I missed you, too.”

“Max helped me leave the castle without being seen,” Rapunzel said, scratching the horse’s chin. “And he agreed to bring me here.”

“So then where’s the frog?”

“Pascal and Cass are both at the castle making sure no one knows I’m gone.”

“Wow, Blondie, you’ve got quite a network for your scheme,” he teased lightly. She giggled softly, her eyes lighting up at his nickname for her. “Well, we can’t have that all be for nothing! Let’s get going,” he said, sticking his arm out for her.

She grabbed it happily, and they climbed onto Max’s back to quickly and quietly make their way to the border wall. Max stayed ducked in shadows and trotted carefully to make sure his hooves didn’t make too much noise when guards would pass nearby.

They climbed over the wall, collectively heaving a sigh of relief once they made it out of Corona. They were past the guards and the wall, and now they had the rest of the night to explore the world outside of Corona.

Rapunzel’s smile grew with every step she took, looking around at the forest around her. The stars were hanging in the sky, shining down on her. Fireflies dotted the trees around them. The river next to her was flowing smoothly, the rushing adding peaceful background noise to the scene. “Wow,” she whispered, completely enamored by her surroundings. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

“Yes, I have,” Eugene answered without thinking, staring at the girl in front of him. Her green eyes were full of the same joy they had when she first left her tower. He could feel his heart doing cartwheels in his chest every time she smiled. The gentle breeze was hitting her face and letting her short hair wave back and forth.

She turned back to him and beamed at him. “Come on, we have so much more to see!” She grabbed his hand and rushed forward, and he was more than happy to be dragged along in her journey.

She stopped to study every new plant or tree she saw, and she made sure to greet every animal that came into her path. She skipped excitedly through the forest, constantly making note of things that she would need to paint next time she got the chance.

After a few hours, she found a soft section of grass and sat down, her legs stretched out as she leaned back on her arms so she could get a good view of the stars in the sky. She patted the ground next to her, gesturing for Eugene to lie down next to her. He did, but he was paying more attention to Rapunzel than he was to the stars.

“There are so many of them,” she whispered. “I learned the other day that they’re all distant piles of gas, far away from here. I guess it puts everything into perspective, thinking about how on that star, no one even knows who we are.”

“Yeah,” he breathed. From the perspective of a star millions of lightyears away, they were just specks. Not a princess and a criminal, but just… people. People that were sharing one moment together, just like millions of other people in the world.

She looked over at him and grabbed his hand. He smiled and leaned in closer to her. Her eyes fell shut as they drew closer to each other.

Then without warning, her eyes shot open and she moved away. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said quickly, standing up and wrapping her arms around herself.

Eugene took a quick breath in, standing up and taking a step backward to give her a distance. “I- I’m so sorry, Rapunzel, I shouldn’t have tried to-”

“You left,” she interrupted quickly, her eyes gradually filling with tears.

“What?” His eyes flitted over her face, trying to decipher how she was feeling. She didn’t seem scared or mad, just... hurt. He felt a pang in his chest knowing that he was the reason she was feeling like that.

“You left, and you didn’t say goodbye. And they told me you were gone, and I didn’t believe them because I was sure that you would tell me when you left. But you didn’t,” she said quietly, her voice breaking with every word.

He didn’t answer for a moment, trying to remember how to speak. He should have known that she would have felt abandoned when he left without a word. He had been so sure he had made the right choice when he left, but looking at her now, he realized he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Looking back on it, his choice to not tell her when he was leaving the castle was entirely selfish. He couldn’t handle seeing her again, couldn’t trust himself to not run to her. So he had slipped away, hoping that he wouldn’t have to deal with his own heartbreak seeing her face one last time before he went.

And here she was. He had left her behind without a word, yet she still came to him. After he abandoned her and completely cut himself off from her, she came back. That was what hurt most. He knew she deserved better than him. She deserved someone that would have the guts to see her one last time despite the world pushing them apart. It hurt that she was willing to come back to him after he hurt her.

And still, he loved her. He wanted to go back and fix all his mistakes and find a way to be with her. Ever since he had left months ago, there was not a day that went by where he didn’t think of her. It killed him that he had hurt her when all he wanted to do was sweep her up in his arms and hold her so nothing could ever hurt her again.

She was looking at him with wide eyes as his throat dried up. His mind was swirling with all the thoughts and feelings he had tried to keep buried for months. He loved her. He wouldn’t blame her if she hated him and never felt the same way about him, but he loved her with his entire being. And he had no idea how to tell her that.

“Rapunzel, I’m so sorry I never said goodbye when I left. I had to leave to let you start your new life, but I thought it would be easier for both of us if I could just leave-”

“It wasn’t,” she said. “It wasn’t easier. I had no idea what I was doing, and all I did was wish you were there beside me.”

He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Trust me, Blondie, I felt the same way. I wanted to be by your side, and it hurt that I couldn’t be there with you.”

“It hurt me, too.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“It’s… it’s not your fault that you had to leave,” she said, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. She stepped towards him and grabbed his hand hesitantly. “But I missed you so much.” She took another step closer, and he could almost feel her breath on his face. She was just inches away, and he tried to ignore his heart pounding out of his chest.

“I missed you, too,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “But we should-”

The rest of his sentence was completely lost as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. His eyes widened, then immediately fell shut as he let his composure completely fall away. He pulled her closer, wishing he could live in this moment for the rest of his life.

He knew they shouldn’t be doing this. The King had tried to keep them apart for a reason, and they would have to leave each other behind again after tonight. But at that moment, he didn’t care about any logic. All he cared about was trying to communicate everything he felt about her through one kiss. Feeling her lips pressed against his was all that mattered to him. They had both been wishing they could be just like this for months, and being able to hold her felt like a dream.

They softly broke apart from the kiss, but their faces remained close together as they tried to catch their breath. She smiled at him, and he rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when I left, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there with you.”

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay,” she whispered, casting her eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I had to be the princess and separate us-”

“No, hey, don’t apologize for finding a new life, your real life,” he said, putting his fingers under her chin and softly tilting her head up to look into her eyes. “All that matters to me is that you’re safe and happy with your family.”

“But you’re part of my family. I’m happy with you,” she said, her eyes starting to water. He reached up to wipe a stray tear off her face.

“And I’ll always be here for you, Blondie. Princess or not, I’m always supporting you, even if it’s from afar.”

She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. They stayed like that for a moment, just enjoying each other’s presence while they could. They were acutely aware that the night would end sooner than they wanted it to, and they would have to go their separate ways yet again. It would be the same as before, but it hurt even worse now that they had gotten a taste of what they were missing.

But he would still love her no matter what. Even if they were apart for the rest of their lives, he still loved her more than he ever thought possible.

The night would end soon, and so would their time together. She would go back to the castle, he would go back to his house. He couldn’t do anything to change their situation, all he could do was hold her tighter and hope that the memories of her would keep him grounded.

Rapunzel looked up at the sky, her brow crinkling when she realized how soon the sun would rise. “We still have time tonight,” she said quietly. She didn’t know what would happen to them when the night ended, but she could only hope this wasn’t the end.

“Then let’s make the most of it,” Eugene replied, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently.

Their eyes met, and he smiled at her. Every glance at her twisted his heart more, but he wouldn’t dare look away.

Despite everything, she was the love of his life, and he was hers. And even if he couldn’t be by her side, he wouldn’t trade that love for anything.

[the-modernmary]

my best habit || aaron hotchner x reader (ch. 5)

Chapter summary: Aaron and the rest of the BAU finally make an arrest on their case, and you spend the weekend at Aaron’s.

Warnings: SMUT, oral (f receiving), multiple orgasms

prev. chapter || masterlist || read on ao3

I had a few, got drunk on you, and now I’m wasted

And when I sleep I’m gonna dream of how you tasted

- Harry Styles, “Medicine”

 ~~~~~~~

The investigation was slow going, and every day when you got off the metro to get to your internship, you would see the undercover van that you knew had BAU members cramped inside, sitting and waiting for somebody, anybody , to slip up and say something incriminating. 

  It was weird being at work knowing that it was bugged, but it did wonders for your productivity. Whenever Chris or another one of your friends at the office started to ask you about your personal life, you were able to deflect it with a quick “Sorry, I’m in the zone right now, and I’ve really got to focus!” Usually, you had no problem sharing, but you really didn’t want the FBI to have audio evidence of your retelling of you double fisting vodka Sprites the night before until you passed out in your bathtub. 

  You also hadn’t seen Aaron since that first night together, which was almost a week ago now. The two of you had been texting back and forth pretty consistently, but you quickly found that there was a variable that wasn’t there two years ago - Jack.

You should have realized that, of course , Jack would be living with Aaron now, but it never crossed your mind. Jack used to live with Haley, and Aaron rarely brought him up to you. Now that Jack lived with Aaron, it made things a little more complicated. It also meant that you couldn’t just show up at Aaron’s doorstep whenever you were feeling lonely, or vice versa. After a long and awkward phone call, Aaron and you had both agreed that it was best that Jack just didn’t meet you, just in case he got attached.

  “For now, at least,” Aaron had added at the end, and holy shit, you did not have the time to unpack whatever the fuck that meant.

  Especially not with Chris throwing a crumpled piece of paper at you like the two of you were in middle school and passing notes.

  You held up the ball of paper with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? You have the desk across from me, you could have just said my name.”

  “What are you doing tonight?” he asked you, pointedly ignoring your question. “Nina just got the Catan expansion pack and she wants us all to come over.”

  You pursed your lips as you thought about the offer. You did love game nights with your friends, but it was Friday night and you were still holding out on the possibility of Aaron maybe being free and inviting you over. It was almost pitiful how touch starved you were after just a few days of not being with Aaron.

  “I’m not sure whether or not I’m busy tonight,” you admitted, maybe speaking a little too loudly in the direction of the listening devices, just in case Aaron was listening in. 

  Chris gave you a knowing smirk. “Oh, are you waiting to hear from your secret lover?”

  “Okay, don’t use the word ‘lover’ again,” you groaned. “And what makes you think that it was anything more than a one night stand?”

  “Because when you’re not actively texting, you’ve been checking your phone every 20 minutes.”

  Your face turned red as you sunk into your seat, trying and failing to hide yourself. Maybe if you willed it hard enough, the ground would open up and swallow you whole, just to save you from the embarrassment. You hadn’t realized you were checking your phone so often, but you also didn’t doubt it. 

  “Fine,” you grumbled, deciding that coming clean to your friends was going to be much easier than having to deal with them bringing it up at every moment possible. Besides, you didn’t have to give them all the details. “I will tell everybody all about him, but later . Not now.”

  Chris smirked as he leaned back in his chair, obviously proud of himself. You turned back to your work, mindlessly doing edits as you came up with a cover story in your head.

  Ran into an old friend, you could say. We got drinks, and then one thing led to another. That could work, except you came to the realization that you didn’t have any photos of Aaron, which would be suspicious if he was an old friend. You would have to look him up, which you were sure would just lead to a slew of FBI ID photos and news articles, which would mean that they’d just do some major googling of their own. You had avoided looking up Aaron, maybe in fear of what fucked up cases he had been involved in, but your friends would not hesitate.

  You could come up with something so ridiculous that they would just laugh about it. Yeah, I got a sugar daddy and he made me sign a nondisclosure agreement, sorry! You giggled to yourself just thinking about it. Aaron would probably be mortified at the thought. Although, he did wear a Rolex, so you guessed that anything was possible.

  “Holy shit, Y/N,” Chris mumbled, and you just gave a lazy hum as a reply, not really paying attention. “The FBI is here.”

  Your head snapped up at that . You whipped your head around so that you could face the entrance, and sure enough, the entire BAU team was walking in like they owned the place, with Aaron in the lead. They all had their FBI vests on, a sight which was way more attractive than it should have been. JJ and Reid stayed at the entrance to make sure nobody got out.

  “Everybody, please stay calm,” JJ called out, putting her hands up non threateningly. “Everything is okay, but we need you all to stay sitting exactly where you are.”

  A commotion came from the conference room and against your better judgment, you turned your head to watch what was going on. It wasn’t just one person getting arrested, it was every partner. You watched as Aaron spun Julian DuPont around by the wrist and pushed his face down on the conference table and oh, the FBI vest was nothing compared to watching Aaron arrest somebody.

  If anybody asked you if you got turned on during an FBI raid, you would vehemently deny it, but watching Aaron take out his handcuffs made your mind flash back to all those times you were in that same position, cuffed and bent over, completely at Aaron’s mercy. 

  Just as quickly as they came in, the BAU made their arrests and made their way back out. As Aaron passed your desk, his eyes met yours for a brief second and the corner of his mouth quirked up smugly. It was so subtle and quick that even you barely caught it, but you knew that look.

  At least you weren’t the only one in this situation with your mind in the gutter.

  Once the rest of the BAU was out of the building, JJ and Reid started the process of getting everybody else out of the office so that CSI could come in and finish looking around. When you passed by them, both agents greeted you with a warm smile, like the three of you were old friends.

  “Y/N, we’re going to need to get your statement before you go home,” Reid told you as you walked by, and you just nodded in confirmation.

  Once you got outside, you were immediately greeted by some agent named Anderson. He needed to get your statement on the work you did with the team, and you quickly gave him the PG version of the story. Your mind, however, was more focused on finding Aaron, who you knew had to be somewhere in the crowd. God, how long did it take to write down a simple statement?

  “I’ll take it from here, Anderson. Thank you.” 

  Aaron’s voice sent shivers down your spine and you spun around to look at him. You brought your bottom lip in between your teeth. “Nice arrest, although I’m surprised. Mr. DuPont doesn’t even drive himself to work, I can’t imagine him waiting out to kill somebody.”

  “That’s because he hired hitmen,” Aaron explained. “The victims were all bribing judges to get their cases dismissed, and all of those dismissed cases looked really bad for his prosecuting record.”

  You shrugged, placing your hands on his hips. “Probably not as bad as prison, though.”

  That actually got a laugh out of Aaron, but he quickly composed himself as another agent walked past the two of you. “Yeah, he’s not going to be practicing law ever again.” 

  You opened your mouth to say something - maybe to invite him over? You weren’t totally sure - when one of the CSI’s came over to ask Aaron something.

  Aaron waved him off, telling him that he would be there in a moment, before turning back to you. “My house will be empty all weekend,” he whispered, looking around to make sure nobody was watching. “Pack a bag, come over.”

  Before you could even answer him, Aaron had already taken off. You made your way towards the metro so that you could run home before heading to Aaron’s. You had to fight the smile that was growing on your face when Aaron mentioned packing a bag. Not only was it an unspoken promise of a weekend full of sex, it also meant that he was planning on making room for you to keep some of your stuff at his house. The two of you were quickly falling back into your old routines, and it was weirdly comforting.

  When you got to your house, you made a split second decision to change out of your work clothes into a more casual outfit, although it didn’t matter much what you were wearing. It’s not like it was going to stay on for very long. As you packed your bag, you ordered an Uber, knowing it would get you to Aaron’s place faster than the metro. 

  Sure, you were a little impatient, but it had been so long since you had spent the night at Aaron’s place. It always intrigued you how different it was at his house than it was at yours. You were just staying in a shoebox apartment while you were in college - something liveable and temporary until after you graduated and got a job where you could put actual roots down. Your decor was fairly minimum, an assortment of knick-knacks and photos of your friends.

  Aaron’s place was different. It was a certifiable, adult house with framed art and random decorative bowls scattered around. All of his kitchenware was a part of a matching set and his living room looked like all the pieces were picked out by an interior designer. In a weird way, being at Aaron’s house gave you a glimpse of the life you could have in just a few years. Sometimes, it was easy to imagine that you were a part of his world.

  You couldn’t think like that, though. Especially not when he greeted you at his door with an eager kiss, pulling you in so that you were pressed against him.

  “I’m going to use this entire weekend,” Aaron mumbled against your lips in between kisses. His hands slid up your sides, pulling your shirt off almost immediately. “To thoroughly and completely ruin you, until you can only say my name.” 

  Your fingers tangled in his hair as you smiled into the kiss, your fingers already working on the buttons of his shirt. A soft moan escaped your lips, which only encouraged him to deepen the kiss.

  The two of you stumbled towards Aaron’s bedroom, only detaching your lips when absolutely necessary and leaving a trail of clothes behind you. You needed to be naked, to feel your bare skin pressed against his. His hands were impossibly everywhere all at once - running up your thighs, cupping your breasts, and gripping your hips so hard that it was bound to leave bruises. Your body burned everywhere he touched and soon all you could think about was him and how badly you wanted him to touch you where it mattered.

  Once you got to his bedroom, Aaron pressed you against the wall. You tried to grind against him, but he moved one of his hands onto your hips so that he could hold you in place. His lips moved from your mouth to your neck, sucking just enough to make your back arch. “You have no idea how often I thought of you this week. How hard it was to listen to you and not think about how you sound when you’re begging for me. How badly I needed you.”

  Your nail scratched down his back lightly, just enough to elicit a soft hiss from him. “Desperation is unbecoming on you, Aaron,” you teased, knowing that would get a reaction out of him.

  It worked. One of his hands stayed on your hip, pressing you firmly against the wall, while his other hand tangled itself in your hair, pulling your head back so that your face was lifted up towards him. He kept you at an arm's distance as his eyes raked your body up and down hungrily.

  “I’m desperate?” he said scornfully. “Coming from the girl who is so needy that she couldn’t stay away from her phone for more than a few minutes, just waiting for me to want you. I could have called you at any time, and you would have dropped everything just to let me use you, isn’t that right? You’d let me do anything to you, just like the filthy slut you are.”

  You visibility gulped at his statement but you nodded obediently, which earned you a sharp tug of your hair.

  “Yes, Aaron, fuck ,” you gasped out. “I would have let you do anything at any time, just please…”

  Aaron gave you a predatory grin as the hand on your hip slowly made its way up your stomach until it cupped your right breast, thumbing lightly over your nipple. It wasn’t enough to get any real pleasure, but it made you moan all the same.

   “You did such a good job this week,” he murmured, looking at you almost worshipfully like he wanted to commit you to memory.  “I was going to give you whatever you wanted tonight. But maybe that would make me too desperate .”

  You tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but it was no use. “I- I-” you stuttered out. You couldn’t think straight.

  “I- I-,” Aaron mocked. “I thought you were a lot more intelligent than that. Come on, Y/N, whatever you want. Use your words. Unless pleasure’s turned you into a stupid whore.” He punctuated the last word with a light spank to your clit, which made you cry out and your legs instinctively try to close.

  “I want you to use your mouth,” you begged, arching your back in a pitiful attempt to create some form of contact. Your shoulders pressed against the wall was the only thing keeping you upright.

  “Where?” he asked all too casually.

  Your breathing was still shaky at best, but you forced yourself to make eye contact with Aaron. He looked back at you expectantly, waiting patiently for your answer.

  You slowly raised your hand to point to your left breast, which so far had been woefully ignored. “Here,” you said hesitantly, not sure whether or not he was going to tease you. While Aaron always gave you what you asked for eventually, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t make you beg for it first.

  To his credit, however, Aaron immediately bent down and attached his mouth to your nipple, his teeth gently scraping over the sensitive flesh. His eyes never left yours, he wanted to watch your reaction. 

  Feeling more confident, you cupped the sides of his face and pulled him off you, and the sound it made was obscene. “I want you to eat me out,” you whispered, blushing as you said it. “I want to feel myself cum on your face, please .”

  Aaron smirked as he slid down to his knees, kissing all the way down your stomach. “Good girl, you asked so nicely,” he mumbled against your skin and it sent shivers up your spine. He hooked one of your legs over his shoulder, giving him a perfect few of your pussy, slick with your arousal. “Look at you, dripping down your thighs before I’ve even started. Desperation is unbecoming on you, Y/N,” he mocked. He was using your words against you, and you didn’t even care. You just wanted him to do something, anything.

  Aaron ran a finger through your folds, ghosting over your clit. You hips bucked, desperate for more contact, but his finger was already gone. “Look at me,” he ordered, and as soon as you did, you were greeted with the image of Aaron admiring the wetness that was covering his finger. Then he stuck the finger in his mouth, smirking as he did, and you moaned out at the sight. “You taste so good, Y/N.”

  “Please, Aaron, I need you to- oh! ” you begged, but you were cut off by Aaron licking a strip up your center, still avoiding your clit.

  His hands came around and grabbed onto your ass as he got to work, lapping through your folds. You tangled your hands in his hair, rocking your hips against his mouth, craving more . His tongue teased at your clit, humming every once in a while in a way that sent vibrations throughout you. Without warning, he pushed two fingers into you curling them in just the right spot.

  As Aaron’s fingers pumped in and out of you, his lips focused solely on your clit. He flicked it once with his tongue before sucking, relishing in the way you moaned out his name. You tightened your grip in Aaron’s hair as your first orgasm hit you, your whole body shaking and a string of expletives leaving your mouth. But that didn’t stop Aaron.

  He added a third finger and replaced his mouth with his thumb on your clit. “You’re going to give me another one,” he practically growled. “And then I’m going to fuck you until you’re a whining mess. This is what you asked for isn’t it?”

  When you didn’t answer right away, he turned his head to the side and bit down on the sensitive flesh of your inner thigh, causing you to cry out. He sucked on that same spot for a little before dragging his tongue over the newly formed bruise.

  “Yes, I want that, Aaron,” you cried out. “I want you .”

  He reattached his lips to your folds with newfound vigor, making tight circles around your clit. His free hand snaked up your sides to your breast, pinching and twisting at your nipple. You continued to beg, although you weren’t sure what you were begging for exactly. All you knew was that you were so full of want , want for your second orgasm, and want for Aaron.

  Aaron fucked you with his fingers with ease, as if he had all the time in the world. You ground down on him again, chasing your orgasm the best you could. Your eyes were squeezed shut in pleasure, but you needed more. You opened your eyes, only to be met with Aaron’s blown pupils, eyes full of desire. You could almost feel his smirk as he wrapped his lips around your clit and pulled .

  The heel of your foot dug into his back as you cried out, your second orgasm twice as intense as your first one. Aaron’s fingers kept pumping into you lazily, and even your panting couldn’t cover the filthy sounds it was making. You could feel yourself dripping down your thighs.

  Aaron slowly removed his fingers from you and lightly swiped them over your clit once more as he stood up, which almost made you completely lose your balance, a sob tearing from your mouth.

  He held his glistening fingers in front of your mouth and you opened obediently, moaning as you tasted yourself on him. Your tongue swirled around his fingers, making sure to clean every trace of you off him.

  Aaron removed his fingers from your mouth. “Do you have one more in you?” he asked, and it was softer than you were used to. “It’s okay if you don’t. We have all weekend.”

  “I need your dick in me,” you said in lieu of an answer. “Please, please fuck me.”

  Aaron pulled you to his bed and you all but collapsed onto your back, your legs still shaking from your back to back orgasms. Aaron crawled on top of you, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake, all the way from your stomach to your mouth.

  “You’re so beautiful when you come for me,” he whispered, teasing your entrance with the head of his cock. All of his movements were gentle, bordering on caring. “Yelling out my name so that everybody can hear that you’re mine .”

  He pressed into you slowly, his first few thrusts shallow, and you could see that it was taking all of his willpower to keep teasing you like this. You dragged your nails down his back, not caring if it left marks on him.

  “Aaron,” you whimpered, bucking your hips to try and get more movement. “Please fuck me. I need more.”

  Aaron was always good at giving you what you wanted.

  His hips snapped into you harshly, and you had to attach your lips to his shoulder to keep from screaming out. Aaron thrusted into you hard and fast, wanting to feel every inch of you. He stretched you in all the best ways and your back arched off the bed. You were holding on to Aaron like a lifeline, and all he could do was grunt out your name over and over, repeating it like a prayer. 

  Your third orgasm came fast, spreading through your body like a wildfire, and you could feel the tears prick at the corners of your eyes at the overstimulation. Aaron’s thrusts became more desperate and harsher as he felt you squeeze around him. He dropped his head to your shoulder, his breathing ragged and you could tell that he was so close-

  “Cum for me… Fill me up,” you purred into Aaron’s ear, and that’s all it took for him to finish, holding himself deep inside you as his warmth filled you. The two of you stayed like that for a moment, both trying to catch your breath. You brought your head up to kiss Aaron, slowly and deliberately and filled with… something . You couldn’t figure out what it was yet.

  Aaron pulled out of you slowly and flopped onto the bed next to you, but he reached over and held your hand. The two of you laid like that for several moments, giving yourselves time to come back down to reality. Finally, Aaron rolled on his side to check on you. You admired the flush on his body, especially as it rose to his cheeks and made him look like he was practically glowing.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on your hand. “Can I do anything?” 

  You turned your head to smile at him, giving his hand a squeeze, before sitting up. Aaron was always so careful about aftercare, which you were immensely appreciative of. “Oh, I’m fine, I’m just going to go to the bathroom. A UTI might ruin the mood,” you joked.

  When you returned, Aaron was already in a pair of pajama pants and sitting in bed. He had also laid out one of his shirts for you, which caused your stomach to do flips. Despite the fact that you actually did pack pajamas, you chose to wear his shirt. You could feel his eyes watching your every movement as you made your way back into bed, leaning back against the headboard.

  Aaron placed an arm around your shoulders and you leaned into him, catching his lips in another kiss, this one soft and sensual. You placed your hand on his bare chest as the kiss deepened, and Aaron’s fingers ghosting over your skin sent shivers down your spine.

  “So,” you murmured against his lips. “What are your plans for me this weekend?” It was partially a joke, but you wanted to be as prepared as possible for just how sore you were going to be on Monday after an entire three days of being thoroughly wrecked by Aaron.

  Aaron’s lips curved up into a smile as he dropped a kiss on the top of your head, letting his lips linger for just a second too long. “Hm, we can play it by ear. Although, I was thinking Indian for dinner tomorrow night?”

  You were too old to get butterflies, but there was something so soft and so sincere in his reply that it made your stomach do flips. Aaron yawned, probably not even giving a second thought to his reply, and pulled you in closer to him. 

  “Yeah,” you conceded, closing your eyes. “Indian sounds good.” You could deal with the butterflies later.

[remuslupinfest]

Remus Lupin Fest 2020 Master List (Anon)

We're pleased to release this years Master List of fics, sorted by ship and alphabetically! There's 38 incredible works! Author and artist reveals are next week.

GEN

TITLE: First Year SUMMARY: I hope whoever prompted this in the first place is happy with the result. I know it's super messy but I was experimenting a bit with my style!

TITLE: On Talking SUMMARY: Five conversations Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall have during Prisoner of Azkaban and one they do not.

TITLE: One of Many Happy Moments SUMMARY: Remus has only come back home from one of particularly typical days of teaching in Hogwarts, but he couldn’t refuse Teddy to read the book together

TITLE: Remus Lupin Sleeping Peacefully SUMMARY: Prompt: Remus sleeping peacefully.

TITLE: Tousled SUMMARY: Prompt: Remus wrapped in a sheet/duvet going to the bathroom or kitchen after having had sex with someone. Maybe someone knocks on the door and he can’t find his trousers. He’s flushed, tousled and possibly has a hickey or two.

REMUS/MISC

TITLE: A Heart Grows Warm SUMMARY: After the war, Remus is a single father and desperate for a job. Snape hires him to work in his potions shop, but Remus can't ignore the building sexual tension between them.

TITLE: Bad Moon Rising SUMMARY: James, Lily and Voldemort all died on Halloween night. Years later, Remus is working in the Auror Department on a confusing case of a transformed werewolf stalking a family outside of a full moon and is assigned a brilliant new Auror, Nymphadora Tonks, to work with him.

TITLE: Briseé SUMMARY: Death eater!Remus struggles to face his past after the death of his lover and the end of his freedom.

TITLE: Care to Share? SUMMARY: Remus had every intention of enjoying solidarity over the holidays. That may change now that he's not the only Slytherin staying behind.

TITLE: His Luck SUMMARY: Modern setting, model/photographer AU for Remus Lupin and Narcissa Black. Written for the Remus Lupin fest 2020.

TITLE: Hold Me While You Wait SUMMARY: Remus Lupin just needs someone to hug him.

TITLE: One Night In Barcelona SUMMARY: The chemistry was too much to resist.

TITLE: Readjusting SUMMARY: When Voldemort murders Frank and Alice Longbottom, their baby survives. Meanwhile, Lily moves into a flat in Muggle London. Alone. With baby Harry and the cat. Remus helps.

TITLE: The Paths We Take SUMMARY: Lily Evans Lupin is a detective, though her husband Remus' name is on all the paperwork. He writes incredible tales while she solves mysteries. All seems normal as the Second World War ends, and Lily is hoping for peace and eventual renown for her talents legally attributed to Remus. Her and Remus' entire world comes crashing down once more as Sirius O. Black, Remus' first love, enters their agency, with one request: to find his missing brother Regulus, who joined the Nazis and hasn't come home. Can Lily find the missing Regulus? Can Remus face his heartbreak?

TITLE: You keep messing with my brain SUMMARY: The awful truth was that when he had noticed Regulus Black he couldn’t exactly look away anymore.

WOLFSTAR

TITLE: AMOR VINCIT OMNIA (love conquers all) SUMMARY: Remus, a servant boy to the cruel Emperor Voldemort, meets Sirius, a charming nobleman. Together they fight for freedom and love in Ancient Rome.

TITLE: An Endearing Portrait SUMMARY: At the beginning of their seventh year at Hogwarts, Sirius fears that Remus’s mother and perhaps Remus himself, too, prefers someone else.

TITLE: Falling Into Place SUMMARY: There's always been something special about Remus Lupin, even if it's taken Sirius Black until his seventh year to realize it. Too bad he spends so much time agonizing over his changing feelings that he loses his chance. In which Remus acts like an idiot, Marlene is the snarky voice of reason, James is a mother hen, Peter is confused, and Sirius is seriously jealous.

TITLE: Fate and Other Ambiguous Notions SUMMARY: Truth be told, Sirius has never really paid much attention to Remus before... (Slytherin!Remus, Gryffindor!Sirius)

TITLE: Hold Me While You Wait SUMMARY: Remus Lupin just needs someone to hug him.

TITLE: If You’ll Be Waiting SUMMARY: Remus gets the Information that Sirius is probably still alive. He goes on a road trip to Germany with Harry to find him.

TITLE: In the Throws of You SUMMARY: Prompt 178: Sirius has a track record for picking bad BDSM doms, but luckily Remus is always there to provide the proper aftercare he needs.

TITLE: Ivory and Gold SUMMARY: Sirius Black is all Remus has been looking for and more. A muse, an inspiration, a theme he never wishes to let go. He’s magnetic. And Remus lets himself be pulled in.

TITLE: Let the Awful Song Be Heard, Bluebird SUMMARY: Prompt: I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way. I miss you even more than I could have believed; and I was prepared to miss you a good deal. So this letter is really just a squeal of pain. – Vita Sackville West In some ways, they are still Padfoot and Moony.

TITLE: making a fool out of myself (for you) SUMMARY: Sirius and Remus have been friends for years. However, unbeknownst to the other, both of them have a secret life working as a clown. Over the years, Remus and Sirius have competed against each other in the clown/birthday party circuit, becoming actual clown enemies of each other without knowing their true identities... until now, that is.

TITLE: Meet the Moonies SUMMARY: Remus introduces Sirius to his parents for the first time.

TITLE: Renewal SUMMARY: Remus and Sirius return to Remus's cabin together after the events of Harry's third school year come to a close. Remus decides that Sirius would be much better off with a haircut and some TLC.

TITLE: Sanctify My Body (With Pain) SUMMARY: When Remus leaves for what is essentially a suicide mission, Sirius finds himself grappling with the realities of a life where he doesn't know if the love of his life is dead or alive.

Perhaps the most confusing question in these situations is: which is worse?

TITLE: Siren songs SUMMARY: Sirius had heard of mermaids before, of course. They were all over the songs bards performed at his parents' table and the tall tales sailors traded in every port. He had never given much thought to whether or not the stories were true, though. Imagine his surprise when he and his best mates found themselves shipwrecked on an unfamiliar shore, with a breathtaking and mysterious merman for their only ally.

TITLE: Sweet Nuthin’ SUMMARY: When the summer between third and fourth year begins, Sirius expects it to be nothing but lazy days, harmless pranks with James, and the occasional meet-up with the rest of his friends from Hogwarts. Those plans go out the window rather quickly when he gets a sudden glimpse of Remus Lupin, a mysterious boy who changes everything about Sirius Black's life and shows him that love will always win in the end.

TITLE: Teddy’s Wedding SUMMARY: Teddy's wedding brings about memories of the past and hopes for the future.

TITLE: That Iron Taste SUMMARY: In the middle of a particularly bitter winter, a new attendee starts showing up in Father Black’s congregation. He is entirely unfamiliar and wholly arresting. In his wake there will be confusion, horror, heat, bliss, blood, and perhaps the end of reality itself.

TITLE: The Great Gay Pornstar Twitter Feud of 2020 SUMMARY: “So what I’m hearing is that you’ve got a date with your hot, clever, fellow porn-star twitter nemesis, of whom you once said ‘I’d rather die than let that pretentious knobcloud touch my dick’... is that about right?”

“... Yes.”

Or; Remus Lupin forgets to turn the fucking camera on.

TITLE: The King I Could Become SUMMARY: Prince Sirius of Nox has one thing he cannot stand. Or rather it should be said, one person. Prince Remus of Lupos. They had never gotten along well, though their kingdoms are close allies, but a disturbance in the lands has brought them together on a quest. They'll be able to take down this threat...if they can survive each other's presence first.

TITLE: The New Sailing Master SUMMARY: Sirius is a pirate, Remus is a fugitive, Remus manages to get a lift aboard the Blithering Idiot and it's love at first sight…

TITLE: Things We Can’t Say SUMMARY: Prompt 18: Angst during the first war, based on being on opposite sides. Trying to convince them to join the light side maybe, or accidentally injuring each other or close friends of each other.

TITLE: Thoroughly Debauched SUMMARY: Prompt: Remus riding Sirius in a chair

TITLE: To Admit What Is Not More Illegal SUMMARY: On Valentine’s Day in their seventh year at Hogwarts, Sirius tries to offer what Remus needs, and starts figuring out if he's ashamed of something, and if he is, what it is.

TITLE: You Would Be Calling Me Moony SUMMARY: A month after Sirius falls through the Veil, Remus starts seeing Sirius in his dreams. But they're only dreams...right?

[kiss-my-freckle]

Just go back and look over Liz’s crimes, her victims, and who would be required to testify against Liz. You’ll see. 

Dom’s kidnapping and death: “A lying, deceitful KGB goon.”

Liz was with Red and Ressler when Dom died. They can prove Liz abducted him, but the task force would have to testify against her. 

Ressler: With all due respect, sir, isn’t this a bit of an overreaction? Cooper: To abduction.

Liz: I know you’re loyal to him, and I’m not asking you to be disloyal. But I do have a right to know. Dembe: Your grandfather, Dom. He passed.

The 16 ounces of Semtex and the hospital bombing: “I’m a fugitive. Number one on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.”

Aram: You forged my signature to get 16 ounces of Semtex. You nearly killed Mr. Reddington and Ressler.

Reddington is on the FBI’s top ten Most Wanted list. No one died in the hospital bombing, and Aram would have to testify against Liz regarding the Semtex. Esi planted the bomb, so they’d have to prove Liz flpped the switch. Esi is dead, so she can’t testify. Because they can’t place her near the hospital, the task force would have to testify against Liz, Ressler specifically. 

Cooper: But - how do we even start? Red: By putting Elizabeth Keen at the top of the Blacklist.

The task force would have to testify as to why they didn’t issue a warrant for Liz’s arrest after the hospital bombing, but chose to put her on the blacklist instead. Doing this would require they again testify to Reddington’s immunity agreement. 

---- At this point, Liz is on the blacklist ----

Liz spends the night with Ressler, then he allows her to leave his apartment. Ressler’s ability as an agent would be brought into question. 

Ressler: I’m just saying, if she did reach out to you, if you actually saw her - you might think differently.

Liz picked Agnes up from the Post Office, where an operationally trained Aram allowed her to escape, so his ability as an agent would be brought into question. 

Aram: You were right. It is different.

The Freelancer and the plane: “But I believe even mass murderers deserve equal justice.”

Skip: I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Rovenpor: Unmarked? As discussed?

Skip stole 40 million dollars from Red’s account. He then paid the Freelancer’s lawyer. The only thing Liz can be charged with here, is failure to appear in court to testify against the Freelancer. Because Skip is dead, they can’t connect Liz to the Freelancer’s lawyer, his release, or the plane incident. The Freelancer himself would have to testify against Liz, and he’s an incarcerated criminal. The task force would have to testify against Liz without any proof against her.  

Hadley: There’s a number pre-programmed. You ask for Charlotte. You tell them you got caught in the rain and need to dry off. Veseli: Keen put me in prison. Why is she helping me now?

The Cyranoid and Mary Bremmer: "...a war criminal who’s eluded capture for over a decade.”

Panabaker: Giving who immunity? We don’t even know who she is. Ressler: Well, we know she knows a lot about Keen. Panabaker: What she knows is that you thought it was a fine idea to dip your wick in the fugitive end of the swimming pool. Honestly, Harold, sometimes I wonder if Keen is still out there because you can’t find her or because none of you want to.

They can prove Liz kidnapped Mary Bremmer, but they didn’t have access to the Cyranoid’s earpiece, so they can’t prove she ordered her to kill Mary. Had they access to her earpiece, Mary would still be alive. This would require the task force or Panabaker testify against Liz without proof. To get her Cyranoid to testify against Liz, they’d first have to find the Cyranoid agency, which requires Red give up their location, since they never got the Cyranoid’s identity. 

---- At this point, Liz is a wanted fugitive ----

Misc blacklisters and Liz’s alignment with Neville Townsend.

The man who runs the Wellstone Agency is under Reddington’s protection. Dr. Perillos was hired by Neville. Captain Kidd worked for and was killed by Neville. The Fribourg Confidence and The Russian Knot center around N-13, who Liz was investigating. Neville was the one who abducted and tortured Ivan Stepanov.  Anne’s death would require Red testify against Liz. Liz’s alignment with Neville would be hard to prove since he is now trying to kill her, and abducting his sister would suggest otherwise.

As of 8x15, Ressler’s ability as an agent would be put into question, since he met with Liz at a fountain with the cipher, but chose not to take both into custody despite her being a wanted fugitive. All of this would require serious testimony without proof. 

Both abduction charges would be kicked because they’d have to prove intent. Dom and Mary were wanted criminals and Liz was an FBI agent. This would leave her with a failure to appear in court charge for the Freelancer. 

Tell me again how Liz is gonna go to prison, while the task force folds because they tesified to their inability to arrest Elizabeth Keen, allowed her to escape time and time again, and Panbaker’s gonna be cool with it.

[gottawriteanegoortwo]

Yancy Headcanons - Life Before Prison

For this, the focus will be split in two: 18/20 and 21. In the former, he’s part of a gang and at the lowest part of his life. In the latter, he’s trying to redeem himself and clean up his act. 

Since the latter section is quite long, I’ve put it under a read-more!

Warnings now for mentions of an unhappy family life, alcohol, smoking, and violence. All of these are glossed over, but none go into proper detail!

18 - 20 - The Gang Years

After years of being told by his father that the greaser lifestyle is associated with crime despite this being little more than a movie stereotype, Yancy did indeed join a gang out of spite. In his head, he was going to do wrong no matter what he did, so why not make it official?

He had been involved in petty crime before this (usually fights), but it was at this point where his criminal record became quite full. He’s in and out of jail a good few times, but he’s had more narrow escapes than he cares to admit. It includes fights, kidnapping, possession of illegal weapons (such as knives beyond the permitted length and certain guns), and gang activity.

The gang taught him how to fight and how to obtain weapons he can legally carry. He began drinking heavier - even obtaining a fake ID to get into bars with other gang members - and took up smoking. 

Arguments with his parents (especially his father) became more frequent. Yancy would goad them, asking why they didn't kick him out if they were so disappointed in him. They refused to fall for it. It’s important to note that while Yancy’s parents weren’t the best at handling him, they were good parents. They still loved their son, and knew that if he left home he would be dead within the year. Even so, no attempt to find middle ground was made. The bridge had been burned.

He’d regularly have bruises on his knuckles from fights and punching walls in frustration. It was a miracle his nose wasn’t broken from the amount of fights he’d land in because of his ratty behaviour. He constantly felt like everyone was against him, something emphasised by his belief that anyone he got close to would abandon him in time. This was something that happened to him several times, and cemented the idea that no one really cared about him.

He obtained his first tattoo at twenty - the abstract boxes on his left arm. You can read about the unusual circumstances of that tattoo here. (His second tattoos are the words ‘Dark’ and ‘Mark’ written on his fingers. While an unpolished fighter, he has a very good punch. The ‘dark mark’ would represent the almighty bruises he’d leave on someone after a fight.

--

21 - The Redemption Year

Yancy had a ‘wake up call’ through a dream. He was alone in a dark room. As he turned to find a way out, he found himself face to face with a man in a dark red suit and holding a cane. The man eyed him up and down before tutting softly.

“Is this what you’ve become?” the stranger sighed. “Didn’t think you would actually let others decide your worth for you.” This riled Yancy, who sharply asked what the stranger was talking about. The man in red chuckled and used the cane to point at Yancy, “Why, I’m talking about you! Is this really where you want to be in life? A washed up nobody who is worth less than the dirt on the bottom of my shoe? How can you possibly look at yourself in the mirror?” 

The mocking only angered Yancy enough to snap at the stranger, questioning why he should even care about someone like Yancy. The stranger was able to turn this on its head with ease. “Simple. I care because you clearly don’t. So what if the world thinks you’re garbage? Keep this up, and you’re only going to let yourself. Look where you’ve ended up after spending your life basing your worth on whether your parents like you. What about you? What do you wanna do, and why are you denying yourself the chance to do just that?” He paused just long enough to watch the penny drop in Yancy’s mind. “If there’s something you want to do, then go chase that dream. Trust me, you’ll regret it when you’re dead. But if your dream is to be a pathetic mess, then keep it up!” -

The dream worked like magic. Yancy managed to pull himself out of the gang after surviving the ‘trial of shame’ - a knife slice to the neck. This gash was a brand to other gang members that Yancy was a disgrace, and it was fine to leave him in the dirt if anything happened to him. The gash healed to leave a scar on the left side of his neck (it would later be partially covered by a tattoo of Tiny’s Box Tim in Happy Trails). A small switchblade would constantly be on his person in case someone from the old gang did try and jump him.

After some pleading, he managed to convince the mechanic he had previously worked with to take him back. The mechanic promised to help Yancy finish his apprenticeship and get his qualification, on the condition that Yancy promised to keep out of trouble and not get arrested once during the remainder of the apprenticeship.

In the six months that followed, Yancy quit drinking and cut the cigarettes to one pack a week (and ultimately to only smoking when he’s stressed). He kept out of trouble, even going as far as taking extra shifts to try and make up for lost time.

This is where he takes up boxing in an attempt to channel his frustrations and use pent-up energy in a more positive light. Dancing is also taken back up unofficially. While he is still an emotional mess, he has more grounding than he’s had in years.

The hard work pays off, and he passed his final assessments to receive the cert that shows he can be hired as a qualified mechanic. While the ‘graduation’ isn’t a formal ceremony, there is excitement as he returns to the assessment centre to receive it.

Unfortunately for Yancy, his bike is hit by an SUV that broke a red light. While he was mostly unharmed, his bike was destroyed and a large dent was left in the SUV. Despite witnesses being present to back him up in A&E, his parents were quick to believe it was Yancy’s fault.

There was a massive argument after they returned home. The thrill of getting his qualification was glossed over in favour of the family attempting to pay bills they couldn’t afford (despite none of this actually being Yancy’s fault)

That was the night Yancy killed both his parents… But that’s a story for another time.

[dougiewonderland]

Oneus // Your Mafia Boyfriend Goes To Jail

Request: Hello, I was wondering if I could request a Oneus Mafia were Someone snitched on your mafia leader boyfriend, to where he has to go to jail for 8 months . Finally, after 8 months he is now released. Fluff thank you!

Request: Hello my I request a oneus mafia reaction to someone snitch on your boyfriend and they have to spend 6 months in jail and finally after six months their released thank you

A/N: I hope this is what you wanted!  I wasn’t sure if you wanted seeing them for the first time in 8 months or the whole scenario or what, so I tried to do a little of both.  I also wasn’t sure how to make every snitch different so there’s a few different scenarios within, I hope that’s ok!

A/N 2: All of the members didn’t want you to come visit them while in jail (except for Keonhee) because the police don’t have your identity yet as an associate.  Even if you aren’t involved in the gang firsthand, they don’t want the police to know you’re in a relationship with them and to start bothering you too, so you can’t see them for their entire sentence.

Ravn/Youngjo:

As the leader of Oneus he’s always been in a precarious situation

It took him a long time to trust you just because he was always on his toes

Unfortunately, even with time, trust can be a dangerous thing as one of his supposed new recruits was actually the son of a rival gang’s second-in-command

After gaining Youngjo’s trust and becoming one of his favourite new recruits, the kid ran back to his father with plenty of evidence to get him out of the way for a while

His father decided that instead of dealing with Youngjo himself, he’d bring this information to the police in return for immunity and for the police to turn a blind eye on his own gang, which they agreed to

Luckily enough, much of the evidence incriminated the kid more than it did Youngjo, but there was enough to convict him of a few weapons charges, giving him a year in jail

After 8 months of Youngjo’s absence, you got a call from him telling you that he was released early on good behaviour

He told you that one of the boys picked him up already and he just got back to HQ, where you headed immediately

Seeing him as soon as you enter the front door, you run up to him and jump into his arms

“Hey baby, I missed you too!” he says while holding you and showering you in kisses

The whole week he returned, you wouldn’t leave his side for more than a minute, even opting to shower together to just enjoy the fact that you can be with him again

You’re also a little scared to let him out of your sight and lose him again, since the last time you did was when he was arrested

He now does extensive research and background checks on every potential recruit before they’re even allowed to meet any of the main Oneus members

He even hired a specific recruiter with a solid alibi so he and the recruiter don’t get nabbed (again)

Seoho:

To say you were upset was an understatement

Your boyfriend Seoho was the sweetest and is like a parent to all of Oneus

He was the calm and collected member of Oneus, and he taught the new recruits and was one of the main snipers

When one of the new recruits got scared of what the job entailed, he ran to the police

Because he knew Seoho the most as he was his teacher, he ratted him out

Seoho plead guilty to the few charges they could bring against him, mostly just aiding known felons

You were one of the snipers of the mafia, deciding to join when Seoho tried to teach you how to shoot for self-defense but finding out you had a knack for it

In the 6 months Seoho was sentenced for, you made it your personal goal to find the rat and handle him for what he did to the group and to you

Little did you know Seoho was organizing the same thing from the inside

So when Seoho was released and you found out what he was headed to do, you told him what you’ve learned the kid on your own time

Seoho figured this was the perfect couple’s activity upon his return

You guys end up staking up on the rooftop next to the guy’s safehouse apartment, enjoying each other’s company and the comfortable silence you know all too well

You’re just happy to have him back, and happier to be back in the field with him

Leedo/Gunhak:

(Tangentially related to “One of Me, Two of You”)

Leedo’s position as lead negotiator and “public relations” (basically bodyguard/intimidation) has always put him in more of a dangerous position than the others

After several rough meetings with a rival gang leader in hopes of allying, Leedo thought that Oneus had a new ally in the rival gang

Unfortunately, it was just a setup

When Leedo went to the last meeting to finalize everything, the rival gang brought the police along with

The rival leader made a deal with the police when he got caught in order to connect them with other gangs, and Leedo’s gang just happened to be the first victim

Leedo went to the last meeting alone though, thinking that he could just tie deal up

As the police took him in, he managed to negotiate his way down from attempted murder and threatening violence to just a few lesser charges

Little did Gunhak know, you were learning from Seoho how to sharpshoot

Although not a member of the gang, you were angry enough with the situation at hand that you decided to give this gang member a “visit”

When Gunhak found out what you did when he got out, he was just as surprised as the other members

“And I’m the one with two lives, huh?” he jokes at you, although he’s kind of hopeful he can do more with you in the field in the future

(Plus ngl he finds the idea of you with a gun kinda sexy he ain’t gonna lie)

Keonhee:

Even as one of the founding members, Keonhee felt like he wasn’t good enough as a member, and killing was never his thing

So he decided to also take the path he planned when he was a child and joined the police force

Keonhee moved up quickly to detective and became one of the force’s most trusted officers

But Keonhee was the gang’s eyes on the inside, gaining information on rival gangs and giving it to Ravn before the police could get a jump

He also used the gang’s information to get good busts and climb the ladder

Best of both worlds, y’know?

One of Keonhee’s fellow officers started to get suspicious of Keonhee always seeming to be right and leagues ahead of everyone else in the force so he followed him one night and followed him to the gang HQ

He took photos and turned them in to their boss

Keonhee got kicked out of the force and sentenced to a few years in prison, but was released from overcrowding after just under a year

You visited him every time the prison had visiting hours

He showed up to your apartment after being released and cuddled you

You two didn’t leave your apartment for several days, and only had contact with the outside world when your food delivery came or when the other guys came to your place to see Keonhee

It took a lot of reassuring from the boys that he was still a valuable member of Oneus

Reconnaissance was still his thing and he was the absolute best at it

Hwanwoong:

Sometimes you’d tell Hwanwoong he’s way too sweet and friendly to be in a gang

And boy did that fact come back to bite him in the butt

When Ravn announced that there was a new recruit, Hwanwoong was excited

As he has with all the others, he befriended the new recruit quickly, becoming the recruit’s guide in assimilating into the Oneus life

Little did he (or any of the other members know) the recruit was an undercover officer with a different identity and everything

When Hwanwoong invited the recruit to his place to hang out, the recruit wore a wire in hopes of getting enough dirt on Hwanwoong to bring him in

Hwanwoong of course spills way too much and gets brought in

Unfortunately being flustered and upset makes the situation worse and he gets Keonhee tied into this too

“I won’t give up any of my members they’re my friends but we can probably give you a ton of information on other gangs if that’s ok I’m sure Keonhee can give you whatever you want I only know so much- wait no ignore what I said about Keonhee don’t bring anyone else into this I’ll go to prison if I have to don’t bring the others in”

Because Keonhee was a detective they already know he has valuable information so they decide that Keonhee can go free and Hwanwoong get a light sentence if Keonhee gives them all the information he has on everyone

(Anything to save innocent little Hwanwoong though. And their own asses ofc)

After 6 long months you got to see your boyfriend again

You think Hwanwoong was clingy before? You haven’t seen anything yet hun

He definitely had trouble getting close to new recruits for a while after that though poor baby

Xion/Dongju:

As the group’s baby they didn’t want him to be in the middle of things if they went south

Plus he’s still learning the ropes a bit

So Ravn assigned him as a lookout along with a few newbies in hopes they stay out of harm’s way

But during a raid one night a citizen walked by and heard gunshots from inside the building and called police

Unfortunately the lookouts didn’t see her in time and only realized they were in a pickle when they heard sirens

Most of the gang managed to get out the back, but Xion and a few lookouts on the front end of the building got caught by police before they could make it to the getaway cars

The police also found a few injured members of a rival gang inside and tried to pin it all on the three Oneus members they caught

None of the charges stuck because the members stayed outside the entire time and had no DNA or other evidence tying them to the incidents that occurred

But Xion was still kept in jail during his trial, which lasted almost six months

When he was finally found innocent and released he stayed with you and took a break from the gang for a while

He still visited the members, but he wasn’t ready to get caught again

You were also an innocent(ish) civilian and staying with you gave him a sense of normality for a while until he was ready to go back

He couldn’t deny that he liked the thrill of being a part of Oneus though and would get too restless trying to live a basic domestic life

[saveyourblood]

Stolen Dance | Ch. 10

Summary: “Maybe this was a pipe dream, a delusion you’d soon awake from or a phase you’d outgrow. You didn’t really care. For a brief moment in time, you were in love. That’s what you chose to care about. That what you made matter.”

The one where you’re a paramedic, he’s an FBI agent, and the time you spend together is borrowed.

Notes: Happy quarantine, US (and some international?) readers! I know most of you in school still have classes, but in case you’re bored, here’s some reading ;)

Word Count: 3.9k

Song: Make This Go On Forever - Snow Patrol

Warnings: mentions of abuse, violence, just general angst. 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

_____________________

“No special uniform?”

You smiled, setting your bag on your chair. 

After 2 weeks of intensive training, you were officially certified and capable in the eyes of the FBI. You and everyone else on the team knew you’ve been capable since the start; the only difference is now, the Bureau can’t be held legally responsible if you get hurt on the job. 

For the first time since you were hired, you came in wearing your normal attire — black pants, a fitted grey t-shirt, and a pair of boots. You kept your badge clipped to a belt loop, and it was the only accessory you wore identifying you as a paramedic. No more sticking out like a sore thumb. 

“Now that I’m a Federal Agent, I don’t have to,” you answered Derek’s question. 

You brushed past the man, pouring yourself a cup of coffee. You looked into the bullpen to see Spencer sitting at his desk, lost in thought. You felt him leave early in the morning — something about getting a jumpstart on paperwork.  

He looked tired. You reminded yourself to bring him a fresh coffee later. 

“What’s going on?” Emily asked as she entered the kitchenette. 

“Y/N is a Federal Agent now,” Derek boasted.

“Well, congratulations, Agent Y/L/N,” Emily said. She offered you her mug in a toast.

With a chuckle, you clinked your mug against hers, doing the same to Derek’s when he offered. 

“Ah! Good,” Penelope exclaimed from across the room. Her heels clicked on the platform looking over the bullpen. “You’re all here. We have a case.” 

You sat between JJ and Emily at the briefing table. You scrolled through the files on the tablet in front of you, reading some of the police reports while you waited for Hotch and Garcia to enter.

“Hey, are you gonna be okay?” JJ asked in a low voice.

You frowned, looking up at her. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Spencer mentioned you went to visit a friend a few weeks ago,” she specified. “Said the two of you served together?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

“And everything went… fine? Good?”

You nodded again, smiling faintly. “It was good. I learned a lot about him, actually.”

JJ smiled as well. “I’m glad,” she said, patting your shoulder. “And I’m glad you’re back, too.” 

“Sorry for the delay,” Hotch apologized as he entered the room. “Let’s get started.”

Garcia was already at the end of the table, picking up the remote and clicking a few of it’s buttons. “Two men have been killed on the Southside of Chicago in the last ten days. The first is Michael Crowley — he was a repairman who was out late jogging one night. Second, Anthony Rango. He was a convenience store owner.” 

“No known connection between them,” Hotch interjected.

“Both men were beaten to death; Rango suffered a crushed larynx and something called a lefort fracture?”

“It’s a bilateral horizontal facial injury,” you specified.

“Looks like there was also some blunt force trauma to the back of the head,” Derek said. 

“So they were blitz attacked to gain control, then it was essentially fisticuffs,” Spencer theorized. 

“And they were both caught with their pants down,” Garcia said. “Like, literally, their pants and boxers were pulled down to their ankles.”

“But there’s no signs of sexual assault or robbery,” you stated. 

“So it was a message,” Rossi concluded.

“Either they led personal lives, or someone wanted to symbolically demean or embarass them,” Hotch said. “With this level of hands-on violence, this UnSub is filled with rage, and he’s probably just getting started. Wheel’s up in 30.”

“Wow,” Derek said, walking into the convenience store. A rack of bread and chips was knocked over, product spewn across the floor and crushed under the weight of either the metal or a body. There was a smear of blood on the floor that led to the frame. 

“Rango put up a fight,” you noted. “It looks like he regained consciousness at some point, probably soon after the initial attack.”

“He put up a hell of a fight,” Derek agreed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing a number and putting the device to his ear. “Baby girl, see if the convenience store owner had any military training.”

After a brief conversation, Derek thanked Garcia and hung up.

“So we were right?” You asked.

“But to intentionally pick a fight with a martial artist?”

You shrugged. “It’s possible he didn’t know. Rango could have been a victim of opportunity, like the jogger was.”

“Looks like our guy needed a drink after the beatdown,” Derek said, gesturing to the wine bottles on the floor. “He must’ve worn gloves, otherwise CSI would have taken them in for prints.” 

You looked up at the ceiling to notice a security camera. You went behind the counter, grabbing a napkin as you went. 

“He could have been an addict,” you said, pressing ‘eject’ on each DVD tray that hooked up to the surveillance system. “It would explain the impulsive behavior.” 

Derek clicked a few buttons on the cash register behind you. “You ever met an addict that left a full register?”

Each tray came out empty.

“He stole the discs before he left,” you said. “He was mission-oriented.” 

“Soda and candy were the last things bought,” Derek said, reading a receipt.

“Kids, probably,” you mentioned. “They’re lucky they didn’t get hurt.” 

The two of you began poking around the store, looking for details that local law enforcement may have missed. You mostly stayed behind the counter while Derek paced around the sales floor.

“Is it true you grew up around here?” you asked, looking through a few binders you found under the register. 

“5 blocks away,” Derek confirmed. “We passed the park I played football at on the way here. The corner down the street is where I played kissy-face with my first girlfriend.” 

“How old were you?”

“Ten.”

You laughed softly, then considered. “How did you make it out of here?” 

He looked up. “What do you mean?” 

You shrugged. “Junction City isn’t very big — after awhile, it felt like the Army was my only option. Which I was fine with, but… I don’t know. Chicago is a big city, but Southside seems to be a world of its own. I’m just curious how a cute little black boy from Chicago turned into one of the Bureau’s finest agents.” 

Derek scoffed with a smile. “Believe me — I wonder too.” 

His phone rang in his pocket. After taking off a glove, Derek answered it. “Hey, what’s up? Find anything at the diner?” 

Pause.

“What’s it say?”

His entire demeanor changed. His gaze darted around the store, absentmindedly lowering his phone. 

“Give me a second,” Derek mumbled into the phone.

“Derek?” you asked, coming out from behind the counter. “What’s wrong?”

Without answering, Derek stood up and walked over to the front door. He partially pulled down the security curtain, which was made of solid metal. 

“I gotta go,” Derek said before hanging up.

“‘Look up to the sky?’” you read the painted-on words. “Does that mean something to you?”

“Let’s go,” was all Derek said before ducking under the curtain and exiting the store.

“I know what this is about,” Derek said, walking into the room the station reserved for the team.

Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi had been there the whole time, while Emily and JJ seemed to have just gotten back from the diner. You followed Derek into the room, completely unaware of what was happening.

“This is about Carl Buford,” Derek stated.

Like in most situations, you gradually moved over until you found yourself next to Spencer; he was leaning against a table off to the side. You decided to simply stand next to him, your arms folded across your chest.

“Who’s Carl Buford?” you whispered, making sure Derek couldn’t hear you.

“A serial killer and molester,” Spencer said. “We arrested him almost seven years ago for the murders of three prepubesent African-American boys. He framed Derek for the last murder he committed.” 

“Carl Buford is in prison serving a life sentence,” Hotch reminded. 

“‘Look up to the sky’ is what he used to tell me,” Derek said. “Buford was an expert… at spotting and exploiting vulnerabilities of adolescent boys that he coached at the community center. He had the entire community center thinking he was a hero — parents, teachers… cops. Everyone. After my dad died, he locked onto me. And he manipulated me into compliant victimization. I’ve told you how I got into it with a local gangbanger when I was younger. Well, somehow, Buford got it expunged. I didn’t understand why a guy who barely knew me would do that. But… Buford gave me his time. He taught me how to play football. And then, one day… he took me to his cabin on the lake.”

“Morgan, you don’t have to do this,” Hotch said.

“They need to know, Hotch,” he disagreed. “They need to know this guy’s M.O.”

The room was dead silent.

“Buford built up my trust,” Derek continued. “And then he would lower my inhibition… with Helgason wine. And then… he would molest me. And every time he saw that dead look in my eye that said I wanted him to stop, he would just say ‘you better man up, boy. Look up to the sky.’”

“Did you ever tell anyone about that phrase?” you asked gently.

He shook his head. “No.”

“We’re probably looking at someone Buford abused,” Rossi said. 

“The victim could harbor a great deal of anger if he didn’t deal with his own abuse,” Hotch agreed. “With the right trigger, it could develop into this kind of rage.” 

“Buford ran the community center for years,” Spencer said. “An offender like him could have hundreds of victims.” 

“Let’s talk victimology: each of these men had interactions with kids right before they were killed,” Hotch said. 

“The killer switched from white victims to African Americans,” Rossi noted.

“You’d think if they were surrogates, he’d kill only black men,” Hotch agreed, already punching a number into his phone. “Garcia? I need you to compile a list of boys who played football at the community center twenty to thirty years ago.” 

“Excuse me, ma’am?” someone asked. 

You turned around to see an officer you didn’t recognize. He was middle-aged, but young compared to most of the other men on the force. “What can I do for you?” 

“You’re with the FBI, right?” 

You nodded. “That’s right.”

“Detective Gordinski wants these handed to your supervisor,” he said, giving you a file. “Nothing important, just paperwork, really.”

“Thanks,” you said anyways.

He was silent for a moment, then chuckled. “You know, I became a cop to get away from crazy shit like Afghanistan. Apparently, I can’t outrun it.”

He tried to walk away, but your interest peaked.

“You served?” you asked.

“Two tours,” the officer confirmed. “I was discharged after an IED went off and made me lose hearing in my right ear.”

“I was in Syria for 18 months,” you said.

His face lit up. “No way. What’d you do?”

The army had a weird way of bringing people together.

“I was a medic,” you replied. “I was hired on this team as a paramedic, actually. I worked as one for a few years after I got home.” 

“Goddamn,” he whistled. “It’s hard to find girls like you…?”

“Y/N,” you answered.

“Jacob,” he said, offering you a hand.

You shook his hand, smiling faintly. You saw Jacob wink at you before walking away, but you didn’t see JJ, Emily, and Spencer watching you from the next room. 

Back when Buford managed the center, everything was on paper, which meant Garcia unfortunately couldn’t help. JJ and Spencer ended up combing through the community center’s paper records, only to find gaps. They presumed Buford destroyed some of the files before he was sent to prison. The two of them were only able to come up with a partial list of names. 

Derek was incessant; he was the first one to suggest visiting Buford. Hotch was reluctant, instead opting for JJ to attempt a memory recall. It didn’t work, which meant you were back to zero in terms of leads. Derek eventually wore Hotch down, but on the condition that he’d go with Derek. You jumped in, saying you’d tag along.

“What?” you asked. “Garcia would, if she were here. I figured I’m the next best thing.” 

You and Hotch watched as Derek sat across from Buford. They were across the cafeteria, and you were behind a window, so it was hard to completely make out what they were saying. Eventually, though, You saw Derek get up and stand against the wall while Buford wrote names down on a pad of paper. They ended the conversation with a handshake. You could see the fire behind Derek’s eyes. 

“I’m gonna use the head before we leave,” Derek said after handing off the list to Hotch. He walked down the hall and to the bathroom. You waited a few minutes before following him. 

Basically all of the inmates were in the yard, which meant the floor was almost completely empty, even from guards. So, when you heard gagging come from the bathroom, you had a feeling you knew who it was. 

You opened the door, stepping in silently and turning the corner. Sure enough, Derek was hunched over the sink. He flipped on the faucet, bringing some water to his mouth.

“Are you okay?” you asked softly.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” he replied gruffly. 

You sighed, leaning against the counter. “You know that friend I mentioned? The one that died in front of me while I was deployed?”

“I remember,” Derek confirmed after a moment. 

“He wasn’t just my friend — he was my boyfriend,” you said, “and he died in front of me because we were being held captive. 

“He stepped on an IED. It blew his leg off. I ran out to help him, and I was knocked out cold. We were under fire, so no one realized we were gone until it was too late. They weren’t stupid — they knew he would die if he didn’t get proper medical attention. So, they sat him in the corner of the room, and they made him watch what they did to me.”

“You don’t have to do this, Y/N,” Derek said. 

“I know,” you promised. “You’re my friend. I want you to know. But mostly, I want you to know you’re not alone.” 

He shut off the water, standing up straight. “What did they do to you?”

“They started by punching. When that didn’t work, they moved onto whipping, and when that didn’t work, they laid me on the ground. My pants were halfway down my legs before Austin had enough. He told them everything they wanted to know. And, a few hours later, he was dead.” 

You laughed sadly, holding back the tears that threatened to spill. “You wanna know the worst part? A few weeks ago, I found out he was gonna propose to me. He had the ring made and everything. It’s sitting in a box in my closet — his parents couldn’t stand to look at it anymore.” you wiped your eyes. “I mean, seriously dude, compared to my life, yours is a cakewalk.” 

Derek chuckled. He approached you, pulling you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around him. 

“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” you whispered.

“I’m sorry too,” Derek replied. 

His hand cradled the back of your neck. It was soothing. 

“If you won’t ask him out, I will.”

You looked up at Emily with a frown. “What?”

“Jacob? That police officer from earlier?” 

“What about him?”

“You were totally flirting with him!” JJ said.

You snorted. “No I was not.”

“He winked at you,” Emily disagreed. 

“In some cultures, you’d be engaged,” JJ agreed with Emily.

“I’ll make sure Spencer fact-checks that one,” you said, standing up with a sigh. You refilled your mug with cheap coffee, bringing the pot over for the girls, who still sat at the table reading files.

“Seriously, what’s holding you back?” Emily asked.

“It just seems inappropriate,” you said, which wasn’t entirely a lie. “We’re working a case. It’s unprofessional.”

“That’s why you wait until the case is over,” JJ said, filling her mug. “That’s what Will did. Look how we turned out.”

“I’m not really looking for a relationship right now, you know?” you said. “I’m in love with my work.”

“I hear that,” Emily agreed. “It’s almost impossible to find men that understand that.” 

Spencer walked into the room. You did your best to not react. Still, he paused, assessing the atmosphere.

“What are you guys talking about?” He asked.

“Y/N and the cute police officer she was flirting with,” Emily said, cocking an eyebrow. “Care to join?”

Spencer frowned. “No,” he said honestly. He grabbed something and walked out of the room. 

Emily and JJ shared a laugh. 

“Sounds about right,” JJ chuckled. 

You cleared your throat. “I’m gonna go get the rest of the files,” you said after a beat. You left the room, hoping your intentions weren’t obvious. 

You picked up a stack of files that were sitting on a table opposite of the conference room. Spencer seemed oblivious, simply going back to what he was doing. You approached him nervously. 

“Hey,” you greeted, clutching the files to your chest. “Can we talk?” 

Spencer nodded. 

You walked across the station, eventually finding a hallway that seemed calm and secluded. 

“I wasn’t flirting with him,” you blurted out. “He was flirting with me, but I was only being nice. I didn’t suggest anything, and I didn’t give him any ideas.”

“I believe you.”

A weight lifted off your chest. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

“Really?” You asked hopefully.

“Of course I do,” Spencer assured with a smile. “There are things I’m insecure about, but our relationship isn’t one of them.” 

You reached out, taking his hand. “So we’re okay?” 

“We’re okay,” Spencer promised. He glanced down briefly.

Your face fell. “What is it, Spence?”

“It’s nothing,” he said, rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand. “It’s just that sometimes, I wish we didn’t have to hide. It’s not that I want to make out with you in front of our coworkers —” you both laughed, “ — but it would be nice if we could just… be us around everyone else, you know?”

You reached up a hand to his cheek. “I know,” you said softly. “I love you, and I love our teammates. It’s everyone else at the Bureau I’m worried about. Semantically, there’s nothing anyone can do — we technically work in different departments, me being a medic and you a profiler. But if someone wanted to throw a fit, call it sexual harassment or a waste of taxpayer money… we could lose our jobs.” 

“I understand,” Spencer agreed. “It’s in our best interest to stay quiet. I get that. But that doesn’t change that sometimes it just…”

“...Sucks?” You finished. 

“Exactly.” 

With the help of Garcia and a few previous victims, the team was able to find the UnSub. Just like the profile suggested, Rodney Harris was a former victim of Buford’s. Thankfully, the BAU was able to apprehend Harris before he could hurt his ex-wife, son, and her current husband. 

“For once, I can’t wait to get on that stupid jet,” you said, rolling your head in an effort to stretch your neck. “I’m fucking exhausted.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Emily said as you, JJ, and herself filed out of the conference room.

“Am I?” you asked.

JJ pointed to Jacob. “You forgot to ask him out.”

“You two really aren’t gonna let that go, are you?” you sighed.

“Come on, Y/N!” Emily practically whined. “He’s cute, and handsome, and a cop, and he served in the army, and he likes you. What more could you want?”

“Plus, the case is closed, so it’s not a conflict of interest,” JJ reminded with a smirk. 

The three of you approached the gentlemen on the team, who were clustered in front of the exit. You hoped none of them heard what was going on.

“What’s going on?” Derek asked. 

Dammit.

“JJ and Prentiss are trying to get me to ask out a cop that works here at the station,” you explained.

“Oh la la,” Rossi joked. 

“I’m not interested,” you stated bluntly.

“And yet, you can’t give a good reason why,” Emily pointed out.

You put a hand on your chin, feigning deep thought. “I could ask him out, but here’s the thing… I don’t think my boyfriend would like that very much.” 

A collective hush fell over the group. Emily and JJ looked at each other in shock, while Rossi and Derek simply looked impressed. You swore you saw the remnants of a smirk on Hotch’s face.

“Well, there goes pretty boy’s chance of getting with the new girl,” Derek joked.

“Seems so,” Spencer agreed with a laugh.

“You… you have a boyfriend?” JJ asked, stunned.

“Have since I moved here.”

“Who is he?!” Emily practically shrieked. “Can we meet him? Have we met him?”

“He’s a pretty private person,” you feigned. “I’d have to talk to him about meeting you guys.”

JJ and Emily continued to ask questions, threatening to get Garcia involved. You merely walked out of the station, smiling at Spencer before you left.

  You ended up sitting across from Derek on the jet. Spencer dozed off on the couch, like he normally did. You wished you had the ability to sleep anywhere you wanted. JJ and Emily were entertaining each other while Rossi and Hotch sat across from each other. 

Letting out a breath, Derek put his headphones around his neck. “So… this boyfriend.”

“Ask all you want, man: I’m not gonna spill,” you said.

“Does he know about the ring?” 

Your smile faltered. “No,” you said softly, “he doesn’t. He knows about Austin, but… I haven’t gotten around to telling him yet.” 

“Will you?” Derek asked.

“Tell him? Of course I will. It’s just… I’m still processing it. I don’t want to spring something like this on him while I’m still deciding how I feel.”

He nodded. “That’s fair. Just do both of you a favor and tell him before he buys a ring.”

“What makes you think we’ll get that far?” 

“You’re a good judge of character, Y/N,” Derek said. “You do no harm and take no shit. I can’t see you dating a guy without knowing it’ll go somewhere.” 

You lightly kicked him under the table, then grinned. “Thanks, Derek.” 

He smiled, putting his headphones on and leaning back in his seat.

You stared across the jet, eyes focused on Spencer. He looked so peaceful when he slept — knees pulled up, his arms wrapped around a pillow. You wanted to put his head in your lap and play with his hair like you did whenever the two of you watched a movie together. You wanted to hold his hand, lean your head on his shoulder, kiss his cheek. But when it came down to it, all you could do was watch him across the room.

He was right: sometimes, it just plain sucked. 

_____________________

Tags: @blueskies-whitehighs @geeksareunique @jodibullock1 @gurlrumple @thankyouforanonymity @goddessofmischiefs @crimeshowtrash @imsoft-barnes​

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[fletchermarple]

A Case of Reasonable Doubt

During the whole day of November 8, 1983, David Hendricks tried to reach his family back home in Bloomington, Illinois, without success. He had left the previous night on a business trip to Wisconsin, and it wasn’t like his wife Susan to not answer phone calls. When she failed to make it to a family dinner that night, and after David contacted police at least twice, presuming she’d been in a car accident, cops did a welfare check on her and was met with a horrific scene.

Susan Hendricks (30) and her three children --Rebekah (9), Grace (7) and Benjamin (5)-- were lying dead in their beds in the middle of a gory scene. They had been all savagely hacked with an axe and a butcher knife; both weapons were found at the crime scene. There were no signs of struggle, so police theorized they’d been attacked in their sleep, and there were no signs of forced entry either, although the back door was found unlocked.

When David Hendricks arrived back home that same night, he immediately became the main suspect of the detectives in charge. They thought he looked too calm and resigned to the news his family had been murdered, and they didn’t like how he told the press that it had apparently being a burglary gone wrong, because he hadn’t even gone inside the house. Hendricks would later say that’s what someone who’d been there had told him.

Hendricks was 29 at the time, and a very successful businessman. He’d created and patented a popular orthopedic back brace and was making a lot of money with it, that’s why he occasionally left town for business trips and, according to his assistant, it wasn’t unusual for him to leave in the middle of the night. It also required him to meet with several models that were photographed wearing custom-made braces in medical brochures.

He was also a conservative Christian, part of a branch known as the Plymouth Brethen, which was strongly against divorce. After Hendricks was arrested on December 5, 1983, the prosecution came up with the theory that he wanted to pursue other sexual relationships, but because he didn’t want to lose his stand with his community by divorcing or cheating on his wife, he’d decided to kill his family instead. At one point they also pushed forward a more frankly absurd version of this, claiming that David had seen the “temptations of the world” and wanted to protect his family from them, so he’d chosen to “send them to Heaven”.

Needless to say, David Hendricks denied any involvement with the murders and, as you can see in the picture above, he looked appropriately devastated in their funerals. He told authorities that on November 7, 1983, Susan had gone to a baby shower on a nearby town and he’d taken the kids to a Chuck E’ Cheese, where they had eaten vegetarian pizza and played until around 7:30 pm. Afterwards, they’d gone to a bookmobile, where the kids had returned some books and borrowed new ones. A witness confirmed seeing them there at 8 pm.

David said he’d then gone back home and put the kids to bed at around 9:30 pm. Susan had arrived around 10:30 pm, and they’d talked for a while before he left for his trip some time after 11 pm, while everyone was still alive and safe.

During trial, David’s account of the events were put in doubt by the prosecution experts. One of them testified that, after analyzing the children’s stomach contents and finding undigested vegetables from the pizza they’d eaten, their estimated time of death was 9:30 pm, while David was still in the house, meaning he had to be the killer.

However, this evidence had its problems as well. First, with the advance of science we now know that using stomach contents to pinpoint time of death is not as accurate as we used to think, because there’s many factors that play into digestion, including the person’s age and health, among others. Leaving that aside, witnesses at the babyshower claim Susan didn’t leave before 9:40 pm, meaning she would have arrived home after her kids were murdered. Since she was a devoted mother, it’s hard to believe she wouldn’t have gone to check on them when she got home, but she was found murdered in her bed, after getting settled to sleep, which implies she either didn’t see her kids or checked on them and found nothing wrong.

Since they didn’t have any other evidence linking David to the crime, not even in the murder weapons, prosecution put most of the focus of the case in establishing motive. They called more than thirteen models who had worked with Hendricks and tried to show an “escalation of sexual aggression” in his behavior towards them, although they didn’t call them in the correct order they had actually modeled for him. Most of the statements from the models showed David was a bit of a creep, asking them for unnecessary nudity and doing some awkward groping while trying on the braces. One of them testified she believed David wanted to kiss her, and another that he had asked her to show her around town and had attempted to kiss her on the cheek during said “date”. However, models also said that Hendricks never restrained them by force and that he always backed off when they let him know they were uncomfortable. (You can read a summary of the models’ testimonies here).

The defense claimed that the stomach content analysis was dubious, since one of them even showed rests of a vegetable the child hated and wouldn’t eat, suggesting the lab had some mix-up. They also presented an expert who said that blood spatter at the crime scene suggested two killers instead of one.

Eventually, the jury found David Hendricks guilty of the murders. Although a case of this nature would have guaranteed the death penalty, Judge Richard Baner, who presided over the trial. refused to apply it and gave him four consecutive life sentences instead. He explained his reasoning, saying that, although he thought that Hendricks “probably did commit” the murders, he wasn’t convinced of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Hendricks appealed, and although at first the court affirmed his conviction, in 1991 the Illinois Supreme Court overturned it and granted him a new trial. This time they didn’t allow the models’ testimonies of David’s flirting, because it was considered by the court that they were more prejudicial than probative. Without the means to back their motive for the crime, the prosecution was forced to rely only on the actual evidence of the murders, and since it was so weak, the jury ended up acquitting Hendricks and he was released from prison after spending 7 years behind bars.

In one of his court filings, David Hendricks said he believed his brother in law John Lewis, who was at the time married to one of Susan’s sisters, had committed the murders. When that couple separated, Lewis’ ex wife said publicly she thought David had hired John to kill his family. Police claimed they ruled him out as a suspect after he passed a polygraph.

The rest of Susan’s family, including her parents, have always remained on David’s side and believe him to be innocent. Some, however, still think he did it and got away with a very light sentence.

Hendricks now lives in Florida with his fourth wife. He wrote a book called Tom Henry: Confession of a Killer, which tells the story of his cell mate Henry Hillenbrand, who murdered his wife and her lover.

[the--blackdahlia]

Rusty Cage (Tommy x Nikki)

Title: Rusty Cage

Prompt: Jail

Summary:  Nikki never had a good feeling about the arrangement the management team made him and Tommy live in. And his feelings were confirmed when Tommy is arrested.

Warnings:  This will paint Pamela in a very, very bad light. So if you a Pamela stan, this might not be the fic for you. Also, several aspects are being written out, so this could be considered an AU. Language, fake marriage, forced contracts.

@classicrockbingo​

Elektra decided it was for the best, to make Tommy and Nikki look wholesome. Nikki married Brandi Brandt, and when Tommy’s relationship with Heather fizzled away, they set him up with someone else. Pamela Anderson had been friends with Brandi, and when they set in on the meeting with the management team, everyone, minus Nikki, decided that she would be the perfect fit for Tommy’s image. No amount of begging and pleading to his boyfriend could change Tommy’s mind. He just wanted to spend more time with Nikki, and if posing as Mr. Pamela Anderson was the way it had to be, then so be it.

“I just have a bad feeling about this babe,” Nikki told him the night before Tommy was supposed to “marry” Pamela. “I just don’t trust her.”

“I know how you feel,” Tommy sighed. “But she was the best option. She’s friends with Brandi anyway. And her contract doesn’t look two bad.”

“I know, I know,” Nikki sighed. He hated that they had to put up this front. He did love Brandi, but not in the way he loved Tommy. He had agreed to have three kids with her, and she could have a boyfriend if she wanted. Pamela wanted two with Tommy, and her contract didn’t seem bad, but something about how she presented herself just rubbed Nikki the wrong way.

"You know I love you, right?" Tommy asked as he piled his long body on Nikki's. Nikki smiled and took the drummer into his arms. Even when he had nothing else, he always had his Tommy. 

"Not as much as I love you," Nikki teased before placing a kiss on Tommy.

He was going to enjoy tonight, because tomorrow was going to be a long fucking day.

****

She changed the contract one the day of the “wedding”. She wanted more days with her husband than was originally on the contract, and Tommy knew when Nikki found out, he was going to throw a fit.

But honestly, Tommy also did too when the lawyers she had hired told him about the changes that were taking place. He felt like a kid in a custody battle. Pamela wanted certain days with him, and his lawyers would argue, her lawyers would shove it right back. It went on and on like this for a minute until Tommy finally excused himself for some air. He was about to call Nikki, to tell him the deal was off, that he didn’t care if he stayed with Brandi but he wasn’t going through with this.

That’s when the doors opened and she came walking out after him.

“Tommy,” She said softly. Tommy put down his phone and looked at her. “I know that this whole thing is crazy, and things aren’t going the way either of us planned, but I think we can make it work.” She sat on the bench by where he was sitting and rested her hand on top of his. “You know, I always did have a crush on you when I was hanging out with Bret Michaels. I was with Poison, but I really wanted to be with Motley Crue.”

“That’s...cool?” Tommy looked at her. “What is in this for you Pamela?”

“Two kids, for starters,” She told him. “And I think we can help each other out more than you think Mr. Lee. I mean, I’m a Baywatch Babe, but I could be so much more. And your Mr. Bad Boy of Rock, we could bend Hollywood to our will.”

“You do know this arrangement is just for show, right?” Tommy told her.

“Of course sweetie,” She smiled at him. “Doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun along the way, right?” Her hand trailed up his arm, making him shiver a bit. She leaned over, letting her lips ghost across his cheek. Her lips were right by his ear. “There’s paps everywhere. Wanna put on a good show, don’t we?” She whispered before licking his ear. She pulled back and smirked at him. “Let’s go back in, shall we?” She stood up and offered her hand to him, which he took and walked back into the conference room with her.

****

The management team spread the wedding of Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson like wildfire. They sent her and Tommy to Mexico for it, and soon, they were coming back to LA and Tommy had never been happier to see LAX. As the plane landed, they made their way to the private area where they could be without cameras and screaming paparazzi. Tommy headed towards his car.

“Where are you going?” Pamela asked, watching him make his way to his car.

“Home?” He turned to look at her.

“I thought you’d want to spend some more time together,” She told him.

“I just spent almost two weeks with you in Mexico. I miss Nikki,” Tommy explained. “We’ll meet up and have lunch or something tomorrow. But tonight, I need to spend it with my boyfriend.” Pamela frowned as she watched Tommy get in his car and drive off.

****

“God, I missed you,” Tommy sighed as he laid in Nikki’s arms. “She is a little much.”

“I tried to tell you,” Nikki held him close. “Someday, we’re going to be out from fucking Elektra, and we won’t have to jump through all these fucking hoops.” He traced his fingers over tattoos and smiled as he remembered going with Tommy to get most of these.

“Just ten years of her, or getting rid of Elektra,” Tommy sighed. “I can’t fucking wait.”

****

She started getting demanding. On the days when he would be spending with Nikki, she would keep calling him, asking when he was coming home. On the days he was with her, Nikki could never reach him. Tommy would come back to him looking tired and sad. Nikki would’ve done anything to help him, but their hands were tied as long as Elektra was breathing down their necks.

Tommy fulfilled part of his contract in June, when he went through the process laid out by his lawyers to inseminate Pamela. Nikki remembered that fight. She had been under the impression that they would have actually consummated their “marriage”, but Tommy had gone another route to get her pregnant with the first of the two children that she wanted.

Nikki remembered Tommy’s face when he held Brandon for the first time. His eyes were wide and he couldn’t stop smiling. Yeah, Tommy had held babies in the past. Hell, he had absolutely fawned over the ones Nikki and Brandi had had.

“Nik, he’s perfect,” Tommy whispered, looking up at the bassist. “I love him.”

“He looks like you babe,” Nikki smiled and kissed Tommy’s forehead.

“Uh hum,” Pamela’s voice cut through. “I’d like to spend time with my husband and son. Alone.” Tommy and Nikki looked at each other before Tommy sighed and nodded.

“I’ll see you at home later,” Nikki told him, giving him a kiss before heading out the door. Him and PAmela glared at each other. Nikki was itching to say something to her. He wanted to tell her that Tommy wouldn’t be her husband for much longer, or something like that, but instead, he just gave Tommy and Brandon a smile before he left the hospital.

****

“Nikki!” Tommy called out a few months later. Nikki was in the study, working on some lyrics, and Tommy had brought Brandon with him to their home while Pamela was out for the day. Nikki made his way into the living room where Tommy was playing with his son and he watched as Brandon made it a few steps before falling.

“Oh my god! Pam’s not gonna be happy that I saw him walk before she did,” Nikki teased as he bent down and scooped the toddler up into his arms, who instantly stopped crying and snuggled into Nikki’s chest. “God, he’s a cute kid.”

“That’s because he has me for a dad,” Tommy laughed, watching Nikki and Brandon. “And you look good holding him.”

“You saying I don’t always look good?” Nikki smirked at him.

“Oh, shut your mouth,” Tommy laughed. He looked at Brandon and saw him fast asleep in Nikki’s arms, holding onto the threadbare t-shirt that he was wearing. “Well, look at that.”

“I got a gift,” Nikki smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Tommy’s lips. “Why don’t we put him to bed and watch a movie before you have to get him back to her.”

“I wish that I didn’t have to split my time,” Tommy admitted as they took Brandon to the nursery that had previously been used for Nikki’s kids. Brandi was a lot more liberal about letting the kids around Tommy, to the point that Gunner had even said once that he had two daddies and one mommy.

“It won’t be like this forever,” Nikki told him. “I wish you could’ve just stuck with Heather though. Things were easier with her. She was pretty laid back like Brandi.” His and Brandi’s contract had just come up, and with talks about Elektra dropping Motley Crue, Nikki decided to not renew or find another girl. Him and Brandi were still on pretty good terms though, and were working on co-parenting, which wasn’t too bad.

“I know, I just…” Tommy sighed and Nikki wrapped his arms around his waist as they watched Brandon sleep.

“It’ll be okay babe,” Nikki told him. “I got you.”

****

A prison is what Tommy felt like he was trapped in when she kept badgering him for their second child. Brandon had grown really attached to Nikki, wanting to spend more time over there than he did at home. His “NiNi” loved him just as much as he loved his own children.

So Tommy made good on his contract in 1997, Dylan was born. Another perfect little boy and Tommy loved him just as much as he loved Brandon. He had even made plans to get their names tattooed on his wrists, so they were always with him.

But also, in ‘97, things were starting to change.

First off, Elektra dropped Motley Crue from their management team. Vince came back after his time off, and while Nikki and Tommy really liked John, it was so great to have Vince back with them and Mick.

But then, the big change came over dinner, when Tommy and Nikki had a peaceful moment to themselves.

“I think I’m going to break my contract with Pamela,” Tommy told Nikki as they ate the meal that Tommy had prepared. “I’m ready to pay whatever fine it is that her lawyers lined out or whatever, but I wanted to run it by you before I told my lawyers.”

“Are you sure about this?” Nikki asked. “I don’t want her to try to cut off your balls or something the next time you’re over there to see the boys.”

“I don’t think she’s that crazy,” Tommy laughed. “I’ll let the lawyers handle it. I still want to be able to see my boys.” Tommy gave Nikki the biggest smile, which the bassist returned.

They both thought things were finally looking up.

****

It was about two weeks after Tommy’s lawyers were able to work him out of the contract that Pamela called. Tommy had been ignoring her calls, but this was the third time within an hour she had called him and he had had about enough.

“Hello?”

“About time!” Pamela called out. “Dylan’s really sick and I need you to get here now.”

“Wait, what? What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know just get over here,” She told him before hanging up. Tommy all but ran out to his car and headed towards the house, calling Nikki on the way.

“Babe, Dylan’s sick,” Tommy told him. “I’m going over there to see what’s wrong. If you don’t hear from me in fifteen minutes, send help.” Tommy chuckled a little. “Love you.” He hung up the phone, knowing Nikki would get a kick out of his voicemail. He pulled into the driveway of the house and headed inside. The media hadn’t been told about the “divorce” yet, but it was only a matter of time before they figured it out.

“Daddy!” Brandon smiled and ran to Tommy when he came through the door. “Where’s Nikki?”

“He’s at work little man,” He smiled. “Where’s your mom and Dyl?”

“In the kitchen,” Brandon told him. “Daddy, I colored a picture today. Wanna see it?”

“I’ll check it out in a minute my man,” Tommy smiled and headed to the kitchen, where Pamela was standing with her back to him, holding Dylan. “Okay, what’s up?” Pamela turned to look at Tommy with bruises on her face and arms. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Stay away!” She screamed loudly. “The police are on their way?”

“What are you talking about?” He asked, taking a step towards her. “What’s going on?”

The front door burst open then and Brandon screamed as police came in. Pamela held onto a crying Dylan as the police came at Tommy, guns drawn.

“Hands up!” An officer barked. “Now!” Tommy immediately held his hands in the air.

“What’s going on?” Tommy asked. “Pamela?” She backed up, keeping Dylan in her arms, who was trying to reach for his dad. 

“Mr. Thomas Lee Bass, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…” The officers voice trailed off as Tommy stared at Pamela, who glanced up at him and smiled before returning to her tears.

****

Nikki decided to drive by Pamela’s after hearing Tommy’s voicemail. They had been having some issues with her, constantly calling, being beyond angry, threatening. So something in the back of his mind just told him to go by and make sure that everything was okay.

That’s when he came upon the scene. Police cars in front of the house, Pamela and the boys standing in the front entrance, and Tommy being led to a cop car in handcuffs. Nikki quickly pulled his car into park and raced up to the scene.

“Nikki!” Tommy called out as he was being put in the cop car.

“Tommy! What’s going on?” The cop shut the door before Tommy could speak, but it was obvious that he was crying. Nikki stared through the window at his boyfriend, trying to find out what was going on.

“You can speak with him later,” A cop told Nikki before getting in the car. Nikki turned to look at Pamela. Brandon ran over.

“Nikki!” He grabbed onto his legs and cried. “Where’s daddy going?”

“I don’t know buddy,” Nikki picked Brandon up. Dylan was wiggling in Pamela’s arms, trying to follow his brother over to the bassit. “Pamela, what’s going on?”

“He’s an abusive piece of shit,” She spat. “Hit me while I was holding Dylan. He came over for no reason and hit me!”

“That’s...his voicemail said you called and told him Dylan was sick!” Nikki yelled. Pamela’s tears stopped as quickly as they started and she smiled at Nikki.

“Watch your tone of voice Mr. Sixx. Or you’ll never see Tommy again,” She laughed a little. “Brandon, sweetie, come inside.”

“But mommy…” Pamela gave her son a look. Brandon looked up at Nikki. “Love you Nikki.” He gave him a hug before wiggling out of his arms and heading over to his mom. Nikki sighed and looked back the way the police cars had left before getting in his car and leaving.

****

“I didn’t do this,” Tommy told everyone. His lawyer, the cops, and now Nikki. His lawyers had brought him in to help Tommy calm down, and it was working to an extent. “I never touched her! She told me Dyl was sick and I was worried.”

“I know babe,” Nikki wrapped his arm around the drummer. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this, okay?”

“If they say it's a misdemeanor, I’m looking at a year in jail Nik,” Tommy told him. “If they decide it’s a felony based on whatever fucking story she tells them, god, I’ll be here forever.” Tommy held his head in his hands. “Fuck, why didn’t I stay with Heather?”

“Because you both wanted different things in life,” Nikki rubbed his back. “We’re going to fix this. I know you didn’t do it. You know, Pamela knows. I just wish I could get the confession out of her before your trial…”

“Fuck,” Tommy banged his head on the table. “I’m so fucked.”

“I’m going to fix this babe,” Nikki told him. “There has to be a way.”

“She’s going to win, and she’s never going to let me see my boys ever again,” Tommy wiped his eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

“You’ve got the best legal team we can afford. We’re going to fight this,” Nikki held him tightly. “I love you Tommy.”

“I love you too Nik,” Tommy closed his eyes. They stayed like that for as long as they could, until Nikki had to leave. 

But he went home to plan.

****

“Come on, one of you has to have like a Talkboy or something,” Nikki sighed. “What good are you two?”

“Hey, we’re not Macaulay Culkin. Sorry,” Vince sighed.

“We’re just as upset as you are, but we’re not spies,” Mick added.

“I mean, is there even a small chance that he could’ve actually hit her?” Vince asked. “I saw what he did to Honey back in the day.” Nikki turned to glare at him.

“She fucking stabbed him,” He hissed. Vince raised his hands, showing Nikki he meant no harm. “He’s facing some serious time and I know that she is lying. But they’ll just say I’m trying to cover for him. I need actual proof.”

“And dragging her by her blonde hair to the police station isn’t an option?” Mick shrugged. Nikki held his head in his hands. Tommy was being held until the trial, and Nikki wanted to save Tommy before that.

“Sorry man, but life isn’t like the movies. You don’t get the information you need at the exact moment that you need it,” Vince patted his shoulder. “Things don’t work that...wait a minute.”

“What?”

“I don’t have a Talkboy, but I think that one of my kids has a tape recorder that they used for school,” Vince jumped up. “Give me a few minutes.” He disappeared into the other room to call Beth, not that he really wanted to.

“Wow, he must really care for the kid if he’s willing to call her,” Mick laughed. “We’re going to get through this Nikki. I promise.”

“I hope so,” Nikki sighed. “I can’t go another night without Tommy.” Vince came back then with a smirk on his face.

“Got you the tape recorder,” Vince laughed. “Now, let’s go save Tommy from being someone’s prison bitch!”

****

Nikki made his way to the jail to see Tommy. It felt like it had been so long since he had last seen him, and he really missed him. He headed to the visiting area. Tommy had a jumpsuit and everything, even though he was not officially in jail yet, they would not release him, fearing his was a “danger to society”.

Nikki sat there, waiting, until he heard the door open and Tommy was escorted in. He looked up from the discolored paint piece he was looking at and almost gasped.

Tommy had a black eye, busted lip, and it looked like his nose had bled some. Nikki quickly scrambled for the phone and waited for Tommy to pick up his.

“What happened?” Nikki asked. Tommy gave a snorted laugh.

“Guess it doesn’t matter how popular Motley Crue is with prisoners, a supposed wife beater is still shit,” Tommy explained. Tommy looked up at Nikki. “I still look sexy, right?”

“Of course,” Nikki offered him the best smile he could manage. “They put you in general population then?”

“Yeah, for a bit. But they’re telling me that I’ll probably serve the rest of my sentence in solitary or some shit,” Tommy sighed. “I need whoever Vince had to represent me so I can get his life of luxury…”

“Tommy, I’m trying to fix this…” Nikki told him. Tommy nodded, but Nikki could tell that the couple weeks he had been there had already taken a toll on him. MEntally, physically, and emotionally.

“I want to go home Nik,” Tommy whispered. Nikki nodded.

“And I want you home too,” Nikki told him. “I’m going to get you home. She can’t get away with this.”

“I think she already has Nik,” Tommy sounded so sad, and seeing the injuries on his face just made Nikki’s blood boil even more.

“You haven’t been sentenced yet,” Nikki told him. “She isn’t going to win. I’m not going to let her.” Tommy just gave him a small smile and nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Before they knew it, visiting was over and Nikki was walking out of the jail with fire in his veins and determination in his eyes.

****

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Vince asked as the three of them set outside Pamela’s house.

“Nope, but I have to do it,” Nikki held the stuffed toy in his hand from the last time the boys had been over. “You guys didn’t see Tommy’s face the last time I got to see him. He was beat to hell.”

“I can’t believe you’re going to do this,” Mick patted his arm. “But we’ll be right out here, ready and waiting.” Nikki nodded and got out of the car. He made his way up to the front door, took a deep breath, and rang the bell. Pamela came to the door, ready to shut it as soon as she saw Nikki standing there.

“Wait, wait,” Nikki held the door. “I just came to give this back to Dylan and…” He sighed. “I’ve came to beg.”

“Wait...what?” Pamela opened the door. “The great Nikki Sixx is here to beg? What for?”

“Just let me in,” Nikki pleaded with her. Pamela nodded and let him in. “Where are the boys?” Nikki noticed that it was strangely quiet in the house, just some music playing.

“They’re with my mother,” She told him. She crossed her arms over her chest, watching him. “I believe I heard something about begging?”

“What is it going to take to get you to drop the charges?” Nikki asked. “Do you want him to sign another contract or something? Want another kid? Elektra dropped us, but I’m sure he’d agree to it. I...do you want to actually be married to him or something?”

“I have a boyfriend,” She told him, sitting on a barstool. “I just want to get a point across that you don’t fuck me over.” She took a sip of her wine. “Where do you think I really got these bruises from Nikki? It sure as hell wasn’t from Tommy. It was from a very, very athletic afternoon.”

“Boyfriend?” Nikki asked.

“What? You think Tommy was the only one to have a guy on the side?” She smirked. “It’s someone Tommy hates. And boy, when I brought up screwing him over, he was all game for it.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Nikki asked, taking a step back.

“Because no one will ever believe you,” She smirked. “Look at him and his history, then look at me. They’ll lock him away faster than Vince driving on the 110.”

“Oh my god,” Nikki gasped.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll still be your little toy when he gets out. If he gets out,” She laughed. “But I’m sure as hell not going to make it easy on him.”

“Bitch,” Nikki whispered.

“I’d watch your words Mr. Sixx,” She tapped her fingers on the counter. “It wouldn’t be too hard to stick you in the cell right across from him.” With that, Nikki left, heading out the front door. Pamela smiled as she heard the front door close and she headed upstairs to where her boyfriend was waiting for her.

****

“So?” Vince asked as Nikki got in the car. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tape recorder, rewinding it and playing the conversation from the beginning.

“Bitch didn’t expect a thing,” Nikki smiled. “We gotta get this to Tommy’s lawyers, ASAP.”

“On it,” Mick nodded and the three of them drove off, heading towards Tommy’s lawyers.

****

“What’s going on?” Tommy asked, confused, when the guards came in to let him out of his cell.

“You’ve been sprung,” One of the guards admitted. Tommy frowned, but let himself be led to the area where he changed out of his jumpsuit and back into the clothes he had been arrested in. They gave him his wallet, since Nikki had gotten the keys and was able to pick up Tommy’s car from impound. But Nikki was right there, waiting for him, as he left the jail. Nikki quickly had his arms around Tommy, holding him close.

“What did you do?” Tommy asked when Nikki finally let go of him for a minute. “What happened?”

“Pamela confessed,” Nikki told him. “Charges are being dropped and we are filing charges against her now.”

“What?” Tommy asked, extremely confused.

“I’ll explain when we get home,” Nikki laughed, leading Tommy to the car to take him home, where he belonged.

****

Tommy’s lawyers started the process, and not only was Pamela in trouble, but so was her boyfriend. She tried to blame most of it on him, but no one was buying it. And it didn’t help her case any when she smacked Tommy across the face when she saw him the next time.

Two weeks after that, the lawyers explained to Tommy what was going on, and asked if he wanted primary custody of Brandon and Dylan, who had been living with Pamela’s mom since everything went down.

“Yes,” Tommy told them, looking over at Nikki, hoping he agreed.

“I agree with him,” Nikki smiled. “We’d love to have them in our home.”

Brandon and Dylan were both so happy with be with their dad again, and they both adored Nikki so much. The first night they lived with them permanently, Tommy stood in the doorway of Brandon’s room and watched him for a moment. Nikki came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Watchya thinking about babe?” Nikki asked, placing a kiss on his neck.

“I’m so fucking happy,” Tommy told him, leaning back against him. “We have the boys, we’re free from the contracts, I’m free from jail and Pamela. We’re finally free.”

“I know,” Nikki smiled against his skin. “I never thought we’d get here, but I’m so glad that we did.” Tommy nodded and walked with him back to their bedroom, for the first time in months, they were finally able to relax.

The End

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[unfortunatescn]

SINISTER KID, run to meet your maker. 

OCTOBER 18TH, 2019. somewhere near the border of Louisiana & Alabama. TRIGGER WARNING: murder, blood, gun violence, gun shot wounds, mentions of eye gore, strangulation. 

It felt like returning to a good book — Rereading chapter by chapter, soaking up every moment. He should be thinking of how stupid this is, how no amount of money is worth the risk, but he can’t help but enjoy the rush of it all. He’d been a Fixer for nearly two decades, and after his time locked away and being on parole, he knew better than to let himself get sucked back in. He’d lost contact with most of his contacts, and with the gang war now sitting in their front yard, there weren’t many people coming to him with a bag of cash and a plea for help. Andy busied himself other ways, mostly working on cars at the shop, spending time with Benny, working with the club in ‘quieter’ ways. But the thought lingered in the back of his mind, reminding him of the adrenaline rush and excitement that came with his job — That they could always use the money, too. 

Then came Beverly, calling him for a week straight until he caved and answered the unknown number. She’s a textbook client, one they saw far too many times to count — Her husband had changed over the years, become violent. She didn’t want him killed but she wanted him scared enough to leave the state and never come back, never come looking for her and their son. Andy did just that — Somewhere in 2009, outside of a seedy motel, he beat the living shit out of her husband, successfully running him out of town and leaving Andy with forty-five grand in his pocket. What he hadn’t accounted for was Beverly’s husband’s return a near decade later, turning her world upside down. He tries to ignore her calls, knowing once the ‘Unknown Caller’ name that pops up will only spell trouble for him — But when he finally caves, he’s met with desperation and a promise of a hundred grand in cash. Four days later he calls her back, letting her know he’ll handle it. 

What pushes him over is the thought of Benny — The thought of someone like Andy’s father terrorizing them, terrorizing him for no reason other than revenge. He thinks of his own mother, the lengths should have gone to keep her children safe. Andy knows how this story ends if he doesn’t step in — He’ll learn the conclusion when he reads Beverly’s obituary in the paper, when her son becomes another kid lost in the system. Who is he to let Beverly and her son suffer, to let them be subject to the same cycle when he can step in and actually do something good? By no means is he a saint, or some sort of hero — Just a guy who is good at what he does. Only this time around, it’s not just about the money and the rush. He knows it’s risky, but it’s what he does best — Fixing problems, covering his tracks. It’s second nature at this point, something he’ll surely always come back to. 

And he does, with alarming ease. When this had been his daily life, there was a routine he followed each time. This time around, it’s oddly chartic to go through the motions again -- To put each puzzle piece together, to return to his favorite chapter of his favorite book. Planning for this job is a process as mundane as his morning run, just another part of his day. In the past, he’d spend weeks at a time scouting the spot where the job would take place, learning the routine of the person he was to handle. He’d sit in the kitchen with papers spread across the table, laptop in front of him as he did his research on the location, the person, anything that could be a variable or need to be factored into. In this case, there were far more of the latter to think of -- With ATF at his door, the MCs back at one another’s throats, and everything caught in between the two of those, there was nothing run of the mill about this. The worst of it came in the form of Lettie, her words running through Andy’s mind after their last conversation. You need someone you can trust now that you have this little boy to come home to

Her suggestion left him between a rock and a hard spot, to say the least. There was no question that Lettie was a good get away driver, seeming to find an ease to it. She was someone he trusted, and having her by his side on a job would keep the club from getting pulled into another fire -- This was theirs, something on the side to their bank accounts a cushion and keep a family safe in the meantime. It was a simple enough job, get in and out, make it look like an accident. He was confident in his ability and her own, knowing the two could handle the task with ease. But then he remembers who he’s talking about -- Lettie is practically his child, the closest thing he has to a daughter. Their relationship may have it’s complications, but it doesn’t change one universal truth: She is his family, and bringing her on this job meant he would be putting her in a potentially dangerous position. Sure, she wasn’t the same teenager he’d left when he’d been arrested, but it didn’t change that she was his kid. He went back and forth about it for days, left awake at night with the thought fresh on his mind as he watched his ceiling fan spin. 

She needed this, he of all people understood that. It was a fucked up means of coping, but he understood it -- It’s something would make her feel alive, would put some sort of sense into the chaos of their lives. Andy hates how deeply he empathizes with the thought, having been in that position far too many times than he’d care to admit. He’d been through it before, still found himself there when he’d agreed to this job, when he’d spent a night torturing a man with his sister. He understood the need to feel in control again, the power that comes with an adrenaline rush like this. They had always been alike in that regard, the trait often serving as a reason for butting heads. He stares at his phone for nearly a half hour before finally sending her a message, knowing she’ll know what he means with the vagueness. There’s no going back now. 

The job goes according to plan, the two making it to a motel three towns over on the border of Louisiana and Alabama. In and out, he tells himself, a confusing bundle of nerves finding him in that moment. What follows is a wave excitement that pushes him from the car, pulling a mask over his face as he does so. They’ve got the cover of nightfall on their side, but Andy’s not planning on leaving any loose threads. He knew better than anyone what it would mean if this job went sideways, having paid his time for it -- So he leaves no room for error, planning each detail down to the second, a Plan B carefully curated if needed. In, out, make it look like an accident. 

Just as fate would have it, the moment he steps through the door everything goes to shit, for lack of a better word. What was supposed to be something simple finds one complication after the other, putting him in a struggle with the man he’d arrived to kill. He tries to ignore the way it feels like the man had almost seemed like he was waiting for Andy, something in the back his mind telling him the man who had run him out of town a decade prior would return to finish the job the second he returned to the state. What follows is a struggle between the two, with punches thrown and any sort of subtlety this job had disappearing the moment Andy’s thrown into a wall, a loud crash following. Make it look like an accident, he reminds himself, attempting to focus despite the man fighting him off. He’d lost his mask at this point, window curtains pulled from the rod -- Leaving them both visible to anyone in the parking lot or the hall. The second he realizes it, a popping sound fills the air, and he then -- Andy’s on the ground.

It doesn’t occur to him that he’s been shot until he hits the ground, eyes drifting to the blood beginning to pool around his right thigh. Oddly, the first thought that comes to him is the fact that he’s never actually been shot before. It’s almost laughable to him, that in the two decades he’d spent in the MC, this is how he ends up with a bullet lodged in him. Not by his father, not by some gun runner, but by some man in a shitty motel who had tucked his own gun into the nightstand. The thought only lasts half a second, a hand having moved instinctively to the wound in an attempt to put pressure on it. Shit. Shit. Shit. The same struggle continues seconds after his head hits the old carpet -- Only now, he’s stuck under the other man, hands around Andy’s throat as he tries to ignore the pain beginning to shoot up his leg. He reaches for anything, attempting to shove the mans face away, scratching and clawing at anything he can get (and personally hoping he catches an eye) to no avail. 

This is it, he can’t help but think as the black spots begin to fill his vision. The room seems to move in slow motion, feeling lighter and lighter as the puddle of blood around his leg grows and the corners of his vision blur. The man on top of him is yelling something, his knee against Andy’s chest to keep him on the ground. If he could -- Andy would laugh. Of all the things that have happened in his life, this is how he’s going to die. After years of murder-for-hire, after his time in prison; After finding his way back to Rowan, after starting a family with her and Benny. His eyes drift to the wedding band tattoo on his finger, knowing that if this was going to be his final moment, that’s what he wanted to see last. Not the wild look in this man’s eyes or the blood he’s covered in. Even if his death ends up being a terrible twist of fate, the last thing he’ll see before going is something with more meaning than this job. He doesn’t notice the sound of the door opening, a loud noise filling the room seconds after. 

The sound rings out, and suddenly -- He can breathe. A gasp comes next, followed by a steady stream of coughs, only to be interrupted by the man who was once trying to kill him now lying limp on top of him. His eyes are wide, face covered in blood from the bullet now lodged in the man’s head. He takes another moment try to catch up to the scene unraveling in front of him, part of him wondering if he’d died and well -- What comes after life is just a shitty motel room. 

There’s blood all over his face, a man on top of him, and once his eyes drift upward, he sees her -- Lettie, with his gun in hand, pointed at the head of the man they’d come there to kill. There’s a silence in the room despite the ringing in his ears, and for a moment, Andy is left unsure of what to do next. He hadn’t planned for this, knowing that the moment Lettie got out of the car and entered the motel room, they were heading into uncharted territory. The lack of oxygen left him seeing spots and feeling far too light headed to properly assess the situation; Lettie had saved him, but she’d come into the motel room without a mask on, surely seen by a witness in the process. The latter doesn’t occur to him, more caught up in the fact that there’s a dead man on top of him, that he, by some strange act of fate, is still alive. She arrived with mere seconds seconds to spare, before Andy would have been a goner. He owes her his life, but in that moment -- He can barely catch his breath. As best he can, he pushes the man off of him, attempting to ignore the unrelenting ringing in his ears. 

It’s as if he’s underwater now, with the blood loss and lack of oxygen making for a lethal mixture. He barely registers the arm coming around him to help bring him to his feet, the adrenaline being the only thing keeping him conscious. There’s a haze that follows once he’s on his feet, unsteady and clutching anything he can hold on to. It doesn’t occur to him that despite the gloves he’s wearing, his blood is now at the scene -- That Lettie has surely been seen by someone, that the people in the room next to them probably called the cops once the noise began. “Gimme the gun,” his words slur a bit, not as steady on his feet as he hoped to be, thanks to the lack of oxygen. Regardless, he moves, giving instructions to Lettie as he does -- They have to make this look like an accident, even if it had almost turned into double homicide. 

He doesn’t remember what they did or how long it took to set up, just that her arm comes around him once it’s time to go and they’re rushing to get back to the van before the sirens in the distance make it to the parking lot. Admittedly, Andy’s not sure if they’d actually been successful in making it look like an accident, having a feeling that the mess they’d left behind would be an indication of just what happened in that room -- Regardless of how the man’s body is found. The second he’s in the passenger seat and the car jerks into drive, every thought swimming through his head disappears. The adrenaline begins to wear off as his head rolls back and forth, vision blurred once more from the blood loss -- He watches Lettie in the driver’s seat, speaking to him and attempting to keep him awake despite the fact that he doesn’t hear a word she says. Each time he tries to speak, his voice is a rasp and the words don’t seem to come out how he wants -- Sounding like he’s drunk and struggling to fight through it. 

It’s unclear how long the drive is, how long he’s drifting in and out of this dream like state -- Maybe it’s ten minutes or maybe it’s two hours, he’s not sure. All that he sees is the Welcome to Olympus! sign, lit up by dim lights as they pass by, before he eventually passes out. 

[sinsiriuslyemo]

Hey guys!! Your patience throughout this entire story-telling process has really meant a lot to us. I can’t tell you how much of our hearts and souls were put into this massive project that we only ever intended to be an imagine. The world that we’ve built over twenty seasons has grown bigger than either of us imagined and we’re so incredibly grateful for you guys--for still reading it, for becoming just as invested in the characters and story-lines as we were and for your amazing support for the story. Only three episodes left, plus an alternate ending!

EPISODE 47

Captain Williams walked into the interrogation room where Omar was being held, file in his hand. He had Ramirez right where he wanted him. All that was left was to turn one of his men, the evidence would speak for itself.

“Omar Diaz...hope you had a good night’s sleep,” he said, sitting down across from Omar. “So, Omar. What do you know about this clean up that went down a few weeks ago?”

Omar quirked a brow. “I’m not saying anything without Rita present.”

“Oh yeah, your lawyer,” Williams replied. “That’s fine, but between you and me, you got a problem, brother. Your boy, Julio, gave you up and I’m willing to bet money that any one of those clowns will gladly give Nevada Ramirez up instead of spending twenty-five to life upstate. You might wanna start thinking about where you fall in all that.”

“Lawyer,” he repeated, putting emphasis on each syllable as he looked up at the man defiantly. He wasn’t a snitch, and he wasn’t worried about the other men. Not now. His primary focus had to be with his brothers and keeping loyal to them. The rest didn’t matter.

Williams held his gaze for a moment before he slowly bobbed his shoulders. “Suit yourself. Sure hope your daughter doesn’t get too traumatized when she has to visit her daddy in Attica.”

“You leave my kid out of this,” Omar said, poker face on. Inside he wanted to punch this guy in the face, but he kept it to himself.

“You’re the one that can keep your kid outta this, Diaz,” Williams answered. “You think Ramirez will care if she’s gotta grow up without a father?”

“I think my brother cares about his niece. That’s all I know.”

“I don’t doubt that, but I also don’t think that he’d put your kid over his own. I’m a father too, man, and I gotta tell you, I’d turn on my mother if I knew it was gonna spare my kids any pain,” Williams replied.

Omar rolled his eyes. “Lawyer.” He knew Nevada wasn’t like that. They were all a family.

“Suit yourself. You better pray no one in your clean up crew doesn't talk first,” Williams replied, walking out of the room without another word.

“Captain, we got one of the guys talking. He says he and his crew cleaned up a lot of blood, mostly in the kitchen. He also said he saw Ramirez and the Diaz brothers walking out with a heavy looking duffle bag. Said they were heading for the stairwell,” one of his detectives said.

“I’m willing to bet that bag had a body inside,” Williams replied thoughtfully. “Have CSU take another look inside the apartment. And have them check the stairwell and the back door of the building. With any luck we’ll get something to tie Ramirez to the murder.”

“Yes, sir.”

Captain Williams nodded. “Good work, detective.”

Amber came over the next day to help you clean the house while the kids were gone. With Nevada having given you a vague text about not coming home, you found yourself deciding to take advantage of the time to do a deep cleaning of the house.

“Remember when excitement used to be keg parties and anonymous sex?” Amber said with a smirk. “Now you suggest deep cleaning and I acted like it was Christmas morning.”

You laughed. “Right? I got way too excited this morning.”

“Did he say why he stayed out all night?” Amber asked as she fished a sippy cup from beneath the couch.

“Nope, just texted me, not coming home tonight,” you said in your best impression of your husband. “As long as he’s not dead, I assume work is just getting pretty crazy.” You started moving to tug all the dvds out of the cabinets, sorting out the ones none of you had touched in over a year.

“Weird,” she replied as she got the sippy cup open and peeked inside, nearly gagging when the stench of sour milk escaped. “Oh God.”

“Huh…” You scrunched your nose. “I’ve been looking for that sippy cup. Where was it?”

“Under the couch,” Amber answered as she all but ran to the sink to rinse out the cup and fill it with soapy water to soak.

“That sounds about right,” you said with a shrug. Once you’d sorted the DVDs you started putting the ones you didn’t watch into a garbage bag. “Tell me if you want anything.”

“You’re putting them in a garbage bag, how will I know?” she replied with a smirk.

You heard the buzzing of your phone, though you couldn't see where you’d left it. You searched around before finding it at the bottom of the garbage back, answering it.

“Y/N Ramirez, Professional House Cleaning service,” you teased. “How May I direct your call?”

“Oyeme, where are the rugrats?” he asked.

“Out with Chelsea, why?” You stopped cleaning. “Is everything alright?”

“No, Natalia was the bitch trying to buy Izzy’s art,” he replied. “Oh yeah and Omar got arrested. So did all the guys who were part of a cleaning crew we hired a while back, so everything’s pretty much going to shit over here.”

Your jaw dropped. “What?” That was a lot of information to process all at once. Natalia, wasn’t she in prison? And how did Omar get arrested? They were usually so careful. You frowned, deciding now wasn’t the time for details. “What do you need me to do?”

“Keep you and the kids in one piece till we find this cunt-bag. Lay low, don’t leave the house unless you have to,” he replied.

“Should I call Chelsea? I don’t wanna scare the kids. They should be back in an hour or so.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Chelsea’s vanilla, where she takes them would probably be a place Natalia wouldn’t think of. Chibby’s working on tracking her phone, don’t worry,” he said.

“Okay. We’ll stay here. Update me whenever you can. But if you can’t, I’ll understand.” You frowned. You hated not being able to see him but he had a job to do and you understood that.

“Alright. I’ll talk to you later.”

“I love you,” you said softly.

“Love you too,” he replied, hanging up.

You turned back to Amber, frowning.

“What?” she asked.

“Natalia has been in contact with my sister and Omar got arrested…”

“Again? What the fuck, Omar?!” Amber groaned, rolling her eyes. “Do you know what for?”

“Does my husband look like the type who gives me play by plays? I have absolutely zero details,” you said with a sigh. “Something about a cleanup job? I’m not too sure.”

“Well that can’t be good,” Amber replied.

“Yeah, he told me when the kids get home I need to stay inside for a while until this is handled,” you said, nervously tapping your fingers on your hip.

“And you’re gonna actually do that?” Amber asked, arching a brow. “Just wait here like sitting ducks? What if Natalia’s on her way here?”

“Do you seriously think Nevada wouldn’t already know of she was on her way here?” you fired back. “If Nevada says we’ll be fine, then we’ll be fine.”

“Alright,” she said softly. “I believe you. Is there anything I can do?” she asked. She would help if she could, though her attention had drifted to her ex husband.

“I don’t think so,” you answered. “But thanks for asking.”

“I’m sorry this is happening. I can’t imagine how it must feel.” She truly couldn’t, to have Fallon be in that kind of life-threatening danger was something she didn’t even want to think about. It was times like these she was grateful she wasn’t married to Omar anymore. Nevada made big enemies. Being his wife had to be the most worrying job.

“It’s okay,” you said in a sigh, shrugging as you smiled at her. “We’re used to it. I just have to do to what I have to do, and he’ll do what he has to do.”

“Well, let me stay with you until the kids come back. I had planned to anyway.” She smiled back at you. “And it’s really cramped but if you ever need a place, you know my door is always open.”

“Thanks,” you answered. “Let’s keep going, I want this done by the time they get home.”

She nodded getting back to work as the two of you started on the upstairs. “Do you ever regret not leaving the Heights?” she asked curiously. If anyone had the right to resent the Heights, it was you.

You sighed softly and shook your head. “Honestly, I’ve been down that road so many times and the bottom line is that Nevada would never leave the Heights. So, if I did leave, it would have to be without him.”

Amber nodded. She knew that you’d never do that. You loved him, and it was clear you were his ride or die. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the Heights was a dangerous place. She felt so bad for your position, you were trapped in a dangerous neighborhood, choosing to stay to be with the man you loved.

She had planned to stay in the Heights to be with Omar, so she knew where you were coming from. When she and Omar had divorced, she had settled roots down here, she didn’t want to leave. But she couldn’t help but wonder if she was staying because it was what was right or if it was just what she wanted. She always got what she wanted. But now she had a baby. She couldn’t put herself first anymore.

She shook the thought out of her head. She took Fallon into consideration on everything. Fallon was her life and she was making the right choices. At least, she thought so.

Rafael sat on the couch with a bottle in one hand and Liam laying on the opposite arm. Helena had already gone to sleep and Roxie hadn’t gotten home yet from her set. He had welcomed the silence, wallowed and stewed in it for as long as he could while it was there.

His eyes were trained on the manilla folder that sat on the coffee table in front of him while his son ate. He had been reeling for the last few nights, exhausted both from being up with Liam and with thoughts of what his future at the DA’s office might look like if he decided to go back. As much as he hated the thought of ending his career prematurely, he felt cornered with only two options--resign or endure in spite of the hit his reputation had taken.

There were moments where his choice seemed easy; he had worked his entire life for his career and he was far from done building it. Still, the idea of having to walk into a courtroom with all eyes on him, judging him and wondering how he could stomach advocating for victims when as far as they were concerned, he was a predator himself, was one that nauseated him. Was his pride worth the possible damage his mere presence at One Hogan Place would cause?

Roxie came through the door with a yawn, going right to the couch and leaning forward to kiss her husband softly. “I’m sorry, shooting ran late, I tried to rush as much as possible,” she assured. She put a hand on Liam’s head, thumb stroking over his hair. “I can take him,” she offered. She’d been a little more involved with the baby lately after talking to the midwife.

“Hang on, he’s almost done,” Rafael mumbled. “How was your day?”

“Busy, I missed you both. Especially today for some reason. I’m thinking actually about hiring someone else to handle everything for the new bakery. I don’t want to supervise, I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to manage it.” She sat down beside him and smiled softly. “I’m away from the house enough as it is. I don’t need to be any more than absolutely necessary.”

Rafael smirked at her just as Liam finished his meal and the older man set the empty bottle on the coffee table beside the manilla folder before he handed the baby to his wife.

Her eyes moved to the folder and then to the baby. “Documents for work? Don’t you still have paternity leave, love?” She put a burping cloth on her shoulder and leaned him against it, patting his back. She was getting pretty good at it.

“I do,” he replied, sighing deeply as he gestured to the folder with his chin. “No, that is my letter of resignation.”

Her eyes widened. “What? Rafael…” she said softly. “You love your job.”

“I do,” he replied with a nod. “Which is why I’m wondering if me staying would do more harm than good.”

Once Liam burped, she adjusted so she could use her free hand to hold his. “I trust you on this if this is what you really want...but it was just a tabloid. She was a proven liar, a horrible person. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know that, but not everyone else does and I’m just wondering if bowing out now would be better than staying and having it get worse,” he said. “If I resign, I could stay home with Liam while you work, we wouldn’t have to worry about childcare.”

“I can push things around, work from home on things. I don’t want you making the choice out of necessity to Liam either. I can stay with him mornings and you can do evenings if need be.”

“It’s not out of necessity, I want to be home with him, even if I were going back to work, I’d want to be here with him,” he answered. “As much as I love my job, I love him so much more.”

“I just want to make sure if you’re making this choice it’s for you. You’re an incredible prosecutor, Rafael. You love your work, it’s one of the reasons I fell so madly in love with you,” she smiled and cupped his cheek. “So if this is what you truly think is the right move, then I support you one hundred percent. The hell with anyone who thinks otherwise.”

“I do,” he replied, nodding his head. “Victims getting their justice is far more important than me keeping my job. They shouldn’t have to suffer because of some story that’s going around. It’s better for everyone, including Liam if I just resign.” His eyes fell to the infant in her arms and he smirked. “Besides, just look at him. He’s worth it.”

She nodded, leaning forward and kissing him, slow and sweet. “I love you,” she whispered. “No matter what we face, whatever happens, I love you.” She looked down at the baby and smiled. “And I love you too,” she whispered.

“We love you too,” Rafael replied.

She looked at him. “So what now?” she asked softly.

“Now, we give our son a bath, put him to bed and enjoy our night,” he replied. “Tomorrow I’ll go with Liam to the DA’s office and drop that off with McCoy.”

She gave a slow nod, scooting closer to him and pressing a soft kiss to his jaw. “Let’s get on with the bath then,” she said, offering him a smile. She looked down at the baby and sighed. “The midwife suggested antidepressants, I’m not sure. I don’t like the idea of putting things in my system while I’m feeding Liam but…” her lips pursed.

“Did she say whether there’s there another alternative?” he asked.

“Talk therapy...groups,” she said, still frowning down at the baby. “I don’t know, it makes me uneasy. The midwife said this happens to a lot of people...so why do I feel like it makes me a bad mum?”

“It doesn’t, Roxie,” Rafael replied, smiling softly at her. “I promise you, it doesn’t. It happens...and I think if you’re uneasy about taking medication, maybe you should at least consider talk therapy. Maybe not with a group, but one on one.”

“And tell them what? I’m sad? I don’t have any...connection with the baby I spent hours pushing out of me?”

“Yes,” he answered. “All of that, yes.”

She flushed. “I’m honestly embarrassed to say it to someone other than you. I feel horrible saying it.”

“I know, and if I could, I’d be your therapist but I’m not qualified to help you through this and besides we’re married, so I already have a soft spot that prevents me from being objective,” he replied. “You’re not the first woman to go through this, I’m sure whoever you talk to will have dealt with PPD plenty of times. What we can’t do is ignore it or it could get worse.”

She nodded. “I know we can’t ignore it. Liam needs both parents, not just you and right now...he barely has a fraction of me. I don’t want that for him.”

“Neither do I,” he replied, brushing a hand over her hair. “Look, whatever you decide, I trust you. We’ll get through it.”

She smiled at him, leaning over to press her lips against his. “I guess I’ll give the talk therapy a try, I’m going to have to make a lot of schedule changes.”

“It’s an hour a week, I’m sure they’ll work with your schedule,” he said. “You’re doing the best you can, and you’re a great mom. Only a good mom would be this worried about something like this.”

She smiled softly at him. “I love you so much, Rafael. I know I’m not always...chatty about things but I always know you’re here and that means everything to me.”

“I love you too,” he replied. “And I hope that one day you’ll find it easier to open up to me more. I want to be part of your entire life. Not just the good times, all of it. Your hopes, your dreams, your fears...it's why I married you because I want it all.”

“I know it doesn’t always feel like it, but I open up to you a little more everyday. I’ve been guarded for so long,” she said with a soft laugh. “I feel like sometimes I don’t even know how to drop my walls.”

He pursed his lips and lowered his eyes; she rarely opened up to him about the things she went through. He was surprised that she was able to tell him about what she was feeling with regard to Liam so easily. He had been used to her simply insisting that she was fine.

“I know you’re trying,” he decided to say, looking back up at her. Regardless of how far from his own wife that he felt, he wanted to be there for her whenever she did decide to let him in.

She nodded and offered him a small smile. She looked worn down, exhausted. She wouldn’t be able to keep up burning the candle at both ends much longer.

“I told Jacob this morning I’m not doing their books anymore, I’m too tired,” she said with a soft laugh.

Rafael nodded. “That’s a start. I’m sure he can handle it...it is technically part of his job as your business manager.”

She nodded. “He does it fine...I just think I do it better,” she mumbled.

Rafael snorted. “You know, I bet you wouldn’t feel nearly as tired if you’d stop micromanaging everything.”

“Yes, but I got where I am by micromanaging,” she argued half heartedly. “And I like to be in control…at all times.”

“Yeah, I know. You forget I’m married to you,” he replied with a smirk. “But you’re gonna run yourself ragged trying to do everything. Part of being a business owner is trusting your people to do their jobs without you having to worry that things are getting done. You have qualified people, just trust that you made the right decision in hiring them and let them do their jobs.”

She pouted, knowing he was right as she sighed, looking down at the baby. “Tell him Liam,” she said softly before imitating her best baby voice. “Daddy, mummy is doing her best, she just gets crazy with fear over incompetence, which runs rampant in this country.” She nodded in agreement. “Thank you Liam.”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “Liam, explain to your mother that there is such a thing as resumes with something called references that potential employers often check and verify before hiring someone. Part of being the boss is that you can hire people based on your standards, no one else’s. And you know, you don’t necessarily have to limit yourself to the United States, you could hire someone from someplace else. People move for job opportunities all the time. Stop making it more difficult than it needs to be, it’s just an excuse for you to do it yourself.”

She frowned down at Liam. “Now you’re arguing like a lawyer, you really are your father’s child.” She looked back to Rafael and sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll see what I can do.”

“You’ll thank us for it, won’t she, Liam?” Rafael said as he gently scrubbed the baby’s skin with a washcloth.

“He says yes daddy, mummy is just being a workaholic, isn't she,” she said with a laugh, smiling at Rafael.

He smirked back at her and kissed the side of her head. “Let’s go on a date tomorrow night.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? We can? I would love that. Just us. I could use a night off from work anyway.” She was beaming at the idea of having a quiet night with him. They hadn’t done it in so long.

“Yes. Nothing big, we can just go out to dinner, just us. I’m sure your mom wouldn't mind staying with Liam,” he said as his hand went to the small of her back. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” she whispered and leaned over, kissing him softly, smiling against his lips. “So much.”

Humming around a smile, he kissed her again, deepening it immediately and pulling her against his frame. A tiny cry from Liam made him groaned softly as he pulled away from his wife and smiled at the baby.

“I’m sorry, mijo. You ready to get out and get dressed?” he asked, pulling the baby out of the bath and wrapping him in a towel.

Roxie ran her finger along the baby’s soft cheek and smiled a little. “He’s cute,” she said with a smile. “Looks like you.”

“I think he looks just like you. He has your eyes,” Rafael replied, kissing the baby’s head and taking him into his room to dress him.

Roxie watched Rafael dress him. “You know, I really like watching you as a father. It seems like it comes so naturally to you. I envy that.”

“It’ll start to be second nature to you, too, honey. Just be patient with yourself,” he replied, picking up his son and nuzzling the hair on the top of his head. “What do you think about getting him to sleep and maybe having a little mommy-daddy time.”

She giggled at the way he phrased it. “Mummy and daddy time, hm? Sounds exciting, I wouldn’t mind a little quality time with my husband.”

“That’s good cause it’s been a while and your husband could really use some attention,” he replied, smirking at her and handing over Liam. “But first he needs a shower because he stinks.”

She laughed and took Liam. “Shower away, I’m going to get Liam to bed. Say goodnight to daddy, Liam.”

“Good night, Liam. I love you,” Rafael whispered, kissing his son’s head and walking out of the nursery.

Liam’s droopy eyes stared up at his mother.

Roxie gently rocked the baby in her arms. “Sleep please,” she said softly. “You’re a decent sleeper sometimes but you know exactly when I want downtime and you seem to be able to smell weakness, so now I’m reasoning with you. Sleep please.”

Liam continued to look up at her as if waiting for something in particular, cooing softly.

“Well I can’t sing, but I can kiss you,” she said and leaned to kiss his face. “And I can hum.” She hummed, sure it was the theme song to an old tv show but it was still a melody and definitely off key but she did her best.

Slowly, Liam’s eyes began to slip closed until he was fast asleep.

She smiled, settling him down in the crib and lightly stroking her finger over his cheek. He was so soft, so delicate, it still scared her how fragile this little creature was. This little person they had created who could be gone in an instant. She shook the thought from her head, moving towards the warm steam coming from the bathroom.

Closing the door behind him, Nevada haphazardly peeled off his jacket and tossed it on the couch as he walked into the kitchen and took a glass out of the cupboard beside the fridge. He reached for the bottle of scotch on the top shelf and poured himself three fingers, gulping some of the amber liquid down. As much as he wanted to get drunk to get away from his troubles, he would have to limit his intake to one glass in order to keep his wits. Chibby had been hard at work tracking Natalia’s phone while Sawyer busied herself with getting information on Omar’s arrest.

As he drank more from his glass he could hear the kids upstairs running from room to room and scowled. He hated having to pretend everything was fine in his own home, even for their sake.

“Hey! Didn’t I just say bedtime?” you scolded them with a laugh as you watched the twins giggle and run towards their bedroom.

You looked down the staircase at your husband and smiled.

“You’re home! Hey!” You moved down the staircase and over to him, eyes immediately going to the glass in his hand. “Omar’s still in custody?” you guessed.

He nodded. “Yeah, he hasn’t had a bail hearing yet, so we can't get him out.”

You frowned, hand moving to the back of his neck to gently try and work out some of the tension. “Wanna talk about it? Once I get the kids to bed?” you offered. “Or not, whatever you need.”

“Not really,” he answered, going to sit at the kitchen table. “They have a good time with Chelsea yesterday?”

“Yeah, they were so excited. Chelsea took them to the aquarium, they are definitely your kids.” You smiled softly, looking towards the staircase. “Huh...maybe they went to bed on their own.”

“You can go check, I’m fine,” he replied, taking another gulp from his drink.

You nodded, moving upstairs and moving to the twins room first.

“Mami, I want chocolate milk,” NJ said as he jumped on his bed.

“It’s late my love, you can have chocolate milk in the morning,” you said and picked him up in your arms, sitting down on the bed and looking at Fiona who was already settled in, playing with her toys quietly.

“I want chocolate milk!” he shouted, accentuating the last word with a swift smack to your face.

You grabbed his hand, eyes narrowed. “Oye! Tu quieres pow pow? Now you don’t get shit. Hit me again and I’m gonna start throwing out toys, I mean it.” You settle him down and frowned. “Who taught you to hit? We never hit people. Unless we are protecting ourselves.”

NJ growled, swinging his leg out, though it was far from making contact with you. “I. Want. Chocolate. Milk.”

You made no hesitation before spanking him. You knew so many parents were against spanking kids but honestly, when he acted this way, he was lucky you didn’t throw him into a river.

“OW!” he hollered, his little face growing red as thick tears slipped down his cheeks. “HEY! DON’T! HIT! ME!”

“Not very fun now, is it?” you said with a frown, turning him back to you. “You want it again?”

He shook his head, still crying and sniffling.

“Then don’t hit or kick me. Entiendes? I’m not a punching bag, I’m your mom.”

“Don’t! Hit me! You just hit my butt!” he sobbed.

“Spanking is different than hitting. And you need to start learning some respect,” you scolded. “I’m what feeds you, kid.”

“No! You don’t! Hit people!” he cried between gasps of breath. “STOP IT!”

You groaned. “This kid,” you mumbled. “You’re bad, you get spanked, end of story!”

“NO!!” NJ screamed.

“Oye, pero what the fuck is going on here?” Nevada asked as he came into the bedroom.

“Ay Carajo, get in bed, no chocolate milk,” you snapped at your son, quickly losing patience.

“Papi, I want chocolate milk,” NJ sobbed, rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry, mijo, mom said no,” Nevada answered with a bob of his shoulders.

“I want chocolate milk!” NJ growled, throwing a stuffed animal across the room and continuing to cry.

You crossed your arms, done talking with him and determined to just let him tantrum himself out.

“I said go to bed. Your sister is listening.” You heavily considered giving your daughter chocolate milk right now to spite your son, but it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know how to process things yet.

“NO! I DON’T WANNA GO TO BED! SISTER IS NOT LISTENING!” NJ screamed, his little face growing red with effort.

You rubbed your temples. You were gonna murder this kid at this rate. “That’s it, I’m starting to throw away toys,” you snapped, moving to the toy chest and picking up a few of his favorites. “Now this is a hostage situation. You happy? First Spider-Man is going, you wanna lose more? Keep this shit up and you’ll be playing with a cardboard box for the next year.”

Fiona looked up from her bed. “Mama’s mad.”

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!” NJ screeched, running and yanking the Spiderman out of your hands to throw it back into his toy bin. “THAT’S MY SPIDERMAN!!”

“Como?!” You picked it up again and walked out of the room past your husband with it.

Thanks for the backup. You mentally scolded your husband, too irritated by your son to even care at this point.

“HEY!!!” NJ yelled.

You huffed before stomping down the stairs. “Spider-Man is going in the fucking garbage disposal at this rate,” you grumbled to yourself. You had it with your son’s bratty behavior.

“Mommy!!!” NJ sobbed  throwing himself on the floor and kicking the frame of his bed repeatedly and screaming at the top of his lungs. “GIMME MY SPIDERMAN!!!”

Nevada just simply watched him, arms crossed as NJ wailed and stomped against the bed frame. After a few minutes of this, NJ finally started to calm down, though he was still crying. The boy rubbed his eyes before he looked up at his father with tears still rolling down his cheeks.

“Are you done?” Nevada asked calmly.

“Yeah,” NJ whimpered, wiping one side of his face, cries lowering to soft whines and sniffles. “I wanna go to bed,” NJ cried.

“I know, papo,” Nevada replied, holding his arms out as he stepped towards his son.

NJ slowly stood and let Nevada pick him up and laid his little head against his father’s shoulder. “Mommy spank my butt.”

“I know, because you weren’t listening,” Nevada said softly, sitting on the bed and hugging his son. “You’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” NJ whimpered. “I want chocolate milk.”

“It’s too late for chocolate milk, papo.”

“I want--I want water,” NJ said.

“I’ll ask mom. Get in bed, okay?” Nevada replied.

“Okay.”

When Nevada got downstairs you were sitting at the table. “He’s about to start getting Spider-Man’s body parts back individually in boxes,” you said sighing.

“He doesn’t understand it when you take away toys, to him, you’re just stealing his shit for no reason,” Nevada replied. “When he gets like that, it’s better to just let him freak out until he gets out of his system.”

You nodded. “Thank you,” you said softly. “Thank you for handling it. I have just about had it with NJ today.”

“Mhm,” Nevada replied, downing the last of his scotch and putting the empty glass in the sink. “He wants water. I told him I’d ask you.”

You nodded, going to bring NJ a sippy cup of water before coming back down, pouring yourself a generous drink and sitting down with your husband.

“He has been driving me crazy lately, this whole toddler inability to express himself thing is driving me nuts. He used to be the good kid. Now Fiona is an angel usually and he’s a tiny emotional terrorist.”

Nevada bobbed his shoulders as he sat down and put his feet up on the table and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “They’ll probably switch back and forth with that a few times in their life. We just gotta deal with it how it comes, I guess.”

You nodded and sipped your drink. “They loved going out with Chelsea. She said to send her love, she wants to meet up soon for a coffee if you ever get the time.”

“I’ll give her a call after all this shit blows over,” he replied with a sigh.

You nodded and gestured to the remainder of your scotch. “Want it? I’m over it already,” you said with a chuckle.

“No, I’m good,” he replied in a sigh as he stood. “I’m probably gonna be up all night till I hear from Chibby or Sawyer, so I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

You nodded and leaned over kissing his lips softly. “Well I’ll be awake a little longer, if you want a distraction or something,” you offered before moving upstairs to bed.

[hope-for-olicity]

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - May 25th, 2018

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them. Thank you so so much for your fics they really do help with pain.

Above All Else multi-chapter WIP by shesimperfect_butshetries - A different take on episode 6x14: Rene shoots but Oliver jumps in front of Felicity. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14101470/chapters/32490537

Pieces of Always multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows. Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. http://archiveofourown.org/works/8220479/chapters/18840356

You Will Be Found multi-chapter WIP by @shannyfishwriter - Picks up from where the season five finale (5x23 - Lian Yu) leaves off. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11004735/chapters/24515847

The Queen's Mage multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Words have power, and mages, those with the aptitude to draw on that power, are few in number. Thus, their services are highly sought after by anyone who has exhausted all mundane means of solving whatever problem is plaguing them. Felicity is reminded of this fact the hard way when she is hired by Moira Queen, the Lady Starling, to find and return to her her son Oliver, who fled his family home five years ago following the death of his father. With a threat hanging over her should she return without Robert Queen's heir, Felicity begins her search. When she finds Oliver, and ends up joining his vigilante crusade while she waits for him to decide whether to return home, the last thing she expects to do is fall in love with him. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617068/chapters/33781269

The Distance Between Two Hearts multi-chapter WIP by @geneshaven - A glimpse at Oliver's life in prison. Part 1 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174030871444/the-distance-between-two-hearts Part 2 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174078115519/the-distance-between-two-hearts Part 3 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174163250554/the-distance-between-two-hearts

You Left Me by HopeShannon3000 - Oliver is back from Prison but doesn't get the warm welcome he expected from Felicity. First they clean the air before she'll welcome him back. Felicity is anger Oliver didn't tell her about the deal. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14699445

Family by AmberlonDeathstroke (ThereCanBeNoRedemptionWithoutBlood) - Fix-It: A force to be reckoned with decides that under no circumstances is Oliver Queen going to spend a second in jail... https://archiveofourown.org/works/14699547

"Don't cry, baby" by @dust2dust34 - Post S6 where nothing bad happened http://dust2dust34.tumblr.com/post/174032231999/i-would-love-to-see-no-20-please

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Felicity Who Has Been Lied To by @mellowyellowdiamonds - Oliver finishes his time in Supermax and comes home to make some alarming discoveries about Felicity and William https://archiveofourown.org/works/14700621

Untitled by @smoaking-greenarrow - Prompt: Fic on Olicity's height difference http://smoaking-greenarrow.tumblr.com/post/174036280229/hey-this-is-pretty-vague-but-could-you-possibly

Time for a Story multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

Untitled by @smoaking-greenarrow - Prompt: Prompt: Let's pretend that Oliver's birthday fell between 6x21 and 6x22 and he got to celebrate it with his wife and son. http://smoaking-greenarrow.tumblr.com/post/174050603159/prompt-lets-pretend-that-olivers-birthday-fell

Periods, Timelines and Exclamation Points multi-chapter WIP by Izzyface - Felicity Smoak has a PLAN for her life. At 25, she is the youngest Director of IT in the history of Queen Consolidated and on track to be the next VP of Technology for the Fortune 250 company. But that’s before everything in her life starts to go haywire. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14062422/chapters/32395548

The Arrows of War by Takianna - For the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon Week #4 prompt "at odds." This is a just a short fluffy piece about Felicity and Oliver being at odds over something that should come rather easily for one of them, but it doesn't seem to be all that easy. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11249046

Present Tense multi-chapter complete by @punchdrunkdoc - The Oliver Queen of the season 4 premiere was lighter, happier and more at peace than we’ve ever seen him. What happened in those 5 months away to get him to that point? And who helped him? https://archiveofourown.org/works/5454581/chapters/12609368

Curious Transformations multi-chapter WIP by CharlotteCordelier - From the Department of I-didn't-think-this-all-the-way-through, a season 2 AU. Felicity comes to in a train station, missing some time. And that's only the beginning of the weirdness. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14161659/chapters/32641764

Elizabeth Grace Smoak multi-chapter WIP by @lynn8828 - What if Felicity and Oliver briefly had met before he got on the Gambit? Despite her best efforts, Felicity was unable to get in contact with the famous Oliver Queen after having a one night stand with him and getting pregnant with his child. After raising their child for five years after finding out that Oliver died on the Gambit, she finds out he is alive and knows that she needs to tell him about their daughter. But will he believe her? AMAZING STORY!! http://archiveofourown.org/works/13639371/chapters/31322715

Oliver the Copy Guy multi-chapter WIP by @someonesaidcake - She may have fantasized about the copy guy with the hot arms, but she hadn't expected him to actually say yes... https://archiveofourown.org/works/14580006/chapters/33692385

Following the Lead of the Setting Sun multi-chapter WIP by @adiwriting - When Oliver agrees to a life in prison, it lights a match to the entire Queen family’s world. How can Oliver be a good husband and father, while he’s in prison and fighting for his life? https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715020/chapters/34008707

Reunited and It Feels So... by @dmichellewrites - Oliver is released from prison, and his reunion with Felicity isn't all sex, love, and butterflies. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717420

Consequences by TimeforAstory - My take on what could happen in season 7. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717931

Tempest multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Three years ago, tragedy struck Julianna Queen’s life. Now, she wears a mask and fights at her father’s side, looking for closure and justice as she tries to find a path to move forward with her life while holding on to her past. But that may a bit more complicated than she thinks… http://archiveofourown.org/works/13309731/chapters/30461850

Of Love and Transformation by @juliesioux - I wrote this really quickly after S06E23. I started thinking about the anger Felicity must be feeling about the way Oliver's decisions have once again tore her world apart. The show might never give us her POV on this so I needed to write it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721246

Old Habits Die Hard by Crazyreader2468 - One-shot (for now) of the first twenty-four hours following Oliver's revelation and arrest at end of Episode 6 x 23. Felicity's thoughts as she takes care of William and tries to figure out her reactions to Oliver's latest actions without consulting her. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14720291

Damn It, Why Won't the Eagle Just Land Already? multi-chapter WIP by @smewhereelse - President John Diggle would really appreciate it if everyone would stop gossiping about his security detail and his science advisor and get back to work. He’d appreciate it even more if his best friends would pull their heads out of their asses and get together already. A White House romantic comedy AU. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13132602/chapters/30040788

7 Months by HopeShannon3000 - When Oliver comes home Felicity gives him a piece of her mind. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725235

Bound to You multi-chapter WIP by @bindy417 - Felicity is an ARGUS agent and Oliver with the Bratva but they met long before that! This story gives the past and the present. SO AWESOME.  http://archiveofourown.org/works/6602668/chapters/15105862

Later by @beemichelle7 - Felicity hears of a prison escape https://beemichelle7.tumblr.com/post/174101707084/later

Sometimes It Rains multi-chapter WIP by Izzyface and @missyriver - Life happens fast. But we live through it slow. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726736/chapters/34039875

The Old-Fashioned Way multi-chapter complete by @primpim -Felicity always wanted a family. Tired of waiting for Mr. Right, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She has a steady job, savings, a good support system and, after all, who needs a man in this day and age? Thirty, single and quite happy to be, Oliver isn't looking to settle down and hasn't really even entertained the idea of having kids. But when Felicity starts looking for a potential biological father, he doesn't hesitate. Purely because he doesn't want someone to take advantage of her... or so he tells himself. From awkward starts to the wonder of creating new life, it will soon become obvious that getting pregnant isn't just about expecting a baby: it's also about facing feelings that had been buried for years. And in the end, Felicity might realize that what she's been looking for has been right under her nose from the start...and Oliver will quickly understand that when it comes Felicity and their unborn child, he wants much more than what they had originally agreed to. PLEASE NOTE: The author is taking this story of AO3 soon download to keep reading. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961009/chapters/27046173

Re-airrowing 1x19 by @lostolicityscenes - The Count is back and he’s crazy! We get a Diggle/Carly and later on a Dyla scene which spoiler alert will crop up in my next post! This one is short and sweet, but when I wrote the original scene of Oliver outside, I had this scene as a bookend in mind. So, it’s nice to be able to finally write this scene that’s been in my head canon all this time. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/174153310406/re-airrow-episode-1x19-an-the-count-is-back

Opening His Eyes to the Light by @originalhybridloverfics - When Oliver learns Felicity was injured in the aftermath of the Undertaking it forced him to be honest with how he felt about her and just what he was going to do about it. [Post Season One Finale] https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735366

Real Love (Is Never a Waste of Time) multi-chapter WIP by @callistawolf - Oliver and Felicity are CEOs who are more partners than they are rivals, but they still bicker whenever they meet up. Constantly pestered by their families and board members, they turn to each other for a simple solution. But marriage is never simple, especially when these two are involved. When Oliver's younger sister decides to hold her much-anticipated wedding on a tropical island and insists her brother and his wife attend, will the island paradise prove to be the tipping point in their carefully balanced relationship? https://archiveofourown.org/works/13604955/chapters/3123360

Olicity: Hold Out Hope by @yespleasehawkeyee - Felicity meets Oliver at gala and starts to fall in love with him. Someone close to Felicity cautions her about Oliver but she ignores them. As she continues to date Oliver, Felicity finds out some how that she lost her memory three years ago. Turns out, she had been engaged to Oliver.  http://yespleasehawkeyee.tumblr.com/post/150647479756/olicity-hold-out-hope

Broken Love multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - Felicity and Oliver try to adjust to their new normal, but with Oliver in jail and Felicity in protective custody, neither are coping well with the distance. Oliver receives an offer from Agent Watson and Felicity takes matters into her own hands. (6.5 fic) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717075/chapters/34014233

My Own Scars by GameofOlicity - Prompt: Felicity ends up injured during a mission but doesn’t want to call Oliver because he’s home with William. However someone on the team calls him anyway, because doesn’t want Oliver to be mad at them for not telling him. Oliver of course shows up at the bunker soon after. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14746787

// @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @wrongshipper // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 //

[trinuviel]

A Night at the Opera: Rigoletto (Copenhagen 2017)

Last year I had the good fortune to see a production of Verdi’s famous opera Rigoletto at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen that was nothing short of pure genius!

It was a truly amazing production that used the stage-setting and direction to really challenge the story critically, inviting for the audience to read the story against the grain by opening up a subtle narrative space for the creation of counter-stories. 

It addressed some of the darker aspects of the story, especially in regard to the relationship between Rigoletto and his daughter Gilda - aspects that relates to gender and sexuality. I was immensely pleased by this since these are aspects of the story that I’ve always found very troubling. Furthermore, the way that Gilda decides to sacrifice her life to save her unfaithful lover has never sat right with me - so it was great to experience a production that engaged critically with these particular aspects of the story.

Historical Background

Rigoletto is an opera created by the renowned Italian composer Guiseppe Verdi and it is based on the play Le roi s’amuse from 1832 by the French author Victor Hugo. The play takes place in Paris in the early 1500s and features the libertine renaissance king Francois I. The protagonist is the court jester Triboulet who encourages the king in his vices.

In his preface to the play, the author notes that Triboulet "hates the king because he is king; hates the nobles because they are nobles and hates men because they don't all have a hump-back... he corrupts the king and brutalizes him, urging him on to tyranny, ignorance and vice, dragging him through the gentlemen's families, pointing out a woman to seduce, a sister to kidnap, a girl to dishonour...". (x)

The play was considered a thinly veiled attack on King Louis-Phillipe and was banned after just one performance. 

In 1850 Verdi was commissioned by to write an opera for La Fenice in Venice. Verdi chose Victor Hugo’s controversial play to adapt into an opera because of the grand, tragic subject and the character of Triboulet. However, it was a controversial choice and he got into trouble with the Austrian Board of Censors (Austria had control over Northern Italy at the time). Verdi and his librettist reworked the story with significant changes. The story was now set in Mantua, the king was made into a duke and the hunchbacked jester was renamed Rigoletto. The opera premiered in Februrary 1851 and has since become one of Verdi’s most famous and beloved operas.

The Story

ACT 1

Scene 1: A room in the palace of Duke of Mantua

At a ball in his palace, the Duke sings of a life of pleasure with as many women as possible. He has seen an unknown beauty in church and desires to possess her, but he also wishes to seduce the Countess of Ceprano. Rigoletto, the Duke's hunchbacked court jester, mocks the husbands of the ladies to whom the Duke is paying attention, including the Count Ceprano, and advises the Duke to get rid of him by prison or death. The Duke laughs indulgently, but Ceprano is not amused. 

Marullo, one of the guests at the ball, informs the courtiers that Rigoletto has a "lover", which astonishes them. The courtiers resolve to take vengeance on Rigoletto for making fun of them. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of the elderly Count Monterone, whose daughter the Duke had seduced. Rigoletto provokes him further by making fun of his helplessness to avenge his daughter's honor. Monterone confronts the Duke, and is immediately arrested by the Duke's guards. Before being led off to prison, Monterone curses Rigoletto for having mocked his righteous anger. The curse terrifies Rigoletto, who believes the popular superstition that an old man's curse has real power.

(Count Monterone curses Rigoletto)

Scene 2: A street, with the courtyard of Rigoletto's house

Preoccupied with the old man's curse, Rigoletto approaches his house and is accosted by the assassin Sparafucile, who walks up to him and offers his services. Rigoletto declines for the moment, but leaves open the possibility of hiring Sparafucile later, should the need arise. Sparafucile wanders off, after repeating his own name a few times. Rigoletto contemplates the similarities between the two of them; Sparafucile kills men with his sword, and Rigoletto uses "a tongue of malice" to stab his victims. 

Rigoletto opens a door in the wall and returns home to his daughter Gilda. They greet each other warmly. Rigoletto has been concealing his daughter from the Duke and the rest of the city, and she does not know her father's occupation. Since he has forbidden her to appear in public, she has been nowhere except to church and does not even know her own father's name.

When Rigoletto has gone, the Duke appears and overhears Gilda confess to her nurse Giovanna that she feels guilty for not having told her father about a young man she had met at the church. She says that she fell in love with him, but that she would love him even more if he were a student and poor. As she declares her love, the Duke enters, overjoyed. Gilda, alarmed, calls for Giovanna, unaware that the Duke had sent her away. Pretending to be a student, the Duke convinces Gilda of his love. When she asks for his name, he hesitantly calls himself Gualtier Maldè. Hearing sounds and fearing that her father has returned, Gilda sends the Duke away after they quickly trade vows of love. Alone, Gilda meditates on her love for the Duke, whom she believes is a student: "Gualtier Maldè!... Caro nome" ("Dearest name").

Later, Rigoletto returns, while the hostile courtiers outside the walled garden (believing Gilda to be the jester's mistress, unaware she is his daughter) get ready to abduct the helpless girl. They tell Rigoletto that they are actually abducting the Countess Ceprano. He sees that they are masked and asks for a mask for himself; while they are tying the mask onto his face, they also blindfold him. Blindfolded and deceived, he holds the ladder steady while they climb up to Gilda's room.

(The courtiers abduct Gilda)

With her father's unknowing assistance Gilda is carried away by the courtiers. Left alone, Rigoletto removes his mask and blindfold, and realizes that it was in fact Gilda who was carried away. He collapses in despair, remembering the old man's curse.

ACT 2

The Duke's Palace

The Duke is concerned that Gilda has disappeared. The courtiers then enter and inform him that they have captured Rigoletto's mistress. By their description, he recognizes it to be Gilda and rushes off to the room where she is held. Pleased by the Duke's strange excitement, the courtiers now make sport with Rigoletto, who enters singing. He tries to find Gilda by pretending to be uncaring, as he fears she may fall into the hands of the Duke. Finally, he admits that he is in fact seeking his daughter and asks the courtiers to return her to him. Rigoletto attempts to run into the room in which Gilda is being held, but the courtiers block the way. Gilda enters. The courtiers leave the room, believing Rigoletto has gone mad. 

(The courtiers mock Rigoletto)

Gilda describes to her father what has happened to her in the palace. In a duet Rigoletto swears vengeance against the Duke, while Gilda pleads for her lover.

ACT 3

A street outside Sparafucile's house

A portion of Sparafucile's house is seen, with two rooms open to the view of the audience. Rigoletto and Gilda arrive outside. The Duke's voice can be heard from inside, singing "La donna è mobile" ("Woman is fickle"). Sparafucile's sister, Maddalena, has lured him to the house. Rigoletto and Gilda listen from outside as the Duke flirts with Maddalena. Gilda laments that the Duke is unfaithful; Rigoletto assures her that he is arranging revenge: "Bella figlia dell’amore" ("Beautiful daughter of love"). Rigoletto orders Gilda to put on a man's clothes to prepare to leave for Verona and tells her that he plans to follow later. After she leaves, he completes his bargain with the assassin, who is ready to murder his guest for 20 scudi. Rigoletto then withdraws.

With falling darkness, a thunderstorm approaches and the Duke decides to spend the rest of the night in the house. Sparafucile directs him to the ground floor sleeping quarters, resolving to kill him in his sleep. Gilda, who still loves the Duke despite knowing him to be unfaithful, returns dressed as a man and stands outside the house. Maddalena, who is smitten with the Duke, begs Sparafucile to spare his life. Sparafucile reluctantly promises her that if by midnight another victim can be found, he will kill the other instead of the Duke. 

(Gilda overhears Sparafucile promise his sister to kill a random stranger instead of the Duke)

Gilda, overhearing this exchange, resolves to sacrifice herself for the Duke, and enters the house. Sparafucile stabs her and she collapses, mortally wounded. At midnight, when Rigoletto arrives with money, he receives a corpse wrapped in a sack, and rejoices in his triumph. Weighting it with stones, he is about to cast the sack into the river when he hears the voice of the Duke, sleepily singing a reprise of his "La donna è mobile" aria. Bewildered, Rigoletto opens the sack and, to his despair, discovers his dying daughter. For a moment, she revives and declares she is glad to die for her beloved. She dies in his arms. Rigoletto cries out in horror. [synopsis borrowed from Wikipedia]

The Production

Rigoletto is a wonderful opera, a story of high tragedy expressed through gorgeous music. It features some of the most well-known arias in the world such as “La donna é mobile” and “Caro nome” as well as my personal favorite: the maginificent quartet “Bella figlia dell’amore”. 

Whenever a classic piece of theatre, ballet or opera is put on the stage, the question often revolves around two choices: 1) a traditional production or 2) a modern interpretion. While I have enjoyed traditional productions of operas such as Tosca, La Bohème and La Traviata, I generally prefer “modernized” productions of the classics as these tend to engage critically and creatively with the material in a way that traditional productions rarely do. Fortunately, the Chilean-German director and scenographer Aniara Amos has chosen to stage this production in a modern and visually arresting manner. 

Aniara Amos has chosen a rather bold strategy by telling the story after the fact. The opera opens with Rigoletto as a broken man, confined to a mental asylum, bedridden and strapped into a straitjacket. The story that unfolds before our eyes takes place entirely in Rigoletto’s broken mind, which is reflected in the both the stage-setting and the costumes. Everything is garish and distorted. 

(Party at the palace of the Duke of Mantua)

The remembered events take on a nightmarish cast and the characters surrounding him are either caricatures or faceless automatons hidden behind masks. He is trapped in a nightmare of his own making.

Producing a Counter-Story

This narrative gambit opens up a space for the audience to read the story against the grain, to create their own counter-stories. It is a stroke of pure genius because it introduces an element of uncertainty into the narrative. The story that unfolds before our eyes suddenly becomes suspect because we cannot trust Rigoletto’s memories. He’s in a mental institution because he’s had a complete break-down so it is very possible that he rewrites events due to his psychological trauma. 

Since the story takes place entirely in Rigoletto’s mind - as a mix of memories and a fiction - all the characters are in a sense facets of his broken psyche. This opens up for a much darker interpretation of one of the core aspects of the story: his relationship with his daughter Gilda.

Rigoletto is a character whose tragedy is entirely of his own making. He is, in a sense, a Tragic Hero who is undone by his own flaws - and he generally invokes both pity and fear. Rigoletto’s fatal flaws are his hatred of the nobility and his idealization of his daughter. 

He gets a perverse pleasure from corrupting the Duke, egging him onto a path of dissolution and debauchery. He mocks the courtiers, which makes him enemies. However, there’s another side to his personality. He lives a kind of double-life as a cynical jester and as a doting father. He tries to keep the two spheres of his life completely separate and the tragedy occurs when the two spheres meet. He strives to keep his daughter Gilda completely innocent of the more dangerous and sordid aspects of life - but that also means that she has no defense against a practiced seducer like the Duke. Rigoletto is essentially the author of his own tragedy and that is part of what makes his story so poignant.

SEXUAL PURITY AND THE IDEAL OF WOMANHOOD

There is, however, an aspect of the story that has always annoyed me: the character of Gilda. She has never felt like a “real” character to me but rather a slightly modified version of The Angel in the House:

The popular Victorian image of the ideal wife/woman came to be "the Angel in the House"; she was expected to be devoted and submissive to her husband. The Angel was passive and powerless, meek, charming, graceful, sympathetic, self-sacrificing, pious, and above all--pure. (x)

Gilda isn’t really a person in this story but rather the embodiment of a very pernicious model of ideal womanhood; an ideal that is embedded in the culturally pervasive Madonna-Whore Complex, which can be described as:

The tendency for men to not be able to integrate the "dualisms" of women. Though EACH and EVERY female IS in fact fully capable of BOTH, it appears man's greatest challenge is to resolve them both in the same woman, thus these two aspects of the female must be relegated into two very separate and distinct categories--one or the other, black or white, Madonna or Whore. (x)

Gilda is so overwhelmingly angelic in her purity and kindness that she willingly sacrifices her life for a cheating douche that she has know for about 5 minutes. She’s an ideal instead of a fully fleshed out character and that is why it is difficult to connect with her character. This may not have been much of a problem for a Victorian audience but for a modern one, she is utterly incomprehensible. 

Aniara Amos’ production addresses this particular aspect explicitly through the stage-setting and the direction of the singers - and it is the narrative gambit of letting the story play out in Rigoletto’s mind that makes a critical exploration of patriarchal gender norms and sexual mores possible. It is an approach that cast the relationship between Rigoletto and his daughter in a much darker light.

PRISONER IN ALL BUT NAME

One troubling aspect of the story is the fact that Gilda is not allowed to go outside unless it is to attend church. She has no idea of her father’s profession and she doesn’t even know his name! Neither will he tell her anything about her mother. She is kept in complete ignorance of everything apart from the teachings of the Church.

Aniara Amos emphasizes this troubling aspect of Rigoletto’s relationship with Gilda but having her literally locked up in a vault in his home. There’s also a degree of infantilization at play that is underscored by her costume, which is more suitable for a little girl than a young woman.

Since the story takes place in Rigoletto’s tortured mind, Gilda is not really a “person” but rather Rigoletto’s idealized memory of her. She is his little doll that he takes out to play house with - and the direction of the singers wonderfully subverts the image of Rigoletto as a loving and doting father by having him turn Gilda on and off with a remote control! The soprano’s robot-like movements supports this doll-like quality.

There’s something incredibly twisted and sinister about the relationship between Rigoletto and Gilda that this production highlights. Gilda is less like a daughter and more like an object to Rigoletto. She is his prized possession, locked up in a vault for safe-keeping and he is the only man that has access to her - until the Duke finds her at home.

I have already stated that Gilda is written as the embodiment of a historically specific ideal of womanhood: the meek, self-sacrificing and “pure” Angel in the House. However, the narrative gambit of having the story take place entirely in Rigoletto’s broken mind changes the inter-personal dynamics between the characters because all of the characters are reflections of Rigoletto himself in this particular set-up. If Gilda represents Rigoletto’s idealized view of his daughter, then what does the figure of the Duke represent? This is where the story gets really uncomfortable because if the Duke is yet another repressed facet of Rigoletto’s mind, then he functions as an expression of a repressed incestuous desire on the part of Rigoletto. It may sound preposterous on the surface but it fits with the way that Gilda is denied any kind of sexual agency in her story, which revolves around seduction and heart-break.

When Rigoletto imagines the Duke’s seduction of Gilda, it is a seduction completely devoid of romanticism and erotic desire. Rather, in Rigoletto’s mind the Duke seduced Gilda with an image of comfortable domesticity:

Likewise, Rigoletto can only imagine what happened between Gilda and the Duke at the Palace as rape (indicated by her disheveled costume).

There’s is no room for any kind of agency on Gilda’s part when it comes to her seduction. Rigoletto cannot bear the idea of his little innocent daughter-doll having her own ideas and desires. She is his prized possession and she was taken from him and used by another man. Her own feelings are of little importance to him as he swears vengeance on the Duke despite his daughter’s pleas for mercy.

GILDA’S RESISTANCE

While the story that plays out on the stage essentially is Rigoletto’s memory of events, Aniara Amos has included some subtle hints in the scenography and the direction that Gilda may not have been the meek, innocent and “pure” little doll of his memories.

When Rigoletto opens the vault where he keeps Gilda locked away from the world, an important detail is revealed to the audience. The back of the vault door is filled with marks that counts the days of Gilda’s incarceration - thus hinting that she was NOT the compliant little girl that Rigoletto imagines her to have been.

Furthermore, when he turns his back on her, Gilda makes blatantly sexual gestures that contrast with the little girl image that Rigoletto has imposed upon her. Rigoletto doesn’t want to see Gilda as a sexual creature but the stage direction makes it clear that she isn’t the sexless little doll that he wants her to be.

The gambit of letting the story be told after the fact, through Rigoletto’s memories, introduces a certain level of instability into the narrative. We, the audience, can’t discern what is memory and what is fiction that Rigoletto has created to shield himself from painful truths. It is an approach the opens up a narrative space for creating counter-histories if we begin to question as it is presented.

There are, as said, signs that Gilda was not content with being locked away from the world - and that she had sexual desires of her own. Little details that create cracks in the image of the pure, meek and submissive Angel in the House.

What if Gilda was not abducted? What if she ran away from an extremely controlling parent? Could it be that the sex she had with the Duke was consensual rather than forced as it appears in his memories? 

These are all questions that address these subtle hints of a resistance on Gilda’s part and they are made possible by staging the story as a tale told retro-spectively.

MURDER MOST FOUL

I have always found Gilda’s death rather nonsensical since it is hard to imagine someone willingly sacrificing their life for a cheating douche that broke their heart. In the story of Rigoletto, Gilda’s death is not really about her character but about his pain, his tragedy. 

However, Aniara Amos’ production creates the narrative space for the telling of a different story. In this story Gilda’s death is not the combination of self-sacrifice and accidental homicide but rather a murder most foul where a father murders his child. This is, of course, a speculative reading - but you have to bear in mind that in this particular production, the assassin Sparafucile is quite literally Rigoletto’s dark mirror - he represents the violent part of Rigoletto’s personality, which the costuming emphasizes.

Sparafucile wears a black version of Rigoletto’s jester’s hat - but in this production, it is ultimately Rigoletto that wields the dagger and it is him who delivers the killing blow. This is the only time that Aniara Amos’ production diverges from the original text where it is Sparafucile that kills the disguised Gilda. 

Having Rigoletto delivering the killing blow himself is a very significant departure from the text - and this is narratively significant in a big way because it ties up all the subtle little hints of Gilda’s resistance with a much darker story. A story where a young woman’s resistance against parental control and her sexual awakening is punished by her father with murderous violence. 

This is, in a sense, my counter-story to the traditional story of Rigoletto - but it is a counter-story made possible by subtle hints and details in the production as well as the narrative gambit of having the story told by a distraught man who has suffered a severe mental break-down. The audience is not in a position to discern between Rigoletto’s actual memories and the little fictions that he creates to soothe his guilty mind. 

The final scene where Gilda sings about how glad she is to die for her beloved, as she slowly ascends to the heavens, may be just such a little fiction with which Rigoletto soothes his mind and tries to assuage his guilty conscience.

Controversy

This production caused quite a bit of controversy with the professional reviewers who either loved it or hated it. What I find interesting is the fact that the people who really hated Aniara Amos’ production mainly reacted against the aesthetics of the production. I can certainly understand that grotesque make-up, harsh lights, weird costumes and pornographic blow-up dolls might have been a bit too much for the delicate sensibilities of the petite bourgeoisie but I am always annoyed when they name these aspects an empty visuality that distracts from what they deem the main thing: the music.

Opera, however, is not just about the music - it is a story told through music, acting and stage-setting. You never really encounter critiques such as this with traditional productions of famous operas. In most of these cases, the stage-setting and costumes are just a pretty background for the music. 

I need more from my theatrical experiences. I need a production that not only tells a story in an interesting manner - but also engages critically with it to make old stories relevant for a (post)modern audience. Staging Rigoletto in the same manner as it was done in the mid 19th century won’t do that. If opera becomes a museum of a specific musical culture, then it becomes less interesting - it should be a place where there’s room for debate.

Recently, a production of Carmen at the opera house of Florence, Italy, caused a big stir because the director chose to alter the ending of the story in order to make a statement about the abuse and mistreatment of women in our society. In this new production, Carmen kills her abusive lover in self-defense instead of being killed herself.

The producers said they had changed the denouement of the story in part to protest at the large number of Italian women who are killed each year by jealous husbands, boyfriends and lovers. So frequent are such murders that Italians have a name for the phenomenon – “femminicidio”, or femicide. Sociologists and campaigners say it is driven by men feeling threatened by the greater freedoms and enhanced economic independence that many Italian women now enjoy after decades of being seen as pliable possessions.

With horrific cases of domestic violence coming to light almost every month, the directors of the work said they were uncomfortable with the idea of audiences applauding the final scene, in which Carmen is stabbed to death and lies motionless on the stage.

“At a time when our society is having to confront the murder of women, how can we dare to applaud the killing of a woman?” said Cristiano Chiarot, the head of the opera house, the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. “I believe one can remain faithful to the spirit of the opera whilst taking certain liberties – as happened in classical times, when there were various versions of the most famous myths, without their original meaning being compromised,” he told La Repubblica newspaper.

Leo Muscato, the opera’s director, was initially resistant to the idea of changing the ending. “The death of Carmen is the engine that drives the opera, why reverse the situation?” he said. “Then I understood that what Chiarot was calling for was reasonable. The theme of death in the opera has a strong masculine element – the woman must sacrifice herself in order to save her freedom. It is a point of view that today makes no sense.” (x)

This is a rather long quote but I’m leaving it in because I have very mixed feelings about making such radical changes to the source material. It is one thing to make a radical interpretation of myths, legends and fairy tales that come from an oral tradition where details are altered with the re-telling. It is quite another thing to change the narrative denouement in the work of a named author. 

A good director will be able to incorporate a social or political critique into a production - and that is exactly what Aniara Amos does with Rigoletto at the Royal Danish Opera. It is done subtly through the acting, lighting, costuming and stage-setting. It is an approach that demands an attentive audience, which mean that not everyone will “get it” - as evidenced by the pearl-clutching in a number of reviews.

(Thanks to the @thelawyerthatwaspromised for the GIFs)

[crazycoke-addict]

Why These Riverdale Characters are hated.

Hiram Lodge- Hiram Lodge is the father of Veronica Lodge and the husband of Hermione Lodge. He is considered to be a businessman, but is actually a mobster. Hiram doesn’t come until the second season due him spending time in prison in the first prison. While being in prison he has connections to people from the outside and bought the twilight drive in as anonymous. By the time, he got out as he has bought the Southside high in which he’s turning it into a prison, the sunny side trailer and Whyte Wyrm all are which is in the Southside. He also bought Pop’s Chocklitte Shoppe, but gave it to Veronica and Veronica gave the Whyte Wyrm to him. Although he seems to care for his family, Hiram would do anything to what he wants even if it includes putting his family to risk. After shooting at the town hall, Veronica wanted her mother to step down, but Hiram told her not to. He also was gonna use Hermione and Fred’s affair to ruin Fred’s Champaign. Hiram is also the mastermind of the chaos that happens in Riverdale. He hired a serpent named Tall Boy to cut off the statue of General Pickens head and put the blame on every single Southside serpent due to them protesting during Pickens Day. The biggest one he has ever planned was starting the riots in Riverdale and causing the war between the ghoulies and the serpents. He also bought the register, which works on articles so since that means he has control on what they say about him.

Penelope Blossom- Penelope Blossom is the widower of Clifford Blossom and the mother of Jason and Cheryl Blossom. At the start, Penelope seems like a mother who is grieving over the loss of her son, but as the show goes on, Penelope isn’t a caring mother. She is emotionally abusive towards her daughter, Cheryl. Anything that Penelope does to which the audience despise because of her cold and some what heartless behaviour towards Cheryl. Penelope didn’t let Cheryl say goodbye to Jason one last time, then when Cheryl went against her wishes, she threatened Cheryl that was going to bording school, she refused to believe that Cheryl was nearly raped by Nick St Clair and turned their home into a brothel. Penelope doesn’t support the fact her daughter is bisexual. Cheryl was going out with a girl named Heather and when Penelope caught the two in bed together, she forbid Heather fri, seeing Cheryl again. The most cruellest she has done is sending to Cheryl to Sisters of Quiet Mercy and orchestrated on pushing Nana Rose off the stairs.

Clifford Blossom- Clifford Blossom is the late husband of Penelope Blossom and the father of Cheryl and Jason Blossom. Clifford runs a maple syrup business, but turns out the maple syrup was the forefront of what his business really was, which was drug trafficking. He also the reason why Hiram was prison in the first season. The biggest plot twist was the fact he was the one who killed his son, Jason Blossom and threaten FP by ruining Jughead’s life if FP didn’t say that he pulled the trigger. When Sheriff Keller was gonna arrest him, Clifford hanged himself in which Alice Cooper stated that he took the cowards way out.

Nick St Clair- Unlike the rest on this list, Nick St Clair is more visitor to Riverdale than a resident or even a citizen. Nick St Clair was an old friend of Veronica Lodge back at New York. He seems to come off as a gentleman with class, but is actually a monster inside. He treats women like objects and doesn’t believe that anything is his fault. Nick tried to make a move on Veronica and when she rejected him, he pressured her until she slapped him. He also tried to rape Cheryl, but was stopped by the pussycats before he could go any further. There is a possibility that there are more girls that has sexually assaulted and raped in New York. Even when he gets beaten by girls, gets into a car accident resulting both of his legs getting broken and even getting punched by Archie Andrews, Nick believes he’s the victim of the story and in reality he isn’t at all. When Nick returned back to Riverdale, he kidnapped Archie and held him for ransom. Veronica gave Nick the money that he asked for, but instead of money, he decided that he wants a night with her and makes sure Archie watches it. Too bad for him, Veronica drugs him by putting roofies in his drink and turning the tables on him.

The blackhood aka Hal Cooper- the black hood was one of the antagonist in season 2 of Riverdale, the problem was that nobody who the black hood was. The black hood only has one goal and that is to eliminate all of the sinners in Riverdale. He shot Fred who has sinned for Adultry, murdered miss Grundy for preying on underage boys, shot Moose for doing Jingle Jangle, killed Midge for the similar actions to Moose and also killed a Doctor. His actions was actually inspired by Betty’s speech that she made at the Jubilee. During season 2, if he’s not killing anyone, he’s also torturing Betty by making her do things that she does not want to do, but if she’s doesn’t someone would paid price. He made her write the article about Alice Cooper being Southside Serpent when she was in High school, he made her stop being friends with Veronica and also made her break up with Jughead, then when he returned he told Betty to send Chic to him. It was revealed that all this time, it was Betty’s father Hal Cooper was actually the blackhood. The Cooper family is related to the Blossom family, there’s a curse that started because one brother killed the other. It’s also hypocritical for Hal to go after people like Fred or even Midge when he’s biggest sin of all. He killed three people, he had an affair with Penelope Blossom while he was married to Alice and he even pressured both Alice and Polly to get an abortion at separate times. The problem with the abortion part is that he made the decision for them and also if you’re a biggest Christian, you would known that abortion is a sin, even when you are the one who advised it.

Grenadine Grundy- Miss Grundy was a music teacher in Riverdale High and was having a student-teacher affair with Archie Andrews. It’s not her relationship with Archie that’s not okay, but more of the character herself. While she’s at school or attending events, she comes off as shy, timid basically like a wall flower, when in reality she is sex offender who preys on underage boys. Her real name is actually Jennifer Gibson.

The Ghoulies/Malachi- the ghoulies are rivalries of the serpents and the reason why Jingle Jangle is being sell in the streets. Every time a certain drug is introduced the serpents are the ones who take the blame even though FP said that they only sell marijuana but not the heavy stuff. Their leader, Malachi comes off as misogynistic by referring Veronica and Betty as being Archie and Jughead’s “bitches” and also taunts Jughead that after he’s finished with him, he was going to find Betty and have her to himself.

Penny Peabody- Penny Peabody was a former serpent and is now a ghoulie. She seems like a respectful person, is actually cold, calculated and manipulative. She lied to Jughead that FP was in critical condition because of the ghoulies and used Betty as his weakness. Like Nick St Clair, Penny keeps coming back for revenge and doesn’t thing that what she has done is wrong. The most gruesome thing, Penny has done is cutting off Jughead’s serpent tattoo, which is the same thing he did to her. Penny along with Malachi, Claudius and Penelope are working with Hiram Lodge.

Claudius Blossom- Claudius Blossom is the twin brother of Clifford Blossom, the uncle of Jason and Cheryl Blossom and the son of nana rose blossom. Claudius was considered to be dead due to Clifford killing him, however instead Clifford let him run and never return again. His first appearance was at Clifford’s will, many fans speculated that the man isn’t Claudius but actually Clifford Blossom. He starts seeing Penelope, his sister in law and was also behind to rid of both Nana Rose and Cheryl, so he and Penelope can have all the money that Clifford gave to his kids (Jason and Cheryl).