#he needs his phone taken away jill please

[nailgunstigmata]

im not parasocial but if anyone ever mentions anything ai or cryptoshit related in glenns vicinity im literally going to hunt them down and gut them like a fish. man woman child rob i do not care they will suffer

[s1m0nth3swag]

omg yes please write smth about Jill and Leon i love their dynamic so much sadly there is so little about them

Anon marry me for giving me a reason to write about them ily

slightly small drabble , because the brainrot is getting too much and I can't help but have thousands of strands of thought about them and I physically CANNOT make a simple story about them anymore. I NEED to YAP.

You stared at both your partners as they sat on the couch, wearing nearly identical outfits. Both tried to push down a grin as they looked back at you, mischievous like always. They were up to something, definitely. You sighed heavily, shaking your head. “Alright. What’s up?” You asked, soft giggles coming from Jill as she motioned for Leon to explain. “Well, we figured that you love us, right?” He started, and you immediately knew this was going into a direction that you wouldn’t quite like - you never did when they teamed up to annoy you. Which they did often. “I do love you, I don’t love this dynamic, continue.” You grumbled, rolling your eyes slightly as Jill cleared her throat. “See, we both have super duper dangerous jobs, right? We figured we should teach you some self defence.” She hummed, and Leon nodded along. “So you don’t get in trouble when we both are gone, of course.” He added. “No ulterior motives.” Jill quipped. Oh jesus. You were in for a treat, weren’t you?

Just an hour or so later, you had to watch both of them show you how to defend yourself - genuinely you didn't even care this much, you had taken self defence classes in the past, and both of them knew that. You sighed when Leon patted you on the back, his hand lingering a little longer, like it always would. You stepped in front of Jill, grumbling softly as you hadn't planned to spend today practically training with both your partners. You couldn't even get into a proper stance before Jill had already brought you down onto the ground. “Gotta pay attention, sweets.” She chuckles, and you catch a glimpse of her and Leon high fiving, before sighing as you get up. “Poor little thing can't even protect itself.” Leon grins, and you shoot him a glare, while Jill can't hold back a soft laugh. “Just you two wait until I strangle you in your sleep.” You huff playfully, earning a soft punch in the arm from Leon and a manic giggle from Jill, you roll your eyes as you realise what the two are thinking about. Some days it was genuinely like they were the same person, sharing the same goddamn brain calls.

A few days later, you come home to hearing the two have the most frantic discussion with each other. You catch some small phrases - something about history or such - you really don't care, they get like this often. You sigh, calling out that you're home as you hang your jacket up and put your shoes away, unable to keep yourself from grinning as you immediately hear them get up. “Important question.” Jill starts, not even giving you a hello. “How often do you think about the Roman empire?” She asks, and for a second you are definitely dumbfounded. They both look at you like your answer will decide life and death. “Uh… I don't know? I guess from time to time..? How come that's your question?” You wonder. “We were on this TikTok App because we were bored.” Leon explains, and you swear your sigh could shake the entire house. “So you downloaded TikTok… and then had a discussion about the Roman Empire?” You clarify, keeping yourself from shaking your head as the two nod. “I need to get both of you some sort of parental lock on your phones, I swear to god.” You grumble. “Oh come on you love us.” Jill hums, moving to wrap her arms around you from behind. “Welcome home, by the way.” She then adds, while Leon casually runs a hand through your hair before placing a kiss on your forehead. “Personally, I think about the Roman Empire and specifically its downfall every day.” He shrugs, and you hear Jill groan. “Because you're just not understanding that the things that were discovered during the times of the Empire were far more interesting than its downfall!” Suddenly you have a headache. “And you don't understand how intricate the downfall showed that no system can truly work, even if it was as great as the Roman Empire!” Leon argues back. You sigh again. “I'm in love with two idiots, aren't I.” You mumble to yourself, wringing out of Jill's arms to get yourself a coffee, because you were definitely listening to their argument-discussion for a little longer.

Obviously, you were right, because the two were still arguing over dinner. It was like taking care of Toddlers really. “Jesus, can you two shut up about Roman history out of all things? I swear I'll make both of you sleep on the couch until you get along.” You huff, and both immediately shut up. “The downfall was good, I guess…” Jill mutters, and Leon sighs. “Yeah.. I bet it wasn't as great as I really think it is.” It's incredible how well some little threats work on them. Especially since you know they both like cuddling up to you in their sleep. You shake your head. “Eat up.” slips from you lips in a sigh.

Just half an hour later the two stand beside you as you brush your teeth, yapping about some of Leons coworkers - Jill seems to know their names by heart, for some reason. Soft quips about the usual office drama - you're actually caught off guard when Jill recalls a completely different story about some woman in Leons office. “Just how much do you two gossip when I'm not home?” You ask, looking at both of them through the mirror. “Oh, just the normal hour or two.” Leon shrugs. “You need to get a life.” You grumble. “We have you, sugar. Don't need any other life.” Jill chuckles, pressing a kiss against the top of your head. “I'm getting us a dog so you two get out the house more often.” You mumble as you feel Leon wrap an arm around you. “But a cool one. Like a German shepherd or something.” He answers, resting his head on top of yours. “No! A sweet little fluffy thing.” Jill huffs, genuinely pouting a tad bit. “Jesus Christ.” You muttered under your breath. You really should've thought twice about getting into a relationship with the two most gossipy people, who also weren't able to properly communicate with each other. You loved them though. Couldn't help it, really. Both had snuck their way into your heart, and no matter how tired or annoyed you were, deep down you actually found them both adorable. Sometimes, their argues genuinely made your heart clench with how happy you were that both of them were well and safe at home.

[slifarianhawk]

Chapter 7: old partners

The walk was quite. Wesker gave Jill the order for her to go to her room and stay. I knew what Jill was thinking. I appeared as a traitor to my brother and the world. When we reached her room I checked for cameras, mics, bugs anything that would let Wesker hear what I was about to say. The room was clean. Once the doors closed I spoke.

"I am sorry Jill, but things have go this way." I choked out.

She lunged at me, "I can't believe you would do this to Chris T. It's fucking sick."

I dropped to my knees and started to cry, "I can't let my daughter's last wish go unfulfilled Jill, she wanted me to be the one to tear down his empire. If I don't hic Alistars death would of been for nothing." I sobbed silently.

She was taken back, "What do you mean?" She asked with genuine concern.

I stood up and using a single motion I wiped away my tears, "Back in Russia, we had a plan to end Wesker. My daughter and I were going to tear his world down and break him. It seems that I won't even be able to do that yet. Please Jill trust your old partner."

[Flash back late 1996]

I walked in to the S.T.A.R.S. office. Barry greeted me with his usual look what the cat pulled out of the bag joke. He was serving in the air force with my brother not too long ago, so he treated me like his family. That was much to the dismay of my husband.

"Tabitha can you come in to my office?" Wesker walked to his door beckoning me to him.

"Coming sir." I responded quickly and jogged over to his office.

"Close the door and sit." He spoke taking off his sun glasses as soon as the door closed.

As I sat he grabbed the top of his nose and sighed, his eyes had dark circles underneath them. He clearly didn't come home last night or even slept from the looks of it.

"What happened?" I asked in an extremely worried tone.

"I'm getting annoyed with how you and Mr. Burton act towards each other. You need to be professional at the office." He said.

I glared straight in to his green eyes, "Cut the fucking bullshit Albert and tell me what actually is going on. You didn't come home last night and I highly doubt Barry cracking shitty puns is what keep you from coming home.".

He sighed as he spoke, "You have always been able to read me like an open book, Tabitha." He rolled his neck and placed his hand on after, "The cameras in the training facity show Marcus is alive again. He is acting coherently and to add to the issue reports of a woman in white walking around the facility as well. Umbrella is having me keep an eye on the situation."

"Fuck, do they have any idea how its possible? I know the T-virus can bring back corpses, but they have next to no intelligence. They only possess the need to feed. Is it affecting the mansion forest or labs?"  I nearly jump out of the chair hearing this information.

"You are not the only one baffled by this. I reached out to other departments. Sergei has been inform that the training facility is no longer able to be used. He is less than pleased. He said he was going to send you back in '92 to reclaim it; however, you dissappeared. So we are going on alert in the lab. I'm also going to start recuiting again, just incase S.T.A.R.S. needs to be called out to tackle the mess this causes. Enrico has his team almost completed, he just needs a medic now. That brings me to why I brought you in here, I'm not confident in Vickers piloting alone and we don't have a second rear security agent." He said placing a file infront of me,"I found someone I want brought into the S.T.A.R.S. unit.".

I picked up the file, "Jill Valentine? Well I'm not surprised, based on this file she is an impeccable soldier." I read thru the file.

"I've decided to recuit her for alpha team, I already interviewed her over the phone. I told her about a week ago she got the job. I want you to train her, you are better at converstion than me."

I chuckled, "You mean I have better people skills than you. I'll take the compliment and for a pilot talk to Berry, he did serve in the air force."

"I'll discuss it with him, can you wait for Miss Valentine?" He asked.

I stood up, " Understood captain." I headed towards the door, "Oh and Wesk?"

"Yes lotus?" He looked directly at me.

"After this go home and get some shut eye, I'll handle things today." I smiled.

"If you insist." With his response I walked out closing his door.

I headed over to my desk and grabbed my holster from the drawer.  Attaching it to my uniform, I headed over to the safe on the wall. Running a hand over the cold steel my body shivered at what Albert told me. If Marcus was alive that means the T-virus is loose. At least that area is at least a hundred miles away from here. It would take . I watched the cctv recording of his death in Russia, to think that he could just wander around after this many years terrified me. I wondered how far his twisted reach went.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I jumped back falling on Berry "Hey T, whats got you so antsy? It's like you just walked out of a horror movie."

I shook my self off and punched the code into the safe retrieving my samurai edge and my knife, "Just a bit stressed Berry. I will be okay, I promise. Actually can I ask you a question?."

"You mean other than that one sure." Berry smiled at his little joke.

"What do you want me to bake for Polly's birthday?" I smiled trying to hide what was really going on in my head.

"Oh thats what is on your mind. Polly loves your marzipan and your rasberry macarons, just bring her some of thoses and some plain vanilla cake with lemon frosting for the rest of us. Sometimes I think you should of became a pastry chef rather than a nato agent." Berry said poking my forehead.

"Okay Berry, oh and Captain wants to talk to you. I hate to do this but can I ask you a favor?" I sighed.

"T your like a family to me, whatever you need just ask." he said.

I chuckled, "Once he is done talking with you, can you make sure he goes home? I know he is over working him self again. Hell he didn't even come home last night."

"I'll make sure he does. You're an amazing wife T." Barry smiled and went to his desk.

"Excuse me, Is this the S.T.A.R.S office?" a lady asked walking into the room.

"Ahhh you must be Jill, I'm Tabitha." I walked up to her and offered my hand out to her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm looking for Captain Wesker, is he around?" She smiled shaking my hand as Berry went into his office.

"Captain is currently in a meeting. Please don't worry, he assigned me to be your partner during your S.T.A.R.S. training." I said smiling.

"I'm just not sure if I belong here though. I went in to the military hoping to change lives."  she said her smile slightly dropping.

I look her straight in the eyes, "Our jobs are to solve the dangerous crimes and rescue people of Raccon City. This city doesn't have a S.W.A.T team. We act as the counter balance to the rising threat to the area. Be it terrorists, the mob, or even serial killers, we will be there to make a brighter future for everyone. So what do you say partner?"

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

end of flash back

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

"Remember what I said back when you joined S.T.A.R.S. I still mean it. I'm going to make the future brighter for everyone. I'm going to play this game that Spencer started to end the world. I'm going to break it down Weskers world and end the last of umbrellas monsters." I stood firm and sighed "If I go to jail after this then so be it. If I die at the end of my mission, then so be it. Either way, then the last and one of the most dangerous monsters Umbrella would be unable to harm anyone any more." I sobbed silently.

"T, you should of told someone." she sighed hugging me, "This is not something to do alone. I know Chris wouldn't approve of this. you always preached the importance of partnership. Unfortunatly that can't be me now, he has me under his control. You are like an elder sister to me. You should of left this game after the T Abyss incident. Hell you should of left after we pulled your comatose body out of the Russia. You're going to get yourself killed at this rate. You can't change your life or anyone elses if you are dead and in the ground.".

I sighed rolling my neck relaxing, "I'll keep you updated when I can Jill. I've been here a good while, I can't risk being figured out." I walked towards the door stopping before opening the door, "One last thing Jill.".

"Yes T." she looked at me as she was laying down.

"Thank you Jill, for trusting your old partner one last time." I smiled and left.

[carrotmakar]

Not Going Anywhere Without You

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count: 2.6k 

Summary: When Y/N finds out that she’s expecting, she’s scared out of her mind. She doesn’t know how she’s going to get through it all. She doesn’t know if Harry even wants to be a father. Fortunately, Harry’s more than ready to take a step back from the stage for a while to start the family that he’s longed for his entire life.

Warning(s): unplanned pregnancy, nerves, pet names, a brief argument (idek if you could call it an argument tbh), fluffiness, dad!harry

A/N: this is one of the pieces that have been on my mind since i saw the dadathon that @tbslenthusiast​ is hosting!! Everyone should go read the masterlist of submissions and join if you want to!! Also a warm thank you to @taintedwonder​ and @sunflowers-styles​ for beta reading/getting me through writing the whole thing!!! and @havethetimeofyourstyles​ for listening to me tell her about how i cried writing/editing this (ily jill) !!!!! 

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Reblogs help a lot and are greatly appreciated!!

*

There’s absolutely no way that this can be happening. 

She stares down at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test and has to hold back the sobs that are threatening to overtake her. How could this be happening? No. This simply just cannot be happening to her. 

Except it is. She’s pregnant. She’s carrying the child that she and Harry have created together.  The truly awful part though? She doesn’t even know how to feel about it. 

Of course, she’s excited. She’s happy. All she has ever wanted is a family with the man that she loves, but she's also nervous. She has no idea how he’s going to react to this. She doesn’t know how any of this is going to work. He’s in the middle of a world tour and she doesn’t even know if he’ll be done by the time she’s due. 

Hell, she doesn’t even know when she’s due. She doesn’t know how far along she is and the amount of unknown facts threaten to send her spiraling. 

What if he’s mad? What if he doesn’t want the baby? What if she has to do this alone? She doesn’t think she can be a single mother.

There are so many unknowns and there’s no way that she can do this on her own. For the time being, however, she knows she has to figure this out herself.  She’s in  their house in London while he’s in the States performing to thousands of screaming fans every night. There’s no way that she can drop this news on him in the middle of that chaos.

No, she reminds herself instead that he’ll be home in less than a month and she can tell him then. It’s better to do these things in person anyway.

Fortunately, that also means that she has a few weeks to calm the nerves that are coursing through her entire body. She also has that time to figure out how she’s going to break the news to him. She can’t just come out and say “Oh by the way, hey, I’m pregnant.” Can she?

*

“I’m pregnant.” The moment the words tumble out of her mouth she hears the excited squeal coming from her mother. 

She needed to tell someone about the news, and since Harry wasn’t an option yet, her mother had  automatically been her first choice.

“Baby, I’m so happy for you!” She shrieks through the phone and Y/N can see how excited she is even though the FaceTime quality isn’t great. The image of her mother all but jumping up and down from excitement brings a beaming smile to her face. “Does H know yet?” 

That question causes Y/N’s smile to falter and her mom immediately catches it. “Why doesn’t he know?”

“Well he’s not here and I didn’t want to tell him on the phone, and I don’t know, really. I just found out the other day and I guess I’m just a little scared.” She’s trying her best to not tear up, and the newfound hormones are not helping the cause, but the lump in her throat is letting her know that she’s not succeeding.

“Why are you scared?” Her mother questions softly, trying to get Y/N to open up about what’s bothering her without pushing too much.

“I’m not sure… just scared he isn’t going to be happy with me.” She’s surprised when her mother audibly scoffs at her words. 

“Y/N, sweetheart. If you really think that he’s not going to drop to his knees the moment that you tell him you’re carrying his child, you’re delusional.” She lets out a light chuckle before continuing. “He’s so head over heels in love with you that there’s absolutely no way that he could ever be upset over something like that.”

“Yeah but what if he’s not ready? He said he had wanted to wait a bit.” The tears that she’s trying so desperately to suppress are beginning to pool in her eyes and she wants to kick herself for letting this get to her again. 

“Honey, H is the only person I know that is completely, without a doubt, ready to have children.” The first tear rolls down Y/N’s cheek as she observes the way that her mother’s face softens at the mention of Harry being ready to start his family. “Y/N, the moment that you break the news to him, his entire life is going to get a million times better.”

She nods and knows in her heart that she has nothing to worry about. She continues to converse with her mom for a little while longer, moving on from the topic of the pregnancy and Harry. Her mother’s words had calmed her nerves considerably. 

After the phone call ends she decides to text Harry; it feels like they haven’t been talking as much recently, and she feels bad, knowing that her nerves have partially been the reason for that. 

Hey babe, how’s everything going? Where are you this evening? 

His reply comes in an instant, almost as if he had been waiting for her text.

St. Paul :) it’s been pretty great here! The show was great last night! Haven’t really done much lately though, it’s just been hotel room after hotel room and show after show. 

The thought of him sitting in his hotel rooms alone, more than likely nursing a drink to calm his post concert adrenaline, makes a frown appear on her face. She knows how he gets when he’s away on tour and has to watch everyone around him pair off and go out to enjoy the city that they’re stopped in. He hasn’t been up for going out as much recently and, despite her efforts, she doesn’t know why. He’s usually always up for going out to let the adrenaline run its course, but every time they’ve talked lately, he’s just been shut away up in his room. 

Why don’t you go out and enjoy the city with the band, sweetheart?

Feels wrong to go out without you, angel. Miss you being here with me.

Her heart clenches in her chest and she can’t help but feel guilty. He had asked (more like begged) her to come on the North American leg of the tour with him. She had refused, thinking that she needed to stay at home so she wouldn’t have to take so many days off of work. Looking back on it, she probably could have taken the time off  and not had to explain. It was just one of the things that seemed to happen when her boss had found out she was dating Harry Styles.

I’m sorry for not coming with you :( I miss you, though. So, so much.

The awful feeling in her gut doesn’t subside - in fact, it only grows stronger. She suddenly realizes that if she had said yes, she would be with him right now. Not only would she be getting him out of those god forsaken hotel rooms but she also wouldn’t be withholding the life changing information that she has.

It’s alright, love. I’ll see you in a few weeks and then we can be together for a while. No worrying about tour. 

The prospect of him being at home for a while, possibly even more than a year, causes excitement to course through her veins. Maybe if he’s home for long enough to where he can start raising their child with her, then he’ll be happier when she tells him the news.

I can’t wait until you’re back in my arms, bubs. I miss cuddling with you.

She can’t see him right now but she knows that - most likely - he’s got that soft smile on his face that he always says is reserved for her. He always does so when he lets himself take a moment and think about cuddling with her. 

You’ll get all the cuddles the moment that I’m home. Promise.

Their conversation doesn’t last much longer. With the time zones being so different and the two of them being in different countries, with their sadness eating away at them.

*

She’s in his arms the moment that he swings the front door open. The force of the surprise impact knocks him back for a moment, but he eventually regains his balance and wraps his arms around her. 

She sighs in content at the feeling of  warmth radiating from his body to hers. He’s always been warmer than her, but right now, after he’s been gone for months, he feels warmer than all the blankets she’s tried to keep herself cozy with. 

“Hey, baby.” He mumbles into her hair, not making any move to pull away or even shut the door.

“I missed you so much.” He can hear the crack in her voice and he immediately squeezes her tighter. 

“Missed you too, darling.” 

She’s the one to pull away first. She unwraps herself from his arms and moves to shut the door behind him. She avoids meeting his eyes knowing that he’s already sensed that something is going on. She never pulls away first, and she’s afraid that he’s going to notice and ask her about it. Hopefully, he’ll just brush it off as the fact that the door needed to be closed or that dinner still needed to be cooked.

Of course, he doesn’t just brush it off. “Is something bothering you?”

She turns away from him and begins to make her way towards the kitchen. “I’m fine, H.”

“Love, please don’t lie to me.” Her breath hitches and her steps falter. That’s the last thing she wants to do  but she knows if she looks at him and tells him what’s really going on inside her head, she’s going to completely crumble. 

“I’m not lying to you, honey. I’m fine.” He scoffs at her words. He knows they’re not true, but he chooses not to push her too far. If he continues to pester her about it, she’ll close herself off to him and then there will be absolutely no way that he’ll be able to figure out what’s bugging her. 

“Do you want me to cook dinner, petal?” He comes up behind where she had stopped and wraps his arms around her from behind. She immediately leans into him and he knows that all she needs right now is his love. 

“I can do it, honey. You’ve been busy lately.” She hesitantly turns in his arms and peers up at him biting her lip. 

Now seems like as good of a time as ever to tell him.

“H, can we maybe wait a minute on the food?” She tries her best to not let her voice waiver but she knows there’s a slight wobble that won’t go unnoticed by Harry. 

“Yeah, of course.” He keeps his arms wrapped around her and waits for her to make the first move.

She stands still for a few moments, barely moving an inch. She inhales but it’s shaky and she feels the tears bubbling up to the surface before she can stop them.  She tucks her head into his chest as the sobs that she’s been holding in for weeks escape. 

“Shh. It’s okay, petal. I’ve got you. Just let it out.” He smooths the small wisps of hair on her head and slowly rocks their bodies back and forth. The gestures calm her and soon enough the tears start to subside. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” She sighs at his question and he’s scared that he’s crossed a line, that he’s asked too much of her too soon. He knows that he hasn’t, however, when she slowly nods her head and takes a step back. 

He releases his hold on her and she wipes the remaining wetness of her cheeks. She glances around the kitchen and Harry gently lifts her up onto the counter so that she won’t have to stay standing. 

“Um, so I have to tell you something.” She starts, and she busies herself with picking at her nails to avoid his gaze. “And I don’t want you to be mad, okay?” 

She still doesn’t look up at him, but she pauses, giving him the time to answer. After he hums his agreement, she takes a shaky breath and continues. “I didn’t plan for this to happen, I promise. I just… I don’t know… somehow it happened and I just… this is terrifying. And I’m probably making absolutely no sense right now, I’m so sorry.” She can feel the lump in her throat returning yet again and she buries her face in her hands to take  a minute to breathe.

Harry hasn’t moved from the spot that he was in. He feels like his feet are stuck to the floor. He can’t come up with a reasonable guess as to what she could possibly be talking about and it’s making him more nervous that being on stage does. 

“It’s okay, baby. Take your time.” He doesn’t want her to feel like she has to rush to get the words out. 

“Um, so, I know you’re on tour and you have a career that doesn’t slow down for anyone, which is why when I tell you this I want you to know that you don’t have to stick around for it. I can do it on my own, okay?” His stomach drops when she says that, but he doesn’t say anything yet. “I’m… I’m pregnant, H. Like I said, you don’t have to help if you don’t want to, you’re terribly busy, and---

“Y/N why would you even say that?” He tries to hold the harshness back, to not snap at her right now, but the fact that she thinks he wouldn’t want to be completely present in his child’s life makes him see red. 

“What do you mean?” She’s suddenly on alert, the tone of his voice taking her completely by surprise. 

“How could you even let the thought cross your mind that I wouldn’t want to be around? You know me, love.” He’s trying his hardest to not let his emotions take over because honestly, he’s not entirely sure if he’d start yelling or break down sobbing. 

“Harry, you’re a singer. Your entire career is touring the world. Singing is your dream, and there’s no way that I’m going to ask you to give that up.” She didn’t think that he would be offended by her giving him an out, but by the cracking in his voice, it’s clear she’s never said something more hurtful to him.

“Yeah, music is my job, and I love that. But my dream, Y/N, the thing that I want more than anything in this entire world, is you.” His voice catches in his throat and she finally looks up at him. He looks broken, like the things she said, the things she thought would help, really just ripped his heart into shreds.

“H, I really can’t ask you to give that up in any way.” She wants to give in, to say that everything will be fine, that he can take time off of touring if he wants. The rational part of her, however, the part that remembers asking him to give this up to any extent could make him resent her, fights against it.

“Baby, listen to me, please.” He pleads. “You’re not asking me to do anything. Regardless of whether or not you want me in our child’s life… which I pray to the lord that you do, I’m taking time off after the tour. I want to spend time at home, with you, with both of you.” He gently cradles her face in his palms and strokes her cheek with his thumb. 

“Are you sure?” She doesn’t want to keep fighting him on it. All she wants is to raise the family that she’s wanted for her entire life with the most extraordinary love. 

“Absolutely.” He promises.

He bends slightly so that his face is directly in front of her stomach. “Daddy's going to be here for you and Mommy every step of the way, bub.”

*

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[abarbaricyalp]

Idk if you are still taking prompts, but you know the vine two dudes chilling in a hot tub 5 feet apart cause they're not gay, and a girl quoting it in a park about two girls in the distance and one of them hearing and going "Actually I am gay" Like that scenario, only involving them fixing the boat? Maybe Sarah quoting it to give Sam shit when she thinks Bucky cant hear and Bucky goes "Wait, no I'm gay" or something, or just the general gist of that. Sorry if this us too specific, I've never sent anyone a prompt before :P

Hello Friend! Thank you so much for sending anything in at all! I know the vine you're talking about, but I couldn't find it on Youtube. (I did find a two day rabbit hole of old compilations though) This was also my first foray into writing Sarah as a fully fleshed character! I was excited to get the practice 'cause I had an idea bouncing around in my head about her and Bucky talking after he wakes up in the Wilson house. I kept her a little more like she had been in my other fics pre-show here. I so wish we got a little more of her!

Feel free, anyone, to send me Sambucky prompts!

The North American Superhero in a Domestic Situation

Sarah Wilson loved her brother deeply. The kind of soul crushing love that could only be formed through family, loss, and approximately four thousand brawls around the living room throughout their life. She looked up to her brother more than she could ever imagine looking up to anyone. Even when they were fighting or picking on each other, she couldn’t help but feel a swell in her chest when he came into her line of sight.

That didn’t mean she understood him. In fact, from the age of eight, watching her brother interact with the world had become her go-to pastime. Why did he have to roll every pea around the plate individually before eating them? Why did he and his friends spend seven years socking each other in the arm to prove friendship? Why did he talk to himself in the mirror, even when he knew Sarah or someone else was standing in the doorway?

Sam Wilson was just deeply weird. She had no idea how he had tricked the Avengers, a plethora of bad guys, and half of the media world into thinking he was remotely cool. She saw a news story once that had King T’Challa standing on a platform with Sam and the newscasters talked about how impressive Sam’s suit was. It was unnatural, the effect he had on people.

And in all her years, she never thought she’d see anyone weirder than Sam. But then James Barnes had showed up. It was like a complete reversal of Sam. Sarah was taken in for approximately three hours by his charm and face before she realized he too was deeply, deeply weird.

She justified sitting on the edge of the Paul and Darlene, watching her brother and James Barnes spar off about some dumb trivia fact, by deciding it was an anthropological expedition. The North American Superhero in a Domestic Situation. She watched Sam watch Barnes take a long pull off his beer. She watched Barnes kick his feet up near Sam’s legs and then draw them back quickly when a current jolted the boat. She watched Barnes’ fingers tap-tap-tap against the edge of the boat, inching closer to Sam’s shoulder before he chickened out and brought his hand back to his own lap. She watched Sam suggest Bucky take his jacket off, ‘unless you plan on sun blinding me with the robocop arm.’ She watched Sam look away when Barnes did shrug his jacket off.

When she was seventeen and Sam was fifteen, she had found Sam crying in his room, pillow pressed to his face to muffle the noise. They were at the age where going into each other’s rooms uninvited started international conflicts, but Sarah, who watched her brother intently, felt like she knew what was going on. So she let herself in through their Jack-and-Jill bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Sam didn’t stop crying, not even to yell at her to get out, so she sat on the end of his bed and rolled a baseball under her foot for a while. Finally, she’d said, “You don’t have to tell Mom and Dad, y’know.”

Sam had just about wailed and bit the corner of his pillow to stop himself.

“That’s gross, stop it,” Sarah ordered and pushed Sam’s shoulder back enough to yank his pillow free and then reached over to wipe the tears from his cheeks. “I should make you do the laundry this week so I know I’m not touching your snot germs,” she teased softly.

“How did you know?” Sam hiccuped out. Tears were still brimming at his eyes, but they didn’t fall.

“I’m your older sister. I made you. Like a doll. You think there’s something about you that I don’t know?” she joked. And when the tears did spill over his long lashes, she sighed and pulled him closer to her side. “I just know the way you interact with that boy from the basketball team ain’t just friendly.”

“Jesus, do you think he can tell?” Sam asked and she could hear the mortification in his voice.

“Sam, he’s a freshman in high school. The only thing he knows is that he’s scared of everything too. No one’s paying that much attention to you.”

“Screw you,” Sam muttered.

“What’re all these tears for you if you didn’t make a move and get shot down?”

“God, Sarah, can you not say things like that?”

“Watch your mouth,” Sarah warned with no heat in her voice. “Come on, tell me what’s wrong. I’m not leaving until you do.”

“I just…” Sam sat up and worked his jaw for a while. His chin dimpled and his eyes watered but he managed to control himself. “I’m scared, Sarah. I’m scared of never being in love. Of having to leave if I am. I’m scared to say something and I’m scared not to say something. I’m so scared of...losing any of it.”

“Sam,” Sarah sighed and pulled Sam into another hug. “You’re fifteen. You’re not supposed to be in love yet. You don’t have to think about any of that. You just have to focus on passing Geometry, alright? Mom’ll whoop your ass more for failing than anything else.”

“I have a B+, that’s not failing!” Sam snapped. He kept his face against her shoulder for a second long before he sat up and wiped his tears away. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Who am I gonna tell? I told you, my friends don’t like you as much as you think they do.”

“Your friends like me more than they like you,” Sam shot back and he almost sounded normal.

Sarah smiled softly and patted Sam’s cheek. “I won’t tell Mom or Dad. Of course not. That’s for you to do. But--”

“I’m always going to tell them when you sneak out the window.”

“No! Sam! You can’t! You owe me now!”

“Going to field parties is not the same thing!” Sam said in a shriek as Sarah leaned over to pinch his sides. They grappled for a second before Sam managed to push Sarah off the bed.

“You owe me,” she reminded him as she walked back to the bathroom.

Sam wiped his eyes again and nodded. “Sure, Sarah. I do.”

Sam almost had the same look on his face now. Like there was something he wanted to reach for that he thought was too impossible to hold. The Older Sister Instinct to Antagonize into a Solution kicked in.

“Two bros, chilling on a boat, five feet apart ‘cause they’re not gay,” she sing-songed. Sam looked mortified again but masked his face into something more irritated with a roll of his eyes when Barnes looked over at him.

“Ignore her. It’s this old video--” Sam started.

But Bucky interrupted to say, “Actually I am gay,” as he looked back over at Sarah. “Sorry if I got your hopes up,” he added with a grin that really did get the hopes up.

“What?” Sam asked and Sarah, ever watchful, could see the beer bottle shaking in his hand.

“What?” Bucky repeated innocently.

“He said he’s gay,” Sarah clarified.

“Thank you, Sarah,” Sam ground out. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Bucky snorted. “When would I have said anything? ‘Sorry for ripping your wings off and kicking you off of a hellicarrier, by the way I’m gay.’?”

“You did what?” Sarah asked.

“‘Sorry for claiming I didn’t bomb the UN only to be reverted back to the assassin who would have done that and then fighting you again. By the way I’m gay.’ ‘Thanks for saving my life. Sorry about the giant undersea prison. By the way I’m gay.’ ‘There’s an imminent battle with weird ass space dogs that want to eat our faces. By the way I’m gay.’ ‘Sorry about Tony Stark, whose life I kind of ruined. Lovely funeral. By the way I’m gay.’ ‘I’m in the middle of being pissed at you about the Shield. By the way I’m gay.’ ‘Maybe don’t take me rolling through a field of flowers. It does things to me ‘cause I’m gay.’ ‘John Walker’s fucking insane. I’m gay, but definitely not for this bullshit.’ I mean, come on, Sam.”

“Flowers?” Sarah asked.

“Besides, why would you care? I don’t make it a habit of telling straight guys I’m into guys.”

“You don’t seem to make a habit of telling many people that,” Sarah pointed out. “I googled you. Nothing suggesting that came up.”

Bucky shrugged. “I’m a guy from the 30s. It was trained out of me.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sarah said quickly. “Back up away from that because we’re not gonna try to Oppression Olympics our way through our histories. Did you just say Sam was straight?”

“Sarah!” Sam hissed.

“Sure. I mean, I saw him with Romanov. Hill. He has Tinder on his phone.”

“Samuel Thomas, you better not,” Sarah warned lightly. “You’re better than that.”

“He’s a lady-killer.”

Sarah snorted and had to bring her hand up to her face. “He definitely is not. There has been no lady-killing on his end for a long time.”

“Sarah!” Sam tried again.

“You explain it to him then. Mr. 30s is gonna need the long way round explanation.”

Sam sighed and dragged his hand over his face. “Dammit. Fine. I’m not straight either, alright? I’m...bi, or something. It’s been a while since I’ve had to think about it.”

“What?” Bucky asked, not unlike Sam had.

“He said he’s bisexual. Interested in both parties. Swings either way. Hit a homerun and then hasn’t really swung since.”

“Sarah, Jesus Christ,” Sam groaned.

“What?” Bucky asked again.

“I was engaged. To a man,” Sam said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bucky asked, clearly missing the irony.

“Oh, it was inconvenient for you but I had plenty of opportunities, huh?” Sam asked. “Ms. Tell-It-All over there wasn’t joking. I haven’t swung any direction in a while. Not since before I met Steve. My fiance died. And then it never came up.”

Bucky blinked at Sam. He kept bringing the bottle halfway up his body and then setting it back on his leg without ever taking a drink. “Fuck, Sam, I’m sorry,” Bucky said, which was not what Sarah was expecting and it clearly wasn’t what Sam was expecting because Sam finally moved closer to Bucky on the bench.

“What for? You didn’t do anything. This time.”

“Yeah, but if I’d known you were into me too, I woulda kissed you in Germany.”

“Oh, I am so not into you,” Sam denied. “And I wouldn’t have our first kiss ruined by immediately running into the government’s roving show monkey.”

“That’s the worst,” Bucky agreed and also finally moved over on the bench until they were pressed thigh to thigh. “Tell me how much you don’t like me again,” he challenged.

“I can’t stand you,” Sam answered and brought his hand up to Bucky’s jaw.

Sarah couldn’t fight down the grin that came to her face and turned to prop her feet on the pier, back to Sam and Bucky. Just this once, she didn’t need to watch her brother to understand him.

Read on AO3 here!

[averytinyelephant]

sing our love from the rooftops

Author’s note: This is my response for @tog-valentine-exchange! This response is for @jill-8-7 (who’s art is amazing, go check it out!!) and their artwork. I’m sorry for this being a little late, but hopefully the fic’s good enough to make up for it! My first go at a songfic, but I feel pretty good about how it turned out! Listen to Love Someone by Lukas Graham here. (Also, this can sortof (?) be read as a peek into (epilogue actually, haha) to my fic for Vih and Eevee’s Honey Lavender AU which... has turned out to be quite a monster, so apologies to both of you for taking so long to finish it! I really hope that it’ll blow you away once I’ve finished!!) Fandom: Tower of God (Read the Webtoon here!) Pairing: Khun Aguero Agnis/The Twenty-Fifth Baam Word Count: 2,633

Summary: Khun may be new to relationships, but he knows missing Valentine’s Day with his partner for work is a really shitty thing to do. So he’s planning on making up for it with a surprise that’s sure to sweep Baam right off his feet. Everything’s laid out perfectly, but Baam manages to beat him to the punch anyway.

Khun taps his foot impatiently and checks his watch. Half an hour to go, he thinks to himself. This damn meeting is dragging on like molasses, even though he’s already worked out an arrangement with Shibisu so he can get out of this one earlier.

It’s not that he doesn’t like his job: quite the opposite really, this business is something he’s poured years into building from the ground up. It’s quite simple, even if there are some days that are a little too reminiscent of a childhood he’d rather not think about, and much of it comes with practiced ease now.

No, it’s not that at all, it’s just that his whole life was turned upside down almost two years ago now by a certain man with the brightest golden eyes, and he finds himself looking forward to frivolous, overly sentimental things like Valentine’s Day despite himself. He knows that this meeting is important (there was a reason that he resorted to scheduling it today of all days, after all) and that he has a surprise planned out for his partner to make up for not being able to spend today with him.

Just half an hour more and I’ll be on my way to see him, Khun reasons, trying to force himself to pay attention to this meeting, when they’re interrupted by a knock on the door.

They enter briefly, and it’s a member of security, “Mr. Khun, I need to speak to you privately for just a minute.”

She tells him that someone’s requesting his presence from the ground floor, claiming to be his partner and that they’re incredibly persistent. Khun feels like his eyebrows might be touching his hairline right now and he’s about to dismiss her, that’s impossible, he wants to say, and it wouldn’t be a lie but she goes on to say, “He says his name is Jue Viole Grace.”

And that’s — Khun feels his world stop for a moment. This… this could be a real problem: he’d not even told his closest friends about Baam and had gone to great lengths to make sure their relationship remained private, something untouched by this messy life of constant competition, how could anyone know?

Despite the turmoil in his head, Khun manages to answer, “Thank you very much, though I’ll deal with this personally,” and walks back into the conference room to excuse himself briefly before making his way to the attached balcony. If he remembers right (which he always does), his car is parked on this side of the building and should be readily visible from this balcony. If the imposter wants his attention, he’d either be there or near his car, and there’s no harm in checking from here first, especially since they mostly likely wish him harm.

Peering over the balcony, Khun sees he was right, they’re just by his car and — he has no idea how he knows this, the figure’s much too small from all the way up here to see properly but it just clicks in his head with a terrifyingly overwhelming certainty that this is Baam, he’s staring right at the real thing, Baam’s right here looking up at him and waving excitedly, that’s impossible, how —

His phone’s ringing — no, Baam’s calling him. When he answers, he can’t even mask his shock when he asks, “Baam? How the hell—”

“Sorry to pull you out of work Khun!” he chirps back, not sounding the least bit sorry, “I wanted to surprise you for Valentine’s Day!”

What the fuck.

“But, Baam, you’re supposed to be — You told me you have a gig tonight at Endorsi’s place, it’d be crowded as all hell, and you flew across the country to see me?”

“Yup!” And Baam’s unpacking his guitar.

Wait. He’s unpacking his guitar.

“Are you crazy? You’re going to serenade me right here and now?”

“Oh, great, I was wondering how to explain this. It’s kinda awkward, y’know, I tried phrasing it a few different ways and none of them really clicked. I’m glad I don’t have to—”

“You can’t be serious, I swear, Baam, one of these days—”

“Put your headphones in! You’ll be able to hear me a little more clearly.”

Khun grumbles a bit to himself as he does, determined to express his indignation despite his shock, and Baam only laughs at him.

“Okay, they’re in. You’re so on, by the way.”

Baam just huffs and puts his phone in his pocket, and Khun doesn’t even need to look at his face to know he’s understood.

He waits patiently as Baam tunes the guitar and meets him with a challenging lilt to his voice as he asks, “Can you hear me okay?”

“Loud and clear.”

As Baam plays the first few notes, Khun can’t see his face from where he’s standing at the balcony’s edge, but he’s seen Baam play so many times he already knows how serenely focused his eyes are, the relaxed and confident set of his shoulders, the involuntary quirk of his lips as he loses himself in playing. He never gets tired of seeing it, and he wishes he could see it again right now. He thinks he’s already heard this song before, its opening is familiar but he can’t hope to place it right now, but he’s reminded again when Baam starts to sing that it doesn’t matter, this version — Baam’s voice, even tinny and distorted through the phone’s mic, a little muffled by the fabric of his shirt pocket — will be more beautiful than any original he’s heard.

There are days, I wake up and I pinch myself You're with me, not someone else

“Who else would there be but you?” He means it sarcastically, to poke fun at his choice of song in this game they’ve played for years now, but it comes out horribly dopey and fond instead and Khun suddenly feels his cheeks burn. Baam’s late for a chord for a fraction of a second anyway, so it’s not an entire failure.

And I’m scared, yeah, I'm still scared, that it's all a dream

“A damn good dream, I’d say,” Khun manages in the haughtiest tone he can muster at the moment and that gets Baam’s voice to crack a little with suppressed giggles, but his playing’s still flawless as always.

'Cause you still look perfect as days go by

“Please, that’s a given.”

Even the worst ones, you make me smile I'd stop the world if it gave us time

Khun’s about to say something snarky again despite how deeply the sentiment resonated with him, but the way Baam’s voice swells at the chorus tears away his pretense.

'Cause when you love someone, you open up your heart When you love someone, you make room If you love someone, and you're not afraid to lose 'em You’ve probably never loved someone like I do When you say You love the way I make you feel Everything becomes so real Don't be scared, no, don't be scared 'Cause you're all I need

(Privately, Khun admits defeat this time, because he doesn’t think he could muster a witty comment, a sufficiently steady voice, or even the will to compete right now despite all his pride.)

And you still look perfect as days go by Even the worst ones, you make me smile I'd stop the world if it gave us time 'Cause when you love someone, you open up your heart When you love someone, you make room If you love someone, and you're not afraid to lose 'em You’ve probably never loved someone like I do All my life I thought it'd be hard to find the one 'til I found you And I find it bittersweet 'Cause you gave me something to lose

Khun feels himself straighten before he registers commanding himself to do so, because that’s it — that’s what Baam’s trying to tell him. For a split second, he’s taken back two years and three hours before, a conversation asking about Baam how he chose songs to learn, a light voice on a hot desert breeze saying “there’s always one bit, a whole verse or a few words, one bit of the song that tells you plainly what they’re trying to say.”

He doesn’t know how he knows, there’s no evidence to suggest such, but Khun feels it like a punch to the solar plexus: this is that part. This is what Baam’s been trying to say, what he’s telling him now: It’s you, it’s you, it’s always been you. When we met the first time, my heart remembered the shape of yours from somewhere our eyes have never seen; we’ll never be favored by the stars but I’ll fight each day for us; everything beautiful reminds me of you because I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you more than I can ever show you in ten thousand lifetimes, so I’ll love you every day of this one and hope you understand.

But when you love someone, you open up your heart When you love someone, you make room If you love someone, and you're not afraid to lose 'em You’ve probably never loved someone like I do

When Baam finishes, he looks up at Khun, and he doesn’t even need to see his face to know he looks shy and sheepish like the reality of the situation’s finally hit him and Khun — Khun can hardly even speak. He’s certain he looks like a complete moron, gaping mouth and openly flabbergasted, but he can’t even bring himself to care. Before he knows it, his feet are carrying him away from the balcony and back into the still-busy conference room. He thinks Shibisu’s trying to speak with him and he’s distantly aware of Baam calling out to him in his headphones, and fuck, this is so fucking stupid, Khun’s never this impulsive —

He rushes out the door anyway, making a beeline for the elevator (he briefly considers the stairs when he passes by them on the way and has to focus to turn his brain on momentarily and think of how many damn stories there are in the building to decide against it) and slams the button for the ground floor. He can hardly stand still as it goes down, tapping his foot and checking his watch and oh, Baam’s disconnected the call, and his hands are shaking (absently, the rational part of his mind thinks it’s amusing how closely what he’s experiencing now resembles a panic attack) and fuck, this is still so goddamn stupid, and fucking finally, the elevator’s stopped at the ground floor. Before the doors even open all the way, he’s gone, sprinting through the front door and around the side of the building to where he parked this morning and he sees Baam, zipping up his guitar case and he looks ethereal now that he can see him up close —

“Aguero?”

And Khun feels the last of his sanity snap in two as he just grabs Baam by the collar and kisses him so hard he can feel the way Baam yelps in surprise in each of his teeth. His lungs are burning and his heart’s pounding in his throat, already winded from running so fast, but he still can’t bring himself to care.

Baam’s the one to break the kiss, breathy and concerned, “Aguero? What are you…?”

And damn, Khun realizes he has to give him answers.

Say something! “You’re fucking ridiculous.” Not that.

Baam looks more than a little offended. That’s… appropriate.

“Absolutely and totally impossible, I fucking hate you so, so much,” Khun knows he’s rambling nonsense, but Baam’s gotten him choked up and unable to even comprehend what he’s feeling right now, much less express it in words, so he just kisses him again and hopes he understands.

He breaks the kiss again (he doesn’t get it, obviously, because he’s not making any sense) and replies, “You’re telling me two very different things here, Aguero.”

Wait. What?

Khun forces his brain back online through sheer willpower and really, properly looks at Baam, and — this bastard’s smiling of all things right now, he looks like he’s about to burst out laughing any moment now. “You’re the worst. You know that?”

And he does burst out laughing, and it sounds like a million bells chiming in the most euphonious orchestra in the most irritating way possible. “I hate you so much — I have a ticket for a flight for LA in two hours and a rental car waiting for me, I made arrangements to work remotely for the next week to make up for today, I was going to — stop laughing at me!” He means it seriously, but he’s so giddy right now, he’s certain he’s grinning wide like a fool.

Baam exaggeratedly wipes tears from his eyes and wheezes out, “You scared me! I thought you were mad at me—”

“I am mad at you! You ruined my surprise!”

And Baam’s laughing again and Khun can’t figure out if he wants to kick him or kiss him again, but he redeems himself (just a bit) when he says, “I’m sorry! I’ll help you get a refund on that plane ticket if you want.”

“That’s not what I care about here, Baam!” That only makes Baam laugh harder, and okay, Khun has to admit, this entire situation is frankly ridiculous, and he starts laughing with him before he can catch himself.

After a few moments, Khun manages to collect himself enough to retort, “I’m definitely doing something else to make up for it.”

Baam looks at him curiously as Khun pulls his keys from his pocket with a flourish. “You mean right now?” he asks incredulously, “But what about your —”

And, well. Khun’s definitely not about to admit Baam made him forget about work entirely. But he’s saved from having to think of a decent cover because as if on cue, Khun’s phone starts ringing with a call from Shibisu.

“Khun? What the hell’s going on, you just disappeared, is that —”

“Shibisu, wait, listen.” At this point, Khun knows Shibisu well enough to know that if he doesn’t cut him off now, he’ll never stop asking questions. “I need you to manage the rest of it. You’ll be fine, it’s just a little earlier from when I had to take off anyway—”

“Yeah, I know, but, Khun, what’s actually going on? Don’t tell me—”

Khun just looks Baam in the eye and winks at him when he answers, “I’ve got something a lot more important to tend to.” Baam flushes bright red but beams at him anyway and Khun barely tamps down the urge to coo at how cute his partner is.

The other line’s silent, but it seems like Shibisu gets it because he sighs, dramatic and long-suffering, before muttering, “I really should’ve taken Hatz up on that bet, he’d owe me money right now.” Khun’s grips the phone a little tighter in irritation, but he makes a note to reward him somehow for not taking the bet before Shibisu continues. “Yeah, I’ll take care of it. But you owe me the presentation in two weeks and one hell of an explanation.”

Khun doesn’t even think before he answers, “Deal.” He still hates cashing out his end of a bargain first, being indebted to someone rather than having others owe him, but when Baam beams at him as he pockets his phone again, Khun thinks it’s really not all that bad.

“Come on, lover boy,” Khun teases as he spins his keys once and unlocks his car, “you showed me LA last time, it’s your turn to see New York City.”

[re-diesirae]

8. Chris

"What do you mean they are gone?" Chris snapped.

Jill had been trying to put a bandage around his arm as she gave him an update on the situation. Chris had separated from Leon halfway through the chase, and the oldest Redfield had ended up fighting the Ogroman alone until Barry and Jill arrived with reinforcements.

Chris had dealt with the B.O.W. like an expert, but he did not come unscathed from the fight. Multiple slashes and bruises covered his skin, but overall, the injuries were nothing but small scratches. After the battle, Chris got taken to TerraSave HQ to get checked.

When Jill parted ways with Chris and Leon in the basement, she returned to the lab with Barry and the others. She told them the situation, and Wallace, Claire's cybersecurity guard, proceeded to execute one of the security protocols. He explained to Jill that, amid her so-called paranoia, created a series of contention protocols in case of different possible biohazard scenarios.

Jill was not sure how, but as soon as the first B.O.W report happened, Wallace had set several of the protocols into motion. In less than 20 minutes, BSAA biocontrol forces were arriving in the city, and evacuation teams were gathering civilians and taking them to safe houses.

"Chris, can you stand still? I can't bandage you properly if you keep moving," Jill sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I can't," Chris groaned.

"Calm down, Chris."

Jill knew Chris well enough to know how worked up he could get when it came to his sister's safety. Claire was everything for Chris. She was his only family, and naturally, he was very protective of the woman, regardless of her age. In Chris's eyes, Claire would always be his baby sister, and he had to keep her safe.

"How am I supposed to calm down?" Chris screeched, "The fucking bastards have my sister! And hell, I don't fucking know where she is."

"They took Leon, too," Jill tried to soothe him, "I am sure he has a tracking device on him or something. The DSO is probably searching for him now. I am sure he is with Claire."

"Yeah? We don't know that. They could be in separate places for all we know."

Jill bit her lower lip. She knew Claire through Chris, and she considered her a friend, and she had grown fond of the woman after interacting with her few times. She was worried about the woman, too, but for now, they had to trust that Leon would be enough to keep her safe.

"Chris, I understand you are worried, but right now, we need to focus on the attacks in the city," Jill said, "B.O.W.s are crawling all over the place."

"Yeah, it's fucking zombie party," Barry said. "We have to deal with this before we can rescue little Red and superagent."

Chris let out a groan of frustration.

"Damn it. I don't know what the hell is going on here, attacking the city, abducting Claire. What the hell are they planning?"

Jill's guess was as good as his. She had begun conjuring possible theories, but all of them sounded irrelevant. The attack on Hughesville was on a small scale. The viral spread was relatively controlled, and B.O.W.s caused lots of destruction and chaos, but compared to other incidents, it wasn't as bad.

The number of victims was minimal, thanks to Claire's contention plans. Jill was amazed by the woman's work. Jill heard from Claire's colleagues that as soon as she had taken the reins of the NA Branch, she had made several changes in Terra Save's system. To the higher-ups, it all sounded like Claire was acting out of paranoia, but they had accepted her suggestions.

Claire had not only created a direct emergency line with BSAA, but she had also established an evacuation protocol and several "safe rooms" for the people. It was a complex system that Jill wanted to look into later on, and from what she heard, this was only a couple of the changes that Claire had introduced with her promotion.

Jill could see how proud Chris was when she told him, and she had to say it. He had all the right to be proud. It was the first time that they used the protocol, and the results were a success.

"Well, little Red is certainly something else, huh," Barry said, shaking his head. "She outdid herself with this. No wonder she's so busy all the time. If what they say is true, then this isn't the only surprise she left us."

"Well, that's Claire for you. She does a much better job than that Neil asshole," Moira said, crossing her arms. "That bastard was a traitor, and he is the one who left Claire with extra trauma."

"What do you mean, baby?" Barry asked.

"He broke her heart!" Moira groaned indignantly. "Claire was so biased about him, and he had to go and sell us to that Wesker bitch. Now she probably has PTSD with men. That's why she's still single and will remain so for the rest of her life!"

Chris choked.

"He what?" Jill asked, "Fisher and Claire had something?"

"Well, no. I mean," Moira said, "They weren't together or anything, but I think Claire liked him. She was so...sad when we found out he was the one who got us into that stupid island in the first place. Then he turned into that horrible monster and, well, I don't know how Claire managed to stay so calm despite all that crap."

Jill had not heard much about the incident. She knew as much as the reports had revealed, and she remembered that Chris had been a little frantic about it. Most of the details she knew came from Barry and Moira's tales, but Claire had remained quiet about the incident. It was a traumatic event, and they decided not to push it.

"There's nothing wrong about Claire being single. She's perfectly fine on her own," Chris said solemnly.

"Yeah, right. You say that because you're Claire's brother," Moira said, rolling her eyes.

Jill snickered. It was the first time in a long time that she got to see Chris in his Jealous Big Brother mode. It was hard to think that the man standing in front of her was the almighty anti-bioterrorist veteran. Suddenly, Jill's communicator beeped with an incoming call from an unknown number.

The woman looked at the screen with a frown before pressing the button to answer it.

"Valentine," Jill said into the phone.

"Thank goodness," a female voice answered from the other side, " This is Ingrid Hunnigan from the FOS. I am Leon Kennedy's operator."

Jill was surprised. She looked at Chris and Barry, and both men gave her a quizzical look.

"Yes, of course. I believe I have heard of you," Jill answered, "What can I do for you, Ms. Hunnigan? Did you get any news of Leon?"

"Yes, that is why I am contacting you now," Hunnigan answered, "He tried to communicate some minutes ago. His signal was not good, and we couldn't connect, but I think I have pinpointed an approximate location through the satellite."

"That's great news," Jill said, "Where is he?"

"Somewhere in the northern area of Bavaria, Germany."

"Germany?" Jill said, shocked.

"Yes. I can't give the exact position, but it is somewhere in the wilderness."

"I understand," Jill replied, "Please send me the location, and we will deploy a rescue team ASAP."

"Of course," Hunnigan replied, "I have no confirmation that Claire Redfield is with him, however..."

"That's alright. Thank you."

Jill put the phone away and turned to Barry and Chris. Both men stared at her expectantly.

"We can discuss Claire's love life some other time. I just talked to someone from the secret service. Leon's operator," Jill said, " He tried contacting her some time ago, and she has his probable location."

"Told you the guy would pop up," Barry said, "where is he?"

"Bavaria, Germany," Jill answered.

"Germany? What the fuck?" Barry groaned, "how the hell did they get them to another continent so fast?"

"Don't ask me," Jill replied, shaking her head.

"Did she say if Claire was with him?" Chris asked.

Jill looked at him apologetically and shook her head.

"Sorry, she didn't know. The call did not connect, so she didn't speak to Leon."

Chris groaned and punched the chair with frustration.

"I'm sure they're together," Barry said, patting his back.

"Together or not, it is lead," Chris sighed, "alright, team, time to get moving."

NOTE: if you guys want to come and chat about the fic, or just about CLEON in general. Feel free to drop by the discord and say hi! JOIN SERVER

[fvrxdrm]

.•*Office Crush*•.

Damnation/RE6/Vendetta!Leon

Warning(s): None

Excited would be an understatement. You were ecstatic, exhilarated! It was your first day as a D.S.O. agent and you couldn't be any more exultant about it. Every step you took had a bounce to it, your face was beginning to hurt because of how hard you were trying to keep yourself from smiling, and your heart was pounding loudly that you were starting to think that the whole agency could hear it hammering from inside your chest. This was surreal. A dream come true. It may sound cheesy but it's the truth. I guess you can say that no words could express how you felt at that time.

Despite the enthusiasm taking over your brain, you couldn't but feel nervous. This was your first day. What if you fuck up? What if you get fired on your first day on the job? What if you were below their standards? What if nobody likes you? What if--

"Oomf"

So many thoughts were running through your head that you couldn't even pay attention to where you were going and bumped into something or someone, perhaps.

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry", you apologised again and again as you picked up your papers off of the floor. You heard a deep chuckle from above you before the mysterious person knelt down in front of you and helped you collect your files.

Fuck up on the first day? Check. What's next? Getting fired right now because of this whole incident? No, no, no. That's stupid, Y/N. Why the fuck would they fire you just because you bumped into someone? Unless...

"Here", the mysterious person handed you your stuff as a small and genuine smile was etched on his face. You took the papers swiftly but gently at the same time, your face beginning to burn slightly in embarrassment. After you've taken everything from the mysterious person, you looked up and what you saw caused your eyes to widen a bit.

This was not just a someone. This was Leon Scott Kennedy, the D.S.O. and the world's best agent. 

You've heard multiple stories about him before. How he was one of the survivors of the Raccoon City incident, how he saved the president's daughter back in Spain, how he put an end to the Harvardville incident, and many more. You admired him for that and that was one of the reasons why you joined the agency.

Truth is, you were one of the few people who survived Raccoon City. However, you escaped the ghost town with Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira and never encountered Leon Kennedy or, from what you've heard, Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin. After that, the three of you went your separate ways and never saw each other ever again except that one time you and Jill happened to be at the same place and hung out for a while but other than that, none.

I guess it's safe to say that that was another one of the main reasons why you joined the D.S.O.. There was a lot of thinking, a lot of second thoughts, but then you realized how much worse the situation was now that technology was getting more enhanced and science had gone too far. People were releasing more death-dealing B.O.W.s here and there and they were much worse than the ones in Raccoon City. You wanted to help in stopping that and this was your chance.

"Uh...thank you. You really didn't have to do that and I'm sorry again", you told the taller man in front of you as the both of you stood up from being knelt down.

"No problem and it's okay. Aren't you the intern?" Leon asked, the tip of his forefinger pointing at you.

Oh, no...he's going to tell the higher-ups what just happened and they're going to fire me, oh God! No, stop it, Y/N! That's ridiculous...right?

"Um...yeah. F/N L/N", you said as you masked your worried and nervous expression with a forced smile.

"Relax, L/N. I'm not going to just tell them and have them fire you. That would be stupid", Leon said and chuckled lightly at how red your face was.

How the fuck??? Oh, God. This is embarrassing.

"Um...yeah. Anyways, I have to meet with somebody today. I have to go", You stumbled through your words and looked down as shame finally took over your body.

This is bad...

"Oh, yeah. President Benford's in there. He told me he was waiting for you", Leon pointed at a frosted glass door just a few feet away from where you were standing.

"Thanks", Leon patted your shoulder lightly before walking away with a smile on his face.

"I'm Leon, by the way", he yelled while he continued walking away.

Yeah, I know...

You sighed and began walking towards where Leon was previously pointing at.

What a kickass first day...

When Leon finally heard your heels clacking against the tiled floor, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to look at you as the grin on his face began to widened.

Cute.

He thought.

Leon actually knew you as another one of his fellow survivors of that incident in 1998. Everybody from the USSTRATCOM and the D.S.O. was looking for you to recruit you as another agent for years. They would track you down but the moment they would arrive to where the GPS had told them to go, you were gone to another place and would never get the chance to even see you. And now that you applied to the D.S.O. willingly, it was a sigh of relief to them that they didn't have to force you to work for them, just like how they forced Leon to, except it wasn't the D.S.O. that forced him... You get what I'm saying.

Leon had even heard stories of how you got out of the city as he was good friends with Jill. Whenever they would see each other, Jill would talk about you a lot. She would talk about how skillful you were in weaponry at the age of 16, how there wasn't even a single sign shown that you were terrified at what was happening at that time, how mature you were in handling the situation despite your age in general. She even showed Leon a picture of you from when you bumped into each other once and he noticed how pretty you looked just by staring at that photo of you. 

Your H/L H/C locks were gathered into a messy ponytail that had a few loose pieces of hair framing your face, your E/C orbs that stared back at him through Jill's phone screen seemed to twinkle as the sunlight hit your face, and your cute and bright smile reflected the happiness that was shown in your eyes. That image was forever imprinted on his mind since then and now that he saw you in person, face-to-face, he couldn't help but think about how prettier you looked in person, the bashful attitude you had making him admire you more. 

He was starting to fall in love with you more.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's been a month since you've started working at the D.S.O. and your colleagues were surprisingly more than happy to welcome you. 

Everyday when you approach your table in the morning there would be various sticky notes just sticking on your desk with smiley faces written at the bottom. You've made friends that would greet you with a hug and eat breakfast with you. There were even some co-workers that would eat lunch with you and chat with you about random things. But most of all, there was this one person that would always place a cup of your favorite coffee on top of your desk with a note attached to it. 

You couldn't figure out who it was that would make such sweet gesture as the note didn't have a name on it but instead a heart was written together with the word 'anonymous'. You tried guessing but no one came to mind.

"Are you sure you don't know anyone that likes you?" One of your friends, which happened to be Sherry Birkin, asked you as she sat down on your desk.

"Sherry, if I did I would've approached them and talked to them", you replied before taking another sip of the coffee that anonymous person placed on your desk again.

"Right", was all Sherry could muster as sweat began to form on her face.

Truth is Sherry knew who it was as she caught him setting another cup on your desk the other day and talked to him about it but was told not to tell you as he wanted it to be a secret of his for a while.

Can you just please fucking tell her?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4 months have passed by and after so many days of training, the president had officially given you your mission.

"You ready, Agent L/N?" Hunnigan asked you as the helicopter in front of you started whirring its blades.

"Yep. Locked and loaded", you replied before grabbing the bag beside you that had everything you needed in it.

"Okay, I'll be guiding you through it", Hunnigan said with a nod. You nodded your head back before climbing on the helicopter and closing the door, your anxiousness finally taking over you as soon as the lights went dim.

First mission.

As you were preparing to leave though, one particular man was watching you with worry written all over his face. 

This was your first mission. A solo one at that. He would've been at ease if you had a partner but no, the president decided that it would be better if you were solo. 

It's not like he didn't believe in you. He did. He really did. He was the one who trained you for months and had seen your capabilities on the battlefield. He was impressed. Jill wasn't lying when she said you were a strong Amazon warrior. But that didn't mean he wasn't sweating over you. He almost got killed multiple times back in Spain and even got infected with Las Plagas. What's the possibility that that wouldn't happen to you? What's the possibility that the enemies wouldn't get their hands on you? What's the possibility that you wouldn't get killed? What if he never gets the chance to tell you how he feels?

Okay, stop, Leon. She will come back in one piece, all right? You just have to trust her more. And besides, Hunnigan's on the line to guide her. She'll be fine...she'll come back alive.

Right?

It's been a few hours since you've arrived at the location and so far you've only had a few scratches here and there that you didn't even notice were healing on their own quickly as you were too focused on getting the mission done.

There was this scary ass creature that was chasing you non-stop and you were already getting tired because of the running you were doing.

Gwen Ramirez, the psycho that released a virus called the Z-virus (A/N: I couldn't think of anything). He had injected himself with it and now, he became this spider-like beast, you know, like, Pennywise, that wanted to kill you so badly.

"Y/N, are you alright?" You heard Hunnigan ask through the comms after you've hidden yourself behind a thin metal sheet.

"Yeah, I just--", you got cut off. You look down to your abdomen and saw a huge claw piercing through it. You gasped. The claw then pulled out of you after a few seconds and you were left sliding down the metal behind you as you clutched your stomach.

"Y/N!" You heard multiple voices through the comms. You lifted your shirt up a bit and what you saw made your eyes widen in horror and astonishment. The flesh surrounding your open wound was closing on its own and you didn't how the fuck that just happened.

"Hunnigan?" You shakily called the woman on the other line.

"Hold on, Y/N. A helicopter is going towards where your location is", you ignored her statement and just told her what you were seeing.

"How the fuck is my wound healing so fast?" The clacking of keyboard stopped on the other line and nobody spoke for a moment until you heard a male voice say,

"What?" You patted every part of your body but you felt nothing, as if your cuts and bruises were gone too.

"I don't have any cuts and bruises anymore", you finally spoke again. Without any other words, you came out of your hiding spot and saw the creature looking down at you in surprise and confusion.

"How...? You should be dead!" The beast cried out. You looked past the monster and saw a few drums of explosives just standing near him.

"I thought so too", you took out your gun and shot every firkin, the explosion causing for the horrendous creature to be torn apart in pieces. 

Just as the explosion occurred, the sound of blades cutting through the cold and dark air was heard from above and a ladder was then thrown down at you.

Once the helicopter had landed on the helipad on top of the D.S.O.'s building, you jumped out of the chopper and let's say maybe a dozen of scientists quickly took you to their lab and took a sample of your blood to examine it and see what was the cause of that sudden ability you had. You happily obliged as you wanted to find out what was inside of you too and just waited as you patiently sat down on a bed.

As soon as the scientist that took some of your blood went of the room, Leon came barging in through the door with a...weird and undefined look on his face...you seriously don't know.

"Hey, Leon-mf", you were suddenly cut off by a pair of warm lips touching your own glossy ones. You tried processing it for a moment but eventually responded back by moving your lips against Leon's as you closed your eyes shut and let your hand reach the nape of his neck.

Leon caressed your bottom lip with his wet and silky tongue as a way of silently asking for permission to which you happily let him by parting your mouth more.

You were running out of breath and it seemed like Leon was too as he pulled away, a short string of saliva the only thing connecting you both. Then, you came to a realization.

"You're the one who keeps bringing me coffee", you said as a small grin started to tug on your lips.

"Yeah. I've always liked you. Jill had told me several stories about you and even showed me a picture of you both", Leon confessed as he proceeded to place a few strands of hair behind your ear.

"Well, I'm glad you do because I've admired you since the day I found out you were one of the survivors", you smiled softly at him again and grabbed his face with both hands as you pulled him in for another kiss.

[hobeymakar]

Whatever Will I Be | J. Skinner

Words: 2,627

A/N: In this, COVID-19 is going on and the playoffs are currently happening in its new schedule and format

Warnings: swearing, alcohol use, mentions of sex

-

You wake up to the sound of footsteps bursting through the door and running to your bed, pulling on your legs.

“Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!” you hear your twin sons exclaim, as they continue to pull on your legs.

“Boys! Stop it!” Jeff groans, sitting up.

He lifts Jesse up onto the bed and Jesse takes that as an excuse to crawl over to you.

“Mommy wake up!” he whines, yanking on your arm.

“Jesse! Be gentle with Mommy!” Jeff warns, shooting him a look.

Jeremy waddles his way over to Jeff’s side and gets lifted onto the bed, as well.

“Morning, boys,” you finally say, not wanting to be attacked some more by your sons.

“Auntie Jillian is here!” they announce.

“That’s great. How about Daddy makes breakfast!” you suggest, knowing how much the boys love when Jeff makes breakfast.

“Daddycakes! Daddycakes!” the boys chant, referring to Jeff’s pancakes.

“Alright boys, Daddycakes it is,” he smiles, getting up from bed.

He puts on an old Kitchener Rangers shirt before leaving the room. He obviously checks the boys pull-ups first, making sure they didn’t pee in them overnight. That’s one of the many times you’re both thankful that the boys are potty trained and only use the pull-ups at night. They then head downstairs where they’re met with Jillian who is standing in the kitchen, typing away on her phone.

“Good morning, Jeff,” she smiles, hugging her older brother.

“Jill, what brings you here so early?” he asks, as he places the twins in their high chairs.

“I figured I could help you guys out early. I know today is a big day and I figured I could help you deal with my favorite little nephews,” she explains.

“Yeah well with these little guys, we’re gonna need all the help we can get,” he replies, getting the ingredients out of the pancakes.

“Where’s Y/N?” she asks.

You start waddling your way downstairs right after she asks.

“Speaking of the devil,” he chuckles, as you slowly make your way to the kitchen.

“Y/N!” Jillian smiles, hugging you.

“Hi, my love! It’s so good to see you!” you smile back.

“How’s my little niece or nephew doing?” she asks, placing her hands on your bump.

“He or she is alright. This pregnancy has been easier than the twins. God, that pregnancy was so exhausting, but with this little one it’s been pretty smooth,” you explain, thinking about the hell the wins put you through.

“Mommy, juice!” Jesse chants, smacking his hands against the table.

“Jesse, what do we say?” you ask, giving him a stern look.

“Pwease!” he replies, shoving a finger in his mouth.

You, Jillian, and Jeff laugh before you get both Jesse and Jeremy a juice box, since you know that Jeremy would ask for one after seeing his brother drinking one.

“So I talked to Mom and Dad and the girls and they said they should be here within the next few hours to set everything up for the party. What time is your family coming, Y/N?” she asks.

“I don’t know. They said they would get here by 2:30,” you inform her.

“Awesome because we were planning to start this thing around that time. Everyone can eat and have a good time and then at like 6 we can do the actual reveal,” she suggests.

“That sounds like a great idea, Jill!” you smile, loving the plan.

“Thank you, my love. I always have the best ideas,” she teases.

Normally, you would’ve had a bigger celebration with Jeff’s teammates and all the WAGs, as well as all your friends and extended family. The celebration would’ve also taken place in Buffalo, as Jeff would be in training camp at the moment. However, COVID-19 brought a change to all their plans, so their celebration will be in their backyard and is limited to only you and Jeff’s immediate family.

Jeff finishes making the pancakes and serves everyone. He also pours coffee for himself, you, and Jillian. You all sit and watch as the twins eat and babble, while making a mess all over themselves and their high chairs.

“Are you guys sure you’re ready for another kid?” Jillian asks, looking at how chaotic the twins are.

“If I can handle these two little terrors, I think I can handle a third child on top. Although I will take advantage of this extra time Jeff has had to help,” you explain.

“I never knew how hard it was to get these two into bed every night, until I started doing it mostly by myself while I let Y/N rest,” he confesses.

“Now you know why I would always be so tired every time you would come home after a game,” you reply.

“Best wife ever,” he smiles, kissing your forehead.

“I love our children, even though they’re so damn hyper,” you admit.

The boys start babbling about something and you both pretend like you understand exactly what they’re saying. After a while, they finish eating and you clean them up, as Jeff picks up all the dishes and puts them all in the dishwasher. 

“Babe, can you give the boys a bath, please? They have syrup all over their hair and themselves,” you note, taking in how filthy the boys managed to get themselves.

“Sure babe. Come on boys, you’re both stinky! Ew!” he teases, putting his shirt over his nose.

That gets a rise out of the twins as they start to laugh uncontrollably at their father’s antics. He picks them both up and carries them upstairs.

“Is my brother ready for another kid?” Jillian, as soon as he’s upstairs.

“I know it’ll be tough once the new season starts, but he loves being a dad and I know he’ll be able to handle it,” you reply, knowing how great he is with the twins.

“Yeah, he’s pretty great with them and he’ll be even better with a daughter. Right now, you’re outnumbered by the boys in your house,” she teases.

“I mean, I would love having another boy, but having a girl would be really great, too! It would be great to not be so outnumbered too,” you tease, referring to the amount of testosterone in your house.

Jillian goes outside to start setting up for the party, while you start preparing what to make for the party. After a bit, Jeff’s other sisters show up, as well as his parents and they help set up. Jeff’s mom and two of his sisters take over in the kitchen, so that you can go get ready. You head back upstairs and take a nice warm, relaxing bath, as everyone else is busy preparing for the party.

After a while, you get out of the bath and head to your room to get dressed. You’re in your closet getting ready for the party, while your in-laws are setting up everything in the backyard. The weather has been nice in Markham recently and you’re hoping that will continue for the few days left of summer. You, Jeff, and the twins have been at your offseason home in Markham ever since the league allowed for players to travel back to their home countries.

You and Jeff had decided right away that it was best for your little family to head back to Markham instead of riding out the pandemic in Buffalo. You’re both glad you did because it’s been a long offseason, with the Sabres not making the qualifying round. 

You're currently 20 weeks pregnant with your second child, after getting pregnant right after quarantine started. You thought people were lying about a quarantine baby boom, but you definitely contributed to that. You finish getting dressed with your hair and makeup done as well. You have a blue and gold dress on, which are obviously Sabres colors, while Jeff is dressed in his jersey and the twins are also dressed in their mini Skinner jerseys. You leave the room and make your way downstairs and as soon as you head outside, you hear the shouts of “Mommy!”

The twins come barreling towards you and hug your legs.

“You look so pretty, Mommy!” they exclaim.

“Thank you so much, my babies!” you smile, ruffling their curls.

Jeff then makes his way towards you and you swear you hear the air being punched out of lungs.

“Wow, babe! You look amazing,” he smiles, kissing you.

“It’s amazing how nice I clean up when I’m given some alone time away from our little terrors,” you tease, referring to your active 2 year old sons who think it’s fun to drive you both crazy.

“Well good thing my family’s all here to help, except for Ben,” he adds, referring to his only brother Ben.

Ben is currently gearing up for another season playing hockey in Germany and unfortunately couldn’t be here but he’s apparently gonna be sent the video from one of Jeff’s sisters. You greet all of Jeff’s sisters and his parents, before greeting your family as well. Everyone is talking about the bets they placed on the gender and the decorations are set up perfectly. All the treats are baby-themed and everything looks amazing for something being planned during a global pandemic. Andrea pours you a mommy-gria aka a non-alcoholic sangria and you watch the kids interact with Jeff’s family, as well as your family. Music is playing and everyone is dancing and having a good time, completely forgetting about the chao going on in the world for the moment.

The food is being served outside and everyone is eating while also trying to keep a bit of a distance from everyone, as you’re still in a global pandemic. Your family is interacting with the Skinner family nicely and times like these makes you really miss family. In the beginning of the pandemic, the lockdown made it so that you couldn’t see you and Jeff’s family, but now with the restrictions easing, you’ve been cherishing the time being spent with them.

After a while, everyone finishes eating and you head over to the driveway where the net is set up and Jeff grabs his stick in his hand. Everyone follows suit and crowds around in the driveway to get a good view of the surprise. Jennifer hands him the special puck and they all get ready to film the gender reveal.

“Are you all ready?” Jeff asks, stickhandling the puck a little.

“Yes!” they all shout in unison.

“Alright, 1-2-3!” he shouts, before shooting the puck into the empty net.

Pink smoke comes out of the puck and everyone starts shouting. Jeff hugs and kisses you as tears of joy start to roll down your cheeks.

“I love you so much, baby!” he smiles, kissing you.

“You’re gonna be the best girl dad ever!” you assure him, knowing how great he is with the twins.

Those who bet boy pay up their debts and hand all the money in a box to Jillian, who returns it to your room for safe keeping. The music turns back on and people start dancing again, while Jennifer and Andrea go back inside to grab stuff to cut the cake. After that, everyone takes turns taking pictures with you, Jeff, and the kids in front of the cake that reads “whatever will i be?” After all the pictures are taken, Jennifer and Andrea start cutting the cake, while Erica and Jillian pass the pieces of cake out to everyone. After a while, everyone has a slice and you sit down on your favorite chair while you eat your cake. Jeff is sat right beside you as the twins are on their high-chairs making a mess from eating the cake.

“Are you boys excited to have a little sister?” Jeff asks.

“Sister! Sister! Sister!” they chant over and over again, smashing the cake with their hands.

“I guess that’s a yes,” he chuckles, kissing your cheek.

You start thinking of names for your baby girl as you eat, not noticing yourself starting to zone out.

“Hello earth to Y/N!” Jeff calls out, waving his hand in front of your face.

You snap out of it and blink a few times before turning to face him. “Sorry, babe.”

“What are you thinking so hard about?” he asks.

“Just names for our baby girl,” you reply.

“Already? What names are you thinking of?” he asks.

“I like Scarlett for her first name and Jessica for her middle name,” you inform him.

“Scarlett Jessica Skinner? I like that,” he smiles, nodding his head.

“So Scarlett Jessica it is then?” you ask to make sure.

“Yes babe, Scarlett Jessica it is,” he confirms, nodding his head.

Your daughter starts moving around in your womb, clearly agreeing with the choice for her name.

“She’s moving so I guess she likes her name,” you giggle, loving the feeling of her movements.

After a while, everyone is done eating, and Jeff’s sisters help clean everything up. After a while, some of your family start leaving, bidding you, Jeff, and the kids farewell. More and more people follow suit until it’s just Jeff’s family left. They help clean up everything and bring everything inside to the house. They packaway the leftovers to take over to their houses, since you tell them that you don’t want any of it. 

After everything is cleaned up, Jillian informs you and Jeff that she’ll be taking the twins home with her to watch them so that you and Jeff can have a night alone together. You both happily agree to it and Jeff goes upstairs to pack everything for the kids, while you make yourself comfortable on the couch. After what feels like forever, but it’s really 20 minutes, Jeff returns with two bags packed for the twins.

“Babe, it’s one night! They don’t need all that stuff!” you sigh, knowing that he for sure overpacked.

“I just want them to have everything they need,” he defends himself, handing Jillian the bags.

“Are you boys ready to have a sleepover with Auntie Jillian?” Jillian asks.

“Yes! Sleepover!” they chant in excitement, since they know they’ll be able to get away with everything with their Aunt.

“Alright, let’s go kiddos!” she shouts, grabbing their hands.

She bids everyone farewell and leaves the house with the kids in tow. The rest of Jeff;s family follow suit and before you know it, the house is left to just you two.

“Do you hear that babe?” you ask.

“The sweet sound of silence. God, I can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow!” he cries out in joy.

“I love the boys, but I’m sure gonna enjoy this night without them,” you add.

“I’m gonna go shower,” he informs you.

“Alright, I’ll be getting ready for bed,” you inform him.

You both go upstairs and into the bathroom. You take off your makeup and tie up your hair, while Jeff takes a shower. You then go to your room and get dressed for bed, wearing only underwear, since you won’t have to deal with children trying to get into your bed in the morning.

You then climb onto the bed and wait for him, turning on the TV and getting comfortable. After a while, he comes out of the room wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He takes in the sight of you in your underwear and he goes straight onto the bed, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

“Hey, I was watching that!” you protest, pretending to be mad.

“No, I know exactly what you were doing!” he responds back.

He’s right, you were trying to take advantage of the lonely night and he luckily, took the bait. Jillian is officially your favorite sister-in-law now.

[rpd-rookie]

Under Her Extra-Large Umbrella - Chris Redfield x Reader (PART 1)

Summary: Chris Redfield has always been an honourable man but the things he's seen at Spencer Mansion leave him no choice. He must infiltrate Umbrella's French laboratory, whatever it takes, even if it means manipulating you. But how far he is ready to go?

Author’s Note: This fanfic involves a Post RE1 / Pre-Code Veronica version of Chris Redfield since it focuses on his trip to Europe that is mentioned in RE2. You will probably notice that I used the letter Chris wrote to his S.T.A.R.S. friends. It is actually what inspired this fan fiction in the first place. Gotta be honest with you, this fanfic made me shed blood, sweat and tears. I guess I rewrote it twice before coming to a rather satisfying version and I must have tear my hair out quite a few times when I was struggling with grammar. (BTW, tell me if you see some terrible grammatical mistakes so that I can correct them) Anyway, as usual, I hope you will like it. Please don’t forget to like/reblog and tell me what you think of it in the comment section.

Tags: Romance, Fluff, SMUT, Explicit Language, Manipulation and Treachery. Angst is come ;-)  

Also available on AO3

“Better failing with honour than winning by cheating, son”.           Chris could perfectly remember his father telling him those words. It was in 1990. Chris was a seventeen years old teenager finishing his Junior year, and they were driving back home from driving school right after learning he had failed his theory test contrary to that asshole Colin Monroe who had aced it thanks to a crib cheat hidden in his sock.       He could also remember that his father’s wisdom had barely consoled him on that day - despite what he had let him believe - and that it had taken him quite some time to swallow the bitter pill and even more time to admit that his father was indeed right and that he should live by this motto. Months actually. Plus a tombstone with his parents’ names on it.       Chris never regretted listening to his father. He never regretted promising him that he would do his best to become the man he would have wished him to be. That promise had made him the man he was today. A man who would never stray from the right path however tempting treachery could be. Someone loyal, upright and honourable. Someone his parents would be proud of.

And yet here he was, eight years later, a twenty-five years old cop, breaking the promise he had made his father and doing something so deceitful and selfish it would certainly make him roll over in his grave or wish he were still here to give his son a earful.     But today, it was not something as silly as his driving licence that was at stake. It was the justice he owned to his fellow S.T.A.R.S. members, those he had lost at Spencer Mansion and those waiting for him in Raccoon City. It was the security of god knows how many people. This time, Chris had a burden on his shoulders that was way too heavy for him to accept a possible failure. And as terrible as it sounded, he was ready to do something bad for the greater good, whatever the cost, whatever his dead father may think of him from beyond the grave.

                      “To my bestest S.T.A.R.S. buds,

           How are you all doing in that drab, old station? Hanging in there against old Irons? Me? I just got back from a date with a hot chick. Bet you can guess what we got up to under her extra-large umbrella.            Europe is amazing. One month is in no way enough to even scratch the surface. Maybe I’ll extend my vacation for another six months.                Barry, don’t even think of coming join me. Wouldn’t want to make all the cute girls cry, yeah? So you just leave the babes to me.              Jill, if Claire tries to contact you, please let her know I’m OK.”

Chris put down the pen on his nightstand and took a look at his letter one more time with a proud amused smile. He knew that his friends, contrary to Irons, would get the hidden message behind that lame womanizer persona that was so unlike him. And hopefully, maybe the police chief would tell his friends at Umbrella his S.T.A.R.S. poster boy was nothing to worry about and just currently cruising for pussies in Europe.  

“Writing to your friends again?” Chris looked up to see you standing in the doorway to his bedroom. You looked very tired, exhausted even, judging by the dark circles under your beautiful eyes, your loosened bun and the way you were leaning against the framework. “Yeah, to give them a small update on my vacation.” Chris folded the letter and put it in the drawer of his nightstand; not very keen on letting you read it. “Tough day?” “You have no idea.” You dropped your bag at the entrance of Chris’ room and went to fall down on his bed, your head on his crossed legs. “Wanna talk about it?” Chris asked as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “You know I can’t say much. Professional confidentiality and all. ”         “I didn’t know working for Umbrella was like working for the CIA.” Chris joked, trying to tone down the disgust he was feeling each time he had to pronounce the word Umbrella. You smiled, too tired to laugh and glanced at Chris who was staring at you.            

God, why did you have to be so beautiful and so sweet and yet so not good for him? Why did you have to work for Umbrella? And how did he allow things to be that way between the two of you?

Chris could remember the day he had first seen you, the day he had chosen not be moral and honourable for once in his life.       It was almost a month ago. He had been in Paris for a couple days, trying to find a way to infiltrate Umbrella’s French laboratory, which was even more impenetrable than Zone 51, the lab being a real fortress (with automatic secured doors, CCTVs, guards and a severe ‘no visitor allowed’ policy) only accessible if you were the lucky owner of a white and red badge. And you had happened to be one.       Leaving the lab for lunch break, happy to finally feel the warm sun on your face, it hadn’t been your beautiful [h/c] hair loosely tied back in a high ponytail or your twinkly [e/c] eyes that had caught Chris’ attention (even though yeah he had noticed). No it had been that badge, that stupid badge carelessly hanging from the front pocket of your lab coat. And it had also been that badge that, unfortunately for you, had made him organise a plan to trick you and get his hands on it, that badge that had made you the victim of his very first treachery.  

Your meeting was – unbeknownst to you – the most unnatural meeting ever. Chris had calculated everything. When? Lunch break. Where? The nearby boulangerie where you used to be eating. What to say? “Désolé. Bonjour. Puis-je m’assoir avec vous?” which meant “Sorry. Hi. May I sit with you?” in French of course, because Chris had figured that playing the part of the poor American tourist with a terrible French accent trying to adapt in the city of love would be much more appropriate for the situation.       And it had worked. He had sit at your table, had exchanged a few words with you and had found you surprisingly friendly and adorable for an Umbrella employee.             But of course, as the majority of Chris’ plans, the meeting hadn’t ended up the way he had imagined (meaning him discreetly stealing your badge) simply because of a tiny detail he hadn’t thought of; you had forgotten your badge at the lab, leaving him no choice but to improvise and organise a second meeting that he had dared called a rendez-vous.

And here he was, weeks later, sharing your apartment and occasionally your bed and definitely bogged in a way bigger deceit that the one he had originally planned, one he knew he would not be able to get out easily.     And to answer the question, did Chris manage to get his hands on your badge? Well, yes and it was now safely hidden in his room to be used at the proper moment. If only he could shut his guilt away as well. Things would be much easier.

“What did you do today? Sebastien told me he barely saw you.” Sebastien was your other roommate. A nice redhead guy as well as a curious unstoppable chatterbox. “Oh, nothing interesting. I woke up early to jog at the Bois de Boulogne then I spent the rest of day wandering in the city.” That was half a lie. Yes, he had gone for a run at the Bois de Boulogne but he hadn’t spent the afternoon visiting Paris. No, he had spent his afternoon trying to reach the FBI from a phone booth in order to know if they had some news concerning Irons or the Mansion Incident. Unsuccessfully.           “If you want, we can spend this Saturday together. I’m sure I can show you few places you haven’t seen yet.”           “Aren’t you working this Saturday?” You were always working on Saturdays. “I need a day off to clear my mind a bit.” That didn’t sound like you. You were too much of a workaholic to prefer spending your Saturday playing guide to your American roommate. “Now, consider me worried. What’s up at work?” Chris asked, concerned not only because he knew something terrible could be happening at Umbrella but also because he couldn’t help but caring about you, Umbrella worker or not.         “Those last days have been a bit tough that’s all.” You wouldn’t tell him more. You couldn’t. For so many reasons.     “Well in that case, what do you think about me running you a nice hot bath?” You glanced up at Chris. He had drawn your attention in a very interesting way. “That depends. Will you be with me in that bath?” You asked cheekily.         “Do you want me too?” He smirked and you put your hand on his neck to pull him closer to your face. You pressed your lips softly against his; sighing in this kiss you had been dreaming about all day, as Chris brought you against his broad chest, his strong arms now holding you tight against him. You felt so safe in his embrace and that’s what you needed right now.        

Chris pecked you a couple times before laying one last kiss on your forehead with a tenderness that made you melt in his arms. “I’m gonna go run you that bath, okay?” You nodded. “Join me in ten minutes.”       Needless to say that those ten minutes were the longest you had ever experienced. Probably because they gave you plenty of time to dwell on the things you had experienced today at the lab, the things you had seen, the things you wanted to forget and yet couldn’t.           You got up and grabbed the bag you had left by the door to search for a small notebook that you opened with a desperate sigh. Then, you took the pen on Chris’ nightstand and started scribbling notes and drawings in it. A habit you had taken a few months ago and that somehow helped you from not cracking up.  

You guessed you took more than ten minutes when you heard Chris clear his throat by the door, only wearing a small towel around his wait. Goodness, what a sight.         You quickly closed the notebook as soon as you spotted him and put it back in your bag while he pretended not to notice. “Haven’t you forgotten something, mademoiselle?” He smirked and you giggled. “Have I?”     “Yes. I think there is a naked man waiting for you in the bathroom.” He joked and you approached him with a amused yet cheeky smile. You put your hands on his chest, feeling his muscles against your palm, as you looked up at his face with a mischievous look. “Is he hot?” “Right now, he is very hot.” He confessed, absolutely in the mood to play with you. “Better not keep him waiting, then.” You purred and you put your hand on one of the straps of your summer dress to gently make it slide along your shoulder.     That small sight of your naked skin made Chris hiss and unable to resist the urge to lay a trail of soft warm kisses from your neck down to your shoulder. You could tell the smoothness and the perfume of your skin were driving him crazy as his mouth soon started devouring you and muffled growls began vibrating in his throat.     His calloused hands roamed down your back, making you instinctively move your hips closer to his crotch, and he unzipped your dress. It dropped at your feet revealing your body that Chris gazed at with his brown eyes darkened by desire. They lingered on your breasts and you knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to touch them. He loved them too much for that. And so, his hands cupped them and his thumbs brushed your hard nipples. “Gosh, Y/N.” He breathing in, trying to calm his heart pounding in his chest “I can’t wait any longer.” Chris suddenly grabbed you and hoisted you up with incredible ease, hands under your ass, which made you yelp.     Nevertheless, you instinctively wrapped your legs around him, making his towel fall to the floor. “Oops. That was not voluntary.” You giggled. So did he. “Right.” And he rushed towards the bathroom, with you in his arms, his lips devouring yours in a hasty burning kiss on the way.

He set you up on the double washstand and quickly locked the door behind him, giving you a brief view of his divine firm behind, though you liked the front as much if not more right now. “What are you looking at like that?” He smirked. Well, his chiselled chest, his carved abs and that big hard cock. What a silly question! But you couldn’t say that and so instead you urged Chris to come closer to you, spreading your legs to welcome him between them.   He obeyed but instead of giving you that lustful hug and passionate kiss you were expecting, he crouched in between your legs and remove your panties, kissing your smooth legs, from thighs to feet, as he did. You clearly knew where that would eventually lead but you moaned anyway when you felt Chris put your legs on his shoulders and burry his face in between your thighs. “I told you I’d help you relax.”         “What about the hot bath?” You tilted your head towards the bubble bath he had run for you few minutes ago.     “Oh don’t worry, we’re getting there. But first you know how much I like licking your pussy.” He winked and his tongue lapped your slit up to your clit without waiting another second. A loud moan escaped your mouth as Chris sucked your bud loudly, pulling it between his lips, and he looked up at you with a proud smirk before focusing his attention back on your pussy.     He was good, very good even, way better than any other men you had ever been with. He knew exactly how to please you. He knew where the tip of tongue had to swirl to make you shiver, knew the right spot to suck to make you moan and when to add his fingers to make you cry out his name - which was right now by the way. “Oh my god, Chris!” You mewled loudly as you felt one of his fingers entering you, his mouth still eating your pussy up. Your legs instinctively clenched around your lover’s head while one of your hand found its way in his short hair. Then you heard Chris hum in between your thighs as he kept on licking you and fucking you with his finger, adding one more in the process. You pulled his hair back, forcing him to look at you. “Fuck me, please. Fuck me now.” Chris complied and, after his tongue slid one last time in between your lips, he stood up to catch your lips in a new passionate kiss, making you taste your juices on his expert tongue. You could feel his cock against you, hard and slightly throbbing already, showing how impatient and aroused he was.       “Enter that bath, quick.” He ordered with a deep voice that made you shake against his body.

You obeyed and gladly let your burning body sink in the bubbly water, the lukewarm water cooling you off a bit (which wasn’t a bad thing). You were soon followed by Chris who entered the bath with a brutal eagerness that made the water waved a bit too much around both your bodies. “Don’t flood the apartment.” You giggled as you spread your legs to make him a place in the tub. “I can’t promise you that.” He confessed amused, as he grabbed his length in his hand to jerk it off a bit and guide it towards your begging entrance waiting for him under the water. He tickled your swollen clit with his tip before entire you almost smoothly making you draw a sharp breath.         “Damn, you’re so tight.” Chris growled as he took hold of the edge of the bathtub above your head to push himself deeper inside of you, enjoying your wet walls around his cock. “You’re fucking big, you mean.” You said with a painful hiss that brutally calmed his ardour and made him consider immediately pulling out of you. “Sorry. Am I hurting you?” He worried, aware his girth needed get some getting used to and afraid that he hadn’t given you enough. “No, no. It’s okay. Just give me sec.” You cleared your throat and adjusted yourself underneath Chris, spreading your lips with your fingers to welcome him the way you both desired. Hard, big and rough. “Okay. Good now.”           “You sure?” He asked, definitely not willing to hurt you. You nodded and pressed your lips against him to show him how much you wanted him right now. He got the message and started moving inside of you, slowly yet deeply for now.

You dug your nails in his biceps and started moaning; taking delight in feeling him going in and out of you. It was just the most divine sensation in the world. He filled you so perfectly. “Chris. Please. Faster.” You begged.             He complied and started pounding you more quickly, hands still on the edge of the tub, towering you with his muscular body to assert his dominance over you the way you liked it. But it wasn’t enough for you and so you wrapped your legs around him forcing him to go balls deep inside of you. Chris smirked, loving your initiative. “You like it deep and rough, baby?” You cried out.   “I didn’t hear you”   “Yeeess.” You whimpered with small tears in your eyes. He hammered you harder, spilling water on the bathroom floor, and you clenched your walls around him. “Oh god!” You yelled, out of breath.

He was relentless, so strong, so fast, so deep you could hear his body slam against your skin and echo the splashes of the waves in the tub. “Come here.” He lay on his back and urged you to come and straddle him. And so you climbed on top of him, admiring how handsome he was underneath you. “Guide me into you.” You did as he said and directed his throbbing cock to your wanting pussy, welcoming him again inside your wetness, Hands pressed against his pectorals, you immediately started undulating on top of him, feeling the pleasure coming back in your lower stomach.         “That’s it. Keep going.” He whispered, gazing at you.

Chris’ hands crawled up your body to reach your breasts and play with them a bit, delicately pinching your pointy nipples, as you kept riding him. You knew he loved groping them and you also knew how much he loved them in his mouth as well. Therefore you decided to bent over him a bit, just enough for his face to reach your chest, holding on to the wall in front of you with one hand to keep your balance. Chris smiled, understanding perfectly your little game, and pulled one of your tits to his mouth to catch one nipple between his lips and suck it greedily.       It was apparently very pleasurable for him (even maybe more than it was for you, and it was a lot) since he started humming and growling loudly. You enjoyed hearing and seeing him like this very much, so much you stopped riding him to focus on this spectacle.            

It didn’t last long though as you soon felt you lover’s strong hands gripping your ass to make you bounce on his cock again. “I so want to cum, baby. Please make us both cum.” His words made you shiver of excitement and you locked your lips with his as you started rolling your hips onto him again.       But it was certainly not enough for Chris since after few seconds he suddenly grabbed your hips to slam deep in your pussy and relentlessly pound you from underneath. You screamed his name and hold on tight to him. He was very rough, so rough you could barely breathe, but you didn’t mind at all.     Soon, you felt your face become so red and your bundle of nerves become atrociously sensitive. You knew you were ready to explode. “Chris. I’m gonna cum.” He put his hand on your clit to stimulate it and help you reach your release, his cock hammering you even harder than before.       You clenched your pussy around his throbbing cock, making him groan because of how tighter you suddenly were. “Tell me I can cum in you, baby.” He asked, panting. He was very close too. “Yes, cum in me.” You didn’t need to say it twice as Chris immediately growled in your ear, slowed his pace, and spread his cum in your pussy with a last animalistic grunt as you came undone on top of him, yelling his name, your powerful orgasm almost knocking you out.

You collapsed on him, incapable of remaining straight. “Wow. That was something.” He chuckled, exhausted and out of breath, and so did you.             “You’re okay?” You looked up at him, raising your eyebrows. What a ridiculous question. “No, I’m being serious, Y/N. Wasn’t I a bit too rough?” He asked.       “You were perfect.” You admitted before kissing him tenderly.           “AND SO FUCKING LOUD!!!” You heard shouting from behind the wall. You both looked in the direction of the noise, understanding that your roommate had probably heard everything but despite the embarrassment you couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Poor Sebastien.       “Why don’t we get out of that bath and cuddle a bit in bed? The water is getting cold.” Chris offered.   “I’d like that very much.” You smiled and managed to leave the tub, using the little energy you had left in your sore body.            

As you dried yourself, you saw Chris head towards the door with a towel draped around his waist. “Where are you going?” You asked.   “Taking some briefs in my room. See you in your room in a minute?” He smiled and you nodded, impatient to spend the night in his arms. “Can you bring me back my clothes and my bag while you’re at it?”           “Sure.”

Chris closed the door behind him and headed towards his room where he put on some clean underwear and picked up your stuff as you had asked. But the moment he grabbed your bag and caught a glimpse of the black notebook he had previously seen you inside, he knew he would probably not join you as soon as he had told you.         He watched it first, hesitant, knowing perfectly well that what he had in mind right now was very bad. It was one thing to steal a badge, but spying on you, that was going too far. “No, Chris. No.” He whispered to himself. And yet, he grasped the notebook and opened it.   It was a diary of some sort judging by the numerous dates he noticed as he quickly leafed through it. And if it was a diary then it was indeed very private, intimate even, certainly not his to read. He thought about putting it back in your bag for a second, but what if something valuable to his investigation was inside that notebook?         “Argh, fuck.” He cursed as he went to the first page.

“May, 14th 1998

Today made me regret the time I was just the intern bringing Professor Rochois his morning espresso. Umbrella is asking more and more of me, and the pressure they put on us workers is driving me insane. But what’s worse is that I’ve got the impression they are not telling us everything, especially concerning the experience the seasoned scientists are conducting in the north wing. But I guess I’ll soon have answers to my questions since Professor Rochois said that he was genuinely impressed by my devotion and was thinking of promoting me.”

Chris frowned, apprehension knotting his stomach. That didn’t sound good at all. He needed to learn more about that even if the moment was far from convenient. You could show up anytime and catch him red-handed.         He turned a few more pages, rapidly skimming through some notes he would definitely read another day, until he spotted a weird drawing of some octopus-like creature. What the hell was that thing?

“June, 7th 1998

The NE-a parasite. A parasitic species indented to retain intelligence. It has been developed by Umbrella Europe for years. At first I thought it was just a revolutionary way to cure brain damage. After all, that’s how it had been advertised to me. But the more I study it, the more I believe Umbrella may be up to something else other than treating brain injuries or Alzheimer. I don’t know what and I’m not even sure I want to know.”

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. His body was shaking and he could feel fear eating him up and he started imagining terrible things.   What if you were involved in the Spencer Mansion incident? No, no. You couldn’t be. And yet, Chris decided to have a look had the entries you wrote in July. He needed to reassure himself. One immediately drew his attention.

“July, 28th 1998

My superiors have been quite on edge lately, something to do with an incident that happened with the American branch of Umbrella from what I overheard. I don’t know what it is though, but I’m sure it must be pretty big because they doubled down security in the lab. The team and I have the impression we are living in a 1984 remake. The CCTVs are always recording and I sometimes have the strange sensation I’m being permanently spied on, even in the locker room. Maybe they have doubts about me because of the many questions I often ask about Project Nemesis.”

Project Nemesis? Y/N, what the hell were you working on in that lab?

[softdadcarlos]

Reunion: Alternative Route

Masterlist

Fandom: Resident Evil/Biohazard

Pairing: Jill/Carlos

AU: Family Life AU AU (its like an au for an au if that makes sense?)

Summary: When Chris calls Carlos with a lead, Carlos can’t just sit around and wait.

I KNOW I’M MEANT TO BE DOING UNI WORK BUT AFTER I HAD THIS IDEA I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT DOWN! (Also a lot of the dialogue is taken from a script for Resi 5 that I found 👀)

Carlos’ phone rang as he finished drying Eliza’s hair after her bath, preparing to put her to bed. He sighed, putting down the towel and picking up his phone to see who it was. It was Chris. But he was on a mission in Africa, why was he calling now?

“Hello?”

“Carlos!” Chris exclaimed making Carlos flinch as he left his daughter’s room, “We found evidence that Jill is still alive. The CEO of Tricell, Excella, may have her-”

“Where exactly are you? I’ll get there as soon as possible.”

Plans were already forming in his head. No offence to Chris but after years of waiting, he couldn’t be patient any longer.

“What about Eliza? What if something happens to you?”

“Nothing will happen to me. If things get too dicey I’ll bail, okay?”

The was a beat of silence. “We’re in Kijuju on our way to the old ruins of the Ndipaya kingdom. You better make that a promise. I can’t have both of Eliza’s parents on my conscious.”

Carlos hung up. He had all the information he needed, he just needed to get there. He made a quick call to Claire asking if she’d be okay to take Eliza for a couple of days with many apologizes thrown in. He knew that it would probably be a juggle to take care of a five-year-old and a toddler. Thankfully she agreed, correctly guessing it was Jill related.

He re-entered Eliza’s room and packed an overnight bag with plenty of clothes and supplies before crouching down and stroking her cheek, “I know this is sudden but you’re going to be sleeping over with Auntie Claire for a little while. Uncle Chris needs my help on an important mission.”

Her bottom lip wobbled as tears began to form in her eyes, “But what if you get captured like Mama?”

He pulled her into a hug, “Everything will be okay sweetie. Papa will be very careful.”

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A couple hours later and he was on a private jet heading to a designated meetup point with Chris and Sheva. He had managed to pull a few strings with the B.S.A.A with the help of Chris which got him the transport and gear he needed. It felt strange to be holding an assault rifle after eleven years of relative peace. God he hoped he wasn’t rusty.

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Chris, Sheva and Carlos pursued Excella into the underground palace, weapons drawn as she finally came to a halt.

“Excella Gionne! Stop right there!” Sheva ordered.

Excella began to applaud mockingly, “Bravo!”

Something felt off, Carlos couldn’t put his finger on it. Almost like they were being lured in.

“Damn it, where is Jill?!” Chris demanded, gun aimed right at her.

Excella scoffed, “Jill? Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't.”

She was playing with them, like a cat does with it’s prey. Part of Carlos was telling him to get out of there but this woman knew Jill’s location. He couldn’t let her get away.

Suddenly the hooded figure that Chris and Sheva had encountered before somersaulted over Excella, quickly disarming the trio with a series of kicks and punches. So it was a trap. Chris quickly recovered and fired a shot that barely missed the figure’s head, hitting their mask instead, removing it. Chris and Sheva opened fire on the figure as it retreated, managing to dodge the bullets with inhumanly fast reflexes. Landing next to Excella, they adjusted their cloak, making sure it was still covering them.

“Stop playing around, we want some answers!” Chris ordered, patience worn thin.

“You haven't changed,” came a voice that Carlos didn’t recognise.

It was a man in all black with slicked back blonde hair and sunglasses.

“Wesker! You are alive!”

Carlos looked to Chris, “This is Wesker?” He looked back to the man, “What have you done with Jill?”

Wesker ignored Carlos as he descended the stairs, “We last met at the...Spencer Estate, wasn't it? Well, isn't this one big family reunion?” He strolled behind the hooded figure, “I would expect you to be happier to see us.”

Oh no. Please no.

“Us?” Chris asked.

Wesker smirked.

“So slow to catch on,” he said as he pulled back the figure’s hood.

There she was. Her hair was blonde now and she was paler but her face was still the same. It was Jill. Carlos was torn between relief and heartbreak. Relief because he was right all along, she was alive. But heartbroken because, somehow, Wesker had done something to her to make her join him, make her their enemy. Carlos lowered his gun. Silently processing everything that was happening.

“Jill...Jill! It's me, Chris!”

Sheva looked to her teammates, “What? Are you sure that's her?”

Carlos swallowed and nodded, “That’s her alright. There’s nobody else like her.”

“The one and only.” Wesker said with almost sickening glee.

Jill suddenly whipped off her cloak, revealing herself to be in a skin-tight battle suit. If this had been any other day, in any other circumstance and she hadn’t been missing for three years, Carlos might have appreciated how she looked in it. But quite frankly he was too distracted by her going on the attack again. Sheva went to open fire on her but Carlos grabbed her gun by the barrel and lowered it.

“Hold your fire! That’s my wife you’re shooting at!”

“She’s attacking us! She’s the enemy.”

“We don’t know what he did to her. There’s still a chance she can be saved and I refuse to go home with a coffin.”

Wesker laughed as he began to approach, “Now let's finish this once and for all. Although I think the odds are a tad unfair, three on two. Right, Jill?”

Jill didn’t respond.

Carlos looked to Chris, “You and Sheva take on Wesker. I’ll deal with Jill.”

“Seven minutes. Seven minutes is all I can spare to play with you.” Wesker teased, beckoning them to come at him.

A fight broke out, bullets flying as Sheva and Chris opened fire on the man who easily dodged them with his speed alone. Carlos took cover as Jill fired dual pistols at him. Shit. This wasn’t going to be easy. He didn’t want to hurt her, that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Jill it’s me! It’s Carlos! You know, the man who saved your fine ass back in RC?! Your husband?! Father of your daughter?! Is this ringing any bells?!” He called out from behind the pillar.

It was useless, all he could do was run and hide while he waited for the other two to deal with Wesker. At least he was keeping her distracted. Hopefully, she’d run out of bullets soon.

All too soon things turned further south.

“Poor performance indeed.” He heard Wesker say from his hiding place, not daring to peak over lest his wife get a headshot. “Your future hinges upon this fight.”

He heard Chris grunt and make impact with something solid that crumbled.

“We'll never win like this. Time to change tactics.” Chris grunted.

“We should hide!” Sheva agreed.

“Way ahead of you,” Carlos shouted back.

He followed after them when they ran past him and down into what appeared to be a labyrinth. They found a sarcophagus which Sheva and Chris heaved open. It had a… magnum inside?

“Why the fuck is there a gun in an ancient sarcophagus? Who sees one of these things and goes ‘This is a good place to put my weapons’?”

Wesker interrupted before anyone could answer Carlos.

“There's no point in hiding. You can't hide forever!”

Sheva looked to the two men, “Same plan as before?” They nodded. “You have to attack before he sees you!”

“You're merely postponing the inevitable!” Wesker goaded.

The team split up, Sheva and Chris performing several hit and run attacks that seemed to be ineffective. Carlos drew Jill’s fire yet again. He refused to return it, not wanting to risk seriously injuring her.

“Self-righteous fools! Your seven minutes are up!”

Wesker left the labyrinth, heading to a balcony while the team made their way out.

“I expected more of a challenge after all this time, Chris. How disappointing.”

His PDA rang and he simply walked away. The team gave chase storming up the stairs with weapons raised. Carlos had a full clip that he’d happily unload into the bastard should the opportunity present itself.

“Wesker, stop!” Chris ordered.

Wesker put away his phone and smirked as Jill rounded the corner, quickly taking down Sheva and Chris with a series of kicks, strikes and hits before putting Carlos in a grapple hold on the floor. Wesker made one more remark before going to leave which Carlos was too distracted to hear as Jill twisted, sending pain shooting through his arm.

“Jill, it’s me. You know me. You married me for crying out loud. Please, snap out of it. For Eliza.”

Suddenly Jill’s face became less blank. She blinked a couple of time, her brows furrowing.

“E..li..za.”

She dropped Carlos’ arm, stumbling back and shaking her head.

“Jill!”

“Remarkable! Still resisting at such an advanced stage.” Wesker commended, apparently not having left. He pulled out his PDA and hit a button which caused Jill to writhe and cry out in pain. “Commendable, yet futile! No more time for games. I've got work to do. Have fun watching Jill suffer.”

“Wait-” Chris shouted.

“What did you do to her?!” Carlos interrupted, seeing red.

Wesker merely stepped into an elevator as Carlos charged towards him, the doors slamming shut in his face. He let out a shout and punched the door. Jill’s cries of agony had him rushing back to her, falling to his knees beside her as he tried to assess the situation, figure out what was happening as she thrashed about. At seemingly the peak of her pain, she tore open her suit revealing an odd red contraption on her chest. Carlos sucked in a breath.

“Dios mio.”

“What's that on her chest?” Sheva asked.

“We have to get it off her,” said Chris.

But then Jill went silent, her face determined and not in a good way. Carlos was quick to retreat back as Jill took on a pose that reminded him of a predator about to strike its prey.

“If we can remove that device on her chest, she might return to normal!” Sheva suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Carlos said, setting his rifle down.

“Then that’s the plan,” Chris affirmed.

The group darted to take cover, Carlos trying to make his way closer and closer.

“Jill! What are you doing! Stop this! Jill! Answer me!” Chris called distracting her.

She began to moan in pain again and Carlos took that opportunity to grab and restrain her. Sheva shot the device that was on her chest then help Carlos by straddling Jill’s legs. Carlos grabbed the device on her chest and tried to yank it off to no avail as she went silent again and managed to throw the two off of her. They dodged her counter attack and again took cover.

“It's me, Chris! Don't you recognize me?”

Again she began to moan in pain and again Sheva and Carlos restrained her.

“Come on Jill, work with me here. Fight it. I know you can,” Carlos pleaded as he grasped the device, fearing the worst when she broke his hold and grasped his wrist. But instead on pulling his wrist away, it felt like she was helping him to pull that thing out of her. And boy was it an ugly thing. Carlos felt his blood run cold as the sparking device lifted from her skin to reveal several long tubes attached to it burrowed into her chest. But as soon as she was freed from them he tossed it aside, Chris firing several shots at the thing. Sheva got off Jill’s legs so that Carlos could shift the panting woman to cradle her against his chest.

“It’s okay Jill. You’ll be okay. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

“...I'm so sorry…”

“Shhh. It’s fine. No one was too badly hurt.” He grinned down at her.

Jill turned in his arms, “You're Sheva, right?”

“Yes.”

“I couldn't control my actions, oh, but God I was still aware. Chris, Sheva, Carlos please forgive me.”

Carlos held her closer, he couldn’t begin to imagine what that must have felt like. To not be in control of her own body. He wasn’t aware of everything that happened, honestly Chris hadn’t told him much on his arrival, there was no time to. He looked to his teammates.

“You two go on ahead. I’ve got her, you just make sure that bastard pays for what he did.”

The duo nodded and headed off. Carlos manoeuvred Jill onto his back, reminding him of when he found her infected in Raccoon City, “Come on supermum, our little girl is waiting for us back home.”

He might not have been able to see her face but he could tell that she was crying from how her body quaked against his and her tears soaked his shirt.

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Jill sat on the sofa in their living room, thumbing through a book Carlos gave her as she waited for him to come back with Eliza. It documented everything thing she had missed over the last three years. Eliza’s growth, her milestones, the holidays and even her mischievous antics. She wondered how much she had changed. God, she had missed her so much. She had so much lost time to make up for. She wiped away her tears as she heard the door handle rattle.

“Close your eyes, I’ve got a special surprise for you.” Came Carlos’ muffled singsong voice.

The door swung open and Jill covered her mouth to silence her gasp. She watched as Carlos sent her a wink and slowly guided their daughter into the living room. Silently, she moved from the sofa on to her knees on the floor, levelling herself with Eliza as she got closer.

“Right you can open them now.”

To say Jill was shocked by the ecstatic squeal Eliza let out would be an understatement, “Mama!” The child wasted no time in launching herself at her mother, tiny arms wrapping as tightly as possible.

Jill returned the embrace, nuzzling her shoulder, trying and failing to stop herself from crying.

“You’ve grown so much. My baby girl is so grown up now.”

“It’s okay Mama, Papa made lots of videos for you.”

As if that was his cue, Carlos joined Jill on the floor and wrapped his arms around his two girls, placing a kiss on the top of Jill’s head.

“Welcome home supermum.”

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 A/N: I love hearing from you guys! Please tell me what parts you liked!

Requests are temporarily closed :) I'm also on twitter @mxbelmounte.

[luninosity]

One more @whumptober2020 fic for today!

For theme 19 - Broken Hearts - specific prompts: grief & mourning loved one; and theme 29 - I Think I Need A Doctor - specific prompt: reluctant bed rest.

Back to Jason and Colby, for this one! And the anniversary of Jason having lost someone significant - and some more hurt!Colby. He’ll be fine, though! I promise!

#

“Resting,” Jason said, meaningfully. “You. Bed.” He had a hand on Colby’s shoulder, a reminder. The bed perked up under Colby: doing its job.

 Colby sighed. “I’m really doing all right.”

 “You are, but you’re also recovering.”

 “It’s not as if it’s even terribly—”

 “You were,” Jason said, as calmly as he could under the circumstances, “in a fucking explosion. And got knocked out.” The stunt had gone wrong. Explosives too early and too strong. Something not measured right on the part of the demolitions crew. Colby hadn’t been far enough away. He’d hit unforgiving ground hard.

 Jason, not in that scene, had been watching from behind monitors. Had run, heart in his throat. Colby had been waking up already, but slowly, dazed and bewildered about how he’d landed on the ground, when Jason’d flung himself down beside blue eyes.

 Concussion, the doctors’d said. Not too bad, but needing rest and care. No strenuous activity for at least a couple of days, assuming nothing got worse. Nothing seemed to be, though Jason’s heart wasn’t convinced of that.

 “They didn’t say no working on the novel, specifically…” Colby tried, plaintive.

 “No exerting yourself physically or mentally, and you know it.” He touched Colby’s temple. The lights were low; they’d been too bright, earlier. “No screens. So no laptop. Your next genius collaboration with George can wait. How’re you feeling?”

 “Tired. Bored. I can’t even look up banana bread recipes?”

 “Not yet.” He ran his hand over Colby’s head, gentle. “I can do some baking. If you want bread.”

 “Maybe later.” Colby shut both eyes, leaning back into pillows and Jason’s touch. “I’m not very hungry, at the moment.”

 Jason’s chest tightened. “Something not feeling right? Nausea, headaches, like that?”

 “Just a bit…”

 “Want me to call someone?”

 “They said it was normal, and it should go away on its own, and—”

 “And if it doesn’t,” Jason said levelly, “then I will. Okay?”

 “If it gets worse, you can.” Colby opened his eyes again. “I wish I could remember more. It’s disconcerting. One minute I’m being Cam, running out of the warehouse, perfectly in character…and then I woke up lying on the ground with far too many faces hovering around me. I don’t even recall that very clearly; I know you were there, and Evan, but it’s all sort of foggy from there to a hospital room. It’s such an odd feeling, knowing there’s something missing.”

 “That’s normal too,” Jason said, reminding them both, and reached over to get the cup of water. “Here. Stay hydrated, at least.” He hated the small quiver in Colby’s voice. He hated that Colby’d had to be hurt again, to face tests and strange-if-professional hands on him again, to have a gap in memory.

 And today, today, of all days…

 He couldn’t think of that. He’d been trying not to think of that for a while now. He’d known what anniversary it was. Evan did too, and they’d looked at each other that morning, running through stunt choreography one more time; Jason had guessed they’d probably want to talk, or drink, later. He hadn’t mentioned it to Colby then. He’d planned to.

 And then the world had imploded, and now they were here. In a luxurious hotel suite in Vancouver, not in a hospital, but with Colby very much injured. Jason’s lungs didn’t feel like they’d taken a full breath ever since the explosion. Or earlier. This day, and now this…Colby, and—

 An older body hovered, when he rubbed his spare hand over his face. A friend. A good friend, the best, really, because Charlie had been the sort of person who’d happily teach a younger colleague how to do a kick or a fall or a vault across rooftops, sharing knowledge without jealousy; Charlie had been the sort of person who’d come over, bringing food and cheerful competent company, when Jason’s father’d been so badly injured decades ago; and Charlie had been kind to both his own younger brother and to Jason and to everyone, and then—

 He tried to breathe some more, through the hurt. Through the anniversary. He knew Evan was hurting too.

 It’d been most of the day, now. Late afternoon. He wished he could do more about the edges of sun slanting in around curtains. Colby needed dimness. Quiet. Soothing.

 They’d been filming at dawn, first light; he’d been able to bring Colby home after a few hours. Colby had slept, on and off; sleep was good for healing, though Jason’d been told to wake him every two hours to check on his awareness. Colby seemed fine so far, if mildly distressed by the amnesia surrounding the impact.

 Colby shifted a fraction; Jason realized he’d been holding the water and its straw in place way too long, and hastily set it down. “Sorry.”

 “It’s fine. Are you at least allowed to read to me?”

 “Probably? Nothing that’s work, though.” He picked up Colby’s hand, played with slim calligrapher’s fingers, surreptitiously tested Colby’s pulse. Seemed fine. “New Alex Castle novel? Rival steampunk magicians falling in love?”

 “Yes, if you wouldn’t mind. It’s in my bag, from yesterday—”

 “I’ll get it. Don’t move.”

 When he came back Colby was setting down a phone, looking suddenly guilty. Jason said, “Don’t tell me you were doing work,” but kept his tone very light: Colby even these days instinctively flinched from disapproval, a legacy of older emotional wounds. “I love you, babe, but no, okay?”

 “I, ah. I wasn’t attempting to work. I promise.” Colby sounded nervous but not afraid; he met Jason’s eyes. “Just checking something. Entirely quick. Finished, I swear.”

 “I already texted Jill and Andy, but if you want—”

 “No, it’s fine, they know I’m fine.” That was an exaggeration. Colby’s two best friends had heard about the accident via industry connections and Andy’s husband’s fingers on the pulse of the internet. They’d been worried; they still were.

 Colby added, “Very well, not entirely fine as such, you don’t have to say it. Come sit with me?”

 “Of course.” He settled down next to his heart, in bed; the padded headboard took some weight and offered some reassurance. He waved the paperback, with its swirling blue magical cover. “Tell me where to start.”

 “Oh, we can start from the beginning, I was only a chapter or so in. But, before that…” Colby bit a lip, watched Jason’s face. “Er…may I ask you about something?”

 “You don’t need to ask me whether you can ask—” He took a breath, let it go. He knew about those “Please. Please ask. Anything you want, cream puff.”

 The occasional nickname made Colby giggle, though his eyes remained anxious. “I only wanted to…if I can, ah…you see, I do know what day it is, what anniversary, and…and I know this likely isn’t how you wanted to spend it…”

 Jason had opened his mouth. No words emerged. He set the book down without thinking. It landed safely next to Colby’s leg.

 That anniversary. Today. Charlie’s body, sprawled at the side of a diving tank, lifeless and limp, because a stunt had gone wrong then too—because it’d gone wrong right before Jason’d arrived, coming to meet him and grab lunch and talk about respective movies—because Jason hadn’t been two minutes earlier, hadn’t known, maybe couldn’t’ve done anything that everyone else hadn’t done, but he’d never know, he couldn’t go back and make himself drive faster or walk faster or—

 Because he’d been there, he’d known before Evan had. Before any of Charlie’s family had. He hadn’t been the one to call them—too blinded by shock—but he’d always thought he should have. As a friend.

 Years ago—decades ago, really, now. Still vicious, that memory. Under the surface most of the time, a part of him, familiar and well-worn; but every once in a while it bit hard. On a certain day.

 He knew Evan didn’t blame him. Evan never had. And they’d become closer friends, slowly, through the aftermath: stumbling among emotions, catching each other.

 And Evan, who was working as the choreographer for this film’s fight scenes, had been at Jason’s side today, waiting for Colby in the hospital. Right there to lean on. Holding his hand.

 Colby did know the story, of course—had known that story for a long time, almost since the beginning. But Jason hadn’t remembered the exact date ever coming up. He was pretty sure he hadn’t said, back when they’d talked about it, though he really had meant to say something to Colby that afternoon.

 He looked at Colby. Colby, injured and tired but hopeful, looked back, eyes all big and sweet.

 Jason swallowed. Found words, scraping them together out of love. “I don’t want to be anywhere else. Not right now.”

 “I do know you wouldn’t leave me alone. Not even temporarily.” Colby reached over. Collected Jason’s limp hand. Jason’s hand was larger overall, though Colby’s grip was surprisingly strong. Protective. “I thought perhaps…you might want to talk. And I’m here, of course. I’m always here if you want me. But if—”

 “I said I’m not going anywhere.”

 “No. But—”

 This time a text interrupted. Jason’s phone. He eyeballed it, annoyed. Colby said, “It’s Evan. He’s outside, and I’m guessing he didn’t want to knock? Making noise?”

 Jason paused. Took this in.

 “I thought, you see, if I’d never convince you to go anywhere…and if you wouldn’t mind me being here…if I asked him to come by…and he said yes, of course…” Colby nibbled his lip again. That spot was turning pink. “Er…was that all right?”

 Jason reached over. Set a finger on Colby’s mouth. “That’s not exactly no stress.” His voice came out very soft, mostly from amazement. Colby, in pain and dizzy and unhappy about gaps in memory, was still trying to take care of him.

 “I want you to be all right as well,” Colby said, when Jason lifted the finger. “I need that. Please let me be here. For both of you, really; Evan’s my friend too, now, I think? Not the way he’s been yours, but at least a bit?”

 “He is. And you’re—Colby, you…” He gave up. Shook his head. Leaned in for a kiss: tender, cautious, shaky with love and aching emotions, stretched and knotted up and given a beating today. Colby kissed him back, not tentative at all; Jason murmured his name again, and couldn’t resist just a little more tasting of him, a swipe of tongue, a nuzzle after.

 He said, “I love you so damn much. You know that, right? I just—I love you.”

 “I know. And I love you just as much.” Colby waved a hand, adorably and grandly imperious but not seriously so. “You may want to go and let him in.”

 “You don’t move,” Jason said, and got up, rediscovering some equilibrium in the process.

 Evan was leaning against the wall, texting, when Jason opened the door. He looked up, all fluid Krav Maga instructor’s grace and the same brown eyes and straight nose he and Charlie had shared; they’d always looked alike, even moved alike, though Evan had always been younger and just shorter enough for jokes about it. He said, “Hey,” and lowered the phone.

 “Hey,” Jason said. “So…you and Colby were planning things, huh? Also, say hi to James for me.”

 “I will. He’ll call me later.” Evan’s boyfriend was busy filming an old-fashioned detective thriller in Norway, though they talked constantly and sent each other pictures of ice cream shops and historical monuments. Jason cautiously approved of James, who seemed to’ve handled the whole revelation of Evan’s asexuality with pure and reaffirmed adoration, and who also looked at Colby Kent with the awe of someone in the presence of an acting genius.

 “He worries, too,” Evan said, “he knows what today is,” and Jason nodded, because that meant Evan had told James, which meant Evan trusted James that much, which was another point in favor. Evan also held up a bottle. “Sparkling water? Elderflower-blueberry flavored? I thought about actual alcohol, but it’s not like I drink much, and Colby can’t, right now, anyway. How’s he doing? He said he was fine when he texted, but, y’know.”

 “Perfect.” It was. Jason held the door for him. “Colby’s…okay. We’re keeping an eye on him. But he’s recovering. Like they said.”

 He heard the words as they hit the afternoon, in his own voice. They were, he realized with surprise, true.

 Colby was hurt, but was recovering. Getting better. And that was okay.

 They’d all be okay, he thought. Together.

 Evan peeked into the bedroom. Waved at Colby. “So you found a way to get out of your next training session with me, then.”

 Colby laughed. “As if I’d want to. Come in, please. Jason offered to bake us banana bread later.”

 “Did I?” Jason said. “Fine, I did.” Their suite had a kitchen. They’d done some shopping. He was pretty sure they had all those ingredients. “Here, I’ll pour that.”

 “Oh, that sounds delicious, thank you—”

 “I know you like interesting flavors,” Evan said, grinning; and took the other chair. “Jason, my parents say thanks for the donation to that charity, by the way, and also they’d love to say hi to you sometime. Kittens, this year?”

 “Good,” Jason said, “it got there, then.” He did try to, every year. In Charlie’s name. Different charities, but all things he’d liked. Kittens had been one of them; Charlie and Evan’s family had always had cats. “I’ll give them a call. Or we can, maybe.” He glanced at Colby. “Everyone.”

 “Maybe, yeah.” Evan accepted a glass when Jason handed it over. “So. To family, then?”

 “Yeah.” Jason sat back down on the bed, arm around Colby, who leaned against him, bright-eyed and alive and real. “To family.” They clinked glasses; Jason kissed the side of Colby’s head, after. Colby’s blood relatives were uniformly dreadful; Colby was part of his family, now. The family they’d found and chosen and built, together.

 “So,” Evan said, to Colby, “did Jason ever tell you the story about the time he and my brother snuck a classic Chevy off the set of an astronaut movie, picked me up, and took us all to the beach for the day? It was awesome until we were about to leave, and the car got a flat tire, and of course they were these fancy historical replica tires, so there’s us frantically calling everyone we knew to find a replacement, and not calling anyone who knew Jason’s dad, so it was harder than you’d think, because Luca knows everyone who knows anything about classic cars and the movie industry…”

 “I remember Charlie saying he was going to pretend he didn’t know us,” Jason said. “He wouldn’t’ve, and we knew it, so it was a joke…”

 Evan pointed at him, and quoted, with full dramatic effect, “Neither of you is my brother! I am an only child!”

 “Oh, no.” Colby was laughing. So was Jason, because it’d been spot on. “What’d you do?”

 “Gave up and called Jason’s dad. Who’d known since the first phone call, because he’d been on a call with that garage owner at the exact same time.” Evan swung both shoeless feet up to rest on Colby’s bed. “It’s a good thing your dad’s very cool. I mean, he wasn’t thrilled, but he figured we’d suffered enough, with the panicking and all. He handled it.”

 “For years,” Jason said, “for years, after that, any time the three of us were together, and one of us did something embarrassing…”

 Colby’s eyebrows went up, amused. “ ‘I am an only child’?”

 “Exactly.” Evan nudged Colby’s foot with his. “Exactly that. Did Jason tell you the Pumpkin Cat story? I wasn’t there when they found her, just when Charlie brought her home, so Jason should start it.”

 “Pumpkin Cat?” Colby inquired.

 “Yeah. It’s a cute story.” Jason cuddled Colby a little more, liking the warmth, loving the shape of him, the presence. The lights were low and tranquil, and the bedroom tucked its walls around them, and Colby was slowly sipping sparkling water, awake and alert. They’d be back at work in a few days, and Colby would be all right; tension unwound, eased by berry-flavored water and words.

 He knew Colby’d be all right. They all would.

 He said, “We were working on this terrible low-budget horror movie, about a haunted scarecrow with a pumpkin head that comes alive and murders people…”

 “That sounds…improbable.”

 “Don’t even ask about where the cursed cornstalk spear fits in. Anyway, we walk onto set one day, right past the prop head, this giant fake pumpkin, and the pumpkin squeaks at us in this tiny little kitten voice, and Charlie runs over to look, and there’s this tiny orange baby stuck in the light-up mechanism, and he just dives right in to get her out, right as the director walks in, so all the guy sees is Charlie halfway into a pumpkin head we’ve been told is a delicate piece of prop equipment, so he stops right there to yell at us…”

 “At which point,” Evan said, “my brother, being my brother…”

 “Jumped up, held out a kitten, and said, ‘look, I found your ghost!’” Jason finished. “And everyone cracked up, because nobody ever could stay mad at him.”

 “And that’s how we got Pumpkin Cat,” Evan said. “Cat number three, when Charlie brought her home. Cat number four, by the way, was Jason’s fault.”

 “He sounds so lovely,” Colby said. “Like someone I’d’ve liked to meet.”

 “He’d’ve liked you,” Jason said, and Evan said it too, at the same time; they glanced at each other, and at Colby, who got a little more shyly happy and offered, “It’s an honor? And how was your family’s fourth cat Jason’s fault?”

 “So motorcycles are nice and warm in the winter,” Jason said, “and cats like to be warm, and my mom’s allergic, so we couldn’t keep him…” and reached for more sparkling water for a refill for Colby’s glass.

[dailyaudiobible]

03/01/2021 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalms 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21

Today is the 1st day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we greet a brand-new month, the third month of the year. It really does feel like we just began the journey, I don't know, maybe a couple weeks ago, but here we are. We’ve already moved through two full months of this year together and two full months moving through the Scriptures together. We’ve covered some significant territory in the Bible and what we’re gonna do is put one foot in front of the other and take all of the steps through this month and just keep going and we will accomplish the entire Bible this year. But let’s…let’s just mark where we are beginning this month. And we invite God to speak to us through the Scriptures, through the power of the Holy Spirit, guiding us and leading us into all truth as we navigate the month of March. And obviously, we…we pick up right where we left off, which is what we'll do today. And, so, let’s dive ion. We’re reading from the Amplified Bible this week. Leviticus chapter 24 verse 1 through 25 verse 46.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the Gospel of Mark children are approaching Jesus, or parents are bringing children for a blessing from Jesus and the disciples or can like shooing them all away. Like…like…like these kids can't be bothering the master while the master is about the business of revealing God's kingdom. And it's funny because it’s…it's really easy…it's really easy to have that kind of opinion in general. In like the adult world this is what's really going on, this is what has consequence and, you know, childish things, there's nothing to glean from that. We were all children once and we grew out of that. But that's not…that's like not at all Jesus approach. So, then we could say then that that's not at all God's approach. Jesus wanted the kids to come to Him. And my goodness, if we think about it…it…do we not want our children at the feet of Jesus? But are we blocking them by the story of our lives are telling? Like are we too preoccupied in the grown-up world to ignore the fact that we are not just instilling wisdom and training up our children but that there is plenty for us to learn from them if we would pay attention. I think of my son, Ezekiel, who has started to read Daily Audio Bible kids this year. And I was sitting in with him on Daily Audio Bible kids I guess like, I don't know, three weeks ago, four weeks ago, I can't remember, but we passed by this story I believe in the book of Matthew and I was listening to him read the story and just looking at him…and I have had these thoughts before but this was like so stark it was happening in real time, I’m just looking at him realizing, “buddy, you know, way more than I thought you did. You've picked up way more along the way, along the story of your life. You are more intuitive than I…than I knew. Like your simplicity in your purity isn't naïveté, it's…it's not ignorance, it's just simple.” And just having conversations with him since then I realize he has a very simple trusting understanding of God's kingdom and Jesus love for him. And certainly, Jill and I have instilled this. Like, certainly we have of provided this backdrop for him. This is our lives. This is what we believe, and this is what we are teaching our children, this is what we’re trying to live into, but just to understand it's not all lost. He understands a lot and he has connected a lot of dots and I have a lot to learn. I think that may be more true to a posture of what Jesus is talking about today when He says, “to the kingdom of God…the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these little children.” In God's kingdom the faith of a child matters. And if we think about it, we would understand why. We are God's children. And we understand that if we’re like a loving parent, if we’ve been intentional in…in care about our children, they know that; they trust in that; they rest in that; that is solid for them; they trust us and they believe that anything is possible. They believe in God's presence with such a purity and simplicity that there is a lot for us to learn there. So, maybe we should understand that the teaching, the learning is mutual and that we’re not just the disciplinarian to try to pattern a child's life to make our lives easier. Like, our parenting role isn't just to mold our children so that they can stay out of our hair. If we do that then we’re missing the lesson they are teaching, the lesson that we need to know, the lesson that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like children.

Prayer:

Father we come into that. On so many levels it touches us because nobody judges us harder than we judge ourselves usually. Usually, we are more difficult to be with inside of ourselves than anywhere else and that just gets projected out into the world with the different kind of convictions and judgments that we have. But there is a simplicity and purity underneath it all. And we can try to dismantle faith to such a degree that we understand all the component parts, but that's just not gonna work. Faith is beyond our control. And, so, looking at the quiet acceptance, exuberance, excitement of a child greeting the new day, believing that there is a God watching over them…O that sounds…that sounds like how You made us to live. And why we’re not becomes a mystery. Come Holy Spirit and allow us to begin to see what life could look like if we understood that we were Your children and that that is what we need to be and that we can trust You in all things. Come Jesus we pray. In Your precious name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what's going on around here. And stay tuned and stay connected. Of course, if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access all these things as well.

For example, the Community section of the website or app, that's where the Prayer Wall is. That's where we are continually praying for one another and asking prayer of each other. That’s one of the places that…well…it’s one of the ways in which we love each other, we pray for each other, we shoulder each other's burdens. And, so, being aware of the Prayer Wall is always very important. It’s always there anytime, day or night.

Also, there in the Community section are the different links to different social media channels that we’re on. It's good to follow along and get the announcements anytime that I we need to let you know something or whatever. It's a good idea to be familiar with the different places that were at on social media so check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well or in the app. If the Global Campfire, if…if the mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and delivered to anyone who will listen to it anywhere on this planet any time of day or night, and to build community around that rhythm, if that…if that matters, has made a difference I thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner for the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit a Hotline button in the app and share from there, no matter where you are on this planet, or there are a number of phone numbers that you can use. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you're in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number or in Australia or the part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

And that's it for today. Welcome to a brand-new month. It's gonna be a great ride as we continue our journey forward. That's it for today though. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Duane from Wisconsin all praise and glory to our wonderful Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Today is February 25th I believe. Just calling in. I need prayers. I know I talked to you about my sons Nicholas and Nathan. I was able to send a letter to Nicholas who's in jail and copied some Bible…chapters of the Bible and printed them out and put them in the letter so he could read those. But I'll be sending him more letters. So, prayers for him as he is in jail and pray that he will at some point be able to get a work release so he can get a job and be able to go into work and help support his child. But I'm calling him for Nathan. Last weekend we went to go see him. In a sense he is almost homeless. I'm asking that you would please pray that his mother would take him in, that her husband would have a softened heart and take him in, but more importantly that Nathan who would understand where he's at, be compassionate, have understanding and be taken care of. For a son…like I said he's almost been homeless. It’s been kind of scary because over the last few weeks here it got down to about 20 below and he just manages to find a place to sleep and stay. But…but he's doing OK. So, he went and got him a phone. Unfortunately, he still hasn't given us…sent us the cell number. So, we pray that will happen, but I pray that he's gotten ahold of his mother and that he will be able to stay with his mother and pray that he’ll get a job and start getting his life turned around. Thank you, Daily Audio Bible family. I greatly appreciate it and you have no idea how much love I feel from all of you.

Nobody Gets Left Behind in Colorado just checking in with the DAB family. I just heard Sherry from Texas, your prayer request for your husband. Guys I’ve been married for 29 years and got to say sister that was very very heartbreaking. I can't even imagine what you're going through. I just want you to know that my heart, it goes out to you and my prayers are going to be going out to you and…and your children and your husband. And I hope he hears every single one of our prayer…prayers for him as he goes through this. I also want to thank little Cherry for being transparent, talking about judging people and, you know, when Brian he goes through that every year and talks about the unforgivable sin and it has made a big impact on the way I treat people and the way I think. And I'm so glad that he's made that clear to all of us. And just makes perfect sense. We’re always just supposed to be working on ourselves. We have so many things inside ourselves that we need to work on and that's important. And I know a lot of times like pointing fingers and stuff like that for some reason it makes us feel good inside but it really…it’s not healthy. So, thank you Brian. Thank you for that lesson. Thank you for teaching us that every single year. And thank you for Zekey and him reading the DAB to the kids. My daughter Halo loves it. And with that being said I’d just like to say what Zekey says. Bye.

Hey DAB family it's Doctor John from Jordan New York calling back. And Karen from California thank you so much for your prayer for me. I was a crying just tears. So, thank you so much. I wanted to give you guys an update. I saw the orthopedist yesterday. He was very pleased with the progress. There’s still paralysis of some of the muscles and the nerves but it is improving and improving every day. I was like super thrilled this morning when I could tiny…get the tiniest wiggle out of my pinky fingers. Kind of silly but, yeah, you go with small victories. So, yeah, the…the knucklehead, white as snow, that called in after Karen from California, I totally get what you're saying because, yeah, that was me. I was just moving way too fast. And, so, that was my message. You know, and as I looked back through this and say what is God trying to teach me and it's that I need to slow down. And of course, that leads to the song [singing starts] slow down you move too fast got to make the morning last just kicking down the cobblestones looking for fun and feeling groovy. Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh [singing stops]. Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel but Daily Audio Bible I love you so much for all of your prayers and I will keep you posted on my progress. Bye-bye. Doctor John from Jordan.

I just wanted to pray for Sherry and her family in Texas. God we just lift up our sister Sherry and her family and we thank You for them and we thank You for her husband and for his love for Your word and for his desire to share it with others. And we…we thank You for that light that You placed inside of him. And God we just ask that now during this time as he's passing that You would be close to their family, that You would surround them, that You would bring peace and comfort. God we just ask for Your sustaining love to just be their strength in these hours. God, we thank You for Your faithfulness to this family, that You have not left them, that You will not leave them, that You are there with them. We pray for godly Hospice workers, that You would send them their way. We pray for every moment leading up to this passing and that there would be peace, that You would bring breath and life into her God and to her children, that they would feel Your sustaining arms around them. You are near to the broken hearted and we know, we trust that You'll be near to this family. Jesus we just are grateful. We ask that the passion that You had for Your word would just continue down through all his generations and that many would come to know You Jesus through his faithfulness. Thank You, Lord. We just ask that You be glorified in his life and in Sherry's life and the lives of her children. Amen.

Hello, DAB my name is…I'd actually like to remain anonymous…but I'm in Tucson AZ and I am 29 years old and I have three kids and I'm married, and I was just diagnosed with postpartum depression. I have a 3-month-old baby and I'm just asking for your prayers as I go through this. And I'm praying that God would deliver me from this. The doctor gave me some medication and he said my case is severe, but she thinks I caught it in time. But I'm just asking for prayer and help and protection from these intrusive thoughts that I've been having, and I just asked that God would protect me mostly because I fear for myself sometimes. Thank you.

Good morning this is Storylines from San Diego. I've been a listener for just over a year and I'm so grateful for the Hardin and family. My daughter and I listened to Zekey too in the mornings and it’s just such a sweet, sweet time. I just want to pray for Sherry from Texas. I just heard your prayer request about your husband and the brain tumor that was just so sudden and him now being in Hospice. So, I just wanted to pray for you. Lord I thank You so much for Sherry and her husband. And God thank You for their great love story. I heard it in her voice as she spoke about him. And God…I just…my heart breaks for her as a wife and I just ask that You would come, that You would give her everything she needs. Lord thank You for You for her faithfulness just to play the word of God over her husband as he moves into eternity. Lord thank You for his influence over droves of people. God thank You for the love of Your word that he has had in his life and how that doesn't stop, that he has lived out Your word to people and he's been a great influence. And God I pray that as he moves from this life into the next that You would comfort him, that You would use his story for Your kingdom to come here on earth as it is in heaven. I pray for Sherry as she loses the love of her life in this moment in this time, that You would be her ever present help in time of trouble. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[revisionaryhistory]

Three Days ~ 40

I got up to make banana bread for my niece. This chapter is just as sweet. Enjoy.

~*~Sebastian~*~

I woke up face down and naked on top of Emma's bed. I turned my head and could see Emma was also face down and naked. She was also using my lower back as a pillow with her arm under my ass. I have no idea how we got here. I remember the blonde with long hair trying to start shit. Then more shots. And more shots. We hadn't driven, so we must have taken an Uber back. I could see towels on the floor, so we must have showered. That's good because we both had to stink after all day in the sun. Her more. I stifled a laugh and felt Emma shift. I said, "Morning." My voice sounded like we’d been drinking all night or I’d started smoking again.

"Morning." Her voice sounded as rough as mine. She started to move then stopped. "I'm hugging your butt like a teddy bear. Interesting."

"Gotta admit, it's a first."

Emma joined me right way on the bed after planting a kiss on my ass. I rolled to my side, mirroring her, "Any idea how we got here?"

"Not really." She cringed, "I remember getting out of an Uber and barely being able to unlock the door."

"There's towels on the floor."

She leaned and sniffed my chest, "You smell nice and clean." Her eyes shifted between both our naked bodies. "Did we have sex?"

I laughed, "Oh, I doubt it." She laughed with me. I ran my hand down her side to rest on her hip, my eyes following. "I may always want you, but I think too drunk to fuck was a thing last night."

She smiled, her single dimple making itself known, "Always, huh?"

"Always." I went to kiss her, but was stopped by her hand on my chest.

"Oh no." She shook her head. "Something has crawled in my mouth and died." She climbed over me and headed to the bathroom. I heard her pee, flush, and turned the water on.

I knocked, "Can I brush too?"

She let me in and made room in front of the sink. We continued talking as we brushed. "How do you feel?"

"Not horrible. A little headache. My finger hurts. How about you?

"Dehydrated. Headache."

"We have brunch with your parents in two hours."

I looked at her in the mirror, "We can push it back. I don't want to cancel."

"No, Advil and some water and I'll be fine." She put her hand over her stomach. "I'll be hungry by then." She finished brushing her teeth, put her tooth brush away, and looked down my body. Emma's hand caressed down my chest to cup my balls. "You're very naked, Mr. Stan."

I almost choked on a mouthful of toothpaste. I spit and rinsed while she continued to fondle me. Thankfully, she waited to stroke my cock. I dropped my toothbrush in the sink with a groan. My hands ran down the silky skin of her back to her ass and I pulled her closer. I stopped a fraction of an inch from her lips, "You're very naked too, Ms. Marcum."

I kissed her and realized I was already hungry.

Two hours later we walked into Jill's Bistro and sat down with my parents. Mom was happy to see both of us. She'd texted me Friday morning to make sure we were still on and to tell me again she liked Emma. I was glad. I love my mom. While her approval of someone I'm going out with isn’t necessary, it is nice. Especially considering how much I liked Emma.

Mom did separate us for brunch. When we got to the table, she and Anthony were seated across from each other. I rolled my eyes as I hugged her, "Traitor."

Mom kissed my cheek, "I can talk to you both." She hugged Emma, "Nice to see you again."

"You too."

I pushed in Emma's chair and kissed her cheek before walking to the other side of the table. This was fine. We were both tall enough for me to stretch out my leg and touch hers. Yes, I am just that ridiculous.

Mom was on Emma's right and immediately noticed her finger, like any good mom would. Emma had left it uncovered to get some air. The blood was gone, but it was still red and looked like it hurt. She said it did. Emma told them about the game and I pulled out my phone to supplement with pictures and video. I smiled watching again, even more with the interest my parents showed. Eventually we talked about other stuff. Food was good. Dessert was incredible. It was a good time. I was still a little dehydrated and tired. Inside the CRV I looked at her, "Are you tired?"

"A little. Why? What do you want to do?" Her smile and the way she's looking at me. Damn.

Shaking my head, I said, "Nothing. I was thinking I was a little tired and figured you really must be."

"Wanna go home and lay on the couch? Read. It's your turn to introduce me to a TV show."

I laughed, "Yeah, it is. You need to turn in your lesson plans too." I remembered.

"Last week. Woo hoo!" She pumped both arms in the air. We were laughing when her phone rang. The CRV screen said, "Dad #2". Emma pointed toward the steering wheel, “Hit answer for me. The one on the left." I hit the button and the call connected. "Hey, dad."

A gravelly voice came through the speakers and my inner fanboy got very excited. My thought that Dad #2 was Ed proved true.

"Hey Emma. How was the tournament?"

"We won!"

"That's fantastic. Congratulations."

"It was fun. I'll send you pictures."

"Can't wait to see them. Did you hurt yourself?"

"Broke off a nail. Nothing major." She looked at me and winked. "I'm being well taken care of."

Thus far the conversation had been a quick back and forth. There was a noticeable pause before Ed started speaking again, "What exactly does that mean?"

"I'm seeing someone. He patched me up when I hurt myself."

I was thinking being a knight in shining armor would get me some points.

"Do you not remember the rules? Do dating before thirty. In the last two weeks have you miraculously turned thirty?"

Nope, no points for me. I'm also docking myself some points because I don't know how old she is. She's got a job and a condo. That’s old enough.

"No, I have not. Wait, he's over thirty." I held up some fingers. "Thirty-six."

"Was that supposed to make it better, Emma? Thirty-six. Fuck, he's not a musician too is he? 'Cause that requires paperwork."

"No, not a musician."

"What's he do?" There was a tone in his voice that told me he knew she was not telling him something.

"He's an actor."

"Not better. Should have never let you move to New York. Actors and musicians everywhere."

"I met him here." She was pointing down like he could see her. They were used to FaceTime.

“Yes or no. If I was to hang up and change to FaceTime would I see him?" He was giving her shit, but his affection for her was clear.

"Of course not, Daddy. I’m in the car. Answering FaceTime would be dangerous."

I let out a barking laugh. The tone of her voice was very Cher from Clueless.

"Ha! Thought so. What’s your name?"

I answered without pause, “Sebastian Stan. Nice to, well, meet you. Sort of."

"Sebastian Stan. S-T-A-N." I nearly laughed again. Fucking Eddie Vedder was Googling me. “That’s why your name sounds familiar. Marvel. What the hell are you doing in Beacon?"

"My parents live here. We met when I was helping them move." Yes, that's me sucking up. I pulled into her drive and put the CRV in park, waiting to cut the engine until we were done with the call.

Ed laugh, "I trust her that you're a nice guy, Sebastian, or she wouldn't have answered the call."

Emma laughed, "Very true. We're home. Now that you two have met can we continue the inquisition tomorrow night. He leaves in the morning."

"Sure. Harper has awards tomorrow, so wait until after school."

"I will. I can congratulate her.  Give the girls and Jill a hug. I love you."

"I love you, too Emma."

Emma put her hand on my arm and leaned over the console to kiss me, "He'll have your phone number, address, and SAG member ID in five minutes. Ten tops."

We kicked off our shoes and headed to the couch. I sat down and she straddled my lap, giving me a kiss. I decided to tell her what I'd thought. "He was giving you shit, but I could tell he really loves you. He sounded more, I don't know, amused, than anything."

She smiled, her tongue sticking out between her teeth. "He was. He's a lot of fun. He did tell me I had to get prior written approval before going out with a musician."

"I don't think he would have signed off."

"Me either."

I kept my arm on her leg, my hand on her hip. My other hand went to her face to guide her in for a kiss. A very long, slow kiss. I kept my hand on her face, "I don't know how old you are."

"Twenty-eight. I'll be twenty-nine on November twenty third."

"Eight years."

She ignored my statement. "I have a confession." This was going to be interesting. "I said I wouldn't Google you, but I had already checked IMDB the day we met. You hadn't said your last name when you introduced yourself and I wanted to make sure you were you I thought you were. Your birthday's on there."

I smiled with how she wasn’t sure who I was, "You're so cute I want to squish you." I hugged her tight, rocking her from side to side.

She was holding onto me and laughing, "Can I look at Google images? I like looking at you."

I un-hugged her where I could see her face. "You can look where ever you want. Promise me you'll ask me about anything."

Her face said no before she did, "I want pretty pretty pictures not articles or gossip. I’m having too much fun getting to know you. I want to learn about you from you."

I dropped both my hands to her thighs. A week ago I didn't touch her like this. "That means more to me than you can possibly imagine."

Emma shrugged one shoulder, tilting here head toward the shrug, "I think you're gonna mean more to me than you can possibly imagine."

Jesus. Maybe twenty-eight is too young to be afraid to say shit like that. I want to know how she's so fearless.

"I have a pretty good imagination."

"We'll both have to wait and see."

A very nice moment was broken by my phone. Something told me to pick it up. FaceTime and I didn't recognize the number. Emma did, "Ed." She climbed off my lap. "I'm going to grab my tablet. Want me to get your book?"

"Yes, please, outside pocket of my bag."

"Be right back."

I answered and waited for Ed's face to show up. "She told me it would take you five, ten minutes max. You're late."

"Everything takes longer on Sunday." He smiled, "My wife tells me I can be intense and overprotective."

"I get it, she's one of your daughters. I think she's pretty special too." I hoped my sincerity played over FaceTime.

He leaned back on whatever he sat on, "If she's letting us meet, she thinks you're pretty special too."

I smiled and nodded, "I hope so." I heard Emma coming down the stairs, "Please tell me you're tougher than her other dad."

Ed laughed, "He's a cupcake."

Emma put her face next to mine where he could see both of us, "Do not scare him. I like him."

Ed shifted his attention to her, "Should you say that in front of him?"

"Don't be silly. He knows. I would never."

There it is! I’ve been waiting patiently and there it finally fucking is. I turned my head and pulled away to see her, "There's the southern accent I’ve been waiting for!"

Ed smirked, "Wait until she goes back to Georgia. You've got a good two or three days before she loses the accent. The harder she tries the worse it gets."

"Which is why I don't try."

Indignant, but still a little Southern. I snickered. She turned her head and kissed my lips. I winced, “Don't do that. I think I was winning him over."

A young female voice came through, "Is that Sissy?"

"Hi Livvy."

A teenage girl with long straight hair moved in beside her dad. She looked confused, shifting her eyes between us. She settled on me and her mouth dropped open, "Bucky?"

I loved when kids called me by my character, "Who the hell is Bucky?”  A smile lit up her face, “How are you, Olivia? Emma’s told me a lot about you."

Attention back to Emma. "Sissy, you're dating Bucky?"

"I am."

Olivia's hand covered her mouth, "Oh shit!" She pushed her dad's shoulder, "Do not scare him off. I want to meet him. It's six months to Hawaii. Emma, you keep him happy and I'll make dad be nice. I love him." She was looking at me.

"Thank you."

Ed was glaring at me and holding up a finger. "One, Seb, I have a one daughter limit."

"I'm not willing to trade. I like the one I've got."

He smirked, "I'm starting to like you, but it could turn and I will find you."

"I'II try not to give you reason."

Another face came to the other side of Ed’s face. Obviously, his beautiful wife. She looked at me then Ed, "Have you two finished the pissing contest?"

Ed smile at his wife, love filled his face, "We've got a truce."

We stayed on FaceTime for a while longer and I was a little sad when we hung up. Emma stood up and I turned enough for me to grab and pull her over the couch into my lap. Her flailing and squeals made me laugh. I buried my face in her neck, kissing and tickling her. She tried to fight back and I held her wrists. Despite her wiggling I was able to kiss her. That stopped her. But I wasn't wanting serious or to sit here making out. I was still in fanboy mode. "I want to get on a plane and go to Seattle. That was so much fun, even the parts where Ed looked like he wanted to murder me. I got to see you with your family and finally," I looked to the ceiling and shook my fist, "got to hear your southern accent."

"We do have a lot fun together. Not that my parents and sister aren't fun, but it is different."

"Sure. I loved you telling Ed FaceTime would be dangerous. You two going back and forth."

Emma laughed, "We watch Clueless every New Year’s Day."

I punched my thumb and forefinger together, "Spot on."

She combed her fingers through my hair, "Do you realize me seeing you with your family is just as fun for me? Your mom sending you to the other side of the house and watching you two was great. You reverting to a little boy was amusing." She did the thing in my hair again. "And very sweet."

We like each other's family (at least the half I've met) and we like each other. Things are working out well. I rearranged her a little on my lap, "Can we catch up on some making out?"

"Absolutely."

[inknopewetrust]

in the cloak of darkness pt. 5

Summary: “If you would have listened it wouldn’t have happened, end of story. Listen to us next time, listen to me.”

Pairing: Detective Loki x Reader 

Word Count: 6.029k

Warnings: Mature Language and themes. 

A/N: Please visit the most recent update for any notes. 

Parts: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | ... | 06 | 07 | 08 |

The phone on the desk didn’t ring, it buzzed when it was a call from inside the station. You put down the handful of pretzels you had taken from the bag on Officer Miller’s desk and picked up the phone. 

“L/n.” 

“I’ve got a woman here with a dog collar that belongs to Holly Jones. Apparently she tried reaching Ms. Jones but no one would answer the door or the phone.” Officer Harding said with the most monotone voice you thought you’d ever hear. 

“I’ll be right there.” You quickly hung up the phone and walked to the front, smiling at the old woman who was holding the dog collar in her frail hands. 

“Hi, my name is Detective L/n, I hear you have something I might want to see?” You ask her kindly and she handed the collar over to, the bell sounding with her shaking hands. 

“I found this near my mailbox, though, no dog with it, there was some blood, so whoever hit the dog left with it. I tried calling the number on the tag but no one would answer the phone. My son found the address on yellow pages and said no one answered the door when he knocked.” She explained and watched as you eyed the collar and dog tag. 

“Thank you for bringing this to us. We will be sure to look into this. If you could leave your information with Officer Harding, we can let you know if we find the dog safe.” You led her back to the counter where she left her name, number, and address before leaving. 

Loki at his desk was sitting staring at his computer screen, twisting the ring on his finger as the information Father Dunn was willing to give this morning was not helpful at all. He sat in contemplation before he realized that you were coming back to your desk. You held up the collar then threw it at him and he looked at the tag. 

“Holly Jones’ dog’s collar. Apparently the dog was hit and the collar was left behind. Why the fuck is the dog collar with some lady that lives two miles from her house?” You ask and pick up your phone, dialing the number that sat on a post it note on top of some manila folders. 

“Why didn’t she say anything?” Loki mumbled and stood, coming to kneel by your chair, resting an arm across the back of it as he tried to listen to the call. 

Somehow, Holly Jones answered your call. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi Ms. Jones, it’s Detective L/n. I just had a woman come in with the collar of your dog, but no dog. Do you know anything about this? How long has your dog been missing?” You asked her and could hear her sigh on the other end of the line. 

“I didn’t want to create any more problems...” She said and you covered your other ear as Officers walked past your desk, looking at Loki and you and then laughing. Loki turned and gave them a look to shut the fuck up and they left. 

“Ms. Jones, what is going on? Is there something going on?” 

“Alex, he took the dog outside, for a walk, and he never came back. I thought he would be back by now, I just thought he went for a walk.” 

“Alex has been gone for two days and you didn’t see it as concerning?” You asked her sternly as you grabbed a pen and paper, writing down everything she had told you. 

“I thought he would come back... I don’t know...” 

“Ms. Jones, would you like to file a missing person’s report? I would suggest you do if he’s already been gone for two days.” You tell her and she sighs again on the other end. 

“Do I have to come in and do it?” It was like filing it would be asking too much from her.

“No, we can do that here. I need to know if that is ok?” 

“Yeah, I think it is all a misunderstanding but for the safety of Alex, file one.” 

“I am going to transfer you to a different line, you can give them Alex’s information there but you don’t need to come in.” 

You transferred her and hung up the phone, looking over at Loki who was waiting for you to update him.

“Alex is missing. He’s been gone for two days and she thinks it’s a misunderstanding. If fucking O’Malley would have listened to be about putting him under surveillance, this wouldn’t have happened.” You stood up and took the collar to O’Malley’s office, his door was wide open and you threw the collar on his desk. 

“Holly Jones’ dog was hit on Southward street. Apparently, the dog was gone for two days and Alex Jones took it on a walk and never came home.” You explained to him and Loki tuned in behind you. 

“His aunt didn’t want to tell us about the dog because she thought it would get him in to trouble or some shit.” 

“If you would have listened to me about someone watching him, this wouldn’t have happened.” You pointed a finger at him and then the collar and he gestured as if he didn’t think it would have made a difference.

“Well apparently, according to your partner L/n, the guy from last night is the guy, not Alex Jones. Look, I don’t have money in the budget for watching innocent people.” 

“Maybe next time, listen to some fucking advice from someone who knew what they were talking about.” You spat at him and O’Malley got defensive as if you accused him of not doing his job, which he didn’t. 

“Hey! Don’t-” He started but you cut him off so you could finish making your point. 

“If you would have listened it wouldn’t have happened, end of story. Listen to us next time, listen to me.” You told him and walked out of the office and back to your desk, fuming at the lack of responsibility and excuses that man would always have for anything you suggested. 

“You could have just given me a call; I would have stayed there all night. I would have been there all night, and we would know where he was now.” Loki stated and O’Malley was tired of hearing everything he had done wrong. 

“Alright, point made.” He dismissed Loki and leaned back in his swivel chair. 

“If you be clear with us, we’ll be clear with you. I need to know where everybody is.” Loki exited after you and tried to make some sense of where Alex may be or if anyone has seen him. 

The viewing room was dark and quiet, just where he needed to be to get away from the mess of an investigation that was clouding every thought in his head. Loki rewound and sped up the tape of him interrogating Alex Jones over and over and over again to the point where he thought he could recite not only his own questions, but Alex’s answers as well. 

You didn’t want to bother him, even though there was a nagging voice in the back of your mind to do so. You had returned from a stop at Holly Jones’ house so she could answer questions not too long ago, sitting at your desk waiting for any tips to come in about the sketch Loki provided the media. After an hour of waiting and Loki not returning to his own desk, you walked down the hallway and peered through the cracked door to the dark room he had been sitting in for entirely too long. 

The only light that the room was being provided was from the actual interrogation room, the yellow light barely reaching past his chair as the rest of the room was dark. The three tiny screens in front of him played the same track, from the first night, when Alex Jones wasn’t missing and the girls had only been gone for several hours, not several days. Loki was so entranced by the screens that he didn’t hear you come in, only when you cleared your throat did he barely startle at the sound of your voice and he turned his head back enough where he could see you. 

“Holly Jones say anything?” He asked and turned back to the screens, letting them continue to play as you came to stand next to his chair, resting an arm across the back and leaning into it a bit. 

“Nothing important if that’s what you’re asking.” You tell him and he sighs, leaning forward to fast forward the tape a little before leaning back. 

“It’s been five days and nothing.” He says and you move your hand so its resting over his shoulders, he leans in voluntarily and places a hand on your lower back, pulling you in closer. It was intimate, probably more than it should have been at work but you didn’t figure anyone was going to bother either of you. You move from standing to leaning down in front of him, his eyes not leaving you as you took his hand in yours and held it tightly. 

“I’m not giving up just yet, even if it seems that the whole world is against Anna and Joy right now.” You state and he nods, agreeing with you before looking back at the monitor. 

“What if Alex didn’t do it and we’re wasting our time? What if the guy at the vigil was just a creep but had nothing to do with it? I don’t fucking know anymore... and Father Dunn and the body in his basement, just another problem on top of it all.” Loki mumbled and you opened your mouth to answer but was interrupted by Sheila knocking on the door. She looked at you and then Loki as he turned the chair a little to look at her, your hands breaking apart at the knock. 

“Loki, you have a call.” She told him and left, Loki following behind as you sighed and watched the interrogation tape for a few minutes longer before flicking it off and returning to your desk. 

The Value Mall’s parking lot was basically empty. The only people who shopped there were those who couldn’t afford anything else and you were surprised to see it was still in business. 

There was a young girl working at the counter, probably in High School and her name tag read Jill in bold print. Loki asked her questions as you looked around the store, looking at the mannequins, some missing clothes, others bundled up as if they were real children. 

“-Caught him messing around with the mannequins once.” You heard her say and turned in her direction, Loki turning too. 

“He was touching these as if they were real people?” You ask her and she nods unsteadily, uncomfortable with the situation. 

“What did he pay with?” Loki asked her and approached the desk. 

“Cash.” She replied and looked at the both of you nervously. 

“All right, you give me a call if you hear anything.” Loki handed her his card and began walking out of the store but you waited behind for a second, and it only took him a brief moment to realize you weren’t following behind. You leaned your hands on the counter and looked at the girl. 

“You have cameras here.” You state and she nods her head in reply. 

“Do they run all day every day?” 

“Yes.” 

“Get someone to make copies of every minute of last month and send them to us when they’re ready.” She nods her head and you thank her for her time and leave. Sitting in the car, Loki writes down what she had said in case he would forget it later and you tapped your fingers against your leg. 

“He fondled the child mannequins.” You mumbled and Loki doesn’t look up at you to respond, but continued on with his notes. 

“You know there are a lot of fucking weird people in the world.” He tells you and you agree but something doesn’t entirely sit right, and you know it doesn’t with him either otherwise he wouldn’t be pursuing this man. 

“What did she say? He comes in to buy children’s clothes? You saw him touch that bear the other night, I know I did. It just makes it seem that this is the perfect man for the job and then Alex Jones gets off free, even though they’re sure Alex’s RV was the one that took the girls. It’s just a big fucking mess.” 

“Do you want to get dinner later? It will have to be after I’m done with the report on Holly Jones but I could order it and bring it over.” He suggests, changing the subject completely, you glance over at him and he’s looking at you, waiting for a response. 

“Pizza, no onions though.” He nods his head and the day continues, eventually you went home and sat, waiting in your living room for Loki and at precisely 7:05, you could see headlights from his car pull into your driveway through the curtains. 

That night was relatively quiet. Neither of you could sleep, it had turned midnight and there the two of you were, sitting on the couch, your back resting against his chest as Seinfeld played on the Tv. It was nostalgic. It was the show Lucy loved to watch with dad and when it was on it brought on better memories of the man than the ones you had after she went missing. 

Occasionally, Loki would chuckle and he would run his hands down your arms comforting, it was peace in a destructive world. That peace was interrupted when his phone went off on the side table. It was loud, unlike the Tv and startled the both of you, him reaching over and glancing at the number before putting it back down, you watched him expectantly. 

“Wrong number.” He says and pulls you back against him, wrapping his arms tightly around you and it was warm, he was warm. It was a moment of peace within the destructive world you worked in and you welcomed it, and he was willing to give a little piece of him to you. It wasn’t long after you were pulled back into him that the phone rang again and Loki picked it up this time. As he answered it, his eyes quickly became concerned and the look that he had given you meant something was wrong, or at least could be. 

“Mrs. Dover, Mrs. Dover. I am going to need you to calm down and tell me what happened.” He repeated to the woman on the other end, you got off the couch, turned off the Tv and flicked on the bank of lights in the kitchen that was just off to the side of the living room. You grabbed Loki’s coat off the barstool chair and grabbed his keys along with it. By the time you returned he was making his way to you in the kitchen, meeting you halfway. 

“Grace Dover thinks Anna was in her house and jumped out the window, she asked if we could come check it out.” He told you and slipped on his coat as you did the same with your own. 

“If Anna was in her house, the one she was taken from, and then chose to leave, I would say she didn’t go missing. But, I think she was taken so this better be good.” You mumble and open the front door but Loki pushed it closed and put his hand on your waist, you held on to his open jacket and pushed it closed. 

“I was hoping for just one night with no interruptions... but I guess that was selfish to think.” He tells you and you hum but shake your head. 

“It’s not selfish, I wanted one too.” His eyes flick between your eyes and lips for a moment before he places a soft kiss on them, you returning it with no hesitation. 

“One day maybe.” You say and he nods his head and you head to the Dover’s. Ralph answers the door, the Dover’s eldest child and only son. He seems concerned but nothing over the top. He informs the both of you that his mother was waiting in the kitchen and that’s exactly where you found her, sitting at the table with a glass of water in front of her. 

“Mom.” Ralph calls out to her and she turned around quickly, looking at the two of you and then getting up. 

“Anna was here. She was in the house and she went in her room and then...” She points to one of the kitchen windows and trails off, you look her over for a minute, assessing that she was obviously not sleeping and was heartbroken to say the least. 

“Mrs. Dover, why don’t you walk us through what happened?” You suggested to her and she nodded her head frantically and walked into the living room and then led you both upstairs and down the hall to Anna’s room, explaining what she had seen. 

“And she wasn’t here...” Grace leads you out of the bedroom, Loki following closely behind and Ralph moved out of the doorway to let you all pass and follow Grace into her own bedroom. 

“And then I heard a sound from my room and I came in and the window was open. And it wasn’t open before.” She tells you, sounding more and more confused as the story progressed and Loki walked around the room, looking at everything once over and not forgetting to remember the bottles of medication that sat on the bedside table. 

And then... and then Ralph, he came in and looked and then I don’t know.” She watches Loki as he looks out the window for a minute and turns back to you, and gestures at you with her finger. 

“Aren’t you going to write this down?” She asks and you look over at Loki, giving him the look of annoyance he had grown to know well. You pulled out a notepad from your jacket and wrote a few words down to satisfy her and then put it back.

“I didn’t check the basement; we need to check the basement.” Grace explains and takes off toward the basement, you looking around the room once more before following behind Loki who took the lead. Ralph didn’t follow, instead taking refuge from the situation in his own room, slamming the door behind him as he entered it. Grace flicked on the lights and the three of you headed down the stairs, the unfinished basement meeting you and all the supplies stared you in the face as if an apocalypse was occurring at that exact moment in time. 

“The kids know they’re not allowed down here.” Grace comments and that would explain why Ralph did not follow. 

You followed Loki as you skimmed the shelves. Propane, hand sanitizer, canned goods, everything you would need in case of an emergency. You turned to Grace and pointed to the shelves. 

“What is all this?” You asked her and she crossed her arms, standing behind a large work bench and tools hung on the wall behind her. 

“My husband likes to be prepared for emergencies.” She says and Loki moves from his spot and looks at a bag on Lye, half empty, rolled up against the table. He looks at you and makes sure you see it to before looking up at Grace. 

“Where is your husband, Mrs. Dover?” He asks her and she shrugs, shaking her head at him. 

“I was going to ask you... He’s been out searching with the police for Anna.” You looked at Loki with concerned eyes and he pulled out his phone, looking at the time on the screen. 

“Does he always stay out this late?” Loki asks her in response and she shakes her head, her emotions becoming angry at that assumption. 

“Yes, he always stays out this late. When he’s looking for my daughter since my daughters been gone, yes!” She says and Loki puts his phone away and looks over at you and leans a hand against one of the posts. 

“Shit.” He says and Grace glances at you. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, Mrs. Dover. Is there anything else you need or is it alright if we leave?” You ask and she shakes her head and throws up her hand, pushing the hair back on her face. 

“No.... I um, I guess not.” She says and Loki begins to walk toward you and you say goodbye to Mrs. Dover as you leave the basement, she didn’t follow you out. 

In the car, an exasperated look fell onto your face as Loki slammed his door close, a little rain soaking the sides of the door and the cold air filled the car. 

“What the fuck.” You say and he turns on the car, cranking the heat as soon as the engine started. 

“You think he took Alex Jones?” You ask him and he runs a hand over his chin and leans an arm against the closed window. 

“I don’t know... I mean, yes, that is the first thing I thought but where the fuck could he have taken him if he did?” 

“Maybe he’s got a place, or maybe it’s not just him. Maybe he didn’t do it at all, hell if we know.” You comment and pull of your hat, smoothing over your hair to keep it from frizzing up with all the static. 

“Let’s go. We can come back tomorrow morning, see if his truck is here and then follow him for a little while, it wouldn’t kill to see where he goes.” You suggest and he agrees. 

“Why the fuck would officers look at night for two little girls? They wouldn’t be able to see anything.” Loki comments and you scoff, thinking about that possibility. 

“He’s lying to his own wife about something she should be involved in too, what a fucker.” 

“The worst part is she believes he’s out there looking for her.” You tell him and he nods, glancing over at you, before turning to look back on the road and driving home, where sleep wouldn’t fall on either of you and when dawn came, you were still awake. 

The water from the shower turned off and you spit the toothpaste into the sink. Loki wrapped a towel around himself and placed a kiss on the top of your head as he passed you and went into the bedroom to change. 

“I’ll make some coffee.” He said after he changed and left you to pin your hair into a bun. You met him in the kitchen, him already sipping on a cup and pouring more into the thermos that had been sitting on the drying mat next to the sink. He handed you a cup once you came close enough and you thanked him. 

“Can I take you to dinner Friday?” Loki asks and you look over at him, surprised at the idea. 

“Like on a date?” 

“Well, if you don’t count the times I paid for your dinners over the years, then yes, a date.” 

“Sure, yes. As long as it’s not the Chinese place, please.” You tell him and he scoffs at the thought. 

“You know, my partner, she really hates that place.” He said jokingly and you nudged him playfully. 

“Oh yeah? I’m sure she does.” 

“Yeah, really. It’s where she realized she really liked me.” Loki said and you rose a brow at him. 

“I feel like I’ve heard this story before... my partner tells really bad, cheesy stories sometimes. I have to go spend a couple hours with him on a stakeout today, hooray for me, right?” You snicker and dump the coffee into a travel mug before grabbing your coat. Loki dumps his down the sink and grabs the thermos. 

“My partner’s real annoying sometimes, she can be a pain in the ass. But, hey, you don’t get to pick them. Yours cute?” You almost choke on the granola bar you stuffed into your mouth to put on your jacket and he laughed at you and you narrowed your eyes at him. 

“Yeah, sure... real handsome if you ask me. What about yours? Is she pretty?” You ask, expecting him to response similar to you, you were both just joking around after all. 

“No.” He says and walks to the door, flipping his keys in his hands as he stood at the open door, waiting for you as he gestured for you to leave. 

“She’s fucking gorgeous.” He tells you, winks, and walks out the door, leaving you a blushing mess. 

Day Six was now upon you and you sat for hours down the street from the Dover’s house. It was pouring rain and cold, snow flickering through the rain drops often, the changing of seasons was arriving without any welcome arms. 

Loki had finished half the thermos by the first hour and was gnawing on toothpick by the time Keller exited his house. You were leaning back in the seat, your head resting against the window and the tired feeling began to come over you. 

“Hey, hey.” Loki said and you perked up, looking out the rainy window and saw Keller get into his truck and quickly drive away. So you followed him for blocks, then miles, then finally, 25 minutes later he pulled into a liquor store parking lot and started walking towards the housing structures located behind it. 

It was a run-down area, no real nice homes, the street was filled with potholes and the half the sign to the liquor store was dim, threatening to go out at any moment. Behind you, a garbage truck pulled up and you turned around, motioning for them to go around as Loki yelled the same thing, but instead they began beeping, Keller on the other side of the street noticing and turning away from the apartment complexes, and into the store, noticing Loki’s car in the process. 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” You mumbled as you waited in a worn down parking lot across the street and watched as Keller Dover approached the vehicle, coming to Loki’s window and waited for him to roll it down. 

“Why are you following me?” He questions the both of you and takes a swig of whatever he was drinking out of the brown paper bag. 

“Get in the car.” Loki tells him and Keller moves around to your side, entering the back seat and scooting into the middle, you both turn your bodies in your seats to face him. 

“Why are you following me?” He asks again gruffly. 

“Where were you going just now?” Loki asks him and Keller diverts the question. 

“I parked at a liquor store, I have a bottle of liquor. You’re the shit hot detective. Work it out.” He tells Loki and takes another drink from the bottle, Loki glancing over at you, irritated with Keller’s attitude and blinks harshly. 

“He meant before that. You weren’t walking to the store, you were walking in the opposite direction, why?” You ask him and Keller sighs, looking at you with bloodshot eyes and an angry face. 

“Yeah, well... I haven’t had a drink in nine and a half years. I figured if I walked around the parking lot for awhile, by the time they opened I wouldn’t want it so bad. But then I saw you, and I changed my mind.” He said almost snarky with attitude that made your heart pump faster, anxiety about the man and his agenda making you uncomfortable. 

“There’s a bag of Lye in your basement that’s half empty. Your wife thinks you’ve been helping us and all know that’s not true.” Loki tells him, his voice quite quiet and soft but at the same time accusing to Keller. 

“I used the Lye to bury our dog last year. And helping the cops sounds a lot better than I’ve driving around aimlessly in my truck because I don’t know what else the fuck to do.” Keller was offended but you weren’t sure if he was defensive or drunk, or hell you didn’t know.

“Is that what you were doing last Saturday night?” You asked him and he looked to you again. 

“Probably. Am I a suspect?” 

“I’m only asking because you assaulted a man last week who is now missing.” He acted like he didn’t know, but you knew, somewhere deep inside you that he knew what happened to Alex. He was too involved in the case to not know and Loki felt that way too. 

“I heard about that, what happened? I thought he would be under surveillance.” 

“I’m gonna assume you're asking because you have no idea.” Loki interjected. 

“Well it’s not something I would think I could get away with.” He says and looks out the side window, avoiding your gazes which would and should be a dead giveaway that he had done something wrong, but there was no evidence to properly accuse him of kidnapping Alex Jones. 

“It’s not.” Loki tells him, his eyes staring him down before Keller turned back to both of you, coming up with some excuse you’ve both already thought of when beginning the investigation on Alex’s disappearance. 

“it couldn't be that he skipped town because the asshole is guilty? oh no it couldn't be that.” Keller was getting more and more worked up, his hand clutching the bottle in his hand tighter before he placed it between his legs, his hands running nervously on his own. 

“Mr. Dover, Mr. Dover. You need to go home and take care of your family, your wife. That’s the best thing you can do right now. That little girl is going to need you when she comes home.” Loki tries to calm him down, give him a reason to go home and some sliver of hope to hold onto. You remember the Detective on Lucy’s case saying something similar to your mother. She was an alcoholic too, and the disappearance of Lucy only made it worse. And she wondered why you never visited home for the holidays. 

“Kids that are gone for a week have half as good a chance of being found and those more than a month almost none are, not alive.” Keller explains as if either of you didn’t know that statistic already. Loki sucked in a breath and pointed a finger at Keller. 

“You know what, it hasn’t been a fucking week-” Loki told him and Keller began to shout, the car becoming agonizingly loud and rambunctious with Keller’s emotions and both Loki and you trying to calm him down. 

“Almost none! Day six! It’s day fucking six and you should fucking know that! I read about what happened, your sister, they never found her and it’s been what, twenty years? Why didn’t you find my fucking daughter?! I don’t want to be looking for her for twenty years! I want her home! She deserves to be home and have a life!” Keller didn’t have to bring her up, he didn’t have to bring her up, but knew that it had happened to you and thought you would do more. You were doing the best you could and you wished he could understand that. 

“Mr. Dover! Mr. Dover! Hey!” You held up a calming hand and he grabbed your wrist tightly. You had never had someone grab you that forcefully that it pulled you from your seat a little and over the center consul, Loki trying to grab your arm away from him but anger could make people stronger, and it was that way with Keller. 

“Why didn’t you find my daughter, why aren’t you looking for her! You of all people!” He shouted at you and you kept telling him to let go of you. You could hear Loki pleading with him, swearing every other word and trying to get him to let you go. Keller quieted but didn’t let you go, his nails digging into your skin painfully and you couldn’t help it when you winced in pain. 

“Mr. Dover, let her go. I’m not going to ask again.” Loki asked him as calmly as he could and Keller looked at him, his eyes still ablaze. 

“Let me go, Mr. Dover.” You asked him too and he let you go forcefully, flinging your arm out of his grasp and sitting back in his seat. You moved back, as far back as you could before bumping your back against the dash, clutching your wrist that was red, a little blood dripping from it and Loki pulled it to him, removing your hand so he could look at it better and assess what to do. Keller glanced at the two of you, not noticing him looking and felt sorry for what he had done but didn’t say anything, but attempted to leave unnoticed. When he opened the back door, Loki spoke up, looking up from your wrist to Keller with furrowed eyes, concerned for you and angry at him. 

“Hey, you don’t think we’re going to let you get behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking, do you?” He told Keller and Keller exited the car. 

“I’m going to walk. Find my daughter.” He said and slammed the car door shut. 

“Oh my god.” You didn’t want to cry but you couldn’t help it when the tears escaped your eyes after he left. 

“Ow, ow... don’t...” You whimpered as he touched the marks that his nails left. He looked up at you with those big blue eyes that you loved and you could see the pity behind them. 

“You need to get something on this, I don’t have anything...” He looked around in the back seat for anything but nothing was there. 

“I’ll be fine... I’ll be-” You couldn’t help it but the tears continued to fall and you felt like a wimp in front of him but he didn’t care. You were assaulted by Keller, he attacked you and left marks on your arm because he couldn’t control his anger. 

“Baby, it’s ok. It’s going to be fine. We’ll get someone to clean it out so it doesn’t get infected, I can’t have you getting some disease or something, I need you with me.” He reassured you and you nodded, leaning back into your seat and pulling on your seat belt, resting your wrist in your lap, Loki’s arm resting lightly on your knee in comfort the entire way back to the station. 

The wrap you needed to wear over the antibiotics was irritating you within the next few days. It was itchy and beige and was a constant reminder to you, and the people you worked with, as to what happened with Mr. Dover. 

You were walking back from O’Malley’s office when Loki flagged you down from the break room, running to you carefully, making sure his coffee didn’t spill on the way. 

“Come with me.” He said and you furrowed your brows and he led you to his desk and motioned for you to sit down. 

“What?” You asked him and he pointed to the screen. 

“Read it.” 

GRATERFORD GUARD COMMITS SUICIDE IN HOME 

You moved the chair closer to the screen and Loki sipped on the coffee as you read, he watched as you came to the realization that the location at which the house was located was the same street you had caught Keller going toward yesterday. 

William Dover, 46 years old, was found by his wife Mary and his teenage son

He was at the house he grew up in, where he found his father. 

“Did you look to see who owns it now?” You turned and asked Loki and he nodded. 

“Who do you think?” He told you and you huffed, getting out of his chair and crossing your arms. 

“Do you think we should check it out?” You suggested and he smirked, already having thought that. 

“I thought you’d never ask.” 

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[chobit92]

Resident Evil: Albert Wesker/OC Part 1

So the other week I re-read the Resident Evil fic I wrote years ago and never posted anywhere coz it’s crap. Now that I have read the first book and taken a little look at the first game (haven’t played it coz I’m useless at survival horror and the camera angle looks awful) I decided I just had to write this. Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: None.

(The small meeting room is hot and stuffy as it usually is. Angel sits at the desk she shares with Jill Valentine sipping coffee. Chris Redfield is sat at his desk and Forest Speyer, Richard Aiken, Ken Sullivan, Enrico Marini, Rebecca Chambers and Barry Burton are also in the room. Standing with his arms folded is their Captain Albert Wesker. He has only been their captain for a few months. The same length of time that Angel has been with the S.T.A.R.S. Special tactics and rescue service. She only joined to piss off her father and she has been wondering whether or not he’s actually having the last laugh. This assignment isn’t exactly what she was expecting when she took the job. Some kind of cannibal cult in the woods eating people. The S.T.A.R.S. had been given the assignment a month ago when the Racoon City police department finally admitted that they needed help. Jill Valentine walks in and sits down next to Angel.).

 Jill: Hey. Angel: Hey. Jill: What’s this all about then? Angel: Chief Irons called the meeting. We’re waiting for him. Jill: Hm. (Angel sighs looking across the room at Wesker. She has wondered since she met him why he always wears sunglasses. He wears them when it isn’t sunny and even when he is inside. She wonders if he does it so that nobody can read his expression or tell where he is looking. Maybe he likes rolling his eyes at Chief Irons but doesn’t want the man to see him doing it. The thought makes her giggle and Jill looks at her frowning.). Jill: What’s funny? Angel: Nothing. (Chief Irons enters the room and the chit chat dies away as they all turn to him as he stands at the front of the room in front of the whiteboard.). Irons: I take it we now have a strategy in place for beginning the search for these murderers? Wesker: Of course. Bravo Team will go in first followed by Alpha. Chris: You’re sending Bravo in? (Wesker gazed at Chris his expression neutral as it always is.). Wesker: Standard procedure Chris. Chris: Yeah but with what we talked about at the beginning of the week I thought- Irons: I gave the order Redfield. I know you think that there’s some kind of cloak and dagger going on here, but I don’t see any reason to deviate from policy. Chris: Of course sir. No need to explain yourself on my behalf. (Irons glares at Chris for a moment before turning away.). Irons: For all of Mr Redfield’s theorizing we still don’t know exactly what we are up against here. We don’t know how many there are. We don’t know if they are armed and we have to assume they are. We don’t know if they are terrorists or some freaky cult. But we do know that they have claimed the lives of nine people so far. There is a possibility that the attackers have dogs as well judging by the bite marks on a few of the victims. They might also be holed up in the old Spencer estate. But we have no proof of that. Has anyone discovered anything new? (Nobody speaks.). Irons: Right. I want to be kept updated and informed of any new leads. Miss Isaacs I need to have a word with you in private. (Angel frowns as everyone turns to look at her. She gets up and follows Irons out of the room.). Chris: The hell was that? I thought he’d called a meeting? Jill: He’s just checking in. I guess. Chris: Hm. Wesker: Sorry Chris I know you wanted things to go different but Irons didn’t put a whole lot of stock into your...misgivings. (Chris nods. Wesker could make recommendations but only Irons could upgrade a missions status.). Chris: Not your fault. Barry: Don’t sweat it Chris. Marini will call us in the second he smells trouble. Irons is just pulling your chain. (Chris nods again thinking back to the phone call he received from his friend ‘They’re going to kill me Chris. They’re going to kill everyone who knows. Meet me at Emmy’s now. I’ll tell you everything.’ Billy had worked for Umbrella as a researcher and since that call had disappeared off the face of the earth. He is interrupted from his thoughts by Angel shouting out in the hall.). Angel: You what?! (They get up and leave the room. Irons is stood staring down at Angel and she has her fists clenched. She looks furious. She turns to the others.). Angel: I’m off the case. Jill: What? Angel: I don’t understand. Have I done something wrong? Has someone complained? Am I not good enough at the job? Irons: It’s not that. The order didn’t come from me. Angel: Then who? You can’t just take me off the case and not tell me bloody why. Irons: Look it’s way above my pay grade young lady. Angel: It’s my father isn’t it? He’s done this. Irons: He doesn’t want you on the case. Angel: This is bollocks. Irons: I’m sorry. But that’s how it is. Angel: How can he do that? This is my job! Irons: I understand that but your father is a well respected man and he’s friends with the mayor. He wants you off the case so you’re off the case. Angel: I don’t believe this. Irons: I need to get back. Good day to you all. (Irons leaves.). Jill: Well this is bullshit. Who’s your father? Angel: A dickhead. (Angel walks off heading for the locker room. She opens her locker and takes her phone out of her bag. She dials her father. He picks up on the fourth ring.). Angel: Why are you interfering with my job?... What?... This is bollocks...This is my job you don’t get to do this...Dad what are you talking about?...What do you mean by that?...Of course it’s dangerous people have died...Oh just stop interfering with my life dad I’m not a child anymore and I want to see this thing through so I bloody well will whether you like it or not. (She hangs up. She sighs. She turns to see Wesker stood there staring at her.). Wesker: You don’t get along with your father then? Angel: We have our moments. I never thought he’d do this. How can he even do this? Interfere with my job like this? He’s being an asshole. Wesker: He’s the overprotective type is he? Angel: Not usually. That’s why it’s so surprising to me that he would do this. Wesker: Who is he? (Just then Rebecca, Jill and Chris walk in going to their lockers.). Jill: Total bullshit with your dad and Irons. Angel: Yeah tell me about it. (Angel starts to gather her things.). Chris: Talk about being overprotective. Rebecca: Well I suppose he’s just worried. Angel: Doesn’t worry about me usually. (Wesker is looking at Angels ass in the tight black jeans she’s wearing. His eyes move upwards lingering on her fair sized breasts. The black shirt she is wearing unbuttoned at the top. Her long blond hair is tied in a French plait. She’s a very beautiful young woman and Wesker has wanted her since he first saw her. They have spoken a few times but only briefly. She hasn’t shown any interest in him and he has wondered if the attraction is mutual or not. He decides he’s going to find out. He moves closer to her locker and leans against it. She turns and looks up at him. She smiles. He smiles back.). Angel: I’m still on the case right? I’m still coming with you guys. Wesker: I’m afraid that might not be possible. Chief Irons has taken you off the case. Angel: But you can put me back on right? (He gazes at her for a moment thinking.). Wesker: I suppose I could. But I would be risking Irons’ wrath. Not to mention the wrath of your father. Angel: Ah big boy like you. You’ll be fine. (Wesker chuckles.). Wesker: How about coming out for a drink with me tonight? Perhaps we could discuss it then? (Angel seems slightly taken aback.). Angel: Um...Sure. Why not? I could do with a drink. (Wesker smiles.). Wesker: Excellent. Angel: Hey you guys want to come for a drink? We could make a proper night of it. Chris: I’m up for that. Rebecca: Cool. Jill: I’m so there. Angel: Great. (Wesker looks less than thrilled. Angel picks up her handbag and slings it over her shoulder.). Chris: I’ll go see if any of the others wanna come. We’ll go to Kirby’s. Jill: Sounds good. (Chris leaves the room.). Jill: I’ll go home and change first. I’ll meet you guys there. Angel: Okay. (Jill leaves.). Angel: What’s Kirby’s? Please don’t tell me it’s a fucking night club. Rebecca: No. It’s just a bar. You’re totally fine. Angel: Good. (She turns to Wesker.). Angel: Do you wanna head there now? We can talk about putting me back on the case before the others arrive. (Wesker nods and manages a small smile. The evening really not turning out the way he’d hoped.).