#holden’s hearts on his sleeve

[always-tilting-at-windmills]

‼️The Amos grab, yank, stare & approval smack.

That Amos smile 😊

That Holden smile 🤩

[rainesrants]

California & Me

Pairing: Cove Holden/Reader, Baxter Ward/Reader

Word Count: 2.4K

Tags: Angst, Unrequited Love

Summary: Cove, your best friend, sees you as more than just a friend. When a certain someone returns to Sunset Bird, how will he react? Inspired by California & Me by Laufey

A/N: I hope you enjoy! Sorry if it was too short, I wrote this in about an hour. I might edit this in the future, though.

When Cove first heard you'd be going out of state for college, he didn't know what to say. After all, this was the first time he'd heard you change your plan. It was rather spontaneous, especially considering your original idea was that you'd be remaining in California, continuing your studies and volunteering there.

When he saw the worry on your face waiting for his reaction, he felt a piece of his heart crack. Forcing on a smile and a "Congratulations!" he watched you let out a sigh of relief. He knew he couldn't make you stay; who was he to deny you of your dreams? Little did you know, the moment he went back to his home, he began crying. He didn't even bother to go to his bed, collapsing on the ground as soon as the front door closed.

You tried your best to hide it, but he knew deep down why you had decided to leave. Baxter Ward, your "suitor for the season," had left, his absence leaving a hole in your heart. You insisted that you were fine, but it was noticeable to everyone the way the light in your eyes disappeared, your smile following it. The memories were too much, the feeling of heartbreak raw in your chest.

He tried his best to be there for you, entering through your window even more frequently to check on your condition. He didn't even bother to try "sneaking in" anymore, your moms seeing his parked car in the driveway even though he was supposed to be at his new apartment.

He could only watch as the bags under your eyes got darker and darker, neglecting the need for sleep as you scrolled through all your old messages and photos. It was as if everywhere you’d look, you would still see the memories of Baxter there.

On the day of your big move, everyone who still lived there had gathered outside of your house: your parents, Mr. Holden, and Cove. This time, you would be the one leaving. First it was Derek, then Liz, then Terry and Miranda, and finally, you.

Cove had agreed to drive you to the airport, and your parents hadn’t protested driving in a separate car. They knew you both needed your space to say your farewells to each other.

As you both got inside, your luggages in the trunk, he felt the thickness of tension in the car. The only sound that could be heard was the familiar lapping of the tides fading and the sound of the road underneath as he drove farther away from Sunset Bird.

The two of you remained in silence for what felt like hours, neither speaking a word as he parked in the airport’s garage. He was thankful your parents had ushered you to leave early, allowing you more time to speak with each other before you had to check-in.

The sound of your sniffles is what caught him off guard, and as he turned to face you, he watched the tears pour from your eyes. Without a second to spare, you unbuckled your seatbelt and practically leapt across the car to pull him into a hug. The feeling of your face in his neck was something he was used to, but the way your tears dampened his shirt wasn't.

“I’m going to miss you so much. I wish I could take you with me.” Your words were muffled as you spoke into his shoulder, squeezing him tighter as if he was going to be the one leaving. At your words, he felt his own tears begin to follow, and he wrapped his arms around your torso.

Choking back a sob, he slowly rubbed his hand soothingly in circles around your back. “Hey, it’s never too late to open a pretzel stand.”

You let out a small laugh at his joke, and as you finally pulled away, you rubbed the tears from your eyes into your sleeves. Then, gently pulling him closer, you grabbed ahold of his face, wiping the tears from his cheeks. It was to no avail, the waterworks continuing to spill from both of you. This time, you both laughed.

The taste of salty tears reminded him of the ocean, and as he looked at you, all he could imagine was the sun. He didn't know how he would function without your warmth, your comforting hugs, and your caring heart. He didn't know how to function without you.

“I’m going to miss you, too,” he whispered. He didn’t know what else to say, but as you began to sob even harder, he felt his heart break.

“Cove, please tell me this isn’t a bad idea. I want to leave, but at the same time, I’m going to miss everyone so much.” You said, reaching out to hold his hand as you spoke.

He felt his throat tighten as he realized what you were asking: “Should I leave?”

He was right, it was never too late to stay. You could just unpack all of your things again and stay there with him. Maybe you could take college, get a job, and do whatever you wanted to do in Sunset Bird. He wouldn’t have to hold onto the memories he had with you. Instead, he could be making new ones with you at every single moment.

But as he looked for your reaction, he paused. You needed his support at that moment, so despite his selfish thoughts, he mustered enough energy to say, “You know what you want to do, so follow your dreams. After all, we’ll always be here. I will always be here.”

At his words, he watched the way you seemed to relax, letting out a small sigh of relief. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

He wondered what would’ve happened if he had told you to stay, to remain with him. Instead, all he could do was wipe his tears as you finally left the car, grabbed your luggages, and headed to check-in. Both your parents and Cove’s dad were already waiting for you, and for once, they didn’t seem to tease how red and puffy both your eyes were. With a final hug, he watched as you entered security, turning back one last time to wave goodbye.

You had promised to keep in contact as much as possible, and you did. You called each other at every possible moment: when you landed at the airport, when you started your first day at school, when you were offered your first job, and everything in between. He was always there for you; it was the least he could do since you were always there for him.

Of course, he'd try his best to see you in person too, but it was more difficult than he thought to travel all the way across the country. Who knew one of the tallest people you knew would be afraid of flying? He didn't either, until he looked down from the window 10,000 feet in the air. He'd chant the words "this will be worth it" to himself over and over again, gripping the sides of his chair tightly. In the end, it really was worth it.

The knots in his stomach would disappear at the sight of you waiting for him, looking down at your phone to check if he had landed yet. He stood still, waiting until your eyes met. He could never forget the way your frown shifted into a smile at just the sight of him, the way you practically leaped to greet him, and the familiar feeling of you in his arms as you pulled him into a tight hug.

So when he heard you'd be coming back to California for Jude and Scott's wedding, his heart leapt out of his chest. This would be your first time visiting your hometown in a while, your new job restricting you from coming over too much. He was more than upset when he realized he was busy and wouldn't be able to see you until the actual ceremony, but he was even more upset when he heard a familiar name fall from your lips.

“Baxter Ward.”

“Huh?” Cove said, confused. You had been silent for a few minutes, despite you being the one to call him.

“It’s… Baxter. Can you believe it?” You let out a breathy sigh, as if in disbelief.

“Baxter who?” He forced out a laugh, acting clueless, but deep down, he knew exactly who you were talking about.

How could he forget your first kiss, your first date, and your first partner? Cove was supposed to be your first, but no, Baxter took that opportunity from him. He was only supposed to be a fling, so how come after five years, he had come back?

“Liz used to describe him as an “emo Victorian man.” He’s Jude and Scott’s wedding planner. What a coincidence, don’t you think?” The sound of your laughter rang through his ears, and he struggled to understand.

He felt his mouth dry, not knowing how to respond. Oh, how he regretted taking all his vacation days to visit you. Otherwise, he would be there in a heartbeat to see whether or not you were telling the truth. He knew you had no reason to lie, but the thought of his reappearance made him begin to worry.

“Hello? Cove, is everything alright?”

The sound of your voice is what snapped him out of it. Desperately trying to come up with an excuse, he began to panic. “Yeah, I’m fine! Sorry, I just dropped Cove Junior’s food.”

“Oh, sorry for distracting you.” You mumbled, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Forcing out an awkward laugh, he said, “It’s okay, really, but what about Baxter? Tell me more.” He knew it would hurt to hear it, but what else could he do?

As you spoke, he recognized your tone of voice. Retelling the events of your day, he noticed how you dreamily sighed, and although it wasn’t a video call, he could imagine the way your cheeks turned red with just the sound of his name. His final straw was the day of the wedding. When he saw your face, he was so happy to see you that he almost didn’t remember Baxter. Almost.

During the entire ceremony, he would only catch a couple of glimpses of him, as if he were entirely avoiding the two of you. He could see how hurt you were, but you continued to smile so as to not ruin Jude and Scott’s happy day. That was when his resolve snapped, and he excused himself from the table. You looked at him in curiosity but went back to talking with Terry and Miranda after he lied saying he needed to go to the restroom.

Looking around, he searched the room for a person wearing a purple suit. That’s when he finally saw him in all his glory, standing in the corner of the room watching the others party with a sad look on his face. Although Cove couldn’t say he liked him, he felt pity on the man. When Baxter finally turned his head and saw him, he put on a polite smile.

“Cove. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” he said, almost as if he had rehearsed it.

“Yeah, you too.” Awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets, he slightly rocked back and forth.

“Have you enjoyed the ceremony so far?”

Cove simply nodded, and as he finally got the courage to confront him, he took a deep breath. “We don’t have to do this, Baxter. I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

He looked taken aback by his bluntness but quickly attempted to regain his composure. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Perhaps you’ve misunderstood.”

“You know they’re in love with you.”

He didn’t even act surprised, just looking away with a guilty look on his face.

Cove continued with his statement, fighting back tears as his hands formed into fists. “They’ve always loved you, even after your disappearance. I don’t know if anybody has told you, but after you left, they were heartbroken. I had never seen them so hurt before.”

“I apologize, but there’s nothing I could’ve done for them.”

Cove could feel his temper start to boil, his eyebrows scrunching in frustration. “You could’ve been there for them, responding to their texts or calls.”

“We were both doing our own things. I was finishing my education and became a wedding planner, they were off in college becoming successful. It was… for the better.”

“For the better? After you left, they were a mess. I’m sure they haven’t told you, but the reason they went to school in New York was because they missed you so much they couldn’t bear to handle walking through Sunset Bird and the memories of you.” Cove was out of breath, and he realized he had raised his voice. Thankfully, no one was paying attention, continuing to party. Trying to calm down, he fidgeted with his hands. “Anyone could tell they like you. The way they look at you is the same way I look at them.”

Baxter's smile disappeared for a moment but he quickly put it back on, as if it were a mask. “To be quite honest, I’m a little surprised you’re the one telling me this. Even when I first arrived in Sunset Bird, I noticed your affinity for them. Why help me?”

Cove was trying his hardest to hold back on the waterworks, looking out the window to avoid his gaze. “They only see me as their best friend, nothing more. I’m not sure if they’ve ever noticed, but I do know one thing-they deserve to be happy. You make them happy, happier than I’ve ever seen them. So please, if they approach you at the party, at least listen to them.”

Baxter didn’t respond, and Cove quickly turned around, leaving him to his thoughts. He had a lot of regrets, but losing you was his biggest one. What if he had insisted you didn’t date him in the first place? What if he had insisted you stay in Sunset Bird? What if he had been the one to ask you out first?

When he finally watched you approach Baxter, kiss him, and return with a cheery smile on your face, he knew his answer. No matter how much Cove loved you, he would always lose to Baxter Ward.

[rocicrew]

“Who hurt you?” With Holden and Amos pretty please 🥺👉👈

Angst/fluff Prompt List, accepting

Holden, still bleary-eyed and half asleep, made a beeline for the coffee machine. Had he had a cup first, he'd have probably noticed the large mechanic hunched over the table with a gel pack pressed on his cheekbone.

He still did. Just took a second longer. "Who hurt you?", he blurted out without thinking.

Then, he paused to study the extent of the injuries. Amos's knuckles were split. His right eye and the cheekbone below were red but they were starting to turn an ugly purple color, betraying the bruises that would form. Few on his arms, that if he had to guess continued underneath the short-sleeved pair of overalls he always wore across his torso.

He'd had quite the night, and Holden's hand twitched around his, so far, empty cup at the thought.

"What, you want a list or something?", Amos replied in his usual casual tone. "It's gonna be a long one, Cap."

"Amos-" Holden exhaled as if he'd said a bad joke, only it wasn't a joke in the slightest and that sat heavily in the captain's stomach.

"Don't worry, I didn't piss off Tycho security this time. You won't have any problems with Fred Johnson."

That was the least of Holden's worries. He knew the way to handle Fred. Amos was more of the issue right here. He could hear Naomi's voice in his ear explaining it to him gently, whenever he worried about Amos disappearing for a couple of days. 

Amos needs this sometimes. It's how he copes. He'll come back to us.

Yeah well, as much as he respected that each one of their little family had their own past and their own ways to deal with it, it was never easy to see one of them black and blue. (It didn't register to him that it was hard for them to see him lose track of sleep and meals at his worst.)

Jim sighed-for the third time as Amos counted-but didn't move from his spot.

"They were bullies, Cap. Someone needed to teach them a lesson," Amos explained as if that would appeal to his morality but the only response he got was a-forth-sigh. 

"Left them alive. 'Promise," Amos tried again, mistaking the cause of Holden's frustration. 

"I don't give a shit about them, Amos," Holden snapped and winced immediately at his tone. He didn't mean to get so agitated but it bothered him that Amos thought he cared more about a couple assholes on Tycho than seeing his family beat up. He forced himself to take a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to shake away any clouded thoughts.

It was only after that he spoke again, using a gentler tone. "I care about you."

Amos suddenly became more interested in the ice pack he'd removed from his cheek sometime during their talk and had placed it on the table. 

Right. 

It was easier to explain how he beat the shit out of someone than hear someone cared about him. 

Holden knew that, of course. Which was why he usually refrained from saying so, despite often feeling it. But it still slipped out at times. 

"It'll take a lot more than a couple punches to take me down, Cap." 

He snapped his gaze back up at the sound of Amos' voice.

"I know," Holden said and wished he didn't. His heart squeezed whenever he thought about it too much. And that conviction didn't make any of this any easier. 

Neither of them spoke for a while. That wasn't unusual for Amos, but it was for him. Every thought that came into his mind, every worry or explanation why this bothered him this much were things he couldn't and didn't want to say to Amos. 

I wish you'd come to us instead. I wish I knew how to help you. I wish I could have protected you instead. 

They were trained habits. To take on any problems his loved ones had and put them on himself. Try to fix them himself and be of use. 

He tried to do the same for Naomi, every time she shared a little bit of her past. 

But it wasn't fair to them, either of them. They didn't need fixing, or saving because that's all he knew how to do. Or at least, was raised to be supposed to be able to. (Jimmy, the fence needs mending again. Did you see the mistake in that court case? Jimmy, the farm-) To be the solution he'd always fail to be.

He was getting better, at least, at keeping those impulses to himself. 

As he stood awkwardly by the coffee maker, he did think of one thing to do. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure."

He couldn't stop everything bad that had or would happen to them. 

But he could be there for them after. 

And as time would prove, that actually helped more. Because after they'd shared a cup of coffee, Amos would let him take him to the med-bay to check his injuries, despite his dislike of room to lessen his own worries. And the next time it happened, he'd find a warm coffee on the galley table for him before their joined trip to the med-bay.

It always felt good to be understood, but it felt better to be trusted this way, and to take care of his best friend and their little family.

[veritasislehq]

Welcome to the Isle, Veritas Isle that is. Your journey has only just begun. We are delighted to announce that the following have been accepted! Please click anywhere on this sentence to be redirected to the checklist. Please message the main if you have yet to receive a link to the discord server or if you have any additional questions. We're here to answer any and all concerns.

( joe keery. he/him. cis-man. ) The courts of veritas welcome HOLDEN CULPEPER! it’s been said that the 24 year old GHOST is known to be SOFTHEARTED and OBSERVANT but he’s also NAIVE and COWARDLY. When CULPEPER isn’t SINGING at bars with his band, he can be found ROAMING THE FOREST WHERE HE DIED. If you visit his home in RAVENWYCK, it may remind you of CLEAN SHEETS, A BED LEFT UNSLEPT, DECAYED FLOWERS, STACKS OF MAIL UNTOUCHED, SHEETS OF MUSIC ON THE FLOOR, ON THE COUNTERS AND STUFFED BETWEEN NOTEBOOKS. He may be your best friend or your greatest enemy. ( juliette. she/her. 25. pst. )

( jonah hauer king. any. demi man. ) the courts of veritas welcome COBALT COLDWELL! it’s been said that the 27 year old GHOST is known to be AFFECTIONATE and PETTY. when COBY isn’t working as a FORMERLY AN ANIMAL CARETAKER, they can be found participating in PLOTTING TO HAUNT HIS FATHER. if you visit their home in ANYWHERE, it may remind you of the earthy smell after it rains, lives in sweaters, idyllic dreams crushed like rose petals, carrying a heart on their sleeve, laughter like soda pop & pulling a the ties that bind. they may be your best friend or your greatest enemy. ( kass. )

( quintessa swindell. he/they. genderfluid. ) the courts of veritas welcome CALLAN KLINE! it’s been said that the 25 year old GIFTED HUMAN is known to be AMIABLE and SUSCEPTIBLE. when CAL/CALLIE isn’t working as a PLAYGROUND ARCHITECT, they can be found participating in GYMNASTICS. if you visit their home in JUSTPORT, it may remind you of scraped knees, the distant sound of children laughing, knowing it is better to love than hate, the first summer of your youth & sliding across the floor in socks. they may be your best friend or your greatest enemy. ( kass. )

( may calamawy. any. demi woman. ) the courts of veritas welcome SAMIYA NASSAR! it’s been said that the 35 year old EARTH WIXEN is known to be SANGUINE and RETICENT. when SAMMY isn’t working as a OWNER OF QUILL & CUPPA, they can be found participating in FORAGING. if you visit their home in RAVENWYCK, it may remind you of loose leaf tea in an earthenware mug, trailing green vines hanging through an open window, a messy kitchen, tea blends swirling in jars & the most beautiful flower hidden in midst of a dark forest. they may be your best friend or your greatest enemy. ( kass. )

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Rewatch:    “Fukushu”

The basics:  The father of an LAPD detective, a highly respected Japanese-American veteran, is the victim of a hate crime with OSP on the case.

Written by:  Kyle Harimoto wrote “Omni”, “Merry Evasion”, “Chernoff, K”, “Command and Control” as episode 150, “Granger, O.”, “Ghost Gun”, “Kulinda”, “767”, “Se Murio El Payaso”, “Assets”/“Liabilities”, “Venganza”, “Superhuman”, “One of Us", “Let Fate Decide” (season 11 premiere), “Decoy”, “Answers” , “Watch Over Me” and “Cash Flow”.   He co-wrote “Three Hearts”, “Leipei”, “Humbug”, both ends of the “Matryoshka” two-parter, “Smokescreen” part two, “Searching”, “A Fait Acompli” and “A Tale of Two Igors”.

Directed by:  Dennis Smith directed “Fame”, “Standoff”, “Rocket Man”, “Cyberthreat”, “Exit Strategy”, “Patriot Acts”, “Out of the Past” part one, “The Livelong Day”, Between the Lines”, “Deep Trouble” part two, “Black Budget", “Black Wind”, “Blame it On Rio”, “Defectors”, “Matryoshka” part one, “Granger, O”, “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Hot Water”, “From Havana With Love”, “Plain Sight”, the lighthearted “Monster”, “Superhuman”, “One of Us”, “Smokescreen” part one, “Decoy”, “Mother” (episode 250), “Alsiyadun”, “The Bear”, “Angry Karen” and “Signs of Change”.

Guest stars of note:  Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is Craig Tanaka, Christopher Sean is LAPD Det. Jack Tanaka, Jose Yenque is Capt. Carlos Fuentes, Sebastian Sozzi is LAPD Det. Matt Guerrero, Obi Ndefo is Joyner, Dashiell Connery is Jason Quinn, Peter Holden is Benjamin Strauss, Michael Fitzgerald is Billy Strauss, Tyler Capri Clark is Molly and Duncan Campbell is back as Agent Castor.

Our heroes:  Take out the trash.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:   Has no use for the Strauss father and son. Sam: Wants Fatima to use her instincts but not be distracted by the circumstances. Kensi:  Can shoot a man centermass at 1,250 meters. Deeks:  Took a post-lawyering vanlife tour where he saw great places, great people that are at odds with the hate he sees in the attack. Fatima:  Sick of the hate in the streets these days. Rountree:  His sister is his world. Kilbride:  Learned as a child his father protected their Japanese neighbor’s belongings for two years and carries that forward..

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:   In Napa so missed the NCIS: LA Combine. Sam:   Benches 225 pounds 20-times in the NCIS: LA Combine. Kensi:   Can jump 21-inches in the NCIS: LA Combine. Deeks:   Sprinting in the NCIS: LA Combine. Fatima:   New to the Village People. Rountree: Judging the NCIS: LA Combine. Kilbride:  Will have Kensi at his six if there is one seat left in the Humvee.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?  No mention.

Who's down with OTP:  Kensi and Deeks have long discussions about racism and agreeing to adopt a child with a different race.  Callen spent the weekend in Napa with Anna.

Who's down with BrOTP:  Callen hurried home from Napa to help on the case (pal before galpals).

Fashion review:  Working out, Sam is in a black long-sleeve tee, black shorts, socks and Nikes.  Kensi is a black tank top and camo leggings.  Deeks is wearing a light grey tank top and darker grey jogggers.  Rountree is in a charcoal grey tee-shirt and black shorts.  Working, Callen is in a dark blue button-down shirt.  Sam is in a long-sleeve black crewneck sweatshirt.  Kensi is in a red tee-shirt.  Deeks is in a medium-blue tee-shirt and light grey jeans.  Fatima has on a lovely dark blue long-sleeve blouse over a medium grey turtleneck.  Rountree is wearing a seafoam green tee-shirt .  Admiral is in a dark blue three-piece suit, white shirt with a blue check pattern and a dark blue tie with white dots.

Music:   “AWOL” by Every Time I Die plays while Callen and Sam are entering the Strauss-Quinn home.  “Watch Out!” by Kazou  is playing at the end as Det. Tanaka’s video goes viral.  

Any notable cut scene:   Yes and if you have the DVDs, it is with the “Subject 17” episode.  Callen and Sam drive up to the building where Jack Tanaka is holding the men who hurt his father.  Putting on their tactical gear, Callen is not happy that they are going in heavily armed and in their vests.  Sam reminds Callen that Jack is a highly trained member of LAPD’s robbery-homicide division.  If Jack Tanaka is not in his right mind, they can’t take any chances.  Callen and Sam enter the building.

Quote:  Sam:  “We know you'd much rather be out there on the street finding these people.” Det Tanaka:  “No, I don't want to do that. If I want the men that beat my father prosecuted, I can't be anywhere near this case.” Fatima:  “Wow, you have incredible restraint.” Det. Tanaka:  “ Yeah, well, people, uh, friends of ours, they would use words to describe Dad like "kind, funny, loving." Only word I would ever use to describe him is "discipline." Sam:  “I respect your father even more now.” Det. Tanaka:  “Yeah. Well, if my lack of discipline let whoever beat him off the hook, my old man would never forgive me.”

Anything else:  An older Japanese man is fishing at the beach with little success.  As he returns to his truck, he is almost run over by a young woman in a Jeep racing down the beach.  She apologizes as she flies by, distracted by her phone..  Shaking his head, the man gets to his truck, only to be badly beaten by two men in dark hoodies.  While the older man takes the worst of it, he is able to pull out a knife and cut one of his attackers in the lower leg.

Short credits.

In the gym, the team is working out (that hasn’t happened in a while).  Sam is lifting while Rountree spots.  Kensi is working on her jumping skills.  Deeks is running – joking about being faster than any cornerback in the NFL Combine.  At Alabama, Caleb Castille played cornerback.  Rountree didn’t think the sprint even counted – he thought Deeks was just warming up.

Kensi’s jump was 21-inches, typical of defensive tackles at the NFL Combine.  Those men usually way 300-pounds plus but Kensi wants to know if any of them can shoot a man at centermass from 1,250 meters.  They cannot.  Sam is up to 14-reps lifting at 225 (another Combine test).  Sam gets 20 – legit for an NFL linebacker.   Sam is disappointed he can’t do LA Rams superstar Aaron Donald’s 35 reps.  Kensi asks if linebackers can hit a man centermass at 1,250 meters.

The Admiral pops up on the gym plasma, driving in to the office.  He thinks the US Military would like to limit the number of people who can shoot a man centermass at 1,250 meters.  Kensi should be humble that she has that sort of training, not bragging about it.  She immediately apologizes.  That said, if there is one seat left in the Humvee, the Admiral is leaving Aaron Donald behind because he wants Kensi on his six.  Deeks thinks the Admiral is encouraging Kensi.

Sam asks if they have a case.  The older man at the beach is Lt. JG Craig Tanaka was nearly beaten to death at Dockweiler Beach.  He’s going in for his second surgery – at 73 this is going to be a dicey surgery.  Tanaka served on the USS Walke during the Vietnam War.  The team is disgusted.  With Callen in Napa, expected back later that day, Fatima is going with Sam to speak to Tanaka’s son Jack, an LAPD Detective.  Kensi and Deeks are on their way to the crime scene, Rountree is going to meet with the Admiral in Ops when he arrives.

In Ops, the Admiral is looking for a sit-rep.  Craig Tanaka is in surgery.  The EMTs found the fish knife Tanaka used to fight back.  He has his name engraved on the knife.  The blood is human but not Tanaka’s.  The Admiral notes that the bad guys got more fight than they were expecting.

At the boatshed, Fatima is disgusted with the hate crimes going on in the world.  Sam points out that Fatima is living that life becoming a more religious Muslim.  Fatima agrees.  Growing up in Beverly Hills, despite what “Beverly Hills 90210” showed, there is a large Persian community.  She never felt different at high school.  Since she started wearing the hijab, some people yell terrible things to her but they’ve never been violent.  Sam thinks some of the violent people start by yelling terrible things at people.  What matters to Sam is not letting his personal disgust get in the way of the case but Fatima should follow her gut instincts.

On the way to the crime scene, Kensi is making food recommendations to an obviously distracted Deeks before suggesting drugs.  Kensi calls him back, saying she knows he’s mad.  He’s not mad, he’s sad.  Beating a 73-year old man in America – how does that happen?  Kensi is sad, mad and disgusted too.  Deeks talks about the six-month walk-about he did after being a lawyer.  He got in a van and just went everywhere – he loves the country, the ocean, the mountains, the big cities and the small towns.  It was great.  And now he’s investigating the beating of a 73-year old man because of his background.

Rountree updates the Admiral in the Admiral’s office, Lt. Tanaka is out of surgery.  When he doesn’t leave the office, the Admiral asks if Rountree needs anything else.  He does – why is OSP investigating this case?  The Admiral tells Rountree that Lt. Tanaka volunteered at the National Submarine Memorial, West.  

Rountree still doesn’t think that’s why they were assigned the case.  The Admiral requested the case as a hate crime against a Japanese Naval Veteran.  Asking Rountree to sit, the Admiral explains that he grew up in Oregon with a best friend named Ralph Sakamoto.  The Sakamotos would cook a huge Sunday dinner for the Kilbrides.  One day, the Admiral asked his Mom about the dinners.  She explains that when the government imprisoned Japanese Americans during WWII, people started looted Japanese family homes.  Admiral Kilbride’s father sat with two shotguns every night for two years on the Sakamoto’s porch to make sure nobody stole from them.  Rountree thinks the Admiral’s father was quite the man.  The Admiral agrees.  “What kind of son would I be if I didn’t track down the son of a bitch who did this to Lt. Tanaka.”

Castro brings Det. Tanaka to Sam and Fatima.  Sam apologizes for taking Det. Tanaka away from the search for his father’s attacker but Tanaka makes it clear, he wants this case to stick.  He can’t be involved in the investigation.  Fatima admires his restraint.  While people would use words like “kind” or “fun” or “loving” to describe the senior Tanaka, his son would use the word “discipline”.  Det. Tanaka knows his father would never forgive him if he let his lack of discipline impact the case.  Sam is impressed.  

Explaining that his father was a creature of habit, working his garden, working as a volunteer at the base in Seal Beach, fishing at night, meeting up with his buddies and having a few beers at the end of the day, Det. Tanaka is sure this is a racial hate crime.  Fatima asks if the younger Tanaka has any proof.  Proof is NCIS’s job, not his.

Kensi and Deeks arrive at the crime scene.  She figures the start of the attack was a cowardly kick to the back or sucker punch.  They figure the bad guys saw Lt. Tanaka fishing and took action.  Despite how big the population in LA is, an older man would be alone fishing just before sunset most nights.

Rountree pops up to Sam and Fatima on the plasma with a witness, a jogger, who saw two men in hoodies and jeans near the beach.  They stuck out to her.  Sam thinks the idea that two attackers beat a 73-year old man makes them bigger cowards.  Fatima gets a call.  The Commanding Officer of Seal Beach wants to talk to NCIS about Lt. Tanaka.  Since most CO’s wouldn’t know the volunteers at the base, this is something.

With the witness statement, Kensi and Deeks are going to “run up the hill” to check where the jogger could see the man.  Kensi complains about running up the hill until she gets about a step ahead of Deeks before calling it a race.  He won’t race “with the world’s biggest fifth-grader.”  

The Seal Beach CO makes it clear if he was in Los Angeles, he’d be fighting in person for Lt. Tanaka.  There isn’t a person working at Seal Beach the CO holds in higher regard than Lt. Tanaka.  While Lt. Tanaka has the title of volunteer docent, he takes those volunteer duties more seriously than some of the CO’s commanders do with their assigned duties.  “He is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to every sailor and officer on that base, including myself.”

At the hospital, a Lt. Tanaka is unconscious in his bed, out of surgery.  Rountree updates Sam and Fatima on his condition.  Knowing that nobody at the base would have a grudge against Tanaka, they agree it was not a targeted attack from someone in the Navy.  In his financials, Rountree found that Lt. Tanaka has been doing some carpentry for an LLC for the prior three months.  He’s been working at a restaurant renovation for the last two-weeks.  The job was delayed because someone threw a brick through the restaurant’s window.  With Callen on his way to the restaurant, Sam will meet him there while Fatima returns to Ops.

In the spot where the jogger saw the two men in hoodies, Kensi sees a ramp that would get them to two different highways.  This was a premediated attack, not just a random hate crime.  Deeks thinks they could have followed Tanaka to the beach from someplace else.

Callen and Sam arrive at a restaurant in a neighborhood that was gentrifying.   Speaking about higher rents, Sam talks about the cost per square foot.  Callen checks out.  Sam can’t believe Callen left Napa and Anna to help on the case.  Callen notices all the hand craving Lt. Tanaka was doing.  Sam asks what Callen knows about carpentry and it seems he knows a lot.  In one of his foster homes, the mother was an alcoholic but her husband was a carpenter and a good one.  He’d make custom tables in his workshop and Callen would hang around.  Sam makes a joke about a rival carpenter taking on Callen and his foster dad which leads Callen to believe Sam missed him.   A freshly painted wall catches Sam’s attention.

Back at the office, Fatima updates a traveling Kensi and Deeks.  Jack Tanaka did not know his father was working but it didn’t surprise him, his Dad would pick up jobs like that over the years.  Lt. Tanaka is improving.  Still touch and go but his vital signs are looking better.  Finishing with Fatima, Kensi and Deeks talk about their adoption plans and that they were open to adopting a child outside of their race.  Deeks is worried that he knows nothing about another race’s experience.  Kensi agrees – they don’t share the a culture but they could give someone a home where they are loved.  They would need to understand the child’s background, how the world perceives the child.  “Nothing would break my heart more if they never felt like they fit in with us or anyone else who looked like them,” Kensi says.

With some x-ray equipment, Callen and Sam see racial slurs under the fresh coat of paint.  Leaving the restaurant, Callen is talking to the owner.  Lt. Tanaka told the owner about the brick thrown through the window but didn’t mention the racial slurs painted on the wall.  Rountree checked for Sam, no security cameras near the diner.  There is a street artist working nearby who doesn’t want to help Callen and Sam until Callen shows him the racial slurs on the wall.

The street artist thinks Lt. Tanaka is going to be angry.  Callen and Sam are surprised the artist knows Lt. Tanaka but the two are friends.  The artist is expecting Lt. Tanaka anytime.  Sam breaks the bad news about the attack.  Remembering that the red paint he’s using was found in the street behind the diner, the artist turns over the can to Callen and Sam.

With the crime lab running prints on the paint can, Rountree wonders what was going through Lt. Tanaka’s mind when he saw the wall of the diner.   He is sure Tanaka wanted retribution but he just painted over the hate and went about his job, probably fearing he’d be fired for the attack.  Fatima recalls a few weeks prior being called names by a racist in North Hollywood.  Rountree says there are only two times in his life where he felt race didn’t matter – playing sports and being part of NCIS’s OSP.  It all about a common goal – like when the aliens come for the planet.  Fatima’s tablet beeps.  The prints on the paint can match Jason Quinn.  

In the bullpen (with people walking behind them – a first in a while as well), the team agrees that Lt. Tanaka was targeted.  They wonder if Tanaka spoke to Quinn about the slurs on the wall and things escalated.  Fatima and Rountree pop-up on the plasma.  Quinn’s roommate is Billy Strauss.  The Strauss family were the longtime owners of the diner but lost the business.  Going after Tanaka, Strauss and Quinn went after the wrong guy.  They wouldn’t go after Tanaka at the diner – it would be too easy to connect to the Strauss family.  

Quinn just used his credit card at a coffee shop.  Kensi and Deeks are off to find Quinn, Callen and Sam are on their way to check out where Strauss and Quinn live.

As Quinn leaves the coffee shop, Kensi says “I’m NCIS” and we all know what happens.  Quinn flees on his motorcycle, Kensi follows in the SUV and Quinn winds up on the ground after hitting a picnic table.

With music blasting from the Strauss-Quinn home, Callen and Sam enter the building.  Just a lot of loud music and tossed around furniture.  There is hot fast food on the floor – whatever happened in the apartment, Callen and Sam just missed it.

Quinn asks Kensi and Deeks not to hurt him.  Deeks would like to hurt him but won’t.  Kensi wants to know what Quinn is talking about.  20-minutes earlier, Quinn heard Billy Strauss being beaten by someone saying they were a cop.  Quinn admits to breaking into the diner but Strauss painted the walls.  He was also not part of the attack, Quinn said Strauss did that alone.  When Kensi and Deeks tell him there was a second attacker, Quinn makes it clear, he wasn’t that man.

Callen and Sam quickly figure out that Det. Tanaka attacked Billy Strauss.  Callen asks Fatima to call the hospital and find Det. Tanaka.   Wondering how Tanaka knew about Billy Strauss – NCIS did not share that info with him – Callen and Sam think the detective somehow hacked into their systems.  

In the office, Rountree is working on a sewing table near the wardrobe when Fatima arrives.  She cannot find Det. Tanaka.  Rountree cannot find how Det. Tanaka could hack into their systems.  A check of their systems shows no intruders.  Fatima starts to laugh at Rountree’s set-up – he doesn’t fit in the sewing area.  Unhappy, Rountree points out the rest of the team has fabulous chairs and desks.  The Admiral has a glass office and Hetty has a throne room.  Fatima admits using the Pilates reformer in the gym.  The arriving Admiral found someone using the expensive Pilates reformer to be a good thing.

Rountree makes a pitch for a personal workspace.  The Admiral talks about offices, with room, maybe plants – all things that are never going to happen.  He doesn’t understand the wardrobe area – it looks like the back of a Village People show.  Fatima doesn’t understand the Village People.  The Admiral thinks two intelligent, young NCIS Agents could find a new home for the wardrobe and set up their own work stations.  Fatima gets a call.  Det. Tanaka is not at the hospital.  The Admiral realizes who beat them to Strauss.

Deeks points out that the prints on the spray can went to the crime lab.  A Detective Guerrero accessed the information from the LA Sheriff’s Department.  Deeks wants Castro to pick up Guerrero, who is still at the Sheriff’s Department offices.  Kilbride will tell Guerrero’s supervisor that NCIS Is working on a cold case so Guerrero doesn’t tip off Det. Tanaka.

At the boat shed, Deeks and Kensi confront Guerrero whose sister once dated Det. Tanaka.  The two broke up but Guerrero and Tanaka stayed friends.  They surf together, saw a Rams game together, saw the Foo Fighters together.  Kensi and Deeks agree what happened to Lt. Tanaka is disgusting but they want to stop Det. Tanaka from making things worse.  His career was over, his life doesn’t have to be.

Guerrero admits all and adds that Det. Tanaka doesn’t just have Billy, he has Billy’s dad.  It was obvious that Billy’s dad was behind the attack on Lt. Tanaka.  Knowing NCIS was just a few minutes away, Det. Tanaka grabbed the Strauss men and took them to an old gang hideout Guerrero knew was empty.  He provides Kensi and Deeks the address.  Kensi updates Callen.

Callen and Sam enter the hideout.  Finding Det. Tanaka with the gun on the Strausses, Det. Tanaka is completely cooperative.  The Strausses want help but Callen thinks they should be grateful they’re only tied up.  The Elder Strauss goes on a rant about law enforcement taking the other side but Callen just walks away.

In Ops, Fatima and Rountree are sad that Det. Tanaka is going to lose his career.  She asks if Rountree would do the same for his father.  “Hell no, not for my dad.”  Fatima notices he doesn’t talk about family much.  Rountree explains that his family isn’t like Fatima’s.  All that matters to Rountree is his sister – “she’s my everything.”  Fatima wants to meet her.  Rountree agrees.  They’re off to get some pizza.

Closing up one of the storage units in the armory, Deeks talks to Kensi about the elder Strauss being so full of hate and poisoning his son that something like this happens.  Lt. Tanaka should be out there fishing and Kensi thinks he will be soon.  She knows they can fill a child with love and happiness and not hate and anger.  They’re off to do a Peloton class.

The Admiral bring Det. Tanaka to see his father.  While the Admiral wants to wait outside, Det. Tanaka invites him in.  Lt. Tanaka would be thrilled to see an Admiral in person.  The Admiral says that tough fathers are hard to kill – he knows, he had one.

Det. Tanaka knows the Admiral thinks he did something stupid but the younger Tanaka wanted to stand up against two-years of hate crimes against Asians.  The Admiral believes a highly-decorated detective could do so much more than what Det. Tanaka did that day.  Det. Tanaka videoed the Strausses.  He posted it to a number of social media sites before Callen and Sam arrived.  It was important that others understand that men like his father are not from a weak and docile community.  Det. Tanaka had the skills and training to fight back.  If one beating is stopped by what Det. Tanaka did, he is good with what happens next.

“The Way of the warrior is a resolute acceptance of death,” Det. Tanaka tells the Admiral.  The Admiral recognizes the Miyamoto Musashi quote.  Lt. Tanaka starts to stir.  He asks if the his son arrested the attackers.  Det. Tanaka tells his father the attackers were caught by Admiral Kilbride’s team.  As Lt. Tanaka starts to salute, the Admiral gives him a kind but firm “as you were” – there was no need to salute.  It was his honor, the Admiral explains, to work the case.  Lt. Tanaka goes back to sleep.

The video plays of the Strausses on phones across Los Angeles.

What head canon can be formed from here:  Listening to Admiral Kilbride speak, I’m not sure he’s an Oregon guy.  Maybe decades with the Navy and working in southern bases gave him his sound but Gerald McRaney’s Mississippi roots can be heard.  That all said, the episode gave some depth to the Admiral’s character with a father who may have been tough but who did the right thing for people who couldn’t protect themselves.

Deeks’s doubts about his possible parenting skills were all over the episode.  There was also a peek into the Rountree family tree.  Dad is out of Rountree’s circle of trust, a circle that is just Rountree and his sister.

Fatima and Sam speak of their histories with racists and bigots.  Rountree talks about it too but in the positives of sports and OSP being about your skills and not your race or religion.

Episode number:  Episode two of season 13, 282 overall.

[reidubujpg]

snow flower [cove x reader]

sypnosis: with newly realized feelings, christmas with the holdens comes around as different this time around.

notes: gender neutral mc, unedited (did not proofread), step 3 cove

                                                         --

                                                         --

It wasn’t unusual for the Holdens to come over to your home to celebrate Christmas with your moms and sister. In fact, it has become a tradition to celebrate with them. Like how the sun always aligned with the silver lining of the ocean during sunset near your cherished home, it was natural for you to spend time in your Christmas pajamas with Cove as you ate cookies and drank milk while you binge watched Christmas movies. It was Christmas eve, and your family decided to host a Christmas dinner at your home. Per usual, Pamela and Noelani were in the kitchen cooking a nice meal for when the Holdens came over. This year, Kyra had come down to Sunset Bird to spend Christmas with the Holdens. Seemingly, Cove didn’t testify on this action considering he would get more time to be with you.

“Can you pass the salt from the cabinet over there sweetie?” Pam asked, turning her head to you as you nodded and scurried over to the kitchen cabinet. Reaching for the taller shelf, you stretched your arm as far as you could to grab the salt and give it to your parents.

“Thank you sweetie.” Noelani smiled at you before nodding at Pamela and continuing their cooking.

You hummed to yourself before falling onto the couch sitting in the living room of your home. You lied on your stomach, your legs behind you as you kicked them up and down. You tried to wait as patient as you could for Cove and his family to show up at your door. 

As you lied on your couch, your thoughts began to wander -- specifically to thoughts of your fellow neighbor. You could feel your face flush in heavy red as you thought about him, your hands mindlessly covering your cheeks as you cleared your throat awkwardly. Your best friend that you grew up with ever since you were young. 

Your crush on him was apparent. 

You never wore your heart on your sleeve, but with Cove, it was as if he knew how to hold your heart for you. The feeling was magical and it was as if you could do anything as long as he was by your side as he cheered you on for whatever was to come. 

This was the first Christmas where your feelings were distinct and separated from the idea of “friends.” Were you going to tell Cove that? Definitely not! Maybe not…! 

Just as you were going to have a continuous and never ending battle with yourself mentally, you heard the familiar doorbell ring. Your eyes widened and just as you were about to make your way to the door to open it, your older sister Lizzie had beat you to it. Your sister had her hand on the doorknob, but before she was about to twist it to open the door, she quickly turned her head to you as she stuck her tongue out at you teasingly. “Guess who’s here to see you~” She said teasingly.

Your eyes widened before you quickly rolled your eyes. Your face was clearly heating up as you quickly turned your head to avert your gaze away from the now visible Holdens standing at your front door. Lizzie had been teasing you since you were thirteen about Cove, but having realized your true feelings now, it made it even more unbearable to feel the embarrassment of her teasing being true.

“Hey Last family, Merry Christmas!” You heard Cliff say. You turned around as soon as your face had calmed down from the tomato phase before waving at them. 

“Hi [Name], it’s so nice to see you again.” Kyra exclaimed excitedly as she opened her arms out for a hug. You quickly responded, moving forward to hug her as you smiled.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mom Three.” You grinned, retracting your arms back to your sides after the hug had finished.

“Hey kiddo~” Cliff had said, obviously directing it toward you as you chuckled and waved at him, “Hi Mr. Holden.” You warmly smiled at him.

“I made some pie and Kyra made cookies for today’s Christmas dinner.” Cliff had announced to your mothers. This made your parents clap out of happiness. 

“Holden desserts are always great to have.” Noelani smiled as she welcomed them into the kitchen.

In the living room, this had left you, Lizzie, and Cove to hang around. Lizzie had sat on the other couch as you and Cove stood in front of each other, having not said hello to one another yet.

“Hey..!” Cove said in a soft voice as he awkwardly waved at you. In his other hand was a wrapped present which had made you curious on what was in it and who it was for. 

“Hi neighbor.” You responded before giggling quietly, “I swear it’s been a decade since I last saw you.” You had also jokingly said, this made Cove chuckle in response.

“Yeah, it has been quite a while~” He continued the joke. The idea was funny to you, considering the fact that you had seen him about two hours before the Christmas dinner at your home. 

The both of you stood there, chuckling to yourselves. Cove had his one hand rubbing the back of his neck while you rubbed your arm. You didn’t know why you felt so giddy, this was almost to the point where you could feel your heart explode. How the hell did Cove get you like this?

“S-so..” You stuttered out, obviously nervous as you looked up at him with flushed cheeks.

“So..” He followed up, looking at you with the same flushed face.

“You know, you guys can sit on the couch and converse.” Your sister’s familiar teasing voice had let out, making you quickly turn your head to her.

“Oh yeah-- you’re right..!” You said before making your way toward the couch as Cove followed.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow at the both of you as she snickered quietly to herself. Now the both of you were sitting on the couch together, though the atmosphere was still the same as when you were standing. This time, you had a miniature space in between the both of you as you both were silent and in your own thoughts.

“I can’t watch this,” was all Lizzie had said before she got up from the couch across from the both of you and made her way toward the adults in the kitchen.

Your eyebrow raised as you watched your sister make her way from the couch to the kitchen, leaving the both of you alone. 

Suddenly, you heard Cove snicker to himself and this made you turn your head toward him with curiosity. “What’s so funny?” You smirked as you scratched the top of your head.

“Just thought about how Lizzie is just the same as she always is, even when she’s in college.” He spoke up, his thought making you laugh.

“You’re so right, she probably will never change with her teasing.” You said as he nodded so quickly in agreement. 

“She will never give us a break.” He chuckled as you chuckled back, “Definitely.”

“[Name]” You heard Lizzie say as you turned your head toward her figure in the kitchen, “Ma said you guys can go out by the beach or backyard a bit if you want. It’ll take a little bit more to set up for dinner.” She explained to the both of you, this made your eyes lighten up a bit.

You looked at Cove who also had the same brightened eyes as you did about the idea of going for a walk around Sunset Bird before the Christmas dinner. You nodded, implying that you understood he wanted to also go out for a bit too before getting up from the couch.

“Before we leave, you can put your present under our Christmas tree over there.” You gestured toward your lit up tree. The bright green tree sat in the corner of the living room, covered with colorful ornaments and tiny framed pictures of Liz, your moms, and you plastered over it. The tree alone had memories attached to it metaphorically that you could go on and on about. Cove nodded, “You’re right.”

The pale green haired teen made his way toward the tree as he knelt down to place the present next to the abundant amount of presents placed by your family and even his. After he finished, he stood up and walked towards your figure.

“Alright, lets go.” He smiled at you as you grinned back. The both of you walked side by side toward the front door. Cove let you go out first before himself as he shut the door behind him. Sunset Bird this time around was colder, considering that it was December. Though California can still be hot even in times like this, Sunset Bird had pretty strong winds during this time -- which made it a bit colder during night.

Just as the both of you were about to make your way toward the beach, you were stopped by Cove himself.

“Sorry [Name], Is it okay if we stop by my house for a second? I need to pick something up.” He asked you sweetly with a nervous smile. Of course from the smile to the way he asked, you immediately nodded without restriction mentally.

The both of you made your way to his home as he took out his house keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. As he unlocked the door, you took a second to look around the homes that filled Sunset Bird. Including your home, you loved how festive it always got during the season. Lights were put up from the roof down, and it always made you feel so happy. 

Cove swung the door open as he made his way inside, “You can come with me if you want, but I’ll be really quick.” He explained as you nodded and waited by the front door frame. You watched him turn the corner of his home past the kitchen to enter through the hallway to get to what you assumed was his room. Not thinking too much, you hummed to yourself and waited patiently for your sweet neighbor. After a minute had passed, you heard a distant door in his home open and footsteps become louder as they moved toward your figure. You stopped humming and glanced your way toward Cove. He smiled and waved at you, “Told you I’d be back.”

You chuckled. “I know you’d always come back~” Your eyes moved down towards his hands which held a small rectangular box. You raised your eyebrow in confusion as you looked back up at his aquamarine eyes.

“What’s that for?” You asked curiously, your question only making him grin.

“It’s for you.” He said nonchalantly before tilting his head and smiling even more at you, “Merry Christmas, [Name]. I wanted to give you your present in private, only because Lizzie wasn’t going to let me live after she sees what I got you.”

You felt your heart race in both anticipation and warmth. Cove had gotten you a present..? And he wanted to give it to you one on one.. Alone? Your heart couldn’t take this softness, it was almost painful.

“Cove..” You whispered out as you looked down at the unopened box, “Thank you so much..” 

You held the box close to your chest as you smiled at him. You looked back down at the present before finally carefully opening up the box. Inside was a silver necklace and attached to it as the centerpiece was a small lily flower. Your jaw fell open at how beautiful the design was, “Cove..! This is so beautiful.. You didn’t have to get me something as beautiful as this..” You said, your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at him.

He smiled at you and shook his head, “I thought it would look really nice on you [Name]. I hope you like it.” 

You nodded quickly, “I do.. I love it.” You said softly before humming quietly to yourself. Your face fell into a saddened one as you began to think. Your feelings for Cove felt so strong, almost like they could rip right out of your chest if they wanted to. After all these years, the kid that lived across the street from you.. The one that you sat with every summer eating watermelon with and dancing in short rain with.. He was the one that you had fallen for.

And like you had asked yourself before, what the hell were you going to do about it?

“We should probably head back inside.” He said, his head turned to your home. You purse your lips as your eyes stare down at his free hand. You could hear Cove humming to himself in silence, his attention pondering over to your home still. 

Without thought, your hand reached over to hold onto his. This made Cove freeze for a second before finally turning his head toward you. He stood there quietly, taking in the atmosphere and you. You gazed into his eyes as he stared back at yours, it was as if the both of you could read one another’s souls. 

“I have been needing to tell you something.. for a very long time now.”

It’s time.. Go for it [Name]!

Cove didn’t say anything, but you knew his ears were open and only open for you right now because of the way he nodded with intent.

“I..” You said as you stared at the ground. You could feel your heart beat quickly and your face flush up, “I… like you Cove. I really like you.”

You placed your hand on your chest, “Every time I think about you, my heart always feel like it’s going to pop out of my chest and.. I- I don’t know what to do about it..”

You finally brought up the courage to look up at Cove, but his reaction was unexpected. His eyes were glossy, tears aching to fall out as he looked at you with a deep blush and a soft smile. 

“C-Cove..? Are you okay?” You asked him in a concern tone, eyebrows furrowing as you placed your hand on his cheek.

He smiled and nodded, letting go of your hand as he placed it over your hand that sat gently on his cheek. “I’m always okay when I’m with you [Name]..”

Cove felt the tears that were threatening to fall out finally release. “With no doubt.. I really like you too [Name]. That’s not something I ever had to think about since I was eight and we were walking on the market streets with our balloons. I’ve always liked you.”

There it was.. The pounding in your chest that ached to jump out. This time, the feeling was different. The feeling felt… happy and freeing at the same time. It was something that you had never experienced before. What was this?

“Cove..” You said softly, your eyes half lidded as you smiled softly at him. You could also feel yourself cry with him. Both you and Cove’s hands moved immediately to wipe one another’s tear filled cheeks. 

The both of you chuckled lovingly with one another, soaking in the moment between the two of you. “This was the right timing I guess you can say..” He said as you raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you say that?” You raised an eyebrow as you watched him point towards the top of the doorframe.

You moved your attention to where he was pointing at, your cheeks immediately flushing and your head heating up when you saw what he was talking about.

It was a mistletoe.

You watched as Cove chuckled quietly, “I’m only kidding [Name], I’m not honestly sure why dad put that up.”

You nodded as you pursed your lips, looking away from him in embarrassment. “I-I mean.. If you want to… I-I think it would b-be.. O-okay..” You stuttered out as the last few words came out very quiet.

Although your words were quiet, Cove had heard every single word. You watched as your neighbors cheeks flushed a bright red so much to the point that it reached his earlobes. 

“I-” Cove said shyly, “I mean.. I-if you want to as well.. You know..”

You nodded in agreement before looking back up to him nervously as he did the same. The both of you reddened, Cove had cocked his head forward gently as you leaned in as well.

You had wished your first kiss could last an eternity, truly. 

[starrybethany]

I’m Sure - Adam Boqvist Imagine Part 5

Word count: 4.0K

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Adam: You followed me

I stare at the three words, blinking with tired eyes. All I want to do is sleep, especially after the day I’ve had with Holden, but the baby decided kicking me was more important. So here I am at four o’clock in the morning checking my social media when I should be getting another three hours of sleep.

I rub my eyes, unsure of how to even respond to the message.

It’s just a statement. I feel flabbergasted by it- really, we haven’t talked in years- well, technically months, but the last time we saw each other we just fucked, and our child went to see him without my knowledge or consent. How the fuck am I supposed to respond to those three words?

Y/N: I think we need to talk.

I sigh, setting my phone down. Might as well get straight to the point. The sooner I tell him about the second baby and ask why he would see Holden without at least running it past me the better. I roll over, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Hopefully I can sleep at least a little bit longer. I’m going to need it to deal with the moody adolescent I’ll be seeing in the morning.

~

“I made some toast and bacon. Just let me just finish cutting up these strawberries and then breakfast will be ready,” I inform Holden as he hops down the stairs.

He picks up the filled plate waiting for him on the table, throwing the food into the trashcan and setting the plate on the counter, giving me an expectant look.

I stare blankly back at him. I know he’s waiting for a reaction. He wants me to blow up so then he feels okay yelling at me instead of starting the confrontation himself. Instead, I just say, “That’s wasteful.”

He rolls his eyes, grabbing his backpack from its usual spot by the door and making his way outside, letting it slam shut behind him. I release the breath that I’ve been holding in, popping a strawberry into my mouth.

I open my Instagram app to catch up on the posts that I’ve missed, freezing when I see that I’ve received a DM. I forgot that I sent a message to Adam last night. Well, technically this morning. After I sent the message, I passed out hard, and I thought the whole thing was a fever dream.

Adam: What about?

Adam: Here’s my number

My fingers tap the screen quietly as I add his phone number into my contacts, saving it and staring at it blankly.

Well. No time like the present.

Before I can even realize what I’m doing, before I can even think things through and decide what to say or whether this is a good idea or not, or hell, even what time it is in Chicago right now, I click on the phone icon.

I curse to myself, raising the phone to my ear. Absentmindedly, my hand raises to my mouth so I can chew on my fingernail. Nail-biting is a nervous habit that I gave up years ago, but I guess old habits die hard.

“Hello?” His groggy voice comes through the phone.

I can’t breathe.

The oxygen gets stuck in my lungs. All I can think about are his hands on my body, sliding down to grip my hips. The twinkle in his eyes as I would pull my shirt over my head.

And not to mention the last time I saw him. His hair is longer than he used to keep it, but it suits him. It looks good on him. And he bulked up since the last time I saw him, too- his abs definitely looked and felt like it, anyways.

“Hello?” He repeats, sounding more awake and borderline annoyed now.

“Adam,” I respond softly, suddenly feeling shy. Come on, where did my confidence go? I’ll need it to get through this conversation.

“Y/N,” he says, all sounds of annoyance out of his voice. “You actually called, I didn’t think that you would-“”Sorry for waking you up,” I blurt out, glancing at the clock and seeing that it’s seven in the morning here. Chicago is an hour behind Philadelphia- it’s what kept me from calling the boys on the team late at night for several years.

“Oh, no, no, don’t you ever worry about that,” he reassures me. It’s quiet. I know he’s waiting for me to speak, to let him know what I want to talk to him about, but I just can’t get the words out. I feel them stuck in my throat, clawing to escape. “So, how’s Holden?”

And there it is.

That question is what spurs me to speak, to dig into the man who hid a huge secret like that from me. But I guess I’m doing the same thing to him now.

“I don’t know, how is he, Adam?” I spit out.

He sighs. He sighs. I want to punch his perfect fucking face.

“If I had realized that you had such a problem with it-“”Such a problem with it?” I repeat, not believing my own ears. Suddenly I’m reminded of why I decided not to tell Adam about this baby and why he wasn’t ready to be in Holden’s life for thirteen years. Hell, it sounds like he’s still not ready.

“My son lied to me about his intentions of going to Chicago, traveled halfway across the country by himself, and saw someone who he’s never met before. Yes, I have a fucking problem with it,” I growl.

“Our son.”

“What?”

“He’s our son. You said my son.”

All I want to do right now is to reach through this tiny screen and hit him upside the head. Really, after I lay out all of my concerns, this is all he has to say to me?

“Whatever. When are you coming to Philadelphia next?” I question. I don’t want to air all of grievances and talk about the new baby over the phone. I’ve had enough communication classes to know that you need to see someone’s nonverbal behaviors instead just hearing what they have to say.

“Why? You want to see me?” Suggestion laces his tone.

No, asshole, you already got me pregnant again.

“Yes. We need to talk about Holden… and some other things,” my voice trails off at the end, not sure how to warn him about such big news.

“Some other things, eh? Well, I’ll be looking forward to that,” he responds, clearly thinking that it’s something regarding us and our relationship, well, our dislike or lust for one another or something, instead of picking up what I’m trying to hint at.

“Cool. So, can you take a trip to Philly sometime soon or are you going to wait until hockey season?” I inquire.

“I can take a trip there, just for you. And Holden, of course.”

I can’t help but let a small smile slip onto my face. That sentence shows me that he’d be a good dad if he just put in the effort. It infuriates me that he’s kept that from Holden for years just because he hasn’t felt like working towards a relationship with his son.

“Good. Let me know when you’re in town so we can meet up.”

“What? You’re not going to invite me to stay with you?”

“Goodbye, Adam.” I hang up before he can respond. All I can imagine the rest of the day is his reaction after that phone call. He would have that small, knowing smile on his face, pulling his phone out of his pocket every five minutes to check and see if he got a new text from me or to send the fifth one in a row to me- one that I still would not respond to.

And my heart skips a beat at the thought of that.

~

It’s been a week since the phone call and since Adam sent me a screenshot of his booked ticket to Philadelphia two weeks from then. For some reason, maybe it’s the stupid, hopeless romantic part in me, I had hoped that he would book his plane ticket and hotel room for that night or even the next day. But he told me he had some ‘lose ends’ to tie up in Chicago before leaving.

And it’s also been a week since Holden has said a word to me. I’ve tried talking to him. I’ve asked him about his day, his friends, cooked him his favorite meals all week, I even offered to take him to Target to get a new video game.

None of that has worked. And it hurts. It hurts knowing that after everything I’ve done for him and everything I’ve sacrificed for him, and how Adam has done none of that, he looks at Adam like a God and me like the scum on the bottom of his shoe.

I know it’s what I’m supposed to do as a mother, care for my son and make sure he’s happy, but it’s just- it’s just- ugh.

I start to feel my blood boil as my mom’s voice echoes in the back of my head. Life’s not fair.

It’s then that I realize that I’ve given him enough space and time to figure out his feelings and how he wants to proceed. I don’t want to give him too much space that he begins to resent me and feel like I don’t care about him.

I know that feeling all too well.

I knock on his bedroom door softly, waiting for him to open it before I just walk in. It creeks open slightly, and just as I expected, eyes matching my mom’s peek out to glare at me.

“Can I talk to you, Holden?”

He doesn’t respond, just stares at me.

“Please, you don’t even have to talk, just listen,” I beg.

Fortunately, he opens the door the rest of the way, watching as I walk into his room and sit gently on the edge of the bed. He sits down on his worn computer chair, laptop open to some video game I don’t recognize on his desk.

“I want to start by apologizing for yelling at you last week,” I begin, taking a deep breath. Apologizing isn’t something that comes easy to me- I grew up in a family where the words ‘I’m sorry’ were unheard of. My parents were always right, and I was always wrong.

“I realize it probably wasn’t easy for you to go to Chicago by yourself to meet your dad. Holden, I just want you to realize that I would do anything to protect you, and I love you with my whole heart so realizing that you were in such an emotionally taxing situation without talking to me about it first-“I pause to sniffle, starting to feel tears well up in my eyes. “I felt helpless. And I couldn’t stop wondering why you didn’t feel like you could share that with me and then I realized that it’s because I don’t share stuff with you either.”

He watches as I lift my sleeve, wiping the tears from under my eyes. His face is still blank, but his eyes look like they’ve softened. He’s understanding my words so far.

“So, yes, this baby is also Adam’s baby. And he did ask about you when I saw him back in February, but I let my pride get the best of me and I told him that he didn’t deserve to see you. I’m sorry for robbing you of meeting your father earlier,” I genuinely apologize, maintaining eye contact with my son.

He shifts in his seat, his hard exterior softening with every word. “Well, I’m sorry for calling you a shitty mother. And saying all of that other stuff. And, if it makes you feel better, I did go to the computer programming camp. I just saw Adam when we had a night off.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

He nods.

“What did he tell you? About not being involved in your life?” I ask carefully, curious as to what Adam told Holden to turn him against me like that.

“He just told me that he was working through some stuff,” he shrugs, acting like he doesn’t care but I know my son well enough to tell that he does. “And he wasn’t ready until recently to meet me.”

I bite my tongue to keep it from releasing an insult towards Adam. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Honestly?” I nod, probing him to go on. “Pretty awful. I don’t think I want a relationship with him, mom.”

A mix of emotions run through my body at his word. I feel anxious, because now I have to tell him that Adam’s coming next week and will want to see him, sadness, because my son now recognizes how his father did not want be involved in his life, and anger toward Adam for making him feel like this in the first place.

“Well,” I cough awkwardly. “He’s coming to Philadelphia next week. I’m going to meet him to tell him about the baby. If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to. It’s all up to you, bud.”

I stand up slowly, rubbing my belly as the baby begins to kick. He always seems to do that whenever I move even just a little bit- he’s an active little guy.

“Oh,” I turn back around just as I’m about to close the door. “How did you even find out who your father is?”

“Please mom, I’m not stupid,” he grins slyly at me, sliding his headphones onto his neck. “You lived in Chicago when you got pregnant with me and worked for the Blackhawks. I figured, since you said you worked a lot, the only guys you really had a chance to be with were on the team. And when I asked you about my dad for that project for school you said he was Swedish, so I just went to the Blackhawks roster in 2020 and found the Swedish players, messaging them some really uncomfortable and intrusive messages on Instagram.”

I chuckle at that, shaking my head. It will never not blow my mind how clever and smart he is. As I close the door to his bedroom, I hear him say, “On the plus side, Alex Nylander is a really nice guy.”

~

The day is finally here. Being eighteen weeks pregnant makes it really hard to hide my baby bump, but I somehow manage to find a baggy sweatshirt that I’ve stolen from one of my ex-boyfriends to cover it up. I don’t want to walk into the restaurant we’re meeting at and have him immediately know.

Somehow my jeans still fit on my legs, but I have a feeling by the end of this lunch they’ll be unbuttoned. It’s just the way it goes sometimes.

I get to the restaurant before Adam, just like how I planned it. I wanted time to scope out my exits in case I need to bail halfway through this meal- knowing Adam, it’s a possibility. I haven’t thought through what I was going to say too much.

I know I need to talk to him about why he would keep Holden going to Chicago to see him a secret from me, and we need to talk about the baby.

But mostly I just want to hear him grovel. The secret, sadistic part of me wants to hear him beg for forgiveness for making me raise my child by myself for the past thirteen years. I want to hear him admit that he fucked up- I’ve never heard Adam Boqvist admit that he fucked up before.

He shows up two minutes late.

I know because my phone is sitting face up on the table and I click on it every five seconds to see what time it is. I tell myself that if it gets ten minutes past noon and he’s still not here, I’m going home and giving up on dealing with Adam ever again.

But then he’s standing in front of me, familiar toothy grin on his face, black beanie on his shaggy hair, and a bouquet of red roses in his hand.

“You’re late,” I state sternly, not letting any sign of emotion onto my face. I need to let him know I mean business. I need to let him know that I’m never getting into bed with him ever again.

“Yeah, sorry, there was a line at the grocery store,” his grin begins to slip, but as he holds the bouquet out towards me, it takes over his face once again. “I got you these.”

“Thanks.”

I don’t make any movement towards them. His smile falls once again and I begin to feel guilty- he did buy these flowers for me, but he also impregnated me and left me twice.

He slides into the chair across the table from me, setting the flowers on the table and coughing awkwardly. “So, have you ordered yet?”

“Just water,” I respond shortly.

“Do you want to split a bottle of wine?”

“I’m not really a day drinker,” I eye him over the top of my menu, then go back to skimming through the items. It’s a charade, though. I already know what I want.

“Are you two ready to order?” The peppy waitress appears at our side, notepad open in her hand.

“I’ll have the chicken alfredo,” I announce, folding my menu.

“I’ll take that too. And a bottle of your sweetest wine, please,” the blonde orders, passing his menu to the waitress. When she leaves, he turns back to me. “I know you like the sweet stuff.”

I take a deep breath, deciding to cut to the chase. I’d rather get through this meal as soon as possible. The sooner we get done talking about this stuff, the sooner I can get out of here.

“Adam, I’m pregnant.”

He chokes on the sip of water he’s just taken from his glass, water dripping down his chin and landing on the table in front of him. I can’t help but watch with a content smile as he coughs, trying to catch his breath.

“Excuse me?” He utters through coughs, wiping his chin with a napkin.

“I’m pregnant,” I repeat. “I’m due in November.”

“Well, uh, congratulations,” he says unsurely.

I roll my eyes, muttering, “You clearly haven’t gotten smarter since last time.”

He seems to catch on to the hidden meaning behind my comment, his eyes widening. “Oh is it- since we-“”It’s your baby,” I conclude bluntly.

A smirk begins to spread across his face. I can’t believe it. He’s smirking just after I told him that he got me pregnant accidentally for the second time.

“Why do you have that look?” I snap.

“My little swimmers work pretty well, don’t they?” He inquires confidently, sipping from his water and succeeding this time.

I lean across the table, turning it on him. “I don’t know, do they? Are there any half-siblings that I need to worry about?”

The smirk is replaced by a look of genuineness now. It startles me, the sudden change of emotions. “No, it’s you, Y/N. It’s always been you.”

I lean back in my seat, the sudden seriousness too much for me to bear. I fiddle with the napkin sitting next to my glass, avoiding eye contact with him. “Yeah, so it’s a boy.”

“Another boy,” he echoes my very thoughts the moment I found out the sex.

I grin at the thought of my second child. When he’s been kicking me at night and keeping me awake, I think about what he’s going to be like. Is he going to cry a lot or is he going to be a quiet baby like Holden was? Will I have to keep an eye on him every minute or will I be able to get some breaks?

And what about when he’s older. Will he like hockey like his dad? Would he like the Flyers because we live in Philadelphia, or would he like the Blackhawks because his dad plays for them?

“Speaking of boys, how is Holden doing? He hasn’t been responding to my texts lately.” Adam means for the question to sound casual, but I can hear the undertone of worry in his voice. Maybe he isn’t as much of a shitty father as I think he is.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” I confess.

He doesn’t bother to hide the hurt on his face. I don’t expect him to. I know how it feels to feel unwanted and unloved by your child- I felt it when Holden told me that I’m a shitty mother. And although Adam deserves the consequences to his actions, I can’t help but feel a small amount of pity for him.

“I deserve that,” he sighs.

“You do,” I agree, knowing that I’m shoving the knife deeper into his heart. “But just give him time to decide what he wants to do. It’s all so fresh to him.”

He gives me a small, vulnerable smile.

“Why didn’t you tell me that he was going to see you while he was in Chicago, Adam?” I ask him the question I’ve been dying to ask ever since I found out about the situation.

He shrugs, not saying a word.

“Yes, you do know,” I persist. “So just fucking tell me. Enough of the bullshit, we’re in our thirties now. It’s time to focus on the children, not your fucking pride.”

He looks baffled by my sudden outburst, but it inspires him to answer. “I was afraid that if you found out, you would stop him. Then I’d never get to meet my son.”

“I would have stopped him,” I agreed, causing him to open his mouth to begin arguing with me. I start to speak again before he can begin. “And reschedule the trip to a time that works better with my work schedule so that I could go with him. Yes, you’re his father, but you’ve never been in his life. You’re essentially a stranger to him.”

He narrows his eyes at me like my words are a challenge. “Not anymore.”

I narrow my eyes at him now. “Really? What’s his middle name? When is his birthday? What’s his favorite color?”

He doesn’t respond and I scoff, taking a sip of my water again. “That’s what I thought.”

We’re quiet as the waitress returns with our meals. I cut my noodles, taking a bite of my food.

“I don’t want it to be that way with this baby,” he says, quickly adding, “And Holden anymore. I want to be there for this baby from the start. Or from now, I guess. And I want to be there for Holden, if he ever wants me.”

Mixed feelings begin to flush through my body. This is what I wanted for my kids from the beginning, an active father figure. And Adam’s offering it now, but why am I still feeling so hesitant?

After years of expecting him to step up as a parent and him never doing it, I have reasonable doubts when it comes to Adam’s parenting ability.

“Well, you know it’s up to Holden. You can’t force him to like you,” I begin slowly, trying to phrase my words in the best way possible. “But with this second baby… we can try it. I have a doctor’s appointment in two days. I’ll text you the address and time.”

“But my flight leaves tomorrow,” he whines. “Can’t you just reschedule for today?”

“You have so much to learn, Adam,” I shake my head. “I just hope you realize that being a parent means that you’re selfless more than selfish. Tell you what, go back to Chicago if you want to. But if you go back to Chicago, the only time you’ll communicate with the boys is when they want to talk to you.”

[uno-writing]

I very much regret asking for those angsty arlo headcanons🤡but nonetheless thank you for giving them😍

What’s that my dear sweet anon? More angst you say? Well how could I deny such a genuine request! :D

After you and pre-character development! Arlo break up, he stays away from you as much as possible. During his development, he thinks a lot about you and the things he did wrong to you. Sometime after John’s exposed as Joker, Arlo finds you and manages to get you alone to talk. In that time he asks how you’ve been and then he talks about how much he’s been thinking about things lately and he says how sorry he is for using you as a stress reliever. It doesn’t end how he hopes it does. It either ends with you getting mad at him and storming off or you telling him that while you know he’s sorry, you don’t forgive him and you leave him still.

Arlo’s walking through Wellston with Holden. It’s been a few months since you and him broke up and he’s dealing with it. And then he hears “Hey baby!” and immediately recognizes your voice. His head whips around so fast that he hears his neck crack. He sees you walking towards him and his heart starts to race with hope. And then you hand some other person a drink and the person leans down and gives you a kiss and his heart shatters. “You okay dude?” Holden asks and Arlo doesn’t answer, walking away.

You show up at Arlo’s door the day after your big fight and he opens the door, unable to meet your eyes. His gaze immediately falls to your wrist, his heart breaking when he notices a slight bruise peeking out from your sleeve. You grab your sleeve, pulling it down further to hide the bruise and you ask him if he has time to talk. He steps aside and lets you into his house making sure to keep some distance between the two of you. “How’s your wrist?” Arlo asks softly and you tell him its just a little bruised, nothing too bad. He nods and still avoids looking at your face. You reach out towards him and he moves away from you, sighing. “We should break up.” “What?” “I hurt you.” “Okay? And? I’m fine, Arlo.” “I lost control. If it happened once, it can happen again. I want you to be safe and that means you’re not with me.” Arlo swallows the lump in his throat. “You didn’t mean to hurt me.” “It still happened.” “so this is it?” Arlo nods and you nod, standing and holding his head in your hands, pressing a kiss to his hair and murmuring that you love him before leaving his apartment. As soon as you’re gone a silent sob wracks though his body. His teeth grit and his fists clench tightly as he feels waves of anguish and guilt wash through his body.

[chubbyreaderwriter]

Bite Me Pt3

ask and you shall receive 

Elizabeth/The Countess x Plus Size/Chubby Reader x James March

Imagine: Elizabeth and James are both attracted to you and each of them want to have you for themselves.

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: swearing, attempted drug use, assault 

Masterlist 

Part 1 Part 2 

You’d tried to stay away from the Cortez after your moment with Elizabeth, but you kept finding yourself heading towards it. No matter how much you wished you could leave, fate pulled you back in through those doors, into that familiar lobby. You gave up pretending that you kept coming back to see Will. You’d returned quite a few times and had yet to see your friend. You weren’t overly eager to see Elizabeth or James just yet either, you just felt like you belonged within the walls of the Cortez, like it had claimed you as one of their own. 

You were currently sat at the bar, sipping away at a vodka and coke, staring down at your nearly empty glass with a bored expression on your face. A look that attracted the attention of a woman sat at the end of the bar. You heard movement and turned your head slightly to be able to see her moving into the seat right next to you. You’d seen her briefly around the hotel a couple of times but never long enough to ask for her name. Your voice slurred ever so slightly as you said, “Don’t tell me, you’re a ghost too.” She scoffed, taking a drink of her own, “No shit, how’d you figure that one out?” You shrugged your shoulders, “Just a hunch.” You leaned back a little too far in your stool and had to quickly grip onto the bar to stop yourself from falling over, feeling your heart race from nearly falling. 

She put her hand on yours, “You’ve got to be more careful baby.” She grinned at you and you smiled back. She moved closer, so close you could smell the smoke on your breath and you had to hold back a cough. Her hand found its way onto the top of your thigh, “You wanna come back with me to my room, don’t you baby.” You reached for your glass and downed the rest of your drink, taking a deep breath to get rid of the weird feeling at the back of your throat, “Why not? If you tell me your name first.” She leaned in close, her lips against your ear, “Sally.” She gently tugged your earlobe between her teeth and swiped her tongue over your neck before pulling away. 

Your drunken mind took a little longer to process what just happened, remaining still and silent in your seat for a few seconds before you gave Sally a grin, “Hello Sally, I’m (Y/N).” She smirked, “Oh I know who you are, the whole hotel knows your name sweetpea.” You didn’t think to question what she meant by that, only focusing on hopping off your stool without falling over. You felt a hand grab your wrist and you turned to see Liz holding you, “Are you sure you want to go through with that, you’re too drunk to see how pathetic she is.” Sally glared at her and you shook you arm free, “Stop it Liz, that’s not nice. I’m sure Sally is a lot more fun than sitting at a bar by myself like a loser.” 

Sally wrapped her arm around your shoulder as she lead you over to the elevator, “Exactly, I’m gonna show you a real fun time tonight baby, you’re gonna love me.” You only giggled as she spun you away from Liz and into the elevator to take you up to her room. In the elevator, you managed to trip over your own feet and would have hit your head against the elevator door had Sally not caught you in time, pulling you against her, “You need to be more careful, can’t have you hurting yourself before we have any fun.” 

You didn’t say anything in response, only watching her lips as they got closer and closer to yours. You felt your heart beating so fast, it felt like it was going to shoot out of your chest. It didn’t feel the same as when Elizabeth kissed you, it felt wrong. You turned your head to the side to get away but she easily grabbed your face to turn you back, kissing you roughly, pushing you back against the wall, “Don’t change your mind now baby, we haven’t gotten to the fun part yet. Don’t you wanna have fun with Sally? Don’t you love me?” Your drunken mind wasn’t able to think of a response, but you felt your eyes start to well up, regretting this decision. Why didn’t you listen to Liz? 

The elevator opened and Sally grabbed a hold of your arm, dragging you along the corridor to her room where she wasted no time pulling you inside. You stumbled in and she took you over to the bed where she lightly pushed your shoulder, the pressure enough to confuse your reflexes to prevent you from saving yourself as you fell onto the soft cover of the bed. You closed your eyes briefly but opened them as you felt Sally crawling on top of you, straddling your waist. She gripped your left arm in her hand and held up a syringe with the other, “Don’t worry baby, a few hits of this and you’ll love me in no time.” You saw tears streaming down her face and almost felt sorry for her, if she wasn’t currently trying to inject drugs into you. 

Finally, you had the common sense to scream, “HELP! I-” Sally covered your mouth, glaring down at you, “Shut up! You promised, you’re gonna thank me for this, it’s gonna be the best fucking thing you’ve ever experienced.” She moved up to kneel on your arms, making you cry out more from the pain, it being muffled by her hand. You tried to struggle more as you watched the needle get closer and closer, kicking but you weren’t strong enough to kick your legs up to knock Sally off you. Your own tears streamed down your face as you gave up fighting and waited for the inevitable, but it didn’t happen. You looked up to see Sally being strangled by two hands but you weren’t in a position to see who those hands belonged to. 

She was thrown to the side of the room, away from you where she glared at James in the corner, “Asshole, she was mine!” You shook with each breath you took, closing your eyes as you saw Elizabeth approach into your line of sight from behind James. You didn’t want them to see you like this, you were so embarrassed. You felt two soft hands hold your cheeks and thumbs wiping away your tears, “Come on darling, lets go.” Her voice was as soft as her touch as she spoke to you, leading you out of Sally’s room and taking you up to her own apartment. You awkwardly stood in the doorway, holding your left arm and looking down at the ground, sobered up and feeling lower than low. You were angry that you let yourself be taken advantage of like that, there were so many ways you could have stopped it from happening. 

Elizabeth walked you over to the couch where she sat you down and made you lie down with your head in her lap. She stroked your hair slowly, lightly scraping your nails along your scalp in such a relaxing way you felt as though she was compelling you to sleep. You forced yourself to stay away though, straining your ears to hear what she was saying, “You’re safe now, my sweet. You’ll always be safe with us.” You briefly heard a set of footsteps approach but it was clear who it was by the voice that filled the silence, “The fiend is being punished as we speak, she will never dare to think about touching (Y/N) again.” Elizabeth hummed in almost disinterest, not really caring about anything now that she had you with her now. There was only a second of silence before she spoke, “Leave us James.” You suspected there was an exchanging of looks in place of a conversation but your eyes felt too heavy to open to see. You only heard the retreating footsteps of James walking away. 

You weren’t exactly sure when you fell asleep but you were alone when you woke up. It looked dark outside but there were a few lights around the room so you could see. You rubbed your eyes and blinked a couple times to focus your eyes before you got up and left the room, being as quiet as possible not to attract anymore attention. You headed downstairs, prepared to walk outside and back to your small apartment but as you approached the stairs, you felt anxious almost, like there was something dangerous on the other side. You stepped closer to the door and felt a pain in your head, making your press your palms against your forehead. Dizziness crept up out of nowhere, making you sit down on one of the lobby chairs but no soon as it started, the pain stopped. You looked around but only saw Iris at the front desk flicking through the pages of some kind of magazine or catalogue.

She gave you a brief look, “It’ll be all that drinking you were doing last night. You kids never learn.” You groaned and felt another wave of tiredness come over you. Without really thinking about it, you moved to curl yourself up into the chair, your legs hanging over the edge and your arms wrapped around yourself. Your eyes closed by themselves, too heavy to keep open any longer. To you, it felt as though a second had passed but in reality, it was about four in the morning, a few hours after you had fallen asleep. You were being shaken gently at first but it got rougher as you didn’t wake up. You let out a disgruntled whine as you moved to sit up, opening your eyes to see a little boy in front of you. You hadn’t seen him before, you’d remember a little boy with long white hair like the one standing in front of you. He stared at you and you stared back at him, until he finally tilted his head to the side and said, “Are you Mommy’s friend?” “Uh, that depends. Who’s your Mommy?” He looked down, “My Mommy has white hair like mine and dresses real nice but my other Mommy has blonde hair and her name is Alex.” 

Alex? You recognised that name, wasn’t she- “Oh, you must be Holden. It’s nice to meet you.” Liz had told you about John and his wife as well as their kid who stayed here with Elizabeth. You were a little weary of the way this kid kept looking at your bare wrists so you pulled your sleeves down to hide them from his view. He didn’t say anything else before he ran away and you thought that was the end of the conversation when he stopped at the top of the stairs and waved you over to follow him. You got up and walked after him, seeing that he was waiting for you. You didn’t really want to go on some kind of adventure right now, you were still exhausted, but you didn’t want to disappoint this kid. 

You’d been lead down a number of hallways, corridors and passageways that you were getting sick of it, “Where are we going?” Holden finally slowed down and stopped in front of a wall that looked the same as all the others in the hotel. You were confused as he pushed on it and it opened, revealing a bright light behind it that showed a whole new room. Your curiosity got the better of you as you slowly stepped inside, taking it all in. The walls were the whitest shade you’ve ever seen and there was lots of video games, candy and toys all over the place. You were standing in one place until Holden came along and grabbed your hand, leading you over to a large white couch where he sat you down in between him and a little girl who also had long white hair. 

You didn’t question it, just accepting whatever this was, smiling as you were handed a controller. At first, you had enough energy to pretend that you were interested in the game but your body slowly began to grow tired again and it didn’t take long for you to fall asleep again, your head rolling back into a position you would regret in the morning. The two children next to you continued to play their game. They knew they weren’t allowed to feed from ‘Mommy’s’ friends so they had to ignore the sleeping woman next to them. 

When Elizabeth found you asleep in the play room for her children, one still either side of you, she knew she wasn’t going to let you go. You had accepted her children, a part of her that not many had the heart to acknowledge but you did. She smiled as she woke you up, telling her children to go play elsewhere for a while. They left and Elizabeth took the opportunity to sit on your lap, holding your head in her hands. You slowly woke up and immediately groaned from pain, your neck sore and aching. You were startled to say the least to see Elizabeth on top of you, placing your hands by your sides and trying to sit up straight to make more room between the two of you. Her gloved hand gently stroked your cheek, making you blush and clear your throat, “I’m sorry, did you need something?” Elizabeth stared at you with a thoughtful expression, “Why do you avoid me? I know you can feel the connection between us.” 

Her words left you speechless. Truth be told, you didn’t really have an answer for her. This whole experience just felt like a dream, as though any second now you were going to wake up and it would all be over as if nothing happened. You opened your mouth, wanting to say something, then closed it again, looking down into your lap. Elizabeth grabbed your cheeks and turned your head up to look at her, a silent demand to answer her question. You sighed, “I don’t deserve it.” If Elizabeth was shocked or upset, her face didn’t show it, she was as stoic as a marble statue and just as beautiful. After a few moments of carefully studying your face, she leaned down, “Oh darling, but you do.” You looked into each other’s eyes as the distance between you two got shorter and shorter. Your breath hitched just as she placed her lips on yours and your hands balled up into tight fists. As if she could sense your nervousness, her hands covered your own and placed them onto her hips, her hands returning to your cheek and the back of your neck, holding you in place as she kissed you. This time, you didn’t stop her, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders. 

To be continued...

[themculibrary]

Agents Of SHIELD Masterlist

A Few Tricks Up My Sleeve (ao3) - notapepper leo/jemma T, 70k

Summary: Take two competing performers on the birthday party circuit in a small town. Add a pinch of false assumptions, a dash of miscommunication, and a smidge of sexual tension, and presto! One hot, fresh, snarky, fluffy Kids' Entertainers AU, comin' right up!

allied (ao3) - zauberer_sirin phil/skye E, 6k

Summary: The political is personal.

Or: Five Times Daisy And Coulson Went Against The Sokovia Accords.

All the Bright and Precious Things (ao3) - orphan_account leo/jemma M, 123k

Summary: Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, Hollywood's sweethearts. Known by the tabloids as FitzSimmons, they've done twenty one films and won six Oscars between them by 25 years old.

When Fitz starts hanging out with sitcom actress Skye Johnson, things begin to break apart, revealing the cracks left in Fitz and Jemma that they'd tried so desperately to leave behind them.

A story of love, loss, and jealousy in Tinsel Town.

A Spy Like Me (fanfiction.net) - Riley Holden M, 381k

Summary: After the Battle of New York, Grant Ward decides that he no longer wants Hydra to win its war with SHIELD and becomes a triple agent. Nick Fury gives him orders to work with Coulson's team in order to get valuable intelligence on Hydra but Grant finds his triple status and working with a team quite difficult.

But I Was Late for This, Late for That, Late for the Love of My Life (ao3) - JackEPeace jemma/skye G, 6k

Summary: A 1940's AU where Daisy is Captain America and Jemma is her Peggy Carter.

Carry The Ocean Back To Me (ao3) - EclecticMuse leo/jemma M, 71k

Summary: Leo Fitz is a poor shipyard worker from Glasgow, looking for a fresh start. Jemma Simmons is a daughter of the British nobility being forced into a marriage she doesn't want. When the two of them cross paths on the world's greatest ocean liner, they both feel like they've finally found a kindred spirit in each other. But with the ship sailing toward its infamous destiny, things are bound to get complicated. AU of the 1997 film "Titanic".

Conversation Hearts (ao3) - amandajoyce118 T, 97k

Summary: Snippets of conversations amongst members of Coulson's team. An alphabet challenge.

falling for daisy (ao3) - zauberer_sirin phil/daisy E, 7k

Summary: Phil Coulson falls for his boss.

(Post-season 3 unspecified future. Seasons 4-7 do not exist in this fic.)

Hell's Gate (ao3) - Mhalachai T, 5k

Summary: In the wake of revelations of Skye’s past, Phil Coulson wasn’t expecting to find out what happened to Skye’s parents, and certainly not from a former Russian agent turned SHIELD operative showing up unannounced on his plane.

I'll Be The Rock Star If You'll Be The Scientist (ao3) - nerdwegian jemma/skye, background clint/phil T, 10k

Summary: "Wait, wait, wait! Sir, are you telling me the dinosaur escaped our plane in your flying car?"

In the Belly of the Bus (ao3) - toucanpie G, 3k

Summary: A series of snapshots from the team's first few months together.

In the Hollow Chambers of My Heart (ao3) - theradiointukyshead leo/jemma T, 9k

Summary: Nineteen years ago, SHIELD scientist Leo Fitz accidentally caused an alien invasion, losing his life in the process. Now, as a last-ditch effort to salvage the Earth, SHIELD sends Jemma Simmons into the past to find Fitz and help him undo the events leading to the apocalypse. Each time she fails, she gets pulled back to her time and sent in again. She must watch him die, over and over, before they can both live.

Jealous (ao3) - Anytha leo/jemma G, 12k

Summary: In which Simmons learns of Martha and Leo's pet name Little Bear and Fitz learns of Agent Sitwell and Jemma's interest in men of her height but heavier. EDITED.

Sending in the Cavalry (ao3) - Frea_O, 3k G, 3k

Summary: The first time Melinda May met Margaret Carter, she was seven. Peggy Carter was fifty-seven. A story about mentorship in the face of a changing world.

Six times Melinda May spent time with a member of the Avengers Initiative (ao3) - Minnow melinda/bruce T, 5k

Summary: Melinda May, interacting with her own team and that of the Avengers.

Sometimes I Hate The Life I Made (ao3) - EmilieHardie pietro/skye T, 131k

Summary: Some families have black sheep. The Starks are all black sheep… even Skye.

Skye is a lot of things, but she has always thought that Tony Stark’s daughter is the least important of them all. She’s built herself an entire life away from her estranged Dad, and had fully intended to never see him again. Then boom: earthquake powers. Only a Stark, right?

But there’s a new Stark out there, a little brother that Skye never thought to have bent on the extinction of the human race. She may not like her Dad but that doesn’t mean that she is going to let his mistake destroy the world, even if it means going undercover as a supervillain called Quake.

Ultron won't know what hit him.

The Metro (fanfiction.net) - ChandaK562 G, 26k

Summary: Director Fury and his senior agents are taking the Metro back from a meeting in Washington. What could possibly go wrong with that?

This Is No Broken Heart (ao3) - nerdwegian T, 4k

Summary: Five steps along the way to becoming a team.

Under My Skin (ao3) - Poetgirl925 skye/grant E, 70k

Summary: AU Skyeward. As a specialist, Grant Ward values control and order in his missions. But when he's paired for a long term undercover op with Skye, a former Rising Tide hacker he previously butted heads with, his infamous control is tested. Posing as a newly engaged couple, they're wary partners in a mission that could prove fatal if they can't learn to trust each other.

Wait Out the Sun (ao3) - agentverbivore (verbivore8642) leo/jemma E, 60k

Summary: Fitz and Simmons go undercover in the criminal underworld, trying to get intel on a crime family with mysterious ties to Hydra. It takes time, but eventually they get comfortable with their new identities - so much so that it gets harder and harder to remember why they should go back.

[kingdomoftyto]

Okay I’ve played the entire game four times now so.... I guess it’s officially time to make a rec post lol

You all should play this indie visual novel called Our Life

To simply say it’s adorable, heartwarming, and well-written would be massively underselling it. This game has an insane amount of choice/customization, and though not every choice you make will be important, most WILL at least have an effect down the line. And the choices that DO make a bigger difference? Every single one feels incredible, like you’re writing your own romance novel or something.

(Not that the story HAS to revolve around romance. You’re free to remain platonic friends with the focal character, and those endings are just as lovely and endearing as the romantic ones. Trust me, I had to see them all fdghasjdf)

BUT I’M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. Basically, one summer when you’re 8 years old, you meet a little boy with glasses and a cast on his arm.

He’s your new neighbor, Cove Holden, and the two of you get to know each other over the course of the next several years. (The game is split into sections called “Steps”, in which you see snippets of your time with Cove at ages 8, 13, and 18.)

Cove is a little odd and impulsive, and more than a little bashful, but mostly he’s a sensitive kid in a tough situation who really needs a friend. YOU CAN BECOME THAT FRIEND, and frankly it’s a privilege to do so. He’s a guy who is simultaneously slow to open up and wears his heart on his sleeve, and between his tendency to get overwhelmed by his own emotions and his childlike wonder at everything ocean-related, I don’t know how you can’t be instantly charmed by him.

This game is FREE--I repeat, it costs ZERO DOLLARS??--but there are some very cheap DLCs that you can and should buy because these devs deserve all the support and they are more than worth the few bucks. Ride on a boat! Run away from home!! Dance with tween Cove at your moms’ country club!!!

(OH, right, almost forgot to say this game is HELLAAAAAA queer on top of everything else!! Your character has two adorable moms, and Cove himself is canonically, explicitly, demisexual and panromantic. Your character can be any gender or orientation you choose, and any of that can change from Step to Step, including your pronouns! It’s neat as hell. There is never any negativity surrounding the queer themes--this game is a positive space with no bad endings.)

Anyway, this post is getting too long, but if you like wholesome low-stakes visual novels and/or just wanna play the sappiest damn romance story you can imagine, please give it a shot! The entire last section of Step 3 still gives me heart palpitations just thinking about it, and I needed to share this with the world.

P.S. There’s a “Step 4” epilogue that’s supposed to come out sometime this year which I am dying to see holy crap WHAT, and also the next game in the series has been announced and looks equally charming and wonderful, with two focal NPCs instead of one and an autumn theme instead of summer. All the more reason to support these developers now!

[always-tilting-at-windmills]

Amos and some of his most amusingly awkward attempts at affection touching. He’s trying his best okay!

[fizziefizzco]

A to Z of LynnCove: G is for Growing Family

SOme snippets of Lynn and Cove’s first child together. This is long but it wasn’t as perfect as it could have been. I still really enjoy it either way.

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

They weren’t even sure if it was going to work. The two of them had always wanted to have kids together, even now after Lynn had top surgery to feel more comfortable in their own body. Though there was some hint of … doubt , in their mind that told them it would never work for them. Though Lynn hadn’t been feeling the best recently, throwing up and the like - but they had mentioned that a bug was going around the aquarium staff , so anything was both on and off the table. Still… they had decided to take the test and see. 

Cove waited outside of the bathroom anxiously. His back pressed against the wall, he tried counting the boards in their hallway floor to pass the time. When Lynn left the bathroom, he looked up at them, only to find their eyes full of tears. He jumped to his feet instantly, arms reaching to rub his spouse’s shoulders. 

“Hey, Hey. It’s okay Lynn, there’s always another-” He spoke, but he was cut off by the soft, but tear filled chuckle of his spouse. 

“Look at the test, silly. I’m not sad at all.” Lynn pressed the little piece of plastic into his chest, taking a step back so they could watch their husband’s expression. Cove looked down at it as though he was looking for the meaning of life on this little thing. When he saw it he gasped involuntarily, and looked up to meet the eyes of Lynn. 

“So we..?” He asked, eyes beginning to brim with tears.

“Yeah.” Lynn beamed at him, nodding in response. “We’re going to be parents.” 

Cove dropped the test and went to hug Lynn, the two of them crying many, happy tears. Though it was just their first try, it was still a large feat for them and the two of them were beyond elated. There was going to be so much to do. 

[Rest under the cut] 

------

Telling Cove’s mom happened to be first, as she wasn’t in the area and thus they had to call her to tell her. Cove had dialed his mother’s number, his heart rate picking up as he waited for her voice to come over the other end. 

“Heyy babyy!” Kyra chimed out as she connected the call, “What is my son up to?” 

“Hey Mom. I have some big news for you.” Cove’s voice was shaky, as he was a mix of nerves and excitement as waited for his mom to ask what. 

“Ooh okay. Let me guess. Good news or bad news? You sound nervous.” Kyra could always tell her son’s tone over the phone, and on her end it was more obvious that he was nervous about something. She didn’t have any idea what his news could be. 

“Good news, mom. Very good news.” Cove had done some breathing and calmed down a little, though he was still quite nervous. The pieces fell together in Kyra’s brain. He wouldn’t call like this for something like a promotion… and since it wasn’t bad news it had to be -

“Oh my god! Lynn is pregnant, aren’t they?!” She shouted on her end of the phone, Cove having to pull his phone away from his ear for a second. His face heated up with a blush. 

“Yeah, mom. Lynn and I are going to be parents soon. Lynn is very excited, and so am I.” Cove smiled, and he felt that his mother knew he was happy too. 

“So how did your dad and Lynn’s moms take it?” Ah. There was the question. Kyra assumed that she was the last to get the news, not the first. 

“We were going to tell them over dinner. Aya too, and Lizzie.” There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and Cove contemplated calling out to his mother before she answered.

“I hope that dinner goes well then. Sorry, I had to step out before the people at the office though I was crazy for yelling with excitement.” Kyra smiled as she heard her son’s laughter on the other end. 

“I want more updates, and I expect the two of you to visit me soon. Haru wants to meet the two of you and I know you said you wanted to meet him as well.” Cove hummed in response. 

“We’ll make time to come out before it gets too hard for them.” Cove answered. 

“Knowing Lynn, they’ll kick your ass if they hear you say that. Alright baby, I have to get back to work. Call me soon. I love you.” 

“I love you too, Mom.” 

---------

Dinner with the family was going to be an especially fun affair this time. The group usually all had something to share with each other as it had been a month or so since they’d all last seen each other. This time it was going to be big, especially since it had been around five months since the group had last met. Everyone had been rather busy lately. Shiloh was starting his new book, Lizzie had her store to run, and their kid was ever the little bugger. Aya and Mr.Holden were both hard at work, and Ma and Mom were doing their own things. Lynn too, besides the big news, was doing some good things at work. She’d been doing great at the show she ran occasionally, and they’d gotten a new fish in. Though, Cove was dead sure that no one would be able to top their big news

Lynn wore a nice pair of black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt that they left a little unbuttoned, braiding their hair to the side. Cove wore a similarly nice outfit for the evening and shook his head at his spouse with a smile at their outfit. 

“One of us is going to have to change.” He spoke, moving forward to take their hand. 

“Well it’s not going to be me. I won’t have many chances to wear nice clothes like this in a while.” Lynn chuckled softly and pulled their husband closer, Cove settling his hands on their waist and kissing them sweetly. 

“You’ll look amazing no matter what. You always look amazing.” Cove spoke though pressing kisses all over their face, with Lynn giggling softly. 

“Alright you sap. Let's get going.” They stepped away from their husband and waved goodbye to Fleche as they headed off to where they’d be having dinner at.

The restaurant was a fairly fancy place, somewhere that the group had only been a few times for various different family meals. It was a nice place for the two of them to tell their big announcement… though they knew that their family was prone to making scenes. Even Aya was a fun character, a loud and very warm woman who loved to bear-hug her stepson and step-child-in-law. Lynn and Cove walked into the restaurant and were directed over to where the family was. Lynn’s side was all there, except for Bernie, Lizzie and Shiloh’s kid. 

“Hey you two!” Lizzie called out to her little sibling and their husband. Mom and Ma got up to give the two of them hugs. 

“Hey.” Cove spoke still shyly, Lynn meanwhile giving both of their moms a hug. 

“Its been a while since we all met like this. I can’t wait to hear the hot news.” Lynn smiled and spoke as they sat down, with Cove taking a seat next to them. What big news indeed. There was some small chatter until Aya and Mr. Holden arrived. 

“I hope you didn’t start the party without us.” Mr. Holden spoke with a smile. Cove got up to hug his father, Aya too, pulled him into a warm hug as well. The group all sat down for their meal and ordered their drinks. Lynn was never one for drinking, even though they used to smoke as a teenager, and thus when they ordered an iced peach tea it wasn’t anything to bat an eye at. No, the real fun came when they were all getting their food handed to them. Now, announcing big news in the middle of eating wasn’t the smartest idea, but it was what they’d planned on doing, as sharing news while eating was the norm for the family. Lynn loved the vegan meals that this place had to offer, especially so was the vegan fettuccine alfredo their favorite. So they ordered it, and it came out, but when it was placed in front of them… 

“Oh god I think I’m going to be sick.” Lynn stood up from the table quickly, and without a moment to spare - darted off to the bathroom. Cove looked from where his spouse had been sitting, to where they’d run off to, the waiter also looking equally as confused. 

“I’m terribly sorry for my partner. They’ve been feeling sick lately. Could you take it back and we’ll order something else?” He’d taken it like a real champ, and the waiter nodded and took the dish back to the kitchen. When Lynn returned all eyes were on them. They’d undone their braid when they’d thrown up in the bathroom, and it was now in a rather messy looking bun.

“I suspect you have questions.” Lynn spoke as they sat back down. 

“Of course.” Mom responded, “But I’m more concerned with wether or not you’re doing okay? That’s not like you.” She looked at her child with the concerning eyes of a mother. Lynn let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of their neck. Cove looked at them, and Lynn met his eyes for a moment for Cove to nod, taking their hand in his. 

“I’m pregnant.” Lynn spoke after taking a deep sigh. Mr. Holden nearly spit out his drink, instead choking it down roughly while the rest of the party looked on in surprise. 

“Oh my goodness Lynn!” Ma was the first one to react, with a wide smile on her face as she reached across the table to her child. Lynn took their ma’s hand, finally letting themselves smile. “I’m so proud of the two of you.” 

Cove caught his dad’s expression out of the corner of his eye, turning to see the old man wiping tears away. 

“Dad.” Cove spoke with a teasing, yet loving tone. Mr. Holden let out a laugh with some tears. 

“I’m happy for the two of you, kid. To think, it feels like just yesterday that we moved to Sunset Bird and the two of you met. Now you’re married, successful adults who are going to have a child. I think past Cove would be surprised.” Mr. Holden offered a thumbs-up to his son. Lynn chuckled a little, though a warm blush appeared on their face. 

“Past Lynn always had a crush on Cove. I think she would be a bit shocked to find who I’ve become.” Lynn looked down at their lap with a warm smile. 

“Nonsense!” Lizzie spoke. “We’re all proud of you becoming who you are, and I think past you would be as well. I can’t wait to see what kind of kid you’ll have.”  

The rest of the dinner went along rather smoothly, Lynn though, was a bit sad that they had to order something different for dinner, since their favorite wasn’t agreeing with them. The family was all rather supportive… though they did exchange betting money, having placed the bets a long time ago. Ma won, by the way. After going home and returning to their fur baby,  Lynn and Cove relaxed again .

---------

Lynn hated this. They were ready for this child any day now at this point, their whole body ached and it was hard for them to do much of anything. The aquarium had given them maternity leave, though their coworkers had jokingly called it lynn-ternity leave since Lynn wasn’t male or female. It had been a rather easy go at it at this point though, besides all the usual pain. Lynn was thankful that they weren’t as big as they were right now during the summer, as all they’d been wearing for the past month or so were leggings and sweaters. 

Cove was being as ever-helpful as always, the two of them going to some local classes for expecting parents like them, and were both learning a lot. They’d lay together at night and joke about things like naming their kid after a fish, or wondering how long until they could teach their baby how to surf… that kind of thing. It seemed to excite the little one, who seemed to move around and cause Lynn some discomfort whenever they mentioned the ocean.

Cove had taken off work as well, and his job had sent some gifts home with him from the people he helped. It was all sweet, really. They’d spend their days working on the nursery, which was in the extra room that they had in their house. They had their bedroom, a study-slash sunroom, and then this room.. Which was now their son’s room. Son. 

It had been months since they found out what the sex their child would be was. A part of Lynn remained unsure, a bit worried that it would turn out like they had when they were born… being intersex wasn’t a bad thing, and the two of them promised that if their child was born that way… they’d not force them to change anything unless it would cause significant medical harm. Otherwise, what sex or gender their baby turned out to be was of no issue to them - they were just excited to meet the little one. Or in lynn’s case… they were impatient. 

Lynn groaned softly as they stood up from the couch in the study/sunroom. They were deeply bored and was wondering where their husband had run off to. If he’d left he’d tell them, either personally or with a text … but if Lynn was honest, Cove hardly ever wanted to leave Lynn alone these past few weeks. It was a bit suffocating at times, but he gave them space - even if they were just in different rooms of the same house. 

Lynn didn’t have to go far, he wasn’t in their son’s nursery, but he was in the bedroom. Cove was laid out on the bed, a book in his hand and glasses on his face … but he was asleep. Lynn chuckled softly to themselves as they went to go lay down next to them...  they could do with a small nap or so. The moment that they’d laid down though, was when Cove felt the dip of the bed next to him and opened his eyes. 

“Hey.” Cove hummed, setting his book down on the end table, “Come to nap with me?” Lynn hummed in response, moving closer to their husband. 

“I was just thinking about names before I fell asleep.” Cove sheepishly spoke up again as he wrapped an arm around Lynn’s shoulders. 

“We’re naming him after the ocean, right? I mean we gotta.” They chuckled softly, though only shook his head with a smile. His long, green hair tied to the side in a loose ponytail.

“We don’t have to, you know. There’s no rule.” 

“I know love, but I think it would be cute. Like your name.” Cove heated up at Lynn’s words 

“There aren’t that many unique names like mine.” He mumbled softly, though one look from Lynn and his mouth shut just as quickly.

“You’ve met my friends. Pen, Hero, and come on.. Jersey! People seem to want to pick whatever they want for a name, why can’t we have a little fun?” Lynn laced their fingers with Cove’s, whose other hand went to rub Lynn’s bump. 

“Don’t listen to Lynn, sweet baby. I’ll be there to make sure they don’t choose something completely awful.”  Lynn gasped at the remake their husband made. 

The two of them ended up not napping at all, and laid there side by side running off names to eachother. At one point Cove had grabbed his tablet from the sunroom and brought it in so that they could look at some websites to give them ideas. There were just so many options. In the end, they had a small list of names that both of them could agree on. Ones that were unique, or normal, and some that were undoubtedly inspired by the ocean.

--------

When it was all over, and their son was placed into their arms, It was a brilliant feeling. Lynn was sweaty and a mess, but they’d never felt more alive in that moment when their eyes first fell on their son. 

“Hello little one.” Lynn cooed at the newborn. “I’m your noni.” Lynn hummed, the term feeling good in their mouth. Lynn and Cove had wondered what their son would call them. Cove was Dad, or Papa, or Daddy…. But Lynn… Lynn had settled on a few before it was time, and Noni was the one that just felt… good, in that moment. They looked up and their eyes met Cove’s, and with a large smile, they beckoned him to come closer.

“Would you like to hold him?” Lynn asked and Cove blushed, his face a bright red. 

“I-I’d love to!” Cove moved to stand right next to his partner’s bedside, and peered over at the small bundle that laid in their arms. The little one seemed to have a bit of hair on them, that same green hair that matched his father’s, they wouldn’t know the eye color for a little while, but the face reminded him of Lynn’s only with his nose. Lynn showed him how to hold their son, and watched their husband take the small bundle from their arms. 

Cove marveled at this small thing. It took so much work to get him here, and the joy he felt in his chest was nothing short of overwhelming. Cove took his free hand to gently rub the baby’s cheek, the biggest of smiles on his face. 

“What are the two of you naming him?” The nurse asked, curious for curiosity’s sake. Lynn met Cove’s eyes and he nodded at them, with Lynn turning back to the nurse. 

“His name is Triton.”

[blaxkrosethorn]

Best Mistakes.

(Haytham Kenway x Temptation Nevadah) (Major AU from their actual story, in this Haytham is younger than in the game.)

Temptation raced through the manor, heart beating rapidly. The thought of what could happen if she’s not there in time made her more scared than the thought of the possibility she’d yet to tell Haytham of.

She whirled into the study, seeing Connor about to strike Haytham with his hidden blade she quickly acted without thinking. She dove in between the two, unsheathing her own hidden blades she blocked Connor’s attack, startling both men.

“Temptation what the hell are you doing here!?” Connor yells. He backs away, eyes darting to her stomach. “You two know each other..?” Haytham asks in confusion. Connor nods, and Temptation looks down guiltily. “Wait.. no… Temptation..” he mutters. “I’m sorry, Haytham.” She whispers. “Your an Assassin?” He asked, voice emotionless but Temptation could tell he was angry.

“My mission was to spy on you, and then kill you. But I couldn’t.” Temptation mutters. “She couldn’t even spy on you, she respects you too much.” Connor says, glaring at his father whom Temptation was adamant about protecting. “Get out.” Haytham mutters, turning on his heel and walking towards the door. “W-what..?” Temptation whimpers. “Out. Both of you, and don’t come back. Because the next time you set foot in Boston and I know about it, Temptation I will hunt you down. And I will kill you.” Haytham growls, and before anyone could say or do anything, Temptation releases a sob before jumping out of the window, and when both Haytham and Connor run to the window to see if she made the landing or not, she was gone. Before Haytham can even blink, Connor has whacked Haytham upside the head with a broomstick. “She fucking loved you, and you threaten her?!” He snarls. “She’s an Assassin!” Haytham growls right back. “She betrayed the Brotherhood for you! Now not only is Achilles going to have her head if she shows back up here, so will you! Or so you say.” Connor growls before leaping out of the window as well. Temptation watched from a nearby roof, before breaking down completely, sobs wracking her frame.

-

That was six and a half years ago. Since then, Temptation had ran off and had joined a group that called themselves the ‘Echos’. They were rogues from different groups, their leader being an ex Templar named Arthur Lexington. Or Lex for short. Soon after joining and gaining their trust, Temptation went into labor, giving birth to triplets. Two girls; Hensley Luna Kenway, Havana Larksong Kenway, and a boy; Holden Haytham Kenway. Lex and Temptation were the only ones to know their full names, and Temptation now went by the name Liliana. Or Lily.

Lily stood in the trees, waiting Lex’s command to assist in helping the Templars against the Hollows. She wore a black mid thigh length skirt and a black skintight long sleeved shirt which reached her mid stomach. Crosses hung from little chains on her skirt and she wore black lace up combat boots with her outfit along with a mask that hid her mouth and nose, only allowing her eyes to show through. Her knee length bright red hair was in a high ponytail with silver streaks running through, signs of early aging. Her hazel eyes were sharp, observing every move of every body, and waiting patiently to be needed.

A sharp whistle rang through the air, and all seven bodies that stood in the trees dropped, instantly killing the Assassins known as ‘Hollow’s. Out of all of them, Lily got most of the kills. She stood in front of a black haired Templar, she noticed two more coming for her, and jutted her arms out, hidden blades ending their lives quickly. “That was the last of ‘em.” An Irish Echo announced, patting Lily’s back. She sheathed her blades and dusted herself off, walking back over to Lex and remaining quiet, hazel gaze on her boot clad feet. “Grandmaster Kenway, Charles Lee, please follow us.” Lex says, turning and promptly taking his leave, Lily at his heels. “Damn, Lily! Got the most kills again. Guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship.” Robby, a younger gentleman who recently joined the group pipes up, earning an eye roll from the woman, and a soft pat on the shoulder. “You did well today kiddo. Did great, actually. And thanks, but I’m not with anyone. A relationship is different than someone I’m using merely as an emotional rock.” Lily says and Robby chuckles, keeping stride with the slightly older woman with ease. “Alright, alright. Old woman” he teases, before running off as Lily ran after him. The other Echos watch in amusement as she tackles him and straddles him in front of the Templars. “Oh yeah? Well. This old woman has no problem catching and pinning your arrogant arse.” She says, arrogant smirk on her face.

“Alright you two, I’d like to get back to the manor by sundown.” Lex calls and Lily instantly shoots up and is by his side in a second.

-

Once at the manor it’s almost instantly that the Echos all release the tension from their shoulders, even more so when three little ones come running up to them. “MOMMA!!” They all squeal, latching onto Lily whom giggles and hugs all three of them. “Hello my little angels.” Lily greets. “Hello Lex!” Havana greeted the leader. “Hello Havana. Hello to you too, Hensley and Holden.” Lex says before going into the house. Lily leads the three into the house, everyone else following. Seemingly unable to get over how cute the triplets were. “How are you so okay with being near him?” A blonde woman asks Lily. “I can’t, but you should know by now that I’m a very good actress.” Lily whispers to the blonde before settling on the floor with the three little ones.

“Hello.” Haytham says, kneeling next to them. Lily instantly tenses, making sure her mask is tense. Holden is instantly by his mother’s side, making sure she’s okay along with Hensley, whilst Havana curiously goes up to Haytham. “Hiya! I’m Havana!” She greets Haytham, stormy gray eyes shinning with innocence as she brushes her reddish brown hair out of her face.

If only the kids knew Haytham was their father.

If only Haytham didn’t threaten Temptation/Lily.

Maybe she would tell him willingly if things were different. Now, it would take more than convincing to make things alright again.

[lis-likes-fics]

English, Please

Part 4: Why Are You The Only One In A Dress?

~~~

It was picture day. You figured, why not where a dress? Sounds like a good idea. So you put on an elegant, black cocktail dress decorated with flowers and no sleeves. You knew you looked great, you knew it would be great for a picture. You didn’t worry much about your outfit.

But when you arrived at school that day, you couldn’t see a single student in sight wearing a dress. The students either wore regular clothes, a nice jumpsuits, or really pretty shirts. No one wore dresses. Not even Caroline.

So now you were nervous about standing out too much.

You’d never been one to be nervous about standing out, as much as it wasn’t too noticeable. But, it was hard for you to feel like no one was staring.

You couldn’t visit Elijah this morning, he had a quick conference meeting to attend before school started. You couldn’t visit him for a few words of praise and assurance.

So, you stayed in the front yard of the school and waited for Caroline to get here. When she finally did, she smiled and said, “Oh my god. You look amazing!”

You smiled, “Really? You think so? You’re the only one who said so, I think you may be pulling the best friend thing.”

She tilted her head, looping your arm with hers and telling you, “If I didn’t mean it, I’d be a best friend and exaggerate the fact that I didn’t like the dress.” You chuckled, “Okay, great. Then maybe I’ll stop freaking out.”

She asked, “Why are you freaking out? You look gorgeous in this dress.”

You shrugged, “I don’t know. I just don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.”

She rolled her eyes with a smile, “You won’t stick out like a sore thumb. You’ll stick out like the moon among stars. You’re beautiful.”

You groaned, “But I don’t want to stick out like that! I just want to be a star among stars.”

Caroline laughed and looked you in the eyes, “You’re beautiful. This dress is beautiful.”

Just then, a group of three boys passed by them both, chuckling to themselves as they looked at your dress. You frowned and immediately looked away from them before they walked away, looking back at Caroline, “Really?”

Caroline gave the boys a look and then sighed loudly, “Damon!”

The group stopped and one of them groaned out loud, “What?” Damon stepped out of the group and you glared. He said goodbye to whoever he was joking around with and dragged himself over.

Caroline scolded him, “Why would you laugh at her?”

Damon looked at you and said, “Nice dress.” He then snickered and your glare only hardened, he lifted his hands in defense. “I’m only joking, honest. Cross my heart, hope to die and all that.”

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him and he rolled his own. He then looked at you, stooping down to your level so that you would look at him and sincerely said with a smile, “You look great. Ignore my stupidity.” He pecked your cheek and began walking off. “See ya later, beautiful.” He threw over his shoulder, winking at you.

You rolled your eyes and shrugged, giving a smile. Caroline shrugged as well as she said, “I don’t know. He’s Damon.”

You agreed and the two of you kept walking into the school. When classes started, you headed your separate ways.

You got to Niklaus’ class and gave him a small smile, “Hello, Professor.”

“Ah, Y/N. You look wonderful today.” He greeted. “Please, take your seat.” You nodded and took your usual spot. When the bell rang to start class, the chatter going on throughout the class died down as Niklaus clapped his hands together and spoke.

“Alright, class, before we get started, I need to inform you of picture day things.” He started, going to the board to write things down in the top corner. “You will be taking pictures during your language class. So when you get to Professor Doherty, Professor Holden, or Professor E. Mikaelson, they will take you to the auditorium for pictures. They are trying to get things done swiftly, so any horseplay will be a detention.”

You all muttered your agreements and he started class.

~

When you finally got to fourth period French, you shot a smile toward Elijah, who kindly returned. He looked up and down your outfit, a smile on his face as his lips parted slightly. “Vous êtes ravissante, Mademoiselle Y/N. (You are lovely, Miss Y/N.)” He told you, bowing his head slightly and subtly winking at you.

You blushed slightly and gave a slight curtsy, using your dress as an advantage, “Merci beacoup, Professeur Mikaelson. (Thank you very much, Professor Mikaelson.)”

You walked into the classroom, taking your seat. Elijah looked in and around at his eyes, his gaze lingering on you. You uncrossed your legs and then crossed them again, making sure to move your legs really slow to catch his gaze a little longer. Just in case the whole dress thing didn’t work out, you had taken off your panties to show off to Elijah for after school.

You just loved the way his chocolate eyes watched you. You licked your bottom lip and pulled it into your mouth. He smiled slightly, trying to keep it away as his eyes darkened. He mouthed over to you, “I dare you.”

You chuckled to yourself and sat back in your seat, waiting for the class to start for picture day. When the bell rang, Elijah looked over his students and smiled, “Tout le monde est-il prêt à partir? (Is everyone ready to go?)”

The students nodded their agreements and you all got up to head to the auditorium. The students traveled in their little groups on the way while you stayed back with Elijah.

“Attends juste, Y/N. (Just wait, Y/N.)” Elijah whispered to you, his voice deep and seductive. You smirked slightly and giggled before replying, “Je suis impatient. (I am impatient.)”

He smirked again and fought the urge to wrap an arm around your waist as he walked beside you. You all reached the auditorium, getting the lines for picture taking.

It moved relatively faster than you thought it would and you were back in the classroom in no time, doing your work and doing dirty things to Elijah.

~

After school, you waited in the parking lot for a few minutes before seeing Elijah heading over to his car. He smiled when he saw you and spoke, “Hello, Y/N.”

“Hey.” You responded, returning the sweet smile. He unlocked his car door and told you, “You look absolutely stunning in that dress.”

You smiled, “Why, thank you, Professor. You know what else?”

He asked, “What?”

You whispered in his ear, dropping your voice a little bit as you told him, “My parents aren’t home.”

Elijah sighed, his desire already beginning to grow again. He scolded playfully, “Méchante fille. (Bad girl.)”

You shrugged, “You love it.”

“I do.” He told you before getting in his car. You smirked and got in your own, heading off to get your reward and punishment wrapped in one...or three.

~~~

Suit and Staglist: @avala-moon​​​ @xxwritemeastoryxx​​​ @melodiclovesong​​​ @thebrotherssalvatore321​​​ @strangerliaa​​​ @njeancastro316​​​ @dumble-daddy​​ @mrs-salvawhore​​ @deviously-innocent​

[hisarchives]

secret lover : h.s

Harry is a quiet man, choosing the comforts of his diary and Mother’s flower store over the outside world. Within the shop he meets who he can only describe as an angel, a woman who comes by every Monday to pick up a bouquet of flowers for her sick friend. He lives in his own reality but, a rainy day and an absent Mother creates the perfect opportunity to step out into her world.

this is my first piece for Harry and the first piece i’ve written in over a year so i apologise if it’s rough ! i hope you enjoy it however xx

Dear diary,

The day is the twentieth of August; the weather is fucking horrible, raining for the third day in a row. The shop is empty; apparently, no one urges to buy tulips when the weather is so macabre. I am hoping this is not true for everyone. There are five minutes left before she is meant to be here, to buy a bouquet of daises and forget-me-nots for her friend who has been sick for the past five months. She never misses a Monday, always coming in at 11:26 am during her lunch break. Mum always has her flowers ready for her along with a chocolate from the bakery next door. Her favourites are the dark chocolate ones. I pay too much attention to her.

The flower store, better known as Sunbeams with the fading smiley face on the shop window, was empty. The world around it was filled with a grey colour yet inside the shop was its own rainbow made up of petunias, pansies and many more flowers. In one corner of the shop where all the succulents and hanging plants were kept sat a young man, tatted arms covered in a sunshine sweater, staring down at a leather bound diary. He can always be seen writing in the old thing with ear buds in, neglecting the world around him.

He was an enigma to the people of Holmes Chapel. Everyone knew of him but no one knew him. Harry, that was his name, he was a weird one. Despite his Mum, Anne and his sister Gemma being the most adventurous and charismatic people in all of Britain, Harry was the opposite. He hid behind his long ringlets and enormous sweaters, eyes downcast as if to make eye contact with someone was a death wish. His posture was quite atrocious, constantly hunched over in attempts to protect himself. In spite of his obvious need to hide from the world, he still caught the eyes of some of the people in Holmes Chapel simply because despite the walls he built around him, his beauty was radiant. A sort of beauty that felt like the softness of sunshine yet held the abrasive nature of a Nirvana song. He held no evident love for anything else besides his Mum and the comfort of his book.

At exactly 11:26 the first customer of Sunbeams stumbled in, body trembling as the rain soaked into her skin. She rubbed her arms with a vigorous nature trying to bring them back to life as she walked towards the counter. As always, her small bouquet sat on top the counter, wrapped up beautifully besides a small homemade chocolate. A smile warmed her face and created an inferno within Harry as he admired her. Harry had decided that in this moment that maybe she was the reason for global warming. He saw her awkwardly look around for Anne to appear to serve her and Harry cursed inwardly as he remembered that his Mum had left to drop off lunch for his sister. He would have to serve her, but how could he do so when he has never even held eye contact with her?

Yes, Harry had not shared a word, a glance or a touch with the woman but had conjured such a deep infatuation for her within his heart. It was at this that he was reminded that he did not even know her name. He had the heart of an old romanticist poet or a twelve-year-old boy, in love with everything at first sight.

“Hello, you’re Harry right?”

Harry did not have to look up to know she was looking at him, he could feel it on his skin. He stared at the pages covered in barely legible writing and small drawings with wide eyes. She had known his name. This was no amazing discovery, the town was small enough to know everyone on a first name basis, but this was still memorable for him. Never had his name sounded so good but the soft confidence that came from her lips made him fall in love with his name. Harry, Harry, it echoed in his mind.

Harry was so caught up in his mind that he did not see her coming towards him so he was incredibly unprepared for the gentle tap she gave him on his shoulder. His head shot up towards the women and for the first time he had looked into her eyes. They swallowed him like a motherly hug. He found a comfort inside her eyes that he had never found before. Harry was unprepared for how much of an artwork she truly was.

His lavender lips parted but no sound could come through. She let a small smile find home on her face and finally spoke again.

“Sorry for interrupting but, I’m just here to buy this bouquet of flowers” she held up the familiar pairing of flowers to his face. I know, Harry thought. “Your Mum is normally here but she must’ve ducked out to drop some lunch off for Gemma I’m assuming?” Her voice was so charming; he could finally understand all the metaphors writers made when saying love was like magic. She had definitely put a spell on him.

Harry just nodded at her question to verify her statement and stopped breathing yet again when she laughed.

“Your mum always talks about how Gemma forgets her lunch, she’s lucky that your Mum is so generous” The woman stepped back and began to sway in her spot.

He took the time to take her in because she simply could not be consumed in seconds. No, she needed to be admired in bites, each savouring the delicacy that is she. Her face that shun in place for the sun, her eyes that Harry noted were reminiscent of an Emily Barrett-Browning sonnet. She was snug in a large earth brown coat and one of those beanies that covered the ears, just like Holden Caulfields’. Did she have to be adorable in every single way?

“I’m l-lucky to have my Mum” His voice pierced through the air as its huskiness opposed her smoothness.

To most in Holmes Chapel, it was a luxury to hear the ever-quiet Harry speak. He rarely ever spoke and when he did, it was only to say a few words, maybe a muttered thank you or a quick yes to a question. Whatever it was, hearing his voice was a gift.

The flaps of her beanie whipped against her ears as she turned to look at him, a mixture of surprise and delight on her face. She quickly nodded and her smile grew now showing of her teeth.

“You definitely are, Harry”

A silence enveloped the two and normally Harry never felt safe in the shared quiet, but this one felt comfortable, as if he had lived within it his whole life. He was quite pleased with himself for speaking to her and her response made him feel belated. Harry was achieving more feats within five minutes than he had ever done in his twenty three years of life. His Mum is going to be extremely proud of him.

He saw her look down at her watch, one that looked on the verge of falling apart on her wrist, and heard a small sigh escape her.

“I need to head out now sorry, running a bit late” she shuffled back towards the counter with her right hand stuffed in her pocket evidently looking for money.

Before she could find any Harry had begun to shake his head causing his locks to bounce around his shoulders.

“It’s on the house” yet again his husky voice sparked a sharp reaction from her as she immediately stopped what she was doing to look at the man in front of her.

His hair was slightly messy after the rapid shaking of his head, hands wrapped up in the bottoms of his sleeves. His appearance was a contrast to the voice that escaped him earlier, the overwhelming brightness of his outfit juxtaposed the deepnees of his voice. It shook the woman in front of him to her core. Before she could speak again he cut her off with another shake of his head.

“Don’t forget your chocolate” these few words made her smile sprout on her face again.

She began to walk out of the shop backwards, eyes still staring into his and smile still growing. He was scared she was going to trip and stumble but she walked with an elegant confidence that astounded him. Before she opened the door to leave, she gave him the prettiest of nods and went off into the rain soaked world again.

Harry was left breathless, lifeless and for the first time in this life, thoughtless. After her departure, it was as if he forgot how to function, body falling apart without her presence around to keep him stitched together. He knew he would have to write about this day, document every detail about her, each in their own miniature essay. He reflected that maybe this was weird, that no normal person would write about some girl in immense depth. However, she was not just ‘some girl’, she was the closest a human would ever get to the heavens. She was comfort, warmth, a sense of belonging wrapped up in a coat too large for her.

This day had forever been etched onto Harry’s heart. It was the first time in his life he felt home, safety and acceptance within someone, besides his mother of course.