#i knew something bad was going to happen to brett he was too sweet and kind for a book like this

[astramachina]

Every time a character gets brutalized for being queer and they decide to "take the high ground" by not dismembering either their abuser or those who aided in the abuse with their bare hands, a reader loses their wings.

It's me. I'm the reader who loses their wings!

[cartoonbabbles]

MORE INSIDE JOB BABBLES

So I just realized the season finale of Part 1 of Inside Job may have a bit more of a sinister twist that I first thought, and I wanted to share my thoughts.

SPOILERS FOR INSIDE JOB PART 1 AND 2 UNDER THE CUT

So, in "Inside Reagan," we find out that Rand had been editing Reagan's memories in an attempt to isolate her and keep her focused only on her work so that she'd be able to take power and let him back into Cognito should be ousted. (The more I think about it, the more messed up it gets). We all know this. And we know that he edited out Reagan's first friend, Orrin. BUT. There's a line I noticed on a recent rewatch of the finale. When Reagan is about to enter her repressed memories, she says,

"Why were you really here?"

And earlier in the episode, we see Rand sneaking in with a plate of cupcakes. Remember, Rand had been kicked out of the company at this point. And he gained clearance via Reagan's clone hand. But as shown earlier in the season, Rand really doesn't care that much, and it would be super out of character for him to care so much that he would want to visit Reagan at work. So why was he really there?

Well, remember what kinds of memories Rand erased from Reagan. Every memory of her and Orrin together, sharing good times and successes together. Rand saw this as a weakness, and wanted Reagan to think she did it all on her own (which likely led to part of Reagan's protagonist complex and shouldering too much on her own), increasing her reliance on him and Bear-o. BUT. You know who else Reagan shares her life with? Her team.

Over the course of Part 1, there's a ton of growth between the team, as Brett acts as the glue that bonds everyone together, and they all realize they're better off with each other than without. Heck, we even see Reagan admit that in the finale herself. And here's the kicker. They were Reagan's new friends.

And Rand Ridley was going to erase it all.

Remember how he'd mentioned Reagan was his insurance policy to get back into Cognito? Why would he choose this very moment to try to reinstate himself? Why would he come specifically as Reagan was promoted? Because JR was out of the picture. JR had gone to see the Robes, and the office was left vulnerable. Evidently, Rand knew where Project Jellybean was and he still knew full-well how to operate it, but he knew there would be no way that Reagan would let him back into the company if she knew she could rely on someone other than her anything-but-reliable father. So he snuck in, with the plan to lure her to the room to erase her memories of her friends. The friends that she'd been practicing an emotional speech for nearly 30 takes for. The friends that all came back after realizing that they were stronger together than apart. The friends that Rand saw as obstacles in Reagan getting to the top in the most efficient and absolute way possible.

Now I'd mentioned Part 2 spoilers above the cut. Here is that section.

In Part 2, something similar happens where Rand tries to fix what he sees as a mistake and Reagan has to stop him, and she says to him something along the lines of how she'd been trying to figure out if he was a hero or villain, eventually realizing that he was "(her) dad, the screw-up."

And this is where everything comes full circle back to the memory editing, and something a little personal to me. I'd always felt my parents were suspicious of my friends, afraid they'd be a bad influence, and as such I'd get frequent talks from them about "oh are they trustworthy" or "oh that's kinda disrespectful of them" and looking back, my friends were just normal-ass kids. My parents were the ones being paranoid, and looking for ways that they could try to shield me from what they felt would be detrimental to me. It was sweet in a really weird, twisted way. But back to Inside Job, but I think that's exactly what Rand wanted to do. Because in addition to wanting his job, Rand is a broken man. He's looking for love, constantly trying to change the world so that he can get his ideal life back - a life with Tamiko and ridley not hating him, a life where he doesn't need to be a drunk and a deadbeat dad. And in doing so, he does the one thing he does best - he tries to take control because he loves his family. But that love grows out of control into paranoia.

I want to leave off on a more hopeful note. Across the series, we see Reagan follow a lot in her dad's footsteps, but also deviate from the norms he sets by a lot. Notably, she tries actively to put those she values before her own needs, case in point being how she let Ron have the peaceful life he wanted, but at the cost of her own happiness. And we see her becoming comfortable with letting go of control as she grows further apart from Rand's influence and feels less need to control a life that feels constrained and chaotic. She leaves Brett in charge. She trusts Myc (a little) to get them through his Hive School reunion, and whether she knows it or not, she connects a lot more with her team than she'd give herself credit for.

I'm going to leave this here, this post has kinda devolved into a ramble, but I really like this series. It's witty, charming, and has a ton of layers. Thank you for reading this cartoon babble :)

[worthlessjunk]

inside job smut whaaaattt

Brett x Reader (sub Brett Bc who can look at that boy and say he is not a sub)

I haven’t written in a bit so please do not judge

*****

Brett was annoying.

Not in a bad person kind of way, or way too full of themselves kind of way, but in a way too goddamn happy all the time kind of way.

You weren’t exactly sure how Reagen had grown so fond of him. You and Reagen had grown surprisingly close over the last year of work, and you were excited (and to be honest, a little frightened. She had kind of a tendency to want to take over the world) for her to become your boss. She was pretty fun to talk to, and you often spent time with her discussing mechanics. She was a strong person who knew what she wanted, the kind of person you wished you were. So you still have no clue how she and Brett had become friends. Brett was, well, Brett. Too excited, too peppy, too perfect. It felt like he was patronizing you, rubbing in your face how he was always ready for anything, while you needed to give yourself a pep talk before even going out the door. Everyone on the team seemed to like him, something you seem to have still not accomplished.

“Hey Y/N!” Brett waved enthusiastically. He quickly walked with you toward your office. “How was your weekend?” He smiled brightly at you.

“Fine, Brett. Do you need something?” You sipped your coffee quickly trying not to drop any files.

You could see his face fall for only a second. You felt a bit of guilt rise in your chest. He hadn’t done anything yet, and you had been a bit harsh with him.

“Oh, um- I just- well,”

He started nervously stuttering. You just about smiled. It was almost cute watching him all flustered like this.

You quickly shook your head at the thought of him being cute. Brett had been a nuisance the minute he stepped into Cognito Inc. The idea of thinking of those sweet amber eyes as cute was ridiculous.

Brett smacked into you as you turned, your files falling and your coffee spilling everywhere.

“Goddamit Brett! I spent all week on those fucking files!” You got on the floor and tried desperately to salvage any. You had spent hours on these. You knew you should’ve backed them into the computer database. Screw you and your stupid love of paper and pens.

“I am so sorry Y/N, I wasn’t looking and I-” Brett was down on the floor with you, wiping up coffee with his own sleeve. Of course, he would use his own fancy suit in a time like this. Always proving to be a good person even when someone was yelling at him. His hand bumped into yours picking up the papers. His hand was warm and soft. You felt your face heat up. With anger, right?

“Please let me make this up to you.” His watery eyes looked into yours, almost begging you. You liked the look on him. Innocent and needy. “Let me make you dinner tonight! You could come over to my place and I’ll help you rewrite your files.”

He looked at you with pleading eyes. You felt a heart rise in your chest and to your cheeks. As much as you hated him, you knew how long it would take if you tried to redo all the work yourself. With a deep sigh, you nodded. He lit up, a smile returning to his face.

What was the worse that could possibly happen? A free meal and not sitting alone at night sounded kind of nice, even if it was with him.

***

“Are you ready?”

Brett was holding his keys, twirling them around. After an exhausting day of work, he still seemed perfectly put together, while your ponytail was almost completely out, and your lab coat stained with whatever mysterious liquid JR had you test today.

“I’m driving.” You grab your keys and start walking out the door, undoing your ponytail and letting your hair fall. Your lab coat came next, letting it hang off your arm as you felt the cool breeze on your shoulders.

Brett quickly followed. “Oh! Okay, um I’ll give directions.” He was staring at you wide-eyed. You realized Brett had probably never seen you in any kind of none work attire. You had never exactly seen him outside of work. You didn’t really go to any of the work parties or late-night drinking, and Brett had only been with Cognito for a few months.

You looked down at yourself in your tank top. It was a bit more revealing than you had remembered, showing off your chest more than you wanted. You pulled your arms toward yourself, feeling embarrassed.

Brett looked away, bright red. You realized had been looking at you. THE Brett Hand had been looking at you. Your cheeks flushed, and you picked up your pace.

“I don’t know how clean my apartment is, I haven’t had people over in a while.” Brett was walking with you briskly.

“Really? I would think you have girls over all the time.” You chuckled.

“Why do you think that?” He looked at you cluelessly.

You were embarrassed now, having to explain your joke.

“Well, um, you- you’re quite attractive so I just thought you’d, you know-”

“You think I’m attractive?”

Your face was red. You kept walking forward, quicker than before, and from the corner of your eye, you could swear that Brett was blushing too.

The drive there was quick, you focused on the road while Brett tried to hide a constant blush. You couldn’t believe you had called Brett attractive. And to his face! You had never found Brett attractive before, had you?

Dinner was quiet, and most of the work was too. You didn’t think you had ever heard Brett be so quiet. It wasn’t as nice as you thought it would be. You could feel that all-so-familiar panic set in. The thought you had fucked everything up forever. You had gone and done it again-

Brett spoke up quietly, his voice a mere whisper.

“You know, I think you’re attractive as well.” His face had a pink glow, not making eye contact with you as you stared at him in awe. “I think you’re beautiful in fact, but I always thought you hated me.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Brett, the golden boy, thought you were beautiful. Not just pretty, or cute, but beautiful.

“I shouldn’t have said that. Oh god, I am so sorry-”

You were on top of him, one hand behind his head, the other sitting next to his hip. His eyes wide, staring into yours.

“Can I?” You asked him, close to his lips, placing your hand on his chest.

He whimpered at your touch and nodded.

You kissed him violently, digging your hand into his hip. His hands hovered against your waist, almost afraid to touch you. You moved to his neck, breathing hot air onto it, listening to him whimper and buck his hips up into you, desperate for some friction. Biting down on his neck, he let out a gasp. You brought your hand down to his clothed cock, softly going up and down. His moans made you feel like you were on fire. You could hear him quietly begging for more.

“Who would’ve known pretty boy Brett would be a sub?” You snicker.

“Please Y/N, Please-”

You started unbuttoning his shirt while continuing to suck his neck. He rolled his hips up into you. You could feel how hard and desperate he was.

“Please what?” You placed your cold hand on his chest, feeling him shiver underneath you.

“Please, fuck-” His breathy moans come out faster as you pressed yourself down onto his hard-on. Hearing him swear was like floating, a musical sound.

“Please, what pretty boy?” You started undoing his buckle, the other hand pulling his hair.

“Please fuck me Y/N.”

“Good boy.”

You sprung his cock free and saw precum already dripping down.

“Needy little thing.”

He gave a whimper in response, trying desperately to rock into your hand. He was shaking, teary eyed.

You started stroking him, slowly as you could, watching each stroke undo him a bit more. He looked beautiful like this, his shirt halfway off with his cock in your hands. You knew he was helpless to whatever you wanted.

You roughly grabbed his chin as his tried to look away from you.

“Look at me.”

He took your thumb into his mouth, gently licking it and bucking his hips up into your hand. You know how badly he wanted to be good for you. He’s was trying so hard not to just fall apart right there.

You let go of him for a moment, a soft whimper coming from his mouth at the loss of contact. You lifed off your tank top, and he stared.

“You can touch dear.” You laughed as his hands quickly fumbled to try and undo your bra. He’s was so fucking needy, and shaking beneath you.

He put your chest in his mouth, sucking and moaning into it as you grab him again, stroking faster.

You pulled your pants down, slipping your panties to the side. Watching him swirl his tounge around your chest, you slowly sunk down on him.

He gripped onto you, gasping. His hips involuntarily twitched up, and you let out a maon. He was big, and he stretched you out. Your eyes rolled back and you grabbed his hair, bringing yourself up and down.

“Y/N, fuck, please, I-”

You slamed down onto him as he blabbers. You both find a rhythm as he pounded up into you and you go down onto him. His hands clingling onto you for dear life and his eyes are teary. He went faster, and your moans are quick.

“Goddamit Brett, fuck me like you want it.”

And that destroys him.

His hands were clawing at your back as he tried so desperately to please you, going as fast as he can. You could feel heat pool in your stomach as you moaned into his chest.

He was about to finish, you could tell by the way his eyes were rolling back while he stutters.

“Good boy Brett.”

And with one final pant, he’s cumming into you as you clench around him, feeling each shockwave take over your body. He’s panting hard and clinging desperately onto you.

As you both sit there, holding each other, you run your fingers through his now damp hair, whispering to him how good he did.

“I take back what I said before.” He whispers to you, his breathing heavy. ‘You’re not beautiful. You’re exquisite.”

[roselarkiin]

I been struggling to write anything new lately, so here's something I wrote a couple of weeks ago. I've had all the Sylveride feels lately. So here's a (long)snippet from something else I'm working on. It's me, so obviously it's Brettsey/Stellaride, just Sylveride focused.

The sound of someone clearing their throat breaks her concentration.

Truck and Squad have gone out separately running drills, so the firehouse is relatively quiet. As a result, the bunk room is deserted, and Sylvie has the entire place to herself. Which is a rarity, and she can't recall the last time this ever happened.

She could really use the peace and quiet today, so she's taking full advantage of it while one half of fifty-one are out.

She slots the old receipt she's using as a bookmark back into the book she's reading. When she looks up, she's met with a small wrapped package being shoved in her face.

She starts, blinking at the package, confused for a second. As her gaze travels further upward, following the arm it's attached to, she meets Severide's eye. She pushes his hand away from her face with a quiet chuckle. She hadn't realized Squad was back already.

"What's this?" she asks, sitting up and crossing her legs.

Kelly takes a seat on the edge of her bunk. In the twelve years she's known Severide, she doesn't think she's ever received a present from him. Sure, she's received birthday and Christmas gifts from Stella and Kelly. But they have all clearly been Stella's doing, and she doubts he ever had any say in it. Or that he even knew what the presents were before she opened them.

He gives a nonchalant shrug, holding the present out to her again, giving it a shake. "Just take it."

"Why?" She eyes the present with wary concern, her eyes narrowing at Severide. He's got a small, stupid smile on his face, and he's looking at her like he can't wait for her to open whatever it is. She seriously wouldn't put it past Severide for it to be a prank gift. An empty box or whatever, and when she opens it, a fake spider jumps out or something. He knows how much she hates spiders.

So yeah, she's cautious.

"It's nothing. I swear," he insists, laughing at the expression on her face. Then, when she still won't take the present from him, he throws it at her. Sylvie yelps, putting her hands out in front of her to stop the thing hitting her in the face.

"Severide," she admonishes. She's laughing as she picks up the gift, turning it over in her hands. She is a little curious as to what it may be. It is unquestioningly a Severide only present. The wrapping paper is a mess. Definitely not up to Stella's usual standard.

"Jesus Brett, just open it!" he barks, sensing her reluctance.

The corners of her mouth quirk up into a grin, and she arches her brow at him. "Casey," is all she says.

He lets out a growl of frustration. "I've already told you, I'm not calling you Casey. It's too fucking confusing," he rants at her, making Sylvie laugh again.

Kelly has never, not even once, used her married name. And she's used to it by now. It's just his thing, but she doesn't think she'll ever truly understand his reluctance. Though she'll never miss an opportunity to rile him up about it.

When she still doesn't move to open his gift, he stands, scratching the back of his head with his hand, his face falling slightly. "Look, if you don't want it, it's fine. I'll leave you to get back to... whatever. I'm gonna go..." he trails off, nodding in the direction of his quarters, looking all crestfallen.

Damn it. It really is a nice gesture, if not a little uncharacteristic for him. It's sweet, really, that he thought to get her something. She assumes, to try and cheer her up after he knows she's had a few really shitty weeks. And now she's gone and made him feel bad.

"Wait." She reaches out to grab his forearm, stopping him from leaving. He turns back to look at her expectantly. "I'm going to kick your ass if something jumps out at me," she jokes, tearing into the wrapping paper.

Kelly snorts and raises his eyebrows at her, a genuine, amused smile back on his face. "I'd pay to see you try."

Sylvie rolls her eyes playfully at him. "Don't underestimate me, Kelly."

She tears the wrapping paper aside to reveal her gift, and her eyes go wide when she sees what it is. It's definitely not a prank gift, and there's nothing jumping out at her.

"You got me a hula shark," she whispers, looking up at Severide in awe, her eyes shining. From what she remembers, it's not exactly the same as the original, but it's pretty damn close. The color of the hula skirt and the lei aren't the same. And in a way, she thinks that makes it even better.

He shrugs a shoulder at her again, trying to act like it's no big deal. Sure, it's just a cheap piece of plastic, but she had been devastated when they couldn't recover the original after sixty-one's crash. It's been years.

"Yeah, well, you're always harping on about how I forgot to get it," he teases.

Sylvie stands, smacking his shoulder. "Well, it took you long enough."

He laughs, shaking his head at her. "Ya know, if you wanted one so badly, you could have just bought it yourself," he says, narrowing his eyes at her playfully.

"That's so not the same," she snaps back, though she can't help but laugh along with him. She leans forward, beaming at him as she throws her arms around his shoulders. "Thanks, Severide," she tells him sincerely, pulling away but keeping her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them briefly. "I'm going to go put this in the ambo," she says before pecking his cheek and heading out of the bunk room.

He watches her go, his eyes softening. He can't keep the smile off his face as she literally bounces away. He doesn't think he's seen her this happy, fuck, it has to be well over a year. All because of some junky piece of plastic he found on some sketchy online store.

He shakes his head, knowing that's not true. It's not really about the shark. It's the sentiment. Still, a warmth spreads through his chest, and he gets this sense of pride, knowing he's the one that made her smile that way again.

[heliads]

At the Café

Brett Talbot needs a new day job. Why he had to choose the shop where you work with your friend is a mystery, but it could have to do with the fact that he’s utterly in love with you.

masterlist

As you duck through the door to your friend’s café, you’re instantly enveloped by the familiar, comforting smell of homemade food. You sling your backpack in a corner and grab your flour-dusted apron, pulling it on and tying the strings behind you. Just as the clock strikes four, you’re making your way to your cashier station in the front.

You’ve been working at Irene’s café for what feels like forever. The little coffee shop/bakery/whatever you want to call it had been shifted from your friend’s uncles to her aunts, and then finally to her parents. You’re not quite sure how it’s managed to stay alive for so long, maybe some combination of hard work, grit, and dark magic, but here it is, thriving amongst the other shops of Beacon Hills.

You knew it was hard to run the café on top of all the other work and schoolwork your friend had to manage, and so you took some shifts to help out. Most of the time, you were a cashier or a waitress, helping to make drinks or prepare orders with your friend while the other family members and workers made pastries and delectable meals in the back.

Irene smiles when she sees you. “If it isn’t my favorite coworker! Thank goodness you’re here- I hate having to be up front alone.” You laugh at her words. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to have favorites, especially when half of your family works here as well.” Irene swats your shoulder playfully. “I’m sure they won’t mind.”

The two of you descend into the usual buzz of the café, fixing drinks and running through orders. About half an hour into your shift, though, your friend turns to you, groaning quietly and turning away from the door so she can hide her distress from the customers. “No- it’s the Devenford boys again.” You glance from her to the shop windows, where you can see a group of boys in athletic uniforms talking amongst themselves and heading in a clear path to the café.

You wrinkle your eyebrows in confusion. “Those boys? They seem fine.” Irene heaves a dramatic sigh. “Trust me, they’re worse than just fine. That’s the Devenford Prep lacrosse team. They come here after practice, and they’re just awful. I can’t deal with them. I simply cannot.” Across the shop, the door opens and the boys file in, grabbing seats at a booth near the windows. Your friend clutches your sleeve desperately. “I can’t handle them, not today. Please, can you go take their order instead of me?” You do your best to hold back a laugh. “Sure. Try not to collapse from the stress.” 

As Irene whispers wretched thank-yous in your ear, you grab a small notebook and a pen and walk briskly over to the lacrosse team’s booth, running through the mandated greetings. “Hi! What can I get you this afternoon?” The boys mutter amongst themselves, and then one of them turns to you. He’s clearly the captain, as all the other boys look to him. “I’ll have a black coffee. No sugar, please- you’re already too sweet for me.”

You raise your eyebrows at that. “Wow. That was terrible.” The boy’s face falls momentarily before returning to the usual cocky smirk, but you ignore him and continue to take orders from the rest of the team. As you head back to Irene, you give her an irritated look. “I can see why you wanted to avoid them. I think the captain tried to flirt with me, but I couldn’t hear him through all the sheer awfulness.” Your friend giggles as the two of you start to prepare the order. “That’s Brett Talbot. I think he flirts with everything that breathes.”

You look at her in confusion. “Wait, that’s Brett Talbot?” Irene nods. “Yeah, do you know him?” You shake your head slowly. “No, but I think he used to bully a friend of mine, Liam. I’ve never seen him in person, though, just heard enough stories to make me want to avoid him forever.”

After the order is ready, you bring over the drinks and food, mentally preparing yourself for the unfortunate task of having to deal with the Devenford boys once more. This time, the captain- Brett- doesn’t try another pickup line, but he does wink at you when you give him his coffee.

One week later, you’re just handing a steaming hot tea to another patron when Brett comes in again with a few of his friends. He tosses out a greeting to you alongside another wink, and you do your best to ignore him. He’s come in a few more times in the past week, each time making sure to flirt with you until you felt ready to hit him with whatever heavy object was nearby.

Irene is kind to you today and she takes their order, although she makes sure to relay back to you that Brett asked why you weren’t there to talk to him. You roll your eyes and are about to deliver a biting retort, but you’re distracted when a good friend of yours walks through the door.

You beam at him as he walks over. “Theo! It’s so good to see you!” The chimera grins back at you. “Hi, Y/N! How’s the café?” You wave a hand dismissively. “It’s just great. You want some coffee?” Theo nods gratefully. “Please.” As you prepare his drink, the two of you dissolve into conversation. Oddly enough, across the room Brett looks angry as he watches the two of you talk. What’s his problem?

It’s yet another sunny day after school with you managing the café. Irene had a club meeting after school, so it’s just you for today. A door swings open next to you, and Irene’s dad steps out. “Hey, Y/N? I just wanted to let you know- we have a new employee, starting today.” You nod. “Cool. Who is he?” Her dad gestures behind him for the newcomer to join you. “Actually, you might know him.” You feel the urge to stifle a groan as you realize who the café’s latest employee is- none other than Brett Talbot.

After Irene’s dad leaves, you fold your arms across your chest and stare at Brett. “What are you doing?” Brett just smirks, walking to stand right beside you at the checkout window. “I am working at my new job.” You give him a suspicious look. “Why here?” Brett pretends to be upset. “What, I can’t work at a shop I like? I needed a new job and this happened to be the best opportunity.” He flashes you a devilish grin, leaving you to groan inwardly and do your best to survive the next few hours working alongside Brett Talbot.

It actually isn’t that bad. He is, admittedly, a hard worker, and he does seem to enjoy working at the café. However, he also does seem to make it a habit to flirt with you all the time, knowing you can’t do anything about it. When the door opens and a new customer steps into the shop, you’re grateful for something else to do other than ignore Brett.

The customer steps up to the counter, walking with a swagger that seems to suggest he thinks the world of himself. He treats you to a smirk, leaning forward to get even closer to you. “Hey, sweetheart. Can I get a drink from the prettiest girl in Beacon Hills?” You raise your eyebrows at the boy in front of you. “Uh, what? I mean, what drink?” The boy grins at you, a cheeky smirk that makes you want to leave the room, or maybe even the planet. “You decide, sweetheart. As long as I can get your number with it.”

You shake your head slowly. “Uh, no thanks. I don’t give out my number to customers.” The boy puts on a fake pout. “Not even for me? Come on, sweetheart, I know you want to.” You take a slight step back and away from him. “I don’t-” Brett interrupts you all of the sudden, moving to stand next to you and glaring at the customer. “She’s not interested. Get your drink and go.”

The boy rolls his eyes. “She doesn’t want you interfering. We’re just having a friendly conversation.” Brett fixes the boy with a threatening stare, moving an arm in between you and the boy almost like a shield. “She’s not interested. Here’s your coffee, now leave.” The anger and tension between the boys is so intense that it seems like it fills the room. The customer maintains eye contact with Brett for a moment longer, then shrugs his shoulders as if the whole thing was just a joke. “Whatever, man. I don’t want her anyway- probably just a rebound for whoever’s closest to her.”

As the boy walks away, you almost have to hold Brett back from lunging towards him. In a panic, you realize that Brett’s eyes are starting to glow the gold of a werewolf. Frantically, you pull him out of the public eye and into the nearest room you can find- a supply closet just a few feet away. In the darkened room, you grab Brett’s hands, trying to calm him down. 

“Brett, listen to me! You need to stop being mad. He’s gone, it’s okay.” Brett’s voice is harsh and almost sounds like a growl. “He can’t do that. He can’t say that to you.” You move your hand to his cheek, forcing him to look at you. “It’s fine. You helped me get out of that conversation, and it’s all gone. Just breathe.” You and Brett stay like that, fingers intertwined and your hand softly brushing the hair out of his eyes, until the gold finally ebbs away from his eyes and the crisis is averted. 

Brett breathes heavily. “Thanks, Y/N.” You nod. “Of course.” All of a sudden, you realize just what this looks like- how close the two of you are in this dark room, with you pressed up against him. Heat rushes to your cheeks, and you fumble for the doorknob. “Uh, I should probably get back. Don’t want to leave the shop unattended.”

The end of your shift comes quickly, thank goodness. You can still feel Brett’s touch against you, and you hurry out of the café and into the bright sun gratefully. Why are you feeling like this?

Unfortunately, it appears you won’t be able to be alone with your thoughts. You’ve barely gone a few feet down the sidewalk when you hear a shout from behind. It’s Brett, heading purposefully out of the shop after you. Briefly, you consider pretending you hadn’t heard him and continuing on down the road, but he’s already caught up with you.

“Can I walk you home?” Brett looks at you, hand raking through his already disheveled brown hair. You shrug. “You don’t have to- I only live a block or two away.” Brett keeps walking beside you. “I’d still like to.”

He’s true to his word- despite your house being already in view, Brett still takes the time to walk you to your front door. You reach out for the doorknob, but his hand moves faster, taking yours and forcing you to face him once more. “I wanted to thank you again for today. I haven’t lost control like that in a while.”

You smile lightly. “Hey, no problem. It isn’t the first time I’ve had to talk someone out of wolfing out.” Brett fixes you with a steady look. “Is it alright if it isn’t the last?” He leans closer to you, and you feel your breath catch in your throat. “I like you, Y/N. I like you a lot. I know I’ve kind of been an asshole in the past, but I do care about you.”

You look up at him, nerves clearly written across his face. “I care about you too, Brett. I didn’t want to admit it before, but I do.” Brett beams at that. “Perfect.” With that, he lightly kisses you and then turns around, heading back down the street towards home. You watch him go, hand unconsciously traveling to your lips. Perfect indeed.

[ikleesfiction]

Will you follow through if I fall for you?

Fandom : One Chicago Word count : 2,409 words Disclaimer

Previously on this fic : Part 1 🞂 Part 2 🞂 Part 3 🞂 Part 4 🞂 Part 5

Part 6

It's been a few days since your date night with Jay. It went much better than you expected. You knew from the start that Jay is a good guy and probably a sweet lover too. But after that night, you found out that there's more to him than his good look and easy-going attitude. Jay's gentleness soothes your insecurities. His understanding warms you from inside. It's hard to feel miserable when he's around. You cannot help but latch on to him.

You and Jay keep texting and calling each other every day, but you only got to meet him once since then. For a coffee date before he ran to work while you went for your PT session. His job doesn't leave a lot of spare time, so you relish all the time he spends with you.

You hear your phone rings when you have your lunch. There is a video call request from your best friend and work-mate, Alex. "Hey, you! I miss your stupid face!" you greet him.

"You know what's not stupid?" Alex ignores your greeting. "The new material I received this morning

He refers to an email you sent him last night. Instead of sleeping, you wrote some lines and tinkered some notes on your electric keyboard. It was still very rough, but you and Alex swap ideas all the time. They could be a bar of melodies or chord progressions. Or maybe a single line that you cannot get out of your head, even there's no context to it.

"Wanna work on it soon?" Alex proposes.

"Yeah, sure!" you easily agree.

"You know I'm gonna ask how you come up with that song idea, right?" Alex probes further. He got an idea about your sudden burst of inspiration, but you haven't told him anything yet so far.

"You can ask. I might not answer", you nonchalantly retort. "Are you asking now?"

"I would, but I just arrived at my parents' house for our weekly dinner", Alex turns his camera phone and shows you his family dining table. "Say hi to Y/N, Pop" He lets his parents know that you're on the phone.

"Hallo, Liefje" Alex's parents greet and wave at you. "I miss you, Y/N. How are you doing, darling?" Alex's mom squeals at you.

"I miss you guys too. I miss home," you utter mournfully.

"I saw your dad last week. He and your mom cannot wait to have you back home next month. As are we." Alex's dad informs you.

Your face gets even more upset. "I haven't told my parents yet, but it's gonna be another two months. It's not working out as good as they wanted"

Alex's parents let out a sympathetic noise. "Oh great, I still have two more months to hide all my chocolate from you" Alex teases you instead. He knows if he doesn't throw any humor here, you're going to weep. The family laughs at your offended look.

"Where's Sara?" you ask them when you didn't notice Alex's little sister on the table.

"She's getting ready for a date after dinner. Said they will go stargazing. Can you believe it?" Alex skeptically recounts to you.

"Hmm, that sounds romantic. Good for her." you hum your appreciation. Alex can see twinkles in your eyes.

"Of course, you thought it was charming", Alex sounds vexed.

"Why are you so grumpy about this? You have a hit song that compared someone's eyes with the moon", you remind him. "Last time I checked, that song already got more than 400 million streams on Spotify". Alex just grumbles incoherently, while you can hear his father's booming laugh in the background.

"Alex, would you please call your sister down for dinner?" Alex's mom orders him.

"Alright, ma. Gotta go, Y/N. I'll call you later when I'm back at the studio. Bye, sis!" Alex ends the call.

◢◤

Kelly Severide comes to your place in the evening after he finished his shift. He called you on your cell several times, but you didn't pick them up. He knocked on your door for a few minutes without answers. Worried that something bad happened to you, he uses his key to open your apartment door. You gave him a spare when you began your recovery from the incident. Since you got nobody in town except for the 51 Family, you thought at least one of them should have access to your place, in case you need help.

Kelly sees you sitting on your corner desk with headphones on. Your head is nodding to the beat you're working on. Relieved to know you okay, but feels a bit annoyed, Kelly taps your shoulder lightly. You jump in surprise, almost fall from your chair if Kelly doesn't hold you down.

"Kelly! What..! Why are you..??" your heart is still pounding in shock, makes you unable to finish your thoughts properly.

"I knocked! And called you many times! Neither you answered! I was afraid that you fell and unconscious so I used my key", Kelly exclaims.

You check your phone and see seven missed calls from Kelly. "Sorry, I left my phone on mute, somehow"

Kelly goes to raid your fridge and takes a bottle of apple juice. "Your fridge needs beers" he judges. "Go, get ready! We'll hang out at Molly's. Everyone misses you", Kelly orders you.

"I'm working, Kelly. Just because my work has no shifts, doesn't mean I can go anytime you want", protest you.

"You work for your best friend, who's in another continent right now. You can slack off for a bit" he dismisses your complaint.

"I'm making big progress here. My writing juice is flowing", you point at your laptop.

"One hour. I give you one hour to work. Then I'm hauling you out of here. In the meantime, I'm gonna order take out for us", Kelly decides.

You only mumble your disagreement, knowing that you're gonna lost the argument anyway. So you just put your headphones back on your head. However, Kelly pokes you again five minutes later, with his phone on hand, "Hey, do you want Thai or Greek? I'm in the mood for Greek right now", Kelly playfully asks you.

"Yeah, Greek is fine" you start to feel bothered.

He leaves to order the food while you're back to do your work. Ten minutes passed, Kelly drags a chair from the kitchen island to your side. He knocks on the table to catch your attention.

"Hey, I just remember, Brett said they saw you rescued somebody at the swimming pool last week. How did that happen?" he questions.

You let out a desperate sigh. "You're not going to let me work in peace, are you?"

Kelly just grins. "C'mon, we haven't hung out for a while. Lots of drama to share"

You save your work in defeat and then move to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Kelly sits on the couch with legs resting on the coffee table. You place yourself next to Kelly.

"They extend my therapy for another month" you restlessly play with your bottle cap.

"Is it not going well?" Kelly asks in concern.

"I got cramps that day at the swimming pool. They worried I damaged something. So they prefer to be cautious" you fill him in.

"That's when you rescued Dr. Manning's son " Kelly tries to clarify.

"Well, I just pulled him out of the water. The pool guard was the one who helped him breathe" you shrug.

"You assisted. It still counts as a rescue", Kelly insists. "Bet if Dr. Manning knew, she would buy you drinks at Molly's forever"

"More like got invited to dinner at their place," you mutter.

"Hmm, that's probably true" Kelly pauses for a moment, thinking. "Wait, did you meet her?" he grills you.

"Yeah. And her fiancé. I came to the hospital to check on Owen. Then next thing I knew I'm having family dinner with Manning/Halstead clan", you convey to him.

Kelly's phone chirps interruptedly. "Food's here" He goes to pick up the food from the delivery guy. "Alright, let's eat then we can go to Molly's"

◢◤

Jay is nursing his first beer as he watches Will bottoms up his third glass of whiskey. Will called him earlier in the evening, claimed that he needs bro night out after a shitty day at Med. Jay's initial plan to have dinner with you got scrapped before he even asked.

"Maybe you need to pace yourself, Will", Jay suggests to him as Will signs to Otis for a refill.

"Yeah, Doc. Maybe you want to switch? We have a nice Dutch craft beer chilling here", Otis offers. But Will is still holding out his empty glass to him, silently demanding for more. "Okay then" sighs Otis as he fills the glass.

Jay hears the commotions at the other end of the bar. He recognizes some people from Firehouse 51 there. Christopher Hermann is cackling, while Matt Casey grins widely. They pay attention to someone that is sitting among the group, but he cannot see who because Severide is blocking his view.

Jay checks his phone while he finishes his beer. He received a text from you beforehand, told him that she's going out to meet her friends tonight. He texted back, wishing her to enjoy her night out, but got no replies. Will notices Jay's scrolling on his phone and asks, "Do you need to go back to work?"

"Nah, just checking my texts" Jay puts his phone back in his pocket. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Not in the slightest. But I still have to go to work tomorrow. If I wanna do better than today, I cannot do that with a hangover" Will sulks. "Hey Gabby, I would like to try that craft beer Otis suggested" he requests to Gabby who passes by.

"Would you like one as well, Jay?" Gabby offers him.

"Alright, why not.." Jay accepts the new bottle.

"Is this a new batch? Don't think I ever have it here before", comments Will after his first sip.

"Yeah! Just start to come in this month. It's a friend's favorite. She hooked us up with a supplier directly from The Netherlands. You like it?" Gabby enthusiastically claims.

"It's good. But still not Bourbon", Will pouts. Jay lets out a snort while Gabby snickers.

Jay looks around the bar as he savors his beer. He paused when he thought he saw you sitting among the 51 Gang. Will notices and looks in the same direction. "Is that Y/N?" asks Will.

Jay stands up for his seat, "I'm gonna go say hi to her"

◢◤

You feel a palm pressed to your back as you hear someone's saying from behind, "Didn't expect to see you here tonight"

You turn your back immediately as you realize whose voice it is, "Jay!" shout you excitedly. You open your arms to hug him. Jay lands a chaste kiss on your lips before hugs you back.

Kelly and Matt look at each other over your head with eyebrows raised. "Well, that's something I didn't expect" goads Kelly.

"Severide, Casey" Jay gives them an acknowledging nod with his hands stay on your hips.

"How do you know each other?" Matt asks curiously.

Jay opens his mouth to reply, but you hear Will's interruption, "You guys finally made it, huh?" Jay rolls his eyes at his brother.

"These guys have been sending heart-eyes at each other since they first met" Will tips off the 51 gang. "Which I arranged, by the way. But this result was unintentional"

"No, we're not!" you try to deny.

"I was there, Y/N, at your almost first kiss" Will divulges.

"Oh my god!" you hide your blushing face behind your palms. Jay smacks a kiss on the side of your head, amused while the group makes fun of you.

"I guess this happened after Y/N rescued Owen?" Sylvie asks to confirm.

"Ooooh yes, our next year candidate!" Hermann yells. The others just clap and whistle in response. You thud your head to the bar table, abashed.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. We are proud of you" Casey remarks. "That said if you want to go to the academy..." he continues.

"Nuh-uh, I love my job, thank you very much" you quickly state.

You spend the rest of the night beside Jay, chatting and laughing with 51 Family and Halstead brothers until you let out a big yawn. "Tired?" Jay asks you softly.

You nod, "Beer always made me sleepy"

"Let me settle the tabs, then I'll take you home" Jay squeezes your shoulder as he stands up.

Kelly observes you and Jay throughout the night. When Jay left your side, he lowly speaks to you after making sure everyone else is busy conversing elsewhere. "So Jay Halstead is the one who got your juice's flowing, huh?"

"Kelly!" you slap his arm, agape.

"I mean your writing juice! You said it earlier!" Kelly yelps, but his smirk contradicts his words.

"You're the worst" you just shake your head.

Kelly's face turns serious for a moment, "Does he know about your situation?"

"What situation?" you try to sound innocent, but Kelly just gives you a look.

"Told him about the collapsing stage" you deflated.

"Have you told him that you're leaving in two months?" Kelly pushes.

"It's still too early. Who knows, Jay might end this soon", your voice sounds unsure.

"Don't think so. He looks quite smitten by you. Should probably tell him soon", Kelly disagrees.

"I'm happy right now, Kels. Can I just enjoy this for a while?" you start to lose patience with him.

"He deserves to know" Kelly persists.

You look down at the table, your fist is clenched in frustration. Jay comes back and notices the tense atmosphere. "Is everything okay?"

You reply with a forced smile, "Yeah, let's get out of here" then stand up from your seat and give Kelly a quick hug, "Thanks, Kels"

You move to say goodbye to the rest of the group, which takes a bit of time since everyone wants a hug or has something to tell you.

"C'mon guys, my boyfriend has waited long enough" you cry out when Sylvie and Gabby hold you back from going. The group guffaw even louder and playfully nudges Jay, who just beams brightly at you.

"Good night, guys!" you casually shout, finally getting away from the rest of the group, with Jay's hand in yours.

Next on this fic : Part 7

+x Taglist +x

@shipshipshipau @itsdesiree86 @thevelvetseries @annaallicce

[justanotherwriter-fangirl]

I Can't Lose Her! (C. R.)

Words: 4,653 words

Warnings: Nope

Request: Can you do a Connor Rhodes x reader where the reader is on squad and no one knows they're dating cause they wanted to keep it on the down low and she comes into the ED hurt and Connor looses it?

A/N: Hi!!! I’m sorry it took me so long but it’s finally here! I gotta say, when this request appeared I was so excited and now I can say that I’m so happy with the final result, almost 12 pages!! Can you imagine? I have never wrote something so long but the ideas kept flowing and at the end I finished with this monster made out of more than 4K words 🤯🤩 Hope you like it as much as I do!!! 

Gif obtained from Google. All credits to its owner.

Thanks for reading

_______________________

You woke up to the feeling of light traces on your back and a ray of light peeking through your curtains.

“How long you been awake?” you mumbled still with your eyes closed, savoring every second of this stolen moment.

“Maybe around twenty minutes, we should have closed your curtains a little better last night” he said in a low and husky voice, internally making you melt.

You loved moments like this, you and Connor, alone and tangled up in your bed just savoring each other’s company.

When you started dating, around six months ago, you decided it was best to keep it low key, a secret until you felt ready and stable enough to let the world know about the two of you, but, with the pass of time, you both found yourself very fond of keeping it all in private. You didn’t have to worry about noisy people or gossips everywhere you’d go.

Dating someone as important as Connor always brought along several consequences like living up to the Rhodes last name, being approved by his high – class father and being the object of jealousy of a bunch of other doctors and nurses who were constantly harboring a crush on the hottest cardiothoracic surgeon of the very prestigious Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and even when you were ready to deal with them all, truth to be told, along with avoiding all kind of uncomfortable situations, you wanted to keep as many memories and moments with him just for you.

Maybe it sounded a bit selfish but you already had to share him with the rest of the world when he was saving lives at the hospital so was it really too much to ask to just have a few moments with him now and then that only belonged to you two? You didn’t think so, especially not when you were finally getting ready to tell him you loved him.

You weren’t sure if 6 months were too soon or kinda late but neither of you had said it before because you both wanted to make sure it was truly how you felt when the time was right.

Just as you were about to ask him for 5 more minutes in such a blissful state, both your alarms started beeping, effectively breaking the quietness of the room and making you both groan, you weren’t ready.

“Time to go back to reality” he said stretching a little bit to get up.

“Do we really need to?” you pouted “I love having you here, just the two of us cuddling and watching a movie or cooking dinner or  just talking”

“I love it too but we wouldn’t be able to afford half of that if we just stayed here” he said laughing a little bit and leaving a small kiss on your forehead before standing up. “Also, I know how much you love your job, being the only woman on squad 3”

“I hate it when you are right” you said now with a big smile, he was right, you were so proud of your job and how much you had accomplished, you were the only female on Rescue Squad 3 and one of the youngest to make it to the team, Kelly did it when he was 23, you were just a little bit behind with 25, it was really impressive. 

30 minutes later you were both at your kitchen having some scrambled eggs, toasts and orange juice for breakfast, something “quick and light before going to save some lifes” as Connor liked to put it.

“So, will I see you tomorrow after your shift?” you asked

“Sorry, I can’t, my father wants to go have dinner, I don’t know what he wants but he says it’s important and I been trying to avoid it for a week now, I’ll just go so he stops calling me when I’m at the hospital” 

“It’s okay, I’ll still have you all for myself this weekend” you said flashing him a big smile, you had waited for this weekend for almost a month when you made a reservation for a nice B&B outside Chicago just to celebrate your 7th month together far away from the chaotic life you both had.

“Just you and I” he finished before leaning to kiss you, sweet and slow but full of passion, it was amazing and it made you feel better about your decision, this weekend you were going to tell him you loved him.

You separated after a couple moments to take a breath before leaning your forehead against his, looking right into his eyes, taking in the silence of the morning and the man in front of you, your heart swelling with nothing but pure love and raw happiness, you never had felt like this before.

“Now I think I’m ready to go” you said smiling at him and pulling apart to take the dirty dishes to the sink.

“Well, that’s not fair because I’m the one who’s not ready now” he mentions while he stands up to go to you and hug you from behind, his arms sneaking around your waist.

“That’s a shame sir, because if we don’t go now we both will be late” you said playfully as you turned around in his arms to wrap yours around his neck. “So go  grab your coat and let’s head out” you firmly stated leaving a peck on his jawline.

“Yes ma’am” he added before laughing a little and head to your door, you close behind him.

All the way to the parking lot of your building you joked around and enjoyed your last minutes together, his hand never leaving yours until you are in front of your car.

Before you could reach for the door, he grabbed your arm and turned you around to leave one final kiss in you lips, one hand on your waist, the other going directly to you cheek to deepen the kiss.

And just as sudden and fast it all happened, it ended leaving you breathless and a complete mess in front of him. He knew the effect he had on you and he loved to take advantage of that, so without any other word he opened your car door for you, gave you a final cocky smile and left to his car.

Frustrated you got into your car and closed your door, maybe a little bit harder than you should but making sure Connor heard before leaving the parking lot.

15 minutes later you were outside the firehouse getting ready to walk in to start your shift.

“Hey (Y/L/N), ready for another day on the job?” Kelly said from out your window.

“Hell, yeah!” You said as you stepped out your car and you locked it before heading inside with Kelly by your side telling you all about his latest date, him being one of your best friends.

The morning went by slowly, only a call around noon about a multiple car accident that needed the whole team to get the victims out of the wrecked cars but that had been all the action you have had all day, it wasn’t common to have days that quiet and it had everyone nervous about it, it was a bad sign. 

You had spent most of the day playing around with the guys, chatting with the girls and beating the squad’s ass playing Monopoly, you had a bad feeling about this day in the pit of your stomach but you pushed it away and tried to enjoyed the free time with your friends.

The day was almost over, the night slowly coming down and you barely had started to relax when you heard the alarm went off letting you all know an apartment building had caught on fire and you were needed.

You all quickly suited up and drove to the fire as fast as you could, ready to face whatever was coming your way.

5 minutes later when you arrived, you knew you had been right all day long, this was bad. There was actually two buildings, 10 stories each and both on fire and for what you could see there was many people still inside.

Immediately Kelly and Matt started shouting orders and organizing everyone to go inside on a primary search, still unaware of how many people was actually inside and under what conditions, the fire growing with every second.

As soon as the squad got into the first building, Capp and Tony stayed on the first floor and you followed Severide to the second floor.

“Fire Department! Call out!” you yelled going into the first apartment, quickly making your way through all the rooms, all empty. 

You went outside and met with Kelly on the hallway, him going into the third apartment and you entering the fourth were you were received with some coughing coming from the back.

“Fire Department! Call out!” you yelled again trying to figure out the origin of the sounds while making your way to the back.

“Help! I’m in the bathroom”

Running to the bathroom in the master bedroom you noticed that the ceiling was collapsing and the debris was blocking the door so you started to remove some of the bigger pieces and throwing them to the other side of the room, just enough to make room to open the door. 

“Come with me” you yelled to the woman once you managed to open the door “keep your head down and do not take the wet cloth from your face, well done” 

Once on the hallway you noticed Kelly guiding a family towards the stairs to exit the place when Capp called him, he needed some help on the third floor since Tony had taken a couple outside.

“Go, I got them” you yelled taking the hand of one of the members to guide them through the smoke.

Once you were all out you took a moment to change your oxygen tank while everyone was being treated by the multiple ambos waiting for the victims, all of a sudden you felt a tug on your arm and you turned around to see a crying woman in front of you, a teenager close behind her.

“Please, you gotta help, my baby is inside, I live in the 9B”

“Ma’am, you need to calm down, we are going to get him but you need to stay here”

“Please, help me!” she yelled.

“Brett!” you called Silvie “please, help me. Take care of her while I go inside for her baby”

Once the woman let you go and you made sure Silvie got her you ran inside straight to the third floor.

“Kelly, there’s a baby on the 9B, I’m going up”

“Wait for me! I’m coming with you” he said taking his hooligan with him “Capp, Tony, I’m going with (Y/L/N) to the ninth floor, we’ll make the search from top to bottom and we’ll meet at the middle”

“Okay, Lieutenant” they both replied before going into another apartment.

7 floors above you and Kelly splitted to each cover two apartments on the tenth floor, all being empty so you both descended to the ninth were you knew at least someone was in.

As Kelly took care of the 9A you knocked down the door to the 9B and went inside directly to the back were you could hear the baby crying. It was a relief knowing the baby was still alive.

You could see the fire was getting worse and you all really needed to hurry to take everyone out so the bomb could take charge of the building, there was just to many to do and just for a moment you let yourself get worry, maybe you weren’t enough.

You almost got lost in your train of thought when you suddenly heard Kelly calling for you.

“Back here, the baby seems okay but we need to take him out immediately”

“Go, I’ll finish the floor”

“No, you are faster, take the baby out and I’ll finish here, I’ll see you on the 8th” you said taking the baby and handing him to Kelly, his arms instantly taking the baby and putting him close to his body. You could see the hesitation on his face but you had no time for that “Go!! Now!! Take him out, I’ll be fine”

He knew he couldn’t argue with you so he handed you his hooligan and ran outside as fast as he could to leave the baby and get back to you, the same bad feeling everyone had the entire day settling on his stomach again.

Once you made sure the whole floor was empty you went down to the 8th, trying to move as fast as you could but making sure no one was left behind.

The flames were growing and you feared Boden was going to call you all out, that was one of the worst possible scenarios you could picture because it left you without any chance to save everyone.

Luckily, the 8th floor was empty, most of the doors already opened from when all the residents left and you could quickly moved to the 7th, only two more to go to be able to leave the building. 

You met Kelly on the stairs, letting him know it was all clear from 10th to 8th so he could report back to Boden.

Once again you both separated, both knowing the routine you had to follow.

You were inside the 7B when you heard a loud noise above you, barely having enough time to look up before the ceiling collapsed over you, knocking you down and letting you unconscious.

Kelly had just left 7A when he heard the loud thump of the ceiling falling down, stopping in his tracks trying to figure out where the noise was coming from when he heard something ten times worse, your pass alarm signaling you hadn’t move in the last 20 seconds.

Running to the sound of the alarm beeping, he found you under a big pile of wrecked ceiling.

“Capp, Tony!” He yelled through his radio “I need backup on 7th, (Y/L/N) is down”

From where he was he could see it was bad, your leg trapped and your whole torso covered by a lot of wreckage. Starting to work to get you out as fast as possible he started to took the ceiling that was at the top to eventually get to you, two pairs of hands suddenly helping him.

They all moved around you, taking everything out as fast as they could in the limited time they had, a minute later only your leg left to be freed.

“Alright, lift that final piece over her leg so I can slide her out” Kelly instructed to the guys positioning himself above your head and grabbing your arms to pull you out.

It was heavy and Capp and Tony had to pushed a little harder to lift it enough for your leg to pass but a few seconds later it was over, each of them grabbing one of your legs to help Severide take you down were Silvie and Gabby were waiting for you to arrive.

Everyone was already outside, the truck had finished with the other building and the last two floors you had missed and the bomb was taking charge of the fire, all in silence wanting to know more about you but unable to enter to your rescue in case the weight was to much for the structure on fire.

It was a general relief when the squad came out through the door with you in their arms, setting you on the gurney and giving the girls space to work, they going in professionally to make sure you were properly treated, opening your suit and checking your vital signs.

They put a collar around your neck and immobilized your leg to transport you to the Med, getting help from Kelly to put you in the ambulance and hopping in to go with you, never leaving your hand. 

After losing Shay, he swore he would do everything in his power to never lose anyone again, specially you, you had came when he most needed it and offered him a sincere friend, someone who never judged him and was with him through thick and thin.

“She’s going to be okay, Severide, we got her just in time” Gabby tried to assure him, knowing what was going through his mind.

She was about to say something else when your heart rate started to go wild on the monitor, catching her by surprise and making her jump to her feet immediately.

“Start CPR now!” She yelled to Kelly “I need to intube her, Brett hurry!” she said while taking the equipment she needed to make the procedure, completely focused on her task to put the ambu bag as fast as she could.

“I got in! How much longer, Brett?!” she asked worried.

“We’re two minutes away, they are waiting for us”

Once you arrived it was crazy, Gabby letting the doctors know of your situation, starting with possible ribs and right leg fractured as well as a dislocated shoulder, while April and Ethan started to wheel you into Trauma 1 on the ED, leaving Gabby, Silvie and Kelly outside.

Connor was just leaving the OR ready to take on another patient when he saw you, all bloody and unconscious being moved to a trauma room, his worst nightmare becoming a reality just in front of him.

 “What happened?” he yelled going behind you ready to take action.

“The ceiling collapsed, Dawson and Brett just got her in” Ethan informed unaware of the real state Connor was in, trying to hide his emotions as best as he could. “We need some x - rays and maybe a CT scan to make sure there is no internal bleeding” he was going over the routinary examination when a single sound send shivers down Connor’s spine, a flat line on the monitor.

“She’s crashing, charge the defibrillator to 150 and send one epi in” he said as the nurses laid her completely down and started with chest compressions again.

“Charged to 150” April handed Ethan the defibrillator and applied some gel to it before he used it.

“Clear” he said before shocking you once and waiting for a second “No change, charge to 200”

Connor was watching the whole scene going unfold right before his eyes, the rage going through his veins faster than the team who was trying to bring you back to life. He turned for a moment to take a breath when he saw Kelly standing at the doors of the ED.

He wasn’t sure what controlled him but he went straight to Kelly and pushed him to the wall grabbing him by his collar, face to face and ready to fight him.

“You were supposed to take care of her! Where the hell were you when this happened?”

“What the hell?! Back off!” Kelly said pushing him back, as angry as him because he had no idea what he was going through “What the hell do you care?!”

By now, everyone’s eyes were on them, their voices the only sound of the room.

“What do I care?! She is my girlfriend, you idiot, and she trusted you with her life!” Connor replied, not caring anymore of your secret. Everyone stayed silent for a minute, the revelation causing a big shock among the presents, that’s when Connor realized something and all the anger faded away, leaving him all weak and desperate. “She is my girlfriend and I love her” he finally whispered “I can’t lose her… I can’t lose her, damn it!” his mood swings were insane, he didn’t really know how he felt, it was all mixed up, he was angry, sad, desperate, hopeless, stressed, it was all too much.

Just when Kelly was about to say something, the gurney from Trauma 1 was being wheeled out, a bunch of nurses, medical equipment and Dr. Choi behind it going straight to the OR yelling instructions to the whole team.

“What happened?” Connor ran behind them “What’s going on?”

“We need to take her to the OR, we got her back but she has some internal bleeding going on. We’ll take charge of the rest after we control it” Ethan said before the elevators doors closed.

He felt lost, he couldn’t do anything and it was killing him, stumbling he entered the break room and broke down on the couch, his hands to his face hiding the tears that wanted to spill from his eyes.

“She is going to be okay, she’s a fighter after all” Will said sitting next to him and patting his back. 

“She better be because I don’t know who I am anymore without her” he said in a low voice, afraid it would break if he spoke louder.

“Why you never told us anything?” 

“At first was we wanted to make sure it was the real thing, you know? But then she just loved the privacy of it all, having little dates on new places where it was only her and I and no one knew about us, the Med’s surgeon and the newest squad member, you know? She just wanted to keep it all away from our crazy lives and dangerous jobs” he finished letting out a sigh.

“It really sounds like her” Will added laughing a little “I don’t know her that well but we have talk a few times at Molly’s, she is so sweet and funny and so open all the time but it’s annoying because at the end of the night you still don’t know much about her. You’ll only know what she wants you to know” he said remembering the few nights you had spent with the whole ED team, having a beer and getting to know everyone.

Now it all made sense, you were getting to know the people who Connor worked with.

The sound of Connor’s laugh broke the silence for a moment, taking Will by surprise, it was just odd considering the state of the man just a few seconds ago.

“Yes, she is like that. You don’t know how much effort it took me to get her to say yes to a date, it was all worth it though” he laugh again, Will joining him this time “Will, she’s the most amazing woman ever and we’ve been together for the last 6 months and I’ve been the happiest man ever since we made it official. This weekend we were going somewhere special, you know? She had it all planned so we could go away for a couple days and just be away from the chaos of the city, she was so excited and now we won’t be able to go”

“Don’t worry, you’ll go, maybe not this weekend but I bet that in a month she will be good to go”

“You can’t promise me that”

“I can, I’m sure of it because right now she have the best team of doctors taking care of her, and she doesn’t let anything stop her from what she wants, isn’t it right? That’s how she got into squad 3 in the first place and how she managed to keep your relationship a secret for over 6 months. She is unstoppable, Connor, I know she will be fine”

"Thanks, man. It's really nice to hear it" he finally said after a moment, taking Will's words in. 

"I have to go but I'll come back later to check on you"

Will left and there was nothing more to do than wait, it was awful. Standing up again and breathing a few more times he exited the room and went to the wait room, there was one more thing to do. 

"Hey, man, I'm sorry" he said standing in front of Kelly "I just… I lose it when I saw her lying there. I know it wasn't your fault"

"I didn't know you were dating, she never said anything"

"I know" Connor said taking a seat next to him "She wanted to keep it all a secret. Could you… could you tell me what happened?" 

"We were on a big fire, two building, 10 stories each. A woman told (Y/N) her baby was in the ninth floor so we went up to get him, I asked her to take him out but she send me instead, said I was faster and I didn’t want to argue with her so I went. We met back at the 7th doing our primary search and we splitted to cover each 2 apartments, the fire was getting worse and when I was about to catch up to her I heard the sound of the ceiling collapsing, it fell on top of her so the rest of the squad and I rushed to take her out. She was just on the wrong place at the wrong time”

“Thanks, for taking care of her and bring her as fast as you could” 

Hours passed and you were still in the OR, the tension on the air was palpable and everyone was on edge, the whole firehouse already there waiting to hear news about your state.

Mrs. Goodwin quickly heard about the delicate situation so left Connor without duties for the rest of the day, he wasn’t in the right state to keep attending patients so he was as nervous as the rest, so when Ethan walked through the door of the wait room it was like a blessing. Everyone immediately stood up to approach him, Connor and Kelly right at the front more eager than anyone.

“She is still sedated” he said knowing they were her family “we put her shoulder back in place and she’ll have a cast for the next 6 weeks on her right leg, we were able to fix all damage and stop the internal bleeding but she’s still dealing with a couple broken ribs which will make a it a little harder to breath but she’s fine. We’ll have her under medical observation for the next couple 48 hours but you can go see her now”

“Go” Kelly told Connor “We’ll go after you” he added with everyone behind him nodding their heads.

“Thanks”

Once in your room it was a hard vision to watch, tubes and machine all connected to you but it all went away when he saw your eyes fluttered open.

“Hey, babe, I’m here, you are okay” he said grabbing your hand.

“Connor? What’s going on?”

“You had an accident but you are all fine now, the guys took good care of you. (Y/N), I… I’m just glad you are okay, for a moment I thought I would lose you and I wouldn't be able to tell you how much I love you” he whispered looking you in the eyes, tears once again forming in his eyes but this time it was all relief.

“Connor, babe, you are not going to lose me, not ever” you reassured him giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “Not when I love you so much too” you added blushing a little and a smile coming to your face “I wanted to tell you this for a while now and I was waiting till our trip to make the perfect moment, guess that’s out of question now”

“We just made our perfect moment, you and I and all the beeping of the hospital machines” he said making you laugh but quickly regretting it, your ribs making it difficult.

“That’s so not fair, it hurts” you said giving him a light punch to his arm.

“I love you though” he winked at you and send that cocky smile from earlier this morning, the memory feeling so far from where you were now.

_______________________

Masterlist

[the-cult-of-russo]

Push and Pull (part 2)

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OC

Warnings: cursing, violence, angst, the usual shit.

-----------

"This is good. Really good," Detective Brett Mahoney said with a nod. He was holding the paper in his hands that Daphne had printed that morning. It was the picture she'd taken the night before. She never really trusted cops before since she knew they were corrupt. But since Fisk was now locked away along with the cops who worked for him, it was better. She wasn't stupid enough to think there were no corrupt cops left but she knew Brett was legit.

She’d taken an interest in the Italians after accidentally stumbling onto some things with her work. Working a case like this felt different to her average cases, it felt like it mattered. But she was a PI, not a fed or a cop. She could gather information until her heart's content but she wouldn't be able to do anything with it. To shut down the Italian's operation she needed to do it legit. Certain things wouldn't hold up in court if they weren't obtained legally. So when Brett asked her to work with them, she agreed. Off the books of course. That's why she hadn't taken anything with her. It wouldn't be legal evidence. But this was the tiniest sliver of proof he needed to get a warrant for them to go in guns blazing and search the place.

"Honestly, after Daredevil went in kicking ass, don't be surprised if they've moved things. But this at least gets a foot in the door," she mused softly. Brett nodded, flashing her a smile. 

"It does. This is great, Daphne, really. I'll keep you updated," he said with a nod. They both stood as he felt like he needed to walk her out. He always did this and she wasn't sure why. As they neared the desk, she saw two men talking to the cop there. One had long shaggy hair and the other was blind if his cane and glasses were anything to go by. Oddly enough the blind one's head tilted in her direction and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"There's my favourite detective!" The shaggy haired one grinned. He was so friendly, she almost heaved. He wandered over and shook Brett's hand enthusiastically. 

"Foggy," Brett said politely. Daphne's eyes were glued on the blind man though as he used his cane to come over. Something was itching at the back of her brain as she examined his face. She wasn't sure what.

"And who's this lovely lady?" The one who was apparently Foggy asked. He gave her a bright grin and she wondered what he must have snorted that morning to be so cheerful.

"This is Daphne. Daphne, this is Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock. They're lawyers," Brett said amicably. She gave them a brief smile noting how tight lipped this Matt guy was. How tightly he seemed to grip his cane. 

"Nice to meet you guys," she couldn't even help sounding bored. It wasn't even intentional. It didn't seem to phase Foggy though as he continued smiling, glancing over to his friend. 

"Nice to meet you too, right Matt?" She carefully observed the way Foggy looked at Matt like he was confused by his behaviour. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Daphne," Matt replied with a tense smile. That voice. That itch got worse and she narrowed her eyes a little as she looked at him. They flit around what she could see of his face behind the glasses before it clicked. Oh how it clicked. There was a reason why figuring shit out was what she did for a living but she hadn't expected to just find this out so easy. She hadn't even intended to look into it because she didn't even care that much. 

Matt seemed to tense more, his back straightening as he seemed focused on her, even with unseeing eyes. She remembered how perceptive he was. Did he know that she knew? There was no way. 

"Well I need to go. Let me know how it goes?" She asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Matt as she looked at Brett. He gave her a smile and friendly pat to the back.

"I will," he replied. Her eyes went to Foggy then as he gave her a nod and she gave one in return. After last night's attitude she didn't even bother acknowledging Matt. She made her way out of the precinct and down the steps.

Her mind was swirling with questions from her new revelation. It hadn't even been that hard to put two and two together. How had he not been caught yet? She wondered if Foggy knew or not. So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone was behind her until it was too late. Then she was yanked into the alleyway. Once more pinned to the wall by her throat and she couldn't hold back the snort as her eyes landed on the blind man doing it.

"Are you following me?" He practically snarled. She rolled her eyes, much like the night before she didn't struggle in her position. She wasn't scared.

"My life doesn't revolve around you. I was there passing on my evidence," she said sounding annoyed. He didn't let up though.

"Seems awfully familiar…" she trailed off with a sly smirk. His eyebrows rose before he let her go. Even though he didn't have the gift of sight he seemed to watch her warily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he huffed defensively. She chuckled, cocking her head. He looked spooked somewhat and it was nice after his cockiness from the night before. He clearly hadn't thought coming after her through because if she hadn't figured it out, she would have by now.

"Are you even blind?" She wondered out loud. His head snapped to her then with an offended scoff.

"Of course I'm blind," he genuinely sounded offended and she came to the conclusion he wasn't lying.

"How do you do it then?" She pressed. He looked tense, like he was ready to crawl out of his skin and she was enjoying making him sweat.

"I don't know what you're talking about,” he snapped.

"Yeah you do. You know, beating bad guys up, fighting crime. Honestly it's quite impressive since you can't see," she smirked. 

He stopped his pacing and she noticed his hands clenching and unclenching. 

"You're crazy, you know that? Have you heard yourself?" His deflections were useless when she could hear that undertone of pure panic. She knew she was right.

"Don't try and gaslight me. It wasn't that hard to figure out  I wasn't even looking. I have no idea how you've not been caught yet, Devilboy," she snorted. He looked away quickly, chest heaving a little. She could see he was starting to realise she wasn't letting this go. He was silent and she observed him. He honestly looked ready to have a heart attack and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not gonna rat if that's what you're worried about," she stated with a sigh. His head snapped back to her then as a mirthless chuckle left his lips.

"Right. I'll just take that on faith shall I?" He sneered at her.

"You don't really have a choice. I was serious when I said I wasn't looking. I could give a rat’s ass who you really were. I found out by chance. Believe me or don't, I really don't give a shit," she said seriously. He did the weird head tilt thing for a moment before swallowing thickly.

"And how do I know you won't go right to the cops, or to the papers?" He couldn't hide the faint tremor in his voice. She wondered if this was the first time someone had found out on their own. How that loss of control felt.

"Why would I do that? What would it serve me? I do that, you get locked up. Despite your bad attitude, I actually think you do good things for Hell's Kitchen," she replied honestly. A little begrudgingly if she was completely honest. He made it hard to want to say anything nice about him. He looked confused, his eyebrows furrowing under his glasses. She was bored now honestly. His panic wasn't anything she needed to stick around for.

"Is that all or you wanna pin me to the wall some more?" She snarked. He shook his head, looking rattled and she stepped past him. His hand darted out with impressive precision for a blind man, gripping her wrist tightly.

"If you tell anyone, I will find you," his vague threat only served to ramp up her anger.

"It's not wise to threaten someone who can ruin your life. I have no need to tell anyone, but run your mouth like that and we'll see how fast your life burns down. I wouldn't piss me off if I were you," she growled ferociously. He seemed stunned at first by her words, letting go of her wrist like it burned him. He really needed to wise up and realise just who had the upper hand in this situation.

"Have a good day, Mr Murdock," she gave him a sickly sweet smile even though he couldn't see if. If all her observations were correct he didn't have to see it to know it was there. He seemed to be able to sense everything anyway. She turned on her heel and marched away, the whole thing similar to the night before. She idly wondered if anything did happen to her through her snooping if he'd just let her die. That's what she would do after all. Why would he save her when she had the potential to ruin his life? Oh well. She didn't need him before and she didn't need him now. Even if it came to it, she wasn't one to beg and plead for her life. 

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 13

Friendly reminder to please Like and/or Reblog. It helps more than you think! :)

Word Count: 3,028

Warning: ANGST!!!!!!

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

PLEASE let me know what you think

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

Something about Friday nights at the bar always seemed to put Zoey in an energetic mood. As hectic as it got, there was always something new and exciting happening on the weekends. Groups of newly legal drinkers, bachelorette parties, rowdy swingers, there was always something. And the group of people she worked with on weekends only improved the fun. Andy was at his prime tonight, mixing and mingling with everyone that approached the bar while Brett flirted with all of the girls, Zoey was making everyone laugh, and a few other servers bounced around, as well. 

They had busy weekends down to a science by now, knowing where everyone was, what everyone would be doing, and reading the signs on when they might be able to take a quick break. This was, by far, the most organized bar she’d ever worked at. Zoey stepped out of the storage closet, carrying a box full of napkins when she bumped right into Brett.

“Whoa, if you wanted me to get on the floor for ya, all you needed to do was ask,” Brett grabbed his arm where the box had hit him as he stumbled backward, smirking. 

She could bet that he was so used to flirting for tips that it just came as second nature to him. Still, the idea of getting plowed by him in the closet right now seemed almost too good to pass up. Especially considering how Australian he sounded tonight. It’s been a minute. She smirked back, looking at him through her eyelashes, “Well, the closet’s free now if you want to meet me in there in five minutes?”

His eyes widened slightly before standing up straighter and stammering, “Oh, uh. Probably not a good idea right now, actually. It’s super busy out there. We can’t leave the others alone.”

“Oh, yeah. I was kidding,” Zoey laughed, blowing it off and countering, “I’m still out of a bedroom right now, otherwise I would invite you to spend the night.”

A week and a half ago after Zoey had gotten home from her date there was a pretty bad storm in LA. While she was on the phone with Harry, lightning had struck the top of their building and hit an electrical box that shut the power off on the top dozen floors of her building, including her unit. The electrical current that ran through her apartment had also caused their water heater to build too much pressure which made it burst, spilling water out of the utility closet and leaking into the hallways and the room closest to it, which happened to be Zoey’s room.

Luckily they were able to get the electricity back up rather quickly, but the damage had already been done. Water damaged the carpets, the underlayment, and the bottom of the walls. It even caused water damage to the ceiling in the unit below them. Thankfully the furniture was salvageable, and the building maintenance and property manager were very helpful in trying to get everything fixed and sorted for them, but it did take some time. They had to move all of Zoey’s furniture out of the room and into the living room to rip up all of the carpets, put holes at the bottom of the walls to get air circulation inside of the walls, and install dehumidifiers and drying fans around the back half of their apartment. It looked like a bomb had gone off in there, and because of this, they hadn’t had visitors over since.

He nodded, hesitantly admitting, “It’s okay. I have plans tonight, anyway.”

“Oh, nice. Another date?”

He paused, “Yeah, kind of.”

“Ooo,” she sang, teasingly, “Good luck. Hope they’re not as crazy as the last. How were her parents, by the way?”

He laughed, pushing her lightly, and walking away saying, “From now on I’ll have to mention it upfront. No parents on the first date.”

She continued on her way and began filling up the containers underneath the counter with napkins when Andy came over, smiling and lightly kicking her shoes as she crouched. Zoey looked up and grinned at her friend, pushing the box to the side and standing up, picking a piece of lint off of his shirt.

“I think Brett’s dating someone,” she told him.

Andy faked a frown and teased, “Awe. Are you sad ‘cuz your fuck buddy can’t fuck you anymore?”

She rolled her eyes, hip-checking him, “A little. He’s just being so sketchy about it. I don’t get why he can’t just be honest and tell me we can’t fuck anymore because he either doesn’t want to or because he’s seeing someone. Boys are annoying.”

Andy nodded, pursing his lip, “Girl, I get it. I don’t want to like boys, either. Shit sucks.”

When 1 AM rolled around, Zoey was exhausted. She made out pretty good tips, but she felt like she could have fallen asleep on the drive home. To her surprise, the living room lights were still on. Usually, Nancy and Aurora were in bed by now. They could have accidentally left it on. But just as the thought crossed her mind, a soft door closing and heels clicking caught her attention and she turned to see Rory stumbling in, gasping a little at the sight of Zoey.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Zoey giggled, setting her bag down on the island.

Rory shook her head, her cute little mixed French and British accent squeaking, “It’s okay. I lost track of time. I should have known you’d be home soon.”

“Are you heading out?” Zoey noticed her roommate still fully dressed. Her eyes widened in realization, “Ohhhhh, are you going to Harry’s? I know he said he was thinking of coming home early, but I haven’t talked to him today, so I didn’t realize he did.”

Rory hesitated for a moment before stuttering, “Yeah, but it’s a quick visit. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Zoey nodded, yawning and dragging her feet over to the couch, “Have fun, you crazy kids!” she joked, plopping onto the sectional and muttering under her breath, “Can’t wait to have my bed back.”

“You can sleep in my bed tonight if you want. Since I won’t be here,” Aurora offered.

“Really? Thank you! Might actually be able to get a good night’s sleep tonight,” she grinned standing up.

Aurora paused for a moment before smiling back, putting her head down with a nod goodbye, and walking out the door. With another yawn, Zoey grabbed an oversized tee and a pair of sweatpants from the pile of her clothes in the corner of the living room, quickly changing, and headed towards Rory’s tidy white bedroom. 

Her roommate’s mattress had to be the most comfortable mattress she’d ever been on, by far. As soon as she hit the pillow, there was no stopping it. Not even her most nagging thoughts could keep her awake.

Zoey dreamed of life before all of this. Back to her boring Pennsylvania town with all of her boring adventureless memories. But not all of her memories were boring. She had a good life. It might not have been a fantasy life, but it was stable. She dreamt back to days with Jess, swimming in the pool, and nights with her ex-boyfriend, settling down after a long night’s shift at the bar. She’d be so exhausted that she’d practically crawl through the pitch dark apartment to find Michael already asleep in bed. She dreamt about how she’d climb into the bed beside him and he’d instinctively reach out and pull her closer to him, nuzzling his face into her shoulder to fall back asleep. She remembered that feeling of warmth and security encasing her as she drifted off to sleep.

Except that warmth and security wasn’t just a dream. As Zoey’s consciousness grew, she became more aware of the fact that there was someone in the bed with her, their arms wrapped around her stomach. Automatically her first thought was that Brett’s date must not have gone as well as he’d hoped. But she started to realize more and more that not only was she not in her bed, but the faint red glow on the inside of her eyelids told her that it was morning now, and the way this person’s arm rested across her side so comfortably, and the sweet, yet spicy scent of the person’s breath on the back of her neck was something she never encountered with Brett, who normally smelled of beer and stale peanuts. Zoey suddenly came-to, gasping and pushing herself away from the figure behind her, which caused them to sit up in a panic and gasp as well. 

“Harry? What the fuck are you doing here?” her vision barely came into focus.

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I thought you were Rory!” Harry’s eyes widened.

“Why the fuck would I be Rory?! Rory’s with you!” she shot back, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Comprehension of what she just said smacked her in the face and she slowly took her hands from her face to get a good look at Harry’s face. She saw his expression range the emotions in a matter of seconds from confusion to realization, hurt, annoyance, and anger. Zoey sat up, eyes wider, holding her hands out and motioning for him to calm down. 

“Hang on a minute,” Zoey pleaded as he stood up, “I didn’t mean to say that, I was half asleep when I came home and you scared the shit out of me. I think I just misunderstood her last night.”

“I fucking knew it,” Harry ignored her, pacing the room, “I knew she was cheating.”

“Alright, now that’s a bit dramatic,” Zoey rolled her eyes, getting out of the bed, “You’re not dating yet, so let’s just relax. You don’t know where she is.”

“Where else would she be?” he shot back.

“Hello? She has other friends besides me and Nancy. Let’s not jump to conclusions. She said she would be back in the morning, let’s just make a cup of coffee. I’m sure she can straighten this out when she gets here and she’ll be so excited to see you.”

Under different circumstances, Zoey would have been excited to see Harry. But her head was pounding from the abrupt wake-up call that she honestly couldn’t figure out her sentiments just yet. She had to physically drag Harry out of the room and keep a hand on him at all times in an attempt to keep him grounded and from running off, whether it was her squeezing his arm, holding his hand, or grabbing his shoulders. He was so full of tension that it just barely worked.

They sipped their coffee at the kitchen island and Zoey did her best to distract him by asking about his final show and trying to talk about what he was going to do when he got back home to England, but it was no use. Harry’s eyes bore holes into the countertop gripped onto his mug so tightly that she was certain it would shatter any minute now when they heard the front door open. Harry instantly got to his feet, darting into view with Zoey at his heels, pulling him back by his wrists when Aurora walked in, her grin fading at the sight of them.

“Harry,” Rory breathed, taking a step back.

“Where were you?” He demanded, yanking his arm from Zoey.

Both girls recoiled, surprised by his tone and actions. Neither of them had ever seen Harry so angry before. It was completely out of character that it sent them both into a temporary loss for words. 

Zoey was the first to bounce back, giving Rory the biggest apologetic eyes she could muster, “I’m so sorry, Rory. I think there was just a misunderstanding. I thought you said you were going to Harry’s last night and I spoke before thinking. He’s just had a long flight, that’s all. I told him you were probably just with a friend and I misheard you.”

“I-” Rory stuttered, looking between the two, unsure of what to say.

“You were with Brett, weren’t you?” Harry accused, eyes glaring.

Zoey shot her head at Harry and gritted her teeth, “Would you stop it with the Brett thing? She wasn’t with Brett! You know him and I have a thing going on. Stop accusing her!”

But when she turned her attention back to Aurora, the color had drained from her face and her eyes glassed over. Zoey furrowed her brows as Rory’s gaze turned to her, pleading as she shot her hands over her mouth and let out a sob, tears finally spilling from her eyes, “Zoey, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to lie to you. It just happened. I swear this is the only time. I didn’t mean for this to happen. We were only planning on hanging out but one thing led to another. I’m so sorry!” she begged.

Zoey’s heart dropped at the sight of her friend and roommates anguish and guilt, trying to take everything in. All she could muster to say was, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Harry spat, “I fucking told you this would happen!” He turned his attention back to Rory who was still crying, “I came back here for you! I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend today! Instead, I come here to surprise you, find my best friend in your bed, and find out that you were sleeping with her boyfriend? What kind of person does that?”

His voice boomed so deeply that Zoey felt the vibrate in her chest with every syllable he spoke. It was so loud that it managed to wake Nancy, the heaviest of sleepers, who pitter-pattered down the hallway to see what all of the commotion was about. Zoey managed to squeak out a quick, “He’s not my boyfriend!” but no one heard over the screaming match that pursued. 

“Don’t you fucking dare try to insinuate I’m a whore! I’m not your fucking girlfriend! You had nearly half a year to ask me out and you didn’t! I told you I wasn’t going to sit around and wait forever!” Rory scowled at Harry. His jaw tightened with each word she hurled, “What was I supposed to think? You talk to my roommate you’ve only known for three months more than you talk to me! You fly back here just to spend time with her, you barely spoke to me that weekend except when you wanted to fuck! And that was only after you spent all day in her bedroom! You tell me what the fuck I was supposed to think!? How would you feel if I did that?!” Nancy softly took hold of Aurora’s arm to try and soothe the tension.

“Rory, I didn’t mean-” Zoey started, suddenly feeling guilty, but was cut off by Harry. 

“I was just trying to be a good friend! I told you that you had nothing to worry about! You knew Zoey was going through something and wasn’t in a good place! You saw her! Zoey’s been nothing but a good friend to you, so what are you even trying to say? First, you sleep with her boyfriend and now you’re accusing her of cheating with ME? You’re deflecting!”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Zoey spoke louder this time, but again it fell upon deaf ears as Rory spoke.

“I’m not accusing Zoey of anything!” she turned her attention towards her roommate, her eyes softening, “Zoey, I’m so sorry, I know nothing happened between you and Harry. And I would never do anything to try and hurt you. I promise I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“But it did happen, and I fucking said it would, didn’t I?” Harry, turned towards Zoey.

“Oh, you said it would happen?” Rory’s sarcasm dripped through her teeth like silk, “Congratulations! Once again, your instincts were correct! What do you want? A fucking medal? If you knew it would happen, why did you even come here?”

“Because I wanted to be with you!”

“If you wanted to be with me so fucking badly, why did it take you five months to figure it out?! You never really wanted me! I was just a convenience for you! That’s why you waited until the tour was over! You have nothing else to occupy your time with!”

“And that’s why you ran to fuck Zoey’s boyfriend, is it? Because he’s emotionally available for you?” Harry’s sarcasm intensifies.

“He’s not my fucking boyfriend!” Zoey screamed, standing in between them, causing the two to retreat, taking a step back. Zoey glowered back and forth between Harry and Aurora, frustrated at the disgusting display of animosity towards each other. She had half a mind to start screaming at them, but when she saw Nancy’s reassuring gaze, she took a breath and calmly reasoned, “Listen. Obviously, we all need to talk things out, but right now the tension is way too high and it’s way too early in the morning to think clearly. Let’s all just take some time to calm down.”

“How about I just go?” Harry retorted, pulling away from Zoey and storming towards the door.

Zoey watched him as he stomped to the door, shooting a glance at Nancy who mouthed, “Go.”

She quickly grabbed her phone and threw on the first pair of shoes she found before jogging towards the door. Rory grabbed her hand quickly, eyes still red and raw from crying. Her voice was so soft that it was barely a whisper, “Zoey. I’m so sorry.”

Zoey looked into the eyes of her roommate and it nearly broke her heart. She placed a hand over Rory’s and managed a sympathetic smile, “It’s okay,” she said, seeing the relief wash over Rory. “I’ll talk to him.”

Rory nodded and Zoey ran off, catching the elevator doors just before they closed and slipping in with a still fuming Harry. When the doors closed and the elevator began its descent, his arms jerked upwards, grabbing onto the back of his neck, doubling over as he shouted, “FUCK!” 

This should be fun.

KEEP READING

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Taglist for Somebody To You:

@thurhomish​ , @stilljosiegrossie​ , @odetostep​

[wildroseofarran]

Facing Demons || Brett, Guildias, MJ, & Pete || April, 2020

Brett: It had been several weeks since Brett had received that letter from California. During that time the letter had sat untouched in his locked desk drawer at the station, coming out only once when it had been shown to his domitor.

The rest of the time had been spent keenly aware of its presence while contemplating burning it or trying and failing to work up the courage to get it out again. Brett could think of good reasons to do the former and only one to do the latter, yet somehow, he hadn't ever been able to bring himself to get rid of it. He hadn't been able to work up the courage either.

Truth be told, he had no idea what finally made him do it; just that while having his lunch one afternoon, he found himself unlocking that drawer and looking at that number scrawled on the bottom.

"God help me," he sighed.

{Text to MJ} Hi

{Text} Does the offer still stand?

MJ: MJ felt for his phone on the bedside table. Blackened out room. Still no night vision; still no desire to live in daylight.

The brightness of the screen burned his retinas, hissing like a cat. The phone bounced between hands in an exhausting rescue attempt.

{Text} Whoooo yes. Hi. {Text} If this is the sheriff absolutely

Brett: Right, new number. MJ wouldn't remember Brett's phone number, he should've self-identified. Silly mistake brought on by buckets of anxiety.

{Text} Yeah, sorry about that

{Text} It's Brett Parker

MJ: {Text} Sup man

{Text} Where ya want? When?

{Text} Please don't say right now my eyeballs are roasting

Brett: Brett stared down at his phone, worrying his lip between his teeth. He hadn’t thought he’d make it this far and didn’t have a plan.

{Text to Guildias} Hey

{Text to Guildias} I finally got up the courage to contact MJ

Guildias: {Text from Guildias} Are you alright?

Brett: {Text to Guildias} Kind of. Feeling anxious and like I shouldn’t be eating lunch because I’m afraid I might see it again

{Text to Guildias} He’s asking where and when I want to meet

Guildias: The next text takes a minute.

{Text} You wish for me to accompany you?

Brett: {Text} I would, if you’re still willing

Guildias: {Text} Where would you feel most comfortable?

Brett: {Text} Your place, if we’re being completely honest

Guildias: {Text} Set up the meeting, then.

Brett: {Text} What time works best?

Guildias: {Text} Eight o'clock. {Text} Have to yield to our schedule tonight.

Brett: Brett had figured as much. At least he had a few hours to calm himself down and work up even more courage to actually go through with it.

{Text} I thought as much

{Text} Is it okay if I come a little early?

Guildias: {Text} It'll just be me. I would prefer you first.

Brett: Brett took a deep breath. That much was a relief. Getting there first was just a small little thing but he knew from other experiences that it would help a lot.

{Text} Okay, thank you

{Text} Is it all right if I get there around 7:30?

Guildias: {Text} That's fine. Wait at the door for me and do try not to be alarmed by my appearance.

Brett: He frowned at his phone. Alarmed? Why would he be alarmed?

{Text} I promise I'll try my best

{Text} See you tonight

Guildias: Guildias felt under-dressing, shirtless as he had been for days, would distract from the occasion. A black loose-fitted V-neck sweater was slipped into and tucked. The left sleeve hung, empty from down the elbow.

A text was sent Callum, warning of the impending chapter about to unfold.

Brett: Now that there was a plan in place, Brett turned his attention back to his other conversation with a bit less anxiety.

{Text to MJ} No, don't worry. I'm working right now

{Text to MJ} Are you free tonight at 8? We can meet at Guildias' house

MJ: MJ stared for a moment. He shouldn't have been surprised. Something in the suggestion of Guildias insulted him.

{Text} Yeah. I'll see ya then

Brett: {Text} See you then

{Text} Also, just out of curiosity, why are your eyeballs roasting?

MJ: {Text} Daylight sheriff

{Text} I have this skin condition see

{Text} Where everything hurts and I'm dying because daytime

Brett: {Text} Right, forgot it's the middle of the day only for me

{Text} Sorry about that

{Text} I'll see you tonight

MJ: {Text} Get some vitamin D for me

Brett: {Text} Will do

Now to attempt to finish his lunch and the rest of his shift despite the queasy feeling in his stomach. He also had to tell Bo that he would be home late.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” he sighed to his sandwich.

Guildias: Guildias unlocked the one and only entrance at 7:15 pm. Walked around the house once and stepped outside with a pair of brown octagonal sunglasses. The moon was warm and far too bright to ignore tonight. Its image a reminder of Peter Graham. Made him curious enough to message the gentle beast as he took a seat on the edge of the porch.

Brett/Pete: Brett was still busy working up courage in his car somewhere, but Pete not nearly as much. The pub was quiet tonight, giving him a chance to check his phone.

{Text} Fancy hearing from you

{Text} What are you up to?

Guildias: {Text} Growing things. Relaxing by moonlight and thinking of you.

{Text} But truly, playing the role of mediator.

Pete: {Text} Awww, that’s sweet. Growing things is certainly one way to put it

{Text} Who or what are you mediating?

Guildias: {Text} A lost relationship.

{Text} I strive to squash avoidable headaches.

Pete: {Text} Nothing breaks the ice like food and booze

{Text} Could help avoid those headaches

Guildias: {Text} If it were only so simple.

Pete: {Text} There’s gotta be something that’ll help

Guildias: {Text} Time and proof and willingness.

Pete: {Text} Sounds like you’ve got at least one of those if you’re being asked to mediate

Guildias: {Text} We shall see if that is the case.

{Text} You take care now.

Brett/Pete: {Text} You too, man

{Text} Sending you luck and good energy

Two things Brett was in sore need of as he pulled up to Guildias’ house. It was just shy of 7:30 but he hadn’t been able to drive around in idle circles any longer.

He just hoped Guildias wouldn’t mind.

Guildias: Guildias watched, raised his hand in wave, cigarette pinched between two fingers. He seemed to be favoring his right shoulder, elbow leaned against the porch. The sleeve of his left arm was mostly empty, laid flat over his abdomen.

Brett: Brett didn't notice at first. He waved back and cut the engine, got out just as he always did. It didn't hit him that something looked...not quite right until he was walking towards the house, and even then, it took him getting even closer to see that Guildias' left hand wasn't poking out of its sleeve.

And actually...that left sleeve looked empty, didn't it? Almost like....

"Wait, wh--where's your arm?! Sorry, hi, I just--hell, I broke my promise already."

Guildias: "It's alright." Less panic than expected of the timid sheriff. Another tally in his progression. More concern than fear.

"It was by design. You'll find me in proper form next week. For now, I would appreciate your tying the end."

Brett: There was definitely more concern, along with an avalanche of questions that he planned to keep to himself for the time being. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Just tell me how."

Guildias: "Just a simple knot. Not too tight. The dangle is rather annoying."

Brett: "You got it."  Brett tied off the sleeve as neatly as possible, careful not to stretch the material too much. If Guildias really would get that arm back, that sleeve needed to look decent.

"There you go. That better?"

Guildias: Where it seemed the elbow was shook back and forth to test. Acceptable.

"Thank you. Now, would you rather we go inside?"

Brett: Brett took a seat beside Guildias. "I'm okay to stay out here a bit while you finish your cigarette."

Guildias: "Kind as always." He knew the answer, but still offered the cigarette anyway.

Brett: He shook his head. “Someday maybe, but not today. Thanks though.”

Guildias: "How prepared are you for what's about to happen?"

Brett: “Not nearly enough.”

Guildias: "What is it you want to hear?"

Brett: “I don’t know. Part of me still thinks this is all a trick somehow.”

Guildias: "I've been in contact with him for some time. I would not lead you astray for cheap entertainment."

Brett: He nodded. “I know. I guess I just don’t trust him.”

Guildias: "Why would you? You haven't seen him."

Brett: “What if I’m still not able to after I do see him?”

Guildias: "Then you don't have to see him again. But you will have faced him."

Brett: Brett nodded again, taking a deep breath for good measure. "Conquer your demons and all that, right?"

Guildias: "Or leave them as tar on your body."

Brett: "I've got enough tar already. Don't want anymore."

Guildias: "Good man." The last of his cigarette depleted, Guildias forced himself to his feet.

"Shall we?"

Brett: He could feel the knots begin to form in his stomach as he stood. Every part of him wanted to get back in his car and race back home so he could hide under the covers, but his feet would carry him inside after his domitor.

MJ/Guildias: There was no concealing the sound of MJ's Harley. Its classic intention could be heard a quarter mile through the muffling trees. A sound which did nothing to spur Guildias from his languid arrangement on the stiff couch. Only in the silence of the engine did the Setite rise to his feet.

"Remain comfortable," was his only command as he approached the door.

Brett: It was like flipping a switch; or it would be, if Brett hadn't already been so nervous. First sign of that bike coming toward the house and the stress sweat started, the knots in his stomach tightened to the point of discomfort, fight or flight activated in every possible way.

If he spoke one of them would win out, so he just nodded. Never mind that comfortable was the farthest thing from what he was feeling right now. He just wanted it to be over. He wanted to have faced it without having to face it.

MJ/Guildias: Guildias greeted MJ at the door. He needn't explain. For this to be their meeting ground, MJ knew there were unspoken rules. Don't approach; be gentle with the ghoul. The look in the Setite's eyes told him to behave, and without prompt he nodded.

MJ's first thought upon laying eyes on the sheriff was that of a porcelain doll. Without smoothness and impossible complexion. Brett Parker was a delicate creature. His arms and chest had since filled and firmed. Everything else was distinctly the same. It was as though Guildias had done nothing but indulge the ghoul in vitae. His initial feeling was that of anger, but then like a slap remembered the deed which brought them here.

He decided upon a simple greeting, uttered softly, apologetic in inflection.

"Hey."

Brett: Brett didn't make eye-contact or get to his feet. Instead he picked a spot somewhere in the region of MJ's middle and gave a jerky nod in greeting and something that could reasonably pass for a smile.

"Hi." His voice had lost its ease in an effort to keep it from trembling. It was stiff, just like all the rest of him.

MJ/Guildias: MJ exchanged a glance with Guildias, looked to the emptiness of his sleeve and scoffed. The logical path to take was that of avoidance. For at least five minutes.

"Ya hear how that happened?"

Brett: He shook his head. "I didn't ask, I just tied."

MJ/Guildias: "Oh ya did that?"

"Is that a story you wish to hear?" Guildias asked.

Brett: He really, really doubted that a story that ended with Guildias losing an arm was something he wanted to hear, not even on a good day. But it was probably best to keep the conversation going, otherwise it would stall and the space would fill with tense silence and that was worse.

"Sure."

MJ/Guildias: MJ held his hands up in submission, then down slowly at his sides before taking a seat directly across. Guildias took to the arm of the couch by Parker's side. The Ravnos began to explain his visit, his friend Abel Harrington, and the idea to rescue a child they had suspicions had somehow fallen into through the Gauntlet into another realm. He then held both hands to Guildias.

"I couldn't go in. Had t'play security guard. But if ya ever saw Poltergeist ya got an idea of the goo they were covered in when they got out."

"The child is safe and healthy, according to news," said Guildias.

Brett: Brett had to fight to keep from leaning against Guildias for safety and comfort, but he appreciated his domitor’s nearness nonetheless. It was exactly the sort of thing Guildias would do.

At least the story provided plenty of distraction. There were parts of it—most of it— he could scarcely believe, things that sounded too fantastical to ever be real. He probably wouldn’t if he had any other job and didn’t watch TV.

“I remember hearing about that kid when he first went missing. Every law enforcement agency in the state got an alert. Glad he’s okay.”

MJ: "All in a night's work. Should give Guildias a superhero name. Somehow I've been dubbed Aquaman." He remembered giving Xavier his name, but couldn't for the unlife of him remember how he'd been worthy of his moniker. Something to ask when this was over; something to take his mind off of the meek look in the sheriff's eyes.

"M'sorry," he finally said.

Brett: After having braved enough to look at MJ’s chest, Brett seemed to lose his nerve and looked down at his hands instead. He had them clasped in his lap, knuckles white with the effort to keep them from shaking.

At a loss for a response, he remained silent.

MJ: "Ya don't have t'say anything. I know I fucked up. Ya looked at me like I was some... dangerous stranger. Thought if I could make ya laugh." He imitated a heartbeat. "N'then I had no thoughts. I know more shit happened, but I don't have it."

Brett: For a moment he swore he could smell lavender again. More than once a passing whiff of it had sent him into a panic, made him horribly ill. It was forever linked with that night in his mind. But apparently only in his.

“You don’t remember,” he said to the floor.

MJ: "I was two people. One that wanted t'love ya, the other wanted to... have ya."

Brett: “Which one is here?”

MJ: "Both."

Brett: “How?”

MJ: "Threat of death can do a hell of a lot. I became we became I." His hands came out then fell to his knees. "I keep tellin' people I'm not Victoria. I'm not MJ."

Brett: That didn't really answer his question, but he wasn't sure he really wanted an explanation. Some questions you just didn't want the answers to.

"Who are you?"

MJ: "I'm in this body, so you can still call me MJ, or Mayhew, or asshole. Whatever works."

Brett: "So you're still named MJ. Who are you. Why'd you send me that letter in the first place if you didn't even remember what you did?"

MJ: "Ya didn't deserve what happened. I know that much. Isn't that enough?"

Brett: "Would it be for you?"

MJ: "If it meant anything t'ya."

Brett: "And what is it that you want from me?"

MJ: "T'know you're okay."

Brett: "You sent me the letter weeks ago and I'm just now here with you. What does that tell you?"

MJ: "M'not askin' for forgiveness."

Brett: "It would be meaningless if you were."

MJ: "It'd be a child askin' forgiveness for the sins of the mother."

Brett: "It would be meaningless because you wouldn't know what you were asking forgiveness for."

MJ: He placed both fists together. Exactly.

Brett: Brett’s gaze fell to the floor.

So. This was it. This was as close to closure as he was ever going to get. He got to feel unclean for the rest of his life and have nightmares and panic attacks while the person who made him this way got...nothing. MJ got to be a whole new person, free of the burden of that night while Brett was left to shoulder it alone.

He didn’t know what he’d been expecting or if he was really expecting anything. It wasn’t like he had any reason to. That night had broken him in a thousand different ways but he was fully aware that from a vampire’s perspective, the whole thing had been his fault. For refusing. For being difficult. For believing, just for a moment, that he was a person who had the luxury of saying no. Life had already taught him that that wasn’t a word he could say anymore. He was a ghoul.

And ghouls didn’t get to say no.

Brett sighed. “I don’t know what else to say.”

MJ: "Ya ain't - Ya don't have t'say anything else. I'm... I'm glad ya let this happen. Us," he motioned between them, "but this wasn't for me. If someone did what - I want ya t'feel... safe again? I had a whole speech planned out, but I can't. That shit feels empty."

Brett: He shook his head. “I don’t. Feel safe. Not anymore, not for months.” Despite his progress, he still had bad days. When those bad days were really bad, they led to bad weeks.

The scent of lavender or pumpkin, a stranger touching him in public, a nightmare, a shadow on the kitchen tile out of the corner of his eye, the sight of blood; it felt like anything was liable to set it off.

MJ: "What d'ya want me t'do, Brett?"

Brett: That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? What could MJ do that would change anything?

Brett sighed. “Unless you’ve got a time machine...nothing. This is for me to deal with.”

MJ: "I ain't got one of them. Don't think it'd do ya good." Without thinking, he rubbed the back of his head. A tingle there akin to an itch.

Brett: “Sure as hell wouldn’t hurt.”

MJ: "How long's it been? What ya do since then? Ya'd lose all that."

Brett: “That’s easy to say for someone with no memory,” Brett said to the floor.

MJ: "Yeah, but I still got people."

Brett: Good for you, he thought, sounding sarcastic even in his mind. Why was he still here? There was nothing more to say, and they'd established there was nothing more to do.

He'd done it, he'd faced his demons, and all he'd gotten was the knowledge that his demons had gotten off scot-free. It was, as he'd said, for him to deal with.

Away from here.

"I'd like to go home now," Brett said, turning his head toward Guildias but not looking at him. He felt...defeated. Sounded it, too.

MJ/Guildias: "No one here will stop you," Guildias said. This was all for Brett Parker's peace of mind. Face the fear, as he'd encouraged for months. This chapter had finally reached its end.

MJ nodded, felt the safest route was stillness. Let Brett command the room and leave at his own accord.

"If ya wanna talk, or need me t'do somethin', ya got my number."

Brett: Brett acknowledged both of them with a nod and got to his feet. He couldn’t conceive of a situation where he’d want to turn to MJ for a favor or sympathetic ear, not now. Perhaps not even in the near future. But he supposed the offer counted for something in some cosmic sense.

That was about as much graciousness as he could muster at the moment.

He gave a sedate farewell to his domitor, gave MJ a vague grunt of acknowledgement, and let himself out, giving the couch where MJ sat as wide a berth as he could without clinging to the wall.

He wasn’t up for company, didn’t want to bring this mood and this...this home to Bo. So he’d drive around until he could find someplace quiet to be with his thoughts where no one would talk to him.

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

it’s what you deserve - pt. seven

summary: you finally have the chance to make things right, once and for all.

word count: 2.4k

link to the rest of the series

You had never seen Bee so happy as when you had told her that you ended things with Max. And it was odd, you had just broken up with your boyfriend, but you weren't sad. More, hopeful. When you had explained this to Bee, she just smiled widely at you and pulled you in for a bone crushing hug.

You watched the rest of the game with a little more enthusiasm, yelling at the refs for bad calls like you normally would. And instead of following Brett's figure on the ice as he skated around with guilt evident on your face, you looked determined. Determined to make things right, to do what would make you happy for the first time in months. Though, you still couldn't take your eyes off of him.

And so, you made a plan.

Work the next day had been absolute torture, the only respite you got was when you were able to check your phone every once in a while to see if Adam had texted you. He was vital to your plan, and once you had gotten the message that everything was all set on his end of things, you were able to breath a bit easier.

You wanted to text Brett and tell him that he had been right. That Max didn't deserve you and that you figured out how you should be treated. You thought that since he played a direct role in you ending things with your toxic ex, he had a right to know what happened.

But that was all too much to say over the phone. You wanted to be able to see his reaction and not just some typed out response. You wanted to be able to hold him tight as you told him you returned all the feelings he confessed to having just two days prior, and that just wasn't a possibility over a FaceTime call.

You raced back to the apartment after work and found Bee already ready to go, telling you she had picked out your outfit for the night. You simply rolled your eyes with a grin, brushing past her and into your room to find out that she had, in fact, laid out an outfit for you on your bed like she was your mother. The jeans and white sneakers she had picked out were fine, something you probably would have worn regardless, but the top she had was new—and definitely didn't come from your closet.

“Adam had that at his apartment and told me to get it for tonight, just don't ask me why he had it.” Bee explained with a chuckle as you picked up the Rangers jersey, the number twenty-one obvious and Howden scrawled across the back. Your heart raced at the idea of wearing his name, and a broad grin broke out across your face.

“Just remind me to thank him later.” You were grinning widely, shooing her out of the room so you could change. It felt right, wearing his name and number, and it gave you hope that this was going to work out.

It wasn't until you were walking into the Flyers arena did you begin to panic that maybe this was a bad idea. Would he want to see you after the way things had ended? Or would he be too upset that you had chosen Max over him, no matter how briefly, to give you a chance? Would he even want to be with you since you just got out of a relationship?

Your arm was linked through Bee's so you wouldn't lose each other in the crowd, so she felt you slow down the closer you got to the ice. You had already scanned your tickets in, having gotten the ones that Adam left at will call specifically for you and Bee—you really did have to remember to thank him. Between work and the travel time to get to Philly, by the time you arrived at the rink practice was over and you wouldn't actually get to talk to any of the boys until after the game.

“Get out of your head, okay? It'll be fine.” You tried to listen to Bee's words, you really did, but it was borderline impossible for you to not think about the multitude of ways this could blow up in your face.

When the players came onto the ice for puck drop you couldn't tear your gaze away from Brett—nothing new, honestly. You were a few rows off the ice, so you didn't blame him for not spotting you no matter how much you stared at him.

As the game progressed, you honestly couldn't be bothered to remember who scored what and how. Bee elbowed you every time someone scored, but your attention was fully on the brunette you held your heart. He hadn't smiled once the entire time he had been on the ice, and that was what cut you deep, thinking that it was your fault he wasn't having fun doing the one thing he loved the most. Guilt crept into your chest and gripped your being as the final seconds ran down on the clock.

The Rangers won, but just barely. Brett had taken a few necessary penalties, but you were glad he hadn't gotten hit like the night before. You weren't sure you could handle seeing that live. You hoped that what you were about to do would snap him out of his funk, and he could get back to playing as good as he had been the past few weeks.

Bee led you down to where Adam had told her to meet him, and you started shifting nervously on your feet. You chatted absentmindedly with Bee, knowing she was only telling you about what your old neighbor had said to her that morning to distract you. She peppered in a few comments to assure you that it would all be fine, and you were thankful for her, because before you even knew it players started filing out of the locker room.

“Please tell me you're here to make up with him.” You jumped in surprise at the deep voice belonging to Chris Kreider, somehow not noticing him approach. He was one of the teammates that had invited you out to dinner with Brett and the rest of the guys a few times, so you knew him decently well. You nodded at him, cheeks flushing at the fact that the older player probably knew what happened between you and Brett. Chris just grinned, pulling you into a one armed hug that caught you a bit off-guard. “The kid's head over heels for you.”

“I just hope he still feels the same, after everything, you know.” You mumbled, finally letting some of your concerns out in the air. Chris just laughed, teaming up against you with Bee who rolled her eyes at you. You were fighting a losing battle against the two of them.

“Trust me, he does.” Chris' words barely had time to register before Bee was leading him away, having spotted Adam walk out trailed by the boy you had been waiting for. They both muttered ‘good luck’ and 'see you later' before they left, but you hadn't really heard them. Your attention was focused solely on Brett, who hadn't seen you yet.

In the time it took him to realize you were there, you cataloged his features. He looked tired, deep bags under his eyes and a heavy slump to his shoulders that didn't come from the hard game. His was tie loose and hair a mess, he didn't even bother to style it after the post-game shower. Everything about the way he looked told you had been struggling with how things had ended the last time he was at your apartment, and that it effected him just as much as it did you. Still, he was just as devastatingly handsome as you remembered.

His head snapped up to look at Adam, who had elbowed him in the side to try and get him to notice you. There were only a few feet separating you from him, and he had yet to even see you. It was only when Ryan Lindgren called out something along the lines of ‘look in front of you, dumbass’ did he finally spot you.

He froze mid-step, not even acknowledging how his sudden stop made Buch bump into his shoulder as he swerved to avoid completely colliding with him. For a second, he just stared at you like he didn't quite believe that you were there, in Philly, wearing his jersey and waiting for him outside the locker room.

But then he snapped out of whatever daze he had been in, and he quickly closed the distance between you and him, pulling you into a hug before you could even blink. It felt so right being in his arms, that you sighed deeply, unsure how long you had been holding in your breath. You were certain you could have stayed right there forever, but the hoots and cheers from the boys around you had you pulling back.

Brett still didn't say anything, instead he threaded his fingers through yours and used your conjoined hands to tug you down a quieter hallway. Even when he stopped moving and decided you were far enough away from prying eyes, he didn't drop your hand—and you'd be fine if he never let go again.

“You're here.” He muttered, eyes roaming over you, as if he was searching for something wrong, waiting for you to come bash his hopes once more.

“I am.” You spoke just as quiet. “I broke up with Max.”

And at that, his smile was absolutely blinding. It was the biggest smile you'd ever seen on him, and you were certain his cheeks had to hurt. The type of smile that had you smiling too, though with Brett, every smile of his had you grinning right along with him.

“You know, I meant what I said about it not having to be me.” His smile faltered a bit, softening to one that held some sadness, despite the fact that he looked at least ten pounds lighter as a result of your confession. “I'm just glad you realized you deserve more than him.”

“Brett.” You took in a breath to steady yourself, wrapping your arms around his neck to stop him from rambling. It effectively shut him up, and his hands came to rest on your waist. You were smiling now, you couldn't help it. You were in the arms of someone who treated you right and wanted the best for you, even if it meant he couldn't have you. “What if I said I wanted it to be you?”

“Please,” he started, his right hand coming up to cup your chin as his face dropped closer to yours. “please tell me that it's me.” And with how close he was to you, you couldn't even begin to formulate a coherent sentence, so you simply nodded.

What happened next was long awaited, having been built up since probably the first moment you had laid eyes on him in that cafe. Brett finally closed the gap between the two of you, his lips pressed against yours with a sweetness and a desperation only matched by you. It was like you both were afraid of what would happen when you pulled away, so it was delayed as long as it could be.

Eventually, you did have to breathe though, and you disconnected your lips first. Brett didn't move back far, forehead resting on yours and nose pressing into your cheek. The scruff of his beard scratch your chin and drew a giggle out of you, one that Brett matched as he pulled you flush against his chest in a tight hug.

“Yeah, I definitely want it to be you.”

The next few weeks with Brett were infinitely better than the months spent with Max. Somehow, even though Brett had a busier schedule, he still found more time to see you than Max ever did and quickly you forgot completely about your ex. You had never smiled and laughed so much as you did when you spent time with Brett—you were certain he was your person and you were his.

“Can I take your order?” The waiter asked, and you shook your head politely. You didn't miss the quick glance he shot to the unoccupied chair across from you, and how he knew you'd been sitting by yourself for ten minutes.

“My boyfriend is on his way, I'll wait for him.” You explained, and the waiter gave you a tight-lipped smile before heading to check on another table. Almost as if on cue, your boyfriend entered the restaurant, looking at you with an apologetic smile as he approached.

“Sorry I'm late, I just got caught up in traffic and I left late because Adam made fun of my shirt and I had to change—” Brett started rambling out apologizes as soon as you were in earshot. He cut himself off as you chuckled, smile telling him that you weren't upset at him.

“Brett, you're five minutes late, and you texted saying you were running behind schedule.” You explained, standing to greet him with a hug and a kiss before you both took your seats again. Except, he stole two more quick kisses before you were able to sit back down.

“Yeah, but I know you usually get to restaurants early, so I try to get there early too.” He pouted, reaching across the table to grab your hand and press a kiss to your palm before threading your fingers together and resting them on the table. You just smiled at him, a look of pure adoration on your face that your boyfriend easily picked up on. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It's stupid.” You shook your head, ignoring his question and the blush that bloomed on your cheeks. Brett wasn't buying it, and instead raised a brow in silent question. “It's just, I've never had a guy care about me like you do, you know?” And for a moment, he didn't respond. Instead, he just smiled softly at you, looking at you the way you had been looking at him just moments before. And when he did speak, it was barely above a whisper.

“It's what you deserve.”

[wednesdaysxreaders]

please don’t be dead: part one

lowercase is a stylistic choice

angst in the house tonite bois

EDIT I FORGOT TRIGGER WARNINGS

summary: things are going good for dallas and brett, until they aren’t.

word count: 2409

warnings: mentions of suicide and selfharm, abuse of position/power, panic attacks

“miss branson? can i speak with you in my office?”

       dallas looked from liam and mason to the new guidance counselor, then back to her friends—who looked at her in confusion.

       “um, sure, miss monroe. . .” she said nervously.

       miss monroe gave her a sickly-sweet smile and started towards her office; dallas gave her friends one last glance as she followed.

       monroe opened the door to her office and stopped dead in her tracks.

       dallas peeked around her and caught sight of a hunting knife sticking out of her desk. “please tell me that’s just a student with a sick sense of humor. . .

       monroe spun around a grabbed her arm—way too roughly to be an appropriate way for a guidance counselor to handle a student—and yanked her into the office, pulling the door shut beside her.

       “sit,” she commanded with that same sickly-sweet smile and the voice to match.

       dallas swallowed hard, obeying hesitantly. she gripped the straps of her backpack tightly in her hands as monroe sat in her own chair.

       “do you know why you’re here?” she asked.

       dallas shook her head.

       monroe grabbed a file sitting at the corner of her desk and flipped it open. “six confessions to attempted suicide, multiple recorded breakdowns, history of self harm—you even have a recorded stay at a hospital. what’s it going to take for you to snap?”

       “e-excuse me?”

       monroe swiped the file off her desk, a move that made dallas flinch, and pulled the knife from the wood. “i know what you are.”

       “y-you d-don’t know shit—” dallas insisted.

       it was then she noticed the words scrawled in red on the whiteboard above monroe’s head.

       opportunities multiply as they are seized

       she recognized them instantly. they had been spoken to her by the only human man to strike fear into her heart. the man that had tried to recruit her to his cause alongside his son until he found out what she was.

       gerard argent.

       “you were there,” monroe said, smiling at the belief that she was the cause of the tears coming to the girl’s eyes. “the night that thing attacked the faculty members. i saw you. you and your friends stood and did nothing while that thing got away. you don’t deserve the power you have. what makes you so special?”

       dallas stood up so quickly her chair fell over. “you know, i really wish i knew— but i have to catch the bus— see ya, bi—miss monroe—”

       she swung her backpack over her shoulder and nearly busted the door down in her escape. she didn’t take the bus and she knew monroe knew it. she just had to get to the lacrosse field where there were witnesses—and more importantly, liam. if monroe tried anything liam could back her up.

       she sprinted down the halls so hard her ribs felt like they were going to implode on her lungs, but she made it to the backdoors without passing out. once she was safely outside, she breathed a sigh of relief and slowed to an inconspicuous speed walk towards the field.

       she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw brett walking to the field with lori. she really wished she had had it in her to return his smile, because she knew the second she didn’t he could tell something was up.

       “hey,” she greeted as nonchalantly as she could muster as she leaned against the fence separating the field from the bleachers.

       “are you okay?” he asked. “you look like you’ve been crying.”

       fuck.

       she quickly wiped her eyes. “no— uh— it’s just— school is really bad for my anxiety—”

       it wasn’t technically a lie, so she hoped like hell it passed his built-in werewolf lie detector.

       “are you gonna stay and watch?” he asked, pretending he believed it.

       “considering scott's not picking me up until 4:30, yeah,” she said. “y’know, i feel like liam told me you were coming but i totally forgot.”

       “i’m helping him coach the freshmen, i guess,” he said. “they wanna make front line.”

       she snorted. “well, unfortunately for them, they don’t have supernatural steroids.”

       “are you saying we cheat?” he asked with a chuckle, placing his hand over hers on the fence.

       she yanked her hand away and instantly regretted it.

       she hated seeing the hurt look on his face and knowing she caused it.

       "you know. . . every time i think we're getting somewhere, you just go and push me away again. . ."

       "wait. . ." she caught his hand as he turned to walk away. "you're right. . ." she sighed. "tell you what. . . you take it easy on the freshmen out there. . . and i'll go to dinner with you tonight. . ."

       he looked unsure. "really?"

       "yeah. . ." she said, struggling horribly to bite back a smile.

       he grinned. "you have yourself a deal."

       “liam, too. i mean it.”

       he winked at her as he turned to go meet liam in the center of the field, and she turned around to step up into the bleachers.

       she sat down on the top row, putting her feet up on the next row and resting her elbow on her knee.

       and so it started—brett showing off to the freshman and inching his way under liam’s skin like he did best.

       and poor corey was in the middle of it.

       brett was good, she still couldn’t deny—probably the best player she knew, not that she’d tell anyone she thought so—but she found herself wondering if he still would have been as good without his werewolf senses.

       maybe, she thought. because werewolf or not he probably still would have worked his ass off for a whole summer until he was so good that devenford prep was practically begging him to join—thus putting him in a position to negotiate a scholarship for lori as well.

       “hey!” mason called, snapping her out of her thoughts and drawing her attention from the field. “what did miss monroe want?”

       “nothing,” she said quickly as he and lori sat in the row in front of her. “just checking in.”

       “huh.” why is she such a bad liar? “well, uh, corey's been practicing all summer to play goalie. he's actually gotten really good.”

       if life were a tv show, that would have been the moment they cut to corey getting completely made a fool of by brett. mason sighed.

       “the season doesn’t start for at least a week,” lori said comfortingly.

       “thank god,” mason said.

       “hey, he’s probably perfectly okay compared to regular high school boys, brett’s just—” watch it. “brett.” nailed it.

       mason considered her words. “right, right.”

       things were once again going fine until liam figured out brett’s tactics, blocking brett’s path all the way to the net, where they collided—taking corey and the net with them.

       everyone that was watching groaned at the audible crack.

       “um, was that liam, brett, or corey?” mason asked.

       dallas shrugged. “for brett’s sake, let’s hope it was him.”

       whether or not she was joking, she wasn’t sure.

       “i think it was all of them,” lori said.

       mason groaned again, and dallas rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

       brett was the first to stand, and she didn’t have to see liam’s face to know he was glaring at him. it’s how these things went down.

       she tried to focus her hearing so she could pick up what they were saying.

       “you’re losing it, dude,” brett said, chuckling as he backed away.

       she knew liam was very, very pissed off.

       for fucks sake, brett, don’t antagonize him in front of all these people.

       they started another play, and she could hear liam’s growly breathing.

       “please, liam, keep it together,” she whispered, hoping he heard her.

       brett picked up the ball and charged liam, but liam used his own tactics against him and flipped him over his shoulder, then picked up the ball and turned and shot it towards the goal so hard corey dropped down to avoid taking it to the throat. the ball broke right through the net and vanished somewhere in the parking lot.

       liam looked towards her and she tried to smile, but all she could manage was a shaky breath.

       normal teenage boys broke holes in nets all the time, right? her brother did it with a hockey puck once—

       a hockey puck, she thought. not a lacrosse ball.

       brett ran up to him, and once again she focused her hearing.

       “there he is. that’s the ied i remember,” he said. “what’s it stand for? intermittent explosive disorder? what’s it gonna take for you to explode, liam?”

       liam tried to walk away, but brett pushed him back.

       “i’m trying to help you. you’re not in control, and if you don’t fix it, someone’s gonna get hurt.”

       she didn’t know then how right he was, but the feeling in her stomach when she caught sight of miss monroe picking up the rogue ball should have told her something terrible was going to happen. monroe looked up towards the field just in time to see corey be knocked on his ass by a ball shot by brett, and dallas almost threw up then and there.

       she couldn’t know anything, right? corey was scrawny and brett was significantly more muscular. it was a totally plausible happening.

       she would wish she had listened to her gut.

       to make matters worse, brett took off his helmet. she saw his face.

       “i’m not actually invisible right now, am i?” corey asked.

       brett chuckled and shook his head, jogging over to help him up.

       meanwhile, on the bleachers, dallas's nails had dug into her palm so hard they were drawing blood and she was whispering the sun, the moon, the truth to herself so quickly the words almost became jumbled.

       “dallas?” lori sounded miles away. “dallas, are you alright?”

       “fine,” she managed. “just— my senses— it's really fucking bright out here and i can hear everything and i think i’m starting to have a panic attack—”

       “is there anything we can do?” mason asked.

       she shook her head. “i don’t know, but i think i hear the jeep so i gotta go. . .”

       she grabbed her bag and scrambled off the bleachers. it was almost a smooth getaway, until—

       “hey, dally!”

       she turned back to face brett, trying to hide any sign she was losing her fucking mind. she hated how he could read her like a book.

       “are we on for tonight?” he asked.

       she rose a brow. “am i supposed to ignore the fact you basically broke my one rule?”

       “i was helping him.”

       she sighed, trying to fake irritation. “fine, yeah, we're on. text me when you’re done here, okay?”

       “you got it.”

       he leaned in and kissed her cheek before jogging over to lori and mason, effectively shocking her frozen. she felt like she literally could not move for a solid few seconds before she snapped out of it, touching her cheek as she started her walk to the jeep. is this what butterflies felt like? no, butterflies were bullshit. they had to be. there's no way a human body could feel such a sensation, right?

       once she got in the car, scott regarded her with concern.

       “are you okay?” he asked.

       “if one more person asks me that, i might scream,” she mumbled, still kind of in a daze.

       scott backed out of his parking spot. “what’s up, then?”

       “i’m pretty sure i have a date tonight.”

       “isn’t that a good thing?” he asked.

       “i’ve never been on a date before. . .” she said.

       he glanced at her. “seriously? two past relationships and neither of them ever took you out?”

       “no.” she looked out the window, far into the distance. “not unless you count the eighth grade dance with summer, but we were more there with our friends than just each other. . .”

       “fuck them.”

       for the first time since monroe had dragged her to her office, she laughed. “yeah, fuck them.”

when he pulled into the driveway of his—their? it still felt weird acknowledging that she lived there—house, she tried not to trip over herself running into the house. it felt like it took her an eternity to walk back through the living room and kitchen, then finally the laundry room to get to her room.

       ellie looked up from her phone. “finally, you’re back. please explain to me why you turned the garage into your room again. i’m fucking freezing.”

       “i have six thousand blankets on my bed for a reason,” she said. “now help me dress like a normal person.”

once she was dressed, she tried not to let herself focus too much on waiting for brett to text, but she was anxious—eager?—for it to happen.

       when it hit the three-hour mark, she shot up off her bed. “i’m going to the school.”

       “maybe they haven’t finished yet,” ellie said.

       “they had to have. the freshman players' parents usually pick them up at 7.”

       ellie sat up. “what time is it now?”

       “8.”

       as if to confirm her fear, her phone buzzed, but it wasn’t brett.

liam: tell brett i’ve got his helmet.

       “i’m going to the school,” she repeated.

       “wait, wait, let me get my shoes on,” ellie said. “i’ll drive you. i know you wouldn’t want to crash your car.”

ellie drove as fast as she possibly could without getting pulled over, she knew it, but dallas still nearly anxiously pulled her whole lip off as they headed to the school.

       ellie pulled into the rear parking lot and dallas was out of the car before she even put it in park.

       on the other side of the lot, she saw it.

       brett's car.

       she ran over, stopping dead in her tracks when she caught the scent of blood.

       there it was, staining the pavement, splattered over his gym bag and even his lacrosse stick. but right by the crime scene, something else caught her eye.

       it was the ball from earlier, it had to be. she picked it up and turned it in her hand. there were punctures in the ball—definitely claws, definitely liam’s. but there was something else— a purple powder—

       she spun to face ellie. “wolfsbane.”

       without any further thought, she dropped the ball and started towards the neighboring woods faster than she had ever run in her life, shouting at the top of her lungs.

       “brett!”

[misswarmnights]

The Tickle Aliens

In space, no one can hear you scream...with laughter.

Deep space. Seven crew members. One cat.

At some point during the mission, Mother the computer picked up a distress signal from a unknown source, but something humanoid. The crew jumped into action. There were no moons, planets, or planetoids nearby. So, they switched on all the viewing monitors to see if they could spot anything.

On a monitor, Ellen Ripley watched the goingson outside and soon she saw it on the screen...a crudely-build little shuttle spinning out-of-control through the expanding darkness.

"Captain, I see it."

"There's a spaceman in there," Brett remarked. "And he's in trouble."

Dallas nodded, calling out to Mother. "We need to rescue it and bring the astronaut to safety."

Mother released a net-shaped force-field from a special section of the ship and caught the runaway shuttle inside. This held the vessel safely in place.

"Bring him aboard, Mother."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ripley asked, always a cautious one.

The male officers ignored her and went about their business. The doors opened and the visitor was brought inside.

Lambert joined the rest on the deck, and tried to get a glimpse of the rescued spaceman. But her male colleagues crowded around him and blocked her view.

"Who is he? What is he?" Lambert asked.

"It's a little green man," Parker told her.

"Don't give us that crap," Ripley retorted.

"No, really. I'm serious, we got a little green guy here." Parker stepped aside so the two women could see the tiny visitor.

The person stood just barely four feet tall, with skinny limbs and very long fingers. His spacesuit glistened with silver and his oversized helmet seemed to weigh down his slight body, a green face visible through the dark glass.

"I can't believe it...," Lambert breathed.

"We just saved an alien life form, you can believe it," Ash said, folding his arms.

"And what a cute little fellow," Kane quipped.

"Right," Brett mumbled.

"Who the heck are you?" Parker asked, bending lower to see the creature's face better.

The small humanoid stood motionless for a second, probably still reeling from his wild ride on the shuttle. The little guy needed a moment to get used to his new surroundings, not to mention those seven curious strangers looming over him.

Dallas got down on his knees to be at eye level with the alien, to help him feel more relaxed. "You're aboard the Nostomo. Nobody is going to hurt you. Can you speak? Have you got a name?"

The little alien reached up to unfasten his bulky helmet. Then, the helmet slid off and revealed his narrow, shiny, green head. The creature's facial features were very human-like. A yellow tongue strayed from his mouth and licked his dry, cracked lips.

"I apologize, my friends, for I must have misplaced my manners," said the green alien. "I thank you exceptionally well for rescuing me from such peril. I am unsure what went wrong, but I lost control of my vessel. I cannot imagine where I would be now if you kind souls had not saved me. My name is Garg A. Lesis. My home is Erutrot-Elkcit; that is a planet somewhat far from here. I am pleased and charmed to be your guest in this delightful Nostomo."

The crew couldn't believe their eyes and ears.

The alien spoke perfect English. He had a quirky voice and a friendly little smile.

"I must find a way to repay you lovely persons for rescuing me. We can start with breakfast. I will treat you to these doughnuts."

With that, the alien slid his boney hand into a pocket and, somehow, produced a white rectangular box.

"These doughnuts are from my very own private stock and there is none better in the galaxy. I realize this is not nearly enough to repay your great kindness but it is the very least I can do. Once you have finished breakfast, I will have found more ways to repay you. If there is one thing I pride myself on, that is showing the utmost gratitude."

Kane smirked in amusement. "Talkative little sucker, isn't he?"

Ripley wasn't buying any of this. She marched over to the alien and kicked the box out of his hands as if it were a rifle. The doughnuts scattered on the floor.

"I hate doughnuts! And if you think we're eating anything from you, then you're out of your puny green skull," Ripley said, after disarming the little man of his doughnuts.

The alien picked up all the pastries off the floor and refilled the box. "Madam, I wish you no harm. All I wish is to show my gratitude."

"Let's give him a chance, Ripley," Dallas said. "He seems harmless enough."

"What did you say your name was?" Lambert asked, timidly.

"I am Garg A. Lesis from Erutrot-Elkcit, a distance green and pink planet. It's such a lovely place to live, you should all visit there. That would be most charming. My species is known as Erutrotians. My friends call me...Spin."

"Why do they call you that?"

"Because I cannot fly a shuttle without whirling and twirling and spinning," answered the alien, merrily.

When all the doughnuts had been collected from the floor, Kane took the box and thanked him properly.

"Well, Spin...We accept your gracious offer of these delightful, slightly dirty doughnuts and we hope you will join us so we can enjoy your charming presence at our table," he said, mocking the alien's style of talking.

Spin was apparently blind to this joking around, and so he just smiled and accepted the invitation. "Why, it would be my pleasure to grace you with my charming presence while you enjoy breakfast!"

Everyone found this humorous, except for Ellen Ripley.

"Dallas, I have a bad feeling about this," she warned him, when the alien was out of ear-shot.

The bearded man assured her everything would be fine. "I wouldn't let him remain on Nostomo if I thought he posed a threat. The safety of my crew means everything to me, Ripley. You know that."

Ripley sighed. "I just...have a bad feeling about this guy, ya know?"

"He'll join us for breakfast, we'll eat his doughnuts, then we'll find a way to send him home. Okay?"

Ripley still wasn't thrilled with the whole idea, but she nodded in consent.

Soon everyone gathered around the table for breakfast. They munched on the doughnuts and drank hot coffee. Ripley, however, slipped away while the others were eating so she could do some research. She did a search for 'Erutrotians' on her computer.

A hazy picture of a planet showed up on the monitor, along with a picture of their suspicious guest. There was a list of facts and information available.

Ripley read quietly to herself:

"Erutrotians are a civilized race of alien from the planet Erutrot-Elkcit; they are fluent in over fifty languages and exhibit human-like characteristics. Erutrotians are religiously well-mannered and tend to be overly grateful when someone does them a favor. This race is mostly harmless and peaceful, if treated respectfully. While he may seem eccentric, the Erutrotian has been known to befriend other species, including humans. If you are visited by a Erutrotian and wish him to leave, he will do so. However, there is something you must be cautious of when dealing with a Erutrotian. They love to tickle, and they are devious, relentless ticklers. If you happen to be ticklish, then you must be very careful not to let the Erutrotian discover this. Or else, he will stay for weeks and months and perhaps even longer. Do not let him find out about your ticklishness for your own safety."        

When Ripley finished reading, she breathed a sigh of relief. That's the worst he can do? Tickle? she thought, amused. She wasn't worried because she wasn't ticklish at all.

Meanwhile at the breakfast table, the crew continued eating the doughnuts. Even though there was only one box, the supply seemed endless. The doughnuts were baked perfectly, soft and moist on the inside, coated with sweet glaze. Each pastry oozed with a different kind of fruit jelly or cream.

"How did you make these out here in space?" Lambert asked, losing count of how many she had eaten.

Spin smiled. "All of the ingredients are from my home planet, Ms. Lambert."

Ripley entered the room, looking in disgust at her companions as they made pigs of themselves.

"Hello there, Ripley. Have a seat," Kane said.

"You can sit next to Spin there," Parker said, pointing to the empty place beside the alien.

"I don't wanna sit next to Spin," Ripley mumbled, but then remembered she had to be polite. "Oh. Oh, yes...I would love to sit next to Mr. Spin."

"Would you like a doughnut, Ripley?" Dallas asked. "There's plenty left."

"I told you guys, I don't like doughnuts. They're too sweet."

Then, Ripley remembered again to be as polite as possible. "Oh, alright...maybe just one."

With that, she picked up a doughnut and took a small bite. She winced as the sweet blackberry jelly gushed into her mouth.

"I am immensely pleased that you gracious people are enjoying the doughnuts I have prepared with my own little hands," Spin quipped.

"You're a pretty damn good cook," Brett commented.

"I never knew aliens cooked," Lambert said.

"You would be surprised at all the marvelous things we can do," Spin explained. "You refer to me as an alien, but keep in mind, aliens are people too."

"The little green guy has a point," Parker said.

"Right, he does," Brett added.

Ripley set down the remainder of her doughnut and drank some bitter coffee to wash away the sugary sweetness from her mouth.

"What's it like on Erutrot...Elkcit?" Lambert asked slowly to pronounce the name correctly.

"Oh, it is the most delightful planet to live on. No crimes, no cruelty, only delightful people like myself so there is no need for weapons or cages. Of course, being such a peaceful world there is always time for play."

"Do you have a hobby?" Ripley asked quietly, not wanting to seem rude by avoiding the conversation.

"Oh, yes indeed," Spin replied cheekily. "I have many hobbies: meditation, dancing, singing, baking, whistling, drawing, embroidery, star-gazing, wrestling, reading, hiking, calligraphy, tickling...to name just a few."

"Did you say 'tickling'?" Lambert asked, confused. "That's not a hobby."

Spin chuckled a bit. "My people very much enjoy tickling. Unfortunately, many of the humans we have encountered were not sensitive to the tickle sensation. Our attempts to tickle these people were unsuccessful. Quite odd, don't you think?"

"It would have worked on me," Kane said, with a sheepish smile.

Spin looked at him. "What do you mean, Mr. Kane?"

"I'm very ticklish on my feet," Kane admitted.

"Really? Me too!" Dallas said, grinning.

Ripley's eyes filled with terror. "You guys...shut up."

Spin gazed at the human crew with an odd little smile on his face. He casually picked up a cup of coffee and took a very long sip. Ripley glared at her colleagues and shook her head as a way to warn them but the guys didn't get it.

"Such a splendid breakfast," Spin sighed happily, patting his small mouth with a napkin. He then slid down from his chair and yawned, stretching his boney arms high over his head. "Good Heavens, I suddenly feel so tired..."

"Must have been that rough tumble you took out there, little guy," Dallas told him, "You should get some sleep. Ripley, you show him where he can rest."

Ripley rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the chair and taking hold of the green alien's little hand. "Come with me," she mumbled, yanking on the alien as she walked briskly down the corridors. She led him into a closet several yards away from the chamber where she and the crew slept. "You can stay in here, where you'll hopefully be far enough away from my crew…so you won't be disturbed if anyone snores." She added that last part to avoid sounding rude.

"I thank you for your generous hospitality, Ms. Ripley. May I also have a pillow and blanket?"

"Yes." Ripley went and brought him everything he needed and then watched as Spin prepared a little bed for himself inside the closet. He made himself very comfortable. Surprisingly, the closet space was just big enough for a cozy bedroom for the four-foot-tall humanoid. So Ripley left him there, leaving the door open.

Nobody heard anything from Spin the rest of the day. The green man just slept and slept until finally, it was bedtime for the crew as well.

Everybody ate dinner, brushed their teeth, and went about their usual nighty-time routine. They removed their uniforms, leaving themselves in nothing but white underclothes and bare feet. Ripley was very concerned about dozing off with a strange alien on their ship…especially since she knew exactly what Spin's intentions were. Since Kane and Dallas had foolishly admitted their little weaknesses…she knew something was going to happen. So, she told everyone exactly what she had learned and what Spin intended to do with them.

"Ripley, are you positive about this?" Dallas asked.

"I know it sounds bizarre but you heard Spin say it himself…he loves to tickle people."

"This is a very serious thing, Ripley," Lambert scolded.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Parker inquired.

"Because I didn't know any of you morons were going to blurt out that you're ticklish! That's why!" Ripley barked, glaring at Kane who looked down at the floor in shame.

"Well, what do you think we should do now?" Ash asked, calmly pushing a stick of chewing gum into his mouth.

"There are seven of us and only one of him," Dallas spoke, pacing nervously in front of his crew but trying to sound confident. "Plus he's a small guy…no way he could overpower any of us."

"Right," Brett responded.

"Got a good point there, Captain," Ash complimented him. "Now I say we all just forget about our jolly green midget and get some shut-eye."

Thump!

Everybody froze.

Thump thump!

"What was that?" Ripley asked, wide-eyed.

Thump thump thump!

Lambert gasped, throwing a hand against her mouth. "What the hell is that?!" she shouted in fear.

Whoosh! The door slid wide open and Spin poked his head into the room, smiling. The crew stared at him. "We have company," said the alien, "Some dear friends of mine decided to stop by for a visit."

"Um…what?" Parker said in shock.

Suddenly, another little green head popped into the room. Then came a third one…and then a fourth. Lots of green people who resembled Spin marched into the room single file, until the room was flooded with about thirty of the diminutive humanoids.

"I hope you don't mind, I invited them over to meet the heroes who rescued me from that perilous situation," Spin explained to the baffled crew.

"No, no parties…not on my ship," Dallas was having none of it. "Spin, this has gone far enough. I want you…all of you...to leave before things get out of hand."

"No thank you, Captain Dallas," Spin replied, as if being ordered to leave was merely a friendly offer. "My people have journeyed here to enjoy the spoils of human vulnerabilities." An eerie smile crossed Spin's face at that point.

"W-what do you mean?" Lambert asked in a frightened tone.

All of the Erutrotians started smiling like mad. They could tell these people knew…

"It is time for a joyous and marvelous time, my dear people!" Spin announced with glee.

And so it began.

"Get the captain first."

Spin's people attacked Dallas and went for his exposed feet.

"No, don't," Lambert protested, shielding her eyes in horror.

Dallas howled with laughter when his bare feet got tickled. He doubled over and fell to the floor, at which point five aliens jumped on top of him. They pinned his legs to the floor so he wouldn't kick and so they could tickle him easier. Spin scratched all over the soles of his feet and was overjoyed by the man's beautiful reaction!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Dallas laughed, writhing around and trying in vain to get away.

Spin laughed merrily. "My, what is so funny, Captain Dallas? Do tell me what amuses you so!"

"IT TICKLES! TIHIHICKLES!" Dallas screamed, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Spin laughed happily and continued tickling both his feet, never giving the poor captain a break.

"No, no, no! Not the feet!" Kane pleaded as they surrounded him also, about to give him the same treatment. One of the green people tripped him over backwards, causing Kane to fall right on his butt. Three aliens rushed over and began tickling his exposed soles. Kane exploded with laughter and threw his head back.

Lambert covered her ears. Everyone else watched the scene in shock.

"OH SHIT! Don't tickle me…NO! STOP! HEEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kane shrieked, his face already turning red from laughter.

Spin wanted a crack at Kane too, so he lifted Kane's undershirt and poked his index finger right into Kane's bellybutton. As if having his feet tickled by three other aliens wasn't bad enough, now Spin's long-nailed finger was tickling in his bellybutton! This drove the man even wilder than before. His stomach quivered and tears started glistening his eyes. His arms would have lashed out to push away the ticklers had they not been restraining him so well. The Erutrotians worked very well as a team.

"Good Heavens!" Spin exclaimed with a huge grin. "Two human males who are both very, very ticklish! This is our lucky day, my people."

Ash leaned against the wall, calmly chewing his gum as he witnessed the chaos. Lambert sank to her knees in a corner, shielding her eyes from it all.

Kane and Dallas squealed like a couple of little girls when the aliens tickled between all their toes. The two men arched their backs and laughed so hard that they started to convulse. Tears of mirth streamed down their red faces. They writhed around, their legs and ankles reddening as they struggled to pull their feet away from the horrible tickling. Spin's team was too powerful however…there would be no escaping and no relief for their poor bare feet.

"Hey, stop it! That's enough!" Parker said, taking pity on his friends. He stormed over to confront the aliens.

The green people ignored him. Parker whirled around when he heard a scream of terror from Lambert – she was being chased around by a single alien, grabbing and poking at her sides. Parker abandoned the other two men and rushed to Lambert's aid.

"Hey, quit it! Stay away from her!" he yelled, but an alien tripped him before he could reach her. Parker screamed out as he flipped through the air and landed on his head…ending up sprawled out on the floor, unconscious.

"NO!" Lambert shouted.

Spin placed a pillow under Parker's head. "He will be perfectly fine, do not worry…but he will wake up with a bump on his head."

"This CAN'T be happening!" Lambert cried.

"Don't give up," Ripley told her, "We'll find a way to stop this."

Brett gasped when he noticed what had happened to his buddy Parker. He ran over and knelt beside the unconscious man. "What the shit happened to him?"

"It is nothing to be concerned about, Mr. Brett," Spin said, in his usual polite tone. "He simply tripped and fell down, but it was not our fault and I can assure you, I did not intend for him to get hurt."

"He'll sleep it off," Ash added, in his icy cool demeanor.

The little green boss stayed right next to Brett. The engineering technician didn't move away or say anything. He just took a drag of his cigarette while staring down at the alien with his dark brown eyes. Spin continued to gaze at him and started doing his odd little smile again.

"You don't scare me," Brett scoffed. "I'm not ticklish."

Spin's smile faded. "Aww, I am truly sorry to hear that, Mr. Brett."

Another Erutrotian crept up behind Brett and jumped onto his back. The alien attempted to straddle him, tickling his stomach in the process. Brett yelped, nearly jumping out of his skin! The cigarette flew from his mouth as he erupted in a fit of giggles.

Spin laughed. "Well, my word! It seems we have a tickly tummy, don't we, Mr. Brett?" With that, Spin started tickling his stomach as well.

Brett sank down to his knees, hugging himself in defense as they continued tickling. He tried to control himself but he couldn't stop giggling. "Okay! Ohohohakay! I lied! Heyehehehehehe! I admit it! I'm ticklish!"

Four more green people rushed over to help. They straddled Brett and forced him down flat on his stomach. His arms were pulled forcibly behind his back so he couldn't defend himself while all those long green fingers attacked his torso from all angles. They yanked his shirt all the way up and ruthlessly dug their fingers into his sides, stomach, and armpits.

"Aaaahahahahaha! Hehehehey! CUT IT OUT! Parker…PARKER! Help meeee!" Brett called out for Parker to save him, somehow forgetting that Parker had recently been knocked out cold.

Those alien hands moved to his ribcage, scratching and digging gently between each of his ribs. Spin tickled Brett's neck with both hands.

Brett let out a shrill girlish scream as he burst into louder, more hysterical laughter.

"GYAHAHAHAHAHA! DAMN YOU! HEEHEHEHEHEHEE! STOP TICKLING ME!" Brett screeched, his face pressed against the cold floor as he laughed. With his hands pinned behind his back, he could not protect himself or get up. His legs were free so he could kick but that didn't help him.

Spin's people were experts on finding the most ticklish spot on a person's body. Then they focused mainly on that particular spot. Kane and Dallas were most ticklish on the soles of their feet. For Brett, it was his ribs and neck.

"HOHOHOHOHOO! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T STAND IT!" Kane shrieked, tears of laughter pouring down his face. His usually pale white skin had turned the most beet-like shade of red.

"S-SOMEBODY HELP US! HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PLEEEEASE!" Dallas screamed, tears and sweat soaking his entire face and beard.

Ripley knew she HAD to do something. She had to find a way to end this mess and get rid of those little bastards. Ripley then fled the room, sealing the door shut behind her to keep the Erutrotians contained in one place. It's not like any of her friends were going to be escaping anyway…

Lambert stood frozen in the corner. Her huge blue eyes rimmed red with tears as she fearfully awaited her turn.

Ash had disappeared from the room.

Ripley sprinted through the corridors, black hair bouncing as she ran. The screaming laughter and pleas for mercy from the male crew echoed throughout the ship, following her like a curse as she continued running.

Suddenly, Ripley heard feminine laughter. The aliens had started their tickling assault on Lambert. She was crying out things like 'STOP IT' and 'NOT THERE'. Wherever they were tickling her, it was obviously a pretty bad spot.

As Ripley turned a corner, she slammed right into Ash. "Oh!" she gasped, stumbling over backwards and falling on her butt.

"Ash!"

"Where are you going?" he inquired.

"What do you mean 'where am I going'?" Ripley said, standing up and staring at him in shock. "I'm going to find a way to get those green-assed bitches off the Nostromo. By the way, how did you escape from them?"

"There is no possible way for a ticklish person to escape the Erutrotians, but if you aren't ticklish then they won't bother keeping you around."

"So how did you manage to get away?" she asked.

Ash shrugged. "Not ticklish."

Ripley inwardly kicked herself for asking a stupid question. "Okay, but how are we going to save the others?" she asked hopefully, assuming Ash would have some valuable ideas or even a plan.

"Ripley, I honestly don't get what the big deal is," he complained.

"What?" Ripley said in surprise. "Ash, don't you realize what's going on back there?" She pointed her thumb at the direction she came from.

"They're only being tickled," Ash said, folding his arms. "What's the worst that could happen? They'll piss themselves."

"It's more than that!" Ripley shouted in fury. "I researched these guys and they can stay around for months or longer. Ash, for God's sake…we can't let these things live here as long as they want and tickle everyone to death. It will screw up everything we're working towards on this mission."

Ash stared at her coldly with his arms still firmly folded. "So…what do you suggest?"

Ripley bit her lower lip as she looked back at him, unsettled by how calm and uncaring he seemed about the whole thing. "I…I guess find more information about the Erutrotians…find out what their weaknesses are. We'll use weapons if we need to!"

"Don't make them angry, Ripley," Ash sighed, waving her off as he turned to walk away.

Just as Ripley was about to yell something insulting at him, Ash looked over his shoulder to tell her one last thing…

"Just be glad these alien life forms are enjoying themselves. Imagine the damage they might cause if they weren't having fun." He smirked just slightly.

Ripley soon found herself alone – with only her thoughts and the endless wails of ticklish agony pouring through the walls. There had to be a way to get rid of Spin and his tribe. She racked her brains, mind racing back to the facts on Erutrotians she had read earlier.

Then a thought occurred to her.

"Of course," Ripley said, aloud. "That's it…

Ripley went straight to the tiny kitchen where she had thrown away her partially eaten doughnut into the wastebasket, when Spin was not looking. She picked up the doughnut with repulsion, holding it away from her as if it were a dirty diaper. The bitten pastry dripped dark blackberry goop as Ripley carried it away.

She walked right back towards the room where the Erutrotians were tickle torturing her friends. She had an idea.

Meow.    

Ripley heard a faint mewing. She stopped dead in her tracks, distracted by the sight of a little cat's face peeping out from behind a crate.

"Hey, Jonesy," Ripley said, smiling as she spoke to the cat. "Hey, kitty kitty…what are you doing over here, huh? You trying to get away from all that noise?" She was referring to the laughter and shrieks of her crew.

"Meow," Jonesy replied.

Ripley scooped up Jonesy and snuggled him for a moment. The cat stared at the jelly doughnut in Ripley's hand, but she held it away from his stretching paw.

"Nah, you don't want this slop," Ripley said, resting her cheek against Jonesy's soft head. "Be a good cat, okay? I have to do something."

And with that, Ripley released Jonesy onto the floor and resumed her mission to defeat the aliens.

By the time Ripley returned to the alien room, the laughter had died down and then stopped completely. She entered the room with caution and observed the scene.

The victims had all fainted from the horrible tickling they had suffered. Dallas, Kane, Brett, and Lambert had all passed out. They were scattered around the floor, flushed and soaked with sweat. Tear-stained faces and puffy red eyes on everyone. An unpleasant odor in the air proved that they had all wet their pants.

The Erutrotians were sitting by their victims, making pleasant conversation with each other as they waited patiently for the crew to wake up. Ripley wanted so badly to beat them all up with her bare hands.

Then Parker, who had suffered nothing more than a blow to the head, started groaning and moving around. He sat upright, rubbing his forehead and squinting until he could see clearly. That's when he figured out what had happened.

"HEY!"

"Parker, shut it," Ripley snapped. "Let me handle this."

Ripley raised the doughnut to her mouth and chomped into the sugary sweetness. She did her best not to shudder.

"Mmmmm...Yum...best thing I ever tasted...this tasty doughnut...baked by our good friend Spin!" Ripley yelled out, pretending to enjoy the gooey treat that she actually loathed. She took huge bites and let the blackberry jelly roll down her chin.

"Why, Miss Ripley, I did not realize you were so fond of my lovely doughnuts," Spin said cheerily, completely buying her act.

"I sure wish I could bake this good," Ripley sighed wistfully.

"Did you say 'baking'?" they asked.

This topic greatly piqued their interest...exactly what Ripley was hoping for.

Baking.

That was one of Spin's other "hobbies" that Ripley recalled from earlier when he rattled off his list. If she could get Spin's tribe interested in something other than tickling, then she could save the ship.

"Baking, yes!" Ripley exclaimed, "Did I mention how much I love baking? I would love to bake some more of these scrumptious doughnuts! Who wants to help me?"

"It would be a privilege to assist you, Miss Ripley," Spin said cheerily.

His people were equally as enthusiastic...

"What an absolute joy that would be!"

"We will have a simply marvelous time in the kitchen with you, Madam!"

"Baked goods are our specialty!"

"And most certainly one of our favorite activities!"

Now it was Ripley's turn to give an eerie little smile as the Erutrotians followed her to the kitchen like rats for the Pied Piper.

For the next hour, dozens of the green baking-experts took turns in the small kitchen area. They produced hundreds of perfect doughnuts from minimal ingredients, and with startling ease.

Ripley's scheme was to use baking as a distraction from the tickling. Since tickling was the one thing that made them go wild, what they needed was to get interested in a different activity. Ripley figured if they returned to their pish posh politeness, she could get them off Nostromo.

The aliens baked doughnuts to their green heart's content. They even shared their secret recipe with Ripley and taught her how to prepare a proper pastry. Ripley went along with everything in the most cheerful and positive attitude she could muster.

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Spin," she said, when the kitchen fun came to a close. "My crew and I are really glad you could visit our humble Nostromo, but it's getting late. So...would you mind leaving now?" If you are visited by a Erutrotian and wish him to leave, he will do so, Ripley remembered that sentence.

"It has been an endless joy this time spent with you, my splendid rescuers. I was just tickled to be here," Spin told Ripley, wrapping his small hands briefly around her hand. "My people and I will leave now, as you wish. We bid you farewell and a safe journey home."

"Thanks, you too."

Spin smiled at his tribe and beckoned for them to come. "We must be leaving now…our home Erutrot-Elkcit is waiting for us."

Then the green-skinned humanoids known as Erutrotians took off through the blackness of outer space in their sleek golden ships. The shiny vessels glided away in streaks of silver glow until they finally disappeared in the distance.

Ripley raced back to check on her crew mates. They would be fine, just exhausted and maybe a little embarrassed…but they would live. A slight smile of satisfaction came to her face. She actually outsmarted the aliens and saved the day. No more aliens aboard the Nostromo now and that's just how she liked it. Their troubles were over.

Or so she hoped.

The End

[selfignitingimagines]

Brett- Siren Song

Request: Hi if it’s not too much to ask can I request a Brett x reader imagine? I want it to be like where the reader is a siren and she’s having trouble learning to control her voice but Brett is just being super fluffy. They’re not dating yet, but they admit feelings to each other sometime during the story and they kiss and make things official and just fluff fluff flufffff! Thanks!

Brett was wandering through the halls, on his way to lacrosse practice, when he heard the voice. It was soft and sweet as it drifted through the school, and something about the sound was intoxicating. The melody was enough to pull him away from his intended path and toward the chorus room.

When he paused outside the door, he peered inside. While he didn’t recognize the voice, he definitely recognized the person sitting at the piano.

Brett had seen you around school, and while he had never heard your voice, something told him he should have. It was enough to make anyone fall in love, purely from the sound. 

As if you could feel his eyes on you, you suddenly stopped singing. You turned around to find him staring at you through the little glass window in the classroom door. He stood there, blinking, and your eyes went wide. You raised your hand in a quick, embarrassed wave and moved away from the piano. You usually hated to sing in front of people, and the fact that the lacrosse team captain had been listening in caused you to freak out a little.

Brett watched you gather up your sheet music with a dumbstruck look on his face. His hand was resting on the doorknob, and he was just about to go in and try to talk to you when someone called his name. 

“Brett! What are you doing?” His coach was calling from down the hall. “You’re supposed to be setting up for practice!”

Brett looked back into the classroom, but you were already heading out the door on the other side of the room. He watched you disappear with disappointment in his eyes, and then reluctantly headed toward the locker room.

-----

The next time he saw you, he was behind you in the cafeteria line. It took him a few seconds to recognize you from the back of your head, but once he did, he reached out to tap your shoulder. 

“Hey,” he said, as you turned. 

“Oh,” you breathed, blushing as you recognized him from earlier that week. “Hi.”

“You have an amazing voice,” he breathed. “I mean, I’ve been going to a lot of the plays and talent shows this year. How have I never seen you there?”

“Uh, I don’t really like to sing in front of people,” you told him. “Stage fright, I guess.”

“But you have nothing to be afraid of,” he insisted. “Seriously, you’re awesome.”

“Hey, the line’s moving!” someone called from behind him. 

“Well thanks. That’s really sweet,”  you said with a smile, turning back to grab a tray as the line moved forward.

Brett frowned. He was totally screwing this up.

He took a deep breath and grabbed a tray of his own, trying to work up the guts to ask you the question he had been thinking about all week. He looked down at his sneakers, took a deep breath and blurted “Will you go out with me?”

“Uh…you okay, son?”

Brett went beet red as he realized he was staring into the face of an elderly lunch lady. In the time it had taken him to gain the courage to ask you on a date, you had already paid for your food and moved out of the line. 

“Sorry,” he stammered, quickly buying his food and heading back into the cafeteria. 

To his disappointment, you had already disappeared into the throng of other students. Brett’s shoulders slumped, and he dejectedly headed toward a table of his teammates. 

-----

“I think I messed up.”

Lydia and Malia looked up from their  textbooks, sharing a look of concern. You were splayed out at the end of Malia’s bed, aimlessly flipping through the pages of an American Lit textbook. 

After a run in with supernatural assassins a few months before, you had become close friends with Scott McCall and his pack. You had more in common with the girls, including one agonizing English class, so you sometimes met with them to study. 

“What do you mean?” Lydia asked, closing her book with a thump. 

“Well, I was staying after school at Devenford the other day,” you explained. “I was singing in the music room, and I didn’t think anyone was there-”

“When you say singing…” Malia began. 

You began to pick at her fraying comforter. “I may have gotten a little carried away.”

“Y/n,” Lydia groaned. “Did someone hear your siren song?”

“It was an accident!” you cried. “And at first I thought it didn’t have any effect on him, but I saw him today, and the look in his eyes...”

“Who heard you?” Lydia asked. 

“Okay, so here’s the thing. It was Brett Talbot, so it actually isn’t that bad...”

“Brett?” Malia repeated. “Satomi’s Brett? The one who hates Liam?”

“Well, yeah,” you said, scratching the back of your neck. “But, he’s already a werewolf, so does it matter?”

“Of course it matters,” Lydia told you. “He’s never going to leave you alone, Y/n. And he’s gonna drive himself crazy-literally-trying to get you to love him.”

“I mean, he is pretty hot,” Malia remarked. 

Lydia shot her a glare. “Do you know why sirens were so feared in mythical lore?”

“No,” Malia told her with an eye roll. “But since you pretty much have an encyclopedia in your head, I’m guessing you do.”

Lydia reached forward to grasp your hand. “Sailors used to throw themselves off ships for sirens, Y/n. And if they didn’t, they were slowly driven mad. The same thing is going to happen to Brett if we don’t figure out how to reverse this.”

You felt cool, icy dread creeping over you. 

“I don’t know how to control it,” you whispered, horrified.

Lydia sighed and gave your hand another squeeze. “We’re going to figure it out. Besides, I think we could all use a break from studying.”

Thirty minutes later, you were sitting in the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic, perched on Dr. Deaton’s exam table. Malia and Lydia sat patiently in the plastic chairs against the wall. 

“So he overheard you singing?” Deaton asked. 

You nodded shamefully. “Yeah.”

“Was it any particular song?”

“A Thousand Years by Christina Perri,” you said, flushing slightly. 

“It had to be a love song,” Malia said with a roll of her eyes. 

You groaned. “So how do I fix it?”

“It’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is sing the song backwards. Using your siren song, of course.”

You shared a disbelieving glance with Lydia and Malia. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Deaton promised. “Just make sure he hears you.”

-----

You stayed after school the next day, intending to camp out in the music room until Brett passed by on his way to lacrosse practice. When you got there, you were surprised to find him already waiting for you. 

Shocked, you stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. 

“I figured I would find you here,” he said. “I really need to ask-”

“Can I sing for you?” you blurted out. 

Brett blinked, but before he could reply, you began to ramble. “I really need to practice this piece, and uh, it would mean a lot to me if you were the first one who heard it.” A grin broke out across his face. “Okay.”

You let out a quiet sigh of relief and quickly made your way to the piano. Brett crossed the room to sit in a chair across from you, and you felt your heart began to pound. Even though you knew this was necessary, the thought of singing in front of him on purpose terrified you. 

Finally, you just closed your eyes and began to play. When Deaton first told you to sing the song backwards, you were a little lost. Then he explained that, because you had a supernatural ability to manipulate notes, all it would take was a little focus. As you opened your mouth, you realized he was right. 

The notes rang out high and clear, echoing through the music room and washing over Brett. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, letting himself get lost in your voice, but when it stopped, he felt like he was waking up. 

He sat there blinking in the chair and looked around, finally meeting your eyes. 

“Uh, hey,” he said. “What just happened?”

You shrugged. “I was playing and you came in to listen.”

“Oh.” His eyes landed on the clock on the wall, and he suddenly jumped up. “Shit. I’m going to be late to practice.”

You nodded, feeling your shoulders slump with relief. Brett scooped his lacrosse bag up from the floor, but as he turned to leave, he paused. 

“Hey,” he said, turning around. “I know you might not know me, but uh, I think you’re really cute. Maybe I could take you out sometime?”

You froze on the piano bench, panicking for a second and wondering if Deaton’s trick had really worked. Then you realized that Brett looked completely different from the way he had a few days ago. There was no glazed over look in his eyes, no yearning on his face. He was staring at you with hope, and maybe a little nervousness. 

You smiled. “Sure.” 

Brett grinned, his blue eyes shining. “Okay. I’ve gotta go, but I know where to find you, right?”

You nodded and watched him slip out of the music room. “See you around.”

You waved as he disappeared down the hall, letting a grin break out across your face. As soon as you were sure he was gone, you whipped your phone out of your pocket and started to text Lydia and Malia. They had already been bugging you for updates since the end of the school day, and this would definitely require a celebratory girl’s night. 

You got up from the piano and went to search for some new sheet music. After all, you were going to be spending a lot of time in the music room.

[smolbeandrabbles]

Somethin’ I’m Good At - Gerry x Reader (Mississippi Grind)

@sufferthesea​ - Not the one I had in mind, but one none the less ❤

I want to call this a Pre-Sequel to Diligence. Because it is a sequel, but it’s not the one that ‘Reason Why’ is waiting for.

Author’s Note: I remember telling @mandy23b​ that Brett Eldredge songs were to be earned, but then I went to see him in concert on Friday and this one smacked me in the face. And here we are...!

That isn’t to say Gerry didn’t earn this

Somethin’ I’m Good At - Brett Eldredge 

Disclaimer: Mississippi Grind Characters not mine / lyrics not mine / gifs not mine / lyrical liberties taken.

Premise: Having dated for a few months, Gerry knows for sure, there could be one thing he’s good at...

Words: 2056

Warnings: Fluff, mostly.

______

I'm a real bad liar, I'm a burnt toast kinda guy Or if I try to build a fire I'll burn the woods I ain't a mover or a shaker, can't keep up with the pacer Never met a dancefloor that ever did me any good I got a poor sense of direction, sometimes too strong of affection For a whiskey made in Lynchburg, Tennessee If there's a hole in my boat son, you bet that's all she wrote I'm a Titanic sinking down into that deep blue sea I can't change the world, no I can't change a flat If you give me your heart, girl, well, you may never get it back You said you'd never smile again, but oh no, here it comes Would you look at that? I finally found somethin' I'm good at

---

It'd been a few months down the line since your little talk over hot chocolate. When you'd given him your number, and he'd waited two days to call you. When you enquired as to what had taken him so long, he'd simply told you he didn't want to bother you on your day off. And you thought that maybe he hadn't quite grasped the point of you handing your number over.

 Gerry still used the cafe like an office. It was well frequented, but had long periods of quiet where - to him at least - there was little difference between this and being in the estate agents. Besides, most of the time he also had you here. And now he knew that all those small looks and gentle smiles were for him. Really for him.

 You didn't think you'd been in a relationship quite like it. Gerry was, as his demeanour would suggest, just adorable. You'd thought that before just watching him - but now he got to be yours, and somehow he could up the ante on that. The little I saw this and thought of you - which happened fairly often. Or, if you or he wasn't working or...  At least in the cafe on any particular day the I was just thinking about you... messages you'd get on your phone. And each one was sweet - unlike texts along those lines you'd ever got before.

He was cute, and according to a lot of people who had commented more than once, the two of you together we're even cuter.

 He liked watching you work sometimes - but also just liked leaving you to it, and he loved when you'd walk passed and just brush gently against him, or lace your fingers just long enough for it to be considered holding hands, until his arm refused to stretch after you or bend back any further. Or on occasion you'd even reach out and run your hands through his hair - and if he was busy concentrating on his laptop that was your favourite time to do it. Gerry longed for those fleeting moments the most, and you liked that sound he emitted and that excitable shiver as his heavily fixed concentration switched from whatever he was reading to the sensation of your fingertips.

Sometimes you'd stop by because he wanted to show you something, and you'd lean your arms on his shoulders and your head on his, and on occasion kiss his hair - and for a moment things didn't get better for him. But you didn't stop by all the time, and he didn't want to hinder your work either. He just liked being surrounded by you. Even if you were super busy and all he got was the scent of your perfume as you ran back and forth between tables. He would still smile absentmindedly and get to think about you.

 But, if you ever had a break between the busier and quieter shifts, or you got a full lunch break you still liked sitting with him. Gerry might have told you about the way he hyperfixated on things... How his obsession, and addiction, to gambling had all culminated and been put on... you. But if it was supposed to induce pressure, you never felt it. And he was the only consistently calm thing in the room. You knew he'd slide his laptop and notes to one side and give you his full attention as you told him about your day, or picked his brain for advice. He knew when you came first. If you had an issue, and what hadn't he been through!?, he likely had some kind of solution. He just liked seeing you smile - and being the cause of such a beautiful thing. Gerry knew just when to make the right joke, or be gentle and easy going, or get excited about something... He'd watched you so long he knew your emotions, your expressions... Your body language. That was something he’d picked up from tables that he could be thankful for. Perhaps he knew you better than you knew yourself - and he was only getting more used to it now you were dating. And that obsession meant he wanted to know everything, and help in whatever way he could. You were still responsible for keeping him from tables, after all.

Sometimes he still felt like he was gambling with feelings... It wasn't like Gerry could possibly know where this was going to lead.

 Sometimes he'd drop by for a few hours and then leave and come back, the way he used to when you'd have his coffee order ready for him by the time he crossed the parking lot. Only this time the name Gerry was accompanied by a heart, and he got to kiss you over the counter as he picked up the cup and left. ‘See you later’ really meaning that, even if he didn't return to the cafe.

When he did return from his house viewings though, he was always happy, and all he wanted to show you were these houses. And Gerry didn't miss out on one single detail, because sometimes pictures couldn't do any justice to it. You gotta hear about this one, it has the works!! He didn't seem like the type to get so excited about houses - even if he was an estate agent. And, usually, Gerry would agree with you... That was simply what his job happened to be. And he was just pretty good at it. But, he wasn't thinking about the people he was showing around, or even the houses themselves. (Heck, not even the pay check and well it's a job!) But he was thinking about aspects of those houses, and you.

It always came back to you.

What would you like to live in? What sort of house would you walk into and say this is where I want to be. Would it be with him? That's obviously where his thought process was going. But Gerry knew it was far too early to start asking you questions like that - and he kept it quiet. But secretly he'd show you these houses and take note of what you liked. Or, what caught your interest when he described them. If he could build up that perfect picture in his mind - he knew eventually it would come onto the market... Even if it was only close enough; and he'd find it.

 Back when you'd first had a real discussion, you'd talked about being therapy for him. But you didn't talk like any therapist he'd ever known. And he thought you were doing better for him than any therapist ever could. And sometimes those conversations got intense - and you took a lot of Gerry's emotions and burdens on for yourself. So he would pull you to him and cuddle you and end up reversing the situation. He was as much a remedy for you.

The end goal was just to see you smile again - he didn't matter what kind or how small - he'd count it as a win if he saw one. Usually it didn't take long, the second you were wrapped in his arms and one of his extensive collection of jumpers, you were almost always good to go.

 But today you were having a tough one, and he could tell that the second you sat down. You had this cheerful service front you put on. But Gerry knew all about fronting situations - and yours was a real poker face - so he'd been worried from the moment he'd heard it. Your shoulders slumped and you placed your head in your hands - exhaling loudly. "What's up?" This time he closed the laptop as he slid it across the table - and leant forward on his elbows "Nothing." You looked up at him "It's okay." Well, he knew - or at least from what he'd heard - that it wasn't customers, so it must have been personal. "You know you can tell me anything." He reached for your hands, "And you also know that you won't get passed someone who spent a lot of his life at card tables with a face like that-!" He meant your fake little smile; the only one he wouldn't accept seeing. "I dunno, I don't want to bother you with it." He gave a shrug "You might as well, I'm going to worry anyway." "Well that's really the last thing I want." Your eyes met his, "Me too, so just tell me." "I dunno... Maybe it's all in my head." "Boy trouble?" He raised an eyebrow, and you laughed - and it was score 1 to Gerry because that was genuine. "No, you know, for the first time in my life I actually don't have boy trouble." His smile became playful, "Good - had me worried for maybe half a second..." You ran your hands across the tabletop to his, and let him hold you between his; large hands enveloping yours safely. "I guess… I just… Sometimes I guess, it just feels like my friends would be better off without me… Then there’s times you miss one thing and you just feel totally lost.” You gave a shrug, “I don't think it's conscious - I can't blame 'em. I don’t blame them. But… If you go quiet for a while what happens? Does it show they care if they don't bother you because they are respecting your space? Make you think they don't care if they don't check in? Maybe I'm just fragile. I'm certain some of it's in my head." You looked to him "You ever get that?" Given that his hands were in yours, Gerry tipped his head as he began thinking; "I'm sure everyone wants to give you their 5 cents on it." "For sure, but I'm asking you." "Friends? I ran out of a lot of them a long while ago when I was incredibly bad at paying people back. Enjoy the ones you have. Remove the ones you no longer enjoy. Not worth risking your own health if it keeps happening, huh?" He gave a gentle smile, "Ask me and my... Acquaintances!" You smiled gently; "I'm not so great at forgiveness either..." or maybe you just weren’t good with the right words, sometimes you felt you found them a little too late… "Forgive those worth forgiving. Unless the bridge is well and truly burned… But that’s not my decision to make – is it?" "But what if my reaction-!" His eyes narrowed; "Hey. Who do you think I care about more?" "Me." "You." He nodded in agreement "So, whose side am I always going to be on?" That smile continued to grow as you realised what he was getting at "Mine." "Yours." His smile continued to coax yours out of hiding. "I'm happy to talk it out with you, but I want you to realise that all I'm going to want at the end of it is you happy..." "Well that's all I want for you, too." "Me?" He tipped his head once more, gentle sparkle in his eyes "Whenever I'm with you I'm happy. So, of course..." He chuckled "Yeah. I'm... I'm happy." But then he pushed it right back where it belonged; "Are you?"

There was silence for a moment as you looked between his eyes, and that prolonged smile on his face. That you were just as responsible for as he was the one manifesting on your own. You realised that it was a longer discussion for another time - but you knew that by what he was saying he'd help you as far as he could... But the decision was yours. Still, it was a million-dollar decision, and he'd probably made a billion of those in his life. Probably not always called right, so hopefully he'd help you with the right call. Even if that would be all your own.

 "I'm happy." And there it was, a genuine, beautiful, full smile. Almost a beam, but there was a soft blush across your cheeks as you admitted it all out loud. And he knew it wouldn't be long until he got it there.

Gerry wasn't good at much, he knew. But he sure was good at that.

---

@dennismitchell @happyskywhale @wltz-bby​ @3134045126​ #MendoTagSquad.

[roominthecastle]

Hi Room, What do you think about the finale? Any theorys about why Katarina did that to Red? And what do you think about the Stranger? Thanks!

To me, the finale in general felt okay, which is strangely comforting bc it wasn’t bad. I’m good with an “okay”. “okay” is an improvement (like I still feel TBL is trying while – to use a concurrent example – GOT gave up on itself and its fans spectacularly). There are individual moments that are more than okay to me (DEMBE, the team work, esp Liz & Red, esp esp Liz taking charge and that tiny moment of synchronized tea drinking) and others are less than (e.g. the conclusion to the conspiracy plot is kinda… ?!), but overall I like how S6 played out and my excitement for (lucky number) 7 is intact. Things are in motion and interesting again, and I finally gave myself permission to do a proper, full-scale re-watch during the summer, maybe attempt to chart the timeline, too, which is sth I never expected to consider doing again. I’m even gonna read the comics. In short, this season pulled me back in the Zone.

the rest is behind a cut due to length – @ mobile app users, apologies as always

Red’s identity, Dom’s story, and Liz’s side of these things

The Stranger: Masha was bound to figure out you aren’t who you say you are. What I can’t figure out is Dom. Why would he tell her all that?Red: In an attempt to help her move on.The Stranger: And she believed him?Red: She did. So much so that she‘s decided it’s safe to bring her daughter home.The Stranger: I know Dom meant well. He shouldn’t have told her that story.

So… having seen this scene, I def have more doubts than before, anon, but I still believe that the gist of the Rassvet story (including Red == Ilya) is true. This is (imo) why Red tells Dom “I know the broad strokes, I know who I am, but I need to hear the details you used to sugarcoat the ugly truth to make it look like a fairytale”, i.e. something that Liz has a tendency to swallow (see changed man!Tim or every paternity test they show her), something she was eager to embrace here, too, despite the obvious holes bc – as she told Ressler – “it is sweet and safe, so I’m gonna overlook things that don’t add up and hope it doesn’t come crashing down on me this time”. But it does. Every time.

Whether we like it or not, this is a consistent trait in Liz, this willingness to settle for a sweet, simple story over the messy, complicated truth even when she has misgivings (see her going at Red in 219, “It wouldn’t kill you to lie just once to make someone feel good.”). She’s not stupid, she’s just scared and unsure, imo (and so is Red but, unfortunately for Liz, being pathologically secretive is still what soothes him). But when there is no sweet story available to make Liz feel good/safe or it’s no longer sustainable, that’s when she grows restless/angry and goes on the offensive until she feels safe again. She did this w/ Tim and then w/ Red, too (she literally locked both of them up to gain control), and both times we can eventually hear her say “I was scared of you but not anymore”, and both times she expresses love for a safe & sweet idea and not the full reality of these men who cannot live up to that idea, so the cycle starts up again (well, not w/ Tim as he is now dead but Red is still in the running.)

It doesn’t really matter if the answer she gets is incomplete or untrue. As long as she can make herself swallow it, as long as it brings a sense of security, she will go for it. Tim played along w/ this and that fantasy bubble collapsed every time. Red never did and never will indulge her w/ sweet delusions but by doing so, he also reduces their “feelgood” time together. He hides behind her father’s identity but for her, he breaks cover repeatedly, which to me further signals that he doesn’t wish to take on the roles associated w/ this identity in her life, which clearly clashes w/ her park bench claim of “this is who you will always be to me”. And given Liz’s track record w/ these self-soothing declarations, I think we will once again see her being contradicted.

Having heard of what’s happened btw her and Red, I think Dom decided to tailor the truth to give them a quick-fix. His story brought a sense of safety/certainty that Liz craves – sth Red refused to offer when he told her he had a secret and he had to keep it and refused to give her any embellished feel-good alternative. But now he is on edge bc some of his secrets have been spilled and it was done in a way that maximizes his discomfort (by making him look like a hero when he considers himself anything but, and, ultimately, by undermining his control over his own “narrative” around Liz). I believe this is part of the reason why he tells Dom that he likely made everything worse by telling her that story.

I hope next season they will be pushed to face more of the actual truth together – in all its ugly, messy glory – about what exactly happened and, more importantly, why. Because we still don’t know much of that. Dom only offered a taste but now Katarina is back to mix some sour to the sweet (I am hungry as I am typing this, can you tell ;)

The Stranger: well, we barely have anything to go on here but what we have is already intriguing, i.e. he grew up w/ Red, he seems to know Dom and Katarina personally, he seems to have some serious tradecraft background + connections, and he is among the v few who is trusted w/ Red’s secrets, so he is inner inner circle for sure (and he’s played by Brett Cullen, so… yes please). I still think the childhood pledge from the Rassvet story is an element of truth (it just fits our Red way too much + I see it reflected in “Cape May”), so I think these 3 (the Stranger, Red, and Kat) were likely childhood friends and they all picked similar career paths (or it was picked for them), so the Stranger is likely Russian, too.

Katarina continues to puzzle me to no end, I freely admit. And I am enjoying it (for now anyway). The finale offered some really interesting details here, imo, and I think Red’s 2nd meeting w/ the Stranger is the most revealing.

Red tasked his mysterious friend to locate Katarina bc Ressler’s dig for his real identity triggered an active search for her, too. The Stranger finds her and hands Red a picture saying, “It’s her. I’m telling you, Raymond. Paper trails. The passports. The travel. It’s her.” What we can immediately conclude here is that they didn’t even know what Kat looks like now since it’s not the picture the Stranger used to identify her but her signature methods/movements (knowledge of this implies a close working relationship in the past at the v least). And since he doesn’t hand Red the pic to ask him to confirm it’s her but to show him what she looks like now, we can also conclude that Red had no idea what she looks like now, either, which means that he hasn’t seen her for almost 3 decades and, apparently, he would have been fine w/ maintaining this arrangement if it hadn’t been for the security risk Ressler’s digging exposed them to.

This conclusion lines up nicely w/ two (imo very important) things established in previous episodes:

Red’s hallucinations at Cape May – he sees Kat the way she looked in 1991/92. His mind couldn’t conjure her present image bc his last memories of her are almost 30 years old. This in turn implies that the Hobson’s choice event took place around this time, as well, and that was the last time he saw her. It was the last time Dom saw her, too, if what he tells Liz in “Rassvet” – that it was 28 years ago – is true.

Katarina being dead – whatever happened to Kat, her own father considers her as good as dead now. So does Red and Dom blames him for this loss, going as far as saying he killed her.

Dom: These boxes are all I have left of my daughter.

Red: If Katarina were standing here instead of me, if it were she asking you, what would you tell her?Dom: It doesn’t matter because she is not here and she’s not asking.Red: But if you could tell her–Dom: I can’t!

Dom (to Liz): If my Katarina was still here, she would have let me know. [… her mother sent a letter hoping it] would find her alive. I picked it up because I knew it never would.”

Liz: You said the name Masha Rostova had been lost to history until the manhunt. Now it’s out there and someone’s looking for me. It’s my mother.Red: Lizzie, your mother is dead.

Her mother was dying, Kat never showed. Her daughter was being hunted and it was televised globally – Kat never showed. And clearly neither Dom nor Red expected her to as they both seem to consider Katarina dead despite being aware that she is still out there somewhere. Moreover, they both believe that Liz is better off thinking her mother is dead than knowing whatever the truth is (so it cannot be too good). Add to this Red’s latest remark to Liz – “your mother can’t hurt you” – and things truly get weird and interesting. Was Kat subjected to some special session w/ Krilov, too, that somehow “extinguished” parts of her, practically rendering her old self “gone”? This would be my current best guess (just a shot in the dark, really) and I know it’s crude sci-fi territory but this is TBL we’re talking about.

Whatever happened to Kat, Red was involved in it, and we have several remarks to back this up:

“All the money, all the time and effort, all the favors in the world cannot possibly equal what you took away from her.” (Red, 216)

“There was a woman and her child. Both were doomed. Both would die. I could either save one or lose both. I chose the child. It was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.” (Red, 319)

“I’m not sure Elizabeth will ever be ready to learn what you did to Katarina.” (Dembe, 422)

“[Katarina] is gone because of choices you made.” (Dom, 320)

In “Cape May”, Red hallucinated forgiveness/absolution from Katarina but we don’t know if this is how she actually felt. It could have been just Red trying to make himself feel better about doing what he felt to be necessary. Katarina in the present doesn’t seem to be in a forgiving mood, tho. She clearly expected to be contacted and she clearly considered Red’s presence a threat.

Red: If Moscow is looking for Katarina, if Agent Ressler’s inquiry has reignited their search…The Stranger: Then I know that could be bad.Red: I want this done before Masha’s daughter comes home.

So… your guess is as good as mine here, anon. All we have for now is a whole lot of vaguing and very little concrete info. I agree, it feels there’s sth more to this but there’s just so little to go on, it could be almost anything. What we can conclude is that the Stranger and Red (and Dom) have stayed away from Katarina for almost 30 years and if it hadn’t been for Moscow’s freshly reignited interest in finding her, this complete lack of contact would have remained. They didn’t even keep direct tabs on her since they had no idea what she looked like or where exactly she was or that she was a threat to Red (otherwise he would have approached her differently, imo).

They clearly do not want Kat to be found – the precise “why” remains to be seen. Red’s first words to her are a warning – “it’s not safe” –, and I think he truly went there to make sure she wouldn’t be scooped up. That was his immediate objective. If she were found, the consequences would reach Liz and Agnes, and heading that threat off is what ultimately motivates Red here (→ “I want this done before Masha’s daughter comes home.”). He didn’t look too enthusiastic to make contact. He didn’t want to, he had to.  And he didn’t tell Liz, which suggests that he wants this separation to remain, which suggests that something is up w/ Katarina that goes beyond the usual “you can’t be in her life bc it’s dangerous” reason. Dom stayed out of Liz’s life, too, for safety reasons yet Red told him to find Liz if anything happened to him. That doesn’t seem to be the case w/ Kat at all. Red himself stayed away from her yet he went to find Dom after Liz “death” and returned several times after that for advice or simply for his company.

The meeting w/ Kat wasn’t a social call and it did not feel like a romantic reunion, either. Red just looked sad and tense to me. And he clearly did not expect to be stabbed, so I don’t think that bit was part of any planned performance. Why he received that treatment is another good question. Kat has clearly come into the possession of some new info that compelled her to go on the offensive. It could be related to their past and that vague remark about what Red did to her OR it is about something more recent that Red wasn’t aware she was aware of?? Right now this moment feels like a convergence of two separate threads: Red came to warn her based on “undisclosed plot point A” and Katarina reacted to him based on “undisclosed plot point B”.

Oh, I love this song, anon. Antis can keep pointing at that awkward kiss (that he doesn’t even initiate, she keeps pushing her face into his) as evidence of some ~epic romance~ all they want, but once again they fail (and/or refuse) to see things in context and “Cape May” was already pretty clear wrt Red’s feelings, I agree. and the finale lines up w/ it, too, which is nice.

Red hasn’t seen her in 30 years yet he only decided to contact Kat bc her looming exposure threatened Liz and Agnes, and when he is shown a picture of her, this is his reaction:

Not exactly what I’d expect from a dude in love (even if it were unrequited). He had a way more emotional reaction to Dembe’s return and he only left like a week ago. This is more like how you react when someone shows you photographic evidence of Bigfoot chilling in their hot tub w/ a beer. And now we know Red knew all along that Katarina was alive, so him “designating” Liz as the woman he loves and confessing (several times both to her and others) that without her he has nothing to live for and saying her name as his last word speak volumes already. So if they wanted to sell Red/Kat, they have already undercut themselves on multiple fronts here by giving literally all the romance tropes to Red/Liz. But I don’t believe they are selling R/K, it’s just another smoke screen + Kat is part of a past both Red and Liz have to settle for the sake of their future. And settling the past is always easier and more fruitful to do w/ a living human than w/ a ghost or a hallucination.

Yeah, I think it’s there to signal that they (Dom and Kat included) go way back and were/are close, like you said. and to indicate shared Russian roots, perhaps. As I said above, I still think Red is Ilya and the Stranger is likely Russian, too, (and so is Dom), so using Liz’s original Russian name makes sense in this context of “Russian togetherness”.

and Red sometimes calls her Masha around Dom, too, bc that’s what Dom calls her bc that’s who she still is to Dom. And I think that’s why Red calls her Elizabeth bc that’s who she is to him, which is a nice little detail further emphasizing that his main/defining connection to her is the present one just as James keeps saying. Or as Red puts it on-screen

I can def see both sides here, anon, and more. Knowing what we know about Red, both are likely among the multiple reasons that underpin his behavior in this scene. Yes, on the one hand, he was pressed for time and wanted that Kat thing done as soon as possible. On the other, he was also kinda closed-off as if he were trying to hold back emotionally as well as physically, which I think flows from 2 main sources: 1) he feels uncomfortable w/ the labels Liz wants to push on him (ever since the pilot he’s been displaying a preference for “partner” and not “father” and he might be reaching his saturation point) and 2) he is still heartbroken and afraid to put himself out there again w/ Liz after three major betrayals in a row. He’s already had a sort of baseline distress due to how emotionally vulnerable he is to Liz at all times, so after this latest heartbreak I think he is just trying to take things slow, leaving space and time for Liz and himself to figure out a mutually acceptable way to fit together.

She’s been using his heart as a knife block to satisfy her own needs and I think it’s making him less and less willing to force himself into slots that feel uncomfortable to him. She just decided that him playing dad and grandad is what suits him but a week ago she thought life in prison suited him the best. I mean… that’s not how you relationship. At all. Relationships are ongoing negotiations where all involved need to consent to their “roles”. It’s not “I hate you now, so I will put you in prison” and then “I love you now, so stay for dinner”. After everything that’s happened, I am not surprised Red is pushing back a little here for the sake of (what’s left of) his own sanity. He is a deeply flawed, problematique human being but he is still a human being and not a toy.

Liz and Agnes are the most important to him and he would never ever force his preferences on them, I completely agree. But that doesn’t mean Liz should be allowed to force her preferences on him esp when those change so often and so drastically bc she clearly doesn’t know what she really wants from him yet. I think this realization is finally truly dawning on this guilt-ridden, lovesick idiot and that’s part of what we see in this scene, esp in that “I don’t wanna intrude” comment that really does feel like a pointed retreat from her abrupt park bench declaration. But of course there is no negotiation w/o talking and that’s what Liz wanted to do before Red shut her down, so…

bottom line (that’s been the same for 6 years): these 2 need to talk.