#i think the final conclusion is correct i went back and forth on it

[bubbloquacious]

Zariski topologies

So if you take kⁿ, the n-dimensional coordinate space over some field k, the Zariski topology on kⁿ is the topology whose closed sets are of the form

Z(S) = { x ∈ kⁿ : f(x) = 0 for all f ∈ S }

for some subset S ⊆ k[x₁,...,xₙ]. That is, the closed sets are the common zero loci of some set of polynomials over k in n variables, i.e. they are the solution sets for some system of algebraic equations. Such sets are called algebraic sets. If I is the ideal generated by S, then Z(S) = Z(I), so we can restrict ourselves to ideals.

Now if you take a commutative unital ring R, we let Spec R denote its prime spectrum, the set of prime ideals of R. We let Max R ⊆ Spec R be the subset consisting of the maximal ideals, the maximal spectrum. The Zariski topology on Spec R is the topology whose closed sets are of the form

Z(S) = { P ∈ Spec R : P ⊇ S }

for some subset S ⊆ R. A prime ideal P contains S if and only if it contains the ideal generated by S, so again we can restrict to ideals. What's the common idea here? Classically, if k is algebraically closed, then Hilbert's Nullstellensatz (meaning Zero Locus Theorem) allows us to identify the points of kⁿ with those of Max k[x₁,...,xₙ], by mapping a point (a₁,...,aₙ) to the maximal ideal (x₁ - a₁,...,xₙ - aₙ), and the Zariski topologies will agree along this identification. There's nothing very special about these algebraic sets though.

Let X be any (pre-)ordered set with at least one bottom element. For a subset Y ⊆ X, define the lower and upper sets associated to Y as

L(Y) = { x ∈ X : x ≤ y for all y ∈ Y }, U(Y) = { x ∈ X : x ≥ y for all y ∈ Y }.

We call a lower [upper] set principal if it is of the form L(x)= L({x}) [U(x) = U({x})] for some x ∈ X. If X is complete (any subset has at least one least upper bound and greatest lower bound), then any lower or upper set is principal. Note that ⋂ᵢ L(Yᵢ) = L(⋃ᵢ Yᵢ), so lower sets are closed under arbitrary intersections; they provide what's called a closure system on the power set of X. The lower closure of a set Y is the intersection of all lower sets containing Y. We have that Y ⊆ L(x) if and only if x ∈ U(Y), so the lower closure of Y is given by L(U(Y)). If the lower sets were furthermore closed under finite unions (including empty unions), then they would form the closed sets of a topology on X.

This is not generally true; first of all, note that any lower set contains the bottom elements of X, of which there is at least one, so the empty set is not a lower set. As for binary unions, generally we have L(Y₁) ∪ L(Y₂) ⊆ L(Y₁ ∩ Y₂), but this inclusion might be strict. This is something we can fix by restricting to a subset of X.

We say that p ∈ X is prime if p is not a bottom element and for all x, y such that for all z such that x ≤ z and y ≤ z we have p ≤ z, we have that p ≤ x or p ≤ y. That is, if p is smaller than every upper bound of x and y, then p is smaller than x or y. Furthermore, we say that p is a prime atom if it is a minimal prime element. Let P(X) and A(X) denote the sets of primes and prime atoms of X, respectively. For a subset Y ⊆ X, let the Zariski closed set associated to Y be given by

Z(Y) = L(Y) ∩ P(X) = { p ∈ P(X) : p ≤ y for all y ∈ Y }.

We again have ⋂ᵢ Z(Yᵢ) = Z(⋃ᵢ Yᵢ), so the Zariski closed sets are closed under arbitrary intersections. Note also that Z(X) = ∅, so the empty set is closed. Now let Y₁, Y₂ be subsets of X. We find that Z(Y₁) ∪ Z(Y₂) = Z(U(Y₁ ∪ Y₂)). Clearly if p is smaller than all of the elements of one Yᵢ, then it is smaller than every upper bound; the interesting part is the other containment.

Assume that p ∈ Z(U(Y₁ ∪ Y₂)), so p is smaller than every upper bound of Y₁ ∪ Y₂. If p is smaller than every element of Y₁ then we are done, so assume that there is some y ∈ Y₁ with p ≰ y. For every y' ∈ Y₂ we have that p is smaller than every upper bound of y and y', so because p is prime we get that it is smaller than y or y'. It is not smaller than y, so p ≤ y'. We conclude that p ∈ Z(Y₂), and we're done.

As before, the Zariski closure of a set of primes Q ⊆ P(X) is given by Z(U(Q)). Note however that for a point x ∈ X we have L(x) = L(U(x)), so the Zariski closure of a prime p is Z(p). It follows that A(X) is exactly the subspace of closed points of P(X).

So we have defined the Zariski topology on P(X). How can we recover the classical examples?

If X is the collection of algebraic subsets of kⁿ ordered by inclusion, then P(X) consists of the irreducible algebraic subsets, and we can identify kⁿ itself with A(X). Our Zariski topology coincides with the standard definition.

If X = R is a unital commutative ring, ordered by divisibility, then being prime for the ordering coincides with being either prime for the ring structure, or being equal to 0 if R is an integral domain. Note that this ordering is not generally antisymmetric; consider 1 and -1 in a ring of characteristic not equal to 2.

A more well-behaved version of the previous example has X = { ideals I ⊴ R }, ordered by reverse inclusion. Note that for principal ideals (r), (s) we have (r) ⊇ (s) if and only if r divides s. We have P(X) = Spec R and A(X) = Max R, and our Zariski topology coincides with the standard definition.

You can play the same game if X is the lattice of subobjects of any structure H. If H is a set (or a topological space) and X is its power set, then the primes and prime atoms are the same; the points. The Zariski topology is the discrete topology on H. If H is a vector space, then P(X) is empty, because any non-zero subspace V can be contained in the span of two subspaces that don't contain V. It seems that the sweet spot for 'interesting' Zariski topologies is somewhere in between the rigidity of vector spaces and the flexibility of sets.

If H is an affine space, then again the prime elements are exactly the points. The resulting Zariski topology has as closed sets the finite unions of affine subspaces of H.

An interesting one is if X is the set of closed sets of some topological space S (generalizing the first example). The prime elements are the irreducible closed sets, and if S is T1 (meaning all points are closed), then the points of A(X) can be identified with those of S. Then the Zariski topology on A(X) is the same as the topology on S, and the Zariski closure of an irreducible closed set is the set of all irreducible closed sets contained in it.

[incesthemes]

there's an interesting comparison made in playthings on the topic of the home that i keep coming back to. sam and dean are, technically speaking, homeless, and this episode is about a home—a home which, as it turns out, has generations of history behind it. the inn has been in susan's family for over a century. it sits in stark contrast to sam and dean's nomadic lifestyle—sherwin (speaking on behalf of susan and rose) and dean can't connect on these grounds because dean has never really known the stability of a home, and susan and rose have never really known the instability of homelessness.

what i keep thinking about, then, is that sam and dean are paralleled with maggie and rose. these are two characters who are trapped within the confines of their home, swallowed whole by its walls.

maggie can't leave her home, and rose dies to save maggie, willingly trapping herself within it as well. this is a good, happy ending, with both of them finally at peace now that they have each other, alone together forever.

if maggie and rose are trapped within their home, and maggie and rose are sam and dean, then that would imply that sam and dean have a home to be trapped within as well.

i think you can make the argument that the house they're trapped in is their codependent relationship. it's the focus of the season, after all: they're settling into their codependency, learning each other in a new way now that they've accepted this twisted relationship they've chosen. it's the crux of the tension between them as they struggle to understand what codependency means for themselves and each other, misunderstandings popping up left and right because they can't quite get it right. dean is choosing sam, sam is choosing dean, but they're doing it in ways that don't quite match, or ways that have disastrous consequences.

playthings, then, shows a "good" ending for them, a conclusion with hope and promise and ideals. if you consider maggie as sam (the "monster" of the story, the unfortunate child who suffered a fate they had no control over and who simply wants to be loved, to have a family), then dean is rose—the keeper, the one suppressing the monstrosity from affecting those uninvolved until a stroke of weakness allows the monster to leak out, an accident which can only be rectified by self-sacrifice.

in reality, the "monstrosity" is simply a violent loneliness. maggie wants someone to play with, and sam wants to belong inside his family unit. whenever sam isn't accepted into his family, he's pushed instead toward his fate, toward azazel. when dean isn't pulling him closer, he's being pushed toward the monstrosity of destiny. it's a violence of circumstance, a violence brought forth by neglect and ostracization.

the only way to quell the "monster" is through the family. the keeper must die, or rather choose to stay with the "monster" forever. rose dies so that maggie will have a playmate. she placates the spirit and they live happily ever after. it's hopeful, promising. there is a way out of this cycle of tragedy.

just two episodes prior, dean nearly does the same thing. he will die alongside sam so that sam doesn't have to be alone. he will die alongside sam so that he doesn't have to be alone. within the context of croatoan, this was the correct choice that dean made: he abandoned his duty to john and his fate and chose sam above all else. he went against the judgment conditioned into him and followed sam as his moral compass. he embraced whatever monstrosity might spill out of sam and chose it for himself, too, because he couldn't leave sam to suffer alone.

there was a way out of their cycle of tragedy.

the conflict presented in seasons 1 and 2 (and beyond) is that of the winchesters' fates versus their family. as a result, whenever they aren't choosing each other, they're inevitably following the paths to their destinies. playthings therefore shows the "good" end, the way out of that destiny: if they decide to save each other, they will escape their fates as the mythical cain and abel, as michael and lucifer, as hunter and boy king. indeed rose begins the story using hoodoo to bind maggie's spirit, suppressing and rejecting her. they start as opposing forces until they choose love, choose each other, and come together to escape their fates, finally existing on their own terms outside of the story of good and evil.

sam and dean, too, have the ability to transcend their destinies, close the book, and abandon the story. it's exactly what dean tries to do throughout season 2, until azazel forces their hands to move the plot along. while sam is busy fretting about his destiny, dean's head is clear: he's going to save sam, choose sam, destiny be damned. dean goes down the same route as rose. maggie and rose therefore show what could be, what would be if they both abandon the story for each other.

by positing maggie as an allegory for sam, there arises some interesting suggestions about sam's desires and needs. maggie wants someone she can be with forever, without anyone bothering them. someone to play with, to share her every moment with, to be locked in their own little world with for the rest of time. if maggie is sam, then perhaps there is something of these desires within him, as well. sam's violent protectiveness of dean supports this idea, and so does his rather enthusiastic abandonment of society to form a codependent relationship with him—the beginning of season 2 depicts sam as being much more devoted to this codependency than dean is, while dean is struggling with john's death and his new conflict.

maggie's core fear is being alone. this is rather synonymous with sam's core fear of being excluded, and understanding them as parallels develops both of them as characters: sam's isolation mirrors the isolation maggie felt for however many decades rose spent binding her spirit. there's also a fine distinction between sam's core fear and dean's, which is illustrated through this comparison—dean fears abandonment, the people he loves walking away from him. sam on the other hand fears exclusion, which is not exactly the same. exclusion can mean being held at arm's length, knowing that his loved ones are in on something but not himself being part of it. maggie is trapped inside her home; she can't leave. at the same time, her family has grown up around her, and she has watched them become different people without ever being able to interact with them. the binding of her spirit doesn't magically erase her presence from the house; rather, she implies quite directly that she was aware of the time passing when rose was "keeping her away." maggie is an outsider inside the home from which she cannot escape—very much like sam, who is trapped inside his family unable to extricate himself from their confines while simultaneously being isolated from them.

and in this way the pierpont inn—the home—becomes a symbol for the family. the home in playthings transforms from a prison to a sort of freedom and peace when rose chooses to trap herself inside of it alongside her sister. the family is sam's prison, but if he chooses to stay with dean and dean chooses to stay with him, they can trap themselves within its confines and escape the monstrosity lurking outside. and this, the show suggests, is their happy ending, at peace among each other, alone together forever inside the walls of their home.

[ariesqueencobra]

what we used to be | V

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your dad disapproves of Eli and Cobra Kai. You're also waiting on Eli to ask you out. Oh, you also get punched in the face.

Warnings: violence, blood, mentions of tattoos

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: I think this chapter is cute! Make sure that if you want to see more of this story to comment and reblog! Comments let me know what you like about the story and reblogs help others see the story! Thanks!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“Junbi!” Sensei shouted. 

You followed his directions, getting into the correct stance.

“Good, bow,” he slapped his hands against his outer thighs, watching as the class listened. “Fighting positions,” he held his fists up.

You watched him and yourself in the mirror when he instructed you to go through the motions. You felt proud as you were getting the hang of it, the gi you wore allowed you to blend in with the rest of the crowd, and for once, you didn’t feel out of place.

“Stabilize your base, Hawk,” Sensei kicked Eli’s foot out, making him grunt. “Keep your balance. Full rotation when you strike,” he demonstrated.

You watched before correcting your own mistake. But as Sensei continued to walk through the rows, you jumped when he neared you.

“Did you just flinch?” He asked you and you averted your gaze. He narrowed his gaze before checking out the rest of the class, and coming to a conclusion. “Holy shit, we got a room full of flinchers”. 

“Yes, Sensei!” 

You felt stupid for saying it, but your instinct told you that was the best response.

“That was not a question,” he shouted. “Raise your hand if you’ve never been punched in the face,” he asked and stared in amazement when everyone besides his first two students held their hand in the air. 

The nerves that appeared in your stomach told you what your sensei was thinking. Your stomach dropped when it was right.

“All your life you’ve been avoiding fights so you don’t break your nose or lose a tooth,” he paced back and forth before stopping in the middle of the mat. “There’s only one solution and that is before you leave this dojo, each and every one of you is gonna take a punch, very hard, to the face,” he directed.

You gulped.

“Miss Robinson, line them up, unflinch this group,” he ordered before walking back to his office.

She hesitated, glancing at Miguel for support until she cracked her knuckles, beginning with you. 

“Sorry, Y/N,” she sucked in a breath before reeling back her fist and knocking you square in the face.

The impact was hard. 

You actually stumbled a few steps back as you held your nose. You felt a dribble of wetness on your upper lip and when you reached to wipe, you saw blood. The sight made you freak out, but as you assessed the rest of yourself, you realized you were okay. 

You survived.

Still, the pain that radiated in your face was new and unwelcomed. 

“Nice job, babe,” Eli grinned, patting you on the back. “Total badass”.

You smiled in response as you walked off the mat, grabbing a tissue from your backpack to help with the bleeding. You spent the rest of the time, waiting for Eli’s turn. 

Every person faced Aisha’s punch, all of them groaning out in pain afterward. Some had already left class and finally, it was your boyfriend’s turn.

She punched him so hard he went flying. The gasp that escaped you was comical as you went over to his aid.

“He’s okay!” Aisha shouted.

“I’m fine,” he groaned, doubling over as he struggled to get up.

You grabbed him by the arm, hosting him up as you led him back to the front.

“That was intense,” Eli said, rubbing his shoulder where he landed on the mat.

“Tell me about it,” you giggled but immediately stopped when that caused pain to erupt. “Wanna head back to my house?” You touched your nose, seeing that the blood was stopping.

“Sure, maybe we could spar a little, some one on one,” he smirked, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. 

You felt your face heat up as you began to walk towards your bikes. “That’d be fun,” you grinned.

Once you were back at your house, you were glad to see that your parents weren’t home from work yet. You made your way to the fridge to grab a few drinks and snacks for you and Eli before you made your way to the back. 

“Sensei is training us hard, but I kinda like the challenge,” you smirked, handing Eli his drink.

“Same, I never felt more badass than I do now,” he raised a brow. “So you ready?” 

“Ready,” you raised your fists.

It was fun more than anything, to be honest. 

You kept your focus on your stance but it was enjoyable getting to mess around with your boyfriend on the grass. 

“You’re going too easy on me,” you giggled when you dodged a punch that was easy to block. 

“Well I don’t want to hurt you,” he smiled, ducking when you swung your arm. 

“Oh, c’mon, I took that punch without a sweat, you went flying,” you snorted. 

“The details don’t need to be recounted,” he dismissed, making you laugh again. 

Without another thought, you tackled Eli, making him fall onto his back on the grass. The look on his face was priceless before you swung your leg over him so you hovered above him. “I win,” you smirked, reaching down to peck his lips.

“What the hell is going on here?” Your father's voice boomed in the backyard. 

Your eyes widened and you were quick to get off of Eli. 

“Hi, Dad,” you ran your hand over your hair, gulping down the awkwardness.

“Hi, sir, we were just practicing karate,” Eli jumped up, standing beside you. 

“Karate?” He looked puzzled. “Since when did you join karate?” He glanced at you.

“A week ago,” you answered. “Mom said it was okay,” you added. 

“Wait here, I’m not done with whatever is going on between you two,” he jutted a finger at the space between you and Eli. 

“Hang on,” you touched Eli’s arm before heading inside.

You entered the kitchen, hearing your parents' voices as they spoke to each other.

“She wanted to join karate, you know it’s hard for her at school with the bullies,” your mom reasoned, prepping the vegetables in the sink.

“You know how I feel about karate,” your dad said, his hands placed on his hips.

Your mom rolled her eyes. “Our daughter’s never been more confident,” she retorted. “You know she’s on a good path,” her gaze softened. 

You took a step forward, still not being known by your parents. The creak of the floorboard turned their attention to you.

“It’s true,” you began. “I really like karate,” your voice lightened.

“What’s the dojo?” Your dad asked.

“Cobra Kai,” you stated.

The way his disapproving face changed to one of fear piqued your interest, but his next words made you forget about that thought. “Absolutely not,” he shook his head. “You’re quitting,” he ordered.

Your mouth fell open and you glanced at your mom who had a “you're serious?” look. “Why not?” You whined.

He stepped away, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You didn’t know what it was like growing up with Cobra Kai in the Valley, their students were a menace, it was a good thing they got banned in ‘85,” he explained. “You don’t know Cobra Kai like I do,” he huffed out.

You knew there was more to the story, but you couldn’t pinpoint it at the moment. Knowing you wanted to keep your position at Cobra Kai more than anything, you kept your mouth shut with the questions.

“It’s different now,” you reasoned. “Sensei Lawrence is turning us into badasses, not losers,” you frowned. “I mean look at Eli” you pointed out into the backyard where he was practicing some positions.

Your parents followed your gaze and your mother made a sound of approval but your dad was quick to dismiss it.

“He looks like he’s on his way to becoming an ass,” he turned back to look at you. “And now what? You’re dating him?” He scoffed, his features telling you dating the boy you had a crush on for the last decade was the most offensive thing you could ever do.

“He’s not an ass,” you rolled your eyes. “And, as a matter of fact, I am,” you crossed your arms over your chest, finding the confidence to hold your stance.

“I don’t approve, of him or the karate,” he waved his hands out in front of him. “I want you to end things with him,” he pointed at your boyfriend.

“Dad?! No!” You scoffed. “I’m not ending things with Eli and I’m not leaving Cobra Kai,” you defended. 

“Then you’re grounded,” he stated, point blankly. 

“Mom!” You turned to her.

She sucked in a breath, placing a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Eli’s a good kid, we both know that,” she began. “As for Cobra Kai, maybe this is a lesson she needs to figure out on her own,” she shrugged. “But no matter what, we’re gonna be there for her, right?” She pressed a smile, lightening her tone in hopes that it got him to change his mind.

After a beat of silence, he inhaled deeply. “Fine, you can keep dating the kid. But there won’t be any more unsupervised visits and your door has to be open at all times,” he raised a finger, tone firm. “As for Cobra Kai, I want to tell you right now, I don’t trust that it’s changed one bit so be careful, okay?” He warned. 

You gulped. Part of you wanted to take his warning seriously, but the other part of you was relieved that he agreed. With a smile on your face, you ran up to your parents, engulfing them in a hug.

“Thanks, guys,” you breathed out, pressing a kiss to both their cheeks.

You pulled away, running out to the backyard to meet Eli. 

“They approve,” you beamed. “Of you and Cobra Kai!” You admitted.

He faltered. “Wait, me? They didn’t approve of me?” 

“My mom has always, but you know how my dad is,” you shrugged, grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “But it’s all okay now,” you reached over to kiss him on the cheek. 

“Awesome,” he grinned.

~

You were stretching between Aisha and Hawk when Miguel began talking about his “not-a-date” with Samantha LaRusso.

It was cute seeing him get all excited for it but your heart sank when you realized he was going on a date before you and he wasn’t even dating anyone!

The thought made you sigh out loud but it went ignored as Miguel droned on.

“I need somewhere romantic but not too romantic,” he contemplated.

You snickered when Aisha rolled her eyes. About to open your mouth to speak, Eli beat you to it. 

He jumped up on his feet, undoing his belt before shrugging the material off. “You could take her to get tattoos. I know a guy, who just hooked me up with this bad boy,” he said as he turned around.

Your eyes went wide. 

Oh shit.

“That is badass,” Aisha said.

You were silent, in complete shock. You couldn’t believe your boyfriend got a tattoo without telling you.

“Fourteen hours in the chair,” he stated.

You shook your head in disbelief but a crease formed between your brows when you recalled the day he was MIA. “Is that why you canceled on me?” You asked, feeling kind of offended.

“Sorry about that babe, I wanted to surprise you,” he quickly apologized as he tied the belt again, sitting down and kissing you quickly. “Also don’t tell my parents,” he added. 

You snorted at that.

“Any other suggestions?” Miguel pivoted the conversation back to its main focus. 

“Maybe do something she likes,” you suggested. “Or dinner and a movie, maybe a picnic on the beach, those would be my ideal first date,” you emphasized, sending a look towards Eli. 

“Kinda corny,” Miguel disagreed. 

“I’m out of options then,” you sighed, focusing back on your stretching as your mind thought to the possibility of going on your first date with Eli.

It made sense to go on a date at this point in the relationship. You had been dating for longer than a week, you kissed several times. What’s the hold-up? 

That question plagued you for the rest of class so much you didn’t realize you were walking out of the dojo.

“Good luck on your not-a-date,” Aisha wished Miguel. “See ya later, guys,” she bid you and Eli. 

“You’ve been quiet since Miguel brought up his girl problems, did he get you too depressed?” He chuckled, wrapping his arm around you.

“No,” you shook your head. “Just the date talk got me thinking,” you shrugged, glancing down.

“About what?” He asked, pulling his bike off the rack. 

“Nothing,” you opted to answer.

Riding your bike home alongside him was the highlight of your afternoon, but today you were quiet. It felt like the Halloween dance all over again but you didn’t want a repeat of that. Still, you weren’t sure how to bring it up without sounding desperate. 

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Eli,” you reached over to kiss him goodbye. 

He nodded, waiting by the curb until you entered your house. “Y/N!” He shouted.

You paused fishing out your keys from your bag. “Yeah?” 

“I want to take you out, officially,” he smirked.

“Really?” You didn’t even try to hide your excitement, dropping your things and running towards him. “Where?” 

“It’s a surprise,” he shrugged. “But tomorrow, seven alright? I’ll pick you up,” he said. 

“Okay,” you agreed, beaming with happiness as you grabbed his face to kiss him before you went back to your dropped things. You waved at him before shutting the door behind you.

You were going on your first date!

~

[captainderyn]

[Fictober24] Day 1: "That was good work."

Prompt: "That was a good work."

Fandom: LOTRO

Pairings: None

Warnings: None

Summary: Eldarion has been training with Wulfwryn in the art of the sword since he was a boy, yet he still cannot best her in combat. Frustrated with this, it takes Wulfwryn sharing some of her own wisdom to reflect that perhaps not seeing combat is a blessing and not a failing.

Read on AO3

---

Watching her mother spar was something Faewryn would never tire of. The elegance of her blows and parries were like the most intricate steps of a festival dance and the way she wielded her sword and shield was just as natural as the way her father held his lute. 

Faewryn, however much she adored watching her mother spar, never wanted to partake. Aside from wielding a sword—or dagger, bow, glave, or any other weapon—feeling so unnatural to her despite any number of practice hours that she was more apt to cut off her own hand than cut an opponent, she had no desire to lose time after time. 

This particular time, after many times before, finally frustrated Eldarion to his limit, and he drove the tip of his sword into the soft dirt of the sparring arena and leaned against it. Despite the cool autumn air, his face was flushed with exertion and sweat pooled on his brow, sticking his mused hair to his forehead. He shook his head like a wet dog before scrubbing his hand through the damp strands. 

“That was good work, Eldarion.” Wulfwryn praised, leaning her sword and shield against the weapons rack. She ran her sleeve over her forehead, her own face red with exertion. They’d been going through session after session back to back with no end in sight. 

Faewryn rested her forearms on the half wall, pressing onto her tiptoes and rocking back down as she called, “You nearly had her that time!” 

The glare leveled at her made her dissolve into giggles that she stifled with her hands. She knew the look her mother was giving her without looking—she wasn’t meant to heckle or tease any of her trainees, no matter if that trainee was her dearest and longest friend. 

Eldarion huffed, the most petulant he would let himself get. “I’ve been training with you for years, yet I’m still getting my ass kicked like a tot with his first wooden sword.” 

Wulfwryn leveled a look at him with raised brows. 

“Hardly a tot.” Wulfwryn admonished. “You know I go especially hard on you, as your father instructed me to.”

Faewryn pressed her tongue to her cheek, already rehearsing in her head how the next part of the conversation would go. It was the same every time, with the same answers again and again.  

“That’s exactly it! If I cannot hold my own here, how am I meant to ride with you on missions? I am nearly in my twenty-third year yet I have not ridden out once with our guards. You have soldiers younger than that!” 

If her mother’s sigh was an indicator, she also knew how this song and dance played out. Faewryn mouthed along as the two went back and forth, every word near correct. 

“You shouldn’t be so eager to go chasing down rogue orc bands. They’re a brutish bunch, and the ones that still persist after all these years after particularly sturdy.”

Eldarion was quick to counter, as he always was, “It looks shameful to have the son of the king fresh as a welp in actual battle.” 

“Have you perhaps considered that we who fought in the war don’t wish the same for our children? That we’d prefer to keep sparring exercises as learning and not life or death?” This was always the line that shut Eldarion up before, and it worked no different this time. He snapped his mouth closed and Wulfwryn nodded as if content this would be the conclusion. 

She hefted up her shield again, gesturing for Eldarion to pick up his sword once again. He did with a weary breath. 

“I know you’re eager to put this to use, I know you wish to prove yourself, but truly how long do you think I’ve been studying the sword?” Wulfwryn asked. 

Both Eldarion and Faewryn hesitated, weighing the odds wrongly answering such a question. 

“…years?” Eldarion finally answered in a hesitant, small voice. 

Wulfwryn tipped her head back with a full-bellied laugh. “A great many years! I’ll leave specifics to your imagination. Now, think: you’re trying to cram a lifetime of training and true battle experience into a handful of years. You’ll get there, I promise, hopefully with far less pain and trial than I.” 

She gestured to his sword, still in a resting position. “Now, again.” 

[potatoknitsmysteriouscoinkidink]

So we all know richmond will have matches against Man City and West Ham within the last eps, that’s a given. But I’ve been going back and forth on who will play last because obviously West Ham is the enemy because of Rupert so they’re like a Big Deal this season but Man City, Man City has been there from the beginning they’re their white whale so it would also make sense for them to play and win as the final match of the season (perhaps with Nate having rejoined them??)

I’ve decided it’s West Ham. Although as I write this I’m sort of changing my mind

This is for ONE reason and one reason only. And idk anything about football so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but if Richmond play against Man City they’ll both be wearing blue right? And is that like not allowed because that seems like it would be pretty hard to tell the players apart. So one team will have to be wearing a their different uniform. But West Ham wears RED… I think!

So in conclusion, Richmond will play West Ham last because the last match should have the players in their clothes because if Richmond is wearing their orange (or yellow) outfits I’ll riot. (although I don’t think they would be? I think it’s would be Man City because Richmond would be the home team? Because the last match has to be a home game. And we’ve never seen Man City’s other clothes? Or maybe we have? Idk and I can’t be bothered to check)

Anyway, to further conclude because I went off on a tangent last time, Richmond and what ever team they play HAVE to be wearing their normal clothes so I think Nate will join Richmond again (or at least help them out) and together they will defeat rupert and West Ham.

[littlepadika]

Calling Home (1) | Frankie Morales x Reader

Summary: You are a receptionist at the VA. Frankie Morales keeps calling. Yearning ensues...

Rating: M -> E in later chapters

Warnings: fem!reader, age gap (legal), praise kink, voice kink, discussion of addiction/PTSD/trauma, no use of y/n, no beta reader, reader is bad at Spanish, Frankie has a sexy voice 😩

Masterlist here

AN: My first fic. Pedro writers have inspired me to finally start writing again 🥺. Concept inspired by the movie RED. I hope you like it ❤️Set after triple frontier.

Chapter One

~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time he called was an ordinary Thursday.

“Veterans Affairs, how can I help you?”

You had been working at the VA office for about two weeks. Fresh out of college you felt lucky to have a job in the first place. You went to school to be a writer but your big idea for 'The Next Great American Novel' had yet to present itself. At least here you had access to the most inspiring stories and interesting people. Men and women who had seen more and done more than you probably would in your entire life. You loved talking to clients on the phone. It was weird but something about only being able to hear people’s voices excited you. You would sometimes write little stories in your head about the people you'd talk to, filling in the details that were unknown.

Your desk accessories reflected your love of books and writing. You had your growing collection of books sitting on your desk sandwiched between baby pink bookends. Next to them was a matching desk organizer filled with your favorite sparkly pens and sticky notes. You had decorated the plain cubicle walls with posters of quotes from your favorite books. You also brought your favorite candle from home. Even though you couldn’t light it you still liked to lift it to your nose once and a while and smell it between chapters. When you weren’t on the phone or scanning documents you would read. You finished To Kill A Mockingbird in your first week on the job and were now halfway through Murder on the Orient Express.

You were starting a new chapter when Frankie Morales called the first time.

You picked up the phone on the second ring already mustering your chipper 'customer service' voice. “Veterans affairs.” You stated your name. “How may I help you?”

“H-Hi. My name is Frankie- uh-Francisco Morales." A deep voice answered you. "I’m calling because I have gotten my benefits check yet. It’s been a month. I was hoping you could tell me if it got sent?”

“Okay Mr. Morales." You flipped on the computer. "Let me check. Can you spell your last name for me?”

“M-o-r-a-l-e-s”

“Okay... let's see.” You clicked on his account. You were momentarily distracted by his picture likely taken when he graduated basic if you had to guess based off the uniform. He looked sweet. Sharp nose and strong jaw balanced by kind eyes and a shy smile. You could imagine how age would continue to soften his expression making him even more handsome. The image was a strange juxtaposition to the voice you were hearing on the phone which was much deeper and rougher. His profile said he was special forces. A pilot. The rest of the information was blacked out. Something you were used to seeing on many people's accounts but even his years of service were redacted. He must have been involved in some dangerous stuff, you thought to yourself. The dates that were not redacted were mostly in Latin America. You clicked over to processing requests. “Looks like the check got sent one week ago.” You informed him.

"I'll look again but I haven't seen anything-" It sounded like he was apologizing when clearly it was not his fault.

"No no. It's probably a mistake on our end." You interrupted. With how shitty and outdated the payroll interface was you wouldn't be surprised if there was a mix up. "I’ll go ahead and let payroll know to send another."

"Great. Thanks." He replied sounding relieved. The roughness in his voice gave way to a smooth baritone.

“No problem. I'm sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused. We'll get it sent right away." You hoped he was not relying on this benefit check for anything important. While you could promise you'd fix the problem, the administration was notoriously slow. When he didn't respond you asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with today, Mr. Morales?”

“Uh-no" The roughness back in place. "Thank you." He paused before adding your name onto his thank you which made you smile. People usually never remembered your name.

“Alright. Have a nice day and thank you for your service.” You chirped before hanging up. The smile he put on your face lingered for a few minutes as you returned to your book.

The next time he called was exactly twelve days later.

“Veterans affairs” you answered, your routine greeting cut short as your eyes were still on your book.

“Hi- I’m calling because uh I still haven’t gotten my benefits check. This is Frankie Morales.”

“Oh Mr. Morales.” You recognized his voice even before he even said his name. You quickly shut your book, pushing your hair out of your face. Had you been thinking about him? No! Okay maybe you stared at his picture for a few minutes longer after he hung up. Yes, it was probably very unprofessional but you couldn't fight the curiosity. You were trying to rationalize the contrasting sharpness and softness of his features with his voice. How it all worked together. How one person's voice could change textures and colors so easily. You wondered what kind of things this man might have seen on the job. Most of the veterans you would help day to day did not have so many redacted missions and deployments. You were in the middle of Narcos season one so you immediately thought of drugs or something equally dangerous. After much pondering, you had come to the conclusion that Frankie Morales was both insanely attractive and insanely courageous. “Still no check, huh?”

“Nope.” He sighed the sound making the phone's shitty speaker crackle as you held it to your ear.

“Let me just check that it was approved...“ you found his profile again and scrolled to the status page. “Hmm... it says it was sent out last Friday after we spoke. That’s so weird...”

“Yeah. Really weird.” He echoed your frustration on the other end.

Typical payroll, you thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes. “I'll get another one sent to you right away. I'll see to it myself.” You tucked the phone under your chin and typed out a short email to Mary in payroll letting her know you'd be stopping by her office to explain the situation. You realized he hadn't hung up yet.

“Sorry for the back and forth.” You said, trying to fill the silence.

“It’s not your fault." The earlier irritation gone. "You’ve been really helpful.” His voice sounded warm and reassuring. Less gruff than it was last you spoke. Instead it was that rich baritone that you caught of glimpse of last time.

You feel your face warm at his compliment. It was this annoying reflex you had. Praise always made you blush no matter what context but it was worse when it came from a (you assume) gorgeous stranger.

“And just to verify that your address is correct- you’re on Maple Lane in Miami, Florida?”

“That’s right.” He confirmed.

“Okay. Sent!” You clicked send on the email, which caused the window to close and reveal Frankie’s profile page again. “I was curious-" You spoke before you really made the decision to speak. You didn’t want to overstep but once again your curiosity got the better of you. Honestly, you were just searching for a way to keep him on the phone. The day had been so boring.

“Your profile says you were stationed in Costa Rica.”

“For a bit.” He replied after a moment. He didn’t sound too defensive but there was definitely some tightness in his answer that made you feel bad for asking. Like you were scratching a wound.

“Did you like it? The country I mean.”

“Are you planning a trip?” He sounds a little amused.

“Yeah- well- kind of. It's more a trip in my head right now. I’d like to go there one day. It looks so beautiful.” You sighed closing your eyes trying to imagine the heat on your skin.

“It is." He agrees. "Really humid though.”

“Mm that sounds nice.” You would kill for some warm weather after such a long winter in DC.

“It was too muggy for me at times." He grumbled. "If you do go, stick to the costal areas where it’s more breezy or else you’ll just be sweating the whole time.”

“I don’t mind a little sweat” you shrugged, still thinking of the awful east coast winter you were currently suffering through. The sexual connotation of what you said hit you hard as soon as you heard the statement in its entirety. You felt your face flush again, though the man on the other end would never know.

“I’m learning Spanish!" You announced loudly trying to move the conversation past your awkwardness.

“Wow. Muy impressivo.”

“Si” you replied but after a moment you admit “I don’t really know what you said.”

Frankie laughed loudly on the other end and you couldn’t help but join in, drawing dirty looks from the elderly lady, Donna, working in the cubicle across from you. You ducked your head behind a stack of papers to avoid her glare.

“Fake it till you make it.” He chuckled.

“Maybe you should help me out.” You took on an indigent but still playful tone. “You sound better than duolingo” Your smile widened when he laughed again. His laugh was what you hoped it would be, by all your assumptions from his picture. It was an unencumbered, unburdened, rich sound with only a hit of roughness from the air behind it.

“Tell me you’re not using that dumb app to learn.” he scoffed, saying your name in an almost scolding tone.

“I’m got my thirty day streak today.” You boasted.

“You’ll be a total tourist if you go by duolingo.”

“But the owl is so cute every time I get something right!” You argued your voice taking on a more childish cadence.

“That’s how they trap you, silly girl.” He teased right back. Usually such a condescending nickname would piss you off but something about the affection behind him using it made you feel very differently. You felt warm like you were proud to be silly as long as it made him laugh.

“Then you saved me just in time, Mr. Morales.” You bit your lip. His scoffing and laughter died down on the other end.

“Frankie” He corrects you.

“Frankie…” You repeated it, smiling at how well the nick name suited the voice over the phone. Honest, sincere, and not pretentious at all. Way better than the pompous guys you know with equally stuffy names like “Edward” and “Christopher.”

“So what do you want to know?” Frankie interrupted your thoughts. “Dime”

You started asking him questions in Spanish to the best of your ability. Granted they weren't particularly probing questions. What is your name? What is your favorite color? What is your favorite animal? What's your favorite book? I am reading Gone Girl. He answered them all with patience and amusement, occasionally interrupting you to correct your pronunciation or explain what a word meant. Every time you’d repeat the word back correctly he would say something like “good” or “there you go” or “you got it”. You hated to admit that his kind words and his praise was doing something to you. You didn't even realize you were clenching your legs together unconsciously, almost in anticipation of his next correction or next answer. His low voice so sweet and encouraging against your ear, more tangible when he was speaking Spanish. You just wanted to hear more of it. Would it be this sweet in other situations? Would it get huskier or rougher? If you closed your eyes it was like he was sitting right next to you. It would be all too easy to slip into that daydream and escape the dull office.

Suddenly out of the corner of your drooping eyes you saw a flashing red light on the phone console meaning another caller was waiting.

“Shoot- i’m sorry, Frankie- I have to take this call.” You shot forward in your chair, legs uncrossing.

“Of-Of course. I should let you get back to work.” He sounded a little sad or so you hoped. You felt bad for interrupting him after you both were having so much fun. You wanted to say he could wait on hold but he killed that idea when he said, "I have work too. Technically I'm five minutes past my lunch break."

Your pout turned to a smile. He was spending his precious lunch break with you? Get a grip! you snapped at yourself.

“You’re welcome to call again if you want.” You threw out the offer in a small voice, scared you would be rejected. You peered over the cubicle wall to see if you were still being glared at. Thankfully Donna was away from her desk. Probably out for a smoke. “It’s really boring here and usually no one calls.”

“Maybe I will.” He replied and you could hear the smile behind those words. You felt your heart clench weirdly in your chest like it didn't know how to process the sudden spike in emotions.

“Bye, Frankie.” You beamed.

“Bye”

This time the smile on your face lasted for hours. Frankie’s laugh echoed around in your head, taunting you, sending your mind to the gutter. His voice went from grit to molasses on a dime. You wanted to be the one to bring out those sounds. You wanted to hear his voice bend and stretch and strain as you fucked him. What the hell is wrong with me? you screamed internally. You had never been so depraved and with a stranger no less! You clearly needed to get laid fast because this much yearning would not end well.

Frankie got the second VA check a few days later and this time he didn’t even feel bad about ripping it in half. He was already reaching for the phone to call you.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tags: Message to be added 💕 no minors please!

[symptoms-syndrome]

There's a certain Way I've found many (mostly younger) people talk about mental health that's just so infuriating to me, and I think I've finally been able to pin down why. Firstly it feels very self centered, but it's also generally very New. Someone goes to college and develops depression, or just figured out they have trauma, or what have you. Secondly it's relatively (relatively) manageable, it's stressful and maybe you drop a class or two and make a comic about it or something.

But I think that really infuriates me, and triggers me to be honest, is what this sort of talk means when I'm in the room, when it's directed at me (exclusively or as part of an audience/conversation with others)

Generally, one of two assumptions is made. The first is more uncommon, but it's that I am a Neurotypical™ and thus could never understand The Struggle. Generally this has only been asserted when I've challenged something someone has said. The second is that I'm Just Like Them, after all we both have [insert thing here, often autism as I feel I am somewhat obviously social cue deficient] so we must be the same! But their experience is like. Not at all like mine. And there's no way to correct either assumption without giving out information I would prefer not to give.

Not to mention a lot of people I've met who are Like This need to be the most struggling person in the room, obviously none of their audience could ever be on the same level of horrible, awful mental health crises they experience, none of us could ever understand. Which can be awful frustrating to listen to from someone who just now started suspecting something might be wrong with them when I've been told there's something extremely wrong with me since I was like. Single digits. Like you think you're autistic now because you like weighted blankets and kids TV? That's cool n valid n all but I was harshly punished for rocking back and forth and not being able to be in loud rooms. Like not even trying to do any trauma Olympics just acknowledge that not everyone has this sparkling clean, frogcore experience with autism or whatever.

IDK it just feels. Bad. Seeing ppl all happy to start trying "happy flapping" when I was told to sit on my hands until they went numb. I'm glad they find joy in it, and I'm not even ashamed of being autistic or anything, it's just so utterly unrelatable to me while being treated as some Universal Experience.

Also there's a general theme that showed up in something else today of people mistaking my having worked on myself and made progress as me not having started yet, if that makes sense. Like I'm not curbing my talk about my SpIn because I haven't unpacked my whatever I'm doing it because I've learned how to have good back-and-forth conversation and not "hog the mic" so other people can talk about their interests, too. Or like, I'm not saying I don't want to talk to you about my trauma details/mental illness/etc because I'm "not ready to come to terms with it" I'm saying that because I've recognized that I don't generally gain anything useful from strangers regarding things I've been working on with friends, loved ones and my therapist for years.

I guess for context the other thing I was thinking about was that, when going around and giving names/pronouns, I mentioned I use "any pronouns" and someone said something along the lines of "ugh, I used to be like that but too many people used she and it was gross" and I'm like. Okay? Good for you, but I'm not new to this game. I don't need your help to discover I'm actually a he/they. I've been around the block and I've come to the conclusion, after years of experimentation, that I really am fine with any pronouns. You don't get to decide what you think I want/is best for me.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Run to You Part Three

Derek Morgan x Reader

Words: 1758

Part 3 of 3

Part One; Part Two

Summary: Having been dating for a while, you finally feel comfortable enough to introduce your boyfriend to your daughter, Angelica. Derek takes on the role better than you could have imagined and you start to feel like a family. Then one day, Angelica disappears from a friend’s house and your ex husband starts making demands. 

Notes: Is this procedurally correct? Probably not. But here it is! The last part to my Derek Morgan imagine! I hope you guys enjoy this and never forget that replies mean the world! This one kinda feels jumbled, but I hope you still like it. (I’m sorry it took forever! I got caught up with other projects, which I hope to be sharing soon!)

More Criminal Minds: HERE

-

The swarms of cops were overwhelming. You watched teams and teams of people surrounded the block Dr. Reid was the one that figured out that Lance had brought Angelica to the church that you got married, especially upon the discovery that it was going to be torn down in a few weeks. The idea of losing the one connection to you he had left was likely a trigger. 

No one was allowed to get too close. They worried that cornering Lance would make him panic and kill Angelica, so you were forced to stand back and watch. They made sure you weren’t alone, of course, though you weren’t sure if it was to comfort you or to make sure you didn’t try and run in alone. With all of the standing around you were doing, you felt ready to break down the front door. 

“Alright, so we’re sending a team around to the back to get in as quickly and quietly as possible. That’ll be me, Prentiss and a couple of the local P.D.” Derek explained, keeping his eyes locked on yours to make sure you understood that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to your baby. 

“He wants me, Derek. What if he knows you’re in there and he panics and he-”

“Hey, listen to me,” He put a hand on your cheek. “I’m not gonna let that happen.” Despite the eyes of his coworkers, he pulled you in for a gentle, reassuring kiss. It did little to calm you down, but just having him there made the situation that much easier. That moment, however, was cut short by the ringing of your phone. 

“God, not again.” You cried, pulling the device from your pocket. This time, Derek held out his hand. You gave him a confused look, but handed it to him. 

“Mr. Booker.” 

“You must be Agent Morgan.” Lance spat. “I know that you and your gang of federal pigs are coming after me. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because Y/N will see she’s wrong. I’ll show her she’s wrong.”

“Mr. Booker, we just want Angelica to be safely returned to her mother.” 

“What about her father, Agent Morgan? What about me!” 

“I want to make this as easy on you as possible, Mr. Booker, but you’ve got to help me out here.”

“Just bring my wife to me and nobody will get hurt.” 

“I can’t do that, Lance. You know I can’t do that.” Derek could tell that you were starting to panic from the way your eyes kept darting to the church and you slowly crept closer. He took your hand to keep you from bolting in there. 

“If I don’t see her in the next half hour... I’m taking my baby girl with me.” The call ended, but Morgan was already prepping his team to go in. 

“Derek, what did he say?” You kept your grip on his hand, following him to join Prentiss. 

“Nothing that he hasn’t already said.” He gave you the most reassuring look he could, but he knew that they had to act fast. 

“I’m going with you.”

“No. No, baby, you can’t.” He took your face in his hands. “Y/N, I need you to stay here. I need you to be safe. I can’t go get your little girl if I’m worried about you too, okay?” You shut your eyes, feeling more frightened tears slip down your cheeks. 

“What if he… what if you don’t get her in time? I need to see her, I-I need-”

“Don’t even think like that, baby.” He looked over your shoulder and motioned to the younger agent to stand beside you. “Now Reid is going to stay here with you, okay?” Reid gave him a small nod and put a comforting hand on your shoulder. Derek kissed your forehead. “I’ll be right back and I’m bringing Angel with me.” 

As he walked away, you could feel your body start to shake. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. You shut your eyes tight, the foolish part of you hoping that when you opened them, Derek and Angie would be smiling in front of you. But when you finally opened your eyes, all you saw was him walking away.

-

Morgan moved silently, followed closely by his team. Prentiss was right behind him and the other officers were ready to go. From what they could tell, Lance was in the chapel, keeping Angelica towards the back. The church had multiple entrances with one leading to the basement. This was determined to be the best point of entry since Lance was least likely to hear the team coming. 

While you couldn’t see him anymore, your heart beat more with every second. Dr. Reid stood by your side, his presence serving as a small comfort as he listened to the situation through his earpiece. He shifted suddenly and gave you a small, if not nervous, smile. 

“They’re in.” 

Derek directed the officers to one staircase while he and Prentiss crept up the other. The old floors creaked as they walked, making him wince. He could only hope that Lance couldn’t hear them. They moved fast and efficiently like they would any other raid, but his body was buzzing more than usual. He focused on the image of Angelica and kept going. 

“Morgan,” Prentiss stopped suddenly, looking around the corner. 

Angelica was seated on top of the old alter, swinging her small legs back and forth while she colored in a tattered psalm book. Booker was nowhere to be found. Morgan and Prentiss approached her slowly, double checking to make sure Lance wasn’t waiting for them. As soon as they were sure, Morgan ran to the little girl. 

“Derek!” She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. 

“It’s alright, Angel. I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.” He cradled the back of her head, holding her closed to his chest. 

“Sweetheart, I need you to tell us where your dad went.” Prentiss said gently. Angelica just gave her a tearful look and pointed up. The two agents exchanged a look, reaching the same conclusion. Derek motioned to one of the officers and reluctantly handed her a crying Angelica. 

“I wanna stay w-with D-Derek!” 

“I know, sweetie, but this nice woman is going to take you out to your mama, okay? I have to go find your dad with Emily. I’ll be out before you know it, but I need you to be brave. Can you do that?” 

She nodded, but held onto his hand until he had to pull away. Prentiss put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Morgan if you need to-”

“No, I want to finish this. I’m not letting that son of a bitch take the easy way out.” 

As they made their way to the roof, you were desperately watching the door of the church, gripping Dr. Reid’s hand a little too tightly. Time was ticking and your heart beat faster every second. 

Suddenly, a group of officers exited the church. You didn’t see Derek, but at the back of the group, a female officer held Angelica. Immediately dropping Reid’s hand, you sprinted towards her, taking her from the officer’s arms and holding her closer than you ever had. You cried as her hands clung to your shirt, promising yourself to never let her out of your sight again. 

On the roof, Derek stared down Lance as he prepared to jump. 

“Don’t do it, Mr. Booker.” Prentiss said, carefully taking a step towards him. 

“There isn’t a point anymore.” The man swayed back and forth, almost losing his balance. “I just wanted us to be a family again.”

“Killing yourself won’t fix what you did all those years ago, Lance.” 

“I loved Y/N. I swear I did. But I kept hurting her. I kept hurting her and now my daughter doesn’t even know who I am.” 

“Is this how you want Angelica to remember you? The man who hurt her mom and took her away?” Derek inched closer, careful not to provoke him into jumping. “If you die now, that’s all she’ll know.” 

“Don’t come any closer!”  Lance screamed, but he had stopped swaying. 

“Lance, you can spend the rest of your life giving her something good to remember. You owe her that much.” A darker part of Derek wanted Lance to know the pain that he inflicted upon you and your family, but the words he said now were true. The best thing Lance could do was try to redeem himself after everything he had done. 

“I...I… okay.” Lance seemed in a daze as he stepped off of the ledge. Prentiss cuffed him and the two led him back downstairs. 

Lance left the church first, making your heart sink. You almost didn’t recognize him. He was just a shell, nothing like the man you knew all those years ago. Maybe, one day, you would learn to feel sorry for him, but for now, as you watched him be loaded into the patrol car, you only felt relief. 

“Derek!” Angelica squealed, reaching out her arms. You whirled around and felt another sob escape your throat. 

The team watched Derek run to you, taking both you and Angelica in his arms. Prentiss finished getting Booker into the car and joined Hotchner, Reid, and Rossi. 

“That’s not something I thought I’d see.” She whispered with a smile. 

“Did you not think we’d get to the little girl on time?” Reid asked. 

“No,” She motioned to the trio in front of them. A family. “Derek falling in love.” The rest of the team smiled and separated into their designated vehicles. 

-

The crowd shouted and cheered as Angelica sprinted towards home plate. Visitors 3, Home team 6. You cheered louder than anyone. Well, maybe not anyone.

“That’s right! You can’t touch her!” Penelope screamed at the other team’s players. Everyone from the BAU had shown up. Over the past few months, you’d gotten to know all of them pretty well, even earning Penelope’s approval.  

“She’s good.” Emily smiled at you. You nodded. 

“She has a good coach.” You looked down at the dugout where Derek was waiting to give Angel a high-five. You must have caught his eye because he beamed up at you with that knockout smile. You grinned back. 

“You guys seem really happy.” J.J. mused, giving you a supportive smile. You nodded, keeping your eyes on Derek. 

“Yeah.” You waved down at him and your daughter as she came in for her victory. “We are.”

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks

Series: @ weasleytommy, @ lowsodiumfreaks67, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @ literallyprentissstwin, @ yallgotkik

[aelingalathyniusrailme]

gwynriel appreciation week-day 5

au day

Pirate headcanons

They start out as rival captains of their own ships

Gwyn’s ship is called the silver majesty. gwyn used to work for the crown but went rogue and took her crew with her. She kept the name. But don’t be fooled by it’s cuteness because her crew is as cut throat as they come

what they lack in resources, they make up for in ruthlessness and determination  

Azriel’s ship is called the shadowsinger. His boat is dark as night and if they don’t want to be found, you could scour the entire world and won’t find a damn thing

they are clever and brutal. they do not make mistakes and when they hit, they hit fast and hard 

Gwyn’s first mate is Nesta: the strategist with a grudge. She’s the fire of the group. you do not cross nesta, And her quarter master is Emerie: the responsible rock of the group with a secret vicious side. emerie always has been the most creative. Gwyn is the captain. She won her crew and position through sheer will. Gwyn is the glue that holds them together

Azriel’s first mate is Rhys: he’s cold and calculating. Always thinking, always plotting. And his quarter master is Cassian: he provides the brute force. You need to get rid of someone, cassians your guy, for the right price of course. he is the friendliest of them all. Azriel is the captain: azriel is lethal and quiet. He lets Rhys and Cassian deal with the rest of the crew while he acts as the mysterious captain with secrets for days. He keeps his position because he never fails to provide. Azriel’s got grit and a way of knowing everything that goes around him. 

The silver majesty and The shadowsinger have crossed paths only once before when they both cost each other a job

To gwyn, the shadowsinger is a myth just as the silver majesty is a legend to azriel. Neither knew that they had crossed paths. But they both vowed when they found the ship that ruined that job, they would get revenge.

both respect the other as the second best in the business

Gwyn docks her ship in the summer court. There she takes her crew to a bar. 

they walk in, a bunch of scary ass pirate ladies and everyone turns away, not wanting to draw their attention 

Gwyn walks to the counter with Emerie and Nesta in tow. She asks for a women named Mor. 

Mor is the sweet blonde bar tender. Although she has been known to hear things she shouldn’t and well gwyn may or may not pay for that information 

“What do you got for me blondie” 

“I got a lot of things, depends what you want” mor looked her up and down and smirked. 

“maybe later, you hear anything since the last time we were around?”

“Maybe I have, Maybe I haven’t” 

Gwyn knows to be patient with her, they continue this back and forth for a couple minutes before finally mor mentions she been hearing of possibly the biggest hall they ever came across. but it’s hidden and you need the map to get there. and it is very possible that mor has someone willing to trade for the map. 

I’m just going to cut to the chase, she stalls the buyer (his name is tamlin) with pretty words and false promises while nesta and emerie steal it 

They get back to the silver majesty triumphant and drunk as fuck

But then they realize, the map is blank. Nesta has already pulled out her two katanas and is ready to start slitting throats. specifically tamlin

emerie has yanked her daggers from their sheaths and is halfway out the door

but gwyn holds them off. she examines the map more closely, she has a hunch but she need to meet with another acquaintance first

The silver majesty makes the rough trip to the dreaded spring court. terrible place. truly terrible. said to be haunted. 

They find elain archeron in her manor. it is overgrown with plants but gwyn knows she likes it that way. Elain is a witch but her gifts tend to fall into the prophecy sort. Nesta stays a step behind, refusing to look at her sister. 

“Hello sister, sister’s friends” nesta grits her teeth ready to bite but gwyn hushes her. 

“Witch” 

“Seer” Elain corrects. “Witch has such an awful stigma around it, it’s bad for business. but seer has the perfect balance of ‘I can tell you your future but you shouldn’t fear me’ brings in a lot more people this way.”

“so let me guess, you need my help for a certain treasure I’ve heard about recently” 

“guessing games aren’t fun when you can see the future but yes” 

“ah my dear-”

gwyn cut her off “I am older than you”

“Gwyneth, sweetie, the wise witch persona brings in business” Gwyn refrained from rolling her eyes, out of all the batshit crazy people she had to deal with, her first mate’s sister was by far the worst. 

it didn’t help that they used to date and everything gwyn used to find endearing now pissed her off

Elain brought out a pearlescent ball, she put her hands over it in a dramatic spectacle. Gwyn knew she didn’t actually need the whole get up but Elain lived for the performance so she let it slide. Her eyes began to change, one glowed a bright white while the other was pitch black.

Emerie shifted uncomfortably. She never did like magic. minutes passed before  Elain’s eyes went back to normal and she regained consciousness

“Name your price Seer” 

“I want one day with my sisters”

Nesta snapped to attention. her voice was cold, soft but lethal “did you say sister or sisters”

Elain to her credit did not flinch “yes feyre is here, it was just a happy coincidence that you both came today.” Elain winked. but they all knew nothing was ever a coincidence with the walking oracle. 

Gwyn looked at Nesta. Silently they conversed. Elain waited patiently while Gwyn tried to convince nesta to take the deal. finally they came to a conclusion

“One hour, I will spend one hour with you and her” Feyre was an assassin for the crown. Gwyn didn’t know how someone who murdered for a living could be so righteous but the archeron sisters were something else. The silver majesty spent a lot of time with her before they abandoned post and well feyre and nesta have never gotten along. but the falling out was not pretty. they haven’t spoken since 

“leave the katanas, If I get one hour with my sisters it will not be spent fighting” 

nesta begrudgingly disarmed and handed her legendary swords to emerie. “take care of my babies” 

“not a scratch” emerie said with a mock solute 

....

exactly one hour later nesta came back to the ship alone. Nothing shook her second and yet nesta’s eyes were wide. 

“well what do we need?”

“Not what, who”

“we need a myth. we need a pirate folktale. we need”

“The shadow singer” emerie finished with a whisper. an eeriness spread over the ship at the mention of that name. Shit, they were in such deep shit. 

Honorary headcanon but no scene: gwyn and az get down and dirty on a boat. I’ll let you guys imagine the rest. (though there is a chance I will get back to this and write it out)

[slashbitch2]

Prove Me Wrong, Darling

who doesn't love a bit of enemies to lovers? :)

You and Agatha had never gotten along. From your perspective, it was due to a conflict of interest. Whereas if you asked her, she'd likely say it was a conflict of intelligence, or something else insulting along those lines. Though the issue you had with the fellow witch wasn't her attitude, rather her underestimation of your powers. It'd started with her massacre of the Coven, when she'd attempted to end your life alongside the others. But to her surprise, you'd been strong enough to defend yourself and escape. Since then, there'd been several instances where your paths had crossed, and you hadn't let her live down the failure yet.

This particular occasion was different, however, as Agatha had asked you for help.

It'd taken everything in you not to immediately mock her. But you knew that she'd leave without further explanation if she felt ridiculed, and you were just dying to know what had made her stoop to your level. So, you'd swallowed your pride and attentively listened to her proposal. It'd mostly featured the repeated phrases "immense power" and "huge source of energy," and even a confession that she was baffled by the cause, which only intrigued you further.

Although you weren't too interested in accumulating anymore power, the opportunity to be on level ground with Agatha was too good to pass on. You confessed this to her upon accepting the invitation, which resulted in an unimpressed eye roll. Regardless of her annoyance, you left that same day, arriving in the least expected location. A quaint town in New Jersey.

"Well," You landed behind Agatha in the middle of a road, surveying the picturesque, colourless neighbourhood. "isn't this lovely."

She pursed her lips, looking round similarly perplexed. "Lovely?" She echoed. "This is like every outdated suburban stereotype rolled into one. Like some kind of picture-perfect movie set."

Her condescending comment jogged a memory. "That's what I was thinking of!" You exclaimed, clapping your hands enthusiastically. "Did you ever watch that sitcom- from the 50s? The Dick Van Dyke Show?"

"From the title alone I'm glad I didn't."

"Seriously, it's practically the same setting." You moved to stand directly in front, forcing her to look at you.

"So, what you're saying is someone used this insane amount of power just to recreate their favourite TV show?" She quirked an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by your theory.

"Well, wouldn't you?"

"No."

"Anyway." You glanced down at the rather eye-catching ensemble Agatha was currently wearing, then at your comparably casual yet modern clothes. "This isn't going to work." With a wave of your hand, the jeans and jumper combo was replaced by a more period accurate pencil skirt and blouse. Satisfied, you looked up at her expectantly.

Taking it as a challenge, she copied the gesture, managing to both create a new dress and fix up her hair. She smirked, enjoying the chance to show off her superior abilities.

"It's not a competition." You huffed.

She placed a hand on your arm fake comfortingly. "Of course not, dear."

The contact caused you to shiver slightly. It felt as though her touch ignited sparks, though the sensation wasn't exactly unpleasant. Quite the opposite, in fact. But indulging in it didn't feel right either, so you were grateful when Agatha removed her hand.

Her face dropped, eyebrows furrowing. Slowly, she swivelled round to point at a house. "There. Can you feel it?"

Following her outstretched finger, you tuned into the energy, focusing specifically on the house. "Mhm." Unsurprisingly, Agatha was right. An unfamiliar energy was being emitted from whoever was inside. You tried to pinpoint what kind of magic the user possessed, but found no trace of any familiar type. "Shall we go meet the neighbours, then?"

"You read my mind." She muttered, narrowing her eyes and offering an arm without so much as sparing a glance in your direction.

You hesitated, taken aback by the kind gesture. It hadn't dawned on you until then that an incredibly powerful being was residing little over 10 metres away, and that you were both about to willingly walk into their house. Looping your arm with hers created a naïve sense of safety.

Neither spoke as you approached the house with faux confidence, only pausing for Agatha to summon a potted plant. A house warming gift, you guessed. The simple gesture of goodwill brought a smile to your face.

"I didn't expect you to be such a considerate neighbour." You whispered.

"Gotta make a good first impression." She reached out to knock against the door.

---

You sighed. Barely an hour spent in this black and white world and you were already bored. Everything was so tiresomely perfect, so normal that you questioned how you'd ever suffered through those terrible old sitcoms in the first place. Sitting in Wanda's living room, the only entertainment was your partner in crime Agatha, or Agnes, as you ought to say.

She was currently flipping through a magazine, tracing the page with her index finger and reading aloud to help Wanda prepare for her anniversary.

"Any notable date you can remember? Special occasion?" She asked the redhead. "You know, to remind him of good times." She winked suggestively, briefly glancing at you with an expression that only you could decipher. She was enjoying flustering Wanda a little too much.

"Oh...I don't know." She trailed off, untrustworthy eyes darting around the room. "Do you two have any memorable date? Maybe I could steal some ideas."

Had the sitcom spell effected you, this would've been the ironic moment in which you spat out whatever drink was currently in your mouth. Fortunately though, you'd declined the offer of tea earlier, and opened your mouth to correct her.

Agatha beat you to it by nudging you with her elbow. "Oh don't we just?" She laughed deeply until you joined in with a forced chuckle.

Deciding to join in with her game, you hummed thoughtfully. "What about that picnic we had? In Salem, remember?" Judging by the way her eyes flashed dangerously, she knew you were referring to that dreadful night with the Coven, serving as revenge for the sudden change in relationship status. "Agnes decided the best time to go on a date would be at night- and in the middle of forest of all places!"

Agnes threw back her head in exaggerated laughter. "Oh hush! I thought it'd be romantic. Besides, you're the one who got us completely lost, dear." She continued, further adding depth to the altered anecdote. "And I'd say it went pretty well regardless." She turned to whisper conspiratorially to Wanda. "So I'll spare you the dirty details."

The three of you fell into easy laughter, only interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone. "If you'll excuse me." Wanda stood up to answer. "That's probably Vis."

You took the distraction as respite from forcing such an overly hospitable smile, finding that your cheeks were already aching. For the last few minutes, you'd been aware of a pair of eyes watching you closely, and finally turned to face the witch sitting next to you.

"What?"

Agatha said nothing, her invasive eyes never leaving yours as she took a sip of her drink. You could practically see the gears turning in her head as she thought something through, and dreaded to wonder what she was about to say.

Reaching some form of a conclusion, she leant forward to place her drink down on the table. "Kiss me." She murmured through clenched teeth, momentarily glancing at Wanda, who's back was turned.

"Excuse me?" Out of all the possible things she could've said, this request seemed the least plausible in your mind.

"When Wanda turns round she should see us-" Agatha gestured her hand back and forth as if vocalising what she was implying was too sinful to put into words. Her vagueness was met by your blank stare. "Y'know?"

"No?" You shook your head, unable to comprehend why she'd ask such a thing, untrusting your interpretation of her suggestion.

"Just-" Agatha raised her hands to grasp your face. Hesitated. Then threw them back down into her lap and sighed in frustration. The fact she was struggling to initiate contact was laughable, though eventually you took pity on her.

Leaning forward, you kept your eyes open to watch for Agatha's reaction. You found it amusing that upon realising what you were trying to do, her eyes shut impossibly fast. Satisfied that she was consenting, you raised one hand to cup her cheek and continued to chase after her lips. The kiss was chaste and affectionately mundane, exactly at it should be.

In response, she grabbed your knees and pulled you closer, nipping at your bottom lip. Clearly Agatha wasn't on the same wavelength as you. Her hands shifted further up to your thighs, bringing a startling heat to the kiss. You gasped, virtually melting at her touch. You wanted this. One hand slid to rest on her shoulder. But it wasn't the time or place. You gently pushed against her.

Agatha pulled away, breathless. She scanned your face with pupils blown wide and mouth slightly agape like she'd just reached some new revelation. You were certain your expression mirrored hers.

Wanda cleared her throat somewhere in the distance.

"Gosh, Wanda I'm sorry." Agnes' cheerful voice reappeared as she addressed the redhead without breaking your intense shared eye contact. "But I think we ought to be heading home now." She said unabashedly. Like you hadn't just been caught making out on the neighbour's couch.

"Of course." You could hear the understanding smile in her voice, the slight awkwardness from intruding. "It's been lovely meeting you both."

Summoning an ounce of brainpower, you turned to Wanda. "And you. Feel free to keep the magazine." Then tugged Agatha up and began dragging her toward the front door. For once in her life she went willingly, allowing herself to be pulled along, calling out a last minute farewell to Wanda.

Upon reaching the end of the garden, Agatha wordlessly took the lead. Staying true to her fabricated story, she set a determined course for the house to the right, waltzing up as if she owned the place. A quick flourish of your fingers and the lock was rendered useless. Now the house was yours.

As soon as the door shut behind you, she turned on her heel and pushed you against it. Her mouth quickly sought out yours with a desperation only appropriate in private. Had you known Agatha was this good of a kisser, you would've done this ages ago, but elected not to vocalise the praise knowing she'd never let you live it down. You felt her smirk against your lips, and briefly wondered if she'd somehow infiltrated your mind. You wouldn't put it past her.

As she began trailing kisses down your neck, any concern about the invasion of privacy became inconsequential. You sighed. She rewarded the sound with a nip at your throat. Due to the haze of lust clouding your better judgment, you didn't register the sound of footsteps until it was too late.

"Woah!" A man called from the top of the staircase, presumably the current previous resident of the house. Agatha froze, her lips still pressed up to your neck.

"If you two beautiful ladies hadn't already broken into my house, I would've happily invited you in." The man grinned obnoxiously, slowly continuing down the stairs.

Agatha disinterestedly waved her hand, incapacitating him. The sound of the stranger tumbling down the stairs caused her to let out a short, cruel cackle, before returning to bury her face in the crook of your neck.

"Not big on roommates?" You joked, sliding a hand up and down her back soothingly.

She nipped at your flesh, a little harder this time. "Trust me, he doesn't want to be here for what I'm about to do to you."

Already impatient, you decided to tease her in hopes it would speed things up. "You're all talk and no action, Harkness."

She all but growled as she returned to your lips. Without warning her hands squeezed your hips. "I don't think you're in the position to be insulting me, love."

"Then prove me wrong, darling."

[cameoapperance]

Big Nerd

A/N: The worms that live in my brain wouldn't let me rest until I wrote this so if it's not good blame them. Anyway, the characters are from @imnotcameraready 's Chivalry au which everyone should read not matter what <3 They said Draco likes to knit once and the thought slowly overcame me until a wrote in in a single sitting.

It was a nice day. The sun was out, there was a gentle breeze. A perfect day to spend outside.

As such, that's what most of the advisors were doing. Phillip was off to brunch with Cadence and Marlowe. Gavin had excitedly told them all Eric and him were going to adventure. Even David decided to leave his hoval of a studio to sketch near the lake.

Everyone was out and about and accounted for. All but one.

Draco was sat alone in a small section of the castle's extensive library. A place he assumed no one would look for him.

It wasn't often Draco was alone, but that was by design. He much preferred the company of the side characters, the guys, Philip.

No, Draco wasn't often alone but on days like today, with no one around, he knew he had to take advantage of the isolation.

So alone he sat in the library: Draco, the dragon, The Coolest Advisor (self appointed) sat alone in the library.

And so it is revealed why our hero is companionless in the one place no one would ever look for him. This was the only time he had to work on his newest passion and greatest shame. Knitting.

Now, don't get him wrong: Draco loved knitting, he'd even gotten pretty good at it. It's just that knitting was so lame. He was the dragon for beast's sake! He was big and scary and cool (The Coolest, if we're counting self appointed titles)! Knotting yarn into incredibly soft blankets and sweaters? He's not sure anyone would think that was even remotely cool. He'd be ostracized if the others found out. Forced out. Phillip would surely want a divorce.

No, Draco shook the idea out of his head. He focused on the line of stitches he was making. But maybe.

Draco hated thinking like that, letting his ego slip so easily, but he just couldn't help it. He knew he didn't have the same ability to create as David and Marlowe. He wasn't as sharp as Cadence and Eric. Didn't have the same groundness as Phillip. He couldn't bring the group together like Gavin. All he had was his incredibly cool and intimidating exterior. Roman would truly be lost without it, sure, but that's really all the more reason he has to keep up the facade. No one could know that he was just a big nerd like the rest of them.

But that wouldn't be too hard, at least with beautiful days like these. With everyone out and Draco in, he could knit and purl and knit and purl and finish all the hats and scarfs he could dream of and no one would be any the wiser.

Except, in a delightful turn of events that so conveniently forwards the plot, the weather had shifted. It was raining. A gentle shower that left the grass looking greener, the sky looking bluer, and left the residents of the imagination in their homes.

Elsewhere, Eric rushed a disgruntled Gavin back to the tree house mumbling something about not getting a cold. David hid his sketch pad in his hoodie as he rushed to the nearest entrance to the backstage. Cadence and Marlowe said their final parting words.

Phillip made his way back to the castle.

He walked through the main entrance, made his way to his room to change, and made it back out to the more active floors of the palace without once being stopped by his golden retriever of a husband. Something's up, Phillip thought

No, it's probably fine, He corrected himself

But what if it’s not. Phillip could go through this back and forth for hours, but frankly, he had already done his mental gymnastics for the day (And although he reached the conclusion that Cadence and Marlowe actually didn't much care for him and only invited him to be cordial, he still went out for brunch. Whether or not he was proven wrong again is beside the point). He was tired. Draco would show up eventually. Phillip would just wait for him in the library.

Phillip didn't like being in large, spacious rooms, but the library had many nooks that one could quietly hide in. Phillip absent- mindly made his way to his favorite spot: a small sofa in an archway in the wall, in between the fantasy and romance sections (which, in all fairness, made up most of Roman's collection).

It just so happened, that was also Draco's favorite spot, and it was exactly where Phillip would find him. Knitting

It might have occurred to Draco how romantic it was that they unknowingly shared a secret hide away. Might have, if not for the singular thought racing through his head when he heard Phillip call out his name from the end of an aisle: Oh god. Oh fuck. Oh no.

Draco rushed to hide the large blanket but it was in vain, for it was, by definition, large.

"What're- What cha doing, lovey?"

"Absolutely nothing!" an excellent lie, "You're home early, why?" and an even better transition, the subject would be changed in no time.

"Careful now, I might almost think you missed me," Phillip looked unimpressed, "what's gotten you in such a fuss to change the subject" Damn it, how did he pick up on that so quick

"Nothing's gotten me in a fuss about anything." He could still turn this in his favor

"You sure it's not whatever's behind your back?" Damn, he was good.

"Nothing's behind my back?" One last ditch attempt

Phillip held his chin between his thumb and pointer finger and forced Draco to look in his eyes.

His eyes were so pretty.

Draco was fucked.

"Angel?" Phillip asked.

"Yes?" Draco answered. Without a second thought.

"What are you trying to hide from me?"

Draco couldn't lie to him. Even if he wanted too, between the physical contact and the way Phillip was looking at him, his mind was drawing a blank.

He pulled the blanket out from behind him.

A pause, as Phillip takes it in his hands.

"Lovey, did- did you make this?"

Draco felt his eyes well up a bit. This is so dumb. Phillip didn't think so, his face softening as he saw Draco.

"Oh, bite! What's wrong?" He took Draco's face in his hands, sitting beside him, careful not to mess up the unfinished stitches.

"It's nothing, it's dumb!" Draco started, "I don't even care about it! I was just messing around, ya know, it's dumb!"

"Draco, Darling, it's not dumb at all!" Phillip would look back on this later and laugh, but right now? With his Draco crying? This was dead serious.

"It's not dumb?" Draco looked for reassurance in Phillip's eyes. That's where he always went for it.

"Of course not, it's so nice! How long have you been doing this?"

"Well, I started the blanket about a month ago, when it was still cold and you were always saying that it was to chilly in the palace," Draco paused for a second, and then another, and then one final second for good measure, "but I've been knitting for around a year or so."

"Why haven't you shown any of us?"

"I just," Oh Draco hated admitting stuff, "I just didn't want you guys to make fun of me."

In that moment Phillip would've burnt the imagination to the ground for him (again, but again! beside the point).

Phillip pulled Draco close, the taller slouching down so he could rest his head in the crook of his partner's neck, "Lionheart, we would never make fun of you for this," Phillip rubbed steady circles on his back, "this is amazing!"

"You really like it?" Draco looked up at him.

Phillip looked down at the blanket covering their legs. The needles were currently making long lines of blue gray yarn. Green spruce trees lined the bottom. It was soft and warm and thoughtful. In those regards it reminded Phillip a lot of Draco. His Draco.

"I love it," Phillip smiled at his husband.

Draco smiled back, as he always does, and went back to his place in Phillips arms. Though after a while of peace, Draco pulled away again,

"And you don't think I'm a big nerd?"

Could you really blame Phillip for laughing?

"Oh sweetheart, nothing you could do would convince me you weren't a 'big nerd'"

Draco drew back in offense, Phillip pulled him back closer, "but you'd be a mad man if you think that'd make me love you less."

Damn it, Phillip always knew what to say. Draco really did try to stay offended for even a moment longer but when Phillip, his Phillip, pulls him in for a kiss, Draco doesn't fight it.

[fvrxdrm]

.•*Friends to Lovers on Holidays with Leon Kennedy*•.

Happy Single Asses’ Day!!!

Pairing: Modern!Leon x F!Reader

Warning(s): NSFW

*****

“Cheers to us single fuckers!”

The clinking of wine glasses subtly intertwined with the voices of the actors in a horribly-done “horror” movie that was running on the television as you and Leon briefly joined them together before letting the tang of sweet, bitter, and sour wine hit your tongues. And when they did, you moaned in satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

“It better not be. This shit costed, like, $100.”

Leon grabbed the wine bottle in front of him and went on to refilling yours and his glasses respectively.

“My wallet’s fucking crying,” he continued.

“Hey, don’t bullshit me now. Jack Daniel’s costs $50.00 and I don’t hear you complaining. And from what I remember you buy five of ‘em,” you retorted back hitherto taking a small sip of your drink.

“For your information I only buy one bottle now. Had the president not let us quit going on missions your statement would’ve been correct.”

It was true. Ever since the New York incident, bioterrorism had gone down and those rare times where an occurrence would go down somewhere in a small region on earth the BSAA would be sent, sometimes even bringing one of the newer DSO agents to help them with the cases. And so, with the conclusion that the count was dying at a leisure pace, the government decided there was no need for their veteran agents to be sent on missions unless they were lethal and needed someone who was as exceedingly experienced as you on the field and sanctioned both you and Leon to only do office work until further notice.

“I mean, yeah, true… Pass me the bowl?” With eyes still glued to the T.V., Leon reached out to grab ahold of the large bowl of popcorn and blindly looked for your hand until he finally felt the bottom of the bowl touch a surface, letting it go once he felt the weight shift lighter.

  “This is bullshit. Who the fuck just crawls on the ground after tripping while the killer is literally right behind them? Like, fucking 5 inches away from them! I would’ve stood up and ran.”

The movie had been going for about half an hour now and Leon couldn’t be more amused at how you reacted at every scene where the characters’ brains seemingly flew out of their heads. He wasn’t paying attention to the film. He’d watch this way, way, way, way back anyway and he knew how stupid it was so he just entertained himself by listening to your rants and laughing (also getting smacked every now and then).

“Oh my god! Why the fuck does she keep screaming?”

“You know what, I wouldn’t care if he gets killed.”

“Of course, the phone just had to be dead.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now!? Why the fuck are you making out while a psycho is literally out there to sheesh kebab you?”

“Oh my god, I just lost my brain cells.” And so on and so forth…

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Leon muttered with a smirk, popping a chip in his mouth as he turned his gaze towards the movie.

“Well, I didn’t know it was that bad. I thought it was one of those movies that are so bad they’re good,” you defended as you swigged the rest of the wine that filled a portion of your glass. Your friend just snickered in response, stretching his arms and legs and smiled in fulfilment once he heard the crack of aging bones and staring narrow-eyed at the credit screen in front of him.

Words became trapped inside your heads. You didn’t know what to do from here. The only thing you planned was watching a movie for Valentine’s day – or Single Asses’ day as you call it – and fight shy of anything revolving around romance whether it be some sort of song or movie or something.

You both had been unlucky when it came to romance and intimacy. The closest you had to love were some one-night stands with random strangers and even that was far away from said emotion. Your jobs were complicated and when you both had started in the agency years after the Raccoon City incident, it already began taking a toll on your heads and continued to up until the incident in New York. And so, relationships were the last thing you worried about. Though, that didn’t mean your hearts wouldn’t race every once and a while. Truth be told you caught feelings halfway through your career, both of you. You sometimes entertained the idea of you and your best friend being together while he had conflict between you and Ada. Both of you were people he couldn’t let go of but he felt like one was superior to the other and his brain scrambled around for a bit until the day he almost lost you. It was the day disease almost took over the world: Tall Oaks and China. That was the day he realized just how much you meant to him.

“So, um… I should go now. I’ll see you around.” Leon stood up from the couch and was about to head out your apartment door until he felt something warm enclose around his wrist. He turned around to find your pretty face looking sheepish and pleading – pink creeping from your neck to the tip of your ears.

“I-it’s already late and I… I don’t think you’re in the right condition to drive. You can stay here if you want.” The blush on your face darkened even more and your eyes suddenly found interest on your tiled floor, your grip around Leon loosening. Seeing as how abashed you looked right now, he playfully simpered and decided hey, I teasing is fun!😀

“You don’t think I can drive myself home while drunk? Haven’t you seen me in action back in New York?” He spoke.

All enervation and intoxication suddenly voided out of your body; eyes bulging out of their sockets as his statement caught you unwary for a second. Incoherent words stumbled out of your mouth and none were piecing together to form an acceptable response.

“I’m just playing. I get your intentions. You seriously need to chill the fuck out,” Leon finally said after a few enough rambles were pitched into the room ceaselessly.

Your shoulders sagged and the tension that rapidly built up in you were unfettered in a matter of seconds. “Jesus,” you murmured. “You know how I get when I’m drunk.” Leon continued in his bursts of loud laughter and it only made you sink into your seat even more.

“I’m sorry… You’re just so freaking cute!”

Whoops… Didn’t mean for that to come out…

Leon’s fit of hysterics died down in a trice, feeling like a twelve-year-old whose embarrassment was so immense after getting rejected and being made fun of in front of the whole school that he’d rather melt in a puddle where he can be forgotten.

“I-I’m sorry. That just…flew out of nowhere. I- “

“It’s fine. At least I’m not the only tomato here, right? And um… Thanks… For the compliment,” you said, face burning another 100°C.

“Well, uh,” Leon scratched the nape of his neck and shoved his free hand in his pockets where each of his fingers twiddled with one another, “wanna chat?”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to be bed anytime soon, unless you’re really tired.”

“No, I’d love for you to accompany me tonight,” he replied.

“Okay, come back here you himbo.” You patted the empty space on the couch Leon previously sat on and smiled at him once he made himself comfortable with his feet resting on your coffee table and hands finding contentment in providing itself as a pillow for his head. “So, how’s life?”

  “Okay, okay…fine I’ll…haha…do it.”

A few minutes had passed, talking being the only thing you’d done up until Leon tackled and attacked you with tickles on your sides.

“You, Leon Scott Kennedy,” a giggle fell past your lips, “are…”

“Are?”

“…a fucking…idiot!” Leon fell in a daze at your words and while he was at it you took advantage of his vulnerability and shoved him down to the floor with you collapsing on top of him. Only when he felt the softness of your carpet and the hardness of your floor did he bring himself out of his stupor.

“You sneaky little shit-“ He was about to place both of his hands on your waist and flip you two over when his wrists were suddenly grabbed and pinned above his head not even a second after he blinked.

“Uh uh, not so fast. You really think you could get away with this, don’t you?” A smug grin pulled the corners of your lips. Leon sighed.

“Fine, you win.”

Silence had taken over the room once more, the muffled chirping of crickets outside the closed windows the only sound filling in the missing gaps. Though the light that gave life to your apartment was dim, the distance between your faces was enough for Leon to take in every detail that defined the complexion of your face: from the lines that explicated the years and hardship you had been through, to the little dimples beside your lips that he was sure was as deep as the Pacific Ocean. From the constellation of cute freckles that flecked your cheeks and the bridge of your nose, to the pink hue that gave light to them. You were beautiful and there was no doubt it was one of the many things he admired about you. And there was also no doubt that he wasn’t afraid to voice it out while he laid flushed beneath you.

“You’re cute. You know that, right?”

“Mhm, I’m gonna be hot when I’m sixty.” You giggled at your own joke but when you saw just how awestricken your friend was by you, your smile immediately dropped and you were left flustered on top of him in diffidence and nervousness. And because of your oblivion, your hold on his wrists slackened and he took no time flipping the two of you over and switching up the roles.

“I knew you would fall for that, princess,” Leon remarked and before you could even let out a single letter, he already had his lips smashed onto yours.

A soft gasp fell from your lips but it didn’t take long for you to succumb to the feeling of his supple and slightly chapped lips.

In that kiss was the sweetness of passion, a million loving thoughts condensed into a moment, and in that moment, you were in your pure and vulnerable selves.

It was slow and subtle at first, lips delicately lingering against each other for a moment of lip-lock until a relentless appetency set fire in your bodies. It became sloppy and messy and the abiding flavor that ghosted on your tongues left you wanting more and more of what you could give.

Hands set sail on plump skin and it wasn’t long until pieces of clothing slowly began replacing the space on your carpet where you once laid, Leon having carried you to sit you down on your couch.

“Are you sure you’re comfortable with this? I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want,” Leon whispered against your kiss-swollen lips, the ghost of his breath sending a delicious chill down your spine.

“I want to… Please?” And that did it for him.

He let out low growl from the depths of his throat before battering your neck with tickling kisses and bites were marks were left as graves created by the inner animal that was housed inside of his body. The brush of his skin against yours arised the short hairs that adorned your own and it didn’t help that the evening cold would tease past you in a speed that sent you shivering to your toes.

“Leon, please.”

“Please what, babe?” Leon kissed along your thighs while he looked at you through the shortness of his lashes.

“I need you, please.”

“In a minute, babe. I fucking need to taste you,” he mumbled, voice raspy with lust and desire.

You anticipated with what was bound to happen next with closed eyes and lip restrained in between teeth. However, no matter how much you prepared yourself for the feeling of his tongue touching your folds, your back still arched at the feeling and a soft moan sounded from an open mouth, hands finding home on Leon’s disheveled hair.

“Oh, fuck!”

“That’s it, baby. Moan for me, moan my name.” That you did. You let a string of curses unknowingly escape your lips along with his name slipping in between them as he lapped your sex with a type of hunger even he couldn’t describe for the life of him. He simply couldn’t get enough of your taste; getting you off once, twice, thrice, until you couldn’t take it anymore and pulled him by his hair before having a sample taste of your own through his lips. And while he was busy savoring your mouth once more, you pushed him on the floor again and straddled his hips impatiently where you felt the twitch of his cock touch your pussy.

“Please, Leon. I want you. I want you so bad. I wanna feel your cock inside me, now.”

“It’s all yours, sweetheart. It’s all yours.”

Permission granted.

Your hand grasped the base of his cock and stroked it a few times before lining the tip up to your entrance, pushing it down once you were sure enough that his dick would just slide in you, and you both moaned at the stretch and the tightness that surrounded him.

“Fuck, babe, you’re so tight,” Leon grunted.

You let yourself give in to his astonishing size before you slowly began bouncing up and down his length, your eyelids falling close to the feeling of his dick hitting just the right spots with neither of you trying. You moved in sync together, his hips propelling into yours and gradually speeding up as indulgence replaced the throbbing of your walls at their painful expansion.

“Fuck, Leon, shit.”

This was good, painfully good, but somehow it still wasn’t enough for Leon so he decided to take control again and turned you to your back where he can finally satisfy both you and him much to your contentment. He pounded into you with so much force and the tips of his fingers dug into your skin that you were sure you were going to be sore the next day at work and bruises were going to be a part of your attire for a while. Oh, well, I’m just going to call in sick tomorrow.

“You’re taking my co – ngh – ck so good, baby girl. So – ngh – good.”

Mewls left your mouth at the sound of his broken words and a familiar tight warmth filled your stomach, your moans getting louder and louder each time Leon gave a powerful blow.

“Leon, please, please, please, I’m so close – shit!”

“I know, baby, I know. Just hold on a little longer for me.”

After a few more thrusts, they became sloppy, you noticed, and all pent-up emotion boiled over into one strong orgasm that has you writhing and shaking in relief.

  “Well, fuck. That was good,” you spoke in between heavy breathing, the blanket you took from inside your couch now covering your glistening wet bodies.

“Best sex I’ve ever had if I’m being honestly,” Leon added, chuckling despite struggling to get some air himself.

“Yeah. But seriously though,” you steadied your head in your hand and began tracing random doodles on the exposed skin of his chest as you spoke, “Is this going to be a one-time thing or…”

“Well, to be honest, I wanna go further from just being a one-night stand. You know, a real relationship and all that. But if you want it to be a one-time thing, I’ll respect that.” You could tell Leon was disheartened at the thought of him being a one-night stand only but your intention was just the same as his and now, you were sure about your decision.

“I wanna go further than this, too. I love you so fucking much.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page then.” Leon placed a chaste kiss on your lips before he pulled you on top of him and lulled you both into a deep slumber.

*****

Lmao this was longer than intended XD.

[discoscoob]

Love’s Labours Won | Loki x Female Reader

Loki (Marvel) x Doctor Who

The TARDIS arrives in The Dark Ages where the Doctor tries to solve a mystery involving witchcraft. During your stay your relationship with Loki begins to develop due to a mix of a Shakespeare, jealousy and one bed.

Part Three | Part Five | Chapter Index

Words: 7.7k

Warnings: unwanted advances, mild homophobia, death: very minor characters, jealous Loki, swearing, angst, fluff and then more angst

Read on AO3

You were sat crossed legged in front of your floor length mirror, applying eyeliner when the whole room began jerking, which caused your hand to slip and left a long black line smudged over or eyelid. 

 You huffed in annoyance, as you pulled out a makeup wipe and began cleaning up the mistake, you decided that there was no point in attempting to try again as the whole TARDIS continued to quiver. 

 You climbed to your feet, still wiping your eye, as you stormed out of your bedroom with half your sight blocked by your makeup wipe. You failed to see Loki walking down the corridor at the exact same time and with the help of the turbulence, Loki lost his balance and stumbled into you, sending you both crashing into the wall.

 “Good morning.” You greeted Loki, almost sounding out of breath from the shock of your back impacting with the wall. His face was mere inches from yours, as you were trapped against the wall between both his arms, unlike the last time you found yourself in this position with the God, it was purely accidental this time.

 From the proximity you realised that today a light citrusy and floral scent surrounded him and from what you could see, he was wearing a solid black suit with a matching shirt and tie. The outfit made him appear even more powerful and intimidating than he usually did and despite the fact you were meant to be trying to push away any desires you had towards the God, your mind was encouraging you to just lean forward those last few inches and close the gaps between your lips.

 Before you could follow your own minds advice, Loki awkwardly cleared his throat as he took a step back away from you, while straightening out his suit jacket.

 “Good morning.” He repeated.

 You both continued your way towards the control room, occasionally bracing yourself against the walls whenever you felt as though you were about to lose balance. 

 “Did you have to pass a test to fly this thing?” You asked the Doctor, who was literally sprawled across the console, with his foot pushing a leaver, while his arm stretched out to the opposite side to turn a dial.

 Donna was clinging onto the rail for dear life, while you and Loki attempted to reach her side without falling flat on your backsides.

 “Yes, and I failed.” The Doctor distractedly answered. 

 “I can tell.” You replied, as the TARDIS jerked to an abrupt stop, you instinctively grabbed onto Loki’s arm to steady yourself and he put his own hand under your elbow to ensure you were stable.

 Behind Loki’s shoulder you saw Donna watching you and the God closely, you could tell that she still didn’t trust Loki. Feeling conscious of her stare you mumbled a quick thanks towards Loki before you extended the distance between the two of you, while the Doctor ran to the doors of the TARDIS.

 “Beyond this door lies a brave new world.” He announced with his back against the TARDIS doors, enthusiastic as ever.

 “I’m up for anything, as long as there aren’t any volcano’s and none of us get possessed.” Donna seemed happily pleased.

 “Oh Donna, the chances of that are low but never zero.” The Doctor cheekily smiled, before he turned on his heel causing the tail of his long brown trench coat to fan out behind him as he ran out the door. “Come on!” 

 When you stepped out of the TARDIS behind Donna, the first thing you noticed was that it was night but still humid, leading you to believe it was summertime and you noticed that you were surrounded by other humans which lead you to the conclusion that you were still on Earth. 

 The sound of horses hooves clicking against the cobblestone of the lively street, the attire of the people who occupied it and the medieval architecture of the buildings which aligned it all informed you that you had travelled backwards in time. 

 If you required further more indication, the foul waste which came pouring from the sky, barely missing you before Loki pulled you back, was the final confirmation you needed. You could hardly hold back the gag that threatened to rise at the back of your throat.

 “We’ve arrived somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Good to know.” The Doctor commented.

 “Listen, I’m all for time travel yeah, but that’s disgusting. I’m gonna nip to the loo on the TARDIS before we explore, I don’t wanna end up shitting in a bucket.” Donna announced before she retreated back inside the blue box, the door squeaked shut behind her.

 “I always knew you were a primitive species but that is truly a testament to how far you have come in your short lives, it is positively awe-inspiring.” Loki remarked and you glanced at him with narrowed eyes, as you tried to decipher whether to be offended or take it as a compliment. 

 “So, this is London?” You eventually asked the Doctor, while you all waited for your auntie outside the TARDIS.

 “Think so,” the Doctor let his eyes wander over the street, “round about, ooh... 1599. If I’m right, we’re just down the river, by Southwark, right next to the Globe Theatre, brand new, just opened! Though strictly speaking, it’s not a globe, it’s a tetradecagon, because of its 14 sides.” 

 “What’s that?” Donna asked, after stepping back outside the TARDIS, having caught just the end of the Doctors sentence.

 “I was just saying, the Globe Theatre isn’t technically a globe, it’s a tetradecagon, it has 14 sides.” The Doctor repeated to Donna, who pulled a face.

 “You’re always so pedantic,” Donna shook her head. “Why would they ever call it the Tetra-thingy Theatre?” 

 “Tetradecagon.” The Doctor corrected.

 “See, pedantic.” Donna pointed out, and the Doctor looked insulted.

 “As I was saying,” the Doctor returned to his original point while he glared at Donna, “the man himself should be there tonight.”

 “Shakespeare?” Loki’s interest peaked.

 “You know who Shakespeare is?” Your eyebrows lifted with surprise as you turned to Loki.

 “Believe it or not, unlike everyone on Earth, we aren’t sheltered on Asgard. What can you tell me of the Nine Realms?” Loki paused to give you a chance to answer, but your lips remained sealed as your eyes bounced around in thought. “That’s what I thought.” 

  ***

 The Doctor had lead the way to the Globe Theatre and managed to sneak all four of you inside with the use a wallet, containing a blank piece of paper, which he had explained was called psychic paper. It allowed the person who looked upon it, to see whatever the Doctor presented it as, when he had said it was tickets to the performance you were let in without any bother.

 Inside the theatre was filled to the brim, the four of you were cramped near the back of the stalls. The smell wasn’t particularly pleasant, unfortunately deodorant and other essential hygiene products weren’t invented yet but since you were stood by Loki’s side his delicious and fresh scent performed as a buffer over the foul odour and you found yourself almost snuggling into his chest as the play went on.

 Once all the cast were bowing at the end of the performance, the crowd began chanting ‘author’ commanding that Shakespeare himself make an appearance on stage.

 With his arms raised above his head and a flamboyant skip, William Shakespeare entered the stage and the cheers, whistles and applause grew even louder. He blew kisses toward the crowd, as he confidently walked back and forth across the stage, occasionally he leant down to brush the hands of the audience members below, who desperately reached out their arms in the hopes they might get to touch the renowned poet.

 In the flesh, Shakespeare appeared to be a lot more attractive than any of his portraits ever suggested. He had a head full of wavy golden brown locks and a beard to match. 

 “He’s a bit different to his portraits.” You commented to no one in particular, as you continued to enthusiastically clap along with everyone else.

 “Genius. He’s a genius. The genius, the most human human there’s ever been. And now we’re gonna hear him speak! Always, he chooses the best words, new beautiful, brilliant words...” The Doctor excitedly spoke.

 “He is one of the finer Midgardian poets. I have read most of his work, he is truly gifted with his language.” Loki added.

 “Shut ya big fat mouths!” Shakespeare merrily exclaimed to his audience, who erupted into laughter, while the Doctors and Loki’s faces fell with disappointment and they halted their applause. 

 “Oh Gods, he sounds just like my brother after one too many.” Loki realised with alarm.

 “I know what you’re all saying, Love’s Labours Lost, that’s a funny ending, isn’t it? It just stops!” Shakespeare clicked his fingers to put emphasis on the abrupt ending. “Will the boys get the girls? Well, don’t get your hose in a tangle, you’ll find out soon.”

 “When?” The audience eagerly chanted.

 “All in good time, you don’t rush a genius.” The poet lowered himself into an elegant bow before he abruptly shot back up again. 

 “When?” Shakespeare repeated his audiences question. “Tomorrow night!”

 The theatre erupted into raucous applause.

 “The premier of my brand new play! A sequel, no less! And I call it Love’s Labours Won!” You and Donna continued clapping, oblivious to the suspicious glance the Doctor and Loki shared with one another over your heads.

 ***

 “I can’t say I have ever heard of Love’s Labours Won.” Donna announced, as you were exiting the theatre, still huddled in a large crowd.

 “Me neither, is it one of his more obscure works?” You looked over your shoulder to inquire with the Doctor, who easily stood a whole head and shoulders above the crowd surrounding you, as did Loki, who was walking beside you.

 “Well, the thing is, it doesn’t exist, only in rumours. It’s mentioned lists of his plays, but never, ever turns up and no one knows why.” The Doctor explained, adding a tone of mystery to his voice as he quirked his expressive eyebrows.

 Your interest peaked almost instantly, you noticed Donna’s had too as you both shared an inquisitive look, eager to discover more about this missing play.

 “But how did it disappear in the first place?” Donna asked.

 “Well... I suppose we could stay a bit longer and find out.” The Doctor suggested, to which you and Donna shared excited smiles. 

 ***

 You collectively made the decision to spend the night in one of the inns, to not only get the full experience but the Doctor knew of which one Shakespeare occupied, this allowed him the opportunity to keep a vigilant eye on the poet, in the hopes of discovering what caused the disappearance of Love’s Labours Won.

 “Hello! Excuse me, not interrupting, am I?” The Doctor asked as he knocked on the side of the doorway, “Mr Shakespeare, isn’t it?” 

 You followed into the room behind the Doctor with Loki close behind you and Donna entering last, to find the famous writer lounging at a desk as he drank from a tin cup, with two of the actors from his play sat in front of him.

 “Oh, no. No, no, no, who let you in?” Shakespeare pinched the bridge of his nose. “No autographs. You can’t be sketched with me and please don’t ask where I get my ideas. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove...”

 Shakespeare finally removed his fingers from the bridge of his nose and raised his hand into a shoo motion, but as he lifted his eyes to look at the Doctor they instead landed on you and his words died on his tongue. 

 “Hey nonny, nonny,” the playwright addressed you, as he suddenly sat up straight and gestured to the seat beside him. “Sit right down here next to me.” 

 Your eyes slightly widened at the interest Shakespeare displayed in you, while behind you no one noticed the way Loki had begun looking upon the poet with a shadow cast over his eyes. The innkeeper entered the room and placed her hands on the shoulders of the two actors, who were sat before Shakespeare.

 “Come on, lads, I think our William’s found his new muse.” She encouraged them to make themselves scarce, while Shakespeare rose from his seat.

 “Sweet lady,” he continued to address you as he beckoned you over to the chair one of the actors previously occupied, you politely smiled at him as you lowered yourself into the chair and he sank back into his own. 

 The Doctor sat down in the chair beside you and Donna sat on his other side, so he was sandwiched between the two of you, while Loki lingered in the back, where no one could notice the way his gaze menacingly lingered on Shakespeare.

 “I’m Sir Doctor of TARDIS and these are my companions,” the Doctor listed off your names, as he held up his wallet containing the psychic paper, which he had used to enter the Globe Theatre with, in front of William.

 “Interesting. That bit of paper, it’s blank.” Shakespeare pointed out, it appeared he was immune to the papers psychic powers.

 “Oh, that’s... very clever.” The Doctor raised his eyebrows as he let his hand holding the wallet fall limp. “That proves it. Absolute genius.”

 “Who are you, exactly?” William rested his elbow on the table and leaned forward as propped his cheek upon his fist, while he returned his attention to you. “More to the point who is your delicious lady?” 

 Donna raised her eyebrows as she looked between you and the poet. “She’s my niece.” Your auntie stated, capturing the writers attention.

 “Your niece is very captivating.” Shakespeare informed your auntie.

 “And you’re very married.” Donna countered, clearly disapproving of his flirtatious manner towards you.

 Near the back of the room, Loki’s lips lifted in a proud smile as he watched Donna shut down Shakespeare.

 “Excuse me! Hold hard a moment!” A large, heavy and bearded man, wearing a pleated collar, black robes and an elaborate gold necklace which rested over his shoulders, invited himself into the room and grabbed everyone’s attention.

 “This is absolutely abominable behaviour, a new play, with no warning! I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me, before it can be performed!” He lectured the playwright, who stroked his beard in an idle manner.

 “Tomorrow morning, first thing, I’ll send it round.” The experienced writer calmly answered. 

 “I don’t work to your schedule, you work to mine! The script, now!” The man demanded. 

 “I can’t!” Shakespeare finally raised his voice.

 “Then tomorrow’s performance is cancelled. Love’s Labours Won will never be played.” The man concluded, before showing himself out the room.

 “I guess that answers our questions about Love’s Labours Won. I thought it was going to be a bit more exciting than that. It usually is with you, Doctor.” Donna sighed disappointedly.

 Almost as if on cue, the shrill sound of a woman’s scream was heard from the street outside and you all stood to attention.

 “Sounds like I spoke to soon.” Donna remarked, before the Doctor sprung from his chair and dashed out the room with the rest of you following on his tail, including Shakespeare.

 Once you were all out on the street, you saw the man who had declared the cancellation of Love’s Labours Won, stumbling around and clutching at his neck as he repeatedly threw up what appeared to be water. 

 “Leave it to me, I’m a doctor.” The Doctor announced, as he rushed to the man’s aid, although he barely reached him before the man collapsed to the floor with a choked groan of pain, as water continued to pour out his mouth. 

 The man lay motionless on the straw covered cobblestone street and it appeared to be too late for the Doctor to do anything as he checked his pulse with a grim expression.

 The Doctor stood to his feet to address the innkeeper, who had come out to witness the commotion.

 “Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural, if unfortunate demise. Call a constable, have him taken away.” The Doctor instructed her, before he crouched back down by the body. 

 You followed Donna as she joined the Doctors side, you knelt on the opposite side of the body across from Donna and the Doctor and Loki settled beside you. 

 “What actually happened to him?” Donna whispered to the Doctor, understanding that what he had told the innkeeper was a lie.

 “If I’m not mistaken, it looks like witchcraft.” The Doctor suspected, his tone deadly serious.

 “Before anyone points their finger at me, I’m not a witch. I’m a sorcerer, there is a difference.” Loki proclaimed his innocence.

 “No one is blaming you.” You assured him.

 “I’m usually the first suspect when something goes wrong.” Loki explained, with a small laugh to keep it light but you still frowned, imagining how frustrating it must be to constantly be seen as the black sheep. 

 ***

 You all solemnly returned to the inn, the unexpected death of the man who had wanted to cancel Love’s Labours Won, had inspired the Doctor to stay in order to get to the bottom of it. 

 The innkeeper had accommodated the four of you with the last two unoccupied rooms of the inn, however almost looked ready to kick you all out onto the streets when Donna had suggested the Doctor and Loki take one room, while she and you take the other.

 “Two men will not lie together under my roof.” She muttered ever so quietly, as if it were far too scandalous to be said out loud.

 “The dark ages.” The Doctor sighed, while he dragged his palm down his face. “Miss Noble likes to jest,” he assured the innkeeper, who eyed the four of you suspiciously before reluctantly leaving. 

 “I broke that rule a long time ago.” Shakespeare spoke through a chuckle.

 “Oh, 57 academics just punched the air.” The Doctor muttered to himself, causing you to let out a small snort of laughter.

 ***

 Due to the innkeepers rules surrounding sleeping arrangements, this resulted in the Doctor and Donna sharing one room, while you and Loki shared the other, the rooms were situated on opposite sides of the inn.

 You and Loki stared at the double bed, both wondering who was going to be the first to break the silence. Inside your mind you were freaking out, but you didn’t let it show on your exterior, you were meant to be trying to forget these thoughts about Loki which occupied your mind, sharing a bed with him for the night would only make it worse.

 The God wordless walked further into the room, the floor loudly creaked beneath each step he took, as did the mattress once he lowered himself onto it in a sitting position, with his back turned to you. 

 He removed his tie and hung it around the post at the bottom of the bed, followed by his suit jacket and then his shoes, your heartbeat was rising with every item of clothing he removed wondering how much further he would go, but luckily he stopped there rested back onto the bed, with his pillows propped against the headboard.

 “Are you going to stand there all night?” Loki casually commented, noticing you hadn’t moved an inch since entering the room.

 You swallowed and softly moved towards the bed, noticing the floor boards didn’t creak as loudly beneath your feet and once you sat on your side of the bed, with your back turned to Loki, you copied his previous movements and began removing your shoes.

 “Shakespeare seems fond of you.” Loki remarked, as he picked at some loose thread on the blanket beneath him and you paused your actions. Maybe you were imagining it, but you could sense a certain edge to his voice that made you believe that he wasn’t only making casual conversation. 

 “Those are words I never imagined would be said towards me.” You lightly chuckled, as you resumed your movements, before you slowly shuffled up the bed to lie beside Loki.

 “It must feel nice to capture the attention of such a renowned figure of your realm.” Loki continued, and you wished instead that you could’ve captured the God’s attention in the same way.

 “I suppose,” you shrugged, despite the fact that you could admit the man was far more attractive in person than he is depicted in any of his portraits, his attempts at flirting with you hadn’t so much made you swoon but rather made you feel awkward.

 “He reminds me of my brother, you would like him.” Loki told you. “The same golden hair, the same confidence-”

 “He’s not really my type.” You quickly admitted, causing Loki to pause for a moment.

 Without looking you could tell Loki had turned on his side towards you, as you felt the uncomfortable mattress shift beneath your back. He had propped his head up on his elbow, while his other arm rested on the dip of his waist.

 “What would you describe ‘your type’ as?” Loki curiously inquired.

 You. You answered in your mind, while your lips remained sealed as you pretend to be giving it some thought while you focused on nervously fidgeting with your fingers over your stomach. 

 Eventually you lifted your eyes to Loki, his were already unapologetically focused on you. As you silently watched him from under your lashes, you willed him to read your mind from your stare alone and from the way his eyes darted over your face, you could tell he was trying.

 The candlelight which luminated the room, cause his eyelashes to cast shadows over his defined cheeks when his gaze paused on your lips for a moment too long, he drew his own lips inward to moisten them as his eyes slowly rose back to yours. 

 You leaned towards him, ever so slightly and nervously swallowed as he moved the hand he was using to support his head, to brush some loose strands of hair away from your face. His other arm made the mattress dip beside your waist, as he used it to support his weight as he leaned his upper body over you.

 His long hair fell untidily around his face and you hesitantly reached out your own hand to tuck one side of it behind his ear, surprised by how silky it felt against your fingertips. You let your palm cradle his sharp jaw as he slowly lowered his own face towards yours and both your eyelids fell shut as you waited to feel the sensation of the others lips moving against your own, but just as you felt his warm breath fan against your skin, an ear piercing scream caused you to shoot up with alarm and your forehead to smack against Loki’s.

 “Fuck!” You both cried in unison as you cradled your throbbing foreheads in your palms. The sound of loud footsteps running past your door from the hallway outside, reminded you of what caused you to startle in the first place and you quickly jumped from your bed, ignoring the way the pain in your head protested against it and rushed after the sound of the footsteps down the stairs. 

 “She died of fright.” You heard the Doctor conclude, as you turned through the doorway to the study Shakespeare was working in, to find the time lord leaning over the innkeeper’s dead body. Your auntie was stood at the open window, as if searching for something, and Shakespeare looked dazed as he sat at his desk with confusion written all over his face.

 “I don’t like how this is turning into the plot of Clue.” You commented, before you jumped when you heard footsteps behind you, only to relax when you saw they belonged to Loki.

 “Doctor!” Donna called from the window, and he immediately rushed over to catch what she was looking at but unfortunately it seemed he wasn’t quick enough.

 “What did you see?”

 “A witch.” Your auntie answered, as if she could hardly believe herself.

 ***

 During the early hours of the morning, the innkeepers body had been removed by a coroner and the Doctor had stayed up until the crack of dawn began to peak through the inn’s windows, trying to figure out how the sudden deaths and the witchcraft all linked to the disappearance of Love’s Labours Won.

 You and Loki provided little help, hardly listening to the Doctor as he voiced his thoughts loud. You were both to occupied with distracting one other, as you kept glancing at each other from across the room, the tension between the both of you had been building ever since your chance to share a kiss was stolen away from you. 

 Looking around the room, you could see everyone was caught up with trying to come up with explanations for what was happening and you realised you could probably slip out the room without anyone noticing or at least not paying it much attention.

 Giving Loki a look which made a crease form between his eyebrows you rose from your chair and quietly made your way towards the door leading to the hallway, you paused once more under the arch of the doorway and gave Loki another look, which caused his eyebrows to rise with understanding, before you disappeared into the hallway.

 You walked up the stairs and entered the room you and Loki were sharing, hoping he would figure out where to find you, you sat on the bottom of the bed as you waited.

 It wasn’t long until you heard footsteps approaching the room, no one could ever hope to move around quietly on the floorboards of the inn. The doorway to your room was lower than the others, which meant when Loki walked through it he had to duck his head. After he gently shut the door behind him, he turned and paused with his back to the door, you were looking at him, from where you sat on the bed, with a wide smile as giggles threatened to rise from your stomach at the secrecy of it all.

 “I was meant to follow after you, right?” Loki checked, as he walked further into the room.

 You nodded as you rose to your feet and met him halfway.

 “I’ve never done this before,” Loki bashfully admitted, as he looked down. “Sneak away with someone in secret, I mean.”

 “You never had anyone to sneak away with in that big old palace on Asgard?” You asked, putting little effort into hiding your surprise. “I assume you lived in a palace, I don’t actually know…”

 “Yes, I grew up in a palace,” Loki chuckled, “and no, there was no one to sneak away with in it, that was more Thor’s arena.”

 “I’ve never done this either,” you confessed, “I had visions of myself waiting here and you not showing up because I didn’t make myself clear enough and then having to return to the room pretending I just took a piss in a bucket.” 

 Loki’s laughter grew louder and his smile wider, as crinkles appeared at the side of his eyes which lit up his entire face, you decided you would like to see this expression on him more.

 You reached your hand up to his face and gently rested your palm against his cheek and in return you felt his large hands engulf your hips as they gently pulled you closer. Your other hand rose to his shoulder and brushed along it until you curled your fingers around the back of his neck to slowly pull his face towards yours.

 This time you felt his lips mould against yours without any interruptions, his right hand left your hip to brush up to the small of your back, the back of your shirt slightly rode up with his hand, and he pulled you closer so your chests were flush, while your whole arm snaked around the back of his neck and you felt the tips of his soft hair tickle against your bare forearm.

 Blindly Loki guided you towards the bed, never lifting his lips from yours for one second. Once he felt the back of his calves hit the bed frame, he let himself fall onto the mattress, it let out a squeak as did you, and you giggled against his mouth as you made yourself comfortable in his lap with your legs resting on either side of his hips.

 His hands moved to hold you firmly around your waist as your palms rested on both his shoulders. Reluctantly, you pulled away from the kiss, and turned your head away to let out a yawn, exhausted from staying up until dawn.

 “I’m that boring, huh?” Loki joked, as his hands soothed up and down the sides of your ribs.

 “I’m sorry,” you hummed, as you gave him a small peck, “I guess my lack of sleep finally caught up with me.” 

 “You should rest,” Loki suggested, as he attached his lips to the column of your neck to leave feather light kisses, you let out a throaty groan in response as the tips of your fingers dug into his shoulders.

 “Will you stay with me?” You asked with closed eyes, as you tilted your head to the side to give him better access to your neck, you felt his hand climb up your spine, before his fingers buried themselves into your hair as he cradled the back of your head. “I know you don’t need as much sleep as humans do, but will you stay with me while I do?”

 Loki lifted his head from your neck to look at you, while his fingers which were buried in your hair, gently massaged over your scalp which sent a calming sensation running straight down your spine, relaxing you even further and making your eyelids heavier. 

 You couldn’t see it on his face, but Loki was shocked by the fact you trusted him enough to wish to sleep beside him. His lips parted ever so slightly, as he stared up at you through his lashes with wide eyes full of wonder. He didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded, which caused you to tiredly smile and give him another small kiss as thanks.

 As you both moved up the bed, the mattress creaked and squeaked beneath you. Loki rested on his back and you crawled up to him and rested your head on his chest, you could feel it softly rise and fall and you could hear his heartbeat while his calming sent surrounded you, and they all worked together to help lull you off into a peaceful sleep.

 Before you drifted off, you felt Loki’s arm curl around your shoulders while the tips of his fingers softly brushed against your arm, causing goosebumps to rise where they travelled. 

 Loki planted a kiss on the top of your head, before he let his own eyes fall shut, deciding to give sleep a try even though he wasn’t feeling particularly tired.

 ***

 You were abruptly woken up by the sounds of screams and lightening coming from the street outside your room. Due to the fact none of the candles were lit, it was filled with darkness, the only thing luminating the room was an unsettling red glow, which shone through the windows of the inn. You shot up immediately and discovered Loki had fallen asleep, kneeling on the mattress beside him you put your hand on his shoulder and shook him awake.

 “What is it?” His voice sounded croaky from his sleep, he soon heard the screams and noticed the sinister red glow of the room, he jumped from the bed and rushed to the window and you followed after him, your jaw dropped and your hand came up to your mouth at what you saw.

 From your second story window of the inn, you had a perfect view of the Globe Theatre and right now storm clouds and lightening swirled around it, while luminous crimson smoke rose from the centre. On the streets below groups of people desperately rushed away from the theatre crying and screaming.

 “Donna and the Doctor are probably already at the theatre, we have to go!” You rushed back to the bed to pull on your shoes and Loki did the same.

 Once you were both ready, you ran out of the inn and into the chaos on the street. Loki took your hand in his as you both began running towards the Globe Theatre, so you wouldn’t get separated by the large crowds running against you. 

 When you reached the theatre, you saw the stage door was slightly ajar and ran straight towards it, pulling Loki along with you. 

 As soon as you reached the stage, and saw your auntie, the Doctor and Shakespeare all stood on it, you dropped Loki’s hand. You missed the way the God’s brows formed a crease while he looked down at your hand, as you were too distracted by the terrifying sight before you. 

 Your hair blew around your face wildly, as in the centre of the theatre there was what only could be described as a hurricane of scarlet mist and lightning bolts and dark horrifying figures flew around inside the swirling phenomenon.

 “Donna!” You called, as you rushed to her side.

 She called your name when she turned over her shoulder and saw you and pulled you towards her.

 “What’s going on?” You yelled above the commotion, Loki stood closely beside you and listened to the conversation.

 “They want to end the world, take over and build their new empire.” Donna explained with tears in her eyes, “we’re too late, there’s nothing we can do.” 

 Your lips fell slack and you looked back towards the swirling flaming red mist with terror, realising it was a portal, to unleash evil upon the world.

 You looked up at Loki, his long black hair waved around his face from the gusts caused by the portal, he was staring at it with a thoughtful expression before his eyes locked with yours and he saw the fear in them. 

 With a determined look, Loki walked towards the edge of the stage, you noticed the luminous emerald mist already starting to form in his palms before he lifted them towards the centre of the theatre. His right foot came backwards, to support his weight, as his magic pushed against him but he leaned his upper body into it.

 With one hand he focused his magic on the centre of the theatre, before he moved the other to direct a burst of magic towards the royal box, your eyes followed the green mist and widened when you saw three witches who you hadn’t noticed before. With his magic focusing on the witches who were the source of the power, the portal began to deteriorate and was easily engulfed by Loki’s magic. 

 The God raised both his arms into the air, and a green surge of light shot into the night sky, taking the portal with it, the force caused the doors behind the stage to fly open and hundreds of loose pages flew into the air and with a resounding boom everything vanished, the only evidence left behind was a faint green mist which slowly began to dissipate. Even the three witches who had been sat in the royal box were gone, the only thing left behind was a crystal ball which sat on the edge of the balcony.

 The remaining members of the audience, who hadn’t managed to escape, began to slowly clap until they erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause. 

 From the side of the stage, you watched Loki glance around at the audience, as he momentarily appeared to be caught off guard but he quickly regained his composure and lowered himself into an elegant bow with both his arms spread wide and the audience began applauding him even louder.

 Shakespeare appeared by your side and took your hand in his, your other hand was already holding Donna’s and he guided you both to the edge of the stage, beside Loki and the three of you bowed in unison, however the entire time your eyes were locked on Loki as he stared at your hand which was held in the poets, and that dangerous shadow cast over his eyes again as his jaw clenched.

 ***

 Loki had avoided you for the rest of the night. When you all returned to the inn, due to the fact most of the guests had fled the town in fright when the portal opened, there were suddenly a lot more rooms going spare. Loki had vanished to one of the rooms without a word, despite the fact everyone was trying to bestow him with gratitude and praise for literally saving the world, he ignored it all.

 You had stayed in the common room, with Donna, the Doctor and Shakespeare as they explained everything that had happened. The witches in the royal box had possessed Shakespeare last night as he was writing the end of Love’s Labours Won and wrote a spell into the script, the innkeeper must have witnessed this and died from the fright. They had killed the man who had tried to cancel the play as they needed it to be performed and for the actor to read the spell out loud on stage to open the portal, which would’ve allowed millions of their kind to travel through and invade Earth, the Doctor had called them the Carrionites. 

 The entire time you couldn’t keep Loki off your mind, the look on his face when he saw your hand in Shakespeare’s, kept appearing behind your eyes, making your heart sink deeper each time. As soon as Donna and the Doctor had finished explaining everything to you, you excused yourself and headed upstairs to the rooms and stopped in front of the door which you had seen Loki disappear behind.

 “Loki?” You softly knocked on the door, but there came no response. You tried the handle, but it was firmly locked.

 “Can we talk?” You tried again, and you waited, but still nothing.

 You rested your forehead against the door in defeat and sighed. 

 “Goodnight, Loki.” You whispered before you retreated to your room.

 ***

 The next morning the Doctor had decided to return to the theatre to see if he could help Shakespeare salvage any parts of Love’s Labours Won, but it seemed as though all traces of it vanished when Loki destroyed the portal, finally solving your mystery of how it disappeared. 

 Loki still hadn’t emerged from his room, even when you had knocked on his door to inform him that you were all heading to the theatre and then from there you would be returning to the TARDIS. 

 You were beginning to feel incredibly worried about him while you sat on a wooden box on the stage of the Globe Theatre as your concerns raced through your mind. 

 “What troubles you?” You startled, since you had been too distracted by your worries to even notice that Shakespeare had taken a seat beside you on the box.

 You contemplated whether or not you should actually tell the poet what was troubling you or if you should dismiss him, you realised that you couldn’t really voice your worries to Donna or the Doctor since neither of them knew about what happened between you and Loki yet. At least with Shakespeare he would be out of your life for good within the hour, so you decided you could share it with him.

 “It’s Loki,” you sighed sadly, “he has been avoiding me.”

 You suddenly felt the weight of his hand on your lower back, as he pulled you closer and you stiffened.

 “If Loki won’t give you his attention. Why not entertain a man who will?” Shakespeare proposed, before he began leaning his face towards yours. 

 Your eyes widened and you immediately brought your hands to his chest to push him away.

 “It seems I arrived at the wrong time.” As soon as you heard Loki’s familiar deep voice, your heart plummeted in your chest. 

 “Loki,” you looked over your shoulder at him, guilt already filling your eyes, despite the fact you hadn’t actually done anything wrong. You weren’t going to kiss Shakespeare, you had been milliseconds away from pushing him off the box.  

 You rose to your feet and tried to walk towards Loki but he took a step backwards to maintain the distance and you got the hint.

 “Good props store, back there!” The Doctor caught your attention, you turned and saw him and Donna returning to the stage, dressed in various different props and costume pieces.

 “Not sure about this, though.” He held up what appeared to be a large animals skull in his left hand, you couldn’t depict what it was, but it looked ghastly. “Reminds me of a Sycorax.” 

 “Sycorax.” Shakespeare repeated. “Nice word. I’ll have that one off you as well.”

 “I should be on 10%.” The Doctor muttered. 

 “Mobius.” You heard Loki gasp from behind you, and your attention turned to his line of sight, to find a fair haired man, with a moustache and wearing a plain brown suit enter the theatre by one of the stalls entrances, followed by a group of armed officers. You instantly recognised him as the man Loki had been hiding from in Pompeii.

 “It’s nice to finally see you again, Loki.” The man spoke, sounding like an old friend, but there was definitely something far more sinister hiding in his tone. 

 By now the exchange had captured everyone’s attention, as you all glanced between Loki and the new stranger Loki had addressed as Mobius. 

 “How did you find me?” Loki asked, as he stepped towards the edge of the stage. 

 “It wasn’t too hard, we’ve been tracking seismic activities of your magic. You lead us right to you.” Mobius smiled, it seemed that composed smile never left his face. From how uneasy Loki appeared, you decided you disliked him already.

 “I’d just like to know, who would be idiotic enough to give you, of all people, free rein through all of time and space.” Mobius asked Loki, who had parted his lips to answer but before he could, the Doctor stepped up to the edge of the stage beside him.

 “That would be me.” The Doctor announced, still dressed in all the props he had found back stage, including a pleated collar and an oversized beret while he still held the disturbing animal skull, he looked quite the spectacle.

 Mobius was speechless for a moment, as his eyes dragged up and down the Doctor’s tall form.

 “He’s a time lord.” Loki proudly lifted his head, as one might just before they lay down their cards to reveal a winning hand.

 Mobius smile finally dropped, and you couldn’t help the smirk that lifted at the corner of your lips, proud to see Loki have an advantage.

 “Impossible. They’re all gone.” Mobius tried to hide any traces of confusion from his face and tone and instead feigned confidence in his statement.

 “All except me.” The Doctor explained, and you practically saw the realisation hit Mobius at full force.

 “You’re...” The words died on Mobius’ tongue, before his eyes filled with horror.

 “I’m beginning to get the feeling that they don’t honour me as much as they do the other time lords.” The Doctor whispered to Loki, who was now frowning.

 Mobius commanded something you couldn’t hear to the armed officers around him and they raised their weapons.

 “I think that is our cue to run.” The Doctor decided as he slowly began backing away, he threw the animals skull at Shakespeare, who quickly caught it, then took Donna’s hand in his own as he rushed past her and lead her out the stage door with you and Loki following closely behind him.

 You followed the trail of the Doctors long brown trench coat, through the busy streets, glad that he seemed to memorise the way to the TARDIS because you had no idea, while you had flashbacks of running for your life through Pompeii, except this time you were running from the exact same thing Loki had been. 

  Once the familiar blue box caught your eye, your legs began carrying you even quicker as you made your final sprint towards it. The Doctor was already at the door, holding it open, you made it in first and then Loki closely after you.

 The Doctor wasted no time and immediately rushed to the controls to get the TARDIS out of there as soon as possible, while you leant over the rail, as you tried to catch your breath. You felt the sharp pain of a stitch in your side and brought the tips of your fingers up to your abdomen and dug them into your skin where you felt the pain, in an attempt to ease it.

 Just as the familiar tremors and the sound of the engine wheezing filled the control room, an outside force caused the ship to jerk harshly and sent you crashing to the floor.

 “Shit.” You cursed under your breath, as pain shot through your hip from the impact of hitting the hard floor.

 Glancing around it seemed everyone else had managed to maintain their balance, the Doctor was still frantically working at the controls, Donna was glancing at you with concern from the other side of the control room and Loki looked lost in thought while he held on tight to the rail.

 Eventually the tremors subsided and the TARDIS settled into a tranquil state and the Doctor collapsed into the seats with his feet rested up against the ships console, looking exhausted as he finally pulled the pleated collar from off his neck with a heavy sigh.

 “Well… now we’re all on the run from the Time Variance Authority.” The time lord concluded. 

[hopelesshawks]

Official Accounts Part 27- Think Fast

Summary: (y/n) was perfectly happy remaining anonymous, even if her best friends were all pro heroes and she worked under THE Hawks. Handling the technical aspects of hero work from the background suited her just fine, thank you very much. That goes out the window when suddenly her twitter blows up thanks Denki and the famed no. 2 hero is asking her to run his own official twitter as a result

If you don’t want to see Official Accounts content blacklist #hopelessoa

Warnings for alcohol and recreational drug use

Masterlist

Hawks watches somewhat apprehensively as you put solo cups, mixers, and multiple handles of hard liquor out on your counter. “You look more terrified right now than I’ve ever seen you before facing a villain,” you point out. “I trained my whole life to fight villains. This is new. How many people did you invite?” He asks incredulously. “Just the Baddies,” you shrug. “All this is for just seven people?” “Technically all this and more, Kacchan’s bringing beer and Mina’s bringing white claws. Don’t worry we won’t finish it all!” you assure him before briefly pausing. “We probably won’t finish it all,” you correct yourself. At seeing the continued hesitation in Hawks’ face you stop your preparations for a moment and turn to him. “Hey I can call this whole thing off if you want,” you offer, but he shakes his head. “No, no don’t do that. Beneath the nerves I’m excited I promise. Plus what would people think if the great Hawks chickened out of a simple little party?” “I’m more worried about Keigo right now than Hawks.” “Keigo will also be fine.” “Ok, but you are more than welcome to stop drinking whenever. We won’t pressure you to get drunk if you don’t want to.” “I am older than you, yknow. You don’t have to baby me.” “Older yes but I, dear Keigo, am the more experienced and wiser one here.” “Well then, oh wise one, why don’t you show me the proper way to take tequila shots.” “I’ll grab the limes.”

You and Keigo might have gotten the tiniest bit carried away with your pregame so by the time the rest of your friends come knocking at your door you’ve already got a buzz going. As you swing the door open Denki and Mina are grinning back at you, Denki with an impressive bag of weed and Mina with the promised white claws, as the other three wave from behind them. “Let’s get fucking plus ultra in this bitch!” Mina yells and the rest of you reply with similar enthusiasm as you usher everyone inside. “Hawks and I already started so you guys have to catch up,” you tell them as you unlock your phone and toss it to Kirishima to pick the music.

At the start of the night you made a point to stick close to Keigo so he’d always have a familiar face to rely on if he got overwhelmed or didn’t feel like talking anymore, but as the drinks kept flowing you were delighted to find he seemed to be doing just fine on his own. In fact, Denki genuinely seemed keen on getting to know him more and the rest of your friends were just as welcoming. Soon it felt just like any of you all’s usual hangs and it wasn’t much longer after that that everyone was properly drunk. Soon Mina had somehow convinced Bakugo and Kirishima to back her up in an impromptu round of karaoke while Shinso and Hawks watched on from the sidelines. Denki sidles up next to you, throwing one arm around your shoulder while holding a perfectly rolled joint in his free hand. “Shall we head to the balcony?” he asks with a grin. You throw one more glance Hawks’ way to double check he’s doing well and when you see him burst into laughter as Bakugo and Mina fight over something inane, you feel something warm spark in your chest. “We shall,” you confirm before letting him guide you over to the glass door and opening it with a flourish.

There’s a chill in the air but the alcohol flowing through your veins means you barely feel it as you step onto the balcony and lean across the railing, Denki joining you as he pulls a lighter from his pocket. He places the joint in his mouth and then lights it with the kind of ease that comes from experience before taking a large hit and passing it to you. The two of you pass the joint back and forth a few times before Denki finally speaks up. “So how’s the little arrangement going so far?” he asks. “Better than expected to be honest.” “Have you guys talked about what happened yet?” “Not explicitly. He told me... a lot... about his past so I kinda get it now? but not about the night it went to shit.” Denki hums in acknowledgment. “How are you doing in general after everything that happened?” he asks. “I’m fine Denki.” “(Y/n)...” “I mean it. Don’t worry about little ol me.” “I’ll always worry about you.” “And I, you. Now stop killing the vibe. This is supposed to be a party remember?” Denki laughs at that as you move to sit on the railing of the balcony.

Keigo has to admit he’s pleasantly surprised by how tonight is going. He had worried about dropping into the middle of your friend group and spending the whole night feeling like an intruder but instead all of you have welcomed him with open arms in spite of everything. Between that and the alcohol he’s feeling more uninhibited now than he ever has his entire life. “I should’ve done this sooner,” he declares as he takes another sip from his solo cup. Next to him Shinso laughs, “damn right you should’ve.”

“Hey Kacchan!!” he suddenly hears you call. When he looks over he notices you sitting on the railing of the balcony. That can’t be safe, you have to be at least as drunk as he is and the joint you’d been sharing with Denki has burned pretty low so you’re definitely high too. “Think fast!” you shout and then you’re letting go and leaning backwards until you’re falling, the bright grin on your face never faltering. The blood in Hawks’ veins runs cold as he watches you disappear from sight. The muscles in his back twitch on instinct but barely any of his feathers have grown back yet so he. can’t. save. you. He can’t save you and he’s starting to panic when he notices Bakugo launching himself over the railing, the sound of explosions loud in the quiet night. Hawks jumps as he feels a hand land on his shoulder and turns to find Shinso giving him a reassuring smile. “Sorry should’ve warned you. She does that a lot, especially when she’s drunk,” Shinso tells him. “What? Falls off buildings?” “Yea pretty much.” “What?” “It’s a trust thing. The first time she did it was to prove a point. She knew he’d catch her. Now I think she just likes the feeling of falling while crossed.”

Bakugo reappears over the balcony with you giggling on his back completely unharmed and Hawks releases a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. “That’s a lot of trust. When’d she start doing that?” Hawks asks. “I’m actually not sure,” Shinso replies, “yo Mina!” “What?” “What year did (y/n) start the whole ‘think fast’ thing? Second or third?” Mina walks over to join the conversation, plopping down next to Shinso. “Uhh I think it was third year after they started dating” she says. Shinso shoots her a look and elbows her but it’s too late. “They dated?” Hawks asks. Mina’s eyes widen in realization but it’s too late to take it back so she instead says “I’m gonna get more to drink!” and jets back off to the kitchen. Shinso rolls his eyes. “Yea, they did. In the end they decided they were better off as friends though, especially because Bakugo was a lot less mature then.” “That’s why she gets away with calling him Kacchan.” “Yea, probably. That was years ago now though, I don’t think anything’s happened between them since. I wouldn’t worry about it,” Shinso assures him before excusing himself to go talk to Denki.

Hawks knows it’s not his place but he can’t help but feel jealous now watching you tease Bakugo about getting slower as he lectures you on being an idiot. “I’m not an idiot!” you pout. “What else would you call someone that intentionally falls off a building?” he seethes. “Was there any chance you would have let me hit the ground?” “Obviously not, dumbass.” “Well there you go! Perfectly safe!” Bakugo sputters, his cheeks reddening, before finally grumbling “I’m getting another drink,” before walking away. This only makes you laugh harder. “Love you Kacchan,” you tease after him. “Fuck you!” he shouts back.

He’s one of your best friends. He’s one of your best friends. He’s one of your best friends. The phrase plays on a loop in Keigo’s head in a desperate attempt to quash the jealousy burning through his chest but he can’t help it. How long had the two of you dated? “Longer than the two of you did,” his brain unhelpfully supplies. His thoughts are interrupted when Kirishima drops down next to him with two beer cans in hand. “You look like you’re pretty deep in your head and (y/n) would kill me if I let you stay that way. Ever shotgunned a beer before?” Kirishima asks. “I didn’t realize I was that easy to read,” Hawks says as he takes one of the offered beers. “Typically you’re not. Watching you in action? You’re totally inscrutable dude, it’s super manly! But when you’re with friends you shouldn’t have to worry about that. Anyway, let’s not talk heavy shit man, am I teaching you to shotgun or not?” “Fuck it, why not.” “That’s the spirit!”

The party eventually reaches its natural conclusion as exhaustion starts to overtake even the effects of alcohol. Not to mention, your friends are keenly aware that unlike you and Hawks they actually have to get up and be out for work tomorrow. Hawks isn’t surprised when you give each of your friends a tight hug goodbye. He is surprised when the same offer is extended to him. It’s almost scary how perceptive your friends can be. When Mina’s hands get a little too close to where his wings should be he can’t help but flinch and immediately she adjusts. The rest of your friends make a point to avoid the area. Bakugo and Kirishima are the last to leave and it takes everything in Hawks not to let his jealousy show as you hug Bakugo goodbye. He’s once again shocked when Bakugo goes to hug him but he soon realizes that it’s not necessarily done to be friendly. “Take good fucking care of her bird brain. Cause if you don’t? I will,” he whispers harshly. As the two pull away from each other their eyes lock in a silent challenge until Kirishima calls from the hallway “Bakubro let’s go! Taxi’s here!” “I’m coming Shitty Hair relax!” he shouts back before finally breaking eye contact and heading out the door with one final wave in your direction.

Author’s Note: The party was honestly pretty built around the “think fast” scene. Once that idea came to mind it refused to leave. The Bakugo stuff well 👀 what can I say I like ✨drama✨ also I felt a little bad that Bird Boy stole the fic I was gonna write for Bakugo from him. Originally I was gonna have Hawks’ jealousy be unfounded but then I saw an opportunity and decided to run with it oops

Taglist [open]: @cathy8taffy @katzurras @grumpyfroggies @captaincyberqueen @itskindofafairything @420-uwu @someweirdshitman @oliviasslut @the-adzukibean @a-fucking-sero-kinnie @ladyzayismultifandom

[bloomingundertheshadows]

I can't get over the fact that schmico have been together longer than Amelink, Magston and Marina on station 19 who just got married in their finale. It just makes it seem grey's doesn't really have an interest in writing for queer men beyond using Jake and schmico for press.

Oh anon, little did you know, you've brought forth another one of my midnight rants. This has been bothering me for so long, and finally I can justify discussing it at length. Other people have spoken about this, but I have no life, so here we are. In short, you are correct. But, there is so much to discuss, so get your drinks and snacks ready:

What bothers me about the fact that Schmico has been together longer than Amelink/Marina/Magston is the complete disparity between how the writers portray the intimacy of these relationships. Don't be bamboozled - I don't mean sex or anything. By intimacy I mean that the writers portray Amelink/Marina/Magston as serious relationships where the characters have an emotional understanding of one another and truly carry that sense of people who know one another as partners. Obviously relationships move at different paces, but if I showed Schmico to someone without forcing them to do the math, I think most people would assume they'd been together a year at most. They fight like they are just getting out of the honeymoon phase and figuring out their boyfriend has real flaws. Quite frankly both of their behaviors (Levi constantly pushing Nico's boundaries, the whole weird ass sex buddies thing, Nico flipping out over drawers, and Levi running away ) are insane for a couple who by the start of season 17, were probably together like 2 years. Maybe I overestimate emotional maturity, but these are grown men, and you cannot convince me that these two would have made it to season 16B if they behaved like this regularly. I hate it. I hate how other couples have been together shorter time periods and get to behave like a valid adult relationship while these two are behaving like teenagers.

I've always felt Schmico existed within a pocket dimension of Grey's Anatomy - completely cut off from the rest of the cast/storyline or overall plot. I literally feel like the show stops whenever they come on screen, and we start watching this mini-show within a show. I don't know if anyone else can describe this feeling, but sometimes Schmico just feels so unnaturally placed that I doubt they are even in Grey's Anatomy. 

The best way I can prove this is the fact you could place this season's schmico storyline anywhere in the season, and it wouldn't even matter. They could have had Nico ask Levi to move in with him during 17x05 or 17x06 or 17x07, etc and it would not have mattered - they are so isolated you can literally cut and paste their storyline anywhere in the season without changing anything. (I realize that technically vax guy can only appear in the last episode because of when the actual vaccine was developed, but let's not pretend he couldn't have been replaced with literally any other male character. The vaccine trial was a fun tidbit, but literally meaningless to the progression of the plot). Nothing that happens to them is dependent on anyone or anything else in the show. This wasn’t as true in S15-16A, but it is on full display now. Every once in while they get pulled into a cameo appearance in a bigger plot-line, but this has no real consequences and lasts for 1 minute at most (see Nico’s numb comments). The fundamental cause of this is poor character development and the complete unwillingness of production to make these characters part of Grey’s - but we all know that. 

As a result, I truly believe the writers have some sort of temporal disorientation where even they forget how long schmico has been together. Because schmico is so dissociated from the show, it feels like the relationship is on warpspeed. Sure, a few weeks may have passed between Nico asking Levi to move in and him actually responding, but when you never see the characters in the show except for when they’re having relationship issues, it doesn’t actually feel like any time has passed. They have taken away the audience’s ability to place these characters within the show’s timeline (which is already kind of messed up to begin with). I think this contributes to the audience’s dislike of them because while other couples are seen interacting with many doctors across the hospital  over multiple episodes, these two will show up for 3 minutes every two episodes and the rest of the show stops while these two get locked in an enclosed space to fight. Literally. The show isolates them to closets or on call rooms or even Nico’s apartment - if I was more meh about these characters, I’d  be annoyed too that we stopped all character interactions to watch these two fight in the middle of a deserted parking lot.  

This whole pocket dimension schmico is also part of the reason I think the writers struggle to figure out that they shouldn’t be behaving like this. I’m not giving them a free pass because they are part of the problem, but I doubt incorporating this side couple that only gets 1.45 minutes of screen time each week is a fun or easy job. Schmico are not woven into the fabric of the narrative, and I bet even the writers feel confused how best to write them. 

I imagine the Grey’s writing room has lots of whiteboards that roughly charts a character’s plot each season. Except, schmico’s plotline is written on sticky note that Krista uses as a coaster. Once they complete the episode, someone notices Jake walking by and suddenly realizes they’d forgotten schmico. Then, there’s a desperate attempt to shove them into the story before filming begins. In the crunch, there’s no time to consider whether this makes any sense. 

As for your second point about them only using them for promotion, I 100% agree. The headlines about “Grey’s Anatomy introduces first Asian male surgeon” literally haunts my dreams. I’ve spoken at length about the fact Grey’s is running on a season-by-season format right now, which I think helped contribute to this nonsense. I am hesitant to call out anyone by name because this show is a group effort, but I can’t help but feel like Jake kind of got forked. He (and Alex) put out a lot of press for Greys during Season 15, and he spent a decent amount of time talking about his storyline, and I always felt he was pretty happy with it - and Krista also spent time hyping up this storyline (Your friendly neighborhood reminder that Krista once said schmico was her favorite couple. I can’t prove it’s a lie, but I’m willing to bet my left kidney). However, they totally dropped the ball once the news articles were gone and the internet had moved onto different things. It’s pretty insulting to the actors, and I would feel pretty salty if I came onto a show where I started with a meangingful storyline only to end up here.  

I have nothing too much to say in conclusion. Most of this has been said before, so it’s not like I’m adding anything new. Given how everything ended, Season 18 is looking good for both Jake and Alex’s return. While I can’t say for sure they will come back, I think that right now, Grey’s is giving them both a steady paycheck and probably good connections and resume building. Last season I was super hopeful we’d get a better schmico storyline or at least something that didn’t revolve around the same old tired plot. But we all see how that went. At the bare minimum I want to believe that the Nico’s a d*ck plot will kind of be put to rest, but they have made it pretty clear that Nico is literally at fault for everything in this relationship, so I bet Levi will be mad at him next season too. 

Good thing the fanfiction is strong in the community. May you all rest well knowing you put more effort into this couple than paid professionals. 

[sasa-gay-yo]

Just Us (Chapter Eight: Bread)

← Chapter Seven

TW: Themes of SA

“Maybe they stopped somewhere? They’re usually on time, so something had to have happened,” I turned back to look at the café’s clock through the window. They were almost two hours late. Some people were making jokes about them all dying and not coming back, but I rolled my eyes at those. I would know if Levi died and I didn’t have a feeling like that. However, there was a feeling creeping up from my stomach. Something wasn’t right and it wasn’t because they had stopped along the way to take a rest. I had gotten this feeling before and realized sometime ago it lined up with Levi getting hurt on the expedition. 

Jonas shrugged, “I mean it’s always a gamble to see what time they come back. It’ll probably be late when they do. Let’s go back in. It’s not like they’re never late.” He tried to grab my arm to pull me down, but I evaded it. Something just didn’t seem right. I wasn’t settled to go back to the café yet. Not when this feeling was still slowly creeping up my back. What was going on? 

“No, Jonas, I’m going to stay here.”

Suddenly, there were screams from far down the street. Loud screams of terror. They weren’t welcoming back the Scouts, were they? Were they really in such a state to scream about? The feeling had finally taken hold of my brain and I started shaking. Something bad had happened. 

Levi, where are you?

“Wall Maria has fallen! Titans have taken Wall Maria! Shiganshina has been attacked by the titans!” I recognized the man on the horse as a new cadet and his eyes were filled with fear. As soon as he ran past the people waiting, chaos struck. My eyes opened as wide as they could and I observed the people from the crate I was standing on. Some were screaming in hysterics, others didn’t believe the news, too stunned to move, and most were already running back to their homes. 

If titans had taken Wall Maria, that means they were right outside Wall Rose. They were directly outside of Trost. Had the Scouts been stopped by an ambush of titans? How did the titans breech Wall Maria? Questions were running fast through my mind and even with Jonas’s pulling, I couldn’t leave the crate. Where were the Scouts? Where was Levi? I wanted answers, but I couldn’t get them like this. My eyes started watering.

“Eva, we need to go inside! If the titans broke through Shiganshina, then Trost is next!” The screams of the crowd had gotten loud enough to drown out anyone speaking in regular tones. People were coming to the same conclusions Jonas and I had. We weren’t protected by another wall, we were the wall now. The titans were right outside our doorstep. If they climbed up Maria, they can climb up Rose.

“Where are they, Jonas?!” I asked in desperation. Somehow, even with all these questions, my mind was hyperfocused on the Scouts. He grabbed my legs and hauled me inside, not caring to answer my question. I was too stunned to move. 

Once he put me down, he locked the door and closed the windows to the café. 

“Is your apartment locked?” I nodded slowly and looked around. Everyone had vacated their places at the tables and I even saw some pastries and bread missing from the glass case. That’s when I realized why Jonas had come in and locked the door.

“I think we’re going to have to keep the café locked for a few days. People are going to be panicking and doing crazy things, and if there are any refugees from Shiganshina, they’re going to end up here.” I started shaking at the thoughts of people breaking in. Tears, fear, and now physically shaking. My mind couldn’t process my emotions, but my body was going into overdrive.

I had bread. That was the one thing they were going to want. Every meal is with bread. Refugees and citizens. We had just lost valuable land to the titans, meaning that soon there would be too many people to feed and not enough crops. There wasn’t enough land between Rose and Mitras to feed all of us. We were already dealing with a shortage, but now it was going to be ten fold and I had one of the things people wanted the most. Apparently, my mind still didn’t care about that.

“Jonas, how did the titans get in?” He was tying some spare rope around the door and a chair so no one could get it even if they somehow got the lock open. I didn’t know how he was thinking so logically at this point. I couldn’t think straight or even move. I was calm in most situations, but this is the one that broke me. I wasn’t afraid for myself I realized.

He looked up at me and his eyes softened. I was shaking, my eyes wide and filled with tears, and my thoughts were consuming me. Levi was okay, I could feel it, but they had to be fighting titans right now or on their way to. It chilled me to my core thinking about them charging into a concentrated zone like Shinganshina, especially with the new recruits who had just gone on their first expedition. How many had survived this one, just to be eaten by titans breaching the Wall? I wasn’t scared for my wellbeing as much as I was for theirs.

His voice was calmer than before, “I don’t know, Eva, but you can ask Levi when he returns.” I didn’t know if that was to make me feel better, but a sudden confidence in Levi did help. They’ll return. He’ll come back again. 

“I’ll stay with you for awhile. You’re a well-known bakery so people or refugees might try something. You don’t know how to defend yourself from them.” As much as I wanted to reject his offer, I knew he was right. His house would be fine with his two roommates and I was too scared to even go upstairs right now. I nodded and sat down on a chair, trying to calm myself. I was thinking more logical now, but my body was slow to catch up with my mind. Wiping the tears off my face, I start to take deep breaths.

“I wonder what will happen next. If there are titans who can get above the walls, then humanity will have to think of some defense.” Jonas walked over and joined me at the table. We just sat there lost in our thoughts and trying to tune out the shouting going on outside. He decided to try and use humor to calm each of us down.

“A dome,” he suggested flippantly. Not a bad idea, I guess. Sacrificing the sky to survive titans wasn’t something humanity would want to do. Humans wanted to be able to see above and below them. That’s something they all take for granted on the surface. 

“I didn’t know titans were a thing until I was six or seven. The Underground was like a dome and everyone killed to try and see the sky. I don’t think that’d work,” I responded back. He just shrugged and we went back to sitting in silence again. We just didn’t know what to do now that our normal routine was broken. Jonas would be delivering something and I would be back in the café listening to the crowd complain about the Scouts per their return. I’d be waiting for Levi to come back and have our first late-night tea as… well, our first late night tea since we aired out everything. Now, that wasn’t going to happen. Humanity was on a complete standstill that day. 

Some people left Trost and others acted like nothing had happened days previous. The refugees were piling in one by one and being housed in the supply areas the Garrison had. When I took time to stare out the window, I could see them lining up outside to get their names down and escorted in. Their faces were just like the Scouts when they had returned from a brutal expedition and just like people in the Underground. I never thought I would see so many people with this expression above ground. Lifeless, shell shocked, consumed with helplessness; it was hard to stare at them long. I decided to keep the café closed while the refugees were getting settled and to preserve my stock. One of the Garrison members had mentioned that in a months time, the refugees would use up all the excess supplies and soon they would be on the ones for the people of Trost. It seemed the other Wall Rose cities were having the same problem. Coupled with the famine we were already dealing with, it seemed we were soon going to descend into some state of madness as a society. I didn’t want me or my café to be a point of interest to those who were food-crazed.

It seem the Garrison had other plans for the bakeries and delis of Trost.

“We’ll pay you a good amount. It may not be the same as if you would sell to the citizens of Trost, but it’s better than being frozen completely. The government will also give you some extra privileges, but that will be arranged later if you accept,” he smiled down at me as I leaned on the counter. I was trying to mold my face into the one Levi always had on. He was right, even if I was getting paid little per loaf, it would be much more than not selling anything. I could see Jonas in the corner of my eye who looked nothing but suspicious. He had stopped reading the newspaper to listen to the Garrison Captain and I’s conversation. 

“I would get paid in advance, correct? Per loaf? If not, then no deal.” He clenched his jaw, knowing that wasn’t his plan. I wasn’t going to let them exploit me like I knew they had the other bakers. The old couple down the street, the Saunders, had been contacted for the same service at the start of the influx of refugees. That was a week and a half ago. Once they had ran out of their flour and yeast, the Garrison told them to wait and get paid. Because of this, every bakery was hesitant to accept their offer. We, the owners, had been passing letters back and forth with bargaining tips. I was the first one to test them out and I’d write later on their success. 

“If we cannot pay you in money, we can give you more supplies and food in place. You know how it is, everyone is being drained. The Garrison soldiers are down to two meals a day.” Oh, boohoo. I could care less about the Garrison. They’ve been hoarding food for themselves and have limited the refugees to a single loaf, a bowl of soup, and a jug of water per day. 

“And how many meals do you give the refugees per day?” I raised an eyebrow and his jaw clenched even tighter. I had to accept the offer to get by, but I was going to make him feel bad about it.

“Will you accept or not? There are countless other bakeries in Trost…” I smiled, knowing he was lying to me. Almost every sensible bakery declined their offer last week. He’d have to go back to them and beg if he lost me.

“Let me hand out the bread. It’s my bread and I want to make sure it goes to the right people. You have the power to let me do that, don’t you, Captain?” He widened his eyes, probably surprised I even accepted. He didn’t care about the formalities after that.

“Of course, Eva. Whatever you want,” he grabbed my hand, shaking it wildly, “Thank you for accepting! Come tomorrow at nine in the morning with the number I gave you!” He quickly ran out of the café, making sure I couldn’t add on any more rules. Jonas pulled a face as he set the newspaper on the table. 

“You shouldn’t have accept it, Eva. Business will be up again soon and you know they won’t pay you. You know what they did to Ida and George,” he shook his head in disapproval. Jonas had little faith in anyone it seemed.

“It’s to help the refugees, Jonas, not the Garrison. If I can bring at least a little joy to their faces, I’d be happy. It’s heartbreaking to watch them aimlessly walk around Trost with those looks on their faces.” It was the Underground all over again. I thought I had escaped it.

“If I witnessed a titan almost twice the size of the walls, I’d look like that too. They’re saying that it disappeared as fast as it came and it brought in another titan to break through the walls. It’s insane. I’ve seen one titan, and they didn’t look like they were capable of that.” I turned to grab a big bag of flour and start making the bread. Jonas saw my struggle and came over to grab it for me and pull it into the kitchen where the batch mixer was. 

The week he had been here, I had barely gotten sleep until the Scouts returned. My body would calm down for a few hours and then go right back to being seized up and shaking. My overthinking also didn’t help my mental or sleeping state. I had also drank at least four cups of a tea a night.

“I can help you make it, but I have to start delivering again tomorrow. You’ll be on your own dealing with the refugees,” he poured in the flour and I went to fill up the pitchers of water. Jonas still had a huge distrust of the refugees flocking into Trost. It didn’t help that the food shortage was making them desperate. News of infighting flooded out into the Trost street gossip and everyone was worried when the fighting would also flood out of the barracks. They didn’t see most of the refugee’s faces… most were too weak willed to do those things. Only some had a spark of life left. 

The next morning, I walked into the stock yard, trying to keep my emotions down. Seeing the people fight each other and the faces of those still in shock made me sick to my stomach. These people had lost their homes and families, yet the Garrison was treating them like cattle. Even the children had the same looks as the adults; pained, helpless, and tired. I couldn’t show them my emotions thought. The last thing they want from someone is pity. I knew that well.

“There you are, Eva. We’d like to thank you again for cooperating with us. How many loaves did you bring?” The Captain looked down at me and I know he was reluctant to hear my answer. 

“Three hundred, like you asked,” I gestured to the bags on the cart I was pulling. He winced at that number and pulled out the notes to pay me. I stuffed the money inside my jacket and pulled the cart over to the soup that was being poured out. He probably didn’t think I could make that many loaves in a short time.

“They got you to listen to them too, huh, Eva?” It was the deli owned three streets down. When I needed to add meat in any of my winter pastries, I would always go to him. No one had the money for meat at the moment, that’s probably why he was here. No one needed specialty bread or pastries, that’s why I was here.

“I’m here for the refugees. I know the Garrison is hoarding supplies and has enough to feed them. They offered to pay me two large bags of flour everyday I brought bread. There’s nothing I can do about them, but I can try and help those who are being cheated from it.” He smiled at me and nodded in agreement. 

“I grew up in Shiganshina. My brother was still there, but he’s missing,” he had a sad look in his eyes as he glanced over the people, “It’s selfish of me, but I hope one day while I’m serving them, he’ll walk up for a bowl.” That made me want to cry. The pain I was pushing down for these people slapped me in the face when he told me that. It made me even angrier that the people were fighting for their lives and I still hear the Garrison soldiers mocking them.

“Refugees! Line up in an orderly line! You will get one large bowl of soup and one loaf of bread! If we see anyone try to sneak more, you’re rations will be taken and redistributed!” As soon as the Captain stepped down from the crate, people came rushing to us. They pushed and shoved each other, desperate to get to the front of the line. I looked down at the ground, not wanting to see it any longer. The government was dehumanizing them and the effects were showing as early as a week. When I handed out the bread, some even growled as they finally got their hands on food. Fights had broken out on the other end of the line as people were trying not to be last and the Garrison just stood there watching. My pity had turned into raging anger. The Garrison were the ones who were useless. They don’t deserve the taxes I pay them.  

“Ma’am, I have two other children with me. I didn’t want them to get shoved around, can I please have two more loaves?” I looked at the old man who had a straw gardeners hat on the top of his head. Next to him stood a young child, eleven or twelve, with a mop of golden hair on his head. His blue eyes looked up and pleaded with me, urging me that the man, probably his grandfather, was telling me the truth. The Garrison solider next to me stopped him from continuing.

“If they’re not in line with you, they’ll have to get their own,” he glared down at the two and I glared up at him. They weren’t lying and I was going to give them the two extra bread loaves, whether the Garrison guard liked it or not. 

“They’re over there! Please, sir!” The younger boy pointed to the center and you really couldn’t make out who he was pointing to because of the amount of people, but if you squinted there were in fact two kids who seemed to be of similar age to the boy. One with a red scarf and the other a brown jacket.

“With all due respect sir, I see no reason not to give them the loaves. It’s my bread after all.” He switched his glare to me and huffed. He thinks he’s so high and mighty when he’s being absolutely useless. If they were there to help the refugees, they wouldn’t have shoved them in a place used for cattle stock.

“If you give them that bread, be prepared for everyone else to fake the existence of children. We have people to feed, Eva.” I didn’t falter and I handed the young boy three loaves, one for him and two for the others. He beamed up at me, surprised by my kindness. I bet the locals and soldiers weren’t very kind to them and I know they hear the insults daily. I knew the impact of insults well. 

“By denying this bread, you’re starving two children. We have to feed people... Sir.” 

“Thank you so much miss!” The boy turned around and ran to join his friends. I smiled at the sight and handed his grandfather his loaf and soup bowl.

“Thank you so much for your kindness,” he smiled up at me as well, but the guard shoved him along before I could say anything back. 

“I’ll tell the Captain to deduct that from your next pay out. You’ll turn these people into freeloading, charity cases if you keep it up.” My gazed hardened and I passed bread onto the next person. 

“The only freeloaders I see are you and your fellow soldiers. You can give me two bags of flour a day, but not feed these people more than once?” He grit his teeth at me and rage filled his eyes.

“Why, you-”

“You haven’t even seen it happen!” He stopped, his fist in the air, and turned to the shouting that filled the square. The refugees in line turned too. It was the other boy, the one with the brown jacket, his eyes filled with rage as he yelled up at the Captain.

“How a titan eats a human!” My eyes widened and the anger rose to my throat again. Before the solider could hit the boy again, it was the blonde one who jumped in front to defend his friend on the ground. Whatever he said, and the pressure of the other refugees watching, made the Captain walk away. Everyone slowly turned their attention back to getting rations, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the trio who were standing up to go eat their bread. I couldn’t look away from the boy.

He was like Levi. The child no doubt had seen people eaten by titans as he escaped Shiganshina and was dealing with his hurt alone. Everyone around him was going through the same trauma, and the people of Trost didn’t care to listen. Is this how Levi feels? Surrounded by all these people, but forever alone in his experience with titans? I wanted to walk over to the kid and tell him that I’d listen to him. I’d let him tell me all the hurt he’s been through and try to make him feel better. 

“Do you know what those kids names are?” The guard seemed reluctant to hand me information after I just insulted him. 

“Who? Those three? I only know the one who was shouting. His name is Eren Jaeger and his father is a doctor. The blonde boy tries to solve all the fights he gets in and the oriental girl has to help Eren sometimes. She beat up another kid who Eren got in a fight over soup. That kid… he has so much rage he fights like hell is about to freeze over. If he was an adult, we’d have kicked him out already. I’m half minded to do it after he just kicked the Captain,” He crossed his arms and looked over the the trio again.

“Send them to me,” I blurted out, not knowing what my plan was. I just saw kids who needed help. A second chance at life. They were like me.

“If they are ever too much or, I don’t know, if they do anything, don’t kick them out, just send them to me. I need help making the bread anyways.” The guard rolled his eyes at me, probably thinking I wasn’t serious. Hopefully, if that day ever happens, he’ll remember what I said. I wanted to help heal those kids.

“Sure, yeah, whatever. Hand out the bread.” 

Walking back, cart empty, I was still thinking about that boy. The emotion in his eyes was indescribable. I’ve never seen someone his age with that type of trauma so evidently displayed in his eyes. Well, no kid above ground. 

“Eren Jaeger,” I repeated his name again. I wanted to help him and his friends, but the only way I could right now was to make them bread. I hope someday they do end up outside of my café. Maybe I can ask Levi about how I can get around the Garrison.

Levi. I smiled softly thinking about the man. The Scouts returned the sixth day after the news of Wall Maria in the middle of the night. It might have been a move so that no one could see them return, or it just happened to turn out that way when delivering the refugees that came on foot. Jonas had woken me up, as I was passed out over a cup of tea, and we looked out my apartment window at them. He was on his horse, hood up, and riding next to Erwin. I could tell by the way his shoulders were slumped over he was exhausted. It was enough for me to see him like that and I knew they would be ruthlessly busy in the next coming months. I couldn’t be greedy on wanting time with him. It had been about a half a week since they had returned and there were Scouts doing security work, but none had been Levi.

“I’ll try my best to be with you,” he had told me.

I had stayed at the Scouts HQ for one night and missed the Spring Equinox, but getting to be around Levi after so long was worth it. He had caught me up on what he was doing the past few months and how I needed to avoid Hange like the plague because she was crazy. I had developed a fondness for her, and she was the only other person I had talked to at the HQ, so I didn’t listen. She had taken me back, not without questioning the Captain and I’s relation, and I had to fend her off. Levi had stated that if we were to pursue some form of relationship, he would want it, like everything else in his life, to be private. It was more of a ‘people might try to gain leverage on me’ private than an embarrassed one, so I agreed. If it was unavoidable for people to know in a certain situation, then we would indulge them, but never in any other time.

“So… what are you and Captain?” She put the saddle on the horse I was riding. 

“Friends. I make him tea he gives me company. Nothing more.” With her intelligence, she would see through that lie easily. No one demands a friend for over a month.

“Friends?” She raised an eyebrow and tighten the strap around the horse’s belly. 

“He comes around once a month and I give him a specific tea he likes from the capital.” She held her chin, thinking about it for a bit until she just shrugged. 

I turned the corner ran into someone who was stopped and looked up at them to apologize. I had gotten lost in my thoughts and let muscle memory take me back to the café. Before I could open my mouth, a knife was at my neck. I instantly panicked and looked at my surroundings.

“You’re the one that Captain gave the money to, aren’t you?” He smiled down at me and I backed up right into another person.

“Eva Flynn, wasn’t it? You gave us bread.” Two refugees. They had saw me put the money in my pocket and were now trying to rob me. My gaze hardened, trying to stay vigilant, but fear crept up in me when my arms were grabbed from the back. I was too weak to physically push away from these two. 

Looking up and down the alley way, there was no one around. It was time to be at work or sheltering in your house. If I screamed, there would be no one to help me and my throat would just be slit. I’d been in situations like this before and they never ended well. I couldn’t show them my fear, that was the worst thing that could happen.

“It’s already in the bank, sorry.” I was very aware of the money that I had stuffed in my jacket’s inner pockets. It was burning a hole in my chest. Losing this money would be like losing two days of wages. The other one’s grip tightened and my shoulder blades were burning at the force. 

“We followed you here. We know you’re lying to us,” The front one smirked and pushed the knife further into my neck. The stinging signified he had cut open my skin. The fear was growing more and more. I was so close to the café, but no one was there. Quickly, I was regretting closing. 

“Just take the money, you know I have it.” He smirked and put his hand on my cheek. He wanted to bite off more than he could chew. 

“Now where would the fun in that be?” I spit in his face and he quickly answered back with a slap. This made my neck move along the knife, cutting in deeper. It was deep enough that I was finally in pain. I could feel warm liquid spread to the collar of my button up.

“Don’t make this harder on yourself,” the one behind whispered in my ear. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. He was the first one to try anything, grabbing my hip and then untucking my shirt from my skirt. I made sure my lower body struggled while minding the knife on my neck. I wasn’t going to let them win easily.

“I’ll report you to the Garrison,” I choked out loud as he shoved his hand in, touching the skin on my stomach. I tensed up and he laughed when he felt it. 

“You won’t be able to report us if you go missing.” My eyes widened a little bit, still trying to hide my emotions from the one in front. He was just staring down at me as his partner’s hand run along my torso and slowly going up. What an awful way to die. I thought at least I’d get eaten by a titan and go out with a bang.

I kicked the back one in the groin and he made a noise in pain, but not before grabbing the life out of abdomen. I yelped in pain and the one in front responded by elbowing me in the side. Not being stabilized by the back one, I fell sideways and was swiftly kicked in the ribs when I hit the ground. He started kicking my side over and over again, making me cough with every attack. If my adrenaline wasn’t rushing, I would’ve felt two of my ribs breaking from his force. 

I closed my eyes trying to breathe through the pain. I’d been in similar situations before and it’s always over quick if you try to focus on something else. Soon, they got bored because you were crying out in pain and they’d take what they needed and leave. Maybe if I went limp, they would run away because they would think I was dead. They didn’t seem like the type who would kill for fun like in the Underground. 

“Bitch!” He raised his knife in the air and I braced for impact. If he stabbed anywhere between my ribs, I was definitely done for.

“If you scream, little girl, no one will care enough to hear you.”

“Fu-” the knife clattered on the ground next to me and I opened my eyes. With how cloudy my vision and mind was, I could only focus on the brick wall in front of me. There was the man who groped me, hand stuck to the wall with a knife. The look on his face was pure fear. It sounded like the front attacker was being pounded into next week out of frame.

“You think you can fucking touch anyone, you vermin? I’ll rip off both of your arms so you’ll never be able to grope a woman again.” The venom in my savior’s voice scared even me. The guy pinned to the wall seemed to gain the will to live and, with a shout, pulled the knife out of his hand. He stepped over me and lunged at the assailant who easily stepped aside and I heard the man let out a harsh breath as he came in contact with the wall by my feet. I wished I could see them getting beaten up as retribution, but I would have to just deal with only hearing the sounds.

“I guess I should’ve just cut your hands off completely. Maybe I will,” The knife beside me was picked up, and thrown across the alleyway. You could hear it zoom in the air and rip into the other hand. A loud scream followed, cutting across the silence alleyway. I bet my attackers wished they picked a more crowded place so someone could save them. I laughed at the turn of events, but stopped when a pain went through my side.

“Do you have any last words before I carve out your organs one by one?” Footsteps echoed as my knight advanced forward. I’d have to stop him.

“Please, no! Mercy, I beg of you! We just need money!” I started silently laughing again at just how cowardly my attackers really where. I was right, if they killed me, they probably would have panicked and ran away. Once faced with the consequences of their actions, they were on their knees begging for forgiveness. And how crazy was I to want to give it to them? 

I sat up as best as I could, leaning mostly on my hands. I still couldn’t turn to see what was happening, but I knew he was thinking about the best way to get revenge. I’ll stop him here.

“Levi,” I coughed out. The footsteps stopped. 

“Hm?” It felt like I was interrupting him with the tone he gave back. 

“Let’s just go home, yeah? You’re not fit to murder humans anymore.” 

“What if I want to get back into shape?” It was a threat to the attacker still conscious and I heard him whimper as Levi probably glared holes into him. His voice was still dripping with venom. 

“He’s probably lost use of both of his hands, isn’t that punishment enough?” He grunted.

“Yeah, listen to her! She doesn’t want to kill us!” There was a yelp after that sentence and I wondered what Levi did to him. I didn’t care about my attacker or their lives. I cared that Levi didn’t get anymore blood on his hands than there was already. He left that life.

“Shut your mouth!” 

“It’s your choice, but you know my opinion.” I’d give him control of the situation and hopefully that logical mind of his would see that I was right… or at least what my motives were. There was a pause as he thought it over and I dropped back onto the ground when my arms gave out. The pain was creeping back in as adrenaline slowly left my body.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be reported to the Garrison. I have your faces memorized, and you can’t hide your wounds. Enjoy your last night of freedom.” It was completely reluctant and the knife he was holding clattered to the ground. The attacker let out a cry like he was thanking some higher power that he wasn’t just brutally murdered by Humanity’s Strongest. I was swiftly picked up and I closed my eyes taking a big breath. After I was in the clear, the emotions and adrenaline hit me like a truck. 

“I’m going to throw up.”

“I’m going to hit you if you do.” I laughed shallowly again, but went to clutch my side as I did. That probably made him increasingly upset. He didn’t even look down at me, just stared ahead slipping in and out of alleyways to not be seen. 

With my blurry vision, I took the chance to stare at him unashamed. Even with blood splatters on his face, and no doubt his clothes too, he was handsome. Maybe it was the hardened stare and that fact that he saved me from sudden death that made it ten times better to be in his arms. I just soaked it all in knowing he was probably going to drop me on the floor of the café and yell at me for getting attacked.  Empathy is something he needs to actively practice it seems. 

“S-stop staring at me so much,” His grip tightened a bit around my legs, but his voice was soft, “I’ll give you a drawing if you really want.” I smiled goofily up at him. Even when I was barely able to breath, I was going to tease him. This was second nature to me besides the bickering. 

“Why? Do I make you nervous?”  He said nothing, just scoffed and turned his head away from me. I would blame my injuries for the sudden confidence I felt and I laid my head into his chest to check if he was lying. In fact, his heart was beating at the same speed mine was: fast. I did make the Captain as nervous as he made me. He just didn’t know how to exploit me like I did him. I smirked before closing my eyes and settling myself into his chest, claiming it as my new home. There seemed to be no protest as we walked back to the café.

“No, Levi, you can’t take my shirt off!” I glanced over at Jonas whose head was about to burst. Levi’s fist tightened around the bandages and looked at me with utter anger and annoyance in his eyes. I just lightly laughed, and winced only slightly at the pain. I also gave him a little smirk like I had just won our game of chess.

“Who’s idea was it to get her drunk?” Jonas asked Levi through his teeth. Levi rolled his eyes in response and turned back to dress the wound on my neck. He wasn’t going to make his move it seemed. He hadn’t made a move in at least an hour and I was getting bored of teasing him when it had no visible effect. It was probably because of our onlooker.

“My ide-ow!” I glared down at Levi who was diligently at work cleaning my wound with the alcohol I had been drinking. He did that on purpose. If I was sober, that would’ve hurt so much more, but I think what subsided some of the pain was how close Levi was to me... and the alcohol. His head was lowered, in line with my neck so he could see his work, but his breath sent a feeling down my spine. If only Jonas wasn’t here I might have had enough drunk confidence to try and kiss him again. The way he had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves also did something to me, but it was his attitude that was making him more annoying than hot.

Right now, Levi was being Captain again: indifferent, annoyed, and barely talking. I cursed Jonas again for having shown up for delivery as I decided to drink the leftover alcohol I had. Was my intention to get drunk and gain the confidence to tease Levi in his serious state? No, but I wasn’t complaining that it was happening. I was complaining that Jonas decided to stay and observe Levi bandaging me. I knew him saying, ‘I’m worried about you, you were just attacked!’ wasn’t the only reason he was sitting there, arms crossed, glaring at Levi. 

“There’s other ways to numb your body besides drinking a whole bottle of liquor, Eva,” he grumbled and I just took another sip before showing him the bottle. I was barely over half drank.

“I don’t remember you complaining when I said I was going to get drunk at Spring Equinox,” I raised my eyebrow at him and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Levi do the same. I had told him about the get-together I had missed while staying at HQ, but I hadn’t told him it was meant for everyone to get drunk.

“That’s different. You were just attacked and beaten by two men. If anything, I should be worried about how much your drinking seeing how calm you are.” Levi stood up and started wrapping my neck with gauze. My face was near his chest again and I relished in that closeness, knowing he’d easily rip away from it to keep up this tough act in front of Jonas. I just settled with breathing in his scent. He’d spoken only three sentences since Jonas had walked in. 

“This isn’t my first time being mugged, Jonas. Was I scared? A little bit, but this knight came and saved me again.” I patted Levi’s shoulder, and I felt him tense up below my hand. Hm, guess he isn’t used to being touched in the presence of others. 

“How are you two so calm!?” He gripped his head like he was the one who had blood on his clothes. Maybe the blood was making him go a bit insane. He didn’t like blood.

“Getting beat up in the Underground was like... a weekly occurrence. Right, Levi?”

“It’s time for your ribs,” Levi muttered and stepped back. He didn’t answer my question and I glared a bit.

The real reason I was downing this alcohol was because I had two ribs that needed to be reset and I hated feeling actual pain. The adrenaline had worn off sometime between us getting back and me drinking half of the bottle, so it was only the alcohol holding back the pain gates . I knew that once he started, it would definitely come back.

“Can’t I just let them heal weirdly?” He shook his head. Jonas stood up quickly as I was about to lift up my shirt. His face was pale and I remembered then how badly he couldn’t stand any type of blood or bones. Even if he hated that fact, he was going to have to leave or else he’d throw up in front of the man he hated the most. His manliness wasn’t going to let him do that. 

One of the first times I was sent out of the bakery to play with Jonas, his friend had fallen out of a tree and broken his wrist. Being part of the Underground, I knew how to set and patch up wounds. As soon as I set the boys wrist, Jonas threw up next to us. Sometimes, I don’t let him live it down and mentioned it in the present. He looked too distressed now to mess with him and I knew he was on his way out. Now, I could actually be around Levi. 

“I’ll come back after I’m off work. You,” he pointed to me, “stay inside, and you,” he boldly pointed at Levi who gave him his famous glare, “don’t try anything funny.” I laughed a bit and took another long sip. 

“I’ll beat him up if he does, Jonas.” He took one long look at Levi and I before grabbing his cart and walking out to deliver more things. Levi made sure he was far down the street before speaking.

“Thank gods he left. I was about to throw that damn bottle at him. He looks like he wants to kill me for the simplest things.” I smiled as Levi finally said his first real sentence in an hour. 

“He was just worried about me. You saw his face when he walked in and saw the blood on my neck. He hates blood or anything like that, so I’m surprised he stayed for that long. He also wants to beat you up, deep down. If he ever finds out about us, he’ll probably explode.” I took another swig and before I could finish, Levi yanked the bottle out of my hands and finished it off in three gulps.

“Hey!” He ignored my shouts and dodged my hands as he finished the last third before slamming it back down on the table. He let out a small groan of regret before standing back up and wiping off his lips.

“You don’t need to drink anymore. I’m surprised you didn’t try to grope me like you did when I carried you back.” My mouth shot open at the insult and he smirked. Captain Levi was gone, but at my expense. He had moved his chess piece.

“I grabbed you because you were about to drop me,” a lie, but I wanted to save a little face. Maybe I did grab onto his shirt when we were walking back… perhaps a bicep too. 

“What’s the boy to you?” It took me a second to realize he was talking about Jonas and I smirked. Was he getting jealous possibly? He did have an annoyed look on his face. 

“My first above ground friend. His parents were friends with Mr. Flynn, so whenever I was getting annoying, I’d be sent out to play with Jonas. We went to school together too. He’s my best friend, starting from age twelve.” That didn’t seem to wipe the annoyed look off of his face. He waved his hand for me to scoot back on the table. I raised up my shirt and tucked the ends into my bra so he had full view on my stomach. The bruises were already starting to show. 

“But he doesn’t want to be your best friend? Friend friend versus Levi friend.” My eyes widened and I went to sit back up, but the pain stopped me. 

“You heard that?!” He nodded and my eyes widened. How embarrassing. 

“That was probably the first indication I had feelings for you. When he confessed, I wanted to jump down and…” He trailed off, but this showing of emotion made me feel warm inside again. The butterflies came back too. There was a short bit of silence as he got the bandages ready to wrap around my middle and I just watched. Now, he was just hot, not annoying.

“I’m happy that you’re doing this. You have a lot of experience with rib care.” He playfully glared down at me and went to put his hands on my middle. I gasped softly as he did. Not just because his hands were cold, but also because this was the closest he’s ever touched me. Is this what he felt when I undid the bandages on his back? I relished in his touch, knowing the pain was going to come next. His hands were softer than I thought they would be.

“I think the first time I knew I had feelings for you was in your office in the capital.” 

“O-oh?” He stuttered. He found the rib he had to reset and I winced. The alcohol was barely helping and I think my senses were heightened even more because he was touching me like this.  

“I need you to breathe in and when you breathe out, I’ll reset it. This is what Hange does. It’ll be quick, I promise.” I shook my head, not ready for the pain.

“Talk to me while you do it... What… What happened to Wall Maria?” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This would be the first time he’s talked to me about an expedition in full detail. A step on the way to being comfortable with mixing me and his reality. 

“If you promise not to talk and breathe correctly.” This time, I just nodded once and he got ready to push my rib back into the right spot, “When you’re ready, take a big breath in to signal me.” 

“Okay.” He paused for a moment, just staring down at his hand, probably finding a place to start. I wondered if he felt the same way I did when I touched his skin. Could he feel my heart beat? I don’t really have to hide it anymore.

“The refugees said it was a titan taller than the wall who started it. He disappeared as soon as they could get a good glimpse at him. Into thin air apparently. Then, there was a titan that had plates on his body. Armor. He was the one who rammed through the walls. It wasn’t abnormals who learned how to climb like we thought. They were... intelligent.” I breathed in and out and he pushed down. I took a big gasp of air as pain went through my side and I clenched my jaw. 

“Fuck!” The ache came after the pain and Levi moved his hand up to the next rib he had to put into place. If he had broken almost all of his ribs, it had to be torture for him to reset all of them. I’m about to scream from this pain and it’s just one rib. I looked up to him and he had that same indifferent expression when he was recalling Wall Maria.

“We haven’t seen titans like this before,” he continued, “and it’s changed our mindset on fighting them. When we went to find the refugees who fled on foot, we didn’t encounter any other titans like that. That’s another reason we think they’re intelligent. They know how and when to hide. Who knows where they went?” 

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” That rib was a little higher up and a lot more painful. At least we were done. I sat there breathing hard through my teeth and some tears came to my eyes. Once I seemed settled, he helped me sit up and started tightly wrapping the bandages around my upper stomach like he had.

“For now, the Royal Government has suspended Scout Expeditions because they want to use us as their security. They’re too afraid to lower the MPs in Mitras even though they should. We have a meeting with them soon to plan our next steps for Wall Maria and the overpopulation of the outer cities.” 

“Did you see Shinganshina?” He shook his head no and finished wrapping the bandages. I pulled my shirt down and sat at the edge of the table we used as a work space. He turned and leaned on the edge next to me, his arms crossed. 

“We didn’t get close enough. Too many titans and too many people to protect. We were already low on people from the expedition and it took almost everything to get the people of Shiganshina into Trost.” I turned to look at his face and saw the emotion in his eyes. Tired.  

“Do you remember how people looked in the Underground? The ones who walked around all day and night, going from bar to bar, and had no drive to do anything but drink?” He nodded. 

“That’s what most of the refugees look like. They have no drive or any want to do anything. They look paralyzed by fear and dead on the inside. Only a few have something in them that makes them keep fighting.” 

“Rage.” It sounded like he was speaking from personal experience and it suddenly made me want to ask him about his time in the Underground, but I didn’t want to further exhaust him. That was one of the things I was most curious about. Did we over lap? Go to the same places? Do we know the same people?

“That sounds about right. There was this young boy there today who picked a fight with the Garrison Captain. The look in his eyes… I still can’t stop thinking about it, it gave me chills. Rage,” I nodded, “It was pure rage in his eyes. I offered the Garrison to send him to me, along with his two friends.” Levi huffed next to me, probably knowing my motivations behind the offer. I basically gave him the same offer when he walked into the café for the first time… it just wasn’t out loud. 

“What happens if they come and he gets into a fight with one of the customers?” I shrugged and looked out the side window he was staring at. Only a few people were walking the streets, probably for late lunch. It was much less than before Wall Maria fell. 

“I closed for the time being. If anything, they would help me make bread for the refugees. I’d give them a proper meal, too.” 

“You’d give them a second chance like you do everyone else?” There was a bit of sarcasm behind his voice and I knew he had found the time to reprimand me. I was sobering up because of the pain and Jonas wasn’t here; it was perfect. I guess I’d let him get it over with.

“They were desperate and just needed money. It wasn’t like they were going to kill me for fun. Besides, you’re turning them in tomorrow, so they’ll get what’s coming to them. The Garrison is hungry to put some of the refugees in jail.” He rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms, resting his hands on the edge of the table. When he’s mad, he seems to like to grip something. Control.

“They were going to use you and then kill you. It doesn’t matter why they did it, it only matters that they’re still roaming the streets. You don’t think they’ll do it again? If I hadn’t caught them, think of what they’d do to you.” His voice was growing in anger and I looked down at my thumbs, focusing on my breath. I definitely felt like a child being reprimanded by their parents. 

“I didn’t tell you to leave them alone for their sake.” I mirrored his position, putting my hands down on the edge of the table. We still weren’t looking at each other. I wonder why.

“You don’t need to worry about who or what I kill, Eva. It was justified.” His voice got softer this time, probably understanding my reasonings. He didn’t agree, but at least he knew why I did it. 

“I know I don’t. Most of the time what you do doesn’t concern me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be concerned for you. I didn’t want you to kill anyone. You don’t have to kill to survive anymore… humans that is.” I became bold again and put my hand over his on the edge of the table. He didn’t move away from affection this time, but looked down at me hand. 

“I’m going to teach you how to fight. That’s how I’ve decided to conclude this situation. I won’t always be there to save you like I was today and that thought makes me even angrier. I can’t even protect you and that…” his jaw clenched and I felt his hand grip the table harder trying to compose himself, “I have a few days off, so I’ll stay here and teach you. The thought of leaving you here helpless when I go off places… I don’t like that thought.” I nodded and gripped his hand, telling him I understood. We sat there like that for a bit, probably both liking the closeness.

“Are you okay?” He looked up at me and the concern in his eyes made me feel something deep inside. My body felt so warm and I wanted to lean into him and have him hold me like he had before. I don’t know what stopped me. 

“I think I’ll be fine after being trained by Humanity’s Strongest.” I shifted incorrectly trying to hop off the table and almost crumbled to the floor. He caught me and helped me stand up like I did to him. He even gripped my shoulder like before, trying to balance me next to him. I made sure to take some liberties and lean on his side.

“I think we should wait a day since you can’t stand. I might be Humanity’s Strongest, but I can’t teach someone who incapacitated.” I laughed a bit and leaned in more.

“If you hold me like this, I might just stay incapacitated for a while longer.” He froze realizing he couldn’t escape my teasing, even if it was directly after a serious conversation. He must have thought that only drunk me was capable of being that bold. 

“I-I… What do you… I’ll… I’ll drop you!” He looked away from me as I laughed up at him lightly. Another blush point. 

“I’m tired. Can you take me upstairs?” He nodded and we started walking to the back door through the kitchen. I was debating what to say next as we walked up the stairs slowly.

“It’s fun, you know,” He looked back at me and I made sure we were halfway up the stairs before I said what I wanted too, “To other people you’re so tough and emotionless, but I can say one sentence and make you stutter so easily.” He stopped walking and looked down at his feet. He couldn’t leave me now and was trapped in dealing with me. This was power. 

“I said I’d drop you,” he squealed out trying to make it sound low and intimidating. It just sounded like he was struggling to stay composed.

“You look tired too. My bed is big enough for both of us.” Sleeping together seemed to be a touchy subject for him. When I was at the HQ, he was going to get a cot for him to sleep on and would let me use his bed. I obviously declined as he was still injured and suggested we just sleep together. That probably was the reddest he ever turned in front of me. It may have been coupled with the fact that I had teased him about it before, but I ended up sleeping on the cot outside his bedroom door. I wonder if he’d ever shared a bed with someone in his life. 

“I’m not tired.” We started walking up the stairs again. 

“Yes you are. It’s not like I’m going to do anything, my ribs are broken. I do have to warn you though, I’ve been told I’m a sleep cuddler.” With that, he picked me up completely and kicked my door open. He walked over to my bedroom and launched me on the bed from my doorway. The pain was probably meant as payback for teasing him. He looked down at me from the doorway, his eyes glaring at me. I bet he hated being at the mercy of my jokes. No control. 

“S-Stop… talk, stop talking and go to sleep… brat,” He tched before closing the door. I smirked up at the ceiling and moved under my blankets. The porcelain clanging signaled to me that he was in fact staying and probably making some tea.

“I’ll get you in here someday, Captain!” I yelled through the door and heard the dishes stop moving. I started laughing as I left him helpless again.

“Shut up and go to sleep!”

Chapter Nine→

Chapter Masterlist

xx My semester is starting soon so updates may become less frequent, but don’t worry I’m still here! Now that we’ve gotten to the start of AOT a lot of the next chapters will revolve around it, but from Eva and Levi’s relationship POV. My plan is to end it where the anime ends, so don’t worry there's a lot of Eva x Levi to come. Should we think of a name for them? Leva? Evi? Anyways, thank you for all the support and love you’re giving to this story!!!!! Maybe comment some plot moments in AOT that you’d like to see with Eva and Levi in it! xx