#i tried to lighten it up with my gif making program and it looks so bad

[this-is-a-love-story-isnt-it]

Lois & Clark 4x07

[neoarchipelago]

And They were Roommates (Part 14)

A/N: THIS IS LONG. LIKE THIS TAGLIST ok so, again, thank you so, so so much for the tips guys! it helps so much and they make me so happy! I am so so so happy of the way this story has grown on you guys, the art you guys been making and the comments just make my day.. THANK YOU.

So this is the first time we see the new characters they will be in next chapters as well!

WARNINGS: 18+ CONTENT, SEXUAL CONTENT, SEMI PUBLIC? FEAMLE READER.

You walked around the mall with the many men running and babbling around you. Simon had kept his promise and taken you shopping. The boys had obviously heard about it and asked to come with you. You had shopped for a few pieces of clothing and now you just roamed around while the boys walked into almost every shop along the way. 

Simon was getting frustrated. 

"Why are we babysitting?" Ha had grumbled.

"Simon we're not-" you wanted to counter. 

Gaz's laugh rang as you both turned to see Soap with what seemed to be a full Pikachu onesie on. You bit your lip and tried not to laugh too hard as Ghost looked absolutely done. 

You had walked past a lingerie shop and decided to check it out, Gaz and Soap had tried to follow you, Konig looking everywhere but the shop's display. Simon had grabbed the two men by the back of the collar, pulling them back like two toddlers. You had looked around before flashing on a perfect little a piece of black matching bra and panties with garters. 

You had bought it, skipping your way out of the store with a silly smile on your lips. Simon had glanced at your bag before sending you a dark look that promised good times. 

You had passed by a GameStop, the boys getting lost in video games. You, as promised, had bought the full pack of Sims for Konig who had been thrilled but decided to also buy him the Minecraft creeper plush he was eyeing, eyes glittering. Ghost kept repeating that you should stop mommying him, that he was a full grown man, a scary predator on the field. You had completely ignored him and happily watched Konig's eyes lighten up as you handed him the bag. 

You also decided to walk into a makeup shop. Simon had followed you with curious eyes. He looked at everything you looked at. He looked even more curious when you grabbed a dark red lipstick. 

"Are you going to buy it?" He asked. 

"Hum… I don't know. I like the color but-"

He softly took it out of your hands and walked straight to the cashier. You looked, astounded, as he walked back to you with the small bag. 

"S..Simon?" You whispered to him. 

He grabbed your hand walking you out of the shop. 

You were tired when you finally got home, almost around dinner time. You had gone to your bedroom to put down all your brand new things as the boys offered to cook dinner. Simon remained with them to stop anyone from trashing the kitchen. You were putting the new pieces of clothing in the washing machine, your mind wandering around the laptop in your room. You had kept Darkends computer. You had not opened it yet after the last time. 

You turned on the machine before walking back to your room. You sat at your desk opening the laptop. You bit your lip, torn between finally digging into the mind of the sick man or simply letting the IT's take care of it. You decided to let your curiosity win. You looked around, most files were encrypted, lots were with viruses. You had to be honest, the asshole was good. But you had patience, and skills. You decided to connect one of your hard drives with a little program you had coded yourself. It'd dig out a lot of hidden files but wouldn't try to decrypt them. You'd do that on your own, just in case he had programmed the files to erase themselves. 

You got up, deciding to leave that to run on his own before walking downstairs to the team.  

After dinner you walked back to your room. You had managed to find a lot of hidden files. You grabbed the laptop sitting down on your bed. A knock on the door made you look up. 

"Come in." You rang.

Simon walked in, taking off his mask. Your breath still caught in your throat every single time.   

"What are you doing darling?" He asked. 

"Hunting. As always." You smiled at him. 

He let himself fall to his knees on your bed, taking off his shirt. You bit your lip, the sight was divine. Did he knew it? He let himself fall down next to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You chuckled. He buried his face in your waist and you melted, pushing away the laptop further at the bottom of the bed. 

"You alright?" You asked. 

He hummed against you. He wanted to just rest like this so you let him, grabbing the laptop again. You let one of your hands massage his scalp. He groaned, holding you tighter. You alternated in between massaging his head and softly scratching his back. You kept searching through the computer. Decrypting the files. Simon's breath steadied. You smiled down at him. He fell asleep. 

You melted. You gave up on the laptop, closing it and putting it on your night stand. You laid down, Simon adjusting himself in his sleep. You held him close to you. You smiled to yourself, a content sigh leaving your lips. You were happy. Yes. You were absolutely thrilled. And you decided to let yourself fall into the most peaceful sleep you've even got. 

The next morning you woke up to Simon dropping kisses to your neck. You were nested in his arms, he had thrown a blanket over you. You giggled. 

"Goo'morning.." you mumbled. 

"Good morning bunny…" his morning voice raspier. 

You blushed. You'd lie if you said it didn't turn you on. He felt it. 

"My little bunny… I can feel you melt under my touch…" he teased. 

He dropped another kiss on your neck. You closed your eyes, humming. 

Knock knock knock.

He groaned, biting down on your soft skin, sucking there. You moaned out loud from shock. You felt his body shake from a silent laugh. 

"Hum…" Soap's awkward voice rang from behind the door. 

He let go of your neck, now looking annoyed. 

"Yes sergeant ?" 

"We … have to be on base in an hour." 

He sighed. 

"We'll be up in a minute, thank you Soap!" You said with a smile. 

Soap sauntered away as you lost yourself into Simon's eyes again. 

"I have to go to the base too…" 

"You got work?" He asked. 

"I have to get back. Got to talk to Hopkins about something." You answered. 

He lowered himself, pulling you in for a kiss. You sighed against him, relaxing into his touch. It felt desperate. Deep. When you separated you saw his eyes shine with worry. 

"Simon.."

"It kills me"

"What..?" 

"Having this sword over my head at all times…" 

You frowned. What was he talking about?

"Not… being able to protect you." 

"Simon. You're scared that I'll go back to work?"  

"Not scared. Worried." 

You kissed him again. You grounded each other in a kiss, in a touch. 

"Simon.." you whispered against his lips. "We both have dangerous jobs… I am… as terrified as you to lose you. But I'm right here. Right now, we're here. Let's not think about the 'what ifs'.." 

He kissed you again. His hand traveled against your skin, squeezing and rubbing every inch of you. 

"Simon.." you chuckled. 

He hummed, kissing down your neck. 

"We have to get up… come on.." 

He sighed, stopping in his tracks.

"Fine.." he mumbled against your skin. 

You smiled down at him, kissing his cheek before escaping him, heading for the bathroom. 

You were on base around one hour and half later. You were late. But it didn't matter. The boys headed off to their occupations as you went to the IT quarters. Everyone seemed happy to see you again. You had brought Darkends laptop with you, determined to dig and find Intel. 

You had notified Hopkins that you wanted to meet with him later in the day. He had agreed for a 3pm meeting. It gave you time to decrypt and search a few things. You let yourself fall back deep in work, finally finding the comfort of the binary codes and scripts you've been so used to. You had managed to crack open lots of information. About the different types of trades this guy was into.

Drugs, guns, biochemicals. He ran deep into a lot of various things. You sent the IT team all you could find on the different trade locations or storage of the cartel. The more you digged the more you found. And it made you happy. You were finally getting there. 

Unfortunately, what you had feared became real. Darkends wasn't alone. He seemed to have a whole team behind him, keeping a lot of sensitive Intel hidden and secured. You sighed. There wasn't much you could do on your own. 

You went to lunch, taking a break from work. You met the boys, Price patting your head as he saw you. You exchanged information about the mission. They had also found more intel. You had kissed Simon's mask before skipping away back to work. Laswell passed by the quarters, taking in the new stuff you had found. 

"You can still walk away from this Sparrow…" 

"I know. And we both know I won't." You smiled at her. 

When 3 pm almost rang you the IT team. You headed for one of the meeting rooms to wait for Hopkins. 

He walked in right on time. You had intended for it to be a very private meeting. Only the three of you were there. Firstly you had exposed all of the new clues and files you had dug out. When the moment of  Darkends team came, you had prepared your demand. 

"I want my team." 

He frowned. Laswell looked at you, trying to read your thoughts. 

"Your team?" He asked.

"Yes. My team. Remember? All of the amazing agents you have, that I brought to your ranks or that I taught many things to. The amazing hackers that you have working for you because I wanted them to be protected." 

You had taken a tone you hadn't heard in a little while. The protective mama bear. 

"Hum.. alright. That can be done." 

"I have other teammates to add. I'll need full immunity." 

"Listen-" he started.

"You owe me." You reminded him. 

He sighed, throwing his hands in the air. Laswell smirked. 

"Fine." He agreed. 

"I have something else." You said, leaning forward on the table. "We have noticed how much you suck at protecting someone on your own base." 

Laswell's face fell, Hopkins looked away awkwardly.

"But Sergeant Gallegos is currently in a delicate situation." 

He frowned.

"The..? Alright… hum-" 

"Do your work. I don't care. But keep. Her. Safe." You warned. 

Silence fell for a second. 

"Are you threatening a general?" He asked. 

Laswell tensed. 

"No. But do realize that if something happens to her, I will wreck you. And we both know I'll make it out of it without a single reprimand. I will. And that, is a threat. End you." You spoke, without a hint of worry in your voice. 

He cleared his throat after a few seconds. You smiled finally, relaxing. 

"Great talk! Can't wait to see my babies again!" You cheered as if nothing happened. 

Laswell shook her head but didn't comment. You bid your farewells in a very professional way. Laswell walked with you back to the IT wing. 

"It's been a while since I've heard you threaten someone." She noted. 

"Yeah… well you know. I didn't think I was working with an idiot who couldn't background check some guy." You taunted. 

You smiled at her. 

"It's alright, you know I don't hold you accountable for anything that happened Kate. But this isn't about me. Melissa is alone. I can't let her get hurt." You explained. 

She nodded, leaving it at that. You fell back into work until around 6 pm. You texted Simon telling him you were heading home. He was training a bit before joining you so you'd wait for him there. 

The house was incredibly empty without them. You had noticed how much it weighed on you now. You had gotten so used to them, to the noise, to their presence. You smiled to yourself. You decided to take a shower before figuring out something for the night. 

You headed upstairs, feeling your mind still stuck on your work. You needed to get it out of your system before you got obsessed, which was never a good thing. 

Around two hours later you had showered, dried your hair and slipped into one Simon t-shirt. You had turned on some random sit-com on TV and you were cleaning around your bedroom. The little bag with red lipstick attracted your gaze. You grabbed the little box, opening it, letting the little tube out. You hadn't tried it out yet. You decided now was as good as any other time. You opened it, rolling it and bringing it to your lips. You applied the dark red color on your lips, pressing them together to spread it evenly. 

You actually liked the color. You heard footsteps in the hallway, now noticing the voices of the boys downstairs. Simon walked in, knocking softly on the door. He looked sweaty and tense. He threw his tactical shirt over his head as he spoke.

"Hey baby, can I take a sh-"

He froze, hands on his pants as he noticed your lips. You smirked. 

"Of course darling!" You answered cherfully. "Let me just… get you a bit dirtier first…"

You stepped closer to him, lipstick still in one hand. You saw his muscles flex as your other hand touched his chest. He bent down as you got on your tippy toes. You dropped a kiss on his mask, leaving a red print of your lips. You left another kiss on the other side. You smirked, playing again and again, leaving kiss marks over his skin. First his neck, slowly towards his collar bone. His hand fisted in your hair but didn't stop you. He tasted salty from sweat. 

You applied more lipstick once in a while to make sure the marks were visible enough. His chest, down to his abs. He flinched when you kneeled down, kissing his navel, the little beginning of hair trailing down into his pants. 

Unfortunately for him you got up. He let go of your hair, you dropped more kisses on his wrist, forearms, shoulders. Time was frozen as he let you cover him in pretty little red imprints. 

You walked behind him, planting more soft kisses to his shoulder blades, on his spine, down his back. He turned around grabbing your chin as he lifted his mask. His arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you to him. His lips met yours, lipstick smearing, but none of you could care less. You moaned against his lips. He separated, you were surprised there was barely any lipstick on his lips, you had probably used it all on his back. You dropped a kiss at the corner of his mouth, a faint mark left there as well. The hand on your chin kept your gaze on him. His thumb hovered on your lips. 

He smeared the reddish color down at the corner of your lips, pupils dilating at the sight. 

"LT-" 

The door had stayed open. You couldn't see him, but you knew Gaz was at the entrance, probably frozen at the sight. Probably frozen under the very cold gaze his lieutenant was throwing. He stared at the man through his lashes, furious to be interrupted. 

"What's going on-" you heard again. 

This time you bit your lip, closing your eyes at Soap's voice. 

"Daaaamn… he just got home Y/N!" 

You blushed heavily, hiding your face in Simon's chest. 

"Get. Out." He threatened.

The boys ran away. You laughed a bit, stepping back to admire your work. 

"You like the sight? " He asked in a dark voice. 

You bit your lip, nodding innocently at him. 

"Good. Look at it. Cuz this. Is yours." 

He stepped forward, taking your hand to bring it to his stomach. 

" All. Of it" 

You swallowed hard, feeling a breakable tension forming between the two of you. 

"My mind. Body. Flesh and bone. It's all yours. Do you understand?" 

You were lost in his words, you faintly nodded. 

"Use your words bunny." He ordered. "Do you understand?" 

"Yes sir.." 

"Good girl.." he praised. 

He captured your lips one more time before separating, heading to the bathroom. 

You whimpered, falling down again. You were exhausted. You wanted to go home. You were sure you'd be bruised. You had been working for a few days now, and Simon had insisted on giving you some self defense training. You had begrudgingly agreed to reassure him. 

"You alright baby?" He asked. 

"No! I want to go home!" You groaned, pouting at him. 

He was barely out of breath. Yes. You knew a few things. After all, you had been on the run for a little while so you had to learn a few things. But you were not used to it, and against Simon, you didn't even manage to last a good minute. 

He chuckled, pulling you up again. 

"Come on… one more time." 

You whined but got into position anyway. The sparing wasn't exactly rough, but he made sure to get you by surprise each time. He had said it was 'good training for you to expect anything from your opponent'. But you were tired and frustrated. Because even if he was sparring against you, you could feel the heat spreading through you as his forearms flexed. At the way he manhandled you so easily. He had noticed of course. 

You were now holding his arms with your thighs, flush against your chest. You were both on the ground, he flipped you around, taking you by surprise again, freeing his arm. You backed away from him, crawling the best you could but he grabbed your ankles pulling you to him. You decided to catch him by surprise too, trapping his head in between your thighs and squeezing. 

His hands met your waist, grabbing the waistband of your leggings and throwing you up. He fell back. He had probably intended to totally throw you away from him. But here you were. Sitting on his face. You gasped, eyes widening in shock. 

"Simon!" You yelled. 

You tried to get up, but the hands on your hips held you in place. 

"No..nonononoo… wait!" 

You felt him bite through the leggins, grazing your clit. You moaned. You blushed, hoping no one would come to the training room. He played again using his nose and masks to apply pressure and rub you even through the pants. It felt good… god it felt good. 

Your hips started rocking against him. You moaned his name faintly, trying to hold in moans. You didn't know if you were trying to make him stop or begging him to keep going. He flipped you around making you fall on your back as he towered over you now. 

"Fuck.." he cursed. 

He pulled down your pants and panties leaving them around your knees. He lifted his mask to his nose.

"Simon! Anyone could walk in.." you whined. 

He wasn't listening. He pushed your legs to your chest diving down to taste you. A long moan escaped your lips, his soft tongue licking through your folds. 

"You're so wet baby… do you like it when I'm rough baby?" He questioned with a smirk. 

You blushed, unable to answer as he went back to circle your clit with the tip of his tongue. He chuckled at your silence. He reached your mouth with one gloved hand. You already knew, and you obeyed as if it was an automatic command. You pulled on the fabric with your teeth, taking out his glove. His hand dived down. 

He wet his finger with your juices before pushing one finger in. You threw your head back, moaning a bit louder. He pumped slowly in and out, stretching you slowly before adding another finger. You felt yourself clench on them, the heat you were feeling washing away any worries of who could walk in on you. His fingers curled inside making you buck your hips into his hand. You felt yourself getting closer and closer. He felt it. His tongue being careful to lick the way your body liked. 

"Si.. Simon.." you called through moans. 

He knew it. He curled his fingers a few more times, unfastening the knot that had built itself deep in your stomach. You felt your orgasm wash over you like a tidal wave. 

He let you ride your high on his tongue until you were too sensitive to keep going. He straightened himself, sitting on his knees. He looked down at you, eyes wild. He unbuckled his pants, the fucking sound of it always sent a delightful chill through you. 

You were going to tell him you couldn't, you didn't have a Condom before he reached for his pocket to get one out. You smirked at him as he ripped it open with his teeth, his other hand freeing himself. You felt your heart jump in your chest. He pulled the transparent thing over his length, pumping himself a few times before grabbing your legs and throwing them over one of his shoulders. His tip at your entrance rubbed up and down, coating himself with your juices. 

"You ok bunny?" He asked. 

You nodded impatiently. He smirked at you, slowly dipping into your heat. His arm held your legs tightly together and against his chest. Slowly he filled you up, making you gasp. He stopped himself. 

"Fuck… so perfect for me…" 

You melted under his praise. Moaning out. Once you felt a bit more comfortable, you wiggled your hips for him to move. He didn't wait any longer, his own impatience taking over. He thrusted slowly in and out, throwing his head back. The more his cock dipped into you, the faster he got. The pace was restless, desperate. You chanted his name again and again as his eyes worshiped you. The way he looked at you made you clench around him, your own body letting him full control over you. 

Your heart felt like it'd burst. The tears filling your eyes. 

"So pretty…" he groaned. 

He wouldn't stop staring at you, reverence in his eyes. A sound was heard not too far. You looked to your left, breath itching. His other hand reached for your chin making you look at him again. 

"Eyes on me." He ordered. 

He pounded deeper into you, making sure to emphasize his words. 

"Fu..fuuuck… Simon ! Someone…" you tried. 

"Fuck that." 

You closed your eyes, not believing it. 

His hand wrapped around your throat, squeezing lightly. 

"Eyes. On. me." He ordered, this time marking every word with a thrust. 

You whined, eyes falling into his. 

"Focus on me bunny…only on me" he growled. 

He moaned, your walls clenching around him. His hips slammed into you, the sound echoing through the room, mixing with your moans and names. He changed the angle of his hips, making sure to thrust right into your sweet spot. Your eyes rolled back, feeling yourself being overstimulated. It burnt. Fuck it burnt and you loved it. You could feel yourself at the edge. 

"Oh baby fuck… gonna cum…" he moaned. "You gonna cum with me? Huh? You want to be my good girl?" He groaned in between pants and moans.

Shit. He didn't even need to ask. 

"Yes…y-yes… please… oh pleeeease" you moaned, way too loud for the actual place you were in. 

He lifted your hips, thrusting deeper, almost pulling out the entire way before slamming right into you. You fell off the edge, stars filling your sight, rushes of pleasure crushing you. His hips thrusted a few more times before he groaned, eyes looking into yours as he came. It made your orgasm last longer, the simple fact that his eye contact made you way too hot was embarrassing.

You caught your breaths, panting. He pulled out, quickly dressing you again. He cleaned himself afterwards, taking out the condom and dressing himself back up. He kissed your lips, your cheeks. 

"You ok? Sorry darling… I.. I Lost my shit again.." 

You smirked, still breathing hard. 

"Please.. do. I won't… complain." You teased. 

He chuckled, pulling his mask down again. 

"Alright. Training is over, let's go home." 

The excitement was eating you up. After a week and half, you were finally informed that your team was coming. You had explained the situation to the boys and they were almost as excited as you. You had not seen them for a long while and you had missed them.  You were skipping around the house waiting for the time to go to base. Their plane was scheduled for 2:45 pm. Only 45 minutes left. 

"Bunny, calm down…" Simon tried in a soft low voice. 

"I'm so excited!" You said jumping up and down in front of him. 

His eyes softened instantly. Your smile had that power over him. 

"Alright, let's go! Price's waiting for us on base." Gaz said heading for the door. 

You grabbed Simon's hand pulling him toward the door. 

You were quick to arrive there, meeting Price, Laswell and Hopkins. 

You were all chatting when the plane finally arrived. The crushing wind made your hair fly. You were so excited though. 

You rushed to it as it finally turned off the motors. 

You waited patiently. The civil plane contrasted with all the military equipment. The small white jet was too normal. The door opened, the stairs falling into place. The first face to show up was a woman, a child in her arms. It was probably around 5. You jumped up and down, her face lighting up once she saw you. 

"BISHOP!" You called. 

The dark haired woman walked down the stairs. Her bright blue eyes were shining. Her pretty reddish lips made her look like a porcelain doll.  

"Oh my god Sparrow!! It's been such a long time!!" 

She hugged you, the child whining at the crushing hug. 

"Sorry, hi Tyler!" You smiled at him. 

He smiled at you, waving. 

A second face popped at the entrance. More like a mask. The fox-like mask hid their face. Their blond reddish hair curled their way to their shoulders. 

"They haven't lost their shyness." Bishop commented. 

"Hey Grim!" 

The person's head perked up, now walking down the stairs to you. You smiled at them as they headed to your arms. You tightly hugged them. 

"I'm sorry to drag you into this… I promise you're safe…" 

"I know" the shy voice said. 

You held their hands squeezing comfortingly. 

"God! Sparrow, you get me out of my basement for this?" 

You turned to the man walking down the stairs. The chubby man with glasses grumpily looked around. 

"Hey Carkeys." You called in a chuckle. 

He rolled his eyes at the nickname making Bishop and Grim laugh a bit. 

"You'll love it here I promise!" 

"I doubt that.." he groaned, now pouting like a child. 

The two last person's walked down the stairs, now looking around until they reached the rest of you. 

"Hi Aquila!" you greeted.

The short white haired girl looked at you, throwing you a smile. The scars across her nose and lips moved with the action.

"Hi Sparrow" she greeted back with a smile. 

You looked at the other person. The redhead's eyes filled with tears. You embraced her. 

"Hey Liza…" you whispered. 

You hadn't seen her in years. The last missions you were in together had ended badly. She was sent to the UK for protection ever since. 

She smiled at you. 

You smiled at everyone, looking at them. 

"Come on, Sparrow, don't start!" Car-Keys warned. 

"Aww look at her looking at us like we're her kids." Bishop added. 

"Aren't we?" Grim added. 

"We are..?" Aquila questioned. 

You laughed a bit. 

"Alright, come on!" 

You walked towards the rest of the squad now waiting. 

"So guys, here's Sergeant John Soap McTavish." 

You noticed Bishop's eyes looking at Soap intensely. He returned her look. You smiled. 

"Here's Konig." 

He waved shyly. 

"This is Kyle Gaz Garrick" 

He winked at everyone. 

"Captain John Price" 

This time it was Liza, or Coyote, to blush under Price's gaze. 

This was promising to be interesting. 

"And… this is…" you bit your lips as he looked at you. 

"Lieutenant Ghost Riley…" you instructed, eyes never leaving him. 

"You guys hooking up?" 

You slowly turned to Carkeys. Everyone smiling. 

"Yes. Actually. He's my boyfriend." 

Bishop and Coyote cheered, Grim and Aquila congratulating you a bit more calmly. 

"Where can I get one?" Bishop asked. 

"Well you know… I'm free" Soap flirted openly. 

You shared a look with Simon. 

You turned to your team and presented them one by one. 

"Well. I hope everyone gets along. You'll be working on this mission." Laswell added. 

"The house right in front of mine was prepared for you guys!" You jumped happily. 

"Let's go!!" 

The team was given time to settle in their new space. Car-Keys kept mumbling about his brand-new PC and how  all the care in the world wasn't enough. Most of them had insisted on bringing their own equipment which you completely understood. 

You had started working 4 days after they arrived. Meanwhile, they'd spend almost every evening over at your house. You were truly happy with how everyone was getting along. Simon was a bit overwhelmed, this time it was too much in the house. 

He found comfort in the moments of peace, once everyone was sleeping, cuddling in either his or your bed. 

The more you worked with the team, the easier it was to untangle all of the information. It became clearer to see there was more than one cartel involved. Two were extremely close, the two cartel bosses being brothers. They worked closely with other cartels. This was a gold mine.  If you caught these two, and got their Intel, you'd be able to take down several cartels. Unfortunately. The new Intel and new information was enough to send the squad on the field. 

The news had fallen as the boys were training. You were anxious. Worried. You were on edge and it showed. 

That night once you were home, you walked into your room, hiding there for a little while. Simon had come to check on you. 

"Y/N, tell me what's wrong." He asked as he sat next to you on the bed. 

You bit your lip, not knowing what to say out loud. 

"I'm.. scared." You admitted. 

He took off his mask, looking at you. 

"What are you scared of?" 

"Are you… going to push me away… again?" 

He blinked a few times before it clicked. 

"Fuck baby… no… of course not." 

He picked you up, making you sit on his lap. 

"No… I'm not darling." 

He kissed you, relieving the weight on your shoulders. 

"I'm also worried… about the mission. This is dangerous." You explained. 

"I know darling… but you got to trust me… this is going to be ok." 

You smiled at him, anxiousness still present. You let him cuddle you, slip his fingers through your hair. You let him comfort your heart. 

The next week you jumped in between work and spending time with Simon before he left. You wanted him to stay. You were worried. Something felt heavy. 

You sat on his bed as he prepared his bag. You watched silently, the crush of sadness filling the air. 

"Darling. Breath. It's ok." He said in a soft voice. 

You sighed. 

"I know. But I'm anxious." 

"I'll be back. You know it." 

"Promise?" 

"Promise Darling." 

You smiled. You watched his big hands grab pieces of clothing, spares masks. 

"Good. Cuz I got plans for us." You teased. 

"Plans?" He chuckled. 

"Yes!" You giggled. 

"I'm curious. Tell me more." 

"We'll have a pretty house." You started. 

He stopped his actions, looking at you. He was glued to your every word. 

"Not too far from the boys, so we can have barbecues and movie nights!" You smiled. 

He shook his head but kept watching you. 

"We'll have a big bed… we'll wake up to each other too. I'll make us breakfast while wearing your shirt." You told, like an old fairytale, that it just made sense. 

His eyes softened the more you spoke. 

"We'll have pets!" You sat up excited. 

"A dog." He spoke, leaving little room for compromise.

You laughed. 

"A dog! A pretty dog we'll play fetch with and cuddle." You smiled at him. 

You felt your heart race at the look of adoration in his eyes. Adoration for you. 

"Ok." He said. 

You stared at each other. A silent vow linking each other in a promise your souls bound each other to. 

"Ok." He repeated. 

You felt tears drowning your sight as you jumped from the bed to his arms. He held you tightly, for a long while. He let his forehead touch yours, breath dancing on each other's lips. The taste of them was a mix of bittersweet and soft craving. Something that deep in your hearts engraved each other's names. He backed you up until he lowered you on his bed. He topped you, owning your lips. Legs wrapping around his waist. You separated with pants and bedroom eyes. 

"Simon… I… listen. I need to say it." 

He looked confused. 

"And, you don't have to say it back. But…" 

You loved this. The way you could have his full attention with just a few words. The way he was on his knees for you. 

"I love you…" 

His breath quickened. You weren't expecting an answer. 

"Fuck…" he cursed. 

His lips found yours again, much more desperate, claiming. He wouldn't say it. Not yet. But fuck. He'd show you. How he had built a throne in his heart where you sat prettily. He'd make love to you until all you could remember was his taste on your lips. His touch in your dreams. The way he made you feel when filled you. He'd bite every inch of you, leaving little red marks so you'd remember him each time. 

He'd make sure these bed sheets smelled like you. Like him. Like the two of you. You didn't know. But he'll show you. What those words did to him. 

He'd love you more than words could ever describe.

----------

Also... be prepared. you are going to hate me so hard

[bandimaginezzz]

No Reply

a/n so I wasn’t really sure how to write this. So a little break down for you guys. In the first couple paragraphs it goes between the reader’s POV and Lyndsey’s POV. When it switches POV the story will continue and not repeat what has been written already. However when the reader comes back into the room, I will just write it how I would normally. Oooh and Plot twist just saying.

y/n POV

You had just jumped into the shower. The hot water stinging your skin, as your body adjusted to the sudden heat. You tilted your head back and let the water run down your face. Your peace was interrupted by someone walking into the bathroom. You peaked your head out from the curtain. You smiled when you saw your girlfriend Lyndsey. She glanced over to you. “Sorry don’t mean to intrude, or maybe I do” she smirked at you. You let out a small giggle. “Actually y/n I was wondering if I could borrow your phone. My phone’s dead and I was in the middle of watching something on YouTube.” “Yea of course babe. It’s on the nightstand.” You didn’t protest, it wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to share your phones. You got back to continuing your shower.

 Lyndsey’s POV

You walked out of the bathroom and climbed onto the bed. You crawled over to y/n’s side and grabbed her phone. You unlocked it and pulled up YouTube. You found the video you had been previously watching and clicked play. You sat with your head phones in, watching intensely. Your eyes became fixated to the screen. You could faintly hear the shower running over top of the volume. As you sat there watching the video, a text message came through. You paused the video and pulled it up. You knew that you shouldn’t necessarily be snooping in y/n’s phone like this. Hell you trusted this girl and she never gave you any reason not to. You both knew each other’s password because neither of you had anything to hide from each other. Though this number wasn’t in y/n’s phone. Instead the siri programed in the phone suggested it was Ali. Fuck you thought to yourself. What was y/n’s ex doing texting her? Was there an actual reason for you not to trust her now? You pulled open the previous messages. There was a good dozen messages sent to y/n. You scrolled through the messages reading each one carefully. There were a bunch of I want you back’s and I still love you. You felt yourself become annoyed. Why didn’t y/n have her blocked. You noticed that y/n hadn’t replied to any of the messages. But that still didn’t change the fact that she never blocked the number or changed her own. You could her the shower’s continuous water flow stop. You listened as the shower door opened and closed. You watched as y/n walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and headed to the closet. She smiled when she saw you looking at her. The innocent smile on her face just made you furious. You sat there waiting for her to get dressed and come out of the closet.

 You quickly got dressed and threw the towel in the hamper. You walked back into the bedroom to see a disgruntled look on Lyndsey’s face. She was angry about something, though you didn’t know what she was angry about. “You alright babe” you asked as you ran your hand through your hair. She just rolled her eyes at you. It stung your feelings just a little. You just looked at her silently, waiting for it all to come out. She stared at you, the look truly staring into the depths of your soul. You could hear her heavy breathing, as the anger burned in her eyes. You could see she was trying to figure out what to say. She threw your phone at you. You didn’t catch it, instead it dropped to the floor. As you bent down to pick it up, she started to yell. “What the actual fuck is Ali, doing texting you?” she screamed. You stared at her wide eyed. “Well, are you going to say something or stand there dumbfounded!” You couldn’t believe your ears, why the hell was she making a problem about this, instead of just saying something. “I wouldn’t know why she has decided to start texting me. I don’t make her decisions Lyndsey.” You spoke calmly but a hint of annoyance hidden beneath the calmness. “Oh so what she just happened to decide that all of a sudden, you’re her everything after she crushed your heart like a bug. Or is it you texted her first and deleted the message y/n.” She yelled. “Are you kidding me Lyndsey? Really you think she is worth my time. Have you lost your mind recently, or hit your head off something? Because you’re sounding fucking crazy right now.” You were pissed now. Where did she get off accusing you of something like this. “Just admit it Y/N you’re cheating aren’t you? You’ve decided to run back to the person who didn’t love you.” She sat there, red in the face. “Lyndsey I am not cheating on you. I never could. You’re my everything Lyndsey, why would I degrade myself with someone like her? What do you need me to say baby. I don’t want anyone other then you. Your my life, my world. I don’t know why she started to message me. I think it’s because I found my reason for happiness, and she hasn’t yet. I didn’t reply because she doesn’t mean anything to me. I have nothing to say to her and I never will. I don’t need anyone else.” She sat there staring at you. Her face began to lighten up. She was still on the rocks about everything. “Y/n?” you looked up to her. “Mhm” you answered. “Why didn’t you block her? Why did you let her continue to text you?” you could see the slight hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry, that I didn’t block her. I wasn���t thinking about it. Honestly I’m sorry if it hurt you seeing those messages. Here I will block her right now, and if it makes you feel even better, I will go to the service both tomorrow and change my number completely so that she doesn’t have it.” Her eyes lightened up. “You would really go through all that trouble, y/n, just for me?” she asked searching your eyes for the answer. You walked over to the bed and cupped her face with both of your hands. “Of course.” You placed a kiss on her lips. She grabbed onto your waist and pulled you in close. Her hands grabbing your ass as she pulled you onto the bed with her. She rolled you onto your back and climbed onto your hips. “You’ve been a bad girl y/n. I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.” She spoke in a seductive tone. You looked up at her and tried to play as innocent as you possibly could, biting your lip. She quickly ripped off the clothes from your body. The rapid movement made you incapable of reacting. You were stunned at how quickly you became naked. She got undressed herself but left her panties on. She got back onto your hips. She pressed aa soft kiss against your lips. She didn’t hold the kiss. Instead she made a trail leading from your neck leading down to your waist line. She stopped when she reached your clit. You could feel the warmth of her breath as she stared up at you. Her eyes had a devilish look. She ran her finger along the length of your thigh. It gave you a ticklish sensation. You shuddered at the small sensation. Lyndsey must have felt the shudder as she let out a chuckle. Her finger was back but this time it traced a line up to your clit, your hips bucking at the sudden pleasure. You could tell Lyndsey was getting a rise out of your body becoming aroused, but she was also not keeping the arousal going. She was playing with you and you knew it. Her hot breath stimulated your clit again, you were being driven crazy. “Hmm to fuck or not to fuck? Do you think you deserve it y/n?” she looked at you with those green eyes. You nodded your head slowly, never talking your eyes off of hers. She smirked at you. Thinking about whether she was going to fuck you. She moved back down between your legs again. Her hot breath once again stimulating your clit. You could feel her tongue flick against your clit. back and forth. Your hips bucked forward. She slowly slipped two fingers inside and pumped very slowly. You could feel every small movement she made. You were already in pure ecstasy. She made you feel amazing. Her tongue moved just perfectly over your clit, making you throw your head back. Her fingers pumping in and out at a slightly faster pace. She stopped playing with your clit with her tongue. She sat up on the back of her legs. She however never removed her flinger from inside you. Instead she replaced her tongue with her thumb. She circled your clit while keeping up a rhythm inside you. She was watching you, as you bit on your lip and gripped the sheets. She watched you as you were on the edge of your orgasm. You started to moan loud. You were about to climax. “Oh God Lyndsey don’t stop.” You gripped the sheets and bucked your hips forward. Suddenly the pleasure stopped. Your chest was heaving in and out. You got up to stare at Lyndsey. You couldn’t believe she just stopped. “Did you forget? You’re the one who needed to be taught a lesson, not me. So we’re going to keep all ex’s blocked from now on right?” She smirked at you as she grabbed her clothing. You stared at her in disbelief as she walked out of the room chuckling. You just sat on the bed naked wondering what the fuck had just happened.

[musicallisto]

☀ Little Red Seal (pt. i)

In honor of the end of ES. These dorks have lighten up my Fridays for two years and I will miss them entirely. Hope this can make you crack a smile and remind you of better days.

word count: 3100+ words summary: In which Quinn leaves for six days because of a family affair and has no one to take care of her enthusiastic dog while she’s away - fortunately, her eleven loyal best friends are here to save the day. author notes: This will be mostly fluff and fun, but some bits are more stressful like this part! no romantic pairings, everyone is friends. AU: the gang finally reunited, alive and well being huge irresponsible dorks. the ending we deserved tbh. This will be in six parts, because otherwise it will get way too long. I randomized the pairs/teams for this series because I thought it would be more fun! Enjoy!

“THANK YOU SO much for coming on such short notice. You’re really taking a thorn out of my side,” Quinn repeated for the hundredth time at least, pacing furiously everywhere in her living room.

The nervous sound of her heels resonating against the wooden floor - click, click, click - had been the only audible sound for five minutes now as the redhead tried her best to keep her sophisticated bun neat and in place. Michelle had tried to count the amount of times she had paced like a caged lion apparently looking for her phone or her car keys, only to find out they were in her hands the whole time, thanked them for coming around and then went back to gallop around the sofas, but she had lost count after the seventh time.

“Really, it’s okay, Quinn. We’re happy to help,” she replied for the hundredth time as well, her hands furrowed in her pockets - she was this close to walking up to her best friend and having her sit down and keep calm for a second. She was going mad just by looking at her raging wandering.

“Yeah, we love doggos,” Craig added, gently petting the auburn fur of the English Cocker Spaniel, obediently sitting on his right. “They kinda remind me of me. Fun, sporty and a bit smelly.”

“I’m sure taking care of Rónán will be super fun,” Michelle enthusiastically continued, smiling widely. “And you know we can always call reinforcement if we need it. I promise you there’s nothing to worry about!”

Quinn sighed, leaning on the arm of her sofa. She looked down at her furry best friend with a kind smile - it was the first time she was leaving Rónán for more than a weekend, but an important family matter had come up and she was unable to decline the invitation. It would be six days, six days during which she would be away, not knowing if her energetic companion would be alright, and she probably would have freaked out completely if Michelle and Craig hadn’t sensed her despair and volunteered to take care of him for all the duration of her absence. Quinn was perfectly aware Rónán could be... a handful, and she didn’t want to burden her friends with such a charge at first, but when she realized she had no backup plan and after they actively convinced her it was really their idea and they were more than eager to spend a week with the happy young dog.

“Okay, so remember that Rónán has to be brushed - once a week should be enough -, and don’t forget the scissors for the underside of his paws, and to clean his ears, and give him a treat when you’re done with the upkeep, and grooming takes more or less three hours, but you won’t need to bathe him though, his dry food is under the sink, oh and never, ever give him chocolate and-”

“Quinn”, Michelle scowled, adopting her best surgeon voice, the authoritarian yet gentle one that tolerates no riposte, “we will be okay. Do you think I’m the type to be careless? Rónán is in good hands with us. If you should be worrying about someone, it’s Craig.”

“Hey!” the big man barked, outraged. “I don’t see why. I’m perfectly fine and - whoa, careful, pup! That was my foot!”

Quinn laughed, her habitual smile finally adorning her features. Craig and Michelle were going to be amazing keepers for her precious companion, she could be sure of it. Glancing rapidly at her watch, she got up, grabbed her suitcase, hugged her two friends, reminded them she owed them big time - to which Michelle answered the only thing she asked as a repayment is that she stopped thanking her -, affectionately ruffled the top of Rónán’s head and disappeared through her front door, heading to the airport, leaving her best friends together to look after each other, for better or for worse.

As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, Craig heaved out a sigh, mixture of relief and pure terror.

“Man, no pressure, right?”

“Okay, Craig, I know about your tendency to... cut loose from what you’re told to do, but... please don’t screw up. Quinn trusts us and this means the world for her.”

“Uh, excuse me? I don’t ‘screw up’. I’m a pro.”

“I’d call throwing into a bonfire six months’ worth of Sean’s essays a pretty big screw-up.”

“Yeah, well I-”

He was abruptly interrupted by a high-pitched whine at his feet. Looking down, Craig was taken aback by the pleading eyes of the puppy and his sadly wagging tail, as if he were desperately trying to tell his new masters something with his canine sorrow.

“Aw, Meech, look, he’s giving me the puppy look! He must want us to stop bickering.”

“Craig, he’s literally a puppy, that’s why he’s giving you the puppy l-”

But Craig had stopped listening to the med, crouched by the dog’s side to reach his little height, his face leaning to meet Rónán’s, their noses almost touching, a huge smile spread on his lips. He could feel the dog’s highly discouraging hot breath blowing directly on his face, but at that precise moment, the adorableness of the small animal had simply erased every other sensation.

“Ain’t that right, huh, pup? You’re whining because you want us to stop fighting and you want us to stop fighting because you’re a goooood doggo,” he slurred with an abnormally deep voice, contently scratching the furry, auburn chin of the pet.

“Please, Craig, he’s literally whining because he’s hungry,” Michelle snapped at him, crouching down beside Craig and carefully taking Rónán in her arms. At the mention of the last word, the dog excitedly looked down at his new savior, his new goddess, the one who had understood the deepest of his desires: food.

“Oh, you’re probably right. I’ll get the food!” Craig exclaimed, energetically running to the kitchen, leaving Michelle with her newest patient.

“We’ll take good care of you, don’t worry,” the surgeon hummed under her breath, lovingly petting the top of Rónán’s head, right between his enormous, curly, and absolutely adorable ears. “And don’t be afraid of Craig...,” she laughed to herself, still caressing the puppy, her gestures kind and motherly, something she had never noticed in her. “He can be a handful at times, but he’s nice, you’ll see.”

“Meech! Where do I find the dish?” resonated from the kitchen door, left wide open.

Michelle, laughing heartily now, carefully set down the dog; he immediately started wagging his tail, more vigorously now, and raised his eyes, full of hope and belief, to the young woman.

“I should probably help him,” she murmured with a smile.

It was undeniably going to be a fascinating week, to say the least.

“Why do you hate me, Meech?”

“What do you mean? I don’t hate you, Craig.”

“I dunno. You’re always mean and sassy with me. It’s like you despise me.”

The two young adults were sprayed on the couch, a cold Heineken each open, their eyes glued on some reality TV program on television - something about ladies competing for a foreign King’s hand - without even taking in the information flickering in front of their faces. The night had fallen for some time now; Michelle hadn’t looked at her watch for a long time, but she estimated it must have been three hours since Quinn had left them with Rónán. So far so good, she had thought to herself after feeding the animal. Craig turned out to be more delicate than she could ever have imagined with the small beast, caressing his fur with gentleness and even giving him a few treats after his meal - he had insisted, arguing that he deserved a dessert since he, unfortunately, couldn’t have alcohol. Michelle had rolled her eyes, but let him proceed nevertheless. They had nearly collapsed on Quinn’s sofa after grabbing refreshments from her fridge - she wouldn’t mind, right? Although they had spent very little time with the dog, allowing him to play around the house without paying too much attention to him or being glued to the poor boy, they were exhausted, as though the mere concept of being in charge of someone was physically draining.

Michelle sighed heavily. It was true she was accustomed to having her snarky façade on whenever she talked to other people, but that was the way she was, the way she had been brought up and forged through adolescence - and Craig, although far from being stupid, had a harder time understanding that than the others.

Because she didn’t have any special resentment towards Craig, right?

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m that way with everyone. Jake acts like that too and you never whined because he ‘hated you’.”

“But it’s like it goes deeper than that with me. Is it because you hooked up with my best friend?”

“Jesus, Craig, I know subtlety is not your forte, but-”

“I know you think I’m stupid,” he continued, bringing the freezing bottle to his lips and swallowing a large mouthful of beer. “You’re not the only one. That’s my role. I know it. I’m the dumb jock. And Sean is the nice jock. I get it. But you know, it would be cool if you didn’t constantly treat me like a... nobody. A good-for-nothing, yanno. It’s... It gets tiring.”

Michelle remained silent, her beer hanging over a precipice of rugged carpets and white sofas. She had never thought about the effect her behavior - coupled with all the others’ - could have on Craig, since he had always looked like someone who wasn’t concerned one bit about the way people viewed him. All of sudden, she was at a loss for words, conflicted, her fingers shaking a little.

“Listen, Craig, I-”

Her sentence was cut sharp by a brusque sound coming from behind the sofa, far from their field of vision. Michelle, suddenly tensed, placed the bottle on the coffee table and straightened up, eyeing the back of the piece of furniture.

There wistfully sat Rónán, his long, fluffy ears apologetically sweeping the bright wooden floor of the living room, looking down with a grimace and a canine frown at a pool of brownish vomit at his paws.

“He threw up,” Michelle announced, a wave of sympathy and concern engulfing her, just like when one of her patients had a negative reaction to one of her treatments.

“Oh,” Craig sighed sadly. “I guess you don’t really like chocolate, huh, little guy?”

Michelle froze instantly. She turned her iron gaze towards an oblivious Craig with an agonizing slowness.

“You. Gave. Him. What?”

“Uh... chocolate? I read dogs like ch-”

“For fuck’s sake, Craig, chocolate is toxic for dogs!” Michelle yelled, standing up in a swift movement, half of her bones cracking at the unexpected gesture. She tried to hide the anxious trembling of her fingers by running a desperate hand through her mane. “In what timeline and in what dimension did you think it was a good idea to give him chocolate?!”

“I-I don’t know!” he screamed in return, eyes darting furiously between Michelle, his beer and the terrified-looking puppy, who apparently didn’t understand the sudden racket. “He was giving me the puppy look, I-”

“It’s a puppy! It’s the only look it has!” Michelle continued roaring, her hands flying around her body to give more credibility to her anger now. “Please- stop thinking!”

“I-I-I’m sorry! I screwed up! I didn’t know-”

“Of course you didn’t! You never know anything! This is serious, Craig! It can be lethal! Just... just... just clean up this mess and I’ll take care of Rónán!”

“Can you.. cure him?”

“I operate on kids with appendicitis, Craig! Not intoxicated Spaniels!”

“R-Right!” he exclaimed, running to the bathroom, frantically searching for a floorcloth to salvage Quinn’s floor.

Michelle ran to scoop the shaking puppy in her arms as delicately as she could. Truth to be told, she had acted all severe and confident when facing Craig, but she had been transported by exasperation and nerves and had, in fact, no idea what to do. She had been trained to give heart transplants, not save a dog from food poisoning! She didn’t even know if it was grave enough to go to the vet, and even if it was, she had no idea where she could find a clinic still open at that hour, or just any clinic, really - she didn’t know the neighborhood, and definitely didn’t have the time to check on the Internet, and even less stroll around the streets with the dog cradled in her arms hoping to stumble across a green cross...

What could she do? What did she know that could be useful? What had she learned about humans that could be applied to animals? What would Quinn say if she found out they had put Rónán in such danger? Would she hate them? Would she ever trust them with something important? Was she really that irresponsible? She never made those kinds of careless mistakes, she was trained, she had specially studied to face those critical situations, never to let any detail escape from her mind, and yet there she was; could she consider herself a good surgeon after all? What could she do, what could she do? Could she try to give him water, just like she would have done for a patient with food poisoning? But for a dog? Would it work? Could she try that artisanal remedy? What could she do, what c-

“What are you doing, Meech?” Craig called out from behind her back, a mop in one hand and a water bucket in the other, running to the lump-filled stain. “Either get him to the vet or make him throw up but don’t stand there like a lemon!”

His voice was full of a sense of urgency, so uncharacteristic: Michelle could witness he was deeply regretting his actions and wanted to make it up to her, to Rónán, to Quinn, and to himself. Abruptly sent back to reality, Michelle stammered inaudible words, almost dropping the pup. “Michelle, you got this. You’ve had worse crises.” Her inner voice rang strong and sharp inside her mind, and all the critical decisions she’d had to take in her life flashed before her eyes in an instant. Taking a deep, cold breath, she ran to the bathroom, holding securely the ginger puppy against her heart, whose eyelids were starting to flutter heavily. She knew how to make a dog vomit; she had been overwhelmed by nerves and the fear of Quinn’s hatred if something bad happened to Rónán while he was under her responsibility. She had completely lost her composure, something that never happened normally. Something she had been prepared, educated to avoid for years. Biting her lip, she scanned the drawers for a syringe, but her research remained fruitless; Rónán had now gone completely immobile in her arms. She was about to leave the room when her eyes caught the sight of a little note on the sink - picking it up, she recognized Quinn’s cursive handwriting... and the address of her habitual veterinarian. She breathed out the longest sigh of relief in her entire life.

“Craig!” she called. “Take the keys, we’re going to the vet!”

The drive home was lulled by the soft sound of an indie rock song playing on Michelle’s car radio. Craig, riding shotgun, glanced every now and then at the sound asleep, fluffy figure on the backseat with fondness. His armored, football heart had been pierced by the big, black eyes of the red puppy. Rónán was out of danger thanks to the treatment provided by the veterinarian, much more elaborate than anything Michelle could have ever done. Her fingers drummed mindlessly on the steering wheel, biting back yawns. In the end, she had panicked for something merely trivial that could’ve been resorted with a simple visit to a clinic, but she was terrified of letting Quinn down that she had let her nerves get the best of her. She was eager to finally let the Cocker rest in his bed, and sleep herself. It was close to midnight and she was starting to feel the rampage of a migraine closing in, like claws tightening around her temples.

“Hey, Craig?” she asked softly, partly because her headache was dangerously threatening and partly because she didn’t want to be rebuffed violently.

“Hm?” the man groaned, his eyes fixed on the escaping night road outside the window.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. You snapped me out of it and you... were actually the calm and reasonable one,” she laughed nervously. “And I’m sorry for the way I treat you. I didn’t think it affected you that much, I wouldn’t have if I had known about it. I’m sorry. Really.”

“Nah, it’s okay, Meech,” Craig shrugged. “You stressed out. It happens. And I’m kinda used to being seen like that by now.”

“But that’s the saddest part of it. You shouldn’t be used to being taken for granted. I want to make sure you get used to being treated like a damn hero. Because that’s what you are. You’re way too cool to be taken for granted.”

A small smile crept onto Craig’s lips, unstoppable.

“Yeah, guess I’m freaking cool after all. But thanks, Meech.”

“Now don’t tell anyone I went soft on you or I’ll choke you with my Gucci.”

He laughed, and she smiled to herself, a bit revived after the nerve-racking events of the evening. Looking up to the rear-view, her eyes met the peaceful puppy, wiggling instinctively in his sleep, his ears folded back on his eyes like an umbrella protecting him from the outside world... and her grin grew even wider. It seemed like a young, carefree, hairy companion was exactly what Michelle needed to unwind, and put things into perspective.

A dim, blue light suddenly filled the passenger compartment of the car.

“Taylor asks how the babysitting is going,” Craig distractedly announced, typing something on his phone.

A puckish glint lit up in Michelle’s eyes, still focused on the road.

“Tell her she can come meet the little guy if she’d like.”

[agentelmo]

The X-Files MSR Analysis Series: Season 1 Episode 9

“Space”

Previous episode analysis - 1x08 Ice.

What can I say about Space.  Other than “oh dear”, quite frankly.

But let’s not focus on the quality of the episode - we’re here for the MSR! 

Eh...

Ok, so in terms of the MSR, this episode isn’t much to write home about either, but it has a moment or two.  The most significant aspect of it overall is how it shines a bit of light on how Scully can respond sensitively to Mulder, even when he might not deserve it.  In this instance, it’s regarding his childhood hero-worship of Colonel Belt.  She teases him about it at first, but when the shit starts hitting the fan, her tone changes and you can see she’s much softer with him by the end.   

There are other elements of their relationship on display here, such as their working dynamic - again - each holding their own half of the truth that when put together solves the case.  But that doesn’t happen until the very end.  Throughout the majority of the episode, Mulder and Scully are on the same page - there’s no obvious paranormal involvement from their perspective until the final act.  It’s a very strange episode...

So we start with Mulder and Scully just chilling on a set of stairs as their contact arrives.

That’s not an awkward pose at all, Mulder.  I feel like he could be seconds away from letting one rip.  Sit down again - quick man!

As in most season 1 episodes, there is always a little scene of mundane ordinariness that fascinates me.  I like seeing Mulder and Scully really rooted in the real world, and just chilling on some steps in Washington D.C. on a sunny day feels plausible.  This is what an FBI agent might well do.

Also, hello there oral fixation.

Was it David Duchovny that first pointed this out about Mulder?  That the guy must have an oral fixation because he’s always tonguing a sunflower seed?

Ya. Tonguing.

It is also established (much later in season 2′s Aubrey) that it’s something his dad did when he was a child, so it seems this is a habit Mulder has adopted - in a way it’s quite interesting that the episode starts with a link to Mulder’s father, as another father figure to Mulder pops up later.  

Anyway, this munching on the sunflower seeds is one of his many idiosyncrasies that we learn of over the years.  

Still, if it is an oral fixation no one is gonna complain about the fact Mulder is substituting titty for sunflower seeds... I’m sure many a fanfic has been written based on the premise that Mulder is quite adept with his tongue as a result of all that “practice”.

Or it could just be that he really likes sunflower seeds, but hey ho.

So next Mulder and Scully head over to Houston and the NASA Space Centre to investigate the apparent sabotage of the shuttle Orbiter.

Pfft... Orbiter.  Atlantis was always my favourite.  You ever see the movie Space Camp?  Would totally recommend.

They are driven around on a little golf buggy thingy-mah-jig and there’s some straight up inappropriate staring going on.  

Right at the beginning Scully is staring at Mulder’s mouth as he talks.  I think all that sunflower seed tonging did a number on her.  She’s been reading those titty-lickin’-good fanfics, guys.  

I won’t subtitle the gif, because Mulder is just waffling - think of it as what Scully is hearing when she stares at his mouth.  Seriously, just look at her eyes.

“Hoo boy, he is pretty cute...God damn it.  Wait, what has he been saying?”

Also, look at all the space Mulder has beside him, and yet they’re sitting squashed up like this - very much in each other’s space.  I think what happened there is that Scully got in first, and Mulder just scooched up as close as possible, because Scully, amirite?

Don’t worry, Mulder gets in on this inappropriate eyeballing too.  The eye line suggests to me he’s checking her out.  See it?

EYES UP HERE, MULDER.

I like that he immediately looks away too. Smooth move, Mulder.  Don’t want to get caught checking out your partner’s “assets”.

Don’t give me that withering look, I haven’t got much to work with in this episode, so let’s make the most of every last second we can find!

The scene itself is quite nice in terms of their dynamic, because this is typical Mulder-Scully fare.  She asks a question and Mulder goes off on a spiel answering her in the form of Mulder Story Time.

Bless you, naive 1993!Scully.  Forget the X-Files, oh what geopolitical horrors lie in store for you.

Then of course we get to the meat and potatoes of it - why might Mulder be interested in a case like this?  The clear NASA involvement in a cover up of the existence of certain “evidence”.

I love how Mulder pauses with a knowing smile.  He anticipates her snarky response, but there’s no malice.  I’ve pointed this out in a few of the episodes thus far, and I love it every time.  Just the ease that they have with each other, they’ve already become each others best friend at this point - especially Scully to Mulder.

The next scene is all Mulder regressing into a 14 year-old boy again as he walks the halls of the Space Centre.  This makes me kinda sad now, because this child-like enthusiasm and glee for space exploration is everything he wanted to share with his son - William.  

Which we see in season 10′s Founder’s Mutation.

I’m just never gonna be okay with the fact Mulder and Scully missed out on being parents to their own child.

Never.

The fact Mulder dreams that he passes on this passion to him, and that William himself dreams of going “up there some day.”

Really, it does kinda make this next scene in Space a tiny bit heartbreaking with hindsight.  Look at how excited he is.  

He’s such a puppy.  So excited.  If he had a tail he’d be wagging it right now.  Why is it heartbreaking?  Because we’re getting to see a little bit of how he would have been as a dad.

It’s okay, take a moment.  I know I am.

Scully is being a bit of a stick in the mud here, but it’s fine I guess.  She doesn’t share his interest.  Her little smiling eye-roll seems to suggest she finds this behaviour from him to be a mix between endearing and pathetically cliché.  But it is actually kinda strange that Scully wasn’t interested in the space program growing up herself since, you know, she did her undergraduate degree in physics!!

So they meet this Colonel Belt and oh my word, Mulder acts like an utterly embarrassing fanboy.

Like, seriously... he can’t stop himself.

Mulder, you do remember you have a job to do here, right?  I find this little bit quite amusing since Scully is utterly no-nonsense with Colonel Belt and Mulder is one step away from clapping his hands over Scully’s mouth and then dragging her out of the room all the while profusely apologising.

“I have no idea who this person is; she is nothing to me.  I love you.”

Poor Scully is not enjoying being backed into a corner by the Colonel’s belligerent attitude...

...and is even less impressed with Mulder’s lack of support as he stares doe-eyed at Belt complete silence.

He knows he’s effed up; look at his face as he closes the door.

If I was to look a little deeper into why Mulder might idolise Belt to the point of making a fool of himself, I’d say it might have something to do with the fact that he came to idolise Belt at roughly the age of 14 - two years after Samantha was taken.  We come to know later in the series, that Mulder’s father was never around much after Samantha’s abduction, and I suspect not much before that either considering what his job was.  

His relationship with his father is strained now, as it was then, and I believe in season 1 they are totally estranged.  So after two years of having an absentee father, Mulder would have understandably needed another father figure; a hero to look up to.  Perhaps that’s what Belt is for him?  A heroic figure he looked up to in place of his father.

It would explain why he is so dismissive of the idea that Belt could be involved in sabotage when, so far, all evidence points to him.  He can’t conceive of his hero not being who he thought he was - the betrayal wouldn’t be to his adult self, but the 14 year old boy he was.

They head over to Mission Control to watch the launch of the shuttle Orbiter, and I have to mention this, it’s totally not relevant to the MSR but the music during this sequence is very strange - go back and listen to it.  It sounds very similar to the X-Files opening theme played slower and off-key.  Weird!

The launch is a success and Mulder is still being a huge nerdy fanboy.  Look at how happy he is, geezus, I don’t think we’ve seen him this happy about anything, ever.  Scully is completely unmoved - c’mon, lighten up, Scully.  Still feels a bit silly that she would be this disinterested. 

He’s so happy to have had one of his boyhood fantasies fulfilled, but he’s getting nothing out of her - she’s just so full of snark.

Why, Scully?! Chill out, woman!  I guess it’s because I would totally find this as exciting as Mulder does.  When I was a kid I definitely did have that dream of being an astronaut.  Went to college and studied physics myself (and psychology - I was trying to choose which direction I wanted to head in, and ended up being more Mulder than Scully) I didn’t have posters of boys on my bedroom walls, I had star maps; the shuttle Atlantis; one of my favourite movies of all time is Contact.  I totally get Mulder’s enthusiasm.

Her attitude here kinda reminds me of the season 7 episode First Person Shooter too, where Scully starts ragging on video games as being pointless, violence-inducing, clap-trap while Mulder tries to get her onboard with his childlike enthusiasm.  I also love video games, so I was always on Mulder’s side in that episode too.  So yeah... sorry Scullz, but I’m with Mulder on this one!

What’s so endearing about it though, is that this stuff is important to him and he keeps trying to get her to be excited about it along with him - he wants to share that joy with her.  

But before they leave and drop the case, something has gone wrong with the Orbiter and they’re called back to Mission Control.

On the way, there is a car accident where the contact from the beginning of the episode - Michelle Generoo - flips her car after seeing a ghostly grotesque face come at her in the fog.  

It’s the first hint of the paranormal about this case to Mulder and Scully, but they seemingly pay it no mind at all.  Not even Mulder, which is surprising.  I guess he just thinks she lost control of her car.  But he doesn’t say so... it’s just treated like she didn’t say it at all.  Odd.

Then back at Mission Control, Mulder starts to do something that grates on me just a tiny bit.  He starts explaining everything to Scully after it’s already been explained by the other characters.  I mean, it’s not like you need to be a NASA nerd to understand what they are saying, so it comes off as a teenie tiny bit like mansplaining  - sorry Mulder!

And again, Scully has a physics degree!  I think she would pick it up just as well as Mulder does.  

I get that in the context of this being a TV episode he’s explaining it as much to us, the viewers, as he is to Scully.  But still... perhaps it should have been a conversation between them, giving Scully the opportunity to show she does understand what is going on rather than him just talking at her like a complete ignorant.   I could write it off if it just happened once, but it does happen several times in the episode.

Wait, I’ve worked it out.  Coming over to explain everything to Scully gives Mulder an excuse to be a space invader -  whispering in Scully’s ear.  Cracked it!

Ok that’s fine, I’m totally fine with that.  Mansplain away, Mulder.

Whilst trying to work out who is sabotaging the shuttle, Mulder and Scully start running around the Space Centre waving their guns about.

Mah badass baby Agents. Pew pew!

But when they return to mission control they look like they’ve just been caught having a fumble in the NASA stationary cupoboard.

Now that things are going seriously wrong with the Orbiter and peoples lives are in danger, Scully seems to soften.  When Mission Control successfully reestablishes communication with the astronauts everyone in the room goes wild, and Scully finally allows herself to feel it... a little bit, at least. 

She’s still holding back compared to other people in the room, though.  Perhaps after all the ribbing she’s been giving Mulder, she feels embarrassed about just letting go and enjoying the moment with the same joy he does?

Don’t wanna give him the chance to lay down an “I told you so!”

Which would fit a pattern of behaviour we see from Scully as the show continues.  A reservedness that she can’t fully let go of; she can’t always fully let Mulder see her and how she’s truly feeling - she’s not good at being vulnerable with him.  But I don’t think this is anything specific to Mulder.  She does it with everyone - her family too.  As we come to know Scully, we come to realise she doesn’t like letting things in... or letting people in, either.

Admittedly, this is a very minor example of it, as we see her totally embrace the joy of the mission’s success later.  Wait for that gif... it’s literally the best moment of the episode because Scully is just so painfully beautiful.  

Mulder is just insane to not be going after this woman.  ANYWAY...

Before we move on... since we focused so much on Scully’s reaction, lets check out Mulder’s too.

♫ I’m a little teapot short and stout ♫  Come on, sing along everyone!  ♫ Here’s my handle and here’s my spout! ♫

♫ Tip me over and pour me out! ♫  Please, Mulder... never change.

Colonel Belt then gives a press conference to update the media on the mission’s progress, and he lies.  He tells the reporters that everything has been plain sailing and there were no issues at all.  Upon hearing this, Mulder is clearly feeling let down and naively disappointed.  But this is 14 year old Mulder, not 32 year old Mulder’s feelings here.  He’s still looking at Belt the way he did when he was a kid.

“When all my childhood dreams are being crushed to dust, I make this face.”

Alright, Scully... no need to rub it in.

Look at her face, I think she’s probably disappointed for Mulder, as much as anything, but that comment did feel a bit brutal.  I think it might have clicked for her by now why thinking this guy isn’t who Mulder believes he is, is so painful for him.  It’s not just about a childhood hero being a disappointment.  It can’t just be that, because Mulder really is pushing back against the idea Colonel Belt is a bad guy for no other reason than “he’s an astronaut too” - the evidence just keeps pointing to him.

Mulder chases down Colonel Belt and questions him about why he lied to the press.  The answer is already pretty obvious really, as Michelle has already told them - the government is looking for any reason to shut down the space program.

Belt explains that the astronauts do what they do for no other reason than the progress of mankind. Mulder’s response to this got me thinking.

True American heroes.  

Mulder worships these people, and sees them as not just heroes, but American heroes.  I think Mulder is actually quite a patriotic person.  There are odd comments here and there throughout the series which points to this.  His defending the American position during WW2 in Triangle; baulking at Scully’s preference for no butter on her popcorn calling it “un-American” in Je Souhaite.

I’m sure there’s many more I am just not recalling right now, but I think Mulder resists acknowledging Belt isn’t the hero he thought he was, because doing so not only kills the heroic figure of Belt from his childhood, but also erodes his view of America.  The positive patriotic view of America that NASA and the space program helped to instil, particularly in the 1960′s and 70′s when NASA was at it’s height, which is when Mulder grew up.

I suspect this is something you can only truly understand if you are American yourself, which I am not.  Patriotism is a funny old thing in Britain, mostly frowned upon.  So I have a certain view that I can’t deny when watching this episode - Mulder being patriotic is kind of jarring.

I know this is not MSR related exactly, it’s more to do with Mulder as a character, but it does come back up again later towards the end of the episode in a conversation with Scully, so... that kinda counts??

As another crisis on Orbiter unfolds, Mulder and Scully run around looking for Colonel Belt like a pair of errand monkeys.  They really do have nothing to do this whole episode.  Belt arrives at Mission Control and chooses to risk the astronauts lives to continue the mission to deliver their payload.  

Mulder looks like Belt just kicked a puppy, while Scully silently judges you.

I always thought this face was something she perfected over the years, but you know what?  She’s actually got it down pat already.

Michelle rushes out of Mission Control believing her fiancee aboard Orbiter has just been sent to his death and Scully agrees; Belt is acting very strangely and taking unnecessary risks. 

This is where we have the classic stalemate between Mulder and Scully, where she is right, but so is he.  Belt is compromised and “losing it” as she says.  He does know what is going on, and has known about it from the beginning, she believes he’s covering it up so that the mission can continue despite the obvious risks to avoid the space program being shut down.

She’s pretty much correct on all accounts, funnily enough.  But so is Mulder, who says Belt isn’t sabotaging the mission, he’s desperately trying to save the astronauts.  He wants to believe that Belt is a hero, and that what he’s doing he’s doing because he wants to save the men.

Amazingly, the paranormal aspect of this episode has still not been fully revealed to Mulder and Scully and we’re 30 minutes in at this point.  They both now need to prove whether or not Belt knew about the sabotage of Orbiter and so they start to go through all the documentation they can find.

I have no idea why this picture of them sitting cross-legged on the floor makes me happy, but it does.  I love it when they look like baby Agents!

Now Scully points out that finding any documented proof of Belt’s involvement is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but apparently looking for a needle in a haystack isn’t as difficult as one might imagine, because they find the proof of his involvement pretty much immediately.

Within seemingly a few hours, Scully not only finds proof that Belt knew about the faulty components on Orbiter, but Mulder also finds that he was aware of the fault that led to the Challenger explosion.  Yikes.  

But before they can do anything with this information, Michelle informs them that Belt has collapsed in his office.  They rush off to find him.

Why hello, hello, hello, there.  If it isn’t our good friend Back Touch with a side order of Helping Hands.  Please, no, touch me more, Mulder, I insist.

They arrive to discover Belt babbling like a loon.  Then Mulder says...

Ummmmmm... Mulder?  You do know that your partner is a medical doctor, right?  I wonder if this is the reason why she feels the need to state this fact quite so much as the series goes on.

Why he needs a doctor I don’t even know, because it turns out, Mulder is secretly a doctor too??

He must be since he disregards the opinions of both Scully and the paramedics to do this focus your pain on my finger mumbo jumbo.  Why those paramedics didn’t just tell Mulder to get the fuck out of the way, I have no idea.  Scully, the actual doctor, says that what Mulder is doing is killing him.  But he just ignores her.  

I suppose this is a sign of the trust that she has in Mulder that she allows him to continue this, because if she didn’t think the information Mulder was trying to get was worth the risk, I don’t think she would have let this happen.  Belt does, in fact, almost die and they have to break out the defib to get him back.

Scully took a huge risk there, if he had died, she and Mulder would be on the chopping block.  Even when they have diverging viewpoints on things, when the shit really hits the fan they tend to have each others back.  So this is another example of the faith Scully has in him, even when it seems like he might not deserve the benefit of the doubt - something we learnt she is prepared to do in Ice.

The weirdest part of this whole scene though, is that Scully is finally allowed to see something paranormal - she witnesses the ghostly image appear over Belt’s face, but doesn’t seem to react to it at all!  Even Mulder doesn’t focus on that aspect of it, he single-mindedly keeps trying to get the information needed to save the astronauts from Belt.

Although, maybe Mulder saw the cruddy Pac-Man ghost SFX used for the space possession sequence and decided that shit is bananas.

B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Mulder somehow gets what he needs from Belt, so he and Scully rush to Mission Control.  Fortunately, they get there just in time, and the shuttle comes down to Earth safely.

Then, as promised, the best 1.5 seconds of the episode.  Which I have slowed down for your viewing pleasure.

Honestly, she is so beautiful.  How does Mulder resist that smile?

After all the drama is over, we see Belt in his hospital room, still being terrorised by the ghostly entity.  Seemingly not being able to take it anymore, he throws himself out of his hospital room window, and to his death.

The last conversation between Mulder and Scully is quite a tender one, it’s the most they interact in a meaningful way throughout the whole episode.  There’s no more reproachful teasing, Scully understands that Belt meant something to Mulder and so she is very gentle with him - even her tone of voice changes.

I’d like to think that at some point during this episode, Scully recalls that Mulder’s childhood wasn’t especially great past the age of 12.  Mulder had specifically pointed out earlier that his hero-worship of Belt started at around the age of 14.  

Even though Mulder is basically suggesting that Belt was possessed and whatever possessed him forced him into sabotaging the shuttle, Scully doesn’t really challenge him on it.  There’s no point anymore since the case is closed, but also I think she is being kind to Mulder. 

Mulder suggests that Belt gave his own life to kill whatever it was that possessed him. 

With that reverent look on his face, Scully can no doubt see that Mulder wants to keep looking at Belt as a true American hero, and as a result Mulder is somewhat twisting Belt’s actions into some kind of heroic self-sacrifice, when actually, from what we see of his suicide, he was simply so tormented by this entity that he just wanted it to end.    

Mulder seems incredibly reluctant to see Belt as anything other than the true American hero he grew up believing him to be.  Perhaps it’s too painful for him to do otherwise.

Immediately after this scene, we’re at Belt’s funeral with the American flag draping his coffin shown prominently on screen.

The episode even ends with a close up of the flag.

There is something intrinsically linked between NASA, the space program and American patriotism.  It’s not something I ever really thought too much about with regards to Mulder’s character before, but he too, is an American hero.  Being the product of the 60′s and 70′s, Mulder grew up with the national pride and euphoria of NASA’s heyday.  As a result, Mulder too, carries the American pride that was symbolised by Belt and the space program - these were people who do what they do for nothing more than the betterment of mankind.  Isn’t that, in some ways, a little bit like Mulder himself?  Sacrificing so much to his pursuit of the truth to - in the end - save humanity from an alien invasion.

Belt would be proud.

In the end, though.  It’s not really explored.  Just left as another thread that makes up the tapestry that is Fox Mulder.

Next up... 1x10 - Fallen Angel.