Tumgik
#if you read all these tags that turned into a rant have a cookie
egberts · 1 month
Text
ALSO if prisoners could get educated then prisons could run themselves more reliably and function like communities which is conducive to a growing/healing/learning/absolving mindset
171 notes · View notes
eyesofshinigami · 7 months
Text
Alley Oop
Rating: G
CW: None
Tags: Established relationship, supportive Wayne, sports talk, Eddie loves Steve
Prompt: For @sparklyslug "Love is secretly studying up on the nerd shit he's into" (I took it in a slightly different direction, but it was fun!)
WC: 709
Written for @steddielovemonth Day 11
Eddie thought he would get away with it. That no one would know. It could just be his little secret and then he could pull it out and impress Steve and show him that he does listen when he talks.
“What are you doing, boy?” 
Eddie nearly pops out of his skin, throwing the magazine over his shoulder and nearly braining Wayne with it. “What?! Nothing! I’m doing nothing!” he cries out, turning around and trying to act casual.
Wayne raises an eyebrow. “Then why are you acting like I just caught you with your hand in the cookie jar?” He folds his arms and pins Eddie with a look. “You know, I already told you I’m okay with you and Steve and what you get up to, as long as you-”
“Oh my god, no, Wayne. It’s nothing like that,” Eddie groans, letting his head thunk against the table. His uncle thinking he was looking at porn in the middle of their kitchen is almost worse than what he was looking at. “I’mreadingaboutsports,” he grits out quickly.
“What was that now?”
Eddie sighs. “I said… I’m reading about sports. Picked up some magazines from Melvald’s.”
Wayne looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “I don’t think I’m following, son.” 
“I’m trying to learn more about sports. You know. For Steve.” Eddie talked a lot of shit about sports in high school, knows deep down it’s not really his thing, but he can’t deny how much he loves how Steve gets when he gets to share his passion for them. For all that Steve talks about how dumb he is, the guy has a brain like a steel trap when it comes to statistics, plays, maneuvers, and players. He can recall how his favorite sports team fared ten years ago, he can calculate a batting average off the top of his head, and he can predict a play that a coach is going to call before the coach does. It’s frankly pretty impressive. How could Eddie not want to indulge that? “He’s been playing in my new campaign and having a lot of fun, so… I thought I would do the same for him?”
Wayne’s lips quirk up in a smile. “You asking me or telling me?” Eddie lets out a noise like a deflating balloon, which makes Wayne laugh. “I’m only picking at ya, boy. But I think that’s sweet. And I know he’ll appreciate it. You ought to see the way that he looks at ya when we’re all watching the game together.” 
That makes Eddie feel a little gooey inside. It makes him happy to know that other people see how happy they make each other. “Yeah. I want to like… understand what he’s talking about. It’s a lot more complicated than getting a ball in a laundry basket.” He chuckles, remembering the rant he sent Steve on when he said that. He’d been teasing, but when he thought back, he might have felt the same if Steve made a comment like that about one of his monsters or a plot he’d come up with. 
See? He’s growing as a person!
“Even if you don’t like it, it’ll mean something to him that you’re trying.” Wayne reaches out and ruffles Eddie’s hair, the same way he’s done since Eddie was a kid. “Y’all are good for each other. I was skeptical about that boy when you first brought him ‘round, but I see it now. You keep taking care of each other like this and it’ll work out just fine.” Wayne bends down and picks up the magazine from the floor and hands it back to Eddie. “Better get to studying. The Pacers game is next weekend and I bet Steve would appreciate a trip down to Indianapolis…”
With a wink, Wayne leaves him be. 
The wheels in Eddie’s head are already turning, thinking about how he can rope Robin into helping him get tickets. Maybe they can make a weekend of it, rent a hotel room and go out to dinner and just be with each other for a while.
Yeah, that sounds excellent. Eddie will get right on that, right after he learns the difference between a bank shot and a free throw.
235 notes · View notes
Text
(Not At All) Secretly Into You
Pedro Pascal x Reader
Summary: Pedro thinks the best way to be slick about his crush on you is to be 100% unabashed about it. Ha ha! No one will expect that he has feelings for you if he's outright about it!
Word Count: 1k+
Warnings: gender neutral reader, Actor/Actress!reader, the use of y/n T_T, dummy!pedro, fluff, crackfic, typos, etc.
A/N: i cant help myself. i just head empty only pedro look at this gif people. take a good long look at him. what is it about him that has us in such a chokehold? i think this is the tipping point of humanity. what is it about him that has us like this? 😩 HES SO STUPID AND DUMMY HELLO?! he needs to be stopped. he needs to be jailed. or better yet SOMEONE MARRY HIM SO THAT WE INHERETLY GO OH SHIT ITS OVER SOMEONE WON T_T thank you for reading my little rant Tagging: @pinksirensong @aralezinspace @sloanexx @amis-love-bugs @top1bbgloak
Tumblr media
Let me set the scene for you It's a cold, rainy day. There's a person all alone in their bedroom. They're bored AF. They look up, 'movies to watch 2023', and finds a film they're interested in. It's staring Pedro Pascal & [Y/N]. It's good. So good. Too good. It becomes their personality. They begin to hyperfixate. They look for other related content. Behind the scenes. Interviews. Interviews. They fall in love with the dynamic of the main characters IRL. They hyperfixate on them. They're not the only one in this boat. They search for other content. They stumble across a fan edits. Fan edits. Their mouth waters at it. They watch it.
Here's how one of them starts:
Hello.
After watching the movie of Pedro Pascal and [Y/N] and going absolutely feral (GO WATCH IT WIMPS) I have taken it upon myself to do a thorough investigation of their relationship (because I am CERTAIN they smashed and BY THE POWER OF ANIME I'm going to make it certain YOU think it's certainly so) so-
Without Further Ado, I present:
They Smashed, And Here's The Evidence.
Tumblr media
You and Pedro are doing an interview answering questions while eating snacks from your respective hometowns. This is a snippet from that interview.
Cut scene, the question, which is read by a staff member off camera, is 'what is your favorite thing about the other?'
"You know, what my favorite thing about you is?" Pedro asks, albeit somehow rhetorically, as he chews on something. He was looking at you when he asked this. He watches with crossed arms as you struggle to open the snack packet.
His eyes dart to the small, plastic wrapped cookies as you sigh in defeat and hand it to him. He grins to himself, dramatically rolling his neck before he takes it from you and begins to open make his attempt to open it. Because of your lack of response, he asks as he rips at the package, "do you want to know what my favorite thing about you is?"
"Not really, no," you say, crossing your arms, knitting your brows, shaking your head.
Pedro makes a face looking out to no one in particular. He turns to you, just as he opens the wrapper, "meanie."
You beam, claiming the treat he hands it to you, "thank you."
He watches as you carefully get a cookie for yourself. Pedro looks at the camera, "as of this moment, I rescind any positive feelings I may have ever felt for-GRFF-"
You shove a cookie in his mouth as you excitedly moan and speak half-muffled with a full mouth, "it's still good!"
Pedro chews on the cookie.
"I used to love these when I was like," you raise your hands, "this big."
It takes a few moments for you to merit a response.
"You're literally still that big, what do you mean?" Pedro says.
You give him a second's glance as you clear your mouth, "talk to me like that after you retire your heels to join the 6 feet and above club."
Pedro shakes his head and rolls his eyes, "You're not even getting anywhere near the entr-"
You shove another cookie in his mouth, effectively cutting him off.
"My favorite thing about Pedro is when his mouth is shut."
Pedro's chews viscously, rolling his eyes all over again. He looks into the camera with a wholly exaggerated look. He then scoffs loudly, throwing his head back, crossing his arms all over again, mouth half-full, "you better pray you can keep your mouth shut later tonight."
Cut the cameras.
Tumblr media
Did yall hear that?
WELL LET ME MAKE SURE YOU DID
"You better pray you can keep your mouth shut later tonight."
Later Tonight
Later Tonight.
Tumblr media
WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING LATER TONIGHT AND CAN I PLEASE PARTICIPATE?
Now, ok, if you're some weird puritan that got mixed up in this mumbojumbo for lolz and you're thinking, 'oh maybe they're going to play Uno. Uno is pretty intense.'
you're wrong
get the fuck outta here /:
Now.
I raise you some out of context clips that give off domestic energy.
Clip #1: In the subway
Quite literally, it's a video post on your Instagram of you and Pedro riding a slightly packed metro in New York. You're holding your phone closely to you. It's showing both yours and Pedro's double chin. The only reason why you're recording is because he's singing a children's song from Barney, 'And The Green Grass Grows All Around' under his breath. You ardently hold back your laughter as he begins to do the gestures.
>>>COMMENT SCREENSHOT: @ pascalispunk : it's a bop, fam. 😔 why'd you have to play me like this @yn_000 replied: literally no one said it wasnt a bop my love @ pascalispunk replied: i love it when you call me your love 💗
Tumblr media
IN FRONT OF MY FUCKING SALAD.
THE SHEER AUDACITY OF THESE LOVE-DOVEY SEWER RATS. I DEMAND SATISFACTION.
Clip #2: The Breakfast Person
"I'm not really a breakfast person," you casually admit, mid-interview.
Pedro audibly gasps, "you're not a br- Wait, no, suddenly that makes so much sense. You stuff your face so quickly during lunch."
You slap him on the chest, "hey!"
Pedro snorts, "it's okay, baby, I gotchu," he begins to cook on his imaginary pan, "bacon and eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, whatever, I gotchu."
"You make oatmeal in a pan?" you ask, furrowing your brows.
"Only for the people I love," he smiles and leans towards you. He begins to make a weird laughing noise that sounds part motorcycle, part massive idiot who's so damn annoying.
You take a seconds look at him before smacking him on the face.
Tumblr media
Cinematic parallels.
Clip #3: Our Fridge
"There," Pedro holds up the portrait of you that he had been completing the entire interview.
You look up from your own paper and break into hysterics. You lean into your knees from where you sat, nearly toppling forward. Pedro chuckles as he reaches out to you to keep you from falling. You lean back in your seat and wheeze, "what IS that?"
"What do you mean," Pedro grins, "don't you recognize yourself?"
You make a face as you catch your breath. You point to the top area of his paper, "is that supposed to be an eye?"
Pedro looks at his creation, "no, that's... that's that-- but this is your eye."
"You mean to tell me you drew me one eye?"
"I took creative liberties."
You chuckle in disbelief, "this man just told me he thinks I look like Mike Wazowski."
"Mike Wazowski wishes he'd look half as good as you, mi amor."
You turn to the camera, "I don't know how I feel about that."
"Which part?"
"Every part!"
"Well," he rips the page off the sketchpad, "better put this on our fridge."
"We are not putting this on our fridge."
"Why not?" he whines.
"Well, besides the fact it's ugly-"
"WOW," he trails off loudly, "just because it doesn't meet twisted societal beauty standards doesn't mean it's ugly."
You simply shake your head, "that is not going anywhere near our fridge."
PEDRO SAID BOO YOUR PETTY SOCIETAL BEAUTY STANDARDS 😩😩😩
Tumblr media
YOU TELL EM PEDRO.
Also, they really said
Tumblr media
OUR FRIDGE
And I think that's beautiful.
And now quite possibly, the most damning evidence of all.
THIS.
You and Pedro are sat next to each other on a sofa across an interviewer during one of those fan meet interview sort of segments. It's a fan cam, and from the angle in which this particular audience member is sat, its very much visible that Pedro, with his arm slung on the top of the back rest, was drawing circles onto your back. You do not outwardly react to his touch at all. [THIS RAT SO USED TO IT FFS]
You turn to Pedro and ask on through your mic, "what do you think?"
He says 'huh' off mic, then straightens up and brings his mic to his lips, only to give you a confused look.
"What do you think of that scene?" you repeat, brushing his brows with your thumb in affectionate annoyance. [BOO 👎 PDA BOO TOMATO TOMATO TOMATO 🍅🍅🍅🍅]
"Oh," he says, "that scene," he nods his head and widens his eyes at you, hoping you'd help him out.
The crowd laughs. [SIMPS smh]
You only mimic his wide eyes and offer a raised brow.
Pedro and you stare for a moment. Ultimately, he sighs and rubs your nape with his fingers, "fine-" the person recording says 'WTF' "-I have no idea what you're talking about."
There is a chorus of laughs.
"I'm still on the part where you said I was hot when I was covered in blood."
The crowd screams. You roll your eyes. Pedro laughs as he literally grabs your neck and pulls you into him, crushing you against him.
The crowd goes wild. The person who is recording is cursing.
Deep breath. FIRST OF ALL-
Tumblr media
The person recording's a real MVP for managing to keep (relatively) calm while witnessing the gall of those two to do that in front of EVERYONE'S SALAD.
Second of all, aint no way, aint NO WAY you let someone like tHIS-
Tumblr media
-with his itty bitty tiny waist and manhandle you like THAT in, and I can't stress this enough, FRONT OF EVERYONE'S SALADS, and not do anything further. It's science.
You're honor, the ruling, please.
Tumblr media
100% Guilty of ✨Smashing✨
1K notes · View notes
Band-Aids Don’t Fix Bullet Holes, But Your Kisses Do
Tumblr media
summary:  in a standoff with an unsub, reader makes a choice: her life or spencer’s. 
pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader 
category: angst/fluff at the end 
warnings/includes: canon typical case violence, based off of episode “haunted” so spoilers, guns/gun violence, hospitals, kissing, mentions of hotch’s stabbing 
word count: 3437 
author’s note: i wrote this one a while ago and thought i’d share it. if anyone wants to be tagged, i’m going to figure it out and i’ll add you to a tag list!!  
Band-Aids Don’t Fix Bullet Holes, But Your Kisses Do
The two agents that sat on swivel chairs facing each other fake arguing about an episode of Dr. Who. Spencer had his legs straight out, resting on Y/N’s lap comfortably. She leaned forward and placed her chin on her hand as she explained to Spencer her thoughts on the episode. 
“Spencer, you cannot tell me that you don't think  David Tennant is hot! I watched the episode with you and I can tell you are-" 
“I’m not going to argue against that, Y/N. David Tennant is,” Spencer started as he fiddled with the lollipop that Garcia handed him when he and Y/N walked into the bullpen.
“Is what, Spence?” A teasing look graced her face as Spencer’s blush grew down his exposed neck and collarbone. 
“He’s hot, okay Y/N is that what you want me to say!” Spencer’s voice rose a couple octaves from his admission over his not-so-subtle-crush on The Doctor.
“That’s exactly what I wanted you to say, Spencer. Least I know we have the same type” She said with a wink. 
“You got a type, Y/N?” Derek called from the doorway of the conference room. 
“Yeah, hot doctors with brown hair”  Emily said without missing a beat. She had walked in behind Derek, the pair  of them discussing her annual Sin-to-Win Weekend in Atlantic City. 
“But they, you know, have to be like Time Lords, or whatever” She said in efforts to cover up her growing discomfort. 
She turned her attention back to Reid, who was in the process of trying to remove his leg from her warm lap. He did not want to give Derek anymore ammunition to make sly jokes at his not-so-subtle-crush on his best friend/co-worker. Secretly, he wanted to keep his leg there, against her soft thigh and maybe she’d drop her hands on his leg in a comforting gesture of….friendship. 
Garcia placed a tin decorated with white and orange cats dressed in bonnets on the table just within reach of Hotch’s usual spot near the monitor. Reid reached forward to open the tin, which he deduced was filled with Penelope’s infamous snickerdoodle cookies. Unfortunately, before the genius profiler could reach the gaudy tin, Penelope swatted his hand away from grasping the cookies. 
“Hey! Those are for Hotch” Penelope shouted as she grabbed the tin and moved them closer to Hotch’s chair. 
“What? You know I love cookies, Garcia. Come on, Hotch hates attention” 
“I just made some cookies, it’s not like I made him a cake.” Penelope argued as Derek and Emily both quietly eyed the cookies. 
“Spence, we’ll make cookies tonight. It looks like it’s just a paperwork day” Y/N said with a slight smile, that, in turn, elicited a big grin from an unsuspecting Spencer.
“Anyway,” Derek started as he chose to ignore the interaction that unfolded before him “we all know he’s going to act like nothing happened” he remarked as he fingered through the dozen case files spread out before him on the table. 
“Doesn’t mean we have to,” Penelope said sadly as she looked down at the cat cookie tin.  
“Maybe we should,” Reid said quietly to his co-workers. 
“But, I’m not built like that!” said Penelope. 
“Hotch is though, Penny,” Y/N noted as she snuck a cookie while Penelope’s back was turned. She broke it in half and handed it to Spencer under the table. He winked at her as she shushed him. 
“Yeah, Y/N,” Spencer said with a mouthful of cookie, “Hotch never blinks” he finished with a large swig of lukewarm, sugared coffee. 
“Classic Alpha Male” Spencer said, looking towards Derek. 
“Do you think he stared down Foyet...you know while it happened?” Emily questioned. She was usually the one who could stomach all these, but when it came to the team, she was as nervous as the lot of them. 
“It’s probably what saved his life,” Derek said somberly. 
“He can’t be okay,” Penelope said with a whisper. 
“I wouldn’t be,” Spencer said with an air of uncertainty, “I’m a blinker” 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was an uncomfortable silence during the ride to Louisville. Hotch was more sullen than usual, but, thankfully, Garcia broke the tension with her reports via computer screen. 
“Our point in Louisville is Lieutenant Kevin Mitchell, my contacts don’t report any more attacks related to this unsub” JJ relayed. She sat next to Derek, who was across from Hotch and Rossi. Emily sat criss cross on the table across from the foursome. On the small jet couch, Spencer and Y/N played a game of chess as they listened to the initial reports JJ received from the local PD. 
“Call’s proving hard to track. He never had a driver’s license, so he’s probably still on foot,” Spencer mumbled without removing his eyes from the chessboard. 
“Or public transportation,” Y/N added as she cringed when Spencer announced “check”. 
“Well, he’s not going to get anywhere too far with his face all over the news,” Emily continued. 
“So, what do we think the stressor is,” Rossi nodded. 
“He just lost his job. Worked in a factory since 1990. He made appliances forever. Not a single promotion” Garcia’s voice came across a little staticky. 
“That’s a long time to be bitter,” Derek posed. 
“Or he just doesn’t care,” Reid countered. 
“According, to what you sent over Garcia, he kind of seems like a hermit. Far as I can tell he’s got no one. No wife, no children, no parents.” Y/N added with a sad tone in her voice. 
With a sharp tone, Hotch added “then why didn’t he kill himself?” 
“He’s not finished killing yet,” Reid continued the thought, “check mate!” 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was at times like these that it seemed like the case drags on forever. Call had kidnapped a little boy, who, Spencer had figured out was Call’s biological son.  The local PD was getting them nowhere. Those overly macho cops seemed to be having a difficult time taking orders from JJ. Y/N watched as she marched over to Mitchell and demanded that he give a press conference. 
Y/N chuckled quietly to herself as she watched the interaction. JJ was a force to be reckoned with, especially when the life of an innocent child was at stake. That cop had no idea who he was challenging. 
“Hey, Y/N,” Spencer called from his spot in front of the whiteboard. It was decorated with a combination of their messy, rushed handwriting. Spencer grasped his blue marker and looked at Y/N with a painful expression. 
“I’m not getting anywhere with this geographical profile,” Spencer’s somber tone flooded Y/N’s emotions with an overwhelming sense to comfort him. 
“Spencer, put the marker down and look at me, please, for a second.” He obliged as he turned to face her.
Y/N reached up on her tiptoes to gently rub her hands along the base of Spencer’s neck. He could feel the tension melt away. Spencer was not one for physical affection, but he realized that he, in fact, craved the soft touches of people he trusted. Whether it was a brotherly pat on the back from Morgan, a playful high five from Garcia, a proud fist bump from Hotch, Spencer had grown to seek out affection. 
“Y/N,” he said. His voice but a whisper in the loud, hectic bullpen. 
“Shh,” She could sooth his worries just with a graze of her hands across his neck. It was magic to a scientist. Her magical presence set him on fire. 
“Hey, we can do this, Spence, all of us, but we need you,” Y/N voice mirrored his own. A hushed whisper that fueled the flames of his love. 
Instead of kissing her forehead or even hugging her, all Spencer could make out was a small thank you, before, like the wind, she was gone to see if Garica had any updates on the missing boy. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a frantic hour, Garcia had discovered a possible location of Tommy and his father, Darrin. Like most the unsubs, they were children of tragedy. Children of abusive homes and of deep rooted violence. It was up to the team, as they raced down the street in their crowded SUVs, to stop the cycle of violence for claiming another innocent child. 
“Hotch, you are on speaker,” Emily called from the passenger seat of the car as Derek sped down the warehouse where they suspected Tommy to be held. 
“Do not go in there without SWAT, do you all here me?” Hotch said sternly. 
“That means you, Derek, don’t go in there till backup gets there,” JJ added from the phone that Emily held. 
“You got it, boss man,” Derek made a sharp turn that led Y/N to nearly fall into Spencer, who sat next to her. 
“Spencer! Where is your vest!?” Y/N asked him impatiently, with a tinge of nervousness and fear laced in her tone. 
“Y/N, Call doesn’t have a gun, he’s been using weapons of opportunity. The profile points to him not even being armed right now. If anything-” 
“Screw the profile, Spencer!” Y/N’s voice was hysterical now. “You need to where a damn vest, you are an FBI agent, if you get-” 
Y/N’s rant to Spencer was stopped short by the disturbing sight before her. From the SUV the four of them could see an even more distraught Call standing out in the middle of the warehouse parking lot. He held Tommy by the neck, with a gun pointed at his temple. Derek stopped the car and jumped out, his gun wielded as he began to try to talk the man down. 
“Call, drop the weapon and release Tommy, right now!” Derek’s voice loomed large and powerful as Emily, Reid, and Y/N each got out of the vehicle and turned their spots with Morgan. 
“You don’t want to hurt Tommy,” Spencer started. “we know who he is to you, we know that he’s your son, and that you weren’t there for him.” He put his gun away in an attempt to show Call that he was not a threat. Y/N could read the desperation in Spencer’s voice from a mile away. Call, like Spencer’s mom lives with schizophrenia. Spencer and Hotch nearly had it out in the middle of the bullpen after Spencer insinuated that Hotch was implying that Call was only going on this murder spree because of his condition.
“Just let the boy go, Call.” Y/N continued the track that Derek and Spencer started. “Just let your son go. We will make sure that you can get medicine, that’s why you went to the pharmacy, right? You need meds to help yourself and then,-” 
Out of the corner of her eye, Y/N could see Spencer inching closer and closer to Tommy. As if it was a chain reaction, Call drew his weapon and fired towards Spencer. Before she even could realize the consequences of her actions, Y/N tackled Spencer to the ground. The bullet lodged itself into the Kevlar vest she wore. Her side burned as she came to understand what had transpired in the last couple of seconds. 
Spencer scrambled onto his knees and clutched Y/N’s cold hands in his. 
“Spence, I’m okay,” Y/N said as she struggled to sit up straight with Spencer practically laying on top of her. 
“No, Y/N! Don’t do that,” Spencer started with tears flooding the corners of his eyes. The little droplets made his sometimes brown and sometimes green eyes sparkle with sadness. 
Spencer moved his hands from the place where the bullet lodged itself in her Kevlar to grasp her face tenderly. But his movement caused her cheek to be painted with a deep red handprint in the shape of the crying man crouching before her hand.
“Spencer,” she let out a small whimper when she saw the look of horror on his face.  Before he could even ask her why she did what she did, Y/N passed out, her limp, cold hand finding its home in the comfort of soft, warm ones. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rest of the case passed in a numbing hum for Spencer. Once Y/N got shot by Call he let go of Tommy and Derek shot him the leg. Spencer did not even stay for when Emily and Derek apprehended the unsub. It was like his legs acted of their own accord when the EMT showed up for Y/N and he walked with them never letting go of her hand. 
The ride to the hospital in the back of the ambulance was hectic. The EMTs had to monitor her heart rate, her blood pressure, and her oxygen. Even the temptation of numbers could not capture Spencer’s attention as he mulled over the possible conclusions to why Y/N would take a bullet for him. There was no logical reason for it. Not one. Spencer let the steady rocking of the ambulance to soothe him as he gently rubbed his thumb over Y/N’s hand. Even though he longed to hold her against himself, this would have to do, for now at least. Till then, Spencer forced his mind to focus on the pattern that her beating heart created.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hospitals terrified Spencer. The smell, the sick people, the people who were unsavable. Part of him wonders what his life would be like if he became a medical doctor. As a kid, he had a future where he could do anything he could dream of. Cure schizophrenia on Monday, operate on an inoperable tumor on Tuesday- that’s what his life could have been like. 
But sitting there, in the sterile hospital with the white walls and constant beeping, Spencer’s mind was only thinking of another life he could be out living. In the minutes that he sat with Y/N as she lay in pain in his arm, false memories of a life together painted in his mind. Laughing children, family picnics, couple’s Halloween costumes. He stroked her hair and saw a life so familiar that he could almost taste it. He tasted cookies that they baked together as they danced without a care in the world. He tasted Halloween and Forth of July and all the holidays in between. He tasted butterfly kisses with his children that had her hair and her eyes and her smile. 
He was stripped away from those memories that he didn’t even own. Now all he could taste was the bitterness of regret, the sourness of what if, and the tartness of the nightmares masquerading as reality. 
“Family of Y/L/N,” a surgeon dressed in light blue scrubs walked into the waiting area with an unreadable expression on her face.
JJ and Derek stood up immediately as the doctor went to continue to deliver the news. 
“She’s awake and doing okay,” the doctor said with a relieved expression. 
“Oh that goodness,” JJ said as she hugged Emily in a moment of happiness. 
“She’s a fighter,” Derek quipped, “I’m going to call Garcia, she’s probably a nervous wreck” 
“She’ll make a full recovery, but should avoid air travel because her internal bleeding,” the doctor reported, “also, which one of you is Spencer? Even since she’d been lucid, she’s been asking for you,” she said looking around at the remaining group, with her eyes landing on the man in question. 
“She is?” Spencer questioned carefully. He was worried that maybe she regretted jumping in front of him. 
“Yes, why don’t you come with me. It may make her more comfortable having someone she wants with her” 
Y/N wants him. 
Him. 
Spencer was not sure how he even walked himself down the corridor to where Y/N’s room was located. But sure enough, he was met with her ashen face beaming up at his. 
“Y/N! Oh my goodness, are you okay, I mean, obviously you’re injured so you’re not okay. I don’t mean to invalidate your pain, I just...why, Y/N, why on Earth would you do that?” Spencer finished. His voice was more tender towards the end. He looked down at his friend before him and tried to read the expression that graced her face. 
“Spencer, I did what I had to do. You….you would have died,” Spencer noticed the tears that puddled in her eyes and had to suppress the sudden urge to kiss them away. 
“I’d rather die than live my life in a world without you, Spencer.”
Spencer closed his eyes and sat down on the bed with her. 
“Why?” he asked in a voice that was hardly audible. It can’t be, he thought. Maybe this is just something that a teammate does for another teammate. Comrades in arms or something like that, he thought. Trying to make sense of senselessness. 
“Why do you value my life more than yours? Why-how can you do that” there was not stopping tears in his eyes now. She reached out and held his face, like he held her as she bled out in the warehouse only a couple of hours ago. 
“Spence, my life would be dull and gray without you in it. You’re my best-” She stared as he tensed up at what he knew was coming. She only jumped in front of him because it’s what a teammate does. 
“Please, I can't bear to hear that. I-maybe you only can think of me as a teammate or worse a brother, but part of me. A hopeful and romantic part of me that I can't let go of the thought of you thinking about in a different way,” he was so embarrassed, so raw in the moment that he could not bear to even look her in the eyes. 
“Spencer?” he could only watch the way that their fingers laced together. He focused on the patterns between the itchy hospital blanket. 
“Y/N,” he started and took a deep breath. Spencer had never intended to tell her this. Maybe in moments of drunken bravery he thought about it, but he’d always sober up before his dreams could come to fruition. 
“I’m a logical man, I solve problems for a living but sometimes. Sometimes, I can’t use logic to solve some problems, and there’s no logical reason for you to jump in front of a bullet for me. Unless you love me? And I hope with every fiber of being that you do, because I am so desperately in love with you” 
Spencer allowed himself, for the first in his life, to have once of hope and faith. 
Y/N’s eyes met Spencer’s in an uncharacteristically shy moment. 
“I do, Spence. Of course I love you”
Spencer let out a nervous laugh as he, once again, gently placed his hands on her jaw. He placed a kiss on her forehead. The small, tender affection elicited a whimper from Y/N. Spencer jumped back in horror. 
“Oh, honey did I hurt you? You gotta tell me where it hurts” he murmured in a comforting voice. 
“Hmm, no I’ve just been waiting five years for you to kiss me and you settle on my forehead?” Y/N beamed up at him expectantly. 
“Nowhere do you want me to kiss you, my dear?” Spencer questioned playfully. 
“How about in between everywhere and anywhere you want, Doctor Reid,” Y/N, despite the pain, managed a smile for the man that held her hand so lovingly. 
“How about here?” Spencer leaned forward and kissed the left corner of her mouth. 
“Or here?” The right corner. 
“What about here, I’ve dreamed of kissing you here.” He moved his mouth to meet the place on her neck that met her collarbone. Y/N looked up at Spencer dreamily. One day she might chalk it up to the painkillers flooding through her system, but the pure adoration that melted from Spencer’s lips to her skin was something that never knew she’d crave. 
“And here” 
His lips parted slightly as he moved in to meet hers. The feeling was more divine and earth shattering than when Prometheus gave humans fire. Together, intertwined in bedsheets, IVs, and fingers laced with hair, they lit a fire of their own. Kissing Spencer stopped time. 
It was Y/N who broke first. 
“Spencer,” she said with a new reverence that would only be reserved for him. 
“Yes, sweet girl?” 
“You gotta promise me something,” she said as she raked her hands across his arms, feeling him shudder under her touch. 
“Anything and everything for you” he said, mirroring her earlier words to him. 
“Wear a vest next time”
1K notes · View notes
rat-father · 3 years
Text
Had to build up some confidence but finally decided to write some scp whump <3 well d-class whump more specifically
for my whumpers who aren't in the scp community : scp 012 for more context
Tagging; @sideblogformindtrash
-- tw;; blood mention / unintentional self harm, blood loss, passing out, lab whump, multiple whumpees, panic, mild implied dissociation / derealisation, implied previous child abuse, temporary whumpee turned caretaker, miscommunication, multiple whumpers / caretakers --
„I said that I was cold, not that I wanted to cuddle.“ Vivek complained.
„Well, this is what my dad would do in the winter when it got really cold. We would sleep in the same bed and share our body heat to keep us warm,“ Sakari said. „And considering the fact that you're hugging me back, I don't think you're against it.“
He huffed, chin resting on top of their head as they hid in the crook of his neck. Their hair was still damp from the shower, smelling mildly of cheap shampoo. „I guess it does help,“ he begrudgingly grumbled.
„See!“
„Doesn't mean I like it! And don't you dare say that I do.“
Sakari's laugh got muffled by the fabric of his shirt. A mix of feelings stormed inside their brain, feeling that everything went by too fast those 3 short days. From the invitation with promise of money, to the pick up in the lone street, the pain of fresh ink burning letters into their skin, and now laying in bed with a murderer. Ultimately, their thoughts kept bringing them back to their dad, sick on the streets with nothing to help. It was stupid accepting such a sketchy thing, 30 days of work for 50k, it was too good to be true. But what other choice did they have?
A hiccuped sob escaped them, accompanied by silent tears.
„I miss him,“ they admitted, more to themselves then the prisoner next to them.
He hummed sympathetically. „Homesickness is something you'll get over.“ He was quiet for a couple seconds, quickly adding. „Maybe 'home' isn't the best word, uh.“
They gave a small smile. „I get what you mean.“
„If they take you for testing, then,“ Vivek inhaled deeply. „You don't have my permission to die.“
„Wasn't planning to, but I'll keep it in mind.“
~-~
Vivek attempted to focus on the words coming from the blabbering prisoner sitting in front of him. He was more interested in whatever he was going on about than the mushy food they expected him to eat. It was better quality then other prisons he'd been to at least, and didn't taste like salted cardboard. He couldn't ignore the other's foot constantly tapping against the ground, leg twitching in sync. He looked like he had to much sugar and caffeine for breakfast, words rolling off his tongue non stop while making wild gestures with his hands. Vivek didn't even know his name, he hadn't bothered introducing himself before starting his rant.
„Were you zoning out just then, Vi?“ 83' chuckled.
83' didn't care to give his name either, but he was distinct enough to recognize even without proper name. Significantly older then everyone else, hair whiter then his skin and surprisingly fluid in his movements. He wondered how his muscles still worked so well. His voice was gentle, albeit croaky.
Vivek glanced at the others, deep in conversation. „Yeah. Don't care for what he's saying.“ He leaned back, reading the numbers on the shirt of the guy in front him. 6499.
83' clapped him on his back. „He is a talkative young man for sure. My son had ADHD. He also used to talk for what felt like hours on end sometimes.“
He nodded along, mind drifting back to Sakari. They certainly enjoyed starting conversations as well. He remembered seeing them talk to minimum 4 different people before the introduction speech.
„You don't have my permission to die.“ His own words echoed in his head, replaying like a broken record. Those words meant nothing beyond the surface, it wouldn't stop them from getting killed in this place. Permission to die was stupid. He might as well pretend to put a spell on them to make then invincible, that would be about as useful.
~-~
Sakari's heart pounded in their chest, deafening the voice attempting to reach their ears. Worry and dread knotted together in their stomach, confusion blanking their mind of rational thought. Their stayed fixated on the paper in front of them, stepping forward without a choice. It was harder to breath. Humidity around them heating their body. They felt awfully aware of their own existence, yet distant from the world. It was one blur, except for the urge to finish the song. That one. That song. The song and dance they played. The one their dad played. Pain seared through them as he hit them, as blood trickled down. Clotted blood running down their arm. Seeping in their fingernails, burning through paper like acid. Acid he spat as he insulted them, cutting deeper inside. Pounding got louder to the beat. It was a joke he was. A small joke. A small note on the page. The face they saw, they closed their eyes. The skulls were nice. The bunnies weren't prevalent. Speedy bunnies running, hitching their breath, invading their lungs. Those unwritten notes, unwritten until end of time. Their legs felt weak under them, fountains of water rolling down them. Written welcoming warmth.
~-~
Vivek held back a sigh hearing the metal door open once more. He sat up in his bed, expecting to see another guard there to take him. He nearly jumped in relief instead seeing Sakari walk in, clutching their lower arm. They meekly smiled at him, sitting down next to him. They curled up on their side as he moved to give them more space. Their feet were inches away from his leg, digging into the hard mattress.
„Are you okay?“ He asked. A stupid question, he thought to himself, the answer was pretty clear.
„Could be better,“ they mumbled, thumb absentmindedly rubbing over their arm.
„What happened? You look like you're about to pass out.“
„Lost a bit of blood is all. Wouldn't be an issue if I had eaten beforehand. But alas.“
„Let me see,“ He didn't wait for them to react, pulling their arm away from their chest. He rolled up their sleeve, inspecting the bloodied bandage wrapped around them. They sat up, wincing at the grip.
„What did they do?“
„Would you believe me if I said I did it to myself?“
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He shook his head. „You wouldn't do that.“
„You haven't known me for that long, I very well could be someone to do that,“ Sakari paused. „But you're right, I wouldn't do it. I'm not entirely sure what happened. I do remember waking up in some infirmary, and getting a cookie.“
„A.. Cookie?“
„Yeah! And apple juice. That was good. Turns out you pass out faster from blood loss if you haven't eaten for hours.“ They laughed.
Vivek sat appalled, staring at them with wide eyes. „You nearly died and you just.. Don't care?“
„I'm not dead, am I? After all,“ they leaned forward. „I don't have your permission to. So what's the point in worrying about something that could've happened, but didn't?“
He rolled his eyes. „Alright. Fair point. I guess I'm just worried about you,“ he mumbled quietly.
„You? Worried about me?“
„Shut the fuck up.“
His words cut them deeper then the wound, flinching before they could stop it. They silently climbed out the bed to move up to their own. He called after them, grabbing them by their sleeve to hold them in place.
„What's wrong now? I wasn't being serious!“
Sakari glared at him through the corner of their eye. He groaned.
„I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know you were sensitive.“
He caught a glimpse of their teary eyes as they shook their head. They pulled themselves out his grasp, entering the small bathroom off to the side. He stood in place, baffled by what happened. Reluctantly he jumped back onto the bed, crossing his arms. The shower turned on, steaming water filling the empty silence for the rest of the night.
18 notes · View notes
rocorambles · 4 years
Text
Reminiscent
Pairing: Daichi x Reader
Genre: SFW, 5+1, Soulmate/Reincarnation AU, Angst (there is technically a character death, BUT THERE’S AN ULTIMATELY HAPPY ENDING, I SWEAR), Fluff 
Prompt: You woke me up at 3 in the morning for this?
Summary: 5 lifetimes Daichi and you just weren’t meant to be and the 1 lifetime you finally found your happy ending together.
Author’s Note: This is my contribution for my HQ Discord Server’s SFW collaboration. There are so many talented writers on the server and I highly encourage you to check out the collaboration masterlist here to see how everyone decided to run with this spicy prompt. (Masterlist goes live December 1st!)  
Tagging @sawamooora  since I accidentally scarred her by making her read only the section where there was a character death without the heads up...OOPS, so I guess you can have your happy ending now~
I.
When Daichi meets you in this first lifetime, he can’t help but notice just how different you are from him and he stares at the luxurious fabrics beautifully accentuating your figure, wishing he could wipe off the meticulously and elegantly layered on makeup and see more of your bare face, wanting more than anything to know who you are beneath the graceful and well-mannered smiles and bows you grace the court with. But when he looks down at himself and sees the memories of crimson blood splattered all over his skin and robes, hears the sound of his sword piercing flesh, remembers the way your father enthusiastically thanks him for another job well done as a flash of fear races across your eyes at the corpse of proof he drags in, it’s all too apparent just how different the worlds you live in are. 
And really, that should have been it, he should have stopped himself right then and there, stopped thinking about you, stopped his gaze from trailing after you when he sees you roaming around the clan property. But his heart has different plans and here he is, a well respected samurai who works underneath your father, pining after you, a clan leader’s daughter, someone already betrothed to the son of a neighboring clan, someone much too pure and innocent for his blood soaked hands. 
He smiles when he sees your posture relax, your body slouch in relief when you think no one is watching you, no pretenses and facades to keep up when it’s just you, unaware of the brown eyes watching you. He clenches his fists so hard his nails threaten to break skin when he hears your secret anguished sobs as he guards your bedroom the night after you meet your fiance for the first time and realize you’ve been doomed to a life with a man who’ll never love you, a man who doesn’t see you as anything more than a political tool. He dreams of a life where he can whisk you away, a life where there would be no consequences if the two of you ran off to live a peaceful, happy life together far far far away from the cruel and cold world of money and power you’re both entangled in. 
But there are consequences and he lives with the constant shattering of his heart as he watches the light dim in your eyes as you continue courting your fiance, the cool indifferent look you wear on your face throughout your own wedding ceremony, the way you seem like just a shell of the vibrant young woman he once knew and fell in love with. And yet, he doesn’t do a thing, remaining faithfully by your father’s side and serving your clan for the remainder of his days.  
II.
Something jolts inside of Daichi when he sees you in the second lifetime and he can’t help but feel like there’s something familiar about you, something nostalgic about the situation you’re both in as you humbly bow before helping him dress and get ready for the busy day of meetings he has. And you watch in awe as you dutifully trail after him, making sure all his needs are attended to, amazed by just how hardworking, intelligent, and kind the young lord is, so different than the stories you had heard of royals. Not once does he ever treat you as anything less than an equal, not once does he ever lay an unwanted gaze on you, let alone a finger and you find yourself jumping to please him and aid him out of something more than just a sense of responsibility as your heart flutters from just his presence. 
You feel honored by how much he entrusts you with when it’s just the two of you in his room and you patiently listen when he throws his disciplined manners out the window, grumbling and ranting about the power-hungry ploys of his fellow royals, the way greed and privilege have corrupted them, how he can’t trust anyone anymore. But when he wonders if he needs to change, to adapt in order to thrive, you surprise the both of you with your vehement outburst as you blather on about how he’s perfect the way he is. And then there’s silence as the two of you look away, both your faces heating up at the hidden message in your words, a message so incredibly inappropriate considering both your positions and the time you live in. But before you can open your mouth and stutter out an apology, you freeze at the warm smile Daichi sends your way, heart racing at the heartfelt, but quiet thank you he utters in response. 
Of course nothing happens after that. This is real life after all and Daichi is far too respectful of his family and their reputation, far too noble to smear his clan’s name with taboo affairs, far too kind to hurt his future bride despite the fact that he’s never even met her yet, doesn’t know the first thing about her other than her name, to pursue something just for his own pleasure, his own satisfaction, something that could potentially harm so many others. And you understand. After all, these are the reasons you fell in love with him, and you’re just happy to be able to remain by his side for the rest of your days despite the lancing pain in your chest every time you see him with his wife, with his future children, living a life where you just exist on the sidelines, watching and longing for something you know you’ll never have. 
III. 
In the third lifetime Daichi meets you in, he can’t understand the regrets of a missed opportunity he feels when you introduce yourself to him, welcoming him to the neighborhood with a basket of freshly baked goods. He knows he should smile, graciously accept your kind (and delicious smelling) gifts and he does, but as he bites into the still warm cookies after you leave, the image of the gold wedding band around your finger is branded in his mind. 
In a small rural community like yours, you’re bound to run into each other, especially since your farms are right next to each other and he thinks you look ethereal each morning with the sun rising behind you, a soft golden glow framing you as you gather eggs, milk the cows, and water the crops. But there’s a sense of bitterness he can’t explain when your husband joins you, a hulking stoic figure besides you as he helps you on the fields, and he turns his back on the two of you to tend to his own chores. 
There’s nothing “wrong” with your spouse, nothing Daichi can truly fault him for and if he’s honest, if Ushijima wasn’t your husband, he’d have only respect and admiration for the man. He certainly can’t complain about how he treats you and something bittersweet churns inside of him when he sees Ushijima’s usually stern face soften whenever you’re around, when he sees the way Ushijima’s broad shoulders relax whenever you affectionately hold his hand. And although he internally chides himself at night in private when he dreams of what it would be like to be in Ushijima’s shoes, he can’t help but feel relieved, glad that you’ve found someone who loves and treats you well. 
But he laughs the silly thought away. Of course you had found someone who loved you. Why wouldn’t you have? And yet that night he dreams of your face, dressed in a beautiful silk robe better suited for the historicals eras of Japan, seated next to someone he somehow knows is your husband, but there’s only loneliness in your eyes and he wakes up with tears in his eyes, unsure why he’s crying, why he’s hoping you never feel alone ever again. 
IV. 
Daichi should be scared of you when he meets you in the fourth lifetime, but although he’s certainly wary of you, staring at you with his beady eyes from the branches high above your head, he can’t help the curiosity he feels when he sees your small furry body try to leap and paw at him despite how far the distance between the two of you is. And despite all his natural instincts, he feels himself relaxing, cawing teasingly at you as you tire yourself out, fluttering down a few branches closer to you when you give up and just sprawl out on the floor, tail flickering back and forth in interest as you watch him draw nearer. But before he can get any closer, he hears a human voice calling for you and the two of you lock eyes before you rush back to your owner and even after your body squeezes through the little cat door that had been built in the front door, he can’t help but watch your home closely, wondering if he’ll see you again. 
To his delight he does see you again, every single day as a matter of fact. On sunny days, he spreads out his wings and swoops down to meet you when you lazily curl up at the base of his tree and sometimes the two of you just lay there together, basking in the warmth of the beautiful day, sometimes the two of you take a stroll together, you trotting down the sidewalk as he flits from tree to tree beside you. He’s learned that rain and water in general don’t sit well with you and on gloomier days he glides over to the outside of your favorite window, peering through the glass and cawing warmly when you jump up and curl up on the windowsill, his beak and your nose pressing against the glass across from each other. 
But time is limited, especially for a crow like himself, and as you grow bigger and stronger, he begins to lose his appetite, begins to struggle flying for as long or as well as he used to. And although neither of you can speak to each other, there’s an intuitive understanding as you tone down your playing and spend his last remaining days just laying side by side, his feathered body curled up in the warm plush of your fur, your body and tail wrapped protectively around him until he passes away peacefully. 
V. 
Daichi only has himself to blame for the fifth lifetime being a complete loss. You had caught his eye in a way no girl ever had before when he saw you skillfully racing across the court at the Tokyo training camp. He can’t explain exactly what draws him to you. Sure, you’re attractive, but he’s been around other beautiful girls before, hell Shimizu is the manager of his team and even she’s never captivated him like this. Maybe it’s the fact that he hasn’t seen many talented female volleyball players up close before? But that can’t be it. No other female player in the room even remotely peaks his interest. No...it’s something deeper than that and he swears it feels like there’s an invisible thread tying the two of you together. 
He watches and watches until a lanky arm is thrown over his shoulder, a sly voice purring in his ears. 
“Sa’amura. My, my, my. I thought a country bumpkin crow like you would have better manners than to gawk at our pretty Tokyo girls like a creep.” 
Daichi scowls at the messy haired Nekoma captain, but his face heats up when he realizes how strange he probably looked just staring at a gym full of female athletes. But before he can spout any excuses, Kuroo hums in interest as he follows Daichi’s gaze to see who he had been looking at so intently. 
“Well well well. I guess birds do attract each other. You have some good taste, Sa’amura. She’s a great player, although I personally think she would have been a better fit at Nekoma than Fukurodani. She moves a lot like a cat, doesn’t she? But if you want to get closer to her, try talking to Bokuto. They’re both pretty close.” 
A cat? Daichi wordlessly waves goodbye to Kuroo who’s strolling away before turning his attention back to you. And he’s surprised to see that there’s something eerily correct about Kuroo’s observation, something about your feline movements that nags at a deep unconscious thread inside of him, and it’s unnervingly easy to imagine you with a tail swishing back and forth behind you, to imagine you with soft ears and claws. But when he blinks, there you are, completely human once again, celebrating a point your team had scored, no cat appendages anywhere in sight. 
He doesn’t take Kuroo’s advice, never approaches Bokuto to learn more about you, and he leaves training camp without even exchanging one word with you. But from time to time for the rest of his life, he’ll dream of you, dream of a friendly cat he feels like he used to know and he’ll wake up with a pang of regret, wondering what would have happened if he had the courage to talk to you all those years ago. 
VI. 
Daichi groans, nursing a hangover as he groggily sits up in bed and turns off the ear splitting alarm. Thank God for humans and their habits, his brain not needing to work at all as he methodically brushes his teeth and throws on his uniform. But as he makes his way to the precinct, he pauses at the corner of the street, intrigued by the sight of a newly opened cafe. There’s technically coffee at work and the smarter and financially responsible choice would be to just wait and drink the free caffeinated liquid, but something draws him into the quaint storefront and before his mind can even catch up to his body, he’s already pushing open the door and walking towards the counter. 
He hears your voice ring throughout the small store, telling him you’d be with him in just a moment and he takes his time to peruse the menu, the soothing scent of coffee whetting his appetite and making the pastries in the glass case look even more appealing. He’s narrowed down his options to either the chocolate frosted donut or the coffee cake when he sees you approaching from the corner of his eyes and he smiles only to freeze when he sees your face.
“Do I know you-”
“You look familiar-”
Both of you start and stop talking at the same time and there’s an awkward silence before you both burst out laughing. As you prepare his order, both of you throw out possibilities of where you may have met before, but nothing pans out, and you both shrug your shoulders as you hand over the paper wrapped pastry and piping hot coffee. It’s a big world with tons of people. Perhaps both of you had met someone who looked similar to the other. But as Daichi sips his coffee and as you wait in the cafe for your next customer, neither of you can stop thinking of the other, wondering if you really hadn’t met before. 
And maybe it’s that curiosity that leads Daichi to regularly return to your cafe on a daily basis, that leads you to always perk and brighten up when he walks through your door. Daily morning coffee runs before work is how it all starts, but pretty soon you’re seeing him at all times of the day. Sometimes he pops in to order a sandwich and some chips for lunch. Sometimes he’ll plop down at one of your small tables, plugging his laptop into an outlet as he works for hours on end even on the weekends. And sometimes, when there’s no one else in the store, when you’re technically closed, you’ll join him, sharing a new dessert you’re testing for the menu with him and chatting away into the wee hours of the night. 
So really, it shouldn’t be a surprise when Daichi nervously enters the cafe right before closing one day, making sure no other customers are around before asking you out on an official first date. And even though you knew that the day where you two would discuss what your relationship exactly was would come soon, your face still heats up. But you eagerly nod, fingers instinctively interweaving with his when he hesitantly reaches to hold your hand and as the two of you walk hand in hand to the restaurant he’s chosen for dinner, you both can’t help but feel like your hands fit perfectly together, like you were made to be with each other. 
Romantic candlelit dinners become more frequent casual affairs after a while and the two of you find yourself cuddled up on a couch in comfortable clothing, eating a meal the two of you had cooked together more often than not. You make fun of Daichi’s bachelor closet, dragging him to go shopping and ignoring his squawking when you pay for all his new clothes while he’s still changing in the fitting room. He teases you for how flustered you get when you see him in his cop uniform, purposefully striking a cheesy pose in the doorway only to bend over in a belly bursting laugh when you just wordlessly gape and stutter at the sight. 
But the change that both of you love the most is never having to sleep alone again and your bodies slot together perfectly like two puzzle pieces when you curl up with each other in bed, letting sleep, body warmth, and rhythmic breathing lull you both into the best nights of sleep you’ve ever had. 
Well, usually that would be the case.
Daichi grumbles as you insistently shove his body until he begrudgingly sits up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and batting away your hands that keep on nudging him awake. He looks at you in confusion and maybe the slightest hint of irritation at being woken up at such an ungodly hour of the night, but the bright smile you flash his way softens him and he internally groans about how weak he is for you as he stumbles out of bed, sleepily accepting the bundle of clothes you throw at him and haphazardly throwing them on. 
He lets you drag him out the door, shivering a bit as the cold night air wakes him up and he holds you close to him, his cop instincts keeping him alert as he continuously scans the area. You live in a safe neighborhood, but it is the middle of the night and he’d be a hypocrite to not be aware of his surroundings when he’s always warning people not to be out by themselves late at night. But the two of you make it to what he assumes is your final destination unscathed and his jaw drops in disbelief when he sees that you’ve brought them to the neighborhood park. 
“You woke me up at 3 in the morning for this?” 
You giggle at his outburst, slapping his arm in mock anger as you pull him to sit beside you on one of the benches. 
“I checked the weather and tonight’s supposed to have the clearest skies for stargazing! And you and I both have off tomorrow, so it seemed like perfect timing. Don’t be such a grumpy old man.” 
And how can Daichi possibly be angry when you’re practically radiant, the soft glow of the stars illuminating your features as you stare up in awe, holding his hand and snuggling into his side as your free hand points at the different constellations you recognize. But the two of you freeze when you hear rustling nearby, letting out a sigh of relief when only a stray cat stalks out from behind a bush and you both watch in amusement as it regally walks towards your bench before plopping down with its stomach bared right at your feet. 
But just as Daichi is about to reach down and accept the invitation to pet the furry creature, a loud squawk echoes throughout the area and suddenly the cat is leaping to its feet as a crow swoops down and hops around on the ground just a few feet away. And the two of you watch in amazement as the two creatures play with each other, paws lazily batting at the bird while wings spread wide and teasingly brush against a whiskered face in a practiced friendly dance. 
It should be just a light hearted scene, maybe heartwarming at most, but to the two of you it’s more than that and your hearts ache, tears streaming down both your faces in a strange combination of soul crushing sorrow and gratitude for the present. But why is it so sad? Why are you both crying? The two of you shakily laugh, apologizing for your strange behavior as you hurriedly try to wipe the salty streaks away, but they don’t stop, only growing worse and turning into body wracking sobs as pain, loss, regret, and unrequited love built over what feels like multiple lifetimes slam into both of you all at once. 
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. 
But like magic it all instantly fades away when the two of you find yourselves tightly wrapped in each other’s arms, your body somehow now in Daichi’s lap as you bury your tear stained face in his chest, his arms wrapped around you in a bone crushing hold as he buries his face in the top of your head. And the two of you just stay like that for a bit as the calming breeze swirls past you, as the creatures and sounds of the night begin to fade away, as the morning sun begins its ascent into the sky, all the while exchanging words of love with each other, words of gratitude for finding each other. 
And when the tears have finally all been wiped away and the sun is shining brightly down on both of you, the two of you share a smile before Daichi is ushering both of you back home, jokingly whining about immediately going back to sleep once you both return home, both of you animatedly bantering as you walk away, ignorant of the way the cat and crow lay curled up beside each other, both their eyes never straying from your retreating figures until you’re out of sight. 
Neither of you ever discuss that night again. Neither of you ever try to understand and explain the chaotic overwhelming mess of emotions that had bombarded both of you. But every now and then, even after the two of you exchange vows, even after your shared home is filled with children’s laughters and voices, the echoes of that night follow both of you in your dreams and you wake up with tears in your eyes and a lingering ache in your hearts. 
But all it takes is a quick glance to your side, the reassurance that both of you are together, right where you belong, to completely snuff out any negative emotions and you let the comforting warmth of love lull you back into slumber, smiles gracing both your lips as Daichi holds you just a bit closer and tighter to him, as you snuggle just a bit more until you’re firmly tucked underneath his chin.  
203 notes · View notes
bonesandthebees · 2 years
Note
I just saw your Twitter and bloody hell, go to bed!! But also congratulations on finishing the one shot, can't wait to read it <3 Hope you get enough rest
Funnily enough, referring to the other anon msg, I find it hard to not use 'said' or using 'as' everywhere to link actions and flavour text.
"I'm not sure what I'm doing here," she said with a frown, as she went to erase yet another sentence.
If I went to fully rant about your writing quality I'd mention how nice it is to see you switch up your descriptive words!! Stuff like, hissing at the sight of bad wounds, gritting your teeth in pain or focus, the little things >:D
I'll do that some other day though, I've had a bad day and I'd rather give you 10 full length rambles than 2 small sad ones.
Anyway- I just wanted to say hi! Hope you have a good day, remember to hydrate!
- with love and cookies, ❄️
the one shot is posted now!!! and thank you, my mom woke me up at 5 am to take my dog out but I was able to fall asleep pretty quickly again after so I got plenty of rest, thank you <3
I also struggle not to use 'said' and 'as' together. I don't mind using 'said', I just try to make sure i'm varying between 'said' and other dialogue tags so it's all balance, and tying actions to 'said' definitely helps with the variation. but then you have to vary using 'as' and it just turns into a huge struggle lol
thank you though!! I focus very hard on varying my descriptive words so create a unique but distinctive rhythm to my pieces. it's one of the things I have to think about the most when writing.
hope you also have a good day snowflake anon!!
6 notes · View notes
tarn-ati0n · 2 years
Text
(Well, here goes nothing)
So, I know that for the last few weeks has been pure reblogs with maybe one ore two tags sticked on to them.
And that's simply because the final exams this year really took a lot of time and effort from me, so I basically just put a whole bunch of stuff into the que whenever I was scrolling through here, and that was honestly just when I was taking a break from studying or freaking out about not studying enough so there's that.
But I didn't want to start ranting about the stress I have to get my Abi, Instead I wanted to tell you guys about something that I had planned for a longer time now.
Now, first of all I have to say that I have adored theme parks for my whole life. I went on Rollercoasters and theme rides since I was in first grade, which now ended with me becoming the most Adrenaline needing freak and scenery appreciating freak whenever I get to go Into one.
(Seriously, If you're someone who gets easily scared of rollercoaster or other thrill rides you would not have a good time with me in a theme park, I lose all regard for my Life whenever I see a steel monstrosity of death in front of me)
Because of this, I also had a bunch of park simulator Videogames, that I played alot of, especially Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. But even though half of my parks in that game looked great, and the other half were hell traps designed to torture my guests, there were still many limitations in that game so I could never build the park I really wanted to see.
And then I found Planet Coaster.
Planet Coaster is another theme park simulator and the freedom this game gives you is actually absurd. A giant variety of scenery, coasters, buildings and what not which you can arrange in almost any way you want.
And now we can get to my plan.
Now you know I love theme parks, I love Videogames, so I need to make a Videogame theme park. But because of the Limitations in RCT 3 that was never really possible for me.
But with this game? I saw what some other people did with it and everything I wanted is now possible.
Problem is, I couldn't decide for the Life of me for what kind of game I wanted to build this park. Professor Layton, Kirby or splatoon where some of my first thoughts, but then I had Ideas for even more games I also love, like Luigis Mansion, Metroid or Hollow Knight.
So, what was my decision in the end?
Well, since this blog is already a mess of different fandoms, I'm not gonna make different parks for each game, but one park for every game, with each part of the park being for a different game I'm a fan of.
With Summer break now coming up and all exams written, I have more than enough time to start building on this little passion project of mine.
I will try giving daily main updates, where I recap everything I got done that day, but of course I'm also blogging throughout the day while I work on the Park.
(Well, my day at least. It's probably going to be night then for the most of you)
So that was alot of text, and If you actually got to read till the end, thank you, have a cookie 🍪
Let's hope that I can successfully turn this blank field into my fandom paradise.
Tumblr media
(Also, If you find any grammatical or spelled errors in there, I'm sorry but I'm not checking all that a second time)
3 notes · View notes
moonflower-31 · 4 years
Text
I Won’t Forget You - Spencer Reid x Reader
Masterlist 
Part 26  
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader 
A/N: Sorry it’s late. Again. Technical difficulties :/ 
Warnings: None 
Tags: @dra-reid, @eevee0722, @ceeellewrites, @anotherr-fine-mess, @ssahoodrathotchner, @egg-boy03, @helena-way07, @l0ve-0f-my-life, @serendipity-imagines, @kaelyn-lobrutto24, @thatsonezesty13, @bihoeofmanyfandoms 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe 
Spencer raised an eyebrow as Garcia came into the room with her open laptop in her hands. She immediately placed the grey slab on the desk and began typing rapidly. 
"W-what do you mean? What do you have?" Spencer asked, rushing over towards Garcia's side to see what she intended to show him. 
"I've been keeping track of all the surveillance cameras in the surrounding tri-state area. And get this; just an hour ago, I got this glimpse of a very Peter-y looking guy up in Baltimore on one of their traffic cams. He got out of the city but he's headed back here. His license plate wasn't in his name, but he was driving a black chevy truck. I've put it out on the APB so the police can bring him in if they find that car." Garcia shows, turning the laptop towards Spencer to show him the footage. 
On the screen, sure enough Peter was there in what was a chevy truck and with a baseball cap and a dirty flannel. He seemed to be on the phone. Whoever he was on the phone with obviously got on Peter’s nerves, as over the ten seconds of video where he was in the view of the camera, he yelled into it before tossing it out his window. 
Spencer widened his eyes and began to stumble over his words. "D-do we know if that was a-a disposable?" He asks. Garcia looks up at him and shakes her head. 
"I don't know his true personal number so I can't track and see if it's called any numbers repeatedly." She apologizes. Spencer curses under his breath and rubs his face tiredly. 
"I… I guess I'll have to ask (Y/N) when we get back if her phone records still exist from before she abandoned her old life. Maybe we can check the numbers he used to stalk her with. If any of them have any recent repeated calls we need to bring them in for questioning." Spencer insists, pacing through the room instead of getting anywhere on the geographical profile. 
Garcia nodded. "I'll do the best I can for now Jr. G Man." She says, closing her computer and then clicking her heels as she left the room to get back to her temporary office. Spencer sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took an exhausted sip of the coffee JJ had given him. He watched Garcia go, nothing but sleep weighing on his eyelids.
All he could think of was you. But unfortunately, they had a case. And the case came first. 
But that didn't mean Spencer wouldn't be willing to drop everything he was doing to drop kick Peter onto his ass multiple times if he decided to show himself. 
Spencer grabbed the small box he had of pins and got back to work, hoping sincerely that you were okay back at home. 
It wasn't long after he finished that JJ and Emily came back from investigating the main dump site, and came back to inform him of the new findings. 
"Another body? Where?" He asked, turning his head towards Emily as he picked up another obnoxiously red pin. 
"9 miles from here. It fits the distance, except it was 3 miles more than the normal 6-7. What made him change?" She asked. 
"Maybe someone saw him abduct this girl and he drove farther to prevent this murder being tied to the others?" JJ asked. 
The two women continued talking while Spencer added the pin and began to look over the map. He wasn't really listening. Why was he so distracted? He never usually had this much trouble, especially when you were here. 
His mind was going blank as he looked over the blending blurs of the map. He was developing one of those headaches again. The colors on the map all began to blur together and he couldn't make any of them out. He grunted in frustration and gripped the side of his head from the sudden onslaught of pain. 
"Dammit…" he exhaled as he narrowly placed the box of pins yet again in the marker tray of the map. 
"Hey… you okay there Reid?" Emily asked, her voice changing to express her concern. JJ wasn't too far behind her, her voice soft and motherly. 
"Yeah, you've been kind of out of it since we left." 
Spencer shook his head. "I'm fine, alright? Just… another one of my headaches. Garcia's news didn't really help anything." He grumbled. 
"News? About what?" Emily spoke up, putting her pen against her hand. She adjusted in her seat, as if preparing herself for whatever news Garcia had given him. 
Spencer groaned and rubbed the front of his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. "She said she found traffic surveillance footage of Peter in South Baltimore. He wore a… pretty pathetic disguise? Like… a Yankees cap and a stained flannel hiding some sort of beer company t-shirt. The only letters I could come up with from the exposed fabric were C, D, and B. The B ended up standing for beer when he moved and exposed more of the shirt-" he was pacing now without realizing, and stopped himself once he noticed. 
JJ looked towards Emily for a moment, then back at Spencer waringly. "Do we know for sure where he is?" She asked. "He could be in Quantico by now if this footage isn't too old." JJ warned. 
Spencer’s eyes widened. "No… no, no, no… He… Morgan’s at home. He doesn't know my apartment… she's safe…" he began to rant, more to himself than to the women. 
Emily sighed and stood up. "Reid, I think you need to take a break." 
Spencer looked up from the sudden change, his eyes and pupils as wide as saucers. "What?" He breathed. 
"A break. You know, take a walk. Read a book or 16. Call her maybe." Emily suggested, her shoulders rising with her last one.  
Spencer looked back down to the ground for a moment, finally his nerves deciding to take a break from causing him so much distress. "Maybe… maybe I will…" 
Emily smiles down at him, but unfortunately was a little too soon. 
"But only after we find this unsub. Hotch wouldn't want any of us to slack off. Especially with two of our team members on leave." Spencer insisted. Emily sighed and looked to JJ for help. The blond just shrugged and gave her a smile. One that most definitely said 'Well, we tried.' 
"Well… Good luck then Reid. Don't overwork yourself though, okay? If you do I'm telling (Y/N) myself." Emily teasingly threatens. 
Spencer chuckled. "You wouldn't. She hasn't told me anything regarding overworking myself before." 
JJ grinned. "Doesn't mean she won't." 
○●♡●○ 
A few hours passed and Arthur had to leave. Your mother would be tracking him by cell phone before he knew it, and he didn't want to risk giving your mother anymore 'product' to sell to Peter. You understood, and wished him well as he went off, of course not without Morgan giving him a talk about trying to use a disposable from now on. 
But for now, you were doing the dishes as you listened to Beethoven and tried to distract yourself from Derek's obnoxious snoring. Yes, he had decided to catch up on sleep while he was with you. But you didn't blame him. There wasn't much to do. So you settled on chores while Spencer’s favorite composer played over the speakers of your cracked I-phone (Or Samsung). 
You hummed along with the familiar tune and scrubbed at the ceramic plates Spencer had in the sink. It was a miracle they were even used at all, given the amount of paper plates you had found and had thrown away when you first actually got to sleep in the apartment. It seemed so long ago since he first brought you here. He hardly ever used his flatware and relied on the 'Great value' brand to supply him with things in which to put food on to eat. But thankfully, you had been slowly getting him brought back to the light side of the force. But it was an uphill battle for sure. 
"Why do I have to use them? They're easily breakable, (Y/N). The plates I buy are biodegradable." Spencer had grumbled as you insisted on putting the food you had made on one of his ceramic plates. 
You had playfully rolled your eyes. "Because! You wouldn't have to buy the 'biodegradable stuff' if you used plates you could wash instead. Problem solved." 
Spencer had then replied with a very childish and frustrated stuck out tongue and an annoyed huff that had sent you and your aching insides into a fit of laughter. 
The memory brought a smile to your face, causing you to put the plate down so as to not drop it into the sink from how far you had it held in the air. (If you dropped it, he'd really get after you about the paper plates) 
As you continued to wash the dishes, your mind began to travel back to Spencer. You wondered what he was up to. What he was thinking about. Did he think of you? If he did, did he think of you the way you did him? 
A sigh released itself from your lungs, letting your chest fall. The dance you had invited Spencer to was still in four months. Maybe then would be your next chance to tell him how you felt. But with that long of a wait, you didn't think you could do it. You wanted him to know. Even if you ended up being hurt in the end, you wanted desperately to tell him. Unfortunately, cookies and killers were successful at pushing your opportunities away. 
You finished the last dish; Spencer didn't have any more than 6 dishes in his sink due to it only being the two of you. Derek always washed his dish when it was cleared. You turned the sink off and quickly dried your hands with the dish towel on the oven handle. Once the dishes were all in the dishwasher, you began to wander back into the living room. 
You had done what laundry there was to do and Derek wasn't due to wake up for another 2 hours. He had specifically asked you to wake him up when it was 6:30 pm. So you decided that since you had virtually nothing else to do, you'd take a nap. You'd wake up at the same time you were set to wake up Morgan, and then you'd both be rested. 
You turned off all the lights and closed the curtains for a dimmer light. You then grabbed the blanket Spencer had recently been keeping on the back of the couch and curled up in it. You didn't want to head into Spencer’s room and bother Derek just to borrow one of Spencer’s hoodies. No matter how much you really did want to steal one. 
You settled in on the couch, and closed your eyes, letting your body begin to rest more and more with each inspiration and expiration. 
When 6:30 hit, and Derek had somehow managed to wake himself up without your assistance, he groggily got up to go check on you. 
"Hey, Pretty Girl, what happened with you waking me up, huh?" He asks you, rubbing his eyes with his hand. He expected an answer, but instead heard the sudden movement of fabric and the thud of something hitting the coffee table. He narrowed his eyes and looked down at you, and found you asleep. However, it was not peaceful. 
Your leg kept trembling, almost kicking the coffee table as the rest of you shook in terror. You mumbled incoherent pleas under your breath, causing Morgan to panic. He was afraid this would happen. 
"H-hey, kid," he started, gently putting a hand on your shoulder to slowly get you awake without alarming you. He gently shook you, but you proved to be unwakeable. So he took in a deep breath before he shook you a bit harder, calling your name a little louder. "(Y/N), hey, come on kid it's just a nightmare-" 
You finally woke, heavy breathing and a jolt forward followed by a violent shaking came afterwards. You hated this. Even after having just woke up. You felt terrified. Fear was coursing through you and you had no way out of it. 
You whimpered and curled up in the corner of the couch, unable to calm your racing heart or your uncontrollable breathing that came in harsh sobs. 
Derek felt his eyebrows tilt as he looked at you. "Kid I… " he sighed, looking at you pitifully. You and him both were in the same boat. He had been sleeping more often to escape the look in Peter’s eyes he was reminded of whenever he saw you. But he knew you needed him, that was why he had been cutting back on his sleeping. It wasn't healthy anyways. 
"C-call Spencer…" you whispered softly, hugging your knees. 
Derek raised a confused eyebrow and got a little closer to your reserved form. "What'd you say?" He asked, unsure of what you actually said. 
"P-please…" you spoke up a little louder, taking a deep breath as you began your request. "C-call Reid…" 
Derek didn't know how Spencer was supposed to help, but he didn't want to sit by when you clearly needed the genius. 
He nodded and grabbed his phone from his pocket, dialing Reid's number. He pressed the phone to his ear, whispering pleas for Spencer to pick up the phone. He reached over and gave you the option of holding his hand, to which you thankfully accepted. You squeezed his hand for dear life, just wanting to hear Spencer’s voice and hear him recall one of the many poems he'd read to calm your mind. 
Meanwhile, Spencer was currently standing beside JJ, feeling his phone buzz as Hotch tried to deliver the profile. Spencer had given his expertise already, and just wanted to see who was calling him. He'd already been on high alert in case it was you. And no amount of convincing himself to focus on work was helping. 
"Please have all of your available officers out looking for this unsub, and warn women of his type around the neighborhood and in the kill zone." Hotch began to warn. Spencer’s phone continued to buzz, causing the room to turn their eyes towards him. He blushed softly and flashed Hotch a desperate look. He sighed, but nodded. 
Spencer nodded back in rushed thanks before muttering his apologies and leaving the main room to answer his phone. 
Once outside, he picked up his phone and answered.  
"Sorry, we're in the middle of delivering the profile, so I was a little caught up. How is she?" Spencer asked. 
"Reid, she's… I don't know…" Derek replied, wishing he could hug you and soak up all your pain. He took the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker. "She just woke up from another nightmare. She told me to call you." 
You look towards Morgan, gesturing to see if you could take the phone. He nodded, still never letting go of your hand. 
"S-spence?" You whispered into the phone. 
"Hey…" he replied calmly. "Are you okay?"  
Instant relief washed over you. Not completely instant and overwhelming, but you suddenly felt a rush feeling of being protected and loved. Even if Spencer didn't know it yet. 
You sniffled. "H-honestly? No. I'm the furthest from okay." You wiped your eyes of incoming tears, exhaling sharply so as to not encourage more sobbing. 
Spencer felt his heart ache from hearing you cry. He wished he were home with you. So it wasn't just you and Derek. Strangely, after that thought, a misplaced thought of jealousy panged his heart. Seriously? This wasn't the time to be jealous of his best friend for getting to spend extra time with the girl he loved who he hadn't gotten enough courage to confess to yet. He supposed he was just worried that when he'd be ready to tell you, you wouldn't feel the same anymore. 
"Is there anything I can do to help? I still have all of Edgar Allan Poe's works memorized if you need me to recite one." He offers. The idea brings a slight, and small smile to your face. 
Derek's face lit up at the arrival of said smile, showing off his own signature one. 
"Please? S-spence I don't want to i-intrude on the c-case but-" you began to ramble and try to explain. 
"Hey, it's okay. Hotch cleared me to come take this call. You're my top priority right now. Not the case, not the profile, you." Spencer assured, smiling genuinely as he even was able to hear your voice. 
You sighed gently, and let your mind relax for a moment. "O-okay… but y-you pick this time." You replied. Spencer replied in kind. 
"Sure, (Y/N/N). He answered. "How about The Raven this time? It's one of his most well known works, and it surprises me you haven't asked me to read it yet." 
You can feel your nerves slowing down and relaxing as you let out a soft giggle. "S-sure. But you know that's because you prefer the obscure ones." 
Spencer rolled his eyes teasingly, as if you could see them. Derek gave you a reassuring look, and you nodded, letting him sit back for a moment as Spencer Reid began to read yet again another poem to you to calm the raging storm of emotions stirred from your nightmares. 
Spencer cleared his throat teasingly before he began, pulling a slight laugh from you. "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--while I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping…" 
Just as it was each and every time he did this for you, it calmed every part of you to hear his voice alter somewhat to fix the tone of the poem. To hear the way the words rolled off his tongue even without the poem in his hands. 
You were asleep before he could even finish the poem. But that didn't matter to him. He just finished the poem and sighed to himself. 
"Is she asleep?" Spencer asked softly.  
"Yep. Out like a light." Morgan says, readjusting the blanket over you. 
"Good. Just… call me if she needs anything else. I should be able to answer. If not text Hotch for me." Spencer expressed. 
If only he could be there to see your beautiful face asleep on his couch. Maybe even with your head on his chest. To hold you close. To hear your gentle breathing in and out. 
Derek got to do that. 
Spencer couldn't help the jealousy he felt in his heart. Derek could get any girl he wanted. Even you. But Spencer's heart couldn't help protesting that you were supposed to be his. He wanted you to be his. His life. His love. His Darling. Well...
Only time will tell if that will ever change. 
63 notes · View notes
diamondcitydarlin · 4 years
Text
I am just...honestly fascinated by this sudden ‘change of heart’ with Guillermo tho in regards to being a familiar and becoming a vampire, there’s a lot going on there and a lot to unpack, and I’m hoping somewhere in the depths of what is about to be a long, directionless rant I’ll find the clarity I haven’t seemed to quite grasp yet. 
ALSO I’M SORRY THIS IS A LOOONG ASS POST BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO PUT IT UNDER A READ MORE AND SUBJECT INNOCENTS TO MY BLOG LOL, BUT I’VE TAGGED ACCORDINGLY 
So, I already made a post about ‘Collaboration’ and some of the interesting subtext we get within that episode. Mainly, that this episode is an interesting one for Guillermo because he finally gets what appears to be and should be (at least at first) the opportunity he’s always been waiting for. To this point, across seasons, Guillermo has driven home that his one and only aspiration in life, the reason he tolerates an endless, shitty position, is because he hopes to become a vampire. He’s wanted it since he was a kid. IF HE CAN’T BECOME A VAMPIRE, WHAT HAS THIS ALL BEEN ABOUT?? 
If it was as simple as just wanting to become a vampire by any means necessary, leaving Nandor for this golden opportunity should have been as easy as taking off an ill-fitting pair of shoes...but it wasn’t that, was it? When Nandor pretended to shuck him off as if it didn’t matter, Guillermo got angry and sad in equal measure and only really brightened again when Nandor came back and promised to do better by him. Not necessarily set down a concrete timeline for the ‘becoming a vampire’ thing though, but Guillermo didn’t seem to care about that all that much anyway. Interesting. 
Now we’re able to see a version of things in which Guillermo is being treated better as a familiar, but rather than this development improving his mood he seems all the more aware of the fact now that...maybe he doesn’t even want to be a vampire anymore. Maybe he’s wasting his time here. Maybe he needs to swim towards open waters, so to speak. 
Very similar to Nandor, Guillermo, I think, is not really aware or fully accepting of the inner workings of his own mind. He strikes me as a character that does a lot in the way of burying the truths of himself so far down, he even convinces himself that part of who he is doesn’t really exist- even when it does, and drives a lot of his actions. The show plays to this by only ‘showing’ us concretely how much Guillermo wants us to know, with only small hints and nods to other things going on. That fits and rings true to the norm for a mockumentary style of filming/writing, in that the audience has to rely on a lot of subtle cues from the subjects to figure out what’s ‘really going on’ with a character or plot line; the ‘camera’ in a mockumentary style piece is as much of a visceral, present character as anyone else in the cast and is treated accordingly (but then, like 99.99999% of human beings have seen the entirety of The Office and Parks and Rec, so yall know this already) 
I think part of the way to figuring this all out is to ask why Guillermo wanted to be a vampire in the first place. His answer to this would probably be something along the lines of ‘because they’re cool’ which, you know, valid. That would be a fitting and satisfying answer if, say, I had given it because there was a time when I was about 4-6 years old that I, too, decided I would grow up to be a vampire. Because it was ‘cool’ and aspiring to anything else seemed boring. Again, valid. For someone who has dedicated pretty much ALL of his adult life to apprenticing into vampirism based on a childhood dream that never died? THAT begs a bit more of an in depth reason, I think, to which for now we can only guess. 
I’ll try to make an educated one based on what I believe is going on here, that Guillermo himself is either not aware of or not ready to share with the cameras: I believe his drive to want to become a vampire, given it was based in childhood flights of fancy (and probably some Guillermo-self insert/Armand fanfics, let’s be hONEST) was rooted in a need to feel respected and powerful, at the heart of things. When we first meet Guillermo, and for much of season 1, we see that he’s quiet, subservient, meek, and we learn briefly about how he was bullied in school. I think Guillermo was raised to be this way and use silence/subservience as his only defense mechanism, which may also go a long way to explaining why he’s so reserved. For 10 years, I think it was enough for him to tell himself that everything would be better for him once he became a vampire, he’d have all the things he never had as a human. Respect. Appreciation. Power. Control over his own life.
That said, things have changed quite a bit for Guillermo since season one. While learning that he had Van Helsing blood came as an unpleasant shock, embracing and exploring that side of himself proved that he’s actually kind of a bad ass even without being a vampire. He only ever wielded this power to protect Nandor and others so far, but it is a power nonetheless, this agility and strength that is too great for even VAMPIRES to successfully fight back against. He’s also a smart cookie that knows how to manipulate a situation, something that he’s been using a lot this season too. So, power, then. He has it already. Respect he received from his vampire-hunting group. 
But that still leaves appreciation and, dare I say it, maybe even affection/love. I think there’s a part of Guillermo that wants to feel like he’s accepted and cared for, but even when it’s offered (by groups like his vampire hunting clan, or Celeste’s vampire community lol) he seems to shy away from it going too far, like it’s just too much or ill-fitting coming from people he barely knows. Given that he’s a private, introvert type this makes sense. 
One thing has remained consistent for Guillermo though, across both seasons and episodes, and that’s his seemingly unwavering concern and affection for Nandor. Even in this last ep when he’s unashamedly shucking off duties that don’t fit his job description and maintaining those professional boundaries like a BOSS, he still snaps to and gets to work the moment Nandor is kidnapped. Laszlo’s gone? Meh, who cares, not his jurisdiction. Nandor’s gone!?? Fuck it, he’s getting the keys. A ‘vampire’ offers him the opportunity of a lifetime to become a vampire quickly and live within an accepting community of likeminded people and Nandor told him ‘go for it’? He’s upset that Nandor didn’t fight harder to keep him. 
So now he’s back and Nandor’s making a consistent effort not to abuse Guillermo’s position. This seemed the ideal resolution at the end of ‘Collaboration’, but after a couple of weeks it becomes clear that it wasn’t. For some reason. Guillermo’s no longer satisfied and thinks maybe it’s time to do more with his life. 
I’ll try to sum up the points I’ve made so far into a concise version of where I think Guillermo’s at right now, at least subconsciously; mostly all the things he hoped that turning into a vampire would grant him, have already been granted. He’s learned that he’s strong, smart, capable as is, more than he or anyone else had ever given him credit for. I think it makes sense that his burning need to become a vampire has begun to ebb into a quarter-life crisis of questioning who he really is and what he really wants, because the dream he nursed for so long has turned out to be pretty shallow and maybe not even necessary. He realizes there’s more he could be doing than working tirelessly to an end goal that no longer seems so sweet. 
But that leaves the ‘affection’ and ‘acceptance’ elements dangling in space, held up by his own affection for Nandor that has yet to be really defined. It’s pretty clear that Guillermo is nursing it hard, but what is the nature of it? Even as his sense of loyal devotion to a cause has started to fade, even as his view of Nandor as this unflappable role model has begun to disappear too bc he’s starting to see Nandor for who he really is (a himbo idiot that he can outwit, outmatch without even trying hard) this raw affection still remains. It’s still important that Nandor fights for him. It’s still important that Nandor is safe and protected.  
And, as with the rest of these things I mentioned, I don’t think Guillermo is even really aware of how much he cares about Nandor, how much it drives his actions and thinking, how important that relationship is to him. It’s easier to just sort of...ignore that and pretend it isn’t a factor, that’s Guillermo’s modus operandi when it comes to complicated feelings. 
I think back to that line from season 1, wherein Guillermo’s kind of musing wistfully about how different his life might have been if he’d stayed at Panera Bread/in a stable job with pay and benefits, but then handwaves that all away with ‘The heart wants what it wants’. By this point in the show he was already kind of drifting away from the goal of becoming a vampire (whether he realized it or not). 
The heart wants what it wants indeed, Guillermo, but maybe it’s not really ‘becoming a vampire’. Maybe it’s something else entirely that keeps you tied to this house, this thankless ‘job’. 
At this point, I really cannot say for 100% certain what I think will happen next with Guillermo. This show has proven solid at pulling out unexpected plot twists I wouldn’t have seen coming, but then, I also have been pretty good at predicting where they’re gonna go with things. Like 7/10 lmao. My two theories right now are: 
He’ll become a vampire in the series finale- unwillingly, maybe by accident. This one I think is plausible because it’s a bit of a kick in the pants. It’s the outcome he’s wanted for SO LONG but has just realized maybe it’s not all he can do or wants to do. I could see a situation where, idk, maybe Guillermo expresses to Nandor his thoughts lately about moving on from this and, in an act of stupid desperation, Nandor thinks maybe if he changes him that’ll keep him in his life, so he does it while Guillermo’s asleep and then surprises him when he wakes up...only to find out maybe that wasn’t actually what he wanted anymore, but UH OH what’s done is done. This could provide a lot of tension in the next season, I think. But as it’s a bit of a ‘shocking’ twist type route to go, I can’t be certain this is what they’ll do. Kind of a toss up. 
Guillermo leaves to pursue something else, which the camera crew will follow and document. This is the ‘sensible’/’safe’ route that most scripted shows would take, I think, in this situation...but again, I’m not certain about this one either because Shadows is known for throwing us for a loop and this seems a liiiittle predictable. It’s also very similar to what JUST happened in episode 8 and, were I writing the show, I’d worry it would come across as redundant. Like, maybe we already did this angle and should explore other options to keep the audience on their toes. Also, as much as they love putting Harvey with new casts of characters for episodic stories, I’m not sure they’d transplant him from the main cast for an extended period of time because he’s part of what makes that dynamic run so well. But then, the synopsis of the finale does say that vampires have to ‘survive without Guillermo’ while preparing for an event, so this may happen in some small, episodic measure again.   
Anyway, to wrap this up into a conclusion, I don’t think I’m wrong in predicting that Nandor/Guillermo’s relationship has been set up in such a way as to keep us guessing, sort of a Sam/Diane, will-they-won’t-they type thing that will remain a constant throughout whatever happens next, but will require both characters growing independent of each other in their own respective subplots. At this point, it has always remained consistent that Nandor and Guillermo prioritize each other even when it doesn’t make sense, but I don’t think either of them are ready to realize, accept, and sort through the layers of what they feel for each other. The master/servant dynamic makes that difficult, I’d imagine, so I think inevitably we’ll see the show start to pull them away from that. All I’m saying is, if whatever is going on between them wasn’t VERY complicated it would’ve been resolved as whatever it is a long time ago. Nah, there’s some deep, repressed shit they’re ignoring collectively for whatever reason, and usually that points to something that will, at some point, become romantic. Either way, to understand Guillermo is to keep a close eye on how his dynamic with Nandor grows and changes and I’m, as ever, VERY eager to see how it does. 
194 notes · View notes
honeypwark · 4 years
Text
[ You're Important ]
  ↳ N.O era
     ↳ Yeosu goes to get coffee with Namjoon.  She has a run-in with some "fans."  Yeosu talks about Namjoon’s importance to the group.
m.list
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
Tumblr media
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
Namjoon waits at the counter for his name to be called, taking the two cups the barista hands to him with a smile and a thank you.  He takes a sip of the coffee in his right hand, walking through the tables of the cafe until he reaches a booth by the window. Yeosu sits in one side, chin in her palm as she looks out the window at the people passing by.
“Noona,” Namjoon calls to get her attention.
“Oh, thanks,” she says, taking the iced tea he holds out to her.
Namjoon sits down across from Yeosu and her gaze goes back out the window.  They both sip from their respective drinks.  Yeosu sighs and leans her elbows forward onto the table, holding her iced tea in both hands.
"I know why you asked me here, Joon," she says.
"I just want to make sure you're doing okay," Namjoon says gently.
She smiles at him softly, "I'm fine."
Recently, BTS has gained a little traction.  They've gained more fans and attention, though nothing exponential.  However, they're mostly getting attention for the wrong reason.
People have quite strong opinions on Yeosu that go one of two ways.  One: they believe she has a lot of idol potential but shouldn't be in a boy group, especially one with such hip-hop/badass concepts.  But most people fall into the second category: people who are fans of BTS but seemingly hate everything about Yeosu.  They believe she's untalented and a try-hard.  They judge her for minuscule things and constantly voice their distaste of her.
The second type of people made themselves known a few days ago while BTS was leaving Music Bank.  While trying to maneuver through a crowd of fans to reach the van that would drive Yeosu and the boys home, a girl grabbed Yeosu's wrist and dug her fingers into the soft skin of the inside of her arm.  She'd called her an untalented slut among other colorful insults.  She told her she should leave BTS.  And apparently she'd brought a friend with her because just after she'd called for Sejin, her manager, something cold and thick was poured over her head.  A smoothie.
The crowd went into an uproar but the girls were gone in an instant, replaced by Sejin's firm hand guiding her to the van where the boys were waiting.  The boys were furious, obviously.  Sejin locked the doors just in time to stop Yoongi from jumping out of the van to chase after whoever had done it, who cares if he doesn't know what they look like?  Yeosu showered when they arrived back at the dorm and spent the evening in bed.  Taehyung and Hoseok tried to cook dinner and she was appreciative but not talkative.  The next morning she was up before everyone else as usual and making breakfast as if the day before had never happened.
Still, Namjoon asked her to go to a little cafe he'd read about online with the pretense that she would like it and he needed someone to drive him.  So they sit across from one another now, in a booth up against the window that looks onto the street outside.
"I know that people have been pretty vocal about their opinions of you recently," Namjoon says, "There's been a lot of negative comments.  And then what happened after Music Bank on Saturday..."
Yeosu takes a drink of her tea and sighs again, "If I'm being totally honest, there's some truth to their words.  I get where they're coming from but it's whatever, honestly.
"No, not whatever," Namjoon insists.  "They don't work for the company.  They're not a part of our group.  They don't get a say in whether or not you should be a part of BTS.  Not to mention that they're completely wrong."
"I know that.  I just understand their reasoning."
"Yeosu-“
"I have to use the bathroom.  Be back in a jiff."
Yeosu escapes to the restroom, using those few minutes alone to collect her thoughts and think of how to explain to Namjoon her thoughts on the hate she's been receiving.  She exits the bathroom and starts back toward the booth.
"Hi, are you YB?"
Two boys in school uniforms approach her cautiously.  Yeosu immediately turns her expression pleasant and smiles at them.
"I am.  Are you two fans?"
"Yes," the taller one says.
"Very big fans," the shorter adds.
"Well, it's lovely to meet you," Yeosu says.  She gestures to Namjoon sitting by the window, "If you like BTS, Rap Monster is right there, too."
The boys look back at Namjoon when she motions toward him and they seem almost disappointed to see him.
"Oh."
"What?  Were you hoping to catch me alone?" Yeosu jokes, not entirely sure what to say to their reaction.
"Maybe just with anyone but him," the taller one mutters.
"Excuse me?" Yeosu says.
The shorter boy elbows the taller.
"What is that supposed to mean," she looks at the taller boy's name tag, "Jo Sangin?"
"H-He just meant that- um..."  The shorter boy searches for the right words, "We're part of ARMY that feels that Rap Monster is... a visual hole."
"He's not very handsome and that becomes more obvious being next to someone as pretty as you," the taller boy says as if that's supposed to some sort of compliment.
"We just feel that BTS would be better off without him," the shorter boy finishes.
"Hm."  She looks at the two boys for a few moments then takes a slow breath, "And ARMY would be better off without you two."
Without another word, Yeosu leaves the two boys standing there.  She walks back over to Namjoon, who'd seen her be approached but not heard anything.
"We're leaving," she says, grabbing her purse, rain jacket, and drink.
She doesn't leave any room for objection, immediately marching towards the door.  Namjoon quickly grabs his own rain jacket and drink before rushing to catch up to her, casting a glance over his shoulder at the two schoolboys as he leaves the cafe.  He looks either direction, spotting Yeosu walking dutifully away from the cafe to his left.  He runs to catch up with her, weaving between pedestrians as carefully as he can.
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
"It's ridiculous!  Honestly!  Literally don't even get me started on Korean beauty standards. You're seriously so handsome and just because you're not cookie cutter beautiful doesn't mean you're unattractive.  And how can someone who calls himself our fan not realize how important you are to the group?  You're our leader and main rapper.  You're insanely talented and we'd be left out to dry without you.  People outside of the group could never even begin to understand everything you do for us and how important you are.  I just can't understand-"
"You do realize how everything you're saying relates directly back to you, right?"
Yeosu stops mid-rant as Namjoon speaks up.  They'd found their way to a park, donning their rain jackets as it began to drizzle drearily and eventually sitting down together on a bench.  Yeosu just sat in silent anger for a minute, drinking her tea unhappily until Namjoon dared to ask what happened.  She'd told him what the two boys had said about him and then went on to rant about how stupid it all was.  She'd started pacing along the sidewalk in front of the bench.  Luckily the park is empty due to the dismal weather, so no one is here to witness Yeosu's irritation. During her rant, she's unknowingly voiced Namjoon's thoughts about her.
"You're not allowed to turn my words around on me."
"Watch me."
Namjoon sets his coffee cup down and gestures for her to sit on the bench beside him.  She does with a small huff.
"You're important to the group," he says.  "Even if you weren't the most amazing dancer I've ever seen or you didn't have an amazing voice, you're still a fundamental part of BTS.  You take care of all of us and you have to know how much we appreciate you and everything you do.  You are important to the group and there is no basis for people to think otherwise, so don't even consider it."
Yeosu is quiet for a moment.  Then she wraps her arms around Namjoon's shoulders.  He wraps his arms around her middle, the material of their rain jackets crinkling as they hold one another in a hug.
"You know I don't agree with them," Yeosu says.  "I know how lost you boys would be without me."
"We'd eat nothing but ramen and takeout, probably."
"Jin can cook."
"Not like you can."
"It's a hobby."
Namjoon laughs then rests his head in Yeosu's shoulder.
"You know how important you are, too, right?" Yeosu says.  "You may not be mother hen, but we need you.  And you are handsome, even though that's not what's important.  What is important is that you are talented and dedicated and such a good person.  Anyone who says otherwise can deal with me."
"I would never wish a protective Yeosu on anyone."
"You're one of my boys, of course I'm going to be protective."
When Yeosu pulls back, Namjoon ducks his head and wipes at his eyes.
He gestures upwards flippantly, "It's the rain."
"Uh-huh."  She fixes his hair for him, "Sure it is."
129 notes · View notes
avasharpe · 4 years
Text
Oh Baby, Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday
Chapter: One/one
Summary: It's Sara’s first Christmas since she became blind and she enjoys the Christmas festivities and her birthday in a new way with Ava by her side. 
Fandom: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Relationship: Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe.
Characters: Sara Lance, Ava Sharpe, Minor appearances by Charlie, Zari Tarazi, John Constantine, Nate Heywood, Behrad Tarazi, Astra Logue, Ray Palmer, and Nora Darhk.
Chapter Rating: Teen Audience.
Additional Tags: Blind!Sara, Sara being a brat, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Trees, Kittens, Sara’s Birthday.
Read at AO3
Read at FFN
……………………………………………………………………
Sara leaned against the counter of the island on the Waverider as she listened to Ava go on and on about her latest stab cast subject. They were making cookies for the Legends cookie exchange later that day and it was their turn in the kitchen. Ava was doing most of the work as she was the baker of the two and Sara was providing moral support and operating as a test taster regardless of whether Ava asked her to or not. 
“Can you hand me the flour babe?” Ava asked, pausing her rant mid-sentence. 
Sara nodded and reached out to feel the jars in front of her. Feeling down to the second jar on the left, she ran her fingers across the Braille label to read flour. Sara opened the jar and handed it to Ava.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you,” Ava said as Sara heard her measure and poured some into her batter. “Hey so I know you gave me your list for Christmas and your birthday, but is there anything you want for your birthday and not for Christmas? It’s just I know we're celebrating Christmas first this year so is there anything you want first and something you're okay with waiting to get or anything that is more of a birthday gift?”
Sara thought about it for a moment there were several things on her list that she was eager to receive, but it's not like she would have to wait additional days to receive them 
“I don't know? Whenever I get the gifts it doesn't really matter the long as I get that number one gift on my list.” Sara said as she bumped Ava with her hips as she came around to grab the food coloring. She had asked for Ava in black lingerie on her bed when she woke up.
Ava hummed and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Only if you're a good girl, Sara.”
She forgot how to breathe as Ava pressed a kiss to her neck and a shiver ran down her back. Ava moved back and walked over to the other side of the island and added a drop of food coloring to the bowls of frosting.
Sara looked down at the cookie and tried to ignore how wet her panties were. “So what do you want for Christmas, you haven’t given me your list.”
“I want a pegasus,” Ava said with a laugh. “Well, that and the serial killer’s coloring book.”
Sara hummed as Ava put the spatula down. She heard Ava move the bowl and the sound of the plastic wrap as Ava prepped the mix to chill in the fridge. Sara got a vision of Ava putting the dishes in the sink. There was still a good amount of cookie dough mix left on the spatula and Sara just couldn't let it go to waste. As her vision ended Sara reached forward to where she knew the spatula was and picked it up out of the bowl, before bringing it to her lips. 
“Hey!” Ava said, having caught her, but Sara just smiled and continued to lick off the rest of the cookie dough. “You're going to get salmonella!”
“Totally worth it,” Sara mumbled her mouth full of cookie dough.
She heard Ava click her tongue before her footsteps came around to her. Ava spanked her ass before she wrapped her arms around Sara's waist and kissed her cheek. 
“You're such a little shit,” Ava said, squeezing her waist. “What am I going to do with you?”
Sara smirked and put the cookie dough free spatula down on a counter before she turned around. She trailed her fingers up Ava’s arms to wrap around her neck before Sara leaned in. 
“No I'm not kissing your salmonella mouth,” Ava lamented, as she pulled back her head.
“Ava,” Sara whined, tilting her head and pouting. 
She tried to be adorably irresistible, but Ava untangled her arms from Sara's waist. Ava moved to push her out of the kitchen despite Sara digging her heels in. She turned around and held on to Ava’s neck hearing her giggle as she stopped.
“If you are going to continue to steal my cookie dough then you can wait outside with the other Legends and help them decorate the Parlor,” Ava said, as she trailed her fingers along Sara’s jaw to tip up her chin.
“I promise I'll be good. I'll even go brush my teeth,” Sara said, letting go of Ava and stepping away and taking a step backward.
Ava paused and Sara knew she had won her over, but resisted the urge to smirk and continued to pout. “You have to help me do the dishes and no more cookie dough eating, oh and you can't steal more than two cookies.”
“But we're making three different kinds?” Sara whined, she could smell the gingerbread cookies that were in the oven and her mouth watered. 
“You already had some of the sugar cookie batter which means that you can have one gingerbread cookie when they come out of the oven and one of the peppermint swirls once they're finished.”
“Can’t I have one of each?” 
“Fine, but any more, and I will revoke your cookie privileges and send you to your room.”
“What am my five-year-old?” Sara said, crossing her arms as Ava's bopped her nose before she heard Ava’s footsteps walked back over to the countertop.
“Yeah sometimes,” Ava said plainly without missing a beat.
Sara scowled but followed her back to the kitchen and helped her with the dishes. The rest of their cooking making was uneventful. As promised Ava let her have one of each cookie. Sara hated waiting for them to cool down so she pulled it apart and blew on it, taking small bites of the warm gingerbread as it melted in her mouth. Ava cuckold as she mixed the peppermint cookies and before she mixed in the eggs fished out a spoonful putting it in Sara’s hand. Sara smiled and hummed as she tasted the batter. Even at her brattiest Ava still loved her.
……………………………………………………………………
Sara's boots sank into the mud of the Christmas tree farm. She tapped her cane to either side in front of her despite how Ava held onto her arm and followed the rest of the Legends as they perused the trees. Sara pulled her coat hood up over her head more as she walked. It fell over her eyes, not that Sara cared as she couldn't see, but Ava pulled it back a tad so she could at least see Sara’s sunglasses. 
All of the Legends chatted and their voices bounced around her as they all passed the smaller 5 and 6-foot trees in search of a gigantic 9-foot tree to put in the Parlor. Only a handful of them with the exception of Ray, Mick, Charlie, Zari, and Behrad celebrated Christmas. Nate was always the one who wrangled them all for the seasonal holidays but was deviously good at getting them to participate in the Christmas fun. Besides, it was Astra’s first Christmas back on Earth and there was a sense of enjoyment in getting to see her smile and admit that she was having fun. Even if her Christmas list of knives rivaled Sara's. 
“What about this one?” Nate asked as they all stopped to look at it and Sara closed her eyes to breathe in the sweet smell of pine.
“It's awfully bristly,” Astra complained.
“It's not so bad,” Ava said as she put her arm around Sara's waist.
“It smells nice,” Sara said, closing her unseeing eyes to breathe in the scent again. 
Without her sight this year Sara was worried that Christmas would be different and that it wouldn't feel the same as it usually did without all of the lights and the decorations. She still found that she still enjoyed the smell of pine and cranberries and whatever other Christmas scents that Zari and Nate chose for the candle of that day. She loved to feel the warm fire that Jax and Mick had installed in the Parlor. So Mick could have a proper place to burn things, despite Gideon’s insistent protest and she loved the taste of all of the Christmas goodies Ava baked. It was still Christmas, it was just a different kind of Christmas.
“Eh, moving on,” Nate commanded. 
They walked around the entire farm nitpicking all of the trees and Sara let her boots squish into the mud, making a squeaking sound. Despite Ava’s protest, she giggled every time Sara did it. Eventually, everyone stopped somewhere towards the edge of the tree farm staring at Ava told her was a tall and bushy tree that overwhelmed Sara's nose with the smell of pine.
“This is the one,” Ava said, leaving in and wrapping her arms around Sara to rest her chin on Sara’s shoulder. 
“Let’s cut!” Mick shouted, making the final decision and Sara heard the wrestling of the tree branches.
It was quite a fiasco to cut down the tree as all of the Legends had an opinion about how it should be done. Mick just gruffed and kept going despite Ray and Nate’s insistence that they should do it a certain way. Eventually, the tree came down and everyone took a portion of it to carry back to the Jump Ship after they paid the tree farmer. 
Once on the ship, everyone went in different directions. Zari and Charlie went to grab the decorations, Nate and Mick put the tree in the Parlor, Ray and Mora went to get the lights and Mona and Behrad went to get the hot chocolate and cookies, leaving Ava and Sara to clean up the mud in the Cargo Bay after Ava made everyone change shoes. After Ava finished mopping while Sara stood there and held her supplies, Sara dragged her over to the fabricator room to get the ugly sweaters.
“Why are we doing this? You can't even see it!” Ava protested as Sara smoothed the ugly sweater over her chest. Taking the chance to feel her up, Ava grabbed her hands and forced them away. “Seriously Sara?”
“It's tradition besides they're not that bad,” Sara said giving a little wiggle and hearing the Bells on her sweater jingle. 
“They're completely ridiculous,” Ava said, her tone final.
“They're fun!” Sara insisted, grabbing Ava's hand and pulling her towards the Parlor where the rest of the Legends were waiting for them. “Everyone else is going to be wearing them. It's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about.”
“Sara,” Ava whined as she reluctantly let Sara pull her along. 
“Please Ava?” Sara said turning around and reaching up to cup her cheeks. “For me?”
“You're lucky you're irresistible,” Ava said, bopping her nose before she put her arm around Sara's waist and they walked arm-in-arm into the Parlor.
Everyone else was there waiting for them, all dressed in different versions of an ugly sweater, not necessarily Christmas related, but fun nonetheless. Charlie and Mick had the tree on the side as the branches brushed against her ankles. Nate and Behrad started hanging garland on the wall and Ava moved her away from the ladder. Ray and Nora came in with the boxes handing Sara one and Zari directed everyone's movements, telling Sara to place it over by the globe. 
Once they got it settled in the Parlor, Zari saw it to it that they quickly got the tree up. MIck, Charlie, and Nate started on the lights, while Zari started to music which left everyone else to go through the boxes and pull things out while Sara just stood there. Usually, she'd help with the tree, but not this year.
“Hey, babe,” Ava called her over and Sara reached out and Ava grasped her hand before pulling her down to sit next to her. “Here which one do you like, Twisted Peppermint, Vanilla Bean Noel, or Winter Candy Apple?”
Ava handed her several candles and Sara held them up to her nose. She closed her eyes and breathed in each scent, trying to match one with the pine smell from the tree. 
“This one,” Sara said handing Ava the Winter Candy Apple candle. 
“Great, here, can you help me unwrap these?” Ava asked, putting a packaged ornament in her hand. “Hey, Mick light this one.”
Sara nodded, unwrapping the ornament before she got a vision of the tree falling over. “Hey Nate, tighten that bolt on the left.”
“Got it, Captain,” Nate said as Sara’s vision changed, to all of them all standing in front of the tree and admiring instead.
“Hot chocolate is here!” Mona announced as Sara heard her giddy footsteps on the stairs. “Sugar-free for you, Zari, extra marshmallows for you, Sara, and none for you, Ava.”
“Thank you, Mona," Sara said, bringing the warm mug up to her lips. It was just the right temperature and she took a sip of the sweet chocolate as the soft mini-marshmallows brushed against her lips.
Mona handed out mugs to everyone else and Sara scooted over to a spot next to the tree after they got all of the lights, ribbon, and bells that made it hard to hear anything else. From her spot, Ava would hand her ornaments and Sara would put them on the tree next to her. The Christmas cheer and alcohol flowed along with the music Zari had picked out, as everyone either hummed or sang along or pretended they didn't like it.
“Sara you can't just clump them all together like that. You have to spread them out over the tree,” Zari said coming over and taking a few of the ornaments from her collection.
“I like it,” Sara said, running her fingers along the ornaments and hearing them clang together.
“Let her be,” Ava said, shooing Zari away. “It looks great babe.”
“Just because you're blind doesn't mean you can get away with atrocities like that,” Zari said as if Sara's decorating skills were a personal offense.
“Why do you care,” Behrad said, shoving a cookie into his mouth, making his voice muffled. “We don't even celebrate Christmas.”
“It's the principle of good decorum and decorating,” Zari said sitting down beside her and bumping her shoulder lightly as she teased Sara.
 Sara giggled and relented, scooting over to Ava, who pulled her in to sit on her lap. She and Ava unwrapped the ornaments and gave them to everyone else instead. Sara pulled out a loop of old popcorn and wrinkled her nose at the smell quickly tossing them away.
It didn't take long for them to complete the tree decorating and everyone stepped back to watch the tree lighting. They clumped together in a line at the steps of the Parlor and Sara heard Gideon turned off the lights. She put her arms around Ava and hid her nose in Ava’s sweater, hiding the disappointment that she couldn't enjoy the tree lighting. Sara remembered how beautiful it looked in her vision and it hurt that it was just a memory. 
“Ready?” Charlie asked and was quickly met with yeses and eager tones from everyone else. She flipped the switch and Sara heard everyone oh and awe, but the lights didn't make a difference to her. 
“Okay now the bells,” Ray said, his usual excitement filling his voice. 
“What bells?” Sara asked, but before anyone could respond, the sound of bells playing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ rang through the Parlor. It reminded Sara of the chocolate kisses commercial and she peeked out of Ava’s shoulder with a smile. The music continued before someone lowered the volume to a gentle jingle.
“We got it for you, so you can hear the tree,” Mona said wiggling in to wrap her arms around Sara's waist and giving her a side hug, soon everyone joined in for a Legend's family hug.
“Thank you, guys,” Sara said, her voice soft as she listened to the bells. It was sweet of them to think of that for her and Ava leaned in to kiss her forehead. It was the little things that they did every day for her, like the bells on the tree and making sure that Sara could enjoy things with her other senses. 
Everyone stood with their arms intertwined as they watched and listened to the tree. They all settled into the Christmas spirit. With the fire burning, it was warm like Christmas, it smelled like Christmas and now it sounded like Christmas. As an adult Christmas didn't always seem like Christmas did when you were a kid, but somehow the Legends always found a way to make every holiday they celebrated special.
……………………………………………………………………
Regardless of her birthday Christmas morning had always been special to Sara especially when she was with Ava. Ava would always wake her up with breakfast in bed and kisses on her forehead. Sara enjoyed the quiet time alone with her before they joined the rest of the Legends for the Christmas presents and brunch.
This morning Sara woke up to Ava's lips on her lips. Sara instantly smiled into the kiss as Ava hummed against her lips. Ava pulled back and brought Sara's hands up to feel the lace babydoll that she was wearing. Sara trailed her fingers over Ava’s lace covered skin before she picked up the flowing tool. Although she couldn't see it the feeling of it between her fingertips was enough for Sara to thoroughly enjoy it.
It wasn't something that Ava was usually comfortable wearing. She preferred to stick to boxer shorts and tank tops, but after they had both surprised each other with lace lingerie and Ava had grown more comfortable wearing it. Since then she had occasionally worn it, but the lace lingerie was for Sara's eyes only.
“Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday, Captain Lance,” Ava's husky voice rang in her ear as Ava kissed her neck. 
Sara pulled Ava over on top of her. Feeling her girlfriend's weight on top of her as Ava’s taller form settled above her. 
“Is this one of my presents?” Sara asked as she smiled and played with the lace tool
“It is,” Ava said, guiding Sara's hands up to feel every inch of what she was wearing. “Do you like it?”
“Yes,” Sara eagerly said, before she pulled Ava in for a kiss and stripped off her sleep shirt.
After Sara had thoroughly enjoyed Ava in her lace babydoll outfit. They put on the matching pair of pajamas, which Ava told her were red and white striped, with green trim. Sara didn't mind them as they were soft and warm flannel, that smelled like cinnamon and frankincense, no doubt at Zari's hand. They walked hand in hand into the Parlor and Sara smiled as she heard the bells get louder the closer they got. 
Everyone was there already, talking among themselves as Ray passed around cups of coffee. Rey spotted them as they came up the stairs and put the warm mug in Sara's hand. She could smell the dash of nutmeg and cream he had on top and it made her smile. 
“Stop shaking your presents,” Ava said as she heard Nate try to shake one of the boxes. 
“Yes Ma'am,” Nate said, hurrying to put it back under the tree. 
Ava went over to help Nora and Mick move the furniture around so they could all sit in a circle. Sara stood off to the side and Charlie came over and put a hand on Sara’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
“She did great last night and she’s so cuddly Ava will love her. I’ll bring her out when you're ready!” Charlie said, slipping the box into her pocket.
“Thank you, Charlie.”
Charlie gave a little squeal which was unusual for them, but Sara found herself squealing as well. The surprise Sara had for Ava was definitely squealing worthy. Charlie squeezed Sara’s shoulder and walked back over to Zari. Sara moved to sit on the couch and wait for everyone to get set up, as Nate and Behrad started sorting through the presents.
In the past Christmas, it was usually a chaos of gifts and Legends each opening everything in a disarray of wrapping paper and string strung around the Parlor. Recently they had adopted a new and more organized tradition from Ava. Once everyone had their piles of presents in front of them and they all settled in their chairs with mugs of coffee. Ava sat down and snuggled up next to her, kissing her cheek.
“Okay, who's first?” Sara said as she wrapped her arms around Ava’s waist, leaning into her.
“Astra should go first, it is her first Christmas after all,” Constantine piped up and most of the legends' verbally agreed.
“For the record, this is super weird,” Astra said as Sara heard her pick up one of the gifts from her pile. There was a rustling of wrapping paper and tearing as she opened it and everyone waited to see her response. Astra let out a small gasp that Sara barely heard as she opened the box. 
“It's that dragon shaped knife she wanted,” Ava whispered to her as Sara nodded. 
“It's beautiful,” Astra whispered, and as Sara heard her pick up the knife and unsheath the blade. “Thank you, John.”
“Oh yeah well it's nothing,” John said, trying to brush it off as Sara heard Zari lean in and kiss his cheek and whisper to him.
“Me next,” Nate said, tearing off the paper and opening his gift from Ray.
They continued like that, going around in a circle until everyone had opened all their gifts. Ava had described to her what they all got but Sara was surprised how many times she could guess what it was, with a little help from her vision. 
Finally, Ava got to the gift Sara had gotten her and Sara smiled as she tore off the wrapping paper. Ava smiled and thanked her for the serial killer's coloring book. However, she paused as she picked up the Pegasus stuffed animal that Sara had got her.
“Babe, what is this?” Ava asked, leaning in and whispering to her. 
“It's a Pegasus. You said you wanted one, remember?” Sara said, raising an eyebrow at her.
It took Ava a moment, but then she laughed and put her arm around Sara leaning in to kiss her forehead. “This isn't exactly what I meant when I said that I wanted a Pegasus.”
“Yeah well apparently the real things are just as bad as Unicorns so I figured this would be better,” Sara said running her fingers over the soft fabric of the stuffed animal.
“Well thank you,” Ava said, squeezing Sara's waist.
“You're welcome,” Sara said with a smirk that Ava quickly wiped off her lips with a kiss.
“Okay now open mine,” Ava said easily eagerly, wiggling as she placed a small, but heavy and long box and Sara's lap. 
The room grew quiet as the Legend stopped chatting and Sara wondered what it could be as she tore off the paper. She lifted the lid off of the box and ran her fingers along the edge before she pulled out a single pole the length of her forearm. She ran her fingers over it, taking it in before she found a small metal button on one end. Ava pushed her to stand and Sara moved a few feet away and held it out in front of her as she pressed the button. 
The pole expanded and Sara realized that it wasn't just a pole, it was both a bo staff and a cane. She could use it to see her surroundings and defend herself. Sara smiled as she swung it around, trying it out. It easily glided through the air and she tapped it on the ground with one end hitting the floor. The vibrations went up the pole and into Sara's hands. Instantly she knew that she had hit both the parlors wooden floor and a bit of wrapping paper that had been strewn there. She wasn't sure how she knew what the staff had hit, she just knew. 
“Do you like it?” Ava asked eagerly awaiting Sara’s response. “It's a fully compressible bo staff and cane and the vibration you're feeling will tell you what you're hitting on the ground. All of us have been working on making it for you.”
“Ahem,” Behrad coughed.
“Okay, well mostly Behrad has been working on it, but everyone had a hand in it. Behrad, Ray, and I designed it, Mick, Mona, and Charlie helped us make it, Nora used her magic to help make it work and Zari wrapped it.”
“Thank you guys,” Sara said as she pressed the button on the end again and it easily compacted back into a simple pole. She turned around and reached out for Ava who grabbed her hand and pulled her in to sit on her lap.
“You really like it?” Ava asked, leaning her forehead against Sara’s.
“I love it,” Sara said, putting her hands on Ava’s cheeks and feeling her eyelashes flutter on her fingers.
“Good,” Ava said, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss before they turned around and watched everyone else open the rest of their presents. 
There was a pile of wrapping paper in the middle of the Parlor as everyone kicked it away to play with their gifts. Sara leaned into Ava's arms and listened to the Jingle Bells on the tree and felt Ava's warm lips against her forehead.
Sara rubbed her hand up Ava’s leg and patted it three times. Then waited to hear Charlie get up and walk over to them. 
“Hey, Captain do you want any hot chocolate?” Charlie asked as they came around and put a hand on her shoulder.
“That would be great, thank you, Charlie,” Sara said, sending them a wink that she hoped Ava wouldn't see as she heard Charlie scurry away.
Ava was completely unaware of the surprise there was for her and Sara smiled as she leaned against her, biting her lip knowing that her smile would give it away in a minute. It didn't take long for Sara to hear Charlie come back as they came up behind them and placed the box in Ava's lap. 
“What's this?” Ava asked as Sara sat back and put a hand on her shoulder. 
“It's your last Christmas gift,” Sara said, trying to keep her excitement under wraps as and she could hear how the room went quiet around her. Of course, all the Legends were in on it. 
Nonetheless, Ava took the lid off of the box and Sara heard her gasp as the tiny cat meowed. The kitten that is mostly gray with patches of white and meowed before she heard Ava pick her up and hold her close. All of the Legends cooed and came closer Sara had caught them playing with the kitten last night and they were all very much smitten with her.
“Oh my goodness Sara,” Ava said, breathed out as the cat meowed again. “But you hate cats.”
“I don't hate cats,” Sara said, leaning in and holding Ava’s hand against your cheek. “I just don't prefer them but I know that you love them and we all agreed that she would be the perfect pet on the Waverider.”
“Oh my goodness,” Ava said again, as Sara could hear the kitten begin to purr in her arms as Ava laughed.
Sara ran her fingers along the cat's back as the cat arched its back up to meet her fingers. Sara then pulled the collar from her pocket and handed it to Ava.
“What do you want to name her?” Sara said already knowing the answer as Ava had a list of names she loved.
“Nicole Haught,” Ava sheepishly whispered. 
“Everyone, met Nicole,” Sara said as she clipped the collar with Nicole’s name around their neck and the little bell rang as the cat scratched at it. 
“Thank you,” Ava said, reaching out to cup Sara’s face.
Sara smiled and moved away as Ava’s hand slipped off her face as she got down on one knee.
“Oh my God,” Ava said, getting up and standing in front of her as Sara quickly took her hand.
“Ava Sharpe,” Sara said, taking a deep breath. It was hard for her not to get choked up. 
Ava meant so much to her and she wanted this to be perfect. There were a hundred things that Sara could say about how Ava always tried to be there for her, to listen to her, and Sara wanted her to know how much it meant to her to have Ava’s help as she Sara adjusted to being blind over the past year, but Ava already knew all this. She didn't need some big speech, all she needed was for Sara to ask. 
“Will please marry me?”
“Yes,” Ava said, choking on her tears as she held her hand out for Sara. She slipped the ring on Ava’s fingers. It was a simple gold band that was engraved with intricate Nordic runes that reminded Sara of their first date.
All of the Legends cheered and clapped as Sara stood up and pulled Ava in for a kiss. Although it wasn't New Year's, Sara felt an explosion as they kissed. It was electric and exciting. They let their lips linger against each other until Nicole meowed in between them and Ava pulled back to pet her head.
“What does my ring say?”
“Co-Captains for life.” 
“Thank you,” Ava whispered against Sara’s lips kissing her again and Sara let her lips smile against her as Ava moaned into her lips, to the hoots and whistles of the Legends.
……………………………………………………………………
“Okay, ready?” Ava asked as she guided Sara down to sit in her seat at the table in the kitchen of the Waverider.
“Yes,” Sara said, wiggling excitedly as she felt the heat from the birthday candles rise up and touch her cheeks. 
“Okay everyone, happy birthday to you,” Ava started singing and the rest of the Legend quickly joined in as Sara smiled. 
She could smell the pink sugar frosting and had to resist the urge to dip her fingers in the cake in front of her knowing that Ava would slap her and away.
“Happy birthday dear Sara, happy birthday to you,” everybody finished singing and clapped as Sara leaned down to blow out her candles. 
“Happy birthday baby,” Ava said, leaning down to wrap her arms around her shoulders to hug Sara from behind. 
Sara leaned in to reach for a frosting flower but was surprised when she fell Ava’s finger smear frosting all over her nose. Sara laughed and turned her head to spread the frosting from her nose on to Ava’s cheeks. 
“Sara!” Ava shrieked and laughed as Sara kissed her cheek and licked the frosting off. 
“Umm Happy birthday to me,” Sara said, licking her lips. 
Ava trailed her hands down Sara's chest teasing her while the rest of the legends cut the cake and slipping her hands around Sara’s inner thighs. Sara's breath hitched as Ava's fingers brushed against her center.
“Save that attitude for later Miss Lance,” Ava whispered in her ear. Happy birthday indeed.
……………………………………………………………………
(I just want them to get married already!)
27 notes · View notes
lady-of-disdain · 4 years
Note
If you're so bothered by a cartoon ship (which... no words) still don't understand why you take it out on shippers, not like you could do much about the studio anyway, they don't care, as they should, but then being on our ass is entirely pointless... maybe that's the problem at the same time, maybe to some extent you do realise no one cares so you've decided persecuting a bunch of fan creators and consumers would be the next best thing. That said I feel it's imperative to point out, we're not Sunrise, we're not the ones with the power to shape this story, so you bullying us is frankly just devoid of any meaning other than raw intent for violence. At the very least admit that and drop the pretences, it's the only thing you've done after all, one would have to be blind not to see it.
If you're afraid a puny ship might be canon, and whatever you've twisted it to mean for you, take it up with the studio, alternatively with god since you're so into fictive characters over real life. Come to think of it didn't you guys have a friend that has a friend working at the studio? How come you're still so insecure? Why don't you tell the friend of the friend to influence the plot? Why hasn't this friend of a friend provided any other inside scoops to make themselves credible? Questions, questions.
Either way, hurting shippers will achieve nothing, we were gonna ship no matter the canon status of the ship, and I pity you people who think that shipping something has to be done because you want something canon, as opposed to just... for fun... but maybe that comes naturally with being pathetic, anyway, the possibility of it becoming canon now has nothing to do with us. Even less so as Westerners, if audience even has any sort of influence in all this, it would be the Japanese one way before it would be any Western one. Appreciate you giving us so much importance, but we don't need it, and we're just not really as important as you attribute, we'd just love it if you stopped hurting people over cartoons. You made something gruesome out of a fairy tale, that's on you, that's your problem, and we'd all be better off if you found a way to deal with that didn't rely on abusing others.
Honey, are you lost? I think there was maybe a different blog this rant was supposed to be sent to but I got it by mistake. Because I have no worldly idea what you are talking about in about half of this ask.
The first thing that confuses me: that I’m apparently “taking it out on shippers”, “ persecuting”, and “bullying” them? Please show me your receipts. I’ve literally never directly initiated contact with a sessrin blog. Hell, the one time I considered answering a post made by a pro blog, it was going to be in direct response to a question they posed in the anti tag, directed towards antis, and it turns out I couldn’t even answer the post because the user had most of the anti community blocked. (Silly, I know, but this is what we’ve been dealing with so what can I say.) Any time I want to respond to a sessrin argument that wasn’t directed to me anyways, I would usually screenshot it and blackout the names.
I can count on one hand the times I’ve even posted in the same thread as pro sessrin blogs, and in those cases, I either A) didn’t directly call out the other blog/blogs that were posting in the same thread as me, or @ them, or B) was only even interacting in said post because pro shippers were piling on and harassing people in the thread, and I was simply pointing out that there were shippers in said thread acting fools. The only time I ever even pointed out a particular blog I did it via screenshot and did it to keep a record of a blog that was admitting to flagging our posts as spam. 
If you would like to see proof of my interactions, all you have to do is check the #receipts tags on my blog, you’ll find all of my interactions conveniently tagged. (Oh and don’t worry, I’ll get back to that receipts tag shorty.)
The second thing you said that confuses me, that I have a “friend that has a friend working at the studio”? What (and I can’t stress this enough) the FUCK, are you talking about? 
I.....have never made this claim? Where have I ever said this, where have I ever reblogged this? I’ve never even read this? I need some clarification here, because either you are from an alternate timeline where I’m living a much cooler life, or like I said, you have the wrong blog.
~
Anyways, regardless of the fact that I’m pretty sure you sent this to the wrong person, I guess I can render a response to the base question you seem to be asking here: Why argue with shippers?
Really, at the end of the day, I’m not arguing with your average shipper. Hell, there are a few blogs I even follow and interact with that have said they like sessrin content, but they understand this is not an appropriate thing for a kid's show. And I can respect that because I’ve been in the problematic ship boat in other fandoms. (Here’s a hint, in one of the fandoms that I followed content for a problematic ship in, a content creator was given cookies with sewing needles baked into them, yikes right?!)
The main message of mine and many other blogs I follow is that this ship isn’t appropriate for children’s media, and what happens is a lot of salty people come out of the woodwork who feel the need to argue and say there is nothing wrong with it, which causes us to have to list the reasons why there is indeed something wrong with it (thus why it shouldn't be in said children’s media), then what happens is people like you come at us and act like all we’ve been doing is bullying shippers, and “why don’t you just let us ship in peace!?!?!?!!!??”
In fact, I shouldn’t even be surprised that I got this ask eventually, because as I’ve pointed out in the past, the shipper argument seems to be a cyclical one.
A blogger will make a statement something along the lines that they really don’t care if people ship sessrin, but the shippers really shouldn’t be making a lot of noise to the studio that they want to see this ship in the show because kids watch it, and it’s not a great message to send to kids.
A shipper will then message the blog (usually anonymously if possible) something along the lines of you’re wrong about the ship sending a bad message to kids because of xyz, or it’s a totally normal and healthy relationship, and you’re wrong, or Yashahime isn’t for kids, etc.
The Blogger will then respond with actual evidence, a well-worded response, or even just fucking common sense (like come on, some of the mental gymnastics I’ve seen people employ to try to validate this fucking ship to us is hilarious).
The blogger will then get another message something along the lines of  “why don’t you just let us ship in peace!?!?!?!!!??”
The blogger responds with JESUS CHRIST I SAID FROM THE VERY START THAT I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SHIP I JUST DON’T WANT TO SEE IT IN A GODDAMN KIDS CARTOON”
At which point the whole process is rinsed and repeated. Congratulations you’ve just witnessed a new grey hair grow out of my fucking scalp.
However, there is a new facet to this shit gem that I’ve noticed during this whole annoying cycle, and that is the fact that a lot of pro shippers are making claims that they are being harassed by anti blogs, but I’m not seeing a lot of proof of this. And make no mistake, if I see an established anti blog being terrible, or making a false claim, I have no problem calling them out, or correcting false information. Please, feel free to screenshot proof and post it in the anti tag, and see how many other blogs won't put up with this either.
And to be clear, I don’t really count anonymous asks as harassment, because people can be sending that shit to themselves. Just like I don’t mind asks I get like this one because I naively respond to them in the hopes that maybe someone will actually understand what the argument has been about this whole time. And if I didn’t like it, turning off anon magically gets rid of it, so *shrug*.
No, I’m talking about actual, out in the open harassment, or shitty behavior. 
Like oh say, Patreon art being reposted in a discord server, then when a good samaritan reports the art theft they are harassed by their fellow discord members. 
Or maybe the ongoing flagging and harassment campaigns that are going on over almost all online social media platforms. 
Or how about the time some people tried to start a Twitter smear campaign against a voice actor who has some opinions about their ship they don’t like.
Yeah, remember how I said I’ve got a receipts tag. I see ya’ll.
35 notes · View notes
splendidlyimperfect · 4 years
Link
When Gray wakes up one night with a voice in his head, the last thing he expects is to suddenly be sharing a body with a demon. Natsu is nothing like Gray expected, though. He's surprisingly charming, and more concerned about getting Gray to eat vegetables than he is with taking over the world. Since Gray can't push him away like he does with everyone else, he begrudgingly accepts Natsu's place in his life - for now. But when Natsu ends up needing Gray's help, what started out as an inconvenience turns into a road trip - and a friendship - that changes Gray's life.
Tumblr media
written for @fuckyeahgratsu​ gratsu weekend 2021 event 
day 3 (super late but still!); prompt: consume
Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 Fandom: Fairy Tail Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster Characters: Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Lyon Vastia, Mard Geer Tartarus Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Humor, Adventure, Demonic Possession, but the good kind, demon Natsu, References to Depression, Depressed Gray, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Sort Of, Road Trips, Falling In Love, Natsu's not an evil demon, he really just wants to take care of Gray, Gray sucks at feelings
-----
“Let me get this straight.” Lyon stared at Gray from where he stood in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and boxers. “You want me to help you find a demon, then exorcise that demon so that the other demon inside of you – that I apparently summoned while drunk – can get back into his body.”
“He’s not very bright, is he?” Natsu said. “I told you he was a shitty warlock.”
Gray snorted and Lyon raised an eyebrow. “He says you’re a shitty warlock,” Gray explained. “And yes, that’s exactly what I need you to do. Can you help me or not?”
Lyon stared at Gray, then moved closer until they were nearly nose-to-nose and peered into his eyes. “I don’t believe you,” he said eventually.
“Why the hell would I lie about this?”
“’cause you probably just took something you shouldn’t have last night and you’re still hallucinating.”
Continue reading on AO3
Gray groaned in exasperation. “You’re the one who did the goddamn spell!” Then he glared at Lyon, adding, “Why did you do it, anyway?”
“Ex,” Natsu reminded him. Gray’s eyes flicked up to his blurry reflection in the microwave. Natsu’s image was standing directly behind him, so close he almost had his chin on Gray’s shoulder. The look in his eyes was somewhere between disgust and amusement.
“You were pissed at Loke, weren’t you?” Gray asked. Lyon’s scowl gave him the confirmation he was looking for. “You seriously tried to summon a demon to… what, beat up your ex?”
“I wasn’t trying to summon a demon!” Lyon said, holding up his hands in surrender. “It was just some stupid spell from one of those forums online. It didn’t do anything.”
“Except it did.” Gray gestured vaguely to where Natsu’s reflection was behind him. “And now your stupidity is my problem.”
Lyon shook his head. “Demons aren’t even real,” he insisted. “Seriously, did you try the cookies from the top shelf of the pantry? ‘cause I’m pretty sure—”
“I’m not fucking high!” Gray snapped. He rubbed his temples where his headache was still lingering. “I’m not high,” he said again quietly. “I just want to fix this.” He looked back at Natsu’s reflection in the microwave. “Can you show him? Prove that I’m not crazy?”
Natsu hummed uncertainly, not meeting Gray’s gaze. “Yes,” he said. “But you’re not gonna like it.” Gray’s heart sunk. “I’d need to… take over,” Natsu said. “Everything. Just for a second.”
“You want me to let you…” Gray trailed off and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. All the conflicting emotions running through him – his and Natsu’s – were compounded by the heavy sense of fear that grew in his stomach.
“We can figure out something else,” Natsu said quickly. “Maybe I can—”
“It’s fine.” Gray forced the words out as he opened his eyes and looked back at Lyon’s puzzled face. “Just…” Lyon looked like he might say something, but Gray shook his head, holding up a hand. “Shut up and give me a second.”
He let out the tight breath in his chest, trying to relax the tension in his shoulders.
“I promise it’ll just be for a second,” Natsu said. He sounded regretful. “It’ll feel weird – like when I was petting the cat – but I won’t do anything scary. Well, it’ll be a bit scary for Lyon, but I’m not going to hurt you.”
Gray hesitated. Natsu had only been in his mind for less than a day, but something in Gray’s gut said that he could trust him, even if he was a demon.
“Okay, just make it quick.”
“What are you—”
Lyon’s words faded away as Gray exhaled, closing his eyes, and letting Natsu’s presence overwhelm his mind. It felt warm, like he was sitting next to a campfire and watching sparks flicker up into the sky. The tingling sensation that had filled him earlier came back in full force, leaving him feeling like his hands and feet had both fallen asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, everything looked red.
“Esaeun xnae ya qnuy.” The voice was his, but not his, rough and layered with words that felt too big and wrong for his mouth. They were unfamiliar, but somehow Gray could understand them – he’s telling the truth.
Lyon stared at Gray, eyes wide with terror. “Your eyes are glowing,” he managed.
“Yes. I’m a demon. They do that.” Natsu spoke in the same infernal language, but he sounded more irritated than angry. “I also have sharp claws and could rip your heart out if I felt like it, but I just ate a cinnamon bun and I’m in a forgiving mood. Now do the damn locator spell.”
As quickly as it had taken him over, the warmth and tingling in Gray’s body disappeared, and his vision quickly returned to normal. Lyon was still standing in front of him, but the expression of disbelief was gone, and now he just looked stunned.
“You okay?” Natsu asked in his own voice in the back of Gray’s mind.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Gray reassured him. “Are you convinced now?” he asked Lyon, who nodded slowly. “Good. Now get your shit together and help me figure this out.”
~
Natsu’s body was in the middle of nowhere.  
“Well then,” Lyon said. He and Gray sat cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom and stared at the map where the black mark had settled – a little ways away from a tiny town called Belle Creek in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.
“It says only 26 people live there,” Gray said, looking at the information on his phone. “What the hell is a demon doing out in the mountains?”
“I thought he’d be somewhere big,” Natsu said. “A city, or something. Y’know, causing destruction and mayhem. Killing people. Demon stuff.”
“Maybe he’s retired,” Lyon said. Gray rolled his eyes.
“I don’t think demons retire.”
“Well, what else would he be doing in the middle of the mountains?”
“Hiding bodies?” Natsu suggested.
Gray sighed and rubbed his temples before looking back down at his phone. He flipped over to the maps and typed in ‘Belle Creek.’
“It’s ‘close,’ huh?” he said to Natsu, raising his eyebrow at the distance – nearly 45o0 kilometers. “That’s at least a three-day drive.”
“At least I got the right country!” Natsu insisted. “Three days isn’t a long time. Not when you’ve been around for almost two hundred years.”
“Well, I’ve only been around for twenty-six years,” Gray said. He looked up at Lyon, who was still staring at him with a baffled expression. “I need to borrow your car.”
“You… what?”
“Your car.” Gray shoved his phone back in his pocket and tapped the map. “I’m not taking the bus to the middle of fucking nowhere. And this is your fault, so I’m taking your car.”
“You can’t just…” Lyon looked down at the map, then back up at Gray. “What’s your plan? You’re just gonna drive out to this place and, what? Ask if anyone’s seen a demon in human skin? You don’t even know what he looks like.”
“Yes, I do.” Gray pointed to his reflection in the bedroom mirror where he could see Natsu, sitting next to him on the floor. Natsu stuck his tongue out at Gray, who rolled his eyes. “I can see him. He’ll be easy to find. Now, show me how to do an… exorcism, or whatever.”
“Or whatever?” Lyon made a sound of exasperation. “You can’t just—you have no idea what you’re doing. You don’t even have any magic! How are you gonna…”
“I’ll help,” Natsu said as Lyon continued to rant. He picked at his nails. “With the magic, I mean. I’d have to take over again, just for a little, but I could help, if you wanted. Unless you wanna bring him with you—” he gestured at Lyon “—but I doubt he’d be much help.”
Gray snorted. “I’m not spending six days in a car with this asshole,” he said, gesturing at Lyon, who stopped mid-rant and glared at him. “Just show me the spells,” Gray said. “Natsu can help me figure out the rest.”
An hour and a half later they were both back in the kitchen and Gray was shoving a handful of books and old parchments into his bag. Lyon leaned on the counter and gave Gray a serious look.
“Are you sure about this?” He hesitated, then added, “I know you haven’t been… great, not since she—”
“Shut up,” Gray said quickly, gritting his teeth. “I’ve told you a hundred times that I’m fine.” He could feel Natsu’s uncertainty as he turned away from Lyon and snatched his car keys from the hook on the wall, then grabbed the front door handle and swung it open with more force than necessary.
“Gray, I—”
“I can handle this.” Gray interrupted Lyon’s concerned words. He turned around in the doorway, doing his best to give Lyon a reassuring look. “I’ll be back in a week.”
~
Gray stood in the doorway to his bedroom, feeling the familiar sense of frustration and defeat as he stared at the piles of dirty clothes and dresser covered in empty coffee cups. He sighed, making his way to the closet, and searching for his duffle bag.
“What’s wrong?” Natsu asked. He’d been quiet the whole drive home, leaving Gray alone with his thoughts.
Gray shook his head. “Nothing. I just have to pack.” He gestured vaguely to the clothes.
“You’re sad again.”
“I’m not sad,” Gray snapped. “I’m…” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m just tired.”
“But it feels like sad,” Natsu said, sounding genuinely puzzled. Before Gray could get mad at him, he quickly added, “I’m not spying! I promise, you’re just – when your feelings are really strong, it’s hard for me to not feel them too. And I feel sad, not tired. It’s weird.”
Gray groaned, tossing the duffle bag on the bed, and rummaging through one of the piles until he found a few mostly clean shirts. As he started to pack up his toothbrush and razor, he gave in.
“My life has kinda sucked lately,” he said. He looked up into the mirror, where Natsu was meeting his gaze and listening intently. “A lot of shitty stuff happened where I used to live, and sometimes it makes me… tired. Of everything.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Gray shoved the toiletries bag into his duffle, then looked around the messy room. “It’s over and I live here now. I’m just trying to figure shit out and I don’t wanna think about any of that stuff. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Natsu was quiet as Gray headed to the front door and started to put on his shoes. Happy, who had been sleeping on the couch, stretched out and meandered over to them.
“Lyon’s gonna take care of you for a bit,” Gray said to Happy as he meowed and rubbed himself against Gray’s leg. “Feel free to bite him.”
Natsu laughed. “Can we pet him again?” he asked. “If not, that’s okay, I just—”
“Sure.” Gray ran his fingers over Happy’s head and scratched behind his ears. He registered Natsu’s surprise, then excitement, and then his arm started to tingle again. Now that he was expecting it, it wasn’t as strange. A warm sensation spread through him as he stroked Happy’s fur.
“You’re happy,” he murmured as he watched his hand with a strange detachment. Apparently feeling emotions went both ways. It was strange – the sensation of contentedness was familiar but alien at the same time.
“I love cats,” Natsu said, scratching Happy under the chin before dissolving his control over Gray’s arm. Gray stood up, looking over at Natsu’s excited expression in the mirror before shrugging on his coat.
“You ready?” he said as he shouldered the duffel bag. He spun Lyon’s keys around his fingers and let some of Natsu’s excitement take over as they headed out the door. “Let’s go get your body back.”
10 notes · View notes
degeneratekitten · 4 years
Text
What happened to Stretch?
!!!WARNING!!! Read the tags before continuing, if you don’t like any of the tags then you probably wont like it when it happens in the story! FURTHERMORE if you’ve ever experienced the loss of a child and reading something similar would upset you DON’T READ THIS STORY!
This is the story of “To Love and Cherish for as Long as I Live” told from the owners perspective.
All the tags from the previous story apply here as well, PLUS a whole other slew of them. I mean she’s got some serious baby rabies!
“Your friends Sansy was so CUTE, and your Blueberry was just as cute! You couldn't wait until they had babies together!”
When your friend first introduced you to her bitty you'd been shocked at just how cute he was. His chubby little stomach, his cute little teeth, his half lidded eyes. You’d been so jealous of your best friend for getting a Sansy so BEAUTIFUL! He had the cutest little face, and the most charming attitude ever. Of course you had to get a bitty just as cute.
Fortunately, you did come across a bitty just as cute as your friends Sansy,  Gordo. A little blueberry that had “DIMPLES!” You had no idea HOW that was possible, but you guessed that it could happen, with how flexible their skulls seemed to be.
You’d approached the little ball of sunshine as he stared, eyes shining, at a butterfly. His little dimples making themselves known as his eyelights formed stars. He had been drawing on the concrete with a worn down piece of chalk too small for a child's hand, it looked like a picture of a house, with a nondescript woman hugging him close. Your heart melted as you stared at the picture.
Approaching you knelt down to stare at the little Blueberry, before reaching your hand out and patting his little head. He shouted in surprise and dropped the chalk as he fell on his little bottom and stared at you with a little fear.
“Wh-h-who are you!” He asked, and you got a much better look at him. What you saw only made you love him even more.
He didn't have any clothes. Most wild bitties didn't, but he’d somehow managed to come across a blue ribbon that he’d wrapped around his neck. It was crooked and filthy but also very well taken care of, as if it was a cherished gift. It was like he was a little present waiting for you to come along.
You smiled lovingly at the little bitty, and pointed to the chalk drawing on the sidewalk. “Is that your mommy?” You asked, prodding, making sure that he wasn't a lost or abused bitty.
The little blueberry looked at where you were pointing with a little wariness before answering. “I don’t have a mommy.” He answered, as he gripped the ribbon around his neck. “Stretch says we don’t need a mom, we have each other!” He exclaimed, and you assumed that this Stretch was his brother. Wild bitties tended to come in pairs, you were sure that he was talking about his counterpart, a lil bro bitty. They were often called Stretch, they were also incredibly wary of anyone interacting with their brother and didn’t trust easily. If you adopted this blueberry you’d find a way to get a hold of the lil bro too, no reason to separate siblings.
You chuckled, and shook your head. “But then who will give you food?” You asked, watching as the blueberry suddenly started salivating before continuing. “Or give you kisses? Or play games with you?” You prodded, watching as the little blueberry stared at you with longing. He stared at you, shifting on both feet, getting antsy, and you could tell that he desperately wanted all the things you were saying. You only continued, further fanning the flames of this little Blueberries desires.
“And what about clothes? Who’s going to give you nice fluffy clothes after a nice warm bath? Or cookies?! Who will bake you cookies?! Or sing to you?”  You watched as the little blueberry started to tear up a little, he held on to his ribbon like his life depended on it, you supposed he only needed one more push to be convinced.
“And at the end of the day who’s going to tuck you in?” You finished, watching as the blueberry burst into tears. You took that chance to scoop him up, bringing him to your neck.
“I want a moooooommmmmmy!’ He cried breaking your heart with how desperate he sounded, this had been your goal but you still felt a little bad.
“There there. I suppose if you want, I’ll be your mommy?” You stated, listening as his sobs lessened before holding him in front of your face.
“R-rrrrr-really?” He asked, staring at you with wonder.
You nodded. “Of course! I’ll cherish you for as long as I live!”
----
It didn't take long for the blueberry to settle in. You named him Dooby, which he loved, but of course he seemed to love everything you did.
You quickly introduced him to your friend and her Sansy, and when you saw the two of them playing so sweetly together you just knew that they would make the best pair! Their babies would be so cute!
You mentioned this to your best friend, who also, was incredibly excited about the idea. The two of you started scheming, and quickly had a plan of action.
---
The hardest part had been syncing their heats up. It had required a lot of medicine mixed into their food to make it happen. You made sure they met with each other often enough, and left them alone just as much as well. The always played nicely together and everything was going just as planned. The only problem arose when Dooby disappeared during his heat. You didn't worry though, the only bitty he knew aside from Gordo had been his brother, and you were working really hard on finding him. Unfortunately Dooby was surprisingly tight lipped about where he lived, and you found it hard to get the information out of him.
Then the best thing happened. Just after Dooby had finished his latest heat, you saw the first signs. Dooby didn't notice at first, but you did. You shared the news with your best friend much to her delight. That was also when you finally learned that Stretch wasn't Dooby’s brother, he’d been a good friend of Dooby’s. You’d been a little disappointed at that news, as you’d been looking forward to seeing how cute Dooby’s brother would be. No matter, you’d still find him, and make sure he had a good home. After all he’d taken such good care of Dooby until you arrived.
----
Dooby’s tendency to sneak out however, made you a little upset, he didn't know he was pregnant yet (somehow) and you had to be a little stricter about it too. You didn't want the little baby to get hurt, after all it was sure to be the cutest thing in the world if its parents were anything to go by.
Unfortunately, when you saw Dooby coming home without his pajama’s saying how we loved Stretch and Stretch was the baby’s daddy, something seemed to snap. You’d worked so hard to make sure that Gordo and Dooby would have a baby and he went and WHORED AROUND?!
You were so angry that you ended up pulling out a hamster cage and confining Dooby to it. You ended up calling to rant to your best friend. She was understandably upset too, and in the end the two of you agreed that you’d sell the baby and get rid of this Stretch so the next one wasn't a failure.
---
You still tried to get the information of where Stretch was from Dooby, but it turned out that the reason he was so tight lipped was because he was terrible about giving directions. All he ever did was point in the direction he was in. Which was absolutely no help. You were getting so frustrated, and it wasn't until he gave you the family portrait that you finally got what you wanted.
---
You were on the phone the whole time Dooby gave you directions. You had the humane society on the other line. They were incredibly interested to hear about the colony of bitties that you had uncovered, and you were sure not to spare any details about them. Dooby didn't seem to notice that you were planning on having all his old neighbors captured, and it was a good thing he didn't as he would have hated you if he knew.
Even as you set him down to go get his “Stretch” you made danm sure to ask them to get “every” last bitty in the colony. As they were “such a nuisance.”
You hung up the phone just as Dooby came out of an old box holding hands with the FILTHIEST bitty on the planet. You were sure your smile looked funny as you stared at the heart eyelights the little HOMEWRECKER eyed you with.  You had an idea what Dooby had told the thing and were devising a way to “lose” him on the way back home when you were pleasantly surprised when he asked to say goodbye to his friends. You hurriedly agreed and made sure Dooby stayed behind with you. It was just as well too, as the bitty truck had just pulled up. You supposed it was time to go for lunch.
---
Coming back to an area free of bitties was incredibly satisfying. You felt pleased with yourself as you stared at the cleaned up area. No bitties to distract your little cutie-pie, and best of all NO Stretch to knock him up. All you had to do was lay it on real thick that Stretch had abandoned Dooby for him to completely turn on him. Really it was such a relief, you couldn't wait until he gave birth so you could get rid of the little nuisance and put this whole mess behind you.
---
Dooby started to near his due date, and wouldn't stop his chatter about watching the baby grow up. You rolled your eyes and kept your mouth shut about how that would never happen. You just relished in your victory as you watched him scratch Stretch’s face from all of his drawings.
You made sure to line up a buyer for the baby, and made sure he was on speed dial to take the little thing away as soon as he was out. You wouldn't tolerate a hideous baby in your house. Not now, not ever.
----
Just as Dooby was about to give birth you made a stop by the shelter. You had one more loose end to clean up so that there would be smooth sailing ahead.
You made sure to look through all the bitties in your search for him, and found yourself grinning when you found him.
There he was, decidedly less filthy but still a hideous sight to behold. Stretch looked happy to see you, and even as he caught your eye you could see those stupid heart lights. He looked looked at you like you were the answer to his prayers. 
---
The shelter let you walk away with him for free, as you’d explained that he was your current bittys lover from before you rescued him. They were a sucker for the story and were eager to help you “reunite them.” If only they knew.
You walked away only having to pay a fee for his new clothes. Of course you had no intention of taking him home, and instead walked into a dark alley, grimacing at the feel of the lil bro clinging to your thumb. He decided to speak at that moment, looking up at you shyly, those stupid eyelights boring into your skull.
“So I’ll get to be a family with Blue?” He’d asked, and you’d sighed at him. 
“If you think that you’re even stupider than I thought.” You replied, as you started to strip him of the nice clothes you paid for, he wasn't going to need them and they would sell nicely on ebay.
“But blue said--” He started, but you didn't let him finish, as you dropped him to the ground and swiftly stomped on his skull. It immediately turned to dust, no mess as he floated away into the wind. You smiled at yourself, pleased that he would never be bothering you again.
---
Of course your good mood was short lived until you got home. Where you saw Dooby, naked as the day he was born, snuggling with a tiny blue baby.
You grimaced at the sight, and quickly separated the two, you didn't want this thing anywhere near your cute little Dooby. Putting it on a handkerchief you speed dialed the buyer, and within minutes you had handed over a crying little infant, and received 200 dollars in return. Really it was only fair, after all the hardship you’d gone through to fix this little problem. 
The only thing left was to make sure that Gordo filled the void left by both Stretch and the baby in Dooby’s heart.
Calling your best friend, you made sure to tell her to clear Gordo’s schedule for the next few days. Dooby was going to need him. Although, you had to end the call short when you heard Dooby screaming for his baby.
Ugh, when would this end. You supposed it was only right to rip off the bandage now. So with a giddy look you turned to Dooby and made damn sure that he was in a wrecked enough emotional state for Gordo to rescue him from.
“Your baby’s gone. He’s never coming back!” You laughed, then grimaced as soon as the screaming started. The things you would do for a cute baby.
45 notes · View notes
agent-breakdance · 4 years
Text
(Icarus Ch. 1) - Game On
Tumblr media
Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F! MC (Olivia Anika Cohen)
Word count: 1.3k words
A/N: Hey everyone! This is the first ever chapter I’ve written so saying that I’m terrified is a huge understatement. This series will be pretty fast paced and severely ANGSTY so I hope you guys like it! A huge thank you to my beta @deliciouslydeafeningstarlight for putting up with my ridiculous ideas and rants!
Warning: Language
Disclaimer: PB owns characters. There’s lots of Grey’s Anatomy and Friends references with some dialogue borrowed from Open Heart.
Tag list: @deliciouslydeafeningstarlight @drethanramslay @ohramsey @theeccentricbibliophile @justanotherrookie @kaavyaethanramsey @batgirlassociationofgothamcity @tyrilstarfury @lilypills @juneiswriting @fleur-de-jasmin-fdj @mvalentine @sanchita012 @choicesstan1 @junggoku @aylamreads @whatsamottowithyou @utterlyinevitable​ @openheart12​
Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.
Song: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.
She stepped out of the car and her eyes swept over the tall imposing structure in front of her.
Johns Hopkins University.
As she walked across the sprawling campus, she thought about the events of the previous years. She felt her chest tighten. Her heart started to race and fill with guilt. Her thoughts took her right back to the battlefield.
The campus was a different side of the same coin. The battlefield wasn’t new to her whatsoever. She had to work hard to survive. She couldn’t afford to fuck up. 
Not then. Not now. 
The consequences were the same. If she fucked up, people died. 
The only difference? 
There, she faced immediate repercussions but here, they would be long and drawn out, haunting her for the entirety of her career as a doctor.
 Her mind flooded with doubt as she started to question her own competence but before she could shake herself out of it, she collided with someone. She managed to catch herself just before face planting and looked up to see a tall, stone-faced figure looming over her with a copy of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. He had been so engrossed in the book that he had failed to see her coming. 
He looked at her with slight concern, his brow creasing almost imperceptible to most but her sharp senses picked up on it. He immediately schooled his features to a scowl and snapped at her, “Watch where you’re going. I suppose I should have listened to my father when he said the admissions standards are in decline here.” He gave her a withering look before he stalked away. 
She muttered under her breath…. “Jerk.”
Picking up her bags, she made her way to the dorm. She got her phone out and quickly checked her room number. She stood outside the door to her shared room and chanted softly, almost like a prayer…… “Please don’t be a bitch…please don’t be a bitch.”
Apparently, the walls (and door) were thin because a cheery voice called out to her from inside, “You know, I was just thinking the same thing about you…”
Olivia cursed under her breath and opened the door with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I didn’t know the walls were so thin.” 
“That’s quite alright. I was just praying that you weren’t a shark.”
“Excuse me?!” 
“We students gotta stick together right? This whole program was designed to push us to our limits. We won’t get through unless we have each other’s backs! Sharks only look out for Number 1. But what they don’t realize is that there’s safety in numbers. So let’s be dolphins!”
Olivia burst out laughing. “So long as I don’t have to make dolphin noises.”
She held out her hand. 
“Olivia Cohen.”
She was quickly smothered in a hug by her roommate. 
“So nice to meet you! I’m Sienna Trinh.”
As they pulled out of their hug, Sienna fetched a box and held it open for Olivia. 
“Chocolate chip cookies!”, she said. 
Olivia gave her a broad smile. “Oh we’re gonna get along just fine...”
***
Seeing as how Sienna had already been there for a week, she offered to give Olivia a tour of the campus. Olivia agreed though there wasn’t a single part of the campus or the university that she hadn’t thoroughly researched.
As they wandered through the campus, she spotted him. He seemed to be engaged in light conversation with another person. As Olivia looked on, details caught her eye. The reasonable space between them and his relaxed, unguarded stance would suggest that he was with a friend. “So he does have friends… surprising, considering the stick up his ass”, she thought to herself.
“Who has a stick up his ass?”, Sienna asked. That shook Olivia from her thoughts. “Wait…did I just say that out loud?”
“Have you guys met already?” 
“Yup. Mr. Stick up his ass was actually the first person I met here.” She quickly explained their encounter.  
“Whoa… he’s a Grade A Shark for sure.”
They both laugh. Olivia glances over at him, only to be greeted by his stern narrowed eyes staring right at her. Sienna grabs her hand and pulls her along, away from his gaze.
***
He walked around campus completely absorbed in the book he was reading when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
“Ethan Jonah Ramsey, do you ever not read?”
Ethan looked up and saw his best friend of three years, Tobias Carrick. They had done pre med together. Tobias and Ethan were always complete opposites. Tobias had always been the fun-loving one and Ethan, the wet blanket but Tobias had managed to lead him astray once in a while.
“And what, end up like you? Not a chance.”
“You’d be lucky to end up like this.” He gestured to his body. 
“Anyways, did you meet anyone else yet or are you determined to keep your total friend count at 1 forever?”
Ethan’s eyes shifted slightly as he thought back to his morning encounter but he focused back into the present and smirked. “If it were up to me, it’d be 0, Carrick.”
“Call the doctor, I’ve been wounded. I suppose that’ll be us soon enough… Still we should try to find you some more friends.” Tobias starts pointing at random students. “What about him or her or her?” 
Ethan’s eyes follow his finger as they land on the final person he points at.
 It’s her. 
He narrows his eyes at her and regards her disdainfully as her eyes meet his. His frown starts to dissolve just as she is dragged away by her friend. A flash of regret passes by his face but it’s gone just as fast as it appeared. 
Tobias seems oblivious to this exchange as he keeps rattling on.
***
Soon enough, it’s time for orientation.
Sienna and Olivia make their way to the auditorium which was filled to the brim with the excited chattering of med students.
Amidst the horde of people, Olivia spots a handsome guy waving them over. There’s an air of confidence around him. Sienna leads them over and they take the two seats next to him. 
He extends a hand, giving her a playful wink. “Bryce Lahela aka the hottest med student here.”
Olivia rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile at his confidence.
“Olivia Cohen.” 
Sienna chimed in. “Hey Bryce, where’s the rest of the gang?”
“They’ll be here soon. Went off campus for breakfast.”
“Wait. You two know each other? And there’s a gang? How late am I?” 
“Relax Liv. We all got here way too early and bonded over our soon to be med school debt.” 
“Liv? Nicknames already?”
Bryce winked at her. “I work fast.”
Soon, the rest of the gang arrived but before introductions could be made, the Dean, Dr. Paul Rothman took the stage and a hush settled over the entire crowd.  
He started to speak. “This is the beginning for you. The four years you spend here will be the best and worst of your life. More will be demanded of you than you’ve ever experienced. You will be pushed to your limits and your job here is to soak every ounce of knowledge like a sponge. But, medicine is never limited to what is taught to you. You must be able to think for yourself and use what is taught to you as a guide and not a rule book. The human body is unpredictable. You must be willing to alter and adapt yourself to groove with it.
Some of you will buckle under the pressure; some of you will quit.  But some…some of you will thrive. 
This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play? That’s up to you.”
As soon as the speech was over, the students looked around familiarizing themselves with their competition. 
Olivia turned to her right and she saw him regarding her with his piercing blue eyes, almost as if he was assessing her threat level. A smirk formed on both their faces at the same time, like they were thinking the same thing…
Game on.
Chapter 2: Rookie Mistakes
78 notes · View notes