#it's a ''teammates on the same mission'' story for a very long time in their minds rather than a brotherhood story

[silverwhittlingknife]

#dick & tim saying things to each other but not necessarily being honest #but their body language is and they almost always implicitly understand each other despite the surface semi-dishonesty

#bc like#the nature of tim's origin being that he SEES and KNOWS dick#means that tim usually understands dick even when dick doesn't necessarily want to be understood

#and dick's being brought back into the batfold through tim means that dick has a vested interest in seeing exactly how tim has grown#moreso than anyone else. prodigal and after was like. tim confiding in dick in a way he doesn't do with others

#so dick has this implicit understanding of how he thinks tim is#(bc dick knows all the stuff like the issues with tim's dad that bruce will brush off d/t bruce's own blind spot when it comes to parents)#(eventually getting to the pre-brentwood where tim is complaining to dick about his dad sending him away and and how he doesn't like it)

#(meanwhile with bruce it's more about the mission vs. tim's personal feelings)

#so they reach this comfortable spot of they think they know each other and don't need to worry (?)#and then something happens that highlights how they are people who have their own agendas they will prioritize then and BOOM. conflict.

tags via @scintillyyy

A Lonely Place of Dying [New Titans #60] // The Grail [Red Robin #4]

At the beginning and end of Tim's run as Robin, Dick is forced to choose whether or not to trust Tim's wild theory that Bruce Wayne needs to be saved.

[overtake]

⁴⁹⁾ a doorbell sounding in the middle of the night 👀

49 for this prompt list

All things considered, Daniel has a very healthy sleep schedule for a guy that jets off to a new country almost every single week. Someone advised him years ago to implement the same wind-down ritual before bed no matter where he was in the world. Daniel hasn’t always been great about routine — he needs 3 reminders on his phone just to remember his vitamins every morning — but he has this shit down to a science.

He’s three steps in when his night gets thrown for a loop.

He’s carefully moisturized his chronically dry elbows. The corners of his eyes are shiny with wrinkle cream so expensive that even he winces at the price. He’s spritzed the pillow he brings on every trip with a lavender spray. He’s just getting ready to slip under the sheets, throw one leg over a hotel pillow, and drift off to a new episode of his favourite UFC podcast when the little hotel room doorbell rings.

He pauses for a second, then continues to pull back the sheets. Surely someone just has the wrong room.

The stupid doorbell rings again, and he’s pretty sure he audibly groans. He throws his phone on the spot where his body should already be lying and stuffs his feet into the little hotel-provided slippers. He has no one to blame but himself — he forgot to turn on the stupid privacy setting in the room to stop the doorbell from chiming.

He puts on a neutral face, lest it be some poor hotel or team employee forced to deliver him an urgent message, and opens the door.

“Hi, Daniel.”

Max barrels inside. In the 2.5 years they’ve been teammates, his shoulders have slightly widened. He’s still lean, but Daniel can see his body taking on a broader, more adult form, and he uses the slight size advantage to push past Daniel.

“Hello?” Daniel says, confused. Max is a man on a mission. He heads straight to the balcony door, pushes aside the thick blackout curtain and the gauzy ones underneath to unlock the handle and patter onto the small space.

“Can I help you with something?” Daniel asks. He wanders over and peeks his head out, but keeps his nice, clean slippers safely inside. There’s a slight breeze in the night air, and Daniel pulls back inside with a slight shiver.

Max is bent over, picking something up. He’s in a very wrinkled shirt and a pair of shorts that look far too small for him — not size wise, but length wise. Daniel doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much of Max’s pale, white thighs on display, matching the crescent moon in the sky above them.

Max stands up, an object wrapped securely in his hand, and shakes his head violently. If Daniel could see him better, he might hazard a guess that Max is blushing. It makes him want to poke and prod, but he knows Max and knows when he’s open for teasing. Right now, his plush lips are pressed tightly together, arms curled against his chest protectively. Nows not the time to be a dick, even if Max is disrupting his night.

Max walks past him again, not bothering to close the balcony door, when he finally seems to register that this whole interaction is incredibly whack, even for the two of them.

He pauses long enough to examine the room, Daniel’s little slippers, and the tantalizingly untucked sheets.

“Sorry,” he says. The words sound stilted from his mouth, usually reserved for awkward speeches to factory post-crashes. “I’m in the room above yours, and we — I dropped something off the balcony onto yours.”

Daniel drops his gaze to the object in Max’s hands. As fast as Max’s hands successfully move to cover it, Daniel’s seen enough bottles of lube in his time to know what he’s looking at.

“It’s alright.” He gets why Max is blushy and intense right now. He eats up Daniel’s sexapade stories, makes all kinds of lewd jokes, isn’t afraid to jokingly flirt with Daniel and put his hands places he shouldn’t. He’s certainly not a prude. Still, he’s pretty tight-lipped about his own sex life. Daniel doesn’t push where he’s not welcomed, so he leaves well enough alone, but his stomach does a funny little pang at remembering that Max does have a sex life of his own.

There’s some hot girl above them right now, who was probably joking with Max on the balcony and play-wrestling for some lube, letting the joke run so long that the lube went on a whole vacation to Daniel’s balcony. Daniel is usually the only one who lets a bit get so far and so immersive with Max that it causes actual consequences.

“Okay. Well. Goodnight,” Max says. The lube is now secured half under his shirt sleeve, half into the crook of his elbow now, with the label imprinting itself onto his skin.

He pauses again, this time by Daniel’s bedside table, and picks up the pillow spray. He reads the label, all focused and serious, and then spritzes a tiny bit onto his wrist. The droplets are still drying over his blue veins when he brings it to his nose and sniffs.

“That’s nice.” He holds his wrist there for a second, takes a second whiff.

“It’s lavender,” Daniel informs him, for lack of anything else to say in this incredibly bizarre interaction. “Night, Max.”

Max does an awkward little half-wave and closes the door behind him and the tiny shorts that surely can’t belong to him. Daniel would’ve noticed if he wore something like that before.

He lets the interaction sit for a second, then shakes his body loose and turns on the do not disturb button on the doorbell.

Night routine, 2.0, no distractions. He rubs lotion into his elbows. He dots wrinkle cream around his eyes. He puts his finger over the same little nozzle that Max pressed and coats his pillow again.

It’s only after a small breeze ruffles the curtains that he realizes the balcony door is still wide open. He pauses for a half-second by the door when he hears Max’s voice above him, talking to whoever his companion for the night is.

“Can I get you another drink?” Max asks. He sounds — suave, almost. Daniel can only see speckled concrete above him, but he can picture Max standing on it in. He probably has this girl leaned up against the railing, a hand on her hip.

This is definitely intrusive, but Daniel pauses with his hand wrapped around the skinny door handle just long enough to hear the response.

“No, I’m all good. Let’s go inside,” the other voice says. It’s deeper than Daniel expected, almost masculine.

Daniel shuts the door harder than he planned, and a bit of the thin white curtain gets caught in the frame. He leaves it be. He’s not interested in opening up that door again.

He settles into the sterile white sheets, puts his cancelling earbuds in, and squeezes his eyes tightly shut.

It takes him longer than usual to fall asleep that night. He’s surrounded by too much pillow spray and the pulsing thought that Max is above him right now, smelling traces of lavender while he fucks someone else.

[jordanstrophe]

Abandoned whumpee: Final 1/2

CW: Betrayal, team whump, whumper turned caretaker, assassination attempt, hurt/comfort, annggsst

[Previous] - [Masterlist] - [Next]

Whumper watched over whumpee all throughout the night. Whumpee would wake up, not remember where they were, then struggle until whumper soothed them back asleep.

Whumper knew the sleepless nights would catch up with them eventually. They downed a tall cup of coffee, hoping to stay awake until morning...

------

Whumpee woke up that morning staring wide-eyed at whumper fast asleep on the bed with them. "Hey." Whumpee spoke, testfully poked whumper's arm. They groaned, but remained out cold.

Whumpee climbed over them and touched their bare foot to the floor, they immediately felt something cold as they flinched. There was spilt coffee at the foot of the bed along with an assortment of papers. They were badly stained, any information whumpee could have gleaned were long gone.

A silver key was dangling from whumper's pocket. If whumpee couldn't find information here, then there would be something elsewhere.

They clutched the key and snuck out of the infirmary. There were guards patrolling the halls as whumpee ducked around the corner. They let the guards pass, before slipping into the hall behind them. Whumpee tried every door they passed, all locked tight and the key fit none of them.

There was one last engraved door at the end of the hall. Whumpee heard the guards coming back around as they trembled and kept missing the keyhole. There was a silent *click* as the door swung open. Whumpee jumped in and shut the door behind them, taking a deep sigh of relief.

They stood in what seemed to be whumper's office; a large wooden desk, walls adorned with weapons, massive bookshelves. Everything whumpee expected whumper's office to look like, really.

They turned on a lamp and rooted through the desk. There were moundfuls of documents detailing whumpee's team. There were things here whumpee didn't even know... Things they weren't classified to know. They were told whumper was a murderer, someone who killed on sight; they took no prisoners and mercy was unheard of.

"Then why did you save me?" Whumpee whispered, looking at a framed picture of whumper proudly standing with their team. "Why capture me for intel if you had it already?"

In the depths of a drawer, whumpee found a roughly bound journal. It was branded with whumpee's team logo. They recognized it; each team carried one to document missions. Even whumpee had their own, though this one looked ancient...

They opened the first page before suddenly, the door opened and the lights flashed on. Whumpee gasped and dropped the book, frozen as they looked up like a deer in headlights. The person staring back had the very same expression. Horror, adrenaline, confusion.

-It was one of whumpee's teammates, dressed darkly and hooded as they took an astonished step towards whumpee.

"Whumpee? You're alive?" They whispered. "How? We thought they killed you." They gasped. Whumpee covered their mouth and clambered back to their feet. They were flooded with relief seeing a friendly face. They tried to figure out how to say a million words in a single breath.

"It's a long story-" Whumpee heaved, "I've been kept here by whumper, I got hurt in the attack and I-I was bleeding out and I was-" Whumpee trailed off with a flicker of doubt. They knew their team would think whumpee betrayed them if they were found alive in whumper's custody. The amount of intel that could be tortured out of them...

"I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't looking right at you." Their teammate filled in the silence, taking a step closer. "To think all this time, you survived..."

They didn't sound happy. Both of their eyes dropped to the journal between their feet, branded with their symbol.

"Ah, I see... So you found it." Their teammate stared.

"Found what? What have you not told me?" Whumpee demanded.

They crouched down to pick up the book, as they heard a *sswick* of a blade being unsheathed. Whumpee stopped in their tracks. They slowly looked up and stared into the tip of a blade and the eyes of someone who was no ally.

"I really am sorry." Their teammate whispered softly. "But you died that day, whumpee. It has to stay that way, for the good of all of us. You understand, don't you?" They took a step closer as whumpee snatched the book in their arms and backed away.

"Oh, come on, don't make this difficult. You've died once for us already. You can do it one more time, can't you?" They tilted their head.

"Can't I know why?" Whumpee's voice broke as their back hit the wall. "I- I didn't give you up, I didn't tell whumper anything. They weren't even what I thought they were... They weren't what you told me!" Whumpee suddenly shouted.

"I'm sure you didn't, you were always loyal. But it was never about that."

The blade came to their throat as whumpee shuttered and closed their eyes. The sound of a blade piercing flesh, a hot splatter of blood hit their chest, yet they felt nothing but cold adrenaline.

There was hollow silence. Whumpee opened their eyes, their teammate's face was blank as they sunk to the floor on their knees. Their silhouette was replaced by whumper, holding a dripping blade with a look of pure hatred.

"They dare set foot in my house!?" Whumper shouted. Their eyes suddenly darted to whumpee, who flinched. Their back was to the corner, face stained with blood, they trembled while hugging the journal to their chest.

"How did you get- ... No, one thing at a time." Whumper stopped themselves, putting the blade out of sight. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" They asked instead, nudging the corpse off their feet.

"I'm- ... I'm not hurt." Whumpee responded rapidly, trying not to show they were gasping for breath. "They were going to k-kill me." Whumpee touched their fingers to their chest where their teammates blood was splattered. "And you just... S-saved my life..."

"As much as I want to gloat and say I told you so- I'm just glad I got here when I did. Come with me, let's get you changed and we'll talk." Whumper held out their hand.

To be continued, 2/2

[Previous] - [Masterlist] - [Next]

@parasitebunny @starzabove @frog-hat-fa-ggot @morning-star-whump @memepsychowhowantsuperpower-blog @mommymarichatfurever​  @isita-torrrres @tobiaslut @anonintrovert @sausages-things

[fakescenariosbeforesleepblog]

Die Katze und die Maus.

Pt.2

König had a bad day, a bad mission, he was captured by your team, meanwhile your first encounter with a KorTac member is an unforgettable experience, his little games have you asking for more.

Warning ⚠️: spelling and grammar errors everywhere, translator for the German words, long read, there's no physical description about the reader so this could still work for a female or gn reader?, credits of this image go to the Pinterest user: Keira.

By the way, 🩷Thanks🩷 to the people who asked me a second part of this story, I hope you like it. I had much fun writing it.✨

📢 Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

You think you're becoming paranoid, lately you feel eyes on you all the time, on the other hand you've been very lucky in your missions, you don't believe in superstitions but you started to see König's knife as your lucky charm, even your friends made jokes about it.

«... y/n practically sleeps with that goddamn knife!» «Y/N kisses that knife when no one is watching her»

Of course you pretend it's not funny but in fact you're still thinking, even dreaming about the owner of that knife.

Your captain was not pleased but also not upset with König's escape, at least now they have his name and a short physical description, not very specific, you only described his eyes and scar. You shut your mouth when they asked you how you knew about the scar and the color of his lips.

Your lieutenant, ghost, he doesn't seem happy either, he gets clearly annoyed every time Soap or Gaz and Price make a comment about your new friend.

Of course you tried to talk with him about it but his excuse is always the same «i should have stayed in your place and that guy would be dead now and we wouldn't have to listen how he made you weak so easily».

He always leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when he talks about König like that, you feel like you failed your team. In the next missions after that he drags you with him and you do your best to prove you're in the right place.

This mission is very different, undercover mission, all the team is wearing a suit and tie, you, of course, are wearing a dress, not so provocative but at least it is distracting enough to capture the attention of your Target.

You and the captain are walking around looking for the man. Ghost, Soap and Gaz are also around, sitting in the bar, close to the bathroom, close to the principal door.

- If we separate perhaps we can find it faster.

- it's alright, we have time enough, dove.

You smile at him nervously, not because you're nervous, it's just that you don't feel comfortable wearing this kind of clothes, you're accustomed to your uniform and boots.

- You look good, kid.

- Thanks captain, oh... There he is, our target. Let's go.

Both walk to the target, price pretends he's getting drinks while you're waiting, the man approaches you smiling brightly. Both are exchanging words, price joins with the drinks and a hand appears between all of you. A tall man in a black suit, his hair is bright and wavy, then you notice something very familiar, blue eyes and a scar on the lips, silently asking your hand to dance.

You give a quick stare to your captain and he nods, he's too busy trying to make the target finish his drink that he didn't notice who is this guy, while you're walking to the dancefloor you try to look for your other teammates, alerting them but no one's at the sight. Once the music starts, you feel his big hand in your back, the butterflies in your stomach are like crazy inside you but you're trying to play it cool.

- Are you spying on me, König?

- Nein, at least not today Schätzchen (sweetie) my target is in this party too.

- Not today? So in fact you've been spying on me. Who's your target?

You're looking around to find someone who can be a possible target but everybody looks very normal.

- Many questions. I have one for you.

- Go on.

- Where's your boyfriend, Mäuschen (little mouse)?

You stare up at him, clearly surprised, he smirks mockingly.

- Don't try to fool me, schatz, the guy with a skull mask.

- He's not my boyfriend.

- Ahhh, that will make it simpler then.

You're still not understanding what he is trying to say.

- If he was your boyfriend, I was thinking about... You know, eliminate him from the equation, but now you're telling you're single, it's simple.

- Be more specific, König.

- Mäuschen (little mouse), when I said the game started, I was talking about flirting, this is my way to say I like you. I've been keeping an eye on you and seeing your jealous friend dragging you around with him so you don't stay alone, made me think you were with him.

- What if I don't want to play to flirt?

You're trying to dare him, He gets close to your ear, his lips almost touching your skin.

- I know you're lying meine Liebling, I can hear your heartbeat getting faster, your skin shivered when i touched it and your eyes had a nice bright as soon as you discovered it was me and you've been licking and biting your lips since we're here, is Meine Mäuschen (my little mouse) silently asking me to kiss her?

Now both are face to face, your lips and his almost touching, you feel your desire running through your body, invading you, he's smiling, he knows very well what you're feeling. Unfortunately the moment breaks when Ghost appears, clearing his throat, you give a step back, observing both men. König's smile doesn't disappear, he fixes his tie, blinks an eye to you and kisses your hand, then he leaves. You feel like your brain is floating in the air, the sensation of his lips on your hand, Ghost brings you back to reality when he puts his hand on your shoulder.

He asked you if you knew who he was because you and him talked for several minutes, you denied it, your argument was you were merely being friendly with the guy. The mission was successfully, your team obtained the necessary. All of you were leaving when you saw König again. You're walking behind your teammates when someone takes you by the arm, dragging you to a small service closet.

Without wasting time, König smashes his lips with yours, both were hungry for each other, melting. His arms around your waist and hips, your hands around his neck, you can't say how long the kiss was but you knew you would have to find a good lie to justify your absence. After a small pause he cleans your messed lipstick with his thumb. You feel like a teenager, hiding things from your parents but it's exciting, the adrenaline he makes you experiment with is addictive.

- You're losing the game, Meine Liebe. You're being caught easily.

- Perhaps, I like to be caught, perhaps the 'maus' is captivating the 'katze' so it can fall in the trap.

Both smile at each other, you fix your hair, his and his tie, you leave the place first, to your surprise, Gaz is waiting for you outside, he hasn't seen you so you take off your shoes and break the heel of one, that was your lie, you disappear because you went to the bathroom and on the way your heel broke.

You and your team are in the truck, ready to leave when an explosion and fire started, right in the location where you were. Your captain doesn't waste time waiting orders, he makes all of you go back to the place, everybody take the necessary to fight, there's people running, screaming and some other shooting at them, Soap and Gaz are responding to the attacks, defending the hostages, the captain is evacuating while you and Ghost are inside looking for more people.

Ghost catches one of the enemies, he instantly asks who they are looking for, hitting him while you're checking no one approaches you, this man doesn't say a word, ghost simply gives him a headshot.

Both run through the halls shooting at any enemy, sending some hostages out. You can see a soldier running to the emergency stairs with a woman.

«I have the Target, colonel! Call the helicopter! We're on the ceiling!» «All units! Extraction in 10!»

- Ghost! The ceiling!

You start shooting at this stranger who's dragging a woman by her arm, this woman doesn't look scared or worried, her expression is completely the opposite of afraid. You stop for a few seconds contemplating if the intervention of you and your team is actually a good decision, perhaps KorTac is doing a rescue mission, your internal debate ends when your lieutenant yells at you to continue.

You're finally in the ceiling, ghost is behind you both are receiving and shooting, the boys are at the ceiling from other building, supporting as snipers, you're running to the hostage while Ghost is fighting with some men, the helicopter lands in the middle of the disaster, you see König again, he's already wearing his black combat clothes, helmet and mask, he's inside the helicopter with some ropes, some men start to climb, you don't see someone approaching you behind, but only feel the pain on your thigh, the bullet is there burning your leg, it didn't hit any important or vital artery but somehow got stuck. «Bastard!» you yell, turning quickly and shooting on his head, you let your body fall on the ground «I'm hurt!». You look up at the helicopter, König is looking at you, he's worried, his eyes say everything, but it would be too risky to go down there to help you, he's also very distracted observing you when a bullet hits his shoulder.

Following the direction where the bullet came from, you see ghost with a sniper, pointing at him, without hesitation you stand up, your leg is burning in pain but you're more worried about König, he's covering his shoulder and helping another soldier to get inside the helicopter.

You have to do something quickly to distract ghost who apparently hasn't seen or heard you. You throw out a flash grenade close to him. It works, the light makes him fail the shot, the bullet passes just at the side of his head. The helicopter leaves and you quickly sit, repeating you're hurt, apparently nobody saw your little trick, you're biting a piece of cloth and the handgrip of your own knife while you're extracting the bullet from your leg with König's knife and your hand, Ghost runs to you still confounded for the grenade but instantly starts to help you with your wound.

Once at the base, you're with the medic attending your wound, Ghost is there keeping an eye on you, you're talking about how you receive that bullet when Soap appears with a phone on his ear, he says something to the person in the phone and then handles it to you.

- Y/N, your dad has been calling you like a thousand times.

Your dad? You and your father don't talk frequently, it's impossible but perhaps it is an emergency.

- Hey dad, what's up?

- How's your wound Meine Liebe?

That's not your father's voice. Your anxiety invades your body, soap and Ghost are looking at you, exchanging looks between them, you have to relax if you don't want them to ask what's going on.

- Oh...dad, listen It's not the right time, the medic is attending me.

He laughs.

- Mine injuries had been attended too, anyway. just tell daddy if you're okay.

- Well... (You don't know how much that word 'daddy' made you blush, you can bet he's enjoying it) it hurts. What about you?

- It's not bad, I've been worse. Danke (thanks) for saving me.

- No problem. well... As I said, I'm busy right now, can you call me later, dad?

- I'll do it if you send a little kiss to Daddy.

- Okay, then... Don't call me back.

- At least say 'goodbye daddy, love you'. Come on, say it, sei ein gutes Mädchen (be a good girl).

You roll your eyes but not because it's annoying, it's because you're feeling that sensation in your stomach, that warmth between your legs, you can't understand why he has all this power over you, you're not complaining, you like that.

- Fine. Goodbye, Love you daddy.

He laughs again and you hang up the phone, sighing loudly and with a huge silly smile on your face, Soap erases that smile as soon as he talks.

- Is that how you call to your dad? God, my girlfriend calls me Daddy... Now I won't get horny with that ever again.

- Ah... Ewww? Shut up, Soap.

He's talking about how strange it is for him to hear about your 'daddy' and you, while Ghost insists him to shut up, the medic is in silence but she wants to laugh, you're sure. Then your phone rings again, a text.

«Scheiße (fuck), I could get used to that nickname, call me like that and I'll fell under your trap, kleine Maus (little mouse)» K.

Once again you're smiling, he's funny, charming, he's so fine, so fuckin' attractive, he's intoxicating and it's hard to not fall for him.

[codfanficedits]

Cheating Ghost, full version.

I've always posted this in the parts as I wrote them, this is the full story. This story came to mind after I've suffered childhood abuse, and now my brother is following in the footsteps of my father.

Also, happy birthday to me.

CW: Domestic Violence, mentions of sex/describing sexual acts, mentions of rape.

18+ MDNI.

Ghost POV:

My hands on her hips, my lips leaving hickeys on her neck, my hard cock against her stomach. It all felt so right. Expect she wasn’t you. She was better than you, sexier, hotter, willing to try all the positions you wouldn’t do. She looked at me with the most hypnotizing eyes when I called her a good girl, those same eyes sparked when I called her my filthy slut. She was everything you couldn’t be for me. The first few times I felt incredibly guilty, I would spent minutes watching over you when you slept, cursing myself for being so weak, but as time passed, my heart stopped aching. Instead your flaws were showing even more. I knew you too well for you to be ever exciting again, I knew the way your lips tasted, the way your body felt on mine, I could predict your every move.

It took me 2 extra days to come home to you again. I had been dreading the moment, waiting until the very last moment to come home. Her smell still wrapped around my body as I set foot into our bedroom.

YOUR POV:

You and Ghost have been together for three years. You moved across the country for him, 10 days after you met him. You had been at his side ever since. You were there after the good missions, the bad missions and the failed mission. You were there to kiss his bruises, to hold him while he cried about a fallen teammate, you were there to celebrate every success he had in his career.

But lately things had changed. His mission taking longer than you were used to, him being more distant, no longer sharing the details of a mission with you. The first few weeks you tried to ignored it, thought it was because of a bad mission, but after a while you couldn’t ignore it anymore. Something was going on. Ghost was away on a mission when you received a text from one of his teammates, telling you he had seen Ghost leave with another woman. It left your heart shattered. You wouldn’t believe it at first, Ghost would never do this to you. But you knew it would fit, it was the missing piece of information to tie all of his odd behaviour together. You tried to ignore it at first, until the place you used to call home, was no longer appealing to return to. You could hear him set foot into the bedroom. You waited, pretending to sleep so you wouldn’t have to face him. He just stood there, as if he was waiting for you to make the first move. “Hey..” You said, making your voice sound hoarse. “How long have you been standing there?” You ask him.

“I was just admiring the view.” He answered. The fucking liar. You kick back the blankets and pat on the bed. “Come here, I’ve missed you.”

He starts to undress, and you pretend you don’t see the hickeys on his happy trail. Looking at it makes me feel sick. He slides in to bed with me, and you can feel the distance. “How was the mission?” You ask, your fingertips caressing his jawline, like you always do. “Oh you know, same old, same old.” He tells you. You can smell her on him, her perfume smells floral and expensive. He didn’t even have the respect for you to at least take a shower before coming home to you. You roll over to your other side, “let’s go to sleep, you must be tired, baby.” You say.

He wraps his arm around you, pulling you close and kissing your neck. Her perfume invading your bed, his erection pressed against you. “How about we have some fun first, hm?”

 You don’t know what makes you feel sicker. “I’m really tired, sorry.” You say, being too disgusted to even feel horny.

“Fine.” His voice got cold and he rolled away from you, refusing to touch you. Fine.

Your mind was racing, trying to make up a good excuse for him, it was trying to diffuse the situation. Surely there must be a logical explanation? He had fallen asleep next to you, you were wondering how he even could sleep at night. Maybe you were wrong. Maybe he.. Maybe he.. But your mind couldn’t come up with a good reason, it was way to easy to connect the dots. But you needed to know for sure.

You saw the screen of his phone light up. Bingo.

Careful to not wake him, you got up from bed, slowly taking his phone from the nightstand, trying to not make a sound. You snuck his phone into the bathroom, you tried to unlock it, his passcode was your birthday for ages. Access denied. You frown, maybe you made a mistake typing it. You try again, this time even more careful. Access denied.        

Fuck.

You decided to type his own birthday, maybe he just happened to change it? It worked. As you scrolled through the messages you couldn’t really find anything. Soap sending him some memes. Captain Price reacting with two thumbs on everything Ghost send him. Gaz sending him pictures of food. Even their group chat was innocent.

You scrolled through everything. Until you found a hidden folder with pictures. Your eyes widened by the view. The pictures started looking innocent. Just some nudes, nothing too special. You could live with this.

Then they became more graphic. She was sitting on her knees, her tongue stuck out, semen on her face. You guess whose it was. You swiped again. It was her again, lying on a bed, looking at the camera with her hungry eyes.

A video. Against your better judgement you click on it. Your heart drops when you do so. He was fucking her like there was no tomorrow. She was on all fours, her face down, her ass up. You could tell by his pace that he was about to cum.

She helped it put it in again when it slipped out of her. It made you sick to your stomach. Yet you can’t stop watching. You’re torturing yourself. You can see his thick semen being shot on her back. You could imagine him grunting while he did so. You watch it again, pressing the volume button once. The sounds made you sick to your stomach, but your eyes were glued to the screen. The grunting was as you imagined, they were dancing with her moans. His voice cracked when he called her beautiful and you could feel your heart shatter.

A large hand slaps the phone out of your hand. “Do you always snoop through phones that aren’t yours?” A deep voice growled.

“Simon, what the fuck is this?” You ask. “What the FUCK is this?’ You yell at him.

“Oh come on, it’s nothing big.” He answered. “I’ve always been there for you!” You start to raise your voice again. “With every mission, good or bad. I have ALWAYS been by your side.”

His hand grabs your wrist. “Are you going to fucking behave?” He hisses in your ear. “Quit being a fucking drama queen.”

“Why? How could you?” Your voice sound defeated. He laughs at you. “Oh come on. You became boring. I can tell how you react at everything. It’s no longer exciting or new anymore.” He scoffs. He takes a step towards you. “Did you really think I loved you? Jezus Christ, you’re so fucking naïve.”

His words cut through you like knifes. Part of you wanted to change for him, be a more exciting person, anything so he wouldn’t leave you. But you weren’t stupid. You knew there was no coming back from this.

“I need you to get the fuck out of here.” You hissed. “Go sleep at Price or something.”

It was his laugh that sent the shivers down your spine. “I have to get out of here? Do I need to remind you this is my house? Take the few fucking things you own and get out before I kick you out.”

With tears in your eyes you grabbed your bag. You stuffed it with some clothes, your phone, your laptop and your wallet. He is right behind you when you walked out. Not saying a word to you. When you turned around to beg him to let you stay, his cold eyes told you enough. He slammed the door in your face. Leaving you all alone.

Ghost POV:

Of course I didn’t want it to end like this. She was always the safe option, but at least something was better than nothing.

I grab my phone, calling the girl I had been fucking for the past few months. A frustrated grunt leaves my throat when she doesn’t pick up. So I call again, and again until she finally picks up.

“What the fuck do you want?” She hisses at me. “It’s fucking 4 in the morning.” I let out an amused chuckle. I loved it when she was so feisty. “My girlfriend is gone for the night, and I don’t expect her home until noon. Care to come around?” I asked her. It’s quiet at the other side of the line and it is making me feel rejected. I hate that fucking feeling. “Well?” I ask, trying to hide the annoyance in my tone.

“You have a girlfriend?” The woman on the other side hissed. “You’re such a fucking pathetic man.”

I was taken aback by her reaction, where did she get the nerve to trat me like this? After all, she was nothing more than my toy. A toy I used to pass the time, but she didn’t let me answer her, her angry rant going on. “You’re a horrible, horrible man, if I had known you had a girl waiting for you, I would’ve never let you touch me.” She continued. “Lose the number, you fucking asshole.”

She hung up on me. The fucking bitch had the audacity to hang up on me? I scoffed. I didn’t need a stupid fucking toy anyway. I had you to come back to. After all, you always came back to me, no matter how much I fucked up.

I sat down on the couch, my fingers lingering over the screen of my phone. Fuck it.

“When are you coming home?” I texted you.

5 minutes. Five whole minutes had passed and you still didn’t text me back. Usually you’d text me back within seconds, like a fucking needy dog.

“Listen, I’m sorry you feel this way. I can change. I promise” I texted you again.

8 minutes. It had been eight minutes since my first text, and you didn’t hadn’t sent me anything back. It caused me to pace around my living room like a caged animal.

“Please come home, I miss you.” I texted, once more. It started to irritate me that you didn’t answer, but I couldn’t let you know.

14 minutes. The anger was getting to me. What the fuck were you doing? It was 4:28AM. You couldn’t possibly be doing something useful.

“Get your fucking ass home.”

???? POV:

He had known Ghost was a cheater, but he always tried to ignore it. Until he met you. God, you were gorgeous. It pained him that you only had eyes for Ghost. He fell in love with you the first time he met you. The way you walked, talked, your smile. Your beauty was out of this world.

But of course you were in love with Ghost. Ghost was everything he wasn’t. Mysterious, handsome, tall, confident, a deep, hoarse voice. So he hid in the shadows. He wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him.

But the guilt began to eat at him when Ghost started cheating on you, bringing some blondie back to the base after a mission. Her loud moans filling the empty halls. He couldn’t ignore it anymore after Ghost had brought back the second girl, but he was to afraid to tell you. It took him two more years to finally find the courage to tell you. He couldn’t even do it face to face. No, he texted you, like a coward.

But he had finally told you and that is what mattered.

He started to hate Ghost for this. The idiot had the most precious woman in the world and he tossed it out of the window for a little thrill.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw your text. You’d gone through his phone, and now he had kicked you out?

Damn.

A feeling of guilt washed over him, if he hadn’t told you, you’d be safe and sound in your bed, not wandering the streets at 4 in the morning.

He texted you his address, offering you a place to come to if you were lonely.

Your POV:

You felt alone. So god damn alone. You’d left everything, everyone behind to move in with Simon.

There was nothing you wanted more than to get back to Simon, to feels his strong arms around you again, but you weren’t stupid. You knew those arms would never feel like home again. You knew you’d never trust him again. The common sense in your body told you, you were worth too much to worry about him, but the love you felt for him tried to prove your common sense wrong, still. You could change for him, right? You could try to be less boring, to be less predictable.

A nearby bench in the park became your new place to stay, just so you could gather your thoughts. The bag you’d been carrying with you got dropped on the ground. A big sigh followed. How does one even go from here? Back to Simon was not an option, you refused to be his second choice.

Your phone buzzed. It was Simon, asking you when you would come home. Your heart skipped a beat. He still cared about you. Of course he did, otherwise he wouldn’t be texting you! You’re trying to convince yourself, but it’s not working. Something is different. For once, your love ending didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

You fidget with your phone, ignoring the messages that come rolling in. You pressed the phone against your lips, your mind working overtime. What was it that you wanted?

After what seemed like forever you make a decision. You don’t want to be alone, not right now, so you decide to text him. Not Simon, no, he wasn’t worthy of your presence. You text the person who tipped you, after all, he had always told you he would be there for you if you needed him. It takes every ounce of your selfcontrol to not text him the whole story, so you give him a short update. 3,5 minutes. That’s how long it took for him to answer you. It’s just his address, and you take it as an invite that you’re welcome. As you open the navigation on your phone, it shows you that it is just a ten minute walk. Perfect for you to clear your head, so you wouldn’t be all in your feelings when you got to him.

It's 5:25 AM and the sun is starting to rise again. For a moment the world doesn’t seem so bad after all.

Your hands shake as you ring the doorbell. The door swings open almost immediately.

Johnny.

Ghost POV:

I was starting to lose it. You’d come online, but you didn’t read my texts? How dare you? Where the fuck do you think you have the audacity from to ignore me?

I texted you again.

“At least have some fucking respect and answer me.”

An uneasy feeling starts to linger in my stomach, causing me to pace around the living room. What if you really did decide to leave this time? No, you wouldn’t. I was sure of that. But then why didn’t you answer me?

No it shouldn’t bother me this much. I can just go to the bar and pick up a better version of you, a prettier one, a more adventurous one. Then you did the thought of you leaving me sting so much?

I lose my temper, and an empty teacup flings across the room, against the wall. The brown liquid dripping down.

A few deep breaths and I should be okay again. Wrong.

The uneasy feeling in my chest stays and there is nothing that I can do against it. Why would you do this to me? Why did you have to make things so hard? Why couldn’t you just come home when I asked you to?

God, you’re being a pain in my ass right now. Making such a fuss, and for what? Because I had a little fun? That was your fault really, you had always been a little boring, why couldn’t you just be a little spicier in life.

And now your behaviour is making me feel bad? I don’t think so. I sent you a final text.

“You’re gonna get it when you get home.”

Soap POV:

He was waiting in the living room for her, nearly falling over his own feet as he made his way to the front door. The sight of you standing there, with your broken heart is the hardest thing he had to watch.

‘Even in her agony, God is jealous of her beauty.’ Soap pushed that thought away, he wasn’t here to hit on you, he was here to be the friend you needed. He stepped aside to let you in. “It’s not much, but it’s safe.” He said, gesturing around his living room. It was clear a single man lived here, the pizza box from last night still on the table, his dirty socks and shoes next to the couch. A sheepish smile on his face, hoping that you wouldn’t judge him too much.

He was mesmerized by your eyes, but he could see the sadness, the hurt in them, and it made his heart ache.

He signalled for you to sit on the couch, handing you a beer, his own in his hand, as he took place in his recliner, wanting to keep a distance. There was a silence between the two of you, but to him it didn’t feel awkward at all. It felt like coming safe home after a long, stressful day.

He glanced over at you. You looked so fragile on his couch, a large pillow being used as a shield, as your gaze met his. A nervous smile.

Your phone buzzed, and he could see it was from Ghost, his eyes narrowing as he read the text. “At least have some fucking respect and answer me.”

But you were strong and you didn’t pay any mind to his text, you tossed the phone next to you and met his gaze once more.

Then the words started to pour out, and you told him everything. How you couldn’t believe it at first, how you finally started to connect the dots. How Ghost dared to come home smelling like another woman, the video you had watched. He took an occasional sip from his beer every now and then.

With every full sentence he could see your mind working overtime, telling you to not go back to that relationship anymore. It made his heart beat faster in his chest.

As if it’s natural the conversation shifts to a lighter one, as if you want to leave Ghost and the darkness that he brings with him in the past, and Soap was happy to oblige.

You tell him about your job, your hobbies, your favourite crystals and he takes in all the information as if it is the most important thing he has ever heard.

Your phone buzzed again and the both of you look at it at the same time.

“You’re gonna get it when you get home.”

Those words made Soap’s stomach drop, he had always known that Ghost had a temper, a bad one, but even this felt low for Ghost. He looked over at you, expecting to see fear in your face, but instead you just laughed. As if you were freed from the chackles Ghost had put on you.

“Shit.” Your voice sounded like giggle. “I should really put him in his place for speaking to me in this tone.”

‘God, her laugh could light up a room without trying.’

No stop, he shouldn’t think like that.

Maybe it was the beer talking, maybe it was the lack of common sense from the whole situation, but he had an idea. An idea that would put Ghost in his place.

“Come with me.” Soap told you, as he made him way to his bedroom. It was surprisingly tidy compared to his living room. Sure, the bed wasn’t made, and his backpack was casually tossed into the corner, and now that he looked around, his nightstand were a mess too. But the dirty socks were limited to the bathroom only and that was something.

“I need you to trust me, I’m not a pervert, I promise.” Soap was rambling, a treat he had when he got nervous. He swallowed some air before he started explaining. “I need you to get on my bed on all fours, I promise I won’t look okay.” The rambling continued.

You didn’t even question it, you just did what he asked you to do. He took a step closer to your ass, his breathing getting hard to control. “Look at the wall.” He muttered. The shadow being rather, suggestive.

‘Life was an artist and you were the fucking masterpiece.’

He couldn’t help but look down at you, the sight of you presenting yourself like this, God it got him hard, the blood going straight to his growing erection. He dug his nails into the palm of his hand, he had to contain himself.

You handed him your phone, allowing him to take a picture. If he didn’t know any better the shadow suggested he was actually fucking you. The thought of how tight you would be, how good you would take it, it was flooding his mind. Shit shit shit. He needed to stop.

He handed you your phone back, stepping aside, it would drive him insane if he kept looking at your ass.

Soap looked over your shoulder as you sent Ghost the picture. A grin on your face when you started to type.

‘Sorry, I was busy.’

Ghost POV:

It has been more than a fucking hour since I’ve sent my last text, and yet you lack the fucking respect to answer me. You’re a fucking worthless waste of air.

I look over at the table when my phone buzzed. “Sorry, I was busy?” I repeat your text to myself. My fingers are quick to open the picture you sent me.

My phone buzzed. A text from you.

No, no, no, no, NO.

I could feel my stomach drop from that picture. You’re a fucking disgusting slut and you know it. How the fuck dare you? After all we’ve been together you’re throwing us away like this? How fucking dare you?

My anger gets the best of me. I want you to be hurt. I want to take away the things you like. I want to see you cry, beg me for the mercy you don’t deserve.

In a blind rage I pull out the cutlery drawer in the kitchen, I was looking for some scissors but couldn’t find them, so I took our kitchen knife. The fucking stuffed animal I had won for you at the fair was the first to go. God it felt so good to take my anger out on something. Besides, who the fuck has a stuffed unicorn?

The rest of your clothes became my second target, a maniacal laugh leaving my throat as I could hear the fabric rip under the force of my knife. Shit it felt good, too good even. For a second I would imagine you there instead of your clothes and the rage would leave my body, but it’s temporary, I want to destroy you.

If I can’t have you, no one should have you.

My hands tremble when I look at the picture again. My eyes widen when I recognize the room, I recognize his fucking backpack, the idiotic sunglasses on his fucking nightstand.

God fucking damn.

My best fucking friend. The fucking son of a bitch.

Where the fuck did the two of you get the fucking nerve to betray me like this?

Granted, Soap had been more distance towards me since I’ve started to cheat on you, but he never had a problem with it during my last relationship. This must’ve been his idea. Letting you catch me cheating, so I’m the bad guy, while you’re getting your pussy pounded by that fucking traitor.

I’m angry, furious even. Part of me wants to take the knife and stab the both of you, watching as the life leaves your eyes. I can feel the rage boil inside of me.

A sudden wave of relief washes over me. I know what I have to do.

I leave the knife in our matrass, I don’t even grab my jacket. I know the way to his house, it’s a short walk and I know what I’ll find when I get there. You all loveydovey in his arms, as the goddamn slut that you are.

The walk there pisses me off even more, it gives me the time to think about you, about that fucking traitor of a man I used to call a friend.

My fists bang on the door. “Soap! I know you’re in there with this filthy whore.” My voice is a mere bark.

“Be a fucking man and face me.”

Your POV:

You had nearly forgotten about Simon. Not really obviously, you knew you still had to face him one day. Half of your belongings were still at that house. But for now, for now you could forget him. Soap’s bedroom was filled with laughter, you had more in common than you thought, memories, hobbies, even the same dishes you liked.

Although he liked olives, and the mere thought of them was enough to make you shudder.

Soap was in the middle of a story about Captain Price, something about his hidden porn stash when three loud bangs made the both of you quiet. It was unmistaken who’s voice it was. It felt as if a hand had reached out to your throat, squeezing it shit. Your eyes pleaded to Soap, begging him to stay in his bedroom with you. Surely Simon would leave, right? Right?

The banging got louder, more violent, his profanities carrying out over the street. All you wanted was for the ground to break open and swallow you whole.

“I have to face him.”

“What? No Johnny that’s ridiculous.”

“He won’t leave, I can just explain what happened. I’ll tell him you don’t want to see him.”

“But he sounds dangerous.”

“I’ve known him for years, lass. I’ll be fine.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

You couldn’t ignore the knot in your stomach, the horrible feeling as if something was bound to happen, Soap had closed the door behind him, as if he wanted to shield you from what was about to happen. You hid away in the corner, your knees brought up to your chest, as if you wanted to make yourself as tiny as possible.

You could hear the door open. Soap’s voice was the first to be heard. “Hey man, I know this looks ba-“ His sentence got cut short.

Something was happening, but you couldn’t make out what it was. The closed door muffled the sounds to much.

Yet the sounds of a person falling was clear to you. A man begging another man to stop, the faint sound of fists hitting their target.

Your bag.

It was still on the couch, you knew it was there, all you could do was to pray that Simon didn’t find it.

Your mind was racing, where had you put your phone? You knew it was in this room, somewhere, you had used it to text him that picture.

Oh god, why did you do that?

This was all happening because you just had to be petty. Johnny was getting murdered and you were having a pity party. Selfish bitch.

You had to find that fucking phone. Call someone. Call the police even.

But you were too scared. Afraid that if you were to move, Simon would hear you and come for you.

The sounds of footsteps on the stairs snapped you out of it. You wanted it to be Soap, you really did, but you knew it was Simon. “I know you’re in there you fucking filthy slut!”

You pressed yourself against the wall, hoping that you could blend in, maybe disappear while you’re at it.

The bedroom door swings open, and the man before you is no longer the man you once loved. His eyes are wide, his nostrils flared, a predator looking at his prey.

You can hear the soft groans coming from downstairs. You want to escape, you want to leave, but your body betrays you.

“Simon, I, I, I.” You start to stutter. His hands grab a handful of hair, forcing you to look up at him.

“You really thought you were smart, huh?” He hisses through his gritted teeth. He lets go of your hair, and for a second you think you can breathe. That was a mistake.

His right fist hits you, then his left, right, left, right, left, right. Until you start to lose count.

You hold up your arms to defend yourself, but it’s useless. He is trained to do this, and you’re his target.  

You start to beg him, beg him for your life, but you can tell he is enjoying this, your tears, the fear in your eyes, it is nothing but fuel to his anger.

His hands grab your hair again, dragging you towards the bed. You’re too stunned, too terrified to even react.

The sound of his zipper going down makes your eye widen in fear. “I’ll show you who the fuck you belong to.” He hisses at you.

It is Soap who stumbles into the room that make the both of you look up. God. He looks horrible, he looks as if he was dragged through hell and back. The pain is visible in his eyes, the blood on his face, the red marks on his body.

A broken promise.

Ghost let’s out an annoyed grunt. “I’ll take care of our little problem.” He whispers into your ear. His voice, the tone, the words, it sends shivers down your spine. The sound of his zipper going back up is a blessing and a curse.

You’re safe, for now.

You can only watch in horror when you can see Ghost make his way over to Soap. You want to react. Your mind is screaming at you to do something. But your body can’t.

It seemed as if time was slowing down. The sunset slowing illuminating the room you’re in. The tension in the thick air. It looks like a horrible nightmare, one you wish to wake up from.

You’re held captive by your own body and mind. No control over what you’re thinking or doing, it makes you feel helpless.

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths. Snap out of that freeze response, no more freezing. You need to fight or you need to get out. Go. Go. Go.

Your body handles on it’s own, despite the pain you’re in, you manage to get up, stumbling over your own feet.

Get out or fight.

It’s the gunshot that follows next, that puts you into freeze again.

Your POV:

Ghost looked at his hands, he was visibly confused by the blood on them. His blood?

Your hands are shaking, your mind goes back to a date you and Ghost went on 2,5 years ago.

It was a sunny day, and he was so excited to take you there. He had been talking about it for a few weeks and you finally decided to give in.

Who would have thought a silly little date to a shooting range would save your life one day?

Not you, not Ghost.

You had spotted the gun in Soap’s backpack, the will to survive took over, your body snapping out of your freeze mode before your mind was able to.

“That’s a good lass.” A Scottish accent broke the silence.

Ghost dropped to his knees, his hands pressing on the gunshot wound. So much was happening at once, yet you tried to take control over the situation once again. Your hands tremble as you load another bullet into the chamber.

“Stay down or I’ll fucking shoot again.” Oh how you try to be confident, but the words are a mere whisper as the tears start to roll down your cheek. You try not to choke on your shallow breaths.

The tension in the air is horrible. You can tell Soap is holding on for dear life, not knowing how to continue. You can tell that Ghost is defeated, as if the shot held a mirror in front of him, he was no better than his father and he knew it.

And you, standing there. Holding on to that pistol for dear life, your knuckles white from the tight grip.

A few loud bangs, a loud voice, a small army of police men joining you in the room, the rest of the day a blur.

You didn’t exactly look innocent, holding a loaded weapon, pointing it to an already wounded man.

And God, for the first time you felt lucky. You could show the texts he had sent you, the way he had torn up the place you used to call home, you had only shot him once, and it was a non-lethal shot.. It all ruled in your favour, the judges ruled it self-defence.

Ghost on the other hand didn’t get as lucky, all the evidence pointed in his direction, even after you’d shot him.

Although the sentence he got was a joke.

Sixty days.

He would spent two months in jail for traumatizing you, for harming you, for destroying what belonged to you, for harming Soap, for making your home feel unsafe.

Just sixty days.

But, for sixty whole days you felt safe. You knew he wouldn’t be lurking around the corner, you knew that for sixty whole days you could breathe again.

Ghost POV:

I lost it all. And for what? For a little toy, for a little smile, for a little weak moment. Sixty goddamn days of my life.

It wasn’t even worth it. It made me lose the job I worked so hard for. Price didn’t want to hear shit after I got my sentence. I tried to explain how it wasn’t really my fault. After all, you and Soap had planned this. No matter how innocent you tried to act in court. I knew what had happened.

I really tried to live with my anger. I had to go to therapy, but that was a waste of my fucking time. I have one little outburst and all of the sudden I am the problem?

I had to sell the house, because of you. Everything reminded me of you, at night I thought I saw you stand in the doorway, I swear I could hear your footsteps, your laugh, your voice. But you were never there. It haunted me, you know that? So I sold it, bought another house. Tried to forget about you. The money I had made during my time in the military, it lasted me a long time. I didn’t have to work, no I could drown my sorrows in liquor and hookers. The funny thing was, money doesn’t last, just like we didn’t.

And I really tried. I tried to get new jobs, but they would never last. God, people are morons and I just cannot deal with them. Do you know how hard it is to keep your house when you’re not able to keep a goddamn job? And furthermore, do you know how hard it is to keep a relationship when you’re not able to hold a job, when the bills are stacking up?

God, and even if I could hold a job, I’m not able to keep a relationship, I keep searching for a piece of you. Even when they’re a perfect match, they’re still not you.

I hate myself for letting you go, I crave how predictable you were, I crave your touch, your voice, you.

Yet at the same time, I am so angry at you for taking everything from me. I deserve better than this. You took everything I worked so hard for.

The anger is tucked away, for now. It reappears whenever I hit the bottle. Everything I’ve been holding in comes out then. It’s not a pretty sight when I get my shit together again, it makes me feel ashamed.

Your little action has made me unable to look into the mirror. I see my fathers eyes whenever my eyes linger to long on the man I see in the mirror. I became what I hated the most and I can only blame you for it.

I even tried to make up with the last woman, the one you found the video of. I went to her house, tried to explain myself. I even apologised for calling her my toy. She had the audacity to laugh at me. She told me to fuck right off. Hell, she even pulled her girlfriend to her side when I asked for a second chance. It left me broken. Not even my back up wanted me anymore.

Lately I’ve been wandering the streets, as a soul without a purpose. I avoid the large windows, I cannot stand to see my reflection in them, the shell of the man I was supposed to be. I had such a good life ahead of me, but it was all ruined. My days are filled with sorrow and time is slipping through my fingers.

It is a good day, a beautiful day, so I decide to go to the park, maybe it would ease my mind, before I would go home and get drunk again. I wander around in the park, aimlessly, the sun on my skin is a nice feeling, it beats the feeling of feeling sorry for myself.

My heart skips a beat when I see you. You’re standing close to the water, and I can’t tell what you’re saying to the man in front of you, but you look happy. The clothes you’re wearing fit your body perfectly, and truth be told, you look better than you’ve ever looked before.

God I miss you. I miss you so goddamn much. I start to make my way over to you, I want to talk to you, maybe there is a new chance for us to be together. The guy you’re with can suck it, I can show you what you deserve.

My blood runs cold when I see the man in front of you go down on one knee.

No.

Your POV:

You never stepped foot into that house again, you tried, but the tea stained wall was enough for you to back down. All your belongings you had left behind were things you could replace.

But that wasn’t your biggest worry. Soap had risked his life for you, and for what? Because you needed to prove a point to Simon? You felt so, so, so goddamn guilty. Luckly for the both of you, Soap ‘only’ had two broken ribs, a black eye and a few other bruises. You both knew it could have ended different.

Soap was a kind soul, and you knew it. He offered you a place to stay when you couldn’t go back to the place you once called home. He insisted on taking the couch, even with his injuries. He insisted that you were the one who deserved to sleep in his bed after everything you had been through.

In return you made him breakfast every day. The man was a sucker for fresh pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, maple syrup. All of them together, or just one of those things. It didn’t matter to him, as long as it was something you had cooked, this man was content.

What started as just breakfast, quickly became dinner too, lunch followed shortly  after. Although Soap slept on the couch, he wouldn’t hesitate to come running up the stairs when he could hear you having a nightmare, eventually you’d start having flashbacks of that morning. The events repeating themselves in your mind time after time, leaving you frozen in place.

Soap was there for you, no questions asked. He was on medical leave anyway, and he wanted to care for you, protect you. He would always be there when the nightmares or flashbacks started. Holding you, grounding you, bringing you back into reality every time.

After one particular flashback the two of you stayed on the couch, even though it was late at night. You didn’t dare to go to sleep, worried that the nightmares would keep you up again, and Soap wasn’t going to let you out of his sight.

The next thing you knew was that you woke up with him in your arms. His head resting on your shoulder as you held him tight. The best part of it all? It never felt awkward. When he finally woke up he had a boyish grin on his face.

“Best night of sleep I’ve had in a while.” He told you, before he gave you some space again. “How about I make you some pancakes this time?”

You had always thought that Ghost made you feel at home, but Soap.. Holy shit, Soap was something else. When the night fell that day and it was time to go to bed you held your hand out to him, he didn’t have to sleep on the couch anymore. Not if it was up to you anyway.

You could tell he was hesitant to take your hand. “I want you to, no, I need you to know you don’t have to do this to pay me back in any way, shape or form.” He began. You shushed him. This wasn’t about paying him back, this was about the feeling that had began to grow inside your heart.

He responded with a simple kiss on your nose. A token of appreciation.

It was the start of something beautiful, Soap was so much kinder than Ghost had ever been to you. Because it was Soap who woke you up with a thousand and one kisses on every inch of skin he could get his hands on, it was Soap who made sure you were always comfortable, no matter where you were or what you were doing. It was Soap who made sure you would at least get a text every day when he was on a mission, it was Soap who hid little love notes around the house when he was away.

Soap brought you stones from the missions he had been on, always proudly telling you how he picked the prettiest rocks, just for you. Even when he was away on missions, he always made sure you never, ever felt lonely.

He had just come home after he went to a little bakery to get you both breakfast, so you could sleep in.

“I saw some ducklings in the park when I walked back.” He told you, before he took a bite of his croissant.

“Really?” Your voice is filled with excitement. “Can we check them out after breakfast?”

“Only if I get a kiss first.”

“Deal!”

“Ah shoot, I should’ve asked for more.” The Scot pouted while he stole your last piece of pastry.

“Hey! That was mine.”

“Sorry lass, boyfriend tax.” He grinned as he swallowed the stolen bite.

“Now.” A devilish grin formed on his lips. “You still owe me a kiss.”

A laugh escapes your lips before he kisses you, his strong arms wrapped around you, as your hands rest on his waist. “That was worth all the ducklings in the world.” He whispers to you as he presses a quick kiss on your forehead.

“Come little lass, before those ducklings are fully grown ducks.”

He doesn’t let go off your hand for the whole walk to the park, the two of you walk in silence, and it’s nice. His presence is enough for you, and you are enough for him.

You look around the little pond to see a glimpse of the promised ducklings, but they are nowhere to be seen. You have your back turned to him, as your eyes scan the area.

“They’re gone.” Your voice sounds disappointed. “Well damn it, I want that kiss back Jo-“ Your breath hitches in your throat when you turn around to face him.

There he is, on one knee in front of you, a little black box in his hand.

“Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”

[venerawrites]

Hey!! Luv your work :)

could you do shikamaru and neji reaction to a poor-frightened girl (same age as them) who's from a different village? I've been watching too much shield hero😭

author's note: I've never seen Shield Hero, so I really hope I did your request justice! 😭 Anyway, thank you so much for the kind words and for your request! I hope you enjoy! x

➤ Shikamaru

There was nothing Shikamaru hated more than missions that involved more than 2 days of travelling. It was tiring, boring, and most of the time it took way longer than needed. He always avoided volunteering for such tasks but when Kakashi informed him he was personally chosen for this one, he had no excuse not to go.

The mission sounded simple - go to Takumi village, negotiate a new trade deal for weaponry, and go back. "That sound way too easy", the young man noted in his head while he was walking alongside Neji and Shino later that day. Not only he felt like they were spared the full details about the place they were going to, but he also noticed his team was full of strategists, rather than violent fighters.

A day and a half later, they all found themselves in front of the big wooden gates of the Takumi Village. The place was small - it probably had less than 4 streets, and everything else was just small and dark alleys between buildings. The people, most of which shut themselves inside their houses once they saw the group of Konoha shinobi, were cold and distant, seemingly not open for any type of negotiation or trading with outsiders. Luckily the owner of the local inn seemed to at least tolerate their presence, despite not being particularly excited by it.

Shikamaru was famous for his love for sleeping and resting. However, as he was laying on his bed that night, he couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Deciding he needed to clear his head a bit, he stood up, grabbed his pack of cigarettes, and made his way down the stairs. While he tried to be extra quiet, so he doesn't wake up his teammates, he couldn't help but let out a yelp, once he saw a girl, sitting in the kitchen and chewing some bread.

They stared at each other for a few minutes in silence, before she ran to him, pressing her trembling hand over his mouth and begging him not to yell or shout for the owners of the house. It didn't take long for him to put 2+2 together and realise she must have been a thief that smuggled inside the house during the night. Instead of raising the alarm, however, he just nodded toward the garden, a silent command for her to follow him outside.

The black-haired shinobi has dealt with a lot of criminals in the past - none of them like this girl, however. She seemed so scared, almost frightened, and while she tried her best to hide her clothes under her cape, he could see that they were old - probably from her late teenage years. She also seemed to be very open and honest - he asked her only her name and age before she started apologizing, sharing stories about the village and her family, which were now gone.

The more she talked, the more everything made sense in Shikamaru's head - why the place looked so gloomy and empty, and why the residents were so unfriendly. The village, which was also called the Village of the Artisians, was once upon a time famous for making weaponry which they then sold to the Five Great Nations. With time their clientele grew in skill and soon they found themselves unable to trade with anyone. This left hundreds of families below the poverty line and many didn't survive, including hers. Now that Konoha was interested in trading again, but it was the Takumi Village who refused.

"That's why they sent us here to negotiate", mumbled Shikamaru under his breath once she finished the story of her village's history. Cigarette after cigarette, he kept asking questions about this place and the artisans, which with the passing hours started to become more and more personal. He asked the girl about her job, her living situation, her skills, her dreams, her fears... the conversation kept flowing and before he knew it, the sun was already poking out the horizon, and he had also shared a good amount of information about himself. "Wait!", he grabbed her wrist once she stood up to leave. The movement startled her and he quickly withdrew his hand once he saw her wide eyes full with fear, "I am sorry, I just... Would I see you again? Maybe tonight?" "I really shouldn't-" "Please", the word slipped out before he could stop it, "I won't tell anyone. Just come... I will leave the back door open."

Shikamaru always thought dealing with women was too much of a hassle. He had only one crush in his life, which disappeared as quickly as it came once he experienced her bossy behaviour and uncontrollable anger. The thief girl, however, was different. She was quiet, a good listener, and surprisingly for him, had a vast knowledge in many different areas, including war strategy and politics. She also seemed to appreciate a good debate and was so calm and collected while presenting her arguments, that he didn't even understood when he was 'forced' to reluctantly admit defeat.

The Leaf ninja never considered himself to have tendencies to be protective, especially when it came to females - if he had to judge based on the women in his life, it was he who needed protection from them. But night after night, he kept getting to know this mysterious girl more and more, and a new, unfamiliar urge started to grow in his chest. He started sneaking food into his room, sharing it with her at night. He draped his jacket over her shoulders once they went out in the garden for him to smoke. He pushed her behind his back every time there was a sound in the house, signaling someone might be awake. He started visiting her house during the day, after the talks with the village elders were over, to bring her some lunch or have a cup of tea. "I just need some time away from all that work", was always his excuse.

It must have been some deeply rooted instinct to protect the "damsel in distress", because there was no other explanation that came to mind once Shino decided to confront his weird behaviour. "You are prolonging these negotiations on purpose", the Aburame pointed out, staring at Shikamaru with a blank expression. "Huh? What are you talking about?" "I am talking about how this is the third week you keep finding something wrong with the trade proposals", Shino said with an even tone, continuing to spread jam on top of his toast, "Proposals which are the best we have ever received from any of our allies, especially when it comes to weaponry." The Nara scoffed, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "We were sent here to get the best deal, not the first one." For a few minutes, there was no response from his teammate and Shikamaru assumed this was the end of the conversation. So when Shino gave his response, he almost chocked on his food: "I always had a great respect for you, Shikamaru. This is why I am going to be honest with you - we are here to secure a trade deal. I understand you may find interest in other activities, most of them including the strange girl you keep sneaking into your room at night, but we are here on business, not pleasure."

The black-haired shinobi couldn't think of a time when he felt a bigger embarrassment. Later that day, he laid down the girl's bed, complaining about his teammates.

"So, are you leaving?", she asked. Refusing to meet her eyes, he nodded his head. "We have to. We have overstayed our welcome." She left a quiet hum, continuing to stare out of her window. Her heart begged her to say something, to ask him to stay just a bit longer. But she knew better. "You should stop stealing. One day they are going to catch you", his words were supposed to be a gentle warning, but in her ears sounded like a harsh judging. "I steal because I have to, not because I want to. Many of us do", her voice was weak, yet defensive, "These families did not gather wealth because they worked hard. The exploited people like my family, who were then discarded and left to die like rats once they were not needed."

Next day the Leaf ninjas were supposed to leave at noon. The negotiations were done, the trade deal was secured and all of them were eager to leave this hostile place. But while Shino and Neji were patiently waiting at the gates, Shikamaru found himself in front of the girl's door.

"Come with me." The words were carrying a note of dominance, sounding more like a command rather than an invitation. Before the girl could reply, he grabbed her shoulder, gently pushing her back inside her house and closing the door. "Pack your belongings and come with me. This place is not for you." Instead of an expression full of joy, he was met with her hardened gaze. "This is my home." "And I can offer you a better one", he argued, refusing to give up, "One where you don't have to steal to survive and eat only bread." She laughed, shaking his hand off and stepping back. "I can't just leave-" "And I can't leave you", Shikamaru blurted out, silencing her. They stared at each other for a few long seconds, both of them equally startled by his confession.

Nobody expected the team to return with an extra member a few days later. But as Shikamaru looked at her, the thief who stole the heart and was now looking at Konoha like it was the most amazing place to be, he had no regrets. Maybe women were not such a hassle after all. . .

➤ Neji

Neji did not agree with a lot of things in his life. Ironically, they all were somehow connected to his family - from the outdated branch system to the clan's teachings and the way most of the members viewed the world. It was no secret many of them were proud - Neji was too in a way - yet he never realised how lowly they thought of the civilians till he witnessed it with his own eyes.

As one of the few Hyuga members chosen to be sent to the Bamboo Village and work on a proposal for an alliance with the ruling clan, he was never asked if he had the time or wanted to leave. Instead, Hiashi, had already made all arrangements beforehand, informing him the night before they were supposed to leave. And just like any other branch member, he had no other choice than to grit his teeth and nod his head.

Despite growing up with them, Neji could not say he was close with his two cousins who were accompanying him. Inagai and Tadate were only two years younger than him, but their mentality felt way more childish - they were confident, cold, stuck-up, and reminded the older Hyuga a little bit too much of himself when he was a kid, who looked at the world just as black and white. They had a lot to learn but were at that age when they thought they already knew everything.

At first it was amusing. They would argue on the way about the shortest way to reach the Bamboo Village, before arguing if it is going to rain or not and finishing the day with a good sparring match, leaving both of them bruised and bloody. The older Hyuga always watched from the side, shaking his head - he didn't like to involve himself in their petty fights, especially since they were both wrong most of the time. When they tried to pick fights with the locals, however, he knew he had to draw the line.

The three Leaf ninjas walked through the streets of the Bamboo Village, curiously looking around. All of the locals were farmers and so far, they seemed to be the only shinobi around. "Can't believe they sent us here, in the middle of nowhere!", huffed Tadate, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You can't be in the middle of nowhere, moron!", Inagai rolled his eyes and was about to add another sarcastic remark, when someone bumped into his side, making him stumble. Three pairs of pale eyes turned toward their right, where a girl seemingly their age stared back at them with a frightened expression. "Watch where you're going yo-" "That's enough!", Neji's voice boomed, and for the first time, the two boys remained silent, exchanging confused looks, "You two, go and check in the inn!" The young Hyuga brothers did not wait for a second command, instead, they scurried away, not wanting to deal with their older cousin. Neji waited till they were out of his sight, before stepping toward the girl. "Apologies about my rude companion! Are you alright?", she nodded once and kneeled to pick up the few apples that fell from her bag. The young man mirrored her movements, helping her gather what she couldn't. She offered him a smile and a small bow as a sign of gratitude and Neji couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. "My name is Neji. Neji Hyuga."

The next day, Neji saw the same girl by chance. Walking on the road and humming a song, she didn't even notice when she walked past him, till he called her name. She jumped at the sound, but let her shoulders relax once she saw it was the young gentleman from the day before. What was supposed to be a quick run to the local market, turned into a whole afternoon spent together in the nearby bamboo forest.

The Leaf shinobi told both her and himself that he "just wanted to get some peaceful time away from his cousins' constant bickering". Deep inside, however, he knew that seeking the private company of a lady was not the ideal way to escape his teammates. If anything, it actually went against everything he was taught as a boy. The girl was not a fellow ninja or a part of the clan, therefore he shouldn't spend any time with her alone, especially in such a secluded place. But as she kept talking about the Bamboo village, the local culture and cuisine, and their traditions, he couldn't help but find himself enchanted by her stories. Perhaps it wasn't so bad to allow himself to be in her company. After all, if he wanted to secure an alliance, he needed to have a good knowledge about the locals, right?

A week passed, then two, and soon the original mission started to take a lesser priority for Neji. Instead of trying to charm the head of the clan ruling the village, like he originally planned, he found himself exiting the negotiation room as soon as the talks were done and making his way toward the market where he knew the girl would be. Despite knowing her for such a short period of time, he could confidently say she was one of the few people who managed to bring him comfort and peace. She was a smart girl - despite being raised in a small village, she learned about the world out there from books and stories from other travellers. Her biggest gift was smooth talking - what started as general questions about Konoha and what life is there, slowly turned into more personal ones about Neji, his clan, and his childhood. Before he can even realise it, he has bared his entire soul to her, showing her both the good and the ugly inside of him. In return, she opened up about her life in such a small village and her dreams to one day explore the world.

"Why don't you leave then?", he asked one night while they were laying side by side on the field and gazing at the stars above them, "If you want to see the world, you should go. Don't let anybody stop you." She smiled softly, turning her head to the side. "Do you always give advice that you can't follow yourself?" The words must have hit deeper than expected, as instead of his usual light chuckle, he stayed silent. Sighing, she reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. While he expected some words of encouragement or inspiration, she just laid there, holding his hand and turning her attention back to the starry sky. After a minute he smiled, wrapping his fingers around hers. When he was little, he always heard stories about how when you find The One, you can understand and speak to each other without words. He always thought this was nonsense... till now.

Neji was a man who one could say was very predictable - he never acted impulsively and all his actions and decisions seemed to be based on the strict teachings and beliefs of his clan. So when he started to spend not only most of his days but also his nights away from the inn, his cousins decided it is time to intervene.

"With this rate, we won't secure an alliance anytime soon", groaned Inagai while furrowing his eyebrows at their older cousin, "Lord Hiashi would definitely not like this." Neji sipped his tea quietly, taking a few extra moments before replying: "Lord Hiashi knows that good things take time. He is a man of patience, I am sure he understands we need time to secure the trust and the favour of the leader's clan." It was Tadate's turn to scoff and eye the man with suspicion. "The trust of the clan or the trust of peasant girls?" The sound of the cup smashing got everyone's attention and Neji closed his eyes, ignoring the pain of the burning tea landing directly on his skin. Instead, he focused on calming the raging fire of frustration and anger that Tadate's words had caused inside his chest. There were many things he wanted to say: how they knew nothing about her, how they were too stuck up and rude to realise they were still young fools and had much more to learn, how he could take both of them right here, right now if he didn't take his words back... All of these things were on the tip of his tongue, but by some miracle, he managed to swallow them back. "You forget your position in the clan, Tadate. I may be from the branch side of the family, but I can still make sure you are put back in your place."

Since that incident, neither of them talked to each other - instead each preferred to pretend nothing had happened, hoping the talks with the clan leader would be over soon enough so they could go home. And just like they hoped, it took only a few more days before an alliance was formally signed and stamped by the clan leader and given to Neji to pass to Lord Hiashi.

"So, this is our goodbye I guess...", the girl that has managed to snatch both his heart and soul said. There was a weak smile on her face which didn't reach her teary eyes. It was stupid to cry about a man which you had known only for a few weeks, she knew that. But can one control their pain? Can one make it stop just because it was "stupid"? "I want to travel with you." His words made both of them blush and stare at each other with wide eyes. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I don't want to pressure you, but you said you want to see the world and I... I want to see it too.

With you."

cc artwork: Yunpeng Liu

[ninapi]

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Frantically in love ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

Premise: Nanami Kento wasn’t one to fool around with girls like his fellow first year classmates, yet one girl managed to drive him crazy enough to do things he never thought himself capable of.

Word Count: 3821

Note: This will be a two part story~ ✨

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Chapter 1: Classmates

Nanami Kento was a man of few words.

His team consisted of only him and one more guy, Haibara Yu, just the two of them and they couldn’t be more different. The moment they were assigned into their team on their first day of their first year at Jujutsu Tech, they didn’t really get along, yet they could work together very well, hence, they ended up in the same team and no less than assigned as backup for the strongest sorcerers just weeks after their arrival at the school.

Yu was a very well mannered, soft natured man. He always tried to cheer Nanami up and push him out of his comfort zone, something Nanami didn’t really appreciated much, yet it helped him quite a lot in the long run.

Though, their team was incomplete.

There’s a reason why the teams are composed of three members at the beginning of every sorcerer’s carrier, and that is to guarantee everyone’s safety and the success rate of every mission.

So the news of the new addition to the team later that year didn’t come off as a surprise to any of them.

The surprise was the fact that you were a girl, as pretty and graceful as one can be.

The rumor was that a very fat ugly older man was to join their team, he was a senior businessman who had recently awoken his powers out of nowhere and was in need of training.

However, he ended up being sent out to the Kyoto facility for Mei to train. His technique was closer to her own and she would be a better fit to develop the new abilities of said asset.

You on the contrary, were a beautiful young woman, seemingly the same age as they were at the time. Your eyes glowed with enthusiasm, your skirt a little shorter than it should probably be.

Nanami’s eyes were on you the moment you opened the classroom door.

It wasn’t a special day, just a random Monday at the beginning of the fall season. The wind was starting to get chilly, the colorful leaves on the background making your lovely face shine even more, it was like being in a museum admiring a highly rated piece of art.

“Oh my God! Hi! I’m Haibara Yu, are you our new teammate?” he was on his feet within seconds, smothering you with attention. Right behind you was Gojo Satoru, who had been entrusted to deliver you safely to your new team.

“Back down, will you? Isn’t it too early for you to be this loud? Yeah, she’s your new classmate, be nice to her, she could actually kick your ass easily.” you smiled shyly at both of them, waving your tiny hand.

“I’m (L/N)(Y/N), I will be joining you as of today. Please take good care of me.” bowing politely, all that could be heard in the background were Yu’s screeches and wails. “You’re so cute! Oh my God. We are the luckiest in the entire school, aren’t we Nanami-kun?” he had been quiet since your arrival, not a sound could be heard leaving his lips, yet you could feel his eyes on you from the moment you stepped into the classroom.

He just grimaced at his obnoxious outburst, eyeing you up suspiciously.

“Nanami Kento.” the moment he graced you with his name a blinding smile adorned your beautiful features, causing him to choke in his own spit. He just gave you his name, it wasn’t something important enough to gift the world such a lovely sight, but it did anyway, and he didn’t know how to feel about it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nanami-kun. I’ll be on your care.” to this he scoffed, while Yu felt like a bucket of icy water fell on his head. “What about me, (Y/N)-chan? Are you happy to meet me too?” his outburst made you chuckle, dropping your bag on an empty desk while waving Gojo goodbye. “Of course!” that was enough to get his spirits back up.

The beginning of a wonderful friendship.

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A few weeks after your arrival, your first mission had been already assigned to you, panic was visible in your face since you’ve never really had to fight a curse in your life. You were excited about it as well, but fear won the battle.

Yu had been assigned to a reckoning mission, nothing fancy or dangerous, all he had to do was gather information for Geto, nothing he needed your assistance with, so Nanami volunteered himself to train you personally that day, his hopes were to ease your nerves, to make you realize you were ready to fight, that there was nothing to worry about, your first mission would be a success.

But it wasn’t working.

You were very much distracted, getting a few hits from him along the way, you were meant to avoid them and counterattack him, but your head was just not present.

After getting beaten down for a third time, he suggested you take a short break, go for a drink or so. Since you didn’t react, he grabbed you by your wrist, gently pulling you towards a bench that was covered by the shadow of an old enormous tree while he jogged over to the vending machine. He grabbed a black iced coffee for him and brought you a can of your favorite drink along the way.

When he got back to the bench you were still spacing out, not even noticing you were now sitting down, and the practice time came to a halt. Worried, he rested the cold end of the can against your cheek, making you look back at him startled by the icy sensation on your soft warm skin. “For me? Thank you, Ken-chan. I really needed this.” you started calling him by that ridiculous nickname a few days back, the first time you had really spent some quality time together in the training grounds. He got to learn your back story, the way your powers awoken at a very early age, how being born out of non-sorcerer parents felt like and the insecurities that came with.

Even if he couldn’t relate to your story, he got to understand you more, made you look more of a normal human in his eyes and less like the fairy tale princess looking sunshine that got into their team not long ago. And to you, he also felt less constipated and more like a regular boy his age. It was an eye-opening experience for the both of you, one that had gotten you closer without any of you noticing.

Yu did notice, though.

And even if that meant he would probably not get a chance with you, he wanted his friends to bond and explore that feeling of belonging both got to experience that day.

“Why are you so stressed out? It’s a lesser curse, (Y/N). It’s probably not even necessary for the three of us to be there. It’s more of a mission for you to see how a real one goes and for you to be ready for later. You won’t have to do much.”

“But what if I mess up? What if one of you gets hurt because of something stupid I did? What if I just can’t move and the curse comes right after me even if you guys were the ones fighting it?” your palms were sweaty, your face pale as a ghost. Nanami could see very well how this was causing you to lose sleep and wanted to try and ease your mind once more.

“If that happens, I will cut it in half before it dares to even breathe the same air as you. I will be there; I won’t let anything happen to you.” there was so much conviction in his every word, his eyes were showing you how serious he was about this, how he really would protect you even if the worse came to happen. Your eyes began to water, your cheeks tinting of a lovely shade of pink at the implications of his statement.

“Y-you will?” you mumbled while sniffing, Nanami’s thumb coming over to wipe a stray tear from one of your cheeks acting on its own accord. “Yeah…so don’t worry, ok? Everything will be fine.”

You’ve never seen him this soft before, yet so assertive. You could feel his resolution, protecting you was more like a promise, not just to you but to himself, he’d do what was necessary for you to be out of harm ways, for you to feel comfortable with your own techniques and to feel safe at all times.

Smiling adoringly at him, you opted for resting your head on his shoulder while sipping on the cold drink you still held in your hand. The sunset that afternoon being one to remember, mixed shades of orange and pink hues turning the sky into a beautiful work of art for your eyes only. Taking off his uniform blazer, he covered your bare legs with it, making you snuggle closer onto his side. It was a chilly fall afternoon, but there was nowhere you would rather be at.

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Your first mission went out well, even with Nanami’s attempts on hurting Yu as he kept on pushing you towards the curse; exposure training was the best in his eyes, he wanted you to gain experience, to learn through failure, while Nanami wanted to keep you safe and have you just look from the sidelines until you felt ready to participate in the missions.

You were still new to this and so, they wouldn’t take you to every single mission, just the ones Nanami deemed safe enough.

Today’s mission seemed easy enough, yet for some reason Nanami wasn’t feeling it. “Can I go? Please? I promise I won’t get in the way.” your pretty puppy eyes were digging holes in Nanami’s stomach, but he kept his ground refusing profoundly. “Not today, Ieiri-san wanted your help dissecting a curse.” pouting you turned on your heels, going for Yu instead. “Oh no, no, no, don’t give me that look, don’t want to be fed to a curse by an angry boyfriend. Listen to him, (Y/N).”

“B-boy f-…what?…whatever…” plopping on a chair, he grabbed the newspaper, trying his best to cover his crimson toned face.

“Tch.” grabbing your backpack, you headed over to the lab for a day full of the stench of death and zero to no conversation with your quietest senior.

When Gojo burst the door of the lab open, you could see it on his face, something bad had happened.

“(Y/N)….I…um…the mission your team went into didn’t come with a good outcome…I…” Shoko was staring at him in disbelief, you had been blabbing all day about how you wanted to go with them, how you felt underappreciated and how you wanted to help your team become stronger. This would certainly be an awful blow to you.

“Senpai…where are they?” you were taking off your lab coat, running over to the morgue. Your eyes were dripping with sadness, your knees almost failing you as you ran. You didn’t let Gojo tell you the whole story, you just ran as fast as you could, you couldn’t wait any longer.

“KENTO!” slamming the door open, relief filled your lungs as you saw the blond sitting on a chair with a towel over his face. He seemed ok enough.

You ran over to his side, throwing yourself to your knees, and burying your face in his stomach. You didn’t even notice Geto-senpai was in the room and how there was a body laying over the table. “Please tell me you’re ok…”

“I’ve been better, but I’ll live. (Y/N)…I did everything I could…we just weren’t a match for that curse…” you looked up to see his face, he sounded broken, his voice was raw, his eyes full of unshed tears. “What happened?” you were rubbing soothing circles onto his side patiently, your heart sinking at his words.

Geto left the room to give your team some privacy after confirming the demise of the young sorcerer, his heart heavy with regret and hatred towards humankind and the pest they produce by their uselessness.

Nanami pointed over to the table, unable to find the right words.

The sight of Yu’s lifeless body was more than heartbreaking. He was the best of the three of you, the most loving friend you’d ever had, a great man with a bright future. This couldn’t end this way…you knew this could happen any time, to any of you, that’s just how this job is, but Yu…no, that had to be a mistake, maybe he was just cursed, not dead yet, maybe there’s something that could be done to save him.

Nanami could see right through you, he knew exactly what you were thinking, “Geto-san confirmed his death (Y/N), there’s nothing we can do anymore. It’s my fault, if only I was stronger…”

“It’s not your fault, Kento…” you hiccupped through your words, the wall of tears in your eyes not letting you see him for what he was now, thankfully. “If only I had gone with you guys, maybe I would have helped defeat the curse, maybe Yu would still be alive…” you felt a strong pair of arms circling your waist and pulling you flushed against his chest, sitting you on his lap as he wept silently against your back. “Never…never repeat those words again…you hear me? If you had gone with us…what if you’d had die instead of him? No, this was the right decision, I’m glad you stayed…I’m not sure if I would have been able to protect you myself, I couldn’t protect Yu. I can’t lose you, not you…” his words were dripping with love, his feelings coming out in the open in darker times, you let him cry on your back while you stared at your fallen partner.

This isn’t how you wanted things to end. You always imagined Yu marrying a lovely, beautiful woman, having at least four kids and meeting them in the supermarket while you and Kento shopped together. Grow old together, the three of you. Knowing that won’t ever happen finished breaking your heart and turning it to dust. He didn’t deserve this.

“(Y/N) let’s quit. I can’t lose you too…what if this happens again? What if I can’t protect you?” your back was now drenched with his fresh tears, his shaky hold around you tightening every passing second.

“Let’s get out of here, Kento. I can’t see him like this anymore. He looks like he was in so much pain, he’s probably cold…” gathering himself together, Nanami stood up with you in his arms, reaching over for the sheet covering his fallen friend to shield his body completely from the cold air in the room. Even if he couldn’t feel it anymore, this wasn’t for him, it was for you.

Saying your last goodbyes to your friend you headed over to Nanami’s room. You were just aimlessly walking beside him, letting him guide you to wherever he wanted to be right now.

You stumbled out of your shoes, plopping on his floor and collapsing at the weight of the situation. Nanami went to sit behind you on the floor, resting his back on his bed and cradling you over to his chest, letting you cry out all your pain.

He wouldn’t let this happen to you. He had to do something.

Once your tears had permanently dried out, you looked up to see a very distraught Kento, lost in his own thoughts. He was trying to form a plan to get out of this dangerous world and bring you with him, this loss was too much for him, he didn’t want to experience this ever again, let alone have you succumb to the same fate.

“Kento?”

“Hm?” he looked down at you, resting his forehead against yours waiting for your reply.

“Don’t beat yourself over this, I know you did everything you could. Thank you for coming back to me in one piece, I don’t know what I would have done if you were the one laying on that cold table…” tears found their way out of your beautiful eyes once more, the terrifying image of the man you loved dead on that desolated table all alone shattering you completely.

“I can’t die. I have to protect you...” It’s all he said before feeling your lips crash against his own. You were crying, sobbing really, but you needed to feel every bit of him, unite your souls, mush them into one.

He held you as close as he could, returning your kiss while tearing up. He knew this wasn’t about Yu anymore, he could feel how frightened you were right now, how it terrified you that he would end up the same way Yu did, and he felt the same way, he would rather die than seeing you on that table covered in blood and without a heartbeat.

“Seriously though, let’s run away from this (Y/N). I won’t lose you too…” you just nodded in between kisses, fisting his uniform blazer as to hold yourself together.

“I’d go anywhere with you, Kento. Just please, don’t die…don’t get hurt…don’t leave me…” your desperate cries made his resolution grow, he didn’t want this any longer, he wanted safety, a nice home, a car, even kids maybe, one day. This dangerous life was to be put behind, as soon as possible. And he would drag you with him.

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Trying to get out of the business wasn’t easy. Turns out you could only quit once you graduated from the school, and you still had a few years to go through for that.

In return, the headmaster promised to send you both only on clean up and reckoning missions, if you two didn’t want to be involved anymore, the least you could do was to clean after your seniors. To this the two of you agreed and your bond strengthened as time went on.

You were officially together at this point and the rest of your school life remained just that.

Daily classes, some physical training, every so often a reckoning mission in the countryside which always turned into a lovely rendezvous with your boyfriend and of course the disgusting clean up missions where you would end up covered in guts and goo, though were as rewarding as any other. At least you were still of some sort of help, at least you were safe.

Nanami had applied for an internship in a very big well known company, his new goal was to become a salaryman, one with a high pay rate, get an apartment for the both of you and be good enough to keep them as he gave you time to figure out what to do with your life.

He imagined you would become a teacher of some sort, you enjoyed helping others and were great at explaining things, a kindergarten teacher maybe, that would fit his lovely girlfriend just fine, yeah. Then after a couple of years of hard work, he’d get promoted and ask you to officially be his wife, consummate the marriage by putting a baby in you, then maybe get a car and another promotion so you could stay home with the child.

You could say he had your life planed with intricate details, he even had ordered some furniture already that he was able to pay while working a part time in a coffee shop, unbeknownst to you.

He of course, got the internship and was able to find a lovely apartment not far from his office building, everything was ready for you two to venture out of the sorcery related world.

Or so he thought until you knocked on his door one night, a complicated expression on your face. “Is something wrong, love?” he moved to the side so you could go into his room, everything was mostly packed by then.

“The Kamo clan…they sent for me. They want me to raise their child, basically. Train him, teach him all he needs to know, from basic school subjects, to how to develop his blood technique. The headmaster…he agreed to this without my knowledge, I must depart tomorrow…” tears were running down your face, your eyes unfocused.

“No. This isn’t happening. We are leaving right now, go get your things, the apartment will be ready tomorrow we can just crash in a hotel nearby. Let’s go baby, don’t waste more time.” he finished packing his last bag, being stopped by your shaky hand.

“I can’t Kento. They said they’ll get your head on a plate if I ran away. I’m not putting you in any sort of danger, my love. I’ll go to them and be back as soon as I can. Maybe you can transfer to a Kyoto branch later on…I…I’m sorry, this is the only thing I can do to protect you…” you collapsed on the ground, his arms quick to catch you before you hurt yourself.

“Who said you had to protect me? I’m strong enough to kill them all. Nobody will get in our way. We finally made it this far, they can’t do this to us…” he punched the floor in rage, his anger materializing in the air.

“The Kamo clan is very powerful…I talked with Gojo-senpai, he didn’t recommend testing their patience….”

“I couldn't care less what he recommends or not, I won’t let you go, (Y/N) how am I supposed to live out our life plan without you in it?? We’ve worked so hard to get to this point…”

“Kento look at me.” you cupped his face gently before pressing a tender loving kiss to his lips, “I love you, nothing will ever change that. We just need to wait a little longer to get to the main goal. Let’s start by saving some money, if things get ugly we’ll figure out an escape route, ok? I don’t want you to lose your internship, I know how hard it is to get in. We can do this, love.”

And with a broken heart…you parted ways.

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Turns out long distance relationships are a pain when you work twelve hours a day and your girlfriend has to put a young child to sleep early.

Nanami Kento got the promotions he wanted, his house was bigger now, his car the one he always dreamed of getting, yet the space beside him in his very large bed remained empty, cold, and could never find an owner since the day you left from Kyoto… ten years ago.

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Masterlist Next Chapter

[thisgirlwhomustnotbenamed]

MC on Philos and MC on Earth being one person in Xavier's storyline

This is my theory about MC on Philos and MC on Earth being one person in Xavier's storyline.

First, let's briefly talk about the timeline in Xavier's myth.

According to what everyone knows and the information I gathered, MC and Xavier first met at the academy on the planet Philos. The year was 214. Two hundred and fourteen years had passed since Philos was born. That also means 214 years have passed since the Earth collapsed.

Humans have replaced Earth's exhausting core with a powerful artificial core. This core holds the fragmented lands together, preventing them from dispersing into the starry sea. So, aside from more dust, cloudier days, and cumbersome travel between tectonic plates, planet Philos isn't much different from the Earth in the past.

Yes, so Philos could be Earth in the future. It is divided into continental plates and needs an artificial core to prevent the planet from breaking into many different plates.

They met, got acquainted and developed feelings for each other. Unfortunately, in her first life, MC had a heart disease and had to stay in the hospital to di***e slowly.

In the last moments of her life, MC got out of the hospital to go stargazing, wanting to fulfill her final promise to Xavier. At this time he also returned, covered in injuries, holding an energy core in his hand that he wanted to give to MC. If nothing changes, then the Aether core is currently in her heart.

MC is so weak now that she can't hold on anymore. She asked Xavier to return the core to its original place and then passed away in his arms. I don't know if Xavier later attached the Aether core to her, but MC was reincarnated with it.

In her second life, MC studied at the same academy as Xavier. He is now the crown prince. MC is trained to become a royal knight, become the king's sword and is loyal to him until de***ath.

This time, Xavier discovered Philos' terrifying secret. The artificial core has long been exhausted. So the royal family sent Lightseeker knights to the Starfall forest to feed the planet. On the surface, it was to destroy Wanderer, but in reality it was to replenish Philos's lacking energy source.

Because of this event that Xavier decided to give up the throne. He can’t sit on a throne made from his people’s fle***sh and blo***od. Especially when the royal family decided to sacrifice MC to become an endless source of energy for the planet because she has the ability to reborn over and over again. Probably due to the Aether core in her heart.

Xavier's ideal is to save everyone, not most people. He founded the Backtracker, finding a way back to the past to find an energy core for Philos. At the same time, let MC become queen so she can manage the situation in Philos and protect herself.

There are many theories that MC on Earth and MC on Philos are two different people. And MC on Philos is still waiting for Xavier to return. But I don't think so.

First, we have to mention the Backtracker. Xavier's first purpose for founding the team seems very noble. So he must find friends and teammates who also share the same ideals, justice, kindness, or at least are trustworthy enough to carry out the mission. If MC's secret is exposed, it will be very dangerous for her to be on her own.

Then why in chapter 2 of Anecdotes and chapter 8 of the main story, did he ki***ll his friends and teammates? It could only be because they have fallen, no longer want to follow Xavier's ideals, and turned into enemies wanting to ha****rm MC.

Maybe when they were initially stuck on Earth in the past, they still had the rationality to find a peaceful solution. But over time, sensing that this universe would wipe out outsiders and Philos's slow de****ath in the distance, many Backtracker teammates became desperate.

After all, it is easier to sacrifice a single person than to risk the lives of many people into an unknown future. So they chose to confront Xavier, regardless to the point that they didn't even care about their lives. They couldn’t stand a chance against Xavier, yet they tried to fight him anyway.

If people who were far away from Philos are that desperate, what will happen with MC who chooses to stay in Philos and witness with her own eyes that it is about to fall into destruction?

I feel there are two possibilities.

One is the MC, as the queen of Philos, could no longer sit still and wait to di***e, so she carried out a mission herself. She wants to travel to Earth in the past to get the energy core for Philos. Xavier mentioned Traceback 2, right? If there is 2, which means there must be 1. Maybe MC drove Traceback 1 and then got sucked into a black hole and got stuck on Earth in the past

Second, MC returned to the past with Xavier on the Traceback 2. But something went wrong midway and the two were separated.

MC's return to the past through the Deepspace tunnel was mentioned through Noah's words. Noah once said that there was a problem with space travel called slipspace during the Backtrack. The spaceship couldn’t handle the fluctuations of the Deepspace tunnel.

Noah then continued to say that MC and the Aether core had vanished, most likely dissolved into cosmic dust. Only Noah would say that after she went through the Deepspace tunnel and having an accident. He wouldn’t just mention it out of nowhere:)

Also, do you know what will happen if you fall into a black hole? According to the most reasonable theories, it would be a painful “spaghettification" de***ath. In spaghettification, the intense gravity of the black hole would pull you apart, separating your bones, muscles, sinews, molecules, and even smaller, an atoms.

In Xavier's Shinning traces card, he said this: "Humans will eventually turn to dust, each person will become an insignificant atom in the universe. But atoms can never be destroyed. One day we will meet again under the stars."

Makes me wonder if he's hinting at a reunion between them? He never believed that she is gone. Her soul, her atom won’t be destroyed. Xavier just need to find her.

MC was pulled apart and di***ed in the Deepspace tunnel. But due to the distortion of space and time, instead of being reincarnated to Philos like before, she was reincarnated to Earth in the past. Explaining how she was once a child, lost her memories and grew up as a normal person.

The second thing is Jeremiah's attitude when he saw MC. If she was just a substitute, would he accidentally say: "Long time no see..."?

Apparently Jeremiah also considered Earth MC to be Philos MC. When he could help her, he said: “I just never thought I’d actually able to help you.” In this statement I feel intimacy, respect and a little guilt. Perhaps Jeremiah was always worried about the fact that he couldn't help MC much while in Philos.

[your-regular-toast-enjoyer]

Hello can i get headcanons for damian al ghul and garfield? How do they react to a reader who has the same ice powers as Frozen Elsa?

Damian Wayne and Garfield Logan x reader with Ice Powers

Damian Wayne x reader or Damian Wayne/reader

Garfield Logan x reader or Beastboy Wayne x reader

Word count: 3829 words

TW: GN reader, adult Damian Wayne (inspired and mostly based off of Damian in Batman beyond & Injustice 2: Gods among us), adult Garfield Logan, angst (kinda), fluff, Damian might be a TW of his own at this point...

Damian:

I imagine that you two met back in the Teen Titans, right when Damian just entered. Back then you were just kids and Damian was a well-known prick. You barely conversed for the first long while, the stories you heard from both Rachel (Raven) and Jaime (Blue beetle) made you nervous to be in the same room as the green-eyed Robin.

Damian was known for being wary of humans with powers above the natural, he had learned to not trust metahumans from his father, who had a well-known distaste for them. So, you considered it best to keep your distance from him lest he lashed out at you.

 Damian doesn’t notice or care much for you either in the beginning, but he does want to be a good superhero. To achieve that goal he has to at least know and, preferably, be able to work with all of his teammates, you included.

However, as Damian tries to approach you, he realises that his reputation precedes him. You leave the room as soon as he arrives, and any time he catches you alone, you’re quick to drag in Jaime or Koriand’r as a barrier between you two.

Damian doesn’t understand why you’re so adamant about not conversing with him and he gets angry at you for being unprofessional. He tries to look at your files through a copy of Koriand’r’s hard drive, (which he made as soon as he joined the Teen Titans), and he finds very little about you. You’re a meta human with ice abilities, nothing special there, your past is a bit murky, but ultimately nothing too out of the ordinary. He finds nothing that would pit the two of you as natural enemies. What is it that you dislike so much about him?

Damian doesn’t realise that his predisposition to be cautious of Meta humans and his aggressive personality has effectively scared you off.

It might take a few years of him slowly chipping away at your defences for the two of you to actually have a proper conversation, and when you finally do, I can imagine that it is after a harsh mission. 

Perhaps the mission was one of those where everyone’s lives hung by a thin thread, where one wrong move could mean the difference between life and death. You and Robin were the only ones with a chance of fighting back, the others were either held down or in such bad states that their survival afterwards wasn’t even guaranteed. You ran in with your ice powers, making slides, platforms and other useful props for Robin to use.

The two of you discover how well you actually work together. It’s not something anyone would have predicted, Damian’s aggressive attacks with his katana and your snow-themed meta abilities don’t seem like the perfect matchup. Like ketchup and ice cream, good individually but not together. Well, you were! You were a dream team, with you creating protective ice shields for Damian as he took the role of the more confrontational attacker, and together you managed to defeat the enemy which had taken down the entire rest of the team.

For the first time since getting to know each other, you both let down your guards. Damian practically runs to you after the fight, filled with so much adrenaline that he can barely contain himself as he wraps you up in a tight bone-crushing hug. You reciprocate it, so out of it and ecstatic you’ve saved your friends/second family that you don’t even remember why you were ever so apprehensive of Damian.

After the fight, the two of you slowly start to hang out around the Teen Titans tower, with and without the others. You gain a tradition of getting ice cream together every Saturday in one of the nearby parlours. Sometimes, Rachel and Jaime join you. When they do, you guys usually all go to your favourite restaurants and just relax, the four of you might be the least chaotic of the group… Although, but that's not saying a whole lot. However, it still creates an atmosphere of calmness, which ou all appreciate.

You would probably consider Damian your best friend after a while, and he feels the same way. You ironically end up becoming the person he trusts the very most on the team. Whenever there’s trouble, you two instinctively group together to solve it.

On a dark summer night, you and Damian open up to each other about your past. You pity his harsh upbringing and he makes you promise to never stop being his friend, you do, and he returns the promise. It feels nice to have someone who you can rely on, especially in a world so ever-changing as the vigilante circles.  

One day, on a holiday trip back to Gotham, Damian gets into a fight with his father. It’s over something stupid, but Bruce makes a big deal out of it since it’s his youngest son. Damian becomes so enraged that he rips off the Robin logo from his costume, throwing it in Bruce’s face, before vowing to return to his mother. His father doesn’t stop him, Dick tries to convince him to stay, but Damian is too filled with wrath to think clearly. He packs his stuff, takes Titus and leaves the Wayne manor full of negative emotions.

It isn’t until he has walked around half of Gotham, waiting for his mother, whom he knows is already aware of the fight, (the assassin she sent to spy on him wasn’t discreet enough to escape Damian’s peripheral gaze), that he realises he has no way to get back to the team after this. 

He calls you on a whim, he may not be able to bring the entire Teen Titans team, but maybe he’ll be able to bring you. 

You pick up his call immediately and Damian is relieved, even if you’re about to refuse the offer he’ll give, at least he gets to hear your voice one last time. The offer is, of course, to join him at the League of Assassins. He covers up the real reason behind his proposition with a bunch of excuses like, “Oh, the League could really use someone with Ice powers, it’s unbearably hot in Eth Alth'eban!” or “Yeah, you’re a great fighter and with your ice meta-ability, you could be a great asset to the league”.

Damian’s excuses are a waste of time, however. As soon as you hear Damian explain why he’s leaving, you’re on board. The Titans were getting a little boring anyway.

So, both of you leave for Eth Alth'eban. Talia is initially not too keen on Damian having brought his friend. She’s all too ready to throw you back to the Teen Titans. That is until Damian explains your ice powers to her. Then she relents, she’s still not appreciative of you, but she’ll let you stay, for her son’s sake.

You start to work for the League and Damian changes from Damian Wayne to Damian Al Ghul. It’s stressful for you in the beginning, it’s a new country, a new side of the fight and you’re so far removed from your friends at Teen Titans. You never regret your decision to join Damian, but sometimes you miss what once was. On top of that, you also come to realise that your ice powers have been weakened by the new climate, it takes you quite a while until you learn how to adapt. Once you do, though, you come to realise just how strong your powers have always been.

You and Damian don’t start to become anything romantic until you’ve both turned eighteen. At this point, Damian has become the new Demon’s head, and you’re right at his side… His right-hand man/woman/person.

It starts off as small romantic and cute gestures, which makes both of you feel butterflies eating your stomachs from the inside out. Damian picking a flower and tucking it behind your ear on a mission. You do all his paperwork for him one evening and tell him with a sticky note that you’ve drawn a heart. Him baking you Baklava on your birthday. They’re small gestures, but they’re invaluable to both of you. 

If any of the assassins or Talia gives you a hard time because of your powers, Damian will immediately back you up, verbally assault them and, (if they don’t back down), fight them on the spot. He doesn’t let anyone speak ill of you. If anyone ever voices discontent over your presence, Damian will take it as a personal insult.

When your romantic escapades have gone on for a while, Damian will start gifting you expensive gifts, (even if you don’t want them), it’s the Al Ghul way. 

Once Damian feels he has buttered you up well enough with gifts galore and all the sweet romantic gestures he can think of, he will finally ask you out. He doesn’t bother with dates and all that, you’ve known each other for years. For Damian, dates are for getting to know people, but you two already know each other in and out, so logically he’d skip that step, they’d just be a waste of time. 

Luckily for Damian, you like him too, so much so that you’re willing to skip all the steps one would usually take before calling someone their significant other.

It doesn’t take more than a year or two before Damian proposes to you. He’s afraid that you might regret a marriage with him, though, and he voices these concerns before letting you give him an answer. He looks a little pathetic as he sits on one knee on the sandy floors of the League’s barracks, ring in hand and listing all the reasons why it would be totally okay if you said no, but also attempting to convince you that he’ll do everything to not make that happen… You don’t doubt his words, you know Damian well enough to know that he’d never intentionally hurt you.

Your time spent engaged is short. Talia is horrified, at first, when she learns that you will be the one to carry the title of the Demon’s spouse, but she lets up once she starts to outweigh the pros and cons of other possible marriage candidates for her son. She will never think that you’re entirely good enough for her son, but given your strong meta-abilities, she’ll relent and even admit to you that you’re probably the best choice for her son. Don’t take her apprehension personally, it wouldn’t have mattered who you are, she simply doesn’t think anyone could ever be nearly good enough for her only son.

When you and Damian get married, you might invite your entire team to the wedding. I mean, just for one day you can bury the axe and forget that you and Damian are technically their enemies now, on what you once would’ve considered the bad side.

So, in conclusion. Damian and you would have a rocky start as a result of your powers, but you would slowly become inseparable. After your marriage, Damian would never be able to even consider a life without you.

Garfield Logan/Beast Boy:

I imagine that the two of you met while in Doom Patrol. Garfield had just lost his real parents and gotten adopted by Rita Farr (Elasti-girl) and Steve Dayton (Mento). He was in a rough place and with his meta-abilities growing at a fast pace, he was in desperate need of a friend his age. Well, you were the only one on Doom Patrol that wasn’t already an adult.

I can imagine that you had been picked up by the chief (the co-leader and advisor of the Doom Patrol) at an incredibly young age after you froze one of your family members to the point of near death. It was all an accident, of course. But your parent(s) realised that they couldn’t have you any longer after that. You were too powerful for them to handle.

You had been on Doom Patrol for a while when Garfield came along and you received him with open arms, happy to finally have someone your age to fight alongside. You two become fast friends, his chatty nature is hard to not be charmed by and he absolutely adored your personality. You helped him forget the tragedy that tore his birth parents from him, even if only for a moment and he is profoundly grateful for that.

When Mento goes insane as a result of prolonged exposure to his power helmet, joining the side of evil. Beast Boy is quick to pack his stuff, grab you and join the Teen Titans.

The breakdown of his adoptive father’s mental health is yet another blow to Garfield. First, both of his real parents died and now his adoptive father is insane and ready to kill him at any given moment. Still, in true Beast Boy fashion, he refuses to let anyone see him hurting, instead covering it up with an even more jovial attitude.

Sometimes though, late at night, he’ll knock on the door to your room. When you answer and let him in, closing the door behind you, he’ll break down and cry into your shoulder for hours. He feels like you and his adoptive mother are the only two people he has left. That is one of the reasons why he treasures you deeply. 

While on the Teen Titans, your ice-wielding abilities develop massively. Starfire is your natural sparring partner, after all, she can shoot out flames, powered by the sun itself. You’ll develop a great friendship with Koriand’r, which Garfield won’t admit that he’s a little jealous of. But he quickly gets over himself when he realises that what you and he have is unlike anything you could ever gain with the other Titans. 

You two know each other so well that you always order for each other in restaurants, with Garfield always throwing in a quick jab at whatever food you like. Still, he’ll both order and pay for you. As a matter of fact, I can see the two of you just sharing whatever money Rita sends Garfield and Chief sends you. The closest thing to a shared bank account for teens. 

Since Garfield’s adoptive mother, Rita, was an actress back before she joined Doom Patrol, the green boy has actually picked up on her skills pretty well, being a rather good actor himself. He’ll act out the scenes of your favourite movies, expecting you to recreate some of the props in ice so that he can truly reenact the scene. The other Titans find him a little odd for doing so, but you find it delightful, that’s just how Garfield is and you’ve always enjoyed his company.

Sometimes, Garfield might ask you to make an ice rink outside, in front of the Titans tower, especially around winter time. Then, he’ll tentatively drag you out on the ice. If you can’t ice skate, he’ll teach you patiently. If you do know how, he’ll start to race you from one side to another, for hours.

The thing about Garfield is that he has endless energy, especially back when you’re both still teens. He’s used to people finding it off-putting. However, you’ve grown up with him, and you can’t imagine a world where he’s any different. Garfield is so grateful that he can simply be himself around you without worrying about scaring you away. It's one of the things that bring you guys so close together. The fact that you’re both meta-humans just adds to this sense of comfort and solidarity he feels around you as well. The other Titans sometimes envy your relationship, the way you two always have each others’ back and the way that you will sometimes just make eye contact and, as if one of you told a silent joke, burst into loud laughter that breaks up any tension that might’ve been previously.

If you have any favourite animals, he’ll constantly turn into them, just to see you smile. There’s nothing he loves more than to make his best friends, you and cyborg, laugh and smile. It makes him feel accomplished... like he isn’t totally useless or a bad omen. On rainy days he loves to turn into a soft cat, a cute rabbit or any other fluffy animal, and then curl up on your lap, relaxing as the sound of rain pelts the many windows of the Titans Tower.

As you two grow up and become adults, Garfield slowly starts to feel magnetised by you. You’re not the first one he felt like this with, there was Terra and other brief crushes, but this one is the most intense he has had yet.  

Still, he is afraid of your reaction. What if you don’t like him like that? What if you go back to Doom Patrol just to get away from the awkwardness that would arrive if you don’t reciprocate his feelings? No! Garfield can’t risk losing you! You mean too much to him, you’re the only one who understands everything he feels! Losing you would be to lose his other half! … There’s also the slight fear that you might shoot icicles after him if he manages to offend you with his confession… He believes that if anyone would be able to do that, it would be him.

To cover up for his passionate crush on you, he’ll start acting goofier, and you’ll be none the wiser, (as explained before, he’s a great actor). He’ll also start to take up weirdly domestic habits like cooking for you, cleaning up both of your rooms and … sewing your suit back together after a fight? How in the world he learned that, you have no idea. It is these habits which tune you into the fact that something is off with him. You at first believe it to be a sort of coping mechanism. In reality, though, he’s trying to prove to you that he’d be a good boyfriend.

If you confront him about it, he might crack a little and admit that he simply likes you a lot and wants to help you in any way he can. I imagine that this is when you slowly start to see your old friend in a different light… Was he always that adorable? That good-looking? You never really noticed before.

Garfield will definitely be the one confessing his feelings first. It’ll be during the wind-down period after a particularly harsh mission. You and Beast Boy will be relaxing in your room, both playing video games. When you manage to beat Garfield, he pretends to accuse you of cheating. Even though you both know it’s just for fun, you still shoot a weak ice ray at his feet, in retaliation, causing him to stumble to the ground, dragging you down with him. 

You’ll end up colliding with his chest and Garfield will have turned into a big and squishy animal to soften your fall, perhaps a brown bear? … Well, a green bear. When he turns back into himself, you both realise how close your faces are. When you don’t pull away, Garfield will confess on accident. Something like him whispering “You’re so beautiful, you know?” Of course, you’ll end up a blushing mess with the way he simply doubles down and keeps complimenting you. You have no flaws in Garfield’s eyes, you were simply created to be the perfect example of a person.

At the end of his rant about how wonderful you are, Garfield will finally confess, asking if you would perhaps… just maybe…if it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience… go out with him? He’ll rant about how he knows that his green skin might be a turn-off for you, how he knows he can be too energetic sometimes, and how he understands that he isn’t necessarily the most stable of people… But he’ll do his best to improve, he promises!

You cut his rant short, crashing your lips into his with a passion you weren’t even aware that you possessed. Garfield is so stunned that it takes him a good while to reciprocate, but when he does? Oh wow… You never realised how good of a kisser your best friend was… So good, in fact, that you totally forget to defrost his feet until he has to ask you to please do so before he gets major frostbites. You both laugh at that, but you concede to his request. After all, it’s probably not a good beginning to a romantic relationship to freeze off your boyfriend’s feet…

That’s how the two of you start going out with each other. Those in the team who have known you guys for years are not surprised in the least that you ended up together… They’re more astonished that it took so long.  

You two stay together as partners for years. When you turn too old to stay in the Teen Titans, you decide to venture out as heroes on your own… perhaps you’ll rejoin Rita and the others in the Doom Patrol, or perhaps you’ll do something entirely on your own, as long as you’re together, it doesn’t matter. But on your last day with the Titans, you notice how Garfield isn’t acting like he normally does. It makes you nervous for him, you know that you two are about to experience big changes in your lives, but you’ll do them together, so you thought he would be okay with it… 

Well, it turns out that your worries were unfounded because as you are about to raise a toast with your former teammates, Garfield drops down to one knee. At first, you’re unsure of what is happening, and your powers kick into gear, making the room freezingly cold, despite the warm weather outside. Then, Garfield pulls out a ring, asking you to marry him. The room’s temperature returns to normal, and without any thought given to your answer, you exclaim a loud “Yes!” quickly covering your mouth with both hands as you realise that you practically screamed it out.

Everyone is happy for the two of you, none more than Garfield’s adoptive mother, Rita Farr. When the green boy tells her the news, she cries uncontrollably from pure joy. She’ll hug you both close and congratulate you over and over, to the point where it’s almost a tad embarrassing.

Your wedding will be attended by all of your old teammates, the remaining members of the Doom Patrol and any other friends the two of you may have. It’s beautiful, and you both decided to do it during the winter, just as a quiet reference to your powers. It was Garfield’s idea. You thought it was a bit too mushy when he first suggested the idea, but it slowly grew on you, as you decorated the venue yourself with ice crystals and snowflake-inspired decorations galore. Rita helps hang everything up, she is after all Elasti-girl.

It’s a beautiful event and the two of you become a powerhouse within the vigilante circles, you’ll rarely see one without the other, and if any of your allies ever need help, they know they can count on the two of you.

[whoismissriley]

Adore You - Fanfic.

SUMMARY: The life of the Captain of Task Force 1-4-1 has always been a mystery. Even for his closest friends and teammates. He alone carries the loneliness in the middle of the night and the stormy memories of the past that make him sink into a sea of Scotch Whisky. However, there is a small light that appears from time to time around him. A girl, of course, who makes him feel like she’s in her twenties when she’s around, she’s light and smiling and full of life. She is one of the best Sergeants in the unit and the best in hand-to-hand combat. John is secretive, even with what she makes him feel. But she doesn’t give up, to get his attention, again and again… and again. And in the midst of all his darkness, let her love him… and make him stop feeling

Warnings: This story is rated +18 Has explicit violence, obscenity, do not read if you do not agree with this. AGE DIFFERENCE, the protagonist will have a significant age difference with John (28/39). HISTORY, will not follow the course of the game nor its history in it.

This is my first time translating something, so sorry for the mistakes.

«"What’s a grumpy captain?" she smiled giving him a push with the shoulder.

"I’m not… grumpy" he looked at her seriously "maybe just a little" she laughed softly and he couldn’t help but do it, she was so… cute.»

Chapter 1

THE LOUD SOUND OF THE HELICOPTERS was for Leah almost the same as an orgasmic sensation. Perhaps the same sensation he felt when he brandished a knife into the flesh of his enemy and saw their lost eyes as his short life ended.

Her companions called her Angel of Death. Because she was as beautiful as she was dangerous.

At first, in her first years of service after Laswell had inducted her into the private SAS group commanded by Task Force Captain John Price, she did not like the nickname. Not when Soap said it just as John Price was hovering nearby. She didn't like that he saw her as a violent or too brutal woman.

But he ended up getting used to it.

The first years working with them were intense. Getting used to being a companion of men seemed like a difficult task to perform, but both her espionage ability and her perfect hand-to-hand combat were abilities that Laswell believed were necessary to integrate into Price's group.

Soap was tactical and brute, brute force for the most part. Ghost was skilled in long-range shooting, including melee weapons. He could throw a knife meters away from an enemy and stick it right in the middle of their damn pupil.

Leah had learned from him in all that time and managed to add to her list one good thing that she did the most and Ghost Riley was proud of his student.

Gaz, it was brutal and dirty. His hands were not very meticulous on missions, he always left too obvious traces, but he was fast and more agile than Ghost and Soap.

Leah saw how the group worked, Soap and Ghost always moved together, Gaz and Captain Price too. Gaz moved forward and the Captain cleared.

She always worked around them, always adapting to their needs. If she had to change places with one of them, Leah had no problems, she had learned to know them so well that she imitated their movements so as not to break the pattern.

But she had never, ever had to work with the Captain and it pained her to admit that she felt a little disappointed by that.

While her companions had opened up to her over time, telling her about their private lives, the Captain's to her was a tortuous mystery. As if they were at the foot of a huge mountain trying to climb and slipping again and again while he is there, at the top. Looking at them and laughing at them in case anyone managed to find out something about him.

Leah had heard Soap say that the only one who really knew Price was Laswell, because they had worked together for a long time in the past.

And Leah had obviously always been interested in the Captain. Always trying to remain feminine enough when she was around him to attract his attention, although sometimes she forgot it on the battlefield. She didn't think about it until she was under the shower and the thoughts of everything that had happened shook her.

Then she realized and understood that someone as unattainable as him was never going to set his eyes on her.

Of course, they were "friends", they talked from time to time and when there were only opportunities, they shared a cigarette in silence.

Leah made jokes and she loved how he laughed, stiffly, pursing his lips under his beard as he looked at her.

It was as if for a moment only she existed for him.

But, as nice as he was, he was distant.

"Good morning" Soap rubs his eyes when he sees her, stretching over his head, a group of recently arrived female soldiers trotted past in front, whispering and laughing in their direction "Good ladies…" he greeted solemnly, trying to flirt with them "Hey Leah, if it's your turn to train those in that group today, could you say a good word about me to the one with black hair?" Leah followed her gaze, there were many with black hair.

"Specific, Soap"

"The one with black eyes, the one who stares at him" Leah is almost scared when she feels Ghost appear out of nowhere, but she continues looking for the girl until she finds her, the group of women stops and she is the only one who is looking towards where they are, staring at Soap with a tender smile.

"I invited her for a drink last night," Soap shrugged his shoulders, "she's pretty cute."

"Pretty cute?" Ghost growled "you were drooling, Johnny."

Soap laughed and Leah shook her head.

"Where is Gaz?" Leah asked, looking around.

"In the office with Price," Soap said.

The captain always left his office at ten in the morning to shout orders, it was always the four of them, to run the place, if not to train new recruits or take charge of training or meetings that he hated attending. It was to be replaced when she had to go into town and have meetings at the CIA building where she herself had left.

And that morning was not far from reality.

Leah looked at the watch in her hand and tried to maintain a relaxed posture, paying attention to what Soap was telling Ghost about the position of the weapons or how he had shot the other day in training, but her eyes went to the man He came out after Garrick, in his military suit and hat, some leaves in his hands while he rubbed his face with his hands.

His walk was slow and light, it was as if he moved around without having to look where he was stepping because he knew the entire place by heart. He was also tall, six foot nine, a little shorter than Ghost but intimidating enough for her, who was five foot six, dammit. He was a flea in the midst of so many big men.

“Hey” Gaz joined the group, greeting everyone, Leah was feeling calm that morning. He had decided of his own free will to try to pretend that he had no feelings for the Captain, he had been trying to do it for years, but this day he really wanted to pretend that they were just friends.

“What's up for today Cap?” Soap wanted to know.

“Ghost and Gaz” Price said looking at the sheets  “I need you out, I need you to go to Manchester and meet with Laswell, he will give you a location, go and extract. Do you understand?”

“Copied” Ghost murmured.

“Soap, I need you at shooting training with Group A and Leah” Price gently looked up, blinking with a neutral expression “I need you to train the new group of women who just arrived, make them sweat and suffer, yes? You're good at that” Price winked at her and she turned red but couldn't help it. John Price smiled when he saw her and sighed, looking at the others “well, let's move.”

Ghost and Gaz walked away immediately, Soap walked away with Price behind them as they talked about something, she stood still for a moment thinking about their moves, her mind creating the perfect tactics and training for the new ones as her eyes followed his back. John Price's width and big shoulders.

His mind wandered to how strong his arms would be or whether his chest would be as hard as the wall behind his back. Her mouth went dry and she didn't notice Soap coming to her again with a sly smile.

He wrapped his arm around her neck and shook her hair with his hands.

“Hey!” Leah pushed him away laughing and Soap too “What's wrong with you, idiot?”.

“You turned all red, huh?”.

“What are you talking about?”

Soap grabbed her shoulder and stared at her.

“When are you going to tell him you're in love, Leah?” She opened her eyes wider than normal and pushed him away with a single punch to the chest.

"Idiot” he rolled his eyes, "go to work, lazy man."

Soap chuckled.

"Remember to be good to the black-haired girl," she murmured as she walked away, but Leah furrowed her eyebrows at the woman beyond, oh no.

I wasn't going to be very good to her.

John Price was sitting in the chair in front of his desk, his legs spread lengthwise on the table as he crossed his arms over his chest. I needed a few minutes of silence, of rest. Maybe a little Whiskey.

But he woke up to a couple of sounds coming from outside the office, which made him lower his feet from the desk and look out through the glass walls. He could see a group of female soldiers running from one side to the other without rest. John chuckled and stood up with his hands behind his back to look closer out the window.

Leah screamed demandingly, demanding them over and over again that she wouldn't stop. Damn, the woman had a loud voice that was even sweet when she screamed, the expression on her face was enigmatic as she gave orders and saw how she enjoyed making her subordinates suffer.

His chest swelled when he saw her, he felt a pride that he often felt with her. But it was just pride, wasn't it? Her eyebrows slowly furrowed as she watched a random soldier approach her and talk close to her ear, though the expression on Leah's face didn't change as she shook her head, John's hands going hard on her back and without realizing it. He was gritting his teeth and feeling strangely jealous.

It was idiotic.

He turned around and approached his desk, opened the first drawer and took out his bottle of Scotch Whiskey, poured some into the glass tumbler he had on the table and drank it down.

His eyes traveling to the window as he watched Leah shout and give orders.

(...)

When the night comes, Leah is exhausted, Soap invited her to have a drink at the bar with the rest of the team, which she denied, saying that she was too tired to go out in the cold of the night even though she knew that a strong drink was going to warm her body.

One of her friends of the same rank as Sergeant, Darcy, had approached to encourage her to go with the group, but Leah also refused, promising to go out on Friday with the group of girls.

He dragged his feet towards the training field to collect the things he had left on the bench before going to his room when he saw John Price with his feet outside the training field, on the cold, dry ground, looking around at the dark night. Smoke billowed from between his lips as he took a long drag on his cigar.

She swallowed slowly and with great difficulty.

The image of John Price looking out into the dark blue night of the base, smoking a cigar, was disconcerting and beautiful. And for that reason and more, Leah didn't think as she glided up to him, carrying her things in one hand, and approached his side.

“What are you doing here alone, my captain?” she joked, but she turned red. Had she really said to my captain? shit.

John turned to see her with the cigar in his lips.

“Oh, I'm... I don't know, killing time?” He shrugged his shoulders, moving awkwardly on his feet.

"Sure," Leah smiled.

“And you?” John stared at her, for a moment at her lips and then at her eyes as if his thoughts had evaporated.

“Same thing, I think” Leah sighed looking at the dark starless sky, then turned to him and noticed that John's hat was tilted, she raised her hand adjusting it while he stared at her “it was... crooked” she swallowed slowly, being aware of how he was looking at her, but she couldn't stop herself from acting stupid with him.

"Thank you," he murmured hoarsely, expelling the smoke to the other side as he looked at her and noticed her cheeks turning red.

“You are welcome”.

"I guess it looks better now," Price licked his lips unconsciously and that small gesture made Leah's head explode.

"I'm glad," she smiled looking into his eyes, the knot in her belly twisted making her feel dizzy because of the way he was looking at her, it wasn't usual. It was unusual for him to see her like that “Aren't you going to go with the boys to the bar?”.

"Yes, in a while," he replied without taking his eyes off her, "I'm waiting for Gaz. The boy is in love, apparently.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes” Price smoked his cigar again “Aren't you going?”.

Leah swallowed slowly and shook her head firmly.

“I'm exhausted. I need my bed”.

“Hmmm…” Price murmured, nodding “that sounds good”.

Leah felt like everything was spinning around her, she was so hot and the truth is that it was so cold that she didn't understand it. He looked into John Price's greenish eyes one last time and smiled, patting the Captain's arm without crossing the line of allowable trust.

"Have a good night, Captain," he said, turning around.

"Yes, you too... Leah," he whispered hoarsely. His British voice echoing in Leah's mind and ravaging her body.

Her steps felt heavy as she walked away from him, as if the strings of her heart that had been tied to him without permission were pulling tightly. He closed his eyes, pulling them out, but they were cooked tightly.

Several minutes later she was lying on her bed trying to read a book, before that relaxed her and she could clear her mind, but at that moment she couldn't. No matter how much she read and read, her mind went to John and the way he had looked at her.

In the morning, Leah was feeling energetic. He knew he had a lot of work to do because Gaz had sent him a message to tell him that they had to go meet with Laswell to receive information about a mission and study some plans for possible field research, so he showered, dressed in his military uniform and hurried out of his room. Gaz was sending messages to her phone to hurry up, so she walked down the hallway typing with her fingers on the screen, totally distracted and not looking ahead.

John Price came grunting softly down the hall, his eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head and rubbed his forehead. Neither of them saw each other when they collided. John had a coffee in his hands and managed to push it away from her before it spilled on any of them, but Leah collided with his hard chest and almost fell backwards if he hadn't been agile enough to grab her arm and hold her. instead.

Leah's brown eyes met John's in a span of a second in which her mind had no thought other than "Oh shit" which made her slow to react.

“Captain! I'm sorry, I'm sorry…” Leah bent down to pick up her phone that had fallen to the floor at the moment when her hands landed on John's chest, who was wearing the military suit, the green sweatshirt with the half-zip opened, revealing the gray t-shirt underneath.

"It's okay, nothing's wrong," John released her arm, looking at her intently. "Are you okay?" .

“Oh yeah. Now yes," the girl joked as she put the phone in her pants pocket and smiled mischievously. John raised his eyebrows but smiled back, unable to help it. Leah realized that even though he had smiled at her flirting, he seemed angry for some reason and tilted her head “Are you angry about something?”.

“Angry?” John straightened up, softening his expression and stretched his sweatshirt down distractedly “I'm not... I'm angry. Why would I be angry?” he took a sip of coffee, looking at her.

"You look... like you came grumpy," he laughed slowly.

“I always seem grumpy, don't I?” Although John laughed, Leah could still hear the hard tone in his voice and sighed heavily, trying to find the way he made her feel worried.

“Well yes, you're right” she smiled back as they looked into each other's eyes. John sighed a little calmer. What was wrong? Leah had never seen him interact with her like that, like... Did it make him nervous? No, it had to be his imagination.

"I'm usually always in a bad mood." John made a gesture with his hands, grunting to himself with his eyebrows furrowed, and Leah smiled because the gesture was quite cute for someone like him.

John wasn't wearing a hat so he could see his short blonde hair and since he rarely saw it he thought it was quite adorable.

"Captain," she sighed calmly, as she spoke with him every day, as friends, as co-workers, as a sergeant who trusted her boss, "you know that if you want to talk about anything, you can have a cup of coffee with me” she stretched out a hand towards John, removing a couple of invisible lint on his clothes while looking deliberately into his eyes. That was impromptu flirting! She wanted to hit herself “I'm a good listener”.

“And you think a hot cup of coffee will solve my problems?” John mocked ironically, playing with her as he changed his position, crossing his arms over his chest after leaving the coffee on the firebox to the side, he looked at her with one eyebrow over the other waiting for her response.

Leah chuckled as if flirting was a normal thing between them. But it was the first time I became aware of it, apparently because I was so fucking nervous.

“Then with what?” He looked into her eyes-.

“Hmm, with… with a lot of milk… and sugar” John laughed slowly, tilting his head, and Leah, although she turned red, laughed anyway. Fuck, fuck, fuck What was going on? “I don't know Leah, I'm just kidding you. It just so happens that you made me vent a little”.

“Well” she shrugged her shoulders, taking a couple of steps back “I like it when you joke with me, because you look less grumpy, you know?”.

John chuckled again.

“Yeah?” she nodded “And why is that?”

"Sometimes you're funnier than grumpy, I just don't think you've realized." Leah tilted her head thoughtfully, although she was nervous talking to him was so natural... The ropes pulling from her heart towards him made her see his lips a little. little, the way those green eyes looked into hers made the blood rush to her head.

“Oh yeah?” John released his arms and approached with his head bowed slightly towards her “Do you like my jokes?”.

"Maybe," he pouted, feigning disinterest, looking at him as if there was no one around him, as if cadets weren't passing here and there. The magic was as if he were making her float in the air as if with one movement he could reach John Price's lips with the tips of his fingers. Magic that broke when Gaz began desperately calling her on the phone — shit, shit — she said, stepping back “I have to go, I have to go to the CIA with Gaz”.

“Ah, Laswell told me. Good luck with that” John sighed regretfully and turned away.

“See you!” She began to run quickly down the hallway and John stood watching her figure disappear.

"Old fool," he said to himself, shaking his head, continuing on his way, forgetting the coffee on the firebox.

His mind was filled with full lips and brown eyes the entire rest of the day and, also, the lonely night.

Chapter 2.

A FEW DAYS LATER, Leah had been kept busy gathering information with Gaz about some missiles they needed to find, if they found the location soon, they would be planning a ground mission before the first snow of December fell, which in theory was, well.

He had kept minimal contact with John since the day of their hallway collision. Enough to make flirtatious jokes of three or four sentences before going their separate ways.

That specific day, neither she nor the group had much to do. It was Friday and almost the entire base was relaxing for the weekend, some were returning home and those who stayed were hanging around the base doing anything from training to playing poker in the dining room.

“Hey, Leah” Soap finished his breakfast while Ghost typed on his phone without taking his eyes off the screen. She was still on her phone, texting her mom that she probably wasn't going to be there for Christmas. Not if they collected the information necessary to execute the mission.

“Hmm?”.

“Let's bet something” Gaz approached them with his tray in hand and sat next to Leah watching her frown as she responded to the message “Yes?”.

“Hmmm” Leah sighed and turned off the cell phone screen, annoyed with her mother and left the phone on the table to look at Soap”.

"Soap wants to be humiliated," Ghost muttered, typing on his phone.

“And who the hell are you talking to by the way?” Soap leaned in to look but Ghost pushed him away with one hand covering his entire face”.

"With your mom," Ghost answered, making Leah and Gaz laugh.

“How funny” Soap closed his eyes and turned to Leah “as he said, let's bet” he looked at her with that evil expression that Soap had when he was behaving like a kid.

“You want to bet... With me?”. She rested her elbows on the table and her chin on her hand.

“At the shooting range, if I hit the doll in the middle of the forehead with the Scar-H you will ask the captain for a date” Gaz almost spit out his coffee and Ghost looked away from the phone, becoming interested in the conversation.

“If not?”.

“And if you don't” Ghost imitated his position on the table, ��I'll let you embarrass me in the middle of the training field”.

Leah raised an eyebrow and looked at Gaz who nodded encouragingly. But she looked at Soap again.

“Why would I want a date with Price?”.

"You and I know why," Soap murmured.

"No, no," he denied, "not that. Let's bet something else, do you want?”.

Ghost put the phone away and looked at them expectantly. Gaz leaned forward to hear clearly.

“If you win I make Holly come and leave you breakfast every day” she raised an eyebrow”.

“Is her name Holly?” Soap snorted excitedly “But how would you make it...?”

“I have my tricks” she shrugged her shoulders “but if I win, you will clean the team uniform for a month”.

"A month is too short a time," Ghost murmured.

"Yes, make it a year," Gaz encouraged.

Soap scowled at them.

"Okay, okay... one year," he downplayed, "I'll win anyway."

Leah looked at Ghost and smiled, she could imagine her friend smiling under the balaclava.

“So it's a bet?” Soap stretched out his hand.

Leah thought about it for a few moments, but they always bet idiotic things anyway. Now that he wanted to bet on something that involved John it was a dirty game to expose her, but she wasn't going to let him do it. He was his friend and he loved him, but sometimes he didn't know how to stay silent.

(...)

John was breathing deeply against his office desk. His hand covered almost his entire forehead as he rubbed it, trying to lessen the headache when Gaz came in, opening the door as if they were chasing him.

“What's happening?” he asked, alarmed.

"Leah, Soap, shooting range sir, now," John raised his eyebrows and chuckled, dragging his chair back to stand up.

“When is the day that Soap gives up?” he snorted, following Gaz calmly “he will never be able to beat him. What are they shooting with this time?” John tried not to sound so interested, but Gaz was as close a friend to Leah as he was to John, he knew them and he didn't have to ask to know that there was a genuine attraction between them.

"With a Scar-H," he exclaimed, pushing the door towards the gym and the shooting range that opened up around them both.

The first thing John saw was a bunch of female and male soldiers huddled on the edge of the firing range trying to get a good view. He made his way without difficulty since upon seeing him the soldiers automatically moved aside and he took a position right in front, crossing his arms over his chest.

She had her gear on, her gun in her hands, shooting straight at the target. Ghost walked up to John and Price's side.

“How many do you have?” John asked Ghost.

"Six out of three," he said as if he were laughing.

"Damn," John scoffed, "Does Soap have a fetish for being humiliated?" .

The three of them laughed.

"I think so," Ghost also crossed his arms and the three watched Soap shoot, nowhere near the target.

Murmurs of mockery and others of laughter were heard. John was holding back his laughter, because his eyes fixed on Leah in the distance. She turned to load the gun and her brown eyes met his, but she looked away in concentration and John felt his chest tighten.

He breathed as if he had been in the water for an eternity and had come to the surface.

Leah beat Soap by far and John smiled in satisfaction, she never let her down on those things. It was amazing how she was able to concentrate and be strict.

As everyone dispersed she approached her group, Soap shook his head in resignation.

"A year then," he murmured, looking at her.

“A year, but forget it. Not my clothes. Only the boys'” She left her equipment on the table, took off her vest and disassembled the Scar, leaving it on the table running her fingers over it as if she were caressing it. John's eyes fixed on her.

"Good job, Leah," he said and clearing his throat, he looked at Soap. "You disappoint me, Soap. Don't you get bored of losing to a woman like her?" 

"Hope is the last thing you lose, Captain," Soap murmured and looked at Leah who was taking off her gloves and talking about tactical things with Ghost.

"Yes," John murmured thoughtfully, following Soap's gaze at Leah. Did Soap like the girl? Or were they just friends? He crossed his arms trying to appear oblivious to that feeling in his heart.

"Will you join us at the bar, sir?"  Gaz made him come out of the trance by squeezing his shoulder, he looked at him distracted.

“Ah yeah sure”.

“Hey, Angel of Death” Gaz yelled at Leah “Are you coming with us to the bar?”.

"I don't think so, I mean... I'll go, but I promised my friends to go with them." Leah shook her hands, looking at John out of the corner of her eye.

“Are you going to introduce us to your friends someday Leah?” Soap murmured, playing with a knife.

“Can you stop thinking with your cock once in your life Johnny?” Ghost growled at him and then the masked man looked at Leah “Your friend the sergeant?”.

"Yep, my friend the other sergeant," she laughed, "I'll give her your regards, Simon."

Ghost stayed silent and Soap started bothering him.

"See you around," she glided away after looking at John and smiling sideways.

He looked at her butt for the first time with different eyes.

He had known her for a few years, she was charming since he saw her. But he always saw her in a professional manner because she always looked quite professional. John didn't know what had changed but an animal instinct was flowing through him. One I haven't felt in a long, long time.

“Come on, Cap?” Gaz patted his chest and looked at him with a mocking smile, John followed him with furrowed eyebrows.

"What a look that is on your face, boy," he barely asked, as he took out a cigar and lit it in his lips as he walked out of the base.

“Not even one. I haven't even looked at it”.

"Hmm," he growled silently, drawing the cigarette smoke into his old lungs and then throwing it out. "You and Leah are very close, right?"

“We are friends, sir. She's like my little sister," he shrugged his shoulders.

“So do you know if he's dating anyone?” Gaz looked at him as they left the parking lot, the bar was two blocks from the base so they basically left there and did it on foot.

"He's not dating anyone, as far as I know," he smiled at him. "Why, sir? If I can ask”.

John denied.

"Curiosity," he murmured, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "tell me boy, how are things going with your girl?" .

Gaz smiled widely.

"Excellent sir, I will see you tomorrow."

"I'm happy Gaz, I'm happy for you."

Gaz smiled and John continued walking beside him, Leah's voice lingering in his head.

(...)

A song by The Cranberries was playing on the jukebox as Leah was laughing with her friends about what one of them had heard from a soldier the other day. His beer bottle was between his fingers as he listened to one of them attentively, but the truth was that his eyes darted from time to time to the men sitting beyond the door.

Ghost, Soap, Gaz and John were sitting at a small table, mostly listening to Soap's stories half drunk because he was almost screaming laughing.

But Leia saw John from time to time, sitting in the chair with one arm on his stomach and the other on the table, holding a glass of Scotch Whiskey.

John looked at her for a moment and just for a moment she smiled at him in greeting. However, a short time later John was already on his sixth glass of Whiskey. But he wasn't like Soap, he didn't catch fire with water and even if he drank a whole bottle of Whiskey alone, he knew how to maintain his sanity unless he didn't want it himself.

Years of experience. And he knew it.

“Is everything okay Cap?” Gaz squeezed his shoulder, drawing his slightly distracted attention to Leah, her dark jeans, her leather jacket, that black scarf around her neck, and her hair that sometimes looked half red loose on her shoulders gives her such a different look. to see her inside the military suit.

“I was just...thinking” John raised his glass of Whiskey to his lips, his eyes lingering on Leah going to places he preferred not to go.

Leah looked back at them again, noticing John's lost, wistful gaze somewhere on the floor as he drank his Whiskey.

"We're leaving," Darcy shook her arm. "Are you coming with us?" Leah looked at her friend and then at the boys' table, it was the fourth time that Soap called her by extending his hands, this time it was Gaz who joined him and Leah couldn't help but laugh as she turned to her friend.

“Do not go. I'll stay with the boys for a while” her friend smiled and said goodbye to her.

Once she was alone, Leah slid over to the table where they were, Gaz pulled out a chair for her with a double intent right next to John Price.

“Angel, Angel” Soap babbles “two against three, two against three” she turned her attention to her drunk friend and furrowed her eyebrows without realizing that John was looking at her with almost childlike amazement. Almost as if there was nothing else in the world I should be doing at that very moment.

“What thing?”.

“Beer or tequila” Gaz dropped his glass of tequila on the table looking at her dramatically and she laughed.

“I prefer beer, tequila gives me problems” he leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms, laughing while Gaz grabbed Soap by the arm with an exaggerated I TOLD YOU SO, SON OF A BITCH. And he sat down again.

John had that shocked expression that he couldn't get rid of, but it was that very thing that didn't let him say anything. Maybe because he was too drunk to say any coherent words or just because he was lost in thought, remembering the first time she arrived, those years ago, where he himself had gotten angry at Laswell for sending him a spy and she was the one who left him. with his mouth open. He had trusted her enough to include her in the 1-4-1 forever. And he never thought of including a woman in that.

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and he knew it not just because he was a little drunk. He always knew it, he just felt too ridiculous to admit it.

As she talked and laughed with the boys Leah looked at Price with a smile. He cleared his throat and leaned close to her ear without any intention of making it seem sexual to ask her if she wanted another beer and that he invited her. Leah nodded, feigning concentration on the story of Ghost, the one who talked a lot more when he drank too much.

John stood up like a rock and went to get Leah's beer and sat next to her, accidentally brushing his knee against hers. He handed her the beer and she received it, brushing her fingers as she took it.

Unintentionally.

A few minutes later, Leah's stomach hurt from laughing and she probably would have stayed longer if she hadn't seen the time.

"Well, it was fun but I have to go now." Leah took her bottle and drank the last of it. John watched her distractedly as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand and licked his own lips as if he were the one licking her. She looked at him “good night”.

He looked away at the bottom of his empty whiskey glass and shook his head as if out of inertia.

“Good night”.

Leah swallowed hard, it was hard for her to smile but she did it anyway, getting up and grabbing her jacket to go out into the cold. It was still August, but it was honestly very cold.

John watched her leave, his eyes following the shape of her body, the sound of her footsteps as she walked away, feeling as if an enormous weight was looming on his shoulders. He got up to the bar and ordered another drink.

Although Gaz's steps were slow due to the alcohol, he managed to crawl towards the bar and lean on it looking at the Captain.

“That?” John asked with a frown as he swirled the ice in the now refilled whiskey glass.

"I didn't say anything," Gaz took off his Jockey and shook his short hair.

"But you want to do it."

“And I can?”.

"Son of a bitch," John laughed, taking a sip of Whiskey, Gaz rested his forearms on the bar and asked for another Whiskey to accompany John, "say it."

“Are you seriously going to stay here watching her leave instead of going after her?”.

John sighed heavily as he turned to Gaz, weighing his thoughts, tasting the Whiskey on his tongue. He looked over his shoulder at the bar door, she should be arriving at the base then.

"Yes," and he took another sip, licking his lips, "seriously." Gaz shook his head and smiled as he drank with him in silence.

(...)

In her room, Leah tried to fall asleep. Thanks to the alcohol it became easier, but she kept feeling that her body was tingling in the areas where John Price had accidentally touched her at the bar. A movement of the knees, an elbow, the fingers when giving him the beer. The warm, lost look, full of nostalgia.

I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat. She also didn't have to be a fortune teller to know, after several years working at his side, that the man was broken in some way. And that perhaps it was no longer time to be a spectator in his eyes, Leah took a breath before closing her eyes, promising herself to start giving John signs about her feelings. About how much she wants to... take care of him.

Chapter 3

-And now! — Leah raised her hand and the recruits ran away in a hurry. She looked at the stopwatch and when it reached one minute she raised her hand — Stop! Mason, Willis, Levson and Collen, you can go! The rest of us run for half an hour! —.

Between frustrated sighs, those who did not win began to run making their last effort.

—No mercy Bravo-7? — Darcy, her friend nudged her, appearing at her side —.

Leah rolled her eyes.

-Do not call me that way -.

"Isn't that what he calls you?" — Darcy surreptitiously moved his head towards Price's office that could be seen from where they were. Leah could see him waving his hands while talking on the phone, apparently a little irritated.

In the last few days I had not seen him or spoken to him. In the mornings she trained her group and in the afternoon she had meetings with Gaz and Laswell about the missiles.

Ghost and Soap had gone to Mexico to help Alejandro with some drug dealing stuff, so they weren't there.

"It was a joke and unfortunately it stayed that way." Leah shrugged her shoulders, watching the recruits run.

"Well, they say that you're strict just like him and if you don't believe it, ask your girls."

—I'm not strict. I just… want to do things right —.

"I know," Darcy patted him on the cheek, "and you're doing it right."

She says goodbye to her friend and follows her with her gaze, gradually focusing on John a little further away. He stands with his hands in his pants pockets looking at her. He raises a hand to greet her and Leah does the same, feeling so awkward that she He stops breathing and looks away, frowning.

Shit.

The rest of the day is dedicated to routine things, meetings with Gaz, gathering information. Calls with Laswell, etc. By nightfall, Leah decides to go for a run around the training field, when no one is around. So she puts on her headphones and starts running in a hurry, a song playing as she runs around the court without stopping. Barely looking around, she doesn't notice that John is standing outside his office, which is right in the corner of the court, leaning against the wall, allowing himself to light a cigarette as he looks at her.

About an hour in, Leah stops panting, hands on her knees, body bent over. John runs his eyes over her body, clad in those exercise leggings, sweat running down her white skin as he finishes his second cigarette. She turns around and is scared when she sees him.

"Shit," he exclaims, taking off his headphones, "since when have you been there?" —he laughs, approaching with labored breathing—.

"Just a few minutes ago," he lies thoughtfully, "You keep running when you get stressed, huh?" —.

Oh, he knew it.

Every time Leah ran around the court it was because something was making her self-conscious, but saying it out loud made him feel betrayed in some way, like he had missed that there were many things about her that he knew and liked.

"Yes," she answers, raising an eyebrow, wondering how he knows that, but she smiles. She grabs the water bottle from her bag and drinks a little — And you can't sleep? —.

—The more tired I am, the less I want to sleep—he shrugs his shoulders, blowing the cigarette smoke away and throwing the butt on the floor when he steps on it, he steps aside to let her pass through the doors and continues walking beside her— Is Laswell stressing you out? —.

—She's stressed, Shepherd is a pain in the ass, that's all—Leah snorts—She hasn't told you? —.

—About the missiles? Yes, but we can't do anything until they give us permission, fucking bureaucrats — John denies as he walks with his hands in his pants pockets —.

—At least we have enough information, we know where they may be. You just have to wait.

—While we wait, horrible things can happen —.

—I know—Leah looks ahead, the hallway of the rooms divides in two, John's room is on the opposite side from hers—Gaz and I are working on it, tomorrow I have to go to Laswell, I'll let you know. of the preview in the afternoon. Is it okay? —.

—Yes—John nods, trying to feel his cigarette awkwardly between his pockets—yes.

"Good night, John."

"Good night, Leah," she smiled slowly and turned to head to her room.

Another night sleeping with my heart in my hand.

(…)

The next morning John Price remains engrossed in briefings with Gaz. The day passes slowly and boringly, as they discuss what their course of action would be if Laswell gave them the upper hand.

He has a cigar in his mouth while his feet are up on his desk and Gaz looks things up on the computer in front of him.

—Hey Gaz—He murmurs, fuming to the side—I don't think I've ever asked you this, but have you always worked with Leah before I recruited you and took you out of the CIA?

—Yes sir, we joined the same platoon, then she met Laswell and started working for her until Laswell sent her to work with us —.

—But she still works for Laswell, right? —.

-I think so? — Gaz looks away from the computer to look at the Captain's thoughtful expression as he smokes his cigar lying on the chair — Why? —.

-Curiosity -.

He clears his throat slightly, it's not like he suspects her of being a spy. John knew from the moment Laswell sent her with them years ago that she was someone who could be trusted. She tried everything there was to try in Urzikistan, she almost stayed with Farrah and Alex and she knew it from the moment the two women met and instantly liked each other.

As if he had her on his own radar, John sees a faint shadow moving across his vision past Gaz. His eyes move quickly to find Leah walking across the meeting room to the door of his office. She smiles as she texts something on her phone and there's something about that smile and those eyes that makes John feel his blood rush to his feet.

Before he can think, John is on his feet walking towards the meeting room. Gaz sees him smiling but doesn't say anything and lets him go.

—Hey—John opens the door from his office to the meeting room and the girl looks up from the phone—good night—she smiles.

—John—she turns off the phone and puts it in the back pocket of her black pants, takes out the folder under her arm and extends it—good night—she laughs—I have this for you—.

—Mmm, more damn paperwork? — he takes the cigar out of his mouth as the door closes behind him and puts it out in the ashtray on the conference table. He looks at her and looks slightly distracted, John observes her figure surreptitiously, his eyes a little tired. But he feels like a slow burn… a feeling he can't stop feeling… a consciousness growing inside him.

—Information about Paris—.

John looks at the folder and raises his eyebrows.

—Paris huh? Gaz told me -.

—Yes, we weren't sure. Now — she looks over John's shoulder and sees Gaz working on the computer in John's office on the other side — Working so late? —.

“Working hard,” he whispers, his voice a little hoarse. She doesn't know what to say suddenly, the words feel like they're on a page, she feels that somehow her back is sweating as if she were burning and he was too close to her. Leah approaches his side, touching her body to his side, she moves the pages of the report pointing things out and talking, but he is looking at her like a fool without listening to her or understanding her.

"Read it," she whispers, closing the folder next to her but it stays there, "and tell me how it is." She sighs, her arm brushing against John's, barely touching each other for just a second.

But it's enough to set John on fire.

"Mmm, I'll do it," he murmurs and she pulls away with a gentle smile.

—If everything goes well… Tomorrow we will probably have permission to go investigate — she sighs, looking into his opaque blue eyes, which shine unusually for her that night. John moves a hand and puts it on the girl's back as he looks at her.

“You did well,” he nods slowly, as if he were closely controlling his movements.

Leah blushes as she looks into his eyes, her throat tightens and suddenly it's cold in the room, her hands feel cold and her body feels shaky. Move back by inertia.

—I have to… go — he points back — you… you tell Gaz, yes?

John can't even move, he watches her leave. His eyes on her figure as he disappears through the other door and down the hallway. His body feels empty, suddenly. Trying to find something to touch. He swallows hard and looks at the folder in his other hand but it's just forgotten paper in his hands. His mind is filled with it and he can't… breathe for several seconds. A subtle but dangerous attraction fills him completely, a flame fluttering in his chest.

Gaz's touch through the door window snaps him out of his trance and he turns to him.

-All good? — but there is mischief in the boy's look and John… just laughs, shaking his head. He opens the door and hands her the folder.

"Looks like she's doing all the work for us kid," he murmurs, shuffling his steps back to his desk.

In the middle of the night later, John is sitting at the desk in his room, his glass of whiskey half empty on the table. His shirt is open revealing his chest. He drinks a little while staring at the laptop screen and looking at Leah's report on the side. His expression is calm but the veins in his neck seem to pulse against his skin. His fingers slide over the keyboard as he sighs.

He exhales as he drinks another bit of Whiskey. The alcohol begins to take its toll on him at that time of night but his expression remains neutral. His eyes dart from the screen to Lea's report almost with a longing that makes him feel anxious. He drinks a little more and a little more and rubs his forehead with his fingertips as he exhales again.

He sinks into the seat with a sigh, memories filling him, tormenting him again. He fills his glass immersed in bitterness. His breathing is long and slow as he drinks. He hears the ice crack as it melts and his eyes go to the window. The world looks so still, as if it were a painting. He scratches between his eyebrows and leaves the glass on the table, his phone vibrates next to the laptop with messages. Several are from Laswell and Gaz, even from Soap with some shitty jokes that I could probably read later.

But his heart stops when he looks at Leah C.'s Name on his screen.

"Did you read the reports?"

His breath stays in his throat, he takes the glass of Whiskey and drinks in silence while grunting under his breath.

"In my room in ten minutes," he responds, taking another drink.

He knows he's lost, that the alcohol has already taken all of him at that moment, but he can't stop.

Chapter 4

His breath catches in his throat as he shuffles down the hallway. Do the footsteps sound louder? Is she being too loud? A soldier quickly passes by on the right and salutes her as usual. Leah is not breathing and presses her back to the wall with her head too. Eyes closed as he tries to calm down. When he opens them he looks around, the long hallway stretches to the end and keeps turning but Captain John Price's room is just four doors down from where he is.

Fuck, fuck.

Take another breath.

It's just work, damn it.

Another breath and he moves his feet again, one in front of the other as if he had more than 30 pounds on each thigh. This feels worse than running uphill on a rainy night while trying to save yourself. The thought makes her smile as she reaches the door with the name "Captain Price" in gold letters.

She knocks on the wood of the door twice. He's not breathing but he's there, risking everything. Never, in all the years has she been there, standing at John Price's door waiting for him to open or… whatever.

-It's open! Happens! — The scream sounds like the ones he makes when he yells at new cadets or like a boisterous laugh while talking about something with Gaz.

Leah frowns and turns the doorknob, opening it slowly.

The room is dark except for the laptop screen on the small desk at the foot of the bed.

"Come in, come in," she hears him say. Leah takes a while to adjust her eyes to the darkness and seeing him, there, sunk in the seat in front of the desk. His figure is drawn as a shadow by the light in front of his face on the screen.

She moves forward after closing the door and approaches the edge of the table, trying to maintain a professional expression. But the fight is terrible within his heart. Because she has rarely seen John in a deplorable state like the one she sees him in now, which makes her feel like hugging him, sitting on his lap and holding him until his tense body relaxes and she puts her hands on his back, surrendering. to the need to love affection.

“Sit down,” he murmurs. Her eyes are on the screen and in her hands a glass of Whiskey that Leah smells, it's Scotch. But she doesn't stay looking at the glass but at the image of him, leaning against the back of the chair, with his shirt open and his chest exposed.

Even through the light of the screen that seems to illuminate nothing, Leah can see some scars on his enormous pecs and some beautiful ones in the middle that disappear as they go down.

He follows his sane instincts as much as he can and grabs a chair he sees out of the corner of his eye dragging it next to the desk next to John.

She looks at her report next to John's laptop and then looks back into his eyes, finding John's blue eyes on her.

—So—she clears her throat in a useless attempt to calm down and tries her best not to lower her eyes from John's and see his hard… and broad chest—You read the report.

—I read it, very useful — John takes a sip of Whiskey while looking at her — but I assume you knew that… — John swallows as he removes the glass from his lips and licks them as if he didn't want to waste a single drop of the Whiskey. He almost wants to smile at the sight of Leah's cheeks so red with the blood on her face, as if she were writhing under the weight of his gaze, fighting for something inside.

—Assume what? —She rests one arm on the table taking the report, just to have something to do while he looks at her like that—.

—Do you want me to say it? — Leah looks at him and he tilts his head as he continues to look at her, his eyes fluttering over her in a back-and-forth that makes her feel dizzy.

Leah snorts.

—Okay, that's wrong. Which is strange for a woman who worked at the CIA during her first years of service, right? I should know more how… Damn, I'm good at shooting from a distance, I hit the target and I can take down Ghost who is stronger than me but… — she scratches her forehead, pressing her fingers between her eyebrows — I hate making reports, I think Which is why I was so happy to be here when Laswell sent me.

"I don't…" John looks a little bewildered and watches her take the glass from him and take a sip while looking into his eyes.

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Leah swallows, feeling the bitter taste on her tongue and in her throat. The way he wrinkles his forehead and nose makes John want to cuddle him.

"You don't disappoint me," he murmurs, smiling. However, his expression hardens as soon as he clears his throat. He feels a small voice in the back of his head, the words soft and quiet, a whisper of air like a warning. He lets out a breath and drinks some Whiskey again, taking the glass from Leah, looking at her computer screen. “You did well,” he murmurs. “We just can't do much with all this information if we can't act.” John says. He rubs his forehead with his fingertips — damn bureaucrats, sons of bitches —.

Leah smiles, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"I'm sorry, as much as Laswell loves me, I can't make her twist her arm for this," he sighs, "we have to wait."

John looks at her.

“Mmm,” he grunts, rolling his eyes back to the screen.

—Well then, is that why you called me or why did you accept the conversation? — She leans a little over the table trying to meet his gaze — Has the curmudgeon decided to talk about what's bothering him? —.

John looks at her with a tense jaw.

"There's a storm brewing, Leah," he growls, breathing heavily through his nose. His eyes fluttering between yours and your lips. He leans toward her and Leah screams as John slides his chair closer to him. His expression is dark, but as if tenderness is struggling to get through. His eyes roam over Leah's lips, her loose blonde hair over her shoulders, her neck. He takes another whiff of Whiskey as he looks at her.

"You're grumpier when you drink," Leah murmurs without thinking, his small action of pulling her closer in the chair has gotten her on edge, she no longer has time to think about what is right or wrong. She just wants him to kiss her and she knows she's going to let him do it.

—And you like that? — John leaves the glass on the table while not taking his blue eyes off Leah's brown ones. The light from the computer screen captures Leah's silhouette against the wall and his. He looks at her hungrily even in the middle of his drunkenness and can see her cheeks getting redder and redder.

"No," she murmurs, looking at John's lips as she swallows slowly, takes a deep breath and willpower to look at the computer screen again. "What are you working on?" —he breathes deeply, feeling John's breath on his neck. He's not completely inclined but the heat of his body burns her in leaps and bounds as he keeps his eyes on the screen.

—Laswell sent me some things, information. The same thing you did -.

-But better -.

—No, not better —he murmurs —Shepherd sent information too. Did you read the memo? —.

—Mmm — Leah reads the screen — pure shit —.

John laughs in a low, hoarse voice.

"Yes, pure shit," he murmurs, looking at her profile, he can almost feel her trying to stay still in her seat, her hands itching to put it on his wide, meaty, soft thighs. Her mouth is dry and she is not ashamed of the way he is looking at her, desire burning in every pore of her skin.

—Is that why you're in a bad mood? —she asks, this time turning her face to find John Price's closer than normal—.

—Maybe—he feels the heat of her breath, the heat of her body enough to drive him crazy.

-Because? — It's like a random question, as if it were just to say something in the middle of the tortuous silence between the two of them —.

"You said it, it's bullshit." John snorts through his nose and leans back against the back of the chair, his arm going behind Lea's back, she sees his hand out of the corner of her eye. He doesn't touch it but it is there, leaning on the back of his chair.

Leah frowns at the screen and leans forward. His hair falls on his chest at the movement and he clicks on several pages, John sees his legs crossed in those dark jeans, his elbow on his legs, his chin on the palm of his hand as he clicks and looks at the screen.

Suddenly Leah looks at him and her gaze makes him feel a little dizzy.

—It's bullshit—he shrugs his shoulders—I'm crossing my fingers that Laswell gives us the go-ahead tomorrow.

—You want some action, don't you? — he chuckles — the emotion, mmm…

-You do not? —she raises an eyebrow in his direction—you've been stuck among piles of shitty papers for months.

—Maybe—his mouth is dry, his body on fire from the heat of Leah's body. It's burning because of him. His thoughts lead him to see her lips again, imagining what it would be like to touch her, every part of her sweet body. He feels his breath catch in his throat when he looks into her eyes again. His breath warm and trembling as he barely breathes.

Lea smiles but doesn't know what else to say, it's as if the words float in the air and she can't grab them to make them sound through her lips. John puts the glass of whiskey on the table and lets his hand fall to her legs, to Leah's legs, without touching. He just slides them until he grabs her thin fingers.

—You have such pretty lips… — he smiles ironically — Don't you feel like kissing me? — His teeth shine white and his voice is a hum of breaths that come in short bursts. His eyes are locked on her lips, locked on her eyes that remind him of the chocolates he always sees when passing by the cafeteria at London Central Station, mmm yes, maybe he'll buy some for her another day. "Like you say?" that saying…?

"He who doesn't risk doesn't cross the river," she whispers breathlessly, focused on John's fingers playing with hers, her body burning for him.

—Exactly—John smiles slyly and leans forward, taking a risk. Her hand closes around Leah's fingers and she closes her eyes.

Feel the heat of his lips, the distance no longer exists. Relief floods his soul, as if Leah's lips were a balm that makes him feel missed. Her hand slides up her arm until it reaches her shoulder, soft, tender caresses as Leah's lips move over hers, sweet, soft, slow.

He moves his lips over hers again and again, slowly. His hand goes up to touch her hair, caressing it as if it were porcelain. His fingers between the blonde strands of her hair and he holds her there. Her breath warms her lips as she feels Leah's hands on the hard muscles of her arms as if she's afraid to touch further.

She is the first to part their lips and he doesn't stop her. John lets his hand fall from her hair and her arms as he listens to the wild beating of her heart, her short breathing as he looks into her eyes.

Leah looks at him for a few seconds before standing up calmly, her fingers touching her lips as she looks at him, fixated on him as he steps back and John doesn't stop her from leaving. He sees her go towards the door and disappear after closing it.

John stays in the chair, his eyes filled with a desire and a feeling that swirls in his burning chest, his hand hitting his ribcage and rubbing as if it can calm what he feels inside. He reaches forward for the glass of Whiskey and sips as he tries to cool his head for a moment, but he still feels Leah's lips on his, he can almost taste her.

Damn all this time he was ignoring those sweet lips…

Chapter 5:

—Yes, yes — Leah had the phone pressed to her ear with her arm while she finished adjusting her military boots on the bed — Thanks Kate, I'll go tell them right now —.

He hangs up and finishes tying his boots, grabs his dark green jacket and quickly puts it on to go out. He rushes to John's office but when he arrives he only sees Gaz sitting in the chair half asleep.

—And John? —he asks holding the door open. Gaz scratches his eyes, looking at her sleepily.

"I thought you were going to know," he shrugged his shoulders mockingly and she just looked at him witheringly. "I wasn't with you?" —.

—No—he sighs—Ghost and Soap? —.

"They just arrived, they're coming here."

Leah nods and heads back the way she came, shuffling across the floor toward John's room, knocking twice before checking to see if the handle is open. She swallows slowly as she remembers what had happened last night, the way he looked at her, his lips. His touch… His body shudders but he still opens the door slowly and peeks out carefully.

John comes out of the bathroom adjusting the watch on his wrist. He is wearing his military suit and his hat is resting on the bed. When he sees her, his eyebrows rise slightly.

—Leah—.

—Sorry, I knocked but…

-Do not worry It's OK. Come in—he circles the bed and walks over to her slowly, Leah shrinks as his large body approaches her as the sensations of the previous night overwhelm her—Is everything okay? —.

Don't you remember that I kissed you?

-If everything is fine. Very well indeed - she takes a breath trying to keep her eyes on John's - Laswell called, everything is ready to go to Paris, it's a forest far from the city, a warehouse that may be guarded by Hadid's men, but … —.

John's eyes stay on her, on her body and the way he tries to control her. She can feel her pulse beating faster and her mouth slowly drying out.

-Yeah? —.

"I need you to handle this John," she clears her throat, "and give the order to leave."

—Sure—his eyes land on hers and she can feel the heat of his gaze. He steps close to her and touches her hand, gripping her fingers just like he did the night before, caressing her fingers as if he's afraid they'll break. She can feel her body turning on little by little. "You're doing it well," she murmurs, getting closer, her other hand rests on Leah's waist while she looks at her from above. "This thing about… organizing things."

—John… —she is blushing, but fighting with herself—.

—Hmm? — John runs his hand up her arm, his fingers on her neck moving up to her chin. She narrows her eyes as she feels the touch of his calloused hands on her face.

—Everything is ready, Gaz must be preparing the Helicopter, we have to… go —.

—And aren't we going to talk about the kiss you gave me last night? —His voice is hoarse and his breath warms his lips. Her brown eyes look at him with adoration.

John's fingers brush his cheek.

—John…

He looks down at her lips and kisses her slowly. His hand holds his face with no intention of wanting to end it. Leah's heart beats hard against her chest, she hesitates as if she were going to back away but John puts his arm around her, holding her against his body and kisses her for a long time, savoring her as if he were holding back the desire to devour her. He feels his body burn as he brushes his teeth with his tongue asking her to go further.

Leah moans against his mouth as her hands grip the fabric of his military clothing, crumpling the fabric as if the life depended on it.

For a moment she lets him intensify the kiss and her thoughts become clouded as their tongues dance with each other, she feels it and knows she needs it. However, he pulls away, gasping for air. His hands are spread over his chest pushing back slightly.

—Mmm—John looks at Leah's lips slightly swollen from his kisses, his fingers caress her lower lip slowly, his arm around her is hard and he has no intention of letting her go. His eyes move to yours, his breathing is labored, his lips parted.

He wants her again.

He turns her in a single movement, carefully placing her against the wall, leans down, brushing his lips with hers but doesn't get closer.

“We have to go,” Leah gasps. “…

"Mmm…" he grunts as she feels through the palm of her hands how his hard chest rises and falls.

With a lot of willpower, John lets her go. Releasing little by little with a lot of pain. He watches her regain her composure while he still doesn't want to deal with his emotions.

"Okay," Leah clears her throat and heads toward the door, but looks at him before opening it.

"We'll talk about this later," John tells her with a neutral expression, approaching her.

—Yes—Leah opens the door before he grabs it again and as she walks in front of him she smiles like a fool.

As John walks behind her, his hungry eyes admire her figure. Her curves, the way she falls into those tight jeans. He shakes his head, running his hand over his face. Leah is one of the few women in there who doesn't wear a lot of military clothing, maybe because she's not quite a soldier, because she's also CIA. But John loves seeing her in those half-tight jeans.

The only thing he thinks about when he goes after her is to hold her against a wall again and kiss her. But he swallows and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Upon arriving at the hangar, they meet Gaz, Ghost and Soap and Alejandro.

The latter looks at Leah with surprise and John notices how Leah opens her eyes as if she had seen a ghost.

"Leah?" — Alejandro passes by Ghost and approaches with a smile —.

-Alexander! — Leah runs towards him hugging him by the neck. John stands still next to Gaz watching the scene with his jaw clenched — What…? — Leah hangs on his neck — How…? —.

—Ah, the boys mentioned that they needed help so — Alejandro shrugged his shoulders as she looked him in the face — Not annoying, right, Cap? — Alejandro tilted his head to look at Price —.

—Of course not — Stoick responds — I suppose you're aware — John Price looks away from them and Leah gets off Alejandro's neck without realizing that John is jealous, of course, because he hides it very well while giving him his back and puts on his military equipment in one go.

—Of course, of course — Ghost approaches Alejandro and Soap and they prepare everything to get on the helicopter. Leah, smiling, approaches the table to take her outfit and put it on, however it takes a little work for her to find the bodices to adjust it on her hips.

John turns and watches her struggle against the straps and approaches silently. He grabs her hips and puts his arms around her as she freezes, with one tug he adjusts the straps and she's almost out of breath.

—Is it like this or is it too tight, Miss Carlsen? —he whispers hoarsely, leaning towards her ear—.

"Very… tight," she murmurs and hears him growl, a low, rough growl that vibrates in his throat as she loosens the straps a little. Leah takes a breath, turning to him with a frown. “What's wrong?” —.

John looks at her without saying anything, takes his weapons and puts on his hat almost without blinking. He quietly turns to the helicopter while everyone is there.

When she gets to the helicopter, Gaz helps her get on and Leah slides inside, sitting next to the window next to Alejandro. He leans towards her, almost shouting over the noise of the rotors and propellers.

—I'm glad to see you little one! —she exclaims, John hears through the headphones and stares at them as he sits in front of her. Leah looks at Alejandro with a smile.

-Me too! — She smiles and her gaze goes forward, John is squeezed by the window in front of her, Gaz and Soap are at her side.

He stares at her like he's making fun of something.

-Moved? —she sees him raise an eyebrow—.

"Very much." His face tenses under the weight of his gaze, as if they were playing tag.

The helicopter rises, the base is just a point in the middle of nowhere from above. Leah looks back at him, John has his head against the back wall, eyes closed and hands on his legs.

Leah shivers helplessly and looks out the window, biting her lip as if that will help calm her mind or her thoughts that move and stir around her.

At other times he would be the type to just keep his mind focused on working on what should really matter, but right now he's trying hard not to grab Alejandro and pull him away from Leah to take his place, put his hand on her. her thigh and growl in Alejandro's direction so he knows she is his.

The thought makes him laugh at how ridiculous it looks and he opens his eyes, seeing her as a hard hit to his balls. She looks out the window down, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail as she holds the gun firmly in her hands.

Let his eyes caress your body surreptitiously and your mind be filled with fantasies. How did he let everything spill out of nowhere? The way he felt about her was like she had exploded through the door.

The trip lasts a long time and although John fights not to fall asleep, he does. When he wakes up he sees Leah leaning against Alejandro's shoulder, sleeping. He opens his lips as if to shout at her but his voice gets stuck in his throat and Gaz nudges him.

"We're getting there," he looks at him half-disoriented and nods, swallowing slowly as he holds his gun in his hands and breathes deeply before looking out the window.

Stay focused and alert is your biggest motto. Your feelings and emotions cannot cloud your good judgment. So avoid looking at her the rest of the way.

When the Helicopter lands, Leah wonders how they'll make the convictions now. Since the group is used to working among themselves without Alejandro, what she sensed could unbalance the movements she was used to having with them.

Once downstairs, John already had everything planned.

Gaz and Alejandro would go straight to the warehouse and infiltrate inside until they reached the agreed point. Ghost and Soap would stay up high to keep watch around.

John stared at her and then at his companions.

—Leah and I will go to the forest downstream, go around the perimeter and we will meet at the shed — everyone nodded — be alert and focused —.

"Yes, sir," they murmured in unison and Leah saw her friends run towards where John indicated, she also saw John calmly puff the smoke from his cigar and his blue eyes looked at her through the darkness of the forest.

—Do you hear me? — John murmured through the headphones to the others, everyone responded affirmatively and John nodded to himself — Okay — he took a breath while holding his gun and when he turned he found Leah looking around — stay close — he whispered, trying to take the role that he used to take, being Captain, being Chief. But when he saw her slide towards him his heart tightened in his chest as if he wanted to put her under his arms and not let anyone touch her - stay alert -.

"Yes, sir," she said. At John's surprised expression Leah shrugged her shoulders - sorry, habit -.

—It's okay, it's as it should be — He takes a deep breath, fighting with himself —.

Leah looks at him strangely, a bitter feeling filling her nervous system. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and follows him through the forest. It's not long until they see the structure, she crouches next to a tree, turns on the night vision to look around and then the sniper.

“Two guards outside, four inside,” he murmurs to John.

He nods.

Price: Bravo five, here bravo six, do you copy me? Gaz: Copied, we're in. Price: Good.

John looks at Leah and she nods, a tactical gesture she has committed to memory.

"Cut off the heads," John murmurs and she adjusts the franc in her hands, adjusts the sights and fires. The two men fall dead to the ground. John puts a hand on his arm - good job - they both nod and move towards the building -.

John shoots the light poles, turning them off, moving through the darkness they sneak into the building. It doesn't take long for them to meet up with Gaz and Alejandro. The four of them are against a wall waiting for the next move. But things don't look very good, there are more enemies than they thought there were.

"There are at least thirty," Gaz mutters, looking over the edge, "not counting the trucks outside."

—We will make it—John reloads his silencer weapon—the objective is in the subway cell—he slides his fingers across the screen of his phone looking at the graphics—Gaz and Alejandro, stay here. Leah—a nod indicates the order and the woman nods firmly, sliding with him down the narrow hallway toward the door—.

John gestures to her to be alert and watch when she sees someone out of the corner of her eye, John pushes her against the wall trying to stay still. Her eyes watch him closely, her breaths coming in gasps.

When the shadow passes, Leah moves a little away from John and his grip, he opens the subway door and kills two guards who appear on the other side. Leah slides over another enemy, her knife digging into the hard flesh and bones of the man's head as it falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

John looks at her as if he were seeing something amazing and a smile crosses his lips.

Concentrating again, they go down the stairs and enter the underground. John and Leah take down more enemies as they make their way to the cells, opening them one by one.

Leah kicks the penultimate one, a bandaged man is sitting on the bed. His hands are bloody and he is barefoot.

She whistles at John and he approaches to look at him, they don't have to say anything to know who is the target. A worker who has information, who has worked with Graves.

At that moment, something similar to a bomb explodes not far away, John and Leah fall to the ground with debris falling around them. He falls on her with the need to protect her. They try to communicate with the rest of the team but for some reason the radios don't work.

While they are trying to leave, they meet Gaz who tells them that she has broken up with Alejandro and that she doesn't know where he is because the radios don't work. He also tells them that he found the missiles they are building.

—Take him out of here, take him alive — John puts his hands on Gaz's shoulders — look for the others, and get out of here now —.

Gaz nods hesitantly, but grabs the bandaged man and forces him to walk away from them.

John turns to Leah who is looking for the door where the missiles are. He rushes to her grabbing her elbow pulling her towards him.

"We have to get out of here," he says urgently, but Leah denies.

—We can't go and leave this here John —she looks around, piles of empty barrels but in the background, almost in the darkness, blue containers appear before her eyes —.

"We have to go," he repeats, but she lets go and denies.

—You go, make sure the equipment is okay. I… I'll see how I destroy them.

She moves forward and John frowns at her, processing her attitude and what she apparently wants to do. He shakes his head groggily and approaches her again.

"It's too risky, Leah," he follows her as she kicks the barrels, throws folders in search of information.

—We can't go away and leave this like this.

—We have the objective, we must go.

"Go away," she continues searching until she stops in front of the containers.

John runs a hand over his face.

—You are disobeying orders from your superior —.

—Since when are you such a dictator? — She turns to him putting her hands on his belt, John opens his eyes thinking something else and when she removes one of the tools that John uses to open locks he rolls his eyes —.

—It's an order, if you don't obey you will be punished Leah —.

—Well, I don't care—she puts the tool in the lock and kicks it, the container door opens wide and they both stare at what's inside, two missiles. One finished and another… almost half built. Leah sighs, looking at him.

—Don't say anything—He shakes his head, looking around when he feels Leah take off her backpack and dig inside—Really? —.

"It's the only way," she responds, pulling out bombs.

—They are not under control Leah, you put them on and we will have twenty seconds to get out of here. And do you have any idea how long it will take us to get out of here? —.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to take a chance."

John snorts.

"The hell with you, woman," although he denies, he knows it's the only solution, so he helps her place the bombs quickly. When they place the last one, they look into each other's eyes. "I have to admit your audacity."

She laughs but doesn't say anything.

John activates the bombs, grabs her hand and starts running with her pulling.

They can't make it to the stairs when the bombs explode. Smoke and debris fill the place and Leah falls to the side, she is sure she has hurt her head somewhere but she doesn't think about it as she tries to look for John in the fog of smoke and dirt. He stands against the wall, trying to breathe but even the air is toxic, his ears are slightly blocked and he hears the gunshots as if they were echoes. His vision doesn't clear at all and he tries to concentrate on coming to his senses.

John's large shadow crosses her gaze, grabbing her by the shoulders, he shelters her behind his back while she sees him shoot, she hears him shout something, but she can't hear him. John pushes the escape doors and they go outside, the gunshots getting louder as Leah hears again.

—You have to run now! — he shouts at her, grabbing her hand — Come on, come on — she shakes her head, they go into the darkness of the forest, running along the paths, running, running, running, until the building, the fire and the shots are just a far point in his sight —Don't stop! - he shouts, pulling her -.

The cold hits her face, but the heat from the adrenaline of running keeps her warm.

They run, until the sounds of gunshots are just echoes.

Leah stops bracing her hands against her knees, panting. John is still in front of her, his blue eyes looking at her in the darkness.

"They'll be fine," he whispers with a broken voice. "They'll be fine."

Leah swallows, looking over her shoulder, cursing under her breath. Yes, she knows her friends will be okay. Has to follow.

—Leah—she feels John's fingers hovering around her arm—come on, we have to continue.

It was very cold. John knew that at that time of year in Paris, it snowed.

He had to find shelter soon.

Chapter 6

Leah doesn't know how far she has walked, but she can't feel her legs as she continues to do so, trying to keep up with John, wondering if he isn't tired, although she can see that he is evidently panting as the minutes pass much more than before.

She tries to concentrate, her hands holding her gun as she follows him silently. It is evident that they have separated from the group and that she feels disoriented, and if it weren't for the fact that John is ahead of her, she would be curling up on the floor and letting herself die. Cold dead.

The damn radios don't work and they're in the middle of a fucking forest in a country they've never been to before. The lack of signal has caused John to almost break the emergency radios they had in their backpack. And to make it worse, the cold has gotten rough. The snow started falling a long time ago and every step is a pain in her bones that makes her shudder.

And yet, as she follows him she is thinking about John's kiss. The one she hasn't been able to stop thinking about since that night and now that they were stranded in the middle of nowhere, she wondered if he was going to continue with that Capitan attitude all the time or was he going to come hug her to warm her and kiss her.

"There's a river to the south," John murmurs, walking with his eyes straight ahead. "There should be some cover or…" He turns over his shoulder to look at Leah and when he sees her, he stops dead. His expression reflects concern mixed with softness.

—Yes—Leah responds, watching as her feet begin to leave marks due to the snow that is accumulating, a gust of vision envelops them and Leah has to hug herself with her eyes closed to tolerate the cold that she tolerates less and less, so In fact, he's shivering and despite the gloves his fingers and toes feel colder than a penguin's—or maybe finding shelter or something, whatever.

John stops causing Leah to crash into his chest and stumble back but he grabs her arm. His brow is slightly furrowed, his blue eyes boring into hers, his voice barely above a whisper.

—Come here—John pulls her towards his body. He hugs her and rubs her arms and back trying to give her some kind of warmth. Leah closes her eyes against the comfort and sensation.

"Although I like this a lot, I think we should move on."

The touch between the two is electric, intimate. John's hands run up and down his back. His fingers caressing her, as if that does any good or is just a lame excuse to have her close. Leah looks up at him. His gaze is penetrating on her.

—You need heat. "You can trust me for that," he whispers, pulling her closer to him.

Leah leans on his chest, for a few seconds it seems like she stops shaking. Her arms are ridiculously big and strong and protect her from the cold.

"I see that," he murmurs, "but we have to…" as soon as he moves away he begins to tremble. "Keep moving forward, come on." Leah pats John's chest, moving ahead of him.

John takes a deep breath and watches her walk like she's made of jelly, trying hard not to keep shaking.

—Are you avoiding me or something? —he asks, matching his pace.

—Avoiding you? John, I'm freezing to death.

He growls under his breath.

—How do you come to a place like this with a jacket as thin as that? —he looks at her—Where is your head lately? —.

"You don't want to know." John looks at her and chuckles. However, when Leah returns the flirtatious look, she staggers and John grabs her again.

"One step at a time," he warns her gently.

They walk several more kilometers, Leah no longer feels the cold on her face or her hands. He looks up past the tree trunks and steep hills and sees a small cabin in the middle of several trees. He grabs John by the arm, patting him almost on the verge of screaming, and points him in the direction of the cabin.

“Caba-cabaña,” she shivered, her arms clinging to herself. John puts his arm around her, pressing her against him, and rubs her arms.

"Fuck me," he says, laughing, "come on, let's go."

John pushes the old door open with one hand while making sure to get Leah inside to protect her from the wind.

"Stay here, I'll take a look at the outside."

Leah nods as she rubs her arms and her chin trembles, her teeth chattering. Look around. There is a large bed in the corner, a kitchen that probably doesn't work, another door that could lead to the bathroom, an old couch, and a table with two chairs by the window near the front door. It is small and probably long abandoned.

John enters, closing the door tightly, he locks it so that it does not open and he takes off his backpack and all the things that could get in his way. The first thing he does is take off his military equipment and then the jacket he is wearing underneath, he quickly puts it over his shoulders. Leah's shoulders and rubs her arms.

"You'll be fine," he encourages, looking into her eyes, both of them looking at a small fireplace on the side.

—We can't light it, if they see the smoke they could see us, if the boys aren't looking for us… — John caresses her back —.

—Shhh, I know. They will find us without smoke, I know — John has her against his chest and looks at the bed — Why don't you go to bed? Come - he approaches the bed and sits her on the edge, looks at some furniture near the wall, opens it and finds blankets -.

"Someone definitely lives here," Leah manages to say quickly before shivering again.

—We'll leave her a note when we leave or we'll become her friend by hook or by crook if she comes back—John winks and puts several blankets over her—that's it… you'll be fine.

"F-fuck John, I'm… I'm sorry," he's still shaking and rubbing his hands over his face, blowing breath between them as if that would help. John takes her hands. Small hands between huge hands. He rubs them against his while looking at her.

—I'm made for this, it's not fair to you — he laughs as if he were mocking, rubbing his hands against Leah's while he watches her smile from the side — You're like icicles.

She laughs looking down, the feeling of his large hands rubbing hers is so comforting. They are so warm…

"Take a breath," he whispers, "that's it."

His voice and warm hands calm her a little like rain after a storm. John leans down and places a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Rest," he whispers, caressing her back with one hand while still supporting her with the other.

“Hold me,” she says, as if she desperately needs to get her hands under John's clothes to feel his body heat.

John doesn't even doubt it. He throws himself on the bed and pulls her up while Leah puts her head between his chest and his arm. John caresses her arms as he wraps her in the blankets.

"It's okay," he whispers, "now rest a little. Are you warm now?" —.

Leah now doesn't know if she's shivering because of the cold or because of the naturalness with which John flirts. She wonders if he's conscious about the way he talks to her, like he wants to make her cringe all the damn time.

"Aha," he manages to say.

John hums quietly, a soft sound falling from his lips as his hand caresses her arms. His big, strong hands move with a gentle touch and she wants him to touch her under the covers, to give her warmth, body heat. But try to handle the situation without losing your mind because of what you are feeling. Besides the cold.

"I'm sorry for being so cold," she murmurs with her cheek against John's chest.

"You're freezing, there's no need to apologize."

Leah's hand resting on John's hard stomach is caught by John's free hand. He intertwines their fingers in a way to continue warming her up. Rub the backs of your fingers up and down.

"Mmm," Leah whispers, narrowing her eyes, her skin tingles in the areas he's touching her, her body getting incredibly hot.

"That's it," says John, "you're hot now."

Outside the wind whips against the house as if it were going to blow it down, the snow falls like there is no tomorrow, and the whistle of the wind that gets between the old wood of the house makes Leah shrink into John's lap.

—Tell me a story, whatever, I hate storms…

He smiles, his voice soft.

—Once upon a time there was a little girl… and she was cold. Like you. But she had a big, strong man. He put his arms around her and promised her that everything was going to be okay—John looks down at her and meets her brown eyes. His blue eyes studying her gaze in the darkness - and he believed him -.

"Ha, ha… that's funny," she laughs and snuggles further into his lap. Her little hands feeling the hard skin of her clothes. Will her skin be as warm as her hands? Suddenly the image of him in the darkness of his room at the base, with his chest exposed, makes his throat go dry.

John sighs, pulling her close to him, his arm wrapping around her even tighter and she hides her head under his chin as John's hand moves up to her neck, playing with the strands of her hair.

"I'll keep you warm, Leah." Just close your eyes. Everything will be fine. I promise -.

Leah relaxes, her body warming up, her legs intertwined with John's, his hand safe against her abdomen over her clothes, his strong arms protecting her. The sound of the wind and the blizzard is suddenly just a whisper as her eyes close and close until she falls asleep.

(…)

He opens his eyes with a wave of panic. There is no one next to him and there is silence and light. The first thing he does is sit down on the bed suddenly, evaluating its entire contour with his eyes.

He stops to look at the man hunched against the table, growling under his breath.

—John? —The Captain looks at her but concentrates again. Leah takes a while to realize it but when she does she notices that she is fighting with the radios.

John lets out a frustrated huff. He stops for a moment and his eyes linger on her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her arms, tucked into that too-big-for-her jacket of his that makes him smile.

-Did you sleep well? —.

"Yes," she murmurs, looking out the window. Outside everything is white and there is no seeing. Even the sun seems to be hot. Although he still trembles a little, it's actually due to the lack of John's body heat and he frowns as he looks at him again. "You didn't sleep at all, right?" —.

"Someone had to be alert and had to try to fix these shitty radios that…" John stops, looking at Leah with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

—I work surrounded by men, I listen to all kinds of things. A swear word doesn't scare me — she smiles warmly and John does so for a moment. However, go back to watching the radios — you should get some sleep now. You can't go without sleep.

—No, no… I need to fix this. Just warm up, I'm fine.

Leah rolls her eyes.

“Grumpy bear,” he mutters under his breath, looking out the window. She thinks he didn't hear her, but John slowly turns his face to Leah.

“Damn, I heard that,” he huffs in the most annoying but loving way possible. His blue eyes are on her and as much as he wants to continue fighting with the radios, he knows she's right. So she slowly gets up and sits next to Leah on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't say anything," Leah turns to look at him with feigned innocence.

—Yes, yes you did — He smiles as he rubs his hands along your arms — Are you still cold? —.

"Just a little bit," Leah shrugs her shoulders as John hugs her, giving her a kiss on the back of her head.

"Keep resting, we're going to be here for a long time." John huffs, sliding his arm away from Leah and stands up, but when he does, Leah's hand closes around his arm.

"Stay," she murmurs, looking at him almost with a shyness that makes him feel overwhelmed. He looks at her fingers on his arm and his breath catches in his throat, he sits up taking a deep breath, putting an arm around Leah's back again, pulling her closer to him.

His chest is warm and musky beneath the layers of clothing he's wearing. He slides onto the bed again, his large body stretching across it as he waits for her to do the same. Leah doesn't think about it for a second and crawls towards him, getting into his arms.

The contact instantly warms Leah and as he holds her her breathing becomes heavy.

When both are comfortable. John closes his eyes trying to sleep. Having Leah's body pressed against him is a challenge, especially not touching her as his thoughts are leading him to do. He is a trained and calculating man after all.

But with her he just wants to be John. Just John.

—You're so warm. "Like a stove," she says with her eyes closed, unconsciously turning, her face against his strong arm while John moves on her back to hug her and snuggle behind her.

-Yeah? — John laughs slowly, a hoarse laugh that leaves havoc on Leah's neck as their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle —.

"Mmm yes, I could stay like this forever," he says with his eyes closed.

—Yes—John looks at the wall, feeling his ears get hot. She rubs Leah's arms as a distraction, but that makes it worse. The fire that burns in his chest for her is enormous.

-It is very cold -.

"Calm down," he says with a sigh, "You know?" Don't tell the others but… you're my favorite.

Leah turns her gaze slightly to look at him.

-Yeah? — he smiles, but immediately freezes when he feels John's air on his neck —.

—You are by far my favorite, Sergeant. For a country mile — John's voice is a thick, hoarse whisper as if he's holding breath. His eyes look at Leah's neck as if his fangs were coming out.

She swallows slowly knowing what she is doing and what she wants. She desperately needs him so she turns around again hugging him face to face, closes her eyes and brings her cheek closer to John's, sliding it over his beard.

"You're so warm," she whispers, feeling John's hands slide slowly along her waist.

John closes his eyes feeling her touch, his nose gets into Leah's hair inhaling her shampoo smell, she always smells of citrus and he loves it and now that he has her there in his arms, rubbing against him like a kitten looking for affection John feels like he's about to lose his mind.

—Leah…

—John… — Leah's hands slide over his broad shoulders over the thermal shirt, then she touches his neck, even feeling the veins in it. The pores of your skin. Leah isn't even breathing.

"Leah I…"

"Kiss me please," he begs, his voice like a moan coming from his throat, if he could kneel to ask for it, Jesus, he would do it "please…"

The corner of John's mouth twitches upward. His large hand covers Leah's entire back and his strong arms wrap around her carefully. He can feel her breath hitting his skin. He wants to kiss her, with every fiber of her skin, and his heart races in his chest as he presses his forehead against Leah's. Blue eyes staring at her almost breathless.

Then Leah kisses him. At first glance it looks like a clumsy, almost childish kiss, but when John puts his hand in her hair, moving it to intensify the kiss. A quiet sound escapes his throat, pleasure but also something that makes John's heart tremble with every soft movement of Leah's lips against his.

He smiles against her lips and combs her hair with his fingers, a tender, breathless caress.

—Damn Leah…

—John…

He laughs against her lips pressing them again. His hands run over Leah's body as if asking her permission while she grips her fingers into the fabric of his T-shirt and her tongue shyly slides into his mouth.

"Damn…" John murmurs.

His right hand slides over her waist caressing her waist. Slowly going down her thigh, leading her to place her leg over his and higher over his hips.

—John I…

"About that night Leah," he murmurs against his lips, which run down his chin toward his neck, his beard tickling Leah as he holds her hips with one hand.

-What about that? We kissed John… and I… you…

-Me what? — John steps away for just a moment to look at her with one eyebrow over the other —.

—I like you, I like you a lot—she looks at his lips, his blue eyes looking into hers—.

—Mmmm—John leans into his neck again, this time nibbling a little, as if he were tasting his flesh. Leah moans as John's hands slide over the fabric of her jeans, caressing her thighs and hips until they slip under her blouse, touching her skin — you're so soft.

"John…" She moves restlessly under his large body, her hands move along his back and soon get under his shirt. His skin is hard, hot.

"Leah, let me show you how much I like you," he says in a growl as he licks the entire length of her neck to her ear, making sure he hears her very well. "Yes?" Be a good girl and let me show you.

"Yes, yes," she opens her mouth as she feels John's fingers press against her hips, almost panting. John takes her face in one hand and kisses her passionately. His tongue thrusting into her mouth, exploring. Moaning.

For a moment there is nothing else but the two of them, rubbing, kissing. Moving their tongues fervently over each other's. She feels John's hardness hitting her which makes her moan.

—God, you're so sensitive… I never imagined that… — he slides his mouth down, licking her neck — that you were so sensitive Leah — his mouth lowers, his tongue licks her collarbone, he nibbles desperately as he touches her down — .

Her throat gets dry from thinking when she is wet. Which makes him pull away and get on his knees between her legs. Leah opens her eyes disoriented and her heart stops when John pulls his shirt over his head.

His hard, wide body looms before her. Beautiful dark and light ones in the middle of his pecs… those marked muscles. Those strong arms. It makes your throat dry.

John leans over her again, biting Leah's bottom lip and she drops her hands to his shoulders touching his skin. Several scars cross his skin in various places and he finds it so fucking sexy that he can't stop touching it.

—Are you going to be good to me? —.

"Yes," he murmurs, watching John go down his neck, kissing his chest over his clothes, lifting his blouse to kiss his belly that contracts when he feels his beard. "John…" his cheeks turn red just by feeling him go down and An unexpected scream leaves her throat when John pulls her pants and panties down at the same time — John…

"Shh…" he whispers, shaking his head. He takes off her boots and socks quickly, the same with the rest of the clothes, Leah closes her legs embarrassed but John separates them, burying his fingers in her thighs — Jesus Christ Leah — looks at her, licking her lips — Jesus Christ — she says as if to him. same…

—John… p-please…

John sees her cover her mouth and as he leans towards her legs, imagining her taste, he removes his hand from her mouth.

—No doll, you're going to scream. I want to hear you scream, yeah? — Judgment leaves Leah's body and her eyes roll into her head as the captain's tongue slides along her vagina while he moans with pleasure —.

Chapter 7

“John, n-no,” she sighs, her throat closing, her body tensing as he slides his arms under her thighs to hold her close and still.

—Mmm… —she hears him moan, while she squirms. Captain Price's tongue slides between Leah's folds with expertise, determination and boldness.

Jesus, no one would think you had that language, Captain. Leah thinks as she grits her teeth trying to control herself.

In her short 28 years not a man had touched her that way. Definitely not like him and he hadn't had many lovers in his life so to speak. She was always very strict about it, no sex before the first date. But with John I was open-legged without an appointment or anything on the agenda.

Her eyes roll into her head as he sticks his tongue in and his fingers move slowly around her clit. Teasing her, having fun with her. But John's own moans are starting to drive her crazy.

"Oh John, p-please," she whispers, her voice is barely a whisper and every time she covers her mouth to scream, The Captain yanks it away and nibbles at it, scolding her.

Leah felt herself unraveling, her heart beating like crazy with every lick, breath, or bite. John Price's huge hands rise from time to time upwards, touching the edge of her breasts.

"Mmm…" he moans again.

Heat begins to build up in your belly and your hips begin to move involuntarily.

In less than five minutes Leah finds herself moaning and whimpering while he is buried between her thighs. His body trembles, collapsing as the desire warms his belly and expands around him.

"That's it," he murmurs with a touch of calm and passion that shines in his eyes when they look at her. John smiles as he looks up at her and pulls away just a little, leaning his body over her. His hand softly hovering over her neck and rising to her lips, putting his fingers in Leah's mouth - Doll… - he grunts as he takes out his fingers and moves closer, kissing her mouth as if he were eating her alive, she moans against him. mouth. Feminine and sensual moans, as sweet or sweeter than what he imagined Leah could make, lost, he lowers his hand and fucks her slowly with the same fingers - Fuck… - he murmurs - you're so ready for me. Tell me how ready you are — she murmurs with her lips on Leah's neck — are you ready for me? —.

"Y-yes," she gasps, her body hunching over him, her moans incoherent, her hands on John's shoulders.

-Say it -.

"I'm ready, ready for you John," she says barely in a whisper, John's growl coming out of her throat like a growl that gets lost in her mouth.

It doesn't take him long to get rid of the rest of his clothes off the bed, while Leah's head is spinning from the orgasm she just had with John's tongue, she is dragged by his legs to the edge of the bed and makes a loud noise. I scream in surprise. He kisses her slowly, passing his tongue over her lips. A tender, romantic kiss that turns into a passionate one as he sticks his tongue into her mouth, moaning on her tongue as he rubs his huge, thick erection over Leah's wet folds.

“J-John,” she moans, her nails digging into his shoulders, slowly but enough for John to moan with a smile.

He pulls away, spreading Leah's legs with his hands, making sure she's spread wide open for him. She takes his erection and slides it through her folds, torturing her clit as Leah nearly cries.

"I don't have condoms," he moans almost breathlessly.

-I inject -.

"Still…" John bites his lip, the thick tip of his penis pressing at Leah's entrance making her whimper.

He looks into her eyes from above and what they want is implicit, of course. If it's for both of their approval, Leah doesn't mind if he cums inside, but she wouldn't mind if he did it outside either. For John, however, it is a topic that causes a stir. It makes him nervous but the mere idea of ​​seeing her full of him anywhere on her body makes his brain scramble.

"P-please," she moans and John narrows his eyes, taking his member, sinking into her with his eyes closed.

"Jesus… God… you're so… you're so…" The words are lost in his mouth, dying when he leans down, grabbing one of her legs to wrap it around his hips and kisses her. Mmm… Are you okay? — he asks in a whisper, Leah nods, biting her tongue — Can… can you do more?

"Yes, just… just do it," she slides her nails down his back and John's skin ripples with her touch, pushing deeper into her until she takes him completely. "You're so…" she murmurs into his neck, inhaling. the smell of her hair — so good…

And then the eternal sway begins, the rough, soft hands on her body, grabbing her breasts while she rocks as if there were no tomorrow. A string of curses spill from Leah's lips as he pushes against her, biting her skin, kissing, licking. The moans are muffled by the sound of their fur.

There, alone in the middle of the morning, surrounded by snow and trees. The birds fly out of their tops at Leah's moans, John's growls take her to ecstasy, make her lose her sanity.

Leah's legs tighten around his hips, feeling her tighten around him makes him slam hard into her.

"Oh Leah," John's voice is low as he squeezes her between his hands, while his mouth runs over her neck, her collarbone, while his tongue swirls around her nipples.

Leah kisses him, her hands gripping his hard, strong back. The way John moves against her makes her lose her mind. She moans loudly in his ear, digging her nails into him. The movements become strong, wild and are joined by grunts and meaningless words.

—John…

—You're so pretty… — he moans in her ear — so soft Leah…

—John… —.

She twitches and John feels her, making her wince.

—Mmm—He hits harder, satisfied with having found his point, that point that every time he presses Leah's eyes fly over her head.

—Mmm John! -.to…

"Say it," he pushes hard, concisely.

—John! —.

John bites her neck and his tongue licks the mark, Leah moans, her legs shaking and her body arching. His nails slide down John's back and dig into his ass.

-Hmm…

—Oh John… John…

"Mmmm I like my name on your lips doll," he whispers, biting her lower lip, "that's it, that's it…"

Leah moans louder and louder and the orgasm rocks her again, warming her and making her shiver. John wraps his arms around her as he pushes against her, their bodies pinking as he gets harder and harder.

—Mmm… — he kisses her with a passion that she has never felt before, everything has been much more than she has even imagined — Leah…

She looks up at him and John stands up, holding her legs as he pulls out of her, John's hand wrapping around his hard member as he masturbates until his moans make Leah want to come just listening to him.

Then the hot, white thing falls on her belly and she looks into his eyes while he does it, she licks her lips watching it, watching it cum all over her hot, panting body.

—Oh God… — John murmurs looking at her body full of her — honey… you look… — he squints his eyes still moaning —.

The corners of Leah's mouth turn upward. He's sweating, he's sweating and it must be at least two degrees below zero. He gasps, trying to catch his breath, and closes his eyes for a second, listening to John Price's breathing. She opens them when she feels that he is on top of her cleaning her body, she looks at him almost adoringly.

The image of a man like him bending over her cleaning the remains of his semen on her belly and thighs with such dedication is worthy of a photograph. Even her short hair looks messy as she runs her fingers through it after finishing and tosses the piece of cloth off the bed before crawling back to her and kissing her arms all the way to her neck.

-Are you OK? — He wraps his arms around her and turns her, pressing Leah's back to his chest, and she begins to suspect that this might be her favorite position for curling up in bed. Which makes her smile - She raises her hands - she does and he covers them both with the sheets and blankets - that's it -.

—I'm fine. Are you? —she adjusts to him. John's body is still warm on his back and his arms wrap around him better than a blanket.

—Mmm—he buries his face between her neck and her hair—I am.

There is a slight silence between the two of them, dozing and taking in what they just did. They only listen to the sound of nature outside and their breathing that little by little begins to return to a normal rhythm.

—John? — Leah strokes John's arm under her head —.

-Hmm? —.

The words get stuck in her throat and John feels her tense in his arms. So he opens his eyes, caressing her skin with his fingers.

-Is that I…

—You're worried, aren't you? What are you going to do now that you've slept with old Captain Price?

Leah turns in his arms to face him, although the first thing she sees is his hard chest and her small fingers shyly trace his scars, although her gaze on John's blue eyes is determined.

"You're not old," he furrows his eyebrows.

—Leah—he caresses her face with the back of his hand—don't worry about it. Is it something you regret? — she shakes her head — then nothing happens. Is it something you don't want anyone to know? —.

—Do you want anyone to know? —.

—I don't care—he shrugs his shoulders—maybe we can keep it between us for a while but eventually they're going to find out, you know? —John's fingers slide into Leah's blonde hair—.

—And that doesn't bother you? —.

—Do others know? —.

-Yeah -.

"It's going to bother me when they stare at you blatantly in my presence and I have to grit my teeth and have to remind you who you belong to," he says so sweetly that Leah laughs but sees honesty in his eyes and that makes her purse her lips. "It doesn't bother me." Let them know that you are mine. Because you're mine — John pauses with his hand around her cheeks — Because you're mine, aren't you? —.

"I love being yours," she smiles, "I've wanted to be for a while." John raises an eyebrow and his throat resonates loudly as he sees her red cheeks.

"I may have an idea, Leah." You gave me very suggestive looks, what do you want me to tell you - she opens her mouth to say something, but John grabs her cheeks, opening her mouth - you have always seemed too dangerous to me to look at for too long. I knew you would be one of those women who you look in the eyes and you are lost.

-That? —she almost laughs—And have you met many of those women? —he says with some suspicion—.

—Many, but not one like you—Leah rolls her eyes and John laughs, drawing her face closer to him by her cheek—it's a joke, Leah I just want to flirt with you. I have not met women like you, I like you, I like you a lot.

She looks at his lips and closes the distance by kissing him and pressing her naked body to him. John grunts, he's a little tired but when she tangles her legs against his and her nails tear the skin of his back, he knows that tiredness is overrated.

(…)

Somewhere in Paris a group of men organizes to find their captain.

Gaz is communicating with Laswell after the asset is taken away for questioning, talking to Laswell to send out the search teams while Soap spins the knife in the air with his elbow on one leg and his chin on his palm.

—Maybe they're fucking behind a tree or…

"For God's sake, Johnny," Ghost throws a rock at him, but Alejandro, who is trying to read the map Gaz gave him, looks at Soap with one eyebrow over the other.

—Fucking? —.

Soap looks at him.

—It's a joke, a man and a woman like Leah lost in the middle of nowhere — he shrugs his shoulders — I don't know, think about it. You don't have to think about it much really.

—Plus they both have a lot of chemistry—Ghost also shrugs his shoulders while Alejandro furrows his eyebrows at his comments. Gaz approaches after talking to Laswell on the radio — What did he say? —.

—The search team is on the way, but they're going to take too long. It's been one night already, they could be dead.

—How little faith Gaz — Soap puts away the knife and takes the map from Alejandro — if they fled upriver they could have followed the short path — Gaz leans down to look —.

—But if they went for the other one? —.

—Then we split up, it's already stopped snowing and it's not going to do it again — Ghost murmurs — Soap and I are going down the path to the river, you and Alejandro go the other way. If they don't find anything at this point, we communicate and we meet here at dusk.

"Solid," Soap nods, adjusting his weapon.

The four shake hands, grab their weapons, backpacks and equipment and prepare to search.

(…)

—Okay then, favorite music? — Leah is lying next to John, their legs intertwined, they have dressed because of the cold but you still remain lying together under the sheets —.

—The one from the eighties, in particular… anyone — John has one hand supporting his head while he looks at her from the side —.

"Say one, come on."

—Well… Any Rupert Holmes.

Leah tilts her head.

—And who… is it?

—You don't know who…? Damn Leah, I'm going to have to teach you about music.

-Sing a song -.

John starts laughing.

-No -.

-Oh, come on. Aren't English men daring? Sings -.

—No—he growls—Tell me your favorite song, if you sing it I'll sing it. Let me guess, you grew up in the 2000s, Britney Spears? —.

Leah laughs.

—Everyone likes Britney —.

—Not if it makes you want to shave, honey —John reaches into his backpack and takes out the last of their food, the last can of disgusting vegetables. Leah wrinkles her nose.

"I'd rather die of hunger," he pushes him away with his hand.

"Don't be stubborn, it's an order," he grunts and opens the can. "Come on, just a little."

Leah eats a little then John, both suppressing the urge to vomit. But they laugh about the situation minutes later. When they see that the sun is setting Leah looks at the broken radios.

-And if…?

—We are not going to go anywhere, if they look for us they will find us here. My boys are smart, they will find us.

Leah huffs and snuggles into his chest with her eyes half lidded.

—Now tell me, sweet or salty? —John asks him—.

—Sweet — she shudders — Oh my God, lemon pie, coffee with two sugar, raspberry cake, oh shit… I need to eat that. Donuts filled with strawberry jam.

"Disgusting," he wrinkles his nose and Leah looks at him.

—You hate sugar — John raises his eyebrows in surprise — I've been working with you for years, bringing you coffee to the office or sitting next to you in meetings or lunches.

—You were taking your notes, Hmm? - he caresses her face - I can see it…

—Mmm—she leans over him and kisses him.

—Mmm—his arms surround her and he turns to stand on top of her—I like it.

(…)

They have been walking in the dark forest for several hours, Alejandro is energetic, just what Gaz needs to not stop his pace searching and searching incessantly. However, Alejandro cannot get the doubt out of his chest.

"Hey Garrick," she says as he walks ahead pointing his gun and flashlight in the dark.

-That? —.

"Do Price and Leah have something?" —.

Gaz turns to look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

-Because?

—Soap and Ghost kept insinuating things and… —.

-You like her? —.

"We have been friends for a long time."

—I know, he told me about you — Gaz looks a little suspicious — he really appreciates you.

—Ya, I know — Alejandro looks ahead and sees a cabin hidden between trees and snow —.

The question is not answered and Gaz is grateful that he doesn't ask again and hopes that whatever they are doing if they are there, that they aren't fucking. Although inside he would be laughing if something like that were to happen.

(…)

John is enthralled kissing Leah's neck, nibbling on it while his hands caress her breasts under her clothes and rubs against her slowly. Caresses, a tender game to kill time while you continue asking each other questions.

—Do you remember that? —Price nibbles on his neck—.

—From when Gaz fell from the helicopter? —John pulls away to look her in the eyes—.

"You should be more specific, honey," he says with a smile.

"Well, the time he fell out of the helicopter in Russia, when we were chasing the arms dealer."

—Ah, yes — John laughs as he continues nibbling and licking — yes.

They both laugh until they hear noise outside.

The two of them, like the trained soldiers that they are, move away from each other as quickly as they can and grab their weapons. Leah slides towards the door since she is barefoot without making a sound and John grabbing his gun wins on the other side. The footsteps are heard getting closer, John raises two fingers towards Leah which indicates that there are two people coming.

He puts a finger to his lips, his weapons in position.

The door opens and in the darkness a man points his gun everywhere, John jumps around the young man by the neck.

"I want there," John says, Leah points at the other but he grabs her without realizing who she is.

"Captain," Gaz raises his hands in defense and John immediately releases him.

"Just look," he laughs.

—Gaz! — Leah grabs his arm and hugs him —.

-Are you OK? — he asks, laughing — I see you more than fine — he raises an eyebrow at the captain who is sitting putting on his boots with a harsh laugh that breaks all schemes —.

"Alejandro," she hugs him.

"I'm glad to see you well Leah," he hugs her tightly. "You're not cold at all," he murmurs, taking her hands.

John walks over and drops the palm of his hand on Alejandro's shoulder.

"I took care of keeping her warm, Colonel Vargas," he winks as he picks up his backpack and looks at Leah, "get your things together, come on."

Leah turns red as a tomato and promises to get revenge for it later. John can't handle Alejandro's face and laughs in his face, with no intention of being mocking. Alejandro chuckles, trying to think it's just a joke, but his eyes follow John Price until he walks out the door with Gaz.

—Are you okay Ale? — Leah grabs his arm when he sees her ready to leave —.

"Yes," he says, looking at her curiously.

Gaz calls to them from outside and they leave, but when she closes the door behind her, John turns to her holding out a paper.

—I forgot this, for the owner of the cabin — Leah laughs and opens the paper.

"Of two crazy lovers who like him very much, Merci"

-What does it say? — Alejandro wants to know, but Leah doubles down —.

"Nothing important," she responds, laughing and going into the cabin again, when Alejandro comes out and Gaz is waiting for them ahead and John looks at her with his hands on his equipment on his chest. "What?" —.

"Nothing," he shrugs his shoulders with a smile that is barely visible.

Leah shakes her head and sets off, following Gaz and Alejandro, who contact Laswell to tell them that they are safe and returning to base in London.

Chapter 8

Leah and Captain Price have been seeing each other for about two weeks.

The vast majority of the time the man sneaks into Leah's room at night or they just go out for a drink like two good friends when the group wants to go out and have fun.

This morning, however, Leah gets up knowing that she will see little of John unless it is to pay him a short visit in his office.

"I won't do anything because I'll be at the base, I have work to do with the new ones, Kate."

—Someday you have to celebrate your twenty-ninth — Laswell sighs on the other line —.

—Anyway, do I have to be in your office tomorrow? To organize my times -.

—Yes, I need you to come and talk about something that has me worried, yes? —.

—As a friend or as a boss? — Leah crosses the hallway to the cafeteria to make a coffee, in the distance she sees Gaz waving a hand for her to come closer and she waves back to tell him to wait —.

"Like both," Laswell puts on his serious tone of voice and Leah snorts, she hopes it's not what she thinks because she and John have been quite careful not to let anyone see them.

In the morning Gaz and Soap went to sing happy birthday at their door, laughing while Ghost was there but not singing and with his eyes rolling and shaking his head while saying that they were ridiculous.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Leah hangs up on the call, puts the phone in the back pocket of her dark pants, and walks over to her friends who are waiting for her at the table.

-Surprise! — Gaz jumps from her seat and Soap reaches out to a piece of cake on the table with a candle — it's little, but with the heart — Leah laughs and pats Gaz's shoulder —.

—They didn't have to do it — Leah hugs Gaz — but thank you —.

Gaz and Soap exchange glances.

—Why don't you come to the bar tonight? We got drunk in your honor — Leah sits down, putting her coffee on the table, turning it thoughtfully — Come on! It will be like every year.

And it was true. Every year on her birthday she went to the bar with them. Only once did her birthday fall on her days off and she was alone in her apartment sinking into a bottle of wine. John would always go with them for a while, have a couple of drinks and leave.

This time Leah thought her birthday was going to be different. But John hadn't even said good morning to her and he didn't come to her room the night before. They didn't always have clear sex, but cuddling next to him was enough.

So she sighs, trying to deal with the silly feeling of feeling… a little ignored on the day she intended to be regaled by her secret lover.

-Yes, sure -.

Gaz and Soap high-fived and Ghost said something about drunks and Leah was deep in thought for a long time.

Gaz enters John Price's office around afternoon, as the sun is about to set. The boy is wearing dark military clothing, the ones they usually wear when there are no battles to fight.

The captain is engrossed in papers and eyes in front of the computer.

"Gaz," he murmurs without looking at him.

—Sir, let's go to the bar. Are you coming? —.

-To the bar? Why would they go to the bar one day in the middle of the week? Don't they have to train or make it more productive? —.

"Just for today, sir… you know, to celebrate Leah's birthday."

John leaves the papers in his hands. His eyes stop blinking and he looks at Gaz carefully.

—Ah—.

-He forgot? — Gaz raises an eyebrow. He is the only one, even though neither Leah nor John have told him anything, who knows about their secret relationship. Maybe Laswell, once John slipped past his lips and called her, honey without realizing it, and Kate's eyebrow rose curiously at the sight of Leah's red cheeks.

"Of course not," he continues working trying to hide it. How could he forget something so important?

—So you're going? —.

-Yes Yes. I'll catch up with them - he waves his hand for Gaz to leave and when Gaz leaves John grabs his cell phone almost desperately and calls -.

Kate Laswell responds to the third ring.

"No questions, just answer," John speaks with a calm voice.

—Anything you want to tell me? —.

—I said without questions—John clears his throat—Leah's favorite flowers—.

John hears Kate snort and then Kate's wife's voice is clearly heard.

-The daisies! —Allie exclaims.

—Shh Allie! — Laswell scolds her but then Allie takes the phone from his wife —.

—Hello John, nice to greet you. Are you dating our beloved Leah? — John almost got stuck — you don't have to answer, it's quite obvious you're happier than usual and less grumpy, that's progress since you already know… —.

—I need a place that sends flowers here to the base now — he cuts her off, clearing his throat — Can you help me with that? —.

-Yeah! Oh, I know him. They will be delivered directly to your room at the base. Do you want them to include a note too? Oh God how romantic! — John massages his forehead and hears a busy sound on the other side, Laswell picks up the phone again —.

"Watch what you do, John."

—Thanks for the information, give my regards to Allie, as pleasant as always —.

-I'm watching you -.

—Bye Allie —.

Even though John furrows his eyebrows somewhat irritably, he's chuckling. He leaves the phone on the table and pats his forehead. How could he forget something so important? He couldn't forgive himself.

He finishes the paperwork he is organizing and leaves his office to his room to take a shower and change and goes to the nearest book store outside the base. That literally takes up most of the rest of the day.

Around ten o'clock, he sees a man arrive with a huge bouquet of daisy flowers and John hides behind the wall in panic. Close your eyes tightly.

It was just a twig Allie!

She watches him walk down the hall to Leah's room. He hides between the door and the wall watching as she opens the door and receives the gigantic bouquet of daisies.

John hits his forehead against the wall several times, cursing under his breath.

Then he sighs.

Although it's been too much he hopes Leah doesn't get angry or it seems like it's too much because it is…too much.

Fuck.

He shuffles into his office and picks up the gift-wrapped book on the table, jotting down a note and quickly writing something down. And he tips his hat to the reflection in his office windows. He adjusts his dark jacket and runs his fingers through his hair.

He sighs nervously, many feelings swirling inside him. Doubts about whether you're doing the right thing leave you when your phone vibrates with a message.

Leah C. Whatever, I'll be with the boys at the bar.

He looks at the message with a raised eyebrow. Maybe what Allie wrote on the flower bouquet card. Enough so that Leah wouldn't say thank you to him or something.

Shit.

He deserved the disdain.

John I left something for you in my office, stop by before you go to the bar.

Nothing else.

John puts the phone in his jacket pocket and steps out of the original taking one last look at the wrapped book and note. He walks out of the base and leans against the wall, pulling out a cigar. The night is starry for November, light your cigar and wait.

(…)

Arrange the flowers on the desk. He laughs as he cuts small cuttings to fit inside a glass bottle on top of the clothing cabinet near the bedroom window.

That's too many daisies. But it's the most romantic, dullest thing anyone has ever done for her in her life, ever, ever, and she doesn't know where to hide the goofy smile on her face.

He takes the card in his hands again, giggling.

"Because you are the most beautiful woman in the whole world, adorable, charming, sensitive and tender and all those things, happy birthday sweetheart. Atte: JP"

You didn't have to be a fortune teller to know it was Allie, she was the only one who called him sweetheart. And knowing that John had asked Allie, Kate's wife, for help was something that still had her numb. Because then it meant that he had told Laswell and now he understood why he wanted to see her in his office tomorrow.

Anyway, he decides to leave that for later and looks at himself in the mirror on the wall before leaving. She's wearing that baggy red dress with white circles, black stockings underneath, and a leather jacket on top. A red scarf around her neck and her blonde hair down. Even though it's winter it's not that cold anyway.

Silence drifts down the halls and you knock on the door to John's office, opening it carefully and being surprised to not see him there.

However, his desk lamp illuminates a picture object in the middle of the table. He gets close enough to lean over the table and see a small note folded in two with his name written in that messy but at the same time perfect handwriting that characterized John's.

She takes the note:

Happy birthday, Leah. I hope you like it. Price.

It was kind of bland, but it was Price. And that made her smile nervously as she put the note in her jacket pocket and took the package to unwrap it. Her mouth opened and she smiled as she revealed a book "Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë". He began to look through it and realized that it was an old edition, one of the first editions.

It couldn't be.

She took the book and went outside, when she came out into the open air outside the base she heard John's voice not far from her.

"Love blinds but you have to see how much you brighten the eyes," John murmured, blowing the smoke from his cigarette to the side when Leah looked at him. She smiled and approached John slowly — you look beautiful Leah, but walking like that is dangerous. You could get sick.

—It's okay—she shrugged her shoulders, looking at him—Why are you here? I thought I was going to see you at the bar.

-I was waiting for you -.

-Yeah? —.

John nods and throws the cigarette butt on the floor, stepping on it with the sole of his shoe. He looks around, making sure no one sees him, and puts his arm around Leah, pulling her close. Before she speaks John has his lips on Leah's, moving them slowly as she wraps her arms around his neck. Their tongues intertwine, they dance with each other.

"God, how I've missed you," he murmurs, kissing her slowly while breathing heavily.

"You've been in that office all day," she caresses his neck, behind his ears, "and last night you didn't go to sleep with me."

—I've had a lot to do, I'm sorry—John lowers his face into Leah's neck, kissing and licking as he moans hoarsely—but right now I need you so much—his hands on her back went down and lightly squeezed Leah's butt— this pretty dress Mmm — she nibbles on her neck — Can I fuck you with it? —.

An involuntary moan escapes Leah and she closes her mouth, opening her eyes, looking around.

—Mmm y-yes —.

"Yes," he grunts with relief, "but then," John moves away from her a little agitated, "now we're going to go somewhere."

-To the bar?

John shakes his head taking Leah's book in his hands.

"No, not to the bar."

—But the boys…

—They're not going to miss us — Leah takes her book, holding it to her chest — Did you like the flowers? —.

—How did you know I liked daisies? —he says with a mischievous smile as John shrugs his shoulders—.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you, Allie helped me," he sighs, looking into her eyes a little scared, "I thought your birthday was next week, you can hate me if you want but I forgot." I'm not going to justify myself with work, it would be childish and I'm not.

—It's okay—he laughs—I understand John, nothing happens. Anyone can forget it.

—It won't happen again—he takes her hands—at least I remembered that you said that you always wanted to have a first edition of that book.

-You see? And I loved it — she kisses his cheeks — thank you.

—I'm going to make it up to you—he grabs her hand—Come—.

John drags her through the snow towards the parking lots, the front passenger of his truck helps her get in and starts the engine.

For a moment Leah looks at him not knowing what to say until she no longer wants to bite her lip.

—If you talked to Allie to…

"They know it, both of them." He looks at her out of the corner of his eye as he drives and Leah raises her eyebrows.

"Damn, that's why he wants to see me then," he tucks his hair behind his ears while looking out the window.

-Cup of tea? —.

—He wants me to go to the CIA tomorrow—they both look at each other—Did you tell him? —.

John shakes his head.

—I went to lunch with them last Saturday when you stayed at the base training the new ones and they read me like every day — he sighs, frowning — I guess I was too obvious or Allie is a witch —.

—I saw Allie on Saturday, I accompanied her shopping—they both look at each other again—.

John bursts out laughing as he moves the steering wheel with his hands. Leah bites her lips nervously.

—Well, it's okay — John put a hand on her legs — Do you want this to end? Are you worried that…? —.

"No," she almost screams, looking at him, "I don't want this to end," John Ma looks askance, trying to keep his eyes on the road, "I'm not worried about anything, I'll face it," he whispers.

—Leah…

-You are afraid? Do you want to finish it? —.

He shakes his head, tightening his fingers around her thigh.

"I don't want to," he whispers, "I don't want to be alone."

—You never will be, John—she keeps her gaze on him while he does it in a back-and-forth—.

He squeezes her thigh with his fingers and smiles slyly.

Several minutes later John parks the car on a street in London. He gets down to help Leah out and adjusts her jacket, pulling her to him for a kiss.

"You're very unsheltered," he murmurs against her lips. "Come here," he surrounds her waist with one of his hands, pressing her against him.

-Where you take me? —.

—You are a Yankee who spends most of her time at a base in London and who almost never goes out to the city to sightsee.

"But it's going to snow any minute," she looks up at him.

"That doesn't matter, doll, as long as you're with me nothing will happen to you." A hoarse laugh comes from her arms as she kisses the back of her head.

—And where are you taking me? —.

—The other day you told me that you had never been on the London Eye — he looks at her — now, you are on it — they turn down a street that stretches in front of them, surrounded by trees and Christmas lights and in the background the enormous and beautiful London Eye spinning so slowly with its lights and colors in the middle of the night.

"How cute he is," Leah squeals, raising her eyebrows.

—This time of year it's prettier, with the Christmas lights and all that —.

—Can we get on? - she asks excitedly -.

—Yes Leah, we can get on — John smiles and Leah grabs his hand and pulls him towards the London Eye.

(…)

—Look at the tower—Leah is pressed against the glass of the capsule while they rotate very slowly inside the Ferris Wheel—.

"That's Big Ben," John murmurs as if he were saying it to a little girl, he looks at her, resting his arm against the glass at his side and his other hand on Leah's back. "Seriously, Leah, how many years have you been here?" living in London and haven't gone out for a tour? —.

—Almost ten years—she looks out the window—I reached twenty here—.

"Yes, I remember," she looks at him, raising an eyebrow.

-Do you remember? —.

He reaches up to her back, brushing her hair away from her neck as he watches her curls fall down her back.

"No one could forget the beating that a rookie gave to Soap," he laughs.

"Yes," she laughs at the memory.

"But then you left with Laswell and didn't return after several years,"

—I liked working with her. But I love being on the base, the missions, the adrenaline — she leans on his shoulder — being with you.

—Mmm — he hugs her closer to him — yes, me too. It's been a long time since I… I didn't feel so well accompanied, you know?

-With me? You feel good with me? —she looks at him and John slides his lips over hers—.

"I love being with you," he whispers, "I don't feel alone Leah," John caresses her hair with one hand, slides his lips over hers, "I wish you would never leave me, you make this old man want to come back to life."

—John…

—You are so young and sweet… delicate and powerful that I feel like this is going to end in the blink of an eye and that I can't stop you. Because you're young and you should be sharing your time with someone your age and…

—I don't want anyone else—she furrows her eyebrows, making sure John looks her in the eyes—I'm not going anywhere. And if I'm going to separate from you it will be only while I wait for you to return to me after some mission or vice versa.

John's eyes are full of sorrow and anguish, fears that he is not able to let out. Because he's afraid that she really wants to leave.

Leah kisses him and smiles against his lips.

—Wait a minute, I have something else for you—John takes a small box out of his jacket pocket and puts it in Leah's small hands—open it.

Leah opens it with a goofy smile and then looks at it.

"John…" John takes the necklace from the box and unbuttons it.

“Turn around,” she does, brushing her hair to the side. John runs his hands over her shoulders, surrounding her neck with the thin chain of the necklace and adjusts it, he leans down to kiss the skin of her neck while she lets out a moan and turns around, touching the necklace with her fingers.

Margarita shines silver between her fingers as she looks at him with adoration.

"It's beautiful John."

He pulls her into his arms again.

"Happy birthday Leah," he whispers against her lips.

She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him passionately as they spin on the Ferris Wheel.

(…)

—Shhh… — Leah murmurs as John kisses her against the wall outside her room — wait… — John hugs her from behind, his fingers eagerly shoved under her dress, tugging at her dark stockings — John…

-Hmm… -.

The task of opening the key is difficult when the big, tough man is carelessly handling it. But he finally manages to open the door. However, she can't get in when John grabs her hand and pushes her against the wall, grabbing one of her legs to put it around him while rubbing against her hips.

He kisses her with passion and hunger. All he has done from a certain point in his life is overcome any feelings he has, burying them deep inside. But with her he can't, with her he can't hide and he knows that he won't be able to continue doing it any longer.

He pulls away for a moment to look at her lips, lets his hands move to her neck and brings her to his mouth again. He wraps his arms around her pressing her against the wall and kisses her with desperate hunger.

His hands slide down her back and he buries his hands in her butt, pressing her against him while rubbing against her hips.

"I want you Leah," he murmurs against her ear, leaving a trail of saliva from his kisses along her neck. "She searches his face, responding forcefully, moaning against her mouth." You keep moaning like this, I'm going to cum in my pants, doll. " he growls, nibbling on her neck.

Leah's laughter fills the room as John picks her up and lays her on the bed with him on top of her, kissing her as he moves down her neck and caresses her breasts over her dress.

"Girl in red," she moans, lowering her mouth down her belly, "pretty white polka dots," she moans as she continues to go down and John lifts the dress from her hips to her belly, kissing her exposed skin, "let's get rid of this, okay?" — pulls her panties and stockings down her legs while still kissing the flesh. He takes off her boots and slides between her thighs again.

—J-John… — Leah clings to the sheets when John buries himself between her thighs, tasting her, moaning against her vaginal lips while he licks, bites and kisses her —.

Sensual sounds escape Leah's lips as he kisses her between her legs, rubbing his thick fingers around her clit as Leah loses control of herself.

—Mmmm honey — she moans while she feels that he is about to cum just from giving her pleasure — Fuck Leah — Leah trembles, her hand stops on John's head while her hips move against his mouth — mmm yes honey, you know delicious, shit.

Leah screams, a sensual scream that fills the room. John feels the taste of his orgasm in his mouth and moans as if he can't take it anymore. And as Leah tries to snap out of her trance she sits up, John's hips in front of her eyes as she pushes him off the bed.

—Leah W-what? —his voice dies in his throat when he sees her unbuckle his belt—.

Since they've been dating Leah has only had one thing on her mind. She has never had a cock in her mouth and having John's or imagining it has made her wet several times a day or night just thinking about it.

John trembles as she drops his pants and pulls down his underwear releasing his thick, long penis as she massages it in her small hands.

—L-Leah… — John's voice falters when he sees her open her mouth and closes her eyes, leaning her head against her back — Damn… —.

Leah licks him from the tip to the end as if he were ice cream, she has never done it with anyone before but her instinct and desire leads her to moan against his skin and veins.

"You have to tell me if I'm doing it right," he murmurs, kissing the tip of his penis while one of his hands goes up and down it.

—Y-you don't have to… you have to…

—I want to do it John —she opens her lips putting the tip in her mouth—I don't know if I can do it all but you have to practice…

John laughs as if his nerves betrayed him. And Leah licks it, taking it as much as she can into her mouth and the sensation makes her moan.

—Mmm Leah…

—Mmm… —he helps himself with one hand while he covers the rest with his mouth, licks and sucks with his eyes half closed over and over again—.

—M-doll… — John slides a hand under his chin, caressing his cheeks without looking — fuck… fuck… —.

-I do it well? — Leah murmurs quickly putting it back in her mouth, John moans and looks down at her, those huge eyes looking at him with his cock in her mouth makes him lose his mind. So he lifts her up carefully, kissing her desperately - But…

—You'll do it another day, hell I want to fuck you now Leah — he turns her against her back and pushes her slowly against the bed, she puts her hands and knees against the bedspread and John leans down kissing her neck — Can I fuck you in the doll dress ? Tell me yes, I'm begging you - he nibbles on his ear -.

"Please John."

John moans in response, pulling away slightly so he can kiss her back and nibble on her ass before fitting his cock between her folds and pushing into her slowly until he opens up just enough for him to hear her moan loudly.

—Are you okay, honey? —he murmurs, caressing her legs. She nods her face against the quilt, but John lifts her against his back. He takes off his shirt — you're so beautiful Leah — he moves his hips back and forth, his body panting, his chest purring for her — always so tight…

—Oh John…

The beats of his heart match, equalize as he kisses her neck and pushes against her in sensual movements.

—Mmmm—he moans loud and hoarse as he bites her ear and neck, leaving slight marks on her white skin. Her body moving against him in a constant rhythm.

John Price takes his time taking her, feeling her breasts in his hands as he grinds her against him, but feeling this animal instinct when he pushes her down, lifting her ass as her dress sways in front of him.

He rolls the fabric between his fingers and tugs at it as he pushes against her hips, moaning and softly exclaiming almost obscene words that mix with Leah's moans. He pulls away to turn her around, he needs to see her pretty face while he fucks her and grabs her, her hips and kisses her, sweat runs down his body and Leah's gestures make him lose his sanity. She drags her nails down John's back making his skin ripple and he groans.

They are a mass of sweat and skin and the dress is lying somewhere in the room as they move against each other.

Several minutes later John is spread out on the bed with one arm across his chest. Eyes glued to the ceiling, open as he tries to find his own breath. Leah is with her head on his chest, making movements with her fingers on John's chest.

"Happy birthday," he says barely in a whisper. His voice exhausted but still full of humor. The girl laughs and hugs him tighter.

Their eyelids become heavy and little by little they both fall completely asleep. The room is dark, the light from the street spotlights far beyond is all illuminated through the dark windows.

It starts to snow… and their breaths meet in the room, arms wrapped around warm bodies clinging to each other, like two pieces of a puzzle.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Flying High…On The Bars🤸🏽‍♂️ | Top Gun Maverick Imagine (Bob Floyd) Part 1

Takes place after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

PART 2 HERE

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x Olympic gymnast!reader (romantic), Dagger squad x reader (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, mentions of sporting injuries, slight profanity, recounts details of 2012, 2016, & 2020 Olympic Games. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 9.4k—I decided to split this into 2 parts because it was almost at 20k words.

Premise: When one sets their eyes on the Olympic dream, it becomes their life. When one falls in love with a person committed to achieving that dream, it becomes theirs as well. One year after a global pandemic shut down the world and two years after the high-risk uranium mission of the Top Gun special detachment, the dagger squad gather in Bob’s home base of Lemoore, California to witness the love of his life compete for a final shot at All-Around gold in the worlds greatest gymnastics competition. Prepping for her final Olympic Games, gold medalist Y/n L/n thinks back on her decade long career, and the moment she met the man of her dreams.

Note: Y’all I am loving these sport imagines for TGM I’ve been doing. I think imma do a soccer or tennis next 👀 now disclaimer this imagine does recount details that took place in the Olympics mentioned, but there were changes to the narrative to fit the story. Basically you’re imagining it was you on the teams instead, so don’t come at me saying, ‘that didn’t happen.’ I kept the outcomes for certain scenarios the same, but then changed others to fit Y/n’s place. Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Also like my ��For The Gold’ imagine, I’m going off the basis that the events of TGM took place in 2019, not 2022.

I also wanna disclaim that I am very aware of scandal that took place with USA gymnastics. I have decided to not mention it in this miniseries for the sake of not triggering anyone and because I do not want to spread misinformation in case I were to miss things. Of course we know it happened, and it just makes me angry and disgusted to even think about that doctor and I do not want to trigger anyone at all. I do mention Nadia Comaneci in this (she was my idol when I did gymnastics) but do know I do not mention her coaches who were involved in the scandal. I loved Nadia, not her coaches and I’m just as disgusted with them as I am with that doctor. My heart is with all the gymnasts who were affected.

—————————-

“It’s 6:30 am Eastern time back home in the US, however it is 8:30 pm here in Tokyo on Thursday, July 29th, as we get set up to watch the final of the Women’s All-Around in artistic gymnastics. The men competed last night, and it was an unfortunate loss for both Americans after failing to medal in the Team. It was silver for the women’s two nights ago in the team final, losing to the ROC by about four points in the overall score—the first time the American’s have lost the gold in the Team since reclaiming the title after The Magnificent Seven in 1996.”

“It was a shocker to many people, John. Team USA have dominated the international level of gymnastics for over a decade now. They have been the Olympic champions in the Women’s All-Around since Carly Patterson won the title in Athens, they were the two-time gold medalists in the Team and have had someone on the podium in almost every event for the past few Games—Simone Biles dominated Rio four years ago. They were the favorite to win on the team final, but fell short and I know it must’ve been a sad loss for Y/n L/n on Tuesday after being part of both the London and Rio winning teams.” The tv screen was split with the coverage showing the commentators and footage from the 2012 London Olympics. It focused on the gymnast standing on the podium with her teammates, gold medals around their necks and waving to the crowd.

“I agree, Andrea. You know she is the first American gymnast since Dominique Dawes to make it on the team for three consecutive Olympics. After last night she became the second American, after Dawes, to medal in three consecutive Olympics—silver medal in the team final. She’s the veteran, having been in the elite stage since 2011 where she won her first World title on the bars. In London she walked away with three gold medals, the team, the uneven bars, and the balance beam. It was history for the USA gymnastics that Olympics with Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American to win the All-Around and Y/n L/n as the first American to win gold on the bars in its individual final. L/n then repeated her victories in Rio—making Olympic history for Team USA again with back-to-back gold in the team, bars, and beam.”

“You know it was a big surprise when she appeared at the trials in June. After winning her seventh World’s title on bars in 2019 Y/n was hoping to get the gold on beam after reclaiming it in 2018, but a bad fall on the apparatus tore her ACL. It would have put her out of the trials had it taken place in 2020, but Covid canceled the entire 2020 season and the Olympics were postponed a whole year. Y/n didn’t say anything about coming back to the sport after recovering until after the VISA championships when it was revealed she petitioned for a spot in the trials. Both Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, who were her teammates the last two Games have since retired. I really thought it would be the same for Y/n L/n, but she surprised everyone.”

“She already, Allen, has made history in her own way by becoming the first American to win the gold back-to-back on two individual events—her signature event the uneven bars that she’s got multiple world titles to as you mentioned, and the balance beam. Many predicted Simone, the favorite to win on beam, would come out on top since it’s one of her strong factors, but an unfortunate mistake cost her the gold. Then in bars Y/n unveiled a massive dismount, becoming her fifth eponymous skill rated a J-Value. The gold medal was already hers at that point. ”

Now the split screen had a reply of the stunning routine on the uneven bars. The second her feet hit the floor and her arms raised over her head, the then two-time Olympian already knew she had secured the gold.

“That was an amazing moment to witness. The entire stadium was holding their breath. Y/n had already established herself as one of the best gymnasts on the uneven bars since her debut on the national team in 2010. Her routine in London was flawless, both in the team and event finals. After the Trials her teammates selected her as the captain of this squad and has really shown true leadership in these Games—we’ve seen it during qualifications and the team finals, comforting the team when the results came in. Her and Simone shared a moment together after the vault when Simone decided to pull out for the remainder of the competition. The veteran gymnast making a statement on Twitter in defense of Simone when she was receiving criticisms for her decision. Y/n’s definitely taken the role of big sister—the oldest at aged 25– and I know the girls are likely having some difficulty without family and friends to support with the regulations set for these Games. There’s no spectators in this arena save for the media and volunteers. Each nation was only allowed to bring one coach if I’m not mistaken so all the gymnasts are having to adjust. Definitely a different feel these Games no doubt—especially for Y/n who has got to experience the energy one sees in an Olympics with a full house. She’s the fan favorite for this All-Around in Tokyo and it’s going to be interesting to see if Y/n can deliver on Sunday as well and pull a three-peat on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA.”

“It’s definitely going to be an interesting Games no doubt now that it’s been confirmed Simone Biles will not be competing in the All-Around final citing concerns with her mental health. After pulling out of the Team finals it was unknown if she would continue in the All-Around and event finals. She and Y/n were the top two Americans to qualify—the first time for Y/n in her now third Olympics after having not been selected to compete for it in the preliminaries in London and lost to teammate Aly Raisman in Rio. Sunisa Lee has replaced Simone in this final and now the two Americans will go head to head for the title of Olympic Champion.” More replays showed of not only past Olympics but also the preliminaries from Saturday showcasing the contenders for the All-Around; Suni Lee in her Olympic debut and the now three-time Olympic gymnast Y/n L/n.

Thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean where the sun is not even out as it reaches 3:30 in the morning, members of the 2019 Top Gun special detachment, Navy servicemen & women, and residents of Lemoore, California gathered in the gym of Taylor’s Elite Gymnastics Y/n spent 20 years training in.

“You excited, Bobby Boy?” Jake clapped his friends back, shaking his shoulders lightly in a playful manner. “Ready to cheer on the missus?”

Bob scoffs, but blushes nonetheless, “of course I am, Bagman. This is everything she’s trained for. If I could be there I would be the loudest in the stands” Jake makes a sound, muttering, ‘simp,’ causing Bob to brush him off. Phoenix comes over two cups of coffee, handing one over to her backseater.

“Leave him alone, Seresin,” she scolds, “if that was your wife you’d be doing the same thing.” Jake falls silent making Payback chuckle from his spot on the beanbag in front of the four, “he’s not saying anything ‘cause he knows it’s true.”

Fanboy pitches in, munching on some mini donuts, “he’s probably just still salty Y/n wouldn’t hook him up with one of her old teammates. Or that one swimmer he used to gush about.” From the side Rooster explodes in a loud laugh, causing Jake to glare at him. Coyote has to bite back a grin, not wanting to show amusement at his best friend's bad luck.

The pilot wipes a fake tear, still giggling, “Sorry, that was just really funny.” While the others began to tease Jake, Bob focused on the screen. Softness in his eyes as he watched the NBC live coverage, showing footage of Y/n warming up while in the corner of the screen had replays of her 2016 Games in Rio. His heart was hurting he couldn’t be in the stands due to Covid, but regardless Bob was over the moon with love and happiness for his wife.

Since the age of 5 the gym was her second home after her mother put her in a mommy & me gymnastics class. Bouncing on the trampoline was really what made the child fall in love. She could be there all day if they’d let her. Then after a few more classes that were meant for just some bonding time between mother and daughter, Y/n begged to be placed in the regular lessons after seeing the older girls swinging on the bars and balancing on the beam.

It was the start of a career that would span over a decade when Y/n began competing, claiming multiple national titles, world championships, and three Olympic Games.

In 2004 Y/n sat glued to the TV watching Team USA compete in the Athens Olympic Games. Carly Patterson was crowned Olympic Champion of the All-Around and Y/n knew at that moment she wanted to become an Olympian.

Her parents were hesitant, especially after talking to other parents during Y/n’s lessons, to pull her from school and dedicate all her time to training. There was also the topic of moving to find a coach. Many gymnasts they read up on had traveled to different gyms and had lifelong coaches. For Y/n, her family wanted to stay in Lemoore. Her father had done time in the Navy and was stationed there when he met Y/n’s mother. They fell in love and her father decided to end his contract with the Navy to be with her mother. Not long after he ended up getting a good civilian job on base with Y/n being born in 1996.

What made her parents decide to go through with full-time training were the owners of the gym. Mike and Mary Taylor. Husband and wife who together ran and coached the gymnasts. It was a fairly new gym—having only opened in 2000 so they never had one of their students go to the international level. “There is a fire in her, we both see it. She’s got the dedication, the spirit, and we would love to be the ones to help her achieve the dream of the Olympics. And we would do everything in our souls to make it happen. When we look at her, we see a future Olympic champion.”

So the deal was set. Y/n would become homeschooled and spend nearly 10 hours in the gym everyday. After waking up she would have breakfast with a smoothie before starting one of two 5-hour practices. Mornings were dedicated to bars and beam with Mike and afternoons with Mary on floor and vault. Lunch would be in between and then after dinner Y/n would condition with a personal trainer. Within a couple years she had worked up to level 5 and began competing in meets.

It was learned very quickly that Y/n had a talent for the uneven bars. She was strong on the beam and good on floor and vault, but bars is where she shined. An All-Around gymnast, Y/n put more focus in perfecting her bar routine than anything else. It was where she felt like she had a better chance at becoming an Olympic champion. Flying high in the air on releases brought joy and hitting a perfect handstand made Y/n feel like she was on top of the world.

Nadia Comaneci of Romania, the first gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect 10 in competition, was her idol and who Y/n strived to be like. She was the definition of perfection. Every moment of free time Y/n was watching reruns of the 1976 Games in Montreal where Nadia claimed the All-Around, Uneven Bars, and Balance Beam gold. Sometimes Y/n wished she could attempt to do the flawless routine, but the uneven bars were placed differently than they were in the 70s.

There was also the American Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win the All-Around at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Y/n admired many gymnasts from the former USSR in the 60s & 70s & 90s including Olga Korbut, Ludmilla Tourischeva, Nellie Kim, Larisa Latynina. Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina, Belarus’s Svetlana Boginskaya, and Vera Caslavska of the former Czechoslovakia were amongst Y/n’s idols in the sport.

And of course, the 1996 Magnificent Seven: Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, and Kerri Strug. The team of women Y/n cited as her biggest inspirations. Y/n was born the year they won the US their first gold in the Women’s Team All-Around on home turf in Atlanta. Chills always appeared when watching replays of Kerri Strug landing the vault on practically one foot to secure the gold against Russia.

In 2010 at age 14 Y/n made her debut on the junior national team. She appeared in several championships, claiming titles to the uneven bars and balance beam. She never listened to commentators when watching replays of meets to see what she needed to improve, but there was always a heaviness to her heart when they would say she was unlikely to be an All-Around contender. “We’ve seen her these last competitions and there’s no doubt she will be a threat to other gymnasts when it comes to the uneven bars—her routine even here on the junior level is insane—and possibly balance beam, but there is a lot to be done for Y/n on the floor. She’s powerful on vault—as we saw in her Yurchenko 1 ½ twist, but fails to stick the landing and is always taking a large step with big deductions. She needs to control that power so she’s not catapulting forward on the landing.”

Her family and coaches reminded her to not listen to commentators or opinions of the media. It was hard first coming into the national stage, but by the 2012 U.S Olympic Team Trials Y/n was a pro at handling the them. She was 16, the reigning World Champion on the uneven bars, and looking to earn her place on the London team. The trials lasted two days with Y/n qualifying after finishing in the top 8 of the VISA Championships. 15 total girls including the Beijing All-Around Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin and member of the 2008 silver winning team Alicia Sacramone, all competed for one of the five spots on the team.

Like all the gymnasts in attendance, Y/n competed on every apparatus but it was her bars and beam routines that secured her spot for London. After a small mistake on the floor Y/n feared it would be the make or break in deciding if she would make the team since she did not rank in the top two places by the end of the trials. Her vaults were good form wise, though she needed to really work on sticking the landing better. When her name was called out in the back room Y/n burst into tears. Her coaches pulled into an embrace, crying with her, before she and the other four girls were hauled to the floor. The crowd of spectators were on their feet. Cheers from every corner.

Vision blurry, Y/n turned her gaze to the section her parents were seated in. When she found them the tears fell more rapidly at the sight of her father practically jumping up and down whistling while her mother was in her own emotional state. They blew kisses to her, Y/n returning them before waving to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, your women’s 2012 London Olympic team!!!”

London was a dream come true.

The moment Y/n stepped into the arena she had to hold back her tears, pitching herself as though to say, ‘is this really happening?’ The smell of the chalk brought comfort. Y/n was itching to get on the bars and show the world what she was made of. Her teammates were some of the best gymnasts to exist with several World titles to their name. The pressure was on for these young women. The media and fans back home were hoping they would be the first team since the Magnificent Seven to win the gold in the team final. It was their goal, but they had tough competition against Russia and China.

The qualifications were intense, but the team as a whole managed to get the top rank to guarantee a spot in the final. After discussions with the appointed team coach, Y/n only competed on the bars and beam. Uneven bars was her strongest apparatus where she would no doubt deliver. The beam was her second strongest, with a difficult routine that when executed would bring a high score. It saddened the gymnast she would not get the chance at All-Around gold, but Y/n pushed her emotions aside to focus on the big picture. Rio was four years away, she could easily try for a spot on that team. For now, she needed to focus on getting the gold in her events.

Qualifying in the top spot on bars and beam, the next step was the Team final.

And it was one to remember.

The team kicked off on the vault where Gabby, Jordyn, and Aly gave a beautiful start to the competition. Russia was next before the second rotation: bars. Y/n was the last of the three Americans to perform after Russia went first. She kept her back to the bars when the Russian athletes were up, the golden rule of gymnastics that was learned very early on: never watch your competitors or pay attention to the standings. Very often will it jinx the performance of the gymnast who does. And Y/n was not about to let that happen.

When Kyla and Gabby were on, Y/n clapped and cheered them on alongside Aly and Jordyn. “C’mon Gabby, you got this!” Yes! Beautiful—one more big one!” “Stick it, Kyla—stick it! YEAH!!”

Then she was up.

A quick pep talk from Mike and Y/n stepped onto the platform and waited for the green light. When it appeared, she saluted the judge and faced the bars, taking a deep breath before running to punch her feet on the springboard, hitting her hands onto the low bar in a straddle position before catching the high bar. The entire routine Y/n didn’t think, she just let muscle memory take her away. Cheers from her teammates and the crowd fueled her. Release after release, handstand after handstand, kip up to the high bar from the low bar. The routine felt like forever but in reality it was only less than two minutes.

“Beautiful start off the springboard and onto the high bar—from here are a series of handstands which have become a staple in Y/n’s routines since the junior U.S Championships in 2010. Here we go on the first….hit it right on the mark, now the second…oh gorgeous form—legs are squeezed together. She will hit two more before going straight into a big release. Here it comes-over the high bar—-wow look at the height! Then straight to the low bar and back to the high into another big release. Unstoppable, this routine is jam packed with difficulty. Y/n has shown little mistakes since unveiling this routine at the beginning of the season—despite one error during the American Cup where she missed a handstand that resulted in shaky release. One more big transition from high bar to low bar and back again before falling straight into a release. Wow, that was amazing! Now she’s gearing up for the dismount—very difficult here—she’ll be doing a double twisting double layout, the same Shawn Johnson did in 2008 rated a G-Value skill. Here we go, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—and she sticks it!! Unbelievable! The crowd loved that and so did her teammates, they’re jumping for joy down below.”

Y/n finally breathes as the crowd goes wild around her. Briefly closing her eyes, she exhales before facing the judges to salute. A wide grin on her lips, Y/n claps her chalky hands covered by the grips and runs to the stairs to be embraced by her coach. Her teammates surround her, hugs and high-fives all around. “That was amazing!” “You were perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

“This is why Y/n was picked for these Games—it is that routine that secured her spot on team USA. It’s untouchable. She is the World Champion in this event, completely dominating the junior level—no one else could touch Y/n on the bars. She’s looking to become the first American to win the uneven bars on Sunday night for event finals and she is exceptional. Those handstands are perfection, the form is impeccable and the landing was perfectly executed—she would get a ten if it were the old system. Now we’re just waiting for the score, which is going to be big. Her start value is 7.1, huge for an uneven bars routine but it’s those transitions combined with the releases and of course that G dismount that really make this routine such high valued—not to mention the series of handstands at the beginning. I believe she has the highest start value in this event these Olympics—no doubt the fan favorite for Sunday night.”

Y/n downs a bottle of water, ignoring the snaps of the cameras from the press directly in front of her. She waves to a few people in the audience, a little girl shrieks when they see the gymnast noticed them. Quickly Y/n packed her bag because they were about to make the rotation to beam. They were just waiting on her score.

“For those of you at home watching for the first time who are confused on how the scoring works, the gymnasts routines used to be scored out of a 10–that’s how it was for the Magnificent Seven and Carly Patterson. But after the 2004 Olympics the Code of Points changed and now they are given a difficulty and execution score. The difficulty is set in stone by the routine, so in Y/n’s case her start value is 7.1–that is the difficulty of her routine based on all the elements put together. The execution score is out of 10–similar to the old system where the judges deduct when they catch errors, imperfect form, or the gymnast falls. After the execution score is decided it is added to the start value, and that is the score the gymnast receives. The highest score Y/n can receive is a 17.100 if she were to receive a perfect execution score of 10. On the screen now is the deduction zone and green is what these athletes want—they want little deductions as possible. Yellow is basically the caution area and red is the danger zone where the gymnast made a really bad mistake—possibly a fall off the apparatus or had too many visible errors.”

“You know, Y/n does her best to not leave room for deductions but there’s always something the judges will catch. Scoreboard is coming around and it looks….it’s a 16.541 for Y/n L/n! Holy moly that is a massive score for the Americans—it’s put them well ahead over Russia going into rotation three. She scored higher than in the qualifications which was a 16.3! I know she’s happy now—we can see her smiling from this angle as the Americans get ready to move to the balance beam. Y/n will compete on the beam along with Kyla Ross and Aly Raisman before sitting out of the floor.”

Warming up on the beam, Y/n did her spins, a couple jumps, her Arabian, and dismount. She was set to go second, giving a slight break after coming off of the high from bars since the US was set to go first in the rotation. Then in the final rotation on floor they would compete after Russia. Y/n was confident in her beam routing, having perfected it for over a year. It had lower difficulty than her bar routine but was still highly valued at 6.4. The highest Y/n had received on it was a 15.628 at the trials, usually ranging between 15.100 and 15.533 in other competitions. In the qualification round Y/n got a 15.478 and secured her place in the individual event final.

“Welcome back to our coverage of the women’s artistic all-around team final in London. We’re onto rotation three of four and it’s the balance beam for Team USA. All three Russians have competed with great performances and very little deductions. The margin between Russian and the US looks like it may be neck and neck going into the floor. Up first for the Americans is Kyla Ross—she and Y/n L/n will finish their team finals on this event. They both were chosen to compete on just the bars and beams—Jordyn Wieber will join Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman on floor after sitting out for two rotations following the vault. Up first for team USA, Kyla Ross.”

“Let’s go, Kyla!!” Y/n clapped her hands around her mouth. “You got this girl!” When the gymnast finished Y/n was immediately hauled up the stairs, high-fiving her teammate before waiting for the green light on the far right end of the beam. Once Kyla’s score was finalized and on the board, the green appeared and Y/n saluted the judge. The springboard was placed beside the middle of the apparatus, and Y/n once again took a deep breath.

“Y/n’s got the green light from the judge, and is now setting up for her mount. This is quite the skill she is about to do—Dominique Moceanu of the 1996 team performed this mount on the beam in Atlanta. Here she goes….beautiful. It’s a tricky mount but when executed right it can be stunning. Now onto this interesting spin that many gymnasts have started to use in their routines, it’s called a ‘wolf spin.’ She’ll do three full turns right here before setting up for her first big combo—Arabian into a pike jump then right to a back handspring—a little shaky right there on the landing. There will be a slight deduction for not having her chest up in time. Gorgeous spins as she walks to the opposite beam. Here is her tumbling pass, back handspring to a layout—repeating it—and she’s got it! A spin to jump combination and straight into a back tuck. Y/n has made it a habit in her beam routines to display her strength. From this handstand she will turn and split her legs down the middle before holding it at an angle so she’s not level with the apparatus. Very hard to do that could easily end in disaster, but she makes it look effortless. The crowd loves it too. Now all there’s left is the dismount—the time buzzer has sounded. An F-valued skill she’s gonna do a stretched back salto with a triple twist. And she sticks the landing once again!! Beautiful end on the beam for Y/n L/n! That is gonna be a good score I feel.”

“Great job, that was awesome!” “Well done, Yn.” “You did amazing!” Her teammates swarmed her again, followed by her coach who pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead, “well done, well done, my little powerhouse.” Catching her breath, Y/n wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Together they looked out to the audience to try and find his wife, her other coach, and Y/n’s parents. When they found them they were on their feet clapping, waving frantically at the two. Then the score came in and Y/n visibly saw them get more excited. Rotation 3: BB—Y/n L/N (USA) 15.840

“Wow, a huge score for Y/n L/n of Team USA—15.840! That is the highest score she’s ever received now—her 15.6 at the Olympic Trials was the highest she had gotten on this routine and now it’s been replaced.”

“Well deserved too. This routine was the best she’s ever performed, John. There were those two slight errors where her chest was low on the landings, but her form is just outstanding.”

After cheering on Aly it was time for the last rotation. Y/n packed up her backpack before pulling on her Team USA sweats to cover her bear legs. Over by the floor Y/n was filled with nerves, but confidence for her teammates. After the beam there was a tight lead over Russia, but not by a large margin where anything could happen. It was gonna come down to what happens on the floor.

When the results came in and USA appeared on the #1 spot Y/n jumped for joy, interlaced hands with her teammates in the air. The entire arena was on their feet—especially those who came all the way from America to support. Y/n’s parents and coach were whistling and screaming, it was a truly golden moment for the 16-year-old from Lemmore, California. And for the girls sharing it with her.

They pulled off what they set out to do since being named at the trials. The Olympic Gold in the Women’s Team Final, making them the first team since the 1996 Magnificent Seven to win the title. It was an honor Y/n would carry for the rest of her life and got to share with her spectacular teammates. Standing on top of the podium, with a gold medal around her neck as the national anthem played, Y/n let the tears fall freely. Overwhelmed with emotion, her lips trembled as she mouthed the lyrics. The arena was quiet save for the melody, but when it ended it erupted in cheers. Together with her team Y/n raised the bouquet of flowers to the sea of spectators. Cameras flashed as they posed with the silver and bronze winning teams Russia and Romania.

Post interviews took place and Y/n was still unable to let go of the grin on their face when answering questions. “Y/n, congratulations on this amazing win. You and the team have won the gold—America’s first Team gold since 1996. Can you put into words how you’re feeling right now?”

“Honestly I can’t—I-I’m just so overcome with emotion, it still feels unreal. I want to take this moment to thank my parents who are in the crowd, they have been my strongest support system during this journey and of course my amazing coaches that are with me in London. And of course Aly, Jordyn, Gabby, and Kyla. They were spectacular tonight—I’m so proud of this team, everyone gave it their all and pulled off the best routines we could to get here. After the first rotation the energy just kept bouncing off each of us—it was a great start that flowed into every rotation.”

“I have to bring up that bars routine, Y/n, everyone is talking about it. Absolutely phenomenal. That was the best we’ve seen you do in the event—scoring higher than you did in qualifications. You’re the reigning World champion and the favorite for Sunday night’s event finals. Do you think you’ll do better than you did tonight ?”

Y/n bit her lip, offering a shrug to the reporter, “The thing about this sport is you never know if you’re gonna hit the routine each meet. The goal is to every time but you just have to go in there and give it your best. And that’s what I plan to do Sunday. My coach and I are going to work on where improvements are needed, and I hope to deliver the same way I did tonight.”

The volunteer signaled for the reporter to hurry it up. “Well we’ll be cheering you on both Sunday and Tuesday night as well for the beam finals. Congratulations again on behalf of everyone watching at home. You and the team did amazing and we hope you all have fun celebrating tonight. We’ll see you back here Sunday for the uneven bars.”

Y/n shook the reporter's hand with a grin, “Thank you so much! Have a great night,” blowing a kiss to the camera, Y/n waved to the fans shouting out to her and moved to follow the team out of the arena. The next time she was in the dome was to cheer on Aly and Gabby from the stands during the All-Around final. Kyla and Jordyn were with her, as were the coaches and parents. A wave of red, white, and blue was around them, supporters of Team USA which competed for the loudest section against others when it came to cheering on the Americans. Y/n was on her feet each time Aly or Gabby finished a routine, “Way to go, Gabby!!” “I see you, Aly, let’s go!!”

By the end of the competition Y/n was frantic with joy. Gabby’s name was at the top spot making her the All-Around Olympic champion. The entire arena was on their feet in an explosion of cheers. Unfortunately Aly missed out on the bronze, landing fourth place. Y/n shed tears for both Gabby and Aly, filled with joy for the former at winning the gold, but heartbroken for the latter.

The rest of the week flew by in a blur until it was Sunday night and Y/n was back on the mat for the women’s uneven bars final. She along with seven others would compete for the honor of Olympic champion. The last to compete, the athlete kept her back to the bars and mentally prepared—doing some handstands to pass time. When her coach came up saying it was time, Y/n shook the nerves off and blocked out the crowd.

This was the moment of her life.

“Representing the United States of America,” the crowd cheered, “Y/n L/n!” Taking her place on the mat, Y/n saluted the judges at the green light before licking the tips of her thumbs and clapping once—a ritual since she started competing. With a nod to her coach, who was set up to move the springboard upon her punch onto the bar, Y/n sprinted up and started the routine.

All throughout the routine Y/n thought of her idol Nadia, striving to have the perfect form she did when she took the gold 34 years prior in Montreal. She let her body do the work, letting it carry Y/n through the air upon releases and putting it in the right position with each move. Before long it was time to dismount. The arena was on edge, waiting for the show-stopping move that Y/n had stuck in the team final. With a deep inhale, the gymnast released her hands and twisted before opening her arms at the nick of time.

When her feet hit the mat, arms out and upright, Y/n had to hold back the tears for she knew she just pulled off the best bars routine of her life.

The audience knew it too, they were in an uproar. It continued even after Y/n saluted the judge and walked off the stairs. Her coach practically hauled her off the last step, embracing her while she cried. Of course it was bad luck to celebrate when the score hasn't come in yet, but Y/n had the highest start value of all the finalists and there was no doubt she just overtook the #1 spot. “I’m truly speechless folks, that was without question the best routine of the night. Y/n L/n promised to deliver and she did—from start to finish the routine was non-stop. Hit after hit—that landing will go down in history books. Y/n knows it too, she’s already celebrating it looks like with her coach, Mike Taylor, who’s been with her since she began her gymnastics career. The crowd is celebrating too—I can see her teammates on their feet. We’re just waiting on the score and it should be coming in at any second—-16.825! THAT’S THE GOLD MEDAL FOR Y/N L/N OF THE UNITED STATES!!! She’s the new Olympic champion on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA!!!”

Being on top of the podium felt like cloud 9. Y/n couldn't believe that after years of hard work and dedication she was the Olympic gold medalist in their favorite event. It meant more to her than when she won the World title the year before. All she pictured when the national anthem played was her at nine years old, sitting in front of the tv to watch the Athens Games. That little girl was now an Olympic champion. The best in the world on the uneven bars.

A dream that came true.

Speaking of another dream, Y/n felt all the wind leave her body when after the podium ceremony she was called over by the team’s head coach….and next to her was Nadia Comaneci. Beaming at the gymnast when they locked eyes. If the cameras were not on them her knees would’ve buckled right there. There was no stopping the tears at that point. Her idol was congratulating her, hugging her, completing her routine….it was the best moment of Y/n’s life. More so than actually winning the damn gold medal.

When Y/n repeated the glory on the beam two nights later with a 15.866, there weren't as many tears but the emotion was all the same. It had been the final night of completion for gymnastics with Aly Raisman securing the gold on the floor exercise. Team USA on top of the podium in 5 of 6 events. Y/n was over the moon.

But one question remained.

“Hello again, Y/n, wow has it been a run for you in your Olympic debut. Along with Aly Raisman you’re the most decorated American to come out of this competition. Three gold medals. The Olympic champion on the uneven bars and balance beam as well as the #1 team in the world. Unbelievable, you’ve been amazing to watch this week and everyone at home must be over the moon for you.”

“I really am—It’s so unreal to think that this time last year I was making my debut with the senior national team. I’m so filled with gratitude, my parents and coaches—this wouldn’t have been possible without them. To be called a three-time gold medalist is the biggest honor in the world and to share one of them with my team is….I’ll never be more proud than I am of them. They’ve done amazing at these Olympics—Gabby winning the All-Around, Aly with the floor and the bronze on beam. I’m just so overcome with happiness for not just myself but for them as well.”

“I gotta ask because it’s been buzzing after your win on the bars, but are you looking for a shot at the Rio team in 2016? You’re now the Olympic champion in two events—are you hoping to defend it in four years? Not to mention hopefully get the chance at competing in the All-Around since you weren't selected in the qualifications?”

This was the question that had Y/n up nearly all night thinking about. It was unspoken between her and her coaches, having wanted to focus on the current competition than set sights on the future. Now that the Olympics were technically over for her, Y/n was ready to get back in the gym for another chance at glory.

This time, her goal was the All-Around title.

“I pretty much knew regardless of the outcome of this competition that I would train for Rio. Now the motivation is tenfold really and I do hope I get the chance at the All-Around if I do make the team. For now I’m gonna celebrate with my family, coaches, and my team before getting back in the gym for next year’s Worlds.”

The 2013 to 2015 World Championships were some of the best years in Y/n’s career. Not only did she take the silver in the 2014 & 2015 All-Around next to gold medalist Simone Biles, but claimed the 2013 gold on the balance beam followed by silver in 2014 & 2015, shocked the globe by becoming the 2015 World Champion on vault, and went three for three gold on the uneven bars. By the time the 2016 Olympic trials came around, Y/n was the second ranked gymnast in the world.

The Olympic Rings were tattooed on her forearm, a reminder that she accomplished her childhood dream. Making the team for the second time that summer was beyond what Y/n could put into words. And she would not be the only returning olympian to the US team, Gabby and Aly were coming with her.

There was a lot of talk of what Y/n would bring to the Rio Games. Not only was she the defending champion on bars and beam—hoping to bring a first for the US by repeating her success in London, but she was aiming for a spot in the All-Around competition. Commentators couldn’t get enough of the impending qualifications. Simone was the top contender—the #1 gymnast in the world—and would no doubt qualify, which only left one spot. One spot that three gymnasts wanted.

Gabby, looking to defend her All-Around title.

Aly, to claim the medal she missed when placing fourth in London.

And Y/n, the reigning two-time World silver medalist.

All three members of the gold winning team in London. All three individual Olympic champions.

It would be a heated competition between athletes and friends.

When the trials concluded Y/n had a lot to think about. A lot to mentally prepare for. In the Olympics anything can happen. She witnessed that in London when Jordyn, the reigning World champion, did not qualify for the All-Around. Romania claiming the bronze in the team final over China. Then Y/n beat the leading contender for the gold on beam. Nothing was guaranteed.

As Y/n packed up her bag following interviews after the 2016 team was announced, she headed to leave for the parking lot to meet with her parents and coaches. Phone in hand, Y/n sent a message to her parents when they asked if she wanted to go out to eat to celebrate. As she came around the corner, having waited until most of the spectators had already left, the gymnast gasped when something crashed into her legs causing the phone to drop from her hands, “Oh!”

“Daisy!” A male voice shouted against the sound of feet approaching. “I told you to watch before turning—I’m so sorry ma’am. I—.” His voice stopped suddenly when Y/n lifted her head to connect with a stunning pair of blue eyes. They belonged to a young man with a baby face, roughly around her age but possibly older by a few years, who had blonde hair—stood at about 6 ft and wore a pair of glasses. “O-oh God, you’re Y/n L/n. I-I’m so sorry about my sister—she wasn’t looking.”

The little girl in question—who looked to be about 11 years old— was now in front of Y/n, mouth agape as she stood starstruck. In one hand was a handheld American flag with the event program in the other and she had team USA painted on her cheek. She looked very similar to the man behind her as she had matching hair and eyes. Daisy, as her name was shouted by her brother, looked like she could cry. “I’m so sorry, Miss. Y/n.”

“Oh it’s alright,” the woman softly smiled. Daisy had the same look of awe and emotion Y/n had when she met Nadia Comaneci in 2012 after winning the uneven bars. “Really, it’s okay. I should’ve watched where I was going.” She bent down to grab her phone, silently thankful it didn’t crack any more than it already was. The guy, however, saw the cracks and went pale.

“I’m so so sorry. O-oh gosh, I’ll pay the full amount to replace it—.” Y/n immediately cut him off.

“No, no, no, it was already like that,” Y/n lightly laughed, a little embarrassed to reveal the truth, “I promise you, I just haven’t had the time to get a new one. But it wasn’t her fault I can assure you. It was actually the locker room floor that’s responsible.” Daisy looked embarrassed and guilty at the thought she broke the Olympian’s phone, but upon Y/n’s words she visibly relaxed.

Her brother on the other hand still wasn’t sure. Internally he was freaking out. The now two-time olympian and gold medalist was right in front of him. And she was so beautiful in person it was making his brain scatter…..And his sister knocked her phone from her hands. “Are you sure? I can really write you a check right now Ms. L/n.” The woman waved a hand with a shake of the head, “You have my word. You don’t me anything, Mr…��” she waited for him to say his name. A light tint of red appeared on his cheeks, “U-uh Robert, but you can call me Bob, everyone does.”

Y/n extended her hand, making Bob blush more when he went to shake it and a spark ignited causing them both to flinch. “Sorry!”

Y/n only laughed, finding him adorable, “It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you, Bob, and please call my Y/n. And it’s nice to meet you too, Miss. Daisy.” The little girl smiled wide, in a state of visible joy that she was in the presence of her idol.

“You were amazing today, Y/n,” Daisy complimented, making the woman smile.

“Thank you. Did you have fun watching the competition?”

Daisy nodded, “I had a lot of fun. My favorite was you on bars—I had my brother get seats near them so we could watch you.” Y/n couldn’t help but feel warmth in her body. Anytime she had fan interactions it reminded her how she fell in love with gymnastics. Watching the Games and competitions on tv, attending them in person to watch athletes she admired growing up. One could never get used to it. Y/n could see herself in Daisy, for she had begged her parents to always get seats by the bars when they went to watch the 2008 Team trials.

“You’re her favorite gymnast,” Bob casually said with a smile. Y/n thought at that moment, ‘wow he’s got a beautiful smile.’ Her heart picked up at the realization she was attracted to the man. There was just something about him that had her wanting to stay and talk with him.

Y/n smiled at the compliment, turning to Daisy, “I’m extremely honored to have that title, Miss. Daisy. Thank you so much for your support and coming out today. I’m happy I did not let you down,” Y/n then asked, “Are you a gymnast too?”

“Yup!” She said proudly, “I’m level five. I watched you win in London and wanted to be like you,” Y/n placed a hand on her chest, an ‘awe’ escaping her mouth as she tried to hold back the emotion. This little girl was about to capture her heart.

Her brother surly was about to.

Bob nodded his head to his sister, “Her birthday was recent and this is what she asked for. To come watch the trials—to hopefully see you make the team. C-congratulations by the way! You were incredible out there.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said to him, “It’s a privilege to get to compete for a second time. Thank you both for coming out and supporting,” she turns back to Daisy, “And happy belated birthday!”

“Thank you!” She beamed, before hesitating to hold out her hand with the program. “Could—could you please sign this?” Y/n quickly pocketed her phone, removing a sharpie from her bag, “of course. Anything for the birthday girl.” Taking the program, Y/n flipped to the page with her picture and information, scribbling a message saying, ‘Daisy, Shoot for the stars and go for the gold. Thank you for all your support. All the love, Y/n,’ with a little heart at the end. Closing it, Y/n handed it over to her just as Bob was pulling out his own phone.

“Do you mind? I know you must be on your way.”

“Oh not at all,” she said, motioning for Daisy to come closer, who politely asked, “Can I give you a hug?”

“Oh course!” Y/n opened her arms and Daisy fell into her embrace. They faced Bob, smiling at the camera and he took several photos before nodding, “perfect.” Daisy then requested a selfie, and Y/n was all too happy to say yes. Bob handed Daisy the phone who then handed it to Y/n who went, “oh you want me to take it? I’m not the best selfie taker but for you I shall.” Y/n flipped to the front camera and took several photos with Daisy. One nice one of them smiling and a few goofy faces, ending with a kissy face.

Y/n handed the phone over to Bob, but Daisy stopped them, “now you two!” Bob flushed, looking at Y/n to see she was just as suprised. He was silently embarrassed to say he too would have liked a photo, but it was getting late, the gymnast was obviously tired, and they had an early drive back home the next morning. He was due back to report on base on Monday after taking the last Thursday and Friday to take his sister to the trials. “Oh Daiz, it’s getting late. We don’t wanna hold Y/n up—.”

“C’mon, Bob,” she whined, “this way you can brag to your Navy buddies you met an Olympian. And not just any Olympian, you met Y/n L/n!” The insinuation had Bob slightly glare at his sister, finding it to be rude to say such a thing in front of the person they were referring to. He didn’t want Y/n to think it was for clout.

“Daisy—.”

“I don’t mind,” Y/n offered with a kind smile, butterflies erupting in when they made eye contact. Despite the aviator’s fears, Y/n wasn’t offended. In fact she found it amusing, wanting to do it for him. She could tell Bob was still unsure so she said, “If we do a selfie then it’s best for you to take it.” Bob gave a nervous laugh, but nodded and moved closer to Y/n. He was taller than her so Bob held the phone up higher than usual and at an angle.

After the photo Daisy insisted on taking one of them despite her brothers protest. Y/n chuckled at the banter, before pulling Bob to her and placing a hand on his back. Blushing, he put his arm around her shoulder. Daisy didn’t say how many photos she had taken, but judging by her thumb rapidly hitting the screen it was safe to say it was a lot. Feeling bold, Y/n looked up to Bob, “You know if you let me, I’d be happy to help you with the ultimate bragging rights?”

The man’s eyebrows raised, “what did you have in mind.” He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or scared by the look on Y/n’s face.

“It requires you to crouch down,” upon his wide eyes she quickly added, “I’m not gonna kiss you, but I will kiss your cheek if you let me.”

“Oh,” Bob couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Y/n didn’t appear to be lying. “Oh—um.”

“If you’re not comfortable I totally understand.”

“No, no, no, i’m fine with that. It just threw me off for a second. But y-yeah, sure that’d be cool.” Y/n giggled, and motioned for him to bend to her level.

“Get that camera ready, Daisy.” The girl gave a thumbs up, and Y/n stood on her tippy toes while Bob hunched over so her lips were level with his cheek. She gently pressed a kiss to the skin, holding it there for a few seconds to make sure Daisy got the picture. Bob’s face was hot, obviously flustered by the contact but he managed to keep it together. Y/n was in the same boat, heart pumping at tad faster than usual. She pulled away, falling back onto her heels as Bob stood back straight.

“U-uh well thank you,” he laughed, adjusting the collar of his shirt with loopy grin. “That’s definitely the highlight of my year.”

Y/n giggled, stepping away and picking her backpack up. “Be sure to tag me if you post it,” her wink had Bob’s heart skip. His attraction to the Olympian was growing by the second, but Bob knew deep down nothing would come out of it. They were on two opposite spectrums. Y/n was a world class athlete about to compete on the worlds greatest sporting stage for the second time in just two months, while Bob was about to attend the prestigious Navy Fighter Weapon’s school. The thought of them possibly ever getting together, let alone a date, was a fantasy.

Bob snapped out of his thoughts, giving Y/n a nod, “I’ll make sure to.” He then looks to his sister briefly before back at Y/n. “Sorry for holding you up, but thank you so much for the photos and signing her program.”

“It’s a pleasure, really,” Y/n told him and Daisy when the girl thanked her after Bob, “Thank you both for coming out today again. I hope you have safe travels back home wherever you’re going. I’m so happy, Daisy, you had a wonderful time—good luck with your gymnastics. Maybe the roles will one day reverse, and I’ll be the one cheering you on from the stands,” It was evident Y/n’s words meant a lot to Daisy. The girl’s expression read a fire was beginning to ignite in her eyes. “ Oh and on that note…” Y/n removed one of the two armbands wrapped around each wrist. She’d had them since joining the Junior national team and wore them before and every meet. Almost like a good luck charm.

“This is for you, consider it my birthday gift to you. These armbands have served as a good luck charm for me, I’d like you to have one.” Daisy gasped, eyes wide as she took the band in her hand.

“But…if this is your good luck charm, shouldn’t you have it for the Olympics?”

Y/n raised her wrist with the matching band, “I still have this one to do the job.”

“What do you say, Daiz?” Bob said to his sister, who still appeared awestruck. He mouthed to the Olympian, ‘Thank you.’ Y/n gave a smile with a sly wink.

“Thank you,” Daisy finally breathed. “Thank you so so much. I’ll cherish it forever.” Y/n gave one last hug to Daisy before shaking Bob’s hand and waving goodbye to them as they went separate ways. “Good luck in Rio!” Daisy shouted after her, “Win the gold again for us!” Y/n gave the girl her word, feeling a slight sadness when she got to the parking lot where her parents were waiting for her.

“What took you so long, honey?”

“Oh I was talking with some supporters. They were really sweet and we just got carried away,” she explained before switching the conversation.

Though Y/n pushed aside her thoughts of the cute blue-eyed Bob as the days to Rio got closer, she sometimes thought of him and his sister. Y/n never wanted to let her supporters down. Some had been with her since her debut on the national team. Others were residents of her hometown, who’d known Y/n as a baby. Lots came after the London Games. Making the team for Rio was not just her dream, but the dream of the people who admired her. Wanting her to accomplish the impossible when it almost seems too good to be true. Letting them down would be something Y/n couldn’t forgive herself for. Y/n vowed to never let that happen.

And after the night of the trials, she felt that more than ever.

Read Part 2!

………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan

[sauntervaguelydown]

So the thing about watching the Naruto anime when you’re compromised 90% by over investment in Kakashi is that it both gives you so much MORE to dig into, and also makes everything so much more confusing

I’m not just talking about the math. I’m talking about the characterization. I’m talking about the arc. Kishimono’s manga skips over almost everything in his life between killing Rin and taking over as a teacher for the mains. I think the two panel reference to Guy haranguing him for challenges age 14 might be the only material. And that makes it way easier to combine what does exist on either side.

Bear with me here. You meet Kakashi and he’s basically a well adjusted dude as far as we ever see. He’s silly, sometimes, he fucks with people a little bit to amuse himself but always in ultimately benign ways. He reads porn in public. He goosed a student in his intro episode?? He hangs out with work friends in the lounge and talks shop. He’s risk averse in the field, his go-to jutsu swaps his body with objects and prevents him from taking any damage. Humble in a weird way. When things go off the rails on their Wave Country mission, he gets very intense, but he’s also practical and focused and emotionally controlled. We do see he’s got a lot of reserved grief, in the way he is revealed to spend a lot of time in graveyards.

Okay.

So then you go back to the Gaiden mini-arc, where he gets the sharingan eye. And you see he’s super serious, rules-focused, cold, not a team player. Harsh and a bit rude. Even arrogant.

Clear character arc happening here. Big lesson learned at high cost. Arrogant > humble; rules driven > flexible. Huge formative moment accomplished, story told.

Now he gets double whammied when he kills his own teammate less than a year later, which makes this complicated. And then the, uh, massive trauma event that is the Monster Fox attack in which he loses his last remaining father figure too. Yeesh can’t catch a break this guy.

The anime takes this event and grapples with it in a way the Manga just doesn’t. Flashbacks, nightmares, falling apart on the job. I really like this stuff. The weird thing is that in someways this is actually a pretty realistic depiction of compound PTSD, I think? The way he starts to be okay and then gets knocked down again, and doesn’t have a linear improvement arc. But what it fails to do is thread the needle.

I often find that the filler writers had surprisingly good character beats in mind, and then fumbled badly on lining them up in a way that is narratively satisfying.  in this case, they stretch out the cycle of dysfunctional grief for somewhere between 7 and 10 years. During this period he doesn’t have any fun, he doesn’t see his friends, he doesn’t seem to have a life outside of work. We’re told that he acts cold. Pushes away people who reach out. We’re told that it looks like he’s in a hurry to die. For maybe ten years?? Well. That’s long enough that you’d be building a personality from scratch once you got on the other side, but we don’t get to see any of that happening. Even during the 1 to 3 years between him leaving the black ops program that was destroying his soul and him entering canon fully formed, the only time we get to see him is when his friends are commenting that it is “like he never left ANBU at all”. there’s like a week between them saying this and him entering canon. He just shows up fully formed.

But it really starts to make you wonder: when did he start being silly again? When did he start having fun again? When did he start being able to do stupid things like play a prank on a student?  how long has he been able to hang out with his work friends in the lounge? 

did he really solve all this in such a short time? So well that when he goes on this mission with his kids, and everything goes sideways, and people that he cares about are put in danger, and he has to re-create the exact same move that killed his teammate, he’s totally cool and fine afterwards and stays on track for the whole fight? He’s just good? I mean granted, you can headcanon that he falls apart once he gets back home and there are no perspective characters to see it.  what that means is that I am basically doing work on behalf of the retcon, out of the goodness of my heart.

I think we could’ve made this work if we had just compacted it a little bit more. Maybe he’s in the black ops program for a chunk of his teenage years, gets out, and spends his twenties adjusting. No problem!

Or alternatively, if we had interspersed the periods of coldness with periods of warmth visibly on screen.  if we had actually seen him having a pretty OK time and hanging out with his friends and then getting knocked back down reverting to the coldness, I wouldn’t feel all that out of sorts with it at all. He has relapses, but maybe they’re less often as time goes by. I would just think that once he gets out of the black ops program that is slowly killing him, he swings back up to his better resting state and is able to build on it for a few years and develop some resilience.

All I’m saying is that when you don’t see any material between the two endpoints, it’s very easy to mentally adjust to whatever you think is the most likely story. Maybe the PTSD wasn’t all that bad, maybe it was very bad and then he got used to living with it. Maybe he grew and developed an adult personality the way that real people do, in a sort of clumsy nebulous process that doesn’t look very good on paper. But when you do see all the stuff, you get this conflicting impression of someone who is basically all right by the standards of the world he lives in …and someone who was extremely totally fucked up for a really long time, and then just became chill kind of overnight. 

Accord part of the problem is that, of course, this character was conceived of in his adult final form, and a bunch of plot developed around him, and you’re left with a complicated feeling that there should’ve been some impact on him due to the proximity of these events, but those events were not designed with him in mind, so he just sort of floats through them

I suspect based on the tone of the two panel reference in the manga, that Kishimono probably intended for kakashi to have largely been acting like himself the whole time he was a teenager, going out in public, and having relationships very similar ones he has an adult. He’s hanging out with his rival and they’re on their way to an event and he’s being lazy about not wanting to do challenges which is exactly what he like as an adult. 

So. Conundrum. I see exactly why the anime writers were compelled to try and embellish this, but I also cannot take their embellishments seriously without doing a lot of work in my own mind to tailor the material. 

[whotookmysenbon]

Fuck, marry, kill: Asuma, Kakashi, or Gai?

……………………

Fuck Asuma, Marry Kakashi, Kill Gai.

Look. All of these are extremely close friends of mine. Gai was my genin teammate, and we’ve definitely swapped some stories. Fucking him is out of the question. I like my ability to walk, thank you very much. That man would snap me in half. And I spent enough time with him during our genin days to know I absolutely can’t keep up with him in a day to day aspect, so marriage is off the table and that only leaves one option. Sorry Gai.

Asuma wasn’t a genin teammate, but he was on a genin team around the same time I was and we were both ANBU rookies together before he left to become one of the Twelve Guardians. Asuma is comfortable, familiar, and I would definitely tap that (again). Unfortunately, I hate the smell of cigarettes with a burning passion, and for that and that alone I won’t marry him. That stench gets into everything and it makes assassination missions so much harder when you reek of tobacco and ash.

That leaves marrying Kakashi unfortunately. I could live with that. He’s a pretty private person so as long as we acknowledge the don’t-dig-up-my-skeletons-I-won’t-dig-up-yours rule, we should be fine. We work well enough together and he doesn’t have any particularly annoying habits, keeps his space clean except his desk, and is a decent cook. (And like Asuma, I would definitely not mind getting a piece of him either)

[sharksa-shivers]

Snowy Swinging Friendos (story below)

It was a snowy August morning as they both walked together. And Kristy had to admit; she was still very much not used to this weather at this time of year. Then again, she still kindaaaa wasn't 100% used to being in Shellside yet either. She'd only been here a few months, those months feeling like years and years. Sure, she had gotten more used to things, having been here in Shellside since the end of January but even then, it still wasn't something she could just...Brush aside, the entire being kidnapped thing. And even moreso, she also wasn't used to having to travel around Shellside Island to do missions and having to demon fight and literally learn how to save the world. Kristy really just constantly felt like the entire world was on her shoulders and it was something that still would suffocate her in anxiety if she dwelled on it too long or too hard. Easier said then done though. Especially considering now that she WAS thinking on it, she felt her entire body flood with dread, anxiety filling her chest.

"Eyo, you aite there Kris Kris or...?" Kristy looked over to see Max giving her an odd look, his sky blue eyes studying her closely. Kristy looked at him a moment before awkwardly looking down at her feet as she walked, grabbing her arm anxiously. "Yeah, i uh......I'm fine..." The floppy earred blue shoodle snickered some, that classic sharptoothed grin pointed at her. "You say that but your face and voice very much say otherwise heheheh. You maybe wanna come clean and really tell me what's up?" Kristy internally facepalmed, of course Max of all people wasn't gonna let that go so easily. Max was a master at both reading other people’s emotions and hiding his own to a degree. Kristy honestly knew she should have known that by this point and yet...

Kristy contemplated sharing some of her anxious feelings with her teammate but also wondered if it would be better to just tell Max upfront that she didn't want to discuss any of this with him at the moment. On one hand, she'd just be repeating the same old same old stuff again but on the other, she knew Max would understand if she didn't want to discuss it and...Quite frankly, she kind of didn't want to. She knew these anxious feelings weren't gonna go away anytime soon anyway, she knew it was a thing she'd have to get used to. Maybe if she just let those thoughts be, they'd turn more numb over time and not bother her so much.

Kristy thought for a moment before giving her answer to Max. "It's just anxiety again, i...Don't really wanna talk about it." She looked over to see Max just shrug, his hands in his hoodie pockets, smirking still. "Alrightyyyy then...Don't say i didn't offer ya an outlet then. And uhhhh, if you change your mind, you know i'm here for ya friendo." Kristy let out a small breath, that breath being visible in the cold. She was glad Max let it go so easy. She knew it'd be better if she dealt with it on her own with time.

Currently, her and Max were walking through the streets of Greyston, a city they were stopping the night at on their route to a different city on Shellside for a mission. Since they were at a stop and therefore were just passing through, they kinda had a bit of a free day to just do whatever. Max and Kristy had decided to take a look around the area whilst their other teammate, Sharky, had decided to lounge and rest some in their hotel room until Max and Kristy returned. Sharky had been driving quite a bit lately, Kristy definitely thought he deserved some nice alone relaxing time and along with Max encouraging him to self care, Sharky couldn't really refuse or say no.

Thus it was just Kristy and Max together for a bit which was fine by her. They hadn't really done too much other then go by a few electronic and game stores, Kristy had gone into a bookstore to see if there was any manga she'd be interested in, Max had insisted on getting a coffee he quickly polished off. It was kinda boring but it was kinda nice also. It beat Kristy's stress of the upcoming mission away somewhat, at least. Now at the moment, she and Max were just wandering, taking a scenic route back to their hotel room. And while she was enjoying it and they had moved on from the topic, Kristy's anxiety still continued to eat away at her.                                                    ~~~~~~~

And Max very much could tell. He wasn't about to just drag Kristy's emotions out of her. He hated when other people would do that to him and he wasn't going to dare do it to his bestie. But at the same time, Max knew Kristy still was very bothered with life at the moment. Which wasn't new. Kristy'd been an anxious wreck since day 1 when they first met. It kinda made Max wonder if the shitty kidnapping stunt Orange Hair pulled on Kristy singlehandedly gave her the anxiety orrrrr if Kristy had anxiety before and OH's crap just made it that much worse. It kinda didn't matter either way though he figured. Kristy had so much going on it honestly wasn't surprising at all that she was so anxious constantly but that didn't mean Max had to like that. He hated seeing his friends being in ruts like that. With his depression, Max definitely knew the sheer torture of your brain being against you like that.

The cold wind blew through his midnight blue fur, his punk-ish boots crunching in the snow as they both continued walking, Kristy anxious and obviously not too happy while Max was deep in thought, trying to think of something maybe they could do to get her mind off of her troubles. From dealing with this on and off again, Max knew distractions were honestly a pretty good way to keep your mind more at ease from the world's chaos. It wasn't a cure but it definitely helped keep you from self destruction, kept your mind clearer.

Max pondered if there were any stores around maybe they could go into for a bit as a distraction. Maybe they could get some food? Food always was a great idea. Max more then anybody knew that it was pretty hard to be down with a full stomach, despite him being constantly hungry and never seeming to be satisfied for some reason but hey! Food was food and it helped alot with his depression so who was he to complain? Max kept thinking. There had to be something around that'd make for a good distraction to help his comrade out.

And that's when Max looked up and saw it. Bingo. Looking up ahead, Max noticed an empty playground, devoid of anybody and coated in snow. And he knew he could use this as a jumpoff point to get Kristy to relax more. This was exactly the kinda thing he was hoping for. And he also knew exactly how to get Kristy to get onboard also. With a very quick smirk, Max elbowed Kristy and got her attention. "Hey, i bet i could get over to those swings before you could!"

And of course, Kristy being the competitive spirit she was, took it hook, line and sinker, smirking back at Max and chasing after him. "Not if i get there first!!!"

                                                   ~~~~~~~

Kristy ran after Max as fast as she could but Max was still faster. Part because he had a headstart but also because Max did have being a dog on his side. Out of The Trio, Kristy was the slowest due to her being human but she never let that stop her. She had tricks up her sleeves and she knew how to use em. Like her teleportation skills, which speaking of...

Kristy's leaf amulet lit up in a bright green hue as she proceeded to teleport, getting there a few steps before Max did as she materialized back into existence in front of him. "Hey, no fair!! I ain't got no magic to use Kris!!" Kristy just smirked and scooped some of the snow off the swing chair, throwing it directly at Max who was laughing until the snow hit him in the chest. "You snooze, you lose!! Skill issue!!" Max let out a huff, glaring playfully at her as he brushed some of the snow off his chest and jacket. "Yeah yeah, whatever i guess. Enjoy that win, not gonna let you win so easy next time..."

Kristy sat down on her swing as Max approached the other swing, Kristy not noticing Max grabbing the snow off his swing as she spoke. "The only way you'd ever win Max is if i let YOU win yknow? I do still have magic on my si- HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOIN?? COLD, COLD!!!" Kristy was taken very off guard by Max moving her jacket and shirt and proceeding to drop snow down the back of her shirt, Max letting out a big laugh as he then slinkered back to his swing. "There we go, now we're even!! That was for chunking snow at me hehehehe!!"

Kristy glared at Max for a moment, thinking about throwing more snow at him but instead she just groaned after a second, annoyed but faltering. "You're lucky i just wanna sit now...Been up all day walking around..." Max started swinging, snickering some as he began to get higher as he looked over at Kristy. "Yeah, walking around and looking at cool stuff all day hehehe...Tis a pretty nice change of pace in my opinion." Kristy crossed her arms, scoffing a bit, her tone somewhat amused. "Beats having to do the mission honestly..."

Kristy immediately stopped, her face falling. She HADDDDD to bring it up again, didn't she? She immediately felt a sense of dread flood throughout her body. The anxiety gave her a sense of cold that the snow never could. She figured she must have been very obvious with her mood shift because Max quickly picked up on it, kicking his feet into the snow below him to stop, a very concerned look on his face. "Hey, you alright or...?"

Kristy sighed, squeezing her arm tightly, her nervous habit. Kristy knew she'd probably be better off just telling Max now instead of just continuing to repeat her 'It's fine' shtick. So she decided to try and muster up some form of an explanation for her friend. "It's just...I'm really anxious about the mission. I know it's like super routine at this point but to an extent it still isn't for me. I just...I'm not used to this stuff still and i'm worried i never will be...I know it's our job but at the same time, this isn't a job or position i asked for and just...UGHHHH, my brain is a clustered cluttered up mess, i'm feeling so much stuff at once and i just...I don't know what to do really i guess..."

                                                   ~~~~~~~

"I'm really sorry Kris...I guess i can't really imagine what you're going through with that exactly..." Max found himself saying after a moment. Kristy kind of slumped down a bit more, an annoyed look on her face as Max continued, a bit unknowingly on his part of Kristy's feelings. "Like for me, being a demon fighter is something that i've always wanted to do. Like i didn't really want the 'save the entire world' part thrown in there with it but like...I mean, i'll take it haha!!" Max finally looked back over at Kristy, realizing he sortaaaa wasn't helping. "I just...I dunno. I guess it's a disconnect me and you have. My point is, i guess i can't put myself in that mindset of not wanting the job but uhhhhhh, then again, i don't really think there's alot of people that...Can relate to all the stuff you've gone through heh..."

Kristy was not very enthusiastic about Max's rambles, her face kind of said it all and Max mentally slapped himself while on the outside he just had a very forced, nervousy smirk on his face. "Yeahhhhhh that's kind of part of the problem. Glad you were able to piece that out..." She looked away and Max immediately felt bad. That was not his intention like at all. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking over at Kristy and speaking again after a moment. "I'm sorry Kris...I guess i made stuff worse huh?"

Kristy let out a breath, responding back to him after another moment. "No, not exactly. I know you're just trying to help. I think my problem is just the fear of not getting used to things ever...Like all of this is just...So much still and i just...I don't know if i am ever gonna get used to it. And if i don't ever get used to it, how the hell am i supposed to save the world? How am i supposed to get us as a team to the point where we can save the world? It's so...Much..." Max listened to Kristy, staring as she spoke and he slowly changed his expression some, his expression getting softer, obviously thinking a bit himself. "........I actually do kinda know THAT feeling...That you're never gonna get used to certain stuff..."

Kristy paused, seemingly not expecting Max to say anything like that. She looked over at him, seeing the neutral-ish but serious softened look on his face. "Wait, really?" She questioned. Max nodded. Max normally tried not to talk about some of this sort of stuff. Alot of his earlier years in life had been pretty damn heavy and Max internally had enough issues dealing with it himself...So bringing his friends into those horrors wasn't something he enjoyed doing by any means...But he figured if it'd help Kristy's nerves some, he could deal with it. He was a strong guy, the streets had made him strong. He had to be to get by and to survive...Max took a breath and begun to speak more, explaining himself a bit.

"Yeah, actually...That uhhhhh...Kinda was me whenever i got to The Campsite at first. I'd been so used to being on the streets and adjusting to living in a house, having everything i need at an easy reach, being able to actually take better care of myself and not have to fight for everything...Well uh, that defs took a bit of trust and learning and reassurance and a wholeeeee spectrum of stuff altogether but i did get there eventually...And as hard as it was, i'm really glad i did get there in the end...Sorta, i still have certain issues heh...Yknow what i'm talking about..."

                                                   ~~~~~~~

Kristy hung on Max's words as he confined in her. Max usually was much more lighthearted and derpy so whenever he did dip more into these sorts of deep topics, Kristy always did her best to be respectful and to hear him out. As much of a derpass as he could be sometimes, Max was a person too and Max had been through his fair share of crap. He knew his shit a good bit of the time. The least Kristy could do was listen and take that trust and keep it close to her chest. She never wanted Max to feel unsafe sharing those sorts of things with her.

Whenever Max had finished speaking, the cold air was quite around them both for a moment. Kristy had her hands clasped in her lap, her fingers intertwined. She found the right words after a moment. ".........I see...I didn't know about all that......I can defs imagine that being pretty hard..." Max smirked lightly after a second, trying to be lighthearted and seemingly happy he found an angle to maybe help his friendo from.

Max kicked his feet in the snow some, his hands grabbing on the swings plastic ropes, moving very subtlety back and forth. Shrugging some, he spoke again. "Yeah, that's an understatement heh. Stuff was BEYONDDDD hard for me when i was a kid..." Max paused for a minute before looking over at Kristy, his tone very genuine and somewhat more lighthearted. "Actually...When i was a kid on the streets still, playgrounds were kinda like...Just the one place i could go to for a bit and just for a few moments, i could feel normal and just be a kid. It was kinda nice...Heh, i guess that's probably part of what made me think going over here'd make you feel better-ish. Old instincts never fully go away i guess..."

Kristy felt herself snicker a smidge at that. Her experience was veryyyyy different..."When i was a kid, i was pretty much...Like completely opposite of that. Whenever i was in school and recess came around, i'd always take books out and read on the playground instead of playing anything. At a point, the teachers got really pissy with me because i'd do that and they'd take up some of my books to try and get me to be 'social' and whatever...so i'd sneak books out and find a hideaway spot or two so i could read still. Reading used to be my sorta special interest so they couldn't stop me from doing it that easy! That and uhhhh the kids were assholes alot of the time. Every time i ever did try and join in, i'd usually get some form of crap for it. Just always have been that weird autistic kid so uhhhh yeah uh, i guess i can't relate to that specifically...But i'm glad it was that happy place for you dude."

Kristy felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Max looking her in the eyes, smirking and determined. "Welp, never too late to rewrite old memories with newer better ones...Like the ones we're making here where you're with a comrade who's 'ride or die' with ya haha!" Kristy felt a large weight seemingly fall off her shoulders some whenever Max said that...And she couldn't help but smile back some genuinely. "It sucks ass i'm in this whole situation but at least i got some amazing friends by my side to help me. It helps to know i'm not in this alone and the people I'm with actually care about me..."

Max spoke cheerfully as Kristy suddenly felt a buzz from her phone in her pocket and she proceeded to get it out and check her texts as Max went on. "Hell yeah!!! That's the spirit!!! We gotcho back all the way Kris Kris, never forget it haha!!!" Kristy stood up from her swing and turned to Max, reading the text. "Speaking of never being alone, we probably should get going back to the hotel room. Sharky's wondering where we're at and we do have to do a bit of planning for tomorrow still."

Max stood up also, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, rolling his eyes some amused. "Yeah yeah, don't remind me...But fair honestly. I'm kinda tired of being cold so going back to the hotel sounds pretty damn good right now. I wanna keep relaxing but i wanna relax in bed if ya get me." Kristy shoved him some with her shoulder, walking beside Max as they started leaving. "You slept like foreverrrr earlier, you're fine for a bit ya derp!!" Max just smirked back amused still. "Kris, you underestimate the hell outta me, yknow that? Ya really do!! I could sleep so much longer, you have no clue!!! Ooooooo, speaking of, i think ima defs get some chow before we go back up to the room. And alottttt of it too, neither you or Sharky are gonna stop me!! And i also-"

Kristy let Max keep rambling as she started zoning out a bit. Looking over and seeing Max's energy and knowing their other teammate was back waiting for em and was wondering about em made her feel really nice for a change...Sure, this wasn't exactly what she had ever planned in any single sense, this entire life she had now...But Kristy knew it was necessary and she knew she'd get better with stuff as time did continue on hopefully. If Max could build himself a new life from the ground up for better, then surely she could too...And with both Sharky and Max on her side for all of it, the anxiety felt less strong. The mission tomorrow might suck, it might go flying off the rails real bad in fact...But if she had her new best friends by her side, then she felt much more confident and comfortable. And that was more then good enough for her... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wrote this story and drew this pic a while ago but i still quite like it all sooooooooooooooooooooooo here lol, you may have it again and on here as well :3

[dolce-tenebra-toscana]

La Squadra and Sanremo 2001: who is their favourite and how they act during the festival

T O M OR R O W AAAAAAAAAAA,CAN'T WAAAAAIT!!!

Risotto

Team: Elisa

Song: Luce ( Tramonti a Nord Est )

Our beloved capo is literally O B S E S S E D with the (then) young singer; to him her voice is like a light feather caressing his soul and soothing away all the worries of his life.

He is very hyped cause it's Elisa's first time at Sanremo and he wants everything to be perfect, so he can enjoy his queen's performance and give her ( from distance ) all the attention she deserves.

Risotto is the type of Sanremo's fan that starts freaking out the second the news starts talking about the event itself: starts making a list for himself to rate the looks and songs, his favourite beer and snacks are OFF LIMITS and are exclusively for him to consume during the festival and of course he gets an Elisa's t shirt (with her autograph) to parade around the lair. You can imagine his joy when her victory is yelled by Raffaella Carrà, on the Ariston Arena's stage.

Risotto is the karaoke man, so get up and grab your remote to join him screeching " SIAMO LUCE CHE CADE DAGLI OCCHI!! "

Prosciutto

Team: Gigi d'Alessio

Song: Tu che ne sai

Prosciutto is one of the less enthusiast about the festival in the team, but only because the whole deal is EVERYWHERE and he cannot watch other programs on tv ( also because that being the only television in the whole building, he has to suck it up)

Being forced to watch it by Risotto he decides to side on Gigi d'Alessio's team and with the enthusiasm of someone going to see the paint dry he says " Seeee..Vai Gigi...Fagli il culo..." or straight up yawns on the sofa.

During the week is the one that stays out of the house the most, but even when he is outside ( taking a walk or doin a mission) he finds himself mumbling the words of the overly sweet but somehow catchy song, with his deep and hoarse voice " Perchè ho perso la cosa più bella da stringere a me..."

Formaggio

Team: Alex Britti

Song: Sono Contento

Formaggio is right in the middle when it comes to Sanremo, he is happy about it but at the same time he doesn't die if he skips one evening.

His main goal is to learn as many romantic songs as possible with his guitar so he can hit on girls when he goes clubbing/partying

Formaggio usually sits on the carpet and his guitar's noise is the only sound that doesn't bother Risotto ( the capo thinks he is just as invested as he is) and at the end of the first night he chose Alex Britti's song cause

1)He likes it 2) The girls are really into that romantic crap 3) his chances of getting laid with this song (plus a made up story about his " long lost love" ) doubled up

So yeah, our favourite roman cheese man truly is something else when he play his guitar in pubs, girls swooning over him and his cheery yet seducing voice singing " Sono contento di averti accanto, nel bene e nel male per me "

Couldn't find any Alex Britti gif, sigh

Melone

Team: Fabio Concato

Song: Ciao ninin

Melone is also on the team of the least interested in the festival, but boy does he love bothering the ones that enjoy it lmao

He is the one that jokes about singers, outfits, songs, announcers...And the time he even DARED joking about Elisa well, the iron nails that spit on the couch were enough to make him understand to stop.

He finds Fabio Concato and his song decent but what really makes him " Team Concato " is the name of the song...Because is really similar to the tuscan expression " Ciao Nini" ( it means Hey dude/girl) and so this adorable purple idiot tries to find any excuse to make his teammates cringe when he horribly sings his tuscan version of the song " CIAO NINI!! LA 'ANTO STA LETTERA 'OSI!! E GLIE' UN ALIBI LA MUSIHA PE SCRIVETTI E PE DITTI POHA ROBAAAA!! "

Melone's version of the song is written parodically with the " Gorgia Toscana ", basically how i talk every single day of my tuscan life ahah And also i didn't find any gif for Mr Concato too, why Tumblr hates Sanremo 2001!

Ghiaccio

Team: Sottotono

Song: Mezze Verità

Ghiaccio, believe it or not, is another one that actually enjoys Sanremo and the 2001 edition is the one that pumped him up the most.

Ghiaccio prepares himself with his favourite " magic powder ", a bottle of jagermeister and plops himself next to Risotto ready to enjoy Sottotono and their song.

He is actually more interested in the guest invited for the occasion and, the moment he sees Eminem appear on screen, he starts jumping up and down screaming in his native dialect and clapping

The team appreciates his singing skills and actually vibe/encourage him rapping with the america artist at the beat of " The real slim Shady " and Ghiaccio is so into the moment he completely let himself go and start a whole show on the couch: where Formaggio beatbox, Illuso record him with his Nokia, Melone snaps pictures of him and Prosciutto smiles behind his wine glass while slightly bopping his head at the music.

Ghiaccio is jokingly called " Il membro scartato dei Sottotono " ( Sottotono's discarded member) and his aggressive yet weirdly sexy voice can be heard through all Vico Pallonetto with the rhymes " Hai mai dato senza ricevere, Sei mai! Sincero nei rapporti che hai hai, Dai dai!! Bye bye!! Scordati di me sai sai perché!! "

Again, no gif about Sottotono, please don't be mad at me!

Illuso

Team: Bluevertigo

Song: L'assenzio ( The Power of nothing)

Another one of the team "Daje Sanremo" but more than the performances, Illuso is interested in the outfits: he take notes, critiques everyone's fashion sense, and rant about it on his online page " Mirror Mirror on my Blog "

Illuso is already a Bluvertigo's fan and their aesthetic is one of the things he appreciates the most about the band itself; L'assenzio's videoclip to him is a very modern and unique approach to music and is actually happy that so many fresh artist can perform on Ariston's stage.

For the entire week, La Squadra can see him typing on his computer with a concentrated face and whispering the Bluevertigo's song between a sip of Fanta and an online feud started just for fun " Io ricerco lo scontro, ma conosco la pace. Pensi a quello che farai, e a quello che smetterai di fare"

Pesci

Team: Gazosa

Song: Stai con me (Forever)

Pesci being the youngest is watching the Festival for the young artists and has this naive appreciation for the winners of the " Sezione Giovani ", I Gazosa.

He can't truly shows how hyped he actually is about them winning their category ( he fears the mocking of his teammates ) so he just bops his head up and down and smiles through the whole thing and only when he is sure to be alone he starts cleaning up the room and singing " Stai con me forever!! Fino a quando lo vorrai!!" and daydreams about the day when he'll have a girlfriend to dedicate this and other songs to her...but in the meantime he just enjoys his solo performances with the broom in the lair's living room; with empty beer cans, white powder on the coffee table and a sound asleep Formaggio on the floor.

Note from Benny: I know nobody will be interested but my Vento Aureo OC is #teamGiorgia (like me this year) and her stand is called just like the song Giorgia performed at Sanremo 2001: " Di Sole e D'azzurro "

[redheartedtramp]

RWBY OC: Carmine Hare

Art done by @jacscorner​

Name: Carmine Hare

Age: 19

Birthday: September 1

Weapons: A pair of custom revolvers.

Testimony - A white and silver revolver with a red cloth around the handle. Testimony is a six-shot revolver. Originally built by her father, Testimony was destroyed during her father’s last mission and Carmine rebuilt her after inheriting the gun. Testimony has a secondary chamber that houses smoke pellets instead of bullets.

Blood - A red revolver built entirely by Carmine herself. It houses a secondary mode that extends the barrel and turns the revolver into a hand cannon. When activated, a secondary chamber replaces the main one. It only holds one bullet, but is loaded with combustion Dust, increasing the damage (and recoil) dramatically.

Semblance: Slow; Carmine’s green eyes turn blood red, and her perception of time slows down to a crawl. From everyone else’s perspective, Carmine has super-fast reflexes. For Carmine, the world is moving at a snail’s pace. This effect lasts as long as Carmine has her eyes open; once she blinks, the effect ends and needs to be reactivated.

Allusions: To The Tortoise & The Hare. She’s an amalgamation of the overall story; she’s the tortoise (her Semblance makes things slow down and wears a green jacket, an allusion to the tortoise’s shell) & the hare (she’s a rabbit Faunus and everyone sees her as being very fast when they don’t know how her Semblance works).

Carmine’s main color is red, a direct reference to this blog. Much like how Domino’s color is black in reference to my past blog.

Carmine and Domino are on the same team. Not sure who their other two teammates are, if any, lol.

She gave Domino her revolver for whenever she can’t reach her Mech. 

Carmine’s father was a Huntsman. His weapon was Testimony, and he was also a Priest. He was a Human from Mantle. Carmine & her father have similar fighting styles; being Quickdraw-specializing gunslingers. It’s just that Carmine uses her semblance to ‘cheat’.

Carmine’s mother was a Rabbit Faunus with rabbit ears as well. She is from Menagerie and worked as a seamstress before and after the move to Mantle for work. I like to think she sewed Carmine’s jacket.

Her favorite kind of ammo is Gravity Dust Bullets. She uses them to tag enemies and weigh them down, slowing them down and making them easier targets.