#lady thermal wear

[lorindisuga]

How to Choose the Perfect Lady Thermal Wear for Ultimate Comfort

Winter brings with it the charm of snowflakes, cozy nights, and hot cocoa. However, it also demands a wardrobe that can combat the chill while keeping you comfortable and stylish. For women, thermal wear is an essential part of winter attire. Choosing the perfect thermal wear can significantly enhance your comfort and keep you warm. Here’s a guide to help you select the best lady thermal wear for ultimate comfort.

1. Material Matters

The material of thermal wear plays a crucial role in providing warmth and comfort. Common materials include:

Wool: Excellent for extreme cold, wool is natural, breathable, and retains heat efficiently. However, it can be itchy for some people, so look for soft, fine wool like merino.

Cotton: Cotton thermals are soft and comfortable but are not as effective in retaining heat as wool or synthetic materials.

Synthetic Fabrics: Polyester and blends are popular for their moisture-wicking properties, making them ideal for active wear. They also dry quickly and provide good insulation.

Silk: Lightweight and luxurious, silk thermals are perfect for layering and provide moderate warmth.

2. Fit and Comfort

Thermal wear should fit snugly to your body to trap heat effectively. Here are some tips for choosing the right fit:

Body-Hugging Fit: Thermals should be close-fitting but not too tight. A snug fit helps in retaining body heat.

Flexibility: Look for thermals with a bit of stretch to allow for easy movement. This is especially important if you plan to wear them during outdoor activities.

Seamless Designs: Opt for seamless or flat-seam designs to prevent chafing and discomfort.

3. Layering Compatibility

Thermal wear is often used as a base layer, so it should be easy to layer over. Consider the following:

Thickness: Thinner thermals are ideal for layering under clothing without adding bulk.

Necklines and Sleeves: Choose styles that complement your outerwear. For instance, a scoop neck thermal is great for wearing under low-neck sweaters, while long sleeves provide added warmth.

4. Moisture-Wicking and Breathability

Thermal wear should keep you warm without causing you to overheat or sweat excessively. Look for:

Moisture-Wicking Fabrics: These fabrics draw moisture away from the skin, keeping you dry and comfortable.

Breathability: Good thermal wear should allow your skin to breathe, preventing excessive sweating and discomfort.

5. Durability and Maintenance

Thermals should be durable and easy to care for, especially since they’ll be in frequent use during the colder months.

Washability: Check the care instructions. Some thermals require delicate handling, while others can be machine-washed.

Durable Construction: Reinforced seams and high-quality fabrics ensure that your thermals last longer.

6. Style and Aesthetics

While functionality is crucial, you don’t have to compromise on style. Many brands offer thermals in various colors, patterns, and designs.

Colors and Patterns: Choose colors and patterns that suit your style. Neutral colors are versatile, while bold patterns can add a fun element to your winter wardrobe.

Trendy Designs: Look for designs that you can wear as standalone pieces or that add a stylish layer to your outfits.

7. Budget

Lastly, consider your budget. While it’s tempting to go for the cheapest option, investing in high-quality thermal wear can save you money in the long run due to its durability and effectiveness.

Conclusion

Choosing the perfect lady thermal wear involves balancing warmth, comfort, style, and budget. Pay attention to the material, fit, layering compatibility, moisture-wicking properties, durability, and aesthetics. By selecting the right thermals, you can enjoy the winter season to the fullest, staying warm and comfortable no matter how low the temperatures drop. So, gear up and embrace the cold with confidence and style!

[armisto1]

Men's Woolen Sweater

Look cool and stay warm with our premium Woolmark Certified Lamb’s wool sweater for men. This fine-knit sweater can be styled both casually and formally and has the ability to keep you warm even if it’s very cold outside.  This woolen sweater is made to last long so that it can be your go-to sweater for a very long time!

[ncis-nerd]

Christmas Cheer

new au alert

Ship: Wife WandaNat x Reader // Platonic Kate & Reader // Brief mention of Kate x Yelena

Warnings: Mentions of Christmas, working in retail, the festive season, winter, alluding to reader being anemic.

About: Christmas time is the best time of the year for most, you love the generosity of people during this season. The Christmas movies, the hot chocolate, gift giving and most of all, spending time with the people you love. 

You hummed softly to the Christmas jingle playing in the background. You loved your job, you loved your elderly boss who would show you pictures of her grandchildren, your friend/co-worker Kate who you would spend your lunch break with. Going with you to your favorite Chinese Takeout place.

You loved your job but sometimes you regretted working retail at a toy shop during the Christmas season. Not to get you wrong, you loved seeing the joy on the kids faces, the sparkle in their eye when they got their heart set on a toy they really wanted. And you loved the magic of the festive season but it could be overwhelming sometimes. 

Stressed parents running on low energy and little sleep, desperate to find the popular toy their kid wants, searching endless stores just for the toy to be sold out. You couldn't blame them.

You didn't realize you were staring at these two women looking at the window's display of toys. They smiled softly, one woman had on this red and white knitted hat with reindeer on it. The other had a long coat on. You saw her whisper to the woman with the hat. The woman with the hat had a hot chocolate in her hand.

“Hello? Earth to Y/n?” Kate waved her hand in front of your face. “Huh?” You returned your attention to the raven haired girl.

“I said, do you want to go on lunch right now?” Kate asked as a low growl sounded from her stomach. You chuckled softly at the warning from your friend’s stomach that she was hungry.

“Sure! Let me just grab my coat and we can go.” You nodded, heading to the back room where your locker was. 

As you zipped up your red puffy jacket, Kate appeared in the doorway. “Ready?” She asked. You nodded as the two of you made your way to the Chinese restaurant. 

“It's so cold I can see my breath!” Kate exclaimed, exhaling only to be greeted with a small trail of fog exiting her mouth. You shivered in your layers which consisted of your hat, gloves, scarf, sweater, shirt, second shirt, pants and thermal pants. You got cold easily and instead of complaining all the time (which you still do by the way), you learnt that layering up helps you stay warm. Your mom had told you many times “I don't know how you can do it, I could never wear that many layers” but you shrugged her off. 

“We're here! I can smell the food!” Kate smiled as she opened the door to Tony's. Tony's is the name of the Chinese Takeout restaurant you and Kate go to. You've been going there ever since the first day you were hired. You can still remember it vividly. You were sitting in the backroom eating your pb&j sandwich when Kate came in and introduced herself. The two of you were around the same age, the rest of your co-workers were way older than you guys so Kate made the decision to talk to you and become friends. From that day on, you guys have been going to Tony's for lunch. 

Now that it's December, Tony's is more crowded. Especially since they came out with their Christmas themed menu, families and teenagers lined up to get something. 

Thankfully, there was no one when you and Kate went. If there was, you feared Kate's stomach might explode. 

“Hi there ladies, table for 2?” Steve smiled, as he picked up two menus. “Yup!” You nodded. “Is that Kate and Y/N?” You heard Clint's voice from the kitchen.

Clint was a chef who worked at Tony's, he had cooked if not all the meals you and Kate shared there, than most. In your time going to Tony's, you had gotten to know Clint well, you know he has a wife and two young daughters who sometimes come to visit him during his break.

“Yeah!” Steve responded. “Hello Kate, hello Y/N. How's the shift going?” Clint had a warm smile on his face. “Work's going well, how are things here?” You spoke. “Same old, same old. I assume you two want your regular?” Clint nodded. “Yeah, better make it quick. Kate here is starving.” You smirked. “Hey! I'm not starving!” Kate whined. You looked at her with a chuckle as she proved her own point with the whining. 

Clint led you two to your table. “Food should be out shortly” Clint nodded as he left. Your eyes scanned the room. You noticed a family sitting at one of the circular booth tables. The little girl had on a pink tutu and an orange shirt. The mom was on the phone and the dad was holding the brother. The little girl made eye contact with you and waved. You smiled softly and waved back.

Clint returned with your water and Kate’'s coffee and placed it down on the table. There was a soft red tint on Kate's face, you could tell she was texting her girlfriend, Yelena.

That's when you noticed the couple from the toy store had entered the restaurant. The blonde was taking off her hat as the woman in the long coat took her friend's hand and rubbed her hands together, to warm it up. You smiled softly at this gesture, you loved seeing how the holiday spirit brought people together.

Clint led the two ladies to the 2 seater tables right by you and Kate. “Thank you” the woman with the hat spoke, with a thick Sokovian accent. “Of course. Can I get you started on drinks?” Clint spoke. “I would like the bloody mary” the other woman spoke, her voice laced in a thick Russian accent.

“And for you ma'am?” Clint looked at the blonde. “Hot chocolate is fine. Thanks.” She nodded. Clint left once again, to make their drinks this time.

“This place is nice” the blonde spoke. “Да, освещение красивое, и меню выглядит хорошо.” the Russian responded. 

The Russian's eyes fell on you, you quickly looked away. Hoping that she didn't notice your staring. 

“Симпатичная девушка из магазина игрушек здесь.” the Russian's attention focused back on the woman sitting across from her. 

You wondered what she was saying. Right on cue, Clint comes out with your chicken lo mein and Kate's fried rice.

“That looks so good, my mouth is literally watering right now” Kate moaned. You giggled at her reaction. 

“I wish you a Merry Christmas” filled the silence in the restaurant as your phone went off. In that moment you regretted your ringtone. “Hello?” You answered. “Hi Y/N, I'm so sorry to disturb you from your lunch break but it’s so busy in here right now and we could sure use you and Kate back here at the store” You felt bad you guys were understaffed today and it probably didn't help that you and Kate took your lunch break at the same time. “Of course, I’ll let Kate know. We should be back shortly.” You hung up. 

Kate groaned, “Nooo.. I’m so hungry.” You frowned apologetically, “Sorry Kate, Elaine needs us back. She said there’s a big crowd in there right now.” You signaled for Clunt to return. “Hey, can you make this a to-go. Kate and I have to return to work unfortunately.” You said as Clint took the food away.

You zipped back up your coat and collected your belongings as you and Kate walked up to the register.

“Have a good one and stay warm, alright?” Clint spoke.

Google Translate:

Да, освещение красивое, и меню выглядит хорошо. - Yes, the lighting is beautiful and the menu looks good.

Симпатичная девушка из магазина игрушек здесь. - The cute girl from the toy store is here.

[anatay004]

ꜰɪɴɴɪᴄᴋ ᴏᴅᴀɪʀ | ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴅ (part six)

ꜰɪᴠᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴡɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ 70ᴛʜ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴏʀ, ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʀᴇɴᴀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛɪᴍᴇ — ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ-ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ʙʏ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴘʀᴇꜱɪᴅᴇɴᴛ ꜱɴᴏᴡ.

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ : ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ, ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴏꜰᴀɴɪᴛʏ

"DON'T BE SCARED," Dean's voice slid into your thoughts; breaking into your reverie as you visibly flinched. Instinctively, you looked up to meet his gaze, allowing his hand to squeeze your arm comfortably. "The fabric is light, not thermal," Your stylist revealed, referring to the wetsuit you were wearing, trying to dissipate the tension in the air. "So, I'm guessing tropic."

You swallowed hard, trying to take in his words. You were in the Launch Room in the arena, waiting for the countdown to begin as Dean finished braiding your hair down your back.

"And tropic means water," Dean acknowledged, offering you an encouraging smile as you slowly nodded. "You're good in water."

He was right — you were good in water, that's how you'd managed to win your first games. You remember it all too well; an earthquake breaking the dam, the flood in the arena, and you swimming for your life. You swallowed hard at the memory, trying to ignore the pain that tormented your chest. After all, you supposed Dean was right; having an arena close to home could be a great advantage to you and Finnick.

You exhaled sharply.

"Sixty seconds to launch."

You swept Dean a glance. He was looking back at you with a familiar warmth in his eyes — one you'd seen before, and you couldn't help, but reach for him. "Are you still beating on me?" You whispered in his embrace, and his arms immediately tightened around your frame.

"Always." He answered, a little strained.

And with that, he stepped back — wiped the tears in his eyes, and watched as the glass cylinder slid down around you. You watched him blow a kiss at you before you felt the plate underneath you moving upwards. The plan was simple in your head as you leaned against the glass: get to Finnick, get some weapons, and run the hell away from the blood bath.

Simple, simple, simple.

You eventually forced yourself to straighten up when the glass started to retreat, but you found yourself frozen in place when the arena stumbled into your line of vision. For a moment, you faltered as you took in the sight of water in every direction you turned. Only one clear thought formed in your brain as you took in the landscape: Snow was beating on you too.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games begin!" The voice of Claudius Templesmith, the Hunger Games announcer, suddenly broke into your reverie. And, instinctively, you searched for Finnick around, but panic quickly flitted across your features when you couldn't find him.

"He's on the other side of the Cornucopia," Peeta's voice slid into your thoughts, and your shoulders slumped in evident relief when you heard his words. "Don't lose focus."

Belatedly, you realized Peeta was standing on the plate next to yours. And he was watching you with concerned eyes, trying to quench down the panic that threatened to break you in front of the cameras, but you didn't notice. You were far too preoccupied with staying alive.

Eventually, you dived into the water.

Hence to your ability to swim, you were quick to reach the spoke of land that balanced your plate and Peeta's. But, to your surprise, you didn't run towards the Cornucopia right away like the others; instead, you found yourself looking back for Peeta. He was struggling to reach the land, so, you impulsively offered him a hand and pulled him out of the water. 

"Allies?" Peeta asked, trying to catch his breath as he climbed onto the land.

You didn't answer, but your silence was quite telling, and it took everything in you to ignore the smile that curved Peeta's lips, before sprinting towards the Cornucopia. Within a few minutes, you eventually reached it and immediately grabbed the closest weapon at hand — a trident. A satisfied smile twitched your lips as you balanced the weapon in your hand, but the moment was fleeting, before you knew it; Peeta was already back in the water fighting a tribute.

"Peeta!" You shouted and made to run in his direction when a steady hand dropped on your shoulder. Instinctively, you made to throw the trident, but another hand on your wrist stopped your movements altogether. "Oh." You breathed out, in sudden relief, when you realized it was just Finnick. "Are you okay?"

"Stay with Katniss, I'll get Peeta," Finnick commanded, dismissing your question, his voice powerful enough to make you obey him. In that moment, as Finnick dived effortlessly back into the water to help Peeta; you realized he'd made his alliances too. Katniss was close by, watching the scene with a horrified expression on her face. At the sight of her distress, you couldn't help but wonder if this was all an act like everyone else said. Or, if Mags was actually right, and there was something real about it?

You couldn't quite piece together an answer yet.

When the canon finally fired, your heart skipped for a moment, but relief quickly washed over you when you caught sight of Peeta's moving figure and Finnick pulling him back onto land.

The other tribute had died.

"You okay?" You eventually turned to ask Katniss, when Peeta was finally out of danger and you were both waiting for him and Finnick to come back. Katniss threw you a skeptical look, one that underlined you were not friends. "The baby, I mean."

Realization quickly dawned on her face, as if she'd suddenly remembered she was supposed to be pregnant. "Yeah, we're fine."

You nodded.

"Are you alright?" Peeta was quick to ask you, when he rushed back to the group, with Finnick strolling right behind him. The concerned tone in his voice caught you off guard, but you decided not to show it as Katniss watched you.

Carefully.

"Are you?" You asked instead, scrutinizing him for a moment; just to make sure he wasn't terribly hurt. To your surprise, he wasn't. "I barely even left you." You mumbled as you recalled he was running right behind you before he was even thrown back into the water.

"Don't." Peeta scoffed, a little faintly.

And you blinked in surprise.

"Hey," Peeta suddenly turned to Katniss, as if he'd suddenly remembered the cameras. "Are you okay?" He asked, before pressing a kiss to her cheek. You watched their interaction with curious eyes, unable to hide the perplexed expression on your face as you studied the scene.

"Yeah," Katniss replied, offering him a faint smile before turning to look at you. The weight of her gaze made your muscles tense; for a moment, you could've sworn she was throwing daggers at you. "We're okay."

The atmosphere suddenly grew thicker.

"We need to head to the jungle." Finnick suddenly spoke, breaking the tension, before sliding his free arm unexpectedly behind your waist. "We need water and a place to rest before night falls."

You nodded and made to move forward, but Finnick kept you in place; making sure Peeta walked past you first. "What?" Finnick asked innocently when you raised an eyebrow in silent question. "He can take the lead."

You opened your mouth to reply something along the lines of, " We should probably separate" but he muffled your words with his mouth— silencing you with a kiss.

"Come on," Finnick whispered against your lips, beckoning you to follow behind the group. You hesitated and lingered there for a moment before he lifted your chin to look at him. "Trust me."

You pressed your lips together and — for a split second, you thought back to the conversation with Haymitch you'd overheard from the previous night. Perhaps, this is what it was about, you thought, about this alliance with them. So, with that in mind, your grip tightened around the trident in your hand and you turned to follow Peeta and Katniss.

With Finnick right behind you.

Peeta took the lead, cutting through the patches of vegetation with his long knife as you walked through the jungle. Now and then, Katniss turned back to look at you and Finnick; as if she was almost expecting for you to attack them at any moment. You supposed you couldn't blame her for that.

You, yourself, didn't trust her either.

"God, it's hot," Peeta hissed, stopping suddenly on his track to catch his breath after a few miles. The jungle was hot and humid; you could feel your hair damp and plastered over your forehead from the sweat. Simultaneously, your lips were chapped and dry from the lack of hydration. "We need to find fresh water."

"You don't say." Finnick deadpanned, to which Peeta threw him a glare in response.

"What if we move to the other side?" You suggested, cleaning some of the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand. "Maybe there's a spring or something."

"There isn't." Katniss limited herself to answer.

"How do you know — " You started, but the words quickly froze on the tip of your tongue when the cannon started to go off again; indicating more deaths.

"I guess we're not holding hands anymore," Finnick quipped, stifling a chuckle as he counted the number of times the cannon fired.

You counted three.

"You think that's funny?" Katniss hissed, throwing your husband a heated glare.

"Every time that cannon goes off, it's music to my ears," Finnick replied, matter-of-factly, before he added. "I don't care about any of them."

"Good to hear," Katniss scoffed, reaching her arm back to pull an arrow from her quiver. Instinctively, you aimed the end of your trident at her, but Finnick was quick to lower your weapon.

"You want to face the Career Pack alone?" Finnick questioned her, rather indifferent to her threat. His reaction took you aback; for some reason, he seemed certain she was not going to shoot him. "What would Haymitch say?"

You, on the other hand, were not.

"Haymitch isn't here."

You tilted the trident towards her direction again, but Peeta was the one to break the interaction this time. "Come on, let's keep moving." He said, beckoning Katniss to move along. And, from the corner of your eyes, you could've almost sworn he threw you an apologetic smile.

You watched them walk ahead of you for a few seconds without a word. She's going to kill us, you thought to yourself, as you watched the girl on fire with cautious eyes. And if she doesn't, she's certainly going to try to — at one point or another.

You nibbled your bottom lip pensively. Would this be a good time to separate? You wondered again, trying to think of a coherent plan. To turn the other way and let them face the Career Pack on their own? It's what Snow would want. But what about Peeta?

You paused, the question caught you off guard; as if you'd suddenly realized what you'd asked yourself subconsciously.

What about him?

"Put the trident down, baby," Finnick's words slid into your thoughts, and you blinked; belatedly realizing that you were still holding the trident up defensively. "They're harmless."

"You sound a little too sure about that," You questioned him, tilting your head suspiciously. "As if she didn't just threaten to shoot you."

"Just — " Finnick paused as if he were choosing his next words carefully. " — just trust me, love."

Your eyebrows knitted together. "I'm trying to."

Finnick's lips twitched, clearly dismissing the seriousness of the conversation. "You're gorgeous when you're mad."

"I'm not mad," You clarified, but the annoyance in your voice betrayed your words. "But if it has to come down to choosing, I'm choosing you."

Finnick looked at you for a moment, eyes softly lit with vulnerability. "I know."

You opened your mouth to say something else, but the sound of Katniss screaming quickly cut you off. In a split second, you watched as Peeta flung back from a force field he'd just hit, bringing you and Finnick down along with him.

"Peeta!" You screamed, rushing over to his motionless body, where Katniss was trying to shake him awake — with no luck.

"He's not breathing!" She yelled, almost frightened. "His heart's not beating!"

At the sight of this, you suddenly remembered something Mags had taught you a few years ago — when your dad had almost drowned once, and you didn't know how to bring him back. Instinctively, you pushed Katniss aside, ignoring the way she immediately reached for an arrow.

Finnick yelled something at you, something along the lines that he would do it, but there wasn't time. So, you pinched Peeta's nose and pressed your mouth over his to blow air into his lungs. You did this for a few minutes until a cough eventually slipped out his mouth and you leaned back to look at him in relief.

"Shit." You breathed out, subconsciously resting a hand over his chest as you watched his eyelids part. For a few seconds, he lay there on the ground, simply looking up at you as he slowly regained back his consciousness.

"Careful," He eventually mumbled, wrapping his fingers around your wrist harmlessly. "There's a force field up ahead."

A small laugh escaped your lips. "Thanks, I almost didn't notice."

Peeta smiled, despite the evident pain he was in, and you were just about to help him get back to his feet when Katniss slightly shoved you aside. You didn't mind, you supposed she was in the right too. But you could've sworn Peeta's grip tightened around you — for a split second as if he almost didn't want to let go.

You decided to dismiss it, thinking nothing of it as you made your way back to Finnick and Katniss pulled Peeta into an embrace.

One that made you look away — for some reason.

"I thought you wanted to separate." Finnick confronted you sometime later when you were both leaning against a tree, trying to catch some sleep before sunrise. Your head rested on his shoulder sluggishly as you watched Katniss take the first watch from a comfortable distance.

"What?" You returned, unable to hide the confusion in your voice as you looked up.

"You saved Peeta." Finnick suddenly pointed out, but his tone was hard to label. Was he angry? Unhappy? Nonchalant? You couldn't tell.

"You said they were harmless." You answered, throwing his words back at him. But he didn't answer, instead, he looked down to scrutinize your features carefully — as if he almost wanted to decipher something, but couldn't. "What?"

"You saved him twice."

Your eyebrows knitted together. "I didn't — "

" — During the blood bath, when he was pulled into the water, you were willing to jump back in to save him," Finnick interjected, and you supposed he wasn't entirely wrong. You did go back for Peeta, but only because you considered him a friend. Someone who would, strangely, do the same thing for you. Or, that's the first thing that came to your mind anyway.

"Where are you going with this?" You eventually asked, trying to read the emotions that flitted across Finnick's face, but — like always, there was nothing you could place a finger on.

"It's — just an observation." He simply said.

But you didn't like the tone of his voice, it made your skin pepper with goosebumps. If you didn't know any better, you were almost certain his tone was accusing. But of what exactly? You didn't know, he didn't elaborate any further.

"Mhm," You hummed, trying to move the conversation elsewhere. "I'm starting to get the impression you just want me to yourself."

Finnick stifled a chuckle, grasping onto the fact that you wanted to change the subject. "You? My gorgeous wife? I don't think so, no."

Your heart skipped at the word "wife". The truth was, you were still not used to it. And the word alone was enough to have your heart hammering against your chest. "Dork," You quipped, snapping your eyes to the side, but Finnick didn't miss the pink hues that tinged your skin.

"You're pretty when you blush." He teased, dissipating the tension in the air, as he curved the side of your face with the palm of his hand to make you turn to look at him again.

"I'm not blushing.” You argued, but it was a futile attempt when you felt the heat rolling up your cheeks. Naturally, Finnick pulled your face closer to his; until you could feel his breath pressing against your skin and there was barely a gap between you. Instinctively, your eyes dropped to his lips and he took the opportunity to brush them against yours.

"Sure you're not," Finnick whispered into your mouth before he allowed his tongue to sweep past your lips in a passionate kiss. As if he was almost needy; as if he almost needed to prove something. Whether it was to the cameras or himself, you weren't exactly sure, but you kissed him back — with equal fervor.

Until the sound of the arrival of a silver parachute broke you apart. For a moment, neither of you reached for it; allowing the item to land before you peacefully. After a few seconds, Katniss walked over to your spot and, subconsciously, your eyes traveled past her frame in search of Peeta.

"He's sleeping," Katniss informed you, just as Peeta's body stumbled into your line of vision. He was a few feet away, curled on the ground — sleeping almost peacefully. You nodded, trying to ignore the fact that she'd just read your subconscious thoughts.

"Whose is it?" Katniss eventually asked, eyeing the parachute on the ground with curiosity.

Finnick shrugged, pushing himself back to his feet. "I have no idea."

"Open it." You encouraged her, ignoring the way she narrowed her eyes at you. "Or not."

Katniss sighed audibly, but she eventually took your advice and opened the parachute. Curiously, you peeked over to catch a glimpse of a metal object inside alongside a note. "It's a spile!" She informed you, to which you only blinked — dumbfounded. "It's to access water."

Relief washed over your features when Katniss took the metal object and hammered it into the green bark of a tree. For a few seconds, nothing happened as you stood there watching; until a stream of water eventually ran out. After Katniss, you rushed to hold your mouth under the tap, allowing the water to wet your parched tongue.

And, it wasn't until Katniss was waking up Peeta and Finnick's back were facing you when you finally decided to search for the note that was attached to the parachute. But a chill soon kissed down your spine when you took the parchment paper in your hands and read through the letters:

Remember why you're here for.

— S.

Finnick was sleeping next to you, his arm was wrapped around your waist and his face was buried in the crook of your neck. The jungle was quiet — too quiet to your liking, but you supposed you could appreciate the silence as you warred with the thoughts inside your head.

To say the note scared you was an understatement. You were terrified. Because Snow was watching each and every one of your moves; listening to every one of your words. Unsure of how everyone else would react, you fisted the note in your hand before anyone else could read it. And when anyone asked about it, you simply answered it was from Haymitch.

But, now that you were lying down and thinking about it — one thing was clear; Snow wasn’t content with your choice of alliances.

He didn’t approve of them.

How could he? If you and Finnick were both reaped for a purpose and one only: to kill the Mockingjay. To annihilate any chances of her winning, to win over her sponsors, and to make the fight seem fair. And, so far, Snow had done his part of the deal; he’d placed you and Finnick under the limelight, made you both the Capitol’s favorites and even incarcerated you inside an arena close to home.

With tridents, especially made for you.

So, now, it was time for you to do your part too.

You swept Katniss a look, then Peeta. They were both sleeping on the other side of the ground; just a few feet away from you.

One wrong move and everything could go wrong very quickly. For you — for Finnick, and the thought alone forced a sickening feeling to retaliate in the pit of your stomach. Because you didn’t want to kill Peeta or Katniss, as much as she managed to get under your skin.

But if it had to come down to that, would you do it? Was Katniss right in mistrusting you after all? Would you really kill her and Peeta?

You exhaled pensively as your eyes searched for Peeta again — almost subconsciously. The mere sight of his chest rising and falling with each breath he took made your heart skip. Would you be able to kill him? His soft features, the strands of blonde in his hair, and his kind heart.

No, you thought quietly, not Peeta.

And then, as the thoughts quietened inside your head, something in the distance caught your attention. For a moment, you watched as a wave of fog slid into the jungle. Instinctively, the hairs of your arms rose and you pushed up on one of your elbows to examine the scene a little closer.

Simultaneously, Katniss stirred awake and quietly turned her attention to the mysterious curtain of fog too. In a matter of seconds, you watched as she reached to touch it with the tips of her fingers — and a scream quickly erupted.

“Run!” She yelled in pain.

Finnick snapped awake instantly, pushing your body behind him; ready to encounter an enemy, but to his surprise, Katniss clarified. “It’s the fog! It’s poisonous! We have to run, Peeta!”

Katniss helped Peeta climb back to his feet as Finnick beckoned you to run. For a few minutes, everyone sprinted, but the curtain of gas was expanding in every direction you turned. And it didn’t help that Peeta was tripping over everything on the ground either — he was weak, you could tell, perhaps it was the aftereffects of hitting the force field. So, without thinking, you gripped his arms securely and pulled him forward.

“Come on!” You encouraged, but your eyebrows jumped when he pulled his arm back. You opened your mouth to berate him — tell him there wasn’t time for this, when he intertwined his fingers with yours instead. Amidst the circumstances, you didn’t have time to coherent a reaction or a reason to let go.

Droplets soon sprung free of the vapor and landed on your bodies. You hissed in pain, it burned your skin searingly — like a chemical. After a few minutes, Peeta eventually fell to the ground and, despite your and Katniss’ efforts to pull back to his feet, his legs gave up.

“I’ll have to carry him.” Finnick eventually sighed, when there was a good distance between the fog and your group, and Katniss nodded.

For about a mile, you watched as Finnick carried Peeta on his back until he eventually collapsed on the ground too. You rushed to him, but the pain that seared your skin was equally as defeating, and, along with Katniss, you hit the ground almost instantly. But Finnick mumbled something under his breath, something along the lines of “go to the water” when you belatedly realized you were just a few feet away from the water that surrounded the Cornucopia.

After a few tries, however, you eventually faltered and turned to face the curtain of fog. But the chemical didn’t suffocate you as you’d expected. Unlike, it grew thicker and condensed as it suddenly pressed against a force field.

After a few minutes, it eventually went away.

“It’s gone,” Katniss murmured, but her voice was strangled and barely audible. “The fog.”

Your body was still twitching when you heard a wail slip out of Katniss’ mouth from somewhere close. Then you heard Peeta’s and then you heard Finnick’s. You tried to part your eyes when you eventually felt someone slide his hands under your armpits, but you couldn’t even do that. Naturally, you hissed in pain, but the action was abruptly interrupted by another pair of hands on you.

“I’ll do it.”

“I already got her.”

“Peeta.” The voice, you later recognized as Finnick’s, was dangerously low — as if he was suddenly speaking through his teeth.

Giving out a warning.

The only thing you could remember after that was your skin being torched. As Finnick pulled you into the water, a heart-wrenching scream ripped out your lips; as if you had suddenly been thrown into an open flame.

“I know, baby,” Finnick cooed, pressing a gentle kiss on the top of your head. “I know…”

After a bit, the blisters in your skin slunk back into your flesh and disappeared along with the pain. “Motherfuckers,” You cursed, falling back against your husband’s chest in evident exhaustion. “I’ve never run that much before.”

Finnick laughed, incredulous at your sense of humor. “You and me both.”

You didn’t say much after that, instead, you allowed yourself to indulge in the fleeting moment of peace in Finnick’s arms. But the moment didn’t last for long when you began to wonder if maybe— just maybe, this was a warning from President Snow.

And you needed to do your part of the deal soon.

Author’s Note

I’m back after a horrible writersblock! It took me so long to write this, I’m sorry, besties, but don’t worry, I have the rest of the chapters planned already. Anyways, I would really appreciate you guys could interact with the story! Lately, I don’t have that much motivation and reading you guys thoughts and comments on my inbox helps so much!

With that being said, I left some Peeta content for those of you who are #teamPeeta. Enjoy!

@serrendiipty @avoxrising@queerqueenlynn

@darlingsoulbeautifulthoughts@stayc-a-I-m

@chaoticcoffeequeen @wonderland2425

@leilani788 @nexxus13 @whatsupb18

@maxinehufflepuffprincess @meri-soni-meri-

tamanna @iwantmyredvelvetcupcake

@syd649 @flavorofsalt @wisewidowweasley-

blog@meikoo@mozz-are-lla

@nomorespahgetti

@aestheticOcherryblossom

[mama-ino]

Transparency

He'd not visited her. He simply was more present in the village, that's all.

It's not like he sought her out.

No. Not at all. She just happened to be the only adult competent of holding proper conversations with.

It's not like he was now standing in her doorway watching her gather her and the boy's washings.

"Look, I know why you've been around so much lately," she sighed. "He's a good kid. You should know that well enough," she lifted the basket.

"She is free to choose whom she spends -"

"Yeah, yeah, Papamaru," she smiled. "Rin really likes him, you know." While his features did not change, she saw the shift in his iridescent gaze. "Don't worry, I'll watch them while you're not around," her eyes smiled at him. "And if he does anything to hurt her, I'm sure Sango will even help teach her baby brother how a lady should be treated," she giggled softly.

He stared at her, "I see you have not fully integrated into wearing proper-"

"No," she scolded, "Don't you dare say something about my thermal dress! It's cold, and a kimono does not cut it in wintertime. I don't care about your 'proper' yadayada. It's not like I've access to- "

Before he registered the thought, he spoke, "Ask this one."

A nervous laugh escapes her after a moment, "No, that's a bit much."

He followed behind her to the river bed, the silence was heavy even for nighttime.

He grumbled in his thoughts, 'Let me be as clear as possible.' His fingers caught gently catching the obsidian strands, freezing her in her tracks. Her startled unblinking gaze slowly meeting his.

After a pregnant pause, she finally spoke nervously, "Do I stink?"

This was proving more difficult than he'd thought it would be...

[darling-heffron]

Hope you are enjoying the story so far! Let us know if you would like to be added to the taglist so you never miss an update!

Esra✨

Taglist: @malarkgirlypop, @mellow-human, if anyone else wants to join please let us know!

Chapter Three: Peace in Solitude

Sam POV:

Rotters, stinkers, prowlers, biters, the dead, the hordes, whatever you wanted to call them, they were everywhere. They infested the land like cockroaches, in the millions, in large groups, in small, by themselves, they had covered the entire east coast in a matter of days and they were slowly moving west. 

It had started a couple of days prior to Sam’s encounter, being secluded from the outside world in the base had stopped the reports from coming in. Everyone in that compound was clueless to the chaos that was happening around them, not knowing it was coming straight for them. 

After the attack Sam had run all the way into town, well what was left of it. The town was in disarray, buildings on fire as well as cars in the street, pile ups in the middle of the roads. The rabid people walking the streets gurgling and groaning just like the driver who had attacked her. 

The blonde had watched in horror as a woman sprinted from her hiding spot and into the road, screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so, not far behind a biter on her tail. 

Sam witnessed the mass of rabid people turn to the noise, they were quick to action. The woman had been swarmed and sucked under by the crowd of biters, she could hear the tearing of flesh and wails of pain from where she hid. The crowd slowly dissipated as the woman’s cries grew quiet, they left her, wandering back to the street aimlessly. 

The young girl covered her mouth as the lady began to writhe on the floor, her limbs twitching and jerking until she sprung up, eyes bloodshot as red tears dripped down her face. The now familiar noises sounded from her mouth, gurgles and groans.  

Sam didn’t want to believe it, surely it was some bad fucked up dream. But from everything she had seen, she couldn’t deny the truth any longer, the world had been overrun with zombies.

It sounded so fucking stupid to say out loud, but there was no other explanation, it was the only way to describe what was happening. 

Sam looted and stole. She raided any store she could find. The blonde stocked up on everything, going into supermarkets, clothing stores, and even the museum. She had packed her bag when she left the base knowing she was going to spend at least a good week living out of it. 

In the bag she had: ammo, fresh clothes, food, a water bladder that was still full, a tent, her sleeping bag, a map, a compass, flashlight, and a first aid kit. 

She was able to gather more food and bottled water, socks, thermals, underwear, and she had stolen weapons from the museum. 

Two axes, sheathed knives and a machete, listen, she wanted to be prepared. She still had her army rifle, tactical knife and her trusty boot knife that she had bought herself for her 21st birthday.

Sam was prepared, yes, but for once in her life she didn’t have a plan. She was aimlessly wandering, her only mission to be away from the hoards. 

The girl found that the cities and towns were where they gathered the most like a swarm; they ambled together waiting for some poor thing to stumble into their path. She watched them intently for the first few days trying to wrap her head around what exactly they were.

They were human, but not. 

The rabids held the body of her fellow peers but they didn’t act the same, never in her life had she ever seen anyone so unnatural. Their bodies moved in awkward ways as they staggered around, their animalistic noises sent shivers up her spine. 

In the first few nights she didn’t sleep. The adrenaline never seemed to wear off, and as soon as she was coming down, something else would trigger it, sending her panicking again. 

With no plan, Sam was unsure of where she needed to head. Did she leave? But where? Was there anywhere safe at all? 

Many of these questions were left unanswered, no power, no cell reception, nothing, Sam had never felt more out of control. 

The rabid’s moved slowly during the night, Sam tried to use this to her advantage. But it was more dangerous than she had thought. 

With the city being in ruins it was hard to make her way through in the pitch black. Sam found that though the hoards were slower, it didn’t stop them from hearing every little movement she made. 

Rule number one; Never move in the dark. 

Sam noted her first rule, though the cover of night was alluring it wasn’t worth the risk.

She laid out her map, scanning the area, Belchertown was where she was currently, the next closest city was Amherst. 

Sam noticed she hadn’t seen another living person since she had been in the small town. 

Guessing that most of the population was now roaming the streets ready to tear the throats out of any survivors they found. 

Maybe in the bigger city she would be able to find people, someone who knew something, who had answers to her questions. 

Sam was set on Amherst. The walk didn’t seem too long or treacherous. She was sure she had walked further during her tours overseas in full tactical gear, this would be easy. As long as she avoided all rabid’s she would be able to make it in one piece.    

The blonde made it to the small city alive. 

Away from civilization in the woods and rural roads she saw little to no rabid’s. 

Sam was able to make it to Amherst by day four. Low in stock, she was ready to gather what she needed again. 

The young woman stepped through the already smashed window of the supermarket, the shelves were nearly bare. Cans and food had been strewn around the place, from the looks of things people were grabbing items as quickly as they could before fleeing. 

She walked through the aisle picking up anything that seemed of use, tampons, bottled water, cans of food, matches, lighter, medicine and everything else that she could shove in her bag. 

“Hey!” A voice called from behind her, she froze. After not hearing another person’s voice for four days it felt odd to hear one again.

“Hands up, turn around!” The voice instructed her. Sam could tell by their tone they were trying to be stern, but the small waver in their voice was noticeable. 

Sam did as instructed, lifting her hands above her head and slowly turning to face the person.

She spun to see a man taller than her, his eyes weary and sunken, his hair peppered with grey. He pointed a gun at her chest, but Sam saw the tremble in his hands. The man had clearly never used the weapon, and he didn’t seem all too keen on doing so. 

“We don’t want any trouble!” The man spoke again, Sam couldn’t help but scoff at his statement. He straightened, readjusting his grip on the gun.

“You don’t want any trouble? You’re pointing a gun at my chest, and I’m clearly not armed, so who’s causing trouble?” Sam asked the man. Her no bullshit attitude often got her in trouble at school, but she couldn’t help it. 

The man looked at his weapon and then back at Sam, a displeased look across her face, as if she was bored of being held up. She had places to be and more important things to do. 

“If you could hurry it up.” Sam said again, rushing the man.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” He lowered his gun, flicking on the safety and tucking it into the waistband of his pants. 

“We haven’t seen anyone normal in a while.” The man excused his behaviour, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Yeah, well, we are in a fucking zombie apocalypse.” Sam stated nonchalantly. 

“No, normal people too. They are just crazy, seems like everyone's morals have flown out the window.” The dark haired man explained. 

“What do you mean?” Sam inquired, she needed to leave and wanted this man to get to the point, if he held her up for no reason she was going to be mad. 

“Well, there was this group of men who stopped us and threatened to kill us if we didn’t give them all of our supplies. So we did, they stripped us of everything.” The man described the events that had taken place. 

“So why are you holding me up?” Sam was getting tired of this, he needed to get to the point quickly. 

“Well I saw you pick up some medication.” Sam raised her eyebrows, as if to say, ok and?

“My daughter’s sick.” The man’s eye flicked over his shoulder. From behind the shelf a woman and young child stepped into view. 

“What type of sick?” Sam asked, her hand twitching wanting to be placed on the gun at her hip. 

“Not that sickness! She has a medical condition, she’s in a lot of pain due to it. We can trade you-” The dark haired man tried to barter. But Sam reached into her bag pulling out the bottle of analgesic medication and tossing it to the man. He looked at her shocked, not quite believing that she had so easily given it up.

“Next time just get to the point.” Sam said, turning on her heel and tossing her now full bag onto her back. 

“Where are you headed?” The man asked, Sam looked over her shoulder sighing. The girl moved to face the man again since he started talking again.  

“Not sure. You know of anywhere safe?” Sam asked, the woman and the small girl came closer to the man’s side. The young girl hid behind the leg of her father, peeking around to look up at Sam. Her big brown eyes were wide, a faint smile crossed her lips before she hid again. 

“There has been talks of a safe haven going up in Idaho, around Boise they say. That’s where we’re heading.” The dark haired man told her.

“The army base?” Sam knew of the other reserves based around the country and there was one close to the small town of Boise. 

“Yes, there.” The man confirmed. 

Sam cursed, would they even allow her in if she deserted? 

A lightbulb went off in her head, no one saw her leave and when she was back in the base everyone had been attacked. 

There would be no confirmation of her leaving, she hadn’t been caught. She could go there and seek safety with no questions asked and being the daughter of a high ranking General they were sure to let her in. 

“Sounds like a good plan.” Sam said out loud. 

“Would you like to come with us? Since we are all going to the same place?” The tired looking man asked a little too eagerly. The wife nodded her head as well. 

They wanted more protection. They looked like a normal family, one that wouldn’t know much about surviving in the wilderness or using weapons. 

Sam never saw herself as privileged in her experience, she never thought she would use them in her everyday life. Now that the world had come to this, she was more experienced than most people. 

“I don’t move in groups.” Sam stated, watching their faces drop.

“Are you sure?” The wife now spoke, stepping forward. Her eyes wide, as her hands found the small shoulders of her daughter clinging on tightly. Sam flicked her eyes back to their faces, she felt bad for them, but that didn’t mean she was going to join them.

“I’m sure.” Sam finally said, they sighed at her response, giving tight smiles to pretend they were stronger.    

“Well, I wish you the best then. Goodluck.” The husband said, turning on his heel to usher the rest of the group out of the dilapidated store. The wife followed behind but the young girl stayed put, gazing up at Sam. 

“Goodbye.” The young child whispered. Sam gave a small smile, watching the young girl run after her parents that waited for her by the door. The girl turned one last time, using the small teddy bear she clutched to wave goodbye. Sam sent her a small wave before making her way out onto the street. 

She finally had a plan.

A/N:

Ok so our girl Sam has a plan, hehe that rhymes. She's a bitch but she's not heartless. I think if I was in this AU I would be a rabid, I feel like I would be killed almost immediately, but maybe it would be fun to be a zombie. I would really perfect my groans, be super scary, or maybe like a comedic relief zombie, like I look funny, or I walk funny. Idk, I surely wouldn't be on Sam's level that's for sure.

[mochie85]

The Redwoods

Part 2 of my Wanderlust series.

One-shot Masterlist | Complete Masterlist

Summary: The first stop on your road trip through California to visit all the National Parks. And it's colder than you expected. Especially at night! Pairing: Bucky x Female Reader Word Count: 773 (a drabble, really) Warnings: Fluff. Flirting. A/N: This is for @the-slumberparty's July Monthly Challenge. I picked prompt #9, Cuddling for Warmth.

Your teeth were rattling inside your mouth as you held your arms closer to you. The five layers of blankets and the two layers of hoodies and thermals couldn’t keep the cold from seeping through to you and settling into your bones.

It had been a week since graduation. It was already the beginning of June, but Summer comes late to California. The days were warm, and California nights can get extremely cold. Especially this far north and high in elevation.

“Nugget, if you don’t stop shaking, I’m going to assume you are not cut out for this and I’m gonna drive us both home. OW!” Bucky screamed as you kicked him underneath all the layers. You hated that nickname. It annoyed you so much when he reminded you of how short you were.

“Your feet are freezing, woman! Aren’t you wearing socks?” he scolded you.

“No!” you muffled, hiding underneath your wool scarf. Your toes went on the hunt, seeking his warm calf to seep all the heat from his body.

“Uh, uh. Nope! Stop! You are not-” he swatted your foot away. “You are not warming your icicle toes on me!” You giggled as he successfully kept you at bay on your side of the van.

The vintage Volkwagon Bus, that you managed to spruce up from the many ideas on your Pinterest boards, lacked insulation and calking. Bucky noted and whined as the two of you spent the last week sleeping in the back of the "ice cream truck," as Bucky had once called it.

“You’re lucky cuz Smokey decided to sleep next to you to keep you warm!” You said out loud.

“Ya, he sleeps next to me because he can’t get over how loud your teeth are rattling!” And as if he was agreeing, Smokey let out a small grunt growl.

“Traitor!” you sneered at your dog. Then you pouted, giving Bucky your saddest puppy eyes.

“Don’t!”

“I’m not doing anything!” you pouted some more.

“It’s not gonna work. Instead, what I’ll do- I’ll just drive us both home. Where we can sleep in our own beds. Watch Netflix on my flat screen instead of your iPad. And use indoor plumbing like a modern-day person would!”

Bucky was angry and you can tell. You didn’t think he would get so annoyed. Was that how he felt this whole time? It was only the first week of your two-month-long trip. Would he be like this for the rest of the time? Maybe he’ll give up and just leave you in the middle of the trip to go home.

You heard Bucky sigh and then groan in defeat. He watched you as you spiraled into your thoughts. Your face turned from a sad pout into a depressed frown, trying to mask the feelings you had inside.

The covers lifted, opening the small space in between you. “Get over here.” 

You squealed as you rolled your way into his side, your back to his chest. “What are you 10?” he laughed.

“A lady doesn’t scoot!”

“Ha! But nuggets roll,” he mocked. Your feet sought his bare legs in revenge as he hissed inwardly at the contact from your cold touch.

“Hey, be nice! Be a good girl for me! I’m letting you steal my warmth here!” he growled into your ear.

His phrase caught you off guard. The low gravelly tone tickled something in you. It traveled all the way down to your aching core. Aching and neglected. And soon you didn’t need his body heat anymore. You were making your own! From the sheer bewilderment, you found yourself in.

When was the last time I had sex? Too long ago. That’s probably why you’re feeling this way. You can’t start thinking this way about Bucky! He’s your best friend.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” He asked.

“Nothing. I’m just- I’m just trying to get cozy,” you said adjusting and wriggling your body to fit his. He grunted at your movement.

“The sooner you get comfy, the sooner we can all go to sleep!” he chided.

You finally relaxed in his embrace. You could feel the heat from his wide chest on your back keeping you warm and toasty. Soon, you found yourself drifting off to the sounds of his breathing.

You must’ve turned in your sleep. When you woke up that morning, the first thing you saw were Bucky’s sapphiric eyes, heavy with slumber, focused on your lips.

Just kiss me! 

Lord, You did not just think that! OK! First things, first. As soon as you get home from this trip. You are finding yourself a boyfriend.

If you can survive Bucky, that is.

⬅️Wanderlust | Lassen Volcanic Park (Coming Soon)➡️

🏷️ @emarich7 @michelleleewise @coldnique @vickie5446 @psychospore @mukagentropy @lokisgoodgirl @silverfire475 @fictive-sl0th @springdandelixn @wheredafandomat @goldencherriess @peaches1958 @salempoe @thomase1 @kkdvkyya @a-witch-with-words @mischief2sarawr @sarawr-reads @vbecker10 @peachymallow @irishhappiness @cakesandtom @simplyholl @here4thefanfics @tallseaweed @holdmytesseract @immersed-in-mischief @joyful-enchantress @lovelysizzlingbluebird @lokisninerealms @kikster606 @glitterylokislut @loz-3 @slytherclaw1227 @chantsdemarins @the-lady-amphitrite @eleniblue @km-ffluv @lokidokieokie @n3rdybirdee @melsunshine @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokischambermaid

[tinderbox210]

Spocklaan Appreciation Week 2023

Day 4: Inspiration

-> OUTFITS

Starfleet Standard Uniform - Red and Blue Tactical Gear / Combat Uniform Casual Wear - Ladies Night vs Date Night Away Team Outfit - Rogue Mission Black and White Attire Black Leather / Time Travel Attire Dress Uniform Fairytale Costume - Dark vs Light Starfleet Field Jacket / Thermal Attire EV Suit Away Team Outfit - Alien Disguise Alternative Timeline Uniform Sleepwear

[witch-oftheflowers]

Blue Collar AU! Simon and Ximena~

AN: It's happening! Let's go I wanna see how these two are with their family if they didn't enter the military. And if they got together- enjoy!

Masterlist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early morning. Like always the pair woke up.

Simon's brown eyes stared at the ceiling as he debated to even get up. He rubbed his eyes a bit as he hum.

"Couldn't sleep papi?" Ximena's soft voice asked. As she rolled over a bit, her curls were in braids. Softly she was getting out the bed her hair was a mess as she did toss and turn often.

Simon nods his head as he ran a large hand through his buzzed short hair. His eyes shut for a second as he was thinking.

"Twas a bit 'arsh. But I'll manage." He got out the bed. He had a soft belly, but his built was still lean. He was fit due to his physically demanding job. He didn't mind it though as he was providing for his wife and kids-

"How's the little bugger doing?" He asked her as he was scratching his ear. Sleep was still clinging to him as he went into the restroom first.

Ximena scoffed as she finally got on her feet.

"Not gonna let the pregnant lady go first gringo??" She teased him as she started to rummage into her dressers. Grabbing he great scrubs along with a tank top for underneath.

Setting them on the bed she went out to the kitchen and made them both a cuppa.

Simon came out as he stretched a bit.

"Mamas where you at?" He called out

"Kitchen-" she coed to him as she was rubbing her stomach

He was dressed quickly. In his dark blue jeans, a long sleeve thermal black shirt. And his usual plaided long sleeve shirt, also black. His scuffled bear was noticable as he gave her a kiss.

"Little bug is a lot..but I'll manage.." she mention as he nods. Remembering he did ask her

"I'm sorry. Wish these buggers weren't all energetic." He said his voice gravely and worn..but he did what he did for the family they made. He'll do whatever the must.

"go ahead get ready. I'll make you cuppa proper." He smiled to her as he swat her arse. Letting her giggles reach his ears as she vanished from his sight.

He was pondering in his head if he should tell her. Someone he knew long ago asked if he was interested in becoming a firefighter.

He bit his lip as he knew it would bring in more for them. A bit riskier for him even. But he didn't mind the risk. He was thinking of his wife and kids. And with a fifth one on the way. He knew he needed to do better. His wifes an intelligent woman. A nurse but working her way to become a doctor. He wanted to help cover the school bills for her and the kids later on-

Ximena came back in wearing her uniform. Her hair was pulled into a bun as she gladly took the cup from him

"Gracias~ such a proper man" she teased him as she gave him a kiss. He smiled as he pressed his forehead against hers

"Xi.. I got something to tell ya." He said as she took a sip. Enjoying the taste of the honey he added.

"Hmmm? Dieme? What's wrong?" She asked softly as she glanced to him with worried eyes. Her eyebrows were knit together as she was taking in his words

"What if.. I 'ad a change in careers.." he stated as she watched him nervously sip his mug. The way his eyes were crinkling in the corners she could tell he was anxious

"For what? It seems like you've been thinking mi amor. Tell me.." she edge him on as she placed a comforting hand over his.

"A firefighter?" He said as more a question. He looked to her eyes seeking an answer before she spoke

"I wouldn't mind whatever you do. I just want you to know the risks and dangers. Besides that I wouldn't mind it Simon." She said as she gave him a firm smile.

"Whatever you decide just let me know. I'll cheer you on love. Be your personal cheerleader~" she teased him in the end as she pinched his cheeks

He smiled as he gave her a big wet kiss. Softly pulling her in for an embrace. He tickled her side and stomach a bit as she let a laugh out.

"You know what you do to me? You're to good for me Mama's. Way to good.." he whispered and teased her. Softly he smiled as he pepper kisses all over her chub cheeks

"Aye stop it- I'ma piss myself!" She swat his arm as he pulled away laughing..his deep chuckle filled her ears. Quickly he ran away towards the door

"I'll see you tonight-!" He echo the words out as he laced his shoes. Trying to avoid his wife's rage.

"Tonight my love~" she coed to him as she smiled.

The sound of footsteps filled the house as the front door closed.

The four kiddos came out as they smiled to their mommy. Three girls and a boy.

"Ok niños! Grandma and Grandpa are coming over. " She announced as they for excited.

Another exciting day for the kids ahead. And the two parents that love them. Yeah they'll figure it out with a fifth one

[giuliacolla]

A TRIP TO JAPAN

We recently flew from Milan to Tokyo for a 12-day holiday in Japan. The trip was organised by an Italian tour operator for a group of 12 people.

All in all it was a pleasant experience, firstly beacause Japan is a marvellous country and then beacause the group was well assorted: 3 young couples on their honeymoon, a middle-aged couple, and two mature ladies of our age.

From Milan to Tokyo we had an adventurous flight but at last we reached the Japanese capital.

If you visit Japan neither in April (cherry blossom) nor in mid-October (foliage) it won’t be crowded and two days in Tokyo are good enough to enjoy shopping in Shibuya, taste an ice-cream or pancake in Harajuku and visit both the Meiji Shintoist Temple and the Kannon Buddhist one without queuing. Moreover, as soon as you enter the beautiful park of the Meiji Temple, you breathe absolute peace.

Worth visiting is the nearby city of Nikko, where the Shikyo Bridge and the Futarasanjin are a World Heritage Site.

In the following days we had two nice excursions, the first one from Magome to Tsumagotwo, where you walk for 8 km in the ancient street that three centuries ago connected Tokyo to Kyoto.

The second walk was in Takayama, a beautiful small town in the mountains.

In the evening, though, we were quite disappointed: the dinner based on the famous Hida meat, booked from Italy for 300 euros each, we found out we could buy there for 30 euros.

We consoled ourselves at the Mercure Hida, where we had the pleasant surprise to get a complimentary access to their onsen (thermal SPA), wearing nice kimonos provided by the hotel.

The following day we went to Shirakawago - by the way, in all our trips by bus or train we were accompanied by absolutely well-organised, guides speaking Italian, provided by MTJ - where we witnessed the most beautiful village we have ever seen; then in Kanazawa we went to the Samurai Noumura house and its splendid garden Kenrouken.

We spent the night in Kanazawa at the Onyado Nono, where we enjoyed another marvelous onsen for free.

Then it was Kyoto, the former Japanese capital, where we spent the last 3 days

Here is the tea ceremony, followed by a tour of the ancient city of Higashiyama.

Then we visited the bamboo forest, the rocks garden and the Ryoanji Temple (World Heritage Site)

We then went to Nara, where, at the Todai-ji, we admired the biggest bronze Buddha in the world, and we had a nice walk in the park that hosts 1200 deer.

The last stop of our journey was the Osaka Kansai airport (designed on an island by Renzo Piano)

[bodycareapparels]

Bodycare Thermal Wear Set for Ladies - Best Winter Essentials

Stay Cozy and Stylish with Bodycare Thermal Wear for Ladies When the winter chill sets in, Bodycare becomes your ultimate companion in staying warm and comfortable. Designed with a perfect blend of style, warmth, and functionality, our Inner Thermal Wear for Ladies ensures you embrace the cold season without compromising on comfort. Known as the best thermal wear brand in India, Bodycare has…

[armisto1]

Why you need thermal wear for your winter holidays 

Anyone living in a region that witnesses chilly and harsh winters are likely to be aware of the hassle of wearing multiple layers. Wearing too much layers of clothing can impact your comfort level, and even diminish the aesthetics and appeal of your outfit. Hence, it is always a smart decision to buy the Best Woolen Thermal Wear to stay comfortable and fashionable even on the days when the temperature dips too low. In addition to not letting any chilly winds enter, thermals help in making sure that the body heat remains trapped and doesn’t escape.

[myassbrokethefall]

xf rewatch: ice/space/fallen angel

one thing about me is I know how important it is to stick to a consistent posting schedule. anyway here’s 3 more XF rewatch writeups after weeks of silence

ice

Ice doesn’t deserve to be just lumped in here, but I watched it forever ago and I’ve seen it a million times and no one needs my thoughts on it anyway. Biggest Ice takeaways this time through:

this is M&S’s, and our, first truly grownup episode. M&S have been faffing around in their shoulder pads debating about whether aliens are real and if a jersey devil could be a girl and and certainly getting in scrapes/close calls, but this shit is SERIOUS. like they could die. and they know it. and this ep feels it. they are scared, they are wild-eyed and sweaty in their casual thermals and this is not just investigating a Case or intellectual sparring. there is no remove. no one is wearing a suit or renting a car or buying an office sandwich from the cart. they keep getting in deeper and deeper and it is out of control and scary and real as shit

that exterior shot with the extremely fake Rudolph snowflakes is used, I believe my final count was, 472 times. and was hilarious to me each and every time.

ice is a magnificent ep, no notes. we knew this

space

Space is… not good, which is not news but allow me to attempt to pinpoint why:

pacing so bad. like in the beginning some stuff (conveyed mostly through stock footage) is happening and then suddenly mulder and scully are there and it’s like, a case I guess? this lady walks up to them and shows them this photo that looks like nothing and spends like an hour explaining it to them and is like the fbi has to investigate this! and mulder and scully are like oh, well we’re the fbi so we can do that. then they go to nasa and just stand around

listen I love, LOVE a good nerd infodump but even for me it was all getting deeply tedious and I ceased being able to, or having the will to, follow what was going on. And I just read and enjoyed all 864 pages of Seveneves. Having scully stand next to mulder and he has to keep explaining to her every space thing as it happens just adds this extra layer of shellac over everything. it’s like when you’re on a plane and you kind of half-voluntarily watch a movie in the row ahead of you through the seat backs. primo chris carter “tell don’t show.”

the whole car accident sequence is a facepalm from beginning to end. the car literally FLIPS OVER, michelle is in there yelling and sounding mostly just mildly pissed off, mulder keeps chirping “y’all right?” like she tumbled into a snowbank in a hallmark movie, then bodily drags her out from her flipped-over car that she is trapped under, and THEN scully goes “now, don’t try to move.” thanks doc! then michelle just goes back to NASA, with blood dripping down her face (which continues actively dripping throughout the scene, with no trace of a scar the next day). couldn’t hitting a tree have conveyed the sense of “a malevolent space monster made me lose control of my driving” just as well? presumably the car explodes as soon as they leave. and no one minds.

I realize this is not an easy thing to replicate on a budget, but my god “mission control” is sad-looking. it looks like it was filmed inside the janitor’s closet at a puppet theater. and the only person who works there is that one guy who I am informed was a canadian vj on MuchMusic and who has literally all the dialogue. (counterpoint: hard for me not to compare to For All Mankind, which does all this a million times better, but deeply unfair to do so since that's not only 25 years later but the theme on which this episode is kind of the saddest crackerjackiest variation is their show's entire job and budget.)

Mulder And Scully At The (NASA) Library: Approved. Love how they just leave the file they spent hours searching for when they run out.

what even was the motivation of the space/mars guy. to get back to space? to kill everyone? to kill everyone but only after getting back to space first? to bring down more space/mars guys to cause dramatically bad car accidents where everyone is fine? yes I know the REAL motivation is "give mulder and scully a semi-plausible paranormal reason to go to nasa and stand around"

the “everyone cheers in mission control because a scary/tense space thing was accomplished and everyone is ok” moment happened I think 3 separate times?? chris come on

this episode is still like 5x as coherent and watchable as any of CC’s revival episodes (other than Plus One).

one good thing is the space face morphing or whatever was super cool/creepy and holds up quite decently as an effect. also scully saw it!! well that’s cool! she doesn’t really seem to have any particular thoughts about that or anything though. you might think Mulder would bring that up more in the future. (morgan & wong: “well scully can’t SEE the paranormal thing so let’s have her juuuust miss it! twice!” chris carter: *file not found*)

I get that CC wanted to make a tense NASA episode, I like that genre of thing, and I appreciate that they took a stab at it but in the end, the execution was not the greatest. nor was the concept. ah well.

fallen angel

fallen angel was a friggin breath of fresh air after space, and I remembered NOTHING about it beyond a bit of Max and “the enigmatic Dr. Scully.”

the gordon/gansa ripping off of scifi classics continues apace as the whole evacuating for a “toxic spill” that is really a UFO is of course straight out of Close Encounters.

although I (correctly) complained about this in Space, I actually liked how we got sort of sideways-pulled into this one, with the scenario setup first and then we see Mulder (only Mulder) skulking around while we are flashing back to Deep Throat giving him the lowdown. immediately understandable that this is kind of an off-book adventure for him (leather jacket for forest hiking, perfect). And super satisfying when Scully gets her hero’s entrance to bail him out (and yell at him).

it was fun getting an idea of mulder as UFO Celebrity. always mobbed by fans while in air force jail. rough. (also funny to see his sheepishness at getting called out for writing an article in Omni about UFO sightings under a fake name)

Loved Scully getting pulled into some clutch doctoring. Just some great dimension for her as well/a reminder that she has her own areas of expertise and this FBI sidekick situation is not all she can do. (she is also still heartbreakingly in her "the government cannot do that! you are entitled to the truth!" phase.) I also loved when she marches glassy-eyed into Mulder’s motel room after a long rough night and wordlessly opens the fridge.

I liked the bit where mulder is talking about Max being an abductee and scully is all, mulder he's unreliable and he might be psychotic blah blah and mulder goes, scully you don’t get it, HE doesn’t think he’s an abductee, I think it. Also brings back a bit of what I liked so much in the pilot and earliest eps: scully being like mulder your crazy alien voodoo isn't gonna work on me!!! a martian didn't eat those livers!!! and mulder being like, scully, all I am asking is that you look at a scar and give me your medical opinion. he's not trying to talk her into anything and that's how he GETS YA

Interesting to see how they're still throwing out whatever alien concepts at this point. they are benevolent and send reassuring messages through the tv to loved ones? sure. they are evil spirits that possess astronauts' faces before killing them? got it. they're invisible/use cloaking devices to pass through lasers? duly noted.

I’m not sure the ending worked great but that’s ok. Gotta end it somehow. I found myself glad to know that we will be seeing Max again.

On a scale between Ice where Mulder and Scully are believably layered humans, frightened but determined, shakily wielding their authority one minute and losing their shit in realistically overlapping off-camera arguments in the next, and Space where they are sidelined Mary Sues in a half-baked NASA fanfic that could have used another beta, Fallen Angel is somewhere in the middle. Good ep, not great. But that yearning feeling that XF was so good at is present here. Something big is happening and it's JUST beyond where we can see. gotta see it. gotta keep searching. it's out there (the truth)

[tracybirds]

Lil whump list 30 - unfortunate choice of clothing. This screams Gordon to me 😈 personally, but feel free to play with it if it inspires you.

*hugs* thank you Gavii! This was a ton of fun because oooh the possibilities, but there's just one I could envision immediately <3 To anyone from Scotland: You have a beautiful country but apologies for any blatant errors you spot - this was written rather quickly! Once again taken from @gumnut-logic's "Little Whump List"

Will also tag in @katblu42 who asked for the same prompt (although a different pairing.... and I might have plans for that one provided I have time tomorrow!!)

Thank you again!!

30. Unfortunate choice of clothing

The air was damp, leaving a chill that bit sharply at Gordon's exposed skin.

He was beginning to regret wearing his regular attire, his bold boasts of a childhood acclimatised to Kansas winters falling short in northern Scotland where they were visiting Lady Penelope in her "Christmas" home.

He missed the golden, island sun. He missed the warmth.

A shudder ran up his spine as he walked through the dewy grass, the small droplets like ice. The fog pressed in close around him, the weak sun shining pale and feeble in the sky, unable to rescue him.

"I'm cold," he said, only meaning to state facts but unable to help the high whine that coloured his words.

Virgil sighed.

"Gordon, I told you to wear warmer clothes."

"I thought it would be okay!"

"It's forty degrees out!"

"I know, I'm in it!"

Gordon didn't bother to match Virgil's exasperated glance, unable to see past the shivers that wracked his body.

They reached the crest of the hill and Gordon couldn't look out across the view, unable to think of anything except longingly for the warm bed he'd been given and the fire he could have been tending at this very moment if he hadn't agreed to an early morning walk with Virgil.

Suddenly, he felt warm flannel draped across his shoulders and he looked up in surprise, instinctively drawing the shirt tight around him.

Virgil stood beside him in his white undershirt, brows knitted together as his deep brown eyes looked over him carefully.

"Put it on properly," he said. "You're an idiot, but that's no reason to freeze to death."

"How are you not cold?" asked Gordon, trying to downplay his gratitude. He did not want to admit to having been so foolish, not yet anyway.

He pulled the collar up high, nearly boneless at the sensation of all-encompassing warmth.

Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"I put on a thermal. I gave you layer number four."

Gordon said nothing, revelling in the steady glow that seemed to emanate from his own heart, but that he surely knew originated with Virgil.

Virgil nudged him.

"Ready to go back then, squid? Get you warmed up for real? I hear Parker does an amazing cappuccino."

Gordon pounced on his brother, grinning happily as Virgil's warn arms wrapped around him as they always did.

"Let's go back," he agreed. "And Virgil?"

"Yeah?"

Gordon caught his eye sheepishly.

"Thanks."

[souurcitrus]

Earth-18104 - The Inner Circle

Talking about some of my OCs and one of the important groups of my original Marvel world, as I have wrote a lot about them in my time-line.

The Black Inner Circle is a group or coven created by Elsa Santiago in 1652. At first, Santiago was loyal to the ancient mutant Apocalypse and faithfully followed his teachings and ideals of mutant superiority, believing that mutants (or Enriched) should be above the humans, as they were the first to appear in the world.

The Circle is formed as a cult, all members are mutants, but there are still others such as werewolves and some individuals endowed with magic and special abilities. They are all trained by Santiago and educated in the "ways of Okkara", basically indoctrinated to erroneously follow the ideals of Apocalypse.

The Black Circle is divided between three parts:

• Pawns - the "lower" members do not have a very important role in the coven/clan and serve more as soldiers.

• The Pillars - the five Pillars, who arr mostly children chosen by Santiago for their powerful mutant abilities, as telepaths or carriers of dangerous mutations. They are known for being Santiago's true "children" and can give orders to the Pawns. They are all made immortal by Santiago using Apocalypse's powers.

• First Pillar - Deianeira, the first member of the coven, found by Santiago when she was a child. She is a telepath/empath, she can enter people's minds, but only through eye contact, which is why Elsa makes her wear a band over her eyes or glasses. She is the most loyal among her sisters and follows her mother's orders faithfully.

• Second Pillar - Initially the title belonged to Amélia Smith, a witch trained by Agatha Harkness and member of the Daughters of Liberty. After being expelled from the sisterhood for using black magic, Harkness took her to Santiago and Amélia gained the position, becoming very loyal to Santiago and equally obsessed with Apocalypse and Okkara.

Amélia had a daughter with a mutant, Theodosia Salazar, and tried to use her to gain more power. She died at the hands of her own daughter and her tittle was passed down.

After Amélia, Beatrice Carvalho, known as Lullaby, was chosen as Second Pillar for her ability to control minds with her voice, which sounds like a whisper, hence her codename. Additionally, she can also fly and has a supersonic scream.

She is the shyest among her sisters and the most humble, taking care of the youngest children in the coven.

• Third Pillar - Theodosia Salazar, daughter of the former Second Pillar, she is called Inferno by her sisters because of her power to control fire and suck thermal energy.

Theodosia is brutish and cruel, Santiago always tasks her with heavy work. She was a member of the Avengers and an ally of the X-Men for a time, and they called her Firestarter until they discovered her involvement with the Dark Circle.

• Fourth Pillar - At first Tereza Márquez, known as Sanguinária, was the Fourth Pillar against her will. Santiago has a deep obsession with Márquez because of her fire powers, which she inherited from her ancestor, Etana of Okkara, Apocalypse's right-hand woman.

Tereza is not loyal to the Inner Circle and left the group a long time ago, but Santiago still tries to bring her back.

Santiago had a son for the sole purpose of using his powers, created with the help of Lady Sinister in her laboratory. Despite having her own name, she called her son Praga and gave him the rank of Fourth Pillar.

He is not endowed with a powerful mutation beyond the manipulation of his cells, which allows him to change his physical form; however, he trained in magic and became Master of the Mystic Arts. Like Lullaby, he is quiet and seems to be the least willing to follow Santiago, as he fears her more than anyone else.

He was a member of the Avengers and trained in magic with Scarlet Witch, until the Darkhold incident.

• Fifth Pillar - Umbra does not have a name. She is a teleporter and can move through shadows, which is why she has no face and cannot be seen in the light as it hurts her. She is rarely seen, so Santiago uses her as a spy for his plans. She is the youngest of her siblings.

• The founders -

Elsa Santiago is at the top of the coven, she is called Mother by the members and chooses only those with strong and useful mutations for her. She is over 400 years old and was chosen as Death Knight by Apocalypse, until she betrayed him and sealed him in her sphinx.

Her mutation allows her to steal the abilities of others through consumption and blood. If she consumes a small amount, the mutation she stole will disappear within a few hours or minutes. But if she consumes more, the mutation will be hers completely.

Santiago is very selfish, manipulative and cruel even towards her children, whom she brought close after isolating them and offering them a false sense of belonging and security. She is obsessed with mutant superiority and anyone who is part of her coven she views as her own property.

Selene Essex, Lady Sinistra, is not an official member of the coven, but she and Santiago have been in partnership for many years, ever since Santiago gave Selene immortality. She often uses the lowest members of the coven as experiments, with the Mother's permission.

The Coven has existed for 300 years. They had relations with the Akkaba Clan and followed the same rules as them, however, with the fall of the Clan, the Inner Circle had to hide, having countless sanctuaries connected across the world. The Inner Circle's greatest goal is to bring world conquest to the mutants or bring about the Judgment Day promised by Apocalypse.

[nervouslaughter05]

Of Monsters and Men Chapter 2: Welcome to Scotland

A/N: Here's chapter 2! I've had so much fun writing this so far and I'm really excited to see where it's gonna go!

C/W: mild cursing, some mentions of discrimination based on country of birth

Without further ado, lets dive in

Masterlist

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Scotland.”

“Finally,” Soap groans from the seat in front of her, unclipping his seatbelt and rising to his feet. “Thought A was gonna lose feelin’ in my legs.”

Ghost huffs from his spot in the seat beside her. “Quit your bitchin’, Johnny.”

She nods in agreement, waiting for the lieutenant to rise from his spot in the aisle seat before following suit. Standing after having to sit in a cramped space for so long is a welcome relief. She wished they were able to wear civvies for the flight though. As comfortable as these cargos she was wearing were normally–they were her favorites for that reason–they didn’t compare to the thermal leggings she had been wanting to wear. At least she could wear a beanie her dad had gifted her for Christmas the year prior.

“Language, Simon.”

Grizzly chuckles at the way Price was tiredly speaking to the taller man, and she’s reminded faintly of how her father would speak to her and the rest of her siblings when they’d get themselves in trouble.

They exit the plane, each of them carrying a bag with things to amuse them during their flight and also items which they didn’t want to have with their luggage. Their actual luggage was all checked–due to the size and weight of their duffles none of them wanted to go through the trouble of dragging it on the plane with them–and needed to be retrieved. Soap leads the way, steering them through the airport with ease stemming from landing at this airport so many times.

They were actually going to be conducting business near his residence, so they in essence had their own personal guide to keep them from getting lost.

The airport is bustling with activity, people hurrying across the white floors to catch their flights. Their group gains a few stares–probably from the cargos and the military issue boots they all wore-but Grizzly pointedly ignores them. She elects to focus on Soap and how out of place the three Brits and herself were going to sound wandering around the hills of Scotland. It inspires a fight within herself to keep a smile from breaking out, only imagining the expressions they’ll be wearing once they realize the way Soap talks when he’s all fired up is how everyone here speaks all the time.

Before she knows it, they’ve made their way to the luggage drop off. The conveyor belts remain motionless as the group strides over, not yet moving any luggage around to be grabbed. Soap huffs at the sight, leaning back against a pillar set up just a couple feet from the belt. They all stick relatively close to one another, waiting in the midst of the quickly growing crowd for their bags to be brought down.

“What do you wanna bet that Soap is gonna try to drag us to all the places he went to growing up while we’re here, eh?” she asks Ghost, looking up at him.

He makes this sound halfway between a scoff and a huff, something she has come to associate with his version of laughter. “Don’ need to bet on tha’. He’s gonna do’t whether the lot o’ us like it or not.”

Grizzly chuckles, about to make a further comment when the belt starts moving. A chorus of mumbles goes up, people waiting a little more anxiously for their luggage. The first suitcases come down, all bearing tags and markers to differentiate them and even one belonging to a child that looked like Lightning McQueen. A woman shoves past her with a little boy, the cartoon suitcase and a deep blue one being snatched up. The woman didn’t even bat an eye at how Grizzly was knocked aside, stumbling against Ghost with a soft curse.

“Ya a’right?” her lieutenant asks, steading her with his hands grasping her forearms.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

He simply nods as she regains her balance and steps back to her previous spot, taking a minute to calm herself down before searching the conveyor belt for her duffel. She sees it coming down the metal ramp, sliding onto the belt with a thump. Glad she’d decided to bring her poetry books with her instead of packing them in her bag like she normally did because of the rough way her bag was handled, Grizzly gently nudges past a few people and lifts up her duffel. Soap and Gaz’s, each marked with tags bearing their initials, slide down next, separated by a few suitcases from her duffel.

She returns to her spot by Ghost’s side, setting the duffel on the ground and settling her crossbody bag more comfortably on her back. They don’t have to wait much longer for Price and Ghost’s duffels to slide down. Once all of them have the duffels and have double checked that they in fact do have all their belongings (“Lads I’ve lost ‘nough things while traveling in the service to be cautious,” Price had told them as he looked through the neatly packed items in his bag), they exit the airport.

The crisp March air brushes against her cheeks, instantly sending a wave of goosebumps rising over the skin of her arms. It’s welcome, reminding her of the winters in Alaska growing up. Gaz curses, stuffing his hands into the pockets of the thick coat he wore and tucking his head down into the tall collar in an attempt to cover his ears. Price has a similar response, tugging his beanie more firmly over his ears. Ghost doesn’t have a reaction, but that comes as no surprise.

“Where the bloody hell is our ride?” Price questions, one arm around a shivering Gaz as his hand rubs over the younger man’s arm to try to warm him up with his other hand stuffed into his pocket.

“Oh come on Captain it’s not that cold out is it?” she teases, comfortable in her outfit. “It’s not that cold right, Soap?”

The Scot shakes his head, looking the happiest and calmest she’d seen him be for a while. “Nah. I cannae hardly feel ‘t.”

The two of them share a laugh, much to the displeasure of Price and Gaz.

“Well I’m sure Ghost is cold too,” Gaz retorts, sending a look their lieutenant’s way. “Right?”

Ghost shrugs, arms crossed over his broad chest. “M fine actually.”

Gaz grumbles under his breath about how the three of them were insane, Price agreeing with him as they wait for a van to pick them up. To the grateful mumbling of the captain and sergeant, a van pulls up to the curb and a man steps out, greeting them all with a salute and then ushering them inside while loading their bags into the back. Price slips into a row with Gaz while she, Ghost, and Soap all pile into the rear one. It’s a tight fit trying to squeeze back there, especially with the way all three of their shoulders brush together. However, Grizzly doesn’t mind since this has more legroom than the plane and that’s a major thing to be grateful for.

The driver, a British corporal based off of his introduction, slips back into his seat and pulls back into the flow of traffic, driving them to their destination. Price strikes up a conversation with him, and under normal circumstances she’d be paying attention, but right now all she’s focused on is the scenery of Scotland they’re passing by. With each pub and small store or bakery they pass by she’s reminded of the times she came to the country with her father growing up. Distantly she wonders if there will be a chance for her to visit any of them.

“What about ya, Staff Sergeant?”

She is snapped from her thoughts by the voice of the young corporal. “I’m sorry, can you repeat what you said?” Grizzly asks, this time actually paying attention.

“I was jus’ askin’ if any o’ the team ‘ad been t’ Scotland b’fore, Staff Sergeant.”

“Yes actually. Several times,” she replies, a smile coming onto her face. “My dad was born in a town not too far from Edinburg. Him and I come with my siblings to visit the family still here for holidays when we can.”

“Reckon they’d accept a surprise visit?” Price inquiries, turning to look back at her.

She rolls her eyes. “And risk losing a free babysitter by not? They’d welcome me with open arms.”

Soap chuckles, and she remembers he came from a big family like she did. He probably got treated in a similar fashion whenever he got time on leave and decided to come home. Thinking of her family lights up a small pang in her chest, wanting badly to see them. Maybe if they got some free time after this assignment before heading back to England she could drive to visit her grandparents, uncle, and cousins.

A gate looms ahead, blocking off the military base from the outside world. Ghost shifts next to her, slipping his phone into one of the various pockets on his cargos after pausing his music. Soap is downright squirming, eager to get out of his seat and move around.

The mental image of smacking him on the back of the head to make him stop moving in the cramped space of the backseat pops into her brain.

Before Grizzly has the chance to act on it, the van comes to a stop inside the gate in front of a building she assumes is offices. The driver turns off the ignition, allowing for the team to offload onto the asphalt. Gaz and Price hurry out of the single side door, already working on getting their things from the back of the van. Since she was in the middle seat, she slips out before the men on either side of her, laughing as Soap tries in vain to scramble out before Ghost. The lieutenant just shoves him back with one big gloved hand on his chest and squeezes through the gap between the two seats Gaz and Price had been in.

“A wan a bile yer heid,” Soap grumbles, finally allowed to exit the van once Ghost is out.

“Oh poor delicate flower,” she coos, hefting up her duffel onto one shoulder after stuffing her crossbody she’d brought on the plane inside. “Do you need a kiss to make it better?”

The Scot grins at that, leaning into her space. “A’d take any excuse to git a kiss from a bonnie lass like yerself.”

“Knock ‘t off,” Ghost orders, grabbing Soap by the back of his collar and pulling him away from her. “We ‘ave an audience.”

“Ya know I dinnae mind tha-OW LT!”

00000

“Your objective is to prevent the deal from goin’ through. If it does, then cut off its head as quickly as possible.”

Grizzly looks over the projected image on the white wall in front of her, taking in the details of the drone shot they’d gotten of a warehouse nestled within Dunfermline. It was about two hours from where they were in Stirling and less than forty minutes from Glasgow, meaning they needed to keep that in mind when searching for their targets. According to the intel they’d been given, an American mafia affiliated group who called themselves the “Eagles” had taken up business inside. Under normal circumstances, this would be left to the authorities in the area.

However, this wasn’t normal circumstances.

Based on what had been presented to them, the 141 was going to be facing a bust for a massive deal. They were talking drugs, weapons, blacklists, and more. It was gonna require one hell of a cleanup job.

She knew the paperwork they’d all have to fill out after this mission would be a bitch and half.

“I trust your team can handle this, Captain Price?”

The statement is worded like a question, giving off the illusion none of them buy that they were actually allowed to say no to this.

Price doesn’t take the bait, meeting the eyes of the man conducting their mission briefing. “Yes sir.”

“Good,” the man says with a nod, turning off the projector and flicking the lights back on. “Your team heads out at 2300.”

With that, they’re all dismissed. As she passes the man who’d conducted the briefing, he sniffs with an air of disdain around him, and Grizzly suspects it is due to her being an American. Not letting it phase her, she continues out the door after Soap. She encountered this plenty while on bases not her own housing primarily individuals from the various parts of the UK. This was actually the reason why she preferred being on bases holding other American units on an assignment.

With Price at the head, the team heads down the hallways of the base, navigating towards the barracks. There are several soldiers inside, all conversing noisily in their Scottish tongue. Soap hightails it for a few of them playing cards, instantly being roped in once they heard his natural accent. About a quarter of the total number of soldiers in the room were British, their accents a harsh contrast to that of the natives of this country. She notes dryly there aren’t any Americans in this barrack, but that wasn’t exactly unusual given the base they were on was really for the British Army.

“Johnny’s in his natural element,” Ghost comments, leaning back against the wall.

“He’s surrounded by his own species,” she affirms, chuckling at the sight of their sergeant arguing animatedly with another soldier, accent molding his words so thickly even she was having trouble deciphering it. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to drag him back once this mission is done.”

Her lieutenant makes that scoffing huff noise, likely thinking the same thing.

Grizzly sits on her bunk–the bottom one since the only open top bunks were on the other side of the room away from her team–and looks up at him. “What are your plans for until we head out? We have at least ten hours to go.”

“Make sure Johnny doesn’t get into trouble,” the man replies and she laughs.

“You don’t wanna interact with your species?” she teases, watching as he leans against the frame of a bunk bed behind him.

Ghost shrugs, voice passive as he speaks. “Already know what they’ll wanna talk ‘bout. Not tha’ interestin’.”

“Aw, so you prefer my company over theirs?”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

She chuckles, attention being drawn away by Price who had come to stand by her bunk.

“Never seen Soap fit in with a group so quickly,” he comments, echoing the same stream of thought she and Ghost were coasting over earlier. “Good for ‘im.”

“It sounds like you’re talkin’ about exposure therapy for a dog,” Grizzly laughs, watching as the Scotsman stands with the soldiers he had been playing cards with.

After exchanging several fist bumps and shoulder taps, Soap strides back to them with a pep in his step.

She chuckles. “Someone’s happy.”

“Ah shove off,” he replies, no actual venom in his tone. “If there was a buncha Americans ‘ere you’d be doin’ the same thing, lass.”

She shrugs, and Price seems to find the interaction amusing, almost like a dad watching his young kids play fight would. Gaz wanders over from where he had been conversing with some British soldiers, standing by their Captain. He seems to be glad to have rejoined them, and she recalls the man’s tendency to stick around them since trying to be around new people just didn’t appeal to him the same as the team he’d been with for years.

“Any ideas for how to pass the time?” he asks, stance relaxed beside Price.

“Just trying to figure that out,” Grizzly replies, scooting over on the bed and offering the spot to him.

Soap tries to swoop in, and she wrestles with him so Gaz could take the spot. Gaz laughs, pulling her further back onto the bed to slip in front of her in a move of pretending to defend her from the Scot. Soap huffs from his spot on the ground where she’d shoved him, trying again to climb onto the bed. This time he succeeds, taking Grizzly’s spot and leaving her sitting pressed against the wall the bunk was against.

“You little shit,” she laughs, climbing from behind the two of them.

They take it as their cue to scoot back, now resting comfortably on her cot. Grizzly grips the metal of the frame for the top bunk, one knee on the mattress. She grins, slowly moving back onto the mattress.

“What’re ya doin’, Griz?” Soap questions as she starts to move.

“I,” she replies, making a quick move and laying over both of their laps with her head propped up on her pillow. “Am laying on my bed. What’s it look like?”

Soap, who was holding her upper half on his lap, flicks her forehead and she smacks him in the stomach in retaliation. She hears the scoffing huff faintly, and it sends a little thrill through her. Price barks at them to knock it off, but if he really meant it his voice would have been much more stern.

00000

The med pack rests heavily between her feet. She’d placed it there for the bumpy ride to make sure it didn’t get jostled around too badly, but considering how badly they were all experiencing just that, it wouldn’t be a surprise if some of it was moved. Ghost is on her left inside of the vehicle with Gaz and Soap opposite them and Price at the wheel. They were almost to the safehouse where they’d be keeping stock of what was going on at the warehouse and also be far enough away that their activity wouldn’t be an issue. It was around forty minutes from the actual warehouse they were going after, meaning if something went wrong they’d be on their own for a while before any form of exfil or help would arrive.

To say that the stakes were high was an understatement.

“How’s everyone doin’?” Price asks, eyes never leaving the road in front of him where another vehicle was driving ahead of them.

“Gettin’ tired of sittin’ down, Captain,” Gaz replies, speaking for all of them.

“Almost there lads. Just a few more minutes.”

“Think my legs are gonna go numb if I sit for any longer,” she grumbles, trying to avoid slamming into the metal wall on her right on a particularly rough patch of road.

The minutes pass agonizingly slow, until even she is fighting the urge to squirm in her seat.

Normally, long drives didn’t bother her. Growing up in Alaska, having to drive long distances wasn’t unusual. During missions, there would sometimes be occurrences where they were on the road for several hours before they reached their destination. It could even be brought up the long flight they’d had to endure coming from their last base to Scotland.

She can still remember Las Almas, squeezed between the seats Soap and Ghost were residing in when the latter had hijacked a truck to get them away from Graves. That drive had been a good couple hours, though she supposed being so hyped up on adrenaline lessened the effects of wanting to get out of the vehicle.

They finally come to a rocky stop, Soap and Gaz exiting first while she follows and Ghost goes behind her. The ground feels firm beneath her and being able to stretch her legs after so long was a welcome relief. They wait for Price, trailing behind him into the safehouse. Grizzly, out of habit, finds herself slipping in between Soap and Gaz like she did on normal missions.

The 141 and the additional team sent out with them set up in the safe house, setting down their weapons and beginning to set up who would be taking care of what. Grizzly discovered she was the only medic present, something surprising considering the amount of spec ops soldiers there was here. However, she doesn’t question it and continues along, simply giving her usual rundown to the men on the other team about what it meant to protect her as a medic and if she was ever incapacitated in any way the various ways to treat wounds.

She had never been incapacitated in any fights with the 141 besides in Las Almas when Graves had betrayed them and one of his Shadows had hit her with the butt of their rifle.

“Any questions?” Grizzly asks, eyes sweeping over the five men before her.

“Yeah,” one of them says after a moment, gaining her attention. “What’s an American like ya doing w’ us, huh?”

Ah.

This was gonna be a long mission.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading!

Next chapter we should get more Grizzly and Ghost action (cause I know they're not interacting a whole lot rn but there's a reason for that) ;3