#maria b kids collection

[missvelvetsstuff]

No Benefits

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Reader and Bucky are best friends until a drunken hook up. Bucky wants a friends with benefits situation because he doesn't feel ready for a relationship but reader knows that will lead to a broken heart.

Then Sharon Carter comes to work with them.

Notes: Steve and Tony are around but retired, everything else is mostly canon

Chapter 10

Warnings: swearing, angst

Notes: I'm sorry this update took so long. I had a big dramatic scene in the meeting with Nick Fury planned but I wrote and rewrote it for three days and it just never hit right so, hopefully this works.

Lemme know what you think, I live for likes, shares and notes.

Nick Fury landed at the compound late Monday afternoon and went straight into Maria Hill's office to meet for over two hours. He left to go back to his quarters for food and sleep.

Maria immediately logged on to her computer to send a meeting invite to the Avengers for the next morning.

The team discussed the email over dinner in hushed and worried voices. Even Tony and Steve seemed concerned. Sharon was done with her treatment and appeared to be back to her normal self, even if she did act like the ankle monitor she was wearing weighed a ton. There was an ongoing investigation into when Antonia first gave her the serum, before or after Sharon became the Power Broker, so the ankle monitor helped Friday keep track of her and prevented her from going outside of the residence floor, common room and medbay.

Sharon grabbed the seat next to Bucky and was flirting with him, although more subtly than previously. Bucky moved his chair over as far as he could to get away from her until Sam elbowed him in his ribs. Sharon didn't get the hint and tried playing footsies with Bucky until he 'accidentally' kicked her in the shin while still wearing the steel toed boots he had on when he was playing keep away with Sam's shield earlier.

Sharon yelped "What the fuck Barnes? Are you wearing steel toes? You nailed me right in the shin. It's not bad enough that my other leg has that stupid monitor which makes my leg ache, if anyone cares."

Bucky shrugged "Shouldn't have been trying to play footsies." He smirked at her "and, No, no one cares. Maybe deciding to become a crime lord wasn't your best call, huh?"

Sharon shook her head as she felt her face heat up and stammered out "B-b-but I, I w-was just uh st-stretching mmmy legs."

Sam choked on his drink as he tried not to laugh "Fuck! Sorry, went down the wrong way."

Bucky smirked as Sharon glared at Sam then looked down swearing under her breath. "I helped you assholes and ended up an enemy of the state, I should have let Ross deal with all three of you."

Steve cleared his throat and looked at them like a disappointed father whose kids are acting up during dinner, which made Sam laugh out loud.

Tony sighed "Alright children. A little play to ease the tension is fine but this shit is serious. Fury is going to come down on all of us and I don't feel like taking his abuse for something that I wasn't involved with. You!" He pointed at Bucky and Sharon "And Romanoff, are the reason Cookie left so I vote for you taking the brunt of his anger."

Bucky looked down at his plate as he moved the food around. "I know and I plan on accepting responsibility for my part in it. I've been trying to figure out how to convince her to come back but I'm stuck. I'm open to any ideas."

Tony nodded, unconvinced "Riiight, good luck with that.

Well if anyone's interested, Romanoff is still in a holding cell while medical takes care of her. She's reportedly a difficult patient but seems to be improving."

There was a collective groan before Bucky shook his head "Pffft, not interested."

Sam snickered while Steve gave Bucky that dad look again to which Bucky just shrugged. "Well, I don't care. She's caused me too much trouble."

Steve sighed "She was being controlled, Buck. You can't hold her completely responsible."

"Maybe not but that doesn't mean I'm interested in her condition. I'm sure that the medical team will take care of her and it's not my problem. She was being weird even before all this drama. She tried to restart the whatever we had in the Red Room and I don't want her." His face dropped and he muttered sadly "I just want Cookie."

"Right, jerk." Steve looked around "It's getting late, we should all get some rest so we're up to dealing with this meeting tomorrow."

The others nodded and mumbled agreement before getting up to clean and heading to their rooms. Sharon tried again to talk to Bucky but he strode away too quickly for her to catch him.

Bucky tried to sleep but couldn't, like most nights since he pushed Cookie away he laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. Looking at the 'glow in the dark' galaxy and blue twinkle lights that Cookie decorated his room with. She said it was too impersonal and decorated with posters, soft pillows with matching blankets and such. All space related, galaxy patterns. Usually it was calming but not right now.

Now he spent most of his time either in therapy, writing to Cookie or wallowing. Feeling angry at being controlled again, feeling sorry for himself, feeling empty because she wasn't here.

He got up to sit at his desk and write another letter to her. The letters started as declarations of his love and apologies for his actions, whether he was in control of himself or not. Now they were a running commentary of each days events and activities, plus whatever topics branched off from that, like they used to have in the evenings after dinner. They would lay on his bed with his music playing softly, holding hands and staring at the galaxy overhead, talking about their day and whatever else came to mind. Sometimes they had stayed awake talking until the sun came up.

Bucky fell asleep at his desk as he was writing, only to be jolted awake by Friday. An alarm and reminder of the meeting in 1 hour. A hot shower didn't help wake him up so he headed to the kitchen for coffee. He grumbled the entire way, Fury scheduling a meeting at 5am was just cruel and unusual, Bucky knew it was just the beginning of the punishments they would endure until things were set right.

Just to ensure that this day was shit from the gate, the first face Bucky saw was Nat, in the kitchen. He sighed and cursed his luck.

Nat smirked "Morning Barnes, you look like you haven't slept. I can come by later and help tire you out." She practically purred.

Bucky scoffed "Hard pass." Proud of himself for remembering some of the current slang that Cookie had been trying to teach him. As he looked down he noticed Nats ankle monitor and chuckled "Nice jewelry you've got there."

Nat scowled at him "Fuck you, Barnes."

Bucky smirked "In your dreams" as Nat stomped off.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and headed towards the conference room where Steve was already waiting. He grunted a greeting to Steve and took a seat. The rest of the team trickled in until a few minutes before 5 when Nick Fury strode in, Maria Hill following right behind. Tony ambled in shortly after and sat down.

Three hours later, everyones ears were ringing from the yelling. As they walked out of the conference room, Bucky and Sam were arguing over how many times Fury hollered "mother fucker/s" over the course of the meeting.

Sam just shook his head "I've never met a man who could yell for that long without losing his voice." He looked at Bucky then towards Sharon and Nat

"All y'all better get your acts together because if I ever have to sit through 3 hours of being yelled at by Nick Fury for something I didn't do again, someone's gonna pay."

Fury had cancelled all leave, every extra perk the team had and assigned additional training and chore duty. None of them would be having much fun anytime soon.

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

Every day Cookie came home from work there was another letter from Bucky. She ate dinner alone, staring at the stack of letters, afraid to find out what they said.

Every time she thought about it she started thinking he was ending their friendship for good, then argued with herself that he wouldn't keep writing if that were the case.

On Friday night she sat on the couch eating takeout with the news on in the background. It almost felt like the letters themselves were calling out to her. Once she finished eating she cleaned up her mess and poured a second glass of wine. She sat back on the couch, turned the news off and turned some soft jazz music on before looking at the stack and sighing.

Cookie took a long drink of her wine before finally picking up the first letter. She looked over it for a few minutes, searching for any hint of what was said inside but it was just a plain envelope with Bucky's writing.

She carefully opened it and pulled the papers out. She took another drink to calm her nerves and unfolded the papers, gasping when something fell out, onto her lap. She looked down and her eyes grew wide as she picked up Bucky's dog tags. He never took them off, being one of the few items left from his past, he was very attached to them.

Cookie looked at the tags only to notice a second pair of tags. They were nicer than the set the Army gave Bucky when he enlisted. They had his full name and nickname, birth date with his birthstone and instead of his serial number it said 'Property of Y/N Y/L/N, bka Cookie, please call or return to the Avengers compound.' She laughed and couldn't hold the sob in.

With tears running down past the smile on her face, she put the dog tags over her head, held them against her heart and started reading.

Dear Cookie,

I'm not sure where to start, I have so much to say and the words keep getting mixed up in my head.

I miss you, more than I ever imagined missing someone. This place feels empty and cold without your warmth, your smile lit up my days and now everything seems dark.

I'm so, so sorry for everything, I never wanted to hurt you. I've only ever wanted to love and worship you like the goddess you are.

You probably already found my dog tags, I want you to have them. The other set were kinda meant as a joke but it's true. You own my heart and I think you always will.

I knew, that first day we met, that you were it for me. I know it might not have seemed like it at first but you scared me. The way my body reacted to your simple handshake scared the Hell outta me. I was a mess and you were so beautiful and smart. And caring, patiently waiting for me to come out of my shell. I know you deserve a better man than me but my time with Doctor Raynor has taught me that I do deserve happiness and good things.

The night we spent together was the best night of my life. I was finally feeling like I could be the man you deserve and even if you hate me and never want to speak to me again, I will Always hold the memory of that night, of being with you, making love to you, that feeling that everything is exactly how it's meant to be. I'll never let that go, even if I live another 107 years.

I'm sorry that our bliss was destroyed so quickly but if you let me, if you want to, we can rebuild it into something stronger.....

The letter went on with an update on life in the compound and Bucky's thoughts about everything. Cookie skimmed through that part, Sam had been keeping her updated on the gossip so she barely paid attention.

The letter finished....

I hope you are happy where you are now and I'm sorry for avoiding you. I didn't think I deserved your forgiveness or grace but now, I'm hoping I can earn both and prove to you that nothing is more important to me than your happiness.

All my love,

JBB

Cookie held the letter and dog tags to her chest as she cried herself to sleep, a deep restful sleep like she hadn't experienced in a long while.

@erelierraceala @capswife @ozwriterchick @cjand10 @wintrsoldrluvr @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @browneyedgrli @greatenthusiasttidalwave @hhiggs @dontworryboutitsweetheart-blog @behindmygreyeyes @pattiemac1 @calwitch @mrs-bucky-barnes-73 @ordelixx @blackhawkfanatic @casey1-2007 @scott-loki-barnes @selella @hiireadstuff @winterschildren8

Chapter 11

[maangajuice]

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

BLEACH Headcanons

this is 100% my own headcanons, i do this for fun bc i have severe bleach brain rot! excited to write more for the first time in awhile.

please do enjoy. feel free to comment + request xx

── .✦ shinji hirako [my fave]

.✦ let’s be real, shinji loves jazz and you don’t think this man ever took the time to learn how to play at least ONE INSTRUMENT? i KNOW he would love playing the saxophone + bass guitar.

.✦ his favorite jazz artist would def be either julie london or billy holiday. no question abt it.

.✦ bro definitely smokes weed are you serious?! he’s well versed but… somehow i get the feeling he prefers sativa / hybrids. pearls every joint he rolls and only uses papers.

.✦ POC lover through and THROUGH— this man is def bisexual. he isn’t vocal abt it but is vocal abt how much he LOVES his s/o.

.✦ light academia is his FAVORITE style.. however i can also see him dressing himself like an italian man- as long as he gets to wear his slacks.

.✦ would also love k-pop (100% stans newjeans) !!! 2010s r&b on rotation heavy, plus a huge bedroom pop fan (men i trust + the marias HEAVY)

.✦ huge history nerd- esp from the 20s-70s

.✦ 10000% texts like a gen z kid with brain rot. loves tik tok memes and most def a twitter comedian.

.✦ hugeeeee hopeless romantic, i know he has a collection of romance novels

.✦ secretly needs reading glasses and never lets anyone see it on him— he has a strict night routine.

.✦ collects vinyl ! loves vintage vinyl but wouldn’t mind spending a pretty penny on a nice one.

.✦ super into noir + classic films.

.✦ why do i get the feeling he is such a cappuccino lover? genuinely enjoys making drinks (alcoholic or not-)

.✦ this man has severe ADD- can yap for hours beyond hours but also loves to listen to others. info dumping is his favorite way to communicate but rarely gets the chance to and often imposes when he gets excited.

.✦ enjoys nature walks— would often go on hikes early in the day or late just to watch the sunset/sunrise. as much as he loves to hangout sometimes, he genuinely loves his alone time.

.✦ writes the most heart touching poetry. even goes to open mic night at a local jazz/poetry club.

[dark-elf-writes]

I see your Percy biting things

And I raise you Percy biting things with tiny shark teeth

(Feral unhinged Percy is everything to me)

Demigods having physical markers of their godly parents is such a great idea and I’m screaming about it. Like even if it was a just a big three kid thing to show how other they are l

Percy with tiny shark teeth that never stop growing in. Sally has dozens upon dozens of tiny razor sharp teeth she’s collected over the years because A) she can’t leave them with her son who will find a way to hurt himself on his own teeth and B) even with the mist getting rid of that many shark teeth is going to raise some eyebrows. This spent help with her son’s goal of becoming a shark when he grows up.

Nico who from a young age always seemed more shadow than not. Who blends into the darkness. Maria had to get Hades to set up some sort of godly powers nightlight so she wouldn’t lose her son the moment the lights went out. Bianca having the opposite problem. In the right light it looks like her skin is translucent, showing the bones underneath. Hazel having actual strands of gold in her hair with gems constantly popping up in her curls. Sometimes if the light is right you can see gold flowing through her veins.

Thalia and Jason both covered in Lichtenberg scars that glow when they’re angry up stressed. The highest concentrations are around their hands and eyes making their already too bright eyes glow like gas lamps when they’re upset

Just the big three kids all being other and unsettling because of all that godly power in them

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Morally Questionable Anime Milfs Side B Round 1 Match 3

Propaganda:

Echidna -

"(spoilers) Echidna is the Witch of Greed (her Greed of knowledge being the biggest part of that) and around 400 years before the protagonist of the series is relevant to the plot line, Echidna created an artificial spirit named Beatrice (she refers to Echidna as "mother"). At some point after Beatrice's "birth," she's instructed to watch over a room that sits in a separate dimension in a mansion the protagonist goes to that's called the Forbidden Library (it's full of Echidna's book collection).

Beatrice was instructed by Echidna—Mother—to wait and guard the Library from anyone until someone she was simply told was "Them" would come to the Library.

Beatrice waited for 400 years by herself practically for that "Them" to show up and take over.

When the protagonist eventually speaks to Echidna and asks her about Beatrice and who this "Them" is, she admits that she never had anyone in mind and that it was a scientific exparament (more or less) to see what Beatrice would chose eventually do or who she'd hand the Library over to.

Tl;Dr local scientist-witch creates artificial daughter, tells her to wait in a room for someone to come say the magic word and she ends up waiting for more than 400 years because there was never a magic word. Her mom's mentality boils down to "lol I wanted to see what she'd do".

Very morally questionable thing to do to your daughter who you created to never disobey you and a great way to give your adorable daughter CENTURIES of trauma."

Maria -

"Mother who gets revenge on her son's school bullies after they kill him with no remorse. She's equally fucked violence-wise, but she's killing kids who killed her kid, so it's maybe fine? She's like extremely gorgeous so I forgive her."

[skaruresonic]

Eggman and Starline for the bingo?

Eggman:

I am so normal about them - Eggman is fucking awesome, what else do you want me to say?

I have so many headcanons - don't ask me about the Cousin AU because you will get a novel's worth of headcanons

A Beast Unleashed - he scawy :3c

My friend's favorite, the blorbo by proxy - technically Eggman is in my top 3 favorites now, but I was originally neutral on him until blogs like Crusher's and Julian's showed me how awesome he really was :D

Everyone else is wrong about him - (slams fist on desk) he says 3 TIMES IN SA2 THAT HIS MOTIVE IS WORLD DOMINATION, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING "AVENGE GERALD" FROM

Canon isn't real - I'd rather believe NANANA is just a fever dream, as well as some other Egg Memos. (also finding it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that Ivo and Maria are related via two sons rather than a son, Ivo's father, and a daughter, Maria's mother. idk man that just doesn't seem right)

That's a solid design right there - and yet, drawing the goggles trips me up every time ;A;

They are So Silly - he funny and scawy :3c

Bastard - Eggmanland is so traumatizing that it gives players 'nam flashbacks. And that's just a taste of what he wants to turn the world into. Noice.

I fuck with this aesthetic so hard -

---

Starline:

I am so normal about them - if my recent posts have been any indication, it's that Simpline lives on in my heart. also the fact that he's still my AO3 avatar :B I want their gender - I wish my fashion sense was as immaculate as Starline's

Everyone else is wrong about them - he was better as an eggsimp. he needs someone more dominant to play off of. he's not a strong enough character to run the show by himself. not to mention, "Toothpaste Snively" is funny xP

Fandom is so mean smh - is it just me, or did fandom collectively decide to dunk him in the trash when Flynn did? Saying he "deserved it" and everything? Yes, he was a scumbag, but did even he deserve a gruesome death following a mental breakdown and for his life to be summed up as "big oof"? It just feels... meanspirited.

Canon isn't real if I don't look at it - Starline didn't die after breaking up with Eggman. He just went cray-cray for a while after Eggman betrayed him and he wound up crawling back to his ex, Bordeaux :)

That's a solid design right there - probably the only one that's halfway decent out of the IDW-exclusive cast lol

They are So Silly - gets caught up in an avalanche and fusses that they ruined his "perm" xP

They didn't get bullied enough - he needs to be ground under Bordeaux's stiletto :D

Squeak - his windpipe certainly squeaks when Eggman uses him as a stress ball it's fun putting him through humiliating situations. Starline degradation kink is 100000% canon. I bet the director's cut of IDW had a deleted scene where he served as Eggman's footstool

Bastard - not nearly enough to surpass Eggman's villainy, mind you - does he even have a body count? lol. lmao, even. rofl, if you will - but I have to admit kidnapping kids and brainwashing them is prooooobably not all that ethical xP

If anything happens to them I will cry - yeah I was sad when he bit the dust. what about it

[woosh-floosh]

JANUARY MEDIA ROUNDUP

Here's everything notable I watched/played/listened to in January yay!! All the yewchub videos and music are linked (and also there's spoilers for the ending to season 5 of Fargo). Let's a go!!

SUPER MARIO RPG

Fun RPG! I see why it’s kept the reputation it has! I love Mario!!!

OLDER, SLOWER B/W EVERYTHING REAL IS FREE - GODDAMN WOLVES

I don’t know what changed with Seven Days a Week/Ah Maria but I’m really digging the latest Goddamn Wolves. I prefer the first song but the second one has a real Fountains of Wayne sound to it.

BARBIE

It’s fine, doesn’t live up to hype at all for me. Extremely hamfisted, shallow, babies first feminist message. Doesn’t seem to be interested in exploring anything deeper. The girl calls Barbie out when she first meets her for all the reductive views of women she represents and this never gets explored! The image of womanhood and femininity it represents is narrow and alienating for someone like me. White feminism at its peak.

IDK I guess it’s fine for preteens who are first being introduced to feminist thought, I probably would have liked it more at 11. But… can’t we do better now?

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

It’s fine I didn’t pay that much attention.  I liked Helena, I think she’s a good foil to the older Indiana Jones. There’s a lot of noticeable CGI and fake places and that made me sad. Half an hour too long.

Deepfake Harrison Ford is so scary

TASKMASTER CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS THREE

So fun and funny ^_^ I’ve been rewatching TM NZ with my parents and it’s good… but when you go back to UK you think “Why do I even watch the other versions, nothing could ever top this.”

They also announced the Series 17 line up! I only recognize Nick Mohammad from the couple episodes of Ted Lasso I watched.

BUBBLY - GOOD KID

Seems like everytime a new Good Kid comes out I think “this is good and awesome, their songs seem to keep getting better and better.” I think I am just a bigger Good Kid fan than I want to admit!!

FARGO - SEASON 5

Really good!! Lots of themes to dissect. I was mainly focusing on the theme of misogyny throughout but the finale brought in themes of religion and debt that I hadn’t thought about.

Very glad it stuck the landing in the finale. The ending scene was really funny, and thoughtful and sweet.

Going into the finale I knew they were going to give an ending to the character arc for Lorraine. I was worried that the fact that runs a debt collection agency was going to go uncommented on and thought “the only way I would come around fully to her character is if she forgives all the debt she owns.” The finale has her starting a fund to forgive the debt of prisoners specifically to fuck with the one guy she hates is 1. Very funny and 2. Perfect for her character.

PINOCCHIO IS A STORY ABOUT ART AND GOD - JACOB GELLER

The best video essays are the ones that make you want to gaze out of the window after watching, Jacob Geller consistently does it for me

Thinking about how there is an “other” component to Pinocchio. He’s a little wooden boy but not a “true” boy. Most stories end with Pinocchio becoming a “real boy.” Geller brings up how the story can be about being human, but at the same time becoming a real boy takes away the thing that’s special about him. A Pinocchio story about embracing his own difference and how that doesn’t make him any less of a real boy (because he was a real boy all along!) would make an easy trans metaphor.

Pinocchio also having to learn about the world from a lower baseline than other children seem to have (and being much more gullible) also makes an autism reading easy.

The comments are filled with people saying “You forgot about this story!” and “What about this reading?” that I think this video hit a lot of people the same way.

THE TRUTH ABOUT POINSETTIAS - INDIGO’S FINDINGS

that's a hell of a mystery no one thought was a mystery and didn't even really need solving but damn if it didn't just get solved so nice work

In all honesty, a really good deep dive about a tradition most of us take for granted.

MOONSONG / LAST BATTLE [NEW REMIX] - RADIATI0NAL

You can really hear the homestuck influence in this, I love it

Wish they were working with a bit better samples though

LA LA LAND

One of those movies that makes me go “Wow! This is a really well made movie! Must be amazing for someone who actually likes musicals, romance movies, and classic hollywood.”

SHE SENDS KISSES - THE WRENS

IT NEVER ENDS

Reminds me of the Fargo main theme, even though I don’t think they actually sound that similar? Might just be a me thing

TASKMASTER MINNESOTA - SEASON 2

Wah! I’ll miss you Taskmaster Minnesota!! Wah!!

Way better than last season thanks to the better equipment (I also think Carter makes a much better Taskmaster than Luke, though I think Luke was pretty good as a fill-in contestant!)

David Ha (and whoever else) is extremely good at making up tasks. Multiple tasks that made me think “they should do this on Taskmaster UK!” or use the setting so well it’s perfect

DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: THE DARK PRINCE

Monsters…

The performance is BAD, the environment textures are BAD, the story is BAD, but those monsters? But those monsters.. Those monsters are damn good

The end ended up being pretty grind-y, I think dragon quest games are known for that, but still a bit of a bummer way to end what I thought was a pretty fun game!

The gameplay loop of synthesis is addicting, every new area feels like an iceberg where beneath the surface are all the new monsters you can make in synthesis!

The ranking system also pushes you to change your team throughout the game to add those higher ranking monsters to your team. One of my problems with pokemon is how the game starts to grow stale once you have a full team. Dragon quest monsters and Yo-Kai watch both side step this problem and keeps the gameplay fresh to the end!

I’m curious about playing the older entries now!

My favorite monster is every slime and Imp

LEAST FAVORITE THING: When Jacob Geller brought AI: Artificial Intelligence in his Pinocchio video and I had to remember how much I hated that movie. We watched in Philosophy class. We didn't even discuss it, we just watched it.

[startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs]

I told you I loved Doctor Genevieve, right? She's still my favorite, Em!

So you talked to Dr. Genevieve again, and in her cool and collected voice, she said, "If something is broken, you either take the time to fix it, or you abandon it. And when it's a relationship, you don't have the luxury of making that decision alone. Do you want to fix it or abandon it?" "I want to fix it," you replied easily.  "And what did your husband say when you spoke to him?" Your heart thudded in your chest as you replayed the facetime conversations in your mind and whispered, "He wants to fix it, too."  She nodded. "Then you'll both take the time to do that."

They're going to fix this! YES! Damn straight they are!

Instead of hiding in your office, you made your way down to get a burrito bowl for lunch. "Is this seat taken?" you asked Jake, kicking the leg of his chair with your boot and nodding toward the empty seat across from him at the small table.  "Angel," he said, meeting your smile with a look of panic. "You know I love you, right? But I saved it for Cat. Unless she decides to bail." "Oh," you gasped, a little surprised by that. When you, Javy and Jake had gone out for pizza two nights ago, Jake claimed he was going to let Cat decide if she wanted to try to be friends with him, but you knew he was hoping for more. He sat on your couch with Jeremiah until Hondo showed up, and Jake didn't back down against the glare from Cat's Uncle. "Guess she's into the idea of hanging out? That's good?" He kind of shrugged. "Listen, all I want to do is make out with her and hold her kid, but don't tell her that, alright? Oh, there she is." "She didn't bail," you murmured, watching Cat make her way toward you. When she saw the small table with only two chairs, her steps slowed.

Jake and Cat are hanging out! Can you see me, Em? I'm doing a little dancey dance in my seat at the thought of the two of them finally making some progress!

Cam smirked and said, "Oof. Lieutenant Commander Mustache returns home to his little wifey after his long, hard deployment. Sounds like a Lifetime movie." "I don't know," Maria added. "You said long and hard. Kinda sounds like a porno." You sat with your forehead on your tray as you shook with silent laughter. "Maybe it'll be a bit of both?" Cam stole a bite of your burrito bowl as he said, "Report back."

I'm so happy to be seeing more of Cam and Maria! So happy!

Bradley had been chosen as the spare. When Dean told him after he had dismissed everyone else, Bradley knew it was simply to add insult to injury. But he took it on the chin, saluted the admiral, and returned to his bunk. If Bradley said more than two words to anyone the following day, that was news to him. Nat and Bob gave him a wide berth as they got themselves prepared for the mission, and he appreciated that. He wasn't jealous of them, and he'd been quick to tell them that. And he knew they understood. This was a feeling that came along with the territory, he supposed. But this would mark the first mission he didn't qualify for, and he just needed to take a breather. 

That's impressive! Only one mission in his career he didn't qualify for! It makes it all the more interesting why he wasn't selected though. There is no way Slayer or Charmer fly better than Rooster. No way in hell.

"Initiate the backup plan! Option B! Strike the military base first and then head back around to the communications tower. Follow the flight plan for Option B. Please respond that you understand in order." Bradley climbed the ladder into his F/A-18 as he listened to Nat respond, saying that she copied Dean's orders. This was not a good sign that the plan was changing on the fly. There were probably loads of enemy aircrafts already airborne if such a drastic decision was being made, and Bradley automatically switched to the updated flightpath in his mind, even though he wouldn't be flying it. But being able to envision what was going on might help keep him calm. 

This is not good. Not good at all. Why do I think one of those little shits is going to do something to fuck up the mission?!

But a few minutes later, he heard the radar tech from the comanche give a heads up that there were some enemy aircraft nearby. And then Slayer said, "Everyone else stay on course, I'll switch to tack northwest and hit the communications tower first." Bradley lurched fully upright in his cockpit. He must have heard incorrectly. No way Slayer would deviate from the plans like that. But Bradley could hear Nat's panicked voice saying, "You won't have our laser guide! And we won't have your missiles! Stay on course, Slayer!" "I'm the leader, Phoenix. You stay on course. I'll loop back around. It will be fine."

I KNEW IT. Why would he do something like that?! He's leaving Nat and Bob defenseless. Not to mention how he's probably trying to play the hero and prove that he's better than Bradley. 🙄🙄🙄 Maybe Slayer should spend a little more time on his perch!

But Slayer was already gone. And now the comanche radar tech was reporting four more enemy fighters in the vicinity of the military base. Bradley pounded his fist on the side of his seat. Nat and Bob were completely fucking screwed. And so were Charmer, Mack and Terror. Unless all six aviators were working in unison, this was going to result in a tragedy.  "Come on, come on," Bradley chanted under his breath, his fingers already twitching along his control panels. He thought about his friends whose handful of missiles would only get them so far before they were dead without cover. And he thought about you, but then again you were never far from his mind. His perfect wife. The main reason he did anything. Finally his thoughts settled on the fact that he'd left his wedding band at home with you, and he felt calm knowing that you'd always wear it on your chain.  "Send the spare." His Super Hornet was being towed to the catapult.

YES! Send the spare! Bradley will save this situation! He has to!

If Bradley were here, he would take Tramp off your hands and clean him up as you soaked in the tub yourself. But for now, you'd do everything. He'd be back soon. You would take the time to fix things soon.

Yes, yes he would! He wouldn't let you lift a finger, Baby Girl!

"We're leaking fuel," Bob shouted, and Bradley could actually hear all of the alarms going off in their Super Hornet through the comms. "Rapidly." Then Phoenix dodged past Charmer and shot down another enemy jet. "And we're out of ammo," Bob added.

"I want everyone back on this carrier, now!" Dean nearly shouted through the comms, and Bradley rolled his eyes. "Phoenix, land first, if you can even get here!" Then thankfully he eventually heard Nat say, "We're limping in slowly now. It's gonna be close." What a fucking nightmare this had turned out to be. As Bradley flew cleanup, since he was the only one with bullets and flares left, he kept his head on a swivel. "Comanche? Incoming?" "Negative. Picture looks clean." "And an ETA for Phoenix and Bob?" he asked as he followed Charmer and Terror out over the water. "Seven minutes."

Everyone's safe! Thanks to Rooster. No thanks at all to fucking Slayer, though!

But then Bradley pushed past both of them and tossed his own helmet, shouting "What the hell, Slayer!" But Slayer barely acknowledged him as he walked toward the tower looking like he was headed for the gallows. Bradley stood there, drenched in sweat and reeking of jet fuel, and watched the other aviator as a red faced Admiral Dean appeared on deck and started yelling. It didn't matter. It didn't matter that Slayer fucked everything up or that Bradley saved the day. The only thing that counted now was getting home to you.

It didn't matter. It didn't matter that Slayer fucked everything up or that Bradley saved the day. The only thing that counted now was getting home to you. YES YES YES! He's coming home! Rooster's coming home!

"I know you're struggling, but the two of you will be disgusting again soon." You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You were nervous. It had been building up all week. Part of you just wanted to get this over with and work things out, and part of you wanted to bask in Bradley's words as he told you how much he missed and loved you. If he told you those things.  "I miss being disgusting," you told Jake as you followed him to a table. "But I still want to have a baby." You felt tears in your eyes as you sat down, and Jake met your gaze. "I'm anxious that Bradley is going to talk about my cycle and want to know when I'm ovulating. It's bad enough that I know I'm ovulating right now, you know? I don't want him thinking about it, too. And, fuck, I'm sorry Jake." "Hey, no," he said, reaching across the table and squeezing your hand. "I love that you want to talk to me about stuff. But just dump your hot sauce all over your lunch and take a deep breath. Let Bradley get home and prove to you that he wants to fix things as much as you do. Give him a chance, Angel."

This is proof of how much Jake has changed! I love that he is actually friends with Baby Girl!

Bradley Rooster Bradshaw <3 <3 <3: I have phone reception! I can see the dock! I should be off this thing around four or five. Think you can skip out of work a little early and meet me? I missed you so much. No turning back now. A smile actually broke out on your face. There would be no time to run home and change, but it didn't matter. You had missed him, too.  I'll be there. Of course I'll be there. When you mentioned to Bickel that you were going to leave two hours early, he told you to have a nice weekend. And when Cat saw you packing up your computer at 3:30, she walked over and gave you a little hug.  "Don't be nervous." You tried to act cool. "I'm not." "I can tell you are. Just enjoy your weekend with your husband. I'll stay late if need be and finish the coding." "Thanks," you muttered. You and she never explicitly talked about the fact that you were jealous that she had tiny Jeremiah in her life, but you knew she knew. And you were okay with that.  As you jogged out to the Bronco in the parking garage, you found you were only thinking about one thing: how good it felt every time Bradley wrapped his strong arms around you and held you against his warm body. 

I really love that Bradley's one text message can make Baby Girl feel so much better. And I'm really liking the evolution of Baby Girl and Cat's relationship. Yeah, some good time with Rooster will fix the whole situation, alright!

"Baby Girl!" he called out, and a second later, you were in those strong, sure arms that you loved so much.  "Bradley." But the sound of his name was muffled as he kissed you, holding you so close to him that only your toes touched the ground as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You smiled against him as he shook his bag free and let it drop to the ground next to him, but he didn't break the kiss.  Every voice around you and the warm sunshine melted into a dreamlike quality. You wanted to stay here in his arms where you finally felt comfortable. There was a lot to say, and you'd get to it eventually, but the feel of his big hands and his mustache were so familiar that you felt more confident again. 

I love this reunion with Bradley! Baby Girl makes him so happy. And she makes him just as happy as he makes her! They're so perfect.

You flipped open to the first page while Bradley sat on the floor to play with Tramp.  Baby Girl, when I think about you, I think about the rest of my life spread out in front of me. And it's not exactly like a map, because I don't know where we are going or where we will end up. But I feel safe when I'm with you. Even though so much is unknown. You carefully closed the notebook and pressed your lips together, unsure if you were supposed to read that. "Roo?" you asked quietly, and Bradley looked up at you as you showed him the notebook. "What is this?"

Baby Girl found the notebook! My heart is so warm that it might as well overflow! And Bradley's first words?!

Always Ever Only You Part 13 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: When Nat and Bob are in imminent danger, Bradley is beyond furious about the decisions that have been made. It should have been him up there flying with them. As you count down the minutes until Bradley returns home, the rush of nerves feels more like anxiety than anticipation, and that does not feel good.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff

Length: 5100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

Now that you were just a few days out from Bradley's return home, you were starting to feel antsy and anxious. This wasn't the way you usually felt. It used to be a rush of energy thrumming through your body, knowing he'd be back soon to hold you all night, make love to you, and fill the little pieces of your life that were lost without him. But now you just felt unsure.

When you really thought about it, you knew you and he had been missing the intimacy in your relationship for a little while, too focused on other things. The sex was still enjoyable... well, except for the last time when you felt sick with obligation. And he still held you all night. But some of the pieces of your life together felt like they had gotten lost, and you desperately wanted to find them. Because feeling nervous about reaching those previously known levels of happiness and intimacy when Bradley got back was not something you were prepared for.

So you talked to Dr. Genevieve again, and in her cool and collected voice, she said, "If something is broken, you either take the time to fix it, or you abandon it. And when it's a relationship, you don't have the luxury of making that decision alone. Do you want to fix it or abandon it?"

"I want to fix it," you replied easily. 

"And what did your husband say when you spoke to him?"

Your heart thudded in your chest as you replayed the facetime conversations in your mind and whispered, "He wants to fix it, too." 

She nodded. "Then you'll both take the time to do that."

Afterwards, you felt like hiding in your office, because what did that even mean? You knew what you wanted, but you didn't know how to get it. And you tried your best not to focus on your cycle and wanting to get pregnant, but it would have been impossible to forget about it completely. Where was the balance? You were simultaneously antsy for Bradley to get home so you could see if putting in the time to fix things was worth it and also scared that it wouldn't be.

Instead of hiding in your office, you made your way down to get a burrito bowl for lunch. "Is this seat taken?" you asked Jake, kicking the leg of his chair with your boot and nodding toward the empty seat across from him at the small table. 

"Angel," he said, meeting your smile with a look of panic. "You know I love you, right? But I saved it for Cat. Unless she decides to bail."

"Oh," you gasped, a little surprised by that. When you, Javy and Jake had gone out for pizza two nights ago, Jake claimed he was going to let Cat decide if she wanted to try to be friends with him, but you knew he was hoping for more. He sat on your couch with Jeremiah until Hondo showed up, and Jake didn't back down against the glare from Cat's Uncle. "Guess she's into the idea of hanging out? That's good?"

He kind of shrugged. "Listen, all I want to do is make out with her and hold her kid, but don't tell her that, alright? Oh, there she is."

"She didn't bail," you murmured, watching Cat make her way toward you. When she saw the small table with only two chairs, her steps slowed.

"Go," Jake growled, planting his palm against your lower back and shoving you out of the way. "I'll call you after work."

"Jeez," you groaned, glaring at him and heading toward Cam instead.

"Hey, stranger," Cam said as you sat down across from him, and soon Maria joined the two of you. Eating with them was familiar and comfortable, and you didn't have to think about it too much.

When they asked if you wanted to do brunch on Sunday, you smiled and shook your head. "No way. Bradley's coming home on Friday."

Cam smirked and said, "Oof. Lieutenant Commander Mustache returns home to his little wifey after his long, hard deployment. Sounds like a Lifetime movie."

"I don't know," Maria added. "You said long and hard. Kinda sounds like a porno."

You sat with your forehead on your tray as you shook with silent laughter. "Maybe it'll be a bit of both?"

Cam stole a bite of your burrito bowl as he said, "Report back."

-----------------------

Bradley had been chosen as the spare. When Dean told him after he had dismissed everyone else, Bradley knew it was simply to add insult to injury. But he took it on the chin, saluted the admiral, and returned to his bunk.

If Bradley said more than two words to anyone the following day, that was news to him. Nat and Bob gave him a wide berth as they got themselves prepared for the mission, and he appreciated that. He wasn't jealous of them, and he'd been quick to tell them that. And he knew they understood. This was a feeling that came along with the territory, he supposed. But this would mark the first mission he didn't qualify for, and he just needed to take a breather. 

Getting home to you was now his priority, his focus. If he could only be successful in the air or on the ground right now, he was going to choose the ground in San Diego with you. But that didn't stop him from worrying about Bob and Nat flying with Slayer. 

Bradley collapsed back onto his bed with his notebook. He decided to read what he wrote. He hadn't done that yet, favoring scribbling more thoughts and sentiments down every time he picked it up. But reading it from the beginning calmed him down, and just the thought of you made him finally able to fall asleep. 

Bright and early the next morning, he and Bob were both dressing in their flight suits. They walked to breakfast together and ate with Nat. Then the three of them made their way out onto the tarmac. But instead of being part of the main bustle of action, Bradley saluted his friends and stood next to his aircraft with his helmet on. 

The weather looked good, and the comanche was reporting back that everything looked clear. But just before the four aircrafts were due to take off, Admiral Dean made a surprising announcement over the comms. 

"Initiate the backup plan! Option B! Strike the military base first and then head back around to the communications tower. Follow the flight plan for Option B. Please respond that you understand in order."

Bradley climbed the ladder into his F/A-18 as he listened to Nat respond, saying that she copied Dean's orders. This was not a good sign that the plan was changing on the fly. There were probably loads of enemy aircrafts already airborne if such a drastic decision was being made, and Bradley automatically switched to the updated flightpath in his mind, even though he wouldn't be flying it. But being able to envision what was going on might help keep him calm. 

He got himself strapped in and ran his thumb along his silicone wedding band before sliding his hands into his gloves. And then he waited. He watched intently and listened over the comms, and when it was his turn, he said, "Rooster. Spare. Standing by."

The carrier was outrageously far out in the ocean right now. Nearly five hundred miles away from the coastline. And as he watched Nat and Bob launch from the deck, he kept his eyes on them as they faded into the late morning sunlight. It would be about thirty minutes until they were flying over land, and another five minutes more until they reached the military base. 

So he would have to sit here and wait for nearly an hour and a goddamn half while worrying about his friends and having an existential crisis about his career before they all returned and he could get changed out of his flight suit. 

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself as he listened to the others over the comms. Slayer had been named team leader, and right now he was trying to boss Nat around. She wasn't having it though, and Bradley smiled as he listened in. 

But a few minutes later, he heard the radar tech from the comanche give a heads up that there were some enemy aircraft nearby. And then Slayer said, "Everyone else stay on course, I'll switch to tack northwest and hit the communications tower first."

Bradley lurched fully upright in his cockpit. He must have heard incorrectly. No way Slayer would deviate from the plans like that. But Bradley could hear Nat's panicked voice saying, "You won't have our laser guide! And we won't have your missiles! Stay on course, Slayer!"

"I'm the leader, Phoenix. You stay on course. I'll loop back around. It will be fine."

There was so much commotion all of a sudden, Bradley could only hear a jumble of voices inside his helmet. He did some quick math, visualizing the terrain maps he'd had memorized for nearly two months. Five hundred miles out. Five hundred back. They weren't flying at maximum speed, but they were still burning fuel fast, hauling almost two dozen missiles. There was absolutely no way Slayer would make it back to the carrier if he tried to switch course now and rendezvous with the others at the military base. He'd run out of fuel halfway back to the aircraft carrier. 

"Stay on course!" Admiral Dean demanded loudly. "Everyone stay on course!"

But Slayer was already gone. And now the comanche radar tech was reporting four more enemy fighters in the vicinity of the military base. Bradley pounded his fist on the side of his seat. Nat and Bob were completely fucking screwed. And so were Charmer, Mack and Terror. Unless all six aviators were working in unison, this was going to result in a tragedy. 

"Come on, come on," Bradley chanted under his breath, his fingers already twitching along his control panels. He thought about his friends whose handful of missiles would only get them so far before they were dead without cover. And he thought about you, but then again you were never far from his mind. His perfect wife. The main reason he did anything.

Finally his thoughts settled on the fact that he'd left his wedding band at home with you, and he felt calm knowing that you'd always wear it on your chain. 

"Send the spare." His Super Hornet was being towed to the catapult.

-------------------------------

It was a weird, stormy evening. There were clouds rolling in from the ocean, and although you could see a lot of lightning and hear thunder, it hadn't started raining yet. So you put on Bradley's sweatshirt and clipped Tramp's leash onto his collar, running your fingers along the tags your husband had gotten engraved for him. 

"Yeah, you're spoiled," you told the dog as you pocketed some treats for him. Then the two of you ventured outside and along the blocks that would take you to the beach. The wind was blowing harder down here, whipping the sand and dune grass around. But the beach was completely deserted, and the storm looked intoxicating. 

As you walked along the water's edge, your flip flops and sweatpants got soaked. Tramp kept pausing to look out into the ocean, and you said, "Daddy's out there. Somewhere." You weren't sure exactly when the mission was being flown. It could have already been completed. You had enough clearance at work to be able to find out for sure, but if Bradley caught wind of that kind of behavior, he would have a fit. You knew he didn't want you worrying about him. 

Tramp whimpered and started barking, and then the clouds rolled in faster. A loud crack of thunder had you running back up the beach with Tramp right next to you. By the time you ran up past the dunes, the sky opened up. You turned back to look at the ocean one last time before hard raindrops started pelting your exposed skin. It was almost painful, and it was hard to keep your eyes open as you made your way back to the pretty craftsman. 

You stood on the covered porch, looking down at your sandy, drenched dog and laughing. "Come here," you said before scooping him up and carrying him right into the bathroom, leaving a sandy trail along the way. 

If Bradley were here, he would take Tramp off your hands and clean him up as you soaked in the tub yourself. But for now, you'd do everything. He'd be back soon. You would take the time to fix things soon.

--------------------------

Once Bradley was in the air, the clock was ticking down the minutes until he could see land and locate the others. He'd been given permission to hit mach 1.8. Actually, he'd been given permission to do whatever was necessary. "Spare inbound. Land sighted," he said, easing back on the throttle a bit as he banked along the mountain range and dipped past the river that would lead him to the recently destroyed military base. 

Slayer had managed to destroy the communications tower as part of the solo mission he decided to go on, but at what cost? He got so far off course from the others, and backtracking would have eaten so much fuel. Bradley listened as he was called back to the carrier where he would be safe while everyone else was now in danger. 

Bradley was getting closer now as he listened to what was going on and tried to visualize it.

"Tally, tally! On your nose, Phoenix!"

"Deploying flares!"

"Incoming at twelve o'clock!"

"I can't shake them, Charmer!"

"I'm out of missiles and flares! Switching to guns!"

"We took a hit!"

He would know Nat's voice anywhere, but hearing her say that she and Bob had been hit had Bradley flying way faster than he should have been this close to the river embankment. But one more cut through the mountains, and the aircrafts were in sight. And it was the worst kind of dog fight. 

The air was a mess of flares as Bradley immediately spotted missiles being launched at Charmer. And he knew Charmer said he was out of defensive aids. 

"Tally, tally!" Bradley called out. "Bandit on your nose, Terror!" Then he laid down a cover of flares for Charmer as the other pilot eliminated one enemy with his guns. "Phoenix! Bob! How bad is it?" Bradley asked, deftly launching a missile and watching it collide with the wing of the jet that was headed for Terror. The enemy pilot ejected, but there was no point in pursuit. Not on a rescue mission. 

"We're leaking fuel," Bob shouted, and Bradley could actually hear all of the alarms going off in their Super Hornet through the comms. "Rapidly." Then Phoenix dodged past Charmer and shot down another enemy jet. "And we're out of ammo," Bob added.

"Head back, I'll lay down cover for you," Bradley told them. "Go!" There were still two Bandits, but his friends would never make it back anywhere near the carrier if they delayed leaving. He could smell the jet fuel as it permeated the air around him, and he just knew what a hazard that was. He prayed nothing would cause an explosion at this point.

"Out of ammo now," Charmer reported, and now Bradley was starting to panic. But then he saw the opening they needed. 

"Terror! Follow my lead!" The remaining Bandits saw how vulnerable Nat and Bob were and started to pursue them, so Bradley circled back to get their attention on him.

"I'm almost out of ammo!" Terror responded, getting into position. 

"Then don't miss." Bradley fired his last missile at the first one and then joined Terror and Mack in shooting down the other one. 

"That's splash six!" Charmer announced. 

"Is that everyone?" Terror asked. 

"Affirmative. That's everyone," Mack confirmed. 

"I want everyone back on this carrier, now!" Dean nearly shouted through the comms, and Bradley rolled his eyes. "Phoenix, land first, if you can even get here!"

Then thankfully he eventually heard Nat say, "We're limping in slowly now. It's gonna be close."

What a fucking nightmare this had turned out to be. As Bradley flew cleanup, since he was the only one with bullets and flares left, he kept his head on a swivel. "Comanche? Incoming?"

"Negative. Picture looks clean."

"And an ETA for Phoenix and Bob?" he asked as he followed Charmer and Terror out over the water.

"Seven minutes."

Bradley swore he didn't breathe and barely moved as he flew further away from the coastline. He didn't dare think about anything except the passing clouds overhead and the sound of his own heart beating. He didn't utter another word until he heard Nat say, "Coming in hot! Banking toward the tower. Full engine failure, no fuel to the feedline. Tailhook extended and hoping for the best."

"Come on, Nat." Bradley still couldn't see anything up ahead, but when the tower announced that Phoenix and Bob were safely on deck, he finally let out the breath he had been holding.

When he was able to circle the carrier and see it for himself, Bradley loosened his death grip on the throttle. And when he landed cleanly, that signaled that everyone was back on deck. The crews came to help him unload, and as soon as his boots left the last rung on the ladder, Nat was tossing her helmet aside and reaching for him.

"Thank you," she whispered against his shoulder. 

Years of trust and friendship had him clinging to her. "It should have been me up there with you two the whole time."

"I know. That was so fucked, Rooster."

And then Bob was there as well, looking more flustered than Bradley had seen him all deployment long. But then Bradley pushed past both of them and tossed his own helmet, shouting "What the hell, Slayer!"

But Slayer barely acknowledged him as he walked toward the tower looking like he was headed for the gallows. Bradley stood there, drenched in sweat and reeking of jet fuel, and watched the other aviator as a red faced Admiral Dean appeared on deck and started yelling. It didn't matter. It didn't matter that Slayer fucked everything up or that Bradley saved the day. The only thing that counted now was getting home to you.

-----------------------------

Friday morning seemed to stretch on for an eternity. You didn't have a specific time to expect Bradley to unload from the carrier, so you decided to go to work until you heard from him. When Bickel called you in for a progress meeting on all of the lab projects, you hauled a stack of folders in with you. And that's when you fully realized that over several years of working with him, he had made you his number two. He always wanted your opinion the most.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as you set everything down on his desk and took a seat. He met your eyes, and he was expecting an honest answer, but you knew he wouldn't give you a hard time. 

"Better. Bradley is coming home today," you told him. "Thanks again." But he just waved you off like it was no big deal and opened up the top folder on the stack. 

Later when you went down to eat lunch, you got cornered by Jake. "Come sit with me."

You just smirked as you grabbed a fistful of tiny packets of hot sauce. "Don't you want to sit with Cat?"

"No, I want to sit with you. Rooster comes back today, and I'll never see you again," he replied. "I know you're struggling, but the two of you will be disgusting again soon."

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You were nervous. It had been building up all week. Part of you just wanted to get this over with and work things out, and part of you wanted to bask in Bradley's words as he told you how much he missed and loved you. If he told you those things. 

"I miss being disgusting," you told Jake as you followed him to a table. "But I still want to have a baby." You felt tears in your eyes as you sat down, and Jake met your gaze. "I'm anxious that Bradley is going to talk about my cycle and want to know when I'm ovulating. It's bad enough that I know I'm ovulating right now, you know? I don't want him thinking about it, too. And, fuck, I'm sorry Jake."

"Hey, no," he said, reaching across the table and squeezing your hand. "I love that you want to talk to me about stuff. But just dump your hot sauce all over your lunch and take a deep breath. Let Bradley get home and prove to you that he wants to fix things as much as you do. Give him a chance, Angel."

But your nerves carried through lunch. And now you were scared that your husband wouldn't greet you the way he always did. You were afraid that you were just a fragile, broken thing in his eyes, and there would be some sort of undertone of rejection even though the two of you said you were on the same page over facetime. 

As you walked back to your office, your phone vibrated with a text, and you already knew it was him without even looking. Your heart started pounding, knowing what you needed but unsure if you were going to get it. 

Bradley Rooster Bradshaw <3 <3 <3: I have phone reception! I can see the dock! I should be off this thing around four or five. Think you can skip out of work a little early and meet me? I missed you so much.

No turning back now. A smile actually broke out on your face. There would be no time to run home and change, but it didn't matter. You had missed him, too. 

I'll be there. Of course I'll be there.

When you mentioned to Bickel that you were going to leave two hours early, he told you to have a nice weekend. And when Cat saw you packing up your computer at 3:30, she walked over and gave you a little hug. 

"Don't be nervous."

You tried to act cool. "I'm not."

"I can tell you are. Just enjoy your weekend with your husband. I'll stay late if need be and finish the coding."

"Thanks," you muttered. You and she never explicitly talked about the fact that you were jealous that she had tiny Jeremiah in her life, but you knew she knew. And you were okay with that. 

As you jogged out to the Bronco in the parking garage, you found you were only thinking about one thing: how good it felt every time Bradley wrapped his strong arms around you and held you against his warm body. 

"Shit," you gasped, fumbling the key in the ignition. You needed that. That was it. "Fuck." You could barely start the engine, but when you finally did, you pulled quickly out of the parking space and headed the half mile or so around base toward the military docks. When you drove through the gates and parked again, you could see khaki uniforms pouring down the ramps and onto the dock.

"Oh no." You were out of the Bronco and running, scrambling for your phone. But as you got closer to the ramp, you spotted Bradley. He was so easy to pick out of a crowd. Tall and broad and impossibly handsome with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His head was on a swivel, probably wondering if you were here yet. 

And then you froze up. Every feeling hit you all at once as he stepped down onto the dock, boots back on California soil for the first time in almost two months. He looked to his left and then to his right, searching for you, and you could tell he was about to reach for his phone as his hand dipped down toward his pocket. But then he saw you. And that was when you realized that he had the same look of apprehension on his face that you must have had on yours. 

It was so noisy, and there were hundreds of people on all sides of you, but you could see him mouth, "Baby Girl," before his lips formed into a smile that had your feet rushing forward. Bradley was actually shoving people out of his way now which had you laughing. And when you realized you weren't so nervous anymore, tears started to fill your eyes. 

"Baby Girl!" he called out, and a second later, you were in those strong, sure arms that you loved so much. 

"Bradley." But the sound of his name was muffled as he kissed you, holding you so close to him that only your toes touched the ground as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You smiled against him as he shook his bag free and let it drop to the ground next to him, but he didn't break the kiss. 

Every voice around you and the warm sunshine melted into a dreamlike quality. You wanted to stay here in his arms where you finally felt comfortable. There was a lot to say, and you'd get to it eventually, but the feel of his big hands and his mustache were so familiar that you felt more confident again. 

When he finally broke the kiss, Bradley pressed his forehead to yours and kept one big hand at the back of your neck, stroking your skin softly as you shuddered in his arms. "I love you," he promised, voice full of desperation like he was begging you to listen. "I just needed to be with you."

You closed your eyes against your tears and whispered, "I love you, Roo." 

Then his rough fingers were moving slowly along the back of your neck, his other hand coming up to work at the clasp of your necklace. You smiled when you realized what he was doing. Bradley removed your necklace but kept his body pressed against yours and he carefully palmed your gold charms. 

"Been dying to put this back on since I took it off." He kissed your cheek and then slid his wedding band along the chain before carefully clasping your necklace in place again. Then he quickly removed the silicone ring and pocketed it before slipping his gold band into place. "It just didn't feel right. It's not the one we got married with."

And then his arms were wrapped around your waist, and you let your cheek come to rest on his chest. You didn't want to be the first one to say it, but you thought one of you should. About how much you wanted to fix things. About making things work. "Bradley."

But you shouldn't have been worried. He kissed the top of your head, his grip on you unrelenting as so many of the other officers and crew members around you were starting to clear out. "I promise you that you're everything I want. And I'll make sure you know it."

So you nodded and melted into his touch. And it was quite a while later before you moved, but you could hear Bradley's stomach growling which made you smile. "I have some Marry Me Rooster in our fridge that just needs to be reheated." 

He peppered your face with kisses until you were laughing. "Let's go home," he whispered. "Wanna see Tramp and snuggle you on my lap while we eat."

After Bradley had you safely buckled in the passenger seat, he started the engine, and you could tell he missed his Bronco too. He held your hand on the short drive home, and you filled him in on a few things. When he parked in the driveway and helped you out, you asked, "How was your deployment? I didn't even get to see Bob and Nat."

He kissed you softly as you unlocked the front door. "I'll tell you later. It's not as important as this. As being with you."

Your heart swelled as Tramp tried to jump up into Bradley's arms. "Missed you, too," Bradley told him, kneeling and scratching him behind his ears while the dog kicked his other hand. "Were you a good boy?"

"Of course he was. The best." You squeaked as Bradley scooped you up for a piggy back ride as he stood, and he carried you to the laundry room with Tramp jumping around behind you. "What are you doing?" you asked, kissing Bradley's ear as you held onto his shoulders.

"Just want to get out of my uniform before we eat." 

When he set you down and turned, you carefully unbuttoned his shirt and started working on his pins. His hands settled on your waist, stroking you through the fabric of your own khaki uniform shirt. And his eyes were soft. And he wasn't in a rush, except maybe to get dinner. And he wasn't asking about your cycle. And he didn't seem interested in doing anything at this moment except working on your pins and lining them up in the tray near the sink along with his. 

"I missed doing this," you whispered, and then his lips found yours again. And it was a few minutes before Bradley let go of you long enough for both of you to finish getting undressed and put your uniforms into the washing machine. 

"Let me put on some sweatpants, and I'll help you reheat dinner," he said, hoisting you up for another piggy back ride that had you laughing. 

"Sounds good, Roo."

He bent to pick up his duffle on the way to the bedroom, and you helped him empty and sort everything onto your bed. When you dipped your hand inside the bag, you pulled out some neatly folded undershirts and a beat up notebook. You flipped open to the first page while Bradley sat on the floor to play with Tramp. 

Baby Girl, when I think about you, I think about the rest of my life spread out in front of me. And it's not exactly like a map, because I don't know where we are going or where we will end up. But I feel safe when I'm with you. Even though so much is unknown.

You carefully closed the notebook and pressed your lips together, unsure if you were supposed to read that. "Roo?" you asked quietly, and Bradley looked up at you as you showed him the notebook. "What is this?"

----------------------------

He's home! Finally! And Slayer is hopefully completely screwed. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 14

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

@swthxrry

@chassy21

@yaboid19

@solacestyles

@avoirlecoupdefoudre

@daisyhollyxox

@throwinsauce

@awesomebooklover17

@wintercap89

@whosyourgnomie4

@rosesinmars

@blog-name6996

@bcon24

@wishfulwithwine

@backinwonderl4nd

@tetragonia

@gingerbreadandpaper

@emptyloverofmine

@chaoticassidy

@missmirandafe

@changlingkhat

@sugarcoated-lame

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

@katiebby04

@marantha

@averyhotchner

@abaker74

@heli991113

@k-k0129

@noz4a2

@tallyovie

@shanimallina87

@teddyluvs2sing

@little-wiseone

@ccbb2222

@lilyevanswhore

@o-the-o-grim-o-reaper-o

@xoxabs88xox

@thedroneranger

@bradshawsbitch

@cherrycola27

@fanboyswhore9

@xomrsalliej4787xo

@desert-fern

[yelena-bellova]

blessing us with the early release of chapter 11?!? thank you, thank you, thank you.

this chapter was so beautiful and heartbreaking. like are you kidding?!?? i cried myself to sleep thank you very much:(( tommy & rosebuds reunion?? wholesome, they’re like siblings istg. the breakup scene?? it ruined me, needed a few moments to collect myself. grief is a f****ing b!tch. they both lost a daughter that dreadful day (i could hit him, but i won’t). rosebud lost her entire world in the span of 2 days, i’m absolutely gutted. when joel thought he saw sarah by the christmas tree?? seeing it in the show was bad enough, but reading it was a thousand times worse. rosebud losing it after seeing sarah’s name on the board with maria?? my poor girl, had me crying into my pillow. rosebud and tommy’s talk in the bar?? couldn’t see my screen for a moment. it was real, raw, and heartbreaking. i too wanted to take a shot to ease the pain. i love their relationship so much, found family is definitely a thing and it’s literally them. the miller family deserve all the love and endless hugs right now. rosebud and ellie are millers and no one can change my mind.

nervous, yet excited for what i know will be the gut wrenching final 2 episodes of tlou and next chapters of tyl. you evil genius. thank you for sharing your brilliant mind and breaking our hearts. the angst was real as promised, and i’ll need days to recover.

I’m so glad you enjoyed!! I wanted make sure I was able to land the plane, vis a vis the breakup, and be able to show that where Rosebud and Joel are now is somewhere in the in between. They don’t hate each other, they know the real reason why they broke up…but they won’t do anything about it.

Tommy and Rose are also so much fun to write for and I really hope he comes back in maybe the last episode so I can get in another scene or two with them.

Next chapter’s going to have so much in it, I can barely keep myself from spoiling it for y’all 😂❤️

[the-faultofdaedalus]

edwin jarvis is the very weird combonation of “extremely proper and with impecable manners” but absolutely loyal and 100% ride-or-die and that does sometimes result in him walking into the desert with a gun to shoot the person who nearly killed his wife after leaving his will with a friend

[chibi-sunrise]

Everything I could find on Ana-Maria Marschner

The daughter of the second emperor of the Gildllan Empire. A sheltered child since birth, she grew up without any knowledge of the outside world and lacks even basic facts. When her father is killed in August’s coup, she flees the country with Charles. She later happens upon Raoul, Ed, and Lydie, and as she travels with them, she gradually learns about the world and its hidden truths.

Profile

Birthday - May 27, 982 Y.C.

Age - 16 (998 Y.C.) 17 (999 Y.C.)

Katana wielder

Height - 158cm

Right-handed

Theme Color - #d7003a

So, for the Adventurers, we’d actually recommend that you go in order of release or in order of record because this group forms one coherent story with their episodes compared to the other groups.

The order of release is Ed ep. 1, Ana-Maria ep. 1, Raoul ep. 1, Charles ep. 1, Lydie ep. 1, Ana-Maria ep. 2, Raoul ep. 2, and Ed ep. 2.

The order of record is Lydie ep. 1, Ed ep. 1, Ana-Maria ep. 1, Raoul ep. 1, Charles ep. 1, Ana-Maria ep. 2, Raoul ep. 2, and Ed ep. 2.

Some people prefer order of release because that’s how the story was originally told. Some people prefer order of record because Lydie’s ep. 1 takes place the earliest in the chronology, so it might make more sense to watch hers before anyone else’s. Order of release can give you some insight on how certain plot details were revealed while order of record is for those who want their story to feel less episodic. I think either order is fine.

Here’s the post on where you can watch the story.

But if you’d prefer to just watch every episode that Ana-Maria’s in, then here’s the list:

Episodes she appears in

Alexandra ep. 2 Pardon for Justice

Ana-Maria ep. 1 Leaving the Birdcage

Raoul ep. 1 The Self-Described Archaeologist

Charles ep. 1 One to Reach the Primordial

Ana-Maria ep. 2 The Little Lady’s Big Adventure

Raoul ep. 2 It’s Hard Being the Oldest

Edouard ep. 2 Requirements of a Hero

Event stories she appears in

Valentines Day

Event stories she’s mentioned in

April Fools Day

References and Miscellany

Video of her outfits/Mystic Artes (EN audio and text)

Some references for Ana-Maria’s outfits

Video of Ana-Maria’s Mystic Artes (JP audio and text) Scroll down for some screenshots of descriptions of her Mystic Artes

A tweet that pointed out the EN Tales of Luminaria Memorial archive is missing the 3D kid model for Ana-Maria that’s present in the JP Tales of Luminaria Memorial archive

A tweet showing Ed and Raoul’s dialogue with Ana-Maria during battle (JP audio and text)

JP Voice Collection

Her archive section

Favorite Dishes (excluding Noble dishes and Elixir)

Chicken Wing Skewers

Crispy Takoyaki *secret recipe

Food Cart Hot Taco Salad

Irresistible Yakisoba

Jantbelle’s Silky Smooth Tofu

Mabo Curry

Meaty Pan-Fried Dumplings

Odrgard-Style Keema Curry

Panthera Lord Festival Fried Cheese

Spicy Seafood Curry

Spicy Yogurt Rice

Squid Legs in Brown Butter

The Best Valentine’s Chocolate 2022

Hated Dishes (excluding expired event dishes and her own cooking)

Fermented Bean Spread

Green Veggie Drink

High Protein Fried Bugs

Leberspätzle Cheese Sauce

Level-10 Spicy Mabo Curry

Minaza Cod w/ Truffle Sauce

Nutritional Non-Perishable B

Pickled Mushrooms

Sea Cucumber Marinade

Silvayer Vegetable Terrine

Special Nutritional Drink

Veggie Bagna Càuda

[bachirasbodyguard]

oooowee thanks this was rly fun!!!!!!! god, ain't it hard to think abt yourself

ten fav characters from any media (not in order:)

Hanma Shuuji (Tokyo Revengers)

Kendall Roy (Succession)

Aki Hayakawa (Chainsaw Man)

Midorima Shintaro (Kuroko no Basuke)

Haruka Hashida (Blue Period) (he's everything I want to be)

Saul Goodman hihi

Franziska von Karma (Ace Attorney)

Erwin Smith (Attack on Titan)

Wolfgang Grimmer (Monster)

Certainly also a BL character but I can't decide who (it's Sae)

15 questions:

Named after anyone? Nay

Last time i cried? Last month I think (at someone's grave after watching the Succession episode "Church and State". if you know you know lol). In general, I cry very rarely.

Do you have kids? I'd rather kms than have a child. Never ever ever. I do not like kids very much at all.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes. And I love to lie too tee hee

What sports have u played? Tennis and basketball for many a year.

What do you notice first about other people? Clothes. The most telling thing about a person's vibe.

Eye color? Blue

Scary movies or happy endings? Scary movies. I love scary films. Though I find nothing scary anymore, which sucks. (In general, I prefer things to have horrible sad endings)

any special talents? I make a mean lemon meringue tart and I have a good sense of smell (?). I'm good at learning languages and I roll cigarettes very well. I also used to be able to do the Rubik's cube real fast.

Where were you born? Ain't tellin' no one B-)

What are your hobbies? Riding my motorcycle, doing pub trivia with my friends, playing soulsborne games over and over again, making stupid memes for tumblr, cooking, manga, cinema, collecting records. And now also arknights thanks to Ri

Do you have any pets? - I will soon after I move across the ocean (a cat named Leftovers)

How tall are you? - Something between 6′0 and 6'1 (I wish I were taller sob)

Fav subject in school? - In school - physics and English. In University - game theory and economic philosophy.

Dream job? - This will sound insanely weird but if I could rewind time 10 years back I would have become a perfumer (but then I'd have to move to France which is cringe). My dream dream job that I've fantasized about and could never actually do would be to be a film director.

currents:

current time: 22:10 pm

current mood: owww eyes hurty. owww need to stretch

current activity: writing a thing and drinking wine

currently thinking about: how much I suck at writing the thing, how I need to do my Duolingo lesson, my little brother, the new D&D character I'm making, and most importantly how to r-15 the arknights contingency contract stage

Current fav song: Ave Maria by Rowland Howard

Currently reading: Vagabond, and a bunch of ongoing manga

Currently watching: Rewatching Monster and I plan to start The Bear soon

Current favorite character: Alexis MF Ness; Hoshiguma (ma'am 😳) and Gnosis (I hope he suffers and chokes on a seed) from arknights

Current wips: I will never ever tell anyone lol

picrew:

Uhh this one was the best at capturing my passive facial expression lol

oweee tagging uhh ehhh uhh @alientiime @transrightsyamaguchi @variabels @alienjack @bachirameowguru @maochira @echarie @thefairymagiduelist @aiulbones bcs i'm curious ™

TAG GAMES!

i’m so behind on all of them so i’m putting them all together

mention your ten favorite characters from any media - tagged by aki @tanchirou ♡

sugawara koushi (haikyuu)

nakahara chuuya (bungou stray dogs)

yor forger (spy x family)

kuroko tetsuya (kuroko no basket)

roy mustang (fullmetal alchemist)

kugisaki nobara (jujutsu kaisen)

hyakuya mikaela (owari no seraph)

chigiri hyouma (blue lock)

fushimi saruhiko (k)

nagisa shiota (ansatsu kyoushitsu)

choosing was hard gdi. i limited myself to one character from each series and even then i couldn’t choose aaaaaa

15 questions for 15 mutuals - tagged by aki again ❣️

are you named after anyone? nope

when was the last time i cried? last week (i was very emotional about my uni ending even though i was cursing it’s existence before)

do you have kids? noo thankfully

do you use sarcasm a lot? just a normal amount

what sports do you play/have you played? i have tried many sports but the one i played the most is basketball (before it ruined my life fsgsj)

what’s the first thing you notice about other people? face expression

eye colour? brown

scary movies or happy endings? happy endings (i would never choose scary movies lmao)

any special talents? i’m good at remembering dance choreography

where were you born? india

what are your hobbies? watching/rewatching anime, listening to music, organizing stuff

do you have any pets? my catmom era hasn’t happened yet

how tall are you? 5 feet only :(

fav subject in school? MATH!

dream job? no job XD but in seriousness, i always dream of working in a cute cafe

currents tagged by tobias @kokushibe 💕

current time: 4:30 pm

current mood: in pain

current activity: listening to music

currently thinking about: upgrading my pc

current fav song: QUEENCARD by (G)I-DLE

currently reading: fullmetal alchemist

currently watching: just finished mdzs yesterday. im choosing what to pick up next

current fav character (if any): wei wuxian my beloved!

current wips (if any): there is a sarumi sketch i should colour

picrew tagged by emma @crimsonrosee , tobias @kokushibe and oroshi @silversoulsociety 🥰

i need people to know that i had to use a vpn to make this, why was it blocked for me have no idea. on the other hand, this is a cute picrew so it was worth the effort

tagging (no pressure): @mx-sinisters @ghostbkg @kimdokjas @yyh @princesskazuya @alphonseelriic @fangrui @natsutakashi @yooasobi @nobasmaki @apparently-artless @upperranktwo @kanbayashis @liliumdragomir @vivianvivvia plus anyone who wants to do any of these❤️

[theseerasures]

I'm loving your "I was right" energy so: where do YOU think everyone will be at the end of the volume?

y’all are REALLY just encouraging me at this point, aren’t you? who knew my supervillain origin story would be getting exactly what i want in a televisions

E(VACUO)TION 2021: CALL NOW TO VOTE

IN VACUO

Oscar, Ren, and Emerald are stuck there for the duration. even if they had a way to go back, they’re a tad busy right now.

IN SUPERHELL

Yang is same and same.

AT AND AROUND GRAND CENTRAL STATION

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake are going to superhell. the only reason i’m a fraction less sure of this than with Team Green is that Team Green is already there. my prediction--and preference--is that they decide to voluntarily go after the climactic showdown wraps up, but i also have no idea how THAT’S going to happen, so.

Fiona, Joanna, and May are going to Vacuo. they’ve taken on the duty of protecting Mantle, and Mantle is going to be in Vacuo. the only reason they’d go back to Mantle-the-place is for Robyn, but a) they don’t know that Robyn is currently dogfighting with her minivan over Mantle’s skies, and b) even if they did know, that the Huntresses can and will work autonomously without their leader has been emphasized this whole season.

Penny is...likely to be in Vacuo. i won’t completely write off the chance that she joins RWB in superhell, but i also don’t think it’s going to happen. if anyone is RWBY’s fifth it’s Penny Polendina, but going to superhell just feels like a RWBY classic exclusive trip to me. Penny loves her friends, but she’s also a Maiden with a duty to Remnant. she set that aside for Yang in Worthy, and that was VERY MUCH a mistake, so having her double down on it when it’s not a heat of the moment thing feels wrong.

Jaune and Nora are likely to be in Vacuo as well. they’re not going to superhell, and the only reason they’d be in Atlas is if the portals closed before they could get there. another Renora separation would certainly be ripe for juicy angst, but right on the heels of them deciding to be independent together it feels arbitrarily backslide-y. my guess is we have another “so long for now” scene between Ruby and Jaune a la season 6, and JNPER as a whole goes with Penny to lay the groundwork for Vacuo.

Cinder, Neo, the Lamp, and the Staff: i’ve tentatively grouped them all together because i think they will all be in Atlas, but how much i’m certain of that varies. Cinder is not going to Vacuo; her primary objective is the Staff and even if Penny manages to take it through a portal there’s no way for Cinder to hide her presence, and we’re not going to end the season mid-brawl. Neo...might end up in Vacuo if someone just kicks her through in all the chaos, because she can stealth it up a lot better than the living fire tornado. i’m not going to discount the idea that one or both of them end up in superhell, but that seemed a lot more likely when we thought RWBY would fall, instead of jump. finding each other and exploring whatever newfangled dimension they end up in feels like more than enough plot without Team Rocket trying to kill them all the time in it. the Lamp is likely to stay where it is, with Neo, since it’s a much lower priority target now. the Staff...is likely to end up with Cinder (and by proxy Salem), if only because having a do-anything device (even with its limitations) feels like it would make certain logistical issues in Vacuo much easier than they should be (give me the forbidden refugee narrative Mr. Teeth do it do it)

LAST SEEN AROUND SOLITAS

Pietro and Maria are still on Amity! we haven’t seen them for this entire back half, and my guess is that we still won’t in the finale. odds are that if anyone has already rendezvoused with the mythical reinforcements from Menagerie, they have, and when folks get wind of what the fuck is happening (which...could take a while, depending on how/if they take care of Watts) they’ll take the long way to Vacuo, whereupon Pietro will meet up with Penny again and our hearts will collectively explode from joy and radiant warmth.

IN ATLAS/MANTLE

Salem is going to respawn on Atlas. what shape Atlas is going to be in when she does is...who the fuck knows, honestly.

Watts and Ironwood are not leaving Atlas. my guess is James Ironwood will breathe his last before the portals even close. the same...might be true of Watts, because i still lean towards Cinder did him a sabotage, but even if he lives to the end of the season he’s not leaving Salem’s side, and Salem is on Atlas.

Winter...is not leaving Atlas. out of everyone who i think will survive to season’s end on this side of the portal, this one is the one i’m most sure of. if Winter were going to step through the portal the story would have already let her; there was no reason she and Ironwood couldn’t have had their showdown in a separate corner of Grand Central Station instead of right next to its entrance. people have talked about the angst potential of Winter walking in just as Weiss takes the plunge, but tbh this again worked better when we thought Weiss was going fall. if Weiss is jumping then it just turns into a locked-out-of-the-loop thing that can get immediately resolved as soon as Winter talks to...i dunno, anyone? and on a metaphorical level: almost-Maidens don’t make it to the Promised Land. not through the easy way.

Willow, Whitley, and Klein are likely going to be in Vacuo. i’m not going to completely rule out “Klein Sieben runs James Ironwood over with a fucking airship,” but...okay, i am, for the Winter reasons above. there’s just no reason for them to stick around in Atlas when they know that in all likelihood Atlas is going to be rubble (it probably won’t be, but they don’t know that). this means that after their fleeting reconciliation all the Schnees will once again be scattered to the winds, and Whitley is--again--alone with Willow. at least Klein’s here this time.

Qrow, Robyn, and the AceOps: i don’t actually think ALL of them will be stranded in Atlas/Mantle, but some of them will be. if Marrow and Elm are still in Atlas they’ll make it to Vacuo, but if not things are dicier for them. Harriet and Vine are more likely to stay, but the long and short of it is that the AceOps might be split between continents. as much as i desperately want Robyn go to Vacuo so the rest of the Happy Huntresses can do the three-on-one version of the Madagascar hug scene...the thing about Robyn, in this season especially, is that she forms teams and coalitions wherever she goes. that would be useful in Vacuo, but it would also be useful for organizing the leftover stranded civilians and mediating whatever tensions might bubble up, should some or all of the AceOps stick around. i don’t see Qrow breaking off from Robyn for the time being, so: if Robyn stays he stays, and if he stays Harriet is also likely to stay. depending on how the “Salem in Atlas” plot shakes down (or opens), they might also join up with whoever signed Ghira’s Change.org petition this time. interestingly, this might mean that if/when Tai and Raven join up none of TRQ will know that...well, that both their kids are dead. (well. Raven might.)

and...that’s everyone, i think. see you Saturday, when all of this will be proven wrong because Salem is actually already in Vacuo and has turned Shade Academy into Mecha Godzilla

[italyhiddengemz]

Where do Italians take vacations? Discover 5 hidden gems

 Camogli, Liguria 

From the colorful fishing villages of the Cinque Terre  to the fashionable Portofino, Liguria has long attracted tourists. However, if you explore the west of Portofino, you'll find a more authentic fishing village without designer shops or billionaire yachts. Dreamy Camogli is a collection of thin, brightly painted houses overlooking the surfing beaches. On weekends,  Genoese flee here for fun at sea. The bayhugging promenade has unpretentious restaurants and bars leading to the rockperched Baroque cathedral. Explore Camogli`s stacked narrow streets, feast on seafood pasta at Ostaia da ö Sigù, then hike or ferry over to San Fruttuoso whose 10thcentury abbey overlooks an idyllic cove. With sea views from all bedrooms, the new Sublimis Boutique hotel has doubles from £160, B&B (hotelsublimiscamogli.it). 

My Instagram account 😘😘> @Italy.hidden.gemz (Follow us to discover more hidden gems..)

 Santa Maria di Castellabate, Salerno, Campania Photograph:

 Stefano Valeri/Alamy 

 Perfect for families, the blueflag beaches of Santa Maria di Castellabate are where Neapolitans go to escape their city`s summer swelter. You`ll hardly hear another English voice here – instead, the evening passeggiata around Piazza Lucia is pure Fellini: Italian mammas comparing babies, old men licking icecreams, kids enjoying Punch and Judy shows while handsome cassockclad priests swish through the crowds. Given its proximity to the Amalfi Coast, this fun seaside resort remains surprisingly secluded. Take a walk on the beach, drink the sunset Aperol Spritz at Bar L'Ancora, zoom in on the hills at Castellabate, or visit the deserted Paestum. There are plenty of choices. Centrally located, Pepi B & B offers both sea views and family and double rooms starting at £ 81 (pepibb.santamariadicastellabate.hotelsinit.com). 

 Lake Orta Photo: Stefano Valeri / Alamy 

 George and Amal Clooney may have added more brilliance to Lake Como, but there is a quiet lake that boasts the same level of beauty. Lake Orta near Maggiore may be small, but Orta San Giulio has a pilgrimage route and a preserved medieval lake town. Enjoy beautiful lake views from the 15th-century Santa Maria Asunta, explore the narrow cobbled streets, relax in the cafe-lined squares, then board the ferry  to Isola San Giulio. This idyllic cluster of dreamy Palazi and secret gardens in the middle of the lake houses a Romanesque cathedral with a "path of tranquility and meditation" around the island to ensure tranquility. I have. Just 50 meters from the shores of Lake Orta, Locanda Alter offers a double room, B & B (locandaorta.com) from £ 85. 

 L'Aquila, Abruzzo Photo: Alamy 

 Surrounded by a valley surrounded by the mountains of the Gran Sasso and Verino Sirente mountains, L'Aquila is an ideal base for exploring the Abruzzo region. Relax and relax thanks to the growing student population, which combines the core of the Renaissance of Palazi, the square and the Baroque church. All are within walking distance. The café-lined Piazza  Duomo has a daily market and a variety of finest osteria serving regional cuisine along with a lively nightclub. Staying in L'Aquila provides easy access to  hiking and cycling trails  in the magnificent Gran Sasso National Park. Palazzo dei Pavoni offers an antique double room, B & B (palazzodeipavoni.it), starting at £ 93.

Discover more beautiful locations...

My Instagram account 😘😘> @Italy.hidden.gemz

Never ever miss these ultimate 5 Hidden Gems💎 If you're travelling in beautiful Italy .🌈💖

[longitudinalwaveme]

Random Flash Rogue Headcanons

Ideas that pop up a lot in my fanfics and fanart: 

-Mick Rory was a farm kid. 

-Roscoe Neyle Dillon is the son of Reginald Norton Dillon, a well-to-do banker, and Rosa Nicole Dillon, his rather pliant, weak-willed wife. Reginald held his son to punishingly high standards and was quick to criticize, berate, and threaten his son when he failed to live up to them. Rosa never intervened. 

-Roscoe grew up in North Ridge, a suburb of Central City. He is on the autism spectrum, but grew up before it was widely recognized. He was constantly bullied by his peers and was disliked by most of his teachers because of his odd behavior. He had a number of special interests but the most prominent was, of course, tops. 

-Roscoe is one of only three Rogues to attend high school and one of only two to have attended college. Lisa and Hartley also both graduated from high school, and Hartley also went to college. Roscoe studied (possibly has a degree in) physics. 

-Roscoe’s parents currently live in Bridgeville. 

-Mark (Marco) Mardon is the son of Patricia (Paloma) and Matthew (Matias) Mardon, and the younger brother of Clyde (Claudio) Mardon. His parents immigrated from Guatemala when he was a month and a half old and Clyde was about a year old. Both parents were college-educated, which made the process simpler than it otherwise would have been, and the family initially settled in Dunhurst, a suburb of Central City. However, they were never accepted there, and they eventually left the town after persistent harassment from the Clan of the Fiery Cross. 

-They resettled in Bridgeville, and Matias and Paloma went to great pains to hide the fact that they were immigrants, Americanizing their names and refusing to let their sons speak Spanish outside of the home. Patricia became the head of the local library, and Matthew took a job as a teacher of geography at the local high school. The family eventually settled fairly comfortably in the middle class. 

-Clyde was only 11 months older than Mark, so they were always in the same year at school. He was handsome, intelligent, popular, and athletic. Mark, by contrast, was painfully average. He couldn’t live up to the standard set up by his parents’ golden child, and eventually, he stopped trying, knowing that he would never measure up. He and Clyde were very close, but their relationship was often strained by the fact that Mark was so often compared unfavorably to Clyde.

-Mark dropped out of high school at 16 and ran away, eventually drifting into petty theft due to his lack of direction. Clyde, meanwhile, graduated high school early and earned a degree in meteorology. He started work on the Weather Wand when he was still in college, but didn’t finish it until he was 23. He died not long after of congenital heart failure, and then his shiftless younger brother strolled in and took the wand for himself. 

-Samuel Joseph Scudder was born to Percival and Martha Scudder. Unfortunately, Percival contracted cancer a few months before Sam was born and died when his son was only 7 months old, leaving his wife with dozens of medical bills. The Scudders had never been particularly well-off, so Martha was forced to move into an apartment complex on Baker Street, colloquially known as Skid Row, where she would raise her young son. 

-Martha was a talented seamstress, so much so that she was eventually hired by the Rathaways. While this provided steady work, the Rathaways were extremely demanding employers, and so Martha wasn’t able to be at home with her son as much as she would’ve liked.

-Young Sam loved cowboy movies and superhero comics. He was especially fond of the JSA and gathered a collection of JSA comics that he still owns (currently, he hides them in the Mirror Realm so the other Rogues won’t find out about them). He was also a boy scout and eventually became an Eagle Scout. He was highly intelligent and generally did well in school, and he was close friends with Jennifer Conners, who lived in the same apartment complex he did. When they entered high school, the two started dating, and even fantasized about getting married. 

-Unfortunately, life on Baker Street was less than ideal. Sam was embarrassed by the shabby state of his clothes and possessions, had to watch as his mother tried to figure out how to pay their bills, and was surrounded by violence. Fights were common in the apartment complex where Sam lived, and, when he was 15 years old, he and Jennifer bore witness to Jennifer’s father being brutally shot as they came home from school. Both were traumatized. Jennifer began a years-long struggle with PTSD, and Sam’s anxiety levels went through the roof. Not wanting to burden his mother and knowing that they didn’t have enough money for therapy, Sam turned to cigarettes, and then alcohol, in the hopes of relieving his anxiety. As he spiraled into addiction, he got mixed up with the school’s party crowd, and dropped out at 17. He drifted into a life of crime and was sent to prison at age 19 for robbing a convenience store. In this prison, he would mostly break his alcohol addiction, but his smoking habit only got worse. More importantly, however, while serving his sentence for this crime, he would discover the Mirror Realm. 

-Sam loves his mother, but he avoids her because he knows his actions disappoint and worry her. His ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Conners, though continually struggling with PTSD, managed to graduate from both high school and college, and currently works as a school counselor. Sam avoids her, too, but still holds a bit of a candle for her. 

-Mrs. McCulloch’s first name is Eva. She is devoutly Catholic, and, as a result, Evan is also devoutly Catholic (albeit a very confused Catholic). He goes to Mass at least once a week, believes priests are basically infallible, and will threaten to kill you if you so much as look at a nun funny. He goes to Confession at least once a month and would probably go more often if each session didn’t last three hours. 

-Giovanni Giuseppi (James Jesse) is the son of Helen and Alessandro Giuseppi, both of whom are the children of Italian immigrants. He has a very, very, very large extended family, most of whom are in the circus with his parents. Many of them speak Italian; while James isn’t fluent in the language, he can understand it quite well and speak it well enough to get by. The whole family is very emotionally demonstrative and physically affectionate, which is part of why James has no concept of personal space. His relatives include his Zia Catalina (who runs an Italian restaurant), his Nonna Gianna, his Nonno Antonio, his Nonno Aberto, his Nonna Lucrezia, his Zio Luca, his Aunt Stella, his Zio Angelo, his Zia Loretta, his Zia Lucia, his Zio Armani, his Aunt Karen, his Zia Bianca, his Zio Rocco, his Zio Romeo, his Aunt Olivia, his Zia Etta, his Zio Dante, his Uncle Fred, his Aunt Susan, his Uncle Harold, his Aunt Lydia, his cousins Bobby and Susie and Maria and Carly and Matthew and Frank and Julia and Freddie and Joseph and Lucy, and his cousins’ kids, Angela and Charlie and Stefano and Gian and Marsha and Rose and Kaitlyn and Steve. He’s not entirely sure how he’s related to most of them. James’ family is all technically Catholic, mainly because they’re all Italian, but only about half of them are practicing Catholics. 

-James invented the airwalker shoes when he was 13 years old. 

-There was a very large age gap between Leonard and Lisa’s parents when they got married. This is because Larry/Lewis Snart was a 40-year-old creeper who got a 15-year-old girl pregnant. Shirley married him because she had nowhere else to go; her parents kicked her out when she got pregnant. She dropped out of high school soon after, and, after several years of abuse, she ran away, leaving Len and Lisa alone with Larry/Lewis.

-Len is about 5 years older than Lisa; he dropped out of high school at 14 so that he could support her and left home at 18. He continued to send money to her after he left, even after she became a professional figure skater. 

-Lisa’s teenaged years were one long nightmare. She was a beautiful young woman, but because of her background, her mother’s reputation as a loose woman, and her father constantly calling her nasty names, she was demonized by the “nice, proper” people of her neighborhood as a temptress, someone who would lead their sons astray. (This in spite of the fact that they were often the ones making advances on her.) Her father also became increasingly abusive towards her, as Leonard had left the home and, as she got older, Lisa started to remind him of his wife. In response, she threw herself into her figure skating and tried to shut the rest of the world out. By the time she was 16, she was already one of the most talented skaters in the Midwest, and when she was 17, she left her father’s house and moved in with another girl on her skating team for the rest of high school. She graduated with a B+ average and was promptly snapped up by a professional figure skating team. Lisa had managed to escape-at least physically. Her teenaged years left her convinced that her beauty was something dangerous; something evil, and it took Roscoe over a year to break down her defenses when they met. However, once he did, she fell deeply in love. Finally, she had found someone who would never abandon her. 

-Roscoe, for his part, was equally in love. After years of being seen as a socially awkward weirdo, he had found someone who thought he was sophisticated and intelligent; someone who didn’t laugh at his tops and who didn’t seem bothered by his quirks. It was intoxicating. 

-Geraldine is 20 years younger than Hartley; she was born to replace him as the heir to the Rathaway fortune. 

-Hartley’s parents were in their thirties when he was born. Both of them came from long-established “old money” families; their marriage was more the result of a business deal between Hartley’s grandparents than any sort of romantic relationship. Prior to her marriage, Rachel was a Kane. Her uncle was the father of Jacob Kane (father to Kathy Kane) and Martha Wayne (nee Kane), making her the first cousin of Bruce Wayne’s mother. Red hair runs in the Kane family, and she passed it on to both of her children. 

-Similarly, Hartley’s paternal grandmother was originally a Queen before marrying into the Rathaway family. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg: Hartley’s at least a distant relative of most of the wealthiest people in the DCU. 

-Geraldine is on the autism spectrum; she’s able to mask her symptoms well enough that her parents haven’t decided to pull the “let’s fix her with expensive surgeries” trick that they used when Hartley was born deaf. 

-Hartley’s parents engaged him to a girl named Kathryn Kendell, the heir to a fast food corporation, when he was 18; nothing came of it because he got himself disowned before the marriage could actually happen. 

-Hartley’s parents are intensely controlling and basically make all the decisions in their children’s lives without actually asking them for their opinions. 

-Len Snart is prone to ulcers.

-Albert and Rita Desmond have an infant son named Alan. He likes to chew on his father’s Philosopher’s Stone. Alvin adores his “astral nephew” and kept showing up at Albert’s house uninvited to see him. Eventually Albert got tired of Alvin breaking in and put him on their baby-sitting list. Rita is less than thrilled by this but is at least pleased that Alan keeps Alvin from trying to ruin Albert’s life. 

-George Harkness has two half-brothers: an older brother named Tom Harkness, the son of Agnes and Ian Harkness, and a much younger brother named Walter Wiggins, the 12-year-old son of W.W. Wiggins and his wife. (All these characters are canonical, but it’s never actually been officially stated that this is the case.) 

-Jai West idolizes Jay Garrick and plans to take up his costume someday. 

-Josh Jackam-Mardon’s weather-controlling abilities are directly tied to his mood. When he’s happy, it’s sunny and he makes rainbows. If he’s cold, the temperature will increase. If he’s hot, the temperature will drop and it might even start snowing. If he’s sad, it rains. If he throws a temper tantrum, it creates a thunderstorm-and if he’s really upset, a tornado will form. 

-When Barry Allen was 13, he paid the admission fee that was required in order to meet the members of the JSA for both himself and a 9-year-old Sam Scudder. It’s one of both men’s fondest memories, and neither realizes that the other was the boy who met the JSA with him on that day. 

-Axel Walker is the son of Alan Walker and Alice Strickland. His father is a used car salesman who left his wife for Axel’s stepmother, Barbie, when Axel was 7 years old. Axel does not like Barbie and isn’t particularly happy with his father, either. Axel’s mother is Jewish. As such, so is Axel (although Axel doesn’t practice his faith much, if at all.) He can read a bit of Hebrew and speak a bit of Yiddish. 

-Eobard Thawne is convinced that he is an expert in 21st-century technology. The result: “This is a historical device called a toaster. It served as a primitive form of climate control!” 

-Abra Kadabra, by contrast, spends most of his time in the 21st century baffled by the devices used by these primitive savages. What sort of communication device doesn’t send a perfect three-dimensional copy of your body to the person you’re talking to? What kind of food-preparation device takes twenty minutes to cook a meal? Why don’t their hygiene devices instantly clean their bodies of dirt and odors instead of requiring water that’s never a comfortable temperature? HOW DO YOU OPERATE THIS ‘REMOTE CONTROL’? This makes him a very annoying house guest. 

-Mick Rory is an accomplished cook, home repairman, and knitter. 

-Albert Desmond is often so lost in thought that he puts his keys in the refrigerator. 

-All of the Rogues are more scared of Iris Allen than they are of Barry. And with good reason. 

-Owen Mercer is good friends with Joan Garrick. 

-Sam is developing the early stages of emphysema but refuses to admit it because it would mean having to try to kick his smoking habit. 

-Mick Rory’s body is covered by third-degree burns, and his voice is unnaturally raspy because of all the smoke inhalation he’s undergone over the years. 

-Mark Mardon is a horrible klutz. If he can trip over something, he will end up doing it. This is part of why he likes being able to fly so much. 

-Len Snart and Sam Scudder are huge fans of Central and Keystone City’s sports teams. Linda Park-West is among the few who can rival their civic pride in this regard. Evan and Digger are both big fans of rugby and cricket. Hartley is solely a baseball fan; the other Rogues don’t much care about sports unless betting is involved. 

-Mark Mardon watches the weather channel solely so he can make sure that the reporter’s predictions are wrong. 

-Digger loves the great outdoors and can hike for hours.

-Mark Mardon is terrible at cards but gambles constantly anyway. He’s lost more money than he’s ever stolen trying to win bets. James, by contrast, is a master cardsharp. 

-Sam and Roscoe spend more money on clothes (and more time in the shower) than the rest of the male Rogues combined.  

-Dexter Miles knows the birthdays of everyone in the Twin Cities. No one knows how he knows this, he just does. When it’s a Rogue’s birthday, the museum opens a exhibit exclusively about them for a few days. The Rogues don’t know this is intentional and it’s really starting to freak them out. 

-When the Rogues found out that the Flash Museum hires people to dress up as them and teach young visitors about science, Sam Scudder waited for a day when the museum’s ‘Mirror Master’ called in sick and showed up in his place. All the visitors to the museum that day were agreed that he was the best “Mirror Master” the museum had ever had. 

-James once went to the Flash Museum in full costume and stood right by one of the statues of him. He even posed in exactly the same way. He was immediately informed by a patron that he was much too blonde to be the real Trickster. James found the whole experience very amusing.

-Roscoe insists that all the statues of him at the Flash Museum make him look fat. Lisa thinks that’s ridiculous and says that they’re almost as handsome as the genuine article. Len agrees that the statues make Roscoe look fat and thinks it’s hilarious. 

-All three of the Flashes have, of course, been to the Flash Museum while in costume. Like James, they are often told that they don’t look anything like the real Flashes. Barry and Jay are baffled by this; Wally thinks it’s funny. 

-Mick Rory donated his chili recipe to the Flash Museum’s diner. It’s one of the more popular dishes amongst people who love spicy food. 

-Wally is trying to convince his wife to get the kids a pet cheetah. “Come on, honey! It’ll be good for the twins to have a pet who can keep up with them!” 

[justthishumanheart]

Ask Game!!

Tagged by @dare-g - sorry it’s taken me so long, but thank you :)

Five songs you’ve been listening to on repeat recently?

1. Talking Heads - Mind - pretty much how i feel talking to people these days. everyone is in their corner and convinced they are right. 

2. The Clash - The Sound of Sinners - i’m such a sucker for gospel choirs

3. Billy Joel - Two Thousand Years - cheesy idealistic throwback to my teens

4. Maná - Clavado en un Bar (En Vivo) - that opening riff goes harrrrrrrd. this is just a fun song for such a horrible feeling. i just wanna get drunk with a bunch of other heartbroken people and shout torch songs like this one. dondé estas maldita?! estoy clavado, estoy herido, estoy ahogado en un baaaaaaaarrrrr!!!!!

5. Golgol Bordello - Ave. B - heard about these guys first from the movie everything is illuminated. the lead singer plays one of my favorite movie characters of all time. gotta love that immigrant punk!

Last movie you watched?

i decided this year to start watching movies from my birth year - this has been really quite enjoyable so far. started off at summer camp with bill murray in meatballs, then on to one of my favorite movies as a kid: steve martin’s the jerk - which would totally not fly these days with the opening 5 minutes alone. most recently i finished woody allen’s manhattan - which i quite enjoyed...though it feels like one cannot admit such things these days. diane keaton was adorable.

Currently Watching?

the twilight zone. it’s a masterpiece. the writing is incredible. 

if you know, you know

Currently Reading?

different books for different times/moods. these are my current leafy companions

1. e e cummings - complete poems - i’ve always loved how cummings breaks me out of the monotony of cliché

2. sylvia plath - the unabridged journals of sylvia plath - i’m constantly impressed and jealous of how bright and intelligent and passionate plath was at 19-20. her yearning to fulfill her potential, to live all the lives she could, to maximize all her creative power...what an amazingly bright light. i have fallen in love with the woman in these journal entries. 

3. vladimir nabokov - the stories of vladimir nabokov - i get lost in the scenes he paints and don’t want to leave

4. jon dambacher - eraser crumbs - @jondambacher is one of us! multi-talented, and incredibly insightful. i’ve loved the fragments of life he captures - he knows how to pull magic out of the mundane. check him out.

5. the short stories of ernest hemingway - hemingway will always remind me of my grandpa. all man. all the time. i can smell him and hear his deep voice when i read hemingway.

6. rainer maria rilke - the notebooks of malte laurids brigge - rilke has written some of my very favorite lines. they are not to be found in this book so far :/ so it’s been a slog - one i didn’t expect. this one has felt like a chore

7. albert camus - lyrical and critical essays - @amiwalkingincircles recommended this after i had been blown away by reading the plague last summer. what a revelation. these essays are full of a realistic but very real love of humanity. what a beautiful soul i’ve found here.

8. sylvia plath - the collected poems - more plath. her precision with words and phrases is incredible. 

9. james gleick - genius: the life and science of richard feynman - maria popova from @brainpickings​ is one of the best bloggers in the world. she finds the most incredible books (especially children’s books). she once posted about a letter the physicist richard feynman wrote to his dead wife. it is the most moving letter i’ve ever read. please check out her post about it. after reading that, i had to pick up the biography she found it in. i know embarrassingly little about physics - let alone theoretical quantum physics - but i love learning how these people think and how they attack mental problems. this book is as fun as feynman’s personality was.

[plaidbooks]

SFW Alphabet - Nick Amaro

Requested by no one, but whenever I’m stuck on a fic, I seem to turn to headcanons, so here we are. I hope y’all enjoy some Nick headcanons!

Taglist: @the-baby-bookworm​ @beccabarba​ @thatesqcrush​ @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ @stardust-fray​ @permanentlydizzy​ @infiniteoddball​ @ben-c-group-therapy​ @glowingmess​ @whimsicallymad​ @lv7867​ @storiesofsvu​ @cycat4077​ @barbasimp​

(gif by @dwaynepride)

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Nick’s pretty affectionate—he likes to sit with you on the couch after a long day, arm wrapped around your shoulders. His love language is words of affirmation, so he’s constantly giving you compliments and telling you how much you mean to him. He also loves massaging you, whether your neck, shoulders, back, or simply your calves.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Nick’s always there for you if you need him. He’s mastered the art of listening to you vent and rage, or just sitting with you in silent comfort, whichever you need. You met Nick while at the park—he was with one (or both) of his kids, just a bonding day, playing. You were walking your neighbor’s dog at the time, and the kid(s) became enamored with it, asking to pet and play with it. The dog needed a good run, and what better way than with a child? So, you let it off the leash, and you and Nick idly chatted while watching them play. You quickly exchanged numbers, so that the kid(s) and dog could play again some time (and so Nick could have an excuse to talk to you)

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Nick likes to cuddle on the couch, but more so in bed. The only problem with cuddling on the couch is that one or both of you have to get up too often. In bed, however, he can hold you close to him for hours, his nose nuzzled against your neck.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Nick’s always been in a relationship—he doesn’t know how to not be. That being said, he hates cooking. He does it (and does it well), but it’s his least favorite thing to do. As for cleaning, he’s a bit of a neat-freak. He’s gotten Zara good at cleaning up her own mess (though her room is a different story), and he’s on top of messes in the house. He’s quick to clean anything that happens, and knows how to mix chemicals safely and effectively to clean any stain.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Nick would keep his cool, collected façade the whole time—in person, of course. But, as soon as he’s alone, he breaks down crying. He’d be civil about it, making sure to get your things back to you quickly and efficiently so that you don’t have to go to his place.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

After Maria, he’s a little wary about marriage. He doesn’t want to make any mistakes again, so he’ll take it slow. He’d make sure you were really the one before proposing, and even then, he’d wait to marry you. And unless you were really into a big wedding, he’d probably just take you to a small chapel, with his mom, Zara and Gil, and your family as witnesses. But he doesn’t necessarily believe you have to be married to be in love.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

For the most part, Nick is gentle as can be. Because of his upbringing, he knows what it’s not to not have that. Though, sometimes work can get to be too much, and he’ll come home pissed, yelling and screaming. Once his anger passes, however, he’s apologizing profusely, holding you and caressing you gentler than ever. Even so, no matter how mad he gets, he’d never think to raise a hand to you.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Nick loves hugs, even if he won’t admit it. He’ll hug you on days you need it, rubbing your back and resting his head on yours. And on days he needs it? He won’t ask for a hug, but if you do hug him on rough days, he fucking melts against you. Sometimes, he forgets how much love and affection can be in such a soft touch, especially if he’s expecting something rougher, more violent.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It takes him a little bit to say it, but he shows it quickly. It’s evident in everything he does. And after he finally mutters it to you, it’s as if he’s seeing a door that was painted the same color as the walls. Of course, he loves you! Why didn’t he say it earlier? No matter, now he has all the time in the world to make it up to you, saying it constantly.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Nick is the epitome of jealous. He trusts you, sure, but he doesn’t trust anyone else. If a man so much as looks at you for too long, Nick will wrap himself around you, pulling you in for a dominating kiss. And if it’s a friend/coworker looking at you? Well, then that just means Nick has to take you home and mark you as his, so that those prying eyes will see his mark on your neck.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Nick’s kisses as rough and dominating, yet somehow tender and full of passion. His lips are soft against yours, his hands cupping your face, neck, hips, ass, pulling you closer to him. But his tongue is in your mouth, massaging yours, leaving you completely breathless by the time he releases you. Besides on the lips, Nick loves kissing your hands/knuckles/arms. He watched Tom ‘n’ Jerry as a kid, and saw that one episode(s) where Tom kisses the girl cat from hand up her arm to her face, and he loves doing that to you, especially because it makes you giggle.

Nick has a ticklish neck and loves when you kiss/nibble his neck/throat. It makes him laugh and he feels so warm and loved. And if you mark him? He plays it off as if he’s embarrassed, but he secretly loves it.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Nick’s the best dad! He has infinite patience with both his kids, never getting mad with them. Yes, he can be strict with them, but that’s only to make sure they’re taught right. He’s also never too tired after work or on days off to play with them, or read a bedtime story (for Zara). His only downfall is that he can’t be around them more. Nick also embarrasses them both with the worst dad jokes.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

On days that he works, Nick Is up early, making sure Zara is ready for school (if he has her). Then he’s shaved, dressed, and ready for work. He makes breakfast for both of you (and Zara, if she’s there), and then is on his way.

On his days off, and without Zara, Nick will stay in bed with you, waking you up with sleepy morning sex. If he can get away with staying in bed until noon, he will. Otherwise, he’ll get up and ready for whatever he needs to get done that day.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Sometimes, Nick needs to be held. When the cases are bad, or when he wakes up in the middle of the night from nightmares of his childhood, he’ll sob softly against you while you cuddle with him, telling him how much you love him.

Other nights, Nick will take you to bed and spend half the night rememorizing your body, the noises you make. He’s gentle, tender, whether you have sex or not. If not, he’ll just caress your skin with his big, warm hands, massaging you muscles slowly. And if you do have sex, then he’s slow, loving, his touch tender against you.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Nick’s pretty guarded—he’s been hurt before and is afraid to be hurt again. He’ll tell you important things first, like that he has two kids, and that’s divorced, but you won’t learn about either mom for months. He’ll also tell you he’s a detective, but he won’t tell you what department, nor what kinds of cases he gets. He compartmentalizes his work life and his home life. It’s not until he gets super defensive around his kids that you can put two and two together.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Surprisingly, Nick’s not easily angered…at least in his home life. He’s quick to anger if his children or family are threatened, but otherwise, he’s pretty chill. That being said, things at work, and his conversations with Maria, can get under his skin easier than anything else. But once he blows off some steam, he’s pretty quick to apologize, making it up to you or anyone else that was a recipient of his verbal lashings.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Nick’s brain is a steel trap. He remembers most things, even little details you didn’t think were important. Sometimes, though, he gets his facts a little mixed up (“I thought you said you loved ranch?” “Yeah, only as a dipping sauce, not as a salad dressing”). But he obviously tries, and you’re shocked that his years as a father didn’t completely destroy his brain.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Nick got called in on his day off, and his mother was busy. In desperation, he called you to watch Zara, which you happily accepted. You had a great day with her, and she loved hanging out with you. When Nick finally came to pick her up, she didn’t really want to leave. “Can I come stay with Auntie [y/n] again? I love her!” Zara said. Nick picked her up, holding her against his side, heart swelling. “Uh, I don’t know. Would you like—” “I’d love to watch Zara again. Anytime,” you replied, and Nick fell completely in love with you at that moment.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Nick tries to make every date special, he really does. But if he had a dollar for every time he got called away halfway through a date, then Zara would be able to afford college no problem. If you’ve been dating for a long time, then he’ll slowly start giving up—though, he’d be sure to do at least something special that night. Gifts are always special with Nick—he puts extra thought into every single one, and they’re all incredibly touching.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Nick relies on takeout too much. Man hates cooking, and since he doesn’t have Zara 24/7 anymore, he doesn’t eat super healthy anymore. Which isn’t a problem for him—he goes to the gym and works out. It’s becoming a problem for you though. He also tends to turn to alcohol if he’s had a bad day.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Nick is well shaven and keeps good hygiene. It’s not that he’s concerned with his looks, it’s just simply taking care of himself. Sometimes, he’ll let the scruff grow out into a neatly trimmed beard, mostly because he knows you love it. But this man was slumming in Narcotics for a bit—he doesn’t care what he looks like, as long as he’s dressed for the correct occasion.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Once you’ve joined his family, you’re a part of the Amaro clan. It’s not so much that he would feel incomplete (though he would), but he wouldn’t know how to tell Zara. Poor girl has already had so much heart break in her short life; she doesn’t need to deal with that again.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Nick loves watching cartoons with Zara. He’ll sigh and roll his eyes when she picks out a movie or show to watch, but he sings along with the opening credits, and has matching shirts with the characters on them with Zara (you are to never tell anyone that). You once came home while Nick was off and Zara with her mom, and he scrambled to change the channel from Spongebob to sports, but you had already caught him red-handed.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Nick will never be with someone who’s abusive, whether verbally, emotionally, or physically. While he understands venting and releasing pent up anger, he’s dealt with that for too many years of his life to deal with it from a partner. And if you so much as looked at Zara or Gil wrong, you’re done.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Whether it’s paternal instincts or because he’s been in a relationship so long, you don’t know, but if you and Nick are in bed together, he’s touching you. More often than not, he’s wrapping his limbs around you, holding you close. It’s only rarely that his back will be pushed against you. No matter how hot it is in the room, Nick is on you.