#my freaking file manager has ads for some reason

[goldensmilingbird]

Everywhere I go, there are ads

[maypop-the-dragon]

PSA: Free Software

Reading this may really save your time, privacy, and money! Reblog or share to spread awareness!

Folks often use software that’s expensive and sometimes even inferior because they don’t know there are alternatives. So to those unfamiliar: basically, free and open-source (FOSS) or "libre" software is free to use and anyone can access the original code to make their own version or work on fixing problems.

That does not mean anyone can randomly add a virus and give it to everyone—any respectable libre project has checks in place to make sure changes to the official version are good! Libre software is typically developed by communities who really care about the quality of the software as a goal in itself.

There are libre alternatives to many well-known programs that do everything an average user needs (find out more under the cut!) for free with no DRM, license keys, or subscriptions.

Using libre software when possible is an easy way to fight against and free yourself from corporate greed while actually being more convenient in many cases! If you need an app to do something, perhaps try searching online for things like:

foss [whatever it is]

libre [whatever it is]

open source [whatever it is]

Feel free to recommend more libre software in the tags, replies, comments, or whatever you freaks like to do!

Some Libre Software I Personally Enjoy…

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is an office suite, much like Microsoft Office. It includes equivalents for apps like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, which can view and edit files created for those apps.

I can't say I've used it much myself yet. I do not personally like using office software except when I have to for school.

OpenShot

OpenShot Video Editor is, as the name suggests, a video editing program. It has industry-standard features like splicing, layering, transitions, and greenscreen.

I've only made one video with it so far, but I'm already very happy with it. I had already paid for a video editor (Cyberlink PowerDirector Pro), but I needed to reinstall it and I didn't remember how. Out of desperation, I searched up "FOSS video editor" and I'm so glad I did. There's no launcher, there's no promotion of other apps and asset packs—it's just a video editor with a normal installer.

GIMP

GNU Image Manipulation Program is an image editor, much like Photoshop. Originally created for Linux but also available for Windows and MacOS, it provides plenty of functionality for editing images. It is a bit unintuitive to learn at first, though.

I've used it to create and modify images for years, including logos, really bad traceover art, and Minecraft textures. It doesn't have certain advanced tech like AI paint-in, but it has served my purposes well and it might just work for yours!

(Be sure to go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Colors. I have no idea why that's not enabled by default.)

Audacity

Audacity is an audio editing program. It can record, load, splice, and layer audio files and apply effects to them.

Audacity is another program I've used for a long time. It is not designed to compose music, but it is great for podcasts, simple edits, and loading legacy MS Paint to hear cool noises.

7-Zip

7-Zip is a file manager and archive tool. It supports many archive types including ZIP, RAR, TAR, and its own format, 7Z. It can view and modify the contents of archives, encrypt and decrypt archives, and all that good stuff.

Personally, I use 7-Zip to look inside JAR files for Minecraft reasons. I must admit that its UI is ugly.

Firefox

Firefox is an internet browser, much like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. While browsers are free, many of them include tracking or other anti-consumer practices. For example, Google plans to release an update to Chromium (the base that most browsers are built from these days) that makes ad blockers less effective by removing the APIs they currently rely on.

Aside from fighting monopolies, benefits include: support for animated themes (the one in the picture is Purple Night Theme), good ad blockers forever, an (albeit hidden) compact UI option (available on about:config), and a cute fox icon.

uBlock Origin

As far as I know, uBlock Origin is one of the best ad blockers there is.

I was on a sketchy website with my brother, and he was using Opera GX's ad blocker. Much of the time when he clicked on anything, it would take us to a random sponsored page. I suggested that he try uBlock Origin, and with uBlock Origin, that didn't happen anymore.

Linux

Linux is a kernel, but the term is often used to refer to operating systems (much like Windows or MacOS) built on it. There are many different Linux-based operating systems (or "distros") to choose from, but apps made for Linux usually work on most popular distros. You can also use many normally Windows-only apps on Linux through compatibility layers like WINE.

I don't have all four of these, so the images are from Wikipedia. I tried to show a variety of Linux distros made for different kinds of users.

If you want to replace your operating system, I recommend being very careful because you can end up breaking things. Many computer manufacturers don't care about supporting Linux, meaning that things may not work (Nvidia graphic cards notoriously have issues on Linux, for example).

Personally, I tried installing Pop!_OS on a laptop, and the sound output mysteriously doesn't work. I may try switching to Arch Linux, since it is extremely customizable and I might be able to experiment until I find a configuration where the audio works.

Many Linux distros offer "Live USB" functionality, which works as both a demo and an installer. You should thoroughly test your distro on a Live USB session before you actually install it to be absolutely sure that everything works. Even if it seems fine, you should probably look into dual-booting with your existing operating system, just in case you need it for some reason.

Happy computering!

[phoenixyfriend]

Anakin Assists the Jedi Council While On Medical Leave

AU brainstormed primarily by @atagotiak, @gelpenss, and myself.

Basically, a fix-it based in Anakin getting a peek into the daily life on the Council early, and accidentally Figuring Some Shit Out along the way, mostly because Palps Fucks Up.

So, Anakin gets injured in a way that limits him to Coruscant for a few weeks. He can still walk and talk, but he can't fight. The specific injury doesn't matter, just this:

Anakin runs errands on behalf of the council and sits in on meetings to take minutes as a "you're on medical leave but we need all hands on deck, congrats you get to be the secretary until we can send you on stabbing missions again" thing.

Also, there just aren't a whole lot of people with Anakin's clearance level. They had to send out Stass Allie to handle the mission that was originally next on Anakin's roster, and Anakin's the most convenient person to substitute into her position.

He's not super happy about this but he can more or less understand the point of it. Given that he gets antsy about needing to fight almost immediately, he can acknowledge the worth of having something useful to do, if only as the person who's writing down who says what and making sure everyone has the right file on hand.

(Besides, Obi-Wan jokes in a way that Anakin thinks might be encouraging, this is good practice if Anakin ever wants to be on the High Council himself!)

(This is a very helpful conversation.)

BASICALLY, Anakin is resigned to this but agrees because "Usually we have Master Allie handle this but we need her running that mission that was originally set for the 501st, so you get to fill in for her until you can switch back. Think of it as training for eventual mastery or admin or--listen, we're just really stretched thin."

Here's the key thing, though: Anakin isn't supposed to leave the Temple, for medical reasons, so Palpatine doesn't know Anakin is sitting in on Council meetings. They haven't met up since Anakin's last surgery, and because [muffled hand-wave reason] he didn't find out another way, like Anakin comming him or the Council giving him the heads-up about the change in attendance.

It's fine. He's just taking notes and doing preparatory research, he has the clearance, the Chancellor likes him anyway. Hell, they'd have had someone's Padawan doing this, before the war increased the necessary clearance levels. They'll toss in a quick message in the brief they send to Palps that he never reads anyway, and that's really all they need to do. Skywalker's getting some rounded experience and this way the medics won't be freaking out about him stressing his heart after getting electrocuted by trying to spar too early.

Palpatine doesn't talk directly to the Council, he just sends a recording the first time Anakin is there. It's a bit weird, but nothing goes wrong. Anakin's off-screen from whatever device they use to send a response, since he's not technically a member, just assisting for a bit on the part of Master Allie's duties that he's actually allowed to touch (and not the bits that are getting added to Mace, Plo, and Shaak's stuff).

The first four or so meetings are like that. Anakin starts having a bit of sympathy for the Council as he sees how many things they want to do that are hampered by the need for Senatorial approval, things that he would also want to do and didn't think required this much red tape.

About a week in, still mostly recordings with Anakin just sitting on the side playing paralegal, the wheel of fortune turns a few pegs.

Palpatine hands over a an order on the range of injury that a soldier should be treated for, "to ensure that republic resources aren't being wasted on clones that, while expensive, would actually be cheaper to replace than repair."

Oh, he dresses it up in prettier language than that. Anakin doesn't process it as such first.

The Chancellor manages to couch his phrasing in "prioritizing resources for taxpaying republic citizens and employees of the GAR," which... well.

The natborn commissioned officers pay taxes. The Jedi are employees. The clones are neither, because they're slaves.

Probably he frames it as the employees thing, very much the kinda language that sounds halfway ok unless you’re fluent in political bullshit.

And Anakin is really confused at first about why the council is upset by the order because, okay, he would PREFER to be able to use medical supplies on refugees when possible, but he understands prioritizing the soldiers?

He just looks up, totally lost, when someone groans and goes, "That's the third time this year, is he trying to get us all killed?"

And it vibes as such a genuine, aggrieved, sad reaction that Anakin is completely blindsided because it's not the sarcastic, petty resentment he kind of expected? It's just... desperate depression.

And someone gently has to explain that this is the third time they've had resources restricted to only GAR employees and that it's a polite way of saying "prioritize natborn officers, stop wasting resources on clones, we can replace them easier."

Or maybe he doesn't ask, because he's just there to take notes, not argue, and he can see the masters drawing up a response that amounts to "We would like to remind you that our soldiers do not fall into that classification, and to limit their access to our medical supplies is liable to cause a loss of life that we find unreasonably high. Please see the annotations attached to adjust wording so that the clones may receive the same level of care."

Anakin's internally just like "Yeah, that's phrased nice and addresses the main problem, Palpatine will obviously agree and change it!"

And then he comes in the next day and the response comes in and it's just dripping condescension about considering the clones actual people.

"This is why we can't use the bacta tanks on clones anymore, just the patches. We could use them at first, we had a few of the CCs get through fatal injuries with them, but they cut that off and said we could only use the tanks on Jedi and non-clone officers a few months ago. The Banking Clans keep tightening their belts on the army, and the Chancellor insists we put citizens first, and the clones aren't citizens. We've been arguing back as much as we can, but he keeps going on about the economy and we can't... we just can't, Skywalker. We're trying to save as many of our men as we can, but..."

Something like "Allocation of resources reiterated, the Kaminoans have assured the senate that the Jedi are far from exhausting the resources ordered."

And Anakin's like. He can't blame the council for lying about Palpatine's past or future actions. He just saw Palpatine's actions. Those actions were to order people under his control to throw away lives he saw as replaceable commodities.

These are his friends' lives.

His soldiers are being thrown away by a man in a tower that he trusted.

And then that man has the gall to suggest it's the council's fault.

Palpatine is good at what he does, especially in public, he dresses it up in flowery language and everything, but Anakin's just like "Those are my FRIENDS and also this is??? How slavers talked about their property on Tatooine???? FRIENDPATINE, WHAT THE FUCK."

Anakin can be passive aggressive sometimes as well as outright aggressive. So if he brings up the guidelines and why they make him upset in general terms, and Palpatine says something about how he’s sad the council doesn’t care about the clones...

Anakin, internally, having just watched the council scramble to save as many clones as possible within the guidelines that Palps handed down: Uh-huh.

(Anakin is just the gay horror teeth gif from queer eye.)

Just. “Yeah, funny you say that, Palpatine! Because as I remember, you told the council not to waste more resources than necessary while Mace Windu was arguing to expand the treatment range!”

Palps doesn't even have time to salvage the situation or attack Anakin because Anakin just bulldoze rants for fifteen minutes and then storms out.

Anakin... maybe does a little treason and gets a copy of the orders so he can ask Padme "Hey, can you explain the politics of this?" and doesn't tell her who wrote it so she isn't biased (he tells her that this is why he's not sharing the author's/speaker's name), and just lets Padme pick apart all the 'this is a nice way of saying they don't view the clones as people' details.

Alternately, someone on the Council sees Anakin dithering and manages to get him to admit that he's not great at political language and wants to ask someone to help him understand the full implications. The person--Mace? let's go with Mace--is aware that Anakin is on good terms with Senator Amidala, if not necessarily aware of the depth of said relationship. Mace points out that he's probably going to be seeing her soon just because he usually does and, as a Senator, she can get easy access to these sessions since they're not about specific missions, just allocation of resources, etc. It's not an optimal solution, but she's got a bit more free time than anyone else Anakin knows with the clearance levels, like Order members that are actively involved in the war effort.

Anakin dithers and panics and Mace, trying to be helpful, tells him that plenty of Jedi have made friends among the Senate over the years, didn't you know Qui-Gon Jinn was a personal friend of Former Chancellor Valorum?

At any rate, Anakin goes to Padme and asks her to explain it to him, because she knows how to phrase things so he gets it.

Anakin has to have her pause and he goes outside and destroys some things halfway through.

(Anakin maybe thinks back to the times Padmé or Obi-Wan were really obviously frustrated and when he asked, they said stuff like “I can’t stand Palpatine rn, sorry Anakin I know he’s important to you and you don’t want to talk about politics, let’s just talk about something else.”)

(Obi-Wan: I don’t trust Palpatine Anakin: you just don’t like politicians in general Obi-Wan: yes that is also true)

(Obi-Wan does like Bail and Padme but he does also talk a bit about how politicians generally aren’t to be trusted.)

[tweedlydumbtweedlydoo]

Investigation | Spencer Reid x reader

Requested by @maybebanks​ / Summary: The BAU is investigating you for a case against your brother and you won’t say a thing, until Dr. Spencer Reid walks in. 

A/N: Hope you like it! xx 

Warning: talks of claustrophobia 

Tag list is at the end. Let me know if you want to be added xx

**MASTERLIST**

Requests: {OPEN} CLOSED

** Rules for Requesting **

** Who I Write For **

********************************************************************************************NOT MY GIF, CREDIT TO OWNERS

“Miss y/l/n, we only want to know about your brother.” The man in front of you explains. You were seated across from him at the steel table, inside a room without windows. If you weren’t freaking out about your brother, you might have been freaking out about being enclosed in a room that you couldn’t get out of or see a way out and wonder if the walls were suddenly getting smaller. 

They’d brought you in only a couple hours ago. The BAU team had entered your workplace and cornered you at your desk, basically ordering you to come with them or you’d be arrested. So, you did as you were told. However, you’d seen this before and you weren’t going to speak to them about anything especially if it could be used against you or your brother later on. 

There were men close to your age that had turned up dead in ditches and for some reason your brother was their number one suspect because his DNA is on one of the victims. Your brother, a murderer? There was no way. He was protective of you, his little sister, but he wasn’t that protective, not a murdering type because you looked at my sister wrong kind of guy. 

“When is the last time you spoke to him?” You’d learned the name of the man across from you. Agent Hotchner. 

Your arms remained crossed over your chest as you said nothing. You didn’t even make contact with him. He’d been in here for almost half an hour and you could tell the man was growing impatient. 

He gave a hard sigh and finally stood, “Fine you won’t speak, we’ll just have to find another way to get you to talk.” As he neared the exit, he added, “How about I bring in one of your exes? James? I think he is on your emergency contact list.” And with that he slammed the door shut behind him. 

And suddenly the room grew smaller.

~ 

“Hotch, you can’t threaten her with an ex boyfriend.” Spencer defends, “That’s wrong and you know it.” 

“She won’t speak, what else am I supposed to do?” Hotch tosses the file on the table next to him in frustration, “She has to speak at some point. We have a deadline before the next body shows up and we need information on her brother to find him.” 

“Let me try-” Spencer started, but when he looked through the window into the interrogation room, he knew something was wrong. 

You were panicking and breathing heavily as the walls continued to close in. Your ex boyfriend couldn’t come here. He couldn’t know where you were. 

Spencer rushed into the room, “hey hey, breath.” He pulled you and your chair out from the table so you were in the open and facing him, “Just breath, what’s wrong?” 

“The walls. The walls are..” You choked out and Spencer knew. 

“Open that door.” He instructs the guard before turning his attention back to you, “Breath in and out with me.” Spencer takes in a few deep breaths and you follow along, finally calming down. 

“Get her some water and keep that door open.” Spencer looks you over once more, “And get the cuffs off her. She’s claustrophobic. There’s no need for the cuffs. She’s not a suspect.” 

Your grateful for the man in front of you, “Thank you.” You say quietly as he unlocks the cuffs from your wrists. 

His eyes meet yours, “We’ll keep the door open from now on. Is that alright?” 

You nod, “there’s no windows.. the room just kept getting smaller.” 

He hands you the cup of water, “I know, it’s alright. May I sit in here with you?” He motions to the free seat across from you. 

You answer with a nod and take a sip of your water. You were finally calmed enough to take in the man who’d saved you. His hair was a mess on the top of his head, but it worked for him. He wore a button up shirt with a vest and a tie around his neck. You read the badge clipped to his shirt, SSA Spencer Reid. 

“I’m Dr. Spencer Reid by the way.” 

“You look a little young to be a doctor.” You say quietly. 

He chuckles, “I get that a lot.” He points to the shirt your wearing, “Las Vegas. I’m from there.” 

“Went for my 21st birthday. My parents took my brother and I.” 

“It’s a great place. However, I’m banned from casinos there.” 

“Banned?” You laugh, “What could you have possibly been banned for?” 

“Um.. being too good at cards.” He chuckles. 

“Ah you were costing them money? Yeah I can see why you’d be banned.” 

The two of you continued to make small talk. Spencer took a friendly approach instead of Hotch’s aggressive approach and you seemed to open up more to him. From the entire 30 minutes he’d sat with you, he’d managed to find out more than Hotch did and found out that you weren’t great with men who shown aggression. He confirmed that theory when Hotch had walked in and asked you a couple questions but you’d shut down and didn’t say a word. 

“We only want to find your brother. His DNA is on one of the victims shirts.” Spencer explains as he opens the file in front of you. He wanted to get you comfortable with him before going straight into the case and it’s details,  “If he is innocent, great, we’ll prove it. But we have to find him first.” 

You nervously looked over the few photos of the men and recognized one, “That’s Brad. I went on a date with him the other night. It.. it didn’t end good and my brother had stepped in.” You look up at Spencer, “Is that who had his DNA?” 

Spencer gives a nod, glancing back at the window where the team were already listening and watching. 

“My brother had to.. he had to stop the guy. He made some advances when I got home and wouldn’t stop so my brother stepped in to help. He’d never.. kill these men.” 

“Can someone confirm that? And confirm your brother had an alibi the nights these men went missing?” 

You quickly nod, “My brother’s girlfriend and her niece. The three of us live together and her niece was there with us over the weekend. And also our neighbors. They can confirm my brother was home because he spoke with them while bringing up groceries.” 

“This is great information. Let me go talk with the team.” 

~ 

It was only a little while later that Spencer was back in the room, “You’re free to go.” 

“My brother?” 

“He’s cleared of anything. He’s no longer a suspect.” Spencer hands you your things they had confiscated at the door. 

“Thank you.” You give a grateful smile, “And for being so kind during all of this.” 

“Of course.” He apologizes for Hotch’s behavior, “he’s used to taking that aggressive approach with other unsubs. He sometimes forgets that it doesn’t work with everyone.” He motions to the door, “I’ll walk you out.” 

The two of you walk out of the room and through the police department, “Well, I hope you catch the man who did this.” 

“I believe we will. It could also be a woman. Statistically when the victims are men, 85% of the time the killer is a woman.” He notices the look on your face and blushes, “Sorry, I like statistics and sometimes I get overly excited.” 

“It’s fine.” You laugh, “I’ll see you around, Dr. Spencer Reid...” 

He watches as you walk out the door and he makes it look like he wasn’t watching you leave when you glance back at him, however, he runs right into the water dispenser, almost knocking it over. 

Criminal Minds tag list: @thelovelydreamer17​ , @la-vie-en-amour1​ , @mrs-joel-pimentel-23-25​ , @astra-inclinant-sed-non-obligant (possibly: @astra-x-inclinant​)  , @bluerose512​ , @lolychu​ , @varsityalthete​ , @televisiondreamstomorrow​ , @harry-hollands​ , @lumineshawn​ , @lyss-xo​ , @rexorangecouny​ , @sassy-hades​ , @britishspidey​ , @ateez-star​ , @l0ve-0f-my-life​ , @ceeellewrites​ , @newtkyloskywalkerstiliski , @in-some-fandoms​

All my works tag list:  @blossomreed​ , @mggstyles  , @simonsbluee​ , @thewolf-and-thesheep​ , @obxrafejjwhore​ , @abbiesthings​ , @itstaskeen​ , @reniescarlett​

[white-tulips]

I spent most of this morning continuing playing through the hikikomori route, more of my thoughts below!! (major spoilers ahead!!!!!)

if you haven’t but want to read my first post on my hikikomori playthrough, you can see it [here]!! it’s been a month since I last played any, aha...

I played for quite a few hours earlier but I don’t think I really progressed all that much aha. most of my time went towards grinding and wandering around and seeing little things. oh, and also playing through Orange Oasis. I never actually did that in my first run of the game. it was okay.

I really love how many little details and things to go back to that there are, but I’m still a little bitter at just. how long everything is. I talked about this a lot in my previous post, but it irritates me that the first 15-20 hours (give or take depending on how fast you’re able to blast through this game) is just. exactly the same as what you experience in the main route. especially since now my hikikomori save file is even longer than my main story file, and I think I still have a decent ways to go until I finish. I don’t actually know! I haven’t been spoiled for this route, thankfully, so I don’t really know how much is left. I have a vague idea of a couple areas I need to go to, but that’s about it.

ok, on to my thoughts!! this post is probably just going to be me rambling about tiny details I found interesting since I didn’t progress through much plot stuff, I think.

when I opened up my save file, I. completely forgot what I had been doing a month ago and what I wanted to do next, so I decided to go back to the Last Resort. I don’t know what compelled me to go, but there was a lot of fun stuff there so I’m glad that I did!

I had never tried to use Aubrey to go into the girls’ bathroom before? it was very cute, I liked it. I don’t know why, but as soon as I walked in it really reminded me of Basil. I think it’s all the flowers, photos hanging from the wall, and general soft cutesy vibe. I’m not really sure what to make of that, but it was just my general impression. hmmmm.

I have no words for this other than it just made me amused. go get your vacation, king.

also:

I didn’t know Hero had a confirmed age!! all this time I had been assuming he and Mari were 16 years old, so it’s nice to have something set in stone!

I have no words for these, either. seeing all of the Hero pictures just made me laugh out loud a little I loved it.

when I was standing in Jawsum’s office, I noticed that the elevator behind his desk was shaking. I went to examine it, and was surprised when this was where I ended up.

the black space elevator.

something I completely forgot to mention in my last hikikomori post was black space!! it had completely took me by surprise so I can’t believe I forgot to talk about it.

last time I played and went back to Last Resort, there was a completely black car on the highway and it had really freaked me out. as soon as I clicked on it, instead of giving me some kind of prompt Omori just got in and it drove off. I was so shocked because I wasn’t expecting it fhgjdfhgj. it ended up taking Omori back to one of the black space rooms, and I had no clue what to make of it. I wandered around for a little while, and ended up finding this... friend?

I’m... not sure! who are you......

anyways, so I got in the elevator and we’re back here, now with more spiders.

the spider wasn’t interactable. not sure whether to be upset or relieved.

aaaand then there was this guy in the treehouse. I want to know what these black space NPCs are!!! as soon as I tried to interact with it, the screen glitched out (intentionally) and then it was gone. one day I’ll know what it means.

oh, another thing I spent quite a bit of time doing at the Last Resort-

getting statues made of everyone!! RIP to all of my clams, but these are so cute.

cuuute.

I really liked the comment on Mari’s! it made me happy that it highlighted her playful side.

after I was done reexploring Last Resort, I wanted to go back to Sweetheart’s castle. I was walking through Pyrefly Forest, and I noticed one of the picnic blankets had a cooler open (signaling that you can see a new picnic cutscene) so I went to go sit down and have a picnic.

so, when I was going around earlier and doing some stuff, there were a few picnics that I think I had skipped for some reason so I was doing them and mindlessly skipping through the text for no reason other than it would bother be if I just left them. nothing about the conversations was different even though Basil is here now, so I didn’t think anything would be different for the one in Pyrefly Forest, but I was wrong!! I almost completely skipped through everything aha.

it started off the same, with Hero being scared of the spiders, and then Kel prompted Basil to say something positive to try and make him less scared.

it’s pretty insignificant, but I thought it was interesting that he said pretty much the exact same thing he says in the spider room in black space.

when I got to the castle, I went straight to the library. something about the pattern of going to black space, plus being able to go into the barn in Otherworld, just made me feel like there would be something there. and oh boy was I right. the entire place was crawling with Something.

very good.....

I wasn’t able to get screenshots of them, but there were a couple text popups that really stood out to me. my memory is so bad I can’t remember all of them even though it was only this morning,,, but I’m pretty sure one of them had a popup that was just “Liar.” and I was like HM....

it just really had me thinking....

in my previous post, I mentioned that I had a gut feeling that the Something in the barn was supposed to represent Basil, not Mari. this kind of added fuel to that thought!

the barn in Otherworld was only used in the main route in reference to Basil, with it literally showing Omori a vision of him, and also having Stranger walking into it. now, the library also has a lot of connection to Basil! after picking up one of the keys, it shows us another vision of him, and it’s also littered with egret orchids. I don’t think choosing to have all of these Somethings in both of these places is just a coincidence.

now, about the “Liar.” line. in any fight with Something, if there’s a text popup meant to be Something speaking, it’s always done like this-

with the “???:” to indicate character speech. but the “Liar.” popup was just a standalone line. and it instantly reminded me of this room in black space-

and this just kept making my brain whirl.

in this room, there were all of these popups with “Liar.” and then of course there was-

see here how there also weren’t indications of who was saying ‘liar”, but there was for Something? my idea for this room was always that it was Omori repeating it to himself. because we all know by now that Something is Mari, and her saying “I love you”, especially in this form, is nothing but pure torment. and I think here, we have Omori unwilling to believe it. there’s no way Mari could love him/Sunny. she has to be lying.

soooo then, this brings me back to the library. having the “Liar.” popup there, keeping in consideration that the Somethings there might represent Basil, what could that mean?? it could be in reference to Basil’s words “Everything is going to be okay” because clearly everything is not okay. if all of these Somethings are meant to be Basil, it could fit!!!

... so there’s my long winded theory. idk! I think it makes sense, but I could be wrong!! that’s just my first impressions right now, maybe my thoughts will change when I play more!

moving onto the piano room-

this was when I thought “ohhhh so that’s why the wall always felt hallow. it all makes sense now”

and then I spent the next 30 or so minutes fighting all of the Somethings

I LOVED this. this was the first time a fight was put on a time limit, and since Something was so much more powerful, it felt actually stressful. I was stressed! but I managed to make it with 2-3 turns left, and I didn’t die. I did die about 1 or 2 times to arachnophobia and thalassophobia though F. but it’s okay because I got an achievement and also Omori’s suffocate skill is really good.

anyways I did some more mindless walking around (I had to kill time waiting for all my statues to be built, you know!)

this made me really happy. Big Molio I love you you’re the mvp and you deserve the world.

... looking through my screenshots I wish I could forget this one-

,, do I need to even explain it.

I remember a while ago, I saw someone on twitter post this and iirc the caption was something like “isn’t it a bit morbid to have the jumprope there” and, at the time, I had never gone through Orange Oasis, so seeing that tweet I had the wind knocked out of me. I was just sitting there like “fuuuuuuuuck”. and then I went through Orange Oasis today, saw it again, went “fuuuuuuuuck” and then forgot I screenshot it. it’s just a lot.

okay who knows how I filled the rest of the 6 hours I played because I didn’t take many screenshots of the downtime and running around completing sidequests I never did. the last point of interest today was I had went back to Humphrey.

I didn’t do too much, but I did fight Mutantheart.

I adore her!!!! so cute!!! Mutantheart my beloved.

I lost to her once, because I was a bit confused, but once I caught on to the gimmick of her fight, it was actually pretty easy. rest in peace, queen, I love you...

and then, uh. Her-

I tried 3 times. I didn’t win... all of the characters are maxed leveled at 50, but this is so difficult... well, the first half of the fight I found to be pretty easy, actually. but once she switches into full power mode it’s over. I don’t know how I’m supposed to win. farewell my dream of completing the foe facts book, it was a nice goal while it was realistic. 

and then I stopped for the day! I think I needed that month of not playing, because coming back into the game after a lot of my rage and burnout settled was probably best, and I had a lot of fun playing! hopefully it doesn’t take me another month to continue.

if you made it all the way through this post, thank you for reading! I hope you like my thoughts~

I’ll leave on this note-

king shit

[paperbodiesamongthestars]

Day 24: Afterlife

Billy woke up with a jerk and looked around. He was sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair, and he had evidently been sleeping with his head tipped back against the wall. He appeared to be in some kind of waiting room, but he didn’t remember where he was, or what he was waiting for. He glanced around, but there weren’t any signs to help him out. There was a desk with a bored-looking woman behind it at the far end of the room, but she didn’t look like she was eager to field any questions; her glare was noticeable and legitimately intimidating. 

Billy glanced around again, and saw that the room was pretty full. Oddly, the other end of it seemed to stretch way off into the distance. He blinked a few times, but the room still looked endless. He felt the first stirrings of apprehension in his chest. He looked at the people in the chairs around him, but no one was else was even looking up. They all just seemed content to wait. 

He stayed where he was for maybe another ten minutes, scanning the room uneasily the whole time. People kept getting up and walking to the woman behind the desk, handing her something, and disappearing through a set of double doors behind her. He didn’t know how they knew to approach, or what it was they were handing over. He looked down, but there was nothing in his hands. He felt overwhelmed for a minute, and closed his eyes against the sudden threat of tears. 

Then a familiar voice caught his attention. He looked up to see Steve Harrington, of all people, talking to the woman at the desk. Steve looked different. He was wearing dark jeans and a red sweater under a dark, high-collared coat that fell to his knees. There was arrogance written in every line of his body, and his tone made it clear that whatever he was doing here was beneath him. They weren’t even really friends—thanks mostly to Billy—but Billy still felt a surge of pure relief at the sight of him.   

“There’s been a mix-up,” Steve said to the woman. “Someone was sent here by mistake, so they sent me to collect him.” The woman looked at Steve, clearly unimpressed. 

“That’s impossible,” she said flatly. Steve rolled his eyes and sighed, clearly communicating that she was wasting his time. 

“I have the paperwork,” he said, sliding something across the desk. “It’s all there.” She glanced through the papers and narrowed her eyes. Then she looked back up at Steve. 

“This wasn’t our mistake,” she said, and now her voice held a thread of uncertainty. Steve grinned at her, smile sharper than Billy had ever seen it. 

“No one said it was,” he said, in a tone of voice that indicated that someone had absolutely said that. They stared at each other for a long moment. “Do you need to get approval from a supervisor?” Steve finally asked, all smarmy condescension. Billy was a little impressed. The woman glared at him, but shook her head. She slid the papers back across the desk. 

“You’re fine to take him.”

“I’ll be sure to note your cooperation in my report,” Steve said drily. Then he turned away from the desk, tucking the papers back into the inside pocket of his coat. He walked over to Billy. As soon as Steve got close enough, Billy opened his mouth to ask what the fuck was going on, but Steve spoke before Billy could. 

“Let’s go,” he said, and nothing in his demeanor gave any indication that he knew Billy at all. It wasn’t until Billy cautiously stood up that Steve added in a low voice, pitched so that only Billy could hear it, “Follow my lead and please keep your mouth shut.” Billy had a number of valid questions, like where are we? and what the fuck is happening? and why does bored arrogance look so fucking good on you?, but there was a thread of what sounded like real fear in Steve’s voice, so Billy didn’t ask any of them. He kept his head down and his mouth shut as Steve wrapped a hand around his upper arm and steered him out of the room, away from the woman behind the desk, who was watching them with narrowed eyes. 

Steve led Billy through a confusing warren of corridors. They passed through at least a dozen hallways lined with doors that all looked the same to Billy, but Steve seemed to know exactly where he was going. Finally, they turned into a tiny office that contained a desk, a filing cabinet, and a tall cabinet with double doors. Steve closed the door behind them and locked it, and then he exhaled loudly and his shoulders sagged with relief. He shot Billy a weak smile. 

“I can’t believe that worked,” he said, and then rubbed his hands over his face. Billy just stared at him, a little thrown by the abrupt change in his demeanor. 

“What the fuck is going on, Harrington?” Steve looked at him a little warily and didn’t say anything for a long time. 

“How much do you remember about the last few days?” he finally asked. Billy thought about it and frowned. 

“I hit something with my car?” he said tentatively, and it came out as a question. Steve nodded and then hesitated. 

“Nothing after that?” he asked. Billy furrowed his brow and thought about it, but he only had the barest flashes of memory after that, and none of them made any sense at all. 

“You’re starting to freak me out, Harrington,” he said. Steve stared at him for a long moment. 

“Ok, I swear that I will give you a far more in-depth explanation once we get out of here, but time is not on our side right now, so I have to give you the short version.” Steve took a deep breath. “There’s at least one other dimension, there are monsters in it, you got possessed by one, then you died, and now you’re in the afterlife. I’m here to try to sneak you out of hell.” Billy stared at him, frowning. 

“You’re fucking with me,” he finally said. Steve sighed. 

“What about me suggests that I am fucking with you right now? The anxiety? The fear? The way I am definitely not laughing?” he asked, and Billy studied him. His eyes were big and dark and sincere. Billy recalled the endless waiting room and the way Steve’s relief had been palpable when they made it out of the maze of corridors and into this office.

“You’re serious?” he asked. Steve nodded. 

“I wish I wasn’t, but yeah. That’s what was happening that night at the Byers—I was trying to keep the kids from fighting monsters, which did not work out, by the way.” Billy barely heard him; he was still stuck on the fact that he had died. He almost asked how he had died, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. The flashes of memory he did have were making him uneasy. Then something occurred to him.  

“Wait, if this is hell, what are you doing here? Did you also die?” He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He didn’t want Steve to be dead, but he was happy not to be here alone. But Steve shook his head.

“No,” he said, hand going to the back of his neck. He grimaced. “My dad works here, so I can go back and forth.” Billy’s jaw dropped. 

“Your dad is a demon?” Billy asked incredulously. Now Steve had to be fucking with him. Steve snorted. 

“God, no. My dad wishes he was a demon. He’s some kind of manager in the Records Department.”

“What the fuck?” Billy whispered to himself. “Your dad is a bureaucrat. In hell,” he said flatly to Steve. 

“Yes, and I promise I will answer all of your questions about that later, but for now, we kind of need to hurry.” Steve crossed the room to the tall cabinet in the corner. He opened it and pumped his fist. “Yessss,” he said to himself, and then he pulled something off a hanger and tossed it to Billy. Billy didn’t catch it. He squared his shoulders instead. Steve’s mention of that night in November had raised another question. 

“Why are you helping me?” he asked. Steve turned from where he was still rifling through the cabinet, muttering come on, come on to himself. 

“What?” he asked.

“You heard me,” Billy said. “I was a dick to you, kind of generally, so why?” Steve rolled his eyes, impatient. 

“Because El can read minds, so she’s known what my dad does for a while now, and Max was devastated when you died, and then El looked at me expectantly when they were talking about it, and I can’t disappoint her. So. Here I fucking am.” He nodded at the pile of fabric he had tossed to Billy before. “Now put that on.” Billy continued to ignore it instead. 

“So you’re here because of Max?” he asked slowly. “And El?” Something about that hurt, for some reason. Steve blinked at him, and then his expression softened a little. 

“No matter how big of a dick you were, you didn’t deserve to die,” he said firmly. “Now change so we can get out of here.” Billy picked up whatever Steve had tossed at him earlier, and discovered that it was French maid’s costume, with a short little skirt and apron. He looked at Steve. 

“No fucking way,” he said. Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Hell has these, like, interns, okay? It’s a fucking terrible job and everyone’s a dick to you, and you have to fetch just a staggering amount of terrible coffee, and you have to wear the stupid fucking maid outfit.” Billy grinned suddenly.

“Are you speaking from experience, pretty boy? Because it kind of sounds like you’re speaking from experience.” Steve flushed.

“I am not having this conversation,” he said. “Just put it on and keep your mouth shut, and maybe we can get out of here without getting literally flayed, ok?” Billy crossed his arms and leaned back against the desk.

“Answer the question or I’m not doing anything.” 

“I don’t think you’re grasping the stakes here, amigo,” Steve said, but Billy just stared him down until Steve finally threw his hands up and caved. “Fine, yes, I interned for my dad for a summer, and I wore the fucking outfit, and it was the worst summer of my life. On the plus side, that’s where I picked up all the skills I needed to forge the papers I used to get you out of intake, so at least it was good for something. Now please get dressed.” Billy eyed the outfit again. 

“The clothes I’m wearing now were fine on the way here,” he pointed out, and Steve huffed impatiently. 

“Yes, because we’re still on the intake floor, so it’s not unusual to see Souls wandering around. Unfortunately, there’s no exit on this floor. We have to go further into hell to get to an exit, and we’ll get caught instantly if you look like that.” He gestured at Billy’s dirty jeans and tank top. Billy looked at the maid outfit again. 

“This is humiliating,” he said. Steve shot him a look.  

“Yes, obviously, this is hell. The humiliation is intentional.” Billy sighed. 

“I’m only putting it on if you promise to model yours for me later,” he tried. Steve narrowed his eyes. 

“I’m already rescuing you from hell, Hargrove—don’t push your luck.” Billy huffed, but didn’t move.

“You know, I’m not sure it’s worth coming back from hell if I never get to see you in this outfit,” he said, holding it up in front of him. 

“You cannot be fucking serious,” Steve said. Billy still made no move to get dressed. He just cocked an eyebrow at Steve.  

“Fuuuuuuuuck,” Steve groaned. “Why are you like this? Fine, whatever, just put it the fuck on so we can go.”

“That’s the spirit,” Billy said, and reluctantly got dressed. Once he was ready, Steve hesitated, looking uncertain. “What’s the problem?” Billy asked, wanting to get this over with. The skirt on his outfit was short.  

“I was hoping to find another badge in the wardrobe,” he said. “The fact that you don’t have one might be a problem.”

“Badge?” Billy asked, and Steve gestured at something that was pinned to the lapel of his coat. It looked like an ancient coin, made out of some kind of dark metal, old enough so that whatever had been inscribed on it was worn almost smooth. Billy didn’t recognize the language. 

“It’s how you get into, and more importantly out of, hell,” Steve said, and then he shrugged. “Guess we’re winging it. Be ready to follow my lead, and try to act like a scared intern.” Steve squared his shoulders and led the way out the door. 

They passed through five floors without incident, though Billy stopped really looking around after the second floor. Some of the doors were open, and he saw and heard things that were definitely going to haunt his nightmares forever. After that, it was surprisingly easy to act intimidated. He kept his head down, glancing up occasionally at the tight line of Steve’s shoulders under his clearly expensive coat. Steve had put the expression of bored arrogance back on as soon as they left the office, and his strides were purposeful. He moved like he had somewhere to be, and no one questioned him. 

Soon, they were standing in front of a bank of elevators, and Steve’s shoulders relaxed just slightly as an elevator opened in front of them. He stepped inside and gestured for Billy to follow. A triumphant smile was just starting to grow on Steve’s face as the elevator doors closed, and then a slim hand reached between the doors, causing them to open again. 

Billy was watching Steve, so he saw the way Steve’s eyes widened when a tall, curvy woman stepped onto the elevator. She smiled at them, and somehow the smile seemed to contain too many teeth. She was wearing a low-cut red dress that hugged every single one of her curves, and a fitted black blazer. A large gold badge was pinned to the front of the blazer. 

“Floor negative thirteen, please,” she said to Steve in a low, husky voice. He swallowed hard and hit the button for that floor, and then the button for the lobby. They rode in silence for a couple of floors, and then the woman spoke again. 

“Where are you two headed?” she asked pleasantly. Steve opened his mouth to answer and she held up a warning finger. “Before you say anything, I should warn you that some people like to say that I invented lying. So I’m very good at recognizing it.” She gave the shark-toothed smile again, and Steve took a long breath. Billy was a little impressed by how even his voice was when he finally spoke. 

“Just headed home,” Steve said. The woman raised one impeccably groomed eyebrow. 

“With a Soul dressed as an intern?” she asked, and Steve closed his eyes and winced. The woman gave a wave of her hand and the elevator slowed to a stop. “Why don’t you try that again?” she said, her tone icy. Steve opened his eyes and squared his shoulders. 

“I am heading home,” he said. “My dad works in the Records Department, so I’m just visiting. I’m not technically authorized to take him with me, but I’m doing it anyway,” he said. Her smile this time was a little less threatening. 

“Better,” she said, and then she cocked her head. “Why?” she asked. 

“What?” Steve asked blankly. 

“You’re taking an enormous risk. We both know what happens if I turn you in, and we both know that it’s going to be very, very painful.” She took a step toward Steve as she said it, but Billy stepped between them before he even really thought about it.

“Leave him alone,” he said in a low voice. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be here, so if you want to threaten someone, you can threaten me.” Billy heard Steve sigh behind him, and then Steve grabbed his arm to turn him around. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed. 

“We already got caught,” Billy pointed out, “and the only reason you’re here is to help me. Let me deal with the fallout.” Steve frowned at him, eyes dark. He stepped further into Billy’s space. 

“You didn’t break any rules,” he said firmly. “I did.” 

“You’re being ridiculous,” Billy said angrily. Steve threw his arms out in frustration. 

“Oh, I’m being ridiculous?” he shot back. “You don’t even know what you’re volunteering for. Have you ever seen someone get drawn and quartered? Because I have.”  

“Oh, interesting,” the woman practically purred, and they turned to look at her. She was watching them, her eyes wide with delight.

“Both of you have a little fire, don’t you?” she said thoughtfully. Then she turned to Billy and eyed him critically. “You’re never making it past the lobby dressed like that,” she said. She waved her hand again, and Billy was wearing jeans and a dark red button-down. Only the bottom two buttons were buttoned and she smiled, amused. “I see we both appreciate a deep vee,” she said, and Billy flushed a little. She laughed. Steve was watching her, his brow furrowed. 

“Why are you helping us?” he asked. “Not that we don’t appreciate it, but…” Steve trailed off, but she nodded as though he had finished the sentence. She shrugged and then smiled brightly. 

“Because chaos is often far more fun than upholding the rules. Besides,” she added thoughtfully, “I can’t say that I feel any particular sense of loyalty to either side of the afterlife.” There was just a hint of bitterness to her tone and Steve’s eyes widened as realization hit.  

“You’re Lilith,” he breathed, and her smile returned. 

“I am,” she agreed. 

“Lilith?” Billy blurted out before he could stop himself. “Like, from the Bible?”

“From some versions of it, yes,” she said.

“So you’re a demon?” Billy asked. 

“No one seems to be able to agree on exactly what I am,” she said cheerfully. 

“But you’re definitely supposed to be evil,” Steve said, frowning. “All the stories agree—“ She rolled her eyes as she cut him off. 

“Never underestimate the power of a story that people are eager to believe,” she said. She looked at Billy as she said it, and he found himself thinking about all the times that Neil had managed to convince some authority figure or another that Billy needed a firm hand to keep him in line. He shuddered a little. She kept talking. “Besides, it’s extremely rare that anyone is either completely good or completely evil. Even here in the afterlife, people switch sides all the time. Lucifer gets the most attention because he made a gigantic production out of it, as per usual, but it happens very regularly.” They both stared at her. Steve opened his mouth to say something, but she glanced down at her watch. “Oh hell,” she said, “Now I’m going to be late.” 

She casually waved her hand and the elevator started moving again. Moments later, they heard a ding and the doors slid open onto what could have been the lobby from any moderately fancy high-rise office building. 

“Good luck,” she said as she rushed them out of the elevator. 

They almost made it. They had crossed the lobby and could see the wide glass double doors that opened onto a busy sidewalk when a uniformed guard stepped in front of them. 

“Just need to see both of your badges,” he said with a glare at Billy. “You are of course aware that it is building policy to have your badge visible at all times,” the guard added in a monotone. 

“Of course,” Billy said with a smile. “Let me just…” he patted at his pants pockets, as though he was going to find a badge in there, and he felt something in one of the back pockets. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a shiny black rectangle the size of a business card. It felt heavy and cool in Billy’s hand. As he looked at it, the name Lilith seemed to rise up out of the depths of the card. It flowed across the front in a blood-red script and then vanished again. The guard paled as he looked at it.

“Sorry, sir,” he said quickly, eyes glued to the card. “You didn’t say that you were one of the Lady’s special guests. My sincerest apologies, and please enjoy the rest of your day.” The guard escorted them to the glass doors, and even held the door open for them. He gave them a little salute as they left. 

“Wow,” said Steve, once they had made it a few blocks from the building with no sign of pursuit. “I gotta be honest—I was not expecting that to go as well as it did.”

“Yeah,” Billy replied absently, turning the card over in his hand. As he looked at it, he saw a message floating into view on the back in the same blood-red script. He read the four lines and felt the beginnings of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. That was the least boring part of my day. You’re both adorable, and I hope you make it work. If you ever get back into trouble, feel free to do a summoning. I might even answer.

Billy slung one arm around Steve’s shoulder as they made their way down the busy sidewalk. 

“You owe me any number of explanations, pretty boy,” he said, “but first, about your promise to model that intern uniform for me…” Steve sighed heavily. 

“You have the weirdest fucking priorities,” he said. 

[bangtae-sohotddaeng]

we’ll be counting stars | k.th. | 1

(^ gif cred: ON THE VOYAGE | pinterest)

pairing: idol!Taehyung x publisher!Reader

rating: nc-17 (for language and themes)

summary: You’d sworn off love and relationships forever. You were here to do your job - work with the biggest boyband of the world. Not forge friendships and...and whatever it was that you and Taehyung were building up with these sneaky glances. It was, to be very fair, your Chief Editor’s fault that you’d landed in this mess. Maybe you should quit your job? Maybe you should quit life -

Oh, he was staring again, and did he freaking lick his lips?

warnings: swearing (reader’s got a potty mouth) + this is set like 5 years in the future + reader has emotional issues, she's a relationship phobe + mentions of weed

genre: so much ANGST ugh + fluff + comedy + some crack

words: 2.1 k

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series masterlist

gimme feedback, much much appreciated!

SIX MONTHS AGO

“Wait a second, really?” You blinked up at the Chief Editor, your boss, in wonder. “Heading this?” 

The chocolate skinned, tall woman smiled at you. “Yes, heading this. I’d been looking to hand you something from a really long time, to be honest. This is just the right fit."

You grinned at her, hugging the contract file to your chest. In your thirteen months of employment at the publishing company, through the departmental transfer from HR to Editorial and then the promotion to the Associate Editor position, this was the best thing to happen to you, so far. You finally had a project you were gonna head. You would finally, finally get to handle things on your own—curate your own team, work on an individual project where you made all the decisions.

You breathed out, happily. “I’ll read this thoroughly and report back within an hour, boss. With my sign on it, in all likelihood.”

“I’m counting on it.” Your boss smiled at you.

You looked down at the file. You were going to work with a K-pop group on their auto-biography. You were gonna fly to fucking Korea, for six full months. This was huge. This was awesome. This was what you fucking needed, right now. Your best friend that you had been rooming with for a year was starting to get too comfortable. You were so not up for that kinda shit again.

You looked at the bottom of the front page. Athena had drawn up this contract. Your eyebrows arched. It was no secret that she was your boss’s favourite Acquisition Editor. Some even suspected they were having an affair, despite the gleaming diamond you could see—even right now—on the woman’s finger. 

This project had to mean a lot to your boss. And she’d picked you to head it.

“This sounds big, boss,” you mumbled, leafing through the hefty files. You were gonna need a couple hours, maybe, to go through this properly. “And looks big, too.”

“It is big, Y/N. In all the ways. This idea had been brewing in my head for a really long time. I had Athena make the proposal to this K-pop group’s management company, a few months back, and they said yes. She and I had been brainstorming how to approach this. Those guys are pretty tight about their privacy and, um, well. Fraternising policies. It’s all in there, you’ll see.” She pointed a finger at the file in your hands. “We were finally able to draw up the contract with the company’s CEO and Manager. And you were the only one I had in mind when we thought up of building a team and having someone head it so that we don’t have to leave.”

You gave a small, delighted giggle. “Thank you so much, boss. I won’t disappoint you.”

“I know you won’t.”

You got back to your desk and flipped to the first page of the file.

BTS

Your eyes bulged. You had been a busy—and irritable because of all the stupid shit that just constantly kept on happening in your personal life—woman during the past couple of years and really uninvested in anything and everything that had to do with entertainment. This past year had been especially rough ever since your move to the States. You freaking smoked pot when you needed to unwind, what could be worse than that.

But. But—before, when you were a normal, happy woman with a soul, BTS had been kind of a really humongous deal. Did that somehow change in the past couple of years? You strongly doubted it, recalling how huge they’d been growing worldwide, the last time you kept a check. Which you did like crazy.

You momentarily wondered if your boss would still have you as the first consideration if she knew about your crazy ARMY days…

You blinked, coming back from the mental journey, and turned the page. BigHit’s owner was still the same, obviously, but the group members now apparently had individual managers. You blinked, uncomfortable at the knowledge. Reading further, you found something that disturbed you even more.

All the BTS members were done with their Military Service, with Jungkook, Jimin and Namjoon having returned from it just this year.

You swallowed, thickly. A lot had changed in the world outside of the one you’d been living in, too, apparently.

You read through the terms and conditions and your duties, thoroughly. Few points were pretty obvious and things you’d been expecting, but some of them made you frown.

You brought one such issue to your boss’s acknowledgement when you were done reading the entire booklet of a contract, nearly two hours later. You were ready to sign the thing, otherwise.

“And? What about it?” Your boss blinked at you, unfazed.

You sighed, and lifted your left hand up, pointing at your empty ring finger. “No ring, no fiance, boss. They want the team members to be at least engaged. I’m as single as it gets.”

She chuckled at that. “Tell me honestly, are you unprofessional enough to fraternise on your job? Such a high profile one, at that?”

You worried your bottom lip between your teeth. “I don’t think they’d care about what I think, boss, or that they’d even ask.”

Your boss gave an exasperated sigh. “Okay, let me put it in a different way.” You tilted your head to show your interest. “What’s your opinion on relationships, in general?”

You grimaced, unable to help your knee-jerk response. But then you shrugged, trying not to scowl while you said the words you’d started to believe in since the past couple of years. “Well, as I’d informed you through my quite less-than-professional letter at the time of my joining, boss, I think relationships are pointless. Humans keeping relationships beyond professionalism with each other is pointless, actually, because with a personal attachment comes a buckload of expectations, and then it’s just a rabbit hole down the middle of the earth. At the end of which, we burn.”

Your boss seemed to be suppressing laughter. Did the moral of your life amuse her? “You actually quoted the letter word by word, there, Y/N.”

You sighed. “That wasn’t something I’d thought through when I mailed it, boss. The voice input tool turned my rants into a letter. And my frustration over your concerns about fraternising in the office made me mail it.”

Your boss nodded. “Well, I talked to BigHit’s manager over the phone. The company’s not the group’s,” she added when you frowned in confusion at the singular term. “I explained to him about where you stood—taking references from this letter—and explained to him why I needed my most valuable Associate on the team.”

Your cheeks heated up, both due to the huge praise and embarrassment over the exposure of your letter. “Oh, um. Thank you. I guess?”

“Ugh, sign the damn piece of paper and start collecting the damn team, Y/N!”

You’d resorted to staying back at the office till late hours just to avoid your roommate.

When you’d moved to the country, thirteen months back, and decided to share your decade old friend’s flat—feeling lucky as shit that he worked in the same city as you—you and him had been on the same page. You’d both been fed up with the concepts of relationships and entanglements, even the strictly-physical ones, and wanted to just burn away your youth on the grind and pot-smoking weekends.

But then, gradually, you noticed the shift in him. He was trying to get into your pants. It could not end well.

It wasn’t to say you weren’t attracted to him. You’d jump the gorgeous guy’s bones in a heartbeat, in an alternate universe. But in this one, you’d had a first hand experience of ruining multiple friendships, and you so did not wanna risk another.

That idiot didn’t get it, though.

Hence why you were brainstorming your project’s team at ten oclock of the night in your nearly empty office building.

“Any luck?” Your okay-ish colleague—the least clingy out of the lot—peered at your spreadsheet over your shoulder.

“Why the heck are you so against it, Sana?” you groaned into your palm, frustrated.

“Because I’m ARMY!” she said in an aghast tone.

“So? Dude, that’s nearly 70% of the earth’s population, at this point, I’m guessing.”

“Um, maybe, but. I don’t trust myself to be professional, Y/N,” she morosely mumbled, dropping into an empty chair on the table next to you.

You looked at her from above your glasses. “Why the heck not?”

She ducked her head, her honey blonde hair covering almost all of her face. But you still spotted the red that bloomed across her face. “Because I have a crush on Yoongi, the size of freaking America, Y/N!”

“What? What? That’s your reason?" You covered your mouth with a hand to hold back your laughter. "Lame fucking reason, Sana!” You glared at her when she nervously looked back at you. “Get your shit together, and pack your bags. And give me your husband’s number, I wanna tell him something.”

You hadn’t imagined that picking out five people from a group of thirty would be this hard. You had spent an entire week literally running after these people to convince them. They were all married or engaged save for one, who had plans of proposing to his boyfriend a few months later, during Valentine’s before you convinced him to do it now so that he’d be able to join the team.

You’d come up with a total of four women and two men, including Sana, that were all fluent in Korean. That was kinda one of the biggest prerequisites, other than being in a committed relationship. You’d briefed the lot of them about what was to be done on this trip, who you were dealing with, and how long you’d be off for. They were all on board, now, and the only thing required was your boss’ approval.

And now you were all standing in the Chief Editor’s cabin, waiting for her to finish reviewing the team members’ profiles you’d collected and presented to her.

Your brain was nearly short circuited, at this point. If she said she wasn’t happy with any of your selections you were prepared to tell her to make the new selection herself, because there were only three more married people in this office, and none of them spoke Korean. There were only two more Korean speakers, but they were both female interns who’d be the worst nightmares to put on this project.

You looked at the six people standing next to you, all looking a varied degree of nervous.

But your boss looked impressed as she perused the file. She beamed at all of you, and then nodded. “Prepare for a six months’ stay, people, and prepare to do your best there. The only two real rules to remember are to keep it all a secret until the BigHit people are ready to disclose the news, and not fall in love.”

You all grunted in barely concealed annoyance at the last part, excluding Sana who bit her lip. You rolled your eyes. “It’d be a bigger concern for their partners than it would be to you, if that happens, boss. Don’t worry. We’re all a bunch of professionals, here.” You reassured your boss, shooting a glare at a fidgety Sana. 

“I have complete faith in y’all. Now, off you go. Brush up your Korean, spend time with your partners.” She looked at you. “Or just, you know, catch up on lost sleep. You fly to Seoul this Friday.”

Three days from now, oh God.

You all trickled out of your boss’ cabin with furrowed foreheads. You had the most workload out of them all, though, because in addition to preparing to spend six months in a foreign land, you also were to prepare a formal itinerary for said six months. You, of course, were clear on the details because they were mentioned in the contract, but writing them out for your team would definitely take a lot of time.

You briefly wondered if you should employ Sana’s help, before quickly deciding against it. It wouldn’t do you any good to do anything to sway your professional relationship by asking for personal favours.

“Hey, Y/N, all okay?” Simon, the guy that was proposing to his boyfriend early because of you, asked you when you dropped into your office chair with a huge thump.

You turned to scowl at him. “You guys have got to stop asking me that all the time! When have you ever gotten a good answer?”

Simon’s eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head. “My bad.”

You kept squinting at his retreating figure. Another member of your team met your eye, before quickly scrambling away.

You hummed in thought. Did they all think you were a bitch? Maybe you were.

Good. It’d do you some good in Korea.

gimme feedback, much much appreciated!

next >

series masterlist

Tags: @tangledsparkles​

[justheretobreakthings]

Hold On Loosely

So, this was originally in the process of being written for a zine, but I wound up dropping out due to aphobia in the project. Which, well, sucked, and was one of the contributing factors of my less-than-great mood these past few days.

But, I wound up finishing the fic as its own thing, so I hope y’all enjoy. Have some pre-canon broganes fluff to lift the spirits.

Word Count: 2,545 Characters: Keith & Shiro Read on AO3 My house, my rules, my ko-fi

“Ooh, you know what looks good?” Shiro said, looking up from the table’s menu to grin over at Keith. “The chocolate lava cake. What do you say, you wanna split it with me?”

Keith shrugged, tilting his head to glance at the menu as well. He swallowed his bite of steak before slowly replying, “I dunno, it’s - it’s kind of expensive.”

“I told you, Keith, tonight’s my treat. Come on, if you don’t split it with me, I’ll just order it and eat the whole thing myself, and I will definitely get sick. So…”

“All right, fine, I’ll have the cake.”

“Great!” Shiro’s grin broadened as he waved their waitress down to place the order. “Every celebration needs cake,” he added to Keith as the waitress left. “Anyone who tries to limit it to birthdays is just close-minded.”

“I still don’t really think we, um, need to be celebrating,” Keith said.

Shiro huffed in mock exasperation. “Bud, your grades were great, you’re being too hard on yourself.”

“I didn’t even get all A’s or anything. And I had a C in Professor Antonsen’s class - ”

“Keith, I assure you, her class is the hardest in the whole academy. Matt didn’t even get an A in it. Chin up.” Shiro reached across the table with his fork, the last bite of his salmon still on the tips of the prongs, and tilted Keith’s head up to look at him. “Hey. I’m really proud of you. I mean it. You did great work, and you deserve to celebrate.”

Keith stared at him for a moment, as though mulling his words over, then a tiny smile escaped him as he tilted his head down and ate the bite of salmon off of Shiro’s fork, too quickly for the latter to move it out of the way.

“Barbaric,” Shiro gasped. “Have you no manners at all?”

Keith just smirked, making a show of chewing loudly before he swallowed and said, “Still, we didn’t have to go somewhere all fancy like this. I would have been fine with just burgers or pizza or something.”

“Well, sure, but I was really in the mood tonight for a place with tablecloths, you know? It’s a big night.”

“They’re just grades.”

Shiro shrugged and set his fork down. “All right, time for me to confess. The reason I decided to go fancy is that we’re actually celebrating two things tonight.” Keith raised a brow, and Shiro went on. “I actually got some pretty big news today. And since Adam’s busy until tomorrow and my parents are in another time zone, you, my dear friend, get to be the first to celebrate it with me.”

“What is it?” Keith asked.

“Now, I will tell you, they’re not officially announcing this until Monday, so don’t go spreading the word to your classmates before then and ruining the surprise.”

“What surprise?”

“So if anyone asks, you don’t know anything about it, okay? You’re gonna be just as excited by the announcement as - ”

“Shiro,” Keith groaned. “Now you’re just doing this on purpose.”

“You caught me.” Shiro smiled. “So. Guess who has been officially selected as the youngest pilot ever to lead a Garrison exploration mission.”

Keith’s eyes slowly widened. “You - you got the Kerberos spot?”

“I got the Kerberos spot.”

“That’s awesome!” Keith breathed. “Holy - you’re going straight to the edge of the solar system! Oh my god, you’re gonna be in textbooks, Shiro! You’re gonna be, like, a legit historical figure. That’s huge.”

“We always knew Earth’s atmosphere couldn’t contain me forever,” Shiro said with a smirk. “So, you’ve managed to get settled into the Garrison pretty well by now? Fitting in with your class? I know you’re doing well grade-wise so…”

“I guess, yeah,” Keith said with a shrug. “Why?”

“Nothing,” Shiro said, waving his fork dismissively. “I’m going to be pretty busy for a while, is all, and then I’ll be gone for the mission after. Just wanna make sure you’re ready for that.”

“Oh.” Keith's smile flickered, the corners of his mouth drooping for half a second before returning to their place. “Yeah. Yeah, ‘course I’m ready. I mean, I - I knew you were gunning for that spot on the mission, so it’s - so, yeah, you know, I knew this was coming. I mean obviously it was coming, you’re the best pilot in - you’re, um, you’re definitely - ”

“Keith?” Shiro raised his brow. “You all right?”

“Yeah. I hadn’t really thought about, uh, what I would be, um - ” He drummed his fingers against the table, then moved to lift his knife and fork and start carving up what remained of his steak. “But that’s - that’s not important. It isn’t. We’re celebrating. And - and - and you got the Kerberos spot, and I got my grades, and that’s good, this is good news, it is, I’m happy! I’m happy for you. I’m very - ”

Gently Shiro reached across the table and laid his hand on Keith’s arm. “You’re starting to carve up your plate, there, bud.”

Keith blinked down at his knife, then, with a slow breath, he dropped the cutlery and pulled back. “Sorry. Sorry, I wasn’t… paying attention. Shit, hang on.” He ground the heels of his hands into his eyes and mumbled, “I’m okay. I’m fine. Got a little… overwhelmed… by the good news. Just need a minute to, uh, to process.”

“Everything all right here?” came a soft voice behind Shiro’s shoulder, and he jumped in his seat, banging his knee on the table and whipping his head around to see their waitress, their cake in her hands and her face apologetic. “Sorry,” she said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Shiro said. “You’re fine. Thanks, it looks delicious.”

“Can I, uh, get you anything else?” the waitress asked, glancing toward Keith who was hastily trying to scrub at his eyes as she set the cake down on the table. “A drink refill or… some tissues, maybe?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” Shiro replied. “Uh, take your time with the check, please.”

The waitress nodded and hurried from the table. Keith, meanwhile, pushed his chair back, his head down and hair falling into his face as he mumbled, “I think I need the restroom…”

“Hey, hang on,” Shiro said, holding out his arm again as Keith stood. “Keith… you know, it’s okay if you’re upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Keith snapped.

“Uh-huh. I’ve told you before, bud. If you’re upset - or any other emotion - ” He added when Keith opened his mouth to protest - “You can tell me. I’m not gonna judge you for it, you’re not gonna be punished. It’s not good to bottle things up. Come on, talk to me.”

“It’s… nothing,” Keith said. He sighed and collapsed back into his chair. “It’s stupid. Sorry, I’m ruining tonight, aren’t I?”

“You’re not ruining anything.”

“Yes I am. You took me out to celebrate and I’m freaking out on you and raining on your parade and - and I should be happy about this. I am happy about this, I’m happy for you, so there’s - there’s nothing even to talk about.”

“Mmm.” Shiro tapped a finger thoughtfully against the edge of the cake plate. “You know, you’re allowed to feel more than one thing. You can be happy for me and still be upset. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Sure, but - ”

“Want me to start?”

Keith frowned. “Start what?”

“Sharing.” Keith still looked just as baffled, so Shiro continued. “I’m thrilled about the news, and I’m excited about the upcoming Kerberos trip, and I’m really proud of myself for having made it this far, especially so early in my career.”

“You should be,” Keith said with a fervent nod.

“But I’m kinda freaking out too. It’s a lot of pressure and responsibility, and I’m scared of messing up. There’s a ton of prep work that has to be done before the mission, which is going to be stressful and exhausting. And the mission is going to last for months, so I don’t know how claustrophobic or homesick or lonely I’ll get. I know I’m going to miss you. You, and Adam, and everyone else on Earth.

“I’m happy, yeah, but I’m all those things too. It’s a lot. But, I gotta admit, putting it all out there, out loud, it’s a bit of a relief. It’s on the table instead of on my shoulders, so now I don’t have to think so hard about what I’m dealing with, I can move on to actually dealing with it. And now it’s your turn”

Keith paused before saying, “I feel like you missed your true calling as a psychologist.”

“I’m young, I’ve got time to chase a bunch of callings. No changing the subject.”

Shiro waited patiently as Keith fidgeted in his chair, chewing at his bottom lip and focusing intensely on the dishes in front of him. Finally, though, he spoke up, so softly that Shiro had to strain to hear him: “I guess I’m… not ready… for you to go.”

Slowly Shiro nodded. “That’s understandable, Keith. I - ”

“It’s not, though,” Keith bit out. “It’s not like I haven’t been on my own before, right? And, hell, I’m a couple years off from being an adult, I shouldn’t - I shouldn’t still be - and it’s selfish, right? This is, like, your dream, Shiro, and all I’m thinking about is how I’m gonna - how I’m - ”

“Hey, hey,” Shiro said, keeping his voice low and soothing as he watched Keith bunch up the edge of the tablecloth in his fists. “It’s not selfish. Okay? I don’t want you thinking that for a moment. It’s you feeling your feelings, and there’s nothing selfish about that. If you were selfish, you wouldn’t be nearly so concerned about how your reaction is making me feel, right?”

Keith only shrugged. “And Keith, what’s this about being on your own?” Shiro continued. “Me being gone doesn’t mean you have to be alone.”

“It - it kinda does,” Keith mumbled. “I, um, I - I may have exaggerated, a bit, um, how I’m fitting in with my classmates.”

Shiro narrowed his eyes. “Are those other pilots still giving you a hard time? If they are, we need to go to your CO, file a report.”

Keith shook his head. “No, they aren’t - there haven’t been any other incidents or anything, just - I’m still not really - I’m not part of the group or anything. We have classes together, but that’s all. And you know I can’t get an ‘Adam’ of my own, I’ve - I told you about that, about how I don’t - so I don’t have friends, I don’t, not really. And I definitely don’t have a ‘partner’ or whatever, so that just leaves family, and - well, that’s you. Just you. That’s all I’ve got. And so if you’re gone…”

He let out a sniff and wiped his nose with the tablecloth. There was only so much the Garrison could do to instill table manners into their cadets. “Forget it. Like I said, it’s nothing.”

“That’s not nothing, Keith,” Shiro said. “That’s… that’s fair. That’s fair and valid and I’m glad that you told me.”

“Kinda ruined the whole ‘celebration’ vibe, though.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to celebrate before the mission. I, um - did - were you always worrying about this? The whole time I’ve been applying for the Kerberos spot?”

“I dunno. I wasn’t really thinking about it. Was trying not to, you know? It, um, wasn’t important.”

“When am I ever going to finally convince you that your worries are important?”

“More important than Kerberos?”

“Equally.”

Keith snorted. “Shiro - ”

“You know, in the coming months I’m gonna be spending a lot of time preparing for the mission. Maybe we should come up with a game plan so you can do the same.”

“Shiro, you barely managed to convince the Garrison to let me into the academy, you’re never gonna convince them to let me join the mission.”

“Much as I’d love to have you, that’s not what I meant,” Shiro said with a little smile. “I meant that while I’m getting ready to go to Kerberos, we can get you ready to stay on Earth. We’ll go through the things you’re worried about, the things that you need to prepare for, and we’ll start planning for them.”

“How do you mean?”

“Like, okay, you’re worried about being lonely while I’m away. So let’s plan for that. We can talk to Adam, and Colleen, make sure you’re able to turn to one of them if you need anything at all. And we can even schedule some weekends out, get you some vacation from the Garrison to wind down. If you’re worried about keeping up with schoolwork while I’m around, we can contact your instructors to let them know, maybe see about any extra credit work you can do while I’m gone.”

Keith nodded slowly. “Okay. And, um, if I’m worried about… you know…” The tips of his ears went red as he mumbled, “Missing you?”

Shiro resisted the urge to tease him about the blush of embarrassment and instead broadened his smile. “I’m gonna miss you too, you know. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t?” Keith bit his lip, and Shiro would bet any amount of money that it was to hold back a smile. “We’ll figure something out. We’ll make sure to get a ton of pictures together before I go, for starters, and I can let you babysit my hoverbike while I’m gone.”

Keith’s mouth dropped open. “You’ll let me be in charge of your hoverbike?”

“Promise not to crash it?”

“I… can’t make that promise.”

“Promise you’ll try not to crash it?”

“That I can do.”

“I’ll take it. So we’ve got a plan in place, and we have plenty of time to come up with more. And if it helps, I swear, I’ll come back from Kerberos as soon as I possibly can. Sound good?”

“Yeah.” Keith nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Do you need a hug too?”

“No,” Keith said, spreading his arms out to accept one anyway. Shiro scooted his chair around the table to embrace him, rubbing Keith’s back as the latter sighed into his shoulder, and he didn’t let go of the hug until he felt Keith finally pull away.

“Now,” Shiro said, scooting back into place. “This cake has just been waiting to be eaten, and we should really help out.” He nodded toward Keith’s dessert fork . “Come on, I’ve seen the memes, I know you love cake.”

Keith let out a breath of a laugh as he lifted his fork and started to cut off a piece from the cake. “If you’d seen all the memes, you’d know I also love pizza.”

“Well, in a few years, when we’re celebrating you getting your first big mission and breaking the youngest-pilot record, we can go out for pizza instead. Deal?”

“Deal.” They both took their first bites of the cake at the same time, and Keith rolled his eyes as Shiro made a show of moaning in contentment at the taste. “By the way,” Keith said as he moved in for his second bite, “I really am happy for you. Cadet’s honor, I am.”

“Thanks, Keith,” Shiro said with a grin. “I’m happy too.”

[the-pale-goddess]

Blind - Ethan Ramsey x MC (Tiffany Addams)

The annual Edenbrook gala is all about extraordinary food, free booze, serving looks...and jealousy in every possible form. Who will crash and who will burn this night?

Warnings: NSFW (+18) Nothing too explicit this time! But obviously, suggestive adult themes are all over the story. Plus there’s alcohol, a lot of swearing and all that jealous angst we like.

Rating/Category: Mature / AU

Author’s note: This fic takes place not long after the AU Miami conference in the Miami Heat series where E&T went all the way.  I hope you’ll like the twist! It’s also kinda long - sorry about that.

Taglist (let me know if you want in or out)

@caseyvalentineramsey  @interobanginyourmom  @newcolonies @ernest-harrington @openheart12 @perriewinklenerdie @mvalentine @ethandaddyramsey @kaavyaethanramsey @lion-ess24 @choices-love-affair @justanotherrookie @rookieoh @rookie-ramsey @queencarb​ @schnitzelbutterfingers​ @doilooklikeiknow​

_____

„Ramsey, would it hurt you to crack a little smile? We're at a freaking gala.” Dr. Tanaka's teasing voice was just as annoying as his remark, but it failed to provoke any kind of emotion in Ethan. He shot the other attending a condescending glare from above his glass of scotch.

„I see no correlation.” Tanaka laughed at the blunt response, shaking his head in disbelief.  

„Is open bar not reason enough to get a little festive?” He leaned against the bar, his hand pointing at the impressive wall of liquor in front of them.

„I can afford my own alcohol, Tanaka, and I'd rather drink it, quite literally, anywhere else.”

„If you hate it so much why are you even here?” That was in fact an excellent question. Why was he still there? Ethan rubbed his brow and took a look around before responding. The spacious ballroom was already packed. All these familiar faces passing through in their best gowns, getting advantage of the night off at a luxurious hotel.

„As tedious and pointless as this schmoozing is, it's still a work duty. Everyone has to do their part.” He downed his drink and called the bartender to do a refill. In that very moment three young nurses approached the bar, standing right behind Dr. Ramsey, all of them oblivious to each other's presence. „I've been actually meaning to ask you about my lung cancer patient. Have you managed to read the file I left you today?”

„Yes. Dr. Mirani consulted with me before the recent development occured. I've allowed myself to...” Tanaka's voice dropped to a background noise when someone said her name. Ethan's attention immediately shifted to the lively chatter behind his back.

„...Have you seen Addams? Who does she think she is? A Grammy winner? This isn't the red carpet, sweetie.” All of them giggled. Ethan felt a tingle of irritation while trying to focus on his own conversation. But he just couldn't stop listening...

„Totally! That dress is scandalous.” The other nurse added. „Three mojitos, please!”

„Come on, girls. She's smoking hot with or without makep, in scrubs or in a way too revealing dress. I'd kill to have a body like Addams. You're just jealous because Scalpel Jockey is all over her, not you.” Ethan almost choked on his drink. Did he hear that right?

„I suppose she cleans up real well, yeah. But Brycey could've done so much better, is all I'm saying.” It was the first nurse talking again, her voice full of envy. Ethan's face turned red, eyes wandered to the glass he gripped with white knuckles, not paying any attention to Tanaka and his surgical rant.

„How long have they been a thing?” The question made Ethan's blood boil. Are they really a thing?

„I didn't even know they were a thing.” The first nurse theorized. „That chick's always running after Ramsey.”

„Susan, shhhhhhhh...” The second nurse whispered and the conversation suddenly died. None of the nurses realized it was already too late for shushing. As soon as they received their drinks they were gone, leaving the messy gossip buzzing around Ethan's head.

„What do you think, Ramsey?” He finally looked up at Tanaka. Fuck. Fucking fuck. Fucking fuckety fuck. What were they even bouncing around? He scratched his chin trying not to look too distracted.

„I...I just remembered. There is a matter that needs to be taken care of.” He gulped the scotch down and left the glass at the bar. „I'll stop by your office the first thing in the morning to discuss the case. Enjoy the rest of your night, Dr. Tanaka.”

Ethan whisked through the crowd looking for air. Meanwhile, his mind had a race of its own. Tiffany's seeing Lahela. So what? It's none of his business. He made that clear after the Miami incident. They both agreed it was irresponsible, unethical and can never happen again. She's his intern. The best one there was. He won't jeopardize her career development over a stupid crush. It was a crush, right? Just a simple chemical reaction, pure physical attraction....She's a brilliant and ravishing young woman – everyone would fall for her. No wonder that real-life Ken doll took his chance. Whatever. She's only his intern, he shouldn't care about her personal life. So why was she still on his mind? And why hadn't he seen her yet?

Luckily, the balcony wasn't as crowded as the ballroom. Ethan walked up the railing and sighed deeply, knowing no one in the close proximity was beside him. The chilly breeze of the night proved to be a great companion as he didn't need another dull small talk with any of his coworkers or the company leeches. He just needed a moment of peace to clear his mind, that's all. But then he heard a familiar laughter, the sound that owned his soul. Hesitantly, he turned around and his jaw dropped.

The dress was scandalous, indeed. Its milky white satin material accentuated all her curves in an obscene way. But that wasn't even the most outrageous part – the slit was the worst. The thigh-high, treacherous side slit that put her long leg on display. When Tiffany turned her back another surprise awaited – the exposed skin of her back was glowing at him. Her every move was torture and he was being punished, but he wouldn't look away. Her black hair was styled in perfect Hollywood waves that cascaded down her bare shoulders. And finally – the cherry on the cake, her full lips painted red, seeking undivided attention. She was absolutely breathtaking.

And she caught him staring. Their gaze met for the first time this evening. She didn't smile, but he could swear there was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. She looked him up and down, trailing over his expensive tailor-made tux, fresh haircut and a flushed face, and then she had the audacity to bite her bottom lip, the movement slow and subtle, followed by a tantalizing flick of the tongue. Suddenly, he felt an uncomfortable motion in his pants. For fuck's sake, Tiffany.

The horror took a different form when a wave of his inappropriate thoughts was interrupted by a large hand that slipped on Tiffany's lower back. Ethan took a deep breath, trying to control the anger building up inside of him.

Lahela looked much like the dreamy prom king from a teen movie, with his golden bronze skin and perfect white teeth. His blonde hair, usually side swept and tousled, today made a rare slicked back appearance. He was whispering something to Tiffany's ear, but her gaze was still fixed on Ethan. What was she thinking about? And then she turned to Bryce, giggling like his very own prom queen, waving at the rest of their friends standing nearby. Except she was not some clueless chick, she was his intern. His Rookie.

Another minute of observing this bizzare spectacle would make Ethan think he's a masochist. He desperately needed a drink, but the gang was standing in the way of the outside bar. Without thinking, he took one of the champagne glasses distributed by a waitress, chugged it quickly, then took another and rushed inside.

~ A malicious rumour ~

„Please, welcome my dear friend – Don Julio!” Jackie got back to the gang's table with a tray full of tequila shots, receiving a perplexed look from Sienna. „What, you didn't believe in me? I can be very persuasive.” She moved her chest to the sides, making her tits jiggle, while distributing the shots.

„I genuinely hoped the bartender would tell you off and qualify as too drunk for another round.” Sienna rolled her eyes and glanced at Landry as if she was waiting for him to back her up, but he was lost deep in his thought. „We'll be doomed tomorrow.”

„Si, please, turning free booze down is like throwing real money into trash.” Elijah gently smacked her elbow.

„Who said anything about turning it down?” She laughed, holding her shot close.

„That's my girl!” Jackie whistled and clinked her glass with Sienna's. „Let's drink like we've won the lottery tonight!”

„Earth to Landry!” Sienna pointed at him with her shot. „Are you drinking with us?”

„Yeah, yeah, sorry...” He smiled briefly and took his glass up. „To Edenbrook!”

„Hell yeah to Edenbrook! Thanks for making us fucking plastered.” Elijah marked the toast and they all downed their shots.

„This is...” Sienna blinked and a single tear fell down her cheek.

„Nasty?” Elijah winced with disgust while Jackie grinned. „Delicious fucking meal?” The group burst out laughing and then proceeded with drinking.

„Where's Tiffany? I haven't seen her around for a while.” Sienna wondered.

„She's probably getting busy with Meathead in one of these lavish bathrooms.” Jackie's response resulted in Sienna's squeak. „Kidding, he got stuck in the friendzone. Who cares.”

„But he's also missing, isn't he?” Elijah looked at Jackie quizzically, challenging her for another take at the theory.

„Turn around, Walmart Sherlock.” They all turned their heads just to see Bryce walking in their direction with other surgical interns. Elijah folded his arms in defeat, while Jackie continued, trying to hold back a chuckle. „She said something about an important phonecall before disappearing.”

„What if something...happened to her?” Sienna's face was etched with worry.

„Well. I'm too drunk to get up...So.” Jackie pointed at the stairs on the other side of the room. „The last time I saw her she was walking down there.”

„I'll go check it out. Call me if you find her before I do.”

~

The hotel was huge. After running down what felt like a hundred stairs, Landry reached a long corridor. He wandered slowly, trying not to make any noise just in case. At the end of the hall he found another stairs. He walked down, and down, and down...Until he heard some grumbling and stopped in his tracks. He wasn't sure where was it coming from and what the sound was. Cautiously, he continued his journey, his steps as silent as possible. When he finally saw the floor his eyes went wide and he almost screamed at the sight. With the last bit of his sane mind, he took a step back, still having a good look but not in a way his presence would be compromised, and watched the scene unfold.

It was unmistakably Tiffany. Even though her red lipstick was smeared, perfect hair ruined, disheveled along with her satin dress, it was definitely his friend. Her body pulled against a man he was about to recognize...

Ethan Freaking Ramsey.

The blood drained from Landry's face. He was appalled to the core, clenching his fists until the knuckles got white. But he couldn't move. He just kept on lurking.

Ethan was kissing her neck with such force, the marks of this shameless encounter will surely bruise her skin. But she didn't seem to mind. Her mouth let out muffled moans as her hands greedily explored his body. Her leg was hiking up Ethan's waist and his possessive hand gripped her exposed thigh, sliding his fingers up and down, grabbing her skin, smacking her ass and squeezing it.

„You're mine, Rookie.” He whispered into her ear. Tiffany moaned loudly, clearly forgetting they were in a public space.

„I'm all yours.” She purred. Ethan smirked and moved his lips to meet hers. Their kiss was passionate and urgent, as their tongues fought for dominance. Their bodies were grinding against each other in an unsteady rhythm...

He's seen enough. He tried to back away. There was no reason to continue watching two people in a loving act...But it was not loving, was it? She corrupted him. She seduced him. That tricky little bitch! She wanted to win the competition but she couldn't outshine the others, so she had to come up with a plan of her own. Was Ramsey really that stupid and blind after all?

Landry's whole world crushed down and a wash of despair fell on him while trying to think of a solution. He was determined to make Tiffany pay for her deviousness. For a single minute a defiant thought crossed his mind – maybe it's a little unfair to interpret the nature of their relationship without knowing the slightest hint of their story? But it was too late, he was already blinded by his jealousy. He found himself in a position to judge, and that advantage was vindictive enough. He shook his last decent thought off and doubled back to the party.

~ A blinding revelation ~

Inside wasn't safe either. Everyone watched The Ethan Ramsey follow his nose straight to the bar. Some of the big fish already made their steps towards him, dying to talk to him. Just one more reason to get out of this horrifying event...Before he managed to place an order, a strong vanilla scent filled the air around him. The savor deeply evocative to him, despite his effort to deny its importance. The muscles in his jaw clenched. He didn't even have to look. He didn't want to look.

„Dr. Ramsey, what a surprise. I didn't think I'd find you here.” Tiffany leaned her back against the bar, a glass of champagne in her hand, her eyes scanned the ballroom carefully before they landed on Ethan. He ran the risk of looking back at her. She was even more stunning up close. His eyes quickly avoided hers, finding a neutral spot at the height of her ear.

„Where else would I be, Addams?” His brow arched.

„Literally anywhere else. This isn't a typical Ramsey environment.” Tiffany laughed softly. Ethan's gaze fell back at her face, studying it as if looking for an answer to a question he wouldn't even dare to ask himself. She noticed the cryptic staring and her cheeks flushed with a tint of red. „What did I do now?”

Ethan was silent for a moment, considering his options. The image of Bryce's hand claiming his intern repeatedly slapped him in the face, leaving him no choice but to surrender to this blind rage.

„So you're Lahela's pain in the ass tonight.” He alleged, his speech stilted and mocking.

„Didn't hear him complaining.” She shrugged, dodging a bullet and pointing her own gun at him, scratching him in defence.

„There is no conclusive evidence to prove that, Rookie. You're standing here annoying me, not him.” The intensity of their stare was hardly appropriate for the place they were in. But they were too absorbed in their interaction to register that.

„What if that was my plan all along?” Tiffany's finger brushed his hand as if by accident when she began to walk away. His eyes followed her every move, focusing on how her hips swayed, lingering on her curves. And then, in the middle of the ballroom, she stopped and looked at Ethan over her shoulder. He swallowed loud, knowing damn well what was about to happen next. She bit her bottom lip, smiled teasingly and continued her walk. For fuck’s sake.

Ethan cursed himself for being such a fool and followed her at a safe distance. She was heading downstairs, like she knew exactly where she was going. Except she didn't. It was an exciting, alcohol-driven improvisation.

A trail of vanilla scent she left behind intoxicated him to the point he failed to notice how far from the party they wandered. Judging by the long corridor they passed through, they possibly entered the hotel wing. They were finally alone. Just the two of them and a meaningful silence punctuated by the violent sound of her heels. They reached a luxorious lounge when Tiffany decided to end the journey. She leaned against a white table, sipping her drink with eyes glued to Ethan.

„Why did you follow me?”

„Why would you want to come here? Wherever we are.” They smiled at each other in agreement – they truly deserved each other. The cheeky grin on Ethan's face quickly disappeared, as he moved next to Tiffany, playing with his glass of champagne.

„I'm simply trying to avoid a very public catastrophe.” The young doctor admitted. She hopped on the table and crossed her legs, letting the material of her dress slip to the side, completely exposing her leg.

„Are you seeing Scalpel Jockey?” The waspishness of his own voice sickened him as much as the fact, that the decision to spit the question out was motivated solely by self-interest.

„Why do you care?” She looked at him staggered.

„I don't.” He responded immediately. His words, as sharp as a knife, cut her deep and she turned away. The look of sadness on her face made him bite his tongue...Only just a second too late.

„Tiffany...” His hand reached her shoulder, but she threw it off. She remained silent for a long moment, her chest moving furiously, face hidden behind her locks. The catastrophe was on its way. When she finally regained her composure, her head angled at Ethan revealing an indignant glare.

„I'm so done with your hot and cold bullshit. You have no right to treat me like this...You rejected me. You made it painfully clear that you're only interested in Doctor Addams.”

„I know, but...”

„You know?” She got up and scoffed at him, taking a step in his direction. „You know, yet you continue this immature act. You're all jealous and possessive, but when it comes to owning it you deny everything.”

„Tiffany, your whole career is at stake here. Why am I the only one thinking about it?” He said through gritted teeth.

„Man the fuck up instead of altering the subject.” She leaned closer, unaware of the consequences, until their faces were merely inches apart.

„What's that supposed to mean?” He knew exactly what she meant. In fact, he knew way too well. Playing dumb, are we?

„Tell me now, Ethan. Right in the eye.” Her voice was filled with pain and frustration as she pointed her finger at her teary eyes. „Tell me you don't care about me.”

„What...” He blinked, utterly disconcerted.

„Tell me I can date and fuck whoever I want.” She's seen him mad before. This was something different. An entire new level of rage crossed his face. He was breathing fire.

„That's enough, Addams.” He pursed his lips and shook his head with eyes closed, as if he was trying to teleport to another dimension just to calm himself down.

„Using my surname won't...”

„Do you really think it's easy for me?” He hissed, interrupting her. „It's not like I've walked into the waiting room the day we met and decided to fall in love with an intern. Nothing of this was my intention.”

Ethan's words made her stand straight. Her face softened, lips slightly parted. They waited in silence for a minute, trying to deal with the surprising turn of events. Ethan felt the need to even his breath, when a blinding revelation downed at him.

„I have feelings for you, Tiffany.” She moved closer, standing between his legs, her hand flicked through his thick hair.

„Yes, you said something about falling in love.”

„Stop it. I know what I said.” He leaned into her touch and put an arm around her waist, a playful smile playing on his lips. She pulled his head closer, letting his chin fall between her breasts.

„I'm not seeing Bryce. I just had to see you green with envy.” Tiffany confessed, caressing his cheek with the back of her hand.

„And that worked extremely well, didn't it?” Ethan arched his brow, his hand traced her curves up and down on the side.

„It did. I think I got what I wanted.” Their eyes were still locked, his baby blues finding safety in the green of her emeralds.

„You might want to revaluate that.”

„Wha...” He didn't let her finish. With a brisk movement he stood up, catching her in his strong arms, and kissed her hungrily.

Tiffany melted into him, staining his lips Russian Red with every kiss. Her arms immediately twined around him as he blindly moved her forward until her back was pinned against the wall. The kiss deepened, making them both dizzy with its intensity. They gasped into each other's mouth while their tongues danced together.

„I see your point now, Doctor.” She mumbled when they finally parted for air. The lipstick printed on Ethan's lips made her chuckle. „How come you look so good in red?”

„I can assure you, it's not as good as your smudged look.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, inhaling her delicious scent.

„Shut up and kiss me.”

She didn't have to tell him twice. He crashed into her again with renewed passion, his hands tugging at the satin of her dress. Never breaking the kiss, she slightly spread her legs and he instantly felt the movement, pressing his body even closer against hers. The rock hard bulge begged for her attention by rubbing on her inner thigh, and she willingly complied. Her hand slipped into his pants and stroked his length teasingly through the fabric of his underwear. He moaned into her lips and gripped her ass, as they continued kissing.

„You're making me crazy, Tiffany. And that dress...” He trailed off, trying to find a proper word that matched with his unholy thoughts.

„You'd like to tear it off, wouldn't you?” The lustful glance followed by a tightened grip was answer enough and it made her grin from ear to ear. „Not so fast.”

She quickly unzipped Ethan's pants, and before he realized, she was on her knees, her slim fingers tracing the waistband of his underwear.

„Tiffany...” He was slack-jawed, unable to move. His mind went off for a split of second. Luckily, he managed to come to his senses before she pulled his pants down. He reached for her shoulders and gently brought her back into his arms.

„Ethan, let me. I want to taste you.” She whispered, cleary disappointed he spoiled the fun. Ethan stared at her in awe, trying to shake off the image of his cock in her mouth.

„No...Not here.” His hand held her jaw and tilted it slightly up. „Someone might walk in on us any minute.”

Then he began kissing her neck with such force, the marks of this shameless encounter will surely bruise her skin. But she didn't mind, she was delirious. Her mouth let out muffled moans as her hands greedily explored his body. The high slit came in handy when her leg was hiking up Ethan's waist and his possessive hand gripped her exposed thigh, sliding his fingers up and down, grabbing her skin, smacking her ass and squeezing it.

„You're mine, Rookie.” He whispered into her ear and sucked the skin behind it. Tiffany moaned loudly, forgetting they were in a public space.

„I'm all yours.” She purred. Ethan smirked, pleased at the response, and moved his lips to meet hers. Their kiss was passionate and urgent, as their tongues fought for dominance. Their bodies were grinding against each other in an unsteady rhythm, desperate to feel skin on skin. „Let's move somewhere private.”

„We need to clean this mess up first.” Ethan took a tissue out of his pocket in order to get rid of the lipstick smudges all over his face.

„It's pointless. I sucked on your lip pretty hard, you’re staying red.”

„Give me the lipstick then.” She burst with laughter and Ethan soon followed.

They did their best attempt at tidying themselves up with the minimal equipment Tiffany carried in her tiny purse. They really did. Was it enough? Probably not. Did they care? Surprisingly, not in the slightest.

„Ethan?” Tiffany took his hand in hers right before they decided they looked decent enough to head back to the ballroom. He laced their fingers together when their gaze met.

„I have feelings for you too.” She coughed up nervously. A very rare beaming smile lit up Ethan's face. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

„I know.”

[masjestickingdom]

My Little Secret (Part 2)

Pairing: NCT Jaehyun x reader

Genre: Angst 

Summary: So you made a promise to yourself that you would get over your feelings for your sister’s husband. Except you can’t.

Note: This is part 2 of My Little Secret! If you haven’t read the first part, please check it out here. And if anyone wants to drop anything in the suggestion box, please do so. I’m open to any ideas, seriously, so don’t feel embarrassed--you can send it anonymously.

____________________________________________________________________________    

    Nothing about that night felt right. Your dress was too tight. The curling iron was nowhere to be found. Half of the jewelry you owned were tangled. Worst of all, you were sweating bullets from walking back and forth from your room to your small office, rapping to your boss, who was also your friend, on the phone. 

    “What? I was never given that file,” you would repeat when your friend asked you to look something up.

    It was only half past seven and all you wanted to do was to go back in time and take back your statement, “I’ll go.” It was stupid of you to agree to go to some charity event to meet a guy when you strongly despised social settings, which was odd because your work required you to socialize all the time.

    With one of the most important business meetings ahead of you in a week’s time, Jia was freaking out over how disorganized everything was.

    “Jesse,” she whined, calling out your name for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. “I swear I gave you the file.”

    “Maybe I left it at the office,” you said, rushing to slip on your heels. “I’ll be there as soon as the fundraising event is over.”

    Once you made it out of the building, the cold breeze of the dark autumn night ran past you, and you instantly regretted not bringing out with you a light coat. You hissed under your breath as you made your way over to your car, which you parked across the street for some reason you couldn’t recall.

    “I just had to park it at the farthest corner,” you murmured while your friend kept babbling on about some random dude on the street (and sometimes you wondered how Jia got the position of marketing manager with her tendency to chatter whenever she was anxious). “Hey, I need to get going, so call me when you need something else, okay?” you told your buzzing friend, hoping to free your mind of work for the next couple of hours. 

    The ride to your sister’s house was peaceful. The street lamps and office lights lit up the navy night sky and, subsequently, your mood. Every passing street had people strolling on the sidewalks, some with families, others with friends, and some alone. With your window rolled down, you listened to the sound of the wind and the delightful screams of children running around. But your peace ended quickly: before you knew it, you were standing in front of an all-too-familiar brown door, across the mowed lawn, with your fingers drumming lightly against your bare thighs.

    “Please get me through this night” you whispered to an invisible force before the door flew open with a friendly face.

    “Jesse!” your sister excitedly greeted, immediately welcoming you with a warm hug.

    “Hi, Janet,” you said, trying to return her enthusiasm. “How’s the stomach pain?”

    In a hushed tone, she replied, “Honestly, I’m just using that as an excuse not to call our nanny. I’ve got the feeling that she has her eyes on Jaehyun.”

    “Oh, really?” you reacted weakly as you pulled away from her embrace. “That’s a shame.”

    That did not at all throw your mind into chaos. Not at all. Your sister quickly changed the subject as she scanned you from head to toe and wiggled her eyebrows. “Well someone cleaned up nicely.”

    You simply shrugged, letting yourself in the house. Everything was in the same place, still as boring as ever. The only new additions were the two humans who were approaching you with wide smiles.

    “Jesse, long time no see,” Mark and Doyoung said with wide arms, to which you decided to hug both of them simultaneously.

    The two black-haired beauties had known you since they moved in, which wasn’t a long time ago, but the three of you clicked. You loved music and had always fantasized about becoming a music producer when you were younger. Mark and Doyoung were living the dream, and you couldn’t wait for big things to happen for them.

    While you were catching up with them, your nephew Jaehyung made his appearance out of the hallway with his adorable hands partially wrapped around his father’s, the man you secretly loved.

    “Auntie!” your nephew shouted, willingly letting go of his father’s hand as he dashed towards you at full speed.

    By instinct, you bent down to receive the speeding little boy who almost toppled you over.

    “I’m starting to get the feeling that he loves her more than he loves us,” Mark said to Doyoung in a not-so-quiet manner.  

    “Well, I’m a blood relative,” you told your same-aged friend, lifting Jaehyung up from his feet and letting him join you and your sight of the world at your freakish height. “Isn’t that right, LJ?”

    “Auntie is always right,” your nephew sweetly responded, to which Mark and Doyoung dramatically gasped.

    “I don’t mean to break you two apart,” your crush spoke, “But we have to get going if we don’t want to be late.”

    Thankfully, you were able to shoot a calm smile at Jaehyun, greeting him very briefly before handing the sweet little boy in your arms to his mother, all without making a fool of yourself. Jaehyun was absolutely gorgeous. With his slick-backed hair and dark blue suit that complemented his eyes, you could just run your fingers along his beautifully placed--

    No, you couldn’t. You had to physically refrain yourself from acting out your fantasies by forcefully turning your back to him, and you lowly hummed to a pop song, hoping your amoral thoughts would wash away. However, the fact that the other two called the back seats, leaving you at the shotgun with Jaehyun by your side, forced you to swallow the rising guilt inching near your throat. To your luck, Jia had called you and whisked you into the world of your comfort zone, which was funnily what you were sick of: work.

...

    “There is no way you actually got him to get back with his ex.”

    You were just about to text back your secretary regarding something Jia requested to have when Mark pulled out the vacant seat next to you and said what he said.

    “You actually got Jungwoo to leave the event to talk to her,” the dumbfounded boy said, shaking his head in disbelief.

    That’s right. You somehow managed to encourage Jungwoo, the guy your sister and Jaehyun set you up with, to get back together with his ex-girlfriend. There was nothing wrong with Jungwoo; in fact, he was the perfect gentleman you would have dreamed of having in your younger years. He was stunning--physically, facially, and personality-wise. He was funny and considerate. He had a soft, melodious voice that you swore you heard on the radio. He even shared your weird preference of music. But there was one thing: he was the perfect gentleman, except he wasn’t Jaehyun. The amazing skills you had to convince someone, someone as fine as Jungwoo, to leave you for someone else astonished Mark.

    “You must be a beast when you negotiate,” he murmured while you typed away on your phone. 

    “Believe me, I had no intentions of shooing him away,” you told him. “He just mentioned that he got out of a long-term relationship, so I asked him a few questions. I swear that’s all I did.”

    Your same-aged friend snorted. “Yeah, yeah.” When you continued to text your secretary, he added, “You should really get off your phone and interact with others.”

    You simply hummed and Mark, in response, swiftly snatched your phone and tucked it away, far from your tech-deprived hands.

    “What do you think you’re doing?” you questioned your smirking friend, your eyebrows deeply furrowed.

    “Getting you to mingle.”

    “You’re gonna get me fired,” you huffed frustratedly.

    “Mark almost got me fired,” you heard your other mischievous friend say. “It was one of the worst days of my life.”

    “I should get ready for that anytime soon then,” you said, rolling your eyes.

    “Get ready for what?” another familiar voice spoke.

    The apple of your eye joined the table, sitting across your seat. Suddenly, the table seemed longer than it was, stretching for miles and miles. You quietly let out a sigh and decided to look around your surroundings, eyes gliding over the mass of people conversing. In the midst of your scanning process, Doyoung and Mark abandoned their seats to get more drinks. Without you noticing, Jaehyun managed to scoot down to you, stealing Mark’s seat.

    “Is there anyone here who catches your eye?”

    Startled at the proximity of his voice and suddenly uncomfortable, you began tapping your feet to the rhythm of the background chatter. You didn’t dare look at him in the eye; you didn’t want to face his genuine curiosity--it would destroy you. Instead, you picked up your glass of wine ever so slightly, swirled it around, and answered with a plain “no”.

     “I’m sorry that you and Jungwoo didn’t work out,” Jaehyun said with pity filling his voice.

    “Well,” you began in an effort to keep the conversation rolling instead of childishly letting your emo-side take over, “I’m 30, and I seem to be wedded to my work. I’ll be alright.”

    “Work does seem to like you a lot,” the beautiful man joked. “But you don’t seem to hate it.”

    You offered a small smile. “I’m over it with people constantly calling me, but, yeah, I don’t hate it.”  

    When a moment of silence passed, you deemed it fitting to finally take a sip from your drink. But it was then when Jaehyun thought it was appropriate to say,  “Janet seems to think that you’re a work-a-holic.” Now that was a label you had never thought applied to you. A work-a-holic? You? Impossible. What was wrong with simply liking to bow down to fear?

    “I guess I need to fill up that loneliness,” you said lightly, setting your glass down. “Gotta have something, you know?”

    Jaehyun dismissed your half-hearted comment. “You do know that she’s concerned out of love.”

    You simply nodded and added, “Gotta love her too,” earning you a knowing look. “Okay, being my brother-in-law doesn’t mean you get to scold me too.”

    A low feeling of heartache stirred in you as the conversation carried out. If this basic conversation about your life had you killing inside, how could you face three weeks worth of the same thing with him in two weeks time? Answer: you couldn’t.

    “You know, if you keep working like that, you won’t have time to date.”

    “I’ll just date my work then,” you replied sarcastically. “No one needs a human significant other to fulfill their satisfaction.”

    For once, you looked at Jaehyun straight into his eyes. Those deep brown orbs of his spoke of genuine curiosity. You were right: they destroyed you. You forced yourself to avert your gaze back to the crowd before you.

    “Come on, why don’t you give yourself a break?” he asked, leaning closer to you due to the sudden increase in background noise.

    His natural honey-scented self was overpowered by the soft lavender-scented perfume you saw Jia spray on him earlier. It was the perfume you had gotten them for their four-year wedding anniversary, with the card, “Don’t worry: it’s gender-neutral.”

    “Okay, I really don’t want my brother-in-law giving me advice about my love life,” you grimaced bitterly while trying not to breathe through your nose. “It’s weird.”

    “Then take it as a friend.”

    A new wave of the aromatic scent reached your nose as you sharply inhaled at the words that left Jaehyun’s lips. Friends? Friends? Since when were you and Jaehyun friends? Sure, you guys talked, but it was only because of his relationship with your sister. If you hadn’t met him through your sister, you were sure that you wouldn’t have had the guts to approach him yourself. Being friends with your brother-in-law was not something you had in mind, not especially since you were in love with him--not that you were planning on making a move on him. In fact, you wanted to do nothing with him. 

    But if you were friends, then wouldn’t that be the first step to getting over him?

    Thankfully, a fellow co-worker of Jaehyun’s saved you from your train of thought, informing Jaehyun that their boss was looking for him. Before he could leave, though, Jaehyun patted your shoulders and sent you a comforting smile. You watched him go farther away from you as he interacted with his boss whose face instantly brightened. Smooth talker. Sociable. Look at me, sitting and moping as if there’s no tomorrow, you thought bitterly, tasting your wine for the first time.

    And that was how you spent the night--sitting by yourself, worrying your phone would be broken from the number of calls Jia would have made, and watching the man you loved mingle with others like the loveable man he was. You were officially pathetic.

    When the time came to leave, you were more than ready to sprint out the doors and claim freedom. Instead, your boss called and the cold wind slapped your face.

    “Jia, I got the file,” you said to your friend, pushing your company’s tall glass doors open and waving the thick file in your hands even though she couldn’t see you. “Yeah, I told Sophie to leave it at my desk. Don’t worry, I’ve got things covered, alright?”

    Before Jia could say anything else, you stepped onto the pavement when you heard someone call out your name. Once you saw who it was, you greeted that person with a bright smile. That man could liven up your day with his mere presence.

    “Johnny!” you exclaimed, reciprocating the tall man’s lively tone. As you initiated a hug, you asked him, “You’ve been here the whole time?”

    “Yeah, my boss pulled me back,” Johnny said grimly. “What’s with the file?”

    “Oh, this? It’s just something Jia was freaking out about.”

    Your considerate co-worker sent you a sympathetic smile. “Couldn’t get Sophie to get it to your place, huh?”

    To that, you shrugged and said, “It’s not that bad. It’s just weird having people peeking into my house.”

    Talking to Johnny was like meeting your long time friend. He was a breath of fresh air, asking you about things that had nothing to do with your love life. You admired the way he could easily change topics without seeming too sudden and appreciated his quick wit. Unfortunately, the fruitful conversation didn’t last long, and you two parted ways, Johnny taking a cab while you jogged across the street to reach Jaehyun’s black, family-friendly SUV.

    “Hey, who was that?” Doyoung said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows in a manner you thought was silly. 

    “A coworker,” you replied emotionlessly, hoping Jia would stop texting you.

    “He was checking you out,” Mark blatantly remarked.

    You stopped typing momentarily and shot a glance at his direction. You meant to give him a menacing glare, but you were caught off guard by Jaehyun’s arm resting behind your headrest. You cleared your throat once you realized that he was backing up the car from the parking lot.

    “He’s just a friendly person.”

    Sick of Jia’s constant demands--you still loved her--and the horrible night full of pain, you rested your elbow comfortably against the window and rubbed your temple. You were not going to be able to sleep that night with that splitting headache, especially with Mark and Doyoung teasing you.

    “Come on guys, give her some privacy with her love life,” Jaehyun defended you as he removed his arm from your seat. “I think she’s had enough tonight.”

    You offered Jaehyun a weak but warm smile. “Thank you.”

    He, in return, gave a cheeky one. “Hey, do you know the song that goes, ‘Jesse and Johnny sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-’”

    “-I-N-G!” - Doyoung Mark chimed enthusiastically.

    Sinking into your seat, you grumbled, “I’m really babysitting four children next month, aren’t I?”

    And the way back to the house of torture was filled with laughter and childish rhymes while all you wished to do was jump out of the car and end your misery. Oh, but you had no idea that the three weeks that awaited you made that night seem like nothing in comparison. Nothing you could do would prepare you for hell. 

[celest1all]

Against Orders

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Request: Can I request for Criminal Minds? The reader is dating Hotch and she works with the team out on the fields with them. On the most recent case, she gets injured and when she gets back, she ignores Hotch’s orders about taking time off to heal and shows up anyways? So he has to keep an eye on her and when he can’t, he asks one of the other agents to?

Requested by; @thefandomnetworkingchannel-32

Warnings: Swearing, some angst, arguing,

MASTERLIST

About two weeks ago, you and the BAU were called in on a case. Two women had turned up murdered and the local police wanted you to make sure another woman wouldn’t be killed. The UnSub had only managed to kidnap the victim and didn’t have enough time to kill her. However, when you went to go arrest the UnSub, he drew his gun on you and shot you. Three times, to be exact.

“Why not?!” You argued back, getting more annoyed by the second. You weren’t about to give up quite yet. What were you two arguing about in the first place? Oh, just the fact that you wanted to go back to work and stop bad people from getting away with their disgusting crimes, no big deal right?

Wrong.

Apparently to Agent Aaron Hotchner, it was like you were asking to buy a pet unicorn or something. Yes, you understood why he was hesitant about going back at work when you were technically supposed to be on leave for another three weeks, but you were feeling better! Why couldn’t the guy see that?

“Aaron, I’m fi-ine, really.” You had managed to move slightly awkwardly which in turn, made you wince. You cursed inwardly at the terrible timing.

“I’m hanging up now.” Hotch stated, making you bite your lip in exasperation. “Go to sleep, it’s late.”

“Whatever.” You said. You registered the fact that you probably sounded like a teenager who hadn’t got their way -- which was what you were, minus the teenager part -- but you couldn’t care less right now.

Your phone bleeped signalling that he had indeed hung up, aggravating you further. Trying to release some of the anger bubbling up inside you, you threw your phone onto your bed with a huff. When that didn’t work, you decided to throw yourself onto your bed.

You were laying there, face down on your mattress for about five minutes -- could’ve been ten, who knows -- when your brain concocted a plan. You knew what time Hotch got to the BAU, so you would just get there before he did. Sure, it will probably annoy the shit out of him, but again, you couldn’t care less right now. He was annoying you, so why not annoy him back?

****

You arrived at the BAU quite early, earlier than you wanted to be honest. It was still dark outside so that told you it was definitely way earlier than you wanted it to be. Your stomach was giving you trouble, the stitches were being more of a pain in the ass than Aaron was being. You tried sleeping, but when that didn’t seem to work, you decided to start your day at four a.m.

You limped your way over to your desk, smiling at the fact it looked the same as it did before you got shot -- messy, but the same. There were still files everywhere, pictures of you and the team and a bobble head you had gotten from London. Your eyes lingered on the pictures of you and the team, your heart warming at the sight of them.

You loved the BAU team like they were your family, hell, they are your family. And for that you would forever be grateful for them, they gave you a family when you didn’t have anyone.

You gracefully fell into your seat, making an oof sound when you landed. You were glad that there was barely anyone around because you would’ve been subjected to their harassment of going home as well.

Since you had approximately three or four more hours before your boyfriend of two years was going to come in, you opted to throw yourself into some paperwork due to it mounting up over the weeks.

You had always found a weird sense of comfort when it came to paperwork. Most of the time, you didn’t realise you had finished it before you started writing on the table.

“That’s what I was say — Y/N?” You recognised that perky voice anywhere. “What’re you doing here?”

Penelope started pulling you into a hug, making you groan out in pain. She began stuttering out apologies which you waved off.

“It’s fine.” You laughed, breathing rather heavily.

“Y/N?” Derek said, you averting your gaze somewhere else, knowing what he was about to say. “What’re you doing back?”

“Um, Hotch let me come back.” You smiled up at the two.

“Hotch let you come back to work after you were shot twice?”

“Three times.” Penelope corrected.

“Three times.” Morgan sent a pointed look your way. You started nibbling on your bottom lip, not really knowing what to say.

You darted your eyes between the two, the looks they were giving you made you slightly uneasy — and annoyed.

“Okay fine, I’m supposed to be on leave for three more weeks,” you relented “But I’m here now so what’s the point of going?”

“He’s going to freak when he sees you.” Penelope grinned, baring her bright white teeth. You shrugged in response, knowing for a fact that he will go ape shit when he sees you here. Not only did you do the one thing he said not do as a boyfriend, but you also went against a direct order — which you kind of forgot existed. You didn’t forget it on purpose, it just had escaped your mind.

Oh this was such a bad plan.

“Oh fuck.” You cursed out loud. Penelope and Derek turned back to face you, both their eyebrows raised.

“What?” They asked simultaneously.

“I think I’ve done a bad thing.” You said whilst rubbing your hands on your skirt since they had become very sweaty all of a sudden. “ A very bad thing.”

The two both sent you a look that told you to elaborate on what you meant, so you did. “I think Aaron may have gave me a direct order on not to come in.”

Morgan and Garcia widened their eyes in understanding. There was a beat of silence before they both started laughing, presumably at your stupidity.

“This isn’t funny!” You whisper-shouted at the two, ultimately shutting them up. You put your head in your hands and begun debating whether you were going to scream or not.

“Calm down, Y/N,” Derek began “Or you’re going to tear your stitches out and then you will definitely be on leave for three more weeks.”

You sighed and leant back in your chair, “Yeah, your right.”

“It’s not too late to go home now, you know.” Penelope pointed out. Just at that moment, Hotch walked into the office, thankfully oblivious to your presence.

“I can’t move that fast, Pen. I’ve got fucking stitches in my stomach — he’s going to see me before I even make it out of the bullpen.”

“He’s already seen you.” Derek added. You don’t think you’ve ever snapped your head up as fast as you did. And just as you thought, Aaron was glaring at you from his office.

Your plan had backfired tremendously.

You had expected for him to start striding his way over to you and scold you for being at work, but instead he just glared, clenched his jaw and turn back to his paperwork. Which was somehow worse, in your opinion.

Thankfully, Garcia’s phone went off which always meant there was a case everyone could focus on, instead of you.

“We gotta case?” You asked, trying to avoid looking at Hotch’s office.

“Yeah.”

“Great!” You began getting up from your seat, albeit slowly, but you were still doing it.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah.” Derek started pushing you back down again, he was rather gentle which surprised you since he was an extremely muscular human being. “Not so fast.”

“Derek, please.” You begged, giving him your best puppy dog eyes.

He stared at you for a second so you stared back. It was like a competition on who was going to break first.

“Is he looking?” He asked you. You quickly glanced at your boyfriends office, and when you saw he was still busying himself with paper work, you shook your head. Derek hauled you off the chair slowly, and helped you stand up right. “You owe me for this.”

“I’ll by you a drink or something.” You mumbled, side eyeing him slightly. You could feel the vibrations of his laugh through you, which threw you off since it was a weird sensation.

Now it was the tricky part; working the case.

****

It took you all about 5 minutes to sit around the round table. You could sense — or rather feel — Aaron sending daggers your way, but chose to ignore it.

You were relieved when you found out the case was local, so you didn’t have to fly anywhere. Since you were still recovering from being shot, you thought it was a good idea to stay at the BAU and work the case from there.

You had guessed that Derek and Penelope has filled the rest of the team in on the current situation, but what you didn’t know was that Hotch had asked Reid to keep and eye on you.

“Hey, Spence?” You said.

“Yeah?” He answered, but still looking at whatever was in front of him.

“Why aren’t you out in the field?” You frowned, the thought hitting you whilst you were flicking through information.

“I thought I would be of better help here than out there.” He replied absentmindedly. You accepted his reasoning and turned back to your files.

Luckily, the case only took you the whole day and night to solve, which was good for you since you were stiff and achey by the end.

Hotch had avoided you the whole day, you knew that for a fact, but you wanted to talk to him. He was your boyfriend first and foremost, he can’t ignore you forever. So you decided to seek him out, if he wasn’t going to talk to you, you were going to talk to him. Leave him no room for debate.

As you expected, he was in his office finishing the case report. You walked — hobbled more like— up his steps and walked straight in, not bothering to knock.

“Agent L/D.” The use of your last name took you by surprise, he hadn’t used it in about two years. But what took you by even more surprise was the lack of emotion in his voice.

“Uh, hi.” You replied rather sheepishly.

“Why are you in my office?” He asked. Apparently you weren’t worth him looking up from his reports. All the anger you had in you last night had disappeared and had been replaced with hurt.

“I was wondering if we could talk?” You fiddled with your hands and swallowed the lump in your throat. All the the emotions you had compartmentalised from when you got shot had now came barrelling at you 100 miles an hour. The pain, the fear, everything. Right here, right now.

Hotch ignored what you said and continued scribbling on the papers that were strewn across his desk. “Aaron?”

At the sound of his name, he dropped his pen rather violently onto the desk and stared at you. “What do you want me to say, Y/N?”

“I don’t know. I just — ” The man stood up abruptly and walked around his desk so he could stand infront of yoy, effectively cutting you off.

“Just what?” He leant back on the wood, watching your every move. When you didn’t — or rather couldn’t — say anything, he decided it was his turn to speak.

“You did the one thing I asked you not to do.” He stated. You couldn’t figure out if he was angry with you as your boss or boyfriend. And you couldn’t figure out which one would be worse.

“I get that, but — ”

“I don’t think you do,” he started. “Because if you did, then you would’ve realised I wanted you to stay at home because then I would know you were safe and recovering.”

You averted your gaze everywhere else but Hotch.

“Look at me.” You didn’t look at him. “Look at me, Y/N.” He said, much softer this time. You turned your tear-glistened eyes his way, nibbling on your bottom lip.

“I wasn’t telling you to stay at home as your boss. I was telling you to stay at home as your boyfriend.” You tried to keep the tears in your eyes, but you were failing miserably. “I love you and I can’t see you get hurt again.”

At that point, you flung yourself at him, not caring about the stitches in your stomach. You probably should’ve just walked and pulled him into a hug since it hurt like a bitch, but too late now.

“I love you too.” You whispered in his ear.

The hug lasted about a minute before you both pulled away. You smiled at one another before you said something, “Did you ask Reid to keep an eye on me?”

“Yes.” He stated, you nodded at him in understanding.

“I’ll leave you to the paperwork.” You waved at him and headed to the door.

“I’ll come over once I’m finished.” Hotch added.

You turned around to face him again and winked, “See you then, Agent Hotchner.”

You left him there in his office, laughing at your antics. Maybe you should go against orders again...

No, you definitely shouldn’t go against orders again.

tag list; @accio-rogers / @angelinathebook / @strawberriesonsummer

if you would like to be added to the tag list, feel free to ask <33

[rukia-writes]

✨Levi x fem! Reader✨

✨Setting: modern au✨

“Thank you Levi, I appreciate it.”

“Whatever.”

Levi huffed as Mike nodded in approval, while Kruger simply shook his head in disbelief. Levi had on a long black wig, fake eye lashes, and was wearing a bra stuffed with something levi didn’t know.

The reason, Mike has accidentally put the ring he was going to purpose to Nanaba with tomorrow in her purse.

“Thanks again Levi.”

“Why couldn’t you just text Hanji to get the ring?”

“Hanji doesn’t know I plan to purpose and I want to keep this close to the vest, Levi.”

Mike was very stressed about the ring he had made reservations and everything at fancy restaurant. Levi couldn’t believe this was happening and when the group arrived at Nanaba’s house Levi hoped that he wouldn’t have to stay long.

Levi knocked on the door as the three men hid in the bushes nearby, Levi tried not look upset but he was. The door opened to see Nanaba with a happy smile.

“Hi, are you here for the sleep over?”

“..Yes-Yeah I am.”

Levi cleared his throat to make his voice sound “girly” to which nananba happily accepted him in, Levi honestly didn’t think it work.

“Here you go. We are having a matching sleepover, so you have to wear these.”

Nanaba handed over a matching pink set of pajamas, Levi took them with no fuss as he went to go change.

When he came out he went to living room where all the commotion was to see all the women he worked with with face masks while some were doing each other’s nails. Some were taking off their fake eyelashes and some were washing their hair, Levi felt like he was in a foribidden garden.

Levi started to look for Nanaba’s purse and he didn’t see it to his dismay and at that time Hanji and (Name) arrived through the front door with a arm full of pizza boxes while in their pink pajamas.

“Food is here girls!”

“Finally.”

Nanaba sighed in relief as all the girls went to the kitchen to eat, Levi prayed Nanaba’s purse was in the kitchen and once again it wasn’t to his dismay.

“Hey, would you like a slice?”

Levi noticed one of his co workers named (Name) hand him a slice of pizza on a plate, Levi took the plate and thanked his crush.

As the night went on the three men outside were worried about Levi, it had been several hours and it was getting late. Erwin offered to go inside but Mike told him to stay put and believe in Levi.

Well, three men would be waiting for awhile as Levi currently filing (Name)’s nails and getting a bunch of gossip.

Levi found out Mike and Nanaba were freaks in bed.

Petra apparently was too. Hanji went a week without bathing and no one suspected a thing. Lynne and Rico had a bunch of gossip to lay on the table or what Levi came to know as “tea.”

“I feel like I’ve seen you around before.”

Levi snapped out of his thoughts when (Name) spoke to him.

“Oh, I work at your place.”

“Really? What section?”

“Um, international affairs.”

“Really? That’s amazing. What’s your name by the way.”

Levi frowned as he didn’t think of a name, quickly he just thought of something.

“Emilia.”

“A beautiful name. Mine is (Name). It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same. So-“

“I think Erwin has a big dick!”

Petra shouted making Hanji, Lynne, and Nanaba squeal in laughter while Petra was blushing as she had to confess to something from being dared by Hanji. All of them were wearing face masks with their hair up eating chips and pizza.

(Name) heard “Emilia” sigh making (Name) smile.

“Do you have a crush on Erwin?”

“What?! Ew, no.”

“Who do you like then?”

Levi noticed (Name) grin as he pouted as he started to paint (Name)’s nails.

“Not him.”

“You don’t think he’s handsome?”

“No.”

“I do!”

Hanji exclaimed as she ate some more of her chips while the other girls agreed. Levi didn’t know it but he soon forgot all about the ring as (Name) gave him a pedicure.

It was heaven sent.

Except, when (Name) used the brush in the middle of his foot. Levi was ticklish there.

As the night went on the main focus was now truth or dare and Levi found out even more stuff that happened in the office that he shouldn’t have.

However, something good did come of it as Levi found out Nanaba wanted to get married one day to Mike, she even had in mind what dress she wanted to wear.

This is what made Levi remember why he was there in the first place, just as he was about to excuse himself and go look for the ring Petra asked him

“Truth or dare Emilia?”

Levi mentally cussed as he cleared his throat to put on his girly voice again.

“Dare.”

“Ooo, she’s bold I like that.”

Hanji nodded her head as Petra thought of something for Emilia to do.

“I dare you to, tell us who you like at the office.”

“Don’t worry we won’t tell, secret safe with us.”

Hanji added in to Petra’s dare as the other girls and (Name) nodded in agreement to keep Emilia’s secret.

Levi sighed as he looked down then down at the floor then back at the girls.

“I have a crush on someone here, do I still have to say?”

All the girls looked one another then after whispering to one another, they all shook their heads in agreement.

“I like (Name) then, I think she’s hot.”

All the girls cheered confusing Levi as he just told his secret, (Name) was blushing not knowing how to feel about this.

“How do you feel (Name)? We all know you have a thing for Levi.”

Levi eyes widened as Hanji revealed (Name)’s secret,(Name) simply nodded her head.

“I think Emilia is hot too.”

All the girls squealed with joy as well making Levi smirk, as he cleared his throat his to make his voice girly.

“It’s my turn right?”

“It is.”

Hanji and Petra said in unison with grins on their faces knowing where this was going.

“Truth or dare (Name)?”

“..Dare.”

“Ooo!”

All the girls said in unison, (Name) was turning a bit shy now.

“I dare you to kiss me on the lips.”

“Yeah!”

All the girls squealed in joy especially Hanji and Petra. The two leaned in and kissed making the girls blush while Hanji cheered “Thats hot.”

(Name) noticed that Emilia was quite rough with her kissing but also passionate and when the kiss ended (Name) wanted more, but Emilia simply whispered, “later.”

The night went on and before long all the women were asleep either on the couch or sleeping bags. Levi managed to get the ring and quietly leave the house and when he returned to the bushes to see all three men asleep on the ground.

The next day Mike purposed to Nanaba who agreed. A few days later when everyone returned to work (Name) looked for Emilia everywhere but couldn’t find her anywhere, eventually asking the receptionist to look up the name only to come up empty handed.

(Name) made her way over to Levi’s office to ask if he knew anyone by that name.

“I don’t. What does she look like?”

“Long black hair, blue eyes, around your height...”

(Name) then got a “oh” look making Levi chuckle as he leaned back in his chair.

“It’s about time you figured it out.”

✨Rukia-Writes✨

[maree-ff]

Interlude: Saying Goodbye

ANDRE

Today is the day of the funeral and I’m nervous as hell! My palms have been sweaty ever since I woke up this morning and I feel that my nerves have peaked at an all time high. It's been years since I've attended a funeral, I'm not sure if I’m in the right mindset to function properly today. Camila and her father both agreed to a closed casket ceremony for their own personal reasons. Victor had his time at Emilina’s house to rake through the belongings he is having shipped to his house. Aside from his brief conversation with me, Victor has kept to himself pretty much.

The girls have too been very quiet today. This I know is due to the fact that they’re still trying to process the loss of their grandmother. I offered to get them dressed in order to grant Camila some alone time. After all, us getting ready is the last time, until tonight, that we have some quiet time. Once the girls were dressed and Camila got their hair done, all they wanted to do was lay around and watch movies. Standing up on my feet I picked up my tie from off of the ironing board to secure it around my neck.

“Andre, your tie should be good to go now.” Camila announced with perfect timing.

Finding her interjection funny, I made the knot snug just how I like it. “I got it thank you baby, thank you.” I called out to her. Running my palm over this beautiful and sentimental, black velvet tie I studied myself in the mirror.

“You look so nice, daddy.” Zoe complimented from behind me. Smiling at her through the glass I returned the kind gesture and extended my compliments to Kenja as well.

Peeking at my watch I began to panic as we only have a short window of time left before we have to get going. On cue, Camila emerged from the bathroom in a crisp white, two piece pant suit set. Wearing her favorite heels and jewelry pieces her mother has gifted her throughout the years. I admire Camila’s strength and resilience so much. Despite having to battle her own demons in the midst of preparing for this spur of the moment celebration of her mother’s life, she doesn’t look the part. She’s exuding power and grace, two characteristics she adopted from her mother.

“Mommy, wow..” Kenja gasped.

Zoe scurried to her mom’s side, drinking in the small details of her outfit. “Mom, why are you wearing white and not black? I thought we were supposed to match.” Zoe inquired, pulling down Camila’s blazer in the front and rushing around to the back to do the same.

“I’m wearing white because your nana asked me to do so a very long time ago. How do I look?

“So beautiful.” Zoe smiled.

“Yeah mommy you look very pretty today.” Kenny added in.

“Andre, what do you think? Is it too much?” She presumed.

“Not at all. You always clean up in such a way that amazes me each time. No one would ever think you’re dealing with such heavy burdens. You look incredible.” I assured her.

For the first time since we’ve been here, Camila graced us with a smile that brightened up the entire room. “Thank you.” She murmured, standing on her toes to kiss me. With my cheeks nestled in her hands she looked into my eyes, in silence.

“What is it?” I quizzed, clutching her shoulders.

She nodded firmly. “Nothing. I just needed a second to breathe and do nothing else.” She kissed me tenderly, backing away so we could get a move on it. Victor met us in the hallway, holding the girl’s hands as we headed down to the lobby. Our ride to the church was so brief I didn’t even get the chance to give myself a pep talk prior to this ceremony.

While Victor was speaking with our driver, I helped the girls out of the car. We finally make it inside the church only for Zoe to start freaking out. Intervening in Zoe’s slight outburst I carried her the remaining walk inside the church. Not only do I have to be a shoulder to cry on for my family but I also have to keep the girls in check. Camila is nearing the end of this pregnancy and I don’t want her to exhaust herself trying to discipline the girls with everything going on today.

Each of us filed in to the first row, getting settled while fighting to ignore the stares. Zoe despises having the spotlight on her so I’m going to keep her seated in my lap. This way she won’t be as tempted to look around at who’s paying attention to us. The service began after about ten minutes of us waiting. The muffled sounds of sobs and sniffles dispersed throughout the room were infectious. Despite the raging sadness within these walls, the minister is doing his best to lighten the mood. He’s speaking so highly about Emilina’s life and accomplishments.

When the time came for the family to go up and speak, Camila’s nails dug into my palm. I can feel her nerves raising the longer she sat still.

“Go ahead Camila, it’s alright.” Victor whispered assuringly. She turned to me asking for more guidance through her eyes.

“Go on, we’ll be right here. Just take your time.” I said quietly. Zoe leaned away from me to kiss her moms cheek.

“You can do it mama.” With that, Zoe fell back into my lap.

Maree hesitated for another few minutes or so before standing up from the pew. She straightened out her blazer and silently walked up to the podium to greet the minister. He managed to make her laugh and that made me feel good just to see Camila with another smile on her face. Now standing behind the podium Camila placed both hands in front of her, seeming prepared to speak. When she remained silent after about twenty seconds I noticed her studying the casket.

Clearing her throat, Camila took a half step to the left and braced the crowd. “First, I’d like to thank each of you who took time out to be here today. I really appreciate you all for being here with me and my family to celebrate my mother’s life. I didn’t have much time to prepare for a speech let alone today in general. Death is impossible to escape for any of us but I never thought I’d live to see this day. Not at such short notice.” She began.

Appearing from a hidden pocket in her blazer was an envelope housing the letter Camila’s been tinkering away at for some time now. “Dear mom, um, I guess I should start by saying thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me from the day you found out you were pregnant with me up until the last time we spoke. You were and always will be the brightest woman I ever knew. Every word out of your mouth was pure truth. You were the most amazing person in my life and you always will be. Just thinking about how long I’ll have to go without seeing you, talking to you or hugging is hard to come to terms with. It breaks me down as a woman and a mother because you’ve always been my hero and inspiration. Having you involved in Kenja’s life in the big way that you were means the world me. You were a second mom to her, she loved you just as much as I did. When Andre and I got serious and blended our families together, I was so amazed at how you responded to my life change. You welcomed our new family dynamic with grace, tenderness and open arms. You made sure that Zoe felt just as loved and important as Kenja. For that, I can never express just how grateful I am to who you are as a person. You’re acceptance over my family means the world to both Andre and I. it sucks that you were such an awesome grandmother because now you won’t-”

Camila pauses her speech to collect herself but isn’t successful. Her hands cupped her mouth as she retreated from the podium.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this..” she cried aloud. “I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed. Finally she turned away with her back to us earning solace from the minister. I immediately sat Zoe next to me, panicking internally about Camila’s state of mind and our baby’s health.

The minister made direct eye contact with me and that’s when I made my advance to stand with Camila. I delicately cupped her lower back earning a much needed hug for her sake. Maree’s hands clutched my arms as she continued to grieve. She’s held herself together pretty well since her meltdown but us being forced to live in this moment is finally setting in for her. She’s now forced to acknowledge her mother’s death in front of so many pairs of eyes.

“I can’t do this. This is too hard.” Camila began to sob into my chest, squeezing my arms with everything she’s got.

“Yes you can. I believe in you.” Rubbing her back in large, slow circles I continued to talk Cam down from the ledge.

“I cannot do this. Please don’t make me. Please..” She begged, quickly using me as an aid to hold herself up. I can see how badly this ceremony is tearing her up inside but I do want her to finish this letter. I think it’ll be a decision she regrets if she chooses not to speak.

I plead with her again hoping to make some sort of breakthrough. “Camila look at me please, just for a second..” She stood tall in front of me, completely engaged. “I’m not about to make you finish reading this letter. You know I would never force you to do anything that you don’t want to or agree with. However, I strongly urge you to finish this letter. After today, you won’t be with her in a physical sense again so I think you should enjoy this time that you have left with her. Do this for her but also yourself. I don’t want you to develop any sort of resentment for yourself or this moment.”

Camila composed herself in silence. I know without a doubt the wheels in her head are turning as she thinks over my advice. “Will you stand here with me? I can’t do this alone..”

Smirking at her delicate request I offered my presence and support in any way she needs. With our hands joined and fingers intertwined, we stood at the podium together. Camila took several breaths before continuing her speech.

“I made a promise that I’d never allow you to become a memory in the lives of our children. We vow to always celebrate your birthday and make your existence known whenever necessary. I hate that we didn’t have more time together. There’s so much I wanted to do with you but now I can’t. Out of five kids I’m the only one who gave you grandchildren. You would’ve had three in September. My son will never get to meet the amazing woman who taught me everything I know. My son will never get to learn the ways of a headstrong woman like you. I do not know if I can live up to the skill level of parenting as you but I will make every attempt to do so.” Pausing, Camila looked up from her letter and gently squeezed my hand.

“I honor my mother for her grace and humility. She never frowned upon my life choices. She always reminded me of how special I am, how much she loved me and how proud she was of my accomplishments. She would even cheer for my failures from time to time because she said mistakes make us human. Our screw ups are what make each of us unique. She always told me that my mistakes would mold my character and she was right.” Camila said her final words and as we retreated to our seats she asked to make a stop.

“Do you want to see her?” I questioned softly, clutching her hand tightly.

“Please..” She nodded. I did the honors, being cautious to not move too fast. I secured the top of the casket, wrapping my right arm behind Camila to provide her with early support. “I can’t believe any of this.” She whispered, covering her mouth.

Leaning down I pressed my lips to her hairline, allowing her this time to live in the moment. After a few minutes of us standing here, Victor appeared with the girls. I took Kenja off of Victor’s hands, becoming her shoulder to cry on too.

“I’m gonna miss her so much..” Kenja sniffled. Cam made eye contact with Ev, leaning in to hug me from an angle.

“I know baby, we all will..” Cam agreed solemnly. Eventually, I led my family back to our awaiting seats. A powerful, warm energy settled nearby, prompting me to speak. Kenja tagged along, still nestled against my shoulder.

Standing before the crowd, I locked eyes with Camila and her father sorting through my inner thoughts.

“I just have a few things I want to say. I am beyond humbled and grateful that Emilina loved and cared for me in the way that she did. She has treated me as if I was another son to her and for that I will be eternally grateful. Around the time that my world collided with Camila’s, I was going through a rough time. I felt as if I was living in hell, excuse me. Having Camila and our daughter in my life gave me the strength to keep pushing forward. Many years ago, I promised Emilina that I would use every ounce of my power to protect and provide for our family. She instilled the utmost trust in me and I’m so happy that she did. Emilina never failed to make me feel included in her heart and her prayers. She was a living angel. I admire how soft spoken but powerful she was. I admire how deeply she loved each of us. I am honored to have so many sweet memories to cherish until the end of time.”

Peering down at my daughter I caught her eye. Her ghostly smile and minor dimple in her left cheek warmed my heart. The urge to get emotional overtook me and settled into feeling blessed beyond measure. The remainder of my speech is directly aimed at my mother-in-law.

“Emilina, you put your faith in me to keep your girls safe and happy. I promise today before God, our friends and family, to continue to do so until I’m no longer here. I have never loved any woman as much as I do your daughter. You blessed this Earth and my life with an angel. Camila is a beautiful extension of you. I am grateful that you brought her into this world. We love you so much and we will always miss you.” I closed with a prayer that the minister joined in on. He took over so I could return to my seat to be with my family.

_____________ ____________

Setting Zoe’s hairbrush back in her bag I initially planned to have her in bed an hour ago but she’s stubborn. After the service, Zoe’s energy level began to increase to new heights. Finally, after two meals, the service from this morning, a bath and getting her hair washed, she’s much more relaxed. I began to detach her from my chest but she fought me.

“Daddy, I’m not sleepy.” Zoe mumbled.

“Oh no? You’ve been falling in and out of sleep since your bath.” I tried laying her down again but she didn’t want to let go. Sighing out of defeat I went to lay on our bed with her still wrapped around me. “Why don't you want to go to bed?” I asked, pulling her pajama pants down.

“I don’t want to miss out.” She yawned, with her hands on my chest.

“Miss out on what? Kenny is asleep, mommy will be back soon and then she and I are calling it a night. We have a busy day tomorrow Zoe.” I explained.

“Ok, ok. Night daddy.” Zoe kissed my chin, finally getting comfortable enough to follow suit to her sister.

I must have passed out along with her for quite some time until I heard sudden movement. Awaking in a hurry I scanned the room to notice Cam’s return.

Sighing, I stood up to make room for her. “You scared the hell out of me..”

“I’m sorry honey, I didn’t mean to scare you. How were the girls? Did they give you a hard time?” She apologized and went on to get ready for bed.

“I’ll be fine, you have nothing to be sorry about. No, they were good. How’s your dad doing?” I asked. Pulling the blanket up over Zoe’s back I checked the lock on our door and the windows before getting back into bed.

Cam and I made light hearted conversation to shake the chip off our shoulders. We’ve each taken a hard hit of reality in the past forty-eight hours. It’s best Cam and I stay as united and positive as possible. Not only for the girls but for ourselves and our partnership. Once we return home and some time has passed, we can reopen this wound.

[sablelab]

Covert Operations - Chapter 125

SYNOPSIS:  While Jamie and Claire travel to their downtime destination, back at Section One, Madeline discusses her misgivings about the breach with Operations. They also get an unexpected call from Colum who knows more than he should about Section One. The plot thickens, suspicions are raised and the finger is pointed at Fitzgibbons and Fergus.  As a result Murtagh receives a call to meet Madeline in the White Room and Fergus begins to freak out as he discusses his apprehension over Operations believing his story about the breach.

 Chapter 124 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

I am glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter as Jamie and Claire begin their journey to their destination.  That place will be disclosed next Friday as I will be posting weekly for the month of June. However, I hope you will be pleased to know that all of July will be Jamie and Claire centred chapters. THANK YOU all so much for your replies, for the likes and for reblogging my story. It is very gratifying to know that others enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. I really appreciate your continued support for me and for all of the Outlander fanfic writers.

CHAPTER 125

 Madeline made her way to a private dining room for a breakfast debriefing with Operations about James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp and what she had planned for them when they returned to Section. There were also other things that had been playing on her mind that she wanted to raise with Operations. She couldn’t let go of the niggling unease in her head since the supposed breach and it had occupied her thoughts more than it should have. Section’s Head Strategist knew instinctively that there was something not quite right and Madeline wanted to get Dougal’s opinion about her intuitions.

Upon entering the room, she saw a stupendous breakfast laid out for them and approached Operations seated at the table. He gestured for her to come closer. “Good Morning Dougal … I see that you started without me,” she stated good-humouredly. He glanced up at her. “Where have you been Madeline? Come and join me before it gets cold.” Taking a chair opposite to him, she sat down. “Thank you. My … My … Christopher has outdone himself this morning,” she remarked upon seeing the fine breakfast spread he had prepared. “Yes, he has. What would you like?” Taking a croissant and accompaniments she placed them on her plate. “Sorry I’m late but I had some last-minute things I needed to attend to.” “What things?” “Just some eleventh-hour profiling for the Somalia mission.”  “Let me know if there's anything critical.” “I will.” Glancing at her, satisfied with Madeline’s answer, Operations started the agenda for their briefing. “I wanted to discuss our convalescing operatives with you. I see that they left bright and early this morning.”

‘Yes.  They wasted no time in leaving Section. Trust Jamie to want to get a good start on the two weeks we allowed them.  Quite predictable under the circumstances.”

“Does this add more evidence for your file on their personal relationship then Madeline?”

“All of their information is data Dougal.  You know I am very thorough when it comes to fraternization between active field operatives.  They have always needed to be watched carefully.”

“Are we able to establish where they are going?” “No their trackers are down but Fergus can work on another way to locate them if you wish.” “I don’t think that will be necessary.” “Unless something comes up that requires them back at Section earlier,” Madeline added. Operations nodded in agreement. “You’re right.” He then looked at her for a moment with a quizzical expression at her statement. “You don’t think there is something that will recall them earlier?” “Not at the moment … but you never know. If we get new Intel on the Rising Dragons it could be a possibility.” “Do we have anything new?” “Not at the moment … but we have our people searching for anything of interest.”  “Good. It seems that everything is going to plan. We can certainly pick up the Rising Dragons’ mission where we left off once they return to Section.” “Yes. Jamie will want to avenge Claire’s incarceration at the hands of the triad, so they’ll return fully recovered I’m sure when the two weeks is up. I’ll do a psyche analysis on the two of them before resuming the mission parameters.” Dougal nodded in agreement but noticed that his second in command seemed a little off kilter this morning. “Is something else bothering you Madeline?” he inquired. Given a perfect opening, she brought up the subject that had been troubling her for some time. “As a matter of fact, there is. I would like to discuss the breach with you.” “I thought that was done and dusted long ago but … I’m all ears. What is worrying you?” “It’s just a hunch, but I’m not completely convinced that it was a malfunction in the door mechanism that triggered the alarm.” “Why?” Operations asked offering to pour her a coffee. “I think that Mr. Claudel and Murtagh Fitzgibbons were somehow involved. They have been acting rather strangely lately. I did find them in the restricted area after all.” “Yes, but I thought Fergus’ explanation was reasonable. And they have been worried about Jamie and Claire.” “That may be so, but nothing those two do together is reasonable.” “What do you want to do then? Call them in?” “Yes that was my plan.” “Very well, but I was satisfied with their answers but if it will make you happy go ahead.” “I will.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As the two leaders were enjoying their meal, they were interrupted by an incoming call. Answering the phone Operations put it on speaker mode so that Madeline could hear his conversation with the person at the other end … his nemesis and brother Colum Mackenzie. Once again the head of Oversight seemed to know when there had been some crisis happening at One and they both held their breath as to why he had contacted them this time. ”Good morning Dougal.” “Colum. How nice to hear from you again so soon after your last visit. To what do we owe the pleasure?” The intonation of his voice was laden with insincerity. 

Madeline interrupted the conversation before he could reply knowing that it was easier for her to talk to Colum than Operations given their antagonistic relationship. Her voice was laced with feigned delight. “Colum.” “Good morning Madeline … I trust that you are well?” “Very. So how can we help you?”

This was such an imposition. Whenever Colum Mackenzie rang or paid them a visit it spoiled Dougal’s breakfast and started him off in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Operations scowled waiting for his reply thinking a plethora of thoughts as to why his brother was calling Section One and all of them inane. However, they were certainly not expecting the reason for his call this time. Cutting to the chase he stated, “I want to know about the breach.” Taken aback Operations blurted out, “What?” “Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about Dougal. I want to know about the breach in security that happened at One. I want to know everything.” Flummoxed as to how Colum could possibly know such information or about the commotion that took place at Section One, Madeline and Operations both had a stunned look on their face. Recovering his composure before answering, Dougal raised his eyebrow at Madeline. As the enormity of the situation sunk in, his bewilderment quickly turned to ire at what he and Madeline must do. Somewhere in Section One there was a mole or Colum had managed to plant listening devices or surveillance that had gone undetected. They would need to get to the bottom of this treachery and fast.

Operations was furious and held his tongue … but just. “I’m curious Colum. How did you find out about the situation at Section anyway? After all it did happen days ago.” “Everything that goes on in all the Sections and not just Section One, is known to Oversight … remember that Dougal,” he warned. “I was waiting to be informed by you but obviously that was not forthcoming.”  “I saw no reason to tell you,” he muttered tersely under his breath and took great delight in setting the record straight. “However, this time Colum, I’m afraid that your Intel is incorrect. What you call a breach was actually a malfunction in the system.”  “Are you sure that was the case? I hope you were not compromised in any way?” “Absolutely. We ran down inexhaustible possibilities, but nothing was found. There were no casualties. No intruders were discovered and everything was contained. We're at full capacity except for Jamie and Claire.”  Colum, however, pushed his own agenda forward and ignored Operations’ response knowing that his reply would incense the leader of One. “Perhaps I need to send in my team in to examine the situation anyway. Starting with department heads and key operatives.” Suspicious of his motives Madeline interrupted stating emphatically, “I see no reason for you to intervene. We’ve already seen to that Colum. We have our own people who have comprehensively done that. Don’t you trust our judgement?” ”What’s not to trust?” was his tacit reply enjoying their pickiness. Madeline was also acutely aware of the waves of anger that radiated from the man opposite her. She jumped to their defence not liking the tone of his question. “That’s provocative Colum. Are you implying that we can’t be trusted?” Immediately put on the back foot he tried to soothe over their chagrin.  “Of course not. I was merely stating that what you have said is admirable and Oversight is thankful that you moved so expediently on the matter. However, that does lead me to another issue that may refute this statement.” “What?” Operations barked back incensed by his inferences and line of questioning but especially about his prying in Section One. His face darkened with anger while his brother’s conjecture provoked his budding volatile temper. Without preamble the Oversight leader continued, but the tone of his voice was far from happy. “Since you failed to notify me, I’m also just checking as to how are things going with Jamie and Claire’s recovery?” So that was it. He was peeved that they hadn’t notified him earlier of their decision. “By all means. I can answer that for you Colum,” Madeline replied. “You’ll be pleased to know that they were granted downtime for two weeks to recover fully, which they started this morning as a matter of fact. I hope that meets with your satisfaction and approval?” “It does. I will notify Centre that plans for Jamie and Claire’s recuperation have been implemented and that once they return the Rising Dragons’ mission can conclude. Or have you plans to continue without them? You do know that Oversight has the capacity to take over the mission if One is understaffed because they are on downtime.”  Operations’ reply was gruff. His brother’s inference was confrontational as Colum knew that Jamie and Claire’s presence on the mission was vital. They had no plans to continue the mission without them but they did have Fergus working on possible leads from their informants for when they did return. The temerity of the man was beyond belief, after all it was on his orders that they were given two weeks to recover. Operations ignored Colum’s question and answered his statement about Centre. This Intel caught them both by surprise too knowing that Mr Lambert was also keeping tabs on them.

“Of course.”  You know that Centre is closely monitoring this mission too don’t you Dougal, and that its success is paramount.” “We are doing everything we can to make sure that happens brother.” “Good … I’ll hold you to that rest assured. It will look extremely bad for One … and especially for you Dougal … if you can’t deliver the goods. Remember that nothing escapes Oversight and how you handle your two best operatives is of immense interest to Mr Lambert, so we are expecting great things of Section One. Understand?” Despite their dislike of the man, they needed to keep Colum onside … Centre too as interference from either was the last thing that either of them needed or wanted and it seemed that his brother was far too familiar with happenings at Section One. Operations was becoming more incensed the longer this conversation went on and he wanted to see the back of Colum once and for all. He and Madeline shared a look and with Dougal biting his tongue he replied succinctly, “Perfectly.”  “Fine. Then I won’t hold you up any longer. Have good day.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Once the connection was terminated, Madeline turned towards Operations. The look on his face said it all and she was in no illusion as to how he was feeling. This conversation had been a bombshell. It was no surprise that his eyes were sleet grey with anger. Under the circumstances his reaction was to be expected. Colum only bought out the worst in him and this time he had really set the cat amongst the pigeons. Their day was anything but good now given the conversation they’d had with the leader of Oversight. They had always wondered why he used to turn up at Section unannounced armed with classified information about some crisis that had taken place at Section and now they were faced with the added dilemma of finding out how and why he was keeping tabs on them. In fact, it left many questions unanswered for them of things they needed to address and the sooner the better … the first being the breach and how Colum had known about it. Unfortunately, he had sown a seed of doubt and they couldn’t let it go unresolved. “Don't let this distract you Dougal. He was baiting you to get a reaction.”  “Distracted! How can I not be distracted when Colum knows too much? This is serious Madeline. This is the second time that there has been a spilling of Intel. I want it to stop. Now!”  “It does seem coincidental that he has been aware of happenings at Section too frequently of late. We’ve long suggested his involvement now we have to act.” “We need to get to the bottom of this once and for all. I want every operative scrutinized ASAP. Your hunch may prove to be right about Fergus and Murtagh after all.” “Maybe that's what Colum wants us to believe.” “You don’t think they have been feeding him Intel do you?” Her nagging suspicions had manifested and it all seemed to be tied into Colum Mackenzie. Madeline’s mind was already leaping forward to what she had to do although it pained her that the subjects were Fergus and Murtagh, but they needed to do what was necessary. There was a leak and it had to be contained. Operations would expect nothing less. She doubted that it was the two larrikin operatives but they may know something that could find the culprit responsible.

“No, but it’s possible. We need to get to the bottom of it and fast.”  “I agree. Do it! If they are in any way responsible, I’ll cancel them myself.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Like Madeline and James Fraser, Murtagh Fitzgibbons was an enigma in Section.  His pragmatic attitude and uncanny way of playing both ends against the middle, if it suited his own agenda had held him in good stead and kept him out of abeyance over the years.  Section One’s munitions expert was a man of the sixties.  He was a Hippie who had never grown up and was a living, breathing 60’s “time warp.”  Murtagh’s demeanour was his kind-heartedness and his loyalty was hard-won and once given, hard to break.  He knew all about Free Love, he’d been to Woodstock, smoked dope, loved the girls and left them wanting more. He was a total charmer; he could charm the birds out of the tree, a flirt who just loved the ladies.  His laconic sense of humour and irreverent behaviour was a welcomed relief in a place that never smiled, never laughed, never loved.  

His approach to his job demonstrated his cavalier attitude to the things he held dear, his munitions work and his communications devices. Murtagh was also a deadly, accurate manipulator of the system that incarcerated him, but he knew how to manipulate the system but still keep his nose clean. It seemed he had been in Section forever, for he had seen the changes of Command and had adapted to the different styles of leadership, perfecting his role in the scheme of things.  He was his own boss and was left alone most of the time.  He knew how to play their games to keep out of trouble. Yet Murtagh Fitzgibbons was an integral part of the team. He was Section One’s expert in explosives and firearms … the weapons specialist for the Section.

Except for his machinations and childish behaviour with his buddy Fergus Claudel, he observed and listened.  He was the ears and eyes of Section One and never missed much of what went on in Section.  

It pained Madeline to have to interrogate Section’s munitions expert and their computer whiz kid but under the circumstances it needed to be done. Nine times out of ten her hunches were proven correct but her initial misgivings about their behaviour now raised serious doubts in her mind about their loyalty to Section. Although Operations was satisfied that they were not responsible for the breach, could it be that they were the ones feeding Intel to their adversary Colum Mackenzie? Her gut said no, but her head said they needed to be questioned further. She had to be sure that they had nothing to do with passing on information and the only way to do that was the Section way ... in the White Room. No one was immune from suspicion including them and she was determined to get to the bottom of the breach and treachery in Section One once and for all.

Meanwhile in Munitions …

Murtagh Fitzgibbons was working at his post thankful that things had settled down at Section. Jamie and Claire were finally off on their downtime and he hoped that the two weeks would be the medicine they needed to fully recover. He was a hopeless romantic, when it came to these two operatives who Operations and Madeline had put through the ringer time and time again. It seemed that Section’s leaders were fixated on the couple and Madeline especially was always trying to gather data on their relationship.  To all intents and purposes, it was platonic but he knew otherwise.  He recognized a couple in love.  He knew that feeling only too well and he wanted them to have a chance at some privacy on their downtime. Murtagh was a big softie and he wanted the best for the people he cared about … and Claire and Jamie were very special to him.  God knows he knew that they needed time away from this hellhole. The Rising Dragons’ mission had been totally consuming and the two operatives had given their all thus far and had paid the ultimate price for their loyalty.  They had been tortured and had nearly died on the last mission, so if he could help them in any way possible then he would do so, for their sakes.

Fergus had also managed to convince Operations that there had indeed been a malfunction that had caused the breach and had given him the proof to back his claims. They were off the hook and he was thankful that his buddy was able to think under pressure to come up with the scenario he gave Operations. Like he’d said to Fergus … there was no way of their leaders finding out that they had indeed set off the alarm or been responsible for the hullabaloo that ensued. Yes … everything was getting back to normal.

As he was busily working at his station loading the guns for the Somalia mission, his lady love Bóinne Rivière happened to join him. Happy to see her, Murtagh gave her his idea of a sexy rebel smouldering look and they shared one of their special glances. It was plain to see that they both enjoyed each other's company and he was giving the beautiful nurse his undivided attention. They were both laughing, sharing private jokes and Murtagh’s was concentrating solely on this tall, striking woman.  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Murtagh.” He was oblivious to the fact that his friend, Fergus Claudel, had made his way to Munitions as he was fussing around Bóinne and was busy explaining one of his gadgets to her so he didn’t hear Fergus call out at first. 

“Huh?” he replied not really paying attention to the sound of his pal’s voice. The nurse’s eyes glanced at the computer expert as he approached. Bóinne could tell by the look on Fergus’ face that he wanted a private talk with his friend. Aware that something was bothering him, she ended her chat with Murtagh.

“That's okay honey; I've got to go anyway.” He looked up to see Fergus approach munitions and realised why she had said what she did. Although her answered her, it was obvious he really wanted her to stay. She could see the disappointment in his gaze.

“I'll catch you later then.” Fergus now stood in his line of sight but Murtagh watched his girlfriend until she was no longer in view. He briefly shut his eyes lost in his own feelings and gave a breathy sigh.

“Wow! I haven't felt like this in a long time ... I … I think she might feel the same way.” “Murtagh ...”

Fergus had said his name in a wistful manner, however, the older operative failed to see that something was troubling his buddy. He was too wrapped up in his own euphoria at having been in Bóinne’s company. Ignoring the tone of his voice, he was unaware of Fergus’ mindset. Because he felt so happy, he thought that Fergus was also back to his old self as well. The thought that ran through his mind was about their last encounter with the breach. Murtagh knew that his friend would not be up for any new adventures in the near future except those that involved his area of expertise. He looked at Fergus and greeted the young techie with a jovial smile.  “Hey what’s up amigo?” But before his friend could reply he prattled on about his own needs, his mind suddenly back on the woman who had just left. “I ... I need your help. Find out anything you can about her, something I wouldn't likely know.” “Look, I’ve ...” “Her birthday's coming up. I want to get her something really special. ... Please?” “… I've … gotta talk to you.” Although a little distracted with his own happy thoughts Murtagh replied, “I’m listening,” but when Fergus said his name imploringly again, he looked up at him realising that something was bothering his friend.

“Hey? Why the long face?”  “I’m just a little nervous that’s all.” “Why? You still worried about the breach?” “Yeah, I am a little.” He immediately stopped what he was doing. “I thought you said everything went well with Operations. So why are you down in the mouth?” “Nothing I guess … just a feeling.” “Trust me, you’ll get over it,” he replied with conviction continuing again with the task at hand. “What if I can’t? I feel kind of guilty.” “Don't feel guilty. Everything has gone back to normal … you should be pleased.” “But Murtagh, we caused a security breach and I’ve got a bad feeling that something is going to happen. Operations was too compliant. They’ll find a way to blame us for sure.” “Don't worry about it.” But Fergus just wouldn’t let it go and continued venting. “Yeah, what do you think they're going to do if they find out? Huh? This is not a convalescent home!” This time Murtagh looked his buddy square in the eye trying to convince him that his doubts were not warranted. “It’s just your imagination. Why would Operations or Madeline blame us? They found nothing to implicate us and besides you gave Operations evidence that was irrefutable. What’s to worry about? Have they called you in?” His friend’s words made sense to him but still Fergus had this lingering feeling that scared him. “No. But what if they do? They’ll find out I was lying and put me in abeyance.”  The weapons’ expert tried to diffuse the situation and the techie’s concerns once and for all. “I find that highly unlikely amigo. You’ll be fine. Don't agonize over it … you’ll only worry more. It’ll do your head in if you’re not careful.” “How do you do it Murtagh? How do you stay sane?” Fergus implored. “What's the secret?” “Knowing when to lie, and when to tell the truth,” he replied enigmatically. Fergus didn’t quite understand. “What do you mean? To them?” “Yes … and to yourself. At night you go to bed knowing you live in hell. That's the truth.” “And the lie?” “You wake up in the morning thinking that this day may change everything … you'll escape, you'll fall in love, they'll close the place up and send everybody home.” It finally dawned on Fergus what his wise friend was alluding to. “Then that night you have to face the truth again,” he replied reflectively. “Yeah. But in the meantime, you've accomplished what's truly remarkable. You've made it through another day in Section.” “Is that what Jamie and Claire do?” “I’d bet my last dollar on it.”  “Thanks, Murtagh, I feel much better now.” Changing the subject he then asked. “So, things are going well with Bóinne I see.” Murtagh gave him a silly smile. “Yeah … you could say that. Hey, it’s her birthday tomorrow. I need to get her something that she really likes.” “Why don't you ask her?”  He smiled at his friend’s naivety. “You ..., ah ..., don't know women very well, do you?”  Fergus looked up at the older operative and met his gaze, before breaking into a big smile. He laughed. “You want me to pull up her file and check out her likes. Don’t you?” With crinkling eyes he grinned at him. “Yeah.” “Okay … I’ll get back to you with anything I find out.” “Thanks … I owe you one.” However, while Fitzgibbons was dispensing his pearls of wisdom to reassure a despondent Fergus and in the middle of their friendly banter about his relationship with the Med nurse Bóinne Rivière, Murtagh’s phone rang. He looked at his friend. “Wait here I’ll be right back,” he ordered then went into the back room to answer it. Picking up the handset Murtagh Fitzgibbons spoke into the receiver. “Hello?” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Fergus Claudel was cooling his heels waiting for his friend to re-emerge from his back room, but he was taking his time about it. He was getting a little testy and those demons in his head he’d been talking to the weapons’ expert about reared their ugly face again as he began to think the worst.

“Hey … Murtagh? You okay back there?” he called out.  When his buddy didn’t reply, Fergus decided to check if he was okay, and made his way into the back room to see what had happened and why Murtagh was taking so long in reappearing. On entering the room, he found his friend standing there listening to whoever was on the other end of the line with his head bowed and the receiver in his hand. He gestured for Fergus to be quiet and raised his hand to stop him from saying anything else. Seeing that the colour had drained a little from his friend’s face he immediately became worried about what was being said to his buddy. He watched Murtagh’s body language and knew something wasn’t quite right. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Yeah? … Oh ... I'll be right there,” he replied nonchalantly to the recipient on the other end of the line. He looked over at Fergus for a moment, then turned away from the quizzical look in his eyes.

Fergus knew one thing though; his buddy was talking to either Operations or Madeline. However, he couldn’t read his expression as to which one of Section’s leaders it was. “Is there anything else?” Murtagh asked realising what was required of him. “No … That’s all.” In a composed voice he responded. “Very well … I'm on my way.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  to be continued on FRIDAY 5th JUNE when we find out where Jamie has taken Claire.

[kim-lexie]

october & november favorites.

another month late rewind. oh well...2020 is what it is...

music.

'shine together' by SF9. y'all the nostalgia for some reason, rings so strong in this track. as soon as i listened i was like, oh my goodness it takes me back to easier times. i just love their vocals and the progression of the song.

nct 2020. y’all. this comeback was NO JOKE. it was brilliantly executed. i loved every moment. i loved the album. the various types of genres they tackled. BRILLIANTLY. i am excited to get the pt.2 soon in the mail. this has it’s own review because there were too many feelings to be had. and when they release the final video i’ll have an updated one with the new tracks. --and updated ‘make a wish’ is a bop, and it owns the replay button.

ost tracks from 'record of youth', ‘do do sol sol la la sol’ and 'more than friends'. i must say ost tracks tend to rule my life, especially when i find a gem in a beloved drama. some of these include: ‘go’ by seungkwan, ‘what if’ by kim jae-hwan, ‘so hard for me’ by jeebanoff, ‘falling in love’ by april, ‘late regret’ by ong seong wu, ‘serendipity’ by ha sung-woon, and ‘highlight’ by ra.L

'energetic' by wannaone. this one always manages to come back and DOMINATE my playlists.

'love killa' by monstax. seriously, can they not. their concepts and songs always go so hard. i love it and this is no exception.

'breath' by got7. this ONE. THIS FREAKING SONG. is soooooo good. 10 out of 10 would recommend. it's great, the mv is great, the vocals, the choreo. i love this comeback.

minisode1 by TXT. my children are talented precious beans, and this ep was beautiful. i love these tracks, the vibes of each song are incredible. and they are seriously the most previous children in the mv for ‘blue hour’. seriously every comeback they slay. 

'i can't stop me' by twice. okay i must say that i can not make an opinion on a twice song because it never gets me in the first listen. however, it always manages to creep up and own the replay button. it’s a bop and i love it! 

'your light' by TXT. this is an ost track from ‘live on’, a currently airing drama. and as soon as i heard this track i added it to my playlist. it’s great. 

dramas & movies. *spoiler alert*

count your lucky stars. c-drama. this was a decent one. as always, well at least the chinese dramas i have seen all have a similar progression and this one didn't deter from that mold. i enjoyed this concept. and i love the lead actress, the reason i was drawn to this one. but i wish she was more confident like she was at the start of the drama. there were cute moments, and i loved their relationship. but he was mean. and i know he had the tragic back story but still no need to be rude to those around you, especially someone you care for deeply. i rate this is a 7 out of 10.

when i was most beautiful. k-drama. this one. i hyped up. like this was meant to be ji-soo's time to SHINE. boy, i thought my man was going to be the main lead. going to show up and finally get the girl. oh man was i in for some tragic nonsense. it was all a mess. because if only they had waited a few more years. both grew some more, maybe then it would have been perfect timing, but their timing was soooo wrong. and his brother was sooooo wrong. i still don't understand his logic, and complete disregard for his brother. i was an interesting one. and if you're looking for tragedy, and soapy drama this is one for you. i give it a 6 out of 10

romance, talk. webdrama. this was another webdrama from my main leading man, choi kyung-hoon. as i write this after a month and a half, i recall enjoying it and kind of predicting the ending, of it being the one kid in class.

school nurse files. miniseries. this was an interesting watch. unexpected and i enjoyed it, for how weird it was. definitely not something i would typically watch, but thank you to nam joo-hyuk. it follows a new school nurse eun-young who has the ability to see jelly monsters that stem from human desires. she has the power to eradicate them because sometimes they can overwhelm people/places. nam joo-hyuk's character, in-pyo, has a special power that protects him from the influence of these jellies. they have to work together to protect the school. and it's really good. the animation was great, and i loved the characters we got to see. i rate it a 8.5 out of 10.

a-teen. webdrama. this was a cute one. i loved the characters, and i finally understand the context of the instagram snippets i see. it was cute, and fun. i loved the little cameos. and i especially loved the seventeen ost tracks.

record of youth. k-drama. bro. this drama was top tier, as to be expected from my park bo-gummy. i rate it a 10 out of 10, and this one already has a review, because it was too much to contain in one rewind.

do do sol sol la la sol. k-drama. this one will have it's own review. it follows the story of our tragic ra-ra who is currently in a mess, when her fiance runs from the alter and her father unexpectedly passes away, she is scammed out of her money and finds herself in eunpo, a town full of lovely characters who come to surround her. as well as our man jun, who is ra-ra's knight in shining armor. i love it. it's great. their story funny and lighthearted. i would rate it a 10 out of 10; however, that finale had me balling my eyes out and then i felt oh so betrayed, sooooo i am still processing. 

[lilacmoon83]

Lightning in a Bottle

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 25: Point of No Return, Pt 1

Emma and Killian arrived at Felix's apartment and found it fairly normal. Not dirty, but a bit cluttered and lived in. There was the collection of newspaper articles on his kitchen table that got their attention though.

"Obituaries?" Killian asked.

"He said that people were dying before he jumped. For some reason, I think he thought he was causing people to die," Emma replied.

"These seem like accidents though. This woman was electrocuted by a stray power line that fell during a storm," he said.

"That's horrible and gruesome. This guy had a heart attack," she said, confused by all of that.

"Why would he think he killed them?" she asked.

"Dunno...but I think we have to chalk this one up to the fact that perhaps he was disturbed. I think you know better than anyone how hard adjusting to coming back to a world that...moved on," he replied, as they shared a look.

"Yeah…" she agreed, but then something in the articles caught her eye.

"Unless...there is more to this, after all," she said, as she pointed to the woman's shirt.

"The Rabbit Hole?" he asked.

"She was an employee at the Rabbit Hole bar and this guy had his heart attack in the same bar," she realized, as she compared the articles.

"That is a pretty freaky coincidence...but what connection to our victim does this place have?" he asked. Emma picked up the matchbook on the table and showed it to him.

"Seems he was a customer too," she said, as he took it from her.

"Now that is definitely worth checking out," he agreed, as they quickly left the man's abandoned apartment.

~*~

After about an hour of delving into the raw data, David was still trying to make sense of it all. But he was sure he was onto something when he encountered what looked to be medical data. If they were experimenting on the missing passengers, then there would be medical data. He picked up his cell phone and dialed a number, while making sure no one was near.

"Glinda...this is David Nolan," he said.

"Hello David," she answered.

"Listen...I found my way into the data information for the Singularity Project and I'm seeing a lot of medical data...and also some electrical readouts. Does that make any sense to you?" he asked.

"Electrical readouts?" she asked.

"Yes...does that mean anything?" he asked.

"It means they're using my research to try to duplicate the Callings. Electrical impulses to stimulate the brain and produce the Callings," she realized.

"So they can control and weaponize them," he said.

"Most likely," she answered.

"Thanks…I'll get back to you soon," David said, as he hung up the phone and peered up over his cubicle and into his boss' office. He looked a bit stressed, like he was on a deadline or something. Probably too much internet surfing and not enough working. This guy was easier to play than a fiddle. There was only one way to find any locations now.

"Hey...I'm finished if there's anything I can take off your plate," David said, as Doc looked up at him and then at the stack of folders on his desk that seemed to make him nervous.

"Yeah...those you need a higher clearance to enter into the system," Doc said, as he rushed around his office.

"Sorry…I'm running late for a board meeting and was supposed to have all this done," he said.

"Well…if you give me access, I could run an algorithm to get this all entered in a snap. It'd be done by the time you get down to corporate," he offered. Doc paused and looked at him for a moment. He sighed then and gave him his access badge.

"I'm counting on you, Nolan," he said, as he hurried out of his office. David smirked.

"Don't worry...you'll get your algorithm and I'll get the locations I need," David muttered.

~*~

Emma and Killian walked into the Rabbit Hole and approached the bar.

"Can I help you?" the man behind the bar asked. He had an accent, similar to Killian's.

"NYPD...we're here to ask you a few questions about a patron that frequents your establishment," Killian replied, as he flashed his badge.

"Of course...I have quite a few regulars and I'll help if I can. I'm Will Scarlet," he replied.

"Do recognize him?" Emma asked, as she showed him a photo on her phone.

"Oh, that's Felix...he's in here a lot. A bit of a celebrity now. Talked a lot about the plane and how he knew it was going to crash," Will replied.

"Really? Was he always paranoid?" he asked.

"Well...he's always been a bit maladjusted, even before the plane. But when he came back...his paranoia went from the normal nine to off the charts. Started saying that people were dying around him," Will replied.

"Well...he might have been right. Can you tell us about these two," Emma said, as she showed him the newspaper clippings.

"Oh yeah...Amara, that was a horrible accident. She was one of my best bartenders," he said.

"And this man?" Killian asked.

"Oh yeah, Tucker...he had a heart attack right here. I wasn't here, but the paramedics couldn't revive him. Wait...you don't think Felix had anything to do with these deaths, do you?" he asked.

"No…we're just investigating any connections," Emma replied.

"Connections to what?" Will asked.

"I am afraid that Felix committed suicide earlier today. We're just trying to get a grasp of his life," Killian replied.

"He's dead?" Will asked.

"I'm afraid so," Emma replied.

"Bloody hell...that's tragic. He was a very troubled guy though," Will said. Killian nodded.

"Thanks for your help," he said, as they exited the building.

"Sounds like Felix was paranoid and thought the deaths that happened here were his fault," Killian said.

"Or he was having Callings," Emma replied. Killian looked skeptical at that.

"Or maybe this is just all unfortunate coincidence," he reasoned. She rolled her eyes.

"Nothing since I've been back has been coincidence," she replied, as they headed for the car. As they did, a thought struck her. What if that was it? He had been talking about the plane. What if he had told these people about the Callings? If that was true...she realized that both Killian and Margaret could be in danger.

~*~

"I got your call...I'm assuming you found something," Vance said. He looked irritated at being summoned and Gold seemed to be unbothered, as usual.

"I looked through the raw data and found a lot of medical jargon and electrical data. So I called another passenger. Glinda Good," David explained.

"You involved someone else?" Vance hissed.

"Relax...Glinda thinks that whoever has the passengers may be trying to duplicate her research. She is being funded by the Singularity project. She thinks they might be hijacking her research, especially now," David said.

"Why now?" he asked.

"I told her about the electrical data and medical jargon. She thinks they are using her research to experiment on the passengers," David replied.

"Even if they are...this doesn't help us much," Vance said.

"Except that I managed to find a few locations that are being leased by UDS with Singularity as the subsidiary," David said. Gold smirked, as Vance suddenly looked impressed.

"How did you get that information?" he asked.

"My boss is an idiot and spends more time on his fantasy football lineup than doing any work. So I offered to help him out and he gave me his security badge," David replied.

"That is a stupid boss," Gold agreed. Vance sighed.

"We still need more...I can't get a warrant to search this many places on what we have. Plus...this is a lot of ground to cover. We need to get it narrowed down," he said, as thought for a moment.

"Do you think Ms. Good would agree to meet with her funders and wear a wire?" Vance questioned.

"She said she wanted to help in any way she can. I'll call her," David replied, as he dialed her.

"I told you that he was the one...he's the hero in this story," Gold said.

"Shut up," Vance replied irritably, as Gold continued to smirk.

~*~

Olive looked over at her mother, as she looked through the mail. She was trying to act like she was okay, but Olive could tell she was really bothered by that reporter.

"Mom...are you okay?" Olive asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Margaret replied. The teen rolled her eyes.

"What's with the eye roll?" she asked.

"Because we both know you're not okay," Olive replied.

"Not okay?" David asked, as he arrived home at that moment.

"No…I'm fine. Really," Margaret replied.

"That reporter that came to her classroom the other day tracked us down at school," Olive told her father.

"Tattle tale…" Margaret muttered.

"Is he following you?" David asked, with an edge in his voice.

"I already warned him that if he didn't leave us alone that my sister-in-law, the cop, would file a restraining order," she promised.

"Who is this guy?" David asked and Olive pulled up a photo on her phone.

"Sidney Glass…" he said, as he started for the door.

"David...wait!" she called, as she ran after him.

"Baby…I'm okay and you just got home and I don't want you to go," she pleaded, as she blocked his path.

"If there is someone stalking my wife...it's something I need to take care of," he said. But she shook her head.

"I warned him and I think he got the message," she said. He sighed.

"I'm going to text this guy's photo to Emma. I think we should file that restraining order anyway," he replied.

"Okay...but I don't want you confronting this man. He's a reporter and you know he'll just write some hit piece if you confront him," she warned. He sighed.

"Which might be exactly what he wants. People are just itching to paint the passengers as dangerous," he realized. She nodded and they hugged, as she rested her head against his chest.

"I get this feeling that they want to take you away from me somehow," she confessed, as she looked into his eyes.

"They're not going to take me," he promised.

"But me going off on some reporter probably won't paint a picture of sanity...even if I really want to punch this guy right now," he added. She smiled.

"I'm fine...I promise. It just freaked me out for a minute, but he's not worth it," she said.

"You're right...maybe we both need a little break," he replied.

"You guys should go out...the kid and I'll be fine," Olive suggested, as she headed upstairs. He looked back at his wife.

"What do you say? Date night? And this time a real one and not going to some conference," he said. She smiled.

"That sounds wonderful," she agreed.

~*~

Glinda smiled, as she was led into the doctor's office. She had only met him a few times and he was one of the lead doctor's heading up many projects. If he really was involved in something shady, especially if he was using her research, she definitely wanted to expose him.

"Dr. Goode...it's a pleasure," he said.

"Thank you, Dr. Jenkins and thank you for seeing me on such short notice," she replied.

"Of course...your research is fascinating and you said that you needed to discuss some of the schematics?" he asked.

"Yes…I have been going over my experience on the plane, as you know and would like to propose a few things," she replied, as she quietly slipped her hand beneath the desk and planted the bug for Vance.

"So...what did you want to discuss exactly?" the bespectacled doctor asked, just as his colleague barged in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have an urgent matter to tend to," the man said.

"Ah...I'm afraid I will have to reschedule this meeting, Ms. Goode. Please forgive me," he said, as she rose from her seat.

"Completely understandable, doctor. Have your office call mine," she said, as she made a hasty exit.

"What is it?" Jenkins snapped.

"I think there's been a breach. Someone has been rifling through our data," the assistant reported. Jenkins fumed.

"We cannot afford anymore delays. We have already moved the project to Brooklyn. Another move will lose us weeks more!" he ranted.

"We are close...perhaps we begin again and get the results we need," the assistant suggested.

"Yes...we don't have much choice. Let's proceed, but I want to know where that breach came from," he ordered, as they exited his office.

~*~

"Brooklyn…" Gold said, as he and Vance listened to the audio from the bug that had been planted.

"That's still a lot of ground to cover," he said, as he pressed a button and his assistant walked in.

"I need you to run a search on any facilities registered to the Singularity Project in Brooklyn and expedite it," he said.

"Has it been assigned a case number?" the agent asked. If the military was involved in this...then Vance wanted them to be kept in the dark about his probing.

"I'll take care of that part. Just get me a list asap," he said, as she left.

"Perhaps Mr. Nolan can narrow his search. His boss is a bit dim. I'm sure swiping his badge again wouldn't be so hard," Gold suggested.

"No...they already know there is a breach. It's not going to take them long to trace it back to the UDS accounting firm. He goes in again and he gets caught. Not even I can keep him out of prison for corporate espionage," Vance said.

"Then we had better warn him or he'll do it anyway," Gold replied.

"Now that I agree with. We'll ping his phone and make a surprise visit," he said, as they left the office, but not before his assistant had that list for him.

~*~

She chuckled, as they trekked hand in hand through the park.

"Are you sure this is okay?" he asked.

"Of course it is...Chinese takeout in our favorite park with my husband is much more romantic than some stuffy, fancy restaurant," she replied. They were both dressed up and they had intended to go to a fancy Italian restaurant. However, once they arrived and were waiting for a table, he was attracting a lot of unwanted attention and stares. It was suffocating, so when she suggested a picnic in the car, they had picked up some takeout and enjoyed it together in the car with some music. To be honest, it was better than any restaurant, as far as they were concerned. And now, they were taking a moonlit walk in their favorite park.

"I know, but a husband should be able to take his wife to a nice restaurant without attracting attention," he said.

"It will fade over time. Besides, you know I don't care where we go as long as we're together," she said, as she kissed him tenderly. Unfortunately, they could hear someone approaching and their lips parted.

"Wonderful…" he muttered, as he saw Gold and Vance coming toward them.

"Sorry to interrupt your evening," Vance said.

"Not sorry enough not to do it," David retorted, earning him a nudge from his wife.

"Director Vance...Mr. Gold," she greeted politely.

"Mrs. Nolan...we do apologize for the interruption, but Ms. Goode has come through for us," Vance replied.

"She planted the bug?" David asked with interest. He nodded.

"And they let it slip that they moved the project to Brooklyn," Vance replied.

"That's certainly progress," Margaret said.

"Indeed. We have seven locations tied to UDS in the area. Still too many to search on foot, but it's definitely narrowed it down," Vance replied.

"And if I can get into their files one more time...I might be able to narrow it down even more," David said.

"No...that's too risky. Not even I can help you if you're caught for corporate espionage. They know their data has been searched. They'll eventually figure it out and trace it back to your boss," Vance warned.

"Then how do you suggest we find out which facility is holding the missing passengers?" David asked.

"We've got the bug planted and we'll be listening in," Vance replied.

"Fine...but you better keep us in the loop. Our son's life is in danger here," David said sternly.

"Not to worry, Mr. Nolan...we'll be in touch," Gold assured them, as they left. He sighed and put his arm around her.

"Some date night, huh?" he asked. She kissed his cheek.

"It was still perfect, handsome. Let's get some ice cream and take it home to the kids," she replied. He smiled.

"Yeah...that does sound perfect," he agreed, as they walked back to their car.