#my work computer tried to go to sleep while i was typing these tags

[puppiedogs]

#mox is showing yuta his beating heart and hoping it doesn't backfire on him #mox is sacrificing himself because last time. last time he didn't know that was an option (and it probably wouldn't have worked)

sorry i cant stop thinking about how danielson is the zen hippie and mox is the mean deathmatch guy but danielson physically punishes yuta for losing while mox willingly forfeited a match to protect yuta

[missellaneousworks]

Tuck In - Shawn x MC Drabble

Relationship fluff goodness for the best cat man in the world's birthday!

Tags: Established relationship--MC and Shaun have been going strong for a while now, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, so much fluff you're drowning!

Something is Wrong With Sunny Day Jack is a +18 ONLY series. MINORS DNI.

~

You blinked blearily, staring at the soft glow of the screen. How many times have you read this paragraph? Two or three, you were sure. Yup, it wasn't sticking. You reached your nighttime limit, which was often to the dismay of your night owl boyfriend. With a defeated sigh you saved the work and hit the shut down button. Standing up, you clutched the bat-printed blanket that draped over your shoulders.

Padding over to the other side of your shared office, Shaun furiously typed away at the next part of the script. Moonpie snoozed next to the computer, her little head partially resting on top of it, likely appreciating the warmth. Leaning down, you tenderly wrapped your arms around his hunched shoulders. He continued to type, but you felt the muscles in his arms relax by a fraction.

"Hey," though his eyes didn't leave the screen, his voice was warm and inviting.

"Hey," you replied into his dreads sleepily. "I gotta call it quits tonight, babe."

"What, already?" He paused the rhythmic typing to look at your face, noticing the bags under your eyes.

"Dude. It's 1:22 AM."

"Wha? Can't be, it's... oh." Shaun's protest stopped short when he turned to the clock app on his laptop, brilliantly showing it was the wee hours of the morning. "Well, that's still pretty early on my time clock."

You bent over further, resting your chin on his right shoulder, placing your palm over his chest, rubbing gently to play with the chest hair. "Well, it's late on mine. I can't believe you still write throughout the night without your eyeballs falling out. I haven't done that since college..."

"Ah contraire, my best work is done admidst the moonlit night," Shaun revealed a toothy grin, his canine shining in the dimly lit room.

"Mmm, well I get some of the best sleep on a moonlit night." You gave him a loving peck on the top of his head before reluctantly releasing him. "Night, babe." But before you stepped away, you tapped the table near where Moonpie was resting, gently getting her attention with a Mrrrp?. You reached your hand out to allow the cat to sniff your finger, recognizing your scent, and gently brushed the side of her cheek, leading up to her ear. "Night-night, Moonie."

"Night, Kitten," Shaun smiled as he watched you slink down the hall and into the bedroom. He sighed once you were out of view, turning back to his laptop, but did a double take at the now empty spot where Moonpie had been cat-napping. Whirling around, Shaun saw Moonpie's tail following where you had disappear to. She feebily attempted to open the now closed door, using her paws and whiskers to feel for any possible opening. Shaun regarded her for a moment before standing up and stretching.

He stepped over to Moonpie to slowly scooped her up and cradled her over his shoulder. "You wanna go in and tuck them in? Yeah?" He cooed softly. "Yeah, let's go say nigh-night."

...

Your vision was blurry, but you didn't want to oversleep as you checked your alarms for the third time. And just like before, all 5 of them were set. There'd be no way you could sleep past them. The creak of the door got your attention as soft light poured in, followed by a familiar silhouette.

"Sh-Shaun?" You answered as you tried and failed to suppress a yawn midway through calling out to him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Shaun softly placed Moonpie on the bed, her motor immediately started up as she used her head to rub the side of your face, popping down into the crook of your neck. "Moonie and I came to tuck you in."

"Awwww, thank you babyyyy," you cooed giving the purring kitty a loving head bump. "Oh, and thank you as well, hottie." You added jokingly with a lazy wink.

Shaun chuckled as he lay on his side, facing you. He gave Moonpie a few more scritches, earning him louder purrs. You had managed to crawl under the plush blankets and made yourself a nice little nest. Of course, there was always room for one more. Even if Shaun wasn't going to stay with you the whole night, you'd welcome any cuddle time with him.

Shaun's hand went from stroking Moonpie's back to splaying it over your midsection. Even through the thick blanket, you could feel his radiant warmth and love.

"Thought you said you weren't," you paused as you let another yawn escape. "tired yet."

"I'm not, but I wanted to snuggle a little before going back to work. Feel like I haven't seen you all day."

"You were nose-deep in your script. That's due tomorrow. It's okay, baby, I get it."

"Well, technically it's due today. Since ya know, it is morning." He gave a half shrug. "But, let's talk about anything else. I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay, Kitten?"

"Yeah?" You couldn't help the smile spread across your face. "I'd love that." Shaun returned it with his own warm smile, you were so adorable like this. Sleepy, warm, and happy in the bed you shared together. In the life that you two had made for yourselves. He wouldn't have traded it for anything else in this world. You were his love. His family. And with certainty, his future.

The two of you talked about your day, and the days to come. A new restaurant you wanted to try out on your next days off, Shaun mentioned a cinema house that was showing an old classic horror movie he wanted to show you, it seemed like the two of you planned a dinner and a date later this week. Conversations turned to talking about other plans you two had for the not-so-distant future.

But before long your heavy eyelids began to droop, and your words became one or two syllables as sleep slowly but surely claimed you.

Though you could not see it, Shaun gave you a tender of adoration as he watched you sleep for just a few seconds, Moonpie curled at your side as you both slumbered. Shaun lingered a moment, his lips ghosting your forehead before kissing you. You barely reacted save for a small smile on your lips.

"Sweet dreams, Kitten."

"...mm... hm...."

He delicately brushed a strand of hair away from your cheek before quietly rising from the bed, pulling up the blanket slightly to cover your sleeping form. Without another sound he silently left the bedroom to continue his work, leaving the door only open a crack.

He tiptoed back to the office and plopped down in his chair. But instead of getting back to writing, he opened the side drawer and shuffled to the back of the drawer where he kept a small black box. Picking it up, his thumb ran over the smooth yet intricate texture of the container before flicking it open to reveal a golden ring with your birthstone at the very center.

Just a few more days... to the beginning of the next chapter of your story together.

[athunderstryke]

my grandparents have recently both passed away and my dad is currently remodeling their house with the intention of selling it. they lived countries and continents away so I didn't get around to visiting them all that often but from the times that I did, I remember that house and I remember that they lived there. I asked my brother, who is much older than me and spent a lot more time growing up in the house, if he is sad that the house is being changed and we may never go in it again. He hasn't been able to visit at all in the past years even though he constantly wishes he could so I thought he would be sad. But it surprised me when he said that he doesn't mind about the house, he plans to visit the graves. I realized that I did not think that way. Because to me, their memory, their soul, isn't with a rock I've never seen before. It's in my memories, in the house. It's when my grandma helped me wash and hang my laundry to dry from the apartment window, its where my grandpa would joke around and tell me he can summon rain by singing when we were walking through the hallway. Revisiting these memories, seeing the worn out wood floors, the sun bleached rugs, the china collections, and the old old tv, that would be more impactful for me in remembering them.

But all of this is different for my dad. To him, he's getting peace and closure with clearing out the house. He didn't have the best relationships with his parents, so changing the house and getting rid of it is his way of lifting the past traumas off his shoulders. In a way it was exactly the same for me here. Since my dad has been gone for years to take care of my grandparents and now fix the house, us here, my siblings and I, have been remodeling my dad's house with the intention of renting it while he's gone. This house was where I grew up. Played with my toys running all around, stuck glow in the dark stars and paper moons on my walls, etched my height into the door frame. But also, this is the house where I'd drop everything I was doing and freeze to try to hear why my parents were yelling. This was the house where the dinners would be tense. This is the house where I was lectured that I shouldn't listen to pop music. This is the house where I began to be obsessively germaphobic, because that's what my dad was. But also, this is the house I lived in when I had the most friends, the entire street were mostly kids my age and we would all play, go to the park and play lava tag, play in the mountain wilds, turn our front yards into potion shops and super hero hangouts. This was the house I bravely learned to lose my baby teeth. The house where my mom would teach me to cook and sew. But also, this was the house where my dad was always by his computer, typing away at his book or arguing with someone online about politics. The house I was homeschooled in cause real school didn't work for me. My mom tried her best but I was difficult and I would cry and yell because I just couldn't understand math. This was the house I loved and hated and would never want to live in again. So of course I wanted it remodeled, I wanted that white-ish yellow walls my dad painted when we first moved in to be gone. The beige matted carpets that never got vacuumed after me and my mom moved out completely ripped out. The lights changed, the countertops, the banisters, the front door. Change everything, replace Theseus's ship one plank at a time. We threw out old things and shoved all my dad's stuff in a storage unit. Now there are new people living there. But with so much stuff changed, I realized the memories still remained. The house looks different on the inside but the layout is still the same, the kitchen where my dad jokingly said he'd kill me if I was gay is still there, the bedroom I cried in and couldn't sleep cause I anxious about something or another. The outside is the exact same. The backyard where my dad planted trees we took care of cause he'd leave. My friends houses are still there even though every single one of them has moved away. You can change the ship's planks all you want, making it technically a different ship, but in Theseus's mind, it will always be the same ship.

Not sure what the intention of this post was. Supposed I wanted to draw parallels and underline history repeating itself in my family. Maybe for the first time in many years I am starting to understand my dad and not really hate him in my angsty teenage way. Everyone has their unique upbringing causing a butterfly affect for the rest of their lives and affecting their children. he was raised in the soviet union, his country experienced famines, money in banks was lost, he did everything he could to get his family out of there, they moved around until getting a scholarship into an American college and being able to comfortably move his family to the US and then I was born. I understand the stress he lived through, I understand that there are some things I don't understand. I understand that I won't ever forgive him for some of the things I grew up with. But I also understand that he loves me, he doesn't know how to love me, cause his love can be stressful and suffocating sometimes, but he loves me. And I am making my peace with that, I am moving on. Because even if you don't agree with someone, they have a negative effect on your mental health, and you wished they raised you better, they still deserve to be understood.

my life and circumstances may be different than yours, but I still wish my thoughts here helped you be able to make peace with your own life.

[prof-peach]

What would make a good ghost-type starter? My kid's about to turn ten and REALLY wants a Gastly. I think it's because the Ecruteak Gym Leader, Morty, and his Gengar are like, her childhood heroes. She says she even wants to be a ghost-type specialist. Honestly though, I'm kinda reluctant. I mean, you've heard the rumors about ghost-types and children, right?

Your concern as a parent is wholesome, and I can understand your reluctance to dishing out a ghost Pokemon without further investigation first, so let’s put some rumours to bed here.

The dex entries often depict ghost types and tricky, scary, wild and sometimes even dangerous, stealing children away, being living grudges, turning lost kids to Pokemon, and being overall hard to handle, often somewhat lacking in empathy even.

This is what a dex does, it’s built for kids, it’s information is out there to inspire kids to find intrigue in species that are overlooked. When your little, you make up stories, as a parent I’m sure you know, some of those stories your kids tell you seem actually terrifying, horrific, some kids love to indulge in the creepy, the unusual. It’s not to be feared, it’s to be celebrated. The dex is an exaggeration, a base for further learning, and often the gateway to kids wanting to know more. There is a fatal downside, their entries and statements about some species can be unnerving to a regular adult. We are fearful, we see this potentially spooky dangerous thing and of course we want to protect the family from that. But the info given is often a 1% (at most) chance occurrence.

Phantump? They aren’t born of lost kids in the woods. You ask any breeder worth their salt, and they’ll tell you they’ve seen those Pokemon hatch from eggs like everything else.

Drifloon, tries to steal kids apparently? Nah, they’re lighter than air, most of their movements just simply look that way, but it’s usually the wind pushing their bodies about. They’re actually very kind pokemon.

What else, oh, Banette. Born of a discarded toy with an eternal grudge? Haha nope. They aren’t all made that way, at all, many evolve to be perfectly happy healthy Pokemon with a lot of love for their trainers.

The dex focuses in on the unusual, the extraordinary, the facts that statistically will interest their target demographic most, and kids have way less fear than us. Look at yours. She’s been exposed to the same stuff you have, yet she’s not hesitant to want a ghost type, she’s not afraid, not learnt that fear yet, which is an incredibly good thing.

On the very unusual case where a ghost type is like their dex entry, it’s usually captured, aided, and rereleased in a secure location, away from those who could get hurt by it.

Ghost Pokemon do not hatch with a choice of body, a choice of type, or a set of rules to follow. Just like us, they learn and amble through their life trying to find satisfaction, friends, work, family, love and kindness, and to figure out how they fit in it all. They’re highly complex and empathetic Pokemon, often treated differently because of what they are, rather than who they are. When they find people and Pokemon who don’t treat them with hostility and unkindness, they will spend their life with them, they will give everything for them, protecting their loved ones with the ferocity other species can’t muster.

I for one think that as long as your kid knows what to expect, and is responsible and reliable in caring for a Pokemon, then perhaps it’s a good time to start looking. A ghastly is a perfectly fine starter, they have low care requirements, snacking occasionally, but feeding mostly from places of reflection or worship.

You know why ghost types always hang around graves? It’s how they feed. When people reflect, they produce a certain kind of energy, it is not something you can measure easily, or see, but a ghost Pokemon can sense it. They have learnt to live off the energy people expend reflecting, and the most common accessible place to get this for a ghost type, is graves. They also frequent places of worship, monuments beloved by locals, and buildings that once housed a lot of love. You can tell when an abandoned house had something truly terrible happen in it, not even the ghosts will feed there. The energy is bitter to them, and many don’t care for it.

To help your kid, set up a place within the house where you, your family, your other Pokemon, can go to reflect. Some people build this space around the telephone, or computer. When thinking of, or talking to distant loved ones, the same energy is produced, so at home the ghost type can snack and not run low on energy. It’s a nice modern day adaption that’s makes caring for ghost much easier thankfully. Spending 10-20 minutes every other day in the reflection zone will feed the ghost, but will not drain you or your kid. They do not eat up a lot from us, nothing we haven’t already expended.

Along with this, be aware that the ghost line can be somewhat nocturnal, so setting up a regular bedtime might be a little tricky, so that the Pokemon is accounted for, but also so the kids not out all night, that’s not safe at all. Sunset seems to be their peak active hour on average, long shadows mean they can jump around fast between dark patches, a trick ghost show off regularly.

If you are worried, try to make time to go out with your kid and their partner, to a park or maybe a more central street that’s well lit, so they can practice and be trainers in a safe environment. I can totally get not wanting them out in the dark alone, safety always comes first.

What else. She’ll probably have to start carrying an umbrella around. Ghastly aren’t too keen on suuuuper bright light, midday is not easy for them, but some do not want to sit in the pokeball while their trainer is up and awake, they want to play and be around them. An umbrella means they can get some shade no matter the time of day, and have some freedom to move about even in harsh sunlight. Too long in the sun will drain them of energy, and they’ll need to rest and sleep it off, recharge at the reflection station at home, or go spend an hour in a churchyard or something.

They eat most things and sleep anywhere, so there’s not a huge amount of specialist items to be bought for the home. Test different flavours on them, and try to find a ghastly that has a temperament that’ll get along with your whole family. You should definitely check out local adoption centres, they are in undated with ghost types this time of year. People hand them in for all sorts of reasons.

Little tip, if you bring Morty spicy baked goods, like chilli cheese bread or something, he’s more inclined to help you. He hangs out near the burnt tower a lot with his team, and takes trips to the local food festivals too, so if you notice an advert for one, see if you can catch the guy there. He’s reluctant to take on students, but if your kid turns up with a ghastly, and (from what I can assume) and overabundance of energy for Pokemon, plus a spicy treat, the guy melts a little and you can ask questions or request a little time for your kid to get some tips and tricks from a professional gym leader. I think it’d be interesting to investigate at the least, sounds like he’s the closest link between her and the Pokemon she so desperately loves. Plus how cool would that be for her? Gets to talk to her childhood hero. Kind of cool.

As a parent, I advise you get some cleanse tags too. There may be rooms you don’t want them entering, or items you don’t want them messing with (knives/power tools ect) , placing a cleanse tag on each wall, or on the items, will stop them interacting with them, so you can sit knowing things are safe for the Pokemon and your family.

In short, don’t knock the ghost types, they’re just as important, kind and loving as any other Pokemon. I’m not saying naughty troublesome ones don’t exist, but chances are you’ll find one that’s a great match for your family. Thank you for asking questions and not jumping to just get a Pokemon ASAP, you’d be surprised how few people do their homework before inviting in a new Pokemon to the home.

[liesoverthec]

OG 911 Character Details from Canon Pt 1

Hi folks! Welcome to my post of character details for fic writers or really anyone who wants to know! All of these details come directly from the show - they’re just things I picked up on watching the show on intense repeat for screen time, so the details are about as canon as they can get. Some of them, like addresses, come from an specific episode, while others are trends I’ve picked up on. If you want a “citation” for a fact let me know and I can provide one if it exists!

I tried to include a good range of information between the 7 main characters, so that it was available for anyone.

I’m going to keep making these posts every time I get enough details collected so you can find them all under “911 canon character details” in the future! I’m committed to rewatching the whole series again for the regulars’ screen time, so I’ll be making more of these posts throughout the summer. If there’s something in particular you’d like to know, let me know and I can keep an eye out for it.

Things I noticed that might be interesting character details, part 1:

Athena and Bobby live at 1810 Fallsgrove St.

Eddie lives at 4995 S Bedford St Apt 403 (Julia made this fantastic post of the layout of Eddie’s house, and I’ve spent my own significant amount of time trying to work it out, so when I say this layout is spot on, I really mean it). (I believe this is more of a duplex situation - ie he has other neighbors attached to his outside walls, but no downstairs or upstairs neighbors.)

(These two locations are 8 minutes apart, which I personally thought was vvvvvv useful if you wanted to have someone rush from one place to another - also makes me think the 118 would be close to that neighborhood.)

Chim and Maddie live in apartment 2B. It’s a one-bedroom apartment, so currently Jee-Yun is sleeping in their room with them. I’ll be curious to know if they move as she gets older or if they magically spring up a bedroom for her - I just know there isn’t one at the moment bc Albert slept on their couch first, and then when he was injured, THEY slept on the couch.

Buck has two bathrooms! There’s one immediately to the left as you walk in his front door, and then one up in the loft, off the platform. Which I thought was a large number of bathrooms for a loft since it’s such a small space, but useful for when Christopher is visiting I suppose...

The hospital they go to for personal stuff is First Presbyterian. They’ve only started featuring its name prominently this season, but it’s the same waiting room and ER they’ve been using since s2, so I’d assume it’s also in the same neighborhood, since it’s fictional.) It’s on Altamont Street.

Given that you can see the Cecil Hotel from Michael’s apartment, I’d assume he either lives on S Spring St or S Los Angeles St. Either way he’s about twice as far from Athena and Bobby as Eddie is, and in the opposite direction.

Alcohol preferences - Athena prefers white wine, but will also drink rose and red, Hen drinks red and beer but doesn’t do it socially as much as everyone else, Chim is p much strictly beer unless it’s a fancy dinner (or tequila if he really wants to get drunk), Maddie prefers white wine, Buck drinks beer or white wine, and Eddie is a beer dude, red wine if it’s a fancy occasion (this is what they choose if they have a choice like at a bar, or if they’re hosting - eg when Athena hosts, EVERYONE drinks white because that’s what she’d choose.)

Eddie does not have the Hildy coffee maker on his kitchen counter - he still has an older model that only makes coffee.

He also likes to decorate in the color turquoise! (Maybe Shannon liked turquoise so that’s what he tends to buy?? That’s your decision, there’s just a lot of it in his kitchen. Also, his laptop case is turquoise!)

Hen gets a new pair of glasses every year. (Which means she’s doing better than me, I only get a new pair when I lose the old ones 😂)

Athena has two big diamond rings, and she wears one on each of her ring fingers (Bobby has good taste). She does not wear her rings while working.

Bobby has a gold wedding band for home, and wears a black silicone ring at work.

Hen wears her wedding ring all the time, and it’s a plain silver band.

Eddie had a gold wedding band while he was married to Shannon, and he wore it while on active duty in the Army (even during the helicopter crash). He is wearing it after Shannon leaves, but he takes it off before he comes to LA. His St. Christopher’s medal is silver with a navy border, hanging on a silver chain.

Chim prefers the short sleeve uniform. He really never wears the long sleeved one.

Eddie likes soft jazz, and will play it in the background during dinner. Idk if it’s his favorite type of music, but he likes it enough to put it on.

Buck has a picture of the ocean (I think? it’s definitely some sort of landscape) in his work locker - no other photos currently. Eddie has also been seen using this same locker.

Everyone has an iPhone and if they have a computer, it’s a Mac (this one is just bc capitalism - the show is sponsored by Apple). Hen has a red phone case, and Maddie has a navy one with gold trim, everyone else’s is super boring black/navy.

Maddie’s contact for Chim is “Howie” in her phone.

In Eddie’s phone, his contact for Buck is just “Buck”.

Bobby is just “Bobby” in Buck’s phone.

Christopher’s current interests are space and dinosaurs. And gaming!

In addition to Eddie and Albert, Chim also seems to like baseball, going off the jersey on his wall.

Every time we’ve seen Buck and Eddie drive somewhere together, Buck has driven and Eddie took the passenger seat.

Both Eddie and the Wilsons have a fireplace in their living room with framed photos of their kids at various ages.

Karen is a doctor! It’s a PhD, so she couldn’t join the team as a medic, but it does make them the future Drs Wilson. Her specialization is something to do w/ physics or chemistry etc, b/c she worked on a project for JPL on Mars, so you can run with that.

Michael is an architect, and David is a neurosurgeon who can help with emergency medicine.

Work masks: Bobby, Maddie and Athena prefer masks with a loop over each ear, while Eddie, Chim, Buck and Hen use the ones with two straps behind the head. Everyone uses the two ear loop ones for personal time.

Buck sleeps with socks on.

I hope the start to this list met up to your expectations, but if you’re looking for more then it will be on the way soon! I just wanted to get this first set out (plus it was looking a little long in my drafts 😂)

Lots of love!

🐝

Tagging: @imaginebuck

[tinyboxxtink]

"Here Without You"

Alright yes I know I should be writing a new chapter for SIMAM, but I have had this friggin idea in my head for SO long, and finally I had a reason to write it.

It's an entry for @storiesofsvu Bingo! The square is "Rainy Day", and I love this song. It's probably one of my favorite songs of all time. It's "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down. I highly recommend listening to it before during or after reading.

I hope you like it. I think it's just the right amount of angst and fluff. <3

Also I'm gonna put my tag list on here, if you would not like to be tagged in my OS stuff or anything please let me know! Or if you would like to be added!

Tag List

@agentcable

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

@thatesqcrush

@shittanyy

@mrsrafaelbarba

@word-scribbless

@storiesofsvu

@believinghurts

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

It was pouring down rain as you sat in your office at SVU, everyone else had left. All the lights were off except for your desk lamp and the light from your computer as you typed up reports. Suddenly a ZOOM notification popped up:

RAFAEL BARBA WOULD LIKE TO START A ZOOM CALL

You instantly hit ACCEPT, and there was your boyfriend’s beautiful face on your computer screen.

A hundred days have made me older

Since the last time that I saw your pretty face

A thousand lies have made me colder

And I don't think I can look at this the same

But all the miles that separate

Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face

“Hola mi amor,” His voice sounded like an angel’s chorus, you felt like you hadn’t heard it in a million years. Though to be real, it probably had only been a few days.

“Baby!” You beamed at him. He looked as tired as you felt, the exhaustion thinly veiled through a beautiful smile.

“What are you still doing at the office, carino?” He asked in concern. “I tried calling your cell, and you didn’t answer,”

You wanted to tell him the truth; that you were working long days and nights just so you didn’t have to go home to an empty apartment. The halls of Rafael’s apartment echoed with memories of you and him, just painful reminders that he wasn’t there. You had reluctantly accepted his offer to ‘watch’ his apartment when he had decided to take a ‘sabbatical’ from New York for a while. You told him it was unnecessary, he didn’t need to leave. He was acquitted of all charges, but he felt as if he was being judged by everyone, so he had exiled himself before they could.

“...Just waiting for the rain to stop,” You lied, pointing out the window at the storm outside. It was partially true, you didn’t want to walk to the subway in that mess.

I'm here without you, baby

But you're still on my lonely mind

I think about you, baby

And I dream about you all the time

I'm here without you, baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

And tonight it's only you and me, yeah

“Ah, I see,” He nodded, pretending to believe you.

He missed you so much, he kicked himself everyday for leaving New York. Mostly you. He should have asked you to come with him, not to watch his apartment. The apartment didn’t need ‘taking care of’, he did. But he didn’t want to admit that to you, so he had just taken off. He wasn’t used to having someone to be accountable to, he was used to just running away from things when they got bad.

The miles just keep rollin'

As the people leave their way to say hello

I've heard this life is overrated

But I hope that it gets better as we go, oh yeah, yeah

“I miss you,” You finally admitted, trying not to cry.

You didn’t want him to see you cry, you didn’t want him to feel guilty for leaving you. You knew he needed time, it was traumatic what he went through. Not just the trial, but the actual act of mercy killing an infant. You knew it was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do, and he was almost punished for it. You were pretty sure he was punishing himself for it, in lieu of the judicial system doing it.

I'm here without you, baby

But you're still on my lonely mind

I think about you, baby

And I dream about you all the time

I'm here without you, baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

And tonight, girl, it's only you and me

“...I miss you too,” He finally answered after a very long pause.

He could hear the tears in your voice. Your words cut him like a knife, even though he knew you had no intention of them doing so. The guilt of leaving you just built as he looked longingly at you through the computer screen.

“Where are you?” You asked, trying to change the subject. You grabbed your thermos of coffee and took a gulp, hoping to hide the tears dripping down your cheeks. You brushed them away subtly as you put the thermos down.

“Jersey,” He suddenly began to smile, revealing the real reason he was calling.

Everything I know, and anywhere I go (Oh whoa)

It gets hard but it won't take away my love (Oh whoa)

And when the last one falls

When it's all said and done

It gets hard but it won't take away my love, whoa, oh, oh

“Jersey?!” You almost yelled. You glanced at the cleaning people who had momentarily looked up at your outburst, but went back to their mopping soon enough.

“Yes, I’ll be home tomorrow night,” He continued to smile at the fact that your own smile was growing by the second.

“Really?!” You tried not to squeal. After four long months of talking through a screen or a phone, you’d finally be able to see the love of your life in person. And hug him. And kiss him. And do everything you had dreamed of while lying in his bed alone.

“Yes, mi amor,” He chuckled at your excitement. “And Y/N?”

“Yes, Raffi?”

“...I’m sorry for leaving like I did,” He said softly.

“...What?” That was the last thing you expected for him to say, you blinked at him in disbelief.

“I should have never left you,” He looked at you with his puppy dog eyes. He wanted to do this now, so when he saw you tomorrow you could be all smiles and lovey dovey.

“Oh, Rafael,” You sighed, putting a hand to the screen. “I get it, really I do,”

“I know you do,” Rafael nodded. You were the most understanding person he had ever met, it was one of the reasons he fell in love with you so fast. “But it doesn’t mean I should have done it. And I swear I will never leave you again after this,"

“...Well, it’s over now,” You gave him a small smile. “Or it will be, tomorrow,”

“Yes, tomorrow,” He smiled once again, looking out at the rain outside his own window. It was almost as if you were in the same room. Almost.

“I love you, Rafael,” Your soft voice knocked him back to reality. He turned back to the screen and gave you a loving grin.

“Te amo mi amor,” He kissed his hand and put it to the screen before ending the call.

You shut down your computer and gathered your things anxiously. Rain be damned, the sooner you got back to Rafael’s apartment the sooner you could sleep, and the sooner he’d be home.

And then you’d never have to be without him again.

I'm here without you, baby

But you're still on my lonely mind

I think about you, baby

And I dream about you all the time

I'm here without you, baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

And tonight, girl, it's only you and me, yeah

Oh girl, oh oh

[tobi-momo]

Cuddling With Them While They Game PT 2

a/n: kasjsdhakdjs pls- when i got this req i sqealed srsly i love it ty for this :p

Type: Headcanons

Genre: Fluff, crack???

Warnings: none :)

i made a part one with bakugou, kirishima, and todoroki!

he doesnt usually play games but when he does he tries his best and its so cute🥺

feel like he has game rage, but its like him trying to smile through the pain and act like he isnt mad💀

HE PLAYS CONSOLE KASKDJSAKD BUT NOT LIKE THE BEANBAG LIKE KIRI ITS CONSOLE WHERE HES ON THE FLOOR RIGHT UP CLOSE TO HIS TV SITTING AT THE FOOT OF HIS BED

KASSDSKHGDAK THATS SO CUTE PLS-

so imagine: you walking in his dorm room, expecting him to be studying or working on his technique, but instead you find him on the floor in front of his bed, a blanket covering his head as he presses the buttons ruthelessly while he whispers little curses at himself starting to get mad

you closing the door got his attention, so he invited you to sit next to him, so you do

at first it was a little awkward bc he wasnt sharing the blanket (you cant convince me he isnt a blanket hog you cant) and his eyes were glued to the tv screen like he forgot you were there

you started to get tired, your head drooping on his shoulder- his body goes absolutely stiff- like- midoryia.exe has stopped working youre gonna have to wait for him to windows 8 reboot

once he finally looks at you and youre like this close to falling asleep he turns your body away rq to move the blanket off his shoulder so your head can rest on his actual shoulder and the blanket is around you too

he usually doesnt have his mic on at all, and if it is he usually doesnt talk unless hes going along w a joke? iykwim?

i feel like he plays games like call of duty and halo (he loves animal crossing and sucks at among us) but he doesnt like when he sees them actually die? like the gore and stuff? idk he just gives those vibes yk? i feel like hed feel really bad kaskjdshad hed get over it tho

i cant really see him play minecraft, tho, i mean unless youre playing w him, i dont think he would play it by himself unless he was like building a fucking castle for you or sum-

but ya you start to go to his room more when he games to hang out and every. single. time. you. fall. asleep. he isnt complaining tho he loves your sleeping face :p

when you sleep on him he usually wrapss an arm around you and when he can presses little butterfly kisses on the top of your head and takes his hand to rub your arm up and down oml kdajsd pls-

he plays both computer and console i just think he plays he console a bit more?

ok this is a lil soft and maybe a bit ooc but i like if you were to come in while hes playing games you would sit down between his legs, your back to his chest while he plays

he would either rest his head on whatever is behind him or he would rest it on your shoulder (if youre more on the taller side)

and okokok i feel like if you were curious ab how the game works he would def let you play for him for a sec, he would guide yu on what the buttons do and what your tasks are yk? (again w the soft shi im sorry kasjhsdfjf *cri*)

he would keep an arm around your waist while letting you play or he would rub your thigh (maybe both kasdjshd) while he watches you play

if you get a lil frustrated he would totally tease you ab it then tell you how to do it right oml

if you get tired he would take the controller from you and let you sit back on him chest, resting on him while he games

he might turn the volume down a lil, but i also think he doesnt care that much LMFAO

i feel like he would rub your side a lil its almost tickly but hes a lil more firm than that yk?

he would keep his curses at a minimum although he doesnt have that much game rage at all bc again, he doesnt care, but ppl are stupid so he might get frustrated sometimes

once you fall asleep and hes been playing for a while he might just leave the game hes in and carry you to bed and get in with you

i dont think hes much of a cuddler at all but a little bit of contact is ok w him

but then you start to shift and scoot towards him in your sleep

until you are either completely ontop of him or your head is in the crook of his neck and hes just sitting there like 😐😤😒

but he warms up to it bc he wuvs you (read: hes fucking whipped)

ao he lazily puts an arm around you and bears it for a couple more hours

but when yall wake up he finds himself literally clinging to you KASDJHSALKDJ

he. plays. computer. end of conversation

he got the wasd game iykwim😩 (ill shut the door on my way out)

he absolutely loves it when you come to sit on his lap while he just- he loves it sm

he plays all types of games (except overwatch. you will not catch this man playing overwatch pls-)

i feel like you wouldnt run into him playing games he would always play them once youre with him in the room

he wants you to be w him while he games, he wants you to watch him or just be there

youd be laying on his bed, hust doing whatever, scrolling on your phone while you hear him set up

you love to cuddle him- i just KNOW hes amazing at it

so when you hear him clicking away and see him sit down you stand up and walk to him

he doesnt even have t look at you before he opens himself up to you to sit on his lap

you watch him play (and his hands kasjlsdh) and sometimes you ask him questions ab it- hed be happy to walk you through it and explain

if you wanna play he'll let you play, teaching you everything ab the character and shit

he is the most patient person on earth i KNOW

he doesnt get game rage

he is literally so stoic- so calm i swear

he doesnt use his mic like at all

HE LOVES PLAYING WITH YOU

teasing to the max th- its cute tho he isnt being a meanie

loves playing among us and animal crossing (he def plays)

yall usually go to your island bc he likes it more kasdslahd

and when hes the imposter? hes like fucking corpse i swear

if youre sleep he's literally a perfect pillow, plus the sound of him breathing while he rubs your back is-

momo.exe has stopped working

HE PLAYS BOTH COMPUTER AND CONSOLE EQUALLY

he uses the mic constantly and is kinda loud- but you dont hate it

he laughs a lot, and gets some game rage but its pretty controlle, he just gets butthurt sometimes :/

when you walk into his room he is getting so into it like he doesnt even notice even notice you come in

he only notices your presence when when you put your hand on his shoulder- he literally jumps

when he plays console he's on his bed, just laying there chillin so when you walk in and say hi he is sooo happy youre there w him omg

he just loves you presence

i imagine you climbing into bed w him and he continues to play his game although he loves it when you touch him (not to sound sexual at all he genuienly loves your touch)

and you up to his side- he wraps an arm around you, telling you how he missed you how mych he loves you (ksadksjhaksd)

when you fall asleep he turns the volume down and probably tones down his voice, although sometimes he jolts bc of some kind of mess up

but he manages to keep you asleep on him until he gets tired too- turning everything off and just wrapping you in arms (he'd prolly end up on your chest ngl)

on the computer when he plays you hesitate o cuddle ONLY bc od how much he moves, like you arent gonna be there comfortable for a while but eventually he calms down

he just gets nervous- his heart starts to beat rapidly and his leg bounces (same kaskh) espECIALLY when you straddle him oml he BREAKS

but he eventually calms down so its more comfy

when you fall asleep he will constantly press kisses on your head omggg

so soft kasdjhksajf pls-

i feel like he plays longer when hes on the computer so he would prlly still be on there when you wake up- looking absolutely dead insode aksjdshadl but you convince him to go to bed, bribing him with a 'i'll go too'

hes literally whipped for you :)

~.~.~.~

hope yall enjoyed a part 2-

taglist: @combat-wombatus @toosharkinternet @alpha3113 @flattykawadoorusmilkbread @zerohawks @hitosushi @katsuhera (sry my tags are being weird)

[falcqns]

hey friend! Any advice for someone who’s just trying to shift? (I’m sure you’ve posted advice on this many times but scrolling to try to find it seems daunting) I’ve tried for about a month, I don’t have a specific method but I do get “symptoms” but those are very similar to how I feel when I’m trying to fall asleep normally so it’s hard to tell. I know it can take awhile so I’m trying not to get discouraged!

hi darling!! of course i can!! i have a shifting tag called #ava's a shifter which should include everything but pre diagnosis me probably forgot to tag a few posts about it so i'll give you some here:

one of the best pieces of advice i got from wanda (she's a shifter as well, her cr is my mcu dr and she shifts to sitcoms mainly, but she had been toying with making a no powers dr where she could see her parents and brother and have a normal life, i'm unsure if she has actually scripted or gone there yet thought) was to connect to this reality (or cr if this is'nt your cr!) fully. take a moment throughout the day to just stop, and use your five senses.

think about what you're doing, what it smells like, what you can hear, what you can see, what you can feel, what you can taste, what you are saying (if you're talking) and try to remember how it feels to do that. here's an example of me doing this right now:

what i am doing: answering your ask

what i can hear: i can hear my keyboard clacking as i type, brooklyn nine nine playing on my tv, my daughter breathing as she sleeps next to me

what i can see: my computer screen, the words i am typing, my daughter

what i can smell: my sugared snicker doodle candle, my deodorant i put on a few minutes ago

what i can taste: my sweet and salty chocolate chunk Clif Bar that i am absolutely destroying bc i love Clif bars and eat like 5 per day lmao

what i can feel: my teddy bear sweater on my arms, my wrists on the computer, my daughters head on my leg, and my mind focusing as my meds start working

after you do that (do it a few times a day), use it when you're visualizing. when you're trying to shift, imagine a scenario similar to something you did that day. an example of this is that tonight, i'm going to try to go to chris evans younger sister dr. so, using the information i used above, this is what i'm going to visualize:

what i am doing: playing the sims on my laptop at the hotel table - we're still in disney world

what i can hear: my mama talking to my doctor on the phone, my brothers arguing over what to watch on the tv, my keyboard clacking under my fingers

what i can see: the house i am building, my brothers laying on the bed, my water bottle next to me

what i can smell: chlorine wafting from the open balcony door that faces one of the pools, the chocolate cake chris bought me earlier, and the coffee that scott left on the table

what i can taste: the chocolate cake as i bite into it, the Lefou's Brew chris also bought me as i drink it

what i can feel: my sundress straps resting on my slightly sun burned shoulders, my bare feet against the rough hotel carpet and how it bugs me, my hair behind my ears.

she said that not only will it help you visualize, it will help you connect to both your cr and your dr, because a connection to both is important. your cr is still a reality, and your connection to it is important, therefore connecting to your cr will only benefit you in connecting your dr.

if you know the feeling of connecting fully to your cr, you will have an easier time connecting fully to your dr, and you'll be able to disconnect from your cr fully while connecting to your dr fully.

another tip i have is to watch/read something about wherever your shifted to. i often watch a movie if im going to my marvel dr, but you can choose anything. this isn't mandatory, its more of a personal choice for me, and helps me to feel more connected to my dr. i also allow myself to daydream, because that is usually when i get that 'pull' that others speak of.

when i feel that pull, i know that its time to try. it doesn't always work, but it helps!

i hope that helped, and if you have any other questions, let me know and i'll answer!

[cg29fics]

Gone

If you’d like to be tagged for updates for this story or any others then please let me know. Alternatively this fic can be read in it’s entirety over on Ao3 or FFNet - creativegirl29 🏷 @janetm74 @drileyf @katblu42 @ak47stylegirl @psychoseal @misstb2 @dragonoffantasyandreality @weirdburketeer @alexthefly @burningcowboyhoagietaco @thundergeek59

Previous: c16

Chapter 17: Disclosures

Virgil shivered from the intensity of the pain that began to radiate down his spine as he felt himself waking from his enforced sleep. Forcing his eyes open he breathed in and out as he tried to focus on his surroundings. Virgil could see and feel the chains that held his ankles and feet to the floor, he was still on his knees, his hands were still raised above his head and were shackled to the restraints that were hanging from the ceiling. Looking straight ahead Virgil could see there were two men in the room, the one sat behind the computer and the other was stood directly behind the other man. He could hear the men talking, the man who was sat at the console looked flustered, while the other seemed to be shifting about anxiously. Virgil tried to listen but was unable to make out what was being said. Eventually the man who had been standing hurried out of the room, while the other continued to work.

Glancing down Virgil felt a tear trickle down his face, when he noticed the open chain lying on the floor with the picture of his mother inside. The continuous visions of his mother’s death that the Hood had planted in his mind continued to stalk his dreams. Constantly reminding him of that day and the way she had been taken away from them all so suddenly. Now, he also had the added knowledge that their mother’s death had been planned and perpetrated by the Hood. She had been purposely ripped from them all and taken from them far too soon. Virgil felt more tears running down his face as the anger inside him began to grow. He was going to make the Hood pay for what he had done, he really didn’t know how, but he would make him suffer!

Hearing the door to his cell open Virgil noticed the Hood enter the room, he was clearly enraged, and immediately marched over to the computer and barked some instructions at the man who was sat there. The man then nodded and continued his work. After a few more moments, a smirk spread across both the Hoods and the other man’s face, the Hood leaned in and whispered something to the man, he then turned towards Virgil and noticed he was awake. The Hood sneered and walked over to the table with the torture devices on. He picked up the handgun from earlier, looked over at Virgil, making sure he could see what he had chosen, he then placed it in his inner pocket, and made his way towards him.

“It seems your family have not listened to my instructions and have tried to track our location.” The Hood snarled. “Now, luckily we were able to put a stop to that and very soon they will see you pay for their mistakes.”

“You’re not going to get away with this.” Virgil snapped back. “They will never stop trying to find me!”

“Really, is that so?” The Hood mocked. “Even after I’ve killed you and there’s nothing they can do to save you?”

Virgil paused. “Even if you do… They will continue to hunt you down… And they will make every second of your life a living hell!”

“You seem to have a lot of faith in your family.” The Hood paused and leaned in towards Virgil. “After we’ve finished and disposed of you, then I think one of your other brothers will be next.”

Virgil felt his anger rising. “If you hurt any of my brothers…”

“You’ll what, what are you going to do?” The Hood replied sarcastically.

Virgil pulled against his chains in a rage. “If you untie me then I’ll be very happy to show you!”

The Hood stared at Virgil with an amused look. “Well, I have to say, you’ve certainly got a lot more spirit than I gave you credit for… Still trying to fight back… Still trying to escape… Even when you’ve been hurt so much, and any type of escape is completely helpless.” The Hood paused, smiled, and then continued. “I’m sure we can take that fight away from you with the torture I have planned for you later. For now, I think I’ll make you suffer another way. As you experienced previously with the visions I made you see, I don’t have to rely on just physical torture. No, with my powers I can cause you all types of pain.” The Hood lifted his hand and placed it on Virgil’s head causing Virgil to scream out in agony. “Migraines are horrible, aren’t they? They can cause so much discomfort.” The Hoods eyes began to glow as he stared into Virgil’s eyes. Virgil felt the pain rip through his skull as he once again cried out. The Hood let out a scornful laugh. “Let that be a lesson to you boy!” He scoffed. “And I can do a lot worse than that if I’m pushed enough.” Turning back towards the man sat at the computer the Hood continued to speak. “We’ll contact them back later than planned.” The Hood then turned to face Virgil once more. “We’ll make them wait… Make them sweat!” With another sinister laugh the Hood turned and left the room, leaving Virgil shaking in pain.

… …

Several hours later:

Virgil’s eyes snapped open when he heard several voices enter the room. It was the Hood returning with the six men. Virgil watched as they made their way over to the guy at the computer and spoke quietly to him, the Hood then turned and made his way over to Virgil with the same man who had whipped him earlier.

“Get him ready.” The Hood instructed.

The man moved behind Virgil and began to unchain his hands, as soon as they were free the man pushed Virgil flat onto the floor. Virgil looked ahead and could see his chain within easy reach. However, he didn’t have the time to react as the man delivered a sharp punch to his back and then pulled Virgil’s arms roughly behind him. He gripped them tightly and yanked him back up on his knees. The Hood nodded to the man with a satisfied grin, he then turned to the camera and stared into the lens as the indicator switched from red to green.

… …

Back at Tracy Island:

It had now been 6 hours since the Hood should have contacted them and still nothing had been received. Scott sat in the middle of the sofa with his one arm around Alan who was leaning his head against Scott’s chest, his other arm was placed firmly around John, while Gordon sat on the floor leaning against the settee. Jeff sat on a chair next to his mother, who held his hand gently for support. Brains sat at the computer with Penny and Parker stood closely behind him. Tin-Tin stood behind the sofa with her father Kyrano next to her. They all waited silently, hoping and praying that Virgil was still alive and a link would soon be sent. Suddenly, a beep started emitting from Brain’s computer.

“I’m picking up their transmission… Accepting it now.” Brains said, as he tapped some buttons. The large screen in front of them once again flickered into life.

The image of the Hood appeared on the screen and just behind him they could see Virgil with his feet and ankles still chained to the floor. However, his arms were no longer bound, and were instead being held firmly behind his back.

“Ah, hello there.” The Hood scoffed. “Welcome back to the party… I believe you’ve been keeping yourself busy trying to track down our location without our knowledge. Well as you may have realised, those attempts were made in vain and it only caused my rage to grow. So, I decided I had to teach you a lesson for breaking my rules. You see I really hate it when people such as yourself deliberately disobey me! Now, I originally told you I would put a bullet through your son’s head if you defied my instructions. So, as I always believe in keeping a promise… That’s what I thought I would do.” The Hood turned and stood at Virgil’s side and pulled the gun from his inner pocket.

“I told you I would give you anything you wanted if you let him go.” Jeff yelled at the screen.

“Oh, but you already are giving me what I want… The pitiful cries for your child’s life!” The Hood sneered.

Jeff paused, he didn’t care if he was begging anymore, all he wanted was his son home, and being held safely in his arms. “There must… There must be something… Just name it.” The desperation in his voice becoming more evident every second.

The Hood went quiet and then looked back at the camera, an ominous smile spreading across his face. “Yes, there is something.”

“So, what do you want?” Jeff demanded.

The Hood smiled. “I want everything! Your machines, your technology, your money and your base! But most of all I want revenge for what I’ve been put through!”

“Why do you want revenge, what could my boy have possibly done to you?”

“Your son here hasn’t done anything. This is all down to you and what you have done to me Jeff Tracy!”

“Wait… How do you know my name, who are you Hood?” Jeff questioned.

The Hood grabbed Virgil by the hair. “Maybe you can ask this one, I’ve told him who I am, what you’ve done, what I’ve done in retaliation and he knows exactly why I’m doing this… I thought it was only fair to reveal to him the reason he would have to die for his father’s mistakes.”

“What mistakes? Why don’t you stop hiding behind that mask Hood and reveal who you are?” Jeff yelled.

“Seriously… You still haven’t worked out who I am? I thought that you would have recognised my voice Jeff… Or maybe my imbecile of a half-brother would have worked it out.”

“Balah Gaat!” Kyrano exclaimed as he dropped to the floor in shock.

“Father!” Tin-Tin cried out, helping her dad to a nearby chair.

“Balah Gaat… I should have known.” Jeff said, as he dropped his head into his hands.

“Yes, you really should have… But now you do know who I am… And you’ve probably guessed exactly what I am going to do to your boy!”

“Wait… Is… Is this because of what happened to your wife and child?” Jeff asked in disbelief.

“Yes, of course it is!” The Hood roared.

“What happened to them both was a tragedy,” Jeff said sympathetically.

“And because of your choice to help others first my boy died!” The Hood growled.

“Both your wife and son died when the initial earthquake hit,” Jeff added sadly. “Many men, women and children died that day and unfortunately there was nothing I or anyone else could have done to save them.”

“That’s not true Jeff… I know my boy would have survived if you helped him first… He was strong like me… You are a murderer Jeff Tracy and because of that you will be punished!”

Jeff paused and then continued “Look, this is obviously between me and you. Let him go… And take me instead.”

“Oh, but that wouldn’t be as much fun now would it Jeff… Now how do those sayings go… A child for a child? No… No, I believe it’s… A son for a son!” The Hood moved behind Virgil. “Say goodbye to your boy Mr Tracy.”

“Please… Please don’t do this,” Jeff begged.

The Hood raised the gun and pointed it towards Virgil’s head. “Too late.” He sneered as he pulled the trigger and the gun fired.

Everyone in the room shut their eyes in terror, unable to watch as the gun fired, and the shot echoed around the room. Silence followed, then an arrogant laugh roared out of the screen causing all of them to open their eyes. Mouths dropped open in shock and relief when they were greeted with an alive but shaking Virgil, who was still being held firmly by one of the Hoods men.

The Hood continued his mocking laugh. “Did you really think I would kill him… With a gun? No, that would be too easy and to quick a death… No. No, your child here deserves to die in agony!”

Next: 18 - Torment

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The Enforcers: Part 7.5 (Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader)

wc: 1.2k

tw: none (you'll get some smut next chapter)

masterlist

"Please, just bring our daughter back home."

The TV switches off, and you face your reflection, staring into the sunken cheeks you've come to accept as your own. Your mother and father's faces are burned into your mind's eye, their tear-streaked and ruddy appearance making a perfect picture of an attempt to gain sympathy.

But there's no sympathy for them in your heart. Not with what you know now.

"I would've expected you to try to escape," Suguru mutters, standing from the other side of the metal table and placing his palms on the freezing cold surface. "But you've been incredibly docile. What are you planning?"

"Nothing," you lie, adjusting your position in the metal chair as the handcuff clanks against the arm. "Nothing at all."

"Here's the deal," Suguru starts, holding up the thumb drive. "There are a ton of files on this little stick here. I want you to go through every single one and decrypt the ones that haven't been released. Once you do that, I'll set you free to do as you please."

"No," you answer, lacing your fingers together. "I no longer work for you."

"You don't work for the CSB either."

"Seems I'm an independent contractor now." You hold up the wrist attached to the cuff, metal scraping against metal. "And I have terms that need to be met before I work on anything of yours."

"Tell me," he replies, tilting his head to the side.

"First of all, I want full freedom while I'm here. No oversight, no guards, no nothing."

"I think you might be a little off the mark with your requests," Geto sighs, pursing his lips together. "You're asking me to fully trust you'll do what needs to be done."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," you retort, and Suguru lifts a brow. "So, for now, you're my friend. In addition to no oversight, I want to be able to have input on when and where these files can be released."

"So you want my job?" You shake your head and Suguru crosses his arms.

"I want to call the shots alongside you. You brought me into this, I got fucked up because you got sloppy, you're going to do as I ask so I'll help you with your mission. I doubt a single ex-Kitsune down here can do what I do in less than thirty days. That's why you brought me out of my room."

"That's not the only reason why," Geto breathes.

"Stop acting like you have feelings for me, Geto," you scoff, rolling your eyes. "You brought me out of that room - and down here - to help you because no one else is fast enough to do what I do. Otherwise, I would've been put under lock and key for the rest of my life." Suguru doesn't answer you, so you assume it's true. "Finally, I want a nice room to stay in."

"It would be next door to mine."

"That's fine," you shrug. "I won't bother you unless you're fucking... with my sleep."

"Done."

_____________________________________________________________

Your bed is soft and warm when you make it up to your room, and you're given two things - a key and the thumb drive.

An obviously refurbished computer sits in the corner of the room on a small desk, and you sit at it, powering it up. The machine isn't incredibly old, but it is old enough to potentially slow down your decryption of the files.

But that's okay. The main problem right now is just getting used to your new space.

As the computer boots up, you walk around the apartment-style surroundings, checking out the bathroom and modern-looking appliances that look foreign next to the yellow and orange anachronism of a carpet in the bedroom. A small kitchen and living room sit just past the bedroom and down a short hallway, but other than that, nothing.

A check in the closet reveals all sorts of clothes - some ultra-feminine, others gender neutral - and you look at the types of shoes offered to you. It's only then that you realize everything in the closet will not only fit you but are brand new with the tags still on them.

You're still investigating when there's a knock on the door, and you stop mid-search to answer it. Suguru stands in the hallway, sighing when he sees you open it.

"Is the place to your liking?"

"Yeah," you bite out, avoiding his gaze. "What's up?"

"Can I come in?" You consider saying "no" because technically he's still your enemy. But you let him in anyway, stepping back and allowing him to walk past you and into the bedroom.

"What can I help you with?" you wonder, eyeing the computer still revving up in the corner.

"I wanted to apologize. For everything. Using you, lying to you, and holding you hostage - to an extent." You press your lips together and rock back on your heels while holding your breath. "You might not ever forgive me for the things I've done, and that's okay. I just wanted to let you know that every feeling I have for you - friends and otherwise - is real. I couldn't fake my love and care for you if I tried."

"How do I know you're not lying to me right now?" you ask, and Suguru shakes his head.

"You can't. I could swear on everything I hold dear, and still, you would have to make the choice to trust me or not. Which I completely understand if you don't. I'm not here to try to get you to trust me again; I would just hate for you to think that every single time I interacted with you it was for... this." He motions around him, then stands akimbo in the room as you wait for him to finish. "When Toji shot you, I thought I was going to lose you. It frightened me so bad... I--" His voice cracks, and you look away from his crestfallen face as he remembers that day. "I wasn't sure what to do. But just know I won't let a single soul on this planet harm you again to the best of my ability." Your heart stutters, and you look back up at him, feeling rage burn in your stomach.

"And if the person who hurt me was you?" Suguru flinches. "what would you do then?"

"What I'm doing now. I'm going to have to show you that I'm serious, though. That much I know." He steps toward you, but you step back, eyeing him carefully.

"You should go. I'll start decrypting the files when the machine begins to work."

"Sure," Suguru whispers, then starts toward the door. "Don't forget, I'm next door. So if you need me, let me know." As soon as he leaves, the computer goes to the start screen, the image of a tree blossoming on the computer. You stick the thumb drive in and sit down, inhaling before you begin to work on manually decrypting over a thousand files, all for a man you still felt something for, despite your outward appearance.

All for a man who almost got you killed.

All for a man who offered you the truth on a silver platter, and told you to "eat".

_____________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @missbonekitty @wack0-genius @thankuary @jsqeeut @r-i-m-f-009 @sunfloweroranges @leanne-tamashi @girlruby23 @rein-icu @brownskinnedgirll @chanelmalandro @savantsoulfinder @jibe-gajima @chilledlucifer @amnxsia @kontentious @fuyuko26 @everybodylovescayrayray @flare-on

[pawsitivelymiraculous]

Meeting for the first time. (Day one)

A/N: Okay so I'm going to try to do this. I am going to make a tag list so if you want to be tagged please let me know. Btw most of them are going to be one shots but I may continue some of them like this one. Also, I'm sorry for the rushed ending and the formatting, my computer decided to hate me today so I'm doing this from my phone I'll fix it tomorrow.

@biodad-bruce-month

Masterlist

Meeting Part one

"Marinette, sweetheart, you are adopted."

Adopted

When her parents told her they had something important to talk to her she figured it was about school or worst-case scenario, they found out about her extracurricular activities as a super heroine.

No, instead they told Marinette that her whole life had been a lie. 

They sat her down and explained that she had been adopted when she was nine months old. They tripped over themselves trying to reassure her that they loved her as their own and tried to defend the reason why they never told her.

Marinette didn't know what to think. Things like this were only supposed to happen in movies. Not become her reality. 

Marinette felt so confused as she tried to process it all. None of it made sense. Tom and Sabine were her biological parents. They… they had to be.

But, the truth was slowly sinking in. 

Marinette had never truly understood the expression "ignorance is bliss" until that moment. Somehow not knowing the truth felt like a better option than the alternative.

"But, why now?" Marinette asked hesitantly. "If you weren't planning to ever tell me, then why do it now?" 

She really hoped she was wrong, but in movies that was when they tell her that one of her bio parents died. Usually, said parent was royalty meaning that she would be next in line for the throne. Oh gosh, would she have to move to a strange country and rule it? 

Oh wait, she was apparently born in America. And as far as Marinette knew, America didn't have a monarch.

She snapped out of her thoughts in time to see Tom and Sabine share a look. Finally, Sabine spoke up "Do you remember the scholarship honey?"

She did. 

Marinette had been given a one in a lifetime opportunity to study in a prestigious art school in the outskirts of Paris and was offered a scholarship that covered half of the tuition.

Unfortunately, the Dupain-cheng's didn't have enough money to cover the other half. While the bakery was fairly popular, all of their savings had dried up the month prior when the delivery truck broke down, and they were forced to buy a new one.

Because of this, Marinette had to turn down the scholarship. 

Marinette's stomach dropped as she realized that her parents... or well Tom and Sabine had been struggling financially, even without the scholarship, because of her, with the knowledge of being adopted she couldn't help but feel like an unnecessary burden to them.

Seeing her daughter's crestfallen expression, Sabine rushed to Marinette's side giving her a small hug before saying. "Sweetie, we love you okay? And it broke our hearts when you had to turn down that amazing opportunity, so we tried to contact your biological father hoping he would be able to help us." She explained. 

"We never heard back from him." Tom chimed in "but we thought it would be better to let you know in case we do later on." 

Marinette nodded. That… made sense, and it was far better than what Marinette had immediately assumed.

Still, all the information was too overwhelming. Marinette needed to talk to the kwamis, they would help her understand the situation better. 

"I- I need to go." Marinette stood up and sprinted up the stairs, towards her room. Ignoring her parents who called after her.

She ran up to her bed and landed face first in it. All the kwamis flew out from their hiding spots and gathered around her.

Tikki nuzzled her cheek. "Oh Marinette, I'm so sorry."

Marinette let out a small humorless chuckle. "So, you heard huh?"

"Sure did, bug." Plagg said, floating close to her face. "Personally, I think we should find that father of yours and… you know… bless him with a not so great day."

This time Marinette actually laughed. "I think you meant curse and no, we are not going to do that." Plagg rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, Marinette felt tired. She could continue talking with the kwamis later. She needed to sleep, yeah"I think I'm going to sleep for a bit," she informed them

Tikki nodded. "Sweet dreams Marinette." The rest of the kwamis echoed this as Marinette drifted off to sleep.

~♡~♡~♡~

Plagg grinned as he turned on the computer. 

Tikki flew up to him. "What are you doing?" She asked, scandalized.

"We are going to google Pigtails' biological father," he explained. 

Tikki groaned, "you don't even know how to use a computer! And there's no 'we' if you want to do something that's your problem!"

Plagg smirked devilishly "Sugar Cube, we are literal gods. We can do this! Don't you want to know who he is."

Tikki begrudgingly agreed, she even helped him open the browser. "Okay so type in 'Bruce Wayne'"she instructed. "And then press that weird looking key that says enter alright?"

Plagg complied. The two kwamis turned to look at the results. 

Both kwamis gaped at the screen. Plagg whispered."Well, if this is the same guy but if so-"

"Then Marinette is the daughter of a billionaire." Tikki cut in, examining the picture. "Plagg, I think this is him."

"It's the eyes isn't it?" Tikki nodded.  "Yeah, well that would mean that a freaking billionaire ignored the pleas of the adoptive parents of his biological daughter!" Plagg exclaimed, growing angry.

"Well maybe he didn't believe them?" Tikki tried to reason.

Plagg suddenly growled at the screen."Look! He has like as many kids as he has money!" 

Tikki frowned, "Then why would he abandon his daughter?"

"Because he's a jerk! And I thought my kid's dad was bad!" Plagg glared at the picture causing Tikki to giggle. "What?"

"I don't think I've ever seen you so worked up over something that isn't cheese." She teased.

Plagg huffed, "well, your Bug gives me cheese, but if she's sad then she forgets. So it's really in my best interest to make sure Pigtails isn't upset."

Tikki laughed. "Yeah, yeah I totally believe you." She said sarcastically. "Anyways, do you think Marinette realizes her father is famous? "

Plagg snorted. "Are you kidding? If she knew she would still be freaking out." Tikki hummed in agreement. "Well, I think that now that we know who he is it's time to do what Pigtails would not let me do." Plagg concluded.

"Wait, what? No!" Tikki exclaimed.

"Ooo can I help with that?" A new voice asked. The kwamis turned to see Kaalki looking at them with a mischievous grin.

"Sure thing!" Plagg said just as Tikki was saying "No!"

The two ignored the spotted kwamii and began plotting how they were going to make sure Bruce Wayne would have the most unfortunate luck for at least a couple of days.

~♡~♡~♡~

It had not been a very good day for Bruce.

The DNA test had finally arrived, and he found out that he did, in fact, have another biological child. Unfortunately, Tim found the test and his efforts of trying to keep it a secret had been in vain because then most of his children interrogated him about their newfound sibling. Even Jason was there which was surprising.

Thankfully, they were wise enough not to tell Damian, because otherwise Marinette Dupain-cheng would have been in grave danger.

Dick, along with the rest, insisted that they needed to meet Marinette. So with the help of Tim, they arranged a trip to Paris for the next day. Meaning that Bruce had less than 12 hours to find Marinette and talk to her before that happened.

So as soon as all of his kids left, he asked Alfred to arrange an early flight. 

Which is how he found himself in front of Collège Françoise Dupont, the high school his daughter attended. 

In the rush, he had forgotten to call beforehand, so he called Alfred and asked him to inform Marinette's parents of his arrival. 

Bruce still wanted to talk to Marinette before Dick or someone else inevitably found out that he had left. So he got out of the car and walked inside, only to be greeted by a very flustered looking principal.

It wasn't until she called him "Mister Wayne" that Marinette realized who he was. 

"Mister Wayne! It's uh, an honor to meet you!" The man exclaimed nervously while shakily  extending his hand. "I received your call and I informed Marinette's homeroom teacher of your arrival. They- they should be in my office right now."

Bruce thanked him. On the way to the office Mr. Damocles told him "What an excellent student" Marinette was. He insisted that Marinette was one of the best students in his school. It made Bruce suspicious of the way that principal treated the rest of his students.

Finally, they arrived at the office. Marinette sat in a chair looking rather confused as her teacher stood next to her wearing a tight smile.

Mrs. Bustier introduced herself in a similar manner as Mr. Damocles. 

It wasn't until she called him "Mister Wayne" that Marinette realized who he was. 

Her face paled as she let out a small gasp. "You- you are my father."

In retrospect, he probably should have introduced himself to her first.

[yutahoes]

Howlite

pairing : office worker! Yuta Nakamoto x Reader

genre : fluff

summary : You’ve been having trouble sleeping and howlite is your only answer. 

word count : 2.6 k

tag list : @ailoveyuta​ @yutazen01​ @aiforyuu​

note : Again, written in a whim. I’ll edit it after class. Written for @yutazen01​ who has insomnia. I read that howlite helps and whatever the cause is of your sleep disturbance, please know that you can message me. I’ll be a listening ear. 

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

This was the third day, and you just feel terrible for yourself more than any other days.

You just sat in front of your computer, staring at the documents your company boss wanted you to revise. For three days you've been doing this and now, it's just the worst. A coffee cup appeared in front of you and you glanced at your deskmate who sat on your desk, "You seemed so out of it this day."

Your eyes cannot leave the coffee cup. Wanted a sip. But it's difficult already. "I can't sleep properly." You shared then yawned. "I feel so bad, I don't need you to tease me today Yuta."

He grinned, taking the documents on top of your table. "Then I'll do this so you can take some rest." You only smiled as you watched him sit on his swivel chair and started typing on his computer.

You leaned your head on the table, glancing at him. Yuta isn't bad actually. He came three months after you and he's a ball of sunshine in your office. A lot of girls from other departments would come to your floor just to gaze at him and here you are, looking at him while working. Honestly, he's good looking. And you don't mind watching him like this.

"You're burning a hole on my face." He said without taking his eyes away from the computer screen.

God, his guts! He really knew that he's handsome, didn't he? "Go to sleep already." His eyes turned to you, placing his jacket behind you. It smelled like him, and it feels so warm, really warm that your eyes are closing instantly. "Goodnight, Y/N."

--

It was dark in the office when you woke up. That was the best nap you actually had for days now, ever since this project started. You stretched your limbs, feeling energized so suddenly. You glanced at the clock and was surprised that it's already past 7 pm. Did you fell asleep for three hours? Are you the only one left in the office?

You stand up then head to the bathroom to wash your face and redo your makeup. This is bad news. You're going to have another sleepless night. Why did you have to sleep at work? And why does it have to be a good sleep?

When you returned to your desk, you were surprised to see Yuta seated on his chair. Why is he still here? "Oh, you're up!" He exclaimed then finished his coffee, "I thought you left already."

You raised an eyebrow at him. It's Friday night. Why is he still here? "It's already late." You noted as you sat on your chair and started fixing your things, making sure that your computer is shut down. "No date today?"

A chuckle can be heard as you whip your head to him. He was playing with his pencil, twirling it against his fingers while leaning on his chair facing you. The distance is rather intimidating that you had to push your chair backward. "Let's have dinner." He said, taking his bag and jacket. You followed him, skeptical about this. Why is he suddenly asking you for dinner? But you felt bad that he had to finish your report so you can't revolt.

The elevator ride going down to the lobby is filled with thick air. You never noticed how muscular Yuta's back is now that you're staring at it through his dress shirt. Even the smell of his cologne seemed so strong now. Why is everything about Yuta so charming now? But no, he's bad news. A total player.

It was a sushi place near the office, where Yuta took you to dinner that made you surprised. Yes, Yuta is Japanese but you haven't tried a Japanese meal before. And why here? A crowd was buzzing in the restaurant, a lot of people going in and out of the place. You didn't even know that this place existed so why is it so famous?

He secured a table by the corner of the sushi restaurant and he talked animatedly, in Japanese, with the waitress who was just looking at you. A platter of different kinds of sushi was placed in front of you. They're mouth-watering. You didn't know sushi could look this colorful. "Itadakimasu," Yuta said as he handed you chopsticks.

It was a different experience all at once. Every different sushi gives a different taste and you now had the answer to why this place is such a huge hit. You'll love to go back to this place. "So…" Yuta started that made you look at him. "You have trouble sleeping?" He asked while looking at his phone that made you annoyed.

"Are you a therapist now?"

He shrugged then finally looked at you. "You just look sleepless every time you come to work, especially last Wednesday." Did he notice? You really had trouble sleeping last Tuesday so you made the report instead. After that, all the nights that followed had been the same. "I mean your report is fine but there's a lot of mistakes so it must be because of your state now."

So you blabbered to him about your stress at work, the stress you had concerning your family, and even the weight of attending your best friend's wedding without a date that's occupying your mind every night, disabling you to get some decent sleep. He's a great listener actually, only giving small reactions and an empathetic look at your problems. You then realized that this is the longest conversation you had with your co-worker.

"But you had a nice sleep earlier." He mentioned, looking at his phone.

"I was surprised myself. That was the only time I slept properly."

He smiled as if amused by your story then stood up. "I'll be back. Just order some desserts, it's on me. Just wait for me." He rushed outside that made you confused. Where is he going? And should you wait for him?

The ice cream you ordered is long gone when he returned to the restaurant, a relieved look on his face. He was sweating so hard, panting heavily. "I thought you're going to leave." It was amusing to the point that he managed to say those words while catching his breath. What is going on? He glanced at the table, "I'll walk you home."

You were surprised, why is Yuta like this? "I'm taking the cab." His face fell and you wanted to laugh. He seemed dejected. So cute. But you can't fall for Yuta Nakamoto. He's a casanova.

A cab stopped at the side of the pavement, making you turn to him. "Thank you, Yuta." You had to say that. He treated you for dinner and even walked you outside.

--

He shook his head coolly then took your hand, threading your fingers together. "I hope you can sleep soundly." Using the other hand, he transferred the white beaded bracelet from his wrist to yours. "It's a howlite. The website says that it helps with insomnia when you put it under your pillow." You only thanked him as a surprise. Is this why he's on his phone? Why he left the restaurant and came back sweaty? "Goodnight, Y/N."

You shook your head and again, he looked disappointed. "Why are you driving today?"

But it's a hoax. Yuta should have known. Maybe it was because you slept soundly at work that you cannot even close your eyes to sleep. It's 2 am already. You had to sleep. Although it's a weekend, you had to go to the branch office in the morning for a routine inspection. At 5 am, you decided to just wing it and prepare for your trip.

A black car appeared in your doorway and you said your farewell to your parents who didn't care. It's just a night away from home, what could happen wrong? Surprise enveloped you when you were greeted by your driver for the day, Yuta. "You look terrible." He complimented while holding the door for you. "The howlite isn't effective?"

"Well, sir Han asked me to drive you since he cannot come today. It's his daughter's family day." You nodded. That's completely plausible. But why Yuta? Doesn't he have dates during the weekend? "It's a long trip. You can catch up with some sleep."

But you can't even sleep properly and he knew that. He opened the radio, playing soft jazz music that sent your body on cloud nine. You must be really tired. And with Yuta's soothing voice, humming against the music, you felt your eyelids close letting sleep overtake you.

Your eyes fluttered open as the sunlight hit your face. What time is it? You were greeted by Yuta still humming on the song from the radio, tapping the steering wheel along with the beat. His jacket was wrapped on your body once again and you smelled the faint cologne he had. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." He teased then shook his head. "I mean, good afternoon."

It's already 1 pm. You were asleep the whole ride that he was now parked in the basement of your office. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"And ruin your much-needed sleep?" He asked then shook his head. "I think the howlite is more effective than we thought." Before you could say another word, you realized that you are needed upstairs. Yuta just laughed, watching you scramble out of the car and into the elevator.

--

You had to fix your makeup to at least look presentable for the people from the other branch and checked your things. Well, you did had a nice sleep that you seemed fully energized. Maybe the howlite is really working.

The only thing that you can think of is the howlite bracelet. Desperate, you took out all of the things from your purse and searched for the white beaded accessory. A scream escaped your lips when the object can't be found. Did you leave it in the car? Maybe back at the office? The door opened, followed by Yuta looking at you in worry. "What happened?"

It was a tiring day but you didn't mind. At least you can have some decent sleep tonight because your body is aching. Yuta met you at the hotel lobby, handing you your keys and even explaining that he has the room next to yours. "There are canned beers in the fridge if you want. I bet you can sleep better with a little alcohol." You just nodded in response. You are just so tired that you wanted to rest your body, lie down to a soft bed, and sleep.

You tossed and turned on the soft mattress, annoyed at the fact that you just can't go to sleep. Really, you just wanted to rest. You heed Yuta's advice and drank some beer. By the third can, you're just drunk. Not sleepy.

"I can't find it…" you sobbed. By now, you don't care about anything. You just wanted some decent sleep. Why is it so hard to achieve? "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying."

He hugged you, hushing you up. "For starters, you're drunk. Let's get some sleep in you first." The way he's caressing your back is comforting enough that you felt your eyelids heavy. Is this the sleep taking over you?

You didn't remember anything from last night and was surprised that it's already ten am. You have slept for 12 hours already? Maybe your sleep is taking a toll on you. But how can you not sleep when you feel something warm on your back?

Something warm?

Your eyes opened in surprise to see Yuta sleeping next to you. The first thing you had to check is if you're fully clothed which you are, thank God. And why is he here? His eyes fluttered open sensing your movement, grinning at you. "Good morning, sunshine." You rolled your eyes at that. "Nice dream?" You can't really remember if you have any dreams. Just the thought of sleeping soundly makes you overwhelmed that you can't think of anything. "Let's drive you home, princess. We still have work tomorrow."

--

"You look terrible," Yuta noted when he came to work that Monday morning. The bracelet was still under your pillow that surprised you. How did you get those sound sleep when you don't have the howlite with you? So to sleep, you tried to do the same thing that Saturday night. You walked around the neighborhood to tire yourself out, drank four cans of beer that you were completely hammered, and cried so much. Now, you just looked and felt terrible.

Lunch break and you went to the pantry to heat up your food, surprised to see Yuta playing with his mobile phone. "I'll watch your food. Take a rest, you have bags under your eyes." So you sat beside him, head propped on your elbow, and closed your eyes for a few minutes.

You felt someone shaking you that your body jolted wide awake. "Princess, there's still 15 minutes for lunch break. Finish your food." Yuta said, pushing the microwaved food in front of you as he stood up to leave the pantry. You slept, again.

That was just a 20-minute nap and now you're having trouble sleeping again. Why does this keep happening? Is your insomnia this bad? Should you go to a doctor? You tried to think of the moments you had proper sleep, a good sleep, as your fingers touched the howlite bracelet on your bed. Yuta.

To test your hypothesis, you called him and he answered hello in a sleepy voice. "You can't sleep?" He asked that made you hum. You felt calm all of a sudden so you lay on the bed with your phone in your ear. The call was too quiet but it's a comforting silence. "Are you asleep? Why do you always sleep when we're toge…" Then he stopped. He noticed. "Is that why you're calling me?"

"You're so talkative."

He laughed from the other line. "Should I sing you to sleep? Or am I really that boring that the insomnia queen is falling asleep because of me?" It was the contrary anyway. He's just… comforting.

Yuta kept on talking about how he got tricked into buying that bracelet because he thought it could be of any help to you as you felt your eyelids fall down. "Y/N…" But you didn't hear what he was about to say when you drifted to sleep.

--

It has been three days. And you felt great.

"You look well. Are you dating someone?" Your female coworker asked as you approached the elevator after taking coffee. You only smiled, seeing the answer to your insomnia, with his friends, by the elevator.

Yuta gave you a smile as he waited for you to board the elevator with your co-worker. "Y/N…" he called and you turned to face him. "Do you want to go to my place tonight?" His two friends and your co-worker stared at you who was blushing at his question. Damn this cocky bastard. "We can sleep together." Your friend has to choke on her coffee at that.

The elevator doors opened before you could mutter a word and his friends went outside. He had to give you a kiss on the forehead then winked when he turned a corner. Your friend had to slap your arm, shrieking that it was Yuta Nakamoto that you're dating.

Well, he's not that bad. And sleeping with him is what you can really do.

Besides, Yuta is your howlite.

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

[hurting-fictional-people]

Betrayal story - part 4

Look, the story has a name (hopefully I’ll come up with a better one later)! And the characters do too!

Anyways, if someone hasn’t seen the picrews (it’s here if you want to), Whumpee is now Liam Beaumont, Caretaker is Chase Raymond and Whumper is Jonah Sharpe. If you have trouble remembering: Caretaker still starts with a C no I totally didn’t give him a name that starts with a C on purpose what are you talking about and I think you’ll get very different vibes from Liam and Jonah haha

CW: electric torture, forced to watch, whumpee held hostage, hurt no comfort (for now), restraints

tagging  @thelazywitchphotographer @swift-perseides @whump-it-like-its-hot  @sunflower1000  @msrandonstuff @fromtheo-withlove  @boxofsilence  @lionhxartx @sometouchofmadness @paleassprince

Part one here, continued from here

-

Twelve messages wait for Chase when he picks up his phone. All from Jonah, all demanding him to work quicker, to give in new information faster. He purses his lips and takes a deep breath, clutching the new drive he was given to fill. 

After so many betrayals, he should be used to the sting that comes along with lying and deceiving. He’s done it before, felt that guilt, drowned in it – and yet he can’t help but hesitate. Liam’s pale lips, creased brows, shallow breaths, sparkle to life in his mind, a painful reminder of what is at stake if he annoys Jonah too much. Right beside Liam’s face, though, are the ones of Chase’s team, his friends, his family, all trusting smiles and loving gazes he cannot ignore. It’s enough for him to type a message and turn off the phone.

Working on it, Chase sends and hopes it is enough to keep the man quiet for at least another day as he turns his computer on and starts erasing from the drive the most meaningful information he’s stolen.

-

When Jonah bursts into his room, Liam is almost happy to see him. Five days have passed since he’s woken up in a room instead of the cell, and all he’s had since then is loneliness and echoing silence. With the only human interaction he was given being the occasional visit from a nurse who gave him a clinical once-over and refused to so much as look him in the eye, it was no real surprise when his thoughts spiraled out of control, swirling around and sinking down between Chase’s inevitable and yet somehow unexpected betrayal, and his new status as a hostage. 

“Doing better?” Jonah asks, leaning against the doorframe. Liam’s heart pounds both in relief and terror at the sound of a voice that isn’t his own.

“Do you care?”

“Getting some rest got your tongue loose, I see.”

“Why are you keeping me here?” That’s the question that’s been eating him alive, disrupting his sleep, watering his fear into a blossoming flower of dread that grows and suffocates any hope that tries to bloom beside it. Each answer Liam’s imagined sounds worst than the last, but if there is truth in any of them, he has to know. To prepare. 

“We talked about this already, didn’t we?”

Jonah’s eyes are as cold as he remembers from their few encounters, but this time something lurking there whispers stories of anger and pain to come, and that alone is enough to raise goosebumps along his entire body. 

“What do you want to let me go?” What could he have to give a man who is already filthy rich, when Liam has nothing to offer but a cramped apartment and a lot of resentment?

“Nothing you can offer, lovely,” Jonah chuckles. “Fair try, though.”

But nothing about this is fair, in any possible way. “So you are just going to keep me here because you don’t like Chase? I have nothing to do with him, please just let me the fuck go and I won’t even tell anyone, you–“

“Liam, honey, let us clear something up. There is nothing you can do to convince me to let you go. All you can do is comply, and maybe I’ll be merciful if you do, but you are mine for the time being, and there is no one here to help you but me.”

Liam’s reply dies on his tongue, killed by the unrestricted horror the words wash him over with. It doesn’t sound real. Sounds like something he’d watch in a movie, read in a book, hear about on the news. To hear them directed at him and feel the pulsating response from the healing stab wound in his gut, makes him hold his breath and pray to just wake up from this nightmare. When did his life turn into this? Was it when he met Chase? Was it before? 

“Now that that’s out of the way, come on, we have somewhere to go today.”

Liam’s stomach drops to the ground, farther, falling and falling to the center of the Earth as he clenches the sheets in his fists and hisses, “Last time you said that, you locked me up until I got an infection.”

“Ha, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Jonah says, raising a brow. Liam doesn’t even blink at the grin playing on his lips. “Don’t worry, love, I don’t make the same mistake twice. We’re having a different kind of fun today. Up now, or I’ll call my men to do it for you.”

Gritting his teeth, Liam pushes the sheets away and slowly stands up, holding his side and fighting a groan, but on his feet without help.

They walk in silence, and neither Jonah nor the guards say anything about how slow he is, or how terribly pitiful he looks stumbling through the hallways. A thousand words speed through his brain, pleading to be heard, but he doesn’t voice any of his questions. Doesn’t think he’d get an answer if he did, anyway.

He is led into a nearly barren room, with only a camera over a tripod standing in front of a wooden chair. A wooden chair surrounded by restraints.

He takes a step back before his brain catches up with the movement, straight against a guards’ chest. Jonah giggles and tuts softly. 

Two men grab his arms and drag him to the chair, and the panic suddenly becomes so deep, so all-encompassing, it swallows down his fight. He is pushed down on the chair, the restraints are buckled around him until all Liam can move is his head, and all the while he just sits there, hyperventilating and near to tears, as still as a statue. Watching but never moving, terrified but frozen in place, petrified, and he hates himself for it, even if he knows the feeling should be directed at Jonah and Jonah alone.

“Well, I didn’t know you’d be so pliable, sweetheart,” Jonah mocks, setting the camera up. “I would’ve played with you sooner had I known.”

He parts his lips, but the words refuse to form. Fear envelops each of them before Liam can push them through gritted teeth, and all he does is stare at the guards surrounding him, at the cold stickers being placed on his arms, his shoulders, his hands. Liam shivers, but there’s no air current here.

“Why, why, why are you doing this?” he chokes out. He knows what’s about to happen, has seen it on television enough times to recognize the electrodes, the box placed next to the chair. 

“Because Chase pissed me off today,” he shrugs, and a red light blinks to life in front of the camera. Jonah walks toward him, stops in front of the chair, and smiles. Liam’s eyes are blown wide as he stares up at the man. “Has Chase ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?”

The weight on his stomach is so huge that Liam can’t even find energy enough to feel outraged.

Jonah pulls out a linen scarf from his pocket as the guards plug wires to each sticker and wiggles it in front of Liam’s face. “Here, I’d bite down on this if I were you.” When he fails to open his mouth, the man rolls his eyes and grabs his cheeks, squeezing so suddenly and cruelly his mouth opens without command and the scarf is shoved inside, making him gag. “Not that well behaved, huh. No problem, we have time to get you obeying.”

When the guards take a step away, Liam finds himself wishing they didn’t. 

“Smile at the camera, love,” Jonah says, stepping to the side so Liam is the only one being recorded. He stares straight at the lens and tries to draw in a deep breath.

He knows it is coming. He prepares for it. And then Jonah flips a switch, and there’s no preparing for pain so big, for agony so deep.

The world shatters around him as electricity lights up his body, turns him inside out, upside down, and no breath could’ve ever made this any better. There’s no air to breathe, no room to writhe, no place to escape. There is only pain, boundless and searing, here and now, splitting him into thousands of shards he can never hope to piece back together.

And then it stops, and his throat is raw but he doesn’t remember screaming and his chest heaves as he fights for air and tears fall from his eyes to his chin to his chest but he doesn’t remember crying either.

“Beautiful,” Jonah sighs somewhere close. Liam coughs and chokes on his own tears, trying to beg or maybe cry out, but whatever his mouth forms gets caught on the gag before it reaches anyone’s ears.

Please please please stop, it hurts, hurts so much, so, so much, please, please–

“Let’s go again.”

Liam doesn’t have time to even be scared before his world dissolves into burning agony once more. All he can do is scream and silently plead for help he knows isn’t coming.

-

When Chase turns on the phone, his heart nearly stops at the video awaiting him.

Two hours have passed. After five days of trying to convince that despicable man to let him see Liam and failing miserably, barely sleeping, worry and guilt eating at his insides, he fell asleep. He forgot. For one hundred and twenty minutes he allowed himself to rest, and now he is paid with Liam’s frozen image staring at him, waiting on Jonah’s chat, along with one single line of text that chills him to the bone.

This is for turning off the phone.

He clicks and feels a chasm opening in his gut when Liam fills the screen, strapped to a chair, scared eyes darting around a room Chase can’t see through the video, searching for an escape that is nowhere to be found, stopping on each electrode that is stuck to his body. The fear is clear as crystal on his face. It makes Chase’s heart squeeze until his chest is so tight he places a hand there, afraid to find it as hollow as he feels. Liam doesn’t talk, doesn’t scream, doesn’t beg. He simply blinks at the men towering over him and doesn’t ask for help, and that might be what truly undoes Chase.

And then Jonah turns on the switch, and Liam’s head snaps back, body contorting against restraints so tight there’s no room for him the thrash. Even through the gag, he screams, and Chase would scream as well if he wasn’t too busy gripping the phone as if his life depended on it, trying to steady his trembling hands.

When the shock stops, Liam’s face is tear-stained and exhausted, sobs wracking his body and ripping apart Chase’s soul. 

His fault.

It is his fault. After everything, after betraying Liam into not trusting anyone, after losing the boy who might’ve been the love of his life, after being responsible for his stabbing, his kidnapping, after everything–

The switch is turned on again, and this time when Liam screams, Chase’s eyes well up with tears he has no right to cry. A kind of rotten helplessness takes over his body, its clawed fingers wrapping around his arms, his legs, his heart and squeezing, whispering and shouting his failure, his guilt, his powerlessness. His eyes plead to close, but he needs to see this. It is his fault, his burden, and if Liam was forced through it, he has to at least watch it to the end. If anything, to know he’s still alive.

It lasts longer the second time. A life. His useless life. Liam convulses and cries and howls, and if Chase could only take the pain to himself, he would. He would switch places with Liam in the blink of an eye. He is the one who deserves that pain. He is the one who betrays and hurts and destroys anything he touches, and it should be him, not the boy who smiles at the sunrise and cries over books and dreams about changing the world. 

He stares unblinking at the screen and watches in silence as electricity courses again and again through that body he had once held and thought about spending a life beside, fogging those eyes that used to engulf him in love, twisting that face he once kissed and touched and loved into one of raw despair. Each time it stops, neither of them has time to catch their breath before it starts again. After the third time, Liam doesn’t cry out anymore. His voice breaks in a ragged wail until it dies down and all that’s left are silent sobs.

When the video ends, Chase is nearly numb. The last image shows Liam’s head hanging forward as he struggles to breathe, Jonah’s fingers casually carding through his sweaty hair.

Chase is out of his house before his brain even processes what he’s doing, inside his car, driving to Jonah’s building in a blur of hatred and desperation. When he parks in front of the tower, the phone buzzes and he doesn’t hesitate to read it. Not anymore. Never again.

You lost visit privileges. Leave the drive with the guard at the door and keep in touch. 

With Liam’s screams still ringing inside his mind, forever trapped there, he doesn’t dare do anything other than what he is told. He gives the guard the flash drive, and for the first time in years, he prays. Because if anyone notices the most important files missing… he can’t bear the thought of what could be done to Liam in retribution. 

(next)

[rosesgonerogue]

Finding Each Other (Again)

Chapter One

Masterlist

“Make way guys, out of the way!” Dick bellowed from the entrance of the batcave. “Alfred, we need you!” 

Marinette, jostled in his arms with every step, tried to liberate herself from her brother-in-law’s iron grip. “Calm down, I’m fine.” 

“No offense bug, but I just watched you get crushed by a steel beam. Alfred is checking you over.” 

“Tikki, spots,” Marinette said, as he deposited her on a cot. “See, not a bruise on me. I only jumped in to save that kid because I knew I would be fine. I’ve been eaten by a t-rex before, I was perfectly safe.” 

“You what?” Damian demanded darkly. 

“Dames! How was your patrol?” Marinette asked, grinning at the sight of her husband. 

“What just happened to you on patrol?” Damian demanded. 

“Dick is overreacting. I know it can be kind of… unsettling to see things like that, but the Miraculous suits are nearly indestructible. Only another Miraculous or some type of magic could hurt me while I’m suited up.” 

She leaned in to kiss Damian’s cheek, but his face was stone. 

“Are any of those Miraculous things up for grabs?” Jason asked, pulling off his helmet.

“Not for you,” Marinette scoffed. “And don’t worry, Dames. Dick is overreacting, the beam barely made contact with me. I was just making sure it fell safely.’ 

“Hold up, hold up,” Tim said, actually turning away from the computer. “You redirected a steel beam? Just with your strength alone? How strong does your suit make you?” 

“I haven’t actually ever tested it, that could be interesting,” Marinette contemplated, handing Tikki a cookie. “But I’m stronger than I was when I first started out as Ladybug.” 

“Part of it is because you’ve worked with me for so long - we’ve grown together. But you’re stronger than any other Miraculous use can be because you’re also the Guardian,” Tikki said. “Alfred, these cookies are amazing.” 

While Alfred began examining Marinette, he chattered with Tikki about his baking methods. Dick was telling an overly dramatized version of the night’s events while Tim theorized exactly what Marinette could be capable of. All that was missing was the last few members of the family, all occupied with their own business. Marinette leaned back on the examination table, content with the daily she’d married into. 

“-and if she were facing a metahuman with enhanced strength-”

“Drake, will you do us all a favor and shut your idiotic mouth?” Damian snapped, his voice dripping with acid. 

“That was out of line,” Marinette said, straightening up. “He’s just having fun, Damian.” 

“Just having fun? Were you just having fun when you threw yourself under a steel beam today? Or how about last week, when Killer Croc almost ripped off your leg?” Damian spat. “Oh, and the week before when your heart literally stopped because you stepped in front of Mr. Freeze?”

“Whoa, whoa, hang on,” Marinette said, standing to really face her husband. “That’s uncalled for, Dames. What’s with all of the hostility?”

“What’s with all of the hostility? Every week I have to see or hear about some way my wife almost died. You have absolutely no sense of self-preservation and that makes the rest of us worry about you, which makes you a liability.” 

“Excuse me?” she demanded, uncaring of the awkward silence between the rest of the family. “A liability? I know exactly what I am capable of, Damian Wayne. In case you forgot, I had a life and a hero career before you. Long before you.” 

“But this isn’t magical butterflies, Marinette, this is the real world!” Damian shouted, ripping off his domino mask. “People die here, and we don’t all have a Miraculous to save our asses. You rely on Tikki, but how do you know she won’t fail, or time out too early? Without her you’d be dead.” 

Marinette’s eyes were wide and burning with rage, but Tikki was the first to speak, her tiny body radiating with fury. 

“You have no idea what Marinette has gone through to get here. She is the most capable Ladybug and Guardian that I’ve ever seen, and that means more than you’ll ever know.” 

Looking back at his wife, Damian could see more hurt than anger in her eyes. He felt a pang now that his panic from hearing Dick’s story had died down, but it was too late. When he should have expressed concern and care for his wife, he’d let anger take over. A firm stubbornness rose in him, and when his wife’s eyes met his, he levelled his gaze at her, unwilling to take his words back. 

Glaring at him, when she spoke Marinette’s voice was thick with unshed tears. “Well, I formally apologize for the liability I’ve been all this time. If you’ll excuse me, I have commissions to work on.”

She shoved past him, leaving the silent Wayne clan behind. Her back was straight and her stride was measured - none of them could have guessed that silent, angry tears ran down her cheeks. Outside the weather was terrible, the wind howling through Gotham’s streets. 

Walking silently for blocks, Tikki flitted around her nervously, using the terrible weather as a cover - not that there was anyone really on the streets to notice her. Finally the two ducked into an alley where Marinette collapsed against a brick wall. 

“He’s wrong, Marinette,” she finally said indignantly. “Damian’s worried for you, but he also has no idea what it takes to hold a Miraculous.” 

“Am I just a liability, Tikki?” Marinette asked, running a hand through her hair. “Am I just making things worse for the entire family?” 

“Marinette, no! You’ve saved them plenty of times, and don’t you dare wonder if I’m what makes you special. We’ve been together for so long because you’re special,” Tikki said firmly. 

The Guardian sniffed, sagging a little. “Thanks, Tikki. I guess I really should go work on those commissions like I said I would, which means I need to go home.” 

“Only after you’ve eaten the rest of Damian’s favorite ice cream,” the kwami said. 

“After all of the morality speeches you gave me in Paris, I had no idea you had this mischievous streak in you. I think Plagg is finally rubbing off on you after all of these centuries.” 

Tikki smiled. “Only when someone hurts my Ladybug.”

Smiling faintly herself, Marinette pushed herself up while Tikki situated herself in Marinette’s purse. Talking to Damian wouldn’t be fun, but they would figure things out - they always did. Besides, they only fought because her husband was worried for her wellbeing. So, Marinette made her way towards their home, one of the safest neighborhoods in all of Gotham. She could almost see the old Colonial-style house when they saw a woman standing on the sidewalk. 

She was just standing there under the streetlamp, the light emphasizing how angular her features were, if not exaggerating them. With the way the woman stared at Marinette, it was clear that she would speak to them, and there was really no way to get home without crossing the woman’s path. As much as she didn’t want to, Marinette decided to bite the bullet and speak first. “Excuse me, Madame, can I help you?”

Nothing in her posture changed, but glittering eyes assessed Marinette critically. “So you’re the little French fashion designer? I can’t say I’m impressed. I always had much… higher aims for my son.”

With those words Marinette felt her blood freeze in her veins. So this was Talia al Ghul. She’d heard stories of the woman, but she always hoped not to become involved with her at all. 

She couldn’t back down. Marinette met her mother-in-law’s eyes without flinching, hand snaking to her back pocket for her phone. 

“Don’t try it, little girl. You and I are going to play a game. It’s called ‘how much does Damian love you?’”

“It’s tempting, but I think I need to pass,” Marinette said. 

At that, Marinette viciously kicked forward, hitting Talia right in the knee. She didn’t try to watch the result, sprinting forward with all of her energy - she only had to make it to-

There was a sharp prick in the back of her neck, and Marinette felt her legs give out from underneath her. She heard Talia limping over. 

“Maybe you’re not completely hopeless, but you were never going to win this. Now let me explain the rules of the game to you.” 

Marinette wanted to protest, to scream until someone came, but she couldn’t even prop herself up on her arms. Even more alarmingly, black was slowly overtaking her vision. 

“Dear little Damian has a month to find you. If he doesn’t, I get to kill you and use it as a means to get the information I need. Now sleep well, darling. You’ll need it.” 

Taglist: 

@tbehartoo @kris-pines04 @thesunanditsangel @constancetruggle @thequeenofpotatoeunicornss @rosalineandrosemary @novicevoice @momothefemur  @theymakeupfairies

Note: Hey guys, I know it’s been FOREVER since I posted anything. I just finished my first semester of grad school, and it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Oh, I also have a boyfriend now. That’s new, and he does tend to take up some time. But I’m not abandoning my other stories, I just wanted to try something a little different. Long term this is going to be cute, and it’s going to have some hurt/comfort vibes. I know this is really different from what I usually write, so tell me what y’all think. The taglist is open if anyone wants to be added, just leave a comment below and ask to be tagged! 

[actuallyilya]

Black-Ops Characters I believe would have cats and/or dogs. Also, these are just the Campaign characters + some Warsaw pack characters!!

Dog Only

Lazar, Lazar gives off big cuddly dude vibes™ meaning he would want a pet he could bond with better. Dogs are (usually) very playful and loving. He also CONSTANTLY attracts dogs. I also think he would adopt a Golden Retriever. Idk. Vibes™

Sims, Sims seems like the type of guy who likes being outdoors. Parks, hiking, jogging, etc. So he would 100% rather have a buddy to do those hobbies with, rather than go alone. A bit into his childhood, he had another dog he grew up with from the age of 12 and up, but once he left for school/the CIA, he felt bad, and eventually, the dog died of old age :(. But I do think that he loved that dog very much and no dog would ever come close to the memories he had with him. I think he would adopt a Border Collie.

Woods, Look this mother fucker DISPISES cats. He thinks they're gremlins and refuses to ever pet one he hasn't had a bad experience, just doesn't like them, claims that 'they're satan's little bitches'. He also would rather have a pet that you can call do cuddle, rather than hope not to get scratched. He either would have a German Shepherd or Great Dane. He wants a dog that will make him seem cool 🥶😈 but everyone knows that man is a sweetheart.

Hudson, He is most definitely a dog person, He does not care about the dogs are better than cats argument. 'It's an idiotic argument, Besides, we all know dogs are better'. His dog is a family dog, she's very friendly to anyone who comes by Woods, Mason, etc and she loves his kids. At first, Hudson hated the idea of having a dog, it would be a liability, but he was the first person who genuinely fell in love with the dog. He would have a German Shepard, who is military trained because he wants to protect his family.

Knight, Look, with the very little of the information we know about him, I GENUINELY think this man would have a dog. We know he's a little on the bad side, but still, he needs some friends. Even if the friend is a dog. He would probably adopt a Kangel Shepard. Also, he loves to play with his dog very often and is super protective of the dog.

Okay, now to the people who would have cats!

Park, Look, Park is like those people who sit in front of a window with a computer/notes in front of her while her cat calmly sits in front of her sleeping or sunbathing. Okay? I love her to pieces and I know damn well she would get along better with cats than dogs. She has actually argued with Woods about it a lot. She would also have a Chartreux

"Suck it Park! Dogs are the best pets, they won't kill ya in your sleep!"

"Woods, Cats' cleanliness makes up for more than a few scratches here and there, unlike dogs who like to sit in their own filth."

Mason enjoys silence, dogs do not give silence, they are loud and he prefers cats overall, He has had his cat for a while, a few years before David joined the military, his home felt empty, He knew he had always been rough on Mason but the cat gave them a small bonding experience, Although he loved the cat, it caused an argument between him and woods (It wasn't an end-the-friendship argument but when they're drunk they definitely argue) He would have a Birman, he also heavily enjoys cuddling with a cat.

Wraith, She strikes me as those people who genuinely love working with cats or at shelters, maybe she had a cat growing up, maybe she worked at a shelter before she went all Warsaw pact. But regardless, knowing she can't stay in one place forever, she still tries to still somewhat work at shelters, she isn't open about it because it caused an agreement between her and Knight. However, he always had a friend tag along with her while going to the shelters. She wouldn't own any pets, but her favorite breed would be Burmese cats "their fur is a black as my soul"

Stitch, This guy just loves cats, As a young kid, he didn't really have many friends, he usually kept to himself, as a result, he would wander areas a lot, during one of his walks, he found an injured cat, He nursed the cat back to health and kind-of kept this side of himself a secret as his father was very 'men do the work while women stay at home' luckily it never rubbed off on him. However, Just like Wraith, he tagged along to the shelters, he didn't wear the gas mask, but a lot of his scars showed, but he found out the cats/kittens were less scared of him if he just showed his face. Although he has an edgy feel, he loves Maine coons, they are very gentle, friendly, and very intelligent (As you can see, you can tell who is my favorite Warsaw pact operator)

Who would have BOTH cats and dogs.

Adler, look this motherfucker does not want to admit that he loves both cats or dogs. He easily gets attached to animals, cats, dogs, the whole sha-bang. So either/or, He loves dogs because he enjoys working with them, such as training, jogging, etc. (Sims stopped going running with him after Sims adopted his dog, but Adler knew he couldn't be responsible for a dog knowing he's always out on missions). But he also loves cats, he loves how majestic they are, when they purr, kneed, etc. He loves it. He occasionally invites himself to Park's house to spend time with her cat, not even with her. Park doesn't mind as she knows she now has a free cat-sitter. If Adler could, He would have a Great Dane and for a cat, he would have a Bengal Cat

Naga, Over the course of his life, Naga has worked with tons of dogs. He had always appreciated them helping him in his line of work. Whether they helped him weed out a rat amongst his men, or helped make sure no one was stealing profit, I think he heavily enjoys their company. Naga has always been a little intimidating, But with a cat by his side, even more, on his lap, on his desk, such a tiny animal had so much subtle power. If the cat had a problem with you, he had a problem with you, He even decided he enjoyed having a dog so much, he adopted a dog, luckily, after a few months of trying, they both got along and peacefully sit in his office. He would defiantly adopt a Donskoy Sphynx, and for a dog, he would adopt a Cane Corso, mostly for weather reasons.

Perseus, owns both a cat and a dog, rarely going out for rough missions, he can have two pets in his life and properly take care of them, His current dog, a Siberian Huskey (perfect for the current climate) he's had for five years, his cat, a Korat, he's had for three years. He occasionally takes them both into his office as to not have lonely days, on the days he has to either a) leave fast such as for safety, Stitch, Wraith, and Knight were made responsible as they are his trustable people.

Finally, Bell. Bell loves both of them and never really owned any animals, while working for the CIA, they had a knack for attracting animals while going for walks, they usually arrived with one or two animals, even birds! Mostly kittens and puppies, but even the impossible is possible for them. Woods and Mason found this hilarious and tried not to fall in love with the animals (even if they were there for a short amount of time) Adler or Park always had to be the one to take the animal out of their hands because he knew no work would get done and a rule had to be implemented so it wouldn't happen again (news flash, it did happen, very often)

Solovetsky Ending: let's just say Adler didn't shoot Bell, Adler would take Bell to shelters and would even go with them to save stray (injured) animals. The two actually grew very close and it sort of became a hobby. Adler got his taste of animals and Bell go to feel happy for a few hours, they both learned a lot. After one night of dinner, they found a stray kitten with no family around, they waited an hour to try and see if the mom would come back since It didn't, They took in the kitten, it was an off-day for the workers, so they nursed the kitten for like four days before having to give it up to the shelter.

Duga Ending: After Perseus took Bell in, let's just say the same thing happened, they weren't allowed to be on the field because they weren't mentally able to handle war and risk of being kidnapped so they kind of stuck around the area, although it was rare, abandoned animals did sometimes appear. The first time it happened. Bell was wearing a large coat and returned freezing with only a t-shirt on. Perseus was at the front gate, waiting for some of the operators to come back, but instead, they returned, freezing, a small fluff ball was in their hands while they were slowly developing hypothermia.

"Bell?! What the hell are you doing without a coat?!"

"I-I know, B-But I-I saved a dog."

[justmypartner]

Make it Work: Chapter 8

Summary: When offered a permanent position with the FBI, Hailey agrees to take it under one condition: Jay comes too. As their personal lives and work lives begin to change, the two partners find it increasingly difficult to navigate their complex relationship and manage their feelings for one another.

Writer’s Note: This is my favorite chapter so far. I cried, I smiled, I felt a lot of emotions while writing it, and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. There are a few warnings for this chapter, so see those below. Not to give anything away, but if you didn’t like Walker before, you really won’t like him after this chapter. Thanks to everyone following this story, I appreciate each and every note so much! Prepare your tissues and please enjoy!! 

TW//: mentions of assault and attempted sexual assault

Tagging: @angelsjedi , @brookerz122493 , @cpdfan2014 , @the–carousel , @maya-asturias , @itsdesiree86​ , @tvshowsaremyhappyplace 

Read on AO3 or below

A light patter on the window woke Jay long before his alarm did. He threw his duvet from his body and rose from the bed, stretching out his tired limbs before moving to the window to watch as rain fell from the sky. It was his first rainy New York City day, and his mood certainly matched the weather. Unlike the day prior, he was hangover free, but he had a strange dismal feeling in his chest he couldn’t explain. He chalked the feeling up to the dreary weather and slowly began to get ready for the day.

He walked to work, maneuvering through the sidewalk traffic carefully as his umbrella bumped into those around him. When he made it to the office, it was uncharacteristically quiet. He went to the break room to make a cup of coffee before settling into his desk. He had been quietly catching up on things when Walker walked in. Jay’s attention shot up when he noticed the red and purple bruises scattered across his face.

“Dude, what the hell happened to you?” Jay questioned, suppressing a snicker that leapt out from the back of his throat. Walker only replied with a scowl and a shake of the head. Jay threw his hands up in surrender, but he wasn’t planning on fully letting it go. Whatever happened, he figured must have taken place sometime after he left work the night before. Then it hit him, Hailey went out with him and would surely know the story.

Jay pulled out his phone, clicking on her contact and typing her a message.

Cannot wait to hear about what Walker got into last night. He’s being tight-lipped about it, but I’m sure it’s a story you’re just itching to tell ;)

He sent the text with a concealed smirk before slipping his phone back into his pocket and bringing his attention back to his computer. Not long after Walker showed up, Daisy walked in, immediately taking note of the bruises on Walker’s face and chuckling to herself.

“What happened Burrows, sleep with the wrong guy’s wife?” she mocked with a sneer as she settled into her desk. He silently shut her down the same way he did Jay. Daisy’s eyes met Jay’s, widening with curiosity and amusement. He shrugged, shaking his head with an entertained grin.

After a while, Hailey still hadn’t shown up, causing him to worry. She was never late, so he decided to call her. No answer. He texted her again, this time asking if she was alright. By the time Drake had come in to brief the team on the day’s case, she still hadn’t shown up and she still hadn’t responded. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew something was wrong. After the briefing, he pulled Walker aside.

“Do you know where Hailey is?” He asked him. The man twitched at the sound of her name, causing Jay to look at him crossly.

“No clue,” Walker replied bluntly.

“Did something happen last night?” Jay questioned, anxiety building as he surveyed the man’s beaten face, his imagination beginning to run unhinged.

“Look, Halstead. I have no clue where she is, leave me alone,” he spat, pushing past him to end the conversation. Something was up, and every word that left the man’s mouth only made Jay more concerned. His gut told him her absence and his bruises weren’t mutually exclusive, the thought sent a hot anger through Jay’s body. Before Walker could get far, Jay grabbed at his arm, pulling him back around to face him.

“What the hell happened?” He hissed. Walker tried to yank his arm away, but Jay tightened his grip, preventing him from doing so.

“Back off, Halstead,” he bucked up, trying to get in his face.

Daisy noticed the scrap, rushing over and inserting herself between the two of them.

“Woah, okay what’s going on here?” she raised, pushing against each of their chests to separate them. Avoiding the question, Jay shook his head, moving towards his desk and snatching his jacket from the back of his chair.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll go find out myself. It better have nothing to do with you,” Jay threatened, pushing a finger into the man’s chest.

He turned to Daisy. “Tell Drake I had to take care of something. Also, don’t let him out of your sight,” he told her softly, nodding his head towards Walker. She nodded skeptically, and he turned to make his way towards the elevators.

His heart practically leapt out of his chest as he trudged through the rain on his way to Hailey’s apartment. In his rush out of headquarters, he left his umbrella, leaving cold rain pouring over him, soaking in his clothes down to his skin the entire walk over. Yet, it did nothing to cool down the fire that filled his body with rage. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but the twisted feeling in his abdomen went from bad to worse after his confrontation with Walker.

He reached her building, desperately punching the buzzer for her apartment. It took several minutes, but eventually, she answered.

“Yes?” her soft voice echoed through the speaker, causing him to lean a hand into the building in relief. The comfort of hearing her voice dwindled quickly when he realized the defeated tone she carried.

“Hail, it’s me. Let me up,” he said as calmly as possible, raising his voice slightly to be understood over the thrumming of rain around him. There was no response and there was no buzz. He repeated his words once again.

“Let me up, please. I need to see that you’re alright,” he begged, the rain continuing to seep into his suit and cling to his skin.

A few moments later, there was a buzz and the lobby door opened. He made his way through it, ignoring the slippery mess he was creating all the way into the building and rushing up the stairs to her apartment. When he made it to her door, he took a beat, preparing himself for whatever he was about to see on the other side. He knocked. The sound of light footsteps approached before the lock clicked and the door opened slowly.

His heart fell in his chest the second he caught sight of her. His eyes travelled up and down her body, taking in every heart-wrenching detail. She wore an exhausted, somber look on her face and her eyes hopelessly avoided his. Her curls were a tangled mess framing her face, her bottom lip was split, the low cut of her tank revealed bruises along her neck and collarbone, and despite the way the long sleeves of the open flannel she wore covered her hands, he made out defensive wounds along her nails and knuckles. Without thinking, he reached out his hand, trailing his fingers gently along the red and purple bruises lining her neck and chest. The cold rain dripped down from his sleeves and onto her skin, sending visible shudders through her body.

“Hailey…” he whispered. Something broke in him when he noticed the way her eyes slowly fluttered closed as she relaxed under his touch.

“I’m okay, Jay,” she muttered, continuing to avoid eye contact with him. “Let me get you a towel, you’re probably freezing,” she said, moving away as he became aware of the way his body was shivering, the rainwater dripping down into a small puddle in her doorway. He stood there frozen, his eyes taking in the room from her door, noticing the knocked-over lamp and shattered picture frame on the floor.

What the hell happened here? He thought to himself before she reappeared in front of him, holding out a towel for him to wrap into. He stood a statue, only his eyes moving from the room and back to her, tears blurring his vision as the image of her battered body tore him apart inside. When he didn’t take the towel, she moved toward him, rising on her tiptoes to wrap it around his shoulders. She stepped back out of the way, and he stepped inside, just enough for her to close the door.

“What did he do?” he questioned, trying to remain soft with her even though his ire toward Burrows was spilling over inside of him. She sighed a shaky breath before turning around, finding a spot on the arm of her couch, flinching in pain lightly when she crossed her arms. He remained in the entryway, waiting for her to speak as rain droplets from his hair left trails down his face. He watched as she bit down hard, clenching her jaw as she concentrated on her thoughts.

“We went out last night,” she began, Jay taking note of the way she avoided saying his name. “It was getting late, we had a lot to drink. He had way more than me, way more than usual, but I didn’t oppose when he offered to walk me home. When we got out front, he emptied his guts into the bushes and asked me if he could come up for some water. I agreed, and he came up to my apartment. I pulled a glass from the cupboard, and when I turned around he was pressing me against the counter,” she said, the shakiness in her voice building up as she continued. Jay felt like he was going to be sick himself.

“He was trying to kiss me, holding me against the counter with one hand… groping me with the other. I told him to stop, that he was drunk, that I wasn’t interested. I tried pushing him away, but I was drunk myself… weaker and clumsier than I usually am. His hands were still on me, pulling, squeezing…” her voice trailed off as tears rolled from her cheeks. Jay was fuming with anger, ready to go kill the man with his bare hands that second.

“The more I struggled to get away, the more he laid into me. Punching me, choking me, putting his entire weight into my body as he forced himself on me,” her breath shuddered and she groaned as tears escaped her eyes. Jay’s head was pounding from holding back tears and vexation. The more she said, the angrier he became.

“Did he?” He asked fearfully, unsure of whether or not he wanted the answer. He felt that same heart sinking feeling he had when he asked her the same question so many years ago when he found out what Booth did to her. The same way it did back then, his voice broke with the words. He only hoped she didn’t notice the way he was completely falling apart with her. She shook her head as her puffy eyes blinked closed, sending tears down her cheeks.

“I was yelling at him to stop. Telling him no and pushing with every part of my body to get him off. He was so drunk he wasn’t even registering my words, but I was able to get a hit in, leaving him vulnerable for a split second. Long enough to catch him off guard. I laid into him until his face was so swollen I didn’t even recognize him. He got up and stumbled towards the door, falling into that table. I was able to shove him out of the apartment… and I just... I’m okay. Really. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” she said, looking down into the floor. Her words stung deep because he knew it really wasn’t anything she hadn’t had to endure before.

She was quiet for a moment, swallowing hard almost like she was trying to stomach every emotion that had to be consuming her. She stifled a series of whimpers and despite her best attempts, she fell apart completely. She clutched at her body with her arms as deep sobs shook her entire being. He wasn’t sure if he should approach her, wasn’t sure if touching her would trigger her, wasn’t sure what she needed in that moment.

So, he slowly made his way towards her, close enough to touch her, to remind her he was there and she was safe, but holding back as sobs continued to escape her mouth. She reached an arm out, trying to steady herself as she attempted to catch her breath. That was the affirmation he needed, so he carefully grabbed her by the arms, wrapping her up in his body slowly. She nestled into him and despite the cold and soggy mess he was, she clung tightly to him. They dropped to the floor as she fell apart. He rested his chin against her head as his arms squeezed her as tightly as they could. The rain droplets fell down his face and blended with the tears that spilled out of his eyes.

“Shh. I’ve got you. You’re safe. He won’t hurt you again. I got you,” he said, repeating the last three words over and over again in whispers. He felt her fingers clench tightly around his back and they sat like that for a while, huddled together on the floor until she had come down from it all.

She pulled away from his hold, keeping her fingers gripped against his back as he cradled her in his arms.

“I’m sorry,” her voice cracked with the words, and Jay responded instantly by shaking his head.

“No, don’t do that. You have nothing to be sorry for,” he whispered tenderly.

She reached a hand up, brushing a loose, wet curl from his forehead as he lost himself in her glossy blue eyes. Her eyes steadied him, casting out all of the rage that previously filled his body, and bringing him into an unexpected state of peace despite everything that just happened. She was all that mattered. Regardless of the trauma she had went through, in that moment, she was okay, she was safe, and she was in his arms. As she looked up at him, the pain and sadness that filled her eyes somehow coexisted with that familiar glimmer she only reserved for him, sending a fluttery feeling in his chest and a stroke of courage through his body.

“I love you,” he whispered, the words escaping his lips before his brain could even realize it. Her face fell with surprise, and tears refilled her eyes as he brought a hand to cup her cheek. His thumb swiped fragilely against her jaw as silence filled the room.

“I love you, Hailey” he said again, almost like he didn’t believe he said it the first time. Her mouth fell slightly agape as deep breaths sent her chest up and down steadily. Her watery eyes travelled from his eyes down to his lips, training themselves there for a moment as he took in every movement, every reaction to those words in the silence of her apartment.

In a flicker, she reached her head up and closed the space between them as her lips connected with his. She kissed him slow and steady. Her lips moved meticulously, delicately connecting and disconnecting from his as they each remained mindful of the wound on her bottom lip. It was a short kiss, but the feeling of her lips against his lingered long after she pulled away. She rested her forehead against his and stayed there as they each caught their breath. Silence surrounded them, and he felt like she could hear his heartbeat broadcasting loudly in the quiet.

“I didn’t sleep last night,” she blurted out as her eyes remained closed and her forehead stayed pressed against his. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his as she pulled away ever so slightly. The interruption caught him by surprise, and he became nervous. He worried that it was all too much, that he had ruined things by confessing his feelings, that the kiss was just a reaction to her emotions, and that her next words would be to send him away.

“Would you lay with me?” She uttered. He breathed out a sigh of relief. In any other context, he would’ve teased her for the suggestive nature of the question, but in that moment he knew exactly what she meant. She needed rest, a moment to forget about everything that happened, and just as comforting as it was to have her in his arms, he realized the feeling went both ways.

“I don’t mean-“ she began before he interrupted.

“I know,” he told her, nodding his head softly.

“But my clothes…” he said, becoming suddenly aware of the way his damp suit was stuck to his skin. She stood, offering him a hand to stand with her. His heart stopped in his chest when she pulled the towel off of him and moved her hands to his shoulders, sliding her fingers under his blazer and dragging it down his arms. Her small hands moved to the buttons on his shirt. He nodded when she sent him a silent question of consent. His breath came out in nervous shudders when her fingers slid across his bare chest, peeling his wet shirt from his body and letting it fall onto the floor. She continued undressing him slowly. It wasn’t sexual, it wasn’t awkward, and to his surprise, he didn’t even blush when he was left standing before her in only his boxers. It was intimate, sweet even, and his breath remained unexpectedly stable through it all. She grabbed the towel from the ground with one hand and his hand with the other, leading him to her bedroom. She settled him at the end of her bed and she brought the towel to his head, gently drying the loose droplets from the ends of his short, unruly curls. His gaze remained on her eyes the entire time, trying to convince himself that what was happening was real. She climbed into her bed and he climbed in on the other side, feeling an unexpected sense of comfort despite it being their first time sharing a bed, in just his boxers no less. Under the covers, she curled her body into his side. He wrapped his arm protectively around her and her hand came to rest against his chest. He grasped it in his, noting how small it was, rubbing his thumb gently over her bruised fingers.

“Thank you for coming here... making sure I was okay,” she whispered into his chest.

“Thank you for being okay,” he muttered back. She looked up, bringing her lips to the side of his jaw briefly before settling her head back on his chest. They laid like that for a while, and eventually she succumbed to sleep.

He laid awake with her head against his bare chest, staring at the ceiling, in complete disbelief of everything that had happened. Part of him was still full of anger, ready to find Walker and put him in the ground for what he did. Another part of him wanted to lay there with her in that moment forever. Walker would get what was coming to him, but in that moment she needed him, so that’s where he’d stay. It didn’t go unnoticed that she didn’t say the words back, but he didn’t care. He finally told her how he felt. He confessed his love for her with nothing but emotion and sincerity, and he finally knew what it was like to be kissed by her, to be wrapped in her warm body, and consumed by everything she was. They certainly needed to talk, to figure out what everything that happened would mean for them, but for him, for that moment, being there with her was enough.