#ncis new orleans fanfiction
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ncis-yp · 8 months ago
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Saint Tony (Tony DiNozzo x reader) part 1; fluff
You’d been working at NCIS for a few months. Gibbs saw you working for the police department. You were a detective that wasn’t taken seriously. You made observations and figured out things that the other cops didn’t, but you were so young, you were a girl. Nonetheless, Gibbs asked you to come work for him. And that’s how you met Tony.
You: I’m going drinking tonight with the girls.
You respond to his text. You hadn’t been talking to Tony for a long time, had only been friends since you started at NCIS.
Tony: Oh fun! What bar?
He replies he wasn’t gonna show up. He just wants to make sure you’re safe
You: Stevie’s
You say, a dc famous western themed bar/club known for its really good drinks and music but terrible violence. You had been fine in your past experiences, so you didn’t think much of it.
Tony: Taking a gun?
You: Mmm I thought about it but not tonight
Tony: Have a DD?
You: No we’re taking an Uber.
Tony: Well call me when you get home, or if you need anything
You: Okay thanks dad 😂. You joke.
Tony: Wow I care about you and all I get is sarcasm? Not even a promise of a kiss
You: Aww poor Tony… baby needs some attention.
Tony: I mean, I wouldn’t mind having you to myself tonight
You: Ooo maybe maybe.
Being with Tony seemed like such an amazing idea. As much as you wanted to play around before giving in, you were wanting to dive head first into him.
Tony: Well go have fun with those girls! Call me. Be safe (y/n).
The disappointment settled in as he changed into some pj pants and his hoodie. He heated up some leftovers and turned on a movie.
Time skip~
Tony was asleep in bed. Meanwhile a night at the bar turned to be you starving, drunk, and desperately searching for your phone. When you finally found it, you called Tony.
“DiNozzo” he says sleepily into the receiver end.
“Hey Tony. Would you mind picking me up?” You ask. Your words slurring into each other.
“Yea, I’m on my way” Tony sat up and swung his legs out of bed. Grabbing his keys and wallet he left the house. 15 minutes later Tony’s Mustang was running idle in front of the bar. You walked to the entrance where Tony was standing. You laid in his arms as he leaned against the door of his car, laughing.
“Tony Tony Tony” you say.
“(Y/n)” he laughed. “Let’s get you in the car”
“Okay okay” you were giggling. Body shaking against Tony’s as you did. Tony was smiling. You looked so beautiful. A black satin dress, your hair was messy now, a little mascara under your eyes, but that lipstick was unmoved. He helped you into the car, running to the other side to get in.
You had your head on his shoulder. He could feel your light breathing on his neck. While waiting at a red light he tried to look down at you, he found your eyes looking at him. You moved your body, a drunk hand lazily moving around his neck. He moved his face to looking at you completely as you laid your lips on his.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?” You whispered between kisses.
“Yes” he responds as he began driving to his apartment. Your hands all over his body. “(Y/n)” he moaned. He slowly started losing his composure. Dick hardening as he speedily drove to his apartment.
Tony was willing to admit that he wanted to have sex with you. But not drunk. He wanted you when you were sober. In his mind, if you love him sober, you’ll love him drunk. Not the other way around.
“Tony” you whispered in his ear.
“(Y/n)” he responded. Your hands still traveling around his body when he pulled up into the driveway. He parked the car and turned it off.
Once the two of you were inside, Tony took you to his bedroom. You drunkly got undressed. Tony had his back turned while you were pulling down your pants. He tossed one of his shirts on the bed.
“I’ll be back” he said and left the room retuning a few minutes later to see you sitting on the edge of the bed. “Brought baby wipes for your makeup” he shrugged crouching down to help you wipe it off.
You were smiling. You played with his hoodie strings while he cleaned off your face. Slowing down around your lips. You leaned down and kissed him. He kissed you back. Tony moved between your legs and you scooted back on the bed. The blankets already in disarray seeing as he was sleeping earlier.
“Tony…” you whisper palming him through his pajama pants. He shook his head, kissing you deeply.
He held your hips. Close to his.
“Fuck” he groaned as you moved against him.
He pressed his lips to yours one more time. You passionately kissed him back. He covered you with the blanket, as he noticed you were getting sleepier and sleepier.
“Goodnight gorgeous” he kissed you before cuddling next to you. You hummed in response.
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jessi-2021471 · 7 months ago
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Radiant in red: A captivating smile that draws in hearts effortlessly red
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sunflowerrosewood · 5 months ago
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NCIS Masterlist
Mainly for NCIS characters. May show some of the other spin off from LA or New Orleans
💗 - Fluff 🎆 - Smut 💔 - Angst
🌻 - Headcanon 🌹 - One Shot 🍄 - Imagine 🌸 - Multiple parts 🌼 - alphabet 🍀 - alternative universes
~~~~
Jethro Gibbs
Ill With Your Love 💔💗🍀🌹
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Omgggggggggg y’all they are making a spin off with tony and ziva on ncis
My dad told me that he heard it on the radio (we were talking about how Sam has been on ncis Sydney or one of them now that LA isn’t rlly on anymore) and now i have to keep it a secret which isn’t fun
My dad is gonna tell my sister because she was destroyed when ziva “died” and when she came back she flew out the chair got carpet burn and like threw a laundry basket so we keeping it a secret so we can get the reaction
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moonlight-breeze-44 · 2 years ago
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Bad Things Happen Bingo Prompt Fill - "Disowned by Family"
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Shelter From the Storm
When Gregorio comes out to her mother, the fallout leaves her falling back into old habits. Pride, however, is determined to remind her that she isn't alone in her struggles and that there are people that care about and love her just as she is right there in New Orleans. Sometimes, family doesn't have to be blood. Sometimes family can be found.
Pairings: None main; background PerSalle
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Self-harm, self-worth/esteem issues, general mental health issues, homophobia, disownment, blood/injury
Read on AO3
Gregorio knew it was only a matter of time before she had to make the phone call, but it didn’t mean getting the courage to dial her mother’s number and press call was any easier.
Now, alone in her apartment, she wished her heart would stop pounding into the beginnings of a panic attack and let her fucking breathe. Her hands were so clammy with sweat that she half-expected the phone to slip and fall to the ground. She wondered if maybe it would be better if it did. It would mean she didn’t have to face this.
Gregorio loved her mom, but that was half of the problem. Her mother could be old-fashioned, and Gregorio had been raised in the countryside of New York with two dogs, an old cat, and no father to speak of. In some ways, Gregorio was a lot more like LaSalle than she wanted to admit.
As she waited for Emily Gregorio to pick up her phone, Tammy paced; she was her mother’s only child, and if what she said today devastated her like she feared it would, she doubted there would be another chance for them. This stupid fucking phone call was going to define their entire relationship, and the fear was enough to make Tammy grab the chair in front of her for support, nails scrabbling for purchase along the worn fiber.
No turning back now.
“Tammy?” Her mother’s voice, pragmatic as always, filled Gregorio’s ears and she flinched. Maybe she wasn’t as ready for this as she thought. “What’s wrong?”
It was a response that most other people would consider harsh or brusque, but in reality, Emily was just being realistic; Tammy almost never called unless she was backed into a corner and needed something. Her mother never called unless someone had died. It was a routine that Tammy couldn’t bring herself to feel bad for, considering her mother’s part in it and the lack of warmth between them. But their lack of contact made what Tammy had to say even harder to reveal.
“Mom, I have something to tell you,” Tammy breathed, trying to keep her voice as steady and strong as she could while the panic rattled in her ribcage. She could do this. She had to.
“Oh my god, are you pregnant?” Emily exclaimed, and Tammy heard the blatant delight in her voice at the thought. She shook her head, even though she knew her mother couldn’t see her. This was going to make it even harder to burst her bubble. When the silence stretched on a beat too long, she rolled her shoulders, shaking them out, trying to calm her nerves.
“Uh, no, Mom, I’m not pregnant,” Tammy replied, heaving a deep breath. “I, uh…I-I’m…”
“You’re what, Tammy? Spit it out.”
“I’m gay,” Tammy burst out, chest heaving with having the pressure of her secret released. She felt herself begin to tremble and leaned more of her weight onto the old chair in front of her. “I’m, uh, I’m a lesbian, Mom. I like women.”
The silence that followed her revelation felt like claws around Gregorio’s neck, choking and scratching into her windpipe. She waited with bated breath. Everything hinged on her mother’s reaction. Tammy’s hands were shaking with fear. Even if they weren’t close, she still loved her mother. She still wanted her to be a part of her life.
“Tammy, I…I’m not sure what to say.”
“Anything,” Gregorio begged, hating how desperate she sounded, but she couldn’t wait any longer. “Just say something, please.”
“Well, you know this isn’t what I wanted for you,” Emily stated, and Tammy knew it was true. Memories of her bisexual phase in high school rushed to the forefront of her mind, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe past the mental images of her mother’s disdain when she was fifteen and dating Zara Matthews. The coldness in her mother’s voice, then and now, felt like Tammy had swallowed a burning hot coal that was beginning to scorch her insides.
“How will you have children, Tammy?” Emily continued, obviously distraught. Tammy’s fingers tightened on the phone, and she tried to take a deep breath; get herself under control.
“I can adopt,” she replied calmly, “Or find a surrogate. Or…” She paused, hesitating. She was already six feet deep and buried with her mother, it seemed; why not put the nail in her own coffin? “...or maybe I won’t have kids.”
“Tammy,” her mother said reproachfully, “You have to have kids!”
“Says who?” Tammy retorted, her hands trembling where they still held the back of the living room chair for dear life. “I mean, look at me. I’m okay, aren’t I? I’m happy. I, I don’t have to have kids. Besides, I’m an NCIS agent. Who would want a mom who does what I do?”
“A child that understands the meaning of sacrifice,” Emily snapped. “Which you clearly don’t.”
“Mom, I…”
“No, Tammy, just don’t.” Gregorio fell silent, biting her lip hard to avoid letting out the tears that had gathered in her eyes sometime during the phone call. Her mother loved her, she was sure. But Tammy could never be who she wanted, either. And if she had learned one thing from her time in New Orleans with Ethan, before NCIS, it was that sometimes love wasn’t enough.
“Look, dear, I’m not going to say that this is the end of things.” Gregorio’s breath hitched, and she had to fight to keep her emotions in check. She knew that tone well enough to know what her mother was really saying, and it was the end of things. God, she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, but to know it and to have it confirmed were two very different feelings.
“But you should know how I feel about this,” Emily continued, ignorant to her daughter’s pain. “I don’t think it’s right. I don’t think it’s natural. I always thought you grew out of that phase you had in high school, especially after you married Ethan. Which, I know that didn’t work out, but one bad apple doesn’t mean the whole barrel is bad. I-I don’t know what you want from me here, Tammy. You are my daughter, and I love you. But I will not support this lifestyle. When you’re ready, you can come back home. We can work this out. But until then, don’t - don’t call. Don’t visit. Please. Spare us both. I’m sure you won’t feel this way forever, Tammy. When you change your mind, I’ll be here. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Mom - ”
“Tammy, please. Don’t make this any harder than it already is. Just-Just sort yourself out, okay? I’ll be here when you need me. I love you.” With that, the call dropped, and Gregorio sank to her knees behind the worn out chair, breathing hard and fast, on the verge of a fucking panic attack from the call. Emily was gone. She recognized the situation for what it was; her mother had given her an ultimatum. Become straight, or say goodbye to her and their home back in New York forever.
It wasn’t a choice at all.
With the sound of the dial tone in her ear, her mother’s final words before she hung up way too loud in her head, Tammy allowed herself to cry, the weight of the emotions she had struggled to hold back before escaping in full. She sobbed into her knees, her shoulders shaking. She couldn’t be something she wasn’t. She couldn’t change, even though there had been more than enough times that she wanted to. She couldn’t give her mother what she had asked for.
In all the ways that mattered, it was over.
She and her mother had never been close. The truth was that Tammy expected the call to end like this, but it was still more of a blow than she had ever expected to know that the woman who raised her would never accept her for who she was. Tammy felt lost, and cut open, like someone had twisted a knife in her and then left her to die on a street corner. She didn’t know what her next steps were, if there even were any, and more than anything, she felt vulnerable.
It was a feeling she wasn’t used to, between her secrecy about her private life and the walls she built around her heart, but it made her want to hide and protect her six from whatever was going to hurt her. But there was nothing to shield herself from, no imminent threat or dangerous gunman; just her own damage and that goddamn dial tone still humming in her ear, a reminder that she would never be able to call home again.
The thought of home sent a fresh wave of tears cascading down her cheeks, and Tammy finally ripped the cellphone from her ear, throwing it across hardwood until it crashed into the side of her refrigerator. She would regret that later, she was sure, but for now she didn’t care. She couldn’t. The only piece of herself that seemed to matter was in New York, probably opening a bottle of whiskey and no doubt planning to pray for her in church the next day.
Home was gone forever now, even if she hadn’t called it that in years. It was still the place where she was raised, and where she’d learned how to fight for herself in more ways than one. She loved the sprawling hills on their property, and the well where she had nearly drowned once as a child. She loved the fucking tire swing and the garden beds and the old barn where she used to go with the dogs when she needed to be alone. Their house and grounds were so beautiful that sometimes Gregorio hardly believed that she lived in New York growing up. All of it would become a memory now, and she would never be able to touch the wildflowers that grew along the fence line ever again. It shouldn’t have affected her so much, considering it had been years since she even wanted to go home, but the thought of losing it all forever was more than she could handle.
The tears, which hadn’t stopped or slowed in the slightest, were becoming overwhelming and almost nausea-inducing, so Gregorio took a deep breath, moving her hands roughly down her legs, then her calves, then her ankles, trying to ground herself and move away from the precipice of her breakdown. But instead of finding stability in her old brown Doc Martens, like she had hoped, her hand brushed a cold piece of metal, and it sent her heartbeat racing again.
She knew what it was, the feeling unmistakeable against her fingers. It was a sterling silver razor blade, years old at least, tucked into a fraying patch on her boots since November of 2018. She had played a dangerous game with it, allowing it so close; on one hand, it could become dislodged at work and she ran the risk of someone investigating her for psychological issues if they saw where it had been hiding. On the other hand, she could lose it in the field, and she would never have to worry about it, or remember the temptation, ever again.
Neither of those things had happened, apparently, and she knew from the feel of it against her fingers that, somehow, it hadn’t even been scuffed. It was the perfect deadly instrument, even after all these years. Gregorio’s hand trembled.
She hesitated for a second, but pulled the razor blade from the patch on her boot, turning it over and over in her palms like precious gold. A coil of longing hit her like a punch to the gut, and Gregorio tried to suck in a deep breath, wanted to put it back, wanted to throw it away and pretend it never existed, but she couldn’t bring herself to.
If this razor blade had somehow managed to survive three years working as a field agent for the FBI, and one as an NCIS agent, not to mention the countless parties and clubs she’d been to, it had to be a sign. Gregorio didn’t believe in fate, but maybe the gods that weren’t were trying to tell her something now.
It had been five years. It had been half of a lifetime. Part of Gregorio didn’t want to risk it, after fighting so hard to get clean in the first place, but the other, larger part of her that wanted for the quick pain of metal against her skin argued that because it had been so long, it wouldn’t matter now. A relapse wasn’t really a relapse if it only lasted a day, and if she got her act together right after. She could do this, and hide it, then throw it away the next day and no one would ever have to know.
“It’s not like last time,” Gregorio muttered to herself, trying to believe it. “I won’t let it get out of hand.”
She didn’t know if she could keep the promise to herself or not, but it didn’t matter. Her mother’s words were still burning like acid in her lungs, and she just wanted the pain to be replaced with something new, something better, until she was able to get ahold of herself. It was the best, most efficient option, and then she would stop. One cut, she told herself, and after that she would curl up in bed and watch Desperate Housewives or something. One cut, and she would be okay.
Tammy rolled up her sleeve, took a deep breath, and pressed the razor blade to her wrist.
The relief was immediate, almost as overwhelming and euphoric as a drug, and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks at the feeling. It didn’t take away her mother’s homophobia, or the way her abandonment made Tammy feel, but it replaced the worst of it with white-hot pain and the familiar sting of a fresh cut instead. Blood welled like storm clouds in the wound, and slid down her wrist until it began to drip onto her pants. Lazily, Tammy remembered she needed to do laundry and didn’t have another pair of work pants. Another, bigger part of her, however, couldn’t be bothered to care.
Instantly forgetting the one-cut promise, Tammy sliced her way through six pristine cuts before stopping to take a breath, her chest heaving with the relief of giving into the old addiction again. She didn’t remember much from three years ago, the last time she cut, but she could swear it had never felt this good before.
Looking down at her arm, a pageant of crimson lines sluggishly bleeding, Tammy felt the calm settle into her bones, numbness chasing away the pain. She exhaled hard, letting her head thump against the forgotten chair in front of her. She got what she needed. She should stop.
She didn’t.
It was close to midnight before she threw the razor blade down and stopped to admire her work. She wasn’t sure how much blood she would have to clean up, or how much she had lost, and she hadn’t eaten today either. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to just sit there after what she’d done, but her head was swimming, and she was so exhausted that even attempting to get up would have been too much for her. So, instead, Tammy rested her arms on the bloodstained slacks, and let her head loll against the back of the living chair. She had slept in worse places.
~ ~ ~
In the morning, Tammy’s alarm came blaring to life at 6am, startling her awake from where she was slumped over next to the chair. Her arms felt like they were glued to her pants, dried blood sticking to the fabric, and she could feel a telltale crustiness on the seat of her pants that meant, somehow, she had managed to sit in a puddle of blood. “God, make it stop,” she muttered, and struggled to get to her feet to turn off the fucking alarm. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this bad.
By the time she made it to the kitchen, where her phone was at, miraculously not dead but down to the last 5% of its battery, it was almost 6:30 and she was going to be late for work if she didn’t hustle.
Tammy made it to her bedroom with less difficulty, though she still felt lightheaded, and got to work peeling the blood-soaked slacks off and painfully removing her shirt, which had a few spots of blood on it from her careless cutting the night before. She searched through her closet as fast as she could for the most lightweight long-sleeved shirt she had, that was a dark enough color to mask the blood if her cuts opened up while she was at work. After that, she selected a pair of dark jeans, even though they were against the agency dress code, and headed to the bathroom to do what she could for her appearance.
To her dismay, her eyes were still a little bloodshot from last night, and her hair was a mess. She would need makeup to cover up the circles underneath her eyes, evidence of multiple nights of restless sleep in preparation for the phone call with her mother.
The thought of her mother made Tammy’s heart seize up, and she pressed on one of the new cuts, hissing at the sharp pain it brought. It was enough to snap her out of her head, at least, and she got to work applying makeup to cover up what she could of her turmoil. Finally, she was able to run a brush through her hair, grab her gun, badge, and car keys, and head out the door.
Just before walking into the Navy Yard, Tammy hesitated, and considered calling in sick. But as tempting as it was to go back to her apartment and stay in bed all day, that wasn’t a good idea; the NCIS team was like a big fucking family, and they were sure to stop by if they got word she wasn’t feeling well. Not only was her apartment a mess, but the pool of blood by the chair in the living room, as well as the razor blade that had caused all of this damage, was still out in the open for any prying eyes to see.
Still, Tammy knew it would be hard to keep what she had done from her teammates. She would have to be on her guard. They were perceptive, even if they weren’t trained profilers like her, and much worse, they knew her. It would take all of her skills at hiding and lying and pretending to fool them into believing she was fine.
The cuts pulled tight as the fabric of her shirt shifted, making each step and movement she made towards the office painful. She had learned how to hide the pain a long time ago, but a part of her wished she had bandaged the wounds before coming in today, instead of hiding the first-aid supplies in her bag in case of an emergency and hoping for the best. But Pride was already going to kill her for being late, and it would take another fifteen minutes at least to deal with the fallout of her habit. She didn’t want to come off any more suspicious than she already was.
Taking a deep breath, Gregorio etched a smile onto her face, and walked into the NCIS office like everything was fine, as always. Nothing is different today, she warned herself, trying to drill it into her brain. Nothing has changed.
“There ya are, Gregorio! Was startin’ to wonder if we was gonna have to send out a search party,” Chris greeted her with a smile, and Gregorio gave him one of her patented bitchfaces in return.
“I got caught in traffic,” she lied, and watched his face for any signs of disbelief as she made her way to her desk. She clocked the slight raise of his eyebrows, his posture lengthening, and reminded herself to adjust her tone when she was lying.
“Didn’t think there was hardly any traffic on Bourbon Street,” Chris commented, and Tammy turned to place her bag next to her desk and start up her computer. It was easier to lie to someone when she didn’t have to face them.
“There isn’t usually,” she replied, keeping her tone light and casual. “Guess today was my lucky day.”
“Guess so,” Chris responded, and Tammy turned around just in time to see him giving her one of his famous, milliwatt smiles. She grinned back, bumping his shoulder playfully on her way into the kitchen. One down, two to go.
By the time she caught up with Pride and Sonja, it was almost midday, and the hot, humid weather prompted a picnic invite from Pride to eat lunch at the bridge in town. Chris, Sonja, and the others all agreed, leaving Gregorio as the odd one out. She knew she couldn’t decline without offering an explanation, lest they become suspicious of her motives, but she couldn’t accept the invitation when she knew either Chris or Sonja would try to roll up her sleeves the second they arrived, either to tease her or out of care for her wellbeing. Refusing their help against potential heatstroke when it was summer in the middle of New Orleans was a one-way ticket to having her secret revealed.
“Tammy, you’re not going to lunch with us?” Percy pouted, her eyebrows drawn up in that Percy way, that said she was more concerned than disappointed, but was too proud to put voice to her feelings. “Come on, don’t you want to hang with the gang?”
“As much as I would love to ‘hang with the gang’,” Gregorio used air quotes and gave Sonja a playful smirk, “I have a prior obligation.”
“Oooh, someone’s got a hot date,” Chris said, walking into the kitchen with an ice chest for their drinks. “So who is it, Gregorio? Black-haired beauty? Feisty redhead? That’s my type.”
“Excuse you,” Percy retorted, raising her eyebrow in his direction.
“Pardon me,” Chris corrected, giving Sonja a fond smile, “That’s usually my type.”
“Better,” Sonja affirmed, before turning her attention to Gregorio once more. “But seriously, T, where you goin’ that you can’t come hang with us?”
“Well, Chris wasn’t exactly wrong,” Gregorio replied, lifting her coffee mug to her lips to take a sip so she could avoid having to look either of them in the eyes. “A certain mayor’s secretary asked me out the other day, and I can’t leave her hanging a second time.” Though it was a lie that they had a lunch date, it wasn’t a lie that she’d been asked out, so Gregorio didn’t feel as bad as she maybe should for using Amber as her scapegoat.
“With that one, you better not,” Chris replied, chuckling. “I’ve heard she’s got some high standards.”
“Of course she does,” Gregorio retorted without missing a beat. “She’s going on a date with me, isn’t she?”
Sonja and Chris both laughed at that, the latter ribbing her good-naturedly for a minute or two before they calmed down. She allowed her smirk to play on her lips, knowing she could pass it off as satisfaction at her joke instead of her lie. They weren’t suspicious of her anymore, not after she’d thrown them a bone. For now, she was safe.
~ ~ ~
Later that night, when the team was getting ready to wrap up and head home, Pride caught her eye, gesturing her into the kitchen. Tammy dropped her bag and took a deep breath, heading in to meet him. She could feel her heart skip a beat.
Of all of them, Pride was the most likely to figure out that something was wrong, even if he was the least likely to react with anything other than kind, calm patience. Still, the idea of her boss finding out her most guarded secret was more terrifying than she could fathom.
Without speaking or otherwise acknowledging Pride, Gregorio took a seat on the barstool across from him, crossed her arms, and waited. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat, but forced herself to be motionless and keep her expression blank, lest she give away the anxiety she was feeling.
“So, Gregorio,” Pride said, taking in her position and folding his arms across the top of the bar, “Want to tell me what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” Gregorio replied defensively, before she could stop herself and try to temper her tone. “What makes you think something’s going on?”
Pride raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed. “Well, for starters, you came in late today, said it was traffic when traffic is nonexistent on your street, you’re actin’ awful odd, and then you lied to Christopher and Sonja about who you were with for lunch today.”
Gregorio opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Pride held up his hand and continued, “I have it on good authority that the mayor’s secretary didn’t leave her office all day.” He softened, giving her a worried look, and said, “Just want to know you’re okay, and if anything’s goin’ on that we can help with.”
“It’s nothing,” Gregorio sighed, letting her shoulders slump in defeat. There was no use pretending she was fine if Pride already knew something was up. She didn’t have to tell him everything, but maybe if she told him about her mom, at least, he’d leave her alone.
“Just a little upset from a phone call with my mother yesterday,” Gregorio admitted, picking at her nails to avoid meeting Pride’s eyes. “I came out to her.”
Pride nodded, his eyes filling with support and kindness for her, and moved to wipe down the kitchen counter, in an effort to give her space to talk as much as she wanted to. Gregorio knew the tactic, was familiar with it from teasing the truth out of LaSalle when he was being particularly stubborn. Though she was loathe to admit it, she appreciated it. “How did she take it?”
“Not well,” Tammy sighed, pressing her nail into the pad of her thumb to resist the urge to burst into tears again. She had already done enough crying in the past 24 hours. “She basically gave me an ultimatum; stop being gay, or stop coming home. Permanently.”
“Oh, Tammy,” Pride breathed, sympathy pouring out of him and into her. “I’m so sorry.” He reached across the bar to lay a hand on her shoulder, and against her will, Tammy leaned into the touch.
“It’s okay,” she murmured, closing her eyes to avoid letting Pride see how glossy they had become. “W-We were never really close.”
“Still, that’s gotta hurt,” Pride said, withdrawing just enough to allow her time to fight back the tears and open her eyes once more. “Parents’ rejection is…one of the worst things that can happen to a child. No matter how old they are.”
“Yeah,” Tammy breathed, the weight of her own exhaustion hitting her as she slumped on the barstool. She couldn’t remember the last time she had let something damage her like this. Who knew her mother’s decision would have such an impact on her? She sighed and tugged lightly on one of her sleeves, until it was down far enough on her arm to cover her fingers. Pride caught the movement, but said nothing. “To make matters worse, she tried to frame it like she loved me, and she was going to be there for me.” Tammy laughed bitterly, emotion swelling up in her throat. “She’s so convinced I’m going to change, Pride.”
“Not the way it works,” Pride said fondly, giving her a warm smile. His hand, still on her shoulder, was like a grounding wire, keeping her settled, and she felt like she was being comforted by the father she never had.
“Yeah,” Tammy said, again, and her voice wobbled on the last syllable. Under Pride’s kind, supportive words and gentle ministrations, she could feel the dam in her chest threatening to explode, and she slid sideways off of the barstool, grabbing for her coat and heading towards the door. She had to get out of here, before she lost it completely. “Anyway, I should go - ”
“Wait,” Pride called, and moved to follow her, grabbing her wrist to stop her from leaving. Without thinking, still trying to calm the tidal wave of emotion in her chest, Gregorio hissed in pain.
“Tammy,” Pride said slowly, releasing her wrist with some reluctance, “There something wrong with your arm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Tammy replied, giving him a quick, panicked smile. “Just bruised it on the countertop when I was getting ready for work this morning.”
“That so?” Pride asked, and he sounded suspicious enough to make Tammy’s heart skip a beat in fear. She curled her fingers around her sleeves protectively. “Mind if I take a look at it?”
“Don’t bother,” Gregorio replied, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “I told you, Pride, it’s nothing.”
“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Pride replied, and he reached for her wrist again. Determined not to give anything away, Tammy kept her face purposefully blank, allowing him to hold her arm in his hand even as his fingers pressing against the cuts felt like a sharp knife against her skin. “Thing is, Tammy…” Pride moved to grasp her sleeve, and Gregorio’s entire body tensed, waiting for his next move. This was not happening.
“You haven’t worn long sleeves this dark, especially during summer, all year,” he continued, “and that first time we talked, up on the balcony in your hotel when you first came here – you wore a tank top, and I don’t think you thought about it then, but I noticed something the others didn’t get the chance to see.” He lifted his gaze to meet Gregorio’s eyes, and she knew, without having to ask what he meant, that she was done for.
Pride knows.
“I’ve seen the scars on your wrists, Tammy,” Pride said softly, “And I’ve never mentioned it, because it’s not my business and I don’t want you to think I’m judging you for it. But if your arm is hurt…after all you’ve been through in the past few days, you understand why I need to check, right?”
Tammy nodded tightly, trying not to cry, as Pride moved to roll up her sleeve. At the last second, just before he could grab the cuff of her shirt, she blurted out: “And what do you think you’ll find, if you check?”
“I think you and I both know the answer to that,” Pride responded, his voice as kind and understanding as ever. Tammy choked on a sob, losing the battle against her emotions, and pulled away from him, running her hands through her hair so hard that she was sure she’d left red, inflamed scratches on her scalp. She heaved a deep breath and choked on it, trying to hold in the breakdown that wanted to happen, fighting to remain in control. Pride couldn’t see her like this. No one could.
“Just - Just please don’t demote me,” Tammy begged, straightening up and gasping for breath, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “D-Don’t put me on desk duty. I can still handle myself in the field, I promise I’m not a liability, Pride.”
“We’ll talk about that later,” Pride said, and her heart sank. “For now, we need to get you taken care of.” He glanced at his watch, and muttered, “Loretta might still be here, I’d have to check the morgue.”
“No – please,” Gregorio pleaded, embarrassment creeping up to settle like fire on her cheeks. “No one else needs to know about this.”
“They do, Tammy,” Pride argued, raising his eyebrows at her. “They’re your teammates. Your family. They care about you. Of course they should know about this.”
“Please,” Tammy said, raising her arms to hug herself, trying to get some semblance of comfort in the least embarrassing or incriminating way possible.
“Look,” Pride said, gesturing for her to sit down across from him in the kitchen once more, taking a seat opposite her on the island, “I know you’re scared. You’re worried about what the others might think. But they love you, Tammy, and they want to help you. I do too.”
“What if they hate me?” Tammy breathed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she looked like a wreck, pathetic even, but this was her worst nightmare come true and she couldn’t pretend anymore. “Pride, I’m weak.” She gestured haphazardly at her arms, at herself, and shook her head, avoiding his gaze by staring down the marble kitchen tile. “They’ll see me differently.”
“Maybe so,” Pride conceded, “but not in the way you think. They won’t consider you weak, Tammy. I don’t.” He reached out to lay his hand on her arm, comforting and grounding her with the touch. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, Gregorio.”
“Even now that you know I - ” Tammy gestured to her arms once more, at a loss for words. “ - Again?”
“Even now,” Pride confirmed, giving her a firm nod and a steady look that swore honesty. “Tammy, no one on this team will think any less of you for struggling with this.”
“Promise?” Tammy whispered, letting some of the vulnerability she was feeling slip into her voice as she asked the question.
“Promise,” Pride affirmed, and gave her arm a soft, gentle pat.
Gregorio nodded, her shoulders slumping in relief as some of the tension was alleviated. “Do you have to tell them tonight?”
“No, not tonight,” Pride responded. “But soon.”
“I understand.” Gregorio looked away, the fear thundering back to life in her chest. For an instant, under Pride’s reassuring words, it had disappeared.
“It’s gonna be okay, Gregorio,” Pride promised her, moving from the opposite side of the bar to wrap her in a tight hug. “The team’ll take care of you.”
“Shouldn’t have to,” Gregorio protested weakly, but Pride shushed her with a hand in her hair, stroking gently.
“We want to,” he said, and Gregorio was struck with how much she wished he could have been her real dad. Maybe her future would’ve turned out better if he was. “This is somethin’ that everyone is more ‘n willin’ to help you with. We’re gonna get it taken care of. Got your back, Tammy, not just for work.”
“Thanks, Pride,” Gregorio whispered, too emotional to express her gratitude any further. She was sure Pride understood. In his arms, trembling, Gregorio could admit that maybe what she had really needed was the support and acceptance of her loved ones. Maybe her mother would never love her the way she was, but she had an entire family here in New Orleans that did.
Maybe that was what mattered.
And if, the next day, when Loretta called her down to the morgue and told Gregorio about her mother’s issues with self-harm while she bandaged the fresh cuts on Tammy’s arms, she felt a small piece of her heart begin to heal, she didn’t mention it. And if, when Sebastian gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and offered to call her and ramble about whatever came to mind when she was having urges, she started to tear up, well, no one could prove it (she had threatened Sebastian with removing his Power Rangers collection from the lab if he told anyone). And if, when Chris said nothing but drew her into the tightest hug she could ever remember receiving, and Percy showed up at her house without warning to sit on the couch with her and watch basketball, she began to realise this was all the family she needed, she knew she could blame Pride for most of it.
Getting clean again, and resisting the urge to take a blade to her arms whenever she felt like her world was falling apart, was a fight that took months, and she did end up on desk duty for some of it, but despite the silence that stretched between her and her mother, she found that the most important thing was the family that she had right here.
Maybe she didn’t need what used to be her home when she had a better one here in New Orleans.
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n3rdybird · 3 years ago
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Could I request a Dwayne Pride x reader he gets jealous and possessive at the Tru Tone because a guy won’t leave reader alone..........please ❤️
whew, sorry this took awhile. Between playing video games and falling into various show rabbit holes, I finally completed it! Hope I did the request justice while also staying in character for Dwayne. Please enjoy!
Not a Mistake
NCIS New Orleans
Dwayne Pride x Reader
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Some heavy makeout, some language. Nothing serious here!
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You could feel his gaze on you. More so than any previous night. You did your best to ignore it as you served drinks and took orders at the very busy Tru Tone bar. It was hot and humid, normal for a summer night in New Orleans, but that didn’t stop you from hating it. You fanned the back of your neck, trying to alleviate the heat.
You shrieked when a cold bottle pressed to your skin. You slapped Jimmy with the rag you kept tucked in your apron.
“You’re a dick,” you groused but took the proffered bottle of water. The cool water felt like heaven in your throat.
“So why has my dear brother been staring at you all night?” Jimmy asked, causing you to choke on your drink.
“Jesus,” you coughed.
“Nope, still Jimmy,” he quipped, as he patted your back.
“He’s not staring,” you protested as you opened a beer for a customer. You snuck a peek at Dwayne Pride out of the corner of your eye. He was talking with the band, but every once and awhile he would glance towards the bar.
“He is the owner, he’s watching the place,” you brushed off, handing a beer to a customer.
In truth, you knew why he was staring.
You had been working at the Tru Tone for a few months now. Bartending was a lucrative job in the French Quarter, but you also enjoyed it. The energy of New Orleans was addicting and you couldn’t imagine yourself anywhere else. Not to mention the Tru Tone was an amazing place to work. Great music, wonderful patrons, and of course the best coworkers. And boss. Jimmy was pretty much in charge of the bar, but Dwayne… He was the heart and soul of the place.
And handsome to boot. It didn’t take long for you to develop a crush on the older man. He was so damn charming, it felt inevitable. And for a moment, you thought maybe he felt the same way. The two of you were closing down the bar, which was rare for Dwayne since he had his job as an NCIS agent. It had been a busy night, but by 3 am, the bar was quiet and you began cleaning the bar. The tension had been building for a while between the two of you. All it took was one accidental brush of skin and Dwayne had you on top of the bar. You remembered the feel of his rough fingers as they skated across your shoulder. The pressure of his lips against yours. And then he pushed away. Said things like “I shouldn’t have done that,” and “It would be better if we didn’t go further.” That’s how things were left. He still talked to you of course, but it was all business.
And here you were now, tending bar for a man you wanted but couldn’t have. He didn’t want you. You hoped you could get past this awkward mess.
“Jimmy, mind if I take ten? Need a breather,” you asked.
“Yeah, I can grab Pride and we can cover for you.”
“Thanks, I’ll be back in ten.”
“Take twenty and the bottle of water. And actually sit,” Jimmy ordered in a faux stern tone. You nodded and saluted him flippantly.
“Right away boss,” you said, dodging the towel he snapped at you.
You exited from behind the bar and made your way through the crowd. The horde of patrons felt suffocating once you left the safety of the bar, but you were able to slip through. You cheered when you realized your normal break spot was open, a single-seat table next to the open window. You snagged the table and plopped into the chair . The water Jimmy gave you was appreciated as you took deep swallows.
You bobbed your head to the music and you pulled out your phone to check your messages and emails. Nothing terribly important, but there were a few funny memes from Sebastian that made you snort.
“Beautiful smile,” a voice cut into your bubble, causing you to lookup. A man about your age hovered over your table.
“Mind if I sit?” he asked. “It’s a bit crowded here.” You went to stand to give the patron your seat, but he held up his hands for you to stop.
“No, I meant can I join you.”
You paused in your movements.
“Well there is only one chair,” you pointed out.
“Maybe you can sit in my lap,” he said, sitting on the table, caging yo in by putting his arm on the back of your chair. You groaned. You got hit on a lot at work, but at least this guy was upfront with his red flags.
You slid out from under his arm, putting some distance between the two of you.
“Yeah, no thanks. I’m due back behind the bar.”
“Aw come on sweetheart. I’m sure your boss won’t mind if you spent a little time with me. Customer service and all that.”
You raised a brow. Did he really think his lines worked?
“Not gonna happen,” you said, moving back towards the bar when he grabbed your wrist. It was a tight grip, verging on painful.
“Come on darlin’, don’t be like that.”
When he called you darling, a wave of revulsion washed over you. You wanted only one man to call you that, and he wasn’t him. You tried to yank your wrist away but his grip tightened, causing you to wince at the pressure. You turned to see if anyone was watching when a familiar presence was at your back. It was at that moment you realized the music had stopped and the crowd was watching the scene.
“I believe the young lady asked ya to leave her alone,” Dwayne said, catching the other man’s attention. He was standing tall, not aggressive in his stance, but there was a definite aura around him. This wasn’t Tru Tone Dwayne or even NCIS agent Dwayne. His face was tight, and his hands flexed as if he wanted to wring the man’s neck.
When Dwayne spoke, the grip on your wrist lessened, allowing you to pull your hand away with effort. You cradled your wrist and Dwayne pushed you back with his hip, standing in front of you. While you could take care of yourself and preferred not to have Dwayne or Jimmy step in, you were glad. Knowing that Dwayne had your back still, even after that night.
“And who are you, her dad?” he scoffed, taking note of Dwayne's silver hair and dismissing his authority.
“I’m the owner of this bar, and I’ll hafta ask ya to leave. I’d hate for this to get ugly.”
Maybe the man was drunk or maybe he was a fool. Probably both, especially when he reared back to hit Dwayne. Your boss dodged the swing and caught the man’s arm easily. He brought his arm up behind him, making him yelp at the pressure. The determination on Dwayne’s face made your knees buckle a bit. Like a knight defending a maiden. It was almost too much.
“Now see, this is ugly. Why don’t ya just go on and get out of here? Before you get arrested for assaulting a federal officer.” He shoved the man who stumbled toward the door. He recovered his footing, red in the face, and stood menacingly.
Dwayne flipped open his wallet flashing his credentials. The man faltered at the sight and stopped his movement. He spat at the ground and pushed through the crowd toward the exit.
You breathed a sigh of relief. You knew Dwayne could handle himself, but you couldn’t help but worry. Drunk men were unpredictable.
“Alright folks, let’s get the music started again,” he called out, and a cheer rang out in the crowd. Once the focus was off the two of you, Dwayne took your uninjured hand and led you towards the stairs.
“Dwayne, I gotta get back to work,” you said.
“Jimmy can handle it,” he said, nodding towards his brother. Jimmy nodded back, waving the two off. “I wanna take a look at your wrist.”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” you said, waving off his concern. You stopped at the base of the stairs when Dwayne leveled his gaze on you. This was not an argument you were going to win.
“Just let me take a look darlin’,” he said with finality. You nodded and allowed him to lead you up the stairs. He kept a hand on your back as you took each step. You relished it, even if it was just Dwayne’s overprotectiveness.
Once upstairs, he herded you into a chair and knelt before you. With gentle hands, he manipulated your wrist. He turned it all ways, rolling it with practiced care. You hissed when he touched a particular sore spot. He turned his gaze to you, worry in his eyes.
“Does it hurt?”
“It's not so bad. I’ll be okay,” you brushed off his concern. He cradled your hand in his, his thumb gently rubbing at your wrist.
The two of you sat in silence as Dwayne stared at your wrist. With each pass of his thumb, your skin tingled, causing the hairs on your arm to stand.
“I didn’t like him touching you,” he finally said.
“Dwayne it’s not your fault-”
He stood abruptly, taking a few steps away from where you were sitting. His back was facing you, and you could see the tension in his shoulders in the way he stood.
“I didn’t like him touching you. Talking to you. Smiling at you,” Dwayne bit out. He turned to face you, his hands clenched into fists. His normally carefree expression was stony, his eyes seemingly darker. You stood up and took a few steps toward your boss. You tentatively reached out and took his hand in yours, thumbing over his knuckles.
“I was wrong that night. Kissing you wasn’t a mistake. Pushing you away, that was a mistake,” he confessed. He brought his other hand up to the crook of your neck. While his long fingers brushed the hair at the nape of your neck, his thumb brushed over your fluttering pulse point.
“Seeing that man flirt with you, as unwanted as it was… made me angry. Jealous. I wanted to hit him for touching you. For hurting you.”
Dwayne was grappling with what he was saying. He had never felt the flame of jealousy as hot as he did that night. It wasn’t him. He had been helping Jimmy behind the bar when he saw the man approach you. He was instantly on alert when he saw him drape his arm over the back of your chair. Your expression when you were clearly uninterested. As soon as he grabbed your wrist, he was out from behind the bar and pushing through the crowd to you.
He felt guilty for not getting to you before your wrist was grabbed. The redness around your wrist was like a brand, shouting at him that he had failed you. He didn’t protect you in time. Dwayne clenched his jaw thinking about it. Your hand, soft and cool, brushed against his temple. You continued your ministrations until the furrow in his brow lessened. His head drooped, his forehead touching yours.
“Dwayne, I don’t want anyone but you,” you breathed. “That hasn’t changed.”
With your confession, his resolve broke, and he tilted your head up, capturing your lips with his. You surged against him, mindful of your wrist as you pulled him closer. Dwayne backed you up until your back was against the wall.
You gasped at the contact and Dwayne used that to his advantage to delve deeper into your mouth. One hand tangled in your hair, the other gripping the swell of your hip. Your mind fogged as he kissed you like a man starved and only your lips would satiate his hunger.
You responded in kind, clinging to his neck, pressing your body flush against him. He grunted when your hips met his and he pulled back with a groan.
“As much as I’d like to stay here, Jimmy is gonna be wondering where we are,” he said, catching his breath against your neck. You hmmed against his hair, trying to regain control of your mental faculties.
“To be continued later?” you offered.
“Oh darlin’, you have no idea,” he said with a smirk.
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catlynhoss05 · 3 years ago
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Howdy, y'all!!! I'm back to writing again after some time away. I'll still be writing for any Criminal Minds, NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans and House fics, series, blurbs, etc.!!!
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improvidus · 4 years ago
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This duo deserved more screentime.
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justicescreaming · 5 years ago
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Straight up Agnst
A/N: Just some NCIS NOLA pain I wrote up.  Tagged two people who play Dwayne Pride for this.  Enjoy folks.
Linda knew she had zoned out badly when she jumped as Laurel touched her shoulder.  “Is it over already?” she asked, wiping her eyes.
“It is,” Laurel nodded.  “And I want to get you home.  This heat isn’t good for you.
Linda smiled at daughter.  “I’ve lived here for over 20 years.  Heat doesn’t bother me any more.”  She looked past Laurel.  “I guess everyone is heading out then?”
Laurel looked over her shoulder.  “Yeah, yeah, they’re going to head back to the Tru Tone.”
Linda nodded.  “Your father really loved that bar.”  She cupped Laurel’s cheek.  “Almost as much as he loved you.”
Laurel’s eyes filled with tears.  “He loved you too mom.  A lot.  You know that, right?  You were his college sweetheart.”
“I know that,’ Linda nodded.  She could hear the trumpets starting up again.  That was New Orleans.  Any reason was a good reason for music.  And music was a perfect reason for a party.  Dwayne would have been at the head of the parade.  Cheering everyone up, telling them they needed to celebrate. 
Too bad he was dead now.  No more music for Dwayne Pride.
“Do you think it was right that we put him in there like that?” Linda asked as he looked at the crypt.  “You know, without a suit.  Looking all rumpled.”
“Dad wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Laurel told her.  “You know he hated suits.  And he used say the tighter your tie was, the less oxygen going to your brain.”
“You’re right,” Linda nodded.  “I’m just...there’s so much to consider.
“Mama,” Laurel started.
“Laurel, I’m fine,” Linda insisted.  She looked at the tomb.  “But I want a few minutes alone with your father.  Why don’t you you go with the team and I’ll catch up to you later?”
“Absolutely not,” Laurel said firmly. 
“Laurel--”
“No, this time I’m putting my foot down.  I’ll give you some time alone but I’m not leaving you here.  I’ll be over there if you need anything.”  She hugged her mother.  “He really did love you.”
“I loved him too sweetheart.”
Linda waited until the sound of the brass band had faded and Laurel was out of ear shot before turning back to the crypt.  Pride was chiseled at top in full caps, like some sort of statement.  An institution to the very end.  She headed inside where it was even hotter.  “You’re a real son of a bitch,” she declared to the tomb.  “I’m serious Dwayne Pride, you are a dick of the highest order.”
There were spaces for her and Laurel when they passed.  She supposed there was enough room for any grandchildren as well if they would have them.  “You promised me things would be better.  You gave me your word.  I can’t believe I fell for that again.”
She wanted to run a hand through her hair but she knew it would upset all of Laurel’s hard work.  “You told me everything would be okay.  You’d be there to help me through it.  And I believed you.  But the damn job had to get in the way again.”  The tears began to overflow and she did nothing to stop them.  “All those damn lost souls that you just had to save.
“But what about me?!  I was supposed to be a priority, Dwayne!  I was supposed to be the most important thing!  But no.  No, you had to be the big damn hero.  Save the day, save every soul.”
She rested a hand on her rounded stomach.  Her son was 8 months old and now he would never know his father.  “Who’s going to save me, Dwayne?  Who’s going to save our son?  You know what pregnancy does to my body.  And you promised you’d be here to help me through it.  But you’re not. You’re dead.  Dead and gone and I have only Laurel who has to go back to school.”  Her shoulder shook even harder.  “You left me, you bastard.”
Linda didn’t hear Laurel come in but she felt her daughter wrap her arms around her.  “It’s okay mom. I”m here.  I miss him too.”
Linda let herself cry for a few minutes before pulling herself together.  “We should get back.  People will wonder,” she murmured.
“No one would judge you for not being able to go.  Not even dad.”
“No, we’re going.  He deserves that at least.”
Laurel nodded.  “Goodbye Daddy,” she said to the crypt as they exited.
“Goodbye Dwayne,” Linda echoed.
@fuckerrd  @athousandmuses
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find-a-way-2-my-heart · 6 years ago
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Christmas Countdown: Day 2 - “Who hung up the mistletoe?”
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my overactive imagination.
A/N: Part of the Christmas Countdown prompt list posted by @dwayne-pride here. Hope you like it!  
English is not my first language. Feedback is appreciated. (gif originally posted here)
Pairing: Pride x Reader
Word count: 348
Warnings: Not fluffy at all, sorry
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You were furious and didn't bother to hide while entering the office with Pride close in your heels.
"[Y/N], calm down," he pleaded as you headed into the kitchen.
You stopped under the door frame and glared at him. "If you ask me to calm down one more time I'll shoot you."
You were about to go on your way when Sebastian called. "[Y/N], aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?" You huffed, your already non existing patience making your blood boil.
The blonde agent gave you a smirk and pointed upwards, making you look up and there it was, the little green patch. On a normal day you'd laugh and pull Pride in for a kiss, but not today.
“Who hung up the mistletoe?” You asked, crossing your arms in front of your chest, the decoration wasn't there this morning.
"Tammy did earlier today, and you know the rule," Sebastian chuckled and your eyes diverted from him to Pride, that stood just a few steps from you. The temptation was big, you wouldn't lie to yourself, but you were too pissed at him to give him the satisfaction.
"Not this time, Sebastian, no one worthy of a kiss around," you said looking pointedly at Pride before resuming your path upstairs.
Sebastian was astonished, never had he ever seen you that pissed before. "What the hell happened?" he asked Pride and the older agent sighed.
"She had a hunch, she was right, I knew she was right, but I did second guess her and almost got shot, it was nothing, really, I have no idea why she's so worked up."
Sebastian shook his head. "Maybe it wouldn't be that big of a deal six months ago, but after what you've been through? I agree with [Y/N] a hundred percent and hope you apologize."
Pride deflated. "Yeah, maybe I should apologize," he said, taking a couple of steps on the direction you had taken, anticipating the uphill battle he'd have to convince you that he hadn't meant any harm.
"Good luck," Sebastian said as he watched Pride disappear into the courtyard.  
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Take Me Home Chapter One
Summary: Hannah gets some unexpected news and she and Tammy have to figure out their new reality.
Words: 2387
Warnings: none
Pairings: Hannah Khoury/Tammy Gregorio, Tammy Gregorio/Sebastian Lund (Friendship) others to be added.
                                               A Wind of Change
Sitting at the table in the breakfast nook at Sebastian and Tammy's house. Hannah let a soft smile come across her lips as she looked over at Tammy. With Tammy Gregorio it was easy, easy to love her, far easier than it had been with Ryan Porter.
Tammy then spoke “Hey did you hear my question?”
“Huh? Sorry lost in thought.”
“I asked what you wanted for breakfast.”
“I want waffles,” Sebastian called out while he walked into the kitchen. He let out a small gasp once he recognized Tammy's house guest. ”Wait. Hannah? Why are you here? Do we have a case?”
Hannah let out a small groan, “You said he was getting back this afternoon, I knew we should have gone to my place. I'm going to go get dressed.” Standing up in the FBI tee she had stolen from Tammy’s dresser that morning and walking past Sebastian even though she was sure that Sebastian had seen the heart print briefs she had on as well.
---
“Easy baby, I'll handle it.” Tammy said as she shoved Sebastian back towards the living room.
“What the hell aren't you supposed to be at some nerd thing?”
“Comic-Con is not for nerds it's for enthusiasts. And I got in last night, I see you didn't wait up for me. Wait, that was your shirt she had on. Why is Hannah here?”
They stood quietly. Tammy raised one eyebrow at him.
“Oh my god your seeing Hannah. Wait how long has this been going on?”
“Look, me and Hannah have a little thing going on, and it's been six weeks. Let me go try and calm Hannah down before she decides to kill you, you know she could do it and get away with it. Do not mention this to anyone or I'll hurt you got it.”
“Yeah no I understand.” Sebastian nodded nervously.
“Wait. Six weeks, you've been dating for six weeks?” He watched as Tammy slide into her room and hearing her greet Hannah softly and sweetly before her door closed in front of him. He shook his head and headed to make coffee for three.
---
“I'm sorry baby, apparently he meant last night not tonight.” Tammy said as she closed the door.
Hannah paused in buttoning her red shirt and looked at her, “It’s fine other than the fact that I'm not supposed to see my subordinate, oh and no one other than you even knows I like girls! But it's fine, I'm just going to get fired or transferred to Siberia, it fine, you know except I hate the cold, my daughter is here, your here, and I'm exhausted all the time now.”
“Wow I think that's the most words I've ever heard you say at once,” Tammy said as she slid closer to Hannah “now should I kiss you to make up for all this, see if I can get you out of your jeans.” And pulled Hannah against her both arms looping around Hannah's waist.
Hannah laughed, “Sure, let’s see what you can do,” one hand coming up to rest on Tammy’s face the other sliding around Tammy's back then Hannah's phone began blaring and she groaned in response.
She turned to look for it. Finding it under her shirt from the day before she scooped it up.
“Hey Lasalle, what do we got?” She chirped and heard the Alabama accent chatter, nodding.
“All right call Loretta have her meet us there, no I'm near their house I'll stop and pick them up. Ok see you there.” Hanging up the phone.
She turned to Tammy “So let's put these plans on hold, double murder of two sailors.” She said as she gave Tammy one last kiss. Then moving to finish getting ready “Tell Sebastian please.”
---
“Right what do we have Loretta?” Tammy asked.
“We have petty officer third class Regan Clark and petty officer first class Damon Sims both served on the Chinook, both were found this morning, Regan was stabbed in the neck, but Damon well.. Christopher will you help me?” Loretta asked, pointing at the corpse.
“Oh course Ms. Loretta” as they turned the body over on the ground.
Tammy noticed Hannah's face turn almost as she clamped one hand over her mouth the other over her stomach. A wave of shock rushed through Tammy as she watched Hannah's reaction. Hannah hadn't been bothered a bit by the shrimp boat case, where the body had been bloated by the ocean, but this one while bad wasn't nearly on the same level of smell.
“He has been sliced into to spell out, from six to one the spell is spun, no time to run, the curse begun and some kind of symbol I’ll know more once I get them back to autopsy.” Loretta commented, scribbling on her notepad.
“Okay what curse?” Tammy asked looking down at the body.
“This is New Orleans, this city was built on curses” Hannah said, having managed to swallow her nausea.
“Yeah there a ton of them, wait how do you know that you've only been here about five months.” Chris said as he looked up from photographing the body.
“I've got a degree in history, I like it so when I moved here I studied up on it, but my master’s thesis was on New Orleans history.” Hannah replied.
“Okay Tammy, Chris deep dive the victims, I’ll call their COs see if they were working on anything worth killing over, Sebastian.” Hannah said, giving the orders.
“Heading to the lab.” Sebastian replied.
“Great. Anything you get us can help us get this guy really look into that symbol as well I think I recognize it and if I'm right, I have a sinking suspicion that he's not done yet.”
Upon arriving at headquarters, Hannah went straight to the bathroom, having had to try very hard not to throw up while in the car with Tammy, she expelled what she was fairly certain was the contents of her entire stomach, noting that she seemed slightly bloated. But she stood slowly and washed her mouth out, heading back in to the bullpen, ignoring the fact that both Tammy and Chris were giving her concerned looks, pulling up the Chinook’s list.
She discovered they worked under Senior Chief Petty Officer James Shal, calling his number she discovered that the officers had been on shore leave and were rumored to be dating, but that Clark had a ex that she had been trying to seek a restraining order against, but neither had any type of security clearance, Clark was a culinary specialist, and Sims worked radio.
Chris glanced over at Tammy and she nodded, she was ready to present, but when he looked over at Hannah he thought she looked like she was asleep so he walked over towards her desk.
“Boss, you ready for us to present? Hannah?” He tapped on her desk and she jerked, waking up from where her head had been resting in her hand.
“Yeah, go for it.” She said as she blinked several times to wake herself up.
Chris lifted the remote “Petty officer first class Damon Sims age 30, no money troubles, not much a personal life, joined the navy when he was 18. He is interested in treasure in particular anything to do with the so called, ‘Crystal Cove.’”
Tammy grabbed the remote from him, “Petty officer third class Regan Clark, age 25, up until recently was in fairly deep debt but made several big payoffs, has an ex that lives in the city. Joined the navy only 2 years ago, seems to have no hobbies, nothing at all even connecting her to Sims.”
“Well that is not quite true,” Hannah said as she leaned over her desk, one hand dropping over her abdomen and running lightly over it, “According to their CO, neither were on any kind of classified assignment, Clark worked as a culinary specialist and Sims worked radio. They were on shore leave together and were rumored to be seeing each other. As for Clark’s ex, she tried and failed to get a restraining order against him. Gregorio look into why.”
“Chris, I want you to go to the morgue and check in with Sebastian, help him with the symbol, concentrate on pirates that may have connections to the Crystal Cove. I'll look into the legend here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Hannah said as she rushed towards the bathroom.
Tammy looked over at Chris, “She seem okay to you?”
“Not one bit, keep an eye on her Gregorio.” Chris replied as he grabbed his keys before going to the SUV for a visit to the JPSO for results.
“Always, you know that.” Tammy said as she turned to look towards where Hannah had disappeared.
----
Chris walked down the hall and turned into the morgue, “Alright Ms. Loretta, tell me what do we got here.”
“Well like I said at the crime scene, Ms. Clark’s, cause of death was a stab wound on the throat. The killer severed both of her carotid arteries, she would have died nearly instantaneously.” Wade explained, circling around the table where the corpse laid on.
“While Mr. Sims, well he died very slowly, the wounds on his back where likely caused by a very sharp straight blade, and he was tortured before his death, he was punched repeatedly in the abdomen, there was blood in his stomach.” Wade said gesturing towards the next table, “He has three broken ribs, and seven of his fingernails were ripped out very close to the time of death, the final cause of death was exsanguination, the symbol and words on his back were done pre mortem.”  
“This killer wanted to cause pain to this young man.” Wade sighed, putting a hand on her hip.
“Alright thank you. Do ya know if Sebastian is done?”
“Yes and I found something very interesting” Sebastian said as he burst into the morgue.
“Alright, what is it?”
“Quartz dust. But not from any known mines in this area, this is different. It’s also been worked.”
“Well how can you know that?” Chris asked with a quirked brow at him.
“Trace minerals but old ones, lead and sulfur.”
“Meaning” Chris pulled out the word, lowering his head.
“This is old quartz, like Spanish conquistadors. Old.”
---
Chris and Sebastian walked in “We've got a problem. The quartz dust is old, really old.” Sebastian announced.
“That makes sense,” Hannah said as she looked up “everything I can find on this Crystal Cove, says it was created by Spanish conquistadors to protect what they thought was the fountain of youth. They landed here to collect supplies and then were planning on sailing back to Spain, but then a hurricane came and hit so they built the cave to protect their loot, a crystal fountain and other crystal pieces they collected.”
“That’s-that’s accurate.” Sebastian’s jaw dropped with astonishment, nodding slowly.  
“It's rumored to be worth over 10 million dollars.” Hannah continued as she blinked out of a dizzy spell.
Sebastian noticed that she was still shaking, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah I'm fine just stood up too fast.” Hannah replied, before turning to Tammy.
“Gregorio you got anything on this ex of Clark’s?
“No nothing, I've got what might be a first name Adam, but I can't find anything else, Patton’s running one of his searches and is diving into her records. But I did find this, she's been making a lot of calls to various unknown numbers, Patton is looking at them but my guess is burners. She's also been making payments to some company called Fire Dive, and Wreckage, can't find anything on them, but look who owns it, David Finch.” Gregorio said.
“Okay maybe it's because I'm still new to New Orleans but who's David Finch?” Hannah asked.
Chris grabbed the remote and clicked it over “Only one of the biggest mob boss in the city, he has a finger in every pie, and nothing ever links back to him.”
“Alright, let’s deep dive the company and the employees, if we can. Sebastian I want you to try and narrow down the dust as much as you can, anything that will tells us where it might be from. Lasalle look into why Sims was wanting to find the crystal. Gregorio have you found anything on who Clark was in debt to?”
Tammy shook her head.
“You said that she had recently done several payments that didn't back up to her salary right? Let's look at why.” Hannah said as she leaned back in her chair.
As they hit yet another wall, Hannah still fighting to keep her eyes open, looked at her watch “Okay, I don't think we're going to get any further information tonight, let's all go home, and reconvene in the morning, hopefully Patton’s dives into the company and some of the phone scans will be done.” As she pushed up from her desk she felt the world spin and only her tight grip on the desk kept her from falling.
Seeing Tammy glance towards her she shook her head, she needed to be alone tonight. As she made it into her car, and pulled her phone to check to see if Naomi had texted her about her dance program she saw the date and the blood drained from her face.
Her symptoms, the nausea, the exhaustion, even the random bouts of hunger and the dizzy spells, and now the fact that she was late for the second time.
She carefully drove towards her apartment stopping only at the CVS down the street walking in and not looking at anyone she went to an aisle and picked up a single box, one she hadn't bought in almost 5 years checking out she paid in cash not wanting a record of this, finally arriving back in her apartment.
She dropped her bag and jacket over the table, clutching the box though the bag, heading towards to the bathroom. With a shaking hand she slid a single package out and took it.
Five minutes later, she flipped it over, not sure what she wanted the test to say.
But her heart sank just a little when she saw the screen. A pair of blue lines in it, confirming her suspicions that she was pregnant.  
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ladyreneeboulanger92 · 6 years ago
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City Mouse doesn’t like mice?
Ncis NOLA one-shot
Percy X Lasalle-Persalle
No warnings, just fluff <3
Word count: 392 
Just a little one-shot that was rattling around in my head. Hope you guys like it :D
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Chris knocked twice shifting on his feet as he waited. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door before Gregorio opened it while gripping her hair in on hand in an attempt to put it up. She gestured for him to come in and headed towards the kitchen raking her hands through it to smooth it back calling over her shoulder, “We’re running a little behind this morning. This case interrupted Saturday morning cartoons.” He grinned closing the door and followed, “Take your time. Pride hasn’t left the office yet.”
Tammy grabbed two coffee tumblers from the cabinet. Filling each, she dumped sugar in one and added soy milk to the other. Sipping from hers, she groaned, “God I love coffee.” Chris's smile widened as he declined her offer for a cup, “I’ve got mine in the truck.” She nodded before turning up her drink again.
The shower cut off down the hall and Gregorio disappeared into her room reappearing a moment later with her gear as she pulled her ponytail through an NCIS cap. Leaning on the counter casually, Chris asked, "She's takin' her time gettin' pretty ain't she?" Tammy was putting on her shoes and opened her mouth to quip back when a screech erupted from Sonja’s room followed by crashing and thumping. Chris and Tammy both started towards the door just as it was yanked open. Sonja bolted out and crashed right into Chris, took one look at him and jumped into his arms yelling, “There’s a rat!”
They all looked down as it scurried out and down the hall. Chris sidestepped and Gregorio dodged grimacing as she pulled out her phone, “I’m calling the land lord, now!” Chris looked at Sonja who was still clinging to him, with her legs around his waist, like a monkey, “City mouse doesn’t like mice?” She pinched his arm and squirmed griping, “You can put me down now.”
He chuckled striding into her room and dumped her onto the bed eliciting a shrill, “Hey!” His response was to tickle the bottom of her bare foot which made her thrash around and near fall off the bed. “Put some shoes on, we’re on the clock here,” Chris teased as he turned away. Gregorio was talking animatedly into her phone when he stepped back out into the hall. No doubt their landlord was getting an earful.
Sonja announced, “Ready!”, as she came out shouldering her bag and grabbed the coffee Tammy held out. Chris got a playful shove on one side and another pinch on the other as he herded them towards the door saying, “Come on ladies, can we get to work now?”
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katefaith18 · 3 years ago
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Who I think would sacrifice themselves if these duos went to Vormir
Donald "Ducky" Mallard & James "Jimmy" Palmer
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Abby Sciuto & Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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Ziva David & Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr.
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Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr. & Timothy Mcgee
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Leroy Jethro Gibbs & Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr.
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Ziva David & Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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Nicholas "Nick" Torres & Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop
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Tobias C. Fornell & Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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James "Jimmy" Palmer & Kasie Hines
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Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane & Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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223 notes · View notes
navalcriminalimagines · 4 years ago
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Masterlist
Requests are open for those characters and others from NCIS, NCIS New Orleans, SVU and The Last of Us. 
Requests can come from those writing prompts, or just be something you have in mind.
I reserve the right not to do a request if it makes me uncomfortable, or if the inspo isn’t there. Hope you understand. ❤️
If you want to be tag for a specific character, multiple characters or all of them, just let me know! 
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Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Alden Parker
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Rafael Barba
Sonny Carisi
Mike Dodds
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Dwayne Pride
Douglas Hamilton (NCIS: New Orleans) : Home Sweet Home ; Distracted ; I can be that someone ; Saving water ; Wishes
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Joel Miller
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Aaron Hotchner
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moonlight-breeze-44 · 2 years ago
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Shelter From the Storm
Shelter from the Storm
Gregorio comes out to her mother. It doesn't go well. Pride is there to remind her in the aftermath, after Tammy falls into old, bad habits, that she has a team-family here in New Orleans that will always love her for exactly who she is.
Pairings: None main; background PerSalle
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Homophobia, disowning, mental health issues/self-esteem issues, self-harm, graphic descriptions of violence/self-harm, blood & injury
Read on AO3
Gregorio knew it was only a matter of time before she had to make the phone call, but it didn’t mean getting the courage to dial her mother’s number and press call was any easier.
Now, alone in her apartment, she wished her heart would stop pounding into the beginnings of a panic attack and let her fucking breathe. Her hands were so clammy with sweat that she half-expected the phone to slip and fall to the ground. She wondered if maybe it would be better if it did. It would mean she didn’t have to face this.
Gregorio loved her mom, but that was half of the problem. Her mother could be old-fashioned, and Gregorio had been raised in the countryside of New York with two dogs, an old cat, and no father to speak of. In some ways, Gregorio was a lot more like LaSalle than she wanted to admit.
As she waited for Emily Gregorio to pick up her phone, Tammy paced; she was her mother’s only child, and if what she said today devastated her like she feared it would, she doubted there would be another chance for them. This stupid fucking phone call was going to define their entire relationship, and the fear was enough to make Tammy grab the chair in front of her for support, nails scrabbling for purchase along the worn fiber.
No turning back now.
“Tammy?” Her mother’s voice, pragmatic as always, filled Gregorio’s ears and she flinched. Maybe she wasn’t as ready for this as she thought. “What’s wrong?”
It was a response that most other people would consider harsh or brusque, but in reality, Emily was just being realistic; Tammy almost never called unless she was backed into a corner and needed something. Her mother never called unless someone had died. It was a routine that Tammy couldn’t bring herself to feel bad for, considering her mother’s part in it and the lack of warmth between them. But their lack of contact made what Tammy had to say even harder to reveal.
“Mom, I have something to tell you,” Tammy breathed, trying to keep her voice as steady and strong as she could while the panic rattled in her ribcage. She could do this. She had to.
“Oh my god, are you pregnant?” Emily exclaimed, and Tammy heard the blatant delight in her voice at the thought. She shook her head, even though she knew her mother couldn’t see her. This was going to make it even harder to burst her bubble. When the silence stretched on a beat too long, she rolled her shoulders, shaking them out, trying to calm her nerves.
“Uh, no, Mom, I’m not pregnant,” Tammy replied, heaving a deep breath. “I, uh…I-I’m…”
“You’re what, Tammy? Spit it out.”
“I’m gay,” Tammy burst out, chest heaving with having the pressure of her secret released. She felt herself begin to tremble and leaned more of her weight onto the old chair in front of her. “I’m, uh, I’m a lesbian, Mom. I like women.”
The silence that followed her revelation felt like claws around Gregorio’s neck, choking and scratching into her windpipe. She waited with bated breath. Everything hinged on her mother’s reaction. Tammy’s hands were shaking with fear. Even if they weren’t close, she still loved her mother. She still wanted her to be a part of her life.
“Tammy, I…I’m not sure what to say.”
“Anything,” Gregorio begged, hating how desperate she sounded, but she couldn’t wait any longer. “Just say something, please.”
“Well, you know this isn’t what I wanted for you,” Emily stated, and Tammy knew it was true. Memories of her bisexual phase in high school rushed to the forefront of her mind, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe past the mental images of her mother’s disdain when she was fifteen and dating Zara Matthews. The coldness in her mother’s voice, then and now, felt like Tammy had swallowed a burning hot coal that was beginning to scorch her insides.
“How will you have children, Tammy?” Emily continued, obviously distraught. Tammy’s fingers tightened on the phone, and she tried to take a deep breath; get herself under control.
“I can adopt,” she replied calmly, “Or find a surrogate. Or…” She paused, hesitating. She was already six feet deep and buried with her mother, it seemed; why not put the nail in her own coffin? “...or maybe I won’t have kids.”
“Tammy,” her mother said reproachfully, “You have to have kids!”
“Says who?” Tammy retorted, her hands trembling where they still held the back of the living room chair for dear life. “I mean, look at me. I’m okay, aren’t I? I’m happy. I, I don’t have to have kids. Besides, I’m an NCIS agent. Who would want a mom who does what I do?”
“A child that understands the meaning of sacrifice,” Emily snapped. “Which you clearly don’t.”
“Mom, I…”
“No, Tammy, just don’t.” Gregorio fell silent, biting her lip hard to avoid letting out the tears that had gathered in her eyes sometime during the phone call. Her mother loved her, she was sure. But Tammy could never be who she wanted, either. And if she had learned one thing from her time in New Orleans with Ethan, before NCIS, it was that sometimes love wasn’t enough.
“Look, dear, I’m not going to say that this is the end of things.” Gregorio’s breath hitched, and she had to fight to keep her emotions in check. She knew that tone well enough to know what her mother was really saying, and it was the end of things. God, she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, but to know it and to have it confirmed were two very different feelings.
“But you should know how I feel about this,” Emily continued, ignorant to her daughter’s pain. “I don’t think it’s right. I don’t think it’s natural. I always thought you grew out of that phase you had in high school, especially after you married Ethan. Which, I know that didn’t work out, but one bad apple doesn’t mean the whole barrel is bad. I-I don’t know what you want from me here, Tammy. You are my daughter, and I love you. But I will not support this lifestyle. When you’re ready, you can come back home. We can work this out. But until then, don’t - don’t call. Don’t visit. Please. Spare us both. I’m sure you won’t feel this way forever, Tammy. When you change your mind, I’ll be here. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Mom - ”
“Tammy, please. Don’t make this any harder than it already is. Just-Just sort yourself out, okay? I’ll be here when you need me. I love you.” With that, the call dropped, and Gregorio sank to her knees behind the worn out chair, breathing hard and fast, on the verge of a fucking panic attack from the call. Emily was gone. She recognized the situation for what it was; her mother had given her an ultimatum. Become straight, or say goodbye to her and their home back in New York forever.
It wasn’t a choice at all.
With the sound of the dial tone in her ear, her mother’s final words before she hung up way too loud in her head, Tammy allowed herself to cry, the weight of the emotions she had struggled to hold back before escaping in full. She sobbed into her knees, her shoulders shaking. She couldn’t be something she wasn’t. She couldn’t change, even though there had been more than enough times that she wanted to. She couldn’t give her mother what she had asked for.
In all the ways that mattered, it was over.
She and her mother had never been close. The truth was that Tammy expected the call to end like this, but it was still more of a blow than she had ever expected to know that the woman who raised her would never accept her for who she was. Tammy felt lost, and cut open, like someone had twisted a knife in her and then left her to die on a street corner. She didn’t know what her next steps were, if there even were any, and more than anything, she felt vulnerable.
It was a feeling she wasn’t used to, between her secrecy about her private life and the walls she built around her heart, but it made her want to hide and protect her six from whatever was going to hurt her. But there was nothing to shield herself from, no imminent threat or dangerous gunman; just her own damage and that goddamn dial tone still humming in her ear, a reminder that she would never be able to call home again.
The thought of home sent a fresh wave of tears cascading down her cheeks, and Tammy finally ripped the cellphone from her ear, throwing it across hardwood until it crashed into the side of her refrigerator. She would regret that later, she was sure, but for now she didn’t care. She couldn’t. The only piece of herself that seemed to matter was in New York, probably opening a bottle of whiskey and no doubt planning to pray for her in church the next day.
Home was gone forever now, even if she hadn’t called it that in years. It was still the place where she was raised, and where she’d learned how to fight for herself in more ways than one. She loved the sprawling hills on their property, and the well where she had nearly drowned once as a child. She loved the fucking tire swing and the garden beds and the old barn where she used to go with the dogs when she needed to be alone. Their house and grounds were so beautiful that sometimes Gregorio hardly believed that she lived in New York growing up. All of it would become a memory now, and she would never be able to touch the wildflowers that grew along the fence line ever again. It shouldn’t have affected her so much, considering it had been years since she even wanted to go home, but the thought of losing it all forever was more than she could handle.
The tears, which hadn’t stopped or slowed in the slightest, were becoming overwhelming and almost nausea-inducing, so Gregorio took a deep breath, moving her hands roughly down her legs, then her calves, then her ankles, trying to ground herself and move away from the precipice of her breakdown. But instead of finding stability in her old brown Doc Martens, like she had hoped, her hand brushed a cold piece of metal, and it sent her heartbeat racing again.
She knew what it was, the feeling unmistakeable against her fingers. It was a sterling silver razor blade, years old at least, tucked into a fraying patch on her boots since November of 2018. She had played a dangerous game with it, allowing it so close; on one hand, it could become dislodged at work and she ran the risk of someone investigating her for psychological issues if they saw where it had been hiding. On the other hand, she could lose it in the field, and she would never have to worry about it, or remember the temptation, ever again.
Neither of those things had happened, apparently, and she knew from the feel of it against her fingers that, somehow, it hadn’t even been scuffed. It was the perfect deadly instrument, even after all these years. Gregorio’s hand trembled.
She hesitated for a second, but pulled the razor blade from the patch on her boot, turning it over and over in her palms like precious gold. A coil of longing hit her like a punch to the gut, and Gregorio tried to suck in a deep breath, wanted to put it back, wanted to throw it away and pretend it never existed, but she couldn’t bring herself to.
If this razor blade had somehow managed to survive three years working as a field agent for the FBI, and one as an NCIS agent, not to mention the countless parties and clubs she’d been to, it had to be a sign. Gregorio didn’t believe in fate, but maybe the gods that weren’t were trying to tell her something now.
It had been five years. It had been half of a lifetime. Part of Gregorio didn’t want to risk it, after fighting so hard to get clean in the first place, but the other, larger part of her that wanted for the quick pain of metal against her skin argued that because it had been so long, it wouldn’t matter now. A relapse wasn’t really a relapse if it only lasted a day, and if she got her act together right after. She could do this, and hide it, then throw it away the next day and no one would ever have to know.
“It’s not like last time,” Gregorio muttered to herself, trying to believe it. “I won’t let it get out of hand.”
She didn’t know if she could keep the promise to herself or not, but it didn’t matter. Her mother’s words were still burning like acid in her lungs, and she just wanted the pain to be replaced with something new, something better, until she was able to get ahold of herself. It was the best, most efficient option, and then she would stop. One cut, she told herself, and after that she would curl up in bed and watch Desperate Housewives or something. One cut, and she would be okay.
Tammy rolled up her sleeve, took a deep breath, and pressed the razor blade to her wrist.
The relief was immediate, almost as overwhelming and euphoric as a drug, and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks at the feeling. It didn’t take away her mother’s homophobia, or the way her abandonment made Tammy feel, but it replaced the worst of it with white-hot pain and the familiar sting of a fresh cut instead. Blood welled like storm clouds in the wound, and slid down her wrist until it began to drip onto her pants. Lazily, Tammy remembered she needed to do laundry and didn’t have another pair of work pants. Another, bigger part of her, however, couldn’t be bothered to care.
Instantly forgetting the one-cut promise, Tammy sliced her way through six pristine cuts before stopping to take a breath, her chest heaving with the relief of giving into the old addiction again. She didn’t remember much from three years ago, the last time she cut, but she could swear it had never felt this good before.
Looking down at her arm, a pageant of crimson lines sluggishly bleeding, Tammy felt the calm settle into her bones, numbness chasing away the pain. She exhaled hard, letting her head thump against the forgotten chair in front of her. She got what she needed. She should stop.
She didn’t.
It was close to midnight before she threw the razor blade down and stopped to admire her work. She wasn’t sure how much blood she would have to clean up, or how much she had lost, and she hadn’t eaten today either. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to just sit there after what she’d done, but her head was swimming, and she was so exhausted that even attempting to get up would have been too much for her. So, instead, Tammy rested her arms on the bloodstained slacks, and let her head loll against the back of the living chair. She had slept in worse places.
~ ~ ~
In the morning, Tammy’s alarm came blaring to life at 6am, startling her awake from where she was slumped over next to the chair. Her arms felt like they were glued to her pants, dried blood sticking to the fabric, and she could feel a telltale crustiness on the seat of her pants that meant, somehow, she had managed to sit in a puddle of blood. “God, make it stop,” she muttered, and struggled to get to her feet to turn off the fucking alarm. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this bad.
By the time she made it to the kitchen, where her phone was at, miraculously not dead but down to the last 5% of its battery, it was almost 6:30 and she was going to be late for work if she didn’t hustle.
Tammy made it to her bedroom with less difficulty, though she still felt lightheaded, and got to work peeling the blood-soaked slacks off and painfully removing her shirt, which had a few spots of blood on it from her careless cutting the night before. She searched through her closet as fast as she could for the most lightweight long-sleeved shirt she had, that was a dark enough color to mask the blood if her cuts opened up while she was at work. After that, she selected a pair of dark jeans, even though they were against the agency dress code, and headed to the bathroom to do what she could for her appearance.
To her dismay, her eyes were still a little bloodshot from last night, and her hair was a mess. She would need makeup to cover up the circles underneath her eyes, evidence of multiple nights of restless sleep in preparation for the phone call with her mother.
The thought of her mother made Tammy’s heart seize up, and she pressed on one of the new cuts, hissing at the sharp pain it brought. It was enough to snap her out of her head, at least, and she got to work applying makeup to cover up what she could of her turmoil. Finally, she was able to run a brush through her hair, grab her gun, badge, and car keys, and head out the door.
Just before walking into the Navy Yard, Tammy hesitated, and considered calling in sick. But as tempting as it was to go back to her apartment and stay in bed all day, that wasn’t a good idea; the NCIS team was like a big fucking family, and they were sure to stop by if they got word she wasn’t feeling well. Not only was her apartment a mess, but the pool of blood by the chair in the living room, as well as the razor blade that had caused all of this damage, was still out in the open for any prying eyes to see.
Still, Tammy knew it would be hard to keep what she had done from her teammates. She would have to be on her guard. They were perceptive, even if they weren’t trained profilers like her, and much worse, they knew her. It would take all of her skills at hiding and lying and pretending to fool them into believing she was fine.
The cuts pulled tight as the fabric of her shirt shifted, making each step and movement she made towards the office painful. She had learned how to hide the pain a long time ago, but a part of her wished she had bandaged the wounds before coming in today, instead of hiding the first-aid supplies in her bag in case of an emergency and hoping for the best. But Pride was already going to kill her for being late, and it would take another fifteen minutes at least to deal with the fallout of her habit. She didn’t want to come off any more suspicious than she already was.
Taking a deep breath, Gregorio etched a smile onto her face, and walked into the NCIS office like everything was fine, as always. Nothing is different today, she warned herself, trying to drill it into her brain. Nothing has changed.
“There ya are, Gregorio! Was startin’ to wonder if we was gonna have to send out a search party,” Chris greeted her with a smile, and Gregorio gave him one of her patented bitchfaces in return.
“I got caught in traffic,” she lied, and watched his face for any signs of disbelief as she made her way to her desk. She clocked the slight raise of his eyebrows, his posture lengthening, and reminded herself to adjust her tone when she was lying.
“Didn’t think there was hardly any traffic on Bourbon Street,” Chris commented, and Tammy turned to place her bag next to her desk and start up her computer. It was easier to lie to someone when she didn’t have to face them.
“There isn’t usually,” she replied, keeping her tone light and casual. “Guess today was my lucky day.”
“Guess so,” Chris responded, and Tammy turned around just in time to see him giving her one of his famous, milliwatt smiles. She grinned back, bumping his shoulder playfully on her way into the kitchen. One down, two to go.
By the time she caught up with Pride and Sonja, it was almost midday, and the hot, humid weather prompted a picnic invite from Pride to eat lunch at the bridge in town. Chris, Sonja, and the others all agreed, leaving Gregorio as the odd one out. She knew she couldn’t decline without offering an explanation, lest they become suspicious of her motives, but she couldn’t accept the invitation when she knew either Chris or Sonja would try to roll up her sleeves the second they arrived, either to tease her or out of care for her wellbeing. Refusing their help against potential heatstroke when it was summer in the middle of New Orleans was a one-way ticket to having her secret revealed.
“Tammy, you’re not going to lunch with us?” Percy pouted, her eyebrows drawn up in that Percy way, that said she was more concerned than disappointed, but was too proud to put voice to her feelings. “Come on, don’t you want to hang with the gang?”
“As much as I would love to ‘hang with the gang’,” Gregorio used air quotes and gave Sonja a playful smirk, “I have a prior obligation.”
“Oooh, someone’s got a hot date,” Chris said, walking into the kitchen with an ice chest for their drinks. “So who is it, Gregorio? Black-haired beauty? Feisty redhead? That’s my type.”
“Excuse you,” Percy retorted, raising her eyebrow in his direction.
“Pardon me,” Chris corrected, giving Sonja a fond smile, “That’s usually my type.”
“Better,” Sonja affirmed, before turning her attention to Gregorio once more. “But seriously, T, where you goin’ that you can’t come hang with us?”
“Well, Chris wasn’t exactly wrong,” Gregorio replied, lifting her coffee mug to her lips to take a sip so she could avoid having to look either of them in the eyes. “A certain mayor’s secretary asked me out the other day, and I can’t leave her hanging a second time.” Though it was a lie that they had a lunch date, it wasn’t a lie that she’d been asked out, so Gregorio didn’t feel as bad as she maybe should for using Amber as her scapegoat.
“With that one, you better not,” Chris replied, chuckling. “I’ve heard she’s got some high standards.”
“Of course she does,” Gregorio retorted without missing a beat. “She’s going on a date with me, isn’t she?”
Sonja and Chris both laughed at that, the latter ribbing her good-naturedly for a minute or two before they calmed down. She allowed her smirk to play on her lips, knowing she could pass it off as satisfaction at her joke instead of her lie. They weren’t suspicious of her anymore, not after she’d thrown them a bone. For now, she was safe.
~ ~ ~
Later that night, when the team was getting ready to wrap up and head home, Pride caught her eye, gesturing her into the kitchen. Tammy dropped her bag and took a deep breath, heading in to meet him. She could feel her heart skip a beat.
Of all of them, Pride was the most likely to figure out that something was wrong, even if he was the least likely to react with anything other than kind, calm patience. Still, the idea of her boss finding out her most guarded secret was more terrifying than she could fathom.
Without speaking or otherwise acknowledging Pride, Gregorio took a seat on the barstool across from him, crossed her arms, and waited. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat, but forced herself to be motionless and keep her expression blank, lest she give away the anxiety she was feeling.
“So, Gregorio,” Pride said, taking in her position and folding his arms across the top of the bar, “Want to tell me what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” Gregorio replied defensively, before she could stop herself and try to temper her tone. “What makes you think something’s going on?”
Pride raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed. “Well, for starters, you came in late today, said it was traffic when traffic is nonexistent on your street, you’re actin’ awful odd, and then you lied to Christopher and Sonja about who you were with for lunch today.”
Gregorio opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Pride held up his hand and continued, “I have it on good authority that the mayor’s secretary didn’t leave her office all day.” He softened, giving her a worried look, and said, “Just want to know you’re okay, and if anything’s goin’ on that we can help with.”
“It’s nothing,” Gregorio sighed, letting her shoulders slump in defeat. There was no use pretending she was fine if Pride already knew something was up. She didn’t have to tell him everything, but maybe if she told him about her mom, at least, he’d leave her alone.
“Just a little upset from a phone call with my mother yesterday,” Gregorio admitted, picking at her nails to avoid meeting Pride’s eyes. “I came out to her.”
Pride nodded, his eyes filling with support and kindness for her, and moved to wipe down the kitchen counter, in an effort to give her space to talk as much as she wanted to. Gregorio knew the tactic, was familiar with it from teasing the truth out of LaSalle when he was being particularly stubborn. Though she was loathe to admit it, she appreciated it. “How did she take it?”
“Not well,” Tammy sighed, pressing her nail into the pad of her thumb to resist the urge to burst into tears again. She had already done enough crying in the past 24 hours. “She basically gave me an ultimatum; stop being gay, or stop coming home. Permanently.”
“Oh, Tammy,” Pride breathed, sympathy pouring out of him and into her. “I’m so sorry.” He reached across the bar to lay a hand on her shoulder, and against her will, Tammy leaned into the touch.
“It’s okay,” she murmured, closing her eyes to avoid letting Pride see how glossy they had become. “W-We were never really close.”
“Still, that’s gotta hurt,” Pride said, withdrawing just enough to allow her time to fight back the tears and open her eyes once more. “Parents’ rejection is…one of the worst things that can happen to a child. No matter how old they are.”
“Yeah,” Tammy breathed, the weight of her own exhaustion hitting her as she slumped on the barstool. She couldn’t remember the last time she had let something damage her like this. Who knew her mother’s decision would have such an impact on her? She sighed and tugged lightly on one of her sleeves, until it was down far enough on her arm to cover her fingers. Pride caught the movement, but said nothing. “To make matters worse, she tried to frame it like she loved me, and she was going to be there for me.” Tammy laughed bitterly, emotion swelling up in her throat. “She’s so convinced I’m going to change, Pride.”
“Not the way it works,” Pride said fondly, giving her a warm smile. His hand, still on her shoulder, was like a grounding wire, keeping her settled, and she felt like she was being comforted by the father she never had.
“Yeah,” Tammy said, again, and her voice wobbled on the last syllable. Under Pride’s kind, supportive words and gentle ministrations, she could feel the dam in her chest threatening to explode, and she slid sideways off of the barstool, grabbing for her coat and heading towards the door. She had to get out of here, before she lost it completely. “Anyway, I should go - ”
“Wait,” Pride called, and moved to follow her, grabbing her wrist to stop her from leaving. Without thinking, still trying to calm the tidal wave of emotion in her chest, Gregorio hissed in pain.
“Tammy,” Pride said slowly, releasing her wrist with some reluctance, “There something wrong with your arm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Tammy replied, giving him a quick, panicked smile. “Just bruised it on the countertop when I was getting ready for work this morning.”
“That so?” Pride asked, and he sounded suspicious enough to make Tammy’s heart skip a beat in fear. She curled her fingers around her sleeves protectively. “Mind if I take a look at it?”
“Don’t bother,” Gregorio replied, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “I told you, Pride, it’s nothing.”
“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Pride replied, and he reached for her wrist again. Determined not to give anything away, Tammy kept her face purposefully blank, allowing him to hold her arm in his hand even as his fingers pressing against the cuts felt like a sharp knife against her skin. “Thing is, Tammy…” Pride moved to grasp her sleeve, and Gregorio’s entire body tensed, waiting for his next move. This was not happening.
“You haven’t worn long sleeves this dark, especially during summer, all year,” he continued, “and that first time we talked, up on the balcony in your hotel when you first came here – you wore a tank top, and I don’t think you thought about it then, but I noticed something the others didn’t get the chance to see.” He lifted his gaze to meet Gregorio’s eyes, and she knew, without having to ask what he meant, that she was done for.
Pride knows.
“I’ve seen the scars on your wrists, Tammy,” Pride said softly, “And I’ve never mentioned it, because it’s not my business and I don’t want you to think I’m judging you for it. But if your arm is hurt…after all you’ve been through in the past few days, you understand why I need to check, right?”
Tammy nodded tightly, trying not to cry, as Pride moved to roll up her sleeve. At the last second, just before he could grab the cuff of her shirt, she blurted out: “And what do you think you’ll find, if you check?”
“I think you and I both know the answer to that,” Pride responded, his voice as kind and understanding as ever. Tammy choked on a sob, losing the battle against her emotions, and pulled away from him, running her hands through her hair so hard that she was sure she’d left red, inflamed scratches on her scalp. She heaved a deep breath and choked on it, trying to hold in the breakdown that wanted to happen, fighting to remain in control. Pride couldn’t see her like this. No one could.
“Just - Just please don’t demote me,” Tammy begged, straightening up and gasping for breath, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “D-Don’t put me on desk duty. I can still handle myself in the field, I promise I’m not a liability, Pride.”
“We’ll talk about that later,” Pride said, and her heart sank. “For now, we need to get you taken care of.” He glanced at his watch, and muttered, “Loretta might still be here, I’d have to check the morgue.”
“No – please,” Gregorio pleaded, embarrassment creeping up to settle like fire on her cheeks. “No one else needs to know about this.”
“They do, Tammy,” Pride argued, raising his eyebrows at her. “They’re your teammates. Your family. They care about you. Of course they should know about this.”
“Please,” Tammy said, raising her arms to hug herself, trying to get some semblance of comfort in the least embarrassing or incriminating way possible.
“Look,” Pride said, gesturing for her to sit down across from him in the kitchen once more, taking a seat opposite her on the island, “I know you’re scared. You’re worried about what the others might think. But they love you, Tammy, and they want to help you. I do too.”
“What if they hate me?” Tammy breathed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she looked like a wreck, pathetic even, but this was her worst nightmare come true and she couldn’t pretend anymore. “Pride, I’m weak.” She gestured haphazardly at her arms, at herself, and shook her head, avoiding his gaze by staring down the marble kitchen tile. “They’ll see me differently.”
“Maybe so,” Pride conceded, “but not in the way you think. They won’t consider you weak, Tammy. I don’t.” He reached out to lay his hand on her arm, comforting and grounding her with the touch. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, Gregorio.”
“Even now that you know I - ” Tammy gestured to her arms once more, at a loss for words. “ - Again?”
“Even now,” Pride confirmed, giving her a firm nod and a steady look that swore honesty. “Tammy, no one on this team will think any less of you for struggling with this.”
“Promise?” Tammy whispered, letting some of the vulnerability she was feeling slip into her voice as she asked the question.
“Promise,” Pride affirmed, and gave her arm a soft, gentle pat.
Gregorio nodded, her shoulders slumping in relief as some of the tension was alleviated. “Do you have to tell them tonight?”
“No, not tonight,” Pride responded. “But soon.”
“I understand.” Gregorio looked away, the fear thundering back to life in her chest. For an instant, under Pride’s reassuring words, it had disappeared.
“It’s gonna be okay, Gregorio,” Pride promised her, moving from the opposite side of the bar to wrap her in a tight hug. “The team’ll take care of you.”
“Shouldn’t have to,” Gregorio protested weakly, but Pride shushed her with a hand in her hair, stroking gently.
“We want to,” he said, and Gregorio was struck with how much she wished he could have been her real dad. Maybe her future would’ve turned out better if he was. “This is somethin’ that everyone is more ‘n willin’ to help you with. We’re gonna get it taken care of. Got your back, Tammy, not just for work.”
“Thanks, Pride,” Gregorio whispered, too emotional to express her gratitude any further. She was sure Pride understood. In his arms, trembling, Gregorio could admit that maybe what she had really needed was the support and acceptance of her loved ones. Maybe her mother would never love her the way she was, but she had an entire family here in New Orleans that did.
Maybe that was what mattered.
And if, the next day, when Loretta called her down to the morgue and told Gregorio about her mother’s issues with self-harm while she bandaged the fresh cuts on Tammy’s arms, she felt a small piece of her heart begin to heal, she didn’t mention it. And if, when Sebastian gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and offered to call her and ramble about whatever came to mind when she was having urges, she started to tear up, well, no one could prove it (she had threatened Sebastian with removing his Power Rangers collection from the lab if he told anyone). And if, when Chris said nothing but drew her into the tightest hug she could ever remember receiving, and Percy showed up at her house without warning to sit on the couch with her and watch basketball, she began to realise this was all the family she needed, she knew she could blame Pride for most of it.
Getting clean again, and resisting the urge to take a blade to her arms whenever she felt like her world was falling apart, was a fight that took months, and she did end up on desk duty for some of it, but despite the silence that stretched between her and her mother, she found that the most important thing was the family that she had right here.
Maybe she didn’t need what used to be her home when she had a better one here in New Orleans.
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n3rdybird · 3 years ago
Text
Chop it Like it’s Hot
NCIS NOLA
Dwayne Pride x Reader
Rating: TEEN
Reader is in a bind and asks the team for help.  Dwayne ‘King’ Pride can never say no to a damsel in distress.
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It was a slow day in the office, which was good.  No crime or murder is always welcome, but there was always a backlog of paperwork to slog through.
 You tossed your pen and flexed your fingers, popping your knuckles.  Your phone beeped and a reminder popped up on your calendar.  You groaned reading the notification, having forgotten about it.
 “Is it wrong to hope for a case to come in?” you asked out loud, burying your face in your arms.  Chris, who was currently spinning in his chair reading a report, raised a brow.
 “Got plans after work?”
 “You remember that couples cooking class I signed up for, the one with my ex?”
 “Oh, you mean the ex that cheated on you with one of the other students, what did you call her?  The Betty-”
 “Betty Crocker Bimbo,” you supplied. Sebastian and Gregorio looked up from their conversation and were listening with rapt attention.
“Why are you still going again?” the former female FBI agent asked.
 “Because I’m a masochist apparently,” you mumbled before propping up your head with your hand.  “And the classes were expensive, and the teacher is a sweet old lady who I don’t wanna disappoint.”
 At Tammy’s exasperated look you got defensive.
 “What? Seriously, she’s like my grandma.  And I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.”
 “Why not just take someone else?” Sebastian suggested offhandedly.
 You paused, giving the idea some thought.  Your gaze zeroed in on your three teammates.
 “Who wants to be my fake boyfriend?”  You looked at Tammy.  “Or girlfriend, beggars can’t be choosers.”
 Tammy snorted.
 “You would be so lucky.”
 “Tammy? Sebastian? Chris?  I’ll owe you one?”  You held your hands up in a pleading position, turning your pleading eyes on the team.
 “I don’t cook,” Tammy said, shrugging.  “Sorry, girl.”
 “I’m not sure I’d really be the best choice.  I’m not exactly the type to inspire jealousy.  Besides, I have an online tournament tonight.  I’m in the finals,” he said excitedly.  Tammy gave him a high five and you cheered for your resident geek.  You turned your eyes to your final choice.
 Chris held up his hands.
 “Well as much as I’d like to help you get back at that asshole, I got plans tonight,” he said with a wink.  The rest of you groaned at his cockiness.  “Sorry sugar.”
 You clutched at your chest.
 “Betrayal!”  You sighed and fiddled with the papers on your desk.  “Maybe I should skip it.”
 “Skip what?”
 You looked up to see your team leader, Dwayne Pride holding a coffee mug and a report.
 “Oh, it’s nothing, just a cooking class,” you said, trying to brush off the question. 
 It was one thing for Chris, Tammy, or Sebastian to get involved in your weird shitty romance troubles, but Pride?  You’d rather die.  It wasn’t that he was your boss; the NCIS team was close-knit, like family.  Eating dinners together, going out for drinks, celebrating holidays.  You, however, did not think of Pride as a father figure as Chris did.  You had been harboring a crush on the older man for months.
 The easy banter between teammates, casual low-stakes flirting, and dear god, the rare occasion he calls you darlin’, it makes you melt.  You never crossed that line though. You kept your personal life mostly separate from your work life, especially when it came to relationships.
 Dwayne took a swallow of his coffee, gauging your expression.  If he noticed your unease, he didn’t comment on it.
 “Sounds like fun, you should go.”  He tapped the file on his desk.
 “Well, looks like today is gonna be a paperwork day.  Finish up your current reports and you can head out.”
 The team relished the idea of an early day, something that did not happen all too often.
 “Keep your phones on, just in case,” he added.
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 You hefted your tote bag higher on your shoulder and took a deep breath.  You could do this.  You opened the door to the community center classroom and walked in.  Some of the class had already gathered, waiting for the instruction to start.  You greeted a few of the other students, making your way to your preferred station in the center of the room.
 You tried to ignore the chatter behind you, feeling very much like you did in grade school.  Your ex and his new partner had positioned themselves at the station behind you. Close enough that you could hear their biting remarks, but hidden from the lovely old lady who taught your class.
 A hand touched your shoulder.  You turned to see Mrs. Wanda, the teacher giving you a soft smile.
 “Just you today?”
 “Yeah,” you said, rubbing your arm.
 “Don’t worry, it’s a fairly simple recipe today,” she said, patting your shoulder before walking to the front of the room.
 “Alright class, let’s get started.  This is one of my favorite nights, tapas and sangria.  Now tapas are fun to make and from a variety of ingredients.  And sangria, of course, makes everything better.”
 The class laughed along with the free-spirited woman.
 “These are simple to put together once you know the techniques.  Finger foods are great for a party or a romantic night.”
 “Can’t wait to feed you these, babe,” your ex, Peter, crooned at his new partner.
 She giggled and sounded like she hit him in the arm.
 “You’re so bad, stop it.”
 You rolled your eyes and redoubled your effort to pay attention when Wanda paused in her introduction.
 “Are you here for the class?” she called to the back of the room.  You, along with the rest of the class turned to see who came in.
 “Yeah, sorry I’m late, my partner is right up front,” a familiar voice drawled.  You froze as Dwayne made his way to your side.  He drew you into a hug.
 “I’m guessing your ex is the one glaring at me now?” he whispered against your hair.  “Chris said you might need a little help,”
 “I’m gonna kill LaSalle, and yes, that’s Peter, my ex,” you whispered back before turning back to the front.  Wanda gave the two of you a beaming smile.
 “I’m so glad you could make it, I was just getting started so you haven’t missed anything.”
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Having Dwayne as your partner was the best.  Or the worst.  From a cooking standpoint, everything was going well.  He was already a fantastic chef, as evidenced by the many meals he fed the team before.  And he was such a good teacher.  He didn’t take over but instead suggested different techniques to make the food prep easier.  If you were struggling, he’d guide your hands with his, or gently nudge you out of the way with his hip.  Wanda might have been the one teaching the class but Pride was your own one-on-one teacher.
 On the other hand, he had never been sexier.  Sure, working with the man you saw the agent take down bad guys in his tactical vest.  Which was almost criminal itself.  But ‘Chef Pride’?  Dear Lord in heaven.  You couldn’t divide whether this was a good thing or pure torture.  Team drinks at the Tru Tone?  Easily managed.  Dwayne was usually playing host and you had the buffer of other people.  Here?  When his attention was on you and the food?  It was all too easy to slip into friendly banter that veered into flirting territory.
 You wiped your hands on your apron, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
 “I’m gonna go rinse these dishes,” you said, grabbing a stack of mixing bowls you were no longer using.  Pride touched your arm, causing you to pause.  He held out a tasting spoon.  You smiled and allowed him to let you taste the garlic sauce for the shrimp.  You closed your eyes in bliss, letting out a satisfied moan.
 “You are a dangerous man in the kitchen,” you said, catching Pride’s self-assured smile as he winked at you, tossing a towel over his shoulder with practiced ease.
 You shook your head in amusement and headed to the wash station.  You were having so much fun. Even your tormentors were quiet, only whispering to themselves rather than sending barbs your way. You turned your eyes back towards Dwayne, who was talking with Wanda, hands gesturing animatedly.  He caught your gaze and winked, making you roll your eyes.
 “I knew it,” your ex’s voice broke into your thoughts.  You glared at the man to your left.
 “Knew what Peter?” you sighed, continuing to wash.
 “I always knew you had a thing for your boss.  It was always Pride this, Pride that.”
 “Well, he is my boss.  We spend a lot of time together, as I do with the rest of the team.”
 “Yeah, but they aren’t here, are they?” he whined.
 You turned off the faucet and rounded on your ex.
 “Well, it’s none of your business anymore is it?”  You stacked the clean bowls on the drying rack.  Peter was about to say something else when a hand touched your waist.
 “Hey darlin’, the shrimp is ready if you are finished,” Pride said, before turning to your ex.  “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna steal my partner back.”  His tone was light, but his hand on your back as he guided you back towards your workstation brooked no argument.
 “Everything alright?” he murmured. 
 You nodded.
 “He’s just being jealous,” you said, brushing it off.
 “Jealous of what?”
 “Your cooking skills.  I can smell their burned croquetas from here,” you joked, tilting your head back.
 He suppressed a laugh, bumping your hip with his.
 “You aren’t bad either darling.”
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The rest of the night went well.  Peter was sulking behind you, but you didn’t pay him any mind.  Pride regaled you with stories and fed you delicious bites of food.  It was easy to lose yourself in the banter and flirting.  A part of you wished the night wouldn’t end.  But it would, and you’d go back to being regular friends, coworkers.
 As the night dwindled to the end, you split cleaning duties.  As you wiped down the counter, Wanda sidled up next to you.
 “So this new beau of yours,” she started, glancing towards Pride.  “He’s so charming.  I might have to steal him.”
 You laughed, swatting her with a towel.
 “You can’t steal from me when he’s not mine,” you sighed.  “We’re just coworkers.”
 Wanda scoffed.
 “There is no way you are "just" coworkers.  That man has been flirting with you all night.”
 “That’s how he is, that New Orleans charm.  Besides, he’s helping me out.  You know, with my ex situation.”
 The older woman shook her head.
 “If you say so, but I think there is a little something there.  Definitely some chemistry.”  She patted your shoulder before moving on to talk to one of the other students.
 You tossed the towel into a bin of dirty linens and began packing your supplies.  You wished Wanda hadn’t said anything.  She put this tiny spark of hope in your chest, that maybe Pride thought of you as you did him. You began micro-analyzing every interaction you two had that night, every touch, every word.  Was he just being friendly or was Wanda right?  You two worked together.  Would he even allow himself to date you?  Would you have to leave the team?  What if you didn’t work out?  Was it even worth it?
 You looked at Pride who smiled back.  Those warm, crinkly, whiskey brown eyes.
 You groaned.  That man was gonna be the death of you.  You picked up the pitcher of leftover sangria, debating whether or not you should just down the rest of it.  Probably not the best idea, considering you were trying to keep your wits about you.  But another half-glass?  Why not?
 You split the sangria between your and Pride’s glasses and focused on packing up the leftover tapas.
 “Is that for me?” Pride asked, nodding to the glass.
 “It’d be wasteful not to finish,” you shrugged, taking a swig.
 “Well, I’d hate to be wasteful,” he agreed, taking a swallow as well.  The rest of the students were finishing up and leaving the room.  You and Pride dallied, enjoying your drinks.  Wanda gave you an exaggerated wink and wished you a good night before leaving.
 Soon the two of you were alone, sitting in silence drinking sangria.
 “Thank you again, Pride, for coming,” you said, spinning your glass.
 “No problem, I’m happy to help.  Besides, I like cooking.”  He took a sip.  “Add in a good drink, and you have yourself a good time.”  He held up his glass and clinked it against yours.
 “Santé darlin’.”
 There it was, that damn word again.  You stared at your drink as if it held all the answers to mysteries of the universe in it.
 “You know, you didn’t have to sign up for cooking classes.  I’d be happy to teach you anytime,” he offered.
 “I couldn’t ask you to do that Pride, you work longer than the rest of us.  Plus you have the bar and Laurel.”  He went to respond when you continued.
 “Besides, this originally started as a couple thing.  And you can see how well that worked out.”  You drained the rest of your glass and set it down with finality.
 “He’s an idiot,” he drawled.
 “Well yeah, I know that now,” you said.
 Dwayne reached over and put his hand over yours.  His calloused hand dwarfed yours, sending zips down your spine.
 “I’m serious (Y/N), anyone would be lucky to have ya.”
 “Even you?” you blurted out.
 Immediately you froze and your mind raced at a mile a minute.  Oh fuck, did I say that out loud?  Dwayne, to his credit, didn’t pull away or remove his hand.  In fact, his hand tightened on yours.
 “God, Dwayne, please pretend you didn’t hear that,” you moaned, dropping your head in embarrassment as your neck flushed.
 “Now why would I go and do a thing like that?”
 Your head darted up to see Dwayne smiling at you.  His thumb traced a gentle pattern on your skin.  He lifted your hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on the inside of your wrist.  You were dumbfounded.  Not even in your wildest dreams would you have imagined this outcome.
 “Darlin’, I don’t normally allow myself to hold feelings for people I work with.  But you-” he paused as he ran his fingers along your forearm.  The Dwayne Pride you knew was never at a loss of words.  He wasn’t going to push the situation.  He was waiting for you.
 You surged forward and kissed him.  His hands went to your neck, holding you close.  One of your hands fisted in his shirt and the other braced your weight on the table.  Dwayne’s kisses were languid like the energy of New Orleans.  He wasn’t forceful but instead took his time exploring your lips and tasting the sangria left there.  His thumb traced the soft skin under your ear.
 You turned your head to breathe, but Dwayne continued his exploration, worrying the skin at your pulse point.
 You stumbled a bit, and Dwayne caught you, pulling back from the kiss.
 “A little weak in the knees?” he joked as he helped you sit down.
 “Probably the sangria,” you sassed.
 Dwayne laughed at your barb and took both of your hands in his.
 “You are somethin’ else,” he marveled.  You felt bare under his unabashed gaze.  You squeezed his hands.
 “We can do this right? This isn’t gonna bite us in the ass later on?”
 Dwayne sighed.
 “I can’t make any promises, but all I can say is that I want to try this.  We’ll have to be discreet at work, of course, keep it professional, but-”
 “I want to kiss you again,” he admitted.
 You got up and stood between his legs.  You carded your fingers through his silver hair, scratching his scalp with your nails.  His hands came to a rest on your hips, as he groaned at your ministrations.  He pulled you down into your lap.  You tilted your head and kissed him again.  His hand slipped under your shirt, his warm hands causing your skin to tingle.  You thumbed his jaw, feeling the slight scruff of his five o’clock shadow.
 “I’ll say again, you are dangerous, Dwayne Pride.”  He chuckled against your lips.
 “Likewise darlin’.”
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