#netflix sand castle fanfic

[poledancingdinos]

Hostile Territory - Chapter 13

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Leah Coleman)

Word count: 3.2K

Warnings: Nothing new but references to the harassment/injuries from previous chapters

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha�� @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @elizabetharegina @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos   @geralts-yenn @peaches1958 @avengersfan25 @sillyrabbit81 @summersong69 @identity2212 @liecastillo @lena-banena @mrsevans90 @confessionbrain-writings @eclecticfashionbookszipper @happydistraction

Masterlist

Day 175:

Leah spent the better part of three weeks on bedrest. She didn't bother protesting for the simple reason that, as much as she hated being still that long, she didn’t want to face Sy.

For the first week, the boys brought MREs to her room three times a day, but when she got sick of the prepackaged food, she made the effort to go down for chow time. She couldn’t stay very long, the noise quickly becoming too much and making her head pound, but she soaked in all the social time she could.

It was a good thing the boys always had something to catch her up on during those ten to fifteen minutes together because it kept her from glancing over at Sy. He no longer sat in his normal spot, instead having moved to a seat facing away from Leah. The only time he had dared to look at her was when Aika ran to greet her on her first day down. Once the shock wore off and he knew Aika wasn’t going to wander off, he’d turned back to his meal.

On the tenth day after the incident, Leah managed to take on a few clerical tasks and by day fourteen, she had gone back to weight training. Her bruises had still been in the late healing stages but they’d no longer caused her any discomfort. Now though, she needed to step up and prove she was fit for duty because they had a big op coming up and Leah was not going to be benched.

There were rumors around base that an army platoon was going to be assisting but Sy had not confirmed anything. He’d apparently been in a particularly sour mood since the incident but there was no telling whether that was because of what happened between the two of them or the rumored newcomers. Or so she told herself.

Leah was headed back inside after a workout and a shower when she bumped into BJ.

“You might wanna go lock up your panties.”

Leah snorted, stopping to shake out her still wet hair to let it dry in the hot sun.

“I take it that means we’ll have some guests soon?”

BJ shifted his rifle around to pull his sunglasses out of his pocket.

“Yeah, we just got confirmation that they’ll be here before sunset. We’ve been ordered to move shit around to free up a couple of rooms for ‘em.”

A wet nose nudged the back of Leah’s hand, making her look down. She immediately smiled, kneeling to ruffle the fur around Aika’s neck. She was growing so fast.

They’d started painting her green a while back. It had been Jer’s idea—well, more like a joke that Sy took seriously—to paint her camo. They were still afraid she would be shot if she ever escaped since they couldn’t give her any sort of army K9 vest and Jer thought the idea of a camo print dog was hilarious. Not that Aika would run away with how attached she was to Sy but he was equally attached to her and he was not willing to take any chances. It was a good thing the only color spray paint they had on hand was green or Jer would most certainly have gone through on his original plan.

“We could probably fit someone on the floor in my room and my top bunk is still free.”

“Shouldn’t be necessary, we’ve got it mostly figured out.”

Leah nodded, standing and patting Aika on her rump to send her back inside.

“Sy asked me how you were healing up.”

Leah whipped her head down, collecting her hair to begin forming a regulation bun. “You better have told him I was in perfect shape,” she said as she straightened. “I better not get fucking benched before the big op.”

BJ just rolled his eyes. “What I wanna know is why he didn’t just check in with you himself.”

Leah schooled her face to stay neutral as she shrugged. “I don’t know.” Maybe if she kept her cool BJ would drop that line of questioning. “He probably figures I’ll just lie and say I’m fine.” She finished smoothing her hair back and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“So it has nothing to do with why you’ve been avoiding each other lately?”

Leah averted her gaze, chewing on her inner cheek. Shit.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed and so have the guys.” Double shit. “They think he feels guilty because he’s the one who made the call to put Hall with your team.”

Hall, the poor guy, was on thin ice with the Captain. He was basically on probation after the op and the slightest hiccup could make or break everything he’d worked for. The guys had been a little distant with him after Leah got out of medical but she’d made them promise not to let his mistake dictate how they treated him.

“I think that’s bullshit and something happened between you two.”

Leah unconsciously looked around to make sure no one was within earshot.

“I didn’t take you for the gossiping type, BJ.”

“It’s not gossiping if you go straight to the source.”

Leah glared at BJ but he just glared right back. When she refused to be the first to break, BJ wrapped a hand around Leah’s arm and pulled her around the corner away from any potential prying eyes.

“Look, if you want to sleep with the boss, that’s on you. It’s your ass on the line.” He paused, his tongue darting out to lick his lips before leaning closer to Leah.

Had it been anyone else, she might have thought he was trying to make a pass at her. He was nervous, there was something uncertain written all over his face.

“I want to think I know what kind of guy Sy is,” he said in a low voice, “but I still gotta ask…”

“I never slept with Sy, okay?” Leah hissed in a low tone. She needed him to drop the subject. Even if she trusted BJ, these kinds of things had a tendency to spread like wildfire as soon as anyone so much as the suggestion that two people were sleeping together.

BJ straightened, taking a deep breath. His expression morphed from worry to anger. “So, what then? Did he do som—”

“Why does everyone keep asking if he tried something?”

Did they all think that little of Sy? Or had she been completely wrong about him?

“Because we care, Leah!” BJ caught himself, looking over his shoulder before he continued. “We fucking care about your infuriatingly stubborn ass even if you try your goddamn hardest to drive us all away. Which, by the way, makes me even more worried that you’re trying to hide something even if I don’t want to believe he’s capable of something like that.”

Leah had the decency to feel ashamed about that. She cared about all of them too even if she tried to deny it at times. The last thing she wanted was to worry the few people who always had her back. Or lead them to believe that Sy had abused his position.

“It’s not like that, I swear,” she said so low it was almost a whisper. She didn’t want to lie to BJ, but she also didn’t really know how much she could safely admit. “He seemed to take my injuries really hard after he saw my ribs in medical. I think it drove home how much of a close call it was.”

BJ nodded, finally relaxing his stance and leaning his shoulder against the wall with a sigh. “Yeah, I saw your plates. Half an inch and it would have been going through your heart.”

That was true. Yet her heart had still been shattered that night.

“I’ll talk to him,” she promised. “He needs to know I’m not taking a back seat on that shared op. Maybe it’ll help him shake out of that mood you think he’s in.”

BJ seemed satisfied with her answer because he changed the subject, dragging Leah up to help the others get the rooms ready for their guests.

Sy hated working on a deadline. Normally, they would gather intel, devise a plan and strike when the moment was right. Now, the right moment had to come within the next twenty-five days.

He’d been informed that they were being sent an army platoon as “support”. Sy didn’t appreciate his higher ups’ way of telling him they were dissatisfied with the speed of his progress but the extra man power—and the accompanying supply truck—would be put to good use all the same.

“Are you Captain Syverson?”

Sy turned away from Aika to find a tall, lean man walking towards him with confident strides. He looked tanned, though unlike Sy, it appeared to be the natural tone of his skin rather than damage from hours upon hours in the scorching Iraqi sun. He hoped this kid had at least some field experience.

“Yessir. I’m guessin’ you’re the man in charge?”

The other officer nodded. “Lieutenant Stroubakis.” The Lieutenant, who Sy guessed was a few years younger than him, extended his hand. “The men tend to just call me LT.”

Sy could easily see why. It seemed that full titles were rarely used when last names had more than two syllables which was why nearly everyone on base called him Sy. Well, everyone except the one person he really wished would call him that.

“I hope you and your men know what y’all are gettin’ into,” Sy said by way of greeting, shaking the man’s hand more forcefully than strictly necessary. “It may be quiet out there right now but don’t make the mistake of takin’ their silence for acceptance. Our presence is barely tolerated by the locals as it is and seeing four new humvees rollin’ in is bound to stir up some shit. Y’all need to keep your heads on a swivel.”

Sensing the slight hostility in the words, the Lieutenant lifted his chin. “Then let’s talk about what it is we are here to do so that we can all get out of your hair.”

The slight tipping of Sy’s head was the only indication for the Lieutenant to follow him as he walked into the building. “From what I heard, you’re gunnin’ for a promotion.”

“Is that all they told you about why we’re here?”

It wasn’t, but it may as well have been. He didn’t want some hotshot putting his men at risk while trying to impress the higher ups. Officers made all kinds of rash or reckless decisions in the name of advancing their careers and they were rarely the ones to pay for them with their lives.

Sy paused outside his office door, turning to face the Lieutenant. “I was told that your men respect you and that ya get the job done but I tend to reserve judgment until I see for my—.”

“Niki?”

Sy immediately looked down the hall towards the source of the sweet voice he’d missed hearing in the last month.

“Oh my god, it is you!”

The young man barely had time to brace himself before a small body slammed into his chest. There was no hesitation as he wrapped his arms around Leah’s waist and pressed his nose into her hair.

“Hey, Killer,” he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment and basking in the unexpected comfort of a familiar embrace.

Leah was perched on the very tip of her toes, gripping the collar of the Lieutenant’s—Niki’s—uniform in both hands.

Sy’s entire body flushed white-hot, not so much at the nerve of the guy for indulging Leah in her arguably inappropriate behavior, but for the fact that he got to touch her the way Sy would only wished he could. She’d been avoiding him since the night in the infirmary and it was slowly killing him inside. He’d crossed a line and now Leah was uncomfortable around him. Any trust he’d managed to build was gone in a heartbeat because of his own mistake.

Sy cleared his throat, causing Leah’s eyes to shoot open as she remembered where she stood. She pulled away, taking three steps back and straightening to stand at attention, staring at a spot on the Lieutenant’s chest as she saluted him. “I mean…” She shifted her weight, her eyes flickering to the collar of the man’s jacket. “Lieutenant Stroubakis, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” She looked at Sy only long enough to give him a short greeting.

Leah kept her gaze downturned as she scurried away. She couldn’t believe that she had just jumped on another soldier in front of her commanding officer. Not just a soldier but an officer.

If anyone else had witnessed her little indiscretion, she was fucked. There was no way people would believe that she’d made it where she was on merit alone if they thought she’d slept with not one, but two different officers.

She also couldn’t get Sy’s face out of her head. He’d been furious. It would be hypocritical of him to punish her for a hug when they’d shared a kiss just under a month ago. A kiss which he initiated. A kiss so heated she’d begun to reconsider every decision she’d ever made in her life.

Leah had agonized over what to do with her life after high school. Against her father’s wishes, she’d enlisted with her only objective being to make it into Special Forces. As much as she was interested in Sy, she couldn’t act on it without risking everything.

Sy had been more than fair to her since her arrival. What would he think of her now? Would he think that she’d used Niki’s status to get ahead like Nielsen had accused her of doing with Sy? Would he assume the affinity they’d developed was just about her trying to get in his pants? Was that what led him to look so angry? Or was he angry because he was jealous?

She passed by the men from Niki’s unit, ignoring the interested stares from the newcomers.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Princess! Come greet our guests!” Of course, Connors would waste no time in sharing her lovely little nickname with them. At least the words out of his mouth hadn’t been “come blow our guests”. Suddenly, the wave of hope brought on by the sight of Niki was replaced with insurmountable dread.

Sy shut the door behind Lieutenant Stroubakis and moved around to stand behind his desk. The younger man stood stock-still with his shoulders back and eyes focused forward. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, betraying his worry regarding whatever was going to be said next.

“Is there anything I need to know about you two, Lieutenant?”

Like the reason why he had his fucking paws on Leah.

At least he’d posed it as a question and not an accusation. Look at him keeping his head on straight.

“I know her brother, Sir.”

“Cut the shit,” he barked. Okay, maybe his head wasn’t on so straight. “We both know that was not the reaction of a girl who happened to bump into one of her brother’s friends.”

Sy’s older sisters could barely remember the names of his best friends in high school. They would never have touched any of them, much less give them a hug.

“There is nothing to disclose, Sir.”

Sy dropped into his chair. “Forgive me if I’m reluctant to take you at your word.”

“Then ask her about it.” The Lieutenant’s mouth snapped shut, catching his momentary slip in composure. He didn’t want to piss off Sy by being insubordinate but there was something about the Captain’s demeanor that made Niki question his motives. “Sir, I am not going to divulge personal information about another soldier without their knowledge unless I feel like their safety or the safety of someone else is in jeopardy. My answer won’t change. You have nothing to worry about. That is, assuming your motivations for asking are related to the safety of your subordinates during my stay here and not for some personal agenda.”

The punk had balls. Sy could respect that. He could also respect that he was protecting Leah’s privacy. That was typically one of the first things you gave up when you went through basic training.

Sy carefully considered his next words, trying to convince himself as much as the young man before him. “Corporal Coleman is the only woman here at Warhorse. I don’t need a jealous ex exploding on the first hothead who catcalls her.”

Or worse, a current boyfriend.

“Why the fuck is she being catcalled at all?”

Sy rubbed his hand over his beard, letting out a deep sigh.

“Because the military is a sexist fuckin’ institution and if I write up too many of my men for what my superiors consider minor infractions they will gladly replace me with someone who will just look the other way. Or worse, someone who will get rid of the ‘problem’ at the source. I have no doubt she’s worked twice as hard as any other soldier just to get where she is, I won’t let them take it away from her. I also won’t let them get rid of her for an inappropriate relationship with a superior.”

Nikolas’ eyes widened before he looked off to the side. The muscles in his jaw clenched as he mulled over Sy’s words.

The candor of Sy’s statement was surprising. Whatever the reason, this man wanted to protect Leah. As a sign of good faith, Niki offered up some honesty of his own.

“Leah’s family to me. If you need the specifics then you can ask her directly.”

Sy took a moment to consider whether it was enough of an answer for him to drop the subject. He knew it should be, that it was just his curiosity—and maybe a little jealousy—getting the best of him, but he needed to play this smart.

“I am the only one who gives her direct orders, you make no decisions about her work and you don’t discipline any of my men for their behavior towards her.”

It was hypocritical of him to be saying those words, he knew so. He’d done his best since Leah’s arrival to walk the line between protecting her and giving her preferential treatment, but he was very aware that it was so much more complicated than that now.

“How bad is it?” Niki asked after a moment of silence.

Things were definitely better than they had once been. Nielsen and Connors didn’t try to pick fights with her anymore. They made the occasional comment but Leah didn’t really pay any attention to them. 

Sy gestured for Niki to take a seat, finally allowing him to relax a bit. Niki dropped his helmet and weapon on the table and pulled a folding chair closer to the desk.

“For the most part, she keeps ‘em in line herself.”

Niki tried to conceal his smirk but he broke, huffing a laugh. “She broke someone’s nose, didn’t she?”

Sy allowed himself to match the other man’s smile. “Is that a habit of hers?”

“Only when someone deserves it.”

Though Sy still wasn’t sure what to think of Niki, he couldn’t deny there was something to like about the man.

“Let’s get this shit planned out so we can get all our boys home safe.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Chapter 14

[peyton-warren]

No idea how I missed this one but this is a great insight into being married to Sy. Good man. Great drabble. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Pov: youre taking care of him after a rugby game

You get all grumpy and lecturing him🙄

P.s: Fucking rugby game is wild. Its a no place for living things 😣😣

Ok, because it's Syturday I decided to make a little drabble out of this. Hope you don't mind I changed the rugby game to an evening with the boys🙈

Summary: Sy comes home from an evening meeting up with his old squad.

Pairing: Sy x Reader

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, mentions of violence, mentions of harassment, mentions of bar fight, fluff, tipsy Sy, cursing, allusion to smut maybe?

Word count: dunno🙈 drabbly length

Title: Evening With The Boys

You wish you could say the phone call surprised you. It didn't. Your man had a habit of getting himself into trouble. So when he helped you tuck the little ones in and left afterwards to meet up with his old squad at the bar, part of you already expected a call.

"Called him a cab," your brother in law informs you at the other end of the line, "hope I didn't wake ya."

You just sigh and tell him you've been up reading, thank him and hang up. A few minutes later you hear a car pull up on the curb and get up to open the door.

"Fuck," you sigh. With your fists on your hips, you watch your man sulking, paying the driver and walking up the driveway towards you.

In the dim light you can't really see his face, so you have no idea how bad it is. You sit him down on the couch and go to the kitchen, to prepare an ice pack anyway, quietly fuming.

Why does this man keep doing this? You know he's helping these women, but one day he'll get himself into some serious trouble.

"So, what happened?" you ask him in the tone you usually use when the little ones were fighting, patient but demanding.

"Nothin', bug," Sy grumbles.

"Not buyin' that," you arch your eyebrow at him, taking in his face for the first time. An angry looking bruise is forming around his eye, blooming like a red and purple flower. Your annoyance melts away when you see it. "Tell me."

"I didn't start it," the former captain continues grumbling as you sit down next to him on the couch and gently cup his bearded cheek to turn his head towards you. "That dude had it comin'."

He hisses slightly when you place the ice pack on his bruised eye. You stroke his beard with your thumb and hum for him to continue.

"Kept flirting with that chick. She told him to leave her alone but dude didn't get the message. Kept harassing her, got kinda violent. So I went up to him and told him to leaver her alone. Fucker thought it might be a good idea to swing at me. Broke his nose." Sy shrugs.

You just nod. Not the first time it happened. You didn't like it, but to be honest, Sy was right: these dudes had it coming.

"You're just lucky you know the owner," you snort quietly, "but you can't keep doin' that. One day you'll really get in trouble for that."

Sy let's out an amused grunt.

"Does it hurt?" you ask tentatively.

"Had worse," he just shrugs again, then peels your hands off his face and abruptly stands. He pulls you up with him and throws you over his shoulder, making you squeal.

"Bear! Put me down!"

"Shh, wouldn't wanna wake the little monsters," Sy warns, giving you a small spank on the butt, ignoring your plea, and you have to bite back an excited yelp.

Fuck, you hate it when he gets into fights, but the beast that comes beck home is just irresistible.

[heavy-heartstrings]

You Make It Feel Like Home - Chapter 1

Summary: Melanie is a single mother struggling through life. But when she needs to hire a carpenter to renovate her daughter's bedroom she might find out that sometimes life gives you exactly what you need.

Pairing: Syverson x OFC (Melanie Hill)

Word Count: 3500+

A/N: After reading a lot of Syverson fanfic and falling in love with the character I decided to write one myself. It was supposed to be a short one shot but ended up being over 15k so I decided to divide it into three parts. This is incredibly self-indulgent and doesn’t have much of a plot, but hopefully it will appeal to some of you.

Special shout out to Willow Run by @deathonyourtongue​ and Adopt a Soldier by @rmtndew​ these are two of the first Sy fics I read and they really made me fall in love with the character as a father figure type. Check them out if you haven’t already.

... Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 1

I cast a glance at the clock as I hurried to collect the toys that were strewn across the living room. As usual I was running late and Laura’s brother was going to be here any minute. Right on cue the doorbell rang.

A quick glimpse in the mirror on my way to the door told me that my hair was in disarray and my concealer had faded revealing the dark circles under my eyes. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, this guy wouldn’t care that I and my home looked like a mess.

I was taken aback when I opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a bear of a man. He was tall, granted most people were tall compared to me, but this guy made me feel tiny. His height was amplified by the fact that he was broad and muscular, taking up almost the entire door frame. Combined with his short hair and bushy beard he looked like he belonged on the cover of a fitness magazine.

His intimidating presence was softened by his kind blue eyes and a warm smile, his deep voice gentle as he inquired, “Ms. Hill?”

Swallowing past the sudden dryness in my throat I nodded affirmatively, “Yes. Mr Syverson?”

“Call me Sy,” he said. “Laura told me you had a damaged wall that needs to be repaired?”

“Yeah, please come in.” I moved aside to let him inside. “It’s the second door on the right.”

I followed him into the room, nervously wringing my hands as he inspected the water damage on the wall. I fervently hoped that he would be able to fix it and that I would be able to afford the cost. If not I didn’t know what I would do. Must likely I would end up having to sell this place for considerably less than what I had bought it for.

“This seems to have happened quite a while ago, when did you first notice it?” he asked, his attention still on the wall as he ran his hand over that bumps and cracks in the wallpaper.

“Two weeks ago. I was going to put up new wallpaper, but when I took down the old wallpaper I noticed the discoloration and the weird texture.”

He nodded in acknowledgment as he turned to face me. “How long have you lived here?”

“Just a little over a month. The people who own the apartment next door said they had a burst pipe in the wall of their bathroom a while back which probably caused the damage,” I explained, my nervousness increasing at his grim expression.

“But since the previous owners of this place were fixin to sell they simply put up a new wallpaper over it and hoped no one would notice,” he concluded, shaking his head in agitation.

I lowered my gaze as I felt my face heat with embarrassment. I knew I had been gullible, the price for the place had been low considering the neighborhood, but since the previous owners were friends of my parents I had taken their word for it when they said the apartment had passed the home inspection.

“Have you had asbestos testing done?” he asked, his voice again taking on that gentle tone.

“Yeah, it was negative.”

“Well, the good news is that since it’s already dry, I can start as soon as you want. The bad news is that since it’s been this way for a while there might be mold. I won’t know for sure how long it will take to complete until the walls are removed, but hopefully not more than a week.”

It took me a second to comprehend that he was willing to take the job, and I could feel the anxiety begin to lose its grip on me. “Um, my schedule is pretty varied from week to week. Would you be able to come in two to three days a week?”

“Sure, no problem. I don’t mind coming in on the weekends if that works better for you.”

I bit my bottom lip nervously, knowing there was still one hurdle in the way. I felt a little embarrassed to ask, but I had to know, “How- How much will it cost?”

He tilted his head to the side and looked at me in silence for a moment, making me shift uncomfortably under his intense gaze. “Tell you what, I can give you a fixed price. 1000 for the whole job, no extra expense if the job takes longer than expected.”

The relief that swept over me was so intense I almost felt like I would either faint or throw up. All the other companies I had consulted with previously had wanted at least triple that. I knew Laura had said her brother would give me a good deal, but this was better than I could have dared to hope for. “That’s… that’s very generous of you, thank you.”

“When do you want me to start?”

I quickly attempted to mentally order my schedule for the week, trying to calculate the days I would be able to work from home. “Would Wednesday and Thursday this week work for you?”

He smiled widely, making his already handsome face look even more gorgeous. “Absolutely. Is 8 o’clock alright with you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Alright then,” he said, gesturing for me to go first. I walked him back to the hall and opened the door for him. He nodded at me politely. “I’ll see you on Wednesday. Have a nice day ma’am.”

“You too.” I closed the door after him, letting out a relived sigh. Hopefully he would soon have the wall repaired and I’d have one less thing to worry about.

Sy arrived at 8 o’clock sharp on Wednesday morning. I was running late after dropping Amelia off at preschool and didn’t arrive home until fifteen minutes past eight. I apologized profusely for keeping him waiting, but he merely smiled at me and assured me that he didn’t mind. I still felt terrible about it and wanted to do something to make it up to him. I put on the coffee maker and searched through the cupboards for something to offer him. Unfortunately, the only snacks I had were animal crackers and a bag of mini-Oreos. I considered making him a sandwich but decided he probably wouldn’t want that if he’d already eaten breakfast.

When the coffee was done I poured a cup and put it on a tray with a small pitcher of milk and a bowl with sugar. I carried it to the closed door but hesitated as I raised my hand to knock. I could hear him working in there and didn’t want to disturb him when he was busy. The man probably only wanted to be left alone to do his job in peace. I took the tray back into the kitchen and put it on the counter, busying myself with tidying up the kitchen before pulling out some documents I needed to go over for work.

Sy came out of the room about an hour later and I felt myself flush had the sight of him, sweaty and disheveled from his work yet still looking absolutely gorgeous.

“I’m just gonna get some more tools from my truck, I’ll be right back,” he informed me.

Too mesmerized to answer I merely nodded in response, forcing myself not to stare at him as he walked away. When he came back inside I had finally worked up the nerve to ask, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I’d love some, thank you,” he accepted cheerfully. “Let me just put these tools away right quick.”

Since the cup I had already prepared had long since gone cold I poured him a new one and made one for myself as well, mostly so it wouldn’t be awkward for him to drink his on his own than any real desire for it. I had already had a cup this morning and that was usually all I could handle in a day without becoming jittery.

He joined me in the kitchen and I handed him one of the cups, inviting him to take a seat at the table. After a few minutes of slightly awkward silence as we both sipped on our coffees he asked, “So, what are you going to use the room for?”

“It’s going to be my daughter’s room.”

He nodded in acknowledgment. “How old is she?”

“She’s three.”

He smiled softly, making my heart flutter. He really had a nice smile. “She must be hankerin’ to get her room back then?”

“No, she’s fine staying in my room,” I said, then felt the need to explain. “Our old place only had one bedroom, so she’s never had a room of her own.”

He nodded again and finished the last of his coffee in one large gulp. “I better get back to work then. Thank you for the coffee.”

Sy spent the rest of the day taking the wall down, only leaving for an hour to go get lunch. I was just getting ready to go pick up Amelia when he came out, a grim look on his face.

Instantly my anxiety was on high alert. “Is there a problem?”

“I’ve gotten most of the wall down and there are no signs of mildew. Unfortunately, the damage seems to extend further than what was visible, I’m going to have to take down the south wall and at least half the floor.”

“Oh,” I said, my heart sinking at the realization. I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple, things never seemed to go my way. “H-How much more is that going to cost?”

He was shaking his head before I had even finished asking. “I gave you a set price that’s not changing. It’s just going to take me a little longer to get it done is all.”

As much as I appreciated his kindness, I knew I couldn’t take advantage of his generosity. “You’ll have more than twice as much work to do. You deserve to be compensated for your trouble.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, making him look even more imposing than usual. “Don’t worry about it. The price will be enough to cover the cost of all the materials and I have plenty of time to get the work done.”

I felt my stomach tie in knots, the guilt overwhelming. This man was a virtual stranger and yet here he was offering to help me for free. “No, I couldn’t take advantage of-,”

“Hey,” he interrupted, his voice firm. “You’re not taking advantage. Laura told me what a big help you were to her when Harry got sick. I’m more than happy to help. Alright?”

While my conscience still screamed at me that I was exploiting his generosity, his firm assurance and steady gaze quelled the worst of my anxiety and I found myself nodding in concession. “Okay.”

He rewarded me with another soft smile. “Good. I’m done for the day. Is it alright if I leave my stuff here for tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I can come by a little later tomorrow if you have a lot to do in the morning?”

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment remembering my faux pas from this morning and hurried to assure him, “No. No, eight o’clock is fine. I promise I’ll be here to let you in this time.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

I followed him to the door and bade him goodnight, thanking him once again for all his help. After he left I leaned against the door and gave myself a moment to get my emotions under control. Despite Sy’s reassurances I felt awful about him doing all this work practically for free. The problem was that I didn’t have the money to pay him any more even if I could convince him to accept it. I was going to have to find some other way to repay him for his kindness.

I got up half an hour earlier the next day to make sure I would be home by the time Sy got here. Amelia was uncharacteristically cranky having to get up earlier so it took longer than usual to get her ready. Then there had been an accident on the highway so the car ride took almost twice as long as usual. By the time I made it back home it was already five minutes to eight. I got the coffee maker started and began making some sandwiches. I had planned to pick up some pastries from a local bakery to offer Sy but this would have to do.

Eight o’clock on the dot there was a knock on the door. I was once again surprised by the sheer size of the man. His demeanor was as warm and friendly as previously but I couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable, still feeling troubled from yesterday.

He graciously accepted my offer of coffee and a sandwich. As we sat at the kitchen table making polite small talk I could feel most of my unease fade at his easy-going manner and friendly conversation. Eventually he went to work on tearing down the rest of the wall and floor and I set out to get some more work done. He left again at noon to go get lunch and I made myself a salad. When there was a knock on the door I assumed it was Sy coming back, instead I was greeted by my father.

“Dad, what are you doing here?”

“I need the Hansen file,” he said as he pushed past me, not bothering to wait for me to invite him in.

“I’m working on it right now,” I said, gesturing towards the documents spread out on the kitchen table. “I thought the meeting wasn’t until tomorrow?”

“It’s not, I need to go over a few things before then.” He hurriedly gathered up the papers while casting a curious glance around the apartment. “Where’s Amy?”

“She’s at preschool.”

He gave me a stern glare that always made me feel like I was a little kid getting in trouble. “Isn’t the reason I allow you to work from home so that you can have more time with your daughter?”

“I’m having her bedroom repaired, I thought it would be easier if she wasn’t home,” I explained, trying not to fidget under his critical stare. I was a grown woman and I knew I shouldn’t feel that I had to defend my choices, but my father’s judgment always managed to make me feel inadequate.

“About time, the girl deserves to have her own room.”

I was saved from responding when there was another knock on the door. This time it was Sy and I was torn between relief at the interruption and apprehension over having to introduce him to my dad. I knew my father could be curt at the best of times and he had a tendency to be condescending to people he considered to be working class.

“This is my Dad, Charles Hill. Dad, this is Calvin Syverson, he’s restoring the wall in Amy’s room.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Sy greeted, reaching out to shake my father’s hand.

My father gave him a critical look over, not even trying to hide his scrutiny. “What company are you with?”

“I’m self-employed.”

My father merely huffed in reply and went back to the kitchen. Sy excused himself and went back to work. I followed my father, not willing to let his disrespectful behavior go unremarked. “You didn’t need to be so rude. Mr. Syverson is being very kind to me.”

“What was wrong with the company I recommended you?” he challenged, ignoring my reprimand.

“I couldn’t afford what they charged.”

“Yes, well quality costs. Don’t you think your daughter deserves a room that’s competently done?”

I held back a sigh, sometimes it seemed like there was nothing I could do that would please him. “Dad, between the payments to my car and the loan I had to take to pay for this place to begin with I can barely afford this. And Mr. Syverson comes highly recommended, he built the Wilson’s new porch.”

“If you had finished college as intended affording this place wouldn’t have been a problem.” I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment but he didn’t pay me any heed, putting the documents in his briefcase he left the kitchen but instead of going to the front door he headed towards Amelia’s bedroom.

“Where are you going?”

“I want to have a look at what that man is doing to my granddaughter’s room.”

Before I could intervene he had marched into the bedroom. I listened as he began bombarding Sy with questions but luckily Sy seemed to take it all in stride, politely answering all my dad’s questions and explaining the damage and the process of restoring it.

After my father finally left I found myself with nothing to do. I had planned on working for most of the day and suddenly I had all this time to kill. Wanting to do something nice for Sy as an apology for my dad’s behavior and to show my appreciation for his help I decided to use the time to bake some cinnamon buns. The first batch ended up a little too dry but on my second try they came out perfect. I put most of them in the freezer and the reminder on a plate on the table. Sy came out shortly after, he was covered in a layer of dust and his shirt clung to his sweat soaked chest. I could feel myself blushing and forced myself to look away.

“I’ve gotten everything dismantled, next time I’ll start rebuilding the floor. What days next week did you want me to come by?” he asked, seemingly unaware of my ogling.

“Oh, I… I made a list of days that I’m going to be home for the upcoming weeks, maybe you can look it over and let me know which days work best for you?”

I handed him the list and he looked over it quickly. “I should be able to do most of these. I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”

“I... I made coffee and there’s some cinnamon buns, if you want some before you leave?”

The smile he gave me in response seemed to light up his whole face and made my heart pound rapidly. “Don’t mind if I do.”

I poured him a cup of coffee as he took a seat. Getting myself a glass of water, I joined him at the table, offering him the plate of buns. He took one and inspected it curiously before taking a big bite. “Did you just make these?”

“I did… they’re my daughter’s favorites,” I explained, feeling strangely self-conscious.

“I can understand why, they’re delicious.”

“Thank you.” His praise made me feel all flustered again. Trying to get myself under control, I hurried to change the subject. “I’m sorry if my dad bothered you earlier. He can be a little intense, always wants to call the shots.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he just wants to make sure his daughter gets the best.”

I doubted my father’s intentions were quite that noble but figured it would be rude to say anything. Sy was just being polite and didn’t need to be burdened with details about my strained relationship with my father. Seeing that he was almost finished I offered him another bun and was delighted when he eagerly accepted. “Laura told me you were in the army?”

“Yes ma’am, twelve years of service. Got my discharge four months ago.”

“What made you decide to start your own business?”

“It was mostly out of necessity rather than anything else to be honest with you. I enlisted when I was nineteen, so I never went to college. I worked at my uncle’s carpentry business a couple of summers so I decided doing some free-lance work would be my best option for now. At least until I decide what I want to do with my life. The old man is still hoping I’m gonna take over the family ranch.”

“You don’t want to?”

“I don’t know. Had always planned on it, I enjoy the work, have been helping out since I was a lad when my grandpa and grandma still ran it.” The gentle smile on his face slowly transformed into a troubled frown. “It just feels like so much of my family is tied up to that place. Even if I take over, I’d probably still be running it like my pa wants.”

I suddenly felt an unexpected kinship with the man sitting opposite me. Being constrained by your parent’s expectations was something I was painfully familiar with. “You want something that’s yours. Building your own vision rather than your father’s.”

He looked at me in silence for a moment, and just as I’m about to start squirming in my seat he nods his head, “Exactly.”

“You could buy your own ranch?” I suggested.

He laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. But places like that are hard to come by, not to mention expensive. Besides, my pa might forgive me if I choose not to go into the family business, don’t reckon he would be quite so forgiving if I became his competition.”

“What about your siblings? They don’t have any interest in taking over your parent’s ranch?”

“Well, you know Laura, she’s really more of a city girl. And Matt is still enlisted, don’t reckon he has any plans on leaving the military any time soon.”

He took another sip of his coffee. “What about you? What do you do?”

“I work as a legal secretary at my dad’s law firm.” For some reason I felt compelled to tell him more. “I dropped out of college when I got pregnant with Amy.”

“You must have been very young?”

“Nineteen.”

Sy reached out and put his hand on my forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was just a brief touch, but it made my heart beat rapidly in my chest. “Well, you could always go back to college in a few years, yeah? If that’s something you really want.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said absently, my brain still trying to recover from the feeling of his hand on my arm.

“Or you could open up your own bakery. With cinnamon buns like these you’d have people lining up around the block,” he joked as he took the last bite.

“Thank you.” I blushed again, not used to being on the receiving end of this many compliments, especially not from handsome men who made my heart race. “You’re welcome to take some home with you if you want.”

“No, I couldn’t do that. I’m sure your daughter will appreciate having her favorite snack to come home too.”

I wanted to keep talking to him, but it was almost time for me to go pick up Amelia and I didn’t want to impose on his time. I reminded myself that he was here for work and was probably impatient to go home for the day.

After he left I hurried to clean up and put the remaining buns out of sight, knowing I would never get Amelia to eat her dinner if she knew what was for dessert. My heart felt lighter than it had for a long time and if my mind was occupied with thoughts of Sy’s kind blue eyes and warm smile I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

[ignis-writes]

Giggles 

Summary: This man might as well be stripping on a pole but that watch ain't going nowhere. 

Pairing: Captain Syverson × female! reader 

Word count: around 650

Warnings: Giggles, Watches, Swear words and fluffy Sy (anything else?)

A/N: I typed this up cuz I had 20 mins between classes. So it's a collection of mistakes and shit that doesn't make sense. Not beta'd like everything else on this page.

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Giggles

A sweet wave of breeze whiffed away the flimsy layer of sweat formed on his tanned skin. The hard muscles flexed as the man pushed himself up on his hands and rolled over to lay by my side with his fingers weaved with mine. Sex was good, but it was these moments of blissful closeness that made us feel more connected and familiar with each other. We stayed almost motionless except for his fingers feeling up and down the engagement ring on my finger. I shifted my head gently over his chest, I almost dozed off in silence until the ebony-strapped military issue watch snapped my attention. I couldn't help but ask...

"Why don't you take off that watch, sy?" 

To be honest this isn't the first time I noticed. My man can be down butt naked but still have that watch on. I've wondered if the captain ever walked into the shower with his beloved wrist whore,  I've never seen that watch left on the dressing table or bathroom stands in my near memory. 

"Why, you don't like it?"  He wondered

"Nah, I'm just curious…that watch held your hands more than I did” 

“Yeah, but did the watch get my heart and the ring?” 

His feeble attempt to wink which ended up miserably cute gave me the inevitable urge to seize a love bite on his coarse cheek.

“the fuck, woman?”

 harmless rage dressed his nose in pink as I fell into a fit of giggles, quietly overshadowing my fate as the bull moved in the speed of the wind to have me pressed on the mattress with his breath mere inches from my face, the azure of his eyes clouding with tell-tale mischief.

“Wanna have a good laugh lil girl?” oh no, I won't be breathing for some time and that dirty drawl said so. 

“No, no, so I'm tired” I tried to make it out, except the syllables ditched me between breaths and goosebumps

Laughter took over the better of my words as the man kneeled above me with his big arms digging pearls of laughter outta my ribs. Sy knew I was a bit too ticklish, the mere thought of being tickled sent me off the cliff. No matter how hard I tried to cover it up and deny he saw how I liked the weird bolts of dopamine pumping through my veins chaperoned by chuckles. 

“Nnooeehho…staph Skyy..y sthop”

round one, round two, round three. The tickles went on

 I kept trying to hold away his wrist but all I could hold was that damm watch. New tactics, I went for his bare neck and armpit with my wiggly fingers only to get my hands pinned above my head in an instant. I was laughing, crying and trying to breathe in between.

When he finally took his slippery fingers off me it still took me some time to get it together and comprehend words and take in air. All while my man was giggling like a schoolboy near me. Who among us got tickled? It didn't matter though, seeing Sy burst out with laughter was rare, i savored every moment of it. Under the scary beard and the cold blue eyes, the captain had a heart of butter. 

Shifting to face me he yawned again catching up with the conversation we abandoned mere minutes ago. 

“Want me to get rid of it?” he asked nodding at the watch

“let it stay. sexy” 

“The watch?”

“Nah your hand” 

“would you like another orgasm straight outta Mr sexy hands? 😉” 

agh that cheesy drawl and half-assed wink. There goes me giggling again

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Reblog and comment if u enjoyed

tags:  @cynic-spirit @evansabove1981 @angelmather1 @calwitch

[roamwithahungryheart]

This is a little something for the lovely @cavillsthighs in honor of her birthday - happy birthday bestie!!! x

Of all the ranches in all of Texas, you had to break down in front of his.

A birthday road trip had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now though, you just wanted to be at home in your pjs, opening gifts and treating yourself to an early morning glass of champagne. With a sigh, you rested your head on the steering wheel. And caught the horn. When you looked up again, there was a very disgruntled, very gruff man standing by the passenger window. You brought the window down and opened your mouth to apologize, but he’d already taken it upon himself to lean against the doorframe.

“So you’re the one makin’ all that racket.”

“Sorry.” You frowned.

“Don’t apologize, it happens a lot around here. People get lost.” There was a glint in his eyes that softened his face. “Where are you headed?”

Your shoulders slumped. “Friggin’ car broke down. And of course I’m in the middle of nowhere so I can’t get a signal.”

The man scratched his beard and put his hands on his hips. “Mind if I take a look under the hood ma’am?”

The depth of his voice, the lilt of it sent a shiver through you. The closer you looked, you saw that behind the tough exterior, under the rough beard, he was actually very attractive. So, when the words left his lips, your cheeks flushed.

He smirked. “You don’t trust me do you?”

You stalled. He shook his head in amusement.

“Can you blame me?”

“Not at all.” He reached through the window, offering you his hand. “Name’s Sy.”

With slight reluctance, you shook his hand, but the warmth in his eyes put you at ease.

“I’m Tori.”

“Nice to meet you, Tori. So, can I fix up your vehicle now?”

“Go ahead.” You shrugged. There was no other option. You’d take any help you could get.

“I’ll be right back.” He slapped the roof of the car and headed through the gate at the side of the main house. He returned with a toolbox, swinging it by his side like a cowboy with a pistol.

“Used to fix up the tanks in Iraq. Hell of a job. This won’t take as long, but it could take a little while.”

“Former military huh?”

“Yes ma’am.” He paused and gestured towards the ranch. “You look like you could use a drink. Go inside and help yourself.”

“Oh, I couldn’t-“

He cut in with a hint of a smile. “That’s an order.”

Not wanting to get on the bad side of a former soldier, you obeyed and hopped out of the car.

From the outside, it seemed like a typically rustic ranch. Inside however, it was a true Texan bachelor pad filled with dark brown leather, rough stone and lacquered wood. Taking a seat by the kitchen window, you glanced across the wide open field, watching the horses peacefully graze. This guy had gone through hell and come home to heaven.

The sound of the latch on the front door startled you. With one hand on your chest, you breathlessly greeted him.

“Jesus, you made me jump!”

“Sorry about that.” He chuckled.

“That’s okay.” You waved a hand at him. “I was distracted by the horses outside. They’re beautiful.” Turning to face him, you instinctively brought a hand up to cup your chin. “Do you ride?”

He scoffed. “Hell no, I ain’t a cowboy. My mother used to. As she got older she just liked having them around. My Daddy had a whole family business goin’ – Syverson Saddlery. I helped out a lot as a kid. Got used to ‘em I guess.”

“That’s nice.” Your voice was almost a dreamy whisper. The way his face changed when he spoke about his mother made you feel something you couldn’t quite put a finger on – a mixture of melancholy, admiration and something not unlike affection.

He cleared his throat then. “You didn’t look too comfortable coming in here and helping yourself, so I thought I’d come in and fix you somethin’.”

Your eyes widened slightly. “Thank you, that’s very kind. I just didn’t want to be a nuisance, I mean, I already hijacked your day.”

“It’s no trouble.” He began rustling in the cupboards. “Mi casa es su casa.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who often had company.

“Thank you. Again.” You hesitated, wondering if the question you were about to ask was too personal. But then you asked anyway. “So what brings a former soldier to a ranch?”

His voice was muffled by the cupboard doors. “Dry Creek Ranch has been in the family for years. I went on leave, Mom got sick, I came back.” The cupboard door slammed. He opened the refrigerator. “Hope you like OJ.”

Without waiting for a response, he poured two glasses and set them on the kitchen table.

“This definitely isn’t the way I thought I’d be spending my birthday.”

He whistled loudly. “Well shit! Don’t drink that, I’m gonna get us somethin’ a little stronger.”

Sy the soldier and ranch hand. This man was a walking contradiction.

“I’m driving, remember?” You raised your eyebrows.

He reciprocated the gesture. “It’s your birthday. One of these bad boys won’t kill ya. And if it does, you’re welcome to crash here for the night.”

Popping the ring pull on the can, you tilted your head. “Y’know, if you weren’t so helpful I’d think you were just trying to get me into bed.”

Not that you would mind if he was.

“No ma’am.”

“Were you really in the military?”

“Yes ma’am.” He got up, rushed out of the kitchen and came back clutching a medal. “Captain Wyatt Syverson at your service.”

“Okay, I believe you.” You tipped the can at him before taking a sip.

“Thank you.” He placed the medal on the kitchen counter. “Now, I’m gonna go ahead and fix up your chariot, and when I’m done, how about we have another beer and I bake ya my mom’s famous birthday peach pie?”

Okay, more than a contradiction – Wyatt Syverson was full of surprises.

“Sounds good.”

All things considered, Sy may not be a cowboy, but you wouldn’t mind being his cowgirl.

[inlovewithhisblueeyes]

The Captain and the Mermaid

Pairing: Captain Syverson x Ariel! Female Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: Familial teasing and fluff

A/N: As some of you know I love The Little Mermaid to death and a plot bunny about Henry (or one of his characters) dating a party princess/professional mermaid has been floating around my head. Besides mentioning that the reader has red hair, I wanted to keep the description of her as limited as possible. I believe that anyone can be Ariel regardless of skin color. I'm excited to see Halle Bailey take on this iconic role.

Today on what seemed like it was going to be the hottest day in Texas history, little Leah Syverson-Jones was turning 7. All she had wanted was Ariel and her favorite uncle present. It took her parents quite a while to convince her to invite other people to her party, but Leah drove a hard bargain; she wanted a pool party at Uncle Sy’s so Ariel wouldn’t dry out. Leah loved hanging out at Uncle Sy’s house for that very reason and with her being his only niece in a sea of nephews, Sy spoiled her rotten.

Now when his sister, Sarah, told him of the plan, Sy wasn’t too sure how they were going to make the whole bringing a fictional character to a party. He let his sister handle that part while he focused on making sure his backyard was worthy of his little mermaid princess. He had seen The Little Mermaid with Leah at least a billion times at this point so the captain had tons to work with. Sy decided to focus on Ariel’s grotto and he may have cheated a little bit and took some ideas from their family trip to Disney World two years prior. Leah had nearly passed out from excitement when meeting her idol in her grotto.

Syverson may have also ordered his new batch of recruits from the nearby base to do most of the heavy lifting and errand running; he did end up paying them in all the beer and pizza they could dream of after Sarah had heard about it. Now the morning of the big day, Sarah had dragged herself over to Sy’s house at 8 am to explain to her quote “idiot big brother” how exactly the whole mermaid thing was going to work.

“Now Eric Henry Syverson there ain’t enough coffee in the world to keep me from throttling you where you stand. I will explain this one more time,” she seethed which caused Sy to raise his arms in exasperation.

“Hey I ain’t the one who’s into all that artsy fartsy shit. You went to that fancy college up north, not me.”

“There’s a girl coming at 11 to play Ariel. She needs time and space to get changed into her mermaid tail. You’ll be standing guard and keeping anyone who comes early from coming back her. Tom won’t be bringing Leah and the rest of the kids until 11:30. Under no circumstances can Leah get back here before 12. That will ruin the magic. Got it now?”

“Yes m’am. Now give me that list of yours so I get to the store before all of the ice in the county is gone,” Sy huffed.

The next few had Sy driving all over to grab Leah’s cake and all the last minute things. By the time Sy’s truck had pulled into the driveway, Sarah’s car wasn’t the only one anymore. He glanced at the clock on his dashboard and shook his head. Sy had no idea how this was even going to be believable, but he’d do anything to make his niece happy. He made quick work of unloading the truck and as he was bringing the cake into the house, there stood his sister chatting with what he swore was the cutest redhead on this side of the Mississippi.

She gave him a little wave while his sister rattled on and Sy could assure you that his cheeks did not flush, it was too hot already. At some point between him dropping off the cake and beginning to fill the coolers, the girl had gone out to get ready. Sarah had already closed the shades on the back door and locked it by the time her kids came barreling in.

Out of nowhere a screech of “Uncle Sy!!!!” and the feeling of a scrawny thing crawling on his back while he was bent over loading up the last cooler let him know little Leah had arrived. Sy quickly maneuvered the girl off of his back as he stood up and gave her a big bear hug.

“Well, it looks like I’ve caught myself a little mermaid. Maybe she can tell me what happened to my Leah,” Sy teased as he spun her around.

“It’s me, Uncle Sy, I promise. This is just my special birthday ‘fit,” Leah giggled.

She was dressed in an Ariel costume with matching shoes and tiara. His mother mentioned how she had taken Leah to the mall the other week and walked out with half of the Disney Store. If only she knew what was waiting for her outside, luckily she only had to wait a little longer. Slowly, the rest of the guests started to arrive and Tom and Sy started to sneak food outside while Leah was occupied.

As soon as the clock struck noon, all of Leah’s friends from school and ballet had finally arrived. Sy gave a nervous look to his sister as she gathered all of them up, all of them ready to have fun.. From what little he had seen of the girl playing Ariel, he wasn’t sure how this was going to be pulled off. As soon as Sarah slid the back door open, the room was filled with shrieks and reminders to not run.

Sy was the last to enter the backyard as he carried out the cooler full of drinks for the adults. As soon as he sat down the cooler away from where the kids were, the captain turned to see what little Miss Leah and her pals thought. He turned his eyes to the pool area where a very convincing Ariel sat surrounded by all the kids. Leah ran over to Sy and grabbed his hand.

“Uncle Sy, you gotta meet her. It’s really Princess Ariel at my party,” She squealed as she attempted to drag him over.

Sy chuckled at her and followed his overexcited niece over. He got a good look at her up close and even the tail looked rather realistic as the fin flowed back and forth in the shallow water. Ariel was answering all the rapidly fired questions with perfect answers. It wasn’t until one of the girls asked where Prince Eric was that Leah chimed in instead.

“He’s right here. Uncle Sy’s real name is Eric but he said only grammie calls him that,” the birthday girl babbled,”And he was a captain too but not like Captain Hook.”

“Oh wow! I’ll have to tell Eric once I swim back home. He’ll be so excited to have a twin,” Ariel replied without a beat and seemed to give a smile directly to Sy.

Once again, Sy did not blush, the sun was beating down hard on him. Sarah and one of the other moms quickly swooped in to get all the kids sunscreen up and in their bathing suits. Sy quickly ducked to have a beer and make sure the coolers were still properly stocked. He absolutely did not watch as Ariel gracefully slid into the water and began swimming around. He was absolutely not so entranced that it took a cold feeling on the back of his neck to snap him out of it.

“Someone’s got a crush,” Sarah teased.

“What-no-I don’t got a crush. Leah’s almost as bad as you” Sy scoffed.

Sarah gave a knowing hum as she looked up at him. “Uh huh. Leah asked if you’d come play mermaids with her friends and Ariel so you best get your swimming trunks on mister. Don’t want to disappoint your favorite niece.”

“You have no shame sis,” the captain grumbled.

“Momma had to give me something. You got the looks,” Sarah goaded to which Sy only replied with a huff before going inside to change.

The kids spent the next hour showing Ariel how they could swim just like her, playing Marco Polo, and splashing around. Sy even got in on the action if only to get his sister soaked as revenge. Now the kids were all wrapped up in their towels surrounding where Ariel had propped her elbows up on the side. Even a few of the adults had come to stand around and watch as well. Sarah yanking Sy over much to his embarrassment.

“Well birthday girl, I heard humans like to sing songs on their friend’s birthdays. Do you have a song you’d like me to sing?” Ariel asked with a dazzling song.

“Miss Ariel please sing the song you sang when you rescued Eric. Please please please,” Leah begged,” It’s my favorite.”

“I’d love to sing that one for you. It’s my favorite too,” the mermaid giggled.

“What would I give to live where you are?

What would I pay to stay here beside you?

What would I do to see you smiling at me?

Where would we walk, where would we run

If we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me, and I could be

Part of your world

I don't know when, I don't know how

But I know something's starting right now

Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be

Part of your world”

“Thank you so much for letting me come to your party, Princess Leah. Scuttle said that usually after a song there’s cake and presents. I hope you’ll enjoy all that for me,” Ariel beamed.

“I will Miss Ariel!,” Leah exclaimed, reaching down to give Ariel a big hug.

“Well I have to head back to Atlantica now. I have to tell Flounder and my sisters all about the human world,” the mermaid gushed,” May you have the happiest of birthdays, princess!”

The moms made quick work of ushering the kids inside with promises of cake and ice cream. There were a few stragglers who wanted a hug from the mermaid too. She cheerfully bid them all goodbye and gave Sy a wink and wave as yet again he was the last one to leave.

While the kids were busy eating their cake and Leah was opening presents, Sy slipped outside to grab another beer and in no way, shape or form, to make sure the actress was getting packed up alright. She still had the wig and makeup on but was back in her clothes that he had seen her in earlier.

“You doing alright out here Ariel?” He asked, watching her pack up the last of her things.

“I think I got it handled, Captain. I have to say you did a wonderful job decorating the place. Your sister mentioned it to me earlier.”

“Thank you, darlin’. Ariel’s pretty much the only thing she wanted for her birthday so I had to help,” Sy said, scratching his neck and trying to hide his blush.

“It’s definitely the best mermaid grotto I’ve seen. I should probably get going before one of the kids gets too curious and wanders off. I’d hate to ruin the magic,” the girl replied as she slid her bag over her shoulder.

“You’re right. I’ll let Sarah know the coast is clear,” the captain offered.

“Thank you. Enjoy a slice of cake for me, Eric” the girl grinned.

“Will do, Ariel.”

“You, Captain, can call me Y/N,” the actress said with a sly wink before turning to sneak around the side of the house.

Sy let out a hefty sigh and shook his head before heading back into the house, completely forgetting the beer. His sister immediately noticed and walked over to him.

“Getting a beer, huh?” She taunted with a smirk.

“Shut it you.”

“Our mermaid friend asked me to give her your number. You’re lucky you got me to save the day. I think the words are `Thank You Sarah’.”

Sy blushed furiously. “Thank you, Sarah,” he grumbled just as his phone chimed in his pocket.

[poledancingdinos]

You've Got Me Hooked - Chapter 15

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Riley McKenzie)

Word count: 2.5K

Warnings: Sex work, Stripper, OnlyFans, Oral sex (F and M receiving), stomach riding, face sitting, 69

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @marytudorbrandon @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @foxyjwls007 @peaches1958 @identity2212 @summersong69 @liecastillo @islacharlotte @evansabove1981 @eskiix @lilacwineandthesinkingsunmain @tryingtoliveonmywishes

A/N: If you want to be added or removed from my taglist, let me know! If your name is crossed out, I can’t tag you for some reason.

Masterlist

Sy

The sound of door unlocking pulls my eyes away from my hand of cards, immediately putting me on high alert. The boys came by to watch the football game and decided that the night was still young and we should play a bit of poker. Since no one planned on having cash we're just playing with chips and the loser’s going to pay for food next time we get together. 

Since the stakes aren't as high, we're not betting as aggressively as we normally would and the game is dragging on a little. It's nice to just shoot the shit over a beer. Game nights usually involve more shouting than actual conversation.

Riley pushes the door open, her eyes going wide when she sees the guys and I around the living room coffee table. I really need to take Riley shopping for a proper dining room set one of these days. Or maybe we can just get something second hand for now since we mostly eat at the island anyway.

Don and I managed to buy a cheap car from a garage we sometimes do business with for spare parts. After selling Riley’s old rock we used the money to make a few quick fixes and Don gave it to Riley as payment for her help. I saw the spark of fight in her eyes when Don dropped off the keys. She wanted to refuse but I guess the rational part of her brain took over and she thanked Don without too much fuss.

The conversation dies down as one by one the guys notice we're no longer alone. Riley looks uncomfortable with the sudden attention as she turns to shut the door. Her big duffle is thrown over her shoulder and her hair is up in a loose bun. There's a few pieces falling around her face but not enough for her to hide as she unconsciously shakes her head the way she does when she’s feeling shy.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she says as she slowly walks further into the apartment. Aika lifts her head from my lap at the sound of Riley’s voice. She lazily gets to her feet, stretching out with a whine before going off to greet Riley.

“Hi baby girl,” Riley whispers in that absolutely adorable voice she reserves for fluffy animals. Or chubby animals. Or tiny lizards. That girl just really loves animals.

I stand from where I'm seated on the floor — because I'm a good host dammit and the guests get priority which leaves me with either the floor or the spot between Luke and Sam on the couch where they’d have constantly been trying to look at my hand.

I leave my cards on the island and wrap my arms around Riley, making sure to put my body between her and the guys. She reaches up to slip hers around my neck and melts into the embrace, momentarily forgetting our audience. 

"Did something happen?" I whisper for her ears only. She's home at least four hours earlier than I was expecting her. It was her first night back at the strip club and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been worrying about her since she left.

I know she can handle herself when push comes to shove and there’s bouncers around the club to look out for the girls but she went through something really traumatic and I’m worried that being at work might send her right back to that night. Bouncers can’t pull her out of her own head. I would know.

Thankfully, Riley shakes her head then looks up at me, pursing her lips and silently requesting a kiss. I'm more than happy to oblige.

"Two weeks off was too long,” she says, reluctantly releasing me. “I lost all my stamina."

Had we been alone, I’d have made a joke about her having plenty of stamina in the bedroom but I highly doubt that kind of joke is fair play around the guys.

I’m about to send her off to get some sleep when the couch squeaks behind me. I turn around to find Luke sheepishly extending his hand to Riley.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Riley. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

I’m slightly confused as to why he’s introducing himself when I know for a fact he remembers her from the club but Riley catches on before I do and smiles warmly at Luke, taking his hand in hers.

“Likewise.”

Jared and Sam both join in, introducing themselves before they all go back to their seats. This is a clean slate. This is them forgetting about the girl from the club. This is them taking the first step towards getting to know Riley — the real Riley. The girl I’ve been falling for fast and hard for.

Obviously I called Luke and apologized for assuming he’d set me up that night. We cleared the air and we agreed we wouldn’t bring it up again. Knowing my girlfriend spent the better part of an evening dancing for him and his cousin is bad enough, I don’t want the gory details.

But we never talked about what that meant where Riley was concerned or if she ever came to any sort of group function. Luke did this of his own volition and I think Riley understands that he is being genuine. I was worried she would never even feel comfortable around them but, after tonight, I get the feeling we’re going to be all right.

When I shake myself out of my shocked state, I give Riley a quick kiss goodnight before she shuffles off to her room. I return to my spot on the floor and for a long moment I just stare down at my chips, tapping my cards on the table.

“Sam raised by ten,” Jared helpfully informs me. I hum in acknowledgment and throw the necessary chips into the pot.

They all wait for me to show my hand but instead, I lock eyes with Luke.

“Thank you.”

He nods solemnly. “The least I could do.”

The game goes by much faster after that. It ends about twenty minutes later when Jared calls Sam on his all in bluff. We say our goodbyes then I stack the dishes in the sink to be dealt with in the morning. I take Aika out for a quick walk before retreating to my room. It takes all of thirty seconds after I get into bed for my door to crack open again. 

“Aika, out.” Riley snaps her fingers and points towards the living room.

Obediently, Aika jumps off my bed and exits the room, briefly licking Riley’s hand before leaving us alone.

“Thought you’d be asleep already,” I say, putting an arm behind my head.

I’m completely naked since I thought I’d be sleeping alone tonight and the blanket barely covers my waist. Riley has a full view of my chest and stomach and she is not hiding her appreciative appraisal of my body in the least.

I can’t help but smirk when she struts towards the bed, coming into the light of the lamp in the far corner. She’s wearing a thin mesh robe and nothing else. I can see her hardened nipples through the fabric and the bottom of the robe just barely covers the V at the apex of her thighs.

It’s the first time Riley has initiated something so brazenly. On the one hand, I’m incredibly proud of her and I want to see where this is going to go. On the other, I really want to press her into the mattress and fuck her so hard she forgets her own name.

“What do ya want, baby?” I ask, managing to keep myself in check. For now.

She reaches the bed getting on her knees beside me. “I want you.”

“Ya already have me.” Even to me, my voice sounds impossibly deep, almost like a growl even.

Riley’s hands reach for the belt of her robe, slowly undoing the loose knot. “I just need to feel you.” Something flashes across her face but I don’t press her for more information. We can talk about it later.

“I’m yours, darlin’. Do your worst.”

She sits astride me and reaches for my hands, placing them just above her knees. When I begin to move them up her thighs, she lets go and braces herself on my stomach, scratching lightly though the coarse hair of my happy trail.

I follow the path up to her hips, tightening my grip on the meat of her ass and pulling her to grind against me.

“Sy,” she gasps as the friction sends a spark of pleasure through her body.

“Ya like that?” Her eyes close as she gives a quick nod. “Then keep goin’.” I guide her to keep grinding her silky smooth folds against my clenched stomach. When she picks up the motion on her own, I resume my exploration of her body while she does the same with mine.

I pinch and tease her nipples and whenever her movements falter, I squeeze her thighs to get her going again. She’s gorgeous above me like this, letting herself go to simply feel good.

There’s a growing puddle of Riley’s arousal on my skin and I can’t help but feel like that’s a damn waste. I scoot down on the bed, pulling Riley up towards the headboard. She yelps at the sudden movement and reaches out to steady herself on the wall above my head. She looks at me wide eyed, wondering what she’s supposed to do now.

“Be a good girl and grind on my face.” Her breath hitches but she only hesitates for a few seconds before lowering her pussy down to my mouth. She cries out as I push my tongue inside her walls and feast on her like a starved man. She got herself so worked up that it takes no time at all to push her over the edge into her first orgasm of the night. Oh yeah, I plan on extracting at least two more from her yet.

I switch to soft kitten licks as she comes down, not wanting to overwhelm her. Not yet anyway. Eventually, she lifts one leg over me and I think she’s going to lay down but instead she reclaims the same position only this time, she’s facing my lower body.

She throws the blanket off the foot of the bed and lowers herself down to my neglected cock. Her hand wraps around the base and I groan as she tightens her fist. Her initial pumps are slow, exploring the way I feel in her hand. Then, to my astonishment, she lowers herself down and swallows my cock until I hit the back of her throat.

“Holy fuck!” I shout as my body jerks hard.

As it turns out, Riley sucks cock like a fucking goddess. She has me embarrassingly close to blowing my load in record time but I don’t ask her to stop. Instead, I return the favor and focus my attention on her clit.

She releases me as she whimpers my name and the momentary distraction is enough for me to cool down. When she wraps her lips back around the head of my cock, it’s a race to see who can make the other come first. I spread her cheeks apart, brushing my thumb over her puckered hole. She chokes around my cock and I repeat the motion with more pressure.

Every one of her moans send shivers down my spine but I don’t let up. I fuck her with my tongue and snake my free hand around to circle her clit. The mixed sensation sends her over the edge and she shivers above me as the coil in her stomach snaps. I’m so absorbed by the way her body responds to my touch that I don’t realize how close I am until it’s almost too late.

“Fuck… Ri, baby, pull off.” I tap her thigh but she doesn’t move.

My hips thrust forward into the wet heat of Riley’s mouth and I empty my balls down her throat. My cock jerks, shooting thick ropes of come that Riley swallows greedily. After licking up the few drops that escaped the corners of her mouth, she leisurely climbs off and stretches out at my side.

Riley’s hands never leave my body as we catch our breath. She peppers kisses everywhere she can reach and my fingers absentmindedly play with the silk trim of the robe she’s still wearing.

“Not that I’m complainin’, darlin’, but is there a reason for the extra attention?”

I’d foolishly hoped that I wouldn’t get jealous when Riley went back to work. Stripping is her job. Touching clients and having them touch her is part of that and I don’t ever want to make her feel guilty for doing so. I especially don’t want her to feel like my jealousy is her fault but I get the sense that this isn’t about guilt.

My question causes Riley to freeze where she was busy sucking a hickey into my chest. She begins to pull away but I hold her in place against me.

“Nothing has to stop, I just wanna know what’s goin’ on in that head of yours,” I reassure her, brushing the backs of my fingers down her temple. 

“I just…” Riley chews on the inside of her cheek before meeting my gaze. “I wanted to feel you instead of them."

Her quiet confession makes my heart ache for so many reasons. This wasn’t her trying to apologize because she felt guilty. This was trying to forget. I’d never considered how our relationship might change her own perception of her job or that it might make her feel uncomfortable now.

"Darlin’, you can always ask for what ya want. No need to play games to get my attention." I glide my hand under the fabric of the robe and push it off her shoulder. “Although, don’t feel like ya can’t surprise me like this whenever you’re in the mood.”

I sit up, switching our positions as I guide her to lay back. She looks up at me with a hooded gaze that makes me want to do unspeakable things to her so I start by leaning down for a kiss and brushing her lips with my tongue until they part and allow me in.

I explore her mouth before moving to her neck. She's so responsive, gasping whenever I hit a particularly sensitive spot, and attempts to hold me in place with a hand on my nape.

"Sy… I want you inside me."

I flip her onto her stomach, blanketing my body over hers. My lips brush against her ear while I rub my dick over her juicy ass.

"Good girl."

Chapter 16

[captainsy-cookiemonster]

Road Confessions

SUMMARY: taking a wrong turn turns out to have been the right turn

PAIRING: Captain Syverson x @littlefreya (3rd person pov)

WARNINGS: friends to lovers, there was only one bed, make out session, implied smut, sliiiight angst maybe?

A/N 1: HAPPY BIRTHDAY @littlefreya YOU ABSOLUTE ANGEL 💗💗💗 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS FOR YOU 💗💗💗 hope you like this silly little fic🙈

A/N 2: neither beta'd or proofread, typos we're going down swingin'!

WORD COUNT: no clue

TITLE: Road Confessions

You know the drill. Reblog and leave a comment if you like, writers live off validation 💗

*~*~*

"I thought you had something like a built in GPS or something!" She laughs through her frustration.

This was supposed to be a nice day. Just a guy taking his friend out for a road trip for her birthday. Get away from everything, their busy life back home. But somehow they ended up completely and utterly lost.

"Hey! You were in charge of the map!" The tall man huffs, no less amused, gesturing at the spread out paper on the hood of his Ram.

Of course this had to happen to them. Of course this had to happen today.

With a sigh, the army captain runs his hands over his face and up into his short hair.

"You know I'm terrible at it! Also, I didn't take the wrong turn."

There was a moment of silence while they both searched for a solution. And the captain wasn't a stranger to a situation like this.

"Alright, look. We've got the backseat stacked with food and drinks. I say we just keep goin' until we reach the next town. How's that, honeybuns?"

"I guess that won't be much different from what we already had planned." She shrugs. "Well, I do get to have you for a day or so longer."

Her cheeky grin is mirrored by the bearded beast next to her. Hopping back into the front seats, Syverson starts the car again, the loud rumble of the truck's engine filling their ears before it's drowned out by the loud tunes of classic rock blaring from the speakers.

That's how he had imagined it. How he thought he'd treat the tiny spitfire that was his friend. Just having her all to himself for the day - well, now apparently it would be the weekend - unbridled and free. Just them, the road and loud music.

The sky above them already begins to darken when in the distance they spot some lights. It's already pitch black when they arrive at the motel.

"You're lucky," the tiny old lady at the counter says, "that's our last room. You two lovebirds have a nice stay." She smiles and winks at the two.

"Oh, errr... We're not- we're not- uhhhh," Freya stammers, flustered. Blushing bright red, she grabs her bag and rushes out of the small office, leaving Sy to grab the keys.

"Let's see what we're dealin' with, hm?"

Please be two queens, please be two queens.

"Huh. Yeah, uh, guess we're cuddlin' tonight, honeybuns."

Shit.

It's not that she doesn't want to cuddle with Sy. Or doesn't want to sleep in the same bed as him. It's the exact opposite. She wants it too much. And this... This... She's afraid it could ruin their friendship. Because she's damn sure the captain is not into her.

"Okay...? Sy?! What the hell are you doing?!"

Her shrill voice stops him mid-movement.

"Gettin' ready for bed?" With that he kicks the last bits of his jeans off. The bed protests a bit when his heavy body hits the mattress. "Mhh, yeah. Ya comin', honeybuns?"

"Uhh... Yeah... Don't look!" she tells him before stripping of her jeans and bra, leaving on her t-shirt and panties.

Fuck that bed looks small with him already lying there. There's no way... Fuck, what if she talks in her sleep. No, fuck this.

Once she climbed into bed, Sy switches the lights off, embracing them in a cocoon of pleasant darkness. There was just enough light that she could make out his silhouette. He was turned onto his side, facing her. She felt aa if he was waiting for her to say something.

"Thank you. Today was amazing," she whispers. This merely scratched at the surface of how she felt, though.

"I'm glad ya liked it. Happy birthday, honeybuns."

"Mhh," she hums, closing her eyes. But sleep wouldn't come. Too many thoughts racing around her head at the fact that Sy was lying right next to her, his body heat radiating off him, making her feel flushed. It even seems that in his sleep, he scooted even closer to her. Their noses were almost touching.

"Sy?" she whispers.

"Mhh?" he grunts back half asleep.

"You're taking up all the space."

She wants to continue complaining how she's about to fall out of bed or that he's stealing all the blankets, but her voice dies in her throat when he opens his eyes.

He's impossibly close, his warmth and scent enveloping her. So much so that she can't think straight. In a moment of sleepy boldness, she closes the distance between them.

Congratulations, you just ruined everything.

But when she is about to pull back, an apology already on her tongue, Sy pulls her in even closer with his hand on her hip. Deepening the kiss, he even rolled her to lie on her back, his heavy body covering her.

"I never thought you'd feel the same way," the tough captain whispers softly, holding her face in his large palm.

"I never thought you did," she whispers back. "Now shut up, I need you."

Her whine is answered with a chuckle. "Gladly, ma'am."

[shy-violet-soul]

I’m losing my mind looking for a fic. It was a Syverson series where he returns home to his wife & they both have to readjust. Here gets jealous Bc she made a friend in a widower (British?). The last chapter, she is late to a family Christmas gathering bc she’s at the airport picking up Aika as a surprise for him. She ends up asking him why the dog is green, to which he laughs and tells her “green dog good dog” (or there like).

Anybody know this one? @honeyhenry @littlefreya @viking-raider @nuggsmum @henryobsessed @fourmarkdove @youvebeenlivingfictional

[poledancingdinos]

You’ve Got Me Hooked - Chapter 13

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Riley McKenzie)

Word count: 2.6K

Warnings: Sex work, Stripper, OnlyFans, general horniness

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @marytudorbrandon @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @foxyjwls007 @peaches1958 @identity2212 @summersong69 @liecastillo @islacharlotte @evansabove1981 @eskiix @lilacwineandthesinkingsunmain @tryingtoliveonmywishes

A/N: If you want to be added or removed from my taglist, let me know! If your name is crossed out, I can’t tag you for some reason.

Masterlist

Sy

Riley is a fucking sight in that dress. It's youthful and cute but with those heels she looks anything but innocent. I don't know what to call them other than fuck me heels because that’s what they make me want to do. Her legs go on for days and all I want is to sink my teeth into the flesh of her tight little ass.

My plan for the evening is simple. I want to give Riley a night away from home to get all dolled up and let me worry about everything else. I want her to have the opportunity to let go and feel careless for once.

I change the radio to play low classic rock music for the drive and I can tell the plan is already working by the way she’s wiggling in her seat. Riley secretly loves to dance. That’s probably what makes her good at her job. She loves to sing too but never when someone might hear.

I'm taking her to a place owned by someone I went through basic training with years ago. At the time, he was just looking to make a bit of money while he figured out his next move. Turns out his next move was investing everything he saved in a restaurant. I originally made tonight's reservation with the hostess not knowing he even owned the place but I guess he recognized my name because he called me back the next day to catch up. He also said he’d save us a booth in a quiet corner where we would have a bit of privacy.

As soon as I park the truck, I hurry around to open Riley’s door. She clearly doesn’t need my help, seeing how easily she climbed in but she takes my hand and lets me help her out all the same.

The restaurant is dimly lit, the soft warm glow from the rustic, low-hanging lamps giving the whole place an intimate feeling. Some of the tables are occupied by couples but most of them look like groups of businessmen. It makes sense, after all, since it’s the middle of the week. It’s no surprise they’d take the opportunity to dine here and put it on the company credit card. This place is well known for steak and even wild game.

After I give my name to the hostess, she leads us through the tables to the back of the room like my buddy promised. Riley moves ahead of me in the narrow space but my hand stays on her waist and I immediately notice a few of the men turning their heads. She’s oblivious to the attention, mostly keeping her eyes forwards rather than studying the room. Maybe I should be jealous but I only feel pride that she’s mine.

Our waiter comes by a few minutes after we settle into our seats to take our drink order. I ask for a beer but Riley declines, saying that water is fine to start off. I assume she’s waiting to see what she wants to eat before picking a drink but when Riley winces as she looks over the menu, it all clicks.

“Sweetheart.” Riley looks up from the menu, biting her lip. “Are you uncomfortable bein’ in a place like this?”

“A little.”

My head tilts to the side as I study her. “You know I’m payin’ for everything right?”

“I figured you’d want to. You do like to talk about southern hospitality and such.”

I can’t help but smirk. “You were gonna argue for the check weren’t ya?”

She bats her eyelashes at me with a coy smile. “Maybe.”

Her exaggerated flirtiness makes me laugh and she does the same.

“One meal,” I eventually say. “I’m askin’ ya to let me treat ya to one meal. If this kind of restaurant makes ya uneasy then we won’t make it a habit. Do we got a deal?”

“Okay, I can do one meal.”

“Good. Close the menu.” She squints at me skeptically but does as I request with a curious smile. 

“Red meat, fish or poultry?” My question takes her off guard but she answers quickly without too much trouble.

I proceed to ask her a series of this or that questions until I have enough information to order something she would like off the menu without her having to see the price. We repeat the process until we settle on her having a glass of white wine to go with her meal.

When our waiter comes back, I order for the both of us and Riley perks up when she hears what she’s going to be eating. The mood instantly feels lighter and for the rest of the meal, I talk about my family and my time in the army and she in turn talks about her childhood.

Apparently Riley had a bit of a wild streak when she was younger and decided to dye some of her hair with Kool-Aid while she was at a sleepover with some friend’s. She made it a full two weeks before her parents noticed but as soon as they did, they dragged her to a salon and had them bleach it out only for it to turn bright green instead, nearly giving her mother a heart attack.

“What about you? You must have a few crazy stories from your high school days. I’ve never known a football player who didn’t.”

I move my empty plate aside and lean on the table with my arms crossed. “I mean, you’ve seen the town, there’s not much to get up to around there.”

“Oh, exactly. Which means you must have been extra creative to pass the time during your summer breaks.”

She’s got me there. Not that I expected her to let me off that easily.

“When we were fifteen Jared and I got lost in the forest after the stolen motorbikes we were using died on us and we had to cuddle to stay warm through the night until we could find our way back on foot the next morning."

“Oh my god, that’s even better than I was expecting.” She drains the final sip of her wine and sets the glass back on the table. “Okay, spill.”

“The property Jared’s parents bought had an old barn filled with junk from the previous owners. They found some old dirt bikes while diggin’ through everything and both our parents gave us strict orders not to go near them. They didn’t run but other than that they were in decent enough shape so his dad planned to sell ‘em off with whatever else was worth salvagin’. I told Jared that I could probably fix ‘em up myself with all I’d learn in my summers around Don’s. It took a few weeks of sneakin’ in and out of the barn. We learned how to drive from the computer in the local library and waited for his parents to be out of town to try them out.”

Riley leans back against the booth, looking rather shocked at what I’ve just said.

“You fixed up motorcycles on your own at fifteen?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been around Don’s since as far back as I remember. My dad used to take me to work with him a lot. When I got to an age where I was always lookin’ for trouble they put a sponge in my hand and had me wash the cars. After a few years I traded the sponge for a wrench.”

“That’s really impressive, Sy.” It’s funny how for Riley, especially since she grew up in the city with a white-collar family, fixing up a bike seems like this massive accomplishment. To me it was just something I did to kill time. “So what happened to leave you stranded in the forest?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. When I got home, covered in dirt and shiverin’ from head to toe, to where my mama was fixin’ to have a fit ‘cause I broke curfew for the first time, my pop caught on real quick and we never saw ‘em again.”

I still remember the way my mama hugged my neck when I walked through the door. Then she proceeded to threaten to tan my hide for worrying her so much and sent me off for a much needed shower.

I always thought she worried too much when I was a kid. I often wished I’d had siblings to take a bit of the heat off of me. I’d do absolutely anything to have her fussing over me now.

“Can I get anything else for the two of you this evening?”

I look up to find our waiter staring at me as he waits for an answer. I turn my eyes back to Riley with a raised brow. I’m more than ready to head home and see where the night takes us. Since neither Riley or I have to go in to work until Monday there’s no need to end this thing early.

Riley pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she considers what to do. “I think we’re ready to head out,” she finally says.

I pull my wallet from my back pocket and the waiter rushes away to get the bill.

A half hour later, we’re back at the apartment. I took Aika out for a quick walk while Riley picked out a movie. When I got back she had the movie set up and two beers waiting for us on the table.

“Alright, what are we watchin’?”

She holds up the DVD case for me to see. The name is familiar from when I looked through her ridiculously well stocked shelves but I have no idea what it’s about.

“It’s a comedy,” she hopefully informs me. I should have guessed that from the cast but for some reason I expected her to pick something more… date night-y. “Haven’t watched it in ages so I have no idea if adult me will like it as much as I did when it first came out.”

“Works for me.”

She narrows her eyes at me with a small smile. “Don’t look so disappointed, there’s plenty of time to introduce you to the Nicholas Sparks portion of my collection. I just thought that making you watch ‘The Lucky One’ might be a bit too on the nose for tonight.”

I dump my phone, keys and wallet on the island and drop down next to Riley. A part of me wishes I could change out of these clothes. These pants were not made for lounging on the couch but I can suck it up for her sake.

Riley curls her legs up on the couch, smoothing out the skirt of her dress and leans into my side. I put my arm around her and get as comfortable as I can.

As I shift throughout the first half of the movie, my shirt gets untucked and Riley takes the opportunity to slide her hand under it. I’ve been shirtless around her quite a bit in the last week, including last night in her bed, but she’s never dared to actually touch or explore my body.

I’ve been randomly tracing circles over her arm just to enjoy the little goosebumps breaking out across her skin. I look down every so often when I feel her shiver and I have to hold back a groan when I see the outline of her nipples through the fabric of her dress. I figured she wasn’t wearing a bra but now that I know she isn’t, it’s fucking killing me.

I can picture her so clearly in my mind. What she’d look like without that dress. Without anything. I can imagine the sounds she would make for me. How her body would feel under mine.

The fact that the movie is indeed pretty funny helps pull my mind back when I start thinking about all the things I’d like to do to her tonight. I’m not sure what all she’ll be comfortable with but I can be very creative when the situation calls for it. I’ll find a way to make her see stars while staying within her boundaries.

Where my touch can pass as innocent, hers is anything but. I pretend not to notice or to appear bothered as her fingers trail the edge of my pants, threatening to dip below the waistband. I want her hands to stray but that doesn’t mean I intend to let her know that.

Riley changes her position for the second time in the span of a few minutes and her thighs rub together. I hoped that as the movie got closer to its end that the anticipation would start to build and that is exactly what’s happening. She’s picturing what comes next — or what she thinks will come next — and it’s making her all hot and bothered.

She moves again and this time she settles with her body facing mine, one leg over my lap. The hand on my stomach moves up my chest and she presses her lips to my neck. The touch lingers for a moment before she looks back at the movie. Her focus shifts between me and the screen, or at least, she pretends like it does. I’m pretty sure at this point she’s only pretending to watch the car dangling off the side of a skyscraper.

I can feel her heart beating where her chest is pressed against my arm. Getting more eager to catch my attention, Riley captures my neck with one hand and begins to suck a hickey into my skin. Her hips move ever so slightly, pressing against my thigh and letting me know that whatever she is doing isn’t just for my benefit.

When she reaches to unbutton my shirt, though, I’m forced to put an end to my air of indifference. “Slow down,” I tell her as I wrap my hand around her wrist, stilling her movements. “I told ya we weren’t doin’ anything until you were beggin’.”

“But—”

I take her hand and put it over my cock. Her eyes go wide when she feels the result of her teasing. Truth be told, I think I’ve been hard since I saw her come out of her room in that dress.

“I want ya. There is absolutely no doubt. Now be a good girl and watch the rest of the movie.”

Something flashes in her when I call her that. I know from the club and from what she’s said that when she performs, she acts like a dominatrix. Acts. But I can see what she really is. My girl secretly wants someone to take back control. She wants to be good for me.

“Stand up for me.” She does as I ask immediately. Oh yeah, she’s desperate to obey. I shift around so my legs are spread and pull her down to sit between my thighs. My arms wrap around her, keeping her back flush to my chest. She squirms a little when she once again gets a feel of my throbbing erection but eventually she settles with her head under my chin.

Every now the gets fidgety again though she stills on her own without needing me to intervene. She knows what I want. It feels like a lifetime has passed when finally, the credits begin to play.

Riley’s head tilts back, resting against my shoulder. “Please, take me to bed.”

I place a kiss right behind her ear. “Yours or mine?” I whisper.

“Mine. Please, Sy. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Chapter 14

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter 22: Cognitive Therapy

Characters: Captain Logan “Sy” Syverson, Shane Benton (OFC) Various minor characters, new and established.

Summary: Shane has a successful counseling session, but soon finds herself in a predicament at the library.

Romance and Smut Abound HERE!

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Regular mentions of what happened to Shane throughout. A knife is held to a character’s throat and there are other graphic descriptions to go along with that. 

Author’s Note:  Guys, we are in the home stretch. I know it’s been utter ages since I’ve posted a new chapter to this story, but I think I’ve only got about two more to write before it’s done. Please know that when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. This story and your love for it haunts me daily, in the best of ways. I see new readers liking and sharing past chapters and I can’t tell you how encouraging that is. I would finish it no matter what, but the fact that you guys want it is a driving force behind the urgency I feel.

I want to talk a little bit about cognitive behavioral therapy, which I discuss briefly and in very little detail in the first part of this chapter, especially. For those of you who don’t know, CBT and EMDR therapy are both proven to be highly effective in the treatment of PTSD and other mental illnesses. If you are trying to process and heal from a past trauma, I urge you to seek out a counsellor or therapist who stays up to date on break through, bleeding edge treatment options. Our brains are so powerful, and more complex than any of our other muscles, but we let their health fall by the wayside so often. Which can, and often does lead to physical symptoms such as chronic fatigue, migraines, chronic pain, and many more health issues. There’s a really good video on the MedCircle YT Channel about the physical signs of past trauma that talks about the five most common signs and symptoms. Dr. Judy Ho explains it in broad strokes really clearly. I’m going to try to link the video here so you can check it out. MedCircle does a lot of great videos for free, but is also a paid service for more in depth access to the information. I don’t have a subscription, I just came across them when I was researching PTSD treatment for Shane and found the topics really interesting. My utilization of the treatments and terms in this chapter is very general and I’ve probably made a mess of it, but this is my first draft. I’ll let you all know when I get a publishing deal! ;)

Again, please take care of yourselves. Look for help, have someone help you find help, help yourself, anything, in any way you can. You’re worth the effort and you deserve to be happy and healthy.

I sincerely hope that you all enjoy this chapter of The Treatment of Captain Syverson.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism. This is an original work by me, Hannah. Please reblog if you wish to share. Please do not repost either in whole or part, as the work of anyone but myself. Thanks so much for reading!

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X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@

Shane was seated across from her therapist in her cozy, bright office. It used to be a sort of back porch, or sun room. You could tell by the concrete, solid beneath the carpet, and the tall, almost floor-to-ceiling windows covered by stiff linen accordion shades. The walls that weren't essentially full windows were lined with shelves. There were many books, but there were also items that Shane knew would be practical in this trade. There were jars of marbles, of stones, sand, and small toys. There were bins of crayons and stacks of coloring books, and reams of blank paper. There was a clear tub very high with dolls and an assortment of clothes. A variety of stone sculptures and orbs, geodes, small, smooth crystals, and stuffed animals of all sorts. In one corner, there was a desk with a very comfortable looking task chair. It was obscured in part by a pair of matching, light brown sofas, one longer than the other, and opposite the smaller couch was an overstuffed armchair to complement the sofas.

It was all very cozy, Shane thought. This room and most of the items that occupied it fit very well into her aesthetic. Even so, she was far from comfortable. But then, that was the idea.

Although she was surrounded by safety, her eyes were closed, trying to recall a scene from the traumatic events in the basement. Dr. Mikkelson, or as she preferred to be called, Diana, had asked her to call up the experience like a film, and sort of pause it when she got to a certain point. The worst point. It was daunting, and it gave her a cramp in her stomach that was severe enough to have her wanting to reach for her Midol.

"Okay, Shane, I want you to pull that up in your memory, and hold it there for me. How is your body responding to that?"

Shane gulped hard, her body reacting to the nausea with that telltale hypersalivating.

"Honestly trying not to lose my breakfast. Was that the purpose of this exercise?" She asked, her eyes flying open in spite of herself.

Shane felt as though she MUST be visibly turning green. She was scanning the room for a trashcan, or receptacle of any kind. She was sure she'd need it in no time.

"We are going to try some EMDR therapy today. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. It's designed to sort of, pull your focus from the pain of the memory, anesthetize your mind, if you will. So that you can process the traumatic event more fully than you did at the time."

Shane looked at the woman with a mild scowl, skeptical, but open to trying.

Diana held up her hand, index finger extended, and asked Shane to follow her movement back and forth as she thought. Reliving her abduction, assault, and violation in a flash montage. It hurt, still, but she thought a bit less than it had the few times she'd had to discuss it. The few that still felt like too many. It helped to be somewhat distracted by the movement. She had felt worthless after the incident. Like this awful event had tainted her and made her unfit to be with anyone. To even exist. But she thought, during this exercise, it wasn't quite as bad. More tolerable. Less upsetting. She was surprised at this. At the fact that she wasn't overwhelmed with self loathing. She was able to glimpse that former self-worth.

It was uncomfortable now, to think of how she used to feel. It was like driving past the high school she had attended, or the mini-mall that used to house the coffee shop she'd visit after or between classes when she was in college. It was ghostly without the attachment, the memories now all that remained of her connection to the spaces. The faces within now completely unfamiliar. Her face, itself, with a serene confidence in her skill, her looks, and her overall worth. It seemed almost haughty. As if she had been a puffed up shadow of the skittish and listless thing she now seemed to be. But maybe she could be that self-esteemed boss babe again…

Diana raised her brows expectantly, and asked "What spoke to you?"

"I went to the basement, of course. But it was…easier. Not much, but a little."

"That's really good. Anything else?"

"I sort of…saw myself in a new light? I guess you could say that. It was like I…almost like someone was playing me in a film, and really overplayed the confidence I used to have. I didn't recognize her, even though she was just me, at my best."

"And what do you think about that?"

"I think…I think it's going to be really hard to be that person again. If it's even possible. I don't know." She looked toward the covered windows, not because there was anything to see, but because she could not look at Diana right now. She'd gotten emotional, and just wasn't in the mood for it. She averted her gaze toward the window, despite the fact that its opaque shades were down. The soft glow of the evening sun provided some comfort to her irritated and damaged nerves.

"I think we're just going to keep working at it. You'll get close. I'm sure you will."

She huffed, accepting, rather than agreeing with her therapist's opinion of her potential for recovery. She encouraged her own patients in a similar fashion, especially when they were really frustrated. And it wasn't as though she thought Diana was being less than genuine, but…she was definitely finding out how much harder it was to take encouragement than it was to give it.

She left through the glass-paned door at the end of the room. It was nice to be able to leave and not talk to anyone. See anyone she might know, waiting to go into the space she'd just left. It was more information than she wanted out there to just anyone. Not that she was embarrassed, but she often left sessions in a state of emotional upheaval, and was not eager to display her tears to people who might lack the couth to let her ruminate without asking her questions.

She sat in her car a few minutes to process the exercises Diana had given her and to look for some of the books she recommended on the library website. She pre-checked one and reserved the others for when they came back.

She called Sy on the way to the library. He liked getting report from her about how her sessions went.

"Hey sunshine, how ya doin'?" his warm tone was so comforting and full of love.

"Hi bear. I'm leaving the therapists office right now. We tried something new today, and I think it helped a bit."

"That's great, babe!"

"Yeah, she gave me some homework and recommended some books. I'm on my way to the library to pick one of them up now. Do you wanna get dinner somewhere after?"

"Yeah, may be a bit though. I'm helping Matt drop off a car in Rolla, and we're just about there. I'll be at least a half an hour. But I'll meet you wherever!"

"Okay, ummm, Ruby Tuesday?"

"Love it. Meet you there in about 45 minutes?"

"Great! Love YOU!"

"Love you more, bug." he said deep and low. Sincere.

"Not possible. Bye."

"Bye."

As Shane made her way to the library, she thought about what her therapist had told her today. After all Shane had been through, she still had the capacity to heal. To grow. That was evident to her by the way she felt about Sy, and the emotional wounds beginning to knit themselves closed. They were still very much present. Very tender. And very tenuous. Especially given the fact that Elliott was still at large. Not a sign, a whisper, a hint of him anywhere on the wind, but he was in it. She couldn't help but dread rounding a blind corner or opening a door. Not if she was alone. Not without Sy.

Her coworkers had noticed. She'd only just gone back to work two weeks ago, and it still didn't seem like enough time. She'd requested the secretaries avoid putting male patients on her schedule unless they were kids or elderly. She knew none of her patients would attack her, but new patients…what if…she shook the terrifying thoughts from her head. It didn't merit considering such horrific and wildly unlikely scenarios. It just served to cause her more stress.

She found herself parked at the library, no recollection of the drive there…thankful that she was in one piece, but also hopeful that she hadn't mown down an entire Girl Scout troop on the way…that was always a scary thing.

The scent of used books, dust, and coffee filled her nose as she walked in to the hallowed hall of enlightenment. It wasn't the library of the old world, with stone columns, walnut shelves, and oak desks with those green and gold lamps you so often saw. No, this was a library for the modern world. A fancy coffee bar near the entrance with free and cash drinks, free fruit and cheap baked goods and sandwiches. There was a line of computers near the checkout desk, large cubicles with comfy chairs, power outlets and USB ports for those all day study sessions. Three of the building's four sides were made up of floor to ceiling windows to maximize natural light. There were partially enclosed booths for study groups, cozy chairs in the designated "quiet space," and free Wi-Fi so fast you could almost feel the thrum of information being dispersed and exchanged on the airwaves. She loved it here. It felt safe. Cozy. Inviting.

She walked up to the friendly librarian, a short, bubbly brunette in a lightly distressed "McGonagal-Sprout 2016" election tee, dark skinny jeans, weathered red Converse, and a navy cardigan. Shane smiled at the subtle Harry Potter refence on her shirt and started a conversation with the girl about how different the world would be today if the pairing on her shirt would have been elected that fateful year.

"So, I reserved a book online. Do you have it pulled for me?"

"Yeah, I think! Shane, right?"

Shane nodded and the librarian strode over to a stand of cubbies. She pulled out a large manilla parcel, placed it on the desk and started doing mysterious library computer things.

"Okay, so with this book, it's reminding me to read you a disclosure. 'This title is listed as a workbook, containing various pages that a single reader might fill out if it were their own property. Please do not write in, highlight, dog-ear, or otherwise mark up or alter this title. Doing so could result in significant cash fines to replace the title, and the permanent termination of your Scenic Regional Library membership at this and all other branches of the SRL.'"

Wow, they meant business.

"Truthfully Shane, as long as you fess up if anything happens to the book, we can usually let you slide by just paying the replacement fee, which is based on the book's current market price point. And I can also make you copies of any pages you want to work on."

"Wow, thanks! And did you say when the other's would be in?"

"Hmm, one is about a week past it's due date, but the other is expected back tomorrow. We'll send you a text, email, or call you when either come in. Whichever you prefer."

"Oh, text would be perfect. Thanks."

"Sure! Anything else for you today?"

"Mmm, don't think so!" she noticed some bookmarks in a small display. Various character silhouette's and clever sayings about reading.

Reading will send you to Wonderland.

To Read, or Not to Read…no question!

Girls who read always find their Mr. Darcy

It's Elementary! Reading solves all cases of boredom.

And so forth…

"Are these…free?" Shane asked.

"Sure! Take a few! We've got tons. They're like our business cards. Hand them out if you like!"

Shane thanked the librarian, who she finally noticed was wearing a nametag identifying her as Liz, and started to her car.

She was really looking forward to diving in to some of the exercises Dr. Mikkelson was talking about. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy was fascinating from what she'd learned so far. She immediately started skimming pages and landing on section titles she found intriguing as soon as she got to her car.

Her first mistake was staying there. Instead of going directly to meet Sy. But she told herself she had loads of time.

She was wrong.

Her second mistake was not locking her door immediately after closing it. A habit she had formed while attending college in the city. A habit lost to the years of small town life. Of safety. Of a simpler time. An era never more bygone than at this very second.

This second, her front passenger door flew open, slammed closed, and now, locked. All by hands not her own. She felt cold steel at her throat, turning the shriek of horror she had been summoning into nothing more than a whimper of fear and defeat. She was afraid to make a move to turn her neck and look at the assailant next to her. She lifted her hands, dropping the book and her phone onto the floorboard at her feet. Fuck, she thought.

"My purse is in the back seat, I don't have a lot of money, but I have some credit cards. Take my wallet, just please leave me alone!" Shane squinted, trying not to cry. To relive that horrible day so many weeks ago that felt like yesterday. "I won't even be able to tell the police what you look like because I've never seen your face!" she pointed to her closed eyes.

"Oh, yes, you have, sweetheart." A familiar voice breathed the words into Shane's ear like a poison. She felt the knife's edge twist and skid slightly, breaking the skin and coaxing a few tiny droplets of blood to it's surface. Her stomach churned and her head swam, dizzy under the weight of her current reality. She should have known. She should have been prepared. But it was all too late now.

"Elliott." She spat, trying to maintain what little strength she could find within after the last time they'd seen each other. She remembered her mindfulness training, by some miracle. Observed this moment for what it was and let her emotions live their purpose and pass. She knew every second they were together would beg new instances. Constant application of this tool as her emotions flowed and then ebbed again.

"The one and only. Here in the flesh." she could almost feel the lecherous slime drip from his mouth onto her shoulder, its undetectable vapor clouding her head with pure rage. This feeling was harder to let go of because his mere presence created a constant storm inside her. A storm that she was now certain would mean her end.

But she wouldn't go without a fight.

"Haven't you caused me enough pain? What else could you possibly take from me?"

"Oh, please. You're still employed, with a roof and a car, you still have that meat head lumberjack warming your bed. Or has he decided to cut you loose after your time with my friends? I still owe him for what he and all his little soldier boys did to them. And unlike my friends, YOU still have your LIFE!"

"You really expect me to feel any remorse over that bunch of rapists, especially after the HELL they put me through, personally? Keep dreaming. Sy and his boys did the world a favor when they took them out." She could have scoffed at his inventory of her life. She was unable to enjoy any of the things he mentioned, especially Sy, to their fullest since he'd had her abducted, imprisoned, and defiled. Even if she was working on healing, the wounds were still painful, deep, and slow to even scar, much less disappear entirely. She doubted that would happen. But she wouldn't be giving him anymore satisfaction. He wouldn't learn that he'd ruined her life, even if he hadn't taken it. Yet.

"Shut up and start the car."

"Why should I?"

"Because you don't want me to kill you in a library parking lot. Where any innocent schoolgirl might happen across your corpse, blood flowing from your neck, and all color and life gone from your cold flesh. It would scar her for life. You're too good a person for that."

The compliment was hollow. Meaningless coming from such a monster. But he wasn't wrong. Plus, any extra time she could give herself could mean time to come up with an escape plan. She did as she was told and left the parking lot, following Elliott's instructions to the letter.

She tried to tune out his droning about what he was going to do to her. There was no point listening. She'd honestly rather not see it coming.

But then, there was a glimmer of hope. Sitting across the intersection from her, waiting for a green light, as she was, was a big blue F150. Sy. He was looking down at his phone. Dammit. She had only seconds to signal him. Her mind raced. Suddenly she got herself into a coughing fit and asked Elliott to reach into her back seat to grab her water bottle. He was reluctant, but as her coughing continued and worsened, he switched his knife to the other hand, resting it at her shoulder and started rummaging in the back seat. She began flashing her lights rapidly. After a few rounds he looked up and waved at her. She shook her head at him, grim faced. She could see his confusion turn to horror as he took in what was happening and noticed her passenger sitting back in the seat, fruitless in his search for her water.

"There's nothing back there." Which she knew.

"Hmm, I could have sworn I'd put one in that back cup holder as a spare." she sputtered, ending the fake coughing fit.

She tried to drive slowly so Sy had a better chance of keeping up with them.

"The speed limit's 45 through here." he chided. She covered with a sigh.

"This feels familiar. Can you not get off my back about the driving? Are you permanently mounted there to criticize my every decision? Even now that we're not together?" He'd always been like that. She couldn't do anything right. Even driving. "I was trying to drive under the radar. You don't want to get pulled over, do you? Because I could drive with reckless abandon hoping to be noticed by someone in a squad car. Say the word!"

"Just get us there sometime before midnight, okay?"

"Might be easier if I knew where 'there' was…"

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough."

Shane's blood ran cold at the implication of doom in Elliott's tone. As if the Grim Reaper himself had uttered the words. She prayed as she never had before. If Sy didn't catch up with them, she'd need a miracle to get through this alive.

Up Next: Chapter 23-Tactical Defense 

[galaxy98]

Trial of the Mariner

AKA SkekSa’s redemption AU

Well, here it is guys. This is something that’s been on the back of my mind for some time now. As you may have guess, I like SkekSa as a character. When you look at each Skeksis in the franchise, she tends to stand out from the rest of them. Now I haven’t read the JM Lee novels, but thanks to the help of others in the fandom, I was able to get good idea of what happened to her in the book. In Flames, she ended up getting stuck in the tree due to the actions she committed in Sog. When I heard about this, I thought to myself, “Wait, that’s it?”, because it apparently happened within of the middle of the story. Given the time frame of the book being released around the premiere of the Netflix show, Age Of Resistance, I imagined that they have to wrap it up quickly. Now why am I telling you all this? Well it turns out that the first season almost used up the key elements that were from the books: death of the Archer/Hunter, Battle of Stonewood, uniting of the 7 clans, etc. As of now, the Mariner recently appeared in AOR #9 as a part Mayrin’s comic arc and since we don’t have any news regarding season 2, I wonder if they’re gonna do something different for SkekSa’s arc in the show. Case in point, extending her arc post-tree. A character like her has the potential for a great anti-villain to hero story. So I decided to take this opportunity to let creative juices flow and create a redemption AU for her.

Just a quick note, artists and fanfic writers are welcome to make fan content off this idea. In fact, it’s encouraged. You’re even free to add to this post. Personally, I would love to see @darkskek​ ‘s interpretation of this. With all of that out of the way, here are the key points for Trial of the Mariner.

SkekGra and UrGoh woke up one night from a vision that was bothering them. They couldn’t make out what it was, but it prompted them to go to the tree in Sog. However, they had to go now when it was still dark since they don’t want to be seen, at least not yet. When they arrive to the tree, SkekGra realised what the vision was trying to tell him. Someone is stuck in there and they need to get her out before it’s too late. With the help of Lore, they managed to cut open the tree only to find a Skeksis. A Skeksis that the Heretic had never seen in a long time. This leaves him in such a shock, his screaming almost woke up the Drenchen. Because of this, they needed to leave fast and take her back to the Circle of the Suns. The Heretic has so many questions to ask her when she recovers.

Many trine ago, SkekGra used to be friends with the Mariner. This happened around the time of his conquering days. Even though she never actively participated in his conquests, SkekGra always told stories to her when he came back to the castle. These stories intrigued her not because of the bloodshed, but because of the lands that were discovered. SkekSa always wanted check them out but couldn’t due to the obligations she has to the court. Oddly enough, SkekSa left around the time when the visions were starting to bother the Heretic. At that point, SkekGra would never see her again. Even when the Mariner goes back for some occasions, she seems to be the only one to notice that he was gone. Nobody in the court would give her an answer. In fact, they wouldn’t even acknowledge his absence. For so long, she had to live ignorance about his disappearance and only came to the conclusion that his conquering antics are what got him killed. Until now.

When the Mariner woke up, she’s shocked to find herself in a different place. She thought she was about to die. She wanted to die. And having to live after everything she’s done to herself and the Gelfling, there was no reason to keep going. The Heretic on the other hand, was excited to see that she was okay. So excited, he was hurting SkekSa by his hugging. SkekSa could never figure out who he was until she took a closer look at his face. She too had many questions. Feeling weak and depressed, she explained to him about the things she was doing when she left the castle. Even the events that led to the Sog incident. SkekGra felt conflicted. All of this could’ve been prevented if they both communicated with each other. It even made him doubt his chances of revealing himself to the Gelfling. To SkekSa, whatever happened to SkekGra couldn’t be worse than what she went through. However, when he told SkekSa his story, her heart sank. How many lies were kept from her for all this trine and how many can she take before it overwhelms her? She wanted leave after that, but she couldn’t because of her injuries. This causes her to have an emotional breakdown. By this point, she had to make the best of her situation.

At this point, SkekSa’s emotional well being is already at an all time low.

While politics play a part on why she left the castle, there were other reasons why never wanted to go back to Thra. SkekSa saw the castle as her “prison.” She always felt unease when she had to be there for political purposes. Another reason is more to do with SkekSo himself. She’s one of the very few to ever get close him and she knows what kind of Skeksis he is. SkekSo will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Next reason is more of a personal one and it’s more to due with the fact that she felt like she’ll never have a future in Thra. The last reason why she left is, coincidentally, she too had a vision. But it wasn’t the same vision that the Heretic had. In SkekSa’s vision, she sees nothing but the ocean and the waves that go back and forth across the sand. Whatever the vision was trying to tell her, she knew that it was time to leave. What’s odd is that the vision return to her when she was in the tree, except the difference is that the ocean was still and there were no waves to be seen. It felt very ominous as if the vision she previously saw was a nothing more than a facade. When she told SkekGra about this, it left him and UrGoh with only one option. They, along with Rek’yr, have to go to the Wellspring to consult with an elder Shaman. 

Right now, this is only part 1 of the AU. As I said back at the top, feel free to add to this by reblogging the post. I would love to see what you guys bring to the table as I work on part 2.

Stay tune everyone.

[poledancingdinos]

You’ve Got Me Hooked - Chapter 6

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Riley McKenzie)

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: Sex work, Stripper, OnlyFans, Strip Club, Lap dance, Alcohol

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @marytudorbrandon@foxyjwls007 @peaches1958 @identity2212 @summersong69​ @liecastillo @islacharlotte​​  @enchantedbytomandhenry​​ ​

A/N: If you want to be added or removed from my taglist, let me know!

Masterlist

Sy

It was a really long fucking week so when one of the guys suggested going out and getting drinks on Friday night, I immediately said yes. I do regret not asking more questions as soon as I pull up in the parking lot an hour later.

Luke suggested we go to a place in Atlanta since it’s his cousin’s birthday. He promised good booze and plenty of women which I now understand was code for strippers. I should have checked what this place was before mindlessly punching the address in my GPS.

I shake my head to myself but walk in anyway, following the muffled sound of music down the dark hallway that leads into the club. I’ve already made the drive over, the least my friend can do is buy me a beer for the trouble. A bouncer in a suit checks my ID — something I don’t remember happening since I turned sixteen, grew a beard and shot up six inches.

The main room is dimly lit with colored LED lights outlining the various stages around the room. There are two bars, one on each side of the club. A series of open booths line the wall furthest from the big stage while smaller tables are spread around. There is an area towards the back that has a row of seats with dividers on either side for lap dances as well as a curtain that has a neon VIP sign hung above it. It’s easy to spot the guys and I make my way to an empty spot by the edge of the bench.

“Sy! Glad you made it.” By the slurring of his words, I gather that Luke has already indulged in his fair share of drinks.

Jared meets my gaze with a look that matches my level of annoyance. His car wasn’t in the parking lot so he probably caught a ride with one of the others, thereby remaining completely in the dark as to where they were headed. I’ll offer him a ride back to town after we finish our drinks.

A girl wearing a low cut top and barely there shorts approaches us to clear the empty shot glasses from the table and takes my drink order. There are a few girls around the room with the same outfit while most of the others wear some type of lingerie.

When the waitress returns with my beer, I wrap an arm around Luke’s shoulder and lean into his ear. “You’re buying me this drink as your punishment for making me drive all the way out here.”

“I’ll do you one better, I’ll buy you a dance.” His arm is already in the air, flagging down a woman walking in our direction.

The girl is beautiful — they all are — but I have no interest in having her grind on me when I barely have enough room to sip my drink without brushing Luke’s arm and I tell him as much.

“Fine, VIP it is,” he answers, handing the blond a bill.

“Wait, that was not the poi—” My argument is cut off by the cheers coming from the rest of the booth. I sigh, getting to my feet and letting the woman lead me away. She pauses next to the security guard and turns back to me.

“I’m just waiting for the song to end so you get your full time.” I couldn’t care less about getting a full three minutes. She smiles and bats her thick eyelashes at me then takes my hand when the song slowly fades. Once we are in the room, I stiffen at the sight of the bed. I desperately try to remember how much Luke handed this woman when requesting the dance because the sight makes me wonder if this is the type of place that offers extra services but the blond answers for me.

“Some guys prefer to lay down for these dances. Your friend paid enough if that’s what you want.”

“The only reason I followed ya back here was so he wouldn’t argue when I tell him I’m goin’ home early,” I grunt. “The chair will do just fine.”

“Oh so you’re one of those, huh?” I’m not sure if it’s an insult or just her thinking out loud. She takes my hand again and ushers me to sit in one of the chairs positioned in front of a small stage with a pole. “Would you prefer if I danced on the stage rather than on you?”

It’s not often that I’m completely uncomfortable in a situation. I can remain cool as a cucumber while dodging bullets for fuck’s sake but paying a half naked woman to dance on my lap has me completely at a loss. 

“Yeah, thanks.”

This is what Riley does for a living. Literally. She dances for whoever is capable of shelling out the cash just to survive. I’ve never been a fan of strippers — as my entertainment not as human beings — and just picturing my beautiful, timid Riley in this room causes my blood to boil. I really gotta stop goin’ all possessive alpha at the mere mention of her name.

“It’s no problem, I’m here to cater to your preferences.”

I snort, “Sure but don’t people usually ask for more, not less?” Talking is good, I need to keep her talking. If I’m going to spend the next few minutes in the same room as this woman, I would much prefer not doing so in uncomfortable silence which she seems to have picked up on already.

“Yeah, I suppose but a lot of the times the requests are really harmless.” The blond does a few spins around the pole, slowly moving her hips.

“What kind of requests?” I never gave much thought to what strippers do while they are with customers but I can’t help but ask. Clearly I’m a masochist because I suddenly want to know exactly what Riley goes through on a day to day basis.

“Some guys want you to pull their hair, ask for a back rub — no not a euphemism, they just want a shoulder massage — some want you to talk dirty to them. I’ve had a regular try to introduce me to his mom. She ended up tipping me more than her son ever did because she found my pole skills impressive.”

I burst out laughing at that comment. “You’re shittin’ me?” I can’t imagine my mama in a place like this. She’d have turned bright red just at the name.

“Nope, here I’ll show you what I did.” She proceeds to do a series of ridiculously complicated jumps and spins at a breakneck speed that has me fearing for her safety until both of her heeled feet are back safely on the ground which coincides with the end of the song.

After we leave the VIP area, she takes hold of my wrist a few feet away from the booth.

“One of your buddies bought a birthday dance on stage so if you want a good laugh at their expense I suggest you stick around for another half hour or so.”

I don’t have time to ask for clarifications before she walks off to a man by the main stage who she greets by name. 

When I return to the booth, I sit next to Jared, ignoring the two strippers dancing on the men across from us. There are seven of us crammed into the booth. I recognize Seth thanks to the family resemblance — he and Luke both share a bit of a dumb fratboy face — and I assume the others must be his friends. I’m surprised Sam didn’t come out tonight but he’s probably at home with his girl watching videos of Riley. Sometimes I hear the notifications on his phone from Riley’s live streams where she invites viewers to visit her at a certain club. It makes my teeth grind every time.

“I say that in half an hour, you fake an emergency from your wife so we can go back to mine and order a pizza.”

Jared perks up at the promise of escape. “I’m all for fakin’ an emergency but when I get outta her I’m gonna have a lot of grovelin’ to do if I don’t wanna sleep on the couch.”

“Hey, I did that for weeks, it’s not so bad.”

Jared punches me in the shoulder but he doesn’t bother hiding the smile from on face. We busy ourselves with talking about some of the renovations we are planning on doing at his place while politely declining anytime one of the girls offers a dance which, unfortunately for us, happens a lot.

The blond who took me to VIP, and who has since introduced herself as Kira, says it’s because the dancers think I’m hot and would enjoy the opportunity to give me a dance. I’m not sure if it’s the truth or if she’s just trying to sweet talk me into another dance. She came back to me while I was chatting with Jer, asking if she could sit on my lap and rest her feet. I agreed because, well, what else was I supposed to say. I ignore Jared’s raised eyebrow and the jealous glances from Seth and his boys.

The DJ eventually lowers the music, announcing that it’s time for a special performance. Luke looks at his cousin and a few of the others clap him on the shoulder. Kira turns in my lap to face the stage and looks over her shoulder at Jared.

“I hope you boys enjoy the show. It’s the first time Sugar does one of these, I’m curious to see how she’s gonna do.”

Pink lights flash across the stage and three girls come out from behind a curtain. Seth doesn’t wait for the DJ to finish calling his name before practically running to the stage where a black-haired girl has set up a chair on which he happily settles. There is a busty blond on his right and further behind is a girl with curly pink hair.

It takes a moment but as the woman moves closer to Seth, I realize just who it is that I am looking at. She has dark purple — nearly black — lipstick and thick eyeliner. It pairs well with her black leather corset and matching thigh-high boots which mostly cover the fishnets she wears below them. I see a dark triangle over her pubic bone but other than that, she may as well not be wearing underwear. Dear lord, give me strength.

“Sy, that’s…” Jared sounds as panicked as I feel.

“I know Jer.”

“We should go.”

I stop hearing my best friend's voice after the spotlight lands on Riley. She holds a belt in her hands which she wraps around Seth’s neck, taking him by surprise.

“The scary dominatrix is Razzy. The blond is Sugar and the black-haired girl is Snow. Like Snow White.”

Snow straddles Seth’s lap and whispers something in his ear that makes him smirk then lift his chin defiantly.

“The boys always act all tough when they get up there,” Kira says, shaking her head. 

Snow stands and Sugar pushes Seth off the chair, sending him down onto his hands and knees. Riley then uses the belt as a leash and has Seth crawl around the stage like a dog. She shows off her pet to the cheering patrons while Sugar takes his spot on the chair and Snow dances on her lap instead.

Riley brings Seth back to the center of the stage and has him sit on his haunches, watching the show the girls are putting on. She kneels down and it is her turn to whisper in Seth’s ear. When it elicits an enthusiastic nod, followed by him unfastening his jeans, she tugs on the belt and Seth obediently sprawls out with his stomach to the ground.

At some point the girls stopped feeling each other up and Sugar retrieved a second belt. Snow pulls on Seth’s pants until his bare ass is exposed then moves around to hold his hands out in front of his body.

“Wait, what are they—” Jared’s question is answered when Sugar whips Seth across the ass with her belt.

Riley frowns and says something to Sugar. She nods at whatever is said and issues a second strike which only deepens Riley’s frown. She hands the belt she is holding to Sugar who swaps it for her own.

“Oops, Sugar just got in trouble with the Queen.”

Somehow I forgot that there is still a stripper seated on my lap. All of my attention is focused on Riley.

The next time the belt comes down on Seth, there is no holding back. The difference in strength echoes through the room with a loud crack. Sugar’s eyes go wide but Riley isn’t phased at all. She whips him three more times in quick succession then pauses, looking over the crowd then nods to the DJ.

“Alright everyone, if Seth can withstand ten spanks, he gets rewarded with a dance from each one of our three girls. Let’s help him count them so he doesn’t lose track.”

Riley delivers the strikes, not stopping even as Seth’s skin turns bright red. When everyone finishes counting in unison, he is released and the girls drop their weapons. It was about time that Riley stopped because Seth is writhing on the ground, his grunts audible even from where we are sitting. His ass is going to look like a bunch of train tracks tomorrow.

“Well, thanks for the seat but if I want to make rent I need to take advantage of the fact that every man in this room got hard at that little show.”

Kira kisses my cheek then leaves just as Seth returns with Sugar, Snow and Riley hot on his heels. Riley’s gaze meets mine and if I hadn’t been watching her so intently, I might have missed the look of betrayal that flashes in her eyes before she returns her face to a carefully neutral expression.

Jared sets his hand on my shoulder, pulling my attention away. “Sy, let’s go.”

I let Jared pull me to my feet and shove me towards the exit but Luke catches up to us before we make a clean getaway.

“Sy, hey.” He takes hold of my wrist but I shove him away.

“What the fuck were you trying to prove?” 

Luke lifts his hands in a show of submission. He probably thinks I’m going to punch him, which is a fair concern at the moment.

“Sy, I swear I didn’t know ‘till she got on the stage. I wouldn’t set you up like that.”

“It doesn’t matter now, anyway.” I don’t look back as Luke calls after me.

“Sy! Come on, man, I’m sorry!”

Chapter 7