#official business: headcount

[artbyblastweave]

So, Wildbow pretty famously retconned Browbeat to death because he got sick of fan jokes about every new character secretly being Browbeat under a new identity. I've got mixed thoughts on that.

Unfortunately for all, my de facto reaction to that kind of meta-level contrarian stunt is "Power Move TBH," even if it was broadly comorbid with a proximity to the fandom that kind of blew out Ward's kneecaps with a .50 cal. Overlooking the fact that I think it was really sincerely funny, there's an argument to be made that it trims the fat; adding an additional heroic casualty for a grand total of seven out of twenty two named heroes operating in Brockton Bay at the time of arc 8. Browbeat is also specifically an independent hero who was headhunted for the Wards relatively soon after his debut- a distinct dynamic from the other wards who get pulverized, from the superheroic family business of New Wave, or the adult professional superheroes who bite it. This is a very Taylor shaped guy, the same kind of just-starting-out teenaged cape with an uncertain future. Him getting unceremoniously pulverized for the bad luck of having a front-line power therefore presents a bit of a "there but for the grace of god" moment for Skitter, if you choose to look at it like that. This is the kind of thing an editor would probably make him do anyway, if he wasn't cut entirely. But the thing is that I am kind of attached to the original outcome for Browbeat, which is that he dips. I think it actually adds some subtle verisimilitude to the story. The number of heroes we actually see is significantly lower than the alluded-to headcount in the early arcs; more indie heroes are alluded to then ever actually appear, and a combination of Leviathan casualties and departure during the ensuing civilian exodus is usually how I've seen that discrepancy squared. But it hits better if a named character cuts and runs. In the story as currently written, every hero who lives, remains in Brockton Bay to try and hold the line. I kind of liked the version of the story where that wasn't the case, where you can infer that at least one of these teenagers went, you know what, I'm not so completely committed to heroic altruism at the age of 16 that I'm gonna hang around to do it in a town without running water, I'm going to pursue a less horrible gig elsewhere. That's not really a thing that happens too often in Big-two comics, and if it were to happen it would likely be painted as a notable departure from expectations. But one of Worm's major themes is that unlike in the comics, there's a gigantic spread of motivations and personality types amongst the officially designated heroes, and it's a nice reminder that all those different personality types are going to have different thresholds for throwing in the towel and moving on to greener pastures. Or it was, until he just died instead

[meret118]

Mike Whitaker, the previous FAA administrator, stepped down on Inauguration Day after just over a year on the job. He’d repeatedly clashed with Elon Musk — now in charge of a group tasked with slashing the government’s headcount by President Donald Trump — over safety issues at his space company, SpaceX.

------

There is currently no one in charge at the FAA.

The former Wisconsin congressman, Fox Business host and MTV reality show star officially took over Tuesday as head of the Transportation Department, putting him out front for Donald Trump's administration after an American Airlines flight collided Wednesday night with a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board both aircraft.

"Obviously it is not standard to have aircraft collide," Duffy told reporters Thursday morning. "I want to be clear on that."

-------

I wonder how all those republicans in congress who regularly fly in and out of DC feel about confirming duffy now?

[beardedmrbean]

Long-planned layoffs officially hit CNN on Thursday when roughly 6% of the network’s workforce was let go. 

CNN has painted the layoffs as a critical step toward securing the network’s future, telling staffers that "irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news" have impacted its business model. About 200 jobs were eliminated as a result. 

"Our objective is a simple one: to shift CNN’s gravity towards the platforms and products where the audience themselves are shifting and, by doing that, to secure CNN’s future as one of the world’s greatest news organizations," CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in an internal memo obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"America and the world need high quality, fair-minded, trustworthy sources of news more than ever," Thompson continued. "This difficult and sometimes painful process of change is the only way to make sure we can still provide it."

On-air talent is not expected to be impacted by the cuts. 

CNN pointed to a $70 million investment from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery that will eventually result in new job opportunities. Thompson said Thursday’s cuts are "first and foremost about investing in that future," and suggested overall headcount won’t drop too much in 2025 when plans are finalized. 

"That’s because of the $70 million we’re investing in our digital plans and the many new jobs it will pay for. Some of that money’s going in product and tech, but a lot is also going into new high-quality journalism and storytelling. It’s what we stand for," Thompson wrote.

"It’s also the heart of every successful digital news strategy. At the same time, I know that whatever the total number of job losses, the impact on the individuals involved can be immense," he continued. "The process of change is essential if we’re to thrive in the future, but I both acknowledge and regret its very real human consequences."

Thompson called the cuts "an unwelcome but inevitable part of the change process."

"We will aim to contact every colleague who will be impacted by these changes as soon as we possibly can – and will of course help and support them in any way we can thereafter," Thompson wrote.  

CNN has struggled in the ratings department for years and finished 2024 with its smallest audience in network history among both total day viewers and among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54. 

[outstandingblue]

Promises to Keep

Ten - Breathe, Please

recom!miles quaritch x fem!na'vi oc

| Masterlist | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen |

It's a good think Mansk has a thing for scientists. They can be pretty useful in certain situations.

cross-posted on ao3 here cw: not being able to breathe, allusions to sex, ooc miles (?) wc: 7.3k (i wasn't kidding when i said i got carried away)

When Jiniraa woke up in the morning, she didn’t feel rested at all. She tossed and turned the entire night, unable to get her mind off the feeling of Miles fingers brushing against her cheek and neck. His touch left a line of fire that was impossible to put out.

It didn’t help that she fell asleep without getting washed off. She felt sluggish and grimy, not a great combination for the morning. Their apartments were basic, more like one-bedroom apartments. There was one main room, which consisted of their bed, a desk and table, a secondary seating area, and a small fridge. An adjoining bathroom was found just a few paces away. Pretty basic compared to the standards of the Recoms, but it was over the top extravagant to the minimalist way of life Jiniraa was adapted to. 

Regardless, she learned to enjoy having her own space - she even created her own little routine for the morning. It was quiet, peaceful. She still didn’t like sleeping alone, but it helped knowing there were half a dozen others on the other side of her door. Still, she slept the best when they made camp in the forest, surrounded by the sounds of her home and protected by those around her.

Jiniraa took a quick shower before carefully wrapping her hip with the leaves she’d collected on the most recent expedition. Walking out of her apartment and into the main corridor, Jiniraa learned Spider got a wicked sunburn over the past four days. He refused to use any RDA sunscreen. He’d be bed-bound for the next few days while his body recuperates. Was he regretting that decision now? Absolutely. Was he going to learn from the mistake and accept the sunscreen next time? Absolutely not. 

Spider and Jiniraa were slowly earning more privileges around Bridgehead, but they still were escorted to and from every location. Jiniraa didn’t mind, it’s not like she would’ve gone anywhere by herself anyway. She’s been around for almost a month,but people would still stare like they’d never seen a Na’vi before. The allure was still there. It made her uncomfortable, being the center of attention. 

Jiniraa looked around the gathering Recoms, doing a headcount. One was missing. Miles. He was never late to a meeting time. If anything, he was the first one waiting in the hallway. Lyle announced they were heading out and Miles still wasn’t there. She looked back at his door as they moved, expecting him to come out at that moment but nothing happened. 

Mansk was the closest one to her, trying to pull his shirt tighter on his neck and chest, completely covering his tattoo. Jiniraa didn’t think anything of it as she approached, “hey Mansk, do you know where Miles is?”

Jiniraa watched him swallow before replying slowly, “the Colonel…won’t be at breakfast today.”

Mansk was selective with his words, almost like he was making sure something didn’t slip. Jiniraa didn’t seem to catch on. Mansk was glad he’d slipped his sunglasses on - Jiniraa had a knack for being able to tell when people were lying. His shades were his shield.

“What is he busy or something? He never skips meals.” She laughed to herself, the Colonel never passed up on the opportunity to eat, even if it meant scarfing down food before heading to his meetings with Ardmore or other RDA officials. 

Jiniraa tried to think of what could’ve been more important than breakfast. Her mind drifted back to the night prior, the way he ever so gently caressed her face. He believed she was asleep, but she was wide awake the entire time. This wasn’t the first time Miles snuck around a few extra minutes after carrying her from their transport. It became a little ritual for the pair; Miles thought it was his personal secret, but Jiniraa knew full well what was happening. She’d never dare bring it up, afraid he’d stop. It was her secret as well. 

Mansk watched as thoughts tumbled around the woman’s head before he turned forward, giving her shoulders a gentle push to catch up with the rest of the unit. He surely wasn’t going to tell her what he’d been through last night. 

After they returned from their four-day stint in the forest, Mansk wanted nothing more than a shower, a clean pair of clothes, and some time with his favorite woman in the science department - Dr. Renia Cox. She was one of the only a handful Avatar operators currently in RDA’s ranks and functioned as the on-base doctor for the Recom unit. 

Mansk met Renia within his first week on Pandora. Something must have gone haywire when they were growing his new body because his eyes were awfully sensitive to light. The migraines completely incapacitated him - to the point where he’d have to lay face down in bed, under the covers for any semblance of relief. Renia gifted him his precious sunglasses, hoping the dark shades would help while she figured what was going on with his new body. 

Renia was Mansk’s Godsend, able to almost completely cure his extreme light sensitivity. They grew closer over the late nights they spent together, running test after test trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with Mansk. At one point, Renia even accused Mansk of making it all up so he’d get to spend time with her. He denied the accusation with a laugh. When Mansk was given a clean bill of health and she signed off on his field clearances, Renia expected him to disappear from her life, but he didn’t. He stuck around, sneaking to her lab and just hanging around her lab as she worked late into the night - not that she minded whatsoever. He worked his way into her routine. It was nice. Oddly domestic in a place so hostile. 

Their relationship grew physically intimate; another perk to having an Avatar body was the sex they experienced together. Sex as a human was good, but sex in a Na’vi body? Whole other ballpark. It’s not even fair to compare the two. 

So that’s where Mansk was last night, sitting in her lab, head leaning on her shoulder as he fiddled with wet specimen jars. She was finishing up the last of her reports, trying to speed through as quickly as possible so they could have their one on one time. Mansk didn’t mind waiting, he was at peace, just listening to her mutter under her breath as she scanned the reports for errors. 

That peace shattered when a slamming noise echoed from down the corridor. They should’ve been the only ones in this sector at this time of night. Everyone else cleared out hours ago, way before Mansk even arrived. Mansk and Renia were on edge, rising from their seats while trying to think of what caused that noise. 

“Renia, you stay here,” Mansk’s voice was stern and tight. He no longer was in lover boy mode, he was in military-and-there-is-a-threat mode.

“Hell no, I’m coming with,” Renia scoffed at his statement, grabbing a scalpel from the desk. Mansk rolled his eyes, expecting her to say that. She was still in her Avatar body, so Mansk felt a little better, but she was still pretty weak.

Mansk sighed, “fine, but you stay behind me,” she didn’t acknowledge blankly looking past him, “baby?”

She nodded, gripping her weapon of choice even harder. A scalpel probably wouldn’t do much, but if it made her feel better she could cling to it for all he cared.

At some point in their approach, Mansk pulled his handgun from the thigh holster. Renia didn’t even notice, too busy ducking behind her boyfriend. Her fingers traced over a large indent in the wall - probably from a fist. A fist that made a dent in solid metal like this is a strike that could take her head clean off her shoulders. She pulled on the back of Mansk’s shirt, his attention whipped backwards, sensing the woman’s fear. He looked at the indent, but didn’t say anything, only pressed forward, glancing back more often. 

Mansk didn’t know what to expect when he turned the corner. He’d almost expected some sort of rabid animal that somehow managed to work its way through the ventilation system. Did Pandora even have rabies? However, the last thing he expected to see was the Colonel, skin flushed and dripping with sweat as he pounded away at a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. 

The Colonel must’ve been haphazardly swinging his limbs around as he made his way to the training center. The dent was a purposeful punch though - that definitely wasn’t an accident. 

Mansk put the safety on and slipped the gun back into its holster, tentatively approaching his commanding officer. With all his grunting and swinging, Miles hadn’t noticed the pair enter the room, his emotional state created a tunnel vision effect. 

Mansk tentatively called out, “Colonel?”

Miles whipped around, teeth bared. He truly didn’t realize anyone was behind him. 

Mansk continued, “Colonel, is everything alright?”

The blood was rushing through Miles’ ears and Mansk’s voice sounded a mile away. Miles glanced down at his hands, noticing the blood pooling around his knuckles. He was beating the bag so aggressively he’d broken skin long ago, but that was the last thing on his mind. 

His mind was stuck on the woman sleeping in her bed. Was she still whimpering and writhing in unconscious pain? He needed to get rid of these feelings. They were clouding his judgment. He’d been altering mission objectives to make sure she was kept out of harm’s way. When scouting, he was often more focused on her location rather than the path in front of them. When they made camp for the night, he didn’t rest - he was kept up by the sounds of her breathing and the way she shifted in her hammock. 

“Colonel?”

Miles wiped the blood on his pants, not caring if the material stained. They were already muddy and disgusting from the past four days.

Mansk did an overview of the Colonel, trying to assess his state. Mansk contemplated asking Renia to grab a sedative. She had the same thought, but it passed quickly. For Mansk, the idea lingered as a last resort. 

Renia went to take a step forward, only to be stopped as Mansk grabbed her upper arm in a soft, yet firm, grip. He was afraid the Colonel would lash out if she approached. He knew the strength the Colonel possessed - he could throw her across the room with ease. They had a heated debate, communicating through silent facial expressions, leaving Miles alone with his internal struggle. 

His bloodied hands. He couldn’t look away from them. These hands have been bloody before. The human Quaritch’s hands have been bloodied hundreds of times. But these hands? These were hands that caressed the side of Jiniraa’s soft face less than an hour ago. No hands like these should ever be graced with touching someone like her. 

She’d already been stained by blood. Her clan was almost wiped out all of those years ago. By him. No. Not him - the man whose memories he possessed. He had no clue how many people she had to help bury, giving their energy back to Eway, in the wake of his - the human Quaritch’s - attack on Hometree and the battle that later ensued. She’d never told him. He didn’t know if he wanted to know the full extent. Hell - she’d been fucking shot at some point. Based on how healed the wound was, she was a kid when it happened. Miles felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about it. 

A new voice interrupted Miles’ thoughts, “Colonel Quaritch?”

His head snapped up at the woman’s voice. Mansk was tense, a few paces behind the woman. He was fully prepared to lunge forward and grab her by the waist if Miles tried something. He’d be damned if Renia, the only good thing on this bloody planet, got hurt under his watch.

Renia continued with a soothing voice, “Colonel, what's wrong?”

“I-I…” Miles couldn’t even form a single word, let alone try to string an entire sentence together. Unable to articulate the storm of emotions raging inside of his head, he collapsed to his knees. His eyes continued to stare at his hands.

Mansk had never seen the Colonel act like this, never demonstrating this extent of emotions. He’d gone from a full on rampage to a broken man on the floor in the matter of minutes. Mansk truly believed the best thing would be to leave the Colonel alone. He clearly didn’t want to talk. Or at least, they weren’t the people he wanted to talk to. 

Mansk walked beside the woman, leaning into her ear, “c’mon, let’s give him some privacy, yeah?”

Renia didn’t want to leave the Colonel like this. It didn’t sit right in her stomach, but she trusted Mansk. He knew the Colonel better than she ever could. Reluctantly, she followed Mansk as they left the training room. They walked to the lab in silence, fingers brushing against each other, but both too scared to fully commit to the grip in a public setting. 

Once inside the safety of Renia’s lab office, Mansk exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. 

Renia was the first to speak, shock spread across her face, “okay, what the hell was that all about?”

Mansk leaned against her desk, watching her gather gauze and alcohol pads. She was making a little medkit for the Colonel - she’d noticed the bloodied knuckles immediately. His heart warmed at the care she felt for others, doing so even without being asked. 

Mansk sighed, leaning his elbows against his knees as his gaze fell to the floor, “I don’t know…”

It wasn’t the complete truth. He had an idea of what it could have been about. Mansk was quiet and observant by nature. He’d noticed how Jiniraa and Miles had been acting these past few weeks. Dancing around and stealing glances from each other. Unspoken words said more than any spoken words ever could. 

Renia finished gathering her supplies, cleaning up the mess she’d made. Mansk watched her work silently, observing like always. Renia walked back towards the Recom, tilting her head with a small smile when she joined his position, leaning against her desk as well.

“Do you…” Renia began hesitantly, pausing and selecting her next words carefully, “do you think it’s about the girl you’ve told me about?”

Mansk sighed, not saying anything as he stood up and moved between her legs. He dropped his head into her neck, feeling her arms instantly work their way around his shoulders and into his hair, rubbing at the base of his neck.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled directly into her skin. Her touch was soothing - he was sure he’d start purring at any second. 

“Hey - that tickles,” she laughed at the sensation. Music to his ears. “Well - from what you’ve been saying, he’d pretty whipped for her.”

Renia had a joking tone, but Mansk knew what she meant. He didn’t respond for a few minutes, just letting himself enjoy her touch a little while longer.

“I think he’s scared,” he mumbled out. Renia didn’t expect Mansk to respond at all. She hummed, trying to figure out what he’d meant. 

“Yeah? Big bad Colonel Quaritich is scared of a woman?”

Mansk’s ears dipped down, but she didn’t notice, “yeah…something like that.”

The Colonel wasn’t scared of her. He was scared of losing her. Mansk knew the feeling - it was the same thing he experienced with Renia. He always feared it would be the last time he saw her. The atmosphere was turning too depressing for Mansk’s liking. He pressed a kiss to her pulse, knowing it would tickle just enough without being too enticing.

She giggled, throwing her head back a little. It just created more real estate for Mansk to kiss along, peppering soft touches along her throat. She tried to push him off a little bit. There was no real effort in her movements - they both knew damn well she didn’t want him to stop. His touches began growing in boldness, lust pooling in their abdomens. They both knew where this was going. 

“Hey - hey, Mansk, baby, hey, let me just drop this off, yeah?” She was trying to talk through gasps as Mansk became more intentional with the placement of his lips, hands starting to slide under her top and grip her waist. “He needs to bandage those knuckles up so they don’t get infected.”

Mansk paused, pulling back for a few seconds, winking at the woman, “I think he can wait for a few minutes.”

Mansk got too caught up in his own memories. He’d somehow managed to make it all the way to the mess hall, grab his tray, load it up with food, and sit down at the Recom table - all completely on autopilot. Now, he just had to worry about the strain in his pants. 

“Hey Mansky! Heard you and a lil’ lady gettin' busy last night!” Lyle elbowed Mansk in the side with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle, a wolf whistle topped it off. 

He took a bite of his food, “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Lyle moved to tug at the collar of Mansk’s shirt, exposing the bruising that littered his collarbone, “yeah what’s this then?”

Mansk ignored the overzealous Corporal - he didn’t want to feed into his childish antics, but he also didn’t want to risk exposing what he and the doctor had. It was new and needed to be protected. 

It also was a good thing Lyle couldn’t see his back. Scratched to hell and back. 

“Oh - you are a fuckin’ liar,” Prager started, pointed an accusatory finger. “Do you forget we share a wall? I barely got any sleep last night! Just sayin’ all I heard was the bed frame slamming against it all night.”

Zdinarsk mumbled, “you’re just mad you aren’t getting any.”

Mansk shrugged his shoulders, looking back down at his meal. It was a good thing he’d already established a quiet personality. It didn’t seem too strange that he didn’t engage further in the conversation. The unit thought he had an expendable fuck buddy, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. Renia meant more to him than that. He was relieved when the topic changed, no longer having to hear them debate about who Mansk was sleeping with.

Jiniraa kept pushing her food around on the plate. She normally didn’t have an appetite for Bridgehead food, but today the look of the food was making her nauseous. Her mind was elsewhere, back to thinking about Miles, still reeling and trying to figure out what was more important than breakfast. 

Without fail, every time she heard the loud banding of boots against the ground, she’d look up expecting to see Miles walking through the door. Alas, she was deeply disappointed every time. It was a louder-than-average human walking. 

Mansk watched her from across the table, biting the inside of his cheek. It felt wrong to keep what he knew a secret, but he knew he needed to. Under the table, he nudged her bare feet with his boots, causing her to look up at him.

“You good?”

Jiniraa sighed, “...yeah.”

“Hey, at least get something in your stomach,” Mansk pointed down at her food, not looking away until she started eating. 

●●●

“I don’t think I can move in this,” Jiniraa pulled at the new material on her body, not liking how it hugged her in weird places.

Lyle barked out a laugh, “tough shit, princess. Your other shit is dirty from being in the field. You only have to suffer for one day.”

He wasn’t wrong - the entire ensemble had been caked in mud, sweat, and grime. It was pretty disgusting - well overdue for a proper cleaning - but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about this. She’d been given Na’vi sized green hiking shorts and a cropped black tank top. Mansk managed to convince Renia to lend the outfit, not that anyone knew that. They just figured Mansk stumbled upon it in a closet. He was always appearing with random shit. Prager was always amazed when he came back with goodies, insisting he was a Bridgehead Santa.

“Well I feel constricted and I look stupid,” Jiniraa huffed back, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Miles had yet to make an appearance, skipping both breakfast and lunch. That left Lyle in charge for the day. It was both a blessing and a curse: Lyle was more relaxed than the Colonel, but he was a thousand times more annoying.

Lyle threw her a flirtatious smile, obnoxiously flexing his arms as they walked towards the gym, “I was gonna say you look hot - ya know, like more human in that.”

She slapped his arm, muttering how she wasn’t human, but smiled regardless and rolled her eyes at his antics. They pair had grown considerably closer over the past month. After Lyle got over his initial resentment of the woman, he started to appreciate the way she’d talk with them. It was refreshing, the way she’d share the forest rather than just belittle them for ignorance. That was what he hated about Dr. Augustine. He also knew their shenanigans pissed the Colonel off to no end - and why would Lyle ever pass on the chance to piss off Miles for fun?

“Stop flexing, you’re going to burst a blood vessel and bleed out internally.”

“I don’t think it works that way. Can’t get rid of me that easily, princess,” his smirk was relentless. Stupid glasses perched on his bald head. “Let’s go, we have a lot of work to get done today. You’re starting to actually make progress. Can’t have you goin’ soft on me.”

Jiniraa unenthusiastically followed Lyle. He wasn’t wrong - she had been making good progress over the past three weeks. You could actually see the definition in her arms beginning to form. Her legs were stronger. She didn’t get winded as quickly, able to keep up with the group rather than slow them down.

She felt good. She didn’t feel as helpless anymore. She was helpless in the clan - a burden, brushed off to the side when she didn’t make progress quick enough for Jake’s standards. Here? They had no other option, they had to make her better. Their lives depended on if she could hold her own. 

“Lyle,” she whined, “I’m tired. Can’t we have one rest day?”

Lyle acted as if he seriously contemplated the proposition for a minute. He didn’t. “Nope.”

They walked past the mats on the ground. It seems they wouldn’t be sparring right now. Jiniraa couldn’t help but be thankful for that - to this day, sparring remained her least favorite. They approached the obstacle course - the only thing she truly excelled at and enjoyed. It was a little more mechanical than moving through the forest, but the general idea was the same. For once, she was on an equal playing field with everyone else. 

“Hey Lyle, let’s make a bet,” she called out. He turned around, ears perked and eyebrows raised. She knew that would work. “If I’m able to beat you on the obstacle course - can we all have the rest of the day off?”

Lyle smirked, never one to stand down from a challenge, especially one he so easily would dominate at. “Sure, sweet cheeks. You beat me in the o-course and the whole team gets the rest of the day off.”

Lyle gathered everyone around, explaining the deal he’d made with the Na’vi. She couldn’t help the anxiety building in her stomach. She’d been confident before, but it was quickly fading away. 

Zdinarsk was elected to be the referee, stepping forward and explaining the rules, “alright - you both have to complete three full rounds through. No pussying out. On the count of three. One. Two…three!”

Both competitors dashed off. Lyle had more raw power and strength than Jiniraa could ever dream of possessing, but where he had strength she had agility and speed. Their strengths and weaknesses played off each other. 

At certain points, like the solid wall, Lyle clearly had the upper hand. Hell, he was almost half a foot taller than her, so anything with height was right up his alley. He would take the lead for a couple seconds before Jiniraa’s agility helped her pass over low jumps and glide down the decline balance logs.

Jiniraa started out strong, but by the third lap she was seeing stars. She should’ve listened to Mansk and ate an entire breakfast. Her hands were raw from climbing the rope twice already. Her legs were burning from pushing so hard. Her knees were definitely bruised from slamming them against the solid wall - her nemesis of the obstacle course. 

A moment’s glance towards Lyle showed he was only narrowly in the lead as they approached the rope - the final obstacle for the third round. He was pouring buckets of sweat. She probably didn’t look much better herself.

They reached the ropes at the same time, pausing to make eye contact before darting up the rope. Lyle had years of experience under his belt, he moved up the rope with ease. Jiniraa - not so much, but she wasn’t about to give up. 

The bell was just out of her reach, but she decided fuck it and tried to throw her shoulders just enough that her fingers would brush the rim of the bell. Bad idea. Not only had she missed the bell entirely, but she lost her grip on the rope. She didn’t even realize she’d let go before plummeting fifty or so feet towards the ground.

Sure, the ground was covered in mats, but they didn’t do anything to break her fall. The impact knocked any air straight out of her lungs, leaving her gasping like a fish out of water. 

Lyle watched from the top of the rope, fingers brushing along the bell, “shit fuck shit bitch,” profanities escaped his lips as he descended the rope, a little faster than his body could handle. A little rope burn never killed anyone. 

Across the compound, a certain Miles Quaritch was sitting in a meeting, messing with the white gauze wrapped around his knuckles when his datapad started dinging in his pocket. He attempted to ignore it at first, but it was insistent. 

The General shot the Colonel a deadly glare for his interruption. They - along with other RDA personnel whose names Miles refused to learn - were discussing Sully’s raids and how he hadn’t been seen in weeks. No shit. The meeting wasn’t going anywhere, so Miles decided to check what was so urgent. Carefully, he slipped the datapad out of his pocket, keeping the screen under the lip of the table. 

He sighed as he opened it before his heart dropped to his (empty) stomach. It was the alarm on Jiniraa’s throat comm - her heart rate was pressing into dangerously high territories.

Now, the primary purpose of the heart rate monitor was to make sure she didn’t take off the comm because it held the tracker. The secondary purpose was an afterthought, more medically significant. After that first interrogation, the scientists were worried of some sort of underlying heart condition. Miles didn’t understand the medical jargon completely, but basically her heart rate would spike and her brain would starve because it wasn’t getting enough air. That’s the gist he was able to understand. Hence the reason Miles had an alarm on his datapad, notifying him when her heart rate crossed into those dangerously high territories. 

Miles rose from the chair, not caring that the metal scraped loudly against the floor. He didn’t wait for the General to finish her statement before he interrupted, “General, I have to go. It’s my team.”

He turned on his heel, not waiting for her permission before sprinting out of the room and running through the corridors. The echo of his boots acted as a warning system, telling bystanders to get out of his way or he’d trample them without a second thought. He didn’t even notice the amount of people who lined the walls as he ran, long strides carrying him towards the gym. There wasn’t much on his mind. 

He couldn’t get the door to slide open fast enough, not even waiting for it to open the entire way before slipping his body through and running towards the unit. They were all circled around, shifting from foot to foot, not really knowing what to do. 

“Move,” Miles roughly shoved Lopez to the side, sliding through the newly created gap. 

The scene in front of him broke his heart. Jiniraa was lying on the ground with wide teary eyes, attempting to take in short and shallow breaths, but her body wouldn’t allow it. It was in shock. 

Lyle was sitting behind her, forcing her to sit up rather than lay flat on her back. Ja, as the medic of the unit, had taken over the situation almost right away. He was trying to get her to take slow and deep breaths, working through the pain. The sensation would pass eventually. His words fell on deaf ears; he didn’t want to yell - that was what he was trained to do for military work, but Jiniraa was basically a civilian. Yelling would probably make the situation worse.

Her eyes were crazed as they looked around, completely unfocused and hazed. She was spiraling. Miles recognized that look. When her eyes met his, the tears began to fall. He squatted down next to her, resting his forearms on his knees. He didn’t know how to be of use in this situation. A shaky hand reached out for him and latched on. The touch made him snap out of the stunned state he’d been in.

“What happened,” he wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular, he just needed answers. His voice was quiet, trying to not spook the woman more than she already was, but there was an underlying bite in his tone. 

Lyle was brave enough to speak, “O-course, sir.”

“Explain.”

Lyle cut right to the chase, knowing if he tried to give an elaborate explanation the Colonel would be more pissed off than he already was. 

“Sir, it was a timed race. She must’ve lost her grip on the rope and she fell and landed on her back, sir.”

Ja filled in the blanks while monitoring her breathing, “wind got knocked right outta her, sir. Diaphragm started spazzing when she made impact.”

Miles knew what that felt like. He’d taken a few tumbles himself back in the day. Getting the wind knocked out of you was a terrifying feeling - you feel like you’re suffocating within your own body. 

He sighed, “how long ago?”

Ja checked his watch with a quick glance, “about three minutes ago.”

Ja pressed two fingers to her wrist, trying to get a sense of her rapid pulse. The color was leaving her face as the panting continued. She wasn’t calming down at all. If anything, she was getting less air now than before. Miles’ throat was going dry at the sight. 

“Sweetheart, you need to breathe.”

She didn’t react at all - her face remained unchanged, but her fingers continued to grip his. She repositioned her grip, nails now dug into the bandage around his knuckles, definitely breaking open the freshly scabbed skin. He didn’t care. That didn’t matter right now.

Miles brought his free hand to the side of her face, watching as she pressed her cheek into his palm. He swiped his thumb against her tear-stained cheek and she pressed further into his warmth, looking for comfort. 

“Sweetheart, Breathe. Please. You need to breathe. Deep breaths. Please.” Miles was begging. No question about it. He may as well be on his hands and knees begging for her to calm down before he breaks. He didn’t care how absolutely pathetic he sounded right now. Her eyes closed as she whimpered. The sounds were starting to affect his own body. He felt that familiar burn in the back of the throat as tears begged to gather in his eyes. 

His brain was racing, trying to think of ways to calm her down. Quick glances to Ja and Lyle were useless - they didn’t know what to do either. 

Think, Miles, damnit, think. 

He looked her body up and down, trying to think of something, anything, that would end this torture. For both of them.

His eyes landed on the bottom of her sternum. That day - that day on the tarmac, she pressed her palm against her sternum to self-soothe.

Without any better options in mind, he unjoined their hands. Her newly freed hand gripped the material of his fatigues. He didn’t care. She could rip a hole in them for all he cared. His own hand from a new home resting on the bottom of her tank. One hand cradled her face while the other rested on her chest. 

Her quick breathing made his hand slip under the fabric, his thumb now dangerously close to her breast. She didn’t seem to notice, but he sure as hell did. He could feel her heart raging under his palm. He didn’t know how much longer her body could take of this before it passed out from over-exertion. 

He lowered his head towards her, almost letting their foreheads connect as he repeated his plea over and over, “breathe, please. You’re okay. I promise. Just breathe.”

Honestly, Miles didn’t know how long he stayed like that, bent over and forehead almost touching. In reality, her breathing was back to normal in four or so minutes, but it felt like eternity. The only thing that snapped Miles out of his trance was a new figure appearing next to them, taking Ja’s place. 

Miles growled under his breath, shielding her body with his torso as he looked up. He was met with a semi-familiar face. She stared back at him.

His ears went flat to his head as he demanded, “who’re you.”

“I’m Doctor Cox…” she trailed off, expecting Miles to fill in the gaps on his own. He narrowed his eyes on her, not recognizing the name right away, “...we’ve met before, Colonel.”

Mansk watched the two interact carefully, not knowing how the Colonel was going to react with a new presence in the mix. Once Jiniraa made contact with the ground, Ja knew she may need more advanced medical care than he could provide as a field medic. Mansk offered to find a doctor, knowing there was only one doctor on the entire compound he trusted - his beloved Renia. He was lucky she was already linked to her Avatar body for the day.

Miles watched her eyes momentarily flick to the bandages around his knuckles. Her and Mansk interrupted his rampage last night. She brought him a little medkit afterwards. He nodded and they silently agreed to keep the intimate details of their meeting between them. 

Sensing she gained his trust, Renia began, “Mansk filled me in on the way here. Can I take a look at her?”

Miles looked at Mansk. He was refusing to make eye contact. His shades weren’t over his eyes for once, so it was pretty obvious he was hiding something. Miles didn’t give a shit about that right now. He exhaled, looking down at the woman in his arms. She had just managed to calm her breathing - he didn’t want something to set her off again. 

He leaned down, face getting closer as his eyes searched her face for any discomfort, “you okay, sweetheart?”

She nodded, the first time she’d reacted to anything since he got there. Miles let out a sigh of relief, sitting himself back on his heels, watching as she shifted to lean more towards Miles than using Lyle as support. 

Renia offered the Na’vi woman a kind smile, pulling her travel kit into her lap. Jiniraa looked at her apprehensively, never meeting another Avatar besides the Recoms.

“Hi, you’re Jiniraa right?” Jiniraa nodded. “I’m Dr. Cox. I work with these guys a lot. I need to check you out, okay? Mansk said you took a pretty nasty fall.”

Jiniraa nodded, sliding herself completely out of Miles’ grip to sit independently. He didn’t like that and kept a hand placed firmly on her thigh, needing to feel the warmth of her skin. He absentmindedly rubbed circles into her skin. The trio on the ground didn’t notice Mansk shooing away the rest of the Recoms, trying to give the doctor some space to work. He also knew Miles wasn’t completely in the right headspace, not even bothering to hide his lingering caresses. 

Renia pulled a small metal flashlight, shining it into Jiniraa’s eyes, muttering observations to herself, “good pupil response. Jiniraa, can you grip my hand and squeeze as hard as you can?”

Miles almost snorted at that test. His leg probably would be bruised from how she’d been gripping it a few minutes prior. He managed to keep quiet, letting the doc continue her exam in silence. 

“Well, it doesn’t seem like she has a concussion, which is good. I do want to listen to her breathing though. May I?”

Jiniraa nodded. She was used to physical examinations like this - the scientists that lived among the Na’vi completed yearly physicals on everyone. Even so, that didn’t change the way she flinched when the cold stethoscope pressed against her skin. 

“Sorry, sorry, I know it’s cold,” Renia muttered an apology before speaking louder, “alright. Big breath in. Big breath out. Good. Now, just breathe like normal.”

Miles watched the scene unfolding with unrelenting intensity, taking note of every minute facial expression the doc made. He watched her brows pull together in concern for a moment before relaxing. 

“What,” he demanded. 

Renia shook her head, “it’s nothing. Heart just sounded weird there for a second. She probably just has a little murmur or irregular rhythm,” before Miles was able to throw his questions at her she continued, “heart murmurs usually aren’t life threatening. I have one in my human body. They’re just uncommon throughout the Omaticaya people though. That’s where she’s from, right?”

Miles didn’t respond, keeping his eyes trained on Jiniraa’s faltering form. She looked drained, like she could pass out and fall asleep at any moment. Renia glanced between the two, a small smile ghosting her face. 

“Well, it looks like she should be fine. You did a pretty good job calming her down, Colonel. If anything else happens, especially within the next day or two - you should page me right away. I’m on call 24/7, so don’t hesitate if something seems off.”

Miles nodded, not paying attention to the doctor as she gathered her belongings, neatly packing everything in her bag. She stood, turning to see Mansk already watching her. She returned his look of admiration. He wasn’t trying to hide his affections either. She walked past him, nudging him to follow.

When they reached the entrance of the training center, a little alcove in front of the door, Renia paused. It was large enough to keep them out of anyone’s direct eyeline.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that’s her?” She fiddled with her badge, clipping it back to the waistband of her shorts.

Mansk signed, rubbing a hand down his face. A motion she’d seen him do a hundred times. An indicator of his exhaustion level, “yeah, that’s her.”

“I don’t think you’re right - ya know, with what you said last night.”

Mansk smirked down at her, “I said a lot of things last night,” he met her serious gaze and reset himself, tilting his head, “what do you mean?”

“I don’t think he likes her, like you were saying. I think he loves her.” Mank hummed in response, watching Renia as she watched Jiniraa and Miles. “It’s sweet, ya know.”

Mansk nodded and yawned, rubbing his eyes this time. That meant he was ready to completely pass out. Renia laughed at him, laying a playful hand to his chest, “you need some real sleep tonight. We can’t be up that late again.”

Mansk opened his eyes, humming, “yeah, we’ll see who’s the one begging for more tonight, baby.”

Renia leaned up, pressing an innocent kiss to the corner of his mouth before nipping at his pulse on her way down. She knew how to make him tick as well, “I think we both know who will be begging for more.”

Before Mansk was able to protest her blatant teasing, she was already turning with a wink and exiting the training center. He groaned, watching her purposely swing her hips just a little more than necessary. 

●●●

Miles decided to call off the rest of training for the day. They’d been going for over three weeks straight without a single break. One day off wouldn’t kill them. He also needed to get Jinraa some proper rest. So here they were leisurely walking back to the housing distinct in an awkward silence. Jinraa hadn’t said much since the doctor - who so clearly had Mansk wrapped around her finger - left, only responding with one word answers when spoken to directly. 

“What’s goin’ on in that head of yours, sweetheart?” Miles nudged her shoulder, throwing her off balance for a quick moment. She shrugged and Miles clicked his tongue, not accepting that answer. 

“I’m sorry,” there was a little crack in her voice. Miles had to take a deep breath, he was still learning how to deal with emotional people. 

“For what?”

She only shrugged again, not really knowing what she was apologizing for. It just felt necessary. 

They fell back into an uncomfortable silence. Neither realized it, but their steps lagged as they drew closer to the Recom apartments. They were trying to savor the time together, regardless if the silence didn’t feel right. 

When they inevitably reached their doorways, Miles looked down at Jiniraa, fingers tracing a stripe on her waist as he asked once more what was bothering her. 

“I want to go home,” she managed to squeeze out. Miles pressed his lips together, forcing himself to pull his gaze away from her when she looked up with those big teary eyes. 

“I know you do,” he paused, contemplating if he would say it, “I…I’m sorry.”

She turned and approached her door, moving away from his touch. His hand instinctively followed her body. It stung - how she didn’t acknowledge what he said. Her hand hovered over the keypad for a moment before dropping back to her side. Her back remained towards him as she spoke.

“Miles?”

“Yeah?”

“I…” she trailed off, whispering, “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

His body acted on instinct, eliminating the space between them in two huge strides before wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his chest to her back as he buried his head into the crook of her neck. The thing he’d wanted to do for weeks now. 

She shifted in his hold, spinning around so they faced each other. He moved his greedy palms under her hair, trying to feel as much of her skin as possible. Her own hands were pressed against his chest. She could feel the heat radiating from his chest, rising and falling at a quick pace. Their breaths intertwined. Glazed eyes looking into the other. 

Miles reached down without breaking the intense eye contact and gathered into his arms. He couldn’t count how many times he’s done this by now - dozens, probably. But none of those times mattered. None of them were as intimate and sensual as this exact moment. 

Two hands gripped on the backs of her thighs. Bare from the new shorts. He contemplated looking down for a moment, but he didn’t dare peel his gaze away from her face. He wouldn’t look away, too busy memorizing what it looked like in the light. 

“Miles…” 

Next: Eleven - We Can't

●●●

so i may have gotten a little carried away with this part... also accidentally quoted mo bamba and had a flashback to hs (scary times)

sorry for the cliff hanger this was getting way too long, but i didn't want to break up what i'd written so far. this isn't going where some of y'all think it's going - we'll get there in due time. trust the process ;)

taglist - let me know if you'd like to be added

@drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

@oceandeepthirst2

@bolggerist

@mxddymay

@luciddasher

@ttreader

[justinspoliticalcorner]

WaPo: DOGE co-chairs Musk, Ramaswamy vow ‘mass head-count reductions’ in U.S. government

Jeff Stein, Jacob Bogage and Lisa Rein at Washington Post:

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy vowed “mass headcount reductions” to the federal government in an opinion piece Wednesday that sketched out their vision for President-elect Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” in the greatest detail so far.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Musk and Ramaswamy laid out their plans to slash federal regulations, cut government spending and significantly reduce the number of federal employees. Trump tapped the two with running the DOGE initiative last week, but basic questions about the effort — including its goals, operations and authorities — have primarily remained a source of speculation. While their essay left much unclear, tech entrepreneur Musk and Ramaswamy — a former 2024 GOP presidential rival of Trump’s — began to articulate the legal and procedural steps by which they plan to transform federal operations. The DOGE commission, they wrote, will first “work with legal experts embedded in government agencies” to identify regulations that Trump can repeal. That effort will rely on “advanced technology,” they said, a potential reference to artificial intelligence.

Musk and Ramaswamy argued that recent cases decided by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court will enable major reductions in federal regulations. After Trump “nullifies thousands of such regulations,” DOGE will then work with “embedded appointees” across federal agencies to “identify the minimum number of employees” required for an agency to perform its essential functions. This line appeared to echo Musk’s broader business philosophy and past practices; Musk oversaw the reduction of roughly 80 percent of the staff of Twitter, the social media platform he later renamed X, after he bought it. The DOGE leaders suggested that Trump can unilaterally slash the number of federal employees because many of them will no longer be necessary once the regulations are eliminated. “A drastic reduction in federal regulations provides sound industrial logic for mass headcount reductions across the federal bureaucracy,” they wrote. They added that “the number of federal employees to cut should be at least proportionate to the number of federal regulations that are nullified.”

Musk and Ramaswamy did not specify the number of federal employees they envision being cut under their effort. They wrote that “existing laws” can give federal employees “incentives for early retirement” and voluntary severance payments to “facilitate a graceful exit.” These proposals could affect not just scores of federal operations but also the Washington area, which is home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

To reduce federal spending, Musk and Ramaswamy also proposed eliminating programs that Congress funds but where specific spending authorization has lapsed, an idea that would ax critical measures including veterans’ health care, initiatives at the State and Justice departments and NASA, and multiple major antipoverty programs. That idea, some budget experts said, demonstrates the pair’s misunderstanding of how the government works. Funding authorizations are often pro forma exercises; approving funding without official reauthorizations is one way Congress has found to operate more efficiently.

Critics have pointed out that balancing the federal budget would require either much higher taxes or cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which Trump has vowed to protect. Trump campaigned in 2024 on more than $7 trillion in new tax cuts, and his first administration added roughly $8 trillion to the national debt. Some experts have also noted that reducing the federal workforce would not meaningfully alter the budget gap. The federal government spends about $305 billion per year on salary and benefits for federal employees, excluding military personnel, which amounts to roughly 4 percent of the more than $6 trillion federal budget, said Brian Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a center-right think tank, citing White House statistics. If Musk and Ramaswamy eliminated 25 percent of all federal employees, Riedl added, federal spending would be reduced by roughly 1 percent. Even that estimate is probably high, because the government would have to turn to contractors for at least some of the functions fulfilled by the laid off workers, Riedl said.

Questions also abound about how they would cut federal regulations. Musk and Ramaswamy signaled they would conduct a broad federal review to expunge regulations deemed to be overreaching. To justify their efforts, they pointed to a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that sharply curtailed federal power — including the justices’ decision to revoke a decades-old legal precedent, known as the Chevron doctrine, that had afforded agencies broad policymaking latitude. But the duo did not elaborate on how, exactly, they would accomplish their aim, which is fraught with legal questions and political challenges. In the op-ed, Musk and Ramaswamy said “large-scale audits” during “temporary suspension of payments” could yield savings, although they didn’t articulate what that would entail. The op-ed embraces a dramatic change in the balance of power over spending. Trump’s aides have planned to challenge a 1974 budget law that limits the president’s ability to cease spending on federal programs without congressional approval. If the Supreme Court agrees, the White House would dramatically expand its ability to cut programs unilaterally.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s DOGE ideas are nothing but a disaster waiting to happen.

[hamzaaslam]

Prudential Financial Advisers drives business growth with more than 800 representatives

The company expects to grow its representatives’ headcount to 1,500 by end of 2025 to support growing customer needs SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 July 2024 – Since its official launch in April 2023, Prudential Financial Advisers Singapore (“PFA”), Prudential Singapore’s (“Prudential”) dedicated financial advisory arm, has expanded to over 800 PFA representatives. The company is on…

[influencermagazineuk]

Dyson to Cut 1,000 Jobs in the UK Amid Cost-Cutting Efforts

Dyson is expected to slash about 1,000 jobs in the UK, preparing to scale-down its headcount to the extent of over a quarter. The idea of cost-cutting began with Dyson's headquarters moving to Singapore last year and continues with its need to reposition for the future. Famous vacuum cleaner brand Dyson is now set to axe off up to 1,000 jobs from the UK. The company claims that this needs to be done for cost reduction. In 2019, it moved its HQ to Singapore. This is a reduction of over one-quarter of the workforce from the United Kingdom.Sir James Dyson launched the company in 1991, which has 3,500 UK employees, operating from offices in Wiltshire, Bristol, and London. News of the job cuts was broken to staff on Tuesday morning.According to Dyson chief executive officer Hanno Kirner, the cuts are happening as the company rethinks its global structure and prepares itself for the future. In other words, changing the way of its conduct globally.Latest Dyson accounts, filed in October, show the company posted pre-tax profit of £9.6 million in 2022, down from £10.2 million in the prior year, attributed to lower products' sales.Last year, Sir James Dyson was widely criticized when he moved Dyson's head office out of Wiltshire and into Singapore. Many thought him hypocritical, for he had supported Brexit, then moved his company's base to Asia. Sir James said at the time that it wasn't because of Brexit. He said it made sense for the business since a majority of Dyson's future customers would be in Asia. Dyson announced last year it was planning to build a large battery plant in Singapore which it said would be operational by 2025. Its officials said the plant was its most significant investment in advanced manufacturing to date. This week, it also announced its intention to set up a technology centre in the Philippines where it will hire 400 more engineers. It will also create a new research and development hub in Bristol at a cost of £100m.The UK government has been given a scalded dressing down on its treatment of the economy by one of Britain's richest men, with a mammoth fortune of £2.2 billion. Sir James Dyson accused ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and ex-Chancellor Jeremy Hunt of being too cautious over growing the economy back in December. He said their predecessors in those two trading roles, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, were the right team. Sir James stated he never believed that making money and growing the economy is a bad thing. A bit of inflation doesn't hurt if there's growth. He said if a government emphasizes lowering the rate of inflation while ignoring growth, it could be to its own detriment.Conclusion Dyson is under massive alteration for the purposes of saving money and setting up for the future. Its actions will mean many people lose their jobs around the UK, but the company is putting money into new projects and growing in other regions of the world. Read the full article

[magicomeal]

Balancing Inexpensive Catering Options with Quality for the Office

In an ideal world, you could give your employees a 5-star experience daily with all their favorite options. Morale would be much better because of it, but the affordability of having that level of extravagance every day would be next to impossible to maintain. The benefits of having catered meals are worth it, as we outlined here, but when you don’t have a 5-star budget, you might ask yourself what your options actually look like. Here are some tips on how to find the sweet spot for your office catering services so you don’t have to break the bank.

Aligning Your Budget with Catering and Office Meal Needs

Before diving into budgeting, consider what type of catering your office needs. Think about your company culture and what your staff will likely want out of a lunch. Do you plan on changing lunch often? Do you want to have staffed catering, or would your team prefer a grab-and-go approach to eating? If you’re unsure what you need, the best thing to do is ask.

Surveying your team’s needs for catered lunch can help you avoid choosing an option staff doesn’t like, resulting in wasted money and food. If you’re worried about whether you’ll have enough budget, you can provide options in your survey based on affordability. Once you decide how you’d like to approach your office catering, you can create an official budget. 

Determining the Right Budget for Office Catering Needs

After deciding on your preferred catering approach, it’s time to figure out your budget. Here are a few things to consider when setting your catering budget:

Headcount : Determine how many people need to be fed. Include a little extra in your count to ensure there’s enough for everyone. Adjust this number as you make more catering orders.

Frequency : Decide how often you will be catering meals. Will this be a daily, weekly, or occasional event? The frequency will significantly impact your budget.

Staffing Needs : Consider if you will require staff to serve the food. While some items can be self-serve, specific items like ice cream may need staff assistance.

Dietary Requirements : Account for any dietary requirements your team may have, such as food allergies, religious diets, or other dietary preferences. These considerations can affect pricing based on local options.

It may take a few tries to perfect your budget, so it’s okay if things feel a bit bumpy at first. Learning from your previous catering orders will help you fine-tune your budget and provide catering options that your employees enjoy.

Choosing Inexpensive Office Catering Options for Work

Every office can benefit from utilizing office catering, regardless of the size of your budget. According to a USA Today study, job satisfaction ratings jumped from 30% to 45% when free food was offered at work. Depending on the catering you choose, you could even be encouraging your team to eat together, enhancing productivity and team cohesion. The good absolutely outweighs the bad when it comes to feeding your staff regularly.

The idea of catering can be intimidating, as it involves a financial commitment. The idea of catering can be intimidating, however. You’re making a financial commitment after all, so how can you ensure your office catering won’t be a waste of money?

Finding Office Catering Options That Utilize Flexibility

The good news is that there are plenty of services available to help you budget for office catering without having to do all the calculations on your own.

For example, Magicomeal offers a comprehensive catering service designed to help businesses cater their events and office lunches efficiently. Even smaller businesses with tighter budgets can benefit from Magicomeal. With competitive pricing, low headcount minimums, and a commitment to consistency, Magicomeal helps keep your costs down and your staff satisfied. If you need to switch to staffed or event catering, Magicomeal offers that flexibility as well.

Flexibility allows you to find the catering options that work best for your budget and your staff’s preferences without making significant financial commitments. Regardless of your company size, you can test drive catering services at your own office and discover what works best for you.

Getting Started With Inexpensive Office Catering Options

Are you ready to enhance your office catering experience without exceeding your budget? Magicomeal is here to help! With Magicomeal, you don’t have to compromise on quality. Our extensive network of kitchens ensures that you can choose the best catering options that fit your company size and budget perfectly.

What sets Magicomeal apart is our unparalleled flexibility, catering to your spending limits and any dietary restrictions seamlessly. If you’re curious about how Magicomeal can revolutionize your office catering endeavors, simply click “Contact us” at the top right of your browser & answer a few questions about your company’s needs, and we’ll provide personalized information on how Magicomeal can work best for you!

[ezcater]

3 Essential Tips for Catering a Major Workplace Event

We’ve officially entered workplace event season! Going into spring and summer, offices everywhere start to plan more events. They may be planning all-company meetings, team-building events, team outings, client events, or community events. These events can bring together everyone at the company—and so many more.

Of course, with an event comes planning. There can be a lot of moving parts to coordinate, including the food. How are you going to feed the team, clients, community, or anyone else who may get an invite? Thankfully, there are top-notch corporate catering options ready to help. As you start looking ahead to your company’s next event, here are a few tips to help coordinate the catering. Get a (Mostly) Accurate Headcount This step can be easily overlooked in the event planning process. You or your planning team may have a rough idea of how many people to expect, but a rough idea can spell trouble when it comes to catering. You can easily end up with too little or too much food. Too little food can leave you with grumpy guests and too much can leave you with excessive food waste. It can be worth taking the time to get an accurate headcount. It doesn't have to be 100% accurate, but a solid estimate can save you a headache later on. For company-specific events, have team members RSVP via email, Google Forms, or a similar platform. You can also send out forms to clients for a client event. Pro tip: inform clients ahead of sending the RSVP email to expect an RSVP email from your company. Planning community-facing events can be a little tougher. If you have data you can draw on, make the most of it. Consider factors like the size of the community, demographics, and the type of customers you serve. This may be one situation where it can make sense to order more food than you think you’ll need. Anticipate Potential Dietary Needs When feeding a larger group, it’s always good to have a few dietary alternatives on hand. Many caterers offer alternatives, such as vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options. If you’re catering Indianapolis events, as an example, you might order a sandwich package from PROX Salads. Because they already serve vegetarian and vegan items, you can easily note it when you order so they can include those items in the quantity you want. Order in Advance and Specify a Delivery Time A major company event can mean a large catering order. This can be the kind of order you want to put in well in advance. As soon as you have a headcount estimate, go ahead and submit your order—even if the event is still weeks out. This can give the caterer a heads-up on what to expect and help you avoid any day-of surprises. When you submit your order, you can also specify a delivery time. This can make it easier to get things set up and organized. About ezCater When it’s the middle of the workday and lunchtime hits, turn to ezCater. ezCater is partnered with over 100,000 restaurants and caterers across the United States. They’ve forged partnerships with many beloved local establishments, along with many national favorites. No matter what kind of cuisine you’re craving, you can find it in minutes. Plus, with ezCater’s range of tools, you can customize your food search. Find options based on your company’s headcount, budget, dietary requirements, and more. ezCater is also a great option for businesses looking to add a catering perk to their roster of company benefits. You can turn to ezCater for everything from catering Columbus Ohio team member lunches to discovering the latest Portland catering options for your upcoming all-hands meeting. Get ready for your next big workplace event with https://www.ezcater.com/ Original Source: https://bit.ly/44IuXi1

[icvcertificate]

The Significance of ICV Certification for Businesses

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the In-Country Value (ICV) application is a tremendous authorities initiative that aims to enhance the nearby economic system by fostering the growth of local corporations and growing the employment of Emiratis inside the private sector. The ICV software mandates that authorities and semi-government entities prioritise buying items and services from corporations that have been certified as ICV compliant. ICV certification is critical for organisations working inside the UAE, specifically those seeking to participate in authorities tenders and contracts. The ICV certification manner assesses a enterprise’s contribution to the UAE financial system based on different factors, which include: Investment inside the UAE: This includes investments in nearby infrastructure, studies and development, and training Emirati nationals. Emiratization: This refers to the proportion of Emirati nationals employed by the corporation. Local procurement: This measures the share of products and offerings procured from neighbourhood suppliers. Revenue generated within the UAE: This considers the agency’s sales generated from UAE-based operations. Bonuses for Emirati headcount, funding increase, and sales generated from outside the UAE: These factors provide additional incentives for corporations to decorate their ICV rankings. Obtaining ICV certification offers several benefits to agencies, which includes: Enhanced chances of prevailing authorities contracts: ICV licensed businesses receive preferential treatment in government gentle opinions, increasing their likelihood of securing contracts. Improved brand popularity: ICV certification demonstrates an enterprise’s dedication to assisting the UAE’s financial boom and social improvement, enhancing its reputation among clients and partners. Tax benefits and incentives: ICV licensed corporations can be eligible for tax advantages and incentives presented by using the UAE government. Access to new commercial enterprise opportunities: ICV certification can open doorways to new commercial enterprise possibilities and partnerships with government entities and local corporations. ICV certification has turned out to be a crucial requirement for organisations looking to thrive inside the UAE’s dynamic and aggressive market. By demonstrating their dedication to the country’s monetary development and social development, ICV certified organisations can function themselves for long-term fulfilment in the UAE. The eligibility requirements for ICV Certification within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are as follows: Legal Entity Registration: The agency should undergo the process of formally registering and undertaking commercial enterprise in the United Arab Emirates. The agency is needed to supply audited monetary debts for the preceding  years, adhering to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). To take part inside the Nafis Partner Program, a federal effort that promotes the employment of Emirati individuals within the personal region, the enterprise need to be officially registered. The enterprise is required to show off a dedication to neighbourhood procurement by means of acquiring a sizable percentage of its goods and services from providers domiciled within the UAE. Emiratization: The company is required to have a considerable share of Emirati citizens as personnel. Investments in the UAE: The enterprise is needed to exhibit a dedication to making an investment within the UAE’s monetary progress by investments in local infrastructure, research and development, or the education of Emirati humans. Revenue Generated inside the UAE: A sizable percentage of the corporation’s sales need to originate from its operations located in the United Arab Emirates. Adherence to UAE Laws & Regulations: The organisation is needed to conform with all applicable UAE legal guidelines, regulations, and labour requirements. Branch Eligibility: An awesome ICV certification is important for each branch within an enterprise. Companies who have many branches in the UAE, all owned by the equal entity, have the choice to get a unified ICV certificate that covers all branches. Considerations for Obtaining ICV Certification Early Planning: Initiate the ICV certification process well in advance to allow sufficient time for preparation and application. Data Accuracy: Ensure the accuracy and completeness of all submitted information and supporting documents. Compliance Documentation: Maintain comprehensive records of local procurement, Emiratization, investments, and revenue generated in the UAE. Professional Assistance: Consider seeking guidance from consultants or legal advisors with expertise in ICV certification. Continuous Improvement: Continuously evaluate and improve your company’s performance to enhance your ICV score and maintain certification. Look into the best ICV Consultants in the UAE. It is recommended that companies seek the professional assistance of the most reputable ICV Consultants in UAE in order to receive an ICV certificate in a seamless manner that is in accordance with the statutory requirement. Get in touch with us right away, and we would be happy to be of assistance to you. The post The Significance of ICV Certification for Businesses appeared first on ICV Certificate .

[ailtrahq]

The cryptocurrency firm, Ripple, officially made the announcement on October 3, 2023, as it secured a Singapore payment license. The firm wrote in its recent post on X (formerly Twitter) that its Singapore subsidiary, Ripple Markets APAC Pte Ltd., has secured its full Major Payments Institution (MPI) license to provide digital payment token services in Singapore. It’s official: Ripple is now fully licensed to provide digital payment token services in Singapore by @MAS_sg! Ripple is committed to delivering real-world crypto solutions for businesses in APAC.Learn more: https://t.co/jD8xSc2pdd— Ripple (@Ripple) October 4, 2023 Notably, earlier this year, Ripple received in-principle approval of its Major Payments Institution MPI license application from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Ripple Exploring Singapore According to Ripple, this license underscores the real-world utility of crypto solutions for businesses and financial institutions. With this step, the firm marked an important step towards wider adoption of digital assets. Notably, the Lion City aka Singapore is known as a leader in pioneering digital asset regulation. This makes it an ideal location for businesses and financial institutions to harness the power of crypto for cross-border payments, crypto liquidity, and central bank digital currencies. Brad Garlinghouse, Chief Executive Officer of Ripple, said “Since establishing Singapore as our Asia Pacific headquarters in 2017, the country has been pivotal to Ripple’s global business. We have hired exceptional talent and local leadership, doubling headcount over the past year, and plan to continue growing our presence in a progressive jurisdiction like Singapore.” Garlinghouse also added, “Under MAS’ leadership, Singapore has developed into one of the leading fintech and digital asset hubs striking the balance between innovation, consumer protection, and responsible growth.” Potential of the Singapore Market As the crypto firm wrote historically, Singapore has experienced staggering periods of transformation by leaning into technology to support economic growth, invite new investments, and even streamline government services. Last year, the Lion City secured the fourth spot on the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking which measures a country’s ability to adopt new technologies. It can be said that regularity and clarity made a major contribution to the success of the Singapore market. It proved pivotal in ensuring security and trust for businesses and institutions to explore crypto solutions. Meanwhile, some countries are pumping the brakes on crypto innovation and Singapore is staying well ahead of the curve by future-proofing for the inevitable, as Ripple noted in its post. Moreover, global finance leaders agree that digital assets are here to stay. 90% believe blockchain and digital assets will have a significant or massive impact on business, finance, and society in the next three years. However, almost half of Asia Pacific finance leaders plan to use crypto for cross-border payments. Generally, payments across the Asia Pacific will continue to trend increasingly digital — cashless transaction volume is set to increase 109% by 2025 — and the crypto firm will “continue to prioritize this region for adoption of its global payments solutions,” Ripple further noted.

[ironborealis]

Wait wait galaxy brain thoughts here --

In an AU where the figure out Palpetine's a Sith a bit sooner :

Mace Windu is retired from the stage because "I want to be left alone" officially, but unofficially he got promoted to the Council and doesn't have time for hobbies outside the Temple.

One of his biggest fans pre-retirement, who shows up at every opening night, hangs out at the gala specifically to talk (gush) about Mace's brilliant turn as Mak-Bet in The Mon Cala Play, and get an autograph for his fictional nibling: Sheev Palpetine.

(Sheev knows Mace is a Jedi, but talent is talent, and dramatic stage arts are his only Sith weakness)

Council discovers Palpetine's the Sith. Council starts a headcount to see how fast and how many Jedi can they call back before the Sith makes a move, maybe Anakin can spy on the Chancellor --

Not necessary, Mace assures them, they have some time because he has A Plan, calls up an old director friend, and suddenly the holonet is tearing itself apart because Mace Windu will be making a triumphant return to the stage as Do-Ker Charlay in a new production of The Valachord Lesson next month.

Hold off on Order 66 boys and girls, Sheev's too busy using force-lightning on scalper bots trying to get front row center tickets for the first week of performances without having to pawn a Sith artifact.

Taking some pages out of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich's playbooks, Mace offers a private meet and greet to the Supreme Chancellor on opening night, and of course in deference to the threats on the Chancellor's life he will meet him in his dressing room entirely in the nude to assure him that this is not a secret assassination plot.

(This is the point where Sheev should have realized the Jedi were on to him, but One. Sith. Weakness.)

Once the Chancellor agrees it's time for the Jedi to put on the best little show to save the Republic

Anakin was not invited because everyone knows he hates theater/opera. The only time he willingly goes without a bunch of whining about how he's bored is when Palpetine invites him.

Obi-Wan is just relieved that he's not playing honeypot this time. He's excited to be the lead electrician operating the spotlight in the catwalk.

Quinlan, Tholme, and Ayala have fully invested themselves in the roles of beleaguered head costumer / make-up artist / hair stylist.

Yoda is stage manager.

Sheev shows up backstage and is ambushed by Mace Windu holding only his actual lightsaber and 50 Jedi cast and crew who quickly turn him into a lightsaber pin cushion.

Anakin, who was invited to attend by Palpetine but has not recognized that the man whose face and name are on all the playbills and posters is THAT Mace Windu feels the shift in the Force and joins in on the fun, not realizing until it's too late that Palpetine's the Sith they've all been stabbing backstage. (This incident will spur Anakin to be assessed by neuropsychologist who diagnosis him with face blindness among many other diagnoses).

Mace Windu wins a Honorary Award at the Corusc-ony Awards for saving the Republic through the power of theatre.

The End

(References:

1. "I want to be left alone" - Greta Garbo on her retirement.

2. Macbeth aka The Scottish Play in theatre circles.

3. Fuck scalper bots and Ticketmaster.

4. Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich both allegedly (take with a pound of rock salt) had similar plans to assassinate Hitler that involved being in a room with him alone and naked.

5. Samuel L. Jackson was nominated for a 2022 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Doaker Charles in The Piano Lesson by August Wilson.

6. By operating the spotlight in the catwalks, Obi-Wan maintains the highest of grounds at all times.

7. All of Quinlan's costume designs are sleeveless. Aayla has no clue what to do with humanoid hair so it's pigtails and headbands for everyone. They both get nominations for their work come awards season.

8. Turns out Anakin has been using people's Force signatures to identify them all these years instead of their faces, which explains how no one caught on, but does bring up questions about how he was fooled by the Rako Hardeen incident, not to mention how he missed that his friend the Chancellor's a SITH...

9. Coruscanti Tony Awards and a hat tip to Samuel L Jackson's Honorary Award at the Oscars in 2022)

Happy Birthday Ian McDiarmid

[newsiescentral-blog]

{ Newsies Official Headcount: }

LIKE OR REBLOG if you’re a member of the NEWSIES RP FANDOM– whether movie based or musical based. All are welcome.

If you LIKE or REBLOG you will be added to a MASTERLIST so that others can find you!

Please spread this around so we can get a full count!

NOTE: If you’ve already LIKED OR REBLOGGED the previous post from @solaciummeae you need NOT do it with this one-- unless you’d like to. You’ve already been added. Admin Lois realized that her NOTES would blow up if she didn’t remake it here. Thank you for understanding. We were just real excited to get a jump on the headcount.

[tbyfandoms]

Nowhere Else to Go | JJ Maybank x Reader

Pairing: jj maybank x f!reader

Word Count: 7.4k

Summary: during a storm, y/n discovers jj’s dealing with a lot more than he led on. in a mix of thunder and lighting, a whole lot of secrets and feelings are revealed

Warnings: swearing, mentions and depictions of abuse (things shown and talked about on obx)

Masterlist | Ask/Tell/Request

A/N: hello everyone! i had the idea for this in october and i only just finished it. i kept thinking of extra ideas to add in and it just kept going, making this post much longer than i originally intended lmao. in the end im still proud of it and like how it turned out. i really wanted to finish this and upload today as well considering s3 of obx is officially confirmed! so excited for next season and i can’t wait to see what they do with the show. also incase anyone was wondering about any fics i have coming up, i have a few shawn mendes x reader ideas in mind and also a few others so hopefully if you’re following you’ll see something you’ll like. anyways i hope you enjoy the fic and lmk what you think! :)

"Ugh, c'mon!" You grunt as you try to close the window that's currently allowing a ton of rain into your house. It’s stuck and won't budge for anything. The rain isn't making it any easier either, the water causing your fingers to slip on the smooth wood.

You were expecting the storm, but not this soon. You were doing everything you could to make sure you were safe inside the house, but it's as if the storm came out of nowhere. Definitely started a lot earlier than anyone predicted.

Suddenly, the window slides down into place, startling you enough to almost land you on your butt. You grumble before regaining your stance and sliding the latch into lock position.

Taking a look around your house, you nod your head in satisfaction. Everything looks to be in order from what you can tell. The only thing left to do is get through the storm. You remember on the news earlier that the weather man said it was to be one of Outer Banks' worst. Not the greatest time for a storm considering you were all alone, your family having business on the mainland.

There isn't really anyone you could go to either, the majority of your friends having their own family protocols about these things. Besides, there was no way in hell you were going out in that storm just to try and make it to someone else's house.

If the storm had started later like it was supposed to, you might have been able to head over to Kiara's house, but alas, you have to suffer on your own. To be fair, you and the pogues have suffered much worse over these past few months, so you're sure a little storm is no match for you, or so you hope.

A flash of light followed by a loud crack floods the house, and you nearly jump at the sight and sound of it. Okay maybe this will be a bit terrifying to deal with, just a bit.

You make your way over to the couch and grab your phone that you had left there earlier. The screen lights up as you lift it and you see you have a couple messages, some from Kiara and some from the groupchat you and the other pogues have.

Opening the messages from Kiara first, you see she's just checking up on you. She was one of the only people you told about being home alone for the weekend, knowing if you told the boys they'd want you to throw a party at your house, which was a definite no after what happened last time.

You send her a quick text letting her know you're okay, and not to worry. You can tell she feels bad about leaving you alone, and that if her parents let her she'd be over in a heartbeat, through the storm and all.

Moving on to the groupchat you see almost everyone has replied. Pope called for a headcount to check in on everyone which ended up in Kiara replying first, then Sarah, and then John B. You send your reply and notice one person is missing, JJ.

This is nothing new, JJ is prone to not responding for hours, or at all. You'd think with the severity of the storm though that he would text back as soon as possible. You shrug it off and close your messages.

Wherever JJ was, you’re sure he’d turn up or respond sooner or later. Even though he’s your friend, you couldn’t care less at the moment. JJ had been a complete ass over this past week, and frankly you’re still pissed at him.

Every time you tried talking to him or tried making plans with him, he’d shrug you off, give you some short and rude reply, or tell you he had to go to work. The work part you could understand, it’s the fact it was a lie that got to you. You’d ask the others if JJ had work when he told you he did, and they told you he didn’t.

You were done trying at that point, not understanding at all what his problem was. He didn’t appear to be treating the other pogues the way he was treating you. He seemed more reserved with them than usual, but at least he wasn’t avoiding them completely like he was with you.

So when Friday came around and JJ had tried starting a conversation with you, as if nothing had happened, you kind of lost it. You called him out on his behavior and may have called him a few names, but you couldn’t help it, you were done being nice when all he did was treat you badly that week.

The look in his eyes as you yelled at him broke your heart. But the way he had treated you had done the same. JJ had always been kind to you, sure he’d tease you here and there, but he was never rude to you like he was this past week. He was someone you hadn’t recognized, someone completely different from the guy you fell for.

It had taken you a while to accept the fact the feelings you have for JJ were much stronger and much different than those you have for the other pogues. When you were around him there was a fluttering in both your heart and stomach, a light feeling you hadn’t ever really felt with anyone else. He was kind and gentle but could also be a complete badass when needed. His insane ideas and impulsiveness gave you incredible amounts of anxiety at times, but also showed you he was so much more than people made him out to be. He’d do anything for the ones he cares for, and it’s clear to you in the way he’s always treated his friends.

There were moments when you wanted to tell JJ about your newfound feelings, but something always got in the way. And by something, you really mean someone. Kiara. You love her with your whole heart but when it comes to JJ, there’s the tiniest inkling of jealousy. It’s so easy to see the feelings JJ and the rest of the boys have for her. You thought it would be fine considering Kiara told you she might have a thing for John B, but that quickly changed when she discovered her feelings were nothing more than those of a best friend, especially after John B got with Sarah. That left JJ and Pope, both incredible boys, but you couldn’t sit by and hope Kiara picked Pope over JJ, or that you had misread JJ’s feelings for Kiara. That’s not how it works, or at least it shouldn’t be.

You understand completely how people can fall for Kie, she’s incredible. She’s gorgeous, smart, and passionate. She’s a kook who chose the pogues. Why wouldn’t JJ like her? It just sucks you happened to fall for a guy who’s so obviously fallen for another girl, one of your best friends at that.

Talking to Kiara about everything always felt so out of the question. You didn’t want her to feel bad if you discovered she did in fact have feelings for JJ, or if JJ came forward and admitted his feelings to her. It wouldn’t be anyone’s fault, it’s just how it goes. So instead, you kept it to yourself, and you continue to do so to this day.

Shaking any further thoughts about the situation out of your head, you reach out towards the coffee table and grab the remote to the tv. Since you can’t spend time with your friends right now, you might as well try and find something to occupy your time with.

You flip through the channels and see nothing but the news broadcasting the storm. It's as if every channel was blocked by a weather watch. Although it's probably good to be updated constantly about what's happening outside, it does nothing to help your nerves and you would rather be watching anything else but a broadcast of a horrible storm you’re stuck in alone.

Groaning, you shut off the tv and throw the remote aside. Seeing the lightening on tv that you can very much see out your window is definitely not easing the tension.

You lean your head back on the couch and close your eyes. Maybe the deafening sound of the rain can somehow lull you to sleep and you can nap through this whole thing.

Mother Nature is certainly not having any of that.

A loud crack rings out through your house, somehow even louder than the last one, and you leap off the couch. Not even a second later and you're now in complete darkness, the clicks of circuits surrounding you before nothing at all is heard besides the storm outside.

"Great," you sigh, defeated. Just one more thing to deal with. There's no telling when the power will be back on, especially when you live on an island.

Careful not to trip over anything, and with the use of the lightening flashes to guide you, you make your way over to the kitchen to try and find a flashlight. You scavenge through the drawers and cupboards before finally finding a decent one. You turn it on and have to hit the side of it a couple times, but it finally turns on and the bright light is an absolute gift in this darkness.

Making your way back into the living room, you sit back on the couch and bring your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them while holding on to the flashlight.

Now that the power is out, it's not so much the storm you're scared of, but the people who might be out in the storm. You'd like to think you live in a pretty nice area, but you aren't ignorant to the talk that travels through the town. You know about the drug dealers and the people who would do anything to make a quick buck. Thinking about the idea someone may have been just waiting for an opportunity like this to attack someone while in this vulnerable state makes you sick.

Anxiety seeps deeper into your mind as you wonder if there's any chance someone you don't know could have found out you'd be home alone this weekend. You want to believe you could defend yourself properly, but depending on what or who's involved, it could end very badly.

As if the night couldn't get any worse or more fear inducing, you hear several loud knocks on your front door.

You shoot up from the couch, not knowing exactly what you should do. Standing still for a second, hoping maybe it was just a branch banging up against the house, you listen intently for another knock.

Slowly moving across the living room, you almost drop the flashlight as more rapid knocks are made against the front door. You flatten yourself against the door, trying not to be spotted through the windows even though it's pitch black and pouring.

You tilt your head and peak through the peep-hole. Of course, you can't see anything but a dark figure, the glass being covered with rain water. You huff before stepping back a bit from the door, raising the flashlight above your head, ready to swing.

"I swear to god this is a horror movie waiting to happen," you mumble before reaching for the doorknob and yanking the front door open.

Looking up at the figure in front of you, you gasp and bring the flashlight down to your side as you take in the sight before you.

It's JJ, and he looks absolutely broken.

"Y/N! I know you like hate me right now and I'm sorry to bother you, really I am, but I-I can’t go to Pope’s because he’s helping his dad, I can’t go to the chateau because John B and Sarah are there and I just can’t third wheel right now, and Kiara’s parents are on complete lockdown and hate me anyways and-“ JJ continues to ramble on as you stand there and stare at him, feeling like the air is being ripped from your lungs as you take in the sight of him.

Besides the fact he’s soaking wet, no coat in sight, there are wounds on him you wouldn’t wish to be inflicted on anyone. There’s a gash on his left cheekbone, right under a very large and very red circle surrounding his eye, a mark you know probably hurts like hell. He has bruises up and down the left and right sides of his jaw, and a smaller cut on his right cheek. All of this is just from what you can see from the light of your flashlight.

“JJ,” You whisper, barely audible above the storm, but it seems to have been enough as it halts JJ’s speech and has him looking straight in your eyes now.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” his voice breaks and you can see the pain and emotion within his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes that are surrounded by ugly marks.

Before allowing pneumonia to be added on to JJ’s injuries, you quickly move back and make room for him to enter the house. You hear JJ let out a low wince as he moves inside. How many more wounds does he have?

You feel tears start to prickle in your eyes, you don’t even want to imagine how many more injuries JJ currently has or how he came to obtain them. Who would do something like this? It couldn’t have been a normal fight, you know JJ can get in quite a bit of those, but he’s never come back from one looking like this, ever. At least not as long as you’ve known him.

Blinking your eyes a few times to try and rid the tears, you clear your throat and move towards JJ. There are lots of things that need to be discussed, but most importantly you need to take care of your friend. No matter what happened this week, you still care deeply for him and you understand he needs you right now.

“Let’s go to the kitchen, we’ve got a first aid kit in there.” You make the mistake of looking at JJ’s face and with the closer proximity you can see just how bad his wounds are. “I’ll get you a towel first so you can dry off a bit,” you whisper before hurrying along. It’s going to be so difficult to help patch up his wounds when all you want to do is cry when you look at him and see the violence that’s been inflicted on him.

“Alright, thank you,” JJ says. He follows closely behind you after you’ve made your way back from down the hall. You nod your head and hand him the towel in response before you make you way over to the cupboard, but forgot it’s so dark in here he probably couldn’t see it.

“How did you get here?” You ask suddenly. Based off the small clips of the broadcasts you watched earlier, you know majority of the roads were closed or flooded. You’re already scared of JJ’s answer as he begins to talk.

“I rode my bike here,” he replies, lifting himself up and taking a seat on the countertop. He begins to rub the towel in his hair, wanting to soak up as much of the rainwater as possible.

You quickly spin around with the first aid kit in one hand, and the flashlight in the other. The light passes over JJ’s face and he squints his eyes at the sudden brightness.

“You rode your bike here!?” You ask, thinking of all the ways that could’ve gotten him more hurt. “In the storm!?”

“Well, yeah. How else was I supposed to get here? Or anywhere for that matter.” He says. “The roads are complete crap, I had to go on the sidewalks a couple times, at least I think it was the sidewalk. Hey, if the storm passes and your neighbors see track marks in their yard do you think they’ll know it was me?”

You roll your eyes and let out a small, airy laugh as you make your way over to JJ.

“You’re not making me feel any better,” you say as you stop in front of him, setting the first aid kit down next to him on the counter. You tap one of his knees with your finger, signaling for him to spread his legs a little so you can get closer. He obliges and you scoot towards him, not allowing your mind to wander away from the task at hand and think about how close you are to JJ right now.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. You look up into his eyes and see the sincerity in them. You can tell he didn’t want to worry you, but you know there’s something deeper here, something he’s not telling you.

Shining the flashlight in a way that won’t irritate JJ, you let your eyes travel across his face. You take in each mark, and each one you hadn’t noticed before. JJ is tough, he’ll get through it, but you can’t even begin to imagine the pain he must be feeling.

“What happened?” JJ’s mouth turns up in a small smirk and you know instantly he’s going to try and brush this off, try to make jokes.

“I got my ass handed to me,” he replies, letting out a chuckle before groaning, moving his hand to grasp at his stomach. You frown and reach your hand out, placing it lightly on his arm and grabbing JJ’s attention.

“JJ, please,” you say. The next part coming out as almost a whisper. “Who did this to you?”

JJ’s head hangs as he gives up on trying to hide from you any longer. He knows you won’t let him joke his way out of this one, and he knows he owes you an explanation, especially after how he treated you this week.

“I’m sorry for being such a dick this past week. You don’t deserve to be treated like that,” he admits. You shake your head, no longer caring about that. His wellbeing is all that matters right now.

“Don’t worry about it, I just want to make sure you’re okay. I want to know what happened. Why-“ JJ holds up his hand and cuts you off mid-sentence.

“No, I have to say this. It goes along with what happened to me.” You nod your head, signaling for him to continue. You have no idea what he’s getting at.

“I was an ass to you because, well because,” JJ seems to struggle with his explanation. He doesn’t know how to just come out and say it, doesn’t know why he can’t just admit it to you. He sighs and gives up on using his words for a moment.

Before you can process what’s happening, you watch as JJ reaches down and grabs at the bottom of his shirt and begins to lift it up. Even given the circumstances you can’t help the nerves that surge through you. Sure you’ve seen JJ without a shirt plenty of times, it’s just the fact he’s taking it off in front of you while you’re standing between his legs that’s making those butterflies return to your stomach, mixing with the anxiety and fear you have for your friend right now.

He doesn’t say anything for a few moments after you know he’s already removed the shirt. You don’t understand what the point of it was until you move the flashlight across his chest and abdomen.

Your blood runs cold and the feeling you had when you first opened the front door and saw him returns, but feels doubled now.

All across JJ’s abdomen are yellow and green bruises mixed with others that are red and blue. Some look a few days old while others seem to be more recent. The majority of them are large, around his ribs, but others are smaller and more scattered. The sight breaks your heart.

“Oh my god, JJ,” you say as you bring your free hand up to cover your mouth.

“It was my dad,” JJ sighs before meeting your gaze. “He’s the one that did this to me.”

Your hand drops from your mouth, only a puff of air coming out as you struggle to fathom the idea a father could do this to his son. You knew JJ’s dad wasn’t father of the year, that he pushed JJ around sometimes, but you never believed he was capable of something like this. When you became friends with the pogues you thought you had a pretty good idea of where everyone came from, who their family was. Apparently JJ kept his dad’s true abilities from you all this time.

“Your dad did this to you?” JJ nods his head in reply and all you can do is shake yours in confusion. “I knew your dad could be a jerk but I didn’t think he would do something like this to you. I thought you said the most he’s done was shove you around a bit? It doesn’t make it any better but Jesus, JJ.”

“Yeah that’s the most he’s done to me since I learned to fight back,” he scoffs. “It used to be worse, when I was younger and too scared to stand up for myself. Once I started working out and learning his habits I was able to prevent it from happening, avoid it, and if needed I was able to fight back.”

You reach out and grab his hand gently, wanting him to recognize he’s safe now. You want him to know you’re here for him, here to listen to what he has to say.

“He was angry about something Sunday night. I think they laid him off at work, I don’t know it was hard to tell with all his yelling and slurred speech. I made the dumbass mistake of getting in his way and I fell and he just let me have it. Thankfully it was just my stomach he came after. Bastard couldn’t bother throwing any punches at my face while I was down. He could barely stand so he gave up with his kicking, but it was long enough to leave me gasping for air and feeling like shit.”

JJ closes his eyes and readjusts himself a bit. You squeeze his hand softly, letting him know it’s okay, to take his time.

“I thought I could hide it, ice it and move on like every other time, but I could barely move Monday morning. You think the bruises are bad now but it’s nothing compared to what they looked like then. I tried to hide it from you all week, thought of dumb excuses so you wouldn’t see me like that. I didn’t want you to know or find out. I figured i’d heal up during the week and talk to you on Friday, make up another dumb excuse as to why I was an ass and it’d be fine. Understandably you didn’t want to talk to me, then this happened.”

Using his free hand, JJ reaches up and motions to his face.

“Guess I really pissed him off this time,” he says, chuckling a bit. “As you know the storm came early. I hadn’t finished closing everything up at the house and you know my old man wasn’t helping at all so I was on my own. All of a sudden I heard yelling and stuff being smashed and here comes good ol’ dad to show me who’s boss. He started complaining about water coming in and there being puddles or something. I smarted off and he wanted to make sure I regretted it. I tried to fight back but it was like he just kept coming from every side. I was able to push him out of the way after a while so I grabbed my keys and bolted. I didn’t even get a chance to grab my phone or anything so I couldn’t call anyone or reply to the groupchat. I just knew what everyone’s situation was so i didn’t know where else to go besides here. I really didn’t wanna go anywhere else but here, I just didn’t want you to see me like this.”

JJ takes his hand out of yours and turns his head away, he can’t believe he’s doing this to you. Letting you hear these awful stories and seeing him like this. It’s what he wanted the least. He thought he could hide this from you, hide how his dad really is, but it didn’t last as long as he hoped.

“That’s why you blew me off all week? You didn’t want me to know you were hurt? You let me stand there and yell at you and call you rude names while you were hurting? I feel like such a jerk, JJ. I am so sorry,” you choke out. You feel like crying, from the wetness on your cheeks you know you probably already are. This whole time you thought he was just being an ass for no reason, meanwhile he was getting beat at home and trying to shield you from his pain.

“Don’t be it’s not your fault, I should’ve handled avoiding you better than treating you like that. I just figured if you were mad at me it’d make it easier to hide everything from you. The others know how it used to be and how I handle it, but I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to worry about me or see me be…weak,” JJ looks over at you and you can see the wetness in his eyes, misting over that blue color you’ve come to cherish so much.

“JJ Maybank there is nothing you could do or share with me that would make me believe you are weak. You are the strongest person I know and I want to be here for you when things like this happen. You have nothing to be ashamed of, especially not with me. If anyone is to feel shame or weakness it should be your father. That man is horrible and you are nothing like him,” You say before putting the flashlight down and reaching out to carefully cup JJ’s jaw within your hands. “You are kind, smart, funny, brave, and a million other good things that I can list all day if you wanted me to. You deserve so much better than you get and I am so sorry you have to deal with it. I wish you would have told me sooner that things like this happen to you. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want me to see you like this when the other pogues have?”

JJ gives you a soft smile before bringing his hands up to grasp yours on his face.

“You really don’t know? I thought I made it so obvious every time we were together.” You tilt your head at JJ’s reply and your eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Y/N, I like you a lot. More than just as a best friend. I have for a while now. I thought you’d be able to pick up on my flirting and glances, I guess I was wrong.” Your eyes widen in response and you can feel your cheeks heating up instantly.

“W-What? Are you being serious right now?” You question, finding this to be a complete surprise and definitely unexpected.

“Y/N, we’re sitting in the dark, in the middle of one of the worst storms we could have, and I just got my ass beat. I don’t know a better time to be more serious,” JJ replies. You can’t help the giggle that escapes you, causing JJ to chuckle as well.

“I’m sorry it’s just, I thought you liked Kiara? The way you look at her, I figured you were into her. I mean who wouldn’t be,” you say, removing your hands from JJ’s face and wrapping them around yourself. “You guys have just always seemed so close for as long as i’ve known you. When things didn’t work out with her and John B I thought it would be you two who ended up together, considering your bond.”

“Me and Kie? Absolutely not. I love her, but I see her as nothing more than a friend, a sister even. She and I talked about it before, she feels the same. Pope’s the one that’s into her. I promise you for as long as we’ve been friends it’s always been you I’ve been interested in. I can’t believe I gave off the impression I was interested in another girl when you’re the one that runs through my mind all the time.” Within the dim lighting coming from the flashlight and the lightening still shining through the windows, JJ reaches out his right hand and places it on your cheek. He rubs his thumb back and forth a few times across it and smiles at the warmth he feels there.

“Really?” is all you manage to get out, too stunned and feeling on cloud nine. JJ simply nods his head and smiles in response. “You don’t know how happy that makes me. I wish we would’ve figured out we had feelings for each other sooner, i can’t believe neither of us realized.”

“Wait, so you feel the same?” JJ questions. “If I knew that I would’ve made my move sooner. I didn’t want to come onto you and you didn’t see me like that and I ruined everything. That’s why I hoped you’d catch on to my feelings and you’d be able to figure it out”

“Of course I feel the same!” You lean forward into JJ and feel butterflies erupt in your stomach over the added closeness. “How could I not fall for a great guy like you. I just wish I would’ve caught on instead of being so stuck in my own head about it.”

“Hey, at least we figured it out now. That’s all that matters to me,” JJ says as he reaches up and tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear. You lean into his touch and feel so much content.

As you stand there and take in everything JJ has told you, you continue to scan over his wounds, understanding there is still an important task to be done, and a just as important conversation to be had.

“Promise me you wont hide stuff like this from me anymore. I can’t stand the thought of you going through something let this, let alone going through it alone and without any help. If you feel like something bad is gonna happen with your dad I want you to come over immediately, I don’t care what day or time it is. Im here for you JJ, I always have been and I always will be.”

JJ looks up into your eyes and you can see him struggling with his defenses, struggling to continue to break down the walls he’d already cracked open when he decided to show up at your door. JJ has always struggled with letting even the people he cared about most in, but he’s willing to try with you. He can tell you mean every word you’re saying to him, and he knows he can trust and rely on you.

“I promise. I really am sorry I kept everything from you, it would’ve been better just to tell you. I promise I won’t hide anymore,” he says. You feel relief after he’s said it, but part of you knows there’s no telling if he’ll keep the promise. He’s hid it from you for so long and you know how hard it is for him to open up, especially about his dad. All you can do is hold onto the hope he’ll tell you next time, that he won’t hide.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be sorry, I understand,” you reach up and use both your hands to push JJ’s hair back, out of his face. The dampness from the rain keeps the hair in place and you’re now able to see every part of his face clearly, ready to finally patch him up. “Now, let’s fix you up, shall we?”

You reach over to grab the first aid kit next to JJ, but you suddenly feel him wrap his hand around your wrist.

“Wait,” JJ says as you turn to him. “Can I kiss you?”

A flash of lightening engulfs the kitchen and you notice the small spark of light that glistens in JJ’s eyes, followed by that smirk you’ve become all too familiar with.

“Absolutely,” you squeak out in response, a blush blossoming across your cheeks.

Through the flashes of lightening and the dim glow from the discarded flashlight, JJ reaches out and places his right hand on your cheek. His thumb moves down across your jaw and traces over your lips, finding the spot he’s yearned for for so long, the girl he’s fallen so deeply for.

JJ leans forward and you do the same. His nose brushes up against yours and you smile at the feeling.

Reaching out, you place your hand at the back of JJ’s neck, tangling your fingers in hair at the nape of his neck. It’s still damp from the storm he traveled through, the storm he traveled through to get to you.

You want to cry and laugh and scream all at the same time over what’s happened and what you’ve learned, but you can’t and you won’t. So instead, you close the minuscule gap between the two of you and kiss the boy who you thought would only exist in your dreams.

It’s soft and light because you don’t want to hurt JJ any more than he already has been, but it’s perfect and so special. The situation that it’s occurring during could be much better of course, with the storm and revelation that JJ has a horrible father, but it’s special nonetheless.

After a moment, JJ pulls back slightly. He squints his eyes and let’s out a small sigh.

“I wish the power would turn back on, I’ve wanted this to happen for so long and of course when it finally does I can barely see you.”

You can’t help the giggle that escapes your lips. Of course that’s what he would be thinking about during this.

JJ looks around for a second before his eyes land on the flashlight laying next to him. He grabs it and brings it between the two of you. He holds it upwards and suddenly your and JJ’s faces are illuminated.

It reminds you of little kids telling each other ghost stories at sleepovers, but fear is far from what you feel as you stare into JJ’s eyes and notice his boyish grin.

“There’s my girl,” he whispers while brushing his nose lightly against yours, causing your heart to flutter. JJ really is so sweet, no matter what he goes through he’ll always have a pure heart.

“And there’s my boy,” you whisper in return.

JJ closes the gap between you once more, letting his free hand travel to the back of your neck, holding you perfectly in place.

After a while you pull back, needing a small breath and deciding it really is time to patch up JJ. He protests, saying he’s fine and that he’ll heal on his own, only wanting to continue as you were, but of course you decline. He needs medicine and to have his wounds cleaned, no matter how many times he says he doesn’t.

You notice the majority of JJ’s wounds are bruises with only a few cuts here and there. Part of you wants to be relieved that the majority of them are bruises and that it appears he won’t need stitches, but the other part knows that shouldn’t be anything to feel relieved about. JJ shouldn’t have any of these injuries to begin with, especially not from his dad.

Every time you pat the cotton pad with hydrogen peroxide onto JJ’s cuts you can’t help but feel bad, noticing the smalls flinches and winces that follow. You give him tiny smiles and short unspoken breaks between each treatment, not wanting to overwhelm him with everything, knowing he’d rather just walk it off.

Once you’ve finished cleaning JJ’s cuts, you do your best to lightly apply antibiotic and place tiny bandaids where they’re needed. They don’t cover each cut completely, but it’s enough to keep the medicine on and provide protection from them getting infected.

Sorting through the first aid kit, you find some ibuprofen and hand JJ two tablets. You don’t know how much help it’ll do, but hopefully it’s enough to ease at least some of the pain.

You get JJ a glass of water and tell him you’ll be right back and to not move. Taking the flashlight, you rush to your room to find extra clothes for JJ to put on, his still soaked from his trip in the rain. You do your best to find some that’ll decently fit him and then head back over to him in the kitchen.

As JJ puts on the hoodie you gave him, you frown at the sight of his bruises on his chest as they become covered once more. The way he moves slowly and scrunches his face as he puts on the hoodie, you can tell JJ is still in a lot of pain.

“I wish I could give you some ice to help with the bruises, but with the power out I can’t get any,” you say to him, wishing there was more you could do.

“Don’t worry about it, you’ve done so much already,” JJ replies, reaching out and squeezing your hand in reassurance.

“Please, I just helped clean up your cuts. I wasn’t able to take all the pain away,” you say. “I can’t even begin to imagine how you must feel right now.”

“If you’re really so worried about it, I know a way you can help me,” JJ retorts, giving you a small smirk as he gets down from the countertop.

You tilt your head in confusion, not understanding what he’s referring to. You watch as JJ grabs the flashlight before leading you into the living room, and motioning for you to take a seat on the couch.

“We may not have any ice, but you know what else helps with pain?” JJ questions. Shrugging your shoulders, you look up at him in anticipation. “Heat.”

Before you know what’s fully happening, JJ lays down on the couch and pulls you towards him. He positions you nearly on top of him, and you’re worried the added weight is going to make him hurt more, but the content look on his face eases your nerves.

“So what? Your plan is to use me as a human heating pad,” You smile as you feel JJ’s chuckle rumble across his chest.

“That’s exactly my plan, Y/N,” he replies.

You smile and lightly squeeze JJ with your arms. Laying here next to him, providing him any kind of comfort after what he’s just been through, is really all you could ask for right now.

“That’s fine by me,” you whisper.

The both of you lay wrapped in each other’s arms for a while, the only sounds heard coming from the raging storm outside and your light breathing.

There’s no telling when the rain will stop, when the roads will clear, when JJ will have to go back and face his father, but right now all he needs is this time with you.

Suddenly, you hear your phone start to vibrate against the table. You reach your arm out and grab it, not wanting to completely leave JJ’s arms. You squint at the sudden bright light and after your eyes start to adjust, your heart drops at the sight.

“Shit!” You exclaim, jolting out of JJ’s arms. JJ mumbles an ‘ouch’ at the sudden movement against his aching body, and you ramble out a quick apology as you stand up.

“What’s wrong?” JJ asks as he sits up a little on the couch, watching as you type frantically on your phone.

“I got a million missed messages and calls from the pogues, they’re all worried because you never checked in and then I wasn’t answering either,” You reply, making sure you explain the best you can to your other friends, not wanting them to worry. “I’m just gonna let them know we’re okay and that you’re with me.”

“Dammit that’s right I wasn’t able to grab my phone,” JJ sighs. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah they are. Kiara’s with her parents, Pope’s still helping his dad, and John B and Sarah are still together at the chateau,” You assure him. “Nothing to worry about.”

JJ nods his head and seems to relax again, he felt bad for not checking in when Pope first messaged everyone, but he was trying to hurry up with securing the house so he wouldn’t piss off his dad. Didn’t matter in the end, he guesses.

When the pogues start replying to your messages you can’t help the small gasps at their replies. Witty remarks from John B and Pope and then cute messages from Kiara and Sarah. You didn’t tell them that much about what happened between you and JJ, but apparently it was enough for the others to catch on.

“What are they saying?” JJ questions, intrigued with your little chuckles and shakes of your head.

“Oh nothing,” you reply. “I just apparently spilled too much on where you were and what happened between us and now of course the guys are being the guys and the girls are making a fuss.”

“Of course they are,” JJ smiles. “They wouldn’t be them if they didn’t.”

You laugh and set your phone back down, confident everyone is now at ease and all that’s left to do is get through this nightmare of a storm.

Slipping back into JJ’s embrace, you revel in the fact you now get to hold the boy you’ve fallen for, close. The feelings you both have for each other might not have been revealed in a situation you’d hoped for, but it happened nonetheless. It allowed you into a part of JJ’s life you wish he didn’t have to deal with, but could now help him with.

“As long as they know I finally got the girl of my dreams, that’s all that matters,” JJ teases, kissing the top of your head as he snuggles in closer to you.

“And that I got the boy of mine,” you add on.

JJ rubs your back slowly as you two fall into a comfortable silence. The warmth of your body genuinely helping JJ feel more comfortable and at ease, and his presence helping your anxiety from the storm to subside.

As the time passes by, you take it to reflect on everything that occurred within the past hour, within the past week even. Romantic feelings for JJ or not, what he’s going through is horrible and something no child, no matter their age, should have to endure from their parents. You think of how he wanted to hide it, not involve anyone if he didn’t have to, and that thought alone makes your heart ache.

No matter if things work out between yourself and JJ, he’s still going to be one of your best friends, someone you care deeply about. You hope he’ll let you in more, that if this happens again he’ll know he can count on you and the others.

Lifting your head and looking up at JJ, you notice he’s falling asleep, exhausted from the day he’s had. Leaning over, you plant a small kiss on his cheek before laying back down and deciding to drift off as well.

Even when JJ thinks he has nowhere else to go, you’ll be here for him, always.

[the-witty-pen-name]

The Nanny Pt. 9

Lee Bodecker x Nanny!F!Reader

18+ ONLY

Warnings: cursing, angst, slow burn, alcohol mention, grief, yearning, mention of prostitution, corrupt cop, age gap (reader is in her 20s), dirty thoughts

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: It’s been too long oh my goodness. 

Based on this Request: The reader moves to Meade/Knockemstiff while answering an advertisement for a nanny in the paper. We learn that the ad was posted by Sandy, who has the reader watch her child whenever she and Carl leave to do their secret thing. After one of these trips, Sandy and her husband never return, so the reader is left caring for their baby. With the new investigation into these events, she meets Sandy’s brother Lee, the older, out of shape, alcoholic bachelor, and they are suddenly thrown into each others lives as he begins looking into his sister’s disappearance. Through it all, Lee starts to fall for her, and they slowly become a family.

Lee didn’t care much before about holidays, but now with Valerie’s first Halloween right around the corner, he found himself spending any free time getting his house ready. For the past several weeks, he’d come home with his arms full of bags of decorations. Outside and inside were equally decorated, and soon enough Lee’s house was the most decorated on the block. It was nice to throw himself into a project, and maybe a part of him was using Halloween to distract from other things. 

Valerie was so captivated by everything, and she loved coming with you into downtown to see the town square, and all the buildings decorated in orange and black decorations. The library steps were lined with pumpkins of all different sizes and the Church youth group ran a charity hayride around the square. 

The air was smelling crisp and the chill in the air was refreshing. It felt like things were finally getting better, and the falling leaves were hopefully a sign of change for better things to come. It seemed like lately the biggest thing Lee worried himself with was what Valerie was going to be for her first Halloween with him. 

“You should dress up with her,” you try to insist, picking her up out of her high chair after she finished her breakfast. 

“No, I don’t think I will,” he chuckles, leaving his empty coffee cup in the sink. 

“Come on. She would love it.”

“She won’t even remember,” he retorts. 

“If she could talk, she’d say something different,” you joke.

“She sort of talks,” he says, “we’re working on that, right Val?”

She babbles something incoherent. 

“She should be talking by now,” you frown, tucking some of her hair back. 

“She has her appointment today right? Talk to Dr. Hammond about it, but I’m sure she’s fine. She’s just a little behind, considering it all… you know I think she’s gonna be good. Anyways, I gotta go.” 

“Okay, I’ll talk to her and see what she says.” 

At the station, Lee was bullshitting his way through some paperwork, trying to just make it to his lunch hour. He had been also doing everything in his power to dodge calls from Leeroy’s guys the best he could. His list of excuses for missing meetings have been dwindling. He felt like he had been so busy dealing with just this new life, he’s had no chance to keep up with his other obligations. 

“Hey Sheriff,” Benny says, knocking on his door and stepping into his office uninvited. Lee grits his teeth and tries his best to hide his annoyance. 

“What is it, Wilson?” he asks, clearly irritated but Benny doesn’t seem to notice. 

“The whole masquerade ball, costume party thing,” he begins, like Lee should know what he’s talking about, “the thing the mayor is hosting at the Town Hall- you know. Um anyways, they just sent out a memo letting all government employees and elected officials that attendance is mandatory, no exceptions. I uh- just didn’t know if anyone told you yet. You’ve been kinda cooped up in here and-”

“Thanks, Wilson.”

“Dates are mandatory too-”

“Good to know.”

“Judy needs the headcount by the end of the day-”

“Is that all, Wilson?”

“Oh, uh yeah.”

When he finally leaves, Lee sinks down into his seat and rubs his face. That conversation was exhausting to him. He feels something in the pit of his stomach. A feeling of dread that not only does he need to go to this fucking party, but he needs a date on top of that. He scrambles through the junk mail on his desk and finds the invitation he got weeks ago. He sighs, relieved it’s not actually on Halloween night, but the night before. His plans with Valerie are salvaged. 

But he can’t think of anyone to ask except you. 

“Hi, we have a 10:45 appointment with Dr. Hammond. Valerie Henderson.” 

“Alright, just fill this out, and the nurse will come get you shortly.”

When called into the room, Valerie’s appointment goes fine, and Dr. Hammond is able to relieve many of your anxieties 

“Small children who undergo traumatic experiences can be delayed in some areas of development, like talking,” she explains, as she takes Valerie’s vitals. 

“Right now, she’s in a much more stable home and in better care. Right now, the best thing I can say is just to give her a little bit of time. She might not understand what happened but she is processing this change and the things happening around her. I can recommend a great family counseling service a few towns over.”

“That would be amazing, thank you.”

“She looks better than she has in past appointments. She’s healthy and happy. She’ll come along in development as things consider to settle. The stability is the best thing to focus on right now, and the rest will follow.” 

“That’s such a relief.”

“Status quo of a good home life is just what she needs. Most kids begin to say words at the nine month mark, but at a year the only thing expected are ‘mama’ or ‘dada.’ It’s the stage where they speak and they connect the words to the meaning. She fully understands words, I can see that in how she reacts to me. The speaking should soon follow as long as nothing further disrupts her routine.”

“Sounds like we’re on the right track.”

After her appointment, you decide to get lunch at the diner to visit Julie and to meet up with Steve. Ever since the incident, you have been seeing them less and less. Julie was your roommate for heaven's sake and you feel like you never see her. 

Valerie is situated in a high chair and the three of you are sitting in a corner booth on Julie’s lunch break. It feels nice, normal to be seeing them and it helps distract you from knowing in a few hours you’ll be seeing Lee. All this time passes, and you can’t help but feel the same way every time you look at him.

“She’s getting so big,” Steve says, letting Valerie hold his fingers while he uses his free hand to flip through the menu. 

“I know, it’s crazy,” you agree with a smile.

“How has it been with the Sheriff? You haven’t told me anything since that whole picnic ordeal happened,” Julie says and you can’t help but feel suddenly shy. 

“Uh, there isn’t much to tell,” you say with a shrug, trying to come off as indifferent. “That was more for Val than me anyways,” you chuckle. “I mean I see him when I show up for work in the morning and it’s small talk, and then I head out when he gets home. It’s nothing to tell really.”

“Sure,” she smirks, unconvinced. 

“What?” You ask, playing stupid. 

“You can tell us about it when you’re ready, but there’s definitely something going on with you two and you aren’t fooling me for a second.”

“You and Sheriff Bodecker?” Steve asks, coughing on his water slightly. You scoff and shake your head.

“Better off, if that’s the case,” Julie shrugs, “I don’t think you should get close to him more than you have to.”

“Why?”

“Did you forget everything?” Julie chuckles, “Looking at him with rose colored glasses, playing house… You can be so naive. He’s a criminal, crooked cop. You can’t see that anymore? You were so skeptical and you were doing all that research.”

“He’s also a drunk,” Steve interjects and Julie nods in agreement. 

“He might have, but since taking in the baby, I haven’t even seen him touch a drop.”

“Where do you think he’s going on the nights you work late? Do you really believe he’s working late at the station. Don’t be naive, he’s going down to that bar.”

“He doesn’t come back drunk,” you try to reason.

“Maybe he’s going for something else.”

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t heard the rumors? That bar is a front. They supposedly run a brothel or something in the back room. The men who do the deliveries also bring stuff to my dad’s store and they’ve told him they’ve seen the back room,” Steve explains. 

“And people swear Lee is a regular, not going to shut it down or anything. He’s in the owner’s pocket, and everyone knows it,” Julie adds to her previous points.

“I don’t know about that,” you say. It’s true. You didn’t. And you aren’t going to call your best friend a liar. They’ve both been in this town longer. You feel stuck, between knowing the Lee you have come to know and the Lee the town knows. 

“Next time he says he’s working late, I’ll watch Val if you want,” Julie offers.

“I’ll go with you to make sure you’re safe,” Steve promises and you can only nod. The server brings over your food and Steve and Julie move on to another topic easily but you can’t help but sit there and dwell on the conversation that just happened. 

The rest of his day at work, Lee can’t stop thinking about how he’s going to ask you to be his date to that stupid costume party- masquerade ball, whatever. It shouldn’t be a big deal. He can get the McDonald’s daughter from across the street to babysit, and you’ll go out as friends. It shouldn’t have his palms sweating like this. 

It’s not a big deal. 

It’s not. 

When he comes home, he finds you and Valerie playing with her toys on the floor in the living room. His eyes immediately go to the way your skirt has naturally hiked up, and he scrambles to look away before he lingers. But fuck, your skin just looks so goddamn smooth and soft all the time. 

“Hey,” you smile, and get up as Valerie runs over into his arms. He can’t help but grin ear to ear scooping him up in his arms. 

“Hey shortstack,” he says when he picks her up. She breaks into a fit of giggles and buries her head close to his chest. 

“Her appointment went well,” you say, gathering up your things to head home. “She said we don’t have to worry about the no talking just yet, but I got a number from her for a good trauma con-”

“Heading out so soon?” He asks, his tone sounding sad to see you just up and leaving so quickly. He senses something is bothering you, but he doesn’t want to push you to tell him. It’s not his place.

“Um yeah, I guess,” you say shyly, “I mean, you got home so now I get to go home, you know?”

“No, no of course,” he says quickly, “I had just wanted to ask you something but if you wanna get home, it can wait.”

You are grabbing your coat and buttoning it, and when you finish you look back to him expectantly. “You can ask me now,” you say, and he feels a lump in his throat all of a sudden. 

“It’s nothing. Just some event I need to go to- just a work thing. It’s gonna be boring with a ton of politicians and it won’t be fun. But, I need to bring a date and-”

“I’d love to,” you interject with a smile, and his whole body relaxes. “When is it?”

“Tomorrow night,” he says. Your eyes widen a little at the short notice. He picks up on it and tries to smooth it over. “I know, I’m sorry for the short notice, but I wasn’t going to go. I only found out today that it’s mandatory.” 

“That’s the night before Halloween,” you point out, “What if I already had plans?”

“I’d be screwed,” he chuckles and it makes you laugh. “It’s a costume party by the way.”

“Lee! How am I supposed to get a costume this late?”

“It’s more like a ball so maybe just a nice dress?”

“What is it exactly?”

“It’s the mayor’s masquerade ball.”

“Okay,” you settle, “I can make it work. You are very lucky I have nothing going on in my life right now, Bodecker.”

“I need to still figure out Val and her costume, nevermind something of my own,” he scoffs, “I’ll figure something out after she goes to bed.”

“Maybe storytime will inspire something,” you joke. 

“Maybe,” he shrugs, and then he looks down to the baby, “Want Uncle Lee to read you a bed time story?”

“Dada! ‘Rella!”

You and Lee lock eyes again in absolute shock. Did she just..?

“Dada! ‘Rella!”

Lee looks at you again in utter disbelief. He’s speechless. You feel the same. 

“W-what’s ‘rella?” he asks, finally, not even able to process her calling him dada yet. 

“I think she wants you to read Cinderella,” you say quietly. Both you and Lee feel like you’ve been hit in the face while Valerie continues to repeat the same sentiment happily, unaware of the weight of her projection. 

“Dada!”

“Maybe that’s her halloween costume,” you suggest, trying to break through the tension in the room. Lee nods, still not sure how he should be reacting. His heart is simultaneously bursting with pride but breaking into a million little pieces. 

“Dada!”

“No, no, no, baby, I’m uncle.” 

“Dada!”

“Un-cle.”

“Dada.”

“Christ she doesn’t listen, does she?”

“She’s just a girl who knows what she wants,” you say with a wide grin.

“C’mon, there’s no way she can call me that.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not her father.”

“You’re better,” you insist. 

“I’m not,” he says, defeatedly. 

“It’s up to you,” you shrug. “I think Daddy suits you just fine,” you joke playfully. “Pick me up tomorrow night, okay?”

“What-” The door closes behind you before he can even process what you just said to him and he needs to pick his jaw up off of the floor.

TAGLIST:

@demirunner @letsfly-andbe-free @msgodofmischief @iamlee1 @buckistan @littlemissthistle @oitommothetease @kcmarvel333@lostgirllulu @swiftieandthewintersoldier @swndmans @thehuntresswolf @maryelizabeth13 @Bodeckersdiamonddoll @whatinthestyles @hogwartsahist0ry @every-whenwaywardwifey @mandiiblanche @every-when @charmed-asylum  @alyssadelashmit @kcmarvel333 @missyellowbirdie @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog

[queenofimagines]

Request: “Hi! Can you do a request where the piggies are at a beach party and the kooks show up and one of them tries to drug you but JJ notices you acting weird around the kooks and takes you back to the chateau and takes care of you? I know it’s weird but I love angst mixed with fluff and ur a really good writer I feel like you can do it! ❤️❤️”

Warnings: Unconsensual drug use

Notes: None

The party is in full swing. With multiple kegs stationed around the beach for everyone and the various drugs that you were sure the kooks brought being graciously distributed, you had no doubt that tonight would be a banger. Oddly enough this party wasn’t planned by you or any of your friends. A kook, one of Rafe’s friends or cousins or something, had decided to throw this party to “promote business”, which you could only guess meant that the illegal substances being passed around were courtesy of him. Since your arrival, numerous people had come up to you offering to share whatever it was they were smoking or taking, but neither you nor the rest of the pogues were very keen on harder drugs. The most that the Pogues had ever really done was weed, and even then you had only smoked once, disliking the tickle in the back of your throat when you smoked. JJ had often suggested edibles but you had heard they were sometimes unpredictable and decided early on to stay away from them. Your friends were very much respectful of your decision and even went so far as to step in when they saw someone peer pressuring you. The amount of times JJ had physically stepped between you and whoever it was trying to coerce you to just try whatever they had was astounding, especially since JJ was basically an advocate for bad behavior. It was just such an instance that landed you where you were now. 

JJ was in front of you, shoving the boy that had been a little too pushy when convincing you to try the cocaine he’d bought from Rafe. The boy was harmless, you could tell just by looking at him, but JJ was about ready to rock his shit, so you quickly got in the middle of the two, gently coaxing JJ to back down with the promise of a dance instead. Time seemed to fly by as you and JJ drank one cup of beer after another, both of you beginning to feel the affects early on in the night. After being crashed into by a young girl you didn’t recognize, your beer spilling on your white tank top as the teen profusely apologized, you quickly left to get another beer after telling your accidental assailant not to worry and to keep partying. JJ quickly began to dance with her, both keeping distance as they danced.

With how crowded the area on the beach that had been designated as the dance floor had been, you were surprised to see so many people hanging out near the kegs. The group was so packed you could barely even see the keg, let alone get to it. You tried as politely and unobtrusively as possible to weave your way towards the keg when a heavy hand fell on your shoulder.

“Need some help?” Turning around it was yet another face you didn’t recognize, although you would have to admit he did look a little familiar, at least in the sense that he dressed and held himself in the same manner that many other kooks did. He flashed you a smile, holding out his hand for your cup.

“Oh uh... Yeah thanks.” You replied, handing him your cup. The boy grabbed your cup and made his way through the crowd with ease, filling your cup before making his way back to you. You briefly lost sight of him when someone bumped into you, saying a quick sorry before moving on.

“I haven’t seen you around here before.” He said, still holding your cup.

“Ah, well, I don’t make it up to Figure 8 very often.” You replied awkwardly, waiting for him to hand you your drink.

“Makes sense, I’d definitely remember someone as hot as you.” He said, eying your chest. You felt uncomfortable, quickly realizing that the beer you had spilled on yourself earlier had made your shirt see through and the boy was now blatantly ogling your boobs. The once seemingly unsuspecting boy had now seemed like a sleaze as he made no effort to hide the once over he gave you, even moving to the side n an attempt to get a look at your ass.

“Okay, well I’ll just take my drink and get going.” You said, desperate to get out of the situation. He handed you your drink with a smirk, the complete opposite reaction that you normally would have expected when blowing a guy off.

“See you around.” Was all he said as you turned back to the dance floor to find JJ. When you finally spotted his mop of blonde hair nestled in a dark bandana, you practically ran to him, still feeling the boy’s eyes on you. When you reached him you found all of your friends together, all dancing and drinking and all in all just having a good time. You instantly felt safer and began to dance with them, drinking and laughing along to whatever they were saying, though if you were being honest you couldn’t really tell anymore. As time went on and your cup slowly emptied, you felt like your body was becoming heavy. You found it hard to focus, trying to spot your friends but finding that all the faces surrounding you were unfamiliar. You then felt a hand gently cup your waist, instantly thinking it was JJ, you leaned into the person, only to find the the cologne was much to expensive to be the one JJ usually wore. You looked up and saw the blurred face of the boy who had helped you before, an unsettling smile slinking onto his face at the state you were in. The boy slowly began to lead you away from the crowd. Somewhere in the back of your mind you knew this was a bad idea, but you were much to out of it to put any of your thought together as the boy led you to a more secluded part of the beach.

JJ had noticed you were gone before anyone else had, he figured you must have paired off with someone but when he took a headcount of the Pogues, he realized everyone was still here. He knew you would never let yourself be alone in a sea of strangers in such an inebriated state but as he looked around her couldn’t find you anywhere. His eyes almost skipped over the retreating figure in the distance, but when he took a closer look he realized it was you after you looked back towards him, a confused expression gracing your features. JJ wasn’t sure if the guy you were with was your friend, most people on the island were friendly with you and often hung out with you at these parties, but as you stumbled in the direction the unknown boy was leading you, he felt like something was off. At first he brushed it off, turning back to his friends and trying to dance along to the music, but as time went he felt more and more uneasy, finally deciding to follow you just in case something was wrong. When JJ looked jack to where you had been, you were gone. Panic slowly rose in him as he ran to try and find you. It didn’t take long as JJ had found that you were one of the most easiest people to spot, his eyes always finding you wherever he went if you so happened to be there too. a group of boys were surrounding you, all of them talking to each other and attempting to keep you upright. JJ knew that you would never agree to that many people touching you, especially if you didn’t know them.

“Hey!” He called, quickly walking towards the group of boys.

“Hey! What’s up man?” One boy asked, stepping in front of you.

“What’s going on?” JJ asked, deciding not to answer the boy’s greeting.

“Oh nothing.”

“Nothing? Really?” JJ peered behind the boy to get a look at you. He knew something was wrong and his one goal was to get you out of this as safely as possible. No violence, a mantra that you seemed to repeat to him every time he was about to get into a fight, just like you would be saying now if you could.

“She doesn’t look alright.” JJ said flatly.

“She’s fine.”

“You alright, sweetheart?” JJ asked you. You couldn't answer, barely able to. register much of what was happening around you.

“I said, she’s fine.” The boy insisted.

“Look man, she’s obviously not alright, and you fuckers obviously aren’t from around here. Let her go and I’ll see to it that none of you get arrested for assaulting an unconscious girl.”

“And what makes you so sure we will get arrested?”

“What makes you so sure you won’t?” JJ knew the kind of guys these were. They weren’t from around here and he was sure they weren’t privy to the way the Outer Banks worked. JJ knew that if they did decide to keep going, nothing would happen to them, in which case he wouldn’t heed your no violence policy, but he also knew that if he played the role just right, maybe the boys would think he was the sone of an important official or something. And he was right.

The boy in front of JJ hesitated before calling for his friends, all of them quickly leaving, but not before shoving you towards JJ. You stumbled into him, holding on to his shirt for dear life as you swayed on your feet.

“JJ?” You asked.

“I’m right here, sweetheart.”

“I don’t feel very good. I’m tired.”

“It’s okay, you’re okay. Let’s just get you back to the Chateau and you can have a nice long sleep, okay?” You nodded your head in agreement. JJ began walking towards the Chateau before picking you up bridal style after realizing you could barely walk. The he arrived, he laid you down on the bed that John B had lend him. JJ debated on whether or not he should switch your shirt out for one of his, ultimately deciding to do so, thinking about how gross you’d feel if you woke up with spilled bear still on you. He threw your shirt into a hamper and left to get you a glass of water for the morning. When JJ was done, he stood next to you, gazing down at your peaceful face and reflecting on how odd this whole situation was. You were the one that always made sure everyone else was safe at these parties and here you were, drugged, JJ was sure. He was just relieved that he got to you in time.

JJ turned to leave, when your voice gently disturbed the silence.

“Where are you going?” You asked.

“I’m going to sleep on the couch, I'll be right here.” You shook your head, unceremoniously slapping your arm down next to you.

“Jus’ sleep ‘ere” You slurred. JJ hesitated before slipping under the covers where you immediately curled into his side and fell asleep. JJ softly threaded his fingers through your hair, thinking about how tonight could have gone very differently. He almost cried at the thought of you getting hurt, even moe so at the thought that if he hadn’t been there to stop it from happening, no one else would have. That night JJ promised himself that no matter what, he’d always look out for you the same way you looked out for him.