#quarantine stamp

[publicdomainbooksdevotee]

When Agatha Christie glosses something over with "the ridiculous formalities that bureaucrats require," but you're reading in 2023 and suddenly want nothing more than to know what 1924 South Africans did to process people landing on boats.

[whoartthoueventhough]

me and my best friend made STEX self inserts ocs!!

I invite you to meet:

STAMPS: the postage car!! Technically a freight, but tends to hang out with the coaches bc the freights are huge and scary and she doesn't know them well. One-sided rivalry with Electra (who needs fancy-shmamcy radios anyway!). She's a bit clumsy with packages, but it's mainly because she's so quick! Built to be light, once Stamps picks up speed you'll get your mail in no time! She rarely participated in races, because she doesn't want to get hurt ("who would deliver my mail if I broke a wheel? People are counting on me!")

DOC: the hospital car! Works very hard to be on par with the cool repair trucks, but is generally regarded as pretty ditzy due to the fact that she's used to humans. She's an incredible doctor for those with flesh, but her needle snapped on someone's metal skin for the third time this month... Very scared of Rusty, often giving him advice about viral illness (she asks him to quarantine pretty much every time she sees him.) CB tries to make her feel better by giving her plenty of patients, but it backfires when she tries to repair HIM after the final race.

[jasperthehatchet]

Image dump time!! Here's a collection of little things I have been working on. Those black boots I painted/embroidered was the last project I was working on before I got covid :(

But I had the opportunity to work on a few smaller things while I was recovering! I am doing better now, I am quarantining for a little longer just to be careful 💚

[Image ID: The first image is of a little fishbone stamp I made out of an old eraser. It's a little messy looking and I used red ink to stamp it onto paper.

The next two images are of a rectangular white cotton patch, with a red vertical line on the side and about 15 blue horizontal lines throughout it with a blank gap at the top, mimicking notebook paper. This project is unfinished currently.

The next three images are of a headband with foam antlers I painted to look as realistic as I could, and both antlers are wrapped with leaf ribbon and wire-stemmed pink and white flowers. There's a little fake bird glued to the top of the right antler.

The last two images are of a flowery pillowcase that I mended using little squares of scrap cotton fabric underneath, with visible stitching throughout it to secure the entire patch onto the pillowcase. The hole I mended was about the size of a penny I think. End ID]

[amywritesthings]

SEEING YOU, SEEING ME (7/7)

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader

Word Count: 600

Summary: Five Weeks Later - The Epilogue of Our Story

Warnings: None; this is just a finale piece.

( Read on AO3 )

Previous Chapter | Masterlist

EPILOGUE

.

FIVE WEEKS LATER

The dilapidated building that houses Tess and Joel is on your route to the Boston Quarantine Zone occupation office.

It's a thought that never occurred until the moment you stepped foot out of their small studio apartment to greet broad daylight for the first time in days. It's an unassuming space in a row of nothingness, but now?

You thought its significant would mean nothing by now.

You still look every time you pass.

Jobs are just as they’ve always been: messy. Unpleasant. Tiring. From street sweeps to sewage to trash collection, you keep your hands busy when you mind should not. Your arms ache from hard labor.

By the time sunset arrives, you’re too exhausted to dream. 

It’s better this way.

Joel Miller doesn’t speak to you; can’t, when he’s nowhere to be found. He signs up for the hardened jobs in the early morning and twilight hours, away from the noise and the crowds. At least, that's what you assuming. He could be running out-of-bounds errands for Tess or trading jobs with that brother of his. 

Tess doesn’t bring him up when you pass her in the food kitchen lines. Small pleasantries and jabbing jokes, just like before. 

The week spent at their place is virtually a forgotten memory.

(Is it better to be seen once and never again, then not at all?)

On your way to your next sweep shift, Jeanine absently greets you at the touch point, Fedra-issued broom in hand. Yours is the last in the trash can in which they're housed.

She trades you for your proof of labor papers (I was here) and stamps a blank entry to get started. You greet her with just as bland of a reply and take the mangled thing, already feeling the ache in your bones when your hand closes around the handle.

For six grueling hours, you mind your business cleaning up the streets and sidewalks of the third quadrant — sweeping dirtied paths, collecting debris near alleyways, tossing tattered and forgotten Firefly flyers into trash bags.

In a minute, you’ll be free from another day of hardship and free to sit in your apartment alone.

Then you feel something brush against the small of your back.

Immediately you rip your gaze from the ground to connect with a familiar sight: salt and pepper hair, scruffy beard, a worn olive flannel rolled up to his elbows; Joel Miller’s dark eyes stare down at you with an indiscernible question.

Your lips part to say hello, but the words die on your tongue.

All you can do is stare back.

He says nothing, but his hand lingers on your shirt. Waiting.

Joel's drops his arm to his side and pointedly turns his chin towards the nearby alleyway. Like a magnet, your eyes follow.

Then he takes to a slow stroll, leaving you to cross the street and into the threshold where wandering eyes cannot see him.

But you can.

You don’t expect him to stop abruptly at a door, pulling the rusted thing wide open. 

He turns to sweep his hand towards it, gesturing an unspoken invitation.

Your stomach flutters with a feeling you abandoned in a bed that didn’t belong to you.

It's reckless, but you'll take reckless if that's what he's willing to give.

Gently you situate the broom's handle against the adjacent brick wall and cross the street, too.

It only takes two steps to make it to the curb.

Twelve to meet him at the door.

You are the first to enter.

Joel Miller is the last to leave.

.

.

.

.

.

Author's Note: That's a wrap! I can't believe this is finished, and I couldn't be more proud of the story. Of course, this does not have to be the end, not really! My one shot "reckless." continues these two in the future, and I am happy to hear your thoughts and potentially take story requests in my inbox.

For now, I bid you adieu for the airport. Thank you for the early birthday wishes.

[melishade]

Attack on Prime New Age Anthology: Explanation

Main Story

Quarantine

Chaos

Examination

Jack, Miko, and Raf get an explanation on Optimus and Megatron.

"Okay. Spill. Who's gonna fess up?" Miko demanded from her quarantine room, hands on her hips.

There was silence among the Survey Corps before Armin decided to speak. "Optimus was the first to arrive on our world. He came four years ago, during the Battle of Trost."

"You guys have a time stamp for the day?" Jack asked.

"Our months might be different than yours," Armin insisted.

"What season then?" Jack asked.

"Around the spring?" Armin guessed.

"...what happened next?" Rafael asked, "How did Optimus act?"

"Optimus saved my life," Armin explained, "He saved me from getting eaten by a titan. I took a gamble, and I told him about the titan's weaknesses. He helped us and E-!" Armin froze, not wanting to speak Eren's name in front of these people. "He helped us stop the titan invasion in Trost. Many of us survived because of him."

"Optimus has also been shown to be very compassionate, if you're worried about that," Hanji added, leaning against the wall of their quarantined room, "Besides providing us with knowledge and technology so we could protect ourselves, he protected us on missions, helping reduce the death toll among the Survey Corps. And for those that did die, he helped prepare their bodies for a proper funeral."

"...Optimus and I talked a few times," Onyankopon spoke, "Our first conversation, we talked about forging a path to peace, and how a world of different people was beautiful. Later, I was accused of something that Yelena and a few others had planned, but Optimus was willing to come to my cell, talk to me, and show me mercy. His influenced helped be get a second chance to prove I wanted to help the island survive."

"Optimus told us stories," Sasha added, "He told us stories about his adventures. He helped us survive during the winter and introduced us to new experiences."

"He's also been gentle with children whenever he's been around the orphanage," Historia chimed in.

"Also, Optimus was willing to barter Cybertronian technology and resources to try to prevent the use of the Rumbling while giving us time to become just as advanced with the rest of the world," Hanji added.

"It's true. Hizuru has been making those negotiations with Paradis," Kenshin informed.

"Well, it sounds like Optimus," Miko addressed Jack.

"Besides, don't we already have the confirmation that it's him with the Star Saber?" Rafael asked.

"Better safe than sorry," Jack explained, "Anyone have anything else to add on Optimus' behalf?"

"...I was mean to him," Gabi forced herself to speak. The girl was curled up into a ball in her room, "I was cruel to him. I refused his help and called him a devil. But...he still treated me with kindness. He was even willing to save my life. After everything I did, he still wanted to save me."

"We're gonna circle back to you being mean to Optimus later," Miko warned.

"Hey, she's been through enough!" Colt yelled at her.

"Optimus and I have never had a formal conversation," Kenshin decided to speak up to get the attention off of Gabi, "We wrote each other letters, but they were insightful. He made me feel like peace could be attainable without the use of the Rumbling."

Willy thought about confessing his sins, about how he vilified Optimus in order to unite the world against a common enemy. But he was afraid of what would happen. These children, this place, held Optimus in high regard. How would it look when they find out he was the one who made Optimus look like the enemy?

"Guess there's not really much left to ask about Optimus," Jack assumed.

"So what about Megatron?" Miko coldly demanded.

"What about him?" Hanji asked, "He came in when we learned the identity of the Colossal and Armored Titan. A month after Optimus arrived on our world. And you saw how differently he was acting."

"Well, Buckethead has tried to kill us multiple times and you!" Miko pointed to Armin, "Beg Bumblebee and Wheeljack to save his life!"

"Whoa, what?!" Jack exclaimed.

"That was you?!" Rafael shouted in anger.

"I'm still quite the outsider. What exactly are Megatron's war crimes?" Kenshin asked.

"You mean poisoning me with dark energon and taunting the Autobots about it?" Rafael asked bitterly.

"Or kidnapping us and using us as ransom for the chance to restore Cybertron and destroy Earth?" Miko added.

"Or holding our planet hostage with Darkmount and destroying the only home that I've ever known?" Jack stated.

"Tearing out Bumblebee's voice," Rafael seethed, "And took over his body!"

"Tried to take over our world with undead Zombie 'Cons," Jack added.

"Stabbed multiple people in the back, and you decided to defend the ex-con who killed his own planet and tried to destroy ours at least five times." Miko pointed to Armin. Kenshin couldn't help but grow tense while Willy, Colt, and Gabi looked visibly terrified. Megatron did...all of those cruel things?

"...Do you think that I've been brainwashed by him somehow?" Armin challenged Miko, not wavering at Megatron's war crimes.

"Maybe." Miko crossed her arms.

"Sounds more like Stockholm syndrome," Rafael assumed.

"I chose to defend Megatron of my own free volition," Armin declared, "No strings attached."

"What made you decide to defend him?" Jack questioned, "The fact that you're willing to do that knowing Megatron's background means more negative things for you."

Armin was ready to speak, but...many of their conversations had been private and personal. Back then, Armin was afraid of saying anything out of fear of what Megatron would do to him. But Megatron did trust him now, so much so that he willingly gave his name to him. But how could Armin defend Megatron without exposing his secrets. There had to be something. Armin's thoughts wandered back to Eren, and he hated how bitter he felt thinking about his former friend. He hated how hypocritical he was feeling in that moment. Armin was willing to defend Megatron but couldn't feel anything but resentment towards his childhood friend. The time spent, their childhood dreams...Megatron saving Eren's life...and Megatron comforting him...

"Megatron saved my friend's life," Armin declared, "He tried to take his own life, but Megatron stopped him before he could do it. He noticed the signs long before I ever did."

"And your friend was-!"

"Human," Armin cut Rafael off. "He was human."

Armin noticed the way that Jack, Miko, and Rafael looked at each other in disbelief, giving him the courage to continue. "And...when I had found out that my friend was going to die because of the titan curse, I tried to find a solution through books. Megatron tried to get me to stop spiraling, but instead I just threw books at him. He didn't hit me, or try to kill me. He...he comforted me in my moment of grief."

Jack slowly shook his head. "I don't believe you."

"I'm telling the truth," Armin declared.

"We've seen Megatron be cruel and ruthless," Jack retorted, "It's going to be a little hard believing you when his cold-heartedness is all we know."

"Fine!" Armin stood up on his feet, "Megatron was a spy in Marley for four years, pretending to be a human, just to get us information on Marley so that we could survive an impending invasion! Megatron let me have a book on the ocean, which has been one of my interests for years and he knew that! Megatron created a secondary plan that got us out of trouble when Eren started to go against us! He saved your people and ours during the Rumbling!"

"Oh no, a few good deeds sprinkled in here and there when Megatron's killed a whole planet!" Rafael exclaimed, "Where was Megatron's 'compassion' when I was slowly dying?! Because to him, I was just a bug!"

"I'm speaking from my own experience! Megatron has changed!" Armin emphasized.

"So far, only one account to back that up!" Rafael retorted.

"I blackmailed Megatron," Hanji chimed in, earning all eyes on them.

"...what?" Miko said.

"I blackmailed Buckethead," Hanji repeated, "To his face I might add."

"N-....no....," Miko was at a loss for words.

"Oh yeah, I totally did that." Hanji couldn't help but grin at their accomplishment, "And Buckethead couldn't do anything about it because I was the Commander of the Survey Corps and an ally to Optimus Prime. Although he did try to choke me out, I still managed to get him to back off with my words."

"There's no way you blackmailed Megatron and lived," Jack proclaimed.

"If Levi makes it out alive, he's my star witness," Hanji declared, "Also, I've also had a few instances where Megatron was showing just a hint of compassion."

"You too?!" Miko screeched.

"Yep," Hanji answered with a pop, "See, one of our temporary allies killed one of my closest friends and I wanted blood. Megatron said no because it would have jeopardized the mission, and in my drunken state, I threw two bottles of whiskey at him."

Jack, Miko, and Rafael's mouths dropped.

"And pulled on his hair...and bit him...well, his holoform, but still," Hanji listed off, placing a finger on their chin, "What else have I done to screw with Buckethead?...oh! I called him a coward to his face, and this was before I rejected his apology to me about his piss poor attitude."

"YOU CALLED HIM A COWARD?!" Jack shouted.

"HE APOLOGIZED TO YOU?!" Miko screamed.

"To all of us actually," Sasha added in defeat.

"What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?" Rafael repeated as he clutched his hair with his hands and began pacing in his room.

"And don't get me wrong, he's still extremely violent in nature and has no issues killing or using low tactics against us," Hanji explained, "But the Megatron now is drastically different from when I met him four years ago. He's been the most proactive in trying to stop the Rumbling before it could start. And he managed to figure out a ploy that would have compromised our entire military."

"No! No no no no no no!" Miko immediately shut Hanji down, "I need a counterpoint now!"

"He was actually pretty mean to me," Gabi confessed.

"HA!" Miko shouted at Hanji.

"But...I wasn't actually listening to his advice when he was pretending to be Matthew," Gabi added.

"Advice?!" Miko yelled.

"Megatron cared about us!" Colt declared, "I don't care about the war crimes! I know he cared about us!"

"Oh yeah?!" Rafael demanded.

"Yes! He found a cure for an unknown illness that I had and saved my life!" Colt declared.

"HE WHAT?!" Rafael shouted.

"There's no way!" Jack denied.

"I'm telling the truth!" Colt retorted, "He had no reason to save me! If anything, it would have been better for him to let me die because I was a Warrior Candidate! I was next in line to become a Warrior and be an enemy to him! But he still went out of his way to save me!"

"Um! Ummm...." Miko's attention fell onto Historia, "You! You talk to Buckethead?!"

"I asked him to kill me if I ever became a cruel ruler which he agreed to, and he rescued my wife, Ymir, when I had asked him to," Historia explained.

"What is happening?!" Rafael yelled at Miko and Jack.

"Hey, I think you guys are going to break them," Kenshin commented.

"Nah, this is the kind of fun that I need," Hanji insisted.

"You!" Miko pointed to Kenshin, "C'mon, you gotta give me something!"

"He volunteered to be a human's body guard as she came to visit my home," Kenshin explained.

"What?!" Miko yelled.

"He did challenge her to a one on one fight too," Kenshin added, "He did injure her, but she did managed to break the katana he was using. He actually apologized about it later. And-!"

"No! No! No! LA! LA! LA!" Miko covered her ears to block out what Kenshin was saying.

"Never mind, this actually is kind of fun," Kenshin smirked.

"Who was this person?!" Rafael demanded.

"Mikasa," The Survey Corps said in unison.

"Oh, you mean the psycho that tried to kill Jack!" Miko pointed to the room Jack was in, "That explains everything!"

"Hey, she was the first human he ever tolerated," Hanji retorted.

"Is she a murderous psychopath like he is?!" Miko demanded.

"Hey!" Armin shouted, "Mikasa's been through enough! I don't care if she's not here! Stop trying to insult her!"

"She tried to kill my friend! I have a right to be pressed!" Miko declared.

"Okay, hold on! Where is she?!" Jack asked, "Because I haven't seen her at all!"

"I!....I don't know," Armin confessed.

"What?!" Sasha screamed.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?!" Rafael demanded.

"She was alive after the power of the titans were wiped out! And I went to go check on Megatron and when I tried to find her!...she was gone," Armin explained.

"Great so we have someone who might be carrying a disease running around doing god knows what," Rafael groaned.

"Not much we can do about it now," Jack proclaimed before turning his attention to Willy's room, "Hey, Blondie!"

Willy raised his head and looked through the glass to see all eyes on him.

"You got anything to add? You've been pretty quiet," Jack remarked.

"I don't have much to say," Willy proclaimed.

"You mean besides the fact that you were the one who decided to declare war on Paradis, including Optimus," Kenshin snitched on Willy with venom.

"You declared war on Optimus?" Rafael demanded.

"It was a politically charged situation!" Willy retorted.

"You mean it was easier for you to vilify Paradis instead of forging a path of peaceful solutions and trading agreements!" Kenshin yelled.

"You've been in this political realm long enough to know just how the world felt about Paradis and the power of the titans!" Willy shot to his feet.

"Well, my father, despite his own hiccups, was willing to listen to Paradis and give them a chance to prove themselves!" Kenshin declared, "What have you been doing?! Living a lavish life while having everyone else grovel at your feet over a goddamn lie! Who knows how many people from our world are dead now?!"

"Okay!" Jack clapped his hands together, "We need to know about Optimus and Megatron. We'll ask about your world's politics later. Do you have anything on either of them?"

Willy sighed before looking away. "I never met Optimus. I only heard accounts. It was actually when he used his powerful blade that I got a good look at him for the first time. But..."

"You've met Megatron," Jack assumed.

"...he went by Matthew Hayes when I met him," Willy explained, "And when I did, he...saved my life and the life of my family. But...looking back...I think it was a ploy to try and get close to me and my family. And out of curiosity and intrigue and finally having a moment of being treated like a normal person, I let him in. I let him into my home, I let him train my sister, Lara, into becoming a better fighter. He's been near my kids. The titan that managed to take on the power of the titans, including ripping out the heart of the Colossal Titan, was near my children."

Armin noticed the way that Miko and Rafael seemed satisfied in hearing that. That their superstitions and accusations were right, but Jack...he seemed to notice something in Willy's words.

"Sounds like there's a 'but'," Jack noticed.

"He asked me for books to save his life." Willy pointed down to where Colt was, "He willingly entertained ideas like going to a party. I mean, all of those could have still been ways to gain my trust and secrets, but...I vilified him on that stage, when I addressed the world. I said Optimus and him were cruel monsters that needed to be stopped. And he was there behind the stage when I said those words....I was fully expecting to die that night. And when I talked to Megatron then, I had hugged him and told him to run away from the danger to save himself. Hell, he probably helped plan the Liberio invasion. But...he had no real incentive to save me. It would have been better for him to let me die, even after I insulted him. Instead, he pushed me off the stage as Eren crushed his human form."

Willy covered his eyes with his hand. "I don't get it. Why would he even do that? He showed disdain for me when he was lying about his identity and had every reason to want me dead. Why...why would he save me?"

Rafael looked visibly sick to his stomach while Miko looked tense. They were so disgusted and in denial about all of these different accounts of Megatron that were...positive!

"I'm going to the bathroom." Rafael walked away from the glass and to the back of the quarantine room, where he opened the door and shut it right behind him.

"Pillow." Miko walked over to the pillow on her bed and grabbed it before shoving her face into it and screaming. She fell back on the bed, kicking her legs up furiously before slumping in defeat, pillow still over her face.

"M-megatron was the one who saved you?" Armin asked Willy in surprise.

"Wait, why are you acting surprise?" Jack asked him.

"Well, we heard from Kiyomi that someone pushed Willy off the stage, but...Megatron never told us about it," Armin explained.

Jack didn't respond. He merely walked over to the bed before sitting down and covering his mouth with his hand.

"Still don't believe us, I'm guessing," Hanji assumed.

"It's hard," Jack confessed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Considering the amount of things Megatron's done to us directly and indirectly...I don't know."

"...I'm not going to ask you to forgive him," Armin stated, "Megatron's already stated that he doesn't deserve that. He knows where he stands. But...if you can give him a chance to show how much he's changed-!"

"Even if we wanted to, it's not up to us," Jack interrupted, "The Autobots are going to want to put him on trial. Execution's his only path forward now that he's in their hands."

Armin felt he heart drop. Wait...in trying to save Megatron's life...did...did he condemn him? Was he...was he going to lose someone else?

"It's been a long day." Jack lied down on the bed, "I think it's best we all get some rest."

Hanji turned their attention upward to the corners of the glass. "You do that."

(Well, there will be more conversations in the future, and the Autobots are definitely going to talk about it, especially since Wheeljack committed treason by helping out Megatron.)

[takeariskao3]

Day 7: Lover written for #SeveralSunlitDaylights & @corneliaavenue-ao3

a version of this has existed since may of 2020 and it feels so good to finally put it into the universe after sitting on it for three (THREE!) years... i have a feeling i will continue this at some point and hopefully turn it into a full blow fic, but until then, enjoy some non-traditional, pandemic themed, sex pollen, a/b/o dynamics <33

They said it started in China. At the annual festival in Shanghai. 

Some experts claimed the mutation originated because of an uncharacteristically dry winter. Some blamed climate change. Others said it was all part of the cyclical nature of the earth. A purification process. Nature taking its course. 

The more hysterically minded said it was the end of the fucking world. 

Either way, Ginny watched in horror with the rest of Edinburgh as more and more reports flooded the news.

All across the northern hemisphere, the cherry trees were blossoming, and people were going mad.

~~~

The thing about fear was that it spread like wildfire. 

Grocery stores emptied of necessities overnight. The Prime Minister issued stay at home orders, some of the more populated areas even attempted a voluntary curfew. Borders were closed, air traffic came to a grinding halt, restaurants were instructed to only offer takeout, and any non-essential businesses were told to close their doors entirely. 

For a while, it all felt over-cautious. 

At least until the first case hit Cardiff. 

They said the little omega lasted three days in a severe heat until the pain and the dehydration finally rendered her unconscious. Her family rushed her to the emergency room and it was another two days before the hospital identified what was happening to her. They said before she was quarantined, she infected almost thirty people, nine of them hospital staff. 

It spread from twenty-nine confirmed cases to over three-hundred within a week, three-hundred became eight-thousand within the month.

And that was just Wales.

~~~

Birmingham was the third city to reach critical levels of contamination, after Liverpool and Manchester. 

They projected a global spread, the more densely populated areas being hit first. Each day the estimates increased, predicting numbers so catastrophic, there hadn’t been anything like it in over five-hundred years.

The real test, however, was London. 

There were reports that all the major cabinet members had been moved to separate and secure locations. That way if any of them contracted the sickness, at the very least, they wouldn’t infect the rest of the country's leaders. 

The worst part was nobody seemed to know anything. Records of the last pandemic were inconclusive or didn’t exist. No one knew how long the sickness lasted or how debilitating it really was. Less reliable news sources even reported deaths when the first wave hit eastern China, rumours spreading of alphas ripping each other apart over the chance to mate an omega.

But that’s all they were. 

Rumours. 

~~~

Designation had never mattered much to Ginny. It was just something stamped on her birth certificate next to seven pounds two ounces, eighteen inches long. Her ruts weren’t dramatic events, they were hardly even a disruption. Four times a year, she’d get the urge, use her fingers on herself three nights in a row and wait out the subsequent five days of bleeding.

Designation also hasn’t mattered to the world in decades. Suppressants went out of fashion after the turn of the century, the human race’s more animalistic instincts fading with each generation until the ruts and heats became nothing more than quarterly nuisances. Only a very small percentage of the population still needed herbs and homoeopathic blockers to get by, the rest went about their lives business as usual.

Humanity had evolved past such trivial things as Alpha, Beta, and Omega. 

But now, it was all anyone could talk about.

~~~

Dawdling around the townhouse, Ginny took her frustrations out in the form of kneading a lumpy, soon to be loaf of bread while half listening to the news. Her television emitted a scratchy noise every few seconds, but for a dumpster dive, it worked fine enough. Especially since for the six weeks she’d been stuck at home, she’d hardly turned the damn thing off. 

It wasn’t so much that she was dedicated to being informed, she just couldn’t bear the silence.

No honking cars, no nosy tourists, no shouting street vendors.

It was quiet in an uncomfortable way, in an unnatural way. In a way that left Ginny too much alone with her own thoughts. 

As she punched the dough down as hard as she could, her telly warbled out an odd static followed by the evening news anchor chatting animatedly with a couple who supposedly recovered from the sickness.

“And you think having each other,” the journalist asked in disbelief, “helped speed up your recovery?” 

“We realise it sounds a bit crazy, we aren’t even sure if there is science to support it–” a male voice responded. He sounded rational enough even though what he was saying went against every directive of social distancing. “But I’m an alpha, and my wife is an omega. When we both came down with it, we decided to stay home and wait it out together. Within a week or so we felt completely back to normal...”

Ginny snorted. The hospitals reported the illness lasting between twelve to fifteen days, not seven. And what were their credentials besides claiming to have been infected? The news station could interview anyone off the street. They’d probably interview her if she claimed she danced naked, covered in chicken’s blood beneath the full moon and it spared her. If anything, the segment was irresponsible. Now people were going to go out looking for a sex partner for the week.

Sighing at the downturn in journalistic integrity, she tuned out the rest of the interview, content to bask in the early May breeze wafting through the open windows.

Until she heard the squeak of brakes slow to a stop out front. 

And muffled voices. 

Followed by a car door slamming shut. 

She’d just begun to wonder which bluenose neighbour had arrived to hole up in a holiday house when footsteps scuffed up the stone walk, her stone walk, and a key slid into the lock of her front door.

The knob turned, the door clicked open, and Ginny stood rooted to the spot, covered in flour as her landlord (slash older brother’s best mate) appeared framed on the stoop. 

At first, Harry didn’t notice her. He stepped inside, careful to scrub his shoes on the mat before closing the door behind him and dropping his duffle unceremoniously in the foyer. He looked the same as he had nearly a year ago. He scratched a hand through the disaster hair piled atop his head then patted it all down again. His glasses were the same, and he still had the same little divot permanently etching his brow into a scowl. Beneath his anorak she could tell his lean frame still gave way to lanky limbs that shifted into slender fingers. 

Then the telly switched programs, the News giving way to some crime documentary, or something. Ginny wasn’t actually paying attention. At the change in music, Harry froze with his back halfway to her and his shoulders went tight. 

Then he turned on the spot, and he finally registered Ginny’s presence tucked away in the kitchen at the back of the house.

Their gazes held for several beats too long, both of them wide-eyed and startled by the existence of the other in such close proximity. 

Ginny’s heart thundered inside her chest, in a way that was achingly familiar and entirely unwelcome. 

“What are you– I didn’t think–” Harry stammered quickly. “Ron said he was meeting you back home?”

“He was,” Ginny answered, just as flustered. “I’d planned on it but– I couldn’t– I mean, I…changed my mind.”

Harry dug his fingers into his eyes behind his glasses and swore softly. He looked a bit peaky.  

“Christ, I’m an idiot,” He croaked. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve called.”

“No, it’s fine,” she reassured, not quite sure why she was pardoning his intrusion. “It’s still your house.”

They stared at each other in the silence for several beats too long, both of them seemingly at a loss for what to do next. 

“Er–” Harry finally stammered, a grin taking over his face. “Hi, by the way.”

Ginny laughed. “Yeah... long time, no see.”

They went in for a hug at the same time, but it was too light and too quick to feel natural. As he pulled away, Harry averted his gaze and let his eyes wander around the hall and the front two rooms. 

“Is Luna…” he trailed off, as if those two words were question enough. 

Ginny realised she was still covered in baking powder and half finished dough. She grabbed a tea towel from the hook and wiped her hands just for something to look at besides him. “She and her Dad were visiting family in Hamburg when the stay at home orders hit. She’s been stuck there for over a month. They can’t get a flight home.”

Harry nodded and let out a deep exhale of sympathy. “Fuck, yeah, that’d be awful.” He paused, shooting her a furtive glance. “And you? How–how are you?”

“Yeah, fine,” One half of her mouth tipped into a smile. “You?”

Shaking his head as if in thought, his hands fidgeted slightly in front of him. “Well, London is a disaster. They aren’t letting anyone leave their homes, or letting anyone into town. They’re letting people leave, but it took me ten days just to get approval to hop a train. I figured it couldn’t be so bad up here, you know? That’s why I…”

He trailed off again and Ginny wondered if he’d become incapable of finishing a coherent sentence in the time since she’d seen him last. 

“Makes sense,” she nodded generously. 

Harry remained exactly where he was, awkwardly perched on the welcome mat. 

“You can come in,” Ginny asserted and he flinched a bit like he hadn’t expected to actually be allowed to stay. 

“Right,” he cleared his throat and stepped forward like a man walking the plank. 

Busying herself with the kettle, she tried not to be too aware of his progress through the sitting room. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wave to the bookshelves on either side of the fireplace. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

Ginny grinned. The house held tell-tale signs of being solely occupied by her for the last month and a half. Stray jumpers, and rumpled throw pillows, and forgotten cups of tea sat scattered all around. The dishes in the sink were piled several days too high and the bananas on her countertop were just a shade too brown. 

“It’s a disaster,” she corrected, pulling her last two bags of tea out of the cupboard. 

Harry flashed her a smile, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. “I mean the furniture and things. The colours.”

“The colours?” she repeated incredulously. 

“Yeah,” he hummed, finally inching his way fully into the kitchen. He swallowed as his eyes settled on her once more. “It looks nice. Cosy.”

Snorting, she pulled her nearly empty carton of milk out of the refrigerator. “A sight better than when you and Ron lived here, you mean?”

That fleeting smirk again, there and then gone. “Do you know our sofa broke in two when we tried to move it out?”

“That does not surprise me in the slightest.”

Ginny poured and they both chuckled. She passed him one of the mugs and the milk, remembering how he took it. She reckoned it was one of those things she’d never forget. Like the opening to her favourite Spice Girls’ song, or her childhood phone number, or the rhymes to bonfire night. Two plus two equals four and Harry took his tea with milk, no sugar.

He tipped a splash into his cup, seemed to hesitate for a second, and then burst, “I can get a room. There’s got to be a hotel open in Old Town–”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ginny cut across him, spooning a heap of sugar into her own tea. Again, she wasn’t quite sure why she was contradicting him, but she refused to chase the thought down, because then she’d have to acknowledge that somewhere deep down she wanted him to stay. 

“Ginny,” he croaked. “I can’t intrude like this. I’ll figure something out. I’ll go stay at Sirius’ place in the country, or–”

“Harry,” she interrupted him again. “It’s your house.”

He seemed determined to put himself out. “But I can’t just show up out of the blue and–”

“Luna took your old room–” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

“I mean, you pay rent!” Now he was just talking to himself. “I had no right–”

“And she’s obviously not using it–” Ginny reasoned, though the ramifications of what she was suggesting crept up on her in a gradual recognition of awareness. 

“I bet the Chisholm Hunter has rooms–”

“Harry!” she cut across him in humoured agitation. “It’s fine. Stay tonight, or the next few days, or a week, until you figure it out. It’s fine.”

He blinked, the furrow between his brows deepening in thought. “You’re sure it’s okay?”

“Yes,” she lied, like a liar. “It’s not a big deal.”

It was kind of a big deal, but she could handle it. 

“You said they aren’t letting people into London, right?” Ginny continued. “What are you going to do? Rent a room until they let you go back home? That could be months!”

He opened his mouth as if to argue, then shut it again and exhaled sharply through his nose. 

“Yeah, alright,” He conceded. “But only until I can get ahold of Sirius. Then, I swear, I’ll get out of your hair.”

The statement stung, just a little. As if getting out of her sight was vastly preferable than remaining in it. 

“Where is he?” Ginny asked instead, lifting her mug to her mouth as if completely unaffected. 

Harry pulled out his mobile and punched in his passcode. “Australia. Apparently their cherry trees don’t bloom until September.”

A scoff bubbled up in the back of her throat. “Lucky Australia.”

He muttered something that sounded like agreement and pressed the phone to his ear. As he meandered back into the sitting room, Ginny turned her cupboards in search of biscuits. Surely, she still had a package left somewhere. 

Harry returned within moments. “Didn’t answer.”

“Well,” she shrugged, “Isn’t it like three in the morning?”

Harry gave her a flat look. “It’s Sirius.”

She laughed. “Yeah, okay, that’s fair.”

Something in his expression sparked at her reaction and it made the breath in her lungs go shallow. 

Just like his smiles, the flare of something was there and then gone in an instant. She tried not to feel the familiarity of it, really she did, but something hollowed out spread through her middle at the reminder of her nearly debilitating infatuation, and then its eventual collapse. 

Ginny cleared her throat, coming back to her senses. “So, you said it took you forever to get a train ticket. Have they decreased the routes?”

“Oh, erm–” Harry took a sip of tea that was clearly too hot for his mouth and he winced. “Yeah, and they’re checking into everyone who books.”

Understanding washed over her. “Right, so they make sure people aren’t…”

Great, now she was incapable of finishing her sentences. 

He looked to her uncomfortably. “I hadn’t actually ever seen my birth certificate, I just always figured I was a Beta. Had to have a Doctor check me over once to make sure I wasn’t — you know — that I hadn’t gone unidentified.” 

“Right, good. Nice.”

Why exactly was it nice? She should really stop talking. 

“Is that why you…” He gestured vaguely south with one hand. “Couldn’t…go home?”

“Oh, er-” Ginny resisted the urge to cringe. “No.”

In reality, she’d had plenty of time to book a train to Devon before they started restricting the passengers who were designated one way or the other, but she hadn’t had the funds.

Harry’s gaze sharpened in curiosity. 

“Do you want to put your stuff upstairs?” she asked brightly. “You must be knackered after travelling all day.”

~~~

Ginny retreated to the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her and leaning back against the sink. Shortly after Harry had settled into Luna’s room, his old room, she’d heard his mobile ring. His muffled voice through the mostly closed door had been maddening, and nearly too tempting to eavesdrop on, so she’d escaped. 

She was half-torn. One part of her wished Sirius was offering up his country house to his godson immediately, and the other part hoped there was some flood, or fire, or other natural disaster that made it inhabitable. 

Because the prospect of spending time with someone, but especially him; to not be alone hour after hour and day after day, was almost too exquisite to contemplate. 

Christ, she was hopeless. 

With nothing better to do than simmer in her own thoughts, Ginny turned the taps to the bath and adjusted the temperature until the shower spray was borderline scorching. She spent an excessive amount of time washing her hair and scrubbing her skin. She didn’t bother trying to figure out if she was doing it consciously or subconsciously, but she did know she was avoiding the end of her shower. Because as soon as she left the bath, she’d find out if he was staying or going. 

Both scenarios felt too formidable to contemplate. 

Eventually, though, the water ran cold, and Ginny couldn’t hide any longer. 

After brushing her teeth, applying night cream, and wrapping herself up in her dressing gown, Ginny yanked open the bathroom door to find Harry standing directly in the doorway, with his fist raised as if to knock. 

“Oh, sorry–” He muttered, his gaze flitting down her body and back up again. His face flushed just enough to notice. “That was Sirius,” he continued. “I can stay at his place, so I’ll be out of here as soon as I can book a train.” 

Ginny pulled in a breath and did her best to keep it even. “Right. Good.”

She felt anything but good. 

Squeezing past him and into the hallway, she kept her expression bright and open until she was safe inside her bedroom. 

In her haste, she missed the way his eyes fluttered shut as she passed. 

~~~

That night was unseasonably hot. The forecast had called for it to be a mild week, balmy and temperate, so Ginny wasn’t sure why the air wafting in through her open window felt so stifling. As she tossed and turned, a light sheen of sweat clung to her skin, and she contemplated the merits of another shower. This time a cold one. 

She settled for a glass of water instead. 

Padding down the hall toward the stairs, Ginny skirted past Luna’s room as quickly and quietly as she could. However, in the end, stealth didn’t matter.  

Harry was already in the kitchen, propped up against the sink and looking pale. 

“You okay?” Ginny muttered, taking a tentative step forward. 

Clenching his eyes shut, Harry kept his head down and nodded. “I don’t know what’s happened to my stomach. Food poisoning or something–”

“I may have some Pepti upstairs?”

Harry nodded again. 

She took a step closer, reaching for a glass from the shelf when the scent hit her. It smelled like fresh spring mornings, and the citrus of Earl Grey tea, and the warmth of never being alone. It smelled like home. 

Every instinct she had screamed at her to take in more of it, to surround herself in it. Harry’s eyes met hers through the dim light and she saw him pull in a deep inhale through flared nostrils. 

In an instant, her mind was restless and her body uncomfortably warm. Parts of her she didn’t know could ache, gnawed and cramped in time with her too loud pulse.

She dropped the glass she’d been holding at the same time Harry lept backwards. 

In some corner of her mind, she knew what was happening. All of the doctors listed the same symptoms over and over; heightened senses, irregular body temperature, lower-abdominal cramps, increased libido. However, she was firmly ignoring the signs… especially the last one. It was much easier to dismiss her body’s immediate urges as coincidence. Otherwise, she would also have to admit what triggered it. 

For fuck’s sake, Harry triggered it. 

But that would mean he–

Fucking fuck, fuck, fuck.

[todaysdocument]

Telegram to Bureau of Indian Affairs Officials

Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Series: Subject Correspondence Files File Unit: Contagious Epidemics

This telegram was sent to Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school officials to alert them to the danger of the 1918 influenza epidemic. It advised that specific precautions be taken to ensure the best care for students.

[stamped in upper right corner] TELEPHONED [illegible] _____ Haskell _____ BY _____ Nell _____ TIME _____ 533 p _____ ?SP'N _____ Male _____ [/stamped in upper right corner] WESTERN UNION Form 1512 [logo of Western Union] SPECIAL NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. E. ATKINS, FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NUMBER SHEET LETTER 129KSS 153 GOVT NITE 1/76 1 Dated TO WA WASHINGTON DC OCT 11 PEAIRS SUPT LAWRENCE KS SPANISH INFLUENZA OF VIRULENT TYPE SPREADING OVER COUNTRY WITH ALARMING RAPIDITY MANY SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT SERIOUS CONDITIONS INDIAN PUPILS AT OUR SCHOOLS AND INDIANS OLD AND YOUNG ON RESERVATIONS MUST BE GIVEN BEST CARE AND PROTECTION POSSIBLE IMPORTANT THAT INHABITED SCHOOL BUILDINGS BE KEPT AT UNIFORM TEMPERATURE FROM SIXTY EIGHT TO SEVENTY DEGREES GOOD VENTILATION MAINTAINED AND ALL FORMS OF DETRIMENTAL EXPOSURE OF PUPILS VERY CAREFULLY AVOIDED PARTICULARLY DURING ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENT PERIOD DISCONTINUE CLASS ROOM AND OTHER ASSEMBLAGE WHEN CONDITIONS WARRANT ALLOWING NO INTERMINGLING OF PUPILS OR EMPLOYEES UNDER CONDITIONS OF OVERCROWDING AND TO [struck through] BE [/struck through] [handwritten] THE [/handwritten] EXTENT YOU FIND IT DESIREABLE ENFORCE ISOLATION QUARANTINE FOR PREMISES CONSULT AND COOPERATE WITH LOCAL HEALTH OFFICERS AND SERVICE PHYSICIAN WHEN CONDITIONS JUSITFY YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO CEASE ALL ACTIVITIES NOT URGENTLY REQUIRED SO EMPLOYEES MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR NURS [struck through] UR [/struck through]ING AND OTHER INFLUENZA WORK EMPLOYING EXTRA HELP WHEN STRICTLY NECESSARY KEEP OFFICE ADVISED SELLS COMMISSIONER 530PM [handwritten] 12 [/handwritten] [stamped in lower right corner] RECEIVED OCT 14 1918 Haskell Institute, LAWRENCE KANSAS [/stamped in lower right corner]

[loominggaia]

Skylie really seems to be a tad autistic to me, if more high functioning than Blomi of Folkvar. This is from the perspective of me, a clinically diagnosed high functioning autistic who ALSO writes and peruses fanfiction/fantasy incessantly. Seriously, I'm seeing a LOT of me in her. I'm actually making a fanfiction mostly centering on Cyana and her sneaking out, but Skylie (And Lazuline) are major supporting characters! It's on my AO3 of the same name as my Tumblr!

I'll take your experienced word for it! I declare autistic Skylie canon!

---> READ DARKWINGPHOENIX'S FANFIC ON AO3 <---

I just read your fanfiction, and I'm so impressed with the way you utilized the lore! You also characterized Indiga's family very well, they're all behaving pretty much the way I imagined. That little interaction between Cyana and Marine was perfect! I also like the way Cyana and Lazuline confide in eachother. Cyana trusts Lazuline like the mother she wishes she had. Even though they have their sisterly squabbles from time to time, they do share a common enemy: their overbearing parents. This is something they bond over, as they are both hiding secrets from them.

I realize this is only the first chapter but it's already so good, you've got me eager for more!

Here are some relevant lore tidbits that may or may not be useful to you:

-In addition to hand-copying Traditional Lindist texts, Lazuline also recruits the help of literate slaves to do it for her. The work is tedious, but the slaves are eager to do it because these texts are anti-slavery in nature, and spreading them to the public may help guide Evangelite culture in that direction one day. These texts also support women's rights and magic use for non-commoners, which are all things that Modern Lindism opposes.

-At some point, Lazuline's slaves learned to carve stamps out of wood or other scrap materials to make copying the texts faster. Each stamp contains one page of text. Obviously Lazuline must keep these stamps hidden when not in use.

-There are many illiterate people (especially slaves) in Evangeline Kingdom. So, Lazuline also spreads the texts by mouth. She does this by reading Traditional scriptures to groups of goblin slaves, then selling those slaves to masters all over the kingdom. Since goblins never forget anything they learn, they can recite these scriptures to other slaves they encounter while they work.

-Evangelites believe homosexuality is a literal disease that is spread by sexual activity between the same sexes. They believe victims cannot be cured, so they must be executed to contain the spread. However, exceptions are made for minors (in Evangelite culture this means under 16 years of age for humans), who are instead sent to special clinics to "treat" their disease (essentially conversion therapy). Evangelites believe there is a chance to cure the disease while the victim is still young, but once they are adults, it is too late.

Practically, this is meant to serve as a lesson to young gay Evangelites to shape up and pretend to conform, or else. It also offers mercy to children who contracted the disease through no fault of their own, such as in cases of sexual abuse. Less mercy is shown for adult victims, who are expected to "know better" and "protect themselves". Yes, victim-blaming is a rampant issue in this culture...

-Wealthy adults can also wiggle their way out of the death penalty by buying their way into special adult institutions, marketed as "quarantine centers" to keep the homosexual "disease" from spreading. The price is steep and they can never leave, but it does spare them from death. The royal family would certainly take this route with Cyana, and though these institutions offer cushy accommodations fit for the wealthy, the thought of being confined to them forever horrifies Cyana. These places are basically golden cages. Residents are closely monitored and all sexual activity is forbidden. Visitors are allowed, but they are watched the whole time to make sure there is no disease spread going on.

I imagine if Cyana's parents found out she was a lesbian, they would go on a rampage trying to find out who gave her the disease, and a lot of innocent slaves, castle staff, and townsfolk (especially the women Cyana hangs out with) would be executed without trial. I mean, just look at how they treated Saphirra's husbands: all imprisoned for life based on nothing but their daughter's accusations!

This fact alone scares the hell out of Cyana, so she is very careful not to get caught. She knows any woman she dates is in danger just by associating with her, and it plagues her with fear and guilt. This is why she dreams of just fleeing her kingdom entirely one day.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[phosphorescentspaceman]

sick fic - yogscast fic

Honeydew sat up in bed, casting a bleary eye around the room. Lalna, who had slept incredibly poorly, was grateful the older man was conscious. The other man - dwarven constitution and bullheadedness combined to disastrous effect - hadn’t realised he was sick until he’d passed out next to the forge. Xephos almost had a heart attack and had been tending him all night, alongside an increasingly peaky Lalna. He was pretty good at it, but his knowledge of medicine was either purely biochemical or (concerningly) surgical and he’d been pesting Lalna with questions until Lalna had had to hurl, upon which he’d gone full mother-hen mode and pushed him into bed alongside a snoring Honeydew. He looked fine already - Lalna was sure his fever and the high temperatures near the forge had just caused his blood pressure to drop and he’d already slept off the fever as only a dwarf could. Lalna, on the other hand, could tell he was settling in for a few days of creaky discomfort and runny noses. Xephos had left some time ago, ostensibly to get some fresh water and fever reducer, but he hadn’t come back in a while and Lalna was starting to feel miserable again. 

“Glad you’re alive, mate. How are you feeling?” Honeydew scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 

“Fine, so much for my dwarven constitution, fainting like a little girl and all that.” He paused, before frowning. “Where’s Xephos?” 

“He was playing nursemaid to you all night, kept asking me questions and bustling about - he may have just fallen asleep on the way back.” Honeydew looked pale before heaving himself out of bed, swaying slightly on his feet. “Whoa there, you aren’t ready to go running around yet - probably - settle back -” 

“That idiot!” Lalna startled backwards, not ready for the real frustration pouring from the dwarf. He turned, near dragging Lalna from his bed. “If he's drowning in a puddle of sick somewhere I’m going to kill him myself! Idiot! He should have hid on the other side of the base!” Lalna felt dizzy as he was tugged along the halls, the stop-starting as Honeydew kept checking every cranny rattling his brain in his skull. 

“What do you mean? If he gets sick it’ll be miserable but -” Honeydew stopped short, glaring up at him. 

“Some kinda Doctor you are - he’s from fucking space! He got a cold from a snotty brat one time and died!” 

“Space?!” 

Honeydew looked at him strangely. “Yeah? What, you think I call him spaceman for shits and giggles?” 

“Yes, actually! Neither of you ever talk about anything personal!” 

He huffed, looking away. “Not much of it is worth talking about.” Lalna’s head couldn’t help but spin. Xephos’ immortality was quite simply the only reason the man hadn’t long died from some childhood illness - he must be so unadapted to the local diseases, to say nothing of the fact Lalna hadn’t even thought to see how respawning affected the creation of memory T cells. 

“Shit - shit shit. You’re right - why doesn’t he wear a mask? Why didn’t he quarantine when he saw you were sick?” The both of them were frantically checking over rooms, both of them remembering various times the other man had slinked off into a corner to bleed out rather than receive medical attention.

“Because he’s a soft hearted idiot! - Fuck - Xeph!” Lalna rushed over to where Honeydew was already crouched next to a deathly pale Xephos, the glow of his freckles near totally absent. His breath was rough and wheezy, and it looked like he’d partially aspirated. Stamping down his instinctual panicked flailing, Lalna pressed his fingers firmly to Xephos’ radial artery, staring at his watch as he timed his pulse. It was weaker than he’d like - sitting at about 125 bpm which was. Not at all good, but not imminently fatal. They didn’t have anything to set up an IV drip but he was pretty sure had had a few vials of amoxicillin-clavulanate laying around. It’d burn going in and he’d have to deliver it slowly, but it should stop the aspiration pneumonia he could hear in Xeph’s rasping breaths from getting any worse. Their infections themselves were viral, so there wasn’t anything he could do other than give fever reducers and keep him hydrated, just like Xephos had been doing for him and Honeydew last night as Lalna had whined about how rubbish he felt. 

He felt real fucking rubbish now. 

“Honeydew - Lalna.” Xephos’ voice was rough, and his eyes hazy. He pressed himself into the both of them, shivering slightly. “‘M cold. Tired. Sorry I forgot the - the stuff.” Honeydew had grabbed a washcloth from gods knows where and was wiping the bile and sweat from Xephos’ feverish face as he sat there, placid but whining softly at the cold cloth.

“Well?” Honeydew looked at Lalna who startled out of his internal dosage calculations. “Is he -” 

Lalna sighed, not taking his fingers from Xephos’ wrist. “He's rough, and I’m going to have to give him some strong antibiotics, but he’s not deathly ill. It might actually have been better that he was running around when it happened, if he’d been laying down and as weak as this he’d probably have drowned.” 

Honeydew swore, face paling. They were immortal, but - well. Dying couldn’t be nice. Xephos clumsily pet Honeydew’s face, frowning at how upset his friend looked. “ 's ok. I just - I need a drink and. And a sit. I’m ok, friend.” Honeydew just thumped his head heavily on Xephos’ shoulder, the other man petting at his messy hair. “Don’t - don’t worry, friend. Don’t worry.”

Lalna pulled himself to his feet, feeling like he’d aged a few years over the last 10 minutes. “‘Dew, can you get him back to the room alright or do you need a hand? I need to grab some stuff from storage but it can wait a minute if you need the help.” 

Honeydew shook his head, lifting Xephos with a practised ease that could only come from hundreds of adventures. “He’s a twig, I’ll be right.” Xephos let out a soft whine as Lalna turned to go, fingers tangled in his lab coat. Lalna’s heart did something complicated as he carefully removed his hand before brushing a palm over his forehead, cool against Xephos’ fever. The other man sighed before relaxing into Honeydew's hold, muttering something incomprehensible into the dwarf’s neck that made him chuckle. 

“Come back quick, right? I don’t need to go running around looking for you too.”

[cookie-nom-nom]

The Vortex Tree

Part 1. From a dream I had. Tw animal death

A lone towering tree scrapped the heavens, the surrounding forest ripped to shreds by the whirlwind converging upon the Vortex Tree. Its influence spanned the horizon, weak at the edges but swiftly pulling everything into the maelstrom. The critters of the woods had no idea how it got there, since anyone present at the time was destroyed alongside everything else, surely bashed to death in the chunks of the world torn up into the cyclone.

No one would tell how big the Vortex Tree was. Swirling dark clouds spun in the whirlwind around the trunk, but whatever canopy lay beyond was still too distant to see. But surely there must be one, or else the sun wouldn’t be blotted out. 

The critters had thought it was dust at the beginning, a choking haze settling in gentler breezes at the periphery, carried far by the wind. Surely there was enough debris for there to be, the bedrock exposed as all was whisked away by the winds. It made critters sick, particularly the ones with fur that trapped the dust, or amphibians that absorb pollutants so easily. Coating their lungs, coughed up gunk and exhaling residue. It was hard to see sometimes, the dust so thick it hung in the air. But it seemed minor compared to the desolation of the entire forest that obliterated peoples lives and homes. At least, till the corpses split open and poured out pure pollen.

It spread like wildfire. Where once the stiff breezes at the edge of the vortex were thought to be safer than the whirlwinds, the critters now knew the danger lacing every breath. The dazed contaminated critters often forgot their caution, wandered too close to the tree. As their muscles locked up they couldn’t withstand the winds, swept ever closer to the Vortex Tree. At the hearth the fierce gale would rip their paws from the ground. Sucked into the whirlwind, the critters were bludgeoned against the stone and trunks and trash that filled the vortex. Their corpses burst apart and spread the infection across the horizon, carried on by the tumultuous winds.

Far worse than the deaths was the chilling implication that a second Vortex Tree could be made. 

The critters stamped out any chance of infection they could, quarantining the dead, evacuating large swaths of what little woods remained, covering their button noses and twitching ears and doleful eyes. They shaved off the fur that pollen clung to, or hiding porous amphibian skin. In time the pollen settled too far to be picked up by the winds and spread further. The critters burned everywhere it touched. 

(The pollen would come again in a century, once all the critters forgot its perils. After a few cycles, those with longer lifespans like the squirrels and lizards began passing down warnings through their generations. They dealt as best they could. Such was their philosophy on most matters.)

There was little means of escape for the tiny animals. The world so vast, the journey perilous for any who tried to evacuate. But with time and bravery the civilizations of critters were pushed further and further away from the Vortex Tree, into territories that hadn’t the berries and nuts and bugs to feed both them and the original inhabitants. But beyond was only prairie, where hawks could always see them, and heat bore down upon scurrying backs used to pleasant shade. No, there was little elsewhere the critters could go, forced to survive on the remaining periphery of the woods. The fragments of the forest would have to be enough. 

And every year, the vortex consumed more and more of the world.

[enigmatist17]

The crew of the Voyager sleep on the ship for months after returning to the Alpha Quadrant. It seems wrong not to be on the ship that was home for almost eight years, and for the most part Starfleet doesn't push their weary travelers against doing as such.

It helps with the quarantine anyways, the Doctor making sure that the other Starfleet doctors are gentle with his patients, his crew. Lt. Barclay helps stamp out any nasty remarks or looks, making sure the doctors all knew that the hologram was a member of Voyager, and the crew all threaten to be temperamental with some of the more stubborn doctors.

Captain Janeway lets Starfleet document every upgrade they had gathered, but asks to remain captain of the ship once everything was taken care of. Call her sentimental, but Voyager served her and her crew well despite everything, and Janeway didn't mind being captain for a while longer.

The former Maquis are all pardoned and inducted into Starfleet at the promotions they had all received over the years, and while some of them take some time to see what happened to former friends and family, they all returned back to Starfleet, to Voyager.

While I'm aware Starfleet would probably not keep them together/promote Janeway and Chakotay, I think they'd let it slide for a while to let Voyager serve together for a while longer before they all eventually began to splinter away and make their own paths. Also despite the show never letting it happen (which was so stupid), Harry was promoted twice while in the Delta Quadrant, and is gifted Voyager when he's made Captain.

The Doctor in particular ends up remaining with Janeway for a while, if he's not with Zimmerman and Barclay. While a lot of people doubted the Doctor had grown into his own person, with a soul and life outside of his programming, the news spread quickly. Maybe he fights for hologram rights, or maybe he spends some time updating his files while exploring Earth, but in the end the Doctor just goes to see everything he could ever want, and save lives along the way. He's there long after his beloved crew passes on, being there every time they all pass, but is pleased to watch over the next generations they all pass on, and thats more than enough for him.

I finally finished Voyager, and I have Thoughts 💜

[charlesandmartine]

Sunday 13th October 2024

Our apartment garden in the 'Heights' would not be advertised as large. Bijou might spring to mind, or an estate agent could describe it as 'easily maintained outdoor space'. Postage stamp just wouldn't be polite. However, it is a garden but one that is largely laid to lawn. We have never been convinced that Aussies are as obsessed about gardening as we are. Indeed somebody told us once that local authorities have an expectation that rear gardens were generally there to build another house on! The fact is that in cities such as Sydney, where land is at a premium and prohibitively expensive, most road fronting properties have a house built behind it. The houses facing the harbour and probably costing tens of millions of bucks will inevitably have one peeping over the top of it. All this leaves very little for a love of horticulture. Our little outdoor space is a division of the whole rear garden. The remaining garden exclusively for the use of the owners is almost entirely taken up by an irregular shaped swimming pool. Having said all that, springtime definitely brings out the best in whatever gardener spirit that does exist. Marigolds, pansies, geraniums, jasmine, bottlebrush, hibiscus are in full bloom; the sort of displays more common in our summers. Bird of paradise plants are prolific and exotic. We have not seen such colour here in summer/ autumn months on previous visits.

The blue skies soon arrived this morning, so after lunch we stepped off for the Spit along the coastal path. The Spit links the Northern Beaches to Mosman and then on to Sydney City Centre. The first bridge was completed and opened in 1924; there had been a steam punt operating across the Middle Harbour prior to the new bridge. However, when the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932, traffic increased to such an extent a new opening bridge was needed, and in 1958, the current bridge was completed and this is the one our bus rumbles across on route to the city.

Our walk was only approximately 10km but what with the ups and downs of the path, the absolutely gorgeous route took us about 3 hours. Fabulous lookout posts draw the gaze across the harbour to Manly in one direction and the deep blue of the Pacific the other. Beautiful highly expensive real estate have unrivalled, privileged harbour views and along the route are found protected historic aboriginal sites. When I say historic sites, call me a cynic but these are dirt scratchings of boomerangs, kangaroos and fish that certainly look the part, but I can't help thinking they might just be comparable to Trigger's new broom; I mean a little scratch here and a little scratch there from each generation and Bob's your uncle, looks the part but it's brand new. Anyway everyone goes along with it.

We passed through a little place called 40 Baskets. Its name originated when in 1885 a group of fishermen caught forty baskets of fish in the embayment off Forty Baskets Beach to feed a contingent of soldiers at Quarantine Station, who had just returned from war in Sudan. Well I guess that clears that up. Today it forms a great recreational space with access to the beach and sea.

Such a rewarding walk, and because we had been good and not had a coffee, ice-cream or beer, we allowed ourselves a little bus ride back to Balgowlah and hence to Coles for a few provisions. Unfortunately we then had the long hike back up to the 'Heights'! We might have had a beer and had done with it!

Tomorrow will be a busy day; it's Theatre Day!

ps. No sign yet of Christmas in the shops.

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Neo-Burlesque Era of the 2020’s

Stephen Jay Morris

6/29/2020

©Scientific Morality

            So, here we are in the year of our Lord, 2024, via the Twenty-First Century. This is very similar to the era known as “The Roaring Twenties”—the only difference being is the economy. During the 1920’s, the economy was in prosperity mode. It was party time, with nonstop divine decadence, bathtub gin, and screwing a “Flapper” in a Model T.  All was centered around sex, jazz, and booze. In response, the fundamentalists and evangelical Christians wanted to halt all sin and implement “God’s laws” across the nation. To them, it was viewed as the “End Times” because “young America was reviving Sodom and Gomorrah.” The White racists were worried that America’s borders were being invaded by illegal aliens who were mostly comprised of Anarchists and Communist spies. Is this sounding familiar?

Well, the Christians succeeded in outlawing alcohol by government-implemented “Prohibition.” However, that only served to ensure that organized crime became powerful and filthy rich. The 1920’s didn’t end well. The U.S. economy crashed in 1929 which ushered in The Great Depression. The rich got richer, and the common people got fucked. They were dirt poor.

So, how will the 2020’s decade end? Here is my educated guess.

            The American people suffered from a global pandemic between 2020 and 2022, known as Corona Virus, or COVID 19. Conservative and Christian coalitions expressed their state paranoia by claiming the federal government was forcing citizens to wear masks, quarantine themselves, and take emergency vaccines. The political right was feeding fear to the masses with one alarming exaggeration after another.

            Donald Trump, then President of the United States (until January 2021), was a B.T. Barnum type who cared only about himself; specifically, his money and popularity. Somehow, he paid off churches to promote him as the second coming of Christ. It worked. His base was comprised of right-wing fanatics who believed in conspiracy theories. To date, 30% of the America population are Trump cultists. At the time of his election (2016), he had zero government experience. He was a real estate tycoon whose six businesses had failed. He was the worst businessman in history. Despite all this, he got the stamp of approval from Christian churches across the country, which designated him a decent guy. The most popular thing for which he was known was a TV reality show called, “The Apprentice,” which aired from 2004 to 2017. At the time, the Millennial generation’s mentality was based on computer technology and the Internet. They had been weaned on cell phones and computers. A TV reality show host was not impressive to them. Many were a-political and anti-religion. However, many other generational types, like Gen X and Baby Boomer conservatives, were bound to Trump. President Trump knew how to manipulate Americans, particularly working-class, white people. He came out of the entertainment industry. Americans are entertainment addicts and hedonists.

            Today, the work ethic in America is dead. Over the decades, Americans have wondered why they should work hard at all. Hundreds of businesses go bankrupt every month. The truth is, you only work hard for your boss so he can get rich. The plan is that you, the worker, are so occupied with working hard that you haven’t time to rebel against the capitalist system. After their long, 8-hour day, Americans want to have fun. We live in an entertainment society. It’s all silliness and sick jokes. A burlesque society predates a fascist society. Consider the 1972 American movie, “Cabaret,” a fictional movie depicting Germany’s era during 1920’s decadence: sex, cross dressing, and drunkenness. The Nazis promised German Christians they would put an end to it, and they did.

In America, people want to escape economic hardships by having fun. But the Evangelicals want to control all primal urges and create a clean-cut society. They loath sex unless it's purpose is to make more white babies. They hate sex, but they love violence against “evil people;” that is, whomever they perceive as evil.

At this moment in time, it’s all about fun and recreation. It’s not about wholesome entertainment. It’s about action movies and energy drinks. Video games about war and violence are still a hot item for the younger set. So, I declare this time in American history, “The Age of Neo-Burlesque.” That is my label for the decade.

            Now, what will happen in the 2030’s? I predict that the pendulum will swing to the left. The moderate left will have to compete with the ultra-left. They will have to offer rational programs to help struggling Americans. The ultra-left will need to reorganize and try again. The political right will be despised by working class Americans and become a pariah to them.

At last, a Hollywood ending!

[dynamoe]

“Two weird slackers adrift in Middle America alternately hurling abuse & pop-culture references at each other” is the ur-narrative for 99% of Gen-X media

Master Billy Quizboy (hydrocephalic boy genius) and the ever-popular Pete White (albino fuck-up) have a significant gap in their backstory:

Met sometime before the fall of the Berlin Wall (~1989?)

Had some laughs

Lost an eye/hand

Gained a memory wipe/an Airstream trailer Then suddenly, we’re at a yard sale in 2004.

→ jump to all Master Billy Quizboy & Pete White posts

↓... but wait, there's more ↓

↓... but wait, there's even more ↓

Storylines for a 1990s-set Billy & White Flashback Spin-Off (written while suffering from quarantine isolation madness 2020, redrawn in 2022)

The first year of their partnership, Conjectural Technologies is already in dire financial straights.

Billy is surly teenager with a year-long gap in his memory and a malfunctioning robot hand he doesn't remember getting. Pete tells him he has PTSD from the dog attack and being lost in the desert. They have pointless day jobs to pay the bills (Billy at the public library, White at a call center) and no standing in Super Science.

→ jump to all Master Billy Quizboy & Pete White posts

1990

To fund their newly-formed science company, White adopts the role record producer/ponzi scammer (but not “predator”) using Billy as his anchor. (They fail at the beginning of the decade, rewarm it and try it again ~8 years later)

1992

Billy's first time voting in a presidential election. They pitch themselves hot-shot political consultants with super-science-backed election strategies to every candidate and get hired by a lunatic Texas millionaire running as third party before they eventually run away to join Deee-Lite on the MTV Rock the Vote tour

1994

Billy has a crush on the snarky riot grrrl clerk in the video store who is mean to him. Pete White abuses an untested antidepressant, suffers serotonin psychosis while broadcasting on his 100 watt pirate radio station and inadvertently becomes the new voice of conservative talk radio. Or something… we’ll figure it out.

1996

The one where they… argue about bands? There isn’t a story for this, I just wanted to draw these outfits.

1998

They start a dot-com that actually doesn’t do anything, become the toast of Manhattan's Silicon Alley, get a million dollars in venture capital and drive it into the ground in the span of three months.

19̶9̶9̶ →Y2K

Billy enrolls in high school as an ordinary sophomore, but handles bullying poorly. Really poorly. Like, blowing-up-the-school rampage poorly. Meanwhile, White is drafted for a government mission to stamp out the Y2K bug in the nation's infrastructure. [→ more 1999]

By the eve of the Millennium they’d be so fed up they’d be like, “We failed at everything. Wanna spend the next 10-to-22 years wearing the same clothes every day and not doing anything in particular?”

And bingo-bango!— reset to proper canon.

This is the "short version" of the spin-off pitch. → See the LONG VERSION on AO3

→ jump to all Master Billy Quizboy & Pete White posts

[honeydewtreacle]

🌟 me again... i just read your answer to my last ask, OMG those answers were so cool!! i literally did not know any of them. Can i ask some more????🥺

- morontourage pilot?

- as the curtain rises?

- how i paid for college? Any videos of that?

- any videos of make me bad?

- n'harmonics???

Lol thank you

Of course!

- The Morontourage project aka the (M)orons pilot, you may have heard Alex mention it in this Susan Blackwell interview (at 5:05). It was finished but as far as I'm aware was never publicly posted, but here are some pics from its production. I'm not sure if there's ever been much more information on the plot besides Alex's short description.

- As The Curtain Rises (Broadway's First Digital Soap Opera) is exactly what it says on the tin, a little podcast soap opera. Recorded over quarantine and completely free on Spotify, Alex plays the Narrator, definitely worth a listen! There's also some in-character interviews in this playlist (Alex is in the thumbnails of the ones he's featured in) and he was in two cast live streams (7:44) and (5:40). [I'm not smart enough to do time stamped links sorry]

- Unfortunately no recordings of How I Paid For College as far as I know, but here are two promo videos for it! (Plot) (Production) And these pictures are everywhere but I figure I should add em just in case. (I also have the one of him doing the archer pose, but blasted tumblr photo limit!)

- Make Me Bad, Drew and Alex's horror musical, similarly there's no recordings of Make Me Bad as far as I'm aware, but here's a whole gob of promo photos, a promo video, and a playlist of some songs from the musical. It's a shame there's not more of it, I'm super curious about Alex's writing, guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for one of his plays to be produced.

- Alex was in and acapella group called the N'Harmonics with F! Here's a playlist of the recordings I've been able to find, quality is a bit sketchy on some, but you can usually pick Alex out pretty easily since he moves way more than everybody else haha. He's INTO it.

[ask-a-w]

Change of Plans

Summary: Newlyweds Leon and Ada Kennedy keep having their plans interrupted. Set after RE6 and follows OG canon with some RE4R lines as a shoutout. Takes place between Chapters 19 & 20 of my other story, "Life". Oneshot story and contains smut.

FF.net

AO3

---------

The velcro band around Leon’s arm increased in pressure dramatically, lingering for a few seconds before it loosened gradually. A series of pings sounded soon after and the doctor looked pleased. “Well, Mr. Kennedy, you have a clean bill of health, as always.”

Leon returned the smile and patiently waited for him to remove the blood pressure cuff. “Thank you. Does it mean I can be released from quarantine now?”

Dr. James nodded, “Indeed. I suppose you know the procedure, given by how many times they send you to areas with biohazard outbreaks. Please sign this and you’re free to go.”

A plastic clipboard was given to the blonde government agent and Leon scribbled ‘LSK’ in rapid succession on the dotted lines across a few pages. Already, his mind was on his beautiful wife who was waiting for him back home. 

He and Ada got hitched a few months ago and this was his third mission since the wedding. They did not even manage to go on a honeymoon thanks to his unpredictable schedule. It seemed that they were still apart despite being together at last. Was destiny mocking them? 

Leon was still thankful though, as after fifteen years, Ada reached out to him one day and explained that she had retired from espionage. The puzzle pieces quickly fell into place soon after and they settled into domestic bliss. It was only natural that they sealed the deal half a year after she moved in with him. 

The doctor stamped and endorsed the quarantine release form before nodding to his patient. Leon was at the exit within seconds. Dr. James was quite amused by the change in his patient’s behaviour after getting married. As the agent’s physician for over a decade, Leon was always patient and professional with his physical examinations before his discharge from quarantine. Since the beginning of the year though, the blonde was suddenly eager to leave as soon as possible. That’s when the doctor learned Leon was seeing someone. He did not pry into his patient’s private life but gave his congratulations when he spotted a gold wedding band on the agent’s finger during an annual physical check up. 

Protocol dictated two weeks of quarantine whenever agents encountered bioweapons. Even though Leon had never been bit, one could never be too careful. Previously, Leon enjoyed being cooped up in a room for half a month, taking some much needed downtime to himself. But now, the blonde had someone waiting for him and he grew restless. 

[txt] I’m coming home. 

Leon fired off a quick text as he got into his blue Cadillac which was a little dusty from neglect. He was re-adjusting his mirrors when a buzz sounded from his pocket and he immediately pulled out his phone. The message on the screen brought a lovestruck grin to his face. 

[txt] Excellent. Getting ready for our date. ;)

Briefly, he wondered which outfit Ada would be wearing. She had plenty of clothes that accentuated her form in all the right places. Would it be a figure hugging number or one that showed off her sexy back? Either way, his wife looked stunning in practically anything. 

Feet floored the gas pedal and Leon was barely under the speed limit as he drove down a series of familiar roads leading to the apartment complex. At least it was still the middle of the day and he did not have to be stuck in traffic. 

---------

There was someone else in his designated parking spot and the government agent became annoyed. Was it a visitor that did not read the signs? Just because he was away for a while did not mean the space was permanently vacant. Leon circled around for a moment to locate an available slot. 

Glancing at the intruder’s license plate when he got out of the car, the blonde made a mental note to file a complaint with the building’s superintendent. As he reached the elevator, he flipped open his wallet for a keycard… that was missing! Panic set in as he checked all the slots in his wallet and he quickly patted down his pockets, finding a couple of keys that were unfamiliar to him. He remembered his apartment had more keys than this…

FUCK!

Leon cursed inwardly when it finally dawned on him that they moved into a new house shortly before his latest mission. Ada needed more space and his bachelor pad was getting a bit cramped for two people so the couple purchased a nice two-storey home just near the outskirts of the city. It would take at least half an hour to drive to his new matrimonial home. 

Running back to his car, he put on his ear piece and dialled Ada’s number. 

“Hey handsome, can’t wait to hear my voice?” She teased him playfully when she answered the call. 

“Sorta. I’ll be a little late, beautiful. I accidentally drove back to my old apartment. Completely forgot that we moved.”

Ada chuckled, “It will be fine, we still have time.” 

“We might be cutting it close though. Tell you what, why don’t I meet you directly at the restaurant instead?”

His wife murmured in agreement and both said “I love you” to each other before hanging up. 

---------

Given his proximity to the establishment, Leon arrived first and waited in a private booth. Glancing at the menu, he was tempted to order cocktails but both of them would be driving back in their respective vehicles so he reconsidered his decision. 

The blonde settled on mocktails instead and instructed them to be served once his wife arrived. As for the entrees and mains, he would wait for Ada before deciding together. 

Since it was early afternoon, the lunch crowd had long since dissipated and there were only a handful of patrons, mostly tourists, lingering in the restaurant. In the solitude of his booth, Leon closed his eyes briefly to rest. Age was catching up to him and he sometimes found his energy waning in the afternoon. 

He still kept his senses peeled though, listening to the ambient noises of his surroundings. People were having small talk and waitstaff made their way around the tables and kitchen. 

Leon estimated that he was idling for fifteen minutes when he caught a whiff of his beloved’s perfume and heard the soft click of her heels emanating from behind him. Immediately, he opened his blue-grey eyes and waited for her next move. 

“Put your hands where I can see them,” Ada whispered into his ear as Leon turned his head and shot his wife a smile, remembering the time when she uttered the same words to him under different circumstances. He admired her outfit, which was a body-hugging purple turtleneck dress paired with tights and kitten heel boots. It was only after she moved in with him did he learn that she did have more colours in her wardrobe. He was always used to seeing her decked out in shades of red and it still surprised him whenever she wore something that was not her signature hue. 

Obliging her request, he placed his hands on the table, sliding further down the cushioned seat when she made a gesture to make room for her. Ada sat down beside him and pulled out his wedding band from a ring box. “Do you?” He asked before she slid the ring onto his finger and replied, “I do.” 

Whenever Leon went on missions, he left his ring at home for fear of losing it. Plus, he did not want his enemies to know he had a weakness that could be exploited. Furthermore, his physician also told him about the risk of ring avulsions and he certainly did not want to be subjected to such an injury even if he wore tactical gloves. Thus, the Kennedy couple created a small ritual of sorts between them when Leon cleared quarantine and came home. They would reaffirm their vows with Ada putting the ring back on Leon’s finger. 

Leon kissed the back of her hand and rubbed his thumb over her ring. “I’ve missed you. How have you been?”

Before she could respond, their drinks arrived. Ada nodded her thanks as she eyed the beverages. “Isn’t it too early to drink?”

“They’re mocktails, honey. Just wanted to celebrate being with you again.”

A smile perked up on her glossy red lips as she leaned in for a quick kiss. “Why, thank you. I see you have not lost your charm in quarantine.” She took a sip of the pink concoction which tasted like grapefruit and carbonated soda water. “I’ve been busy at work. Valentine has been having me detail all B.O.Ws that I’ve encountered over the years and their weak spots. I’ve also been looking through their current catalogue of known B.O.Ws and updating them for accuracy if required.”

Leon listened intently and was pleased things have been going relatively smoothly in her new job. In an unusual twist of fate, she was now a legitimate employee of the BSAA. Despite having posed as one years ago in the Eastern Slav Republic, some strings were pulled when Jill offered the position of biowarfare consultant to Ada. 

Director Jill Redfield knew a valuable asset when she saw one and even though Chris vehemently objected to Ada’s job appointment, she would rather have another qualified personnel on their side instead of losing a talent to the enemy… or whomever Ada used to work for. 

“Enough about work, what would you like to have?” Ada said when she saw her husband had nothing to add. She flipped open the menu and barely read through the appetisers when his phone rang, piercing through the silence of their booth. 

A perfectly groomed eyebrow was raised as Ada’s hazel eyes glanced down to his pocket. Leon pulled out his phone with an apologetic look and answered the call, “Kennedy here.”

Judging by the scowl on her husband’s face, it seemed his downtime would be cut short. Ada decided to glance at the menu as she let him continue the conversation. 

“Will Hunnigan be assigned?” 

There was a little pang of disappointment in Ada’s chest as that meant he was going on another mission again. But that was the nature of his job. 

“Good. I’ll be there in an hour.” Leon hung up and sighed, scrubbing his face with the palm of his hand. “I’m sorry, beautiful… Looks like it’s another few weeks away from you.”

Ada placed a hand over his and pulled it away from his handsome mug. “I’ll order something to go for you. I know you don’t like to work on an empty stomach. You can eat during briefings, right?”

He nodded solemnly as his wife tugged the wedding band off his finger. The weight of the ring brought some comfort to him and he felt naked when it was gone. At least he could wear the special watch Ada got for both of them. It was waterproof, had GPS capabilities, and could monitor some vitals. Even if his wife could not be on the field with him, she was able to track him remotely. 

The blonde leaned in to touch his forehead against hers, “I love you, Ada.” His lips met hers and he lingered for a few moments before parting. 

“Love you too, Leon.” Ada Kennedy whispered before she slid out of the booth and made her way to the cashier. She returned moments later with a receipt and spent the next few precious minutes with her spouse as he drained his mocktail. 

“I thought you were being transferred to training work… what’s taking so long?” Ada murmured as she laid her head against Leon’s shoulder. The blonde rubbed circles on his wife’s back. “Manpower shortage, unfortunately. It takes time to train someone to be competent.”

They sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company until a server walked over with a plastic bag and a plate of pasta. Leon sighed with reluctance as he eyed his food. 

“I got you a cheese steak wrap. Time for you to save the day again. Be safe, handsome.” Ada whispered as she gave him one more kiss for good luck. Leon smiled a little as he grabbed the takeout bag and headed to his car. 

His wife never took her eyes off him and only started eating when she could no longer see his car on the road. 

---------

Damn!

Leon thought to himself as the B.O.W. mutated, growing new sets of arms and chucking more debris at him. The blonde quickly vaulted over a railing and landed onto the floor below in a tuck and roll. He had to be careful now, after a rock grazed his forehead from the monster’s first wave of attacks. The skin was stinging as a bead of blood ran down his temple. 

After years of being on the field, he was no longer surprised by grotesque transformations. Instead, it annoyed him as it meant that he had to waste more time taking it down. That was precious time away from Ada. 

The B.O.W. roared when its prey went out of sight. This gave Leon time to formulate a new strategy to take it down. Even though he had enough firepower, it was not wise to waste all of them at once. 

Leon kept to the shadows as the target lumbered down the staircase. It was not quite a tyrant but not a simple zombie either. He had to observe its movements and body for any weak points before deciding his next course of action. 

The extra arms added more mass to its upper body which meant it was top heavy and slightly unstable. There also appeared to be glowing fissures on where the extra appendages attached to the main body. Grabbing his sniper rifle, Leon carefully aimed for what he assumed was a weak spot and fired. 

It yelled in pain as the fissure was torn clean through and the arm dropped to the floor. His assumption was correct! Leon waited to see if it would regenerate and to his relief, it did not. This would be easy. 

The game of cat and mouse began as the blonde ran in circles around the monster, firing off shot after shot to get rid of the extra arms. It grew weakened and more desperate as it broke into a rampage, tossing aside everything in its way, and chasing Leon down to the ground floor of the laboratory. 

When it stopped near a gas canister, Leon seized the moment by pulling the pin on his grenade and hurling it at the creature. The canister exploded in a shower of flames as the B.O.W lit up like a Christmas tree. It shrieked an ear piercing scream, movements getting all jittery as it slowly got incinerated. 

Smouldering corpse dropped to the floor and Leon spared it one last glance before continuing his mission. His report was going to be another long one. 

---------

There was so much going on around him. Yet another self-destruct sequence was triggered and the building was on fire. The surrounding air grew uncomfortably warm and the grey smoke was threatening to smother him. He was also bone tired and had a gnawing hunger in his stomach too. But Leon could not falter now, not when he was so close. His chopper ride was right in front of him as he kicked open the door and burst onto the rooftop. With a surge of adrenaline, Leon ran and leapt off the building, grabbing the ladder that dangled off the chopper. 

His arms protested in pain from the force of yanking on the ropes as he was successfully evacuated. His old shoulder wound was going to be terribly sore after this. He grunted as the winds swirled around him and he made the climb into sanctuary. 

“Aurum checking in,” Leon said as he laid on the floor of the chopper, exhausted and spent. He had new codenames for every mission and this time, he quite liked it. Not too pretentious and nothing that would give away his identity. 

Hunnigan’s voice rang in his headset, “Good job, Aurum. Glad to see you’re in one piece. Looking forward to your report.”

“Noted. I’m going to rest for a while. Do you mind letting A know I’m coming home? Aurum out.”

Hunnigan had become acquainted with Ada in the past few months and while his spouse wasn’t privy to confidential information about his missions, Hunnigan did notify her whenever Leon was coming home.

“Of course. Have a good rest, Aurum.”

Leon closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep despite how noisy the chopper’s whirring blades were. He dreamt of Ada teasing him with a coy smile before allowing him to take her into his arms. 

A nudge to his shoulder awoke Leon some time later and he found Dr. James in his protective gear kneeling over him. “I can stitch up the wound on your forehead after we run your blood work.”

Pushing himself up off the ground, the blonde agent followed his physician to the decontamination chamber and examination room. It was time to serve out his quarantine. 

---------

Fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard as Leon wrote down every single detail from his recent mission. After a good night’s sleep, he was energised enough to begin his report. When he reached a good stopping point, he decided to take a break for today. 

Glancing at his watch, he saw it was dinner time. Right on cue, the bell to his room rang. Leon opened the door and picked up the takeout box on the table just outside his room. From the scent, it smelled meaty. Barbecue or rotisserie chicken maybe? 

His thoughts went to Ada who would be on the way home from work at this hour. He would call her after he ate. It was pretty late when his preliminary medical examination concluded yesterday and he slept in this morning, leaving him no opportunity to hear her voice. They did exchange a few flirty text messages though. 

He dropped her a request to do a video call when he was done with dinner. She responded promptly and her face appeared on his screen soon after. Her hair was damp and she wore a bathrobe, looking like a beautiful vision in his eyes. 

“Hi, gorgeous. Did you just get out of the shower?”

“Hey, handsome. You called at the right time. I was going to start making some dinner,” Ada replied before doing a double take. “What happened to your forehead?”

He touched the bandage above his eyebrow. “Got hit by a rock and the skin split open. It’s not that bad.”

Ada pursed her lips as she made her way downstairs, stopping as she looked down and picked up a fluffy orange cat. “Cobalt misses you, by the way. He has been sleeping on your side of the bed.”

The cat grabbed onto the lapel of her robe, pulling it down ever so slightly and revealing the top of her cleavage. Leon blushed a little as he felt his pants tighten. “Give him a kiss for me.”

His spouse obliged and kissed the top of the ginger cat’s head before setting him down on the floor and taking a seat at the kitchen counter. 

“Everything alright so far?” 

She nodded, “Same as always.” There was a small pause as she continued, “I was thinking of having date night at home when you’re done. I don’t want to waste any more time…” His wife was looking at him all seductively as she opened up the top of her robe just a little more. 

His mouth went dry as he became lost for words. She always had that effect on him. No matter how many times they’ve made love, he would go weak in the knees when she behaved sultrily. 

“Are you blushing, Leon? It’s not the first time you’ve seen me almost naked.”

“You don’t know how alluring you are, Ada,” he replied as there was now some discomfort in his pants from the rapidly hardening erection straining against the fabric. His spouse merely leaned toward the camera and let him get a glimpse of the gap between the robe & her body. She was nude underneath and it was now borderline painful that they could not give into their passions in person. 

Ada pulled away with a smirk and began to take out leftovers from the fridge and a plate from the cabinet. “I am looking forward to our reunion. I hope you can hold out till then…”

“You definitely love to tease me.”

She just continued to smile at him. “Because you look so cute when you’re all flustered, Mr. Kennedy.”

“Hmm, I should learn to take a page out of your book then.” Leon said coyly in return as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head to show off his biceps. 

His spouse regarded him with curiosity and accepted his challenge. “I look forward to it.”

---------

Leon could smell the scent of pizza wafting from the kitchen as he entered the house. He heard the bell jingle as a flash of orange turned the corner and Cobalt trotted up to him excitedly, rubbing his legs. He picked up the ginger cat and carried him to the kitchen where Ada was tossing some salad in a bowl. She was dressed simply in a pair of pajama pants and a sweater with an apron wrapped around her torso. 

“Welcome back, handsome.” She wiped her hands on a towel and embraced her beloved, planting a quick kiss and being careful not to squish their cat. 

“Anything you need help with?” He asked as he let the cat jump out of his arms and wander off. She gestured to the cabinets, “Could you help take out the plates and utensils please?”

“Gladly.” He laid out the required items before hugging Ada from the back. She smiled once more and chided him playfully, “I can’t serve dinner if I’m trapped against a counter.” Even though she could easily free herself from this position, she allowed her husband to have some fun. 

Leon merely pressed a kiss on her temple, “Just giving you some support with my presence.” His hands rubbed her arms sensually before resting them on her wide hips, feeling the curves underneath the fabric. 

“I think you’re just trying to distract me.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” His voice was a little husky in her ear but the moment got interrupted when his stomach rumbled. 

Ada laughed and turned around in his embrace, lightly tapping his nose, “You’ll need some energy first before you can ravish me.” Leon responded by giving her a lingering kiss before reaching behind her to grab the salad bowl. 

At least dinner was simple and easy to consume. They spent a lot of it quipping innuendoes at each other and getting a little touchy-feely. When they finally loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Leon picked up his wife by the waist and lifted her onto the island counter. Ada wrapped her legs around him instantly as he showered hot kisses on her neck and reached underneath the sweater to pull it off her hot body. 

He was fingering the straps of her red bra when his phone’s ringtone interrupted their make out session. The blonde ignored it at first as he reached behind Ada’s back to unclasp the bra, giving him a sight of her fair breasts. 

When the ringing refused to stop, Ada sighed and gently disengaged, reaching over the counter to grab his phone. The way her muscles stretched made her look incredibly sexy and he really wanted to take her right then and there. 

Holding the mobile in front of his face, Leon was forced to take the call. Once again, brows furrowed upon listening to the caller’s instructions which indicated that he had to leave his beloved Ada once more. 

“At least you got to eat this time,” his wife said when he finally got off the phone. Leon pouted as he hugged his half naked wife and gently palmed her breast. 

“I should give you something to tide you over until I return,” he murmured as his mouth descended onto her dark nipple and he gingerly scraped the bud with his teeth. Ada let out a soft moan and her fingers sought purchase within his blonde locks, tugging the hair strands when he nipped and sucked her tits the way she liked. Her nipples rapidly peaked within his talented mouth and delicious tingling sensations shot down her spine. 

His hand cupped her nether regions through her pants and his thumb lightly pressed on her clit. At least the fabric was thin enough for her to feel his touch. She bucked against him as she wanted more and he acquiesced. 

Ada’s face was flushed when Leon was done with his ministrations. “Well now I feel obligated to return the favour…” She scooted off the counter and pressed her body against him, capturing his lips once more as her hands undid his pants. 

With a tug, they sagged to his knees and Ada pushed him to sit on the dining chair before kneeling down to free his manhood from his underwear. Before he could register what was happening, he felt his wife’s warm, moist mouth engulf his length and her slick tongue licking him slowly. There was no teasing today, he was on a tight schedule after all. 

“Ada…” Leon muttered as it was now his turn to caress her hair. The blonde did not think he would miss fellatio this much but now he was slowly losing control. He felt himself hit the back of her throat and then a little further. That was new. 

Her throat contracted around his girth as she continued to suck, coaxing him towards orgasm. “Oh god…” He moaned as her tongue swiped the underside of his cock and when she took another swallow, he just lost it right then and there. 

His wife gladly licked him dry as he came and when he stopped shuddering, Ada pulled away with glee. She helped him pull up his underwear and pants before kissing him once more. Leon did not mind tasting himself on her lips as he savoured every ounce of affection she bestowed. 

“I hope that’s enough motivation to slay monsters, handsome.”

“It’s more than enough. Now I can’t wait to properly fuck you when I return,” he replied as he helped his wife get dressed. This time, he departed in much greater spirits. 

---------

Ada was getting ready to leave for work when her phone rang on the last day of Leon’s quarantine. She saw her husband’s name on the display and had a feeling it was going to be unfavourable news again. Such was the nature of being a government agent. His texts were a little sporadic this time and he was not keen on video calls. She figured he was exhausted. Going on back to back missions would be draining, after all. When he was recharged, she would be here for him. They had all the time in the world, after all. 

“Good morning, Leon,” she greeted him after swiping the screen to accept the call. 

“Morning, Ada…”

There was a long silence and she asked, “Is everything alright?”

A drawn out sigh was heard on the other end. “Do you want the good news or bad news?”

“Bad news then.”

“I need to do overtime to finish up some paperwork since I’ve been away for so long.”

Thank goodness it was not another mission. “But no fieldwork, right?”

“Mm hmm. Good news is no fieldwork and I’ll be given a few days off once I’m done with overtime.”

“At least we’ll still be in the same state,” she replied as she picked up her phone and headed out of the door. 

There was another pause, and Ada thought she heard a huff of annoyance. "I thought you’ll be a little more disappointed that our plans keep getting disrupted.” There was a tinge of bitterness in his voice. 

“That’s the nature of your job. I’ve grown to accept it when I married you, handsome.” Ada opened the door to her car and got in, strapping her phone to the holder on the dashboard and putting in her earpiece to continue the call. She turned the keys to the ignition and allowed the engine to warm up a bit. 

Leon snapped back bitingly, “I don’t think you’ve changed since marrying me, Ada.”

His outburst caught her off guard and she glared at the phone. “I won’t be spoken to like that, Kennedy. Did something happen?” The change in his demeanour was perplexing as he was in such a cheerful mood during their last meeting. He would not act like this unless the mission went south.

“Other than seeing more people die, everything’s just peachy…”

Her heart broke for him and she wished she was there personally to soothe his pain. “I’m sorry that happened to you, handsome. Is there-” She got interrupted by the hiss and pop of a can and she could hear Leon chugging it. 

“Are you drinking?” Ada asked worriedly as she pulled out of the driveway. 

He scoffed, “What are you, my mother? And shouldn’t you be a little impatient to see me instead of going to work?”

In the past, Ada would have gladly dropped everything if she was still an independent contractor but now, she was gainfully employed. She took pride in her work. 

If that was how he wanted to behave, she would not be his punching bag any longer. “I know you’re upset but I don’t appreciate that you’re taking it out on me. Until we can have a proper conversation, I am ending the call now.”

“Of course you run away,” she heard him take another swig from his beer can, “when things get dicey. You haven’t changed.”

Ada was dismayed by his response and hung up. How dare he say she did not change! Being a dutiful wife had never been on the cards when she was a spy. Didn’t he know how much he affected her life back in Raccoon City? Falling in love with Leon Scott Kennedy changed everything. 

She was tempted to exhibit some road rage but all her years of training to control her emotions prevented her from lashing out. The ex-spy merely exhaled loudly through her nose and took a deep breath, filing this incident into another part of her thoughts to revisit later. 

---------

There was radio silence from him since yesterday and Ada went about her morning with a slight emptiness in her heart.  She will not reach out to him until he apologised. 

Upon reaching the office, her supervisor, Mary, informed her that she had to go down to the DSO for a meeting since the staff who was supposed to attend it was feeling unwell. Ada took the clipboard and glanced at the meeting agenda. A frown appeared when she read her husband’s name. “Wouldn’t there be a conflict of interest? I am his spouse after all.”

Mary shook her head, “This has been cleared by the director. You are not handling any purchases or signing agreements with the DSO for this meeting. There is no COI.”

Ada remained silent with a pensive look on her face and Mary probed a bit with concern, “Trouble at home?”

She almost responded with a piercing glower out of habit. Her private life was just that, private. Instead, she gave a look that said she did not want to talk about it. Ada decided that she will conduct the meeting professionally, separating work from personal matters. 

Mary’s gaze softened. Even though Ada was known to be quite a force to be reckoned with and having nerves of steel, she could sense some form of unease radiating from her. “We could always postpone it until-”

“I will go ahead as planned,” Ada said calmly as she strode off to her desk to pack a briefcase of files and stationery.

Meanwhile, at the DSO, Leon Kennedy was feeling a headache forming at the sight of the never-ending stacks of reports piling up on his desk. Even though he worked almost non-stop yesterday, it felt like he barely made a dent in his workload. Good thing he now had a small office to himself so he could curse out loud without disturbing anyone else. 

He strode over to the window and opened it, allowing a bit of fresh air to stream in. The room was still a bit musty from weeks of disuse, after all. Almost immediately, he could hear the AC cut off thanks to him activating the window sensor. The blonde turned back to his desk and glanced briefly at the framed photograph of him and Ada on their wedding day. 

A whirlwind of emotions coursed through him. God, why did he pick a fight with her? She probably would not want to forgive him now. Going after her like that after his gruelling debriefing was a cheap shot. Sitting there and listening to his superiors berate him for the body count took a toll on his psyche. Leon really should have gotten a grip on his emotions before the phone call with his wife. 

At the same time, he wished Ada showed some neediness instead of being so level headed at his absence. It had been almost two months since they spent quality time together. Did she even miss him at all? What’s the point of being married if his wife was so unflappable? Just once, he wanted to be fawned and fussed over. 

He sighed and angled the photo slightly away from him so he would not be too distracted by his thoughts. The blonde got down to work, reading through the multitude of emails that kept entering his inbox. He tried to clear it during quarantine but his expertise was well sought after by many parties, hounding him with email after email. 

A pop up on his desktop reminded him of a  biowarfare meeting with a BSAA personnel in half an hour. He wondered who it could be, Chris or his spouse, Jill? Those were the only two people he knew from that organisation who were typically sent out to meet others.  Whoever it was, he would find out later as he squeezed in some time to reply to some urgent queries. 

A knock on his office door fifteen minutes later interrupted him and he called out, “Enter.” The door handle jiggled and one of his co-workers, Jin-hee, opened the door. 

“Hey, you have a visitor from the BSAA. I’m going to let her in, alright?”

Leon shook his head, “I appreciate her punctuality but please show her in at the appointed time. I still have some work to do.”

His colleague nodded, “I’ll just let her continue waiting in the lobby then.”

Outside at the entrance of level five, Ada sat on a bench in a prim and proper posture, exuding confidence and professionalism. Even though she acknowledged those who walked past her with a polite nod of her head, they gave her a wide berth as she exuded a vibe that indicated she was not in the mood for small talk. The DSO staff who escorted her in felt like he was going to disintegrate under her penetrating scrutiny too. 

She turned her head upon hearing footsteps rounding the corner and stood up when she saw Jin-hee. He motioned her to take a seat though. “Apologies, Mdm. Wong. I’m afraid Mr. Kennedy is still not done with his current appointment. I will escort you in at ten o’clock.”

Ada nodded in response. It was surprising how her husband was sticking so rigidly to his office schedule. He was never in a rush on the battlefield but she surmised he had a lot of paperwork to complete. Well, if it meant delaying their “get-together”, she was sure he would be relieved. Given how he did not contact her this morning, he probably wanted to avoid her… for now. 

No point dwelling on that, she ought to take the time to go through the agenda once more. It was mostly a discussion on ways to take down bioweapons and known patrons of the black market. 

She jotted down some points on the sheet when someone cleared his throat from beside her. “Pardon me, Mdm. Wong. Mr. Kennedy is ready to see you now. Please follow me.”

Meandering through the various open concept cubicles, Ada did a quick glance of the office floor. Most of the workers appeared to have their heads buried into their laptops but she could sense them peering at her from the corner of their eyes. Everyone was well trained here, including her. They were all silently sizing each other up and the ex-spy maintained her poised stance. Eventually, the atmosphere changed into a relaxed manner as they acknowledged the other party’s expertise. 

She was then led down a narrow passageway of rooms that had name plaques on them. Scanning through the names, she finally located Leon’s at the end of the corridor. 

Jin-hee knocked on the solid wooden door and called out, “Leon, the BSAA staff is here.”

“Okay. Thanks, Jin-hee.”

His colleague gestured to the door and Ada murmured a soft thanks before he scurried away. She waited till he was out of earshot before she opened it. Ada was quite certain her husband would exclaim upon seeing her and it could potentially cause a scene. 

She knocked and heard him asking her to enter. Taking a deep breath, her hand rested on the handle and she tugged it down, pushing the door forward. She was greeted by an empty chair before her eyes panned to the right where Leon Kennedy was seated. He was dapper in a light grey shirt, red tie, and a navy blue jacket. 

His eyes were still fixated on the computer screen as he was speed typing a final response on the keyboard. Ada took the opportunity to look around his office as she closed the door behind her. It was small and a bit cramped, with filing cabinets that were ajar and filled to the brim with documents. Not as neat or spacious as his home office and the air felt slightly humid and smelled a little stale too. 

The setup reminded her of old detective shows from the 50s which was not surprising, given how he used to train as a cop. If the Raccoon City incident did not happen, he could have the potential to be a sleuth now. More papers littered his desk and she noticed a photo frame angled toward a bookshelf instead of facing him. Hm, at least the photo was not face down on the table. 

The typing ended and Leon sent the email. “Sorry about that, I-” he looked up and saw his beautiful wife dressed smartly in a coral coloured two piece blazer and skirt suit. Blue-grey eyes widened in shock. “Ada? What are you doing here?!” He realised his last sentence came out a little harsher than he intended as Ada regarded him coolly. 

“I’m your ten o’clock appointment from the BSAA.”

His face must have twisted into confusion as Ada raised an eyebrow, “I am on the whitelist and have cleared security.” She strode forward and pulled out the chair in front of his desk before taking a seat. “Let’s get down to work, shall we? To keep things professional, you will address me as ‘Mdm. Wong’ and leave our personal lives out of the conversation.”

Leon had to admit that he was a tad disheartened that she was not identifying herself as ‘Mrs. Kennedy’ but nonetheless relieved she was wearing her wedding ring and did not use ‘Miss’ as a prefix. 

“… Alright then.” He made room on the desk by picking up a few stacks of files and dumping them on a stool beside the bookshelf. Ada merely opened the briefcase on her lap and laid her notes on top of it, opting to ignore the space on the table. 

That did not go unseen by Leon and he noted that his wife was probably still displeased with him. 

“Do you mind if I take off my jacket before we begin? It’s a little stuffy in here,” Ada asked as she was ready to pop the buttons off her blazer. 

The blonde knew that he would be thoroughly distracted by the tiniest hint of cleavage that peeked beneath her blouse and raised a hand. “Let me get the window for you, ma’am.” He rolled his chair back and reached behind to slam the window shut. The AC kicked in and hummed to life, blowing cold air into the room. 

“This is going to be a sharing session on B.O.W. termination methods and known individuals who patronise the black market,” Ada said as she clicked her pen. 

Leon linked his hands together on the table as he listened to her intently. “For termination, it depends on the type of bioweapon and the host. Is it a virus or parasite? Human, animal or an advanced gross mutation?”

Ada nodded in agreement, “Indeed. The common technique for humans would be a headshot, am I right?”

“Yes and not just any part of the head either. Preferably between the forehead,” he pointed to the spot above his brows. “Shooting them in the cheek just makes them look ghastlier,” Leon sniggered a little to himself as he recalled a zombie that struggled to moan while its jaw was barely hanging on. The sound it made was quite absurd, almost to the point of being funny. 

His wife still maintained a neutral expression, preferring to jot down some notes. “The same target area can be used for animals. Just that they are more mobile and harder to hit. Some are too big to be destroyed with a single bullet,” she added, remembering Leon talking about an alligator in the sewers of Raccoon City and a shark-like entity in Tall Oaks. “… and that’s where explosives come in to deliver more firepower.”

It was refreshing to see Ada work like this outside the field. So professional and charismatic with a tinge of charm. She would definitely not be out of place in a boardroom meeting. 

“Mr. Kennedy? Did you hear what I said?” Ada asked with slight bemusement. Less than five minutes and he was already spacing out?

“My apologies, could you repeat that?”

“I said that it’s a good thing that despite mosquitoes transmitting plenty of vector-borne diseases and causing a high number of human deaths yearly, there has been no evidence of them turning living things into B.O.Ws.”

The thought of that horrified him. It had never crossed his mind before. He hoped no scientist would try to turn mozzies into biohazard carriers. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

“And that’s why any correspondence about anti-biowarfare has to be kept confidential. Don’t want people getting ideas now, do we?” She eyed him with a fleeting grin that disappeared when his stare lingered too long on her luscious, ruby red lips. “Now, do you have anything more to add for infected creatures or can we move on to advanced mutations?”

With a shake of his head, they began to discuss the methods of defeating stronger enemy types. Mainly highlighting weak points like glowing spots, fissures, joints or other things that looked out of place. 

“If there are no obvious weak spots, scientists usually leave notes lying around that provide hints on how to destroy them,” Leon cited his Regenerador example and even though he had personally recounted his side of the story to her before, Ada still wrinkled her nose in disgust, glad that she only ran into the B.O.W’s corpse back in Spain. 

“And when we have zero knowledge of how to defeat one, the best option is just to run. No point wasting precious ammunition if they cannot be stopped,” Ada replied as scribbled down more remarks on her documents. 

Leon patiently waited for her to complete her scrawls and he could not help but admire his wife, liking the way her brows narrowed ever so slightly when she was concentrating. What was their argument again?

Without looking up from her files, she said, “You’re staring.”

“I was waiting for you to finish writing before I start talking,” the blonde countered smoothly. Sometimes he forgot how well trained she was, being able to detect a person’s gaze on her without giving any indication that she was aware of their scrutiny.

Ada made a small ‘hm’ as she was finishing her notetaking. “Alright, now that we are done with bioweapons, it is time to talk about black market personnel.” 

“I guess you might know more than I do about this,” Leon replied as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“Doesn’t hurt to compare notes first,” she mirrored his posture too and also crossed her legs, balancing the files carefully on her lap. “And I am quite sure you are pulling knowledge from our personal life into this.”

Ada spent a lot of effort to make sure what she knew was not public knowledge, at least, not amongst government agencies. Many corrupted officials in the past were willing to keep her name off the books in exchange that the dirt she had on them would never see the light of day. 

It was obvious they were now silently challenging each other but neither side was going to yield. The awkward tension in the air was borderline uncomfortable as well. Being so formal and courteous around each other just felt so unnatural. This tiff was just getting ridiculous.

“It felt like old times for a moment there, must have slipped into my previous habit,” Leon conceded in the end, knowing he did not have more time to waste with his growing mountain of paperwork. 

“I certainly do not miss the old days,” Ada relaxed a little as well after their standoff but something in her words triggered her husband, causing those blue-grey eyes to harden, making them a few shades darker than they usually were. She was taken aback and it was reminiscent of the time he choked her when he was under a Plaga’s influence. 

Leon felt himself tapping his arms irritably as he glowered at her, “Old days huh? Is that why you didn’t miss me at all? Disappearing when everything’s calm and then re-appearing at unexpected moments.”

If looks could kill, Ada’s eyes narrowed so dangerously and Leon felt as though lasers were going to shoot out from them. She spat acidly, “Are we really doing this right now?” 

His arms loosened from his torso and they rested on the table as he nodded back at her. 

In a composed manner, Ada packed her things into her briefcase and set it on the floor with a thud. With her chin held high, her voice was strong and unwavering. “What seems to be the problem here?”

Leon had a scathing retort ready but closed his mouth as quickly as he opened it. A small, rational part of his brain urged him to be civil. His wife remained patient, cupping her hands against her knee so she would not fidget. 

After a moment, the blonde decided he was tired of locking horns with his wife and chose to confide in her, “I am upset that you don’t seem frustrated that I’ve been sent on back-to-back missions. You don’t even ask about my well-being either when I return home.” 

Ada saw the change in his posture as he hunched over slightly and his gaze turned sorrowful. She had to be gentle now. “I am sorry for hurting you, Leon,” her voice took on a delicate tone. “Do you want to hear from my perspective?” 

All Leon could do was nod in response. 

“I feel that since you’re a grown man, and an extremely capable and experienced agent, you do not need to be fussed over. If I did not care about you, I would not look at the stats from your watch every time I wake up or before I go to sleep.”

Leon turned his wrist and glanced at the sturdy watch adorning it. The watch face was black while the hands and numbers were silver. The bottom of the watch had a digital display and he remembered toggling through various functions to showcase his vitals, elevation, direction, day, etc. His wife put a lot of thought into getting a set of matching wedding gifts that she too, had a similar one on her wrist. 

“What stats do you see?” 

“I mostly look at your pulse and blood pressure to make sure you’re still alive. And your current location as well so I know you’re making progress. If there are any anomalies, I would personally find you myself. I worry about you all the time when you’re on missions.”

Leon already knew what she would say but he wasn’t completely satisfied. “Hm. And can the watch read my mood?”

Ada shook her head. It finally dawned on her what an utter fool she was. How could she have missed all the signs?

He took a breath and sighed, “While I’m physically alright… mentally, it’s a hurricane inside.”

Ada leaned forward and looked into his eyes sincerely, “I take full responsibility for how my actions made you feel unwanted… What can I do to make things right?”

“I just want to hold you,” Leon whispered as he finally relented, accepting his beloved’s apology. 

Without hesitation, Ada got up and went around his desk before plopping herself down on his lap.  His arms immediately circled her waist in a vice grip and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into the crook of his neck. 

Leon pressed his lips against her temple, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo and he  was instantly comforted by her presence. 

The Kennedy couple spent the next few minutes just embracing in silence, occasionally rubbing their spouse’s back soothingly. No words were needed as they basked in each other’s companionship. 

After a while, Leon pulled away and said earnestly, “I want to apologise for my outburst over the phone. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you…”

Ada laid her warm palm against his cool cheek and stroked her thumb gently on the faint scar adorning his skin. “Would you be open to suggestions?”

The blonde nodded against her hand before laying a quick feather-light kiss on the fleshy bit of her palm. 

“I think you should go for therapy, handsome.”

He closed his eyes and huffed a bit. 

“You’ve been through a lot since you were twenty-one, Leon. I don’t want to see you keep hurting yourself drinking like what…” the words got caught in her throat as painful childhood memories resurfaced within her, “- like what my mother did.”

Leon had rarely heard Ada sound so vulnerable before and it tugged at his heartstrings, vowing to never make her feel this helpless again. He opened his eyes and muttered an affirmative. 

The blonde leaned in and rested his forehead on Ada’s before cradling her face. Their breaths mingled and it was inevitable that their lips met in a tender kiss. Ada responded with fervour, deepening it after a few moments and Leon reciprocated with equal passion. Hands roamed everywhere and Leon groaned when his wife lightly grinded against his crotch. Both were deprived of much needed intimacy and before Ada knew it, her back was on his wooden desk. 

“I need to make up for what I did…” Leon said huskily as his hand caressed the hem of her skirt. 

Ada could only grin and she merely kicked off her heels before placing one foot on his shoulder to halt him, “Do you mind drawing the blinds?” As thrilling as it was to have fun in his office, she did not want prying eyes to intrude on them in the throes of passion lest he get fired…

He agreed to the request and stepped back to tug on the string, allowing the blinds to fall and darken the room slightly. “Now, where was I?” He asked cheekily as his hands went back to her knees, feeling the soft skin beneath his fingertips.

“You were going to make it up to me,” Ada replied and already, she could feel her underwear getting a little damp from the anticipation. 

“Mm hmm.” 

Leon kept stroking her knees before he slowly pulled up her skirt to expose her bare thighs. His touch was delicate and gentle as he skimmed over the muscles underneath, remembering the way those shapely legs wrapped around his waist during lovemaking. The way they tightened along with her core during orgasm before turning to jelly. He was getting hard just thinking of the various ways he would get her to come.

As eager and impatient as she was to get to the main event, Ada allowed her husband to slowly take his time with her. Good things come to those who wait, after all.

His fingers trailed into her inner thighs, drawing circles on the skin before skimming over to her black lace panties. Ada whined a little when he skipped her clit altogether but was pleased when she felt him tugging on the waistband of her underwear. He merely chuckled at her reaction.

She automatically lifted her butt off the table to aid her husband in removing her panties. Leon tugged the garment off her and laid it on the table before gently nudging her knees apart. He was greeted by the sight of her glistening womanhood. 

“I am flattered, beautiful.”

“You have that effect on me, handsome.”

Leon smiled at the compliment and began to stroke her labia, feeling the moisture from her arousal gather at his fingertips. His wife let out a happy sigh and relaxed against the table from his touch. “Did you touch yourself while I was gone?”

Ada raised an eyebrow and replied coyly, “What do you think?”

“Touché.” He leaned down and captured her lips before slipping two fingers into her wet entrance. Ada’s back arched off the table and her moans were muffled against his mouth. She wrapped her arms around his strong back, wanting him to be as close to her as possible.

Leon braced himself against the table with his free hand, careful not to squash his wife beneath his weight. She was getting more slick with each passing second and he used the extra lubrication to repeatedly slide in and out of her slit, feeling her walls contract against his fingers. He had to do his best in multi-tasking now that he was lost in her kisses and also pleasuring her with his hands. 

Ada continued to quietly vocalise her approval and he alternated between gliding his two slicked fingers on either side of her clit before plunging his fingers back into her hot flesh. He was determined to make her come. 

He curled both fingers upward to play with the spot of textured flesh within her and his thumb came into the fray as it rubbed circles around her swollen clit. That proved to be her undoing and she quivered with immense pleasure, almost melting into the table. They finally pulled away for air as they caught their breaths. 

“I’m not done yet,” Leon muttered matter-of-factly as began to fumble for the zip located at the side of her hips. The skirt unravelled and he opened it like a blanket for her to rest on. The blonde took a seat and gingerly tugged those sexy legs forward till her pert ass was almost on the edge of the table. 

Carefully placing her thighs on his shoulders, he dove into her flushed sex and took an agonisingly slow swipe from bottom to top. 

“Oh God…” Ada panted. He barely gave her time to recover from his fingering and now he was giving her oral. If he kept this up, she was going to explode again pretty quickly. Emboldened by her reaction, Leon continued to deliver relentless kisses to her slit and clit, feeling the little bud engorge some more beneath his tongue. 

Her hands were now fisting at the skirt beneath her as she tried so desperately to hold out. As if sensing her resistance to the orgasm, the blonde moved away from her vagina and nuzzled her inner thigh instead. Ada sat up and admonished him, “Leon!” 

“I’m giving you a respite, dear. Don’t you want to enjoy this a little longer?” 

“I do but I want you inside me too…”

He smiled at her reassuringly, “Then relax and just enjoy this. I’ll give you more in the future.”

She nodded and laid her head back on the table, closing her eyes and doing slow inhales and exhales. Soon, she felt the tension leave her body and relaxed, surrendering herself to what he had planned. 

Leon trailed kisses from her thigh and down to her labia once more, sweeping his tongue from left to right and lightly brushing against her slick opening. Her hips jumped a bit from that teasing motion and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, drinking in her essence. She tasted just as sweet as ever and he would never get bored of it.

This time, Ada allowed a series of delicious sensations wash over her. Her pulse quickened and her breathing became more frequent and erratic. Leon was truly a man of many talents… 

While he was either stabbing his tongue through her moist folds or swiping it all around her slit, his thumb found its way back to the little bundle of nerves at the clitoral hood and he stroked it firmly in broad circles. 

Ada seized up once more and her vision went white as she rode out the second wave of release. When her eyes could finally focus again, she found her husband gazing at her with adoration. “You really know how to spoil me.”

“You deserve it,” he replied as he took a sip of water from the tumbler on his desk. His pants were now unbelievably tight as his erection was straining to be freed. Leon reached down to unbuckle his belt and he barely popped the button on his pants when there was a knock on his door.

“Agent Kennedy? It’s urgent, I’m coming in.”

The door handle rattled and Ada sprung up, deftly snatching her panties and skirt off his desk before rolling off and ducking under the table in a split second. If the situation was not so urgent, Leon would have continued to admire her sleek flexibility. She managed to grab her fallen heels just as Leon scooted his chair inwards, feeling it press up against Ada’s form. It was a good thing his desk was enclosed on three sides and fully flushed to the floor. No one would be any the wiser. 

The door creaked open and he recognised the man to be one of the trainers. He struggled to remember his colleague’s last name but recalled his first name starting with a ‘G’. Gerald? Gregory? Georgios! 

“How can I help, Agent Georgios?” Leon asked as he felt Ada shift from his knee to between his legs. The raven haired woman laid her skirt on the floor and proceeded to sit cross legged on it as she waited for this interruption to end. 

Georgios looked apologetic as he stepped into the room, “I know you just got back but could you approve the latest cadets for probationary field work?” He saw a briefcase beside the empty chair. “Sorry, do you have a visitor?”

“From the BSAA, yes. She went to use the restroom.” At his remark, Ada rolled her eyes and as she gazed at his crotch from her vantage point, a wicked idea formed in her mind. She reached up and gently stroked the bulge on her husband’s pants. Leon stiffened his legs as he tried to close his knees but Ada was holding them open. What on earth was she doing?? 

Leon got his answer when he felt his pants zipper get slowly pulled down. Was she serious?! He prayed that his co-worker did not hear anything unusual. 

“That scary-hot lady in orange earlier?” Ada paused her stroking of Leon’s hard-on as she too, was curious on what this man was saying about her. “She was the walking definition of ‘if looks could kill’. I saw a ring so I guess she’s taken. Lucky man.”

Leon gave a small grin, “I guess so.” He then felt Ada slide her fingers through the split in front of his briefs and grasp at his manhood, bringing it out into the open air. He shifted ever so uncomfortably in his seat. 

Georgios thought the blonde’s discomfort stemmed from agreeing with him that the BSAA visitor was beautiful. “Lighten up, Kennedy. You’re not cheating on your wife if you think she’s pretty.”

Ada took the opportunity to put her husband in a tough spot by brushing her lips on the tip, her wet tongue teasing the glans in a feather light touch. 

His breath hitched in his throat and he closed his eyes to compose himself. With a quick exhale, he looked at Georgios in a no-nonsense manner. “It just so happens that she is my spouse.”

Leon was rewarded with a lick on the sensitive ridge on the underside of his cock and his manhood involuntary jerked in response. 

There was a brief moment of silence before Georgios stammered out an apology. “I wish my partner would surprise me at work too."

“This is probably a… one time thing…” Leon dragged out his reply when Ada finally took him into her mouth. She hollowed her cheeks and began to suck him quietly. 

Georgios went back to the task at hand, “Anyway, do you think the cadets can go to the field? The higher ups are pushing for more active agents.” 

“If their performance is to my satisfaction.” Leon was trying very hard to concentrate when Ada was varying the tempo and laved her tongue on the entirety of his rigid length. “It’ll be a waste of resources if they all die because of a mishap.”

He remembered the castigation from his superiors on his latest debriefing and it was a good thing he was being thoroughly distracted by his wife’s talented mouth to even feel an ounce of disappointment right now. 

If he approved all the rookies and they failed on the first mission, it would be his head on the chopping block. The higher ups could wait a damn while longer. 

Ada noticed the change in her husband’s demeanour and was determined to keep him in a good mood. Her hands glided along his thigh with practised ease, knowing how he was sensitive there. 

Leon definitely felt horny at that moment and the blood was rushing everywhere but his brain. He had to force his lips to remain in a thin line when they would rather hang open and slack with pleasure. 

Georgios mistakenly thought his words were making his colleague relieve a bad memory. He had heard rumours that Leon was recently chewed out from his latest mission. Damn, this was bad timing. “You’re right. If we lose all of them, we’ll be forever stuck in a loop of recruiting a fresh batch of cannon fodder. Maybe approve whomever passes your strict criteria.”

“That’s the plan.” Leon could feel Ada slowing down her movements and impatiently drumming her fingers on his knee. 

“Thanks. I’ll take my leave before your missus gets back.” Georgios retreated out of the room and swung the door shut behind him. 

His wife released him with a wet pop and Leon rolled his chair back, glancing at Ada’s rosy cheeks and mischievous grin. “You’re being a bad wife,” he mock scolded her but his eyes were full of mirth. 

“Perhaps you should punish me then.” Was her reply as she stretched out her legs, giving him a tantalising view of her womanhood. 

As much as he wanted to roll around on the floor with her, Leon reached down to help his wife up and he planted a swift kiss before walking towards the door. The lock engaged with a loud click. 

He turned back and saw Ada perching on his desk and crossing one leg across her knee, accentuating the roundness of her hips. Both his pants and underwear were left discarded on the floor within seconds as he hurriedly returned to his wife while he tugged the jacket off his torso. 

Their lips came crashing into one another once more as Leon unbuttoned her blazer, peeling it off and leaving her in just a crisp white blouse. A surge of desire knifed through him as an image of her bent over his desk appeared in his mind. 

“Turn around…” he asked and she complied. He plucked off a cushion from his chair and placed it on the desk in front of his wife to make her more comfortable. 

The craving inside Ada was now on the verge of bursting as her legs and hips shifted restlessly while she got comfy. The sight of her wiggling her butt only made him even more aroused as his cock brushed up against the top of her ass. 

“Hmm…” The disparity in height was going to be an issue but he got another idea as he eyed her footwear on the floor. “Wear your heels, beautiful.”

She could only smile, “How kinky.” Her feet slipped into the heels easily and the additional inches now allowed Leon’s manhood to align perfectly against her entrance. 

Leon slid between her legs in a slow rocking motion, eliciting a throaty groan from her as she bucked up against him. 

“Patience, dear.” He was coating himself with her essence and also getting himself nice and hard for the intercourse. It was a prelude for things to come and her thighs were a close mimic to the real deal, much to Ada’s chagrin. She rather he just got on with it already! 

Once he was all worked up, he grasped her lush backside and slowly eased himself in. Ada’s eyes nearly crossed from sheer pleasure while Leon was amazed how snug her walls were hugging his shaft in this angle. 

When he was fully sheathed inside her, he took the chance to lean down and shower more kisses on her neck while one of his hands plucked at the buttons of her blouse, splaying it open. His fingers slipped under her bra to play with a hardened nipple, pinching the brown bud lightly as he felt his wife shudder once more. Ada was practically melting like putty under his touch and she gave into all the affections that he was lavishing upon her. 

He pulled out almost all the way before driving in at a languid pace, over and over again. Sounds of his wife’s throaty whimpers and the wet smacking of their hips filled the room which spurred Leon to give it his all. The grip on her ass cheek became firmer, leaving red finger marks on her snowy skin. 

“Fuck, you’re so tight in this position,” he whispered into her ear as Ada squeezed him with her pelvis, giving him extra pressure on his cock. He reflexively twitched his length within her and she gasped when it stimulated another spot she did not know about. 

“Do that again…” She begged and he obeyed, twitching once more as he slipped out and continued their fornication. “Harder…!”

Leon yielded to each demand and felt the tremors quivering down her legs. Sensation was building within him and a fire was now concentrating in his belly, threatening to incinerate at a moment’s notice. He was getting closer and he increased his speed, not letting himself slide out as much as before. 

Ada was still vocalising her delight with each thrust and one of her hands reached up to grasp his arm that was on her chest. She was holding onto him for dear life and on the final push, she exploded into sheer ecstasy for the third time with a cry of his name on her lips. 

Leon lost control soon after and his manhood erupted, flooding her vagina with his seed. He sunk his teeth into her shoulder as he emptied himself into her over and over, almost never ending. 

The couple collapsed in a collective heap on his desk as they still spasmed from aftershocks of their lingering orgasms. Ada felt Leon’s heart pounding against her back and his ragged breathing took a minute to normalise. She was blinking away the stars in her eyes when he tried to pull out but her core was still tensed up. Both moaned at the intense friction of his manhood rubbing up against her walls when he eased his way out inch by inch. 

If they did not have work to do, there would surely be a round two… or more. 

Leon gently pulled his wife up and turned her around. Her raven hair was slightly damp with perspiration as it plastered on her forehead and almost all the lipstick was gone from her dainty mouth. His shirt, on the other hand, was drenched in sweat. She did not care about their appearances as she hugged him close. “That was incredible, Leon.”

“Indeed… I think I’ll forgo overtime and come home tonight for an encore.”

Laughter bubbled from her, “We never did quite finish our meeting either.”

“How about we conclude it over lunch?” 

The next few minutes were spent dressing each other up to look presentable. Luckily Leon had a set of spare clothes in his drawer and he now donned a matching white top like his wife. Ada had to playfully swat away his hand when he began to grope her butt over the skirt. “You need to get back to work, Mr. Kennedy.”

“Just brushing away some lint, Mrs. Kennedy.”

She rolled her eyes as she helped to fasten his tie and flatten the creases on his jacket. When they were fully clothed, he thumbed a switch on his desk and the bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a secret exit. 

While unexpected, Ada was not too surprised by this. Her previous line of work had desensitised her to hidden entryways. 

He provided an explanation nonetheless, “I’m frequently called away on missions at a moment’s notice that they decided to give me an office with a private entrance.”

“That’s handy.” She said as she picked up her briefcase and took his outstretched hand. 

They stepped through the archway and the motion sensor lights activated, illuminating a short L-shaped corridor. The bookshelf rolled back into place behind them. Both of them followed the lights and as they turned the corner, an elevator greeted them. Now Ada was impressed. 

“It skips even numbered floors. You didn’t think they would make me run down so many flights of stairs now, would you?” Her husband remarked upon seeing the admiration on her face. 

The couple stepped into the elevator and Leon punched the button for the basement. “What would you like to eat, Ada?”

Her stomach growled at the mention of food. Their intense lovemaking definitely worked up an appetite. “Something with rice. How about sushi?”

“That sounds good.” The elevator chimed upon reaching their destination and the doors opened up to the parking garage. 

The Kennedys enjoyed an early lunch before parting with the promise of a spectacular night at home. 

---------

Leon had managed to squeeze in time after lunch to contact the in-house psychiatrist and was immediately put on leave for his lingering trauma. The shrink was appalled that the blonde agent was being made to work overtime after such a punishing mission. Even though he had cleared the physical check up, there was zero assessment done on his mental state. Leon felt relieved that he could make good on his promise to his wife as he got off work on time. 

Now, he had the most magnificent view of Ada’s breasts bouncing in rhythm with her movements. He drank in the sight of her once more, forever mesmerised by her form. His hands roamed everywhere, down her smooth back, the dip in her hips, and then the curve in her ass. It had been a while since he saw her in the nude. She was relentless as she gripped his shoulders, letting him glide in and out of her soaking core, stimulating the pleasurable spots within her. 

Dinner was left forgotten in the oven as Ada was preoccupied with riding Leon, slapping her hips against his repeatedly. They had practically jumped on each other when Leon arrived home, shedding their clothes in rapid time before she shoved him on the sofa and eagerly impaled herself on his rigid length. Their cat was thankfully still asleep somewhere. 

While they took their time in the office, Ada was currently impatient and wanting, the temptress in her unleashed as she was focused on having her fill of her husband’s cock. 

“Twitch for me,” she said commandingly and he granted her wish. Feeling her walls grip him tightly once more. God, how did she get so snug? Does not having sex for a couple of months do that?

It did not matter now, they were reunited at last. Her nipple brushed against his lips and he took it into his mouth, eliciting an airy “Oh!” from her. His teeth raked against the bud and it always made him pleased when it hardened under his tongue. He released it and gave the same treatment on her other breast. Ada slowed down her motions, lazily rutting against him as she relished being pleasured in two places at once. 

Even though she had reduced the intensity of her movements, the fire was burning brightly in his belly again with her muscles still clenching around him. “I’m going to come soon…” he rasped as she growled a bit. 

“Not yet, not yet. I’m not done.” She moved again with determination, grinding the tip of his manhood on her G-spot. 

Leon could barely hold back the rushing tide of his orgasm and he reached up, pulling her body down before rolling them onto the carpeted floor with his wife on her back, still joined. 

Both her legs automatically wrapped around his waist; just the way he loved it, and he withdrew his manhood before roughly plunging it inside. Ada was practically shrieking with delight as he drove into her repeatedly at a furious pace. 

“You’re completely irresistible…” he panted between thrusts before reaching down to stimulate her sensitive and swollen flesh. It didn’t take long for her legs to squeeze his waist as she trembled with bliss from head to toe, murmuring a mixture of words that consisted of “Oh yes!” and “Leon!”

Her name spilled from his lips continuously and he came hard once more before leaning down to kiss her passionately. Her nails raked down his back and he was too caught up in the throes of passion to even register the stinging sensation. 

Both pulled apart for breath and Leon slumped down, bringing them to cuddle on their sides. His hand reached up to stroke her cheek before he gently touched foreheads, “That was one hell of a welcome home greeting, beautiful.”

She leaned into his palm and smiled, “You got me all worked up the entire afternoon with thoughts of you.”

“I spent a portion of the afternoon going for a preliminary therapy session.”

If there was any surprise, his wife did not show it. Instead, she continued to beam at him. “I’m proud of you, Leon.”

Both their stomachs rumbled and they chortled with laughter. “Let’s get started with dinner,” he said as he carefully disengaged from his wife. 

They slipped on their undergarments before tucking into a hearty dinner, discussing potential destinations for their honeymoon. With their first marital crisis resolved, the couple was confident they would be able to tackle anything in their marriage as long as they were together.