#still don’t know if I’m going to have Mac waking up after the explosion at the manor and trying to find his way home or not

[appalachianapologies]

y’all i love you all so much but when i said “essay” i seriously meant it 😂😭 you have absolutely no obligation to read this because it is SO long but if you do, i’d love to hear your thoughts lmao. uhhhhhh i apologize in advance

So basically Mac dies in 5x15 (can we get an F in the chat)- when he flatlines they can’t get him back and so rip Mac you will be missed. Except then he “wakes” up in the forest right as he gets shot in the leg in 3x13. Because there’s something currently trying to murder him, Mac puts the whole “what happened” thing on the backburner and ends up fighting off what’s his face like he did in canon. Riley and Boze find him and much to Mac’s surprise, act the same way they did when this happened earlier.

But he’s in a lot of pain so mac is like “ok well surely i must be hallucinating or I’m just having weird lucid dreams because my brain is being starved of oxygen” and plus he has a bullet in his leg so he kind of has other pressing matters. Anyway riley and boze bring him back to the phoenix in the same way that they did the first time and mac’s kind of getting weirded out, and then before he goes into surgery he spots jack and mac is like “!!!!!!”

He starts being like “you can’t go after kovacs, you can’t do this, you have to stay,” etc. Much like Mac, Jack doesn’t have a lot of time to focus on this because Mac still has a bullet in his leg and his hand is all burned so he just kind of waves it off and tries to comfort mac before surgery.

After, though, Jack is like “how did u know, how do you even know about kovacs in the first place?” And Mac, realizing that he absolutely cannot tell anyone that he thinks he’s just gone back in time and has already lived these days, makes up a quick lie that he was suspicious bc of how jack was acting so he looked into it and how he’s sorry and should’ve asked, but Jack accepts that as the truth (bc like why wouldn’t he?). Mac basically spends the entirety of his recovery trying to convince jack to stay without giving too much away like the fact that Kovacs is in fact dead and it’s Anya Vitez who’s parading around as him.

Luckily Jack decides to stay and mac is like “yay :)” and he thinks that maybe this is good, whatever the hell happened to him that put him back two years. Because Jack is going to stay with the team and thus hopefully stay alive, Mac decides to not push the whole “I think I time traveled” thing, and just decides to settle into this world/timeline/whatever. 

He still does some weird things like ask Riley to find Desiree Nguyen but not tell anybody, and give Bozer some oddly specific advice for Leanna, stuff like that. He knows what’s going to happen to Charlie soon, so Mac immediately tries to contact him and tries to remember as much as he can about the initial explosion that got Charlie taken in the first place. With the Phoenix resources he looks up as much as he can about Eliot Mason and tries to predict what he’ll do if he isn’t able to grab Charlie.

Mac sees this as a second chance, as the ability to fix everything that went wrong the first time. Mac is like “holy shit I can literally save people” and he totally can but there are. Hmm. consequences. 

A few months later around the Murdoc + Helman + Hit episode (where mac knows suspiciously a lot about where Helman could be hiding) Mac starts to get these headaches. They’re like not quite migraines—don’t have the same symptoms like halos and stuff—but they feel much much worse than just normal headaches. Mac chalks them up to stress bc he’s been trying to save all of the people that he couldn’t, all while keeping an eye out on what’s happening with Desi bc he doesn’t know what’s going ot happen in the timeline if she never comes to the Phoenix.

But then one night Mac’s chest starts feeling really tight, like really really tight, to the point where he can’t really breathe. He assumes it’s a panic attack or something except for the fact that he’s just… not panicking? Right before Mac decides to metaphorically bite the bullet and call Jack for help, it stops, so Mac’s like “uhhhhh ok surely this will be fine” and then never mentions it to anyone at all.

Mac manages to save Charlie and thus the Phoenix (it’s a tad bit more complicated than that but this is so long already-), but a few days later when they go to work Riley gathers them all in the war room and is like “someone got into all of our servers and other important things™” which the US government quickly learns about, and shuts down the phoenix. Mac freaks out bc he thought he stopped that from happening, so he doesn’t know what to do, especially because this time around Jack is still here and it looks like he’s about to raise hell when he hears that the Phoenix has been shut down.

Now that no one has jobs, Jack thinks about joining the task force to find Kovacs (bc it still exists, Jack just isn’t running it) and in desperation to make sure he doesn’t leave, Mac tells Jack that Kovacs isn’t actually alive, it isn’t actually him, it’s someone else. Understandably Jack is like “???? bestie you need to explain yourself because this does not make any sense and also how tf would you know that?”

Mac lies and tells Jack that he’s been trying to help find Kovacs as well because he knows how important it is to Jack that he does so, and that he’s used Riley for help but don’t ask her about it because she doesn’t like to talk about it from the things she’s seen… Mac gets further and further into this lie but he doesn’t care if it means that Jack stays with them.

At some point during this weird time where the Phoenix doesn’t exist and everyone is trying to find their footing as civilians, Mac asks Jack if he thinks his dd is truly listening in when he talks to his grave and jack is like “for the sake of myself, yeah, i think so” and mac is like “ok ok. Interesting. Wondering for no particular reason.” which then reminds him about James so he’s like “oh shit” and calls his dad and tells him to go to the doctor because cancer.

Mac starts to get the weird headaches and chest tightness/pain again, but still keeps it from everyone because it always eventually goes away, and he’s pretty sure it’s a symptom of him… time traveling? So no one can know about it anyway.

In the end, Russ Taylor finds them once more, wanting to turn over a new leaf in his life and wants to do so by buying the phoenix and having them do missions to save the world. Jack is like “hell no” and punches Russ and then Russ punches back and then they lowkey highkey get in a fight and mac is awkwardly trying to pull them apart and being like “uhhhhhh what if this is good?” and is trying to be super normal about this. 

Back… before… Mac always wondered how Jack would react to Russ buying the Phoenix but now that he actually is here it’s far worse than Mac thought. But there’s not much time to think about that because Mac knows what’s coming next, knows what’s going to happen within the year, and that’s the appearance of his Aunt and Codex and everything. Mac throws all of his free-time into trying to find Codex by himself and also trying to make it look like random chance that he did that.

He decides that he’s going to be the one to reach out to find his aunt and it’s not the smartest idea but it’s what he’s got, okay. All the while Mac is trying to remember all of the missions that he’s gone on before and tries to remember how they went and how he can improve on them. Much to Mac’s surprise, Matty and Russ both agree that bc not enough agents came back after Russ bought the Phoenix out, they need more agents and mac is like “desi nguyen” and jack immediately turns and is like “how the FUCK do you know that name” and mac just has to be like :) don’t worry about it

Mac realizes the best way to take down Codex is to do something similar from last time, pretend to be a double, triple agent, but the only person he tells the truth to is Jack. This results in Jack (instead of James) being the one that’s taken to the weird Codex building headquarters thing, and then mac freaks the fuck out because this is where James died, so if things go the same here this means that this is where Jack dies instead.

But then weird things start happening. Eliot Mason for some reason works with Codex now, he’s the one who’s fashioned a bomb for the dam. Mac doesn’t know what’s happening and doesn’t know how much of his original timeline is going to hold up. He’s been relying on knowing what’s going to happen for so so long at this point that Mac feels really really bad living “normally” aka living and not knowing what the future holds.

The headaches and chest pain become more frequent and Mac knows that he’s going to have to tell someone about this soon, but it’s getting harder and harder for him to remember what happens in the future. He feels lost because of this new Codex and doesn’t really know what’s going to happen next and that is Scary!!! Okay it’s scary he’s known what’s going to happen for the past year but now things are getting muddled in his mind and everything is Not Good Not. Good.

So when asked if he wants to take the mystery drug (how do they get there in this timeline? Idk man that’s a problem for future Vi and right now present Vi is just having fun) to remember Mac is like “hell yeah dude!” and jack is like “maybe don’t??? Take an experimental drug???” but mac is so desperate to remember the things from the original timeline that he takes it anyway.

It does help (shows mac what’s coming in the future) but there’s something about it that just doesn’t feel quite right, but Mac can’t put his finger on it. Meanwhile Desi starts working on the team more and more, and with Leanna still here thanks to Mac meddling with Bozer’s love life half a year ago, the team is big enough that they sometimes get split up on missions, but right now everyone is working toward Codex.

The dam happens but in a strangely different fashion. Leland dies but Mac manages to save aunt Gwen. Jack is with him in this universe and ends up breaking his leg (rather than Russ, but also from a whole different reason in the first place) and mac feels the Guilt. This increases when Gwen is immediately hauled off and sent to a blacksite and mac is told under no circumstances is he allowed to go visit her even though as an agent he technically should be allowed to.

The headaches become debilitating enough that Mac begins to tell everyone that his migraines are back even though he knows that they’re not migraines, but he just has to say something and migraines are pretty damn believable because of the pain.

The timeline has been changed and fucked with so much that Mac can’t really predict the upcoming missions anymore. He never got the chance to become close with Desi so she’s still closed off and doesn’t do much with the team. Mac lets an inside joke slip out by accident and seeing her confused and slightly uncomfortable face rather than the smile that he’s used to hurts. It hurts okay. 

But Mac tells himself that it’s all worth it, that things are better this way. But it’s kind of hard to remember why? Like he doesn’t really have a good memory on why things are better in this timeline. Can’t remember too well about what things were like before. All he knows is that Bozer and Leanna are together and happy and Jack is alive and things are good things are good Things Are Good. Sometimes it feels like Mac is watching all of this through a window and sometimes he can’t really breathe but things!! Are good!!!

Realizing that his memories of his other life are fading, Mac gets a notebook and starts to religiously write down everything that he can, but they’re just so muddled and faded that the memories don’t even make sense anymore. 

Matty’s CIA friend and everyone in that building start showing symptoms of strokes and showing aggression and Mac is like “this is SO familiar” kind of like deja vu but can’t for the life of him remember why this happened and how this mission ended. He goes through that building with Jack and they start showing symptoms as well and Mac knows he knows that he’s gone through this before but he  can’t remember what the answer was to it.

It’s frightening but he still hasn’t told anyone about his weird experience and time traveling so he continues to just keep everything in.

Mac and Jack end up getting sent out on a mission during a protest and Mac kind of feels like he’s been here before but not quite, and suddenly according to Riley who’s back home in the Phoenix Labs has announced that mac and jack have inhaled some sort of tracking device and mac blurts out “nanobots” before he really knows why and he doesn’t even know what nanobots are himself? But he’s pretty sure that that’s the problem.

By the time they get back home and sent to Phoenix Med for many blood draws, Mac spends a long time looking at his hands and Jack’s like “what’s up hoss?” and mac kind of gives him a curious look and is like “i don’t really know. I just feel like my hands are important” He doesn’t have anything to back this up though, so Mac just shrugs it off and figures that he’s just worried because he relies on his hands so much for his missions.

Every night he rereads what he had written in his notebook, desperately trying to remember this past life that he doesn’t really understand. When he started the notebook he didn’t write down how he got into this life/timeline in the first place, but Mac knows that he used to know the answer to it. He just. He can’t remember. It’s driving him mad but Mac can’t fucking remember what it was that sent him here.

The nanobots (they’ve taken a liking to the name for the robots that mac blurted out a few weeks ago) start causing symptoms in Mac and Jack, and eventually Mac confesses to the Phoenix doc that he’s been getting headaches and tightness in his chest, but he’s a bad patient and lies and says that it’s only started since inhaling the nanobots. The doc tries as he might, but they can’t figure out why mac has these symptoms.

The finger tingling and later numbness begins and mac is like “huh this is so weird” and literally cannot remember that this exact same thing had happened to him before. His old life just doesn’t really exist in his head anymore. Mac knows that it must’ve at some point because he has this notebook full of memories of missions that went differently, but it’s not like he actually remembers it, he just has to trust his past self who wrote it down.

Mac and jack go under the control of the nanobots and are forced to fight each other and jack is like “just like griggs” and mac is like “ahaha yeah. Just like griggs… right. Yes. of course. Griggs.” he remembers griggs and he remembers the missions that followed and that one where he ended up getting shot in the forest and mac thinks about it and is like “why does that mission feel so weird” meanwhile Phoenix med is trying everything to get these nanobots out of Mac and Jack.

The eventually decide to starve the bots (and mac and jack) of oxygen and everyone knows it’s a risk but everyone decides it’s worth it but mac just. He won’t. And the thing is, he doesn’t even know why?? There’s just something in his head that screams NO DONT DO THAT when he thinks about getting in that chamber. It’s like he’s physically unable to move closer to them and finally tells everyone that he just can’t. It’s not safe and jack shouldn’t do it either. Everyone is like “we’re out of choices, it’s the only way” but Mac stands his ground. 

There is. Hmm. there is a lot more that happens post canon but this is unironically 2.8k words already so i’m going to call it here 😭 I promise i don’t have a problem i swear i have a normal amount of thoughts about this show

Who wants to read an essay about the strangest MacGyver fic idea I've had yet

[amyscascadingtabs]

rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky

It’s the perfect little getaway, exactly what they needed. It would be even better if she could only stop thinking.

“So, tell me.” Jake holds her hand over the table, forcing her back to reality. “Five top moments for us 2019, go. Countdown-stylez.”

Three different New Year's Eves, as celebrated by Jake and Amy (and Mac).

read on ao3 💕

december 31st, 2019.

The hotel guests checking in before Jake and Amy are a family. A little girl with blonde hair, maybe four or five years old, is carrying her own pink backpack and making up dance steps around her father’s feet as he goes through the information with the receptionist, and an even younger boy is hiding behind his mother’s legs as he watches the people in the lobby with wide eyes. Looking up, Amy realizes that the mother’s open coat is revealing a baby bump, too. She’d put her at six, maybe seven months pregnant. Three kids. Amy feels a pang of jealousy.

Even with the observation skills of an experienced detective, it shocks her how good she’s become at picking out families and pregnant women in any crowd. It’s an interesting talent, but measured against the pain it causes her, Amy wouldn’t call it a very useful one. She notices Jake looking at the kids as well, a daydreaming look on his face, and somehow, that makes her pain worse.

The idea behind going away to a hotel upstate for New Year’s was so they could get away from the stress for a moment; go somewhere else, rest and relax, forget about the pregnancy master calendar they’ve stared themselves blind at for a few days. Amy didn’t realize how impossible it would be to get away from all the other reminders.

She draws a breath of relief when the family in front of them gets the keys to their room, the little girl running first towards the elevator and her brother laughing as he chases after.

“Cute kids,” Jake whispers, watching them longingly.

“Yeah.” Amy tries not to think about the negative pregnancy test she threw away in the bathroom trashcan before they left. “Really cute.”

//

“I’m excited you said we could drink tonight.” Jake toasts his White Russian with her glass of Sauvignon. “It’s been a while.”

“I know, “ Amy feels the guilt wash over her. “Well, it’s not New Year’s Eve every day. I think we’ve earned it.” And I already took a negative test, she thinks.

“We sure have.” He gives her a closer look, pressing his lips together like he always does when he’s worried about her. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Just tired,” she says. It’s not technically a lie. “I didn’t sleep that well last night.”

“Lucky we have a huge hotel bed to help with that tonight, then. Seriously, this place rocks.”

Amy’s prepared to agree on that part – she did her research the moment it stood clear they would both get New Year’s Eve off. After getting their room, they’ve spent the evening getting massages in the hotel spa, dining at the surprisingly nice restaurant, and now they’re admiring the view from the bar on the top floor, waiting for the fireworks. It’s the perfect little getaway, exactly what they needed. It would be even better if she could only stop thinking.

“So, tell me.” Jake holds her hand over the table, forcing her back to reality. “Five top moments for us 2019, go. Countdown-stylez.”

“Number five!” She rolls the r and holds on the i, earning herself an amused look from the older couple next to them. “Okay, I’m going to go with… that date you took me on for my birthday. I can’t believe you got into the puzzle bar this time!”

“I might have convinced the guard to let me in because it was your birthday, but still a good one. Number fooo-uur… the Cinco de Mayo-heist. God, that was fun, even if the tasing hurt like a bitch.”

“Agreed. Number three – when Holt finally invited us to that dinner party and I almost didn’t lose my cool once.”

“You keep telling yourself that, babe. Number two… the Jake way. Seriously, I still think we should try that again. It was awesome.”

“It was, but also way inappropriate,” she reminds him, but he just shrugs. “Number one, then.”

“I know which one is mine, but you go first.”

Amy swallows, then sighs. “Mine is after the manhunt. When we decided to start trying. That’s still my favorite moment.”

“Mine, too.” Jake looks her in the eyes, and she knows the bittersweet feeling is shared. “It’s going to happen, Ames. I know it. Maybe this month’s the one.”

Amy doesn’t have the strength to correct him, tell him she’s already taken an early test and that she’s lacking any confidence there’s going to be a second line when she tests again in a couple of days. Luckily, she doesn’t have to, because right then, the fireworks that have been going off a few at a time in the distance begin to multiply as the countdown starts.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…

Amy leans forward so she can be kissing him already when the new year begins.

Three, two, one… happy new year!

The crowd around them erupts into cheers as the sky glows with colorful explosions when burning bits of metal lighting up the darkness outside. Jake kisses her deeper, seeming to forget that there are people around with a bit of alcohol in his system and his hands cupping her face. For a moment, Amy lets herself just be happy.

~

december 31st, 2020.

The instant Amy closes her eyes for the more-than-well-deserved nap Jake told her to take while he made dinner, Mac begins to cry from his crib again.

“McClane, please,” Amy pleads, as if reasoning with her two-month-old would solve his discontent. “You can't seriously be hungry again, that’s insane.”

She tries with the pacifier first, checking his diaper, even standing up and walking around with him for a bit to eliminate anything else, but Mac is still clenching his fists and only looking even more furious with her, so Amy gives in. She sits down with him again, unhooks one side of the bra and lets him find his grip, exhaling when the peaceful suckles begin and the desperate crying finally ceases. She swears it looks like her son is side-eyeing her for taking too long, but to her defense, she fed him for a good forty-five minutes only a little over an hour ago and it's exhausting being used like a human pacifier. Growth spurt, Camila Santiago said when Amy called her in tears yesterday, and the problem-shooting section in the 0-3 months baby-binder had agreed. Amy would argue that sounds way too innocent for something which is turning her otherwise happy and smiley baby into a constantly hungry and crying mini-monster who won't close his eyes for more than twenty minutes at a time.

There's a soft knock on the door after a few minutes, and Jake peeks in. He’s wearing his fancy kitchen apron, which Charles gave him for Christmas with the comment that there’s nothing sexier than a dad who can cook. It hasn’t magically improved his cooking skills, but Amy’s willing to admit that it does look good on him.

“You guys doing okay?”

“He is, for now. I’m going crazy. How’s our dinner going?”

“Well, I haven’t burnt it yet, but there’s still time,” he grimaces, sitting down at the foot of the bed. “Do you need anything, babe?”

“Sleep, but that’s not going to happen.” Amy rubs her eyes. “It’s fine. He’s got to fall asleep at some point, though, this is nuts.”

“Don’t challenge him, he’s breaking records,” Jake says, leaning forward to tickle Mac’s feet. Mac reacts by kicking at the boob he’s not currently feeding from, making Amy curse. “Oops, sorry. Anyway, I’m sure he will fall asleep at some point, and we can have a nice, calm New Year’s dinner. I mean, he has to be exhausted, right?”

“God, I hope so. I’m starving.” She can see Mac’s eyelids getting heavy, but every time she thinks they’re about to fall closed, it’s like he twitches and stares at her, wide awake. “He’s lucky he’s cute.”

Jake grins. “Lucky indeed.”

Mac starts pulling away at that moment, a little bit of milk still dribbling from his cheeks. Amy reaches for one of the muslin blankets that’s never more than a few feet away in their home nowadays, lifting him so he’s upright against her shoulder and patting him on the back. She expects a burp, but instead, she gets an unpleasant surprise when he spits up, managing to get sour baby puke down her back and in her already greasy hair. She groans, giving Jake an exhausted look when she sees him stifling a chuckle.

“Hey, I’ll take him. You go take a shower and I’ll put him in the BabyBjörn. Maybe that will do it.”

“That’s the hottest thing you’ve ever said,” Amy mumbles, and she’s not entirely kidding.

She makes the shower as long as she possibly can. Most days, she has to shower with Mac in the baby bouncer on the bathroom floor, so even the chance to be alone in the bathroom for more than five minutes feels like a luxury. She lets the shampoo really lather and the conditioner take its time to sink in, trying to massage the knots in her neck and shoulders under the hot water. She can hear Mac still fussing from the kitchen, and it makes her feel guilty even though he’s barely left her arms today.

“He’s fine,” she whispers to herself like a mantra. “He’s fine. Jake can handle it. He’s perfectly fine. Everything’s okay. You deserve this.”

She still skips the make-up and nicer clothes she had been planning to put on, throwing on a pair of maternity leggings and one of Jake’s old hoodies instead.

The dinner looks fantastic, some sort of chicken baked in the oven with rice and a lemon sauce, and Amy’s actually impressed. She imagines it would have been even nicer if she could have eaten it warm and together with Jake, but they only make it through toasting in orange soda and the first two bites before Mac wakes up from his ten-minute-nap, wailing as if he truly believed he’d just been abandoned. They end up having to take turns eating and walking laps around the living room with him, because he starts crying again if they stop moving for a second or as much as make an attempt to put him down. Amy is suddenly relieved they said no to her brother Tony’s New Year’s party-invite.

She can barely believe it when after what feels like the fiftieth or so feed of the day, Mac falls asleep. Curled up like a little frog on her chest and letting out the cutest of baby snores, he finally seems to relax, and Amy doesn’t even dare to breathe too sharply for the first ten minutes. Eventually, though, once it seems like he’s not going to wake up from the slightest movement or a raised voice anymore, Jake tucks them both in under a blanket and gets the Ben and Jerry’s from the freezer and orange soda from the fridge. Then he gets another blanket for himself, and they snuggle up together in the corner of the sofa in front of the tv. From live footage at Times Square, Amy can see crowds of people waiting for the ball to drop.

“Wishing you were there?” Jake winks, but she just laughs.

“Are you kidding? Cold, crowded, and you can never even get a good view. This is better in every way.” She strokes her thumb over Mac’s dark hair. “I have this one and you. That’s all I need. And ice cream,” she adds, digging out a piece of cookie dough from the tub.

“You’re right, it’s pretty damn close to perfection. Top five moments of 2020?”

Amy shakes her head, pointing to Mac. “No point. They’re all about him, anyway, and they’re all too good to compare.”

“True that.” Jake shakes his head. “Hey, isn’t it crazy that although he’s been kind of a nightmare today, I’ve already forgiven him?”

“No, it makes perfect sense, because I’ve almost wanted to give him away several times and now I can’t even remember why.”

“Having a baby makes us kind of crazy, huh?”

“Oh, absolutely. I wouldn’t change it for the world, though.”

“Me neither. Not even if I was offered a role in the next Die Hard-movie and Taylor Swift did the soundtrack.”

“That’s pretty big,” Amy laughs, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Would Taylor Swift do the soundtrack for Die Hard, though? Realistically speaking?”

“It’s a daydream, Ames!”

She has no time for a comeback, though, because right then, the countdown starts on the tv and Jake raises the volume a few bars so they can hear.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…

p;

“New Year’s kiss,” Amy says, holding Mac up slightly so they can both reach him.

Three, two, one… happy new year!

They both smother his cheeks with kisses at the same time as the fireworks explode over the sky in the distance outside their windows and the crowd begins to cheer on tv. Mac doesn’t even flinch, completely oblivious to the celebrations going on outside. Amy sighs.

“How can he magically sleep through all of this, but wake up the second I put him down in his crib at night?”

Jake shrugs. “Babies, man.”

~

december 31st, 2021.

Amy has only started to take off Mac’s winter overall before he starts trying to flee, kicking wildly with his boots and pointing towards the kitchen where he’s already spotted Rosa. Jake notices her struggle and is quick to help her, and the instant the toddler is free, he hurries off towards his best friend.

“Wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo!”

“Mac! Hey, happy new year, man!” Before Amy can even take off her own jacket, Mac is already in Rosa’s arms and babbling excitedly as he plays with her gold necklace. Amy wonders how much of what Mac’s saying actually makes sense to Rosa, but she’s nodding and smiling and seems to have abandoned whoever she was previously talking to in favor of the one-year-old.

“Jake. Amy.” Kevin appears to take their coats, shaking their hands. “Welcome. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres are in the living room, and I see your small child has made himself at home.”

“He found Rosa, yep.” Jake grins. “And he has a name.”

“Ah, yes… McClane.” Kevin nods. “Very well. I have to go check on… the kitchen. Enjoy your evening.”

  “He’s never going to like me,” Jake whispers to Amy the moment he’s left.

“Well, I think we both might have lost a few points with the name choice, babe.”

“He’s one to talk names, he’s got a dog named after a cheese!”

“I know, but we can’t tell him that. Come on, Jake, I have to find something to chew on before I get sick.”

“You can always blame it on the alcohol, if you do.”

“Jake.”

“Just kidding,” he grins. “You go check on Mac and Rosa and I’ll locate the snacks.”

 It turns out Rosa is more than willing to guard Mac for the evening, currently showing him the model train she's found in the library. Mac is watching with focus as Rosa helps him turn on the button that makes the train drive around the tracks, laughing as it lets out a choo-choo sound.

“Your son is much cooler than the rest of these lame partygoers,” she shrugs when Amy asks her if she's sure it's fine. “He says what he's thinking, unlike the rest of all these dum-dums.”

“Dum-dums,” Mac repeats, proud. Rosa nods.

“Exactly. I’ll call you if something happens.”

 And so, in an unexpected turn of events, Amy finds herself able to sit down for most of the evening without having to chase a wild toddler around to keep him from whatever dangers he could somehow manage to get himself into in Holt’s and Kevin’s house. She supposes it looks quite antisocial of her, and maybe it is, but she’s six weeks pregnant and the early symptoms of nausea and fatigue seem to be coming on both stronger and faster the second time around, so Amy doesn’t really care. She’s got lemon sparkling water for a non-alcoholic drink, a paper plate of carrot sticks, salted crisps and almonds, and she’s not going to talk to anyone unless they sit down next to her. It’s practically heaven. Jake checks on her from time to time, assuring her multiple times that they can just leave early if she wants to, but however tired she feels, Amy doesn’t want to insult Holt that badly. They’re staying until midnight as per proper New Year’s party etiquette, and then — and not a second later — they can go home so she can crash in bed.

 Rosa finds her again when Mac begins to get sleepy, rubbing his eyes and yawning but still shaking his head when Amy asks if he's feeling a little tired. He crawls over to her arms anyway, laying his head on her shoulder and hugging his arms around her chest.

“Thanks for looking after him,” she tells Rosa, but she just shrugs.

“No worries. I don't get to hang out with him enough. Your kid is dope.”

“Douh,” Mac whispers, mimicking her, and Rosa laughs.

“Repeats every word you tell him, too,” Amy says. “Yeah, he’s pretty awesome. Come over to our apartment at five-thirty in the morning on any weekend and you can hang out with him all you want. I won't stop you.”

Rosa scrunches her nose. “I’ll consider it.”

“He’s in a great mood then, I can assure you that.”

“I'll take your word for it. Also, Jake was tipsy talking baby names with some etymology professor when I saw him last, and he seemed very intense about it for a guy who's not currently thinking of naming any new babies. Or?” She raises an eyebrow.

“No, he just get thats intense when somebody implies McClane is a weird name,” Amy says, and makes a note to herself to remind Jake about their agreement not to tell anyone else at least until the twelve-week mark. “Which, to be fair, I warned him that people would think. But here we are anyway.”

“It is a weird name. Couldn’t imagine him being called anything else, though, even if I still don’t understand why you agreed to it.”

“There was a really good PowerPoint involved.”

Rosa looks at her questioningly, but Amy shakes her head, knowing there’s no point in explaining the unexplainable.

“Hmm. You guys are weird. You make pretty great kids, though.”

“Yeah.” Mac has fallen asleep by now, drooling a little bit on Amy’s shoulder. She kisses the top of his head and thinks of the abstract idea of her second kid, the thump-thump of an already present heartbeat they got so lucky as to hear on an early ultrasound yesterday. “The best.”

 As midnight draws closer, most of the guests take on jackets, scarves and shoes to venture out into the garden to watch fireworks. Not wanting to be left out, Amy and Jake manage to get a half-sleeping Mac, who wakes up suddenly interested when he hears about the promise of fireworks, into his overall and join them. It’s a surprisingly good view from the garden, the cold winter air waking them up, and Jake points out the vibrant displays in the sky to a drowsy Mac, who blinks at them dazedly. It’s so cute it makes Amy tear up. Being both a mom and newly pregnant does that to her; she’s given up trying to fight it.

  It’s hard to believe that two years ago, she was toasting in champagne in a hotel bar and wondering if they would ever make a baby together, and now she’s standing in a garden watching Jake with their one-year-old son and knowing that next New Year’s, if all goes well, they’ll be parents of two.

“What are you thinking of?” Jake must see her tears, because he looks worried, but Amy just smiles.

“Just how quickly things can change. How happy I am. And how much I love you.”

“Love you, too. Top three-hundred-and-sixty-five moments of this year,” Jake says, hugging her close so they’re standing in a little family bubble. “Every single day I get to wake up with and then come home to my family.”

  Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…

  They both lean in so they can smother their son with kisses, and he laughs as he figures out what’s about to happen.

 Three, two, one… happy new year!

  The sky explodes with color, Jake and Amy attack their son with kisses, and as the new year begins, Amy thinks she might just be the luckiest person in the entire world.

~

[letsperaltiago]

a merry little christmas

Welcome to (once again belated) door four of four! 

Behind my Christmas calendar’s fourth door is a... baby’s first christmas, pure fluff oneshot ♥️ 

Summary: It's Baby's First Christmas and Jake and Amy are taking it all in - both presents and tiny surprises from their son. Pure domestic fluff for days.

Rating: G

Words: 2.2k

Read on AO3 here

Right then and there keeping a straight face, or just anything that looks somewhat close to it, is beyond impossible.

It’s Christmas morning, six AM to be more precise, and the still rather new, little family of three is slowly making their way through the presents waiting for them under this years’ Christmas tree. As a matter of fact, it’s rather Jake opening gifts meanwhile Amy is on the couch with their two-month-old son eating his second breakfast - that is if his previous meal at three AM can be considered breakfast. Jake likes to call those meals Midnight Mac Snacks.

“They really need to communicate more,” Amy chuckles, which causes her chest to jolt just the tiniest bit, alas apparently enough that it earns her a grumpy little cry from Mac to which she immediately reacts by stroking and repositioning the tiny infant’s head. “No need to complain, Mr. Mac. Mommy and daddy are just having some fun.”

“He’s bitter because all he got for Christmas is ‘Baby’s first Christmas’-ornaments.” Jake hasn’t stopped laughing since he opened the third ornament, from auntie Roro, which came after uncle Charles’ ornament. Upon unpacking this second ornament, from Charles, matching the first ornament from Holt, it didn’t cause much worry. The new parents simply saw it as a matching coincidence and they’d just keep both. Although upon unpacking a third one, they should’ve known: it was a perfect, hilarious 99th precinct-disaster.

Fast forward to present time, Jake is sat on the living room floor with not three but six ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ ornaments for his son. Sure, they’re all different styles and designs but Jake can’t help but laugh. In retrospect, he and Amy had told the squad that baby Mac didn’t need anything grand for Christmas as he was still so small and had everything he needed so far. They told their friends to save the money and spoil Mac for next Christmas, a Christmas he’d understand much better than the current. Turns out great minds think alike and everyone’s creative take on Mac’s gift had been the same.

“It’s kind of cute that they all had the same idea.” Mac has gone back to quietly suckling on Amy’s breast, allowing her time to chime in on perhaps this Christmas’ funniest moment yet. It’s too soon to declare it the funniest as they’re headed to a huge Santiago Christmas-dinner in the evening and anything can happen there.

For Christmas morning though they very early on, already before Amy gave birth, decided to stay home as they knew it’s what they’d prefer with their very new son. Sitting there, in the moment, looking at gifts from their incredible friends and Mac quietly eating in the lights coming from the Christmas tree, they’re both thankful to have made that choice. Sure, Santiago-Christmas morning was an event that you didn’t want to miss out on but this year, with very few hours of sleep behind them and vomit on both clothes and hair, it’s nice to be able to soak in the sweet surrender of their little trinity.

“We do have the best friends.” He picks up the ornaments, hanging them on his fingers to put on display for his wife. “What do we do with these?” A sheepish smile replaces the goofy grin from before.

“I don’t know…”

The doubt on Amy’s face, biting her lip, thinking hard, is clear as day which is understandable since Jake himself doesn’t hold the answer for their little dilemma. Giving them back to their respective giver is not an option - what would Holt do with a ‘Baby’s First Christmas Ornament’? -  and getting a refund also seems too cold. Fact is that each of their friends has had the same idea: they wanted to mark and somehow be a part of Mac’s first Christmas. Jake and Amy can’t, nor want to, take that away from their son nor their friends. All in all, there seems to be no good solution but one: keep all six ornaments.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Jake cocks an eyebrow, implicitly suggesting what his wife is already thinking.

“If you’re thinking that we should keep them all and put them on the tree, then yes, I am thinking what you’re thinking.”

At just the right time, almost as if he’s agreeing, Mac lets go of his mom’s nipple before letting out a small, hazy gurgling sound. A sound he’s never made before. Both parents freeze on the spot, forgetting all and everything about the ornament-issue.

“Did you hear that?” Amy asks, making it sound as if she doesn’t believe her ears and a second opinion is needed. Having studied all and everything for her first child’s arrival, everything this could possibly imply, Amy shouldn’t be surprised that her two-month-old is finally introducing his first small noises. The fact resides very clearly on the Milestones to Expect-index, page 2, in her ‘Two month’-binder. Yet here she is, Jake right there with her, surprised by this new accomplishment of her newborn - one of many accomplishments that she both loves and, even two months in, still is a bit nervous about discovering as she just rather know her baby fully by heart already. On those occasions where Mac’s changing, something she swears happens daily, makes her feel uneasy as if she doesn’t know him at all, she holds onto Jake’s reasoning: Some tests can’t be studied for.

And no matter how much she hates that fact, Amy knows her husband is right and she does love him for reminding her whenever she happens to fall down a spiral of doubt and frantically tries to grasp for the control that lies within facts, books, and lists.

Jake jumps from his spot on the floor as if it were lava and falls into place beside her on the couch where he can hover over his incredible son.

“I did but I didn’t fully realize where it came from right away, but oh my gosh, Ames! Our son is a genius!”

“Perhaps… Or simply in accordance with average-”

“No, Amy - a genius! Like his parents.”

Her husband looking as if he could burst any second, a firecracker of sorts and there’s no stopping the explosion, Amy hurries to put down her before lifted shirt and places Mac against her shoulder. Here she hopes he can both burp and, hopefully, make another glorious sound for them to be proud of. Jake leans in as though he and Mac are to exchange secrets behind Amy’s back and the milk-drunk infant, unable to control a whole lot, waves around his arm and just so happens to grab Jake’s index finger. During these first two months of Mac’s life, this has happened a few times already, the first time being at the hospital which caused Jake to cry happy tears Still, every single time, Jake feels reaffirmed by the fact that creating this tiny human being is one of his best decisions ever - that and telling Amy Santiago that he wished something could happen between them - romantic stylez.

“C’mon, mister. Show daddy how you talk.” Jake coos even though the little man of the moment seems far from interested in or bothered by his parents’ admiration and swooning over his new talent. His mommy patting his back does feel good though, especially when it helps a burp escape and Jake, of course, has to laugh because Mac is truly and fiercely his son. “Now that’s talking!”

“Not what I had in mind but nice to know he’s burped.” Amy chimes in and replaces the soft patting with small loving strokes, hoping to soothe her boy to sleep as the next step in his ‘eat, burp, sleep’-routine - even if Amy wishes Mac would make another sound. Just to confirm that she wasn’t hallucinating before.

“Make a sound for mommy, baby. Just a tiny one.” Amy takes her turn cooing a plea but it happens to be very much in vain.

“Aaand he’s dozed off,” Jake chuckles quietly whilst using his thumb to caress the tiny fist still wrapped around his index fingers, a fist that doesn’t let go even though the owner is already fast asleep with a mix of drool and milk caught in the corner of the gaping mouth.

“That was fast.”

“I don’t blame him. Life is exhausting.” Jake is carefully pecking his son’s head covered by thing, soft, black hair and even though Mac on her shoulder blocks the view, Amy smiles and wonders how she got to lucky with these two boys.

“Bedtime?” Amy asks, expectant of confirmation of whether or not Mac is far enough gone to be moved without waking up and throwing a tantrum that’ll mean they’ll have to spend another half hour or so lulling him back to sleep.

“I sure wouldn’t mind. I did prepare breakfast though.” It comes out mid-yawn, proving Jake’s point further, as he nods his head in the direction of the pancakes, courtesy of Jake, and hot cocoa, courtesy of the local bakery that has blessed their lives by opening at five AM, waiting for them in the kitchen.

“Not you, silly. McClane. You and I are definitely having that delicious cocoa. The smell of it has been tempting me since I sat down to feed.”

They mostly call him Mac. Mac or a thousand other things like Mr. Mac, Magic Mac, baby, monkey - one time, macadamia nut - and the options are limitless and renewed every day. Jake doesn’t know for sure but this might be the reason why the full name McClane being said, the context being that it’s his son’s name, makes him feel butterflies in his belly.  Either that or because he still can’t believe they named their son that. Perhaps it’s a bit of both reasons.

“Still can’t believe you agreed to that name.”

“Must’ve been a moment of weakness for me. I was pregnant and delusional.”

Amy teases and proceeds to carefully remove sleeping Mac from his spot on her shoulder, relocating him to the safety of her cradling arms.

“Delusional from the incredible round of sexy timez we had just prior to picking his name.”

“Jake,” she scolds as if the sleeping baby, which doesn’t even grasp the concept of speaking yet, were to be scarred by their explicit flirting.

“What?”

Amy’s already up on her feet, heads down the hall and into their bedroom with Jake close on her heels.  “I remember it so vividly.” Jake points to their bed. “We were right here, post incredible sex, and we got talking about baby names because a new suggestion had stroked your mind right before I came in and wooed you with my good, amazingly hot looks.” Amy’s head whips around from where’s she’s just focused on placing Mac in his cradle, double-checking that he’s still asleep, now displaying a cocked brow and overall expression that challenges his recollections of that conclusive night. Defeat hits him and his shoulders drop with a sigh.

“Okay, you were seven months pregnant and going through a particularly horny phase - which I, by the way, loved - and I, being a dutiful husband, couldn’t decline your explicit requests. But I do still stand by the fact that I boinked my way to the name McClane.”

“Oh my god,” Amy groans, partly in reaction to her husband, partly in reaction to her sore back making an appearance when she straightens up from tugging in the baby. “Stop besmearing our child’s name. I can still change my mind.”

“I’m right though.” In the meantime, Jake has approached his wife and wraps his arms around her. Pulling her closer, back to chest, and she instantly relaxes under the pecks he places on her neck. “And it’s an amazing name for an amazing little human.”

They smile in unison as they admire the life they created, carelessly and contently sleeping Christmas morning away, before them. Wrapped up in her husband’s arms and their perfect little son to look at, a fuzzy feeling that is way beyond and greater than happiness flows through Amy’s veins. The pecks to her sweaty and tired-feeling skin pick back up where they left off, systematically and how he knows she likes it, going around her neck and shoulder-area.

“I really wanna give in to how inappropriately horny you’ve suddenly made me, but…” she trails off with a sigh.

“You can’t stop thinking about the hot cocoa.” He finishes her sentence and the pecks are replaced by a muffled chuckle that tickles her skin. “It’s okay, Ames. I’m right there with you.”

“Thank God,” she groans.

“Hot cocoa and a Christmas movie we can fall back asleep to?”

This suggestion of Jake’s that will allow Amy to give into her tiredness is what she’s wanted to hear all morning.

“Sounds perfect. Grab the baby monitor?” She turns around to follow him back to their kitchen only to see him already holding the gadget with a tired, knowing smile plastered across his face and to Amy, even with his messy curls and shirt clad with stains of baby-vomit, her husband looks absolutely perfect.

Baby’s First Christmas might just be her favorite Christmas so far.

[breakfastteatime]

Mini Mac Fic Part 2!

Ta da! A continuation of this Jack’s got a sick Mac on his hands, and he’s gonna get him home and safely tucked up.

It was a quiet drive from Phoenix back to Mac’s place. Jack really had to bite his tongue to keep from asking Mac why he didn't just take a sick day. For a guy who was so smart, he could be incredibly stupid about his personal wellbeing. 

Besides, Mac was asleep in the passenger seat, making it hard for him to answer anything. And Jack didn't want to disturb him until they got to his place. For him to be sleeping so much and so heavily during the day meant he really had to be sick. Mac slept light unless he’d gone beyond all his limits. And here he was, sleeping hard, his breathing a little ragged at the edges. He’d slumped against the door, head pressed to the glass like he wanted to cool off.

“Dammit, kid,” Jack muttered. “Can’t you make this easy just one time?” 

Matty was right; Mac would be in trouble when he was well enough. He needed to learn to manage himself better. Or at all, really. Because one day, his cavalier attitude towards himself would really bite him in the ass. Just because they weren't on a mission and were out of rotation for a few weeks unless something major came in, didn't mean he could ignore his health. 

“This would all be a lot easier if you were awake to hear me tell it to you straight,” Jack said. 

Mac didn’t even stir. 

Bozer always said Mac wasn’t one to take sick days ‘unless he’s vomiting, and even then, it’s fifty-fifty.’ Bozer then promised to share the story of how Mac had proceeded to projectile vomit in a high school chemistry class because he ignored a stomach-ache until it was too late. 

There was resilience and then there was Mac. Jack hadn’t bothered asking him why he was so weird about taking time off. He knew why. Mac admitting to weakness, to vulnerability? It didn’t happen.  

It was time for Mac to unlearn some of his bad habits. 

By the time they got back to Mac's place, he was looking more flushed than before. Jack could hear a distinct crackle in his breathing, too. Probably still a cold, but maybe one nastier than average. 

Killing the engine, Jack reached over, gently shaking Mac awake. “Home sweet home, bud. Let’s get you inside.” 

"Mmmm," Mac mumbled, hoarse voice thick with congestion. “I’m up.” 

His eyes hadn't actually opened.  

"Uh-huh," Jack said, smiling fondly. "Wanna try that again?" 

Mac's answer was clearly no because he was already asleep again. And snoring. 

"I will carry your ass if I have to," Jack said, reaching over to check for fever. Yup, he had one. A nasty one. “Mac!” 

Mac grunted. 

"Fine. Stay right there." 

Jack had a plan. He knew where Mac (okay, Bozer) kept the thermometer… Assuming Mac hadn’t repurposed it for anything. If Mac's temperature was anywhere close to 103F, they were going straight to the nearest ER, no passing go, no collecting $200. Jack wasn't letting Mac's ridiculous stubbornness melt his brain. 

Thirty seconds later, Jack placed the digital thermometer in Mac's ear. He flinched, hand reaching up to slap at Jack's hand. "Stop," Mac said, voice coarse. "It's a cold or sinusitis or something. I’ll sleep it off.” He cleared his throat, unsuccessfully. When he spoke again, he still sounded like he’d gargled with sand. “You don't need to worry so much." 

"No, you need to take this more seriously." Jack said. "You don't need it getting any worse." 

"S'nothing," Mac mumbled, blinking hard, trying to wake himself up.  

The thermometer beeped its reading before Jack could argue back. 102.5F. Not quite 103F. Mac got a stay of professional medical attention. 

Jack tucked the thermometer into a pocket. "Bed. Water. Tylenol. In that order." 

“Fine.” Mac pulled himself out of the car. He slumped against the car, sweat coating his face as he panted for breath and went several shades too pale.  

Jack grabbed him before his legs gave out again, guiding him down to the ground. "Dizzy?" 

"Yeah," Mac said, squeezing his eyes shut. “Not good.” 

“You gonna barf?” Jack asked, wondering how he could put safe distance between himself and whatever might come out of Mac. 

Mac let out a shaky breath. “Dunno.” He peeked through his bangs. "Sorry, Jack." 

Jack managed a smile. "Yeah, kid, I know you are. But we have talked about this. You gotta look after yourself. A sick day now and then ain't the end of the world." 

Mac mumbled something in response, but it was too soft and garbled for Jack to make sense of. He also hadn’t regained any color aside from the patches of bright red on his cheeks. 

“Deep breaths,” Jack said. Maybe it wasn’t too late to get to a doctor. “You need me to carry you?” 

“No!” Mac cried out. “Just gimmie a minute.” 

“World spinning?” Jack asked. 

“S’just a cold,” Mac said. “I’m not aching or anything.” 

“Whatever it is, we need you inside, so let’s do this slowly. I’m gonna get you to your feet and we’re gonna walk inside.” 

Mac held out a hand. Jack pulled him upright, holding both elbows until Mac was steady. Mac pulled away, his glassy eyes squinting against the sunlight. So, Jack could add a headache to Mac’s symptoms. He hovered close to Mac's side as they went inside. Mac made a beeline for the couch. 

"Not bed?" Jack asked. 

"Not that sick," Mac said. He sat down. Then he slumped onto his side, awkwardly kicking off his shoes. He groaned in relief. "Thanks for bringing me home. I'll get some rest now.” He shivered, closing his eyes. “Tell Matty I'm sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow."  

Jack threw out his hands and turned in a circle. “Give me strength,” Jack hissed through his teeth. He couldn’t shout. Mac was sick. Calm. Jack needed to be calm. Very calm. Did Mac seriously think he was going to be left alone? Jack took a deep breath. He held it in for three then slowly released it. Feeling slightly less explosive (because when would Mac learn he wasn’t alone?), Jack headed to the kitchen, grabbed an icepack from the freezer, wrapping in a dishtowel. Next, he poured out a tall glass of water. Then he rummaged through Mac and Bozer's medicine collection, pulling out the Tylenol. Taking everything over to Mac, Jack nudged him awake and made sure he took a dose. Mac did what he was poked to, flopped back, accepted the icepack for his head, and fell asleep in seconds. 

Jack fetched a thin green blanket and placed it over Mac. He glanced at his phone. Matty wanted to know when they were settled. Jack typed fast. One genius dosed and tucked up. He sent a photo too. 

Cute, Matty texted back. Keep an eye on him. 

“You know I got him.” Jack made a quick run to his car to grab his bag and his headphones. Going back into the house, Jack tuned into some classic hair metal, and settled himself into the recliner opposite Mac. He was still Mac’s Overwatch. Way too many dangerous people knew where Mac lived.  

Another conversation Jack needed to have with him. But maybe not right now… 

…Not when Matty had jammed a ton of paperwork into his bag. So you don't spend too much time worrying, she'd told him as he'd shepherded Mac to the car. 

She knew Jack too well. 

The hours ticked by. Jack worked hard, going over a number of training protocols for Phoenix’s tac teams. He looked up every so often, making sure Mac slept peacefully. Sure, his right pant leg rode up to his knee, one of his socks was half off, the blanket only covered one half of him, the icepack had melted, and he had his belly hanging out, but Mac was fast asleep and didn’t appear to be having any nightmares. 

Mac awoke late in the afternoon. He blinked hard, staring at the blanket. “Shit!” He tossed the blanket away, breathing hard.  

Jack looked up from the latest proposal. He saw Mac staring into the distance, not really seeing what was in front of him. "The blanket do something to offend you?" 

"Weird dream," Mac said. He somehow sounded raspier than before. Maybe they needed to add laryngitis to his diagnoses. He sounded more congested too, a distinct crackle in his chest. Mac pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Hate sleeping during the day." 

Jack eyed him critically. "How weird?" 

"Couldn't touch anything green," Mac said. "Green was deadly. Except everywhere I went had green carpet so it was the weirdest game of The Floor is Lava." 

Jack took a second to process. "Why green?"  

"Arsenic," Mac said, pushing sweaty hair out his face. "They used to have a green dye that contained arsenic." He coughed, reaching for the glass of water Jack had topped up halfway through Mac’s nap. "And I had to keep stopping everyone putting on green t-shirts." 

"Only you could have a sciencey nightmare," Jack said. He scooped up the green blanket. “Pretty sure this is free of arsenic.” 

Finishing the water with a grimace, Mac slumped against the couch. "Guess it was on my mind." 

"Arsenic? Do I need to worry? Are you looking to kill someone in a really historically accurate way?" 

Mac smiled. "It's not just a murder weapon. There's probably some in your car battery. There could even be cyanide in the car’s upholstery or – " 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, how 'bout you stop talking about deadly poisons, you’re making me itchy. Actually, just stop talking. You ain't gonna have much of a voice left soon." 

"And that'd be a real bummer," Mac croaked. He winced. “Ow.” 

“Feeling rough?” Jack asked. 

“Yeah,” Mac said. He groaned. “Fine. I’m sick, okay? I admit it.”  

“See, this is why you don’t come to the office when you’re sick,” Jack said. “That way, you get better quicker.” 

“I get it,” Mac said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone in today.” 

“So, no going to work tomorrow?” 

Mac sighed. And then coughed. And then winced. “No work tomorrow.” 

Jack punched the air. “I won!” 

Mac cocked an eyebrow. “On the other hand…” 

“Oh no, don’t you dare,” Jack said, jabbing a finger at him. “You’re staying there. I will sit on you if necessary. Matty will probably order me if I tell her you’re thinking of going into the office tomorrow.” 

“I’m joking,” Mac said. He moved himself upright, planting his hands against the cushions. “Okay.” He pushed himself to his feet, grimacing and rubbing his forehead. “Wow, this headache sucks.” 

Jack got up too. “Hey now, stay right there. I can get you anything you need.” 

Mac blinked at him. “Including a trip to the bathroom?” 

“No, nope, you take care of that,” Jack said, hands held up. “I’ll get you something to drink. Something to eat, too. And some more meds.” He backed away, heading into the kitchen. “Think you’ve got any soup tucked away somewhere? Man, who am I kidding. Of course you do. Bozer is always two steps ahead with comfort food.” 

“Hey, Jack?” Mac called after him. 

Jack opened the fridge, looking for juice. “Yeah?”  

“Thanks,” Mac said. “For… y’know… everything.” 

Jack smiled to himself. “Anytime, Mac.”

(You can find my longer fics over here on AO3)

[anotheronechicagobog]

The Crackship Sails to Molly’s

Sylvie Brett x Jay Halstead

1

written by @anotheronechicagobog​

Warnings: swearing, implied smut, Daswon sibling bashing, background manstead

A/N: Please comment :)

Jay was on the floor, in pain. The area around his socket was throbbing in pain, and his lower back was definitely going to have a bruise. He didn’t have time to react before Antonio was back and punching him in the face again. “Oh my god, Antonio stop it!”

He wasn’t fighting it, he just didn’t have it in him to try and stop the man he called his friend, though Jay supposed they wouldn’t be friends much longer. 

Antonio had managed to get in a few more punches before he was hauled off of Jay by Voight and half of the members of 51. Jay exhaled and went to close his eyes, but was interrupted by her entering his line of vision.

Sylvie.

Her mouth was moving, and Jay could vaguely hear her speaking over the shouting men and women. “Sylvie? Are you okay?”

“Me- What? Jay, I’m not the one who just got mauled by Antonio.”

“So you’re okay?”

“Alright get up, I’m taking you to med now. No arguments.”

“Okay.”

“Oh pickles, you’re actually agreeing to go to the hospital, something must be really wrong with you.”

“As long as you’re okay.” His voice was so hoarse he almost didn’t recognize it. Sylvie sighed as he looked at her dazedly while she buckled him up in her car. “I’m okay, I promise. I just have to make sure that you’re okay too.”

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

SIX MONTHS AGO

It had been months since Erin left, and months since Sylvie had to dump Antonio because of his ex-wife. Jay and Sylvie ended up at a table together, neither one was feeling particularly happy at the moment and didn’t want to be around their romantically successful friends. So they sat together, nursed their drinks, and talked about Harry Potter. They’d bumbled around in discussion for a while, not having a whole lot in common, before finding out they were both Harry Potter fans. Will, the rest of the intelligence unit, and 51 weren’t big fans of the book series, sure they’d seen the movies but that was about it. They both found it relaxing to just talk about something that wasn’t about their important work or love. 

They started to spend more and more time together. It started because Sylvie mentioned how she hadn’t grown up in Chicago and was so busy she never got to see the sights, so Jay took it as a challenge and started showing her his favourite parts of the city. Restaurants, theatres, parks, museums, galleries, all of it. He even took her to a restaurant in Canaryville where everyone who worked there had known him his whole life. Sylvie was enthusiastically told stories from Jay’s childhood. Hiding behind curtains buck naked, exposing everyone on the street to his six-year-old butt while he and Will shook in giggles. Block-wide water gun fights. Years of ding dong ditch. Sylvie was in stitches before she even got her food.

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

THREE MONTHS AGO

There was a fire. A bad one. And after receiving a patient on a gurney, something in the basement exploded, Sylvie and the patient were thrown several metres away. No one else had been injured, but Sylvie wouldn’t wake up, was bleeding profusely out of a cut on her head, and she had shrapnel in her back. It didn’t look good.

“Alright everyone, gear up. 51 just responded to a fire at a suspected meth lab, it was confirmed five minutes ago by an explosion. A paramedic, Sylvie Brett, was critically injured and is currently fighting for her- Halstead? Halstead where do you think you’re going? Halstead get back here!” At the words ‘Sylvie Brett’ Jay’s blood ran cold. At ‘critically injured’ he went into autopilot. Just stood up and left. Didn’t even grab his jacket. He ignored his boss’s enraged screams. He just got in his truck and drove to Med.

He ignored the odd looks he got from those at 51. He ignored his coworkers and boss when they came by to talk to their witnesses/ask him what the actual fuck was going on. He ignored his brother and sister-in-law when they asked him why he was there. He just stayed sitting in the uncomfortable chair for hours, watching nurses and patients flitter between the doors to the ED. It had been six hours when Platt came by to yell at him too only to be interrupted by Dr. Rhodes. “Sylvie is awake and stable, I expect her to make a full recovery. We can only allow one visitor at a time, and she has been asking for Jay since she woke up, she’s pretty frantic, so you’ll have to come quick.” He stood up and almost ran past Rhodes into her room, ignoring the confused looks from everyone at firehouse 51 and Trudy Platt.

“Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay-”

“I’m here Syl, I am right here.” She sobbed as he wrapped her hands in his. “I am right here, and it’ll take an army to get me to move. Or you, but that’s basically the same thing if someone denies you chocolate.” The laugh that briefly interrupted her sobs made his day, releasing the tension he’d been holding all day. Jay sagged in relief, and just held one of her hands as he used the other to gently hug her, hold her as she cried, sobbed, hiccuped and, whimpered from the physical pain expressing her emotions was causing her. “I thought I- w- was goi-i-ing to-o die-e.”

“I know,” he choked, “I thought you were going to die too.”

Jay had refused to leave the hospital until Sylvie ordered him to. “At least shower and change, ooh, get something to eat too.”

“You just want me to bring you mac and cheese don’t you?”

“You know me so well.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in an hour, don’t watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ without me.”

“You will take at least three hours to come back here.”

“Sylvie-”

“You have been sitting and worrying for the past three days, take some time for yourself. Don’t make me get Maggie involved.”

“Okay, fine, I will be back in three hours. Can you still wait to watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ with me?”

“Duh.”

“Okay, see you later.” He kissed her on the side of her forehead that wasn’t bandaged, and left, starting an alarm on his phone for three hours. He would be back on the dot.

The second he got to the lobby, however, he was met with all of firehouse 51 and the 21st district standing up, expecting news from him. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have orders to shower and change from Syl. Apparently I smell.” Trying to use his charm to get out of a situation he didn’t feel like explaining. But, he knew everyone glaring at him well enough to know that they needed some kind of answer. “Sylvie has become a very important friend to me, that day was one of the worst I’ve had in a long time.” Fewer glares, more confusion, and a free Jay Halstead.

He returned to his favourite person on the planet exactly three hours later with two containers filled to the brim with homemade macaroni and cheese, his laptop, and a box set of the Harry Potter books. “You, are an absolute angel, Jay Halstead.”

“No more than you, Sylvie Brett. Here is your food.”

“Oh, it’s still warm. Okay, time for bridal drama and lots of carbs!”

Sylvie was still in the hospital with Jay at her side as much as possible for another week. When she was given the all-clear to leave, no one seemed satisfied with the answer that Jay was taking her home. “Gabby I’ll be fine! Jay is one of my best friends, okay? He’s gonna drive me home, insist he stay longer than he needs to, before eventually leaving me with Otis and Cruz.”

“Okay, seriously, when exactly did you become friends with Jay Halstead? And are you sure that’s all you are?”

“Three months ago, and yes, I am sure that we’re friends. I am gonna hang up now, because I really do not appreciate the third degree.”

“Oh, come on Sylvie, I’m just looking out for you and Antonio, I just want to make sure Jay’s not moving in on you guys.”

“Gabby, there is no me and Antonio. And there hasn’t been for a while. He was great, Eva and Diego were great, it was fun, but he in no way protected or prepared me for Laura. He kept from me how erratic and impulsive and rude her behaviour was. He told me that she knew about me and was fine with cause she’d dating a few guys since the divorce. But it turned out a lot of that wasn’t true. He lied to me, leaving me to fend for myself when she came barreling in on a warpath, and then yelled at me for reacting in a scared and shocked way. He was actually the one who suggested we break up. Whether he likes it or not, she is still a significant part of his and his children’s lives, as well as a significant hindrance. And please, don’t act like we’re getting back together. I loved him, but I’m done with him.” And she slammed her finger on the touch screen much harder than she needed to. “Gabby again?”

“Yes, I love her, and I know she means well, but she doesn’t know everything.”

“And she has a lot of audacity trying to tell you she does. It’ll be okay, I think that everyone is just really stressed out and confused. I think that if we just tell everyone that we bonded over Harry Potter they’ll understand and leave us alone pretty quick.”

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

ONE MONTH AGO

Intelligence had set up a meet with a coke dealer to arrest him and get some intel. The buy wasn’t until 1 am and they didn’t have to start gathering equipment and double-checking everything for another three hours, so everyone was just going to eat and try to relax until then. But then Jay’s phone rang. Luna appeared on his screen with a picture of Sylvie staring at a tank of baby jellyfish with complete and utter fascination. “Hey Syl-”

“I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I know you’re working tonight, but- oh I probably shouldn’t have called-”

“Sylvie, what’s wrong?”

“The blind date I’m on right now? I- he was fine at first but I’m scared. There are red flags everywhere and I’m afraid I’ll end up in a ditch.”

“Marco’s Bistro, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes, you’re hiding in the bathroom, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good, stay there until I get there.”

“Of course.”

He nodded at Voight and ignored a livid Antonio. When he got to the restaurant, he told the hostess he was here to rescue his friend from a dangerous date and she didn’t even blink. “She’s still in the bathroom but you might wanna deal with her date after, he’s getting agitated.”

“Green dress shirt by the painting of the heron?”

“Yup.”

“Got it, thanks.”

“Hey,” he knocked on the door, “Sylvie I’m here.”

She exited and before he could even make eye contact with her she wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug, despite her shaking body. “I am so scared. He picked me up, saying that I couldn’t refuse him, he knows where I live.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” 

 Jay watched her until he could see her in safe his truck before he approached the man, and he knew that Sylvie had every right to be worried. Sharp eyes, nasty temper, tan line on his ring finger, and he looked one second away from just grabbing the next person and caving in their skull. “Excuse me-”

“And just who the fuck are you pal? I’m here on a date so leave before I kick your ass.” Jay pulled his badge out from underneath the collar of his shirt and sat down across from him. “Give me your driver’s licence, please.” The douche (as Jay would call him for the rest of his life) handed it over pretty damn quick, he waved the waitress over. “This man is going to need his bill immediately, please.” She nodded quickly and darted off, then Jay pulled out his phone. “Hey Burgess, I need you to run a name for me. Arthur Garrett. Two t’s. Okay, thanks. Can you send down a couple of officers for me?” He waited until the bill was paid and backup arrived before speaking again. “Mr. Garrett, stand up and turn around. You are under arrest for failure to pay child support and failure to attend court. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.” After the handoff, he saw his least favourite thing in the entire world. Sylvie crying.

“He had an arrest warrant out, he’s being taken to detainment now. I’m sorry this happened to you Syl, you don’t deserve it.”

“I just feel so stupid.”

“Well don’t, you weren’t even the one who set up the date. Can I ask you a favour though? Let me do a check on everyone you go on a date with, please. I’ll worry a lot less.”

“After tonight? You have a deal.”

“Oh thank God, I was worried I’d have to try and convince you.” He leaned over the console to kiss her cheek, he looked into her expressive eyes and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. Neither of them realized how close their faces were until Jay went to speak and their lips brushed together, in a feather-light touch. “We, uh, we were going to order a bunch of pizzas for dinner. It doesn’t look like you got to eat, would you like to join us?”

“That sounds great.”

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

THREE WEEKS AGO

Sylvie had gone back to Fowlerton to spend the holidays with her parents and brother, and Jay stayed in Chicago to celebrate with his brother’s family. Will was in the kitchen with Helen, he and a very pregnant Natalie were watching the looney tunes version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ in the living room with Owen. It wasn’t until Jay thought, about ten minutes into the movie, that Sylvie would love to watch this and he’d have to add this to their movie marathon lost for when she got back that he realized just how much he missed her. Her demeanour, her personality, the way she made him feel warm and fuzzy without much effort. And then he had another, much more startling realization. “I’m in love with Sylvie.” Beside him, Natalie snorted and Helen called from the kitchen “congrats on being literally the last person to know.”

“What? How did my brother’s mother-in-law-in-law know before I did?”

“She follows you on Facebook, remember? Basically everything you post is Sylvie, about Sylvie, or Sylvie related. And vice versa, I see the way she looks at you, she’s into you too.”

“It’s only been a few months, how am I in this deep?” Jay completely ignored his brother’s observation, he could barely register his feelings, he didn’t want to get his hopes up about hers.

“Take it from me, Jay, when the right person shows up it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known them or had a bond with them. If it feels good, go with it. It will only cause you pain to move away from it.”

“I don’t know if either of us are ready for that. The timings just not right.”

Nat covered Owen’s ears, “timing is a bitch.” She released a confused Owen who immediately zoned out looking at the tv again with a kiss on his tiny head, “if you don’t think that you’re ready, that’s fine. But don’t put anything down for timing or the universe, they’ll just mess you up.”

“Yeah... I’ll think about it.”

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

ONE WEEK AGO

Sylvie had been all set to go camping with Gabby and Stella, she’d been so excited and Jay had spent the last three days with her helping her pack and hanging on to her every word. Watching flit around in a flurry of excitement for a girls week. He was sitting on her bed rolling up her light blue sleeping bag with white polka dots when she got a call from Gabby and her face fell. Lines and bumps moved their way on to her face which was carefree and bright only seconds ago. “Okay, Gabby. I hope you and Matt and Stella and Kelly have fun.”

“She cancelled the trip? Or cancelled you out of the trip?”

”She decided to make it couples only. She also took the opportunity to tell me that Antonio’s single again.”

“You know what? You are not going to be sad. Because you have a week off of work, and so do I because we worked too much OT the past two months. Let’s go to Universal studios, I hear they expanded Harry Potter world.”

She smiled again. Bright and beaming and in a way that was just so, so her. “I’ll look at flights.”

Thanks to a bunch of last-minute deals, coupons, and first responder discounts they were on a plane bound for Florida in three hours. And when they got there, they went into prep mode for the next day, making sure that everything was ready to get up and go to the park, and they were so busy that neither of them noticed that there was only one bed until they were both drifting off to sleep, centimetres apart.

Waking up entangled in each other hadn’t been as awkward as either of them thought it would be. It was nice, warm. And it only got better as the week went on. They spent three days at Universal Studios, three at Universal Island Adventure, and one at Disney. Taking as much time as they could at each place. They went on every ride they could, multiple times, enjoyed all the themed food, took far more pictures than they had ever taken in their entire lives, and waited until the last day to buy any souvenirs because of how expensive everything was. They even held hands every day, Jay’s reasoning was so that Sylvie wouldn’t get separated from him but because of the time of year the population of the park was sparse compared to what it could have been. Sylvie knew this, knew that she didn’t have to hold his hand, but she wanted to. Badly. She didn’t care if it was only for while they were in Florida, she could pretend while they were there that they were more than friends. Because once they went home, she had to pretend that she didn’t love him with all her heart. But honestly, they had the time of their lives. Fun, food, and unresolved romantic tension. What could be better? It was their last day in Florida, their rental car was already loaded up with their stuff and after the fireworks display at Disney they were headed back to Chicago. 

Sylvie’s hair was mussed from the long day, and while she looked tired, she couldn’t take her eyes off of the display. And Jay couldn’t take his eyes off Sylvie. The multi-coloured lights were reflected in her eyes and the wind was blowing her hair gently. Sylvie could feel him staring at her and when she turned to ask him was what wrong, she stopped, her words dying in her throat. Jay’s entire soul was playing through his eyes. It was as if there was a tether connecting the two of them. Neither of them could turn away or blink. And Jay just went for it. He leaned down and kissed her with all the emotion his body possessed. The kiss making Sylvie feel weak in her knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck in part to stabilize himself, and in part to pull him closer. They’d missed the rest of the display just holding each other, but neither of them could bring themselves to care.

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

PRESENT DAY

Dr. Choi had been assigned to Jay. He raised an eyebrow at Sylvie seated on the bed beside him but made no comment, paying heed to the words of wisdom Maggie had just bestowed upon him, “she’s the only reason he’ll behave and accept treatment.”

“Alright, while I’m happy you’re not here with a bullet wound detective Halstead, coming back after a fight wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said ‘avoid lead’.”

“And deprive you of my charming personality?”

“Yeah, yeah. Now follow my finger, let’s hope you don’t have a concussion.”

It had only taken about twenty minutes to determine that Jay, miraculously, didn’t have a concussion or any broken bones. Just a lot of swelling and bruises. “Thanks, Choi.”

“No problem, while you are discharged and free to go, you can’t travel yourself, I’m actually you can see with how swollen the areas around your eyes are.”

“That’s no problem, I’ll drive him home.”

“Alright, good. Remember Jay, desk duty for a week.”

“Ugh, I’m already bored.”

“I’m sure you are, now let’s go. I want to leave before a Dawson comes barreling in here, cause I might start swinging punches too.”

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

The next week Jay avoided Antonio, not intentionally though. After hearing what happened Voight decided to keep Halstead in the basement as much as possible for his desk duty. While it was boring and agitating not being in the field, Sylvie made sure to send him as many hilarious snapchats as possible, many of which consisted of her hiding in ridiculous places to avoid Gabby. The photo that had offended the Dawsons so greatly sat framed on his temporary desk. Apparently, the people behind them at the fireworks display their last day there thought they were so cute that they took a couple of pics during and after their kiss, but the new couple had left before they could be asked for contact info for the pictures. Luckily, they’d overheard them before the fireworks display talking about how while they were sad to go back to Chicago that night, the fire and police departments desperately needed them to keep their partners in line. It had been an amusing joke to Sylvie and Jay, but a way to post the photos for the people behind them. The Dawsons were already pissed that Jay was ‘moving in on Antonio’s girl’, but when they saw the photos on Facebook, with that mother posting the, admittedly gorgeous, pictures with the tags for CPD and CFD, looking for them so that the ‘adorable couple’ could have pictures from their first kiss, they were both livid. Gabby unleashing all of her fury, most of which was for unrelated things, on Sylvie at Molly’s, while Antonio just started punching.

It all came to a head when Jay was picking up Sylvie from her shift after he had finally been cleared to drive and go back to work. “Hey, you.”

“Hello, gorgeous.” Their quick peck was stopped by Gabby darting in between them and physically pushing them apart.”How can the two of you do this to Antonio? He still loves you Sylvie, even after all this, how can you-”

“Okay, you know what Gabby? You need to shut the fuck up.”

“Brett-”

“Uh-uh. I am talking now. Antonio screwed up. He lost his chance with me. So not only do you need to stop trying to meddle in my love life, but you need to stop feeling entitled to it. You have no say in who I do or do not date. End of discussion. No, ifs, ands, or buts. I am honestly at my wit’s end with you. I don’t even consider you a friend anymore because of how poorly you’ve been treating me.”

“Bu-”

“And don’t pull any more of that ‘but you dated my brother’ crap. I only did so at your encouragement. And I seriously regret dating him because of how much trouble you two are causing for me now because I choose to have a life and not let the end of my relationship with Antonio be the end of me. You need to leave me alone. I’ve already reported you to HR. I had no other choice after you locked me in the ambo for hours today without my phone or radio and wouldn’t let me out unless I got back with your brother. Goodbye Dawson. I’ll see you next shift.”

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

THREE MONTHS LATER

Sylvie and Gabby were finally back on speaking terms, but took them a while to get there. Natalie and Hailey had become her best friends. They both understood how awful it was for someone to feel entitled to your love life, and how much gossipy coworkers who were closer than peas in a pod knew how to affect you more than anyone else. 51 had originally been avoiding taking sides, something that Sylvie was grateful for, and she made sure they knew she’d never ask them to choose. Everything, barring their relationships with Antonio and Gabby, went back to normal. Stella was asking for details about Jay, Cruz, Otis, Hermann, and Boden cornered him at Molly’s one night and threatened him, Upton told Sylvie plainly that she wasn’t allowed to hurt Jay, and the two made each other their emergency contacts. Jay also made stops by the firehouse with doughnuts from the place just around the corner from the 21st district. Sylvie, a secretly amazing cook, also dropped by the station with homemade food for the unit and Trudy on long nights.

Molly’s, in a bid to get more customers, started having trivia nights. Sylvie and Jay were practically vibrating in excitement because the trivia night that night was for Harry Potter.

“What did Draco steal from Neville during flying lessons in the first movie?”

“A remembrall!”

“What was the name of Hermione’s cat?”

“Crookshanks!”

“What was the device Hermione used to go back in time during the third movie?”

“A time turner!”

“Okay, and the winning pair is... Sylvie Brett and Jay Halstead! And can I just say that even though I work at 51 and not at the 21st district, I feel like I should have known that detective I-am-a-badass-army-ranger-and-can-kill-you-twelve-different-ways-with-a-pencil-eraser Halstead was such a nerd!” There was a roar of laughter from everyone including Jay. “Laugh all you want, being a nerd is how I got my amazing girlfriend.”

“Damn right it is.” A celebratory kiss was met with cheers from the tipsy group. “Alright, alright, stop making out with my honourary sister and come get your gift card to the aquarium.”

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

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

Jay was trying to be sensitive to Antonio, really, he was. He put his photos of Sylvie in his locker, not on his desk, he took calls from her in another room. He didn’t talk about her with anyone from the unit. Sylvie was like an entity of golden light, anyone would be a fool to mistreat her or let her go, and Jay knew that both of the Dawson siblings were beating themselves up over their mistakes. But now Jay was pissed. Did he really think that Jay was so stupid he wouldn’t spot him at the table three rows down from them? That he wouldn’t make sure to take a closer look at the man sitting alone in a restaurant designed for dates, wearing all black, with a baseball cap and shades? And that was seriously the worst disguise, too. He could see numerous other couples and the staff take notice of him and they all looked concerned. Hell, even Sylvie noticed him the second he walked in! So they had decided in a little bit of revenge. They normally wouldn’t display PDA above hand-holding or a quick kiss, but tonight they’d made an exception. They were going all out, even choosing to sit on the same side so not only did Antonio have a clear view of both of them, but Jay would lean down and nibble on Sylvie’s neck, Sylvie would lean close to his ear and whisper in his ear, far, far too much physical contact. Oh, and kisses with tongue, can’t forget those when trying to make someone immensely uncomfortable.

They kept it up all throughout dinner and dessert. At some point in between appetizers and receiving the dessert menu, the PDA stopped being an act. They started riling each other up, enjoying what they were doing to each other. They finished dessert incredibly aroused, and paid the bill as quickly as possible. Jay was vaguely aware of Antonio following them but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

They made it to Jay’s apartment in record time and started ripping off each other’s clothes the second the door was locked. Jay lofted Sylvie up and carried her into his bedroom with Sylvie distracting him, kissing and biting his neck. Once they made it there everything happened slow and steamy, with Sylvie screaming Jay’s name multiple times, Jay purring and growling in her ear. They were vaguely aware of someone pounding on the apartment door, whoever it was (Antonio) had been doing so since Jay and Sylvie locked the door. But they didn’t care. They only focused on each other. They let him knock.

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

*Brring, brring*

“Mhm, Halstead.”

“Halstead, we caught a case in Humble Park. Meet Upton there.”

“Sure thing Voight.” He hung up and stared at Sylvie for a moment, taking in her soft skin, mussed hair, and even breathing. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Sylvie Brett.”

“Mmm, I love you more, Jay Halstead.”

“Did I wake you?”

“Your phone did. You want me to make you some breakfast while you get in the shower?”

“That would be great.” He kissed her, revelling in the feeling of his naked body against hers first thing in the morning.

Jay walked onto the scene with a spring in his step, homemade breakfast in his stomach, and a reusable take-out cup filled with amazing coffee. “You’re looking happy Halstead. How’s Sylvie?”

“She’s great. She made these egg muffins, they’re really good, she sent a few in a container for you if you want them.”

“I absolutely want them. Sylvie is so sweet.”

“She really is.”

“You are so smitten.”

“I am, I uh, I’m actually thinking about proposing.”

“Oh my god, that’s huge!”

“Do you think she’d say yes?”

“Oh, she definitely would.”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Nat yet, but would you come with me to help pick out a ring?”

“You got it.”

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

Jay was beyond nervous, but he was ready. He was ready for Sylvie to be his fiance, then his wife, then the mother of his children. Sylvie was just getting dressed and then they were heading to the park for an Irish festival, which would end in green fireworks. “Hey!” Sylvie jumped out from their bedroom in a deep green knee-length dress. “What do you think?”

“You look absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, I have absolutely no idea how I got lucky enough to date you.”

Later, just before the fireworks were about to begin, after they’d spent the whole day dancing and eating, Jay led Sylvie to a spot on a hill that two officers had been guarding for him, courtesy of Trudy. “This is an amazing spot, Jay. What did you have to bribe Trudy with to keep it?”

“Permission to take pictures and a speech if you say yes.”

“Yes to what- oh my god.”

“Sylvie Brett. You are the light of my life, I have never been this happy before and it’s all because of you. I love you so much and I want you to be my everything for the rest of our lives. So please, Sylvie, will you marry me?”

“Yes, of course, YES!” Jay slid the ring Natalie and Hailey had help him choose onto her finger, then he jumped up, wrapped her in his arms and twirled her in the air. He stopped, still holding her, Sylvie caressed his face lovingly before leaning down and kissing the love of her life. Completely ignoring the fireworks behind them, and the camera shutters in front of them. They were getting their happy ending, and they were going to love every second of it.

[nade2308]

Can you do #9, Helpless for the Drabble Challenge? Mac and Jack or MacDalton, your choice.

Hey, hey, I finally managed to write this. Hope you’ll like it. Posted under the cut, because this one is the longest one, yet

The drive back to Mac's place was a blur. Jack focused on the road and tried not to think of what they were told or the treatment that might have reversed all of their hard work on making Mac's hands heal and be okay. 

In reality, Jack was scared because Mac's hands were an important part of who he was at work, and knowing Mac if something happened to his hands, he would find a way to convince himself that it was the only way he could do things. The only thing he was good for. Jack tried hard to stop that train of thought, but the fact was, he had some dark thoughts on his own. 

It was a little over two weeks after the NOLA mission and Mac's check up for the burns on his hands. The doctor told them that they were infected and after Jack was shooed out of the room and they did something to the burns to clean them, Mac got out of the examination room with an unreadable expression. 

He told Jack to get them home and Jack complied. He didn't have the heart to ask Mac about what transpired and what was the verdict on the infection. Not after he heard his partner screaming as his burns were cleaned. He desperately wished to be there for Mac, hold him close and whisper reassurances. But he wasn't allowed. 

Once at the house, Jack opened the door and Mac was the first one in. A moment later Jack heard the door to Mac's room - their room now - open and close with a slam. 

Jack looked at the clock. It was only noon. It looked like it was going to be a long day. 

…

Mac knew that he was acting like a sullen teenager when he slammed the bedroom door closed, but this day was too much already and he needed to be alone. He wasn't fair to his partner who was nothing but a supporting pillar, keeping up with all the moods Mac had ever since what transpired at the crematorium. He fed Mac, he helped with showers and baths, kept a steady stream of chatter when Mac wasn't feeling very talkative. He changed the bandages to his hands like a clockwork. Jack did everything in his power to make sure Mac was taken care of and looked after. 

The change of their relationship status from friends to boyfriends didn't change anything. They discovered that they did a lot of the things with the same drive and fervor, so it wasn't really a thing to get anxious about. That went out of the window when Mac decided kissing Jack was a good idea, and slamming him against the door of their hotel room was an even better one. And then Jack returned the kiss. They didn't look back to things from then on. 

After they came back to LA and Jack spent more time at Mac's, it was natural to ask Jack to move in with him. They lived in each other's pockets for years before Mac admitted his feelings, so it wasn't a rushed decision. Mac had to admit that waking up next to Jack in bed had interrupted quite a few of his morning runs. He loved the feeling of having his partner next to him in this capacity. The unbidden love Jack had for him, showing every day in every gesture. In the little pecks on Mac's cheek or neck, a touch on his hand and arm to ground him; the arm around his waist and pulling Mac to his side. Laughing at something Mac said and burying his head in Mac's neck. 

In light of recent events, Mac wasn't sure he was worth it all that. He was being snappy and by all means Jack should have said “enough” and left him. But Jack was still there. 

Mac wasn't sure how to approach his boyfriend and tell him about what happened at the doctor's office, when there was a soft knock on the door. It was a testament to how Jack was feeling about things that he didn't just get inside the room. Jack was the one that always said “family don't knock”, but was always cautious. 

While Mac was being busy planning what to say to him, it looked like Jack took Mac's silence as a no to get in, so he whispered how lunch was ready if Mac wanted to eat. 

Mac wanted to cry. Jack shouldn't have to do that. Helping Mac with mundane tasks was enough, but with eating and drinking… 

It was bad enough that the burns stopped him from doing all normal tasks. Now he added to Jack and the way Jack felt around him.

Doing a great job there, Angus, the voice in his head sounding suspiciously like his dad said. 

Footsteps echoed away from the door and Mac felt a pang of regret for not responding sooner to Jack. 

It was a trouble to open the door with both his hands wrapped in bandages, but Mac managed somehow.

He had to face Jack sooner or later. They had to talk. 

…

Jack was at a loss of what he could do, so he headed to the kitchen. If he was cooking lunch at least he wasn't going to be thinking about their predicament. But the fact was, Mac was hurting, he got hurt trying to save - and saving - him in the process. Jack still remembered the scent of burned flesh permeating his nostrils. It always made him feel sick, but now more than ever. It was Mac, his boyfriend, the love of his life, his everything that got hurt because of him, and Jack found that to be a hard pill to swallow. 

Jack smiled as he remembered that night in the Panama City hotel. After the lead in Guadalajara led to a trip to Karakas, ultimately making them circle back to Panama, they were left high and dry. What was once a promising lead it turned into their possible informant standing them up and Mac was pissed. 

Jack was trying to decide if it was best to leave Mac alone, give him space, when his partner turned around and kissed Jack, slamming him in the door of their room. His butt hit the door handle and Jack hissed in pain, but Mac swallowed it with his fervent kiss. Jack found himself responding and then it was frantic search for release, pleasure and being close to each other. 

Waking up in the morning was awkward, at least for Jack. He didn't want to ruin the feeling of peacefulness and satisfaction, but he had to know. 

Jack should have known that Mac'd be an explosive lover, given his propensity of making Jack's mind explode. 

Their talk was quiet and over breakfast they ordered from the hotel. Jack found himself asking where they were standing now, and Mac told him that he was hoping for something more. That the feelings were present for a lot longer than Mac even acknowledged them for. And Jack admitted he held a torch for his best friend for years. 

After that, they became a couple and despite them going from friends to lovers, nothing really changed. They were still Mac and Jack. 

Jack loved waking up to blond strands of hair under his chin, sometimes ending up in his mouth or tickling his nose. It was the small moments with Mac he loved the most. They just existed. 

Jack finished cooking the chili and put it on a rack to cool, while he took out plates and silverware. He busied himself getting the pitcher from the fridge with the chili lemonade his grandma taught him to make when he was little, and wondered for the first time if things would have been easier if he never said a thing about his feelings. 

It was a given for Jack to ruin things for himself by opening his mouth and admitting to things. If he just didn't tell Mac he loved him, that he was in love with, and dashed Mac's hopes for more, it would have been simpler. That and other lies he was telling himself to make himself feel better. 

Jack wiped a stray tear and went to fetch Mac. As predicted, Mac kept his silence and Jack gave up after several minutes of no answer from the other side. He knew Mac would surface at some point of the day. And as always Jack planned to be there. 

He ate the food mechanically, not tasting it. It was easier said than done to distract himself, think of something else. But nothing could help him, or stop Jack from thinking about Mac trying to put out the fire that caught his jacket. Nothing could stop Jack from thinking that just as so many times before, he was a hindrance to Mac, that he got Mac hurt in the process, for something that Jack was the only one at fault. Little Ray wanted to see him suffer, and it was a testament just how the work at the Agency sucked that Jack got dragged back into the mess of one of his former aliases. And now Mac was paying the price. 

Jack learned afterward that Mac crashed a car in the main pipeline to stop the fire that was going to consume the coffin he was buried in. On top of being thrown out of a window. And being worried about Jack so much that he pulled him out of the fire, literally.

And Jack fist bumping him was the worst that he could do to Mac's burn. Jack hadn't worn a ring ever since. It was too much to hear the pained scream when the metal touched the burns.

Just as Jack was eating the last from his plate, Mac joined him. He didn't say a word, just plopped in the chair and looked at the pot like it personally offended him. 

Jack didn't know how to proceed, but then he set with his routine as always. He placed the cloth napkin over Mac's lap, and one over his neck. Then put chili on the plate. 

It all went downhill from there. Jack's hands started shaking and after the third time he dropped food in Mac's lap, Jack could tell Mac was getting worked up. 

“Jack, stop.” 

The soft voice was far worse than Mac yelling at him. Jack stopped and then he went to gather his plate and took it to the sink. More like the floor since he dropped it. Jack was staring at his shaking hands and didn't know what to do. 

He tried to remove the broken pieces, but cut his finger on the edge of one so after snarling at no one in particular he dropped it and then placed his hands in his lap. 

“Jack? Are you okay?” 

“I'm fine.” 

“That's usually my line.” 

Jack mustered up a smile, but didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say, anyway.

“I'm sorry. I really am. But with my hands like this, I can't help but feel helpless.” 

That got Jack's attention and he looked up. 

“You are not helpless, Mac.” 

“Yes, I am. Look at me.” 

“Mac…” 

"Look at me, Jack! Look at me!" 

"I am looking at you. I am looking at you, even when you think I'm not. You are the most wonderful person I know, and you have no idea how lucky I am to call you my boyfriend, my ANYTHING! How lucky I am that you let me love you. I am looking at you, and I see someone that never gives up."

Mac looked at him with such a surprise that Jack wanted to hunt down everyone and everything that decided to hurt this wonderful boy. 

“If anything, I should be the one who-” Jack bit his lip. He shouldn't say it. Mac should never know. 

“Should be the one that, what, Jack?” 

“You should have left me when you had a chance. I'm too dangerous for you.” 

“Jack, that's not-” 

“I went and fucked things up and… and you paid the price. And no amount of me taking care of you is gonna solve that.” 

“Do you honestly believe that?” 

“I…” 

Mac carefully got up from the chair and kneeled in front of Jack. 

“Hey, what are you doing, you are going to cut yourself-” 

Mac kissed him and Jack shut up for a second before he returned the kiss. It was the first real one after everything, that wasn't frantic and needy and to make sure they were both around. Jack didn't like to admit it out loud, but this mission shook him for more than just Mac being burned. 

“I am the one that started things and hell would freeze over before I kicked you out or left you, Jack. I love you. If anyone is chasing someone away it should be you after all you've been through with me.” 

“I would never.” 

“I know.” 

“It's not something I can stop doing just snapping my fingers, dude. You are it for me. And even if that wasn't the case, you know I'd stay. Always. That's a promise I will try my best to keep.” 

“So you aren't mad?” 

“Of course not. I have my moments, too, it'd be hypocritical if I got mad over slammed doors and moody boyfriends, now.” 

“Jack, I'm serious.” 

“So am I. I know it's hard for you to ask for help, even if you need it, Mac. But remember, I am offering you my help unconditionally. I don't pity you, but I feel for you. It hurts me to see you hurting yourself like this.” 

“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. You always say that to me.” 

“It's not. You are a strong person, Mac. You don't need to prove yourself to me.” 

“The doc said that the infection was spreading and if we… if we can't control it, I may have permanent damage to my hands. If… if it doesn't spread in my bloodstream and kill me first.” 

Jack felt like his world was turned upside down. It was possibly the reason why Mac was feeling like this and acting like it was the end of the world. But they were fighters. And they weren't going to give up. 

Still, a part of Jack thought if it wasn't for him… 

“Not your fault, Jack. I know what you are thinking. Knowing me, I could have burned myself easily in another way. Our job is dangerous.” 

“That it is. I'm so sorry, darlin'. Anything I could do?” 

“Hold me?” 

Jack complied and he ended up holding a highly distressed Mac over pieces of broken porcelain, trying to hold on on the last thread of sanity he possessed. He didn't want to act like he was thinking of the worst, always, but what Mac told him, it rattled him more than he would have liked to admit. It was cruel and unfair, but Jack wasn't going to give up. 

“We are going to be okay, Mac. We are going to deal with this. I'm here.” 

Jack knew he couldn't promise that it was going to be alright. But he'd do his damndest to try and make it happen. 

…

Mac was warmly wrapped in Jack's embrace and blankets as they lay in bed. They decided to turn in early, the day was too much for them. But neither was asleep. Jack was lost in his thoughts, Mac could tell. And Mac was busy listening to Jack's heartbeat and breathing. 

“You know that whatever happens, you got me for life, right?” Jack spoke softly, as if he was trying to whisper. 

Mac shuffled a bit and raised himself to see Jack. And he believed Jack. 

“Yeah. I do.” 

“Good. Because the next time I hear you are saying you are helpless, or even think about it, I'm finding a way to shut you up.” 

Mac could feel his eyebrows going up in surprise and what it implied and then Jack laughed and flushed.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, you idiot. I meant with a kiss. Or maybe more kisses.” 

Mac laughed and let himself be pulled back in Jack's embrace. 

“Seriously, though. You got me, Mac. Forever.” 

“Forever. You too, Jack. I'll never leave you.” 

“You better not. Or I'll come and find you. And smother you in kisses to show you how much I love you.” 

“I love you too, Jack.”

Things were far from over. But they had each other. And if Mac learned something throughout the years was that everything was more bearable with Jack in his life. 

With that thought, Mac let sleep pull him under. 

[tillmays]

It was a pleasure to call you my friend.

Riley found Chris. They are at his place.

Chris- welcome. *he opened the door for her his friends were already there * Riley- wow this is really nice. Chris- thanks, don't you think is too much. *the house was bigger then the house of Mr. Spielberg.* Riley- hey if you like it you like it. Mac, Desi and Bozer followed Riley they got in. they were alert if something happened. *Matty calls again.* Matty- oh I'm sorry to bother you, were you busy? *saying sarcastically pissed.* Desi- sorry, but we needed to get to this new place and- Matty- I'm sorry what did I miss? Where are you? Desi- Riley got some information, and now we are here in.. Some house. Matty sorry I will call you back later. Mac- what she said? Desi- the usual, she wanted to know why we don't follow instructions. Mac smiled at her, she kept looking forward like ignoring him, but looking at him slyly. Everyone were around ready to see the microfilms someone knocked the door. Riley- can you show me the bathroom? Chris- sure let me take you. Bozer- Riley is moving I g- Mac- I go! Bozer- well ok... *Bozer looked at Mac while he walked in front of him* Desi- hey someone's at the door. Focus everyone. *she was on the living room with other girls and was the only one closer to the door* Chris guided Riley to the bathroom. Chris- here you go, you know I'm excited that you decided to come, after whatever that was on the party ahha Riley- yeah me too, that was scary. *Mac heard them talking while he was walking up the stairs* Chris- I'm glad you're here. Riley saw Mac. "What is this boy doing" she though. Uh well just let me go you know, I'm not going nowhere. Chris- oh shoot your right. Sorry. Riley- don't worry I will be with you in a sec. your friends are nice by the way. Chris- I hope they aren't to nice, I don't want no one stealing you from me. I will be outside alright. Riley- ok.

He left, she got in the bathroom to watch the cameras of the house "thank God, some alone time" she said and started working. Mac knocked the door. “Damn this man can't wait.” Riley-Chris give me a minute ok. Mac- Its Mac. Riley- oh *she opened the door and let him in* Mac- what you got? Riley- nothing good. I used the facial recognition and Matty was right, this man is nothing but bad news. We need to get that thing back. Desi was sitting in the sofa when they opened the door, this tall, 40 ish man walked in. Riley already knew who he was with the facial recognition. He walked in and saluted all the girls he kissed Desis hand " oh a gentleman" she said while looking him in the eyes. "Some of us are. It was a pleasure meeting you. That's why I'm so sorry of what I'm about to do" he said while his subordinates were walking towards them. " What you mean" they grabbed Desi at off guard. " Hello everyone, I'm sorry to interrupt your night" he kept walking were the people was. Chris looked at him "uh I'm sorry who are you". He looked confused he didn't know who this mysterious man was. "Don't worry, that's not important. What you need to know is that someone in here has something that is mine, and I want it back". The mans putted the guns out. Bozer- guys.. Whatever you're doing move now. They got Desi. *they grabbed her by the neck with a gun pointing to her head.* Mac- what!? *they looked at the cameras. The bad guys started moving everyone to the other room. But the man who was going to trade the microfilm ran to the other direction. Everyone started screaming the bad guys started shooting, some of them got hurt. Mac looked in the mirror he had an idea, but it was very dangerous.

Mac- I got an idea. Riley- let me guess, I'm not gonna like it. Mac- I need you to cover my back. Riley- how you ask that. don't we all do that all the time. Mac- please be careful. I don't want mistakes, or worse if I commit one and someone gets hurt i- I don't want this to be the last day of someone or for us. Riley- hey, why do you say that? no one is going to die. You are not gonna die. I will protect you. You know why? Because this is my link. * Riley had a plan too she managed to get in the system of the bad guys phone and get their address but Mac didn't get what she was saying.* Mac- your link? Riley- Yes it is.  Mac-does it link you to my father? Riley- To all. Wait. what are you talking about? Mac- I saw you talking outside the war room before I walked in, what is happening between you two?

Flashback to this morning.

Before the team arrived to the phoenix when Matty called them, Riley and Macs dad where talking. Mac saw them talking together, and he couldn't help to think what was going on. they were talking by the stairs in front of the war room.

“People won't behave, if they have nothing to lose.”

Back in the bathroom.

Nothing, we were ... he was telling me about my mission, ok I'm not hiding anything. *she looked at him straight in the eyes* Some things in the case changed, nothing important. Mac we'll talk later I promise. But now I need you to be Macgyver ok. I'll be outside, don't worry. I will do my part and you do you. Mac- mj. You are very brave Riley Davis. Riley- is not that. Is that I have nothing to lose.

Mac- what you mean you have nothing to lose? Riley didn't let him finish talking when she pushed him out of the bathroom and closed the door. ” it's time, Goodbye Macgyver” she said thru the door. Mac was confused, he didn't know what was going on. but he needed to concentrate. He placed little bombs of smoke that he made with some part of the cars that were outside. He put some by the stairs, Bozer saw him and made a distraction. Mac threw two at him. And placed one on the chandelier that was very low to the level of the top floor of the stairs. To his luck Chris had a great taste in furniture. Unfortunately that was about to be destroyed. Riley- Boz stay ready ok. Bozer- good, but for what? *At that moment a little explosion happened by the kitchen* Desi- I wonder who could that be? *she looked at Bozer saying sarcastically and giving a little smile* Mac running to the other room* - Riles is your turn now. Riley was taking deep breaths. Like if was the first time doing something like this “come on breath, relax, you can do it.” she said to herself to keep her mind calm. She was on her phone managing everything. She was controlling the security system of the house. Couldn't bring her laptop to this mission since it was a pick up and leave mission. But as always things don't always go as planned. She looked in the mirror for a moment her mind was blank but still didn't like what she saw. Took the last breath, took the gun she was hiding under the dress on her tight while opening the door she said. “It's showtime”. Walked outside, went down the stairs, pointing directly to the chandelier. Meanwhile, the man was yelling at everyone about his lost “package”. Mac wasn't sure about it but it was the best he could think of, he was hesitating but then Riley shot the first smoke bomb. Bozer threw them to the ground making explode the two bombs that mac had thrown at him. At the same time that Riley shot the other bombs creating a great mist, it seemed that they were inside a cloud. Everyone in there screamed. Bozer helped them escape, Desi knocked down the men who were holding her. Riley was following Mac instructions she walked into the smoke. No one could see a thing. The microfilm was behind the projector she took it out of there. She already had it in her hands when the men started shooting blindly trying to immobilize her. Mac ran into the crossfire. He started shouting Riley's name, but he couldn't find her. He couldn't see anything the lights had been destroyed by the bullets. They were in the dark. Mac saw Riley trying to get up, lifted her off the ground, and they walked to the other end of the house to escape the shots.

                           ........................................

Desi pinned down as many men as she could while Mac and Riley were in the crossfire. She took a gun from the bad guys. On her way to our villain, stood behind him pointing the gun at his head she said “how you like it now”. He replied “you got me, you know, ladies shouldn't use weapons” Desi hit him on the head with the gun “guess I'm not a lady then”.

                          ...........................................

Mac placed Riley on the floor he was sitting on the floor trying to get back his breath. He saw she didn't have a sign that she was breathing and saw she was bleeding. A bullet went thru her stomach and the other one in her arm. Mac got shot in the arm as well.

Mac- Riles... Riles! Are you ok? Do you hear me?! *Riley started to wake up. Mac got closer to her. His eyes got teary.

Mac- Please Riley, never say... never say again in my presence, that you have no more in life, that you have nothing to lose. Of course, you have it, don't do sad things like say goodbye while you walk away. Never say goodbye again when you go on a mission. It's sad. *Riley was looking at him, Mac broke into tears he just let it out he didn't know why. He couldn't control himself he just let his emotions be. Riley leaned as she could on her good arm.* “why are you crying?” Mac kept crying with his head down. “I'm sorry, Mac I don't know what to do in situations like this, I'm sorry” she said while keeping her head down. Mac regain his posture and looked at her smiled with his sad eyes “you can start with a smile” Riley raised her head. Her eyes met his and their gazes connected in a very personal way. When Riley saw Mac's watery eyes, at one point she was scared. because he reminded her of someone, She saw herself in his eyes. And just like in the mirror felt the same feeling but this time was fading away, she felt something new. But put her guard down she breathed and smiled at him. that innocent smile of hers reminded him that ... that smile was the kind of smile you get to see a couple of times in a lifetime. Mac had something pure. she knew that. “come on, we gotta go.” she told him. Mac helped her to get up on her fit. Standing there next to each other they knew that they were important to one another. Mac held out his hand. Their hands were bloody. They held hands, making their blood as one. Mac saw her eyes. 

Mac- When will you come back?

Riley- Till May.

Riley- goodbye, Mac.

Mac- its not goodbye ok? we will se later.

Riley-  ok, later.

Mac squeezed her hand feeling that she was no longer there. - hurry up then. 

they walked to the big room the Phoenix team was already there. Mac and Riley walked to different direction. Desi went with Mac she was worried because he was hurt. “if Jack knew that you got shot because i wasn't watching your back, he will kill me” she said while looking at the injury. “ don't worry i can take care of myself besides someone's watching over me. always”. Bozer was talking with some people until she saw Riley was bleeding and was in the ambulance “ dude are you ok?” he was worried “ don't worry Boz i will be fine, when they get out this bullet that in my arm i will be fine” Riley saw that Chris was walking into her direction. Bozer understood “ i'm gonna check out Mac” 

Chris- so this is the “Production” you work for. 

Riley- yeah, mine likes to make it real- ough watch out. she said to the paramedic cleaning her injury. 

Chris- can you give us a moment please. *the man left them alone.* so when your done here you better come with me to continue what we left inside but it will have to be somewhere else since you destroyed my house.

Riley- hey i didn't did that alone, the bad guys helped me too. *they laughed*

Chris- so what you said. are you down.

Riley- i really like your offer but-

Chris- but what come on you're going to enjoy it. 

Riley- first of all i have two holes in my body right now and second of all i can’t. 

Chris-  i understand.

Riley- i have to go somewhere else. But i really wish i could.

Chris- that's to bad.. Cause I was gonna give you another chance to read my mind. * he kissed her hand and got closer to her and gave her a kiss on the chick. Mac Bozer and Desi saw them “uuu she got him” Bozer said laughing Mac just raised his brows. “nuh uh he's leaving” Desi said. “Can you two stop that, leave them alone” Mac told them while the paramedic finished putting the bandage on his injury. “relax we are just joking” 

Matty called Bozer. 

Bozer- what up Matty. *he put the speaker on* Matty- uh they are going to take Riley to the hospital since her injuries are bigger Desi- but she's going to be ok right? Matty- yes. Don't worry. She will be back tomorrow ready to work. Mac- we got the microfilm its safe. Matty- I'm glad of hearing that. At least that didn't get hurt. And guess what? Thanks to Riley link we could trace the whole operations of the guy and his facing a long life in prison. Bozer- hell yeah that our girl. Mac- so that was she was referring to.. Desi- what? Mac- nothing. Just thinking out loud. 

Bozer- she's not coming back, is she?

Mac- with Riley.... you never know.

The ambulance left the scene. but what they didn't know was that she was not only going to the hospital. but after that she was going to leave for her new mission. That night was the last time they saw her, not knowing what was going to happen next to the team or to Riley. 

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

i hope you guys liked this one. i edited the pics. sorry it took so long. be ready for the next one where do you think Riley its going? did you catch that line? uh see what i did there? ok im out for now let me know what you think.

[twobitmulder]

MCU Spider-Man 3 Pitch

I have not been the biggest fan of the MCU’s take on Spider-Man, but I do think there’s a way that they could close out his trilogy and make up for a lot of what didn’t work while also staying true to what’s been done in the first few movies.

So picture this, it’s been a few months, maybe even a year, since Spider-Man was framed for Mysterio’s death. Stark Industries lawyers have been able to convince a judge that the footage was doctored to put Peter’s face in in it, but that’s only improved the situation a little bit. Half of New York still thinks Peter is Spider-Man and the other half at least think Spider-Man murdered Mysterio and framed this kid. Happy and Stark Industries have had to distance themselves from Spider-Man publicly because even though Peter Parker is technically legally innocent, Spider-Man is still wanted for murder.

Ned and MJ stand by him, but the fact of the matter is that the world is just against Peter Parker on all fronts....

That’s when Norman Osborne shows up. Norman is a tech genius and his company Oscorp has always been a sort of quiet competitor to Stark Industries. Since the Snap (or the Blip if you prefer) they’ve raised their public profile and are doing a lot of work cleaning up the world. Norman approaches Peter much like Tony did. He knows Peter is Spider-Man and he’s offering him a job with Oscorp, a way to save his reputation and earn some money (Stark Industries covered the legal fees, but the constant attention has put a strain on the already sparse Parker family budget). Norman is putting together a new team, to fill the void left by the fracturing of the Avengers...the Thunderbolts.

Now Peter isn’t an idiot. This all feels sort of suspect. After all, Mysterio came to him as a fellow hero too. So he does his due diligence. He checks with Dr. Strange and looks as far back as he can into Osborne’s past, but he can’t find a blemish, what he does find is that Osborne knew his father, worked with him when they were in Grad school, and it leads to a very tender father/son moment between them. 

So he agrees to become a Thunderbolt on a trial basis. May doesn’t like it, but Peter is 18 and she can’t stop him. MJ thinks he’s nuts. “You got lucky trusting one billionaire, you’re crazy to trust a second one.” Even Ned, trying to be supportive, can’t help but feel that something is off.

Peter meets the other Thunderbolts. Max Dillion, who can control electricity, Sergei Kravinoff, who has enhanced strength and agility, and Dimitri Smerdyakov, their own personal Black Widow and master intelligence operative. They have an early run in with Mac Gargan, now in possession of a suit of power armor and calling himself The Scorpion, but the real clincher for Peter comes when, responding to an attack by some kind of sand monster, they capture a very alive and well Mysterio.

With the path to fully clearing his name now open, Peter comes to fully trust Osborne who tells him how he wants to do what the Avengers couldn’t. He wants to build a suit of armor around the world.

Meanwhile, MJ and Ned are still suspicious and they break into Oscorp where they find Osborne’s scientists running tests on Dillon, Kravinoff, and Smerdyakov. But worse than that, they find Beck and Gargan free, and getting equipment upgrades from Oscorp scientists. They’re captured and interrogated by Osborne. MJ tells him that she’s got him all figured out, that he’s just running the same scam that Beck was, creating fake disasters to swoop and stop. But Osborne tells her that it’s much more than that. Peter represents the possibility of a new generation of heroes, young and impressionable that he can mold and shape, effectively putting the next generation of super people entirely under his thumb. Luckily for Osborne, Beck’s stunt with the doctored footage helped alienate Peter enough for Osborne to get his hooks in.

Later, Peter is worried that he can’t get in touch with MJ and Ned, but Osborne tells him not to worry, tells him that his destiny as a hero is beyond all that and that he’ll make new friends, friends on his level. Osborne shows Peter files he’s been keeping on other young people with powers (and here we can take an opportunity to show off some upcoming characters, I think Angelica Jones, Bobby Drake, and Sam Alexander would be fun Easter Eggs) that he wants Peter to start training to be the next generation of Thunderbolts.

This starts to rub Peter the wrong way and he wonders if maybe MJ and Ned were right. He hacks Osborne’s computers and steals some files on the Thunderbolt Project and takes them home to sort through them. On his way home he gets a call from MJ telling him to meet her in Central Park. 

By the time he gets there it’s dark and he sees not MJ, but Aunt May meeting with someone who looks just like Peter. Before he can call out to her he’s blindsided by a masked man (Kraven, but Peter can’t tell) who pins him down and makes him watch as the False Peter (Smerdyakov) locks eyes with Peter and makes it clear that if he makes a sound he’ll kill May. Kraven asks for the data Peter stole from Oscorpe back. Just as Peter is about to hand it over he sees May wallop Smerdyakov.

We cut to May kicking Smerdyakov’s fallen gun away from him and asking him where Peter is. Smerdyakov’s shapeshifting falters and we see a new form, a blank, smooth white face.

“How?” He asks.

May sneers at him. “You think I don’t know my own son?”

A webline hits Smerdyakov square in the chest and Peter rockets into frame, knocking him onto his ass. Kraven rushes him and Peter yells for May to get clear.

Suddenly an explosion rips through the park. Osborne, in something almost like a cross between an Iron Man suit and and Vulture’s wing harness, swoops down, picks Peter up, and plucks the data stick from the pocket of his suit, then throws him into a nearby building where Peter blacks out.

Peter wakes up in a hazy and brightly lit version of his bedroom. He sits up on his bed and makes eye contact with someone across from him.

“I let you down didn’t I? I tried to...I tried to be better. I tried to...”

“Pete,” an unfamiliar voice says, as we pan to the other end of the room and see, for the first time in the MCU, Benjamin Franklin Parker (I’m imagining Nick Offerman, but Toby Maguire would be fun too). “You could never let me down.”

Peter tells his uncle that he thinks he made a mistake, that he doesn’t know who to trust anymore, and that this whole Spider-Man thing was supposed to be to make Ben proud, to make up for...well, Ben knows...but it never seems to turn out right. It just feels like he keeps getting drawn into other people’s messes and making a mess of his own life and he’s tried to be his own person but it feels like the more he’s Spider-Man the less he knows who he’s supposed to be. Is he Tony? Is he Osborne? Is he an Avenger or a Thunderbolt? Ever since he got drawn into this people have been talking about his potential and he’s afraid that he’s not going to measure up to what people expect of him. And Ben very gently tells him that it’s not about measuring up. It’s not about being the next Tony Stark but better or becoming an Avenger. It’s not about measuring up to anyone’s ideal. It’s about knowing that he’s making a difference because he feels it’s the right thing to do no matter whether the rest of the world sees him as an Iron Man or a menace or an Avenger. And he tells him that he knows he knows he’ll do the right thing, because he can’t not, it’s who he is, it’s in his actions every day.

Peter wakes up to May frantically doing chest compressions on him in the middle of a collapsed public restroom in the park. He almost tells her what he hallucinated while he was out, but he can’t bring himself to. Instead he says they need to get to a computer.

Peter reveals that he made a backup of the data and stored it in the suit’s computer. He opens up the files and they find out that Osborne is planning to release the personal information of his teenage Thunderbolts candidates to every budding super-criminal and news outlet in the world. He’s gonna back them all into a corner the way Peter was, destroy their lives so he can pick up the pieces and turn them into his loyal army.

Following an SOS from MJ Peter find Osborne and confronts him in the Oscorp Tower while Aunt May sneaks in and rescues MJ and Ned. What follows is a climactic fight where Peter takes on Osborne’s Sinister Six while May, Ned, and MJ make their way past Oscorp’s security to stop the data leak. 

The fight spills out into the city and Peter shows off his experience as Spider-Man, staying one step ahead of his multiple foes and pulling civilians out of harm’s way.

May, MJ, and Ned manage to stop the data leak from Oscorp Tower but Osborne reveals he can just as easily release it all from his suit. He points out to Peter that as far as the world is concerned, he and the Thunderbolts are new superheroes while Spider-Man’s reputation is still in doubt. 

“Keep fighting me and they’ll hate you forever” Osborne says.

“It doesn’t matter if they hate me” Peter says, tearing the computer systems out of Osborne’s suit. “It matters that they’re safe.”

The day saved and the villains defeated and incapacitated, Peter limps to the top of Oscorp tower where he meets May, MJ, and Ned, as they watch as the sun rises over the city.

Cut to a few weeks later and the media is still divided whether Spider-Man is a hero or a menace. Norman Osborne has been taken to The Raft after a data leak from Oscorp Tower revealed business dealings with remnants of Hydra, AIM, and the Fisk Crime syndicate. MJ, filling out applications for a journalism major at ESU, looks knowingly proud and justifiably smug as this is reported. 

The film ends as Peter, in his Spider-Man suit, approaches a young girl sitting on the edge of a rooftop, flames dancing on her fingertips. Ned and MJ monitor him from a jury-rigged computer display and talk to him through his suit.

“Hi,” Peter says to the girl, “Angelica Jones?...Can I talk to you for second? I think I can help you.”

Post Credits Scene 1: Peter is visiting Dr. Strange again who tells him that he honestly can’t say if the vision Peter had was anything more than a near death hallucination, but that he should take comfort in knowing that the people we’ve lost can still help us once they’re gone, even if it’s just their memories. Peter presses the issue and Dr. Strange shrugs and says anything is possible. There are infinite worlds after all, different planes of existence, different dimensions.

Peter Scoffs, “That’s just something Mysterio made up to con us”

“Well even a broken clock is right twice a day” Strange replies.

Post Credits Scene 2: Osborne is locked up in The Raft. Footsteps approach. General Ross comes up to his cell and shakes his head.

“Beat down by a kid Osborne. Well, even so, you still put together a damn impressive team. I had some ideas about continuing your little project. I do really like the name.”

[olicitysecretsanta]

Gift for Effie214

Here is my fic gift for @effie214. Thanks again for organizing. Please drop me a message to let me know you’ve received this and I’m all set.

Thanks - Lauren @laureningall

Third Time’s the Charm

Dear Effie214: You suggested I ignore COIE… well that’s what I did. This is a new!parents!mode Olicity story full of fluffiness - with some eventual romance for our very exhausted couple. Thanks for giving me such a great idea to mull over. I had a lot of fun writing. Wishing you all the best in the coming year - #OlicityForever - Lauren 

Summary: Parenting is hard work even if you last job title was ‘superhero’. Oliver and Felicity enjoy a simple life in their Bloomfield cabin with their daughter Mia. If only she’d sleep long enough for her parents to spend some quality time together. 

>>>>>———————–>>

Bloomfield Cabin - Mid November

Felicity stepped into the warmth of the cabin laden with grocery bags. Scuffing her feet on the mat just inside the door she paused to admire the view before her, her husband was lying on the floor, face to face with their daughter Mia who was desperately trying to lift her head from the  floor.

He might have put the fear of God into many a criminal during his time as the Green Arrow, but he was so gentle and loving with Mia. Moments like this were perfection. Just when she thought she couldn’t love the man anymore she would see him like this and feel the tears blossom.

“Damn hormones.” 

She looked up to see Oliver smiling back at her from his vantage point on the floor.

“Hey, your back.”

He gently rolled Mia onto her back and slid her to the center of the animal print quilt that filled most of the floor area of their small living space. Oliver quickly rose to his feet and took the bags from Felicity arms to set them on the kitchen counter.

“You didn’t have to stop at the market. Remember, you’re supposed to be resting,” he added with a quick kiss on her cheek.

“It’s the least I can do, you do all the cooking. I’ll be back to put everything away, I want to change into something warmer. Feels like snow outside.”

After pulling on a turtleneck and hoodie she returned to the kitchen to see Oliver unloading the groceries from the bags on the counter. Felicity stepped up behind Oliver and slid her arms around his waist. She snuggled her face against his soft flannel shirt, “mmmh, you are so warm.”

“Are you cold? I can turn up the heat or maybe I should start a fire. We should enjoy the fireplace more before Mia gets mobile. I swear she’s going to roll over any day now.”

“She is motivated. I guess that is normal for all kids.Then again she’s my only frame of reference,” added Felicity.  

Mia let out a wail from the living room.  

“Duty calls.”

“You feed Mia and I’ll make dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

>>>>>———————–>>

After Dinner

“I forgot to ask, how did your doctor’s appointment go? Anything I need to know?”

To be honest Felicity was amazed that she had kept the precious little nugget of information to herself all the way through dinner. 

“Everything is good. Really good. I still need to limit my caffeine and alcohol since I’m breastfeeding”

“Do you think you can manage that? I know you’ve really been missing coffee.”

That’s not the only thing I’ve been missing

“I’ll manage. How about we have a glass of wine to celebrate?”

“Yeah, let me just put Mia down and then I’ll help you clean up. When is her next check up?” added Oliver shifting a sleeping Mia to his other arm. 

Felicity rose from the table taking her plate and silverware to the sink, “in two weeks. And the midwife said we’re clear to have sex again.”

Expecting Oliver to comment on the critical info she had just dropped Felicity she paused at the sink, but the silence lingered. It was too much. She turned around to an empty table.

Where did he go?

She stepped back to the dining table, stacked the remaining dishes and then deposited them next to the sink while she turned on the water and opened the dishwasher. As she waited for the water to warm she felt him behind her, one hand on her hip and the other moving to sweep her hair away from her neck. 

His lips made contact just below her ear, “I put Mia down, she’s asleep. Just so I’m sure I heard you correctly, no more limitations,” as he pulled at her hips to press them firmly into his own.

Felicity leaned back into his body lost in all the sensations.

“Nope. And I got the shot, so birth control is set for three months. She reminded me that we need to take it slow.”

Felicity felt a smile against her neck, “slow, hmm, I can do slow,” he answered pressing his growing erection into her more firmly.

Oliver released his hold and led her down the hallway. He sat down on the bed and pulled Felicity into his lap. Felicity pulled his shirt over his head and pushed him down onto the bed.

waaaa, waaaa

Felicity paused and turned her head in the direction of the baby monitor on the nightstand willing the sound to stop.  

waaaa, waaaa, waaaa

Following the second cry, Felicity smiled at her husband and moved to get off the bed, but he was faster and said, “you stay, I’ll check on her and be right back.”

Felicity scooted to lay down on the bed.

I’ll just close my eyes for a minute

Awhile later she woke with a start in the now darkened room. Mia wasn’t crying. Why wasn’t her husband in the bed?

How long have I been asleep?

She rose quickly and walked into Mia’s room to find Oliver in the glider rocker, holding Mia, both of them fast asleep. Felicity gently touched his face and his eyes fluttered open. Felicity moved to take the sleeping child from his arms and whispered, “come to bed.”

Felicity returned to their bedroom and lifted back the covers to place Mia in the middle of the bed. The baby opened her mouth and began to root for her mother’s breast. Felicity pulled off her shirt and bra and then slid carefully into the bed. Mia latched quickly and Felicity snuggled closer. 

A few minutes later Oliver returned to the room and slipped into bed too. She noticed that Oliver was wearing different clothes than she remembered from earlier in the evening. 

“Why didn’t you wake me when you had trouble getting her back to sleep honey?”

Oliver answered, eyes already closed, “diaper explosion, twice. It was all over her and the sheets and blanket, and then all over me. I had to change and then run a load of laundry, oh and I gave her a bath. I must have fallen asleep rocking her.”

“I slept through all of that?” 

Oliver’s answer came in the form of a small snore. He had spent all day with Mia while she ran errands and went to her doctor’s appointment, and now he had single handedly taken care of the monumental diaper crisis and let her sleep. Obviously they were both exhausted. Felicity felt the pull of sleep as Mia continued to nurse. 

The only sex I’ll be having tonight will be in my dreams.

>>>>>———————–>>

The Next Evening

The next day was filled with more of the same as most days with a new baby are. Feeding, burping, changing, baths and lots of laundry. Felicity knew intellectually that she would eventually be able to have sex with her husband, but it seemed so odd to think of scheduling that sort of activity.

Oliver had left early to head to Star City for the day to check in with the Team. He was supposed to be back around dinner time to allow for their scheduled *date*. Well not a date-date as they were not going to leave the cabin, but a date nonetheless. 

What do you call a date with your husband for sex?

Felicity spent the morning wheeling Mia around at the market picking up some special pre-cooked treats for dinner so that Oliver wouldn’t have to cook. Who could know how cooperative Mia would be that evening.

Time will be of the essence.

Mia slept peacefully the entire ride back to the cabin. Once Felicity has unpacked her dinner treats she repeated the cycle of feeding and changing and laid down on the couch to sleep while Mia was napping.

Oliver returned home just as Felicity had begun to pull the dinner treats from the fridge.

“Hey, your back early. How did things go?”

“Good. It was great to see John. I meant to text, but once I was on the road, I just wanted to get home. Looks like you have dinner ready.”

“Yup, cooked by someone else and ready to be reheated.”

“Is Mia sleeping? I was expecting to see her keeping you company in her bouncy chair.”

“Still sleeping. I was a bit worried at first she’d been asleep since before noon, but she’s peacefully sleeping. My breasts on the other hand do feel pretty full.”

“See, I told you she’d start sleeping for longer stretches soon.” 

Felicity turned to poke her husband in the chest, “don’t you dare tempt fate.”

Oliver smiled, kissed his wife and moved to set the table for dinner.

Just as Felicity lifted her fork to take a bite of the steaming mac and cheese on her plate…

waaaa, waaaa

“I guess I’m not the only one whose hungry.”

Felicity sighed. She quickly popped a morsel of food into her mouth, pushed back from the table to get Mia from her room. Once she returned with her freshly changed little girl, Oliver helped her get settled back in her chair with her nursing pillow.

“Can you eat while you nurse or do I need to help you?” he asked.

“I’ve got it. I knew all the practice typing with one hand would come in handy someday. You need to eat too.”

Oliver and Felicity had a wonderfully relaxing dinner. Mia on the other hand didn’t stop eating all evening. By 8 pm the entire Queen family was exhausted and asleep.

>>>>>———————–>>

One Week Later

“Fe-li-ci-ty - let’s just rock her. We can wait.”

“No, we will not wait. I has been 7 weeks, 3 days and (checks her phone), 2 hours. I don’t want to  wait anymore.”

“Honey, Mia has been crying for the past 2 hours, she’s been doing this for the past few nights. It’s colic. You know we just need to wait it out and she’ll eventually fall asleep, come and sit down next to me,” as he patted the sofa next to where he was sitting.

Felicity hung her head in defeat, but noticed that Mia was no longer whimpering as was typical during one of these bouts of colic.

Why is she quiet?

Felicity looked up to see Oliver rocking baby Mia using his foot to move her bouncy chair. His eyes were closed and his head rested back onto the couch.

“She’s not crying.”

“Uh huh.”

“You’ve been holding out on me - you’ve known the secret all this time.”

“No secret, it just seemed easier this way since I’m tired”

“Genius. You Oliver Queen are a genius.You know what that means don’t you.”

“No.”

“Can you multitask?”

“Multitask?”

“Yes. You keep Mia quiet by bouncing her and do something else at the same time?”

“Why would I need to do something else at the same time?” he answered as he opened his eyes.

“If you can keep her busy, then we can get busy,”

Oliver snorted at her innuendo, but without another word, he swooped up Mia, bouncy chair and all, and carried her into their bedroom. Felicity was close on his heels, peeling off her sweater as she walked down the hallway.

He gently placed Mia and her bouncy chair on the floor next to the bed and turned to take Felicity into his arms. Oliver wasted no time and moved in to kiss her firmly. Felicity pressed closer and slid her hands up around his neck to deepen the kiss.

Mia began to whimper, eyes still closed, but sensing a sudden lack of bouncing. Maybe their short window of opportunity was closing.

“I’ll keep bouncing, you get undressed,” added Oliver.

Felicity yanked her shirt over her head. Next she toed off her shoes and shimmied out of her jeans, leaving her in only her bra and panties. 

“Are you sure you can manage this?”

He leaned over to caress her face, “Felicity, I am highly motivated to keep Mia busy so that we can… get busy too.”

Felicity laughed and leaned in to kiss him again. Oliver pulled her close and snaked his arm around her back. With practiced ease he unhooked her bra and slipped it off her shoulders.

“I thought I was undressing myself?”

Oliver pulled back and shrugged, “what, I’m helping.”

Felicity pushed his foot away and took over the bouncing.

“Your turn.”

Oliver stood quickly, pulling his shirt over his head, and then dropped his pants and boxers in one fluid motion.

Felicity raised an eyebrow. 

“What? I’m anxious too.” 

Oliver laid down and shifted so that he had one leg hung off the side of the bed, his foot moving at a steady cadence. Felicity carefully stepped around the bouncy chair to reach the foot of the bed. She had to smile at the view laid out before her; her husband, in bed, completely naked - and miracle of miracles they were both awake and their daughter was not crying.

Felicity wasted no time in crawling onto the bed so that she was face to face with husband. 

They would remember this day for many years into the future and laugh at all the effort it took that day to complete their pressing task. 

Parenting was hard work. 

>>>>>———————–>>

Effie214,  I hope you liked the fic. I do have an idea for a second fic/second part that would be Christmas / Hanukkah focused. Obviously I didn’t get to write that yet, but I’ll share that on AO3 later on. Christmas in March anyone?

[cricketrigby]

* ( kristine froseth ) ⁠— cricket rigby has lived in somewhere for 23 years, which is crazy considering they are only twenty three.  you can usually find her working at the somewhere roller rink . when i think of strawberry bubblegum, heart shaped sunglasses, & twirling the stem of a rose between your fingertips, i can’t help but think of them as well. ( pepper, twenty four, she/her, est )

ABOUT THE MUN.  sick of thinking! won’t be doing that again

hello all! my name is pepper and i have never been on time for anything ever in my life so it’s pretty fitting that i’m the last one to get my intro up dkjdkj love this for me,,, always on brand. anyways, i am Returning to the rpc kind of maybe after a month hiatus and i wanted something cute and chill to try and get back into the swing of things... i’m hoping this group will be that! but yeah please bear with me i am Definitely going to be a bit rusty,,,, and i am sorry in advance. but Anyways, enough about that and onto some fun facts about me. to start, i just turned twenty four two weeks ago and i am Still in shock about it so jot that down, i hate it here. i have like,,, the opposite of a green thumb, i have killed every plant i have ever had, rip peter the succulent you were a good egg. i regularly say i’m feeling ___ in this chillis tonight despite never being to chillis. i enjoy garbage movies, like the worse it is the better (tyler perry movies, the fast and the furious series, etc). i straight up don’t get like critically acclaimed movies i’m ngl,,, like really like Great movies go straight over my head rip but Anyways moving on to who we’re all here for, ms cricket rigby ! 

BIO.  we need sluttier music….. 

cricket juliet rigby was born to arthur godwin rigby and sonya marie rigby nee bankcult right here in good old somewhere florida. the story is that her parents were actually on their way out of town when cricket decided to ‘jump’ out of her mother’s belly and arrive to the party early. her parents always liked to tell the story like it was cute or funny or something but kit always saw it a bit differently. she had her chance to get out and she screwed it up. and now she’s literally never left this hell hole since. it’s like she got impatient and accidentally screwed herself over for it. and if that isn’t foreshadowing for the rest of her life she doesn’t know what is.

it was her mom’s idea to name her cricket. she said it was because of the way she used to kick with both legs in the womb. like she was jumping. her father found her name ridiculous and insisted on calling her juliet, but that was to be expected. her mother was always the fanciful one out of the pair of them. you see, ricki’s father was a pretty successful lawyer and her mother was a children’s book illustrator. to put it simply her father was the type of person to give kids floss on halloween and her mother was the type to slip you a cookie when the ‘adults’ weren’t looking. they were complete opposites, honestly to the point where sometimes cricket didn’t even understand how her parents got together. but somehow against all odds they did, and they stayed together to boot. loved each other too. her mother always made her father loosen up a bit and her father usually kept her mother grounded. they suited each other, and they adored each other in a way cricket never really saw any other parents doing. well, until they didn’t. 

if cricket didn’t understand how her parents got together she sure understood why they didn’t stay together. you’d have to be blind as a bat to not see that one coming.

her parents fought constantly as cricket got older. the kind of loud, explosive fights that woke a kid up in the middle of the night and made the neighbors look at you with sympathy. there was no abuse or anything serious like that, or even cheating. her parents simply stopped liking each other. and that was honestly even scarier. that her parents could simply wake up one day and not like each other anymore. 

they called it quits when cricket turned thirteen. her mother broke the news to her over a shared joint on the beach. and honestly, it wasn’t really the kind of news you wanted to process while high, but well, nobody ever asked cricket. nobody ever really asked cricket anything. 

but well, her mother asked cricket one thing. to break the news to her little sister. cause yeah, she had one of those. kimberly. a regular sensible name for a regular sensible girl. not that there’s anything wrong with being regular or sensible. it’s just that cricket and her mother were neither of those things. if cricket took after her mother, then kimberly took after their father. her baby sister wanted to be an accountant for god’s sake. what six year old wants to be an accountant? 

anyways, cricket played messenger. she broke the news to her sister and comforted her in the aftermath. she listened to her mother as she told fanciful, beautiful stories about how much more she wanted from her life. and one sunny thursday afternoon, the very thursday she got her first period, the very thursday that a girl really needs her mom, like really needs her mom, she came home and didn’t have one anymore. or a sister either apparently. all she had was a dad crumpled on the living room floor around a heart shaped sticky note of all things. 

who leaves their fucking family with a fucking sticky note?

apparently dad was the only one in the family who didn’t know he and mom were over. cricket would feel bad about it if she wasn’t so busy feeling sorry for herself. because apparently her mother packed up her and kimmy’s things, picked up kimberly from school and just left somewhere forever. leaving cricket behind. just like that. cricket didn’t understand it. just the night before her and her mother were laying back on her bed, laughing. and now she was tossed aside like a discarded toy. second best in a two person race. cricket had never quite dealt with abandonment until that moment, but her first taste of it hurt like a bitch. it hurt all over. 

but things only got worse. cause then came stella. stella was cricket’s godmother. her mother’s best friend. the woman who would slip cricket money so she could buy herself a red lipstick at the mac counter or pick herself up that tube top she’d been wanting so badly. the woman who came with cricket and her mother when she got her first bra. the woman who was supposed to be there for her in the aftermath of all this. but apparently stella took the job a bit too seriously. 

she fucked her father. and not long after that she married him. cricket fought them every step of the way, but they still did it. and well, she had to live with it. her mother and best friend was gone, and this impostor was taking her place. and her father was just letting it all happen. in fact he was happy to do it. that’s what he kept telling her anyways. to let him be happy. that he deserved to be happy. but didn’t she deserve to be happy too?

her mother sent letters sometimes, and kimmy would occasionally call the house. cricket never opened the letters, and she never really spoke much to kimmy. i mean, it wasn’t kimberly’s fault, and cricket knew that. after all, she was six. she never had a choice either. but cricket couldn’t help being jealous of the little shit. kimberly missed dad so much and she wanted to come home. but she was out of somewhere, and she was with mom. she had everything cricket ever wanted and she wasn’t even appreciating it. it was a hard pill to swallow. eventually cricket started cutting the calls short. 

cricket and her father never saw eye to eye. he kicked her out of the house when she was seventeen after an argument between cricket and stella got so bad that things got physical on both their parts. and instead of kicking out the woman who hit his daughter, arthur got rid of the daughter instead. cricket didn’t mind. she simply went to live with her boyfriend at the time (who much like all of cricket’s boyfriends in the past was handsome, cool, and most importantly old enough to have his own place). after that she never really turned back. just... moved from boyfriends place to boyfriends place to girlfriends place to boyfriends place. saw her dad on holidays or when she needed money or under duress. and stayed in somewhere. for now. 

PERSONALITY.  feeling like the prettiest girl in the crawl space right now

as you can probably tell from that mess of an bio, this is my first time playing cricket so i don’t really have her personality nailed down yet BUT

ECCENTRIC. cricket got her mother’s weird hippy gene for sure honestly. she might even be an artist lowkey because of it. definitely is the type to just say weird as hell shit without shame. your local manic pixie dream girl tbh 

PROMISCUOUS. she a hoe and that’s a fact. love that for her though! gets around and is pretty shameless about it honestly. just here for a good time. kind of charming naturally and just generally like?? flirtatious?? the type to flirt with a cop to get out of a ticket. also the type to cry to get out of a really bad dad. the type to go on a date just cause her fridge is empty and yk a girl’s gotta eat. the kind of girl who had a bunch of rumours about her in high school like that she slept with so and so under the bleachers at an assembly or that she once did something nearly impossible on a trampoline. 

CONTRADICTORY. cricket is a compassionate person but she can also hold a grudge for a long ass time. still doesn’t really talk to her mom or little sister. but if you need a ride across town cricket will just give it to you even if she barely knows you. if you’re hungry and come to the roller rink she will slip you some fries free of charge even if she’ll probably get in trouble for it. will fight her stepmom ON SIGHT and slam a bitch down during roller derby but like will get so excited over something simple like the moon being out sdkdskj this bitch makes no sense y’all. 

MYSTERIOUS. at least to other people i feel like. cricket doesn’t really talk about herself or serious things, and she will change the topic if someone is getting too close. she’s the type who doesn’t open up easy, and therefore the type that a lot of guys like... idealize and build up into this mysterious untouchable thing yk? but she’s just a dumb girl who doesn’t want to talk about her feelings underneath it all sdkjdkj she’s just stupid

HEADCANNONS. at least whatever is wrong with me is really really funny 

lost her virginity at fourteen around the anniversary of her mother leaving. unfortunately the type who seeks love and acceptance in all the wrong places. tends to self sabotage when things are too good, or literally just go for people who are bad for her. bi af tho hey~ has been in more relationships than she can count for sure. will duck behind a wall when she sees any of her exes at the grocery store.

does ROLLER DERBY! will fight a bitch in the ring! very good at it despite how cute and angelic she looks sdksdk can and WILL slam a bitch into a wall. it’s just a fun hobby for her, but she loved the camraderie of it honestly. her team is a ragtag group of misfits and i Love them 

like i said in the chat, will now put up posters around town with a cute little polaroid of herself and her number on those little tab things just for shits and giggles to see who calls. will completely prank anyone who does call for fun

idk why but i feel like the roller rink is called l8r sk8r or something cheesy like that,,, i feel it in my Soul. also imagine the type of place where cricket goes around on rollerblades serving food, so yeah, you can order food probably and some showy girl on rollerblades will serve it to you 

has been a muse before. like guys have written songs about her in high school. one guy painted a portrait of her and it went in a literal gallery. is always very flattered but very like,,, cool thanks bye! 

i totally forgot to include this but the rigby’s are rich y’all. like country club rich. her daddy’s got that big money and their house is Huge but you would never be able to tell by the way cricket acts, she’s a mess.

speaking of, her name is indeed cricket (rip) but you can call her kit, kitty, rick, ricki, jiminey,,, all of it is valid 

the vibe is madchen amick folks,,, that’s the whole vibe and honestly she’s probably cricket’s style inspo like twin peaks??? maybe her favourite show

a feel like she might also be a lifeguard as a side hustle, but she only ever fills in when no one else can you know. she’s the emergency call in, and when she’s there she spends most of her time sitting in her lifeguard chair in her little red swim suit and flirting with whoever comes by to see her like sdkjsd is she good at her job? no. does she bring traffic to the beach? probably! 

WANTED CONNECTIONS.  i’m saving my brain for special occasions. if i use it every day it’ll get dirty

i would love an ex for her honestly,,, an ex bf or gf where cricket sabotaged things just when they were getting good? an ex on good terms maybe! an ex will they won’t they thing where they almost got together but never did? an old childhood crush for either party! a childhood enemy is also sexy! an old neighbor! someone who’s sibling she used to date or something! someone new to town that she’s intrigued by! someone new to town she doesn’t get along with (maybe cause of a bad first impression or something?) a one night stand! a fwb! a ewb! a BEST FRIEND GOD PLEASE! m or f i am down either way. i would kill for a girl squad though. maybe an ex best friend who hates cricket cause she slept with their boyfriend in high school or something. a party friend! someone she does roller derby with. someone she always sees in the crowd during roller derby. idk someone who she regularly sees at the motel she has her hookups at, maybe cause they’re also hooking up or maybe cause they just come to the motel often for some reason or honestly maybe they’re a vacationer that would make sense. uh someone she saved from drowning one time! OH someone she pretended to be dating to make an ex jealous or avoid one or something at one point,,,and anything else tbh we can absolutely brain storm! like this and i will slide into your dms <3

[thethistlegirl]

Return to Cairo

Jack’s met genocidal war criminals he likes better than James MacGyver. “You can’t be serious.”

James doesn’t seem to be aware of the actual gravity of the situation. “I told Webber not to involve you. Specifically.”

“Matty didn’t call me.” Actually it was Riley, but Jack has no desire to throw his girl under the bus. “And all I know right now is, Mac is missing in freaking Cairo, on freaking Cairo Day so you better tell me what the hell is going on.”

At least he didn’t have to fly far. He was after Kovacs in Libya when the call came in. His team knew better than to argue when he grabbed his gear and left. All Riley was able to tell him was “Mac’s in trouble. In Cairo.” But that’s all he needed to hear.

“First of all, Dalton, that insane superstition is ridiculous. It’s just a day. Statistically no more dangerous than any other day of the year.” James’s voice carries an edge that tells Jack Mac probably came to his father with the same protest. James is too logical to believe in the curse of Cairo Day.

“Angus was in the middle of an infiltration when he went dark.”

“And you’re not doing a damn thing to get him back?”

“The only reason he was infiltratingthe compound rather than us making a full scale raid was because they are heavily guarded and now will be even more so.”

“So what…”

“We have no guarantee that he’s even been captured. It’s possible he felt the need to disable his comm unit for some reason.” It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Mac’s destroyed every available communication device. But it’s Cairo.Jack is not taking chances.

“Where was he going into?”

…

James isn’t willing to be forthcoming with any information. But Jack has allies. Between Matty’s secret handoff of the mission brief and Riley hacking Mac’s comms for last known location, Jack has a location. And a plan.

Apparently this terror group took over an old factory as headquarters. There’s a large machining floor, but the underground level is divided up into a boiler room and storage spaces. And the boiler room vents to street level through a grating.  

Jack really hopes this isn’t the way Mac went in. If it is, there might be someone waiting for him to do the same. Or maybe they’ll assume no one else is dumb enough to try it.

He quickly realizes that this wasn’t Mac’s entry point. The vent shaft is mined. Fortunately, he’s spent the past several weeks working very closely with the crews disabling Kovacs’s work, and it’s brought back his memories of what he learned as an EOD Overwatch.

When the devices are disabled, he makes his way into the boiler room. It’s pitch black and cool, the engines haven’t been run in years. He unlocks the door and steps out into a hallway. He has no idea which of the storage rooms Mac might be in. He’s just going to have to try them all. Matty’s voice in his ear is telling him that they have motion at the building, trucks are being loaded and pulled away. He hopes they’re not taking Mac with them. He also hopes Mac isn’t dead.

Matty assures him there are no more heat signatures on the upper level. They can’t get a read into the basement, not with all the metal upstairs, but Jack hasn’t seen any guards. Which means he doesn’t need to bother being quiet about getting through doors.

He clears three rooms before he kicks down a door and hears a shuddering breath accompany the movement. He pulls out his flashlight and scans the whole bare room.

Mac is curled up in a corner of the room, shaking. Jack feels his stomach flip over. What did they do to him? The kid’s barefoot, his once light blue shirt is crimson, and he’s shivering. Jack takes a few steps closer, then stops when Mac apparently hears his steps and tries to curl up tighter, a keening whimper slipping out.

“Mac, it’s me. It’s Jack.”

“J-jack?” Mac looks up, his face is a mess of blood and bruises. And his chest…the shirt is shredded off him and that’s where all the blood is coming from. Or at least that’s what Jack thinks until he gets a little closer and realizes the kid’s back is in the same condition. They whipped him or something, and made sure he wouldn’t be able to lie on his back or stomach. The only comfort Mac can find is to be on his side. “You s-shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m here to get you out. And don’t worry, Matty told me everyone in here is gone so we’re home free, hoss.” Guess they figured he was in no condition to escape. “They must have taken off with the bomb, the backup tac team is tracking them now.”

Mac shakes his head, struggling to sit up. “No, Jack, they left me here because this is ground zero for their explosion. The bomb is here, in the building.”

Oh hell. “Man, I told you, working on Cairo Day is bad luck.”

“Tried not to,” Mac mumbles. But James wouldn’t listen. Jack wonders how the man will react when he sees the torture Mac’s been through. Probably brush it off like he has everything else about the kid.Mac is far too skinny, and Jack feels terribly guilty for leaving him alone with all of the things that have happened since he took off.

“I saw it, before they grabbed me. I can disarm it.”

“No, we’re getting you out of here.”

“There’s not enough time.” Mac shakes his head. “It’s nuclear. Big enough to take out this whole city sector and contaminate the rest.”

“Wonderful. Then let’s go.” Jack lifts Mac to his feet, trying not to put any pressure on his flayed back. Oh kid that’s gonna be a mess.There’s no way he doesn’t come out of this with lasting scars.

…

The bomb isbig. It’s been pushed up against some of the factory equipment, hidden from easy view but not less deadly. Mac’s muttering under his breath, Jack’s familiar with hearing that through the radio in the Sandbox. He’s doing his thing.He has complete faith in Mac, even as the timer ticks down from 1:43. Mac grabs a tac knife from Jack’s belt, without permission as usual, and pries off the front plate of the bomb, getting at the tangle of wires behind the timer. He pulls a red one to the front and examines it, then puts it back, grabbing a blue one with a wry half-smile.

Mac snips the wire and literally collapses, falling backward into Jack. And the timer stops at 0:22.

…

Jack feels a little guilty that Mac looks surprised when he wakes up in the hospital and sees Jack beside him. “I thought you…”

“Were chasing a terrorist?” Jack shrugs. “Turns out I do a lot better accidentally running across them with you.” He shakes his head. “Remember when you turned in your resignation to Phoenix last year?” Mac nods solely, clearly still out of it on the drugs they’re pumping into him. “Well, turns out you never formally came back. You said you’d stay till we got Murdoc, but you never actually filled out the paperwork. So technically…you’re a literal free agent.”

Mac frowns. Clearly his brain’s not keeping up. “What…?”

“You don’t belong to Phoenix. And they can’t order you to do anything.” Jack grins. “Boy was James pissed when I told him that.” He leans in. “I know you don’t remember a lot about what happened back there in Cairo, but that man was gonna leave you to die. He didn’t care about you, all he cared about was the mission. And I’d rather die than see you continue to get dragged around by him.”

“But he…”

“You owe him absolutely nothing, Mac. Nothing. I’ve already cleared it with my task force. They’d be happy to have a former EOD tech and trained agent on the team, and they’re willing to give you the recovery time you need. And let me stay.”

Apparently that Mac does understand. Because his hand slides across the blanket to twist into Jack’s. “You’re staying,” he mutters, simplistically, but it’s the simple things in life that mean the most.

@macgyvercairo

[companionjones]

HYDRA VS. SHIELD Battle #???

Requested by: Anon

Request: hiya! could i request something (headcannon, one shot whatever you feel like writing really) with coulson? sth about the reader being captured by hydre even though she knew nothing about it or shield or anything (maybe shes from europe? and not involved with this just a regular student or sth) and getting saved by the agents and being real sassy and stuff and coulson somehow finding it cute hope thats not too specific! love you!

Fandoms: Marvel, MCU, Agents of SHIELD

Pairing: Agents Phillip Coulson x Fem!British!CollegeStudent!Reader

Warnings: Slight mention of torture, language

Author’s Note: This is meant to be set around season 4, but I don’t think it lines up very well??? Idk

*******

    Finally, you were alone. Those people had been experimenting on you for so long...you allowed a few tears to slip out.

    They had taken you what felt like weeks ago. You were just walking home from class when they injected you with some kind of sedative. You woke up on a dirty-looking operation table. The people who took you introduced themselves as HYDRA, and started torturing you. They weren’t even looking for information, they just kept hurting you no matter what you said.

    A part of you wished you hadn’t given up hope. When you first woke up in that horrible room, you figured annoying your torturers would be your best chance of a ticket out of there. The way you saw it, it almost worked. But that idea got wiped from your mind when they threatened your life if you didn’t shut up. You were completely quiet after that besides your begs and screams for them to stop.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, our plan is to be in and out, and to take as many hostages as possible.” Coulson announced and gave instructions as the team got ready to infiltrate the HYDRA base.

    Mac sighed as he brushed off his boots. “How long is it going to take to knock these guys out for good? It’s not even like more heads are growing every time we cut one of them off anymore. HYDRA’s a cockroach that won’t die at this point.”

    Agent Johnson contributed under her breath, “Maybe if we set it on fire it’ll finally do some damage.”

    Coulson addressed his subordinate. “Daisy, we’re all annoyed, but no fires.”

    Out of no where, the quin-jet was under fire. The team prepared for impact.

    Phil Coulson yelled over the explosions. “Okay! No fires until after we rescue the hostage!”

    Soon after that, May landed the quin-jet on the roof of the HYDRA base. The team dispersed into groups of two, and they began to take over the building.

    Sadly, from where you were, you couldn’t hear the progression of your saviors. You were too busy trying to keep your tears from spilling.

    One of the men who was in the room with you, he seemed to be the highest ranking official in the building, leaned down too close to whisper to you. “You know, it’s okay to cry. You’ve been here for a while, and it doesn’t look like you’re going to get out. It’s okay to let a few tears slip.”

    Then, a woman whispered something into the man’s ear. He immediately looked alarmed. “What?!”

    Suddenly, the door burst open. Another woman and man appeared, but they were not a couple you recognized. The man started shooting and attacking anyone in the room but you, and the woman started using some sort of power to propel people into the walls and ceiling.

    “No freaking way!” you exclaimed, forgetting your vow of almost-silence. Seeing people trying to save you brought back every ounce of sass you originally came to the HYDRA base with. You cheered your saviors on in their fight.

    “You guys could not have come at a better time. I mean, at any time during the torture would’ve been great, but that bastard was getting too close, and let’s just say his breath reminded me of when Spongebob caught ‘The Ugly.’”

    The woman with powers shouted “Oh, that’s a great episode! I love your accent, by the way.”

    With no malice, the man who was untying you interjected, “Girls, as much as I would like to talk about cartoons and compare accents, I think it’s time to go. These guys are going to be waking up soon.”

    “But you shot them. Aren’t they supposed to...you know...stay dead?” You peered over your shoulder at the unconscious forms as the man helped you out of the room HYDRA was using to torture you.

    The woman explained, “We don’t use live guns.” She took down an approaching HYDRA agent with her powers. “The guns we use are called ICERS.” She broke away from you and the man to fight two more HYDRA agents.

    “The ICERS knock them out for some time so we can take them into custody. We have a second wave of agents to do just that.”

    Knitting your eyebrows together, you held the man back. “Wait. Two more questions. I think the reason why it was so easy for them to take me is because I’m not critical enough of my surroundings.”

    He seemed confused when you stopped him, as he thought you would want to get out of that building as fast as you could.

    “If you guys are so against killing people, how do you know her powers won’t kill someone?” Your tone clearly only held curiosity. “And who are you guys?  don’t want to be saved from torture by HYDRA agents only to be taken to and tortured at whatever agency you two work for.” You had paid attention when when the man said there would be another wave of agents.

    The male agent was in a rush, but he was still kind. “You don’t need to worry. I’m Agent Phil Coulson, and that is Agent Daisy Johnson--”

    “Formerly known as Agent Skye,” Agent Johnson cut in.

    Coulson continued, “We work for SHIELD. We’re the good guys.”

    “And what about Agent Johnson? How do you know you’re not going to kill anybody?” You turned toward the woman.

    She smiled just before she took off down a hallway with you and Coulson behind her, she replied, “I’m really careful.”

    Within five minutes, you were on the quin-jet along with the rest of Coulson and Daisy’s team. Also on the quin-jet were more than a dozen hostages. You recognized them as the people who took turns torturing you.

    “Hm...how does being tied up feel--oh wait, I would know,” you quipped.

    Another woman on the team, she introduced herself as Jemma Simmons, sat you down up by the pilot to medically examine you.

    Coulson approached after some time. “How is she?”

    “She’s right here, so maybe you could use her name?” you teased.

    Jemma answered her boss, “Miss L/n is doing unbelievably well considering the circumstances. HYDRA was clearly trying to give her enhanced abilities. It was almost like they were trying to recreate the Maximoff twins in one set of DNA. They didn’t seem to succeed, however.”

    “Thanks, Miss Simmons. You’re really smart. Also, it’s really nice to have a fellow Brit with me. Someone I can trust.”

    The female agent seemed rather flattered by your comment. She moved to her laptop to study the details of your condition.

    Coulson came over to you to keep you company.

    “So, you guys deal with this kind of stuff everyday?”

    He nodded, “Yep.”

    “This is insane.”

    “I know...You get used to it.”

    “I’m glad. I wouldn’t want someone as hot as you to hate his job.”

    The man seemed taken off guard by your forwardness. Coulson blinked at you, but recovered. He replied just as smoothly, “How could I hate my job when it led me to you?”

    Biting your lip, you couldn’t help yourself. You broke out into laughter.

    Phil asked, “Coffee on Sunday?”

    “If that’s the only time available in your schedule for me, Agent Coulson, then sure,” you teased him again.

    Suddenly, one of the HYDRA hostages sounded out, “Oh, get a room!”

    Both you and Coulson turned and harshly responded, “Shut up!”

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it! If you would like to read more, I have more fics on the MCU over on my page. You should go check it out. Also, REQUESTS ARE OPEN. I take requests for one-shots, multi-chapters, headcannons, and preferences. No smut, please. I write for a variety of fandoms. If you’re wondering if I write for a specific fandom, please ask me. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you.<3

[loftec]

I was really hoping to update NTW this weekend, but it’s looking less and less likely... so, here’s something else.

I found an alternate season 6/7 thing I started outlining when that whole mess went down, like just ideas for how Ian’s storyline could have worked out after season 5 (I would have included the other characters too, but honestly I don’t know what they’ve been up to since I stopped watching. Fiona bought a building. For some reason. I don’t want to know.).

So I’ve added some stuff for season 8 and 9, and since I’m probably never going to write it I thought I’d just share it for laughs.

May the 4th be with you!

Alt Shameless after season 5

Ian is on his meds and since he broke up with Mickey because he thought he’d be better off alone, he doesn’t go looking for new boyfriends.

He sleeps around a lot though.

He doesn’t have a lot of storyline, because he’s mostly clammed up and moping around, and his family keep assuming that it’s because of his meds.

Maybe four episodes in, something happens at work that makes Ian seek out an LGBT+ group, where he meets Trevor at a charity event. They work together all day and really hit it off, they have some similar interests (interests!), and they end up talking about a lot of things (things!). At the end of the day, Trevor asks him out, and Ian says yes before he’s remembered that he doesn’t do that stuff.

He’s nervous about the date and drinks a couple of beers before Trevor even shows up, he gets piss drunk and wakes up the next day in a strange room.

It’s Trevor’s bedroom, and Trevor comes in with coffee, telling him that Ian was pretty much drunk when he showed up and barely able to stand on his own two legs by the time they left. He doesn’t know where he lives, so he took him home for the night.

Ian tells him about being on meds, and that’s why he got so drunk so fast.

Trevor thinks he could have just told him, and Ian says his mental illness pretty much was the reason his old relationship didn’t work out.

Trevor asks if it was Mickey. Ian wonders what Trevor knows about it.

“You may have mentioned him last night.”

Ian says yeah, and is quick to correct him when Trevor assumes that it was Mickey who left.

“I broke up with him, thought it was the best for the both of us at the time… also don’t think I expected it to last. We usually find our way back.”

“But not this time?”

“He’s in prison. Fifteen years.”

It’s the first time he says it out loud.

Trevor says he’s not interested in starting a relationship with someone who’s clearly still in love with their ex (and Ian kinda smiles, because it’s true and it’s so nice that someone else can see it and accept it and take it seriously). But, he says, you do look like you could use a friend, and not to brag, but I make an excellent friend. He does the cheesy handshake, re-introduction thing (where we find out his last name!) and they agree to be friends.

(Turns out Trevor is estranged from his family, and after maybe a shaky start, he finds a natural spot in the Gallagher clan and becomes part of some of the other plot points throughout the season.)

Ian’s storylines can be about his work, and about stuff happening at the LGBT+ youth center, and they get into hijinks, but nothing super serious (or illegal!!).

Ian at some point has a big moment with Yevgeny, where he comes to terms with no longer being a parent, and maybe even thinking that it’s for the best. (Svetlana and her thrupple storyline can basically be the same, but end differently. With the three of them happy and together, and Yevgeny thinking of Kev as his dad. It’s not ideal, but neither is Yev being sad about his dad being in prison.) Maybe Ian talks to Svetlana about Mickey, maybe finding out for the first time that they aren’t married anymore. We don’t find out what Ian thinks or feels about this.

Throughout the second half of the season. Whenever the Gallaghers gather and Ian isn’t there, they wonder where he is and try to reach him, letting it go when he doesn’t answer.

But after it happens too many times to be a coincidence, they start wondering. Maybe Lip and Fiona talk about it, worrying about Ian having a low, or a high, but not knowing if they should intervene.

Lip talks to Trevor, and tells him more about Ian’s bipolar. Trevor denies having noticed anything going on, and maybe even questions if Lip has any right telling him Ian’s personal stuff.

(Also, I think it would be really nice for Trevor to have a romantic/sexy storyline... so I wouldn’t mind Trevor and Ian starting a friends with benefits relationship, deciding on the terms of it before they start it. Or, Trevor starts a relationship with someone else. Depends on how much drama one wants. Trevor could develop unrequited feelings. If one wants. But personally I think it would be more fun for everyone involved if he was allowed to fall in love with someone else.)

Last episode of the season, they’ve had some big plot point resolved by the Gallaghers getting together and working it out as a goddamned team, and they’re all sitting on the porch steps when a police car stops outside their house.

The officer tells them that Ian is on record as having visited Mickey in prison, and Lip is like, yeah, maybe a couple of times a year ago, what’s that got to do with anything? And the officer says, no, he’s visited once a week for the past six months. And Mickey has escaped. And they have a warrant to search their house.

The Gallaghers sit packed together on the couch watching the news as the officers search through the house, and on the TV we get the whole scoop. There has been a massive prison break and like 40 highly dangerous inmates have escaped, Mickey amongst them.

BOOM. Credits.

Season seven.

Throughout the season, we get like comedic side story lines about the police and the escaped inmates basically roaming the streets. Potentially outrageous and lots of opportunity to oscillate between slapstick comedy and high-stakes drama.

Ian waits for Mickey to contact him, but it doesn’t happen until maybe a couple of episodes in. TENSION.

Ian has other storylines through the season, but mainly it ends up being his secret rendezvous (plural, frequent, in-depth, sexy) with Mickey where they get to spend time together, talk. Bonus if they try to “be friends” for a while, because they don’t talk about the important stuff and they don’t know where they have each other, and they don’t know what’s going to happen. It doesn’t last long, culminating in an explosively passionate love scene.

At some point, Ian is approached by an FBI agent, telling him they have a deal for Mickey if he turns himself in and gives them info on the other escapees. Ian says he’s not in contact with Mickey and even if he was, Mickey would never snitch.

Later on, he talks to Mickey about their future. Mickey explains that the gang he joined in prison are escaping across the border to Mexico, and he has to go with them. Ian says he’ll come with Mickey, but Mickey is firmly against it.

He wants Ian to come with him, of course, but he doesn’t want that life for Ian. No security, a life of crime, on the lam. He kind of gets why Ian broke up with him, now, if this is anything like what he felt at the time, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ian pleads with him, telling him that breaking up is something he’s only ever regretted since he did it.

Yeah, but what other choice have we got?

Ian tells him about the deal, and takes out two gold bands he’s bought from a pawnshop. If they get married, they can be put in the witness protection program together, and start over.

Mickey agrees, to Ian’s great surprise, and they end the season being shipped off to an unknown location as the busload of prisoners get apprehended on the way to Mexico (cartoonish, but with a little bit of work and research, maybe could be an acceptably goofy and almost realistic plot point).

(For Drama, Mickey could be with the prisoners when they’re apprehended, and he’s shot dead by the police. Cut to Ian being in the ambulance that picks him up, and Mickey is still sitting in his body bag, all bloodied, as they suck face and the FBI drive them to their new location.)

Season 8

Ian and Mickey try to start a new life and it turns completely ridiculous (like, imagine a mix between IASIP where Mac and Dennis are in the house with the Mac & Cheese mixed with like, Suburgatory, or Weeds, or whatever. Two gay South Side kids suddenly trying to make a life for themselves in some middle class suburb somewhere, and they hate it and it all goes to shit. But they love each other and get each other through it.)

The hardship they face in their new life doesn’t come from them, (it’s from situations and circumstance, and other people being impossible) and every time something happens it only leads them to break down another barrier by eventually talking about their feelings and hopes for the future, and thoughts about the past. And I want them specifically to talk about Yevgeny, how hard it was for Mickey to feel anything good about him at first, but now he misses him like he’s missing a limb. Them trying to be a wholesome couple in a suburb somewhere is an unmitigated disaster, but it does help them get a lot closer to each other and work through their problems, and their past.

And then through some Shameless™ retcon, something suddenly makes it possible for them to return back home. Or maybe they’re just like, fuck this, is there anyone stopping us from just grabbing our shit and going home?? No. So they do.

Yevgeny is part of the reason why they return. They move in to the apartment above the Alibi at first, and Mickey can work with Svetlana in the bar and cook up semi-illegal side-hustles with Kev. 

Everybody they know are on their side, denying everything in true South Side style if anyone asks about them, once again solidifying the core concept of the show; we take care of family.

The whole thing where they’re possibly in danger from the Mexican cartel looking to exact revenge for Mickey snitching (if they ever find out that he’s alive) could be played for laughs and brushed off, until it might come back and create more Drama in a later season, if needed, before being permanently resolved.

Characters thinking they’re invincible and being stupid about stuff like this is fine, I think, if they do it for a good reason.

[purplesurveys]

532

Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? I have a laptop. Do you watch America's Got Talent? I watch viral clips on YouTube, but I don’t follow the show. And usually I’d only watch the golden buzzer entries, too. If so, who has been your favorite contestant on AGT? I don’t really have favorites but I remember how refreshing it was to watch Grace VanderWaal’s audition for the first time. What chore are you behind on? My closet is a MESS and I really have to reorganize everything because 3/4 of the time I can’t find the pieces of clothing I want to wear anymore. Which stovetop burner do you use the most? I used to use the leftmost one all the time, but two months ago it had a little explosion while I was trying to cook hotdogs and I’ve never used the stove again since.

What is the last online store you shopped at? I was on the National Bookstore website to look at some history books I wanted to buy. ...and what did you buy? I didn’t get anything. How often do you do laundry? I don’t; my parents prefer to do it themselves. What color pants are you wearing right now? Red, but they’re shorts. I don’t wear pants at home. Have you ever broke your phone screen? I’ve done this to every single phone I’ve owned. Even my iPhone 8′s tempered glass has already scored a few cracks. Have you ever broke your computer screen? My old HP laptop was with me for a very long time so through time it just kind of started deteriorating by itself, laptop screen included. Does your computer monitor currently have a scratch or dent in it? Noooooo no no not this one. I’d protect my Mac to the death haha. Do you wear glasses? I do. ...if yes, how old were you when you got glasses? I was 11 when I got my first pair, but tbh I needed them much earlier. My mom just never believed me when I said I needed glasses when I was 9 because she used to think I just wanted to be fashionable and look like the other kids who had glasses early on. Have you been bored today? Yes, but only for a short time. My mom ran a quick errand this afternoon and I was stuck doing nothing in a drugstore for a bit. What type of milk do you drink? Welp as much as possible I don’t really drink it on the sole basis that I can’t, lmao. I don’t really know the differences, but I think I consume whole whenever I do consume milk. Have you had a headache today? Nope, but I had several ones over the last week. What department store do you shop at the most? I’d typically go to SM malls when I have department store needs. Which grocery store do you shop at the most? I prefer Ayala groceries since they have more high-end and imported stuff than other malls. Do you normally use the self-checkout or the regular checkout? We don’t have ‘self-checkout’ here; I don’t even know what that means. We have cashiers who do the work for us, if that’s what regular checkout means. Do you watch birth vlogs? NO. Watching those just makes me scared. I’d rather experience childbirth on my own when the time comes. Do you have kids? I don’t. Do you know what you want to name your kids? I have one name locked in, and I am 100% considering naming my kid/s after my girlfriend’s parents. I don’t know yet how she’d feel about it but knowing how close she is to them, I think she will be okay with the tribute. Which time of your life do you miss the most? Pre-school, I guess? My biggest worrries were reaching Hi-5 when I would come back home by noon and making sure Swiper didn’t swipe anything from Dora and Boots lmao. Which friend will be in your heart no matter what happens between you two? Gab and Angela. And now, Nacho. Did you watch the first season of American Idol? I didn’t. I started watching only by season 7, with the two Davids. Is it sweater weather yet where you are? Not quite sweater just yet, but it’s starting to be a little chillier in the evenings. Days can still get annoyingly hot, though. What is your most severe allergy? I don’t have any. Do you like your middle name? Middle name can mean two things in the Philippines - it’s either your second given name or your maiden name. I like both of mine, though. What is one thing of yours that is falling apart? The morale I have left for this semester. Do you hate anyone so much that you wish they were dead? The Marcoses. AND SO MANY OTHER POLITICIANS. Have you ever been kicked out of a store? Kinda? My high school friends and I were playing a card game at a McDonald’s a few years ago; they were getting louder as the game progressed, but I was a little more conscious than the rest so I started distancing myself from them and focused on my phone. Eventually an old, cranky man had enough, probably told an employee, and we were asked to leave. What was the stupidest mistake of your life? Not showing enough appreciation for people who are already out of my life. Do you have any regrets? Some, here and there. I don’t like to dwell on them. Who is the most recent friend to have let you down? Those who found it easy to turn their backs on, attack, and cyberbully my now-dead friend and still had the audacity to show up at his wake and shake the hands of his parents, telling him what a great guy he was. Have you ever unfriended a sibling on social media? I blocked my brother on all social media after what he did to me early in the year. He’s gonna stay blocked. Do you watch Niki and Gabi on youtube? I’ve heard of them but never watched anything of theirs nor do I know anything about them other than their names. ...If yes, which twin is your favorite: Niki or Gabi? What is a song that has memories attached to it for you? Some Things Cosmic by Angel Olsen. Do you wish you could relive your 20's? I’ve barely started mine. What is your favorite thing about fall? Have you had the same favorite food/color/holiday since you were a kid? Nope. Before, it was spaghetti/purple/Christmas; it’s burgers/pink/Halloween now. What was the name of your first imaginary friend? Katrina. She was my first and only. What was your favorite book you had to read for school? Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana. Did you ever skip class because you hadn't finished your homework? Nooooooo, I hate the idea of missed requirements (in college, at least). I skip class when I’m too lazy or need a sanity break. What do you want for your birthday this year? I already celebrated it. I dreaded my birthday this year and didn’t ask for anything. Do you like rock music? Some. Do you enjoy camping? I’ve never tried. Would you rather sleep in a tent or under the stars? In a tent, because I’m guessing as wonderful as it sounds to sleep under the stars, it might be incredibly itchy? What is the best thing that ever happened to you? I have a lot of memories I can rank as ‘best’ depending on the context. What is your most missed memory? Right now, it’s everything that’s got to do with Nacho. His nickname for me, the song Buwan by juan karlos, all the puns he made, all the songs played at his wake. What is the most beautiful landscape you have ever seen? Batanes. Have you ever witnessed someone else do something embarrassing? Sure. Do you get motion sickness? Yes, and I have them pretty bad, too. I can’t really read in moving vehicles and barely power through when I do have to use my phone while in transport. What do you usually take for headaches? Biogesic. Have you ever switched doctors because of mistreatment? This hasn’t happened to me. Do you film or record your deoctor's appointments? No? Do people do that? Which accomplishment are you most proud of yourself for? I’m proudest for getting into UP. Do you feel like you've accomplished anything yet with your life? Of course, I feel like at this point I can already pat myself on the back for several things. Do you dance in the rain? No, I hate getting wet from the rain. What song do you have stuck in your head right now? I’m listening to the playlist I made for Nach and Wonderwall is currently playing, so by default, it’s stuck in my head. What is your favorite scent for deodorant? Idk I don’t have a favorite scent. As long as it smells pleasant, I guess?? because that’s the point of deodorants??? Were you ever a member of the site Meez? Never even heard of that. Do you ever miss Myspace bulletins? Nope. What is your favorite app on your phone? Currently, it’s Mario Kart Tour.

[justliketherifle]

Trouble Always Finds Me Chapter 6

You and Jack hugged for a few minutes, both crying. When you finally parted, he brushed your hair behind your ear and again told you he was proud of you. You wiped the tears off your face and tried in vain to get the wet spot off his shirt.

“It's fine, she'll dry. Don't worry about it.”

“Okay. Thank you for being here.”

“Darlin', it is my genuine pleasure.” He kissed your temple and wiped away his own tears with a smile.

“You know, I got Mac's shirt all wet earlier too.”

“Oh yeah? So what's going on with you two?”

“Dad!”

“What? It's a fair question. That boy barely leaves your side.”

“Honestly? I don't even know if he likes me like that.”

He chuckled. “Honey, you must be blind then. The whole team sees it.”

“Well, tell him to make a move then.”

“Uh uh, I am not telling my best friend to make a move on my girl.”

You laughed. “Fair enough. Guess I'll just have to do it.”

“Just please wait 'til I'm not around because I’m cool with you two, but not that cool.”

“Deal.”

Jack left shortly after that, placing a kiss on your temple. You closed your eyes and leaned into it, promising to text him.

Mac came back in and gave you a smile.

“So how'd it go?”

“Better than expected. We both cried.”

“That doesn't surprise me.”

“It honestly felt so good to tell him. I went into more detail and my shoulders feel lighter.”

“I’m glad. You look like you could use some more rest.”

“Yeah, I could. I just…can I try something?”

He looked unsure. “Yeah, what's up?”

You moved closer to him, staring up into his deep blue eyes. His breathing quickened as you reached up and placed your hand on his cheek.

“Just stop me if you don't want this.”

He swallowed hard and nodded. You leaned in slowly, gently pressing your lips to his. He immediately responded, taking your face in his hands and kissing you back eagerly. You put your other hand on his chest and felt his heart racing, matching your own. You kissed for a few minutes, exploring each other's mouths and reveling in the moment.

When you pulled apart, pressing your forehead to his, you were both gasping for breath.

“Wow,” he breathed out.

“Yeah,” you said with a giggle.

“That was…amazing.”

“Agreed. We should definitely do that again.”

He smiled. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. Once you go Mac, you don't go back.”

He rolled his eyes and laughed at you. “You’re a dork.”

You got serious. “I’m your dork. If you want.”

“Definitely. Now you need to get more sleep. Come on.”

He took your hand and led you to bed, sweetly covering you with your blanket before laying down close to you. You gripped each other's hands and smiled.

“God, you're so gorgeous,” you complained.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Hell no. It's just hard not to stare at you.”

“Well, I can say the same about you. You're ridiculously beautiful.”

You blushed. “Yeah right.”

“Hey. I don't lie. I mean it. I've barely been able to keep my eyes off you since we met.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Damn, Mac, you really know what to say to a girl.”

He chuckled. “I try. Now get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

You smiled happily before reaching over and kissing him again.

“I think I really like you,” you whispered.

“I think I really like you too.”

After that, you drifted off, feeling comfortably warm and safe with Mac. It was a few hours later when the alarms went off.

You both shot up out of bed, scrambling for the door.

“Stay inside!” a voice shouted. “The Phoenix has been breached!”

You looked at Mac, absolutely terrified. He grabbed your hand, determined look in his eye.

“Nothing's gonna happen to you. Not while I'm around.”

You leaned into his side and he wrapped his arm around you. You both stared at the door as the shooting started.

Your ears began to ring and you started to feel faint. You had flashbacks to that day as Mac lowered you to his bed and tried to talk to you. You couldn't hear him, just the shots. Tears were blurring your vision. Everything was flashing between the room you were in and the hallways of your high school.

Mac's voice suddenly brought you back.

“(Y/N)! Can you hear me?”

You could only nod as he wiped away your tears.

“It’s gonna be okay. Still trust me?”

You found your voice. “With my life.”

“Okay, good.” He began looking around for anything he could use as a weapon. He ran to the door.

“Murdoc! I know you're out there!”

An evil voice came out of the speaker. “Angus. So good to see you again.”

Mac looked at the camera. “You’re not getting near her, you sick bastard.”

“Oh, has MacGyver found love perhaps? How quaint. That will make my killing her even sweeter.”

Mac growled and hid you behind him. “That’s never gonna happen.”

“You’re now trapped in a small room in your own headquarters, with no way of getting to your team. Just how do you expect to stop me?”

“I’ll find a way.”

“They should put that on your tombstone. I have no qualms about going through you to get to her.”

A thrill of fear shot through you. You pulled on Mac's arm.

“Mac, maybe I should just go to him. I can't risk all your lives just for mine!”

He turned to face you. “No way. I told you I'll protect you. That's what I'm gonna do.” He kissed you.

“Aw, how adorable. Are you picturing it yet, Angus? Her bloody, broken body on the floor in front of you?”

Mac grabbed a chair and set it underneath the camera before ripping the camera out of the wall.

“Such anger.”

“Shut up!” you cried.

“That’s not very nice, (Y/N). I see you take after your father.”

“You’re damn right I do!”

Murdoc chuckled over the speaker. “Now this is going to be so much fun.”

You groaned. God, did he ever stop talking? Mac had his Swiss army knife out and was fiddling with his cellphone.

“What are you doing?”

“Making an explosive.”

“Out of your phone?”

“Yeah. If I can get the battery to overheat, one phone call will light it up. You still have your phone?”

You pulled it out of your pocket. “Yeah, got it right here. Just give me your number. And promise to get a new phone ASAP.”

“Promise. 555-219-4823.”

“Got it. Just tell me when.”

“You're being surprisingly chill about this.”

“Eh, my boyfriend makes bombs out of phones. It's whatever.”

He stopped and smiled at you. “Boyfriend, huh?”

“’Fraid so. You're stuck with me handsome.”

He gave you a quick kiss before puncturing his cellphone battery and putting it back inside.

“When I say, open the door and call for our guys to clear out.”

“Okay.”

You both moved to the door.

“Now!” he yelled.

You threw open the door, yelled for the men to move, and Mac flung the phone into the hallway. You quickly slammed the door shut.

“Okay, call it now,” Mac ordered.

You called his phone and an explosion rang out.

“Come on!”

Mac grabbed your hand and pulled you out the door. You ran through the halls past several bodies on the floor until there was guy in a creepy mask with a gun in front of you. Mac went into action, kicking the gun out of his hands and beating the crap out of him. You thought for a second before picking up the gun. Mac gave you a look.

“What? I hate them but I'd rather not die,” you told him.

“Just keep the muzzle down. Let's go!”

You kept running, taking turns here and there, until another man appeared before you. You took aim and fired.

Gasping for breath, you lowered the gun. Mac put his hands on your shoulders.

“Hey, you did good. Just breathe.”

“Okay. I'll be all right, just might throw up later.”

“I’ll hold your hair. Let’s keep moving.”

You laughed nervously. “Such a gentleman.”

You moved quickly through the hallways, shooting anyone who pulled a gun on you.

Suddenly, you ran into Jack and Bozer, both armed.

“Oh, thank god, are you all right?” Jack asked, hugging you both.

“We're good. Apparently, I'm a good shot in close quarters.” You showed him the gun and your hands started shaking.

“Hey, I'll switch you.”

He took the rifle from you and gave you his handgun and an extra mag, which you shoved in your back pocket.

“I've never killed anyone directly before, so if I go off the rails after all of this, I hope y'all understand,” you said.

“Hey, we get it. Riley was kinda messed up after hers. We're here for you, girl,” Bozer told you.

“Thanks, Boze. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

You all ascended the stairs, Mac and Bozer behind you and Jack in front. He flung open the door and took some shots.

“Okay, clear. Let's move!” Jack shouted.

You burst through the door, gun at the ready. You felt hands grab you from behind and you dropped your gun. You felt a gun against your head.

“Hello, (Y/N). So nice to finally meet you.”

The others turned around and Mac went for you. Bozer had to hold him back. Jack aimed his rifle at Murdoc's head.

“Let her go, psycho,” Jack said lowly.

“Come and get her, Daddy. No? What about you, loverboy?”

“I swear I’m gonna kill you, Murdoc,” Mac told him, fighting Bozer's grip.

“Promises, promises. I think the two of us will go for a ride.”

Jack looked like he was about to shoot. You shook your head. In an instant, you perfectly executed SING- Solar Plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin. Murdoc doubled over and you ran to Mac. A shot rang out and you fell to the floor.

“No!” Your dad fired and Murdoc dropped.

Mac turned you over and you groaned.

“Well, I didn't expect to get shot today,” you said jokingly.

“It went through, but you're bleeding heavily.” Mac took off his long sleeve shirt and pressed it to the wound on your stomach. You screamed. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I know it hurts.”

Jack and Bozer knelt next to you. “Mac?” he said in a broken voice. “She gonna be okay?”

“If we get her to the lab right now, yes.”

Jack handed his gun to Bozer and lifted you up carefully. You still cried out.

“It’s okay, baby girl, I got you.”

You all hurried to the lab. Jack set you on your side on a gurney and pulled up your shirt.

“That looks bad, man,” said Bozer.

“I know. I need to stitch her up. Can you give her some anesthesia?”

“I can,” said a strawberry blonde.

“(Y/N), this is Jill. She's a good egg, she'll help you,” Jack told you.

“Okay, just do it. I hate IVs,” you moaned.

Jill inserted the IV quickly. You sucked in a breath through your teeth.

“Sorry about that. Let's get you stitched up.”

Jill worked on your back first, disinfecting it while Mac held your hand.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” you replied weakly.

“You’re gonna be okay.”

“I know, MacGyver. I still trust you.”

He brushed your hair out of your face. He kissed your forehead sweetly.

Riley joined you then and took out her phone and snapped a few pictures.

“You two are seriously cute,” she told you.

“Thanks, Ri,” you said with a groan.

“She gonna be okay?” she asked Jill.

“She’ll be fine. Gonna hurt like hell for a while though.”

“It’s okay, I've been through this before.”

Riley glanced at Bozer. “Yeah, we know. I found an article. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Better you all know.”

Matty entered the room. “Better we all know what?”

“About my tragic past,” you said through gritted teeth.

“Oh. That. I'm so sorry.”

“Really, it's fine. I'd rather concentrate on my current bullet wound.”

Jill rolled you onto your back. “You feeling any pain?”

“Nah, I'm good. Think I might pass out. Or throw up, one or the other.”

“I’ll still hold your hair, sweetheart,” Mac said.

“Best boyfriend ever.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, boyfriend? When did this happen?” Jack asked.

“While we were trapped in a small metal room together?” you said with a laugh.

He nodded. “All right, fair enough. Mac-”

“I know, I hurt her, you'll rearrange my face.”

“You got it.”

“Can we stop the whole macho thing while I get the rest of my stitches?”

“Sure thing, baby girl,” Jack told you.

“And done!” Jill said cheerfully, cutting off the thread.

“Thank god. Mac, can we go home?”

“Of course. I'll pull the car up.”

You missed him as soon as he left. You shut your eyes and let the numbness wash over you.

Jill gave Jack a bottle of pills. “Have her take these whenever the pain gets too much.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Dad, I hate to ask. Can you carry me again?” you asked.

“Absolutely.”

He lifted you as gently as he could.

“Thank you, Daddy.” The drugs were taking full effect and you were getting woozy.

“It’s not a problem, honey. You just rest now.”

With that, you let yourself slip away.

[storiesabouthumanandthings]

Punk Rock Princess

Chapter 8

The next morning she was awoken with a shock, Mary had knocked twice and entered the room. “Wait?!” Olivia cried to stop her from entering but it was too late. Luckily, she was still covered by the blanket.

Mary turned to face the door and began immediately apologizing, “I'm sorry, Oliver! Mac told me to wake you early so you could sell your wares! I just was making sure you were awake!”

Olivia's face was burning, “It's fine, thank you, I am definitely awake now. Thank you again.”

Mary began to leave but stumbled over something in her path, she bent down and picked it up and held it out, “Not to pry but what is this?”

Olivia began screaming in her head, it was her bindings. What logical explanation could she give for having this?

“Is this like a girdle? Oliver, you're not fat at all, you don't need this!”

Olivia breath a sigh of relief, “I know, I guess I am worried that I won't be taken seriously otherwise.” 

“Nonsense! You go out there and be great like you always are!”

Olivia blushed again at Mary's kind words, “Thank you, and thank you again for the wakening.”

Mary nodded, placing the binding back on the floor and closing the door behind her. Olivia quickly got dressed, made sure the binding was in place and checked in the mirror that it was not showing before leaving her room. Mary had a pre-made lunch for Olivia that she handed her as she ran out. Mac had the cart waiting outside. “ 'ere ye go. See you tonight?”

Olivia nodded, “I'll be in town for a while, a week at least.”

Mac nodded, “That'll make wee Mary happy.”

Olivia nodded and lifted the cart handles and headed for the hills.

The advantage to being one of the few traders willing to go to the village was that people knew when she was there and were quick to make their purchases. She received some coin but most of the payments were made with ore and gems. Misha did not care for the gems, a useless item for any weapon of war, but they were easy to sell to the jewelry smiths back in town. Once most of the trades were finished, Olivia grabbed a pick ax and joined the Rockers in the mines. She did not get paid for this but to her the task was rewarding. The monotonous of it all, putting her muscles to good use where they were valued and not frowned upon. The days seemed to just drift away while she was there. No worries of life interfered here. Even the Rockers left her alone in this for the most part, occasionally directing her when they noticed her going too deep without supports or when she hits a tough stone. That was her favorite moment because the Punks were brought in and the cave was evacuated. The Punks would mine with the Rockers but the Punks were the only ones who knew how to blow up a tough stone.

Olivia, after all her years of working with them, was finally allowed to observe how they would blow up the stone. They would drill into it using special tools she was unfamiliar with making many holes in  different patterns depending on the toughness of the stone before packing those holes with compounds that shook the land when lit. And today seemed to be Olivia's special day. Midday hit when she could hear the ax hitting something different. She called a Punk over to inspect it. Sure enough, it was a hard point that needed their expertise. Olivia's head was still ringing with the sound of the pick axes as they finished prepping the stone.

“May I light it today?” Olivia sheepishly asked. The punks looked at one another.

They eventually shrugged and the Elder answered, “You can, since you always help out but just this once.” Olivia nodded once, trying to keep her joy in. All the other Punks left except for the eldest, “Now, when I say Fire, you light it, we run out, and boom. You got it?” Olivia nodded as the Elder Punk began counting down.

“Ten,” the ringing in her ears was still bothering her, “eight,” This was the one annoying thing about being with the Rockers, “six,” hopefully it'll be gone by tonight with the band, “Fire,” Olivia lit the fuse, stood up and turned to face the elder, “four,” Oh no!

“Run! I thought you already said Fire!”

The elder's eyes widen, “No, Five, not fire, Five!” Both began running through the tunnels to the exit. The elder fell as they rounded the corner, seeing the light. Olivia turned around, she looked at the elder, she could see he broke his ankle on a rock. The Elder Punk yelled at Olivia, “Run, boy, Run!” Olivia shook her head and picked him up. There was no way she could leave him behind. This was all her fault she screamed at herself in her head. “Drop me boy. You can't do anything more for me, drop me and run!”

“No! We are almost there!” There were just a few steps from the exit when Olivia heard the explosion. 

“NO!” a voice rang out, outside of the tunnel that Olivia recognized.

But it couldn't be, “Misha?” Olivia and the Elder were sent flying into the air. Olivia held the Elder tight to herself, rolling onto her back as they hit the ground, Olivia taking the blunt of the landing. They continued to roll for a few before the force dissipated.

All went black as the crowd gathered, Misha standing over Olivia.

Olivia woke briefly, body burning. She was now in a wood hut. Looking over, she could see the Elder was there next to her, bandaged and bloodied but alive. She then turned to look at her stomach. It felt like the worse period cramps she had ever had. She noticed hands were touching her, glowing hands. She follow the hands to arms, arms to a head. “Misha?”

Misha looked over, “Silence, little one, just rest and stay alive!” and like that, all went black again.

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