#sylvie can tag along because she needs a family too

[kassandras-one-braincell]

ugh when is it my turn to have an irl kassandra i would do anything for her .

anyways what kinds of clothing styles, jobs, or just general day-to-day life (like their houses) do you think modern!kassie/eivor/soma would have?

Pssh, it's not like I've given this any extensive thought in the past or anything... That would be weird... Who would do that haha

I would let's go

Kassandra dresses like a dad who lost his passport in Tenerife on holiday and has been stuck cycling between the same 4 hawaiian shirts since three Tuesdays ago, but owns a few casual suits for work.

She's a historian and museum curator. Specialises in the history of weaponry, occasionally giving guest lectures on ancient swords at universities. Mention any type of weapon and she will not be able to stop herself from rambling about its evolution over the centuries.

Has a pottery wheel. You know that scene from Ghost (1990)? Yeah. Very reliable with the ladies.

Ikaros is her pet eagle, do not ask her how she manages to get him pet insurance because she may have lied about his species.

She has a vegetable garden (her pride and joy, this might as well be her child with how well she takes care of it) and a briki to make coffee with. Kassie always starts her day off with freshly brewed coffee the traditional Greek way, some bread and some fruit, which she always plates too much of because Ikaros likes to steal it.

She's a great cook.

Dozens of books on old weapons are dotted about her home and some (so many. so fucking many holy shit) model replicas because she's a fucking nerd.

You cannot turn a corner inside her home without seeing at least three family photos. Family includes Myrrine, Alexios, Barnabas, Herodotos, Markos, Alkibiades and Phoibe. Nikolaos is in prison for trying to yeet his stepchildren off a cliff.

Phoibe is her goddaughter who calls her "auntie" and Auntie Kass absolutely gives her the world.

━━━( ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ)━━━

Eivor serves lumberjack realness. Flannels, cargo pants, work jeans, yes she has a tool belt, yes she looks a damn treat in it. All she's missing is the hard hat and the protective visor. The axe is in her workshop.

She wears glasses. This isn't up for debate.

Tattoo artist by trade and has a degree in literature. Her love for poetry knows no bounds. She specialises in black and grey realism and her pieces are breathtaking.

Speaking of poetry, her colleagues bully her mercilessly for being a "big old sap". She has fancy paper to write her poems up on, and a wax sealing kit for handwritten letters. She's old fashioned like that.

Technology is a demon she would rather not trifle with. 100% complains about the need for there to be an app for everything, but she does appreciate video calls so she can see her people.

As a hobby, she pursues woodworking and blacksmithing, sometimes selling her creations. She'd make the engagement ring she proposes to you with herself

Dwolfg (or Chewy, or Mouse) Nali and Dandelion Puff are all beloved members of her household. The neighbours' kids named them all; sometimes she babysits Knud and Sylvi, and of course Eira has to tag along.

Her fridge is full of boring meal prep (you better wife her up and cook for her) but her pantry? Brimming with baking supplies. Ma'am loves to bake. Sure, she eats a lot of grrr protein big strong macro gym buzzword meals, but she loves bread and cake. Big muscles but she likes to eat, so she isn't lean, I'm gonna stop before this gets unreasonably gay

━━━( ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ)━━━

Soma, look, this is gonna be specific, but there's foundations for this in game (her metric fuck ton of rugs in the longhouse). She evidently likes fancy things. Her modern!AU occupation: owner and ceo of a sustainable luxury jewellery brand. Recycled metals, gemstones that are sourced/synthesised sustainably, everything is ethically manufactured and her employees are paid well.

She's from humble beginnings, so she does loads for charity and really enjoys quiet domesticated tasks.

Waistcoats and tie when she's attending businessy things, simple t-shirt or jumper and joggers when working from home. Outside, she wears a few rings that she designed.

Not a particularly great cook, but she's a mean pastry chef. She has a massive sweet tooth. Loves to start her mornings with a homemade croissant and a cappuccino.

There is a post-it note above her desk to reminder her to straighten her posture because she tends to sit like a fucking goblin.

Her home is pretty eclectic, which takes people by surprise given her organised manner. Lots of blankets strewn over the couch, lots of knickknacks she collected over the years, some sentimental ones from Lif and some ruder ones from Birna. A few sketchbooks are scattered about with designs for work.

She has a record player and an ungodly collection of country vinyls. It's okay. Nobody's perfect. It's what makes her human.

Also needs to wear glasses, but wears contacts usually because she insists the specs make her look "old", oblivious to the distant sounds of feral lesbian screaming whenever she puts them on.

[bards-witcher]

Because I love torturing myself, just thinking about how Loki was talking about betraying his family and his home and then later on Classic Loki and Alioth give off major Ragnorok vibes for Loki and Sylvie to fight for

[justoneofthoseghosts]

The season finale of Chicago Fire was an okay premiere to me. For an episode that is supposed to hype you up for a season, its actually done the opposite for me. I'm leaning into becoming a casual viewer of the show and it's a shame because this used to be my comfort show.

I don't understand why we are going back to the recycled storyline of having a nemesis and it looks like were headed back down that with Stella. I want a storyline for Stella where we see a situation that is her fault. Hear me out, I want to see how she would deal with a situation that is the cause of her poor judgement. How does she learn from this situation? How does it affect her personally? How does it affect her as a leader? How does she navigate this situation (preferably without the input of the men in 51).

You can count me in for as another person to add to the not a fan of the Hawkami club - I have my reasons but I'll keep those opinions to myself in fear of how the fandom reacts. I would like to see Violet's storylines away from Gallo and Hawkins this season. She is more than just her romance.

The person I want more for this season is Sylvie because she deserves it. With the mess that the writers put her in with the LDR (she could still be in it but apparently she's the only one who can't have love and a career). She does not need to be pushed into another relationship, and shame on the writers if they do because it only proves that the writers don't know how to write the ladies without romantic drama. I want to see character growth and this could be done through her Paramedicine program, or she could be teaching at the academy, become a mentor, buy a house and do a fixer upper, have a connection to a patient, helping at Molly's. Building on her friendships with the ladies and Cruz and Chloe and those we have not seen before like Herrmann, Ritter, Boden. My wish is to see her become a godmother to Otis, the bonds she could form with both him and Havi.

I have hopes for this season but I know not to get them up because of my disappointment with season 10.

I sincerely hope they give Stella a good Lieutenant storyline. Honestly, they should have done something like this last season. I liked Mason but I think the writers didn't know what to do with him and only figured out that for season 11, Stella should get a Truck crew member who could be difficult. It should have happened last season but Derek said he didn't want to bring in more new characters so they decided to go with Mason. The gripe I have with this storyline, aside from the fact that Carver seems like a total asshole, is that they're bringing in another white male character onto the show, as if there weren't enough of them already. I wanted to see a female firefighter - they do exist right? It's unrealistic to just have one female firefighter on the show. I do hope that the writers finally show things from Stella's perspective and not Severide's. I know they're married now but she can have independent storylines too. I feel like it may or may not happen because of the interactions Carver has had with Severide and Boden. I don't think I'll be sticking around long enough to see.

I've said before that I want better stories for Violet and Sylvie too, ones outside of romance and the same goes for Ritter and Mouch. Like, where is Mouch's bio-daughter? Can Ritter tag along on Paramedicine runs? The family dynamic is sorely missing and there is a huge difference in the premiere episodes of season 10 and 11.

Also, if the show doesn't serve you or bring you any joy anymore, it's okay to walk away from it or just be a casual viewer. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that! I'm figuring out myself if I'd peace out totally or binge watch it at some point.

[corie-the-writer]

Won’t Let Go - Ch. 4

Tag List : @talicat713 @itsdesiree86 @halsteadsway @itmejado @toomuchtv95 @panaitbeatrice

Chapter 4 

Sophia had a blast at the cabin even though a part of her had missed spending time with Jay, especially since she had left right after they had sex for the first time. She had promised herself to make the most of the girl time with Sylvie, Stella, Emily and Kim in the cabin for the weekend. 

The girls had spent their days in the sun on the lake, even though it was starting to change from summer to fall, the day time the weather was still warm enough to enjoy the water. At night, they had spent their time drinking wine, watching movies and just lounging around. 

Sophia had text Jay the night they had arrived letting him know that they had arrived safely, and they were exhausted from the drive, they had headed to bed early to enjoy the next two days of doing absolutely nothing. The next morning Sophia had woken up to a picture text from Jay, he was giving her a pouty face claiming to smell like her perfume, and expressing that he was tempted to crash their trip to steal her away. Her heart swelled with the declaration, but promising to spend an entire evening with him once she had gotten back. 

During the day, Stella had convinced a group of young men to take them out on a boat, which was a lot of fun. They had learned to water board, each taking turns with one of the guys teaching them. There were a round of photos of each girl, and Sophia had sent a picture to Jay, showing him what she had learned. He had questioned who the man was on the board next to her, and she had decided to tease him a bit, and realized that he was a cute amount of jealous. Jay had sent her a number of photos the first day, one of him laying in bed shirtless, explaining that he had absolutely no plans, and then another photo later that night when he was at Molly's, saying that Kevin and Adam had hauled him out for a guys night since he was moping around. 

The second day Sophia had decided to spend time with just the girls, sending a text to Jay, letting him know that she wasn't ignoring him, but just wanted to stay present on their final day away. 

That day the girls had went to a cook out where the young men from the boat had invited them, since they were quite younger than them, they had introduced the girls to their parents, and some of the family members that were around, along with their friends. Once the cook out was over, they had went back to their cabin to swim around at the lake and lay out in the sun, just enjoying the scenery and peace around them for the better part of the afternoon. Once the sun had went down, they had decided to have a bonfire for a little while, enjoying a nice bottle of wine, and then headed inside to have girl talk. Sophia had been questioned about her relationship with Jay, and not really knowing the title of what they were, she admitted that they had slept together the day she had left for the trip. 

Later that evening once everyone was winding down for bed, Sophia had gotten the idea to call Jay while being a little tipsy. 

"Hey beautiful..." Jay began to answer the phone call but Sophia had cut him off with a frustrated sigh. 

"So what exactly are we?" Sophia questioned, "I've been drinking, the girls started asking what was going on between us and I'm just as confused as them." Sophia admitted, "Like is this just a hook-up?" Sophia started throwing out different labels causing Jay to let out a small laugh. 

"Babe, will you let me talk?" Jay questioned into the cell phone. 

"S..Sorry..." Sophia mumbled. 

"I like you Soph...a lot..." Jay started out and Sophia had let the wine brain take over and immediately thought the worst. 

"Oh god..." Sophia had stopped him, "I shouldn't have called..." Sophia grumbled smacking herself in the forehead, thinking that he was going to tell her that he wasn't interested in anything, "I'll let you go..." Sophia quickly added, she was slightly aware of Jay saying her name, but she had hung up the phone too quickly. 

Sophia tossed her phone onto the bed in the cabin and heard the phone ringing from the mattress. Sophia cringed not thinking clearly with the amount of alcohol she had consumed through that day, well into the evening.  The ringing stopped after a moment and then started back up again causing Sophia to stand up from the bed and looked at the cell phone as if it were going to grow legs and walk to her. Once the ringing had stopped, she was expecting it to start again and she let out a sigh of relief once it remained silent in her small room. 

Deciding to walk around in circles, Sophia had put her hands on her head trying to figure out what to do next, and she jumped and screamed when the door blew open to see Stella Kidd and Kim Burgess standing in the doorway with a cell phone in hand. 

"What the hell was that?!" Jay's voice came through the speaker phone of Kim's phone. 

"That was Sophia being drunk." Stella answered, "Now Sophia you're going to sit on that bed and listen to what Halstead has to say." Stella pointed to the bed with a stern look on her face and Sophia rolled her eyes and practically stomped to the bed. Once she had sat on the bed, Kidd leaned closer to the phone, "Go ahead Halstead." 

"Soph?" Jay's voice was gentle as he spoke over the phone, "I was saying that I really like you, a lot. I wanted to wait until you got back to have this conversation, but I want to make things official between us." Jay explained awkwardly, knowing that Kim and Stella were both listening. 

"Really?" Sophia's mouth dropped for a moment. 

"Yes really." Jay chuckled, "Do you think that you could call me so we can talk privately? No offense to Kidd and Burgess." Jay added. 

Sophia's cheeks were completely flushed in embarrassment but agreed to call him on her phone. Once Stella had confirmed to Jay that they would be back in town at eight thirty in the morning that coming morning, they said their goodbyes. 

Sophia had called Jay and was overly quiet, "I am so embarrassed right now." Sophia had admitted as she laid in the bed with Jay's hoodie on her, "I can't believe I'm wine drunk right now and turned into one of those people I loathe." Jay couldn't help but to laugh, "How much have you drank?" Jay questioned fighting back a yawn, already knowing that he had the next two days off. 

"Well, we've been drinking off and on since noon." Sophia admitted, "I don't think I am going to drink another drop of alcohol as long as I live." 

"That bad huh?" Jay chuckled, "Are you going to remember any of this conversation?" Jay questioned. 

"Oh I'll remember everything, I'll just have one hell of a hang over, and apparently wine makes me lose all common sense." Sophia explained, "So I'm really sorry for just jumping to conclusions. I sort of just panicked." 

"Well it's going on 2 in the morning and you guys are leaving in a couple of hours to head back, so you need to try to get a little bit of rest. So just know this, I want you to be my girlfriend, and I'll be waiting at your apartment for you tomorrow morning bright and early, and we are not leaving that bed for the next two days. Okay?" Jay spoke quietly and confidently, "And tomorrow once you've gotten the liquor out of your system we will talk, alright?" 

Sophia chuckled lightly, "Okay..." 

"Try to get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning." 

"Good night Jay." 

"Good night baby." 

 Sophia had felt the heaviness of her eyes, the smell of Jay's cologne lingering on the hoodie that she was wearing. Not caring in the moment that her skin was sun burnt causing her to be slightly cold as she lulled herself to sleep. 

The three and a half hours of sleep that Sophia had gotten was not enough to sleep off any of the alcohol that she had consumed. She had been grateful that Stella had shoved a large to go cup of coffee into her face as she got settled into the passenger seat of the jeep. Sophia was silently grateful that she wasn't the only one who was massively hung over. 

"So what did Jay say to you last night?" Stella questioned as she stopped off at a McDonalds for them to grab food for the ride back to town. 

"I uh...he said that he wanted me to be his girlfriend, and that he would be waiting at my place for me this morning." Sophia commented, "I'm trying to not get my hopes up because I think I'll be really sad if he's not actually there." Sophia added quietly, sleep filling her voice. 

"I think you'd be surprised." Stella commented as she pulled up to the window to grab the bags of food and drinks, "I've seen the way the guy looks at you since the moment he met you." Stella commented thanking the woman at the drive thru, then slowly pulling off, "I think he thinks you've personally hung the moon."  

"I just...I've never felt this way before. With Noah it was different. That was pure lust, but with Jay, it's lust and emotions, like everything all tied into one." Sophia explained grabbing the french fries she had ordered after taking a drink of her sweet tea, "I mean, everything is just different. When I'm with him, it's just like this huge sense of peace. It scares me because I don't know him all that well." 

"Well think about it like this..." Stella spoke with food in her mouth as she began driving on the high way, "He's a cop, a detective at that, so he has no criminal record which is a huge plus. He's served his country, and he's got a super level head on his shoulders. I mean hell, he punched a dude for grabbing your ass before he even introduced himself to you." Stella pointed out causing Sophia to laugh as she stuffed her mouth with more fries. 

"Okay, you gotta point." Sophia commented, "I think just with everything that happened with Noah, it's sort of made me apprehensive towards anyone." Sophia added. 

"Have you heard from him any?" Stella questioned. 

"No. Thankfully he had gotten mad enough when I left that he said, 'if you walk out that door do not think about coming back to me' like I had planned on it or something." Sophia chuckled fishing into the bag for her other food. 

"So I take it you haven't told Jay about Noah?" 

"What am I suppose to say?" Sophia questioned, "Hey Jay, I met this guy when I was traveling and I fell in love with his dick, and we have such great sex it turned into a toxic relationship, oh and he's a criminal but I'm not quite sure what he does exactly?" Sophia added causing Stella to snort with laughter. 

"Well I don't think I'd go that route, but obviously the relationship with Noah has caused a little bit of problems for you in trusting others, especially men." Stella suggested and Sophia gave a nod. 

"I'm sure I'll figure out what to tell him exactly when the time comes for it to be brought up. I still am not quite sure how to even dive into that entire experience." Sophia took a drink of her tea after finishing her hamburger, "Enough about me, how are you and Severide?" Sophia questioned. 

"We're really good." Stella smiled, "We are thinking about moving in together." Stella added and Sophia squealed with excitement, "We have been talking about it but we haven't quite decided yet what we're looking for in a house, so we sort of just pushed it to the back burner for the time being." 

"I'm so happy for you Stella! I think he's so good for you." Sophia grinned, leaning back into the seat, "Oh god, I can't tell if eating that food made me more intoxicated or more delirious." Sophia groaned, realizing that it was the lack of sleep doing it. 

"Well rest your eyes for a bit, we got about an hour left." Stella suggested looking towards the brunette, "It's fine Soph. You don't need to keep me company. It'll give me some time to annoy Kelly." Kidd commented. 

Sophia gave a nod and reclined the passenger seat just a little and rested her head against the head piece and closed her eyes, and before she knew it she was out cold. 

"Baby..." Sophia started to stir at the familiar voice, "Come on, open those eyes..." His voice was so gentle and quiet, causing Sophia to flutter her eyes open to see Jay Halstead in front of her. 

"You're here..." Sophia had commented lowly. 

"I told you I would be. Come on, let's get you inside and to bed." Jay ran a gentle hand across her cheek, then reached for her hand. Sophia had raised herself gently realizing her back was a little more sore because of the sunburn, and allowed Jay to help her out of the jeep. 

"Oh god..." Sophia groaned, "I need to shower." 

"Girl, I feel you." Stella agreed from the driver's seat, "I'll talk to you later Soph." 

"Bye Stella..." Sophia closed her eyes for a moment trying to focus her vision, "Oh wait my bags..." Sophia added as Stella began to drive off. 

"I already got them and put them upstairs." Jay chuckled wrapping his arm around her lower back, "Come on, I'll carry you." Jay added, "It looks like you're about to drop to the ground." 

"I feel like I'm about to drop to the ground." Sophia chuckled lightly, slightly squealing as Jay moved to lift her bridal style and carried her around the building to the side door that led to her apartment. 

"I wanna shower and then sleep for the next day." Sophia winced as Jay began to tread up the stairs, causing Jay to look at her in concern, "I got sunburnt yesterday, I'm a little sore." Sophia explained and Jay frowned a little as he reached for the door handle. 

"Here." Jay sat Sophia on her feet, "Go take a shower and get changed. I'm gonna go change into sweatpants." Jay commented as Sophia stumbled into the living room and towards the bathroom. 

Sophia had turned the shower on warm water, and stripped out of her clothes and let them fall to the floor. Noticing the tan lines, Sophia knew that this shower was going to suck tremendously, so she had decided to brush her teeth before setting pain to her skin. 

Once she had stepped into the shower and the initial pain had left she had turned the water a little warmer, and shampooed her hair, and then washed her body carefully, and then washed her face. She felt someone normal but was dead tired. After standing in the shower for a moment, she had turned the water off, grabbed a towel for her body and then a towel for her hair. 

Drying herself off carefully, Sophia had emptied her bladder, washed her hands and then headed into her bedroom to get dressed for bed. She had went to her drawers to grab a pair of panties and slipped them on, and then dropped the towel and Jay nearly gasped at how burnt she was. 

"Baby, do you have any aloe?" Jay questioned as he sat up in bed. 

"I'm not sure... the shower took the sting out of it, so it's not nearly as bad." Sophia had towel dried her hair before grabbing Jay's gray police shirt that was on the floor from him taking it off to get into bed, and slipped it on, and then tilted her head to put her damp hair in a bun, so it was out of her face. 

Climbing into the bed after turning on her fan, Sophia had stretched out her body and then curled up against Jay as he reached for the night stand lamp, and then wrapped his arms around her carefully. It didn't take long for the both of them to submit to the sleep they had been craving.

[ruzek-halstead]

pretty

part one

pairing: jay halstead x hailey upton

the whole one chicago gang is at molly's having a great time until will halstead corners jay about his relationship with hailey and advises him to quite literally take his girl home. (un)fortunately, hailey isn't interested in going back to her home.

“alright, so answer me this. hypothetically, if hailey was to go home with, oh, i don’t know, severide or something, would you be completely okay with that?”

part two || masterlist

warnings: swearing, fluffery

hailey never drinks this much. seriously. ever.

somehow, she gets caught up with the crowd at molly's and the shots start flowing. it doesn’t help that her drinking partners include kelly severide, adam ruzek and joe cruz, among the rest of the first responders that tag along.

she had made her way over with her own squad and mingled with the rest of their friends. currently she has her arm wrapped around severide’s waist, with his around her shoulders and they are screaming the lyrics to whatever song is currently playing. adam is grabbing everyone another round of tequila shots while kim is serenading hailey from across the booth. the rest of the first responder ladies are present too; vanessa, sylvie, emily, natalie and april sitting at their own booth enjoying the night. the majority of the guys are settled at the bar; jay, will, matt and kevin conversing over beers.

jay trusts hailey wholeheartedly and there’s no question about it. however, he can’t help but worry, considering he’s never seen her consume so much alcohol in such little time. especially because she has kept up with every single drink severide has had and he’s seen severide quite drunk before.

“jay, if you’re going to keep looking at her every five seconds, you may as well just go over there now,” will whispers, raising an eyebrow at his brother. he lowers his voice so the rest of his friends don’t hear (but honestly, will is convinced literally everyone but them knows those two are in love with each other).

jay instantly turns his attention to his brother, his cheeks pinking at getting caught. “i'm just keeping an eye,” he replies, sipping his beer.

“yeah, clearly,” will rolls his eyes. “so, are you two dating yet?”

jay sputters, easily choking on his drink. “what the hell are you talking about, man?”

will lifts an eyebrow at jay's immediate denial. “i mean, i have eyes, jay,” he explains, as if it’s obvious. “dude, you’re obviously in love with her.”

“have you been helping yourself to the hospital’s medicine cabinet?”

will furrows his brows. “are you asking if i’m on drugs?” jay looks at him expectantly. “you're clearly not very perceptive.”

“i do just fine, thanks,” jay rolls his eyes as he finishes the last of his beer. “hailey and i are just partners, that’s all, and you know that.”

“bullshit,” will says with a single smirk.

jay levels him with an incredulous stare; his brother can be such a pain in the ass sometimes. “we're partners, will; we see a lot of hard shit every day and we’re close. but that’s all it is.”

“alright, so answer me this,” will replies and jay rolls his eyes, literally debating just walking out right now. “just humour me,” he cuts him off. “hypothetically, if hailey was to go home with, oh, i don’t know, severide or something, would you be completely okay with that?”

instinctively, jay looks over at hailey again. she's still nestled close to severide, but it didn’t bother him until now.

“i would – i would be fine,” jay replies but flinches when he stumbles on his words. this is exactly what will is waiting for, like a vulture.

he finishes off his beer with a smirk, “my point is proven, and i'm finished here.”

jay's jaw clenches tight. he's annoyed with his brother and now he can’t stop looking at severide’s arm around hailey without wanting to rip it off.

will halstead, everyone.

“i'm heading home,” will digs into his pocket to drop some bills on the counter, winking at herrmann. “you should probably take your girl home though, make sure she gets into bed safely. you know, her own bed.”

jay glares at him. “you’re a dick and i hate you so much right now.”

“goodnight bro,” will laughs, completely unaffected by his younger brother’s words. he pats him on the shoulder and says, “love you.”

regardless of how annoying his brother is and how he knows exactly how to push his buttons, will is basically the only family he has left. which is why he replies with a quiet “love you too” before ordering a whiskey to counteract his brother’s words.

it feels as if it’s karaoke night at molly’s with the amount of singing currently taking place. it’s loud and terribly off-key but they’re all having a great time and he can’t help but chuckle when he hears adam attempt celine dion’s my heart will go on.

jay finds himself by himself at the bar, staring at his half empty glass. matt and kevin have gone to join the ladies in their booth, but jay doesn’t want to join them. if he’s being completely honest, the only person he wants to talk to is hailey, but she’s otherwise occupied. he's debating whether or not he should make his way home, when he feels a weight tumble into his side.

he nearly falls off his stool but catches himself with a foot on the floor and a hand on the bar.

“oops,” hailey giggles and jay looks over to see her clutching onto the bar for dear life.

it's odd to see her so clumsy and giggly since she is always so cool and collected. she very rarely lets down her walls, much like himself. and when she does, it’s because something big has prompted it and she needs to vent.

“you alright?” he raises an eyebrow as she attempts to hop onto the stool beside him. he opts to grabbing her arm and guiding her to ease the difficulties she’s having; she’s still giggling. “can we get a water please?” jay asks herrmann behind the bar and the firefighter sends him a smirk but obliges anyway.

hailey finally settles in her seat and swivels to face jay. her eyes are glazed over and she’s smiling goofily; honestly, it’s a sight he thought he’d never see. “i saw you all alone and thought you needed some company.”

“actually, i’m thinking of heading out soon,” he replies as he pushes the glass of iced water in her direction. she wrinkles her nose as it, but he pushes it further with a stern look.

hailey gives in and takes two large gulps. “i should too. i'm getting very sleepy,” she adds, her eyes dropping for dramatic effect.

or so jay thinks it’s for dramatic effect but then he genuinely thinks she’s sleeping at the bar. “hailey, wake up,” he chides, chuckling because he can’t help himself; she looks adorable. “come on, drink your water.”

hailey blindly reaches for the glass again but refuses to open her eyes. once again, he’s not surprised she doesn’t listen to his instructions. her arms rest against the bar and she moves to drop her head against it too. “alright,” he laughs, “do you want me to take you home?”

her eyes instantly pop back open and her blue eyes stare at him in adoration. “take me home, jay halstead.”

jay swallows roughly but drops a few bills on the counter and bids goodnight to herrmann.

hailey is up and out of her seat within seconds and a newfound source of energy. she bounds over to her group from earlier, yelling cheerful goodbyes as she runs into kim for a messy hug. jay follows her, standing behind and waiting for her like a dutiful partner (or so he convinces himself). she shares a hug with adam and jay tenses when she moves to say goodbye to severide (honestly, he was so dramatic).

but all hailey does is steal his shot glass and drain it, while severide laughs and ruffles her hair. and suddenly, jay feels like an idiot for the jealous thoughts that consumed him earlier because clearly, their relationship is barely anything more than sibling-like. with that, jay says a quick goodbye to his co-workers and friends and walks hailey out the door.

he tries, he really does. but as soon as he opens the door so she can exit ahead of him, he realizes she can hardly even walk, much less in a straight line. hailey's giggling as she stumbles into the brick wall, so jay gently grabs her arm to guide her in the direction of his truck. hailey takes full advantage of the closeness and snuggles up as close as she can.

“you’re going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow,” jay murmurs quietly. he's opening the passenger door and helping her up into the vehicle. her foot slips on the outside step and jay hastily grabs her before she falls on the ground.

she's still laughing, and he hoists her into the truck and fastens her seatbelt; he isn’t taking any more chances. “impossible. i'm greek, we don’t get hangovers,” she replies as he’s stretched over her. he can smell the tequila on her breath and accidentally catches her gaze as he pulls back. her blue eyes are mesmerizing and they’re staring at him with such intensity, he forgets his purpose for a moment.

“somehow i don’t think that will be the case tomorrow,” he says quickly to distract himself from her captivating gaze. he closes the door and makes his way to the driver’s side and does everything he can to avoid looking at her. she doesn’t make it easy; she’s purposely staring right at his side profile.

his jaw is twitching; he knows it, but he can’t control it. “where are we going?” she asks suddenly.

“i'm dropping you off at your place?” jay answers in a questioning tone.

hailey instantly protests, her arms crossing and her lips pouting. “i don’t want to go home,” she says defiantly.

“hailey, you have to go home. we have to work in the morning, and you need to sleep off that hangover,” jay's voice is gentle, but hailey is not having it.

clearly, she isn’t getting more sober as time goes on and jay sighs. “jay, do not take me home – i don’t want to go.”

he humours her. “where do you expect me to take you then? it's one in the morning.”

a slow smile spreads across her features. “i want to go to your place.”

jay sputters for a moment but regains his composure quickly. “what? my apartment?”

“yeah,” she’s still giggling. “you have that really good scotch and i could really go for a glass right now.”

jay shakes his head but can’t help the amused smile; she’s been drinking tequila all night but now wants to switch and mix whiskey. he doesn’t think farther into it, doesn’t want to let his mind get distracted with hypotheticals. instead, he makes the rest of the short trip to his apartment and holds his hobbling partner all the way to his door.

she's an obliterated giggling mess and he doesn’t even find himself growing irritated.

hailey’s smart and she heads straight for the scotch, but he knows better. “not a chance in hell,” he quips as he swipes the bottle before she gets her hands on it. he holds it above his head where she definitely can’t reach and then places it on an even higher shelf.

“jay,” she whines with a frown and sways on her feet.

jay places a hand on her waist and shuffles her in the direction of his bedroom. “come on hailey, let’s get some sleep,” he’s practically begging. “we have to be up so early.”

upon hearing the pleading in his voice, hailey concedes and allows him to push her in the direction of his bedroom. she’s been in it before but never to spend the night. she’s honestly too drunk to think anything more of it. when she spots his bed, she dives face first and ignores his snickers.

jay is rummaging through his drawers and pulls out an old police academy long-sleeve (his biceps were much smaller at the time) and a pair of sweatpants for her to change into. when he turns around, she is already sitting up and waiting for him expectantly, so he throws the clothes at her face. her reflexes are understandably inebriated, just like the rest of her.

she’s laughing again. “thanks halstead!”

by the time he turns back to face her, her t-shirt is up over her head. they're both adults and professionals, so he doesn’t hastily turn away as if his eyes are burning. he’s mature and raises a single eyebrow in her direction.

hailey's smirking. “sorry,” she says but she’s the least bit apologetic. she’s attempting to take off her jeans now, but they get stuck around her ankles and her vision is swimming too much for her to focus. “jay,” she murmurs, “help.”

“this would probably be easier if you took off your shoes,” he replies as he unties her boots and sets them by his door. she saves him the embarrassment and tugs off the rest of her jeans. she takes the shirt he threw at her and pulls it over her head, reveling in the warmth. she loves how it smells like fabric softener but still smells like jay.

hailey takes one look at jay’s old sweatpants and throws them back at him. “i don’t wear pants to bed,” she wrinkles her nose in distaste  

jay mumbles something under his breath but folds and places the pair of sweats back into their rightful drawer. he's trying so hard to keep his shit together, but she is not making it easy. hailey wastes no more time and pulls back the covers to get comfortable underneath them. she pulls them up below her neck and watches jay as he moves about his room, with the brightest blue eyes. there’s something about seeing her like that, in his bed, so carefree, that he just can’t look at her without melting.

jay grabs an extra blanket from his closet and heads for the door. “i’ll bring you some water and advil before i turn in. but you should get some sleep, i'll wake you up in the morning.”

hailey’s eyes grow confused and her limbs stretch out from underneath the blankets to reach for him. “no, jay, where are you going?”

she’s clearly getting sleepy once again. “i'm sleeping on the couch tonight. i'll see you in the morning.”

he tries to leave again but hailey sputters and nearly rolls off the bed trying to stop him. he sighs and rushes forward to steady her. “jay, please don’t sleep on the couch,” hailey says quietly. her eyes are fluttering sleepily, and jay knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s out like a light. “i want you to sleep here.”

jay stares at her by can’t quite get a read on her. “okay,” he replies, just as quietly, “just let me go get—”

“no!” she clutches onto his arm. “just come to bed.”

jay plans on protesting again, because she’s drunk and she may not feel this way in the morning, but all his self-control is gone. “okay,” he agrees.

she lets go of his arm with a satisfied smile and she looks adorable. jay is quick to shed his clothing, losing his shirt and changing into sweats. he debates whether or not he should put on a clean shirt, because he wants hailey to be comfortable but finds it super uncomfortable for him. he reaches for one anyway, but hailey is quick to object. “no shirt,” she says, and he raises an eyebrow, “i know you don’t like to sleep with shirts.”

he concedes and finds himself crawling into his side of the bed after turning off the light. hailey is quick to gravitate towards him (she’s been waiting for him to get into bed for ages, or so it feels like it). she drapes an arm across his chest and tangles her bare legs with his and she snuggles her head close to his neck. the closeness is nice, and he exhales as he wraps an arm around her frame.

“this is nice,” hailey mumbles quietly, but jay hears her loud and clear from her positions close to his ear. “you have the perfect body to cuddle.”

jay can’t help but laugh. “uh, thank you?”

“really muscular,” her cold hands start roaming his upper chest and he tries not to go rigid.

instead, he chuckles nervously. “alright hailey, you’re drunk. it’s time to get some sleep.”

“yeah, i'm drunk,” she admits quietly, “but i think you’re really pretty and i should tell you that more often.”

jay is still laughing but the exhaustion is slowly starting to hit him. “thanks hails, i think you’re pretty too.”

“yeah, i know,” she mumbles, “i can see it in the way you look at me.”

jay should probably be surprised or caught off-guard or something. but he isn’t.

instead, he feels her lips press against his neck before he dozes off.

[scarlet--wiccan]

You can ignore this if you don’t have any thoughts but what your ideal new young avengers run look like? Who would be on the team, what would you even call it now that they’re all adults (except Cassie I guess?)

One of my favorite things about Young Avengers, which I think is often underplayed to the detriment of the characters, is that the team is routinely forced to operate outside of the law and against the wishes of their elders. In the core YA books, the kids are more often working in opposition to the Avengers rather than in cooperation. These are characters whose methods and motives are not usually aligned with those of the established superhero organizations, which is also reflected in many of their appearances beyond YA-- Strikeforce and Empyre are great examples, as are Cassie's adventures in Astonishing Ant-Man. This rebel element is often at odds with the fact that many of the characters admire the Avengers, or have close personal relationships with individual Avengers members. The dissonance becomes especially strong when Billy and Teddy, who have the most reason to distrust and resent them following Children's Crusade, are consistently characterized as Avengers fanboys.

That's not to say that I think the Young Avengers should, like, hate the old Avengers, but I do think that this tension is a key part of the series. The 2005 run was about a group of kids who stepped up, at a very young age, to do a job that wasn't getting done because the previous generation had failed, only to get shot down by the people who had failed them in the first place. It's about a group of kids grappling with complex and painful family histories, and, in many ways, they're foils to the Runaways, which is why I don't really like it when they play junior Avengers or emulate the traditional superhero team structure-- WCA was really fun, but I'm not going to pitch a second volume, you know? I much prefer them operating as an ad hoc group, mainly because they each come from different backgrounds, have different goals, and work in different fields. They're not people who work together because they're part of an organization, they're people who show up for each other because they're friends and they care about one another. That is, in my mind, a more effective approach to a team book with such disparate characters than what the typical Avengers title tries to do.

So, anyways, that's what I think makes Young Avengers special and it's why I think the book still has a place in the Marvel world. Pitching actual story ideas is hard now because Teddy and Billy are, apparently, living off-world and very busy being royalty. In my previous post, I outlined an older idea for a BillyTeddy ongoing series that could have easily functioned as a third volume of Young Avengers, but would require some editing to work in a post-Empyre world. The idea was for Billy and Teddy's apartment in New York to act as a base of operations for a revolving cast of their friends, who come and go over the course of various story arcs. The two of them are presumably living full-time in space now, but it's also been established that they're magically anchored to each other in a way that makes it easy for Billy to warp between New York and the throneship-- anywhere Teddy goes, Billy can instantly follow, and vice-versa, which means that the series could still use Earth as a main setting without pulling the royal couple out of their other storyline.

I'd love a Young Avengers/Runaways crossover set in space-- their previous crossovers mostly have to do with alien drama, after all, and I've been itching to get Xavin back on page. I'm very serious when I say that I want Xavin, Teddy and Noh to be best friends, and I think they'd be fun leads for a miniseries, or even the opening arc of a limited run that eventually folds in the other YA and Runaways characters. I'm imagining an extended version of the interstellar road trip from YA (2013). Maybe Teddy will recruit his two closest alien friends to go on a sensitive diplomatic mission where he can only bring a small party, but it turns out to be some kind of trap and they end up stranded somewhere and have to, like fight their way out of hostile territory and make their way back to the Alliance with no ship. Billy can reach Teddy, obviously, but he can't just warp the whole party home because the distance is too great or they're in an alternate dimension or something, so he rounds up a rescue party and Karolina insists on coming along because, I don't know, the Light Brigade is mixed up in this and she feels like it's her responsibility to help Xavin even though they haven't seen each other in years. Nico obviously comes along with her, and can help Billy with tracking spells.

I'd also like to see a YA book led by the series' most under-served characters-- Tommy, Eli, and Cassie. Building off of Cassie's capers in Ant-Man, I'd be very into a heist or espionage story about the three of them, probably joined by Kate because she'd add a lot of cohesion to the cast and is so well suited to this type of adventure. Maybe they're undercover, and they have to, like, fake-fight some of the other Young Avengers, but they all join forces once the misunderstanding is cleared up. I'm picturing a cold open where the whole first issue is made up of, like, security camera footage of three masked figures breaking into a high-tech vault at AIM or Roxxon, and they steal a bunch of weaponry and fight their way out through a bunch of goons, but then it's revealed that the whole thing was a distraction to cover up a fourth intruder who moves too fast for the cameras to track. At the end of the issue, it's revealed to the reader that the intruders are the Young Avengers, and the real prize was a computer holding the last backup of Jonas's AI. The rest of the first arc is about them trying to rebuild Jonas with help from Vee, but they have to keep it a secret from the Avengers because they're planning an even bigger heist against, like Kate's dad, and they need to keep the whole operation under wraps because he's got eyes and ears all over.

I'm not particularly eager for another fantasy story after CC and YA(2013), but I'd be into a cosmic-fantasy arc about America solving some sort of inter-dimensional crisis or chasing a villain across worlds with Tommy and Billy's help. I really want more development between America and Billy, but I also think that she'd be really funny friends with Tommy and I want to see more of him playing off of magic characters. Maybe Leah (the one from Earth-15513 that's living on Earth-616 now) receives a mysterious message from Loki and asks the Young Avengers to help her track them down. America and Billy volunteer and Tommy tags along. Along the way they end up discovering some sort of evil curse or spell and go on a quest through various dimensions in order to break it. In the end it turns out the whole thing was set up by Loki to manipulate them into defeating an evil alternate-universe Loki-- maybe the one from Leah's native dimension-- because Evil Loki had used an enchantment that made it impossible for 616-Loki to harm them, which includes allies who are knowingly fighting on Loki's behalf. Better yet, it's a proxy war, and Evil Loki has recruited pawns of their own-- including Sylvie and Lisa from the Young Masters! 616-Loki does come clean when the dust is settled and finally reconnects with the Young Avengers. Loki is glad that Leah found a way to escape her destiny, but they admit that they don't feel they've succeeded in breaking out of their own cycle, to which America and Billy are like "we've seen how far you've come, but you need to remember that people care about you and stop bailing on us when we actually want to talk it out with you," which Tommy backs up because, like, he's been that person. Friendship! Character arcs that don’t fizzle out when a book wraps in under twenty issue!

Anyways, if we got a third Young Avengers volume, I'd prefer a limited run with a cohesive story, but all of the ideas I just outlined would probably work better as smaller arcs in an ongoing series. I have a lot of ideas about tying up loose threads and continuing arcs that are already in motion, but I'm hesitant to plot out what the next big step in these characters' lives should be. I definitely think it's time to give Tommy and Cassie another shot at the spotlight, and I want Eli to come back with a new costume and codename.

At this phase, it's just really hard for me to land on any larger, deeper stories because I'm so unsure of what the next few years will look like for Billy and Teddy. There's also an America title that's been in production limbo since the pandemic started, and I feel like there's some kind of drama on the horizon between the Maximoffs and Krakoa which would theoretically impact the twins as well. I also anticipate editorial pushing for Kate in a Hawkeye book when the tv show comes out.

[snarkwrites]

02 pt 2 | m i n e | tim speedle | csi miami

Notes:

I’m not even gonna lie... This chapter took several turns on me. Several. I wanted to post this a day ago, but something felt.. Incomplete. Amiss. Then it clicked as I wrote the smutty oneshot for these two so I banged this out. Any errors in grammar are mine and I own that shit. We fly blind in this house, no betas.

I hope you guys are all enjoying this so far!! It’s been a fun time to write. I think that’s largely due to the fact that it’s kind of..action-y, suspense and still fluff and romance eventually?

Summary:

You never forget the one that gets away. When Sylvie and Tim are thrown together again upon her arrival in Miami, will things finally work themselves out? Can Tim keep her out of danger?

Pairing:

Tim Speedle x OFC, Sylvie.

Warnings:

Stalker tw. Huge stalker tw. Because Sylvie has herself one. There may or may not also be other crime related topics raised here, such as injury/blood, etc.. I’ll try to warn as they come, loves. I’m going to try not to be too graphic so that people can still read this, but given the way this has surprised me thus far, I make absolutely no promises as to what the future holds.

Other Parts:

[ one - two part one - soundtrack ] 

Tagging:

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@twistnet​

Other Links:

[ faq & tag list doc ] 

                                              TWO PT TWO

The wind in my hair, the Florida sun beating down on me and Billy Idol on the radio full blast. I almost felt relaxed as I drove aimlessly along the Keys. I could almost forget for a few moments that I was currently being stalked by some unknown asshole who liked to write me ten page letters detailing his disturbingly vivid fantasies about me. Bragging about what he’d do when he finally managed to get me all alone.

I was coming back from an open air flea market, the spoils of my trip flung carelessly into the backseat. In my cupholder, my cell phone started going berserk. When I saw that it was Rex calling me, probably pissed because I’d stood up a gig he spent two weeks booking after I explicitly told him I wasn’t taking said gig in as many different but firm ways possible, I let it go to voicemail.

The gas needle was getting lower and bearing the thought in mind, I pulled into a little gas station, parking the red Porsche at the pump and reaching down, grabbing my clutch. Taking my card out to swipe at the pump.

I felt eyes on me and almost immediately, I tensed. My eyes darted around and they settled on a man two pumps over. Gaping at me.

I managed a tight smile, a little nod. Because I didn’t want to seem rude, but the way he was staring at me had me immediately getting paranoid all over again. And just like that, my earlier good mood was rapidly vanishing. I sighed and reached for the unleaded pump, inserting the nozzle into the Porsche’s fuel tank opening. Swiping my card and waiting. Tapping my foot because the clerk inside the station wasn’t even paying attention and the man two pumps over was now leaned against his silver BMW, arms folded over his chest, watching me like a hawk.

I realized that I wasn’t going to get away from the situation any faster unless I made my way inside to let the clerk know I needed the pump turned on, so I grabbed my cropped jacket and slipped the hood over my head and pocketed my keys after raising the convertible top on the Porsche, ducking my head as I quickly walked right past the staring man and disappeared inside the station.

“I need you to turn on pump 3.”

“Yeah, let me do that. I’m so sorry. Do you know that guy?” the clerk nodded towards the man who’d been staring at me. I shook my head. “Never seen him before in my life.”

,, he kind of resembles Rex. It’s unsettling.”  the thought came but I shoved it out. The little I knew about Rex, he didn’t have any family. The man was far too selfish for that.

“He’s lurking around your car. You might want to stay in here.” the woman said it in a concerned tone that caught me by surprise.

I swallowed hard, taking a few deep breaths. I could feel the panic starting to build just a little more. I tried to convince myself that maybe the man was just someone who had seen one of my ads or something. Trying to make myself ignore the weird vacant look in baby blue eyes as they roamed over my body, like he was enjoying his view. Way too much. It was almost lewd.

My eyes settled on my Porsche and I gulped when I saw him walking around it, kind of trying to covertly peer in. I took a few deep breaths. Maybe he was just a fan. Maybe Rex was right, maybe I really am paranoid. ,, with every good reason to be, hello, ten page explicit letters? Last month in Paris when the stalker writing said letters actually tried to grab me?” 

The woman behind the counter gave me a sympathetic smile and shook her head. “I’ll go wrangle up my husband Clay. He’s real big, looks mean as hell. Maybe we can get this man outta here and you back on the road, okay, dear?”

I nodded, thanking her. Grateful.

She disappeared to the little garage attached to the back of the station and minutes later, a very tall and menacing looking man wearing a local MC’s cutte stepped out. “We’ll have him outta your hair in no time, hon. You just wait right here with the little missus and don’t worry, alright?”

I nodded, again, grateful.

“ The world’s gone insane these days, I swear.” the clerk spoke up after a few seconds. I don’t know what her husband said to the man with the staring problem, but a few seconds later, all I could see of that silver BMW was it’s tail lights as it made a hasty retreat, going the opposite way that I had to go to leave and that knowledge only relaxed me.

After thanking them both again, I hurried out of the station and got into my car, just thankful to be getting back on the road again. My cell phone showed 3 missed calls. All from Rex. None of which I had any interest at all in taking.

Almost the instant my hotel came into view I relaxed. But only slightly.

Rex was pacing the parking lot, glaring at me when I parked the Porsche and killed the engine.

“Where the entire fuck were you, dollface? I told you specifically, the meeting to discuss the gig I got ya was 8 am sharp.”

“And I told you I wasn’t taking it.”

I side-stepped him and after grabbing my bags from the backseat, I made my way into the hotel and up to my room. Dumping off all my stuff. Digging through one of the shopping bags until I found the red bikini I’d gotten on a whim.

Once I had that on and I’d found a pair of cut offs and a cropped shirt to go over it, I grabbed my phone and the book I’ve been reading and I made my way out the back of the hotel. Wandered down the street until the smells from a local diner wafted to my nose, lingering on the air and reminding me exactly how long it had been since I truly indulged myself.

I wandered in and up to the counter.

And when I heard his laugh from somewhere closer to the back, I found my gaze wandering around the diner.

Settling on Tim.

His back was turned to me. But even without looking at him, I knew it was him. It had to be. I haven’t forgotten the sound of his laugh.

I froze for enough time that the cashier cleared their throat. “Did you know what you wanted to order?”

“I think I’ll actually go grab a booth. If that’s okay?”

The cashier nodded and grabbed a menu for me and I turned, scoping out the diner.

The booth right behind Tim was empty. Did I dare sit there?

My heart was pounding, about to beat right out of my chest. Just like this morning at the gas station, but different.

Excited.

Hopeful, even though I knew in my bones I had no cause to be. Too much time had passed.

Steeling myself, I slunk right past the table Tim and two other men were sitting at, sitting down at the booth of the empty table directly behind his.

I buried my eyes in the menu, pretending to be engrossed. Ordering a soda when one of the servers came around. Then on a whim, ordering the double cheeseburger and a large plate of fries.

And I gazed out the window.. Heart still pounding. Trying to figure out whether or not to say anything. Did I have the right to?

XXX

Almost as soon as the blonde wandered in off the streets, Eric spotted her and nearly choked on his soda. Knowing how the fact that she was in town and it was eating Speed alive was probably the only reason he took it easy on the guy, choosing not to point her out. But his staring so intently at the front of the diner drew Tim and Walter’s attention, and naturally, Tim turned around.

He went quiet, words trailing off mid-sentence.

Eric cleared his throat. “There she is, man.”

“I fucking saw her, Delko, I’m not blind.” Tim muttered, taking a deep breath. It felt like the wind got knocked right out of him. Like slamming into a wall full speed. Everything around him just froze and all he could do was watch her. When she glanced their direction, he looked away quickly. Pretending to laugh, to be caught up in conversation.

Painfully aware of her presence, he gripped the edge of the tabletop. Walter cleared his throat as Sylvie started to make her way right towards them.

“She’s walking towards that table behind us.”

“If you don’t say something, Speed, I swear to God.” Eric muttered. Tim shook his head.

He didn’t even know where to start, for one thing.

She’d settled in the seat right in his line of vision. She was literally almost close enough to touch if he were to stand up and walk over, sit down on the bench opposite the one she currently sat on. But Tim was frozen.

“Ryan was saying that stalker’s still an issue earlier.”

Eric mentioning it had Tim’s eyes darting around the diner. Just wanting to be sure she was okay and that no one followed her in.

Tim took a deep breath.

“One of you has to say somethin, man. This is stupid. Tell him, Walter.”

“Eric makes a good point.” Walter muttered, gazing at Tim. But Tim was totally dazed. Watching her as covertly as possible.

And then, he thought back on the last time he’d seen her.

The day he left New York to take the job here.

“You know what, Delko? You’re absolutely right… But fuck if I know where to even begin.”

“You walk over, sit down and say hi. Pretend like you’re not sure it’s her if it helps, buddy.” Eric shrugged as he dispensed the advice. “Otherwise, Walter and I are gonna shove you into the booth when we all get up to go.”

Tim took a deep breath and stood. Making his way over to her table.

Right past her. Towards the bathroom.

Eric grumbled and shook his head. Walter chuckled, amused by the whole thing.

As Tim came into sight again, Eric watched intently. He’d moved to Tim’s vacant spot, finishing off as many fries as he could, chuckling to himself, shit eating grin on his face as he nodded to the table Sylvie happened to be sitting at.

Tim glared at him.

But he kept walking.

Right as he went to walk past her booth, Eric saw her hand shoot out. Wrap carefully around Tim’s wrist. Effectively freezing Tim in place.

“I didn’t see that comin.”

“Neither did I, man.” Walter mused, taking the final sip of his milkshake as he and Eric shared a look and both got up, leaving Tim behind.

XXX

I’d seen him walk past. For a few seconds, my heart raced. I pouted to myself as he kept going… Not even a glance my way. Disappearing into the bathroom.

I’d pretty much resigned myself to him not noticing me, but then I saw him walk out of the bathroom and knowing he was close enough to touch was too much for me. I snapped. I reached out, tentatively grabbing his wrist.

“Tim?”

“Sylvie?” he raised his other hand and dragged his fingers through his hair. I managed a smile, took a sip of my soda. “You can sit. I mean if you want to..” I trailed off, going quiet.

Heart still a little fluttery.

Not sure at all what I was going to do now that I’d gotten his attention.

,, it’s been years. Ease back into this. There’s a lot of old stuff there, things that didn’t get said. Hurt.” the thought lingered heavily in my mind.

I honestly didn’t think he’d sit down, but he did. My food came and the waitress put it all out on the table in front of me. I inhaled the greasy deliciousness and smiled a little, thanking her as she walked away, my drink in hand to refill it.

Tim eyed my order.

“You realize that’s 3 pieces of meat.. And a ton of grease.”

“Mhm. And I’m about to practically inhale every single bite, okay?”

Tim chuckled, smiling. Muttering something to himself about some things never changing.

“When did you get to Miami? I didn’t even know you were in town.”

“Last week, I think. It was supposed to be my vacation. My manager didn’t get the memo so I’m hiding from the asshole right now.” I frowned, shrugging. Reaching out to grab a few french fries. I pushed the plate closer to him.

“Is this where you get lunch every day?”

“Sometimes, yeah.” Tim shrugged. “The view of the beach is kinda calming. Plus, the cook’s a good friend of Eric’s.”

My eyes wandered out, gazing at the beachfront view in question.

“It’s been a long time.” I muttered, gazing at him. He nodded. Mouth opening and closing like he wanted to say something and then he just didn’t.

“Too long.” I continued, taking a huge bite of my burger almost immediately after having said it.

I was dying to tell him I missed him. That I still loved him, that at least twice a week I found myself either re reading our old texts or dialing his number only to hang up just before hitting the call button.

But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

“It has been too long.” Tim admitted, snagging himself a few more fries. “How long are you in town?”

“I’m actually going to talk to an agent about a beach house tomorrow? It’s just… So much more relaxed here. Plus there’s a school hiring…”

Tim eyed me.

“Thought you were happy with that whole modeling thing?”

I shook my head. “Honestly?”

“I’d prefer it.” Tim answered as soon as I asked.

I took another sip of my Pepsi and answered quietly, “I’ve been miserable for a while now, actually.”

His next question had me nearly choking on the sip I’d taken. “The stalker situation, right?”

I gazed at him and he explained with a shrug, “It was all over the news. Not to mention our moms are always on the phone callin each other.”

“And then us.” I gave a soft laugh. Taking a deep breath, I nodded yes to answer what he’d asked about my situation. “It started before that though. I never actually wanted to get involved with this but then I started and the money…” I trailed off.

“Yeah. I mean I don’t blame ya.” Tim shrugged, going quiet.

The tension settled in all around us. Thick to the point I felt like you could cut the way it lingered with a knife.

“I hate to but I gotta get back to the lab…” Tim spoke up after a few minutes of us just sort of sitting there… staring at each other, deep in thought. He stood and I asked quietly, “Would it be okay if I called you later? Is your number still the same?”

“I’d like that. Yeah.. you know me. Predictable. My number’s still the same.” he gave me that smile and I felt myself smiling back, nodding. 

“Maybe you can show me around sometime…” I trailed off because there I went.. Rushing in all over again. I took a deep breath, making myself meet his gaze. Fully prepared to laugh it off and say that he didn’t have to.

Tim chuckled, nodding. “I was about to say that. I see you’re still a mind reader, baby girl.”

“Just yours, Speed.” I wanted to kick myself because the words left my mouth just a shade too flirty.

And I knew it was much too soon for that.

XXX

“Now who in the hell is he?” the man stood outside the diner, leaned against one of the streetlamps. Watching Sylvie intently through the window as she talked to some guy inside the diner.

When the guy sat down at her booth, his blood began to boil. His hands clenched to fists at his sides and he gave an angry laugh, shaking his head.

“Now this just won’t do. Not at all. Nothin’s comin between me and her. Nothin.”

[splendidlyimperfect]

For @oceanwaves-blog, because you are lovely person and sometimes life can be rough, but we always have people who care about us.

Summary: Gray's not feeling great, so Natsu comes up with a surprise to help him feel better. Rating: General Audiences Pairings: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Depression, Music, Inspired by Music, Family Feels, chosen family, sweet husbands, Best Friends, Fluff, minor hurt/comfort, Happy Ending, Gray's a bit depressed, but Natsu's a good husband

“You okay, Snowflake?”

Natsu slipped up behind Gray in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Gray’s waist and kissing the back of his neck. Gray sighed, leaning back into the embrace and putting his hand over Natsu’s on his stomach.

“I dunno,” he said quietly, waiting for the hiss of the Keurig to stop before grabbing his coffee mug. He didn’t turn around, just ran his thumb over the back of Natsu’s hand and stared at the tiles along the counter. “Just tired.”

“You always say that when you’re sad,” Natsu murmured against Gray’s neck. He pulled Gray tighter against him and kissed behind his ear. “I love you.”

“Love you too, mon coeur,” Gray said softly. “I dunno, I’ve just been... work is stressful and stupid things are getting to me.” He rubbed his face, then took a sip of his coffee. “My shoulder’s been hurting which is dumb cause it’s been seventeen years.”

“Not dumb,” Natsu said, taking Gray’s hand and placing it on his scarred left arm. “This still hurts sometimes too.” Gray ran his fingers gently down Natsu’s forearm and across his wrist. “I’m sorry you’re feeling shitty,” Natsu added. “Anything I can do?”

“Mm.” Gray set his coffee down and turned around slowly in the circle of Natsu’s arms. Natsu gave him a soft smile and leaned in for a kiss. “Kisses are good.”

“You guys are so sweet it’s disgusting.” They both looked up to see Sylvie standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a smile on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. Gray laughed, letting go of Natsu and moving over to hug Sylvie.

“That’s new,” Natsu commented, kissing Sylvie on the cheek and pointing to the ring in her septum. “What’s your mom think?”

“She thinks you’re a bad influence,” Sylvie said, rolling her eyes and gesturing to Natsu’s own piercings. Natsu laughed, leaning back against the counter. “It’s better now that I’m in the college dorms, though. We fight less.”

“Told you,” Natsu said. “You want a coffee before we head out, or you ready to rock?”

“Already stopped at Starbucks, your frappucino is in the car.” Sylvie grinned.

“You’re my favorite niece,” Natsu said. “Don’t tell Kiya or Ada.” Then he turned and pulled Gray into another quick hug. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Gray said, kissing Natsu’s forehead. “I’ve got a bunch of work stuff I’ve gotta get through. Go have fun with your music.”

“’kay.” Natsu waited until Sylvie was back at the front door before pressing another soft kiss to Gray’s lips. “Text me if you need anything, okay? Je t’aime.”

Gray sighed, pressing his face into Natsu’s hair before letting him go. “Je t’aime aussi.”

~*~*~*~

“Why do you have Uncle Gray’s meeting notes?”

Sylvie stood in the middle of Ryos and Sting’s basement, frowning at the sheaf of papers on Natsu’s chair. There were several crumpled pages, covered with Gray’s neat handwriting and various doodles in the margins.

“’cause I have an idea,” Natsu replied, grabbing another chair. He turned it around, straddling it and crossing his arms over the back. “But I need your help.”

Sylvie raised an eyebrow and Natsu grabbed one of the pages, pointing at the doodles - they were actually lines of music that Gray had written. “I wanna learn to play this,” Natsu said, “but I can’t read music, it’s almost as bad as reading books.” He made a face. “If you play it on the piano, I can pick it up by ear, though.”

Sylvie took the music from Natsu and glanced over it. Sting appeared behind her, peeking over her shoulder and shaking his head.

“This is why I play the drums,” he muttered. “No music.”

Sylvie started humming under her breath, fingers following the hand-drawn staffs and notes that Gray had scribbled down.

“C’mere,” she said, gesturing for Natsu to grab his guitar and come sit next to the piano. She sat down and hovered her fingers over the keys, tapping out a few wrong notes before falling into a rhythm. She played the first few lines twice, then turned to Natsu, who closed his eyes and started picking it out on the guitar.

“How do you do that?” Sting asked, leaning against the piano and watching Natsu’s fingers dance over the strings as he corrected himself.

Natsu shrugged. “It just sounds right,” he said. He plucked out the melody a few more times, then nodded for Sylvie to keep going.

Half an hour and some creative flourishes later, Natsu was able to play the song from memory. He switched over to the electric guitar, fiddling with the setting on the amp before running through it again.

“I’m pretty sure this was supposed to be a classical piece,” Sylvie said, kicking her feet up on a chair and twirling a strand of purple hair around her finger. Natsu grinned at her, running through a quick series of notes and ending on a loud chord.

“It’s more fun like this,” Natsu argued, looking up at Sylvie and Sting. “Now all it needs is some drums and bass.”

~*~*~ 

Gray sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. The comptuer screen was making his head hurt, and part of him desperately wanted a nap. He wished Natsu were home.

As if reading his thoughts, a text popped up on his phone.

hey snowflake, hows work? u wanna come for super? ryos is maknig that pasta u like. but if u dont wanna be with ppl i can come home. love u. <3

Gray smiled, tapping his fingers against the phone screen as he contemplated the question. He glanced out the window – it was still light out, and the drive to Ryos and Sting’s place would take him along the beach. And as much as he felt like curling up under the blankets right now, spending time with friends was probably a better idea.

The sun was just setting as Gray drove along the beach, soft layers of gold and pink slowly slipping behind the curve of the park behind him. It helped calm Gray’s nerves, and by the time he got to Ryos and Sting’s place, he was already feeling better.

“Hey, you,” Ryos said as he opened the door. He examined Gray’s face, then pulled him into a hug. “Bad day?”

Gray shrugged, returning the embrace and then leaning back to kick off his shoes. He resisted the urge to repeat the usual just tired, and instead said, “sorta.”

“Well, I made linguine,” Ryos said, motioning for Gray to follow him into the kitchen. “They’ve been downstairs all afternoon, I haven’t seen them since they got here. You want something to drink?” He opened the fridge and gestured to the bottles of beer in the door.

Gray shook his head. “Not supposed to drink with the new meds,” he said, settling down at the kitchen table and fiddling with the napkin on his plate.

“Are they helping at all?” Ryos asked, grabbing the water jug from the fridge and setting it on the table.

“I dunno.” Gray shrugged. “It’s only been a week, it’s hard to tell. I still feel weird about taking them, which is dumb because Natsu’s been on meds for forever.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryos said, sitting down across from Gray. “I hope they help.”

“Me too,” Gray said softly.

The door to the basement opened and Natsu popped his head out, smiling when he saw Gray.

“Hey, handsome,” he said, moving over and kissing Gray’s head. “I knew you wouldn’t say no to pasta.”

Dinner was comfortable and familiar, and Gray felt some of the melancholy slip away as they ate and traded stories back and forth. Sylvie talked animatedly about her mechanical engineering program, and Natsu teased her about the guy she was dating.

“You still think kissing is gross?” he asked, laughing. Sylvie rolled her eyes at him, sticking out her tongue.

“You know I do,” she said, grabbing another slice of garlic toast. “And so does he.”

“Have Ur and Xavier met him yet?” Gray asked around a mouthful of salad. Sylvie shook her head.

“I was actually thinking of bringing him for brunch on Sunday,” she said. “I just hope papa doesn’t embarrass me.” When Sting raised his eyebrows at her, she elaborated. “He wore socks with sandals to Félix’s graduation last week.”

“The horror,” Ryos mumbled from behind his wine glass.

“It was atrocious,” Sylvie muttered.

~*~*~

After dinner, Natsu grabbed Gray’s hand and pulled him toward the basement.

“C’mere,” he said, “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Gray frowned, but followed Natsu down the stairs into the practice space they’d set up. Natsu and Gray had spent a weekend helping Ryos and Sting soundproof and paint it, and they kept all of their instruments there.

“Go sit,” Natsu said, nudging Gray toward the couch. Ryos sat down as well, kicking his legs up over Gray’s lap and watching as Sting settled down behind the drums. Natsu grabbed his guitar and fiddled with the amp a bit, while Sylvie did the same with her bass.

“What song is it?” Gray asked, tipping his head back against the couch cushions.

“Surprise,” was all Natsu said. He did some quick tuning, then settled down on the stool and began to play.

Gray watched, fascinated, as Natsu’s fingers flew across the fret, dancing through a ridiculous progression of notes that ended in a loud chord. It was quickly followed by Sylvie and Sting joining in.

The song was bright, energy flowing through the notes, and Gray tapped his fingers against Ryos’ legs to the beat. They were almost thirty seconds into the song when Gray realized it was his music.

“I... wrote this,” he said softly, and Ryos raised an eyebrow at him. “H-how...”

Natsu’s eyes were closed now, and Gray knew he was playing from memory, fingers picking out each note. Natsu had described it to Gray once as colors, splashes of light that jumped out at him and dragged his fingers to the right places.

Gray’s face softened as he watched, memories surfacing of Natsu at seventeen, curled up in the corner of the youth center with his acoustic guitar, hair falling in his face while he played. He was always so gentle with his instruments, even when he was dancing riffs down the fret of the electric guitar. Gray thought of those hands on him, tracing circles on his arms, curling in his hair.

Natsu was gorgeous, and Gray was so, so lucky.

The song ended on a flourish, and Natsu bit his lip ring as he looked up at Gray while the final chord rang in the air. Gray realized his cheeks were wet and he wiped them quickly.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Natsu said softly as he set down the guitar and moved to the couch, crouching down in front of Gray and running his hands up and down Gray’s thighs. Ryos slipped out of the way, giving Gray and Natsu some space.

“You stole my notes,” Gray said softly, reaching out and brushing Natsu’s bangs out of his eyes.

“I did,” Natsu said, sliding onto the couch next to Gray. He kissed Gray’s cheek, then rested his head on Gray’s shoulder. “Did you like it?”

“Of course I did,” Gray whispered, sliding his fingers between Natsu’s and squeezing his hand tightly. “You’re amazing.” He sniffed, looking up at the other three, who were all pretending not to look. “Thank you,” he said, loud enough for Sting and Sylvie to know he was talking to them as well.

“It was fun,” Sylvie said, plopping down on Gray’s other side and snuggling up next to him. Gray sighed, leaning his head against hers and feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for the little girl who used to climb into his lap and demand he read to her. “But I told Uncle Natsu it was supposed to be a classical piece.”

Gray snorted. “I don’t think he’d play classical music if you paid him,” he said, and Natsu nodded in agreement. “And it sounded good.” Hearing Natsu’s interpretation of his notes was... Gray couldn’t think of a word to describe it.

“Well, you know what that means,” Natsu said, bringing Gray’s hand to his lips and kissing it. Gray raised an eyebrow at him, and Natsu smiled. “You’re just gonna have to write more music for us.”

[kohakuhime]

The Reluctant Guardian, Ch. 2

Takes place post series. Michael belongs to @mpuzzlegirl; Rowen, Sylvie, and the twins are mine; and YGO and its associated characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

                                           + + + + + + + + + +

The policeman who comes to the door later that night is sympathetic in his condolences. Rowen doesn’t hear him.

He’s too caught up in his thoughts. He can’t seem to focus. There’s a ringing in his ears that won’t leave. He feels like he’s floating, like he’s watching this from far away and he’s not really there. He’s just dreaming. That’s all.

He just has to wake up, right?

But he can’t because this is no dream. It’s real and there’s nothing he can do.

And while Rowen hadn’t heard the officer, Sylvie has.

Rowen wishes to high heaven she hadn’t followed him to the door, but he couldn’t stop her from tagging along. He needs time to explain, a way to break it to her gently, and now he doesn’t have it.

He can’t scoop her up fast enough, her arms already wrapping around his neck as she starts sobbing into his shirt. He murmurs a quick “Wait here,” to the officer at the door before carrying Sylvie back into the family room.

“Sylvie lamb, I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice only just barely level. “I…”

“Is it true?” she cries, fat tears rolling down her face. She’s in denial, she doesn’t know how to react, and she’s desperately seeking comfort. Her voices crests, distress in every syllable. “Is what that man said true?!”

“I…I don’t know, kid,” he offers at last, and it’s the most honest answer he can give. His voice is distant, mechanical. “Wait here, okay? I-I’ll find out what’s happening.”

He leaves Sylvie on the sofa, his heart clenching as his sister starts to sob in earnest. More than anything he wants to stop and comfort her. Every brotherly instinct he has is screaming for him to remain with Sylvie to comfort, to protect, to try and shield her from what’s hurt her -  but he has to talk to the officer first.

As he walks back to the door his footsteps are heavy and yet he feels light. Disoriented. Disconnected. He sees the officer but doesn’t register the man’s voice.

Did I say goodbye to Mama? Was Dad there when I left? What if I said something awful to them? What am I going to do? What about Sylvie? Do Uncle Alister and Uncle Valon know yet?

What’s going to happen to us now?

He tunes back in when the policeman says something about trying to find his parents when the storm lets up. The river is too high to conduct a safe search, so once the angry waters have receded the search will begin. His parents haven’t been found yet.

The reassurance doesn’t fully carry into the man’s eyes, nor is it in the tone of his voice. Rowen doesn’t even try to draw comfort from the words.

He already knows the police won’t be searching for the living.

The policeman says something else, continues talking, but Rowen isn’t hearing him. He can hear Sylvie’s sobs in the other room, and Rowen is struck by a sudden bout of impatience. His little sister needs him, and that thought is just strong enough to start breaking through the shock of what’s happening.

He says something—doesn’t know what—and he’s trying to get to Sylvie, already turning, when the officer mentions, “I’ll notify the remaining surviving families.”

Rowen stops in mid-motion at the tone. He turns back. “What?” he asks slowly.

The man stares at him. “Sorry?”

“You said you’ll notify the remaining surviving family members,” Rowen repeated, feeling as if his heart is stuttering. “My uncles are supposed to take care of my sister and I if something happens to my parents. So…so someone’s contacted them, right?”

The policeman hesitates.

“Right?” Rowen asks, sounding more forceful.

“Son…I…we contacted your maternal grandparents and they’re already on the way, but your uncles aren’t…they can’t come.”

“What does that mean?” he asks, his voice only just barely level.

You already know what it means, Rowen, his mind whispers quietly. He ignores that voice desperately, even as he sees his cousins coming towards him.

“I found them wandering the street on my way over here,” the older man says, and there’s genuine sympathy in his voice. “They said they’ve got family to go to, but they wouldn’t give me anything but this address.”

Rowen feels as if all the air has left his lungs when the twins step into the light. Something cold settles in his stomach. The ringing in his ears starts again.

Sora and Claire have been crying, their eyes puffy and red. They won’t make eye contact with him, their fluffy bangs obscuring their faces. It’s Sora who finally looks up at him. His eyes stand out too much against his face and they’re too bright, tears slipping down his cheeks.

“They’re gone, Rowen,” he says hollowly, his voice fragile and breaking. He looks far too small, far too young in that one moment. He’s stuttering, unable to string his words together coherently. “Th-there was a fire a-and it took out the, uh…the uh…our home and the…what…units, that’s what they’re called, the units above and below ours. They, uh…they said…”

Sora can’t seem to say it, and it’s Claire who looks up and whispers, “Bodies.”

Rowen does not press them further after that. They slip by him, bumping him as they pass, and he staggers the smallest bit. He’s lucky they didn’t knock him over entirely, the way he feels now.

The officer watches them as they go past and he turns sympathetic eyes on Rowen. “They wouldn’t tell me where anyone who could take them in lived. Do you—?”

“Their mother’s brother. I can call him,” Rowen says quietly. He sounds distant in his own ears.

There’s a couple more follow up questions, the assurance that “we’ll be in touch”, and then the policeman leaves and Rowen shuts the door slowly.

He’s about to lock it when he gets a text message from Michael. It’s brief and clipped, only three sentences long:

Explosion at charity headquarters. Gas leak and faulty wiring blew up the front. They were there.

Rowen stares at the screen blankly. Then pockets the phone. Locks the door with numb fingers. Leans against the door, forehead pressed into the wooden surface.

It’s all too much. Rowen can’t process any more. It’s too much.

The ringing in his ears returns full force. The world tilts as he slumps to his knees, fists pressed against the front door. His vision blurs and then sharpens back into focus. Grief, anger, disbelief, pain, sorrow, helplessness, desperation, and a cold empty hollow in his heart where…where his…

He can’t process any more at the moment. He can’t.

Not his parent’s car in the river. Not the fire. Not the explosion.

Not Sylvie’s wails and sobs from the family room as she cries for their parents. Not the twins angrily throwing and breaking plates in the kitchen, their voices heartbroken and angry and scared. Not Michael’s clipped message, equally as painful in its brevity as hearing him in person.

Because it’s not just his parents that are gone. Because the fire at the apartment complex has claimed lives, including the twin’s parents. Because the explosion at the local charity headquarters has taken Michael’s mother and father.

Because in the space of an hour they’ve all lost what cannot be replaced.

Because now it’s up to him to watch out for his family.

And I don’t know what to do.

                                         + + + + + + + + + + +

The night sky is silent above the suburbs. Tonight it’s a new moon, only the stars lighting the sky and casting the world below in near darkness. The thunderclouds have moved on, leaving only the distant twinkle of stars. There’s a thin haze of smoke, but it comes from the city and it’s nowhere near enough to douse the stars.

The bustle and twinkle of lights from the city doesn’t quite reach the sleepy suburbs, only the occasional sound of a passing car or a barking dog to disturb the night.

Then there’s another light.

It rolls through the sky as an ethereal wave across the sky. A rainbow, a myriad of colors, effervescent and glowing, spreads as a banner across the heavens.

It doesn’t last long. It’s far too late to be seen by anyone, and even though the rippling colors roll across the sky they’re faint, not strong enough to be seen over city lights. Even so, for a minute everything falls silent.

The sky clears within thirty seconds, and the quiet night resumes once again. Sounds pick up slowly, growing in the strange silence created by the presence of the lights. A minute later, and it’s as if nothing had happened.

One by one, the stars begin to fade and disappear.

Previous | Master Post | Next