#they could have made Trudy the only exception but no <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[mossmx]

I need to make Monk gifs, but what really wrecks me is that he *loves* the physical comfort from people, when he can relax enough to accept it... I bet, before Trudy's death, Monk and Leland were more physical, since even after all the trauma Monk still goes for him for physical comfort: hugs, hand touches, just general "please hold me"...

[dirtytransmasc]

What if Eyaw literally adopted Spider? She got fed up with everyone ignoring her signs (Except Mo’at because she’s a cool grandma and knows what’s up) and said “Fine… I’ll do it myself”. She’ll find a way to connect to the boy and show herself as a regular Na’vi only Spider and maybe Kiri can see. She WILL mother the hell out of him.

it was clear that eywa was done with people failing her boy on his eighth birthday; she had little hope for the human folk whole up in the lab, and she knew it would take time for spider to get accepted into The People, but 3 years of neglect was enough for her. she lead spider out into the woods, ato'kirina lighting his way to the spirit tree. it was there she took him into her arms, holding him tight, being the first mother to rock him to sleep, to sing him sweet songs, and hold him as he slept peacefully, never once letting him get stolen away by bad dreams or nightmares.

she comes to him in his sleep, promised him he would never hurt or be alone like that ever again. she kissed his brow and brushed back his hair, and told him that when he couldn't come to her, for things she couldn't do for him in this life, he could go to mo'at, that she saw him and that she would take care of him.

that doesn't mean that she didn't hide him away from days, show him he didn't need that damned mask, nor did she leave him alone with only mo'at in the physical plane.

she left him with a gift, a gift to connect with all of her creatures, to see and know, to belong in her world like any other na'vi, like the very people who denied him.

she held him in the woods, watched him play, tussling with viperwolf pup's, racing slinths, walking among herds of titanothere. she watched him flourish, glowing like he never had before, finally holding a true smile on his face. she liked seeing him like this, watching him splash in the creek and stained green by sliding in the grass. she liked to hear his laugh and the way he spoke with a voice so full of kindness, to her, to the plants and animals he was surrounded by, in the little voice he used when talking to himself.

when she finally allowed him to be found, she covered him in ato'kirina, had a thanator lurk beside him, wrapped her roots around his feet, made it clear that he was hers now. if the animal and the roots and the mask wasn't enough; spider spoke of Her, how she saw him, held him those last few nights, showed herself to him. he called her mama, and broke her divine heart in the process. that was her baby.

when jake dragged him back to the village, she didn't let spider leave, he wouldn't go back to that god awful lab to more people that didn't want him. here in the village she could lead him back to her each night and hold him, so she could watch over him while he played with the kids of the village, and have access to mo'at who took over the rest of his care.

spider grew up with no mother or father, not one that would claim him in the physical world. mo'at was a good caretaker, taking her new duty with grace, taking the little ball of energy under her wing. the first thing she did was tame that hair, brushing it out with time and care, restoring it back to its beautiful curly golden state. she held the boy close, under her shall or on her hip as they went about village life. but most of all she embraced his connection with Eywa; she was not his mother, but She was, and spider would always know that.

through their nights together, she taught spider all he needed to know, introducing him to his ancestors; tsu'tey to teach him to fight, eytukan to teach him to lead, trudy to teach him to give his all for others, sylwanin to teach him to do what he thinks is right. he had a family, a big one, he was never alone, not if she could do anything about it.

that was her boy, and she would make sure he lived a good life, especially after she failed to show who should have been his family what they were losing.

[sanddusted-wisteria]

Qi and names

A really, really random thing I've been noticing as I'm doing a second playthrough: Qi almost never calls anyone by just their name. Unless he's talking directly to someone, he almost always uses a title or a stand-in...nickname? Epithet? Not sure what to call it.

[VERY long post below, contains some act 2 and mild act 3 spoilers]

Grace: The frycook

Elsie: The rancher's daughter/ranch girl

[pardon the text mine, i don't have screenshots of some of the act 3 quotes and it's not up on the wiki yet]

Catori: The entrepreneur

Justice: The sheriff

Also combined with Unsuur: The lawmen

Pen: The homunculus man

Yan: "Your director"

X: The bird

Bronco the Kid: "The person seeking Logan"

Pablo: "Our local barber"

Here are the ones with titles:

Trudy: Mayor Trudy (but also sometimes just "Mayor" or even "Trudy")

Fang: Dr. Fang

Nia: Assistant Nia

You/the builder: Earlier in the game/at lower relationship levels, he'll only call you "Builder". But later on, he'll always use your builder's name.

(at Buddy level)

(at Good Friend level)

And last but not least, those who Qi always refers to by name:

Mint (but he also calls him Sleepyhead, of course)

Zeke

Logan

Matilda (though she's only ever referred to once and she's been de facto stripped of her minister title at this point, so I'll gloss over her)

So uh...what's the takeaway? Well, I think it's an insight to Qi's idea of respect. All the people in the first section have nicknames, which are mostly light jabs at their character/job.

Contrast to the people in the second and third sections. If they have an established title of authority, he'll use it. And for those he refers to by name directly, it's someone he personally respects. Think about it:

Trudy is the mayor, the highest authority in town (and also probably singlehandedly responsible for his funding lol)

Qi's no quiet admirer of Fang's work, as shown by their few interactions

He respects Zeke as a fellow man of science, and a very persistent one at that

Nia is part of academia, advised by a reputable professor

Mint is obvious; he's his closest friend

And you! Take another look at his dialogue with you as it progresses through the main quest, especially after you build the mobile suit. He comes to respect you and your work.

Logan is an interesting exception, but I picked the above quote for a reason. I think he knows straight off the bat that the Logan situation is more complicated than other people say, and he sympathizes with him a little bit (even though he'll promptly hole himself up again and keep working after any Logan event happens).

I made another very long post a while back that touched on why Qi insists on being called "Director" all the time, and I think that's only compounded by this. It's a golden rule type situation, yk? You respect his titles, work, and time, and he'll do the same to you.

ETA: you could also interpret this as Qi viewing people as their occupations first. He's not the most sociable person in town, and he'd like to keep it that way (maybe). So he keeps a veneer of over-professionalism on by default.

[go-to-two]

Some of it was how he wrote Antonio out but also killing Al. Losing both characters drastically changed the feel and balance of the show. I also think Eid was upset Jon came back to PD after Justice didn't work and so the choices he made in regard to how he wrote him out were personal.

As for the Burzek of it all, it is way more than Eid not putting them back together. If you watch season 4, it was clear Burzek was on their way to getting back together. And then Eid shows up and the very first episode he is in charge, he has Kim dating someone else. At the end of S5, Paddy went to him and asked for Burzek to be a thing again and what does Eid do - season 6 which was an attempt to kill Burzek for good while pushing Upstead. He could have used anyone else to date Hailey but no, he picks Adam. And it was after Paddy specifically asked him for Burzek. Eid said numerous times in interviews that Burzek was done and over. Upsteads didn't' mind S6 because the storyline was used to push their ship together but Burzek didn't get anything out of it except a very OOC Adam and Kim. He did everything possible to not make Adam the father of Kim's baby…including trying to bring Roman back. He did figure out how to get him back for the episode after Burzek lost their baby which was a dick move to the fans. He spent seasons 7-9 teasing Burzek and giving the fans hope only to wreck them at the end of an episode. He "broke" them up several times but never actually put them together first and constantly made sure the audience knew they weren't together. And then Paddy and Marina give what was probably the performance of their careers in 8x16 and it is used to get Upstead married while Burzek just got more trauma. The fact that Adam and Kim (and even Kevin) had nothing to do with the fallout from the Roy storyline is mind boggling. There were so many good storylines that could have come from all of it for all the characters and he didn't use a single one. It seemed clear that his goal was to get upstead married before he left. You could also tell Paddy and Marina were upset about their characters being ignored - it was disrespectful to them, the characters, and the fans.

Add in what he did to Al and Antonio, starting this awful centric format, removing the humor and family feel of the show (and making it really dark), and making Trudy almost nonexistent, there are a lot of reasons he is not liked by fans (and not just Burzeks). It would have been one thing if he was trying to build them back but he clearly used them for emotional storylines with no intention of ever making them a couple again. He constantly did 3 steps forward and 5 back with Burzek. So yeah...it feels like he had a vendetta against Burzek and Adam/Paddy specifically. And yes, Burzek had moments but that was because of Paddy and Marina, not Eid.

I also think some of the choices he made with Hailey's character are why she gets the hate she does...it all could have been prevented too if he had just taken a different approach to how he brought her in. But his ego got in the way. He came in acting like it was a brand new show and didn't care that there was an already established audience. He even told Paddy that the fans didn't matter (I don't think shows should cater to fans but saying they don't matter isn't right either).

Ok, I'm going to have to go point by point but if I'm being honest... a lot of this feels like it's about Kim and Adam not being together.

I've talked about the Antonio stuff. It wasn't good. I don't agree that is was vindictive and I know there was talk of trying to get him back for the beginning of season 7 and it didn't work, so it is what it is. I might be in the minority, but I understand the decision to kill Al from a storytelling perspective. I wish it had had a more lasting effect on Voight's character, but I do understand choices they made in that exit.

As for Burzek... I think we have very different definitions of what "on their way to getting back together" looked like in season 4. In seasons 1-3, they cheated together on Adam's (2nd or 3rd?) fiancée, got engaged before either were near ready, imploded, and then Adam spent a big chunk of season 4 away from Intelligence because he couldn't handle being in the unit at the same time as Kim. Sure, Paddy was filming a movie and Marina was going on maternity leave, but that's what they were working with at the time. They cared about each other, but Eid inherited a bit of a mess with them. Paddy could ask for anything he wanted, and no showrunner or writer is obligated to give it to him if it didn't make sense. Putting them back together without any development at that time would have made no sense.

You typed a lot about seasons 6-8 and again, it all feels like it boils down to Kim and Adam not being together. I personally think the term "OOC" is used too liberally. It's thrown around by all fandoms as a blanket deflection from a character's behavior we may not like, when it's really well within the scope of their character. They're flawed. I'm not saying you have to like the way Eid told the story but that goes back to my original point. There is little critique in there that doesn't come back to the idea that he didn't put the ship together.

There is a pattern that I've noticed in the Burzek fandom that fans believe Kim and Adam are "stronger than the showrunner" and somehow defeated Eid, and it's not how things work at all. No character has any story without the showrunner. The reason Kim was pregnant with Adam's baby is because Eid made that decision, even if other options were explored in the writing process. They found Makayla together because of Eid. They were still circling each other for years because he kept them in each other's orbits. He took them from where they were in season 5 to working towards co-parenting, all while giving them some of their best episodes along the way. If he wanted to end them for good, he could have. Easily. It's not fair or accurate to say that all the good moments were because of Paddy and Marina while the bad were Eid and the writers when that's simply not how writing a TV show works.

"And then Paddy and Marina give what was probably the performance of their careers in 8x16 and it is used to get Upstead married while Burzek just got more trauma." - that sentence doesn't sit right with me for a lot of reasons. First, Tracy also gave an incredible performance. I'm not going to minimize that just because her ship ended up getting married. In fact, they all did. Jason, too. Jesse and LaRoyce had a lesser presence, but they were so solid. To act like Burzek were the only ones to come out of that situation with trauma is erasing the whole other half of the storyline, which is what you are complaining they did to Kim. And I agree, Kim's role in the Roy situation should have been addressed sooner. Eid should have done it in 9A, Gwen should have done it in 9B instead of the Makayla kidnapping fallout. Kim and Adam's story was a mess in season 9, and that's at the hands of both showrunners.

I mentioned this in an ask the other day, but I don't think Eid was one who was interested in romance between canon couples at all- be it Burzek or Upstead. Was it vindictive towards Upstead when he put them together and immediately gave them nothing but angst? Probably not. Just like I don't think he was vindictive in giving Burzek angst, too. Again, there seems to be this notion that Kim and Adam were the only ones who went through shit. They all got it. It was his style, which is one of my biggest complaints against him, honestly.

Centrics aren't even my biggest gripe against him, because I saw up close how much productions had to scramble to put together Covid seasons. The centrics got bad in season 8, but I have a lot of grace for the hoops they had to jump through to get anything on screen during the pandemic. I'm more annoyed with why they're still happening now.

All that said, I don't think a viewer who has seen the whole show can objectively look at the quality of cases, involvement from each character, long-form story arcs that are actually cohesive, the development of the characters, and the dialogue and say we were worse off under Eid's leadership.

Okay, I've typed enough. I don't expect that you'll agree with everything here. It's totally fine if you don't agree with any of it, I'm just offering my perspective. I'm not saying someone has to love the way Eid ran the show but generally speaking (it's not every fan, I understand that) Burzek fans tend to villainize Eid while praising Gwen for "fixing the show". Meanwhile, she does everything they claim Eid did (centrics, dark tone, no continuity, baseless writing), only worse. That's why, to someone on the outside, it does seem like the core issue with Eid is that he didn't put the ship together.

[fnvminorcharacterpoll]

Round 2 is over! Let's recap:

A Bracket, Day One: Easy Pete crushed Santiago's post-presidential assassination aspirations in a landslide; Red Lucy avenged Maj. Elizabeth Kieran's incredibly close Round 1 loss by similarly crushing the poll's most pathetic man, Beagle, in a victory for feminism; Old Ben climbed further in the ranks with a close win over Manny Vargas*; and Ranger Ghost sailed into Round 3 over Tommy Torini.

A Bracket, Day Two: Heartthrob Harland desecrated Pvt. Kowalski in the round's first of several dramatic upsets; the #TRASHSWEEP continued well apace by laying waste to Pacer; Swank and his big ol' eyes saw a win over old Ranger Andy; and the love for 10 of Spades carried him to victory over his fellow NCR soldier Maj. Knight*.

A Bracket, Day Three: The Hadrian Gang unfortunately could not survive against the high-seed monster, Fantastic; Rotface gave Boxcars a tip: get eliminated from the tournament; the Garret Twins made a smear on the sidewalk out of bubbly Brotherhood initiate Melissa Watkins; and Ignacio Rivas's* good nature wasn't enough to take down Trudy from Goodsprings.

A Bracket, Day Four: Fan-favorite Keely utterly crucified houndmaster Antony, which has knocked every member of Caesar's Legion who isn't a slave from the tournament completely; Mr. RADical successfully just laid there while Jimmy* from Casa Madrid couldn't impress; Regis from the Great Khans just barely eked out the W to make Cliff Briscoe extinct; and Mick & Ralph pulled an overnight upset against Old Lady Gibson to punch their ticket.

B Bracket, Day One: Daisy Whitman blew up Raquel; Ringo wrecked Ramos; preliminary fave Angela Williams pulled off an astonishing upset against number two seed Oliver Swanick; and Allen Marks' victory over Crandon & Jules goes to show that the corpses keep winning.

B Bracket, Day Two: Beatrix Russell ate Chomps Lewis; Emily Ortal left Pvt. Kyle Edwards in the radioactive dust; The Lonesome Drifter drifted easily into Round 3 over Michael Angelo & Kate; and Siri beat Malcolm Holmes but not without a surprising amount of turnout for the cap-collecting good samaritan.

B Bracket, Day Three: No-Bark Noonan opened up the all-Khans bracket by kicking Oscar Velasco out of the tournament; Jessup & McMurphy successfully defeated a frail and sickly child; Melissa Lewis succeeded where her father had failed the day before with a victory over Cannibal Johnson; Doctor Usanagi proves that STEM is more valuable than an English degree by giving Jerry the Punk another beating.

B Bracket, Day Four: Big Beard & Little Beard trounce the Gundersons, probably because Heck was the only one with a beard; Chris Haversam throws Meyers back in the clink; Mister Holdout couldn't hold out against Sarah Weintraub; and finally, in the single most massive (624 votes) and close (tied as late midnight with 500 votes) and polarizing (just check the notes) match-up in the entire tournament so far, Calamity the ghoul pulled an upset over Cpl. Betsy*, who's probably dealing with her loss in therapy. Hopefully Dr. Usanagi doesn't bring up her own win.

*Happy Pride Month, losers! The first round of June and literally every canonically queer character (except for Red Lucy, bisexual [edit: and Sarah Weintraub, also bisexual!]) got voted out, and that's hilarious. Funniest possible thing that could have happened on here, the gay and transgender website, during the gay and transgender month, in a tournament for the gay and transgender video game. (Beatrix Russell and Old Ben might also be exceptions, but it's minor; I only can't remember if you can sleep with them as the same sex or not when they're working at the Atomic Wrangler, but even then they may just be gay4pay. Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

You can see all of the Round 2 polls here, and the tournament bracket has been updated so that you can get a preview of the matches yet to come in Round 3. Voting will pause for a bit while I prepare graphics and bracket posts, so use this downtime to mourn the fallen, celebrate the risen, and submit designated cheerleader endorsements for your favorite remaining characters in their upcoming rounds. It's only going to get more tense from here!

[crying-fantasies]

Sector 6348's organic massacre incident

Masterlist

The starship Lost Light, coming from the cybertronian colony of Divisiun after a stop for supplies, enters the external domain of sector 6348, the main reason the starship was granted access was due to search of cultural important reliquaries that could be found in the sector, the council of Cybertron and the other worlds agreed under it.

Official note: no one dared to think what would happen there, this is the recorded data from survivors (most were willingly given in order to have it erased from their databanks permanently) and records in audio and video made by the main computer of the Lost Light.

17 days before the attack

Systems seem to be normal, reports come in order, there is usual relegation of energon supplied to both bars aboard, the upgrade in the detailing bay is running smoothly, human necessary organic resources as food, water, and so more are stocked to last another 5 years in space.

Note: the first contact with the enemies signal lasted only 0.0007 clicks, the computer registered it as a glitch, a dead signal of a strange race or a malfunction, for precaution measures made by the former director of security, Red Alert, both captains and second in command were given a notification about it, the reruns showed no problems.

It is expected that the virus entered the main computer in this first interaction with the ship of former cybertronian mercenaries and illegal merchants.

3 days before the attack

Two humans in charge of the green houses in level 5 and 6 reported a little malfunction in the solar shields above said zones, nothing how the plants withered.

The shields were still in good condition as confirmed by the engineers aboard, pointing to a malfunction originated from the main systems, security reruns were made but there was nothing out of the ordinary except for solar shield malfunction.

The archaeological team is preparing their equipment before the arrival to the abandoned cybertronian settlement with co-captain Rodimus Prime as the head.

1 day before the attack

The archaeological team is displayed in the zone with exosuits to survive the zero atmosphere of the zone, co-captain Rodimus Prime and second in command Ultra Magnus go with the team and a few guard bots to the surface with a pod, co-captain Megatron stays aboard.

The glitch reappears as soon as the pod has exited fast response perimeter of the starship Lost Light, the team proceeded warily.

Initiation of the attack on the surface

Most of the bots are neutralized, most of the remaining ones try to take them to safety and take away the human in the crossed fire.

First human lose: main cartographer, Edgard Larsen, first generation of humans aboard the Lost Light, died at age of 76 earth years old by the enemy's fire.

Second human lose: Sophia Whitaker, first generation of humans aboard the Lost Light, died at age of 53 earth years old by the enemy's-

Third human lose: Trudy Gutiérrez Zhou, first generation of humans aboard the Lost Light died at age of 54-

Fourth human lose: Constantine Kone, first generation of humans aboard the Lost Light died-

Fifth human lose:-

Sixth human-

Seventh-

Eight-

Note: the team had eight humans in total, apart from crew member Larsen who died by the enemy's fire, all other members died by sheer pressure from the enemy while they tried to catch them.

No enemy seemed to ever have seen or interacted directly with a human before, as none seemed to know how much pressure was needed to hold them.

2 hours before collision

"It's time for school, kids!"

"Why can't we go outside to the ruins?"

"Ask your teacher, darling, you must be old and strong for that and don't do something stupid"

The human infants aboard the starship concentrate in the class room, co-captain Megatron tries to link a steadier connection with the team out of the starship and chooses to rise precaution measures in and out the starship, canceling classes for the time being.

The "pair buddies" protection practice is required for the time being.

"Is something wrong?"

"What? no, no, maybe he is a little worried of Rodimus and the whole team out there, you know how Megatron gets".

"Um, yeah, guess you're right Tailgate, and now that we must be together we should go get Cyclonus, Whirl and their buddies too".

"Right, Whirl isn't that thrilled with his".

"He can say whatever he wants, I know he has a soft spot for Matthew".

1 hour before the collision

"Can someone explain to me why we can receive messages from Cybertron but we can't connect with Rodimus' team a few hours away from us?"

"The communication devices are running without problems, it must be theirs".

"It wouldn't be that strange coming from him, but Ultra Magnus is there with them for that same reason, he must have backup with him".

"He did, but nothing, you can't get a word out of it, but..."

"But?"

"Their attempts to contact us are growing, like a lot, sir"

"Prepare a pod, I'm sending a team to retrieve them"

"But Captain Rodimus-"

"I have a bad feeling about this Tripodeca, Rodimus and his wishes can wait, and if he has a word to give I'll talk to him"

An emergency pod is prepared, systems reboot and the hangar doesn't open to let the team outside.

6 minutes before the collision

"We have response from the team on the surface!"

"Rodimus, what happened, is everything alright?"

"Lost- bzzz we lost- bzzz they killed- bzzz Megatron please!"

4 minutes before collision

"Is it my idea or is getting a little difficult to breath here?"

"Don't say, maybe the atmosphere parameters are weird again?"

"Ugh, what is left today? Really, let's go to the living units, the atmosphere shouldn't be bad there"

"Got it, Rewind, are you comin' with us?

"Sure, I wanted to see Trudy and Rebecca's new baby anyway"

"Oh, little Lilly, cute face, nasty cries"

3 minutes before the collision

"Who died? What's happening there? Rodimus!"

"Run- bzzz -st run!"

"Engines in disposition, right now!"

"But we can't leave-!"

"We must preserve the non combative crew members aboard!"

"The engines and motors doesn't answer, sir! The general alerts are dead!"

"-You must run away NOW!"

1 minute before collision

"Has anyone seen the kids?"

"It's getting strange out of the living units, should we go for them?".

"Bah, they're with Sunset last I saw them, so no problems with that"

"Where did you see them?"

"In the classroom, nothing better to do in deep space I guess-"

Note: the first invaders touched the surface of the external protection of the Lost Light.

"What was that?"

"Rewind?"

Note: Crew member Rewind was with his pair buddie Francisco Nikolov, recording the new born baby Lilly Díaz Gutiérrez.

He didn't stop recording.

13 seconds before collision

"Run"

"What?"

"We all must run now!"

0.34 seconds before collision

"The roof, the roof is opening, the freaking roof is-!"

"Fran! FRAN TAKE MY SERVO-!

"REWIND!"

Note: the external structure of the Lost Light has been breached, external shields aren't working so the invaders enter without problems to the humans living areas.

Note: the invaders didn't have in mind that by the inability to form the shields the calculated pressure and atmosphere control inside would be nonexistent and dragged out everything in between to deep space.

Crew members Rewind, Jackpot, Inferno, Aquastar, Hoist, Crosshairs and Steeljaw were witness to the dead of at least 68 percent of the human population aboard the Lost Light after being exposed to deep space; adults, children and infants died in the first collision.

Crew members Bluestreak, Thunderclash, Misfire and Lancet were also dragged out of the starship, they tried to save the humans already out in deep space, their intentions were futile and they were stranded outside of the starship for at least 45 minutes, it was specifically difficult to save crew member Lancet since he put opposition to let go of some human corpses.

"We need to get back, buddy"

"No, no, Argie and Maggie can't be alone, I can't leave them here!"

"We must go back now!"

"Misfire, please, they're new sparks!"

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry"

"Why, Primus, why?"

All attempts from the bots in the area were futile to stop the first tragedy.

2 minutes after the unauthorized boarding

Co-captain Megatron takes the defensive as the best countermeasure, trying to stop the income of more invaders, giving the order to keep the non combative crew members aboard in the community salon, now last stand of the Lost Light, some other refuge in the med bay.

Many try to get to any of the places, few really get to safety.

Note: Due to the atmosphere parameters and motors the breach in the starship's structure keeps getting worse.

10 minutes after the unauthorized boarding.

"Sunny, you must get out of here"

"I don't wanna, everyone is shouting!"

"Sunny, please we all must get out, the other kids already left with aunty Mary and are in their way to Megatron"

"No! Where is dad?"

"Sunset Eve, get out of there before I-!"

"Oh, there is a human in here!"

"Wait, I want this one"

"No fair I found it first"

"Don't drag it like that! You're going to rip it in half!"

"Why is it shouting like-?!"

"Okay, okay, all yours"

"Ugh, frag, I've all it's insides in my servo!"

"I don't want this thing!"

Note: second teacher Mary Arana was still in the door waiting for the last two remaining in the classroom, she choose to leave with the remaining kids after seeing the exchange, she died after getting the kids to safety with co-captain Megatron in the community salon due to broken ribs that punctured her right lung.

17 minutes after the unauthorized boarding.

"Primus, please, oh please, stop!"

"Tell us then, where are the little ones?"

"Get your digits off her, you're breaking her, please!"

"Don't say a word, 'Tide! Don't say anything!"

"At least the mode lock keeps him from bitting, humans and their obnoxiously easy to use gadgets"

"Tell me where you hide them"

"Nova, Nova! Please, Primus, oh Primus, her neck, please stop! Her neck! Her neck!"

"it's that all you've to say? I heard his model was short in the brain processor but this is ridiculous-"

"Ripti-!"

"..."

"Agh, slag, I've her fuel all over my servo-"

"...Nova?"

"We told you to not break them! How do we sell this one now, uh?"

"...answer me, please"

"I don't know, there are freaks that want to eat these things"

"Oh, you're right!"

"NOVA!"

"Will you shut him up? We have to find the organic pups"

"NOVA!"

Junior engineer, Nova Moretti, second generation of humans aboard the Lost Light, first to be born aboard, died at age of 29 earth years old by extreme damage on her neck and head due to pressure.

Note: Almost all the cybertronians aboard were neutralized with mode locks made by the human organization of Skywatch, intended to control and prevent dangerous cybertronians from damaging humans.

The organization kept on their statement that they have never given their technology to other cybertronians, but the paperwork showed that they were indeed selling them to the public.

The organization was closed and charged by legal means from the Tyrest's accord and the UN security council (investigation was performed in the UN since there was data signaling they also used the artifacts and knew of the uncontrolled distribution, but no charges were given by lack of more solid evidence).

20 minutes after the unauthorized boarding.

"Teacher! Teacher!"

"You all must stay behind me, you hear me, Tach?!"

"Teacher, Sunset isn't okay, his mama was bleeding in the classroom!"

"Where si Sunset?!"

Note: Most of the crew members are restrained with mode locks, only a few that have war frames can still keep fighting back with their own guns, among them is co-captain Megatron that tried to keep shooting despite the inhibition of the mode lock, burning his own spark by the sheer force used to even move.

The Lost Light sent a final rescue signal before loosing the communication room.

Note: the breach reaches the second hangar and the communication room, human liaison Taylor Palma with crew members Ming Nguyên, Blaster, Siren and Sunstreaker are also dragged to outer space after successfully sending an S.O.S. signal to Cybertron and the cybertronian colony of Divisiun, both humans died at the contact to outer space due to low temperatures.

"Blaster"

"It's okay, it's okay lil' buddies"

"Blaster, please, they can't breathe in your dock, this is space"

"I've some oxygen in there, I'm sure"

"Please, just stop"

"I got ya', Ming, I got your back, doll face"

37 minutes after the unauthorized boarding.

"Ratchet! First Aid! Help me! Help us! Marina has problems breathing!", Crew member Swerve comes along with Grapple and Highbrow, all of them have humans that seem to be treated like dolls, one of them is missing an arm, two have broken ribs the rest can hardly breath for different reasons.

"Put them in the oxygen chamber!", Chief Medical officer First Aid and former chief medical officer Ratchet have made a fort in the med bay, crew member Drift, Perceptor and Grimlock are guarding the perimeter, crew member Grimlock and Perceptor were attacked with mode locks, but still keep on fighting, crew member Brainstorm and Nautica are under repair as they were trying to open hangar two to get the survivors out.

48 minutes after the unauthorized boarding.

"Teacher, the roof is opening!"

"Tach, I want to you to get everyone inside my alt mode, like we practiced in case of emergencies!"

"Your door isn't opening!"

"Tach, Amelie! You must run to-!"

Note: the breach reached the community salon, the last human survivors in the are also dragged to outer space with some cybertronians trying to stop the inevitable.

Note: The starship goes in general malfunction, the engines stop their work to prevent an overheating and explosion.

Note: After 1 hour the invaders were driven away, they took some humans corpses with them as all the main population was killed in the extraction process, those same corpses were found in organic markets later on.

Other human starships were attacked in other sectors, around the same week, with the same result.

After at least one hour everything was over the pod of co-captain Rodimus could return to hangar one, what was left of it, in a dangerous attempt.

He confirms the death of 96 percent of the human population aboard, the remaining survivors in the med bay are in a comatose state due to multiple injuries.

He confirms the dead of his own conjunx among the casualties.

Co-captain Rodimus Prime enters a comatose state, co-captain Megatron takes the lead of the Lost Light with second in command Ultra Magnus, starting the repairs to return to safety, all the members in space are retrieved, with the basic repairs they get in contact with Divisiun.

The last human survivor of the Lost Light, gardener assistant Amy Petrova, third generation of humans aboard the Lost Light, died at age of 18 earth years old by multiple injuries caused by pressing servos on her thorax in the cybertronian colony of Divisiun.

[chefdoeuvre]

Aftermath

Jay Halstead

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Sister!Reader

Description: People always tend to forget about the aftermath.

Words: 2,122

Requested: yes by anonymous; second, if it's ok i wanted to request a part two to the imagine? i was wondering if you could just explore the aftermath of her assault, as she continues to heal and accept what's happened to her. by this i mean experiencing ptsd and having nightmares, flashbacks and dealing with certain triggers. also, maybe she could still sometimes turn to substances as many survivors do, and just break down sometimes. obviously since it's a halstead sister fic and i love the support system in the last story, i'd love to see jay helping her through everything and being super protective + some scenes with the rest of intelligence? but it's obviously up to you. thank you so much <3

Warnings: mention of drinking, sexual assault, drugs, language, PTSD, Jay Halstead and all of Intelligence being the best.

A/N: This is the long awaited part two to Infliction, and by long-awaited I mean like a month later. I tried to make the end light hearted because it seemed like a good way to go. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.

—

It had been a few weeks since the party and things were beginning to look up. You and Brayden started hanging out more and it was safe to say the two of you were on your way to becoming best friends. The group of guys had all been arrested and sent far away from you. You, Jay, and Will have been having more frequent family movie nights instead of them heading out to Molly's every free night they got. Intelligence had basically adopted you as one of their own and even went out of their way to hang out with you. Kim and Hailey had girls nights away from the ever-annoying guys they work with. Adam and Kevin practically chauffeured you to hangouts with Brayden and took you out to your favorite diner on the weekends. Even Hank had called you once in a while as a check-in and to keep you informed about your case. Overall things seemed to be getting better for you.

Except for one little detail. Your PTSD was hitting you like a truck. Of course, the only person who even remotely knew what was happening was Brayden because he was the one person you spent most of your time with. Thankfully he was there to help ground you and calm you down when it all became too much for you. This wasn't sudden, it's been building up since it happened and clearly you needed to work on accepting it rather than shoving it all down. That's one thing you and Jay had in common, the two of you always had trouble addressing your problems no matter how big they became.

Currently, you were laying in bed and staring up at your ceiling that Jay had covered in stars for you. If there was one thing about you is that you still are a child at heart. You had been shocked awake by your recurring nightmare. It always followed the same premise of the night of the party but every night there were either different people, points of view, or different actions you took that still led you to the same outcome. There were dried tears staining your cheeks that you hadn't bothered to wipe away and every few moments there would be a soft sniffle to break the eerie silence.

Having enough of staring up at your ceiling you let out a low huff and pushed yourself up to a sitting position. You turned to the side and looked at the clock resting on your nightstand. The clock read 4:19 AM which was clearly too early for you to be up but too late for you to try and go back to sleep before Jay's rustling while getting ready would wake you up. Reaching over to open the drawer in your nightstand you checked the small bottle hidden under the glasses case that held your blue light ones. It was three-quarters full of vodka you had inconspicuously stolen from Jay's cabinet. You kept promising yourself that you wouldn't drink anymore, but clearly, that wasn't really panning out in your favor. Sure you would have a swig or two before braving yourself and heading off to school but it was to take the edge off, not to get drunk.

If Jay were to check through your drawer he'd probably think otherwise. You had stopped with the pills since he had found you, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him so you continued to drink. Obviously, it wasn't a lot and definitely not enough to get you drunk off your ass. You just wanted to be buzzed enough to have the courage to walk into your dreaded school every morning and deal with the numerous triggers you kept on discovering.

Eventually, it was time for you actually start getting ready for school. Jay had already left for work a while ago, leaving a kiss on your head before stepping out the door. You pulled on a random outfit that was comfortable and your usual pair of shoes before throwing your backpack over your shoulder and walked downstairs. Deciding against your worst judgment you made the choice to brave the day without the buzz of alcohol. Waiting at the front entrance of your building was Brayden. Like every morning the two of you would walk to school together if Jay had to go into the district early. If Jay only had paperwork that day he would drive the two of you to school instead, but that didn't happen very often.

The two of you walked to school silently, only exchanging a few words of greeting. Once you had made it to the large building you both had to split up for your classes. The day went on like usual, boring teachers droning on about upcoming assignments and tests. Lunch had arrived after what seemed like forever and you sat at an empty table practically half asleep. You held your head in your hand as you kept your eyes from slipping shut at the exhaustion.

"You not feeling too hot there?" One of your classmates from English asked as he passed by.

You froze at the familiar words before shaking yourself out of the memory.

"Fine, just tired." You brushed off their comment as he nodded with an understanding smile before continuing to his table.

Moments later the door opened and you picked your head up reluctantly. It was a few guys on the football team.

"You not feeling too hot there?" One of the seniors asked you.

You simply shook your head which only worsened the pain in it. The boys walked a few steps closer before placing their hands on your shoulders. They shoved you back onto the bed and immediately your body began to react.

You kicked and punched aimlessly to get them off of you but your movements were uncoordinated and your mind was foggy. There were too many of them and they began to overpower you, their hands wandering to unwanted places.

“Y/N?” Brayden’s voice pulled you out of the flashback.

“Huh?” Your teary eyes darted around his face before focusing on his concerned expression.

“Let’s head to the library, all right?” Brayden suggested already standing up from his seat across from you.

You nodded silently before hiking your bag over your shoulder and walked to the library beside him. Luckily at your school, they were lenient enough to let you head to the library during lunch. Usually, the kids didn’t take advantage of it but it was an unspoken spot of peace for you and Brayden.

The two of you sat at a table near the back and Brayden pulled a chair up beside you.

“Want to talk about what happened back at lunch?” Brayden asked softly.

You bit your lip in contemplation. This had been happening for weeks and every time you’d shake your head and change the subject. But the fact was it wasn’t getting better and you just needed to tell somebody that you weren’t okay. A few tears slipped out of your eyes which led to quiet sobs escaping from your lips. Brayden offered you a hug with outstretched arms, making sure to check if you were okay with it. You leaned forward into his embrace and squeezed his waist tightly. He held you there while rubbing soothing circles on your back until your cries stopped. You lifted your head off his chest and wiped away the remained tears on your cheeks before speaking up.

“Uh, flashbacks. I’ve been getting them for a while. I thought they’d go away, but they haven’t.” You explained with a sigh, avoiding his gaze and instead taking interest in your hands.

“Okay first, if they happen again tell me, or pull on my sleeve and I’ll get you somewhere quiet. Got it?” Brayden bent his head to try and get into your eye line.

You nodded your head with a hum before he spoke up again, “since they haven’t gone away maybe you should talk to someone. Preferably a professional, but if you’re only comfortable telling me then I’m all ears. Although, I’m not sure that I can cure you with magic, wish I could though.” Brayden tried to lighten the mood with his magic comment.

“Thanks, Brayden. Jay actually has been bugging me about seeing a therapist. Said it helped him with his PTSD, I think I might take him up on it.” You looked up at the boy with pursed lips.

“That’s good. Just know we’re not trying to force you into anything, we just want you to feel better however long that may take.” Brayden gave you a soft smile.

“You are wise beyond your years, you know that?” You smiled back with a small laugh.

“I try, I try.” Brayden shrugged nonchalantly.

“Can you come with me to the district after school?” You asked cautiously.

“Of course, not like I’d rather do my homework.” Brayden laughed.

“And there’s the Brayden I know.” You smiled widely.

Soon enough you and Brayden had been making your way to the twenty-first district to talk with Jay and probably the rest of Intelligence. The air was lighter between the two of you once you had finally started to open up. Of course, you hadn’t spilled everything but the little you had told him made the weight on your shoulders lessen slightly.

“Ah, baby Halstead and company, what brings you here?” Trudy greeted from the front desk with a tight-lipped smile. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she had a soft spot for you.

“Can you ring us upstairs? I need to talk with Jay.” You asked.

“You’re lucky they haven’t caught a case today.” Trudy walked out from behind her desk and led you and Brayden upstairs.

“Thank you, Trudy.” You smiled and followed the woman.

“I have a special delivery for Detective Chuckles.” Trudy spoke up once the three of you reached the top of the steps.

Jay’s head snapped up from his desk with a look of confusion when his eyes landed on you. He quickly stood up and scanned you over for anything.

“What happened, are you all right?” Jay cupped your cheek in concern before sparing a glance at Brayden for any sign of something bad.

“I’m okay, I just needed to talk to you.” You reassured him.

“All right. You wanna head into the kitchen?” Jay asked.

“No, we could talk at your desk. They’re all gonna find out anyway.” You gestured to the rest of the unit who was watching the two of you intently.

Jay nodded his head and led you to his desk. You reached out and held onto Brayden’s arm as you pulled him along to take a seat and sit beside you. Of course, at this, the entire unit had gathered around with concerned faces once you started to explain to them. Jay’s expression was held with soft eyes as he listened to you agree with wanting to try therapy and asking for help.

Once you were done Jay stood up and placed a kiss on the top of your head before whispering into your hair, “I’m proud of you.” Jay pulled away to give you a warm smile.

“All right come here you little muffin.” Kim held out her arms with a smile.

You stepped forward into her embrace as she squeezed you tightly, she rocked the two of you from side to side eliciting a small giggle out of you. Hailey joined the hug with a laugh once Kim pulled her by the arm.

Antonio placed a hand on your shoulder once you, Hailey, and Kim pulled away, “I’m proud of you, kiddo.” He offered you a kind nod.

“So proud.” Kevin gave you one of his signature bear hugs.

“Okay, it’s my turn.” Adam squeezed his way to stand in front of you. Which caused everyone to laugh at his eagerness.

“I could never forget about you, Ruz.” You wrapped your arms around his shoulders as he lifted your toes off the ground.

“Are we done yet? You guys are treating my sister like an attraction.” Jay sassed.

“You’re just mad that you only got to kiss me on the head and not a hug.” You retorted from leaning back into Brayden with a smirk.

“No, not true.” Jay shook his head with furrowed brows.

“Yup, totally jealous.” You nodded convinced.

“How did we go from a serious topic to Halstead and mini Halstead having a sarcasm battle?” Adam questioned with a confused expression.

“I learned to stop questioning it.” Brayden shrugged from behind you.

“It’s how we cope. Halstead thing, I guess.” You said with raised brows.

“Fair enough.” Jay sighed.

[demonsandmischief]

Our Moment Finale

Marvel - A Captain America Fairytale AU

King! Steve Rogers x Female Reader

1.8K Words

Here's Pt 1 and Pt 2

-Part 3-

the conclusion

----

You didn't waste anytime getting home, collapsing onto your bed with a sob that you muffled with your palm. It seemed nothing good could ever truly be yours.

You glanced around the small attic space with blurry tears. The house was supposed to be for you. Your father had left it in your name, yet your step-mother was able to work her way around that.

It was the only reason you stuck around, the only reason you put up with all of it. You were over it.

Peaches was the only thing that you felt a connection to. Your father adored her, and you were honored that you got to bond with her.

You made up your mind. It was time to move on. You dried that last of your tears and began packing a bag. You carefully folded your mother's dress and put it back in the box you got it from. One day when the memories weren't as painful, you would come back for it.

You wished things could be different with your life, but mostly with Steve. You should have known better than to get tied up with the king. It was too good to be true. You felt you had done everything you could to win over his trust, but obviously not enough.

You strapped your bag to your horse. The next town was about a days ride, and you could figure out where to go from there.

---

Steve didn't hesitate to saddle his own horse as quickly as possible. He had to go after you - had to explain. He couldn't lose you. You were the only good thing to ever happen to him.

He stalled in his tracks. Explain what exactly? That his biggest fear was being used and never being loved? He shook his head.

"My king, where are you off to?" a guard asked confused.

"I have to leave."

"But the ball-"

"Tell the court I will explain when I get back."

"Wait, you can't leave without someone going with you."

Steve was already racing down the path, his heart racing along with it.

"There's no time for that," he called. He could take care of himself.

He thought of you as he followed the familiar trail. He thought of the first day you met, and all of the moments thereafter. You always made time for him, always listened to what he had to say. You were attentive and doting.

He had screwed up.

The trail became less familiar. He didn't know where he was going, or how he would find you. He swallowed down the panic. He couldn't lose you. It was a constant circling thought.

Eventually the trail ended and he slowed to a trot. He saw a house up ahead, and a royal carriage in front of it.

He slowed, finding Sam speaking to a guard.

"What are you doing here and how did you get here so fast?" Steve asked.

Sam took his horse's reins. "I know something has been up with you lately, but you can explain later. The lady you talked to at the ball is in the house."

Your step-mother. He had some words for her, but first he needed you.

"Thank you, Sam. I owe you," Steve said, heading for the door.

"Your highness, it's a pleasure to have you in our home-"

"Don't act like I don't know what is going on," he said, cutting her off. "I will deal with you later. Is she here? Where is her room?"

The lady paled even beneath the layers of powder on her cheek.

"S-She's not-" she swallowed at Steve's fierce look, before gathering her wits. "My king, she's not here. She's hardly ever here. I'll show you where she prefers to spend her time."

Steve followed her down a hallway to a door with a winding staircase. She guided him up and into the small room at the top. The ceilings were so low that he had to scrunch his shoulders.

He took in the space, feeling upset at your living conditions.

"Leave me," he demanded, unable to look away from the small bed in the corner, one that contained a single blanket and a pillow, folded neatly on the end.

The step-mother was right. It looked like someone hardly lived here, except there was a freshly cut flower on the windowsill, soaking in the low, dusty light. And the books you had borrowed from his own library sat tucked by the bed. Most importantly, the beautiful dress that he never got to say anything to you about was hanging from the sides of a box under the bed. You must have been in a haste to leave.

He frowned, bending down to pick up a folded piece of paper. Were those the things you did by yourself? What had you gone through?

Steve cursed. He wished he could have started the night over. He wished that he had gone through his original plan instead of being sucked into his own insecurities.

"Where would she have gone?" he asked impatiently to the lady who was lounging on her couch.

"If she isn't in the barn with that horse, I have no clue."

There was no sign of a horse or you. He closed his eyes, feeling the anxiety creeping in and swallowing him whole. It was dark and late, and you were somewhere all alone. It was all his fault.

"She might know someone in the next town over," Sam suggested. "We could head over tomorrow."

"That's a days journey. I'll start the route tonight."

"You're exhausted, Steve," he protested.

"Just in case," his words dropped to a hoarse whisper, his mind plunged into the darkest corners.

Sam nodded. "We will catch up with you tomorrow then. Be safe."

He nodded, already going down the dark path, his heart thudding loud in his ears.

---

You were taking a break and letting Peaches rest. The fire you built was warm and soothing on your stiff limbs. Even after the incident in the woods a while back, it didn't scare you to be out alone. The stars and the moon made it seem as though you could feel your parents, and you enjoyed the sentiment, especially after the day you had.

You rested your head on your hand, your eyes fluttering closed. They were dry and sticky from the tears that had fallen.

You gave a shuddering hiccup, unable to give into the heartbreak anymore. You were cried out. Beyond upset - a numbness covered your whole body like a scab on a wound.

You jolted, hearing steps near you and you staggered quickly to your feet.

"Thank god you're alright," Steve said, rushing towards you. He pulled you tight into his embrace, and it took everything in you not to hug him back.

"What are you doing here, your highness?" you asked confused, trying to pull away. He didn't let go, only eased back so his hand remained on your shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I believed her over you. I'm sorry that it took me so long to come after you. I'm sorry for everything," he said the words so sincerely that tears filled your eyes for the millionth time tonight. He caressed you cheek, using the pad of his thumb to dry a fallen drop. "And it's just Steve to you."

"But you still did it," you whispered, voice thick with tears. "You don't trust me."

"I do trust you," he said earnestly. "and I care about you. It has been a long time since I shared those emotions with anyone."

"It doesn't matter," you successfully pull away. His hands drop dejectedly to his side. "You're a king, and I'm me. It would have never worked out."

It was quiet a moment. "Why didn't you tell me what you were going through at home?"

You sat down and Steve followed. "I didn't want you to think I was using you. I guess we both have our own insecurities."

He looked into the dimming flames of the fire. "Insecurities or not, I shouldn't have accused. I'm sorry I hurt you."

He waited, but you said nothing. "We're both exhausted and need sleep. Why don't we head back?" He stood, holding out his hand to you.

You shook your head, "I'm not going back."

He paused, fully expecting that response, but it still took him aback. He definitely wasn't going to leave you alone in the middle of nowhere though.

"Okay," he nodded, heading to his horse.

You frowned.

He turned with a blanket, draping it over you, before tending to the fire. Finally, he sat next to you with a sigh. His body was pressed against yours and you couldn't help but sag in relief at the support.

"You can't stay. You have to get back," you protested.

"Shh," he eased, kissing your forehead ever so softly. "Sleep a bit and then we will talk."

---

Gentle light breaking through the trees awoke you from your slumber. You shivered from the damp cold, curling closer to the source of warmth beneath you. Your eyes fluttered and you realized you were practically laying on top of Steve.

You called his name, shaking him gently.

"We fell asleep," you told him with a yawn, falling back onto his chest. It was the best sleep you ever had.

He hummed, wrapping his arm around your waist.

"I'm sorry. You must be freezing," he said coming to, easing the both of you up. Your cheeks heated and you moved to get off of his lap.

He adjusted the blanket so it was pulled tight over your shoulders.

"Come back with me, please," he whispered, turning your chin to look at him. "You can stay with me. I just want to be with you."

"You want me to stay with you?" you asked.

"We could get married in the summer," he grinned, the first genuine smile you had seen in a while.

"Married?" you asked, biting back a smile.

He nodded eagerly. "I'm falling in love with you."

---

Epilogue:

"Come on," Steve encouraged, pulling you eagerly down the hall to your favorite room in the palace.

Things were working out good, really good, between the two of you.

"What are we doing?"

"Close your eyes," he smiled, taking his large warm hands and covering them for you.

He pulled them off with an exaggerated ta-da, revealing a new shelf next to his in the library.

"Now you have your own spot for all of your favorites."

"Thank you," you smiled, leaning up to kiss him. "I love it. I love you."

And they lived happily ever after.

---

Hope you enjoyed 💕

Here's My Masterlist

Tags: @cc12-02 @rockstwrsz @coffeebooksandfandom @liecastillo @trudy-shams @animegirlgeeky @thee-silent-fangirl @eralen @lharrietg @loveforreading

Check out my other stories or leave a request.

[dreamingmanip]

"MADNESS LOVE"

*GIF NOT MINE* 

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Warnings: None (if I need one let me know in my ask!)

Prompt: NONE

Word Count: 1,860

A/N: Okay, this time I didn’t use any prompt from my board on Pinterest. I came with the idea last night (thanks insomnia), and I thought I could make it in 2 parts. Let me know what do you think in my ask, is always open for you. If you want t, like it and reblog it. Thank you very much! 

A/N 2: I’m gonna pin this imagine so you can easily find it on my page, I will do the same when posting part 2. :)

A/N 3: This awesome gif is from Pinterest but, it comes from Wattpad. Her account is Ariana-Fic and you can find it in her fic “Soldiers in Intelligence”.

Being a cop wasn't easy, putting your life in danger to protect and serve others sometimes wasn't successful. It was 50/50, every morning you will be walking out home not knowing if you could come back.

It had been three weeks without a person in the unit. Detective Jay Halstead had been wounded in a crossfire in a covert operation; when one of you got hurt everyone took responsibility even if it wasn't that way, only for some it was harder to try not to blame yourself for what happened. You had blamed Hailey for not covering Jay enough even though you knew it wasn't her fault, you even avoided her a few days after that. 

She was her partner way long before you were assigned to Intelligence by Sergeant Voight.

Narcotics helped Intelligence in a case; it was your case but somehow their case intertwined with yours at some point, both departments agreed to work to stop the overdoses in the area. You were the best at CO, so it made sense for Sergeant Voight to pick Jay, one of his best undercovers for a purchase. Your skills didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the Intelligence Unit, even for someone with experience like Jay. After the case was over he offered you a spot in his Unit, you doubt it for a moment, you were good in Narcotics, good pay, accumulated vacation days, Voight wasn't known for being a patient person and some co-workers encouraged you to take that step by commenting on how crazy you must be not to accept such an offer. 

You were well received by all, perhaps except for Sergeant Trudy Platt, who didn't like strangers or new people in the district. Jay was among the first to congratulate you when you arrived, for a moment you thought you'd be partners but Voight wouldn't break his dream team, so he paired you with Kevin Atwater, whom you've been entrusting your life and darkest secrets to ever since. 

Atwater was the first one you told about the nights you stayed late with Jay in Molly's, he was the first to know how those late nights became visiting his apartment, to end up arriving together one morning, to the district. He had told you about Voight's rules and how he was firm with them after Jay's last relationship had gone bad with his partner and that had affected his way of working a bit.

Jay and you decided to go slowly, the only one who would know about you two would be Kevin, it was agreed at least, but Hailey Upton was very good at her job so she soon realized what was happening between you. She had supported you, although she did not agree to hide this from her sergeant, she wanted to see her partner happy.

They were all at their desks, doing paperwork on a case they had closed the day before, when Trudy appeared on the stairs.

"Guess who came back from her mandatory break."

You looked up from the papers in front of you to look at a smiling Jay Halstead, who was looking at Trudy with a raised eyebrow.

"Nice to see you too, Trudy."

"Yeah, now try to get away from the bullets for a while, I don't want to have to worry about any of you for a long time."

Kevin and Adam were the first to approach him, joking and patting him on the shoulder. Kim and Hailey were next, giving him a loving hug before heading back to his places. You had stood up to lean against your desk, your arms crossed over your chest, Jay leaned closer, although he kept some distance, the mocking smile still on his lips. You were the first to speak.

"I see you survived, Halstead."

"Hey, don't say it like that, I'm going to think you're not happy to see me alive."

You pressed your lips together so as not to smile because of his comment, it was the game that both played in front of everyone else, the sarcastic comments to pretend that they were not getting along as well as they should. You nodded and looked at him.

"It's good to have you back."

Jay's smile widened and he put his hands on his hips.

"Look at that, you're happy to have me here."

You rolled your eyes and sat back in your chair when Voight left his office, leaning against the doorframe.

"How are you Jay?"

Jay nodded his head looking at his boss.

"Good, Sarge."

"Good, because I just hung up with the Superintendent and he wants to acknowledge what you did. Tomorrow there will be a public event, downtown."

You all clapped for a moment, before Voight continued speaking.

"Now try not to die until tomorrow."

Without saying more he returned to his office. Jay went to his desk to catch up on all the overdue paperwork, from time to time you looked up to observe him, you were glad to have him back but the moment you knew about the award, you felt a bitter taste in your mouth. Why were they going to decorate him when he almost died? 

You stood up and went to the coffee room, took one of the cups on the wall and poured yourself some, you still felt that bitter taste in your mouth. You heard footsteps behind you and looked over your shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Jay asked, taking another cup, reaching for the pot and pouring himself some coffee as well. You leaned a little to look towards the door, checking that no one was around to hear you. You started to get tired of that, checking over your shoulders to see if no one could hear your conversations or whatever you were doing behind closed doors.

“Uhm, yes, I’m just a little tired. We have been in some paperwork duties from a few cases from the past weeks.”

You took a sip from the cup, making a little grin at the taste of the coffee.

“Well, just for the record, I know when something’s bothering you. We have been together almost a year.”

He looked satisfied with himself, and you couldn’t deny it because he was right, Jay knew you so well almost since day one. You looked at him and gave him a little smile, his mood was good after dealing with a grumpy man at his house because he couldn’t get back to work after being shot, and you definitely didn't want to be the one to screw it up. 

Kim walks into the room without realizing the interruption she just made or how you take a little more distance between you two, starts a little chat with Jay and you decide to go back to your desk.

Later, in the locker room, you were finishing picking up some things from your little blue locker, putting them in the gym bag you were carrying that day when Kevin appeared next to you, opening his own locker.

"I don't see you so happy today, you were quiet for most of the day, man you didn't even laugh at Ruzek's nonsense. I thought having Jay back would make you feel better."

You sighed and took a seat on the bench, rubbing your hands over your face before looking at your best friend. You played with your lower lip a bit before speaking.

"Kevin, am I crazy for wanting more in this relationship? I mean, we've worked well without anyone knowing, what difference would it make if we did from the knowledge of Voight, of our friends?"

They both fell silent when an officer entered the room and moments later he left the room, you clenched your fist and struck the cold metal in front of you, you felt frustrated and helpless. Kevin sat next to you, rubbing his hands together as he took his time answering you.

"Y/N, you are a pretty strong woman who knows what she wants, don't let anyone make you feel like you can't, not even some of my friends. If you want, I can talk to him, you know man to man" .

His comment made you laugh a little, releasing a bit of the tension in your chest, you bumped his shoulder with yours, pushing him a little.

"Thanks Kev. I don't think that talk is necessary but I will take it into account for future problems."

"Whenever you need me, girl."

You took your bag, Kevin had helped you lift your spirits but you knew you had to do something with your feelings, for better or for worse. 

Jay was in the kitchen when he heard you arrive, a smile formed on his face as he came out to greet you, an ice cold beer in his hand and a hockey game in the background on television. He walked over to you to kiss your forehead, took your bag and set it aside by the door.

"It took you a little longer than usual to get here, I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. Trudy wanted me to fill out some forms for tomorrow and I left earlier."

You couldn't look at Jay without stopping to think about the consequences that your words would have, you knew about his past and you didn't want to be the evil witch who would ruin what you both had until that day. You settled next to him, resting your head on his chest while he watched the game and he made imaginary shapes on the skin of your arm.

It took you a few minutes before you could form a sentence, your voice lacking the strength you had gathered all the way to his apartment.

"Jay, what if we tell Voight we're together?"

Your voice caught his attention, looking at you completely confused.

"Y/N, we both know that we can't say anything at the moment if we want to continue working in the same unit."

You slowly sat up again, turning a little so you could face him, Jay was sure of what he was saying, it showed in his face and in the confidence with which he had spoken.

"Jay, I'm tired of having to hide from everyone, like what we're doing is wrong. Voight will understand if-"

"I've been through this before Y/N, I know what I'm talking about. I also refused to hide my thing with Erin, but things changed. If we tell this to Voight he will remove someone from the team and we know it will not be me."

You felt the air come out of your lungs, as if someone had hit you, Jay realized his mistake when you stood up, he began to move his head trying to speak, he left the beer on the coffee table trying to take your hand .

"Y/N, it's not what- it's not what I meant ..."

Unaware of your movements, you started to take your things in a frenzy, Jay seemed to be talking to you but you couldn't identify his words or what he was trying to tell you, you just left.

To be continued...

[sylvies-chen]

What characters and ships on Fire, PD and Med did you instantly fall in love with and why?

Ooh I like this one!

Fire - Matt Casey is the obvious one because from episode one I knew I was going to like him. Episode 3 was where I really was like “ok yes you’re my favourite now and I’d die for u babe” but yeah, I’ve always loved him as a character. (It also helps that Jesse Spencer is very nice to look at haha). Leslie Shay was definitely someone I loved from episode 1 because the “Peter Mills, are you gay? Because I am” moment is ICONIC. Then there’s Sylvie who was a bit different because yes, I loved her from the minute her cute little face came onto my screen, but I was still hesitant to love her so much. I knew I liked her because she was instantly like this kind, friendly force in the firehouse but the way they did Shay so dirty traumatized me I think so part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop with Sylvie. And I know they made her resemblance to Shay a whole thing, especially with Severide, but as hurt as I was by losing my wife Leslie Shay, I never saw Sylvie as a replacement Shay because they have different personalities. So yes, I’m adding her to the list of “love at first sight” characters. The only other one I’d say is Otis!! I saw him on screen complaining about his nickname and being a little nerd and right away I said “I love him, I want to carry one of him in my pocket everywhere I go” LOL.

Med - Sarah Reese and Maggie were the two characters I fell in love with instantly for Med. Especially with that last scene where Maggie was helping Reese practice putting needles in someone’s arm, that interaction just solidified that for me. I can also really relate to Sarah’s journey of needing sort of develop thicker skin, to trust her instincts, and to have confidence. I hate that they wrecked her character at the end there and made her seem too whiny but in my head, she’s on good terms with Dr Charles and she has dinner with him and Ana like every week. When you don’t like canon, just ignore it 😌✨ But Maggie too, I still love her. Granted, the storyline with Vanessa isn’t my favourite, but I still like the way she fits into the ED. A queen!! Notice how my two favs are women because even though I love the men on Med, let’s be real here: we love them in SPITE of what they do on the show lol. Not exactly love at first sight energy, EXCEPT. Oh except how could I forget Crockett! I loved Crockett from the minute they introduced him. It was an unpopular opinion at the time (the idea of liking his character) but even through the Ethan/April mess I still loved him so much. Crockett’s always just so calming and kind and passive, which offers such a nice contrast to the maybe more aggressive qualities of the male characters in the show (I mean aggressive in the sense that even Will and Ethan and Connor’s good qualities are exemplified really loudly and expressed intensely rather than softly but still with power)

PD - Y’know, if you’d asked me this a month or two ago I probably would have had a harder time answering this but I’ve been doing a rewatch of PD with my friend and it reminded me of exactly who I fell for instantly: Kim, Trudy, Jay, and Kevin. Trudy is an easy one, because she just always offers the best lines (be it comedic or actual advice being given) and is generally just a sass queen. I don’t blame Violet for seeing Trudy as a role model lol! Jay and Kevin are self-explanatory, really: they’re hot 🥵 No but seriously I just liked the energy they both brought to their own parts of the episodes, it’s really interesting to see how they’ve grown but also how they’ve stayed the same! And finally, Kim. Kiiim Kim Kim. My darling baby. Gosh, I don’t know! I think the reason why I gravitate so much towards characters like Kim and Sylvie, and why I fall for them so quickly, is because they are both perfect examples of how women can be strong and successful individuals in male-dominated industries without having to sacrifice their femininity. These are women who don’t shy away from admitting they like more stereotypically “girly” things, who are shown having some pep and some bubbly energy to their personality, and yet they’re still able to flick on that switch and be total badasses when necessary. They don’t push aside their femininity but rather use it as a tool to make them better at their jobs; to make them compassionate and strong! That’s why I fell in love with both of them from day 1. They’re just my favs <3

[onechicago-upsteadrhekker]

Oh my gosh you guys!! Another upstead prompt here...I am so excited for you to read this one. It got more involved than originally intended but I had so much fun writing this! I don’t wanna give anything away so I’ll save the rest of my notes for the end!  @randers198  requested #3, “H-How long have you been standing there?”

*title taken from Sleeping at Last’s song ‘Mind’

i’m short of breath standing next to you

Hailey bounded up the stairs, passing patrol officers that were heading out for their shift. She did not envy them; she remembered well the days of sitting in a patrol car during the coldest part of the year, desperately trying to get the heat to actually blow out hot air before giving up and bundling up in layers of CPD approved clothes.

Oh how she loved being in Intelligence. Her own comfy clothes, a warm truck to sit in and the best partner she would ever have keeping her company.

She slipped through the double doors, welcoming the burst of warm air that greeted her as she entered the district, pulling off her gloves to shove in her coat pocket and stomping her boots free of snow. As cold as it was, Hailey did have to admit it was quite beautiful with the snow falling, covering everything in white however the ice made everything more difficult; running, car chases, stakeouts but she was used to it. She was Chicago through and through.

“Good morning Trudy,” Hailey called out, smiling as she approached the front desk.

The Desk Sargent looked up from where she was going through a stack of folders. Her eyes narrowed before inclining her head in acknowledgment, “Detective.”

“Got any mail for me?” Hailey rested her arms on the counter, peering over it to see if she could get a glimpse of what was on Platt’s agenda for the day. AKA trying to see if the Sargent had pulled any extra paperwork to spring on Intelligence since the department was going through another ‘reform’ program. It was a pain and Hailey hated when politics interfered with Intelligence way of doing things but there was nothing anyone could do about it. They just had to suck it up till it passed.

Platt shook her head and Hailey turned her attention back to her, “No, Jay picked it up when he got here this morning.”

It wasn’t uncommon for them to pick up each others mail if they for some reason beat the other to the front desk to ask about it first but what was unusual was for Jay to get to the station before her. They usually rode together but this morning when Hailey was just starting to wake up, Jay had leaned over to give her forehead a kiss and whisper in her ear that he had some paperwork at the district he wanted to get done before the work day really got going. 

She’d hummed and automatically kissed him back when he’d pressed his lips against hers before she rolled over to get a few more minuets of sleep, faintly hearing Jay open and shut the front door.

This also wasn’t uncommon as Jay was an early riser and it was totally plausible that if he’d gotten behind on his paperwork he would go into work early and with all the extra paperwork that had been coming their way lately because of the reform thing, Hailey would not be surprised if Jay had been slacking in that department. He hated paperwork; it was the only thing he didn’t like about the job but it was a necessary part so he did it, grudgingly and sometimes it was late but at least he did it.

So that’s why she hadn’t thought anything about it at first except he had been acting rather strange the past week or so and so she wondered if something had inspired Jay to get to work early, before her for some reason. 

In fact, the whole team seemed to acting different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but it felt almost as if they were all in on something and she was out of the loop but she couldn’t decide if it was intentional or not because why would they not clue her in? The only reasons she could think of were ones she didn’t want to think about. Such as something similar to what Olinsky and Adam went through and Jay was trying to protect her.

She hadn’t said anything yet because she didn’t have any real evidence other than a feeling and and conversations between various members of the team that seemed to be hushed and then cut short once she entered the room. And then everyone was smiles and it just seemed off. Of course, she could be imagining things that weren’t there but Hailey was a detective and she was trained to read between the lines, to see things that were being covered up.

But she knew if something really was going on then the reason why she wasn’t being informed of whatever it was that was going on wasn’t out of malice. They would have a good reason to keep her in the dark but it was starting to bother her that the whole team knew but not her.

So that’s why she was determined to bide her time a little longer and see if this secretive behavior continued or if she gathered any more evidence before confronting Jay and the team to pry out whatever it was they were keeping secret.

But it couldn’t help to do some preliminary investigating. Hailey glanced at the steps that led up to the bullpen before making sure no one else was close enough to listen in on her conversation. If anyone knew what was going on, it was Trudy Platt.

“So Trudy,” Hailey rapped her fingers on the counter, biting her lip briefly before continuing, “Is it just me or have you noticed things being,” She fished for a word to subtly describe what she’d picked up on, “different around here lately?”

Trudy stopped rifling through her folders and looked at her. Hailey couldn't get a clear read on the Sargent’s facial expression but Platt seemed to immediately put up her guard, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. To the ordinary eye, it would seem like Trudy was giving away nothing but Hailey was already on high alert and she had learned a few of Platt’s tails over the years so she knew what to look for. 

“What do you mean,” Trudy arched an eyebrow.

Hailey narrowed her own eyes, trying to decide how much to give away. She shrugged, going for a nonchalant yet naively confused attitude, “I don’t know. It just seems more secretive around here for some reason. I guess it’s just me.”

There was a few moments of awkward silence in which each woman was trying to get a read on the other without it being obvious. Hailey blew out a breath breaking the weird tension between them, “Welp, guess I’d better head upstairs.”

Trudy abruptly dropped the stack of folders she’d been holding since Hailey had gotten there and quickly walked out from behind the desk, already heading up the stairs, “I’ll come with you. I need to tell Hank something.”

Hailey’s eyebrows rose, more and more suspicious that something was wrong and that Trudy Platt definitely knew about it. She quickly followed the Sargent, barely catching the gate as it was starting to swing close. 

Straining her ears, she could hear Trudy say something about her coming and there was a lot of movement, like people running and flipping into their desk chairs. Sure enough, when she got to the top of the stairs she did a quick once over and saw that every one was there and in their seats, all of them looking way to engrossed in their work for this early in the morning meanwhile Trudy was retreating into Voight’s office, shutting the door behind her.

Okay, now she was more than convinced that something was definitely going on. Something they were trying to keep secret from her because there was no way that everyone got to work before her unless it was pre-planned. The only consolation was that whatever it was didn’t seem serious like her previous suspicions of what might be going on. What she just walked into felt more like she just caught them with their hand in the cookie jar.

While this was a relief, there was no way she was letting it go. Now that she knew there was something brewing within the team, something she apparently was being kept in the dark about, she decided she was going to get to the bottom of this.

She was a detective after all.

She would play it cool and keep her head down but her ears on and wait for one of them to slip up.

“Good morning guys,” She chirped, pretending that she found nothing out of the ordinary. Like she hadn’t noticed the way they were all trying to act nonchalant but failing terribly...at least to her eyes. She knew them all well enough to know they were clearly trying to hide whatever they had been doing before she’d walked up the steps.

There were hums and ahhs and mumbled acknowledgements as they all pretended to look absorbed into their work and she barely refrained from rolling her eyes at how conspicuous they were being. Especially for being in Intelligence.

Hailey shook her head to herself as she sat down at her own desk, peering at Jay who was staring intently at his computer screen, acting like he hadn’t noticed her sit down. She knew he knew she was there. He always noticed her.

Pursing her lips, she reached over to tap on his screen to get his ‘attention’, “Did you get that paperwork done dear?”

Maybe she was being to obvious in playing dumb because she almost never called him dear but she just couldn’t help herself. He was asking for it with how obvious he was being. Besides, they all seemed to be to focused on not noticing her that she doubted any of them were really paying attention, Jay included.

He blinked owlishly a few times, making a show of slowly raising his eyes to meet hers and again, she had to refrain from rolling her eyes.

Jay smiled at her, it was a little too causal and happy-go-lucky to be believable. She knew him better than she knew herself, had been the man’s partner for four years and they had been dating for a year so he wasn’t fooling her.

But she decided to play along for the time being because one, he and the team had to have a good reason for keeping a secret from her and two, asking him about it would take the fun out of it. 

“Oh, hey Hailey,” He stood up to lean over their desks to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, “What were you saying?”

She arched an eyebrow, motioning to his desktop, “That paperwork. Did you get it done?”

He leaned back in his chair, pushing it back some as Voight walked out of his office, clearly ready to give them the day’s rundown. She noticed Trudy hightailing it back downstairs.

Jay shrugged, “Yeah, yeah. All done.”

She gave him a pleased smile, “Good,” before turning in her own chair to direct her attention to Voight.

She would get to the bottom of this. She was a detective after all and Jay never could keep a secret from her for long whether he wanted her to find out about it or not. She just had to wait for the right moment.

Well, as it turned out, ‘the right moment’ came along sooner than expected.

She and Jay had been monitoring the zone when a shooting with the same markings as a guy Intelligence had been trying to track down cane across the scanner. So they’d hopped in the truck and literally sped over there as quickly as possible.

It had been pretty straight forward. Or at least as straight forward as their line of work could get. No one got hurt and she and Jay managed to apprehend the shooter, even found some drugs on the guy and in his house and backup had arrived in a timely manner so it had been a relatively uneventful response.

Hailey was always grateful for the ones that went smoothly because they came few and far in between. Especially in Intelligence.

While Jay was speaking to the responding officers, Hailey had popped into the truck to grab the usual paperwork in situations like these when her attention had been drawn to Jay’s personal phone. He had left it in the cup holder in the console and she barely caught the words of a text message before the screen went dark again.

Now, she usually didn’t do this sort of thing. Even with Jay because she respected his privacy just as he did hers although there wasn’t much they didn’t share. Ordinarily, he probably wouldn’t mind her looking at his texts but there was something going on here and she could have sworn she’d seen the name ‘Adam’ as the contact who sent said text.

Glancing around, she determined the cost was clear and she turned the phone back on. Sure enough, there was a text from Adam saying ‘10-4’ and there was one from Kevin saying ‘copy’. These messages had been sent from a group text. A group text she was not a part of so it wasn’t their normal one with everyone on it.

Hailey wanted to know what they were ‘10-4’ing and ‘copy’ing so she quickly glanced back up and upon seeing Jay still talking to one of the patrol officers, she sent up a quick apology before typing in his code and opening his texts.

She felt guilty doing this but she convinced herself it was for the good of her ‘case’ and she couldn’t help the fact that she had seen the texts which had driven her curiosity even more.

There was a group text. Between Jay, Adam, Kevin, Kim and Vanessa but not her.

Only a single text was sent out by Jay saying locker room after work.

The others had responded with various okay’s but that was all that was there. She had a sneaking suspicion that that hadn’t been the only correspondence via the mysterious group chat though so Jay must have deleted the other messages. 

So he was being careful after all.

She quickly marked Kevin and Adam’s texts as unread, careful not to clear them from the notifications on the home screen before locking the phone and putting it back in the cup holder. Grabbing what she’d initially come for, Hailey hopped out of the truck and headed back towards Jay and the patrol officers. Luckily no one seemed to realize she was gone slightly longer than she probably should have been.

After getting the patrol officers to sign the paperwork, Hailey went to record the dope findings under their suspect’s bed, pleased with herself that she now had a solid lead into her other investigation. It sounded like she would make the case tonight in the locker room if she played her cards right.

The rest of the day went about as ‘normal’ as a day in Intelligence usually went and when the team reconvened at the bullpen to tie up the run-of-the-mill paperwork of the day, Hailey began mulling over how she was going to sneak into the locker room undetected.

That part wouldn’t be hard but she didn’t want Jay or anyone else knowing that she was onto this little meeting of theirs to discuss whatever it was she hoped to find out so she figured she would just make a show of leaving the station and then sneak back in. 

Besides, they probably had a plan for getting rid of her so she decided she would just play along.

As the sun started to sink lower in the sky casting a glow over the bullpen, Hailey could tell that Jay was starting to get restless, his eyes darting to the clock every few minuets. She pretended to be oblivious to the anticipation building in the room and now she was really curious as to what was going to go down in the locker room. And tried not to be hurt by the fact she was being left out.

Because it wasn’t her birthday or an anniversary or anything so she didn’t know what could be going on that needed to stay a secret from her but she was determined to find out.

Eventually, at about 6:30, Jay rubbed his eyes, dropping his pen and stacking up the paperwork he’d been filling out. This must have been a cue for everyone else because it seemed like they all ‘got done’ at the same time which wasn’t that unusual. When one of them decided to call it a day, the others usually followed suit but Hailey was on high-alert tonight and she knew what their plans were.

The familiar rush of adrenaline and hyper-awareness that Hailey always felt before any type of field work whether it be simple surveillance, a drug bust or going undercover flooded her senses; this felt most like going undercover but without the danger so the fear was replaced by mere curiosity and a need to know what was going on.

Vanessa was the first one to make a move, powering down her computer and hopping out of her seat to grab her coat, sliding it on, “I think I’m gonna call it a day guys.”

“You know what, I think I am too,” Kevin piped up, mirroring Vanessa’s movements, grabbing his own coat to pull on. He gave her an easy smile and Hailey had noticed that they’d been hanging out a lot more than usual these days but she had a feeling that tonight was purely for show because she knew they had responded to Jay’s text in the affirmative meaning they weren’t actually leaving.

“You kids have fun!” Adam called after them as they went down the stairs, waving their goodbyes. 

Hailey was silent, waiting to see what the next phase of their plan was going to be as she continued to look focused on the case report she was writing.

She heard Kim take an over exaggerated yawn and glanced out of the corner of her eye to see ‘stretching’ and packing up her own stuff, “I’m actually pretty tired. I think I’m gonna head home too.”

Hailey picked up her head, turning in her seat to see Adam shut off his computer as well...so they were all leaving in twos. She wondered what Jay’s plan was for her.

“You got the right idea, babe. You wanna pick up some take-out to bring home?” Adam tilted his head in Kim’s direction as he put his arms through his coat sleeves.

She nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah sounds good.” Kim turned to look at her and Jay, “What about you guys? Have any plans?”

Hailey was going to just play it off causally when Jay spoke up from behind her, “Yeah, actually. We do.”

That was the first Hailey had heard about any plans for the two of them and she wondered what Jay had up his sleeve and how the mysterious locker room meeting played into it. She didn’t think she’d misinterpreted the text messages.  

Adam nodded, “Have a good time then!” He waved and Hailey glanced to Jay who waved back, leaning back in his chair.

Kim gave them a smile, “Bye Hailey, Jay.” And Hailey responded with mumbled ‘see you tomorrow’. She was confused by this turn of events and now her mind was in overdrive, trying to figure out what was happening. What Jay was planning because if she was right, the rest of the unit was in on it.

Maybe Jay’s ‘plans’ was just to get rid of her. She shook her head slightly, spinning in her chair to look at Jay still at his desk across from her. She was still planning on sneaking into the locker room. Hopefully she’d get a clearer picture then.

She raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend, “We have plans?”

He smiled mischievously and she thought she detected a little anxiety coming from him; she wondered if she was imagining things now because why would he be anxious about a secret locker room meeting with their friends?

“Yep, we do,” She raised her eyebrows even further as she watched him stand up to come around their desks to be in front of her. He tugged on her hand and she slowly stood, watching him with suspicious eyes.

Jay leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek, lingering to whisper in her ear, “Go home and put on a dress.”

Now she was very confused. She hadn’t been anticipating this when planning her night of sneaking into the locker room to spy on her team then sneaking back to the apartment to jump in some comfy clothes to pretend she’d been watching TV the whole evening by the time Jay ultimately got home.

She wanted to ask where he would be and why she needed to wear a dress because usually their dates didn’t require an actual dress. They were more of a nice-causal wearing kind of couple who went to get Chinese or find a food tuck and maybe an ice cream cone if the weather called for it with a leisurely walk around the park. 

And those kind of dates were considered ‘special’ in her book because usually they ended up at Molly’s with their friends or another bar to have some privacy or their own home with some TV and a make-out session which ultimately led to more.

But she didn’t because she remembered the Jay’s text about the locker room tonight after work and she was still determined to sneak in and find out what him and the rest of their unit had to discuss without her. She supposed this whole fancy date thing was a ruse to get her to go home without him. She wasn’t sure his thinking on this because unless they were actually going out, how was he going to explain why he wanted her to get into a dress? Or go home without him. 

They had driven separately but he would have to explain why he didn’t come home right away.

Hailey decided to just go with it and what happened happened. She knew she was probably overthinking it so she would just play it off like nothing was strange and that she was none the wiser to his secret meeting with their coworkers.

Giving him a look like she didn’t totally believe him because one, she didn’t and two, she wanted to keep up the appearance of she didn’t know anything, “Okay...” She drew it out nice and slow because she knew if she didn’t sound suspicious, he would be onto her, “I’m not sure what this is, but I guess I’ll do it.”

He looked relieved, like he was expecting more resistance and questions about his unusual request and she didn’t blame him because if she hadn’t known about the meeting, she wouldn’t have left till she knew exactly why she was putting on a dress.

He pecked her on the lips, “I love you.”

She smiled genuinely at that, murmuring an ‘I love you’ back before she headed to the locker room to get her stuff and purposely exiting through the bullpen to show Jay she was ‘leaving’.

No one was in said locker room when she’d grabbed her bag and she wasn’t surprised. They probably planned for that too, hiding out somewhere till Jay gave them the all clear because going to the locker room to gather stuff was routine enough to have a plan so she didn’t accidentally see them.

Once she got to her car, she threw the stuff in the backseat and got in the driver’s seat to wait for a few minutes, watching to see if she saw Adam, Kim, Kevin and Vanessa going back into the precinct. If she didn’t, she would just have to assume that they were already in there and hope that she didn’t accidentally run into someone. She also hoped that they didn’t have someone watching her car to make sure she actually left.

Okay, so, it wasn’t the most perfect plan and if this was a real case, Voight would have her head for not being thorough enough in her investigation but she’d only gotten her intelligence that afternoon so she hadn’t had time to figure out every little detail. 

She hadn’t wanted to miss her chance.

Hailey checked her phone, noting it had been a few minuets since she’d left the bullpen and decided it was time to go up so she very silently got out of her car, glancing around the parking lot as she stole to the backdoor, careful to keep in the shadows of the building.

She tried the backdoor and upon finding it locked, she fished out her set of keys each member of Intelligence carried. Sliding the key into the lock, she looked around for one last time before silently opening the door a crack. Just enough to where she could squeeze inside, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Hailey still didn’t see anyone but the lights were on so she carefully sneaked up the stairs, straining her ears to see if she could hear exactly where they were at the closer she got to the locker room. 

She could hear soft murmurings of people talking and when she turned the corner she saw the door propped slightly open, allowing sound to travel farther. Plastering herself against the wall, she inched to the edge of the door and quickly peaked inside.

She couldn’t see anyone but she could hear them talking behind a row of lockers so Hailey did another quick glance around the room before squeezing her way inside, very carefully creeping behind the lockers. 

Her heart was beating inside her chest and she actually felt a thrill of exhilaration to be sneaking around like this. She held her breath as she got close enough to the group to hear what they were saying but staying hidden by the bank of lockers.

Hailey tiptoed to the end of the row of lockers to very carefully peak her head around. Sure enough, there was Jay, Adam, Kevin, Vanessa and Kim all huddled in a tight circle between two rows of lockers but what puzzled her was the fact that they had all changed out of the clothes they were in a few minutes ago and were now dressed like they were going out to a fancy event.

Vanessa and Kim had changed into nice dresses while Adam and Kevin were wearing nice shirts and slacks but Jay, he was dressed in a navy blue suit with a bow tie and everything and she was week-kneed at the sight. Jay looked good in anything he wore but the man could fill out a suit in all the right places and there was something about the way he made himself look classy and charming and hot but causal all without trying that made her flush with the heat swirling low in her belly.

She blinked to snap out of it and her mind was running a mile a minute because none of this made sense. Why did Jay have a suit on? And why was everyone dressed up? She had a feeling this had something to do with why Jay told her to put on a dress which meant that there really was something happening tonight.

She knew it wasn’t her birthday. And she didn’t think it was an anniversary because why would the team be in on it if it was an anniversary? 

Suffice it to say, she had literally no idea what the heck was going on and she was starting to think that maybe it had been a bad idea to try and find out because whatever they were discussing had to be going down tonight and it sounded like she would be coming with them.

So it was either stay and possibly find out now or wait a few hours and find out then.

Hailey was debating on leaving and just go do what Jay had told her or stick around a little longer and then rushing home to throw on a dress before Jay came to pick her up when she heard her name.

Her heart picked up speed because for a splint second she thought she’d been caught but then she heard Jay say, “No, Hailey has no idea.”

Okay, so tonight was definitely supposed to be a surprise for her. Now she started to feel bad she had sneaked in here but she hadn’t really heard anything about what the surprise was so if she just left now, no one would be the wiser and she would still be genuinely surprised.

But then she heard Kevin ask, “Do you have the ring?”

And Hailey felt like all the air had been sucked out of lugs. She was frozen. 

She could hear Jay feeling around in a pocket from where she had her ear pressed around the corner of the lockers but was still hidden and she tried to get herself to move, to get out of there before she heard anymore when she heard the distinctive sound of a ring box opening.

“It’s right here. Trust me, I’ve been double checking that I had it ever since I left for work this morning. Could you imagine me getting ready to ask Hailey and find out the ring wasn’t in my pocket...I’ve had nightmares about it.”

Hailey’s heart was beating so fast and hard she was afraid that they would be able to hear it. 

Jay was going to propose to her. How could she be such an idiot?

She wished she had never snuck in here tonight. He had obviously been planning this and he had made a good effort to keep it from her because heaven knows he couldn’t keep anything from her so she knew he must have been extremely careful to not let her find out.

And then she had to be nosy and sneak into a secret meeting she was never supposed to know about. She felt horrible but at the same time she was barely containing her excitement and shock because Jay was going to ask her to marry him.

She was getting engaged tonight. Hailey blinked. Oh God, she was getting engaged tonight.

A million thoughts and questions and emotions flooded her brain.

How did she not figure this out? Weren’t girls supposed to have some kind of intuition about this sort of thing? She knew there was something going on but the idea of Jay proposing to her never even crossed her mind. Where did he hide the ring? How long had he been planning this? What was his plans? Who knew? Was everyone in on it and she was just oblivious?

She was a detective for crying out loud! And Jay could never hide anything from her but on the same note she was extremely impressed he had.

And now here she was, spying on him.

God, if she’d known this was what he’d had planned she would have never tried to figure it out. She didn’t want to ruin whatever he had planned for them. For his sake...and for hers too.

Hailey could hardly believe it and part of her wanted to just run up to him, jump into his arms and say yes but the other part of her wanted to give them this. All she had to do was sneak back out, go get ready and pretend like nothing had happened and let the night play out how it was planned.

Good god, she was getting married. To Jay. 

She was engaged.

Well, technically not yet but she was going to be.

Hailey carefully took a step back, planing on sneaking out the way she’d come in when she accidentally bumped into a locker that she hadn’t noticed wasn’t shut all the way.

Her eyes widened. Crap. 

The room got suddenly quiet and Hailey didn’t even have time to figure out if she could still escape without anyone seeing her when everyone came rushing around the corner.

She closed her eyes, cringing in regret and defeat before she had the courage to open them, coming face to face with Jay who was standing wide eyed in front of her; Kim, Adam, Kevin and Vanessa crowding around behind him.

She probably would have laughed at their stricken expressions if she wasn’t feeling so horrible about being caught. Or even being there in the first place.

She attempted a feeble smile and Jay just blinked, “H-how long have you been standing there?”

“Oh you know, just a few minutes,” She tried to play it causally off before she realized she was twirling her hair--an anxious habit of hers that hadn’t surfaced in quite some time. She forced her arm to hang by her side before thumbing awkwardly in the direction of her locker, “I uh- I forgot something?”

It came out as sort of a question and she and Jay both knew that that was a lame excuse for what she was really doing. Which was spying on her team.

At this point the shock of finding Hailey hiding behind the row of lockers had worn off and Jay crossed his arms, a suspicious glint in his eyes, “How much did you hear?”

As for Hailey, she was wondering if maybe she could still get of this without having to confess that she did in fact hear things she wasn’t supposed to hear but then she took one look at Jay’s warning gaze and decided she’d better just come clean.

Toeing the floor sheepishly, she grimaced as she looked up at Jay, “Enough.”

Instead of looking hurt or angry like she’d expected he might be he just let out a big sigh, dropping his arms to hang by his side before closing his eyes in exasperation and muttering to himself.

Then to her and everyone else’s surprise, he started chuckling which turned into big, deep laughs. He was wiping at his eyes he was laughing so hard.

Hailey briefly shared a concerned glance with the rest of her team before looking back at Jay who was still laughing, “Um, Jay? Are you okay?”

She didn’t think she’d ever heard Jay laugh quite that hard before and under slightly more ordinary circumstances, she herself would probably be bursting for joy at hearing Jay so care-free but given the circumstances she was slightly concerned that he might be having some kind of stress induced psychotic break.

She just ruined his proposal plans; she thought an appropriate response would be disappointment or anger or something other than uncontrollable laughter. 

Jay finally caught his breath enough to actually look at her, still chuckling, “It’s just that I have planed and planed and planed for months. Going the extra mile and taking extreme precautions to keep you out of the loop only for you to pick up on something today of all days and then for you to decide to sneak up here tonight to find out literally hours before?” He shook his head, “I mean, what are the chances?”

Well, that hadn’t made Hailey feel any better. In fact she felt worse, “Jay, I am so sorry. I just I saw your text about the locker room tonight and you guys had all been acting strange and I wanted to know what you were up to,” She bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed, upset with herself, “And if it’s any consolation, I really did have no idea this was what you were planing until well, I heard.”

She glanced up at Jay through downcast eyes who had stopped laughing and now just looked defeated in a disbelieving kind of way although a small smile was still playing at his lips, “Are you really very upset with me?” 

“Oh Hailey,” He sighed, trying to contain a grin as he pulled her to him, giving her a quick kiss to her temple, “Of course I’m not upset with you. A little disappointed maybe but not upset. In all honesty, I thought you would have found out a long time ago.”

Now that Jay had assured her that he wasn’t mad, she felt the eagerness and excitement rise up again. Just cause she ruined the surprise didn’t mean he wasn’t going to propose, right?

She pulled back from his embrace, an expectant look on her face, waiting for him to make a move. When he looked back at her quizzically she sighed in impatience and exasperation, “Well, aren’t you gonna ask me?”

He suddenly looked nervous, scratching the back of his neck, “Well, yeah...” 

Hailey smiled impishly, her cheeks becoming a rosy color, “And don’t you wanna know what my answer’s gonna be?”

She was aware of Kevin filming the whole thing, Kim and Vanessa pulling out their own phones as she watched Jay glanced back, clearly looking for some direction. She thought it was cute how he had went from exasperated to flustered in the span of a few seconds.

Adam gave him a look that seemed to say ‘go for it’ and Jay looked back at her, trying to suppress a grin as he took a deep breath to steady himself. She could feel his anxiety but she could also see how excited he was in the way his eyes were sparkling.

He dropped down on one knee and Hailey couldn’t help the grin that split across her face or the happy tears that pricked her eyes as she looked down at the man she was going to spend the rest of her life loving.

Jay cleared his throat, swallowing as he produced a ring box, flicking the lid open to reveal the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen; it was simple in it’s beauty and it didn’t call attention to itself which was what made it so exquisite.

“Hailey Anne Upton, will you marry me?” His voice was full of emotion and she could see tears spring up in his own eyes, his face full of hope and love and joy.

She gently tugged him back up, stepping up close to him to cup his stubbled cheek, “Of course I’ll marry you,” She whispered it against his lips, looking lovingly into his bright green eyes.

Jay pressed his lips against hers, kissing her properly and she could vaguely hear hoots and hollers in the background from their friends.

She pulled back slightly, a grin still plastered on her face as Jay plucked the ring from the box to slide onto her finger. She looked down at her hand, admiring it’s place on her finger, “It’s beautiful Jay. I love it.”

“Good, I’m glad,” He smiled bashfully and stole another kiss from her. He released her from his light embrace; she turned her attention from the ring back to him, watching as he looked at his watch.

He then looked at her, holding his hand out expectantly while the other held the still open ring box, “Alright, let me have the ring back.”

A confused look crossed her face and she slightly retracted her left hand, “What do you mean let you have the ring back? It’s mine isn’t it?”

Jay rolled his eyes moving closer to take the ring, “Not yet it’s not. Just because the proposal won’t be a surprise doesn’t mean I’m canceling all that hard work I put in and I have some other things up my sleeve, you know. I’ll just propose to you again like I had originally planned so I need the ring back.”

Hailey raised her eyebrows. Huh. Two proposals in one night, “Okay then.”

She took the ring off, hating to part with it even though she knew it would be back on her finger before the night was over. Jay looked awfully smug as he put the ring back in it’s box, sliding it in his pocket, “You need to get dressed and you’re going to have to hurry.”

Kim snapped her fingers and Hailey had almost forgotten that their team was there with them, “Don’t you worry. I’ve got you Hailey.”

She scurried off to her locker and opened it to pull out one of her really nice dresses that she wore for special occasions. She didn’t remember giving Kim that dress, “Wait a second, how did you...”

Kim waved her off, “I snuck into your closet when we had girls night last week. It was a just in case contingency plan. You know, just in case you spilled something or you came up here and figured everything out. Vanessa and I have a back plan for everything so everything is gonna be fine.”

Vanessa flashed a thumbs up, her eyes lighting up enthusiastically, “We thought you guys might need the help.”

Everyone was staring at the two girls with amused expressions. Kim grinned as she brought the dress over to give to Hailey, winking at her, “You can thank us later. Now go get dressed and let’s get this show on the road.”

 Adam slapped Jay and Kevin on the back as they watched Hailey disappear into the hallway with Vanessa and Kim in tow, “Man, now this is gonna be a great story for the wedding.”

Kevin grinned, wriggling his eyebrows, “And to tell to the kids.”

Jay laughed. His eyes sparkling and his heart full at the prospect of a long marriage with Hailey filled with babies and love and joy. 

He couldn’t wait.

The end. Well, what did you think? I loved this so much and I thought it would be kind of funny for Hailey to ‘spy’ on the team and I thought it would be funny for Jay to be secretive but like anxious. I have an actual engagement fic that I am writing to post on AO3, it’s similar to this but it goes into more detail and things work out how they’re supposed to (I’ll say that much) but this scenario I just wrote for the prompt. The real deal will be more elaborate and I’m hoping to have it done by the end of like June maybe?? I want to finish Dancing in the Minefields and some other one-shots I have planned before I post the engagement story and I’m still not exactly sure how long it’s going to be so. It may end up being a multi-chapter. Anyways, I just wanted to let y’all know that! And I am slowly but surely working my way through the prompts so if you requested one and it hasn’t been written yet, don’t worry!! I will get it done! I have some really good ideas and I want to do them justice so just bare with me! Thanks for reading as always!

[vampirewalterskinner]

The fact that no one talks about Monk makes me so, SO sad because this show is amazing and genius for so many reasons.

A long list of reasons why I adore this show so damn much.

The show is centered around a man (guy with the super curly hair) with OCD who also has a shit ton of phobias (heights, germs, death, naked people, milk—and those aren’t in order btw he has a list) and the writers treat it with so much respect. Yes, his condition is sometimes used for jokes, but it’s not used to make people with OCD or phobias a joke. Like, they’ll put Monk in a dangerous situation where he’s about to be killed (for instance, held up at gunpoint in a car dealership), but he can’t help himself and has to fix a flaw that’s bothering him (literally takes his time to fix a peeling sticker on a car and uses the butt of the villain’s gun to push out air bubbles). That shit is funny, but it in no way makes fun of people with OCD. Plus, this boy is a genius and I love him.

OTHER MAIN CHARACTERS DONT MAKE FUN OF HIM FOR HIS CONDITION. Yes, they get irritated, but they never berate him for his condition and usually let him fix what’s bothering him unless they’re in a serious situation. (One time, Monk accidentally stepped on an unraveled roll of bubble wrap and popped a few bubbles and he had to pop the rest. His friend Leland [blonde w/ a mustache] started to help him pop them and ordered two other officers to help—and they were at a crime scene lmao) They actually usually help him??? Monk has a phobia of people being naked and in one episode someone was killed on a nude beach. They tried so hard to keep him distracted and focused on the dead body so he wouldn’t notice 😂

There’s multiple instances where he’s shown to overcome or brave his phobias to save his friends when they’re in trouble.

They also normalize seeing a therapist who often encourages Monk to try new things and advises him on what’s healthy for him and what isn’t and NEVER berates him for his issues or for relapses. (I can really relate to when they speak of Monk’s depression. They handle that stuff really well.)

Contains the best romance story I have ever seen????? Which is a big deal for me to say because I HATE romance. Monk used to be on the police force but was kicked out on psychological discharge after his wife passed and his condition worsened. So, this is a bittersweet romance, obviously, because his wife has passed, but holy shit is he in love. The way he speaks of her is so beautiful. She was his life. Years keep passing and he still wears his wedding ring and he stills thinks of himself as being married. Like, oh my god you guys don’t understand how much I love his love for Trudy. This show makes me bawl my eyes out when Trudy is involved. He’s dedicated the rest of his life to find out who killed Trudy. Believe me, when Monk is angry and it’s about his wife, he’s not to be messed with.

The dynamic Monk has with his assistants (Sharona was season 1-half of 3. Natalie was half of 3-8) is so great. They get annoyed with him and put up with his cheap, stubborn ass but love the shit out of him. These two women by themselves are amazing, too. Sharona was a divorced, single mother raising her son Benjamin (who Monk stated many times he was proud of and loved him like he was his own son), and was nursing—which is how she met Monk, being hired by Leland to take care of him after Trudy died. Her past is a bit dicey, bringing up how she used to pose for dirty pictures among other things—and it’s all treated with respect. Not once is she mocked for doing what she had to so she could take care of her son. Natalie is also a single mother to Julie, and unlike Sharona she isn’t devorced, but the widow of a Navy pilot. Despite having the same essential role in the show they made their personalities and characteristics very different from one another, except they both complain about Monk being cheap and not paying them enough lmao.

Monk and his assistant(s) have a normal ass relationship without any romantic possibility and zero awareness of their sexes. Natalie hugs, cuddles, and kisses Monk (as often as she’s able to catched him off his guard) and it’s shown simply as a wonderful friendship. Monk protects her (and Sharona), buys her flowers, and fed her cake, but they’re still shown as friends. I adore this for so many reasons. Monk is still deathly in love with his wife. Of course he can get a crush or two (which he does) but lasting any longer than an episode would be odd and uncomfortable for Monk’s character. Not to mention they don’t fit each other’s tastes at all. And how often are male and female relationships presented in media without it being romantic or turning romantic? Chicks and dudes can be friends, guys, it’s not a big deal.

LELAND 👏🏻 AND 👏🏻 MONK’S 👏🏻 RELATIONSHIP 👏🏻 IS 👏🏻 MY 👏🏻 LIFE 👏🏻 Those two have a super long history. They’ve known each other since Monk graduated college and fuck their relationship just gets better and better. Leland knows more about Monk than anyone else, except for Trudy, naturally. He was Monk’s partner while on the force. He was there when Monk got the call about Trudy. Leland hired Sharona to help Monk get back on his feet. Leland has ON MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS threaten to resign (he’s the captain of the homicide division btw) if the higher ups tried to get rid of Monk or installed a highering freeze which would keep Monk from getting back on the force. Monk is always willing to help Leland. Monk was his best man and was PROUD AF. Monk also freaked tf out and rushed to help Leland when he was shot. Like, I could go on and on about their relationship. Leland is the ONLY person that gets away with touching Monk. Usually Monk flinches or eveades or wipes his hands when people touch him or shake his hand, but he doesn’t really do that with Leland. He’s really comfortable with him. Their friendship means so much to me.

They never pulled the “no homo” shit. Leland has told others and told Monk to his face many times that he loves him. No “as a friend” or making a joke out of him saying those words. They let his character be a normal fucking person who can tell his best friend he loves him. Randy (the other guy in the picture) tells both Monk and Leland that he loves them and still no jokes are made about it, even while Randy is usually comic relief.

This show is honestly just so damn good. I seriously cannot remember a single, bad episode. I highly recommend taking a look into Monk because it’s such a great story, and the finale will butcher you and you’ll end up saying “thank you” I promise.

[zhoufeis]

I’m almost finished with rewatching all episodes of seasons 1, 2 & 3 of the tribe. So I decided it’s time for a personalized summary (under the cut). I’ll be focusing on favourite storylines, favourite characters and ships... and things that surprised me while rewatching.

So, to give you a heads-up season 1 and season 3 are far better than season 2. And, to my own surprise, it’s not just the lack of Amber that’s a problem in season 2. Season 2 is all over the place. The Mallrats don’t seem like an actual family anymore, the storylines are told throughout the city rather than mainly focusing on the things that happen within the mall, some members of the Mallrats don’t even interact with each other. I suppose, actually, that this atmosphere of a broken, dysfunctional family (and not in a good way) is precisely what the writers were aiming for though considering the turnout of season 2, which, btw, I didn’t even remember like this but it’s BREATHTAKING. Definitely one of my favourite scenes in the entire show, which was a huge surprise to me because I just couldn’t remember anything that was positive about season 2. But besides the season 2 finale, there was actually more. The attempted rescue of Trudy - I did remember this, it was a picture of the show that has been stuck with me forever and watching it again reminded me how incredible that scene was. My favourite thing about season 2 of The Tribe as a child was... who would have thought, Ellie. And she still is. She’s less biased than most people in there and looks at things with morality and rationality alike, but she always takes different perspectives. One of my 3 top characters in season 2, which leads to the surprises season 2 had in store for me: Alice and Tai-San. Honestly, I don’t remember loving Tai-San nor Alice as a child very much. I changed my point of view on them completely. Tai-San in season 1 might not be my fave, not even close, but starting with season 2, Tai-San actually becomes awesome. Her quotes were always great, but in season 2, her actions actually have consequences and she makes valid points when verbally fighting her own tribe members. I guess it also makes it easy to side with her because she constantly fights Danni, but well, that’s just a personal preference. The friendship of Alice and Tai-San is another of my fave things about this show, and I didn’t even remember it. They’re so different and yet have such a nice understanding for each other that their argument over Lex really hurt to see. However, like all good f/f friendships... a guy isn’t worth giving up a friendship about, which these two eventually prove. Therefore, Alice and Tai-San were my favourite surprise about my rewatch.

But enough of season 2, let’s talk season 1. Season 1 is great. While the first few episodes are slow-moving, by the time you get to episode 10, you just wanna keep watching and watching and watching. I don’t know exactly what it is - the drama, the characters, the fact that you basically only ever follow the events in the mall and barely anything outside of it... I don’t know, but it’s great. What I don’t understand is the hatred that some of these characters have to endure in the comment sections. This specifically goes out for Salene and Trudy. I mean, yeah, it’s not like this is the only season they’re hated on, but I feel like this season is the most constant when it comes to hatred towards both characters. Honestly, I love them. Do they annoy me sometimes? Absolutely. But basically all of their behaviour and actions are explained - post-natal depression, an eating disorder, or the simple fear of being alone (btw, all very well-developed storylines and well-explained for children); all of it is understandable if one puts themselves into their shoes for a moment. I do feel extremely bad about what happens to Ryan and Salene in season 2+3 because they deserved better but... I cannot hate Salene for it. Salene obviously has a lot of problems with herself, which she must figure out first before she can accept someone by her side who clearly accepted her more than she ever did herself. This leads us to Ryan. Ryan... God, Ryan. Ryan deserved better and I’ll forever cry about him. His character development from the guy who blindly follows Lex to the pure, freedom-loving, rebellious, kind guy who just wants to live in peace with his Mallrats is... tragic if you consider what happens to him. Never again will I forget the look on his face when he realizes that Salene is telling him he cannot see his child. So to sum this up: Salene and Trudy deserve more love by the fandom; Ryan deserved more love by the writers. So did Patsy, btw. Has anyone ever seen a child character suffer that much?

Now... what did surprise me in my rewatch? The amount of characters I actually like or even love. Actually, there’s barely anyone I don’t love. I mean, when it comes to character depth, this show is one of the most well-written ones because the characters are not just one thing or another. They’re multi-faceted, multi-layered and you can understand most of their reasonings even when you don’t agree with all of their choices. And by “most” I mean there are exceptions. Some things you aren’t supposed to understand - you’re supposed to judge it negatively. I suppose, Lex in season 1 often falls into that category. However, it’s difficult to hate him afterwards, isn’t it?! His relationship with Tai-San is nice to watch, his love-hate relationship with Bray is entertaining, his parenting with KC is... questionable but all the more fun, his devotion to Zandra even after her death is beautiful, his friendship to Ryan is interesting, his friendship to people like Alice, Ebony or Amber is just wonderfully fun and... unlikely. So, who do I hate in my rewatch so far? There’s just three names coming to my mind and I’d like to make a difference here. I hate the Guardian. Like everyone who watches this show should. However, he’s an interesting, entertaining character to watch and he’s not someone I wish had never been in the show. The other two characters I really, really, really dislike... they’re this category of characters I wish had never been on my screen: Ned and Danni. While I do see that Danni was just this poor substitute for Amber, but was incapable of making up for Amber, I just don’t see the point in Ned. Maybe the show wanted someone to kill off none of the viewers would mourn. I certainly couldn’t. I was actually happy when Moz turned around his body and his dead eyes were staring into the sky. Kind of made me like the Guardian to 1%. #SorryNotSorry. However, Danni is a more interesting case here to discuss because there’s two things that went wrong with her character. The first thing that went wrong is the fact that she was definitely too much like Amber but she just WASN’T Amber. Also, as you may or may not have noticed... I’m a Bray/Amber fan. And I do admit, I might be biased. Then again, I love Pride. Like I looove him so far. I didn’t when I was a child, but I do now and I’m happy to. Sooo, the fact that I dislike Danni must be more than just me loving Amber/Bray. But well, still, viewers don’t like having to get over their favourite characters with characters who are basically like them but aren’t them. And the second thing that went very wrong with Danni’s character was the casting choice. The actress just was really, really bad. 

Which actually leads me to some noteworthy comment about the acting on this show: I was positively surprised how good it actually is. Like, duh, not Oscar-worthy. But I could have sworn it’s as bad as the Power Rangers series or teenage-driven shows like The Next Step. I suppose, that actually has something to do with the fact that I would watch the German dubbing as a child rather than the actual English versions. Now that I’m a grown-up, I’m watching the English versions ofc. And it actually isn’t bad acting. It’s better than most of the acting that I see on The 100. There are a few who stand out for being very good compared to the others and there are a few who stand out for being quite horrible compared to the rest - the actress of Danni falls into the latter category. But Dwayne Cameron, Beth Allen, Caleb Ross, Meryl Cassie and Michelle Ang actually make great leads. And there’s a couple more actors and actresses who are really not that bad. I also like to give this show credit for the fact that they mostly actually cast children and teenagers - most other children- and teenage-driven shows are incapable of doing that.

I don’t know what to say about season 3 of this show other than pointing out that it’s just well done. I love how it starts out with the rebels not being in contact with their Mallrats who have been enjailed in the mall by the Chosen. I like the Chosen storyline, I also love how it sometimes drags religion in general... it’s nice to watch. On the other hand, watching the rebels in the form of Lex, Ebony and Bray is just entertaining and fastmoving, which makes up most of season 3 anyway and goes by fast. The development of Ebony’s reign over the city is a storyline that starts pretty early on but takes up more and more screentime with every episode of season 3. She’s a great character who has always moved the plot forward and you just know that this will go very, very wrong for Bray and Amber. She’s always been established as an energetic, mesmerizing, charismatic leader who fears no means to get to her goal - season 1, 2, 3... Bray should have listened to Amber and Lex. They warned him. The only thing I dislike about season 3 is the romantic development between Alice and Ned. Then again, I really love Alice and I really hate Ned, so it’s understandable. Furthermore, unlike most of the fandom, I’m not a huuuuge Jack fan. I mean... he’s fine, but he never will be my favorite character, which is why I didn’t mind that he was gone for quite some time. I have to admit that I liked him a lot more in season 1 because he was mostly shown spending time with Dal there - and I should mention, Dal is one of my absolute faves. In season 2, Jack mostly behaves like a jerk towards Dal, which made him lose points with me. Tbh, I’d also rather ship Ellie with Dal than with Jack... but mostly still... Dal with Jack. And Ellie with Luke... or did anyone else get gay vibes from Ellie and Ebony? Because I did. Basically, I ship a lot of things on this show. Ah, right, another thing I should mention... most heartbreaking moments: Dal’s death and Ryan finding out he won’t get to see his child. Also... peak acting on this show of Beth Allen and Ryan Runciman there. Anything else... ah yes... surprises... KC. I love KC. I don’t remember loving him that much, he’s fine in season 1, he’s better in season 2, but I just LOVE LOVE LOVE him in season 3. Barely makes up for the loss of Dal, but I love KC.

Soooooo... let’s summarize obvious things. After 3 seasons... - Top 3 female characters: Amber, Tai-San, Ellie. (special mentions to Alice and Ebony... and also, Trudy and the kids and... really, I love everyone) - Top 3 male characters: Bray, Dal, KC. (special mentions to Ryan, Pride... did I mention I love everyone?) - Characters who deserved better by the writers: Ryan, Patsy, KC, Bray, Zandra. - Characters who deserve better by the fandom: Trudy, Salene, Bray,  - Favorite canon ships: Bray/Amber, forever and always. I also really like Tai-San/Lex as well as I like Lex/Alice. But we all know the best option here is Alice/Tai-San. I really am warming up to Pride/May right now... and I will always love Salene/May. I also don’t understand why the show didn’t go with Trudy/Salene when they were RIGHT THERE AND PERFECT. Istg, Ebony and Ellie are also a thing. But well... the child in me could watch an entire show on Bray/Amber... and I guess... grown-up me isn’t that different ;)

[joysmercer]

b99 season 6: a timeline

*****ONLY ACCURATE FOR 6x06 AND LATER******

E1 (“HONEYMOON”): Tuesday, 5/15 - Tuesday, 5/29/2018 

First day of Jake and Amy’s Holt-less honeymoon – Wednesday, 5/23, which also happens to be the date Jake was originally planning to propose on (x)

E2 (“HITCHCOCK AND SCULLY”): Wednesday, 5/30/2018 E3 (“THE TATTLER”): Thursday, 5/31/2018

E4 (“FOUR MOVEMENTS”): Friday, 6/1 - Friday, 6/22/2018

Jake’s Birthday – sometime between 6/18-6/20 

E5 (“A TALE OF TWO BANDITS”): Day 1 – Day 2 2018 (?)

Gas Explosion on Halloween – Wednesday, 10/31/2018

The Santiago’s visit for Thanksgiving – Thursday, 11/22/2018

Secret Santa, hosted by Jake and Amy – around Tuesday, 12/25/2018

The Coldest Night of the Year – Sunday, 1/6/2019

E6 (“THE CRIME SCENE”): Monday, 1/7 – Sunday, 3/10/2019

Amy punches Jake – Wednesday, 2/27/2019

E7 (“HONEYPOT”): Wednesday, 3/13/2019 – Sunday, 3/17/2019 E8 (“HE SAID, SHE SAID”):  Monday, 3/18 - Friday, 3/22/2019 E9 (“THE GOLDEN CHILD”): Monday, 3/25 - Wednesday, 3/27/2019 E10 (“GINTARS”): Saturday, 3/30 - Tuesday, 4/2/2019 E11 (“THE THERAPIST”):  Monday, 4/8 - Wednesday, 4/10/2019

E12 (“CASECATION”):  Friday, 4/19/2019

Waterpark – Saturday, 4/20 - Wednesday, 4/24/2019

E13 (“THE BIMBO”): Thursday, 4/25 - Sunday, 4/28/2019 

B-Plot ends – Tuesday, 4/30/2019

E14 (“TICKING CLOCKS”): Wednesday, 5/1/2019 E15 (“RETURN OF THE KING”):  Thursday, 5/2 - Saturday, 5/4/2019 E16 (“CINCO DE MAYO”): Sunday, 5/5/2019

E17/18 (“SICKO & SUICIDE SQUAD”): Wednesday, 5/8 – Wednesday, 5/15/2019*

* if 7x01 begins right where 6x18 left off, Season 7 will probably open on Jake and Amy’s actual wedding anniversary. Cheers!

explanations for the dates are under the cut!

Things to keep in mind:

The B/C-plots, for the most part, are not included in the calculation of the times here, because they rarely line up with the A-plot. For example, it’s unlikely that Terry spent more than a few days unable to have enough confidence to make decisions in “Honeymoon,” let alone a few weeks.

I didn’t take weekends into consideration unless otherwise noted. There is a weekend squad, but we know that the regular detectives also sometimes work weekends (enough so that on more than one occasion, Holt has rewarded them with “weekends off”). 

Time-stamps within the episode are used as guidelines, but not always as the rule, unless there is a specific number of days given.

Jake’s birthday is somewhere between 5/21 and 6/20, so the one that Gina missed (referenced in “Return of the King”) had to have been the 2018 one, which means that Gina had to be out of the office before 6/24 (the Sunday after 6/20) – hence why the first 4 episodes are all squeezed together.

E1 (“HONEYMOON”): Tuesday, 5/15 - Tuesday, 5/29/2018

The first post-cold-open scene probably happens on Thursday, 5/17: Gina says that Holt is taking “another personal day,” implying that he was gone at least one day after the wedding. 

Jake and Amy reach Mexico two days later after, so Saturday, 5/19. Based on dialogue / events they attend / shirt changes, Holt leaves on Tuesday, 5/22. Jake and Amy’s extension begins the next day, 5/23. They are back at work “one week” after Holt leaves, so Tuesday, 5/29 (it could also be Monday 5/28, but it doesn’t really matter because the start date of 6x04 is locked in on a Friday anyway, so might as well give them a full week.)

Continuity Problem: “Captain Holt is at a 49 & improving 8.6% per day” implies that the first scene takes place ~5-6 days after the cold-open, but given Holt’s lack of usual Holt-ness the rest of the episode, we can assume his calculations are off. 

Continuity Problem: Amy says that “This is the first time all week” Holt has left them alone, but based on the activities they’ve shown, he’s really only been tagging around with them for, like, 4 days. I’m using the shorter version because 6x04 has to end as early as possible.

E2 (“HITCHCOCK AND SCULLY”): Wednesday, 5/30/2018

Jake is wearing a different shirt here than he was wearing in 6x01. So, the earliest that 6x02 can take place is Wednesday, 5/30. 

E3 (“THE TATTLER”): Thursday, 5/31/2018

The next day. It’s a bit odd to have a reunion on a Thursday, but roll with it.

E4 (“FOUR MOVEMENTS”): Friday, 6/1 - Friday, 6/22/2018

Like I said before, because of Jake’s canonical birthday, Gina has to be out of the office before 6/24.

Gina gives her two-week notice in the cold-open. 

She stays back Monday-Friday the week after she’s supposed to have left, implying that her official last day was a Friday (assuming that the squad had the weekend off after the Gina-rama festivities, and, of course, she meant exactly 2 weeks). Therefore, she gives her two-week notice on 6/1, her official last day is 6/15, She leaves 6/21, and the episode ends on 6/22.

This timeline locks Jake’s birthday in to the very end of Gemini season, between 6/18-6/20 (with his birthday drinks being the weekend after). Either that, or he (for whatever reason) decided to hold his celebrations a week or more after the actual day.

E5 (“A TALE OF TWO BANDITS”): Day 1 – Day 2 2018

I literally have no idea when this is supposed to happen, except that Day 1 happens on the same day as some kid’s Bar Mitzvah (so probably over the weekend) and the whole thing takes place before Christmas (Trudy says “see you at Christmas!” at the end).

It’s probably also before Halloween/Thanksgiving (so over the summer/early fall) because those events + the holiday season happen pretty close together and we would have probably gotten some indication of those dates approaching during the episode otherwise. 

E6 (“THE CRIME SCENE”): Monday, 1/7 – Sunday, 3/10/2019

The murder happens on a Sunday, so Day 1 is a Monday. 

Day 51: the briefing room shows 2019 monthly stats on the board, indicating that we’ve officially gotten to the new year, and it’s already February (or later)…

Since it has to be February by the time Day 51 rolls around and Day 1 is a Monday, the episode can start on either December 17, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or January 7. 

December 17 as a start date means that they were working straight through the holidays, which seems unlikely. Christmas/NY Eve as start dates are also unlikely, for obvious reasons. Therefore, Day 1 is Monday, January 7 (and Day 51 is 2/26/2019).

Day 52: Amy punches Jake – 2/27/2019

The Episode takes 8 weeks, 6 days (56 days + “one week later”): the episode ends 3/10/2019.

E7 (“HONEYPOT”): Wednesday, 3/13/2019 – Sunday, 3/17/2019

The episode starts with Jake saying, “this is the third secretary you’ve fired in 3 days,” which indicates that it’s been at least 3 days since the end of 6x06.

E8 (“HE SAID, SHE SAID”): Monday, 3/18 - Friday, 3/22/2019

Day 1: start case

Days 2-4: amy working nonstop; Beefer gives text messages

Day 5: final 2 scenes

Everything has to happen on a weekday because the office that they’re investigating is open throughout.

Continuity Problem: Amy has 3 weeks off; she’s caught up on her paperwork (by which the show meant that she really had no Sergeant duties), and it’s unlikely that Holt would let her sit around and do nothing for that amount of time. However, things always come up unexpectedly, and she’s not doing much anyway in E9-10.

E9 (“THE GOLDEN CHILD”): Monday, 3/25 - Wednesday, 3/27/2019

E10 (“GINTARS”): Saturday, 3/30 - Tuesday, 4/2/2019

Nikolaj probably isn’t in school during this time, at least in the beginning.

E11 (“THE THERAPIST”):  Monday, 4/8 - Wednesday, 4/10/2019

As per the B/C-plots, and the fact that therapists probably don’t schedule appointments on the weekends unless absolutely necessary, all of this had to have happened on a weekday.

E12 (“CASECATION”):  Friday, 4/19/2019

The earliest this could occur is 4/17; otherwise, it’s illogical to say “our anniversary is coming up.”  It’s also been “almost a month” since 6x09 (when they last “hung out”).

I made it a Friday so they could take “next week off” without having to go back to work first. 

E13 (“THE BIMBO”): Thursday, 4/25 - Sunday, 4/28/2019

Continuity Problem: 

The B-plot takes 6 days (5 tallies on the whiteboard, plus 1 more where Amy’s squad tells her to stop competing for lunchtime greatness), which poses some…problems. 

Four of these happen at the same time as the A-plot; two are unaccounted for. However, there aren’t enough days left if Jake and Amy come back from their week off on Monday, 4/29 like they’re supposed to. The latest date they could conceivably come back to work (which would also serve as the first day for the episode) is Saturday, 4/27.

There were three choices here: 

Jake and Amy return on Saturday, 4/27. The A-plot lasts until 4/30. The two “remaining” days for the B-plot occur at the same time as “Ticking Clocks” (5/1) and “Return of the King” (5/2). 

Jake and Amy return on Friday, 4/26. The A-plot lasts until 4/29. 1 remaining day occurs on the “Free Day” of 4/30, and the other happens at the same time as “Ticking Clocks,” on 5/1. 

Jake and Amy return on Thursday, 4/25. The A-plot lasts until 4/28. Both remaining days occur on the “Free Days” of 4/29 and 4/30.

Logistically, it wouldn’t make sense for one of the remaining days to happen during 6x15: Terry would have to a) randomly change his shirt multiple times/day for some reason, and b) comes back to the Precinct more times than shown while dealing with Gina’s problem. Option 1 doesn’t work.

Amy’s dentist appointment is the morning of 6x14, and the last day of “The Bimbo” is 9:07am-lunchtime, so Option 2 doesn’t work either.

Therefore, Jake and Amy start work again on Thursday and The B-plot continues into the afternoon of 4/30. I mean, do you really need a whole week at the waterpark anyway?

(why was the heist on Cinco de Mayo, instead of, like, anything in June. why)

E14 (“TICKING CLOCKS”): Wednesday, 5/1/2019

E15 (“RETURN OF THE KING”):  Thursday, 5/2 - Saturday, 5/4/2019

Day 1 is a weekday – Gina has a business meeting on this day.

Continuity Problem: Jake tells Gina that she’s been blowing him off for “the last few months,” but it’s been much longer than just a few months.

Continuity Problem: The B-plot supposedly takes place on Mariano Rivera’s birthday, which is actually in November.

E16 (“CINCO DE MAYO”): Sunday, 5/5/2019

E17/18 (“SICKO & SUICIDE SQUAD”): Wednesday, 5/8 – Wednesday, 5/15/2019

Day 3 is a Friday (at least, that’s what CJ says in his video). Considering that Terry is only just receiving his Lieutenant’s package, the finale probably occurs right after 6x16.

The episode takes 7 days (until 5/14); I’m assuming that the final scene of Holt as a Patrol Cop occurs the day after, or 5/15/2019. This should also be when the first scene of 7x01 happens. Happy anniversary, Jake and Amy! 

[spockuhurashipper]

“A Risk Worth Taking” - Chapter 8 - Voight/OC Fan Fic

Hi all! Please leave notes if you enjoy. I also have this story on fanfiction.net now if you’d prefer to read/comment there:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13185182/1/A-Risk-Worth-Taking-Voight-OC

Intelligence caught a new case while Layla was finishing up the software updates. A tender-aged male was found brutally tortured and left for dead. Layla got to see the Hank Voight that she’d only heard stories about when he started barking orders to his team and making damn sure they knew this case had to be solved - no matter what it took.

Around 3:00 PM, Layla finished her work and packed up her laptop. Everyone was out chasing down leads except Hank, who was in his office reviewing crime scene photos.

Hank looked up when Layla knocked on his door and waved her in. As soon as she entered he quickly closed the folder.

Hank ran his hand over his face, as if trying to clear the images from his mind, and sat back in his chair.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know I’m done with the updates. So I’ll be reporting back to Jerry for my next assignment.” Layla told him.

“Thanks for getting that done so fast.”

“No problem.” Layla told him.

They were both silent for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say. They both realized this was the last time, at least for a while, that they’d see each other at work.

“Hank, I wanted to…” Before Layla could finish, Hank’s cell phone rang. He looked at Layla apologetically before answering it.

“Voight.”

Layla watched as anger clouded his face. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

He was already standing and grabbing his coat as he ended the call.

“We’ve got another tender-aged victim at a similar crime scene.”

Layla stood and waved him on. “Go, go. We can talk later.”

She watched as he turned and headed towards the stairs, glad he was on the case. If anyone was going to catch this sick bastard, it would be Hank Voight and his team.

Layla headed downstairs and stopped at the desk to speak to Trudy. “Hey Trudy, I’m all finished upstairs so I guess I’ll see you around.” Layla pouted her lips, sad that she would have to leave the friends she’d made in precinct 21.

“Sad to hear that Layla. Too bad Intelligence caught such a rough case on your last day. Kind of a sour note to go out on.” Trudy said.

“Yeah,” Layla glanced over at the stairs, “but I know they’ll get the guy.”

Trudy met Layla’s eyes and nodded in agreement. “They will.”

An officer behind the desk interrupted, asking Trudy a question, and Layla realized she should get out of her hair.

“Well, I better get going but I’m all settled in at my place if you’re still interested in coming over to listen to some records?”

Trudy smiled, “Yeah, that’d be great.”

The two talked and decided on that coming Friday night. Layla headed out to her car and back to the IT office in the Ivory Tower to get her next assignment.

Her next assignment had Layla doing the same traffic cam software updates in precinct 9. It was a much slower-paced precinct and no one there really welcomed her. She came in, did her updates, and went home.

Layla had texted Kim throughout the week, and though she couldn’t get into details, Kim did tell her that their case was still unsolved.

Layla wanted to call Hank, if for no other reason than to voice her support for the team, but she knew if the case was still ongoing he would be working around the clock.

Before she realized it, Friday night had arrived. Layla was excited to have Trudy over. She liked the older woman, she was bold and funny. Layla was just taking a lasagna out of the oven when there was a knock at her door.

“Trudy, you’re early,” Layla said as she opened the door.

She was surprised to see Hank standing on the other side. He looked like hell.

“Hank, are you okay?” Layla put her hand on his arm and coaxed him into the apartment.

He didn’t say anything for a minute, just sat down on the couch, Layla sitting down beside him.

Finally Hank said, “We got the guy.”

Layla let out a sigh and said, “That’s great.”

But Hank’s expression didn’t change. He looked distant. Sad.

Hank wasn’t sure why exactly he was at Layla’s. Normally, he would have gone home and drank himself to sleep after a case like this. But after what he’d seen, he wasn’t quite ready to be alone with his thoughts.

Finally, Hank said, “That was one of the most brutal cases I have ever worked.”

Layla reached down to hold Hank’s hand in support and he flinched. Looking down, she saw his knuckles were raw, covered in dried blood.

She raised her eyes to his and knew instantly, he’d spent a little one on one time with the murderer.

“Let me get something to clean this for you.”

As Layla stood, there was a knock at the door. She’d momentarily forgotten that Trudy was coming over.

As soon as Layla opened the door, Trudy started talking. “Layla, I hope you like red wine because this bottle of cab is out of this world.” Trudy walked in and her eyes landed on Hank.

“Oh. Hi Hank.”

“Trudy. Sorry, I didn’t realize you two had plans. I’ll just head out.” Hank started to get up but Trudy stopped him.

“No, no, no. You stay, I’ll go.” Trudy had known Hank long enough to know he was in a bad place right now. She’d heard some details on the case Intelligence had been working and she was glad she didn't know more. It sounded incredibly brutal. Plus, she was a fan of this potential Hank/Layla relationship and decided she was going to help it along a little.

Layla watched as Trudy and Hank met eyes and seemed to have some unspoken conversation. Years of history obvious between them.

“Thanks Trudy.”

Trudy nodded and turned back to the door. “No sweat, Hank. Here,” Trudy turned to Layla and handed her the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon she’d been carrying. Layla was going to object but Trudy widened her eyes at her, and tilted her head slightly towards Hank. Layla nodded.

“Thanks Trudy. We’ll reschedule okay?”

After seeing Trudy out, Layla went into the bathroom and got some rubbing alcohol, bandages and ointment.

Hank was quiet while she cleaned the wounds on his hands.

“All done.” Layla said softly when his hands were cleaned and bandaged.

“Thanks.” He met her eyes and said nothing, grateful she was there.

“Have you eaten?” Layla asked as she stood, walking backwards to the kitchen. To lighten the mood, she said in a sing-sing voice,  “I just took a lasagna out of the oven.” Hank smiled, starting to come back to the present. It made her happy that she could distract him from his thoughts.

“That sounds great.”

Layla put on some soft music before they both headed into the kitchen. She fixed them each a plate with a small salad, lasagna and garlic bread. Then she opened the bottle of red that Trudy had left and poured them each a glass.

While she did that, Hank stood in front of her fridge which was covered in photos of Layla with her friends from North Carolina, Layla with her niece and nephews, with her sister and brother-in-law. Once Layla had everything on the table, she walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s eat, Sergeant.” Layla teased and Hank let out a small laugh as he sat down across from her at the kitchen table.

After one bite of the lasagna, Hank put his fork down and looked at her. “Beautiful, smart, and a great cook. I see you’re the whole package.” Layla laughed.

“Well I’m glad you think so.” Layla told him, a flirty look in her eye.

From that point on, Hank was able to put the case in the back of his mind. The two enjoyed the meal together and got to know each other better. Hank talked about why he became a cop, told Layla all about Erin, and talked fondly about his friend Al. For the first time since his death, Hank was able to hear his name without wanting to be sick on his stomach.

Layla enjoyed watching Hank relax. She was having a great time just talking with him.

When they settled into a comfortable silence, Layla cleared the table and said, “Why don’t you head back into the living room and I’ll refill our wine.”

Layla followed a few minutes later and sat beside him on the couch, handing him his wine glass.

“Layla,” Hank said, turning not just his head but shifting his body to face her, “Thanks for letting me crash your plans tonight.”

Layla smiled and took a sip of her wine. “I don’t think Trudy will fault me for inviting in a handsome man that just showed up at my door.”

Layla blushed and Hank let out an appreciative laugh.

“I promise I used to be better at flirting.” Layla sighed, embarrassed.

Hank put his hand on her leg and looked at her. “You’re doing great, don’t worry.”

Hank reached over and sat his wine glass on the side table, then took Layla’s and did the same.

When he turned back to her, Hank leaned forward and hesitated, looking into Layla’s eyes for consent. In response, Layla closed the space between them and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

This kiss was different. It was tender and patient. There was an understanding about it, as if they each saw a light breaking through the surface of the loneliness they’d been drowning in.

This kiss was full of hope.

The guilt that Layla had felt a week earlier was still there. She knew it wasn’t going to disappear overnight. But now it was quiet and still, falling to the back of her mind instead of causing panic to rise in her throat.

As they parted, Hank didn’t remove his hand from where it cradled Layla’s cheek. Their faces close, they both looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, both realizing the significance of what was just beginning between them.

Hank let his thumb slide gently along Layla’s cheek bone and she closed her eyes at his touch, sighing.

Slowly, he lowered his hand and Layla opened her eyes. Without saying anything, Hank leaned back and lifted his arm, prompting Layla to slip under it and tuck herself against his side, her cheek resting on his shoulder. The music that Layla had put on earlier was still playing softly in the background and the two of them sat like that for a long time, not saying anything.

Layla was starting to drift off, Hank’s warmth and comfort relaxing her, until she heard Hank clear his throat.

“It’s late. I should probably go.”

Layla snuggled closer to him and made a noise of protest, causing Hank to laugh. Layla could feel the rumble of it against her cheek.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself away from his side and stood up. Hank did too and they walked slowly towards the door.

“Thanks for dinner.” Hank told her as they reached the door and he turned around to face her.

“Anytime.”

“Listen,” Hank said, “Next Saturday night there’s this fancy party to kick off the mayor’s new gun control initiative. I have to go. Actually the whole team does.”

Hank reached out and took her hand, a sparkle in his eyes. “Will you go with me? As my date?”

They both knew that it meant people seeing them together and talking about them.

“I’d love to.”

Hank smiled and said, “I’ll get all the details and get back to you.”

Hank let go of her hand and turned around, opening the door. The cold air swirled in around them. Hank turned back to Layla, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips before whispering “goodnight.”

Layla watched as he walked down the stairs and out of sight.

[this-is-big-lady]

Swipe Right part 4/10

part 1, part 2, part 3

Hey guys! Here’s a long chapter to make up for the filler that was part 3, and to celebrate the last day of my second year of uni! (except for exams...) Fun fact, all of the courses that are mentioned in here are actual courses offered at my university, some of which I’ve taken. And all the places are real places on my campus!

A piercing alarm woke Davey from his dreamless sleep. He threw an arm over his eyes, groaning as he rolled over to fumble blindly for his phone. Begrudgingly rubbing his face, he squinted at the bright screen, stabbing at the stop button before the alarm finally switched off. He lay on his back with a huff, seeing the gentle morning light slipping through the gaps at the sides and bottom of his curtains, and stretching to wake up.

Davey stared at the ceiling for a few moments before he remembered the events of last night and sat bolt upright, scrambling to see if he had any new messages from the night before. He did, but none from the person he wanted. A couple from his family group chat, his mum wishing him well for the new week and Les sending him a picture of the new book he picked up from the library, and a couple from guys on tinder, but none from Jack. He dragged his hands through his hair in an effort to remove some of his bed hair, and pulled himself out of his bed.

He padded into into the kitchen only to be greeted by sunshine in human form, Crutchie. Through a mouthful of toast, Crutchie managed to articulate a “good morning!” to Davey, to which he simply replied, “do you always have to be so fucking chipper in the mornings?” Crutchie swallowed his toast and smiled in response, and Davey rolled his eyes and turned to make his own toast.

Thankfully the two boys didn’t live too far from campus, so after Davey finished his breakfast and had a shower, the friends walked to college together before they headed off to their respective classes - Drama on Stage and Screen for Davey, and Social Policy for Crutchie. They always enjoyed the walk, it meant they could complain to each other about what the day’s classes had in store for them, or they could grab coffee if they’d been up late studying. Crutchie’s lecture hall was on the way to Davey’s, so they said their goodbyes and Davey continued to his classroom.

30 minutes into the class, Davey couldn’t be more bored. He loved this class, but the topic of today’s lecture wasn’t capturing him. As the lecturer droned on about how Disney adapted Beauty and the Beast from its original French fairy tale, his phone dinged in his pocket. He scrambled to turn it onto silent, and checked the notification: Jack sent you a new message. An involuntary squeak of surprise came from his mouth, and he swiftly apologised to the people around him who turned to look at the commotion. His cheeks quickly went bright red, and his heart was pounding as he opened the message. Even though he felt guilty for ignoring his lecturer, this couldn’t wait.

His message said, ‘I’d love to talk to you about art sometime, but it’s pretty difficult to talk with the masterpiece ;)’

He openly gaped at the message, his blush travelling to his ears and burning his face. Did Jack really just insinuate that he, Davey Jacobs, was a masterpiece? Even if it was a cheesy pick up line coming from the fact that he listed art as one of his interests in his bio, Davey couldn’t quite believe anyone would have the balls to send him that.

Davey spoke too soon, as a second message quickly appeared under the first.

‘But seriously, I’d love to talk with you sometime. Does coffee tomorrow sound good?’

He felt like he could faint. His heart was pounding a million miles a minute and Davey swore the people sitting around him in the lecture theatre could hear it. He laughed a little to himself - more like a tiny exhalation of air - as he realised that Crutchie was right. Jack came to him first! When he managed to calm down enough that his hands stopped shaking from the adrenaline, he texted Crutchie that something urgent happened and that he needed to skip his next class to meet him. Crutchie’s tendency to do anything for his friends meant he’d definitely meet him in the quad area between their two buildings, and that’s what the duo agreed to do.

When the lecturer dismissed Davey’s class, he was the first one out the door and speed walked to the tree in the quad. Crutchie took a minute longer to reach the tree, but was panting a little, so he obviously went as fast as possible to see what was so urgent that he had to skip his Learning Sexualities course.

“Wha- What happened?” Crutchie projected as soon as he was in earshot. Davey’s smile from ear to ear showed that it clearly wasn’t a bad thing, but Crutchie was confused. Normally when someone said something was urgent, it meant it was bad. So why was Davey smiling?

“He messaged me!” Davey all but yelled. “You were right! I didn’t do a thing and he… Jack messaged me!” He boy was bouncing on his toes, a bubble about to burst from too much excitement.

Crutch slowed down to a stop in front of Davey, processing the information. “You mean to tell me, that you texted me in the middle of a lecture - something you never do,” Davey’s head nodded furiously to prove Crutchie’s point. “And then told me it was urgent, which it probably wasn’t, because a boy messaged you on a dating app you downloaded last night?!” Davey was a little stunned at the hint of anger mixed in with Crtuchie’s surprise. He started to scuff his shoes against the dirt , and mumbling out an apology. “Well, yeah, Crutch. I guess I shouldn’t have done that and I’m sor-“

“No, don’t finish that sentence.” Crutchie hated seeing Davey like that, doubting himself and feeling like he’d done the wrong thing. He was genuinely excited for his friend, he was just surprised at the un-Davey like behaviour. Even if he was missing a lecture, he knew it was important to his friend for him to be here. Crutchie took a step closer to Davey, waving his bum leg over Davey’s feet in order to get his attention from where he was studying the ground. When Davey looked up at him, he simply asked, “What did Jack say?”

Davey’s eyes lit up as he fished in his pocket for his phone and he excitedly blurted out, “He called me a masterpiece Crutch! He really did! And he asked me out for coffee tomorrow, isn’t that exciting?!” Davey thrust his phone into Crutchie’s right hand, letting go of the hand hold of that arm’s crutch, and scanning the two messages for himself. He smile back at his friend, and with a laugh in his voice said “That’s so great Davey, I’m so happy for you!” Davey bobbed a little side to side, a telltale sign that he was genuinely happy. “Well, what are you gonna reply, loverboy?”

“Reply? I… I don’t really know.” Davey’s smile faltered a little and his bobbing slowed. “I was kinda hoping that you’d help me, Crutch.” The younger boy couldn’t help but smile up to Davey - he’d never seen his normally hyper-focused friend get so torn up about someone. Even if it had been less than 24 hours, this kind of distraction from his constant work and worry would be good for him. “Of course I’ll help you Davey! But if Jack can wait overnight, he can wait for the next two hours. You know how much Trudy hates it when people are late to her class!” Crutchie gave the phone back to Davey who was elated to hear that his room mate was going to help him out.

Crutchie started to head off to his lecture that would be starting any second. He was going to be late and probably get called out by his lecturer for it, but he knew that it’d be worth it if it meant he got to help Davey. “Lunchroom in the Human Sciences Building, 1pm, okay?!” He yelled over his shoulder as he walked away, and saw Davey throw him a thumbs ups in acknowledgement. This was going to be a long day for Crutchie.

As he walked into the lunchroom, Crutchie could see Davey peering at his phone’s illuminated screen and picking at his fingernails. It was a bad nervous habit of his that he could never seem to break. When he reached Davey’s table, he tapped him on the shoulder, taking the boy of his reverie, even if he jumped a little. “Oh hey, Crutch. How was class?” Crutchie sighed as he slung his bag off his shoulder and plonked down on the seat next to Davey. “The usual, y’know. It was Learning Sexualities, so just lots of gay kids yelling at each other under the guise of a ‘class discussion’. At least it’s an easy pass.” Davey chuckled a little at Crutchie’s exasperation. He definitely knew the feeling of sitting through a painful class. “Anyway,” the blonde boy continued, “have you thought about what you want to say?”

With a sigh Davey nervously ran his hand through his hair and stared at the two blue message bubbles that were staring back at him. “I mean, it’s a fairly simple message right?” He looked at Crutch for approval, and he nodded back at Davey with a smile. “I should just say that coffee tomorrow works for me and ask where. I can do that.”

A few quiet moments passed as Davey’s affirmation hung in the air, and he made no move to do what he said he would. “So, do it” Crutchie prompted. He noted that Davey’s hands shook a little as he held his phone. Nerves. More silence.

“What if he kills me Crutch?” Davey’s eyes were pleading as he looked at his friend. This was Davey’s first foray into the dating world, his nerves were understandable. Good thing then that he had the ever optimistic Crutchie on his side.

Crutchie placed his hand softly over Davey’s hand longing onto his phone. “That would put a real dampener on his project, Dave.” This was met with a groan from the nervous boy, who clearly though that his friend’s attempt at humour wasn’t funny. “I’ll tell you what, how about I sit in the coffee shop too? Not at the same table, of course, but I’ll be there in case you need an easy way out. How does that sound?”

Davey’s eyes flicked between Crutchie’s face and his phone as he was processing the request. “That sounds… good.” Davey visibly relaxed at the reassurance that his best friend would be there to look after him, to which Crutchie patted him on the back. “Excellent! Now, all we have to do Dave, is accept Jack’s invitation!”

Davey took a deep breath to steady his hands and typed out a quick message to his virtual conversation partner, and showed Crutchie for approval. “‘Tomorrow sounds perfect. When and where works for you?’,” he snuck a smile at Davey who was back to picking at his nails, waiting for the go-ahead. “It’s perfect Davey! And it’s…”He looked back down at the phone at tapped the send button, telling Davey when the sent symbol appear. “Sent!”

Davey opened his mouth in panic to protest, and Crutchie slipped his index finger over his friend’s mouth to silence him. “No protests, Jacobs. I simply did what you didn’t have the balls to do.” After a moment, Davey pushed away the wrist resting under his chin, simply noting, “fair enough.”

The boys dug into their lunches - mince pasta with a very generous helping of cheese for Crutchie, and chicken sandwiches for Davey. They bitched back and forth about their classes and upcoming assignments. Thankfully they were coming up to a two week break, so they had time to relax a little and do their course work at a slightly more leisurely pace. In the middle of Davey’s animated monologue about masculinity in Beauty and the Beast, a lecture he received last week in his literature course, his phone sounded from where it was placed next to his lunch box. His heart leapt into his throat as he saw Jack’s message notification from Tinder. The monologue came to a screeching holt as he scrambled for his phone and unlocked it. Crutchie sat and watched an elated expression spread across Davey’s face.

“The Starbucks opposite the church on the south end of campus. 2pm… Oh my god Crutchie I have a date!” Davey’s eyes widened with excitement and he clutched his phone close to his chest. Crutchie couldn’t help but laugh, Davey was just too damn excited and it was the best thing he’d seen all week. “Not so loud, Jacobs!”

Only a few people had turned to look at the outburst Davey had made, but the boy was on cloud nine and couldn’t care at all. He quickly typed out a reply - Sounds great, I’ll see you there :)

“I guess I have a date with a coffee and my social policy essay too,” Crutchie added with a lilt and a smile. Davey jumped up and walked over to his friend, leaning down and wrapping his arms around Crutchie’s torso, resting somewhat awkwardly on his shoulders. “You’re seriously the best, Crutch. Was would I do without you?” The smaller boy patted Davey’s arm, and stated the obvious. “You certainly wouldn’t have a hot date tomorrow, I can tell you that.”