#truck loads available

[grinchwrapsupreme]

my boss is leaving work early tomorrow during a very important and stressful day in order to go see beyonce and then is immediately leaving on vacation to barcelona for two weeks while we're literally in tech for the most difficult and temperamental show of the year and i'm extremely pissed off about it but i'm not as pissed off as i should be because our head tech called him Vacation Boy behind his back yesterday and that's soothed the sting some

[givemaycoffee]

Thinking about how hiring people to load your furniture + boxes into a moving van deprives loved ones of an opportunity to spend an afternoon loving you.

[coryosbaby]

Down & Dirty

Fandom: “Outer Banks”

Pairing: mean! Rafe Cameron x fem! Pogue! Bimbo! Reader

Cw: dark themes— dubcon, angst, manipulation, nsfw . Gunplay, dumbification, mud scene, codependency, subspace, anal, breeding, daddy kink, extreme domination, size kink, predator/prey dynamics

A/N: bro I was fuckin FERAL writing this .

Fear courses through you as Rafe Cameron’s hand covers your mouth and he drags you away towards his truck. You knew it was a bad idea to come here by yourself, but you went against your better judgement.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that.” He calmly but scarily murmurs as you struggle. His bottom lip peeks out and his eyes are almost vacant.

You’ve always known that Rafe is somewhat of a bad person, given the torment he had always given you being Sarah’s best friend— but now, with his grip tight and mean, gun barrel pointing at your skull, you know now that something has shifted inside him — something dark and unforgiving. The hands that had once been soft on your skin, the eyes and body that had comforted you once or twice, regardless of Rafe’s violent tendencies with your pogue friends, we’re now aiming to end your life .

“Rafe, please…” You plead with him, as he yanks you by your hair.

“Rafe, please,” he mocks. “Jesus, you’re fucking pathetic. You’re lucky that I haven’t put a bullet in that pretty fucking skull yet.”

Tears well in your eyes and you kick him in his groin. It makes him groan, and he drops his grip from you. You run away from him, at a certain point having to stop and take your favorite pair of heels off. You were incredibly stupid to wear them here.

Rafe catches up to you quick. He tackles you, and with a loud sloshing sound you both land in the mud on the ground. He wrestles you down until his hands are around your neck. You gasp, trying to run away again, trying to get away from this guy you had once recognized as a form of comfort for you, but to no avail.

“You fucking bitch.” The gun has been lost somewhere beside the both of you, but that doesn’t make the boy any less threatening. “I never wanted to hurt you! You did this to your self- stop fucking squirming!”

You sob as his hands loosen a bit on you. He looks down at your supple chest, your bra now peeking out of your tank top from all of the movement.

“Even now you’re dressed like a fucking slut,” he growls. Your brows furrow. You’ve been avoiding eye contact with him, but now you meet his once again. He looks like a predator about to catch its prey.

He looks angelic, almost… a fallen angel. You breathe out, and with enough strength to pull forward, you kiss him.

You don’t know why you do it— sex is the thing that most men want from you, so maybe that’s why. As a way to plead for your life.

His tongue finds its way into your mouth for a moment, his teeth clacking against yours, but as if pulled out of a trance he rips himself away from you. Mud cakes his face and arms as he gets up to his feet.

You let out a tiny whine as he looks down at you, from frustration or fear you don’t know. Probably both. You flimsily move up on your knees, doe eyes looking up at him with a begging expression.

Rafe’s eyes dart to the other side of you, and he catches sight of the loaded gun laying in a heap on the ground. He grabs it and shoves the barrel against your skull. With one hand he wraps it around your neck and pulls you closer to him.

“The fuck is wrong with you?” He says with a disgusted tone.

You don’t say anything, just let out a little whimper. He catches sight of your tank top again— and a small smirk glazes his features.

He grabs the strings of it and rips the flimsy thing right down the middle. When it settles in what’s about to happen, a wet spot forms in your panties.

You might die right now, covered in mud and grass, but you’re fucking horny.

“I should kill you right now,” he whispers heavily against your ear. “But that’s not what you want, is it? You want me to fuck you, right here on the dirty fucking ground. Don’t you?”

You nod your head, desperate. For what, you don’t know.

He smiles, demented. And he moves the gun down to your mouth. “Just a dirty little pogue that wants to get filled with dick, right?”

“Yes… yes, sir.” You mumble. Your tongue lolls out to lick at the gun barrel. “I wan’ it..”

And that’s all the confirmation Rafe needs. He places the gun in the back of his waistband and begins to undo his belt.

“Of course you do,” he rambles. “That’s all you’ve ever fuckin’ wanted was to get dicked down by me. I always saw the way you looked at me, y’know.”

You move closer to him when he pulls his lengthy cock out of his pants. It’s heavy, thick and long, circumcised, with precum coating the tip. A vein runs down one side of it, almost throbbing.

You reach out and lick the tip of him. He tastes absolutely divine.

“‘S so pretty..” you whisper. You drag your face along it, just to feel the warm skin and lick it all up.

Rafe, bored, grabs your face and positions his cock in front of your mouth.

“Open that fucking mouth as wide as it can go.”

You obey, mouth opening to take him; he shoves his cock in as deep as it can go. He reached behind him to his waistband and the gun is back in one of his hands again. He shoves it against your head for a third time. He groans when you gag around his fat prick, and your body naturally moves forward in between his legs. Rafe takes notice and is quick to wrap his thighs around each side of your head, making sure to squeeze. It’s too much pressure on your head, and you try to move away. But Rafe slaps both sides of your blushing face and thrusts so hard that you gag.

“Don’t fucking move. You move, I’ll fuckin’ shoot you. Do you understand me?”

You can’t nod, but you cry out around him. He holds the top of your hair with his fingers and keeps you down until you can’t breathe.

But seriously, you can’t breathe— your vision goes blurry and you’re almost close to passing out. You’re too dazed to care, But thankfully Rafe doesn’t want to kill you just yet. He forces your head away. You gasp, choking and sputtering, trying to get more oxygen back into your now sore throat. He’s back on you in an instant, though, and he’s leaking so much precum and you’re drooling so much that it’s dripping out of the sides of your mouth. His balls slap against your chin; your nose presses into his pubic hair, and he smells so delicious that you almost start rutting into the filthy ground.

He pulls you off of him when he’s about to cum. You get thrown to the ground, your head hitting the soft mud and caking your face. Rafe discards the gun again, gets down on his knees behind you, and rips your skirt and underwear down your legs vigorously. Your puffy cunt is revealed to him. He tsks, running a finger through your folds.

“So wet. And shit—“ he pulls your cheeks apart, exposing your juicy pussy and tight asshole to the warm air. You clench around nothing as he spits down in between your ass cheeks. “All your little holes are so tiny. Fuck, this is gonna hurt you, sweetheart.”

“Please..” you whimper, pushing your body back against him on your hands and knees. “Need daddy’s big cock. Need it ‘s bad.”

The fact that you’re talking in third person like this should be a bit concerning. Your mind is so far gone. But Rafe doesn’t care about that— all he cares about is ripping your sloppy cunt open.

“I know you do.” He states. His tongue goes down to your asshole. He runs it along that place there, and down to the place in between your ass and pussy. His thumb moves around and lightly massages your clit. It’s the first kind of stimulation he’s given you and your eyes roll to the back of your head.

“Yeah, you like that, don’t you?” He mutters. “Maybank ever do this to you?”

He’s referring to JJ; he has, although you don’t want to admit that to him. Rafe isn’t the first cock you’ve sucked, the first guy to finger your pussy. But he’s by far the best.

“S-Sometimes..”

It comes out low, and his fingers stop.

“Yeah? You slut yourself out to all those dirty pogues?”

When you don’t answer, his hand comes down on the fat of your ass. You sob.

“No! N-No, just JJ, I swear!”

He reaches around and slaps your pussy. It hurts, and Rafe thinks that you let out a sound like a pained little bunny. The nickname makes so much sense to him, and he’s angry as he lines himself up to your puffy entrance.

“You’re never gonna see him again.” He states. His tip sinks into you. The stretch stings, fucking hurts so bad. You’ve sucked cock but you’ve never had one inside your cunt. “You’re mine. You’ll always be mine. You dumb fucking bunny.”

And he pushes himself in, in, in, and you’ve never felt so full, so dirty, so claimed. He pushes past that thin little wall inside you, pops your cherry with his cock’s mushroomed head. When it breaks through blood coats his length; he knows because he begins to move quick after that, sees the red coated on his dick. You’re so tight and sweet and fuck— Rafe doesn’t think he can kill you anymore. He needs to be inside you forever.

“Mine.” He growls. “All mine.”

You’re laying there, having no choice but to take it. The pain feels good. Rafe grabs your wrists and pins them behind your back as he begins to pound you right there in the dirt.

Little ah ah ahs leave you as his balls slap against your clit. He shoves one of his fingers into your mouth. You can taste the grittiness of dirt and under that, his natural taste— mixed with the taste of hand soap, almost. Probably the one that sits back in the Cameron household’s second bathroom, on the counter. Or maybe it’s the body wash that he so often washes himself with; you know this because you use it sometimes. You like the way the boy smells.

“Little pussy’s squeezing me so fuckin’ tight.” He groans. “Best pussy daddy’s ever had baby, fuck.”

He’s almost a whimpering mess himself. He’s not gonna last long because of your cunt— and he intends to make the most of it.

He grabs you by your throat, has bent backwards against him as he presses a messy kiss to your mouth. It’s hungry, it’s crazy, the whole situation is. But you’re both at each other like fucking animals.

“Whose pussy is this?” He demands. You lick at his bottom lip, clench around him just right.

“Yours! ‘S all yours, daddy!”

“Yeah, that’s right.” He huffs, then he thumbs your asshole and watches as you suck him in. “Gonna fuck this tight little ass after this. Gonna take you home and take you right there on my fuckin’ staircase.”

You mewl, and you can tell that he’s close. You reach around to try and rub your own clit, but Rafe slaps your hand away. He turns you over on your back. You can see him a lot better this way, and he looks like a fucking God, pounding you so good like this. He pushes your legs over your head and slides back inside your gummy walls. He buries his face in your neck and his fingers move down to your clit. When he rubs you, it doesn’t take long before you’re cumming on him with a scream. Your cunt tightening around him makes him let out a growl, and you beg him for his load.

“Please, Rafey,” you whine out. “Please cum inside me. I need your cum in my tight little pussy.. wanna be a mommy, wanna have your baby, please please please—“

He lets out an animalistic shout, and his cock squirts warm, white cream right against your cervix. He pounds you even more at the force of his orgasm. When he comes down, he slows and breathes in your scent. The sweet strawberry perfume you wear is right against his nostrils. He pulls out of you, slow. He spreads your pussy lips apart and watches his seed drip out of your gaping pussy.

“Good girl..” he coos, oddly sweet. “Daddy’s good little cocksleeve..”

Your mind is hazy, and even here in the woods you grab his hands and grab him to pull him closer to you. He pushes you away, however, and grumbles, “Don’t. Cmon, get up.”

You comply, on shaky legs. He picks up your tank top, slips it over your head. Your skirt is practically in shreds, so he just puts your panties back on. You’re too fucked out to even care that he’s dragging you to his truck, half naked, cum dripping down your legs. You don’t care.

The ride to the Cameron residence is quiet. Rafe threw the gun in the console when he got in. You fall asleep halfway there, and he turns the radio on softly.

He looks over at you. Caked in dirt, cheeks red, scratches all over your thighs. You must’ve got them from the twigs in the mud.

Something tugs at his chest. He blames it on the adrenaline.

The house is empty; Wheezie, Rafe had sent off to a friend’s. Sarah, running around with the pogues, probably trying to find you. Rose, god knows where. His dad, dead. He does what he said he would do. He sits himself down on the staircase, pulls out his cock, already hard from the way your thighs are wet. He positions you on top of him as you look down at him tiredly. You want to be good for him, though, and let him stretch your ass out on his fingers. Afterwards you move your panties to the side, grab his cock and slide it inside your heat. You bounce on him, mouth agape as you look into his eyes. There seems to be more emotion in them now. He’s calmed.

He digs his fingernails into your hips, and he grunts when your lips find his neck and you suck a bruise onto it. He spills inside you for a second time, and then he makes you go upstairs with him. He pulls you into his bathroom, the one connected to his room, that you’ve never been in. He takes off the both of your clothes and starts a warm shower. He pulls you inside of it, takes a rag and begins scrubbing the both of you down. You lean against him as he does so, leaving kisses against his now bare chest. His fingers come down to your pussy and make you cum again, an oddly selfless act preformed by the boy. A reward because you were good, maybe? He turns the water off when you’re both squeaky clean. You don’t let him out of your grasp until he gets out of the shower and you follow him. He grabs a towel and dries your used body off with it, and then grabs another and does the same for himself. He guides you to his bed, and you crawl into it.

Your mind is still a mess. You feel alight, like you’ve been touched by god himself. But Rafe’s distance from you when he sits beside you makes you frown. It saddens you so much even, that tears well in your eyes again. Rafe can see the tears coming down your face.

“Jesus, are you fucking crying right now?”

Silence, and then a small sniffle. He scoffs.

“Need me to fuckin’ coddle you, or somethin’?”

You don’t say anything, but you do want that— you don’t know why. He had just taken you in the literal fucking mud, like a disgusting fucking animal. But his warm embrace sounds like something that can ease the headache forming in your skull.

Rafe must sense this. Because he groans, and lays himself down in the spot beside you.

“Come here.” He demands, harshly. You turn over, surprised at his words, but comply regardless. You bring your arms up around his neck and nestle in the space between his arm and torso; it’s comfortable there, it’s warm and soft. You like it. Maybe you’re losing your fucking mind.

You feel the need to thank him for his generosity— you still haven’t gotten out of that space he had forcefully thrown you into— and you need him to be proud of you, almost.

“Rafe—” you say, voice a bit hoarse.

“Did I say you could talk?”

“No..” you murmur. “‘m sorry.”

“Better be.”

He pulls the comforter over the both of you. He remembers the gold, the entire reason why this had occurred in the first place. But it can wait. Exhaustion overtakes him. After a moment a small sigh emits from him and his thumbs rub soft circles against your shoulder.

And soft, almost like an angels wings, he kisses your head with plush lips.

© 2023 bratty-lxndry444 🤏🏻 all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, modify, repost, or claim as yours !!!

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Mitsubishi Minicab Truck, 1966. The LT30 was Mitsubishi's first cabover kei truck. It was powered by a front mounted air cooled, 2-stroke, 359cc ME24 engine and was available with cargo gates on three sides (high bed) to simplify loading and unloading. There was also a low-bed version with fixed sides and a rear tailgate.

[notmyneighbor]

A New Neighbor - Francis Mosses/The Milkman x Female Reader

Chapter 2

Word Count - 5k

Rating - Explicit

CW - cheating, touching, oral sex

Also available on AO3

taglist - @kaislashes @unicorngirly1 @charli33-b33 @natiii727227

3:57AM

Francis’ body is programmed to wake up early no matter what day of the week it is. He’s done this delivery job for so many years, it’s ingrained in his system. There is no sleeping in, even on the weekends. One of the reasons Nacha sleeps on the couch some nights, or vice versa.

Last night it had been his turn to have the bed to himself. He stretches and rubs his eyes, his energy picking up when he realizes it’s the day he’s promised to pick you up after school. Nacha is off today. He won’t have to worry about anyone watching Anastacha.

The milkman showers and shaves, making sure his skin is extra smooth before splashing on aftershave. Did you like it? He’d have to ask. He doesn’t really know what you prefer.

Well. He was starting to get some idea.

He tries to be quiet getting the coffee pot going, and of course he fails, the ceramic mug nearly tumbling over when he sets it on the kitchen counter too hastily.

“Francis.” Nacha’s reprimanding voice issuing from the living room sounds drowsy.

“Sorry. Go back to sleep. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Did you change the time on the alarm?” She sounds more alert now.

“Yes.”

“I’m gonna go lie down in bed until it’s time to get Ana ready.”

“Okay.”

His girlfriend barely spares him a glance before padding down the hallway to the master bedroom. The coffee is ready to pour and he lifts the glass carafe from the burner, filling the mug three quarters of the way full, then stirring in cream and sugar, noting they’re running low on both. He removes the pen from his shirt pocket that he uses for the deliveries (marking off addresses, payments, signatures, that sort of thing) and uses it now to add to the growing list of necessary items affixed to the fridge with a magnet. The pair took turns doing the shopping. Sometimes he’d pick up random items they needed on the way home. Sometimes Anastacha liked to come along on a Saturday morning. It really all depended on how the week was progressing.

Francis emerges from the apartment shortly after, pleasantly surprised to find the weather is mild when he steps outdoors. A sign of an early spring, perhaps. He’s got gloves tucked into his jacket pocket, but it seems he might not need either today. By the time he’s delivered to a few houses, he finds himself warming up sufficiently even without the aid of the dairy truck’s heater.

You’re in his thoughts throughout the day, and not all of it is sexual in nature this time.

Surprising what his mind chooses to focus on. That little moment at the end of your last encounter when he’d taught you the special knock. Sharing that secret with you made him feel…something. It’s too early to say what it is yet.

For once he’s grateful for the busy assignment, making the time pass more quickly once he’s loaded up the truck. He’s working extra efficiently this morning, despite the early hour. Normally he’s sluggish and reluctant at the start of the shift, his body protesting in spite of its acknowledgment of the routine. This new nervous energy you imbued him with, though, changes everything. He wants to make sure he’s at your school promptly on your agreed upon time.

The weather is so nice he stops for lunch at a local park. It’s a weekday, so it’s not too crowded. Mainly young children using the playground, accompanied by their mothers. He should bring Ana here soon. Maybe he’ll invite you along, too.

He finishes his route with time to spare, pulling up near the front entrance of the high school you attend. That’s when his palms start to get a little damp, his left foot twitching nervously. The likelihood of running into anyone he knows here is slim, but not impossible. The school isn’t on his route. He doesn’t really have a valid excuse to account for his presence here if anyone asked.

No one does. The minutes slip by. You’re there. Pushing through the glass front doors, squinting against the glare of the sun. He can see your smile even from here. Brighter than that celestial body in the sky. Your cardigan is tied around your waist. You’re carrying some books, clutched against your chest. A casual walk that quickens suddenly, impatient to see him.

“Hi,” you greet him through the open door.

He suddenly realizes the problem with this plan. The truck only has a seat for the driver. It isn’t meant to host passengers.

“Hi. How was school?”

“Good.” You adjust the strap of the bag on your shoulder. “Where do I, um…”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, so. About that. I guess I wasn’t thinking…I can grab one of empty crates from the back and sit on that? Sorry.”

“No problem. I don’t mind.”

He lends you a hand to help you enter the vehicle. He’s used to the high step, but it’s a little more challenging for you. Your hand clings to his tightly, even after you’ve safely made it inside.

“Hi,” you say again, but this is a different kind of greeting. Softer. Your eyelids dip languidly. He wants nothing more than to grab you and kiss you right then, but it’s too public here. Even seen doing this is still risky.

“We should go somewhere less…exposed, you know?”

“Okay.” You watch him move one of the aforementioned crates and drag it near his seat, then unknot and set your cardigan down on top of it before sitting, your bag and books tucked next to your makeshift seat on the floor.

“All set?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

It takes a few minutes to leave the city proper, traveling into the suburbs. The truck is not the smoothest of rides; he’s always forced to make sure the glass bottles are secured properly before he makes his deliveries. It jostles you now, and he lets one hand drop down for you to hold.

“I don’t really know where to go,” he admits once he reaches the outskirts of the densely populated residential area. It’s farm country out here. Lots of open fields. Orchards.

“There’s…there’s a house people go to. Kids at my school talk about it. It’s abandoned. A place to, you know…”

“That doesn’t seem particularly safe nowadays with the doppels running loose. But I suppose horniness overrides caution,” he remarks wryly. “You shouldn’t go anywhere alone, though,” he adds, his smile fading.

“Oh! That reminds me. We didn’t do the secret knock.”

He’d completely forgotten, too. Not that he has any doubts you’re really you.

He eases off the road, parking the truck in the dirt. “Okay. We’ll do it now.”

You stand, stretching gratefully from your awkward position. His fingers tap out the melody on the dashboard that’s in desperate need of dusting, leaving fingerprints behind as he goes. You make your own set beside his. Your fingers are so much smaller and thinner than his. Elegant. It’s no wonder you play piano.

“What would you do if I was a doppelgänger?” You pull his cap off and toss it onto the shelf above the steering wheel.

“Let you eat me and die happy.”

“Francis!”

He snakes an arm around your waist and tugs you closer. Your fingers card through his thick chocolate colored tresses. He buries his face against your shirt, inhaling your fragrance. You remain like that for a few minutes, just holding each other. It’s so quiet out here. He’s used to the noises of the city, the sounds of the traffic and people. Even at night it’s still busy. It never really slumbers.

But here it’s different. Peaceful. He likes the feel of your fingers combing through his hair. Soothing, being pressed against you like this. Warm. The sun pours through the windows, bathing skin in golden light. Your body is so soft. This is another moment he knows he’s going to savor again later in his memories.

Eventually he eases back, his eyes meeting yours. “Want to come for a walk?”

You nod. He helps you down from the truck. Your hand slips into his. The dead weeds from the previous season aren’t difficult to navigate. It’s easy to traverse the field, leaving the truck and the road and the entire world behind.

“My dad said you’re engaged,” you murmur, disrupting the comfortable silence. Francis halts and you stop beside him. “But Nacha doesn’t wear a ring.”

“We’re not really engaged,” he says. He sighs heavily. “We should probably talk about my situation. You deserve to know the truth.”

“Okay.”

“Sit with me.”

He eases down into what looks like a softer, more cushioned patch of ground, clustered with wild grass and you settle beside him, tucking your skirt beneath you.

“When I was younger,” he begins, then sighs again. “I’m just going to tell you straight. You’re an adult. I mean. Basically.” He pulls at one of the longer blades of grass and begins wrapping it and unwrapping it around his index finger. “We made a mistake. We just wanted to fool around, have some fun. And we weren’t careful. And Nacha got pregnant. It wasn’t planned. We weren’t even dating, really. I know it takes two and all that. We both had an equal share of blame. I couldn’t just let her bear the burden while I got off Scott free. So we decided to throw our lots in together, see if we couldn’t make something come of it anyway. We told people we were going to get married to cover up for what really happened.”

He drops the piece of grass. “Nothing really came of it. We have Ana, and of course we both love her. But we weren’t ready for any of this. We’re basically roommates. Two people occupying the same space linked by this one little person. We make each other crazy, sometimes. We’re so different. I’m glad she’s getting out of the house, now. She deserves to be happy.”

“You deserve to be happy, too,” you comment gently, your first words since his own had poured forth.

“I’ve kept all this bottled up inside me for so long. We keep to ourselves. We don’t really have friends. All I do is work. I feel trapped. Suffocated. I want…I want something more.” It’s a relief to finally give voice to the thoughts and feelings that have been plaguing him. It’s easy to talk to you. There’s no harsh judgment in your gaze. All he feels radiating from that look is understanding.

“I’ve been my dad’s whole world for as long as I can remember. He’s always been good to me. Maybe too protective, sometimes. But I want him to be happy, too. I wish he’d find someone.” You reach for the milkman’s hand. “Maybe sometimes it’s good to take risks. To be reckless. Are you really living if you spend your entire existence trapped in some bubble?”

He covers your hand with his other one, clutching yours between them. “But you’re safer that way. You don’t want to make the same mistake I did and rush things. You’re young, you have such a bright future ahead of you. Enjoy your life. Your dad said you’re a great student. Do something with that. Go to college. Have a career. The other stuff can wait for later.” It sounds like he’s pushing you away. Maybe part of him is. The decent part that’s still there, buried beneath the lust, fresh spring flowers poking through the soil, carefully emerging.

You study his face for a few moments. “We’re both trapped, just in different ways. I think you’re a good person, Francis Mosses, that got stuck in a very unfortunate situation.”

“Would a good person do this?” He leans over to capture your lips. Instant heat. The carnal desires are overriding morals again.

“Yes,” you whisper, pulling your hand free from the trap he’s created between his, now using it to cradle his cheek.

“I thought about you all day,” he admits. “I can’t stop, no matter how hard I try. Everything reminds me of you. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. This longing, this ache…” Francis kisses you again, leaning now with his whole body, pushing you down beneath him. “You should be somewhere better than this. I don’t know where to bring you, where it’s safe…”

“I don’t care. This is fine. It’s good…” Your head lifts to capture his lips. He doesn’t know why he’s stalling all of a sudden. There’s no one around for miles. He wants you. You’re willing. Why had his conscience chosen now, of all times, to interfere?

“I don’t want to ruin someone else’s life. You deserve better.”

“You’re what I want. Touch me, Francis. I want to feel your hands on me.”

His cock lurches at your words, struggling against its confinement, and the hesitation shatters. He balances his weight on his knees and one forearm, the free one lifting to begin undoing the buttons of your blouse. Plain cotton brassiere today, but he’s not disappointed. He bends to kiss you between your breasts, peppering your flesh with tiny little pecks. He manages to unfasten the hooks on the back of the lingerie covering your bosom on the first try, his lips quickly moving to suck one nipple into his mouth.

A hum of pleasure escapes you. His tongue rolls around the hardening rosy tissue until it resembles a pencil eraser. He pulls lightly with his teeth and repeats the process for its partner. The fantasy of seeing you covered in milk presents itself against. Spilling naturally or poured over. Either way he’d sup gladly.

His kisses trail down your abdomen, his fingers already fumbling for the hem of your skirt. Another serviceable piece of underwear barring him from what he desires, quickly tugged down while he’s kneeling beside you. There will be dirt and grass stains on his uniform that he’ll have to explain later. For now, he doesn’t care. His goal is in sight. That dewy pink flesh he’s been craving a taste of. Your legs are still held fairly close together, residual shyness keeping them that way until he parts them. He licks the inside of one thigh and you whimper.

Then his face is between your legs, his body burrowing against the ground to find a comfortable position as he takes his first taste of your pussy.

Francis moans. Everything he’d expected and yet somehow not. Even better. Had he thought the taste of your mouth was ambrosia? This, this went beyond heavenly. He flicks his tongue across your bud and you shiver. He wants you to cum in his mouth. He’s going to make you.

He keeps one hand at the top of your mound, pulling that swelling bundle taut against the hood and licking it over and over, short, rapid strokes alternating with slower caresses. He kisses your thighs when he feels you shaking too much, getting too close, too soon. He doesn’t want you to find release just yet. It’s the best meal he’s ever had and he doesn’t want it to end.

His mouth clamps on that pretty pink pussy and you moan again, your fingers burying themselves in his hair. He spends some time lapping at the leaking hole he can’t wait to penetrate, sucking your lips, gathering as much of your taste as he can. Your clit has swelled even further, begging for attention he’s only too happy to give it. He doesn’t hold back now, relentlessly licking and sucking until you’re writhing beneath him, grinding against his face, your fingers pulling his hair painfully, straining the roots buried in his scalp as you explode in a noisy, shuddering wet mess.

Francis recognizes the moment when it shifts from being too little to perfect to too much, your body switching into hypersensitivity and he eases his mouth from you. He can feel your juices coating his lips and chin as he changes positions, climbing and dropping down next to you.

Your head lolls to the side to regard him, still in that post orgasmic bliss phase, no doubt. After you recover your body turns until it presses against the milkman, tucked against his side, his arm coming around to hug you. Your face lifts to find his and you kiss him. “Is that what I taste like?”

“You’re delicious. You’ve never tried to taste it?” You shake your head. “Do you ever touch yourself?”

“Sometimes. Not often. I don’t try unless I’m home alone.”

“When was the last time you did?”

“Yesterday.”

“Did you think about us?”

“Yes.”

He hums a little moan at this admission of depravity as your mouth returns to his. You reach for the front of his pants now, where his erection is pressing painfully, begging for escape, lightly massaging the tented fabric where it feels as if all of his blood is pooling, every nerve ending extra sensitive and pleading for more direct contact. He assists you in opening the fly, letting you have the honor of dragging his turgid member free. He savors the little gasp you make, as if you’ve forgotten how large he is, how truly hard you make him.

“Show me how to do it.”

The older man loves the way you murmur this request, your voice sultry and sandpaper rough from lust. He loves that you’re inexperienced, that you haven’t been sullied by some fumbling teenage boy. He guides your hand towards the base, curling your fingers around his phallus. He squeezes where he wants you to apply more pressure, his touch lightening where he needs less. Guiding those delicate digits over the tip, sliding over the dewy opening, caressing the sensitive spot underneath where the curves meet, that silky soft patch of skin. No touch you could give him would ever feel wrong, but he enjoys showing you nonetheless, your hands working together to bring him pleasure until he lets you take the reins.

“Is it good?”

“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” He’s admiring the view of your still unbuttoned blouse, the way the sun touches the curves, sets the highlights of your hair aflame. An angel, you’re absolutely heaven sent, that delicate hand working so beautifully over his cock, making his hips quiver and jerk every time you slide through the slick leaking over the head. “You’re going to make me cum, baby girl.” He cups one of your breasts, flicking his thumb over the nipple, his teeth catching his bottom lip as he groans and spills seed over your pumping hand. You don’t miss a beat, stroking through his entire orgasm, until his senses are overloaded and he grabs your wrist to halt you.

You rest beside him again, exchanging soft kisses. His eyes fall on his wristwatch and he sighs regretfully. He should be getting back. He needed to get you home. He still has to account for the condition of his clothes. A few unexpected deliveries and a delayed yearbook committee meeting are excuses for tardiness that can only be stretched so far.

You’re solemn after he tells you this, quiet on the walk back across the field. Reality just setting in. This was all he could offer you. Stolen moments blanketed by lies and deception.

Francis backs you up against the truck and kisses you roughly. He’s not happy about the circumstances either. His hands muss the hair you’d smoothed out moments before.

“I don’t want to share you.”

His mouth pulls from yours, his eyes meeting yours. “You’re not sharing me, angel. I’m yours.”

“I don’t want her touching you.”

He cups your face between his hands. “It’s not like that between us anymore. You are all I want.” He’s not about to admit what happened after you’d come over for dinner that night. He’d been thinking of you the entire time anyway. That basically cancelled it out, right? “We don’t even sleep in the same room most of the time.”

You nod. Your fingers knot in his shirt. He presses his lips against your forehead before helping you back into the truck. He kisses you again before starting the engine, and again before he shifts gears. If the doorman thinks anything of the two of you entering the building at the same time, he doesn’t reveal it. The DDD guard still gives Francis that same distrustful look even though he’d remembered to present all of his documents this time. The milkman doesn’t bother to offer a smile.

He waits for you by the elevator, grateful no one else is around. The last kiss he steals is inside the carriage. He watches you exit onto the second floor and it’s all he can do not to chase after you.

Nacha doesn’t comment much when he offers his excuses, the latest fabrication he’s concocted one about stopping to change a tire, explaining the state of his clothes. He showers and you’re in his thoughts again and he wants you, the sudden impulse making him feel he’s on fire all over again.

His girlfriend watches him pick through dinner that evening, the fork securing and releasing a morsel of food repeatedly as he moves it around the plate aimlessly. Ana has already finished hers, playing some imaginary game with a pair of dolls in the living room while her mother carries the empty plates to the sink, glancing at Francis.

“Is something wrong with the food?”

“Hmmm? Oh, no. It’s fine. I guess I’m not hungry tonight.” His blurry gaze focuses on the gray and green orbs peering at him, that unusual mixture of two different colored irises suddenly making him feel like he’s been caught already.

“I’ve never seen you turn down a meal before.” It’s true. He normally consumed things as if he was a condemned man on death row savoring his last meal.

“It was a long day. The schedule is really tiring.”

“This was supposed to be your short day.”

“I know, but then they added more deliveries, and the tire change didn’t help things any.” He pauses. There’s another excuse he’s been thinking of, another reason to be away from home more. “I was thinking of joining Angus and the guys at the bowling alley.” Angus was one of their neighbors, a bachelor salesman. Several of the men in the building belonged to the local league. He wasn’t about to join up, but he supposes he could put in an appearance every now and again, leaving the rest of the time for dalliances with you.

“You hate socializing. And since when do you like bowling?” She folds her arms under her breasts.

He shrugs. “I just think it would be good to get out of the house sometimes for something other than work.”

“I agree with you about that. You definitely need something. You’ve been very distracted lately.”

“Sorry.”

“Well, just make sure it all coordinates with the babysitter’s schedule. Speaking of which, we’re due to pay her. It’s the end of the week. I’ll go run it downstairs.”

“I’ll do it,” he says hastily, the chair dragging across the linoleum harshly as he rises to his feet. She was giving him a reason to see you again.

“Are you sure? You look dead on your feet. I don’t mind, I’ve been home all day.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Maybe I’ll ask the professor if he wants to come along to the alley one of these nights.”

“You’re really getting along well, aren’t you?”

“He’s a good guy.” Unlike himself. Seducing his daughter.

“We can have them over for dinner again, if you want. Ana is so enamored with the sitter.”

“Yeah, she’s uh…she’s great.” He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I’m going to head over now. Back in a bit. Just um, just put this…”

“I’ll save it for later.” She accepts the plate he hands her.

The milkman pauses in the living room to explain where he’s going and his daughter’s face brightens. “Can I come too?”

“Uh, no, baby. Not this time. I’m just dropping off her payment.”

“But I wanna see what her house is like,” the child replies, pouting.

“Another time, I promise. Gotta talk to her dad. Boring stuff. You stay here and watch over mom until I get back.”

“Okaaay.” She draws out the middle vowel sound, still not happy but accepting his terms.

“We’ll play some dolls when I get back, if you want.” Ana loved it when he did the voices, the imitation higher pitched feminine tones often sending her into fits of giggles.

“Promise?” She looks hopeful again.

“Yes, I promise.”

***

Francis always feels guilty going over someone’s house uninvited.

He knows he has a valid reason for the unexpected visit, but the principle remains the same. He knocks and waits, hearing muffled voices within, and then you answer the door.

“Francis,” you murmur softly. “What are you…”

“I brought your payment. And I was going to talk to your dad real quick.”

You pull the door open wider, granting him admittance. The college instructor is sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by books and papers. “Francis, come in! Sorry for the mess. I miss having an office at home,” he says ruefully. “But, the trade off of a safer living environment is worth it. Right, honey?”

You nod, your gaze alternating between the two men.

The milkman clears his throat. “I don’t mean to bother you. I won’t be staying long. I just wanted to drop payment off for your daughter, and to ask if you’d be interested in joining some of the men in the building at the bowling alley one of these nights. I’m not particularly competitive, but I think it would be good to get out of the house.” He’s looking at you through most of the discourse, hoping you realize why he’s really making this offer.

Your father scratches his chin thoughtfully. “Bowling, huh? It’s been years for me. But you know what? I just might take you up on that one of these nights.”

“Nacha also wanted me to invite you over for dinner again.”

“It’s our turn to host, I think. That sounds like a solid idea as well.”

“Great, we can iron out the details later.” He’s got cash in his hand, the bills still curled tightly into his palm. His last excuse for being here.

“I um…I think I left one of my notebooks at Francis’ apartment,” you say quickly as he presses the money into your hand, his fingers dragging against yours.

“Well, you can get it later, surely? It’s the weekend. I’m sure Francis would like to rest now. I don’t know how you delivery drivers do it, being up so early.”

“You get used to it. I don’t mind,” he adds. “I’ll walk her there and back again.”

“That’s kind of you. I appreciate it.”

“Have a good rest of your evening.”

You exit the apartment, following him past the elevator and into the nearby stairwell.

The door shuts with a heavy clang and he pauses just long enough to make certain there are no footsteps on the stairs before he shoves you against the wall, planting furious kisses all over your face.

“Do you know why I asked your father…”

“Yes. But you’ll have to actually go sometimes, just to…”

“I know.” His teeth nip your bottom lip. “I want you.”

“Francis…”

“I need you,” he says, the words slightly muffled as his lips touch the arch of your throat. “When can I see you again? I can’t wait until Monday. I can’t.”

“I have piano lessons tomorrow.”

“I’ll pick you up from there. Turn around.”

You obey, facing the wall. He bends and grabs the hem of your skirt, then reaches for your panties, dragging them over one cheek of your buttocks. “Come to the park with me and Ana Sunday.” He shoves your hair to one side, his tongue tracing the curve of your ear.

“Okay.”

“You make me crazy.” It has only been hours since he’s been intimate with you and already he’s feeling a desperate urge as he ruts against that exposed globe of flesh, his harsh breathing echoing in the stairwell. Your palm slaps out against the wall and he covers it with his own. “Touch yourself and think about me tonight.” His teeth sink into your shoulder through the fabric of your blouse.

Footsteps and voices below. Francis hurriedly fixes your clothing, stepping back from you. He escorts you back to your door as promised, then it dawns on him that you’d never actually searched for your missing notebook.

“Did you really forget your notebook at my place?”

“No, it was just an excuse to get out.”

“What are you going to tell your father when you show up empty handed?”

“I’ll say I must have left in my locker at school by mistake.“

“I’m making you lie so much already.” A tinge of remorse and regret until he tastes your lips again. Risky, so risky, doing this in front of your apartment. Out in the open, where anyone could see.

“What choice do we have?”

He considers. He’s no stranger to it. He’s been lying for years, he and Nacha, pretending they were a couple, engaged, in love. And now he has to lie to have you. He can’t give you up. He just can’t.

“None. Tell me the address I’m meeting you at tomorrow. And the time to be there.”

You do so, then frown. “What if you can’t get away?”

“I’ll be there,” he says again, firmly. “No matter what. You forgot to do the secret knock again,” he murmurs, his fingers drumming lightly on your cheek. You repeat the gesture on his. “Goodnight. Don’t forget what I said earlier.”

One more brief kiss and then he forces himself to return to the stairwell.

He needs the extra time to calm down.

[lovinglonerhybrid]

Pubic library’s love Optimus prime!

Public libraries tend to rely a lot on government funding and local donations. now once Optimus here’s this he immediately begins to comb through the autobot archives for some books that he can donate. The librations are understandably veary confused when a truck load of books is dumbed by there doorsteps with the note ‘both the original text and English translation are available’ now these poor people open up the large books expecting another earth language but instead they get cybertronion. They put the English translations on display and they are all the subject of much scrutiny until someone actually sits and reads the texts and finds that they are very intriguing. There are story’s on ancient mystical robots that the books call primes. There are stories of war and rebellion and love and loss soon the library’s are hounded by meany dedicated fans of these mysterious books for Moore for a way to contact the author but there is nothing moor given to them in the form of books only donations signed by an O.P.

[binsito]

disk

pairing: bangchan x fem reader x perv!changbin (somewhat?? on accident lowkey? LOL)

synopsis: changbin was asked by his friend chris to help load boxes on to a truck since he would be moving into a new apartment. the last thing changbin expected was for one of the boxes to be filled with some cds?

word count: 1.6k

rating: mature, includes: unprotected sex, swearing, spit, fingering (f receiving), usage of handcuffs and gags although not heavily described, usage of the word "daddy" in a sexual setting, "kitten" and "cockslut" are used once, "babygirl" is repeated throughout, creampie, breeding (did i even write it if it's not a breeding kink fic..), chan big cock, changbin perv, voyeurism, masturbation, very very minimal assplay like literally one sentence, usage of a camera.. um yeah!

changbin knew it was wrong..

changbin knew he should've left the box alone but his curious little fingers were moving quicker than his mind could stop them.

he was helping chris move apartments, his friend asking if he was available on the weekend because he could use an extra pair of strong hands.

he loved his friend, so of course he agreed and came over to help.

chris had everything neatly packed for the most part so the process was moving steadily. changbin figured he'd skip the gym tonight because the act of lifting heavy boxes and bringing it to the truck was incredibly tasking.

chris had asked him if he was hungry, that he would treat him to some burgers, who was changbin to turn down some yummy free food for his hard work?

so his friend told him that he would be right back, letting him know there were still some beers in the fridge that he could help himself to.

he walked over to the fridge and cracked open a can, sipping it and taking a deep breath. he didn't have much to do while he waited for chris so he had decided to grab any boxes that were still left and bring them over to the door so they could load them up quicker.

most of the boxes that remained were left in the hallway leading to his room, however there was one particular box that caught his attention, it wasn't fully taped shut and peeking at him through the small crack of chris' bedroom.

changbin didn't mean to be nosey but he had found himself walking towards it. he should at least help his busy friend out by properly taping and securing the box right?

to his surprise, the box was full of cds.

he picked one up and looked at it carefully.

were these music cds? did chris make these? were they demos or unreleased stuff he'd stashed away? how many of these were recent or from his high school days? did changbin just hit a goldmine of beats and ideas? he was going to kick chris' ass for not sharing these with him.

and changbin didn't quite know why he did this, but he found himself pocketing one labeled with what he assumed was the date it was created. he knew he shouldn't take his friend's stuff but chris was so overly critical of himself.. he probably threw these in a box to be forgotten and changbin wasn't going to let that happen. he knew that whatever chris cooked up in his studio was going to be amazing and he was itching to hear what this was.

soon enough, chris came back and changbin had since left the box alone, anticipation boiling in his tummy over what might be on the disk

chris had brought him the burger he rightfully deserved and they chatted together until it got late, changbin bidding his friend goodbye and letting him know that he was available to help whenever so that they could finish up.

the one thing on his mind as he drove back home was the cd, how it felt like it was burning through his clothes, how he was dying to finally know what it was. it was the first order of business he would take care of once he was situated with his laptop.

parking his car and running up the steps to his apartment, trying to unlock the door but in the process dropping the keys and chuckling at how excited he was.

he kicked off his shoes and made his way to his room, sitting at his desk and turning on his laptop, he couldn't contain himself, bouncing his leg as he inserted the cd.

however, to his surprise the file didn't come up as audio, it came up as a video file.

he had no idea why, but he thought maybe chris had recorded a process video in the studio or something, you should never question one's creative process, after all.

he clicked on the file and let it load, watching as it started to play on his screen.

it was chris, his face closed in on the camera with a concentrated look on his face, eyebrows slightly furrowed as the tip of his tongue stuck out from the corner of his plump lips. it seemed he was trying to adjust something about the camera before he picked it up, letting out a soft laugh once he finally figured it out, adjusting the focus before flipping the camera.

"kay kitten.. daddy's fixed it. show me how good you are for me, hm?" the camera zeroing in on you, positioned on his bed with your face pressed into the mattress, hands cuffed behind your back as chris gave your ass a tight squeeze, spreading your cheeks to let the camera capture your wet cunt.

"cunt's looking perfect.. so tight babygirl.. daddy's not even sure if you can take his cock.." he purrs

you have, so many times, but it was always such a nice stretch, chris loved seeing how your cunt would struggle to fit him, so tight it felt like it might reject him.

from outside of the camera's view, he collected saliva in his mouth to spit it out on your cunt, his fingers collecting it and pressing it inside of you, two of his knobby fingers scissoring you open, your cunt fluttering as squelches were picked up by the camera.

"so fucking wet.. you think this is wet enough for my cock baby? think you're ready to take me? look at that face.." he pointed the camera towards your face, revealing that he had gagged you with a cloth around your mouth.

all that could be heard were muffled pleas and moans, you were aching to have him inside you, nothing could compare to how his cock filled you.

he angled the camera down to capture how his fingers had since left your cunt and were now tugging on his cock, head an angry red and leaking precum. he gave himself a couple of squeezes, his cock twitching up, ready to plunge into you.

changbin couldn't believe what he was watching.

what he had thought was possibly a demo was none other than a sex tape. his cock straining against his jeans as he watched his friend line up with your cunt, hearing his breathy moans and grunts as he let curses sputter out. "shit.. greedy cunt.. sucking me right in. never satisfied with just the tip.. always gotta have the whole thing, huh babygirl? gotta have daddy's cock all to yourself."

he reached over to untie the gag, drool dripping from your lips as you whined, feeling him inch deeper and deeper within you.

changbin couldn't help it.

couldn't help the speed in which he threw his pants down, boxers following suit as he watched intently, hand beginning to tease his balls as he watch his friend set a steady pace.

"gonna stuff you full of cock.. such a cockslut.." chris said through gritted teeth

he gripped you by the cuffs, using it to hold on to as he fucked into you, trying his best to keep you in place for him. you were a babbling mess, moaning his name out like it was the only word you knew.

in moments like this, it truly was the only word you knew. nothing else was on your mind except the heavy drag of his deliciously thick cock.

and changbin felt he would cum when chris showed how your bodies connected, how his cock disappeared into your slick hole, pulling out to the tip just to slip in right it with minimal effort. it was like your cunt was made just for him, crafted to take his cock whenever he pleased.

changbin tried stroking himself to the pace chris had set, eyes glued on the way his friend thumbed at your asshole, you letting out a whimper at the feeling, so sensitive to his touch there.

"fuck. easy babygirl, don't clench on me like that.." he groaned as he felt your walls clamp on him, begging him to breed you, to leave you dripping with his cum.

so you clenched on him again, earning you a harsh slap on your ass cheek as he grunted, the sound of his skin slapping against yours echoing loudly.

the tips of changbin's ears were burning, thighs shaking as he tried to calm down but as soon as he saw you come undone on chris' cock, he lost it. his fingers becoming sticky with his cum as it shot out rapidly, barely giving him enough time to react as he made a mess all over himself and his chair. chris following suit in the video, pulling out slightly just to let his cum trickle down your thighs.

"i think this tight pussy can take some more.. hungry little pussy..wants to be bred by daddy, huh?" he said, his voice faltering from the intense orgasm.

changbin quickly closed his laptop, cutting the video off short, breathing out and leaning back in his chair. he knew he should return the disk inconspicuously the next time he went over to chris' place, but would he even notice one little cd was gone? seemed he had a whole collection..

what if he returned this one and swapped it out for another? these videos were meant to be watched, weren't they?

he was sure chan wouldn't miss one cd out of the many he seemed to have stashed away.

changbin would keep this one all to himself.

his little reward for being such a sweet friend.

please refrain from reposting, modifying, translating, copying or stealing my work. - © binsito

[crappy-writings]

Safe

Maria HillxReader // Angst/Fluff

*Image is not mine, credit to its creator

Summary: When the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Facility is destroyed and you’re trapped under the rubble, Maria has to balance her job as Deputy Director and her relationship with you.

Trigger Warnings: FwB relationship (mentioned), Cursing, Guns, Death, Anxiety, Hospitals, Injuries, Amputation (mentioned), I think that’s it.

No pronouns for the reader were used, I think

Word Count: 6,970

A/N: Thanks to this Reddit thread for helping me figure out the timeline of The Avengers, as well as all the Marvel Wiki pages I visited, lol

Anyways, I'll forever be mad at Secret Invasion for doing my girl so dirty, so I'm jumping back to 2012 Avengers. Don't know if this sucks, so constructive criticism is always welcome.

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist | Recced Fics Masterlist

May 2nd, 02:47 hrs

“Sir, evacuation may be futile,” Maria says as she steps down the stairs, right on Fury’s heels. “We should tell them to go back to sleep?” Fury turns his head towards her while still descending the stairs. “If we can’t control the Tesseract’s energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance,” she argued.

“I need you to make sure the Phase Two prototypes are shipped out,” Fury orders as he reaches the entrance to where the Tesseract was being kept. “Sir, is that really a priority right now?” she asks incredulously. 

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on,” he says, turning towards her, his tone leaving no room to argue, “Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase Two on a truck and gone.” 

“Yes, sir,” she says as she passes him by. She had her orders. “With me,” she orders the men who stood at either side of the door as she descends into the lower levels of the facility.

“Dispatch any available teams to the underground levels. Clear out any and all remaining Phase Two prototypes,” she speaks into her communicator. To say that Maria did not agree with focusing on the Phase Two prototypes would be an understatement. If anything, determining a minimum safety distance should be top priority, if there even is one. If not, destroying the Tesseract would be a better option. Regardless of what she thought though, she trusted Fury to know what he was doing. He is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a reason.

“Copied, two additional teams have been dispatched,” the deep voice of an agent rang through her communicator.

The two dispatched teams were already there by the time she arrived at the underground lot, yours being one of them. She takes in a deep breath and subtly braces herself. She was hoping she would not be running into you for at least a few days. 

The two men who came down with her began helping both teams with the prototypes. You load up a few boxes before closing the trunk of the truck, the slam echoing throughout the underground garage. 

“Davidson, you’re driving this one,” you said as you threw a set of keys to one of the agents. Davidson catches the keys easily. “Menendez, Martinez, and Lee, you’re going up with Davidson. Gold leader is already waiting topside.” 

“You,” you point to one of the new arriving agents, “What’s your name?”

“Agent Callahan,” the man you pointed at responded. 

“I’ll have you join Davidson,” you order as you turn to the other agent, “what about you?” 

“Agent Moore,” the agent replied. You nod in acknowledgement, “You’re joining my team in the meantime.” 

The five agents jumped inside the truck and began transporting the prototypes to the surface. 

“Harris, you’re driving that one over there once it’s loaded up. Williams, Parker, Garcia and Moore are going with you. Bennett, you’ll be riding with me,” you continue giving out orders, “Gold leader is waiting for us before moving to the established rendezvous point.”

As you turn to load more boxes, you notice the Deputy Director standing between the cylindrical columns of the large underground parking space. Your gaze lingered on her for a few moments before grabbing one of the small crates and putting it in the truck. Maria noticed this but ignored it. She cannot afford to be distracted by you and this… fling.

She did not know how to describe your relationship as it stood.

“Keep loading boxes, I’ll be back in a minute,” you tell your team, before climbing up the platform and standing beside her.

 “Most of the equipment has already been moved, Gold leader’s team is en route, and my team is taking care of the last few boxes. This should be the last truck from this level and Red and Blue leader reported their levels are cleared. We should be out of here in no more than eight, ten minutes,” you report, crossing your arms over your chest as you oversee your team along with her. 

“Make it five,” she says without looking at you, “I want everyone out of here as quickly as possible.” Her posture remained stiff beside you, and you couldn’t help but be upset by that. 

“Have you thought about what I told you?” you ask quietly. Her posture does not ease. She instead inhales sharply.

 “Yes,” her tone was tense, her answer short. “And?” you prodded after a few beats of silence. “I don’t know,” she answers. 

You sigh in disappointment, but you were not surprised. For as long as you’re known the woman beside you, her main focus has always been her job. You knew this going into this ‘relationship.’ The “friends with benefits” thing had been working out just fine. You met up whenever you wanted to, did whatever you wanted to with no strings attached. But just like one of those cliché movies you sometimes watched, you caught feelings for the woman who had become now more closed off than ever. 

Despite your attempts to keep your changed feelings hidden, she had noticed the subtle shift in your actions, gestures and the way you spoke to her. You yourself did not think you were doing anything different, but apparently, you were wrong. She asked you if anything had changed and you were honest. You told her your feelings about the arrangement had changed and were wanting something more with her, if she agreed. You were foolish for bringing it up at all to her.

She began to shut you out almost immediately, much to your anger and disappointment. Thus, you offered her a sort of ultimatum. She was to decide what she wanted out of the ‘relationship’, out of you, but if she could not, you would call everything off and you would go your separate ways.

The echo of a trunk closing snaps you out of your thoughts. The truck’s engine turns on and you watch as Harris and the other assigned agents drive out of the lot. “Green leader, do you copy?” your comms buzzed with the other team leader’s voice. “Yes, Gold leader, I copy. The remaining prototypes are already en route to topside. Do we have the green light?” you ask. 

“Yes, we do. We are awaiting you and the rest of our teams to arrive up here to head for the rendezvous. See you in a few minutes.”

“Will do Gold Leader, expect us in about 10 minutes, over and out,” you shut off your comms device. You take a deep breath before turning to her, your face serious. 

“I need an answer soon, Hill. I don’t like wasting my time,” you say quietly before straightening up and leaving her side.

“Alright Bennett, hop in, time to go,” you announce loudly as you jump down from the platform, “Let’s go!” 

Maria watches you hop into one of the unattended Jeeps and turn on the ignition. Her tense shoulders loosen up, but her jaw does not unclench. You began to drive as soon as Agent Bennett sat beside you. Her eyes trail after you as the car leaves the parking space.

“So,” Bennett draws out the word casually. “No,” you shut it down quickly.

“You and the Deputy Director?” he pressed on, a smirk creeping up on his lips. “No,” you insisted. 

“That’s a yes.”

“Bennett,” you say warningly. He did not take your tone seriously, knowing that it was all in good fun. Except that it was not very fun for you.

“HR would have a field day with the both of you. Do you think she would get suspended for it? Would you get suspended? Oh, do you think Fury knows?” he pressed on, going off on a tangent now like a gossiping hen. 

“Adrian Bennett, if you don’t shut up now, I will suspend you for spreading rumors,” you say in a serious tone, your grip on the wheel getting tighter.

“Oh, come on boss, it’s all in good fun,” Bennett replies, nudging your shoulder good-naturedly. 

“For you, maybe. Besides, there’s nothing going on between the Commander and me. So, don’t go spreading that around,” you say firmly. Part of you feared that your voice would betray you as you spoke those words, but you managed to keep your tells in check.

“Alright, whatever you say, boss.”

But what he said had struck a chord in you. Had you really been that obvious? You weren’t a spy after all, you were a soldier. Your confusing, undisclosed “relationship” with Hill could get you both in a huge amount of trouble.

You cast your thoughts aside. She could very well choose to end what you have, reject any potential future involvement with you. You sigh softly, opting to focus on the winding tunnel ahead of you.

“Thinking about your girlfriend?”

“Adrian.”

“Okay, okay, I’m done, I’m done.”

You watch as a few cars come into view from your rearview mirrors. It wasn’t until the sound of gunshots echoed within the tunnels that you figured out something was wrong. A blue flash of energy flew towards one of the cars, obliterating it in the process. 

“What the fuck?!” you yell as you watch the remains of the car lose control, going up a ramp and flipping over. The destroyed vehicle swung slightly, stilling in a parallel position, blocking the other cars that had followed behind. 

“Do I shoot?!” Bennett asks as he pulls out his firearm, waiting on your orders. “Stay vigilant but don’t engage yet!” you tell Bennett as you reach for the communicator on your hip.

“Agent Hill, we’re in line of a hostile force, do we engage?!” you yell into your comms as you continue to drive forwards, speeding up as you go. The earth beneath your vehicle began to shake violently. 

“Engage, if possible, but focus on getting out, I won’t have any heroes tonight,” the strained voice of Maria crackles through. The hostile force’s vehicle passes you by, and Bennett trains his gun on it. 

“No heroes, Bennett,” you remind him, but watch the vehicle for any hostility. A man dressed in strange clothes sat in the cargo bed of the truck. He looked ill, but his eyes were fierce. A man on a mission.

 A few moments later, a truck skidded into the tunnel, narrowly avoiding collision with the wall. The car drifts, turning in a half circle to face the hostile force. Both vehicles collided, the backwards facing car attempting to slow down the hostiles. Shots flew from each vehicle, which prompted Bennett to shoot, too.

The strangely dressed man looked at the both of you, his eyes holding a cold determination. He pointed a bright gold staff at you and your eyes widened. Before anything could happen though, the hostile’s vehicle began swerving from side to side, shaking off the truck that was blocking its path. 

The driver recovered control quickly though and continued in hot pursuit. What sounds like a crackle of thunder follows closely behind you, much to your confusion. You stare through the rearview mirrors and watch as the tunnels begin to collapse, and it's gaining on you, fast. 

You press all the way down on the gas pedal, the vehicle lurching forwards with renewed ferocity. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” the string of swears leaves your mouth as the tunnel collapse seemed to be faster than your car ever could. 

“Fuck!” you scream as a large piece of the underground structure falls right in front of you. You turn the wheel hard in the attempt to dodge it to no avail. The rest of the structure continues to crumble, and you lose control of your vehicle. There was little you could do as the jeep was headed for what used to be a stone ceiling. You press down hard on the breaks and turn the wheel to the side. You crash against it, but not as hard as you expected. The last thing you see is what remains of the ceiling crashing on top of you as you raise your arms over your head.

Maria eventually abandoned her focus on trying to stop Barton and the hostile force. It would be all for naught if she was dead. She pressed down as hard as she could on the gas pedal, the vehicle going as fast as it could. It was not fast enough as the collapsing tunnel caught up to her.  

Maria’s head throbbed as she shifted from her position inside the trapped vehicle. She could feel blood dripping from her nose and fresh bruises forming in her arms and legs. The adrenaline from the chase was beginning to give out, exhaustion settling deep in her bones. She looked over the shifting rubble and debris of the now collapsed tunnels.

Did you manage to escape? She doesn’t remember seeing you or your jeep get out before she had. 

“Green leader, do you copy?” Hill spoke evenly into her communicator. She was met with the silent crackle of her device. “Green leader, do you copy?” she repeats herself, quietly begging for your response. Silence. Your name leaves her lips, dropping all formalities, her voice strained, “are you there?” 

There was still no answer from you. She began switching between radio frequencies, catching different snippets of reports as she did.

“--underground tunnels have colla–”

“--er coming in, several men are dow–”

“--act has been stolen from—”

She continued switching between frequencies until Coulson’s voice rang through her communicator, “Director? Director Fury, do you copy?”

“The Tesseract is with a hostile force. I have men down. Hill?” Fury’s voice quickly followed.

“A lot of men still under. I don’t know how many survivors.” She says, breathing heavily as she climbed out of her mangled vehicle. The image of you being trapped under all this debris and rubble flashed before her eyes. Her heart momentarily stops, worry pulsing in waves throughout her body.

“Sound a general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase,” Fury instructed.

“Roger that.”

“Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. As of right now, we are at war.”

Maria clenched her jaw as she processed the last few words. She knew what this meant, what was to come. Despite this, her thoughts wandered to you.

She finishes climbing out of the truck on shaky legs and moves past giant blocks of stone and rubble. Hill switched back to the channel you had last spoken through. She uses your call sign once more; it had dawned on her that, after the collapse, a signal might be non-existent, but she was still hoping to hear an answer. Once more, she was met with dreadful silence.

She calls out your name again, soft and anxious, “please be okay.”

May 2nd, 16:00 hrs, 14 hours later…

The Helicarrier was teeming with life, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents running around in preparation for the arrival of Fury’s new team. The Director had stepped out to recruit Steve Rogers himself, while the Black Widow had been pulled off mission to retrieve Dr. Banner and Agent Coulson had been sent to grab Tony Stark. 

Maria walked around the bridge, looking over the monitors of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents below her. Various agent profiles appeared on a few of the screens, other monitors occupied by mission reports, schematics, maps and graphics. 

Your picture on one of the monitors made her pause, a wave of anxiety courses through her body. She would not let it show though, presenting herself as the poster child of levelheadedness. She swallows hard as she walks closer to the monitor, crouching down beside the agent overlooking the incoming report. 

Her chest tightened when she saw you were still M.I.A. “What’s the status of the search and rescue?” Maria asks, subtly clenching her jaw as she stares at your picture. 

“It’s been slow, only about 31% of missing agents have been recovered, both dead and alive,” the agent, a short blonde, reported somberly, “There’s a lot of ground to cover and there are not enough teams available to work the mission.”

“Keep me updated,” Maria told the agent as she rose from her crouched position, “I want any and all new developments sent to my datapad.” 

“Yes, Commander.”

Maria returned to her position overseeing the main deck. She stared back down at the Main Deck Data Panels, overlooking the Helicarrier’s systems, routing ground teams for the search of Barton and setting up preparations for the Director’s team. Despite her attempts to focus on the influx of reports on Barton, Loki, and the status of Fury’s team, her mind would wonder and think of you. You, trapped under the rubble in the Jeep. You, potentially hurt. Potentially dead. A cold dread settled over chest as those thoughts consumed her mind.    

She stared down at the datapad, switching over to read the names of agents recovered from the facility.

Rodriguez, Vivian, M.I.A.

Porter, William, M.I.A.

Fitzgerald, Liliam, K.I.A.

Harris, Augustus, M.I.A.

Greene, Emiliano, Recovered.

She did not know what was worse, the fact that she had still not found your name on the list, or finding it and potentially reading K.I.A. The longer you went without being found, the less likely it would be a rescue and more of a recovery mission. She pushes the thought away. You will be fine. You are alive. You have to be.

“Commander,” Fury’s booming voice startles her out of her thoughts. 

“Yes, sir?” she asks, her voice firm, hiding having been caught off focus. She had not been informed that the Director had already returned to the Helicarrier. 

“Any progress on the Tesseract or Loki?” he asked, his voice stern. 

“Nothing yet, nothing has been reported on the ground and the techs are still in process of tapping all wireless cameras,” Hill reports as she looks up from her datapad.

“What about the rescue at the facility?”

“33% of agents have been rescued. About 12% of those have been found dead, but that statistic is slowly rising.”

The Director gave no reaction other than taking a deep breath. He raised his head slightly and his face remained neutral.

“Sir, due to those statistics, I want to reassign a few teams to aid in the search and rescue mission,” she states firmly. She held her head high and her posture straight. For a second, your face flashed in her mind and her heart sank a little deeper in her chest.

She was not doing it just for you. It was also for all the agents still trapped under the rubble and them being able to continue living their lives. That is what she was telling herself at least, feeling slightly guilty of the selfish part of her that was focused on you, and only you. Yet, for all she knew, you might already be dead. 

The thought made her stomach churn uncomfortably. She did not want to picture you trapped in those tunnels, crushed under the weight of an entire building. A heavy feeling made her heart sink to her stomach. Was there something she could have done to avoid this?

“Pull the remaining S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. team and reassign them to the search and rescue, but that is all I can afford to compromise.” 

“Yes, sir,” A wave of relief momentarily soothed the drowning feeling in her heart. She began to walk away, to give the new orders before Fury called out for her once more.

“And Hill? I need you here,” Fury gives her a pointed, knowing look. The look made her somewhat nervous, but she nonetheless acknowledged him with a sharp nod, before returning to her position and reassigning the rest of your team for the search and rescue.

May 3rd, 20:37 hrs, 42 hours later…

Maria’s feet dragged her to her quarters, having been relieved of duty about ten minutes earlier. The last twelve hours had been rough, but the search for Loki had finally paid off. He was located at a gala in Stuttgart, Germany and Fury’s assembled team for the Avengers Initiative had just been dispatched to retrieve the Trickster god.

Her eyes were heavy with sleep and despite having just gotten off duty, her job was not quite done. She sat on top of her cot, her datapad in hand as she watched the stream of recent mission reports and updates on Barton and Loki. After reading those, she began looking through the recovery list, dread settling in her stomach once more. She scrolled through hundreds of agents' names, the status pinned right beside them.

Smith, Jonathan, K.I.A.

Badillo, Sarah, K.I.A.

Sullivan, Nina, K.I.A.

Pruny, Charlie, Recovered

Barrett, Daniel, K.I.A.

Maria swallowed hard as she continued to read the names of both fallen and recovered agents. She knows this is what happens in this line of work. She knows that as much as S.H.I.E.L.D. invests in making sure their agents come back safe, it is not a guarantee and that casualties are not something that can be avoided. There was still a lingering feeling of guilt and profound sorrow, knowing that not everyone gets to come back.

She rubs her eyes, trying to stave off the tiredness that settled into her bones. Your name has still not popped up on any of the reports, you are still missing. The sick feeling she had become well acquainted with returned. 

You cannot be dead. She refuses to believe that. Your last meeting replayed in her head. The disappointment and frustration in your eyes were burned into her mind. Your ultimatum rang inside her head.

Your face would appear every time she closed her eyes. She longed to see your smile again. For your eyes to sparkle with mischief, to feel your warm hand in hers. She wants to hear you laugh at a stupid joke. She missed the sound of your voice, the curve of your nose, the quirk of your lips. She missed you. She cannot lose you, not now, not yet. She loved you, you didn’t know that she lo–

Oh. Oh.

She was in love with you. 

The realization hit her like a bullet to the chest. She was in love with you. She had been so caught up in her job, so caught up in her own responsibilities, she never once realized how her own feelings had changed towards you. Part of her felt like a hypocrite. She had called you out on the near imperceivable changes in your behavior, but she had not realized how her own feelings had changed. How did she not realize it before?

She tries to think back to the last time she felt this way about someone. Has she ever felt that way before? She remembered her past relationships, having crushes and a bit of infatuation, but those had never developed into love.

She had always been married to her job. When she first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., she worked tirelessly to prove her worth as an agent. She rose through the ranks through hard and consistent work, becoming quite a formidable agent. She knew not everyone was on board with the Director’s pick of Second in Command. She did not mind it though, she had nothing to prove to those who disapproved. She knew she was always damn good at her job.

Perhaps that is why she did not realize her feelings before. Maybe that is why she had unfairly pushed you away. She leaned her head against the wall behind her, the horrid, guilty feeling coming back with an unyielding vengeance.

Why did she realize her feelings now? Why not before? Why did you have to be trapped under the damn tunnels, potentially dead? Why has no one found you yet? Why can’t she be there, searching for you herself?

She takes deep, even breaths as she works herself up again. No, she cannot afford that right now. You can’t be dead. She’s holding onto the hope that you are not dead.

She looks down at her datapad once more, a new set of agent names scrolling upwards.

Maguire, Christian, Recovered

Duque, Cristina, Recovered

Taylor, Rosa, K.I.A.

Buchi, Mamelu, Recovered

Bennett, Adrian, K.I.A.

Her heart stops as she spots your name. Her hands shook as she stared down at your status.

Recovered

A relieved laugh escapes her involuntarily. You are alive. You are still alive. The report said that you were in critical condition and were en route to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Centrum based in Nevada. She needed to see you.

The relief that had soothed her anxiety is short lived as she realizes she cannot leave yet. Her duties, responsibilities and the current state of the emergency the world finds itself in would not allow her to be with you at the moment. ‘I need you here,’ Fury’s voice reverberated in her head. She sighs deeply in frustration, guilt and relief playing tug-of-war with her heart. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispers quietly as she stares down at your profile. 

May 4th, 15:24 hrs, 61 hours later…

“Oh, and uh, as for the matter that’s not in question? Where you morons tried to nuke New York? Well, that’s on the record. As in we recorded it. We do that. We’re S.H.I.E.L.D.,” silence hung between all the council members as Maria continued. The council members would not look at her, the shame of their decision hanging over them.

“So, if you’re thinking about coming after Nick Fury, ever,” she emphasizes the last word as her fingers work the control panel to open the privacy door of the Helicarrier’s main deck, “Think really, really hard.” 

With a pointed look and a victorious smirk, she turns off the screen before rejoining the main deck.

“How did that go?” Fury approached beside her shortly after. 

“Sold you down the river, sir. You should have your job within the month,” she replied as she began overlooking the Main Deck Data Panels. 

“Good work,” he says before continuing, “you should maybe ask for a chair.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she says with an amused smile. She falters briefly though, as the Avengers make their way into her mind. 

“Sir, how does it work now? They’ve gone their separate ways. Some, pretty extremely far,” she walked alongside Fury as they made their way towards the large windows that oversaw the outside of the Helicarrier. She had had no faith in the Avengers Initiative. How did such a disjointed group with such different backgrounds ever function as a team? Who was to say they could do it again? “If we get into a situation like this again, what happens then?”

“They’ll come back,” he replies as if it were the simplest truth in the world.

“Are you really sure about that?” She did not quite know how his faith in this group could be so unwavering, especially after witnessing all their arguments before and during the recent battle. 

“I am,” he answers once again as if it were the easiest question on Earth.

“Why?” she asked earnestly. 

“Because we’ll need them to.”

A silent understanding passed between them as they overlooked the outside of the Helicarrier, agents running along the aviation runway. It was there that she understood that it was a play of faith. What had consistently carried the Avengers team was Fury’s belief in them, individually in each of them as well as in a group. It is that very same belief that would bring them together if any other event were to occur. 

            She takes a deep breath, her thoughts wondering to you once more. She has not been able to follow up on your status with everything that had happened since early that morning. A naive part of her wondered if maybe her belief that you would be okay had anything to do with your survival. 

Silence hung between both Director and Commander for a few moments. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, Agent Hill?” Fury asks suddenly, turning his head towards her and eyed her knowingly. 

“Sir?” Maria asks, startled. Did he know? How did he find out? Perhaps she had not hidden her emotions as masterfully as she thought. Perhaps they would both be in trouble for the duration of the month.

“Go, we’ll talk about this later,” his voice was stern, but it did not match his soft expression.

“Thank you, sir,” she replies in a similar tone, but a ghost of a smile makes its way onto her lips. She leaves his side and hurriedly leaves the main deck.

Fury watched his Second in Command walk away. With a small smile, he approved the take-off of a Quinjet heading for Nevada. 

May 4th, 20:12 hrs, 66 hours later…

Maria had not been allowed to see you for the first 2 hours since arriving at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Centrum in Nevada. She had to argue her way into seeing you, having been told that only spouses and family would be allowed to enter. She was successful in the end, though, having pulled her rank into the conversation. She was not entirely proud of it, but it got her in and that is all she cared about.

Eventually, she was able to meet with one of your doctors. She informed Maria that your next of kin had been notified of your current state. The doctor also explained your injuries and the status of your treatment. Several of your ribs had been broken, you had a punctured lung, a dislocated shoulder, and had suffered a concussion. One of your arms was shattered and it had been a miracle they did not have to amputate. Maria was both surprised and relieved your injuries were not more extensive. You have still not woken up since arriving at the Centrum.

She was allowed into your room shortly after the meeting with the doctor. Your non-dominant arm was covered in a white cast. The side of your face was heavily bruised and slightly swollen. Other bruises, stitched cuts and patched-up scrapes littered your face, arms and chest. You were paler than usual, and your eyes were slightly sunken. 

Maria swallowed hard as she took in the sight of you. It was hard to see you in such a state. She approached your bed slowly, as if moving too quickly would make you disappear. A soft beeping was the only sound in the room, aside from the gentle buzz of the air vents. 

She sat at your bedside, watching as your chest rose and fell, slow, steady breaths leaving you. It was the most beautiful sound she had heard in the last few days. She took your uninjured hand in hers, the coldness of your fingertips sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. She did not let go though, as she began to gently stroke the top of your hand with her thumb. You were here. You would be okay. She shifted around in the hospital chair in attempts to get comfortable, exhaustion of the past few days finally reaching her. She continued to hold your hand as she began to feel the lull of sleep calling her. 

She woke up when she felt you squeeze her hand ever so gently. Her eyes fluttered open, her body demanding sleep but her heart demanding to see you. Maria first saw her hand in yours and she raised her head to see you. Your eyes met hers, a lazy smile spreading over your lips. She smiled back as she took you in. Your eyes were droopy and slightly red. It was clear you were desperately fighting off sleep.

“Hey,” Maria whispered, running her thumb over the top of your hand soothingly.

“Hey,” you whispered back. Your voice was hoarse and thick with sleep, your eyes fluttering open and close.

“How are you feeling?” Maria asked worriedly.

“I’m tired,” you reply breathlessly, giving her a small, playful smile. Maria smiles back, raising her hand to rest beside your head, and begins to gently stroke your cheek. You lean into her touch, your eyes beginning to droop shut.

“Rest,” she commands softly. You continue to fight off sleep, struggling to open your eyes to stare back into hers. “No,” you whine softly, “I don’t want you to go away.”

“I won’t go away,” Maria replied, a pang of sympathy and guilt spreading in her chest. “Promise?” your eyes begin to close against your will once more. 

“I promise.” 

You continued to struggle against sleep for about a minute before slipping back into unconsciousness. Maria continued to stroke your cheek soothingly, watching your chest rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern. You were here, you were alive. Her hand found yours once more as she laid her head on the bed.

 “I won’t go away,” she repeated quietly as she watched you for a while longer, eventually falling asleep once more.

You were still asleep by the time she woke up again a few hours later. She sat up in her seat, her back popping and cracking as she did, a dull ache having settled throughout her body. She rolled her shoulders in attempts to loosen up her muscles as she walked towards the bathroom, hoping to quickly freshen up.

She notices you shifting in your bed as she quietly steps back into the room, your head lifting up when you notice her. You adjusted yourself to sit up on the bed, a pained wince decorating your features as you did. “Hey, hey, be careful,” Maria scolded, her tone soft and gentle, as she approached your bedside, “You’ve been out for a few days. How are you feeling?”

“I’m better. Less tired,” you reply, your voice cracking as you speak, before giving her a lazy smile. 

Maria cannot help but smile back at you, “That’s good to hear. Do you need anything?” You shake your head gently before resting your head against your pillow, your eyes fluttering shut for a few seconds.  

“You’re hurt,” you ask as you notice the stitches at the side of her brow.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m okay,” Maria replies as she sits beside you once more. She placed her hand on the bed, inches away from yours. 

You take her in. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she no longer wore her S.H.I.E.L.D. suit, instead wore a spare physical training uniform. Her eyes were tired, darkened bags hanging under her eyes. Bruises and small cuts littered her arms as well. Despite this, she held a small, unwavering smile.

Silence settled over the both of you for a few minutes. There was a far-off look to you, your eyes holding a mixture of guilt, worry and fear. Maria sighed quietly, guessing what you might be thinking about. 

“Did… did my team…?” your voice was quiet and pleading. Your eyes did not meet hers, fearing her expression would give away the answer before her lips could.

“Agent Bennett… he didn’t make it, sweetheart,” she says sympathetically, the soft, gentle tone never leaving her voice, “I’m sorry.”

A pained sigh escaped your lips as your eyes began to water. He had a son, one who had been living at the facility with him before everything went to hell. The boy had been evacuated at the beginning of the emergency. But now his father…

“And the rest?” you ask shakily.             “Harris, William and Parker made it out unscathed. Garcia was treated for minor injuries and is approved to return to her usual duties,” she answered in the same soft tone, offering you a sad smile. 

A few tears escaped your eyes, a mixture of sadness for your fallen friend and the relief of knowing the rest of your team had made it out. Maria had inched her hand closer, her fingers ghosting over yours. She gently held your hand when you didn’t pull away, giving it a soft squeeze and returning to stroke the top of your hand with her thumb.

            “So, um,” you begin to speak after a while, your voice still shaky and unsteady, “what-what did I miss?”

Maria knew you wanted to distract yourself from the news of the passing of your friend. She offered you a sad smile and a gentle squeeze of your hand before beginning to tell you about the last two days. From gathering the Avengers, to the loss of Agent Coulson, to the Hulk rampaging in the Helicarrier, to the battle of New York. You listened as intently as you could, the thought of your dead friend still hung in the forefront of your mind. 

Silence hung between the both of you for several minutes after Maria told you what you had missed. Her presence here confused you. She kept her promise, she stayed, but that surprised you. Why was she here? S.H.I.E.L.D. was dealing with the aftermath of an alien attack, yet she was sitting beside you, comforting you. The state in which your relationship currently stood does not warrant this, so why was she choosing to be here?

“Maria?” you ask tentatively. She looked into your eyes at the mention of her name. You swallowed down the bubble of fear that formed at the pit of your stomach, “What are we?”

The words said were just barely louder than the medical equipment in the room. Your gaze fell to your hands, watching as you twiddled with your thumbs. 

You suddenly feel her warm hand cup your cheek, gently guiding you to look at her. Her eyes held an earnest, vulnerable look, one that captured your heart and attention. “I thought I lost you, when you were trapped in the tunnels,” the sincerity in her voice almost caught you off guard, “and that scared me more than anything else.”

She squeezed your hand gently, as if to emphasize her point. The vulnerability in her eyes and her voice were something you had never been privy to before, and part of you almost doesn’t know how to react to it. 

“Even an alien invasion?” you give her a weak smile, while also mentally kicking yourself. This was not the moment for you to be making dumb jokes. Maria takes it in stride though, as she gives you an amused smile, “Yes, even an alien invasion.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you into making a decision you weren’t ready to make. I know how important your job is to you, and…” you apologize, your eyes falling to your hands once more.

“No, I’m sorry for pushing you away,” Maria does not want to hear your apologies. You have nothing to apologize for. All she wanted was you, she knew that now. “I… guess I hadn’t realized I had fallen in love with you, and those feelings scared me.”

Your eyes open wide at her confession as you raise your head to look at her, “You-you what?”

Maria’s eyes widened as well, not having realized what she admitted. For a brief moment of panic, she wanted to take it back. Maybe you were not in that place yet. But she reigns herself in and pushes that feeling away, before taking a deep breath and looking at you straight in the eye. She whispers your name oh so gently and lovingly, “I love you.”

A mixture of emotions, good and bad, swirled in her ocean-colored eyes like a storm. She was laying out the most vulnerable parts of herself to you, allowing herself to drop the emotional walls she had built around herself, letting you see how much she cared for you, letting you know she had fallen for you the way you fell for her.

“I love you, too,” you say softly, almost breathlessly. A quiet laugh escapes you as you say those words. You see as relief and pure joy fills her expression. She joins your laugh as she gently holds your face in her hands.

She leaned over you, capturing your lips in a soft kiss. A warm feeling erupted in your chest, a childlike glee overtaking you. Your lips moved in tandem with each other, following a familiar rhythm. Even so, this kiss felt different, it felt renewed and exciting and right. 

You deepened the kiss, placing your hand behind her neck, your fingers getting lost in her hair. That was until you pulled away to gasp for air, your lung capacity not quite what it used to be. She leaned her head against yours, a soft chuckle escaping her.

“Cheeky,” she whispered, her hot breath hitting against your face.

“Can you blame me?” you replied with a mischievous smile.

The door opened suddenly, revealing two nurses. Maria pulled away from you to look at the door, all parties in the room momentarily freezing as the intimate moment was interrupted. Neither you nor Maria had realized until now that your heart monitor had begun beeping rapidly, despite how loud it typically is. Your cheeks felt warm as you looked between Maria and the nurses.

“We heard the monitor– we’ll-we’ll come back later,” one of the nurses said sheepishly. “Sorry for interrupting, go on,” the other one said as they both stepped out.

Soft giggles escaped your lips once the door closed. Maria looked down at you, as she began to laugh, too. She begins to gently brush the hair on the top of your head. You rested your head against your pillow as you looked up at Maria lovingly. 

Maria sends you a big smile, the ones that showed pure love and happiness. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of joy and relief and pure adoration. After days of the awful sinking feeling in her chest and the uncomfortable churning in her stomach, there was finally a lightness in her heart.

She leaned over you, placing a soft kiss on your lips once more.

[topazy]

Tomorrow's promise

Pairing: Daryl Dixon × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader

Warnings: Swearing

Chapter: 4.01

Sensing movement in your cell, you lunge upright and reach for your knife. It was late at night, and all the lights were out in your block. Your eyes nip as you squint to try and adjust your vision to see in the dark.

“Shit, it’s just me. Sorry,” Daryl whispers.

“Daryl? You almost gave me a heart attack.” Groaning, you lay back down. You moved so fast that your head was starting to spin. “Has something happened?”

“No.”

It has been a long day for everyone, and this would be the first night the survivors from Woodbury would spend in the prison as part of your community. You were confused about what Daryl was doing in your cell in the middle of the night, but your unspoken question was answered when he kicked his shoes off and climbed onto the top bunk. You didn’t mind him being there. In fact, it made you feel safer with him there.

Exhausted, you quickly drift back off to sleep, and in the morning, you wake just as Daryl jumps down from the top bunk. He picks up a stuffed toy Jace had thrown during the night and places it in the cot beside him.

“Daryl?” You whisper.

“Yeah?”

“I’m… I’m glad you're here.”

—

Six months later

Walking up the path between the fences in the courtyard, you watch as Carol hands Daryl a bowl of food. You had seen Patrick, a teenage boy, shaking Daryl’s hand, no doubt to thank him for bringing back a large deer the night before. You hated hunting but knew it was necessary to keep your growing community fed. Thankfully, the members of the prison council, including yourself, took more of an active role in different jobs, so you only joined Daryl hunting when nobody else was available to go with him.

Greeting them, you smile, “Carol, Mr. Dixon.”

“Shut up,” he says, tossing a scrunched-up napkin at you playfully. “Where are you skiving off to anyway?”

“Pee break.”

You had spent the past few hours trying to pick off walkers who were gathering by the fences. If the small clusters weren’t taken care of, the fences would start to come down. A few of the newer people brought into your community were taken aback by how unfazed your original group was while dealing with the dead. After stabbing most walkers in the head, you’d load the bodies into the back of a truck, then take them into the forest and burn them. The only downside of your community growing was the added noise attracting the dead.

“I’ll catch you guys in a bit. Be safe out there.”

—

While washing your hands, you feel eyes burning into you. You glance around but can’t see anyone else. In the bathroom; all the cubicle doors are open, and nobody was in the showers. Thinking it’s only your imagination, you go to leave the bathroom, but just before you reach the doorway, someone grabs hold of your hips.

Without looking back, you say, “I thought you were going on a run.”

Daryl’s lips trace the curve of your neck. “I am. But I wanted to say goodbye first.”

You spin around to face him and push your lips against his; the taste of cigarettes lingers on his lips. He grips your hips and pulls you in closer. There was no privacy in the prison, so it wasn’t often you got to enjoy having Daryl to yourself. He kisses your cheek, then the tip of your nose, before stepping back. “I better go. They’ll be waiting on me.”

“Be safe.”

“You too.”

—

“It’s a difficult decision, isn’t it?” you say playfully. “You’ve got so many toys, it’s hard to choose which one to play with first.”

Jace looks between the toys he’s holding in each hand, then throws them both down and giggles to himself. A room that was once a warden's office was now turned into a playroom for kids, and in the library, Carol would read the kids stories in the afternoon.

Jace stares up at you with his big brown eyes and reaches his little fist out. “Mom, mom, mom.”

“Mom, mom, mom.” You repeat, picking him up and sitting him on your knees. “Jace, Jace, Jace.”

He laughs again. Jace was slowly picking up words and was able to walk a very short distance without falling. Although, whenever Rick or Daryl was watching, he’d hold up his arms until one of them picked him up.

“He is without a doubt one of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen.”

Karen kneels down beside you and smiles wildly at him. The brunette had come from Woodbury; she was kind and always wanted to be involved in ongoing tasks, helping anyway she could.

Jace studied her for a moment before turning his attention back to his favorite stuffed toy, a red teddy bear Maggie had given him.

“Has he picked a name for his toy yet?”

“Baby.,” you chuckle. “Oh god, we better get back out there before it gets dark.”

She nods. There was still a load of walkers to clear, but you had set it up so everyone got a short break. Karen looks at you concernedly when you clear your throat a couple of times. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just the dry heat in here.”

After a few moments, you sigh, “Okay, Jacey, I gotta go back outside.”

“We’ll have lots of fun,” Beth says.

She had volunteered to watch the kids while their parents were on shift. You didn’t like the idea of leaving Jace in the care of someone you didn’t know, but you

—

Feeling a dip beside you in the bed, you reach your hand back to feel for Daryl and link your fingers with his. “You’re back late; how was the supply run? Is everyone okay?”

“Zach died. He got bitten by a walker.”

You pull your joined hands around to your front and kiss the back of his hand. Daryl always took it personally when someone died. Zack was just a teenage boy. Beth was dating him, and you knew Daryl would be beating himself up, thinking it was his fault she had lost someone else.

“I’m sorry.”

He says nothing; he just shuffles closer to you. Daryl had placed himself between you and the wall; the bunk beds weren’t large, so you didn’t have much room to stretch out. You and Daryl had never spoken about being together; it just happened.

“You’re so hot.”

“Thanks!” you chuckle, causing you to cough.

“No, seriously.” He places his hand on your forehead. “You’re burning up.”

“I’m fine; I'm just tired and probably burned from being in the sun all day.”

[somber-sapphic]

Baby, I'm Burning

〖Summary: Maya passes out in the middle of a house fire and wakes up in the hospital to a very angry Carina.〗

〖Word Count: ~900〗

〖Pairing: Carina x Sick Maya〗

〖Notes: As promised, Maya passing out in a burning building. I probably need to stop telling you guys that I'm "back" given the random times that writers block decides to hit. I suppose that this is in fact 14 day's after my last one, so two weeks isn't all that bad!〗

〖Warnings: going to throw in a warning here for house fire + hospital imagery just in case〗

☾Masterlists☽

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Maya knew better than to go into a burning building with already struggling lungs and Andy knew better than to let her. But they were short a firefighter, Travis had caught whatever it was that Maya now, and they needed all available hands on deck. 

Those hands may have been shaky and attached to a weak body, but they could still turn a hydrant so Maya loaded herself onto the truck with the others, muffling wet coughs into her sleeve every few minutes. 

No one wanted to work with her, Vic had steered clear and Warren kept trying to doctor her. He’d caught her dozing off three times, twice while standing up. He had tried to get her to go home days ago, first attempting to appeal to her sense of reason and then trying to appeal to Andy’s. 

Maya had flat-out refused, claiming to be fine through a mask of congestion. Andy had decided to put her in the easiest positions she could find. Since Maya was still conscious and not running a fever there wasn’t much she could do while already shorthanded. Without Maya, she would be swamped even if all her lieutenant could do was paperwork and phone calls.

And she was only doing those two tasks until the fire was called in. It took her a few extra seconds to suit up but it wasn’t until they were on their way to the scene that Andy realized this was probably a mistake. She was trying to rationalize in her head, going back and forth between sending Maya back to the station in an Aid Car and letting her stay and work the hydrant. When they arrived she realized that neither would be an option. 

The fire was much worse than originally reported. With no other stations there the Captain had no choice but to let Maya inside with strict instructions to stay beside Vic and not leave her side. Maya had been borderline excited to go in, the same rush of adrenaline she always got before heading into a fire. 

The excitement quickly faded when she ran out of oxygen on the second floor, trying to clear out a child's bedroom. She hadn’t been able to conserve her tank the way she would have if she wasn’t sick and the air in the room was unbreathable. Already dizzy and disoriented, the blonde quickly lost sight of Vic even though the woman was talking in her ear. 

It didn’t take long for her to fall to her knees, unable to handle the thick smoke. Before she knew it her eyes became too heavy to hold open and she went limp on the floor, unconscious. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Maya woke with a start to the familiar sound of a monitor beeping and people rushing around outside her room. Great. The hospital. The last place she wanted to be. She shivered and tried to curl further under her thin blanket but it was useless, there were just not enough blanket to do so. She pawed at the plastic mask covering her face, she was frustratingly used to that too. The ill firefighter groaned softly and sniffled causing a rough cough to wrack her body. 

“Maya?” She peeled open her heavy eyelids and rolled to her side to find a blurry figure sitting in the chair beside the bed. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and was finally able to make out Carina perched next to her, a mix of anger and worry on her face. 

“Hi…” Maya mumbled, pensively waiting for the chewing out she was about to get. There was no way her wife was going to let her get away with this one, Carina had practically begged her to stay home. 

“What. On Earth. Were you thinking? Honestly Maya, you promised me you would be careful. You promised me that you would do desk duty. Desk duty! Does running into a damn building sound like desk duty to you?!” She exploded, throwing her hands up in anger. Maya couldn’t even be mad, she knew that Carina was right. She’d made and then broken a promise. 

“M’sorry,” Carina scoffed at that and buried her head in her hands, not looking at Maya. The blonde stuck out a trembling hand, careful to avoid ripping out her IV, and grabbed one of the other woman’s wrists loosely in a physical apology. 

She pulled the mask down and took a shaky breath, wanting to give a better apology that couldn’t be said through the plastic. 

“I’m sorry bambina. You…you’re right. I keep, keep doing that,” She paused to cough and took a moment to allow her lungs to catch up. Whatever she had gotten herself into she wished that she had listened to Carina and stayed home. 

The doctor whipped her head up at the sound of the coughs and reached to place the mask over Maya’s face again. She very gently lifted the blonde off of the pillows and propped her up a bit higher, rubbing her back as she waited with bated breath for the fit to subside. 

When it finally did, she let out a sigh of relief and sagged forward a bit as Maya settled back onto the pillows. 

“Maya. My love. All I want is for you to stay alive, okay? I adore you, I need you to not die. Rest for a while. But don’t think you’re getting out of this conversation, we are talking about this when you are better.” Maya nodded and closed her eyes again, taking big breaths of the high-flow oxygen. She felt a cool hand on her forehead and Carina began to run her thumb along the spot between her eyebrows, something she often did to put Maya to sleep.

It always worked.

〖Join My Taglist!〗 @asiangmrchk13, @villaneve4life, @lots-of-pockets, @bloomingflowersthings, @lovelyy-moonlight, @scrambled-brain-eggs @goldenempyrean @juststuckhereforever, @chairhere

[whywishesarehorses]

BLM Mustang for adoption through Teens and Oregon Mustangs challenge

Sk8er Boi is going to be available for adoption at the Teens and Oregon Mustang competition September 1-3rd at the Oregon Horse Center in Eugene, OR. The auction is held on the 3rd!

From his trainer:

Sk8er Boi has been so much fun and so rewarding to work with! Some things about Sk8er Boi:

🔹 Gelding

🔹 5 years old

🔹 14.3hh

🔹 South Steens HMA

✅ easy to catch

✅ great ground manners

✅ stands tied patiently for hours

✅ stands still for grooming and saddling

✅ stands still for baths

✅ stands still for fly spray

✅ great with his feet and has been good for the farrier

✅ ground ties

✅ lunges, excellent with voice cues for w/t/c, whoa, and back

✅ loads right up in the trailer (has only been hauled very minimally though as unfortunately my truck broke down a couple months ago and I haven’t been able haul him out as much as I’d like to)

✅ good with obstacles, goes over tarps, bridges, bubble wrap, LOVES to step up on obstacles like pedestals, been desensitized to flags, balloons, etc

✅ comes and picks you up from the mounting block

✅ calm when mounted

✅ LIGHTLY started under saddle

This guy is going to do best in an experienced mustang home with someone who’s confident and can continue his training at his pace! He is such a smart and honest horse and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Never once offered to bite, kick, or strike during his time with me and is all flight no fight. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and really wants to please and be a good boy! The reason Sk8er Boi would do best with an experienced home is he still has fear and needs someone who understands that and can continue to build his confidence with him. That said, this guy has SO much potential and I can see him going far in many different disciplines! He’s got an awesome build and has some fancy movement!

If you’re interested in bidding on Sk8er Boi, come meet him before the auction! Currently located in Beavercreek, OR.

[archangeldyke-all]

hello there... I'm super late to the party as I just binge watched Arcane like two days ago and I am FERAL for sevika, I have a problem honestly...anyways firefighter!sevika and nurse!reader or doctor!reader has been floating around my brain, like imagine how nervous you get when she gets called to a massive fire and how worked up she gets when you have to attend a really bad trauma scenario (something greys anatomy worthy) omggg the overprotective vibes are killing me

welcome to the sevika sphere!! i'm gonna change reader to an EMT because i know a bit more about that than i do nursing or doctoring, hope that's okay! also... this is not accurate at all to how any of these kinds of operations or protocols go but whatever

men and minors dni

you work on different sides of town so while you're always interacting with firefighters on calls, you don't meet sevika for a while.

but when a factory fire breaks out on sevika's side of town, all available units in the city are called over to help.

you meet her there, and it's like a movie scene.

she jogs out of the flames, a man slung over her shoulder, dramatically pulling her helmet off and shaking her hair out of her face. for a second, time slows down. then she's dropping the man on the gurney in front of you for you to start administering oxygen, and everything speeds back up again.

the two of you don't talk until the fire's out and all the injured have been shipped off to the hospital. the fire chief is chatting with the factory manager, your boss is talking through the radio to dispatch.

"haven't seen you around before." a voice speaks up beside where you're loading up the truck. you look up at sevika, free from her protective gear, in a form fitting t shirt and cargo pants, grime on her face. you smile.

"i work on the other side of town." you say, cracking open a water bottle and taking a sip.

"that's a shame. was hopin' i'd see you around more often." she says with a pout. you choke.

sevika gets your number after you stop sputtering.

you two click instantly. she takes you out for a casual coffee that weekend, but you talk for so long that coffee becomes dinner which becomes a hookup at sevika's place.

gossip travels fast, but it travels even faster among first responders, and you come into work on monday to cat calls and congratulations on your new 'figherfighter girlfriend'

when you ask sevika if she had used those specific words with her friends, she just shrugged and asked if that was okay.

since then the two of you have been inseparable.

it's usually you who wakes up in the middle of the night scared out of your mind that one day sevika just won't come home from work.

sevika's had several close calls and one near death miss since the two of you got together. (the near death miss inspired sevika to propose to you. she woke up from her coma asking for you and the second you arrived, she choked out the words, 'marry me?' you guys eloped the same week she was discharged from the hospital)

sometimes sevika will come home from work and you'll be so relieved to see her you burst into tears.

you often tune into the dispatch radio on your off days, listening for her engine number and their status. sometimes, if you're lucky, you can even hear her voice.

so usually, you're the worried spouse.

tonight it's different.

tonight you get called to an active hostage situation, on standby to treat the hostages when they are released, whether it be peacefully or with police fire. you hope it will be peaceful. gunshot wounds are a lot of work, and you've had a long shift already.

you don't have to worry about that for long, though, because when your truck pulls up as first on the scene, the three cop cars that arrived moments before you are riddled with bullets, all of the officers incapacitated inside.

lacy, your boss and driver, curses as she pulls up on the scene. Beside her in the passenger seat, toya is rambling codes into the radio, alerting dispatch of the scene you've driven up on. "i count five officers down." toya says.

a clear calm settles over you, the same calm that always guides you in these moments. your mind focuses on protocol, emotion secondary to your eyes flickering over the scene. "six." you say to toya. "six down. two dead, four severely injured. passenger and driver in five have abdomen wounds." you say, pointing to squad car five ahead of you. you move your finger to the left. "twenty two's driver is dead, shot in the head, but his passenger is alive. i can see her moving. can't make out any injuries." you point to the final car. "driver is alive in seventeen, but unconscious. his passenger's dead."

you move as you speak, grabbing your kit and tossing toya hers. you can't leave the vehicle until more police arrive, but the adrenaline is building in your body, your hands shaking and feet tingling, ready to hit the ground running.

somewhere down the street, sirens begin wailing. you and toya sigh in relief, only to scream when a gunshot rings out and the windsheild shatters.

another shot rings out, the back door lock of the ambulance pulverized by a bullet, and the doors swing open as you, lacy, and toya turn to face your attacker.

"out of the truck now!" the masked man screams. you gulp, following his directions with your hands in the air. the three of you jump out of the truck. "you!" the man points his gun at you. you freeze. "you want your friends to live?" he asks. you nod. he points toward the bank he'd just ran out from. "come on." he says, putting his hand on your shoulder and walking you toward the bank, keeping his gun aimed at lacy and toya.

you follow him. shock is the only thing keeping you calm. just as the door slams behind you, three squad cars come peeling up the street, arriving at the scene. you let out a breath of relief that lacy and toya are safe now.

"i got one!" the man behind you shouts into the bank, leading you to the back of the building and into a conference room. inside, you count twelve hostages, and three more gunman. one is on the floor, clutching his side, bleeding through his fingers. "i got one, boss." your captor says as he shoves you forward. you blink, gulp, then launch into action.

"i need space." you choke out as you crouch beside the bleeding man. you help him lay horizontially, slinging your bag off your shoulder. "i need an assistant." you say looking up at your captor. he nods. "do you want it to be one of your guys or one of the hostages?" you ask, trying to keep your voice level and calm. you focus on pulling on a clean pair of gloves. you don't think beyond that.

"one of my guys."

"are they gonna be able to keep their temper in check if i tell 'em what to do or are they gonna shoot me? 'cause if you shoot me your boss is shit out of luck." the man hovering above you considers this, then nods to the group of hostages on the ground. you address them.

"do any of you know any basic first aid?" an old man raises a shaky hand. you nod him over. "what's your name?" you ask him as he crawls over to you.

"j-j-j-jerry." he stutters out.

"okay jerry, put these gloves on." you hand him a pair of gloves. "and take a minute to take some deep breaths. you're okay. i need you focused--not shaky." you say. the man nods, pulling his gloves on and taking deep, meditative breath. you begin slicing open the man's shirt.

he's been shot through the stomach and from what you can make out, the bullet is still lodged inside. he's bleeding steadily, but not profusely enough for an artery wound, which is good.

"jerry, you're my hand-it guy, okay? when i need something, i'm gonna tell you what it looks like and where you can find it in my bag, and you're gonna hand it to me. got it?" you ask. he nods. you nod back at him. "good. main pocket in a white paper package there's some gauze. get that." you say to jerry. then you look down at the man beneath you.

"hello sir, me and my friend jerry here are going to be helping you out tonight. what's your name?" you ask the groaning man.

"i'm not giving you my name, you pig." he grunts out. you sigh. jerry presses the gauze in your hands.

"i'm not a cop." you grunt out as you begin sopping up blood from the man's stomach. he flips you off. "whatever. how long has it been since he was shot?" you ask the man standing behind you, still pointing a gun at your head. he falters.

"five minutes, maybe? since those cops got here." he says. you nod.

"alright. well, you got two options. if you think you guys are gonna be outta here soon, i recommend option one, which is me stuffing his wound and applying pressure. he'll bleed out eventually, but not if we get him to a hospital in time, which me and my friends can do with our ambulance." the man grunts at you to continue. you nod.

"option two is I take the bullet out and cauterize the wound. it's gonna hurt worse than getting shot, there's a chance he'll die of shock, but if we do it right we can buy him an hour or two." you say. the man above you curses. his masked friends anxiously titter. a phone on the wall rings.

"fuck!" he shouts, storming over to answer the phone.

"you need to give me an answer!" you call after him. "gauze." you say to jerry.

"give me a second!" he shouts. he answers the phone. "hello." he says. on the other line, a negotiator speaks. you soak up more blood with gauze.

"i need an answer!" you shout at the man.

"shut the fuck up!" he shouts at you. he heaves a breath, then speaks into the receiver. "unless you can promise us a getaway van and immunity, we're not fuckin leavin'!"

fuck. he's going rogue. the police are gonna come barging in, guns-a-blazing, and these stupid fuckers are dumb enough to try killing hostages. for a second, you break, an image of sevika waiting at home for you flashing through your mind. she's making her chili and corn bread tonight. what if you don't get to taste it?

"miss?" jerry asks, gently nudging your shoulder. you snap back to reality, taking the gauze from his hands and pressing it against the steadily bleeding wound. the man below you is delirious, fading in and out of consciousness as he loses more and more blood.

"fuckin' stitch him up. we're not leaving." your original captor says to you.

it takes four more captives to hold him down as you cauterize the wound. you do it with a thin metal rod and a blowtorch-- provided to you by your captors from their lock breaking kit. as the rod heats up, you sanatize the wound.

"the tiny in the inner pocket, the long pliers." you demand. jerry finds them in a flash, handing them over to you. "hold him down." you say to the four hostages.

when you fish the bullet out, he wakes up, groaning in pain.

"stop-- stooooop! please stooop!" he screams. a hostage still sitting against the wall vomits. you continue digging.

"sir focus on your breathing, we're doing this to keep you alive." you speak down at him calmly. he spits at you. you break a second time, anger and fear overpowering you for a flash as you dig your instrument against the tender torn flesh of his side. he passes out again. serves him right.

with the man unconscious, the process is much smoother. you pull the bullet out in one piece, tossing it beside you on the floor. the rod is red hot when you press it into his wound, a sizzling filling the air as his skin bubbles and burns. jerry leans over to throw up at the smell.

you've never done this before-- and this certainly isn't the proper way to do it. but with a gun to the back of your head you do the best you can guess with your preliminary medical knowledge and available resources.

it's a success... in the sense that the man is still breathing. the wound isn't bleeding nearly as profusely, but it's still sluggishly spurting from time to time. his chest is sweaty and pale. the hostages who were helping you are traumatized and shaking.

the phone rings again.

"you done?" your original captor--the new boss with the old one unconscious--asks you. you nod. he answers the phone.

"hello?" he asks. you can make out the muffled voice of the negotiator on the other line. a gunman moves you and your five hostage assistants to sit against the wall.

with nothing to do but sit, your focused haze begins to fade. you become aware of your body, no longer on autopilot. your mind starts thinking again, thoughts about what's going on outside, toya and lacy and if they're okay, and then sevika.

you choke. oh fuck, no, don't think of sev. don't think of sev or else you're gonna start crying. god is this what she feels like, trapped inside a burning building? this hopeless sense of dread? this debilitating desire to see your wife one more time?

jerry nudges you. "you good?" he whispers. you gasp, reaching out to grab his hand.

"i have a wife." you say to him. he squeezes your hand.

"she'll be happy to see you when this is all over." he says. you nod.

"how about you?"

"three kids. they're old enough to take care of themselves... hell, one of them's expecting their own baby in december," he says, laughing. "but i'm still not ready to leave 'em." he says.

"do i need to shoot a hostage!? what do you people not understand about FULL IMMUNITY?" the masked man on the phone screams. a woman beside you faints. "matter of fact-- i got one of your own in here? ain't that right officer?" the man asks, looking at you. you blink.

"i'm not a co--"

"you want another cop dead? i know i got at least two of 'em out front! you wanna make it three?" he asks. silence follows as the negotiator speaks. your heart is in your ass.

"listen. my wife's name is sevika. if this goes bad, you need to tell her i love her. you need to-- you need to tell her i'm never gonna leave her side. tell her i'll always love her and--"

"you're not gonna die, miss." jerry cuts you off.

"but if i do!" you say, pleading with the man beside you. "if i do you have to tell her--"

"i will." jerry says, nodding. "i will." he promises.

"they wanna talk to you." the masked man rasps out, looking at you. you blink.

"i'm not a cop." you say. he rolls his eyes.

"tell it to them." he says, gesturing you over to the landline. you stumble to your feet, shakily approaching him. his finger is on the trigger of his gun at his side, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. you look to jerry. he crosses his heart. you take the phone.

"hello?" you shakily speak into the receiver.

"is this lacy's missing crewmate?" a voice asks over the line. you take a shaky breath.

"yeah." you say.

"what's the situation inside?"

"twelve hostages, thirteen including me. one man down, gunshot to his chest. i patched him up best i could."

"he's one of the captors?"

"yes."

"and how many are there?"

"four." you say.

it's silent for a moment, the negotiator likely speaking to someone else. you can hear the faint chatter on the other side of the line, police barking instructions, sirens sounding, reporters demanding questions. "are any hostages hurt?" the voice asks suddenly.

"no. one just passed out, but i think it's just shock." you say. silence again. you take a breath, trying to focus on staying calm. over the line you hear people scream and tires screeching. there's a faint commotion, then, a distant voice.

where the fuck is she? where the fuck is she!? get off of me-- where is she??

you'd recognize that voice anywhere. it's sevika.

you burst into tears.

"are you alright ma'am?" the negotiator asks. when their voice quiets, you can make out various curses and threats sevika throws out as people try to subdue her. you choke. the masked man beside you scoffs, then turns to speak to his partners.

"can you put her on the phone?" you whisper, your voice wobbly.

"what?" the negotiator and gunman ask at the same time. you wave the gunman off, pointing at the receiver. when he turns around, you turn around too.

"that woman causing a scene-- that's my wife. sevika. can you put her on the phone? please?" you beg, your whispered voice shaking. it's silent on the other line. "please!" you squeak.

silence.

then... "b-baby?" a shaky voice comes through. you gasp.

"sev." you whimper.

"baby, oh my god." she cries into the phone. "oh my god, are you okay?" she sobs. you shake, your hand coming out to catch yourself on the wall beside you.

"i love you." you whisper. "i love you and i'll never stop loving you, honey, even when i'm gone." you whisper. sevika gasps on the other line.

"don't say that!" she shouts.

"they-- they're talkin' about killing a hostage. they think i'm a cop. i don't think i'm gonna--"

"shut the fuck up!" sevika growls. you stop your hushed rambling. "you're gonna be fine, baby, i'm gonna see you real soon, okay?"

"sev--"

"say it!" she begs, her voice cracking. you weep.

"i-i-i'll see you soon, baby." you choke out.

"who the fuck are you talkin' to?" the masked man behind you asks. you freeze.

then the wall caves in.

you wake up on a gurney, swat members and paramedics running past you. there's a ringing in your head.

you look to your left. toya is grinning down at you.

"knew you'd fuckin' make it!" she says, giddily. you smile. you're dizzy in a fun way-- likely concussed. you blink asleep.

you wake up again outside, lacy nudging you awake. "no sleepin', kid." she commands as she takes your vitals. you nod.

"what..." you try. your brain's still rattling around in your skull. words aren't as easy as they usually are. toya understands you, though.

"swat blew the wall in and took those goons down! you and all the hostages are safe. you got the most damage-- rubble hit your head pretty hard." she explains as she shoves an IV into your arm. you blink.

"sevika?" you ask. lacy chuckles at your feet.

"what'd i tell you? second thing she asks is where's her wife. ridiculous." lacy says. toya rolls her eyes.

"baby!" sevika's voice calls from across the parking lot. your head whips over to see her, sprinting at the three of you at full speed, pushing a few people out of her way. you giggle when she shoves the cheif of police to the side-- he stumbles on his feet as he tries to catch his balance.

she's by your side in a flash, grinning down at you, tears running down her cheeks. you recognize the comforting warmth of morphine beginning to flood your veins. or maybe it's just love. you giggle up at her.

"hi, pretty." you say, lifting a hand up to cup her cheek. she shoots down to kiss you, nipping on your lip, shoving her tongue into your mouth. you giggle.

"i'm right here!" lacy grunts out. toya wolf whistles.

"i told you you'd be okay, didn't i?" sevika asks as she pulls away, her eyes locked on yours. you nod dreamily up at her, unsure of what she's even talking about, in love with her all the same.

"you're my wife." you say, amazed. toya and lacy burst out in laughter. even sevika giggles. "what's funny?" you pout up at her. she kisses you again.

"you're the most beautiful, smartest, sexiest person in the world." she says. she gives you another kiss. "i'm never letting you leave the house ever again." she presses a third kiss against your lips. "i love you so fucking much." she says, tears running down her cheeks.

you grin, happy to have your wife kissing you so passionately. you gently brush her tears away. "come here." you demand, scooting over in your gurney to make room for sevika. she laughs, and crawls in beside you, despite the protests lacy and toya shout out at her. she wraps herself around you, kissing you firmly on the forehead. "love you." you whisper.

"love you." she says back to you.

toya and lacy load the two of you in the back of the truck.

they fake gag the whole way to the hospital as you and sevika make out in the back.

taglist

@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay

[roxygen22]

Still Here (Chapter 4)

Summary: Timothée invites you and Madison out to the lake.

A/N: This Timothée variant is so dad-coded that I'm falling in love with him myself.

Catch up on previous chapters here.

You spent the next few days helping your mother clean out and rearrange your old room to be livable once again instead of a dedicated craft space. You checked your phone constantly the first couple of days after your lunch with Timothée, but slowly resigned yourself to the fact that he may not reach out after all. You wouldn't blame him if he had changed his mind. The two of you hurt each other pretty badly all of those years ago and were practically strangers again thanks to time and distance.

On the fifth day, as you were perusing job ads in the local newspaper, you heard your phone ding. You stared at the device for a moment in disbelief. Was it going to be a message from him, or just another spam text that gets your hopes up? You flipped it over and spotted:

"Want to go out to the lake on Saturday?"

You bit your lip and grinned, hugging your phone to your chest. Finally.

"Sounds fun! Let me see if my parents are available to hang out with Maddy." "She's welcome, too."

Wow. You weren't used to that. Your "friends" in California weren't much on kids tagging along on your outings. It got to a point where you didn't go out much at all because getting a sitter was too expensive.

"Really? Thanks! I think she'd enjoy getting out of the house." "Of course. Let's meet at my place early around 7am so we can have some fun before it gets hot. Do you remember how to get here?" "As long as you are still on Hawk Road, I can manage ;)" "Yep. See you in a couple of days."

<><><><><>

Saturday morning finally arrived. It was hard to convince Madison to get out of bed, but with some persuasion (i.e. favorite breakfast) she was up and dressed relatively quickly. You went through your verbal checklist to ensure you had everything you both needed for day of fun in the sun:

"Phone charger, check, snacks, check, cooler of drinks, check, sunscreen, check, spare clothes, check. Alright, I think we have everything. Let's load up!" As expected, you were able to find Timothée's place with ease. He had a small house on the same land as his parents. You had spent enough time there as a teenager that you still knew the route like the back of your hand.

Timothée was already outside packing stuff into the bed of the truck when you arrived. He turned and waved as he heard your car make its way down the gravel driveway. Once you stopped, he walked up and opened the door for you. Another gesture you weren't used to anymore.

"Good morning!" You looked up at him from your car's seat and smiled. He hugged you once you stood.

"Morning, [Y/N]." He pulled back to look at your face, smiled again, then looked to the side as he spotted movement behind the car. "Hey, Madison!"

"Hey," she replied flatly as she walked up to the two of you. You pulled the girl into your side.

"Mornings aren't her favorite. She'll warm up eventually." You looked down to give her that "mind your manners" look.

"That's alright. I'm not a morning person either, unless I'm up for something fun. Like today!" Timothée said cheerily. That's when you noticed something connected to his truck.

You leaned around him and exclaimed, "You have a boat now?!"

He chuckled. "I did grow up a little bit while you were away, [Y/N]."

You laughed awkwardly, but then quickly froze when you realized, "Oh no, we don't have life jackets. I didn't know, so I didn't plan for..."

"Don't worry, I already thought through that. I had an extra adult one on hand and borrowed a kids' life jacket from the neighbors. By the way, they have some kids around Madison's age. I think their youngest may even be in the same grade in the fall. They want to meet you both."

"Oh, it would be so great if Madison could at least know one other kid when school starts up. Are they new in the area?"

"Relatively. They moved in about five years ago," he replied.

"Ah, I see. I have a lot of catching up to do," you noted. You looked down at your daughter and squeezed her shoulder, "And we have new friends to make."

"I may not even still be here when the new school year starts, remember?" Madison grumbled.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to have some friends around when you come visit your grandparents, though, right?" Timothée chimed in.

She shrugged. "I guess not."

"Right, well, back to the fun at hand. Before I saw the boat, I was going to offer that we all pile in my car since there is more space. We can just follow you over there instead," you stated.

"Nonsense. We can all fit in my truck. Here, let me put your things in the back." You opened the trunk and allowed him to transfer your bags and cooler.

As he walked away, you bent down to talk to Madison quietly. "His truck only has one row of seats. Are you okay with sitting in the middle between us?" Just because you had known Timothée most of your life didn't mean she would (or should) be automatically comfortable around him.

"Sure, I've never ridden in a truck like this before, or in a boat!" You could tell she was starting to perk up. She ran over when Timothée opened the heavy passenger door of the old blue truck and climbed inside eagerly. "Whoa, we're so high up compared to your car, Mom!"

Once you followed suit, Timothée shut the door and ran around the front to the driver seat to join you. "Alright, everyone buckled up?" he asked. You and Madison nodded. "Then let's go!"

As he drove, you pointed out some of the places from your childhood. This triggered some reminiscing on Timothée's part about some of the shenanigans the two of you got into, which made Madison giggle. She seemed to enjoy hearing about some of your irresponsible moments. Hearing her laugh again was like music to your ears. You looked over at the two of them as they laughed together. Even though it was at your expense, you couldn't help but smile. Maybe this is what it could have been like had you stayed, the two of you together with a child in between.

Your arrival at the lake interrupted your reverie. Soon the three of you were out on the water and heading for a cove Timothée liked to frequent. Madison sat at the front of the boat with you close behind. She was nervous at first, gripping the edge of the boat, but quickly loosened up. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her as she faced into the wind. She looked back at you with a grin and yelled, "It feels like I am flying!" You laughed and waved, then looked back at Timothée, who was watching the two of you with a soft smile...

...which quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "Watch this!" he shouted. Now out on open water, he opened the throttle on the motor. The nose of the boat raised out of the water with increased speed. This time, you were the one gripping the edge of your seat while your daughter screamed, "Woohoo!" with both hands in the air. You could hear Timothée laughing behind you.

Much to Madison's disappointment, Timothée had to slow down as you neared the cove. When you approached the shore, he turned the motor off and jumped out to drag the boat to the bank. The girl jumped from the boat to the sand. "That was awesome!" she exclaimed as she shucked her lifejacket.

Timothée offered his hand to help you down then grabbed the bags and cooler. "Glad you're enjoying yourself, kiddo. Now, can you help me find a spot to set up our stuff?" he asked.

Madison ran up a small hill and quickly spied a dry grassy space to lay out the blankets. "Over here!"

"That's perfect, Maddy." You laid out a blanket. "Why don't you sit here, take your shoes off, and put sunscreen on, then you can go wade around while I get everything else set up. But no swimming until one of us can join you."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Okayyyy..."

You raised an eyebrow. "Or I could make you sit here all by your lonesome while Timothée and I swim, if you're going to be like that."

"No, no, I'm good. Shallow water only." She gestured to cross her heart then ran back down the hill.

Timothée set the cooler down beside you. "I know it wasn't part of your plan years ago, but you're really good at that."

"What's that?" You gave him a questioning look.

"The whole mom thing. You seem to have a knack for when to give her space and freedom, and when to rein it in. Oof, and that eyebrow raise. Even I stopped in my tracks."

You laughed. "Oh just wait until I have to break out her middle name. That's when it's really serious, Timothée Hal Chalamet." He playfully shuddered. "But, uh, thanks. I feel like I fail at it all the time. Especially these last few months. Parenting is supposed to be a two person job, you know. Or more. Like they say, it takes a village." You dropped your head to prevent him from seeing the tears welling up in your eyes.

Timothée reached out to lift your chin. "I think you'll find a village here to help you, if you give them a chance." He brushed a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb.

Before you could respond, Madison interrupted with a squeal. He dropped his hand and cleared his throat as you quickly turned to investigate. "A fish touched my leg!"

You both chuckled. "I guess we better get down there," you said. You both undressed down to your swimwear and joined her. The three of you played and swam for hours. Once Timothée caught you by surprise by grabbing your waist, hoisting you out of the water, and throwing you back in. Madison giggled when you came back up spluttering, then asked to be thrown next.

This continued for several rotations until he was worn out. Both you and he needed a break. Madison was still going strong but was willing to come back into the shallows if it meant staying in the water.

Timothée sat beside you on the blanket as you dried yourself off. You could tell an idea dawned on him by the look on his face.

"Is it alright if I let her drive the boat around a little when we're back in open water? With help, of course?"

"Sure. That should be incentive enough to get her out of the water." You paused. "Thank you for today. I haven't seen her smile and laugh this much in months. It's all been so hard on her."

"Oh, think nothing of it. I come out here all the time to get away from life for a bit. Based on what you told me at lunch the other day, you hadn't had a chance to just stop and have some fun. I'm glad I could offer that."

"You...you're being so sweet to me."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we never talked about the way we ended things. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't important to me."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have been happy for you. Instead I selfishly focused on what I was losing versus what you were gaining. After some time, when I was able to see past my own hurt and look at things more objectively, I realized how incredibly brave you were to pack up and chase your dreams," he replied.

"I didn't reach them, though," you said sadly.

"Yet. You still have time," he said matter of factly.

You scoffed. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but life is too crazy right now to even think about finishing school."

"Well, just don't lose sight of it. K?" You nodded. "So shall we pack up and head back?" He stood and offered you his hand.

"All good things must come to an end, sadly," you replied, allowing him to help you stand. The two of you folded up the blankets and hauled the stuff back to the boat.

As you predicted, Madison whined when she saw what was going on. "I don't want to go yet!"

You smirked and looked over at Timothée. "I got this," he muttered to you under his breath. "Hey, kiddo, would you want to go if I let you drive the boat?"

"Really?!"

Timothée nodded. "Only when we get out in open water, but yes, I'll show you how to steer."

Madison looked at you with big puppy dog eyes. "Can I really drive it, Mom?"

"Hmm," you put your finger and thumb on your chin to look deep in thought. "I suppose so."

"Yes!" She jumped up and down and pumped her fist in the air.

"Now go get your shoes and lifejacket back on," you instructed. You all loaded up in the boat and set on your way. Madison was visibly vibrating with excitement as she sat beside Timothée next to the motor.

"Ready?" he asked once out of the cove. She nodded emphatically. "Alright, we're not going to go as fast as we did on our way out here, ok? Now, you have to face forward, but put your hand here on the handle behind you. Good. You will need to push or pull the handle in the direction you want to go. If you want to head right, push right. Left, pull left."

"Got it. Right is right, left is left."

"Ok. I am going to twist the handle to get us going again. You focus on where we're heading." She looked at him very seriously and nodded. Timothée slowly increased the speed. Madison looked nervous for a brief moment as she experimented with how far to push or pull to get the boat to move.

"You're already a pro!" Timothée shouted.

"Look Mom, I'm doing it!" She beamed. It was a beautiful sight. You pulled out your phone and took their picture. You made a mental note to send it to Timothée later.

Madison steered the boat almost the entire way back to the boat ramp, and then Timothée took over. After he expertly brought the boat to rest at the dock, you and Madison unloaded your belongings while he got the truck. After loading up and heading out, Madison fell asleep against your shoulder before you even got to the highway. You rested your cheek on her head, reveling in the closeness. She didn't come to you for cuddles like she used to.

The girl stayed asleep even once you arrived back at Timothée's house. He gently picked her up and carried her to your car.

"Thank you for your help," you said softly as you stood by the car door. "And thank you again for today."

"I enjoyed it. Hopefully we can do it again sometime this summer."

"I'd like that, and I think it's safe to say she would, too." You grabbed the door handle and turned. "Hey, uh, want to grab dinner sometime this week?"

Timothée smiled. "Yes."

<><><><><>

Chapter 5

Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess

@bluizh

[an-unknown-writers-world]

I Want One

 Warnings: Cheese with a hint of angst.

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader  

Word Count: 551

A/N: This is so cheesy and basically wrote itself. I debated posting it, might delete later. I hope you enjoy it.

Jake’s arms were wrapped around your shoulders, your back pressed to his chest, and your hands holding onto his forearms. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head as you watched your brother and sister-in-law load their two kids into the truck.

 “I want one,” Jake spoke, breaking the silence.

 “Babe, you just got a new truck a month ago.”

 “Not the truck,” he laughed.

 You looked up and followed his gaze, your six-month-old niece giggling in your brother’s arms. “A baby?” You asked, shocked.

 He smiled, the breathtaking kilowatt expression that exposed his dimples and crinkled his eyes. “Yes,”

 “Oh,”

 This was a conversation you had both had a dozen times. You’d never wanted kids before you met him. You had a rough past; you never felt stable or safe enough to consider having a baby before you met him. But Jake came in like a wrecking ball. Every boundary or plan you had set dissolved without a second thought. He didn’t push them or tell you anything negative about your plans. They just no longer mattered. He was safe. No matter where you were or what was happening in the world, he was your home, peace, and sanctuary.

 “Babe,” He spoke softly, kissing the top of your head again, “hey,” he whispered, “look at me.”

 You pulled back and looked up at him, and he wiped the pooled tears from under your eye. You hadn’t realized you had started to well up.

 “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

 Shaking your head, you smiled, “s’not that,” you kissed him chastely. Hoping he’d let it go.

 “Hey, talk to me,” He soothed, his hand cradling the side of your face.

 You leaned into it, kissing the palm of his hand. “Just never thought I could be this happy. Happy enough to actually want to have a baby with you.”

 He chuckled and kissed you again.

 “Get a room!” Your brother yelled from the truck window smiling at the sight of you and Jake.

 You pulled away from each other, both laughing. Jake’s hand coming to rest on your lower back, keeping you tucked into his side.

 “Go home then!” You shouted back.

 “Yeah, we have a baby to make!” Jake shouted.

 You buried your face in his chest. Laughing and blushing. Your sister-in-law cheering in the background.

 “Bout time!” Your brother yelled back. “Love you guys!”

 “Love you!” You yelled back. Both you and Jake waved as they pulled down the drive.

 “I like him,” Jake smiled, referring to your brother.

 “He likes you too. Which is pretty impressive.” You agreed.

Silence passed between the two of you for the briefest moment as you watched your brother and his family slip down the road.

 “I can’t believe you just told my brother we were going to make a baby.” You laughed again.

 “Well, we are, aren’t we?” He shrugged.

 “Yes, but you basically just told my brother to leave so we could have sex.”

 “And?” He smirked

 You rolled your eyes, smiling. It was a pointless, silly argument that you’d never win. “Take me to bed, Lieutenant.”

 “Yes, ma’am.” He grabbed you by the waist and threw you over his shoulder, a gentle swat on your butt.

 “Jake!” You exclaimed, laughing.

 It was going to be a long night.

A/N: If you’ve made it this far - thank you so so so much for reading! My Masterlist can be found here. All work is also available on AO3    

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Court Of Public Opinion - Andy Barber x Reader (Part 5)

A/N: This is the sequel series to Memory Served and will contain major spoilers for that series so go read that one first if you haven’t already!

Summary: You and Andy to take a short trip down to Florida to escape the negative media attention ahead of the trial

Word Count: 6.3k

Warnings: Language! Angst! Talk of Abduction! Talk of Rape and Sexual Assault!

Dividers by me!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 5

Andy let out a long breath of air as he stepped off the plane. Despite it being thick with humidity it felt like a fresh breath of air. Andy wasn’t someone who liked the heat, he much preferred the more temperate climates of New England, but this time he welcomed it, it almost made him forget everything. This was just a nice short holiday to see some friends, there was nothing to run from.

You were walking just ahead of him and when you looked over at him you gave him a smile just as radiant as the sun. Andy instantly felt his own smile grow, you had only been in Florida for a few minutes and he could already see the sun was helping. He took a couple of steps to be level with you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“I hope Frank’s AC is working” Andy chuckled as he fanned himself.

You smiled up at him “Yeah you New England boys aren’t built for the heat, I’m surprised Frank can bear it” you chuckled patting him on the chest “Maybe we can put off getting a taxi and take advantage of the airport AC” you smirked. 

“Sounds like an excellent plan” Andy grinned as you stepped off the tarmac and into the air-conditioned airport, breathing out a sigh of relief when the icy air hit him. 

It didn’t take long to get through to baggage claim and to grab the suitcases but like you suggested you two didn’t speed your way through the airport. You even picked up some overpriced iced coffee before heading out to the arrivals lounge. 

To Andy’s surprise, he spotted Frank stood waiting with a sign that said ‘Mr Bigshot and Miss Bookworm’. You let out a laugh as Andy rolled his eyes as the two of you walked over. 

“You didn’t say you were picking us up” You smiled as you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him. 

“I thought I’d surprise you” Frank smiled as he hugged you back.

“Thanks Frank, and I’m sorry again that it was such short notice” Andy apologised as he greeted Frank with a hug. 

“Hey it’s fine, you two could show up with no heads up and the door will be open for you,” Frank said “Plus Mary’s been on at me for weeks to go visit you guys”

“I’m surprised she didn’t kick off a storm and refuse to go to school so she could be here right now” Andy commented as the three of you made your way out of the airport and to Frank’s truck. 

“She probably would have done if she knew, but I decided to save myself the headache and leave it as a surprise for her too” Frank shrugged.

“And they say Mary is the genius in the Adler family” you smirked elbowing Frank in the side, making Frank smile and wink back at you. 

Frank quickly loaded up the truck and the three of you climbed in to start the drive to Frank’s apartment. As he started up the truck Andy could feel the weak cough of the air conditioning which made you and him exchange a knowing look. 

Thankfully it wasn’t long until Frank pulled up outside his apartment, the one you and Andy had helped him move into over a year ago now after he was awarded full custody of Mary. One of the conditions he had to agree to was that he found an apartment where Mary would have her own room. Thankfully one of Roberta’s tenants moved out which meant the perfect apartment became available at the perfect time.

As he stepped inside Andy couldn’t help but chuckle when we saw how lived in the apartment had become in the year Frank and Mary had lived here. It wasn’t messy, it was just organised chaos as Frank called it. Piles of nuts and bolts from Frank's work, Mary’s toys and books. 

It reminded Andy a lot of their time at Harvard. The two of them were roommates for the entire time they were there, becoming quick friends, often referred to as the twins because of how similar they looked. But to them they were nothing alike, Andy liked to keep things neat and organised, it helped him make sense of everything. While Frank was a bit more laid back and worked better with a little bit of chaos. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with us staying here? We can get a hotel room?” Andy asked as Frank lugged the suitcase into his room. 

“Nah it’s fine, I’ve slept on the couch plenty of times” Frank shrugged “It’s actually pretty comfy, just no hanky-panky in my bed” he added pointing over at Andy “I know what you two can get like”

The comment pulled an awkward laugh from you, as Andy glanced over he could see you shift uncomfortably, wrapping your arms around yourself and rubbing your arms. Andy fought the urge to furrow his brows and the small voice in his head that was listing all the reasons that comment made you uncomfortable. Almost all of them made him the problem. 

Frank’s eyes darted between Andy and you, narrowing slightly before he cleared his throat “Well um Mary will be home from school in about an hour or so and then I thought we could go out to eat? There’s a nice place on the beach, perfect to watch the sunset”

Andy watched as a smile returned to your face and your arms dropped back to your sides “Yeah that sounds great” you smiled. 

“Cool, and um one of my clients said we could borrow his boat tomorrow too if you guys fancy getting out to the sandbank?” Frank suggested scratching the back of his neck. 

“We’d love that, thanks Frank” Andy smiled “Looking forward to it”

“Great, well um let me get you two a drink and Mr Bigshot can talk about all his recent wins” Frank smirked as he walked back towards the kitchen.

Andy rolled his eyes and shook his head the the nickname Frank refused the drop, not that Andy ever expected him to. It was a nickname that Frank gave him all those years ago back in College and if Frank hadn’t let it go already, he never will. 

The three of you killed time by catching up over some iced tea and chips in the kitchen. Andy told Frank about the cases he’d worked on, Frank in turn complained a bit about some of the boats he worked on and the design faults they had. You told Frank about the book you were reading which Frank returned with a reminder to check your pillow tonight, no doubt for a new book to add to your collection.

You and Frank had your own sweet tradition back from when you were in college and he was an assistant professor. You’d find him random little trinkets, while he’d feed your bookworm habits by picking out a book for you. It had evolved over the years, you now finding him strange nuts and bolts that he’d probably never find a use for while he in turn got you children's books.

Your conversation was interrupted by Mary arriving home and loudly calling out for her Uncle “Frankkk! I’m hungry” she complained loudly from the living room.

“Well come into the kitchen and get yourself something to eat” Frank called back. 

Andy heard Mary let out an annoyed huff before she trudged her way into the kitchen with Fred in her arms. The poor cat however was quickly dropped when Mary spotted you sitting at the kitchen table.

A wide smile broke out on the little girl's face as she raced over and hugged you tightly “Y/N! I missed you!” she cried out. 

Andy watched as you wrapped your arms around her, pulling her up onto your lap for a snuggle “I missed you too sweetie, gosh you’ve gotten so big! You’ll be taller than Frank soon enough” you said kissing the top of her head. 

A lopsided smile grew on Andy’s face as he watched you cradle Mary in your arms, she was far too big for it now but you clearly didn’t mind. If anything it was you holding her closer. 

“Hey, don’t I get a hug?” Andy asked poking Mary on the shoulder to get her attention. 

“Uh duh,” Mary said rolling her eyes as she climbed off your lap to give Andy a hug, only to quickly return to you though.

Andy glanced over to Frank, the both of them shaking their heads and chuckling. Mary definitely had a much closer connection to you than Andy, despite the fact you only met her three years ago while Andy met her when she was a baby and Frank took on the duty of raising her. Andy was the one who helped Frank out by moving the two of them down to Florida. 

Andy watched as Mary filled you in on her day and everything else that she needed to tell you. He could see you become a whole different person, the person you were before you were abducted. It made him breathe out a sigh of relief because it meant this weekend was working, you were able to escape the news and opinions of others and just be normal. Exactly how you wanted. 

“I need to show you my new Lego model!” Mary exclaimed grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the kitchen. 

Frank and Andy watched you go before Frank shifted in his seat, his expression suddenly turning serious “Is everything okay?” he asked quietly. 

Andy swallowed before nodding “Yeah… I think so anyway” he sighed rubbing his forehead “The last week with the news and the letters and all that shit have been rough, and that’s on top of just trying to move on from what happened” he continued shaking his head “but I mean just then that’s the happiest I’ve seen her in weeks, all she wants is to just pretend everything is normal and just forget and I think this time down here is doing just that”

Frank’s brows were furrowed in concern as he looked down at his hands, rubbing them together as they rested on the table “Everything isn’t normal though, not anymore… ignoring it won’t help her” he said quietly after a few moments.

“I know, I know” Andy sighed “but right now it is and until she tells me otherwise that’s how I’m playing it”

Frank studied him for a moment before letting out a long sigh and nodding his head “Okay, normal it is” he agreed.

You couldn’t sleep. You wanted to sleep you really did, it had been a long day of travel and catching up with friends, you should have fallen asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow but you didn’t. You wanted to blame it on the heat, but the temperature had dropped significantly. You wanted to blame it on Frank having an uncomfortable bed but that also wasn’t true.

In truth, you knew exactly what was keeping you up no matter how much you didn’t want to admit it. You were a fraud. No matter how much you tried to pretend everything was normal and your time with Ransom had never happened, you just couldn’t. 

But if you faced the ugly and harsh truth, how long would it be until everyone around you saw you for what you were? The rest of the world already hated you, called you an adulterous whore and gold-digger. It wouldn’t be long until everyone else came to the same conclusion. 

All you could do was hold on to this little lifeboat you currently had and hopefully by the time the trial came and every ugly truth was laid bare all this time of acting normal would still count. Maybe it would be enough to convince Andy to not let you go. 

Carefully you looked over at him, watching as he peacefully slept next to you. The moonbeams that streamed in from the gaps in the blinds made his milky complexion glow like moonstone. His lips were slightly parted and his long lashes lay in contrast to his skin. He looked so rested it hurt, it hurt because you were the reason for his weariness. You were the one putting him through all this. 

You were beginning to fill with restless energy as your mind began to run wild. Your body wanted to toss and turn but you didn’t dare wake Andy. If you woke him he would know something was wrong and wrong wasn’t normal, you needed to remain normal for a bit longer. 

The room suddenly felt humid and close, it felt difficult to breathe even as you pushed the covers back. You needed fresh air, you needed to get out. You’d go for a quick walk around the block, nothing too far and crazy. Hopefully just enough to clear your mind or wear you out enough to finally sleep. 

Carefully as you could you crept out of bed and out of the bedroom. You managed to cross the first hurdle of getting out of bed without Andy noticing, but the next hurdle was higher because Frank was asleep on the couch and you needed to creep past him to get to the door.

You managed to get all the way to the door before the creaky floorboard gave you away. Frank woke with a start, his head whipping around to spot you by the door. 

“Hey, what’s up? Something wrong?” he yawned rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

“Yeah I just uh- wanted a drink” you whispered hoping he didn’t see through your lie. 

It was clearly no use though as he arched a knowing brow “The kitchen door is that one” he said pointing to the door you’d already passed, clearly he was used to detecting Mary’s lies. 

“Oh uh yeah, and some fresh air” you corrected clearing your throat “It's pretty hot”

Frank lets out a yawn as he stands up with a big stretch “Yeah it’s hotter out there” he says as he walks over to his desk and grabs a set of keys.

You struggle to try and find a different excuse, something to just reassure him that you were fine and to get back to bed “Frank I-I-” you stuttered. 

“It’s fine, you need a drink and some air then that’s what we’ll do,” he says grabbing a hoodie from the back of the couch and chucking it at you “C’mon I know a place” he continued, walking over to open the door you where still frozen in front of “after you,” he said gesturing for you to head out. 

You swallowed nervously glancing over to the bedroom door where Andy was sleeping before you nodded and made your way out with Frank. 

You slipped on the hoodie Frank had given you as you followed him away from the apartment. Stuffing your hands in the pocket you remained silent feeling like you were about to get a telling off. The only solace you had was that you were walking away from Andy, Frank wasn’t going to rat you out maybe you could convince him that you were truly fine. 

A short while later you arrived at the harbour, first Frank headed over to his workshop where he pulled out a cooler before he led you out to whatever boat he was currently working on. You watched as he hopped on board staying on the dock, he put the cooler down before turning back to you and holding out his hand. 

“We’re going out? It's the middle of the night” you pointed out. 

“I know we’re just gonna sit here, drink and talk” Frank said still holding out his hand for you. 

You still hesitated. You knew exactly what he meant by talk and you knew you couldn’t keep pretending, he was not going to let you go back without giving him something. Glancing to the side you contemplated just walking away. Frank couldn’t exactly stop you, you could just go back to Andy. That is if he hadn’t noticed your absence already. You knew it was just delaying the inevitable though. 

Taking a deep breath you closed your eyes and took a moment to gather yourself. When you re-opened them you looked over to see Frank still waiting for you. The look on his face was calm and supportive, one that told you that even though he wanted you to talk he wasn’t going to push you too fast, you could still take this at your pace. So you took his hand and took the leap. 

Onboard you took a seat, Frank doing the same. He opened up the cooler while you tucked yourself in the chair tight, looking out at the dock, the sound of waves breaking calming you. Frank then got your attention by nudging your shoulder with a beer bottle, you silently thanked him before taking a large sip.

Frank moved to sit in the chair opposite you, letting out a long sigh as he did so “Right… I don’t want you to think this is a telling off or me trying to tell you how to handle all this shit, but normal just isn’t working” he said. 

You let out your own long sigh as you looked down at your beer bottle, scratching the label with your thumbnail “I know” you whispered “I just don’t know what else to do” 

“That’s okay, do you know what you need?” Frank asked gently. 

“I need Andy, I need you and Mary and everyone else” you said shaking your head “and I just know if things aren’t normal I will lose all of you”

“Bullshit” Frank stated, his outburst making your head snap up “I’m sorry,” he said holding out a hand to placate you “You are not going to lose any of us, why would you even think that?”

You let out a small scoff, looking back down “You’ve seen the news” you muttered.

“You mean all the lies that fucked up family are trying to spin? Yeah I’ve seen it and I know you, I know it’s not you” Frank told you. 

“It is though, or at least was for those 4 months” you retorted refusing to look back over at him. 

“What do you mean? Of course you aren’t” Frank stated, you almost admired his stubbornness but right now you knew it would just hurt him if he refused to see the truth. 

“Frank I cheated, there’s no two ways about it, I slept with another man” you admitted finally looking back over at him “Andy should be disgusted by me! I’m pretty sure he is! Always hesitating and keeping his distance!”

Frank was silent for a few moments. Your admission seemed to have stunned him into silence, maybe you finally got through to him. He took a long pull of his beer before sitting forward. 

“You need to stop that… stop blaming yourself, because I know Andy doesn’t and trust me I know him far too well, our University days still haunt me,” he said managing to pull a small snort of laughter from you “so trust me when I say he doesn’t hate you or blame you, the only person he blames is that sick son of a bitch that took you” 

That brief moment of levity you felt disappears instantly as you try to listen to what he was saying but you just couldn’t. You slept with Ransom while dating Andy, yeah you didn’t know that at the time but you still did it.

“Frank I-” you said shaking your head.

“Nope you’re listening,” he said standing up from his seat and moving to crouch in front of you taking a deep breath before speaking again “Okay I’m about to get real serious… let's reimagine the situation, imagine that he still kidnapped you but you still had all your memories, everything else stays the same, he rapes you… do you think Andy would still be standing by your side?”

You took a moment to answer, picturing the situation in your mind. You knew Andy had handled a couple of Rape and Sexual assault cases and he’d always fought as hard as he could to get the victims justice.

“Yeah” you whispered your voice breaking “Yeah he would”

Frank’s lips twitched upwards “Exactly, now I don’t know the law as well as Mr Bigshot ADA but I know you did not have enough information to correctly give consent”

Silence fell between the two of you as the weight of Frank’s words weighed down on you. Each time you thought about your time with Ransom it never crossed your mind but thinking back on it now you were always hesitant, felt pressured into having sex. Heck, you couldn’t even remember saying the word yes. That realisation felt like a punch to the gut. 

“Fuck” you muttered dropping your head into your hands.

“Hey, hey, hey it’s okay,” Frank said softly as he wraps his arms around you “We’re going to help you I promise, you’ll get through this” 

He held you as you broke down, all the weeks of holding back the hurt tumbling out of you in one failed swoop. You felt like you couldn’t breathe you were crying so much but at the same time you felt so much better, you felt lighter, you felt more normal. 

By the time your tears finally subsided you were exhausted, as you pulled back you saw Frank also had tears in his eyes that he was trying to hold back. 

He gave you a gentle watery smile as he cupped your cheeks and wiped away your tears with his thumbs “Better?” he asked. 

“Yeah… Yeah much better thank you, I- I didn’t realise how much I needed that” you admitted with a shaky sigh. 

“It’s alright, and look I don’t know why Andy is acting weird but I’m sure it isn’t because he thinks you’re disgusting or that he resents you,” Frank said putting a comforting hand on your knee “Fuck Y/N that man loves you so, so much, I’ve known him for years and I’ve never seen him this in love”

“Really?” you asked, the niggling thought of doubt still in your mind. 

“Really. He just wants to make sure you’re okay and is overthinking what to do and is scared to do something wrong, heck I’m constantly second-guessing myself trying to make sure that what I say and do doesn’t accidentally upset you because I don’t want that, we want you to be happy” Frank reassured you “just talk to him, tell him how you’re feeling and he’ll tell you what he’s feeling because right now you’re working on what ifs and what that little voice in your head is telling you and that’s almost never right”

You nod your head “I will I promise” you agreed “I hope Andy hasn’t woken up and panicked that I’m gone”

Frank shook his head “I left a note on my desk in case he did” Frank reassured you “But we could go back now if you want?” 

You shook your head, while you felt better you still needed a little time to fully calm down before heading back to Andy “No can we stay a little longer?” you asked.

“Sure, not a problem” Frank said with a gentle smile before standing back up and heading back to his seat “So what do you wanna talk about?” 

You shrugged your shoulders “I dunno… you seeing anyone at the moment?” you asked, earning a snort of laughter from Frank. 

“Uh… no… not really…” he said after a moment, shaking his head. 

“Hmm, that doesn’t sound like nothing” you hummed taking a sip of your beer. 

“You know for most people, if their ex was that interested in their dating life it would be weird” Frank pointed out, once again deflecting.

You rolled your eyes and sent him a pointed look. While you were a mature student at university, you had met Frank at a local coffee shop during winter break and the two of you hit it off almost immediately. You found out he was an assistant professor when you went on a couple of dates, but it wasn’t until you took an ethics class that you found out that he was an assistant professor at your university. Most specifically he was your assistant professor. 

The two of you decided to keep dating since Frank wasn’t the professor marking your work. You still kept it quiet though since it was frowned upon, when it got to summer you thought things would get easier but instead, it just fizzled out and you went your separate ways. You didn’t see Frank again in September, you found out years later that he’d moved to Florida with Mary. 

You only reconnected years later when Andy took you on a holiday to Florida to meet his oldest friend. Needless to say, it was a little awkward but you soon fell into a regular rhythm with you and Frank being just friends. You did wonder though if Frank ever held a light to you. 

“Okay fine…” Frank relented with a sigh “There’s a new bartender that I like, but I think I blew it before I even had a chance” 

“Were you your usual grumpy self?” you said knowingly. 

“I’m not grumpy…” Frank huffed, frown on his face before sighing “I mean maybe I was… I was having a rough day and just walked in and ordered my usual thinking it was Ferg behind the bar but it was her and maybe my tone was a little rude and maybe it was her first day”

“Wow really great first impression” you snorted shaking your head at him. 

“I did apologise but I dunno I think the damage is done” Frank sighed taking a long pull of his beer. 

“Maybe I can put in a good word when we go to Fergs tomorrow” you suggested with a wink. 

“No, no, you don’t need to do that” Frank stated shaking his head. 

“What? I can be a great wingwoman” you argued only earning a loud laugh from Frank, one that made a wide smile grow on your face “I can!”

“You tell yourself that” Frank chuckled. 

The two of you continued chatting for a little while longer before making your way back to the apartment. As you worried, you found Andy waiting for your return, sat on the couch wringing his hands together nervously. When you walked in he shot up from the couch clearly trying to remain calm. 

“Everything okay? I- I saw the note” he said swallowing nervously, he went to take a step forward but hesitated. 

Before your conversation with Frank you would have seen that as him not wanting to approach you, but now you realised he was giving you space and waiting for you to invite him in. So you gave him a soft smile and closed the distance, reaching out to take his hand, Andy’s breath catching when you did so. 

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” you told him “I just needed to get some air so Frank took me to the harbour” you explained. 

Andy let out a small shaky breath as he nodded his head “oh-okay”

“But tomorrow can we go somewhere to talk? Just us two?” you asked “I promise everything is okay I- I- I just think we should talk and clear the air a bit”

“Yeah, of course we can” Andy sighed, relief clear in his voice as he ran a hand down your arm soothingly “We’ll go the beach first thing”

A soft smile formed on your lips “Thank you Andy” you said before looking over your shoulder at Frank “and thanks Frank, for the drink and air”

“It’s nothing, sleep well” he smiled as he moves back to the couch. 

Andy squeezed your hand as you made your way back to bed yourself. You climbed back into bed and instantly sought out Andy, curling into his warmth. He wrapped his arms around you securely placing a long kiss to the top of your head. 

You looked up at him and smiled at him warmly “I love you Andy, so, so much” you whispered.

Andy looked stunned for a split second before a warm smile bloomed on his face “I love you too, sweetheart, more than you could ever know”

Something had shifted last night, Andy felt it as soon as you walked back into the apartment last night. It terrified him. 

He thought everything was okay but clearly he was wrong. Why else would you sneak out last night? Talk to Frank instead of him?

He feared the end was coming and when you told him you loved him last night it was actually a goodbye. He wasn’t good enough for you and you’d finally realised it. The talk you wanted to have would be to end it.

Needless to say Andy barely slept. He just held onto you tight because this was probably his last chance to. He watched as the sun came up and wished it hadn’t.

Not even the smile you gave him when you woke did anything to convince him that this wasn't the end. The look that Frank gave him as he left the apartment with you felt like the final nail in the coffin.

The walk to the beach was silent and all Andy wanted to do was beg for you to stay. He’d get down onto his knees and beg if it meant you’d stay. The silence stayed as you found a quiet spot away from everyone, sat down and buried your feet in the sand.

Andy swallowed his nerves as he sat down next to you. He wanted to take your hand but he didn’t feel like he could. As the silence drew on Andy could feel himself beginning to panic, his heart racing as the end came racing in.

He heard you open your mouth to speak but he couldn’t keep silent any longer as he blurted out a broken “Please don’t leave me” 

A beat of silence passed and Andy couldn’t bring himself to look over at you, he tried to blink back the tears as he stared out at the ocean.

“What?” You muttered “Andy I- I could never leave you” you said taking his hand and holding onto it tightly.

Andy looked over at you in disbelief “Really?” He asked, voice breaking.

“Really. Andy I love you so so much, there is no one else out there for me” you told him squeezing his hand “god I- I thought you were going to leave me and that broke my heart”

“Wh- why would you think that?” Andy muttered in disbelief, shaking his head as he tried to make sense of what you just said.

“Because I felt like I cheated on you” you admitted with a small shrug of your shoulders, Andy went to protest but you held up your hand to stop him “I know I didn’t, Frank made sure I realised that last night, but I was disgusted at myself, I felt dirty and tainted and I thought that you felt that way about me too”

Andy felt like he’d been punched in the gut. How on earth could you think that? Where had he gone wrong?

“Wh-wh-what? Wh-why?” He stuttered shaking his head.

“I don’t know really, you’ve been so sweet but there have been times that you’ve hesitated around me or seemed uncomfortable or angry and maybe I was projecting what I was feeling” you said looking down, pushing your feet further into the sand.

“That’s never been because of you” Andy breathed out “All I’ve wanted is for you to feel happy and comfortable and I’ve felt lost as to how I- I didn’t know what to do” he admitted his voice wobbling “and I’m angry at him for doing everything he did to you, I’m angry at the world for taking his side, I’m angry at myself”

“Why yourself?” You asked, confusion mared your face. 

“It’s stupid… but I thought that maybe I wasn’t good enough, I started comparing myself to him and whether someone like him with more money or time would be better for you, and I hated myself for thinking that because he’s a monster”  Andy admitted feeling his anger growing at himself as he did so.

You shifted next to him so you could face him “Andy. There is no one on this earth who is better for me than you, I don’t care about money or the number of hours you work, I admire how dedicated you are to getting victims justice and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way by pulling away and being distance” you told him.

“You didn’t it was all me I swear” Andy squeezed your hand to the drive the point home.

“It was me too, this breakdown of communication was both of us,” you said softly.

“Okay, it was both of us” Andy relented “but I swear I’ll be better”

“Me too, I don’t want you or anyone to hesitate or second guess themselves around me, I’ll tell you if I’m uncomfortable or at least signal,” you tell him.

“Okay, and I promise that I’ll do anything and everything I can to make sure you get your justice and prove to everyone that you’re not what he says” Andy promised.

You smiled softly “Thank you Andy”

“Anything for you sweetheart, I love you so much” he breathed out a smile forming on his lips.

“I love you too, with all my heart” You smiled, cupping his cheek to guide his lips down to yours.

He smiled into the kiss, his arm wrapping around you to pull you closer. Something had definitely shifted last night and Andy was just too blind to realise it. He knew it now though as he kissed you, because it felt different, it felt more real.

When you pulled away you shifted closer and moved so you could rest your head on his shoulder. Shoulders that felt lighter as some of the weight he’d been feeling had been lifted. There was still the possibility of a trial ahead but at least he knew he didn’t need to fight to keep you.

The both of you sat in comfortable silence and you looked out at the ocean, just watching as the waves crashed onto the sand. As he sat there he suddenly felt the need to confess something.

“I was going to propose that weekend” he admitted.

“I know,” you said quietly “I didn’t know it was going to be that weekend but I knew you were going to”

Andy was almost stunned into silence “Really? How?”

“I found the ring, well the box, I didn’t look inside” you admitted with a chuckle “Your sock drawer really?” 

Andy snorted with laughter, shaking his head “I thought it was pretty good”

“Andy I do our laundry, of course, I’m going to go in there” you laugh “Your filing cabinet would have been better, I wouldn’t dare look in there and accidentally mess with anything” 

“Well it’s going in there when we get home that’s for sure” Andy laughed poking you in the side.

“Okay, and I don’t want you to feel any pressure about popping the question with everything going on, I’d want it to be the right time, a good time,” you told him.

“Good because I still want it to be some sort of surprise” Andy chuckled.

“And if there’s any doubt, I promise I’ll say yes” you smiled.

“Glad you hear it” Andy grinned leaning in to kiss you softly.

The two of you sat for a little longer before deciding to make your way back to the apartment. But just before you left the beach you pulled Andy to a stop. He arched a brow when he saw the nervous look on your face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked gently.

“Can-“ you started before taking a deep breath “can we ask for the charge of rape to be added? Because Frank pointed out last night that I was not of right body and mind to give proper consent…. I mean I don’t ever recall saying the word yes”

Andy was stunned into silence before a wave of nausea rushed over him at your admission. He swallowed a couple of times before nodding “We can ask yeah, I want him to go down for as much as possible but I’ll be honest it’s going to be hard to pin that, it’s difficult enough with clear cut cases” he warned.

“That’s okay, we have to try right?” You sighed.

“And we will I promise” Andy sweared wrapping his arm around you and pulling you close to kiss you on the top of your forehead.

By the time you got back to the apartment both Mary and Frank were awake and arguing “But why couldn’t I go!” Mary complained. 

“Because Y/N and Andy are here on vacation they don’t have to spend every moment with you, they can have time alone if they want” Frank reasoned but from his tired tone Andy knew this was probably the 5th time he’d repeated that. 

“It’s not fair” Mary pouted crossing her arms, however when she saw you and Andy her face lit back up “You’re back!”

“Yeah sorry sweetie, you were asleep when we left and we didn’t want to wake you,” you said crossing the room and bending down to be eye level with her “but I promise we’ll have plenty of time to hang out together while we’re here”

“Can I come with you tonight?” she asked hopefully.

“No” You, Andy and Frank all said in unison, earning another pout from Mary.

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[dsm--v]

i want to ask you a personal question

of all the stores to make a personality of, why costco

let me paint you a picture.

a woman, pregnant. she chats with her husband as they make their way through the costco clothing aisles. she feels the sudden tightness of contractions in her uterus- braxton hicks, her husband assures her.

they start the walk to the furniture sample area, but she can barely stand from the pain of the false contractions. her husband looks down at her skeptically.

she apologizes for this. but still, she feels the contractions.

she makes it clear to him that this- this is the real thing.

she is in labor.

the two of them stare at each other, racking their brains for how to get to the hospital in time. the nearest one was more than 1 hour away.

a costco employee notices the distressed couple and rushes over, concern etched across her face. "Is everything okay?" she asks, eyes darting to the seemingly annoyed husband.

the woman, gripping the cart for support, gasps out, "i'm in labor, and the hospital is too far away."

"follow me, you two," the employee says, leading the couple through the maze of costco aisles towards the store's employee-only areas.

eventually, they arrive at the loading dock area, where a delivery truck is parked. the woman grabs a walkie-talkie and radios for assistance.

no one is available. fuck.

the husband looks...perturbed. the costco worker frowns at him, leading his wife to lie down on the employee couch. she helps her control her breathing in short bursts.

it was all a blur, for all of them. moans of pain, sobbing, pushing, and finally the head of a baby boy was seen.

the employee smiles, patting the baby's back gently. "shh, shh.." she tilted her head, snapped out of the bliss of the newborn.

she handed him to his mother.

"what- what'll you call him?" the concerned worker asks, feeling a bit entitled to the small bit of information, since she did just help him be birthed.

the mother turned fondly to the father. "we...were thinking henry," she doesn't let the employee reply, "but....well, i think Costco would fit him."

anyway.

that's the story of my birth.