#benmendo* | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

enaelyork · 9 months

Text

Long time ago in Breenthal IV (PART 2 ~ Sorry)

[Gif made by : @benmendo ]

First : thx you so much for all your support in my previous post about these two.

It was a bit of a chaotic thought about how Orson and Galen evolved on Breenthal IV and I had that sort of flash again this morning. So I wrote it all down in a beautiful, nameless mess. Sorry about that. I don't know how many parts there will be in this story (there was only supposed to be one) but I guess I'll write whatever comes to mind regarding Galen and Krennic. This can be interpreted as a deep friendship or something platonic.

I was supposed to write one paragraph but it's 3 pages...Sorry not sorry.

– I agree to follow you again but on one condition.

I look up at him and I guess he caught the look of surprise in my eyes. How long has he been doing this? Since when has negotiation been part of Galen Erso's vocabulary, he who has always been unconditional in everything he does: thinking, creating, living, befriending the worst person in this galaxy.

– Do you have a condition? Repeat I. He's smart enough to understand that 1) I'm not the type of guy to agree to conditions 2) he's following the worst example he could possibly have. Usually Galen doesn't argue when I take him on this kind of illegal expedition.

And it was this resignation that pushed me to move up a gear in transgression. This time our little nocturnal trip involves neither a classroom nor a clandestine laboratory constructed on the fly at one o'clock in the morning. This isn't about any of Galen's whims. It's my world. It was time for Galen to embark on a different type of discovery. He was ready. After months of seeing me, of guessing through my glassy looks that I sometimes slip into a reality parallel to his, Erso is going to go on an adventure into the unknown and he is so scared that he starts to act like me .

– I want you to take me home tonight.

I hope he's joking.

I have never accompanied anyone except those who end up in my bed.

– I am not your mother. I show you the way and I told you that if you got tired of it you could leave.

I lace up my impeccable pair of shoes then tuck my chaotic curls behind my ears with an indifferent air. He is not offended by the tone I use because he knows that it is a way of defending me against his attacks which further cracks the ice around my heart. And that's the worst part. He knows absolutely everything he does to me. The fact that he is the only person I still see after the twenty-four hours following our meeting or that I tolerate him much more than I do others are edifying proof of this.

– You don’t understand Orson. It's not a question of weariness, it's a question of calm. We go there together, we leave together.

- You are scared ?

For the first time since these ridiculous negotiations began, our eyes meet. I'm still standing in front of a dusty mirror that Galen only uses to reflect his thoughts, and he watches me perched on his bed, a glint in his eyes that tells me his mind is spinning like never before.

-Yes. But not for what you believe.

His words crack the air like a whip, lacerating my mind with such violence that I nearly lose my balance. Galen never had the physical strength going for him, but the impact of what he says can be as harsh as a punch to the gut. He says little, but the words are carefully chosen to hit where it hurts. Somewhere deep in my ribcage, where something pulses that I have decided to forget. Is he afraid for me? I quickly put the idea out of my head before it contaminates everything else and leaves me vulnerable to Galen's demands. But the latter is far too smart to let escape the loophole he has just opened and rushes in without having been invited, as usual.

– Do we just have to establish an emergency code? I chuckle. Him and his mania for putting codes anywhere.

– We are not in the programming class.

–Don’t pretend to be stupid.

I was thinking more of a word that would directly indicate to the other that this outing is degenerating and that we must return.

- A word ? My response should have been something like: If you think things are getting out of hand, get your shit together and go home. But instead, I play into his stupid game because I don't plan to go out without him tonight.

- A word. If you hear it it means it's too much for me. Do you want to take me to where you go out at night? Fine, but I want a guarantee that things are going well.

–And what is this word?

His eyes light up with amusement when he realizes that I have already accepted his offer without saying it.

- Treason.

I breathe loudly. How ironic. Isn’t that the word I constantly hear about myself from lips other than his?

- Your turn.

- Pardon ?

– It’s a code, Orson. You also need to have a word to put an end to this.

– In case you missed it, I don’t intend to end anything.

He is silent. Looks at me with his little air of unbearable genius and leaves me there with all my questions escaping without the slightest barrier to hold them back.

– A word, Orson. Just one.

- Sorry.

He widens his eyes, bats his eyelashes several times before snickering discreetly.

– It’s very unlikely that this word will ever come out of your mouth.

– You understood everything, Galen. Now let's go. I'm tired of this little game and we're going to be late.

However, as I am about to cross the threshold of his door, dragging him with me, a strong resistance pins me to the spot. Freezes me and forces me to turn around. Galen's hand is so firmly anchored to my wrist that one more step would tear my hand away.

– Will you promise me?

I raise my eyebrows, falsely surprised and pretending not to understand.

– Will you promise to stop this if I ask you? To bring me back here? The trap seemed to be closing on me for good. I had accepted this stupid game of code, I had even agreed to listen to this whole absurd conversation instead of taking him away by force and presenting him with a fait accompli. I was no longer one scam away from him and I noted with anguish that he was surpassing his master in terms of negotiation.

—I guess I have to if I want to keep my hand. I pause before looking him straight in the eyes as if I were about to seal an oath. I promise you, Galen. I won't leave you alone there.

—

Spoiler: I didn’t keep my promise.

I knew I was going to screw up the moment Britley slipped a glass into my hand and waved her sparkling emeralds before my eyes. I was lost in the cacophony of the music, the throes of the alcohol, and I didn't know how long it had been going on when Galen's grip tightened on my shoulder.

– Orson, stop that right now.

He had dragged me to the dingy bench seat of the bar away from my group of friends and my survival instinct had pushed me to grab a bottle as I passed and put it to my mouth to give me the courage to confront him. I burst out laughing under his nose, sure I'm making him drunk with just my breath.

- Stop what ?

Don't force me. His gaze pleaded with me as I taunted him with this bottle, still far too full for my liking. I took a sip before presenting it to him to lighten the mood but he coldly declined. Galen had refused a single drink of alcohol since we had been here, I was pretty sure of that, just as he had refused the advances and taunts of those who were surprised to see him here.

– If you want me to stop, just say so.

Looking back, I realize that I provoked it. I was drunk and the alcohol fueled all the worst things in me, starting with my pride and my anger. I wanted him to capitulate because in my eyes he was the one who started this stupid, sick game. He could have been content to follow me without discussion, without seeking guarantees and commitment to me, but obviously, things could not be simple with him, he always had to complicate them.

So he shut up. He was content to pierce me with his murderous gaze and I saw nothing pleasant in it. Galen had the gift of seeing the good in me, always and probably he was the only one in the world to do so, but it was not only in this area that he excelled.

He also showed me all my horror, in a way no one else could.

Nothing came out of his mouth, but his eyes spoke. What he let me see was how much I bothered him, how sad my lack of control made him. He wasn't sad for himself - even though he was perfectly aware that I was ripping him off - but for me and that made me all the more abject.

– If you have nothing to say, you can leave. I say, averting my gaze to meet those of more amusing people who urge me to join them quickly.

I had just spit in the face of the person who was closest to a friend in my eyes and I had done it precisely for that. Because all I would have to do is bat my eyelashes in front of him tomorrow for everything to go smoothly. Galen forgave me everything, all the time. And I turned my back on him.

----

Three days.

He hasn't spoken to me for three days.

Three days of these incessant thoughts coming back to my head.

He didn't say it.

He didn't say it when we were arguing at that bar table. He didn't say it when he saw me hug this girl and drag her upstairs with me. He didn't say it afterward, because his shadow vanished and I fell asleep unaware of what would haunt me next.

Reality.

He didn't say a word, not because he knew I didn't care. But because he preferred to remain silent, to take it upon himself rather than force me to break the promise I made to him. And it tears my heart. Shit; It's horrible to admit it but it tears my heart.

Every time I pass by his bedroom door it remains closed even though it is constantly ajar waiting for me to push it. Galen avoids me, tries to act as if nothing had happened but maintains a reasonable - unbearable - distance between us.

When I observe him from a distance, nothing seems to change in his attitude. He remains deep in thought, but I know everything is different. For the average motel, Galen is constantly immersed in a deep meditative state that helps him see more clearly in the flood of scientific reasoning that assail him.

Except, he no longer meditates.

He ruminates.

He broods and buries himself in something so dark it terrifies me. Something that not only isolates him from others, but also from me. And when he gets jostled in the canteen, once again, and bursts of laughter escape into the room, I throw myself at him to grab his arm, exactly like him that evening.

- Talk to me.

He doesn't even bother to reject me. Turns his head, stands up indifferently and takes his empty tray to put it back on the display before walking. Only his pace indicates that he is running away from me when he enters the long corridor of the programming workshops.

–Galen.

I follow him. It drives me crazy but in the end I wonder which of us is the loneliest in the world at this precise moment. Him, me. The two of us against the rest of the world?

- Shit !

Usually my swearing shocks him, but not even my rudeness shakes him out of his torpor. He doesn't stop, doesn't turn his head, moving without hesitation towards the elevator that leads to the dormitories in an attempt to escape me.

- Sorry !

The word leaves my mouth as my arm blocks the elevator door from closing on him and he freezes. Alone in the metal cage, he observes me, asking the same question as me: did I say it to stop this stupid game or for a completely different reason?

– I didn’t want to bring you back the other night. I wanted you to understand that you were capable of living with others without being afraid. He needs to stop staring at me like he does. I'll slap him, or cry, or maybe do both at the same time. In any case I'm damned if I still dare to believe that I'm ruthless towards everyone. The world is not Galen Erso.

– And you did it. I add before entering the elevator to join him. The door closes behind me and the machine starts up with a dull whir.

I wait, but only his shining eyes prove to me that he is still alive.

- I have a question.

Why did you do that ? Why you lied to me ? Am I really your friend? Are you making fun of me like they do? It was a preview of what he could ask of me. The doors had just opened to the dormitory and the only question I had was whether he was going to leave me here or let me follow him.

– Professor Lawrence told me that I had to solve the equation on the fusion of steels with crystals by modifying the first part of the calculation. He tells me that it is dangerous to want to take the risk by modifying the very essence of the materials, but I do not agree with him...

I freeze.

I feel like I'm missing the air as the cool breeze from outside rushes in in a draft.

– Do you think I should listen to him? Because really, I'm not sure that's the solution. And I've been thinking about it for three days, I can't sleep Orson... You understand. What if…What if…

He pauses, his throat tightens and I can tell in his eyes that he is collapsing.

- You were not there.

And this sentence, more than his silence, reduces my pride and my arrogance to pieces. If I wasn't Orson, if I hadn't grown up in a world different from his, maybe I would have allowed myself to touch him. But it’s also part of us, all of that, this crazy awkwardness that constitutes the very essence of our bond.

– You know what I think about all this, right? Of obedience.

#orson krennic #director krennic #star wars #pre rogue one #galen erso #galennic #platonnic #friendship #star wars fanfiction #rogue one #star wars rogue one #rogue one : a star wars story #iminloveaboutthesetorturedsouls #causekrennicisvunerabletoo #butheisafreak

9 notes · View notes

ghostiddie · 5 years

Text

Ben Mendelsohn thirst moodboard

For @leightoningstrike

#ben mendelsohn #benmendo #orson krennic #general talos #talos the untamed #leightoningstrike #densehumboldt #❤❤❤#moodboard

114 notes · View notes

ferretfyre · 7 years

Photo

Animal Kingdom (2010, David Michôd)

#animal kingdom #ben mendelsohn #bmendelsohnedit #filmedit #benmendo #david michôd #tw death #tw blood #my gifs

13 notes · View notes

justmendostuffs · 3 years

Text

Because why the fuck not 🤤

#ben mendelsohn #not mine #simply because mendo #benmendo*#how can you not love him

50 notes · View notes

benmendo · 4 years

Photo

Babyteeth (2020) dir. Shannon Murphy

#babyteeth #eliza scanlen #ben mendelsohn #films #benmendo*

593 notes · View notes

robertaramayo · 7 years

Photo

I’m not trying to win. I’m not doing this because I want to beat someone — or because I hate someone, or because I want to blame someone. It’s not because it’s fun. God knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works because it hardly ever does. I do what I do because it’s right! Because it’s decent! And above all, it’s kind! It’s just that. Just kind.

endless list of favorite characters ♡ twelfth doctor

#dwedit #twelveedit #dwsource #tardissource #doctor who #twelfth doctor #favchar #m:gifs #m:dw #LOVE OF MY LIFE #but just wait til i get to the benmendo chars

1K notes · View notes

ben-mendelsohn-trash · 7 years

Photo

Danny Rayburn - S01E02.

#ben mendelsohn #bmendelsohnedit #danny rayburn #bloodline #my gifs!#benmendo is very kindly giving me tips on how to make gifs!#I hope they approve! *hides face*

69 notes · View notes

sagitariusrising · 4 years

Text

MendelWeek Day 7: Choose Your Own Theme

Favorite pictures:

Attributed to @benmendo and @saddadfanclub

Not sure where I found this one, but I know it’s from Metal Skin, apologies for not citing the photo 😬

Favorite music video: Lover to Lover by Florence+the Machine

Favorite guilty pleasures: Vince from “Tangle”, the #jynnic fandom 😈😇, and a series of NSFW YouTube videos, the channel is benmendelsohnappreciation, and ALL of the fanfic I’ve read, especially @sanctuarytrin, @ennaih @olderguysandcutiepies, @sufferthesea

Roles I’d like to see him play: a romantic lead who gets the woman in the end without too much angst, a detective based on several Scandinavian crime novel series, Shakespeare (I think he’d make a great Iago in “Othello”), some sort of good guy in a sci-fi/fantasy flick or TV series

@mendelevents

#ben mendelsohn, #vince is PURE SIN, #Dazey’s eyes, #jynnic, # the top photos seem so real, #Mendelweek, #gotta give props to the writers out there 🥰

24 notes · View notes

mandy23bwrites · 4 years

Text

Warmth

I was inspired by this post from @benmendo to write this snippet before the series premiered. Now, as we wait for the finale (after that brutal cliffhanger no less!), I decided to post this as we all need a little pick-me-up. Please enjoy!

Fandom: The Outsider (HBO mini-series)

Character/Pairing: Ralph Anderson x Reader

Tags/Warnings: Gender neutral reader, Established relationship, Mentions of blood

Disclaimer: AU where the reader replaces Jeannie Anderson (if you know anything about me, you’ll know this is the greatest sin because I love her fiercely so this almost didn’t exist)

Word Count: 570

Summary: After a long day on the job, Ralph is lucky to have a loving partner who takes care of him.

Read on AO3

The feeling of a warm washcloth on his face brings Detective Ralph Anderson back to full consciousness. He blinks rapidly, realizing he’s drifted off at the kitchen table. The sound of tranquil humming dissolves into quiet laughter as his eyes slowly focus on your face.

You know he’s had a rough day, evident by the blood you’re carefully scrubbing from his face, but you can’t help your amusement at seeing him doze off in the short time it had taken you to walk to the sink and rinse out the cloth (sitting upright no less!).

“I’m almost done, darling, just a little bit more.”

He makes a noble attempt at nodding and closes his eyes again. You turn your focus to his forehead, the worry lines there lessening as he relaxes. Making your way down his prominent nose, you pay extra close attention to around his eyes, not wanting to be too rough but still needing to get the dried blood off.

After a few minutes, you take his chin in your hand and slowly move his head side to side, satisfied that he’s finally clean. There would be time for him to shower tomorrow; right now what he really needs is rest. Turning, you toss the washcloth across the kitchen to where it lands in the sink with a ‘plop.’ The sound makes him jump, now on high alert. His eyes dart around the room, so wide that you can see how bloodshot they are.

“It was me, Ralph, it’s okay! You’re safe!” You quickly take his face in your hands and press a long kiss to his forehead, trying to calm him down. He sighs, shoulders slumping, and leans forward to rest his head on your chest as you move to wind your arms around him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” you murmur while rubbing soothing circles into his back. You stay that way until you feel him begin to drift off again and then slowly step back. “Okay baby, let's get you into bed.”

You take his hands and gently pull him up from the chair, his movements sluggish and stiff. Wrapping an arm around his waist, you make your way upstairs to your bedroom. He damn near collapses onto the bed after you help him change into a soft shirt and sweatpants. A soft smile spreads across your face as you pull back the blankets and tuck him in, leaning down to give him a kiss.

As you turn away, his hand reaches out and grabs your wrist.

“Will you stay with me?”

“Of course,” You murmur, smile growing. You flick off the light as you make your way around the bed and join him under the covers. His strong arms immediately reach out and pull you to his side, rolling so he can bury his face into your neck. You, in turn, wrap your arms around him and card your fingers through his coarse hair. In no time at all, you can hear his breathing deepen, soon followed by quiet snoring.

For a second you consider sneaking away but you quickly banish the idea, deciding to enjoy the time with your partner instead. Cleaning the kitchen could wait; taking a nap with the gentle detective sounded far more appealing. So you snuggle into the pillows with a sigh of contentment and drift off, relieved that he once again made it home safe.

#ralph anderson #ralph anderson x reader #the outsider #the outsider hbo #hbo the outsider

26 notes · View notes

smolbeandrabbles · 5 years

Text

Sure Be Cool If You Did - Ralph Anderson x Reader (The Outsider)

GIF Credit @benmendo

Author’s Note: Hahahahaha.... I know. I’m incredibly early. I’ve jumped the gun! I’ll reblog it when we actually get the show. But I read the book, so here we are! You can’t stop me writing this! Yes, reader has a last name, it’s my little joke. I’m sorry. Disclaimer: I will never, ever, do justice to Stephen King’s genius - but I tried my best! / Lyrics, gifs, characters not mine

Set in an AU where Jeannie & Derek don’t exist *gasp* Heresy!

Premise: After working a case together, Ralph figures he’s got a break through - he needs to tell you about it. But arriving at your house doesn’t turn out as he expects...

Words: 3145

Warnings: Potential “The Outsider” spoilers

_____ Now you're standing in the neon looking like a high I wanna be on Baby it's your call No pressure at all You don't have to keep on smiling that smile that's driving me wild And when the night is almost over Meet me in the middle of a moonlit Chevy bench seat And do a little bit of country song, hanging on You don't have to keep me falling like this But it'd sure be cool if you did You can't shoot me down 'cause you've already knocked me dead Got me falling apart with my heart talking out of my head Let your mind take a little back road just as far as you wanna go Baby, I'll do Whatever you wanna do... --- Ralph Anderson could have just gone home. He should have just gone home, he wasn’t on call, you weren’t on call… It could have waited until the morning. It wasn’t that it was late, just a little unsociable for him to go banging on your door about something he’d thought on from an interview you’d conducted that day, that he thought might be a breakthrough. He drove slowly back home, and took the wrong turn off. Well, no actually he didn’t – he took the correct turn off for what he believed was your address. He felt like you had to know. As his partner you had a right to know. He liked having you around, you were a good wall to just bounce ideas off – you had a similar wavelength, but just diverse enough for you to both interpret things a little differently. Maybe you’d think nothing of it – but he’d never know if he didn’t tell you right now… You were good to have on the team; old enough to be an experienced detective, young enough to still be enthusiastic about every single case you had to work on. Even the ones that had Ralph groaning and wishing he didn’t have to fill paperwork in for. There was just one thing about you though; that had the whole station cracking up. Your last name. It was the same as his. Andersson. You had the extra ‘S’. That made you Anderson & Andersson. And everyone made the same oh, are you together!? joke that was wearing pretty thin pretty quickly on him. Although you’d now come up with a perfectly mysterious counter, with that little smile of yours; “We’re partners, yes.” So here he was, knocking on the door of one Miss.Y/N Andersson. He stood and waited, and when at first there was no answer he wondered why he’d bothered with disturbing you with this… He took a step back to leave, but as he did so the door opened, at first just a crack, and then a little wider. But he wasn’t faced with you, in fact Ralph had to look down to see who he was faced with. Looking up at him with eyes full of curiosity was a little girl who couldn’t have been more than five or six. He was a little taken aback and was thrown into a sudden panic; did he have the wrong address?! Was he about to look like a total idiot? Or maybe this was your house; and he was trying to read too much into this – little sister? Very little sister? Niece? Hell, for all he knew she could just be a kid that you looked after. Ralph realised there was a lengthy awkward silence hanging in the air, and he raised his hand from his pocket; “Uh, Hi?” She didn’t respond, her eyes simply scanned from his face down his body; and widened as they fell on his FCPD badge attached to his belt. Then she was both running and screaming down the corridor he could just about see behind her; “MOMMY!!! MOMMY---!!! THERE’S A DETECTIVE AT THE DOOR---!!” Mommy? Ralph put his hands to his forehead and for a minute felt like the world’s worst detective, world’s worst partner… world’s worst friend? How did I NOT know?! He looked back at the empty corridor and realised he’d only created yet more awkwardness. Well, now you’ve done it Mr.Anderson… He peered around the door; did he walk in? Did he close it and walk away? What if it turned out he was still in the wrong place and the person being called by the girl wasn’t even you-!? As she ran into the kitchen, she paused by you eyes disproportionately wide. You were still flicking through todays paper, as you hadn’t had much of a chance yet, and didn’t really turn to her; “Oh yeah? How’d you know?” As expected, she got her wild imagination from you, and this person could be anyone. “He has a badge like yours... Mommy...!” "Hmmm?" you glanced across to her wide eyes. Clearly she'd just left this Flint City PD member on the front steps too. "... He does!?!" Wait. Did she mean it was a Flint City PD badge...? Or a Flint City... Detectives badge... In which case...“...Alright... What...?” You crept across to the kitchen door leading into the hallway and poked your head around it. Instantly your face reddened. Oh. CRAP. Of all the men to be standing there, hands on his hips, pushing his jacket back to reveal his shiny FCPD Detective insignia… The door wasn't quite closed on him and luckily he wasn't looking up. Ralph Anderson. You pressed yourself up against the door frame again, and took a deep breath. He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew. You closed your eyes for a minute. Okay. Okay... We can't leave him on the front step if he's here for work reasons. You turned back to your daughter for a moment; “Sweetie, why don’t you go watch TV okay? I’ll go talk to him...” She smiled like only a child could, with no clear understanding of the situation; “Okay!!” and off she ran again. You took another deep breath, and counted to ten. You pushed yourself back around and walked briskly up the corridor, just enough on the side of the door half closing his in face to make sure he didn't see you before you put your hands on it. You bit your lip, gave yourself a nod and then pulled it slowly open again: "Uh. Hi...." Ralph gave you a smile, and you noticed his eyes flick behind you to check if she was still there "Yeah. That's exactly what I said.” You bit your lip again and shrugged gently; “...Uh... This is not a... doorstep conversation, please come in.” “Oh. Thank you...” Ralph stepped inside, but then almost immediately countered your reaction; “It’s no big deal! I can’t believe I didn’t know! I’m kinda sorry I didn’t... I mean-” “Thank you.” You shook your head, if he knew she existed, he might as well know everything “But... She’s not mine.” “Oh...?” Clearly there was more to that story, though. You beckoned him through to your kitchen and ending up fixing him a drink. For a little while you both stood in the kitchen in almost absolute silence, watching your little girl absorbed in her cartoons. Ralph’s eyes flicked between the two of you, still thinking: Maybe she was still a blood relative? But then she’s calling Y/N mommy, so...? “She calls you mommy..? Adopted?” “Kinda. Something like that.” “..Something like that...? Does she know you aren’t?” You tipped your head; “I think she does. Somewhere in the back of her mind. I think she does. But, she’s probably not old enough to understand that. And I’m not sure how I’m meant to explain it just yet...” “So... How’d you come to adopt her?” Here came the unprofessional confession, and after some hesitation you decided it’d be worse if you didn’t tell him and he did the research himself; “...Her parents were murdered... It was horrible and certainly not something I want to remember...” Ralph paused his sip; “...She’s a case kid? Your case?” “Umm hmm...” You nodded and you could see his brain working behind those sharp blue eyes; is that even protocol? “...I don’t know what rules I must have broken. But there was NO WAY anyone in that office was going to tell me otherwise.” “What’s her name?” You smiled gently. Now for the punchline that Ralph had to understand was funny; “Renee.” “Renee?” His face split into a grin and he laughed; “She’s genuinely R.Andersson?!” “Yeah. I know.” Ralph’s chuckle continued as he shook his head; “That’s… that’s just-- really great… Wow… You really are something…” You glanced back across to him watching Renee and wondered if he really meant it. You wouldn’t have thought that Ralph Anderson, of all people, would lie… But you also couldn’t help but feel anxious. It’s not like you were dating, but you’d thought about it before. And recently a lot, what it would be like to have your partner as a… partner. But you’d seen it happen so many times before in the nearly four years you’d had her. How you’d start feeling comfortable with someone, but the second they found out about Renee they’d simply leave, and you’d never hear from them again. You tilted your head, wondering if you should simply just voice the concern. Whether you knew if he liked you like that or not; “Does it bother you?” His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes found yours again; “What? NO. No! Why would you...?!” You didn’t have to answer him with words, your look was significant enough; Well, it’s bothered everyone else. Ralph answered that look; “I’m not everyone else.” And he was going to prove it. Taking another sip, he put the cup down and walked out into your little living room. It was all you could do to watch him go, a look of mild surprise on your face. He sat down and addressed her; “Renee! I’m detective Ralph Anderson... It’s nice to meet you.” She was still staring at him in wonder, and even then her eyes could still go wider, of course it was a name she would recognise, you talked about him often enough. “Ralph!?!” She whipped around on the sofa to face you, and you weren’t sure you’d ever seen her look so happy. Turning back to him Renee shout-whispered as only kids can, “She talks about you ALL the time.” It was Ralph’s turn to look at least a little surprised; “Oh. Uh huh!?” “Mommy says you’re the BEST detective ever. That you solved an impossible case!!! You are her idol! She says that a lot!” Alright, that might have been true enough, when your little town PD had asked for someone to transfer to Flint City you’d jumped at the chance to get to work with Ralph Anderson, because you’d heard so much. But that didn’t mean she had to tell him that!!! Faint pink crossed his cheeks, and you knew it was also crossing yours; you couldn’t help but cover your face. Oh Gods! Kids! Renee of course was oblivious to what she’d done, and was now looking between two adults at various stages of red. Ralph eventually cleared his throat to relieve the awkward tension, changing the track of the conversation completely; "Oh! Have you ladies had dinner yet...?" He glanced at his watch; "In fact I'm sure we can go catch a movie." You raised an eyebrow at him, unsure if you were quite hearing this right; “…Like a date?!" He gave a little shrug, but he didn’t miss meeting your eyes, he wasn’t going to be shy about this; "Like dinner and a movie.” Renee apparently didn’t miss a beat, and she gasped; "Mommy! He's asking you on a date!!!" Ralph turned a deeper shade of pink and his eyes flicked between you again, then he gave another shrug and a sweet smile; “I guess a date.” You couldn’t help but give a shy giggle; "I guess I can only say yes... buuut will you let me get changed first!? I gotta look my best if Detective Ralph Anderson is taking me out!" He turned to Renee as you made a move to run to your staircase; “You better be coming too, sweetheart.” You paused at the significance of what he’d just done, and looked back to see her eyes light up. For once, that kid was completely speechless. And so were you. ** If you were truly going to label it a ‘date’ – it was probably one of the best you’d ever been on. Ralph paid you both the adequate amount of attention, and if you hadn’t already fallen for him, you were falling for him now. And there must have been chemistry or something, because you watched the way that even though Ralph gave her attention, when he was talking to you Renee watched you both with a look of awe on her face. Like she was watching something unfold right in front of her. This wasn’t some kind of courtesy, he wanted to know everything, and was willing to give up just as much information. You knew he was a good man, but watching his interaction with your daughter let you know he was also a great one. How he answered her questions, how he showed interest in what she was telling him, even when sometimes it was little babbled childish nonsense. How he picked her up and carried her, but held his hand out for yours. And the smile on his face when you took it. He was falling for you too… Or simply he was letting you know the feeling was mutual… It was sad to see the credits on the movie roll, and knew that you’d now have to go home. Even though he’d be driving you, those few precious minutes on the car ride home wouldn’t be enough. You knew that. So did Ralph, but he decided not to voice it – he’d get to see you at work. This night wouldn’t be lost on him. “You know you don’t have to carry her, right?” “No no… I want to…” You walked to your car, with a sleepy Renee clinging onto Ralph as he held her; “…Besides, you probably have to do this all the time…” “That’s…. what I have to do for my daughter. That’s not a problem.” “Yeah well, tonight, I’m giving your arms a rest – okay?” You chuckled “You don’t need to, but that is very kind of you.” “Oh don’t worry, I can have you hauling evidence boxes around tomorrow to make up for it.” “Oh, God, you’re too kind!” He laughed; “Oh, I try my hardest!” Renee was asleep by the time you’d both belted yourselves into the front of his car; “Ha…” his laugh was soft as he caught her in his rear-view mirror and turned around “…I wore her out!” You turned too; “…God bless you, Ralph Anderson, it takes me years to do that sometimes.” “Well there you go, if you need help, call me.” You made cute small talk again on the way home; and you loved hearing him laugh at all your little inconsequential remarks about things. Talk turned to ridiculous cases; of course it did, you’d both had your fair share… You both still did. The type where you’d turn up, hear it all out and give each other the same here we go look. “OH-!” His brain clicked, and he suddenly remembered the actual reason he’d even bothered to turn up at your house; “I meant to say, I think I have a clue on this case! Because of your interview work-! That… should have been one of the first things I said.” “…Well, I guess tonight was full of surprises…” Ralph smiled, gently, “I guess… Either way, I’m glad that I had the idea to turn up – and didn’t wait until tomorrow morning.” “I guess it can wait until tomorrow morning though…?” You turned to him with a gentle smile “I’m happy you turned up on my doorstep too, Ralph.” He laughed; “It can wait… But I’m glad I did too… She’s a great kid… You’re a good mom…” “Thank you for inviting her.” “Why wouldn’t I?” “Everyone else just runs…” “Well, they’re clearly missing out…” He gave a shrug, “What is wrong with people…” You couldn’t help but almost laugh, considering your line of work - if even the both of you didn’t know; “Well, isn’t that the one great mystery…” There was nothing more telling than the disappointed sigh that escaped your lips as your house pulled into view. Clearly it was a good evening, he’d try not to get too smug about that, but he was certainly happy. You opened the car door slowly, and again didn’t want to leave. “…Do you want me to come help with her?” You shook your head; “No… It’s okay… It’s getting late, Detective, and it sounds like tomorrow is going to be busy…” But your smile was beaming “Thank you, for offering – and… Thank you, for the evening… I had a great time, and again I can’t thank you enough for inviting her.” “No trouble… I had a… great time too.” He didn’t quite meet your eyes this time, and the way he bit his lip was shy. Ralph did still walk you to the door though, even if you were carrying your daughter this time. You were surprised, but also glad, that she was still asleep. Your porch light flicked on automatically as you fished your keys from your bag. “Thank you… again, you… didn’t have to do this… you could have just told me about the case and left.” Your sentence was broken as you unlocked your door and pushed it open, turning back to him. “Don’t worry about it, I’m just glad you both had a good time… He watched you for a minute in that light, 20 things at once and she’s still on top of it all… Ralph Anderson couldn’t help it, you were the same at work – so he knew this – but it was different here. There was something all together different about what he’d witnessed from you this evening, so how could he not? “Y/N…” “Mm hm?” His smile was back to shy and humble, like he was about to ask you to break his heart; and he was – “…May I kiss you Goodnight?” About a thousand joyful emotions must have crossed your face at once as you opened your mouth and had to close it again, because you weren’t quite ready. You gave a gentle half-laugh and tried again; “You may.” You were pretty sure you were sharing the same smile as he leaned in and caught your lips with his; the kiss was gentle. But it was still a real kiss. He kept it respectfully short as he pulled away; “Goodnight, Y/N… I’ll see you at work tomorrow…” “Goodnight, Ralph…” You were both shades of pink again “…Thank you for this evening.” “You’re very welcome, hopefully we can do this again?” You nodded “I’d like that… I think we’d both like that.” “Me too…” He gave a smile and turned to leave, but then paused at his car; “You know I was kidding about the heavy lifting at work right!?” You laughed; “We’ll see, Mr.Anderson! We might need to do such things!” “God, I hope not!” He gave a wave, “Sleep well!” “And you…” You watched him reverse from your drive, and on down the road until his tail lights disappeared with a beaming smile on your face. Thank God for case break-throughs… and kids!

--- Thank you for reading! 🙏💕

I think just due to the nature of this one I might keep the #MendoTagSquad out until at least January...!

#Ralph Anderson x Reader #The Outsider #Ben Mendelsohn #Ralph Anderson #Anderson and Andersson Detective Co.#I dunno it was just a little thing I came up with #I want to write more for them but I want to see what he's like in the show first...#HOPEFULLY exactly like the book #Short little sweet thing....#Needed to get it out of my system...#R.Anders(s)on #70 #Harmony

48 notes · View notes