#strand give alicia her weapon back

[lexii-con]

#ftwd #fear the walking dead #fear the walking dead spoilers #ftwd spoilers #ftwdedit #alycia debnam carey #ADC #alicia clark #strand give alicia her weapon back #but i am glad you are there for her to talk her out of the morgan bullshit #he probably made her kill that last walker #the frightened look on her face though #i want to wrap her up and protect her #but i hope we get our killing machine leader back

[everkait]

about nick clark and troy otto

just to get this clear, i love troy and i love nick. i love them both individually but i also love them together and i love this really weird thing that they have going on between them. be it a friendship or whatever, i love it. they had so much potential together and i still can't believe they killed troy just like that.

in the beginning they disliked each other. nick may have even hated troy because of what he did to luciana and that's okay, he had every right to. i think troy disliked nick because he wasn't with his family and for troy the ranch and his family were everything for him. so the thought that nick had left his family on his own volition was very alien to troy. it's not something he would've ever done so he judged and disliked nick because of it and didn't want him on the ranch.

but even though nick heavily disliked troy, he didn't kill him. he had two chances to do so and in the second situation he could've actually gotten away with it but he still didn't kill troy. and troy wasn't even mad at nick for threatening him. he just took it in stride like it was a normal tuesday, he even encouraged nick to do it and later on said that they now could be friends after nick destroyed his notebook. i think that was some kind of turning point for both of them but more so for troy. he didn't necessarily start to like nick after that but his opinion about him wasn't as negative as it was before. nick on the other hand started to tolerate troy a little more after that. he still probably disliked him and thought he was rather dangerous but he wasn't as averse to him as before.

then luciana left and nick stayed. shortly afterwards nick and troy have this little talk down in the pantry and troy tells nick "it's just good you didn't take off after her", and i really loved it when he said that. i think he was being genuine and it shows that he has come to accept nick as part of the community. he doesn't necessarily like him but he accepts him. nick on the other hand is still a little defensive and wary of troy. it shows at the end of the episode when madison tells everyone that walker killed the trimbols and nick confronts her afterwards and tells her not to forget what troy is.

in the next episode while alicia is with walker, nick joins the militia. troy asks nick if he's got permission from madison which shows that he still doesn't really like nick. he accepts him but doesn't seem to want to be around him more than he has to. nick later tells madison that part of the reason he joined the militia is to keep troy, an enemy, close, although madison doesn't completely believe him. later in the episode comes one of my favourite scenes when troy asks nick "you feeling blue, nicky?", he then tells nick to "go kamikaze another day", which to me shows that he genuinely doesn't want nick dead. i don't particularly know why he didn't want nick to die at that moment but i don't think it was for madison's sake as he couldn't have cared less for nick at the beginning even though he is madison's son, whom he seemed to like almost instantly.

nick and troy are now in the militia together and do some bonding, like the poet talk or when they share their experiences and feelings about their father's deaths. around that time somewhere was a turning point for nick when he realized that he didn't actually want troy to die or maybe started caring for him in some capacity. he actually contemplated telling troy that he was the one that killed jeremiah even though madison thinks that troy would kill him for that but nick's not so sure. then comes the highlight of the episode when troy refuses to give up his weapons and nick actually stays back with him. he could've gone out with the others but he stays inside with troy because he wants to. he chooses to do so. because he knows troy, he knows that this will end bloody but he doesn't want that, he doesn't want troy to die. he himself even almost dies because of it when crazy dog gets the drop on him but troy is there and saves him although he gets hurt in the process. he doesn't want nick to die either which we already saw as he didn't want to shoot nick when he was standing between him and the rest and asked him to get out of the way. although troy doesn't want nick dead he still doesn't seem to have realized that nick cares about him as he asks nick why he would care what happens to him. furthermore it comes as a surprise to troy that nick stays with him and he tells him as much but also thanks him for keeping him company. nick then tries everything to get troy to back off, he even tells troy that he doesn't want him to die but troy doesn't listen. only when he confesses that jeremiah didn't commit suicide but that he actually killed him troy finally backs off. and he doesn't seem to be angry at nick.

i think that for troy the thought that his dad would commit suicide and leave them all behind was unbearable. he just couldn't accept it and that's why hearing nick's confession was such a relief for him and made him stop. doesn't matter that nick killed him because he at least didn't kill himself as that's not something that jeremiah would ever do and it's also not something that troy can live with.

now that troy knows that nick killed jeremiah i think he starts to see him in a new light. he later accuses madison for not being the one to kill his father but to let her son do the job and feels like she wronged him somehow by not killing his father. he thought she was like him but now he's not so sure about her anymore and seems to divert his attention even more towards nick. also something worth mentioning is that other than at the beginning troy never tried to kill nick again while he did contemplate killing madison after her cruel words about his mother.

up next comes something that i really can't wrap my head around, which is nick's hallucination of troy. how did his subconscious come up with troy of all people? why did he hallucinate that troy saved him? why? i don't understand. i love the hallucination and i love the fact that he hallucinated troy but i still don't really get why. maybe it's supposed to show us that nick feels safe around troy or that he trusts that troy would save him if he had the chance?

troy's now gone from the ranch but nick still seems to worry about him and alicia calls him out on it. she tells him that he doesn't owe troy anything but likes him and nick never refutes that. alicia also says that they "share the same self-destruction", to which nick replies "maybe i'm as sick as he is", and i love that. he admits that he thinks they might be similar and for me this whole talk just again proves that nick really does care about troy. what makes the whole talk even better is that not even five minutes later troy shows up at nick's to warn him from the horde. he was exiled but he sneaks back in just to warn nick of something that he himself is responsible for. he still doesn't seem to believe that nick cares about him though because when nick says, "it's good you're alive", he answers with "i don't think you believe that". and that's just sad. that after everything nick's done for him troy still can't believe that nick cares about him. what i also love is when troy says, "but you saved me in your own way", and that he'd like to return the favour. i'm not entirely sure what troy means here though. does he mean that nick stopped him from going kamikaze and saved his life or does he mean something different? if he'd simply told nick that nick saved him then i'd have an easier time believing it but he also says "in your own way", and i can't wrap my head around that. it just feels like he means something else with that than just nick saving his life.

another thing about their nightly talk that i love is that nick doesn't even think to rat troy out, not for a second. he says he can hide him or he has to sneak out, these are the only options.

the next day nick and jake then go out together to search for troy and find out what he meant with his warning. on the road jake's intentions regarding his brother are made clear when he takes out his gun and tells nick the story about the rabbit. when they finally reach troy nick again tries to talk him down but to no avail. troy doesn't plan on surviving this one and nothing nick could say can change that. jake then finally attacks troy and nearly kills him but is stopped by nick which results in jake's death. again, nick stands by troy and doesn't want him to die. even though troy just led the horde towards the ranch and literally destroyed everything that they had built there and nick knows it. but he still can't give up on troy and jake has to pay for it.

almost everything troy does from now on in my opinion he does for nick. nick wants him to help save the ranch so troy helps him. not because he wants to or cares about anyone there but because nick wants him to help. so he does. and those couple scenes really are everything. troy has fun doing what he does and nick has fun too. they're both being crazy together and they are loving it. when they are saved by madison, strand and walker nick covers for troy and lies about the horde. he knows that if he'd tell what had really happened someone would snap and troy would most likely end up dead and nick can't have that so he lies. even though a couple episodes back he wasn't happy with madison when she did the exact same thing when lying about the trimbols.

i also couldn't miss the fact that when alicia says everyone deserves to carve something out for themselves in this life troy and nick exchange a very quick glance. it could mean nothing but you can't deny that they looked at each other when she said that. and then when they have their talk in the car comes troy's most famous line: "all right, you stayed at the ranch because you love me." i think it's meant as a joke but again, nick doesn't refute troy's statement and they both just chuckle. like nick admitted to alicia that he and troy may be similar, troy says the same to nick now. and like before, nick doesn't say anything against it. it's not just troy who thinks like that, nick himself already came to the same conclusion.

at the bazaar we then come to some of the most bizarre scenes ever when nick and troy get high together. this is another thing that troy does just for nick. he doesn't really want to get high and seems to be rather uncomfortable at the beginning but he still does it because of nick. nick does have to remind him though that he saved troy's life but in the end troy does it for nick. again. surrounded by the infected nick then confesses to troy that he doesn't want to go back with madison and troy comforts him and hugs him. he hugs him! this scene as well as the couple ones before when they were staggering around together, arms slung around each other's shoulder, are everything. they are definitely friends by now, rather close ones actually, genuinely care for each other, and i really love the place that their relationship is at in that moment.

the next day nick then informs madison that he and troy plan to stay at the bazaar. we don't know troy's opinion on this but i think he only stayed there because of nick but i'll talk about this later on.

when troy hears that the proctors plan to attack the dam he is the one to yank nick out of his stupor. i'm not entirely sure if he wants to help madison for nick's sake or because he still kinda likes her. but it is worth mentioning that back when nick joined the militia troy asked nick: "is madison okay with this?", while now he tells nick "your mother's in trouble". back then he says 'madison' while he now says 'your mother' which kinda strikes me as odd. to say 'your mother' is more personal and it feels like troy acknowledges the fact that madison is nick's mother and that's why they should go and save her. so he might be doing this for nick's sake because even though nick doesn't want to stay with madison she's still his mother and he still loves her so troy might wanna save her for nick. still, i'm not entirely sure.

while nick is questioned by daniel troy tries to reconnect with madison, at least it seems to me like that's what he's doing. like i said before i think that troy only stayed at the bazaar because of nick. and here's the reason why: he tells madison that the bazaar wasn't a good place for him and nick. he probably already realized that after the first night because how could he not but he still decided to stay there, all because of nick. so again, he did that for nick. he then confirms to madison that he and nick are indeed friends and to troy they are actually closer than friends, like brothers, and that he genuinely likes nick. when troy asks madison if they're good she says they are but i didn't believe her, not for a second. she needed too long for her answer and was too quick in changing the topic. at the same time daniel questions nick and again, nick lies for troy and covers him. but this is a different situation, this is daniel. nick knows what daniel can do but he still lies to protect troy.

in the end it's all for nothing though because madison is the one that finally kills him after finding out that he was the one who led the horde to the ranch. nick did everything he could to protect troy and then madison, nick's mother, is the one to actually take troy's life. nick does look horrified when she does it but i feel like he could've been a little more shocked. he just looks horrified, turns around and walks out of the room, and after that i was a little disappointed in him for not showing more emotions. later when nick and madison are hiding he then starts arguing with her about it but the argument was more about the fact that madison can just callously kill someone and not necessarily about her having killed troy. although when madison says she killed him for her kids, she made that call for them, nick tells her "not for me!", and i really liked hearing him say that because he seemed angry but also sad and hurt so he's obviously not okay with what she did. later when john asks him about troy and he says that troy's dead and his mom killed him he also sounds a bit accusing which i also loved to hear. the way john asked, "is your friend here, nick?", i loved that as well. it again solidifies that nick and troy were friends because nick answers the question without refuting the statement and saying that they weren't friends or something like that. so at least troy and nick both acknowledged that they were friends.

but of course we also cannot forget nick's suicide note. i really love the fact that he called it his 'suicide note' because that was a reference all the way back to his talk with troy and the rest of the militia when troy didn't want him to go all kamikaze on them. i see it as nick kinda honouring his friendship with troy when he calls it his 'suicide note' because nobody knows the story behind it but it's obvious what it means. i've heard people say that now that troy's gone nick's all suicidal and troy's not there to stop him like he did before. but i'm not sure. you can certainly interpret it as that because nick does seem to be rather disillusioned and he's definitely still grieving troy. there is however no other option at the moment if he wants his mom and sister as well as strand to survive so i don't think he's just suicidal because troy's gone. to me it seems like he's accepted his fate and made his peace with the fact that he would die and i think it would've been a great end for nick if they'd actually let him die there.

i will definitely miss them though because their dynamic was great and i really do think that nick could've helped troy become a better person. he'd never be a good person but he could've gotten better, if they had just given him a chance. as i said before, i really think that most of the things troy did after the horde he did for nick so i genuinely believe nick could've helped him be a better person.

#fear the walking dead #troy otto #nick clark #nick x troy #troy x nick #analysis #daniel sharman #frank dillane #ftwd spoilers

[that-gayyy-bitch]

I have this headcanon that the Gryffindor Quidditch team were little shits, that Oliver could barely control, so he made a rule board, which started off pretty normal but got out of hand.

I imagine it was like this: (This is the Quidditch team in the first 3 books.)

1. Quidditch is not just a game. People who think otherwise will face the wrath of Mr Wood.

2. Mr Wood is NOT a cane to beat people with.

3. Don't let Fred and George near anything. Anything.

4. Friendly reminder that the chasers aren't secretly super Ministry spies who could kill with one glance if they wanted, no matter what Fred says.

5. Hufflepuff's seeker is not secretly a badger.

6. Harry is our baby-secret weapon, and must be protected at all costs.

7. Keep the Chocolate Frog Card stash away from Alicia and Katie.

8. Playing 'Spin the Broomstick' and '7 Minutes in the Broom Cupboard' is forbidden.

9. All pairing names are forbidden. Especially Johnwood and Wooter.

10. Oliver Wood is not a walking sexual innuendo.

11. Anyone who says 'Morning Wood' will be high-fived punished.

12. Harry I don't care if your scar is hurting, just catch the snitch for Merlin's sake.

13. People who say Fred and George are the same will be attacked by bludgers.

14. Incidentally, if Fred and George pretend to be each other one more time, they'll be attacked by bludgers when they're least expecting it.

15. The next person to ruin Wood's date by saying 'He's a keeper.' then winking is off the team.

16. Betting on how many times Wood will fall off of his broom is forbidden.

17. Beaters are not code words for prostitutes.

18. Anyone heard singing 'We saw Oliver's butt' will clean the broom cupboard for a week.

19. Discussing if twins are exactly the same EVERYWHERE is forbidden.

20. Oh they're not exactly the same. ;)

21. Fred and George are now forbidden from writing on the rule board.

22. Friendly reminder that Angelina is not to be trusted with our clothes, and the next time the twins convince her to take them, the three of them will be picking them out of the lake themselves.

23. Singing 'Potter for captain' and 'How will Potter end up in the Hospital Wing next?' is banned. (On weekdays.)

24. Insulting Slytherins is allowed if they start it, but if you don't want us to get disqualified, please refrain from sneaking live spiders into their quidditch robes.

25. Katie is not allowed to hold anyone down and give them a makeover.

26. George is not allowed to help.

27. Pranks wars between the Weasleys and the Chasers are forbidden.

28. Dragging Harry into these wars as bait is also forbidden.

29. Selling strands of Wood's hair to first years is strictly prohibited.

30. If Fred and George are huddled together, it's bad and they must be separated before someone's broom turns into a marshmallow.

31. Angelina and Alicia will refrain from singing 'We're the most sassy quidditch team on the planet with the best butts ever.'

32. Fred and George will not join in.

33. Fred and George will NOT EVER AGAIN show their butts no matter how 'glorious' they are. Well they are. No Katie.

34. Harry will not ask 'Where do babies come from?' in earshot of rival quidditch teams.

35. Professor McGonagall is not a cat who's animagus is a human.

36. Alicia will not ring a bell in Wood's ear every time he says Katie Bell, Katie, or Bell.

37. Bad puns are banned everyday except for Thursdays.

38. Though spraying shampoo on Professor Snape's head and blaming it on Zacharias Smith was funny, refrain from doing it in front of McGonagall.

39. 'Touching Wood' for good luck is prohibited.

40. Shipping McGonaWood is hilarious creepy and needs to be stopped.

41. Fred, George and Katie will not turn all of the Ravenclaw brooms into squirrels when they're not looking, even if 'It was only a joke' and 'We were going to change them back.'

42. Oliver Wood does NOT sleep with a toy golden snitch. Well he totally does.

43. Fred and George will refer to rule 21 and keep their filthy mouths shut.

44. Holding out a broom in front of your body and sniggering 'long' and 'hard' is immature and will be banned.

45. Threatening to shove broomsticks up people's butts/nostrils is not a good way to taunt any rivals, Slytherin or not.

46. Harry is NOT the Gryffindor mascot, and will not be forced to wear a lion costume and dance.

47. If it is heard that anyone has been insulting the team then rule 25 will be overlooked.

48. Reminder that Oliver Wood puns are banned, and any new ones will banned. Unless they're really good. No.

49. Playing '(Oliver) Would You Rather?' is forbidden.

50. Draco may be a slimy git, but de it's prohibited to turn his hair colour to red and gold, no matter how hilarious he looks.

[jesuiscalmedammit]

Blackmail – (6) One More Problem || [Alejandro Gillick x reader x Matt Graver]

“Well, well, well, Mr. Unnamed DEA agent #1, you look good,” you said with a short laugh when you stopped in front of Alejandro. “Really, really good.”

He looked down at you, watching as your fingers absentmindedly stroked his tie. “Oh, I know this look,” he suddenly noted, keeping his voice quiet so no one would hear it. “What is it now?”

For a few seconds, you remained silent and took a cautious look around, but once you made sure the others were out of earshot, you said, “You know, sometimes when I see you dressed like this I remember you used to be a prosecutor and it just makes my mind go all step on me, sir.”

“Okay, I get it,” Alejandro told you, swiping a strand of hair behind your ear with a laugh. “But we don’t have time for that, we need to talk to the girl. Ready?”

“Only if you promise to go on a coffee break after that. And when I say coffee break,” you added with a playful smirk.

Once he let out a sigh, Alejandro nodded and kissed your forehead. “You’re unbelievable, darling.”

“And this is why I always get what I want.”

The two of you made your way up the stairs to the room the girl was placed in, quickly going through the plan once again. You will sit down across from her–staying by his side the whole time–and after he briefly talks to her, you’ll check if she’s okay from a medical point of view. From that point on Alicia would keep an eye on her.

It was a piece of cake.

When you first laid your eyes on her, all you saw was a scared and confused girl, who was probably still trying to process being kidnapped then saved. This was one of the few occasions when you didn’t really agree with the overall plan. She was just a kid who probably knew nothing about her father’s business.

But something told you that you weren’t the only one. Even though Alejandro never mentioned it, you could see that he was having quite a hard time acting like it was just a normal job. If you had to guess, you would’ve said it was about his daughter. As you looked at him, you began to wonder where this would lead. It could either help or destroy everything.

“What do you want us to call you?” Alejandro asked while he placed his phone on the coffee table to record the conversation.

“Isabel.”

“Isabel,” he repeated then kept a short pause. “I need to ask you a question.”

The girl looked at him, alarmed. It wasn’t surprising considering the situation she was in but you still felt bad for her. Suddenly her eyes fell on you as if she was asking you if she had anything to be afraid of or worry about. Without hesitation, you flashed a supportive smile at her which made Isabel visibly relax.

Alejandro cleared his throat to get her attention. “Did they hurt you?” While you had already known the answer to this question, you still tried to keep a concerned look on your face. After Isabel shook her head, he went on. “What happened here?”

She touched her left cheek then said, “I got into a fight in school.” Alejandro kept a straight face but you couldn’t help but smile at this. You began to like this girl. “So when do I get to go back home?”

“Well, we still need to work through some things to make sure we understand all the circumstances surrounding your abduction, okay? But you’re safe.” She gave him an expectant look because she clearly wanted a proper answer. “So hang in there, we’re gonna get you home very soon. Look, I have to go now, but Y/N will stay here for a few more minutes, then Alicia will look after you. And if you need anything, just ask her.”

He nailed his role. If you hadn’t known any better, you would have believed he was a real DEA agent. For an outsider, he looked and sounded like as if he cared about the girl but at the same time it was also obvious that he was only doing his job. For now, everything went according to plan so all you had to do was playing your part.

With a supportive smile, you began to question her, asking her once again if “they” had hurt her to make sure she wasn’t hiding something only because the agent was a man. When she said no, you moved on to much lighter questions, like intolerances, allergies, medications she had to take. But this was more than enough for now so you said goodbye and reminded her that Alicia was there to help.

In the afternoon the boys left for a meeting but once they returned you began to prepare for the trip to Mexico. It was time for the girl to go home. But something just didn’t feel right, you felt uneasy and struggled to do a simple task like putting on your bulletproof vest. It didn’t go unnoticed by the others but Alejandro was the only one who acknowledged it.

“Let me help,” he said once he stopped next to you. But even though he tried to help, you pushed his hand away, insisting you were okay. “Y/N, what’s wrong? You can tell me.”

Finally, you gave in and let him take care of the straps of the vest. It all felt stupid now and you wondered if you should tell him what was on your mind. But a part of you knew he truly wanted to know so you took a deep breath and said, “I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t know why but I just can’t shake it off,” you added quietly.

“There’s nothing to worry about. We’ll soon finish our work here and then we can go back to Bogotá.” When you didn’t answer, he slowly shook his head and gave you a quick kiss. “Just stay in the car and everything’s gonna be okay.”

As it turned out, Alejandro had been right. Staying in the car was the wisest thing to do while the others took care of the ones who ambushed you. It was a nightmare. It was a fucking nightmare. By the time you got out of the Humvee, Matt had already checked if everyone was okay, and you also knew by then that the girl was missing. Not like she could’ve gone far on foot.

“What the hell was that?” you asked angrily once you got close to the usual trio.

“An ambush,” Matt replied without hesitation.

You opened your mouth but before saying anything you took a deep breath. You tried. You really did try to calm down but it didn’t work. “No shit, Sherlock.” He gave you a disapproving look but remained silent. “What about the girl?”

“I’ll go get her,” Alejandro informed you. “It won’t take long. Once we reach the border, I’ll send the signal and you’ll pick me up.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Matt nod in the background. “This is so fucked up,” you muttered under your breath.

“Just stay in the car on the way back and do as Matt or Steve says, okay?” Alejandro told you as he adjusted the strap of his weapon. “I’ll be back soon.”

Under different circumstances, you would have probably hugged and kissed him but this wasn’t the right time for that. Matt was growing impatient and ordered everyone to get in the car so you could leave as soon as possible. As you flashed a small smile at the sicario, you quickly squeezed his hand then headed to the car your boss was in along with a member of the team who had been shot.

You didn’t say a word, only focused on the wound you had to patch up in a moving car which wasn’t exactly an easy task. Of course, after all this time, you were used to the unusual working environments but it only put more pressure on you because they made it easier to make a mistake. And here even a simple little mistake could lead to someone’s death.

Once you were done you began to gather the equipment you used and said, “I’ll check it again when we get back to the base but you’ll be fine.”

Even though the conversation the others had in the front was more of a background noise, you still paid attention just enough to know some police cars were after you. This mission was now one monumental screw-up and you had a feeling Matt’s boss–hell, the fucking US government–wouldn’t be happy about how things went down.

And this feeling grew even stronger when Matt began to shoot at the police cars. There was no way in hell you could get away with this. Attacking cartels or other criminals was one thing, but this was the Mexican police. It didn’t matter who’s side they were on or who shot first, they were off limits. This was like rule number one.

When the convoy finally reached the base, you let out a relieved sigh. You were safe now. But Alejandro wasn’t and the thought made you anxious again. After you got out of the car you hurried after Matt and Steve who were trying to clean their wounds on their own. Times like this you wondered why they even kept you around. When you got closer you heard Steve tell Matt that the wound on his arm would need stitches to which that idiot said it would still need them the next day.

“Stop what you’re doing, I’ll quickly stitch it for you,” you told your boss the moment you stopped next to him. “I don’t want it to get infected.” He opened his mouth to object but you immediately interrupted him. “Doctor’s orders. And you’re next,” you informed Steve.

But before you could do anything Steve cleared his throat and said, “Miss Sunshine on your six.”

Matt took a deep breath then forced a fake smile on his face. “Hi. Fucking Mondays, huh?” he asked with a laugh.

Cynthia wasn’t exactly happy to hear his joke, though. “Can we go somewhere that’s private?”

“All right. Can you give me a sec?” he asked as he lifted his injured arm then began to bandage it.

For a brief moment, you and Steve exchanged looks then you both turned to look at Matt. He didn’t look worried, maybe just a little more tense than usual. Knowing how good he was at convincing people that he knew what he was doing and he was right, you assumed getting Cynthia to calm down would be an easy task for him. The two of them walked away and you cleared your throat as you watched them.

Once they were out of sight, you turned back to Steve and pointed at the wound on his temple. “Let me take care of that while we wait.”

Neither of you spoke but you didn’t have to. After working together for so long you both knew what the other was thinking about. Matt was the master of bullshitting his way out of trouble but maybe this time it wouldn’t be enough. And, considering Alejandro was still out there with that girl and they were on their own, this possibility made you feel like throwing up.

“Great, you’re alone,” Matt suddenly spoke up behind you. “Y/N, stitch up my arm so Cynthia won’t come over to ask us what we’re up to.” While you nodded and did as you were told, Steve gave your boss a questioning look. At first, it seemed like he wasn’t about to answer but then he let out a troubled sigh. “Those fucking morons in Washington are freaking out over what happened today. According to Cynthia, we’re shut down.

“Shit,” Steve mumbled under his breath. “What’s gonna happen now?”

“We’ll have a video conference with the Secretary of Defense later today and after that… I don’t know. If I had to guess I’d say we’ll have to clean up this mess,” he admitted.

You took a deep breath and tried to steady your breathing. Sure, you wanted to leave so the team being shut down wasn’t that bad for you but there was one thing that bothered you. “What about Alejandro and the Reyes girl?”

Shrugging, he said, “Everything goes according to plan for now. I’m sure they’ll soon reach the border and we won’t be forced to do something… radical.” You gave him a questioning look but he shook his head in response. “Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s hard not to worry when you tell me not to worry.”

“Listen, I want him to be fine just as much as you do so when I say don’t worry, I mean it,” he tried to convince you and you could tell this time he really meant it.

No wonder, though. Those two had been working together for almost a decade and sometimes you had a feeling they were actually friends in their own way. So you nodded and tried to accept that Matt’s best interest regarding Alejandro overlapped yours.

note: i want to say thank you for everyone who likes this story and/or leaves notes. it means a lot and i’m so glad i’m not the only “idiot” still obsessing over these movies 😂 || what do you think? feedback is always appreciated. also if you want to be tagged, leave a note.

taglist: @lainternettuale​​​ @lennonlane​​​ @anbanananna​

#sicario #sicario 2 #sicario soldado #sicario day of the soldado #sicario imagine #sicario 2 imagine #sicario soldado imagine #sicario day of the soldado imagine #fic: Blackmail #alejandro gillick #alejandro gillick imagine #alejandro gillick x reader #matt graver #matt graver x reader #matt graver imagine #fanfic #fanfiction

[twdmusicboxmystery]

FTWD 5x16: Analysis

Wow! What did everyone thing of last night’s episode? I thought it was great. Yes, it ended on a little bit of a cliffhanger, but I thought the writing was really genius.

***As always, spoilers abound for episode 5x16 below. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

First, let’s appreciate the title: End of the Line. I know it had to do with the song Grace and Daniel sang at the end, but it caught my attention for another reason. I just have to point out that Terminus was also once referred to as “the end of the line.” I might have more to say about Terminus in a later post. For now, just wanted to point that out.

We started with seeing a pair of feet running. It reminded me of when we saw Morgan’s feet running at the beginning of FTWD S4 when he ran away from Washington D.C. and toward Texas. We saw with the feet and not the face. It’s also similar to what we saw in Inmates: Beth and Daryl’s feet while they ran away from walkers. After a moment, Dwight tripped and we saw it was him.

I'm trying to decide why they used this parallel. You could argue that Morgan ran away from a war happening (between TF and Negan) and he ended up saving a lot of people (the current Fear crew). Similarly, Dwight ran away from a war about to happen between Morgan's group and Ginny, and he ended up taking back some horses and saving them. That's probably not the extent of this parallel, but it's a start. I wonder if Morgan, in a bigger sense, or his group will end up going back to D.C. and saving them in some way there. But that's just conjecture. I’ll get into why I’m wondering about that later in the week.

At first, I wondered if this bit with Dwight was a flashback. I soon realized it wasn't. He thinks he hears Sherry's voice through the walkie, but she doesn't answer him when he says her name. It's as though he can hear her, but she can't hear him.

Later he tells June he thinks it was in his head, but her voice was leading him to something. That’s because right after he hears her voice, whether phantom or not, he sees the horses.

This is super-significant in my mind. I mean, we had the disembodied voice on the radio at the end of TWD 9x16. A disembodied female voice leading him toward something. And then there’s all those pesky parallels between Dwight/Sherry and Daryl/Beth. So it feels like a parallel/foreshadow.

And then there’s the horses. They’re a huge Beth symbol. We saw Buttons in 5B, and Morgan finding the one in 6x16 with the sign, "You're still alive" nearby. And now here, Dwight finds horses to take back to Morgan's group and help them.

Next, we see a bird’s eye view of Gulch, looking down on the walkers. We’ve seen that shot many times before, mostly in regular TWD. We saw it with the tank Rick jumped into in 1x01. We also saw it after the prison fell. I feel like this is how they signal that there's a big change coming. 

More specifically, it’s often a separation of characters. So, in 1x01, Rick was separated from his family. When we saw it in 4x09, the prison had just fallen and all of the characters scattered/separated. And, of course, by the end of this episode, our entire crew was forcibly separated by Ginny.

We then hear Morgan talking to Ginny. Remember at the end of the last episode he called her on the walkie. Something she said stood out to me. She said she was glad he called her for help. "Glad as a grandma with a gravy boat." It just struck me as a callback to Daryl in The Cell and the “gravy train” named in the Easy Street song.

When Morgan tells her his group is at the Gulch, she seems surprised. She tells him a little story. She says there were 263 souls in that place and they had a crackpot leader who made the wrong call. 

That struck me as something of a Grady parallel. Remember that in Dawn's case, she talked about Capt. Hansen and how he had “cracked.” After that, Dawn stepped in. So, if Ginny represents Dawn in this analogy, we have a supposed crackpot who made a bad call got a lot of people killed, just that Capt. Hansen did. And Ginny seems to have assumed leadership in his stead, as Dawn did at Grady.

Even at this point, I saw the parallels. As the episode progresses, we learn even more about what happened there. Ginny wasn't being entirely truthful. Upon learning more, the parallels to Grady only become stronger. Because as it turns out, she killed this man and his 263 people for fighting back. So just as Dawn killed Capt. Hansen, Ginny killed this guy.

She refuses to guarantee to Morgan that she’ll take everybody or that she’ll let them stay together. Morgan asks her to come anyway because they don't have another way to survive.

When he goes to talk to Grace, she has some interesting things to say. She says she knows her time (for dying) is coming. Because she's sick, she knows Ginny won't take her. Morgan assures her that he’ll make sure she's taken along.

She also tells him she understands what he was trying to tell her before. (Quick refresher: last episode, Morgan started to tell Grace how he felt about her, but she asked him not to.)

She says that she actually did tell her previous boyfriend how she felt before he died. The main reason she did was because she knew he was dying. She even tells him of the two of them slept together. She just didn’t want to make things any harder because she’s sick and still thinks she’ll be dying soon. Morgan insists that they will see one another again. Keep that in mind, as I think it's foreshadowing.

After that, Dwight shows up with the horses. He points out that if these horses are alive, there must be water nearby. Which means Ginny lied about them not being able to survive there. She simply wants them to come with her.

Alicia takes her weapon back from Strand and they decide to try and clear the Gulch of walkers. They do a mini Operation-Lead-the-Walkers-Away, which made me smile. 

John, June, Daniel, Morgan, and Grace get on horses to lead the horde. (I had to smile at this part as well because Morgan rode double with Grace. Especially as she’s ill, there was no reason AT ALL for her to go rather than staying behind with Al and the others. This was just to enhance the Morgan/Grace romance. Which again, made me smile.)

They plan to use the walkers to surround Ginny and not hurt her, but just try to get her to agree to what they want. Unfortunately, this plan falls through because  Ginny shows up with Luciana in tow, and Morgan’s group doesn’t want to risk Luciana getting hurt. Plus, her being there means Ginny has leverage against them, which is no doubt why she brought Luciana. So the plan fails before it even begins.

Back at the Gulch, Al finds some of the key badges Ginny’s people wear. She figures out Ginny lied about the people at the Gulch having simply died from refusing her help. She attacked and killed them because they resisted her. So, they realize that if she comes, she’ll make war on them and they're vastly out-manned and outgunned. They basically prepared to surrender to her.

Daniel had a great line in this episode. Strand is considering taking up Ginny on her offer and Daniel says, "She's not giving us a choice. That is all we need to know." Amen bro! Go Daniel!

When Ginny's people arrive at where Al's truck was left, things start to go bad. Dwight’s horse starts to freak out, obviously afraid of the walkers. He becomes surrounded and his horse refuses to move. 

Finally, he stands up on top of the horse’s saddle and jumps over the walkers’ heads. He hurts his leg when he lands, but at least he isn’t bitten. The horse isn’t so lucky. The walkers fall on it and start munching. It looks exactly like what happened to Buttons, so I think it's a callback to that in S5. (And also, by extension, to Rick’s horse in 1x01.)

Limping, Dwight gets up and runs. He eventually comes to the river of water. This struck me as a Beth parallel. I never really saw Buttons as much a Beth parallel—he seemed to be more about Daryl. Watching this, it struck me that it actually might be. Dwight hurt his leg and was limping (like Beth in 4b). He finds the water (Beth = water) and of course he’s running from a walker horde.

If Morgan finding the white horse (Beth) next to the "you're still alive," sign represents Beth living, then maybe walkers feasting on Buttons could represent what happened to her. Or at least what TF things happen to her. This is just me conjecturing, but if it ends up being true, then Daryl seeing Buttons go down kind of has a new meaning, now doesn't it?

Morgan goes after Dwight and then John, June and Grace go after them. They eventually lead the walkers across the river and the river water sweeps the walkers away. So once again we have an example of water saving them. From walkers.

Back at the Gulch, they realize they're going to have to give in to Ginny. They don't any other choice.

Before she arrives, Lucia and Wes paint at the church and John and June get married. It's a very sweet, happy and hopeful ceremony. 

June wears green, which I think is important. (GREENE, and think of the parallels between John/June and Daryl/Beth.) Dwight gives them his and Sherry's rings. He talks about how when he finds Sherry, it will be a new start. John’s ends up being too small for his finger, so Charlie gives them a necklace and he wears it around his neck.

Rabbi Jacob talks about how they live in a broken world. And this kind of thing, two people falling in love and getting married, is a way to repair it.

Grace and Daniel sing “Well it's all right." The light shines into the church in really lovely way and Jacob says that it's Nar Tamid, the eternal light. Yeah, massive foreshadowing there. More on that in a minute.

After that, Ginny arrives. Morgan demands she take everybody. After some humming and hawing, she finally agrees, deciding it will be easier to do that than to have a big battle. Unfortunately, she doesn't let them stay together. They all go to separate places.

Al confronts Ginny with the reason why. She says Ginny separates people because she believes if they get too close, their caring for one another will get in the way. In other words, she separates them so she has more power over them. She's definitely a dictator.

Daniel and Charlie have to part, which was kind of heartbreaking. Ditto Sarah and Wendell. They take Daniel’s cat away from him. John and Joan part as well, with John saying, "were going to find our way back to each other." (Beth and Daryl, anyone?)

Grace tells Morgan she finally feels hope and after all that happened, for the first time, she doesn't feel like it's the beginning of the end. In other words, she's going to live. Morgan finally tells her he has feelings for her, and she reciprocates. Of course, Ginny makes them go to different places.

She brings in a guy named Dr. Holt who apparently once did a rotation in oncology. I've got a lot to say about the radiation angle. @wdway, @frangipanilove and I have been discussing it, but it’s a whole post unto itself. For now, let me just point out the Grady parallel. Trevitt, who was brought into Grady, was an oncologist. I’ll go over what we think this means in a lot more detail later this week.

After everyone else leaves, and Morgan is the only one left, it turns out Ginny has decided to kill him. He's just too much of a threat because of the way he rallies people. He's too much of a leader to suit her. She takes out her gun to kill him. He lunges at her with his stick and manages to hit her in the face and knock her down. (I thought that was AWESOME! Go Morgan!) Unfortunately, she still shoots him in the shoulder.

She grabs another gun and tries again to shoot him, but the gun hisses and sputters, not firing correctly.

Just then, Dr. Holt contacts Ginny to say Grace is not sick. She's pregnant. So that's where the information she gave Morgan earlier in the episode—that she and her previous boyfriend slept together right before he died—is so important. It created baby. Morgan smiles when he hears this because he sees hope in it. He realizes what they were fighting for was worth it.

The creepy thing? Ginny gets super happy when she hears Grace is pregnant. She actually laughs. Then she says she hopes Morgan dies, but that’s no longer the point.

I have no idea what the hell Ginny is up to, but there was a creep factor there. Almost like she’s going to take Grace’s baby and do experiments on it or something. Hopefully it won’t be that sinister--I’m really not trying to be morbid--but that disturbed me.

And I have to say that, given all the Child and Baby symbolism around Beth, the idea of this definitely has potential. Frightening though it may be.

Ginny simply walks away from him, leaving him behind to die. We end with him speaking into the radio saying, “If anyone can hear me, we fought for the future. We made the hard call for her." (I'm assuming he means Grace.) “For all of us. Live. Just live." And we see walkers closing in on him.

So what are my takeaways from this? I suppose the biggest question is, will Morgan guy?

No, he won't. If you hadn’t already figured that, just take my word for it. Everything we’ve seen, the precedents we have, the qualifications for death we always see…none of them are present here for Morgan.

When someone truly dies in the show, some other major member from the group needs to be there to witness it. We also need to see either a body (decapitated or reanimated as a walker, or stabbed in the head to prevent that, so we know there's no coming back from it) and/or a burial/grave. We haven't seen any of those with Morgan.

While he does seem to have lost a lot of blood and is in a somewhat dire situation, he can also simply go into the nearest building and shut the door. He's in much more danger medically than he actually is from the walkers, which is significant.

If you want to talk logistics and outside-the-show stuff, keep in mind that Morgan/Lenny James has filmed scenes we haven't actually seen yet. I also feel like by setting up his bond with Grace, they set up future arcs for the two of them. Lots of Bethyl parallels there. There's also the fact that I still think he and Rick need to meet again before either of them dies. So no, I'm not worried about Morgan dying.

And how about those foreshadows I keep mentioning? Well, Morgan told Grace very firmly several times that they would see one another again after Ginny split them up. That, my friends, is a dialogue foreshadow. Those have never failed us on this show.

Then there's the eternal light. We saw it come through during John and June's wedding (John and June, who have so many parallels to Beth and Daryl) just before Ginny showed up to split them up. So, I feel like it's saying that Ginny splitting them up will lead to the eternal light. Which is them finding each other again, as John said, but also could be a Beth thing.

Another reason I don't think Morgan will die? He kind of became Beth in this episode. Think about it. Right after establishing a romantic relationship with someone (remember that Grace and Morgan had a Still/Alone parallel episode) he was shot by an evil dictator who happens to be a woman. (Okay, Beth wasn’t actually shot by Dawn, but she was shot because of her in a roundabout way.) Then he was shot, left behind by the rest of his group, and he's surrounded by that pesky horde of walkers as well. Not to mention, he's in a Humbug Gulch, which has sheriff stars and badges all over the place.

Specifically, take a look at the second time she tries to shoot him and the gun is defective. That gun was pointed at Morgan’s head. And it did go off, it just didn’t shoot correctly. But, like Beth, we have a potential head shot that...didn’t kill.

We don’t know if any of his group, like Grace, heard him speak into the radio at the end. If they didn’t, then they don’t know anything about him being shot or left behind. They’ll just assume he’s wherever Ginny told him to go. So that’s a little different than Beth, but the lack of realization on the rest of the group’s part is the same.

I guess you could say that, much like Glenn in S6, if Morgan dies, TD is screwed. But he won't. Glenn didn't.

Morgan’s isn���t truly a death fake out because, much like Rick’s, the audience sees it from Morgan's point of view and kind of knows that he is still alive. But for the rest of the group (John, June, etc.). this might turn into a death fake out for them.

It will be interesting to see what happens next because it could go several different ways. In terms of parallels with Beth, I'm kind of wondering if Morgan will run into the helicopter group, independent of the rest of the Fear crew. (Like maybe they’ll save him?) Because that's what we think happened with Beth. On the other hand, he might just be on his own for a while on the outside and save the others from Ginny. Maybe he actually runs into Beth. Who knows? It will be fun to see how this happens, moving forward.

As I said in an Ask yesterday, I have a lot of things to post in the next week before TWD starts. I wanted to wait to see how this all ended. The timeline didn't advance quite as much as I would've thought. I thought Morgan's group would run into the helicopter group by the end of the season. They didn't, and it's becoming more and more clear that Ginny’s group isn't actually part of the helicopter group. I think she's her own thing.

But I really did like this episode and the way it ended. Even though it was cliff-hangery, it set up a great arc for next season of all the characters needing to find one another. After all, this is not unlike what happened in TWD when the prison went down with all the characters going in separate directions and being separated from one another in 4b. Now, they're all going to have to find their way back to each other. And that, my friends, always makes for great story.

What did you think of the finale?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

[blinkaftermidnight]

Warm

Alicia/Althea. AU. Also on AO3.

Summary: Of course a hurricane rolls in when Alicia’s trapped at the SWAT van – by herself – with that journalist.Or, an AU where Alicia and Althea get stuck in the SWAT van together during the hurricane.

Of course a fucking hurricane rolls in when Alicia’s trapped at the SWAT van – by herself – with that journalist. Al-something. Half the time, John Dorie and Morgan just call her Al, and Alicia never bothered to remember the full version of Al’s name anyway. Alicia tries to radio Strand and Luciana again, but like every other time, the only response she receives is static. She shuts the walkie off and climbs from the back of the van into the passenger’s seat. She peers out the windshield, then the side window, hoping to spot Al somewhere out there. The last thing she needs is to ride out an oncoming hurricane alone. At least Al doesn’t seem like a total idiot.

 Alicia nearly jumps out of her skin when the doors at the back of the van swing open. She whips around, fumbling for some sort of weapon, but it’s just Al. It’s probably still a good idea to stay armed at all times. After all, Alicia was recently trying to kill Al. And June/Naomi/Laura – whatever the hell her name really is.

 “It’s definitely a hurricane,” Al informs. She shuts and locks the doors and scrambles to get the van prepared.

 “How do you know?” Alicia questions. Just to fuck with her a bit. “Does this area get hit with hurricanes a lot?”

 “I don’t know if it gets hit a lot, but it does get hit once in a while,” Al replies. “Like right now. The dead are literally flying.” She combs her fingers through her hair and mutters, “The wind’s really fucking nasty.”

 “You from around here?” Alicia asks.

 Al pauses to look at Alicia for a moment. “I ask the questions,” she finally says.

 Alicia’s eyes roll. Right. This bitch is a closed book.

 “How long do hurricanes last?” Alicia questions.

 “Depends on if you count their time spent in the ocean.”

 “When it hits land.”

 Al shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m not a hurricane expert. I think it’s like a couple hours but the rain and wind and shit can last a while. What? You’ve never experienced a hurricane before?”

 “I’m from Los Angeles,” Alicia shoots. “We didn’t get hurricanes.”

 Al seems satisfied with her preparation for the storm and plops down on one of the seats in the back, facing the passenger’s seat so she can maintain eye contact with Alicia. “So what are you doing out here in Texas if you’re from Los Angeles?”

 “Nice try.”

 “I’m serious.”

 “You’re prying.”

 “We’re gonna be stuck together until this storm passes,” Al points out. “Might as well get comfortable, right? Like we’re gonna be peeing in that bucket in that corner until it’s safe to go outside.”

 Alicia’s lips part, and after a few moments spent in stunned silence, Alicia says, “I can’t do this.”

 “You don’t really have a choice,” Al says. She unzips her jacket and tosses it onto the seats across from her. “Unless you want to be like –” As if on cue, the wind blows one of the dead against the windshield. “That,” Al finishes. The wind carries the dead off, as if it had never been there to begin with, and the rain starts coming down even harder than before.

 “I’ll take my chances.”

 “Look,” Al says, standing in the walkway and blocking Alicia’s exit via the back doors. “I’m not really thrilled about this, either, Clark, but let’s just make the best of it, yeah?”

 Clark? Alicia can’t remember Al’s full first name, but Al remembers Alicia’s last name? What the fuck? That’s the thing that gives Alicia pause: Al remembers her last name. Alicia exhales heavily then grabs Al’s jacket and thrusts it into her chest.

 “Keep your shit on your side,” Alicia says.

 “Fine,” Al agrees. “Don’t go through my shit.”

 “No promises.”

 Alicia lounges across the seats. It’s not nearly time to go to sleep yet, but there isn’t really anything else to do. She’s going to spend the next day at least trapped in a metal cage with a woman she barely knows and can barely tolerate. And if she busts that camera out, Alicia swears –

 Al’s already asleep. That fucking bitch. How dare she? Alicia tries for the next few hours to get comfortable enough to sleep, but the rain is relentless. As if the rain wasn’t bad enough, the dead keep slapping against the van from all angles. Al doesn’t stir once. Alicia could probably kill her in her sleep without her waking up.

 By the time the sun actually sets, Alicia gives up on the idea of sleep and rummages through shit instead. If the dead banging against the van won’t wake up, neither will Alicia’s snooping. She finds a stash of books, stored neatly, but nothing that sounds remotely interesting. Mostly she finds clothes. Pairs of pants, shirts with buttons, tank tops, socks, underwear, shoes. The clothes are folded, stored as neatly as the books in an oddly organized manner. For someone that spends all her time collecting people’s stories, she sure is boring.

 Or maybe Alicia just hasn’t found the right spot yet. She glances over at Al to make sure she’s still asleep and continues searching. If she can dig up something even sort of interesting, she’ll stop. At least, that’s what Alicia tells herself, because now it’s a challenge. Now she’s entertained.

 Alicia unearths not one but four different first aid kits. Alicia opens each one just in case there’s something hidden inside, but they’re all full of medical supplies. Figures. She finds Al’s ammo cache. She’s going through a bag packed mostly with the necessary supplies for a quick escape when a rustling sound catches her attention. Just as she looks over her shoulder, Al sits up, the rustling sound being her jacket.

 “I thought I told you not to go through my shit,” Al grumbles.

 “I don’t recall,” Alicia says smoothly.

 “Don’t recall my ass,” Al retorts.

 “I don’t know why you bothered,” Alicia says, zipping the bag shut and shoving it back into its hiding spot. “There’s nothing interesting in here besides your tapes, and that shit’s locked up.”

 “Don’t be so sure.”

 Alicia’s eyebrows raise. “So you are hiding something.”

 “You’ll never find out.” Al pauses. “Why aren’t you sleeping? It’s dark.”

 “No offense, but this van isn’t exactly the most comfortable place to sleep,” Alicia says. “And I totally considered killing you in your sleep for a hot second, so there’s no way I’m going to be able to fall asleep knowing you could do the same.”

 “Thanks,” Al sneers. “Appreciate it.”

 “Can we watch your tapes or something?” Alicia asks. “You don’t have any good books on hand.”

 “I forgot to raid the library before the storm hit,” Al says wryly. “You aren’t touching my tapes.”

 Alicia hoists herself back up onto her seats and stares at Al. “What about my mom’s tape?” she asks quietly. “Can I at least watch that one?”

 Al blinks. Alicia waits for the inevitable no or not right now or maybe later answer, but Al swings her legs off the seats and heads for her safe. She pulls the key out of her shirt, hanging off a plain silver chain, and unlocks the padlock. She carefully removes the camera and shuffles through the tapes for a minute before she finds the right one. She sets the camera and tape in Alicia’s hands then stretches back out on her side. She uses her jacket as a blanket and turns her back to Alicia.

 Alicia watches the tape. When it’s over, she starts it back from the beginning and watches it again. On the fourth watch, she realizes Al’s been fake sleeping the entire time. This time, when the tape ends, Alicia shuts the camera off and places both the camera and tape back in the safe. Alicia hooks the padlock through the little door, but she doesn’t lock it. Al starts to roll over, and Alicia quickly swipes at her eyes with the sleeves of her flannel shirt and nearly throws herself back onto her makeshift bed. She faces the side of the van and forces herself to close her eyes, listening to the rain and the occasional dead projectile.

 “I liked her,” Al says. Alicia stiffens, but it doesn’t really matter. There’s no way Al thought she was sleeping. “Your mom,” Al clarifies. “She would’ve done anything for you and, uh –”

 “Nick,” Alicia says.

 “Yeah.”

 “I know,” Alicia says quietly. “We don’t have to talk about this.”

 “We can.”

 “No, we can’t,” Alicia says firmly. “Go back to sleep.”

 “Alicia, I slept for six hours. I’m awake now. I’m especially awake because I know if I do go back to sleep, you’re gonna keep going through my shit.”

 “I won’t,” Alicia mutters. She does her best to curl into a ball in the limited space she has. She shivers. It’s like the temperature has dropped twenty degrees or something in the last ten minutes. She rolls onto her back and says, “Is it just me or is it suddenly really fucking cold?”

 “It’s getting pretty cold,” Al agrees. “Should’ve brought a jacket.”

 “That thin piece of fabric isn’t going to help you if it gets any colder,” Alicia shoots. “And what the fuck? I thought we were in Texas.”

 “Texas can get cold sometimes.”

 “During a hurricane?”

 “Don’t ask me,” Al says. “Take that up with Mother Nature.”

 “Mother Nature set the dead on us,” Alicia reminds. “I’m not asking her jack shit.”

 “So you have a sense of humor,” Al notes. “I guess I didn’t notice before.”

 “I’ll try to crack more jokes the next time I try to kill you,” Alicia says.

 “There’s going to be a next time?”

 “If you don’t shut up.”

 Al chuckles, and Alicia listens to her shift around. Al, it seems, has taken Alicia’s half-hearted threat seriously. Alicia’s afraid Al’s going to fall back to sleep, and then she’s going to be alone until the sun rises.

 “Okay, fine,” Alicia grumbles. “Don’t shut up.”

 “Ah, now you want to talk,” Al says.

 “I’m not answering any of your bullshit questions.”

 “Okay,” Al says simply. “Then what are we going to talk about?”

 “We can talk about how fucking cold it’s getting in here.”

 “It’s really not that cold.”

 Alicia shivers. “I beg to differ.”

 “You’re just being a baby.”

 “You have a jacket.”

 “This thin piece of fabric?” Al taunts. “I thought that wasn’t going to help me.”

 “You’re on the warmer side of the van.”

 “Now you’re just making shit up.”

 “Trade with me and let’s find out,” Alicia says.

 “Just sleep up front. It’s probably warmer.”

 “That’s less comfortable.”

 “I’m not really up for arguing over how cold it is all night long,” Al says. “I’m sure you found my extra clothes. Layer up and stop complaining.”

 “I’m not wearing your clothes!”

 Al sighs. “Out of all the people I could’ve gotten stuck with, I got you.”

 “I’m thinking the same thing.”

 The next ten minutes pass in silence. Alicia tries curling into a ball again. She tries the front seat, but it’s actually colder up there, and the dead have a tendency to hit the windows. She returns to the back and tries to fall asleep with her head on the opposite end of the seats as before, as if that’s going to make any difference.

 “Just take my damn jacket,” Al finally offers. She yanks it off of herself and throws it across the aisle. It hits the wall and falls onto Alicia, but she immediately whips it back over at Al.

 “I’m not taking your jacket,” Alicia says.

 “Well, your restlessness is giving me anxiety,” Al replies. “So do something, please.”

 “Are you not cold?” Alicia demands, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “I’m over here freezing my ass off.”

 “I’m fucking cold, too,” Al snaps. “I’m just not being a baby about it.”

 “How cold is it in here?” Alicia asks.

 “How should I know? I’m not a thermometer.”

 “But do you have one?”

 “Somewhere,” Al dismisses. “Look, Alicia, it’s not actually that cold. It’s Texas. It’s probably no lower than fifty degrees.”

 “That’s fucking freezing!”

 “Have you never left the southern part of the US before?” Al questions.

 Alicia hesitates. “That counts as a bullshit question, and I’m not going to answer it.”

 “Take my jacket.”

 Al throws the jacket at Alicia again. Alicia swats the jacket out of midair, and it lands on the floor between them. Through the darkness, Alicia and Al glare at each other. Finally, Al shrugs.

 “Suit yourself,” she says. She rolls over, not bothering to pick up the jacket. Alicia continues to shiver. Al’s probably right. It’s probably not really that cold. The jacket would probably be enough to keep Alicia warm. But Alicia’s too stubborn to give in now. So she grits her teeth and tries to wait the rest of the night out.

 After over an hour of silence, Alicia assumes Al’s asleep again. Alicia gets back up, rubbing her hands together in a vain attempt to warm them. She retrieves Al’s camera and her mother’s tape. She pauses, staring down at the entire collection. Some of the tapes are labeled with names, others with some random identifying mark. Like Amina. Alicia carries the camera up into the front seat and curls up. She watches the tape over and over, watches her mother tell the story of their baby bird, watches her mother speak until she can’t keep her eyes open even though it’s fucking cold. She sets the camera carefully aside moments before she finally falls asleep.

 It’s an uneasy slumber. Being up front – despite being marginally colder than the back – gives Alicia some peace of mind. If Al’s going to try to kill her in her sleep, Alicia should have a few seconds to brace herself for a fight.

 She dreams about her mother. Nick. Their life before all this. She’s afraid to open her eyes when she starts to come to, afraid it’s all a dream. The first thing she sees is the rain splattering against the windshield of the SWAT van, reminding her that of course it was just a dream. Her family is dead. Alicia rubs at her eyes, feeling worse than she did before she got any sort of sleep. Her head aches, and there’s this unfamiliar scent –

 That stupid jacket’s draped over Alicia. Since Alicia highly doubts she sleepwalked her way to the back of the van, retrieved it, and wrapped herself in it, she knows Al must’ve thrown it over her at some point. Speaking of Al, where is she? The rain doesn’t seem to have let up at all, so it seems unlikely Al left. Alicia sits upright, stretching her legs and arms in the limited space she has, and notices the camera’s missing. Alicia tosses the jacket into the driver’s seat and twists around, groaning as her joints pop.

 “What are you doing?” Alicia grunts. She doesn’t throw off Al’s rhythm, and Al continues her pushups at a steady pace in the aisle.

 “Well, good morning to you, too,” Al says. “It’s called staying in shape.”

 “Is the storm over?”

 “Does it look over?”

 Alicia rolls her eyes. She’s got a full day of this to look forward to. Most likely more than a day, because once the storm passes, they still have to find the others. Alicia is indefinitely stuck with Al and just Al.

 “Do you always do pushups on the floor of your van?” Alicia questions.

 “Only when I don’t have any other options.”

 “Do you always work out this early in the morning?”

 Al stops, pushing herself up to her feet, and she wipes the sweat on her forehead away with the back of her hand. Her hands drop to her hips. Her eyebrows raise, and Alicia stares back at her blankly.

 “I’m trying not to let you ruin my usual routine,” Al says. “Hand me that water bottle, will you?”

 Alicia passes her the bottle then asks, “Where’s the camera?”

 “Where it belongs.”

 “Can we start looking for the others yet?”

 “The winds still aren’t safe to drive in.”

 Alicia grimaces. “Are the dead still flying?”

 “They were as of a half hour ago.”

 “How long have you been up?” Alicia blurts.

 Al shrugs and uses the bottom of her tank top to wipe the rest of the sweat from her face. Alicia averts her eyes from the sudden exposure of pale skin; she tries not to notice the jagged scar that slashes diagonally across Al’s stomach. Alicia sets her gaze out the side window as Al answers her question.

 “I don’t know. Two hours?”

 Alicia figures she’s given Al enough time to put her shirt back down and looks back only to find Al yanking it over her head shamelessly. She drops the tank top onto the seats and digs for a different shirt.

 “What have you been doing?” Alicia blurts. “Don’t tell me you work out for two hours straight.”

 Al laughs and pulls a clean tank top over her head. “I don’t work out for two hours straight.”

 “So what’d you do?” Alicia presses. “Film me sleeping?”

 An indignant look crosses Al’s face. “I’m not a creep, Alicia.”

 “Just checking. I mean, I woke up with your jacket somehow, so…”

 Al grins and shakes her head. “That’s because I couldn’t stand to watch your violent shivering after the first hour.”

 “Oh,” Alicia mumbles.

 “I don’t know why you wouldn’t just take it last night,” Al says. She pulls the chain with the safe’s key out of her shirt, and Alicia realizes there’s more than one key dangling off the end. Al selects a key and unlocks a compartment Alicia didn’t even know existed. Al pulls out a box of rations and tosses a protein bar Alicia’s way. “It was a gesture of good faith,” Al adds.

 “If I would’ve taken it, you would’ve been cold,” Alicia says.

 “I slept just fine without it.” Al lowers herself to the floor of the van and takes a bite out of her own protein bar. Then she motions toward the one Alicia hasn’t touched. Al swallows and says, “You should eat that.”

 “You’re not my mother.”

 Al’s eyebrows quirk up. She takes another bite of the protein bar and doesn’t justify Alicia’s comment with a response. Alicia’s stomach betrays her, and she tears the protein bar open. They finish eating in silence, but that leaves them with the rest of the day to kill while the rain pounds against the van.

 “How are you sitting in a tank top?” Alicia asks. “It’s still cold.”

 “I’ve handled worse.”

 “Clearly,” Alicia mutters. She waves her hand over her own abdomen and asks, “What was that all about?”

 Al smirks. “So you looked?”

 “Not on purpose! Most people don’t just start taking their clothes off!”

 “Calm down,” Al laughs. “It’s a joke. But if you get to ask questions, so do I.”

 “Then forget it.”

 “It’s an old scar,” Al explains. “From a different life.”

 Alicia stays quiet. Al busies herself by sharpening her blades. Alicia sits in the front, watches the rain, and shivers. Fuck it. Alicia leans over and snatches up the jacket. She shoves her arms into it and zips it to her neck. She’s going to smell like Al until she has the chance to shower – which could be days or weeks – but it’s better than shivering for the next twelve hours. Al, thankfully, doesn’t say anything about it.

 But the jacket only works for so long. It must be getting colder, because Alicia’s back to shivering within two hours even though she’s wearing the stupid jacket. And this time, Alicia knows it’s cold, because Al puts a shirt on over the tank top and buttons it to her neck. She does it nonchalantly, like it isn’t a result of the dropping temperature.

 “So you’re cold now, huh?” Alicia teases. Her teeth chattering takes away from the effect Alicia wanted her words to have.

 “Not as cold as you,” Al replies. “You’re really trying to burrow into my jacket.”

 Alicia glares at the reminder that the jacket is, in fact, not her own. She almost offers to give it back, but she can barely stand the cold while wearing it. She can’t imagine taking it off at this point. So she holds her tongue. She tries to get Al to fire up the van for a bit, but Al still refuses to waste fuel to heat them up. She has a point, but Alicia’s fingers and toes are unbearably numb from the cold. She just wants a few minutes of heat.

 “My hands are frozen,” Alicia says. “Can we please just run the engine for a few minutes?”

 “No,” Al says.

 “I can see my breath.”

 “No you can’t,” Al snorts. “You’re being dramatic.”

 “I can’t take it,” Alicia says. She hauls herself out of the front seat, heading straight for Al in the back. Al bolts upright on her makeshift bed as Alicia seizes her by the front of the shirt. “Where are the damn keys?” Alicia demands.

 “Whoa, hold up,” Al says, grabbing onto Alicia’s wrists. “Stop manhandling me, Clark.”

 “Give me the keys!”

 Al blinks. “Let go of my shirt.”

 Alicia hesitates at the way Al’s tone changes. No longer lighthearted, but dead-ass serious. Alicia’s grip loosens enough for Al to break her hold on her shirt. Alicia braces for a fight, but Al merely lets go of Alicia’s hands and smooths the front of her shirt out.

 “Your hands are freezing,” Al comments. She holds her hands out, palms up, and says, “Give ‘em here.”

 “What?” Alicia exclaims. “Have you lost it?”

 “How cold are you?” Al questions. Alicia doesn’t bother to answer. She slaps her hands into Al’s and allows her to try to rub some of the warmth back into them.

 “Your hands are cold, too,” Alicia grumbles.

 “I’m not wasting fuel because we’re cold,” Al says. “We’re going to need that diesel to find the others when the storm passes. The cold won’t kill us.”

 “Speak for yourself.” Alicia pulls her hands free from Al’s and mutters, “This isn’t working.”

 “Do something to take your mind off the cold,” Al suggests.

 “Like what?” Alicia snaps.

 “We could play a game,” Al says. “There’s a deck of cards in here somewhere.”

 “My hands are too frozen to hold cards.”

 “So what’re you gonna do? Sit around and think about how cold you are?”

 “Yes.”

 Alicia sits across from Al, hugging herself in a futile attempt to feel warmer. Al picks up a book and flips to a page somewhere in the middle. She leans back against the side of the van, stretching her legs out ahead of her, and she reads. The book’s about documentary filmmaking, and Alicia can’t fathom how that could be an engrossing read. Al’s eyes don’t leave the pages, and Alicia’s eyes don’t leave Al.

 Al reaches a good stopping point before she snaps the book shut and turns her head to stare back at Alicia.

 “It’s kind of hard to focus with your relentless staring,” Al says.

 “You don’t really like me, do you?” Alicia asks abruptly.

 Al laughs. She leans over to stash the book away for later before replying, “I could say the same to you.”

 “Well, good, now that that’s out there, we can move on,” Alicia says.

 “Move on to what?”

 “I don’t know. Accepting our shitty-ass situation for what it is.”

 “I’ve accepted our shitty-ass situation,” Al says. “In fact, I’m doing great. I think you’re the one having a hard time accepting shit as it is.”

 Alicia’s eyes narrow. “And why do you say that?”

 Al hesitates. “No reason,” she says coolly. “But this rain hasn’t let up once, and it’s looking like we’re going to be spending a second night in this van. And it’s only going to get colder.”

 “So?”

 “And I’m not wasting fuel to heat the van.”

 “So?” Alicia repeats.

 “So good luck staying warm,” Al says. She flashes a quick grin then picks her book back up.

 “I know you’re just as cold as I am,” Alicia retorts.

 “Yeah, but I’m used to much worse than this, that’s for sure. While you’ve been shivering it up, I’ve been doing just fine.”

 “Are you just one of those space heater people or something?”

 Al tears her eyes away from the book again and busts out laughing again. “I’m sorry, what?”

 “Space heater people,” Alicia says. “No matter what, you’re always just unnaturally warm. Jake was one.”

 Alicia’s eyes widen as his name slips from her lips. She didn’t mean to say that; that particular bit of information was supposed to stay in her head.

 “Jake?” Al questions. “Who’s Jake?”

 “No one,” Alicia mumbles. “Forget I said anything.”

 “A boyfriend?” Al guesses. Something on Alicia’s face must indicate the correctness of her assumption. “What happened to him?”

 “He’s dead,” Alicia spits. “Like everyone else. Anymore questions?”

 “Lots, actually,” Al says. “But I can wait.”

 “Not up for a mid-afternoon heart-to-heart?” Alicia says wryly.

 “We don’t like each other, remember?” Al points out. “People who don’t like each other don’t have heart-to-hearts.”

 “I’m sure you’ve met plenty of people you didn’t like,” Alicia says. “You still harass them for their story.”

 “It’s not harassment. It’s a trade.”

 “A trade you’re not allowed to say no to.”

 “My offers are always more than the fair price.”

 Alicia’s eyes roll. “Sure.”

 Alicia lounges across her set of seats and forces her way through a book about World War I even though this information is practically useless to her right now. What good is the history of the past world when the dead are constantly trying to eat you? Nonetheless, Alicia absorbs the information in spite of her utter disinterest in the topic – but all of Al’s books are related either to film or history or the history of film, so Alicia doesn’t have much of a choice. Alicia only puts the book down when Al throws a protein bar at her.

 “Dinner,” Al says. It’s the first word that’s been spoken in at least the past four hours. Alicia’s making good progress on that book. The second it’s dark enough to reasonably try to sleep, Alicia stops reading and rolls over. A short while later, Alicia hears Al do the same thing. It’s even quieter now without the gentle sound of pages flipping to keep Alicia sane. She’s all but completely tuned out the sound of the pouring rain. And now, with Al asleep since she’s so fucking unbothered by the cold, Alicia’s alone.

 Alicia’s mind wanders back to Nick. Madison. Ofelia. Jake. Travis. Her mind makes it all the way back to Matt before her eyes prick with tears. She hasn’t been able to slow down since the stadium got overrun, hasn’t had the opportunity to really think about everything and everyone she’s lost. Now, in the silence and relative safety of the SWAT van, Alicia’s mind whirs.

 “I can’t sleep with your teeth constantly chattering,” Al says. She scares the shit out of Alicia, who quickly grits her teeth and dabs at her eyes with the sleeve of Al’s jacket.

 “Sorry,” Alicia shoots once she’s confident that her voice won’t betray her. “Maybe you should keep some blankets in this thing.”

 “In Texas?” Al snorts. “Normally this isn’t a problem.”

 “Well, Mother Nature isn’t following the rules, is she?”

 “I didn’t say she was. I just said you’re keeping me awake.”

 “What would you like me to do about it?” Alicia hisses.

 Al shifts around then says, “Come over here.”

 “What?” Alicia blurts. She sits upright and squints through the darkness over at Al. “What are you talking about?”

 “You think I’m one of those – what’d you call it? – ‘space heater people’ then get over here. If I’m a space heater, I’ve got plenty to share.”

 “Are you fucking crazy?”

 “No, I’m fucking tired, and I’m not going to get any sleep with your incessant teeth chattering.”

 “So you…what? Want to huddle for warmth?”

 “If it’ll make you be quiet, then sure.” Alicia can’t see Al’s grin, but she can hear it in her voice when she says, “And technically, it’s not huddling for warmth. It’s cuddling for warmth.”

 “You’re the literal worst,” Alicia says.

 “That’s an overly harsh assessment,” Al dismisses. “If you aren’t gonna come over here, then I’ll come to you. I can’t take that obnoxious sound anymore.”

 “I took your jacket,” Alicia defends. “I’m not about to –”

 “To what? Take my body heat, too?”

 “Shut up! Stay over there!”

 “Alicia, don’t be ridiculous. You’re freezing.”

 “It won’t kill me.”

 “No, but if I have to keep listening to your teeth, then Jesus Christ, I’m going to kill myself. So slide over.”

 Al hovers over Alicia, eyebrows raised, and Alicia stares up at her in disbelief. The last person she slept next to – that she wasn’t related to – was Jake. That’s one can of trauma she isn’t ready to open yet.

 “The longer I have to stand here, the more pathetic you get,” Al taunts.

 “Fine, but I’m armed, so don’t get any ideas.”

 “You aren’t armed.”

 “Yeah, but I can be.”

 Alicia rolls so she faces the wall and scoots as close as she can get to it. Alicia flinches as Al lowers herself in the space behind her. Her entire body tenses as Al’s arm secures around Alicia’s waist. For the first few seconds, they’re both very still.

 “Okay, your elbow’s in my stomach, so if you could stop doing that, I’d appreciate it,” Al says.

 “Maybe if you weren’t all up on me, I’d have somewhere better to put my elbow.”

 “I’m trying to help you.”

 “I’m incredibly uncomfortable.”

 “Yeah, well, join the club.”

 Alicia huffs. Her heart hammers in her throat, but she can’t explain to herself why. And this is crazy but – it’s working. After a few minutes, Alicia’s shivering begins to subside. She almost relaxes but remembers the arm around her waist belongs to Al.

 “Better?” Al mumbles.

 “No,” Alicia grunts.

 “Liar. You aren’t shivering.”

 “Shut up.”

 Alicia stiffens as Al’s forehead drops against the back of her neck. Al exhales, and her grip on Alicia’s waist loosens. After a few minutes pass, her grip loosens even further, and Alicia feels the steady rise and fall of Al’s chest against her back. Alicia’s body relaxes, and she lets her eyes close.

 Alicia wakes up disoriented, forgetting where she is and –

 Alicia sends her elbow into Al’s stomach, hard, and exclaims, “That’s my boob!”

 “Hey!” Al shouts. Her arm retracts, and she rolls back, forgetting the lack of space on the seats. She hits the floor of the van and yells out again as Alicia scrambles to sit up. Al groans, right hand braced on the floor beside her face. Al grits her teeth, and Alicia waits for her to get up, but she stays where she’s at.

 “That was my boob,” Alicia snaps.

 “I didn’t know!” Al blurts. “I was asleep! Goddamn it!”

 “What?” Alicia says. She watches Al roll onto her back, jaw clenched, as she clutches onto her left arm.

 “God,” Al exhales, “I think you dislocated my fucking shoulder.”

 Alicia’s eyes widen. “No, it can’t be – okay, hang on.”

 Alicia gets to her feet and bends over to help Al sit up then stand. Alicia guides her to the seats, makes her sit down, then starts unbuttoning her shirt.

 “You move fast,” Al quips.

 “Stop,” Alicia orders. “I’m trying to help.”

 “You’re the one that elbowed me in the first place.”

 “Your arm was across my chest!”

 “It wasn’t even my hand?” Al says in disbelief. “You elbowed me because my arm was –”

 “It was an instinctive reaction,” Alicia cuts in. She gets Al’s good arm out of the shirt and takes care when she slips the shirt off her other arm. Alicia grimaces at the very obviously dislocated shoulder Al’s sporting, and Al peers over at it in disgust. Alicia sets Al’s shirt aside and stares bug-eyed at the injury.

 “Well? Don’t just stare at it,” Al says.

 “What do I do?”

 “You don’t know how to pop a dislocated shoulder back in?”

 “No! Why would I know that?” Alicia bursts. Al rolls her eyes but walks Alicia through the process up until she actually has to do it. Alicia braces herself, squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, then releases Al altogether. “I can’t,” Alicia breathes. “I can’t do this.”

 “You don’t have a choice,” Al says through her teeth. “You did this to me! Fix it.”

 “Okay, just –” Alicia hesitates, placing her hand back on Al, then performs the movement the way Al showed her, really putting her weight behind it. There’s a crack as Al’s shoulder goes back into its socket, but it’s mostly drowned out by the scream Al lets out. Alicia immediately lets go and jumps back, but Al’s screaming dies out quickly.

 “There’s a sling in here somewhere,” Al manages to say. “Find it. And if you find my pain pills –”

 “I got it,” Alicia says. “Just – where should I be looking?”

 With Al’s assistance, Alicia finds the sling and gets Al’s shoulder immobilized. Alicia digs up the pain pills and hands them over before sitting on the seats across from Al. Only then does Alicia realize her entire body is shaking, and it’s not from the cold. In fact, Alicia’s feeling kind of warm now. She takes off Al’s jacket and carefully tucks it away, hyperaware of Al’s eyes on her. Alicia’s hands tremble violently, and she clenches them into fists in an attempt to stop it.

 “I’m sorry,” Alicia finally says. She keeps her eyes anywhere but on Al. “I overreacted and now –”

 “It’s fine,” Al interrupts. “It’s – whatever. At least until it doesn’t heal properly, then I’ll be less forgiving.”

 “It’ll heal properly,” Alicia says weakly.

 “It better,” Al replies. She winces when she moves, but her eyes go to the windshield. “The rain’s letting up.”

 “You can’t drive,” Alicia blurts. “You just – I just – you can’t drive!”

 “Obviously,” Al sneers. She shakes her head and mutters, “This is what I get for trying to help. Next time, I’ll listen.”

 Alicia’s eyes search Al’s face. Sweat’s beading on her forehead, dampening her hair, and Alicia doesn’t know if she should attribute to the injury or –

 Now that the storm’s ending, the temperature is rising.

#fear the walking dead #ftwd #alicia clark #althea #alicia x althea #althea x alicia #my fic #the second part is up on ao3

[drewbarymore]

just us

Summary: Bucky feels good about himself for once, and then he doesn’t.

Word Count: 2.3k+

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warning(s): self-deprecating thoughts

a/n: theres no reason for this. i just love bucky with my whole ass heart so theres that. and lowkey i was listening to If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys while writing this so yeah. just throwing that out there. (and again this is supposed to be just a little something. little. short. and its not that short bc)

—

It’s crazy, because this night started out with him actually feeling great about himself.

He remembers looking at himself in the mirror a hundred times, surprised by the fact that his first instinct wasn’t to avert his eyes or step away from it each time. For the first time in decades, he doesn’t recoil from the monster he sees.

It’s not as if he feels like his old, more bearable self again— god knows that’s probably never going to happen— it’s that he doesn’t feel like the other old self that he abhors. He doesn’t quite see Sergeant James Barnes, but he doesn’t see the Winter Soldier either.

It’s just him—Bucky. And it felt good.

It’s crazy, because even then, as he looked at himself straight in the eyes in that mirror, seeing certainty and confidence for once, there was still a nagging voice at the back of his head that told him this was too good to be true. He ignored it at the time, unwilling to let his demons trample on the ease he was feeling.

He should’ve known not to ignore them, because while his demons are ruthless, they’re realistic. Sometimes he thinks they’re just the rational part of his brain, and that makes it harder to ignore them. His therapist tells him that’s what’s tricky about voices in your head; they make you think they’re right.

But looking all around him right now, it’s easier for him to think that maybe the reason why they want you to think they’re right is because they are.

He watches for another moment as you spin around on the dancefloor in your deep burgundy dress that makes you look like something he doesn’t have words for. Gorgeous, splendid, stunning, breathtaking, and a whole lot more, but nothing will give what he sees justice. You fit so well in this kind of place, reminiscent to the ones built during the Renaissance— royal, ethereal. He watches as people look at you in an almost entranced manner, and he can’t blame them. It’s hard not to love you. He out of all people should know. He watches for another moment as you smile at whatever your dance partner is telling you. Your dance partner, all in an elegant suit that actually fits his persona—luxurious and sophisticated, screaming money and a great and easy life ahead if you choose him.

Greg. Jake. Drake. He’s not really sure what his name is. He avoids anything involving him at all costs. He had to fight the urge to do a full on background check right down to his third cousin’s best friend’s daughter’s dog on more than one occasion, trying to reason with himself every time that that’s just plain intrusive and creepy, and that it doesn’t matter that this guy’s been sending you expensive gifts for the past month after you met at an event much like this a few months back. He told himself every single time, he had no right.

Because while you’re gorgeous and kind and gentle and the only real thing that grounds him, you aren’t his. And he isn’t yours either, no matter how much he wants to be.

Natasha, however, did a background check and assured him discreetly that your suitor has a clean background for the most part. Bless her heart for feeding his curiosity, but honestly, when he found out that he actually is a good man, he didn’t know whether to feel assured or terrible.

(Of course he felt fucking terrible. He felt like you’re being taken away from him, and it’s irrational, but it doesn’t stop the twisting feeling from crawling into his heart and fucking squeezing it.)

“Mission complete,” he hears Sam say from his earpiece, reminding him of what he and Nat are actually here for.

They were given a mission to gather intel on one of the guests. Nothing too risky, but you all have weapons on you just in case. You and him, however, are here to socialize and form alliances as to avoid situations like the Accords all over again. The higher ups figured that it would be wise to send the two of you, given that you’re new, and Bucky’s… well, they figured it would be wise to build a new image for him, somehow get people to see that he’s not what was made of him anymore.

“Party time,” he hears Nat speak into the comms, “looks like Y/N already started without us.”

The teasing lilt in Nat’s voice makes him want to rip the device out of his ear. It’s already bad enough that he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from you dancing with someone else. He knows that the sight makes him feel like he’s caving in on himself, but he can’t look away. As if it’s a need to look at whatever’s hurting him dead on.

A delighted laugh from you is the last thing he hears before subtly taking the device from his ear and turning it off.

He feels silly. So he slips out of your table discreetly, eyes scanning the interior of the venue for the restrooms and practically dashing to it once he sees it.

He feels silly as he looks at himself in the mirror in a stupid tie and a stupid suit that’s meant to make him look like he’s something when he’s not. He feels silly thinking about how good and proud he felt earlier in his bedroom seeing Bucky.

The good thing about being just Bucky is that he’s new. Being just Bucky is a clean slate, a fresh start, which also means he doesn’t really have anything nor is he sure where he stands. He’s something in between; both innocent and guilty. Innocent enough to be considered a part of a team that’s fighting for the good, but far too guilty with too much blood on his hands to ever be considered a hero.

He’s something in between, and there are times where he could trick himself into thinking that being in between is good enough and that he shouldn’t ask for more after all that he did. But there were times where he desperately wished he was more.

He feels silly because now he realizes that no matter how new Bucky is, he’s still nothing.

He goes back outside after a few more minutes, not really wanting to alert anyone by disappearing so suddenly. He keeps his head down as he tries finding his way to the bar, his earlier realization still heavy on his heart.

A hand on his arm stops him and somehow he knows who it is immediately even when he hasn’t looked yet.

“Hey, I-I’ve been looking for you…” you trail off, looking over at his slumped shoulders and hollow eyes that can’t quite meet yours. “Steve said your earpiece turned off. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, that was just me,” he replies quietly. You want to ask so bad, what made him feel like this, but not with other people listening on your side. So you remove your own discreetly, turning it off. To others, it might’ve just looked like you were tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Sorry, you can go back to the dancefloor now.” he says, walking past you, but you stop him again with a hand on his chest.

His heart flutters, and he resists the urge to close his eyes from the feeling of being close to you. He’s trying his best to slow his heartbeat down, fearing that you’ll feel it underneath your fingertips. He swears his heart comes to life whenever you’re near him.

“Are you okay, Buck?” you whisper, trying to get him to look at you by keeping your eyes on him.

You’re so close—body pressed to his, your breaths fanning on the side of his face, and he can hear your heartbeat too, and he tries not to perk up from that alone. Your thumb moves to brush over his chest, and he caves just like that, hand coming up to your back as he turns his head to look at you.

You smile at the warmth of his hand, relishing on the burst of serenity it brings you. Before you could stop yourself, your mouth’s moving.

“I knew the suit would fit you,” you tell him as your other hand moves up to straighten the lapels of his jacket a little bit.

“Y-You chose it?” he asks, and it’s a mystery to him, how he managed to talk given how close you are to him. So close that if he leans in a little more, he could kiss you.

The mere thought of it makes him want to shout in absolute delight.

“Yeah, thought the color would make your eyes pop…” you look back and forth between his eyes, and he feels his heart practically jumping out of his chest. Like it knows it doesn’t really belong to him anymore and wants to go to the one who really owns it. Like it wants to burst out of his chest straight to you.

“I was right.” You smile, brushing your index finger under his chin ever so lightly. It didn’t even last a second, but what small part of him you touched sent his whole body into a state of euphoria he knows he never wants to get out of.

It’s fucking ridiculous, the control you had over him. And it’s supposed to scare him, having someone else have control over him again after decades of that very same thing, but it doesn’t. Maybe it’s because you’re everything good and gentle and kind and—

Maybe just because it’s you.

“You look handsome, Bucky.” you tell him, hand coming up to brush a strand of hair that came lose from his low bun behind his ear.

He could only give you a pained smile. It feels so fucking good hearing that from you, he just wishes he can believe it. He sees it in your eyes, how much you mean it, but he can’t quite convince himself that he deserves that look from you, so he looks away and scans the crowd instead.

Some people are already looking at the two of you, and he doesn’t miss their gazes trailing down to the exposed metal hand by his side, doesn’t miss how they look up at him one more time, only a quick glance screaming discomfort and then to you with pity before going back to their conversations. It makes him feel exposed and judged and wrong, and they all looked like they belong here and he just…doesn’t.

He pulls away slightly, feeling the chill of the air run through him as he loses your warmth. “Where’s…Greg?” he asks apprehensively.

“Craig,” you correct, eyes still set only on him, and it makes him feel incredibly exposed. “Around, I guess. I don’t care.”

He nods, moving to step around you, but for the third time that night, you stop him.

“Will you dance with me?” you ask gently.

His heart halts in his chest, and he wants so badly to say yes because hell, it’s his dream standing right in front of him just waiting for him to take her hand. He wants so badly to say yes and just spin around the marble floors with her in his arms feeling like a million bucks, but he feels the stares around him, poking and prodding, and he knows they’ll just worsen if he says yes.

You see the hesitation in his eyes, see it cloud his mind as he looks up at the people around you. You can hear him almost hear him thinking, and you want to help quiet down the voices in his head.

“Hey, look at me,” you whisper as you hold his face in your hands, willing him to look at you. “Just us, Bucky.”

He finally looks down upon hearing your words, letting out a shaky sigh. You feel his hands come up to your waist, and he nods, murmuring a small ‘okay.’ You smile, leading him to the dance floor.

The lights aren’t dimmed, and you’re in the middle of the venue for everyone to see. Panic starts to rise up in his chest again when the weight of fact that you’re practically the center of attention settles on his shoulders, and he raises his head to look around again.

“Wh-what about… Y/N, he likes you and he’s a nice guy—”

You take his face in your hands again, looking deep into his eyes. “I don’t care, Bucky. It’s just us.”

One of your hands travel to the back of his neck, and the other to the back of his head, gently pressing your forehead against his as you sway to the music. He lets out another shaky breath as his eyes fall closed. His grip around you tightens a hair, growing more certain, more steady and assured.

“Just us.” you repeat, moving your face closer to nuzzle his scruffy cheek and press small kisses on his jaw, praying that these little things will help him realize what you’re trying to get across—something you don’t have the words for right now.

You just know that love comes the closest to it, but still, it isn’t quite enough.

He nods, heart jumping out of his chest. This time, he doesn’t stop himself from pulling you closer by the waist, practically hugging you to him. You relish in the feeling of his warmth and scent surrounding you, knowing right off the bat that this will always be your safe place.

He moves a little bit, and you fear it’s him starting pull away again, but he only moves until the tips of your noses are touching, only enough to look you in the eyes. It’s the clearest you’ve seen them tonight, his blue ones, and you feel like a weight was lifted off of you— as if his pain is yours, and when that pain alleviates, yours does too.

“I-I like how this feels,” he murmurs shyly, making you smile.

“How what feels?”

“Just us.” he answers.

“Well, it can always be like that from now on,” you quip, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Really?” he asks, hope lighting his eyes up even more.

“Depends on you next move, Mr. Barnes.” You smirk.

“Well, I hope this does it.” he says, right before pressing his lips to yours.

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky fluff #bucky fic

[ftwd-nicky]

Skinny Love

Pairing: Nick Clark x Reader

Author: @ftwd-nicky

Words: 3672

Author’s Note: So, this was requested by anon and I have changed it up a bit because I didn’t want it to be too long, but nonetheless cute! I really hope you guys end up enjoying it!

Nothing is worse than being separated from the guy you’re hopelessly in love with. It’s been a few weeks since Nick had walked off with the dead, claiming we were the monsters.

Ofelia and Alicia got into the bed of the truck, my feet planted where they were as I saw Nick walking towards us slowly. I stumbled towards him, laying my hands on his arms as tears were streaming down my cheeks. “N-Nick,” I whispered, looking up at him as his eyes gazed down at me.

“You need to go,” Nick muttered, his hands intertwining with mine as my eyes widened, shaking my head.

“Y/N! Nick! Come on, we need to go,” Madison called out, walking towards us. Strand drove slowly behind us, stopping a few feet behind us, light shining twenty feet past us.

“Nick, please, I-I can’t lose you,” I murmured, moving my hands to his cheeks. Nick leans his bloody forehead against mine and my eyes flutter shut.

“Go,” he whispered, placing a small kiss on my forehead.

“Nick, come on. We gotta go,” Madison claimed and he looked at his mother before glancing towards the villa that was currently on fire.

“She was right…” Nick started, looking back at Madison. “We destroy everything.”

“Madison! Y/N! Come on, now!” Strand yelled, infected and angry villa workers making our way towards us. Madison’s lips parted, her eyes filled with sadness as were mine, stepping back towards the truck.

I stared up at Nick, sniffling a bit as he gave me a sad from, rubbing my cheekbone. Strand wrapped his arms around my torso, beginning to bring me back towards the truck. “No! No, I-I can’t leave him. Let me go, let me go!” I yelled, squirming in his arms.

Nick turned around, running towards the mob of infected before slowing down, walking as Strand placed me into the bed of the truck.

I sat in the back of the pickup truck when we drove down the driveway of the villa passing Nick on the way and my eyes trained on Nick as his were on me.

“I’m sorry. I love you, be safe.” He mouthed to me, luckily being able to read his lips. Tears streamed down my face as I lost sight of him, hugging my knees.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, glancing over towards Ofelia as she gave me a sad smile. I just looked back towards where Nick was walking, not seeing anything but the infected limping around.

The five of us stopped at this hotel, getting out of the truck as I hugged my arms, looking up at the large building. I glanced back towards where we came from, frowning a bit as I wish Nick would just walk through those gates and wrap me in his arms.

Ofelia, Alicia, and I went to one of the rooms to stay in while Strand and Madison had gone to the bar area. I sat down on the bed, sighing to myself as I looked out the window. The blue ocean waves crashing into the shore, many infected climbing out onto the beach every once in a while.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” Ofelia muttered to the both of us. Alicia must’ve nodded her head because the next thing I hear is the door behind shut.

The bed dipped down next to me, keeping my eyes on the water. An arm came around my shoulder and I glanced towards Alicia, tears pooling in my eyes.

“I know it’s hard,” she muttered, rubbing my back softly. I looked down at my hands, sniffling a bit as I nodded my head.

“I-I just don’t understand what happened. He would’ve never left you or me and now… he’s not even here. He’s out there,” I nodded my head to the outside, “without anyone by his side. I should’ve gone with him.”

“Nick wouldn’t allow that,” Alicia told me and I shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t care. I just want to know he’s safe. I need to know that he’s safe,” I cried, not being able to stop the tears that are streaming down my face. Alicia wrapped her arms around me as I begin sobbing into her chest, hugging her tightly. Please be okay…

“If I know my brother, which I like to think I do, he’ll come back. Nick cares about you too much for him to not come back,” she muttered and I picked my head up, looking at her.

“You think so?” I asked and she nodded her head, a small smile on her lips.

“Of course. I know he mouthed something to you as we were leaving. I’m not very good at reading lips so I don’t know what he said, but I’m sure it was something-,”

“I’m sorry. I love you, be safe,” I muttered, cutting Alicia off and her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “That’s what he mouthed to me,” I clarified and her eyes widened, lips parted in surprise.

“He said ‘I love you’? Wow, that’s honestly really surprising,” she mentions and I nodded my head.

“I know. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say that before, to anyone,” I pressed my lips together, smiling softly. I picked at the tips of my fingers, my smile widening as I thought about all the times Nick and I hung out with each other. Our friendship was very touchy… like we always had our hands on each other in some way. It honestly felt like we were a couple most of the time and we’ve gotten compliments from people saying how adorable we were. Although Nick would deny the fact that we were just friends, I liked to think just maybe the two of us could’ve reached that status, but it never happened.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Ofelia came out of the bathroom, running a towel through her long hair. “Shower’s free,” she smiled, sitting down on the other bed. Alicia patted my bed before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. “So, were you and Nick-,”

I cut her off before she could even finish the question, “no. W-We weren’t together,” I muttered. I glanced towards her, giving her a small smile as she nodded her head.

“I’m surprised. With the way you two looked at each other I would’ve guessed that the two of you would’ve been together for at least a few years,” Ofelia mentioned, looking at herself in the mirror as I stared at her, my lips parted in shock.

-

We stayed at this huge ass hotel for about a week. During the week we had found the owners of it while Alicia and I were being attacked by the infected, the result of looking for Ofelia since she just disappeared. People found out that there were survivors here when Madison turned on the lights of the place to see if Travis would come towards it, which he did.

Turns out that Chris wasn’t with Travis and we prayed that he was okay, well Alicia didn’t but Madison and I did. Soon enough the four of us; Travis, Madison, Alicia, and I were kicked out after Travis had basically murdered the two boys that were with Chris after finding out that they ended up shooting him after getting into a severe car accident.

Now we’re on the road again. Heading towards the border to see if there’s a chance we can find Nick. When we reached the border, we were taken in roughly by the military. Us three girls getting into one truck as Travis got into another truck, driving in separate directions.

The three of us girls were brought into what looked an office, an officer leaving us alone as Alicia began pacing the room. Madison looked for some other way to get out, worried for Travis’ safety.

“Anything?” Alicia asked her mother and she shook her head no in response. The teenager sighed, running a hand through her hair as I sat down on the chair, glancing out the window. “What about the ceiling?” She asked.

Madison stood on a chair, pushing the ceiling tile up before letting out a small sigh, “there’s nothing. It doesn’t go anywhere.”

“We shouldn’t have come here,” Alicia muttered, sitting down next to me.

“We had to, ‘Licia,” Madison told her, hands settled on her hips as Alicia rolled her eyes.

“No, we shouldn’t be looking for him, chasing him. It always blows back on us in the end,” she mentioned and I furrowed my eyebrows together. Madison was about to speak when a guy mine and Alicia’s age steps into the room with a journal in his hand, sitting on the desk in front of us.

“Hi, sorry to keep you. My name’s Troy,” he introduced and I rest my elbows on my knees, watching Madison stare at the teenager. “Please, please sit, ma’am.”

I tuned out the conversation, looking back out the window, wondering what Nick is doing at the moment. Wondering if he’s okay. Dead or alive. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes as negative thoughts filled my mind. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door shut, looking at the two girls.

“He’s going to kill us,” Alicia muttered, my eyes widening, feeling my heart beat a mile a minute.

“No, no. He’s treating us to well,” Madison countered, beginning to look around the room again.

“Why do you think that is?” I asked, earning a shrug from Nick’s mother and I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

The two began arguing as Madison was looking for some sort of weapon in case things go bad. I saw Alicia bend over, pulling the butterfly knife out of her boot, showing her mother. “I hid it in before they took us.”

The three of us heard footsteps and Madison motioned us to hide. Alicia and I hid behind the couch as someone walked in. We came out when we heart grunting, seeing Madison on top of Troy, trying to take him down when he knocks her off. Alicia charged at him with her blade, getting it knocked out of her hand as she was thrust towards the wall. I stood in shock, eyes wide and lips parted as I saw Madison grip the spoon, coming up to Troy from behind, jabbing the spoon in his eye.

I wince, placing my hands over my mouth as she was mumbling to him. I ran over towards Alicia, helping her off the ground making sure she was alright as Madison called back to us, “Go find a running vehicle!”

Alicia and I took off in another direction, sneaking around the base as we saw two vehicles nearby. I looked around for guards as she quietly opened the door, making sure it would when grunting and screaming tore our attention elsewhere.

“What was that?” I asked, glancing towards my friend which she responded with a shrug. She began walking in that direction, seeing a sewage grate as I followed behind her.

“Nick?!” My heart skipped a beat at the name, running over to her, looking into the vent. Oh my god. Below me was Nick, struggling to get an infected off of him, his eyes widening once he noticed I was there.

“Alicia? Y/N?” He called out and I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. Alicia slipped the butterfly knife through the gate, landing near him as a woman took it, stabbing the infected in the back of the head. Nick pushed the infected off of him, his eyes never leaving mine as a pair of arms grabbed me, pulling Alicia and me away.

“No! Let me go, Nick!” I called out, struggling to get free of the soldier’s grip.

“Y/N!” I heard him yell.

Alicia and I were brought to the pit where Madison and Travis were, the couple in a tight embrace. “I found him, Maddie. I found Nick, he’s here.” I heard him whisper to her and her eyes lit up.

“Where is he?” She asked as guards brought Nick and another woman around the corner, Nick fighting the guard's grip. Madison stepped forward, muttering to herself incoherently as my eyes never left Nick’s. “Let him go!”

The guards let him go as he stumbled forward. “Mom,” he mumbled as Madison ran over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. I started to cry again as Alicia stepped forward as well, hugging his sister and mother at the same time. Nick’s eyes met mine as he pulled away from them, stumbling forwards as he reached me. “Y/N,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I cried into his neck as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I muttered into the crevice of his neck, my hands going through his hair as Nick lifted me off the ground.

“I’m glad you’re okay, too. I was so worried something might have happened,” he whispered, pressing his lips to the side of my head.

After our reunion, the six of us including the strange woman who was injured was brought to an area where Travis and Madison began to pack some stuff, talking about where we’re going next.

I glanced towards Nick who was currently stroking the hair out of the girls face, a frown forming on my lips. Who the hell is this chick? Her hand was resting against his forearm, squeezing her eyes shut in pain as he comforted her with reassuring words.

I stepped away from them, feeling my heart breaking just a little bit as I sat down on one of the storage crates. I violently wiped the tears from my eyes as Alicia stood in front of me. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” I muttered, staring at the ground, my foot tapping against the concrete. I bit my lip to stop myself from quivering, but fail. A sob escapes my lips, Alicia crouching in front of me as she wrapped her arms around me. “I-I don’t understand, ‘Licia. H-He’s gone for what? A couple weeks or something and he’s already got a girlfriend? What does she have that I don’t?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Y/N/N. I really don’t.” She whispered, rubbing my back softly. Nick came out, glancing at us as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Everything okay?” He asked softly, rubbing his hands together. I glanced up at him, looking away quickly as Alicia sighed, getting up.

Before she could drag him away I spoke up, “who’s she?” I looked towards him as his eyes were already on me, his lips moving but no words come out.

“Uhm, that’s Luciana,” he muttered, stepping towards me. I scrunch my face up, getting up and walking away.

“Infected incoming!” A guard shouted and I glanced around seeing a horde of infected making their way towards us.

“We need to get Luciana on that chopper!” Another Guy my age yelled as Travis and Alicia grabbed her, Madison and Nick taking out some of the infected. I stood still, lost in my thoughts as I just looked around feeling my hands shake slightly.

“We gotta go!” I heard Troy yell, a pair of arms wrapping around my stomach as they carried me towards the truck. I glanced behind me to see Nick carrying me, trying to wriggle out of his grip as he places me in the bed of the ford.

“Let me go,” I muttered, getting out of his grip, sitting towards the tailgate as the truck began to drive out of the base. I could feel Nick’s eyes on me and I looked over for a few seconds, seeing the hurt in them as I looked away. I ran my fingers through my hair, staring at the helicopter as they flew over the mountains.

We arrived at the ranch about a day later, stopping a few times along the way. Madison and Nick sat in the backseat of the truck as I volunteered to sit in the bed of the truck, not wanting to be anywhere near the Nick at the moment.

Troy unexpectedly told us to get out of the truck and the three of us complied, suspiciously. We stood on the outside of the gate, my eyes looking over the ranch, seeing an amount of RV’s and tents all over the grassy plains. I hugged my arms, rubbing the dry skin softly as Madison and Nick were talking about leaving.

“Y/N?” Madison called my name and my gaze turned towards her, humming in response. “Are you okay?” She asked and I nodded my head, my eyes glanced towards her son, his eyes on me as his hands were on his hips.

He let out a sigh, walking over towards me, grabbing my arm before dragging us off so we can talk alone. “What’s going on?” Nick asked once we were out of range for his mother to hear.

“It’s nothing, Nick,” I muttered, trying to walk away when he stops me.

“Obviously there is something, Y/N. Y-You’re never this cold to me,” he mentioned and I looked towards the ground, kicking my feet in the dirt. “Talk to me.”

“Who’s Luciana to you?” I asked bluntly, staring up at him. Nick’s let out a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Is this why you’re so upset with me? Because of Lucy?” He asked and I stayed silent, shrugging my shoulders. “She’s something to me…” Nick vaguely cleared up and I scoffed.

“Bullshit. She’s more than just something to you, Nick. While you were with her, I was worried sick about you. I-I didn’t sleep, hell I barely ate. D-Do you know how much you actually mean to me?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You don’t think I was worried about you? Because you’re wrong. I was just as worried about you as you were of me. Y-You mean everything to me, you of all people should know that and I know that I mean a hell of a lot to you as well.” Nick muttered, placing his hands on his head as he walked in a circle.

“Then how come you’re suddenly with another girl?” I asked, becoming a bit angrier as he let out a huff of breath.

“I’m not with her. She got shot when I tried to help her people go to this “refugee camp,” but turned out to be a fucking military base who do human experiments.” He explained and I tilted my head to the side, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

“Human experiments? What do you mean?” I asked.

Nick showed me his hand, revealing a number on it. I gently grabbed it, running my hand through the ink as he spoke, “Troy and his little minions would test how long it took people to turn. They took us there and we were waiting to be slaughtered. Wanna know something?” He asked and I nodded my head. “While we were waiting, I actually told Lucy about you. Basically everything and she told me she’s never seen someone so in love with somebody before. At first, I thought that was ridiculous since we were best friends, there’s no way we could be in love with each other, but then that changed. When I saw you standing there at the base I couldn’t feel anymore relieved that you were okay. It took a lot of holding back from kissing you,” he muttered, his thumb settling against my cheek, rubbing my cheekbone softly.

“I-,” I stuttered, moving my hands to the jacket he was wearing, gripping it in my hands as I looked over his face.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you speechless,” Nick joked, chuckling a bit as I hit his chest playfully.

“When the guy you’ve been in love with for years tells you he loves you as well… you get a bit speechless,” I mentioned, grinning softly. Nick leaned his forehead against mine, his breath hitting my lips as my own breath hitched in my throat. “I love you too,” I whispered.

He grinned, leaning down to press his lips against mine. I let out a small gasp, eyes fluttering shut as I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. Oh god, his lips feel wonderful. His fingers slipped into my hair, pulling me closer to him as mine did the same.

Nick pulled away from me, a wide grin on his lips as he stared down at me. “I realized that I’ve been waiting for years to do that,” he muttered, placing a quick kiss on my lips. Nick let out a small sigh, glancing towards the ranch. “I really don’t want to stay here, but if you’re with me I don’t think it’ll be all that bad.”

I chuckled, shaking my head a bit as Madison called out to us, motioning us to go with her and an old man. Nick grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers as we walked into the ranch, people’s eyes staring at us as the elder man gave us a tour of the place.

I glanced up at Nick, his thumb rubbing against the back of my hand his eyes looking all over the place. Any place is better with you.

#ftwd #ftwd fic #ftwd imagine #ftwd x reader #ftwd reader insert #fear the walking dead #fear the walking dead imagine #fear the walking dead fic #nick clark #nick #nick x reader #nick clark x reader #nick clark imagine #nick clark imagines #nick x reader imagine #nick clark x reader imagine #nick clark reader insert #nick ftwd #frank dillane #frank x reader #frank dillane x reader #frank dillane reader insert #frank dillane imagine #frank dillane imagines #frank x reader imagine #frank dillane x reader imagine #angst #fluff #imagine

[promiiscs]

she must be in a dream.  it’s dark, the only thing giving light to her world being a small,  glowing  fire.  one that she will have to put out  soon, lest she be found by others. though, it kind of seems like she already  has.  alicia stands, weapon in hand,   ❝  i know you’re there. ❞  she could hear the leaves crackle, she can feel the overwhelming  energy  of something so  dark.. she has a horrible feeling, and she’s learned that having this feeling is a warning she should definitely heed ; (  read: she’s learned to trust her gut  ).

at this point, she doesn’t think  anything  can phase her. nick’s gone, for all intents and purposes, her soul is  dead. she wants to be alone, away from luciana and strand ; it’s much like the time she needed to learn to live on her own, but this time she has little concern for the safety of others. just  herself.  -- back to the whole ‘she doesn’t think anything can phase her’ bit -- yeah, she was  wrong.  a figure makes its way from the pitch black  darkness  of the woods that once consumed it, and she feels her heart drop to her stomach ; she feels  sick.  she  must be in a dream. because, standing right before her, is  herself. the only difference is that she’s graced with green eyes, and this--  thing-- this thing has nothing but  black  in the place of color.

now,  as far as she knows,  she was never  gifted  with a twin.   ❝  wh-- ❞  she’s  speechless, stood frozen. what does she even say? well... she’s not going to say  anything. maybe it’ll just.... go away.

❀  //   for  @walkerstclker​ .

#walkerstclker #v. walkerstclker. #re: starter. #HOWDY

[aion-rsa]

Will Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Finally Give Us the Morgan Moment We’ve Been Waiting For?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Fear the Walking Dead finally returns on April 11, which means we might finally get some closure on some of the biggest loose ends from the first half of season 6, including just how Morgan plans to get his people out of Virginia’s clutches.

So far the season has brought some radical changes to Morgan’s character — an altruistic leader left for dead who is transformed into an ax brandishing hunter looking for revenge. Morgan has often turned to violence during moments of distress — in this case, he let his people down and they’re now all suffering under Virginia’s reign because of it — but this time things are a little different. We’re not dealing with “Clear” Morgan who barely has a grasp on reality or who he is. It’s very clear that Morgan knows who he is this time around (or who he believes he needs to be to save his friends): a man with nothing left to lose who will stop at nothing to end Virginia’s reign of terror. If that means killing a few henchmen and kidnapping some siblings along the way, so be it.

Morgan shows no signs of stopping in the synopsis for the second half of season 6:

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“As Morgan’s (Lennie James) bid to free the remaining members of the group becomes bolder, Virginia (Colby Minifie) grows increasingly desperate to find her sister and protect the settlements from forces working inside and outside her walls. The second half of Season Six reveals the impact of what living under Virginia’s control has done to each person in this group, who once saw themselves as a family. New alliances will be formed, relationships will be destroyed, and loyalties forever changed. When everyone is forced to take sides, they discover the meaning of, ‘The End is the Beginning.'”

Despite his new lease on life and more laissez-faire attitude regarding beheadings, the odds are still pretty stacked against him. Virginia controls a whole army of rangers, a fleet of vehicles, and even the oil fields that power said vehicles, while he has a few friends and a vision for a new settlement hidden behind a dam. Virginia’s people are a Savior-level threat, and this time, Morgan doesn’t have a whole army behind him like Rick did on The Walking Dead season 8.

But let’s say Morgan does succeed in toppling Virginia and ending the Pioneers once and for all. Then what? Will Fear the Walking Dead give us the Morgan moment we’ve all been waiting for? That moment of course is when Morgan can put down the ax, a weapon that’s pretty uncharacteristic for a trained fighter like him anyway, and just go back to being the good guy.

While Morgan has definitely had his share of dark moments, he’s always been at his best when inspiring hope in others, when dreaming of a brighter future so few others can see. You could definitely make the argument that Morgan’s plan for a new life of charity made the early post-Clark seasons of Fear the Walking Dead a bit sappier, but even those attempts at slightly more uplifting stories presented a more original direction within this universe than the much grimmer reality of season 6.

In many ways, this Virginia arc is emulating the Negan era of The Walking Dead, with Morgan taking on the role of a more blood-thirsty Rick Grimes on a mission to take down the bad guys and get things back to the way they were. But somewhere along the way, Rick had to learn that the new ways were dead, he couldn’t just kill all his enemies until there weren’t any left. He needed to pave a new path toward the future. That future got him blown the fuck up in season 9 but at least he got this new future going for Alexandria and the rest of the communities.

Will Morgan have a similar realization? There won’t be anything left to rebuild if he continues on a war path that alienates people he’s trying to save. Already Alicia and Strand seem surprised by Morgan’s methods, and a very real rift between them could be forming. Let’s hope Morgan can step on the break a little before he loses himself once again…or goes down a road he can’t return from. We don’t want to lose Good Morgan forever.

The second half of Fear the Walking Dead season 6 is also set to introduce three new characters played by John Glover (The Good Wife), Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), and Keith Carradine (Fargo).

Keep up with all of our Fear the Walking Dead coverage here.

Subscribe to Den of Geek magazine for FREE right here!

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[thetakenpokemon]

Act 3 - Raid on Bennington: Pt 1

[PoV: Asmund]

I trudge forward silently, my gaze fixated on the growing forest ahead of us. Inside those trees is our objective, which is a Hybrid responsible for causing this supposed mess.

Finally...the actual job...

I’ve been ignoring the conversation of the others around me, since it’s of little importance. That and my mind is tired, very tired... I have no interest to partake in any discussions or squabbles, the only energy I want to expend is on destroying anything that gets in my way.

The fire in my chest...it may have burnt out, but a good fight may set it alight again...

...hopefully...

Snakewulf has long since left us, deciding to get a massive headstart. After giving us instructions on where to go he essentially told us to stir as much trouble as possible, so that we can keep the pressure off him while he looks for potential survivors.

That’s something I’m good at, at least. Stirring up trouble, it’s in my gears and pistons.

I glance over at the others briefly, seeing Midnight Storm having a lively discussion with Minato. Whatever things they’re talking about interests me just as little as it did earlier, so I focus my attention on the forest ahead of us again...

...the white forest...

“Well I’ll be damned...” I mumble quietly, now noticing that the trees are completely covered in spiderwebs.

My quiet words seem to have drawn the attention of the others, since they’ve ceased their talking and turned their gazes to the forest as well.

“Oh...my...” Chevalier gasps quietly, covering his mouth with shock.

“Tat ees a lot of webs...” Elisabeth agrees, apparently no longer as tipsy as she was earlier.

I tune them out again, since one exclamation of surprise is more than enough for me to hear. I continue forward, in which the rest follow behind me. Eventually we reach the edge of the forest, or ‘wall’ as a better term to describe. The trees are connected with numerous giant strands of spider silk, effectively creating a barrier to prevent others from entering.

“We’ll need to break through.” Minato points out obviously, his eyes glancing to his tail. “My blade is sharp, perhaps I-”

Ignoring him again I reach over and touch the web with a finger on my one hand, pressing it slightly to test its surface. I pull it back and look at my finger, noticing that the web hasn’t stuck to it. This signifies that it’s not the sticky kind, just normal silk.

Not that it mattered.

I aim my cannon at it, with a single thought I cause the four nozzles lining the weapon to come alive. Four jets of super-heated steam shoots out and blankets the entire wall in front of me, any web that comes in contact of the steam immediately shrivels up, creating a giant gap.

I cut off the steam, looking at the new pathway with a sense of smugness.

“That...also works.” Minato comments with surprise before looking at me. “How did you know?”

‘I’ve experimented a lot when I was a Human’ would’ve been my response, but right now I’m less than interested in conversing. So without a word I push forward, not looking back to see if they’ll follow.

Every few feet I would fire another jet of steam, clearing out the webs in front of me to ‘carve’ the path deeper. Webs are nothing more than an inconvenience to me, however I dislike inconveniences...thus my ‘spring cleaning’. The deeper we go the darker it gets, yet there’s not a single sign of life.

“Tey must be ‘iding from us...” The Lopunny whispers, whoever the bitch’s name is.

“It is fery quiet...” The Incineroar agrees in the same quiet tone, Alicia if I really cared that much to say it out loud.

I dislike this quiet, so it’s time to treat it how I treat things I dislike.

Clear it out.

I stop suddenly and aim my fist at the nearest tree, before my ‘comrades’ could comprehend what I’m doing I activate the pistons inside my arm. This action makes it shoot out faster than the eye could physically blink and slam into the unfortunate plant, a massive boom shatters the silence as the tree pretty much explodes into a shower of splinters due to the massive force that impacted its trunk.

The sound reverberates throughout the entire forest, everyone who’s at least a few miles near us should’ve heard it loud and clear.

“’AVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!” Elisabeth screams angrily, rubbing the insides of her ears painfully.

Heh, remembered the cunt’s name.

“Why...did you do that?!” Minato speaks up, still wincing from the sound and picking pieces of wood splinters off of himself.

I don’t answer, since the effects of my punch immediately start kicking in. A loud insectile screech is heard in the distance, soon joined in by another...and another...and another. Soon what sounds like an entire hoard of angry arachnids is screaming, most likely not happy for being disturbed.

“Just as planned.” I say with satisfaction, unable to keep the smugness out of my tone - if I were to even bother trying that is.

“Va te faire enculer.” Elisabeth growls, drawing her sword.

“Ich bin nicht überrascht...” Alicia sighs, shaking her head. “Ve all should hafe expected it.”

“Wouldn’t it h-have been better if we were...c-closer?” Chevalier asks, looking worried as the screeches continue to grow louder. “Before we a-alerted them?”

“Snakewulf wanted a distraction.” I grunt, casually walking towards the most likely horde of spiders. “So I’m giving him one, doesn’t hurt to start early.”

Minato shakes his head as well before quickly slithering after me. “We.” He speaks up, making me stop.

I look down at the naga, my silence being more than enough to make him repeat what he said.

“We will give him one.” He gives me a smirk, the kind I haven’t seen on his mug in a while. “We are a team, are we not?”

I glance behind me, noticing Midnight Storm all ready to fight. Elisabeth with her sword, Alicia and her electricity crackling hands, and Chevalier with his...elbow toothpicks.

Heh...

“Take care of what I miss.” I grunt, turning back towards the direction of where the good fight will start. “And don’t get in my way.”

“What? Tink we weell outshine you?” Elisabeth asks with a challenging tone.

At this point I feel my smugness increasing further. “If you wish to get in my way, so be it. However I think of it as being very stupid, since jumping into the crossfire of cannonballs and super-heated steam is the quickest way to die an ugly death. So to be considerate, I’m warning you to not get in my way.”

Silence falls in the group of five, the only sound being the growing screeching of the spiders.

“He...has a point.” Chevalier points out. “It’s n-not a good idea to jump in front of...a cannon after all.”

“I...am not going to argue.” The Lopunny sighs.

“Is zhe world ending?” Alicia asks with obvious humor. “Asmund is being considerate as vell as talking sense! Vhat is next? Tepigs flying?”

“Spiders.” I cut in. “Spiders will be flying, many...many parts of spiders once I’m done with them.”

I glance at Minato, in which I now notice his wide smile on his face. He looks like some kind of parent who’s proud of a child.

Wait... When I think about it, I haven’t slung an audible insult at any of them so far.

The world really must be ending.

Huh.

“Don’t say I didn’t worn you.” I add with a bit more force into my voice. “If any of you end up dying due to getting in my way, then that’s what you deserve for being a fuck who doesn’t listen to explicit instructions. Did any of you damn Pokemon get that? Yes? Good, now let’s fucking do this since I need to kill something.”

With that I continue forward, not waiting to hear their reactions.

Crisis averted, looks like the world gets to live for a little while longer~

#asmundgolurk #silencenidoviper #corsairlopunny #thunderclapincineroar #duskfallgaldoobat #guardiansoftwilight #plot #act 3-3

[hatnews3-blog]

Fear TWD Recap: Plane Disgusting — Plus, What the Youngsters Have Been Hiding Revealed at Last!

Sunday’s Fear the Walking Dead not only featured a pack of walkers being taken out in a new and fantastically splatterific way — big hint in the picture above — it also revealed just how sizable a secret the kids were keeping from our Good Samaritans and allowed Strand and Daniel to… Hmm. How to put it… It allowed them to address their past issues. And if you keep reading, I’ll tell you whether that meant Daniel made good on his promise to shoot Strand in the handsome face!

‘YOU HAVEN’T CHANGED’ | After “Skidmark” opened with Daniel and his feline friend disarming a trap that had been set to gun down… walkers? Trespassers? Hard to say. Anyway, after that, Ofelia’s father burned October 12 from his page-a-day calendar, a meaningful gesture whose meaning we wouldn’t learn until later. (We’ll get there.) Later, Charlie snuck past his fence and hid in a car so that she could open the gate for Strand, Wendell and Sarah as soon as Daniel left. Only he drove off in the car with her in it! Next thing we knew, Strand, Wendell and Sarah had breached Daniel’s perimeter. “Where’s the six-pack?” asked Victor as he looked over the plane. “Brewski or abdominal?” Sarah replied. “‘Cause ya ain’t gonna find neither here.” No, what he meant was the plane gauges — he couldn’t fly it without ’em. Aw, crap — as anyone would’ve, Daniel had guessed that Strand would try to steal the plane and had taken them! What’s more, Daniel said via radio, he knew that Charlie was hiding in the back of his car. Not that she needed to worry. “I am going to save her,” he promised his nemesis, “from you.”

Back at the truck stop, when not asking questions about rather than reading The Little Prince, Dylan insisted to Morgan, Alicia and Lucy that Al wasn’t on the other side of the wall of growlers. He even gave them coordinates to the spot where he claimed a mysterious “they” who surely had Al had set up camp. So off went Morgan and Alicia, leaving behind Lucy and Dylan to fix the radio antenna and try to reach Strand… who, at that very moment, was sulking about his setback. “You just gonna sit there like a turd in a toilet?” asked Sarah, beseeching him to at least look around for the gauges that he needed. Meanwhile, Daniel and Charlie became, in a cautious way, fast friends. They bonded over music, and he admitted that he hadn’t been the one who set all the traps. Yet he was disarming them. Why? she asked. “You ask too many questions.” It was cute. Maybe not Negan/Judith cute but cute. Plus, I don’t feel nearly as icky about Daniel befriending a kid as I do Negan.

‘WE FAKED THE WHOLE THING’ | As soon as Dylan got a minute alone, he radioed Max and Annie, and found out that the do-gooders had cut down some more of their growler fence. But they hadn’t, Dylan was able to assure them. So who had?!? Right on cue, Max and Annie spotted a man in uniform dispatching walkers and were forced to switch off the radio and hide. Worried, Dylan blabbed to Lucy and, via radio, Morgan and Alicia that he and his siblings had been lying the whole time. But now Max and Annie really needed their help. Those being the magic words, Morgan and Alicia set off to find the youngsters and saved them just before they became some walkers’ tween-flavored midday snack. Instead of a thank-you, our heroes got surrounded by enough weapon-wielding kids to stage a post-apocalyptic production of Lord of the Flies.

While helping Daniel disarm a trap at a small grocery, Charlie got out of him that he hadn’t killed the people inside, nor had he killed anyone at the warehouse. He’d inherited that from the person who had killed them, just so their things could sit on a shelf. Why were they still on a shelf? “It’s hard to find people these days,” Daniel said. Except, as she was quick to note, one had come to his door asking for help! Before the trap could be disarmed, Skidmark inadvertently enticed the walkers inside the store to come crashing through the front window. Since Daniel didn’t have enough ammo to take them all out, he and Charlie began slowly driving toward the warehouse, where he could quietly pick them off one by one through the fence. One small problem, though… Since Charlie hadn’t been around to open the gate, Sarah had driven a huge hole in the fence so that they could get the plane out!

‘I’M SORRY I TRIED TO KILL YOU’ | OK, new plan, Daniel declared. Charlie would speed off in the car, taking with her the plane’s six-pack, while he led away the walkers on foot with his boombox. It was a good plan, and it worked. But Strand couldn’t let Daniel sacrifice himself that way just to teach him a lesson. This wasn’t about what went down at the dam, Daniel insisted over the radio. It was about the way Strand’s lies had kept him from Ofelia until it was too late to say what he’d wanted to. (Not sure I see how Daniel risking his life to let Strand take the plane has a lot to do with that, but OK… I’m not one to question Daniel Salazar.) Eventually, Charlie made the obvious point that Strand & Co. wanted to help people, and Daniel needed help, so WTH were they waiting for?

After racing to Daniel’s aid, Wendell and Sarah discovered that the SWAT van’s machine guns weren’t working, so they couldn’t take out the walkers that way. Luckily, Strand, dragging the plane behind his vehicle, had a brilliant, gross idea: He turned on the plane and then just sat there while the walkers all conveniently walked directly into the blades. “Soup’s on,” cracked Sarah. “Get the ladle.” Afterwards, the plane was busted, we were told, beyond repair. But at least “I’m not gonna shoot you in the face,” Daniel assured Strand. Back at the warehouse, Daniel burned another day from his calendar and shared with Charlie what he’d been hoping to tell his daughter: “That every day brings a chance to start over, a chance to get it right,” he said. (So there’s the meaning of the gesture.) With that, he was off. “There’s a reason I’ve been here on my own for this long,” he explained to Charlie in a manner that really put forth no explanation at all. “I need to go and take care of it.” She offered to go with him, but he insisted that she stay behind with her friends and look after Skidmark. Whatever was in the warehouse was theirs, he said — except for a cigar that someone (had it been Strand once upon a time?) had told him to save for when things get better.

‘IF HE CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU’ | Back at the truck stop, though Lucy was bummed to learn from Strand that the plane might as well be made of paper at this point, Dylan suggested that she could just do what the pilot in The Little Prince did and rebuild it. Out of the mouths of babes! Finally, Morgan and Alicia learned that the army of kids, who really meant them no harm, were the children of the deceased back at the campground. While they were all tromping through the woods, we got a bittersweet mention of Jenny and Duane, then suddenly, it was everybody down! A chopper appeared overhead with the same interlocked-circle logo that we’d seen in the premiere. The men in uniform had arrived in that, Annie told Alicia. So why did it now appear that they were leaving? “Maybe,” Annie suggested, “they got what they came for.” And I have to give her credit: She does have a gift for making everything sound ominous!

So, what did you think of “Skidmark”? The series’ sudden influx of whippersnappers? Daniel and Strand’s truce? And what unfinished business is Daniel off to complete? I’ve got no idea. You? Hit the comments.

Source: https://tvline.com/2019/06/23/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-5-episode-4-skidmark/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more