#you've got descendants of key figures

[captorsicallfriends]

y'all should definitely watch this docuseries, i'm so serious

#diya's musings #and like i know what you might be thinking about it being propaganda #i thought that too but it's not!! #it goes into great detail just how fucked up the us government was in this time period for the sake of national security #and there's quite a bit on russia and ukraine too which i found interesting #overall very interesting check it out if you're interested #Youtube #also the cast of this is absolutely STACKED #you've got descendants of key figures #survivors of nuclear bombs in various capacities #whistleblowers #people who were blacklisted during mccarthyism #world leaders #and so many other testimonies as well as historians

[cycat-carisi]

Lonesome Superhero Part 2

Pairing: Gator Tillman x f!reader (not romantic)

Summary: After you give Gator a piece of your mind and something to think about when it comes to his father, you find out the hard way that you've said the wrong things to the wrong family. But are the consequences what Gator intended?

Warnings: language, misogynistic themes from the show, this one is kinda dark and could be disturbing - reader is directly threatened, NOT a romance fic, the Tillmans are disturbed individuals...

Length: 700+

A/N: The part 2 no one asked for! (Part 1 here). This just sorta happened. After watching episode 3, we really got to see how fecked up Gator is thanks to his upbringing. I'd love for him to get a redemption arc of some kind and I guess that's the intention behind these (now AU) fics. I hope that you enjoy (:

Fic below the cut or on AO3 here

A street lamp's pale, yellow glow casts a gloomy shadow over the small parking lot of the retirement home. It's past 11 p.m., and your evening shift has finally let out.

Descending the building's front steps, you fish your car keys from your purse and begin to weave your way through the remaining cars in the lot. You're rounding the box of a pickup truck when a dark figure appears in front of you.

"Evening, little lady." His voice rings deep and low.

Fear paralyzes you. You attempt a step backwards but immediately stumble into the smooth metal of the truck. Trapped.

As the figure shifts closer, the street lamp streaks color across a man. A cowboy hat and shearling coat take form in front of you.

Your breath becomes erratic, much like your heartbeat, as realization strikes; the man's status only elevates your fear.

"I heard that you were talking to my son," the voice of Roy Tillman continues. "Putting ideas in his empty little head that I don't have his best interests at heart."

He takes a step forward, and that's when you notice the dim light illuminating yet another figure. It's Gator, and he's grinning spitefully in your direction.

Everything in your body is telling you to run, but your brain knows that these men could easily catch and overpower you. There's nothing left to do but stand your ground.

"My son is my own flesh and blood." The sheriff explains simply, moving another step closer. "Helps me keep this town in order. The last thing we need," he draws even nearer, "is womenfolk like you disrupting the natural order of things." You curl your fingers into your palm, your nails painfully dent your skin. "And we can't have you going around humiliating law enforcement either, my dear."

With those last words, Roy Tillman levels his face in front of you. His cold, hard eyes bore deep into yours. A silver glint catches in your periphery—a hunter's knife unsheathed from the strap on his belt.

Your lungs betray you, and you unleash a frightened gasp.

Gator takes a tentative step forward.

"Women outta know their place in this world, little lady," whispers Roy, bringing the knife up into your field of view. "But sometimes it takes a bit of teaching for your type to truly understand." Roy twists the knife again, showcasing its serrated edge.

You feel tears stinging your eyes, and your stomach is ready to vomit.

In the background, a silent Gator's gaze flicks erratically back and forth between his father and you.

The blade tip then slowly moves towards your throat, the senior Tillman outwardly captivated by how your pupils dilate in pure terror.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rings out. "Dad!" Gator slides up beside his father. "Dad," he says again, voice lowered—hesitant; scared, almost. "I, uh, I think she gets it." Gator's hazel eyes once again dart between your fear-stricken face and the focused features of his father.

The older man's brow furrows, yet his eyes still deadbolt you in place. "Gator, we talked about this. Women do not undermine our authority. We are the law. She needs to learn."

You can practically feel the cold radiating off the knife blade as it encroaches to within mere millimeters of your throat.

"Wait!" bursts Gator once more.

Gator's actions finally cause Roy's head to turn. A look of sheer anger is cast down upon his son. Gator shrinks under its weight.

"I think she gets it now," he says meekly.

Roy scrutinizes Gator for several long moments, though finally, the knife retreats.

A relieved sob erupts from your chest, and Roy turns back to you, flashing you a hardened warning.

Gator, on the other hand, appears torn and confused, like a trapped animal desperate to escape yet too loyal to his captor to attempt breaking free.

In mere seconds, Roy retreats into the darkness as silently as he arrived, leaving Gator standing before you.

Gator has never been phased by how his father ran the county. Never once has he batted an eye when people needed a little reminder of who was in charge. But tonight? Gator had thought his father would simply talk him up and convince you that he was important. Gator never expected—or wanted—what just happened to happen. Instead, it seemed as though his father's only purpose was to once again eliminate any doubt about his own authority. The knife was a step too far. Maybe, just maybe, you had been right about his father all along...

A silent apology resides in Gator's features as he flashes you one last glance before swiftly disappearing from the parking lot in the same direction as his father.

Thanks for reading! Feedback is loved ❤

| Series masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

#gator tillman #my fanfic #fargo season 5 #fargo fx #joe keery #gator tillman x reader #fargo #lonesome superhero series

[zrrion]

"There are horrible war things in this world" He continued, stepping down yet another step, "That, through their ability to put absolute power within mortal reach, cannot be allowed to exist yet are powerful enough that destruction is not possible. We've tried to destroy some of them and only succeeded once, though that was largely by accident. Gods what a mess that was!"

After about 15 minutes of descending, and 15 minutes of mostly ignored rambling, the 2 of them finally got to the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in a small room. On the wall to their left was a grandfather clock fashioned from black stone, to their right was a small potted plum tree, and directly in front of them was a large reddish marble door.

"I want you to clear your mind and close your eyes. Picture for me a white circle. Can you see it?"

"Aye, I see it."

"good, now I want you to imagine that circle in the middle of a wheat field. The breeze is blowing through the trees and the wheat is rippling almost like the ocean. Imagine the colour of the wheat swaying in the wind."

"Now still keep that circle in your mind but concentrate on the insects flying in the field, the sound of the birds. There is something in the circle now. You do not look at the thing in the circle, it is in your peripheral vision only. You do not recognize the thing in the circle. There is a deer walking slowly alongside the treeline in the distance. You can only just make it out silhouetted against the sky as it slowly walks over the top of a hill and out of sight."

"I don't like this anymore."

"The birds have stopped singing."

"I want to open my eyes."

"You do not look at the circle, it is in your peripheral vision only. You reach into the circle. You grasp the thing inside it. You do not recognize the thing in your hands. You are not looking at the thing in your hands. You do not see its eyes."

"You pull it out of the circle and into the field."

"Please!"

"The wheat is a beautiful gold, sparkling almost in the evening sunlight. Do you see it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Keep your hand gripped tight and open your eyes."

As the two of them opened their eyes the door began to slowly swing open with an eerie silence. The junior of the 2 had blood running from where their nails had dug into their palm. The grandfather clock still wasn't moving. Neither of them commented on that as they walked through the door and into the main chamber of the facility. The man behind the front desk was busy pouring over a large book and did not acknowledge them as they walked past.

"And that is the key to the front door. You will need to do that every time you come down here for your shift. Your locker also has a lock. If you want you can come up with a key for it but I just leave mine unlocked. If a thief gets this deep in the facility they aren't gonna steal your spare set of gloves or whatever you keep in there. Once you've got your locker situation figured out talk to Alger at the front desk, you'll be working with him today."

#wheelbreaker #red star ice machine company #I really like the idea of one of those visualization calming exercises but doing it creates a tangible connection #and also that those kinds of exercises would be a key for a magical lock #like how are you gonna pick a lock where the key is coming up with a specific mindfulness exercise #especially one like this where doing it wrong has consequences™ #the possibility of a mind-lock like this implies the possibility of an un-secure lock. A sign on the wall says #don't think about elephants #and the lock in that room is the thought of an elephant. Now you've opened the trap door and you've fallen into a pit of spikes

[emo-emu64]

Where the Angels Fall

Isaac "Zack" Foster x Reader

Demon AU

"As I walked into my run-down apartment I expected to be greeted by my loving house cat and the hole in the wall left by the previous residents. Instead I found a lost-looking, extraordinarily tall, inhuman, beast of a "man" wandering around, and mumbling something about "fucking humans"."

CW: Blood, gore, murder, severe injury, canon typical violence, language

The Devil is Real and he's in my Apartment

The keys jingled in the door as I stepped through the threshold of my apartment, soaked head to toe from the heavy sleet. There was a noticeable drop in temperature. Which was impressive considering how cold it already was.

'Guess I'll have to call the landlord. Again.'

The maintenance team had already been here three times that month, but they couldn't seem to figure out why the heat kept kicking off. It had been annoying as all hell with how cold it already was.

"Fucking humans, never home anymore. Who the hell do they think they are?"

My muscles instantly seized and my bag, also drenched from the elements, dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. 

The man in the kitchen abruptly stopped talking, and panic flooded through my body. My feet stuck to the floor, and my breathing became shallow and fast. I'd always heard about scary men breaking into young girls' apartments and doing horrible things. But I had taken every precaution to avoid it, the proper locks on my windows and door, I'd made sure the apartment was in a decent neighborhood with decent people. So how, pray tell, did this happen to me?

"There ya are." 

A large man stepped into my line of vision. He had to be well over 6 feet, he was covered in what appeared to be dried blood, and a large, also bloodied, scythe rested over his shoulder.  The hood of his sweatshirt was pulled up, ominously shadowing his face. 

I wanted to move, throw the door open, start running, and never look back. But my body refused to. My muscles felt tense, like they were made of stone. He was medusa and I had made the awful mistake of looking him in the face. I swallowed thickly as we continued to stare at each other. 

I noticed how bruised and cut-up what little I could see of his face was, my eyes wandered to his abdomen where he held a hand loosely over a bleeding wound.

I swallowed once again, opening my mouth to speak. Surprisingly, I was able to form actual sentences.

"Do you need help?" I paused, pursing my lips, "You look hurt. Do you need me to call someone?" it came out quieter than I would have liked, but I needed to seem unsuspecting. For all knew he was an innocent and injured man who had wandered into my apartment looking for help. The longer I stalled, the better.

He chuckled. Low and dark. Coughs scattered in between quiet laughter.

"Playin' nice won't get ya much of anywhere right now, sweetheart," his voice was even darker than his laughter. 

"But...If you help me out here, I might consider letting you live."

"Might consider isn't really good enough for me right now, buddy. I've got exams to study for, and I'm not wasting time helping you out if I'm going to die anyways." 

His eyes widened before he descended into laughter. It wasn't intimidating or menacing like before. It was a genuine laugh, like I had cracked a joke.

"Ballsy, aren't we?" He mocked.

Honestly, I was just as surprised as he was, but shock is known to do strange things to the brain.

He stared at me for awhile before speaking again, "Alright, alright. You've got a deal, you patch me up and I won't kill ya. Promise."

I didn't quite know why, but his promise seemed just as sincere as his laughter. Maybe it was just that I was desperate, grasping on to any sense of hope that maybe I would escape this with my life, but I couldn't sense a hint of deceit. 

I nodded slowly, " You can sit at the table, I'll go see if the first aid kit has anything useful."

He eyed me suspiciously. Understandably, I guess.

"I can leave my phone at the table with you or something, if that makes you feel better?" I proposed. 

I was still baffled at how calm I had remained, maybe studying to be an ER doctor as a college student without a penny to your name does that to a person. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline, and as soon as it wore off I would break down into the heaving sobs and hyper-ventilation of a panic attack. Who could tell?

He shook his head, "Nah, you seem smart enough. Just don't try anything funny or I'll have to gut ya, and we'll both be fucked," the corner of his mouth turned upwards into a teasing smirk.

I nodded once again before turning on my heels and swiftly making my way to the bedroom where the 'Be Ready Bag' was stored. I don't think this is what the firefighters in my elementary classes meant when they said 'in case of emergency', but it is what it is.

I rooted through the bag and pulled out the first aid kit. I checked over the contents and decided that they would do.

When I entered the kitchen I avoided all eye contact. I made my way to the sink and scrubbed my hands under the warm water. I could feel his gaze at my back, like there was something that made me interesting. I've never really liked it when people looked at me, but considering he's also a strange and threatening man, who had to be over twice the size of me, I'd say caution was entirely expected. Encouraged, even.  

When I was done I carefully grabbed the kit, and made my way over to the man who sat at my kitchen table. His legs were extended and sprawled out across the floor as if it were his own home. I wasn't about to say anything, though. After all his weapon sat just behind him, and I'm sure whoever's remains he left on the blade would tell me he was not at all afraid to use it.

We sat in silence as I fixed him up to the best of my abilities. Strangely, it wasn't awkward or tense. Just silent.

"This might hurt a bit," 

I poured the disinfectant onto some gauze and pressed it to the wound. He hissed and made a bit of a face, but otherwise, no reaction.

Shortly after, there was a soft padding of feet and a faint meow from behind me.

"That your cat?" He questioned from above me.

"Yeah, his name is Zero."

The man then lowered his hand and outstretched his fingers. To which the black feline, surprisingly, met and began to purr.

He wasn't an aggressive or shy cat, but he was never one to interact with new people. He'd only ever really been friendly with me.

I also really hadn't expected the dangerous and wounded man who had seemingly broken into my apartment to be a cat person. Speaking of which-

"If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you get in here?" I finished the bandages and began to pack away what was left of the first aid kit 

"Why the hell do you wanna know?"

"Because I'd like to know if I need to get better locks on my doors and windows."

He chuckled again, "I'm a demon, sweetheart, pretty sure your locks've got nothing to do with it."

Dangerous, wounded, and delusional. Wonderful.

However, I figured playing along was my safest bet for now, so I nodded giving nothing but a simple "Oh."

He inspected my face closely as he stood, "Don't believe me, do ya?"

"I never said that."

"Good thing you didn't have to then, huh?"

He made his way towards me and bent his head low enough to be eye to eye with me.

Holy shit, was he tall.

"Need me to prove it to ya?"

His eyes, I was now realizing, were two very different, yet equally mesmerizing, shades. The right was a deep black lacking any color or depth. The left was the complete opposite, a vibrant gold with flecks of deep browns. Maybe even a few greens

He also had what appeared to be old burn scars trailing up his neck and jaw, there was a single stretch of one in particular that reached just above his mouth, but that was all the farther they went. They were a pale reddish pink, and their texture rose just above the rest of his face.

Before I could answer I saw his golden and black eyes morph into a glowing and deep crimson shade. His sharp k-9s bared with a sickening grin.

My first thought was that I was dreaming. That I really had spiraled into a gut-wrenching panic attack while trying to acquire the supplies and simply blacked out. 

It soon became very clear to me that, unfortunately, that was not the case. 

That it simply couldn't have been because I could feel  my nails digging into the heels of my hands. Nearly drawing blood while I desperately tried to ground myself.

He then straightened his back and sighed, "Believe me now?"

I nodded once more.

"Good, now that that's out of the way. I need a place to crash tonight, but tomorrow I'll be out of here, and you can go back to your boring little human life, yeah?"

I had the feeling that although it was worded like a question, he was not really asking, "Yeah, you can sleep on the couch if you'd like." 

He nodded, "You got a name?"

"y/n."

"Zack."

'Zack...he looks like a Zack'

"Are you hungry? I was going to make dinner before I started homework."

"Depends, what do ya got?"

"I was just going to make a grilled cheese, or something?"

"That'll work."

It was late by now, I had already eaten and finished homework, and I handed Zack a blanket and pillow.

"If you need anything my room's down the hall to the left. I'd prefer if you knocked, though."

He nodded and tossed down the pillow, as I began to make my way towards my bedroom.

"Hey, y/n"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

I nodded quietly, "It's no problem," and with that I trekked down the hallway.

This story is also on Wattpad under the same title. I plan to move it to AO3 at some point as well.

#zack foster #isaac foster #isaac foster x reader #satsuriku no tenshi #angels of death

[vrankup]

Decoding the Magic Behind Google Ads: A Deep Dive into How It All Works

Hey there, fellow digital adventurers it's your digital marketing agency in dwarka, vrankup! 🚀 Ready to plunge into the mesmerizing world of Google Ads? Buckle up because we're about to unravel the enigmatic workings of this online advertising marvel. From the nitty-gritty of keyword research to the adrenaline-pumping ad auctions, we're here to demystify it all in a way that even your grandma would nod along to!

The Google Ads Odyssey Begins

So, you've got a business, a grand vision, and a website that's just begging for attention. Welcome to the bustling arena of online advertising, where Google Ads reigns supreme. Formerly known as Google AdWords, it's like a grand bazaar where advertisers bid on keywords, and when folks type those magic words into Google's search box, voila! Ads pop up on the search results page, waving like digital hawkers.

Keyword Quest: The Golden Key to Success

Imagine you're a locksmith, and the keywords are your tools. But wait, what's a keyword? Well, it's the word or phrase someone types into the search bar when they're on the hunt for something. Your task? Figuring out which keywords are popular among the masses and, most importantly, relevant to what you're offering. Google's Keyword Planner tool is like your treasure map, showing you search volume, competition, and even bid estimates for these keywords.

Ad Auctions: The Battle for Digital Limelight

Alright, imagine you're in a gladiator arena, and your weapon is a bid amount. Advertisers gather here, each armed with a bid, ready to fight for that precious spot in the search results. When a search happens, an auction is triggered, and Google's algorithms decide who gets to wield the spotlight. It's not just about who's got the fattest wallet – oh no! Quality matters, too. Ad Rank is the magic formula here. It's like the arena judge, taking your bid, ad quality, ad extensions, and a dash of expected impact, then whipping up a score.

Ad Placement: Rise and Shine, Ad Warriors!

Ad Rank sorted? Great! The battle's won… almost. Your Ad Rank determines where your ad shows up in the search results. The top dog gets that sweet spot at the summit, while others follow suit in descending order. But remember, it's not just about the bid; ad quality plays the Robin to your Batman here. An ad that's both high-quality and relevant can snag a prime position without having to break the bank. |digital marketing agency in dwarka|

Coins for Clicks: The PPC Dance

Here's where the coins start clinking – pay-per-click (PPC) style. You're only charged when someone clicks your ad. It's like paying a toll when someone crosses the bridge to your digital realm. But how much do you pay? The actual cost per click (CPC) isn't just your bid; it's a dance involving your Ad Rank and Quality Score. If your ad's the party that everyone wants to join, you might even pay less per click than what your bid suggests.

Quality Score and the Relevance Revolution

Speaking of that party-worthy ad, let's talk Quality Score. Imagine you're hosting a party, and Google's the discerning guest. It wants to know if your ad resonates with what people are looking for. Are your keywords relevant, your ad copy intriguing, and your expected click-through rate (CTR) promising? If you ace these, Google throws confetti (in the form of a higher Quality Score) your way. A high score means you could pay less for a higher rank – it's like getting a VIP ticket without the VIP price tag.

Ad Formats and Extensions: Dressing Up for Success

Now, let's sprinkle some stardust on your ads. Google Ads isn't just about boring old text; it's a whole costume party! You've got sitelink extensions, where you can sneak in extra links to specific pages. Callout extensions let you brag about your unique selling points, like showing off that sparkly new tiara. And don't forget the call extensions, which let people ring you up directly from the ad – it's like having a hotline to your business. Structured snippets? They're your cue cards, showing off specific categories of what you're offering. Oh, and location extensions? They're like handing out maps to your hidden treasure.

Wrap-Up: From Navigating to Nailing It

So, there you have it, brave souls – the epic tale of how Google Ads, the modern marketing marvel, plays its symphony of clicks and conversions. From deciphering the cryptic keywords to mastering the art of ad auctions, you're now armed with insights that can turn you from a mere traveler into a triumphant trailblazer in the digital realm.

As you set forth on your Google Ads journey, remember this: it's not just about throwing money around. It's a dance of strategy, relevance, and quality. Craft ads that resonate, bid wisely, and watch your online presence shine like a thousand suns. So, whether you're a savvy marketer, a curious entrepreneur, or just someone who's always wondered about those mysterious ads on Google, go forth and conquer the digital frontier with Google Ads as your loyal steed! 🌟🎉🚀

Catch you later,

digital marketing agency in dwarka, vrankup!

#digital marketing company in dwarka #digital marketing #seo #website designing company in gurgaon #seo company #noida #digital marketing agency in dwarka #website designing company in dwarka #website designing services in gurgaon #vrankup

[m-jelly]

Hi Jelly, it's late night, I'm kinda drunk and almost asleep but I was scrolling through tiktok and I just saw one that gave me an idea I wanted to share w u.

So u know the one shot u made where reader plays pianoo on a mission and all? What if, they still weren't dating, but reader has feelings fro him and he doesn't really know, being the clueless baby as always; so in a mission, he sits and plays the piano BUT he is so shorrrrt his feet won't touch the ground when he's sitting in the little bench thing I forgot the name, so his legs are just swaying excitedly in the air like a kid and reader sees it and waited for him to finish, and he noticed she didn't think it was funny or made a joke, so it's like a boost to realize he's liking her.

Sorry for being too long and sorry for another request 😅😬

Haven't I seen you somewhere before? xD I'm kidding! Happy to do as many requests as possible, even if they're from the same person <3 Another take on the piano one, as in sweet melody the OG piano one they were an established couple in that one <3

Melody of the heart.

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: Futuristic AU, romance, confessions, fluff, love, sweet.

Concept: While on a mission together, Levi asks for you to come with him to look through an abandoned mansion for supplies for the scouts. During your scouting, Levi finds a piano and decides to play it just for you, but he can't figure out how to lower the seat. You catch Levi playing and enjoy how beautifully he plays the piano. You sit with him and ask him to show you a few keys, so he teaches you. Levi confesses that he learned the piano just so he could play for you and only you. You confess that you've had feelings for him for a while now.

Levi packed a bag, then loaded it onto the hoverbike. He looked over to you as you chatted to a male scout. "Tch, oi brat!"

You excused yourself and approached Levi. "Yeah?"

He cleared his throat. "I've got to scout out an abandoned mansion for supplies. You're coming with me."

You smiled at him. "Sure."

He climbed onto the bike. "Get on and hold me."

You blushed, then climbed on behind him. You gripped his waist as your heart hammered in your chest. "Ready to go."

Levi fired up the bike, then drove off and across the war-torn land. The scouts had recently regained the zone, so homes were still broken and streets empty, but after a cleanup people could return. You were glad you finally got the land back, but it was such a long fight.

You snapped out of your thoughts when Levi pulled up to the mansion. "It's barely been touched by the war."

Levi hummed. "It's just out of the area, but if we lost and the Titans took it, then they would have been in trouble."

You got off and walked up to the doors. "I'll check if it's open." You checked the door, then used a device from your belt to open the electronic lock. "Open."

Levi walked past once you pushed the door open. "Not bad, brat."

You smiled and walked into the main hall. "Why did you ask me along?" Your heart was holding hope that he wanted you alone.

Levi blushed a little as he looked around. "You're a good soldier."

Your heart sank. "Right, right." You sighed. "I'll look around up top, you take this floor."

He watched you climb the stairs. "Sure." He let out a long sigh and kicked himself a little, but he honestly didn't think you'd love a man like him. He dragged his feet and feelings with him as he walked the halls. He came to a stop in the hall and spotted a piano. "Hmm."

Levi sat on the seat, but it was up too high, meaning his feet couldn't touch the floor. He got off, then tried to lower it but it was stuck. He blushed a little, then got back on and decided to forget about it. He opened the piano up, then cracked his fingers and started playing a love song just for you.

You closed the last door upstairs, then made your way back to the stairs to hear a piano being played. You descended the stairs as the piano beckoned you closer. You allowed the music to entrance you and lead you to Levi. You sat down on a dusty chair as Levi kicked his legs happily and kept playing with a deep passion. You didn't dare to disturb him because he was so handsome and beautiful. You slowly fell more in love with him, which you didn't think was possible.

He stopped playing and sighed at his love for you not being true. He blushed hard when he heard clapping. He glanced over to the source to see you smiling sweetly as you clapped. "Tch, how long you been there, you little shit?"

You got off your chair and walked closer. "For a few minutes. I really enjoyed what you played!"

He hummed. "It'd be better if I could reach the peddles."

You touched the seat and hummed. "It's stuck." You sat on the seat and couldn't touch the floor either. "I thought it was beautiful without. Could you teach me a few keys?"

He nodded and took this as the perfect opportunity to flirt as best as he could. He stood behind you, then leaned over you and showed you a few keys. "Now you."

You blushed hard, then copied a little, but you messed up. "Shit, sorry."

He took your hand, then guided you. "It's okay. It takes time and practice. You've got this."

You hummed a laugh and started playing a little. "This is fun."

Levi sat next to you again and smiled. "It is."

You blushed a little. "What made you want to play?"

He looked around the room. "I ah...I saw it and thought you'd like to hear something."

"You were right." You frowned a little, then locked eyes with Levi. "I'm in love with you."

Levi blushed hard. "What?"

You smiled a little. "God, that felt good to say." You laughed. "I know you don't love me, but I just had to let you know." You let out a long sigh. "I understand if you feel uncomfortable, so I am happy to hand over my transfer papers." You looked at Levi. "It's been an honour serving with you and loving you is wonderful."

Levi kissed you a little roughly, then pulled back. "Sorry, if I hurt your lips. Sorry. That was a bit rough."

You blushed. "You...do you..."

He cupped the side of your face. "I can do better." He softly kissed you and pulled back a little. He smiled, then tilted his head and kissed you again. He dragged you onto his lap, then nipped your lip causing you both to lock lips and move your tongues together. He pulled from your lips as you both panted. "Better."

"Levi, I know it was a passionate kiss, but I need to hear you say how you feel. Sometimes actions aren't enough. I get confused."

He hushed you. "I love you, okay? I love you. I've been in love with you for a while."

You hugged him. "I'm so happy."

Levi rubbed your back. "I've held these feelings for so long. I didn't think you could ever love a man like me."

"How can I not?" You pulled back and looked down at him. "You're so wonderful, handsome, brave and funny. I think about you all the time and dream about you. I don't want any other man touching me but you."

Levi's brow raised. "You've thought about me in that sense, huh?"

You blushed and nodded. "Yes."

"So have I." His eyes traced your body. "I used to get nightmares, but now I dream of you. I can sleep, but then it got difficult to because I couldn't have you."

You nibbled your lip. "There are some rooms upstairs."

Levi purred at you as all his dirty daydreams and thoughts started to become real. "There are."

"Want to go up?"

He stood up and held you. "If you want to."

You smiled at him. "Oh, I really do."

"I'm all yours and you're mine."

#levi ackerman #levi #fanfic #levi fanfiction #aot fanfiction #snk levi #aot levi #levi x you #levi x y/n #aot x you #captain levi #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you #levi ackerman fluff #aot fluff

[440mxs-wife]

Shore Leave - Part 3

(Photo courtesy of IMDb)

Pairing: Pairing: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Lt. Maggie Parker (OFC). Other Characters: Lt. Ruthie Warner (OFC, mentioned),  Eleonora McCoy (Leonard’s mother), Donna (Leonard’s sister), Ryan (OMC)

Word Count: 7100-ish (sorry)

Warnings: Fluff, fluff and more fluff. Minor run-in with an ex, but sooooo much fluff.

A/N: This is a continuation of the ongoing story between Leonard and Maggie, which started with Part 1: New Recruit and Part 2: Something More. Enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At first, Lt. Maggie Parker couldn't believe her good luck. The Enterprise was back on Earth in spacedock for extensive repairs and regular maintenance. This meant a two-week shore leave for all personnel. The ship's corridors were abuzz with excitement and everyone sharing their plans on how they'll be spending shore leave.

As soon as Maggie found out, she called her brothers, excited to have time to spend with them and their families. She was heartbroken to find out that they had already made plans to go on a Caribbean cruise. Their trip started the same day her shore leave started and was supposed to last for a month. Not only that, but the tickets were non-refundable. Ruthie was nowhere near Earth, still somewhere in the galaxy, on assignment on the USS Pegasus. With no one around, Maggie was left wondering how she was going to spend her shore leave.

She knew that Leonard was going home to Georgia and would be gone from the ship for all of shore leave. Their relationship was still going well, after almost two years. However, Maggie didn't know how ready either of them were for her to meet his family. She also wasn't too keen on being without his company for those two weeks.

One morning, Maggie was sitting in the mess hall having breakfast. Well, sort of. She had breakfast food on her tray, but hadn't really touched any of it except her coffee. Maggie had requested a hot vanilla latte from the replicator, but by this time, it had gone cold.

"You know, darlin', breakfast works much better if you actually ingest the food, instead of leaving it on your tray," he teased. He took the seat next to Maggie and reached for her hand, covering it with his own. "Everything all right, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Everything's fine, Len," Maggie said softly as she gave him a small smile. "I guess I'm just not that hungry right now. You can help yourself to whatever is here, though," she offered.

McCoy slipped his arm around Maggie's waist. "Are you sure? You've been a little quiet ever since shortly after shore leave was announced. I thought you'd be excited, making big plans and all," he remarked.

"Yeah, well, that was until everyone decided to ditch me and now I have no plans," Maggie retorted in a rare flash of anger. "I'll probably end up staying onboard the ship and using the time to get caught up on my reports. In fact, reports are what I really should be working on right now. Excuse me," Maggie abruptly got up and left the table.

The captain had witnessed Maggie's hasty retreat and joined the table, taking the seat she had recently vacated. "What was that all about?" Kirk wondered.

McCoy shook his head in bewilderment. "You got me, Jim. I asked her what her plans were for shore leave, and she muttered something about everyone deciding to ditch her," he replied.

"Well, I'm going home to Iowa, you're headed home to Georgia," he remarked then snapped his fingers. "You know, you should take her home with you. I mean she is your girlfriend after all. I'll bet Momma McCoy would love to meet her," Kirk suggested.

"Hey, that's a great idea. I wasn't looking forward to spending those two weeks without Maggie anyway. And I'll bet you're right, especially after everything I've told Ma about her. She probably can't wait to meet Maggie," McCoy grinned. "I'm going to go message her right now and tell her there may be one extra for Sunday dinner."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maggie tried her best to concentrate on her reports to be turned in later to Cmdr. Spock. Unfortunately, this morning's conversation over breakfast with Dr. McCoy continued to run through her mind. I was upset, but I shouldn't have taken it out on my sweet Leonard, she thought. He was only trying to be helpful, and had no idea about my plans for shore leave falling through, Maggie inwardly groaned.

Around midday, Maggie went to the mess hall and picked out some items to take to Leonard for lunch. The MedBay was relatively quiet, not many patients for once. When Nurse Chapel saw who it was, she smiled and pointed Maggie towards Dr. McCoy's office.

Maggie nodded and tentatively knocked on the office door, hoping she wasn't disturbing her boyfriend. When she heard a soft, 'come in', she slowly opened the door and poked her head inside. Dr. McCoy was sitting in his chair, sifting through some papers on his desk.

At the sound of the door opening, he looked up and smiled broadly at seeing his girlfriend. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest. "Well, hello there, darlin'. To what do I owe the pleasure? Is everything all right?" he asked.

"I come bearing gifts, or sort of a peace offering, if you will," Maggie replied, setting the food on Leonard's desk. She walked over to his chair, eyes cast downward.

McCoy unclasped his hands and held out his arms. As soon as Maggie got close enough, he reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. He draped one arm across her thighs and with his other hand, he guided her head to rest on his shoulder. Once she was settled, he brushed his thumb up and down Maggie's arm in a soothing motion. "Now, what seems to be the trouble, Love?" he questioned.

Maggie took a deep breath before answering. "I wanted to apologize for my outburst at breakfast. I was disappointed about my situation, but I had no right to take it out on anyone, least of all you. I'm so sorry, Len," she murmured.

"Oh, darlin'," McCoy whispered, then pressed his lips to Maggie's temple. "It's okay that you feel that way. You know you can always talk to me when that happens. So, wanna give it a try? Tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "I....have no plans for shore leave. My brothers and their families will be on a month-long cruise in the Caribbean with non-refundable tickets. Ruthie's nowhere close to Earth, still on board the USS Pegasus. Jim's going to Iowa, Spock and Uhura have plans and you're going home to Georgia. Once I added all of that up, I felt incredibly....lonely," Maggie explained, a few tears leaving her eyes.

"Hmm. I can see why that would make you a little unhappy. I have an idea, though. What if you came home to Georgia with me?" he suggested.

Maggie sat up in surprise to look McCoy directly in the eyes. "Are you serious? Wait, I-I don't want to intrude on your time with your family, Len," she replied hesitantly.

"Sugar, you would not be an intrusion whatsoever. Frankly, I've been trying to figure out a way for you and my ma to meet each other anyway. What do you say? Will you come home with me to Georgia and meet my family?" he grinned.

A huge smile broke out over Maggie's face as she threw her arms around McCoy's neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. "I would love to come home with you, Len. I love you so much," she replied, whispering the last part.

"I love you too, darlin'. Now, what say we have some of this delicious lunch you brought, and then we can tell Ma the great news?" he asked. Maggie nodded enthusiastically and started to dish out the food she brought with her to Leonard's office.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Soon, the day arrived for everyone to start their two-week shore leave. The shuttle took Maggie and Leonard to the station on Earth. McCoy's sister, Donna, had left his truck in the parking lot. He helped Maggie get up into the truck, then stowed their bags in the truck bed.

Leonard turned the key in the truck's ignition, bringing it roaring to life. He turned to Maggie and grinned, because he couldn't wait for his mother to meet his best girl. He knew that they would get along, with his ma fussing over her, wanting to make sure she felt welcome. Maggie would be as sweet as ever, making sure his ma didn't go to any extra trouble just for her.

Leonard stretched his arm across the back of the bench seat. Maggie slid over to the middle of the bench seat and snuggled up next to him. McCoy placed a sideways kiss to Maggie's temple and curled his arm around her, keeping her close to his side. Maggie placed her right hand on Leonard's chest and gave a contented sigh.

The more miles that ticked by, drawing them ever closer, the more nervous Maggie became. What if she doesn't like me? What if she doesn't think I'm good enough for her son? These were the biggest doubts screaming through Maggie's head as she thought of meeting Mrs. McCoy.

"You know, I can hear the wheels turning in your head, Sugar. Relax, please. Just be yourself, that sweet, loving woman I know you are. Within five minutes or less of meeting you, she's going to love you as much as I do. Hell, she'll love you so much, that she'll likely end up disowning me and adopting you," he chuckled.

His remarks seemed to reassure Maggie about meeting one of the most important women in Leonard's life. Before they knew it, they had reached the McCoy family homestead. Leonard put the truck in park and turned off the engine. He exited the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side, which was closest to the house.

Maggie also descended from the truck, but after she closed the door, she leaned up against it, choosing to hang back a little. She saw a woman of medium height with short, gray hair step out onto the porch, drying her hands on a towel. Upon sight of her son, Eleonora McCoy slung the towel over her shoulder and walked towards him, arms outstretched.

"As I live and breathe. Oh, Leonard, my son, it's so good to see you," she beamed.

"Hiya, Ma. It's good to be home to see you," he replied as he closed the distance and brought his mother into his embrace.

They clung to each other for a couple of minutes, then Mrs. McCoy stepped back to peer around Leonard. "Is that her?" she whispered excitedly, a gleeful smile across her face.

He chuckled and held out his hand for Maggie to draw her closer to his side. "Yes. Momma, this is my Maggie. Lt. Maggie Parker, I'd like you to meet my ma, Eleonora McCoy," he remarked.

Maggie held out her hand, which was shaking a little from nervousness. "It's a great honor to meet you, Mrs. McCoy. I've heard a lot about you," Maggie replied.

"Oh, you dear child, come here so I can give you a proper greeting," Eleonora gently chided, holding her arms out. "And please, call me 'Eleonora', 'Momma' or just 'Ma'," she added.

Maggie looked at Leonard, who grinned and nudged her towards his mother. Eleonora wrapped her arms around Maggie and gave her a little squeeze. Maggie could feel the warmth and welcome in the gesture and a few tears leaked from her tightly closed eyes.

The tears did not escape Eleonora's notice when she pulled back. "Leonard, I'm sorry, but I think I accidentally broke your girlfriend," she chuckled nervously. "Honey, is everything all right?" she asked with concern.

"Darlin', are you okay?" McCoy inquired, rubbing circles on Maggie's back.

"I'm fine, really. It's just that--your hug was so warm, it reminded me of the ones my mom used to give me. She and my dad have both been gone for six years now. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed them until right at this moment. Thank you for making me feel so welcome," Maggie finished.

"My precious girl, you are absolutely welcome here, we're happy to have you with us. Did Leonard happen to tell you how much I've been pestering him to meet you? I would've settled for at least a video message, but I'm much happier to have you here in person," Eleonora winked. "Now, follow me, and we'll introduce you to the rest of the family. Don't worry, dear, Leonard will get the bags," she grinned.

"Already on it, Ma," he called as he hoisted the bags from the truck bed to carry them upstairs to his old room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once inside the kitchen, a multitude of heavenly aromas assaulted Maggie's senses. "What is that divine smell?" she asked.

"That would be my secret family recipe for Chicken and Dumplings," Eleonora answered, beaming with pride. "Now that my son is home and with his beautiful girlfriend, I have been cooking up a storm since morning," she replied.

"What can I do to help?" Maggie inquired.

"You can let Leonard take you on a tour of the house, I'll be all right in here," Eleonora tried to assure the young lieutenant.

"I'm sure we can do that later, but there has to be something I can do to help. I'm pretty good in the kitchen, always used to help my mom. Please?" Maggie practically begged.

"Well....I was going to make a peach cobbler for dessert. If you'd like, you can peel and dice the peaches, then put them in this bowl right here," Eleonora suggested. She handed Maggie a bowl, while Maggie grabbed a knife and what would be the first of many peaches.

While Maggie and Momma McCoy were busy in the kitchen, Leonard was upstairs unpacking their bags. Once he was finished, he quietly came down the back stairs that led directly to the kitchen. His curiosity was piqued when he heard Maggie and his mother mention his name. By this time, Donna had joined them, so he paused on the stairs to listen in on their conversation.

"You sure seem to know your way around a kitchen, Maggie," Eleanora remarked. "I appreciate the help."

"My pleasure, Momma," Maggie replied with a smile. Leonard grinned when he heard that. To him, it meant that Maggie was feeling more comfortable around his mother.

After a bit, Eleonora wandered over to the sink to check Maggie's progress in dicing the peaches. "Once you finish that one, I think we have enough for the cobbler," she declared.

"I can't wait to taste the 'fruits of our labor'," Maggie quipped, throwing everyone into a fit of laughter, including Leonard himself, though silently.

Eleonora then laid a hand on Maggie's arm, causing Maggie to turn and lock eyes with Momma McCoy. "You know, after Leonard's divorce from Jocelyn, he threw himself into his medical studies. After that, he just concentrated on his work on the Enterprise. I'd get messages from him where he seemed happy enough, but I wasn't convinced that it was 100%. Even though he had Jim to help him through it all, I was really worried about him." Oh, Ma, Leonard thought.

"From what he's told me, the divorce was rough on him, especially since Joanna was involved. For anyone who loves Leonard, I'm sure that it couldn't have been easy to see him go through that," Maggie murmured. How right you are, my sweet darlin', Leonard silently commented.

"But now? Since he has you in his life, I see so many changes for the better. He's relaxed, he's content and he's in love, probably for the last time in his life," Eleonora remarked. "I want to thank you for seeing past his outer armor and helping to mend his heart," she added.

"That goes double for me. Len and I may not always agree on everything, as is usually the case with brothers and sisters. But I sure am grateful that he found you, Maggie," Donna chimed in.

"I appreciate the thanks, but the truth is, we've helped each other. I had an ex named Ryan that broke my heart by cheating on me with his high school sweetheart. But then I met your extraordinary son and brother, and he showed me what real love is. So please allow me to thank YOU for raising such a kind and honorable man," Maggie concluded.

As if on cue, Momma McCoy and Donna both swooped in and captured Maggie in a group hug. Gentle tears of happiness were shed between the three women as they embraced each other. Leonard recognized this as his opportunity to come out of hiding on the stairs. "I leave Maggie alone with y'all for five minutes, and look what happens. Y'all broke her again," he smirked.

The ladies giggled and stepped apart. Leonard got a playful punch to his arm from Donna and was pulled into a one-arm side hug with Eleonora. As they returned to their previous activities, Leonard took hold of Maggie's hand, then brought her into his embrace. They closed their eyes, rocking gently back and forth, lost in the feeling of being in each other's arms.

Maggie lifted her head from where it was resting on Leonard's chest. She reached up with her right hand and cupped his face, her thumb brushing gentle strokes on his cheek. "I love you, Leonard," she whispered, her lips curved into a shy smile.

"I love you too, darlin'. So very much," he whispered back. Leonard dipped his head and captured Maggie's lips in a soft, tender kiss.

"Oh, all right now, there's enough sugar in this peach cobbler without y'all dripping honey all over everywhere," Eleonora teased. She made a shooing motion with her hands as she guided them towards the door. "Go on, Leonard, show her around the place. But don't go too far, dinner's ready in about a half hour," she warned.

"Don't mind if I do, Ma," he answered. "Shall we go for a stroll, sweetheart?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to take.

Maggie captured his hand with hers, interlacing their fingers. "Lead the way, my love," she replied.

They left the kitchen through the door that led out to the porch. As they walked, Leonard began telling Maggie about his favorite memories of growing up on the family farm. After they were a fair distance from the house, Eleonora and Donna stepped out onto the porch to observe the lovebirds.

"She's cute, I like her," Donna remarked.

Eleonora nodded. "They're good for each other, and they make each other happy," she responded.

Donna placed a hand on her mother's arm. "I'm going to go in and check the cobbler," she said.

"Thank you, hun," she replied as she watched her daughter walk back into the house. "Oh, Leonard. She's a keeper. Hold fast to this one, my son," she whispered to herself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dinner was a lively affair, with each of the McCoy women sharing quite a few childhood stories about Leonard. He was a fairly good sport about it, until at one point, Eleonora threatened to show Maggie his baby pictures. His protests were enough that she ultimately decided to wait, saying she'd save that for the next time they visit.

After dinner dishes were done, everyone retreated to the front porch for some relaxation. Maggie and Leonard were snuggled up together on the swing, lazily rocking back and forth. Off in the distance, the fireflies were out, like little glowing yellow embers floating in the air.

Maggie was wearing a worn-out Starfleet Medical sweatshirt that she'd once 'borrowed' from Leonard and 'forgotten' to return. He pretended to frown, saying he'd been looking for the shirt for some time, only to find that his girlfriend stole it. Then he softly whispered that while he loves seeing Maggie in his clothes, he much prefers her out of hers. A blush crept into Maggie's cheeks at his remarks, which caused Leonard to chuckle and press his lips to her temple.

"Well, lovebirds, don't stay up too late. Oh, by the way, there's a festival going on for the next few days at the fairgrounds just outside of town. If you're looking for something to do," Eleonora mentioned before going into the house.

"Been a while since I've been to one of those," Leonard remarked. "What do you say, darlin', should we check it out tomorrow night?" he asked.

"You're the expert on the local attractions, my love," Maggie replied. "However, I think it sounds like a wonderful idea."

"If it's the one I'm remembering, it should have music and dancing. Would love to get you out on the dance floor, sweetheart," Leonard murmured in Maggie's ear.

"Mmm, slow dancing with you is something I would definitely be in favor of doing," Maggie said softly. "I think I might have even packed a dancin' dress," she added.

"Did you now? Well, that settles it, we have to go. I'll pick you up at 8:00pm. I'll be the one in the white hat," he grinned.

"It's a date, Cowboy," Maggie giggled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day, Eleonora had made a list of things that she needed from in town. Some from the Farmer's Market, a stop at the hardware store and a couple of things from the pharmacy. Leonard volunteered for him and Maggie to run her errands, which also gave them time alone together.

First stop was at the hardware store, where everyone seemed to know Leonard. They all said how proud they were that he was CMO of the fleet's flagship. He thanked them all, and took the opportunity to introduce Maggie as well.

Next, it was more of the same at the pharmacy, with all the warm greetings and well-wishes. When he introduced Maggie as his girlfriend, one woman in particular, Janice Rollins, didn't seem happy to hear the news. She fawned all over Leonard, completely ignoring Maggie and the fact that she had been introduced as his current girlfriend. It was all Leonard could do to extract himself and get done what he went there to do.

After their business in the pharmacy was concluded and they were outside, Leonard explained that Janice was a former girlfriend. He assured Maggie that she had nothing to worry about. "My heart belongs to you and you alone," he remarked as they walked to the Farmer's Market.

"Leonard, I know that, I trust you. My heart belongs to you and only you," Maggie countered. "So, what does your ma have on her list from here?" she asked.

"Tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and potatoes, for starters," Leonard answered. "I'd like to get some corn on the cob, if they have it," he said.

Maggie took the map from his hands to study it, so Leonard wrapped his arms around her from behind. He looked over her shoulder, plotting the best pathway to get what they needed in the shortest amount of time.

Thirty minutes later, they had purchased everything on Momma McCoy's list, plus some additional items. Leonard bought Maggie a bouquet of fresh flowers. She in turn found a vendor with some rare vinyl of Leonard's favorite music artist. For dinner, they bought some thick, juicy hamburgers to grill from the meat locker on site. With their mission accomplished, the couple climbed into the truck and drove back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back at the house, Maggie helped Eleonora once again with dinner preparations. Leonard was in charge of grilling the burgers, while Maggie made potato salad from her mom's recipe. Eleonora also made some Bourbon Baked Beans and there was also leftover peach cobbler.

After dinner, it was time to get ready for the dance at the festival. Leonard showered first, then shaved his slightly scruffy face. He was wearing his dark wash jeans, his boots and a burgundy-colored button down shirt with a bolo tie. As he promised Maggie, he put on his white cowboy hat and waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Then it was Maggie's turn to get ready. After her shower, she towel-dried her hair and left it to cascade down her back in soft waves. She pinned it up on the sides with crystal-encrusted barrettes. Her makeup and jewelry were kept simple, with hoop earrings and the bare minimum on the cosmetics.

Her dress was black with cream-colored flowers sprinkled throughout the fabric. It was nearly strapless, with only thin spaghetti straps to hold it in place on her shoulders. The dress had a high-low hem, with the shorter hem in front that hit just above her knees. A pair of black suede ankle boots completed her outfit.

Just before heading down to meet Leonard, Maggie paused at the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath, then slowly descended. She could see Leonard with his back to the railing, so he hadn't seen her yet. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Right on time, cowboy," she remarked with a soft smile.

Leonard turned to watch his girlfriend make her way down the stairs. As soon as he saw her, his mouth ran dry and all coherent thought temporarily flew out the window. To him, she looked more beautiful than ever, if that were even possible. Her dress flowed elegantly with her as she walked and the hemline gave him just a quick, teasing peek at her shapely legs.

He removed his hat and held out his hand to guide her the rest of the way down the staircase. Still holding her hand as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Leonard brushed his lips across her knuckles. "Well, bless my soul, darlin', you look absolutely gorgeous this evening. Since I have the pleasure of your company, that makes me the luckiest cowboy 'round these here parts," he drawled.

Maggie ducked her head shyly to hide the color spreading across her cheeks. She stepped back a little to give him a quick curtsy. "You may not be the only lucky one. For me, I'd say you're also the handsomest cowboy I've seen in my life," she replied.

She placed her free hand on Leonard's chest and took a step forward so there was very little space between them. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Leonard, however, had other ideas, leaning towards Maggie to deepen the kiss. His decision was rewarded when he heard the tiny moan of pleasure escape from her mouth, and he smiled against her lips.

"We could just stay here, you know. Continue with what we're doing now, let the night take us wherever it leads," Leonard suggested as he started to gently sway back and forth.

"Mmm, as tempting as that sounds, you promised to take me dancing, Len," Maggie pouted.

"Ah, so I did, sweetheart. Your carriage awaits, my love," he gestured towards the door with the hand still holding his hat. "Ma, we're headed out to the festival. It'll be late when we get home, so we'll see you in the morning," he called over his shoulder.

Eleonora bustled out to the living room to see the happy couple before they left for an evening of dancing. "You both look amazing! Have fun tonight. And Leonard? Stay out of trouble, hmm?" she teased.

"I make no promises, Ma, but if anyone can keep me in line, it's Maggie," he grinned and gave his mother a wink. "Goodnight, Ma," he said as he dropped a peck on her cheek before heading out the door.

"Goodnight, my son. At long last, you've found your happiness," she murmured to herself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At the dance, the music was lively, with a variety of genres represented. It was mostly the vintage country music playing, which was best for the two-step, the waltz and line dancing. Maggie and Leonard danced to a few of the more upbeat songs, but got out on the floor for every slow song.

After one of the waltzes, they decided to take a break and get something to drink. Leonard found them an empty table and pulled out Maggie's chair for her to sit down and rest. He took the seat next to her, then leaned over to press a lingering kiss to her lips. He asked her for her drink order, then headed for the bar.

On his way to the bar, Leonard thought about how perfect the past couple of days have been. He'd introduced Maggie to his mom and sister, who loved her right away without question. Earlier in the day, he took her out and showed her the town where he grew up. Tonight, he had the company of the prettiest woman at the dance. Lucky cowboy indeed, he thought to himself.

At the bar, he gave out their drink order. As he waited, he noticed another man sitting on a barstool, nursing a whiskey. The men locked eyes, nodded at each other in acknowledgment, then returned to their previous activities. Every once in a while, Leonard would see him cast longing glances in Maggie's direction, which brought his guard up.

He was wondering how to bring it up without having to break the man's face, when he felt a tapping on his arm to get his attention. "Hey, buddy, do you see that woman over there? The one in the black dress?" the man asked, pointing towards Maggie.

Leonard gritted his teeth and answered that yes, he saw the woman in question. "She's a pretty hot one, no doubt," the man remarked. "She looks a lot like my....my....hey, that's my ex-girlfriend, Maggie Parker. And she's sitting there all by her lonesome," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "I should go over there and say hello," the man grinned as he placed his empty glass on the bar's countertop. He got down from his barstool and started walking towards Maggie, but Leonard stopped his progress.

The man glanced down at Leonard's hand on his upper arm. "Uh, say listen, Pal, you wanna take your hand off my arm? I'm not gonna cause trouble, I just wanna let her know that Ryan says 'hello'," Ryan glared.

"I think you'd better leave the pretty lady alone, Ryan. She's told me about you, and besides, she's way out of your league," Leonard retorted.

Ryan gave Leonard the once-over, as if trying to size up his competition. "What, do you think she's more likely to be in your league, old man?" Ryan snorted.

"For your information, Maggie's in a class by herself. But what you don't know is that she chose me, so I'm tellin' ya, it's in your best interest to back off," Leonard threatened.

With a huff, Ryan resumed his perch on the barstool, muttering under his breath. By this time, the bartender had finished making the drinks that Leonard had ordered. He picked them up, one in each hand, and headed back to the table.

Once there, he set the drinks down on the table. Leonard took both of Maggie's hands in his and pulled her up from her chair so she was standing in front of him. He moved his hands up so they were cradling Maggie's face, then he leaned in and crashed his lips to hers. She responded by sliding her hands up his chest and locking her fingers behind his head.

When the kiss was finally broken, Maggie was left nearly breathless. She smiled as she brushed her fingertips across Leonard's forehead and into his hair. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" she asked.

"To thank you. For choosing me. You could have any man in the universe, yet you chose me," he answered softly.

"Leonard McCoy, you don't have to thank me. I will always choose you. Every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. I love you," she replied.

"And I love you, Maggie. You wanna get out of here?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She nodded, taking his hand in hers. Then she heard the opening bars of "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, a song which had always been among her mother's favorites. Maggie tugged on his hand to catch his attention. "Dance with me? Please?" she asked.

"Always and forever, darlin'," he responded as he led her to the dance floor. He put his hands on Maggie's hips and she put hers around his neck. Maggie rested her head on Leonard's shoulder and closed her eyes as they swayed in time with the music.

As the last notes of the song faded away, Maggie looked up into the face of the man she loved. "Shall we head back now?" she asked. Leonard nodded and kept hold of Maggie's hand, interweaving their fingers. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, causing her to giggle and blush.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The rest of shore leave seemed to pass by in a blur for Leonard and Maggie. They went on picnics by the lake, some horseback riding, and more trips into town on errands for Eleonora. There were even a couple of occasions where Eleonora spent time at Donna's house. She didn't mind, saying that Leonard and Maggie should have some time to themselves at the house.

Then there were the nights spent laying on a blanket in the bed of the pickup truck, gazing up at the stars. Which may sound silly, considering that's where they spent most of their time. But, as Maggie pointed out to Leonard, the stars look different from Earth than they do in space. All he knew and could focus on was how beautiful Maggie looked by the light of the moon.

One night, they were sitting in the front porch swing, Leonard wedged into the corner and Maggie sitting between his legs. Her back was leaning against his chest, with her head rested on his shoulder. The lazy swaying of the swing would usually be enough to put her to sleep, but she was wide awake tonight.

Leonard had his left arm curled around Maggie under her chin, with his right arm draped across her midsection. Her arms matched his in position, and her hands were atop his with fingers interlaced together. Every once in a while, they would give each other a gentle squeeze, in part for affection and also for reassurance.

"Len? In case I didn't tell you, I've had such a wonderful time these past two weeks. Thank you for inviting me to come with you for shore leave," Maggie remarked.

"Oh, darlin', it's been a real treat for me too. Before I asked you, I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with being without you for two whole weeks. Thank goodness I didn't have to go through that," he chuckled, then placed a kiss to Maggie's temple.

"And your mother and sister are amazing, I already love them. I only had brothers growing up, and being around your ma helps me to miss my mom a little less. They were a good influence on you. Except where did you get your grumpiness from?" she teased.

Leonard shifted in the swing so he could look Maggie in the eyes. "It's sass, isn't it? You're sassin' me right now, aren't ya, little lady. Well, I'll fix you," he grinned mischievously just before he started tickling Maggie on her sides and under her arms. That sent her into a fit of giggles and nearly gasping for air.

"Can't....breathe!" she managed to get out.

"Say I'm not grumpy, and I'll quit," he promised but was still randomly hitting her ticklish spots.

"Okay, okay," she wheezed. "You're not grumpy. You're adorable," she replied before capturing his lips with her own. Their mouths moved together in tandem, pressing and pulling in a delicate dance. "I love you, Len," Maggie whispered when they'd finally pulled apart.

"I love you too, Sugar," Leonard whispered back.

"I want you to know something else, and I'm just going to come out and say it. Leonard, you're 'it' for me. When I see my future, you're the only one I see it with. I realize that we've both been burned before, and….and I'm not asking you for more than you're ready to give. Just know that I'm here for you and that I love you with all my heart," Maggie declared.

Leonard was silent for what felt like an agonizingly long time to Maggie, before he spoke again. "You know, after what happened with Jocelyn, I'd pretty much sworn off of women. I was afraid of making the same mistakes again if I got into a relationship. And I didn't want to put anyone else through that, let alone myself."

"Oh, Len," Maggie whispered, but then Leonard put a finger to her lips. "Hey there, shh. It's my turn now, Love," he playfully scolded. Maggie nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Then I met you, my little spitfire, and all of that changed. I'm not afraid to fall in love anymore, because I already have. Maggie, you're 'it' for me, too. I know that my future isn't complete without anyone but you in it as my leading lady. If you can be patient with me on the 'more' part, I know we'll get there eventually. I love you with all my heart, Maggie," he concluded.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All too soon, shore leave came to an end. With heavy hearts, Leonard and Maggie packed their belongings and put their bags in the trunk of Donna's vehicle. Her car was big enough so that Eleonora could accompany them to the station. She wanted to be there to see her son and his girlfriend off before they had to catch the shuttle back to the Enterprise.

At the station, everyone hesitated for a little bit before finally climbing out of the car. Leonard retrieved their bags from the trunk and set them on the curb. He turned to his mother with his arms wide open. "Bye, Momma. It was great seeing you, and I wish we could’ve stayed longer. Thank you for having us," he murmured, holding her tightly in his embrace.

Eleonora rubbed her hands in circles on his back. "You know you're welcome at home anytime, Leonard. Just don't make it so long between visits, bring your lovely girlfriend with you, and everything will be fine," she remarked.

"I'll try and visit more often, and I'll definitely bring Maggie with me. Love you, Ma," he whispered, then gave Eleonora one last squeeze. Before he let her go, she whispered in his ear about the surprise she had tucked into his bag.

Maggie had finished saying her goodbyes to Donna, then moved to hug Eleonora. "I had a wonderful time, and I loved meeting and spending time with you all. Thank you so much for having us, and I hope we can visit again soon," she said, giving Eleonora a fond embrace.

"You take care of yourself, sweet girl, and keep watch after my Leonard. He's my son, but Lord knows that man needs someone to keep him in line," she chuckled, as did Maggie. "You come visit anytime, we'd love to have you. By the way, I slipped something into your bag. Just a small gift, from me to you. A little reminder of your trip here," Eleonora mentioned.

A soft look crossed Maggie's face as tears prickled behind her eyes. "Thank you, Momma. You know, I think you and my mom would've been good friends," she remarked as she moved in to hug Eleonora once more.

Overhead, they heard the announcement for Leonard and Maggie's shuttle flight back to the Enterprise. One last round of hugs for everyone, then the couple picked up their bags and headed for the platform.

Eleonora and Donna watched as Leonard and Maggie walked away, each with an arm slung around the other's waist. Donna moved to stand beside her mother, and sighed deeply in contentment. "They're so good together. I'm glad they found each other," Donna stated.

"Yes, I am too. Wouldn't be surprised, though, if we were to hear some news from them in the near future," Eleonora replied with a mischievous grin.

Donna looked at her mother with narrowed eyes. "You know something, don't you? What is it? Tell me!" she demanded, but Eleonora refused, just kept the grin on her face. "Fine. Don't tell me," she grumbled as they climbed back into the car and headed home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in their respective quarters, Leonard and Maggie set about the task of unpacking. As Maggie separated her clean clothes from ones to be laundered, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. She picked it up and started reading it, her hand flying to cover her mouth. She almost didn't hear the door chime, signaling a visitor. On the second chime, she murmured 'come in' and the doors slid open to reveal her boyfriend on the other side.

"Hey, darlin', whatcha got there?" Leonard asked before wrapping his arms around Maggie from behind. He peered over her shoulder to see that she was reading a recipe in his ma's handwriting for her Chicken and Dumplings. "Whoa. Where did you get this?" he whispered.

"Your ma said she slipped something in my bag, as a reminder of our trip there. I don't understand, Len," Maggie replied, a confused look on her face.

Leonard took the piece of paper and held it up to Maggie. "This....has never left my ma's kitchen, not to my knowledge...." he trailed off. He placed the paper on Maggie's desk, then taking both of her hands in each of his.

"I still don't understand, Len," Maggie stated.

"Giving you this recipe means she loves you, sweetheart. And she knows you love me, but more than that, she trusts you. I know you were worried about meeting her, if she was going to like you. Darlin', after meeting you just this once, she already considers you part of the family," he finished with a smile. Someday, I hope that we can make that a little more permanent, he said to himself, as he thought of what his ma put in his bag.

Maggie tucked the paper into a drawer with her other valuable paperwork, then wound her arms around Leonard. Her hands clasped behind his head, she gently tugged downward until her lips met his. Just before things could get too heated, she pulled back to gaze into his perfect hazel eyes. "Shall we head to the mess hall, see who's back and do some catching up?" she asked.

Leonard pressed a lingering kiss to Maggie's forehead. "Sounds good to me, Love," he replied. With their arms curled around each other, they walked down to the mess area to catch up with their friends.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking​​ @spacedancer1701​​ @anna-phora​​

#leonard mccoy x reader #leonard bones mccoy x reader #bones x reader #bones mccoy x reader #star trek aos

[katsukikitten]

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

A/N I had so much fucking fun writing this and I hope you all enjoy it too!

Sleep seemed to be avoiding the ash blonde as he scrolled through his phone for a Christmas gift.

But nothing was screaming Bakugou Mitsuki.

He wanted it to be perfect.

Although his mom DID piss him off majority of the time she still pissed him off.

More scrolling just to come up empty handed had the ash blonde seeing red. He locked his phone, hoping that sleeping on it would help him decide.

But instead he rolls around restlessly before the sound of agitated pops fill his silent room.

He reaches for his phone until something catches his attention. He strains to hear, perking his ears to best get a note of the familiar melody that is softly playing. He stands in his bed, noticing that the sound is coming from the vent.

*"A pair of hop-a-long boots and a pistol that shoots Is the wish of Barney and Ben Dolls that'll talk and will go for a walk Is the hope of Janice and Jen And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again"*

"Is that fucking Christmas music?" Bakugou asks aloud as he gazes at the time.

12:05AM

He shoves a pair of shorts on before forcing himself into a shirt descending the steps two at a time.

He creaks open the door to the stair well slowly, guiding it shut so it won't slam.

He finds the music coming from the common room and what he spies sends a spiral of emotions twisting in his gut, he leans against the jamb as he watches, arms crossed.

There you were, climbing a ladder, singing the lyrics softly as you worked in shorts that were much too short.

And a tank top that said "Meowey Christmas!" that hung from your form.

Scarlet eyes rove over your figure, your shirt lifts up exposing your toned back as you struggle to reach the ceiling to hang a small green plant.

It is that much out of reach that you almost tip the ladder.

Somehow by the grace of Kamisama you attach the foliage to the ceiling successfully.

You look up at it with triumph, hands on wide hips as you admire your work, although there was still so much to be done.

"What are you doing?" A gruff voice pulls you from the wonder of the large living room that is now garnished in garland and glitter. You startle losing your footing, the ladder topples before you do, hitting the floor with a loud crash before bouncing a bit from the force.

At this rate you're sure to bust your tail bone at the very least considering you're falling from at a minimum of six feet.

You expect the worst with your clumsy self, wondering how you'll ever be a hero if you cannot even land on your feet.

Luck for you, you fall into strong arms, while a growl reverberates in the chiseled chest you're pressed agaisnt.

"Be fucking careful!" His eyes shine with rage and annoyance. You shrink away from him as best you can while trapped in those muscular arms.

"Why are you doing this by your fucking self? And at midnight?!"

"I...I just woke up and couldnt sleep. And Christmas is next week..." You say sheepishly, eyes looking everywhere but him as he makes no move to put you on your feet. And you cannot bare to admit that a dream drove you down those steps and into the basement of the dorm.

Something green catches your eye and a devilish smile begins to form on your lips as an idea formulates in your head. The mistletoe that you had just successfully hung stares down at you expectedly. Demanding to be obeyed and for once you are torn.

Should you obey a times old tradition or should you avoid angering someone who barely tolerates you? The green leaves adorned with white and red berries seem to wink in the glow of the white Christmas lights, urging you to make the write choice.

"Your shitty music is too God damn loud. And you're out here doing this in the dead of night for fucking what?!" He rants endlessly as your heart pounds in your chest while you make a decision that you hope you won't regret.

You press your feather soft lips to his smooth cheek and he is silenced instantly.

Completely still as if a frozen by Todoriki's ice, he stares down at you in your shirt that slips of your bare shoulders confirming what he already knows.

You are braless, in shorts that barely cover that muscular ass and now you've pressed your lips to his cheek?!

What the fuck?! Is what the hot head wants to yell and as if you read his mind you answer. He watches a slender finget point up and he follows. He spies some damn piece of bush tapped to the ceiling.

"Mistletoe. Dems the rules!" You laugh and he stares at you as if you're fucking crazy.

Shame paints your cheeks, your cute idea down the drain despite not being brave enough to actually kiss him.

Suddenly his cheeks burn up into the tips of his ears before he sets you down on your feet roughly.

"So a fucking dried up plant makes the rules?!" You watch his jaw work as he grinds his teeth, flushed to all hell.

"Ah yes..." You say softly and he just stares at you before letting go the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Just stay off the ladder." He turns on his heel before you grab onto his shirt without thought.

You cannot bare the idea of decorating another year alone. He stills before looking over his shoulder, eyes turned into frozen hot embers.

"I...I." Your normally boisterous voice dies in your throat. Scarlet drinks in your features, your eyes rimmed with unspoken tears. Katsuki's heart sinks as if it were wearing concrete shoes

He sucks his teeth before turning, shoving you back towards the decorations, this time careful to avoid that damned plant. Deft eyes spy more than on sprig lurking above unknowing victims.

"What do you want me to do?" He growls, crimson watches your lovely features slowly light up as you realize what he has said. You begin to jump on the balls of your feet as you pull him to dusty boxes. You place a Santa hat on his head and he stares at you with glowing embers. He pulls at the stupid fucking hat and throws it over his shoulder holding eye contact. You figure you shouldn't push your luck too much as you pull another box in front of him.

"We need 21 stockings make sure everyone knows which one is theirs!" Bakugou instantly regrets agreeing to this little charade, he is about to tell you never mind but his eyes catch you smiling again. Humming along to the next Christmas song as you wrap the pillars with glittering snow dusted garland.

It's that same smile that allows you to order him around for the better half of the night before you pull him to the project you were working on.

The most important project of the night!

The tree.

A tree it seems you pulled from the Earth yourself, spending majority of the night trimming the branches to be sure it looked perfect. The thick trunk was secured tightly by a black stand, hidden beneath a fuax white fur skirt. Lights twisted around the tree all the way to its 7 foot top.

"Help with the oranaments!" You pull on his wrist, guiding him to a box filled with many different glass orbs. Your palm and fingers seem to sear into his skin.

"I trust your judgment. Put up what you calls to you." You smile wide at him, wide enough that your eyes seem to smile too.

His heart skips a beat before you turn your back to lift a long string of fruit.

"Oi is that why the whole damn dorm smelt like oranges and grapefruits?" His eyes follow circles of oranges and pinks, dehydrated from an agonizingly slow bake.

"Yes. I used to makes these with my grandmother." You smile at the memory, tears threaten to fall but you do not allow them.

This was the first Christmas since her passing that you had felt even an inkling of the magic again.

Before, it all felt bleak, meaningless and the holidays were just another reminder that the spirit of the season had died with her.

Normally your feeling of dread would have started long before Thanksgiving and you would have been holed in your room debating whether any of this was worth it or not while lying prone for the fifth day in a row.

Hiding beneath your heavy comforter in your overly neglected room.

But you don't feel like that now.

So why were you dwelling on it?

Clearly your grandmother was here, guiding you, *reminding* you to enjoy the holiday.

That her memory would be honored as long as you spread the joy, even if it was something as small as listening to a few Christmas songs that you had actively avoided for years.

So God Damn it you were going to enjoy it while it lasted.

If for whatever reason the magic faded again then you'd cross that bridge when you got there, for now you were decorating with your grandmother and an unusual guest.

That very same guest whose eyes go wholly unnoticed by you as he watches.

Watches you fight whatever it is that goes on in that gorgeously smart head of yours.

Suddenly you move, delicately wraping what feels like miles of dried citrus around the deep green needles that seem to reach out for your loving touch.

Bakugou breaks the spell by finally picking up some glass orbs and dotting them all over the tree. The smell of pine, citrus and your signature shampoo tickle his nose here and there as he works. He even catches himself humming along to the songs that float in from the radio, enjoying the sound of your slightly off key notes.

The two work in otherwise silence before you begin to bump into one another as you near closer to the top, earning yourself a glare followed by a snarl.

"Oi! Watch it!"

Somehow you smile everytime he says it, confusing him further before the two of you step back to admire your work.

A few moments pass by before two sets of eyes fixated on the illuminated tree with scrutinizing eyes.

It looks amazing, perfectly balanced in color, light and decoration but it seems off...

And the answer sits on the tips of your tongues.

"Ah the star!" You exclaim, rooting through box after box before finally producing a large golden star.

It catches the light of the room, pulling scarlet eyes to the reflective surface. He watches the Christmas lights dance along the gold, fighting to shine as brightly as you.

You make your way to the ladder before he grabs onto your wrist, snatching the star with a snarl.

"I'll put it up, you'll probably just fall again." You notice the blush on his cheeks as he climbs a few rungs, "Is that good?"

He instantly regrets his question as his blush turns into agitated flush as you tell him to position it this way and that.

Small explosions pop over his hands hinting at what he is about to do when you tell him to move it "just a hair to the left" for the sixth time in a row. He takes in a sharp breath to yell before you beat him to the punch.

"PERFECT!" You exclaim, bouncing on the balls of your feet again as if you were a child basking in the presence of the tree after Santa came.

He comes down from the ladder standing beside you once more looking over the work the two of you have done. His heart beats faster and with excitement, the music encouraging the feeling of the scene melding together into a cohesive piece. For a moment he is taken somewhere else.

To a memory long forgotten of him barreling down the stairs, his mom and dad sitting on the couch with tea and coffee. Mysterious gifts nestled beneath the tree. He had gotten an All Might figure that year.

Warmth pulls him back to the present, your arm wrapped around his as you lie your tired head on his shoulder. Sparkling, wonderous eyes glistening with tears.

*Happy* tears.

He remembers what you were not like this last year. He remembers how you looked. Hated how your normally bright shining eyes had become dulled. How your sunshine seemed to bleed from your smile.

He loathed the idea of you, the brightest thing he could think of, seeing the world in drab boring greys like you did last year.

But this year must have been filled with vibrant colors.

And he had helped with that with something as simple as hanging a fucking ball on a tree.

He silently vowed to help you see that the holiday shined as brightly as you did all year round, even if it meant being woken up in the middle of the night because you just felt like it.

His eyes stray from the tree to you before looking over the room once more. Suddenly he realizes y'all's orientation of the room and he looks up.

Spying the green foliage with poisonous berries with deadly intentions.

A devilish smile forms on his face.

He pulls your chin to him, to be met with a furrowed brow. He leans closer, breath ebbing between touching noses before he tilts his head just so, crashing his lips to yours. Fully kissing you, tongue sliding over your lips to tease but you open your mouth to his surprise.

He snakes his tongue in for just a moment before pulling it out to guide your lips with his own into a passionate kiss.

Passionate enough that you lean further into him for support, you stare up at him in a daze with burning cheeks.

He smirks with reddened lips as one deadly finger points up.

"Mistletoe." He breathes darkly.

××××××××××××××××××××

☆° EPILOGUE °☆

The sun floods into the common room in hues of reds and pinks as Kirishima yawns heading for the kitchen.

Voices carry in from the living room detailing the ruby haired boy from breakfast for just a moment. . The TV is Eji's guess as he makes his way to investigate why someone would be either up so late or so early.

Kirishima crosses the threshold, ready to erupt with an overly cheerful goodmorning when it dies in his throat. He looks over the back of the couch to see Bakugou lying in his back arm protectively wrapped around you, as you lie between his legs. The two of you sleeping snuggly beneath a cat Christmas blanket as the TV plays a classic movie.

Ruby eyes notice the decorations, the tree, all of the stockings over a lit fire that were not there the night before. He smiles a wide toothed smile looking down at the two of you with faint smiles painted on your lips.

#bakuhou x reader #bakugou fluff #bakuguho christmas #bnha fluff #bnha christmas #bnha bakugou #bnha katsuki #bnha x reader #bnha au #bnha imagine #bnha imagines #bnha fanfiction #mha bakugou #katsuki bakugo #bakugou katsuki #bakugou #bakugo #katsuki bakugou #soft boi bakugou #soft boi bakugo

[imma-new-soul]

The Sky Had Fire

Chapter 4

Summary: Bucky x Reader. Being a traveler you've found many beautiful places but this trip you might have found your soulmate (Takes place sometime before CACW) au

Warning: Alcohol consumption, kissing maybe?

Series Masterlist

An explosion went off sending a sound wave through the building. Fear struck you, it held your body in place your feet were nailed to the floor boards. The room went dim while the gold slivers of the southeastern sun sripped through the blinds. You stood in fear for a moment just one moment before realizing the cause of the sound.

You opened the door to your balcony letting in the sweet smell of the air, brushing past your face. You looked out to the cables and pole directly in the corner of the street and saw smoke emanating from the box at the tip of the pole. The building that you now resigned in was pulling to much energy from the transformer outside than it was capable of giving off managing to blow it out. The landlord told you that this would happen sometimes, that power outages in this area was fairly common.

Even though the sun sat high and bright in the sky your windows were positioned opposite to the source of light and you knew there was no way you would be able cook with the lack of light. So you grabbed your keys and descended down the stairs. Heading quickly to a store to pick up some candles and matches. You crossed the still bustling streets dodging the people walking opposite of you and heading to a local restaurant. It took all but 15 mins till the food you orded was ready and in your hand. After a short walk to your apartment you places the food down on the counter and kicked off your shoes.

It was almost completely dark in the room now as the errans you ran spent most of the daylight. Rummaging through the plastic bags that sat at waist level of you on the cold counter, you fished out the matches and placed a few candles in random spots of the apartment lighting each one carefully. You were please by the fact that you were able to find vanilla scented candles, the smell filled the air quickly as they burned slow.

Time was drawing close to when Bucky would arrive and you grew more and more nervous. A pit starting to form in your gut and your throat became dry. You wouldn't even consider him a friend yet he was just your very sweet hot neighbor but you were nervous none the less.

Exactly at 7pm you heard a gentle knock on your door and it was like you had stage fright, your knees felt weak, your heartrate sped up and your plams were sweating. Taking one last second to fix your hair and adjust your clothes.

You stepped to the hall opening the door for Bucky. Your heart went from racing a mile a minute to caught right in your throat. He was by far the best looking guy you've ever seen so you figured the effect he had on you was normal. He stood there with a charming smile, wine in one hand the other hand buried in the pocket of his jeans.

"I wasn't sure if you drank but I had this wine for a while and no one to share it with so I thought I'd bring it over " Bucky said in a meak voice.

When you asked him to come over for dinner tonight Bucky wasn't sure if it was a date or not but what he was sure of was that sometimes you took his breath away and when you held his hand he felt sparks that he hasn't felt I'm a long time or probably even ever. Bucky wanted to go out and get you flowers but he thought it would be to much so he went with wine. Friends have wine right? He thought. soon it was to late to change his mind so he just brought the bottle hoping you wouldn't think it was weird.

"I think wine is just what I need actually" you said and Buckys smile grew wider.

You flashed Bucky a sweet smile back not sure if you should hug him or not, you kept replaying in your mind how close you almost got to kissing him the other night. How maybe if you got the opportunity again you would actually go for it this time. You shook your head trying to clear your mind of your racing thoughts and moved to the side to let him in. Bucky slide in by you softly brushing his body against yours and you held your breath once again longing for more contact.

He looked around placing the bottle down and peeling his jacket off. For a dinner between two people who just meet the place looked pretty romantic. Your place was warm and inviting, The flicker of the flames on the candles casted beautiful shadows on the walls behind them, it smelled of vanilla but the smell of you was never masked by the candles. Bucky loved your smell it intoxicated him, he thought about since the first encounter he had with you, he wanted it to be the first thing he smelled when he wakes up, he wanted to smell you on his clothes, on his sheets and on his skin.

You set the table placing a plate of food in front of Bucky and one were you'd be sitting. You didn't have wine glasses but a simple small glass cup would do just fine. The food smelled delicious and definetly tasted better then anything you would have made.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to cook because of the power outage I hope you like Chinese" you said squinting your eyebrows in worry. Bucky thought it was cute.

"I figured it would be hard to get anything done in the dark, don't worry Chinese is actually my favorite" he replied reassuring you.

Bucky poured you some wine and then himself. One cup became 4 or 5 you had lost count in between the intreging stories Bucky told. After dinner the two of you sat on the couch rapped up in endless conversations. Though the sun had set long ago there was a warm summer sky in his blue eyes. The faded glow of the night kissed his skin and made it silk. His voice was a smooth love song passing by your ears. Bucky talked and talked while you unregretfully stared at him feeling drunk not on the wine but on him.

He sat so close to you his arm on the cushion behind your head and his knees grazed yours from time to time. You noticed that every once in a while Buckys gaze would wonder from your eyes down to your lips and back up. You couldn't take it anymore everything inside of you wanted to jump on him and stratle his lap. A devious flame sparked in you and in the middle of Buckys sentence both your hands grabbed the fabric of his shirt that sat on his toned chest. You pulled him in furiously kissing him.

Your liquid courage didn't steer you wrong because in response Bucky desperately kissed you back. Passion and lust dripped off him he pulled your waist towards him pushing your back down onto the couch and hovered above you lips and tongue still tangled in each other. You felt a slow burn in your skin peaking through leaving your cheeks a warm rose color.

This night was turning out to be much more then you bargained for.

@sebbbystaaan

#bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #bucky fic #bucky fluff #bucky x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fandom #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes feels #bucky x yn #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x oc #bucky

[sometimesrosy]

You've said season 5 completed Bellamy's hero journey, so what do you think we'll see for him in season 6? I try to imagine where he's heading but what I see is always boring and static and I know that can't be true. Bellamy's character has always evolved so well, but my favorite arcs have always been him struggling with morality and now he seems so... balanced. What does he need to learn now?

That’s a hard question to answer because it’s about what the NEW story will be. What is Book 2? 

And they’ve given us very little. I didn’t figure out that they were doing hero’s journeys until season 3. But then I wasn’t looking for them, because I just thought it was a simple action adventure story, not a literary one. I FELT the symbolism and allusions and literary techniques, but I wasn’t looking to understand them, so they all stayed subconscious for me. 

I don’t think that Bellamy’s character will ever be static. He’s the main character other than Clarke. And I looked up The Hero’s Journey, from Joseph Campbell, just because whenever I’m unsure of things I google them, because I wanted to know what came after the hero’s journey, and it turns out, if you follow Bellamy’s hero’s journey, He did KINDA get to the end, but not quite. He returned with the elixir, but he did not get his reward, yet.

12. Return With The Elixir

This is the final stage of the Hero’s journey in which he returns home to his Ordinary World a changed man. He will have grown as a person, learned many things, faced many terrible dangers and even death but now looks forward to the start of a new life. His return may bring fresh hope to those he left behind, a direct solution to their problems or perhaps a new perspective for everyone to consider.The final reward that he obtains may be literal or metaphoric. It could be a cause for celebration, self-realization or an end to strife, but whatever it is it represents three things: change, success and proof of his journey. The return home also signals the need for resolution for the story’s other key players. The Hero’s doubters will be ostracized, his enemies punished and his allies rewarded. Ultimately the Hero will return to where he started but things will clearly never be the same again.

Now I don’t actually think JR is doing some new version of The Hero’s Journey. I think he’s using the classic, Joseph Campbell. He’s using OLD stories and combining them in different ways to make the new story not trying improve the old stories or be original. Just bringing the old stories into the new age. Which is really what I’m here for.

So where does Bellamy go from here? First, I think he’s going to get a name like Wanheda. I’ve been waiting for it since season 3, but it hasn’t come yet. And they made sure to mark Bellamy’s arrival in the bunker with almost RELIGIOUS imagery, with all wonkru watching him descend in the light to give them freedom. Add this to the MANY times that he has freed grounders, MW, COL, Farm Station, opening the bunker so they could get in, and now opening the bunker so they could get out? AND THEN he delivers the army to the ship and ALSO opens the door for the Eligius? I imagine his name will be something along the lines of Opener of Doors, Lightbringer, Redeemer or something. Lightbringer sounds good actually. 

But also, when the hero reaches the end of the hero’s journey, I think he starts all over again. Comes back to the beginning. Being a new world, that makes sense. And we know they are doing that circular story, so that makes sense. 

I think season 6 will take him back to season 1, but he’ll be more like the Clarke character, the one with the hope, who knows what is right. And Clarke will be like, midseason Bellamy (she’s gone through the selfish ass part in season 5) which will have them working together. IDK. I think his role is to help bring Clarke and the others with him. They won’t agree. Or maybe they will agree. IDK.

I think Bellamy might step back from his personal character development (no more self hate, no more doing it for my people, no more over protectiveness, no more trauma) and moving forward into being a leader, being a hero of everyone.

TBH Bellamy has had a very classic heroic role every single season. He is always heroic, saving lives, saving Clarke, saving the delinquents, while he’s dealing with his internal darkness. And I think we’ll see that again.

Okay, so what is the internal struggle he’ll have? I think it will be about love, tbh. They’ve set it up already. He’s in love with Clarke. AND Echo. But his loyalty to Echo has him sacrificing his soulmate love for Clarke in order to do the right thing. So he clearly hasn’t gotten over that self sacrificial thing. I think the SECOND part of Monty’s charge will be the hardest for him. Not being the good guy, he’s been working on that one for 5 years and is now the good guy. No. The other part. Live a good life. Be happy. Love. The heart part of the head, but a balanced, holistic heart this time.

Wait. Is it possible that Bellamy’s personal journey is NOT about trauma, but about learning to love himself enough to allow himself to be with the woman he loves? 

That will be an ENTIRELY different feel than book 1. But if we’re talking about post apocalyptic stories, that means that we’re tipping over from tragedy into comedy (classic comedy not ha ha comedy,) with a lighter, happier, less tragic story…. ooooohh. Could it be? 

Does that mean that Bellamy’s struggle is no longer about a negative, TRYING NOT TO DIE (aka survival) and is now TRYING TO LIVE FOR SOMETHING. 

Wells Jaha:Your life can be more than just impossible decisions and a tragic end. You can choose to live.

Ha. They put it in the beginning of the show. The endgame goal, if they ever got to the endgame, was to make life worth living, make humanity deserving of survival. To Love. Wait. Did they wait to give Bellamy a decent romance because his romance with Clarke was going to be part of his character development and THE MAIN PLOT? Are we getting a romance genre story next season? His heart will enable Clarke to fight for a world WORTH fighting for. Book 2.

holy shit.

#the 100 #bellamy blake #the head and the heart #the hero's journey #bellarke #tragedy/comedy #character development #speculation

[kandrsdarkangelsbookblog]

📕ᑕOᐯEᖇ ᖇEᐯEᗩᒪ + ᑭᖇEOᖇᗪEᖇ📕

Releasing 10/22 ➜ Defending Roxanne (GHOST Series) by PJ Fiala

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XDKZ3KH

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XDKZ3KH

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XDKZ3KH

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07XDKZ3KH

#TBR ➜ www.pjfiala.com/books/DR-Goodreads

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#InTheSeries

Defending Sophie (GHOST #1)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2w1hTFj

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2Hgzzlf

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2vTNMPX

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2VkTWCM

📕Chapter 1📕

"Roxanne, it was weird, he looked like your dad's cousin, Raymond. Do you remember Raymond? He was always a bit different and he had so much trouble dealing with people. That's why when I saw this man following me, it completely scared the crap out of me. Then, I saw him again yesterday and I don't know what to do."

Roxanne's eyes flew open. Staring at the ceiling, her heart pounded in her chest as her mother's words came back to her. Throwing back the covers, she sat up and turned so her feet were touching the floor. Her childhood bedroom still had the same furniture, same bookcase across from her bed, same creeks in the floor. The only things that had changed were that her mother had repainted the room to a soft gray last year and had updated the bedding to match.

"I want you to be comfortable when you come home, and you've outgrown the pink floral patterns. This suits you so much better," her mother had said. Oh, how she wished she could speak to her mom now.

Sliding on her slipper socks, she walked out of her room and hesitated. This home seemed too large and ominous somehow now. Glancing down the hall to her right, her parents’ bedroom door was closed now and would be forever if it was up to her. But, only time would tell. Her brothers, Brendan and Matthew’s, bedrooms were to her left. It had been her paternal grandparents’ home before they passed, then her family's. Now it belonged to her and her brothers.

Descending the enormous, dark mahogany staircase with its white-painted handrails, which curved to the right of the large foyer in their old Georgetown home, she turned left and entered her parents’ office.

Her mother had remodeled this room twenty years ago, but it still suited the era of the house. Majestic mahogany pillars stood adjacent to the wall behind her father's desk and in between those pillars were towering shelves of books. She loved playing in this room when she was a girl. Her father spent countless hours in here as his military career soared. His final position landed him at the State Department working as the Chief of Protocol, appointed by the President. It's also the position that got him and her mother killed.

Turning to the opposite side of the room, where her mother's identical desk sat, she walked behind the desk and opened the left top drawer. Somewhere in here her mother had kept the key to the storage units in the basement. She needed to find a picture of Raymond. Her first order of business tomorrow morning would be to find Raymond and figure out why he had been stalking her mother and if he had anything to do with her death. The sheer level of chaos, not to mention the political uproar, that had enveloped her parents’ deaths and that of Kanan Mammodov, Prime Minister of Azerbaitani at the same time was monumental. Feeling around the papers in the drawer, she also found office supplies, staples, tape, and a ruler but she couldn't feel the key. The moonlight that shone through the tall windows to her right was ample light for moving around the house, but didn't offer enough light to see a small key. Yet, she enjoyed this darkness and the anonymity it offered. There had been at a minimum a handful of reporters on the street in front of the house since her parents died two weeks ago. Turning on the lights would allow them to see in better and use the zoom lenses on their cameras. Fuck that.

Pulling the papers out of the drawer and laying them on top of the clean desk, she felt around a bit more. Nothing.

The top drawer on the right was next. Pulling the multitude of tablets and notepads from the drawer, she felt around the bottom of the drawer and found nothing. Repeating this motion for the five remaining drawers on each side, she had a mess to show for her efforts laying all around her and still no key. Standing with her hands on her hips, she looked across the room to her father's desk, then remembered, he'd hidden things on the underside of drawers from time to time. Pulling out the top right drawer of her mother's desk, she ran her hands underneath and smiled when she felt an envelope taped to the underside. Peeling the tape away and pulling the envelope from underneath, she smiled to herself as she removed the key and stepped over her mess to make her way to the basement. Through the foyer and into the living room, she turned right and headed to the back of the house and the kitchen.

The basement door was directly to the right of the entrance to the kitchen. Opening the door, she clicked on the light and descended to the basement. Over the years her parents had reinforced the basement and added lighting and the locked storage units, which her father had insisted upon having, since his position meant he had access to and possession of confidential information. Her mother then had insisted they have a room in the basement where family heirlooms and pictures were stored, keeping the room at a constant temperature and humidity free.

Opening her mom's storage room, she looked at the shelves, walking down the row until she found the storage boxes marked "Family Photos.” Her mother, ever the organizer, had them stored by year. Trying to recall the last time they'd seen Raymond, she remembered being around ten, which was twenty-nine years ago. Finding this box, and pulling it down from the shelf with both hands, she turned to take it upstairs and lay the photographs out on the dining room table.

At the top of the steps, she nudged the light switch with her right elbow and closed the door with her behind. Turning to her left, she headed into the dining room from the kitchen and set the box on top of the table.

A noise from her parents' office caused her to freeze. Papers softly shuffling, then nothing. Slowly reaching around her back, her heartbeat increased rapidly, and dread filled her gut as she realized she'd left her gun upstairs in her nightstand. Shit.

Softly she crept to the door of the dining room which was directly behind the huge staircase she'd come down earlier. Staying close to the wall she listened again. Inhaling, she took a slow deep breath and crept out of the room and around the staircase.

A massive hulk emerged from the office, and she froze for only a moment before turning to run in the opposite direction. The back door was in the kitchen; if she could get there, she'd run across the lawn and to the neighbor's home for help.

Three steps from the kitchen she was grabbed from behind, an iron band of arm around her waist and one hand over her mouth. She was pulled into the hardened chest of her attacker and barely able to move. Her left arm was trapped next to her body in the steel grip of the man who now began to drag her deeper into her home.

Panic flooded her brain and her stomach. She struggled to get free, twisting her body as much as she could, hoping to find a weakness to exploit. She began kicking back, but her slipper socks weren't going to do any damage to this man. A second man appeared in her peripheral vision and chuckled before saying, "Well, Hawk, looks like you found yourself a thief."

#defendingroxannecoverreveal #pjfialacoverreveal #pjfialadefendingroxanne #ghostseries #romancesuspense #novel #author

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Caught In The Breeze

Part 3: Her

---- Present-day ----

--- Reno's POV ---

The mission was long and your muscles ache as you step from the helicopter. The breeze is almost chilling but comforting nonetheless as the sunrise appears over the horizon. Birds sing as they fly by. You normally wouldn't notice or appreciate these types of things but today the sights caught your eye. Walking briskly towards the roof entrance you sigh. 'It's going to be a long day'. You think to yourself. 'Wonder if Rude is back yet'.

The cold and dense metal door swings open at the confirmed swipe of your key card. The staircase descends to your destination. As the door shuts you feel a warmth from the heated air meeting your body. Humming to yourself at the relief from the brisk wind on the rooftop, you descend the stairs. The clanking of your boots meets every step you take as the echo of the concrete walls returns the sound in an almost lonely and dull tone. Your phone rings. Stopping at a point in between flights, you answer. "Yea. Reno here."

Tseng's voice rings through in his usual commanding tone. "Good. You've returned. Everything according to plan? I hoped you would have been present for the follow-up this morning to report your findings and successes. I see you may have faced some delay?"

"Yea. Got a bit hung up in a storm. Rude went ahead to report."

"I see. Well. Don't forget to file your paperwork. I expect all findings to be documented promptly. My office, 8 am tomorrow. Don't be late. Bring Rude." Tseng ends the call in a melancholy tone.

"Roger that bossman" you speak to yourself as you return the phone to your pocket. Hell could freeze over now and it still wouldn't save you from another early meeting with Tseng. Sighing and stretching your aching muscles you continue your descent.

---- Time Skip ----

You walk through the front office. Saying nothing to passersby in an attempt to hurry along. You hated the paperwork aspect of your job but these things had to be done. 'Maybe I could put it off on an intern or someone' you think as you walk through the doors to the back offices. This area was always filled with the chattering sounds of keys. Ringing phones and quiet chit-chat from Its occupants. The smell of paper and ink fills your senses and.. is that coffee? You could go for a cup about now.

'Gotta check in with Rude. He's gotta be here somewhere.' You walk and scan your surroundings. The soles of your shoes make a dull clicking noise as you walk the thin carpet membrane. Dull fluorescent bulbs lighting your path. You hear the sound of the breakroom door clicking shut. 'He must be back at his desk. Probably was thinking the same thing about coffee.'

Your eyes search the room occasionally peeking into cubicles as you pass by. Some are so deep in their work they don't even realize your presence. Other's eyes dart to you only to avert their gaze as you approach. 'Figures. Not like anyone cares for your staring.'

You finally reach Rudes cubicle. The smell of pears and coffee meets your senses. 'Looks like Rudes little mouse is in her house today.' You smile to yourself shaking the heavy feeling from your bones and preparing yourself to meet this conundrum of a woman again. Rounding the corner you stare in. 'There she is.' She's staring so deeply into her computer screen you wouldn't be surprised if she didn't notice you had even entered her space.

"Welcome back. Your paperwork is on your desk. I kept it nice and organized in your absence." She states.

She turns around meeting your eyes. Deep blue like the ocean. Not a hair out of place. Porcelain skin and pink lips compliment her complexion. 'Damn, how did I miss those eyes before?' You think. Realizing you have lost yourself in thought and have probably been staring too long, you speak.

"Not who you were expecting? Well, damn. Guess you didn't miss me then?" You remark playfully. You watch her shyly glance away and busy herself with work. 'Guess I interrupted her.' Watching her stack some papers, she then returns her gaze to you.

"Oh, hey Reno. Didn't realize you were back so soon. You normally don't come back with Rude in one piece so I assumed you were still on a mission or in the infirmary." She giggled. 'What a cutie. Damn.' You cross your arms as you lean on the side of the cubicle's entrance.

"Nah. Mission went pretty smoothly this time. Nothing too grand." You wave your hand in the air downplaying your comment. 'Time to get her guard down.' You think. Smiling, you speak. "Sadly. Kind of hurts that you would think I wouldn't visit when I returned." You mock a tear wipe and a pained chest.

'Got her.' Staring directly into her eyes you give a cocky smile.

"You know... You could always visit me in the infirmary if I was there." A smile still painted on your face. You noticed her eyes dilate a bit at your comment and catch a slight pink form on her cheeks. She looks away. 'Already blushing are we?' You take note of that. 'Gonna get her good this time. No more waiting. Time to act.'

Turning in her direction. You start walking closer. You see her eyes dart a bit to try and focus. She looks like she's trying not to breathe too much. 'Aww. Little Mouse has a secret crush. Don't worry sweetheart. I'll calm that aching heart of yours. Just you wait.' You open your mouth to speak but hear footsteps closing in. 'Damn. Playtime's over already? I had her this time.'

Rude walks in.

"Reno. Don't you have something better to be doing than bothering the lady?" Rude states as he walks to his desk. Taking a seat and turning the system on.

You turn on your heel and walk right past her. 'Sorry mouse. Fun's over for now. Guess I'll have to keep you waiting.' A smirk paints your face as you hear her turn back to her work.

"Yo. Guess you're already getting a headstart?"

Rude speaks. "As usual. Don't forget about your paperwork. Tseng already filled me in. And don't be late to turn it in this time."

"Woah, Woah, Woah buddy! Chill. I got this." You pat him on the shoulder.

"So how was the drive back? Get lonely without me, big guy?"

"The silence was appreciated. You?" Rude speaks shortly.

"Had a small storm on the way in. Looks like it cleared up right before landing. No need to worry bud."

Reno revels in the thought of your face as you realize he has overlooked you to speak with someone else. 'She's gotta be so down now. Poor little mouse. I'll make it quick. Don't worry.' You peak over your shoulder seeing her looking deep in thought.

"What were you even doing here? Shouldn't you be working or did you forget again?" Rude states kind of harshly.

"Nah. I was just checking in on the office mouse. Seeing as you hadn't arrived yet. I assumed you left." You retort.

"Heli needs some scrubbing from the last mission so I sent the interns up to give her a good scrub. Gotta keep the baby in tip-top shape!" You point in the air mocking your own words.

You see her sit up a bit when you talk about your helicopter. 'Caught your interest mouse?' You hear her softly giggle at her phone.

"Catch ya later firecracker." You stare at her.

"See ya later Rude"

Staying focused on the screen in her hands she waves. "Catch ya later" a small smile creeps up her cheeks. Exiting the cubicle you carry on to your next destination. "Coffee then paperwork." You state to yourself as you trudge along.

'See you later firecracker' your last words to her echo in your head. Wonder if Rude would tell me her name...

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