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so-sures-blog · 2 years

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Skybound

skybound definition: confined to the sky.

In which Jay becomes Lightning to save his friends. And Nya says “I love you.”

☁️💙⚡️💙☁️⚡️💙☁️⚡️💙☁️

Finally, the battle against Wojira was over.

After all the wild waves and the howling wind and the crackling lightning, the Sea Serpent that had lurked in the depths of the ocean for thousands of years was destroyed.

The Storm Amulet had been broken, and Wojira had screamed and writhed as lightning encased it before she exploded, the power from the ancient beast sending shockwaves throughout the city.

Then, there is silence. The raging storms stills at the death of their master, and the waves of the sea resided, the flooding slowly draining away until the ocean is back where it’s meant to be. There is a calm, a tranquility that is found right after a hurricane where the peace slowly drips by until the damage is to be realized.

The Ninja stand still with bated breath, waiting for the last member of the team to appear.

There is a clap of thunder, a crack of lightning, then—

The Master of Lightning descends from the clouds and joins them on the rooftop.

“JAY!”

He turns around to be greeted by the cheers of his friends as they rush towards him.

“Way to go!”

“Yeah!”

“I knew you could do it!”

“Jay!” Nya is the first to reach him, her eyes shining as she beams at him. “You did it!”

She throws her arms around him, expecting him to hug her back.

She doesn’t expect electricity.

Her hairs stand on end, the thrumming of static pulsing through her body. It suddenly feels as if she is walking in the Sea of Sands, under miles and miles of power lines and consciously aware of the high voltage of electricity passing above her head at the speed of light. Jay’s body feels wild and chaotic, like lightning stored in a glass bottle.

She pulls away with a gasp of shock, static clinging to hair and clothes. Sparks of lightning travel up Jay’s arm, and he looks at it curiously. Nya backs away, unnerved by the uninhibited show of power Jay displays.

“Heh, that’s going to take some getting used to. But we’ll figure out a way to change you back, don’t worry.” Cole chuckles. “Just don’t short-circuit the TV when we play video games, okay?”

Jay seems to ignore the comment, tipping his head questioningly. “Back?”

“To normal. You know, the old you,” Cole explains.

Jay looks even more confused. “Normal?”

“What’s wrong?” Nya asks hesitantly. “Are you okay?”

The clouds suddenly part from where they hang in the gloomy sky, golden light pouring over the rooftops. The lightning designs on Jay’s body glow brighter in response.

Jay stares, transfixed with the sky.

“Do you hear it?” He asks in wonder.

“Hear what?” Nya asks.

“The clouds … they’re so loud … so powerful …” he smiles.

“It calls to him,” Benthomaar whispers.

Lightning suddenly begins to spark off Jay, and everyone but Nya flinches back to avoid getting shocked. Nya watches with horrified awe as Jay almost seems to dissolve right in front of her, only to be stitched back together with strands of electricity.

“Sorry. It’s difficult for me to maintain this shape.” Jay says.

Nya suddenly feels like she’s been kicked in the stomach as dread starts to flood her heart, pool into every limb and sink into her bones. “What do you mean shape? That’s— That’s what you are,” she says.

“What I was. Yes.” Jay smiles fondly, and suddenly Nya can’t breathe.

Was.

Was, like Jay wasn’t there, wasn’t real, that he was gone— like he wasn’t just there in front of her when he kissed her on the cheek when she was fading in and out of unconsciousness after Kalmaar’s attack.

Jay couldn’t—

Jay couldn’t be—

“I have to go now,” And— And Jay is pulling away now, he never pulled away— turning his back to her as he walks towards the edge of the building. “I will remember you.”

“Remember?” Cole repeats. “What are you talking about? You’re not going anywhere.”

Jay doesn’t stop walking towards the edge of the roof, and Nya forces herself to move. Her legs feel like lead has been poured into them, it's so hard to move without stumbling, but she forces herself to chase after Jay.

“Jay! Stop, wait, listen!” Nya’s whole body is trembling, and a blinding panic is building up in her chest. “Something is wrong with you. You have to concentrate, you have to focus, you have to— turn back!”

Jay hasn’t turned around or faltered in his steps while Nya is talking, and with a sudden burst of energy, Nya surges forward and grabs his wrist.

Lightning surges from his hand, and Nya jerks back. The shock left her hand stinging, and the message is all too clear.

Jay was Lightning. He was electricity, twisted and woven in the shape of her Yang. Jay had become his element, had become Lightning itself, to save her. And now he was …

“No,” Nya’s voice breaks. “Don’t leave me.” Everyone is caught off guard at the vulnerable, desperate, trembling tone Nya takes.

She’s never sounded like that before. Nya has always been the strong one; she’s always been the one to power through the traumatic events that happened to them, been the one to tell them to never give up and that there was always a solution.

But now— now Jay is leaving her, and he’s never coming back, and she’s realizing that there is no way to fix this. She can’t do anything, she can only just sit and watch as the love of her life disappears, and know that there isn’t a perfect way to solve this.

Jay stops, shocked at the sound of her voice. He turns around to see his Yin. Her shoulders are curled in on herself, and she’s staring at him, eyes swimming with tears.

His eyes soften and he walks towards her, gently brushing a hand over her cheek and wiping away a tear. Nya can’t help but lean into the touch, sensing the undercurrent of lightning running through his arm.

This doesn’t feel like a concession.

This feels like a goodbye.

Nya’s lips tremble as she feels Jay’s hands drop to her’s, holding them. He doesn’t shock her, but she can feel his power fluctuate, thrumming against her skin, always moving.

He pulls away, and her heart breaks. Her hand still tingles from the electricity of Jay’s hand, and Nya isn’t ready.

He walks towards the edge of the roof and stands on it, the lightning marks etched in his body brightening in the sun. Jay lingers on the precipice between the sky and them, looking over his friends with a soft smile.

Nya steps forward, a single tear falling down her cheek. “Jay … I love you.” She says.

She’s never said those words aloud before. Ever. She wasn’t good with the words, not after so long where it’s been her and Kai against the world. Jay knows that, and he understands. He says the words “I love you” freely, and knows she responds with every bright smile and held hand.

This time …

Jay doesn’t respond to her.

He smiles, glowing eyes filled with love as he turns away from his friends.

No …

He’s leaving.

No, no no …

“Jay!”

Nya stumbles forward, desperate to catch him, to stop him, to tell him to come back … but she’s too late.

There is a blinding flash, a crack of thunder, and when Nya opens her eyes again Jay has vanished. She looks to the sky and sees a shining light, the clouds swirling around like they’re welcoming an old friend.

Nya watches as the light beams through the gloomy clouds, and in the next moment, there is an earth-shattering boom as Jay disappears across the sky, taking the storm with him.

Electricity still lingers in the air, the atmosphere holding its breath like the eerie moment of anticipation between lightning and thunder. The buzzing sound doesn’t leave Nya’s ears as she stares at the sky, searching for any traces of Jay with a gaping hole in her chest.

She’s vaguely aware of the others joining her, Kai placing a hand on her shoulder and Wu comforting Cole.

It doesn’t matter. Not anymore.

Jay is gone.

☁️💙⚡️💙☁️⚡️💙☁️⚡️💙☁️

“What now?” Kai asks, watching his little brother, Lloyd, continue scrubbing windows dully.

“Give him time.” Cole says, staring at Lloyd sadly. “Maybe we’ll have better luck with Nya.”

Kai winces. It’s been a year since he’s been in contact with his sister, Nya, practically disappearing off the radar ever since Jay’s memorial. She had been inconsolable, and Kai didn’t know what her state would be like a year later.

Would she even be interested in stopping the Vengestone buyer? Nya used to love missions like that, but without Jay there …

Kai stops that thought as a pang of grief went through him at the lack of smart comments and jokes that would occur on the mission. Jay had been there since the beginning of Kai’s journey to be a ninja. He had been the one to lighten the team with jokes shared on dreary nights, and had a spark to him that made any situation seem possible with his inventive ideas.

Without Jay …

Kai shakes himself out of it as Zane starts talking. “Does anyone know the whereabouts of Nya?” He asks monotonously.

“Yeah, what’s she doing?” Cole asks.

Kai turns to stare out the window, the gloomy sky a bleak grey. There is no thunder, only the promise of rain. Kai wonders what that meant for the floating lanterns that would be sent into the sky in Jay’s honor.

“What else?” He says. “She’s out chasing storms.”

The Lightning Ruins, then.

☁️💙⚡️💙☁️⚡️💙☁️⚡️💙☁️

#ninjago #ninjago fic #ninjago au #ninjago seabound #seabound au #ninjago jaya #jay walker #nya smith #kai smith #ninjago benthomaar #cole brookstone #lloyd garmadon #zane julien #pixal borg #ninjago wu #ninjago wojira #ninjago crystalized

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and-claudia · 10 months

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Against All Odds pt.5 (Joel Miller x fem! reader)

Warnings: angst, gore, reliving trauma, canon typical violence, IT'S LONG (let me know if I missed any)

General Warnings for later on: The main story will have an age gap between Joel and the reader (Reader will be 25 once we get to the main storyline), this will also be your warning that it will eventually be an x pregnant reader (if that's not your jam, I'm sorry) there is also going to be more graphic/trigger parts later on so please always to be sure to read the warnings BEFORE reading. This story will also be 18+ and TO BE ON THE TAGLIST YOU CAN NOT BE AN AGELESS BLOG (i do actually check that) also there first hand full of parts are all prologue so Joel won't actually be in it for a bit

word count: 8000+ (oopsie)

Taglist Sign-Up (read my rules carefully before filling it out)

a/n at the end, please read and give your feed back in the comments

After running through the rain for a few miles we finally made it far enough to be safe from patrol. We were in what looked like what used to be a barber shop or something. Regardless of what it used to be, now it was our shelter for the night.

“You should get some rest, Ellie. We aren’t making it to the State House tonight.” I said to the young girl.

She eyed Tess and Joel, clearly unsure if she’d be safe lowing her guard after finding out she had been bitten.

“You’ll be safe, I promise.” I tried to reassure her.

She slowly nodded and found herself a dry spot to curl up for the night. Tess and Joel stood on the opposite side of the building. I walked over to them so we could discuss our game plan.

“So, it’s,” I checked my watch, “just passed 2:30 am, sun will be up by around 7:00 ish, we got at least 4 hours for watch. We can each take an hour and 20 minutes.” I suggested.

“I ain’t sleepin’.” Tessl said matter of factly.

“Yeah, me neither. Someone needs to watch the door and someone needs to keep an eye on that kid.” Joel said.

“One: door’s barricaded, ain’t nothing getting in through there. Two: she said that bite is 2 weeks old. She hasn’t gone all crazy yet, she won’t overnight. It’ll be fine.” I tried to argue.

“I don’t trust it. That doesn’t happen, Yn. But I mean if you want to risk yourself and-” I knew he was about to mention the baby but I gave him a pointed look warning him not to, “and sleep,” he corrected himself, “then be my fucking guest.”

I sighed, “Well I am tiered Joel so yeah I think I’ll take the so-called risk.”

I walked away and dropped my bag down to use as a pillow and used Joel’s jacket I took from the apartment to cover my upper body up. Every time I’ve ever slept outside the walls it had always been either with, or at the very least beside Joel as he took his watch shift. So being away from him right now felt strange, even though he was only a few yards away from me. Luckily though I was still tired enough to fall asleep fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, I had only managed to sleep a little over an hour. I tried going back to sleep but it was no use. So, instead, I got up and walked over to Joel and Tess.

“You can go back to sleep.” Joel said quietly.

“I’m fine. If one of you wants to rest for a bit I can take over for one of you.” I offered.

“We’re good.” Tess said, not taking her eyes off the girl.

“Fine.” I sighed and grabbed Joel’s bag.

He never checks the small, inner pocket of his bag and I had gotten into a habit of tucking a small book in there when I could, even if I wasn’t going with them I would still do it. I wasn’t sure if he ever finished reading them or not but he would always return it to me when he got back and had something to say about it.

“What are you doing?” Joel asked.

“Looking for something.”

I didn’t remember him returning the last one I gave him, so I wanted to see if it was still in there. And lucky for me it was. I pulled out an old, slightly faded copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Joel gave me a weird look.

“I mean, if you don’t need me to watch anything and I’m not falling back asleep, might as well pass the time some way.”

I took it over to the wall and sat down. Luckily the rain had stopped, giving way to the light of the moon. This gave me just enough light to read in. Despite my efforts, I fell asleep about 30 minutes later and didn’t wake back up until the sun had risen. Sitting against the hard wall like that made my back hurt as I stood up and walked over to put my book back in Joel’s bag.

“Ellie awake yet?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“Okay well, I’m going to go find somewhere to pee.” I said before walking off.

When I got back Ellie was now awake and Joel had the rifle he had stolen from the guard pointed at her.

“Show us your arm.” He said.

She sighed before rolling up the sleeve of her jacket, showing the scar from where she had been bitten.

“Yeah, it’s not getting any worse is it?” She sassed.

I walked over and squatted down beside her.

“Can I see it?” I asked.

I didn’t get a good look at it in the chaos last night and wanted to see it for myself. She nodded and held it over to me so I could see it better.

“If we’re in the open city why aren’t we getting swarmed?” She asked, I turned to Joel for him to answer her.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said causing me to roll my eyes.

“Well, I’m gonna.” She sassed.

“We’ll be fine.” I said quietly before letting go of her arm and standing up.

“What was Marlene doing with an infected kid?” Tess asked.

“I’m not infected.” Ellied argued.

I walked over to sit with Joel and Tess, “I mean she’s right. She was bitten but not infected. I know that doesn’t happen but it did… But why were you with Marlene then?”

“She found me after I was bitten.” She explained.

“And she didn’t shoot you?” Joel asked harshly.

“Clearly not.” Ellie snapped back, causing me to fight the urge to snicker at her response before she explained a little more, “She locked me up and her guys test me every day to make sure I wasn’t infected.”

“How did they test you?” I asked before I could process what I was saying.

“They’d make me count to ten then hold my hand out and keep it steady. But you know what I think really impressed them was the fact that I didn’t turn into a fucking monster.”

I nodded, “Fair enough.”

“I gotta pee.” She said going to stand up, but Joel did the same and his grip on the rifle tightened.

“Joel. Let her go. She’s not going anywhere. You heard her, she’s worried about what’s out there.” I said quietly to Joel before turning to her, “Go back there, just find a spot. And here, use this. It’s the best we got. Just tear out a few pages.” I said tossing an old magazine to her.

She caught it and disappeared into one of the small side rooms.

“Nothing’s gonna kill me in here, right?” She called out.

“No, you’re fine. I just went too.” I yelled back.

As Joel sat down, I noticed his right hand was shaking and still bloody from last night.

“Broken?” Tess asked having seen the same thing as me.

“Maye a hairline, it’ll heal fast.” He replied.

“Can I see it?” I asked gently.

“It’s fine.” He said coldly.

“Joel, let me see your fucking hand.” I said, holding mine out for him to put his in.

He sighed but did as I told him. I looked it over, it was defiantly swollen. Luckily it wasn’t too nasty, the rain helped clean it out pretty well last night.

“It’s fairly clean. I’m gonna wrap it for you.” I told him rather than asking already standing to grab my bag.

“Joel she made it through the fucking night.” Tess said as I walked back over, bag in hand.

“Doesn’t matter.” Joel bit back.

I took my seat on the ground beside Joel and began to bandage up his hand.

“It’s gonna happen sooner or later.” He tried to reason, “We’re still close to the wall, we sneak her back into the QZ, and we find a different way to get the battery.”

“This is our best shot,” Tess argued, “If we take her back there, someone is gonna notice her arm, they’ll scan her and kill her.”

“Well better them than us.” He shot back.

“May I give my two cents here?” I asked finishing up Joel's bandages.

Tess nodded for me to go on.

“I can’t believe I’m sayin’ it but I agree with Tess. We can’t bring her back… and we can’t kill her. It ain’t fair to her. Bringing her to the State House is our best option here, rather than bringing her back to the QZ where we know she will get killed, or killing her ourselves. At least that way we won’t have to live knowing we lead her to slaughter.” I said.

“You two both need to quit talking about her like she actually has a life ahead of her.” Joel said.

“Maybe she does.” I argued just as we heard footsteps coming back.

“Whatever, let’s just eat something before we have to head out again.” Joel said digging into his bag.

“You hungry? We can share some of ours.” Tess offered as Ellied sat back down.

“Marlene sent me with my own.” She said before digging into her bag and pulling something out of it.

Joel passed out a couple of pieces of dried jerky to both me and Tess. I broke off a piece of mine but as I brought it up to my mouth and caught a whiff of it, it made me feel nauseous. I sat up a bit more and brought it away from my face to take a few deep breaths before handing the pieces back to Joel.

“Here. I’m not hungry.” I said.

“You need to eat.” Joel said, not taking them.

“Joel, take them.” I snapped a little.

“You okay kid? You look really pale.” Tess said, taking the jerky from my hand.

“I’m not a kid. And I’m fine.” I lied.

I could tell she wasn’t convinced but I am glad she didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she put the jerky away and dug in her bag for something.

“Here, eat these, I’ve been secretly growing them at my place. You need to eat something. And drink some water.” She said handing me a small bag of berries.

I nodded in thanks and slowly ate them. I was so caught up in trying not to puke that I had completely tuned out the conversation Ellie and Tess were having until Tess stood up from her stool and walked closer to the young girl. Joel tried to stop her, but I grabbed his arm to keep him from doing so.

“Why are you so special to Marlene? And don’t lie or we’ll take you back.” She threatened.

“You take me back, you don’t get your battery.” Ellie popped off to her.

Tess scoffed, “You heard that huh? Well, then you must’ve also heard that he wants to shoot you.”

Ellie eyed Joel nervously before replying, “Yeah, but she said you shouldn’t, at least not yourself. And something tells me she won’t let him do it.” She said referring to me.

Joel rolled his eyes at her remark.

“Look, I’m gonna talk to you like you’re an adult,” Tess began as she knelt down in front of Ellie, “We’re not good people, we’re doing this for us. Because apparently, you’re worth something. But we don’t know what you’re worth if we don’t know what we have. So, answer my question.”

I could tell Ellie thought about what she was about to do, she seemed apprehensive.

“She told me not to tell anyone and now I’m telling the first people that I-” She hesitated.

“Hey, it’s okay we won’t tell anyone.” I finally spoke up, trying to reassure her.

She took a deep breath before continuing, “There’s a Firefly base camp somewhere out west… with doctors. They’re working on finding a cure.”

“We’ve heard this all before.” Joel sighed, annoyed that we were even considering giving her the time of day to explain herself.

“And whatever happened to me…”

“-Is the key to the vaccine.” Joel said with her, knowing what she was about to say.

“That’s what this is? We’ve heard this a million times before. Vaccines, miracle cures. None of it works. Ever.” He argued.

“Fuck you, man. I didn’t ask for this.” Ellied snapped at him standing up.

“You and me both. Tess, Yn, this isn’t gonna end well. We need to go back.” He urged.

I stood up as Tess did the same.

“Let’s just finish it.” Tess said, “It doesn’t matter if she is or isn’t what the Fireflies say. If they believe that she is then… we get what we want.”

“I mean, best-case scenario she is, we hand her over, they find a cure, we get the truck and find Tommy. Worst-case scenario is she isn’t and this was a waste of time.” I said.

“No, Yn, worst-case is we all end up dead.” Joel said harshly.

“Can you two get over your lover's quarrel, are we going or not?” Tess asked.

Joel sighed and grabbed his bag, “If she so much as twitches.” He warned.

Ellied began to snarl and make choking sounds as she pretend to twitch around causing me to bite back a snicker. Joel didn’t find it amusing.

“Don’t.” Tess reprimanded her and she stopped immediately.

We all collected our stuff and as Joel picked up his newly acquired rifle Ellie eyed it up and said, “Can I have a gun.”

“Absolutely not.”

“No.”

“Hell no.” Joel, Tess, and I all said respectively.

“Okay, Jesus. Fine. I’ll have to just throw a fucking sandwich at them.” She said as she picked up what was left over and put it in her bag.

Joel moved the barricade from the door and then opened it to make sure the coast was clear. When he confirmed that it was, we followed him out.

When we walked out, the sun was shining and you could see the city around us. Or what used to be a city that was now falling apart and overrun but nature. Ellie was ahead of me and watched her with a small smile as she took in the sight before her.

“Whoa.” She sighed.

“I know, I had the same reaction my first time seeing it.” I said, nudging her slightly with my arm.

“We should get movin’.” Joel said.

And with that, we began walking. We passed some of the craters left from the bombings. Just like me, Ellie was oddly fascinated with everything we passed.

“It’s like a fucked up moon. Are these from the bombings?” She asked.

“Yeah, Joel or Tess can tell you more about it. I don’t really remember it.” I admitted.

“They bombed most of the bigger cities like this, “ Tess explained, “They had to slow the spread somehow. It worked here, but it didn’t in most places.”

We walked a little further before we got to a road that was impassable due to a collapsed building. It was really in the most inconvenient spot. If it wasn’t blocked, then the State House would have been a straight shot taking ten to fifteen minutes tops to get there. But since that was not an option we had to choose one of the alternate routes.

“Long way or short way?” Joel asked.

“Well, I mean it’s the long way or the ‘we’re fuckin dead’ way.” Tess said.

“Well, I vote long way, just based on that limited information.”

Joel nodded, knowing it was the safer route, “We have to check it from the hotel first.”

We nodded and began walking that way. It was still eerie walking past all the abandoned cars. I didn’t dare to look in them. I made that mistake once. Most of them were empty, but not all of them. You had a chance of finding an infected or perhaps worst severely decomposing person in them.

As we walked, Joel hung back in the back of the group, Tess lead the way while Ellie and I walked together.

“Where the fuck are they all?” She asked.

I just shook my head, “You’ll know it when they’re close. Don’t ask about them though, you’ll jinx us.” I warned.

“I didn’t know last time.” She said.

“Was that when you got bit?” I asked.

She nodded, “It was in the old mall in the QZ.”

Tess turned around at that and waited for us to catch up.

“You got bit in the sealed-off mall that no one is supposed to go in. Ever.”

“Whatever. I snuck in. I wanted to see what it was like. Didn’t think there was gonna be anything in there and then one just came at me outta nowhere. I thought I got away, but.”

“So, it was just you in there, alone?” Tess asked.

“Yeah.” Ellie said.

“How old are you?” Tess asked another question.

“14.”

“Wow. I mean, you got some balls on you, sister.”

“Thanks.” Ellie said, smiling to herself causing me to smile a little too.

We continued our trek down the old highway, occasionally climbing over cars that had been wrecked and flipped over. Joel was staying silent which wasn’t unusual for him. Not that I wanted to speak to him right now.

“So Ellie,” I began, “No one’s going to come looking for you, right?”

“Yeah, like mom, or dad or boyfriend?” Tess added.

“Well, I’m an orphan, and ah no…” She said, “Everyone always said the outer city was crazy,” She said, changing the subject, “like there were hoards of infected running wild.”

“Not exactly like that.” Joel’s voice startled me a bit.

“People like to tell stories.” Tess added.

“So, there aren’t Super-Infected that explode fungus spores on you?” Ellie asked.

“Shit, I hope not.” Tess joked.

“Just thinking about that makes my skin crawl.” I said with a small shutter as the thought of what facing one of those would be like.

“Or what about ones with split open heads that can see in the dark like bats?” Ellied asked causing me to freeze.

I had come to learn that when I had been attacked trying to get to the Boston QZ, all those years ago with my brother and Pa that it had been a Clicker. They were the final stage of being infected. It was when you became more fungus than human. The fungus grows out of your skull, cracking it open and allowing it to grow bigger.

I took a deep breath and went to continue walking but just as I went to take a step we all froze and looked off to our left where we could hear a loud, distant howling yell of an infected.

“What was that?” Ellie asked.

“I told you, you would know when they got close.” I reminded her.

“Let’s keep movin’.” Joel said, gripping his rifle a little tighter.

We eventually made it to the hotel. When we pushed open the door the smell of murky water hit me causing me to sigh. I was not going to be able to catch a break today from horrible smells. It also looked like the rain we had just gotten had made the water in there rise a lot more.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! You guys ever stay in a place like this?” Ellie asked.

“Uh no, a little out of our league.” Tess joked.

“How do you even know what this is?” Joel asked.

“Have you ever heard of books?” She sassed causing him to roll his eyes before he descended the few stairs down into the water.

“Wait a minute we're going in there?”

“Unfortunately.” I said to her as I tightened the straps on my backpack.

“We gotta get to the stairwell on the other side.” Tess said, nodding across the way at it.

“Well, I- I um don’t know how to swim.” She tried to argue.

“Seriously?” Joel asked.

“Do you think we have pools in the QZ?” She shot back at him.

“No, smartass. I mean,” He finished his sentence by jumping off the last step and showing the water, despite being higher than usual, only came up to right around his knees.

“I don’t know how I was supposed to know that.” Ellie said as she walked down the stairs.

I went to walk down the too but Tess stopped me.

“Careful, kid, they’re slick.” She warned with a knowing look.

Fuck. She knew.

“Thanks.” I nodded before carefully walking down with her following behind me.

The floor was covered in slippery algae so I took my time walking across it with Tess as Joel and Ellie were ahead of us.

“Does he know?” She asked.

I looked at her but didn’t answer.

“I’m not trying to pry. Just wondering if that’s got him so bent out of shape.” She explained.

“No, me being pregnant is what’s gotten him so bent out of shape. He doesn’t want it. He said the last time he held a baby was before I was even born…” I explained.

“That’s what happens when you get with a much older man,” She teased only partly joking, “But I guess the question is, do you want it?”

I nodded, “Yeah.”

“He loves you, Yn, he’ll come around.” She tried to reassure me.

I shrugged, “I just think he has too much going on right now, and worrying about me even more than he usually has to just sent him over the edge. Like he made it very clear that he doesn’t want the baby, but wants to make decisions on what is best for me now. He doesn’t need to do that. He doesn’t want it, so let me worry about it. You know?”

She nodded as we both stopped to look over at Ellie as she messed around with the old luggage cart. Then, when she jumped back, clearly startled by something, Tess and I were both pulling out our guns as Joel rushed over to help her. Joel helped her up after seeing that there was no immediate danger. She made her way over to us and we both made sure she was okay. Once we made it across the water, we had to climb up ten flights of stairs to get high enough. Joel led the way with his rifle, making sure the coast was clear for us.

When we got to the top Joel checked down the hall to make sure we were safe then walked out. When Tess and I made it there we both paused for a second to catch our breaths.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad.” Ellie teased.

“You try climbing ten fuckin’ flights with our knees. See how you feel.” Tess shot back in defense.

“Okay, but what about her? She like in her twenties, why are you winded?” Ellied asked nodding to me.

“I have my reasons.” I said.

“That’s convincing.” She said before following Joel.

We rounded a corner and saw that part of the building had collapsed.

“Well, when the fuck did that happen?” Tess asked.

We tried to open a few of the doors but none of them would budge. I walked closer to the rubble. There was an opening I could fit through.

“Hey, what if I climb through? I can work my way around and open it from the inside maybe?” I suggested.

“Worth a shot.” Tess agreed.

“No.” Joel was quick to shut that down.

“I can go. I am the smallest.” Ellie offered up.

“No, if you die, we get nothing.” Tess said. “Let Tess go.” Joel suggested.

“Why can’t I do it?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Because you might get hurt.” He argued.

“And if she does, Joel, it’ll be on here. She’s a big girl she can go. Come on let's get her up there.” Tess said, ending our little argument.

They helped me up through the opening then I began climbing over hunks of cement and barbs.

“You good up there?” Joel called out to me.

“I’m fine. Just trying to map out a course. It’s a fucking a mess up here. Give me a few minutes.”

I finally mapped out my route to get over the piles of concrete without getting impaled by a metal barb. Once I made it through I took a glance around me, to the street below. Fuck. There were infected down there a lot of them. We wouldn’t be able to go that way anymore. I sighed, turning around to go let the others in.

“Joel, put your fucking gun down, if you shoot me, I’ll shoot back.” I warned as I began to move pieces of furniture out of the way.

I got to the door and opened it, my face must have said it all.

“What’s wrong?” Tess asked.

“Come see for yourself.” I said, turning around and leading them to see what I saw down in the street.

When we got over to the balcony, Ellie stepped up onto the bottom molding to get a better view. “Be careful.” I said, coming to stand beside her as she leaned over a bit more.

“There’s so many.” She said in awe.

I saw Tess nod from the corner of my eye, “Yeah, last time we came through here, they were still deep inside the buildings. But I guess enough people came through looking for the QZ, they went inside seeking shelter and that’s how they get more and more of the city bit by bit, year after year.”

We watched them as they all seemed to move together.

“They’re connected.” Ellie commented.

“More than you know.” Tess began, “The fungus also grows underground. Long fibers like wires, some of them stretching over a mile. Now, you step on a patch of cordyceps in one place, and you can wake a dozen Infected from somewhere else.”

“Really?”

Tess nodded once again, “Then they know where you are and they’re coming for you. You’re not immune from being ripped apart. You understand?”

“Tess, chill you’re scaring her.” I said.

“I’m just being honest with her. This is important for her to know. I’m trying to keep her alive.” She said defensively.

Ellie hopped down from where she was standing with a small sigh.

“So, guess we’re not going that way.”

“Nope.” I confirmed.

“So, what do we do then?” She asked, looking between the three of us.

I looked at Joel and waited for him to confirm what I already knew he was going to say.

“Museum.” He said and I immediately shook my head. “No. There’s other ways, we can take one of those.” I said.

“We don’t have a secure way to check those routes. And we’re running out of time. It’s the only option now. You knew we might go that way if you’re so terrified of it, then maybe yo-”

“Joel, I swear, if you say that I should’ve stayed back one more time I’ll push your fucking ass off this building and let the Infected have their way with you.” I said.

He was way out of line. He knew what happened last time. He knew why I was terrified to go back there.

It happened about 8 months ago. We were going out to trade with Frank and Bill. I decided to tag along, I hadn’t seen them since we met something always came up but always sent my best wishes when Joel and Tess went. But this time I was able to go.

We made it out of the QZ without any issues. I couldn’t remember why but we decided to take the route through the museum. They hadn’t taken me that way last time so I was excited to see a different part of the city. We made it in without any issues. It was when we got to the second floor. Joel had told me to have my gun ready, just in case there were any infected hiding out in there.

Tess was behind me and Joel was leading us. He had his flashlight out lighting the way. I saw it before he did. I man ran out from the shadows straight at him. He had a knife in his hand, ready to attack. Joel’s head was down, trying to get his light readjusted in his grip.

“Joel!” I yelled, getting his attention.

He sidestepped the attack just narrowly missing getting slashed. Now the man was running straight at me. I wasn’t sure what happened, but next thing I knew my ears were ringing, the man had fallen with a thud, and my hands were shaking as they gripped my now-raised gun.

What had I done?

I killed him. I killed someone. They weren’t even infected from what I could tell. Then I heard it. The howling of a dying man. I hadn’t killed him.

“You son of a bitch! You shot me!” He yelled, trying and failing to stop the blood that was coming from his stomach.

I hadn’t really aimed and he was so close that the bullet ripped him up pretty good.

It got worse though. The man had clearly gone insane because next thing I knew, as I stood there in shock, the man took his rusted knife and made a cut at the bullet wound. It wasn’t a huge one, but it was enough that he could stick his own hand into it. And that is what he did. At this point, Tess had grabbed me and was pulling me backward from the way we came and Joel was walking toward us to try and block out the man. He managed to, but not before I saw him pulling out his own intestines as he continued to bellow in pain. The last thing I saw was him finally go limp on the ground.

Once we got out, Jole made sure I was okay. I was still in shock and couldn’t find the strength to speak. So I just let him hold me for a few minutes before he began walking us back toward the QZ.

As we walked to the museum, the scene replayed over and over again in my head. It had traumatized me. Not only was that my first time killing someone, but what he did after being shot scared me. I can still hear his screams in my sleep sometimes.

“Earth to Yn?” Tess’s voice brought me out of my trance.

“Sorry, what?”

“Take this flashlight.” She held it out to me and I took it into my shaking hands.

“Okay, more ground rules,” she said, turning to Ellie, I didn’t listen to them as my eyes met Joel’s.

“You’ve been quiet.” He commented.

“Yeah, just reliving some trauma… you think he’s still in there?” I asked, referring to his dead body.

“Well, I doubt he had some kin to come collect his body.” Joel sassed.

“Joel quit being an ass. You know that scared the fuck out of me. I couldn’t sleep for a month without seeing him.” I said, tears welling up at the thought of it again.

“Hey, I’ll go ahead of you, if he’s there, close your eyes and I’ll guide you past it. Okay?” Tess offered.

I nodded, “Thank you.”

It was so weird that Tess was now being nicer to me since she figured out that I was pregnant. At least someone was, it’s not like Joel has been.

Joel went in first. He poked his head in and made sure the coast was clear once he was sure it was he went in and nodded for us to follow. I was still shaking as I followed him in, followed by Ellie, then Tess. I was zoned out to everything around me. I had one goal and one goal only: get in and get out of here. I vaguely processed Joel and Tess talking about something Ellie found but couldn’t focus enough to catch what was being said.

“Yn, you got that?” Joel asked, stepping in front of me.

“Hm?”

“Silent. Completely silent from now on.” He said and all I could do was nod.

Any other time I would’ve processed why we were being silent, but I just couldn’t right now, but I still went along with it. We made our way up the stairs, my little “friend” was on the second landing. I hesitated as we got closer. I was shocked when Joel stopped and nodded for Tess and Ellie to go passed. He stepped down closer to me and nodded, telling me the body was still there.

“Close your eyes.” He mouthed.

I nodded and did so. Then he grabbed my hand and carefully led me passed him. Joel tapped my arm and my eyes opened, we had made it past.

“Don’t look.” He mouthed before nodding me to go forward.

I went to take a step but something caught my attention. Up at the top of the stairwell, I swore I heard something. I shrugged it off as paranoia and continued to follow Tess up. Once we made it all the way up, Joel took over leading us. I was feeling a bit better having passed the body now, but something felt off.

We made it into an exhibit hall. Joel had once again made sure the coast was clear before we entered. We were back to our original lineup with Joel leading, then me, then Ellie and Tess in the back. I had made it through the doorway and was waiting for Tess and Ellie when I heard a rumbling sound. Just as they were crossing the threshold, the ceiling out in the hallway collapsed sending both of them to the floor. Joel and I were quick to help them up.

Then we heard it. Screeching and then… clicking. There was a Clicker in here with us.

Without saying a word, Ellie stayed behind me as Tess and Joel stayed ahead of me and we all moved together, slowly backing away from where we had heard the noises. I was shaking and had to bite my lip to keep from crying. Why did it have to be a damn Clicker? I would’ve much rather preferred to have another crazed man attack us than have to deal with one of them. It rounded the corner and I looked away, I didn’t even want to look at it.

As we continued to back away, I heard more clicking coming from another hall. When I turned to look, another was stumbling out. Our backs were against a display case as it stumbled around it. I watched in silent horror as it rounded the case and began to walk behind Joel. I was holding my breath to not make any sounds. Then, it all happened so fast. Someone exhaled just loud enough for it to hear. The Clicker turned and screeched at us.

Then, Joel was taking his gun and shooting at it. “Run!” He yelled at us as he tried to fight it off.

I was in complete defense mode and took off running. Tess and Ellie went one way and I split off the other way. I realized it was a stupid idea seeing as I had no idea how the fuck to get out of here and the way we had come in was now blocked off by the collapsed ceiling. It didn’t matter all that did was getting away. I heard thuds and more gunshots as I turned into another part of the exhibit. There were footsteps behind me and turned just in time to see Joel running and pointing for me to go in there. He followed in behind me, bringing the Clicker that was chasing him along with him. He pushed over one of the busts and it hit a glass display case, shattering it and distracting the Clicker. We hid behind a taller one and Joel very quietly reloaded his gun. Once he was done he glanced around us.

Then, he pointed to something past me. I turned and saw Ellie crouching behind a display by herself. I turned back to Joel and nodded before carefully making my way over to her. We got there and got her to follow us. We were inching our way to the other side when the sound of glass crunching under a boot made my heart drop. I barely had time to glance up and see the Clicker jump onto Ellie.

It had her pinned and she was doing her best to keep it away from her. I didn’t hesitate to aim my gun at it. I shot it once, twice before it stumbled off of her. Joel got her up and began rushing away with her. The Clicker stumbled for a moment before running at us once again. I fired at it again and again until it fell to the ground and I emptied two more rounds into its head.

I thought we were clear. I couldn’t hear the other but as I glanced around me I realized that Tess was nowhere to be seen. Then I heard it, the other Clicker. It was running at us before Tess got to it. She hit it with a hatchet which stopped its advances on us as it turned toward her. Joel quickly grabbed his rifle and aimed at it. Within two shots to its head, it too went down.

“Is everyone okay?” Joel asked.

“Twisted ankle, but… yeah.” Tess spoke up first before turning to Ellie, “You alright?”

“Well, I didn’t shit my pants, so…” She said but then rolled up her sleeve, “Well if it was gonna happen to one of us.”

“Hey,” Tess spoke up once again, “Let's get the fuck out of here.”

She began walking towards the window to lead us out and Ellie followed. Joel hung back for a moment.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded knowing he meant if I was physically hurt, which I wasn’t. Tears began to well up in my eyes, quickly wiped them, and just turned to follow the other two out of here. Once we got out, Joel helped Tess wrap her ankle while I helped Ellie cover the wound on her arm. As I tied off the bandage I could feel nausea creeping up my throat. I quickly but carefully hurried across the wooden planks to the other building where it was a bit more flat. I managed to get out of where they would be walking before dropping to my knees and hurling.

Once I was done, I sat back, catching my breath. I felt something tap my shoulder and opened my eyes to see Joel offering me his water canteen. I took it with a small nod.

“This is why you shouldn’t have come out here. It’s gonna get worse before it gets better. It’s still not too late to head back. You know the way back to the QZ from here.” He said gently, clearly trying to comfort me with his tone but his words did the complete opposite.

I spit out the water I was using to get the nasty taste out of my mouth before turning to him.

“You must be out of your damn mind if you think I am going back through there alone. I’ve never been out here by myself before. There ain’t no way in hell I am turning around and heading back by myself. I don’t care if you think it’ll get worse. You made it very clear this is my issue to deal with. If you’ve suddenly had a change of heart we can discuss it when we get back. We won’t be out here forever. We’ll get Ellie to the State House, get a truck, and then go to the radio tower to find Tommy. We’ll be gone a month, two months tops. I’m roughly 7-9 weeks is what the midwife said. So we will have plenty of time to discuss it then. Let’s just take care of this.” I said standing up and handing him back his canteen.

“Wait, you’re pregnant?” Ellie asked from where she stood near Tess.

“Yeah.” I sighed.

“And you came out here?” She was clearly surprised by my choice.

“Yup. Come let’s get moving.” I said, wanting the attention off of me.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Tess said nodding and leading the way.

We made our way to the edge of the building and from there you could see the golden top of the State House.

“Is it everything you’d hope it’d be?” Joel asked her.

“Jury’s still out. But, man, you can’t deny that view.” She said in awe.

“No, no you can’t.” I agreed, stepping up beside her.

“Come on, let’s try to get there before it gets dark.” Tess said before swinging herself around the edge of the rusty old fire escape ladder.

I went to go next.

“Should someone help her?” Ellie asked Joel.

“I got it.” I reassured her.

At least she genuinely cared. She followed behind me, and then Joel. We were pretty high up so it took a little while to climb all the way down.

Tess kept leading the way to the State House. I couldn’t help but feel like she was walking a lot faster than we were earlier. She was also seemingly trying to keep her distance from us. Anytime we tried to catch up too much, she speed up a little more. I wasn’t sure why she was in such a rush all of a sudden. Yes, we were trying to get there before it got dark but we were making good time.

When we finally made it, it was quiet. Too quiet.

“Where the fuck are they?” Tess asked the question that we were all thinking.

It was evident they had been here at some point seeing as there was one of their trucks parked out front still. They should be here. Joel went to check the cab of the truck. With his rifle in hand, he opened the passenger door and threw it open. Empty. However, I could see from where Tess, Ellie, and I were standing that there was blood splattered in the cab. Something had happened to them. Both Tess and I had our guns drawn ready to help Joel should he need it. He disappeared around the other side and when he didn’t signal us to follow or show up again we grew impatient and went to see what he had found.

“What the fuck is going on?” Tess asked.

“I don’t know.” He replied, staring at the empty truck.

“They went inside.”

We all turned to see what Ellie was talking about and sure enough there was a trail of blood leading up the steps. Then, without warning, Tess pushed pasted both Joel and me and grabbed Ellie by the arm, and began forcefully leading her up the stairs.

“Come on!” She said to the girl.

I turned to Joel to see if he had any clues about what just happened but he looked just as confused as I did. We both then followed after them. We were all shocked by what we found when we got inside. Everyone was dead. Tess looked panicked.

“I mean there’s gotta be like a fuckin’ radio or somethin’, right?” She asked as she began to frantically look around.

“Who killed them, FEDRA?” Ellie asked.

“No,” Joel began as he rolled the body closet to him over with his foot, “One of them got bitten. The healthy ones fought the sick ones. Everyone lost.”

I turned to see Tess still frantically looking around for something. “Tess, what’s going on?” “Where did Marlene say she was taking you?” She asked, ignoring my question and quickly approaching Ellie.

“I- I don’t know. Just west.”

“Just west.” She repeated to herself, “Fuck. Okay. Well, I mean, one of them’s gotta have a map on them right?”

Joel and I continued to watch her.

“Can you two help?” She snapped at us.

“No! Tess… it’s over.” Joel said.

“They wouldn’t risk having a map, Tess… I’m sorry.”

“Come on. We’re going home.” Joel said.

“That’s not my fucking home!” She yelled before taking a deep breath and standing back up, “I’m staying,” she said, much calmer, “I mean… our luck had to run out sooner or later.”

“Shit.” I whispered under my breath knowing what she meant.

“She infected.” Ellie said.

I watched Joel, wait to see how he would react.

“Show me.”

“Joel.” She went to take a step towards him only for him to take one back, away from her.

With a sigh, she grabbed the collar of her shirt and jacket and pulled it down revealing the infection at the junctor of her neck and collarbone. I covered my mouth and tried to breathe slowly as I felt a wave of emotions hit me. We may not have always gotten along the greatest but I’ve been around her for so long now that seeing her infected still made me sad knowing this would be the last time we saw her.

“Ellie take off your bandage.” She said.

The girl did as she was told and to my surprise, her bite was already almost completely healed. Tess walked over to Ellie and grabbed her arm to show Joel.

“This is real, Joel. She is real,” She then turned to me, “Promise you’ll get her to Bill and Franks.”

“I don’t know the way.” I said shaking my head.

“He’ll go with you. He would never let you go by yourself. He won’t have a choice but to go. So, please, promise me you’ll get her there. They’ll take her off your hands. They’ll handle it from there.”

I was nodding gas Joel kept saying “no” and arguing that they wouldn’t take her, but Tess was adamant that they would.

“Joel, this is your chance to set it all right. All the shit we did. Please say yes, Joel.” Tess pleaded.

I was watching with teary eyes, not crying yet, waiting for him to agree. But before he got the chance to say anything an infected screeched. I immediately pulled Ellie to stand behind me and brought my gun out and shot it. Joel still hadn’t answered. Instead, he ran towards the door. I was about to ask him what the hell he was doing but as soon as he opened it I heard the snarls of a hoard of infected coming our way. When I shot that one it must have woken all the others nearby.

“How many?” Tess asked.

“All of them.” “How long?” I asked.

“Maybe a minute.”

My heart dropped.

Everyone stood trying to think of something to do, knowing it was practically hopeless. Then, suddenly, Tess grabbed the rifle and walked over to one of the barrels. He knocked its cap off them and dumped its contents onto the floor. She did the same to two more. Then grabbed a basket of grenades and threw them down too.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

“Making sure they don’t follow you.” Tess replied.

When I realized what she was going to do, my heart broke a little.

“Tess.” I began.

“Don’t. Don’t cry me. We never really got along anyways.” SHe joked half heartedly.

I laughed sadly and nodded.

“Hey, take care of them and save who you can save.” She said.

I nodded one last time before turning around.

“Hurry, let's go.” I said, grabbing Ellie’s arm.

“We can’t leave her!” She yelled.

“We have to!” I yelled back, following Joel out of the building.

We had made it less than a hundred yards when the explosion happened. We dropped to our knees for a brief second before standing back up and turning to face the building again. Joel and pulled out our guns, ready to shoot any infected that came our way. I could see them stumbling out of the building, on fire, but none came our way. When we decided we were as safe as we could be, we lowered our guns. I turned to Joel only to find him already staring back at me. Neither of us said a thing. There was nothing to be said. We just turned around and began walking away from the raging fire behind us.

a/n: are y'all okay with this long of parts or would y'all rather me break them up into smaller bits?? So far for this and the last part I've been doing a full ep a part... so would yall rather me keep them shorter or are yall cool with longer ones like this??

taglist: (if you filled out a form and aren't on this list that means either a) your blog is not coming up in the searches so I am unable to confirm that you are 18+, or b) you did not follow my rules for being tagged in this fic)

@sexyvixen7

@joelmillerslays

@elliaze

@little-lovely-darling

@swimmjacket

@watercolorskyy

@mserynlarsen

@sebby-staan

@beelanie

@fan-g0rl

@paige96

@pedropascalfanclub

@ameliadraws

@mavs101

@azerty29

@rileyferg

@belliedellie

@rhaenyrasgf

@imcreepininyourheartbabe

@nani-kenobi

@lunas-sstuff

@holb32

@reidsgubbler

@cleocat246

@novamidoriya

@katmae1997

@dizzywinterdaydream

@mrswidowjohansson

@abzidabzy

@givemeth

@morgaussy

@summerchicken

@kelh27

@ayamenimthiriel

@letmehavemyfictionalmen

@everything-isfucked

@emilyjustemily

@drewharrisonwriter

@littlwitchgoblin

#joel miller x reader fluff #joel miller x pregnant reader #joel miller smut #joel tlou #joel the last of us #joel miller tlou #joel miller x reader #joel miller #the last of us hbo #tlou show #hbo the last of us #hbo tlou #the last of us #pedro pascal joel miller

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barkrry · 2 years

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solaris | harry styles

harry styles x streamer!yn in which you’re a twitch streamer with a following of a couple hundred viewers, and harry (your boyfriend) makes an accidental appearance on your stream She was happily laughing and chatting away to the chat box that would scroll up faster than she could reply. Playing her game, The Sims 4, as she entertained over a hundred people. Unaware of her boyfriend entering their shared house.

“Oh, my gosh! You guys— another baby, really?” She laughed at the redemption her chat pushed through. “Gonna make me lose my damn mind!”

The door behind her pushed open, the little creek that was a dead giveaway that her boyfriend was lurking in her stream room. Looking to the right, her grin grew at the sight of his tired face. He raised his hand in a silent greeting, knowing that if he spoke her mic could pick up on his voice.

“Alright, hold on, guys. The boyfriend just got home, so I’m gonna take a short break— make sure you stretch, take a pee break and get some more water and snacks!” She waved at her camera before pressing some buttons on her stream deck to mute her mic and change to her Be Right Back screen. Before she was turning to him with the biggest grin.

“Hey, Sun,” he greeted her softly, smiling as he stepped inside, knowing it was now safe. “How’s it going today?”

“Really good, how was the studio?” She asked him in reply, leaning back in her chair as he was leaning over her. His hands rested on the arms of her chair.

“It was good, Sarah mentioned coming by— said I’d let you choose when,” he hummed out, as he was leaning down and brushing a gentle, chaste kiss to her lips. “Taste like strawberries,” he mumbled, as he was stealing another kiss from her.

“Wearing your favourite,” she mumbled, enjoying the kisses she was receiving from him. Relishing in his affection, as she cupped his face between her hands gently.

“What challenge are you doing today?” He mumbled between kisses, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stay long before she had to return to her day job.

“100 Baby,” she whispered, smiling as she brushed her nose against his.

He raised his brow, looking down at her as his eyes dropped down to her stomach. “They have you popping out 100 babies?” He asked for clarification.

“No…” she paused, biting at her bottom lip. “They have you popping out a hundred babies,” she informed him, loving the reaction on his face. “Yeah, look,” she said, as she was turning in her chair slightly before her face was falling.

Seeing the chat was flooded with messages, which wasn’t unusual but they were all saying similar things.

⭐️ simsgamer243: omg is that ACTUAL HARRY STYLES????

⭐️ indigoqueen: SOLARIS DATING HARRY!!!!

🗡️ ⭐️ inherfeels: @solaris babe CHANGE SCREEN!!

She stared at the chat going a mile a minute with all similar messages, feeling her entire body go numb as her viewer number was just rising as more and more people found out that Harry was on her stream.

“Sun, what’s going on?” He asked her, his voice full of concern as he followed her line of sight.

On her monitor that didn’t show her game, was her webcam on her main chatting screen. And they were the main focus, as she stared in horror at the fact that they were now officially public.

Then her reflexes kicked in, and she was pressing End Stream on the software before she was sitting back. Harry’s hands rested on her shoulders, rubbing them gently as he tried to calm her down. His phone was already ringing in his pocket, and he knew he should answer it. It was probably Jeff, who would have been informed the second tweets started being made about the stream. But he had far more important things to worry about.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he cooed softly, and they stayed there a while. Him whispering soft reassurances as she recollected herself.

It took him half an hour to calm her down, holding her on his lap, cuddled against his chest as he rubbed her back absent-mindedly. With the position, he was able to reply to the many texts he was receiving from Jeff, and other management. It just didn’t feel real to her, that their bubble had popped. Two years of hard work, gone. By the accidental push of a button.

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles x oc #harry styles x ofc #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfic #hs #twitch streamer yn #harry styles au #solaris universe

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blackgirlwhowrites2k23 · 9 months

Text

Summary: “Fair Date! A surprise invitation to go on a fair date with soccer player Rafael Leao. The fair has always been a delight, filled with laughter, delicious treats, and thrilling rides. Leao is able to spend his break playing games, taking cute pictures, and eating things he never really eats. Amidst playful teasing from the team, their connection grows stronger, culminating in a sweet moment under the twinkling stars.”

A/N: Let’s pretend I’ve been active this whole time! Anyways, here's a Rafael imagine because he’s so precious. In animes/manhwas there’s always a carnival/fair episode so here’s that with Rafael :). I also think I’m going to play around with third person writing more.

Immediately as she steps out of the car and makes way to the front where the pillars that hold the entrance sign stands, she’s brought back to many years past. The neon lights that have been flickering happily since she was a kid are still there. They seem to have faded a bit as time has taken its toll on them. They still flicker as if any moment they might give out, yet they never do.

Her gaze flickers all across the entrance of the lot taking in the absurdity of it all. Just two days ago she had passed by and all that was here was years old cracked asphalt that stretched for a few miles and old NewPort packages discarded like the rest of the lot. Now, not even a full three whole days later and there’s a whole other world built in its wake; that’s the thing about pop up county fairs, they’re always done in some random plot of land. Yet, here they are standing in front of Wonder World, the place of wonder. She cringes at the lack of creativity and how the letters seem haphazardly stuck up there, probably by some miserable teen working part time. She shakes her head and laughs it off, because it definitely fits the whole vibe of the place: mildly concerning yet comforting nonetheless —it’s probably the nostalgia clouding her judgment. Or, as Rafael would put it, the neon sinking into her brain.

She really couldn't believe her luck. It was truly a blessing that her college break, and her boyfriend's downtime would coincide perfectly with the time that the Fair she’s been visiting since she was a child would be back in town. She had been planning on dragging Rafael over here ever since he nonchalantly mentioned that he’d never been to a pop up Fair because one, that sounds super dangerous and two, he wasn’t sure if there had been any when he was growing up since most of his downtime was spent doing un-life threatening things.

As she arrived at the fairgrounds, her heart pounded with excitement. The sights and sounds were a delightful cacophony: laughter from children, the nostalgic jingle of carnival music, and the clinking of colorful lights illuminating the night sky. The aroma of cotton candy and popcorn wafted through the air, and the promise of fun filled every corner of the fair.

Rafael Leao greeted her with a smile that did not reach his eyes that immediately caused her to let out a snicker.

“Okay, you need to chill,” she had to put a hand to cover up her mouth in a failed attempt to stop herself from laughing at his expense.

“I’m chill. Who says I’m not chill. Super chill over here,” she casts him a sidelong glance as if to say yeah right and almost starts to laugh again until she notices the worry etched in his forehead.

Her hand immediately finds him and she sends him a warm smile, in the current lighting and atmosphere it’s hard for him to stay worried any longer from just how much pure excitement is radiating off of her.

“Are we going to go in or are you going to stare at me as we stand at the entrance,” he playfully rolls his eyes as he points with this thumb towards the rest of the Fair.

“Okayy! I wasn’t the one pissing my pants about a county Fair.”

“I was not pissing my pants.”

As the night progressed, they embarked on a whirlwind adventure, going from one ride to another. The roller coasters brought screams of joy, and high pitched screams of terror, which she was almost 99% sure came from her man who had a death grip on her hand. Each time they would get off and head over to the photos of the ride, they always consisted of her looking like she was having the time of her life and him holding on for dear life. In the end, he did end up wanting to ride them more than once.

The Ferris wheel offered breathtaking views of the twinkling lights below. The higher they went the more the outside world slipped away.

As the Ferris wheel gracefully ascended, her and Rafael found themselves in a cozy, swaying carriage, suspended high above the fairgrounds. The warm glow of the neon lights painted the sky with hues of green, blue and pink, creating a romantic ambiance that perfectly complemented the moment.

She couldn't help but giggle as she noticed the hint of nervousness in Rafael's eyes. "Are you scared, Mr. Soccer Star?" she playfully teased, nudging him with her elbow.

Rafael chuckled sheepishly, trying to hide his apprehension. "Maybe just a little," he admitted, glancing at the breathtaking view below. "But I must admit, it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said, her eyes sparkling with wonder as she looked out at the fair from their elevated vantage point. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, even if you were totally pissing yourself at first." She couldn’t help it, she had to tease him just a little, which earned her a playful nudge and wonderful smile.

As the Ferris wheel continued its gentle rotation, their conversation shifted to a different topic. "Can you believe it's been two years already?" Rafael said, his voice tinged with amazement. "Time has flown by so quickly."

She smiled, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "I know, it feels like we met just yesterday. But at the same time, it feels like I've known you forever," He was every bit as charming as she imagined. The rest of the AC Milan team had teased them playful about they’re outing so the groupchat would definitely be spammed with pictures of the night later, on Rafael’s behalf.

Rafael took her hand in his, his touch warm and comforting. "You've brought so much joy into my life," he said sincerely. "I never expected to find someone like you, someone who understands me and supports me unconditionally."

"And you've done the same for me," she replied, her heart swelling with love. "You make me feel special every day, and I'm grateful for every moment we've shared."

As the Ferris wheel reached its peak, the two gazed into each other's eyes, feeling the depth of their connection. Without a word, they leaned in, their lips meeting in a tender and loving kiss. The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them, wrapped in each other's embrace.

In that fleeting moment suspended in time, they knew that this fair date was not just a celebration of their love but a promise of many more years filled with laughter, love, and endless adventures together.

But of course, the night wasn’t over. She had so badly wanted to play her hand at the fair games that she would never seem to win, so they weren’t leaving without winning a few prizes first.

The fair games beckoned them with their colorful displays, and Leao eagerly challenged her to try her luck at knocking down the stacked cans with a softball. With a determined grin, she took the ball in her hand and threw it with precision. Cheers erupted from passersby as the cans came crashing down, and she won Leao a giant stuffed dragon. He had tried after her but he could never seem to hit the mark.

“Not everyone can be a baseball star, babe,” she sends a wink over his way which has him clapping his hands and holding his stomach from how much he’s laughing.

“Oh, so you’re going pro now, huh?” He calms down enough to wipe a tear from his right eye.

“Most definitely. You want me to sign that plushie for you or something?” She brings out a Sharpie from her purse in a faux attempt to sign the bear.

He has to hold onto the game booth to hold himself from how much he’s laughing.

As they strolled through the bustling stalls, she couldn't help but marvel at the variety of delicious treats. She savored the sweetness of caramel apples, the salty goodness of freshly made pretzels, and the indulgence of churros dusted with cinnamon sugar. All of which Rafael had to try first, you know, to make sure they’re safe for the Baseball Star to eat or whatever.

At one point, they stumbled upon a humble photo booth, and they eagerly piled inside. Laughter filled the small space as they posed for silly snapshots, capturing memories they would cherish forever. She felt her heart swell with happiness, and she knew this was a day she would never forget.

As they were about to leave they separated for a moment as she decided she would have to use the restroom before they make the long ride back home. Rafael immediately ran to try his hand at a ring toss game they had passed by, aiming for a shiny prize for his girl. After a few attempts, he managed to land a ring on a bottle, and she happily received a beautiful necklace as a token of their delightful day together.

As the fair drew to a close, the moon stood proudly in the sky as if it were watching the day’s events and filling the sky with a soft luminescent glow. They found themselves sitting side by side on a quiet bench, watching the sky in comfortable silence. He took her hand in his, and she smiled, feeling a sense of serenity in his presence.

In that magical moment, under the fading twilight, Rafael Leao leaned in and whispered, "You've made this day truly unforgettable." Her heart fluttered as she replied, "You're lucky I was able to free up because of my busy schedule. This was a cute little date or whatever."

“Yeah, the neon is definitely sinking into your brain. It’s making you delusional, babe,” she feigned offense for a moment before she sighs dramatically and looks away.

“Boy, you know you love me!” She’s definitely not fighting back a smile.

He softly grabs her chin and turns her to look up at him as they sit on the bench and the world fades away for the final time that day.

“Yeah, I really do.”

As the stars began to twinkle above them, she knew she had found something extraordinary in this unexpected fairytale romance. The night may have ended, but their love story was just beginning.

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aeon-borealis · 8 months

Text

I'm trying to get back into fic-writing. There's an idea dump for "One Word: Revenge" sitting in my drafts and I'm really hoping to get that one started before October 31.

My latest attempt at writing anything AleHeather is based on an ask I got awhile ago about Heather cheering up Alejandro. Honestly, I want the full fic done before answering it. For some context, Alejandro and Heather are in their late twenties and living together.

Here's what I have so far:

At the beginning of the week, Alejandro had been as clean-cut, attentive, and affectionate as ever. He enjoyed doing small things like opening the door when Heather took off for work, breakfast in bed, covering her shoulders with his cardigan if she dozed off in the armchair. But as the week wore on, it was a miracle if he peeled himself out of bed before noon. It started with his shirts slowly covering up more skin. He’d progressed from shirt collars with four buttons undone to a food-stained tank top.

His hair was up more often and there were more flyaways and dandruff than the day before. Oatmeal with peach slices or berries was switched out for bowls of Heather’s Cheerios. He’d even grabbed the cheat day chocolate corn flakes. He hated chocolate. Yet the man that gave Blue Apron meal kits a run for their money was scraping the sides of a bowl with cocoa-drenched milk and soggy scraps of cereal stubbornly clinging to the ceramic.

Heather scrunched her brow. She wasn’t good at this. Out of everybody she knew and gave a shit about, Alejandro was one of only two people she could have intimate conversations with. And usually, he took the initiative and started said difficult conversations when they needed to. Something was fucked enough that he wasn’t willing to launch that attempt; either that, or he didn’t have the energy? Heather was wondering if he might be depressed?

She wouldn’t be surprised. She definitely was, but by her therapist’s definition, they were both high-functioning. No...the horrible honest truth was that she was stubbornly brute-forcing her way through trauma while Alejandro had immediately sought out meds, therapy, and approaching his issues with a fine-toothed comb. The man knew how to play the long game even when it seemed like life was fucking him extra hard.

“Alejandro….?” Her throat felt like it was full of extra thick tar.

“Hrmmm…” When he looked up, it was hard to not just stare at the deep eye bags and extra forehead wrinkles.

“Are you okay?”

Alejandro looked at her for a long few seconds, blinked, and groaned. He ran his fingers through hair at the base of his neck as he shook his head. “No.”

At that, she waited. She met his eyes and when it became excruciating to keep looking into that goose egg green, she moved her gaze between his thick brows. Despite herself, she felt the impulse to chase down a pair of tweezers and start plucking at the more unkempt hairs. How many small things did he do that she was only now becoming painfully aware of? The list was growing longer and becoming a weight pressing down on her shoulders.

“Ah….” She rolled her hand in what she hoped was a “go on…” gesture.

“I answered your question. I’m not okay.”

“Yeah…?”

He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his pathetic cereal scraps.

“Alejandro….” Heather used a stern tone of voice.

He looked at her briefly, lips drawn into an intense scowl. For a moment, he was winding up to say something from how his shoulders moved and brows carved into his face. Just as quickly, he turned back away. Shoulders slumped. The spoon stopped picking at the bowl. Then he turned again but Heather saw this utterly defeated look cross his face before it was just his back.

Frustrated, she picked up her bowl, scooped up his bowl and walked past him into the kitchen. Her heart ached as she looked at him again in the other room. While he was only a few steps away, the distance felt like miles from the Arctic breeze wafting off of him.

Everything about his closed-up posture screamed “fuck off.” Heather was way too familiar with people turning their backs to her or pretending she was invisible. Every instinct was itching to stomp over, grab Alejandro’s shoulder, spin him around, and scream in his face. Scream until her face turned bright red.

Instead, she sighed heavily and quickly sped out of the room.

----

“It’s been awhile! I’m happy to hear from you, Heather.”

Heather wished she had an old cord phone instead of a glorified Star Trek brick so she had something to fidget with right now.

“How are-?” There was a loud scream and several giggles in the background. Carlos shushed and spoke softly to a small babbling child before he returned and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’m in the middle of babysitting my niece. Athena’s taking over in a few minutes, so bear with me.”

“I can’t wait for your own little gremlins!” Heather started pulling at the rubberband around her wrist. She didn’t pick at her nails for years, but then she met Alejandro’s brother’s fiance Athena. She was a ball of anxious energy with a high-pitched voice; the kind of person Heather judged harshly, the kind of person she would have demolished on Total Drama. Instead, they bonded over Athena’s huge stash of glitter pens and somehow, Heather found the older sister she never knew she wanted. It was Athena’s fault that Heather was back to fighting that terrible nail-picking habit she thought she’d conquered at age nine.

“They’ll be visiting Aunty Heather often,” Carlos chuckled. “So, what’s up?”

“How do I put this?” Heather groaned. “Alejandro’s pretty much shut down. He’s letting himself go. Like, not doing his hair and wearing sweats all the time. It’s...kinda how you described happened after World Tour?”

Carlos hissed and took a long breath.

“Make sure World of Warcraft isn’t installed on his computer…”

“He only has Zelda games and some DDR like stuff.”

#aleheather #alejandro x heather #tdwt alejandro #tdwt heather #total drama world tour #total drama heather #fanfic #aleheather fanfic #to be continued #draft

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the-type-a · 8 months

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Duncney Week 2023

(9•10) Day 1: Admitting Feelings

AO3 | FanFic | TikTok | Twt

There It Is

(Read under break)

It had to be hours since the most recent Killer Bass elimination. The plan had gone accordingly; Tyler was now miles away from the island. Yet, a strange feeling crept up on Duncan as he forced his feet to the familiar campsite. His mind replayed the last few hours.

“You guys better vote for Tyler.”

Harold and Sadie shared a look before Harold asked why.

“Because all he had to do was sit on the ground with a few baby chicks and blew it!”

“Yeah, but Courtney’s the reas–”

Duncan grabbed Harold by the shirt, lifting him slightly off the ground. Harold gulped as Sadie covered her eyes at the possible unfolding brawl.

“Okay, we’ll vote Tyler! Gosh!”

Duncan’s red Converse kicked dirt as he shuffled up the tiny hill. Why had he forced those two dweebs into voting off the jock? It’s not like they were wrong. Courtney had been a reason the team lost today, but she was also why many faced their fears. Especially him. His hands bawled into fists as he recalled how her silky hand molded into his callused one. The way she lowered her voice to assure him everything would be okay. The way she encouraged him to no end. Fuck, he hoped the cameras missed the way he softened to her.

His mind argued with him as he approached the uneven stumps of that campfire pit. He couldn’t possibly like her. She was everything he hated: a stuck-up princess, a goody two shoes, yet she had a side to her he had only caught glimpses of. Her freckles popped up from the bridge of her nose when she was flustered. The way her composer would relax whenever she was high off of adrenaline to help the team win—still, the thought of actually having a heart made Duncan want to vomit.

He reached his destination and sat looking into the fire's dying embers. He’d shove those feelings aside. There was no way a chick would change his stance in the game, let alone one so high and mighty. His thoughts were cut by the sudden drop of logs into the pit. The fire sprang freely; his face would have taken a few burns if he hadn't moved in time.

The teen punk looked past the flames and saw her. Courtney. She was dusting her hands off on her pants as she sat back down on a stump. She looked relieved yet angry, which was insane for Duncan to think about, seeing as he was the sole reason she was still on this stupid island.

He studied her for a moment. The flames made her skin glow slightly darker, and her eyes reflected the dancing flames. She ran her fingers through her thick hair with a sigh before making eye contact with him.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” She snarled.

Something snapped in him. Every sane part of him told him he hated this girl. Yet he found himself smirking at her foul words. Something about the way she wasn’t afraid to challenge him stirred a mix of emotions within him. He liked it. She was bold, aggressive, and dare he say a beautiful representation of the female population.

He liked her. Fuck it, he liked her a lot.

—

Courtney was trying to have a few moments to herself when she noticed Duncan sitting across from her. She was over today’s challenge and was confident she’d be sent packing, but she didn’t question her safety as Tyler sailed away on the boat of losers.

Everything about the past couple of days had been a major fuck up. The alleged cuddling with said Neanderthal, her reaction to that stupid dessert, her unbelieved display of affection in helping said Neanderthal face his fear, just to top it off with chickening out of her own. She was a complete failure. A complete joke. If she prayed hard enough, none of the final edits would keep her stupid encounters with Duncan. She could not believe she even let herself get so close to him more than once!

Enough was enough. That sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach would cease whenever he called her some stupid nickname. The way her heart raced when the two made sudden eye contact would simply go away if she kept her focus on the game. She was here to win, not make friends– or whatever he would be subcategorized as.

She’d think Duncan thought she respected him if she knew any better. Heck, liked him even. Now more than ever after that pathetic pep talk. God, how had she gotten so lost in the moment that she hugged him? Her eyes narrowed as she thought about how his fingers squeezed her waist just before everyone approached them. That simply could not continue.

Courtney caught him staring at her through the flames. Some of her was thankful for the fire, and she was sure her face was heating up more. She needed to come off as unappealing as ever to return to the zone. Without thinking, she snarled at him vulgarly, but the sudden attack didn’t meet her with the wanted scoff and possible disappearance of the punk. No, it slapped her face with that cocky smirk that twisted her insides.

Fuck. She liked him, and she hated herself for it.

#the-type-a #duncney #duncney week #duncney week 2023 #td courtney #td duncan #total drama courtney #total drama duncan #day 1 #admitting feelings #my wrtitng

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dumbass-tumbler-cryptid · 9 months

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Okay, no pressure, basically for us readers, the more time you spend on it, the better the end result will be <3. Do you have a snippet you could share?

Sure! I was planning on posting two snippets today from drastically different endings just to highlight the complete vibe shifts that occurs night by night just depending on what i feel like working on.

So these are both different ending from the scenario where Spider gets extremally sick forcing Quaritch to take him back.

this is from the ending where the Stockholm syndrome wins out and Spider stays with his dad.

********************************************************************** He was taking a break by the pond, eating a ham and cheese sandwich out of his backpack when a faint rustling caught his eye. When he turned to look in the bushes, golden brown eyes hungrily stared back at him. Miles could tell that the poor dog was starving. Even obscured in shadow he could see the dog’s ribs under its speckled coat. “Come here puppy dog.” Miles coaxed holding out part of his sandwich. Hesitantly the dog crept forward , gingerly taking the food from him. Then he held out his hand for the dog to sniff. It must have still smelt like lunch because the dog began to lick him.

Now in the light he could see that the dog was a girl. She had a collar around her neck with no tags. Miles couldn’t believe that in a small town like this a lost dog wouldn’t immediately be found. From her clear neglect and from the way she would flinch whenever Miles moved his hands too fast, he came to the conclusion that she had been abused and abandoned.

He spent the next two hours earning her trust, giving her snacks from his backpack, gentle pets, and speaking to her softly. By the time his Pa called him to come home for dinner, Cupcake the dog dutifully trailed by his side. “I’m home!” He called out, holding the door open for his new dog.

“Welcome back.” Pa answered from the kitchen, “You're just in time, dinner is almost ready. Go wash up and I’ll - What the fuck is that!” If a dog could glaire Cupcake definitely aimed one at his father.

Miles was not fazed. “I found a dog.”

“And who the fuck said you could get a dog because it sure as shit wasn’t me.”

Miles pointed at Cupcake, “she said I could get a dog.”

“Get in the car,” Pa said, grabbing his keys, “we’re taking that mangy mutt to a shelter.”

“Pa, no! She needs a home! We’ve got plenty of space. I promise I’ll take really good care of her. I’ll go give her a bath right now, and I’ll take her for walks every day and make sure she’s well fed, and I’ll clean up after her…”

“Okay okay, I get it tiger.” Pa sighed heavily as he thought about it. “If I have to do one thing for that mutt then she is gone you hear me.”

Miles brightened, relieved as he ran to give his Pa a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll take such good care of her. I promise.”

Pa ruffled his son’s hair, as he looked over the boy’s shoulders to the dog making herself right at home on their living room couch. “Does this dirty dog have a name?”

“Yeah! It’s Cupcake.”

Pa sighed again, obviously not a fan, “why Cupcake?”

His son just shrugged. “I don’t know. Just felt like it fit her.”

“Okay well, can you get Cupcake off my damn couch and get her into the tub before she mucks up the whole place.”

“Yes sir!”

*******************************************************************

And this is from the ending where Spider tries to run but Quaritch catches him.

*******************************************************************

“I can’t take living like this anymore!” Miles screamed, his voice horse and broken. “What the hells the end game Pa? When do I get to have my freedom back? When do I get to start living my life again!?”

“Freedom…” his father sneered, “…you're a child. You need discipline. Structure…”

“I’m seventeen!” Pa gave a sharp tug on his hair to silence him.

“A child.” Pa growled, “you are mine.You hear me!? I saved you from people that couldn’t give two shits about you. I gave you a home. Everything you could possibly want. I love you so much. And you throw all that right back in my face!”

“This isn’t love! You took me away from everything I’ve ever known. You isolated me, tied me up. You’re nothing but a monster!” Miles' throat started to close off, tears welling in his eyes, as the weight of admitting the abuse he went through weighed on him. Pa was unmoved.

“I’m the monster? For feeding you. Clothing you. Putting a roof over your head and caring for you with everything that I have. That makes me a monster?” Pa’s eyes pierced his soul, his voice calm but ice cold. “Tell me son, out of every family that has ever taken you in can you really say that they loved you?”

Miles immediately wanted to say the Sully’s but he couldn’t make his mouth form the words. He knew the Sully’s were still looking for him. Had hired a private investigator to try and find him. But was that a sign of love, or was that just out of obligation? Because he had only been living with the Sully’s for a few month at the time of his kidnapping. Sure he had bonded with the Sully kids quickly. Regardless, a month wasn’t enough time to truly love someone. He was in and out of their lives like a stray cat.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Pa dropped his grip, allowing Miles' head to slump forward as the fight drained out of him. “I’ve read your medical records. I know you weren’t getting fed properly. Had to fend off the other unwanted brats locked up in that orphanage of yours. Your clothes were alway worn and full of holes. Probably belonged to five other kids before you. You were tossed from one place to another at the convenience of your so-called “caretakers.” I rescue you from all that, give you a stable, loving home and you spit in my face and call me a monster.” Pa shook his head sadly, “You're more broken than I thought.”

Miles said nothing, feeling utterly defeated. The facts of the matter were completely true. He did have to fight over table scraps with all the other group home kids too small, weak or slow to get to meals first. He had grown up wearing thread bare hand- me- down. He was passed around from foster family to foster family like it was absolutely nothing, effortlessly uprooting his entire life at the drop of a hat. Miles would never claim that anyone from his past life had loved him, but they still cared for him. That wasn’t nothing.

Pa sat beside him, placing a hand on the back of Miles neck, sending chills up his spine. Pa gently rocked him back and forth in an attempt at comfort. Miles felt the fear of God paralyze him instead. “You know I was always watching over you. Everyday I was powerless as I watched those bastards mistreat you. Neglect you. Other kids got adopted but not you. Because nobody wanted you. Every foster family you’ve ever had, including those Sully’s, just took you in for the money. Once they got their check they tossed you away again. Hell, the Sully’s made it easy as pie for me to take you back. If they actually cared they would never have let you skate to school all by yourself. And the only reason they hired that so-called private investigator was to protect their image, not because they actually want you back.” That wasn’t true. Miles chanted inside his head willing his father’s words to be lies even as he inwardly recoiled at their validity. Pa tsked at him, “your just so sad son. Those monsters treated you like you were nothing, starved you for attention so badly, that you believe a crumb of kindness is actually care. I give you the whole damn cookie and you don’t even know what to do with it.” Tears sprung to Miles' eyes no matter how hard he tried to push them down. Pa’s hand dropped from his neck, moving to his shoulder to pull him into a side hug, Miles limp head falling onto his fathers shoulder. “I am the only one in this entire world that truly loves you Miles.” The tears began to fall in earnest now, little gaspes and sniff escaping him as he cried. “I am the only person in this world who truly, deeply cares about you. And one way or another, I’ll make you see that.”

#spider socorro #miles quaritch #miles spider socorro #colonel miles quaritch #cabin in the woods #my fanfic

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masterwords · 7 months

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Hi !! How are you ?

If possible 33 or 43 for your kiss game ?

Hiii! I am great! How are you? I hope things are going well for you!

I went with 43 for this one (A kiss to a scar, birthmark, injury, or other marking), but I will totally also do 33 and tag you because I have IDEAS.

But for this one I went with the scar and I was kind of missing my wacko super dark Foyet universe so I set this a year after the ending events of The Silence Drowns - a very dark exploration of the Foyet arc but heavily involving Derek. You don't have to necessarily read through that monsterpiece first (although it's a fun read for October), all you really need to know is that through the wild chain of events at the end Hotch ends up with a wicked facial scar...and that's the basis of this little one-shot. (1.5k words of Hotch getting ready to return to work after a long leave of absence.)

(Send me a kiss (or LOTS of them) and I'll write you some hotchgan!)

Jessica’s small hands worked over the silk of his tie, small fingers knotting the blue fabric expertly. He could do it himself but she wanted to do it and he’d been forced over the last year to let go. Let people help. There were months in there that he couldn’t do much of anything on his own, and that people were willing to do things for him was a miracle not lost on his lonely heart. Now that he was capable, now that he’d healed, he had resumed his normal activities but Jessica still insisted sometimes. It wasn’t so bad, even if his hands wanted something to do. They would have plenty once he was in his office, once he was at his desk, back in action.

It had been a year since Foyet entered his home for a second time. A year since Derek was bleeding out on his floor, since Jessica shot him, since his knife sliced through Hotch’s face and left him with a permanent reminder he couldn’t hide of a waking nightmare. A year and he still couldn’t bring himself to look in the mirror, not directly. He would approach from an angle, zero in on his shoulders or his hair, let his focus go slack when it came to his face. His mind refused to process any real features, just slid right over like there was nothing there at all. The surgeons had tried to get him to see it, after they’d done what they could to mitigate the scarring, after they’d proudly displayed their work to Jessica who had accompanied him to every single visit no matter how short, no matter that he didn’t need a chaperon or a driver or moral support or whatever it was she was calling herself that day.

What it really was, they both knew, was guilt. She’d done this to him. Yeah, she’d also saved his life, but there was no perspective shift that could take away the knowledge that what she did would always be written on his face.

Sometimes she was too attentive. He had to swat her away sometimes, but her guilt was a powerful thing and she fought him ruthlessly. Eventually he just gave in. He could see it in her eyes every single time she looked at him and sometimes he had to turn away to save her from herself. “He’s alive because of you, sis,” Haley told her at least once a week. “We all are.”

So now he was going back to work even though the Bureau offered him full pension. He’d been through a year of mandated therapy, he still had some lingering signs of PTSD but none that seemed to concern anyone about him returning to the field. He passed all of their tests, had them all believing he was just as good as he was before. Physically he was as fit as he’d ever been. Derek was working him to the bone, exhausting every outlet for fitness. They went for five mile runs in the morning, met at Sam Cooper’s gym over lunch and hit the swimming pool before dinner. Hotch hadn’t been working but he began adhering himself to Derek’s schedule to get himself back into it when the pull to sleep in and take naps started getting a foothold in his life. Derek actually thought those things weren’t so bad, he was sleeping regularly for the first time in his life. But if he wanted to get back to work, he couldn’t afford that kind of luxury for long. And he did want to go back to work, because at the end of the day...if he didn’t, what else would he do? Who was he if not SSA Hotchner?

“How do I look?” he asked, already knowing she was going to say something nice whether it was true or not. He looked scary, that’s how he looked. When Jack’s friends saw his face they visibly changed, they would look away, or ask him what happened and why he looked like a villain. That was in sweaters, cashmere sweaters...he could only imagine how bad it would be now, in a full suit. But Jessica ran her hands down his tie, she’d chosen one of his favorites, a sleek blue and silver Gucci that meant business. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, brushing a piece of lint away and smiled.

“Like a million bucks.”

He smiled and shook his head, and when he smiled his eyes crinkled and the scar melted and everything looked a little off but it wasn’t so noticeable then. She told him so plenty of times, that this was his excuse to smile more. The scar almost made him look happier. He would have to take her word for it, he didn’t feel much like looking for himself.

Derek came by to pick him up early so they could go get some coffee, slowly ease into the day. It had been a year and while their relationship had taken the fast track thanks to Foyet, they were now slowing things back down. Enjoying the light stage, the picking each other up instead of living together buying each other flowers for date nights and simply being excited to see one another phase. After everything they’d been through, Haley and Jessica both rolled their eyes and told them they were being ridiculous, that they should just get married – it wasn’t as if they didn’t already know each other inside and out. But they wanted the luxury of slow and fun. Of anticipation. (And some part of Hotch thought it would be easier to take rejection once Derek decided he didn’t want to be attached to a man whose face looked...like this.)

“What time is the moron picking you up?”

“Seven,” Hotch replied without missing a beat. She had rude nicknames for both of them and they rarely repeated day to day. She had an arsenal of insults waiting in the wings. “You don’t have to stay.”

“I want to. This is exciting. I feel like I’m sending my kid off to his first day of kindergarten.”

Hotch rolled his eyes but there was the smile again, the smile that was infectious. There was a time there that she wondered if she would ever see it again.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year.”

“I can’t believe it hasn’t been longer. You’ve aged me at least ten years, maybe more, with all of this. Look at all of these gray hairs, Aaron. I used to be a young, vivacious blonde...now look at me!”

“You’re more beautiful than ever. Meaner too.”

A knock at the door startled them both. Derek had a key, and they both assumed he would use it, but when Jessica rushed out to peer through the peephole she sighed. “Moron is here.”

“He knocked,” Hotch muttered, slipping a pill box into his briefcase. His body wouldn’t allow him to forget it, not anymore. Jess stepped back so he could open the door and he was met with Derek in a suit and tie, holding a bouquet of bright red roses. An arm full. Hotch took the flowers and said good morning, inviting Derek in so he could put the roses into some water before they left. Derek always brought flowers, or coffee, or beer. Derek never showed up empty handed.

“You ready?” Derek asked as Hotch grabbed his briefcase and approached the door.

“Yes,” he said quietly. Derek reached up, cupped his jaw with one hand and rubbed his thumb along the ridge of scar that extended from the corner of Hotch’s mouth up into his cheek. The permanent smile that drew the corner of his lip upward just a bit even when he wasn’t smiling. He leaned forward and kissed it, right at the corner of his mouth, and then another and another drawing slowly up the line. Hotch couldn’t help turning his face in to the kiss, cold hands slipping inside the warmth of Derek’s jacket, the memory of all of the kisses that had been laid against that scar over the last year. Kisses that had done more for him than the surgeons, had done more for Jessica than encouraging words. If Derek could love it, she could live with being its unwilling creator. Derek had kissed it every day since it was a swollen mound of stitched flesh beneath gauze. He kissed it when Hotch was in pain, he lay ice against it and re-packed the gauze. He kissed it when the stitches were removed, when Hotch could speak and eat again, while it healed. He kissed it as it changed from angry red to streaky violet and indigo to pale pink to something soft and silvery peach with a thread thin purple fault line, dimpling his cheek, curving and dipping and climbing like ivy.

“Gorgeous,” he whispered with a smile, his lips finding their way back to Hotch’s, taking him in a long, slow kiss. If Jessica wasn’t standing right there, he might have decided to take a little detour. “You look gorgeous. Welcome back, SSA Hotchner.”

“Ugh. Barf. Get a room.”

“This is my apartment,” Hotch said quietly, his eyes never leaving Derek’s, his lips desperate for another kiss. But they had to leave, they had places to be. “Shall we?”

“Let’s do this.”

#aaron hotchner #derek morgan #jessica brooks #criminal minds #hotchgan

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bowiebond · 1 year

Note

nancy as a very bratty omega and eddie as a very gentle but stern alpha >>> like. eddies in a rut and she takes care of him

I am a SUCKER for a/b/o omg— (sorry Anon but there is always lore with me alright—)

I can totally see Nancy being that empowered, feminist omega who rolls her eyes at the thought of being tied down to some brutish alpha. Steve loved her but he presented as omega during their relationship and it ruined his dream of making a family together one day, so they split mutually. Jonathan was a sweet beta, but he was too pliant — and while she liked to push buttons, she wasn’t looking to dominate him. She prided herself in being an open-minded omega but her and Jonathan just didn’t work like that and well — it fell apart. Which sucked. At least they were still friends.

Nancy doesn’t really surround herself with alphas outside the sleezebags at her work or jocks at school. Her circle of friends were primarily betas or omegas. Even her brother was leaning towards likely being a beta or omega, despite his scowling and huffing.

So Eddie is new. Different. She’s not used to alphas who aren’t assholes or looking down their noses at her in their small rural town. She’s full of attitude when they meet, smelling his designation on him with ease. Eddie doesn’t hide his scent with blockers or suppressants — it’s too expensive to buy that shit every month.

Before Eddie presented, he had been rowdy but harmless. It wasn’t until he was living with Wayne that he presented, given the safe environment for his body to allow it. Wayne, an alpha himself, had prided himself in teaching Eddie how to be a gentlemen. He learnt the old-fashion tips and tricks in wooing and spent his own time learning the more modern day versions of things (also a lot of members in the dnd club were also omegas/betas looking to escape from reality so he got to talk to a lot of them about their own experiences).

Eddie doesn’t care that Nancy’s an omega, not really; when he first meets her he just thinks she’s kind of a snob. Except then she kicks ass and he’s practically vibrating with “oh now I get it, Harrington, holy shit, she’s so cool???”

I don’t think Nancy would have pursued him first. Eddie had to take the reins. Did the subtle stuff first; standing just a bit closer, chatting her ear off, asking about her interests and hobbies, opens doors for her. Once Nancy’s let her guard down a little, she would have started to see Eddie as more than just a knothead alpha.

That’s when Eddie ups his game; giving her little notes and flowers, offering his jacket to her so she smells like him, taking her out to eat outside of their usual group. Nancy can see from a mile away what he’s doing but…if she’s honest, she wants to see where it’ll go. She’s never dated an alpha before. She’s curious if he’ll show his true colours and end up being a massive douchebag like most of the ones she’s met.

Except Eddie isn’t. He’s snarky and a bit obnoxious at times, but he’s a genuine listener, enjoys hearing about her omega rights discussions, listens to the omega-led bands she suggests. Never attempts to go further than she allows, likes he’s nervous, and that’s surprisingly cute. All his attempts at scenting her comes off like he’s an excited puppy edging towards a new toy that’s been gifted to him and she can never say no. Pretty much everyone knows he’s old-school courting her, even asks her dad if he has his permission.

Ted Wheeler doesn’t give it, but Nancy assured him she doesn’t care for that tradition anyway. That her dads an old fart. She instead goes to Wayne and asks him if she can ‘court’ Eddie and Eddie positively melts because oh yeah, it’s embarrassing but super fuckin sweet watching the tiny omega stand before his homes Alpha and ask for, like, his hand.

Nancy gets permission and suddenly it’s like all cards are off the table. Old fashioned or not, Eddie is as horny as she is. He’s got great self restraint, but there’s only so much he can take when Nancy looks up at him through her lashes and tells him to ‘make me’ over every little disagreement.

Eddies gentle at first because well…she’s stubborn and proud, but she’s also so tiny, delicate even, and he doesn’t want to hurt her. He feels clumsy honestly, fumbling, because where she’s had two partners, he’s a virgin who’s only ever had a handjob for weed before.

Nancy’s never been one to dominate, she’s not interested in it, but there is a heady feeling in seeing how worked up he is over her, riling him up with her words and body until gentle gets thrown out of the window. She’s pretty sure she’s addicted to the feel of being knotted now, of being truly desired, jumping on Eddie’s dick any chance she can.

She’s not a fan of the coughed whispers of ‘slut’ or the snide comments from coworkers when they catch whiff of a ‘broke alpha’ on her. But seeing the way Eddie lights up when she visits is worth it. It’s worth it when Eddie will drop by her work with lunch and a rub of his cheek against her scent glands; providing and receiving affection back in return. Before Eddie, Nancy would have rolled her eyes and called it stupidly primal, but she can see he genuinely enjoys this. Being what an alpha is supposed to be; a nurturer. A carer who provides for their omega.

In return, she allows herself to be more instinctual. Purrs quietly when he hugs her, buries her nose in his neck when she’s upset, cooing when Eddie comes to her looking for comfort. It should feel ridiculous, but there’s a certain comfort in sinking into her designation around him. Like being an omega is a part of her that’s allowed to flourish around him rather than a label society put on her to force her into a cage.

Their rut and heat won’t sync until they bond, so it’s a heavy discussion when his rut rolls around, a good two months before her heat.

“You don’t have to…be here for it. But I’d like it if I could have something of yours to ground myself during it?” He’s pink in the face when he asks and Nancy imagines it; Eddie in rut with one of her sweaters. She has omega friends with alpha partners. Knows far too well that she won’t be getting it back clean or possibly even without tears.

The idea makes her ache in a way he can smell and she’d be embarrassed if she didn’t know she was about to blow his mind by climbing into his lap and kissing him.

“Let me help you through it. Someone has to take care of you during your downtime. Make sure you eat, drink…”

He looks like he wants to devour her and it makes a shiver run down her spine, heat blooming low in her belly.

Nancy books the week off when he starts smelling of pre-rut, the scent intoxicating to her and rancid to Wayne who decides to stay in a motel for the next week.

I love the idea of Nancy taking care of Eddie <3 there’s so many fics about alphas taking care of their omegas during their heat, but Nancy would absolutely take it upon herself to make sure he ate and stayed hydrated between rounds.

He gets a little wild and eager, his self control hanging by a thread when in rut, but Nancy finds she kind of likes it. Likes that he wants her so badly, pawing at her thighs and burying his face between her legs or in her neck, finding any excuse to keep drowning in her scent. His teeth constantly nip and gnaw at the patch covering her mating gland and it’s endearing to her honestly. They both agreed she should wear it during his rut, mostly because Eddie didn’t trust himself not to try and bond with her while he’s high on his natural instincts.

After three days of near constant fooling around and being crushed under Eddie’s weight as he attempts to cuddle her like a dog that doesn’t realise they’re too big for it, Nancy gets them both showered and fed a proper meal (and not just protein bars and quick snacks this time).

It’s mostly a blur to Eddie, but he’s practically glowing, not feeling like an icky starving mess like he usually does after a rut.

He’s way too excited for her heat to come around next so he can return the favour, rubbing his cheek into her uncovered neck. It’s gonna be obvious to everyone what they did, but neither have any shame in their relationship. Nancy has no qualms being tied to a ‘broke alpha’ brimming with passion and ambition, and Eddie is just beaming with pride at having stolen the ‘prissy princess’ of Hawkins off the market, impatient to see her takes the world by storm.

They drive each other crazy some days, but they’ve both set their hearts into this being a long-term — maybe forever — kind of thing. They’ll be just fine.

#eddie munson #nancy wheeler #a/b/o #edancy #edancy lemon #omega Nancy wheeler #alpha Eddie munson

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densi-mber · 1 year

Text

A Friendly Competition

A/N: Now for some pure silliness. Set post Deeks’ time at FLETC.

***

“Ah, the returning hero!” Sam said grandly, standing like he was announcing the entrance of royalty.

Deeks accepted the the teasing with good grace, pausing in the middle of the bullpen with Kensi by his side while the rest of the team applauded. It was his first, official day back from FLETC.

Grinning, Sam gave him a firm hug, squeezing his shoulder.

“So, how’s it feel, Investigator Deeks?”

“A little surreal, difficult at times. Glad I don’t have to take anymore tests,” Deeks summed up, and Nell scoffed.

“Oh, please. Deeks, you were gone for weeks. We need more than that!”

“He’s been surprisingly reticent,” Kensi spoke up. She patted his shoulder. “But I’ve been able to weasel a few things out of him. From all accounts, his performance was very impressive.”

“Kens.” Deeks dipped his head in embarrassment, but Kensi ignored his protest.

“From what I heard, he was at the top in all his classes, he tutored some of the other candidates, and, they even asked him to present one time,” Kensi filled in proudly.

“Wow, that is impressive,” Callen commented. “Especially from a guy of your advanced age.”

“G, you’re older than Deeks.” Sam game him a perturbed look.

“True, but I was not the one who had to pass FLETC. Because I’m not a glutton for punishment.”

“Well, congratulations, Deeks,” Eric offered, speaking over Sam and a Callen as they continued to bicker. “It sounds like you did really well.”

“Thanks, man.”

“I’m just sad I wasn’t there to see it all,” Nell said mournfully. “Especially your final run.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention that Deeks also had the fastest time for his last run.” Kensi grinned up at Deeks. “He’s going to get a little plaque and everything.”

“Nice. I was very much middle of the pack during my training.” Making a face, Nell made a gesture to her body as a whole. “I can’t keep up with you people and freaking long legs.”

“You know, I think I could still keep up if I had to do it all over again,” Sam mused. “I’ve kept in shape.”

“I seem to recall that you had issues with speed. Something to do with being too bulky, wasn’t it?” Callen said. Sam’s expression turned truly menacing, but Callen just grinned, completely unbothered.

“I tripped over a root. My speed was fine.”

“Yeah, I think I ran into that root a couple times, too,” Deeks said, chuckling.

“What about you, Kensi?”

“For sure.” She answered without hesitation. “I bet I could even beat Deeks.”

He raised his brows in surprise, not sure when she had gone from supportive to competitive.

“Oh, really?” He crossed his arms, staring his down. “Would you like to put a wager on that?”

“What did you have in mind?”

Deeks considered the possibilities for a second.

“If I win, you have to fill out my expense reports for a week.”

“And if I win, which I will, you wash my laundry for a week,” Kensi decided. He chuckled, because of course after all this time, she’d still do anything to get out of housework.

“I accept your bet.”

“I’ll put two weeks of coffee runs on Sam,” Callen added.

“Why the hell are you bringing me into this?” Sam asked, quickly switching from amusement to disbelief and annoyance.

“Are you saying you can’t compete?” Callen raised one eyebrow in an obvious taunt.

“Of course not. I’m in.” Sam scowled at everyone, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Now let's get this over with.”

“Anyone else want to join in?”

“Oh no, I am completely fine just keeping everyone time,” Nell said, naturally appointing herself as racing secretary. “I’ll grab my stopwatch, you guys better change.”

***

Half an hour later, they’d gathered outside behind the mission. While the participants changed into running clothes, Nell and Eric marked off a mile-long track.

Kensi was performing a series of stretches while Sam paced angrily. Deeks decided on a set of warmup squats, in part because it helped loosen up his joints, but mostly because every time he sank towards the ground, Sam muttered under his breath.

“Alright, runners, on your marks!” Eric called out. They lined up, Sam on the far left, Kensi in the middle, and Deeks on her other side. “Set, go!”

They all took off, staying pretty even for the first quarter mile. Then Kensi pulled ahead, lengthening her stride to its full limits, and Sam put on a burst of speed to keep up. Deeks kept the same pace, the same way he’d learned in high school track, and then relearned at FLETC.

He blocked out the sound of Nell and Eric’s cheers, as well as Callen’s playful taunts directed at each of them in turn. He kept sight of Sam and Kensi, to make sure they didn’t get too far ahead.

At the quarter mile marker, Sam began to flag. He growled, pumping his arms even faster, as though it would increase his speed. Deeks easily passed him, then caught up to Kensi.

He really should have warmed up more; his muscles were beginning to tighten up a little, but he pushed on. As they approached the last tenth of a mile, Deeks extended his stride to its full limit, bringing him in line with one another.

For several seconds, they were neck and neck. Kensi growled, desperately trying to force her legs a little faster. It wasn’t enough though, and Deeks crossed the finish line a couple strides ahead of her to the sounds of cheers.

Kensi followed him a few seconds later as Deeks bent in half, hands on his knees, and dragged in deep breaths. Sam brought up the rear, sweat dripping down his temples.

“Damn it!” Kensi gasped out, looking at him in disbelief. “You didn’t used to be this fast.”

“Well, something about having the equivalent of a very large drill shouting at you puts the fear of God into you. Plus, I don’t have the energy to run like that every day.”

“I want a rematch,” Sam said.

“I’m afraid not, the times stand as they are. Deeks is the winner,” Nell decided, and no one had the nerve to argue with her. “Congrats, Deeks.” She them at the finish line and hugged him.

“Don’t you think that’s a little biased for the grandmaster of the race?” Kensi asked.

“Oh, the grandmaster always congratulates the winner.”

“Don’t be jealous I’m the favorite,” Deeks teased, winking at Kensi.

“Don’t worry big guy, maybe you’ll win next time.” Callen stood up with a massive grin and gave Sam a conciliatory pat on the shoulder.

“Why are you so happy?” Eric asked. “You lost your bet.”

“I don’t care, it was worth it,” Callen decided happily.

“This is all your fault,” Sam grumbled.

“You’re welcome.”

“Congrats babe,” Kensi said reluctantly.

“Thanks. You know, I think I’ll have that plaque framed. Maybe put it up on behind my desk.” He spread his hands out like he was describing a marquee. “Marty Deeks, Office of Special Projects Fastest Runner.”

He ignored Sam and Kensi’s groans, addressing an amused Nell.

“I’m thinking gold plate is absolutely necessary.

#densimber 6.0 #densimber 2022 #densimber day 29 #ncis la fanfiction #marty deeks #kensi blye #plus team #ridiculousness #by ejzah

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snailsandpuppy-dogtails · 9 months

Text

Do You Hear Me?

The second part of 'How You Say It' was posted on the 3rd last year, but I missed it's fic-aversary, and since the 3rd part came out tomorrow last year, I'm posting the 2nd today. Anyway. The story continues with a friendly game of flag football! The team and kids coerce Penelope into playing too, but will Luke be able to clue Penelope in on his feelings for her? WC: 2,319 of fluffy bonding Ao3

Emily, Luke, and Will were huddled with the kids on the north end of the field, to the south the other team was made up of the remaining parents, along with Spencer and Tara.

Emily cupped her hands, calling out to the team of adults, “We hardly think it’s fair that eight of you are against ten of us!”

Derek, grinning, shouted back from the other side, "What? Trying to draft more players, Princess?"

Distracted, Luke couldn’t stop thinking about what Will had said earlier, "sometimes we say things with words, other times with a look, people say things different…” How did Penelope say things? She said it with gifts, like the sweater and cookies for Roxie, with food, like the treats she greats them with without fail every time they make it home. She says it with exactly what a person needs, she says things with thought and care. Did she know what he needed was her? If she did would she be willing to give it? To give them a chance? And how did he say things? Will was right, he’d never been much of a talker, he was much more of a listener, he was a comforter, secure in his roll as protector and lover, he said things with looks and with touch. If he wanted to be heard, he was going to have to be more forthright.

Luke glanced to the side lines, yelling over, “Nah, we’re gonna kick your butts either way, but it looks like we’re missing someone...”

Following his line of sight, Tara responded impatiently, “We’ve already been over this, Rossi and Krystall are ref-ing, Alvez, use your big, dorky ears and listen.”

“Nice, but I’m talking about Garcia.” he laughed.

Attention suddenly on her, she slowly sunk low into the chair from her place on the patio, pulling the wide brim of her black sunhat down, willing herself invisible. "Come on Chica, everyone else is playing! You can’t lounge in that chair all day.“ How could he tell her anything if she wasn’t near him?

"Yeah! You chose this activity, if anything, I should be the one to sit out…” Reid crossed his arms and pouted.

“Not a chance Pretty Boy, we saw what you could do at the softball game, show us what you got here!”

Penelope sat up a little more, shouting over to her team and their spouses, "I am hardly dressed appropriately!”

JJ, who definitely wanted to see where this was going given Penelope’s reaction to Hank’s question earlier, was not having any of it and yelled back “You’re wearing capri leggings, Garcia! For once, you’re dressed very appropriately! Just play barefoot.”

Luke leaned down whispering to Hank at the same time Will started talking to Henry.

The boys turned with wide grins. "Come on Auntie! Come play with me!” “Yeah Penelope! Come play with us!”

Suddenly the large brood of sweet, sweet babies had turned on her, chanting and calling for her, at which point, all of the adults join in as well, pressuring her to play. A audial mob of “Come on, Penelope!”, "Garcia!”, “It’ll be fun”, “...promise not to mess up that pretty hair”, and “Just for a little bit!” bombarded her, pushing her into reluctant submission.

She glared across the yard, singling out the one face that had started all of this. Trying to be heard over the noise she yelled to him, “No fair using my nephew and godson against me, Alvez!”

He smiled wide and open and full, he’d gained her attention. “Payback, Chica. Now get out here.”

Derek looked from Luke to Penelope. He may not be a profiler anymore, but his ability to read people wasn’t stripped once he quit. He could see Luke’s goal a mile away, wanting that happiness for Penelope, he decided to help push things along. What better way, he thought, than a little friendly rivalry and well placed jealousy…and he could test Luke just a little bit. “Come on, Hot Stuff, you’re with me.” he purred holding out a hand, and beckoned her to join him.

Penelope huffed toeing off her heels and stalked towards the field. “I do not run! I am not a runner!”

He responded in his warm, deep voice,“Oh, Sweetness, I remember. You don’t run for anything.” Penelope teased back, swiping at his arm,”I always run for you, Sugar.” then extending her arm, "Here, help me with my belt?”

Luke watched the pair, Penelope all smiles and giggles, Derek smoldering and winking and wrapping his arms around her to fasten the flags...And for the first time, Luke felt a bitter pang of jealousy seeing her laugh and touch him back. It wasn’t directed at Morgan, not really, he knew what their relationship was, it wasn’t the first time he’d seen them together. No, it was the fact that she would never do that with him. But, then that’s the exact thing he was working on fixing. Getting her to hear him required breaking through that armor...

“Alright, that settled? Then let’s get this game started!” called Rossi.

For all the rule violations, you’d think none of them had ever played flag football, the referees were of no help either, with one wooing the other through song and sweet nothings. JJ ran down the field only to be tackled to the ground by Emily, belt torn off as she fell. Matt’s preferred move was to simply scoop up whatever child had the ball and run with them tucked under his arm as if they were the ball, tickling them until they dropped it behind the goal line. Derek, getting sucked in to the game, tried his best to keep things on track, coaching the team in next moves and directing plays that never worked out, while Spencer tried to block Chloe from passing the ball to Jake or Henry. Tara was fast, keeping up with changing hands, spitting trash talk to the adults on the other team, and giving playful mean looks to approaching children. Luke was all encompassed with getting close to Penelope and Penelope was oblivious as he chased her up and down the field.

He’d caught her in his line of sight, zoning-in he raced forward, the toe of his shoe digging into grass, he lunged. Penelope swung her hips and twirled, flags fluttering against her movements, darting just out of reach, squealing. Luke falling, pitching forward, recovering, chasing again. Penelope quickly found that what she lacked in speed, she made up for in grace and agility, forever just out of reach. “Ha! You call yourself a profiler? Profile this-“ Quickly answered back by, “Oh, I’ll get you, Chica, there is no doubt in my mind.”

You didn’t need training to see what was going on, his single-minded determination was apparent to everyone on the field. Like a dog with a bone, he chased her relentlessly. With or without the ball, Luke stayed on Penelope.

“You think we should say something?” Savannah, standing at the far end turned, asking Spencer.

“Nah, we tend let them think we don’t know, makes things easier.” replied Spencer.

“And we’ve all got our “dawning” moment picked out and want to see who’s right.” added Tara.

Savannah nodded as the pair came rushing back towards her, Emily and children close behind.

A final vault and Luke flew through the air, tackling Penelope to the ground in a protective roll inches from the goal line. He came down hard on his elbows, hands tucked behind her head and neck. Heat flared up from his stomach staring down at her shocked face so close to his. Penelope, held her breath, stunned at being tackled to the ground, at having Luke Alvez on top of her. His eyes caught hers and held them, she could feel him hovering just above her, holding himself ridged, the fine layer of atoms separating them pressing against each other, buzzing between them filling her with electricity. And that felt…oooh...that felt lovely, and scary, and too real. He breathed hard, his voice a whisper, low and quiet, slow and impossibly close, “Got ya, Chica...” he trailed off as a hand snaked its way from under her head down her side, brushing her waist and tugging, flag belt falling loose to the ground below, his eyes never straying. The touch was light and his gaze so heavy she closed her eyes, goosebumps flaring in his wake. She was vaguely aware of everyone else around them, of needing to pull out of this space that had formed. She blinked, snapping back to, her hands pushing up, “Ugh, Newbie! Get off me!” came hurtling into his face. It was sudden and harsh, shattering the moment. He almost thought he’d imagined what had transpired until he caught the quick quirk of her mouth, a sly smirk igniting a grin of his own.

*floof* There went part of the armor.

"They have got to be some of the most oblivious…”

“For a profiler, I’m kind of disappointed in Luke… But, well, we try not to profile each other, at least not when talking to one another. This, this though, this is so obvious it's fair game."

——

They all lay collapsed on the grass, last flag having been pulled, last touch-down made, laughing and catching their breath. One by one, kids began to squirm and mill around, breaking off to once again play with bubbles, inspect bugs, and do cartwheels.

"Remind me again how you all convinced us to play a tackling game with agents…” panted an exhausted Kristy.

"Actually, according to the official rules, Flag Football is a contact-free sport. Liberties were clearly taken.” Reid supplied helpfully dusting off his pants.

JJ rolled onto her stomach, Will draping an arm across the middle of her back "Seriously, Emily, it’s a game.”

Emily rolled her eyes, "That’s a loser's attitude, JJ, and I won’t have losers on my team, so it’s a good thing I happen to be on the winning team.” she gloated.

"I just can’t believe you chose this, Garcia.” Matt was crawling awkwardly over to his wife, the last of their children having run off to play. “I would think it was a little rough and tumble for you.”

"Penelope likes things a little rough sometimes…”

There was no mistaking who's voice that was. Everyone got quiet, JJ and Emily trading looks with Spenser and Tara. Did he really just say that out loud? In front of everyone? Savannah choked down a laugh and elbowed Derek.

Penelope's mouth dropped open, tongue catching up seconds later. “You wouldn’t know.” she scoffed haughtily.

Rossi, who was sitting on the steps just next to the grass called over "If I had known what it would do to my lawn I wouldn’t have let her. The seed was imported!"

She ducked her head, chancing a glance at Luke sitting up cross-legged tossing the ball shallowly to himself, a stupid satisfied grin plastered across his face. "I honestly thought I’d get away with just watching all you fine physically fit people running around.” her look then settling back on Matt, “And it seemed like it would be fun for the kids.” she finished with a bright smile.

"Indeed, fun for the kids, not so fun for my gardener or wallet.” muttered Rossi surveying the freshly torn turf and gaping dirt pits.

“Sir, I am so sorry! If I had known Alvez was so heavy footed I would have banned him from the game!” Teasing him, not unlike how she would at work, giving him shit, but here the difference was the earlier situation and mixed company. Savannah’s voiced suspicions had almost thrust Penelope out into the light and there was no way she could continue working with him if he knew, if everyone knew, it would just be awkward. Even if he had the same feelings they couldn’t act on them…but she didn’t have feelings for him. No, he just had a pretty face. And perfectly sculpted abs…and hard biceps that she secretly enjoyed watching more than Matt’s, imagining them holding her and ripping her close, his mouth pressing against hers…like a romance cover. No. It was just his pretty face.

Luke stopped mid-ball toss looking over and raised an eyebrow smirking, “If I had known messing up Rossi’s yard would get me sidelined with you, Chica, I would have brought a tractor.” She glowered at him and looked away.

"So…uh.. about dessert...?” Spencer chimed in.

After a few minutes more enjoying the soft squish of Rossi’s admittedly amazing grass, the group slowly began to disperse, parents calling children back, child-less agents shuffling towards the brick patio. “I’ll start the espresso and coffee.” Rossi said, disappearing into the house. Luke walked over, bending low in front of her, offering a hand to Penelope who was brushing strands of vibrant green off her leggings. They were alone, everyone else having already gone. She looked up at him, his shy friendly smile, eyes glittering. She looked to his hand, a small smile instantly appearing at the offer it presented, and took it, slipping her palm against his, fingertips brushing his wrist.

*floof* There it went again...

Luke pulled her up gently, allowing her body to follow his hold. When she was up, his other hand wrapped around her shoulder pulling her in close, his tongue darted out moistening his lips, leaning down next to her ear he murmured, chest rumbling, "Nice playing with you, Chica, but I think we should stop the game…” She felt his lips skim her cheek as he righted himself. Then he let go, turned, and walked away. Message, he felt, delivered. Penelope stood breathless and immobilized, ears burning, cheeks hot, watching his retreating form. The thoughts, what the fuck was that? and we should always play flag football colliding in her head, derailing all other functions.

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