#it feels like napping in a sunbeam or going to a fair as a kid

[shadow--writer]

Hi!! I LOVE your writing!! may I request something for modern! Muriel where he goes to a school, never talks to anyone and maybe still lives in a hut, so he doesn’t really know all the modern stuff. He sees the MC (fem would be nice) and develops a crush on her. One day he sits in like a library and he’s on his laptop and the poor guy just doesn’t know what to do with it, so the MC offers him help and he’s a big blushing mess. She invites him to come to her house to study and she has this small apartment with like lots of flowers and animals so he feels right at home and they talk about plants,animals and stuff? it’s so much I’m sorry, I thought it’s cute 🥺

awwwww omg thank you so so much! I’m still super surprised people like my writing and like me enough to follow just I love y’all. 

So these are in headcanon form and I went a little wild. Also this counts as a little birthday present for @tabbybells​ since I thought of Bink and Muriel the whole time I was writing~ Lov u and your amazing artwork. You’re super fun and very sweet, if y’all have the time go check them out! Wonderful art of Muriel and a super adorable MC cat bastard named Bink. (there is a bonus with Bink and Muriel too after the other headcanons just for fun! Lmfao hope I got Bink right XD)

Muriel x MC modern au. Made it college, he’s a Veterinary Science Major MC is not specified with gender and major (you two have science classes together tho ;3)!

~~~~

Muriel is the more reserved student, SUPER DUPER smart and really good at what he does but more reserved 

Hear me out here but: he has glasses. Thick black frames, he pushes them up his nose with his shoulder a lot when he gets distracted 

He does struggle to use his new laptop because he was just fine with his old one until it broke on him. 

You found this kinda funny. You’re studying in the library for a science test and this really big dude is just pouting at his laptop with the blue error screen

Of course this gets you out of studying so you go over to help him. At first he waves off your help, until you show him you have the same laptop and know what you’re doing

Then he gives in

“Good luck trying to fix this mess. Ugh my old laptop was better than this junk.”

...he had a 10 year old laptop that was the size of a brick and ran like a 94 year old woman with arthritis it was not better

He’s smart just not super tech savvy. Think ye old dad’s asking their kids for help with tech kinda not tech savvy. 

It’s okay because he’s freaking adorable when he pouts over his laptop not working for the eight billionth time

You two start to chat a little bit after helping him boot up his laptop, and it’s goodbyes from there when you’re done

But he started going to the library pretty often after that in hopes of seeing you again

You come in every day to study and check out something new (or pester the librarians.)

So the two of you run into one another a bunch. Each time he has a new problem with his laptop (sometimes they’re real other times it’s an excuse to talk to you. O-Only to get help of course!)

Depending on you it might take a few days or a few months to catch on to his plan

And once you do, it makes you smile and laugh a little because gosh he is quite the dork

Of course you developed a little crush on him too during this time, but one day he comes in to actually study 

You two have a science exam together to you invite him to come study over at your house

He tries to hide it but he lights up at the idea of spending more time with you, so of course he accepts (after...a moment of pretending to think about it. He didn’t want to seem too eager and scare you off)

When he first sees your apartment he’s....in shock to put it lightly 

So. Many. Things.

He likes it a lot. The amount of animal stuff you have on your walls, plants hanging from the ceiling and a bunch on every window sill. Birds/cats/dogs/hamsters etc chattering around 

It’s very bright and warm he feels at home immediately

You make warm drinks while he sets up in your living room, looking super large in this almost dollhouse couch and coffee table

It’s quite a sight, but he accepts the drink eagerly. You two study for a bit before the books get forgotten and you just...talk

About anything. Everything. The weather. Your classes. And it moves to animals. 

He gets all excited and lights up when he starts talking about Inanna (met her injured in the woods outside of town when she was a pup. He nursed her back to health and she’s never left his side since)

When he talks about her he gets all animated and opens up a lot more. Still soft spoken and shy

If he notices you staring he’ll blush red and go quiet

But when you ask questions and ask for more stories he’ll slowly warm up to being animated again

You’re...really easy to talk to like this

When it gets late and he has to go home you kiss his cheek and send him off

Bright red he is.

But he can’t wait to see you tomorrow. 

MODERN BINK AND MURIEL HEADCANONS UNDER THE CUT. This is what im good at so Happy Birthday Tabby! 😎👉👉

Modern au Bink feels like a cat person to me. All the cats. Any cat he runs into he gets. House is filled with cats. It’s hilarious 

Muriel calls him Grandma because of this. Bink in turn calls Muriel Grandpa due to his troubles with tech

Asra knits them both matching ugly sweaters

They wear them every time they see Asra

Bink and Faust have gotten into staring contests when they go over. Muriel finds them amusing and they can go on forever 

Bink loses every time but he will not give up

“...you do know she doesn’t have eyelids right?” “I DON’T CARE I’LL BEAT HER”

Bink (to me) seems like a reigning champ of roller skating. Super graceful and finds it fun (gonna add Maeve in here real quick because this hit me: Bink and Maeve are the power couple of roller-skating.)

Muriel is uhh...not that. Clumsy, and VERY out of his element. Bink takes it upon himself to hold Muriel’s hand and guide him around

To outsiders it’s hilarious as Bink is 5′5 and Muriel is 6′10 and looks like he can bench press a truck 

Muriel whittles Bink little presents and cat toys

He keeps the wooden animals on a shelf dedicated to them. You could map out their relationship through the wooden carvings.

Muriel lives on coffee. Bink is banned from drinking coffee

Asra has a polaroid camera and a cork board of pictures of Bink and Muriel 

Faust and Inanna are good friends

Inanna and some of Bink’s cats are not friends 

Inanna is banned from Bink’s apartment due to this fact 

Bink and Muriel go on a lot of late night dates. They both like to nap with one another in a sunbeam on a couch 

Muriel is the dad that passes out when he sits in a comfy chair. Bink is the cat that curls up on Muriel’s chest to soak in the warmth 

Said cats will gather around them as well if they can

Asra has taken to calling them the oldest married couple

They are an old married couple, sinking into home like routine 

Muriel carries Bink on his back when they go out into town because Bink does not want to walk

Bink and studying don’t go together well due to poor attention span (FAIR) Muriel has created a reward system for him (yes Muriel still has his glasses, and yes Bink steals them and wears them himself. yes he has gone blind in them. Yes Muriel has lecture him. yes Asra has a picture of this)

#the arcana #the arcana game #muriel #muriel of the kokhuri #bink #muriel headcanons #the arcana headcanons #fluff #college au #Muriel is an old man #HAPPY BIRTHDAY TABBY! #friend's apprentices #mc x Muriel #muriel x apprentice #muriel x bink

[thegoldofyourheart]

The Gold of Your Heart Chapter 14

Word count: 2091

Pairings: Romantic Roceit

Warnings: N/A

First | <== Previous | Next ==> | Masterpost

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Roman closed his eyes as he rose back up into the Mind Palace. He took a deep breath, and threw his shoulders back before any of the others appeared as well. He wanted to run. If he made it back to his room, then he wouldn’t have to talk to any of them about what had just happened. The sound of his own voice, telling Thomas to go to the wedding, replayed in his head and he wanted to be sick.

A quick swipe at his eyes made sure that his eyes didn’t hold any tears. He forced his lips into a grin, one large enough that it would crinkle his eyes and hide how it didn’t reach them. When Patton rose up to his left, Roman felt ready. Lie, something that sounded like Deceit’s voice echoed in his head. He laughed to drown it out.

“Well!” Roman declared, wrapping an arm around Patton’s shoulders, “That was quite the adventure! Let’s not do it again!”

“Awwww,” Patton giggled leaning into his hold. Roman tried to pretend it was enough. “I thought it was quite fun! I mean, it could have been less….”

“Manipulative and horrible and all around gut-wrenching for everyone except Deceit?”

Virgil’s sharp voice almost managed to cut through Roman’s mask but he held strong. He turned to grin at Virgil as well, only his expression faltered at the look on Virgil’s face. The dark scowl Virgil aimed at the wall but it still felt like it dug into Roman’s heart. An accusation: how dare he side with Deceit when they all knew he was evil?

Roman wanted to ask when Virgil had changed his mind about second chances. Was it after he had his own, and decided no one else needed one?

He took a deep breath and shoved down the bitterness. Of course Virgil sided with Patton in this. It had been the right thing to do. Roman agreed in the end. Sort of. Patton had been the one to reach out to Virgil first, had trusted Virgil when no one else did. Of course Virgil trusted Patton in turn. The fact that neither of them thought about him didn’t sting.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Patton protested weakly. He hesitated, eyes flickering towards the door out of the Palace. Out to where Deceit lived. “But yeah we can go with that kid- Virge! It wasn’t all that nice is what it was.”

“Additional affirmation.” 

Roman winced as Logan appeared as well. He could hear the brittle tone in Logan’s voice, the same tone that he practiced hiding so that no one else heard it. Deceit had said it took a liar to know a liar. He had meant Virgil, but Roman wondered just how many of them were still lying to each other just here in this room.

“But it’s over now!” Patton threw his hands in the air, and Roman ducked to avoid getting hit in the face. “Oops, sorry there kiddo!” Roman felt a small part of himself relax. Patton didn’t mean anything by this. He could talk to Patton about it later maybe, and they’d all feel better. “And this Pop is going to pop out because he is pop-ed and ready for a nap.”

“Oh um Patton-”

Roman cut himself off as all three pairs of eyes turned to look at him. His words dried up in his throat. Remy wanted him to talk to them, any of them. Deceit had suggested Logan for some out of the blue reason. He should, he knew he should before this day cracked him right down the middle, but he found that he couldn’t. 

“Have a fabulous nap, Padre,” he said with a wink. His heart sank as Patton did with a giggle. He stared at the spot Patton had been, flexing his fingers over and over again.

“Roman?” Virgil’s hand brushed against his arm, and Roman jerked back before he could consciously realize what had happened. Roman glanced away from Virgil’s stunned face, before looking back again.

“Sorry, Back Better than Black,” Roman said with a laugh, “You startled me there!” 

The look on Virgil’s face said otherwise. Roman glanced in Logan’s direction in a desperate bid for help. Deceit’s suggestion to talk to him came back again at the calculated look on Logan’s face. He swallowed thickly. Logan might figure it out first, the way that Roman’s insecurities ate away at him. Roman focused back on Virgil.

Virgil stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and frowned.

“No offence, Ro, but I think it was more than that.”

“Yeah, well,” Roman waved a hand through the air, “You think that for everything, don’t you?” Silence fell like a hammer. Roman winced. “Wait, no- sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten over me. I’m less than my fabulous self and really for once I think the spotlight should be shone somewhere else.”

Virgil’s eyes grew dark and thunderous. 

“I know what it is,” he growled, “Deceit’s gotten into your head. Fuck him Roman, he’s not trying to help!” Roman shook his head, Deceit sitting and patiently listening to him vent hovering around the edge of his thoughts. Deceit admitting to a lie. “He just wants more control!” Virgil reached out and gripped his arm, eyes wide and desperate, “Promise me Roman, promise that you won’t listen to him!”

Roman stared down at Virgil, his heart breaking as he realized that Virgil had no idea what was going through his head. He didn’t have the slightest thought that Roman would have fought that hard for the callback without Deceit there pushing for it as well. A single sunbeam cut through his clouded thoughts. Virgil didn’t know him.

If Virgil didn’t know him, would the others as well? Did they have any idea how much his heart ached right now?

Roman took a shuddering breath and pulled his arm from Virgil’s grip.

“How is that any different from the rest of us?” he asked, his voice a gunshot through the room. Virgil gaped at him. Roman glanced at Logan, at the thin line of his lips, and wanted to cry. It wasn’t fair. He wanted to trust them, wanted to talk to them, but how could he trust people who didn’t trust him?

Roman cleared his throat.

“You got what you wanted today, Virgil.” He could see the full body flinch that wracked through Virgil’s body at the lack of a nickname. He nodded slowly in Logan’s direction. “Logan, my apologies for how I spoke to you today. I shall turn in and see you both in the morning.” 

“Roman wait-!”

Roman ignored Virgil’s shout and sank out of the room. Not to his bedroom, no they would go there for him immediately, or worse they’d come looking for him. If they looked for him now they’d find him crying and he had already let them know too much about how this affected him. He could feel the disappointment tearing through him. He needed a safe place to break down. Now.

He stumbled through the hallways of Thomas’ mind, sinking down against a wall and curling into a ball. The first sob cut through his lungs and the silence. He wrapped his arms around his legs and wished he had the sense to have at least run to the Imagination. Remy would have helped. Course, Remy would have also insisted on murdering Virgil and/or Deceit which wouldn’t help at all.

Another sob wracked his body. He had thought, hoped really, that maybe this time they would hear his cry. Deceit out of everyone had backed him up. Maybe that had been his downfall, trusting the villain to help. They trusted Deceit even less then they trusted him. The two of them together didn’t stand a chance. 

He could feel the warmth of his tears rolling down his face and soaking his pants as he shoved his face between his knees. His sobs drowned everything else out. He tried to believe that it would get better, that they’d have another opportunity like this another day but it felt impossible. A mountain he was climbing that had suddenly given way beneath him and left him in a free fall.

“Roman?”

Roman’s head snapped up and he met Deceit’s eyes. Deceit’s hat had gone missing at some point, his hair flying out in every direction. It made him look more open than Roman had ever seen him. Almost approachable.

“What do you want?” He winced at the way his voice croaked and cracked.

Deceit hesitated. Roman could see the gears turning behind his eyes and growled under his breath. He reached out and shoved Deceit. Deceit fell back, blinking at Roman.

“Forget about it,” Roman snapped, drawing himself into an even smaller ball. “It doesn’t matter, if you want something, manipulate someone else.”

Silence.

“I wanted to apologize.” Roman stared at the way Deceit pulled his cape tighter around himself. He froze and then let go of the cloth, straightening in a way that felt painfully familiar to Roman. “But since it’s clearly so welcome, I’ll just slither off.” He stood up and turned to go. The role reversal left Roman’s head spinning even if he couldn’t bring himself to reach out like Deceit had just yesterday.

“Wait,” Roman whispered. Deceit continued walking. “Wait!” Deceit’s steady steps faltered. “I’m sorry,” Roman’s fingers dug into his thighs, “You were right, and I messed the whole thing up.”

Deceit turned to face him, and crossed his arms.

“The self-aggrandizing is a pain,” Deceit snapped, “You are not the sole reason that Thomas made the decision he did today.”

“But-”

“Sssssilence,” Deceit hissed, “You listened to me all day and you will listen to me one more time. Patton, put pressure on Thomas putting others first. Virgil, put pressure not to trust me. Myself, took Logan out of the equation because I believed he needed no convincing. You, made the final decision, yes, but it was one of the two Patton and I tried to lead you too.”

“You suggested a compromise-”

“If I wanted a compromise, I would have kept Logan on the stand!” 

Roman blinked as Deceit rocked back on his heels from the force of his shout. Deceit’s hands curled into fists and Roman watched in surprised awe as he drew himself up to his full height. His lips peeled back into a snarl, tugging on his scales.

“I wanted to give you what you wanted, what Thomas wanted. To chase his dreams, to give him what would make him happy.” Deceit knelt down in front of him and his face twisted into a heavy frown. “I-” Roman waited as Deceit ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, alright?”

Roman could feel something in him giving way at Deceit’s words but he ignored it. He lunged forward. He wrapped his arms around Deceit and pressed his face into Deceit’s shoulders to start sobbing all over again. He could feel the tension in Deceit’s muscles and the way that he froze at the contact but Roman didn’t care. The only other Side to try and see what Roman wanted was the one everyone hated.

Didn’t that say so much?

He gripped at Deceit’s back and wailed. He wailed for the relationships that he thought he had, for the lost opportunity. He sobbed for months of pain and doubt that suddenly seemed justified. A distant part of him felt self-doubt take root into Self-doubt, but he ignored it. He would deal with it in a little bit. For now, what mattered was the way that Deceit’s hands hesitantly touched his shoulders as he flew apart.

A roar echoed down the halls and Roman reluctantly pulled back. Deceit stared down the hallway as Roman tried to scrub his face clean of tears. He shoved at Deceit’s shoulder.

“Go,” he said, glad at the way that his voice didn’t crack again. “Self-doubt is my job. I’ll take care of it.” Deceit’s eyes raked over him and Roman bristled, “I can handle it! It’ll be in the Imagination soon anyways, and-” Roman stumbled over his words.

And I won’t be alone.

Tony. Remy. Hecate. Anton. Toby. Nate. He still had friends he could depend on. Roman heaved himself to his feet. He could do this. He offered his hand to Deceit, and as he hauled Deceit up to his feet, something in Deceit’s eyes agreed with him. Someone thought he could do this.

Roman didn’t know what to do with that.

#Sanders Sides #Roceit #Roman Sanders #Deceit Sanders #Logan Sanders #Virgil Sanders #Patton Sanders

[sharktofu]

Trust Fall - NCIS LA fanfiction

AO3 link: Trust Fall by Sashaya.

Story dedicated to Z., who is the best and who started me on the whole ‘aftermath’ stories. Hope I didn’t fuck up!

A little backstory on this 'gem' - I started writing it immediately after I saw "Payback", because I didn't believe the show would really show the aftermath of all the shit that went on for Callen and the team.

It came out differently than I expected, because life got in the way - and by that, I mean that my personal feelings and experience with my job and my boss made their way into this story. It's one of the many reasons why I'm posting it just now.

I hope you’ll all enjoy it, despite the (massive) delay.

  G. out!

Movies lie – there’s no storm, after storm, after storm. No never-ending cycle of pain and destruction, and sadness. After storm, there’s a moment of complete silence, a moment when you sit down and think ‘I survived, somehow’. The vicious cycle of unfair life is always broken by a sunbeam of hope. Then there’s time of chaos, an aftermath. It’s always the worst - the time to pick up the pieces and decide, what's next.

And this time, Callen cannot let others decide. He's past being passive in his own life.

G. takes his own car; tells Sam something about how even married couples need space, that Sam doesn't believe one bit. The "We'll talk later" hangs between them. Callen is okay with that.

Everyone at work is tired, downright exhausted. It's evident in hesitant nods of 'Hello', distrustful side-eyes. This... mission took a toll on them, more than anything before.

Even his team doesn't hide how much it cost them. Kensi is absent-mindedly disorganizing the chaos on her desk, taking a bite from a chocolate bar from time to time. Sam is watching her carefully, his eyebrows raising higher and higher every time Kensi notices she her desk looks almost tidy. Deeks is actively napping, head leaned on the chair in a position that most would call uncomfortable. Callen sees him open his eyes for a second, when he greets everyone.

"You're late," Sam says.

Callen shrugs, "I had some cleaning up to do".

He doesn't need to say he spent the whole night throwing away everything that reminded him of Joelle. He doesn't say how little he has, again.

Sam knows.

It doesn't take long for the aftermath to really hit him.

Hetty graces them with her presence, instead of making whichever low-level employee do her bidding for her. After everything, it raises a lot of red flags.

"Mr. Callen," she says his name with a warm familiarity that he doesn't trust anymore. "In the face of recent events, all employees are required to few sessions with our psychologist. We decided for you to go first"

"Our psychologist?" Sam repeats.

"Dr Getz, of course" Hetty clears up.

Callen hasn't expected anyone else, but he still tenses up. Everyone notices the change in his posture, but he ignores it and follows Hetty silently.

She leads him to Nate's temporary office and closes the door behind him. It’s difficult to admit, but he feels like a caged animal. It's not only his training that makes him locate all the possible exits. He's not tech-savvy, but even someone as old-school as him would notice the obvious camera in the corner. He doubts it's the only way to monitor this session.

"First, I just want to say how happy I am seeing you today, after everything," Nate smiles at him. It's a poor way of not-saying 'there were concerns about your loyalty to the agency'.

"Pleased to please you," Callen barely stops himself from sneering. Thought, he does smile with too much teeth and Nate reacts to that with a visible twitch.

“I know we already talked about your trust issues, but given recent developments I think it's safe to say, we need to revisit them again,” Nate continues.

It's a bit too much. It all sounds like a very bad joke and G.'s past being the collateral in all the 'well-thought' plans. He throws his head back and laughs. It's short and cold, a purposefully bad imitation of joy.

“No offence, Nate," Callen says, but he means full offence, full insult. “But you’re one of the reasons why I have trust issues.”

Nate flinches away, a minor tick that he deliberately doesn’t cover up. It makes Callen regret his words, but only a little. It’s not enough to take them back.

“I understand…," Nate tries to speak again, but Callen never lets him finish.

G. stands up and Nate recoils automatically, maybe in fear, most likely very aware of his actions. It looks like he's afraid that Callen could attack him and G. tries not to think how easily it would be to overpower Nate.

"It's time to change my therapist," Callen decides in a firm voice that leaves no place for arguments.

Nate is smart, he knows when to give up and so he doesn't try to change Callen's mind. G.'s not sure if it's another of his strategies or he simply wants to help. He doesn't care and simply leaves.

He's getting some resemblance of control back.

He's not at all surprised to see Hetty by the door. Though, he is shocked how easily she let go of the appearance of a happy family.

“Mr. Callen, explain your behavior, please!”

"Why, Hetty! You shouldn't monitor private sessions so blatantly!" He's shameless in how much he raises his voice. It doesn't stop Hetty; she's not easy, but Callen's feeling petty today.

“I’m requesting a day-off. I’m sure I have a lot of them saved up," he adds. “I’ll call when I'm coming back!”

He feels a bit lighter, leaving Hetty behind and for the first time not caring about that. His team throws him worried looks - even Deeks, who stopped napping and is now smiling cheekily. He nods to them, hoping to reassure them.

“Call you later!” Sam shouts, and it sounds both like a threat and a promise. He's already expecting a visit from his friend.

He chuckles to himself, when he hears Kensi's voice in the background announcing that she should take it easy after all and she's going home for now. Immediately after, he hears Sam and Deeks making excuses.

He doubts anyone will stop them.

Callen doesn’t feel like going home, doesn't feel like throwing away more stuff that reminds him of a lie. He wonders if that’s how his 'victims' fell or it helped that he just disappeared without a word.

He has half a mind to sell his house and find a new hole to exist in. Too many people know where he lives now. It's an uncomfortable thought, one that almost turns him in a wild animal, while his instincts cry for him to hide.

At the same time, he doesn't want to lose this place. It was home - before, when he was a kid and later, when he found it again. He's not sure he's ready to let go.

He decides to put it off for now. He should get a new therapist, so he'll have at least one thing to talk about. He should ask for recommendations - maybe Michelle or someone from the DC branch.

Right now, he’s just gonna drive. It's not like he has somewhere to be.

Callen turns the radio on, to have something more than just his thoughts to accompany him. He knows the song that’s on, so it's easy for him to get lost in it. He parks not far away from his favorite chicken wings spot, already thinking where he's going to spend his lunch.

The walk on the beach is soothing. Callen thinks about the past… year? It feels longer. He thinks about Sam getting more solo cases, the mole, Nate’s not-betrayal, Joelle.

When he thinks it all through, his trust issues are really ‘last season’.

His trust and privacy has been violated so many times, there’s always going to be a lingering thought in the back of his head ‘what if'. He will always feel the need to look over his shoulder.

Hetty played one too many games, but she's not paying the price, is she?

'It's not her fault,' Callen thinks, when he sits down on the bench. 'But that's... a disturbing amount of head-games.'

He itches for a cigarette, which is a sudden thought. He hasn't had a smoke since he was a teen.

His work, that he sacrificed his life for times and times again, feels tainted now. He never claimed it was pure, but it was… ‘safer’, for the lack of better word. Sure, it's a job for ‘the greater good’ but after some time, this excuse isn’t enough. Safety is. Safety within the job.

He can’t say it anymore, can he?

Though, it's not like he has a lot career options. What else can he do? CIA is both his past and not a possibility, for so many reasons; FBI doesn’t fit his line of work and his experience.

There’s always long-term cover missions - which he's done so many times before, sometimes it's a wonder he remembers, who he really is - or a job in another cell. Washington, maybe?  

Callen’s musings are interrupted, when his cell starts ringing. His experience doesn't let him ignore it and he glances at the phone.

Ana.

Callen groans and ignores the call.

Until he understands what her part in all of this is – and he knows she has one, the question is if Ana is aware of it – he’s going to take a step back from their ‘relationship’.

It won’t be fair to her, if she’s innocent. Isn't fair to him.

"Man, I can see your brain going into override. Give yourself a break with the whole thinking thing" Sam sits next to him. Callen would jump, if Sam didn't give him courtesy of being uncharacteristically loud.

"You're supposed to be nice to me, remember? Or do we need marriage counseling, again?" Callen aims for humor, but the joke falls flat. "What a shitshow."

"I hear you," Sam leans back. He looks straight at the horizon, like he expects to find some answers there. "What now?"

"Ha! That's the question, isn't it?" Callen sighs and his shoulders drop, like they cannot uphold more of his problems. "I don’t know."

"Are you coming back?" It's a loaded question.

"I don't know. You?"

Sam doesn't answer for a few minutes. "There's not much beside this."

Callen doesn't call him a liar, but they both know the truth. Sam is too loyal to his country to just leave this job. He loves it as much as he loves his family. He won't quit.

"You could teach," Callen suggests. "Embarrass Aiden with his old man as his instructor."

Sam laughs. "Only you could find that embarrassing."

"What can I say - my only references are movies," he says. "I might quit, Sam."

His partner hums in response, but doesn't comment. He doesn't seem shook by Callen's confession.

"Okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. If you want, I won't stop you. Your choice, man," Sam stands up and faces Callen. "For now, Michelle is making dinner. Kam is expecting her Uncle Callen."

G. thinks about the chicken wings, but dismisses the thought. Nothing beats Michelle's home-cooked meal. It's not even a contest.

"Six?"

"On the clock," Sam heads towards the sidewalk. "See you later, G.!"

Callen chuckles. He does feel a bit better now. Despite what happened, he still has his family. No matter what, they won't abandon him.

It's a reassuring thought.

It doesn't make everything better, doesn't fix his life, but it makes it bearable.

It's enough for now, when he leans back and enjoys the sun and the sound of crashing waves.

He survived the storm, he will survive the aftermath.

It won't break him.

It will free him.

#ncis la #ncis la fanfiction #aftermath of betrayal #some light swearing #chrisodonline #sorry for the delay

[teliangel]

Do ya’ll ever think about modern day fae?

Like, depending on where you are there may still be large amounts of uninhabited space, but here in the US unless you’re smack dab in the middle of the mountains or in farming communities there isn’t a whole lot of space to disappear into, which would make me think that at some point the local Good Neighbors would move into cities and become actual neighbors.

Now granted there are probably pixies and nymphs and the like in parks and botanical gardens and Nation Parks because they’ve been there for hundreds of years and they refuse to leave just cuz humans like to put fences around trees now, but still, can you imagine all the Fair Folk you probably meet on a daily basis?

Like your local Winter is that one coworker who is always in a tank-top and shorts even in -20F weather.

They offer you all sorts of random favors, like lifting boxes for you that are suddenly a lot heavier than you thought they were, or driving you to a gas station, or helping you with some paperwork

You never accept the help because it gives you the weirdest uncomfortable feeling 

And they always seem oddly pleased by your gentle rejection as if you’ve passed some sort of test

And you see how they look at people

The blank staring that sometimes takes on this calculating, hungry tone, as if they were pondering dissecting the person in their line of vision

But you have many good conversations about morals, and human nature, and existential dread with them, so you let their oddities go

Because everyone’s overworked and you can’t blame them for compulsively counting their files over and over again to make sure they’ve got the number right

And you’re all salty enough about customers that you’re pretty sure you’ve threatened to kill a few of them yourself at some point

The Autumn in your life is that one friend you don’t really recall ever making

You assume they must be a friend of a friend that just got invited along, because one day they weren’t there and the next they were

They always seem to know where you are at exactly 2 am and have a gift for luring you into getting ridiculous levels of drunk or high with them

Which always leads to being goaded into jumping off of increasingly high places to see how far you can go before you actually break something

Or other stupid shit that normally you’d have the good sense not to do but your filter of what is and isn’t a good idea seems to disappear around them

But they make even the most reckless of actions feel like the most fun you’ve ever had

And maybe you get injured a lot around them

But they laugh so bright and so hard that it’s impossible not to laugh with them

A Summer would be that one kid you met in uni that always had some sort of alcohol on them

Seriously, where did it come from? How did they get that much booze in here? You have no idea

They’re always busy, always doing something or going somewhere, and they always seem to be having a great time of it

You get dragged on more adventures then you’ve ever been on in your life

And they’re always trying to give you gifts: Flowers and little wooden charms and pretty rocks that you always feel the compulsion to confirm are in fact gifts, freely given

And they grin so wide it must hurt and tell you yes, they’re gifts, with nothing in return required

And sure, you have a bad tendency to lose time around them and wake up in random places with all kinds of odd aches and pains, but you’re sleep deprived and that stuff just happens sometimes

But they’re always there with a hangover cure and a lap to nap on while you recover, so you never worry too much

The Spring you meet is that one person who can grow anything anywhere in any season

They literally have a cactus that they carry around with them and talk to, and it’s always flowering. How???

They talk extensively about their loved ones, but you’ve never met any of them (and it occasionally occurs to you they might be talking about all the cacti they tote around instead of actual people) 

And you realize after about seven years of knowing them that you have never been to their house and have no idea where it even is

It takes a long time for them to warm up to you but once they do consent to your company (properly consent, there was a contract an everything you think, or maybe that was just a dream, you’ve had a lot of unusual ones since you met them) they’re just as warm as sunbeams on your cheeks

And sometimes if they’re feeling particularly chatty they’ll tell you stories about times long gone as fondly as if they were once there, no matter how impossible it might be

In time you find you’re never lost and never lonely with them

And things might be odd and all those conversations may be confusing, but you’ve stumbled into a streak of incredible luck; Your enemies seem to avoid you, your nights are filled with risk and rewards, you never lack good company, and what you ask for always seems to find you.

What is there to complain about?

#fae tag #fae #bullet fic #this wasn't meant to be a bullet fic but thats what it became #im just feeling partial to the good neighbors at the moment #and im pretty sure ive met a few before #so this just kinda came out of me #t.a rambles