#once i get to gabes levels nobody will be able to stop me. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

growningupgeek · 5 years

Text

Amazing Grace 2

I forgot this was in here. Bonus post just because.

Part 1

Gabriel slipped his arm around Elaina's shoulders trying hard not notice how thin she'd become. It was just one more thing to add to his list of things Ketch and Asmodeus would pay for. Her eyes opened briefly to see who it was.

“ Time to go, kiddo, nobody here but lower level demons. Do you know where those meatheads might be,” he said into her mind.

He picked up the image from her mind of a large room with a metal staircase done art deco style. He stretched his wings, reveling in the feeling flying again until he hit what felt like a brick wall. He bounced to a safe zone and created a bed to put Elaina on while he figured out his next move. He should have expected them to have wards against angels.

He felt Elaina waking and hurried too put her back to sleep. As he touched her forehead he caught a thought from her, , “Cas might be there, tell him to have them take the wards down or you won’t be able to get in.”

“Could have said something before,” he muttered. Then he reached for a long unused private channel of angel radio to contact his little brother.

Sam swore at his computer screen and muttered under his breath, “What do you mean location not available?”

Dean and Cas looked at the younger Winchester, surprised to hear him speak for the first time since Elaina had called earlier that day. All three of them were supposed to be researching alternate universes, but Sam was obviously doing something else.

“What’s wrong, dude,” Dean asked him.

Sam looked up, surprised that he’d been heard, and shook his head. He didn’t want to say anything about his suspicions until he could back them up with more facts, even though every instinct he had was screaming about how wrong his last conversation with Elaina had been. He looked back at his computer and pulled up another website to start again.

Dean got up and went to stand behind Sam. “Why are you trying to track Elaina’s phone?”

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Sam pushed his chair back so fast Dean almost didn’t get out of the way and started pacing around the library. “It’s not like her to be gone this long.”

“She’s been at Jody’s, what two weeks,” Dean asked looking over at Cas, who just shrugged. “She’s been gone longer.”

Sam stopped pacing for a second to stare at his brother, “She’s been gone over a month. And Jody says she never made it there.”

Dean stared at him as he resumed pacing. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because he didn’t start questioning that he was talking to Elaina until I got back,” Castiel broke in.

Sam nodded, “Once Cas told us about Asmodeus, I called Jody. Elaina has a logical reason why she never made it but it just doesn’t feel right.”

“Come on, Sam, she’s taken off for longer,” Dean said.

“When you were under the influence of the Mark,” Sam shot back. “And you know exactly why she left then.”

Dean flushed, knowing he was the reason and turned to ask Cas what he thought. The angel was sitting still, head cocked to one side with a look of surprise on his face, “Hey, Cas! You okay, buddy?”

Cas waved Dean off, now looking like he was listening intently to something. “I think we’ve got another problem, Sam.”

As Sam started towards the two men Cas said, “Take down the wards!”

Dean jumped away from the angel as Sam turned to follow Castiel’s order without thinking because of the urgency in his voice. As soon as the wards were down there was the sound of wings, a thud and a soft grunt from the war room. Once they were back up Sam followed Cas and Dean that way, pulling his gun out as he walked. He stopped dead in the door at the sight that greeted him.

Cas was kneeling next to a figure with matted hair in clothes that were grey with dirt, but Sam’s attention was drawn to what was in the person’s arms. They were cradling Elaina, who was unconscious and far too thin. Slowly, he walked towards the figure with his arms out.

“Give her too me,” he said in a low voice. The figure looked up to revel the battered face of Gabriel. He nodded, his eyes showing relief as he allowed Sam to take Elaina from his arms, then he fell heavily against Cas.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, brother,” Sam heard Cas say as he carried Elaina to their room. She felt so small and light in his arms that he would have thought she was dead if it wasn’t for the steady rise and fall of her chest. He placed her gently on their bed, closing the door before undressing her. She didn’t move as he got a washcloth and soaked it in warm water but she whimpered and flinched away when he began cleaning her up.

“It’s me, babe,” he told her softly, brushing her dirty hair away from her face. “It’s Sam, Gabriel got you home, you’re safe now.”

Her eyes fluttered open and she breathed out a soft sigh, “Sam. Thank Chuck, we made it. Where's Gabe?”

Cas appeared in the room. “Gabriel is in the shower, Elaina. He won’t let me help him until I’ve looked you over.”

Elaina inched away from both of them, “I'll be fine, Cas. Gabriel's in worse shape.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “Hunters and archangels. There are times when I could do without either. He said the same thing about you.”

Elaina opened her mouth too retort but never got a word out. Her eyes got a far away look that scared Sam until he looked over at Cas.

“Gabriel is speaking to her,” Cas said in reply to his unvoiced question.

“How is he still alive, Cas,” Dean asked from the door. “I thought Lucifer killed him years ago. And how did they end up together?”

Cas rolled his eyes and sighed, “I don’t know, Dean. Until they have both rested I don’t think we’ll be getting any answers.”

Elaina’s eyes focused on them again. “Gabe says to let you take care of me or he'll send me to Antarctica.”

She slid back across the bed and touched Sam’s arm, as if she were trying to reassure herself that he was real. He put his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, then leaned over and began to clean her up. She trembled but didn’t pull away as he wiped the dirt off her face, she just sat there as Cas pressed two fingers to her forehead allowing him to check out her physical condition.

“I think a light meal and some rest will help,” he said finally. “There’s nothing physically wrong for me to heal.”

The look Cas gave Elaina told Sam that something was up. After he went back to Gabriel and Dean went too make Elaina some toast and tea, Sam helped her over to the sink so that she could finish cleaning up. He leaned against the wall next to the sink with his arms across his chest afraid to ask the questions running through his mind as she cleaned up. The fact that he could tell she’d lost weight scared him almost as much as not knowing where she was.

Finally, he couldn’t stand the silence any more. “What did you do that’s got Cas so upset?”

Elaina moved slowly away from the sink and got a tee-shirt and some boy shorts out of the drawer. “I may have used some of my life-force to replenish Gabe’s grace.”

Sam shot away from the wall and across the room, keeping his voice deadly quiet he said, “You did what?”

“I used some of my life-force to replenish Gabe’s grace,” she replied in an equally quiet voice. “I didn’t have a choice if either of us were going to get out of there alive.”

Sam bit his lip to keep what he was thinking inside. He didn't want to yell at her right now, he was too happy she was home and safe. She glanced over at him and smiled, “You're cute when you bite your lip like that, Winchester.”

He couldn't help but smile back as she moved slowly back to bed. “You're in so much trouble when you're feeling better.”

Elaina pulled the old tee shirt of his that she slept in over her head and pulled the blanket up before answered, “I did what I had to do, Sam. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if you could.”

He climbed into the bed and pulled her close to him, “You may be a badass hunter but that doesn't stop me from worrying when you vanish for a month.”

Elaina snuggled closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Is that all it's been? Feels like it was longer.”

Sam didn't reply, just held her until felt her heart slow and heard her breathing even out. Dean returned shortly afterwards carrying a tray of food. When he saw Elaina sleeping next to Sam he smiled at them.

“She can eat when she wakes up,” he said softly. “You get some sleep too, don't think I don't know you haven't been sleeping.”

Sam smiled as his brother left the room and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before he was asleep for the first time in days.

@darkcastersruletheworld

@iwantthedean

@little-red-83

@ashleymalfoy

@isometimeswritesomethings

@sammy-moo

@mrswhozeewhatsis

@kittenofdoomage

@fast-times-in-the-impala

@wonderless-screwup

@deascheck

@mrssamfuckingwinchester

@winchesterprincessbride

@tjforston

@writingthingsisdifficult

@mysaintsasinner

@mogaruke

@wheresthekillswitch

@skybinx-blog

@bohowitch

@ellen-reincarnated1967

@masksandtruths

@born-to-be-his-baby88

@oneshoeshort

@grace-for-sale

@winchestergirl-13

@bethbabybaby

@apeshit7x

#Supernatural #sam x ofc #Gabriel #Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Castiel #Elaina Mason

11 notes · View notes

homosociallyyours · 5 years

Text

a friend just posted a pic on fb of the coffee shop we used to hang out at, taken way back in the day. it’s just a shot of the place taken from inside, looking out the big glass windows and onto the street of downtown chattanooga. but one friend pointed out that she could see another friend’s van parked across the street, and one of the baristas came on and said he’d taken the photo and then proceeded to post a bunch more.

anyway i’m feeling nostalgic so i’m posting about it. memories behind the cut.

i started going there when i was maybe 15 years old. i don’t remember why, but it’s likely that the artsy nerd club i was a part of (we stayed after school to watch amadeus and monty python and we’d sometimes go to the local art museum) went there after a meeting one day. or maybe someone told me about it. anyway, it was my favorite place to go. i would drink pots of tea, always trying new things.

on my 16th birthday my parents got me a teapot from there and a gift certificate to buy tea with. i had that teapot til it broke a year ago. 20+ years! it moved with me to and from college, to nyc, california, texas, and back to california. damn.

anyway after i’d been going for a while i started talking with the owner. his name was ian, and he was pretty young. he loved tea and coffee and he had a roaster where they’d make their own coffee. it was loud and lovely, and for a long time it lived up front, right by a little elevated area with couches. when it was running you couldn’t hear anything and had no choice but to either shout or be quiet.

ian encouraged my love of tea, and offered to keep track of everything i’d tried in a little notebook that was kept behind the counter. i got to make notes on every pot i drank, and i remember writing “terrible! grass!” after my first pot of green tea (it was oversteeped--my fault--and probably made with water that was too hot--their fault). i had my first pu-er there, and fell in love with its damp leaf flavor and that turned earth scent that it has. i drank multiple pots of jasmine pearls and wrote a caffeine fueled poem about it with a friend. i loved that little coffee shop.

i don’t remember when i went from hanging out inside to hanging out outside, but i feel like i was 18 or so. the older people (they were probably barely 21-25, fucking babies) sat out there smoking and drinking coffee. i developed a crush one summer on a guy who made me think of arthur dent for some reason (don’t ask because i don’t know) and we went on one awkward date and didn’t kiss, and now i wonder what’s happened to him and if he, too, wasn’t straight. who knows? someone, i’m sure, but i can’t remember his last name anymore so is it even relevant?

i’d never felt cool til i went off to college. it was like leveling up without trying, like when you’re playing a game and do one action and suddenly all your stats are refilled and you’re like...this is unexpected? but i’ll take it? i think that’s why i decided i could really sit with the outside tables. that and my bff, who was dating someone who was friends with a lot of those people, would show up sometimes and sit out there.

(if you’ve actually been reading along so far, here’s where i’m gonna introduce you to a bunch of people i’ve never talked about before and will likely never mention again. just so you have fair warning.)

the cast of characters shifted a lot, but there were always the constants. scott, the barista, who was much older than most of the people hanging out but looked young and seemed young. i look back with adult eyes and question the relationship we had, but at the time i just thought it was cool that someone so much older thought i was worth hanging out with. but he was 30 when i was 19, and man that’s a lotta years. he had a summer where he hit on my friend and i constantly, after his wife left him and he was kinda floundering a bit. but it never went past flirting and it never bothered me, though like i said it kinda does now. we were still hanging out when i was 21 and we’d go get beers after the coffee shop closed at ten or midnight. he’d turn up obnoxious music really loud and i’d sometimes help close.

there was gabe and george, brother and sister in a family of people with names starting with the letter g. george was tiny and cute and either very drunk or very hyper from coffee at all times. gabe was a nerd who was usually quiet but loved to play scrabble, and we’d take the board inside sometimes and battle one another. he was much better than me, i won’t lie. liz and ever were both writers who would play with us sometimes. ever had changed her name at some point (to ever; any name she had before is irrelevant) and when we met she explained the meaning of her new name, which i won’t give because damn it’s very google-able.

she was a so fascinating to me, always talking about some feminist theory or philosopher, and i always felt so smart when we’d hang out. like a Serious Thoughtful Adult and not a kid. and liz was less serious but no less smart. she played scrabble a lot more and for a while we got pretty close. she took me out after coffee sometimes to a shitty bar with pool tables and tried to teach me how to play pool. she had her own cue and even though she was like 5′2″ she could break like nobody’s business. i never figured out how to do that part.

alex would come with us sometimes. he was tall and handsome and rode a motorcycle, and was the first openly bi guy i ever met. one time he invited me over to his house and we laid around listening to the smiths and talking. he burned me a copy of their greatest hits that i still have, all scratched up so it probably doesn’t play anymore. he crashed his bike more than once driving drunk. dumb fuckin kid. now he repairs coffee machines and sails, i think. life is funny.

a few other people ran in groups. meg and waide and the aforementioned jason and ardyce. some people called meg “big megan” and another megan (her family was really wealthy, rich southern politicians who knew the clintons and have a mention in sweet home alabama--the song, not the movie) was “little megan” because she was still in high school. i joked that i was medium megan, but the whole thing was awkward because big megan was fat and i was small fat and little megan was skinny. i’m gonna blame it on thoughtless dudes, but who the fuck knows? we all pretended not to mind it anyway.

waide ended up being a connection with other people who i met later. my hometown is weird in that it’s actually a pretty big part of the southern punk scene, so a lot of punks i meet have spent time there, and anyone over a certain age probably spent time at the bar waide worked at (the stone lion, and then maybe also the pickle barrel) so he’s one of those people who i’ll end up mentioning even though we haven’t spoken in years.

at some point a kid named ory showed up. i think he was 16 when he started coming around, and i used to call him puppy because he was excitable and silly, full of energy one minute and then mopey crashing the next. like a lot of people there he drank a lot and would be fucked up sometimes and make dumb choices. i always wanted to protect him. when i was 22 (and he was 19, i think) we ended up sitting together at the second lotr movie and having some kind of weird chemistry. that summer i drove him home one night and we had a super heavy make out with lots of clothed grinding. honestly the furthest i’ve ever gone with a cis straight(ish, he hooked up with a couple dudes but idk if he’d say he’s bi) dude and it was awkward in that we never talked about it? and then he came to visit me a couple years later in new york because he was in the navy, and he got super drunk and passed out on my couch and was a mess because he literally never stopped being a puppy.

he’s fucked up now, fully cancelled bc he said shit about girls rock camp (really dude?) and also probably cheated on his wife on their honeymoon? idk, it was fb rumors and then he deleted. but i’d believe it, honestly.

and then there were all these absolutely random downtown characters: dirty mark (a crusty punk who was drunk or high most of the time) and shirtless dave (yeah he really didn’t wear a shirt that much) usually came as a pair. sometimes dave hung out with a guy my friends and i called blue hair. he once hit on my friend and she panicked and gave him my number instead of hers because her brain didn’t make up a fake number fast enough.

there was sandy the flower man, who just passed away a couple weeks ago. he’d get flowers from local florists and go around on his bike, stopping into the coffee shop or to bars with roses and carnations and daisies. people gave him money usually, but sometimes he’d just hand you a flower because he wanted to. i saw a picture from a memorial and there was a portrait of him that was sat on top of his bicycle, all of it surrounded with flowers on flowers. so pretty. it’s what he deserved.

things changed around 2005 or so, i think. by that time, all the old baristas had left and the kids who came in were all weirdly religious and went to the christian college on the mountain. they made shitty coffee and sometimes played xtian rock and most of the old regulars couldn’t take it anymore. ian got sick around that time, too, and ended up selling the place. they stopped carrying much tea, if any.

but they finally sold the space and moved in like 2015. i remember the first time i drove by and didn’t see the lights on inside. it felt like seeing a friend from grade school all grown up, maybe the kid you had a crush on but they have a family now and you don’t think they’d recognize you at all so you just have to walk away. gone.

fuck this post is long as shit, i’m sorry for anyone on mobile. but damn it was good to get my memories out.

#long post #text post #personal #coffee shop memories #i thought i was so grown up

5 notes · View notes

wayward-idiots · 6 years

Text

The Apology of Gabriel, pt19

If you’re looking for remorse, look no further than literally anywhere but this. It’s not that kind of apology.

Characters: Sam, Gabriel, Dean, Castiel, Billie Pairings: Ambiguous/Gen Summary: Sam decides to play his role. Gabriel guest stars as “guy who shows up to call them all idiots”. WARNINGS: Sam’s aversion to angels as caused by repeated trauma.

[first] [prev]

"Sam, Sam, Sam," Gabriel says, strolling into the room. "Another terrible decision? I thought we were making progress, here."

"It was your idea!" Sam says.

"This? This was never my idea. You were never supposed to be the one doing it," says Gabriel. "Didn't you get my message in a bottle?"

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose. "Would it kill you to just say something for once?"

"It's tough, being the Messenger and the Trickster. I told you, Sam. This Is The End. You're playing a role in the apocalypse again, but this time you're starring as yourself. Not Death."

"I'm not letting Dean do it," Sam insists.

Dean opens his mouth, and Gabriel mutes him with a flick of his hand. "I know," he says. "And Castiel – well. He's the leader Heaven needs, even if he doesn't want to be. But me, I'm not fit to lead. And I'm sure as hell not going up against Michael, or working with Lucifer. I'll be Death."

"No pornstars," says Sam. "Except dead ones. No Vegas, except for murders and overdoses. No – "

"No Heaven. No big brothers telling me what to do, no little brothers giving me big sad eyes, no civil wars, no family dinners. Just me, and the only people who can't annoy me. Dead ones."

"You can't."

"Sure I can. I make the deal with Death, and you three go kill Michael. Everybody wins, and no one has to know I was ever involved. Of course, that would've been easier if you hadn't gone haring off to do this yourself instead of letting me handle it."

"What if we fail? If Michael gets the scythe—"

"Michael's not going anywhere near the scythe. Believe me."

Dean says something – or mouths it, rather – and then waves at Gabriel angrily with the arm Castiel isn't gripping. Gabriel unmutes him with a sigh.

"If you're going to hide as Death – and you're not going to give us the scythe – "

"Uh, that thing could kill me," Gabriel says.

" – then how is you becoming Death going to help us?"

"Who says any of this was about helping you? Maybe I was just letting Sammy here solve something before I used my ticket out, even if it was just a riddle."

"Gabriel," Sam said, without a trace of disappointment or fear, because he knew Gabriel was just trying to get a rise out of Dean. Knew Gabriel wasn't hanging them out to dry the way he knew the sun revolved around the earth.

Gabriel turns his gaze back on Sam. His eyes harden, going cold. "That faith is gonna be the death of you, Sam."

"Probably," he acknowledges.

"If – if – Death accepts the bargain. I won't be needing this," he holds up his archangel blade, "or my Grace."

Sam stares.

Gabriel shrugs. "Don't look so shocked, kiddo. If it didn't come with phenomenal cosmic powers, I'd have carved out every scrap of everything that made me an angel years ago."

"So, what, you're going to hand over your Grace to Cass? Just like that?"

Gabriel throws his head back and laughs, a touch cruelly, like Dean's just told a funny joke. "No," he says. "You're going to need all the angels you can get. And sorry, baby bro, but you don't have the best track record with phenomenal cosmic power."

Cass makes a little fair enough kind of gesture.

"Then who," says Dean, eyeing him.

"No," Sam says. "Gabriel - "

"I told you. You're the horse I'm betting on here, Sam."

"Give it to Dean."

"It's you, or nobody."

"Why?"

"I have faith," he says, with a twisted little smile.

Sam really, really doesn't feel like laughing at the joke.

Gabriel lifts a hand, and every one of the candles lights.

"Gabe—" He says, uselessly, drowned out by Gabriel chanting the invocation.

There's a silence when he finishes the spell, and then –

"Billie?" Dean says in disbelief.

"Hello, gentlemen," says Billie, a little stiffly.

Sam turns to Dean, wide-eyed.

"We killed you," says Dean. As if she needs a reminder. "How are you—"

"When Death dies, the next Reaper to die takes on the mantle. Guess I just got lucky."

Dean killed Death and then sent a new one along. Someday, Sam thinks, they'll finally die and the entire universe will heave a sigh of relief that it can once again reach equilibrium. Assuming they don't just destroy the entire thing on accident.

Cass looks as alarmed as Sam feels. This pitch would be hard enough without the new Death being someone they'd killed.

Gabriel looks unconcerned. "Billie," he says. "You don't want to be Death, do you?"

"There isn't exactly a career fair, for dead Reapers," she says. "I am Death. What I want does not matter."

"What if it did?" Asks Gabriel. "What if what you wanted was not just relevant, but the key to us, too, getting the key to what we want?"

"And why should I help you?" She asks, bluntly.

Gabriel makes a noise like a buzzer. "That's not the right question."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I benefit from this. And so do these clowns. But that's just the why for me, for being willing. The question you should be asking is, what's the catch? Because you already know why you want this."

Her steady gaze falters.

"The catch," he says gently, "is that you can't go back to being a Reaper. You'll be a free agent. And you might not like that so much as you'd expect."

But Sam can see that she feels the draw of temptation nonetheless.

"Do we have a deal?" Gabriel asks, and Sam can't just stay back any more.

"Gabriel," he says. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's the perfect witness protection program," says Gabriel. "Even if Michael destroys everything else, he can't kill Death. And I can send other reapers after my brothers. This is the one place in the universe that my family won't be able to bother me."

And then he understands.

"You're finally getting out for good," Sam says.

"One of us should," says Gabriel, seriously. "Maybe both of us, Sam. It ends bad, if we don't."

Sam looks over his shoulder at Cass and Dean, who are watching them both very closely, Dean still gripping the arm Castiel used to block him from stomping into the ritual circle with usual Dean stubbornness.

"I know you don't feel the same way," says Sam, "but there are some things that are worth fighting for, no matter how bad it ends."

Gabriel looks at him. His expression is inscrutable, some strange and alien light in his eyes, and then he exhales, shaking his head. "You are so mind-bendingly stupid sometimes I wonder how you and those other two muttonheads ever managed to fix ANYTHING," Gabriel says.

Sam shrugs.

He looks to Billie. "Deal or no?"

"Deal," she says.

He looks to Sam. "You in or out?"

"I'm not getting out," Sam says, "so I guess I'm in."

"I need you to say yes," Gabriel tells him, hand settling on his shoulder, grip too tight to be comforting or friendly.

Sam. Doesn't like that. Doesn't even like the word anymore. Especially not drawn out of him. But he says, "Yes."

And Gabriel, bizarrely, grabs him in a hug, yanking Sam down to his level.

He says something in Sam's ear, and when the cold terror that washes over him at those two words fades, he nods. Agreement. Gabriel presses the blade into Sam's hand. "You do it," he says. "I want you to be able to tell the truth when you say you cut my throat and took my Grace. Don't you dare tell them where I went, Winchester."

"Wouldn't dream of it," says Sam.

Gabriel lifts his chin.

Blood trickles out when Sam cuts open his throat, but it's the Grace that curls towards him that makes his heart stutter.

He doesn't want an angel's Grace anywhere near him. Doesn't understand how he can take on Gabriel's Grace at all, unless Lucifer and Gadreel have left him not-quite-human, and that makes him want to be sick even more.

But Gabriel's eyes are fixed on him, steady, intense. There's nothing soft or tender in his gaze but it's reassuring nonetheless.

And he stops fighting it. Lets the Grace settle into him. It's warm, crackling like static electricity or pop rocks, reactive, and nothing at all like Lucifer's, which was like Niagara Falls: cold, fast moving, inescapable. It lacks the pressure of presence, the tension of two consciousnesses tangling together and forcing one to become dominant.

The golden metal is warm in his hand when he lowers it. And he's thinking about which pocket to tuck it into when it leaves his hand, and there's a quiet settling in the back of his – not his head, but his awareness. Sam knows from years of experience with angels that it'll fall into his hand when the time comes.

"The candy factory is yours, kid," says Gabriel. And he turns to Billie.

And Gabriel takes her hand.

And they both disappear without so much as a wingbeat, and Sam is left standing alone, Dean and Cass looking on with wide eyes.

[first] [prev]

#the apology of gabriel #aline writes spn fic #my content #who let me have a blog anyway #.txt #taog pt19

12 notes · View notes

formerprincess · 7 years

Text

Rules of fake dating me | Thiam Week Day 2

Fake Relationship

College AU: A breakup and a party encounter lead to the whole college campus thinking Liam is dating Theo Raeken, president of the rivaling frat of Liam’s ex. Well, nobody said college life was easy, right?

"You need to get laid again!”

With this very bold statement, Mason had barged into Liam’s dorm room and snatched the controller from his best friend’s hand. He ignored Liam’s indignant squeak and went on to explain that it had been six weeks since Gabe had broken up with Liam and it was time Liam started socializing again. Liam’s objections that he went to his classes, met with his study group and his friends were rewarded with an eye roll and Mason continuing to pick out clothes for Liam to wear tonight.

“That’s all fine and dandy but you need to show Gabe what he’s missing out. Even if it’s just for one night, go out and have fun. You know the saying: The fastest way to get over somebody is to get under somebody else!” He had stated, shoved the clothes into Liam’s arm and slammed the door to the bathroom in Liam’s face. Only his threat to drag Liam under the shower by himself made Liam finally move around the bathroom and start getting ready.

And here they were: At the Iota Alpha Chi house, the frat Mason’s boyfriend Corey was part of, and Mason had made Liam promise to stay at least two hours and actually try to have fun, maybe even flirt with a nice guy or gal. Which was easier said than done. It wasn’t so much that he was heartbroken but the way Gabe had ended things had abated Liam’s pride. Not easy not do when your boyfriend of almost a year told you he just didn’t saw any use in their encounter anymore. Being with Liam had been a nice pastime but now he wanted to do other things. So yes, Liam’s pride was hurt and even after six weeks, it still stung. He had avoided everything related to Gabe or his frat Rho Gamma Zeta and only had agreed to come to the party because he expected not to meet any Rho guy at an Iota party. The two frats didn’t get along in the slightest, having a constant rivalry and more than once Gabe had been disapproved of Liam spending time with Corey since he was part of Iota. Liam never really cared about all that, he wasn’t part of a frat, but since he was in a relationship with Gabe, he was siding with Rho obviously. He still kept a good friendship with Corey but Gabe took the rivalry really to a new level.

Liam pushed through the crowd and collided with another person. Luckily he was able to save his beer before it could spill to the ground but when he looked up to the face of the other person, he almost dropped his red solo cup. “Hey, Gabe.” He finally muttered. “Liam! Fancy, seeing you here. I mean, guess I should have expected it. Now that you can’t attend Rho parties anymore, you have to settle for that, huh?”

Liam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You’re here too. So are your friends.” He nodded over to the guys gathered behind Gabe and Gabe shrugged. “Have to keep an eye on the competition, right? Make the party better than it is.” “Uh uh.” Liam said jaw clenched. A part of him wanted to punch Gabe in his smug face. Asshole! “Doesn’t this constant rivalry get boring after a while?” He asked, trying to keep his cool and sipped on his beer. “I mean, it’s kind of childish.” It had been one of the topics they always fought over. Liam liked competition, especially on the lacrosse field, but this war between the fraternities was just too silly for him. Now Gabe reacted the way he usually did. He frowned. “Liam, we talked about this more than once. If you didn’t get it until now, you probably never will. Not that I expect you to.” As always when this topic came up, he made Liam feel stupid, like a dumb kid, and Liam hated it. He narrowed his eyes. “Stop making it sound like I’m dumb.” “Aren’t you? I mean, you’re friends with Iota.” “You...”

“Gabe! I knew it was you when somebody told me they saw some losers hanging around.” A voice sounded up behind Liam and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Somebody stepped closer to him and when Liam turned his head, he was faced with no other than Theo Raeken, president of Iota. They had met several times during his relationship with Gabe or when he and Mason visited Corey at the frat house but they never had any real interaction until now. What Liam knew about Theo though, was how little he liked Gabe. “Did I miss something? As far as I know, nobody invited you into this conversation.” Gabe snarled back. He didn’t like Theo either. “So, leave and let Liam and me have a civil conversation.”

“Didn’t the two of you break up a while ago? And he’s still pretending he likes talking to you? That’s actually impressive.” Theo squeezed Liam’s shoulder and Liam blinked in surprise. He had not expected Theo to keep track on his relationship, to be honest. Gabe seemed to have the same thought because he laughed sneeringly.

“Are you so desperate you keep track on other people’s love life now? Guess it’s the only option if you don’t get any, hm?” “I get more than enough, not that this is any of your business,” Theo replied calmly. “And it was more out of admiration for Liam’s ability to tolerate you. That’s some tough shit.” He flashed Liam a smile and Liam could not help but return it. When he returned his attention back to Gabe he saw the annoyed crease of his brow at the smile and a part of Liam enjoyed this more than anything. Gabe obviously didn’t like his ex-boyfriend and rival to get along so well.

“Well, Liam obviously liked the year I gave him. He was pretty devastated when I broke up with him.”

Okay, rude! Liam had not been happy but devastated was a pretty strong word, okay? How could he have missed how arrogant Gabe had been the whole year long? He glared at the dark haired boy and huffed. “I wasn’t devastated.” He corrected and sipped on his beer to resist the urge to punch Gabe once more. “Keep telling yourself that.” One of Gabe’s companions called out. He had also been there when Gabe ended their relationship. Another nice part about the breakup: It had been in front of the whole frat. “Well, maybe he was kind of bummed in the beginning. The hour after your breakup must have been hard for hi., I’m sure.” Theo cut in, voice taunting. “Luckily he got over it the minute I asked him out.”

Liam almost choked on his beer. He could not believe Theo had just said that! He knew Gabe and Theo butted heads every time they met but that was completely surprising, apparently for everyone involved, because Gabe stared at him gobsmacked. “You two are dating now?” He finally asked incredulously. And Liam gulped down his beer, eyes narrowing at the judgemental tone in his ex’ voice. Like he was disgusted by the sheer thought.

“We are.”

Liam was surprised when it was his voice which sounded up. Had he just jumped on the thing Theo started? He had not even thought about it but Gabe judging them both and his arrogant behavior prior had riled him up enough. Now he felt Theo’s hand soft stroking through the hair on the back of his neck and a soft shiver ran down Liam’s spine. The touch felt good, he had to admit it. Maybe he was touch starved?

Gabe’s mouth curved into a derisive smirk. “Good, Liam, I was aware you were devastated by our breakup but settling with Theo? That’s even lower than what I expected.” “See, this is where you got it wrong. After almost a year with you, he really needed a reward.” Theo replied to that and smirked smugly when Gabe glared at him. Liam couldn't help himself but chuckle. It was pleasing to his ego to see Gabe like that. Especially now when Theo pulled Liam closer and put one arm around his shoulder. “We would like to further enjoy this party, so if you don’t mind.” He dismissed with a sweet smirk but his eyes betrayed him. He kicked Gabe out. Gabe got the hint because he huffed and then turned around to march out of the house, followed by his friends. Liam waved after them and then laughed.

“You just made my night. Thank you.” He told Theo and The chuckled. Well, you gave me the opportunity to kick Gabe out. I should thank you.” Liam shrugged. “I really didn’t do anything, so don’t mention it.” He played it down. Theo smiled and then nodded over to Liam’s drink. “Come one, I’ll get you another one.”

****** In the end, Liam was kind of happy Mason dragged him to the party. For once because he got the laugh out of his encounter with Gabe and afterward he and Theo had actually launched a conversation. They found out they liked the same video games and shared the same taste in movies. Liam kind of wondered why they never really talked before aside the occasional “Hey.” and “What’s up?” At the end of the night, he stayed longer than what he promised Mason and he left with a smile on his face.

It didn’t even come to his mind that there could be an aftermath of the party but a few days later Liam found himself lounging on his bed and doing some reading for his classes when the door opened and in stepped Mason, Corey and Nolan, Liam’s roommate. All three stared at Liam who questingly raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

“You and Theo, how long is this already going on?” Mason asked, looking kind of betrayed. Liam furrowed his brows. “What?” “The whole campus is talking about Gabe’s ex being in a relationship with no other than Theo.” Corey explained and Nolan added: “Probably because Gabe is pissed. He’s talking about it almost constantly, claiming you did a downgrade.”

Liam blinked. It took him some time to adjust to this information and then: “WHAT??” “My reaction exactly. I know why I reacted like this but why you?” Mason commented dryly and Liam shook his head. “We’re not dating!” “Uhm, what?” That was Corey now, looking as confused as Nolan and Mason. “Because I’m pretty sure I heard from several people Theo and you admitted to dating on that party.” “Yeah well...” Liam blushed and rubbed his neck. “Gabe was there and he was being a total dick.” (”As always.” Nolan muttered under his breath). “He riled me up and suddenly Theo was there. You know how those two are, always trying to outdo another and Gabe insulted me which prompted Theo to defend me. Long story short, Theo said he asked me out and you should have seen Gabe’s face. I couldn’t stop myself and jump on that bandwagon.” Liam explained his friends. “So, really, it was meant as a joke to make Gabe leave. It worked.”

“Oh yeah, it worked so perfectly that anybody who witnessed the exchange got the same impression and you know the gossip around campus. So, joke or not, literally everybody is under the impression you and Theo are actually a thing, Liam.” Nolan concluded and Liam paled. Oh fuck, he really had not thought this trough. “Great and what am I supposed to do now?” He asked his friends and while Mason and Corey shrugged and patted his shoulder, Nolan cleared his throat. “You have two options. Options No 1: Keep the lie and whenever you start another actual relationship declare the relationship between you and Theo over. Things happen, you know? Option No 2: Come clean but that would mean Gabe would win and I don’t think that’s what you want.” He laid out and Liam had to agree with him. Basically, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. “I’m fucked.” He muttered and Mason snorted. “Not really but everybody thinks you are by no other than Theo Raeken.”

******

Liam made his way into the library, trying to ignore some whispers behind his back. His relationship with Theo seemed to be one of the hottest topics right now and Liam couldn’t shake the slight suspicion it was also because Gabe was still spitting mad. Well, sucks, he had broken up with Liam after all.

Making his way over to an empty table Liam was about to put his bag down when he spotted Theo in one of the aisles. Before he could think twice Liam marched over and grabbed the other by his arm to yank him into a corner. “I need to talk to you!”

“Why?” Theo asked and closed the book he had been reading when Liam yanked him away. “Because the whole campus thinks we’re dating!” Liam hissed and pushed his backpack up his shoulder to prevent it from falling down. Theo looked oddly unimpressed by that and leaned against the shelf. “So?” “Doesn’t that bother you one bit?”

Theo looked at Liam and then chuckled. “Not really, no. Over the years I had so many rumors about me going on, I learned to ignore them. People will always talk, Liam.” He looked at Liam and smirked even more smugly. “Besides, Gabe is literally fuming with anger because of it and that alone is reason enough not to address this issue. Even now he’s not letting us leave his sight, he even got up and walked over to act like he’s shuffling through a shelf. He’s that jealous.” “He...what?” Liam was about to turn around when Theo grabbed his face and made him look at Theo. “You’re not the most subtle person on this planet, huh?” “Uhm.” Liam made since Theo still squished his cheek together and prevented him from really talking. Theo let go of him but Liam didn’t bother turning around once more.

He didn’t have to because Gabe just stepped up to them. “What are you doing?” He asked.

“Planting trees.” Theo dryly replied. “Why? Want to help? The earth needs every friend it can get. Grab a shovel and dig yourself a hole.”

“I can dig a hole for you if you insist!” Gabe snarked back and Liam stepped between the two frat presidents, one hand pushing against Theo’s chest, the other against Gabe’s. “It’s still a library, so if you two gamecocks could tone it down a notch, yeah? That would be amazing.”

Theo and Gabe continued their stare off until Theo shrugged and put one arm around Liam’s waist, pulling him against his chest. “Anyway, can we actually help you with something? My boyfriend and I would continue our conversation from earlier. Have to make some arrangements for date night, you know. Like which movie to watch, choosing a restaurant to eat and then decide if we go to his dorm or my room to have sex, the usual, you know?” Theo teased and Liam gripped his arm when Gabe’s face turned a very angry shade of red and he stared at Liam.

“Didn’t take you for such a slut, Liam!” He spat out and Liam heard Theo growl behind him. Before the two could really fight, he grabbed Theo by the arm once again and dragged him out of the library. Outside he took a deep breath and let go of Theo’s arm immediately. He may had broken up with Gabe but getting insulted still hurt and he had to walk that off for a second. Theo followed him.

“The hell was that?” He inquired and Liam sighed. “You said we would have sex.” He explained and Theo made a sound close to duh. “Well, Gabe reacted like that because...I never slept with him.”

Theo stopped walking and held Liam by his arm. “Hold on.” He started. “Just to get this right: You and Gabe were in a relationship for almost a year and you never had sex?” Liam nodded unwillingly. “Yep.” He then said and shooed Theo’s hands away. “It was never the right moment.” “Are you a virgin?” “What? No, I’m not and Gabe isn’t one either.” “Then how come you didn’t had sex?” “Not every relationship is about sex, Theo!” “I know that but almost a year? When the two of you had sex before with different partners? That’s kind of surprising.” “Well, maybe I didn’t want to sleep with a person I didn’t love.” Liam muttered under his breath but Theo had heard him nonetheless. And he frowned. “Why were you in a relationship with a man you didn’t love for almost a full year? That doesn’t follow at all.” Liam sighed deeply. “Because it was convenient. Being in a relationship took all the stress away with who was my date for an event or my company for Friday night. Before I started the relationship with Gabe I was kind of the third wheel with Corey and Mason and suddenly we could do double dates and such. It was nice.” “Nice.” Theo parroted. “I mean, yeah, who doesn’t want a nice relationship? That’s what is important. Screw love or trust and loyalty. Nice, that’s the important thing.” “You are an idiot!”

“And you didn’t have sex for over a year. Which is a shame.” Theo told him, eyes raking over Liam’s whole body before he started walking again. And Liam may be oblivious most times but such a direct flirt? Even he got that! Now he hurried to keep up with Theo. “Now, what? Keep the dating lie up to annoy Gabe?” Now that he said it, it actually sounded fun. Theo shot him a grin. “Why not? If I’m informed correctly, he kind of treated you like shit, right?” Liam bit his lower lip but nodded. He had no idea where Theo got this from but the guy seemed to have good resources. “Yeah.” He confirmed. “So it serves him right to get a bit jealous. Besides, and that is a fact you can’t deny, I’m more attractive than him. You made an upgrade, Liam.” Theo told him with a smirk and Liam had to laugh.

****** “Okay, I made up some rules for fake-dating me.” Theo chuckled and looked at Liam from where he sat on his bed. “Does your real boyfriend follow rules too?” He inquired and Liam glared at him, making Theo only smirk more. “Okay, share your rules with me, baby.” “No pet names! I’m not in the pet name type of guy. Aside from that, no kissing. If someone asks we say we’re both not big fans of PDA.” “That’s a lie and I’m sure everybody around here knows that.” Liam ignored Theo and continued. “If one of us ever meets someone he would like to start a real relationship with, this thing is off. In case somebody asks, we just say we broke up. No further explanation.” “Is there somebody you’re interested in already?” “I hate you.” “Speaking of: I love you? Yes or no?” Liam let his notepad sink where he had scribbled down his rules. He had not thought about this until now. Those three words were important to him, he could not start to toss them around like that. “No. No I love you.” “Aww, baby.” “No pet names!” “Sorry, honey.” “You’re doing this to annoy me, right?” “Me? Never, hun bun.” Liam rolled his eyes. “Why did I agree to this? Remind me again?” He muttered. “Because you like to piss Gabe off, angel face.”

****** “You are completely insane!” Mason scolded and Liam shrugged. “Maybe.” He checked his reflection in the mirror before grabbing a leather jacket and slipping it on. “Just to get back at Gabe you’re ready to live a lie?” “It’s not really a lie. Everybody thinks we’re dating and all we do now is spending time together, going to see movies, go for coffee and generally just hang out.” He told his friend, trying to dissolve Mason’s worries. Mason still looked like he had lost his mind. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea, L.” “Too bad, we already started, I can’t let Gabe win this!” “Liam, dating and love is not a war! I know he hurt you but playing this game with Theo is literally playing with fire. I don’t want you to get burned.” Liam paused getting ready and turned to face Mason. “You think I will fall in love with Theo and get myself hurt.” It wasn’t a question, Liam was stating it. Mason sighed. “You have the tendency to fall in love very easily.” “I certainly do not.” “Brett. Hayden. Gabe.” “Not Gabe!”

Mason groaned. “Okay, fine, not Gabe. The others? Yes, they were relationships but still. You are a good person with a very good heart which has lots of love to give. You fall easily and Theo is charming. You’re posing as a couple, so forgive me for being worried about my best friend. Your last breakup wasn’t that long ago.”

“I can take care of myself! I don’t fall in love easily! I’m not dumb, Mason.” He was angry. “And now excuse me, I have a date to attend.” He grabbed his keys and wallet and then slammed the door to his dorm room shut.

Fights with Mason always got to him and deep inside Liam knew Mason just wanted to protect him. But Liam was too stubborn to admit that his best friend maybe was right. In the past, he had proofed how easily he fell for his past partners and I love you always came easy. But this time it was different. They weren’t in a relationship, they were just pretending.

“You okay?” Theo asked. Liam had barely said anything the whole evening, despite them being in a really nice restaurant not far from the campus. Instead, he played with his napkin and his food. Now he looked up, startled by Theo seemingly seeing through him and noticing something was off. Gabe never did that, Liam’s brain helpfully offered and he mentally cursed Mason. This was his fault and Liam didn’t want those thoughts.

“Had a fight with Mason before I came here. Sorry.” He apologized and Theo smiled softly. “Want to talk about it?” He asked but Liam shook his head, smiling weakly. “It’s okay. Thanks.”

“Uh, then smile and act like you are okay because Gabe just entered the restaurant and he’s accompanied by a redhead. They’re coming this way.” Theo told him and Liam sighed but then braced himself for the moment the couple would walk past them. When they did, Gabe gave him one dirty look then he followed the waiter to their table. Right in the side of Liam and Theo.

“Typical.” Liam muttered and looked down at his food. “Want to leave?” Theo asked. Liam thought about accepting but then shook his head. “It’s okay. Just..tell me something. Anything to get my mind off.” “Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.” Liam blinked. “What?” “If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground, it can’t hop.” “Theo...” “Gorillas burp when they are happy.” Liam had to laugh at that. “You’re weird.” “But it made you laugh. That’s what I wanted to.” “Now you’re getting sappy.” Liam laughed again and was quite satisfied when Gabe stared at him. Liam ignored his ex and focused on Theo again.

****** Over time they settled in this rhythm and hung out quite a lot. Either around campus or on Theo’s or Liam’s room. Theo as the president had a big room for himself at the Iota house but Nolan was having a job at the campus café so Liam was almost alone every time when Theo came over. Today Liam was on his bed, balancing his laptop on his knees and video chatting with his parents at home. Dr. Geyer just filled his stepson in on some things that needed to get repaired around the house when it knocked at Liam’s dorm room. Getting up from his bed he walked over to the door and opened it.

“Mom, Dad, that’s Theo by the way.” He introduced his parents to his visitor and Theo looked surprised for a moment then he smiled the most charming smile Liam had ever seen and waved at the camera.

“Hello, Mrs. Geyer and Dr. Geyer, nice to meet you.” He greeted politely and Liam heard his mother let out a happy gasp. “Liam, do you have a new boyfriend?” Of course, she would think that!

“Uhm, mom, no! Theo’s just a....

“Theo, darling, so nice to finally meet you. I knew there was somebody there who made Liam happy. A mother knows those things. So, tell me about you. What is your major? Where do you come from? How did you two meet?”

“Mom....” Liam tried again at the same time Theo started talking. “I’m from around Beacon Hills and I’m a business major. I lead one of the fraternities on the campus and that’s how Liam and I met. Corey, Mason’s boyfriend, is also part of our frat and with Mason came Liam. I noticed him right away. He just had this sparkle in his eyes and from the first moment I knew he was a very interesting person. He’s a very true and real character but I’m sure you know that. You raised him after all.” He chuckled and Liam swore he could hear his mother swoon. He was swooning himself because the way Theo talked about him made his heart jump slightly. Until the party he had been under the strong impression Theo never really noticed him, that he was just a face to him. Damn, Theo was good at this whole fake thing.

“Such a nice guy. Liam, why didn’t you introduce us sooner?”

“That was my fault. I wanted to make a perfect impression and got a bit self-conscious. You only have one chance to get to introduce yourself to the parents of your boyfriend, right?” Theo went for a joke and Liam stared at him, blinking owlishly. What the hell? He was stunned and so he barely said anything and let Theo and his parents talk for almost an hour. He learned about Theo wanting to have his own business one day, hence his major, that he liked to visit museums and would like to go to New York one day. His favorite color was dark blue and his favorite breakfast were blueberry pancakes. Things he never bothered to ask when they were hanging out. He witnessed Theo joking around with Dr. Geyer and asking questions about the work at the hospital. So when the call ended, he was kind of speechless.

“Dude, my parents already love you!” Theo shrugged with a soft smile. “They are nice.” “No, you don’t understand. They love you.” “You already said that. I was just nice to them. That’s how it goes, right?” “No.” Liam shook his head and Theo looked confused “No?” “They hated Gabe.” “I like your parents even more now.” “No, seriously, they didn’t get along with him and he didn’t like them either. To see you talking to them like that was wow.” And it made his heart flutter. Something Liam had not expected to happen but now he couldn’s stop his little heart from doing so. And while he still had in mind what Mason told him (even though his best friend had later apologized for being too harsh and they had made up) he realized that this time it felt totally different than ever before.

A beeping sound shook him from his thoughts and he almost jumped off the bed. Theo looked at his watch and cursed. “Fuck, my shift starts in ten minutes. Gotta go!”

“Oh. Sorry for making you sit through the call in your free time.”

“Nah, stop it, your parents are cool. It wasn’t a waste of time.” He smiled at Liam and grabbed his bag. “See you later.” He muttered, leaned in to press a quick kiss to Liam’s cheek and then leave the room. Liam stayed behind, stunned by the sudden kiss and the way his heart bet even faster now.

******

Liam shuffled up the stairs and down the hallway. Knocking at Theo’s door, he didn’t even bother to wait for an answer and just opened the door to shuffle inside the room and kick the door shut. Dropping his bag unceremoniously on the floor, Liam head first fell down on the bed and groaned. Lacrosse practice had been a bitch today and he was sore all over.

“Your bed’s comfy, can I stay here forever?” He muttered and snuggled further into the comfy mattress. Hearing a chuckle from the adjoining bathroom made him smile sleepily too.

“Hard training?”

"Hm.” Liam made a sound and then raised his head to actually look for Theo. The Iota president had a big room and his own bathroom which door was currently open and he was inspecting himself in the mirror. Liam swallowed because all Theo was wearing were black sweatpants. The light in the bathroom cast a soft glow on his naked torso and tired or not but Liam appreciated a nice view and that view was spectacular.

Now Theo walked out of the room and leaned against the door frame, giving Liam a nice long glance on his toned upper body. Liam swallowed dryly. “Did I interrupt anything? I didn’t mean to. Your room was just closer than my dorm building.”

“You didn’t. Just had taken a shower and got dressed.”

“Halfway dressed.” Liam corrected automatically and his eyes still lingered on the other’s abs and well-defined chest. Theo was attractive, no doubt, even more attractive than Gabe ever had been. Liam could see this too, he had eyes, okay? And they were working. He knew his friend was actually hot like burning and many people on the campus wanted to climb him like a tree. Nothing new here. New was the realization that Liam belonged to those people.

Since the video call from his parents, he tried to ignore the beating of his heart every time Theo was around. The way he smiled, his scent, being close to him, it all made his heart almost jump out of his chest, and after a while, Liam had not been able to ignore it any longer, at least not in front of himself. He was about to fall head over heels for the older but since he knew Theo only saw this as a joke, Liam had made a decision. It would hurt but in the end, he had to protect his heart.

If Theo weren’t only making this harder, looking so incredibly good right now. But Liam sat up and cleared his throat. if he didn’t do it now, he wouldn’t do it anytime soon and that was problematic.

“I also came here to talk.” “About what?” Theo asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and pulling them slightly down in the progress, exposing the V of his hip bones. Focus, Liam! “I thought about it and I think...we should end this fake relationship. We can say you broke up with me, that would be totally okay.” He had expected a joke or agreement, but Liam wasn’t prepared for the way Theo’s face fell. He looked taken aback and then he just looked sad. “May I asked why? Did you fall in love with somebody?” “No...yes...in some ways yeah.” Had he thought Theo looked sad before, he now looked devastated. But he nodded. “Okay. If that’s what you want....”

Something was wrong. Liam could feel it. He had played this in his mind over and over again and Theo never reacted how he reacted now. Liam prided himself on knowing the other by now, he couldn’t be so off with his expectations, right? So what was off? “Theo?” He asked softly and got up from the bed to step closer to his friend. “What’s wrong? Look, I know it may sound a bit ungrateful but I appreciate what you did for me. We are still friends, yeah?” Theo gave him a look. “Really? You’re giving me the ‘we’re still friends line’? Come on, Liam, I know you can do better than that.” “I’m not giving you any line. We are friends, always have been. Over the last couple of weeks....” “Months.” Theo cut in. “It’s been months. Three months to be exact. I like to keep tabs on my fake relationships, you know?” “Okay, fine, over the last couple of months we’ve grown so close and....”

“So close that you couldn’t even tell me you fell in love with someone?” Theo’s voice sounded cold and Liam frowned. “It’s not that easy.” “Then make it easy. Give me a name. Where did you meet them? Tell me you are not dumb enough to go back to Gabe. Tell me everything you would tell your friend. Mason knows, right? I thought we were friends too and yet I had no idea. Wanted to spare my feelings? Cute but I don’t need you for that. Got that covered!” Theo sounded colder with every word and his face was as solid mask of blankness, “Don’t be an ass!” Liam growled. “Oh, I’m the ass? Good to know.” Theo pointed at the door. “Know what? Just leave. You did what you came here for, so no need to complicate this even more. You obviously don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. We will all live, no hard feelings.”

“You’re the one making this hard! I just came here to call the fake relationship off and because I wanted to spend time with you.” “Why?” Liam boggled at that question and his frown deepened. “What do you mean?” “Why do you want to spend time with me? Thought we broke up?” It was meant to sound sarcastically but it cut deeper than Liam thought it was possible. He bit his lip and stared at Theo. That was what Mason had warned him about. He should have listened to his friend.

“You want a name and then what? Go to the person and be an ass there?” Liam snarled. “Nah, I planned on giving them the talk to treat you right because you fucking deserve it, you precious angel.” Theo snapped back. Liam glared at him, hands slowly balling into fists. Why did every man he liked end up being an asshole these days? “Then go on and have fun, mirror’s over there. While you’re at it, might as well tell yourself to stop being such a freaking asshole. It’s not like I could walk up to you and say ‘Hey, by the way, this whole fake relationship is nice but what about an actual date?’, right? I know you see all this as some prank on Gabe! No need to make this even more painful than it already is for me!” Liam yelled at Theo and the older actually shied back as if he had been hit.

He stared at Liam, completely stunned by the outburst, then he rolled his eyes. “You can’t be that oblivious, can you? Remember what I told your parents? About me noticing you from the start? That wasn’t a lie! I did it the first time you came over with Mason. You were by far the most attractive one here and you seemed like a cool guy. Really think I would invest that much time in a prank on Gabe? If it weren’t for you? Don’t you dare to tell me it was painful for you when I have been crushing on you since basically day one!” Theo yelled back and then grabbed Liam’s face to pull him into a rough kiss. Liam wrapped his arms around Theo’s neck in an instant and returned the kiss. He moaned when Theo bit down on his lower lip, rough enough to draw blood, and licked it away. Now Liam deepened the kiss, fingers running through Theo’s hair and rumpling it. He faintly noticed Theo pushing him back to the bed and him holding on when they both fell on the mattress. After that, it was just all a blur of passion and lust.

****** “Do I want to know why you look so smugly?” Liam asked. He had his chin on Theo’s naked chest and watched the other staring at the ceiling. Now Theo turned to face him, still smirking.

“Simple.” He began. “I had to think about you telling me you never slept with Gabe. I’d say I won.”

Liam rolled his eyes but he had to smile. “I never slept with him because I didn’t love him. You won in that regard too.” He muttered and leaned in to kiss Theo’s.

“Damn right I did.” Theo muttered against his lips and ran a hand through Liam’s tousled hair.

#thiamweek2k17 #thiam #my writing

197 notes · View notes

superjedders · 7 years

Text

Reaching Out for Repercussions

"Jeez Gabe, ya never used to fight so dirty, s'min Talon teach ya?" The cowboy panted heavily, a gentle chuckle underlying his words as his peacekeeper leveled with the Reapers forehead. The so called, angel of death was on his knees wheezing and staring up at the gunslinger with a dark glint of hatred in his eyes. The white mask that typically adorned his features cracked and broken to allow shards of the man he was to show through. Patches of the old Gabriel Reyes masked with a smokey overtone and a scent of death that couldn't be replicated. Around the pair, a battle raged between Overwatch and Talon. Lena could be heard darting around with Genji at her side trying to take down the illusive widowmaker, Dva was teamed up with Lucio wearing down Talon agents while Torbjörn and Reinhardt took care of some hardier machinery Talon had brought to the fight. Each member had their own job to do, and for the Gunslinger, taking down Reaper had been his task. A task he had demanded repeatedly in meetings. A task he had assured other agents he was the only one capable of completing. A task that was his duty to fulfill. "It's Reaper...and lf you're expecting me to beg you're going to be waiting a long time ingrate." The deep gravelly voice of the Reaper drew an amused look to Jesse's face, the gunslinger shaking his head with a gentle sigh. He was more than aware of the blood trickling down the side of his face, a result of a blow delivered by the butt of Reapers empty shotguns not 10 minutes prior. The Cowboy took a moment to count his lucky stars that he was stood with the upper hand for once. He was still able to smell the gunpowder on him, thanking whatever gods that would listen for the luck he had been given. The cowboy had managed to avoid the brutal blasts from the Reapers shotguns and escape with just a few grazes and a new hole in the bottom of serape to show for it. " 'm not expect'n anythin' partner, and cut the act Gabe, I've known it's been you for a long time. Can't fool this cowboy I know ye too damn well" Jesse saw the Reapers clawed hand reach for the shotgun and flicked his weapon in warning tutting loudly "Leave that well alone darlin'. We're guna talk this out like gentlemen" the gunslinger rolled his eyes as a choked laugh forced it's way past the Reapers lips. "Talk?" Gabe shook his head "You've gone soft. I have nothing to say to you, so just kill me and be done with it. " he growled before a thought sprung to mind "Unless, you don't have the guts to go through with it?" his gaze met the cowboys, silently daring him to pull the trigger and prove him wrong. "Well, Deadeye? Take the shot" he goaded the gunslinger, scowling at him when the male showed no attempt to pull the trigger "Prove yourself, be the fucking hero" still the uninterrupted silence grated on his nerves, the cowboys eyes hidden by the brim of his hat, peacekeeper still leveled with between his eyes and yet not even a twitch on the trigger. "FUCKING TAKE THE SHOT!" spittle flew from Reapers lips as he barked at the former Blackwatch agent. Jesse shook his head, pushing the safety of his gun back into position with his thumb before letting his arm slowly fall to his side "No" he murmured, holstering the weapon "I ain't like you, and I ain't no hero." he licked his lips "Ima give ya a chance here Gabe" taking a moment to adjust his hat, brown orbs settled on the floor, his other hand resting on his hip before he cleared his throat and lifted his gaze again to lock eyes with his former Strike Commander. "A chance to what?" Reaper growled, eyes darting to his weapon briefly "Beg for my life? For forgivness? Because that's not going to happen-" "-im givin' ya the chance t'do the right thing." Jesse interrupted with a stern tone, his brow furrowing "Y'all gave me a chance years ago, bout time I returned the favour" Jesse sighed, scratching the scruff under his jaw before continuing "This ain't you Gabe. All the mindless killin' and torture? This shit is below even the Blackwatch belt. It's jus' not right and ye know it" a slow inhale allowed the cowboy to resume speaking "Jus' let us help ya. Angie reck'ns she can-" "-Angela?!" Reaper laughed, the noise resonating from his very core and sending a chill down Jesse's spine "She's the one who turned me into this...thing! This monster! She will pay for what she did to me, I will- "-She wants te help ye Gabe, she's been work'n on it fer months now. Jus' come with us and give it a chance" "Don't act like you give a damn. You ran. Ran like a scared little boy all those years ago and now you're telling me to come back. For what?! TO be experimented on? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but a coward!" Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling slowly before shaking his head, refusing to allow the comments to spike his temper. "Y'all know me Gabe, 'm like an ornery squirrel. Can't sit in one place too long, I get all fidgety" he cracked a smile "Ye I ran, m'be I was a coward fer doin' so. But don't you ever tell me I didn't give a dam after all we did. Y'all set me on the straight an' narrow when nobody else would even look at me. Gave me s'min worth fightin' for and I can't never thank ye enough fer that" he glanced round briefly, aware that he was needed elsewhere in the battle and exhaled slowly to calm himself "Look, I'm not tellin' ye to come with me. I'm jus' askin' ya to consider it. We all wanna help ya Gabe, jus' give us the chance" the pair locked eyes, silence falling between them for a moment before Jesse cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. "Well imma leave ye to it, I'm needed elsewhere" his word startled Gabe who had briefly let his claws brush over his gun "Think about it partner" Turning on his heels the cowboy took a meager two steps before Reaper snatched up a shotgun and rose to his feet, quickly levelling it with the cowboys back. The inaudible click of the safety drawing a sigh from Jesse and causing the gunslingers shoulders to slump slightly as he raised his hands in a meek surrender. "If yer Guna shoot me in the back, at least make it quick" Jesse chewed on the inside of his bottom lip and averted his eyes skywards, waiting for the loud bark of the shotgun and inevitable pain that would surely follow. "You always were a cocky son of a bitch. How you lived this long never fails to surprise me" Reaper lowered his gun slightly, then his gaze "I'll consider your offer....Ingrate." Jesse turned slowly and let a grin tug at his features, causing Gabe to shake his gun once in warning "Until then, if I find you at the end of my gun again I will not hesitate to take the shot. Understand?" Jesse nodded once, tipping his hat in confirmation, unable to stop the gentle smile on his face and slight smugness about him. "Take care of yerself Gabe" he nodded once at the Reaper, turned on his heels and jogged away, spurs jingling gently with each stride. O O O O "Howdy Darlin' miss me?" Jesse slid in behind cover, startling the poor Swiss medic who was seeking refuge. "Gott verdant Jesse...where have you been and what happened to your face?" blue orbs scanned his rugged features, noting the blood on the side of his head and the burn marks in his serape and on his armour. "Ran into an' ol' friend. Gave him an offer, reck'ns he'll consider it" Jesse let his back lean against the flipped over car they were sheltering behind as he rammed a speedloader into his peacekeeper and flipped the barrel effortlessly back into position. The gunslinger could feel the surprise gaze burning into him and smirked at the medic a she silently mouthed the name of the old Blackwatch commander. "Bingo" his robotic hand pressed itself against the floor as he readied to head back into the fight "Fer now we jus' wait and see. With any luck he'll see sense an' come see us" The second Angela nodded the cowboy vaulted over the car, his gun barking three times in quick succession as he took care of some Talon operatives lurking off to the side,their bodies hitting the ground second apart. O O O O "Gah...!" The sound of a body hitting the floor and the yell over comms drew the gunslingers attention away from firing wildly at the nearest roof top. He had been supplying suppressing fire for Genji and Tracer, keeping Widowmaker trapped behind a chimney while they worked their way over. Peacekeeper still aimed at the roof he pressed a finger to his ear "McCree reportin' yalright?" "N...not really Eastwood..." Jesse was immediately scanning the area when the sound of the Brazilian Dj echoed through the comms thick with static. Tipping his hat back Jesse scanned the area looking for the male soon had the gunslinger making a beeline for him popping off two more rounds into the Talon agent that had been looking for an easy kill in the downed medic. "Hey Partner, what's the problem?" Jesse crouched down beside the medic, wincing briefly at the mangled sound that came from Lucios damaged weapon. Low notes were warbles of noise while higher notes were like nails on a chalkboard enough to have the cowboy reaching over to silence it. "Hey Eastwood...t...thought you could all use a hand...guess it didn't work out" The medic was in pain, a sheen of sweat glistening on his brow and a dark crimson stain soaking his side drawing a concerned frown from Jesse before he placed a finger to his earpiece. "Doc? We got wounded. Ima bring him to ya, be ready Angie" Jesse smirked gently "Y'all be alright. I've seen worse, jus' keep yer hand on that wound till Angies had a look" he glanced around cautiously, grateful for the rest of the team. They were stopping them from being sitting ducks on the battlefield. "Reck'n ye can stand?" an apprehensive look to the blades on Lucios feet punctuated his questions and caused the Brazilian to follow his gaze. "Ye-yeah" "Alright let's get ye up" Jesse wrapped an arm around Lucio, letting the Dj throw an arm around his neck before taking slow breath "On three....1...2.....3" He eased the man onto his feet, hearing the stifled cry of pain emitting from the medic. They took a moment, allowing Lucio to steady himself on his blades, his head hanging and pained inhales escaping him periodically. "Ready?" Jesse asked before slowly easing the man into motion actually finding himself grateful for the skates as it allowed him to basically wheel the medic towards their destination. "I'm sorry Eastwood..." Lucio gasped the apology, focusing on keeping his blades straight. "Hey, you ain't got nutin to apologise for. Let's jus' get that wound seen to. Besides you bet me you would be able to change my taste in music, an' I ain't loosin' that bet" he felt Lucio shudder and realised it was a result of a laugh escaping him. "I'll change your mind cowboy...rest assured" he winced and lifted his gaze "Thanks Eastwood" a smile spread across his pained features, Jesse shrugging off the thanks and gently getting Lucio to stand on his own for a second while he scouted ahead. It wasn't too far, providing they could rely on the other agents distracting Talon. He was soon moving with Lucio again, the medic trying his best to ease up on his grip and apologising softly when sharp waves of pain would cause him to grip tightly, embedding his fingers into the cowboys arm. Jesse didn't mind, he'd been on both sides of this and a bit of bruising to his arm wasn't going to kill him, nor would the bullet wound lucio was dealing with- "Look out!" Jesse had a split second to react and immediately shoved Lucio away, sending the already injured Medic sprawling to the floor. His gloved hand reached instinctively towards his peacekeeper, but the speed in which the large man closed the distance was too much for the gunslinger. Brown hues widened in alarm, the cowboy taking a half step back before the large golden fist collided square with his chestplate, his feet leaving the floor, a feeling of weightlessness washing over him followed by excruciating pain and the sweet embrace of darkness. The loud bang that echoed as the cowboy connected with the concrete wall drew a number of concerned glances. The brickwork cracked and crumbled slightly, a cloud of debris slowly dispersing skyward and revealing the scene. The gunslinger had left a dent in the wall comparable to the scenes at Numbani airport a few months prior. Sat on the floor, coated with brick dust, his head was lulled forwards burying his chin in his chest with his eyes closed. The gunslinger unaware of the large shadow approaching his unconscious form,the large male flexing the doomfist gauntlet at his side. "You should seize opportunities when they present themselves Reaper. Do not show weakness, it will be your downfall" Akande glanced back at the cloaked male, a stern expression on his brow before he reached down and plucked the cowboy hat from McCree's head. The tatty fabric drew a look of disgust from the Talon leader as he looked it over about to toss it aside when a yell from behind grabbed his attention. "McCree!" Genji was the first to try and get to the scene, leaping down from a nearby roof and running towards the pair, drawing his sword. His feet were light on the ground, silent but as Akande watched the ninja approach he simply smirked before securing the Doomfist gauntlet around the cowboys chest and beginning to tighten his grip. Genji skidded to a halt immediately, cussing under his breath and watching helplessly as Akande chuckled at him. "Try me cyborg. I will crush him like an egg if you even move an inch" he could see the anger radiating from the suit and was about to remark when a strangled cough escaped the cowboy in his grip. Blood spurred past the gunslinger lips, his eyes struggling to focus before he realised the danger he was in and reached for his gun only to grunt ad the grip around his torso tightened. "Be still...you have a very important role to play" Akande hissed. Jesse drew in a pained wheeze and shook his head "N...whassat?" His words slurred together, every breath rattling in his chest and sending shockwaves of pain through his ribcage. His brown hues shifted to settle on Genji first,the ninja more than ready to strike given the chance before he looked to Lucio. The medic had propped himself up and was watching with an alarmed expression, ignoring the blood coating his side. "Release him!" Genji spat the orders angrily, grateful when Lena blinked into view, horrified by the scene unfolding. "Why would I do that? I have collateral here and you? You have nothing." Akande hauled the gunslinger to his feet, ignoring the pained animalistic noise that escaped him and keeping the doomfist gauntlet secured on him, the tatty cowboy hat still held in his other hand. "You will let us pass. You will allow Talon agents to leave and in return I won't crush the cowboy into dust" he could see Overwatch agents straggling in to find the scene, nervous gazes passed between them. Deafening silence filling the air as the offer was contemplated. "Stand down. Genji, Tracer step aside" the instruction came across the comms from Soldier 76 and despite Talon being unable to hear what was said it clearly bristled the agents as fury and confusion set in. "Stand down Genji..." The cyborg growled at the command before stepping aside, tightening his grip on his sword angrily. "Smart choice" Akande shoved the cowboy into motion, watching the gunslinger struggle to stay on his feet, head hung and brown hues fixed on the floor. One foot infront of the other was difficult but he would be dammed if he was going to let himself be frog marched away like some trophy. Jesse drew a slow breath before subtly unhooking a flashbang from his side, waiting for just the right moment to- The flashbang erupted with a blinding light, Akande rearing back and shielding his eyes for a moment. Jesse rounded on his heels and pulled his gun, slamming the robotic limb against the hamer to fan the bullets. Needless to say, he was surprised when the Doomfist gauntlet slammed into his gun, knocking it from his hands and sending it skittering across the pavement. "Sombra now!" The electricity went down in an instant, plunging the area into darkness and cutting out various electronics. Genji had moved to dash forward and assist only to find his enhancements failing and sending him flat on his face, communications went down for all Overwatch agents and McCree found his robotic limb hanging unresponsive at his side. "Nice try cowboy..." Jesse heard the voice dangerously close to his ear before catching glimpse of the still functioning Doomfist gauntlet as it swung at him, pummelling him into the ground. His head bounced of the pavement violently, the blow driving the air from his lungs before Akande loomed over him. His vision was swimming, the doomfist gauntlet pressing down on him to keep him pinned against the ground. As Akande raised his other fist with a smirk Jesse squeezed his eyes shut before the blow connected with his face and the world went dark. "Move out! We're done here!" Akande hissed over comms, hauling the unconscious gunslinger over his shoulder with ease and beginning to walk away only pausing when he heard a hissed command to stop from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder he chuckled at the sight of Genji desperately clawing to try and get back on his feet, cussing his enhancements and no doubt glaring daggers through his visor. Plucking the tatty cowboy hat off the floor he gently tossed it like a frisbee, watching it skip once off the ground and gently settle in of the cyborg, his hand grabbing at it. "We will stop you..." Genji hissed the words angrily, drawing a smirk from the Talon leader. "Stop me? Like that?" He laughed "It'll take much more than that to stop me, but you are welcome to try" turning away he left the cyborg with his words and disappeared towards extraction just as the lights returned to the area. Not bad for a days work.

#jesse mccree #mccree #drabble #doomfist #genji #genji shimada #overwatch #post recall #reaper #gabriel reyes #lucio #angela ziegler #lena oxton #fan fiction #fan fic writing #my writing

7 notes · View notes

jessejackreyes · 7 years

Text

R76 Valentines Day 3

(Ao3 Link)

New Blood

Jesse McCree had seen many strange and messed up things throughout his life. Hell, being part of a violent gang of gunrunners made it sort of inevitable. Being forcibly enlisted into a clandestine black ops organization only ensured that he would continue to see strange and messed up things. The sight before him, however really took the proverbial cake.

He had not expected to be interrogated by anyone of high rank, let alone two war heroes that even he recognized. They were the two scariest men he had ever met, Reyes was danger personified and Morrison radiated authority like the sun radiated light. The fact that they were there confused him, when they offered him a chance to escape jail and do something with his life he thought they were crazy. He said yes.

Reyes’ training to get him ready for field ops made him question his choice more than once. Though the occasional bits of praise as he improved made him swell with pride. The strike commander stopped by to check on himfrequently. The man's smile should have been classified as a weapon, it could kill if he wanted it to. Somehow Jack made him feel inadequate on accident, it would have pissed him off if the man wasn't so damn nice.

Morrison had introduced him to Ana Amari, sniper extraordinaire. She took a skill he had developed naturally and turned it into something so much more. A few months in and she had him at a level that she found passable, something he would learn is very high praise coming from her. Ana introduced him to Fareeha, her daughter. A precocious little thing that dragged Jesse into trouble all around the base.

He had begun to grow comfortable in his new life when he first happened upon it. The two men who had dragged him into this life were sitting alone in the red room late at night watching a movie. Reyes rested against Morrison, head sitting on the man's lap as the strike commander fed him popcorn.

If that wasn't strange enough, the Blackwatch commander whispered something to Morrison who proceeded to turn red in the face and drop half the popcorn bucket on the other man's head. In response, Reyes giggled. The scariest man on the freaking planet was lying in another man's lap and giggling. Jesse had no idea how to handle the situation, it was unreal. So he did what anyone would do in such a situation, he backed out of the room quietly and pretended like he hadn't seen anything.

Jesse was perfectly prepared to go the rest of his life pretending that night had never happened. I mean, he wasn't going to go nosing around into either of their personal lives, he may not have always been the brightest kid, but he wasn't suicidal. He would realize that his decision was useless when he stumbled upon the two of them in the gym locker room a week later.

The two of them had been sparring earlier. Jesse had never seen his commander spar with anyone before, said that no one could really handle him but Morrison. Their fights apparently always drew a crowd, people wanted to see the two super soldiers duke it out. They fought like they could read eachothers minds.

They circled each other slowly, occasionally throwing out a quick jab or a sharp kick to test the others reaction and probe for an opening. When Morrison kicked Reyes blocked and tried to unbalance him. When Reyes struck, the blonde dodged and tried to get around him. Jack was faster, lighter on his feet while Gabriel was the stronger of the two. The seemed to go on forever before Morrison was pinned to the floor, Reyes victory tainted a bit by the split lip and black eye he had gotten for his trouble.

“That desk jobs making you rusty Jackie boy,” Reyes teased, ignoring the crowd around them. Jack merely laughed in response.

“Black and red really suits you Gabe, besides I'm still up by 1 by my count,” Jack's grin was almost as brilliant as his smile.

“Yeah, yeah, that's only cause you got lucky and we don't have time to even the score nowadays,” He stared longingly at the man pinned beneath him.

“Okay everyone, shows over,” Jack announced even as the crowd had already begun to disperse. The man's face was smeared with Reyes’ blood as it dripped From above, though it didn't seem to bother him at all. Gabriel is smiling softly at the strike commander in a way that unnerves Jesse, that man should not be able to look domestic and cute. The two of them walk off together whispering in each other's ears, Jack’s rich laughter echoing through the halls.

So apparently the two commanders were together and nobody told Jesse, typical at this point. Nobody tells him anything after all, but nobody seems willing to even talk about the things that the cowboy sees. It's strange because it is impossible not to notice the shared looks, the contact that drags on just a little too long, the way Reyes perks up when Morrison is around. Hell, the commander's training was almost humane whenever the blond was around.

Were other people confused, oblivious or ignoring what was going now? Those really were the only options at this point and if anybody could give him a straight answer it would be the woman on base who wouldn't be intimidated by a tornado.

He knew where to find Ana if she was on base and there was nothing important for her to be doing. Early in the morning she would stop by the mess hall for tea or coffee, depending on whichever she fancied at the moment. Today was apparently a coffee day.

“Something on your mind Jesse?” She asked before he could get out a word. She always could read him so easily, though she read most people easily. She had eyes like a freaking hawk.

“Umm,” He stammered, not really sure how to broach the subject with any tact. So instead he did what he often did in awkward conversations. He just blurted out what was on his mind. “Are Morrison and Reyes a thing?” Ana's face first betrayed her surprise at the question, then she laughed. The laughter rolled from her shoulder, a deep full body laugh.

“What makes you think that,” She asked, a smile on her face.

“It's just the way they act around each other. Commander Reyes is always so serious and severe, except when the strike commander is around. They touch each other more than is normal, they will stare at each other, Reyes even smiles and laughs around Morrison. Either no one else notices or they refuse to talk about it or something,”

“You've got a sharp eye and good instincts,” The sniper told him. “A lot of people don't see it cause they're not really looking. Some of us know but it's no one’s business really.”

“How long have they been together?” He was curious to know more now and Reyes sure as shit wasn't going to be sharing anything.

“Oh they've been together since before the crisis, before we met. They were much more obvious about it when the world was ending,”

“They're so different…”

“Yeah, they are, but Jack is a bit of an ass when you get to know him and Gabriel really is a sweet guy underneath all of that,”

Jesse raised an eyebrow at the claim. He couldn't imagine Jack outside of the shining beacon of fucking wonder that he always radiated, and sure, he knew Reyes wasn't as bad as he liked to pretend. I mean, he did take Jesse in instead of throwing him in jail and he helped the kid acclimate through the transition. He even let the cowboy keep his hat and gun when he didn't have to, but sweet is the last thing he would describe the man as. Then again, he is so different around the man he loves, maybe it's an out of work thing.

“I have never met two people more in love then those two men Jesse,” There was a soft smile on her lips as she spoke of them fondly. “Watching them over the years, it seems like they were born for no other reason than to be together,”

“Why are you telling me all of this,”

“You're a part of this little family now and there is no point in hiding it from you when you already know,” She replied simply. “I mean you already have to deal with them acting like your parents,” She laughed again as realization dawns on the young man.

“Oh my god. Is that why they treat me like I'm some little kid?”

“Well that and the way you act,” Ana smiled again as he pouted. “They are much the same with my little Fareeha. This is, for all its faults and troubles, our home and yours if you can deal with two crazy father figures who are madly in love and at least a little crazy,”

“Not to mention the nosy mother who gets involved in everything,” Jesse mumbled under his breath.

“Someone has to keep the place from falling apart and our two fearless leaders are too busy dealing with things outside their little family to manage that,” He refused to meet her eyes when he realized that she had heard him.

“So, just to be clear, this is some kind of secret?”

“It's something that we prefer to keep in the family,”

It was strange, but the thought of belonging to an, admittedly, very strange and eclectic family that fought for world peace sounded really good to Jesse. It reminded him of what Reyes told him when he asked how this would be any different from being in a gang. It occurred to him that the commander was trying to tell him that in his own way, that this would be his new home, with a new family that would stick by him and a cause worth fighting for. It didn't sound too bad at all really, though he could do without all the running.

#ow #overwatch #jack morrison #r76valentines #r76 #reaper #reaper76 #gabriel reyes #jesse mccree #ana amari #soldier 76

22 notes · View notes

crownoyami · 5 years

Text

Chapter 6 - Archangel

Title: Archangel

Pairing: Gabriel/Sam Rating: E Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Warnings/Tags: Drinking, Frottage, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Killing, Hitman Gabriel, Feet, Switching, Bottom Gabriel, Bottom Sam, Top Gabriel (Supernatural), Top Sam Winchester, Rimming, Oral Sex, Public Display of Affection, Rough Sex, Marking, Violence, Minor Character Death, Mentions of Rape, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting

Summary: Secrets had a way of being discovered. For hitman Gabriel, his biggest secret may just cost him the only person he ever loved.

AO3 Link To Story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16273952/chapters/38265968

Author’s Notes: I want to mention a few things before we get on with the story. If you do not know this month is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and like last year I will be writing an original novel. This means I will not have much time to update and after this fic is complete, I probably won’t be posting anything (besides the Reverse J2 fics once I get the dates for those and whatever I manage for the Gabriel Monthly Challenge).

Secondly, since I was dumb enough to sign up for every Big Bang that I could I don’t have anything pre-written and waiting for posting like I have been lately so it’s going to be even longer before I can post anything since I have to actually write it.

Thirdly, I know that I’ve mentioned that I’m trying to get a book published before but I don’t think that’s going to happen how I wanted it to. So what I’m doing now is writing a novel that fits in the parameters of the publishing company I have my heart set on (dreamspinnerpress.com) Hopefully if I can get a book that matches what they want they might later on (if it sells well) let me publish Stanford Art.

And I don’t say it enough but thank you to everyone that presses that Kudos button, and leaves comments, I swear you guys are my brighten my day more than you know!

~*~ This has been edited by Gamermom!

Chapter 6

Getting Karen had been easy. While Gabriel hadn’t expected anyone to target her, he hadn’t been expecting anyone to kidnap Jo either. Gabriel didn’t even have to explain everything that was going on, all it took was arriving at her door and saying there was trouble and Karen was packing a small bag and following him to his car. Charlie was quick to give him the all clear when he arrived at the house, which Gabriel took at her word and carefully ushered Karen inside. It only took a moment for Gabriel to open the doorway and Karen to rush toward her husband.

Gabriel set his unused bag down beside the door for a quick escape if needed and smiled at the scene. Karen had her arms wrapped around Bobby’s neck while complaining about leaving her in the first place. It was sweet how Bobby blushed for a second before kissing her, relieved nothing had happened to the woman he loved. Gabriel didn’t dare look to Sam, no matter how tempting it was. There was nothing else in the world he wanted more than a love like the two older people before him.

Killers didn’t deserve love.

“So now what do we do? Just sit around and wait for whoever is gunning for you to show up?” asked Rufus who had taken a seat by Charlie. The dark-skinned man seemed relaxed, a glass in his hand but there was a .9mm beside him on the table, ready to act if needed.

“Depends, Charlie did you get a response from Kali or Crowley?” asked Gabriel making his way to observe her tablet. Charlie could work faster on a keyboard than anyone he had ever met, it was why she was recruited in the first place. Though he could do a bit of hacking and understood some of the programs she had taken the time to explain to him, there was nobody better at the job than her. Watching Charlie bite her lip for a second, Gabriel knew the answer. Lowering his voice in a calming manner, Gabriel tried to reassure the woman in front of him. This wasn’t her gig. She was to remain at HQ and direct him, she was never trained for being in the thick of things.

“Have you tried Crowley more than once?” asked Gabriel. Charlie turned and glared at him for a moment, her hands clenching every few moments while she spoke. “I know how to do my job, so far I’ve tried everyone I could think of and nothing. It’s like they blacklisted my contact info, if I wasn’t able to get into the system I would have thought I was fired.”

Though she said it as a joke, Gabriel frowned. “We don’t get fired, we get burned.” Glancing at the tablet again, Gabriel paused before leaning over Charlie and typing a series of codes into the tablet. “What are you doing?” asked Dean who was glaring holes in the back of Gabriel’s head while he typed. Gabriel didn’t turn away from the screen, not wanting to become distracted from his time-sensitive coding.

“I’m bringing up the contracts list, typically they are assigned out specifically, but there is a prime list given to every Head which is then routed to whoever is the best fit for the job. I may have slipped a back-door into my boss’s system last time we were together in case I wanted priority at anyone on the list.”

Charlie blinked from where she had been carefully looking at the screen and swiveled to look at Gabriel. “Wait… you and Kali…?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Gabriel shrugged before answering. “We were on again off again for the past couple years. Was too complicated for more though, thankfully I was able to slip the virus in before we broke it off shortly before I moved here.”

“Dude you slept with your boss?” asked Jo, still close to her mother but looking much better than when he left. Shrugging again, Gabriel finishing his coding and started to browse through a rather extensive list of names. “With this kind of work the lines between right and wrong blur easily. Not many coworkers in this business who haven’t slept together. Cuts back on the questions we can’t answer.”

“Gabe…” began Sam who Gabriel noticed was standing only a few feet from him. Hearing the beep from the tablet stopped whatever Sam was about to say as Gabriel leaned back to give Charlie space. Ten seconds later, Gabriel sucked in a breath at the list. Charlie called out his name when she spotted the same thing he did, worry tinging her voice while she spoke.

“It’s everyone… Gabe… they’re cleaning house.”

Gabriel shut his eyes for a second, pushing down the feeling of betrayal before opening them and taking in the list again. “Someone must have hacked the system, even if they wanted us all dead there’s no way this would be authorized. Contact everyone you can, leave a warning if they don’t answer and explain what we found. If someone got in we can’t trust any orders given, all contracts need to be revoked. Think you can do that?”

Charlie nodded her head, easily taking over from where Gabriel had left off. “And what exactly are you going to be doing while she plays hide and seek with your people?” asked Bobby who had his arm wrapped around Karen. Gabriel looked at the bag he had prepared earlier, sitting by the doorway.

“I’m going to HQ, it’s the only place I can think of to start searching for Kali and Crowley. Chances are they’re dead… but if they aren’t I need to find out what’s going on and with them at least I know when they’re lying.” Glancing around the room, Gabriel sighed before speaking again. “It’s up to you if you want to stay here or move to another safe house, but I would prefer you stay here. This is one of the safest locations you could be and it’s well stocked, I shouldn’t be more than a couple days.”

Gabriel turned to fling the prepared bag over his shoulder when it was grabbed by a large hand. Turning to look at the one stopping him, Gabriel had to hold back a sigh as he looked at Sam. The man was furious, as he had every right to be. They hadn’t had time to talk, but Gabriel was certain learning your lover was a hired killer was probably something they should have spoken about before.

“Gabriel, we need to talk before you leave.”

This time Gabriel couldn’t hold back a sigh, yeah, they needed to talk. Glancing at the open floor-plan Gabriel wondered where exactly Sam thought they could have any privacy. “Sam, you’re pissed, and I get that you have every right to be… but I have to move. If Kali and Crowley aren’t dead, then they are at least being held captive and I may not like them most of the time, but they are my bosses. I owe them to try and help.”

“You mean they’re the people who give you names to kill?” asked Sam, raising an eyebrow. Gabriel didn’t hesitate to nod, while he wanted to try and plea his case he doubted Sam would even listen to him now. Not that Gabriel blamed him, he had caused enough pain to the taller man. “Yes Sam, they are the ones to give me a name to take out. There is only one level above Crowley, a man I’ve never met who makes the list, then Crowley gets it and divides it for the group leaders and Kali as my leader sends it off to whoever is best fitted for the job.”

“And you don’t think there’ something wrong with that? I mean what do these people have to do to get trained hitmen on their asses?” asked Dean who was staring at Gabriel who shrugged. “No idea. Sometimes we’re given background info if it will help us on the case, but for the most part we shut up, don’t ask questions and get the job done. The less I know the better.”

Sam took a step back from Gabriel then, shaking his head as Gabriel spoke. “I trust my boss, and while she may be a Grade A bitch, she wouldn’t send me on a mission unless the person deserved it. I even somewhat trust Crowley to an extent. They didn’t get to be where they are by fucking with people and sending us out on pointless missions.” Slinging the bag over his shoulder now that Sam was no longer holding it, Gabriel pointed toward the door.

“Now I’m going to hopefully save their asses and get to the bottom of this.” Opening the door, Gabriel stopped as Sam called out to him. “Were you ever going to tell me?” Sam asked, and though he didn’t turn around Gabriel could picture the exact look of betrayal on the other’s face. “No,” responded Gabriel still not turning to face Sam. “I would have been happy if you had never found out. I was never going to tell you Sam, and I am sorry that you know.”

With that Gabriel shut the door and started on his way. While it wasn’t what Sam wanted to hear it was the truth. Gabriel would never have gotten Sam tangled into this mess if he could have helped it. For a couple of months, Gabriel had been lucky enough to have the tall man, to embrace the idea of retirement in the future, of coming home to Sam’s warm smile for the rest of his life. Just like the dreams before them, Gabriel watched as it died, as his happiness was once again ripped away.

Sam would want nothing more to do with him now, if Gabriel was lucky the man would allow Gabriel to get them out of this mess and if he survived perhaps Sam would accept the house as a parting gift. There would be nothing keeping him close by anymore, not without Sam.

*~*~*~*

“Well that went well,” remarked Charlie who was still at her tablet although she glanced up every few moments to look at Sam. Her comment earned a snort from Jo who was now sitting by her own strength although Ellen was close by, not wanting her daughter to leave her sight after nearly losing her. “He wasn’t even going to tell me.” Spoke Sam, his tone defeated while he continued to look out the door where Gabriel had been only moments before.

Charlie rolled her eyes before speaking. “Of course, he wasn’t, would you? Could you tell the love of your life that you kill people for a living? That at any time you could be killed yourself if you fuck up a job? No, you were happier not knowing, and maybe in a decade or so he would have been able to retire and spend the rest of his life making it up to you.”

“She’s right you know,” mentioned Rufus who took a small sip of the glass in his hand. “Gabriel is what? Almost thirty? Forty is retirement age in his business, your body starts to shut down and no matter how much you train you can’t always have the same reflexes as in your youth. Programmers and hackers stay on longer of course, but field agents? They can only milk your skills so much before throwing in the towel and so long as you keep your head down it’s not a bad retirement plan.”

“How would you know?” asked Bobby who had let go of Karen. For her part, Karen was making her way slowly over to Sam, not wanting to startle the hurting man but needing to offer comfort where she could.

“I know because it was my job,” grouched Rufus. “retired at thirty-eight when a stray bullet busted my knee. Wasn’t any good to anyone anymore so they let me retire early and gave me my pension package. I told you that I used to be CIA, just because you thought I was talking out of my ass didn’t make it any less true.”

Seeing the look on Bobby’s face while he tried to process that his best friend used to kill people for a living, Charlie decided to speak up while observing Sam. “I get that you’re going to have trouble processing this, but Gabe isn’t the bad guy.” Dean cut in then, while he wasn’t exactly yelling his voice was raised. “The man kills people and you’re trying to tell us that he’s not the bad guy? What kind of brainwashing have they done to you?”

Shaking her head, Charlie kept a close eye on her screen from where she was waiting for contact from one of the other hackers. “No brainwashing, just facts. Gabriel is sent to take out people I’ve screened first. He may not know what they’ve done but I’ve made it my business to know as his handler. I’m not saying it’s right, or that there couldn’t be other ways to go about it, but the results can’t be argued with. I didn’t like it at first either, I mean who would? But Gabriel does what he can, all the agents do with the hope that their orders are coming from someone who is doing theirs. He goes in and gets the job done, no questions, but he isn’t a mindless killer. He doesn’t hurt innocents that could get in the way even if it would make his job easier.”

“How do you know?” asked Sam, his arm wrapped around Karen while turning blood-shot eyes to Charlie. “How do you know that he doesn’t take out other people and just not call it in, so he doesn’t get in trouble?”

“First off,” began Charlie, typing in a reply to one of her fellow hackers to make them aware of the situation. “Gabriel isn’t the kind of guy, you should know that by now. Sure, he can be a dick with the best of them, but he isn’t the kind who would harm people just to save his own ass.” Grinning at the answer she received from the other hacker, Charlie pulled out her phone and sent a text to Gabriel to let him know that one of his friends were arriving for backup. “Secondly, I’m his handler which means that he’s on my watch when he’s working. I hear everything, I record it and it’s all analyzed to make certain the agent isn’t lying.”

Turning to face Sam again now that she knew Gabriel would be protected and her program could run by itself for a few moments, Charlie caught Sam’s eye. “Lastly though? I was an innocent Gabriel was sent to kill. I had hacked into their system for bragging rights and they thought I was a spy who needed to be eliminated. He was sent to kill me, but the second he saw me he made a different call that could have gotten him put on the cutting board. He risked himself to take me in alive and made certain nothing happened to me while under his care no matter how much I fought him.”

Shrugging, Charlie smiled at the memory. “Gabriel isn’t a ruthless killer, he does his job but if the situation calls for it I know he’d rather put himself at risk than harm an innocent, orders or no.” Hearing a beep come from her screen, Charlie looked at the sequence of data coming through before a large smile broke out on her face. Tapping the side of her head where her earpiece was located she easily turned on her communication.

“I found them, looks like you’re going to meet up with Bal in about four hours I’m sending you the address now.” Gabriel must have said something as Charlie’s eyes softened for a second before she spoke again. “Will do,” spoke Charlie before tapping her ear again and muting her side of the connection. Blinking for a moment, Charlie hesitated before typing. “He asked me to sign the house over to you, so you wouldn’t have to pass by him after you officially called things to an end. Tell me Sam, is that the actions of a mindless killer or of a man trying to take care of the one he loves?”

Sam didn’t answer, not that Charlie was expecting him to. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned against Karen who was still wrapped around him. He had a lot to think about.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I’m reading (I always review so you know what you’re getting into) I’m on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.

0 notes

flauntpage · 6 years

Text

Your Friday Morning Roundup

Last night was a reminder of where the Sixers stand in terms of their growth and development.

They’re beyond the point of losing nearly every game. Even though they went on a five-game winning streak, there’s still flaws that opponents are able to pick out. And the Sacramento Kings did just that with a 109-108 win in the final seconds.

The Kings scored seven unanswered points in the game’s final 1:38, which reminded me a little bit of the loss to the Rockets at home two weeks ago.

Robert Covington, who’s had a huge impact on the team’s success, had a game-high 24 points, while Joel Embiid (22 points, 15 rebounds) and Dario Saric (13 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles.

But the Kings’ bench played a significant role, outscoring the Sixers’ reserves 56-17. The Sixers also had eight more turnovers than Sacramento.

The team has a big game ahead Saturday night in the Bay Area against the Golden State Warriors. Also, be sure to read Kevin Kinkead’s post on how the Sixers are numbers wise, along with balanced contributions from the team.

The Roundup:

There was some good news involving Philly teams. The Flyers showed up after a five-day break, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks at home 3-1. The entire first line of Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, and Sean Couturier scored all three goals and contributed to seven of the team’s eight total points. Goalie Brian Elliott made 38 saves on 39 shots to get the win.

Shayne Gostisbehere made history, becoming the fastest defenseman in franchise history to score 100 points with his assist on the second goal:

Ghost gets point #100 on the assist to Jake Voracek. Great job by Giroux gloving the puck to keep the play alive. http://pic.twitter.com/lGUNZVkhbK

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) November 10, 2017

Radko Gudas made his return to the ice as well.

Up next are the Minnesota Wild Saturday night back in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, Nolan Patrick still hasn’t practiced with the team after suffering a concussion seven games ago. Ron Hextall thinks he’s close to practicing again:

“It’s a matter of kind of ramping him up every day and hopefully things continue on the path they’re going on right now,” Hextall said.

Hextall said Patrick’s recovery has “taken longer than we thought and certainly hoped, but he skated [Thursday] and everything went good. He worked out. You just can’t go from zero to 60; it’s got to be zero to 20 and then up, so he’ll go a little harder” Friday.

The general manager said he did not anticipate sending Patrick to the AHL’s Phantoms for a rehab stint. He also ruled out sending him back to his junior team in Brandon.

—

Nobody will have a better bye week than Timmy Jernigan. The defensive tackle signed a four-year extension reportedly worth $48 million. $26 million is guaranteed. Huge move by Howie Roseman.

LeGarrette Blount wanted Corey Clement to get his third touchdown of the game against the Broncos. I think the running backs are happy here.

Carson Wentz and his AO1 Foundation will hold his first ever charity softball game at Citizens Bank Park on June 1. It’ll pit the Eagles offensive stars against the team’s defensive players:

Announcement!!

Mark your calendars for June 1, 2018 @ Citizens Bank Park! @AO1Foundation http://pic.twitter.com/xjh0eymXs7

— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) November 9, 2017

—

The family of Roy Halladay issued a statement two days after the former pitcher’s death, including info about a public service down in Clearwater on Tuesday:

Statement from the Halladay family: http://pic.twitter.com/KeNiSmULZH

— Phillies (@Phillies) November 9, 2017

The radio host that was dumb to say that Halladay deserved to die is a hypocrite. And to nobody’s surprise, he went on the air yesterday to apologize for his comments. He’s still a scum.

There was another scum that tried to take a jersey away from the Halladay memorial at Citizens Bank Park:

The man, who’s accused of placing the jersey under his jacket, was chased down by officers.

Police say the man was cited for disorderly conduct and released.

Authorities add that since no one claimed ownership of the jersey, no charges will be filed.

Finally, a great personal story from Jim McCormick on how Halladay helped him battle through a personal battle:

The smell of cotton candy being whipped was actually in the air. Cases of water sat wrapped on pallets. It was an immersive baseball climate. From the corner of my eye, I see someone in the third-base stands running the steps. It looks oddly mechanical, like a precision you couldn’t match if you tried.

It’s Halladay. I have no interest in false mythologies. I don’t often believe the “first to the stadium, last to leave” narrative given just how human most humans are. This was different. He was honestly running the damn steps. I stopped at the railing, just behind the plate at the park, and just watched. It just didn’t stop. It was a Powerade commercial. It was a person reflecting on results and working on that goal.

It was love of craft.

There is an “inside baseball” anecdote about how Halladay and Chris Carpenter were in a hotel room together during Spring Training 1998, amid a time when both were struggling for the Blue Jays and famous pitching guru Mel Queen gave them a rousing speech of how they’d reconnect with the game and both would thrive as professional pitchers at the highest level. Queen was all about mental reflection in pitching.

In non-Halladay news, Gabe Kapler is…my god, that dude’s jacked up.

—

Tonight’s a night for college sports. Temple football travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats at 7 pm on ESPN2. The Owls look to win their second straight game and keep their bowl hopes alive.

The Owls hoops team defeated the Jefferson Rams (the artist formerly known as Philadelphia University) in an exhibition last night.

But there will be two regular season college hoops games tonight in and around the city. Drexel opens their regular season at the DAC against Bowling Green at 7 pm, while sixth ranked Villanova hosts Columbia at 8:30 on FS2. Villanova is playing most of their home games at the Wells Fargo Center while the Pavilion undergoes a major renovation.

—

In other sports news, once again, the Ezekiel Elliott suspension is back on. And it starts on Sunday:

Argument in Ezekiel Elliott's expedited appeal in 2nd Circuit scheduled for Dec. 1. #Cowboys have four games before then.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 9, 2017

Elliott can appeal to the full 2nd Circuit or even the Supreme Court, but they appear to be extreme long shots. Elliott will be suspended for at least four games before the December 1 hearing, including the Sunday Night Football game next week against the Eagles.

In the Seahawks’ 22-16 victory over the Cardinals, Richard Sherman ruptured his Achilles and is done for the year. He knew it when it happened:

Does look like Richard Sherman said “tore my Achilles” here. Would not be good. http://pic.twitter.com/J7kSmX35zZ

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 10, 2017

Sherman was one of many Seahawks that got banged up during the game. Duane Brown, Frank Clark, Sheldon Richardson, and Kam Chancellor also got hurt to go along with Earl Thomas, who didn’t play.

A day after being released by the Packers, tight end Martellus Bennett is back with the New England Patriots.

Jerry Jones’ attorney says NFL owners are being misled over Roger Goodell’s contract negotiations. So he’s probably pissed about something and he wants his way.

The Colts released former Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis before he could have season-ending surgery on his groin. The team has zero defensive starters from last year’s season opener.

Devils forward Brian Boyle shed tears after scoring his first goal since he was diagnosed with leukemia:

What a feeling for @BriBrows22.#BoyleStrong #HockeyFightsCancer http://pic.twitter.com/0fk6Aa7Npw

— NHL (@NHL) November 10, 2017

Nike is trying to stop their new NBA jerseys from ripping.

This is crazy: For eight years, a teenage girl from Missouri disguised herself online as baseball writer Ryan Schultz, who wrote for three sites, including Beyond the Box Score for SB Nation:

Schultz’s fraud was as true to the catfish genre as can be. She told the people who discovered she was not who she said she was that she assumed the identity because she felt as if she couldn’t write about baseball professionally as a woman, especially at the age of 13. As the deception went on, she couldn’t figure out how to get out of the middle of her web of lies.

Over time, Ryan formed serial relationships with women who use Twitter to talk about baseball and hockey. Some women told me that he would get drunk and berate them; others told me they felt emotionally abused and manipulated because he would imply that he’d hurt himself if they didn’t continue to talk to him. Ryan received nudes from at least two women I spoke with, one of whom said she did it because she was afraid he would hurt himself if she didn’t.

Schultz’s story is interesting for reasons far beyond its sheer shock value. It’s entirely reasonable that at the time she created the Ryan persona, she might not have thought she could easily have a career writing about baseball as a woman. She’s also drawn a big red arrow sign pointing toward the exploitative ecosystem of online sportswriting, which created the conditions for her to get her enviable opportunities without much interrogation from editors who have a lot to do and few resources with which to do it.

Most of all, though, there are real women who have been genuinely hurt by their interactions with a woman who, as she tells the story, caught herself up in a lie she didn’t know how to untell, not least because it was bringing her what she wanted.

The Yankees are looking at Aaron Boone as a possible candidate to become their new manager.

—

In the news, a stroller-pushing robber was caught on camera at a CVS in Springfield, Delaware County.

There’s skeletal remains found near a corporate center in West Conshohocken.

The New York Times reports five women have accused comedian Louis C.K. of sexual misconduct.

A new Star Wars trilogy from director Rian Johnson is coming.

Magnum, P.I. actor John Hillerman died yesterday at the age of 84.

Your Friday Morning Roundup published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

0 notes