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writing-reference-redux · 2 months

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I felt like sharing my collection of Latin phrases that may make good fanfic or fanart titles or inspiration. Some of the translations may be off, so you might want to double-check them before use. Also, I used capitalization liberally so you might also want to check where capitalization is actually indicated.

Ab Intra (From Within)

Acta Est Fabula (The play has been performed)

Acta Sancti ___ (The Deeds of Saint ___)

Ad Undas (to the waves / to hell)

Advocatus Diaboli (Devil's advocate)

Aegri Somnia (a sick man's dreams / troubled dreams)

Alea Iacta Est (the die has been cast / point of no return)

Apologia Pro Vita Sua (defense of one's life)

Caetera Desunt (the rest is missing)

Cedere Nescio (I know not how to yield)

Damnatio Memoriae (damnation of memory / denying someone ever lived)

De Nobis Fabula Narratur (their story is our story)

Decessit Vita Patris (died before their father)

Diem Perdidi (I have lost the day)

Dies Tenebrosa Sicut Nox (a day as dark as night)

Dolor Hic Tibi Proderit Olim (some day this pain will be useful to you)

Dulce Est Desipere In Loco (It is sweet on occasion to play the fool)

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus (while we live, let us live)

Dux Bellorum (war leader)

Ex Umbra In Solem (from the shadow into the light)

Festina Lente (hurry slowly)

Fortis Cadere, Cedere Non Potest (the brave may fall, but can not yield)

Fui Quod Es, Eris Quod Sum (I once was what you are, you will be what I am)

Graviora Manent (heavier things remain / the worst is yet to come)

Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit (one day, this will be pleasing to remember)

Hic Mortui Vivunt (here the dead speak)

Hinc Illae Lacrimae (hence those tears)

Hodie Mihi, Cras Tibi (Today it's me, tomorrow it will be you - of death)

Iacate Et Scire (Be still and know)

In Ictu Oculi (in the blink of an eye)

In Somnis Veritas (in dreams there is truth)

Inter Spem Et Metum (between hope and fear)

Lapsus Memoriae (slip of memory)

Luctor, Non Mergor (I struggle, but am not overwhelmed)

Lux Ex Tenebris (light from darkness)

Media Vita In Morte Sumus (In the midst of our lives we die)

Memento Mori (remember that you will die)

Memento Vivere (remember to live)

Morior Invictus (I die unvanquished / death before defeat)

Mundus Senescit (the world grows old)

Nemini Parco (I spare no one - death)

Nitimur In Vetitum (we strive for the forbidden)

Non Ducor, Duco (I am not led; I lead)

Non Omnis Moriar (I shall not all die / part of me will survive beyond death)

Nunc Scio Quid Sit Amor (now I know what love is)

Oderint Dum Metuant (let them hate, so long as they fear)

Omnia Mutantur (everything changes)

Onus Probandi (burden of proof)

Opera Posthuma (posthumous works)

Ophidia In Herba (a snake in the grass)

Pax Aeterna (eternal peace - a common epitaph)

Primum Non Nocere (first do no harm)

Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus (we are dust and shadow)

Quis Leget Haec? (who will read this?)

Quod Periit, Periit (what Is gone is gone)

Res, Non Verba (deeds, not words)

Respice Finem (consider the end)

Scientia Et Sapientia (knowledge and wisdom)

Seculo Seculorum (forever and ever)

Sed Terrae Graviora Manent (but on earth, worse things await)

Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war)

Sic Infit (so it begins)

Sic Vita Est (such is life)

Silentium Est Aureum (silence is golden)

Sine Nomine (without a name / author unknown)

Sola Dosis Facit Venemum (the dose makes the poison)

Solvitur Ambulando (it is solved by walking / simple tests find solutions)

Stamus Contra Malum (we stand against evil)

Succisa Virescit (cut down, we grow back stronger)

Sum Quod Eris (I am what you will be - of death)

Summum Bonum (the supreme good)

Summum Malum (the supreme evil)

Sunt Lacrimae Rerum (there are tears for things)

Sunt Omnes Unum (they are all one)

Tabula Rasa (blank slate)

Transire Benefaciendo (to travel along while doing good)

Tu Fui Ego Eris (I was you; you will be me - of death)

Ubi Amor, Ibi Dolor (where there is love, there is pain)

Ultima Forsan (perhaps the last / sundial quote "perhaps your last hour")

Usque Ad Finem (until the end / fight to the death)

Vi Et Animo (with heart and soul)

Victoria Aut Mors (victory or death)

Vincit Qui Patitur (he conquers who endures)

Vita Ante Acta (a life done before - of reincarnation)

Vivere Militare Est (to live is to fight)

Vox Clamantis In Deserto (the voice of one crying in the wilderness)

There are also some longer ones that may not make good titles because of their length, but are still worth inclusion:

Aut Simul Stabunt Aut Simul Cadent (they will either stand together or fall together)

Flectere Si Nequeo Superos, Acheronta Movebo (if I can not reach Heaven I will raise Hell)

Forsan Et Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit (perhaps even these things will be good to remember one day)

Igitur Qui Desiderat Pacem, Praeparet Bellum (therefore whoever desires peace, let him prepare for war)

In Regione Caecorum Rex Est Luscus (in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king)

Minus Malum Toleratur Ut Maius Tollat (choose the lesser evil so a greater evil may be averted)

Quem Deus Vult Perdere, Dementat Prius (whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad)

Ubi Sunt, Qui Ante Nos Fuerunt? (Where are they, those who have gone before us?)

Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit (that which virtue unites, let not death separate)

#words #writing #writing reference #title suggestions #latin #latin words #latin phrases #writblr #writers on tumblr #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #fanfics #fanart

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theorphicangel · 10 months

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𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 (𝐛𝐮𝐭) 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭 | Levi Ackerman.

pulvis et umbra sumus - we are (but) dust and shadow

Summary: Wandering aimlessly at night, Levi stumbles upon a bar. Finding it to be closed, a woman sits inside with nothing but a cup of tea to offer. In exchange for it, Levi is forced to relive his past.

Whether he likes it or not.

cw/tw; death, death of a parent, loss, grief, childhood trauma , childhood memories, manipulation, mind manipulation, levi coping with death of his mother, modern au!, in Paris?, cigarettes, smoking, gaslighting, levi blames himself, based on the tea scene in ‘get out’, emotional manipulation, angst,

If I’ve missed anything please let me know!

A/N: this is very different from what I write, not an x reader, but a series I’ve started based on just Levi and coping with grief.

word count: 3k

The smell of cigarettes linger in the apartment. Heavy clouds of smoke reach the ceiling, covered in a patchy coat of beige paint that’s beginning to peel.

It’s a terrible habit that he told himself to quit months ago but as they say, bad habits are the hardest to die from.

The smoke alarm’s a dud. He removed the batteries a couple days ago. Reckless, but it’s a risk that he’s willing to take. He’s not planning to stay in this city for long.

Lungs relaxing, smoke forcefully escapes from his lips, the distinct kick of nicotine dead to his taste buds. It does nothing to him now. Stubbing it in the ashtray, it joins the unfinished pair he smoked earlier.

The old and used legs of his wooden chair screech in a low manner, awkwardly scraping against the hardware floor. Levi grabs his black suit jacket from the back of a chair sat opposite him, no longer in its freshly ironed state but wrinkled.

Grabbing his keys off the counter, he slips through the front door without a second thought.

A loud slam vibrates through the walls, reaching above and beyond the halls, the noise bouncing off the concrete walls of the apartment building. His footsteps echo loudly, a dull melody in his descent; the only soul awake in the whole vicinity.

He doesn’t know where he’s going but his brisk pace wouldn’t offer that sort of perspective. Once again the sound of his footsteps powerfully echo between the concrete buildings, the soles of his feet rushing over the cobbled pavements.

The gates leading to the metro station are now closed as well as all of the shops on the sideline. Passing by glazed windows of dark and empty shops, his reflection is barely visible, the image of his figure flows at a quick pace before disappearing into the night.

Inside, his body remains unsatisfied. An ache stirs in his lower gut; a hunger, a deep longing for something. Anything.

Levi’s now looking for a bar and during his search he comes to realize that he’s not the only one wandering wordlessly on the banks of Paris late at night.

Streetlights flicker above him, some brighter than others, some newly fixed and some which are never promised to come alive again. Continuing on, he follows the stream of lights on a path that will eventually take him to the main street, where hopefully, there’s some sort of salvage waiting for him there.

For a cold November night, this bar is surprisingly warmer than expected.

Hands which seeked a deep refuge in the pockets of his jacket are now easily tempted to come out. As he walks in he notices that there’s nobody currently at the bar, making him realize that it’s closed.

Until Levi becomes startled at the sight of the figure sitting in a chair who had watched him arrive wordlessly. A dark-haired woman sits near the front window, older than him but there’s still a youthful gaze in her eyes. A blue china cup sits on a matching saucer on a little table positioned in front of her.

“The bar’s closed.” She says in french.

Levi makes no response. His first immediate thought is to leave.

“But you can have tea.” She offers. “Is chamomile alright?” Her tone is soft yet decisive, he hadn’t even given her an answer before she stood, making her way through a curtain which led to the back room.

It’s better than nothing, Levi thinks. Again, his footsteps echo on the wooden floorboards, making his way to sit in a crimson red armchair placed in front of her own seat.

Her tea sits in a blue china cup with intricate designs. It sits on a matching saucer with a silver spoon on the side. If he squints he can just about see an endless string of smoke evaporate into the deadened air of the bar.

It’s not long before Levi hears her return and in hand, his own set of china cup and saucer, white and plain of any design. She says nothing to him before placing it down and taking her own seat, her cup in hand.

He wonders where she got the set but makes no attempt to ask. Staring down at his cup, Levi’s fingertips latch onto the rim of his cup, lifting it up to his lips. He inhales the rising smoke but the liquid fails to meet his tongue as he pauses.

“You smell like cigarettes.” The woman says in english.

It’s only for a moment that he pauses before continuing his action. The hot liquid nearly burns his tongue before he swallows it down, the warmth awakening his body with satisfaction, curing his earlier ache.

He makes no reply, Levi’s not even fazed that she’s switched to english, planning to make no conversation whatsoever. His hand steadily places the cup down on its identical white cup. He’s a little bothered that he was given a plain one but refuses to entertain the thought.

Leaning back into the armchair, arms draped on both sides, he realizes that the woman hasn’t taken her eyes off him. She’s older, he guesses forties but remains unconfident in his answer. She doesn’t take a sip of her tea, instead choosing to study the man in front of him.

“Do you smoke?” She questions again in english, no sign of an accent. In a silent response, his eyes meet hers. Bored and exhausted.

Turning his head, he has the full view of the street in front of him through the large glazed window. Streetlights continue to flicker as a tall figure passes underneath in a large coat, quickly disappearing from Levi’s view. His eyes remain stuck to the landscape outside before he nods slightly, quick enough for anyone to miss it. Anyone who wasn’t studying him like this woman was.

For some reason he’s not uncomfortable in her gaze. Allowing her to freely scrutinize him in any means. He’ll never see her again after this.

She clears her throat for a moment, which causes him to look back at her, before she grabs the handle of her cup and takes a slow sip. The clatter of china when the cup reunites with the saucer is the only sharp sound heard in the bar.

“What brought you here?” She asks.

Now it’s Levi’s turn to clear his throat as his shoulders shrug. “I needed to clear my head.”

She hums in thought as if his answer sparked interest in her.

“Bored? Tired?” She switched to French all of a sudden. “You look like both.” She states. “When was the last time you slept?”

His eyes are drawn to the darkened visuals of the outside world again. Nothing has changed. A streetlight that stands directly across the bar across the road still flickers and the street remains empty, all the other businesses now closed for the night.

Levi inhales before speaking, “Can’t remember.” He responds in English, his tone heavy.

The woman tuts softly. “A man like you needs sleep, didn’t your mother ever tell you that?”

Levi refrains a laugh. Instead he lets a pause pass by before bringing his eyes back to the woman.

“I wish she could tell me that.”

The expression on the woman’s face changes slightly, his answer clearly unexpected. She picks up the silver spoon on the side of the saucer and begins to stir her tea.

“She’s– not alive?” The woman smoothly switches to English based on Levi’s replies. The only sound that’s heard in the bar is the softly repeated clink of metal hitting the china as it stirs. Levi picks up his cup once again with his right hand and takes a sip. Placing it back on the saucer, his arm returns back to resting on the arm of the chair.

“She– she died when I was young.”

This is the part that everyone sympathized with. The part where he becomes burdened with pity that he never asked for. The part where he deeply regrets talking about her. The part where the memories resurface and he remembers it all for a brief period.

Yet strangely, the woman doesn't offer her condolences.

“How young?”

Her tone is unchanged, still quiet without any added sympathy and Levi’s immediately thrown off guard. He blinks multiple times, his mind trying to quickly uncover the past that he’s buried deep inside himself for so long.

He frowns, “Uhm– eight, I think.”

“You think?” She repeats, suddenly making him feel some sort of guilt for not remembering. Levi quickly speaks up again, like he has something to prove.

“Or nine, I can’t remember.” He admits. “It was a long time ago.”

She merely slowly nods at his correction whilst continuing to stare at him. Her fingertips are clasped on the handle of the spoon, drawing little circles in the teacup.

Levi swallows thickly as if something’s lodged in his throat. It’s uncomfortable all of a sudden and the pains of uncovering that memory makes him start to sweat a little. He’d take off his jacket or even take a sip of tea to relieve himself but there’s something in his body that refuses to do so.

Something that tells him not to.

Instead, his fingers fiddle with each other, each arm still glued to the chair, tracing his thumbs over his index fingers

“What happened? How did she die?”

Levi stares at her, narrowing his eyes. Her question was unmissable, it rang loudly in his ears. He couldn’t ignore it. In his body there grew a deep desire to look away, to turn away from her and look back at the view of the street.

His head is heavy as he changes his glance towards the street.. The flickering streetlight across the street has switched off completely.

“Levi.” She snaps. And at the tap of the spoon against the rim of the china cup he finds his eyes on hers again.

He frowns, fingertips now resting on the arm of the chair heavily. “How do you know my name?”

“Answer the question. How did your mother die?”

The tone of her voice was inviting, it lured him in whilst his eyes grew hazy at recalling the memory. For a second, he forgot, his mind drowsy. His mind blank until the image of him sitting in front of the tv came into mind. The nostalgia of the front room of his old house rushed through his body suddenly, like a sharp pain he couldn’t ignore.

“Don’t sit too long in front of the tv.” his mother said. “Or your eyes will go square.”

Those were her last words before a hand reached down onto his head and ruffled his locks. No.

Perhaps she told him she loved him before leaving, or that she’ll be back home soon. No.

Maybe he didn’t even see her leave. Maybe she left before he ever woke up that morning.

“I–I can’t- I can’t remember.” he stammered, an uncomfortable pain in his throat stopped him from getting his words out properly, like a small bone was lodged in it. His nose scrunched up and his eyes began to water suddenly, searching the room as if the answer would appear somewhere on the walls.

No, no, no how could he forget?! How could he–

“You remember Levi.” she spoke, her hand stirring. “You remember the weather.”

His eyes widened, lips parting slightly. As soon as the words left her mouth, a vivid image hit him. Levi suddenly remembered the sound of rain hitting the window pane, water rushing down violently, teardrops smacking against the glazed glass.

“It was raining.” He mumbled, lips barely moving.

She hummed, nodding slightly. “Do you hear it?” His eyes became so blurred, he could barely see her in front of him.

Blink, blink, blink! His mind screamed at him. He could only just about force his eyelids to move.

A teardrop now solidified on his cheek, hearing the sound of raindrops battering against the window beside him. He longed to check, to see if it was visibly raining. But his head remained glued to her. He couldn’t pull away.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing.” he swallowed, mouth now becoming dry. “Watching tv.”

“Watching tv?”

Levi hummed deeply, only managing to tilt his head slightly. He couldn’t stop his eyes from watering at the painful memory, now so vivid and so real. “She went to work and I was waiting for her to come home.”

“Did she come home?”

Levi hesitated. The weight on his chest increases by each and every second. “No.”

“Why?”

Again, his throat was painfully dry, sound struggling to come out. His fingertips began scratching at the velvet of the armchair. “I don’t know.” He whispered.

The woman hummed deeply. “I’m sure you know why. Why didn’t you call anyone?”

Levi inhales deeply, trying to regain his composure. His hands urged to wipe his tear stained cheeks but yet again his body refused to move. “Because then… it would make it real.”

“So you sat there doing nothing as your mother died?”

“I couldn’t–”

“You could’ve saved her.”

“I didn’t know.”

“But you sat there…waiting and waiting…doing nothing?”

His nails scratched roughly at the fabric of the armchair repeatedly, anxiety began to crawl into the pit of his stomach. Infiltrating his mind. Just like it did that night. Sat in his mother’s favorite chair, he stared at the endless glow of the television screen. A show he didn’t even like was on but he watched it anyway. He watched that episode and the episode after that and the episode after that.

“You let her die. You did nothing to save her.”

Her voice ringed in his ears, more heavy and thick with confrontational yet her tone wasn’t louder than a whisper. Move, move, move! Get up and get out! His mind screamed repeatedly, his body frozen in response, barely able to do anything but continue to scratch at the arms of the chair.

He had sat there that night in the same position he was sitting now. Waiting and waiting. Hands glued to each side of her chair, fingernails dug deep into the form of the chair. He waited for the sound of the steps on the porch to creak, for the jingle of keys to reach his eyes, for the front door to open and to visibly see his mother walk through.

Everytime he wanted to get up, his mind told him to stay put. ‘She’ll be here in five minutes. And if not then I’ll go out.’

Those five minutes easily passed away into ten minutes which quickly turned into an hour. An hour transitioned into two which then again doubled. And hours later he was still stuck in the same position, the glow of the tv penetrating his eyes, his skin.

Absorbing it all, he did nothing.

She was out there, dying and he knew. But he did nothing. He knew it was unusual, that something was wrong. His gut was coated in nausea and anxiety. Levi still did nothing.

Tears began to flow from his eyes, one after the another, following the trail down his cheeks.

“Why–why can’t I move?” Levi’s tone was panicked, rich in apprehension.“You can’t move.”

She merely repeats it as a dull fact although he thought she said it as a question.

“I– I–can’t, why can’t–” His fingernails dug painfully into the arms of the chair, close enough to start ripping the material, his muscles tensing violently.

“You’re paralyzed. Just like the day you did nothing. You did nothing.”

“You’re going to sink into the floor Levi–”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait–”

“Sink.”

Everything all seemed to happen at once. All of his senses were lost immediately. It was exactly as she said, he sunk. Body pulled down by an invisible force, he lost complete control as he submerged.

All of the darkness and sound merged into one, dragging him deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit.

He seemed to be falling in slow motion. His arms waved through the air, hands desperate to clasp something as he continued to fall.

A large cinema-like screen is positioned in front of him, where he could still see the woman. She had now placed down her tea and sat staring at him. To her, his mouth agape, eyes drastically widened with continuous teardrops that rolled down the side of his face. Paralyzed.

There was no amount of air in his lungs that he could use to scream or to shout. He felt no sense of control over his body. Fear consumed everything, every single part of him, drowning his body, saltwater filling his lungs in a void ocean. Questions ran through his mind, new ones appearing with every second it took for him to fall. What was happening to him? Why? Where? How? When would he hit the ground?

“You’re in the sunken place now, Levi .”

All of a sudden Levi found that his shirt feet were on the ground. He was surrounded by water and his body felt heavy. With each step he felt like there was something pulling him back.

The woman moves to stand and leans over the small table. Levi attempts to trail through the water. His lungs bursting, his body, his soul, his skin on fire with anger. Just as it was when he fell, his body is slow as he tries to run. No matter how much force or how much strength he imposes on his muscles, he continues to be weighed down by something.

He screams but there’s no sound. Every step he takes in the water is soundless. His body weighs down along with a magnetic force that holds him back, making every step he takes sluggish and uncontrollable. He wants to run and catch up to the screen but it’s near impossible.

Mouth agape, he tries to shout again, to no avail.

The woman holds out her index finger, closing the eyelid of Levi’s left eye.

Dark infiltrates half of the screen, light fading away. His throat is raw and tight, unable to shout even if he wanted to. Fear no longer surrounds him but is now within him.

He can do nothing.

She now moves to shut his right eye and Levi falls to his knees in surrender as the shadows envelop him whole.

Entire soul, body and mind. Everything.

Everything turns to dust.

Part of “don’t take my baby boy. don’t take my and joy.” series.

reblogs and comments are appreciated.

#tw: smoking #tw: cigarettes #tw: death #angel writes #levi ackerman #levi attack on titan #attack on titan #levi aot #levi ackerman angst #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #snk levi #aot #attack on titan levi #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman fanfic #levi ackerman imagines #aot angst #attack on titan angst

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haltthewfairchild · 4 months

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“Pulvis et umbra sumus”

We are but dust and shadows ➰

@cassandraclare

#cassandra clare #the shadowhunter chronicles #the mortal instruments #the infernal devices #the dark artifices #the last hours #the wicked powers #shadowhunters #tattoos #tsc

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bratshaws · 2 years

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goodness gracious 33. brb x oc

a/n: *flips through my volleyball memories inside my brain* god i REMEMBER SO LITTLE IM S O R R Y I JUST REALLY WANTED TO WRITE SOMETHING GOOD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff FLUFFFFFFF but there's drama nearing the corner :)

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi

Wednesday, the final day of practice before the game on Saturday and Evelyn was going all out. But unlike Sunday, she wasn’t mad, she just wanted everyone to do good and to do their best and that meant going absolutely nuts when practicing. She managed, also, to keep the gym empty for more than the two hours they’d usually be there, making sure everyone would be in top tier shape.

The girls also found out that Evelyn had tattoos. Well, just one.

For the first time she showed up wearing only a purple crop top that left her stomach exposed. They’ve only see her wearing large shirts, they couldn’t have known that their friend had a tattoo of a raven with its wings open wide on her stomach and arrows piercing through its body, the words ‘pulvis et umbra sumus’ -we are dust and shadow -written above her belly button and below the raven in black bold letters.

“Of course she’d have a tattoo in latin.” Shells mumbled, watching Evelyn fix her lycra shorts over her waist, “Why am I not surprised?”

“It is a nice tatoo though.” Beatrice added, having tattoos herself albeit much smaller, she could admire the craftsmanship, adjusting her ponytail when she felt it sliding down the back of her head. Shells however, looked back at the gym double doors with her lips pursed, “Are you waiting on someone?”

“Who? Me?” The blonde is anything but subtle, and it reminds of the time at the beach where they had the game with Hangman, “...Maybe.”

“...Does Evelyn know?”

“Nah.”

Beatrice blinked, ‘Don’t you think she should tho? She’s the team captain.”

Shells purses her lips, with her hands propped on the curve of her waist, “...nah.” she repeats, giving her friend a wide toothy smile that just screamed ‘i did something for the heck of it’. And knowing Shells, it wouldn’t be surprising. Beatrice just huffed a laugh, stretching her arms over her head with a pleased grunt once she felt her joints popping.

Shells however, pulled out her phone, covering the screen with her opposite hand and smirking, which made Beatrice frown, “What are you planning?” she questions as the others are busy drinking water and far away from them. She would never look over someone's conversations…but she tried, tilting her head up to see what Shells was hiding from her, “Shells.”

“What?” the blonde questioned, sliding her phone into her sweatpants pocket with a shrug, still smiling, clearly amused by her friend’s suspicious gaze. Not long after that, they all hear the double doors open, with the sound of footsteps following just behind.

Evelyn, who was the closest to the door narrowed her eyes before muttering, “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

Beatrice blinked her wide eyes when she saw her boyfriend and the other officers marching in, all of them in workout clothes with Hangman being the one in front. Rooster looked around for a bit before his eyes met Bea’s, a brilliant smile on his face as she walked away from Shells to meet him, “Hey, gorgeous.” he coos, pecking her lips in a greeting when she’s in front of him.

“Hey,” her eyebrows furrow after pulling back, “Roos…what are you doing here?”

He looks at her then to Shells who’s hugging Bob closer to herself, then to Evelyn who looked less than amused. Realization slowly dawned on his face, “...Shells said you guys needed another team to train.” he says softly, furrowing his eyebrows “Because Evelyn asked.”

Beatrice widened her eyes, turning her neck to see Evelyn, who stood close by, immediately narrowed her eyes towards the blonde with her arms crossed. She stepped close, grabbing Shells by the arm and tugging her aside and away from Bob. “Oh…no, be right back,” she kissed him one last time before rushing to where the two women were currently discussing something quietly.

Evelyn was taller than pretty much all the girls, Bea was almost sure she was almost as tall as Bradley, so her towering figure over Shells was a bit intimidating. She caught parts of the conversation as she got closer, her blonde friend still grinning with her shoulders going up in a shrug as she heard “I thought it was a good idea,” coming out of her mouth.

Beatrice stood nearby, watching Evelyn place her hands on her hips like a disappointed mother, “You lied to bring them here by using my name.”

“Well, lying is a bit of a rough word.” Shells began, “I…tricked them by using your name.”

“...that makes me feel so much better Shells, thank you.” Evelyn scoffs, shaking her head while looking over her shoulder to where the officers stood close together, the other girls coming closer to understand what the hell was going on.

“I mean, honestly don’t you think it makes sense?” Shells asks, crossing her arms, “We’ll never know how good we got unless we play with someone else that isn’t us.” Beatrice had to admit that their friend had a very fair point, they’ve been training together three by three ever since they got there, it’d be nice to have someone else to train with.

Carmen then parts her mouth, “You know,” Evelyn snaps her head in her direction, ‘I hate to say it but…Shells has a good point.” The team captain looks at the other woman like she’s crazy, but Carmen just shrugs, “I mean, how the hell are we going to do it? We’ve been separating the team to train.” Shells gestures to Carmen with her eyebrows up in a ‘see?’ expression.

Jennifer and Eliza nod in agreement, with the youngest of the two looking back at the officers, “I mean, as long as they are nice with us I don’t know why not?” Shells gestures even more, shaking her hand for emphasis “If that’s okay with you,Ev. You are the team captain.”

Evelyn looked at each of them, excluding Shells who looked way too smug for her own liking, then back at the group of officers waiting for her to say something. She chewed her lower lip, exhaling heavily through her nose, “Fine, whatever.” she tosses her hand in the air, rolling her eyes when Shells throws both of her fists in the air with a loud ‘yes!’. “Tell them to make it to six, they have too many people.”

Shells rushed to the other side, with a huge smile on her face as she told them what to do. Halo,Phoenix and Bob went to the side sitting on the benches by the walls while the rest became a team of six. Rooster,Hangman,Payback,Coyote, Fanboy and Bob became their opposite team, “Done!”

“Lovely.” Evelyn said in her less than enthused voice, walking ahead to get closer to the net, “Who’s the team captain?” Hangman immediately lifts his arm with a smirk, ‘Of course you are.”

“We’ll be face to face sweetheart.” he says, “Isn’t that something?”

“Sure.” Evelyn sighs, looking back at the others as they got into their positions already, “Who’s going to count our score?” she turns her head to where the other three sat, with Phoenix raising her hand in response. “Alright, good. The first one that hits ten points, wins.”

Beatrice fixed her ponytail yet again, looking back to where Bradley was and she shouldn’t be surprised they were exact opposites. He met her gaze with a little grin, one she reciprocated with her face flushed, looking back at Evelyn when she noticed Jake was still talking.

“Let’s make a bet, sweetheart.” Evelyn was silent but she raised her eyebrow, “If we win, I get to take you out for dinner. Wherever you’d like to go.”

“You seem very confident you’ll win.” she says in a calm voice, spinning the ball on its axis on her palm, just like Beatrice did at the beach, “Which is hilarious really.”

“Well, say your part of the bet then.”

“Oh no, you don’t get to hear that yet.” she smirks, tossing the ball over her shoulder towards Beatrice who catches in mid air, “You just wait.” Evelyn had a way around the court that exuded confidence, so much that Jake just allowed her to give him that answer, absolutely mesmerized by her walking farther from the net to keep the distance between the two.

Evelyn looked back at Beatrice, who nodded at her little sign to get ready. The other girls had no idea what to expect, honestly feeling a bit intimidated by the muscular officers in front of them. Phoenix comes closer to the net, with a coin pinched between her index and middle fingers, “Okay, head or tails?”

“Tails.” Evelyn says quickly, keeping her eyes on Jake only moving her gaze away when she hears the light sound of metal being hit, following the coin as it flips up in the air for a couple seconds then falls down to the ground with another tinkling sound. It spins once, then twice, then stops…head first.

Jake smirks, “Well, better luck next time, sweetheart.” he says, opening his palm to her so he could take the ball. Beatrice walks up to Evelyn to give her the ball, and the woman slams the volleyball on the square of his chest, keeping it there before he grabs it from her hand.

“We’ll see.” Those are her final words before she backs away again, regaining the position she was before. All the girls had their eyes on the opposite team, but the guys noticed they looked more focused than distracted, even Bradley remembered how focused Bea was during a casual game at the beach.

The girls watched in complete silence, Evelyn having her eyes narrowed just enough, as Bradley spiked the ball - very nicely too, making Beatrice smile proudly- and the girls in front immediately blocked it from getting to their side, rallying amongst each other then tossing it back on the opposite side of the court with a slam.

Phoenix blinked, opening her phone to write down the score of 1-0, before her and Halo cheered the girls with claps, to which Hangman frowned, “Hey!” he gestured to the male officers then back at the two women “What side are you guys on?”

“Whoever wins!” Phoenix laughs, making the blonde aviator grumble in annoyance before he meets Evelyn’s smug brown colored eyes across the court, the woman supporting her weight on her knees and maintaining eye contact. The ball rolls to the girls’ side and the team turns clockwise, meaning that now Hangman and Eliza are facing each other instead.

Phoenix and Halo watched the game with interest, the two women sitting side by side with their hands supporting their chins as they watched the girls’ score get higher and higher for a good while, until the boys finally managed to score a point. It didn’t seem to bother Evelyn at all, she was still calm and collected, watching the male officers with the gaze of a hawk.

Whatever sort of silent language the girls had, it was working, because they were fast - very fast- blocking and tallying their shots every now and again. Of course they weren’t invincible, but they were able to prevent the boys’ score from getting higher for a good while.

It wasn’t until both teams rotated so that Bradley and Beatrice were looking at each other across the net, the brunette not being able to hold back her smile ,”You are doing pretty good.”

Bradley panted, laughing softly, licking his dry lips before speaking, “You guys are giving us a run for our money though, gorgeous.” he wiped a bead of sweat that trailed down his temple with the back of his wrist, dropping his gaze down her thick thighs while using his hand to shield his eyes.

“Brad,” he lowers his hand, seeing his girlfriend narrow her eyes playfully, “Are you ogling me?”

It takes him a few seconds, but he chuckles, “Yeah. I am…why don’t we come up with a bet of our own?” she blinks at him, waiting for him to continue, “Whoever loses does anything the other wants. Doesn’t have to be later today - but it would still be very nice if it was - think of it as…a ticket you can use whenever you want.”

She laughs softly, looking back at her own team seeing they are all talking amongst each other before they start again, “Anything?” his eyes darken but he nods, “...okay,I’m game. Seems a better option than what Hangman offered Evelyn.”

Bradley smirked, leaning closer to the net until their faces were inches apart, with the only thing separating the two was the square mesh which didn’t prevent his hot breath from hitting Beatrice’s lips, “Good, because I already have a few ideas in mind.”

“Oh?” she counters, arching her eyebrow at him, “You think you guys will still win?” her confident response being followed by her amused laugh only made his smile widen, “That’s very funny Brad.”

“Is it? It’s like you have ideas of your own.”

Much like he did to her minutes ago, Beatrice let her green eyes drag down the whole length of his body then back up, rolling her lower lip into her mouth with a smile, “Maybe I do.” she says breathily, meeting his low lidded stare and enjoying how he seemed to be focused on–

“If you two stop the eye fucking during the game,we’d appreciate it a whole lot.” comes Evelyn’s voice from behind, making Beatrice blush a light red and the others - especially Shells- laugh in return. Beatrice gives Bradley one final glance before she steps farther from the net with him doing just the same with the smirk still present on his face. The brunette sent the team captain an apologetic smile and a shrug, to which Evelyn just shook her head with the ghost of an amused smile.

When Bradley took the stand as the middle blocker, something happened with their team. Beatrice wasn’t distracted, no matter if she could see the muscles rippling when he jumped or how his thighs flexed under the soft shorts he wore, she had a job to do…but Bradley was determined to win it seemed. When the ball hit their side of the court, after much tallying back and forth, she looked back at her boyfriend with wide eyes, the pilot holding up his finger to signal they just made another point against them.

Beatrice huffed, she loved Bradley, but she had no plans in losing either. She kept her eyes on him when his team rotated yet again thinking that he just did that because he wanted to throw her off a bit. But they continued like that, this back and forth with points until they were both neck in neck with their scores.

9-9 for both. They had to make one point to end this game, which while friendly, brought the most competitive side out of the girls and that was what Evelyn wanted. She should thank Shells once the game is done with.

Beatrice and Bradley met their gazes yet again, but they were back to their original positions when the game started. Her boyfriend just gave her another cheeky smile, waggling his eyebrows at her as she tossed the ball from hand to hand. She tsked under her breath, bouncing a bit on her feet to gain momentum before she leaped and spiked the ball over the net.

The boys blocked it, tossing amongst each other before trying to gain another point, but now all of them were on high alert. The two female officers watching couldn’t say how long they saw the ball bouncing around without hitting any sides of the court, but it was incredibly amusing to see them try to score a point.

Beatrice widened her eyes at a sudden spike from Fanboy, the ball going from Carmen to Jennifer then towards her. She had to kill this one. So she had no other doubts but to put her arms in the dig position and slam the inside of her wrists to the ball that immediately flung over the net. There was a scramble of voices, the squeak of sneakers running on the boys’ side of the court as they tried to prevent it, but the ball hit the hard floor signaling Beatrice's team’s victory.

The girls shouted with elation, hugging each other and especially hugging Beatrice who gave their team the victory shot, Evelyn ruffling her hair so much some of it came out of her ponytail. All of them were panting and huffing with exertion, Jake being the one that handed the ball over back to Evelyn, “Well,” he pants, “You won. What’s your part of the bet?”

Evelyn held the ball on the curve of her waist, her chest still heaving, “My part of the bet, well…” she thought about it, “...If we win on Saturday, you get to take me out.”

“...wait, but–”

“Take it or leave it.” Evelyn’s full lips curl into an amused smile, “Do you want to go out with me?” he clacks his mouth shut and nods, “Then you should wait until Saturday and hope we win. Be a patient boy.” she chuckles, tapping his wet cheek twice before she walks away to set the ball back inside the gym’s storage room.

Beatrice looked up when she felt Bradley’s presence right next to her, his tall frame blocking some of the fluorescent lights above their heads, “So…” she drawls, tilting her head at him, “We won.” he hums positively, smirking a bit to himself, “And I guess I have my ticket now don’t I?”

“You do, pretty girl.” he coos, leaning down to whisper against her ear, “When do you plan on using it?’

“Oh,I don’t know.” with the other officers talking to the girls, introducing themselves really, they weren’t paying attention to Rooster and Bea, so she draped her arms over his sweaty neck “I’ll have to think about it.”

Rooster chuckles, “Fair.” he says before kissing her lips, breaking apart with a soft smack, tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear, “You guys were great, you’ll do amazing this Saturday.”

Beatrice’s smile softened, “I hope so, Roos…you guys weren’t that bad either you know?” she says, rubbing the side of his face with her thumb. Even if she was still a bit nervous about Saturday, she had to admit they did really good and there was a chance of them winning.

They didn’t stay long after that, especially since the sun was already going down and they had to get out before it got really dark. Plus they were all sweaty and uncomfortable, with Rooster driving the two back to her house to shower because neither of them could stand much more of their body sticking like that.

They showered separately, which made him pout because he kept saying how that would yet again save up water, getting back down to her couch once they were both squeaky clean. Her legs were on top of his thighs that were covered by a different type of sweatpant - this one was dark blue with red and white stripes on the sides- while her own legs were covered by thin checkered pajama pants that would rise up everytime he petted her legs on his lap.

She had to admit she was a bit sore from today’s practice, she did go all out, so she appreciated his big hands massaging her legs as his eyes were locked on the tv. Her smile widened at how good he looked no matter what, looking at him with heart eyes as he kept his own vision locked on the Drag Race episode. She inhaled happily, finally relaxing after such a day, coming back home with him has been the best of these fourteen days.

“Do you think Ru did the right thing keeping Kandy?” he mutters, narrowing his eyes at the screen, to where Beatrice turned her gaze to, “I mean, Symone I understand…but, it’s not normal is it?”

“Well, Ru owns the show, she can do whatever she wants really.” she says back, supporting her head on a hand, chuckling at how his face soured a bit, still rubbing her leg, “I’m so glad you like it though, not a lot of straight guys do.”

“It’s a very fun show.” he says while leaning back on the couch, “And it shows stuff I’ve never really seen before, it opens your eyes really.”

God, could he be even more perfect? Beatrice hummed, turning her body around with some difficulty so she could sit on his lap, which he didn’t complain at all, just wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. One of his hands slid under the large shirt to caress right below her ribs but never going higher than that, while the other held her thighs close to himself.

They sat in silence, with the casual presence of Jolene chewing her sock monkey underneath Bradley’s straightened legs on the coffee table, watching the episode with just a few comments about it and sharing a couple kisses.

Beatrice could only sigh happily, everything was going…so well for the two of them. They were in a relationship, they loved each other, her family loved him and he was so supportive she couldn’t be more appreciative of him. The goblin voice in her brain said it was going too good, way too good and it’d turn sour soon but she didn’t believe it, Bradley wasn’t Eric, Bradley was one of the best men she’s ever met and…she could have this thing with him. She could, even if her fears sometimes would try to choke her happiness away it’d never last.

“Baby.”

“Hm?” she says with her eyes closed and her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat as if it was a melody.

“You got very quiet, are you sleepy?” honestly, she was a little bit, nuzzling the bare skin of his chest with a quiet grunt, “Do you want to go to bed?”

“Not yet…” she whispers, curling herself a bit more on his lap so she could be comfortable, “I’m okay here.”

Rooster chuckles, her soft voice turning drowsy the more she spoke “You sure?” she nods, smiling sweetly with her eyes closed. It doesn’t take long for her breathing to get even and her body to relax on top of his, her soft lavender scented hair sprawled over his chest as she dozed off peacefully.

He looked down at her with pure adoration in his gaze, pressing one more kiss to the top of her head while bringing her closer to his chest so she wouldn’t roll away if she moved. God, he loved this and her…he didn’t want it to end. But his leave was reaching it’s final days, unfortunately. He almost forgot he had only fourteen days to be with her, he’s gotten so used to being here surrounded by her scent and her presence that he’d definitely miss it when he goes back to his apartment.

Of course he could visit, but it wouldn’t be the same…unless she spent some time with him too, which knowing her, she'd agree. She could even bring Jolene if she wanted to, there were people with pets in his building plus he’d like the company. He’ll suggest it to her later when she wakes up, smiling when she murmured his name in her sleep and nuzzled even closer. She tucks her hands between her chest and his own, breathing out in relief as she did so, as if she wanted to remember he was still there.

Rooster just kissed the top of her head, then turned his attention back to the show while his hand still caressed underneath her shirt.

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader

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