#sean saying 'hes not going back to prison' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wizard-on-whales · 4 months

Text

Modern AU! for rdr2 characters

These are my headcannons for each character and what I think they would do in modern times.

Characters included: Arthur, Micah, Dutch, John, Abigail, Mary-Beth, Karen, Tilly, Sadie, Strauss, Charles, Susan, Bill, Lenny, Hosea, Sean, Molly, Javier, Swanson

_______________________________

Arthur Morgan:

He works a blue-collar job. He would most likely be a ranch hand, but for some reason, I can also imagine him being a plumber or welder. In his free time, he does art and sells prints on Etsy. He is still an old-fashioned gentleman (In a good way), and all of the ladies he meets swoon for him, but he is a himbo and doesn't realize they are practically in love with him. They will give him the most obvious hints, but he will think the women are just being nice.

Micah Bell:

He's the creepy uncle that you avoid at every family gathering. He hasn't had a job in like 15 years, and no one knows how he can still pay his bills. And he also always smells like lingering alcohol and cigarettes. He will lean too close to his nieces and say extremely concerning things everyone would choose to ignore. Im also getting the vibes that he went to prison for several years, but no one knows what for.

Dutch Van Der Linde:

He sells people scams or owns a pyramid scheme business. Similar to Scentsy products, he somehow convinces all of these people to buy his products to sell to other people, telling them they will get rich by selling these products, but, in reality, he's screwing them over and making most of the money himself.

John Marston:

If we are talking about early Red Dead 2 Marston, he still lives in his parent's basement and plays video games on his PC all day. He also watches Andrew Tate and would try to boss Abigail around and tell her he's an alpha male. (She'd slap him and tell him to get over himself) Late rdr2 and rdr1, he's grown out of that mindset and has become a working family man. Potentially also a welder, like I said for Arthur. But any high-paying physical job works.

I feel like Abigail, Mary-Beth, Karen, and Tilly would all have a mom group they host every week to discuss their child's newest achievements. Their husbands think that is all they do at the meetings, but they also have in-depth conversations about women's suffrage and how the world caters to men. They think of ways to better the world and bring more women together to discuss these topics and bring light to issues regarding women. The girls would run a pretty popular Facebook group where they let other women express their opinions on those topics. (Arthur is a part of the Facebook group and likes every post he sees and comments shit like, “You're doing great, ladies! Keep up the good work! 😁🥰👍”)

Sadie would probably occasionally attend these meetings (Although I dont see her having children, she would go for the cheap wine and to hang with her friends). Sadie would also go for the in-depth conversations and bring new thoughts to the table because she is a CEO or manager for a very successful company. She would share her experiences of what it's like to be on top of the men who work for her but still be looked down upon by them simply because of her gender. She would also probably share tips on that Facebook page on how to create a successful business without having to attend years of college and give tips for all stay-at-home moms who want to be more than just moms and wives. (She would also be the cool rich aunt)

Leopold Strauss:

He would do the same thing. He gives loans to people who he knows won't be able to pay back the money, and then when the bill comes, he'd ruin their lives and probably end up breaking up families/ relationships and send people to jail for not paying back the money in time.

Charles Smith:

I can see him being a park ranger or working in any conservation field. Potentially even a firefighter who deals with all of the forest fires that happen in places along the West Coast. He’d also be one to do something similar to what he did in the game, but he would work with the local native tribes against companies to try to win back their lands before it gets plowed over for an Amazon factory or something.

Susan Grimshaw:

I can see her being the mean substitute teacher who yells at everyone to get to work, and then when someone does something slightly wrong, she would yell at the whole class and be like, “In all of my years of teaching, I have never seen a class behave this badly.” Either that or she would work at the front desk of the business Sadie runs. Miss Grimshaw would NOT play with anyone who would try to be rude towards her.

Bill Williamson:

Ehem…a police officer. I feel like this one is self-explanatory. But he would mostly sit in his car and do nothing his entire shift. Occasionally pulling someone over for speeding. If they are a white dude, he'd would let them off with just a warning. Poor Lenny would probably get the ticket.

Lenny Summers:

I feel like he would be the one to graduate high school early and go to college as soon as possible. I dont know exactly what he would choose for his degree, but I feel like it would be something involving politics. Maybe that wouldn't be his major, but he would take a government class. Or Potentially going into journaling.

Hosea Matthews:

He's the retired grandpa who used to work in a factory where he made a surprising amount of money and was able to retire early. He spends most of his days walking up at 5 in the morning to watch the sunrise and read the morning paper. And he’ll spend every opportunity he gets to take his kids or grandkids fishing. And if you stay at his house overnight or for the weekend, he gives you a bowl of ice cream every night before bed and recounts every story he could think of that happened from the last time you saw him. (Some of them are surprisingly concerning, but he is one of those badass grandpas)

Sean Macguire:

Similar to John, Sean would spend most of his time gaming on his PC and arguing with children on COD or Fortnite. But he also works at a local bar as the bartender and won't hesitate to argue with the drunk assholes and would slap a bitch if needed. But he also embarrasses himself by flirting with women who will give him dirty looks or tell him that they are gay. (I feel like Karen would also work late-night shifts at the bar with him, but shes also taking online college classes because she wants to be a social worker)

Molly O’Shea:

Instagram and TikTok influencer 100%, and lots of brands like to sponsor her and send her free stuff (Mostly because of Dutch’s business.) and she posts videos of her and Dutch, and everyone in the comments freaks out about how he is grooming her because of their age difference but she denies it all and says that they are actually in love. But then she would post a video to that one sound, “My god this reminds me of when we were young.” And Molly be like 8, and Dutch be in his mid-to-late 20s.

Javier Escuella:

He’d be a musician. He would have started out in a shitty garage band with Sean and John or something, but then he’d realize he actually wants to be a serious musician while the other guys were just messing around. So he’d leave and make solo music that blows up, and he ends up going on tour, and making a lot of money and becoming hugely successful.

Reverend Swanson:

The preacher you always see in the corner of the bar Sean works at. And if you went up to him and started talking to him, he’d tell you the most profound things. He would tell you about his life when he was younger and what happened that made him lose hope, but he would motivate you to never give up. He’d be that person you meet by chance for a few seconds that you would never forget. Hosea probably invites him to go fishing with him from time to time. But instead of fishing, Swanson stares at the water ripples in silence. Hosea would let him sit in silence and let Swanson enjoy the company and the time to think while being sober.

----------------------------

#arthur morgan #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #dutch van der linde #van der linde gang #john marston #micah bell #hosea matthews #red dead fandom #javier escuella #lenny summers #arthur morgan rdr2

69 notes · View notes

marie-swriting · 5 months

Text

Everything Will Be Okay - Emily Prentiss [1/2]

Masterlist

Speak Now TV Masterlist

Part two

Part one - two (French version)

Summary : When Emily hears Ian Doyle escaped, she knows she has to do whatever she can to protect you from getting hurt, even if it means breaking you heart.

Warnings : start during 6x13 and finishes during 6x18, character death (not reader), angst, break up, sad ending, funeral, maybe some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language, tell me if you see some or if I missed any warnings.

Word count : 3.7k

Song Inspiration : Last Kiss (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

“Ian Doyle vanished from prison. Interpol can’t find him”

Sean’s sentence resonates in Emily’s ears. She can’t believe it. Ian Doyle was supposed to be a part of her past. His name was supposed to only be a memory.

“What are you saying?”

“He’s off the grid, Emily.”

“Do you think he’s heading here ?” Emily asks before marking a pause. “Am I in danger?”

“We all are.”

Worry makes its way onto Emily’s face as she understands the gravity of the situation. It’s only a matter of time before everything goes down, she’s aware of it. She has to think of what she has to do to protect herself.

Her thoughts are cut off by the ringing of her phone. She takes her eyes off of Sean and takes out her phone. As soon as she sees your name and your picture on the screen, she softens before reality hits her. She has to protect you, too. Ian Doyle could go after you to get her back. She clears her throat then answers, taking a natural tone.

“Hey, Y/N, everything okay?”

“Hey, Em’, I’m calling to know if I should wait for you tonight or if you come home late.” you explain. Emily can hear you’re getting in your car.

“I have some paperwork to do. I don’t think I’ll be sleeping at home. I have some stuff to handle with the team.”

“Oh, okay.” you say, trying to hide your disappointment. “Keep me updated. I miss you.”

“Miss you too.”

On these words, you hang up. Emily looks at her screen for a few seconds before talking with Sean about the information Interpol has on Ian’s escape. While listening to him, her brain is working at speed light, searching for every plan to stop Doyle and to protect her loved ones.

After she leaves her former colleague, Emily spends the night at a hotel. She has to be alone to think. She has to think of a solution so you can be safe and sound. The problem is, she can’t tell you about Doyle. She has to get you far away without you knowing the truth. Emily comes to the sad conclusion she has to break your heart - and by extent, her own. She’d rather leave with a broken heart and see you breathing than keeping you close to her and seeing you die by Doyle’s hands. She can’t take the risk. She has to break up with you.

The next day, Emily wakes up with difficulty. Her sleep wasn’t relaxing, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she could tell you.

She goes to your shared apartment when she knows you left for work, wanting to avoid you until you come back home in the evening. Whilst waiting for you, Emily packs some bags.

Once you walk through the door, Emily’s face becomes neutral. She has to show no emotion. She absolutely can’t let her emotions speak. She knows what she has to do. With a big smile on your face, you walk toward Emily, ready to take her in your arms. Nonetheless, once you see her emotionless face, your eyebrows furrow.

“Em’, is everything okay?” you question, putting down your purse.

“We have to talk, Y/N.”

“About what?”

“I think we should stop.” Emily bluntly announces and you need a few seconds to answer.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s no use to stay together. Lately, I’ve been pretty busy with my job. Besides, I’ll never be able to give you the life you deserve. It’s better for everyone.”

“W-what? You can’t be serious! Emily, where is all of this coming from?”

“I’m just stating a fact. I’m almost always away, we’re wasting our time.”

“Okay, you’re often away but we are not wasting our time. Our relationship is working just fine. We have a balance. Why do you want to throw everything away now?” you ask, confused and with teary eyes.

“I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time now.”

“But everything was fine between us. I mean, that’s what I thought at least. Did I do something?”

“It’s no one’s fault, it’s just what’s best to do.” she affirms looking you right in your eyes.

“According to who?”

“Y/N, we knew very well this relationship was doomed. It wasn’t meant to last. Not when I have this job.”

“JJ makes it work.”

“It’s not the same. My decision is made anyway.”

“So you’re not even gonna try to talk about it? To fix the problem? You’re giving up this quickly?”

Emily knows you’re not going to give up. She can see on your face that you’re determined in spite of the tears in your eyes. Emily takes a deep breath before saying the most difficult sentence she’s ever had to say.

“I don’t love you anymore, Y/N. You’re a good person, I just don’t have feelings for you any longer.”

“It sure as hell didn’t feel like that this past few weeks.” you contradict, in disbelief.

“I tried to have feelings for you again but it’s impossible.”

Your eyes analyse Emily, searching for proof that the words coming out of her mouth aren’t the truth. However, Emily did everything to be convincing ; you have to believe her harsh words. Once you understand you correctly heard what Emily told you, your tears start running down your face. You don’t pay attention to it, trying to find a solution to keep Emily near you. As Emily sees your heart breaking in front of her, because of her, she wants to admit the truth. Yet, she tells herself it’s the right thing to do.

“I… I’ll go to a hotel for the next few days. I’ll probably have a case during that time, it’ll give you enough time to pack your things.” Emily softly informs while taking her two bags.

Your eyes are wide open at her last sentence. Sure, you couldn’t expect to still live with her if you’re not together anymore yet you thought you’d talk about it to know if you were going to sell the apartment or who was going to keep it.

Emily feels bad about kicking you out but she knows she can’t let you have it. Doyle could find it with a simple research about Emily and she can’t take the risk of having him coming to your place while you still live here. She has to keep you as far away from her and your apartment as possible.

“Em’, please.”

Emily fights with herself when she hears you begging her. She doesn’t answer before walking past you and leaving your apartment. She holds back a sob until she gets in her car.

As for you, you stay on your feet, still in shock, your eyes staring at the door. You can’t believe your relationship with Emily is really over after five years. You never thought you’d ever hear those words. You never planned on her changing her mind. For you, she is - she was the love of your life. It looks like that's not the case for her.

One month has passed by since your break up. In a desperate attempt, you tried to contact her during the first couple of weeks without having an answer. It seems like she doesn’t miss you as much as you do. And you don’t know how to be something she misses. Therefore, reluctantly, you give up. You still can’t move on, you keep thinking about your relationship, searching for what you could have done differently to avoid this outcome.

You never imagined you’d end like this. You never imagined you wouldn’t know her routine anymore, where she is, what case she’s working on. You never thought you wouldn’t be holding her against you anymore. You never thought you’d have a last kiss.

You try to look happy even if deep down, you’re in this state of numbness. But it has to change, you have to learn to move on. For this, nothing is better than to hang out with friends.

You meet Penelope at a cafe not too far away from your place of work. Beside Rossi, Penelope is the one you’re the closest to from the team, you consider each other as sisters. Penelope was shocked once she heard about your break up and she tried to make Emily change her mind without any success.

As soon as you arrive at the cafe, Penelope takes you in her arms. You sigh in relief when you hold her against you. Her hugs have power, you’re sure of it. You sit down at a table after ordering. At first, your conversation is about random things - you hadn’t seen each other in a while so you’re making up for lost time. Then comes a moment when Penelope tells a fun story about the team which includes Emily; at the mention of your ex’s name, you look down, ignoring the pinch in your heart. Penelope stops laughing as soon as she sees your reaction.

“Oh, my God! I… I didn’t think… I shouldn’t have… I’m so sorry.” Penelope exclaims, embarrassed.

“It’s okay. It’s been a month, after all.” you reassure her with a fake smile.

“But still. You were together for a long time. It’s okay if it’s still painful.”

“I know. How is she?”

You can’t help it, you needed to ask this question, it was on your lips for a month. You need to know if what you think is true. Penelope takes a deep breath before replying.

“She doesn’t show anything yet I know she’s suffering as much as you. Sometimes, she keeps to herself a bit more. She seems more lost in her thoughts which is understandable considering the situation.”

“She’s the one who told me she didn’t love me anymore.” you drily retort. “Sorry, I didn’t say that for you to pick a side.” you correct with a guilty face. “I’m just still surprised by the way everything went down overnight.”

“You’ll find each other again. I’m sure of it.” she affirms, squeezing your hand.

“I don’t think so. She seems determined to stay away from me.”

“Y/N, the love you two shared can’t be lost. When the right moment comes, you’ll be together again and everything will be okay.”

You see on Penelope’s face, she’s firmly convinced by her words. She’s not saying them just to make you feel better, she’s sure she’s right. Yes, Penelope tends to see everything through rose-coloured glasses, but you need this bit of hope.

As soon as you come home, you put your purse down, next to the door then sit on your couch. You look at your apartment, indifferent. Despite all your efforts, you can’t feel at home. Home was your apartment with Emily. Home was Emily. But you don’t have Emily anymore and you never will.

You stand up from your couch and walk to the closet of your bedroom. You open it and take a box. You go sit on the floor then you search at the bottom of it for something specific. Once you find the frame, you turn it around to look at the picture.

This picture was taken two years ago, it was the beginning of July, you’re kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower.

You had gone on a trip in Paris - by some miracles, Emily had had two weeks off. You had a wonderful time in France. The highlight of this trip, according to you, was Emily speaking in French. You know she speaks numerous languages and you melt every single time you hear speaking in one of them. Yet, it’s not always so when you had the opportunity to hear her speaking in French for two whole weeks, you were over the moon.

One night, towards the end of your vacation, you stayed in your hotel room. Normally, you’d enjoy your evening by visiting Paris a bit more nevertheless that night, you were too tired to walk ten more steps.

You were sitting on your balcony, enjoying the Eiffel Tower being illuminated in the distance, and you were talking about your future. You were making different plans, thinking about what your life would look like in one year, five, ten, even thirty.

“I can’t wait to grow old with you.” Emily stated with a smile.

“Me too. You’d be beautiful with grey hair.” you said, stroking her hair.

“I don’t know.”

“Trust me, you will be.”

“And you’d look beautiful in a white dress.” she affirmed, looking deeply in your eyes.

“What?”

“We never really talked about it but I’d love for us to get married. Not now, don’t worry!” Emily specified as soon as she saw your eyes wide open. “I don’t have a ring and this is surely not my proposal but I can see us saying our vows and kissing in front of our loved ones.”

“I can see it, too. I’d love to marry you one day.” you admited, taking her hand in yours.

“Good, like this, I’ll be sure you won’t get rid of me.”

“Trust me, you’ll get sick of me before.” you laughed and Emily shook her head.

“Never. I love you too much to get tired of you.”

And on these words, you shared a languorous kiss full of love. You had never been more sure of your relationship than during that night. You knew it was made to last and you were looking forward to creating new moments as romantic as that one. Unfortunately, just like you had a last kiss, you had one last romantic moment. These instants are now only memories in a picture frame.

A few weeks later, while you have your nose in your work you get a call. You take your phone, wondering who could call you this late. Upon seeing JJ’s name, your stomach drops. She almost never calls you. If she does, something terrible must have happened. With apprehension, you pick up the call.

“JJ, what’s going on? Is Emily okay?”

“You have to come to the hospital right now. Emily is in surgery.” JJ informs with a shaky voice.

“What happened?” you ask, standing up.

“I’ll tell you at the hospital, it’s too long to do it through the phone. I’ll call you back if I have updates from the Doctors before you arrive.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes at most.”

You hang up and quickly get dressed before running to your car. On the way to the hospital, you’re controlled by anxiety. You’ve never driven this fast in your life. In your head, every scenario is happening, making you tear up. The lack of information from JJ doesn’t help to calm you down.

You run through the hospital, looking for Emily’s team. You find them sitting in a waiting room, a worried expression on their face. Hotch sees you arriving first and comes to meet you, JJ on his heels. Hotch keeps a cold head even if he can feel your stress in his soul. He invites you to go to a quieter place in the hospital while JJ grabs you a cup of water. When she gives it to you, Hotch is telling you about Doyle’s escape. As you listen to him, everything seems to make sense in your head.

You finally understand why Emily wanted to be away from you so suddenly, why she used such harsh words. She thought she was protecting you from Doyle by staying far away from you but in doing so, she didn’t think of protecting herself. Emily is in critical condition and you don’t know if you’ll ever have the opportunity of talking to her again, to hold her against you again.

As soon as you know the whole story, you go back to the team. Rossi informs you they haven’t received any updates yet. You sit down next to him and start biting your nails. You wait in agony for the Doctor who is probably going to tell you bad news.

You wish you were anywhere but here. You wish everything was a bad dream. You wish you were in your shared apartment with Emily, cuddling in your bed whilst the sun is rising in the sky like you used to do.

One morning, about a year after your trip to Paris, Emily had a day off, allowing you to sleep in. You had woken up first - something rare - and you were staring at her. Her face was completely relaxed whilst her right hand was on your hips. You don’t know how long you had stayed like this, you just wanted to enjoy Emily’s presence. At one point, Emily started to wake up and she smiled, noticing you had spent your time watching her.

“Have you been staring at me for a long time?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not creepy at all.” she joked, getting closer to you.

“It’s not a crime to admire my girlfriend!”

“We’ve arrested stalkers for less.”

“You’re gonna sleep on the couch.” you retorted with a fake angry face.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“I missed you.” Emily suddenly stated

“I missed you too.”

“I hope we’ll always be able to wake up like this.”

“I’ll personally make sure that we do.” you affirmed before snuggling.

You raised your head toward Emily before kissing her. She kissed you back with passion and you spent most of the day in bed.

Now, you spend most of the evening in an uncomfortable hospital chair. You’re vacantly staring at the floor while thinking at several happy moments with Emily and telling yourself you’ll probably never have others.

JJ comes into the room, a serious expression on her face and red eyes. You don’t need for her to utter a word to understand what she’s about to say. However, you don’t want to believe it. Sure, you weren’t optimistic about Emily’s condition yet a part of you was hoping, praying for everything to be okay and to leave all of this behind you. Penelope whispers a desperate ‘no’ while you keep your gaze on JJ. She avoids your eyes when she pronounces the sentences you fear.

“She never made it off the table.”

Immediately, tears are streaming down your face. You loudly sob, shocked while Rossi leans in to hug you. You accept his embrace, shedding all your pain. You hear Spencer standing up but you don’t pay attention to him, trying to understand what just happened.

You thought your heart had broken when Emily broke up with you but you were wrong. This time, the pain in your chest is worse. You don’t even feel like your heart is breaking. Your heart stopped beating and it won’t beat ever again. How could it? You’ll never see Emily’s smile again, hear her laugh, touch her hand. She is dead and your heart left with her.

Emily’s funeral is a few days later. For the first time since the announcement of her death, you get ready. Unlike when you broke up where you felt numb to everything you were doing, you’re feeling every gesture you make. The pain isn’t only emotional, every one of your members is heavy and is hurting you.

Rossi is the one to pick you up. Since Emily’s death, he has been taking care of you. Rossi always considered Emily like his daughter and he immediately liked you when you and Emily got together. He hates seeing you so miserable, he wishes he could take away your pain and add it to his.

Watching the team carrying Emily’s coffin, your pain heightens. You can’t believe the woman you love is locked in this box. You can’t understand how your story ended like this.

You don’t listen to the priest, you keep your eyes on the white flowers that are on the coffin. If Emily could have seen this, she would have said it’s too solemn for her, you smile at that thought. Penelope holds your hand until you’re the first to put a red rose on the coffin, your cheeks wet with tears. You stay next to Emily whilst the team does just like you. Rossi puts a hand on your back to comfort you and you do everything to not break down in his arms. By some miracles, you stay on your feet whilst Emily's casket is going down.

When you come back home, you don’t have the strength to go to bed. You sit on the floor of your bedroom after you put on one of Emily’s tee shirts. You had accidentally put it in your boxes and as Emily never asked for it, you kept it. You bring the fabric to your nose, hoping to smell Emily’s scent but it’s already gone. New tears roll down your cheeks as you realise that soon, every trace of Emily will be gone forever. She will only be a part of your past.

During the whole day, your mind is plagued by memories with Emily. You mainly think about the end of your relationship. You think of every last moment you shared without knowing there will never be a new one. Had you known what was going to happen, you would have enjoyed them more and if you could, you’d change some of them like your last kiss.

It was during a morning, it was early - too early for you -, you had woken up after Emily. Your eyes were closing by themselves whilst you were going to the kitchen. You were making your coffee when Emily appeared in the room. You quickly smiled at her whilst she was telling you she quickly had to leave for work. She pecked your lips and you didn’t even take your time to properly kiss her back, still too asleep. She said ‘I love you’ before taking her bag and leaving your apartment. You had only mumbled an ‘I love you’ back, needing your coffee to talk properly.

You wish your last kiss was different. You wish you had kissed her with passion, enjoying the movement of her lips against yours and you wish you had distinctly said ‘I love you’. Unfortunately, you can’t change the past and you will never have a new opportunity. This kiss is doomed to be your last just like you’re doomed to live without Emily for the remainder of your days. And you’re doomed to have her name forever on your lips just like your last kiss. In the end, Penelope was wrong, it will not be okay.

Part two

Masterlist

Speak Now TV Masterlist

99 notes · View notes

anthruser · 2 months

Text

SHAMELESS OPINIONS: S6 (cause Mickey's write off hurt and after s5, I watched again from s1 and forced myself to keep watching + no one around me likes Shameless so I need a place to vent)

overall: it's a meh season with strong plotlines

The F Word is SUCH a bop, my boy Gus ate. Sorry Fi, I really like you, but boo, you had it coming.

I get the whole controversy with Sean, trust me I do, but I enjoyed the dramatics of the relationship. He was way too hypocritical tho, the scene with the gun, as scary as it was, rubbed me the wrong way. I wouldn't blame Fiona or Carl for that. As someone raised in a house full of guns, I was taught to never ever go near one. Curiosity killed the cat with Will and he was obviously scared, but Sean my boy, no. I felt Sean sort of blended well with the family, understood dysfunction all too well so that's probably why, but at the end of the day, it was a scabbing wound.

The wedding scene, Fuck Frank, ik he helped Fiona dodge a bullet, but at the end of the day, it was never really about Fiona, it was about his damn ego as always. The whole situation was shitty for everyone and I felt for her, really. The bridge scene was dope as hell. Bravo. Cinematic.

With the Debbie v Fiona, I was honestly on Fiona's side most of the time. A decision like this, in their way of living, oof, and Fiona made it clear she wasn't gonna be in charge of another kid. Harsh, but... I wouldn't do it either. But the reality is, Debbie has always been around kids, and very clearly wanted to be a mother, as early as s1. It's just... timing wasn't right. But to tackle a teen to the ground??? Wtf. A grown ass woman. Girl. No.

Oh Lip... his lip ain't doing good. As fucked as the whole Helene thing was, no relationship has ever made more sense to me than that one (for all the wrong reasons) Mommy issues as bright as day right there. And the fact that he couldn't recognize that and saw it as a normal college Tuesday makes me pity him. People don't agree with the relationship, and they're right, they shouldn't, but not because it's a bad storyline. It should make you feel uncomfortable because it is, but that's something that sooner or later, was bound to happen with him. That scene where he walks to the bar and yaps like Frank does with a beer in his hand, and everyone in disbelief... oof...

EMT IAN. NEED I SPEAK??? My baby... Those first episodes were so hard for him... Fucking Lip being insensitive at times... FUCK Ian makes me cry. Him standing his ground to get the job back, oh lord. There's a deleted scene that should've stayed but oh well. Anyway. I love him.

Don't even get me started on Gallavich. The scene with Lana on patsies cuts me. That prison scene breaks me without fail every time. I can't. I just couldn't envision, if things really went without having to call back Noel for ratings and views in s7, that the prison scene would be -it- for them... His leave was horribly handled too... but alas...

Caleb??? I have much to say about him in s7, but he... isn't half bad here... Don't love him, but he's alright. Motivated our ginger boy to get a job that gave him purpose, gave him soft smooches and little lunches, and taught him to receive softness. I love those things but not because it comes from him, more so because Ian deserves those gestures. The HIV conversation was handled well I think??? Don't have any particular complains... yet

Frank's storyline at the start of the season interested me, with the cancer lady and whatnot, not a fan of indulging Debbie into grooming, but it's Frank, and Frank is a fucking pos, but as soon as Queenie comes along I got so fucking BORED. Just not my cup of tea, the whole organic storyline put me to sleep. Kind of wish Debbie wasn't involved cause I think her pregnancy journey had more potential than ending up with Queenie. Idk that whole thing was just boring for me.

White boy Carl... eh, it is what it is, seemed in character enough ig, everyone expected part of this future to head that way so, yeah. Nick... so many mixed feelings like everyone else. I just feel for him man, that situation was horrendous. That, along with 3x666 are the only two scenes where I can't like... they're hard to stomach, for obvious reasons ik, but yeah. That was tough. I feel like it was fun to see Carl with his shenanigans, somewhat cringe but I can't pinpoint if it's because of E's performance or shitty writing.

Mandy and Ian's moment, holy fuck. That made me tear up. Mandy my beloved... I hope you're doing well.

SVETLANA RISE.

#shameless us #shameless #season 6 #gallavich #debbie gallagher #fiona gallagher #the f word #white boy carl #emt ian #ian Gallagher

27 notes · View notes

cinamun · 3 months

Note

This line from shygirlsimmer "Sean really doesn’t owe him any form of loyalty just like he left Jayce alone cuz he didn’t owe him loyalty either…but Mercy…" has been stuck in my head for a while now and I want to ask this what loyalty does Mercy owe Bishop? Bishop has been treating Mercy like an object from the very beginning, isolating her from her son, keeping tabs on her, checking her phone, legit stalking this woman for no reason. I don't know if he has a valid reason for doing all this and if he does have one I don't give a fuck.

She doesn't owe him loyalty.

HE OWES HER FUCKING PEACE OF MIND!

Mercy shouldn't be looking over her shoulder, she shouldn't be stressing about him showing up like how he did, she shouldn't be worried about herself the way she is with Bishop around. She's allowed to be a grown ass woman and do whatever she wants which is moving on and trying to find herself a healthy relationship that isn't with a toxic piece of shit.

I'm sorry for being so mad but this happened to my mom, and I can't get over it.

Oof, friend... don't apologize at all ever and you shouldn't get over it, that's your mom! But lets get into it though because this level of toxic is very common, we just hide it well.... and I love to write about the secrets we don't tell.

*starts prepping wings for tomorrow morning, hands you a lemon*

To you and to me and to everyone else in the Reading Room™ he doesn't owe her shit but less headaches, stress and manipulation. He owes her peace of mind exactly as you said.

But he's Bishop. He's not a man who will give a shit about that. He cares about nothing but himself and what you can provide for him. He will absolutely throw you away or worse if you can no longer serve a purpose. As for now at least, he might be capable of growth, he's getting older.... I can't call it.....

Remember how they met; her husband had just died in the worst way and Bishop somehow magically escaped prison after 30 years. So imagine the level of codependency there...

So when we say "but Mercy..." its because a man like Bishop will put loyalty over a lot of shit. Loyalty is everything to men like him and will get you killed if you fuck that up. He is absolutely one to expect and demand loyalty from Mercy who HE feels carried him during a time when he literally had nowhere to go but underground. A very vulnerable time for him.

She hit him with the lobster mac, some good pussy and it was a wrap. She even put his needs before her son's (think back to him coming home from college and her basically telling him to buy a house.... shit was wild). She's actually IS loyal to him, honestly.

What we see now is ... well... stay tuned friend.

I'm sorry its heavy for you and you don't have to apologize. Men like this just fucking exist unfortunately, and as frustrating as Mercy can be when it comes to him, I haven't completely given up hope for her..... yet.

#story stuff #big hugs friend!

24 notes · View notes

mydarllinglover · 10 months

Text

Alone || Six months later

After the war, the prison had been rebuilt and made into a home, into a proper community.

They had a small farm, full of fruits and vegetables and even some animals for food, Rick was in charge of this.

Walkers were cleared out and blocked from breaching, all blocks had been cleared and cleaned, and 3 of them were turned into homes for the growing community. The library was put to use by Carol and the children, for story time and schooling, and the walls were decorated with drawings.

C Block was still only occupied by the family,Tyreese and Sasha had moved in when they had been brought in from Woodbury, the past was put behind them.

Hershel had decided that it was time for Rick to step back as leader, that he should focus on himself and his son, after the whole Carl gunning down a surrendering kid incident. So he taught Rick all there was to know about the farmers life, so that he could teach Carl, and so on.

Hershel then formed the council, which was made up of; him, Daryl, Glenn, Carol, Sasha and even Natalia.

She was thrown off when he had asked her to join, but he was confused why, for she and Daryl had been the two heads that Rick looked to when making decisions, plans or when the hard tasks had to be done.

He was confident of her that she would make a brilliant member, she was hard headed and stubborn, she knew from right and wrong, whether that be people or decisions, and she was empathetic, to a certain degree. Natalia was talented in knowing what to tell people in difficult times, she was also an amazing poker player and liar, that worked in their fortune many times.

Glenn, Daryl and Natalia had built a supply team, and sometimes they would find other groups, or survivors on their own, taking them in, the community was growing larger, everyone had their part.

Natalia left Cell block C, walking down into the courtyard to get some food, where Carol and Daryl were stood talking, as she served it up.

"Morning, Natalie."

"Hey, Doctor S" She smiled at him.

"Morning, Nat."

"Nice to see you, Leon."

"Hey, Lia."

"Hello, Frank."

"How're you doing Talia?”

Natalia had adopted a few nicknames from members of the community.

"I'm doing great, Sean, thank you, how are you?"

"Great, as always" He grinned.

"Nat!" Two small voices cheered and waved.

"Molly, Luke! How are you both today?"

"Great."

"Hi, Miss Moore"

"Hey, Mika, what are you reading?"

"It's about volcano's" the young girl gushed excitedly, showing off the cover of the book.

"Cindy, hey, how's lil Tommy?"

"He's doing alright, but I lost his dummy, and he's been crying a lot without it, he can't sleep without it." Cindy sighed.

"I'll add it to my list, we're going on a supply run today, don't worry about it."

"I love you, you're an angel." Cindy squeezed Natalia's hand.

"It's no problem." Natalia laughed, walking away.

"Well, hello, Nat, Natalie, Talia, Lia, miss Natalia Moore." Carol greeted her, passing over a bowl of some food.

"Don't. Sometimes I wonder if they just don't know my name and hear it muttered around and say whatever they hear." Natalia sighed, taking the breakfast.

"Of course they know your name, it's called a nickname, cause they love and admire you so much, for saving their lives and giving them sanctuary."

"Blame Daryl, its mostly him who stops."

"He's dealing with it as well. You both make quite the pair, so you can accept that people look up to you here."

Daryl rolled his eyes as he ate.

"No one needs to look up to me, I just do my job, that's what we all are supposed to do."

"I need you to see something." Carol then told them. "Patrick, you want to take over?" She asked the tall kid with glasses.

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded, stepping up.

Carol handed him the things she was holding as Daryl and Natalia moved to join her side.

"Mr Dixon, Miss Moore?" Patrick asked, grabbing their attention. "I just wanted to thank you both for bringing that deer back yesterday. It was a real treat sir and ma'am."

"Hey, that was just Mr Dixon, I was only standing by." Natalia stepped back.

"Well then, I'd be honoured to shake your hand." Patrick put his hand out to the man.

Daryl sighed, licking his fingers clean and clapping the boys hand, shaking it.

"You shot it." Daryl grumbled to the woman as the three stepped away.

"But I couldn't carry it back, only you." She overly smiled at him.

"About today, I don't know if we're gonna be able to spare a lot of people for the run." Carol told the pair as they walked and ate.

"Should be alright." Natalia shrugged, looking at Daryl to see what he thought.

"That place is good to go. We're gonna move on it."

"Yeah, the thing is, we had a pretty big buildup overnight. Dozens more towards tower three. It's getting as bad as last month. They don't spread out anymore."

"With more of us sitting here, we're drawing more of them out. You get enough of those damn fence-clingers, they start to herd up." Daryl said.

"Pushing against the fences again." Natalia sighed.

"It's manageable, but unless we get ahead of it, not for long." Carol said.

Daryl and Natalia were loading up the car, with the help from Zach, Beth's boyfriend.

Beth walked up to the teen boy, greeting him with a kiss.

The two adults tuned out their conversation as they finished the task.

"Okay, are you gonna say goodbye?" Zach asked, once they finished their conversation, Beth walking away.

"Nope." She called back.

"It's like a damn romance novel." Daryl said with disgust.

"They're young and in love, obviously you wouldn't know what that's like." Natalia teased.

"By your track record, seems worth it."

Natalia clapped her hand over her heart, pretending to fall over.

"Oh, how you wound me, Mr Dixon." She fake cried.

"Stop." He nudged her.

"Before i forget. If I don't grab them, make sure someone does, we need chewable, rubber toys." Natalia told him, going back to serious.

"For Sully?"

"No, Judith's started teething, she's having a real tough time with it, told Rick I'd make sure we grab some."

"Alright." He nodded, walking towards his bike, slipping a comment to Sasha about Bob, a man her, Daryl and Glenn had found last week, coming along.

"I'm driving." Natalia said, hopping in the drivers side of the pickup truck, Zach getting in the passenger.

They got down to the gate, Daryl stopped so that he could speak to Michonne who just arrived, riding Flame, the horse.

"Move, kid." She told the teen boy, seeing that Michonne was making her way to their vehicle instead of the car. "Look who it is, you coming for the trip?"

"Thought I'd give you some company, Daryl says we're hitting up the big spot." Michonne said, getting into the passenger seat, that Zach had left unoccupied.

They had arrived at a superstore, fences boarded around the building.

"Army came in and put these fences up." Daryl explained to everyone when they got out the cars. "Made it a place for people to go. Last week, when we spotted this place, there was a bunch of walkers behind this chain-link, keeping people out like a bunch of guard dogs."

"So they all just left?" Bob asked.

"Give a listen." Sasha said.

The group was silent as they listened to the blaring music.

"You drew 'em out?" Michonne asked, sounding impressed.

"Put a boom box out there three days ago."

"Hooked it up to two car batteries." Glenn added.

"All right, lets make a sweep." Daryl instructed. "Make sure it's safe, grab what you can, we'll come back tomorrow with more people.”

They made it to the door, Daryl banged hard on the glass with his elbow.

"Just give it a second." He said, sitting on the small wall, Natalia was leaned against it next to him, whilst the others stood around.

"Okay, I think, I've got it." Zach said, catching theirs and the other attendees attention.

"Got what?" Michonne asked, walking over.

"I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." He explained, moving to sit next to Natalia.

"He's been trying to guess for, like, six weeks."

"Yeah, I'm pacing myself." The teenager argued with the man. "One shot a day."

"All right, shoot."

"Well, the way, you are at the prison, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of uh surly." The two women looked at him confused. "Big swing here. Homicide cop."

Natalia and Michonne both started laughing, not being able to hold it.

"What's so funny?" Daryl asked.

"Nothing. It makes perfect sense." Michonne answered.

"Actually, the mans right, undercover."

"Come on, really?" Zach asked him.

"Yep." Daryl nodded. "I don't like to talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, you know?"

"Dude, come on, really?" Zach didn't believe him. "Alright, fine. Nat, what were you before all this?”

"Funnily enough, I was the same, we were actually partners, it's how we know each other so well." Natalia played on the bit. "Could say we're thick as non-thieves."

"Seriously?" Zach asked, Michonne turned around to hide her laughter.

"Yeah." Daryl continued.

"Hey, you remember that one case, the guy who wore green suits with the cane shaped like the question mark?"

"Yeah, liked riddles." Daryl joined in. " But shush, it's confidential."

"Oh right, work policy." Natalia nodded, looking at the floor.

"I'm just gonna keep guessing, I guess." Zach sighed.

"Yeah, you do that."

Walkers threw themselves at the glass, ending the conversation, making the three stand up from the wall.

"We're gonna do this, detectives?" Michonne asked.

"Let's do it." Daryl stepped towards the doors.

"Hey, you ready?" She asked Zach.

"As ever." He let out a sigh.

"You're gonna do great, okay? Just a real easy one, nothing to worry about." She smiled at the teenager.

"Alright, yeah." He nodded. She walked ahead to join her friends, weapon at the ready.

"The Riddler!" She could hear Zach whisper to himself as he walked forward.

Once the walkers were dealt with and dragged out, everyone waited outside the doors.

"All right, we go in, stay in formation for the sweep." Sasha told the group of people "After that, you all know what you're supposed to look for. Any questions?"

"Was there ever a time you weren't the boss of me?" Tyreese asked his sister.

"You had a few years before I was born."

"Whoever see's it first, any sort of rubber toy, but not small enough so she can swallow." Natalia reminded Daryl. "Cindy's boy lost his pacifier so he could do with a new one as well."

"Copy that." He nodded as they headed in.

Once the sweep was done, and they were all clear, Glenn, Michonne, Bob and Natalia walked with trollies, she also had her bag open around her front, throwing in the most important things, just in case.

"Hey." Daryl whispered, appearing behind her.

"Hm?" She hummed, preoccupied with shoving pharmaceuticals, first aid kits, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, tampons, pads and toothpaste in her bag, anything of health importance.

"Found the jackpot." He stood next to her, shoving the parent requests in her bag.

"You're a gem, no wonder you're so popular, Mr Dixon."

"Gotta thank my partner in crime, too." He smirked at her.

"Or you could say "not" crime." She winked.

His smile dropped as he stared at her.

"Yeah, I'll go look at other stuff." She nodded, walking away and chucking a few packs of wipes in her bag before zipping it up and putting it on the right way.

A thud somewhere around the store sounded, followed two seconds later by glass smashing.

Bob shouted that one of the shelves came toppling down.

Natalia made her way over there, shortly after Daryl, who was closer.

"You alright? You cut or something?" He asked the man who was under the shelf, bent down and flashing a light on him.

"No, man, but my foot is caught." Bob told him.

"Alright. He's just caught. Come on, help me up." He told Zach and Tyreese who also came over.

"What happened?" Glenn shouted out from somewhere.

"Nobodies hurt, we're in wine and beer." Natalia replied, storing the location to bring up another time.

"I was moving fast, man. I drove right into the drinks." Bob laughed off.

"Man, you lucked out. If this thing had come down on you the wrong way " Tyreese let the sentence die.

"Should be more careful about yourself and your surroundings, one wrong move could mean everyone's lives at risk." Natalia told him, she felt suspicious of what had happened, something didn't feel right to her.

The ceiling above collapsed just above them, chunks of it rained down.

A walker had fallen through, tangled up to the ceiling by his intestines, floating in the air.

Everyone jumped back, looking at what just happened.

"Holy fuck." Natalia hissed.

Michonne, Sasha and Glenn ran towards them, stopping when they saw the walker stuck above.

"Yeah, uh, we should probably go now." Glenn decided.

"Bobs still stuck. Get him out of there." Daryl said, walking back to the other cabinet.

"We'll get the others." Michonne told him, unsheathing her sword.

Another bit of the ceiling broke, a walker diving down with it, but landing to the floor.

More and more holes were made, more and more walkers reached the ground.

The group of people jumped out the way, in order to not get jumped on by the dead.

"Hey!" Bob screamed out.

Natalia pulled out her knife, a walker had just taken Glenn down, tackling him to the ground, she ran forward plunging her knife in it's skinless skull, letting Glenn push it off so he could get to his feet.

Gunshots surrounded the place as everyone ran in different directions.

Daryl climbed up a small tower of boxes, as they gathered around him.

Natalia was fighting one off, when she heard a thwack behind her, she dropped her opponent, spinning around to reach down and grab the arrow that was shot into the head of a walker that was gaining on her.

She ran towards the man, throwing him his arrow as Glenn helped take out the walkers surrounding him.

"Daryl, go!" Glenn shouted, as a helicopter was getting close to fall on them any second.

She pulled her gun out, helping shoot at walkers a distance away in order to not get shot herself.

"Let's get Bob!" Zach called out.

Natalia shot at a walker who was crawling towards Bob, Daryl then dragged it away.

Zach lifted the shelf as Natalia kept the lookout for them, shooting at walkers headed in their direction, whilst Daryl helped Bob out.

"Come on, time to go!" He shouted. "Let's get out of here!"

They headed for the doors as the helicopter was about to drop.

"Ah!" Zach screamed out.

Natalia turned her head, as a walker was chomping into the teen boys leg, dragging him down from under the shelf.

"Zach!" Glenn called out.

Natalia went to run to the boy as the Walker mauled on his neck.

"No! It's too late!" Daryl grabbed her arm, dragging her back, telling the others to run as the ceiling crumbled.

"We can't leave him!" She screamed. "He's just a kid!"

"We don't have a choice, come on!"

They ran for the exit through a thick cloud of dark dust, the helicopter falling onto where they were moments ago.

"I'll do it." Daryl mumbled to her when they got back to the prison, walking to C block.

"You sure?" She asked, chewing her lip.

"Yeah, you alright?" He asked, putting his hand on her shoulder, stopping them both from walking.

"I wish we could've helped him, at least so he didn't suffer." She looked down at her fingers, picking at her nails so that she didn't end up crying. "He had his whole life ahead of him, it just sucks so much worse when we lose someone young, especially like that. He was such a great kid, should've never brought him out."

"I know." He muttered, bringing her in for a hug, patting her hair as he looked ahead.

"I'm gonna go see Wi-Judith! Judith, see how she likes her stuff, I'll take the other stuff down to inventory tomorrow." Natalia said, wiping at her eyes as she pulled away from the hug, heading towards the building again.

"Alright." Daryl nodded, pretending to not notice the near slip up, he hadn't caught her do it before, but she was under a lot of stress and grief, he had noticed how she took a special interest in the babies at the prison, making sure they'd have everything they'd need, even the small things like toys to chew on and the exact colour pacifier they liked, all with out spending much time with them, like she was too scared to get close, that something bad could happen to the baby if she did.

He still hadn't given her the picture, he didn't know why, something about never finding a right time with her, even though they spent a majority of their time together, the running joke was that if one was near, the other wasn't too far away, they heard what people said and both shrugged it off, never wanting to acknowledge it with each other, they were good teammates and partners, that was all!

Deep down, another thing that had stopped him was how she would react, he knew she knew it was in that cupboard so long ago, that she hadn't grabbed it, he wondered if she'd be mad or upset that he had decided to snatch it up, he didn't like to think about it much.

"Rick, hey" Natalia greeted Rick Grimes, it looked like him and Hershel were talking about something when she walked in on them. "Hi, Hershel, Miss Judith."

"How'd it go?" Hershel asked her.

"Not good." She shook her head. "The roof had water damage, a helicopter and around two dozen walkers were on top. Zach, he didn't make it I'm sorry, Daryl's letting Beth know.”

"He was a good boy." Hershel said sadly looking down.

"He was." She sighed "But, I did manage to grab loads of things for Doctor S and the women and babies," She made wide eyes at Judith, reaching into her bag for the stuff Daryl put in there. "Daryl managed to grab these for her." She told Rick, grabbing a wipe from the bag and wiping down a pink chewable ring. "Should help with her teething." Once she was done cleaning it, she gave it to Rick.

"Thank you, I know you made it a priority when you didn't have to." Rick patted her shoulder.

"I didn't grab them, he did, also got some things that were needed by the other babies, I'll give them out tomorrow, for now, I need some sleep."

She bid the two men goodnight, walking into the cells and up the stairs.

She whistled lowly.

Sully came jogging out of Daryl's cell, that was next door to hers, still, Michonne's was on the other side.

"What's that in your mouth?" She asked the dog, who was holding a teddy rabbit in his jaws. "Where the hell did you get that?" She muttered, walking towards the Rednecks door.

She cleared her throat.

"What?"

"Why do you insist on spoiling my dog?"

"Thought he'd like it, snatched it on my mission for baby shit." He said, fixing his crossbow.

"Don't waste time and storage on him, he's perfectly fine with what he's got." She told him, moving to sit beside him on his bed.

"Was nothing." He shook his head. "Take it as a anniversary gift."

"An anniversary gift? For what, exactly?" Natalia laughed.

"A whole year since you joined the group."

"About 3 months too early, it's only been 9 months, but thanks" She smiled at him. "He seems to enjoy it."

Sully had joined them back in Daryl's room, laying down on the end of his bed as the dog chewed and played with the teddy.

"Course he does. S'Rabbit."

"And it's the last one he gets, you're building too much of a collection."

"Yes ma'am." He raised his brows, keeping his eyes on his weapon as he fiddled with it.

"How'd she take it?" Natalia asked, changing the air in the small atmosphere.

"Surprisingly alright, that's what scares me, changed the accident board, said she was glad to know him, hugged me then went back to writing in her diary."

"She's gone through a lot, lost a lot of people, some people just handle it differently, lets just pray she's not building up for a psychotic breakdown or anything." She mused, laying down on the bed and staring up at the ceiling, imagining it crashing down on her just like in the store.

The pair spent the rest of the night in silence, enjoying each others company and not being totally alone in the world, causing them both to end up falling asleep beside each other.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #carl grimes #carol peletier #daryl fanfiction #glenn rhee #michonne #rick grimes #beth greene #maggie greene #hershel greene #michonne hawthorne #bobstewkey #sasha williams #tyreese williams #judith grimes

43 notes · View notes

allzelemonz · 1 year

Text

Rescue: Kieran Duffy X Male Reader

Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘‘boy’ and ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Violence, Language Warnings: Kidnapping, torture, graphic wound, Colm O’Driscoll sucks, Dutch is questionable, very fluffy Kieran Duffy Summary: Kieran finds out you were kidnapped by the O’Driscolls during a train robbery gone wrong and he goes with the gang to rescue you.

The sound of the horses coming back to camp always fills Kieran with relief. People come back alive and the horses are always in need of pats and a good brushing. Your horse in particular always comes to him right away for an oatcake. So when Kieran turns around to watch everyone that went on the job ride in, his heart sinks when you’re not with them. Dutch could have sent you out to fence what you got from the train, you could’ve gone out hunting or something, but you always have someone tell him when you leave camp. You know he worries easily, so it’s usually Charles or Arthur that saunters over to mention where you are. But, as he distractedly brushes at Brown Jack’s coat, Dutch, Arthur, Charles, Javier, Micah, and Sean all remain by the path as they speak in low voices that Kieran can barely hear.

He wanders closer to the group, pretending to fuss over Silver Dollar now.

“We can’t leave ‘em, Dutch.” Arthur says.

“I know, son. I know, and we will.” Dutch puts a hand on Arthur’s shoulder and looks around at the group. “That boy is gonna be fine.”

“We shouldn’t wait, Dutch.” Charles says, his voice firm as he stares straight at his boss.

“Who knows what those O’Driscoll dogs are gonna do with ‘em.” Sean says.

“The kid’ll be fine.” Micah groans.

“Yes he will.” Dutch nods. “And we will go after him at first light, boys. You have my word.”

Kieran’s hand has tightened on the brush he’s holding. His face is pale and his heart is beating too fast to feel. O'Driscolls?

“Mister Van Der Linde?” He asks, stepping out of the cluster of horses.

Dutch turns to him, face falling when his eyes land on the stable boy. “Oh, son. I am truly sorry.”

“Where is he?” Kieran asks, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it again.

“We got jumped by the O’Driscolls on the way back.” Charles says as Dutch hangs his head. “They took him.”

Kieran opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

“I ain’t waitin’ for mornin’, Dutch.” Arthur says, pulling himself onto his horse. “The kid deserves better than that.”

“Those is bad men, cowpoke.” Micah drawls. “Might get yourself killed in the process.”

“Then why don’t you help fer once, ya lazy bastard.”

“Boys, that is enough.” Dutch says. “I care for that young man, I do. But we can not go running into a fight like this.”

“I’m with Arthur.” Charles says, mounting his horse again.

Javier nods. “I’ll go. He’d do it for me.”

Kieran swallows his nerves. “I’m goin’.”

Micah laughs. “Oh, what a rescue!”

“Shut up, ya lousy turd!” Sean scoffs. “I’m going too, Arthur.”

“You boys, you be careful.” Dutch says. “Get that boy and get home.”

As they ride out, Kieran gets the occasional reassuring word from the gang. Charles stays with him through the ride, making sure he’s alright. But he’s not. Kieran knows exactly what O’Driscolls do with prisoners. He knows that if Colm is there, your pain will be dragged out, but if it’s Tom watching things you’ll be dead by the time your rescue arrives. Colm will tie you up and cut away at your will until you give Dutch up or you die. Tom will hang you in the stables and whoever took over his old duties for the O'Driscolls will clean it up.

“Slow up to the left here!” Arthur says.

The gallop of the group slows as they enter a line of trees. They stash the horses and grab their weapons, ready to sneak into the camp. Kieran recognizes it. It’s one of the bigger camps, so it might be Colm here and you might be alive. Branwen steps nervously as Kieran draws a rifle from his saddle, poor thing knows his rider is nervous.

“We go in quiet.” Arthur instructs. “Charles and I are gonna go along the perimeter, take out who we can.”

“You all should wait until they see us, then you rush in and take them by surprise.” Charles adds.

“We ain’t here to kill O’Driscolls, we’re kere ta get the kid.” Arthur looks over everyone’s faces. “Ya find ‘em, ya get the hell out.”

“He’s-they probably got him in the stables.” Kieran points to the structure on the north end.

“Alright.” Arthur sighs. “You get a chance, you get in there.”

Kieran nods, a determined look on his face.

Arthur and Charles split, circling around the edge of camp. They take out the stragglers that they come across with knives or arrows and move on. Everything is going smoothly, so they move in and take out a few more stragglers. Then Arthur is spotted and he draws his gun. The stealthy invasion turns into a firefight, Javier and Sean run in and take cover behind some boxes. Kieran takes his chance and runs as fast as he can towards the stables. His rifle is clutched tightly to his chest and his legs burn with every step. He stops to shoot the O’Driscoll by the stable door and rushes inside. When he turns the corner into the open space between the stalls his breath hitches.

Colm O’Driscoll himself holds you upright, a gun to your head. Your hair is wet with blood, your skin is peppered with bruises, and you are leaning into Colm to alleviate what looks like a badly hurt leg. Colm’s twisted face is filled by a smile as he pulls the hammer back on his revolver.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the stable boy.” Colm chuckles. “The traitor.”

“Let him go.” Kieran says with a shake in his voice, his knuckles turning white as he grips his rifle.

“Never took you for the brave sort.” Colm steps backwards towards one of the exterior doors. “I remember you… Kieran, that’s it. You never quite did anything right.”

Kieran takes a step forward. He freezes when Colm presses the barrel right against your cheek, his cold laugh filling the stables. His grip around your middle tightens as he reaches the door, his arm pushing against a bad bruise and making you wince.

“You ain’t gettin’ outta here!” Kieran says.

Colm chuckles. “We will see about that, boy.”

The O’Driscoll leader puts his back to the door, a sly smirk on his face. He releases his grip on you and a second later there’s a sharp pain in your side. Colm back out of the door as you fall to the floor, clutching the knife in your stomach. Kieran rushes to you, dropping his rifle in favor of holding your head off of the dirty ground.

“Go after him.” You say, wincing as Kieran tries to lay you down more comfortably.

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” He says. “You’re gonna be fine.”

He leans down and presses a kiss to your forehead. You can feel a tear drop onto your face as he does.

“You can’t let him get away, Kieran.” You gasp from the pain. “We’ve been hunting him for months, you can’t just-”

“I ain’t leavin’ ya here.” He presses his hand on your cheek and lightly strokes his thumb across the blood-caked skin. “I love you, I ain’t leavin’ ya.”

“Kieran, you gotta-”

“I ain’t goin’!” He says shakily as the tears roll down his cheeks. “I’m stayin’ right here, sweetheart. Right here.”

The shots from outside die down and there’s a few faint yells between the Van Der Lindes. Kieran holds you, just looking over your face, when Arthur bursts through the door with Charles behind him. They join Kieran at your side and Charles looks over the wound.

“He’s gonna be fine, Kieran.” Charles says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not too bad, we just need to get him back to camp.”

“Alright.” Arthur says. “Come on, kid. Let Charles take him.”

Arthur pulls Kieran away and Charles helps you up. You ride with Charles back to camp because he knows how to handle your injury better, but Kieran hardly takes his eyes off of you. When the group ride into camp they’re met with Strauss and his tonics. Charles helps you down and hands you off. Kieran trails behind and lingers as long as Strauss is treating you. He takes off his hat and fiddles with it as he paces. Charles and Arthur check on him, Mary-Beth brings him food that he declines, Micah makes a comment that he hardly hears but he’s sure it’s cruel.

“Mister Duffy.” Strauss says as he pulls the privacy cover back from his station. “He will be just fine, I recommend bed rest for the next few days.”

Kieran nods.

“You may take him to his tent now.” Strauss says, then he holds a finger up at the man. “Slowly. Very slowly.”

“Yes, sir.” Kieran nods, putting his hat back on his head.

You’re already sitting up when Kieran ducks into the tent. He helps you up and gives a string of apologies with every wince or groan. Very carefully, he lays you down on your bedroll.

“Do ya need anythin’? Food or somethin’?” He asks as he sets his hat down on the small table where he’d put yours when you got back earlier.

You shake your head. “Can you just stay with me, Kieran?”

“Of, uh, of course.” He takes his gun belt off in a hurry and lays down next to you, careful as he puts an arm over your bruised body and softly rests his head on your chest. “I was real worried.”

You sigh. “I know. But I’m fine.”

“You ain’t fine.” Kieran mumbles into your shirt.

“As long as you’re here, I’m perfectly fine.” You run your fingers through his hair.

Kieran clings to you a little tighter and you make yourself not wince for his sake. Kieran falls asleep fast, his rush from worry dying down now that you’re holding him again. You lay awake for a while to think about what happened, all the things Colm did to try and get you to rat on Dutch. You were strong and didn’t breathe a word, but you don’t have to be anymore. You have Kieran again, you can rest.

#red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #red dead redemption x reader #red dead redemption x male reader #x reader #x male reader #kieran duffy #kieran duffy x reader #kieran duffy x male reader

87 notes · View notes

sanjuwrites · 6 months

Text

wip wednesday

IM BACK! i have been gone for a hot minute because my life caught on actual fire, but im back and better than ever baby <3

to make up for it, i'm posting two different snippets from two different fics, one firstprince and one tarlos! enjoy! thanks to @alrightbuckaroo, @birdclowns, and @inflarescent for the tag!

agent reyes

TK greets him in the morning with a cup of coffee.

The cup is made to perfection, and Carlos is seriously starting to doubt how much Paul is really involved in TK’s agenda here.

Carlos murmurs a quiet thank you instead of screaming like he really wants to and approaches Marjan, who’s in a hoodie with the hood up, furiously typing.

“Marj, have you even slept today?”

“No sleep when we have a crime syndicate to take down.”

“Okay,” he says slowly, “but I have access to information that the CIA has spent years compiling. Why are you botheri- oh.”

Marjan flips her laptop around and Carlos is startled to find a clone of Sean Cunningham’s l staring back at him. “Marjan, what the fuck? How the hell did you – what?”

“Turns out Cunningham’s lackeys are kind of idiots because the video was sent from Cunningham’s main compound, where he stays. Really, the asshole apparently hasn’t ever heard of a firewall–”

Paul, who’s wandered over, interrupts her. “Marj, get to the point. You do this every time.”

Marjan rolls her eyes but continues. “I traced IP addresses back from the ransom video that was sent to TK’s email address and from there I hacked into his Wi-Fi connection–”

“Marjan, I don’t think any of the intel departments at Langley can do this.” Carlos is staring at her in awe.

She smirks at him, before continuing. “You fools need to stop interrupting me. Anyway, I just hacked through the four laptops hooked up to the Wi-Fi connection until I figured out which one was his. Voila!”

Carlos ducks down, pressing a palm flat to the table as he scrolls through the laptop. “Marjan, this is insane – we have data here that I could only dream of having.”

Marjan smiles tiredly, sipping at the mug of coffee Nancy hands her. “Babe, I think coffee is the last thing I need right now, but thank you. I love you very much,” she says while pressing the mug into Paul’s hands, “but Paul and Carlos are going to play now. We,” Marjan says, pulling Nancy close, “are going to go to bed now. ” Judd whistles from where he is in the kitchen, drawing a laugh out of everyone in the room.

Nancy wraps her arms around Marjan in reply, “You heard her, gentlemen. I will be taking my girlfriend to bed now, and I expect no interruptions. My girlfriend needs her beauty sleep. It’s decaf, by the way!” she says, her voice faraway now.

alex runs for congress

“Politics hasn’t been my dream for almost twelve years, sweetheart,” Alex says softly, not really making eye contact with Henry.

“Alex, I know what happened with Richards and the emails was brutal, but we have nothing holding us back like that anymore and –”

“It’s not Richards, Hen, it’s you.”

That stops Henry cold, and he looks at Alex, mouth open in shock. “What do you mean?” Alex stays quiet, and Henry pushes further. “Alex, what do you mean?”

Alex continues to avoid eye contact with Henry as he starts talking again. “That night I came to Kensington Palace, you told me you wouldn’t trade one prison for another. You’re barely free from the Crown, Henry, and I don’t want to drag you into the circus of American politics, not when you hated being in the public eye so much, to the point that it almost cost me you. I refuse to let anything cost me you again, so I put all my dreams in a little box and locked it away, because I would rather live a quiet life with you and immigration law than a loud one alone in Congress. I was wine drunk at one of Mom’s fundraisers when I was talking to Erica about wanting to flip Texas again, and I didn’t think it would ever really come up again.”

Henry doesn’t answer, grabbing Alex’s face between his hands and pressing a featherlight kiss to his lips before resting their foreheads together. “Love, I didn’t realize you had that in the back of your mind, and that this was what is stopping you from entering politics. Listen to me,” he says, moving them so he’s looking at Alex eye to eye, “nothing is going to stop me from spending the rest of my goddamn life with you. You could lose your job, become a house husband, or go on to become the president of the United States, and I would not care.” Henry takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. “Do you want this, Alex? Like without the influence of anything else, deep down, do you want this? Do you want to run?”

i'm gonna tag @carlos-in-glasses, @catanisspicy, @theghostofashton, @welcometololaland, @rmd-writes, @paperstorm, @bonheur-cafe, @chaotictarlos and @lightningboltreader!

#sanjuwrites #agent reyes 👀#sanjuwrites rwrb

27 notes · View notes

whump-me · 7 months

Text

Whumptober Day 2: "They don't care about you."

This is a standalone story in the Mind Games universe, a modern-day sci-fi/fantasy thriller setting about ordinary humans with superhuman abilities and the people who want to use or destroy them. Full description in my Whumptober masterpost, which is linked in my pinned post.

This story contains: interrogation, male whumpee, female whumper, defiant whumpee, fearful whumpee, cold whumper, rejection, emotional whump

---

When Sean thought of an interrogation room—which he did, often, whenever he imagined what would happen if he was caught—he imagined it smelling like blood and bleach and fear. He imagined the faint outlines of bloodstains on the floor and on the walls, where even the strongest cleaners couldn’t scrub away the evidence of what had happened there. He imagined a bright white light shining down from above, so strong it seared his retinas even when his eyes were closed.

The light was just how he had imagined it—except that it was a fluorescent light built into the ceiling, like in an office building, instead of a bare bulb dangling in his face. But the rest wasn’t like he had thought it would be. The room smelled new. Freshly built, like plaster and sawdust. The paint was so bright white he thought it might come off on his hands if he touched it. There had been no time for it to accumulate stains yet. For all he knew, he was the first prisoner to be interrogated in this room.

Maybe it would be his blood marring the white walls for the first time. Maybe anyone else brought here would look at the evidence of what had been done to him, and shiver.

The room was empty except for the single metal chair he had awoken in. His wrists were bound to its arms, his ankles to its legs. In front of him, a slim woman in gray paced back and forth, back and forth. She eyed him like he was the stain in her brand-new interrogation room, and she was trying to figure out the best way to clean him up without messing up the paint.

She paused in front of him. The bright light shone down directly above her, turning her eyes to pits of shadow. “Your friends sold you out.”

Her voice was as clean and crisp as the room. The sound echoed strangely—the edges were softened, rounded off where they shouldn’t have been. Soundproofing. So no one would hear what she did to him.

He already wanted to beg, and she hadn’t even touched him. He wanted to throw himself at her feet—if not for the restraints holding him in place—and ask what he had to do for her to let him go, please just let him go…

Instead, he lifted his chin and managed a derisive—albeit shaky—laugh. “That’s an amateur tactic. Make me think they betrayed me, so I’ll betray them. Try harder.”

“The room surprised you,” she said, her voice cool and perfectly even. “You were expecting us to bring you to PERI headquarters, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So your friends knew about the new facility already. We caught one of them sniffing around the site last week. We followed them back to their meeting. That’s how we found them—and that is how, ultimately, they gave us you.”

He shook his head. “There was no meeting last week.”

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, leaning down to peer into his face. “Your thoughts say you’re not.”

He bent down to spit at her feet. “You’re a telepath,” he said. “That makes you one of us. And you’re working for the people who want to control our powers. The only traitor here is you.”

She took a small step back from the small, gleaming glob of spittle at her feet. Her face showed no reaction. “Which is the worse betrayal?” She asked. “To accept a job offer—which pays very well, I might add—to help root out rebellious elements in order to make sure those with powerful abilities serve our national interests rather than becoming a menace to society? Or to offer up someone you fought alongside, for money and to save your own skin? That’s what your friends did.” Her lips curved into a small smile. “Yes, they asked for cash. And it was their idea. I didn’t even need to offer. They named a price—they already knew how much you were worth to them. I was surprised at the amount. I would have expected them to ask for more.”

“I knew about the new facility.” Or at least, he had known there was one being built. A secure purpose-built interrogation facility, plus a prison for Enhanced who refused to work for the government and weren’t suitable for genetic research. He and the others had been hunting for it for months. But they hadn’t found the location yet.

“You didn’t find the location yet,” she said, reading his mind. “But your friends did. They didn’t tell you before they sent your friend Mathias to scope it out, did they? And they certainly didn’t tell you that when Mathias was careless enough to let us follow him back to their meeting—the meeting they didn’t tell you about—they offered you up. They thought your power could be useful to us.” She gave a small, artful pause before continuing. “And they thought it wouldn’t take much for us to convince you to work for us. Apparently they don’t think much of your courage.”

“They wouldn’t do that.” But then how did she know about Mathias? Was he in one of these rooms, too?

“Your friend is perfectly fine,” the interrogator assured him. “They all are. We kept our end of the bargain.”

But that meant nothing, nothing at all, because there had been no bargain. They wouldn’t have sold him out, they wouldn’t…

“I hear you thinking at me,” she said. “You don’t have to be so loud about it. I can hear your thoughts regardless. In fact, I can hear what’s going on underneath that cacophony of denial.” She started up her pacing again. “Right now, you’re going over all the times they’ve excluded you. All the inside jokes they never bothered to explain to you. All the meetings they conducted without you, the ones you only found out about after the fact. Last week was far from the first time.” She held up her hand as if to hold off his objections before he could speak them. “Don’t bother denying it. I told you, I can hear you.”

His weak protest died on his lips before he could voice it.

When the others had rescued him as a teenager from a near-abduction by PERI forces, and offered him a place on their team saving others the way they had saved him, he had thought things would be different with them. He had seen an end to his lifetime of being the awkward misfit, the odd one out. Helping people had only been half the reason he had joined them. The chance to belong had been the other half.

Maybe more than half.

Every time he had come home crying from school when he was a kid, his parents had assured him he would find his people someday. He had thought he finally had. After all, they had powers too. They were like him. They were Enhanced, a word he had never even heard before meeting them.

But it hadn’t worked the way he thought. He might have been Enhanced like them, but he was still his same old awkward self. He still didn’t get the jokes. He still talked at the wrong times, and stayed silent at the wrong times, and said the wrong things that led to awkward silences.

“They didn’t leave me out of that many meetings,” he said. “Not the really important ones.” Only the ones that had been less about planning their next mission and more about hanging out together. They always seemed to have more fun when he wasn’t around.

“If they had found the new facility,” he continued, “they would have told me.”

“Are you sure about that?” she asked. And she smiled, because no, he wasn’t, and she could obviously hear it in his mind.

He was mostly sure. Almost entirely sure. But almost sure wasn’t the same as sure.

“They would have wanted my help,” he said. “And they would have known I wanted to help. They knew how committed I was.”

“We are you committed to the cause,” she asked, pinning him in place with her eyes, “or were you committed to them?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Humor me.”

And because it was better than her needling at all his weakest points, he answered. “I was committed to the cause,” he said. “Because PERI came after me for no reason. I wasn’t hurting anyone with my power. I just wanted to live a normal life. But they wouldn’t let me do that. They don’t let any of the Enhanced do that. We have to work for you, and if we won’t, we get cut apart in your labs or shot on the spot. We’re not allowed to exist unless you control us.”

“A pretty speech,” she said, her eyes turning into amused half-moons. “Which of your friends are you parroting it from?”

“You think I don’t believe in what we’re doing? I gave up everything to join them. I left my school, my home…”

“For the cause?” she asked. “Or for the chance to belong?”

Too late, he understood that she hadn’t ever stopped needling at his weak points after all.

“Your friends expected us to threaten you to convince you to work for us,” the interrogator said. “Maybe even hurt you. They said it wouldn’t take much. But I’m not going to do that.”

“Why not?” he asked, thinking back to the stories the others had told of PERI interrogators in bloodstained rooms. He knew there had to be a catch, a sting he didn’t see coming. Still, he couldn’t help but hope she meant it, and that it really was that simple.

“Because I don’t think I have to,” she said. “We can give you what you want. There is no in-crowd here. We don’t play those games. PERI is an army of Enhanced and non-Enhanced working for a common cause. Here, everyone belongs.”

He laughed—or he tried. “Another amateur tactic,” he said. “But the others told me I would belong with them, too. And people play those games everywhere.”

“So you agree you didn’t belong with your friends.”

He didn’t answer.

“I work for PERI as an interrogator,” she said. “You’ve heard about PERI interrogators, I assume. All the stories are true. Everyone in PERI who knows me knows what I do in these rooms. Do you really think that makes me a likable person?”

Every answer felt like a trap, so he offered her only silence.

“Nevertheless, I’ve found a place here,” she said, as if he had answered her. Maybe he had, inside his mind. “I belong with PERI far more than you ever did with those friends of yours.”

“Of course they make you feel that way,” he said. “Because they can use you.”

“If that’s what you call working with others to use your strengths for a common purpose,” she said. “How different is that from what you did with your friends? Were they using you?”

Then she frowned slightly. “But you’re not really afraid of being used, are you? You’re afraid we would have no use for you.”

He shook his head. “I’ll never let you use me.”

“It’s better when it’s your choice, isn’t it?” she asked softly. “When you decide you don’t want us to have a place for you. But you’ve been afraid for a long time. Every time they met without you. Every time they stopped talking when you entered the room. You knew they kept you around because you were useful. Didn’t you wonder, deep down, what would happen when you stopped being useful?”

He hadn’t been thinking that. He hadn’t. His fingers curled around the sharp metal arms of the chair.

“Did they judge you for the strength of your power?” she asked, leaning in close like they were having an intimate conversation. “You don’t need to worry about that with us. Your friends described what you can do. Based on what they told us, I can guarantee you a place with us. If you commit to our cause. If you let us be your people.”

“I don’t want it,” he spat. But the little smile on her face didn’t budge.

He knew why. It was because the first part of what she had said was true, and they both knew it. He had wondered if they had judged him for the strength of his abilities, if that was just one more thing that stood between them.

As if that was something he could help.

“Not everyone has to be the strongest on the team,” she said. “What’s important is having a team. A team that knows how to work together, that doesn’t leave any of its members out. With PERI, I promise, no one will ever call your power weak again.”

He blinked, utterly thrown off for the first time since she had claimed his friends had sold him out.

They had said his power was weak?

But he had always been the strongest of them. Strong enough that they kept him around even when he wasn’t even sure they liked him that much. Strong enough to scare them.

She frowned, leaning closer, as if that would help hear his thoughts more clearly. Her eyes widened. A look of alarm grew on her face in slow motion as his thoughts whirled ahead at lightspeed.

He understood now.

The interrogator had told the truth. It hadn’t been a ploy to get him to cooperate. His friends had offered him up to PERI.

They had done it because they had known PERI would take him to the new facility. And they wouldn’t take special precautions, because they thought he was weak.

Of course they had stumbled on Mathias outside the new facility. There wasn’t a telepath on Earth who could get inside his lockbox of a mind. All PERI’s telepaths would have gotten from him was what he wanted them to hear.

Matthias had let them see him. He had led him back to the others on purpose.

And they hadn’t told Sean about the plan, because he couldn’t give away to a mind reader what he didn’t know.

The world jolted back to normal speed. Alarm blossomed into full-fledged fear on the interrogator’s face.

“This doesn’t change the fact that they sold you out.” Her voice wobbled. “They used you.”

“Then it’s a good thing you were wrong about me, and I’m more committed to the cause than I am to them,” he said.

She fumbled at her belt—reaching for a phone to call someone, or maybe a button that would trigger an alarm—

And the walls crumbled with an earsplitting groan.

The room rained down on him. Beyond the interrogation room, the facility fell to pieces. The smell of plaster and sawdust grew overwhelming. And finally, the smell of fear. The interrogator’s fear.

She screamed, once.

Then she disappeared under the rubble, and was silent.

He didn’t know how long he spent unconscious before his friends’ voices woke him. He ached all over. When he tried to move, sharp pains screamed at him from half a dozen places in his body. He didn’t know how badly he was hurt. He thought he probably didn’t want to know.

He usually fared better in the aftermath of his power than the people around him did. It was part of how his power worked. But that didn’t mean he emerged unscathed when he took a small piece of the world apart around him. And when it was a building as big as that one must have been…

He had thought he would survive. He had hoped. But hoping wasn’t the same as knowing.

If he had known he would survive it—or if he had been a little braver—he would have brought the place down as soon as he had woken up in that interrogation room. Maybe that was what his friends had expected him to do. If he had, the interrogator would never have had the chance to tell him what his friends had done.

But they had been right about his courage.

“Don’t try to move.” The voice belonged to Mathias. “We’ll get you out of here.”

He blinked until his eyes focused. Was that guilt he saw on Mathias’s face, or was that just his own wishful thinking?

Matthias must have seen in his eyes that he knew, because he flinched and looked away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “We argued about it. For hours. But in the end, it was too important. We had to destroy the facility. You were our best chance. And you would never have gotten in any other way.”

Sean noticed he didn’t say which side of the argument he had been on.

“We’ll take good care of you,” he said. “And… and you can leave if you want. When you’re better. We won’t stop you.”

He shook his head. The movement sent a sharp spike of pain through the center of his forehead. “I want to stay.”

He had told the interrogator the truth. It was about the cause for him. They had done what was necessary for the cause, and so had he.

Maybe that was true. Or maybe he could accept their decision because he had been useful today, and he didn’t want to know what would happen if he wasn’t useful anymore. Not to his friends. Not to anyone.

He wasn’t brave enough to figure out the truth. Instead, he closed his eyes and let himself sink back into unconsciousness.

He was glad the interrogator was buried under the rubble. Otherwise, he was sure she would be giving him that knowing little smile.

---

Tagged: @cakeinthevoid @gala1981

Ask to be added or removed from my Whumptober 2023 taglist.

#whumptober2023 #no.2 #“They don't care about you.”#oc #fic #interrogation whump #my writing #my writing: whumptober 2023 #my writing: Mind Games

26 notes · View notes

celinou · 7 months

Text

A Walk in Chiaroscuro - Chapter 38

Home.

HAPPY LIFE IS STRANGE WEEK!

I was so hoping to have something to post this week and I did it! I finished another chapter! I'm so happy. Enjoy the read.

Previously… Max woke up inside a new reality. Her memories caught up to the last six months she had missed since her last jump. Nathan had saved Rachel from the dark room. Mr. Jefferson had been arrested, trialed and found guilty. He is now held in prison for good. Nathan had also been arrested but, upon trial, was sentenced to spend the next two years in a mental health facility. Sean Prescott’s name was brought up during the trial but the man wasn’t investigated further. His reputation however took a nosedive. Same for the market value of his real estate project. In this new reality, Max never went to Blackwell Academy and instead went to Oregon State University. She gained a new roommate and continued being friends with Kate Marsh who is studying there as well. Kate is doing better than ever in her new life. Max lost her other friends. Upon coming to in this new reality, Max received a note slid under her door, saying a surprise was waiting for her outside. As soon as she arrived outside, she was jumped but Rachel Amber - in the flesh - accompanied by Chloe. The girls came to take Max back to Arcadia Bay to meet with Nathan. As it turned out, the boy will be authorized to go out of the hospital for the weekend. The girls quickly took the road back. On their way, they stopped at a gas station and discussed their new situation. Rachel was able to remember Max from her visit inside the ‘in-between’. Chloe, on the other hand, didn’t have any memories of previous timelines. However, Nathan, through Rachel, told them a lot about what happened for them to end up in this particular reality. Max learned that Rachel is now living with the Price family and asked for emancipation from her parents, her judgment is still pending. As a result of her moving in, Chloe and her step father are in better terms, same goes for her relationship with Joyce. Chloe is finally on the path to heal. They arrived at Arcadia Bay. Max asked to see the lighthouse. Standing over the cliff, she wanted to make sure the storm was a thing of the past for good. The certainty settled in her heart and she could finally shed all the tears she held for so long. Her fight was over. To celebrate, the girls went into town for cake. After that, the trio returned to Chloe’s place to spend the night.

#a walk in chiaroscuro #nathan prescott #caulscott #fanfiction #update

19 notes · View notes

river-of-wine · 10 months

Note

I would love to hear all about your Outlaw!Molly AU. 👀

I would love to tell you about it!

Saying up front that this whole thing is very self indulgent, but that’s the point!

Things play out as usual up to the Saint Denis bank robbery. Hosea and Lenny still die, John is still in prison, the guys are still in Guarma, and Molly still leaves camp. She brings anything she owns that is worth money (mostly her clothes and jewellery, since she doesn’t seem to have many possessions) and sells them wherever she can so she can have some money to support herself. Since Agent Milton knows her face (he would have seen her when he showed up at camp in chapter 3), she is quickly taken in by the law when she arrives in Saint Denis and is intensely interrogated. She refuses to tell them what she knows, but it is obvious given her close connection that she knows plenty about Dutch and the gang that she is not telling them. By the time they give up, Molly is completely mentally worn down and physically bruised, and for what? To protect Dutch van der Linde? The man who lured her into this life of crime and violence, who stole her from everything she knew, who used her and discarded her the second she started to irritate him?

Molly doesn’t know what to do with herself. She doesn’t feel safe in Saint Denis around so many lawmen and people who’s motivations she can’t be sure of, but she doesn’t know where else to go. Most of the country is a mystery to her, and she has nothing to defend herself with.

Well, she can change at least one of those things.

Using what she has left of her money, Molly buys herself some supplies. A revolver, a knife, some ammunition and enough food to keep herself alive for however long it will last. At this point, she is under the assumption that Dutch, Arthur and everybody else in Guarma will not return, wether they die or just never find a way back. She doesn’t think she will see him again.

After a LOT of trial and error (and almost all the ammunition she bought) Molly finds herself to be a pretty good shot. That’s not to say she’s a natural at it, she misses her fair share of stationary objects more times than she would care to say when she’s still getting used to things. She’s better with a knife, though, and when she gets over the fear and squeamishness (and the disgust over blood, which almost makes her sick the first time she kills something) she starts to hunt for herself. Eventually, she is doing rather well. She has meat to feed herself, pelts she can sell, and enough skill with weapons to defend herself. She moves daily, walking in whatever direction feels right or leads her away from any sounds that feel threatening. She finds herself back in Rhodes, that horrible town she heard about where Sean had died, and makes herself scarce after she sells some rabbit pelts and uses the money to buy some supplies and a gun belt, plus the hat I drew her with because it wouldn’t be Molly if she wasn’t still prioritising style.

Her routine becomes setting up a small camp wherever she’s ended up and staying there for however long she may, keeping herself occupied with her foraging, writing whatever poetry she can in the notebook she took when the inspiration finds her or general thoughts when the inspiration does not, and upsetting herself by seeing just how different she looks, living rough and sleeping rougher, in the reflection of her pocket mirror, the last thing she has from home.

Eventually though, the little camp Molly has set up for herself gets found. A man tries to rob her, thinking her an easy target. Molly just barely fights him off when she pulls out her revolver before he can grab his, shooting him in the leg, stealing his horse (a REALLY nice horse which she’s happy about) and leaving him there. She rides up near Annesburg, where she sells whatever pelts she had on her that she hadn’t already sold and trying to work out where exactly she is.

It is while she’s there that she sees Arthur returning from the mission that would’ve been That’s Murfree Country, and her certainty of Dutch’s death is thrown out the window. If Arthur made it, surely he must have, and she is hit with a feeling she cannot describe, but she imagines it is what Mrs Adler must feel about the O’Driscoll boys, because all her willpower to stay away from Dutch for the rest of her life is out the window and she is back on her horse.

From a distance, she follows Arthur back to their new camp. She dismounts her horse and hitches her nearby, hiding out in the treeline and observing what remains of the gang like she always had before. Dutch doesn’t leave his tent. If her absence has been noticed, he clearly doesn’t care.

When everybody has gone to sleep, Molly gets back on her horse and rides closer to Dutch’s tent. Somewhere easy for her to run to, which she will need to do soon enough. I won’t type out the whole ordeal and I’m sure you can tell where this is going, but Molly enters Dutch’s tent and - after some well earned taunting and monologuing - stabs him in the throat. With the amount she ends up stabbing him when she flies into the blind rage we all know she feels, she almost decapitates him. If the sounds he made didn’t wake the gang up, her setting fire to his tent does.

She rides away, but not before being seen by people. Most notably Micah, who is ready alongside everyone else still loyal to Dutch (Bill, Javier, Grimshaw) to go after her, and Karen and Mary-Beth, who are ready to do the same, just with a different end goal in mind. I haven’t worked out the details of what happens to the whole gang just yet, but Arthur and Sadie still rescue John from prison and Tilly still gets Jack out of there, just with Abigail alongside her this time.

Karen and Mary-Beth find Molly first. She has dismounted her horse and is in a pretty bad way emotionally, panicking and face drenched in Dutch’s blood. She’s never killed a human before, and she went about it in quite a brutal way. Mary-Beth tries to comfort her to some kind of success, relaxing her until she is stable enough to walk. The three find a place to hide, and Karen has questions for Molly after Mary-Beth falls asleep, because neither of them are able to.

They have a pretty serious talk about the danger Molly has put herself in. Truth be told, it was such a quick decision that Molly hadn’t considered what the rest of the gang would do to her once she killed Dutch. There’s no telling if others will join Micah (who’s motivations are up for debate) in his hunt for her once John is saved. Molly knows how to survive, but she doesn’t know how to live on the run aside from being pulled along wherever the gang goes. The gang itself is no more, leaving Karen and Mary-Beth with nowhere to go and no one to go to, and Molly desperately needs some people to help her out. Thus begins the start of Molly’s gang.

Molly decides once she has gotten over the impact of murdering Dutch that she wants to get back to Ireland. She can’t live like this forever in America and she doesn’t want to be there anymore. Getting back to Dublin becomes her goal. Steal enough money to get out of this country and stay back where she shouldn’t have left. Karen and Mary-Beth quite wisely don’t make the comparison of Dutch and Tahiti, both because Molly will definitely not want to hear that and this idea is actually feasible, given it’s just to support the travel and livelihood of one person. Just a nice note, she wants to become a poet when she moves back.

This is where I’m up to, but I have general ideas for later! Molly eventually gains more members to her gang, prioritising women in similar situations to her. Women that she sees men mistreating (she kills the men more often than not which raises her bounty high enough that she’s very thankful for her very fast horse) or women who are otherwise vulnerable. Maybe she finds another Irish immigrant woman who is in need of help, which would result in a very emotional conversation for both of them. But yeah! That’s what I have so far! Thank you for your interest!

#sorry if this isn’t the best written I am very tired today but ask about molly and you shall receive!#rdr2 #molly o'shea #outlaw molly #this started with jokes I made with a friend and now it’s a whole thing I have going

20 notes · View notes

21witnokidz · 1 year

Text

IN THE GHETTO

Chapter 22

Warning: Smut

“I’m ready to get outta this damn snow!” You complained.

“There’s a lot of things I can do dear girl, but changing the weather is not one of them” Dutch explained.

You could hear Abigail begging Arthur to go and look for John.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Micah killed him before he got back here” you half joked.

“You got a problem with me girl?” Micah threatened.

“Yea I do-“

“Well no one gives two shits about you bitchin’ and moanin’ about whatever it is you bitch and moan about behind my back”

“You watch your damn mouth!” Arthur growled.

“Woah there cowpoke. Just because you’re fucking her don’t mean you gotta get aggressive”

“The nerve of all three of you!” Hosea yelled. “One of our members are stuck out there and we need to bring them back. Y/n and Arthur you go with Javier to retrieve John. Micah sit down and leave everyone alone”

“Hey to be fair that bitch came at me first. If she never said anything we wouldn’t have a problem” Micah put his hands up.

You went to lung at him but Arthur held you back and dragged you outside with Javier behind.

“Some morning huh?” He chuckled.

“Exactly! It’s literally 7 in the morning! The day just started and he’s already starting shit”

“This way. Last I know, John was headed up the river” Javier lead.

You guys made it up a mountain and started calling for him.

Not long after you found John on a ledge.

“Little John” you greeted him.

“Look can you just make fun of me later so we can get the hell outta here?”

You and Javier helped John onto Arthur’s shoulder and walked to the horses.

From the corner of your eyes you could notice a pack of wolves coming down the mountain.

“I got it” you took out your shotgun and shot the wolves while the boys got John on a horse.

“Y’know John we ought a put a whistle on you for whenever you get lost from the gang” you joke.

“Or when you try to run away again” Arthur includes.

“Y’all will never let me live that down will you?”

“It was a dick move John”

“And I apologized for it. Besides didn’t you say you two would work on each other?” John referred to you and Arthur working on your relationship.

“Just go to sleep Marston”

Blackwater

“Josiah Trelawny” you greeted Trelwany who was laying on his stomach looking at the prison in front of him. A few of us were in blackwater now ready to get Sean back.

“Ike skelding’s boys are moving him to a camp nearby”

You all came up with a plan to just go to the camp and get Sean while Josiah makes a distraction.

“How’s the family Josiah?” Arthur asked.

“Not too bad. What about you? We’re around the same age yet you’re not even married”

“Well I guess there’s a time for everything”

Josiah went down to make his distraction while you, Arthur and Javier went up the mountain taking out the guards.

Finally you got to Sean Maguire. You cut him loose and untied his hands.

“Miss y/n. Still as pretty as a picture”

“Oh don’t let Molly hear you say that”

“But it’s true. Or are you just saying that because Charles is here and you don’t want to make him jealous” Sean was aware of your past relationship because the girls in the gang love to gossip “was it Charles or Arthur? I always get them mixed up”

“Sean there’s nothing that means more to me than this gang. It’s the realest thing to me. I would kill for it and I would happily die for it” Arthur put his hand on the young man’s shoulder “but I would’ve left you here to rot if Charles hadn’t stopped me”

“I don’t believe a word of that”

Then Sean just went on about how Arthur was a good man. Of course Arthur denied it. You hated how Arthur would talk to himself sometimes it really made you upset because of how much he meant to you.

“Alright you all go on back to camp. Me and y/n will catch up” Arthur sent them.

“Come on Arthur what are we doing harboring an O’Driscoll?” You demanded to know why Arthur had bring back an O’Driscoll boy named Kieran Duffy “and to put more salt in the wound, our newest girl hates O’Driscolls”

“Well that’s great maybe you and her can play pin the donkey with him”

“Pin the donkey?”

“Yea. Y’know cause he’s Irish and you can pin him with a knife- oh forget it”

“No Arthur it was just a bad pun. If you can even call it that”

“It wasn’t bad you just need everything to be explained to you”

Back at camp

Sean was finally back and everything was the same again. He was telling some stupid joke that didn’t even make sense but you didn’t care. Sean was naturally funny and that’s why you enjoyed having him around.

Everyone was having a good time and you saw Javier sitting at a table writing something.

“What’s that Javier?”

“Nothing!”

You looked and saw a quick glance of his paper. All the words were written in Spanish but you saw Tilly’s name a few times.

“Are you writing about Tilly”

“Hey” he looked around “let’s just keep this between us ok?”

“Oh my god you’re writing poetry? I never knew you were sweet on her”

“No one can know. It’s already embarrassing enough”

“Let me help you. I’ll go tell her to give you a chance right now”

“No!” He grabbed your arm “you can’t say anything especially to her. Promise me”

“Ok fine” you stuck your pinky out.

“I don’t get it what’s with the pinky?”

“You’re supposed to link yours with mine. To seal a promise”

“Must be an American thing” he shrugged and linked his pinky with yours.

“But I won’t forget about this. We’ll talk later”

You got up to look for Arthur. You haven’t seen him the whole night. You just found him in his cot writing in his journal as usual.

Before the Blackwater incident, Mary-Beth had suggested Arthur try journaling since he didn’t like talking about his problems he could just write them down.

“Arthur” you made your presence known.

“Hey I’m just finishing up” you looked to see him drawing a picture of a wolf. Identical to the one we saw on the mountain.

“I don’t know how you’re so good at this”

“Me neither. But it’s really calming” he closed his book and set it aside.

“You really think we could make it back to blackwater and get that money?”

“Hell no. But lord knows Dutch won’t dare forget about it. I just wish I could’ve saved a little some of it for the gang”

“It’s not just your fault we were all there”

“No I should’ve done something. I don’t know… nowadays I just kinda feel useless. You know how back in the day I used to be this gang’s most useful asset. Now I’m like a firefighter helping people get outta mess”

“It’s not like that. People just trust you is all”

“You even heard Josiah. I ain’t married yet. Do you think.. maybe we’ve been wasting our lives with this?” He said referring to the gang.

“No. I mean we’re all a family and we have each other. You don’t have to marry people to live your life. And that’s coming from a woman”

“There’s just this clock inside me that’s been ticking ever since. Like I need to discover something soon”

You stopped him and kissed him on the lips.

He looked at you in the eyes and you stared back.

He grabbed your jaw and kissed you this time.

“I could feel a clock ticking too. I’m done beating around the bush with you Arthur”

You slammed your lips on his again.

“Let’s go someplace else”

He led you into the forest away from the party.

You walked to a tree and leaned your back against it. Arthur stared at you like you were his meal and walked slowly towards you.

He grabbed your hips and pulled them to his and he began softly kissing your neck.

“I missed this. I missed you so much”

He pulled took off his jacket and laid it on the floor for you to lay on. He climbed on top of you and kissed you once again and grabbed your hand.

“I don’t want you to think about Charles” he whispered from the crook of your neck.

“What?”

“When I’m making love to you. I want you to forget how Charles ever did it”

“Me and Charles never had sex”he lifted his head to look at you “you’re the only man who’s ever touched me Arthur”

This made Arthur incredibly happy. He would literally be kept up at night thinking about the chance that Charles probably had you but he didn’t. “Me and Mary never did it either” he explained.

“I’m so glad”

You kissed him again and he pulled your dress up and you ran your fingers through his hair.

He unbuckled his belt and pulled down his pants just a bit to release his already growing member.

He aligned himself with you and you squeezed his hand. He pushed himself in and you both moaned at the same time.

“Oh Arthur I-“

Arthur couldn’t get his own words out neither. It’s been too long without each other.

Your body automatically knew how to respond to his. It’s like everything about him was engraved into your genetic code or something. His smell was everywhere. The noises he made filled your ears. The way he touched you sent shivers down your spine and all over.

He continued thrusting into your hot pussy and he finally was able to construct a conceivable phrase.

“I love you y/n. I really love you”

“I lov- I-“ you couldn’t even get it out before your orgasm came crashing down on you.

Arthur was not far behind.

You two were just laying there catching your breaths. He laid his forehead on yours and closed his eyes with his dick still deep inside of you. Cum spilling out of your pussy you didn’t care.

“Hey when was the last time you came before me?”

Your joke caused y’all to laugh and Arthur pulled you on top of him.

“Why are we such fools?” He whispered.

“We were just young”

“We’re you really in love with me back then?”

You took your head off his chest and looked at him.

“I loved you ever since that day we spent at the camp alone. I never stopped since then”

“I loved you ever since I saw you dance in that bar” you smacked his chest. “What I’m being honest”

“Let’s just stop fooling around and making ourselves miserable”

Arthur kissed your forehead again and began to sit up.

“I really don’t want the rest teasing us when we get back. Let’s hurry now”

#arthur morgan x reader #rdr2 x reader #red dead redemption x reader #arthur morgan #yeehaw

36 notes · View notes

agent-bash · 5 months

Note

What's your most outlandish theory for how they could write Hailey out?

So I'm not sure how outlandish this is, because it's actually something we've seen happen before in the Dick Wolf Entertainment Universe (20 years ago now on L&O: SVU, which just saying that makes me feel really fucking old, so enjoy that fact other fandom olds I guess), but Hailey going into WITSEC...preferably with Jay alongside her.

There are a few different ways they could play that, maybe with a new villain or by bringing back an older adversary, like Sean, again. Personally, I'd prefer the latter, but the likelihood of that is what may be a little outlandish.

But hey that's what you're after so we'll roll with it. Maybe Sean escapes from prison and goes after Hailey. I highly doubt he's any less obsessed with her after months of being ignored. And Jefferson White played him so well. He was truly creepy to watch, and it was great. It's why I say Sean over nearly anyone else.

It's dramatic and can be traumatic, and let's face it, the writers have really been digging into the trauma lately. But it can also have the benefit, if written correctly, of being 1) a storyline that can easily continue past Tracy's departure. and 2) a storyline we've not really seen before: Intelligence losing.

We've never seen Intelligence not get their man before. One way or another, they get caught. This is doubly true when it cost them a teammate. And IDK maybe it's wrong, but I'd actually like to see them lose.

Imagine the fallout of that. Especially if - unlike on SVU - no one knows that Hailey (and Jay) is alive and in WITSEC. And there are so many other potential layers, too, that they could add just to really drill home the effect that something like this could have on the team.

#asked and answered #Chicago PD speculation #Kind of #Hailey Upton #Tracy Spiridakos #my mind is spinning out with this idea now

8 notes · View notes

gxrlcinema · 2 years

Note

The intensity

Okay, okay. This feels distinctly like a Steve you’ve pissed off. But also a little scared?

Like maybe…

“Give it up, Grant. We’re stuck here.”

No, Steve thinks, continuing to slam his superhuman shoulder into the metal door. He can’t have endangered a civilian, endangered you. He’s supposed to be retired, damnit.

The room you’re trapped in is only large enough for a single cot, a prison toilet, and your two bodies. No windows, just solid cement all around and a drain in the center of the floor with dark stains that make Steve’s stomach turn.

And you, the volunteer director at the soup kitchen he’s been helping out at since he passed the shield on three years ago.

Steve hears your footsteps behind him, but resolutely continues to throw himself back at the door.

“C’mon, Sean,” you stand behind him, “you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

G-d, you don’t even know his real name and he’s gone and got you into this mess.

“Yes, Captain,” a grainy voice fills the room, a venomous and distinctly European accent grating on Steve’s sensitive ears, “we wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Steve finally turns from the door, so suddenly it makes you flinch. He ignores it for now, scanning the ceiling for cameras that could be recording you. He doesn’t see anything. His throat clogs.

“What do you want?” He asks, sharp.

“You and your companion will find out in due time.”

Fury heats him from the inside, a rage he hasn’t felt for quite some time.

“They don’t have anything to do with this. I’m the one you want.”

Steve resolutely ignores the confusion on your face.

“An insurance policy. I’m sure you can understand,” the voice is full of fake sympathy and Steve itches to snap something in half. “You are famous for putting others’ needs above your own. Perhaps we wish to test that, Captain America.”

The grainy audio cuts out, and Steve in the room with you and the recognition making its way across your face.

You stagger back from him until you’re sitting on the cell’s singular cot. A laugh leaves your throat and trembles in the air, high and panicked.

“You’re Steve Rogers,” you say.

Steve nods, unable to voice the apology that should come alongside his admission.

You swallow. “And that guy, is he HYDRA?”

Steve lets out a sigh that does nothing to relieve the tension in his chest. “Probably.”

Your panicked laugh returns, accompanied by a choked sob. “I’m gonna die here, aren’t I?”

Your hands are trembling, tears leaking from your eyes almost without your notice. You’re babbling under your breath, so low even Steve’s super hearing can’t make it out. Your breaths come in labored and erratic.

Steve rushes to the cot, crouching so that the two of you are at eye level.

“Hey, look at me.”

You shake your head, the trembling now taking over the rest of your body.

Steve’s hands go to your cheeks, pulling your head up until your eyes are on him.

“Y/n. Y/n, look at me.”

He gets your focus on him. Terror bleeds from every pore on your face. Only when your eyes meet his, does he speak again.

“You are not going to die here.”

His voice is low and commanding, an undercurrent of fear giving a slight tremor to it.

Your eyes go wide at the gravity of it. G-d, he’ll never forgive himself for putting that fear on your face. But you nod, clenching your fists by your sides in what Steve recognizes as attempt to still their trembling.

“I’m not going to die here,” you repeat to yourself, and then again, to make it stick.

Steve slumps to the floor, taking the momentary relief as your breathing evens out.

He looks at you on the cot, wide-eyed and trembling. A sharp contrast to the friendly, confident person he sees at the soup kitchen week to week.

I’m gonna get you out of here, he promises in his mind. And, if you don’t hate me after this, I’m gonna take you on a date.

#steve rogers angst #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x gn!reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n

88 notes · View notes

beerecordings · 1 year

Text

Wolf Bite - Part 25/25

"It's falling apart. It's all falling into pieces."

"Don't you dare break it, Marvin, I swear, I have spent hours on this cake."

"Well, you didn't make it moist enough, did you?"

"Don't say moist! No one likes the word moist!"

Chase and Marvin both gasp as the bottom of the cake almost gives out on them, but they break into a mix of laughter and yelling and manage to get it on top of the other layer. Chase wheezes out a breath of relief and turns to see JJ and Henrik both shaking their heads at them from the kitchen table.

"Cake-making should not be so hard," Henrik tells them.

"I'd like to see you try!"

JJ scrawls something on his pad of paper. Henrik leans over to read it. "He says it looks very nice. That is extremely generous of you, Jameson."

"Teach us to say it," Marvin insists, wiping his hands clean.

JJ signs to them as requested: "It looks very nice. The cake looks very nice."

"At least it smells very nice," Chase agrees, getting out the frosting. "Food doesn't have to look nice, you just have to enjoy eating it!"

"Don't worry," Marvin purrs. "Sean will go nuts for it."

"We better hurry, though, or we'll be late for our last class," Henrik reminds them.

Jameson watches them all move around, finishing the frosting, packing up the cake, and helping each other get ready to go. Henrik comes over to make sure he has everything he needs, bringing him his shoes without being asked. JJ signs "thank you" and Henrik signs "you're welcome" without hesitation.

He's been human again for a week. He does not regret shifting back.

"Let's go, gamers!" shouts Chase, and Marvin rolls his eyes so hard he might actually make himself dizzy.

By the time they reach Jackie's house, Anti is already sitting on his porch, waiting for them with his hands clasped and his eyes dark. He straightens as they approach, and JJ smells that uncertainty on him, that awkwardness: he doesn't know when his brother will lose the fear that one of these days, JJ is going to decide he hates him, but he'll do whatever he can to dispel it in the meantime. He leaps at Anti and pins him onto the porch, baring his teeth playfully.

"Oh, little terror," growls Anti, tackling him off the porch and into the grass. A minute later, Jackie's heaving them both up by their collars, clucking his tongue.

"We'll be late to Sean's. Come on!"

JJ's stained with grass and laughing. He intertwines his arm with his brother's and Anti's flushes, hiding their affection at the back of the group as they walk. Anti mumbles something about being glad to see him, even though they've seen each other every day since his release.

"How was your meeting with the corrections officer?"

Anti puffs. "He's not going to be nice to me, but I can play the game. It'll be a couple years of drug testing and supervision, but I'm not going to prison, so I'll do what I need to."

"I'm glad you'll be drug testing anyway," says JJ. "I never want to smell that stuff on you again."

Anti looks down at the ground. JJ presses his head into his shoulder and scents his wild, lightning smell, bright and blazing.

Jackie knocks on Sean's door as obnoxiously as possible, and Chase starts shouting his name over and over again, so by the time Sean opens the door, he looks about ready to make them run laps for today's rehabilitation session.

"Haha," he says sarcastically. "Oh, what's that?"

Marvin presents the cake proudly. "For you. Since it's me and Chase and Henrik's last official class."

Sean looks truly touched. "You shouldn't have done that! Oh! It smells like coffee! Come in, everybody. JJ, how are you?"

He wraps him in a hug and JJ hugs him back. It's only their second session together, but Sean's always like this: so genuine you wonder where he gets the energy to care that hard. He does the same with Anti, and Anti glares, but he's not going to push away the advocate who helped save him from prison.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grouches.

Sean cuts the cake for all of them to share, pulling out a laptop in the meantime as a substitute for a TV. "Okay! So for today's class, I still have to teach you some stuff. I am going to put on a bunch of scenes from media involving werewolves and we can all talk about what's wrong with it. Anything from anti-lycanthropic sentiment to bad CGI."

"Okay," laughs Jackie. "But hold on, we want to talk to you first."

"What's up?" Sean sits down at the table with his cake. "Oh, no, is something wrong? Is it your probation, Marv? Your supervisor did tell me I need to help you find a job or you could be in violation. Or is it custody, Chase?"

"No, I'm good," Chase promises. "As soon as I show the judge my certification at our next hearing, I'll be on equal footing with their mom again. My attorney thinks I'll be able to have our time split evenly soon."

"Oh, good," sighs Sean.

"Stop catastrophizing and listen," says Marvin, reaching out to grab his hand. "You're right, my probation officer told me I need to figure out a job."

"I can take you to an employment agency tomorrow. Or we'll call businesses together. What do you want to do for work? I - "

"Sean," Jackie scolds. "Stop."

"I figured out what job I want," says Marvin, and JJ smiles as he sits up and straightens. His smoke scent blooms with pride and mint. They've all been planning this for the whole week. "I'm going to work here, with you. I want to do what you do."

Sean's face lights up - and then his expression crashes, his scent souring. "Oh, Marv, that's such a good idea, but - I - I'm really sorry, man. I just don't have the funding to hire anybody new."

"Yes, we know," signs JJ, and Anti translates for him: "He says everybody knows you're broke, Sean."

"Actually, you're barely getting paid yourself," Henrik adds. "And you're putting your own money towards keeping this place running because your organization doesn't have enough funds either."

Sean looks pale in the sterile lights of his worn-out office. He rubs at his face for a second, eyes ringed in red.

"Hey," says Marvin, softer. "We said we were going to find a way to help you get some sleep, right?"

Sean scoffs. "Yeah. I guess."

"That's why we're going to make you some more money," says Chase, grinning shyly at him. "I posted a new video last weekend. I told my whole audience."

"What? Chase, that's amazing. I'll watch it tonight!"

"It was amazing," he agrees. "The response was really good. You know, my pals and I used to run charity streams, back when we were really famous. We might have a little bit less of a production team, now, and I'm definitely lost a lot of relevance, but I think we can still really raise some money, especially since they're already writing stupid articles about, you know, 'Famous Youtuber Bit In Werewolf Attack.'"

Sean blinks around at them. "What - you think anyone will actually give to a cause like this? People kind of see our mission as the anti-human sometimes, you know."

"That's stupid," Anti snarls, with unexpected vehemence. "Just anti-werewolf shit. Even I would tell everyone how much you help. If they actually don't want to get bit, they should want us to have good rehabilitators."

"Plus your victim advocacy," Jackie adds. "You help werewolves who have never hurt anyone way more than werewolves who have. I was a feral, abused seventeen-year-old kid when you helped me. To this day, I have no idea what anyone would have done with me if you hadn't saved me, Sean."

"I'll tell everyone you put me back on my fucking feet, too," Chase swears. "We all will. This place is important, Sean, and you need some help. So yeah, I think we're going to make you some money, and we'll send it all to this organization. You'll have enough to add a position for Marvin. Then you won't be alone any more."

"And we're sure," Henrik says. "Because my parents want to be your first new donor."

He reaches out with a check in his hand, and Sean stares at him for a long second before he takes it. JJ feels himself grinning like an idiot, and he covers his mouth, leaning against Anti's arm.

Sean's scent and his face both stay locked into this confused look for a long moment as he reads the check. He sets it down on the table and grips the seat of his chair for a moment like he might fall off it.

"Yay?" suggests Marvin weakly, and JJ sees that Sean's eyes are tearing up, and then so are Chase's and Marvin's.

Sean leans back in his chair and presses the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to breathe steady. In that moment, JJ wishes he could just smell what it smells like when he's truly happy, but the truth is, Sean just seems to have reached the end of some long road, and finally he's crumpled into bed to rest.

Maybe that's even better than happy, at least for now.

"Thank you so much," Sean manages finally, and it's all Jackie needs to fall on him with ferocity, hugging him so tightly he does end up halfway pulling him off the chair. Chase jumps on them next, and then Marvin notices that Henrik's trying to avoid being pulled into it, so of course he yanks Henrik close too and forces all five of them into a hug that's going to wind up on the floor, and that has them laughing again.

For his part, JJ looks at Anti. For a second, he feels something in his gut wrench. There's a discrepancy there, and he wishes there wasn't.

"What?" frowns Anti. "Hey, what's wrong?"

JJ shakes his head, biting his lip to stop it trembling.

"What? Hey, tell me."

"I just want you to heal here," he signs finally. "I just want you to be able to rest."

Anti tsks his tongue and reaches out to hold him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Don't cry, Jamie."

He pushes into his brother's arm, wiping at his face.

"Hey," Anti repeats, and then, with a certain desperation, "I will heal here. You and I both will. Okay? I will."

"You have to let it all go, Anti. Everything you're carrying. I just want to see you leave it in the past where it belongs. Leave her in the past."

Anti swallows. JJ squeezes his hand, looking up at him.

"You're sure this is where you want to heal?" Anti murmurs to him. "Aren't these wolves still just strangers to us?"

"No," says JJ, with so little hesitation he surprises himself. "This is pack."

Sean's on them a moment later, reaching down to hug them both, and Anti growls again. "You two are a part of this too," he says. "I mean it. This pack found a piece of itself when it got you back. Both of you."

It's warm right here in this place, pressed between the pair of them, and the whole office has stopped smelling like mildew, overwhelmed by their fond pack scents: summer air and lightning, chocolate and caramel, lemon and mint.

And, of course, a hot cup of coffee.

"So!" Marvin claps his hands together. "When do I get to start running this office?"

Sean hums, tapping his chin. "I don't know, Marvin. I have a lot of candidates to look through. I'll let you know if you got the job in a couple weeks."

"Excuse you! As soon as I'm hired I'm going to fire you!"

Jackie's cracking up so hard he's turning red. But he's not laughing at the jokes, JJ doesn't think. He's just laughing because they're all here, celebrating, and whatever comes next, whenever it comes, he will lead them all through it together.

That is the only promise Jameson needs.

It's late that night when Anti finds himself out on the balcony of Sean's apartment, watching the cars rushing by on the street below.

It's a warm night, a pretty night, with a quarter-moon on the rise. Everyone else is downstairs, still watching stupid movies. They'll be more comfortable without him.

He tilts back the last of a beer he stole from Sean's fridge, savoring the taste.

"Is that the best thing for a recovering opioid addict?"

Henrik slides open the door to the balcony and steps out in socks, pushing his glasses up his nose. Anti scowls and searches his scent, but, not for the first time, he finds the doctor's smell frustratingly collected.

"Can you call me a recovering addict after less than a month since my last dose?"

Henrik steps up beside him and takes a beer himself, twisting off the cap. He takes a swig of it and makes a face.

"Not to your liking?"

"I know I'm German, but I never developed the taste. My family doesn't drink and I had very few friends throughout my life before this. What about you? A social person before all this?"

"No," says Anti darkly.

He had one brother who loved him, and one dear friend beside him. She turned into his highschool sweetheart, and then his Alpha, and then -

No, he doesn't consider himself an extrovert.

"Why did you come up here?" Anti asks.

"To check on you."

"Why?"

"Why did you come up here?"

"Needed a break from all the sappy shit."

"Mmh," hums Henrik, drinking from his beer again. "Right. Couldn't be because you're still punishing yourself for all that you've done."

Anti grips the bottle of his beer, resisting the urge to throw it at the cars below. He'd love to break a fucking windshield right about now. Get a crowbar and go to work. He'd break Henrik's fucking skull in.

He rubs at his face, pushing his hair back. No, he wouldn't like to do that. What the hell is wrong with him?

"You're shaky," comments Henrik, less certain of himself, suddenly.

"Withdrawal," says Anti shortly.

If Henrik's disagrees, he doesn't say so.

"Why are you here, Schneep? Why would you check on me?"

Henrik nurses his beer for a long moment, staring out at the buildings and the moon rising behind them. "You smelled like fear," he says. "Sometimes, I can smell it on you from rooms away."

Henrik's shoved back against the brick of Sean's walls a half-second later, his beer crashing to the ground. Anti grips his shirt and pins him in place, staring at him, breathing puffing heavily from his lungs. Henrik grabs him back, holding his hands where they are.

They're locked together for one breath, two breaths, three breaths. Anti tries to breathe out. His chest shakes.

"You," he begins. "You - you - "

Henrik stares at him, steady as a heartbeat. His eyes flash. There's no anger. A moment passes, and then -

Henrik tilts his head, exposes his neck, and defers to him.

Anti releases him, stepping back.

Fuck, he shouldn't have done that. What's wrong with him?

"Anti," says Henrik, too quiet, too much like pity. "She is gone. I know there are psychological effects, but she is incarcerated, she will not touch you again, she will never - "

"You're all fucking stupid," Anti sneers, trying to catch his breath. "You think I'm scared of her? I'm scared of me! You should all be too, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh, for crying out loud," growls Henrik. "Is that what this is about? You're the idiot. Do you really think a single one of us would allow you to be here if we didn't believe you were in control of yourself?"

"I know what I'm capable of."

"No, I know what you're capable of," snarls Henrik, stepping right up into his face. "Because I was a defenseless pedestrian coming home from a twelve-hour shift when you tore me to the ground and put your teeth in me so deep I knew exactly which muscles were tearing. I writhed in my hospital bed with my own blood dripping out of me and staining my hands. I've had nightmares about you, panic attacks, compulsions to make me feel in control of my body. I know exactly what you're fucking capable of."

Anti feels empty of oxygen again. He think that, when he stops yelling, he's going to have to ask Henrik to help him figure out why he keeps losing his ability to breathe.

"And I am still letting you come here and sit with my packmates," Henrik finishes, voice slowing. His eyes slide shut for a second as he composes himself. "I know you, though you do not think I do. Jackie too. He comes across as naive to you, perhaps, but you will find, as time goes on, that he is much too sharp to allow anything dangerous near his pack. We have all discussed this, Anti, we all know exactly where we stand with you. So let me tell you now, as someone with every right to hate and fear you: I do not hate you. I do not fear you. And sometimes, when you are a werewolf, you trust the pack's intuition before you give in to your own."

Anti's eyes are burning, his breathing hurts. He is shaking now, properly.

"I can't do that," he croaks. "I can't do any of this."

"You're thinking about it too much," says Henrik, much more softly. "It's not so abstract. All we need to do is stay in the moment and deal with each new thing as it comes. Anti. Come downstairs and watch a movie. It will make JJ smile, and if you stop thinking so hard, you will realize that no one in that room has the slightest anxiety about you hurting them. Or haven't you noticed Chase trying to make friends with you for days now while you sulk?"

Anti shrugs, feeling listless and stuck.

"Anti," Henrik repeats. "Come have coffee cake."

One step at a time.

"What are you, anyway, a shrink?" he gripes.

"No," says Henrik. "But I do know how to get inside someone's head."

"Oh, haha, very fucking funny."

And he goes back downstairs, and it makes JJ smile, and he watches a movie on the couch.

Marvin knows that all three of his newbies have adapted to the sleep cycle of a wolf when the house is dead quiet at eleven in the morning, two days later.

Marvin rubs Chase's fuzzy back absent-mindedly, his heavy wolf breathing steady against his leg. Henrik's on his other side, flopped out on his back, dead to the world. He was up late making sure his dad got back on his flight to Germany okay, and he came home tearful but steady, somehow, talking about how things will be better with his parents now, he thinks, and how he's done living in the past.

Afterwards, he shifted back into a wolf for the first time since he was feral and fell asleep on Marvin's big round pack bed, moved into a spare room. Marvin's finally given up his own apartment. Doesn't need it anymore, not when Chase was so excited to have him move in here. Jackie will keep his house - no matter how much he loves being an Alpha, Jackie will always need his own space. Marvin laughs at the thought of him and Anti trying to work around each other in that little house. They'll figure it out over there, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have Anti here instead, pretty soon, because he softens every day.

Marvin extricates himself from the pair of wolves dozing in his bed, stretching and padding out into the quiet living room. It's tidy in here and Marvin and Henrik's decorations have joined in with Chase's to fill the room out, adding color and comfort. Light pours through the windows. Marvin flops down on the couch only to hear an inquisitive noise behind him, startling him for a second. JJ's scent is so entrenched in the smell of the home Marvin didn't notice him back there.

"Oh, why are you sleeping back there still?"

JJ slinks out from behind the bed and ducks into the bathroom for a minute, coming back out as a man, and fully dressed. Marvin rumbles and reaches out for him, and JJ crashes into his side sleepily. He signs at him and Marvin picks up on a couple of the words, trying to answer him as best he can. JJ doesn't seem to mind his fumbling. When Jackie asked him and Anti to teach them all sign, it lit something up in JJ that still seems to give him a glow of his own.

"You still comfiest behind the couch, huh? You can come stay in the pack bed if you want, or at least one of the spare beds."

JJ shrugs and shakes his head. Their boundaries are all a little different. Maybe someday he'll be comfortable being naked in front of them all when he shifts or sleeping in a pack bed, or maybe he won't. He's still theirs. Even when he starts his classes this fall and his hours change, he'll still be theirs. Marvin kisses the side of his head.

"Put on the video again," JJ signs. Marvin chuckles and turns on the TV. They open Youtube and Marvin gets up to make everybody breakfast, listening to the sounds of their video from the other room.

"What's up, guys, my name is Chase Brody and I am back again with another video - I know, they said it would never happen. I have to tell you guys I was so nervous last week after posting that, I really didn't know what everyone's reactions would be, if that would be the end of my career, you know, I really spiraled for a minute. And there have been a couple real assholes, I have to admit. But my fellow wolves out there and every human who was an old fan and has stuck with me through everything, or who just saw my face for the first time last week - thank you so fucking much. I don't know how to tell you how much it means to me to see that outpouring of love and support, and to know that maybe my openness and transformation has meant something to you too. So I've been crying my eyes out about it on my Twitter already, you probably saw. I don't know how much I'll be posting going forward, but I can tell you right now that for the first time in years, I feel like I have a real future ahead of me, and wherever I go next... I know I won't ever be alone. So if you're feeling like you've got nothing to live for, I just want you to know your people - your pack - they're out there, in the most unlikely, terrible circumstances, sometimes. You are never alone. So thank you again, and here's my next video as promised: just me and my pack, being stupid, playing games. Thanks for letting me record something, you fuckers. I love you, I'm so glad to have you."

Marvin whisks eggs and smiles as the video transitions into himself, Jackie, Chase, and Henrik shouting about Mario Kart together. When he comes into the room to give JJ his breakfast, he can see Jackie shoving Chase off the couch, trying to stop him from winning, and depositing him on top of a slightly grumpy black wolf lying beside all of them. On the TV screen, JJ is laughing and taking pointers from Marvin which are not helping him very much, steering Bowser Jr and signing between rounds, his words written across the bottom of the screen. Henrik pretends to angrily throw his remote after losing yet again and instead ends up spilling a drink everywhere: they all start cracking up and blaming each other, scrambling up to get paper towels and carpet cleaner.

It's just a ten minute video, and none of them introduce themselves to the camera. They would have played like that anyway.

There's no knock on the door as Jackie comes bursting into Chase's house in real time, Anti trailing beside him with his hands in his pockets and color back in his face again. He smells like rain and lightning, bright and dangerous, natural and untainted.

"Everybody up, everybody get your shoes on!" Jackie hollers. "We're going for a run, up, up!"

Marvin rolls his eyes at the scrambling noises upstairs, and Jackie comes over to give him a hug. "Aw," says Marvin, hugging him back. "What's that for?"

"Oh, nothing," says Jackie, scenting him lightly. "I'm just stealing your bacon."

"Hey!"

"Are we going or what?" Anti calls, and when JJ races over to him to jump at him, Anti just crouches to let him onto his back, hoisting him up and carrying him right out the door. "My little brother's antsy, let's get the hell out of here!"

Chase and Henrik come racing downstairs and Jackie wrangles them all towards the park. There's an old couple out for a walk who looks at them with shock and probably horror, a loud, large pack of wolves interrupting their pleasant human day, but who cares? They're allowed to live here. They're happy. They're not hurting anybody. What's even the point in worrying about it? What's the point in being angry?

Jackie waits for him to catch up, touching the small of his back for a moment. "You good?"

Marvin smiles at him, and then out at the pack. Chase and Henrik are practicing signs with Anti and JJ. Jameson signs something that makes them all smile, even, for a moment, Anti.

"I'm good," he says. "Beautiful day, huh? I hope the summer never ends."

"Nah," says Jackie. "We'd get sick of it. I like spring the best anyway. How all the new things grow out of the old. Come on, those four will leave us behind if we're not careful."

As Marvin follows his pack towards the forest, their scents all come washing over him in a rush. He takes in a deep breath, and then, in one soft exhale, he lets it all go.

#werewolf au #drug mention tw #YAYYY ALL DONE #dedicated to all my commenters!!!

20 notes · View notes

ncisfranchise-source · 5 months

Text

Olivia Swann is the first to acknowledge that NCIS: Sydney‘s Special Agent Michelle Mackey has been a bit “blunt” thus far — though the English actress’ preferred adjectives are “fiery,” “maverick” and direct.”

That early read on the merged NCIS/AFP teams’ leader may be about to change, however. Because the first international NCIS offshoot’s fourth episode, airing tonight at 8/7c on CBS, will shed some light on why Mackey is the way she is.

Thus far, as referenced in the premiere, we know that Mackey was a Marine Corps helicopter pilot who at some point faced a court martial for an unknown incident, but was found not guilty. (It was during that court martial process that she first met NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, back when he was a JAG.)

This week’s episode, titled “Ghosted,” will fill in some blanks on the aforementioned incident, after a U.S. petty officer’s body is found dead in Sydney’s historic and haunted Rocks area.

TVLine spoke with Swann about the imminent reveal, her commute to Australia, and what those time-traveling (and, sigh, cancelled) Legends of Tomorrow must be up to these days….

TVLINE | Mackey thus far has been taciturn, brusque…. What words are you comfortable with to describe her? I mean, I’d say fiery, if anything. She’s very strong, fierce, a maverick, very tough, blunt, direct.

TVLINE | But this Tuesday’s episode sheds some light on why that is? It sure does. This episode is definitely a turning point in the Mackie that we already know. It definitely adds another level and a layer to who she is.

TVLINE | Did you know the details of this dark part of her past going in? Was that part of what drew you to the role? I actually know quite a fair bit about her. And this was part of it. When I auditioned, usually you get a bit of a breakdown of the character, but with Mackey it was about 2-1/2 pages. So already I was like, “Well, this is fantastic! There’s so much to work with already.” And then once I got the role, I sat down with [showrunner] Morgan [O’Neil] and instantly was like, “Tell me even more, I want to know everything about this woman.”

TVLINE | Between last week’s episode — where she told Blue, “Take a breath” — and the reveals of week, do you think Mackey is becoming a warmer colleague to the rest of the team? Or at least someone that the viewers will to start to warm up to and better understand? I think so and I hope so. I know that she was the kind of character that when you first meet her, you can be quite taken aback by her directness and her bluntness, which I love — but I do understand how she can come across. But definitely, we are starting to see a Mackey who is warming up slightly and actually genuinely developing a genuine like for her fellow teammates, whether she’d admit that outright or not.

TVLINE | This week’s episode kicks off in the Rocks section of Sydney, which is apparently haunted in real life. What sort of “ghost stories” did you hear? I actually didn’t hear any ghost stories, which I’m glad about, because I scare easily. [Laughs] So, if someone had told me them before going, I would not have gone. I didn’t even know that it was really haunted while we were filming — so again, thrilled that I didn’t know that.

TVLINE | What has been the most interesting area of Sydney for you to visit so far? Oh, interesting…. At the beginning of Episode 2, where they find the body in the water [Cowan Creek in New South Wales], that was really awesome. But a lot of the crew told Sean [Sagar] and I that there were these things called “croc holes” where crocodiles live and will come out and attack you, so we spent a big portion of that shoot being terrified… before learning that they don’t exist.

TVLINE | Had you ever been to Australia before? Was this commute a consideration that you needed a moment with before you said yes? Absolutely not. I was like, “Can I go tomorrow?” I’ve never been to Sydney before, so when someone is like, “Hey, go to Sydney for five months and shoot a really cool series,” hell yeah I’m going. I never feel like attached to any one place, so I don’t really get homesick. I will happily uproot and go anywhere for work, and feel as home there as I do here in London.

TVLINE | Lastly: Are the Legends still in the time prison, you think…? Oh yeah. Come on, get us out! Astra’s probably there ruling somehow, she’s definitely got a team of minions doing her bidding. But does that mean Sara’s had a baby in prison…?

TVLINE | Oh, right. That’s sad. But a fun story to tell the kid when it grows up. You know, it is. [Laughs] We always had this envision of doing a cellblock tango number [if there was a Season 8], that’s what we pitched to everyone.

TVLINE | Were you sad that fans never got true resolution to the show? Yeah. I mean, we were all really sad because I think it would have been so fun just to at least go out on our own terms. But having said that, I mean, I might not be here promoting NCIS: Sydney if it had — so everything happens for a reason.

#ncis sydney #interview

4 notes · View notes