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kyleoreillylover · 21 days

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Chapter 7- Part 2- The Battle Before the War

Series Summary/Masterlist

warnings: wrestling related violence, manipulation, drinking.

Summary: You are close to cracking under the pressure, so your girls treat you to a night out. They learn just how much you were affected by the Bloodline... and they leave you conflicted about your place in the Bloodline. We also learn a little bit more about your relationship with Sami while you are trying to heal your own one with Jey. Kevin tries to stir things up, and leaves Sami also conflicted about his place in the Bloodline.

word count: 8,479

tagged: @southerngirl41 @venusesworld @jeysbae @reci1996 @tbonesteakwithasideofmashngrav @hope4more @selena-tyler-564 @saintaquarius @whatdoeseverybodywant @raya-hunter01 @empressdede @judgementdaysunshine @beeposts

a/n: guess who finally decied to update this!! I promise I haven't discontinued this lol. I just had writers block. hope ya'll enjoy this chapter!!

Over the next few days, the tension between the Bloodline was palpable. Roman's mistrust had cast a shadow over the group, creating an atmosphere thick with unease. The fallout from the incident on live television had repercussions that extended beyond personal relationships. The dynamics within the Bloodline were shifting, and everyone could feel it.

You and Jey didn't get into arguments, because you simply didn't talk to each other unless absolutely necessary. You wanted a man, not someone who would question your loyalty at every turn.

And Jey seemed to be keeping his distance as well, perhaps feeling guilty for his actions or simply trying to avoid further conflict, but also because when he did try to apologize, you would cut him off, unwilling to entertain excuses.

He lost to Sheamus due to interference tonight, and Roman and him had an argument that did not end well, and that made him even more unwilling to talk to you. The wounds were still fresh, and you needed time to heal.

Sami had lost against Kevin after Jey aired out your relaitonship issued on TV due to Jimmy, Jey, and Solo interfering right before he was about to win, courtesy of Roman's orders. He wanted to test the loyalty of the members, and unfortunately, Sami became a victim of that power play. The loss left a bitter taste, not just for Sami, but for the entire group.

Sami was rightfully angry, but he understood the complex dynamics at play within the Bloodline. Loyalty, power struggles, and the constant need to prove oneself were all part of the game. The internal strife within the Bloodline was becoming more evident with each passing day.

Trinity- one of your closest friends- visited to check on her husband Jimmy, but when she found the state you were in, she forced you to get out of your room to have a girls night with the rest of your friends.

As much as you wanted to wallow in the emotional turmoil, Trinity's insistence broke through the walls you had built around yourself. She brought you shopping with Liv and Mercedes, trying to distract you from the tension and drama. The four of you had mani-pedis, did your hair, makeup, and were now currently at a bar in the city, attempting to have a moment of reprieve from the chaos that had consumed the Bloodline.

"Girl, you look so fucking gorgeous tonight!" Liv gushed over your new look, giving you a playful nudge. You were wearing a stunning outfit that Trinity helped you pick out, your makeup impeccably done, and your hair styled to perfection. The girls had succeeded in creating a diversion from the heavy atmosphere that surrounded the Bloodline.

You gave Liv a smile, but it didn't quite reach your eyes. She noticed this and wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "You guys didn't have to go through all this trouble for me," you said, your voice filled with gratitude.

Liv squeezed your shoulder gently, her eyes filled with warmth and understanding. "Don't you dare apologize for needing a distraction, Y/N," Liv interrupted, her tone firm but gentle. "We're here because we love you, and we want to see you smile again."

"We miss seeing you happy," Mercedes chimed in, her voice soft but earnest. "You've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders for too long, Y/N. Tonight, let us carry it for you."

Your heart swelled with gratitude for your friends' unwavering support, even in the midst of your emotional turmoil. Despite your initial resistance, their persistence began to chip away at the walls you had erected around yourself. Trinity, sensing the heaviness lingering within you, leaned in closer, her expression filled with empathy.

"You are not allowed to be sad no more." Trinity declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Tonight, we're going to dance, laugh, and the only worry you'll have is what drink your'e gonna get next. Capiche?"

You couldn't help but chuckle at Trinity's determined attitude, feeling a flicker of amusement amidst the heaviness in your heart. "Yes, ma'am," you replied, a hint of playfulness in your voice.

And not worry you guys did. You didn't remember how many drinks you all had, but what you did know was that you were throwing back on Liv as the two of you danced on the crowded dance floor. The music thumped loudly, drowning out the worries and tensions that had gripped the Bloodline. In that moment, surrounded by the pulsating beats and colorful lights, you allowed yourself to let loose, to forget the troubles waiting outside the confines of the bar.

Liv twirled you around, both of you laughing as you moved in sync with the rhythm. You left your phone with Trinity and Mercedes, who were watching with amused grins from a nearby table as Liv threw her ass back on you, the two of you lost in the music.

What you didn't know was that your phone was innecstantly ringing with multiple missed calls from Jey. He had been trying to reach out to you, perhaps with the intention of apologizing or sorting things out. However, in the midst of the lively atmosphere and the distraction provided by your friends, you remained blissfully unaware of the attempts to contact you.

Actually, you had missed calls from all of the guys. You… might have snuck away from the hotel without telling anywone where you and Trinity had gone, with the exception of Solo (because Solo was Solo and responsible and reliable when it came to keeping secrets).

Mercedes, feeling a bit too drunk and empowered to get revenge for Jey embarrassing you on TV, grabbed your phone, scrolling through the notifications and messages. Trinity noticed the smirk on her face and leaned over to see what she was up to.

"Girl, you real messy." Trinity cackled at Mercedes' mischievous expression. "What are you planning?"

Mercedes chuckled, holding up your phone. "Just a little payback for our girl here." She showed her the messages from Jey that read

"Y/N, where are you? We need to talk. Please pick up." "I messed up, babe. Just let me explain. Where are you?" "Seriously, answer your damn phone. I need to fix this." "Y/N, come on. Don't do this. Let's talk. I miss you."

Trinity raised an eyebrow, looking at Mercedes with a smirk. "What you gon' do?"

Mercedes smirked back, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, just gonna a little something to keep him on his toes." She quickly typed a response:

"Sorry, wrong number. I'm having a great time without you. Maybe you should learn to trust me for once."

Before posting some pics on Instagram of the four of you having the time of your life, making sure to send the one with your friends looking stunning and happy, emphasizing the fact that you were not alone and clearly enjoying yourself, and making sure to 'accidentally' tag Jey.

Mercedes showed Trinity the response, and they both burst into laughter. "Damn, girl! That's cold, but he kinda deserves it.

Mercedes winked, enjoying the mischief. "He'll survive. Maybe this will teach him a lesson." The two of them clinked glasses, before drinking the night away, reveling in the freedom of the moment.

liked by themercedesvarnado, TrinityWWE, SoloSikoaWWE, uceyjucey and 500,000 others

tagged: yaonlylivonce, TheMercedesVarnado, TrinityWWE, samizaynwwe & uceyjucey

Y/N: your biggest flex <3 never forget that 😘

view all comments:

bloodlinelover: mother is mothering

y/nstan: ooh she mad mad 😭 she tagged his ass

↳user1: I would be too tf 😭 he prolly wishes he kept that mouth shut 😭

comment liked by y/n

Solosikoawwe: appliyng the pressure 🔥

↳y/n: learned from the best <3

↳user1: lmaoo I love her ignoring jey but talking to solo 😭

uceyjucey: my girl <3

↳y/n: not for long if you keep this up <3

↳y/nstan: OMG!?? lmaooo she not playin with you

↳user1: LMAOOO WHO TOOK Y/N'S PHONE THIS IS NOT HER LOL

comment liked by y/n

samizaynwwe: the princess for a reason 🖤

You came back with you and Liv wrapped in each other's arms, buzzed and full of laughter. The night had been a much-needed escape, and you felt a sense of relief and lightness that had been absent for days. As you approached the table where Trinity and Mercedes sat, you noticed their mischievous grins and exchanged curious glances.

"What are you two up to?" you asked, still swaying slightly to the rhythm of the music.

Trinity and Mercedes shared a glance before bursting into laughter. Mercedes handed you back your phone, and you saw the exchanged messages with Jey, along with the pictures showcasing the fun you were having.

"Oh my god, you guys!" you exclaimed, a mix of surprise and amusement on your face. "That's… that's something."

Trinity leaned in with a sly grin. "Consider it payback for the drama he put you through on TV. He needs to learn a lesson in trust."

You couldn't help but join in their laughter. It was a playful revenge, and for the moment, it felt satisfying to turn the tables, even if just a little. the tables, even if just a little. The night continued with more dancing, laughter, and the occasional cheeky glance at your phone to see if there were any more messages from Jey or the others.

As the hours passed, the drinks kept flowing, and the atmosphere became more carefree. You felt a little bit more than buzzed, which opened the conversation to more personal topics. Trinity, being the perceptive friend she was, looked at you with a knowing smile.

"Okay princess, only took a few drinks to finally get the old you." Trinity teased, nudging you playfully.

"What do you mean?" You asked, feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension at Trinity's knowing smile.

Trinity chuckled, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Oh, come on, Y/N. You know exactly what I mean. When's the last time we even talked without you being wrapped up in your own head or stressing over Bloodline drama?"

You couldn't help but chuckle at Trinity's blunt assessment. She had a way of cutting through the facade and getting straight to the point. "Fair point," you admitted, taking a sip of your drink. "I guess I've been a little… preoccupied lately."

Mercedes raised a brow, her expression thoughtful. "Preoccupied is an understatement, honey. You've been practically living and breathing the Bloodline drama. You barely even remembered how to relax and have fun until tonight."

Liv leaned against your shoulder, her voice gentle but firm. "Babe, she's right. We missed you, and you are just starting to come back to yourself again. We've all noticed how much you've been carrying on your shoulders lately. It's like you forgot how to be yourself outside of the Bloodline."

You sighed, feeling a pang of guilt wash over you. They were right, of course. The weight of the Bloodline had consumed your thoughts and emotions, leaving little room for anything else. "I know," you admitted, your voice tinged with regret. "I guess I just… I don't know how to balance it all anymore."

Trinity felt a pang of sympathy seeing you struggle with the weight of your responsibilities. She reached out, placing a comforting hand on your arm. She knew how Roman could be, how he had a way of consuming the lives of those around him with his ambitions and demands.

You saw all 3 of your friends exchange a look with each other, and you furrowed your brow, curious about the silent communication passing between them.

Mercedes took a deep breath, her gaze steady as she met your eyes. "Y/N, we love you, and we've always supported your career and your dreams. But… maybe it's time to start thinking about what you want for yourself, outside of the Bloodline."

Your eyes widened in surprise at Mercedes' words. It was a sentiment you had heard before, but coming from your closest friends, it held a different weight. "What do you mean?" you asked, your voice tinged with uncertainty.

Trinity nodded, her expression serious yet gentle. "Look, tonight was the first time in almost 2 years that you allowed yourself to let go and have fun without worrying about the Bloodline. And look at how happy you were," she pointed out, gesturing to your beaming smile. "You deserve to have more moments like this, Y/N. Moments where you can just be yourself, free from the weight of expectations and obligations."

Your eyes were slightly glassy as Trinity's words sank in, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions within you. For so long, you had been conditioned to prioritize the Bloodline above all else, to suppress your own desires and aspirations in service to Roman's ambitions. You didnt realize how you were acting: this depressed, closed-off version of yourself wasn't the real you. And it took the perspective of your friends to make you see it.

"I… I don't know how to do that," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. The idea of breaking away from the Bloodline, of pursuing your own happiness and fulfillment, felt simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying.

Liv wrapped an arm around your shoulder, offering you a reassuring squeeze. "It's just that, seeing you with this little spark in your eyes again, Y/N," she said, her voice soft and encouraging. "It's like… you've been hiding behind this facade for so long, and tonight, it feels like you're finally starting to break free from it." Ever since you started hanging out with Sami while you and Jey were on tough terms, is what Liv wanted to say, but she refrained from bringing up Sami's name, sensing that it might complicate the conversation.

Trinity nodded in agreement, her expression filled with determination. "We're not saying you have to leave the Bloodline, Y/N. We just want you to remember who you are outside of it. You deserve to pursue your own happiness, whatever that may look like."

Mercedes slid you a fruity drink that she knew would help you relax, offering you a comforting smile. "And it starts with this. Drink up, babe. Tonight, we celebrate you. Tomorrow, we start figuring out what comes next."

You took the drink from Mercedes, feeling a mix of gratitude and apprehension swirling within you. It was a daunting prospect, to consider carving out a life for yourself outside of the Bloodline. But as you looked around at your friends, their unwavering support shining in their eyes, you felt a flicker of hope stirring within you.

"Okay," you said, a tentative smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "Okay, let's do this."

And with that, you raised your glass in a silent toast to the future, to the possibility of rediscovering yourself and finding happiness beyond the confines of the Bloodline. As the music pulsed around you and laughter filled the air, you allowed yourself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a brighter path waiting for you on the other side.

Could you really see a path without Roman, or better yet, without Jey? (Or Sami, for that matter?)

"So, spill the tea, Y/N. What's going on between you and Jey? And don't give me the 'it's complicated' nonsense. I want details." Trinity asked after the four of you were considerably drunk, and lounging in the celebrity area of the bar, gossiping about your lives.

Liv had started a farm with her boyfriend, Mercedes was going to Stardom and walking fashion shows, and Trinity was killing it in Impact and telling hot stories from Impact's locker room. Unbeknownst to you, your phone kept going off with calls and messages, but Mercedes made sure to turn it off and make you promise to keep it locked in your pocked for the rest of the night.

You sighed, feeling a mix of emotions. The alcohol had certainly loosened your inhibitions, and you decided to share a bit of the turmoil you'd been experiencing.

"It's just… he's been jealous of Sami ever since he's tried to join the Bloodline. And I honestly don't even know why he's jealous. It's not like there's anything between Sami and me. Jey's just letting Roman's expectations mess with his head, and it's affecting us. I can't deal with the constant questioning and doubt." You poured another round of drinks for the table, needing the liquid courage to open up further.

Mercedes sipped her drinking, deciding whether or not to ask you her question. You saw the look on her face and raised an eyebrow, prompting her to go ahead.

"You and Sami do have some history, though, right?" Mercedes asked, her tone careful. "I mean, there's gotta be a reason Jey's so worked up about it."

You nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, we do have history. We were close friends before he even joined WWE. But it's just that – history. Sami and I have always been just friends. And yeah sure, Sami did kiss me-"

"Huh?"

"Girl!?"

"What?!"

You sighed as all three women reacted to your revelation, their expressions a mix of shock and curiosity. The music continued to pulse in the background, creating a surreal backdrop to the unfolding conversation.

Liv was the first to respond, her eyes wide. "Wait, Sami kissed you? And you're wondering why Jey is so worked up?"

You nodded, feeling a bit exposed but also relieved to finally share this part of your past with your friends. "I know, I know! But hear me out…"

"This better be good," Trinity chimed in, her eyes focused on you as she took a sip of her drink.

You took another deep breath before continuing. "It happened a while ago. Sami was going through a tough time, and in a moment of vulnerability, he kissed me. I immediately made it clear that we were just friends, and nothing more ever happened between us. Jey knows about it, and he knows it wasn't something I reciprocated. But for some reason, he can't seem to let it go."

Mercedes leaned back, processing the information. "And did Sami ever apologize for that? Or clarify things with Jey?"

You sighed, a mix of frustration and understanding in your voice. "Yeah, he did. Sami apologized to both of us, and he made it clear that it was a mistake on his part. But Jey… I don't know. It's like he's holding onto it as this big betrayal, and it's driving a wedge between us."

Trinity shook her head, a disapproving look on her face. "That's on Jey, then. If Sami owned up to his mistake and you've made it clear where you stand, Jey needs to get over it. It's not fair to keep bringing it up and using it against you."

Liv, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up. "I get where Jey is coming from, but if he's still bitching about something that happened in the past, especially when both you and Sami have clarified it, then it's a problem. He needs to move past it and open up about it and stop holding onto resentment or you need to boot his ass to the curb. You don't deserve to be constantly questioned and doubted, especially if you've been honest and upfront about everything."

You appreciated the support from your friends. The alcohol, the dancing, and the candid conversation were all contributing to a sense of liberation. You felt a weight lifting off your shoulders, and for the first time in days, you could see a way forward.

"You guys are right," you admitted, a determined glint in your eyes.

"We are always right." Mercedes added with a playful smirk, and the four of you burst into laughter again.

"But… do you have feelings for Sami?" Trinity asked, her expression serious as she looked into your eyes.

You hesitated for a moment, contemplating your feelings. The atmosphere in the bar, the support from your friends, and the alcohol-induced courage encouraged you to be honest.

"I… no." You couldn't lie to yourself, and the honesty spilled out. "We used to be close. But we realized we're better off as friends. I care about him a lot, but I don't have romantic feelings for him anymore. Jey knows this, or at least he should." Even through the alcohol induced haze, you knew better than to reveal such personal details without some level of caution. There were things about your relationship with Sami that no one would know, and you weren't ready to share those intricacies.

Trinity nodded, seeming satisfied with your response. "Well, as long as you're clear about your feelings, and you've communicated that to Jey, he needs to respect it. If he can't trust you and let go of the past, then it's his loss."

Mercedes squeezed your hand, her touch conveying solidarity. "Exactly. You deserve someone who trusts and respects you. If Jey can't provide that, then maybe Sami is right, and he doesn't fully understand what he has."

You took a swing of is right, and your drink, appreciating the wisdom and support from your friends. The night had turned into more than just a distraction; it became a catalyst for clarity and self-realization.

"Thanks, guys," you said, your voice sincere. "I needed this. I needed to step back and see things more clearly. And you're right. If Jey can't trust me and keeps holding onto the past, then maybe it's time for a serious conversation or a decision."

Liv grinned, giving you a playful nudge. "That's the spirit! You're a badass, and you deserve someone who sees that and appreciates it."

Trinity raised her glass, a smile on her lips. "To badass women who know their worth and aren't afraid to demand the respect they deserve."

The four of you clinked your glasses together, the sound echoing in the bustling bar. In that moment, surrounded by the support and love of your friends, you felt empowered and ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Unbenwonst to you you accidentally dialed Sami's umber while fumbling with your phone. The loud music and the lively atmosphere of the bar made it difficult to notice the call connecting. As your friends continued to share laughs and words of encouragement, your phone rested on the table, unknowingly broadcasting the sounds of the bar to Sami.

On the other end of the line, Sami's phone rested on a table in his hotel room. He had been going through a mental replay of the match against Kevin and the events leading up to it. The tension within the Bloodline was palpable, and Sami couldn't shake the frustration of being used as a pawn in Roman's power play.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar sounds of a bustling bar, laughter, and clinking glasses. Confused, he picked up his phone, noticing the ongoing call with you. He brought the device closer, listening intently.

At first, he wasn't sure what he was hearing, but as the background noise became clearer, he realized he was unintentionally eavesdropping on your conversation with your friends. Sami's curiosity got the better of him, and he hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue listening.

"You and Sami are real close… huh?" Liv's teasing voice echoed through the phone, and Sami's eyebrows furrowed as he focused on the conversation.

You let out an airy giggle, taking another shot and letting the alcohol fuel your candidness. "Yeah, we were." Sami heard something shift before he heard Liv's voice again. "No offense but the two of ya'll seemed perfect for each other. What happened?"

Sami's heart skipped a beat, his mind racing as he continued to eavesdrop unintentionally. The revelation about your history with him was unexpected, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

You sighed, the alcohol loosening your tongue. "You promise not to tell anyone? Not even Trin or Cedes?" It seemed like Trinity and Mercedes weren't aware of the details you were about to share, and Sami's curiosity intensified.

"Cross my heart," Liv assured, her tone serious.

You took a deep breath, the honesty pouring out. "We dated. It was way before I even met Jey. Everyone kept telling us we had chemistry and that we should give it a shot. He confessed after I won the ROH title, I gave him a shot, and one thing led to another."

"And then what happened, girl?!?"

A pause. And then you continued.

"Then in the morning, we started dating. We took it slow, and everything was fine. But then Kevin got in his head when they were feuding. Told him that he needed to focus on his career and that being with me was a distraction. Sami started questioning what we had, and got insecure about it. I tried to assure him, but he started pulling away. Eventually, we both realized it wasn't working, and I broke it off with him." It seemed like there was more you wanted to say, but you bit your lip and refrained from spilling even more.

You took a sip of your drink, and there was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Sami's mind was racing, processing the unexpected revelation. The raw honesty in your voice sent a wave of emotions through him, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the way things had unfolded between you two, but grateful that you hadn't revealed the full truth.

"But then we kept having the same chemistry, and he would look at me like he couldn't resist me, and I couldn't resist him either. It became this on-again, off-again thing for a while, and it was messing with my head. I cared about him a lot, but it was so damn complicated. But we stayed best friends, and then I left him behind for the Bloodline… and now Jey has this insecurity about Sami because of Roman's expectations," you continued, your voice carrying the weight of the past.

On the other end of the line, Sami's mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Guilt, regret, and a tinge of sadness gripped him as he listened to your candid confession. The history you shared with him suddenly unfolded in a way he hadn't fully understood before.

"And now, Jey can't seem to let go of the fact that Sami kissed me once. Even though we've moved past that, he keeps bringing it up!" Your voice broke out into a cry, and he imagined that Liv was giving you comforting words, trying to soothe the emotional turmoil you were experiencing.

"Shh, it's okay," Liv's voice came through the phone, offering comfort.

"I… I loved him, Liv." He heard Liv whispering words of support and understanding. "But he left me!"

"And now you need to focus on you, on what makes you happy, and on what you deserve," Liv replied, her voice filled with conviction. "You're a strong, independent woman, Y/N, and you don't need anyone who doesn't see your worth."

He heard your sniffles and the distant sounds of the bar, realizing that he was intruding on an intimate and vulnerable moment." Let's get back to the table, enjoy the night, and deal with all of this tomorrow when we're not drowning in alcohol and emotions, okay babe?"

As Liv led you back to the table, the background noise shifted, and Sami could hear the muffled voices of Trinity and Mercedes. The conversation continued, but he made a conscious decision to end the unintentional eavesdropping. Sami hesitated for a moment, then pressed the button to end the call, setting his phone down on the table.

Did you really love Sami once upon a time? A part of Sami felt a mix of emotions—surprise, regret, and a sense of longing. The raw honesty in your voice had stirred something within him, and he found himself grappling with the realization that your history ran deeper than he had initially understood.

He looked at his phone, where Jey was messaging him.

"Sami, I know yo dumbass knows where she is. Tell me."

Sami's eyes narrowed as he read Jey's messages. The tension within the Bloodline seemed to be reaching new heights, and he found himself caught in the middle of it all. Sami debated how to respond, considering the newfound insights he unintentionally gained into your past with him.

He hesitated before sending the message, aware that his words might not sit well with Jey. Sami couldn't shake the sense of responsibility he felt toward you, knowing that you deserved better than the constant questioning and doubts. Yet, he also understood the complex dynamics within the Bloodline and the potential repercussions of taking sides.

What did he want to do? He wanted to be the guy for you. The guy that understood you, supported you, and cherished you. He wanted to hold your hand through the turmoil, be the one you turned to in moments of vulnerability, and prove that he could be the pillar of support you needed. But he fucked up, and he needed to face the consequences. He wasn't glad you didn't tell Liv the full extent of your history with him.

Taking a deep breath, Sami typed a response to Jey.

"I don't know where she is, Jey. Maybe you should give her some space. It's not my place to meddle in your relationship.You're the one who said I need to stay out of your business, so that's what I am gonna do.Good luck finding her."

The tension within the Bloodline had reached a boiling point, and Sami couldn't ignore the weight of the decisions and revelations that had unfolded. His mind was a swirl of conflicting emotions – regret, guilt, longing, and a sense of responsibility for how this all went down.

Then he shut off his phone, and prayed that he could get over you. Sami needed to talk to you, to clarify his own feelings and perhaps offer support if you were ready to accept it, but it wouldn't be tonight.

Then he went to sleep, and hoped that he made the right decision.

You were wobbling on your heels of your shoes as you walked back into the hotel lobby. The four of you had gotten an uber, and they said bye to you with hugs, kisses and smiles, heading their separate ways for the night. The vibrant energy of the bar and the support of your friends had provided a temporary escape, but now reality was seeping back in.

As you entered the hotel elevator, and went up to your floor, you couldn't shake off the mix of emotions swirling within you. The alcohol-induced courage that allowed you to open up to your friends about your relationship struggles was now replaced with a sense of vulnerability.

The elevator doors opened, and you stumbled slightly as you made your way down the hallway to your room. The weight of the revelations and the emotional rollercoaster of the night began to take its toll.

You fumbled with the key card, but it beeped, indicating that it wans't working. You huffed as you tried again and again, but it wouldn't budge.

It wasn't until the 5th time you tried that the door swung open, and you almost fell had it not been for the arms that caught you just in time. A familiar voice spoke, filled with concern.

"Y/N, what are you doing? Easy there," Sami's voice was a steady presence, and his arms wrapped around you to steady you. The scent of his cologne and the warmth of his embrace felt both comforting and disorienting.

You looked up, your eyes meeting Sami's. The dim light in the hallway highlighted the worry etched on his face. His arms steadied you as you regained your balance.

"S-Sami?" you stammered, surprised by his sudden appearance. Your vision was a bit blurry, and the alcohol had made you more unsteady on your feet than you realized.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied, guiding you into the room and closing the door behind you. The dim lighting in the hotel room revealed the aftermath of your earlier emotional journey – makeup smuged, and your hair was slightly tousled from the night's activities. Sami led you to the bed, helping you sit down.

"Are you okay?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

"Is this not my room?" you mumbled, still a bit disoriented.

Sami chuckled softly, his fingers gently brushing strands of hair away from your face. "No, it's not. The constant beeping in my room woke me up, and when I opened the door, I found you struggling with your key card."

You let out a small giggle, the alcohol still affecting your senses. "Oops. My bad."

Sami shook his head at your antics, a fond smile playing on his lips. You looked at him and could see the tiredness on his face, and your expression changed from giggly to serious in less than a second. "I-Im sorry that I woke you up!" Tears formed in your eyes as you felt a rush of emotions. The events of the night, the revelations, and the emotional rollercoaster had left you feeling vulnerable and raw.

Sami's heart dropped as he watched you cry, his concern deepening. He knelt down in front of you, his hand gently cupping your cheek.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't cry." He said softly, his voice filled with reassurance. He wiped away a tear with his thumb, his touch gentle against your skin. The vulnerability in your eyes tugged at something within him, a mix of regret and the desire to offer comfort.

"I'm not mad that you woke me up. Are you okay?" Sami asked, his tone soft and caring.

You nodded, sniffing and wiping away more tears. "I just... it's been a lot tonight, you know? The girls and the drinks and... everything." The emotions that you had kept at bay for most of the night now threatened to overwhelm you. "Did Jey ask you where I was?"

Sami nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah, he did. He's worried about you."

You sighed, looking down at your hands. "I was just hanging with the girls, and-" You hiccuped- "To forget that me and Jey were fighting." Your eyes went teary again, and Sami's heart sank as he listened to your words. "But I just feel worse."

You peered up at him, and the tension between the two of you was palpable. Sami could sense the emotional turmoil within you, and a part of him longed to be the one to ease that pain. "Why does everyone keep questioning me? Why can't they just trust me?" you whispered, the vulnerability in your voice tearing at Sami's heart.

Sami sighed, his thumb gently tracing circles on your cheek. "People make mistakes, Y/N. Sometimes, they let their insecurities and doubts cloud their judgment. It's not a reflection of you. You're strong, and you deserve trust and respect."

You leaned into his touch, appreciating the comfort he offered. The emotional exhaustion of the night was catching up with you, and Sami's presence provided a sense of solace.

You started giggling, which made Sami smile in response. "What's so funny?" he asked, genuinely curious.

You wiped away another tear, chuckling softly. "Y'know, Liv asked me why Jey is so jealous of you, and I told her that *hiccup* we used to be real close, if you know what I mean." You looked at Sami with a tipsy grin, your words slightly slurred.

Sami's eyes widened slightly, surprised by your confession. The tipsy honesty in your words sent a shiver down Sami's spine. He wasn't prepared for this revelation, and the complexity of your history together suddenly became more apparent. He wondered how much Liv knew, how much she understood about the dynamics between you and him.

He remained silent, allowing you to continue. "And she told me that we seemed perfect for each other. And I started thinking, maybe we were. But then... Kevin got in your head, and you started questioning everything." You sighed, the alcohol making the words spill out more freely than you had intended.

Sami's expression shifted, a mix of regret and understanding. "I messed up, Y/N. I let the pressure get to me, and I let Kevin's words affect us. I should have trusted you."

You looked at him, your gaze sincere. "But you will always listen to Kevin, won't you? You'll always try not to hurt the people you care about, even if it means hurting yourself," you said, the alcohol making your words a bit more candid.

Sami sighed, his eyes meeting yours. "I made a mistake, and I let it affect our friendship. But that doesn't mean I'll always choose loyalty over the people I care about." He placed his hand on your shoulder, his touch gentle yet firm. "Loyalty means nothing when you 're hurting the ones you love. I've learned that the hard way."

You nodded, a mix of emotions swirling within you. You looked at Sami, your eyes searching his for sincerity. The vulnerability in Sami's eyes mirrored your own, and for a moment, the weight of the past seemed to hang between you two.

Unlike Jey, he made his loyalty clear, but not at the expense of hurting those he cared about. The stark contrast made you realize the complexities of the relationships within the Bloodline. Sami's admission struck a chord, and you could see the genuine remorse in his eyes.

"I told her about us, Sami. About everything. And how Jey is so hung up on that one kiss, and it's like... it's like it's haunting us. Like it's this dark cloud that won't go away," you confessed, your voice trembling.

You tugged on your dress strap, making sure it was still in place. Sami watched as you adjusted your dress, his eyes never leaving yours. The weight of your words lingered in the air, and Sami could sense the depth of the emotions you were experiencing. He remained silent, absorbing your confession and trying to find the right words to respond.

"I just don't know how to fix things anymore," you continued, your voice filled with a mix of frustration and sadness. The vulnerability in your eyes resonated with Sami, and he felt a strong desire to provide comfort and support.

Sami took a deep breath, his gaze unwavering. You felt your skin prickle with the intensity of his stare. "Start by talking to him. C'mon, I'll take you to your room, and tomorrow you can have an honest conversation with Jey. Lay everything out on the table, Y/N. The misunderstandings, the insecurities, the mistakes. If you both care about each other, you owe it to yourselves to try and find a way through this."

Sami's words were sincere, and you could sense the genuine concern in his eyes. Despite the complexities of your history, there was an underlying friendship that neither of you could deny. His advice resonated with you, and a sense of determination flickered within.

You nodded, wiping away the last of your tears. Sami extended a hand to you, offering support. You hesitated for a moment before taking his hand, and he helped you stand up.

The room swayed a bit, but Sami's steadying presence anchored you. He let you lean on him as he led you towards the door. The hallway lights blurred as you walked, and Sami kept a protective arm around you.

"Thanks, Sami," you said, your voice a bit more composed. "I appreciate your honesty and, well, being here."

Sami smiled warmly, his hand still on your shoulder. "Anytime, Y/N. Friends help each other through tough times." The word friend made his heart hurt, but he pushed aside his own feelings, focusing on being there for you in this moment of vulnerability.

As you reached your room, Sami stopped and faced you. "You got this, okay? Tomorrow is a new day, and you can work things out. Just be honest and true to yourself. He's a hothead, but he cares about you. Sometimes, he just needs things spelled out clearly."

He also knew Roman would have his head if you and Jey didn't work things out. He assigned his 'Honorary Uce' to look out for you, and Sami took that responsibility seriously.

You nodded, a small smile playing on your lips. "Thanks, Sami. I'll do my best."

Sami returned the smile, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "That's the spirit. Take care, okay?"

You smiled up at him, like the stars in the night sky were in his orbs, a mix of emotions twinkling in your eyes. The tension between you was as prominent as ever, and you could practically taste the anticipation in the air.

Sami was staring down at you, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than usual. The unspoken words hung between you two, a silent acknowledgment of the shared history and the emotions that had surfaced during this unexpected encounter.

"You're a really good friend, you know that?'" You smiled at him, the lingering words between you and Sami hanging in the air. The atmosphere shifted, and there was a palpable tension.

The alcohol made you way more honest, but you were aware that you should snap out of whatever was building between you and Sami. You needed to focus on resolving things with Jey, not getting entangled in another emotional web. Sami's eyes softened as he looked at you, a mixture of emotions playing on his face.

Sami cleared his throat, his expression becoming more guarded. "I try my best," he replied, his voice a bit quieter.

You gave him a small nod, still feeling the weight of the emotional exchange. "Well, goodnight, Sami. And thanks again," you said, stepping into your room.

"Goodnight, Y/N. Take care," Sami replied, offering a final reassuring smile before turning away and heading back to his room.

As you closed the door behind you, the events of the night swirled in your mind. The encounter with Sami added an unexpected layer to the already complex emotions you were dealing with. You took a deep breath, reminding yourself of Sami's advice to have an honest conversation with Jey. The challenges ahead seemed daunting, but with newfound determination, you were ready to face them.

Wargames was tomorrow, but you had never felt less prepared for the battles both inside and outside the ring. The emotional turmoil had taken a toll on you, and as you changed into more comfortable clothes, you couldn't help but replay the night's events in your mind.

Unbeknownst to you, Sami had run into Kevin in the hotel hallway as he made his way back to his room. He internally rolled his eyes at the sight of Kevin, a reminder of the tangled web of emotions and conflicts that had affected your relationship with Jey. Kevin, sensing Sami's presence, turned to face him with a sympathetic look on his face, as if he wasn't gonna go to war with him tomorrow.

"Rough night?" Kevin asked, swiping his card to get a late-night snack from the vending machine.

Sami glared at Kevin, his guard immediately up. "You're one to talk."

Kevin chuckled, paying for his snack and turning to face Sami. "Look Sami, I don't know what Roman told you to get you this brainwashed as his 'Honorary Uce,' but you're treading on thin ice. Y/N deserves better, and you know it."

Sami's jaw clenched at Kevin's words, a surge of frustration bubbling within him. The history and tensions between Kevin and himself were as intricate as the web of emotions surrounding your relationships with Jey and Sami.

"Stay out of it, Kevin. You don't know anything," Sami retorted, his tone sharp.

Kevin raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Oh, I know more than you think. And I know I might have hurt you in the past-"

"Might have?' Kevin rolled his eyes at Sami, continuing. "Okay, I did. But I have never treated you like a second class citizen, Sami. Remember that when Roman has you picking up his dry cleaning," Kevin said, his tone a mixture of mockery and seriousness.

Sami's fists clenched at his sides, his frustration with Kevin palpable. He took a step closer, the tension between them escalating. "They are a family to each other, Kevin. Something you wouldn't understand. And I'm not doing this for Roman. I'm doing it for her, for Y/N-" Sami realized he said too much, his words hanging in the air. Kevin's eyes narrowed, processing Sami's slip of the tongue.

"And what do you think Roman is gonna do when he finds out how to use her against you? When he realizes you've gotten too close? You think he won't manipulate her to get what he wants?" Kevin's words cut through the tension, his gaze unwavering.

Sami's jaw tightened, and he shot back, "I'm not afraid of Roman. And Y/N is smarter than that."

Kevin scoffed, shaking his head. "The same one that went back to Jey after you, right? The same one that's caught in the crossfire of your loyalty to Roman? You're naive if you think Roman won't use that against you." Kevin stepped closer to Sami, their faces inches apart. The air was thick with tension, both men locked in a silent battle of wills.

"I don't need your advice, Kevin. You're not exactly a beacon of successful relationships," Sami spat, his voice low and controlled.

Kevin's smirk faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "At least I'm not letting the love of my life get hurt by a guy who will always pick his family over someone like her. Open your eyes, Sami. Roman might be your 'family,' but he won't hesitate to throw you under the bus if it serves him."

Sami's nostrils flared, and he clenched his fists, the intensity of the confrontation escalating. Kevin's words struck a nerve, awakening doubts and fears that Sami had tried to bury. The complexity of his loyalty to Roman and the tangled emotions involving you and Jey seemed to tighten its grip on him.

Kevin watched the emotions play out on Sami's face, each one revealing a different layer of the internal struggle. Despite their history, Kevin's words managed to penetrate Sami's defenses, sparking a seed of doubt in his mind.

"Jey is a snake, just like his piece of shit cousin. It might not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but eventually Roman will finish using Y/N and ask Jey to be the one to put her down. And what will he do?" Kevin's face was inches away from Sami's, filled with a mix of bitterness and concern.

Sami's mind raced, processing the weight of Kevin's words. The hallway seemed to close in around them as they stood locked in a silent battle of ideologies. "He will betray her, follow orders like a loyal dog, and leave her broken. And you will wondering if you could have done something to prevent it," Kevin concluded, his words hanging in the air.

Sami's gaze bore into Kevin's, a storm of conflicting emotions raging within him. The hallway was eerily silent, the tension between them almost tangible. Sami took a deep breath, trying to push aside the doubts and fears that Kevin's words had stirred.

"You don't know anything about my relationship with Roman, and you certainly don't know anything about Y/N and Jey," Sami retorted, his voice firm.

Kevin chuckled, a bitter edge to the sound. "I know that you have this kind of pull on Y/N that goes beyond friendship. I've seen the way she looks at you, the way you look at her. You may think you're doing the right thing, but you're just setting yourself up for heartbreak. And for what? Roman's approval? A place in his so-called family?"

Sami's expression hardened, a mixture of frustration and inner turmoil. Kevin's words were like a relentless assault on his convictions. The internal conflict reached a boiling point, and Sami's response was laced with a raw honesty.

"I don't need your approval or anyone else's. I'm doing what I think is right," Sami declared, his voice resolute.

Kevin shook his head, a disappointed sigh escaping his lips. "You're blinded by loyalty, Sami. It's gonna cost you more than you realize." He grabbed the food from the vending machine, before turning back to Sami, and Sami paused.

The confrontation in the hotel hallway had reached its peak, both men standing their ground with a shared history and conflicting loyalties. Sami realized that this Kevin was nothing he ever faced. He wasn't angry. He wasn't trying to tear Sami down with insults or physical threats. He was genuinly concerned, and it struck a chord with Sami.

"Tomorrow, you have the choice to either blindly follow orders and be a pawn in Roman's game or to bring both you and Y/N out of this mess." Kevin said, his tone more somber now. "If you leave, she'll realize that the Bloodline is not worth the sacrifice, and you'll get your girl back, our best fried back. If you stay, you'll be dragged down with her when Roman decides she's expendable. And I won't be there to pick up the pieces. The choice is yours."

Kevin's words lingered in the air, the weight of his advice settling on Sami's shoulders, and his gaze even more probing. With that, Kevin walked away, leaving Sami standing alone in the hotel hallway, wrestling with the internal turmoil sparked by their confrontation.

Sami took a deep breath, his mind racing as he tried to process the complex web of emotions and loyalties that surrounded him. The encounter with Kevin had shaken him to the core, forcing him to confront the potential consequences of his choices. The loyalty to Roman, the complicated history with you, and the growing realization of the impact on his own happiness all collided in his mind.

Should he listen to Kevin? Should he betray the Tribal Chief in the heat of battle so he could salvage his relationship/friendship with you? Should he risk everything for a chance at a different future? Should he ignore Kevin and stay true to the Bloodline, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness and potentially hurting you by Roman using one of you as a pawn to get the other in line? He didn't know what he was gonna do.

But he knew one thing.

He had to choose between you, Roman, and Kevin. And he didn't know which one would be the right path to take. Each option seemed to carry its own set of risks and consequences, and Sami found himself torn between his loyalty to Roman, his feelings for you, and the warnings Kevin had presented.

But no matter what... tomorrow, he needed to be prepared for war.

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toasttt11 · 2 months

Text

the truth

March 15, 2024

The Blackhawks had just played against the kings and had a great game. Lucky for the team it was a Friday and they didn’t have any practice tomorrow so most of the team all decided to go out to the bar that they usually go to as a team.

Trevor hadn’t really had a chance yet to go out after a game they won with the whole team, he mostly stuck near Maddox or was messing around with Kevin, Kevin the one Trevor has gotten closest with on the team so far.

Maddox stood up excusing himself from the table seeing a friend. Trevor frowned watching him leave and watched him walk over to a guy near the bar and they greeted each other.

Trevor frowned not liking what he was seeing but turned his attention back to Kevin who was goofing off but entertaining Alex, Lukas and Connor.

Trevor noticed that after a good while Maddox still had not returned yet and frowned deeper he turned his head and felt his heart drop.

Trevor glared feeling angry as he watched Maddox flirting with a guy, Maddox letting the guy whisper into his ear and kissing his cheek. Trevor could feel the realization set in that Maddox does likes guys just not him.

Maddox looked up feeling eyes on him and saw Trevor staring at him with a heartbreaking look on his face before leaving his glass on the table and rushing out. Maddox detached from the guy and rushed out after Trevor.

“Trev!” Maddox called out seeing Trevor starting the walk back to their apartment, Maddox could see how tense Trevor was walking and could tell he was ignoring him, Maddox jogged over and caught up with Trevor, he gently grabbed his arm stopping Trevor, “What’s wrong?” Maddox frowned wanting to know why Trevor is upset.

“You like guys.” Trevor whispered as no matter how angry he, he didn’t want to say it loudly incase someone was around.

Maddox tensed looking around, “Can we not did this here?”

Trevor responded with a curt nod and Maddox dropped his arm. They walked in tense silence all the way back to the apartment.

“Why didn’t you tell me.” Trevor demanded the second the door was shut.

“I have barely told anyone.” Maddox looked away from Trevor. Maddox closed his eyes taking a deep breath.

“Why?” Trevor questioned walking closer to Maddox, “Because years ago you acted different, you would sometimes flirt back and let me touch you without you tensing and moving away, and we use to text all the time, i thought we were friends and then suddenly you went cold and i always referred as your brothers best friend not your friend. Why.” Trevor tearfully demanded asking the things he has wanted to know for years. Trevor hated that one day he woke up and it was like Maddox was a different person towards him.

“I was scared.” Maddox emotionally choked out, he shook his head feeling his eyes full with tears, “It took me so long to accept who i was and you helped in a lot that, and i was ready to tell you how i felt about you and to come out to everyone else but Jack had said somethings one day and it scared me, it pushed back all the progress i had made and i wasn’t ready anymore for anyone to know and i was hurt and i couldn’t do anything with you because i didn’t want anyone knowing.” Maddox tearfully spoke feeling the tears run down his face as he looked at Trevor, who also had tears running down his face.

Maddox truthfully always hated that he shut Trevor out but he was so scared that someone would find out that he was Bi that he couldn’t take the chance with his feelings towards Trevor possibly showing to anyone was else, and he hated himself for shutting out Trevor especially seeing how much it hurt him.

“Oh Theo, what did Jack say.” Trevor frowned seeing how hurt Maddox looked as he talked, Trevor could feel a lot of the anger drain from him seeing the hurt and sadness from Maddox as he stepped closer to Maddox.

“It was after our last game in the NTDP, you um had fell asleep on my lap and the guys were teasing us and then asked Jack when they thought we would get together.” Maddox started explaining the day that was one of the worst days, Trevor frowned remembering how he had woken up with a blanket on him but Maddox no where to he seen, “Jack denied it saying i could never be gay, that Hughes aren’t like that and that i would never be with you. It scared me because i hadn’t come out to anyone yet so hearing what one of my brothers thought of me being bi or gay, it sent into defense mode, i’m sorry.” Maddox had his head hung sniffling.

Trevor felt his jaw clench in anger of what Jack had said and seeing how much it has effect Maddox and Jack is lucky he isn’t here right now or Trevor would punch the shit out of him.

Trevor took a deep breath forgetting the anger for right now more worried and Maddox, he walked over gently cupping Maddox’s face wiping his tears, “Look at me. Forgot what Jack said he’s a dumbass okay, you’re allowed to like guys and a Hughes can be gay. You have nothing to be sorry for Maddox Hughes, you were scared and you protected yourself. I could never be mad about that.” Trevor gently rubbed his thumbs against Maddox’s cheekbones as he spoke to Maddox, “Okay?”

Yes, Trevor was angry that Maddox shut him out for so long but Trevor also knew Maddox was scared and was trying to protect himself so Trevor couldn’t be that angry even if he tried too.

“Okay.” Maddox slowly nodded not knowing how much he needed to hear someone say that to him.

“Why don’t we get some sleep?” Trevor could see how exhausted Maddox was. Trevor also knowing being emotional makes Maddox extremely tired.

“Can you stay?” Maddox quietly asked knowing Trevor would understand what he was asking, remembering the days they used to fall asleep in the same bed. Maddox didn’t know if he had the right to ask anymore but he asked what he had been wanting for a long time.

Trevor could feel his heart soften completely, “Of course, just let me get changed.” Trevor smiled widely and they walked down the hallway to their bedrooms, Trevor headed into his room getting changed out of his clothes and into a pair of black sweatpants and ducks shirt.

Trevor walked into Maddox’s room seeing him only in a pair of grey sweatpants and laying down in bed, Trevor smiled slightly as Maddox lifted the covers on the other side of the bed, Trevor got into the bed and Maddox scooted a little closer to him.

Trevor slowly put his arm around Maddox and could feel as Maddox relaxed.

Trevor knew they had a lot to talk about but it was a good start.

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leclerc-s · 6 months

Text

a nonsense christmas

series masterlist

liked by maxverstappen1, nataliaruiz, arthur_leclerc and others

maejones 'i caught that holiday glee, my true love gave it to me.' i present to you a nonsense christmas.

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danielricciardo i thought you couldn't get anymore unhinged after nonsense, i was so wrong.

daphnejones mae, what the hell is this song.

↳ maejones it's a christmas song daph! do you not like it?

isabellaperez brb gonna go play it for christian and my uncle!

↳ maxverstappen1 ISABELLA DON'T YOU DARE!

↳ isabellaperez OH IT LOOKS LIKE JOS IS IN THE GARAGE!

↳ maxverstappen1 ISABELLA!

↳ user89 oh to be apart of this friend group

penelopetrevino sometimes i wonder how people think i'm the horny one when mae writes shit like this.

↳ dulceperez you wrote mayores. daphne wrote dress. mae wrote nonsense. i think all three of you are equally horny

user41 well i made the mistake of playing this infront of my parents i will never recover.

↳ user09 NO! OH I PRAY FOR YOU

esteban ocon i'm supposed to be able to look max in the eyes now?

lewishamilton i renounce our friendship. good luck to fernando and seb, but i'm done. find someone to replace me. maybe kimi or valtteri. hell kevin or hulkenberg might like these guys.

↳ georgerussell63 good luck being able to get away from us

user32 i fear jos is questioning who his son is dating and who his friends are

↳ landonorris oh, he did that way before this song or nonsense came out

isabellaperez JOS VERSTAPPEN IS NOT A FAN OF A NONSENSE CHRISTMAS! I REPEAT HE IS NOT A FAN! MAX TELL HIM TO PUT THE FUCKING FORK DOWN!

↳ user13 there's no way she actually did it

↳ maxverstappen1 I WARNED YOU NOT TO DO THAT! HE WASN'T GOING TO LIKE IT!

↳ user13 i stand corrected

↳ danielricciardo THIS IS THE FUNNIEST SHIT I'VE EVER FUCKING SEEN! NETFLIX BETTER BE RECORDING THIS BECAUSE IT'S COMEDY GOLD!

↳ alex_albon SHE JUST RAN PAST THE WILLIAMS GARAGE!! I THINK I'M ABOUT TO PEE FROM ALL THIS LAUGHING!!

↳ nataliaruiz PEOPLE! IT'S NOT JOS CHASING HER WITH A FORK! IT'S MAX WITH A WATER GUN! JOS LEFT THE GARAGE AFTER ISABELLA PULLED HER LITTLE TRICK!! HE HAD A FORK BECAUSE HE WAS HAVING LUNCH WITH MAE!!

↳ maejones YOU COULDN'T HAVE WAITED UNTIL HE WAS ALONE? I CAN NEVER FACE HIM AGAIN! OH MY GOD, DIGGING MY GRAVE AS WE SPEAK!!

↳ dulceperez she looks like a wet and angry kitten

isabella perez MAX EMILIAN VERSTAPPEN I WILL BE GETTING MY REVENGE!

max verstappen I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!!

isabella perez DULCE MARIA PEREZ! YOU'RE FUCKING NEXT!

esteban ocon she's in the alpine garage and she does look like a wet cat

oscar piastri i think it's kinda cute

logan sargeant AY-YO? ARE WE JUST GONNA SLIDE PAST THAT?

alex albon i think the songs kinda catchy.

daniel jones-ricciardo i did not need to know max had big snowballs.

mae jones you've literally seen him naked before pierre gasly UM WHAT? daniel jones-ricciardo IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! HOW I SUPPOSED TO KNOW HE WAS NAKED? max verstappen THERE'S THIS NEW THING. IT'S CALLED KNOCKING daniel ricciardo DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE QUOTE ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS AT ME MAX!

fernando alonso i worry for all of you. also what does 'you got a new toy for me' mean? aren't all of you too old to be playing with toys?

esteban ocon i know you're not that fucking naive fernando. stop fucking with them. fernando alonso but it's so much fun

lewis hamilton OH MY GOD! SOME THINGS ARE BETTER KEPT A SECRET MAE!

mae jones so my sister can write dress and scratches down daniel's back but i can't write about max's dick?

carlos sainz i am permanently scarred. some things i can't ever unhear.

george russell i am in shock

esteban ocon i need 3 to 5 business WEEKS to recover from this.

sebastian vettel i'm speechless and not in a good way

mick schumacher ignoring who the song is about and that i know the singer, it's good.

freya vettel a certified christmas bop

natalia ruiz I NEED THAT CHARLES DICKENS. YOU'LL BE SANTA CLAUS AND I'LL BE MRS. I'LL TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE, I'LL BE YOUR VIXEN. I DON'T EVEN KNOW I'M TALKING CHRISTMAS!!

daphne jones-ricciardo i know someday you two idiots will have children and i pray they never find this song. just like i pray they never find mine.

rowan todd digital footprint is real guys, just look at timothee chalamet, the superior french guy.

esteban ocon uh oh, i think they're fighting again. dulce perez alright, what'd you do this time gasly? pierre gasly why is it always my fault? dulce perez it's always your fault bitch, so what'd you do? pierre gasly i didn't do shit, this time, she's just mad because i ate the last croissant. natalia ruiz uh oh, i know those symptoms. charles leclerc the world is not ready for little pierres rowan todd i'm not pregnant (i think) pierre gasly what the fuck??? isabella perez ARE WE GETTING ANOTHER BABY?? SO CLOSE TO BABY LECLERC?? AWWW!! YES!!

max verstappen god i hope not. one mini charles we can handle but a mini pierre no please no.

taglist: @burningcupcakefire @arkhammaid @sunflower-golden-vol6 @applopie

¡leclerc-s speaks! shout out to @bb-swift who replied to nonsense and reminded me that a nonsense christmas existed. let's not talk about today's gp and use humor to cope. as a charles girlie i am struggling today as i have the entire season. i've also created a google form for people to fill out if you wish to be added to the taglist to any of my series.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

#leclerc-s #the honest series #max verstappen #max verstappen x female oc #formula 1 #formula 1 fic #fanfic #fanfiction #f1 #f1 smau #f1 social media au #f1 instagram au #f1 fic

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devotedlykoneshots · 5 months

Text

CHOI SAN : DREAM GIRL ACQUIRED

genre : 🔞 , minors dni, fem reader, he eats 🥴, mutual pining, childhood friends plot, mentions of tbz Kevin, ateez members as well, Jackson wang is mentioned.

word count : 3772

---------

San groans as he turned over in his bed , his phone blaring with your familiar ringtone.

Replay by SHINee.

He lazily searched for his phone before answering the call.

"Y/n , it's 2am"he said and you sighed, biting your bottom lip before pulling responding.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to call but I need a favor"you tell him and he sits up, fully alert now.

"What is it?"he asked and you paced back and forth across the pavement.

"well , my date stood me up and I really need you to come pick me up and help me egg his car"you tell him and he snorts, getting up to slip on some clothes.

"We're not egging his car but I can come and get you"he tells you and you pout but a win is a win so you can't complain.

"Thank you"you're grateful for the support san gives you , he's never angry or upset when you call at ungodly hours of the night.

He's just easily the best guy in your life right now.

-------

"Oh thank God, you're a lifesaver"you're relieved to see his familiar car pull up and he rolls down the window.

"So what happened?"he asked and you get into the car, throwing your jacket in the backseat and looking over at him with a shrug of your shoulders.

"I don't know"you tell him honestly.

"I mean I thought blind dates weren't your thing"he explains and you nodded, that was true and you hate to say it but you were desperate.

"They aren't but chaewon convinced me to do it, I mean why is it that everyone around me has someone but me"you slump in his seat and pout and he hits your arm lightly, gaining your attention.

"Hey! I'm single too!"he said and you raised your eyebrows.

"How is that exactly? You're attractive and you're fucking ripped, sweet and you have a car"you asked him and he glances at you as he pulls off, not missing the way your eyes rake his upper body that was only clad in a tight black tank top.

"Maybe I already have my eyes on someone else"he shrugs and you roll your eyes, feeding into what you assume was a lie.

"And who is that? How come I haven't met her? Or him?"you say and he snorts at that, looking over at you.

"It's a woman"he tells you and you laugh softly.

"Well who is she?"you asked him and he glances at you, ignoring your question.

"That reminds me, I got you a present"he said, reaching into the glove department to pull out a box.

"Me? Why?"you asked him and he shrugs, placing it onto your lap.

"I was going to save it for your birthday but it's close enough"he explained and you pouted, ignoring the fact that your birthday was 3 months away and grabbing the box, opening it.

"Oh sannie"you sigh and look at him.

"This ring proves that l'm always here for you and you can always count on me"he said and you put it on, fighting back those tears.

"It's beautiful"you commented and he parks the car after pulling into the parking lot, turning off the engine.

"You're welcome"he smiles and unlocked the doors, you admire the ring and look up at him upon hearing the familiar click.

"Goodnight y/n"you look at him, confused.

"You're not staying?"you asked and he shakes his head.

"No-"you frown, a little sad by that.

"I want you to stay"you mutter and he looks at you, his response taking you by surprise.

"Okay"he agreed and you looked up at him before nodding and you both get out of the car, walking the route to your apartment and letting yourselves in.

"Is hyuna here?"he asked and you shook your head as you stepped inside , he turns to you as you lock the door after you both enter.

"Nope, she's staying at her boyfriends place tonight"you tell him and he nods, looking around as if he hasn't been over a million times already.

"So it's just us"he said , looking back at you and you nod as you pull off your jacket.

"Yep"you said and he moved over to your living room with you following behind him.

"So.... should we watch a movie?"he asked and you nodded, agreeing with his suggestion.

"Yeah of course, you can pick it and I'll make us something to eat"you turn and walk to the kitchen , him following you this time.

"So who is this guy that you were supposed to go on a date with?"he asked and you shrug your shoulders, opening the fridge and pulling out some meat to make some stir fry.

"Some guy from my art class, Kevin"you said and grabbed a few boxes of pasta noodles from your pantry.

"Kevin moon? He's trouble"San couldn't stop himself from what he said and you turned around to set the ingredients on the counter.

" I guess it's a good thing he bailed"you said and kneeled down to grab a frying pan for your meal.

"What if he didn't?"he asked and you stood up, placing the pan on the stove.

"We wouldn't be having this conversation right now"is all you say and he raised his eyebrows at you, you turn and grab some frozen vegetables from the freezer.

"What would you be doing?"he asked and you turned around to look at him, San was a very expressive person and he couldn't hide his feelings well.

"We'd probably be at his place right now, trying to hide the overwhelming desire to rip each others clothes off"you say boldly and San takes a visible deep breath, you bite your bottom lip and look up at him.

Your statement taking him by surprise.

"Kinda like what we're doing now"you say and he runs his fingers through his hair.

"How did you know?"he asked and you shrugged your shoulders.

"I notice the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking"you say and he rounds the corner , coming into the kitchen and backing you up against the counter with your bodies pressed together as he brings his hand to your cheek to stroke his thumb across your cheek softly.

-------

"and....."San shrugs as he tells seonghwa about his little night at your apartment.

"We went to bed"he said and continued to eat his cereal, seonghwa raised his eyebrows.

"what do you mean? you're telling me after all of that, you pulled away and just went to bed?" the older male asked and San groans.

"it sounds so stupid when you put it so bluntly"he complains and wooyoung scoffs.

"Because it is stupid"he said and seonghwa looked over at the younger male.

"not helping"he scolds him and wooyoung raises his hands in surrender.

"You need to stop beating around the bush and just tell her how you feel"wooyoung buts in again and San rolled his eyes, that was easier said than done.

"I don't wanna lose her"is all San can say and hongjoong , the older sits not too far from the group as he reads a book and drinks his morning coffee.

"You're gonna lose her for good if she finds someone else"seonghwa tells him and the younger male groans again because he was right.

"You're worried that if it doesn't work out then you'll lose her as a friend and a lover but do you wanna spend the rest of your life pondering over what could've been?"hongjoong speaks up as he addresses his roommate who prior would not shut up about how great you were.

"My mom always said , its better to try than to stand by waiting for someone else to do the job you didn't have the balls to"seonghwa speaks again and that seems to strike a cord with him, did he really wanna give someone else the chance to take you away from him forever.

" Okay...I'll do it"he said, determined.

"Perfect and I have the perfect place, Jackson Wang is having a party tonight and we are invited."wooyoung waves the invitations in the air and it was as if the others appeared of no where.

"How in the hell? you don't even know Jackson"yeosang looks over the invitations, trying to see if they were real and they were.

"True but I know someone , who knows someone , who knows Jacksons friend , who knows Jackson" he said and they all just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I have my ways , anyways tonight is the night you get the girl"he turns his attention to his resident bestie.

"How would i even get her there, she isn't the party type" he said and wooyoung grins, an uneasy feeling taking over San.

"Let me worry about that"wooyoung said and laughed at the look of panic on sans face, rolling his eyes.

"she'll be there, relax"

--------

That's how San found himself at the party and rolling his eyes at some girl who wouldn't stop talking about how it took her hours to get ready because she had heard he was coming, wanting to get to know him and all that bullshit.

While the explanation seemed innocent her body language gave away her hidden intentions, feeling all over his muscles and over reacting to every little thing he said.

You couldn't help but smile at the annoyed look on his face but that all stopped once he turned his head and you both locked eyes, he stands abruptly and excuses himself from whoever she was but he couldn't care less than he did right now.

"She's pretty, she seems to like you"you speak once he is within ear shot of you and he looks back at the girl, shrugging his shoulders.

"eh , not my type"he said and you cocked your head to the side.

"What's your type?"you asked and he takes a deep breath as he steps closer to you.

"You"is all you hear and your heart melts at that.

"since when?"you asked and he laughs softly.

"since the day we met"he said and you laughed in disbelief.

"San we were 10"you shake your head and he laughs at himself.

"I know but even then I knew you were the one"he said and you shake your head, this was so confusing.

"You're so confusing, one minute I think we are about to kiss and the next you're pulling away and locking yourself in the bathroom "you explain, you're both aware of the eyes on you.

"Then let me make it clear for you, I love you and I can't hide it anymore. I'm so fucking in love with you y/n, you asked who my mystery girl was but it was never a mystery because its always been you"You are quite literally speechless at his confession, your eyes taking in every little detail about him.

"I'm so crazy about you and its really fucking pathetic, so there it is , the truth that I'm in love with my best friend and if you don't feel-"you press your finger to his lips to shut him up and it works, your head shaking in disbelief.

"Shut up"you pull him into a kiss and he instantly cups your cheeks , kissing your lips back and hearing everyone cheering at the sight of you two kissing.

"Be mine, be mine"he whispers with his forehead pressed against your own and you nod your head in agreement.

"Yes, yes" you whisper and kiss his lips once more , he pulls back and takes your hand.

"let's get out of here"You're quick to comply and let him drag you out of the party, you both get into his sleek black range rover.

You can't help but stare at him as he drives back to your apartment and he glances at you.

"what?"he asked and you bit your bottom lip, shaking your head and looking away.

"I want you, tonight"you turn your head to look at him again and his eyes widen, you laugh softly at his reaction.

"I just, I don't want to wait any longer"you play with the slit in his ripped jeans and slide your hand up his thigh until you come into contact with something hard , you gasp and look down at his lap.

"San-"he grips your wrist as you make a move to touch his very prominent bulge.

"I'm driving, be good and wait"his voice is stern and honestly it only turned you on, so you wait until he stops at a red light and you don't waist anytime as you lean over the console.

Your tongue colliding with the rough material of his jeans but you don't pay it any attention as you lick and suck the length of his cock through his jeans, he throws his head back and swears under his breath as he tangles his fingers into your hair.

"Fuck" he mutters and shudders at the feelings of your tongue running over the now damp material of his jeans that covered his crotch as you hum in satisfaction , he pulls your hair back and you hiss at the feeling before his hand comes down on your bare thigh as he leaves the sting of his hand behind.

"Behave, I won't say it again"he glares at you and you whimper, rubbing your thigh but thankfully you reach your apartment in less than 20 minutes and you immediately get out of the car.

You don't get the chance to make it inside the door before san is pressing himself against your ass and pulling your hair off your shoulder, brushing his lips against your neck.

"san-"he cuts you off, nose skimming along the expanse of your neck and he hums as he trails his tongue up your neck.

"Shhh, focus and open the door"you finally get the door open and you both walk inside, locking the door behind you and taking his hand before leading him to your room.

"Are you sure about this?"San asked, genuinely concerned about his new girlfriend before they start anything.

"Yeah, I trust you"you tell him and his arms circle your waist, pressing his forehead against your own and backing you up towards the bed.

"Can I kiss you?"he asked, trying to be a gentleman but that's not what you wanted.

"I'll kick you out of my apartment if you don't"you joke half-heartedly and he laughs softly at your silly antics.

"Well we don't want that"he speaks before he leans down and connects your lips in a kiss, for the third time that night you feel complete but you wouldn't be satisfied with the simple kiss.

You couldn't help but slide your hands up his tight black shirt as you feel his chest and broad shoulders.

"You're so big"you smile into the kiss and he pulls away, pulling his shirt over his head and watching as you kiss and lick at his chest.

You move onto your knees as you trail the kisses down and unbutton his jeans, he easily lifts you back up and tosses you onto the bed as you smile.

You immediately scoot back on the bed and he kicks off his shoes, climbing onto the bed after you and he's quick to hover over your body.

"take this off"your shirt is removed soon after his statement and he raised his eyebrows at your lack of bra underneath the shirt.

"I didn't need one with this outfit"you blush and he takes a deep breath before sliding down your body a bit and taking your nipple into his mouth.

You gasp in content and relaxed back against the mattress , hair splayed in all directions and tangling your fingers in sans hair as he comes face to face with your breasts.

He takes both into his hands before he starts to lick and flick his tongue , sucking on your breasts as your back arches into his mouth and drawing out a grunt from him.

"fuck"you whine softly as he rolls your nipples between his fingers and kisses down your body, hands getting rid of your leather skirt quickly before pushing your legs open.

"Sannie" you bite your bottom lip and he looks up at you, licking you over your lace panties and wrapping his arms around your thighs to hold your legs open the way he wanted you as he sat up, pulling you with him.

Your pusy meets his lips as your legs dangle down your chest with his arms circling your waist from you being held to his mouth upside down.

"you're mine and i'll make sure you

don't forget."is all he said before he digs in, licking and sucking your pussy through your underwear.

"holy shit" your back arches and you grip his hair, he groans softly and spits on your panties before rubbing the saliva into your panties with his tongue to dampen the material.

"Oh my god" he pulls back and spits on on your clothed clit, using his unoccupied hand to rub your clit and you covered your mouth as your stomach tightened.

"if you keep that up , I'm going to cum"he looks at you with a look that tells you that was exactly the point before he pulls your panties aside.

You grab onto the sheets as tightly as you could from your position before he licks and sucks on your clit properly, two of his fingers penetrate your entrance before he thrusts them quickly and you cry out again.

"I'm cumming!"you body trembles after a few more thrusts of his fingers and you cum, he lays your body back on the mattress slowly. You roll over onto your side , breathing heavily as san follows you and continues to lazy lick at your pussy.

"San"you push at his head until he pins your hands down and continues to lap at your clit feverishly, you whimper and buck your hips against his face.

His lips constantly moving to keep up with your hips, licking and sucking your flesh like a starved man and teasing your entrance with his tongue before his hands rip your panites in two and yank them off your body.

He grips your hips instead and sits back up , tongue teasing your entrance before he pushes the muscle inside of your pussy and you let out a mewl in response.

Endless pants and cries of his name leave your lips as he bobbs his head up and down, thrusting his tongue in and out of your entrance.

"fucking hell, I'm gonna cum again" you warned him and he rubs your clit quickly and humming as your hips rolls against his mouth, pulling back to spit on your clit and finger your hole again.

"fuck- fuck"he sucks your clit back into his mouth as you cum, increasing the pleasure of your orgasm as your eyes roll into the back of your head and he gently lays you back down on the bed before pulling away.

" you okay?"he asked as he brushes your hair out of your face, tapping your cheek as he waits for your answer.

"are you still with me y/n?" he laughs and you sigh with a nod, turning your head to capture his finger in your mouth and suck on it lazily.

"you're gonna be the death of me" he laughs and shakes his head before pulling back from you completely.

He manhandles you onto your hands and knees before rising to his feet and stripping off his shirt, pants and boxers and knocking your legs apart as he runs the tip of his cock between your folds.

"San" you gasp as he starts to push into you with one thrust , a whimper leaving your lips and you grip into the sheets tightly.

"Can you give me one more?"he asked and you nodded, looking back at him and he pins your hands behind your back as he begins to thrust into you slowly.

"your cock is so nice" you bite your bottom lip and close your eyes before he begins to quicken his pace , drawing moans out of you and pulling your head back to rest on his shoulder.

His lips meet yours again in a passionate kiss as he wraps his arms around your waist to hold you in place, a surprised scream leaves your mouth at the sudden ferocity of his thrusts.

You always thought about how good of a fuck he would be when you watched him dance, the control he had over his body would drive anyone wild.

You were getting first class experience and you weren't disappointed, it was clear the man wanted to make a good impression with how deep his cock was plowing into your cunt.

"Fuck- you're gonna make me cum" you cry out as you hold onto his muscular arms and bounce yourself back on his cock.

"Cum- want my girl to cum for me , only for me" he's in a lust filled haze as he speaks and litters your neck with traces of his presence, proof that it wasn't a dream for the morning to come.

You take one of his hands and bring it up to your neck , his fingers immediately latch onto your throat and applies the right amount of pressure to make you see stars and the galaxy.

"C-cumming!"your nails dig into his arms as you cum and his teeth latches onto the skin of your shoulder, groaning softly and pumping his seed inside of you.

He's careful when he slips out of you and gently helps you lay back down on the bed , rubbing soothing circles into your skin and kissing your head.

"W- fuck" he shushes you with a chuckle and strokes your back with his fingers, curling up against your side and kissing your forehead.

"Sleep- we can talk more in the morning"his fingers tangle in your hair and massages your scalp, you yawn and snuggle into his chest with a sigh.

"stay"you mutter as of he would've thought of even parting from your embrace for a second.

"always"he finds himself whispering regardless of your soft snores, indicating that you were now asleep.

He had successfully gotten the girl of his dreams.

#ateez smut #choi san smut #san smut

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pascaloverx · 5 months

Text

Hit The Road

Chapter Five

previous chapter next chapter

Summary: You are a hunter of supernatural beings who is forced to experience a new reality: being a vampire. The only thing stronger than your thirst for blood is your thirst for revenge.

Author's note: the characters mentioned here were created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name by author L. J. Smith. They don't belong to me. That said, this fanfic will be short. This fanfic may address scenes of violence, inappropriate language and adult content. Minors should not interact with this story.

Something inside you said that finding Elena wouldn't be a completely good experience. You glanced at Damon, wondering whether you should go down to talk to her.

"Shouldn't you go down to see who arrived, or are you afraid your girlfriend will find out what you do when she's not at home?" You say teasing Damon, who at that moment seems to be thinking about what to do.

"Damon, are you there?" A feminine voice asks, seeming to come towards Damon's room. You feel something strange, a sense of déjà vu. And then, another vision fills you.

You're walking quickly, leaving this place in the middle of a forest that resembles a hunting cabin. You seem to be crying when Damon appears in front of you.

"Damon, stop chasing me. Go back to your perfect life with Elena and hope the clan doesn't find out you're in Mystic Falls. As for the rest, our matters are done." You speak hurriedly, as if escaping from Damon.

"It's strange that someone loves you and tells you to choose to be with someone else." Damon speaks somewhat confusedly.

"Who said I love you?" You say, still angry with Damon.

"Tell me why else wouldn't you kill a being that is basically your mortal enemy?" Damon says holding you, you then point to the crossbow that was in your hands. You want him to fear dying by your hands, but both that you don't plan to kill him using the crossbow. If you wanted to kill him, you would have done it already.

"Maybe I feel sorry for you. In love with the same woman for centuries, idolizing her image like someone idolizing a god. Don't try to interpret my compassion Damon, I have no interest in loving you." You lie, you know damn well you're lying but seeing Damon doubt his feelings is the only thing that will keep you two both sane.

You regain consciousness in Damon's arms, it feels like you must have fainted while having yet another vision. There's a woman with long brown hair looking at you like you're very complicated math question. You imagine she must be Elena. You then silently get up from Damon's arms.

"Are you well?" The woman asks with an almost relieved expression, maybe she thought I was dead or maybe she's relieved that I'm out of the man's arms that she loves.

"I'd be better off with a good glass of whiskey in my hand but I'm fine." You answer and she seems surprised by the answer, so you watch Damon smile after your answer.

"Damon never mentioned about having a visit so I came in without knocking. My name is Elena by the way." Elena says as she approaches Damon, you notice that she must be a little afraid to find a woman in his room. Something about you makes you sad to notice that Elena and Damon still care for each other.

"My name is Y/N. I'm an old friend of Damon and Stefan. And sorry for the sudden fainting, I've been going through the transition to vampire life recently." You compose yourself completely and feel uncomfortable being in Damon's room.

"And no one is helping you adapt to your new life?" Elena asks.

"The Salvatore brothers rightly offered to help. That's why I'm here." You respond looking at Damon who seems to like the excuse arranged for your presence in the house.

"If you need wise advice or tips, you can talk to me. My transition wasn't easy either. Even though I didn't I don't remember having blackouts and fainting but it could be a different one for each one." Elena says smiling, you then understand why Damon keeps her around. She seems like a good person.

"I appreciate your offer. I'll leave you two alone." You say leaving Damon's room as quickly as possible. You don't want to imagine what they have to talk about or what they will do inside. But you realize there's nothing you can do. And you do not get bored. You then decide to go after Stefan. You knock on his bedroom door once and he answers. He's shirtless, which makes you a little shy.

"Did you come here to watch me?" Stefan asks giving you a mischievous smile.

"You didn't invite me in then..." You respond trying to compose yourself. He approaches, his face just inches away from yours. You then wonder what you should do. Stefan, brings his lips closer to yours, giving you a long kiss. You return the kiss as if you needed it to distract your mind. But unfortunately another vision takes over you.

You're walking in the same forest as before, this time alone. You hear someone following you, so you run towards the cabin where would have weapons to defend yourself. Your heart, still human, beats strongly and your breath almost disappears. You end up falling, almost hurting your foot. Then something throws you against a tree close to where you were.

"I thought we had a deal, you stay out of harm's way and I don't have to get involved in your relationship with Damon." Stefan says while holding your neck tightly.

"Be careful, sweetheart, if you continue like this I'll think you've fallen in love with me." You respond smiling a little, Stefan doesn't seem to like it very much.

"I should never have gotten involved with you. Now I have to keep wondering when my brother will find out that his girlfriend and I fucked like rabbits before he met her." Stefan speaks with trepidation, and you smile.

"I'm not the first woman you and your brother have been interested in. Not to mention that I'm not his girlfriend. Elena or Katherine or anyone who looks like her is. Now either you take off your clothes or get out of my sight." You say and then you and Stefan start kissing intensely.

You wake up from this vision without fainting but you abruptly move away from Stefan who looks at you in surprise. You then quickly run away from him.

#damon x reader #damon salvatore fanfiction #damon salvatore x reader #damon salvatore #stefan x reader #stefan salvatore x reader #tvdu #the vampire diaries #tvd smut #tvd angst #tvd fanfiction #tvd #spotify #hunter au #Spotify

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joshlmbrt · 1 month

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Okay so your latest gator lost inspired me. What about a gator that likes u just a little too much for his liking but for the love of god can't figure out why you're so special to him and at some point he has that "Oh no, I'm falling in love" moment and he shuts you out completely. He doesn't want to be in love with you, he doesn't want you around his family, especially his dad, he doesn't want Roy to even know he has that sort of feelings. He tries to push you away as much as he can because he's scared he would turn into his father. Even worse, what if you'd reject him, the one thing he's ever loved not returning it.

oh this is perfect. absolutely perfect for gator. i love this. thank you for requesting. i hope i do it justice for you and i apologize for taking so long! w; gator shuts you out - unhappy ending i apologize

there’s no way that gator tillman could be falling in love - especially with someone like you.

a person with a good soul, a life ahead of her full of love and happiness - none that involved sadness and fear of death.

he’d stopped going to the diner where you worked, which caused you to stop by the precinct where he worked, dropping off his lunch when he was too busy to see you.

he would laugh it off with others when he seen you walk out, but deep down, his heart warmed at the feeling of having someone care for him that much.

soon enough, the lunches that you used to drop off on your own break, was less frequent, if at all. maybe once a week.

then, it stopped - along with the sparse texts you’d sent him, asking how he was and if he wanted to catch a movie.

soon, you had gotten the hint and just stopped completely. even if it was strange, not seeing the tillman boy, giving him a glass of chocolate milk almost everyday, you’d gotten over feeling like you’d done something wrong.

soon, a nice boy, kevin wilson, wiggled his way into your life. he was the dream - dark, curly hair, dark eyes, a bit of a tan, freckles, tall, and nice with a great sense of humor when needed.

“i’ll be done in a moment, kev.” he smiles and nods, pressing a kiss to your cheek, his fingers tracing along your forearm as he pulls away.

you giggle softly when he shoots you a wink, the bell ringing above his head. you grab the small, yellow notepad, making your way over towards your assigned table.

“welcome to mabel’s! what can i get for…” you trail off when you see who’s sitting in the booth, a angry look on his face.

“who was that?”

“what can i get for you?” you try to dodge his question, gulping at the look on his face.

“who was it?”

and you still slightly attached to gator, breaks under the look he’s giving you. “his name is kevin.”

his brows lift. “kevin?”

your eyes narrow at him. “what’s wrong with kevin?”

“oh… nothing, nothing…”

your brows pinch together. “i’ll have you know that he’s a very nice guy.”

“oh, i’m sure.”

“he doesn’t completely leave me because he’s scared,” the smirk he had on his face drops and he stares at you, lips parted. “don’t think i don’t know why you stopped talking to me altogether. that was a real low blow, gator. you could’ve at least had the decency to talk to me and tell you how you felt. not leave me wondering what i did wrong.”

you’re turning away before he could say anything, dropping the notepad onto the counter before clocking out. your hand reaches for your jacket and purse, walking out back.

gator’s already there, making you sigh in frustration, your breath bellowing out in front of you. you slip on your jacket.

“you gotta let me explain-”

“i think i got it the first time.”

“no! you didn’t! yes, i was scared. but not because of… not because of us. but because you deserve a life of happiness and not bein’ scared of wonderin’ if someone is coming after you or me. i…” he trails off and you tilt your head.

you flinch when you hear your name, head turning and looking at kevin. his eyes drift towards gator then back to you. “you ready to go, babe?”

“yeah, just-”

“she’ll be with you in one minute.” gator gives a tight smile. kevin stares at him for a moment before nodding and walking away.

“i loved you,” your head swivels back around towards him, cheeks red from the cold. your breathing shudders in your chest as you blink up at him. “i love you… still, and it’s… it’s really greedy of me to say that when you seem happy…” his hand lifts, thumb pressing into your numb cheek. your eyes slowly close and your head drops as it shakes.

“gator, you can’t just… you knew how i felt… why didn’t you just talk to me?”

“i’m not good with communication… you know that, sugar.”

your brows furrow and you push his hand from you, shaking your head again. your nose and eyes burn with unshed tears. “no. don’t… you don’t get to call me that. you’re only saying that now because i moved on and you didn’t want me too.”

“that’s not-”

“that’s exactly what it is, gator. i’m sick of it. im sick of you. i loved you, i did. but…” his shoulders slump and he shakes his head as it tilts to the side, his mouth whispering don’t when he knows what the words on your tongue are. “i… i don’t know if i love you anymore.”

“i told you not to say that.” he shakes his head.

“goodbye, gator.”

#cherry writes ✿#gator tillman x fem!reader #gator tillman x reader #gator tillman x you #gator tillman angst #joe keery x reader

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avinwrites · 1 year

Text

Snowball Fights!

Characters Included: Naib Subedar, Emma Woods, Victor Grantz

(It keeps getting hotter and hotter outside, iIm indulging in some wishful thinking despite the fact that I’ve never actually seen enough snow to have a snowball fight :((

-In Leo’s Memory, it's always snowing

-so let’s add a little bit of spice

-The scene opens, its the dead of winter and an announcement broadcasts throughout the Manor, everyone’s ears filled with the unexpected message

-“Due to increasingly dangerous weather, matches for the time being will be canceled. We are sorry for the delay, and will do our best to monitor the weather and resume activities as soon as possible.”

-Despite having questions about the message, why it was worded that way, and what exactly it meant, not a single soul was upset about the matches being canceled

-Now, everyone had to figure out what to do with their newfound free-time

Naib

-It was mainly curiosity. You wondered what the weather was really like, as you were under the impression that the playing fields were all under strict and controlled conditions.

-But when you stepped foot outside and were promptly met with flurries of snowflakes finding ephemeral rest on your hair and face, then melting away, you couldn’t help your excitement.

-At first, you wanted to make a snowball to bring inside and throw at him, but you felt no one would be appreciative of the mess you would have made.

-So, you settled for the next best way to surprise him

-You had to sneak around the manor to avoid him and find someone willing to help you, finally, you settled on gaining the assistance of William, who was always up for some fun tricks, especially against the stoic Mercenary

-You told him to find Naib and tell him that his presence is required imminently out in the specific open area in the garden… just… make it sound believable, you ran off in that direction one William received and agreed to the task

-Now, it was your time to prepare.

-You make a small pile of fresh, tightly packed snowballs

-Winding up and raring to go, you spot your target out of the corner of your eye

-“NAIB!!” You yell, releasing your frozen attack the moment his head whips around to meet your mischievous eyes

-When the ball of snow bursts, shatters, and envelops his face, you could practically see the heat melting the snow off, he might be angry

-he would be if it were anyone else

-Instead, he playfully growls, approaching you at a high speed before you know it.

-You yelp and run from your stash of ammo, allowing him to gain two advantages over you

-As he runs with precision and steadiness, he gathers a few of your snow-balls in his arms

-suddenly, you’re freezing

-the snow, which you had already been standing in for a while, seemed to decrease in temperature, as well as what he had already thrown at you

-The tides had turned, now you want to go back inside

-but he’s not done

-As you’re distracted, looking for the best way to escape the cold grounds, he puts into motion his final attack, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist and pulling you to the ground

-now you’re both covered in snow and freezing

-but it's worth it to see that breathless smile on his face

-He’s laughing in triumph over you

-but despite how bad the cold, you think you won

Emma

-Oh my goodness, what a sweetheart

-The first thing she does after the announcement is find you to see if you want to do anything fun together

-You, of course, suggest playing in the snow

-She thinks it's a wonderful idea

-She’ll lead you around to find other people who want to play

-but if no one else wants to leave the safely and warmth of the Manor, you two are happy to play alone

-after all, when you’re together, you’re never alone

-But almost no one can resist Emma’s infectious happiness

-especially not you

-So, you, Emma, and a small gathering consisting of Kevin, Demi, Murro, and Memory go out to have fun

-The day starts with Memory getting help from the two of you to make a snow replica of Murro’s Boar

-You soon rope Kevin and Demi into the task as well

-and by the end of it, Murro and his boar are posing dramatically while a white semblance of them that would probably disgrace the sculptor or any other artist of the manor, but it brought the six of you joy, and at this point, that’s all you care about

-making the most of the days you have, where everyone can be happy

-as you dwell on this thought, the others notice your eyes looking somewhere that cannot be perceived by them

-Emma knows you aren’t unhappy, but wants to pull you back to reality before you lose yourself in your thoughts

-and that's how the situation you’re currently in started

-Emma being the first attacker, and you, the victim

-The stark cold of the snow did well to yank you from uncertainty’s dark grasp

-When you tried to retaliate, you missed Emma severely, instead, hitting Demi’s shoulder

-you try to gasp out an apology when her eyes narrow, but as you watch her pick up snow, you realize she doesn’t have malicious intent

-You duck and cover when she ends up just flinging snow towards you, not packing it enough to constitute being called a “snow-ball”

-It gets all over you, Emma, and Memory

-The three of you work together to gather three armfuls of snow to dump on Demi, she leads you over to Kevin and Murro, effectively bringing everyone in the game

-The game didn’t continue much longer after that, it was fun while it lasted, but everyone was cold, ready to go back in and add this event to their memories by the fire with a nice warm drink

-Emma agrees with you, taking it upon herself to lead you to the fireplace fit to warm even the coldest of hearts

-Though, it won’t be necessary for either of you

-You’re both as warm as you can be right next to each other

Victor

-It’s actually not either of you that start the snow day

-You know who really loves to roll in the snow and frolic around in the delicate blanket of cold softening the ground?

-That’s right! Wick the ever-loyal post dog!

-It’s Wick who gently barks at Victor to get his attention

-and it’s Wick who pushes against your legs until you are where he wants you

-he wants you to open the doors for him, so he can get outside and play

-you share a quick smile with Victor, then go chase after Wick who still desires attention

-Hey, Victor wants attention too

-But he’s just as happy watching you play with Wick

-He used to think that it was easy to hide your true emotions when face to face with someone

-That only through the written word could thoughts be truly and genuinely expressed

-but when he looked at you

-that ideal went away

-seeing how you laughed when Wick jumped around to catch the snow you were flicking at him

-the redness in your cheeks, the puffs of breath he could see from the cold, and your rising and falling chest as you run and jump and romp in the snow

-it all felt so real to him

-you could never hide that

-and he wouldn’t want you to

-He’s distracted, you can tell. You don’t know what he’s thinking, but if his lax posture and light grin was a sign of anything, it was good

-and while you hated to pull him out of whatever good thoughts he was having at the moment

-you couldn’t help your frisky ones

-so, you did as any good friend would do

-and toss a snow-ball

-not hard, you wouldn’t hurt him

-but right on his head so that when it breaks, it showers light powder all over him

-he turns to you, incredulous

-how could you do this to him

-he’s hurt

-broken

-destroyed

-He says this with his eyes, pulling a hand to his chest in feign desperation

-gradually closing the distance between you

-You have to admit

-his acting is good, if you didn’t know any better, looking into his eyes, you genuinely would think he’s about to cry

-But instead, he can’t help his large grin as he, too, gathers a large bundle of snow

-you can’t do anything, he towers over you

-for once, he takes distinct advantage of his sheer height

-and snow cascades upon you

-now you’re cold

-like really cold

-so, you do as anyone in your position would do, and run for safety

-despite his treasonous act against you, you lead Victor inside as well, Wick following closely behind

-right outside the door, you brush yourself off, Victor gets your back, and you brush off his

-You work on Wick together, turning the task of getting all the snow off of him into petting Wick so much, he may start to drool

-Wick loves the attention

-So does Victor

-and so do you

(I feel like my posts take up too much space, so I decreased the font size :3 I'm still trying to figure out the best way to format these, but I'm having fun!)

As always! I hope you enjoy <3

#idv #idv x reader #idv victor #idv emma #idv naib #victor grantz x reader #emma woods x reader #naib subedar x reader #identity v #identity v x reader

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scarlettaagni · 10 months

Text

Instead of the stupid true form bullshit, Vilgax is maimed OS-pilot-style and washes up onshore where he is discovered by civilians— some being Flamekeepers, then taken in and kept alive in a vat of long-conserved Dagon’s blood

He has a passing resemblance to Dagon, or what depictions they have of him so Vilgax rolls with it because they’re keeping him alive, but more importantly, they will be his ticket to power able to restore himself and then some. He knows of Dagon (how? same way Azmuth knows. they just Do. they hear about things. don’t @ me) and knows the Circle/Esoterica are legit because they have access to dimensional shifting and other abilities of Dagon’s.

Given Psyphon is second in command and also extremely loyal, he orders search and rescues when Vilgax disappears unplanned like that (usually into the Null Void or pitched into space like an angry baseball). By all justified means Vilgax is probably tagged, and thus Psyphon tracks him to the Circle’s holding to rescue him, but he declines. Vilgax is following that lead to more power.

He holds some sway over the Circle, but Vilgax can’t do much from inside a tank, in his state no less, or learn much through questioning since he’s posing as someone who should already know these things, so he needs Psyphon on standby to gather information Vilgax can’t gather himself as he leads the Esoterica on in order to get closer to the real Dagon. Psyphon could even have the bioids mind the ship and keep tabs on him by using an ID mask (salvaged and repaired from Kevin’s in the AF finale since he doesn’t need it anymore) to appear as an Esoterica.

Since Psyphon’s actually been in contact with Vilgax from at least a little after he was taken in by the Flamekeeper’s Circle, Reflected Glory doesn’t happen, unless they feel as though the AF trio is getting suspicious the loyal lackey hasn’t tried to kill them for “killing” Vilgax and they need to stage something, but I would replace it with an episode (maybe even before Psyphon finds Vilgax) where the trio fight Psyphon as he scavenges the wreck of their ship and humans have been sighting him and the investigating Plumbers on the ocean floor, and that news gets to the trio via Jimmy Jones

Also, that tank is clear/greenish, it’s blue because it’s filling up with Vilgax’s blood, blueless version under the cut

The unraveled arm is a sorta nod to how everyone post-OS reimagines Vilgax’s cybernetic arms as being braided tentacles, because I strongly hold onto the opinion that the red tendons you see between his muscles in OS keep them together and that his arm would only unravel like that if blown apart, so the shredded muscles just float/flex independent of each other.

The idea is that my redesigned Dagon is actually fat and fishy like the Lovecraft version, but enough of a passing resemblance to Vilgax so that if either were horribly maimed, they could be mistaken for one another (ex. Vilgax’s front being totally gone concealing he doesn’t have a big belly)

But when they fuse together in rewrite UA finale, they’ll resemble actual Cthulhu.

#nerd stuff #my art #scarletta doodles #ben 10 #vilgax #esoterica arc #gore #body horror #trypophobia #dagon

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drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 4 months

Note

In ur opinion,who do u think draw moon knight best?

Mine is Declan Shalvey

BOY DID YOU ASK A QUESTION!!!!!!!

I’ve waxed on and on about the writers of Moon Knight. The best ones, the worst ones, a few mediocre ones that got the job done….

But what about the art?

Each artist has their own style, their own ideas, and their own grasp of Moon Knight.

When you get very lucky, you get a writer and artist dream team that create something beautiful.

Let’s start with Bill Sienkiewicz.

(THIS WASN'T EVEN FOR A COMIC. HE JUST FUCKING DREW THIS FOR FUNZIES)

He was not the first to draw Moon Knight. THAT was Don Perlin! Look at this cape design!

He was relatively new to the comic scene, but quickly a very sought after man. New Mutants, Electra, and many others for many different publishers.

And even after he left us he still pops in now and then to remind us that no one…NO ONE can draw Moon Knight like he can. Look at Sienkiewicz JUST FLEXING.

(2014 people!!) Someone came to him and went, "Hey we could use a Moon Knight Variant. Do you wanna dip back in and hand us a little ol' Moony?"

And he gave them this and I'm sure they went "...WTF we didn't even ask for this. We thought he'd just do him perched on a building or something in the distance. What do we do with this? It's too good holy crap."

(2022 because he felt like schooling us again with another cover)

But he gave us more than the cowl. He gave us the men who wear it.

And as amazing as his art was:

He also gave us the most important pieces:

I could wax on and on about Bill all day… But let’s take a look at some other artists.

Kevin Nowlan Kept the dark parts of the suit and the billowing cape.

Bo Hampton is the one that teamed up with Zelenetz to give us a fantastic sleek and angry design. Here's MK punching some Neo-Nazi in the face!

Chris Warner came later in "First of Khonshu" run and started with a very classic 1990s muscle bound and glitzy design. A design that might start to look familiar to those of you with a sharp eye (look at that belt. We're approaching the BLING age of Moon Knight.)

This was a weird time in comics for Moon Knight. We were switching out writers a lot and he suddenly had a much more Egyptian style theme.

Moon Knight art goes on a WILD ride after this. We get the "Marc Spector" run that spans late 80s and early 80s and the art gets very 90s. Solid, Dark, and BUSY.

Sal Velluto (With the Punisher! This was a fantastic pair up!)

Ron Garney Plays with the sharp edges of the cloak and that’s nice. Also gives his mask a bit more of a definition.

Gary Kwapisz comes in with a BOLD metallic Moon Knight. Just look at those fists! Time time in MK was just wild you guys.

James Fry flies in and tries to make sense of those MUSCLES.

1993 arrived and the 90s hit HARD.

Stephen Platt deep in that 90s style.

What’s happening here? I don’t know. You don’t know. No one knows. But man does it look ACTION COOL.

Muscles got BIG in this period in the 90s. Anatomy got weird and chest size had no limits.

Tommy Lee Edwards steps in and slims our pal Moon Knight back down.

Now THAT is a breath of fresh air. I love this.

Look at the use of that cape! And the hood? The subtle mask outline… Yes please.

Mark Texeira steps in after this. Let me tell you guys about this art. This is the start of the modern age. 2008!

(Look at the little Moon Knight design in the upper right near the signature! OMG little cutie!) Also the details in that rugged face and wet hair.

But how does the suit look?

Nice.

We leave behind the glorious Tex and head to David Finch! You might recognize some of these motiffs as we get to some more popular runs.

Hello there fist spikes! This is when Moon Knight starts to get his reputation as being a bit…punchy…

The point in his cowl gets defined in this style too.

Mico Suayan takes on this hard hitting run too.

Clean lines, dark darks and white whites and that cape! The spikes are gone but the muscles are coming back.

This was a big action packed run and numerous artists got a chance.

Now… This is about where I stop listing every single artist because it gets too fast pace with single issues, annuals, events, and all that fun business. SO here are some highlights. Also I have an upload limit so I'm sorry I can't show you all the beautiful art styles that branched off at this time.

Bong Dazo gave us that little sad startled cat.

Jerome Opeña Had such AMAZING action picks. I’ve never seen action done so well. And that outfit!

I…I could go on forever about this artist and the run he did. But that’s for another day… Just know that I think about it all the time and it lives in my head rent free.

I’m going to skip a lot here and jump to the BIG GUNS.

Hate the run, LOVE the art.

My dear Alex Maleev makes it worth it.

The absolute SLAYING of the white in every image kills me. LOOK. LOOOK AT THE USE OF NEGATIVE SPACE.

It honestly brings me back to Sienkiewicz.

I’m screaming inside holding this up to the moon.

From there we slide SO easily into Declan Shalvey my precious.

You know what I’m talking about.

Ron Ackins Took over from there and it was stellar.

I am going to skip over THREE artists on purpose because not only was the RUN bad (the worst) but also the ART was just the worst. (See BEMIS run. Ugh. Nothing was good in that run.)

Do I need to talk about Greg Smallwood?

Do I really need to post anything about Greg?

Or Cappuccio who works with MacKay's current run?

Or Federico Sabbatini who also fills in with MacKay?

(I would but I'm out of picture space. Thanks Tumblr).

So who is my favorite?

Hard to say… I’m caught up in the colors and designs of some, the action styles of others. Sometimes the raw power of MK’s fighting or just in how clever his cape and cowl are done.

And sometimes I crave that amazing 1980s Sienkiewicz designs of Moon Knight in the rain, Stained Glass Scarlet’s everything, and the shape of Moon Knight (or shapelessness of him).

I could argue that ANY artist that draws Moon Knight during a good run is my favorite. I could forgive most any style if the story is right and the style will weave into the words and the flow of his cape will settle into my heart once again.

And sometimes….

Well…

#Moon Knight #Talk to me about Moon Knight #Ask away #Does that answer your question?#BOY did you ask a question #I always leave out the colorists and inkers and I feel bad #But we wouldn't be here without them #To the finishers too #Layout artists #There are so many people involved in making a comic beautiful

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stabbyfoxandrew · 12 days

Note

Oh no poor Neil first Andrew comparing him to Nathan and then the knife in his hand making it all worse.

More please xx

(Also how is your headache?)

WIP Wednesday (4/17) | Guardian Angel Neil AU (Part 163)

“I thought the knife shows up when I’m in trouble,” Andrew says, eyeing the blade. It seems freshly sharpened and ready for a fight. So, between it and Neil’s anger, Andrew is understandably a bit nervous. But Neil wouldn’t turn it on him. Would he?

Andrew clears his throat. “Am I in trouble, Neil?”

Neil’s jaw clenches and he turns to look at Andrew. “I will never harm you. You know that.”

“Then what’s this?” Andrew flicks the flat of the knife to punctuate his question, equally relieved and freaked out that he can feel the steel under his finger. Neil hisses in a breath.

“I don’t know, alright? I thought that it appeared yesterday because you were in danger. Maybe it was because I got angry when I thought someone wanted to hurt you. Maybe it came now because I’m…” Neil tapers off, then spits the word, “Upset.”

“Oh,” is all Andrew can say to all that. The angel still has the knife, after all. And Andrew’s got his fair share of scars already.

“Hello!” Neil shouts up at the sky, startling Andrew.

He gets no answer. Typical.

“I don’t want this! Take it back!” Neil waves the knife around as if trying to make it dissipate. But it doesn’t go anywhere. Even when he opens his fingers and gives up his grip on the handle, it stays stuck to his hand like the velcro on Kevin’s cap.

“Please!” Neil shouts, his voice wet. Hearing Neil say that word rips something out of Andrew’s chest and stomps it to dust. He wants to take it all back. He wants…

#oh i know. andrew has totally fucked up lol #also my head is fine now love thank you for caring about me <333 #andreil #aftg #WIP Wednesday #Guardian Angel Neil AU #🕊️#answered #anon

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f1-disaster-bi · 7 days

Text

Have some Mafia au because why not:

Lance was going to kill him.

Not just Lance. Kevin would probably have a few choice words for him too. Jenson would probably sigh at him. Charles would probably cry, and yell while Pierre and Esteban shook their heads at him. There would probably be a joke in there somewhere from a concerned Sebastian or an angry Kimi about Lando being trouble, but really, this time wasn't his fault.

How was he to know that some asshole would try robbing the supermarket at ten o'clock at night when there was only Lando and a few others in store?

Lando had just wanted to get some ice cream. He'd run out the other night, and he'd been craving it. His sweet tooth begging to be soothed by his favourite flavours and driving him out of the safety of his home late at night because Lance, who made up most of his impulse control, was out of the country and had left Lando to his own devices.

And now here he was in an all too familiar position these days as someone pointed a gun at him, and he could just hear the lecture he was going to get from his husband later as Lando refused to back down.

There were people cowering behind him. There were children dressed in pajamas, clutching at their mother as they sobbed and shook with fear, and all that was standing between them and the gun man was Lando. He couldn't let them get hurt, so Lando didn't budge as the guy screamed and yelled at him.

Instead he just smirked at him, pointed at the gun, and gave him a rocky smile.

"Are you going to put that down, or do I have to take it from you?"

His question had the desired effect of missing off the badly masked man as his hand holding the gun trembled with rage or withdrawal. Lando had already noticed him when he was outside. He'd noticed the paranoid movements and the way he had trembled. He just hadn't expected the local drug addict to try rob the place while he was trying to find his ice cream.

"You're fucking dead", the man hissed, finger trembling as he tried to undo the safety on the gun but before he could Lando was moving.

It didn't take much to knock the guy to the ground. He was basically skin and bone, but what Lando hadn't expected was the way the gun ended up between him and the guy, or how he had managed to get the safety off u till a bulled tore through his shoulder as they crashed to the ground.

He ignored the pain and the blood, driving his knee into the man's stomach as his hand grabbed the one still holding the gun. He slammed it on the ground as the guy whimpered and loosened his hold enough for Lando to bat it away his body. He flipped the guy over without much resistance. His kept his knee on the small of his back as he grabbed his arms and held them in a tight grip.

"Anyone got anything to tie him with?" Lando’s words had the man trying to move but he just slammed his head into the ground to knock him out as someone scrambled to their feet snd came back with rope, "Did anyone call for help?"

"I hit the button when he shot you", the cashier, a teenage girl that was shaking with tears in her eyes told him, "You...you saved us, oh my god"

Lando just offered her a smile as he fought the wave of dizziness that was threatening to overtake him from the way he was steadily loosing blood.

"Here, let me help", the mother of the children was by his side as he blocked at her. It was only then he realised she was wearing nurses scrubs as she pressed something to his shoulder to stop the bleeding, "How did you know how to do that?"

Lando could hear the sirens getting closer and he just hppped, that his old squad weren't the ones on the other side of the door because he would never hear the end of this if it was them.

"I used to be a detective", Lando explained, breathing through the pain, "Funnily enough I retired because I've already been shot in this shoulder once before and almost died"

The woman's reply was lost in the sound of his name being called by an all too familiar voice before Mark Webber was standing before him with an unimpressed Kevin and Nico standing behind him.

"You just don't know how to stay out of trouble, Norris", Mark greeted, taking in the scene and the unconscious man tied up on the floor, "Robbery gone wrong?"

"Something like that", Lando hummed, smiling at his old team, "I wanted ice cream. He wanted to rob the place"

"So you caught a bullet to the shoulder for some, what? Vanilla swirl?", Nico snorted, already bagging the gun as evidence and shaking his head as Kevin and Daniil hauled the unconscious man up and out towards the squad cars waiting outside.

"Raspberry Ripley actually", Lando joked with a shrug that had him hissing as the woman put more pressure on his wound.

"Your husband is going to kill you", Mark shook his head, radioing for the EMTs to approach because there was no active threat any longer.

"Any chance he doesn't have to know about this?", Lando sighed, closing his eyes.

"Not a chance kid. I bet Kevin's already called him"

"Wonderful"

#mafia au #lando is a danger magnet #strollis #lance/lando #lando/lance #lando is a badass

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kyleoreillylover · 3 months

Text

here's a sneak peek in my next chapter 👀

tag list: @southerngirl41 @venusesworld @jeysbae @reci1996 @tbonesteakwithasideofmashngrav @hope4more @selena-tyler-564 @saintaquarius @whatdoeseverybodywant @raya-hunter01 @empressdede

"I told you, his loyalty will always lie with Roman." Kevin stepped up, wanting to convince you of the truth he believed in. Sami whipped his head to Kevin, frustration etched on his face.

"You need to back off, Kevin. This is none of your business," Sami snapped at Kevin, his frustration evident. He needed to get rid of the problem, and Kevin was the one causing problems.

"Oh, it's very much my business when it involves Y/N," Kevin replied, a sly smirk on his face. "I'm just pointing out the obvious, and she deserves to know the truth."

You shot Kevin a venomous glare, your patience wearing thin. "I don't need you to tell me anything. Stay out of our business!"

Jey, still seething with anger, turned his attention back to you. "You need to stop playing these games! I can't have someone who's not fully with me."

You scoffed, not being able to take his accusations any longer. "Games? You're the one starting this whole mess on live television, accusing me of things I haven't done. If you can't trust me, then maybe you need to figure out your own priorities."

You had pushed Jey too much, and he couldn't handle it anymore. He was a hothead at his worst, and his insecurities and your anguish had reached a boiling point.

"And if you can't handle the truth, maybe you need to reconsider being a part of the Bloodline," Jey shot back, his frustration turning into a cold determination, but he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. The weight of the silence that followed hung heavily in the air, a tangible tension that seemed to echo through the entire arena.

Your brain shut down at the weight of Jey's words. The shock, hurt, and anger collided within you, creating a storm of emotions. Everyone else seemed to fade away, and all that remained was the harsh reality of the words that had just been spoken. The man you loved just told you that he questioned your place in the Bloodline, and in his life. The realization hit you like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, you felt the world around you blur.

Jey's declaration hung in the air like a heavy cloud, and the split screen showed Roman's expression darkening, his eyes narrowing at the unfolding chaos. The tension within the Bloodline had reached a breaking point, and the fractures within the faction seemed irreparable.

Sami's hands on your shoulders steadied you as the weight of Jey's words sank in, but you brushed his hands away, needing a moment to process everything. Jey's face was a mixture of regret and frustration, and he tried to reach out to you, but you stepped back, putting some distance between you and him.

"You really think that?" Your voice was shaky, a mix of hurt and anger lacing your words, and Jey's heart hurt at the sight. He thought airing out his feelings on live television would make things better, but it only seemed to have made everything worse.

Jey's regret was evident, but he struggled to find the right words to mend the damage. "Y/N, I didn't mean it like that. I was just angry, and I—" Jey began to explain, desperation in his voice, but you held up a hand to stop him.

No, Jey. You said what you really felt. Don't try to backtrack now." Your voice wavered with a mixture of emotions. "You wanna act like a big strong man and air out our shit on live TV, fine. But don't expect me to just forgive and forget when you question my loyalty and place in the Bloodline."

Your words were sharp, each one laced with the hurt and betrayal you felt in that moment. Jey stepped closer to you, his eyes pleading for understanding, but you took another step back, the distance between you growing.

"No, you wanna question my loyalty? Fine, then maybe I need to reevaluate my place in the Bloodline and in your life," you declared, your tone resolute.

"No no, no you do not." Sami tried to step in, his frustration evident. "Y/N, don't let this moment define everything. Emotions are high, and Jey didn't mean—"

You cut Sami off, your eyes never leaving Jey's. "No, Sami. He needs to face the consequences of his words. If he questions my loyalty and my place, then maybe it's time for me to make a decision."

#wwe x reader #wwe fanfiction #wwe x black reader #sami zayn x reader #jey uso x reader #jey uso x fem reader #jey uso x black reader #sami zayn x fem reader #sami zayn fanfiction #kevin owens imagine #kevin owens fanfiction #kevin owens x reader #kevin owens x fem reader #wwe x you #wwe x oc #wwe imagine #the bloodline x reader #roman reigns x reader

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kevinsbitch · 8 months

Text

pt 1

pt 2

pt 3

pt 4 (finale):

Neil crouches beside Kevin. He doesn't say anything for endless minutes. Then, he jumps up and take a step backwards. Kevin thinks that Neil feels uncomfortable with him being so close. But what Neil says is completely different from what Kevin thinks.

"So, I'm not good enough for you, then?" Neil's voice is trembling.

"What?" Kevin looks up in incomprehension. He blinks stupidly and can't say a word more. It's him who isn't good enough. What is that dumb Josten talking about? Neil looks sad and slightly angry.

"You like me, Kevin, and you know I like you too. But, perhaps, I'm just not good enough for you. Sorry for being a disappointment, Kevin, but fuck you. I don't need you, you hear me? I already have—"

He can't finish his sentence because Andrew interrupts him with his sharp voice.

"Truth, Neil."

Neil flinches and speaks quieter.

"Okay," says Neil and looks straight in Kevins eyes, "Maybe I need you."

Kevin's gaze shifts from one man to another. Why is Andrew here? Why he wants Neil to tell him the truth? What truth?

"What do you want?" The only question Kevin can come up with.

"To be with us," Neil almost whispers.

"Okay. Back to normal, then?" Kevin tries to smile but he can't. Andrew steps closer to him.

"You don't get it, Kevin. Neil asks you to be with us, not just be back to normal."

"With... What? What do you mean...? What? You're kidding me, right? Stop it. You'll break me, Andrew." It sounds like a plea. Kevin's chest feels tight. He doesn't know why Andrew is being so cruel to him.

"Are you still sure about him, Neil?" asks Andrew, his voice is doubtful.

"Yes. Kevin, are you that stupid?"

"You're asking me to be with you, I get it. Isn't it cheating?" Kevin says after minutes of silence.

"You see someone offended here or what?"

"You don't even like me, Andrew. Why?"

Andrew buries his face in his hands and groans, "I hate you."

"That's what I'm talking about. You want to see me and him together and suffer from it? Or you just want to have a reason to kill me someday?"

"He doesn't hate you. Neither of us. He just like this word, I think," says Neil and Kevin doesn't look at him, but his voice sounds like he's smiling right now.

"He keeps telling me that," says Kevin, like Andrew isn't in this room with them.

"Yeah, me too. But I stopped believing him ages ago," Neil sounds joyful and Kevin doesn't know the reason of his joy.

Kevin knows that Andrew hates him. And he knew that since they first met. And it was safe to think about Andrew's hatred, because Kevin could hate him in return. It was the only thing he allowed himself to feel since that day.

If Andrew doesn't hate him, then...

You're not allowed, Kevin. Don't even think about it. You need to control yourself. Now Andrew is going to say that it's a joke. Just a cruel joke, and even if Kevin doesn't know why they treat him like that, he will forgive them. Perhaps he deserves something like that? Andrew interrupts this dangerous train of thoughts with his strict voice.

"Listen to me carefully, Kevin," Andrew comes close to him and Kevin can smell his perfume. He feels dizzy. "I'll give you one chance. You need to decide whether you want it or not. Just say no, and it'll stop everything. Just say it."

"You want me to say no?" Kevin asks, but he already has an answer.

"I just want your answer. Give it to me, but be honest with yourself."

"I want it more than anything," Kevin's heart is racing in his chest but he finally feels a great sense of relief. "I want to be with you. If you just let me, I'll be perfect for you, I'll do my best, I promise."

"Shut up. I don't want to see you even trying that," says Andrew, trying to sound irritated.

"Kevin, you already are," says Neil, when he holds his cold hands. "And Andrew really likes you," Neil whispers in his ear. "So am I."

Then Neil kisses him softly and Andrew sighs loudly. Everything feels perfect now.

The end.

(you can also find it on ao3)

#aftg #all for the game #kandreil #andreil #neil josten #andrew minyard #kevandreil #kevin day #kevneil #all for the gay

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indeedcaptain · 4 months

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Regulatory Relations, chapter 12: The Tourists // The Hacker

HELLO ALL. I hope you're having a lovely January and I haven't missed too many cool trends or posts or what have you. Behold, a fucking monster of a chapter that I should have split into two!

some fun links! first, here is a crinoid. i didn't even make it up, that's really what it looks like. second, if you like the natural history museum as much as kirk, spock, and i do, you might like this book: otherlands. these links will make more sense after reading.

This chapter is also posted on my AO3 here. :)

Okay. Here's the chapter. Off I go again to play too much Tetris. Hugs and kisses.

☆☆☆

Kirk woke up with a crick in his neck and a twinge in his spine. His alarm sounded suspiciously far away, and it wasn’t until he peeled his eyes open that he remembered his rash decision to sleep on his couch. His alarm beeped aggressively from its spot next to his bed, and he dragged Spock’s blanket over his shoulders as he shuffled across the room to turn it off. He sat heavily on the edge of the bed as the lights came on, absentmindedly rubbing his cheek against the soft fabric of the blanket, which still held the slightest reminder of Spock.

He felt like someone had wrung out his spirit like a sponge, but at least a night of sleep had rubbed the sharpest edges off his emotions. For a moment he considered laying down on his bed, dragging the blanket back over his head, and giving up on the day before it had really begun--- but he was the captain. He had responsibilities. He pulled the blanket to his face one more time, inhaling as much as he could, before standing, dropping it back on the couch, and heading into the bathroom to shower.

He and Spock had fought before. In the early days of his captaincy, before he had understood that the Vulcan’s questions and disagreements were the logical outputs of a logical mind and not a personal attack on his leadership, they had fought frequently. But slowly, over time, they had settled into a rhythm that forced them both to be better than either of them were individually. Kirk could only hope that they would be able to find that rhythm again. He would apologize as soon as he could find the words. As soon as he felt like a real human being again and not a faded copy of one.

Kirk stepped out of the sonic, shaved, dressed, and left their quarters before coming to an abrupt halt. A white wall stood in silent judgment in front of him. With a sinking heart, he realized that some small part of him had been hoping that, despite everything, Spock would be standing outside the door. The turbodoor closed behind him as he stared at the wall, willing Spock to materialize. But he did not. Kirk walked down the hallway alone.

☆☆☆

Bones and Uhura were eating breakfast together at a square four-top table, but Spock was nowhere to be seen when Kirk entered the officers’ mess. Bones was probably still angry with him for vanishing out of Medbay, and if Kirk had to guess he would assume that Uhura would take Spock’s side in their breakup, if that’s what it was. Kirk had to admit that, if he were her, Kirk would too. Didn’t she say, right at the start, that he had better be good to Spock? He stood in the entrance to the mess, frozen, the beginnings of a cage forming around his lungs. He had wrecked his relationships; he had lost Spock, and then Uhura for good measure, and pushed Bones away and the woman in whom he had placed all of the trust he had left after Tarsus had lied to him and hurt Kevin in his name---

“Jim!” At the sound, Kirk snapped to attention. Bones waved at him with a half-eaten piece of toast, and when their eyes met Bones kicked the chair next to him out from the table. Kirk blinked, but made it across the mess mostly and slid into the chair Bones had indicated.

“If there’s ever been a man more in need of a cup of joe, I haven’t met him,” Bones said to Uhura, and she nodded solemnly.

“I was just about to get another. Would you like one, captain?” Her voice was perfectly even; her liquid-dark eyes met his without hesitation.

“That would be nice,” he said, the first words he’d said that day coming out rough, and she nodded. As she walked away, Bones turned to him.

“How are you holding up, Jim?” The kindness in his eyes was unexpected. Kirk, undeserving, turned away from it.

“Are you going to remove me from command?” It wasn’t the question he meant to ask, but in the end, it was the only one that mattered.

“Jesus Christ, Jim, absolutely not,” Bones said, shocked into stillness, and the authenticity of his reaction pulled Kirk’s eyes back to him. “You still owe me about a hundred more answers, and they had better be honest ones this time, but it’s not an impeachable offense to get in an argument. I wish you hadn’t fled while I was holding some poor kid’s skull together--- he’s fine, by the way, just an idiot--- but I’m glad you went to go talk to the lieutenant. If I had known enough about him, I would have told you to see him myself.” Bones patted his arm as Uhura approached with two steaming mugs. “You’re not suddenly a bad captain because someone lied to you, Jimmy. We’ll sort this out.”

Uhura handed him the mug as Bones’s words settled into his mind, easing away some of the tightness that had taken root in his chest. She slipped back into her chair and wrapped both hands around her mug, breathing in the rich, warm smell.

“Thank you,” Kirk said, sipping from his own mug. She flapped her hand at him in acknowledgement, and even that was friendly. He cast about for a safe topic of conversation before giving up on that idea. “So,” he said, trying to sound casual. “How’s Spock?”

Uhura and Bones traded a glance that was far too immediate and synchronized to be insignificant. “He’s fine,” she said. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday lunch, though. He was working on some research project of his all night in the laboratories.” Kirk felt a slight thrill of vindication that he had guessed correctly where Spock would be, but he squashed it.

“He’s… fine?”

“Yes, captain,” Uhura said, in a tone that she might have adopted to explain something to a child. “He is fine. But you’re going to have to talk to him yourself if you want any more detail than that.” If Bones wasn’t angry, and Spock was fine, and Uhura was on speaking terms with Kirk, maybe, just maybe, there was a way that he could salvage his life on his ship. If he could figure out how to apologize for how he had behaved while still maintaining the boundary that he had placed between himself and Spock, maybe things could go back to normal.

Bones pushed his tray in front of Kirk as he took another sip of coffee. “Toast?”

Grateful beyond measure for the both of them, Kirk snagged a piece. It was slightly burnt, and Bones always put an amount of jam on it that should have been illegal. It was delicious.

Kirk noticed three strange things when he stepped onto the bridge with Uhura, four minutes before the start of alpha. The first was that Scotty stood on the bridge, chatting with Sulu, when his typical work schedule indicated that he should have been down in Engineering. The second was that the science station was empty, even though Spock usually arrived six to ten minutes before the start of his shift.

The third was that Starbase 27 loomed enormous in the viewscreen ahead of them, despite the fact that they weren’t scheduled to have been anywhere near it for another sixteen hours. Kirk blinked vigorously at the improbable sight, and then glanced to Scotty. Scotty beamed at him.

“Morning, captain,” Scotty said, and those two words were so gleeful that Kirk half-expected steam to start whistling out from underneath his thatch of dark hair. There were a few other engineers leaning against the security station behind him, chatting amongst themselves, who also should have been down in the engine rooms rather than crowding his bridge. “Where’s your better half?”

Kirk floundered. “In the laboratories,” he said faintly. “He was working on some research project.”

“Isn’t he always,” Scotty said. “Well, we should wait for him to arrive.”

“Wait for? Scotty, what’s going on? How did we even get here?” Kirk gestured to the starbase in front of him, the one that should have been lightyears away from their current position. Behind him, the turbolift door slid open and Spock appeared, somber and handsome, as the ship’s clock ticked over to 0800 precisely. He tucked multiple padds into the pockets of his pants as he went straight to his station, long legs eating up the distance in three steps.

“Mr. Spock! Just the man I wanted to see!” Scotty grinned at Spock, who straightened slowly and looked at Scotty with a completely blank face. For once half-second his eyes flicked to Kirk, as if to gauge Kirk’s thoughts on the matter, but then his gaze returned to Scotty before Kirk could react.

“Good morning, Mr. Scott,” Spock said, and his voice was gritty in the way that Kirk knew meant he hadn’t slept at all.

“As I believe you can all tell, we have arrived at Starbase 27 a wee bit ahead of schedule,” Scotty said, clasping his hands excitedly in front of himself. He glanced at Spock again, who gave him an indulgent head tilt. “Just a wee bit. Nothing too wild. And any and all unregulated adaptations made to any and all engines have been reverted. So don’t ye worry. But, captain, commander…” Scotty looked over at the other engineers, who grinned. “Behold: yer wedding gift from the engineering department.”

Kirk narrowed his eyes, parsing through exactly what Scotty was saying and not saying. “What did you do to the engines?”

“Aye, never mind about that, sir,” Scotty said cheerfully. “But Janice helped us all arrange it, shift-wise. So here’s our gift to you.”

“A starbase?”

“As much of a honeymoon as we could provide,” Scotty said, and the engineers behind him bumped fists. “Before we pick up the brass and get real orders again. Time for you and Mr. Spock to be off-ship together.” Uhura covered her smile with one hand as Kirk’s heart sank. It was an ingenious feat of engineering, impossibly thoughtful, unbearably kind. He couldn’t possibly accept. There was no way that Spock would be willing to spend twelve hours with him on a honeymoon after yesterday, after skipping their morning routine.

“Scotty…” Kirk breathed, mentally digging for a way to let Spock out of it. But Spock’s eyes flashed to him again, and then Spock was speaking over him.

“This is a thoughtful and considerate gift, Mr. Scott,” Spock said. “We are grateful for the effort you and your engineers exerted to do so. But,” and Kirk closed his eyes. There was the but. They were going to get divorced right here on the bridge and then Spock would leave.

“I recommend that in the future you simply do not mention any adaptations.” Kirk opened his eyes, and Scotty beamed at Spock, who favored him with a teasing eyebrow.

“Duly noted, Mr. Spock,” Scotty agreed. “Mr. Kyle is waiting in the transporter room for you, at your convenience.”

“Thank you, Mr. Scott,” Spock said, and finally turned to face Kirk. When his eyes met his, they were unreadable. But he said, “After you, captain.”

“You have the conn, Scotty,” Kirk said, and with all the conviction he could muster: “Thank you.”

“Our pleasure, captain,” Scotty said, and he took Kirk’s spot in the chair as Kirk walked on numb legs back to the turbolift. Spock walked a half step behind him, and turned to face the door as it closed between them and the bridge. Kirk’s eyes snagged on the proud set of his shoulders, the hard line of his jaw and the slight discoloration under his eyes that evidenced his lack of sleep. He needed to apologize. He wanted to take Spock’s hands in his again and let Spock do the awful work of sorting through his conflicting and contradictory desires. Maybe Spock could figure out the most logical path forward for them. Instead he said nothing.

Spock stopped the lift halfway to the transporter deck, and Kirk stiffened. The sudden silence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Without turning to meet Kirk’s eyes, his gaze still steadily ahead, Spock asked, “Do you wish for the dissolution of our marriage, captain?”

Kirk’s stomach dropped, and he snapped his eyes away. Of course he didn’t. If he lost Spock to another position after all of this, he would resign his commission and go back to Iowa to build ships instead. But he said, “I’ll do whatever you want, Spock.”

“That is not an answer to the question that I posed,” Spock said. Kirk turned at Spock’s firm tone. Spock’s eyes were locked on him, his head cocked slightly, and his cold anger from yesterday had been replaced with a probing intensity. “I asked what you wanted.”

He could lie to Spock again. He could tell him that he wanted a divorce, and free them both from the path that he had set them on. He would lose his best friend and grieve for the rest of his life, but he could force himself to say the words. But he thought of Bones’s shock-slackened face at Kirk’s admission, and Uhura’s kindness this morning even though he had been cruel to the man they both cared for, and he thought of Kevin Riley’s silent suffering at the recommendation of the woman who had shaped him.

“No,” he said. The word was out of him before he could convince himself that it was wrong. It was reckless, maybe irresponsible, but it was what he wanted. “I don’t.”

Spock’s shoulders loosened the slightest amount, and he restarted the lift. When he looked back at Kirk at the corner of his eye, there was almost a smile in the tilt of his head.

“Good,” he said. Kirk gaped at him, but he fixed his eyes forward again. Before he could pose any of his follow-up questions, which mainly consisted of ‘what the hell?,’ the turbolift deposited them in the empty hallway that led to the transporter. Spock stepped out, but Kirk hesitated. He at least owed Spock one more graceful exit from what was sure to be an unpleasant and awkward day.

“Spock…”

Spock swung around immediately, hands clasped behind his back. “Yes, captain?”

“We don’t have to do this,” Kirk said.

“Clarify.”

“You don’t even like shore leave,” Kirk said. “You could---”

“But you do,” Spock said evenly. Kirk opened his mouth, but Spock continued over him, “Your stress levels have been unacceptably high for the past eight days. Your efficiency is decreased by 10.2%, your general morale lowered by more, and I do not foresee a better opportunity for you to relieve this stress before we spend the next two weeks with the admirals onboard, which, historically, has not been what you would describe as a ‘pleasant’ experience.”

Kirk spluttered. “My stress levels are fine, Spock---”

“They are not,” Spock said calmly. “And I understand that human beings consider it rude to reject a gift, especially when such effort was exerted to provide it. Therefore, we are going to the starbase.” Spock turned and started walking again, and Kirk strode after him to catch up. Before Kirk could drag him around by the elbow and force Spock to explain himself, even though he didn’t have a single leg to stand on when it came to demanding explanations for anything, Spock reached the door to the transporter and it opened before him. Engineer Kyle was already at the command board, grinning at them.

“Mazel tov, sirs,” he said, and Spock inclined his head. Kirk smiled at him as best he could and followed Spock onto the transporter pad.

“Thank you, Mr. Kyle,” Kirk said. “Energize, please.”

They arrived in the busy transport bay of an enormous, arched hall that seemed to stretch for miles in either direction. They moved rapidly off the pad as other groups around them materialized or vanished, and Spock hovered by Kirk’s shoulder as Kirk blindly made his way out of the thronging crowd and to a quiet space along the wall of the space. Above them were hovering lights of a thousand colors, combining to create something similar to natural light, and along the walls of the throughway were signs for attractions, events, sales, and locations to visit. Storefronts peppered the hall, and more species than Kirk had ever seen before in one place mingled and shopped and ate and talked. It was beautifully boisterous, and for a moment he let the noise of the crowd wash over him.

“Captain, I researched the attractions on this base before our arrival, and had intended to visit a museum of some interest if given the opportunity. I believe you would enjoy it, if you cared to accompany me.” Spock stood with his hands behind his back, peering around at the sights with his permanent scientific curiosity.

Kirk frowned. First Bones, then Uhura, and now Spock. Where were the consequences of his outbursts from the day before? He had lost control of himself, and there were supposed to be consequences for it. Kirk turned to Spock. He should let it go, accept the second chance he’d been given, but he couldn’t help himself. Spock looked as he always did, but Kirk was the one who had been changed. Facets of his identity, the rules that he lived by, had gone unchallenged for years and overnight someone had pulled the keystone out. The arch threatened to crumble.

“Spock, what is going on?”

“We are on a starbase---”

“No,” Kirk said, swiping his hand through the air as if to erase what might have been Spock’s wry humor. “I don’t understand. Yesterday, I--- I was unkind to you, and I upset you, don’t pretend that I didn’t, and now we’re on a starbase and you’re talking about my general morale and asking if I want to go to a museum with you?”

Spock watched a gaggle of young Andorians in school uniforms run down the tiled pathway towards the other end of the causeway before he said quietly, “I cannot deny that I had hoped, captain, that your trust in me would be sufficient to allow me to provide assistance or support when you were distressed.”

“It’s not about trust,” Kirk started, but Spock cut him off.

“It is. And I apologize for touching you after you revoked your permission to do so, but I was concerned for you. I wished to help you. However,, captain, it would be illogical for me to refuse to consider your needs now solely because of that situation. My duties to you are quite clear.”

To cover the rising tightness in his throat, Kirk said, “I’m fairly certain that the first officer handbook doesn’t say that you have to be nice after your captain is an asshole to you.”

“It does not,” Spock agreed. “But as you confirmed for me earlier, ‘for better and for worse’ still applies.” Kirk stared at him, dumbfounded, as Spock watched groups of people walk by. “So yes,” he continued. “I did ask if you would like to visit the museum with me.” He turned back to Kirk with one eyebrow raised.

Spock did not reach out to touch him, but the warm brown of his eyes, his unwavering eye contact, the familiar set of his face, had the same comforting effect as the way he had passed his hand up and down Kirk’s back. A weight fell away from Kirk’s shoulders. He had been so convinced after yesterday that he would have to work for months to earn Spock’s forgiveness, and he had been willing to do it. He had thought that he had lost Bones’s and Spock’s trust on the same day, and lost Uhura’s respect as a casualty, and instead his friends had shown him such easy grace that he felt ashamed for having doubted them. The permission that they offered to him to be imperfect blindsided him.

��I do trust you,” Kirk said. “And I’m sorry. For how I treated you yesterday.”

“I am aware,” Spock said. “And I accept your apology. But I do hope that someday you will trust me with whatever this may be as well.”

Kirk wanted to tell him that it wasn’t about him at all, that he didn’t doubt Spock’s trust but his own worth. But instead, as he felt the stirrings of his first genuine smile in forty-eight hours, he said, “So what’s this museum?” Spock kept his hands clasped behind his back, but walking side-by-side with him down the causeway, alone with him in the hustling crowd, made Kirk feel as though something integral inside himself had been repaired.

☆☆☆

“Holy shit,” Kirk breathed. Spock had been right. This was a museum of some interest. As the front-line diplomats of the Federation to new cultures and civilizations, the vast majority of the Enterprise crew’s time was spent either meeting the primary sentient species on a planet or assessing its flora and fauna as a threat. He so rarely got to appreciate the infinite diversity of organic life for what it was. But this museum was a masterclass in appreciation.

It was built into four huge levels of the base, sprawling for at least a mile on each deck, with an intricate system of stairs, elevators, and escalators placed strategically for visitors to the starbase to follow the themes of evolution that most interested them. He couldn’t fathom the effort that it must have taken to assemble a display of this magnitude: each floor was dedicated to one of the four nearest solar systems, with a series of rooms devoted to each planet in the system, split within those rooms by form or function. A veritable army must have been necessary to create the casts of the skeletons and fossils and plant life, then paint and construct and model them among murals and dioramas that depicted what the organisms may have looked like in context. The lighting on each floor and in each room was based on the solar system’s primary star, and the planet’s unique characterisitics. One room was a cheery golden light not unlike Earth’s, whereas another was hued in pinks and purples because of the makeup of the atmosphere. Kirk could have happily moved into the museum, set up a tent in one of the summery plains dioramas, and never left.

In front of him was a creature unlike anything he had ever seen. The closest Earth analogue would have been the giant ground sloths of the Pliocene era, but only if it had been amphibian and unconstrained by Earth’s relatively heavy gravity. A cross-section of its bone had been replicated for children to touch, mounted on the wall, and Kirk couldn’t stop himself from running his fingers in wonder against the curious texture. It was pocked with holes all the way through, which made it easier for these enormous and muscular creatures to swim through the highly salty waters of their indigenous oceans. The top of Kirk’s head only came up to the complicated hip joint of the model.

“Indeed. I would be interested to see the method by which it swims,” Spock said, peering at the hip. “The range of motion of its legs must be immense.” Spock stood comfortably next to Kirk: not pressed against his shoulder, as he might have been before yesterday, but only a few inches separated them. His hands were clasped loosely behind his back, and for all that Spock had said about Kirk requiring shore leave, Kirk thought that unstructured time wandering through a museum might have been good for Spock as well. They walked slowly between the dioramas. Rather than following one of the suggested paths, they had, without discussing it, decided to move through the museum linearly in order to see every exhibit. They had the time, after all. To Kirk’s delight, he learned immediately that Spock was the type to read every single informative panel before progressing to the next room. Kirk was the same way, when he was unrushed, but Sam had never had the patience to move that slowly through museums when they were children. They passed the hours of the morning meandering slowly through the rooms of the first two floors. They learned about the entirely aquatic planet of Shindon III, where amphibious peoples lived in sprawling coral cities in places where the currents carried warm water. The oceanic sloth creature was from this world, and was called the mother of the seas because of its role as the primary underwater pollinator. They witnessed a demonstration on the mechanics of how the enormous, bear-sized otters of Shindon V used acid to hunt smaller creatures, and watched a documentary on the symbiotic relationship between the nomadic populations of Detra IV and the nimble, camel-like quadrupeds that they rode across the steppes of their mountainous planet.

The only time that Spock was more than a few feet away from Kirk was, in another aquatic room on the second floor, Kirk moved on after reading the panels and only realized after a few moments that Spock had not followed. He doubled back through the winding sandy maze of the room until he rounded a corner and halted. Spock stood still, bathed in the blue-green light of the display panel, hands hanging open by his sides as he stared, entranced, at one of the creatures. It was called a crinoid, and some adventurous spirit had swum deep into the depths of the ocean on Detra III with a camera to film its movement. The invertebrate was made entirely of long, feather-like arms that it used to move itself with rhythmic flicking motions, and its feathers undulated in the currents of the green waters around it. For a moment Kirk watched Spock watch the crinoid. Deep beneath the veneer of professionalism, he thought that this might have been what had driven Spock to accept the five-year mission posting: this joyous curiosity, and his boundless love of the unknown. Kirk’s heart twinged to see it, and displayed so openly.

After another minute, Spock’s shoulders jerked, as if he had given himself an allotment for wonder and his time was now up, and he turned to leave. As he turned, his eyes alighted on Kirk, who was still leaning against the wall. Kirk smiled at him genuinely, fondly; he couldn’t help himself.

“I know you said no pets, but what about this one?”

Spock’s eyes were soft as he came to join Kirk again, hands returning to behind his back. “I do not believe we have the capacity to responsibly house a creature such as this,” he demurred, but he looked back over his shoulder once more as they continued on. “But I admit that I found its form fascinating.”

At the end of the second floor was a food court, and Kirk discovered that he was ravenous. There were different kiosks dedicated to the culinary traditions of the nearby systems, and he and Spock agreed to split off to find their lunches and reconvene at a table near the entrance. Unfamiliar with this region of the galaxy and with no strong preferences arising, he picked one with less of a line and headed towards it.

“Good afternoon,” said a tall, handsome person in accented Standard. They had a shiny, waxy coating to their purplish skin, enormous brown-black eyes, and a long, intricately beaded ponytail. “What will you have?”

“I’ve no idea,” Kirk said cheerily, and scanned the menu behind them. He didn’t recognize most of the titles, but the images alongside the listings all looked wonderful, and the smell wafting from behind the counter was enticing. “Whatever you recommend for lunch, I suppose.” He glanced down at the counter before him. Among the bottled drinks were scattered trinkets and souvenirs, marked with the logo of the museum. He spied a box with a feather on the front and picked it up. Within the box was a clever little perpetual motion machine, a tiny moving simulacrum of the crinoid that had so ensnared Spock’s attention. “Whatever you recommend and this, then,” Kirk amended, and handed over his credit chip. He tucked the little box into his pocket, took the tray of something that looked and smelled delicious from the cashier, and turned to find Spock.

Despite what Spock had said earlier, Kirk was still shocked to sit across from Spock and listen to him muse about the evolutionary implications of different organisms that they’d seen. He had expected for Spock to display a residual distaste for him, at the very least. But it seemed that Spock had genuinely accepted his apology; he met Kirk’s eyes without reserve, and, so subtly that at first Kirk didn’t realize he was doing it, rhetorically tugged at Kirk until his own scientific interest emerged.

“Would you like to see the next two floors, captain?” Spock asked eventually, when their plates were empty.

“Definitely,” Kirk said, and pushed his chair back to stand up. Before he could reach for his tray, however, Spock had snagged it, stacked his own on top of it, and left the table to return them to the disposal area. As he watched Spock wend through the tables, he was reminded of the day, one week previously, when Spock had insisted on carrying his tray through the mess for him. But there was no audience here, no one to convince of his intentions.

No one except for Kirk. Kirk’s brain stuttered to a halt as he stared at Spock, methodically unloading both of their trays into the appropriate recycling receptacles. There was no way. Spock could not possibly still carry any interest in him after what he had done yesterday. He had shut down Spock’s confession, told Spock that he didn’t want to be touched by him, had forcibly erected a boundary between them and brooked no discussion.

But, the hopeful little voice in his head whispered as it roared back to life, Spock had known that Kirk was lying.

Spock returned from the tray disposal, and Kirk followed him onward to the next level of the museum. Though the flora around him was just as intriguing as on the first two floors, Kirk found his attention more drawn to the man beside him. Spock continued to point out different contradictions, facts he found interesting, pausing to watch the movement of different creatures, but Kirk watched Spock instead. How much had it cost Spock to pick his moment to approach him, to confess that he had enjoyed their charade for the crew? How much had it cost Spock to admit that he felt something for Kirk?

And yet, despite Kirk’s dishonesty and dismissal, he had been forgiven. Spock was here, talking quietly to him about hunting patterns, the same steady presence by his side that he had been for years. Even while Spock respected the boundary that Kirk had set and did not cross the line between them, he orbited around Kirk’s space like a planet around a star. He moved in response to Kirk’s movement, a complicated waltz that Kirk had never before been aware of. They progressed through the rest of the museum, taking the better part of four hours to do so, and they emerged at last from the last purple-black room of the museum into the warm early-evening sunlight of the central causeway. Blinking at the sudden shift, Kirk felt as if they had returned from a journey through a different time before suddenly, shockingly, returning to the present. Had the spell of the museum been broken, and Spock would remember that he should have shunned him? But Spock turned to him, a calm, settled grace in the curve of his spine, and said, “What did you think, captain?”

“I loved it,” Kirk said, and was surprised by the force of his own response. “It was wonderful. What did you think?”

“I found it fascinating,” Spock said. He gently steered himself and Kirk away from the exit so as to allow the other patrons to leave. “I find myself still thinking about the crinoids. I have never seen a creature such as they. If the images of them were the only exhibit in the museum, it still would have been worth the visit.”

Kirk pulled the simulacrum from his pocket. “I got this for you,” he said, offering it to Spock. He took the little box from him and gently pulled the top flap open to reveal the machine inside. For a moment, Spock silently watched the gentle undulation of the feathers within, and Kirk watched him. When Spock finally looked back up at him, the muted delight on his face floored Kirk.

“It is beautiful,” Spock said. “I thank you.” He looked at Kirk like there was no greater gift in the universe that he could have been given than this little museum trinket; like Kirk had bestowed upon him jewels and riches beyond measure.

“You’re welcome,” Kirk said, and looked back down the causeway, away from the weight of Spock’s warm gaze. “Dinner?”

They wandered down the tiled pathway as the lights above them slowly shifted colors from a bright day through a cozy twilight, and the ease of the day combined with the bustle of the crowds lulled Kirk into a contented stupor.

“Do you have a preference for anything, captain?” Spock asked, and Kirk was about to shake his head when he was hit with a wave of nostalgia so powerful that he stopped in his tracks. The smell of something deeply Iowa-like was wafting down the causeway, and it dragged him forward.

“Whatever that is,” he breathed. He followed his nose down the way, Spock amused beside him, until he pulled up in front of a restaurant emblazoned with a neon sign: “The Best of the Midwest.” Within was a checkered linoleum floor, diner-style booths and tables, with a high-top bar in the back and cooks in the little folded paper hats he could have recognized from a mile away. His relationship with what he would call ‘home food’ was complicated for a thousand painful reasons, but what it came down to was this: if it was available, he would eat it. There were multiple buzzing packs of people waiting in front of the restaurant’s opening, and only one or two open tables inside.

“This is where you would like to eat?” Spock’s voice was by his ear. Kirk almost nodded, but he hesitated.

“I don’t want to wait, it’ll be hours. We can go somewhere else.” Kirk turned and almost walked directly into Spock, who had not moved. Kirk found himself with his nose nearly against Spock’s neck, and he could feel the warmth of Spock’s body as Spock looked down at him.

“One moment, please, captain,” Spock said, and stepped around him to approach the hostess stand. Kirk turned to watch him go, and saw Spock say something to the hostess, leaning over the stand to make himself heard. She was a young human woman, no more than twenty-two, and she popped a piece of bubblegum even as she ran her finger down the paper pad in front of her. To Kirk’s surprise, she nodded and shot Spock a megawatt smile before snagging two menus from the stand and stepping out from behind it. Spock turned to meet his eyes as the hostess waited for them, and Kirk came to meet them as she led them to one of the two empty tables.

“Table for two, Mark will be taking care of you, thank you for visiting the Best of the Midwest,” she chirped, and deposited their menus on the table before heading back to her stand. Spock sat in the chair closest to the entrance and pulled one of the menus towards himself as Kirk dropped into the other chair. He put his hand flat on the menu Spock lifted, forcing it back down to the table.

“What the hell was that, Spock?” Even as he said it, he couldn’t stop the disbelieving smile from spreading across his face, and Spock met his eyes with a deeply satisfied look.

“A reservation is an Earth custom where one contacts a restaurant---”

“Stop that,” Kirk said, and glanced around the table to find something that would be appropriate to throw at him. His search was fruitless. “How did you know?”

“How did I know what, Jim?” Spock unrolled the napkin that had been set at his place and draped it over his lap as he crossed his legs under the table. They were on a first-name basis again? It was a good thing Kirk was not a betting man, because he would have lost a significant number of credits on how he thought this day would have gone.

“All of it! This restaurant, the reservation, being on the starbase, the museum…”

“I am sure you are intimately familiar with the sound of the ship at warp,” Spock said.

Kirk blinked. “Sure. Don’t change the subject, though. How---”

“I am as well, and I was awake this morning when I heard the pitch of the ship’s engines change,” Spock said. “It increased, implying that we were moving faster than we had previously. Navigation did not indicate that we were going anywhere other than our originally plotted destination. Lieutenant Commander Scott is a friend and an extraordinary engineer, if somewhat irresponsible. From these facts I surmised what might occur, and took the appropriate steps to prepare.” He raised his menu, but Kirk pressed it down again.

“So you knew we’d have leave time. But this restaurant?”

“You have said before that when North American food, and specifically the food from your home region, is available on shore leave, you prioritize it. When I saw that this restaurant was an option and that it was popular, I only ensured that it would be available to you if you desired it.” Spock lifted his menu again, and this time Kirk retracted his hand to allow him to study the options.

Kirk stared across the table at the Vulcan sitting across from him. His eyes traced the elegant points of his ears, the sharp angles of his eyebrows, the surprisingly soft line of his mouth. Even after Kirk had rejected his advances and lost his composure entirely, Spock had taken the time from his research project to ensure that Kirk would have what he wanted. Spock flipped the menu over.

Kirk asked, “Why?”

Spock did not pretend to misunderstand. He said, “‘For better and for worse’ did not come with caveats.” He glanced up at Kirk, chocolate brown eyes meeting his, and his expression remained self-assured and steady even when Kirk could not respond.

Mark, a human being either from the Midwest or with a stellar ear for the accent, came to take their order before swishing off again. Kirk ordered comfort food in the form of a pork tenderloin; Spock ordered the only vegetarian option, which was macaroni and cheese. Their conversation ranged from Spock’s mistrust of the dubiously named ‘cheese product’ to their favorite organisms from the museum, when Spock pulled his crinoid from his pocket again to watch its movement fondly for a moment, and then to reminiscing about various missions.

“It might have been scientifically valuable to have retained some of the pods from Omicron Ceti III to study their healing capabilities,” Spock said at one point, and Kirk scoffed.

“And risk losing the capabilities of the crew somewhere millions of lightyears away from help? Sounds like a nightmare, if you ask me.”

Over their meals, Kirk admitted that he still had not told his parents that they were married, and Spock offered that, even after the blood transfusion debacle en route to Babel, his relationship with his father remained strained. As Mark cleared their plates away when they were done and subtly deposited a dessert menu between them, Kirk said, “Would you have sought out Vulcan food if you were on your own?”

Spock threaded his fingers together, steepling them on the table. “I would not have,” he said.

“Why?”

“I do not feel the same connection now that I might have before,” he said. “I have access to the food, my instruments, on the ship. But after the kal-if-fee I feel no strong bond to the homeworld.” He met Kirk’s eyes. “There is no one to draw me there.” Spock’s long fingers drew delicate patterns over the table before he snagged the dessert menu and peered at it disinterestedly.

“You asked earlier about my behavior towards you today, even after yesterday’s events,” Spock said suddenly, and Kirk’s attention, which had been drifting towards the ideas of home and sleep, snapped to him. “I told you a partial truth earlier. It is true that it would be illogical for me to ignore your needs after conflict. However, you were correct in assessing that your words perturbed me in the moment.”

Kirk closed his eyes in a relieved sort of dread. Now, would the ramifications finally arrive?

“I found myself to be unsettled by the idea that you would lie to me, especially when you were distressed, and I sought a period of meditation to recenter myself. You, typically, are an honest man. But in meditation I was able to understand exactly what I found so unsettling about our exchange.” There was a light knock on the table near Kirk’s hand where it rested, and he opened his eyes as Spock’s arm retracted back to his side.

Once he had Kirk’s eyes on him, Spock said evenly, “You lie to me when you believe that it protects my safety or well-being, or that of the crew, even at the expense of your own.”

Spock’s eyes were molten now, and scorched him. Kirk opened his mouth to argue, but Spock’s carefully guided and uncharacteristic trip down memory lane was suddenly cast in a new light. Though not intentionally, he had allowed Spock to think that he had killed him in order to end his pon farr and depart Vulcan alive. He had lied to Spock to break through the control of the spores on Omicron Ceti III, even though he had put himself at the mercy of Spock’s unbridled strength to do it. And he had lied to Spock on the journey to Babel to give him the peace of mind necessary to relinquish command and save his father, despite the still-gaping stab wound in his chest. Kirk stared at Spock as the restaurant spun around him: Spock knew. Spock knew him. Spock knew that he was hiding something, and still orchestrated a day for them to spend together with his own brand of logical, unflinching kindness, and now sat across from him and offered him safe passage through the consequences of his own actions.

“What I have not yet deduced, regarding yesterday,” Spock said, as he laid the menu down and slid it across the table to Kirk, “is what, precisely, you believe that you are protecting me from.” He folded his hands in his lap and looked at Kirk, shoulders square, eyes alight. Checkmate, game to Spock. “Would you like dessert?”

☆☆☆

“Welcome back, gentleman,” Scotty said as they materialized together in a shower of golden light onto the familiar transporter pad of the Enterprise. “How was your day?”

“Satisfactory,” Spock said.

“Great,” Kirk said.

“Sounds about right,” Scotty said, and, after shutting down the command console, followed them out of the room. “Did ye get to see the gladiator arenas?”

Kirk laughed as Spock pulled his crinoid out. “We spent the majority of the day in the natural history museum complex,” he said, and showed the movement of the little creature to Scotty. Scotty took one glance at the undulating sea creature and shuddered.

“Beautiful,” he said unconvincingly. “Best left in the ocean, methinks.”

“Perhaps,” Spock said. The three of them departed for the officers’ quarters, Scotty informing them of everything they had missed on their day away. They had missed very little, and April and Pike were still scheduled to arrive late the next morning.

“Thank you again, Scotty,” Kirk said, as they arrived at the door that used to be Spock’s. “It was a great day.” Spock inclined his head to the engineer.

“T’was my pleasure, gentlemen,” Scotty said. “Neither of ye take enough leave as it is, and after this we’ll be out in the middle o’ nowhere for ages. I’m glad we could give ye more time to celebrate properly.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. This pleasure would be entirely linked to a gift well-given and not any unregulated engine upgrades, would it?” Spock asked. Scotty grinned at him, wolf-like, before unlocking the door and vanishing into his room, which now looked more like half of a warp core than a bedroom. The door slid shut behind him, and Kirk and Spock were left alone in the hallway. Without his input, Kirk’s feet took him to his own door, and Spock walked alongside him in companionable silence.

At the door, Spock halted. “Did you enjoy yourself, captain?”

“Yes,” Kirk said immediately. Spock’s eyes did not meet his, exactly; they were fixed on a point beyond his left ear. “God, yes. I…” He paused as he read Spock’s physicality: his shoulders were a tight, straight line, and his arms had vanished entirely behind his back with the force of his grip on one of his wrists. He still hadn’t made eye contact.

“It was perfect,” he said softly. “You were right. I needed time off the ship, and it was… it was wonderful. Thank you for picking the museum, and making the reservation, and for not letting me say no this morning.”

At his words, the tension in Spock’s posture released, and when he met Kirk’s eyes he pressed his lips together in the imperceptible motion that was almost a smile. “I am glad to be of assistance,” he said. “I will leave you to your rest.”

“Where are you going?”

“I must review today’s work and updates from the ongoing experiments,” Spock said, and his gaze dropped away from Kirk’s face. Without the warmth of his eyes on him, Kirk suddenly felt cold. “I did not anticipate missing an entire shift before the admirals’ arrival and do not wish to be unprepared tomorrow.”

“Right,” Kirk said. “Very logical, Mr. Spock.”

“Thank you, captain,” Spock said. “Good night.” With one more lightning-fast glance at Kirk, expression unreadable, he nodded firmly once and turned to leave.

Kirk turned to his door to unlock it. Then he turned instead to watch Spock go. Time seemed to slow as Spock’s footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, and each step that took Spock away from him brought forth another memory. Spock telling him that he didn’t want to leave. Spock gently teasing him in the mess. Spock catching his head in the gymnasium. Spock kissing him against the bookshelf, in front of the crew, running his hand along Kirk’s spine, taking him to the museum, making a reservation in the quiet hours before alpha shift to make sure that Kirk had what he wanted. He thought of Spock taking his tray at lunch, his delight in his little crinoid, his satisfaction at Kirk’s pleasure in the restaurant. A small seed of fear gripped him as he inhaled: what if he was wrong? But in his head, Spock’s sure, steady voice said, “‘For better and for worse’ did not come with caveats.”

Kirk called, “Hey, Spock!” Spock halted and spun. Their eyes met across the distance between them. Sharp-edged hope cut through him. “Do you have time to help me with something?”

At this distance he didn’t hear Spock’s response, but his mouth formed a shape that looked like “always.” He finally turned to open his door, and by the time it swished open Spock had returned to his side.

“What do you need, Jim?”

They stepped inside their quarters, and Kirk waited until the door slid shut behind them. Then he said, “I need your help breaking into the Starfleet personnel directory.”

Spock inhaled through his nose, eyebrows drawing together. “It is public access to officers, is it not?” It was a sensible question, but behind the cool facade Kirk could see the gears of interest beginning to turn.

“Most of it is. But someone lied to me. And I intend to find out why.” Kirk dropped into his office chair and booted up the console as he explained what he had done the night before. When he had brought Spock up to speed and pulled up Elise’s profile, he swapped spots with Spock, allowing Spock to have the chair and leaning over his shoulder to watch what he did.

“And who is this person?”

“She, ah…” Kirk started, and then blanked. Where could he even start? He didn’t want to open with, “Well, she was my Starfleet-assigned therapist at school, because I needed one.” He didn’t want to start with Tarsus. The idea of it made him nauseated. After four seconds of him choking on air, Spock said, “It is fine, Jim. You do not have to tell me.” His fingers flew nimbly over the keyboard. Then, with a slightly smug tone, he said, “I will find out who she is soon enough.”

Kirk half-smiled at that and rapped his knuckles against the back of the chair. “I have no doubt of that.”

After three frustrated hours, Spock was coldly radiating his distaste for Elise, the directory, and every Starfleet computer programmer who had ever lived, and Kirk was half-asleep in his uniform from that day on top of his covers, still wearing his boots.

“You ought to prepare for rest, captain,” Spock said, peering intently at the back-end code of the directory.

“I’m not the one who stayed up all night,” Kirk said, but he dragged himself into the bathroom, changed into pajamas, and prepared for bed. He had just reentered the room, Spock still hunched over the console, when their padds dinged simultaneously.

“I’ve got it,” Kirk said, as Spock slowly pulled his eyes away from his puzzle to regard his padd with disdain. “I’ll let you know if it’s important.” He reclaimed his padd from where it sat on his bedside table and sat down, back against his headboard and his feet crossed in front of him. He tapped open the message.

SUBJECT: RE: Regulation Revision, 6245-B: Field Officer Recommendation

To: schntgaispock@enterprise

CC: jamestkirk@enterprise

From: kathleenlee@headquarters

Commander Spock,

Greetings from afar! Thank you for this most recent contribution. Your revision is, as usual, meticulously researched and logically argued. I’ve submitted it to the upcoming regulatory board meeting as an agenda item and will keep you apprised of the outcome, though I think we can take a pretty good guess at what that will be.

I noticed that your CO got dropped off the original message, so I’ve CC’d him here.

Please let me know if I can be of any other assistance at this time.

Best,

Lt. Cmdr. Lee

P.S. Congrats :)

Spock frequently submitted regulation revisions; he might have been the only person in all of Starfleet to keep the regulatory board in meetings. Of course he was on smiley-face level with the regulations administrator. Spock’s recommendations were usually about research protocols, but the regulation number snagged Kirk’s attention. 6245 referred to lifesaving missions. He scrolled down to view Spock’s original message.

SUBJECT: Regulation Revision, 6245-B: Field Officer Recommendation

To: kathleenlee@headquarters

From: schntgaispock@enterprise

Lieutenant Commander Lee,

Greetings. I have attached a regulation revision submission pertaining to food storage on deep space exploratory missions. Please see the attached report for my findings and conclusions.

LLAP,

STS

The message had been sent at 0759 that morning, and the attachment was two hundred pages long. Was this the research project that Spock had been so absorbed in? He had been working on a regulation improvement the day that he moved into Kirk’s quarters, but hadn’t mentioned it otherwise. Kirk tapped the attachment open. He scrolled past all of the standard forms--- Spock’s name, rank, the regulation he was updating, and a thousand other useless pieces of data that Starfleet collected and never used, to the meat of the report.

Starfleet is, in many respects, an observatory organization. Though it performs admirably as the diplomatic arm of the Federation when engaging new cultures and civilizations, the vast majority of Starfleet man-hours are spent on scientific research in space, far from the turbulence of on-world life.

However, when called to do so, Starfleet ships can and do act as the first responders to crises. There are not many important similarities between the populations that comprise the Federation, but one universal constant is the need for sustenance. Exploratory vessels are frequently the first ones to receive distress signals from far-lying locales, there are infrequent opportunities to restock solid supplies in deep space, and the small scale at which food can be replicated can hinder lifesaving efforts. This report will analyze five previous instances of Starfleet’s reaction to crises before making recommendations for regulatory updates to advance and improve Starfleet’s capacity to respond to acute and life-threatening scenarios. The primary lesson of the case studies presented, and the primary recommendation of the author, is that all California-class ships and newer and all ships commanded one (1) or more AU beyond the current boundaries of Federation space should henceforth increase the volume of solid, unreplicated, immediate-use foodstuffs maintained onboard by 235% from current standards. The mathematical model for this increase is attached to this report as Annex A.

Kirk pressed one shaking hand to his mouth and continued skimming. Spock had meticulously detailed five lifesaving missions that Starfleet ships had undertaken, outside the normal purview of their work, analyzing common successes and failures before wrapping them into a tidy, logical conclusion of how to save lives. He had listed a planet whose entire sky had been blackened for three years by volcanic eruptions, a generations ship whose soil recycler had broken down, and three agricultural planets that, for one reason or another, had devolved into complete famine: Alexii I, Gradient V, and Tarsus IV.

He downloaded the report and looked at the metadata. The document had been created two hours after he told Spock why the broken replicators made his heartbeat skyrocket. Kirk turned to stare at Spock, who still bent determinedly over his console, having eschewed the touchpad entirely to type commands directly into the black screen. He looked down at the report in his hands.

“Residual stress,” Kirk had said, when he hedged around genocide by calling it a period of scarcity. He had tried to keep Spock from seeing how it haunted him, and Spock had offered him a hand in comfort and his faith in Kirk’s abilities before moving on, which was far more than Kirk had expected. Kirk had thought that that would be the end of the conversation. But then Spock had forsaken sleep to move the entirety of Starfleet’s behemoth interstellar bureaucracy with the strength of his will alone, so that Kirk might feel more secure. Even after their fight, after Spock had left their quarters, he still spent his entire day on an effort that would make Kirk’s life easier.

And he had left Kirk off the message. If Kathleen Lee hadn’t looped him back in on her response, Kirk would never have known of the monumental act of service that Spock had done for him. Kirk stared at the back of Spock’s head, the sleek hair that hid his beautiful mind, and it was at that moment that Spock spun, triumphant.

“Jim, I believe that I---” Spock halted at the expression on Kirk’s face, eyes glancing to his padd and back up. Kirk stared at him, seeing his dear, dear face for the first time again, as something fiery and huge, uncontrollable, unfolded in his chest. Spock had not thought him weak, or unreliable, or untrustworthy. He had accepted Kirk’s fears and needs as fact and shifted the universe around him to accommodate him instead. Kirk had challenged him, lied to him, and pushed him away, and yet Spock had remained steadfastly where he had been for years: by Kirk’s side.

“I have gained access to her service record,” Spock said. “What are you reading?”

“Your report,” Kirk said hoarsely. “You… did this?” Spock slid the padd from his limp hand and flipped it around to look down on it.

“Yes,” he said simply. “I did.”

Kirk asked, “Why?”

Spock’s eyes, warm and open, met his, and he tilted his head as if to say, “I’ve already told you why.” Kirk’s breath caught in his chest as the wall between his head and his heart crumbled entirely. In sickness and in health, for better and for worse. Spock had proven that he was willing to take Kirk at his worst, as much of it as Kirk had been able to show. But what did better even mean, for someone like him?

His eyes slipped to the console behind Spock. If Elise had not been a real medical professional, then an enormous aspect of his so-called recovery had been a sham. If his recovery had been falsified, strategically manipulated, then there might be a reason for his continued struggle beyond his own weakness.

If he was still hurting so badly because he had been refused help, then maybe that meant that he could still get better. Spock deserved better.

He made his decision; he reached for Spock.

Kirk shifted to the end of the bed and closed the space between them. He took the padd out of Spock’s grasp and slid his hand into Spock’s, pressing their palms together. For a second Spock sat, unmoving, staring down at Kirk’s hand in his, and Kirk waited for him, serene in his choice, trusting Spock to respond when he would.

With the barest hint of a smile at the corners of his eyes, Spock took his hand in both of his own and raised them to press Kirk’s palm flat against his chest. His eyes closed as their fingers threaded together. He felt Spock’s steady heartbeat through his shirt, the warmth of his body.

“I need to tell you something,” Kirk whispered, and Spock’s eyes opened.

“You can tell me anything, Jim,” Spock said, and Kirk felt the rumble of his voice through his palm. He opened his mouth to say it, to tell him, and his throat constricted. He felt the panic trickle through his bloodstream, and Spock’s expression turned concerned. Kirk looked down at his lap to the padd sitting in his other hand.

Spock already knew about what had happened on Tarsus, if he had created this report with Starfleet resources. He just needed Kirk to connect the dots. Kirk bit his lip and rapidly paged through it. He pulled up the correct page, with its clinical TARSUS IV heading, and turned it back around to show Spock. Spock glanced between it and him, eyebrows pulling together. Then he blinked, and his hands tightened over Kirk’s.

“No,” he said.

“Yes,” Kirk said, and his voice cracked. His stomach heaved with nerves. Spock’s eyes scanned over his face before dropping back to his report. He took it and turned to put it on the desk even as he kept Kirk’s hand pressed to him.

“You are one of the survivors,” Spock said, and Kirk nodded, clenching his jaw against his sudden nausea. For a moment Spock considered, his thumb rubbing slowly over the back of Kirk’s hand, and Kirk saw the fine muscles in his jaw twitch as he sorted through whatever he was thinking. But for once, the waiting didn’t fuel his anxiety. Though seeing the brutality of Tarsus in print sent spikes of panic through him, and telling him now made him feel sick, the knowledge of Spock’s report and everything it meant to him was the bulkhead between him and his ghosts. He was safe in his quarters, on the Enterprise, and Spock was with him, holding his hand.

Spock nodded, like he had made some decision, and he stood, dragging Kirk up with him by their connected hands.

“Jim,” Spock said. “May I touch you?” Kirk met his eyes and nodded. Spock slid one hand along his outstretched arm, running it up his shoulder, until he was cupping the back of Kirk’s neck. The other hand he wrapped around Kirk’s, cradling it against his chest, and he stepped forward until they were sharing breath. Then he released Kirk’s hand, wrapped his other arm around Kirk’s waist, and hugged him tightly to him, pressing him to the length of his body. The thumb of one hand smoothed down the short, shorn hair at the back of his neck, and the other arm held Kirk flush against him. He rested his cheek against the side of Kirk’s head and breathed.

Kirk wrapped both arms around Spock’s waist, and he buried his face in the side of his neck, and he let himself be held. He leaned against Spock’s warm solidity and breathed in time with him, until Spock pulled back to look down at his face.

“Is this what you would protect me from?”

“Partially,” Kirk said. Spock waited. “And from what came after.”

“Your nightmare from yesterday morning,” Spock said, and Kirk blinked, bemused, as he remembered that the dream hadn’t even been about Tarsus. It had been about Elise.

“Yes. No. Adjacent,” he said, and leaned around Spock to look at the screen of his console. The screen was filled with text that he couldn’t read at this distance, but Spock had said that he had found her information. “What did you find?”

“Are you intentionally changing the subject?”

“I’m not, honest,” Kirk said. “It’s related.” Spock’s eyes narrowed.

“How do you know this woman?”

“What did you find in her profile?”

Kirk stared him down, and Spock broke first. He reluctantly released his hand from the back of Kirk’s neck, but kept his other hand on his lower back as he turned back to the console.

“Her entire file is redacted,” he said. “Everything that she did after her first posting is confidential. I have some theories about what her career may mean, but I will need to conduct more research first. I would state, with 97.4% certainty, that she was an officer with Starfleet Information and Intelligence Operations.”

Kirk’s whole body went cold in a shiver. “Like a spy?”

“I do not believe so,” Spock said thoughtfully. “More in line with propaganda, or information access and control.”

“Huh,” Kirk said. His hands had gone numb. “That might be worse, actually.” Spock wrapped a hand around his wrist, but instead of it feeling like a cage, it became an anchor.

“Please sit down,” Spock said, and steered him back to sit on the edge of his bed. He knelt in front of him, hands bracketing him on the bed frame. “You are unwell. I apologize, Jim, for---”

“No,” Kirk croaked as his throat tightened. “I asked. I need to know.”

“Who is she to you, Jim?” Every angle of Spock’s body, his entire focus, was attuned to Kirk. When they had first met, Kirk had been unsettled by his inhuman intensity. Now he was comforted by it. Maybe the Spock protocol would apply to every area of his life.

“Starfleet assigned her as my therapist when I got to the Academy,” he said. “I thought she was a psychologist until four days ago.”

“Four years after you were rescued from Tarsus IV,” Spock said. Kirk nodded. “You were eighteen.” Kirk nodded. Spock bowed his head, staring pensively at Kirk’s knees. Then the material of the bed frame cracked under his hands. He unclenched his hands from the ruined wood and glanced at the splinters reproachfully before flexing them open.

“My apologies, captain,” Spock said, and one corner of Kirk’s mouth twitched up, despite himself, as he reclaimed one of Spock’s hands. He held it in his lap between both of his.

“It wasn’t just me,” he said. “I know of another survivor who also had her. He confirmed to me that she used us to keep each other quiet.”

Spock’s eyebrows pulled together. “The sequence of events on Tarsus IV has been extensively documented. The only unanswered question that I was able to find was---”

“Kodos,” Kirk said, and his stomach heaved again. When was the last time he had said that name aloud? In his mind, a flash of gray hair, and the wet spatter of blood on dirt. Bile rose in his throat and he pressed the back of his hand to his mouth.

“Indeed,” Spock said, and he watched Kirk with concern. “Do you have any theories as to why information control would be necessary amongst the survivors?”

The answer came to him immediately. It was what had so upset Dr. Johns during his physical recovery, the first topic that Elise had convinced him to keep inside. He saw the fire, and the flash of the gun, and the body. He nodded even as his chest tightened and his stomach flipped inside-out.

He tried to speak, and his jaw clenched. He tried to speak, and his tongue swelled in his mouth as his brain filled with the buzzing static of an impending meltdown. Be the bulkhead, be the bulkhead, be the bulkhead---

He closed his eyes as the nausea swelled inside him and pressed a hand to his face.

“Jim?” Spock was very close to him, his voice gentle, and Kirk could feel the warmth of him. He leaned forward, seeking him, and Spock pressed his forehead against his. “Be still,” he said, and Kirk nodded against him, tamping down the urge to vomit or pass out.

Kirk opened his eyes. Spock still knelt in front of him, hands braced on the mattress by his hips, face scant inches from his. “We do not have to continue this discussion at this moment. I will call the doctor if you are ill, and we can broach the subject again when you are better.” His apparent concern warmed Kirk, but if they didn’t keep going now, he was afraid that he wouldn’t have the courage to continue tomorrow.

“I want to tell you,” Kirk said, and for the first time in his life, he meant it. “She--- I need to know why she did this to us. So I can start to fix it. But I--- I can’t. I can’t say it.” Even talking about talking about what he had seen threatened to overwhelm him, and it was only Spock’s hands, coming up to his shoulders, that kept him upright.

“Do you wish to show me?” Kirk looked up in surprise. Spock’s gaze was steady.

“No, Spock, you don’t want to---”

“I would not have offered if I did not mean it.”

Kirk swallowed, his throat like sandpaper. “This is going to be the ‘worse’ part of ‘for better and for worse.’”

“No caveats,” said Spock. “Jim, let me help you.” Kirk paused, his head spinning, and then nodded. Spock stood, stepped away to remove his boots and place them meticulously by the door, and then returned to Kirk.

“Please lay back,” Spock said. “I believe it will be more comfortable for you.” Kirk scooted himself backwards and lay down, and Spock laid down next to him. He rolled over to face him, Spock lying alongside him.

“Somehow, when I thought about the first time we might share a bed, this wasn’t how I imagined it happening,” Kirk whispered, and he half-smiled despite his fear.

“But you did imagine it,” Spock said, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Jim, are you prepared?”

“No,” Kirk said, and laughed weakly. “But go ahead anyway.” As Spock lifted one hand to Kirk’s face, he reached between them with the other. Kirk met his hand and laced their fingers together. Spock’s fingers settled along Kirk’s psi-points, and he closed his eyes.

“My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts.”

#spirk #spirk fan fiction #k/s fan fiction #kirk/spock fan fiction #regulatory relations #my writing #kirk/spock #spirktober2023 #THIS IS TECHNICALLY A SPIRKTOBER PROMPT!!!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!!!! SIXTY THOUSANDS WORDS TO FULFILL A PROMPT!!!!

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