#also also I know Gideon presents as female but it worked better to make him male for this | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mercy-burning · 3 years

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Petite Etoile

Pairing: Spencer Reid x femReader Summary: BAU!Reader used to be a stripper, and when people where she used to work are being murdered, the team is called in to investigate. Category: Fluff, Smut 18+ (oral sex- male and female receiving, penetrative sex, Reader also does a stripping performance) Warnings: Sex, language, mentions of murder/violence and all the things you’d normally find in an episode of Criminal Minds. (As always, if there’s anything I missed, let me know what I should include in warnings! I want to be as mindful as I can about what I post. Thank you!) Word Count: 7.8k

MASTERLIST

NOTE: This is going up way later than I said it would, so I’m sorry if you were looking forward to this, I just haven’t been motivated lately. But I really have to get out of my writing slump, and I’m hoping I can do that soon. Anyway, I hope you like it! Thanks for reading 🥰 Also, I know that Don’t Blame Me by Taylor Swift doesn’t exist at the time of early season 2, which is when I imagine this taking place, but for the sake of the story let’s pretend it does, because that’s the song I had in mind when I wrote the performance scene 😉😂

***

When Y/N walked into work Thursday morning, everything was as normal as it could be. She chatted with Elle on her way up the elevator, handed JJ her coffee as she made her way to Hotch's office, and ruffled Reid's hair when she passed him, smiling at the way he blushed at her affectionate gesture.

But when the team was called into the round-table room, and she watched as JJ presented their next case, Y/N felt a little sick to her stomach.

Over the past week, three strippers from the town she'd lived in for years before moving to Virginia had been found stabbed in various parts of the block surrounding Starsight. She knew the place well. Not only did she used to work there as a stripper after she graduated, but her best friend, Irene, owned the establishment, and she'd practically become the sister Y/N never had. She helped her through college and pushed her to go into the Bureau. If people, Irene's people, were dying, why hadn't she called or said anything?

Thankfully Y/N didn't recognize any of the dancers who'd been killed, because if she had, she'd feel a lot worse. But even still, she wanted to find who was behind it, and she would. The BAU always did. And with her background knowledge of the scene and the town, Y/N figured she might be able to lend an extra helping hand.

But first she had to tell the team about her past.

It wasn't a secret that she used to be a stripper. In fact, it wasn't really something she was able to hide. With someone as curious as Penelope Garcia in her life, Y/N wouldn't have been able to hide it even if she wanted to. Thankfully though, besides the occasional teasing comment from Morgan, and sometimes Elle, the team didn't treat her any differently. She wasn't Y/N The Former Stripper, she was just Y/N. She was good at her job, and everyone respected and liked her just the way she was.

While debriefing on the jet, she was about to bring it up when Morgan did it first, seemingly sly like he'd discovered some big secret. "Hey, Y/N, didn't you used to live near this place?"

She nodded, clearing her throat. "Uh, yeah, that's actually what I was going to bring up. Starsight is where I used to work before I moved here. I know the owner of the place, she's one of my best friends."

She could tell Morgan wanted to tease her some more about her previous work, but before he could get a word in Gideon spoke from behind her. "Irene Whitcomb?"

"Yeah."

"Good, when we land I want you, Morgan, and Reid to go talk to her. See if you can find anything out."

Y/N nodded, and in front of her, she noticed Reid was a little flushed. It didn't surprise her considering when everyone found out her previous job, he almost choked on his coffee, and Morgan laughed hysterically while he had a coughing fit. It was obvious to Y/N from the beginning that Spencer had had a little crush on her, and it didn't bother her at all. Every once in a while she'd pat his knee before she got up from her seat next to him or wink at him as they saw each other briefly in passing, just to see how he'd react, and by now it was a staple of their relationship. It never did go any further than that though, Y/N afraid she might make him too uncomfortable.

But even still, she couldn't help but give him a flirty smile as he blinked rapidly in front of her, still seeming to process what was going to happen when they landed. When he excused himself to go to the bathroom, she gave him one more wink and a small bite of her lip as he passed.

Morgan laughed softly beside her. "You're gonna ruin the poor kid if you keep that up, girlie."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," she responded, even though the smile on her face suggested otherwise.

***

A strip club being almost at full capacity in the middle of the day was more common than one might think. It had surprised Y/N when she first started working at Starsight, and even now she still didn't really understand why. Regardless it was almost 3pm, and if things had stayed the same over the years, which by the looks of things seemed to be the case, Irene should have been behind the bar.

It must have been a sight to behold, Y/N mused as she and her colleagues navigated through the club in search of its owner, and it sounded like the beginning to a bad joke— a former stripper turned FBI agent, a guy who looks like he just walked straight out of a procedural cop show, and an adorably and obviously nervous skinny kid with glasses and trembling hands walk into a strip club at 3pm... The thought made Y/N laugh to herself, right before Irene spotted her.

"Y/N!"

It was obvious that she wanted to jump over the bar and give her old friend a hug, but given the circumstances, Irene settled for dropping a shot glass, spilling the drink on the counter, and clapping her hands quickly a few times in succession. A wide smile and kind eyes greeted the three agents as they approached.

"Irene, hi," Y/N greeted with a large smile of her own. "I wish I could have came to visit under better circumstances."

"Right, me too..." The blonde woman's smile faded for a second, just long enough that the recognizable signs of grief came and go quickly before replacing themselves with bittersweet niceties. "Anyway, you wanna introduce me to your friends?"

"Yeah, Irene, these are my colleagues, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid."

Irene reached out to shake their hands, eyeing up Morgan with only the slightest bit of shame, and laughing softly at Reid's polite avoidance of the gesture as he settled on a wave and a shy smile.

"We were hoping to ask you a few questions about the past week," Morgan said.

"Yeah, anything. Just give me a minute to clean this up and we can sit down."

***

"So, you used to work here?"

Y/N laughed, kicking Derek under the table. "Yep. Looks exactly the same as when I left, too. Only difference is that I'm not here to bring everyone in on Friday nights."

As Derek laughed, Spencer tensed up beside Y/N, and he started to play with his hands under the table they all sat at.

"She's not joking," Irene said as she approached the table with a smile. She took the seat next to Morgan and gave him a wink. "Petite Etoile over here was the main attraction."

Y/N groaned a little. "Oh, c'mon Irene, don't use my nickname here, that's not who I am anymore."

"Don't tell me you've lost your shine, Little Star." From the tone in her voice to the look on her face, it was clear to Y/N that Irene was just as devious as she'd been since the day they first met. "You know it would just break this town's heart."

"I highly doubt that... Besides, this little star shines just as brightly as it used to, thank you very much."

At that statement, Y/N felt Reid's knee hit the table with a loud thud. As Morgan questioned whether he was okay, she wondered what was running through his head. It didn't last long though, because shortly afterwards Morgan started asking questions about the case.

"Was it particularly crowded on the nights the dancers were killed?"

Irene hugged her arms to her stomach, her eyes drooping a little at the mention. "It gets pretty crowded every night to tell you the truth. But Friday nights are busiest. The nights Carrie, Lola, and Evelyn disappeared were just like any other night here."

"I know how hard it is to keep track of everyone, but is there anyone you might have noticed that seemed a little too lurk-y?" Even as she asked the question, Y/N felt like she already knew the answer.

And Irene really did seem to try to recall something, anything that could help, but she was visibly frustrated, tears welling in her eyes. "No, Y/N, I'm so sorry. After Carrie... the first time... we heightened security and everything, but it just wasn't enough, I... I don't know what to do."

Y/N reached across the table to grab her friend's hand. "It's okay, 'Rene. We're gonna figure this out, alright? I promise you."

Through tears, the blonde smiled and squeezed Y/N's hand. "I know you will, Little Star."

"Would it be possible for us to look at your surveillance tapes?" Reid asked quietly.

Irene looked up at him and nodded, still squeezing Y/N's hand. "Anything you need."

***

"So... Little Star, huh?"

Y/N rolled her eyes with a smile as she, Morgan, and Reid got into the car. When she got in the passenger seat, she waited for Morgan to be in the car before responding. "Oh, don't start. I swear to God, Derek, if you start calling me that I might just have to kick your ass."

"Well, you gotta at least tell me how you got the name?" he laughed, putting on his seatbelt while Reid climbed in the back.

"Well, how do you think? The place is called Starsight after all... So, Petite Etoile just made sense."

It was obvious that she was lying to get him to drop it, so Morgan kept pushing. "Okay, sure, but that's not the whole truth. Carrie, Lola, and Evelyn didn't have star names."

"Ugh, okay, fine, if I tell you will you shut up about it?"

"Promise."

Y/N caught a glimpse of Reid in the back through the rearview mirror. As expected, he was fidgety and just a little red.

She sighed and waited until Morgan pulled out of the parking lot to talk. "Okay. Once every month Starsight does a 'Midnight Sky' theme night. They light the place up in deep blue lights and everyone wears... space-themed outfits. Every dancer does their own special routine with songs and outfits that they pick on their own. My first time working a theme night, everyone seemed to really like what I did; I ended up doing an encore later in the night before we closed. Another dancer who worked with us at the time, Jenny, was learning French, so after my performance she called me Petite Etoile, and it just stuck."

"Okay, but why did you get the nickname and no one else?" Morgan asked with a smug smile. He knew she was still holding something back.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, Y/N, I really want to know."

She sighed. "Let's... just say my outfit was... well, it barely covered me, and what it did manage to cover was covered by fabric in the shape of stars."

While Morgan laughed, Y/N looked in the mirror to see Reid with his head low, even more red than he was before. He was biting his bottom lip and fiddling the the seatbelt strap, and when his eyes briefly met hers in the mirror he was quick to avoid eye contact once again. If Y/N didn't find it completely adorable she would have felt more badly about it. But just to make sure, she called out to him.

"Reid, you okay back there?"

He looked up to meet her eyes again through the mirror, but only briefly before trying to ook anywhere else. "O-oh, yeah, I'm... I'm good."

Morgan laughed. "Yeah, I bet you are."

Y/N punched him in the arm and met Reid's eyes once more. "Sorry."

"Oh, you don't have anything to be sorry about, it's... it's okay, really, I-I'm not... it's..."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Y/N said calmly, giving him a reassuring smile. "We're all good here, right?"

"Right," Morgan and Reid said one after the other.

"Good. Now let's catch this creep."

***

Unfortunately no one had gotten much of anywhere in the next few hours. The security footage showed a man following each of the girls out of Starsight but there wasn't anything distinctive about him. Somehow he'd avoided all the cameras face to face, so he knew where they all were. And as for how he chose which dancers to target they weren't sure.

Until Irene walked into the station, that is.

"Y/N, I completely forgot something! I can't believe I missed it."

She stood before the team in the office that the station had given them for the time being, everyone else sitting down. Y/N stood up and nodded. "What is it?"

"Carrie, Lola, and Evelyn were all Spotlight Performers."

"What does that mean?" Elle asked from behind them.

Y/N turned to the group, her arms crossed. "Every other night Starsight spotlights a different dancer for a large performance at the end of the night, sort of like a grand finale before the club closes."

"So you're saying each of the girls was the Spotlight Performer on the nights they went missing?" Hotch asked, more like a clarification than a question.

"Yeah, Carrie on Saturday, Lola on Monday, and Evelyn on Wednesday," Irene said frantically.

Y/N reached out to grab her hand. "Well, it's Thursday. So, if he sticks to pattern, he's going after tomorrow's Spotlight Performer. Who do you have lined up?"

"Well, no one yet. After the murders the girls have been hesitant to schedule, and I don't blame them... So what should I do?"

Before Y/N could answer, Hotch did. "Y/L/N, you haven't gone undercover before, but I think it would be a good idea. You used to work at Starsight, you could lure him out."

She turned around sharply. "Oh, I... I don't know, Hotch, I haven't danced in so long, I'm not sure I—"

"He's right," Gideon interrupted. "It's the best chance we have at catching him."

Between Hotch and Gideon's opinions on the matter, Y/N knew she didn't have a say anymore.

"You still know your routine, Petite Etoile?" Irene asked, only slightly amused.

"Petite Etoile?" Elle wondered aloud.

Y/N heard Morgan laugh and she sighed.

***

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were nervous," Irene said as she straightened another piece of Y/N's hair.

She played with the hem of the sheer robe she was wearing. "Well, I'm about to go undercover for the first time, stripping for the first time in years in front of all my colleagues so I can lure out a serial killer, so I guess you could say I'm a little nervous."

"Well... When you put it like that..."

Y/N looked up at her friend. "I'm sorry, Irene. Really, I'm okay, and we will get him, I promise."

"No, I know you will. I'm not worried. So... Who do they have watching you tonight?"

"Gideon and Hotch are outside, but Elle, Morgan, and Reid are in here with me. There are some extra officers all around the block, too, just in case."

"Hmm," Irene mused, and Y/N could tell she wanted to say something.

"What?"

"I don't know, it just surprises me they'd send Reid in here of all people. He seems almost more nervous than you."

Y/N laughed. "Well, when it comes to girls he gets a little nervous, but... he's good at his job."

"I'll take your word for it. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he short circuits when he sees you up there."

The thought made her smile a little, though she wondered how badly Morgan would tease him about the whole situation. Things between them all would no doubt be a little awkward for a while, but in no time they'd go back to normal like it never happened. At least that's what she told herself, because she wasn't sure what she'd do if her friendship with Reid was permanently damaged and awkward because of her past. The thought worried her just a little, but before she could get too psyched out, a knock at the door brought her back to reality.

"Y/N, it's Elle."

"Come on in!"

Y/N got up from the chair and turned around to meet Elle in the doorway. Her eyes wandered for a moment before nodding with a smirk. "Damn. Petite Etoile indeed."

Despite the nerves, Y/N smiled. "You here to give me an earpiece?"

Elle nodded and closed the door behind her. As she turned on the device and handed it to Y/N, she spoke. "You nervous?"

"A little, but it's just because I haven't done this in a while. Not to mention I'm doing it in front of everyone, and I'm luring out the unsub."

"No pressure, right?"

Y/N laughed, adjusting the earpiece and taking a deep breath. "It'll be fine. How long until I go on?"

"Five minutes. I'll be near the front with Reid. Morgan is in the back with a few officers, and everyone else is outside. We all have communication with you, so if we see him we'll let you know what to look out for."

"Got it."

"Y/L/N, can you hear me?" It was Hotch's voice through the earpiece.

"Yeah, loud and clear."

"Good. We're all in position. Whenever you're ready."

***

Elle met him near the front of the stage. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Spencer didn't have a problem with strip clubs in the least, but it was bad enough that he'd thought about Y/N on multiple occasions in his dreams, now he was going to have to see her stripping just like he'd imagined many times over. The whole situation spelled out disaster, and if she didn't already know he had a crush on her, she most certainly would when the night was over.

As Elle approached him, he took a deep breath and stretched out his hands to calm his nerves. "She okay?"

Elle nodded. "Ready to go. I'm gonna stand on the other side of the stage, keep a look out for anyone who seems like he could be our guy."

"Right."

Before she left, Elle patted him on the shoulder and smiled knowingly. "Oh, and Reid... Try not to get distracted."

Yeah. He was fucked.

When the music that was playing stopped and the lights started to shift, Spencer took another deep breath. Irene's familiar voice came through the speakers.

"Thank you for coming to Starsight. Tonight's Spotlight Performer is a special one. Returning to the stage for the first time in years, shining brighter and better than ever before, give it up for our very own little star, Petite Etoile!"

A deep, seductive song that Spencer didn't recognize replaced Irene's voice as the lights shifted again, and the crowd around him applauded. It was just as crowded as it had been when he, Morgan, and Y/N met Irene the day before, but with a serial killer no doubt present and Y/N about to come on stage, everything felt heavier.

A dark silhouette broke through fog on the stage, and even though Spencer knew it was Y/N, it didn't feel real. He'd only ever seen her at work, in work clothes, and sometimes in casual clothes when they all went out for drinks on occasion.

So when she finally came into view, her hair tumbling down her back and shoulders rather than in a ponytail, and wearing almost nothing at all, he wasn't even sure it was her for a split second. But the way she looked, her magnetic presence and the way she carried herself across the stage was so remarkably her it was hard to miss. Everything about her confidence was elevated in that moment, and his own confidence—in his job and ability to function as a human being—was completely shattered when she caught his eye. It was just a split second, but that was all it took.

She must have noticed, because she gave him a small smile and a wink before turning her attention to the rest of the crowd as the music built. Spencer cleared his throat softly before glancing around, trying his best to scan everyone for anything suspicious. When he was sure there was nothing around him to be concerned about, he reluctantly let his eyes wander back to the stage.

By now Y/N had rid herself of the sheer robe that was on her, leaving her in a deep blue one-piece... contraption was the only word he could come up with. It was all connected by thin straps of fabric that weaved around every curve of her body, crisscrossing and leaving little to the imagination. Just like she'd described back in the car yesterday, small patches of fabric shaped like stars covered the front of her breasts and...

The second he looked down, she squatted, spreading her legs open and rolling her hips, exposing almost the entire front three rows of people to her barely-clothed pussy.

Spencer felt his cheeks grow warm as he quickly averted his gaze and pretended to survey the crowd again. To his credit, he did really search for anyone who could be the unsub, but the whole time he heard the song and the cheering crowd, and in turn Y/N occupied almost every corner of his brain.

When he finally had the courage to look at the stage again, she was making her way to a chair in the middle. Every step was on beat to the music and purposeful. She danced around the chair for a bit before another big beat drop in the song happened, and she squatted in front of it quickly, rolling her hips as she slowly got up.

Her eyes found his once more as she mouthed along to the words of the song, almost like she was singing directly to him. He wouldn't have thought anything of it, but she held his gaze for much longer than he'd been able to handle, and she knew exactly what she was doing. Which was made evident when she bit her bottom lip and ran her hands down her body, stopping at her knees before she sat in the chair and spread her legs, her hands finally dragging along the insides of her thigh.

Her eyes remained on him the entire time.

Butterflies immediately erupted in his stomach at her intensity, stronger than they'd ever been before. He'd always felt it when she affectionately ruffled his hair or patted his knee in passing, but now? She wasn't even touching him and he was about to crumble to the ground.

Thankfully something in his ear saved him from that. "I've got a visual." It was Morgan. "He's in the back, black long sleeve and jeans. Buzzcut. Y/N, look up at me and blink three times when you see him."

Reid looked up and and noticed her doing it. To anyone else it wouldn't have seemed out of pace, but he could tell she was a little rattled. In any case, she broke contact with Morgan and continued on with her performance as if nothing happened.

Though it meant there was most definitely a serial killer in the room and he would follow Y/N out of the club later, Spencer was glad for the past minute, because he wasn't sure how much more of the performance he could take. Suddenly there was a job to focus on again, and he was thankful for that.

***

"You're sure you're okay?"

Y/N laughed as she approached her motel room, phone in hand. "Yeah, Irene, I'm okay. Promise. He got a hold on me but my team was there to stop him before he did anything. No nicks or bruises or anything."

"Okay... You were great out there by the way. If you weren't such a kick-ass FBI agent now, I'd ask you to come back."

Laughing, she turned her head and noticed Reid at the end of the hall, walking to his room. He caught her eye and gave a shy smile before disappearing behind the door and closing himself off from her. She contemplated a moment before starting her journey to his room. "Well, I'm glad we could help. Maybe if I find myself in town again, I'll stop by."

"Yeah, you better. Though I'd prefer if a serial killer wasn't involved."

"You and me both. I'll come see you before we leave tomorrow morning, yeah?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Petite Etoile."

With an affectionate roll of her eyes, Y/N nodded though her friend wouldn't be able to see. "Night."

She hung up and put the phone in her bag, taking a deep breath before knocking on Reid's door.

The answer was almost immediate. He stood before her, and it looked like he'd just gotten undressed, wearing grey pajama bottoms and a white tee shirt. "Oh, Y/N, h-hi," he stammered, pushing his glasses up his nose a little. "What's up?"

"Do you... mind if I come in? I know it might sound a little weird but I don't really want to be alone right now..." It was true. Though she was okay after catching the unsub, the idea of being alone after everything that happened was sure to leave a small ache that wouldn't let her sleep, and having company would make a good cure.

"Oh, no, that isn't weird at all. Uh, sure, come on in." He stepped aside and opened the door wider to let her through. She smiled gratefully as she passed him, careful to notice the faint color that adorned his cheeks.

When he closed the door behind them, she set her bag down on the floor and turned to meet him, playing with the sleeve of the FBI jacket she was wearing. Before leaving Starsight, she'd changed into underwear, leggings, and a thin tee shirt. She debated taking the jacket off, but knowing how much of her body her colleague and friend had no doubt seen that night, she figured for his sake she'd leave it on. At least for now.

"I know it's late and we should probably get to bed, but... Truthfully I don't know how well I'll be able to sleep."

Spencer seemed concerned. "You're... you're okay? He didn't hurt you badly, did he?"

"Oh! No, he didn't, I'm just... rattled, that's all. I'll be okay, really. It's just that I haven't... performed in a long time, and all of that added on to being serial killer bait was just... eventful. That's all."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you were great."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at her lips. "Oh?"

"Oh, I mean at handling the unsub. Not that you weren't great at the other thing, of course! I just... I just meant that... I didn't mean... Um..."

"Hey, it's okay, I'm... I'm not mad or anything, I'm... flattered."

The redness on Spencer's face became more vivid under the dim glow of the room. "I- Really?"

Y/N smiled and took a step closer. "Mhmm. Y'know... Truthfully it was really hard for me not to look at you the whole time. Out of everyone in that whole room, I wanted to see only you."

His gaze wandered up and down her body briefly before meeting her eyes. "You did?"

"Mhmm," she said again. Her hand reached out to graze his bare arm, and he shivered under her light touch. "You can stop me if this is too weird, but... I really like you, Spence... Like, a lot. And, I think it's pretty obvious that you like me, too. Am I wrong?"

He swallowed. "Um... No. You're not wrong."

She was only inches away from him now, her hands gently caressing his shoulders and chest. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled. "Do you want to kiss me as badly as I want to kiss you right now?"

"Um... T-truthfully I think I might want... to kiss you more..."

Y/N laughed and balled his shirt in one hand, the other snaking up to the back of his head and running through his hair. "Okay, then... You gonna prove it, or what?"

He bit his lip softly before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss that made her dizzy. Her hands tightened their grip on him, and the second her lips parted, he wasted no time gently swiping his tongue across her bottom lip, his confidence growing with every second. She groaned into him, pulling her body flush against his and forcing him to wrap his arms around her waist to keep steady.

They pulled away for air eventually, and by the gleam in his eyes when she looked at him, she knew exactly what she had to do.

"No one is rooming with you, right?"

"N-no. It's just me."

"Good." She whispered it seductively as she removed her hands from him and slowly unzipped her jacket, keeping eye contact with Spencer the whole time. Except, of course, when his eyes glanced down to see the progress the zipper was making. Once she slid it off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor, he took her in, his tongue dancing behind his lips.

She let him have a few more seconds before taking a step forward and kissing him again, both of her hands cradling his face and bringing her thumbs to gently rub his cheeks. He melted into her completely, wrapping his arms around her again in no time. While their kisses were slow and passionate for a minute, eventually they grew hungrier, and Y/N hadn't even realized they'd been moving until they were toppling onto the bed, Spencer falling back and her landing on top of him.

They broke apart only for a moment to adjust themselves, but went right back to each other once Y/N straddled his legs and he leaned back on his hands to keep himself upright.

Her hands played in his hair as she kissed him, each brush of her tongue against his sending him into a downward spiral. He'd only ever dreamed of this, and even then, this was better than any dream. Y/N herself was better than any dream.

She ground her hips against him, causing him to groan into her mouth, and he pushed himself forward to be closer, needing to be completely wrapped up in her for as long as he could. When she pulled her mouth from his and settled her hands on his shoulders to keep him from moving, he whined a little, the sound completely taking the both of them aback.

She smiled and cocked her head to the side. "I've thought about this for so long... You have no idea how many times I've wanted to kiss you since we met."

"Really?"

With a nod, Y/N toyed with the collar of his shirt, tugging it and slowly grinding her hips against him again. "Have you ever thought about it?"

It was a question they both obviously knew the answer to, but she wanted to have some fun. She loved seeing how shy he got, it made her want him even more.

"Yes... I... I think about you a lot," he breathed, blinking at her as she slid her hands down his chest and found the bottom of his shirt. She smiled and raised it up, her touch sending shivers all over his body.

"What have you thought about? Any specifics?" she asked once his shirt was all the way off. Her fingers found their way to his neck again as she pulled herself closer.

"Oh, I... Um... I-I've thought about... kissing you on the jet in front of everyone."

Y/N smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose, then traced her finger down over his lips and hooked it under his chin to tilt his head up, exposing his neck. "I've thought about that, too... You know what else?"

Spencer blinked at her, urging her to continue.

She leaned forward and kissed the underside of his jaw, then his neck, leaving small kisses in between every soft word. "I've thought about how good your hands would feel on me." Her hand grabbed one of his and brought it to rest on her side, slipping under her shirt. "Have you ever thought about touching me?"

"Yes," he breathed as she moved her mouth back up his jaw and to the corner of his mouth.

She brought her lips just inches from his, and he could feel them just barely as she spoke. "Do it. Please."

And then she let go of him, bringing both her hands to his face as she kissed him again. Her legs wrapped around him tighter as he used both of his hands to grip her sides. As soon as they knew they were stable enough not to fall backwards, Spencer slid his hands slowly up her torso and barely ghosted over her breasts. She could tell he was a little hesitant, so she pushed further into him, practically trapping his hands in between their chests. Her kisses grew deeper and more desperate as he palmed her breasts, letting a moan or two slip out to encourage him further.

Thankfully it worked, because with every passing second he got more confident with his touches. When Y/N moved her hips against his again, he sighed into her mouth and brought one of his hands out from under her shirt and to her head, running his fingers through her hair.

At this point he was noticeably hard beneath her, and she was desperate to feel more of him. So Y/N peeled herself away from Spencer and snuck her hand down to play with the waistband of his pants. "You wouldn't happen to have a condom on you, would you?"

"Oh, uh, a-actually Morgan gave me one as a joke last week. It's, uh, in my wallet. In my bag."

Y/N laughed. "Sounds like him. Why don't you go grab it."

He nodded as she got up off of him. While he walked over to his bag, Y/N quickly removed her shirt and leggings, leaving her only in a pair of thin black panties that were almost too small. Before he turned around, she sat back on the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide, leaning back on her elbows as she waited.

If she didn't know any better she would have thought that when he turned around, his eyes were going to fall out of his head. He took small steps towards the bed, and she made the 'come here' motion with her finger. "Take your pants off for me?"

He all but scrambled to get them off, and Y/N smiled affectionately at him as she watched, hoping to calm his nerves by letting him know that he had nothing to be nervous about.

But just to be sure, she told him as much anyway. "You've got nothing to worry about, Spence. Trust me, I... I want this."

Once his pants were off, he met her at the edge of the bed, standing in between her legs. "I do too, I just... It's just that I've only ever... done this before once, and... I'm not very experienced, and I don't want to disappoint you."

Y/N sat up and grabbed his hips, leaning forward to press small, soft kisses to his stomach as she looked up at him. "You could never disappoint me. Promise."

Once she was sure he was a little more relaxed, she moved her kisses lower, until they reached the waistband of his underwear. She hooked her fingers under it and slid them down slowly, keeping eye contact with him until they dropped to the floor. Only then did she look down at his dick, and it was even better than she imagined.

Giving a satisfied hum, she pressed a soft kiss to the tip and fluttered her eyes up to meet his, the look on his face completely awe-struck. She took the tip of his dick in between her lips and sucked gently, swirling her tongue around it as she watched his mouth fall open, a sigh escaping. She could tell he was holding back a little, so she traced her finger along the length of him and kept sucking lightly at the tip, hoping to get some noise out of him.

Y/N took him in her mouth completely, bobbing her head up and down just a few times to get him wet before removing her lips with a pop. When she gripped him firmly with one hand and steadily began to stroke him, he finally gave her what she hoped for.

"Y/N," he groaned, just above a whisper. His eyes were closed, but he opened them when she stopped.

"You wanna put it on or should I?" she asked.

"Spencer turned the small packet over in his hand before nodding. "I can do it."

Y/N scooted farther onto the bed and slid off her panties as he got to work, and thankfully he wasn't as nervous anymore. He moved to take off his glasses, but she stopped him. "Keep them on?"

The devious grin on her face made him blush, and he nodded, crawling over the top of her and pressing tentative kisses to her stomach, only he travelled downward instead of up to her mouth.

"You don't have t—"

"I want to," he reassured, kissing her inner thighs. "Truth be told, Y/N, I've thought about doing this, too. Is that okay?"

"Yes," she responded clearly, extremely turned on by the needy tone in his voice.

Almost immediately after she answered, his tongue darted out to taste her, swiping gently over her clit and sending her into a state of speechlessness. She leaned up on her elbows to watch as Spencer took his time, exploring and savoring every inch of her. She knew now why he'd wanted to take his glasses off, but if anything the sight of them riding up his face as he ate her out made the whole thing even hotter.

"Fuck, Spence, that... that feels so fucking good," she breathed, trying to keep her eyes open to look at him but ultimately failing.

Her words emboldened him, and he slipped a finger slowly inside her, his tongue paying special attention to her clit. He worked them together in a slow, sensual rhythm that eventually drove her to the edge. And she told him so.

"You're gonna make me cum," she breathed, willing herself to open her eyes. She found him staring up at her as best as he could in his position, the hungry sparkle in his eye pushing her further. What finally pushed her over the edge was when he sucked gently on her clit and groaned against her as she called out his name. Everything blinded her for a moment as she rocked her hips against his face, needing to hang on to every last second of her orgasm.

When she finally came down, Spencer pulled away and adjusted his glasses, to which Y/N bit her lip and moaned once more. "You're sure you've only ever done this once?"

He laughed a little, sucking his fingers clean with a shrug before answering. "Yeah, but I'm a quick-study."

Y/N smiled and reached one of her arms out to him. "Come here, quick-study."

The two of them smiled as their lips found one another, her hands flying to his hair once again. His hands gripped her waist, and his dick pressed up against her lower stomach, making her groan against him.

Without another word, Y/N hooked her legs around his waist and shifted their weight, rolling them over so she was straddling him now. Spencer reached up to move her hair to one side of her face, and then soon after she sat up, placing her hands on his chest.

"I'll tell you something else I've thought about," she said lowly, scratching down his chest just lightly enough to give him goosebumps. She then used one of her hands to grip his dick and lifted her hips up, running the head of him through her wetness as she looked down at him. "I've thought about how good you would look while I ride you. More than once, actually."

She sank down onto him, just a little, and his face sure enough twitched in pleasure, making Y/N smile to herself. "What about you? You ever imagine me riding this pretty cock?"

"Fuck, Y/N, yes, I— Oh my god..."

She sat down completely, rocking her hips forward a little and pressing her hands harder into his chest. "Fuck, you feel so good..."

She set a slow pace, making sure to pay extra attention to Spencer's face as she worked him. Just like she'd done before, he seemed to have a hard time keeping his eyes open, but his hands gripped her hips so tightly she was sure they'd leave bruises. The thought of that spurred her on, and she picked up the pace, bouncing steadily on his cock.

"Ohhh, fuck," she groaned, her hands leaving his torso to grab her breasts. He opened his eyes and watched her, letting out a soft moan of his own. His hands slid up her sides and under hers, replacing them with his own firm grip. She leaned forward a little so he wouldn't have to reach up that far, placing both of her hands on either side of his waist.

"Tell me," she managed to say as she continued riding him. "You ever think about fucking me at work? In the round-table room or over my desk? I know I have..."

He continued to pinch and pull at her nipples while barely being able to keep his eyes open. "Y-yes... Fuck, Y/N, I think about you all the time..."

"Feeling's mutual. Sit up for me?"

Spencer opened his eyes and she helped him sit up. They adjusted for a second before she wrapped her arms around his neck and started moving again, rocking her hips into his and giving him a better angle to hit inside her deeper.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so good," she breathed against his lips before she kissed him, missing the feel of his lips on hers. Their bodies clung together perfectly, every movement feeling better than the last, until they were both obviously close to coming undone.

Sure enough, the moment she squeezed her legs together and clenched herself around him, he groaned into her mouth and bucked his hips forward. "Y/N... I..."

She pressed her forehead to his and tugged at his hair, quickening her pace just a little and feeling herself geting close as well. Any moment now and she would feel it.

"Me, too," she breathed, brushing her nose against his. Within a matter of seconds, they were both unraveling, sighing out each others' names and holding on to each other for dear life as they rode out their highs.

Eventually Y/N slowed her hips to a stop, and she slumped against him, pressing one final kiss to his lips before she got off his lap and pulled him down to lay beside her, immediately snuggling into his side and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"So, was that better than you imagined?" she murmured against his neck, pressing kisses along collarbone.

Spencer laughed and pulled her even closer. "Even better. No dream could ever do you justice."

She smiled, feeling herself growing sleepy. "You sap... But, for the record, I could say the same thing about you."

"Really?" He seemed genuinely curious.

Y/N looked up at him and smiled, tracing patterns on his chest with her fingertips. "Really. I wasn't kidding, Spence, I think about you... probably more often than I should. You're distracting."

"I'm distracting?" he mused. "You're... you. Seriously, it's a surprise I haven't completely made a fool of myself around you since we met. Especially after we all found out about your other job."

"Right... That doesn't... weird you out, does it?"

"That you used to be a stripper?"

She nodded, truthfully a little worried. She wasn't sure why, but it had always been a problem in her previous relationships, and she'd gotten used to that.

"No, of course that doesn't weird me out. I mean, I was definitely more intimidated around you, and I figured you were completely out of my league... Truthfully, I think you still might be."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Doctor. You're perfect, and really, if anyone was out of anyone's league here, it would be me. I'd be lucky to have you in any capacity, you know that, right?"

He blushed, bringing his forehead to rest against hers again. "Well... In any case, I really do like you, and... If it's not too weird, maybe you'd want to go out sometime?"

Warmth bloomed in her chest as she reached out and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Of course. I would love to."

***

"Make it stop," Y/N whined, covering her ears with the pillow.

Spencer stirred beside her, barely awake himself. The knocking at the door wasn't stopping, and in a huff of annoyance, Y/N decided she'd had enough.

"We're getting up!"

She only realized what she did after the door opened and Elle walked in, a shit-eating grin on her face. "Oh my God, you were in here last night! I came by your room and tried calling..."

Y/N and Spencer both froze, completely awake and now well aware of the fact that someone else knew about their... sleeping arrangement.

"Uh, yeah... Yeah, I was here. Sorry if I worried you," Y/N stammered, trying to keep her cool. "I-I promised Irene I'd stop by this morning for breakfast before we left, so I should probably do that. Do, um... Do you mind?"

Elle laughed, giving the two of her friends a once-over before nodding. "Sure thing, Little Star. Oh, and uh... Good for you, Reid, proud of you."

"Elle," Y/N groaned, clutching the covers tighter around her bare torso.

"Right. Don't be too late."

After she left, Y/N leaned over to Spencer and rubbed his arm. "I'm sorry. I probably should have—"

He stopped her by pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. When he pulled away, his hand brushed the hair from her face and he smiled. "It's fine. I don't care who knows. I mean, as long as you don't, Petite Etoile..."

He said it with a grin reminiscent of the one Elle had just adorned, and it made Y/N laugh. She kissed him again and ruffled his hair. "I'm gonna get you for that."

"What? It suits you."

"You are not calling me by my stripper name. It's bad enough Elle and Morgan are probably gonna call me that for the rest of my life, I don't need it from you, too." She smiled as she said it, hoping that he knew she was only joking.

Either way, Spencer looked at her adoringly and took her hand in his. "Well, then... how about I just call you mine?"

"I like the sound of that."

#spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #criminal minds smut

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rcksmith · 3 years

Text

Spring breeze part.2 — Spencer Reid

Gif by @ssadrreid

Sumarry: Spencer never thought about falling in love with someone, but he certainly didn't expect that he would fall in love with Gideon's daughter. — season 3 —

Part.1 Part.3 Part.4

A/N: I was very happy with the return you guys had in the first part💖. I hope you guys like.

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Requests are open. Love you ❤️ Couple:Spencer Reid / Gideon's daughter!reader.

Warnings: nothing, just very fluff.

— — — — —

Spencer straightened his tie for the hundredth time in front of the mirror, in several unsuccessful attempts to exhibit his best that day. It was funny and ironic how, after so many years wearing dress shirts and a tie, the universe seemed to handpick that day to do - no matter how much Spencer tried to fix it - his tie looked weird. The fabric was too far to the left, or too far to the right, or too wrinkled in the folds. No matter how much he undid the knot or changed his tie, still looked strange.

What a nightmare.

Reid was barely able to sleep with the notion that he would see you today, his body being whipped assiduously by unsettling waves of euphoria, his mind whizzing like a propellant, anxiety screaming in his mind and sending his sleep for miles away. That morning, the world seemed to be more stuffy, hot and torrid, and for a second, Reid felt himself under the heat of Egypt instead of autumn in Washington.

He could feel his heart speeding up with the steps of the clocks, his breath running away from his lungs, a thousand and one speeches being revised in his head to try to lessen the likelihood of speaking some bullshit near you. Because he couldn't ruin that chance.

Spencer knew he was not the type of guy to have dates whit women like you every day. In fact, Laila had been the only stunning woman who had looked at him a second time. But, well, to be honest, he knew that all that affection she had directed him had been side effects of the transfer. He had been her hero and it clouded people's rationality. And, to his disquiet and to the dread of his insecurity, you were above the beauty of Laila on stratospheric levels.

To make matters worse, the damn tie wasn't good! God, he was screwed.

Spencer gave up on that impossible mission, settling for and conforming to what the tie looked like after the twentieth attempt. He wanted you to see him as a handsome person, a man worth wasting time with, not a boy who only served to be your friend. You were beautiful on so many levels that... well, Reid wanted you to be attracted to him, too, to simplify.

He stepped away from the mirror and slung his work bag over his shoulder, trying to control the pounding of his own heart.

On the way to work, trying hard to avoid thinking about what him looked like in that damned imperfect tie, Reid wondered, for a moment, if you too were under the same emotions. Did you change your clothes several times because you also felt anxious too? Could it be that, like him hands, yours also trembled? Or, if he was lucky, was your heart beating as hard as him?

He hoped that was yes.

As soon as he entered the BAU headquarters, with anxiety as his chaperone, Spencer sat at his own table while pouring a “Good morning” to his colleagues.

“Arrived early.” Derek narrowed his eyes at him, in that suspicious look.

"I am never late." He was quick to hit and that caused his friend to raise an eyebrow.

"But you never be anxious to get here earlier."

Sometimes Spencer hated that his friends were profiles.

“I just like my job.” Reid started to unpack things of bag, trying to avoid the look of Derek who was still burning his back.

“Oh, I'm sure you like.” The double meaning in his friend's tone did not go unnoticed by Spencer, but he did not want to delve into the truths of that argument, much less think about it.

Emily and JJ arrived after a few minutes, with Garcia following behind and making their point that she was not to blame for buying those pairs of shoes, since they were practically begging her to take them. Normally, Reid did not look at the glass door whenever he heard someone approaching, or had a strong desire to see Gideon pass through them as well.

But that day... that day, seeing Gideon meant seeing you. And seeing you meant that you would go through that door. And going through that door meant that Spencer would see you come in. That was enough to make his gaze turn to those doors from minute to minute.

But time passed. Fifteen minutes flew by, then twenty, then thirty. Anxiety increased and now his agitated heart was tuned to his right leg, which did not stop quietly, shaking from top to bottom assiduously.

“What do you look for at the door so much, Reid?”

Prentiss asked the last question that Reid would like to answer, and that caught Derek’s attention, who, as expected, laughed amusingly and sank further into the chair, a sly, playful smile on his lips.

“Oh, he is expecting a member of the Gideon family.”

Spencer swore and, in that moment, he was never so jealous of ostriches for being able to stick their heads underground. If he were one of them, he would definitely do it.

“I'm not expecting Y/n.” he said, whit voice higher and thin than usual.

“But I didn't say it was Y/n.” Derek laughed and Spencer felt his cheeks go red.

This time he gave up hitting back, his let out a bad mood murmur and turned forward, forcing himself not to look at the door anymore. From that moment on, Spencer focused on focusing on the pile of reports in front of him, forcing his brain to disconnect from the things around him and concentrate on matters that demand his all attention.

The hours went by, faster this time, the case-free day was being used to finish late reports and giving the team time to recover the nerves and breath of the last case.

After noon, Gideon still hadn't arrived and Spencer started to feel slightly fearful. He was about to take his phone out of his pocket and dial Jason when JJ appeared, handing over more piles of reports to they that required to be finished today.

Derek gave a loud curse of annoyance, muttering something and back to writing again. Emily was used to the paperwork bureaucracy, but from the bittersweet and dissatisfied look on her face, Spencer knew that no one there shared the same delight him had with paperwork. He also knew that Morgan was exhausted because he had remodeled a property yesterday and was barely could to sleep, and Prentiss felt overwhelmed because she was dealing with problems with her mother and with the bureaucracy policy that Strauss pressed against her.

Then Spencer looked at the file stack itself. There was a lot of paperwork, but the amount of reports he would finish in two minutes was three times what his friends would finish in an hour. He leaned forward, looking over the table to see Emily and focusing Derek better in his field of vision.

“Do you guys want to give some reports? I finish faster anyway”

They agreed without hesitating or pretending modesty. Reid laughed, saying that his friends would owe him one, and went back to work.

After that, when Spencer finished the reports and lifted his head from the paperwork, the light in the world had dimmed to a dark blue hue, streaked by small, bright stars.

The breeze coming in through the large glass windows was fresh and invigorating, the scent of the night's wonderful promises was reminiscent of your perfume. And then he realized that neither you nor Gideon showed up all day. Something about him withered, the euphoria diminished until it became as small as the stars outside. The clock struck seven at night when Spencer got up and put his things away, millions of feelings buzzing in chest.

The unsettling sense of concern began to take place than had previously to been emotions of anxiety and excitement, and he pondered whether to ask Hotch about Gideon or to call himself. Reid looked around, looking under his colleagues, who were packing up to go home, and going up to Aaron's office. He could still see his figure under the marble table, the light from the room underscoring the serious and concentrated expression he directed to the documents. The air in that room looked different, maybe more dense, maybe more serious. But Spencer knew it was best to let Hotch do his own thing.

He ran the tip of his tongue over the corner of lips, reaching into his pocket and reaching for his cell phone.

“Hey, Reid." he turned toward Morgan, that signaled them to go to the elevator.

“Did you speak to Gideon today? Or did you hear Hotch say something about it?” The question came after he reached Derek, both of them walking out the glass door.

"Is it Gideon you're worried about or... his daughter?” He laughs shamelessly, pressing the elevator button.

Spencer stumbles over the words when says: “Wh-What? No. I'm just worried about him. It has nothing to do with… ”

As soon as the sentence was about to end, the elevator doors open. Instead of the usual void or presence of someone from the FBI, Spencer felt catatonic when he saw the female figure inside.

You.

In a burst, like a strong wind that blows and pushes things away, Spencer was struck by all the feelings and sensations that had been bubbling in his stomach all day. Euphoria, anxiety, insecurity and... animation. Suddenly, he was worried again about how he would look, what he would say, if he was presentable enough for you to look at him with... Well, Spencer didn't know how he wanted you to look at him, but he wished it were something that guarantee your affection.

He wanted to be something that excited you, that made your heart race. Just like his was now.

"Y/n...” He did not recognize his own voice. The intonation.

"Hey." You smiled genuinely, and it was able to make Reid's heart beat so fast that he feared you could hear. “I'm sorry I didn't show up and neither did my dad.”

“No problem at all.” He was sincere “Did something happen? Are you two okay? ”

The concern in Reid's voice was so palpable that you losing your breath. God, that man couldn't be real.

“I just remembered that Garcia is call me." Morgan tried to swallow a big smile “It was good to see you, Y/n.”

“Me too, Morgan.” You gave him a hand gesture that, for Reid, was lovely.

Spencer put his arm in the elevator door, preventing it from closing.

“Will you want to leave?” Always as solicitous as a gentleman.

“Oh no.” Now it was your cheeks that were softly red. “I came to see you actually.”

If nothing that had happened before was not enough to steal Spencer's breath, your sentence completed the mission. He put himself in an elevator, pressing a button and letting the doors close.

"I was going to bring my dad today, but ... well” You laughed “To put it succinctly, my dad has a list of things he wants to do before he dies, and one of them was rollerblading”

You and Spencer laughed. Half because he would have laughed at anything you said to see your smile, and half because he couldn't see Gideon having such a list. But he liked it. The feeling of knowing that Jason was having fun, enjoying life, not letting that job rip off all of his humanity, was comforting, joyful.

“Why do I feel this is not going to end well?" He joked too and you laughed.

“Because it doesn't end.” Your fingers ran through your hair “We ended up going to a place that had this, before he have work today, and he ended up twisting his ankle when he fell.”

You tried to no laught, because it was not something to play with, but after the fright passed and your father and you were entangled, they both burst out laughing. And now, reliving that, you didn't remember the hurt itself, but how great the fun between the two of you had been.

“He is fine?" But Spencer had a worried flash in his eyes.

“Oh, yes, the doctor said there was nothing much. He just needs to get some rest.” You smiled “I was going to call, but one thing led to another and when I saw it, it was too late to call. So I thought about coming in person.”

Spencer was known to have a photographic memory and a very high IQ, but at that moment, if then asked what you had just said, he would need a moment to remember. For the only thing he was concentrating on at that moment was the certainty that your smile could light up the whole of Washington. How your eyes held the stars' syntax and how the energy that emanated from you was... cheerful.

He realized that you were a cheerful person, outgoing and with an innate ease of making friends. You had that special touch that made people and the universe orbit around you. And Spencer knew it was one of the planets captured by your gravity.

"It is very sweet of you to come here to tell me that.” He smiled, but then realized what he had just said “N-not that you owe me any explanation! I just-I think it's cool that you worried and…n-not that I waited for you but… not th-that I didn't expect you too and...” Spencer stopped talking, giving up trying to find the right words to get him out of the mess he got himself into.

At times like this, Reid was used to people just dropping an embarrassed nod and leaving, or ignoring the avalanche of things he said. But as soon as the tone of your laughter echoed through the elevator and snaked through him body like a wave of energy, Reid looked at you more closely. You didn't give that embarrassed look, nor did you look sorry for him. You laughed lovingly and touched his arm.

"I was also looking forward to seeing you.” You summed up all of him thoughts in one sentence and freed him from all fears.

"Serious?" But disbelief was still present.

The elevator door opened and the two of you got out, walking to the exit of the building and being greeted by the cool, comforting breeze of the night.

“Yea.” You said as if it were obvious, “What do you think about going to a movie? It's not too late. ”

If Spencer had been told a few weeks ago that in a few days he would be on a date with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, he would have scoffed. He would have thought it was a joke with a background of evil. Going out with girls was not on the list of things Spencer did regularly, but he was thanking any confusion or mistake the Universe had made to accidentally placed you with him.

To be honest, with you on his side, with you with him, Spencer felt like he had won in life. That all those years of school and university, when he only saw beautiful girls from afar and dreamed of what it would be like to have one this girls interest in him, had dissipated into the air. Dissolved in the breeze like smoke. During all the hours of film, the joyful and ecstatic conversations you both had after, Spencer could feel the connection in the air. Naturally, kind of magical.

Did he know you two days or two decades ago?

You told all of your adventures, all of stories, and listened carefully to every ramble and phrase Reid had to say. He felt, for the first time, completely important. As if everything he had to say was valuable as a diamond, rare as a tropical treasure.

He felt comfortable, relaxed, cheerful.

And when, at the end of the night while the two of you were walking along the lively and vibrant streets of DC, you took his hand and intertwined yours fingers, Spencer never felt so alive.

He had been born twenty-four years, but only now did he really feel what it was like to be alive.

tagged: @gublersuvula @peculiarinsomniac

#spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid #dr.spencer reid x reader #dr. spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds fluff #derek morgan #spencer x reader #spencer x y/n #spencer reid fanfiction #mgg imagine #mgg fluff #mathew gray gubler #mgg x reader

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vaguely-concerned · 3 years

Text

The Mandalorian Chapter 15 reactions; *nobby nobbs voice* ‘s all gone a bit percychological, sir

- so from both chapter 6 and now this: rick famuyiwa is incredible at portraying prolonged discomfort and tension (and also at getting din’s endless love for that baby across through the stress of being separated from him. this is the very first episode with no baby in it at all, isn’t it? wow that’s a heartbreaking milestone to reach im crying)

I liked this episode SO MUCH but I had to pause it pretty often and take a breather because it all made me so viscerally uncomfortable on din’s behalf -- not just the armour and having to take the helmet off and be seen for the (almost, ilu IG-11) first time in decades, people keep touching him in this episode when he clearly doesn’t want them to but can’t stop it and it makes me want to claw my own skin off in sympathy, it’s so awful. that’s really neat film making to manage to keep that tension steady almost all the way through!!!

honestly this episode felt a little bit like psychological horror, with the cheering storm troopers and din in the wrong armour and clearly not digging it and there’s the palpable absence of baby and that ever present dread of being Perceived when you’re not ready for it; everything’s turned upside down from how it should be. and it’s playing with that discomfort both in the main character and in us, the audience, in having the familiar be made unfamiliar and also introducing these questions that shake up everything (that feeling you get of ‘but... if it’s not the helmet, and not the armour, but there’s his face, but we’ve only seen that face once before so it’s still basically new to us, is this... is this still him. is this still Dad’ (oooh I wonder if we’re... sort of getting some of the ??? the baby would be feeling about it too?) we’ve all imprinted on that t-shaped visor like little baby birds, and this was a very clever episode to break us out of that and start to really get used to the thought of him having several faces that are real simultaneously, in a way, and not just a voice. it’s all very smart and interesting and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of incoherent thoughts about this in the weeks to come lol)

- the actual reason din can’t take off the helmet is that if people were able to see his wide confused puppy eyes they would no longer find it in themselves to send him on long arduous side missions and would help him immediately just so he’d feel better, and that would rob us of like 80% of the content for this show

mayfeld in this episode: clearly a casualty of this. he literally sees one glimpse of the vulnerability there and then within five seconds goes on to materialize a few redeeming character traits after being a complete jackass for an episode and a half. (I mean. he was 100% still an imperial so I’m a bit ‘hm.’ about how easily especially cara let him off the hook, but with the way it was set up I guess it would have been quite shitty of them to just throw him back in prison so I mean I GUESS. I would be endlessly grateful someone got my awkward bff out of there alive and well too I suppose)

- I actually think din’s sense/integrity of self has gotten so much stronger and more resilient (though probably still quite fragile pls handle with care precious cargo within); if this had happened in the first season I think it might honestly just have killed him (and if it weren’t for IG-11 it probably would have lol)

- can you beLIEVE din is so bad at lying that they literally should plan for contingencies over it fjkasdlhfskajdhfsdj

- very grateful for the scene with the spear throw that’s basically there to reassure us ‘uh-huh, he absolutely knows how to use it, don’t worry about that part at least’

I want to make a whole post about that fight scene, though, it’s just so GOOD! there’s so much storytelling and characterization in it! even out of the armour din has some real hand to hand MOVES!! he clearly came out of that aching all over, he can barely get back in his seat!!!

- so what I’m mainly taking away from this is that din absolutely cuts his own hair and you know what? he does a good job considering the conditions he has to work under, I love him

I still find it so goddamn darling that he meticulously maintains that little mustache/stubble combo under there even when there’s every reason to believe no one will ever see it

I suppose we can also gather that he did not ask cobb about whatever insane feat of magic he’s come up with to avoid helmet hair, but I don’t care looking a bit frazzled and tousled is exactly right for him (he’s so put together when he’s in the armour and a MESS when he’s out of it and I l o v e it)

- boba fett is honestly so fucking hot in this I don’t know what to do with myself haha. he’s so CALM and CALCULATED and COLLECTED in his newly painted armour and he’s GOT THIS and he made that ‘I’ve got one of those faces. one of jango’s many, many, many faces’ joke and he’s so thicc now, he looks like he could easily lift me over his head with one hand and he’s just quietly steady and undramatically supportive and sdalfhsdjhfsa

- ...din does know who the clone troopers were, right. I mean of course he does. he has to. but does he though. I’m sure he does and just wasn’t thinking.

- no matter how stressful it was I’m still really grateful that in the end taking the helmet off was something din got to do himself -- it’s under some duress, but it’s still his choice and for the sake of the baby, and almost in two more manageable steps between putting on the storm trooper gear for a different helmet before taking it off altogether. it’s not something done to him by gideon, for example, that would be. so much yuckier and worse. he still has that control and agency intact, even if it’s been tested really hard, and now gideon doing that doesn’t hold the exact same nightmarish power anymore because there’s already a little space opened in din’s mind for different things it can mean, if you see what I mean. I’m not sure I see what I mean actually I just have a lot of feelings haha. so I guess thank you mayfeld for being decent about it and helping him towards that realization that he can still be himself outside these really really inflexible structures he’s set up around himself for like. stability and keeping himself upright for a really long time, and that even someone halfway decent won’t disrespect the boundaries he still has about it at any given moment. man there’s a lot in this episode isn’t there

- the sigh din gave when he saw even more pirates coming and knew he had to get back up... never has a single moment in cinema better captured how I feel about being alive. most relatable man in the world din djarin

- it was really cruel of them to make me listen to din’s dead bleak voice say ‘the child is gone’ again, it wrecks my heart every goddamn time

- again... I wish carano wasn’t Like That in real life because the cara & fennec scenes should have been everything I could ever dream. ah well fennec was still wonderful and if I just allow myself to think in-universe for a few seconds it was really touching that din would entrust cara with his entire armour, that’s some prime BrOTP energy right there

I love that we got two female characters who were just allies and working together, no competition or nothin’. listen the bar is low but it’s nice to see something actually leap gracefully over it as well lol

- this was one of those with some pretty big open plot holes (why, exactly, would a scan of a completely unknown face be helpful to get into this classified system lol), but a) I don’t care, the emotional storyline was so sound it doesn’t really matter and b) eh handwave handwave let’s say mayfeld programmed that little stick with the good shit and overrode the code saying there needed to be an identity match within the system, it’s all fine

- I know I joke a lot about this but din really is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever had. just watching him struggle with eye contact and going pretty much nonverbal under enough stress is like. wow a bit close to home there could we, perhaps, nOT?? (honestly though these are trauma/anxiety things I really don’t see portrayed a lot, especially in protagonists, it’s so odd but healing to see it in a character I love and who’s EXTREMELY competent in many other settings)

- din repeating gideon’s speech back to him word for word (except for the crucial detail that he calls grogu ‘him’ instead of ‘it’ 😭😭😭) and saying nothing else is truly Everything. I’ve said some stuff about din’s deliberate and thoughtful relationship to language in the past and this is such an amazing example of it; he’s remembered that pitch perfect all this time, he’s kept it around in his head and mulled it over and then redeployed it to change the meaning of it completely from dehumanization to love. can you. can you even imagine. and it’s yet another example of his hilarious wonderful petty streak and I can never get enough of it fasjhdfkjalhs

- din always noticing the children first and foremost Y_______Y (the kids running by is the only thing you see him sort of acknowledge when he’s walking into the covert in season 1 too)

- please... please I just need him to be able to hold that baby against his chest all safe and sound and okay again I can’t it’s........ hh

NO SEASON END CLIFF HANGER ON THIS I AM B E G G I N G YOU

- I would be having some thoughts about how much space there actually is on slave 1 and what that might mean (do not kill boba again please don’t kill him again), but honestly there’s only ‘GET BABY’ hours in here now, I can’t speculate about anything

#star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #the mandalorian meta #this is an episode in the 'wow that was awesome but I need to go lie down in a quiet room for a while afterwards' tradition lol

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mosylufanfic · 7 years

Note

Killervibe 31?

31. prostitute/client au

This was so interesting to write, thank you! Also please forgive any historical inaccuracies, I kind of did the bare minimum of research. Obviously NSFWish for topic.

Strictly Business

The bedsprings creaked as Caitlin sat up, shaking out her wild hair. She snagged a silky robe from a hook and wrapped it around her body as she moved around the bed, running the tips of her fingers over the naked shoulders and side of the man in her bed.

Cisco rolled to his back and put his arms behind his head, smiling at her. “So what’s this I hear about you getting a telephone installed?”

She sat at her vanity, picking up a comb to work it through the disordered waves. “Where did you hear that?”

“A little bird told me.”

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “Would that little bird be the sheriff’s deputy, by any chance?”

“It might.”

Of course it was. She’d talked to Dr. Allen about the telephone line, and the Allen man wasn’t born who could keep a secret for more than five minutes. He’d told his son, of course, and Barry had naturally passed it on to his best friend.

Cisco sat up, unashamed of his nudity, propping his elbows on his knees. She eyed him in the mirror, then checked the time.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough left of his hour to do much of anything. He was one of the few clients she charged by time rather than by the acts that they wanted, and she didn’t feel right letting him go into a second hour when it was so close to house curfew.

Of course, his mind was still stuck on gadgets. “Why do you need a telephone? Are fellas going to call in an appointment with one of your girls from the next train station down the track?”

She paused, comb halfway down her hair, to consider that. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll consider it. But do you know the amount of business correspondence I have to keep up with? And how long it takes? A telephone could cut that down to nothing.”

“Seriously, you’re going to pay all that money to run a line from Starling City, knock holes in your walls, install and learn new machinery, just so you can terrorize your suppliers more efficiently?”

She arched her brow at him. “I saw how much of your whiskey you left behind downstairs. It’s swill, and that new liquor supplier thinks he can pawn that stuff off on me? He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. He definitely needs to be terrorized.”

Cisco snorted. “Not that you’re wrong about the whiskey,” he said. “But is that the only reason?”

She scowled. His eyes were entirely too knowing. He always thought he had her all figured out, and the hell of it was, he was usually right.

“Look,” she said, swiveling on the padded bench. “It’s 1895. In five short years we’ll be in a brand-new century, but you’d never know it by this town. The modern world will leave Central City behind if we don’t at least make the attempt to keep up. Now, we could put it to the town council, and they could argue and debate and levy taxes and hire cronies and all in all, it’d be ten years before we got ‘phone service out there. Or - ” She pointed at her chest. “One of the town’s wealthiest businesswomen could just get it done. I know which one I’d prefer.”

He grinned at her. “And once a line gets run out here, it’s that much easier for, say, the doctor to get a ‘phone. And the sheriff’s office. And the reverend - ”

“- and anybody that people need to get ahold of. Not to mention if enough people sign up for telephone service, we might have our own switchboard in a few years.”

“And a switchboard will bring jobs with it.”

She eyed him. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” To her regret, he reached over to the chair next to the bed and picked up his underwear and his pants.

“Looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” he asked, buttoning his pants. “Like that whole ice queen act is a front? Like the so-terrifying Madam Frost is really just Caitlin Snow, civic-minded marshmallow?”

“It’s my home too.” She tossed her head and twisted around to face the mirror again. “And it makes good business sense.”

“Sure, yeah, business sense.” He nudged her aside and sat down next to her on the bench. “I gotcha.”

Her comb hit a snag, and she growled. “Dammit, Cisco, why do you always play with my hair so much? I have a knot the size of Montana in here.”

“But it’s so pretty,” he said, dropping his head to nuzzle her shoulder. “You’re so pretty.”

All the work she put into it, she’d better be.

He brushed his lips over her neck, creeping up her throat toward her lips. He paused with his mouth against her cheek. “How much longer?”

She checked the clock that sat prominently on her dressing table. “Five minutes,” she said.

He sighed against her skin and lifted his head. Though he respected it, she knew he thought it was an arbitrary boundary. But the line had to be drawn somewhere, and she didn’t kiss for pay.

“So when is it getting installed?” he asked, taking the comb from her and gently working at the stubborn knot.

“Still working out the details,” she said, letting herself soften into his touch. He was far gentler than she was, and it was nice having anybody do these kinds of things for her. She’d spent so long on her own. “The company rep seems to think he should get a few perks from the House of Frost.” She gave a daintily contemptuous snort.

“Boy, he really doesn’t know you, does he?”

“We only accept cash for sex,” she said. “It’s a very simple rule.” And one she broke for nobody.

He ran the comb from her scalp to the ends of her hair, then smoothed his hand over the waves. “I’d like to see that.”

She gave her a look over her shoulder. “My, I didn’t know you leaned that way. I’ll have to set something up.”

He laughed and bumped her shoulder with his. “You know I meant the telephone.”

She leaned into him, smiling. “I know. And you’ll be the first one I tell. I couldn’t let you miss it.”

The clock on her vanity chimed softly, and they both glanced over at it. She looked back at him, feeling her heart flutter. “Three o'clock,” she said. “Your hour’s up.”

He reached in his pocket and handed her a few bills, already ready for her. With any other client, she would have counted them and then tucked the roll into her bosom or her pocket before walking him to the door.

With Cisco, she just took the folded bills and went to her wardrobe to slip them into the slotted safe on the high shelf. He was the only client who knew where it was. Although not the combination. She wasn’t completely a fool.

She shut the closet door, turned back, and took his face in her hands to kiss him. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her down onto his lap. She put her arms around his neck, luxuriating in his mouth on hers, in the softness of his touch, in his skin under her palms.

This little pocket of time every week was the only thing in her life that wasn’t about business. It was just for her, and him. She’d fucked near every man in Central City, but she only ever kissed Cisco.

When the clock chimed the quarter-hour, they were leaning together, foreheads touching, breathing each other’s air. “I guess it’s time,” he said regretfully.

She nodded and got off his lap. She found a pair of feathered mules to slip her feet into while he put on his shirt, suspenders, and jacket, and took his hand to lead him out of the room. They walked down the stairs like that, fingers entwined, pausing on the landing to kiss a few more times, whispering to each other.

At the door, he kissed her one last time, soft as duckling down. "I almost forgot. Iris wants an interview about the telephone.“

“She should ask her father-in-law. The town doctor reads much better in that respectable paper of hers.”

“She wants to talk to you.”

Caitlin tipped her head to one side, considering. Iris Allen, nee West, seemed much more willing to acknowledge Caitlin’s existence, both in print and in person, than most women were.

But all the same, Iris was a respectable married lady, and she was already plenty scandalous for being a colored woman married to a white man and running the town newspaper. Interviewing the town madam would be bad enough without it getting out she’d gone to the actual brothel.

“Let her know I’ll be at the telegraph office at three this afternoon, if she’d like to catch up with me.”

“I’ll do that.” He kissed her again. “Next Tuesday?”

“As always,” she said.

He kissed her one last time and let her hand go, settling his hat on his head. “Gideon,” he said to the doorman.

“Mr. Ramon,” he said. “You have a nice night.”

“You as well.” His eyes flicked over Gideon’s broad shoulder to meet hers, and he gave her one last smile before heading down the steps to the street. She watched until he turned the corner, heading for the junk shop he ran, fixing everything that could be fixed and disassembling anything that couldn’t. He lived in two small rooms above the shop, which she’d never seen.

She shut the door.

“We’re all clear?” she asked Gideon, who was her doorman, her bartender, her bouncer, and kept the appointment book.

“Yes, ma'am. Mr. Ramon was the last.”

She nodded in satisfaction, glancing at the grandfather clock that was just starting to chime the half-hour. The House of Frost operated on a strict schedule. The kitchen closed at midnight, the bar closed at two, and anyone not employed by the house had to be gone by three-thirty. “Do I need to see to any of the girls?”

“No, ma'am. Dr. Allen stopped by. He says hey, and that he’ll need to push back the checkup. Mrs. Queen is having her baby, it seems, and he doesn’t know how long it’ll be.”

She pursed her lips, considering. The girls’ monthly checkup was important to her, but babies waited for no man. “Tomorrow will be fine.” She could use the time later today to get caught up on some things, like giving that liquor distributor what-for.

“Oh, and that Vandal Savage fellow came around.”

She whirled. “After what he did to Maisie last week? The gall. Why didn’t you come get me?”

“I ran him off,” he said. “It was all right.”

“Still,” she said.

“Ma'am, the girls and I try our best not to disturb you when you’re with Mr. Ramon.”

She stood still, feeling her cheeks heat. She averted her eyes for a moment. “Yes, well. That’s very kind of you, I’m sure. Go ahead and lock up, and you have a nice night.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

She climbed the stairs, listening to the soft noises of Gideon doing his last checks.

In her room, she washed and cleaned herself and took out her sponge, rinsing it well with vinegar before putting it away until her first client tomorrow. She braided her hair to keep it from tangling in her sleep and put on her face cream for the night. All that done, she peeled off the silky robe and kicked off her shoes. She considered putting on a nightgown, but opted to climb into her bed naked. She nuzzled her face into the pillow, breathing in Cisco’s scent, and pulled the blankets up around her.

It was why she always saved the last hour on Tuesday nights for Cisco, so that once a week, she could go to sleep in a bed that smelled kindly and sweetly of the man she loved.

FINIS

#Caitlin Snow #Cisco Ramon #Killervibe #fanfiction #mosylufanfic lives up to her damn name #historical AU #cw: sex work #cw: period-accurate racial terms #also mosylu is a nerd #also also I know Gideon presents as female but it worked better to make him male for this #the flash #thedupshadove

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emberfrostlovesloki · 4 years

Text

#4 Reader X SickSpencer

Gif credit: @stunudo

Prompt: Reader X SickSpencer - Spencer catches a cold and doesn’t come into work on Monday morning. The reader goes to his apartment to check and see if he is doing alright.

Category: Fluff / Comfort

Content Warning: Language (maybe)

A/N: After watching the episode where Spencer gets tortured I had an infinite need to write something where he gets comforted by someone. This is pretty domestic and fluffy, but it’s what I needed right now. I want to thank @veraiconcos for helping me with the inspiration for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Please like / reblog!

Link to all stories

_y/n_ = your name

_y/l/n_ = you’re last name

_h/c_ = hair color

_b/s_ = brother/ sister

_h/l_ = hair length

_f/c_ favorite color

_Y/n_ walked into the headquarters of the BAU with a pep in her step. She had spent most of the weekend hiking the paths of Ricketts Glenn State Park in Pennsylvania. She had taken the train up after she had clocked out of work and spent the rest of the weekend disconnecting from the world. She found the forested paths relaxing compared to her normal job she was bound to. She had asked if Morgan or Prentiss wanted to join her, but both of her teammates already had plans for the weekend. In total the woman had walked over fifty miles. At noon on Sunday _y/n_ sadly said goodbye to her campsite, and drove herself to the airport. She had arrive at the office before everyone on Monday morning. She hadn’t gotten any work done during her outdoor experience. Because of this she arrived at her desk early in order to make a dent in the pile of paperwork she had left behind on Friday. When she sat down at the white desk _y/n_ noticed that some of the files she was least looking forward to were nowhere to be found. She didn’t think too hard about it for the moment, and just grabbed another file instead. After an hour, the other members of the team started streaming into the bullpen. _Y/n_ noticed that at 8:00 A.M. Morgan, Prentiss, J.J., Hotch and Gideon were all present, except for Dr. Reid. Agent _y/l/n_ looked around the room once more just to make sure that the young man wasn’t actually there, and she was just missing him. Spencer had never been late to work before. He had actually picked her up multiple times when she had texted him in a panic that it was raining and the trains would run late, and she’d probably get fired for being two minutes late. She knew that her fears were unfounded, she also knew that Spencer knew her fear was stupid. None the less he would pull up to her apartment and swing the passenger side door open from the inside. Those had been good rides. When _y/n_ was very sure she had not missed Spencer she walked up to Morgan who was just now walking up to his desk. She leaned against his desk and asked, “Morning, do you know where Reid is? Also, I’m missing some files from my desk, any idea where they may be?” Derek smiled and said, “I can explain both questions sweetness.” _Y/n_ rolled her eye’s at Morgans flattery but still raised her eyebrows, non verbally telling him to continue. Morgan took a seat and continued, “Reid is sick, apparently he caught a cold. About your missing files, your boyfriend stayed late last Friday, last I saw of him he had taken about ten of your case files to his desk, and was filling them out himself.” Before _y/n_ had a chance to process that Derek had called Spencer her boyfriend she replied, “Oh my gosh, is he okay? When did he get sick?” Morgan smiled as she realized what term he had used for her friend. She grabbed one of his case files and started hitting him over the head with it. The athletic agent put his hands over his head and said, “Reid got sick on Saturday. He texted us on Sunday that he had a fever and Hotch told him to stay home.”

Before _y/n_ could ask more questions, J.J. entered the room and said, “We have a case, let’s head into the conference room to talk over the details.” When the team was assembled, Hotcher stood up and started explaining the case. “We’re looking for an unsub that has killed congressman Luke Allen. The murder took place in the senators office last night at 1:00 A.M. His body was found today by his aid, Gracie Suveua. There was no apparent forced entry. The senators most popular contributions on Capitol Hill have been his working and signing the bill regarding Obergefell vs. Hodges in 2015.” The team nodded and agent _y/l/n_ commented, “So we may be looking for a person that has problems with the implications of gay marriage in the Supreme Court: religious extremists, opposing party members or a person from another radical religions that oppose LGBTQ+ rights.” Gideon agreed and replied, “That’s a great start for a profile. Hotch and Derek, would you head over to the sight of the murder. J.J. would you give Penelope our main facts so far and get her to do a database search based off of those criteria. Prentiss, _y/n_ and I will head over to the police precinct to ask some questions and gather information from the force.” After a minute of gathering in their separate groups, the teams went their separate ways to begin the hard work of the new case. Prentiss and _y/n_ weren’t thrilled to be going to the prescient. The officers were mostly of a male demographic, and often ignored comments that both female agents had made before, and turned out to be true later. Nonetheless, the trio whisked away to the station. When they arrived, the Police chief heartily shook Jason’s hand, but chose not to shake Emily of _y/n’s_. The two agents looked at each other, shrugged and moved into the sleek building after Gideon. It wasn’t until 9: 30 P.M. that the team was back to the conference room debriefing the information that they had accrued during the course of the day. After the debrief was over Aaron said, “I think we will be better use to this case if we all get some sleep and pick this up tomorrow. I don’t think that we aren’t at risk of another victim being killed tonight. If we work hard there won’t be a second death to follow the first. Get some sleep and I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.” Each member of the team slowly got up, in their fatigue and moved out of the bright room and back toward their desks. When _y/n_ got to her desk she slumped down in her swivel chair. She pulled out her phone and looked at the message she had missed. She ignored a text from her mom and instantly scrolled down to the text that Spencer had sent her. The message read, “I’m still feeling pretty bad. I’m sorry that I can’t be useful in this case.” _y/n_ observed the text, and thought about how Spencer threw himself into his work 110% of the time and maybe it was batter that he had a break from work, even if he had to feel like shit to get to that place.

Before she could respond to the message that Reid had sent three hours ago Morgan approached _y/l/n_ and asked, “Do you need a ride home? Taking the train right now isn’t exactly safe.”_Y/n_ looked up to him and said, “I think I’ll go check on Reid first. Would you mind taking me to his apartment?” Morgan raised his eyebrows at the statement, and after a moment of silence said, “Sure thing.” The agents moved to the parking lot where Derek’s car sat ready to take off. _Y/n_ had sold her car when she had moved to D.C. to pay the deposit on her crappy apartment. She had always told herself that she would buy a new car when she had the money. Even though she had been working on the BAU unit for over a year she had never bought a car. She preferred the train anyway. When the agent got onto the car Morgan smoothly moved out of his spot and into the empty road. _Y/n_ pulled out her phone and texted Spencer back saying, “Sorry you’re still feeling bad. I am going to come over and see if you’re doing okay. Be there in about twenty minutes.” When she finished sending the text she put her phone in her pocket and looked out the front window at the empty road. After a minute Derek commented, “You really like him, don’t you?” The male agent had his big brother voice on when he asked the question. _Y/n_ pulled her hand through her _h/c_ before responding, “Derek you know how I feel about him. You don’t have to interrogate me. But it might be helpful if you didn’t call Spencer my boyfriend in front of him. You know how he gets when it comes to affection.” Morgan smiled. He knew that both agents had spent a good amount of time together outside of work. He thought that they made a good couple, but also that they hadn’t said anything about their feelings to each other yet. Morgan respected that they were moving slowly, that really was more their style anyway. Derek replied, “I get you. Plus, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any chance you might have in letting him tell you that he likes you.” As he finished his statement the duo pulled into the front of Reid apartment building. She looked over to her friend and said, “You know nothing may happen. If it’s just platonic I’d get it. But I do love him.” Derek smiled at the fact that she had actually said the words out loud. He responded, “Go get him tiger.” She rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. _Y/n_ leaned back in to say, “If I get anything it will probably be a cold from our resident genius,” before closing the door, waving and walking into the apartment.

When she was in the apartment she took a moment to enjoy the sleek interior of the building. She was always jealous of the coffee shop that the contained. She had to walk three blocks to get to a coffee shop from her apartment. Secretly she was grateful for this fact, because if her apartment had a cafe she knew she would spend all her money there. She was brought back to the moment when the elevator dinged and opened. The agent waited for the occupants of the elevator to get out, and she stepped in once it was empty. She pressed the cool round metal button that read ‘5.’ The moving contraption stopped twice for other residents to get in the metal box before _y/n_ got out on floor five. When she was outside Spencer’s door she realized that she had never checked her messages before just showing up at his room. She pulled out her cellular device, and saw that he had not responded. _Y/l/n_ thought, ‘Maybe he’s asleep? Or maybe he’s feeling really bad and didn’t want me to come?’ The agent panicked for a moment, considering that Spencer might be too ill to respond. After a moment she calmed down and knocked on the door. It took a minute before she heard light shuffling outside the door. She could barely hear her friend say, “Who is it?” _Y/n_ rolled hey eyes at the question; all he had to do was look out his peep hole. After quietly laughing she said, “It’s _y/n_. Can I come in?” The door opened slightly and _y/n_ could see a small sliver of Dr. Reid. She tried to ascertain his sickness level from the shade of his face. Spencer stood for a minute calculating how risky it would be for him to let her in. He said in a raspy voice, “I might get you sick. You know that 3% of American’s have a 64% chance of getting a cold during the year.” _Y/n_ smiled and replied, “I’m happy you’re still coherent enough to give me statistics Spence, and if I’m going to get a cold I’d rather it be from you, and not some random person on the street. I’m just here to make sure you don’t stay sick for longer than necessary.” Reid reconsidered the odds. How old _y/n_ was, how active she was and her general health. After he finished his assessment the young man opened the door and allowed his friend in.

When she was in the apartment the female agent set her backpack by the front of the door. Spencer had stepped back in an attempt to lower the rate of transmission. While he was doing this _y/n_ looked him over. He was paler than usual, and his cheeks were flushed red. His hair was limply hanging around his cheeks that were more sunken in than usual. Even in his comfortable looking Yale sweatshirt and grey shorts, the man looked miserable. _Y/n_ looked at him sympathetically and said, “Maybe you should take a seat?” Reid replied, “Do I really look that bad?” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, but didn’t tell him verbally that he looked like a kid who had fallen into a swimming pool in his clothes by accident. She walked over to the coach and Spencer followed her. He sunk down into the dark fabric of the couch leaning his head against the back. She pulled a chair up while he was seated and asked, “Can I feel your forehead?” When the words were out of her mouth _y/n_ realized how strange it sounded, but Spencer didn’t seem to think it was weird - maybe because he was slightly delirious - or he just knew to expect strange expressions that he didn’t understand come out form her lips. So he replied, “Okay.” _Y/n_ stood up from her chair and knelt on the couch next to Spencer and lifted her hand. She placed it on his forehead. His skin was hot. For the moment that _y/n’s_ hand was on his head Spencer enjoyed it. The cool sensation of her hand was relaxing. He wished it stayed there for a moment longer. The genius realized that the concept was completely illogical because the heat of his fevered body would simply begin transferring to her hand. It only took a second for _y/n_ to realize that Spencer was still running a high temperature, and even though she didn’t need to, she slipped her hand under his chin to check the temperature there too. She assumed she did this because her mom had done it when she was a kid. She pulled her hand away again for the second time and got up. Spencer leaned his head back to look at _y/n_ as his friend moved toward his bathroom. He heard the tap turn on, and after a few seconds, she returned to his side with a small hand towel. She was holding her hand under it so that it didn’t drip water on his wooden floors. “When did you last check your temperature, and how high was it?” _Y/n_ inquired as she placed the damp towel on his hot forehead. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief at the coolness of the cloth. He then responded, “I checked it two hours ago. I think it was around 100.72 degrees. She nodded at the reply and then asked, “Have you eaten yet today?” The young genius was notorious for completely forgetting that he needed to nourish his slender body on a regular basis. So she could only imagine that while he was sick, food was the last thing on his mind. He gave the response she expected of, “No. I’ve felt kind of nauseous all day, I didn’t think eating was going to help with that.” _Y/n_ rolled her eyes and said, “Have you ever considered that not eating could make you nauseous too?” The young woman got up and went into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and only found a carton of eggs and a few containers of leftovers. She turned to Spencer and asked, “Why don’t you have any food Reid?” Spencer gave a cough before defended himself by saying, “I normally go grocery shopping on Sunday, but I was sick, so I didn’t go.” _Y/l/n_ understood and said, “Okay. Well I’m going to run down to the corner store and make you some dinner. Do you have a favorite comfort food?” Spencer stood and took a few steps toward her and said, “You really don’t have to. I can take care of myself.” _Y/n_ replied, “I know you can Spence. I just want to be here to show you you don’t have to all the time. Especially when you’re sick.’ Reid bit his lip as he usually did when he was thinking. After a moment he strode to his counter and grabbed the keys to his apartment, and car, and tossed them at _y/n_. She quickly shifted left and grabbed the object being flung at her. Spencer said, “I really like grilled cheese sandwiches.” She smiled and said, “I’ll be back in ten minutes.” Before walking out of his living room and into the hall. She locked the door behind her and moved toward the elevator.

The corner store was limited in it’s selections. But all that really mattered was that _y/n_ had a loaf of white bread, some American cheese, a kind of pathetic looking can of tomato soup, and some orange juice. With these items in her basket the girl moved to the counter and paid for the groceries with cash from her wallet. It wasn’t until she was at the counter paying that she noticed the time. The Digital clock that was displayed behind the cashier glowed in red letters 10:25 P.M. She knew that if she went back to Spencer and made dinner she was going to miss the last train. To the woman it was just a small thought that quickly came and went. She wasn’t going to leave her friend right now. If he was uncomfortable with her staying at his place overnight _y/n_ would get a taxi back to her apartment. Spencer heard the key slide in the door and knew that _y/n_ had returned. He was currently lying down on the couch and didn’t really move that much as she set down a bag on his counter. There was a moment where some glass clinked together, and a second later she was in front of him with a glass of ice water and a glass of orange juice for him. She set them down on the table next to the couch and he said, “Thanks. I’m feeling a little better now.” _Y/n_ smiled and said, “Good, if you want a distraction while I’m making the food you can look over the new case. We’ve been working on it all day and haven’t gotten very far. The files in my bag.” Spencer jolted at the chance of doing something other than feeling miserable, and he got up and found the file in _y/n’s_ backpack. As he walked back toward the couch he noticed that _y/n_ had bought herself a coffee from the shop in the lobby. She shared his taste for sugar filled beverages. Unlike him, she preferred milk in her caffeinated drinks. Spencer grabbed the warm polystyrene cup and took a sip of it while she was digging in his fridge for some butter. Spencer often stole _y/n’s_ snacks or drinks. It was the type of thing that would make her angry for a second and then she would laugh it off for five more. He would always buy her a replacement item, often he would make it a bigger cup of coffee or bar of chocolate than the one she had before. Spencer knew that the young agent was trying to save up money so she could fly down to her _b/s’s_ college graduation in a month. It was the least he could do. After all living in D.C. could be hard on the bank account.

It wasn’t until the soup was on the stove heating up, and the grilled cheese sandwiches were in the pan getting melty that _y/n_ started looking around for her coffee cup. After a minute of futile searching she spotted it in Spencer’s hand. She smirked, moving to the back of the couch, she pretended to look over Reid’s shoulder at the information he was examining. When the man removed the cup from his lips and lowered it toward his leg she grabbed it out of his grasp and said, “Really Reid. This is how you repay me for my help.” Halfway through the sentence and she was already laughing at his antics. She glided to a position in front of him and started bringing the drink to her own mouth when she remembered Spencer was sick. She examined the lid of the cup, and obviously some of his saliva was on the rim of the cup. Reid looked up at her and said, “Sorry I also haven’t had any coffee yet today either.” _Y/n_ sighed and handed him back the cup replying, “You know, I fear that if you asked me to murder someone I would consider it.” Spence smiled up at her. After another five minutes or so the pair were eating a very late dinner at the kitchen table. They were talking about the details of the case. As soon as they had finished eating Spencer asked, “Are you planning on going back to your apartment tonight? The train stopped running a half hour ago.” A blush rose to _y/n’s_ cheeks and replied, “Well. I was wondering if I could just stay here tonight? I need to look through the details of the case again, and do some research. I’ll be quiet.” It wasn’t a super odd request. The pair had stayed up all night before working on cases or having movie marathons, but they had never been at one of their apartments when one, or both of them was going to be sleeping. Spencer looked over to her and said, “Of course you can. I can help you with the research if you want.” _Y/n_ smiled and said, “Thanks for letting me stay. And offering the help, but I think you should get some rest. You aren’t going to get better without sleep.” She smiled at him and began picking up the dishes from their dinner. Spencer helped her put them in the sink and said, “I promise next time it’s my turn to cook. I’ll finish the dishes if you want to take a shower before I turn in.” _Y/n_ considered that she had been in the same clothes for over ten hours and knew that a shower would relax her she said, “that would be great.” She was embarrassed to ask it, but managed to stutter out, “Do you think I could borrow one of your shirts to wear while I work. These aren’t the most comfortable clothes.” Spencer opened his mouth for a moment at the idea and tried to clear his head of the image of her in one of his shirts. The man snapped his mouth shut and his jawline tightened before he responded, “Um, yeah. In my closet on the left hand side are all my t-shirts and sweaters. You can wear any of them.” She said, “Okay. I’ll just be a bit.” She rubbed her hand over his shoulder as she walked in the direction of his bedroom. After a minute Spencer could hear the water running.

The lean agent scrubbed down the dishes and put them in the drainer next to the sink. When he finished with the plates and bowls, he sat back down on the couch with the intention of looking at the case again. His thoughts didn’t allow him to. Instead he was considering how he was feeling. He wondered if it was alright to want these kinds of evenings to happen more often. He knew that he wasn’t that good with women. His few attempts to woe the friends and strangers he had been interesting in had usually gone horribly wrong. Yet, unbelievably a friend had come to check up on him, and was comfortable enough to spend the night at his place. He couldn’t figure out if he had done anything differently with _y/n_ than his other friends. He also was unsure if she felt the same way he did. Maybe she was uncomfortable being here and just needed to stay out of convenience. While Reid was considering the current situation _y/n_ was doing the same. She was running shampoo through her _h/l_ hair and musing over what had happened over the last two hours. She had always wanted, hoped, to get closer to Spencer, but she was afraid that if she moved too fast that he wouldn’t be interested, or worse not want to hang around her at all. She and Spencer did share some of the same hobbies but she hoped that she knew him better than that. She knew how he shied away from physical affection, and how he always seemed so happy when she or Jason told him he had done a good job, and how she knew what his shampoo was going to smell like before she even opened the bottle. She really hoped that her presence, both literally and metaphorically wasn’t making him uncomfortable now. When she was finished with her reverie _y/n_ rinsed out her hair and stepped out of the shower, After another ten minutes Spencer looked up to see _y/n_ in another one of his YALE sweatshirt. It was so long on her shorter body that it covered her like an ill fitting dress. However, Spencer thought she could wear a potato sack and pull it off. He quickly looked away from her to hide his blush.

The duo looked over the cases and _y/n_ hooked up to his WiFi on her computer. After this was finished and _y/n_ had bought herself another coffee (using Reid’s card), she recommended he go to bed. It was already 12:00 A.M. at this point. Spencer relented and headed to his bedroom. Before he went in he said, “Goodnight. If you’ve got any questions you can ask. Just knock on the door.” She smiled and said goodnight back, and told him to sleep well. The agent continued her work for another three hours before she moved to the couch to try and get more comfortable to do her work. The next morning Spencer found _y/n_ laying down on the couch she was clutching a pillow to her chest and had her left leg draped over the blanket she had covered her body with. Spencer dared not walk past her torso in case she was indecent below the leg she had over the blanket. He was feeling much better today, and wished that he could go into work with her, however, it was company policy to wait a full twenty-four hours after a fever to return to work. Spencer knew it was for the safety of his coworkers, but he hated being away from his job. The man knelt down and tapped _y/n_ on the shoulder. She sighed slightly before opening her eyes to see him. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Spencer quickly averted her eyes as she rose. She looked down at herself and realized that her _f/c_ boy shorts were peeking out from beneath Spencer’s YALE sweater. Her face turned red and she coughed, stood up and pulled the sweater down. She looked at her phone and quietly cursed, “Fuck, I’m going to be late.” Spencer knew that if _y/n_ was fast, and hurried she could catch the train and make it in time. He said, “Go change. If you’re fast you can make the 7:30 A.M. train.” _Y/n_ nodded and grabbed her clothes and ran into his bedroom. She shut the door and didn’t even bother to lock it as she stripped and quickly changed. Reid, who had woken up about thirty minutes before her, and had grabbed some coffee for her and himself. He had meant to wake her up once he had woken up, but he couldn’t disturb her when he had seen her so peaceful. When the woman came out of his room in her usual black pants and satin shirt, she looked ready to fight the crime in the city as she usually did. She put on her shoes and grabbed her things, stuffing them into her backpack. Spencer cleared his throat after she was finished and handed her the coffee. She smiled at him and said, “Thank you so much Spencer, for letting me stay, and the coffee.” Spencer smiled and hesitantly asked, “Would you come back again tonight? In case I need help again. Or feel bad?” It took a moment for the words to register and _y/n_ said “Huh?” And maybe it was because it was from lack of sleep, or her just being awake for five minutes, but the meaning of the words struck her after she had responded. She realized that Spencer wanted, that he really wanted to spend another night like they had had yesterday. She smiled up at him and replied, “Of course I’ll come back tonight Spence. I’d love that.” The word love was not lost on the genius, and he took a minute trying to and express his feeling, saying, “You know I really like you. I mean I appreciate you, or I feel things about you…” _Y/n_ wanted really really badly to hear the words come from him, but she knew that she didn’t have a moment to lose or she would be late. She hated cutting him off, but reluctantly said, “I know Spencer, me too.”

At hearing this Spencer gave a heartwarming smile and leaned down to hug her. She quickly gave him a kiss on the forehead and cheek. She then let go of him, and ran out the door, shouting over her shoulder, “I’ll see you tonight!”

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sueboohscorner · 3 years

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#TheFlash Season 7 Episode 2 "Speed of Thought" Recap and Review

Barry voices over different scenes of the Wells. He’s having a memorial with Cisco, Joe, Allegra, and Cecile. They have a monument to Wells on their wall of the lost. Joe tells Barry not to blame himself, but Barry feels like his enemies keep using his heart against him.

Allegra has Nash’s picture in The Citizen office and is looking at it until she sees the message from Iris!

Cisco has technology that he thought would help open a portal to the Mirrorverse, but it doesn’t work. Chester is away at his grandmom’s but he had a theory that involves two problems. Barry knows what it is before Cisco writes it. Allegra comes in. Barry knows how she got the message. The pseudoscience talk is high in this episode.

Eva is watching the video on repeat until Sunshine comes in. Eva promises never to lie to her while not telling her what she’s discovered about herself and decides to go to the next stash house herself.

Cisco figures out that the Artificial Speed Force gave Barry speed thinking. To test this, he tries an experiment with what he calls a quantum ball. It fires in unpredictable directions, but Barry should be able to predict them. He does. He also now knows how to open a portal to the Mirrorverse. They need dark matter photons that attached to Eva from Ramsey Rosso and the Thinker’s chair.

Iris finds Camilla and together they go find Singh.

Eva is at the stash house terrorizing some goons when Killer Frost shows up. She’s there to distract Eva while Barry collects what he needs. She also looks fantastic for cutting her maternity leave to basically one episode. After Barry accomplishes his goal, he stands back and lets Killer Frost get injured.

After Cisco scares off Eva, they take Killer Frost to the infirmary, where Barry whips up a cure that he’s only tested in his head. It works and he explains to Cisco that there was a small chance that the tachyon enhancer would break if he saved Killer Frost. Killer Frost brushes it off, but Barry is acting very un-Barry-like.

Allegra and Cecile talk about Nash. Cecile explains that the people we love are only gone once we stop remembering them. Her granddad was the first black paralegal in Oklahoma and her mom was the first female independent counsel in Texas and she keeps parts of them with her in her office and when she goes to court.

In the cortex, Barry explains to Cisco and Killer Frost about Eva. He then exposes her on a talk show that she’s on and she loses it. When Cisco and Killer Frost tell him that might not have been the best idea, he gives them an entirely robotic answer. This is; however, an extremely clever way of getting Sue off the hook without having to mention her or Ralph.

It gets weirder. In the Speed Lab, he’s doing calculations with Gideon when he realizes that he can’t save all three of the people caught in the Mirrorverse. He brings it up to the team and forces a vote: Camilla and Singh, or Iris? He gets outvoted.

Iris and Camilla find Singh. He’s in bad shape, but Camilla isn’t much better. They both collapse.

Cisco finds Barry and explains that the Artificial Speed Force is killing his emotions. Then Cisco sees Barry’s computer and we realize that the vote only happened in Barry’s head. Cisco is now officially freaking out and telling Barry that he can’t predict emotion and that he never would have participated in such a vote. Barry then says that Camilla and Singh are expendable. At this point, Killer Frost and Allegra come in. They’re going to subdue and fix him.

Killer Frost takes Velocity X and a massively cool fight scene ensues where she uses both ice and lightning. They get back to the Speed Lab and he beats all of them, but it’s unclear whether the longer fight scene actually happened, or whether he imagined it and then created the shorter one.

Now that he has no obstacles, Barry opens the portal to get Iris. This is not because Iris is his wife, but because she knows the most about Eva and would be the most useful. Iris won’t go. She wants to bring Camilla and Singh through first. Barry doesn’t understand and forces her. Because she fought the transition so hard, she passes out and convulses once she reaches the real world. This snaps Barry out of pyscho robot mode as he looks around to see all of his friends incapacitated on the floor. As proof that he’s now emotional Barry again, he destroys the artificial speed force they’ve been working on and all the Wells gave their lives for, thereby rendering himself powerless and the last episode useless.

Eva is in her office in the Mirrorverse curled up in the fetal position saying, “this isn’t my world.” She decides to make it so and starts by dragging through a cop while she’s in an elevator.

The last scene starts with once upon a time and we see Thawne kill the original Wells. In the present, something happens and Wells is alive? But is it really Wells or is it Thawne? And did this happen after Barry destroyed the Artificial Speed Force? And why? Dead people don’t just come back to life, especially after 7 years.

So I have no idea what is happening. What I do know is that Iris isn’t going to die, and Barry has to get his speed back another way now. I also know that this is not the time for cheap emotional manipulation, for obvious reasons and the fact that I have NCIS for that at this particular moment. As it stands, I’m confused and more than a little irritated. 7/10.

#TheFlash #Theflash #THeFLash #The Flash

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charliejrogers · 4 years

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Birds of Prey (Or, Men Suck: An Action Movie!)

Before 2019’s Captain Marvel or 2017’s Wonder Woman had the opportunity to be smash successes, Margot Robbie’s turn as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, a character that was equal parts bad-assery, sadism, and unabashed sexuality, was the closest the comic book movie world had to a genuine female star. And, yes, that’s a direct knock on ScarJo’s Black Widow. Given the character’s popularity, Robbie’s interest in playing the character, the Me Too movement, and the subsequent success of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, a Harley Quinn movie was somewhat inevitable. The marketing for the film made it quite clear that Quinn’s new movie, Birds of Prey, aimed to rise far above the ashes of its predecessor. The previews advertised Quinn literally killing off the Joker (and symbolically cutting ties with one of the most complained-about aspects of Suicide Squad) by blowing up an ACE Chemicals building with Joker presumably inside. It was the location in the previous film where the Quinn and Joker’s relationship was born. This seemed like a bold, exciting jumping-off point for the film. Combined with its striking art design and lengthy sub-title (Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) the movie had me excited to watch a spirited indictment of the patriarchy under the guise of a comic book movie. That’s mostly what I got.

The movie indeed starts with an effectively brief animation detailing Harley’s life up to that point: haunted by her abandonment by her father and raised by harsh nuns, Harley’s need for male approval and hate of the establishment were finally realized when she met the Joker, a man for whom she cast aside her MD/PhD in psychology for a life of crime. But she gets tired of doing all the work and planning for Mr. J., but receiving none of the credit. It’s here you’d expect some big fight between Joker and Harley culminating in the explosion from the trailer. But the trailer was deceiving. We don’t see the fight. We just see Quinn’s reaction to being dumped by the Joker in a manner similar to how break-ups are portrayed in thousands of other pieces of fiction: crying hysterically, getting belligerently drunk, getting a pet, and denying that the break-up even happened. All this onscreen activity is accompanied by constant narration from Quinn who, instead of telling the truth about her pain and insecurities, lies and brags about her strength and maturity in dealing with the situation. When she ultimately decides to blow up ACE Chemicals, it is not an attempt to fight back against her abuser, but is instead her response to hearing other women talk shit about how she will likely go running back to the Joker. Blowing up the building doesn’t kill Joker (he’s not even present); it was just an immature, symbolic gesture to let the Joker know that she wasn’t coming back to him (like he would even care).

This rather weak portrayal of Quinn stands in stark contrast to the character as portrayed in the pilot of the recent animated show Harley Quinn. Interestingly, the show has Harley, who has recently been left for dead by the Joker, empower herself to leave the Joker. Yet, the portrayal at the start of Birds of Prey is intentional. It paves the way for eventual growth. It wouldn’t be much of a movie if she achieved her emancipation in the first five minutes. Plus, it perfectly falls in line with the relationship and characters established in Suicide Squad. There, Quinn and Joker were a couple madly in love, always desperately trying to get back to one another. Still, by shying away from the truth and horrors of the abuse Quinn suffered from the Joker and instead choosing to couch her abuse as “not getting credit/appreciation,” the movie weakens her power, strength, and growth in character. Her emancipation becomes less an empowered victory over abuse and misogyny and more just escaping the shadow of her arrogant boyfriend. This is unfortunate as symbolically it is satisfying that even Quinn’s first step towards independence, blowing up the ACE chemical building, is met with punishment and the assumption by male society that she can no longer defend herself. Seemingly every other bad guy in Gotham City knew to interpret the explosion exactly as Harley intended, and now they all seek vengeance for Miss Quinn’s many misdeeds, now that she lacks the protection of Mr. J.

The actual plot for the movie focuses on its villain, Ramon “Black Mask” Sionis, the epitome of white male privilege but without the confidence, a wealthy billionaire man-child so insecure he lashes out violently in response to the smallest insult. Sionis is trying to acquire the film’s MacGuffin, a diamond, on the exact same day all of Gotham’s underbelly, including Sionis, is out for Quinn’s head. The diamond is inadvertently pickpocketed by Cassandra Cain, a teenaged, female ne’er-do-well (Ella Jay Basco) who, like Quinn, is the victim of abuse and abandonment and has now turned to thievery to get by. For reasons I won’t spoil, Cassandra is unable to part ways with the diamond, so the hunt for the diamond becomes the hunt for Cassandra. It’s a hunt that involves multiple female protagonists. There’s Detective Montoya (Rosie Perez), a veteran detective trying to make a criminal case against Sionis. There’s Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a singer in Sionis’s nightclub whom he forces to be his personal driver and errand-girl. And then there’s the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a cross-bow-wielding bad-ass who actually isn’t after Sionis at all but is just kinda there on her own, separate revenge scheme. And, of course, Quinn inevitably gets involved in the hunt as well.

But for as much as the plot is about acquiring the diamond and escaping Sionis and his goons, it really is a film about female empowerment. The patriarchy, its inherent misogyny and perpetuation of rape culture, is the true villain. And emancipation from the grips of patriarchy is ultimately desired by all its female protagonists, not just Quinn. Detective Montoya is constantly passed up for promotions at work for decades even though she’s the brain by many successful operations. Black Canary, a Black woman, has an arc that combines misogyny with racism as she is forced into near slavery by Sionis (a white male who refers to her as “his little bird” and, not so subtly, “owns” an extensive collection of shrunken African heads). Her arc is my favorite in the film. And then there’s Huntress who… well, she’s just doing her own revenge thing, man. Like she’s killing dudes and stuff, but it’s hard to really link her with the deep anti-patriarchy themes the other three protagonists have. But where the movie really elevates itself beyond the sort of surface-level “girl power!” (that the Huntress unfortunately sorta represents) is in its willingness to be honest and nuanced about the brutality of sexual assault, even in the small degree it does address it.

Twice, Quinn finds herself incapacitated while being directly threatened by a man. The first occurs after her post-break-up binge-drinking night out where on the verge on consciousness, she is being caressed and fondled by a man in an alley and nearly kidnapped (and presumably raped) by two men. In the second instance, she’s hit with a paralytic agent. Her assailant crouches down next to her, puts her arm around his neck. “You’re still conscious,” he says to himself, as if reassuring himself like a man about to rape a drunk girl on the drink of consciousness. It’s rather disturbing and powerful to see our protagonist who is, in every sense of the phrase, a bad-ass be just as susceptible to be raped and taken advantage of as any other woman in society. No one is safe, and she’s not alone. There’s another rather difficult scene where the movie’s villain, Ramon Sionis, forces an innocent female patron at his night club, under the threat of death, to strip and dance on top of a table in front of the whole club. These are powerful and scary scenes that generally aren’t a part of superhero movies. No doubt, the success and nuance of the scenes is due to the fact that the movie is directed by a woman, Cathy Yan, written by a woman, Christina Hodson, and produced mainly by women (including the star Margot Robbie herself). If allowed to explore these issues more deeply, it would have been a fantastic film.

Still, this movie is not intended to be a deep, serious dive against real issues women face; I recognize its an action-focused comic book movie. And to that degree, the movie is mostly a success. It’s a fun movie with clever, visually-stunning action sequences. I was floored by its use of color (of purples, reds, and blues particularly) throughout all the fight scenes. There’s an extremely satisfying scene where Quinn infiltrates a police station with a gun that shoots out what looks like bean bags that release colorful dust/confetti upon impact. And the final battle scene in an abandoned boardwalk’s funhouse featured one of the most creative set pieces for an action movie this side of Temple of Doom, replete of trampolines, mirrors, and gripping melee combat (with mallets, bats, and kicks to the groin, instead of the often-more boring-shoot-outs.)

I really cannot say enough good things about the visual style of the film or its tightly choreographed fight scenes. Less good things can be said about scenes that do no feature fighting/action. McGregor as Sionis is fine, but Sionis is an uninteresting villain, and his over-the-top childish nature is boring to watch. The movie would have been better served by a villain like Jason Schwartzman’s Gideon from Scott Pilgrim vs the World, a well-respected, successful, confident, misogynistic tool, rather than the insecure mess seen here. Also, Ella Jay Basco as the teenaged pickpocket Cassandra is not a great actress and there was little chemistry between her and Robbie. This is unfortunate since the movie aims to cast Harley as Cassandra’s new foster-mother to highlight Quinn’s growth and this sequence takes up a good chunk of the middle of the film. I did like how the film explored the idea that Harley Quinn, though a “super villain,” is a normal person who needs to get groceries like the rest of us. Scenes like these helped to make Quinn more sympathetic but were largely hampered by bad dialogue.

Furthermore, are we just going to ignore that Harley handed Cassandra a bomb with a lit fuse, giving Cassandra no choice but to throw the bomb out a car window thereby killing one of their assailants?! Cassandra cannot be more than 15 years old, but the movie does nothing to explore what this obviously traumatic situation does to Cassandra. I’ll buy the film’s excuse that she has a penchant for pickpocketing as a consequence of her social circumstances… but you can’t tell me that she would have no second thoughts/trauma about killing another human being! Sorry, that’s the pediatrician in me getting out.

So yeah, I liked the movie. It’s not great, but it ain’t bad. Its weak dialogue and weak villain are made up for by the film’s great visuals and its absolute commitment to doing right by its themes, even approaching serious issues with nuance and grace, something that would never have happened if a bunch of dudes crafted this picture. And even if the first hour isn’t great, most of my complaints washed away in the last half hour when all the female protagonists finally join together and that awesome funhouse battle takes place. Further, it is satisfying to see that Harley Quinn really does change throughout the film. In defeating Sionis, she is able to finally free herself from the Joker, but also from all the men who assumed she was nothing more than the Joker’s bitch. The movie doesn’t leave much room for a sequel which in itself is refreshing. It tells a complete tale. Still, I’d happily seek to watch more of these birds of prey having been let out of their cages, free to take on more of patriarchy.

**/ (Two and a half stars out of four)

#birds of prey #margot robbie #harley quinn

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saundraswriting · 4 years

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Hercules Chapter Two

SUMMARY:The team gets involved in the investigation. Reid decides he will work on the Geological Profile by himself. Gideon, Hotch, JJ, and Morgan work on interviewing people and checking out crime scenes.

WARNINGS:

Previous // Next

Monday followed Sunday. Sunday consisted of Series 4 and 5 of Doctor Who. Garcia had wanted him to catch up for a while now. He got up, showered and dressed in gray slacks, gray button up and black waistcoat. He covered his mark, grabbed his refreshed Go-bag and satchel and walked out his apartment.

"Hey Reid! I was gonna come up. Want a ride?" Derek asked. Spencer nodded and stepped into the car.

"Hi Morgan. How was your weekend?" Spencer asked, fiddling with his shirt sleeves.

"Fun. Saturday night I went clubbing but didn't stay too long. and Sunday I cleaned up, did some shopping, and relaxed. What about you, man?" Derek glanced over and almost flinched. Spencer's eyes were bloodshot, face pale and taunt, shadows as deep and black as night under his eyes.

"Nothing much caught up on case files. and watched Doctor who, cleaned up a bit." Spencer didn't speak of the conversation with JJ, it was personal and he was still thinking it over.

"Sounds absolutely fantastic. Get a good-nah-did you finish all your case files?" Derek asked. Spencer nodded, grabbed his bags and hurried to the elevator. "Chill, my man. JJ will have your coffee." She and Morgan were the only two Spencer allowed to make his coffee. They arrived on their floor and JJ dutifully handed over a mug. the trio continued to the bullpen.

"Hey Spencer, are you feeling better?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Not sure if it is all cleared up but you helped. Just want you to be happy." Spencer replied. Morgan frowned and filed the exchange away for future evaluation.

"And I put those files on Hotch's desk. he should be able to sign 36 pieces of paper." JJ walked away.

"36. Pretty Boy. You did everyone's case files again." Morgan demanded.

"Maybe?" Spencer said hesitantly. Morgan shook his head.

"Pretty Boy, you need to stop that. After reading that, you'll never forget." Morgan put his hand on his friend's head and ruffled his hair. Spencer sighed but smiled.

"Stop worrying about me. Now you don't have to kill a good weekend by case files." Spencer walked off to JJ's office. 'Please stop being so kind. It's hard to push these feeling away when you are so kind' Spencer thought sadly.

"JJ do you need help setting up the round table room?" Spencer asked. At her nod he gathered some materials and began tacking them up. When they finished, the two stood in silence.

"Spencer. If you need someone to talk to, remember I am here. Don't bottle it up." JJ rubbed his arm and walked out the room. Spencer brought a hand up the the rightside of his neck. Where his mark resided--the same mark he sees slightly hidden by the collar of Derek Morgan's shirt.

Spencer knew he was in love with the other agent. Morgan saw through his emotionless facade to the Spencer that was terrified, that was worried, that was a child trying to be an adult too fast. But he knew it was unrequited love. Extremely straight Morgan deserved to be with someone that would make him happy. Not someone he felt obligated to be with because of a matching black swirly sun on the right sides of their necks. Morgan deserved someone that could help him get through the aftermath of cases. Not someone who reminded him of them.

"Hey, JJ. What is the matter with Reid? He is acting funny." Morgan stepped into her office.

"I'm not sure. It deal with soul-mates though. He called last night. He wanted to know how I could deal with traveling and possibly missing my soul-mate. He also wanted to know why we would want someone to be waiting for us when we got home when we do what we do." JJ summarized. Morgan frowned and felt the urge to search Spencer out. The urge must have been on his face. "Let him go. You know Spencer, he will get through it. Come on, we have a case." JJ gestured to the bullpen and the team arrived in the Round Table Room.

"Okay Gang. This is unusual and you will see why. Portland, Oregon. 4 high school murdered. the first one: Leonard Davis was strangled. Second was Ophelia Basset was stabbed to death in the chest and abdomen. Third, Tabitha Wells was shot with an arrow to the chest. and the fourth was Everett Brown. He was killed by blunt force trauma to the back of the head. He was found on Saturday. They were all found at different places and preliminary results say killed in different places too. The victims are vastly different, in home life and overall appearance. The only connection between them is the RR carved into the right heel, Post-mortem." JJ explained.

"So nothing is consistent. We will work on the plane. Wheels' up in 30." Hotch said. JJ and the others began to gather the file that was spread through the room.

"I will get started as soon as we land on a geographical profile, with this many points of interest we will need one. I should get it done quickly." Spencer said.

"Good. JJ, Morgan and I can handle the families. Sorry JJ, with you being the only female on the team we are gonna need you." Hotch said, returning to the room.

" I'll handle the dump sites." Gideon said. With that the team packed up, grabbed their bags and head to the plane. 45 minutes later they were up talking about the case.

" Killing spree? Experimenting for the actual target? No sexual or sadistic elements present, that could be reserved for the true victim. What is going on here?" Morgan asked.

"He could be finally devolving. We can have Garcia check when we land." Gideon hypothesized.

"Portland PD has some space ready for us. and Garcia landed us room. unfortunately, its 3 with double beds. sorry. but we can land and get straight to work" JJ shrugged.

"Can I take a nap? I, uh didn't sleep much this weekend." Spencer asked. Hotch's forehead furrowed but nodded.

"Sure. We'll wake you when we are close to landing." Hotch said. Spencer was asleep before he finished. "I am sure he didn't sleep at all this weekend. Look at him. And with practically no connections he is gonna run himself into the ground on this case. Morgan, keep an eye on him? not obviously or he will resist and work harder." Morgan nodded.

A few hours later Morgan was waking Spencer up. "Come on, sleeping beauty. We are gonna land soon. Time to get up." Spencer groaned but sat up and rubbed at his eyes with closed fists. Morgan felt his chest tighten. 'He looks cute, just waking up'

About 20 minutes later they landed and were being escorted to the police station.

"Okay, My name is Chief Jeremy Yates. You must be the FBI folks." Yates was about 5'8", well built, buzz cut. The BAU introduced themselves. "These are my men and women. Let's set you guys up. If you need anything just ask." Yates showed them to a square room with blank wooden walls and a second room with two whiteboards and some cork-board.

"JJ, please." Spencer yawned. JJ nodded and took the outstretched mug. She quickly came back. "Thanks JJ" Spencer gulped down the coffee. "Give me 5 minutes and I will have a list of things I will need." Spencer ducked into the first room. He smiled at the blank walls. 5 minutes later, the victims and notes pertaining to them graced one wall, notes and pictures for the crime scenes were on one wall.

"Spencer, what do you need?" Hotch asked.

"An aerial map of Portland. I will also need a 10 block radius or 2 mile radius images around victims homes and any crime scenes. I would like these laminated if possible. I will also need a yard stick and colored expo and permanent markers. If I need to prioritize that list I need the markers, yard stick and aerial map first so can begin. Also make sure they are well stocked on coffee and sugar and milk. I brought my own tea." Spencer said. Morgan smirked from next to Aaron. "What do you find amusing Morgan?"

"You call me the alpha male. That was pretty Alpha-like there." Morgan's smirk grew.

"Sh-sh-shut up De-Derek." Spencer Stuttered. Derek grinned.

"Yes, sir. You got this handled? JJ and I are leaving. You know actually do something." Derek ruffled his hair.

"Derek! I can handle this. and for your information, I have taken down UnSubs before. Stop teasing me!" Spencer demanded, a smile gracing his features. Derek leaned close-suddenly serious.

"I know that, Pretty Boy, I know that. I will call you later." Morgan walked over to JJ. Leaving Spencer alone to gather his wits.

"He your's? " A woman asked from behind Spencer. Maddie her badge said. Spencer shook his head. Her eyes brightened and she made her way to Morgan's side. Spencer licked his lips, her presence leaving a sour taste in his mouth. He looked up to see Derek shake his head and Maddie's shoulders hunch.

"Are you Doctor Reid? Agent Hotchner said to give these to you. Unfortunately, we could only give you the aerial map. We have someone working on the others. They should be done tonight or tomorrow." A young man said. His badge read Matthew. His arms held a rolled up map and some markers and his left hand held a meter stick. Spencer nodded and walked into the room he acquired. He pointed to the table and Matthew dumped his loot. "Do you need anything else, sir?" Matthew asked. Spencer shook his head, walking out the door again. "Why did you ask Agent Hotchner to make sure we stayed overly stocked with sugar and coffee?" Matthew tried again. "Cause Pretty Boy here, inhales coffee like it's oxygen. and like a little coffee in about a quart of sugar. Spence, Baby Mama is online if you need anything. We all are heading out. Don't get a paper cut now. Check you later man." Morgan smiled and Spencer waved dismissively.

"Don't be stupid, Derek. I will see you later. Have fun." Spencer pushed him towards the door.

"Me? Stupid? Never am, Sugar, Never am." Derek called over his shoulder. Spencer laughed lightly and waved to the BAU team leaving. He walked into his room and set up the direct speaker line to Garcia.

Spencer tacked up the map and the key he created to go with it: Red= dump sites (pm) Blue= Victim's homes (pm) Black= Possible kill sites (em) Green=Place last seen (pm) Purple=?? Pink=?? Orange=??

"Why do you have colors with no meaning? and what does EM and PM stand for?" Matthew asked from the door.

"In case more info arises. the EX is for expo marker. That information could change as the investigation continues. the PM is permanent for obvious reasons." Spencer explained. " I have a bad feeling about this. I'm gonna need another cup of coffee. and Garcia." Spencer mumbled as he left to get coffee. Matthew knew that the last few statements weren't directed to him so he left, leaving the Doctor to his work. *********

Morgan was trying to get rid of the tightness in his chest. Seeing Matthew hanging over Spencer with pure awe and admiration in his eyes annoyed him.

"Morgan, you okay? You keep rubbing your chest." JJ pointed to his hand which was in fact rubbing his sternum. JJ was paired with Morgan to go to Lucy Basset's home to question her. Morgan nodded and she let it go.

JJ opened her door to see it was raining. Not pouring but not a light sprinkle either. She sighed dreading the walk to the door. Morgan tabbed her arm and handed her a black umbrella. JJ grinned in appreciation. They quickly jogged to the door. JJ knocking rather loudly. "Mrs. Basset? My name is Jeniffer. I am with the FBI. We're her to ask you a few questions about your daughter."

"Come in. Come in. I'm Lucy. Do you want a drink? A towel maybe for your wet friend?" Lucy asked. She was a willow-y woman, long brown hair, small features, green eyes.

"I'm Special Agent Derek Morgan. I am not that wet. We only had the one umbrella so I gave it to Jeniffer. But thanks all the same. We have some questions, do you mind?" Derek jutted his chin towards the house.

"I mind, yes. but if I can help find this bastard then ask away." She sat on a chair and JJ sat on a couch opposite of her. Derek stood, walking and looking around.

"Your daughter, Ophelia, did she uh make friends well enough in school?" JJ asked.

"She made friends fine. Nice to everyone. She was a darling. Never threw tantrums. She would take anything life gave her and walk right through it. Her father had toured 4 times. Once in the Gulf War, Once in Afghanistan and Twice in Iraq. They were long tours and it took a long time for him to assimilate to civilian life. But they were best of friends the two of them. This last time, some Iraqi militant got really close to the unit and threw and grenade. He jumped on it. Saved the unit. She was 16. Lia had seen him at his worst she knew exactly when he had bad day and how to help him. Something I didn't. I was a realtor for some high society people and development. half million, million dollar homes. I didn't pay any heed to my husband's problems. Didn't have that luxury of time. But when the news came she only smiled. said how proud of him she was. She said in the eulogy how she hoped that one day she could make him proud, she wanted to be a therapist for vets." Lucy took a shaky breath. "She took over the household when I sunk into my depression. She took the pension and paid bills, got two jobs to get more money inflow. I had some in the bank but not much. She wanted to use her college money to help pay bills. She was getting ready to sign the papers when she was found. It snapped me out of my depression. She was going to give up her future to become my caregiver. How was that supposed to make Martin proud? Now, she isn't here and I can never thank her enough or forgive myself." Lucy covered her face with her hands. JJ crouched in front of her and started rubbing her shoulders.

"Mrs. Basset, did you build this?" Derek pointed to a tri-self unit. Picture of a man at the zoo, the beach, melted marshmallows on his face, a Santa hat on, vampire teeth in, sat on the top shelf. The middle held a large white candle, barely used. and the third shelf was the man in combat fatigues and in a bunker and several men in a group.

"Yeah, it's a shrine to Martin. Something to remind me and Ophelia that he was watching over us. When Martin died, she stopped going to church. She refused to light the candle. We fought a few times about it. I said God has a plan. This is for a reason. She couldn't wrap her head around a loving, kind God sanctioning famine, drought, poverty, war, killing. and she stopped believing." Lucy's exhale was more of a sob than anything. JJ stood up.

"Thank you for everything Mrs. Basset. We appreciate it. If you need us, think of anything, have questions, here is my card and we are at the Portland Police Department. Thanks again." JJ gave Lucy a hug and Morgan nodded. The duo left quietly. *******

Spencer looked round the room, that he would be spending all his waking hours in. He was waiting on coordinates to mark his map so he could begin drawing his line. He could then start estimating where the UnSub lived. He glanced at the pictures on the walls. The RR catching his attention. He hit the "1" button on the speaker on the table.

"Home of the All-knowing. Speak and receive wisdom" A bubbly voice came over the speaker.

"Penelope, It's Spencer." Spencer directed his voice towards the speaker.

"Oh, Sugar, Speak to me." Garcia chimed.

"Anyone in Portland with initials RR?" Reid began pacing.

"Boy Wonder, How genius of you! There are four people with those initials. How do I narrow this down?" Garcia asked.

"I'm not sure. Hadn't gotten that far. Trace cards and addresses and cars. Maybe they can narrow themselves down. Then a 20 mile radius of the dump sites." Reid started twirling a pen like a drumstick.

"Sugar Muffin, you are so smart. Only three live in a 20 Mile radius but for two weeks one was away on business-or so says his visa. Oh, and one is dead. So you are down two, Sweet Cheeks. Anything else, Honey Drop?"

"Not right now, Garcia. I'll call if there is anything."

"Sure thing Stud." Spencer laughed and hung up. He trusted Garcia to send the info on the two remaining RR's to Hotch or Morgan. Spencer picked up the pink marker and wrote: SUSPECTS on his key.

Previous // Next

*******************************************************************************************

So, What do you think? Seems to be okay? How is the formatting? I need validation!

#saundraswriting #saundrasays #dr. spencer reid #derek morgan #morgreid #Hercules fic #Criminal Minds #criminal minds fanfiction #cm fanfiction #spencer reid x derek morgan #spencer x derek

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ginnyzero · 5 years

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Writing Romantic Chemistry: Pt 2

For a very long time in my pre-original writing career, I considered myself a romantic comedy style writer. The idea that I could write adventure stories with romantic comedy elements in them wasn’t an epiphany of sorts but rather something that gradually happened over time and by rejecting the notion that all urban fantasy or dystopia or science fantasy had to be mysteries and solving crime. I don’t really know how to write they solve crime.

I came at writing through an aspect of trial and error and lots and lots of reading other fiction works. I played with other people’s characters for years and had to work out of a really dark place before settling on creating original characters that I loved as much, if not more, than other people’s characters. All those years writing other people’s characters though gave me a good foundation on which to build my original writing. I had a fairly decent following in some very specific places so, I must have been doing something right. (I hope.)

So, here are some of the things I do when I’m writing romantic chemistry.

Attraction:

Both characters need to find the other character attractive! I mentioned in my post last week about Writing Romantic Chemistry that there are many types of attraction and that physical attraction is usually the first thing we notice about each other. (Unless you’re me and I go, oh, that person would make a good werewolf.) Short, tall, skinny, curvy, flat as a board, round, sharp, blue eyes, brown eyes, brunette, blonde, red head, no matter what your two characters are, the other person should hopefully find them attractive one way or the other.

Many times in my stories I try to find a feature that each character likes about the other, a feature that may set them apart from the 101 other generic romantic lead characters out there, freckles, the odd shape of the eyes, a distinctive hair color, the way the other character smells (very important in werewolf stories), in order to give the reader a point of reference and a way to say ‘this character is unique.’

Acknowledgement that the Other Character Exists:

Now, attraction is all well and good and I know there are readers who love the whole unrequited love angst trope. When I’m writing a couple though, each character has to know that the other character exists in the same sphere with them as a man or a woman to be desired and loved. If one character doesn’t acknowledge the other is there and available then the whole relationship is never going to get off the ground.

In fact, that can be a good conflict. One character loves the other. The other sees them as friend, acquaintance, nuisance, surrogate sibling, insert relationship of choice here. One is physically and sexually and romantically attracted to the other and the other is completely oblivious. It may take work and effort before the one who is oblivious can ‘see’ what is right in front of them. Yay conflict! Yay story! After that you can add some denial and bargaining and unresolved sexual tension. Lots of fun.

Opposites Attract:

In some fashion, characters need to be opposites of each other. Usually I go for either habits or personality traits. Neat freak versus mess. Laid back versus perfectionist. Wing it versus plans and lists. Because as people and readers we like opposites, tall versus short, light versus dark, hard versus soft. Compositionally, something has to be big and something has to be small to make a painting or sculpture or drawing feel dynamic. It’s the same way with fictional relationships. There has to be a contrast in their present or pasts to create a foil or compliment for each other.

Commonality:

Of course, like yin and yang, each having a little of the other inside themselves, the two must have something in common. Something that will keep them together after the external conflict is done. Something more than good sex and kids. (You can’t base your relationship around your kids. It’s not healthy.) Whether it’s a shared love of a certain style of music, sailing, horseback riding, hiking or extreme base jumping. There has to be something that our two main characters do together that keeps them together in the long run.

Sure, they should also have separate interests. Maybe she likes sports and he likes reading or he plays in a band and she knits/sews/makes lace. There needs to be a hobby or a love of ren faires or medieval culture or art shows or beach bathing that they do together in order to strengthen their bond outside of cuddling and sex. (I find cuddling to be very important.)

Respect:

Lastly, the characters need to respect each other for who they are, their strengths and weaknesses, and their boundaries. Part of respect is honesty and communication and acknowledgement that you cannot change another person. Unless they want to change, who they are now is who they always will be. I don’t try to feed into this fantasy that a man or woman and really good sex can save another person.

It doesn’t work. Period.

Yes. There are people who like to write unhealthy relationships. I get it. That’s fine. And a lack of respect or boundaries and learning about them and how to communicate can make for a really great conflict in a story. Another person realizing that they are wrong and are willing to change in order to be a better person not only for themselves but for their partner or their kids is a very powerful thing. But personally, for me, to feel that there is true romantic chemistry and that a happy ever after is in the offing, there has to be mutual respect.

Humor:

As I said. I originally felt like I was a romantic comedy writer. I want laughs. I want things to be funny or silly. I like putting characters into outrageous situations and seeing what they’ll do. Love can’t thrive without a little laughter, without people not taking themselves too seriously. (I mean I can be a very serious person, but I don’t take myself too seriously.)

Human can be in the situations the characters are placed in or the way they interact with each other. To me putting a six foot ex-military laid back male soldier werewolf with a five foot two over planner with lists female motorcycle club VP werewolf is funny. He’s clueless about the motorcycle life. She’s been in it her whole life and forgets to explain! Thus, silly things happen. And Gideon is fortunately laid back enough he takes things well. She picks on him about his lollipops. He picks on her about her lists. She's simply not used to being teased. They get along.

To be clear, I’m not a fan of the Bridesmaids type of humor where people are trying to one up each other and the writers are trying to get you to laugh at a character’s pain. That type of humor just makes me cringe and feel embarrassed and humiliated for the character. My type of humor is more along the lines of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. “Man, these sliding doors really do come in handy.” Good humor is like a good prank. It doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s easy to clean up. Everybody laughs.

Attraction, Acknowledgement, Opposites, Commonality, Respect and Humor, these are the elements that I use when I write a romantic couple to create a spark between them.

#wrtblr #writblr #writing advice #writing tips #writing romance #romance writing

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redscullyrevival · 5 years

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Enterprise(ing) Women Notes

I've written on this vid's concept before but basically the idea behind this nonsense is that, the way I see it, there are three layers to how the women of Star Trek are often times “bad”:

Context

Contemporary views

Fannish interpretation / reflection

Star Trek the Original Series is episodic television. An audience can easily understand and go along with the tiniest of reasoning on why we shouldn’t expect lady so and so from this week to be around next week but in order to explain away love interests (often times along with near death experiences), female characters had to be given some justification on why Kirk, Spock, and Bones will have moved on by next week. This is the context we find within episodes: So as to have a revolving door of women for the three male leads to play off of and interact with, often times female characters had to be made “bad”, alien, or (nearly) dead by episode’s end within a rotating variation of one, two, or all three.

Within our contemporary understanding of this 60s TV show we can easily accept and acknowledge this storytelling tactic as I have here (the logistics of getting women on screen when you’ve three male leads in your episodic TV show) along with a fair share of legitimate criticism. ToS can easily be argued to have “bad” female characters.

Which isn’t to say the women found in Star Trek can’t be adored and appreciated within a contemporary gaze, not even close. Often times the fannish space is where these characters are taken in and given more significance and healthier characterization along side legitimate and needed criticism - but the fannish space also does it’s fair share of projecting these same characters within shades of vilification in order to preserve Kirk/Spock tendencies.

Now, my own personal experience and journey with the Star Trek fandom hasn’t seen the boxing and fridging of female characters all that often! I want to make that clear. But, I have certainly seen it happen and I’m older than a lot of ya’ll and over time this stuff piles up. More than just specifically Star Trek though I want to position that fandom with large slash communities in general have habits that are not all that far off base with the revolving door problem ToS has with it’s women: Women in media have to be made “bad” or removable in someway for a m/m pairing to take off. Star Trek is just the media I know the best, means the most to me, and have personal experience with when it comes to dealing with a large slash community so that’s the footage I’m using.

Even though I had a solid outline and an idea I liked I struggled for a few weeks when first putting this project together. Just straight up floundering. I had lots of little frustrations that built up quickly due entirely to my own placed standards and inability to be flexible. In the end though that worked out for the best as the final vid is significantly better than the vid at the height of this frustration where in all honesty I kinda bounced around the idea of just moving on for the sake of getting it done. I’m happy I didn’t do that and instead stuck with really finagling tiny changes even if at the time I felt like I was going crazy!

Scene selection is the bare bones of vidding/video editing and while with this particular vid the context of the scenes used don’t necessarily matter there are a few things I did for my own amusement as far as editing intent goes:

I really liked the idea of having a female character right out the bat (Odona from “The Mark of Gideon” 3x16) being placed with Kirk only for her to 1.) Fight him 2.) Kiss him 3.) Never be seen again in the video. That choice, to me, is this vid’s breakdown of that first layer I spoke of, the show’s contextual use of the bulk of it’s female characters.

The majority of the vid is a display and appreciation of the second layer; how I personally find these female characters engaging and interesting and (hopefully) I got across an expression of love for them as much as I tried to show how obviously these characters are not entirely up to snuff within contemporary critical comprehension of storytelling and media presentation.

And, most tricky but most obvious, is the end of the vid focusing on slash fandom’s dismissal, hesitation, and even outright fear of female characters causing their ship a rocky navigation.

The last 45 seconds of the vid dips in and out of red not because of any influence from the original Billie Eilish music video but because red feels threatening (which, naturally, is why it is used in the original video, duh doy) and I wanted to have a fluctuating threatening feeling accompanying the complete shift in editing style.

I feel it’s self explanatory why I chose the Yeoman Rand / Grace Lee Whitney scenes for last even if that choice might polarize some viewers.

I’d like it if people didn’t just assume I’m trying to shit on slash fandom for funsies but I AM at the same time trying to actively point out a common trend inherent within slash fandom, that much I can’t deny. At the end of the day all I can tell you is I’m a gigantic Kirk/Spock nerd myself and I just find fandom and aspects of it *lifts eyebrow* “fascinating”.

And that’s that! How anyone wants to ultimately view or take this piece is, ya know, up to them and totally fine by me.

#vid notes #vidding #mine #gotta post this first so as to link to it...

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candicereeves · 5 years

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(( To many to tag so just gonna tag Main: @centralcitysfinest-rp ))

Standing in the Science Lab of the Waverider, Candice debated on what music to put on while she worked. Just as she was about to ask Gideon for some music, a screen near by flicked to life. Looking over at the screen she immediately recognized the man looking at her.

"Gary, to what do I owe the pleasure? I thought our usual D&D game was postponed for this week, or did I miss it? Time gets confusing." Candice said.

"No this isn't about that Candice. At least not this time around. Besides you threw off the whole campaign last session." Gary commented.

"Huh.. almost like when you sent the Legends off in 1980 London." Candice quipped back. Gary adjusted how glasses and gave an awkward chough.

"Right, well anyway I actually called for a reason. Some coincidence that I happen to call you alone in the science lab right?" He said.

"Little creepy when you put it that way." She said watching him. "You do know that if you're creeping up behind me I have no problem torching your ass right?" Candice said.

"I'm not on the Waverider, at least not yet. See the thing is, we actually need you here at the Time Bureau. See we've noticed the Legends have become rather... Well crowded..." Gary said.

"Still not liking where this is going Gary." Candice said as she watched him. Though she did have to admit, he was a bit right, the Legends were crowded on the Waverider.

"Well the thing is in order to help build bridges between the Legends and the Time Bureau, some of you will be working here, present day Central City. You'll be paid, and of course given normal hours. Sort of a nine to five kind of job." He said with a smile as he explained.

"That sounds so corporate. You do know that I like the Waverider for a lot of reasons." She retorted as she grabbed a nearby piece of tech to work on.

"Candice, we're inviting you to help the Time Bureau with tech." Gary said. Looking over she gave a small curious glance.

"Go on." She commented as she watched him.

"We've noticed the stuff you've made. That pistol alone is closer to Rip's pistol than anything our techs could come up with. Plus our time couriers could use some upgrades. You'll get to take them apart." Gary said.

"Fisrt off the Tesla Pistol is a divergent of Rip's pistol, second you're going to allow me to take apart a time courier so I can upgrade them?" She asked.

"Among building weapons and tech. You'll also be responsible for keeping track of the time map. Might of been thanks to a certain dm explaining how well you kept track of events in our D&D game." Gary boasted.

"Really Gary? You used our D&D game to help convince Ava into giving me access to all of that?" Candice asked.

"Possibly." He replied. Letting out a sigh she looked around the lab. "You still want to stay I know. Candice we need you here. Please help the Time Bureau, your our only hope." Gary said.

"You're not gonna Princesses Leia me. I'm not your Obi-Wan." She said with a sigh. "Look if I'm going to join the Time Bureau, there are a lot of things I need." Candice said.

"A list of demands? Candice I can't promise you will get what you want." Gary said. "I mean if it were up to me I would probably say yes." He added.

"That's cause you're a push over Gary. They aren't demands, you already won me over with the time courier. This is a list of things I need in order to work, and possibly to help whoever else is on my team. Wait who is on the team besides me?" Candice asked as she got sidetracked from her own train of thought.

"Well... Let's see, Rip Hunter will be the leader naturally, You as the team technician, Leo Rivera and Leo Snart as the Field Agents, and someone named Terry McGinnis as a Field Agent and History Consultant." Gary explained.

Candice let out a soft giggle at the fact that the team had two Leos. "Ah yes Team Leo, where you don't know who is who." She joked.

"Candice this is a serious list." Gary said as Candice laughed a bit. "Fia! Focus please!" He said trying to get her to focus.

"I'm sorry Gary, but you have to admit Leo and Leo on the same team is so stupid and funny." She said. Gary let out a sigh as Candice calmed down a bit.

"You had a list of demands you were going to make." Gary said. Candice rolled her eyes as she looked back at the screen.

"Not demands, requests. I need my own lab to work in. Not a small crammed room, I need space to work on multiple projects at once." She explained.

"I think that will get approved, I mean that just seems like a no brainier, but you do know that we won't be able to give you anything to big." Gary said.

"Yeah I know, still nice to have room to spread out. Also this is more for the team than just me, we need a meeting room, something kind of like the study on the Waverider, actually it might be better if I just worked up a floor plan." Candice said.

"This is starting to sound like its own building Candice. Pretty sure we can't get that approved." Gary said.

"Trust me it won't be as bad as you're thinking. Just wait til you see the floor plan. In any case, I am going to need to be allowed to play music while I work. Nothing worse than being bored while working on a project." She said with a groan.

"I'll run it by Director Sharp." Gary said. "Is that all?" He asked.

"Let's see, meeting room, personal science lab, kitchen, library, relaxation room, bathrooms, ability to play music, I think that about covers it." Candice said. "I will miss Gideon though, and the others...." She added with a sigh.

"We can see if there is a way for you to keep in contact with Gideon and the others Candice. If you draft up a floor plan I will see what I can do about making it a reality." Gary said.

"I guess I should pack up my room. Well what little stuff I have here on the Waverider." She commented. Letting out a sigh she looked back at the screen. Candice could feel her heart sink a bit, she loved the Waverider and the adventure that came with it.

"I uh... I guess we'll contact you... At the very least I have your number from when we started playing D&D together." Gary said. Candice gave him a nod before the screen turned off.

Looking around, Candice grabbed a few of her items before heading off to her shared room with Zari. Peeking her head in, she didn't see the other woman. "Guess that makes this easier." She said to herself.

Walking away Candice got Gideon to make her a box to store her stuff in. Packing up what little she had, few extra clothes, couple of books, as well as some tech she had built in the science lab, she set off to leave the Waverider.

"Guess this is bye for now Gideon." Candice said as she stood at the cargo door.

"For now Ms. Reeves, but I am sure we will talk again soon." Gideon replied.

"I know, but some dumb science lab at the Time Bureau is nothing like the Waverider. I just... I don't know felt more at home here." Candice said.

"I know Ms. Reeves." Gideon said. Giving the frame of the doorway a light punch tap, she looked up at the com.

"Guess I will see you around Gideon." Candice said as the Cargo door open. Turning away, Candice left the Waverider. As she walked away, she gave one last glance before watching the ship vanish into thin air as the stealth plates hid the ship from sight.

Giving it a moment of thought, Candice didn't want to head home cause she didn't want to potentially wake Charlie, and heading to S.T.A.R. Labs would be kind of creepy without Cisco being around.

Digging into her pocket she pulled out her breeching device. Pressing the button a portal opened and she jumped through. There was no harm in heading home for a small bit, besides at this moment, Candice kind of wanted to be around her parents.

Jumping through the portal she landed in the near identical spot on her Earth. Taking a deep breath, she looked around to make sure no one had seen her. "Now to head home." She said as she pocketed the breeching device.

Walking into her parents house, she closed the door quietly. Setting the box of stuff down as she walked in, she noticed some lights on. "Hello?" She called out.

"Candice? What are you doing home?" A female voice called from the kitchen. Candice walked in and gave her mom a small smile. "Sweetie, you were just here not to long ago, aren't the Legends going to be upset with you for taking so many vacations?" Her mother asked.

"Yeah this is just for a little while, not a full vacation like last time. Where's dad?" Candice asked as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

"He's working late, but he should be home soon. So. What is wrong dear? The girl you like reject you?" Candice's mom asked.

"Mom!" Candice said like a teenager that was embarrassed. "I just.. I'd rather not talk about that right this moment." Candice said.

"Oh sweetie, come here let me give you a hug." Her mom said as she walked around to hug Candice.

"Ah gross! Mom hugs!" Candice joked as she hugged her mom.

"So what is wrong. Something is up I know it. If it isn't the girl, then it's your new team." Her mom said as she walked over to the fridge.

"Yeah. I'm going to be on a new new team. Still the Legends, but working for this group called The Time Bureau." Candice explained.

"Yet you're not happy with the job are you?" Her mom asked. "Aren't they the ones that trapped you in London?" Her mom asked. Candice gave a nod of confirmation. "So why are you working for them instead of being on the ship?" Her mom asked.

"It's a new way to alleviate the crowdedness of the Waverider as well as build bridges with the Time Bureau. I get to be head tech girl for the team, and helping outfit the Bureau with new stuff." Candice explained.

"I get to do a lot of cool stuff for the bureau. I get to take apart some of their closely guarded tech to help improve it and I get my own lab which is nice since I've always been sharing it with someone. However the Waverider afforded me visits to the unknown and being stuck in the present is going to be boring." Candice said.

"It sounds like a more stable job though. One that would afford you more time with that woman you were telling me about last time." Her mom said with a small smile.

"I know and I can go back to volunteering at the hospital for the kids, I missed that while zooming around on the Waverider." Candice said.

The front door opened and a small sound of someone almost tripping came from the main hall. "Lonnie! Why is there a box of crap in the hallway?" A man's voice called out.

"Ted! That isn't a box of crap, that is Candice's stuff." Her mom called back. Though she did give Candice a parental glare at leaving stuff in the hallway.

"Sorry Dad! I thought you were home when I set that stuff down." Candice called out.

"What are you doing home?" He called out as he closed the door.

"Just needed a place for the night. I'll be back on Earth-1 in the morning." Candice called out. "Here let me come move my stuff before you trip again." Candice said as she got up from the table.

Heading into the hallway, she smiled as she saw her dad. Wrapping her arms around him, it was clear that she caught him off guard. The man gave a soft chuckle before hugging her back.

"Everything okay Candice? This is twice in what? A few weeks?" He asked as Candice pulled away from the hug.

"Yeah, but like I said I'm heading back in the morning, just needed a place to stay for the night, and all my Earth-1 places were just not where I needed to be for tonight." She explained as she grabbed her box of stuff.

"Alright pumpkin, what happened?" He asked her.

"Just got transferred from adventure to a lab. That's all. Mom knows more gonna go put this in my room." Candice said as she headed upstairs.

"Wash up while you're up there! Dinner will be ready in a bit." Her mom called out as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Ugh! The worst!" Candice jokingly called back. Reaching her room, she placed the box on her bed before heading to clean up. She didn't really need to eat, but Candice wasn't going to pass up her mom's cooking.

Heading back downstairs she smiled at her parents. "I'd say I'm starving, but I don't lie." Candice joked. Her mom rolled her eyes a bit.

"Doesn't stop you from eating." Her dad joked.

"Look even a nuclear reactor needs fuel and mom does cook some really good food." Candice said.

Her mom slid a plate in front of Candice with a smile. "I caught your dad up on everything." Her mom said.

"So... I have to ask, what is so bad about the Time Bureau?" Her dad asked.

"Well one they have hated the Legends for a while, even getting us stuck in 1980 London for a short time. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm going to go join the Time Bureau branch, but I'm going to miss being able to zip around time." Candice explained.

"You know you didn't used to need time travel to have adventures Candice." Her mom said.

"Yeah well that is cause I worked with the Flash, got kicked off the team, help stop Reverse Flash, sealed up the world ending breech, came back and helped stop Godspeed." Candice explained. "Even then between vanishing and showing back up I was in a new Earth and learning new things." She added.

"Sweetie, you can always learn new things from a stable job like the one at the Time Bureau." Her mom said.

"I know Mom, it's just... I don't know saving time was fun and different. It was learning more about Earth-1 from actual history instead of reading about it in books." Candice said.

"What's wrong with book?" Her dad interjected.

"Nothing dad. It's just what is better, reading history written by the winner of an event, or living through that event in real time?" She asked.

"Fair point, but still I'm sure there is plenty for you to learn from in books." Her dad said.

"I know dad, just I'm going to miss it is all." Candice said.

"There feels like more you're not telling us." Her mom said.

"The Waverider, and the Legends felt like home away from home. We we're all a bunch of people who didn't fit anywhere and oddly enough fit together like a big weird family." Candice explained.

"And you feel like you're loosing that family by being at the Bureau." Her mom commented.

"Yeah.. a bit.. plus the ship has an A.I. named Gideon and I'm going to miss having her around. I asked the Time Bureau if there would be a way for me to keep in contact with Gideon, but stuff has to be approved and what not so I gave them a list of requests." Candice said.

"Please don't tell me you demanded stuff just cause you hate the group." Her mom said with a sigh.

"Mom! I said requests not demands. I plan on working there I just need some things in order to be efficient, my own space to work of stuff hence my own lab to build and tinker with and the ability to play music while I work." Candice said.

"Music can distract you Candice." Her mom said with a sigh. "Don't expect them to hand over that kind of stuff, they are going to have to justify allowing you that kind of freedom. If it comes down to it they might find someone else." Her mom explained.

"Mom, they need me the Legends can make due, Zari is really good at tech for the Waverider, but I built the Tesla gun after getting a glance of Rip's pistol and my speed force knowledge of how to throw lightning. That kind of engineering skills is not something they are just going to avoid just because I asked for some music and my own space to work." Candice said.

"I hope you're right sweetie, I'd hate for you to not get that job." Her mom said. The rest of the meal, they talked about mindless stuff, how things were since she was last there a week ago.

Once they were finished eating, her dad headed off to bed while Candice stayed and helped her mom clean the dishes. "Candice, are you sure you're alright with the job change?" Her mom asked.

"I mean we've already talked about this, I'm having to leave my family for some corporate job." Candice said. Her mom gave a small chuckle at her.

"It's not going to be a corporate job like you say it is dear. If they truly want you to be the head technician of this new team, it sounds like they hold you in high regards. I know another man that wanted to hire you for a corporate job as well." Her mom commented.

"Yeah, but Wells was impressed by my frozen spiders." Candice said with a smile.

"Please don't remind me of those. Do you know how many times I nearly put them in one of my drinks." Her mom said. "And do not get me started on that pet scorpion you had." She added.

"Look you guys bought me the scorpion, not my fault dad got spooked as smashed him with a hammer." Candice said.

"You left him out of his cage. Of course your father freaked out." Her mom said.

"I know, I just left him for a few seconds so I could go to the bathroom. I didn't really he would of traveled so far." She said. "Though I do have to say I was rather impressed by the scream dad let out." Candice said with an amused smile.

"You're dad couldn't speak for a week cause he damaged his vocal cords." Her mom pointed out.

"I know, and I helped be his voice at work that week remember, you guys pulled me out of school so I could help him." Candice said.

"You know, your dad and I worry about you." Her mom said as she dried off her hands.

"I know Mom, I'm okay I promise. I'm still working on the Multiverse phone thing, that way we can stay in contact more often, but it's been challenging getting it to work. Needs more tests and stuff." Candice explained.

Her mom smiled at her and handed over the hand towel. Candice took them and dried off her hands. "Go get some sleep, you have somewhere to be in the morning." Her mom said.

"Mom..." Candice said with a pouting lip. Her mom stared her down and Candice smiled at her. Wrapping her arms around her mom she let out a content sigh. "I love you." She said before heading up to bed.

Her mom smiled at her and returned the words before heading to bed herself. In the morning, Candice grabbed her box of stuff and headed downstairs. She said her goodbyes to her parents before heading out to find a hidden place to breech.

Jumping through the portal, Candice was once more met with the sounds of Earth-1. Letting out a sigh, she headed home to her place, at least long enough to set down the box of stuff. She couldn't lug that around all day.

#ccfselfpara #self-para #ccfwaverider #ccfcentralcity #ccfcentralcity-earth207 #chara: gary green #chara: lonnie reeves #chara: ted reeves #chara: gideon

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takaraphoenix · 6 years

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Phoe’s Advent Calendar: Day 21

Sooo close to the Big Day! This one goes out to @insomniacsnowflower!

Title: Advent Calendar Project – Mistletoe Mishap

Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, polyamory (threesome), pining, Christmas fluff

Main Pairing: Magnus/Alec/Jace

Side Pairings: Luke/Cat, Simon/Clary, Bat/Maia, Lydia/Izzy

Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan Christopher 'Jace' Wayland, Magnus Bane, Alexander Gideon 'Alec' Lightwood, Isabelle Sophia 'Izzy' Lightwood, Lydia Branwell, Clarissa Adele 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Maia Roberts, Bartholomew 'Bat' Velasquez, Madzie, Catarina Loss, Luke Garroway

Summary: Magnus didn't go after Alec, because he has been around long enough not to chase after someone who wasn't ready to come out. Instead, he got together with Jace. Now, Alec finds himself pining after them both.

Links: FFNet | AO3

Mistletoe Mishap

Magnus had been instantly intrigued by Alexander the moment they had met. But then they had summoned the demon and he saw that Alexander was in love with Jace. He got to know Alec a bit and saw that Alec was too deep in the closet to be ready for a relationship and too in love with Jace to acknowledge other dating options. Magnus had been around long enough to know when something would end in misery for him, so he gave that part up. He still helped the Shadowhunters though and at one point, he gained a roommate in the form of Jace. He saw the Downworlders, male and female, leave the blonde's bedroom. They got drunk. Really very drunk, after the body-switch incident, after the pain Valentine had put them both through. And they ended up in bed together. It had just been angry sex. Relief. Seeking the warmth of another body. It was surprisingly fun, actually. And somehow, it became a reoccurring thing for them to stumble into Magnus' bedroom together, until at one point, Jace completely stopped going to his own bed and they started trading gentle kisses when waking up and parting ways. When that realization hit, they sat together and talked about the way their relationship had evolved and after talking it through, they decided to tell the others. There was nothing to hide. They cared too deeply about each other.

The war proceeded and their relationship only grew stronger and as the war ended, Magnus and Jace had Madzie move in with them. Magnus saw too much of himself in the girl – the lonely little warlock who had used her powers to kill and was so afraid. Jace saw just as much of himself in her though, after everything Valentine had put her through. They weren't ready to put the name on it that it definitely had – that they were getting domestic, becoming a family.

"You excited about Christmas, buttercup?", asked Jace gently, smiling.

Magnus' own smile was gentle as he watched them. Jace was so soft and loving with her as the two of them were finishing up the very last decorations on the Christmas tree with Isabelle and Clary together. Lydia, Alec and Simon were in the kitchen working on dinner. Magnus was indefinitely glad for Lydia Branwell. Though she had nearly gotten married to Alexander – which would have just been a disaster on all ends – Isabelle had crashed the wedding, kissed the bride and saved all parties involved from a loveless marriage. Now, Alec had slowly warmed up to the idea of being gay. He had officially come out two months ago, though it had been nerve-wrecking for him. Everyone around them supported and cheered him on. Magnus realized he had never truly gotten over that original infatuation with the dark-haired Shadowhunter, regardless of how hard he had fallen in love with Jace. Which would be a problem if he didn't know that Jace had fallen just as much in love with Alec by now. Dying had shifted Jace's perspective and while Jace had sought Magnus a lot, he also sought his parabatai even more than after any other trauma in the past year – and there had been a lot of trauma that Jace had gone through.

"Now, Cat said she'll pick our wolves up and bring them along for dinner", stated Magnus. "I still don't understand why you won't just let me use my magic for this dinner, but..."

"Babe. We talked about this", grunted Jace with a teasing grin as he came up behind Magnus, resting his chin on Magnus' shoulder. "It's Madzie's first Christmas with us. It's our first Christmas together. We lived through the war, together. Let's do this mundane."

"You're an awful influence on me, my angel", sighed Magnus dramatically as he twisted around enough to lay his arms around Jace's waist and pull him into a slow kiss.

"Ew", chorused Isabelle and Clary, simply out of principle to annoy Jace.

Madzie however was giggling, hiding her face behind her hands. The way Jace bit his lower lip to keep from smiling too hard told Magnus just how happy his blonde really was. Leaning in, Magnus placed a gentle peck on Jace's cheek as he slipped a hand into Jace's back-pocket.

"Hey! You guys could at least be useful! Instead of making out!", called Simon over.

"Say that again, mundie", prompted Jace. "Coming into our home, calling us useless."

There was a warmth blooming in Magnus' chest as Jace referred to the loft as his home, while Simon squeaked and hid behind Lydia for safety reasons. Lydia smiled and rolled her eyes.

"He's not entirely wrong. There's still a lot of work to do so dinner will be ready in five hours."

/break\

Alec sat in a corner, subdued. He was clinging onto the eggnog Maia had brought as he watched the others. Clary and Simon as well as Lydia and Isabelle were dancing to some awful Christmas music. Luke and Cat were sitting together, talking and laughing. They had started dating a few days after the war had ended, having met and hit it off during the celebratory party. Bat was sitting on the floor, playing with Madzie and her new toys. His cheeks were covered in lip-stick because he had adamantly refused from leaving his spot under the mistle-toe in hopes of getting a kiss from Maia. Isabelle, Lydia and Clary were first. Even Jace had kissed Bat – though that was what had given Maia the final push, which made everyone around them happy because Bat and Maia had been dancing around each other for weeks now. Though it made no one more happy than Simon, because he had been rooting for them ever since Simon and Maia had found the newly turned werewolf. Clary on the dance-floor laughed softly and kissed Simon briefly as Maia butted in to join them. And then there were their hosts. Magnus and Jace sat on the armchair together, Jace comfortably placed on his boyfriend's lap. They were such a perfect couple, so gorgeous and fierce. The Herondale heir head of the Institute and the High Warlock of Brooklyn; they were a power-couple. Sure, Alec was Jace's co-head and Jace's parabatai, but... He felt wildly out of place. As he always felt with them. Jace was the one Alec had been in love with for years. Magnus was Alec's biggest 'What if'. What if Alec would have been strong and brave back when Magnus had asked him out for a drink, instead of retreating and freaking out about his own sexuality? No. No, it was fine. It was better this way. Magnus and Jace were so good together, so beautiful together. They deserved each other. It was okay that there was no room for Alec, he could live with that, as long as he got to be a part of their life in some kind of way. His hand rested against his parabatai rune, pressing lightly.

Even after all those weeks, he was still downright paranoid about it. About how it had disappeared, how he had known that Jace was dead. How he and Magnus had broken down together and only Isabelle and Lydia and their combined strength had forced the two to keep going until they were at Lake Lyn and got to embrace Jace again, because Jace was back alive.

"Alec, my man", grinned Simon as he sat down, leaving Clary and Maia to dance alone.

"Don't... call me that, Lewis", sighed Alec frustrated. "What do you want?"

"Well, it's Christmas and everyone is cheerful. Only you look like the Grinch", offered Simon.

"What in the world is a Grinch?", asked Alec, sure he was going to regret that question.

"Alec, Alec, Alec!", exclaimed Madzie excitedly, saving Alec from Simon's explanation.

"Yeah, sweetie?", asked Alec with a small smile, leaning forward.

"Teach me shooting?", asked Madzie pleadingly, eyes large.

He had gotten her a toy-bow with nerf-arrows. Literally everyone had cooed as she had unwrapped that present, thinking it 'so Alec' and also 'so adorable'. Alec got up and let her pull him aside so he could explain to her how to best hold the bow and take aim. She giggled happily as she hit Simon on the forehead and managed to hit Luke's glass of eggnog. Alec smiled softly and got up, taking a few steps back and leaning against the doorway as he watched her. Bat dutifully played the frightened wolf hiding from the dangerous hunter and soon Clary, Isabelle and Simon were roped into the game too. The little girl was such a sunshine, really.

"You're lurking in the shadows again, parabatai", whispered Jace softly.

Alec startled as Jace suddenly leaned next to him. Taking a bit of a step away, Alec eyed his parabatai. He startled again when Magnus approached him from the other side. And then his brain failed as Magnus kissed him suddenly and his brain completely died when Jace kissed him next.

"Mistletoe", whispered Jace against Alec's lips, pointing up at the ceiling.

Alec relaxed for only a split second, before frowning. No, the mistletoe Izzy had put up in the loft hung literally opposite of him. As he looked up, there was mistletoe though. And there was a blue shimmer around Magnus' hand as his magic slowly faded. Alec frowned confused.

"Oh, sue a warlock for wanting to have some fun", sighed Magnus. "I mean, it's not like either of you would make the first step. Jace is still confused about how his feelings for you shifted and you are... You have settled so well with never speaking out about your feelings, Alexander."

"W—What?", sputtered Alec and stumbled backward.

"Oh, let me be some more straightforward then", chuckled Magnus.

With a flick of his wrist, there was a large red bow wrapped around Jace's chest. Jace looked very unimpressed, glowering at his boyfriend, who looked completely unapologetic. Alec had no idea what was going on here. He looked between Magnus and Jace.

"Don't mind Mag. Mag is an idiot", assured Jace gently, grasping his parabatai's arm. "Don't think you're obligated to do anything, Alec. It's just that we... like you. Mag and I. A lot."

"We'd like to take you out on a date, if you'd want that", added Magnus gently.

"Why?", asked Alec, squinting at them in confusion.

In the background, Clary and Izzy were laughing softly as Luke and Cat took the dance-floor. Alec's eyes flickered over to the sound on instinct, watching all the happy couples in the living room.

"We're happy. We're in love. But we could be... happier... with you", muttered Jace, hand slipping down to take Alec's hand and link their fingers. "After... When I died. When I died, I felt our bond severe. I was just dead for moments, but it felt like years. Years without you. A—And I can't be without you. Having you support me since then, holding you... I... I started seeing you in a different light, parabatai. You're so important to me, but... in a different way than you should. Please, at least... think about it. It's okay if you don't, but..."

Jace was shut up by Alec impulsively grabbing him and pulling him into a slow, deep kiss. He needed to feel this for himself. To be sure this was true. Magnus laughed softly and was more than eager to be pulled into a kiss next. Alec smiled brightly as he found himself embraced by them both.

~*~ The End ~*~

#malace #magnus bane #jace wayland #alec lightwood #shadowhunters #fanfiction #fluff #christmas fluff #pining alec #phoe's advent calendar project 2017 #jace herondale #OTP: one soul at a time

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arlenejp · 6 years

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Flowers For Mycroft

Fluff

One afternoon one of my associates at work receives a large bouquet of purple flowers.

"Isn't this fantastic, Greg? Gideon and I have been together for a year now. He's great at remembering special moments."

I knew Doug was living with a guy and all of us at work applauded his love and courage.

It only pushes me to go after my quest, and that's Mycroft.

This is getting stupid, Gregory Lestrade, I conclude in my head.

For years I've worked with Mycroft Holmes, and now, late in my life, I've developed a crush on the younger man. Oh, not much younger than me.

We're both middle-aged now. Him still very slim, stiff British upper-class, going bald.

Me with a paunch settling in, from a middle-class background. My pride and joy is my silver-grey hair, still full and wavy.

I know Mycroft hasn't had a relationship in all the time I've known him, and that's at least fifteen years, and I would swear he's gay, or bi.

What to do about Mycroft? How to show him my affection without scaring him off. And also, if it's not going to be a sexual relationship, how to keep him as a friend.

I could do the usual, ask him out to dinner, have a few drinks, go back to his place reveal how it is with me.

We've had dinner out but mostly at places I could never, ever afford, and I would feel foolish taking him to my usual spots.

He has no clue about sports so to take him to a game is not a thing.

When we do get together other than eating out, it's mainly at his house, we play chess or backgammon, and of course, he mostly wins.

The day that Gideon gets the flowers I have an idea. I walk around the corner to my local florist.

"Hi, I'm trying to show someone I love them. Do you have any suggestions using flowers other than the standard sending a bouquet?"

" Let me tell you one that came about last year. A woman wanted to send a flower each day to a man she secretly adored. Each flower would have a different significance based on either the color or scent. No name on the card, just the name of the flower and what it signified. At the end of two weeks, she showed up with a huge bouquet in hand to his apartment. And they are now married."

"That is very different. Yea, I'd like to try that."

"My name is Ivan, and this will be great fun for me to do again."

He shuffles over to his counter, moving papers around until he finds his notepad, and taking a pencil in his hand he stares up at me.

"I have to ask a personal question because, in today's world, you know how it is," he shrugs his shoulders.

"Don't be upset with me. Is it a man or woman you're after?"

Without hesitation, but I know a slight pink is in my cheeks, "A man."

"That's fine. It makes a slight difference in the flowers we pick," as he pats me on the shoulder.

"Can you give me more details about your relationship?"

"We're only friends. We don't work in the same office, but we do get together on business projects. Outside of work we go out to dinner, play chess and backgammon. He's the typical British man, very formal."

"How about starting with a daisy? It shows your beginning innocence. Do you want your name on it or not?"

"Let's keep my name off it. What will the card say?"

"The name of the flower and the meaning. Need an address to deliver and your information."

I know he's recognized me but doesn't mention it. Strictly a business transaction at this moment.

"It'll be delivered each day at five in the evening. Now let's go down the list and figure out how you want this to play out."

He has a large whiteboard on his wall with space to write on for each day.

It's pretty crowded with clients names and flowers.

Pointing to a certain day he's all smiles.

"We're not far from Valentines Day. We could have the last flower, the bouquet you deliver on that day."

"Wow! That would do very well. Although to be honest, I'll be shaking so I might drop the bouquet."

We have a laugh over that and with a few reassuring pats on my back, he takes my credit card, and we finish the transaction.

"Before you leave, if all goes well, you'll have to come in to discuss the final bouquet."

" Yea, that's good. I'll get back to you on what I want to do."

I'm on pins and needles during the rest of the day.

I'm supposed to be at Mycroft's house tonight for a chess game and can't wait to see what his reaction is to the daisy and note.

Upon my arrival I try not to be conspicuous in looking around, peeking to see where the daisy is.

"Gregory, how strange. Someone sent me a flower," and he points to the daisy sitting in a vase on the piano in the sitting room.

"Look at the card, Gregory."

Oh my god, this is hard! Trying not to give him any clues.

"No name on the card."

Turning it over and over as if I'm perplexed.

"And all it says is-."

Daisy- innocence

"Strange, any idea who or for what reason?"

"I have no idea. And can't fathom what the daisy is supposed to mean to me."

"Innocence. What are you innocent of, Mycroft?" my eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Don't be absurd, Gregory. Must be a joke."

We begin a game of chess, but I like my game better. Might stand a better chance of winning the prize, Mycroft.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ To my surprise, the doorbell rings and my man brings in a vase with a single flower. Another one?

This one is purple heather and the card has written on it-

Purple Heather-Admiration

I could call the florist from where these two have come from, but I'm sure he wouldn't give the person away.

Next evening, Queen Annes Lace, and the card reads.

Queen Annes Lace-Trust

I'm totally bewildered. Who and why?

Gregory and I had decided on dinner at five on this night.

Because he had to be late at work we thought to meet at the restaurant.

These flower deliveries appear at five, and normally never a person to be curious, I find this distraction most tantalizing.

It is crucial to me to be home for the next flower.

I would never be comfortable sitting for hours without knowing.

I send a text to Gregory.

more flowers. come to the house first before we go out

I keep checking my watch, dressed for dinner but more in suspense over what the next blossom will disclose.

Gregory shows up at the front door at the same time as the florist delivery boy.

A red Anemone.

The card reads.

Anemone-anticipation

"You have an admirer, Mycroft," giggling, both at the concept and at my deception.

"A strange way to show it. And what does it mean? Innocence, trust and anticipation, " he replies as we walk out the door.

"It could mean the person is or was innocent, but trusts you and is anticipating- something. I think it's quite gutsy and different if you ask me."

"Hmm, never thought about it that way. Wonder who she is?"

------------------------------------------------------------------ Oh, shit, I think to myself. Mycroft believes it's a woman. Of course, he would. Most males would assume that! Should I stop this whole idea now?

Dinner is a strained affair for me, and like a silly girl trying to get out of a date, I profess a headache and go home right after the meal.

I have to talk to Ivan, and before going to work I stop at the florist to chat with him.

Thank goodness he's in the store!

"Ivan, the flowers are beautiful, but he thinks its a woman sending them. How can we change that?"

"Are you sure he's up to advances from a man?"

"Yes, positive."

Not pushing that small doubt around in my head. Not now.

"Let's do this. You'll send a magenta lilac which means love and passion. And- let's have the card read, 'she is a he'."

"That might be too obvious to him, don't you think?"

"Have you ever given him any indication of your feelings?"

"No, not at all."

"Then let's push onwards. Can't hurt, Detective Inspector Lestrade," and now he gives a knowing grin and a wink.

In a way, I'm glad he knows who I am.

" I think this will give him food for thought. But let's now discuss what to do for the bouquet."

We talk over a few ideas. What the flowers will be in the bouquet and how to present it.

I receive a text from Mycroft that night.

Must see you. Right away.

will be there in an hour

I'm let in and shown to the library. Mycroft is in his sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. My heart skips. God, I'd love to take him down right now!

"Whats up?"

Drink in hand he points to the lilac.

"Look at the card."

"Lilac-Love and Passion. Wow, and she is a he? " trying not to let him see my trembling hands.

Pausing while I take a glass and pour a drink for myself, I sit in the chair opposite him, holding my glass with two hands. They're shaking so, I'm afraid I'll spill the drink.

"Now that puts a completely different spin on this. "Who do you think?"

"I have a suspicion it could be the diplomat from Spain. He was overly attentive to me during the holidays. It became most uncomfortable. But, why would he conclude that I suspected a female?"

" Oh, come on Mycroft! Most men would automatically believe it to be female. I know I would. Or, wait, is it because he's male? Is that what's bothering you?" moving uncomfortably around in the seat and sipping from the glass.

" In reality, I've been exposed to the male body before, and in-."

Picking a spot on the opposite wall to gaze at, I try to ask the question but it won't come out.

" Are you implying? Did you- I mean, you know?"

" Yes, Gregory," with a smirk in his voice.

"In my late twenties, I had a brief affair with a man, much younger than myself. It lasted a year and a half. I enjoyed it and the, what you would call 'gay' factor never entered into it. Our parents knew nothing about it, of course."

Now he stares at his glass, swirling the liquor he lifts himself halfway off the sofa, then sits back down.

" What about you, Gregory? Are you offended at my confession?"

I breathe a sigh of relief. So the homosexual thing would not stop him.

" No, not offended. I also had relations with a man. Before and during my marriage."

Standing up and sitting down on the sofa next to him, I disclose something I've never told anyone, never spoken it aloud.

"While married I went to a convention in Las Vegas. I met a man, my age, and the first night he approached me I was drunk. The sex was so good we spent every night together for the two weeks. But never saw or spoke to him again."

There is a pause, and Mycroft knows there's more, purposely turning his head away, giving me time.

"If I weren't married I probably would have pursued him. But, I was, and that was the end of it. He was a bright spot in what otherwise was a bad time in my life. And no, I don't still yearn for him."

Dinner is at a high-priced Chinese restaurant and even though the air has been cleared between us there's still a good amount of tension.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- During the day, I'm out of focus at the office. My assistant, Anthea, is worried and closes the door to sit on my desk, taking the pen out of my hand.

" Mycroft, coming down with a cold? You're very out of sorts today!"

" No, but I will be leaving early. I want to-."

My voice drifts off.

"Whatever it is Mycroft, I know you'll solve it in your usual self-confident way. Go home now. There's nothing much to do today anyway."

I have my driver take me over to Kensington Gardens where I wander aimlessly, looking at the flowers and wondering, which one will be next.

Suddenly, standing in the gardens, the sun warming everything, my heart skitters.

Can it be? Can it be him?

He's certainly been attentive to me, always a good friend.

He's not faint-hearted. A relationship with a male did not deter him once.

Would it now?

Do I mind?

My dear man, you cannot jump to conclusions, as my confidence veers from high to low.

If it is him, and in many ways, I hope it is, I would be elated.

By four I'm home and pacing the floor waiting for the ring of the doorbell. I continually part the curtains to look out the window and rush to open the door as the van pulls up.

And this time it's a flower I don't know, but the card explains it all.

"Symbolizing friendship and devotion, the Peruvian Lilies leaves grow upside down, with the leaf twisting as it grows out from the stem, so that the bottom is facing upwards – much like the twists, turns, and growth of our friendship." Who? Who? Is it?

Valentines Day is only three days away. Will I find out then?

Five o'clock the next day and I've got the door wide open as the van pulls up. Mycroft, get a grip on yourself. You're usually so composed, not ruffled like you are now.

A bird of paradise and the card.

Bird of Paradise-joy, paradise

This is tormenting me. It weighs on me all day and night.

I've had to relinquish much of my work to my assistants, finding myself daydreaming in the middle of a conference.

Anthea has begun to try to hide a smile when she sees me. I know she surmises I'm in a relationship.

Well, aren't I?

I don't know.

And the next day it's another flower I don't recognize.

Acacia- I have a thing for you

My suspicions kindle higher. I cannot envision the diplomat using that terminology.

The awaited day arrives. It's Valentine's day. I suspect my suitor will show himself today.

I stay home, on pins and needles, restlessly moving from room to room. Picking up one thing and laying it down.

Even my cook asks if I want something to stave off the coming flu.

I text Gregory to meet me for dinner but he texts back he's busy. Taking his daughter out for the evening.

Here I am alone at the house, waiting.

The anticipated time materializes and no doorbell ringing. No florist. What cruel joke is this?

I sit alone in the library, thinking to drink myself to sleep and there's a knock at the door.

I rush to get to it before my manservant does. Opening the door, there stands Gregory with a large bouquet of red tulips, trembling in his hand.

" Read the card Mycroft," with a whisper barely heard.

"Tulips and red symbolize love. Mycroft Holmes, I love you. Happy Valentines Day

Dazed, even though I suspected Gregory. The complexity and thought with which he contrived this absolutely stuns me.

"Is it all right to come in or do you want me to leave?" his voice a croak, a whisper.

I can imagine only one move to make. I pull a tulip out of the bouquet, kiss it and hand it back to Gregory.

"I give a flower to you. Happy Valentines Day. With my growing love."

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crimsonrevolt · 6 years

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Congratulations Hope you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Molly Weasley!

↳ please refer to our character checklist

This was such a tough decision for us but your interpretation of Molly won us over! It was clear from the very first part of your application just how much you love her as a character and you gave us such a good look at your vision for her and really brought her to life. Your writing sample also gave us a clear idea of who Molly is and explored so many sides of her as well as giving us a strong idea of her role within the Order and relationships to others around her. We are very excited to have you back and cannot wait to see what journey you choose to take Molly on! *your FC change to Rose Leslie has been accepted!

application beneath the cut

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Hello, hello! My name is Hope, I prefer she/her pronouns, and I live in the EST time zone!

ACTIVITY

WELL, I’m not in a show for a while, and all in all my class load is light. I believe I’ll be reliably within a 6-7, and I’m excited and thrilled at the prospect of coming back, better than ever!

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Former player, but before that I learned about this RP from a current member!

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

I’ve always been hard working and ambitious, with a drive to prove myself to people who don’t believe that I can achieve everything I want for my future. Therefore, I’ve always felt like Hermione Granger is the character I’ve related to the most.

ANYTHING ELSE?

That’s all from me, thanks darlings!

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Molly Alexandra Weasley (née Prewett)

Alexandra is an ancient name, which became popularized in Europe after the thirteenth Century. It means Defender of Man, a meaning well suited to describe Molly herself.

FACE CLAIM

I prefer Rose Leslie, but Sarah Drew is a lovely alternative. Whichever you prefer!

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

I’ve adored Molly as a character since the first time I read the Harry Potter series, and since her first introduction. Molly Weasley saw a boy, alone and confused at King’s Cross Station, helped him find the platform (even though she had her hands full with five children of her own), and made sure he got on the train safely. Molly Weasley couldn’t bear the thought of that little boy waking up on Christmas morning without any presents, and who, despite having her strained time and resources, knit him a jumper like her children, to make him a part of her family. Molly Weasley is the ultimate mother figure, and a guiding hand without whom Harry could not have functioned. In a story with so many orphans, and casualties of war, and so much loss and pain, Molly and Arthur’s beautiful, supportive family, and their unbreakable love for one another, is an extremely inspirational beacon of light in the community.

Molly’s motherly instincts are a driving force within her, and her archetype of The Mother is apparent in all parts of her life. Even Molly’s exceptional aptitude for healing spells show her big heart, and how much of her spirit is dedicated to taking care of others. I see Molly as an old soul, and a romantic. She reads books about true love conquering all, and strong, wise women who, despite incredible odds, overcome their circumstances to build happy lives for themselves and those they love. Molly Weasley is the type of woman who would let a friend stay at her house indefinitely, if they ever needed to get away. Molly Weasley is the type of girl who would see her classmate who came to school without a lunch, and would bring extra, so they could be fed while maintaining their dignity. While Molly is gentle and kind, she is indestructible, and a force of nature to be reckoned with when she’s been angered. Molly would drag herself over broken glass by her fingernails for her family, and is fiercely protective of anyone she takes under her wing. I see Molly as a Mother figure within the Order, looking at these young people and doing her utmost to protect them, to shield what remains of their childhoods. She is especially protective of her younger siblings, Fabian, Gideon, and Alice, whom she has spent a lifetime caring for.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

MOLLY AND ARTHUR WEASLEY ARE MY DARLINGS. I love them so much. In my opinion, Arthur has been Molly’s lifelong love, since they were housemates in school. Their marriage is an example of true love, and hard work, and compassion. Which is not to say there is no conflict, which can be elaborated on within threads!

Molly identifies as female, and it is my belief that she has far too much love in her heart for gender determine her love for someone. She uses She/Her pronouns.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

-AN AESTHETIC

(extended associations!)

~ golden sunlight ~ soft music ~ wooden record players ~ cream colored sweaters ~ steam rising from a hot cup of tea ~ lazy good morning kisses ~ wool on bare skin ~ red autumn trees ~ the crunch of leaves underfoot ~ vanilla ~ hugs around the neck ~ hour long conversations ~ earthenware bowls ~ hearty breakfasts ~ fresh cookies ~ spending all day cuddling ~ worn out armchairs ~

-A PLAYLIST (mini time!)

Artholly:

Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur

Dearest by Buddy Holly

Happy Together by The Turtles

Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

No One Else sung by Denee Benton from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Molly:

Phenomenal Woman by Olivia Newton-John

-EXPAND ON THE TRAITS

Assertive: (+) Molly is a woman with a good head on her shoulders, and a strong moral compass. As such, when someone disagrees with her, she is able to deliver a competent, logical reasoning for her opinions. Molly is especially firm when her loved ones are involved. Molly will always stand for her family’s best interests, and will always stand up for herself and others when she believes there are injustices being committed.

Passionate: (+) When Molly gives her heart to something, whether it be an occupation, a goal, or a lover, Molly gives it all. She has never been one to let circumstance or hardships keep her from what she wants, and what she imagines for herself. For Molly, if you aren’t being passionate about something, you don’t care about it enough. So, she puts her soul into the things she cares about, like her relationships. She is tenacious, and will do anything for those she loves.

Temperamental: (-) However, Molly’s assertiveness and passion can sometimes result in her becoming very angry when she is hurt, or betrayed. Molly is a very stubborn woman, and when she encounters something that stands in the way of what she wants, or what is in the best interest of her family, she will blow up at it. In relationships, Molly’s temper is always in the best interest of the people she loves. For example, if she believes that someone she loves is doing something dangerous, something she knows they shouldn’t be doing, she will tell them so, and become very angry if they refuse to change. She can be easily provoked into an argument, but she’s never malicious or in search of conflict.

Overprotective: (-) While her motherly instincts are an asset in many ways, it can be one of Molly’s more annoying attributes, especially to her little sister Alice and some of the younger members of the Order. While they are technically adults, and fellow soldiers in this war, she can be sharp with them when she believes they’re being careless, or putting themselves in danger. She’s significantly protective of Alice, whom she has watched grow up from her childhood, and for whom she feels responsible. She can be smothering, trying to prevent someone from doing something because she believes it’s too dangerous for them.

-A FEW HEADCANONS

Boggart: Molly’s boggart is her siblings’ mangled corpses, with Arthur later included. She cannot stand the idea of seeing them dead, and even the thought is enough to bring Molly’s stomach into her mouth and set her in a cold sweat.

Patronus: Molly’s patronus is, appropriately, a bear. Bears are extremely protective of their cubs, and are representative of the overwhelming strength that lies within her.

Wand: Molly’s wand is a flexible 10-inch willow wood wand, with a unicorn hair core. Willow is a tree known for withstanding the toughest storms, due to its ability to bend and sway in wicked winds; it is best suited for those with great aptitude for healing.

-A FEW POTENTIAL PLOT POINTS

❧ Arthur being injured during a mission, or during a duel against a Death Eater. Plots include her helping nurse Arthur to health, psychological aftermath of the idea of Arthur dying, and being left alone (as a young mother with young children, if they have their kids already), and the resulting paranoia and fear. How she overcomes it, or doesn’t.

❧Molly’s general involvement with the Order, and any missions/jobs she does to help them.

❧Molly meeting/having a conflict with a member of Aversio, because while they, too, wish to defeat Voldemort, she stands completely opposed to their methods.

❧Molly being captured and tortured by death eaters, her panic about not being able to protect her family and her fear that they’ll do something rash to save her

❧MOLLY GETTING PREGNANT (AGAIN) DURING THE WAR. MOLLY AND HER BABIES. MOLLY WEASLEY DEVELOPING SEPARATION ANXIETY BECAUSE EVERY TIME ARTHUR LEAVES OR SHE HAS TO LEAVE THE CHILDREN FOR A MOMENT SHE’S STRICKEN WITH FEAR AND GUILT.

❧Molly dealing with trying to raise young children and give them a normal life despite the threat of death and destruction all around them.

(Really anything, I’m open to any plots that can be thrown at me.)

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

“Oh! That’s a good one. I’d have to say… I’d like to create a way to cast several healing spells at once, just in case of an emergency. I’d hate to ever need to use it, but there have been times, you know–… Where things go awry. But if the situation arose, I think it could be invaluable.

Barring that, a potion to safely help the twins finish teething would be life-changing.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“Oh, well, Arthur of course. I honestly can’t imagine taking anyone else with me! And for an object, I’d say either an invisibility cloak, or what Arthur says the Muggles call a “chainsaw”, in the event we need to get out quickly.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

“Those where I know the right thing to do, but it may put me or Arthur at risk. I have obligations to the Order—this is a war after all. But I have my children to think about. When I take dangerous missions, I feel immense guilt. When I shy from them, however, I still feel guilt. It’s a double-edged sword.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“That I failed to do enough to fight while those around me suffered. Or that I wasn’t good enough as a parent. If I ever gave my children a reason to say that about me, I couldn’t live with it.”

WRITING SAMPLE

Molly had learned to live her life with little boxes. Her cupboards and closets were stuffed to the brim with scratched wicker baskets, sturdy heirloom chests made of oak, old garment boxes with mismatched lids, all in an attempt to create the storage space necessary to support her growing family of seven. When there were so many of them in one house, and so much shared property, it was important to sort the few independent belongings the children had into labeled containers. Bill, a stern 8 and ½, and Charlie, an enthusiastic six year old, had had enough territory disputes to drive her mad; Charlie followed his big brother around like a puppy, and so often found himself with Bill’s things in hand, in an attempt to emulate his big brother. Bill, who’d had enough of his toys being smashed by the little one’s indelicate fingers, begged Molly to keep his things away from the toddler. For a long time, she insisted that he try to share, that he just teach Charlie to play nicely with his belongings. After Percy was born, however, Molly found it necessary to start dividing up her children’s things, which evolved into her obsession with keeping things in little boxes.

Boxes were how she kept herself sane. Compartmentalizing. She learned to keep parts of herself bottled up, far away from her children. When she was with the children, when it was family time, she belonged entirely to them. But when it came to matters of the Order, she kept those hidden, and never allowed the two to meet. Even the rooms in her house shared her divided mind. The dining room, for instance, which was a sacred place for her family, was a servant of two masters. By day, it was where she fed and nurtured her children; where Arthur read crisp, new printings of The Daily Prophet, beckoning her over if there was a story he thought she may like; where her and Arthur shed happy tears as their baby twins, now hardly a year old, babbled their first words; where her little Percy, who had learned to walk but much preferred to be carried, would perch happily on her hip while she made dinner for the family; the dining room was where her and Arthur would steal a tender moment alone after the children were abed, dancing slowly to soft music floating from the Muggle gramophone he’d enchanted and set on their windowsill.

By night, however, her dining room was transformed. It would frequently become a war-room for the Order of the Phoenix and its secret soldiers. Plans were made, defenses measured, good witches and wizards brought back, in agony, after violent run-ins with Death Eaters, and she would immediately set to healing their wounds. Blood had been shed in her family’s sacred space, blood which she would later diligently clean in order to keep her children from worrying anything was wrong. When the Order made camp in her home, she tried to separate her tender memories and moments with her family from the fear and panic that had often been felt inside her home. It was the only way she could keep her children safe; but she didn’t know how much longer she could. More and more frequently, now, Bill would creep downstairs, hearing a bump in the night, and she would narrowly scoop him up in her arms before he heard something that would surely make sleep impossible for him. More and more, he would ask her about the strange friends mummy and dad were having over after they were all asleep, and he was less and less satisfied by her flimsy explanations. It was not his fault: it’s natural for children to be curious. It was hers. She had brought this into her children’s lives. But she would keep it boxed up, and away from them, as long as she could. She just didn’t know how much longer that would be.

#Accepted App

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lilacmoon83 · 4 years

Text

All I Want For Christmas is You

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 1: The Christmas We Met

Since his mother's death, Christmas hadn't had much meaning for David Nolan. It was Christmas Eve and he was a single beat cop in Seattle, more specifically the troubled neighborhood of Hyperion Heights. For that reason, he offered to work that night to give a fellow officer with a family the night off.

This was David's first year on the force and so far, he had made quite a name for himself. He had stopped a couple robberies, a few muggings, and a potential sexual assault. He heard rumors that he had caught the interest of the notorious Captain Weaver and was on the short list to be fast tracked to Detective. But David didn't pay the rumors any mind. If a promotion happened, then it did, but he wasn't too concerned with it.

For now, he was just focused on getting through another Christmas alone. In many ways, since his mother died, he might as well have been an orphan.

His twin brother died a few years earlier. He had been involved in a seedy business deal that went very badly and was stabbed to death. David blamed their step-father, the powerful businessman, George Spencer, and owner of Spencer Industries. He was as dirty as they came, but like Teflon when it came to making any charges stick.

When David became a cop, George had officially disowned him, not that David cared. He had refused to have anything to do with the man since James died.

No, Christmas didn't have much meaning now that his mom was gone. Little did he know, that was all about to change on that night...

"Let go of me!" he heard a female voice demand and hurried into the alleyway, just in time to see a young woman stomp on the foot of her assailant and punch him in the face.

"You little...your father has ordered you home, Miss Blanchard and I'm not returning empty handed!" the man growled.

"You can tell my asshole of a father to go to hell...I'm not going back there!" she cried.

"HEY!" David called out, getting their attention.

"Good...Officer, maybe you can help me make this unruly girl go home to her father. Leopold Blanchard would be very grateful," he said. This earned him another whack from the fiery young woman.

"Woman…" she corrected in offense to being called a girl.

"She looks like an adult, or more importantly, as she said, a woman, which means you can't make her do anything. Now remove your hands or the only place you'll be going is jail," David warned.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, Officer. This is Leopold Blanchard's girl...the Leopold Blanchard that owns half this city," he reminded.

"I don't care who he thinks he is...if she doesn't want to go, then she doesn't have to," David refuted.

"My father may own this town...but he doesn't own me, despite everything he's done to try. If I could do what I'm about to do to him, I would, but since he's not here...you'll do," she said hotly, as she wound up to smack him with her bag. Unfortunately for David, the other man ducked and he was accidentally waylaid by her book filled bag. The man ran off and the young woman was horrified by what she had just done.

"Oh God...I'm so sorry!" she cried, as she helped him up.

"I'm under arrest, aren't I?" she asked. He chuckled.

"No...you didn't mean to," he said, as he got to his feet.

"Oh God...you're bleeding," she lamented, as she fished a tissue out of her bag and dabbed his chin.

"Who was that guy?" David asked.

"Just one of my father's hired thugs. He's mad that I refuse to make an appearance at another one of his horrible parties," she replied.

"It is Christmas Eve though and he's your family, right?" David asked curiously.

"Not anymore...I refuse to be a part of his evil. He and my step-mother Cora are involved in things I want no part of. My step-sister Regina is my real family," she replied.

"I guess I know a bit about that," he admitted.

"Oh?" she inquired curiously.

"My name is David Nolan, but I grew up David Spencer. I took my mother's maiden name when I was old enough," he explained. Her eyes widened.

"Spencer? As in George Spencer?" she questioned. He nodded.

"The one and only. He's my step-father or was. He disowned me when I joined the police force," he replied.

"Be grateful. I wish my father would disown me," she said.

"Yeah...Leopold Blanchard. The Captain of my precinct would love to get a conviction on him," he replied.

"My father never gets his hands dirty. Justice is kind of a joke in this town...no offense," she said.

"None taken," he replied, as they stopped outside a bar.

"Um...my shift is about over. Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"How about we get one on the house? This is my step-sister's place," she replied, as they went inside. He was positively captivated by her and not just because she was beautiful. She wore a simple fluffy white sweater with dark wash jeans. Her short hair was pulled back in a messy baby ponytail and he was positive he had never seen a more beautiful person, especially when he watched her smile at the woman behind the bar. He found himself wanting to make her smile, just so he could see her light up and glow the way she was now.

"Hey you...I was about ready to get my bat. Was it another one of those thugs?" Roni asked. Mary nodded and approached the bar.

"Sykes again...but I got a little help from a new friend," she said, turning to him.

"Uh...hi, I'm David," he stammered, as he approached the bar. Roni smirked and did a shot, before grabbing two more glasses.

"Roni...nice to meet you, Officer," she said.

"Oh...it's just David. I'm off duty now," he replied, as Roni poured three shots.

"Well, that's good...because you're just in time to join us for Christmas Eve," she said.

"I wouldn't want to impose," he replied.

"You're not...let me guess, you're an orphan like us. Your mother is gone...and your father is probably a dick, who doesn't approve of your profession in law enforcement. And instead of being alone on Christmas, you volunteered to work," Roni said. David's mouth hung ajar, as he tried to figure out how she could know all that. Mary giggled.

"Don't ask how she does it...that's just Roni. She takes in strays...or girls that need to escape bad situations," Mary said, as David looked curious about that.

"When my father married Roni's mother, she was already grown, but I wasn't. I was sixteen and she took me in when I ran away. She helped me get emancipated from my father and change my last name from Blanchard to Snow. I wanted to be free of him and Cora," she explained.

"My mother is ninety percent of why I drink...I wasn't about to let another person go through that. Plus Leopold Blanchard is a creep and a criminal," Roni added.

"Believe me...I'm a cop, I know," David agreed, as the bar door opened, despite the closed sign and a man that David vaguely recognized walked in.

"Speaking of more strays...here comes two more," she called, as the man put the little girl in his arms down and she ran to Roni and Snow.

"My favorite strays," Roni said, as she hugged the little girl and then kissed the man, whom David now recognized as Detective Killian Rogers.

"Merry Christmas, love," Rogers told her, as he noticed they had a newcomer.

"Officer Nolan, right?" he asked.

"Uh...yeah, Detective Rogers?" David questioned.

"Just Rogers is fine...you know, Weaver's had his eye on you," he mentioned.

"He just helped Mary out with another one of Leopold's lap dogs," Roni informed.

"Good man," Rogers said, as he clapped him on the shoulder and eyed the bottle of rum behind the counter.

"Papa...can I have cocoa?" Alice asked.

"Of course, starfish," he answered. Roni smiled.

"One cocoa coming right up," Roni said.

"Make that two more," Mary said, as she looked at David and he smiled.

"I'd love one," he agreed, as Roni went about making cocoa, while turning up the radio with Christmas music playing. Three more people joined them, as Captain Weaver himself showed up with his wife Lacey, and their son Gideon. It was the warmest Christmas David had experienced in a very long time.

"So...how does it feel to be adopted?" she teased. He smiled.

"Pretty good actually...a hell of a lot better than going home to my empty apartment," he said, as they stared at each other.

"So...Mary Snow? I like it...better than Blanchard," he mentioned. She smiled.

"Really?" she asked. He nodded.

"It really suits you," he replied.

"Thanks...my father's name just means to many negative things, so I made my own identity," she said, as they enjoyed the music together and drank their cocos, while watching Alice get to open one present. As it got late, David knew he had to go, but he found himself sad about that.

"So...Christmas dinner is tomorrow at two," she mentioned.

"You mean...you want me to come?" he asked. She smiled.

"I told you...you've been adopted," she mentioned. He smiled.

"I'll be here," he confirmed, as they noticed they were standing under the mistletoe at the door.

"Mistletoe…" she whispered.

"Mistletoe…" he uttered, as they stared at each other, before their lips finally crashed together. And that was the night that Christmas changed forever for David and Mary for that matter.

"See you tomorrow, Snow…" he said fondly and she grinned.

"Snow?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I like it...I think you're going to be Snow to me," he replied, as she saw him out and watched him go, her heart fluttering in her chest.

"Snow…" she muttered, finding herself giddy that he had his own name for her and at the incredible kiss they had just shared. Christmas certainly was the most wonderful time of the year…

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #Hyperion Heights AU #Roni #Rogers #Weaver #Lacey #romance #adventure #family #Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

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stunudo · 7 years

Quote

The Navy has both a tradition and a future--and we look with pride and confidence in both directions.

Admiral George Anderson

Navy to FBI to BAU: 6075 until 1810 remain

One of the Six: A Criminal Minds Fan-fiction

Featuring: Bethany Devereaux Setting: Prior to Pilot Episode

Self-prompts: Who left the opening in the BAU for Greenaway to fill? What was the BAU like before Gideon’s sabbatical?

My name is Bethany Devereaux. I was one of the six agents killed by Adrian Bale and this is my story.

A/N and Warnings: If you haven’t, please read Early Years for context. Very subtle mentions of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know has suffered from sexual assault please Call 1-800-656-4673 (US) for help. I also just want to say we need to do a better job of helping our veterans and active duty service members deal with this problem. Offensive slang. Longer, but the academy and Navy service afterwards is a minimum of 9 years! xoxo Stu (Special thanks to @dontshootmespence, you’re amazing)

To say that I was unprepared for my induction summer and life as a Plebe isn’t accurate. I would say I was blindsided by the exhaustion. We got up at dawn. We ran the yard. We did formations. We ate in the mess hall. We were always a unit. The company became our family, friends and brothers in arms (no one actually said much that there were women present). We slept maybe six hours a night. It was a team-building, honor inducing, painfully mesmerizing blur. But I did it: I survived my seven weeks of bodily torture and got to see Mama and Daddy.

They had tours and history lessons while I had my regular duties. After the parade we waited alphabetically for our parents and guests to find us. I remember seeing Daddy with Mama’s fist holding his arm tightly, naturally she wore heels that were sinking into the grass of the yard. I couldn’t wait, I ran to them. The familiar hugs and scents overwhelmed me and I cried tears of happiness.

“Bethania, that is enough!” Mama shushed me, taking out her handkerchief for me to clean up.

“Looking trim there, Bets.” Daddy commented. His eyes were sad. I kept staring at them, watching as they exchanged glances.

“What happened?” I demanded. “Is it Charlie? Is he alright?” My older brother had been overseas, but not in a conflict zone.

“Charlie is fine, Bets,” Daddy began slowly, “It’s Pop-pop, he’s gone to heaven, baby. A few weeks ago.”

I know I was upset and grieving, but I will never shake the disappointment I felt. My parents, these two people in my life that I had trusted had withheld something so monumental.

There were only around 100 women alongside me as I began my studies that fall. The class size was roughly 1150. Routine was something that kept me focused. I worked hard and kept my head forward. Not down, not on a swivel. Eyes on the prize. I ignored the snark we got from time to time for being female, I was used to it.

Edwards and Vaughn were the other female midshipmen in my company. Edwards put up with nothing. If a guy so much as looked at her too long she was tearing him down with her thick Brooklyn slang. Vaughn was quiet, she would flinch if someone said something too loudly or catcalled. I wish she could have developed a thicker skin. Maybe its because she didn’t have the big brothers I did or maybe she had never been praised in her whole sorry eighteen years. I don’t know, but the sharks smelled blood.

It was the week before Thanksgiving leave that I found her in the lavatory. Her face was red from crying. The hard tile floor cooling her bruising skin. I don’t know how long she had been there, but I picked her up and took her to the infirmary. She moaned, “No, please” when the male doctors touched her. Her strained voice is etched into my memories.

“Midshipmen Devereaux, you can return to your classes.” Someone sent me away.

I visited Vaughn that night during study break. She didn’t want to talk about it. So I talked about the day, the awful food in the mess hall, how Jennings and Martin had been given extra laps. Nonsense small talk. She left before the end of the week. Back to Kansas, a landlocked state for the girl that dreamed of the sea. I never found out who had hurt her, she was too scared to tell. But from then on: my head was always checking two steps behind me as well.

My family had tickets to the Navy- Army game my second year at the Academy. It was in Jersey, so I had to get special leave privileges to go along. Charlie was there, thankfully my Midshipmen pulled out a victory after an otherwise embarrassing season. Gambling is not strictly promoted in the Fleet, so I am not going to say that I won a bet. Just that I left the game with some cash in my pocket.

“Hey, Bets!” Another Virginian drawl called out to me in the middle of the stands at Giants Stadium. I looked up to find a very filled out T.J. Stevens, grinning lazily at me. He was wearing a faded NAVY tee shirt, so I figured I could play nice. “How did you get away for the game?” He asked.

“Used every favor I had.” I smiled. “Wait, I have seen you! You’re a fucking Plebe! Why didn’t you say something to me in the yard?” I realized all my focus on my duties and routines I had missed my old family friend.

“Too shy, besides it’s not like they encourage socializing.” T.J. shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad it took you all the way to Jersey to say hey.”

“Maybe, want to hang out sometime? I mean, we could get together on town liberty next week?” He was six feet of shy and sweet southern charm, I nodded.

We did a good job sneaking around. Every upperclassman had different duties, but Plebes only had a chance of freedom on Saturday nights. Drinking was out of the question, we were both too young and dedicated. We found ourselves at the local bowling alley, on a fairly regular basis during that spring semester.

Unfortunately, my Company Operations Officer, Thomas (who was not the most pleasant fella) happened upon T.J. and I, a few weeks after Mid-term leave. “Well, well, lookie here.” His dark eyes scoring over us like a cobra. “And I had pegged you for a dyke, Devereaux.”

I rolled my eyes, like I hadn’t heard that one before. “Sir? Is there something we can help you with, otherwise I would like to continue to beat Stevens’ ass.” I quipped as I strolled down the alley and cleaned up with a spare.

T.J. was frozen. The upperclassman was watching his every twitch. “You’re up, T.J.” I tried to act casual. Finally he got up and took his turns. In the meantime, Thomas sat besides me and whispered with his beer breathe.

“You’re dead Devereaux. Plebes are off limits and you know that.”

I turned and looked him square in his beady eyes, “You have no proof. I have known Stevens for years. I was just making sure he was relaxing on his liberty.”

“You better watch yourself, girl.” Thomas’ southern drawl felt dirty now. “He’s got a few weeks before Sea Trials, hate him to mess that up.”

Turns out Thomas’ threats were empty. T.J. did fine at his trials, but he broke up with me anyway. Too scared of the attention, even though now we had nothing to hide. Life is funny that way. You throw things away when you finally have a chance at happiness. Or you are so afraid of the possibilities that you hightail it the other direction. I didn’t want a coward, even if he was sweet. I just had to keep telling myself that.

“After graduating from Annapolis I spent my time on a ship or two. Before a friend of my Daddy suggested I apply for something closer to home.”

I was part of a crew. I had earned a degree. I was serving my country, still making Pop-pop proud. The years in the Fleet held a sense of purpose and routine that could not be repeated in any other environment. I saw the entire world. I saw the Persian Gulf, after Desert Storm, but I got to those ancient waters and so many more.

I slept, ran and ate Navy. I worked with some amazing sailors. But I was restless. After Charlie had been at the Pentagon for two years, he kept telling me to keep my options open. I knew I didn’t have another enlistment in me, I didn’t want to command a full ship.

It was ironically a Stevens that told me to apply to the FBI. T.J.’s uncle Carl was teasing me during a big New Year’s bash at my folks’ house. It was now 1997, I had only six months left. Why not? How hard could a single target be after years of chasing shiploads?

The academy was nothing I wasn’t already trained to handle. The classes were more specific to law enforcement so I had to relearn my vocabulary. I was easily the oldest person in my class, surprise surprise. The mental stimulation was refreshing and tougher than I cared to admit.

The FBI was a good fit for me, I liked the results and being able to see my targets in person. The small unit working together was how I thrived. I had been placed in the Carolinas, it kept me near the water, but the honeymoon phase ended quickly. I began searching for bigger challenges after just two years. Then I found an internal posting for a profiler position in Quantico.

It was the late nineties and being a woman in the FBI was still uncommon. The position that had been vacated was that of the notorious ladies’ man and founding member, David Rossi. (He later became an international best selling author of True Crime books.) I interviewed with SSA Cole in a dimly lit basement office. After the second interview I got the impression they didn’t want to fill the position. That was the only time I did not achieve my objective and as a Devereaux, I didn’t just let that slide.

I returned for my second attempt at the promotion nearly ten months after my first interview with Katie Cole. Now it was her position that had been vacated. A talented clinical psychologist and profiler, her reputation and name left a large hole to fill in the small unit. But the fact that she had broken into the old boys’ club of the BAU made my opportunity all the more possible.

I had been working in the Boston field office, in the interim, hoping the diverse caseload would deepen my understanding of the work the profilers did. Irish mafia and vice cases helped develop my intuition and my confidence grew with each collar.

The offices were in a cement lined basement at the headquarters, just like the last time. Jason Gideon was regrouping after Rossi’s and Cole’s departures. Their poster boy Aaron Hotchner was running the interview process because Gideon didn’t have the attention span to interact well socially. Hotch was an arrogant lawyer with a chip on his shoulder when it came to child abuse cases. But his irrefutable moral compass held the whole unit together.

Aaron, remarkably, remembered me and asked pertinent questions to my expanding experiences. After an open-ended Q&A session I was told they would be in touch. I shook hands all around and made my way through the cave of file cabinets. SSA Gideon was staring at the cork side of an ancient chalkboard on wheels. There were photographs of victims and their dumpsites. I didn’t think he had registered my presence until he began to speak.

“Why would he wrap the bodies, but leave the faces exposed?” His musings were to himself, but I took it as an opening.

“Sir?” I pointed to a victim’s face. “He wants to see them, he comes back to check on them.”

His dark eyes turned on me as if I was speaking Swahili. I pointed to the position the bodies were in and the nearest footpaths. They were left directly in line of sight.

“What else can you tell me about this unsub?” Gideon asked, not making eye contact again. But I felt him watching my micro-expressions, my processing obvious on my heavily browed face.

“He takes talismans or mementos from each of the victims. He relives the deaths even when he can no longer visit their graves.”

“Hotch?” Gideon called. “Agent Devereaux is coming to Indiana with me. Handle the transfer while we’re gone.”

And just like that, I was in.

Next Chapter: New Girl on the Unit

@teatimewithtiya I hear you’re the expert, how did I do?

@criminalwriting @dontshootmespence @cherry-loves-fanfic @gubl-oser @imagicana @reiding-and-writing @milkandcookies528 @lookingforgalifrey @reidbyers @rachficrecs @hotchnerfuckmeup @criminal-navy-writings

#Criminal Minds #criminal minds fanfiction #1ofthe6 #criminal minds fanfictions #OC x BAU Team #bets #Bethany Devereaux #aaron hotchner #navy #anapolis #tough as nails #survivors guilt #virginia #fbi bau #jason gideon

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