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refinedbuffoonery · 1 year

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Looking Through A Window (22)

macriley married undercover au

masterlist.

*****

Mac can’t wait to go home.

He falters a step when he realizes in this instance home means the safe-house apartment, not his house back in L.A. After more than a month of living there, it has begun to feel sort of home-y, in a way, although he chalks it up to Riley’s presence more than anything else. She feels like home. And after the day he’s had, he wants nothing more than to see just how close to home he can get. Preferably naked and in their bed.

Although he did promise her a date first.

But before that happens, he needs to rescue Riley from the Patriots’ warehouse. In what might be the dumbest idea she’s ever had, Riley suggested they divide and conquer—Mac buddy up with Conrad in an attempt to get closer to Cody, Riley with Ethan to plan the current governor’s (fake) assassination. So today while Riley was stuck with a man who loathes her very existence, Mac played golf with one of the biggest pieces of shit he’s ever met. And also Conrad.

(If Conrad hated her less, they would’ve switched roles. She’s actually decent at golf. Mac is terrible.)

Lengthening his stride as he navigates the nondescript hallways toward Ethan’s office, Mac finds himself driven less by the need to rescue Riley and more by genuine excitement to see her after a day apart. Call him co-dependent, but he missed her.

The route to Ethan’s office is one of the cleanest parts of the warehouse. The concrete floors have been swept, and there aren’t crates of ammo blocking the way like there are by the closet Conrad calls his office. But “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t apply here, and the sheer number of guns in the building makes Mac’s skin crawl with desperation to get out of there as soon as possible. At least he himself isn’t armed today. Small mercies do exist.

Hopefully the universe will have mercy on him, and Riley will be ready to leave in the next thirty seconds. Mac slides his hands into his pockets to hide his crossed fingers—a gesture he learned from Jack but only became habit after the man was gone.

Voices echo down the hall; Mac can’t yet make out what they’re saying, but an insistent tone that makes him pause just out of sight.

“You’re an exciting woman, Genevieve. I’ve never been with a woman like you,” Ethan croons. “Your husband seems like a nice guy, but I see you. I see your ambition, your drive. I’m sure you wear the pants in your relationship.”

Riley says nothing.

“I thought so.” There’s another pause, and then— “Let me show you the big leagues.”

Mac grits his teeth, hands curling into fists at his sides. He’s ready to barge in there, show Ethan just what league he belongs in, but Riley says, “I like the league I’m in, and I love my husband. And if you want my help, you’ll respect that. Goodnight, Ethan.”

She walks out of his office, eyes widening when she sees Mac, but she signals for him to follow her down the hallway without so much as a hitch in her step.

When they’re clear, Mac mutters, “Unbelievable.”

“So you heard that.”

“I heard that you love me.”

Riley slips her hand into his, interlacing their fingers. Kisses him entirely too deeply considering where they are. “That I do.” She tugs him after her.

“I can’t believe he hit on you.” Mac would love to turn around and punch that asshole, but he has no business stepping in when Riley already handled it herself.

Riley scoffs, “That’s not even the worst thing he said today.”

Mac raises his brow. “Tell me.”

“Some racist shit I’m not going to repeat.”

There’s a weight on her shoulders, in her eyes, that Mac hasn’t seen since they confessed their feelings to one another. He’ll be the first to admit he’s been hiding behind those feelings and their shiny new relationship in order to avoid the reality of the Patriots. What they’re doing. What they believe in. Because the reality is that this is a group of white men who have turned their racism into a political agenda, backed by the kind of artillery no civilian has any business having. Artillery they have no issue using in order to get their way.

It’s not lost on Mac that this assignment is far worse for Riley than for him.

“I know we talked about going out tonight,” Riley says, “but can we just go home?”

Mac is learning the best thing he can do for her is create and maintain spaces she feels safe. So that’s what he’s going to do.

Outside, he opens the car door for her. “I’ll drive,” he offers, not because it’s the man’s job to drive but because she’s been on high alert all day and deserves a chance to zone out. The least he can do is get them home safe.

Let me carry this weight with you.

She lets him.

*****

When Desi arrives on their doorstep, Mac is struck with such a wave of homesickness that he pays little mind to the smug expression on her face. Or her goading, “I see once again nothing gets done around here without my help.”

And then their overwatch waltzes in like she owns the place.

Harley comes barrelling out of the bedroom, barking at the intruder in her space. Unfazed, Desi crosses her arms and tilts her head and says to the dog, “Honestly I’m offended you forgot me.” Harley quiets almost instantly and mirrors Desi’s head tilt as she decides whether Desi should be allowed to stay. Only after giving Desi’s shoes and pants a thorough sniff does Harley return to her usual observation spot on the end of the couch. She’s allowed, then.

Riley yanks her in for a tight hug, which Desi happily returns, leaving Mac to awkwardly watch. He and Desi don’t really do hugs anymore due to the whole ex thing. Even if he missed her.

“So,” Desi says, eyes sweeping the whole apartment before fixating on Mac and Riley. How close they’re standing. The wedding rings they’ve gotten in the habit of wearing even when alone. She definitely smelled that they used the same soap when showering (unfortunately separately) this morning; Riley isn’t wearing any perfume to cover it up. He sees the gears in Desi’s mind turning and wishes he couldn’t. The grin dawning on her face is downright diabolical. “Are you two fucking yet?”

Nevermind. She is a terror, and he didn’t miss her at all.

Riley chokes. “Excuse me, I have to go change my tampon.” After she all but runs from the room, Desi turns that smug expression on Mac. “Last I checked, a little blood doesn’t faze you.”

“Last I checked, you were all about keeping things professional.”

She shrugs and proceeds to give herself a tour of the apartment. Desi eyes the plants Mac keeps forgetting to water and lets loose a surprised huh at the lack of clothes (specifically Mac’s) on the floor before turning her focus on the bed. Pillows for two, sheets pulled back on both sides. In hindsight, they probably should have made it less obvious. “You’re not fucking,” she says slowly, “but you are sleeping together.” Not a question.

“We’ve been here for over a month. No one’s back can handle that long on a couch. Besides, it’s not like Riley and I haven’t slept together a hundred times before.”

Desi smirks.

He walked right into that one.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Desi doesn’t need to know about the condoms in the nightstand drawer. Although there’s a definite possibility she’ll go through all their stuff the moment he and Riley leave her alone in the apartment.

Or maybe not, considering Desi’s reaction after Harley sniffs through her bag and pulls out the small bottle of pain meds she has stashed. Harley brings Mac the bottle, and Desi frowns and says, “Your dog’s a narc.”

Out of habit, Mac quickly glances at the label, noticing that she’s taking the strong stuff again. He needs to keep an eye on that. When Desi isn’t looking, he gives Harley a treat.

They get straight to work planning the governor’s fake assassination once Desi settles in, mostly to prevent her from asking any more nosy questions.

Desi is much better at this than they are. In fact, one of the first things she does is tell them their plan leaves way too much room for error. That they need to account for every route the governor might take so that the sniper (her) won’t end up out of position. Sharing a look behind her back, Mac and Riley sigh as Desi proceeds to redo most of their work.

As the day passes, Harley becomes instant BFFs with Desi and, that night, even sleeps on the couch with her. Mac thinks their dog is a traitor. Especially when he catches her as the little spoon tucked snugly into Desi’s chest. He supposes they get along so well because they’re both so stubborn and bossy.

On the bright side, with Harley sleeping on the couch instead of her usual spot—in the middle of the bed, head on Riley’s stomach, ass in Mac’s face—he and Riley can actually have some alone time for the first time in, well, ever.

Of course, Riley wants to waste it by talking.

Talking.

“Do you think she knows?” Riley asks quietly, not wanting Desi to overhear. They’re both lying on their backs, not touching, which Mac thinks is ridiculous despite not being brave enough to grab her and pull her close.

“I don’t think we were that obvious, no.”

“She’s not stupid.”

“No she is not.” Believe me, Mac wants to say. I know.

“I know we agreed not to tell anyone until after this is all over, but now that Desi is here. . .” Riley trails off. “Should we tell her? It feels wrong to lie to her, of all people.”

It does feel wrong. They should be upfront about it. But no matter that the three of them are in a great place now, telling Desi will still be awkward. Mac isn’t wild about having to tell his ex that the thing she once confronted him about, years ago, did come to fruition after all. After Mac swore on his life that it wouldn’t.

Not to mention. . .

“Bozer’s feelings will be hurt if he’s not the first to know.”

Riley swears. “I don’t want to tell him over the phone. This is—” she reaches across the bed, grabs his chest— “too big for that.” Mac’s pulse skyrockets under her touch, even with his shirt between them.

“I agree.”

He needs more; her hand on his chest isn’t enough. He wants her under his skin. But since that isn’t physically possible, he settles for the next best thing: nestling her against his chest.

Her breath warm against his neck, Riley says, “If we don’t tell her, then we can’t do any PDA or anything else couple-y in front of her. Even if she figures it out, we still shouldn’t do it. It’s not fair to make her watch all that. Not when she’s stuck with us, not when she can’t leave.”

Mac recalls the time when their roles were reversed and Riley was the third-wheel roommate watching him and Desi be a gross couple. A time during which he now knows Riley harbored feelings for him. He kisses her forehead. “Are you thinking about when you were in her shoes?”

He almost misses her quiet, “Yeah.”

He holds her tighter. “I’m sorry I put you through that. If I had known. . . I wouldn’t’ve.”

“I didn’t want you to know.”

“And now?”

“Now,” Riley interrupts herself by kissing him. “I’m going to tell you I love you every day for the rest of our lives.” She checks to make sure the bedroom door is shut before straddling him, and he grips the backs of her thighs.

Good thing Desi sleeps like the dead.

*****

Electric heat runs through his veins. Her back is to his chest like it so often is, but they aren’t sleeping.

Far from it.

It’s the best dream he’s had in a long time.

His hand slips under her shirt, teasingly brushing his thumb across the underside of her breast. Only when she whimpers does he touch her with more purpose. Intent. The heady scent of her fills his nose. He can’t usually smell things in a dream, but Mac certainly isn’t complaining about it. Wanting her for so long has made him desperate to have her in any way he can. He nips at the sensitive skin below her ear, and her hips rock back into his.

He feels every inch of her against him, that tantalizing mix of soft curves and hard muscle. God, what a dream.

Fingers circle his wrist, and then she’s moving his hand down, down the smooth plane of her stomach, down to the elastic waistband of her shorts. She’s not wearing any underwear. Only the shorts.

He hears her breathless cry, then feels the very real pain of her nails digging into his forearm.

Mac’s not dreaming anymore.

He’s wide awake now, and when he opens his eyes Mac realizes his dream was not, in fact, a dream. Riley has a hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her cries as she guides his fingers over her body. Her hips grind into his, harder now. Encouraging him.

He has never in his entire life wanted something more than he wants her right now.

In the back of his consciousness, he registers nails clicking on the floor, followed by the soft sound of the front door shutting. Desi is awake and letting out the dog. They have just minutes before she'll barge in to use the apartment’s sole bathroom. Shit.

“Riles,” he murmurs, lips brushing her ear. He kisses her neck. “We can’t.”

“Just get a towel and it’ll be fine. There won’t be that much blood.”

“No, not because of that.” He removes his hands from beneath her clothes, resigning himself to finish this in the shower, alone. “I’m not fucking you when we have an audience.”

The front door again. Harley barks, demanding to be fed. Faintly, he hears Desi telling the dog to have some damn patience.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Riley groans into her pillow, and Mac strokes his fingers down her back in apology.

He scrambles to find something to say to make this better, ultimately landing on, “I could wake up every day like this.” She shivers, and he continues, “Do you know how badly I want you? Want this?”

Riley’s fist clenches around the sheets.

There’s a swift knock at the bedroom door, but before either of them have a chance to respond, it opens and Desi pokes her head in. Mac rolls away from Riley too late; there’s no way Desi didn’t see how close they were. And Riley—damn her—pretends to be asleep, leaving Mac to deal with their nosy overwatch on his own.

Desi walks in dressed for a run. She doesn’t say a word, although the look on her face says plenty, as she quickly uses the bathroom. When she emerges, she announces, “I’m going on a run and will be gone for exactly one hour. While I am cool with this—” she gestures between them, and her approval is odd to come to terms with— “I do not want to see either of your naked asses when I return. Got it?”

In translation: Do not waste this opportunity because if I catch you I swear to god I will kill you myself.

Mac bites his tongue to hold in an irreverent Yes, ma’am, fearing he’d get punched if it slips.

Something softens in Desi’s eyes as she observes the way the pillows are only squished in the middle of the bed, proof that Mac and Riley slept mere inches apart. She asks, “Do you love her?”

She asked him that question once before, but where that time was spiteful, this time is in earnest.

“I do,” he replies. “Please don’t. . . We haven’t told anyone yet.”

Desi smiles sadly. “Your secret is safe with me. That’s never changed.”

~ Tag List ~ Want to be added? Send me an ask.

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@bluedrew12

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@likeit-or-leaveit

@macs-paperclips

@multi-fandomshipper101

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@thecarrieonokay

@tom-hunter-summah

@whatsabex

#beth writes #looking through a window au #macgyver #angus macgyer #riley davis

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improvidus · 2 years

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A little Mac + Desi softness in belated honor of @refinedbuffoonery's birthday 💜

#art by improvidus #beth my beloved #macgyver #angus macgyver #desi nguyen #macdesi #lucas till #levy tran #a companion piece to the hug? maybe?#overwatch insp #she is reading on archive of our own dot org

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wileys-russo · 4 months

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leah williamson, "don't pout baby" at training/at home

leah williamson

"ready on three!" angus the defensive coach called, both lines of women crouching and ready as you grinned at your girlfriend across from you, both of you leading your own teams.

"go!" you both took off, leading your teams around the obstacle course set up by the trainers, the drill a wind down and team building exercise as you were all tied together.

you did your very best to lead your team through though you knew leah bested you at that as you couldn't stop laughing and she couldn't stop shouting, taking this a whole lot more serious than you were.

"go lots!" you all hurried to detatch as you arrived to the final obstacle which was a relay race, leahs team just having a lead as lotte and stina raced off together for the first lap.

"yes jen!" you clapped as the girl grabbed the baton, sprinting off and giving your team a tiny gap as beth fumbled the baton and needed to return to the start, shooting your girlfriend a smirk who groaned.

"oh its for fun leah, lighten up you're such a stick in the mud man!" beth rolled her eyes pushing the blonde shoulder, ignoring leahs 'constructive feedback' as she was now clearly the only one taking it seriously.

"yeah baby, lighten up." you teased as she heard but ignored you, jen tagging alessia who bless her heart tripped over her own feet earning leahs team their lead back as alessia stumbled off to try and make up time.

"its fine lessi brush it off!" you yelled after her, all of you clapping and supporting as once again leah was yelling at her team to hurry, lina next up who sprinted off as alessia smacked the baton into katies hand.

"good job twinkle toes." you grinned to the taller blonde who groaned and playfully punched you, collapsing to the ground beside lotte. you continued to all yell and cheer for your team as leah continued to try and motivate hers through different ways.

the lead was never more than a few seconds, bouncing from leahs teams to yours as both of you purposefully hung back so you could race one another. you may have different approaches to it but there was no denying you were both fiercely competitive.

the final duo before the two of you finished it up were the aussies, steph for leahs team and caitlin for yours as both you and leah were screaming encouragement, the training staff watching on in amusement as the rest of the girls sat down with their waters.

caitlin had just a head on steph and slipping the baton into your hand you took off getting a good start over your girlfriend who you heard curse behind you as she grabbed the baton and sprinted to try and catch up.

so much so that she didn't go around the pole at the end rather just touching it with her hand while you did it properly which lost you your lead, your whole team protesting heavily as leah crossed the line just before you, dropping her baton and pumping her fists as her team started to celebrate.

"nah thats bullshit she cheated!" you puffed, hands on your knees as you caught your breath and your team backed the accusation. "nah you're all just sore losers mate!" leah beamed, arms slung around lina and gio.

"rules were around the pole, you only touched. winners!" angus declared pointing to your team who all cheered, jumping on top of one another as leahs team exploded in protest, angus waving it off as he and the rest of the staff began to walk off the pitch.

"you're all just sore losers mate." you mocked your girlfriends earlier words as the group split up and started to head back inside the training centre for lunch. you tried to hug leah who huffed and side stepped you, storming off inside as you watched her go with a laugh.

"doghouse for you mate." jen barked and pulled you into a headlock, the taller girl dragging you with her back inside and to the change rooms, chants of victory filling the room as your team reveled in their win.

"hello loser." you appeared in front of leah with a grin, the blonde ignoring you making you chuckle and kick her legs apart, standing closer to her.

"you know if the shoe was on the other foot you'd be mugging me off left right and centre lee." you reminded with a smile, arms wrapping around her neck as she huffed and finally looked up at you with a frown.

"don't pout baby, you cheated and you paid the price." you laughed but bent down to kiss at her puckered bottom lip anyway, earning the two of you a wolf whistle. "its gonna take a lot more kisses to make this pain go away." leah sighed dramatically, finally giving in and hugging you, her head resting on your stomach as she was sitting down while you stood.

"well its a good thing we have the rest of our lives to make up and make out then my love."

#leah williamson #engwnt #woso community #woso blurbs #woso imagine #woso fanfics #woso x reader #woso #leah williamson x reader

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femmehysteria · 6 months

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Best Character Named X Poll

FOLLOW @best-character-named-x-poll

I'm doing a series of "Best Character Named X" polls where all the characters have the same first name but are from completely different media, feel free to send in name/charcacter suggestions, I'm posting one poll a day. New polls scheduled for 1:30PM GMT everyday.

ask box closed for now

WILL BE POSTING POLLS ON @best-character-named-x-poll FROM FEB 1ST

If your favourite character is not included in the poll very sorry i have either never heard of them or actively chose not to include them as theres only 6 characters per poll. Characters will only count of that is their first name, surnames do not count.

Round 85: David

Round 86: Tiffany

Round 87: Charlie

Round 88: Sandy

Round 89: Cody

Round 90: Amanda

Round 91: Jeremy

Past Polls and Poll Ideas under the cut

Names that I have a complete list for*

Caroline, Tyler, Louis, Leonard, Rebecca, Steve, Nicole, Isabelle, Victoria, Katherine, Jade, Alex, Sophie, Greg, Jake, Ellie, Isaac, Robin, Tony, Annie, Lisa, Margaret, Oliver, Clark, Kara, Phoebe, Emma, Ruby, Bart, Alfie, Beth, Julian, Nancy, Penny, Margaret, Tessa, Erica, Theresa, George, Kevin, Sebastian, Felix, Martin, Michael, Erin, Caleb, Helen, Charlotte, Kyle, Martha, Diana, Elsa, Gary, Zoe, Connor, Colin, Daisy, Eric, Maya, Adam, Andy, Magnus, Alma, Nora, Alice, Spike, Leon, Marcel, Kim, Juno, Sue, Chris, Otto, Donald, Daphne, Kate, Todd, Ned, Ken, Angel, Judy, Jo, Hazel, Naomi, Diego, Miranda, Joel, Lila, Duncan, Dexter, Meredith, Pearl, Lily, Malcolm, Napolean, Joan, Nico, Jamie, Nadia, Velma, Jill, Kiera, Rory, Evan, Tam, Klaus, Neil, Derek, Michelle, Luna, Laila, Cordelia, Zack, Imogen, Felicity, Cindy, Alicia, Kelly, Alan, April, Astrid, Delilah, Jodie, Claudia, Juliet, Karen, Jonas, Milo, Celia, Hannah, Joy, Ethan, Katya, Aria, Atticus, Ian, Cynthia, Faye, Frank, Boo, River, Corey, Gabrielle, Minerva, Ebony, Zia, Beverly, Rudy, Georgina

Names I have an incomplete list for (welcome to send character suggestions)

Richter, Sean, Troy, Cain, Agatha, Warren, Percy, Reggie, Mina, Ryan, Felicia, Dylan, Josh, Shirley, Debbie, Jared, June, Mabel, Ray, Chad, Moe, Hugh, Fearne, Christine, Joe, August, May, Scarlet, Alana, Leela, Manny, Dean, Francis, Mason, Oscar, Quinn, Guy, Ulrich, Wally, Yasmin, Tobias, Woody, Sabrina, Quentin, Margot, Alina, Matilda, Freya, Kendra, Angus, Ophelia, Leisel, Zelda, Adora, Piper, Scarlet, Sheila, Valentine, Laurie, Laurel, Fitz, Violet, Gabriel, Ford, Artemis, Owen, Bianca, Newton, Summer, Darcy, Noah, Taylor, Miriam, Hugh, Aurora, Hank, Henry, Dawn, Delia, Cosmo, Wanda, Zeke, Cecil, Aiden, Calvin, Ayesha, Beatrice, Parker, Chase, Hunter, Tina, Misty, Amaya, Amara, Harvey, Talia, Tatiana, Tanya, Orion, Eugene, Kit, Bo, Duke, Blue, Cameron, Rudolf, Mara, Marianne, Carl

Feel free to send more suggestions

*subject to change, you can still submit a character if there is no strikethrough if you think theres a character that its an absolute crime i dont add. Please don't suggest anything for the names with a strikethrough as they are polls that are already in my queue waiting to be published.

Past Polls

Round 1: Peter : WINNER: Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Round 2: Elizabeth : WINNER: Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Round 3: Jason : WINNER: Jason Mendoza (The Good Place)

Round 4: Eve : WINNER: EVE (WALL-E)

Round 5: Fred : WINNER: Fred Jones (Scooby-Doo)

Round 6: Rachel : WINNER: Rachel (Animorphs)

Round 7: Arthur : WINNER: Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Round 8: Amy : WINNER: Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

Round 9: Tom : WINNER: Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Round 10: Claire : WINNER: Clare Devlin (Derry Girls)

Round 11: James : WINNER: James (Pokemon)

Round 12: Max : WINNER: Max (Black Sails)

Round 13: Simon : WINNER: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Round 14: Jane : WINNER: Jane Crocker (Homestuck)

Round 15: Victor : WINNER: Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice)

Round 16: Mary : WINNER: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

Round 17: Will : WINNER: Will Graham (Hannibal)

Round 18: Laura : WINNER: Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Round 19: Ben : WINNER: Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Star Wars)

Round 20: Chloe : WINNER: Chloe Price (Life Is Strange)

Round 21: John : WINNER: Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives)

Round 22: Lydia : WINNER: Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice)

Round 23: Mark : WINNER: Marc Spector (Moon Knight)

Round 24: Jess : WINNER: Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Round 25: Theo : WINNER: Theobald Gumbar (Dimension 20: A Crown Of Candy)

Round 26: Sarah: WINNER: Sarah Jane Smith (Doctor Who)

Round 27: Richard : WINNER: Richard Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

Round 28: Cass : WINNER: Cassandra Cain (Batman)

Round 29: Edward : WINNER: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Round 30: Carm : WINNER: Carmen Sandiego (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?)

Round 31: Hal : WINNER: HAL9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Round 32: Sid : WINNER: Sydney Adamu (The Bear)

Round 33: Jack : WINNER: Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Round 34: Stephanie : WINNER: Stephanie Brown (Batman)

Round 35: Ash : WINNER: Ash Ketchum (Pokemon)

Round 36: Veronica : WINNER: Veronica Sawyer (Heathers)

Round 37: Kurt : WINNER: Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler (X-Men)

Round 38: Eleanor : WINNER: Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)

Round 39: Nathan : WINNER: Nathan Young (Misfits)

Round 40: Fiona : WINNER: Princess Fiona (Shrek)

Round 41: Gale : WINNER: Gayle Waters-Waters (Chris Fleming)

Round 42: Barbara : WINNER: Barbara Millicent Roberts aka Barbie (Barbie)

Round 43: Sam : WINNER: Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

Round 44: Grace : WINNER: Grace Chastity (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Round 45: Barry : WINNER: Barry Bluejeans (The Adventure Zone)

Round 46: Raven : WINNER: Raven (Teen Titans)

Round 47: Dan : WINNER: Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Round 48: Mia : WINNER: Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

Round 49: Matt : WINNER: Matt Murdock (Daredevil)

Round 50: Rose : WINNER: Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Round 51: Robert : WINNER: Robbie Rotten (LazyTown)

Round 52: Lola : WINNER: Lola Bunny (Space Jam)

Round 53: Scott : WINNER: Scott Summers aka Cyclops (X-Men)

Round 54: Olivia : WINNER: Olivia Octavious (Spiderverse)

Round 55: Finn : WINNER: Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

Round 56: Emily : WINNER: Emily Charlton (The Devil Wears Prada)

Round 57: Elliot : WINNER: Eliot Spencer (Leverage)

Round 58: Sonia : WINNER: Sonia (Pokemon)

Round 59: Gideon : WINNER: Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Round 60: Jen : WINNER: Jennifer Check (Jennifer's Body)

Round 61: Miles : WINNER: Miles Morales (Spider-Man)

Round 62: Lana : WINNER: Lana Skye (Ace Attorney)

Round 63: Spencer : WINNER: Spencer Shay (iCarly)

Round 64: Tracy : WINNER: Tracy Turnbald (Hairspray!)

Round 65: Luke : WINNER: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Round 66: Natalie : WINNER: Natalie Scatorccio (Yellowjackets)

Round 67: Harry : WINNER: Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium)

Round 68: Lucy : WINNER: Lucy van Pelt (Peanuts)

Round 69: Damian : WINNER: Damian Wayne (Batman)

Round 70: Tabitha : WINNER: Tabitha Casper (Dan and Phil Games: Sims 4)

Round 71: Nick : WINNER: Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun)

Round 72: Gwen : WINNER: Guinevere (Merlin)

Round 73: Paul : WINNER: Paulette Bonafonte (Legally Blonde)

Round 74: Abigail : WINNER: Abigail Hobbs (Hannibal)

Round 75: Jordan : WINNER: Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby)

Round 76: Donna : WINNER: Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

Round 77: Morgan : WINNER: Morgana (Merlin)

Round 78: Allison : WINNER: Alison Cooper (BBC Ghosts)

Round 79: Patrick : WINNER: Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants)

Round 80: Linda : WINNER: Linda Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Round 81: Philip : WINNER: Philip J. Fry (Futurama)

Round 82: Clarisse : WINNER: Clarisse La Rue (Percy Jackson)

Round 83: Jeff

Round 84: Maria

#best character named x #poll #poll game #my post

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laytonnpcbracket · 10 months

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Welcome to the Layton NPC Showdown!

This is a bracket to determine which of the many memorable NPCs from across the Professor Layton games are the greatest.

GAMES INCLUDED: Every game except LBMR. Eternal Diva characters are also not included here.

WHAT COUNTS AS AN NPC?: Anyone who doesn't have a puzzle animation. Characters excluded are Layton, Luke, Flora, Clive, Emmy, Randall, Aurora, Des, Espella, Phoenix, Maya, Katrielle, Ernest, Sherl, Hastings, and Emiliana.

WILL THERE BE NOMINATIONS?: Nope! Every NPC will be included.

WHAT ABOUT THE LAYTONMOBILE/MOLENTARY EXPRESS?: No vehicles. Not characters.

WHAT ABOUT THE PUZZLE LADS/LASSES?: I only plan on including characters that we can speak to in-game, so no Puzzle Lads or Lasses. Sorry to the people who like them 😔

WHICH CHARACTERS ARE INCLUDED, THEN?: Anyone who isn't an exception listed above that is in the profiles of the game! A full list is enclosed below.

WHEN WILL THE TOURNAMENT START?: More information forthcoming on that! I have to seed the bracket first :)

WHY IS NAIYA YOUR ICON?: In my opinion, she's one of the more underrated NPCs of the series. I'll probably cycle through some of the ones I have available to me right now.

WHAT CRITERIA SHOULD I VOTE ON?: Whatever makes you happy :)

ARE ALTER EGOS SEPERATE CHARACTERS?: No. For instance, Ratman is not included because his secret identity is in the tournament.

US OR UK NAMES?: I will try to make available as many names for the NPCs as possible! Which includes their Japanese names and as many names in the localizations as I am able to obtain from the wiki and my own sources. I'll probably reliably have the English (both versions where applicable), Japanese, and French names for every character when I do the bracket rounds. The list below however is entirely in English.

And now for a list of the entries! I didn't check all of these for inconsistencies, but I attempted to ascertain that I used the US versions. Some of them might be UK versions though because that's the version of the game I have (specifically Diabolical Box NPCs and Last Specter NPCs -- I know some of their US names but not all).

Franco

Stachenscarfen

Ingrid

Percy

Marco

Ramon

Matthew

Lady Dahlia Reinhold

Gordon Reinhold

Simon Reinhold

Claudia

Beatrice

Deke

Agnes

Pauly

Crouton

Flick

Rodney

Chelmey

Lucy

Zappone

Gerard

Jarvis

Adrea

Pavel

Crumm

Prosciutto

Archibald

Sylvain

Martha

Giuseppe

Augustus Reinhold

Granny Riddleton

Don Paolo

Bruno

Andrew Schrader

Anton Herzen

Katia Anderson

Sophia

Mr. Anderson

Beluga

Sammy Thunder

Macaroon

Chester

Babette

Tom

Ilyana

Geoff

Garland

Nigel

Jacques

Barton

Grousley

Steve

Capone

Mitzi

Lili

Sally

Marjorie

Conrad

Karla

Romie

Dorothea

Clabber

Oscar

Nick

Gabe

Balsa

Wurtzer

Lopez

Laurel

Parcelle

Lulu

Albert

Madeline

Remy

Angus

Kostya

Dylan

Joseph

Rory

Lila

Damon

Felix

Niles

Duke

Hopper

Olson

Derby

Dawson

Joanie

Krantz

Grinko

Marina

Opal

Ray

Gregorio

Narice

Gertie

Hamster

Precious

Winston

Claire

Dimitri Allen

Bill Hawks

Spring

Cogg

Dean Delmona

Shipley

Puzzlette

Beasley

Parrot

Subject 3

Bostro

Family Goon

Lockjaw

Splinters

Marzano

Layman

Fisheye

Silky

Shmelmey

Shmarton

Ward

Smith

Florence

Vito

Art

Niklaus

Anita

Alfie

Hazel (UF)

Adeline

Max

Becky

Margaret

Pallard

Dupree

Natalia

Harold

Horace

Hardy

Cuthbert

Segal

Catanova

Rosetta

Colby

Rudolph

Misha

Dylan

Viv

Pepper

Checker

Avogadro

Maya (UF)

Myrtle

Belle

Graham

Slate

Ernest (UF)

Berta

Minnie

Paige

Raleigh

Beacon

Mark

Rosa

Grosky

Keats

Clark Triton

Brenda Triton

Arianna Barde

Tony Barde

Doland Noble

Levin Jakes

Loosha

Toppy

Crow

Marilyn

Roddy

Scraps

Tweeds

Wren

Socket

Louis

Badger

Aldus

Charlie

Jasmine

Bucky

Fische

Beth

Mido

Clarence

Joe

Molly

Marion

Browne

Hugo

Dominica

Paddy

Brock

Aunt Taffy

Shackwell

Greppe

Goosey

Mimi

Hans Jakes

Maggie

Yamada

Sean

Olga

Finch

Sebastian

Cornelius

Chappy

Hannah

Mick

Colby

Monica

Thomas

Nate

Ewan

Chief Engineer

Naiya

Chippe

Bram

Ghent

Nordic

Gilbert

Roland Layton

Lucille Layton

Henry Ledore

Angela Ledore

Alphonse Dalston

Leonard Bloom

Sheffield

Billson

Mrs Ascot

Pascal

Guy

Lapushka

Gustav

Gonzales

Drake

Tyrone

Sterling

Mordy

Collette

Maurice

Juggles

Puck

Yukkles

Murphy

Tanya

Firth

Madelaine

Stumble

Artie

Michelle

Nils

Frankie

Conner

Humbert

Policeman (MM)

Yuming

Esther

Lionel

Doug

Mr. Collins

Leon Bronev

Raymond

Prima

Harald

Donna

Mascha

Georg

Mackintosh

Solveig

Erik

Hazel (AL)

Igor

Sonya

Moos

Larisa

Karpin

Boris

Dariya

Pavlova

Carmichael

Amelie Chelmey

Policeman (AL)

Tommy

Morel

Chestnut

Amanita

Blewitt

Chanterelle

Button

Lepidella

Bud

Javier

Benny

Miranda

Martine

Barbara

Ruby

Scarlett

Flint

Old Red

Jesse

Derringer

Julien

Romilda

Sheppard

Piet

Felicia

Rik

Beatrix

Umid

Banu

Dana

Temir

Mehri

Nassir

Adler

Robin

Macaw

Plover

Grouse

Gannet

Swift

Carmine Accidenti

Olivia Aldente

Allan

Bardly

Zacharias Barnham

Newton Belduke

Birdly

Boistrum

Cecil

Cinderellia

Constantine

Cracker

Cutter

Darklaw

Dewey

Dzibilchaltunchunchucmil

Patty Eclaire

Eve (cat)

Flynch

Foxy

Jean Greyerl

Hoot

Judge

Kira

Knight Captain

Knightle

Lottalance

Lyewood

Lettie Mailer

Balmung

Mary

Muffet

Muggs

Ridelle Mystere

Nozey

Petal

Petter

Ms Primstone

Emeer Punchenbaug

Robbs

Old Rootie

Rouge

Servius

Shakey

Johnny Smiles

Snowy

Storyteller

Tuggit

Price

Wordsmith

Pipper Lowonida

Phineas Barnone

Madame Doublée

Liza Wight

Grant Sloans

Cesar Chance

Mustafa Fulhold

Hans Lipski

Aleks Lipski

Maverick D. Rector

Seymore Fraymes

The Major

Eddie Torre

Hayes

Maid

Wooooster

Bianca Teller

Security Guard

Shadee

Taboras Lloyd

Douglas Dert

Ratboy

Mo Heecan

Mrs Slow the Tailor

Midas Pullman

Declan Swabber

Abel Seamon

Felicity Hastings

Gene Ohm

Billy Kidd

Royall Britannias

Clover Pryce

PC Beate

DC Booker

Waiter

Séan Butchin

Bo Bells

Hessie Tate

Benjy

Bess

Keane Fisher

Bob Bracket

Stripey

Patch

Cat

Yapper

Gudrun Weldon

#professor layton

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iguessitsjustme · 3 months

Text

spell your url with song titles and then tag as many people as there are letters

I’m avoiding my work so thanks for the tag @pose4photoml

I’m not gonna link any of them cause I’m on my phone but they all should be on youtube. I’m also gonna try this without Stray Kids songs. Wish me luck.

i - Intertwined by dodie

g - Goodnight Moon by Go Radio

u - Unfaithful by Rihanna

e - Empire by Beth Crowley

s - Saint or a Sinner by Hunter Hayes

s - Seven (feat. Latto) (Explicit Ver.) by Jungkook

i - Irish Eyes by Rose Betts

t - Therapy by All Time Low

s - Santa Monica Dream by Angus & Julia Stone

j - Jericho by Iniko

u - Unholy Heart by Magnolia Park

s - Supernova by Nic D and Loveless

t - Take It Way - About Youth Theme Song

m - MMMBop by Hanson

e - Enamórate De Alguien Más by Morat

I have no idea who to tag so if you want to do this *tag* you’re it.

#tag game #rae irl #im tired and my head hurts #it will be a miracle if i get any work done this afternoon #someone send me good and positive thoughts and vibes please #i cant even enjoy the sun today alas

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the-ravenclaw-werewolf · 10 months

Note

Actually, now that I have thought it over, I think it would be better to add live action TV adaptations to possible candidates for the 40, but for characters from Live Action TV Shows.

I would include...

Jon Snow from Game of Thrones

Shawn Spencer from Psych

Michael Scott or Jim Halpert from The Office

Leslie Knope or Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec

Edmund Blackadder or Baldrick from Blackadder

Neil from The Young Ones

and Gilligan from Gilligan's Island

What live action TV Shows would you pick?

There were so many shows that it was so hard to pick! But I did my best:

The Addams Family (1964): Gomez or Mortica

BBC Sherlock: John Watson (I know there are some who don’t like this version, but I like the idea of John becoming even more badass and getting a leg up on Sherlock).

Good Omens: Aziraphale or Crowley

Merlin: Merlin of Arthur (I’m just imagining Arthur being surrounded by modern technology and calling it “sorcery!”)

House MD: House

Gilligan's Island: Gilligan

M*A*S*H: Hawkeye or Klinger (Look, the man KILLED IT in those dresses and was committed!)

Star Trek: The Original Series: Kirk or Spock

The Nanny: Fran or Niles

The Golden Girls: Rose or Dorothy or Sophia or Blanche (Listen, for so long I have wanted to see Niles from The Nanny and Sophia go toe to toe in an insult competition, so this is the closest I can get!)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Will Smith

Knight Rider (1982): Michael Knight or KITT (Can you imagine three of the people waking up in a room only to find a talking car with them as well?)

Dexter: Dexter

Fringe: Olivia or Walter or Peter

Stranger Things: Steve Harrington (The babysitter needs to be prepare) or El

Doctor Who: Tenth Doctor

Supernatural: Sam or Dean or Castiel

The Good Doctor: Shaun Murphy

Breaking Bad: Walter White or Jesse Pinkman

The Handmaid's Tale: June Osborne

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy

Roswell (1999): Liz Parker or Max Evans

Fleabag: Fleabag

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Miriam Maisel

Orange Is The New Black: Piper Chapman

Psych: Shawn Spencer

The Office: Michael Scott or Jim Halpert

Parks and Rec: Leslie Knope or Ron Swanson

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Jake Peralta or Ray Holt

MacGyver (1985): Angus MacGyver

NCIS: Leroy Gibbs

Criminal Minds: Spencer Reid

The X-Files: Dana Scully or Fox Mulder

Full House: Jesse Katsopolis or Danny Tanner or Joey Gladstone

Corner Gas: Brent

Downton Abbey: Charles Carson

Monk: Adrien Monk

The Queen's Gambit: Beth Harmon

Columbo: Columbo

Murder, She Wrote: Jessica Beatrice Fletcher

#main character syndrome (with exceptions)#the 40 #the_ravenclaw_werewolf #ask & answer #hulkchloron99 #tv show 40

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lesser-known-composers · 9 months

Text

youtube

Thomas Crecquillon (c.1505-1557) - Prestés moy l’ung

Phoenix Consort :

Soprano: Beth Yates Tenor: Angus Armstrong Baritone/Director: Adam Whitmore Bass: Lukas Russell

Recorded in St. Giles’ Church, Durham

#Thomas Crecquillon #franco flemish school #Youtube

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jennyjim-coast-2-coast · 11 months

Text

Saturday 10 June - Cinque Terre

A bit of a lazy start to the day. Hooked into Angus and Hazel and then Henry and Belle to provide a Nana and Pa update early on and then had breakfast at Aristide Bar a few doors up. Dinner at their restaurant last night was very good indeed, accompanied by local wine. Breakfast was breakfast.

We then purchased a three day rail pass for the area and headed to the biggest town of the five - Monterosso. Unlike here at Manarola, there is a large beach area with lounges and umbrellas for hire - a more beachy vibe. A bigger commercial area too. Enjoyed a very pleasant octopus salad for lunch.

Next stop on the train and moving south was Vernazza. Very pretty and again has the benefit of a small beach for swimming. I gather Beth, Pat, Molly and Neve chose this town when they came here some years ago.

We joined the busy tourist throngs in a gelato and did a bit more people watching as the world strolled by.

Finished the afternoon / early evening on our balcony with wine / beer and nibbles enjoying a perfect evening as the sun sets at the end of the street. Ahhhh!

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refinedbuffoonery · 1 year

Text

Looking Through A Window (20)

macriley married undercover au

masterlist.

Happy New Year! Truly, I cannot imagine posting this chapter on any other day. There's a certain hopeful joy on New Year's Day, is there not? Fitting for this chapter, I think.

Please excuse the horrific number of metaphors in this chapter. In the first draft, there were more. So. Many. More.

I know it's hard to stay connected to a story that updates as infrequently as this one, so I dedicate this chapter to those of you who have been here since the beginning and are still here. Thank you for hanging on. I love you.

*****

Despite his exhaustion, sleep doesn’t find Mac easily. He tosses and turns, not bothering to conceal his restlessness from Riley since she’s tossing and turning too. The gray morning light peeking through the bedroom window isn’t helping either. When all else fails, Mac finally just throws an arm and a leg over Riley and pulls her close, wanting the comfort of her in his arms.

He nuzzles his face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in, fighting the urge to press his lips into her warm skin. It feels so good to have her with him, despite not quite having her the way he wants. But he could. Have her, that is. They just need to cross that final bridge, but he’ll be damned if they don’t cross it together. They’ve come too far for him to rush and blow it at the finish line.

Between the precarious mission and the even more precarious state of their relationship, it’s a lot to worry about, all at once. But even though his anxious brain is keeping him awake, his body craves rest.

Mac tries one of the grounding exercises a Phoenix therapist taught him. He starts by noticing his breath, slow and deep. On his next inhale, he shifts his awareness to his feet; on the exhale, he lets them get heavy and sink into the mattress. Mac repeats the exercise moving up his body—legs, hips, torso, shoulders, arms, head. Another breath and his whole body sinks even deeper into the mattress.

Giving up on the hope of sleep, he does his best to ignore the fact that Riley’s laptop is currently open at the foot of the bed, programmed to alert them as soon as someone makes the first 911 call about the bomb.

Even though he’s waiting for it, the notification comes entirely too soon.

Live satellite imagery shows first responders from all over the city converging on the capitol. Or rather, what’s left of it. Mac’s chain of bombs worked a little too well—leveling not only the building, but the landscaping and a chunk of the parking lot as well.

Mac’s stomach drops as his mind immediately jumps to the very real scenario of a bomb having not gone off with all the rest. He can only watch the screen in horror as he pleads with the universe that some unlucky firefighter doesn’t stumble across an intact device. He wants to scour the place himself.

There’s no way Matty would let him do that. There’s no way Riley would let him do that.

It doesn’t take long before the news coverage begins, and Mac streams the live video on his phone while Riley keeps them tapped into the first responders’ radio network. They’re desperately listening for one thing, and one thing only: whether there were any casualties.

An hour passes. No bodies, yet.

Matty calls, confirming no one was in the building. She had analysts monitoring the security cameras all night long to be sure. She also assures Mac and Riley that they were not caught on camera. No one in the intelligence community has a clue who did this.

After Matty hangs up, a long time passes before Mac feels like he can breathe again. No one died. I didn’t kill anyone, he thinks.

But the anxiety kicks in, like it always does, questioning, But what if you did?

It’s taken a lot of time and therapy over the years to learn how to shut down thoughts like that, but Mac still struggles. He needs something to do with his hands, to give him something else to think about. Even though he’s not hungry, he says, “I’m going to make breakfast.”

Riley looks just as lost as Mac feels as she nods. There are dark circles beneath her eyes that he hadn’t noticed before. “I need to lay back down for a minute,” she says. Riley closes her computer and flops onto the pillows, eyes closing. “I’ll help you in a bit.”

Mac squeezes her shoulder before heading to the kitchen and making himself a cup of coffee.

Working with his hands has always quieted his mind. Since he was a kid, Mac would turn to building something—or taking something apart—when he had something to work through in his head. There was a calm, focused order to his actions, which translated to a calm, focused mind.

It was only well into adulthood that Mac realized his strategy applied to cooking. Granted, he doesn’t have the instincts to make a good chef, not like Bozer, and often the results leave much to be desired where taste is concerned, but there’s an organization to cooking and baking that Mac’s brain likes. His pancake batter comes together quickly, and Mac is grateful that the agents who set up the safe house thought to stock the kitchen with nice cooking tools.

They don’t, however, have a griddle, so he heats up a large skillet and ladles batter into neat circles.

Step by step, he works through his stress about the bombing, through his anxiety over what the Patriots might ask for next, through his terror last night when Riley didn’t respond over comms. Mac’s heart races as the memory replays in his mind, first as it happened, then in a warped worst-case scenario. He sees Riley getting dragged across the grounds by those cops and roughly thrown into the back of their car. The powerlessness he feels is hard to swallow.

Mac takes a deep breath. That didn’t happen. He found her. He was there to help her.

He wants to be there for her for the rest of his life.

More than half the pancakes have been cooked by the time Mac hears the soft sound of feet on carpet, and then a bleary-eyed Riley turns the corner into the kitchen, still wearing those damn pajamas that make his brain cease to function. He’d really like to run his fingers along the gap between the hem of her shirt and the waistband of her shorts, just to hear what sound she’d make when his fingers graze her skin. Seemingly unaware of his staring, Riley makes a beeline for the coffee pot, and Mac has to stifle a laugh when she overfills her mug and has to bend over to slurp some before even lifting it from the counter. His own half-drank cup is over there too, forgotten, and she refills it and brings it to him by way of greeting. Mac thanks her.

“You fell back asleep, didn’t you?”

“Yeah until Harley kicked me right in the stomach. She’s having another one of her weird dreams.” Mac sympathy-winces into his coffee. This new cup tastes better than the one he made himself.

“Breakfast is almost ready.” He checks the pancakes—still too pale.

“How can I help?”

Unable to help himself, Mac smiles at her. “Can you please wash the strawberries?” Riley nods into her coffee.

Mac loves how easy this is—still in their pajamas, seamlessly cooking together. His anxiety doesn’t feel so overwhelming when she’s around. Just being near her makes him feel warm and safe and at peace. It’s everything he wants.

Wants with Riley, no one else.

Her back is to him while she rinses the berries, but Mac can’t help smiling at her. He’s so in love with her that it hurts; his heart squeezes as those three little words rise in his throat.

“I love you,” he says.

Riley turns to him, lips parted.

“I am undeniably, irreversibly, in love with you,” Mac repeats. It’s exhilarating to finally say it. He takes the two steps across the kitchen to stand before her, cradling her face in his hands. “I love us. I love the trust we’ve built and how I feel safest with you by my side. I love that you continually push me to be the best version of myself. I love your determination and patience and compassion. And I love the way you ruined the possibility of ever loving anyone else the way I love you.”

Eyes lined with silver, Riley tugs him closer until their bodies are pressed together. “I love you too, you know.”

His heart squeezes. Shatters and re-forms with her inside it. Years of friendship and partnership and loving her crashes over him, surrounding him, filling him. “I do,” he says hoarsely.

A tear escapes her eye, then another, and Mac gently kisses them away, tasting salt on his lips.

Riley sniffs. “Mac.”

“You,” he murmurs, brushing his nose against hers, “are so beautiful.” He traces a fingertip around the outline of her lips, marking exactly where he plans on kissing her next, then tilts her chin upward. Deep in his chest, he feels this tugging sensation toward her, the atoms in his body desperate to intertwine with the atoms in hers. She’s close enough that he feels her breath on his face. She’s so close. She’s so damn close, but even after everything he still needs her to be the one to finally close the gap between them. To step through that door.

“Mac, the pancakes.”

“Fuck the pancakes.”

“Mac, they’re burning.” She pushes his chest for emphasis.

Mac groans, but he gives in, flipping the slightly burnt pancakes as fast as humanly possible. Setting the spatula down, he puts both hands back on Riley’s face. “Now, can I kiss you?” Riley smiles, and it’s like the sun shining in the kitchen, just for him.

“Yes.”

The first kiss is soft but sure, just as Mac has never been more sure of anything in his life than telling Riley he loves her. Riley parts her lips, but Mac doesn’t speed up as he tastes her. He just continues to kiss her slowly, deeply, thoroughly. And Riley kisses him back, each press of her lips like a puzzle piece finally sliding into place.

“I love you,” he whispers into her mouth, just because he can.

The second kiss takes a different turn, heated and desperate. It feels like the culmination of all the years of waiting and wondering and hoping. The burn of the surety of her lips against his proves that it was all worth it.

They only pause to take the pancakes off the stove.

By the third kiss, Mac has found the confidence to move his hands freely along her body, tugging at her waist, stroking his thumb across her ribs. Meanwhile her fingers have found the spot at the base of his skull that makes him want to melt in a puddle on the floor. Nails scratching lightly, she grips his hair and tugs, and the resulting surge of want is so strong it takes every ounce of Mac’s willpower not to lay her out on the floor. Or over the counter. Or against the wall.

No. The first time will happen in a bed. Nowhere else.

Mac is so absorbed in Riley that he almost doesn’t hear the knock at the door. Chest heaving, he rests his forehead against hers as he tries to catch his breath. The knocking only grows more insistent.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Riley mutters.

Sneaking in one more kiss on the cheek, Mac offers, “I’ll get it.”

It’s Carrie Ann at the door. Because somehow she always finds a way to insert herself in the middle of their major relationship milestones.

But his annoyance at her interruption is curbed by the look of genuine worry on her face. Before he can ask what she’s doing here, she asks in that intrusive but well-meaning way of hers, “Is everything alright? Last night I heard Harley barking, so I came over to check on y’all, and your car was gone. I kept a lookout and you were gone all night and have been real worried ‘bout you.” She crosses her arms.

They’d heard Harley whining when they returned early this morning, but learning she’d done that all night makes an acidic sort of guilt burn a hole in Mac’s stomach. The look on Carrie Ann’s face makes it clear she wants an explanation, so he scrambles to come up with a decent lie.

“Thank you for checking on her,” Mac begins, glancing over his shoulder to where Harley dozes on the couch. “We spent last night in the ER. Gen had some nasty vertigo that wouldn’t go away, but she’s fine now.” He’s surprised at how easily the lie rolls off his tongue.

Relief washes over Carrie Ann’s face, although the neighborly concern remains. “I’m glad she’s alright. Why don’t I bring you two dinner tonight so you don’t have to cook? You look like you could use some rest.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist.”

Mac glances at the floor, embarrassed to be taking advantage of her generosity after lying to her face. But he looks her in the eye when he says, “Thank you. We would really appreciate that.”

“That’s what neighbors do. They take care of each other.” Carrie Ann smiles. “I’ll be back around six with your dinner, that work for you?”

Mac can only nod, a lump forming in his throat.

“Tell your wife to call me when she’s feeling better.”

The word wife hits Mac square in the chest. His lungs seize, halting as he tries to reconcile the roles they’re playing with the roles they’re choosing. They went into this as coworkers and friends and partners, pretending to be married. If they stay on their current path, they’ll be coming out of this still as partners, but of a different, deeper sort. Perhaps even on the road to getting married for real.

It’s too early to think that. But it’s not, because now he’s lived it and it’s everything he wants.

Wants with her. For real.

His eyes water as he returns to the kitchen, which Riley notices immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” He wraps her in a tight hug, letting her anchor him amidst the current of thoughts and feelings flowing around them. “Just feeling a little emotional at the moment.” She laughs into his shoulder, sounding a little choked up herself.

After breakfast, Mac has every intention of kissing Riley for as long as she’ll let him. She tastes like coffee and maple syrup and peace, and his hands fit around her hips like they were carved from the same chunk of universe as he backs her against the cabinets.

His hands aren’t shy as they relearn her body in this new context. She feels warm and familiar, yet wholly new and different at the same time. He moves freely between parts of her he’s never touched and parts he’s touched a thousand times.

What he doesn’t do is rush. Not when this moment is years in the making. No matter how much he wants to, he resists the temptation to let his fingers tease the strip of exposed skin between the hem of her shirt and the waistband of her shorts. Instead he keeps her clothes as a barrier—one that he’ll only cross with her express permission.

Riley pulls back, giving him that look that says she knows what he’s thinking. “You don’t have to be so careful, you know.”

“I do. Have to be careful, that is,” he clarifies. Kissing her is just as terrifying as it is exciting, and most of his fear is that he’ll do something to make her end this before it even begins. They’ve come too far, crossed too many lines—especially now that he knows how she tastes—to go back to being friends. And Mac doesn’t plan on losing her.

“I want this,” she reassures him, kissing him as if she’s trying to breathe confidence into his lungs. “And everything that comes with it.”

“Everything, huh?” Mac smirks.

Of its own accord, his thumb slips beneath the hem of her shirt, stroking soft skin. She gasps at the brush of contact—a sound that will ring in Mac’s eardrums until the day he dies.

Riley nods desperately, confidence reduced to speechlessness with one small gesture. Pride swells in Mac’s chest. He did that to her. He caused that reaction.

He wants to do it again.

Mac lowers his lips to her ear. “Tell me, exactly, what you want.”

She shivers.

“This?” He presses a kiss below her ear. “Or this?” He nips at the skin over her pulse. “Or maybe this?” He grazes his fingertips up her bare thigh.

The whine that escapes Riley’s throat is a straight shot to his ego.

“Do you even know all the ways I’ve imagined seducing you?”

Too much. He’s gone too far with that one, based on the way Riley stiffens. Mac backpedals, the beginning of a jumbled apology tumbling from his lips. But then Riley grabs his face with both hands and forces him to meet her gaze.

“I want you to show me what you’ve imagined.” She swallows. “And then I’ll show you mine.”

*****

Mac has never hated Conrad more than when the bastard blows up his phone while he’s got his mouth on Riley’s collarbone and his fingers undoing the drawstring of her shorts. He’s no murderer, but he might make an exception just this once.

There’s an emergency Patriots council meeting in an hour, and James and Genevieve are expected to be there.

Goddamnit.

They scramble to shower—one at a time, unfortunately—and drive over, pulling up to the Patriots’ warehouse with only a couple minutes to spare. They bring Harley with them, feeling guilty for leaving her home alone so much.

Predictably, they’re the last to arrive, and Conrad glowers at them as they take their seats. Harley sniffs the room before dutifully laying at Riley’s feet.

A perfect foil to Conrad’s foul mood, Ethan sits at the head of the conference table wearing a practiced neutral expression that even Matty would admire. Hands folded in his lap, he looks the picture of calm and at ease. If Mac were a fool, he’d think this was just a regular Wednesday council meeting.

But Mac’s no fool, and nearly a decade of black ops has taught him that that level of calm on a powerful person’s face should only elicit one emotion: fear.

Conrad snaps, “We have a rat problem.”

Mac stiffens. Almost immediately, Riley’s knee bumps his under the table, a silent reminder to control his reactions. He reaches down to scratch Harley’s head, forcing his lips into an irreverent smirk. A smug mask to hide the fear of getting caught too soon. “Need to borrow my dog, Conrad?” Mac goads.

Months from now, the glare Conrad levels at him will be laughable. No doubt spectacularly reenacted by Riley as they tell this story around Mac’s fire pit. Even now, a few snickers break out around the table until Ethan holds up a hand, silencing them.

“What he means to say,” Ethan begins, “is that there is a wrinkle in an otherwise perfectly executed demolition of the capitol.” The temperature in the room plummets. Mac wishes he could ask Riley if she feels it too, that it’s not just his imagination. Ethan continues, “There wasn’t a single injury or casualty this morning. You know why? The capitol was empty.”

A few murmurs break out, but the air in the room remains tense, frozen as they wait for the hammer to drop.

“It has come to my attention that capitol employees were given an impromptu day off. And since the only people who knew about this plan are in this room. . .” Ethan pauses, taking time to look each council member in the eye. “There is obviously a mole in our organization, and it’s one of you.”

Well. That’s inconvenient.

“We’re giving you twenty-four hours to come forward as the mole. If you come forward during that time, we’ll release you from service without repercussions.” A blatant lie if Mac ever heard one. “If you do not come forward, when we find you, there will be consequences for your actions.”

No doubt those consequences will be swift and bloody. A fate he’d like to avoid.

“James. A word.” Ethan rises from the table, and Mac and Riley exchange a brief look before following. No need to piss him off even more.

In his office, Ethan elects to stand, fingertips pressed into the lacquered wood of this desk. On instinct Mac positions his body slightly in front of Riley like he can shield her from the verbal lashing they’re about to receive. But she bumps him with her elbow—a move so subtle anyone else would think it an accident—and steps forward so she’s even with him. Equal partners, always.

It’s nice to have someone to share the burdens of this job.

“My first instinct is to blame the two of you for this mishap,” Ethan says, his too-casual tone making Mac internally cringe. “Care to share your thoughts on that?”

Without missing a beat, Mac replies, “It only makes sense. We’re new and thus the least trusted. You’ve looked into us, I’m sure, but we’re the outliers in this equation. New features to an already well-oiled machine. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust us either.” If Riley was in his ear rather than at his side, no doubt she’d be yelling, What the fuck are you saying? But she’s trapped in a position where she has no choice but to show a united front, and Mac continues his misdirection without interruption. “Because of this fragile trust, we did not take certain creative liberties we might’ve otherwise. Our planning was exactly to Conrad’s specifications, from the number of bombs to their placement to the time of detonation. So if you’re looking to point fingers, I wouldn’t aim at us.”

Mac didn’t lie. Every word of that speech is true. It’s just carefully crafted to avoid any mention of evacuating the building.

“That doesn’t change the fact that the governor is still alive. We’ll have to do this again.”

In the last few days, Mac had honestly forgotten the point of all this was murder, not just making a statement. Now the conversation they overheard between Ethan and Cody at the gala comes roaring back, drowning out whatever Ethan says next.

“Perhaps,” Riley says, coming to his rescue, “our next attempt should be done with more finesse.” It’s like she knew Mac was lost in his thoughts, knew she needed to shift Ethan’s attention off him and onto herself. All without looking at Mac. She knows him.

Ethan slowly repeats the word finesse, turning it over in his mouth as he considers Riley’s statement. “Mrs. Turner—”

“You can call me Genevieve.”

“Genevieve,” Ethan amends, wearing an expression Mac can’t quite place. “And what would this finesse look like?”

It’s a test, obviously. A challenge to contribute without undermining Ethan’s authority.

“With all due respect, a big bombing is messy. Too many variables to ensure such a precise desired outcome.” Her voice is cold and unfeeling in a way Mac hasn’t heard in a long time. Like she locked her humanity in a box so all that’s left is that wicked brain of hers, solving a puzzle like a machine would, without the influence of morality. “If you want to assassinate the governor, it needs to be simple and precise. His security will be heightened after this, but no person is invulnerable. Getting out of their car is a good time to catch a man off guard, then all you need is a sniper on a nearby roof.”

“Public or in private?”

“You can do it in his own front yard for all I care.”

Later tonight, that sentence will haunt Riley’s nightmares and put her on her knees in front of the toilet. Keep her on the bathroom floor as she processes what she said. She’ll let Mac tie back her hair, let him hold her while she cries, but they won’t talk. He knows her.

“And are you my sniper?”

Mac swallows. Riley replies, “No, I am not. But I can put you in contact with someone I trust.”

“Is he discreet?”

“She is.”

Something flickers in Ethan’s eye at the pronoun correction, but he doesn’t respond right away. He makes a show of thinking it over, although Mac doesn’t pay him much attention as he’s too busy trying to keep up with Riley’s scheming himself. Obviously the sniper is Desi; they’ll have to get her on board. And if she gets involved. . . perhaps they could fake the governor’s death, at least temporarily.

“I won’t tolerate being disappointed again,” Ethan warns.

It feels like damning himself as Mac promises, “We won’t.”

*****

Back at the apartment, the rest of the day passes as planned. They sleep on the couch until Carrie Ann drops off dinner, which is surprisingly good. And when the nightmare of her own words drags Riley from bed, Mac brings a pillow and blanket to the bathroom. He doesn’t get to press a litany of I love you-s into her skin the way he imagined doing this morning. Instead it’s just one, whispered into her hair amid gentle shushing noises as he rocks her to sleep.

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